Chapter 35

Three days of working with Victor flew by very quickly. We communicated, went to get new equipment, and really new equipment at that. It seemed to me that he decided to take advantage of the situation and change his old equipment for new, and there was even more of it than before.

What money he used to do it, I don't know. Maybe he overestimated the price tag for Maine because he got in trouble for his own stupidity. Maybe he had his own savings that it was just time to invest in equipment, or maybe he borrowed from someone to have enough for new equipment...

I didn't ask...

All I know is that I will now be even more excited to visit this reaper as I am confident in his technique and skills.

As promised, he synthesized a drug for me to put my opponents to sleep. He gave me the formula, and also recommended a simple drug synthesizer that could be bought for literally ten thousand, which could synthesize it for me, as well as medicines.

So now we're having breakfast and I'm explaining the task to the girls, including Becca and Lucy.

"All right, this time our target is the glitter lab."

"Wait, are you talking about that shit that's really popular with the rich kids? Like, get a taste of the lower class, inject yourself with glitter and feel like them?"

"Yeah. (chuckles)"

I nodded my head.

"And who died from them?"

Lucy was a little more restrained than Becca, but no, it was just that while Becca was indignant, she had eaten a couple of spoonfuls of porridge with strawberry jam. And that was obviously more important to her than the details of the order. I checked Regina's e-mail.

"Arati Kapoor's son ..."

Becca whistled.

"Uh-huh, I was surprised too... such a good presenter, and so badly brought up his son, or rather I would say, missed his upbringing. But it doesn't matter, this is not a one-time, long-term assignment. Arati wants this stuff off the streets, but Regina only found data on one lab.

"So we infiltrate and then we find out?"

"Mm-hmm, and we'll make extra profit, after all, the merchants and manufacturers of this stuff can't be short of money. So I have high hopes for our ranchers.

Judy and Lucy looked at each other and turned to me with a nod.

"We'll do what we can..."

"I'll just be around them as usual?"

"Yeah Becca, you'll be covering for the girls as usual."

"Fuck. why do you even need me?"

"Becca, it's better to have an expert like you and not have a need to work for him than to not have one and find yourself in a situation where his services are needed. So you're my investment in our lives. You know how the rich corp in trauma platinum status pays for themselves...when they have to be transported even out of a gang shootout zone. How often do they need that?"

"Well, actually, yeah..."

Becca nodded her head.

"No, Becca, just because it happens a lot in this crazy city doesn't mean it's often required by the bigwigs themselves. Ordinary corporations can live their whole lives with platinum status and never once use its emergency features. And those that do often use them, either their job is risky or they are just idiots who like to tickle their nerves."

"Are you saying I'm your platinum status in trauma?"

"Well, you could say that."

I grinned.

"Okay, I'm going in as usual, this time the access point is public, so you should be able to connect. According to Regina, the lab is in the basement, I don't know about unknown entrances. So I'm not just counting on the money, I'm counting on surveillance."

"We'll do anything."

Judy waved her hand slightly irritably.

"...everything will be at its best."

I nodded my head.

"Hey, can you take a look at my gun after the mission?"

Becca looked at me ingratiatingly.

"What about her?"

"It's okay, it's just that if you can penetrate Maine's subcutaneous armor. what can you do to my pretty little thing?"

She covered her eyes dreamily.

"Well, I'll see, but something tells me we're not gonna finish this mission today. This kind of publicized substance that comes to the underground markets in such quantities can't have less than three or four labs where it's made. And we probably won't get through all of them in a day."

"When do we leave?"

Panam had finished her portion and was now looking at the pot that still had some porridge in it.

"Give me some time... If we're gonna work remotely and we need to find data, we better be able to hack into the private decks. And to do that, I either have to prepare chips that will give me access to them, or make a direct connection through David."

"In our situation, better than a sliver..."

Judy sighed and got up from the table and walked to our workshop, where she came out with a package of zero chips that she handed to Lucy.

"Hey, what do you got in there?"

Becca pointed to the stairs.

"And there we have two bedrooms and a living room, so to speak, a family corner."

I answered her question watching her amused expression change.

"Family?"

"Uh-huh, we're one big family.

I nodded my head, while Panam and Judy only blushed and nodded slightly, confirming my words.

"Fuck, I'm late again..."

"Well, if you try hard enough, you might be the third..."

Judy grinned playfully at Becca, trying to embarrass her, but seeing that her words didn't achieve the desired result she decided to continue.

"Or four, as I think Lucy has a better chance."

"Leave me out of this..."

"Hey! I'm as good as Lucy!"

"Did I say you were worse?"

Judy grinned.

"You're just not that feminine..."

"Me?!"

