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The moment the birds went quiet Jacoby grabbed his gun. Soon after, he saw the two of them walk out of the trees, and skirt the clearing, keeping some of the canopies over their heads. They looked cute, Alex had his head against Tech's shoulder, and he had his arm over his shoulder. Both were smiling as they leaned close and talked.

At least the uncomfortable silences in the back were done and over with. This hadn't been the waste of time he'd been afraid of. He holstered his gun as he stepped out to welcome them back.

"Well, it's about time you got back. I was about to track you down, stun the two of you and drags you back."

"That would have been an interesting thing to see you try," Tech said, causing Alex to raise an eyebrow. At least he wasn't freaking anytime Tech acted human anymore. Another plus.

As they stepped close enough, Jacoby wrinkled his nose at the smell of wet fur. "You had a bath or something?"

"In the river," Alex answered.

"Well, you stink," He told Tech, "couldn't you dry off?"

"Sorry, my father didn't believe in technology, so there was no dryer by the river. So your choices of smell were this, or sex."

"Excuse me?"

Tech smiled. "What did you think me and Alex were doing back there? Having long philosophical discussions about the meaning of loneliness?"

"Then I definitely prefer this," Jacoby said. "But no sex in my hover."

"My hover," Tech corrected. "And don't worry, if you fly us back fast enough we should be able to keep our hands to each other until we get to the city."

Jacoby looked at Alex, waiting for him to comment, but all he got was another raised eyebrow. It was odd having him this silent. Maybe he was still basting in their renewed relationship. Not his concern.

"Then let's get going, the sooner we're there, the sooner we've made the corporation pay and we can go home." He sat at the controls and powered up the hover. Tech went to the back and pulled Alex with him as he let himself fall on the couch. Alex laughed, and they stretched on it.

It felt good to see them happy again after everything they'd gone through. "I said no sex in the Hover." He grumbled, trying not to smile as he focused on getting the hover airborne. "And we need to rotate who's at the control. I'm not spending the two days it's going to take to get there sitting here. I am done stimming myself for the two of you. Oh and while you're back there, basking in each other's warmth, I hope you can come up with a plan on how we're going to take down a fucking corporation."

Tech whispered something to Alex, and they were chuckling. He didn't care how happy they were, once he got tired one of them was flying this thing.

* * * * *

The building didn't stand out in any way. Just another giant glass, metal and permacrete building among others with humans coming in and out of it.

"You said we need to get to the thirty-second floor without raising any alarms or suspicion?" Jacoby looked up at it from the alley they were in.

"That's once we have the Access codes," Alex said, "those are on the eighth floor, in the chief's security office."

"Can't you just go on the net and find a hole to exploit?"

"Not quickly. There's been a rash of attacks on corporate servers over the last objective decade or so. They've done impressive strides in strengthening their defenses."

"Let me guess, those were all you."

"No, I'm not the only coercionist out there, but I am the best, so believe me when I say a direct approach is going to be a lot faster."

"Still, I'm thinking that the net is the safest way to do this."

"I thought you were in a hurry to go home," Tech said.

"Yeah, but I'd like to live to get back. Taking on a corporation directly is suicide."

"Not really," Tech replied, and Alex grinned.

"Okay, so maybe you can do it, but you're going to have to stay out here, it's just going to be me and Alex. I'm sure he's good," Alex snorted, "but this is corporate security in there, not just a bunch of hired mercs."

"I'm going in too," Tech said.

"How? Only humans go in there."

As a reply, Tech nodded to the building. Jacoby turned to watch three humans in suits enter with a Samalian between them. After spending so much time among Samalians in the town, he felt like there was something missing in this Samalian. A lack of vitality.

When he turned to ask Tech how that was going to let him in, he startled at the Samalian looking back at him. He seemed shorter, and his eyes were vacant, his face slack. This close he recognized the expression. He'd seen it in people who'd had their brains scrambled.

"You still have it," Alex squeezed Tech's arm, and the Samalian came back to life, growing to his full size and smiling.

