Silverfox 07
#7 of Silverfox
Silverfox 07
Some of the people she walked past smirked; others were too polite to smirk, and so smirked inwardly. But all of them knew. Silverfox might as well have worn a sign around her neck: "Chimera Slut Returning From One Night Stand."
It was a relief to hear Firefox's voice through the door.
"We're flying back to Boston this afternoon. To tell you the truth, I'm torn about that," Firefox was saying. "I don't know where, exactly, this case is all going to go, but everything seems to be going down here. I think Foxforce should set up base in the Pacific Northwest."
Silverfox opened the door to the hotel room and snuck in. Fire and Tech were sitting and staring at Tech's laptop. They looked up in silent acknowledgement; Firefox touched a finger to her lips. Silverfox closed the door carefully. She was well out of the webcam's angle of vision.
"Yes, that seems like a good idea," Nishinobu said, his voice coming out of the laptop.
"I think at this point it's a question of when," Firefox said. "I'm really tempted to eat the tickets home and move into a residence hotel in Seattle now."
"We'd be glad to have you," came the voice of Nishinobu. "I'll see about getting you some odd jobs if things go cold. I'd rather you held off just a bit... the judge found out you were in Everett and he's a bit annoyed we didn't schedule a hearing. I told him that this whole thing literally popped up a day or two ago. He's okay with that, but if you stay in the area past today he's going to get suspicious."
"Do you need more time?" Firefox asked.
"I'd like another week of stalling if we can arrange it."
"I want to oblige you, but ... is the judge issuing something formal?" Firefox asked. "I don't want to drag my tail if he does."
"Understood. The answer is no, not yet. I don't see him getting irritated enough to issue a subpoena in the next week or so. His daughter's getting married on Wednesday, so he's glad of an excuse to push things off a bit."
"Excellent. As long as he doesn't get the feeling we're stalling him deliberately," Firefox said.
"Which, of course, we are. Exactly. Believe me, he'd nail us to a wall for that."
"We've got some things that need closing in Boston," Technofox said. "Nothing we can't cancel. Still, we don't have all our equipment with us, and there's an ICON apartment opening up in Seattle next week." She shrugged. "If we were chasing something solid right now, I'd say extend our stay and play scheduling conflicts with the judge, but as it is I think we can afford a week in Boston."
"Yeah, it's hard to justify the cost of moving into a hotel tonight," Firefox agreed. "Inspector, would it be convenient for you if we were to come to Seattle next ..." she ducked down and looked at something on Technofox's computer. "Thursday? That's when the ICON apartment's ready for us."
"Yes, that would be just about perfect," he agreed. "Pencil in a court date on the Monday after that."
"I'll put in a claim for the apartment. That Monday's not good for Shadowfox," Technofox said, "but the rest of us should be available."
"Shouldn't be a problem -- it's your insane one-woman slaughter machine they really want to talk to," Nishinobu said.
Silverfox adopted a quizzical expression, as though wondering who that could possibly be. Firefox had to look away, and Technofox covered her giggle with a cough.
"Shadowfox already has a commitment in Seattle?" Nishinobu asked, sounding a little surprised. "Is she chasing something in Washington state?"
"No, Vancouver," Technofox explained. "Believe it or not, she's auditioning for a film."
"It's to develop her cover identity," Firefox said.
"Really?" The Nish's voice was somewhat skeptical. "That's going to great lengths."
"Actor is one of the best covers there is," Firefox said. "An actor can be rich, short of funds, busy, or between jobs. An actor can be poor and yet travel anywhere in the world on business, or can even travel incognito. And nobody finds it particularly odd."
"Interesting. But what will you do if she actually gets cast? Won't that keep her busy for a few months?"
"Closer to a week, we think," Technofox said. "Even if she's a major role."
Silverfox could hear Nishinobu's frown. "Principal photography in a week? Can they make a film in that sort of time?"
"Not a good one, no," Technofox agreed. "But this is a Fischer KG production."
"Shadowfox will be auditioning for a role in the film adaptation of _Tetris,_" Firefox explained.
Silverfox made a note to herself. She should probably download the game and see if she could figure out which character Shadowfox would be playing.
Fire and Tech ended the conversation and terminated the call. "We can talk now," Technofox said.
"Shadowfox is going to audition for a film?" Silverfox asked.
"She did that interactive video," Firefox pointed out. "What did they call it again?"
"_Ebony: Foxy Vixen_," Technofox said. "A title which raises more questions than answers."
Silverfox grinned. That video had been financed as part of Shadowfox's cover identity, and to everyone's surprise it had made a profit. "Sure, but this is going to be an actual film," Silverfox said.
"Don't bet on that," Technofox said, shaking her head. "Roger Corman makes actual films. Fischer does not. It's safe to say that the only rung lower than a Fischer film is porno."
"Do you really think she has a chance of getting the part?" Silverfox asked. This was really kind of cool. _Foxy Vixen_ was about four hours of Shadowfox in different situations and "Do you want me in the red bikini, or the black bikini?" type decision points. Silverfox thought it would be fun to know someone in the movies. Or, rather, another person in the movies. Cheshire had been in films too, as a motion capture model.
Technofox blinked and considered. "I think she has a good shot at it," she said. "Assuming they have a role for her. They made a really good digital model of Shadowfox for _Foxy Vixen_ and she owns the rights to it."
Silverfox nodded. Shadowfox owned _Foxy Vixen_ and the model; ICON had sold it to her for a buck, supposedly because Legal was afraid the IRS would claim ICON was a film production company. Silverfox considered. "Shadow's got everything it takes to make it in film. She's okay with the casting couch, willing to appear nude, and she's checked out on automatic weapons."
"All of which makes her letter-perfect for the Fischer KG film adaptation of _Tetris_," Technofox said, deadpan, in a way that made Silverfox suspect it was a punch line.
Silverfox nodded. It sounded like a hell of a game. "Do we have a script?" Silverfox asked. It was absurd, she knew, but she was now quite curious about the film and was wondering if there was anything she could do to help.
"I doubt that Karl Fischer has a script," Technofox replied. Technofox seemed very dismissive of the whole thing.
"Is his stuff really that bad?" Silverfox asked.
"Yes," Technofox and Firefox said in unison. They glanced at one another and hooked pinkies. "I've got some video for Shadowfox to watch on the plane," Technofox said. "I'll give you access to it."
Firefox laughed, and then turned serious. "I'm hoping that this will give us a way in," she said. "A way to use what we know about _Flying Saucer_ without having to reveal how we found out."
"It's worth trying," Silverfox said.
Technofox shrugged. She was apparently a bit more dubious about it.
"We all know it's a long shot," Firefox said.
"Is it really?" Silverfox asked. "By the way ... where is the _Flying Saucer?_"
Technofox and Firefox glanced at one another. "We don't know," Firefox said. "I'm sure the Coast Guard and Navy could find her, but we don't have any way to explain why we're interested. The problem is that FBI and RCMP know there are German intelligence boats in the area, but we can't let them know we know."
"That's why we're trying to get Shadowfox this gig," Technofox said. "We hope she can see something incriminating about Fischer, and then we pass it off as serendipity."
"It's a long shot, but it's a shot." Silverfox said. "Hell, if a chick like Shadowfox wanted to ride my boat, I'd let her. Even if 'ride my boat' is meant literally."
"Even if your boat were really a spy platform?" Technofox asked.
"I doubt they have signs up saying 'Welcome to the Spy Boat,'" Silverfox pretended to consider. She frowned. "But still, you're right. I have to weigh a chance at an espionage charge against a chance for Shadowfox sex? That's tough."
"Speaking of which, how was your date?" Firefox asked.
"Not bad," Silverfox said. "We had a nice dinner, he talked about growing up on a farm, I talked about being pumped out by a factory."
"He asked how we were raised?" Technofox said, looking up.
"He was curious about it. I don't think he has many chimerae friends, but he didn't come across as a jerk." Silverfox stretched. "I am revising my opinion of one-night stands with Canadians. 25 Centimeters of Love was an anomaly who does not represent all subjects of the Dominion."
