Chapter 97

"David..."

"Regina?"

I looked surprisingly at Regina, who was extremely focused. Not that it was anything incredible, but there was something in her voice and look...

"David, I realize this is a little out of your specialty... But I need your help."

I sighed.

"Let me get this straight. What do you want, why do you want it, and why me?"

"Do you remember the story of Hal and the Helms?"

"Well..."

I shrugged.

"...Of course it's been a while, but yeah, I remember, by the way, how are the girls doing?"

"Well, those Helms who were taken to the Reapers survived, but the "culprit" herself is being treated. She's not exactly cyber-psychotic, or at the stage where nothing can be done. You disarmed her in time, if she had continued to use chrome, especially Sandy, everything would have been worse and then it would have been necessary to send her to the experimental treatment. As it is, all the chromium has been removed and she's now being treated by a shrink.

"I'm glad..."

"Uh-huh, I'm glad they're doing well too, but there was an unexpected problem.

"So?"

"Hal turned out to be a dark horse, and realizing that I would dig under him, he leaked and is now hiding at Malstrom's. Meanwhile, the guy turned out to be not even with a double bottom, but with a triple bottom and worked for several fixers from another city, who want to expand their zone of influence. They're afraid to turn tail on Bestia. but me."

Regina fell silent.

"Well, uh. I get the gist of it. What do you need me to do?"

"To zero Hal, if possible to find out what he managed to transfer, I certainly the list of information to which he could theoretically access, but I would like to have some specifics."

I sighed.

"Why me?"

"You're working quietly... I don't have any other specialists like that. I mean, there are, but they're all involved in other jobs."

"I see..."

"So what's up?"

"Regina. just for you and our mutually beneficial relationship. But I should warn you, after this, I'll probably be out of the game for a couple months."

"Hmm?"

"I have to finish my studies. And I have plans to take a vacation with the girls."

"Okay, I don't really mind..."

"Okay, drop the details in an email, I'll look into it... how urgent is this to you at all?"

"Preferably within the next week."

"Got it. I'm on it."

The connection broke and I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling of the tent I slept in tonight, as the girls had taken over all the other rooms and wouldn't allow me to see their bodies.

"Still, I'm becoming the most common solo who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty... Although for Regina or Bestia, I'm willing to compromise a few of my own rules. Although if it comes to my girls, I'll go against Bestia and Regina..."

When I got out of bed, I stretched and went to make breakfast, and after that, I got to work on finalizing Becky's costume. She'd already gone to Vic's two days ago and had her chrome changed, so now she was eager to participate in the operation. And it looks like our group's first surgery is going to be an unconventional one.

"Are you up already?"

As I finished my breakfast a sleepy Judy came up to me and kissed me on the cheek with a sweet yawn.

"Uh-huh...

"Is something wrong?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well... you're very thoughtful. a little too much. The only time I've seen you like that was when you were asked to do a zeroing order..."

I grinned sadly.

"Thumb in the sky, I think they say, don't they?"

"Uh, uh. am I right?"

"Yeah..."

"And who?"

"Regina. Hal, you remember that tuning wretch?"

"Let's say..."

Judy frowned and nodded, confirming that she remembered the type.

"He turned out to be working for two fixers from another city, he just saw a girl who was dynamiting him, and they sent us to order and we dug up the details, instead of just saving him from the girl who went crazy because of his actions... so now he's hiding at Malstrom's, from Regina or his true employers who are probably upset about his failure, I don't know. But Regina asked me to take care of the matter... by finding out exactly what he's handed over to the Fixers."

"I see... and you decided, uh."

"Yes, I've decided to take the order."

"Okay, I'm with you, and the other girls will be there for you."

"I understand that, but I still have to fulfill such orders, even if very rarely, but I have to fulfill them... or rather, I've done them once or twice before now. And you've all been there for me. I appreciate that."

"What does he value?"

Kiwi emerged from the Hippo.

"Appreciates that we'll be there for him when he's zeroing in on one type of..."

"Uh, uh. did you take the removal order?"

"Uh-huh...

"Details..."

I tossed the order over to Kiwi and she sat down thoughtfully on a bench not far from me.

"Hey, what about me?!"

Judy looked at me indignantly.

"So you didn't ask..."

I shrugged and sent her the details of the order Regina had dropped for me, and from that moment on, the world around me fell into relative silence. Well, as quiet as it could be in a nomadic camp that was slowly awakening from its slumber.

