The map had been a small one. The fighting was quick, with everyone rushing in to try to get an easy kill on a distracted target. Katya's slide was locked back and Blaine crouched in an upstairs room, holding his breath. He was cornered. Low ammo, no way out.

Below someone was moving about. They probably already suspected he was up here. Not a lot of places left to hide now. He might spray shots through the floor and hope to get lucky but a single mag probably wouldn't be enough to make that happen.

Fuck it. He'd already gotten a couple of kills, but Silver was on the horizon, every point counted. Standing up, he noisily reloaded Katya and clomped to the top of the stairs. "Hey!" he called down. "Hey, you down there!"

A startled pause. "Yeah?"

Sounded like a woman's voice. "We're kind of stuck here, aren't we?" Blaine asked, keeping Katya trained at the corner of the landing. "I don't feel like coming down, but that circle will get us both."

"I think the center is outside," she replied. "If you want kill points you'll have to come down here."

Fuck. No windows up here, he couldn't see if she was lying. "If I stay up here you won't get the points either," he pointed out.

"I'll still get the winning bonus. You want to make this quick? I don't have a job, I can wait all day."

He grinned. "I don't have a job either. Do you have a knife?"

Her tone this time was more thoughtful. "Mmm... something like that."

"Perfect," he edged down another step. "Then we'll have a knife fight. You get more points for a melee kill and I get a chance to win. And we don't blunder into a point-blank shoot-out, those are always stupid."

"I could use the points," her voice was intrigued. "How do I know you won't just shoot me?"

Good question. "I'll risk it if you will. I'm this close to Silver, I think one knife kill might put me over the edge. I know you're hungry too. Look, I'm coming downstairs."

"Throw your gun down first!"

"I'm not throwing Katya," he said. "You'll have to trust me on that one. It's my ass here, not yours, relax."

Gently patting Katya's slide, he set the FNX down with a click and headed down the stairs. If she just blew his head off when he showed himself he didn't want Katya perceiving it. She said she never judged him for losing, but still, he didn't want to look stupid in front of her.

The downstairs was pretty much as he'd remembered it, a basic living room setup that had been ravaged by weather. The woman was crouched behind the sofa as he peeked out, leading with his empty hands. He looked down the barrel of her Glock and smiled a bit nervously.

"Oh don't be a baby," she chided. Her hair was basic auburn, she hadn't spent any credits on cosmetic upgrades yet. "Come on out. Turn around... okay."

The Glock was placed down on an end table and she produced a long bolo machete. Blaine winced, but didn't bother complaining. His own knife was still the little folder, only two inches but it was razor sharp. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

"Well?" she asked, grinning down the length of her blade. "Hurry up, the circle's closing."

"Ahhh, fucking bitch," Blaine sighed. She laughed, and he raised his knife. She struck a confident pose and started stalking him. He began to circle, trying to find an advantage in the furniture but she pounced after him and started slashing back and forth. He didn't have room to close, so he backed frantically away. Blood was already running down his wrist. She kept the pressure up. He tried to grab for a chair and she took off two of his fingers. He could feel his body starting to slow already as he bled.

"This was your idea," she taunted through panting breaths.

"Okay, fuck my ideas," Blaine dashed in. The machete flashed towards his head. He raised his arm and felt a numbing jolt as his hand was severed–but then he was close, very close, and her frantic backpedaling sent the back-hand cut wild. His remaining hand flashed back and forth. He got her in the face, the chest, and twice in the belly before the wall checked her retreat and he slammed up against her. His full weight came in behind the pommel of his knife and he slammed the razor steel right through her clutching palm, deep into her ribs.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then she grinned weakly, blood running from her mouth. "Nice... but I'll get you next time."

He'd lost too much blood to banter much, his life was ebbing fast. "I'll see you in Silver," he gasped before twisting the blade and slashing out. She sagged down the wall, her face going slack, and he staggered backwards. Darkness closed in.

Match Complete.