"So now I know," Firefox said.
"And knowing is half the battle," Silverfox replied.
"An entire nation rises to its feet and applauds in gratitude," Technofox said.
"I might get to them. Canada's a small country," Silverfox said.
"I ask Silverfox because it's not even nine yet," Firefox said. "I thought that maybe he kicked you out or something." Firefox looked mildly concerned.
Silverfox couldn't help but feel touched. "No," Silverfox explained, "he said he had to catch a ferry back to Vancouver. I have no idea if that was a little white lie."
"He's got a ticket for ten," Technofox said, glancing at her screen.
"So it wasn't a little white lie," Silverfox said, pleased.
"Well, good." Firefox looked at the screen again. "I'd like to leave for the airport after Shadowfox comes back. Would you mind packing her stuff?"
"Delighted," Silverfox said happily.
"I don't get it," Silverfox said with a frown, watching her computer screen. "I'm not seeing any actual narrative here."
"There is no narrative in _Tetris_," Firefox explained over Technofox. "I have no idea what he's making the film about."
As usual, Firefox had the window seat and Silver the aisle, with Technofox between them and Shadowfox across the aisle. They fit together best that way.
"Oh, I figured that out after I cleared five screens without being asked to select a character," Silverfox said. "I'm talking about this movie," she said, pointing at the screen. "I mean, I played the game. It's about sneaking around with a pistol and a flashlight while things eat you. What's with all the automatic weapons?"
"I know what you mean," Technofox agreed. "And is it really that hard to make a cool movie about a hot half-vampire chick with two swords? I wouldn't think so."
"But apparently it is," Shadowfox said, not moving her eyes from the screen of her laptop.
Silverfox sighed and started the third of the three videos Technofox had given her: _Katamari Damacy._.
After the credits, the picture faded to black. A man screamed, "Lick my sticky balls, motherfucker!" He then opened up with an M-60. Silverfox watched, mesmerized, as a man, illuminated by the muzzle flashes of the machine-gun screamed. He wore a helmet, a cylinder on its side, with what looked like concave-out soup bowls over his ears. She blinked.
This was going to be a bumpy ride, she suspected.
It was close to 0100 local time when they made it to Boston. There was a delay with their equipment trunk. From experience, they knew it would take at least half an hour to resolve. Silverfox volunteered to wait for it and take a cab back to the apartment, but instead they decided to stay together and grab some dinner; nobody was in a rush to get back to the apartment and they were all hungry.
Silverfox hated being unarmed in public. She always packed the equipment trunk so her Glock 20s were on top, and she could arm herself in the terminal before leaving. But until the airport got it to them, she'd have to sit around without that comforting weight.
"Where's Shadowfox?" Firefox asked curiously.
"I saw her go into that boutique," Silverfox said, pointing with her trigger finger wrapped around a burger. Airport terminal food was much better than airplane food.
Right on cue, Shadowfox came out with a little bag. Silverfox looked at it curiously.
"I just thought it might be fun if we all started keeping diaries," Shadowfox said, passing out slim black notebooks. "These were marked down because it's April." Silverfox raised her eyebrows, getting it instantly. Some sort of written record would make it a lot easier to spot a 4094-induced discontinuity. "Just spend a couple of minutes each night writing stuff down. It'll be fun."
"Nothing confidential," Technofox said.
Shadowfox grinned impishly. "Diaries are always about secrets," she said. Technofox rolled her eyes in dismay. Shadowfox always took the role playing one step too far; now she was pretending Technofox was talking about girly whispers instead of criminal investigations.
"That's a good idea," Firefox agreed. "But yeah, no business secrets."
Shadowfox nodded brightly. Silverfox opened hers. There was half a page for each day in the year. The blank space was daunting. She realized, suddenly, that the nature of the medium meant that the space for each day wouldn't grow or expand based on how much text she added to it. Fixed record length. How did people ever work with such a straitjacket in their data entry system?
"Will you be breaking in to Jerry's tonight?" Technofox asked.
"I wasn't planning on it," Silverfox said. "We were going to meet for lunch tomorrow."
"Today," Technofox pedanticized.
"Okay, good," Firefox said. "Shadow, I'd like you to cater dinner tomorrow night."
"So we're having a party with Tawny?" Silverfox asked.
Firefox nodded.
"The four of us, Cheshire, Tawny, and Modesty," Shadowfox said. "That's seven. How about dates?"
"Can I bring Jerry?" Silverfox asked.
"If this were a social get-together, I'd be glad to have him," Firefox said. "But this is about loosening up Tawny ... what do you think, Shadowfox? Are we better off keeping it all-chimera?"
To Silverfox's disappointment, Shadowfox nodded. "We probably should. If anything, I'd disinvite Modesty and keep it all Blue Diamond Girls."
Firefox considered. "Well, we can't do that."
"No, we can't," Shadowfox agreed. "How about dates for ourselves? Can you think of anyone we could date with, keeping it to chimerae?"
"Weren't you going to invite Prescott?" Firefox asked.
Shadowfox shrugged. "He can't make it."
"That's too bad," Firefox said.
"Do you really think we need to keep it all-chimerae?" Silverfox asked.
"What I don't want is chimera women and human men," Shadowfox said. "That's too close a match to Blue Diamond." She shook her head. "No, I like Jeff and Andrew, but we can't bring our human friends to this."
"How about flying in Victoria?" Silverfox suggested. "She'd be a nice bridge from chimera to human without compromising the racial purity of our little soiree."
"Since when did that bother you?" Firefox asked.
Since I wanted to hang out with Jerry, Silverfox thought. She didn't say anything. Shadowfox was listening.
When Silverfox didn't reply, Firefox frowned. "Like I said, this isn't a social gathering," she said. "It's social engineering disguised as a party."
"Leave it to me," Shadowfox said to Silverfox. "I'm good at that sort of thing."
"Yeah, I know. Sorry," Silverfox muttered. "I just don't like the fact the hosts outnumber the guests."
"Yeah, that's not good. Let's hope our guests bring dates. So dinner for ten," Shadowfox said.
"Speaking of which," Silverfox said, "What are we, as far as Tawny's concerned?"
"We're security consultants for ICON," Firefox said. "Modesty and Cheshire know that already. We can't keep that from coming out. Silver, I'd like you to back up Shadow. Be available to run errands today."
"Roger that," Silverfox said with a nod.
"No problem seeing Jerry for lunch," Shadowfox said. "I'll probably want to do a lot of the shopping myself anyway."
"Thanks."
While Firefox signed releases, Silverfox opened the equipment case. She took off her jacket, pulled on her twin holsters, loaded the Glocks, and slipped them in. Security looked at her funny when she did that, but they usually did.
Soon after that, they were in their car and driving back to their apartment.
"Tech," Firefox said, "can you check to see if we've had visitors while we were away?"
Technofox had a laptop desk in the shotgun seat. She brought up an application and her eyes narrowed. "Cheshire entered the apartment at 1308 yesterday and left 1420," she said. "Andrew entered this morning at 0030 and is still there. I'd guess he wanted to surprise us." She paused "He's playing _Realms of High Fantasy_."
Silverfox heaved a sigh. That meant she'd have to disarm before going back to the apartment. And Firefox would remind her in five, four, three...
"That's right," Firefox said. "He was supposed to come back from Wyoming today." Firefox paused. "Silver, remember to lock up your guns before we go back to the apartment."
"Good idea." Silverfox changed the subject. "I didn't know he played _Realms of High Fantasy._"
"Yeah, we both started up characters so we could play together online," Firefox said.
"Nice idea," Shadowfox said. "Tech, you want to team up with them some time?"
"That could be fun," Technofox said abstractly. "I'd have to see their stats to pick out a mission."
"You playing a barbarian with ginormous boobs?" Silverfox asked.
Firefox looked bemused in the rearview mirror. "I'm playing a thief with ginormous boobs," she said. "Thieves are the only ones who can do anything but hit people with things. He's playing a dwarf."