Becca folded her arms under her breasts and tried to make her small breasts look even larger. She wasn't very good at it, but she did have breasts, so I decided not to ignore her efforts or she'd take offense. So I gave her breasts the visual attention they deserved.

"David, look at me, I'm feminine, aren't I?"

"That's what I'm talking about..."

Judy grinned.

"A real girl wouldn't be so direct. Look at Lucy, she's not dressed as revealingly as you are, but that leaves more room for fantasy. Her posture, look at that, her back straight, her eyebrows slightly drawn together, even the way she reacts to my words with her lips slightly pressed into a thin line..."

"You make it sound like you have a crush on her."

Becca tried to take a jab at Judy, but she only shrugged.

"I guess if I didn't have David and Panam, I might actually try to hit on her."

It was at that moment that the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it..."

"Uh-huh...

I went to the door and when I opened it, I saw... the same girl who came in last time with the booze. Shit, her name slipped my mind, but it didn't matter.

"Judy, this looks like it's for you..."

"I raised my voice slightly so she could hear me."

"Who?"

"Well, if I understood your last conversation correctly, she's your ex."

"А?"

Judy judging by the sound got up from the table and walked over to me, as I didn't think to step aside and let this cloud prostitute into the apartment.

"Judy..."

The girl smiled unabashedly as she looked at my girl, but Judy herself seemed to glaze over.

"Parker..."

"Well, don't be so aggressive, of course your words about having a boyfriend and girlfriend shocked me a bit, but after thinking about it I realized that you were just joking a bit. So I'm here to make up."

Judy raised an eyebrow in a purely aristocratic gesture.

"Will you tell your boy who scares the others away to let me in?"

"Uh, no."

"Come on, Jude..."

Judy's lips curled slightly in irritation.

"I don't have time for you. And I wasn't kidding."

"Come on, a joke repeated twice is no longer a joke, and the time, so what if you miss a couple days, you're a solo, you do not have a strict schedule."

"None of this is any of your business, so I'm going to ask you to leave me and never bother me again."

"Ju..."

But Judy just slammed the door shut and only then showed her annoyance slightly.

"Fuck... bitch. showing up when you weren't wanted or expected..."

The doorbell rang again.

"I'm gonna go make myself a sandwich, if it's her again just slam the door."

I nodded and opened the door, slammed it shut when I saw Parker open her mouth, then went back to my desk. We talked about the assignment for a while, until the doorbell rang again. I got up from my seat to open the door...

"Sit down, I got it."

Judy got up and walked to the door, but I still didn't sit back and walked to the door with her, for which I was honored with a grateful nod.

"Well?"

She opened the door and looked extremely coldly at Parker, who stood with a bottle of rather expensive wine in her hands.

"Jude, come on..."

She raised the bottle slightly and played with her eyebrows. She raised the bottle slightly and played with her eyebrows.

"What don't you understand about the word: No?"

"Well Jude's..."

"Okay, I'll make it clear one last time... If you come at me with any more offers like that, I will hack you and burn out all your implants."

The girl flinched and took a step back. Judy could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't kidding and could really do this.

"Jude, I was just, uh."

"Get out."

"But..."

"Look, I don't know what you want with Judy, but you're in the way. You're trying to get in where there's no more room for you."

"Stay out of it..."

An extremely unkind look was thrown in my direction.

"Or what?"

I grinned.

"Parker, get out of here."

Judy didn't let her answer my question.

"...you're in my way."

"I... Judy, just remember that being alone, lost in your dreams with hired people you pay sucks. And I still love you, and I'm ready to accept--

Judy snorted contemptuously.

"...even with your behavior. I'm really ready for you, so remember, and this bottle of wine will be waiting for you."

"You shouldn't. I don't drink that sour stuff anymore."

"Huh? But that was, uh."

"Yes, when I had no money, it was the best I could afford, the best we could afford back then. Now it's sour to me, and it's just disgusting to drink."

"I..."

Parker was lost for life and Judy just slammed the door in her face once again for the umpteenth time this morning.

"And? Who was that?"

Becca felt she could get a little back at her friend for her bullying. But she took her first step on this fragile ice very carefully.

"My ex."

"Is it just that? Perhaps David and Panam don't know about something?"

"Oh, believe me, they know everything about me..."

Judy grinned.

"However, you're not a particularly closed book either..."

Judy hinted that Becca likes to walk around in a long jacket with only her underwear underneath, well not lacy yet.

"Well, I have nothing to be embarrassed about..."

"Because there's nothing..."

"There it is!"

She lifted her small breasts sharply with her hands.

"And with my figure, my babies fit just perfectly..."

I continued to watch it all in silence, only grinning slightly. It's still nice to sit with friends like this before work...