Technofox

Chapter Eight

Written by Nathan Cowen

Copyright © 2008 by Nathan Cowen, all rights reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this work by any means without the expressed written permission of the author, or hotlinking from another website without the expressed written permission of the author and BondoFox, is expressly forbidden. Similarity to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

Even a human knows that scents bring back memories.

Technofox's sinus was larger and more sensitive than a human's, and more of her brain was devoted to analyzing the flood of data from those chemical receptors. For a human, an unexpected fragrance can bring back memories lost for decades. Technofox's sense of smell, her experience of smell, was literally superhuman.

Technofox did not remember so much as she relived.

Lilith didn't bother to take off her shoes; she slipped her panties down to her knees, stepped one leg out of them, and dropped them, twitching her foot to get the garment off her. She let them lay there on the floor. Without speaking, she moved up onto the bed, placing one knee under Technofox's armpit, then straddled her, placing her weight on Technofox's breasts. Lilith lifted her skirt with one hand, grabbed the back of Technofox's head and pushed the fox's muzzle between her legs, pressing the vixen's mouth against her pubes as casually as she might wave. Technofox saw Lilith then close her eyes and play with her own breasts, pushing them up in their leather vest, running a nail down the side. She licked her lips, probably thinking of someone else.

Technofox froze for a moment.

When Technofox went down on Tigre, she always had the impression she was denying the tiger -- that Tigre would rather use the whip than have Technofox lick her. That the destination was less than the voyage. In an odd way, that made it easier for Technofox to bring the tiger to a climax -- sex wasn't what the tiger really wanted. Tigre was there to make Technofox submit, to batter her down to a point where Technofox would rather take a client. But Tigre delighted in hurting her. To Tigre, Technofox was a woman who was there to suffer.

Lilith kicked her, the heel of her shoe thumping below Technofox's ribcage. "Come on," she said, annoyed. "You know what to do."

Technofox had made love to Firefox through the bars of their cell. It was so they could talk, but sometimes that was a pretense. They would do it even if they didn't have anything to say. No, not true. Every touch, every kiss from Firefox had meaning; the feel of tongue against fur, her eyes half closed with pleasure. It meant that to a woman as wonderful and beautiful and strong as Firefox, Technofox was loved, and perhaps even more importantly, valued. For Firefox, Technofox was a woman to bring to pleasure.

With Lilith, it was different from either. This was Lilith unwinding after a long day. There wasn't love in it, nor was there sadism; it was physical enjoyment of an act that in Lilith's mind was divorced from love and hate. If indifference was the opposite of love, than Tigre loved Technofox more than Lilith did. Technofox was under Lilith, but Technofox didn't matter. Technofox could have been anyone. To Lilith, Technofox was a tongue.

Technofox inhaled through her nose. Lilith's white pubic hair was slightly moist, and while she was clean, she was fragrant. Technofox put out her tongue and ran the lip lightly over Lilith's clitoris. Lilith breathed in sharply and nodded. Her body was appealing.

"Good girl," she said.

Lilith was beautiful, even more beautiful as her body moved in pleasure. Technofox looked at her, and realized with a strange twinge: I could make love to her. Part of Technofox wanted that beautiful creature, wanted to nurse at her ample breasts and make her cry out and enjoy her touch in return. But Lilith wouldn't give that to her. She'd be puzzled if Technofox asked. Lilith wasn't violating her. Not making love. Just using her. Lilith was like a man.

A man. There was a man in the room. Technofox sensed his presence, she wasn't sure how. She could smell the used condoms in the basket. She was sore in both places a man could force without worrying about teeth. Lilith's weight was on her, and she worked diligently, just to make Lilith finish and make this day over. She wanted it to be over. She wanted to finish up Lilith, and go back to her cell. She wanted water, and she wanted to be left alone, but there was another man, and Lilith would tell him he could use Technofox, and if he hesitated Lilith would explain it was good for Technofox, because she had to learn what she was for, and there was nothing in her future but being used, and --

"Tech," David said breezily, "I forgot --"

He had to understand she didn't want him inside her, and he had to respect that. "What?!" Technofox snapped, literally jumping out of her chair and glaring at him.