Katya pressed into his arms the moment he reentered the lobby. "Congratulations!" she mumbled into his mouth. "Silver! Congratulations!"

"You and me both," he replied between passionate lip-locks. "Mmm! That's my good girl!"

She broke away at last and leaned back, gazing up at him fondly. "We should celebrate."

"We should," he agreed. "One last time when it's just the two of us."

Her green eyes glittered with delight. "To the hotel then?"

"No, to the mall first," he said, and her lips curved up in delight. "You deserve some upgrades. We have a thirty thousand credit budget tonight, I haven't saved up this long for nothing."

She squealed with delight and buried her face in his chest. He kissed the top of her head while she nuzzled into him. They finally broke apart just enough to start walking, Katya's body pressed up against him, her arms looped about his waist as they headed towards the door. He kept his hand on her shoulder, stroking her bare skin. They made their way down the street, oblivious to the other pedestrians, the lights of the mall growing brighter as they approached.

"Have you decided what you might want for a skin?" Blaine asked.

"What would you like?" she countered at once.

"Sweetie, anything will do so long as you love it." he slid his hand into her hip pocket. She purred at the caress and hugged him tighter. They couldn't be any closer without wearing the same pants. They entered the mall and he turned them towards the pistol accessories. She finally broke away to skip ahead, eager to see what her future might hold. He let her savor the excitement. She deserved it.

"What do you think?" he asked as he joined her at the case of rail attachments.

"Mmmm... I don't know," she was bent over, nose and breasts flattened against the glass as she peered down at the rows of flashlights, lasers, even bayonets. "If I get a flashlight you'll need a new holster too."

"I think we can afford a holster," he chuckled, running his hand over the curve of her ass, feeling her wiggle playfully under his fingers.

"Well, you're a pretty good shot," she considered. "You know how to use my sights... I think a flashlight would be really useful when you have to go indoors and clear a building. Remember how you almost got ambushed going up those stairs?"

He remembered wishing he had a light in that last match, and nodded to the clerk, who plucked the right model for an FNX out from behind the counter. Katya straightened, eyes shining as she turned to him. "Thank you so much!" she purred, leaning in for another kiss. "You're welcome," he murmured when their lips parted. "But we aren't done. Go on. I'll look at sights while you pick out a weapon skin."

She hesitated, biting her lip, but he made a shooing gesture and she hurried down to a large touchscreen, where she began swiping through pictures. He watched her go, enjoying her glee, before turning a practical eye towards the laser sights. He'd always shot with irons before but the red dots seemed much faster. As he compared reticles he could hear Katya whispering over her options with the clerk, a slender effeminate man who gave Blaine pistol vibes. It seemed she had something specific in mind after all. He was glad she had this chance to express herself.

Settling on a low-profile red dot sight he reached around the counter to help himself and moseyed down to barrels. If he was going for a sub gun next it seemed reasonable to focus on accuracy upgrades for Katya, letting her take a more specialized role. .45 wasn't a precision round, but with the right build...

Huh. Displayed on top of its box, a little collection of parts were labeled, '460 Rowland Upgrade'. He peered down at them. The barrel was threaded, like Katya's original, but clearly intended for the chunky compensator. A couple of upgraded recoil spring assemblies were marked with a label that promised he could use them to shoot .45 or .460 Rowland. He'd never heard of this caliber before. Two cartridges sat side by side for comparison and he squinted at the ballistics chart tacked up beside them.

He'd never studied reloading before. The two cartriges looked almost identical, the .460 might be a hair longer, but according to the chart this upgrade would give him power comparable to a .44 magnum. He smirked. Troy would be envious. Scooping up this upgrade package he went down to triggers next. Katya's stock trigger crept a bit too much for Blaine's taste. He'd had the pleasure of shooting a custom job once, and it had spoiled him rotten.

With his handful of upgrades he finally went over to the skins kiosk. But when Katya tried to swivel the screen towards him he raised a hand, averting his eyes. "No! No I want it to be a suprise."