"That's..." Jacoby had trouble finding the words. "That's impressive. You think that's going to be enough to get you through the entry security?"

"With both of you at my side, yes."

"What are they doing to them in there?"

Alex and Tech exchanged a look. "I don't know," Alex answered. "They're keeping it off the net, whatever it is. But that isn't our primary job. Whatever it is will stop when I bring their servers crashing down."

"Okay, but we can't just walk in. We don't exactly look the part." He indicated how he and Alex were dressed; in clearly armored clothing. Alex didn't scream merc, since he wasn't wearing his harness, but Jacoby would have to take off everything to hide that fact.

Tech handed each of them a bundle. Jacoby opened it to reveal a set of clothing. A suit of clothing.

"It isn't the level of armor you're used to," Tech said, "But it's armored. It's the same cut as the corporate jockeys over there. You'll fit right in."

Alex chuckled. He was looking at his set in bemusement. "You realize I haven't worn one of those since my time at Luminex? I'm not sure I remember how they go on."

"Okay, so these get us in. But there's a checkpoint. We're going to need more than clothes to get past it."

Alex produced two IDs. "Perfectly valid, linked to two employees who aren't in a position to come into work today, but haven't been able to call in. Modified so they'll get us through just about any security checkpoints."

"The previous owners?" Jacoby took the ID Alex handed him. "Dead?"

"Just sick," Alex replied, "with their systems rerouted so they think they informed their superiors of their absence. Killing them was too risky at this stage. It isn't like they know I have these."

"Okay, so we can get in. I know Alex is deadly with knives and that those are easy to get past any detector, but I'm more of a gun guy. When things go wrong, if all I have is a knife, I'm not going to be all that useful."

Tech handed a small package to him. "Fully shielded holster, latest tech, completely undetectable, probably going to remain so for a few years, objective. I got it to fit your gun. Your jacket is cut so it won't be noticeable unless you go out of your way to draw attention to it."

Jacoby opened it and slipped his gun in it. "When did you get that? I mean any of this. We got here last night."

"What did you think we did all night?" Alex asked.

"Sex." Jacoby replaced his holster with it. "I know because the walls are thin and you," he pointed at Tech, "are loud."

"Only when deserving. And Alex is very--"

"I don't want to know. Your sex life is your own, but now I get why you live far from everyone else. Anywhere closer and no one would be able to sleep at night."

"We didn't do that all night," Alex said. "We also worked."

"Where did you get this?" Jacoby tapped the holster.

"I visited Jofdelbiro."

Jacoby nodded. "How are they? Last time I went there, they were under heavy surveillance."

"They're managing. Most of the surveillance has been pulled off now that they know you're not going to show up. Seems the corporation got it in its head that you're the mastermind behind all the problems they've been having, and that you're hiding somewhere in the forests."

Jacoby sighed. "Last time I was here, I had to deal with some security."

"And you left one of them alive," Tech said, his tone far more serious than Jacoby thought the situation warranted.

"Yeah, I didn't think he'd gotten a good look at my face."

"You really should have killed him," Alex said.

"Yeah, well, it's too late for that. So when are we going in?"

"No time like the present," Tech indicated the hover at the back of the alley. "You two go change."

"What are you doing for a weapon?" Jacoby asked as he passed him.

Tech extended vicious-looking claws. "These will do."

* * * * *

Jacoby had to fight the urge to pull at the pants as he walked to the door. They were his size, but they didn't move with him as his armor did. How did anyone wear these, they were so uncomfortable? Tech was next to him, and Alex on Tech's other side. Tech was wearing his brain-dead expression, and again he looked smaller. Jacoby couldn't believe that part and he'd watched as Tech had hunched in, bent his legs in just a little and lost a good six inch to his height, he was now almost the same height as Alex.

He opened the door, and Alex went in, followed by Tech and then Jacoby. They'd watched a few other Samalian being escorted in, and they were never allowed at the edge of the group.

"Another one?" the guard took Alex's ID and swiped it. "Just what are they doing with all of them?"

Alex shrugged as he took it back. "As if I'd know. They just hand them over and tell us where to take them." He took hold of Tech's arm as Jacoby handed his ID over.

