She Is Back
“I was hoping your marvelous self could help me look for a workshop where I can begin repairing my baby. Do you have any recommendations?” Fox asked Mena. She lifted her eyebrows a bit, “You're getting that thing fixed? Good, gimme some rides when it's good again, aight? Well, let me just check for you, Fox.”
Mena turned to her screen and tapped the desktop. After a while, with Fox reading about his future plans in his phone, she looked at him and voiced a delicate ‘mhm’ before saying, “I got some. There are 4 possible choices, 2 out of Proteros, and 2 here.”
“One of them belongs to a corporate. Not good deals with ‘the common folk’, but all rich clients leave satisfied. This one is in decline, and it seems they use underhanded methods to keep customers returning, male or female. The other is a place I know, and most agents who own a baby they cherish, like you.”
“Alright, where is it?” Fox understandingly nodded. Mena smiled before showing a smaller screen to him from below the counter. Pouting as she showed him the map, she then said, “This workshop knows a little what they’ve gotten into, but they’ve stopped hearing from ‘floor charge’ individuals and bigger business trying to push them away from their zone.”
“So, they comply and even give us satisfactory discounts. I recommend you go there. Oh, and don’t say anything that might show how little you care about Lys or Lýmoca. Have some respect. Okay then, now, you’ll keep your end of the deal, right?” Mena finished, looking at Fox after lowering her head, eyes upturned, and a malevolent older sister smile plastered on her face.
“Yes, yes,” Fox nodded a few times, closing his eyes in acquiescence. “I will behave. Please tell me if anything happens to those other businesses. Oh, and, Mena.”
“Mm?” Mena, who was already contented of abusing her mighty power and felt relaxed, besides a bit painful from her injuries, looked at Fox from glaring at her screen. Fox blinked his polycoria eyes, “If you ever want to pass by my boutique, know you can have some leverage. There are many things you’d look good on.”
“…” Mena stared at Fox back as he departed. She blinked several times in a row before whispering in a sweet voice, knowing he’d hear her still. “That was so sweet, Fox~. Thank you, oww. Wish you many good lucks.”
Fox took a bus and a 15-minute walk to the workshop he saw in the smaller screen. He didn’t have a method to bring his Myertha, and the world wouldn’t just give him everything he needed for no reason or logic. Thus, he walked into the place.
It was a bit of a wide, mostly long workshop where Fox could already see a dozen cars stationed. More than half were old and needed a wash inside out, and perhaps remodeling. Only a few seemed to be decent, elegant, or simply costly.
As soon as he stepped in, he felt his feet ‘wave’ through. Fox looked down and noticed it was a good place to put sensors on. Just a few seconds later, someone came from a door to his left, slightly further ahead, looking for someone nearby, before finding him at the entrance.
“Oh, hi. You can step away from the entrance, there’s a sensor there,” the young man pointed at the ground. Fox looked at him before nodding, stepping inside with ease.
The young man was an ordinary one, with a face that didn’t say much, and a somewhat stout appearance, but a little taller than that. He had short hair and a pair of readied eyes, untouched by the restlessness of not sleeping at these hours.
“Hi, I’m Mau… oh shit, you’re him.” The young man extended his hand. Fox shook it with his right gloved hand, when the young man realized who he was. Fox waited there to see what would happen next, but the young man only stared at him in wonderment.
“Will that be a problem?” Fox asked, as polite as he could. The young man blinked slowly before shaking his head, wording, “Not with me. Mierda. I just never thought… I’d get to see you. Well… what is the thing you came to repair?”
“… Do you only get repair orders from others?” Fox looked at the young man, slightly lifted his chin, and asked. The latter nodded, cocking his head with his lower lip out, “If I wanted to make things they’d paid me much more for, and I’d want to do, I’d need many tests and connections I don’t have. PSD cannot intervene with my matters, so I’m ‘stuck’ here.”
“Hmph,” Fox blew from his nostrils. Indeed, he was trapped doing millions every now and then. The young man saw Fox understood him and grinned. Then, he pointed behind Fox, “Is that what you want me to take a look at?”
Fox tilted his head to the left in confusion before looking behind. There, he saw a guy with white painting on his face, a bored, deadpan expression, driving a trailer with a thrashed Myertha on the back of the trailer he drove.
“Ah…” Fox expressed agreement. The young man nodded and went to the other special agent to give indications. After 20 seconds, they unloaded his Myertha as delicately as possible.