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The clerk burst out laughing and Katya blushed. "See?" the man said. "I told you. He's a good one."

"But what if you don't like it?" Katya twisted her hands nervously. "I don't want you to waste all that money..."

Blaine looked at the clerk and raised his brows. The young man chuckled. "Sir, I promise, if you are the man she says you are, you will love this skin."

"Good enough for me," Blaine declared, and pushed the upgrades across the counter. "Ring it all up."

Katya winced as the price of the upgrades soared. They would only have a few hundred credits left over after this. "Are you sure?" she asked, eyes widening a little.

"You deserve it," he assured her.

"All right..." she scooped up the little collection of upgrades. The clerk handed her a ticket with a bar code on it and pointed towards a changing booth. She clutched it all to her chest and scurried inside, excitement buzzing through every motion. Blaine leaned on the counter and watched her go, feeling immensely pleased.

"You picked a good upgrade," the clerk remarked. "That .460 is still obscure. We only get a few of them in inventory."

"Really?" Blaine had never considered the game's economy before. "I just thought there was a limitless supply."

"No, the developers like to keep things interesting," the clerk leaned in a little closer. He could probably sense the open contract slot. Blaine didn't mind, he was secure enough that a little masculine attention didn't bother him. "Most of the time people just recontract with the caliber they want. The developers like seeing some gun turnover, it means the players are staying engaged. But they know some Meisters take committments seriously so the option is still there."

Blaine grunted. He couldn't imagine kicking Katya to the curb just because he wanted to switch to a different pistol, but he supposed some players had better Real/Game separation. Or maybe they were just psychopaths.

The door swung open and Katya came dancing out. Her eyes were shining, her head bobbing, and she moved her arms over her head in time with an unheard beat. She turned slowly in place as if modeling for him, hips swaying and fingers snapping. As far as he could tell she looked just the same–no, there was a difference. Her cropped top clung to her a bit more tightly, and her hair shimmered in soft waves, a sea of golden waves over one shoulder. . As far as he could tell she hadn't changed physically, but her look was more polished. As if she'd taken advantage of the booth to fine-tune her whole appearance. "Well?" he asked as he reached for her hand. "I feel amazing!" she grinned up at him, her hair falling . "Every nerve is singing, and I could swim to Tahiti. I've never had a caliber upgrade before. Thank you, Blaine."

He started to draw her closer but she vanished under his fingers and her new, slightly heavier pistol form settled into his holster with a soft click of the retention switch. He drew the weapon and examined it. At first it seemed utilitarian, a black frame and green slide, with a golden trigger, compensator, and barrel. But as he turned Katya in his hands something caught his eye and his breath hitched. The top of the slide had been painted–no, he looked closer, engraved–with an elegant lineart drawing of a beautiful woman who could only be Katya herself. She was posed naked, legs coyly drawn together, arms flung open to flaunt her breasts. Every time he pointed the weapon up he would see her smiling back at him, just like the first time they'd contracted.

"You weren't lying," he told the clerk.

"I never do," the young man smirked and headed for the back. Blaine walked from the store, still admiring Katya's new skin. She'd chosen a low-profile color scheme, but she'd made it beautiful and unique, just like when she'd modified her tank top for him. His heart swelled and he raised her to his lips, kissing the cold metal of the slide. "I love it," he whispered. "You're such a good girl, my Katya."

The gun faded from his hand and Katya reappeared. She jumped up into his arms, wrapping her legs about his hip and kissed him deeply. He grabbed her ass and bounced her once to get a better hold. She moaned hungrily at the friction, her tongue eagerly plumbing his mouth. He bit down on her lower lip and she whined needily.

"Take me somewhere private," she whispered urgently, fingernails digging into his shoulders. "I want to show you how good I feel."