"At this point, we're going to have the whole damn lot of them under this building." The guard handed the ID back. "I swear, you'd think the higher-ups actually gave a damn about them. I'd just wiped them out and be done with it."

Jacoby felt like punching the man. "Probably a good thing you aren't the guy in charge then." He might not care about the Samalians, but everyone had a right to live.

"Yeah, probably."

Jacoby followed Alex and Tech to the lift and it opened at a swipe of his card. Once inside Jacoby opened his mouth, but Alex shook his head. Not safe then.

On the eighth floor they exited and Alex led the way.

"Hey!" someone called. "What are you doing here?" A woman in an unarmored security uniform strode toward them. "That thing goes to the under-lab, you know that."

Jacoby moved so Tech hid his right side and carefully moved his hand to his gun, in preparation, but Alex didn't seem worried.

"I know, but Chief Richard asked to see this one before we take him down."

The woman growled in annoyance. "Another one? They aren't her personal toys. Damn it, someone was supposed to talk to her about this."

"So, you want us to head back down? You're going to explain to the Chief that she's being cut off?"

"Are you kidding me? Why do you think I passed it along higher up the chain? I'm not dealing with her temper tantrum. You go on. I'll have another talk with them when I get the chance." With a huff she walked away.

Jacoby waited until they were on their way too before whispering. "What was that about?"

Tech was the one who answered, under his breath. "Chief Richard is a closet Xenophile."

"How did you find that out?"

"Had a talk with a few guards during the night," Alex answered. "Seems she isn't as discrete about it as she likes to think. Everyone knows she's been diverting the occasional Samalian to her office before they are processed."

"Did you get any sleep last night? Are you on stims?"

"Yes, I did."

They reached a door and Alex buzzed it. The door opened, and they entered before the woman behind the desk could say anything. Jacoby closed the door and looked around as she stood.

"What's this?"

The office was larger than he'd expected, more of a meeting room with everything removed but a desk, and three chairs.

"We were told to bring him to you," Alex said. "Something about this one being the last one? I wasn't given any details."

Her face lit up, and she walked around the desk. "As he been processed yet?" she stood before Tech, licking her lips.

"No more than they do at the holding center."

"Good, good." She ran a hand through Tech's chest fur, her hand moving down. Jacoby noticed Alex tensing as her hand reach Tech's stomach and didn't stop. "You two can wait outside, I'll--" her cry was strangled by the hand Tech wrapped around her neck.

"Are you okay?" Tech asked Alex as he spun the woman and held her against his chest. She fought, but stopped when Tech dug his claws in her neck.

Alex gave a quick nod. "I am now. It's a good thing you stopped her before she--" He took a breath.

"Alex, you know that some job will require that I have sex with the mark. It's happened before."

"I know." Alex patted her down. "It's just too fresh. I'm going to need some time to adjust."

"Alex, you know she, none of them will mean anything to me."

Alex looked up, pausing in his search. "I know." His tone was harsh, harsher than he'd intended, by the pause that followed. "I know, like I said, I need to get used to how we are now." He smiled. "You know I can do that." He got back to his search.

"What are you looking for?" Jacoby asked, rather than questioning their sexual dynamic. Tech was going to have sex with other people? And he expected Alex to be okay with that? Okay, Samalians were a lot more loose about those things, but still.

"This." Alex pulled a card from an inside pocket.

"What's that?"

"The access codes." Alex sat behind the desk and inserted the card.

"I thought the codes would be numbers, you know, stuff only the people who--" Bones snapping stopped him. He turned to look at Tech. His eyes were closed, the woman was on the floor at his feet, dead.

"Did you just kill her?" Jacoby asked.

Tech didn't move.

When he opened his eyes, he smiled, baring his teeth.

"All good?" Alex asked, still typing.

"No emotional spikes. No remorse."

"Did you have to kill her?" Jacoby couldn't help the way his voice rose.

"No." Tech's smile became broader, more vicious. "I wanted to. I wanted to find out if I was still a killer."