CHAPTER ONE—“SHAKE ON IT”

“Wucha lookin’ at, John? Is that the Chylaxium?”

John was scrolling through the holographic map data of the space yacht sent over by to them by secure drop. “Yeah,” he said quietly with a nod. It was late. John wasn’t usually at his peak at night.

That was more Kyle’s realm, so he was surprised to find John sitting silently at the dining room table looking over things.

Kyle glanced out the window. The high polish of the table’s surface reflected the colorful neon aspects of Life City beyond from.

The view from atop their high-rise apartment that they owned through and through was spectacular. Some of the best money can buy.

“You worried about something?”

John glanced at him. “We don’t usually take on requests for other people,” he said. “It’s just… not our style, don’t you think?”

Kyle shrugged.

As long as we get to fuck corpo-weirdos—why not?

“Laiwyn Scorr.”

“What?”

“Laiwyn Scorr,” Kyle repeated. He gestured toward the table. “Bring up his file.”

John didn’t move for a minute. He was a big guy—huge muscles, tall, nice haircut. He kind of fit the mold for that “cool guy” that talks slow, moves slow, but when need be, can’t lunge with deadly force.

Finally he sat up a bit and pushed some of the holo-keys on his tablet. They whirred and beeped. The projector in the middle of the table shrunk, making the floor plan of the Chylaxium disappear and the personal file of Laiwyn Scorr collected by May and her people appear.

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“He’s a pretty generic-looking CEO type,” John said.

“All like that, John,” he said, walking up to the table and interacting with the hologram. “Oh man or man!”

“Are you going to be dramatic or are you going to say something useful?”

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Staxx? Oh wait, you haven’t gone to bed yet, old man.”

John sniffed with indifference as he shook his head. “Just get on with it.”

“Let’s see,” Kyle said, going down the list compiled for them. “Last year this piece of work initiated a hostile takeover of the Wells and Jai’Rae Foundation. Seems he blackmailed several of the members on the board of directors into siding with him. The list of offenses includes kidnapping, threats of death and the release of private medical records.”

“Are medical records still private these days?”

“Well, no,” Kyle said, “but if you’re anybody whose anybody they sure as the hells are.”

“So he’s a real piece of work,” John said.

“Hey, the Wells and Jai’Rae Foundation is good people. They do good work helping people—and not as a front for corpo-corruption. Scorr has been growing his own corporate assets like a warlord out for galactic conquest. Wow. Over two hundred acquisitions in the past year along. L. Corp’s founder has got to go, John. What’s it matter whether we’re doing it to help some bozo important to May and her people?”

“I just want to make sure we stay on point. You know that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kyle said. “Anyway, he’s got the guy’s daughter. He’s going to fuck Hess over and you know it. Who knows what he’s got planned. Maybe he’s going to have her abducted or holo-tape her doing something indecent. The guy’s a real scum bag.”

“This isn’t because you’re interested in May, is it?”

“What are you inferring?”

“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. “You seem very interested. That’s all.”

“Listen,” Kyle said waving his hand about as if he could erase this conversation. “I’m not ‘interested’ in May. Hells—she’s probably big fat guy for all I know. But didn’t you say it yourself that you wanted to figure out what she was all about?”

“Yeah?”

“What better way than to do this favor to them,” Kyle said. “The gods know we owe it to her for helping us out with that last crunch—and besides, we need her and her tech contributions.”

John sighed heavily.

“I want to do a feedback trace next time she gets in contact.”

“No way,” Kyle said. “She’ll catch you.”

“Feedback trace or no deal.”

“What are you talking about? We owe her to do this one!”

“And we’re grateful,” for her assistance ‘but we reserve the right to decide what kind of stuff we’re willing to get mixed up with.”

Kyle paused for a moment.

“Shit.”

John smiled as he got out of his chair. He put out his hand. “Shake on it.”

Kyle sighed. “Fine.”

They shook.