The Third Lagoon Tiki Bar was doing brisk business when he showed the next day. A large group of high-ranking players seemed to be celebrating something. They all wore the same patch on their sleeves, a flaming warthog with the tab 'Real Guts' above it. He wasn't sure what that meant, but they had filled all the booths. Beside him Katya slipped her hand into his and tugged him towards the bar. He'd suggested taking her to the mall for a new top before coming here but she'd just taken one of his old shirts and cut it up into a new off-shoulder crop top. He liked it.

"Hey Josie," he greeted the pink-haired bartender as they bellied up to the sleek wood. "How's it going? Hey, is 557 around today?"

The girl narrowed her eyes as she studied him, and he remembered the submachine gun's warning. The P90 looked ready to drag him over the counter herself and he had to wonder if the game would let him fight her off.

Katya tapped his shoulder. "I see her! 557! Over here!"

Josie made a frustrated growl as she stalked away. A moment later the Uzi was standing across from them, her hazel eyes bright and cheerful. "Oh hi guys!" she chirped. "The usual?"

"The usual," Blaine confirmed.

"I see someone got some upgrades..." 557 passed Katya's mixed drink across to her with a teasing smile. "You look so good, girl!"

"Thanks!" Katya preened. "It's a .460 drop-in and trigger job."

"Ooo," the Uzi set his beer down. "You'll be a tack driver now! You've got good taste Blaine."

Her eyes flickered as she took another look at him before leaning in. "Oh! She's not the only one with a suprise today. Don't tell me..."

"He's here for you," Josie groused as she passed by with a tray. "Good luck keeping up with her, guy. She never does what I tell her to either."

557's eyes widened, and she glanced at Katya. "Is she serious?" Her hazel eyes shot back to him. "You're serious?"

"Of course he's serious," Katya ran her fingers over Blaine's shoulder. "I promise, he will handle you."

"I'm here for you," Blaine confirmed. "If you'll have me."

"Well–I–of course," she stammered. "I mean, yes! Yes of course!"

"Good," Blaine took a pull from his beer. "Then get yourself a drink and take off that apron."

"Ha!" she shouted triumphantly. "Ha! In your face, Josie! In your face!"

The P90 gave her a sour look and an extended middle finger. 557 cackled and snatched a bottle from the cooler. With a fluid motion she vaulted the bar, her long legs flashing before she landed astride Blaine. He caught her easily and slid his arm around her. She looked down into his eyes and made a happy cooing sound. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she said. Her voice softened. "You kept your promise. To me."

Katya hugged her new sister, laughing softly. "Didn't I tell you? He'll take good care of you."

Josie was reaching for a control panel, probably about to instance them out of the bar, so Blaine chugged his beer and carefully set 557 down on her feet. "I think we've worn out our welcome here, but I got a damn good gun and a pretty girl out of the deal. Let's go, there's a nice hotel a block down and I want to consummate this contract."

557 made a happy squeal, and Katya clutched at her arm giggling. "You're in for it now!"

"Are you talking to me, or her?" Blaine glanced back at the two suspiciously. Katya widened her eyes and gave an enigmatic shrug. 557 dissolved into another fit of giggles, bouncing on her heels. Blaine shook his head. If he could get them to the hotel without stopping traffic it would be a miracle.

The hotel door clicked shut behind them. Unlike their usual haunts, this place was plush. Pictures hung on the wall and there was a small communal area before the bedroom opened up. It was perfect. Katya took 557's hand and drew her further inside. The brunette followed eagerly, but Blaine noticed with some amusement that she hesitated at the transition point. She's brave, but it's still her first time, he reminded himself firmly.

"All right, now you two try not to lose the damage deposit," Katya teased as she shifted for the couch. "You two want the first time to be special right? I'll just wait–"

She squeaked in surprise as Blaine caught her by the belt and pulled her back towards him. 557 laughed, the sound bright and musical, and seized her sister's arm. The two of them pulled Katya to the bed and tossed her onto the thick comforter. She stared up at them, excitement and confusing filling her green eyes. She started to speak, but Blaine pressed his finger to her lips.