He looked at her, bewildered. He was holding Bishop's memory card between two fingers.

"I forgot to give you Bishop's data," he said slowly, brows starting to knit in a frown.

Technofox swallowed, hard. Lilith wasn't here. She wasn't in Blue Diamond. She felt her tail droop, slowly. She liked David. David wasn't going to put it into her after she said no.

It came to her in a slow realization, like remembering the day of the week while waking, wondering if it was a work day or not.

He wasn't a rapist. Shouldn't she have given him the benefit of a doubt? Was the other her default setting now?

She swallowed again. She was in the wrong, she knew. She should apologize. She tried to talk. Words didn't come. She had to talk, because he was looking at her, and he was puzzled, and she was acting weird, she knew.

Carefully, Technofox put the panties down on the table, where she would not contaminate them. And then the tears came. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing into them. And with them came uncontrollable spasms, that shook her shoulders and made her lungs work in ways that had nothing to do with breathing. The sobs wracked her body, and he stood, staring at her, afraid to touch her, as though she was having a seizure and he didn't know what to do.

This didn't look good, she realized. He was looking at her oddly, not without sympathy, but oddly. And why shouldn't he? He barely knew her. As far as he knew, she had broken down because he had a data card. She knew he'd understand if she explained. He wasn't a monster. But she didn't want to explain because she didn't want him to think about what he knew already. She didn't want him to wonder what she had done in Blue Diamond.

She didn't want him to know what had happened and that ... that she was able to throw herself into it.

She had to say something, if only to prove she could still think and talk.

"I'm not crazy," she choked out.

"Of course not," David said, in the soothing tones one used to reassure a crazy woman.

The door banged open. Firefox and Silverfox stepped in, each holding a bag of groceries; Firefox plastic, Silverfox paper. They cut themselves off in mid laugh. There was an instant of stillness; Technofox was aware they were staring in shock. Silverfox's bag fell sideways, slowly, and crashed to the carpet. Firefox dropped hers; closer to the ground, it landed with a thump.

Firefox spoke first, her face transforming as she spoke, her voice low and slow and turning to a growl.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!"

At the end, her ears were flat, her eyes narrow, teeth bared, less woman than animal. Silverfox put her hand in her coat, turned sideways, bent her knees, hard eyes on David.

Stunned, David looked over his shoulder to see who Firefox was talking to. He couldn't imagine that feral rage directed at him. He had no idea he was in danger.

That shocked the tears out of Technofox. She stared at her friends, horrified, hands out, and she found words -- she heard herself saying, "Stop! Stop! Stop!" It was a trained response, ultimately military in origin, the command from the ground to abort an airstrike.

And it hit them below reason and language; they froze, startled. Silverfox came back to her full height. Her hand stayed in her coat. There was a pause, and Firefox's ears slowly came up, rotated towards them.

"It. Wasn't. His. Fault." Technofox said slowly, carefully enunciating each word. Her nose was running, and dripping, she could barely see, her ribs ached, but she was coherent. "He didn't do anything."

"My fault --?" David asked, startled, then paled when he understood what they had thought.

Technofox pointed at the panties on the table. Her hand shook.

"Lilith," she said, to explain. "It's Lilith." Firefox blinked, confused.

"That's ... from the apartment?" Silverfox asked.

Technofox nodded. Firefox realized what she had just done to David, looked horrified.

Silverfox closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and sighed. "Thank God," she said, sincerely.

David stumbled, leaned against the table. He breathed deep. Firefox was almost as shaken.

"David," Firefox said, not able to meet his eyes. "I'm -- sorry." She met his eyes briefly, looked away guiltily. "I get scared. When she's alone with --"

"You thought I hurt her?" David asked, his voice somehow level. Still, there was anger there, the knowledge that he had been wronged.

Firefox trembled, just slightly. Even she was too ashamed to answer truthfully. "I'm sorry," Firefox said again, a little helplessly.

"You're sorry," David repeated, incredulously. "You think I'm a rapist, and you say you're sorry?"

Firefox dropped her eyes and tail. "I know it's not enough," she admitted. "It's all I can do."

There was a moment of awkward silence. David was furious, but Firefox wasn't giving him anything to be angry at. She stood, miserable and ashamed.