"I guess he's not using a crossbow," Silverfox joked.
"Don't rag him about that," Firefox said, irritated.
"I'd never do that," Silverfox said seriously. "Why do you think he's in our apartment? Hoping for a five-way?"
"Is that humanly possible?" Technofox asked dubiously.
"Wanna find out?" Silverfox asked. "We could think of it as practice for Jerry. You girls want to earn a Korth, right?"
"I dunno if that would earn a Korth," Shadowfox said, playing along by pretending to take it seriously.
"That's why you need to practice," Silverfox explained.
Firefox grinned. "C'mon, I was kidding."
"Well, maybe not a Korth," Silverfox improvised, "but maybe a set of custom grips for each of us."
Firefox laughed.
"Do you think we could?" Technofox said hesitantly. "I mean -- not the Korth grips." She blinked, and looked uncertain, as though wondering if she could pass it off as a joke.
"I'm up for it," Silverfox said.
"Well, obviously," Shadowfox said.
"Hi, Andrew," Firefox said into her phone. "We're pulling into the building now...no, we can manage the luggage. Sweet of you to ask, though."
That would give him time to save his progress and get out of the game.
She closed the phone. "Who gets him first?" she asked.
"Let's not plan it," Silverfox said. "Firefox can count down, and we mob him on three."
"He might not be in the mood," Shadowfox reminded them. "I'll give a go / no go signal."
Firefox parked in their spot and they piled out.
"Why do you get to give the go / no go?" Technofox asked.
"Because I'm a trained professional," Shadowfox replied smugly.
"She's right, you know," Silverfox said to Technofox. "If you or I tried to elicit sex from a heterosexual male, the results could be catastrophic."
At that moment, Firefox giggled. Her grip slipped on the equipment trunk and it bounced off its wheel. She swore softly, looking to see if she had broken the axle. She hadn't.
"Careful," Shadowfox said. "The pins in my grenades were a little loose."
"Grenades?" Technofox asked politely, fully aware that Shadowfox was pulling their legs but willing to go along with it.
"Sure," Shadowfox said. The elevator opened and they got in. "Since Atlanta, I've carried a pair of grenades whenever I'm stripping."
"Where?" Silverfox asked politely, anticipating the joke.
"They're in special compartments in my breasts," Shadowfox explained. "I've had removable inserts put in. Pop them out, slip the grenade in, and swap out again before someone squeezes my boob." She smiled proudly, innocently, as though daring them to find anything unlikely in her story.
"I knew a girl who had a short sword in her leg," Technofox said.
"Flesh sheath?" Silverfox asked.
"No, she was stabbed," Technofox replied with a sad shake to her head.
"Ah," Silverfox said, nodding and keeping her face straight.
The elevator opened up and they went quiet. It was 0221 and their neighbors were sleeping. Firefox reached their door first, and unlocked it.
Andrew waited inside, stepping forward to Firefox once she was clear of the door. They kissed.
"I got you something in Wyoming," he said, reaching for a large, round box on the chair.
Firefox took it, with a slightly exasperated smile. Andrew didn't really have the reserves to be extravagant; Silverfox hoped the box contained something cheap, but looking at it, she wasn't sure. She wished she had thought of picking something up for him in Victoria. Wait -- she had a package of maple leaf candies and Space Needle Noodles from the Seattle airport...
Firefox opened the box casually and looked in, and did a double take. Silverfox could see she was a bit rattled.
Then Firefox smiled, and pulled out a buff-colored Stetson.
"I just thought you'd look nice in a cowboy hat," Andrew said.
"Yeah," Silverfox said brightly. "Like a girl wrestler from Texas in a video game."
Firefox held the hat, crown in her hand. She squeezed it lightly, and peered into it, suddenly suspicious. She reached in, took out a leather bag, and looked at Andrew blankly.
"That's Present Part Two," Andrew said. Firefox smiled and put the bag back into the box, setting the box down on the coffee table.
Silverfox felt a twitch of discomfort. Firefox was checking to see if there was something in the hat. Like a 4094 Gadget.
Was that how Blue Diamond had done it? "Here, try this hat on?" Set it off by remote control? Or had they just waved a gadget over their heads? She imagined herself collapsing in public, and a "friend" ushering her into a waiting car...
Or what if 4094 could be programmed with a timer? Pass a hat around for the four of them to try on, then at the same time they all shut down...the possibilities seemed endless, now that she knew she had a computer controlled off switch.
Firefox forced a grin, twitched her ears, and put on the Stetson. She looked about self-consciously. Her ears went through two holes on the sides of the crown.
"I have an overwhelming urge to say, 'y'all,'" she said.
"Just remember it's plural," Shadowfox said.
"That really looks great on you," Silverfox said.
"It must be doing a number on your ears," Andrew said, suddenly uncertain of his gift.
"No, I like it," Firefox said. "I wouldn't want to wear it where it's buggy --"
"There's flaps for the slots," Andrew said.
"Neat," Firefox said, impressed. "I need a mirror."
"You look just like Tina Armstrong from _Dead or Alive,_" Technofox said. "Except furry and with big hair."
"And a tail," Silverfox said.
"No, you can get Tina a tail in _DOA Extreme Strip Snowboarding,_" Technofox said.
"I didn't know Stetson made hats with ear holes," Shadowfox said.
"Technically, it's not a Stetson," Andrew said. "It was handmade. His son's in the Army and he's got a chimera buddy. I told him I knew a chimera and he agreed to make a second one."
"Neat," Firefox said. She admired herself in a mirror.
"Do you have his web page?" Technofox asked. "I'd like a hat."
"He doesn't have a phone," Andrew explained. "He said he didn't like being pestered by people who were near him; why let people far away bother him?"
"An interesting philosophy," Firefox said.
"I can see why you had to buy it, then and there," Silverfox said. "I didn't know there were still things that can't be accessed through the Net."
Technofox sniffed.
Firefox laughed. "What's in the bag?" she asked, picking it out of the box. Andrew shifted from one foot to the other.
"I thought you'd be looking at that when we were alone," he said.
"Ooo," Silverfox said. Firefox cocked an eyebrow. Technofox and Shadowfox leaned forward expectantly. Silverfox sat down next to Andrew.
Firefox fumbled with the bag, and soon Silverfox could see that it was actually a tightly wrapped bundle; what she thought was a bag was actually the cups of a bikini top.
Firefox held it out wordlessly. It was one of the tiniest tops Silverfox had ever seen. It was fringed with buckskin and beads; there seemed to be more fabric in the fringes than in the cup. The word "bikini" wasn't quite appropriate -- there was no way this could be swimwear.
"That's beautiful," Shadowfox said.
Firefox smiled and turned to put it away.
"I'd like to see you wear that," Technofox said.
Firefox lifted her eyebrows. "Now?" she joked.
"Why not?" Shadowfox asked.
Firefox looked around the others, and took a few steps. Silverfox thought she might be going to her bedroom, but instead she stopped, with her back to the others. She slipped off her jacket and left it on the back of the couch.
Silverfox wondered how Andrew was taking this; her eyes were fixed on Firefox and she didn't want to look away. Firefox's shirt was soon on top of her coat. Under that, she was wearing a blue microfiber jog bra. She pulled off her shoes, and undid her belt. It wasn't until that moment Silverfox realized she was going to go all the way.
Firefox's tail pulled out through the tail vent in her travel cargos, and fluffed back out. Once past that barrier, her pants dropped to the floor, and she stepped out of them. Technofox was closest to Firefox and had a different viewing angle; she was the only one who would have a good view of Firefox's breasts, unless she moved. Silverfox was tempted to change places with her.
Silverfox rested her hand in Andrew's lap, gently moved it between his legs, and traced the shape of his shaft through his pants. He didn't move away.
Firefox removed her hat, and put it on Technofox's head, so it covered her eyes. Back still turned, she slipped off her bra, and teased out the top of Andrew's gift. It was hard to tell the fringing from the thongs that held it on, but she seemed to work it out quickly and had it draped over her breasts before taking the hat back from Technofox. "Much obliged, ma'am," Firefox drawled.