Crash~! Fox watched his Myertha fall on the ground, standing on its wheels, and looking at him pitifully. He felt pained, ‘Sigh… we’ve been apart from each other for so long, I know. I’m sorry, I couldn’t pick you earlier… I only have you.’
As the trailed retreated, with the other special agent nodding at Fox, he and the young man walked to the poor bike. The young man cocked his head before exclaiming, “Phew, I never thought I’d see one so soon. I think this is a good first time and the worst night I’ll have in a while.”
“Mm, what can you tell me about my Myertha?” Fox crossed his arms with a nod, staring at his baby with empty eyes, inquiring. The mechanic looked at him and nodded a few times in a row. “Look, I’m sure you guys would know what you’re getting into before being sent here. Tell you what, I can give this delicate treasure its first patches and stitches for 600 big credits.”
“…!” Fox tilted his head, lifted his eyebrows, and stared at the mechanic with eyes that said many good words without opening his mouth.
“Haha, I know that look. Yeah. I’m not big on getting money, especially when I can keep a steady income for a prolonged time of my life. Do you have anything you’d like to offer? I take it you’re okay with the 600,000?” The mechanic added, spreading his arms and hands, feeling at ease.
Fox looked at the mechanic, and then at his workshop. Trying to decide and think of something, he finally spoke, “I will, yes, take that offer. What can you do if I want as many reparations as possible? To at least take it out for a ride. It’s good as long as it can move again. I want to feel her.”
“Mm, I sense some nostalgic romanticism there. Good, I like it!” The mechanic pointed at Fox with knowing eyes. Then, he clapped his hands, and after ponder for a few seconds, he said, “I cannot offer you much just like that. With the first fix done, she can get better with light maintenance every few weeks, but never a month.”
“If we add another 1.5 million, I can get her to start making noise on the streets,” the mechanic talked business coarsely and shortly, but efficiently. Fox moved his neck a little before resting in its neutral position. “How about this.”
After getting the mechanic’s attention, Fox began gesturing around the workshop a little, and spoke passionately about his Myertha’s ‘recuperation’. “I know these prices are low for you, and more good for me. But I want to ride her as soon as possible. Your place uses a sensor to avoid anyone trying to get in, even at the walls and ceiling. I guess that’s PSD’s extra commitment and rewarding you for your service.”
“What I can do for you, if you’ll let me complete those 2.1 million credits at the end of the month, is fix your sensors. These do not show you the standing point of those who walk towards or after the sensors, and when someone remains on them, the detection systems can’t show you that, do they?” Fox was only beginning, but the mechanic went from slightly shaking his head to listening with undivided attention.
“They’ll tell you everything, from the weight, shoe, feet size, their pace, calculating their age, and the trajectory they came from as well as the one they took once going past it. All in real time. It won’t make beeping noises underground nor at your security room, and it won’t give off as many undulations, but sensitive agents would still notice them if they are careful.”
“Yeah, alright. I get that. I’d like to ask you something while we speak,” the mechanic said, nodding as he walked around the Myertha. He pointed to a few open holes in the corners of the spot around the bike, “Could you help me move those ‘incubators’ into your Myertha’s feeding systems, wheels opening lids, and to the engine? It’s procedure. All about that consenting when dealing with someone else’s vehicle. Like condoms, for our protection.”
Fox didn’t react to the joke and looked at the so-called incubators. They were tubes hidden in holes a few inches below the surface. Fox had to extend his hands inside before being able to pull one out. He grabbed around their mouths and placed them around their respective parts, whichever was closer to the Myertha’s respective structure.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
While Fox worked it, the mechanic looked at his work and nodded. He didn’t plan on recruiting Fox, knowing well what kind of life these special agents had, more or less. The mechanic raised his voice in the meantime, “So, about your status in that PSD. You work with the president, don’t you?”
“Uhm, something… similar. It’s more that I’m working for him.” Fox stopped for a moment to clarify. The mechanic nodded again, expressing as he walked around, “In fewer words, you’re with the Lys. So, you might influence in his upcoming… I don’t know, schedule, right?”
“ …” Fox stood without moving, holding the last incubator, and looked at the mechanic before going straight to the point. “What is it you’d like to tell me?”
“That day, you saved the vice president. You know, she is not only a beautiful lady, she has worked multiple projects and programs in the states she’s been governor of. All humane oriented. Not many, but a few, and she’s just making it to her 30s. She’s an amazing leader, not like that president nobody gives a shit for.” The mechanic spoke with praises before turning all hateful.