"I'll go to a hotel," David said. "Call if you need me." Firefox nodded, and was about to say something.

"No," Technofox interjected. Firefox and Silverfox looked at her, surprised. "No," Technofox repeated. "It's not his fault. It's us." Technofox pointed at him. "He doesn't have to pay for Blue Diamond. That's wrong."

"I'm not angry," he snapped. He tried to control his voice. "I just think it might be better."

"Tech..." Firefox said softly. "Are you all right alone with him?" She moved closer to them.

"I'm some way from being all right," Technofox replied, and she said it with a bit of relief, as though she was being honest for the first time. "I'm sick of being afraid of every man but Andrew." David flinched and took a step away from her.

"I think I've slipped into some bad habits since Blue Diamond. I'm just running from things." She looked at David, and didn't let her gaze turn. "David, I want you to stay here. They reacted that way because they love me, and because they're afraid for me. It's not you. It could be any ... stranger," she said, instead of "man."

David looked at her.

"Please," she said.

David softened. "Are you two okay with that?" he asked.

Firefox nodded, and Silverfox followed her lead.

"Firefox," he said. "It's my fault. She was distracted, and I startled her. I didn't think it through."

"Besides, we're chimerae," Silverfox said.

"That's out of line," Firefox said.

He winced. "No, she's right. I'd've been more careful if you were humans who went through the same thing." He considered. "It's funny. You're all so ... I don't know, you seemed unaffected. I didn't think."

"You're saying that so I can save face," Firefox said.

"Possibly," David said.

Silverfox looked at him for a moment. "You're a gentleman," she said, reluctantly, ashamed of herself.

"Thank you for understanding," Firefox said. "I'm grateful for another chance." She put out her hand, and David grasped it firmly, and Firefox grinned in relief.

Silverfox rubbed her nose. "I just realized I'm standing in broken eggs here," she said.

"Me too," David muttered.

"What?"

"Towels," David replied, and went to the counter for a roll.

"Lilith was a Tamer at Blue Diamond," Firefox said.

"I'm sorry -- Tamer?" David asked. The foxes hesitated. Technofox saw Silverfox's hackles rise and settle, as though she thought he was trying to be funny. It was hard to believe there were people who didn't know what a Blue Diamond Tamer was. There was a gulf between normal people and Blue Diamond girls. "I can guess, but I'd rather not make assumptions," he said, embarrassed.

"An overseer," Technofox explained. She felt, somehow, it was her responsibility to bridge that gap. "They were slave women too, and they were instructors and helped maintain ... discipline." She swallowed. "They carried whips."

David nodded. It seemed to bother him as much to hear about it as to talk about it. "Is she a chimera?"

"Yes. What was her model? Let me look it--"

"Dryad-9," Firefox said, remembering.

"D-Variant," Silverfox said. "Dark Elf. There were three Tamers at Blue Diamond, and they were training a fourth."

"I think the idea was... to make the slaves think they could be a Tamer too," Firefox said, without passion, as though she was describing different autoloader actions. "It gave the women a goal, besides getting a regular to buy them. Tamers had their own rooms. And they had more freedom." She hesitated. "I think Tigre was grooming me for that."

"Tigre was one of the Tamers," Silverfox said. "The Queen Bitch herself. We killed her."

Firefox looked away, troubled. Technofox swallowed. There was no reason to tell him -- it had nothing to do with Lilith or 7.62. It was a confession, an intimacy she regretted offering but that couldn't be unsaid.

"Bastards," David said.

"Yeah," Firefox agreed.

The desire of a man was like an aroma, and Technofox could smell it on David. And she knew Firefox and Silverfox scented it as well. Those two were used to men reacting that way to them; Technofox was used to men wanting them. He wasn't misbehaving and she doubted he would, but that didn't change the fact it was happening. He was a professional agent, but he was also a heterosexual male talking with two beautiful women and Technofox about a vice case.

Silverfox basked in it, warmed and flattered by his interest. She smiled at him when he talked. Firefox was anxious about their professional relationship, but she didn't want to seem too unfriendly. Technofox ...

...Liked it. She wished it was directed at her.