Here and there car doors slammed and the hissing of gas burners used to light fires could be heard. The slamming of car doors and the sound of tent zippers opening, the the quiet noise of the water pump became a little louder as the load on it began to grow and in about ten minutes, when more of the sensible people were awake, a second pump would be connected, and perhaps later a third.

О... and here's someone turning their tablet on TV mode...

"Why is it so quiet?"

Becca appeared next to her, stretching sweetly.

"Oh, uh. we're thinking about a new order."

"And how's that?"

"Yeah, well. I guess I'll have to leave you at camp."

"What?!"

Becca stared dumbfounded at Kiwi.

"Well, you're still too noisy..."

"А..."

"...and it's going to take some quiet, careful work. So you're gonna have to--

"I don't agree! I've been preparing! I know how to be quiet!"

"What's all the noise?"

The other girls approached the table.

"It's nothing... Kiwi's messing with Becca."

"А?!"

"Becca, it's gonna be a tough assignment to zero in on the man at Malstrom's base. As you can imagine, there will be a lot of heavily chromed bandits there, who will also have to..."

I ran my thumb across my throat.

"Well, uh. I don't mind. When I worked with Mayne, I had to zero in on a lot of reasonable people. You're the one who didn't have to."

"Well, that's a good thing..."

"Not for Knight City..."

Becca shook her head.

"...so we'll have to grease the blade of Becky's name a little bit with bandit blood."

I sighed.

"Becca..."

"Come on, you're always zeroing in on the bandits yourself..."

"Zeroing out. But asking you to zero someone..."

I shook my head.

"I don't like it."

"Come on..."

I waved my hand stopping Lucy, who wanted to intervene in the conversation.

"I understand that, but it doesn't change my personal feelings. But that's beside the point, because I have better news. I told Regina I'm taking a vacation after this job, along with you. I'll make arrangements with Bestia, too."

"The moon?"

"Yeah, uh. I suggest you go to the moon after this order."

"Well..."

The girls looked at each other.

"...we're in favor."

Panam gave a unanimous verdict for all the girls, who nodded in agreement. And that was good, it meant a vacation together, and they could have tried to postpone it. The chances of that were slim, but still...

"Great. I'm gonna go in the meantime. get your costume ready."

I cast a glance at Becca.

"I'm with you!"

"Well..."

I gave her a long look.

"Let's go..."

It took me a few hours to adjust the suit to fit Becca and after that she and I went to the range.

"So, uh. let's see what your suit can do..."

And we began a full-scale test of the suit, from its cloaking system to its ability to move at one hundred percent acceleration from the sandi. Fortunately or unfortunately Becky's sandi capabilities were far more modest than mine, one hundred percent of her power was for my sandi... very modest, and I could easily track her every move.

I was satisfied...

"Thank you!"

With her helmet off, Becca literally jumped on top of me, wrapping her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck, and she gave me a hot kiss on the lips.

"You know...that kind of gratitude is something I like a lot..."

"Well..."

She grinned.

"...I can thank you in a much nicer way."

"Hey, don't cut in line!"

Kiwi walked over to us and hovered over Becca, or so it seemed from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice.

"I'm sorry!"

Becca jumped off me and immediately fled in the unknown direction of Behemoth, where she clearly planned to hide from Kiwi.

"What a restless..."

Kiwi shook her head.

"It's not enough that she and Judy sleep with you more often than the others..."

"They decided to share..."

I grinned.

"...you could make a deal, too, but you're too possessive. Because, uh. they're enjoying themselves, and you. you enjoy it too, but you're jealous of them."

"Okay..."

Kiwi put her arm around my shoulders.

"...Let's go to our room, tonight we're going to try something new..."

"Great..."

I nodded my head and the Kiwi and I walked to the Behemoth, from which Becca quickly slipped out of our sight after noticing our purposeful movement.

"You know...I never thought my life would turn out this way and I wouldn't be the only girl in a guy's life and be happy that I was able to snatch something..."

I closed the door and walked over to Kiwi and kissed her, with my hands sliding down her body helping her undress.

"You don't have to. you didn't get something, you got your happiness."

"Uh-huh...

She grinned and her hands slid down my body as well, helping me get rid of my clothes.

"Are we done talking?"

"Yeah. our bodies will speak for us now."

The evening and night promised to be hot...