She wrapped the thongs around her back and tied them together in front, and then removed her panties. She curved her leg up to obscure the view, leaving Silverfox to wonder how she was going to put on the bottom half of the costume.
Firefox dipped down and picked up the last bit. From her angle, Silverfox thought it looked like a cord with things strung on it; near one end was a small leather triangle, like a little banner. It was, Silverfox realized, to hang in front, barely concealing her sex from view. Firefox looped it around her hips, over her tail, tied it over her right hip, and looked down at Technofox.
Technofox swallowed, audibly.
"Does someone want a hug?" Firefox asked. Technofox reached up, and Firefox moved back, just a little, out of reach. "I think you're a little overdressed for a hug."
Silverfox's fingers found the zipper on Andrew's fly and pulled down. She fumbled inside his pants, pulled his shaft out, and stroked it gently. Andrew put an arm around her, pulled her close. She misunderstood, and turned her head to take him into her mouth; was surprised when he stopped her and kissed her face. She returned the kiss with a lick, a few dabs of her tongue on his lips, as her rising passion stripped away the human ritual of kissing and replaced it with something entirely more primitive, something closer to her core.
Technofox was still dressed for travel. She stood and started to strip; Firefox touched a finger to Technofox's chin, making her stand and slowing her down. The little fox's clothes were soon in a heap on the floor. She pushed Firefox's breast out of her top, Firefox closed her eyes and flinched as small, sharp teeth closed on her stiff nipple.
Shadowfox was topless, helping Andrew out of his shirt. Silverfox focused on his belt and pants, kneeling to strip him before she stood. She was about to take off her coat when she remembered what she wore under it; she glanced at Shadowfox. Shadowfox nodded, and spun Andrew around in a frenzy that was only half-feigned; Silverfox ducked out to her bedroom and took off her jacket, holster, gun, armor. She was annoyed she was missing the fun, and rushed through it. She left her panties on so they would have something to take off her, and returned.
Andrew was sitting, and Firefox was kneeling over him. His mouth was on her nipple, and Firefox reached down to position the top of his penis against her. She lowered herself down, sliding him into her. Silverfox watched her eyes close in pleasure, and smiled, imagining how it felt. Firefox reached down and kissed the top of his head.
"You've got a lot of work to do," Firefox said softly. "So come quick."
She started moving her hips.
Silverfox woke. They had moved the coffee table away and taken pillows and cushions from the sofa and easy chair, but her head was resting on Shadowfox's belly. They had been tired enough that the carpet was comfortable. Her first sight of the morning was the bottoms of Shadowfox's breasts, watching them move with Shadow's slow, contented breath. She lay there for a moment, enjoying the view.
She smelled coffee. Nobody had set up the timer the night before. Had the other three set it before leaving on vacation? No, they didn't do that because their plans could change. Unless Technofox had integrated the coffee machine with the network and ... no, because the coffee would go stale.
Oh, duh, Cheshire had done it.
Mystery solved, Silverfox was about to go back to sleep, when she realized she had to pee. Well, she didn't have to, but it was getting there, and now she knew she wouldn't get the thought out of her mind.
She got up slowly. Her legs were tangled up with Technofox's. She pulled them free carefully; Technofox twitched and muttered. Silverfox was afraid she would wake up, but instead Technofox nestled more tightly against Firefox, sighed deeply, and went back to sleep.
Silverfox made her way to the bathroom. The shower was running. Andrew was probably in there. She opened and closed the door quickly to keep the noise down, lowered the seat (what was it with guys?) and sat.
"Good morning," came Andrew's voice from the shower.
"Good morning," she replied. "I'm surprised you got up first." It was only about seven -- barely three hours.
"I took a nap on the plane yesterday. Couldn't get back to sleep."
She finished up, stood, and stepped past the shower curtains. He looked over at her with some mild surprise.
"I had better do something about that," she said.
She took his penis in her hand, moved it gently, and then went to her knees. He was rinsing, and soapy water was streaming off him, but he must have washed and rinsed down here before that. She licked his balls first, felt them grow tighter with her touch. She could barely smell the traces the others had left the night before. He had gotten it up for Firefox and Technofox but Shadowfox had to use her mouth, and after that he was too spent for Silverfox. In a sense, he owed her.
But he had recovered in the last few hours; he quickly grew hard, and Silverfox stood in front of him. He was a bit taller, so he lowered himself and wedged himself into the corner so she could take him inside.
He couldn't move his hips much, so she had to do most of the work; she licked his chest and water flicked off her tail. She felt his arms around her, and she closed her eyes.
"I don't think I can stay like this," he said.
"Okay," she replied. Reluctantly, she pulled him out of her. He turned the water off and she considered the possibilities. Sitting on the toilet? No; not romantic in the least. She took a towel and wrapped it around herself.
Furs needed towels, big towels, absorbent towels, and lots of them. Towels were a large chunk of their weekly laundry. She turned off the light and left the room, returned to the living room and spread her towel on the carpet to protect it.
"Will we wake them?" he whispered.
"Only if we do this right," she whispered back. She lay down on the towel and looked up at him. He lay down next to her; he kissed her lips and neck and then went down to her breast. She bit her lip; she liked that, but she always wished she had something to kiss. She remembered Hardtack's sharp teeth on her nipple while her mouth took Jerry inside; she had taken two clients at once in Blue Diamond, but that was the first time she had consented to it.
He moved up and she opened herself; he positioned, and penetrated; she sighed to encourage him, wrapped a leg around his buttocks, and pulled him in.
"Do me hard," she heard herself say. She met his eyes. He hesitated, just a moment, as though he wasn't sure what he had just heard. And then he moved his hips up, and pushed them down. The impact almost knocked the wind out of her, and she knew without thinking that was exactly what she wanted.
She turned her gasp into a moan and licked him, like an animal. "Yeah," she whispered. "I like that." She knew he'd back off if he started to feel he was hurting her, and she didn't want him to do that. So she suppressed her yelp and grimace and clutched him to her, encouraging him, savoring it and at the same time impatiently waiting for the end.
He came first, and she squeezed him tight, subconsciously waiting for what was coming. Where a human woman would have a cervix, she had specialized chemical sensors similar to those on her tongue. She was not consciously aware of their input, but the computer in her head was. It correlated the input from that and other specialized tissue and sent a command to reward her behavior with an orgasm. The phenotype of model Dix-Vix and the computer in her head responded synergistically to reward the product for desired behavior, overwhelming a variance in this instance's personal preferences.
"Thanks," she whispered. "That was fun."
He kissed her gently. She closed her eyes and snuggled.
Silverfox opened her diary. She was wearing a long T-shirt she had taken out of her luggage.
"We should get into the habit of writing in that before you go to sleep," Technofox said. Technofox was swimming in one of Firefox's shirts; on her it was long enough.
"Did you have time last night?" Silverfox asked.
"Afraid not," Technofox admitted with a grin.
Silverfox grinned back.
_Back home,_ she wrote. _Celebrated with amazing five-way; us four and Andrew._
"Did you have fun last night?" Silverfox asked.
Technofox grinned shyly and nodded.
"It might have been more fun with a few more guys," Silverfox said. "Better more guys than girls, I guess..."
Technofox giggled and put her hands on her cheeks.
"She thinks, 'Yes, yes,' but can only say 'tee hee,'" Silverfox teased her.
"Stop that," Technofox snickered.
"Put it on the schedule, hon," Silverfox said, imitating Firefox. "Give Andrew a week to eat clams. Shadowfox, find three or more man-sluts and a date. So that's at least four dates in all..."
Technofox laughed again.
"Aren't oysters more traditional?" Andrew said, coming into the dining room. He was wearing his shorts and pants. Silverfox was a little sad to see them all wearing clothes again.