"Dryad-9. That's an interesting coincidence," David mused. "I was on a case about a year ago -- no connection, can't talk details -- and Dryad-9s came up."

"How so?" Firefox asked.

"Well... you know that there's laws against growing chimerae that look too close to human," he said. "At least in some jurisdictions."

"There's a few models that can pass," Silverfox said. "Mas --" Silverfox caught herself. "The AI running Blue Diamond was one. And those triplets..."

"Right," Firefox agreed, nodding. "Andrew told me that the triplets wouldn't pass as human to another human. It's sort of a strange area for us," she said. "Can you, for example, say that Victoria doesn't look human?" She pointed at the cover of the book.

He glanced over. "Yes. I know she's really human, but the surgery made her look ... sort of like a doll, or a girl in a video game."

Silverfox opened the book and turned to page 26. "Like this?" she asked. Firefox shot her an irritated glance. Silverfox looked back with a frown. "Firefox, you didn't see my boy David this morning with the cop. He's an investigator with experience in vice cases, and this case involves a slave brothel."

Firefox nodded reluctantly.

David hesitated. "Right, exactly. There's almost no red in her skin, you can't see any veins."

"What do you mean?" Technofox asked curiously.

He held out his hand, and showed her the back. "If you look closely at the back of my hand you can see some dark lines." He ran a finger from his knuckle to the top of his wrist. "See?"

Technofox took his hand and studied it intently. "Can you show me again?" she asked.

"Right there," he said. "It's easier to see if I make a fist."

Technofox thought she saw it. "Oh," she said, surprised. "And there's another one there, and one that's kind of slanting. Those are veins?"

"That's right."

She liked the way his hand felt in hers. Maybe she took advantage of his good nature by holding his hand a few moments too long.

"I've never noticed that before," she said. "At least, not in the hands." Most of the human men she had been physically close to were paying for it, and she didn't really examine them closely. Both the men she slept with voluntarily were dark skinned.

"That's not surprising," he said. "Seeing things isn't just a matter of vision. There's also the image processing that goes on inside your head. Humans are extremely visual, and it's very hard to fool a human into thinking someone else is a human." He touched the book. "It's like she's heavily made up, or the picture was altered, or she's a chimera."

"I've heard humans are uncanny at picking out artificial faces," Technofox said.

"Uncanny's the word," David agreed. "I mean, Victoria's a very pretty woman, but there's something just a little bit odd about her looks. Not ugly or anything, and it might not even register, but you'd remember her if you saw her." He looked up. "The Dryad line looks a lot like Victoria. They're not really supposed to look like humans, they're supposed to look like elves. And the primary line follows through on that. Even if you ignore the ears, they look more like an idealized representation of an elf than like a woman. I mean a human woman, sorry."

"No offense taken," Technofox assured him.

"But with the Dryad-9, they darkened the skin. They look a lot closer to human, because it obscures the details you'd normally see in a human with fair skin." He touched the tip of his ear. "So with a Dryad-9 and just a bit of plastic surgery, you'd have a chimera who could pass as human pretty easily. She'd be noticed the way you'd notice a fashion model, but she wouldn't click as a chimera."

"So it's your opinion, as a human, that Lilith might be posing as human?" Firefox asked.

"It's possible," David said. "If I were a chimera I'd try to pass as human, if only to avoid the bullshit you have to deal with."

A grin flickered over Firefox's face. "And maybe she's 7.62 now," Firefox said.

"I don't see it," David said. "Not if she's killing activists. Why would a chimera kill Travis Walton?"

"...I don't know," Firefox said. "It's just a theory. Do you think Lilith might try to contact Cheshire?" Firefox asked Silverfox.

Silverfox was taken aback. "Well... maybe. They weren't friends. Cheshire didn't mention her, and neither did I."

"She didn't mention Walton being here either," Firefox said.

"No, she didn't," Silverfox agreed. She ran her hand through her hair, speculating. "If she had a reason to cover for Lilith, she'd cover for Lilith." She hesitated, just a moment. "I can dig a bit, if you want."

"...No," Firefox said. She considered a moment. "Tech, I'd like you to talk to Cheshire about it."

"Thanks," Silver said. Technofox nodded. Silver was close enough to Cheshire to feel uncomfortable interrogating her.