"The first time will always be special," he said as he pulled 557 against his hip. The Uzi pressed herself eagerly to him, her leg raising to grind on his thigh. "But it's special for all of us. Vytke is joining us. I wouldn't have picked her if you didn't like her too. You're both my special girls and neither of you will ever be left out."

Katya's eyes flicked back and forth. 557 licked her lips, her gaze heated but steady as her fingers trailed along Blaine's shirt, gently undoing buttons. Then Katya's lips quirked in an eager smile and she sat up to run her hands over the Uzi's hips. "You see what I mean?" she repeated.

"I do," 557 rolled her hips into Katya's hands. "Now shut up and kiss me."

The blonde stood up and the two girls entwined, momentarily forgetting Blaine altogether. He stood back, stripping out of his shirt and boots, enjoying the sight. 557 was the more dominant of the two, she ran her fingers up into Katya's hair and pulled gently, causing the pistol to moan and pluck at the bikini strings. The garment fell away, revealing naturally tan skin and soft, perfectly feminine curves.

Blaine stepped close and took the Israeli gun by her hair so he could cut into their kiss. She tipped her head back and moaned into his mouth, her tongue lashing frantically while Katya's lips trailed down her throat to her dark nipples. Togther, Blaine and Katya eased the Uzi onto the bed, working together to peel off her shorts and leave her naked for their pleasure.

For a moment, Blaine stood back and looked down at her, committing the moment to memory. 557's skin seemed to glow in the soft light, a beautiful contrast to Katya's pale complexion, her body a perfect balance of strength and femininity. Her wide hazel eyes were locked on his, and her body rolled in a shy but hungry invitation.

Katya chuckled softly and reached for his waistband. "I think she's ready for you, Meister."

He let Katya's fingers disrobe him, her touch familiar and gentle. 557 watched them both, her cheeks flushed, her pulse flickering in her slender throat. He stepped out of his pants at last and mounted the bed, allowing Katya to guide him down between the Uzi's legs. He sank home, eliciting a cry of delight from the virgin gun, her back arching as he claimed her.

They began to move, all three of them. The Uzi melted against him, her cries soft and joyous. Katya encouraged her, seamlessly fitting together with them. Time seemed to slip away, the world melting into darkness beyond the bed, beyond the golden moment.

Their pace soon built up as the Uzi begged for more. The bed creaked under their bodies. Blaine's fingers were knotted in dark hair, and 557 was clawing at Katya's blonde head again. The candle-flame had built into an inferno fanned by sweaty bodies and trembling cries. Blaine could feel his control starting to slip. He had no idea how long this had lasted, but it was going to end in a blaze. 557 screamed in pleasure beneath him, her spasms igniting his own climax. All three of them clutched at each other as the moment stretched... and stretched... and finally snapped. Blaine lay panting on the bed beside the two girls. Katya was gently stroking her sister's face as aftershocks continued to bring whimpers to her lips. The blonde slowly crawled across so she could lie down on Blaine's other side, curling in under his arm in her default position, while 557 swooned.

"Did I break her?" Blaine asked as he tilted his head to look at the happy Uzi.

"She'll recover," Katya reached across his chest so she could rest her hand on 557's shoulder. "The first time is always intense. She's building whole new algorithms based on this."

Blaine carefully pulled the comforter up over them. Katya cooed softly and buried her head in his chest. 557 gradually came back to herself, her breathing steadying and her eyes focusing. She turned to face them, glowing happily. "That was amazing," she admitted. "Thank you Meister. Thank you Katya."

"Welcome to the family Vytke," he said without thinking, and she shuddered again with a soft sound of delight.

"Vytke..." she repeated, and Katya chorused it with her.

"My Vytke," Blaine confirmed. "Our Vytke. Our sweet good girl."

She kissed him and Katya before sprawling out beneath the comforter. "I love it..." she whispered.

Blaine closed his eyes, letting their warmth and weight anchor him before he could float away. If he could stay here forever he would. With a reluctant sigh he dragged two fingers up to his temple and logged out.