"Sure," Silverfox agreed easily. "But it's a lot more fun for me to say, 'Andrew needs to eat more clam.' Or maybe 'eat more fish.' What do you think?" Bright eyed with feigned innocence, she looked at Technofox who kept giggling uncontrollably like a non-naughty schoolgirl.
Andrew sat down and poured himself a coffee. "Sorry I didn't get to that," he said apologetically.
"No, no," Silverfox said, waving her fingers. "I'm impressed by what you did do."
"With four women as gorgeous as you as incentive?" he asked. "The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak."
"Don't feel bad," Silverfox said seriously, realizing he was actually apologetic. "It's not like I settled for something."
"So he kind of went down on us in spirit," Technofox said.
"Yeah," Silverfox said, nodding. "It was oral sex on another plane."
"You had someone eat you out on a plane?" Firefox asked, stepping in. She was wearing a bathrobe, and her eyes were half closed. "Is that practical?"
"I'll make our next cross-country a red eye so we can find out," Technofox suggested. She walked up to Firefox and kissed her lips lightly. When Firefox responded, the little vixen opened her robe and started to kiss and fondle her breasts. Firefox licked her lips and leaned back against the kitchen counter, enjoying it.
Silverfox watched, both happy and envious. She liked the fact Technofox was getting more aggressive, sexually, and that Firefox was encouraging her. She hoped Technofox would start coming on to her; usually Silverfox elicited sex from the others and she thought it would feel good if the others reciprocated more.
Andrew was sitting next to her. He put his hand in her lap, and moved his fingers slowly between her legs. She parted her thighs and nestled against him to encourage him.
Maybe that was why she liked guys now, she thought. They chased her more than women did.
"Good morning, Silverfox," Shadowfox said. "Thank you for packing my stuff. The biohazard stickers on the dirty laundry were an especially nice touch."
"You're welcome," Silverfox replied.
"Did Martin Connor get in touch with you?" Firefox asked Shadowfox.
Silverfox blinked twice before she remembered. It was an unrelated case; Martin was the second son of a mob boss, Ebony was one of his girlfriends. Shadowfox was pretending to live with Cheshire to firm up Ebony as a fake identity.
"No, he didn't," Shadowfox said with a frown. "Unless there's something at Cheshire's. But she hasn't mentioned anything."
"Right," Firefox said. "Andrew, do you need a ride home?"
"I'd appreciate it," he said. He usually took public transport.
"Okay, fine," Firefox said. "I need to go to the Marriott -- today's the security workshop. Silver, you're free this morning, aren't you?"
"Sure," Silverfox said. "Want me to play chauffer?"
"If you're out," Shadowfox said, "can you drop some of my stuff off at Cheshire's?"
Silverfox drew a map in her head. "That's doable."
"Is it ready to go?" Firefox asked Shadowfox. "I'm sort of in a rush."
Shadowfox nodded. "Oh yeah. I boxed it all up before we went to Washington." She grinned. "Just some girl stuff to make it look like I live there."
"Fine," Silverfox said. She slurped her coffee. "As long as I'm out, you can email me a shopping list for dinner tomorrow."
"Dinner tomorrow?" Andrew asked hopefully.
Firefox pulled a face. "It's an op, hon. I'd like you to come, but..." she shrugged helplessly.
"Say no more," Andrew interrupted. "Just thinking of those Sloppy Joes last month."
"Sloppy Joes," Shadowfox said thoughtfully. She brightened. "Hey, that might work. When you're at Cheshire's, can you see if she'll lend us her crock pot?"
"I've got one," Andrew said. "Silver can pick it up."
"Great," Shadowfox said. She scratched her chin with a claw, and Silverfox could see that inspiration was coming. "If Cheshire can lend us one, we can have Sloppy Joes with three kinds of fillings..."
"Go all Tex-Mex," Technofox suggested. "Firefox can wear her Stetson."
"And the bikini," Silverfox suggested.
Firefox cocked her eyebrow. "I'm not greeting people at the door dressed like that."
"Wear it under your clothes," Silverfox suggested. "Who knows how the party will unfold?" She adopted a stilted, porn-actress voice. "Oopsie! I've spilled my Sloppy Joe all over my clitoris! Won't someone help lick it off?"
Technofox gave a slight smile as she opened up a laptop computer and stared at the screen. Silverfox paused.; she hadn't even noticed the computer was there. It was like the little fox had summoned it from hyperspace. Technofox moved her hands to the keyboard and started typing.
"We don't actually have parties like that," Firefox told Andrew.
"Let me keep my illusions," he replied.
"And on that note, I'm going to get dressed in a business suit and think very professional thoughts," Firefox said. "Be out in a few."
"Tech," Silverfox said.
Technofox looked up, and blinked as she reset her reality parameters.
"We're going out," Silverfox said, in case Technofox had forgotten. "Do you need to go anywhere or want anything?"
"No, I'm good," Technofox replied, shaking her head. She glanced at Andrew, as though wondering if she should say something. She rubbed her forehead. "Some of the lab work is coming in. That pistol you found? It's Canadian Navy issue."
"You're shitting me," Silverfox replied in disbelief. Technofox looked quizzically at her. Well, she probably deserved that, Silverfox thought. The smugglers in Seattle had a number of deserters; it wouldn't be too surprising if _Flying Saucer's_ crew was made up from the same demographic. Silverfox shook her head and went to her room.
She didn't want to carry a gun where Andrew might see it. Her fanny pack holster, under her cloak, would be innocuous. It was too small for a Glock 20 so she stepped down to a Glock 29; Silverfox liked it as a backup. She buckled the fanny pack on, moving it to the small of her back so sitting on it wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Shadowfox's "box" was a trunk, one they usually used for airline travel. Firefox was dressed in a gray business suit, white blouse and jacket, skirt below her knee, and an ascot. She was waiting by the front door by the time Silverfox was able to get the trunk out of Shadow's room. Silverfox towed it to the elevator and down into the garage.
"You look like you're about to explain something I did to a press conference," Silverfox said.
"Thank you," Firefox said. Firefox looked at their car and remotely threw the locks open.
"Andrew," Silverfox said, "can you help me lug this into the trunk? Normally I'd ask Firefox, but I'd hate to risk her breaking a fingernail." Firefox didn't have fingernails, technically.
Firefox silently gave her the finger, making Silverfox wag her tail in amusement. The big vixen hesitated at the car. Did she want to ride shotgun, or did she want to sit with Andrew?
"Sit in back," Silverfox suggested. "That way, Andrew can try to get your panties off." She opened the driver's side door.
"I'm not wearing panties," Firefox lied, deadpan. "I find that adds a level of entertainment to an otherwise tedious seminar."
"Brilliant," Silverfox said, impressed. "So you'll be riding in back? On Andrew's lap?"
"Not a chance," Firefox said, opening the front passenger door. "I have to focus on this stuff and the last thing I need is a distraction. I am in my business suit and I need to think business suit thoughts." She opened a handheld document reader and snapped it open in a way to discourage further communication.
"Slowly, I slide your zipper open," Silverfox said. "My tongue dances lightly across your engorged member." She kept her eyes on the road.
"I stroke your ears, matching the motion of your tongue on my penis," Andrew replied. "Every cell in my body aches for the warm embrace of your womanhood on my shaft." Silverfox smiled to herself. He was pretty good at this.
Firefox's hand was twitching, and the little computer was clicking as she rattled it against the dashboard.
"Can we change the subject?" Firefox asked.
"What?" Silverfox said, feigning irritation. "Can't people have an amiable conversation in your presence?" She looked at Firefox. There was something that bothered Silverfox about that suit. It suddenly clicked. "Didn't you wear something like that when Andrew took pictures of you in Blue Diamond? That first time, the spanking thing with Technofox?"
Andrew took in a little breath, although he wasn't certain how that would go over. Firefox looked down at her suit, surprised.
"Good lord, you're right," she said, a little disbelieving. "It's almost the same suit. I can't believe I bought this."
"Well anyway," Silverfox said, wishing she hadn't brought it up. "It looks great on you."