"Isn't Cheshire the slave overseer in this building?" David asked. "Or is it another Cheshire?"

"It's her. She was the third Tamer at Blue Diamond," Firefox said. David blinked.

"But Cheshire's okay," Silverfox said. She said it reluctantly, as though she didn't want to defend Cheshire, or at least didn't want to get into an argument about it.

Firefox was silent for a moment. "Cheshire's okay," she agreed. Without meeting David's eye, she explained. "Cheshire did her job in Blue Diamond. But she didn't get off on it."

Technofox looked at Firefox, considering the dinner they had had with the jaguar. She had thought Firefox had leaned on Cheshire a little hard, maybe for revenge, or maybe to scare Cheshire -- but now she wondered if there was more to it. Cheshire had taken the offer Firefox had refused. And how would Firefox feel about a woman like that?

"That's a heck of a coincidence," David said. "Both surviving Blue Diamond trainers in the same building? Do you think there's a connection?"

"If there is, my guess is that it's probably a casual one," Silverfox said. "After all, we're talking about two women who know one another. It would be natural for Cheshire and Lilith to stay in touch."

"How did Cheshire end up here?" Firefox asked Silverfox.

Silverfox looked up. "That was through Walton. He owns a chunk of the building."

"Even if Lilith and Cheshire are in touch," Technofox said, "I wouldn't read too much into it. They knew one another. They shared experiences. They have something to offer one another. If I were Lilith, Cheshire would be a big help in Atlanta, and 7.62 has a bolthole here."

"And if you were Cheshire?" David asked.

"And if I were Cheshire, I'd want Lilith to help set up my escape." Technofox nodded to herself slowly. "If Lilith wanted to kill Walton, Cheshire would be a terrific accomplice."

Silverfox snorted. "Cheshire's not looking to run away. What would she escape to? How many job opportunities are there for a gimpy chimera? The only things she's been trained as is movie stunt fighter and slave overseer."

"And dominatrix," Firefox said.

"You've offered to help her run?" David asked Silverfox.

Silverfox looked away. "Cheshire is an expensive piece of property. That would be a serious crime," she said.

"Gotcha," David nodded. "None of my business anyway." But something else was obviously bothering him. Looking confused, he said "Walton had Cheshire brought here as a slave overseer? I don't get it. Why not train her to do telemarketing or something?"

"Cheshire's got standards," Silverfox said with a grin. Technofox chuckled.

"She didn't work you over with a cane," Firefox snapped.

"No, she didn't," Silverfox agreed. She patted Firefox's hand and Firefox smiled reluctantly.

"I don't understand why Walton would have her bought to watch over house slaves," David said. "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"I could see it," Silverfox said. "You see, Walton was one of Cheshire's regulars at Blue Diamond --"

"A repeat customer," Technofox explained unnecessarily.

"Wait, please." He held up a hand. "You're telling me that Travis Walton patronized Blue Diamond?"

"...Yes," Firefox said, slowly.

"What the hell?" David asked, baffled. "Was he investigating or something?"

Firefox hesitated. It was obvious that David needed to know -- none of this would make sense to him if he didn't. She met his eyes and spoke in level tones. "David, Walton was not one of the good guys. He was ... abusive." Silverfox put her hand on Firefox's arm and squeezed lightly.

David noticed. Technofox could see it in his face: it was that gesture that brought it home.

"...Oh," David said, weakly. "I can't believe it." He glanced away, uncomfortably. Technofox sympathized with him -- it had to be hard to know what to say. She felt an urge to hug him reassuringly but didn't. But at the same moment, she wondered what mental image he conjured up -- maybe Firefox bound, struggling and helpless, and she hated to admit that even she found something compelling in that. And he probably loathed himself for that thought.

Technofox glanced at Silverfox. Firefox would not have told this to Silverfox's date in Boston. It was strange that a co-worker knew more about them than a man Silverfox took to bed. Need to Know was a bitch, sometimes.

"Did he think it was faked for him?" David asked. Silverfox rolled her eyes and Firefox pursed her lips. He was trying to come up with alternate explanations. Travis Walton's media image was solid, compelling, believable and utterly falsified. David was obviously having trouble registering this.

