CHAPTER EIGHT—HARGOSI PRIMAL-SSS

Kyle rushed out of the luxury suite after Kelly Hess. Glancing to his left and then to his right, he caught a glimpse of her as she disappeared down the white corridor filled with holo-ads and various sceneries.

He lunged forward, kicking his legs as fast as he could as he dodged other passengers who were going about their vacation day and looking at him like he was a madman.

“Come here, you bitch!” he hissed.

When he caught up to her, he saw that she was waiting for the lift. When she turned, she started panicking but then the lift doors opened and she made it inside. Kyle tried to get his hand between the closing doors but failed.

Glancing at him from behind the glass, she smirked as she gave him the middle finger.

Damn.

He ran to the other lift and had to wait for it. Luckily, these lifts were visible through transparent windows leading up the multiple levels within the main open complex of parks and trees.

Two passengers yelped as he jumped into the lift and hit the button. The doors closed before he let them out.

At least four floors behind Hess, he had to keep an eye on the other lift to make sure it didn’t ascend or stop without his knowledge. She probably thought she had lost him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, glancing back quickly toward the older couple with grey hair. “Just chasing my friend around.”

“You should be more respectful,” the woman chided.

“You’re right,” Kyle said. “But you know, in this age the worse you are the more attention you get. Maybe I’ll be on the six o’clock Chylaxium News!”

“Ugh!” the woman noised, shaking her head while her husband gave him a funny look.

Hess’ lift stopped. She was still three levels ahead of him. He didn’t know what level that was, but he hit the stop button when he reached that floor.

This wasn’t the level that would lead her back to Laiwyn. That was on the top decks—like twenty floors higher than where they were now.

Kyle stepped out of the lift.

This floor was busy. There were walkers all over carrying bags. Kyle recognized some of the logos. There was a Hargosi Primal-SSS bag with a big black logo that glinted in red and silver.

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This is a shopping floor, he thought.

Glancing left, he didn’t see Hess anywhere. She was an easy spot in her tight pants, punked-out shoes and jacket and that neon blue hair that practically sparkled in the light and glowed in the dark.

Taking the corridor on the right, he walked at a reasonable pace, trying not to make a scene. She obviously thought she had lost him and was now leisurely strolling along.

He glanced out the windows, the two hundred floors of the massive complex was easy to make out above the forest and the bright sunlight projected from above.

This ship isn’t a cruise liner, he thought. It’s a city.

Walking forward and passing other shoppers heading in the same direction, he spotted a head of blue-hair up ahead.

That’s her!

Catching up, he stayed reasonably far behind to keep from being spotted in case she turned around as she headed into Hargosi Primal-SSS, a high fashion and tech mega chain for the superrich and horny.

It wasn’t hard to remain unseen between the massive isles, clothing boutique shows and thousands of visitors, both human and demi-human in their extraordinarily overpriced—and weird—fashion choices.

Fuck.

He followed her into what looked like a subsection of the store, filled with holo-models and real models alike. The various… unconventional lingerie styles caught Kyle’s eye and he glanced about self-consciously afraid someone might recognize him in here.

Then she was gone.

Where did she go?

Walking along he glanced about, his head swiveling from left to right. Why couldn’t he find her? She was here! Picking up his pace, he looking around for her blue head of hair as he passed shoppers perusing through windows where live models performed various sexy, sexual and in some cases, disgusting poses.

Ignoring the models, incessant holo-ads and in-store chatter of customers, he was almost sprinting now as he glanced down the aisles.

Then suddenly her blue hair—Kyle smirked—flashed around a corner.

“Hello, sir?” a holo-saleswoman said to him. “Can I interest you in any of the merchandise?” she said, gesturing to the items.

“No.”

“Usually holo-salesmen gave up pretty quick, but then she said, “Any and all that you see is appropriate no matter what your tastes. For the club and pool distract, you’ll want something appropriate to wear. We have thongs, cheekinis, G-strings! Various materials from sheer fibro-plastic to the rarest animal leathers and furs. We even have—“

“Fuck off, holo-fool.”

“As you say sir.”

Kyle turned the corner, fully expecting to find her walking ahead of him, but she was gone!

“What the…?”

He glanced about.

“Right here, squeaky.”

He whirled around, his chest meeting her open palm. The wind was knocked out of him as her magic shunted him ten feet back.

Landing in a heavy grunt, he grasped at his chest and the pain there as he coughed hoarsely while people shouted in excitement, fear and even some laughs.

“Is he okay?”

“I don’t know?”

“Damn kids. Why can’t they goof off somewhere else?”

“I don’t think they’re messing around.”

“Hey where is she going?’

“Is he all right?”

“That’ll teach you, stalker!”

“Not a sex ritual, I think.”

He sat up and sucked in a huge breath.

“Excuse me, sir?” a woman said. “You can’t do that in the store.”

Can’t what, breathe? Get assaulted? Recover from being thrown across the damn room?

“Well shit,” he muttered to himself as he noticed Kelly Hess was gone. “That’s one tricky little hussy.”