"Do I look like a slutty teacher?" Firefox asked, suddenly alarmed. "This is supposed to be a serious talk today."
"Don't ask me. You could wear a cardboard box and you'd still turn me on," Silverfox assured her.
"No," Andrew said firmly. "The cut of the suit's completely different. Apart from the color that suit doesn't look anything like the other."
"If you're sure," Firefox said, slightly mollified.
"I'm sure," Andrew said.
Silverfox sensed she was getting close to Firefox's limit, so she decided to pull back a bit. "What is this talk about?" she asked.
"Rules of engagement for next year's DragonCon," Firefox said.
Silverfox looked up. "Do you think we'll land that one?"
"We might," Firefox said.
"I thought security there was pretty light," Andrew said.
"Yes," Firefox agreed. "The people who go there are by and large pretty decent -- the word is that they co-operate with security, and there's not much trouble. From what I've heard, 99% of their security issues could be handled by a grandmother with a sash."
"I have a mental image of Shadowfox wearing a sash," Silverfox said.
"And nothing else," Andrew piped in.
"Our minds are as one," Silverfox said.
"I'm trying to sell them on the idea they need Foxforce as a heavy reserve in case something goes wrong," Firefox said. "We're good looking women, so we can use that to make people settle down."
"Do you do that?" Andrew asked.
"Shadowfox, mostly. Silverfox plays with the closest kid. But if nice doesn't work, we take off the gloves and become the mailed fist of security." Firefox adopted a stern expression and shook her fist in front of her face.
"Technofox will love it," Silverfox said.
"She'll hate it," Firefox contradicted her. "The whole idea is that we stay in a hotel room and pop out as a concentrated force, like Guderian's panzers through France. We'd be convention security's SWAT team."
"That's not a bad idea," Silverfox said. "Good luck selling it."
"Thanks. Take the next exit."
Immediately, the GPS chirped the same warning. Silverfox signaled and started to drift to the right.
"Need a ride back?" Silverfox asked.
"I don't have a time yet."
"We can play it by ear. I should be free most of the day."
"Thanks. If it goes badly I should be out by fifteen hundred. If it goes well, I'll be having dinner."
"And if it goes really badly or well, tomorrow morning?"
Firefox laughed. "No, I don't prostitute myself for jobs. Just presents."
"Best investment I ever made," Andrew said from the back seat. "Mind if I take shotgun?"
"Glad to have you," Silverfox said. "I want to see how fast we can get on the freeway while I give fellatio."
Silverfox pulled into the hotel and let Firefox out at the front door; she was able to step directly onto the concrete. Silverfox thought of whistling as Firefox walked away, but there were other people around and some of them might be potential clients. Andrew switched seats and closed the door. He looked at Silverfox expectantly.
"Buckle up, please," Silverfox said. "Traffic law is very important to me."
"Ever get a ticket?" he asked.
"No, but I've come close," she said. "I stole a car in Atlanta, but that was thrown out because I really needed a ride. Then there was the time I pushed a car out of a third story parking garage, but I didn't get a ticket because the police decided I had a good explanation."
"When was this?" Andrew asked.
"Victoria, last week."
"I see." Andrew nodded. "Would you mind if I drove?"
"But we're almost there."
Cheshire didn't have a car, but her apartment offered parking space in the garage. Shadowfox had registered their car with the building. Silverfox parked, and Andrew exited the car and took the trunk.
Silverfox looked at him, a bit surprised that he was taking the load. "I can handle that," she said. She wasn't sure Andrew could handle it alone, especially over the curb. She thought, uncomfortably, about the injury to his left arm. It seemed unlikely that his arm was working perfectly. But of course, she couldn't bring that up, because he had never mentioned it and he didn't know she knew.
"I'd rather you didn't," he said. "Where's the elevator?"
"This way," she said, and walked with him. He balked slightly at the curb but got the trunk up before Silverfox could help. "Why insist on taking the trunk?" she asked, pushing the button for the elevator. In a way, she was relieved. This wasn't a very good apartment building. She liked having her hands free.
Andrew went quiet, not answering until they were both alone in the elevator. Silverfox pushed the button for the fifteenth floor.
"Because I don't want people to see us walking together with you towing a heavy load," he said finally. He looked at her and shrugged.
"But it's my stuff," Silverfox said. She didn't mention the metal in his left arm, although she wished she could.
"Shadowfox's," he corrected her.
"My mission."
He snorted. "And she's my friend too."
Silverfox felt a twitch of resentment at that, as though Andrew were claiming his friendship with Shadow was somehow the same as her own. But of course, that was a stupid thing to get upset over.
"Would you let me haul the trunk if I were human?" she asked.
Andrew considered the matter. "A human woman?" he asked. "That's a good question. If you were a human woman ... probably not. It's a guy thing."
"But I'm stronger than you."
"Delicately put," he said dryly.
"It's part of my specification," Silverfox said. "It's not like I work at it."
"I see your point..." Andrew pursed his lips. "Tell you what -- you take us somewhere that people won't look at us and think, 'Oh, look at that poor little chimera girl and her jerk of a boss isn't even helping her,' and then you can tow the trunk."
There wasn't much she could really say to that; the problem was that so many human / chimera relationships were exploitive that some people would assume that of any human who hung out with chimerae. Human / chimerae relationships were tough on humans. About half the human population thought you were a pervert; the other half assumed the chimera was the victim of some false consciousness crap.
"It's worse in the slave states. Something like that happened to Firefox, once," Silverfox said. "She was in Florida with a boyfriend and some college kids started hassling him. I mean, what can you do about that, really? Their hearts are in the right place. When I'm in public with Jerry I try to tone it down a notch -- act like we're just friends or co-workers, no kissing, minimal eye contact, that sort of thing."
"Do you like him?" Andrew asked.
Silverfox caught her breath, and nodded. "That's a weird question."
The doors opened and Silverfox led them down the hall. She knocked at the door. There was a pause and a click as the peephole cover opened and closed; the bolt was thrown and Modesty beamed up at them.
Modesty was a cat chimera, small as Technofox, with orange and white fur that reminded Silverfox of a Creamsicle. Her tail swished once. She was wearing a t-shirt and cutoff jeans that didn't quite meet.
Modesty was a fugitive from Georgia; she and Cheshire had escaped together. "Come on in," she said. "Coffee?"
Silverfox glanced at Andrew, who nodded. "That sounds nice," he said.
"Great! I think we've got four mugs." The little orange cat turned, her tail trailing her like a speed line.
There was a sleeping nook in the wall on the opposite side of the apartment, which broke the line of sight to the front door. In the nook there was a futon on the floor; no frame, just the mattress, pillows, and covers. Cheshire sat in sight, her back to the front door, buttoning her blouse. Either Cheshire had been napping or her friendship with Modesty was closer than Silverfox had thought.
Across from the sleeping nook was a hand-me-down screen sitting on a shelf made from cinderblocks and boards. There was a camera clamped to the top of the screen, a cable running down to an entertainment console. On the screen was a minimalist and desaturated image of a woman in a leotard and leg warmers; shifting from foot to foot to avoid screen burn, and the text PAUSED.
Silverfox wondered why Cheshire was getting dressed in the semi-open. She wondered if this was Cheshire playing a role, if she was posing as one of those free-spirited chimera girls who was wholly in touch with her own sexuality, and who might come over, clean your room, and then spend the night because that's just the sort of girl she was. Silverfox felt a moment of resentment.
There was no dresser; instead, there were two stacks of milk crates, holding folded clothes and sundries. The milk crates weren't the sort you bought in an organizer store; stickers and embossed text declared them to be the property of every dairy in Massachusetts. Presumably, anything that needed to be hung up was in the closet.
There was a piece of carry-on luggage on the floor; Silverfox recognized it as one of Shadowfox's. Shadowfox used that matched set when she trying to look well-off. The carry-on piece was sound enough but badly stained, making it useless as part of a disguise. So Shadowfox had expensed a new piece and given Modesty the old one.