“Why so much hate for the president?” Fox smirked as he said this, placing the last incubator. The mechanic sprung to action and checked the little panels of the tubes facing the ceiling or sliding them to do so.
“Hate? It’s more than that, you know?” He responded. Fox crossed his arms and questioned, becoming interested somewhat. “What is it exactly? Or is it just the custom nowadays? The more I study of politics, the more I learn everyone detests their leaders overall, with a minority liking them, and an even smaller portion going against them… in the best scenarios.”
“Yeah, just one second,” the mechanic stood up and went to grab a large toolbox, whose length extended from his hand to the floor as he stood up, dragging its small wheels. Then, mulling over it, the mechanic stopped, as if paralyzed.
Fox waited. After a while, with the mechanic showed traces of distrust, annoyance, disappointment, and feeling idiotic crossing his facial expressions.
“It isn’t only because of one thing, or two. Even though he has pushed forth that brand-new reform, it makes up for nothing.” The mechanic said, which Fox felt the need to complement, “One that will benefit certain people of Lýmoca, and right away.”
“Heh, yeah,” the mechanic scoffed a little. Fox listened patiently as the mechanic calmly ranted, “It’ll be of help for those hundreds you killed when saving her, the families whose family members you killed will have ways to grieve, however that must be. As humanely as possible. It will help hundreds right away, and in decades to come, it will reward another few hundreds.”
“…” Fox didn’t feel insulted. He looked at the mechanic who walked a little closer but was stopped by his question. “What would it take for you to change your views on the president?”
He mulled over it again. But this time, the mechanic looked… just pained.
“It’s not what he’s done to the country, or even us, you know? It’s just… he betrayed all of us.” His lips pressed tightly after every sentence, “He promised so much during his first campaign, and the welcoming of a new era, those things, you know…”
“But, man, it has been 12 years, well, almost. It’s been 11 years, but how are things going? Anyone going out can see some cheap prices just went up double or past 12 credits for no reason! There isn’t even inflation, and the world is peaceful. Preut’s civil war even granted Lýmoca some ‘acclaimed’ inversions, and hell knows what they’ll do with our territory.”
The mechanic’s despise for all of Lýmoca’s turbulent steps on the path ahead of the world wasn’t hidden in the slightest. He went on, not stopping, “I know that look, but try telling those close to you that they can stop worrying about food and studies with the millions you make sometimes. It doesn’t seem that easy, right?”
With his arms crossed, Fox cocked his head to the right, lifting his left eyebrow. Indeed, it was easy to understand.
The mechanic continued, “Of the things he promised first, not even a third have been completed after a decade! There’s been 2 attempts at innocents, people who are simply better than him, that could easily replace that repugnant president and bring Lýmoca to that promised ‘paradisaical era’.”
“So, your answer is?” Fox impassively asked from the side. The mechanic lifted his eyes. He found a pair of polycoria eyes that still made his skin feel like endless invisible bugs crawled on and beneath it.
“I guess just show us he can atone for his faults. It’s not something like that would be the start of things… but that would… make me want to know what a person who has betrayed me once could do it twice, could do with. That’d be his last chance, though. For example, if a big issue was to disappear, like the organized crime, yeah, that would be a start.”
“Pfft, that- you are indeed asking for something.” Fox almost burst out laughing.
“It’s only fitting,” the mechanic nodded with a frown before getting to dismantle the Myertha. Even Fox knew his baby had to go through cleaning and repairing from the deep inside. If a monstrosity like this one could get fixed after being thrashed about without thorough planning, then any other vehicle could be spit on, spread thorough, and be fine in an hour or a day.
“Then, I’ll also see if something can be said to let that president show something or not,” Fox walked forth with crossed arms, tilting his head to the right. The mechanic slowly lifted his gaze, rotating it to the right. His eyes seemed to ask, ‘really?’.
“Now, about a full repair… shall we talk about it? Oh, I also don’t know about the prices. Are they really skyrocketing for no reason?” Fox asked this more confidently. He frowned a bit, and seeing the intention he had, the mechanic nodded before starting to explain.
… For another 2 hours, as Fox came to terms to have his Myertha fixed through struggles and hassles, they negotiated the price and time for repairing the Myertha and paying for it respectively.
Fox checked the sensors once things were cleared up. He had until the end of this month to pay the 2.1 million, leaving a deposit of 600,000, and him back to 1.2 million credits. Of course, the period could be extended for a few days in case some delay in payments occurred, although the mechanic didn’t know Fox’s money didn’t come from legal or usual means.