"Who's your friend?" Modesty asked.
"Modesty, this is Andrew. He's a photographer. I don't know if you met him, but he took some pictures in Best Condo."
"Oh, right," Modesty agreed. "I remember."
"Andrew, this is Modesty, she's a friend from Atlanta."
"Hello," Andrew said.
Cheshire was fiddling with her cane; she was having a little trouble getting up. Her ears flicked towards them, and then she turned her head. She stood.
Had Cheshire met Andrew? Now that Silverfox thought of it, she couldn't remember them being in the same room together.
"Andrew," Silverfox said, "this is Cheshire. She came north with Modesty."
"Cheshire," Andrew said politely putting out his hand.
Cheshire didn't take it.
"We've met before," Cheshire said. "You were using the name Milton then. Don't you remember?"
"Of course I do," Andrew said. "I'm glad you got out of there and to a free state."
"Then why pretend you didn't meet me in Blue Diamond?" she asked.
"Because I don't know Modesty and you might want to put Blue Diamond behind you," Andrew replied, dropping his hand to his side.
"I suppose you think I'm the one who has something to hide," Cheshire said. "What's worse -- working for Blue Diamond or being a slave whore owned by Blue Diamond?"
Andrew stiffened. "I didn't work for --" he started, and cut himself off. Well... he had, after all.
"I could swear I saw your photos on --" Cheshire started.
"He got us out," Silverfox interrupted. "He carried messages out and gear back."
Cheshire twitched as though poked with a stick. Her tail fell to the ground with a thump. "I'm sorry," she said immediately, and reached out to take his hand. Silverfox thought she was going to grab it, but Andrew lifted it to meet her halfway.
"No problem," Andrew replied.
"What did he do to you?" Modesty asked, looking over from her coffee, an uncomfortable expression on her face.
"He only took pictures," Cheshire replied immediately. "With me and some other girls."
"Of chimera girls getting raped and loving it?" Modesty asked.
Well, that's not too far from the truth, Silverfox thought. But it probably wouldn't be a good thing to bring up.
"It was posed," Cheshire said. "It wasn't real."
"And he got us out," Silverfox repeated.
Modesty forced a grin. "Yes, of course," she said. "So, do you work with Silverfox, or...?"
"No, I was just a civilian passing through," Andrew said.
"What brought you there in the first place?" Modesty asked.
A silly question, Silverfox thought. Why did anyone go a brothel? Well, no, maybe Andrew was hoping to become a staff photographer. Personally, she didn't care. Andrew shook his head and looked away. Modesty waited for him to reply, and set her jaw when she saw he wasn't going to. Silverfox guessed he was embarrassed to talk about it. You couldn't expect a guy to say "whores are fun" in front of three women.
Modesty arranged four mugs on a plate and took them out into the main room of the studio apartment. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the trunk.
"Shadowfox is moving in here once you're gone," Cheshire said.
"Well, sort of," Silverfox said. "Actually, it's Ebony. That's Shadowfox's stage name."
"Oh, I see," Modesty said, nodding. "That's good. I'm really glad you're able to find another roommate." She looked at Andrew. "I'm moving up to Canada. There's a resort hotel that --"
There was someone walking up to the door. The three chimerae turned to face it quizzically. Andrew frowned, wondering what was going on.
Silverfox saw the door bulge in slightly before she heard it crack. She took a step backwards to get out of the way. Cheshire wasn't as fast on her feet, or a bit taken by surprise; the door hit her hard and sent her backwards, her cane flying out of her hand and into the room.
Silverfox's gun was in a holster on her back and under her coat.
He was a canid model, a big Doberman. He was wearing sunglasses. Eye protection, or because it looked cool? His gun was pointed at her face, and she saw a flash of laser light. Silverfox hoped Modesty or Andrew would scream or something, just to distract him. Crap. They didn't. He was holding a 9mm Browning, laser pointer under the barrel. His finger was on the trigger, half squeezing it.
She felt herself boost. Humans had adrenaline; chimerae produced that chemical and others. She felt the rush lifting her, as though on a wave.
"Where's Ebony?" the Doberman asked.
Silverfox pointed into the room. "Over there with the twelve-gauge," she said.
He twitched the gun towards the room, following his eyes, and that was all Silverfox needed.
She threw herself towards the door, left hand going for his wrist, right hand for his elbow. If she did this right, her weight would sprain or dislocate his arm while she moved out of his line of fire. She missed. Just slightly, but it was still a miss. Instead of clamping onto his wrist and forcing it one way while his elbow locked, she slapped against his gun, forced it out of his hand. It fired -- away from her but into the room, towards ... the smell of burnt gunpowder was strong; the report hit her ears like a hammer.
He groped for the gun. Her coffee hit the ground.
She locked her fingers and thrust for his eyes. His fist came up under her rib cage. Her fingers caught his sunglasses right at where the frames connected to the ear piece. She felt it crack and give.
He flinched away, so he didn't drive his fist home. If he had, she would have been floored. As it was, she was lifted up and thrown back; she knew this was going to hurt and hoped she could ride it. She hit the wall, felt the air leave her lungs, and before she hit the floor she went for her gun. He was going for his. He was going to get his gun first, and Silverfox knew she was dead.
There was a sharp crack as Cheshire's cane struck the back of his head. She kept it moving in an arc, twisting in mid air. He moved his head a quarter-turn towards the jaguar, and her second blow caught him in his face.
Silverfox's whole abdomen ached, like when Tigre was shoving it into her, and she wouldn't stop, but her hands were free and she could feel the pain later. She wasn't helpless this time. Silverfox's gun was clear of the holster. She was supposed to give him a chance to freeze, but she wasn't in the mood.
The fear drained out of her as she aimed the weapon, slipping off the safety. She was doing what she was trained to do and what she did left no room for that. Her backdrop was good, she had a target. She moved her hand just so, squeezed gently, and sent the bullet on its way. She was braced for the report, so it didn't seem loud to her. She was back in control.
Her first shot hit him in the meaty part of his thigh; she corrected and the second went closer to the bone. His leg failed him; he dropped so fast Silverfox wasn't sure of her shot, and since Cheshire was right behind him, Silverfox didn't want to risk it. He hit the ground, in a semi-seating position, one leg splayed out, one hand supporting him, one hand up, pleading, because it was okay for him to wave a gun at a room filled with civilians, because that was what chimera girls were for, but it would be really unfair for them to shoot back once he gave up.
Screw it, Silverfox thought. This piece of shit goes down. She shifted her aim to his head.
He didn't move. She hesitated.
He wasn't Tigre. He wasn't a client at Blue Diamond.
Silverfox took a breath of air. It hurt her lungs. She had a rare moment of introspection, and she didn't like what she was thinking.
Would she have killed him if he were a human male, or a female tiger?
"Tell your buddies to stay the fuck out of my pad," Cheshire hissed.
He looked over at her, right before the cane crashed down on his head again. It seemed that third time was the charm, because his eyes bugged out and he hit the ground without trying to cushion the impact.
Cheshire held the cane, ready to swing it down again. Silverfox figured Cheshire would hit him a few more times to burn off some stress. She decided Cheshire had earned a couple of soul-satisfying bone breakers. Instead, Cheshire looked over at her. "You okay?" she asked Silverfox.
"Fine," Silverfox croaked out. Damn, but her abs hurt. Since the Doberman was down and Cheshire looked ready to brain him if he moved, Silverfox spared a moment to glance at the others.
Modesty had her hands pressed to her mouth. Then she stepped forward and took his gun off the floor, holding it like someone who didn't know a safety from a magazine catch and she was afraid the thing would start blazing away in her hand.
"Should we get him a bandage?" Modesty asked.
"You can if you want to," Silverfox said. She wanted to stand up, to reassure them and to get a better position on him, but she couldn't. Modesty zipped into the bathroom.
Andrew was on the floor, curled up in a ball. And Silverfox felt a chill run through her. Doberman's shot had gone wild, and --
No, the only blood she could smell was Doberman's.
Andrew had his hands over his ears and he was crying softly.
Cheshire noticed this and frowned. "What the --" she started, before Silverfox caught her glance and frowned; something in Silverfox's face made her point.
Modesty came out of the bathroom with a box of band-aids.
Andrew shook his head; his nose was running and he was still crying, but he was breathing more regularly.
"It's okay, Andrew," Silverfox said. "It's over."
Andrew forced a grin and nodded. Cheshire glanced at Silverfox and shrugged helplessly, as though apologizing. Cheshire probably figured that if Andrew's reasons were sufficient for Silverfox, they were sufficient for her.
"Good," he said. "I --" he covered his mouth. "Excuse me," he said, and ducked into the bathroom. He threw up, violently.
"Well," Cheshire said with a shrug, "at least he didn't do that out here."
"Modesty," Silverfox said, "can you make sure Andrew's okay?"
"But --" Modesty started. She looked at the Doberman, and then back at the band-aids as though realizing for the first time they weren't going to help much.
"We don't care if this guy," Cheshire said, swinging her cane at the Doberman, "lives or dies."
"Oh, right," Modesty said. She ducked into the bathroom.
Silverfox took a deep breath and got ready to send off her canned "weapons fired" email when her phone rang.
"Silverfox?" said Technofox. "It looks like Shadow's boyfriend has gone on the run. There's a small chance they might send someone to Cheshire's."
"You don't say," Silverfox said.
"Oh, and Shadowfox wanted to remind you to borrow Cheshire's crock pot."
"Thanks, I would have forgotten." Silverfox looked up. "Cheshire, is it okay if I borrow your crock pot for tomorrow's dinner?"
Cheshire looked back at her, as though Silverfox had suddenly grown an extra head. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"You might want to hang out there until we're sure the Connors aren't sending anyone," Technofox said.
"Oh yeah," Silverfox said. "About that ... would you mind sending the police and an ambulance?"
"Who is hurt?" Technofox asked.
"Some Doberman who works for the Connors, I think," Silverfox said. She hesitated. "Andrew might need someone today."
Technofox hesitated. "I called too late?"
"Not by much," Silverfox assured her so she'd feel better.
Technofox went silent. Silverfox guessed that she was accessing police channels. "There's already an alert and officers dispatched to your location," Technofox said. "I'll drop them a line so they're expecting you." She paused. "And I can take my work to Andrew's apartment."
"Okay, good. See if you can borrow his crock pot for Shadowfox. I think I'll be busy for the rest of the day here. And we should probably let Cheshire and Modesty crash at our apartment for a little while. At least until the door's fixed."
"Thanks," Cheshire said.
"Uhm, yeah," Modesty said, her voice suddenly shaky.
"Right," Technofox said. "Think I should tell Firefox?"
"Nah, I know the drill. Don't interrupt her. I should be fine."
"I won't be able to make our lunch date," Silverfox said into her phone. "I got into a gunfight in Cheshire's apartment."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Oh, sure," Silverfox said.
"So what did she do?" he asked.
"Sorry," Silverfox said. "I got into a gunfight at Cheshire's. Not with Cheshire."
"Well, good. I was worried there for a bit. So what happened?"
Silverfox looked up at the policeman, who looked back at her solemnly. "This isn't a good time to talk," she said.
"Okay," Jerry said. "We can reschedule. Anything else I can do?"
"Nah. Thanks, honey," Silverfox said with relief. "Look, can I call you back?"
"Sure, no problem. If you need a lawyer let me know."
"That's sweet of you. I will," she said, although she knew she wouldn't need a lawyer. "Bye."
"Bye."
Silverfox put her phone away.
"So you're private security?" asked the cop.
"Yes, officer," Silverfox replied. "Do you need to scan my identity chip?"
"No, your record's coming up." He hesitated. "You came here with Andy?"
Andy. He knew Andrew from when he was a cop. "Yes, officer," she said. "He's a friend."
He looked up. "You sure about that?"
She frowned. "Yes. Is it okay if I drive him back to his apartment?"
The cop glanced at her and back at his handheld. "We'll see. Now, you said you were here to borrow your friend's crock pot?"
"Right. Then the gunman came in asking for Ebony, who's Cheshire's new roommate. He had a weapon drawn so I didn't make inquiries."
"And you didn't expect him?"
That was it. "There is no fucking way I would be here with Andrew if I expected a gunfight," she said flatly. "I don't do that to my friends."
He looked at her sharply and then looked away, and chuckled. "Okay. I believe you. No offense."
"None taken."
"We'll have to take your pistol in for ballistics tests. If you give it to me you can take him home."
"Thanks," Silverfox said.
"You're going to have to testify, of course."
Of course, Silverfox thought. She hoped the schedule would work out. Well, Foxforce had a good reputation, locally.
Silverfox backed the car out of the parking spot.
"You must not think much of me," Andrew said.
Silverfox frowned. "Don't be silly."
"I used to be a good cop," he said. "I mean, I used to be able to handle this sort of thing."
"I know that," she said. "Look, you don't have to prove yourself to me. You got us out of Blue Diamond."
"It's like I'm a different person now," he said. "It's like, I saw the gun, and bam! There was nothing else in the universe."
"I've gotten close to that," Silverfox admitted.
"I just wish my head were back together again," he said, sounding a little peevish, as though he was talking about how his favorite flavor of corn chip was discontinued.
Andrew had been a cop, until his brain hit some threshold and something snapped in the neural network, inserting a line IF GUN GOTO PANIC. He could no more control it than an armless man could use his hands.
Silverfox didn't like to think about that.
She looked over at him and grinned. "I think you could use a cuddle."
"That won't help," he said.
"Can it hurt?" she asked, and grinned.
"Why are you trying to change the subject?" he asked.
Silverfox looked out at the road, and gritted her teeth.
"I'm sorry, I really am," she said. "I know how frustrating it must be for you. But you're not a coward, you're a casualty. Shit, you're the guy who got us out of Blue Diamond, and I could save your life and I'd still owe you. You've got this problem and you still got us out of Blue Diamond. Really, just the fact you can talk to me now shows you've got more balls than anyone else I know."
"You know," he said, "Something Modesty said really hit me."
"What?"
"About taking pictures in Blue Diamond," he said. "I took pictures of Firefox in a business suit, with Technofox."
"I know. So?" It was about the most harmless thing that had happened in Blue Diamond.
"So someone paid Blue Diamond to dress her in that suit, and raped her." He said it quietly. "Like in the pictures I took."
"I didn't know that," Silverfox said, taken aback.
"They told me," he said. "They thought it was a neat anecdote. They mentioned she was tied up, but they didn't think what that meant."
"Firefox doesn't hold it against you," Silverfox said. "She hasn't even mentioned it. If it had been me, I'd think it was worth it."
"Really?" he asked.
"Sure. If it hadn't been a guy who saw your pictures, it would be a guy who saw someone else's pictures." She shrugged. "Omelets and eggs and all that. And at least we got to eat the omelet."
"Do you sleep with me because you're grateful?" he asked.
"I sleep with you because I like sleeping with you," Silverfox said. She looked at him, and then back at the road. "I mean, we're not pressuring one another into it or anything like that."
"I know you've got other lovers," he said. "Do you four share them?"
"We joke about it a lot, but no," Silverfox said. "You're the only outsider we've all slept with."
"Why do you think that is?" he asked.
Silverfox considered. "You know how Blue Diamond Girls do it because they really love it? How they think with their little heads?"
"I didn't know Blue Diamond Girls had little heads," Andrew replied.
"Much littler. My clitoris can be as stupid as any penis," Silverfox said smugly.
He laughed, and Silverfox smiled. Good. "Yes, I know what you mean," he said. "All those advertisements."
"But anyway," Silverfox said, "I like being that girl sometimes. And it's nice to have a guy who won't think less of me for it." She paused and licked her lips. "I'm going to hang out with you until Tech shows up."
"That's not necessary. I'm fine," he said.
"So am I," Silverfox said.