After giving the sensors a few rebooting commands to begin the ‘fixing’, and then leaving it how it was while ‘saving’ a new configuration in another hard drive Fox had the mechanic buy, he left.
The first lights of the morning would soon fall from the sky, and he had to be at someone’s place early to begin his continuous assignation. He went to his apartment, grabbed the least elegant and tight suit he could find, and left after showering twice. He got a bit dirty working with that workshop’s sensors, after all.
Fox took a taxi, paid by the PSD, and arrived before a rather lavish apartment. There was one problem though. As soon as he arrived, even though he was 3 streets away, at a double directional road that led to other rich parts of the district. Some of the hundreds and hundreds of news anchors, all ‘humanely parked’ on the street near the sidewalk, looked at him.
‘How acute they can be. For ordinary people.’ Fox reprimanded their senses, as little by little, they turned around and flashed their cameras and the like towards him. Fox didn’t hesitate to take the glasses the PSD got him, immediately feeling the incoming flashes lose their annoying, irritating property. They were still easily discernible for his trained eye, but now became like trying to see rain when looking at a light blue sky.
Flash, flash, flash, flash!
Accompanying the incessant flashes were the reporters and paparazzi never-ending questioning. “Aren’t you Phesx Caolia?! What are you doing here?” - “Could you be miss Selena’s new bodyguard?” - “What is it like working for the president? Is he as heinous as they say?!”
‘Step by step…’
Step by step, Fox ignored every pesky voice and retarded words, even asking him if he was his client’s boyfriend, lover, husband, or father of some hidden babies. He walked forth with calm, not looking back. He ignored them, not offering them a photo from up front after passing past them. Within a few seconds, half of Lýmoca’s sensationalist news and gossip consumers knew about his new sighting.
Things like ‘the monster has shown up again!’, ‘unpredictable! Is the government in cahoots with multi-talented celebrity, Selina?’, and even ‘everyone should stay away from her and that sanguinary kid, experts say’ articles popped everywhere.
Meanwhile, Fox walked the several steps from the only usable staircase, as the others at the sides led to nowhere and started on random platforms beside him. They were all ornamental, and in Fox’s mind, pretty ugly.
He slid a large card on the single door’s mechanism. It unlocked with a beep and a white light flashing gently. Fox opened it and went inside, leaving the oh so irritating noise behind, outside the building. He enjoyed the sudden silence. Looking to the left were the receptionists of the building, all looking back at him with smiles after getting the idea of servicing him right.
One of them talked to the phone after confirming his appearance. Fox walked to him. When Fox neared his counter, he smiled, took a humble servant’s stance, and started, “Welcome, Mr. Fox. Miss Selena is waiting for you in her bedroom.”
Fox gave the guy a look before nodding a few times, just a bit. Saying nothing, the receptionist was left feeling awkward as Fox returned to the foyer and went up the stairs that were in front of the single door.
Going up a few floors, Fox entered the bedroom that the pieces of information the District sent him, which matched with the card he used. It was a luxurious hotel, but quite humble regarding size. Practically made for individuals who either want to be alone and be called self-made something or want to commit adultery.
With a simple slide, the card opened the door, letting Fox inside an even more luxurious surroundings than in the hallways. Bright, yellow lights were everywhere, but hundreds of times more comfortable and serene than the reporters’ flashes outside.
Walking inside, Fox closed the door, ensuring it wasn’t broken or touched. Then, he walked further in with his pitch-black, loose bodyguard suit, but he found nobody. He heard a few echoes from a rather large bathroom, with the scent of a delicate female recently showered. No water was running, so Fox knocked on the door to one of the bathrooms in the room.
Knock, knock… tap, tap… knock, tap tap tap tap… knock, knock, knock, tap, tap, tap…
“Come on in,” a clear voice spoke after Fox received no answer through numerous attempts to call the person on the other side to no avail. At last, he was answered, but he frowned. Fox could feel there was something going on. Regardless, naked beauties didn’t scare him, unless they didn’t hold a gun or knife at him.
Fox opened the door, only to see a marvelous beauty with a rather exquisite, small, fair, slightly pointy upwards nose sitting before a mirror, watching herself. She was combing her hair with her fingers, turning to Fox when he opened the door without entering. First with her head, then her body. And then, she spread her legs.
Only wearing a towel, she exposed the unthinkable. At least it looked quite neat. Fox’s eyes blinked.
…