"No," Firefox said, a little too sharply. And then, to soften it, "I think some of the clients at Blue Diamond thought it was faked, but he wasn't one of them."

"One of the women here said they pulled a job on him recently," Technofox said. "Faked a flogging for him. So it's not like he had some sort of moral awakening after Blue Diamond fell."

"Then ... why be an activist?" David asked, bewildered. "I could see his retiring or ... was it something he was trying to make up for? He liked hurting women but at the same time he believes in chimera rights? There's something here I don't get."

"I don't imagine he talked to Firefox about political philosophy," Silverfox said, voice tight.

"Crap," David said. "I'm sorry."

"It's a good question," Firefox said. "It's a case. Like you said earlier."

"I think David's got a really good point," Technofox said. "There is something here that needs to be explained. We've got someone posing as a chimera rights activist. Why would anyone do that?"

"Money?" Silverfox suggested.

"As far as I can tell, Walton doesn't -- didn't -- take speaker fees and he doesn't have an expense account," Technofox said. "My sources say he spent over a hundred thousand of his own money for the cause, and made nothing from it."

"He had that much to blow?" Silverfox asked, interested.

"Yes." Technofox looked at David. "Travis Walton was a chimera designer. Basically, at the time he started, most chimera design work focused on reproducing human behavior to make chimerae fit more easily into social situations. He pioneered the modification of chimera behavior with the intent of filling specific roles."

"So he's responsible for ..." David trailed off.

"For making chimerae product, yes," Silverfox said. "If you're selling chimerae, it's not enough to create an artificial human -- there are plenty of humans. Before Walton, chimerae were basically a curiosity. He made us consumer goods."

"You're not product," David said.

"I was being sarcastic, but it's sweet of you to say." Silverfox smiled and David smiled back. Technofox shifted uncomfortably.

"I've looked at Walton's IRS filings and his bank records." Technofox pointed upwards. "He was a rich man. Walton's patents and investments brought him around two hundred thousand a month. Walton owns about ten percent of this building, including half of the top floor. He usually leases the that suite, but it's between occupants right now."

"How much did he spend at Blue Diamond?" Firefox asked. "He was known to Tigre and Cheshire. I had the impression he was a valued customer."

Technofox rubbed her muzzle, embarrassed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I can't find any evidence he paid money to Blue Diamond."

"Then that means --" Silverfox started.

"Yes," Technofox said bitterly. "It means that there's a hole. I can't figure out his finances."

"No," Silverfox said, shaking her head. "It means he worked for Blue Diamond. And he was paid in trade. You can't trace barter."

"That ... fits," Firefox said slowly. She folded her arms, and considered. "I think he was a sadist. Not a top, not someone who liked to play dominant in a bondage game. He didn't like fantasy. He liked rape. Any BDSM groups would blacklist him."

"I concur with that," David said.

"He was a monster," Firefox said clinically. "He didn't see chimerae as people. He thought it was okay to ... rape chimera women because we weren't women to him, and because he... saw to it we were made for it --" She cut herself off abruptly. She raised one finger. "Excuse me a moment."

She turned and made for the master bedroom. Without thinking, Technofox followed her. Firefox didn't seem to notice Technofox was behind her until Technofox closed the door.

"I'd like to be alone," Firefox said stiffly.

"You can't ask that of me," Technofox said. "I can't walk out on you when you're like this."

Firefox looked at her. "Thank you," she said softly. "I don't want to be alone." Firefox breathed deeply a few times before she could speak. She smiled ruefully. "He must think I'm crazy."

"You're wrong. He thinks," Technofox corrected her firmly, "that you're talking about months of torture and abuse. He thinks you're crying."

Firefox looked at her, a little afraid. "But you know better?"

Technofox nodded once, slowly. "It's okay, love," she said. "It's what Walton did to you. And me. If anyone understands, I do."

Firefox bit her lip. "I guess Walton being dead won't change that in us."

"No," Technofox agreed. "Justice isn't about fixing problems."

Firefox looked at her. "What must David be thinking of me?" she asked. "I'm supposed to be his boss, and --"

Technofox held Firefox's hands. "Listen to me. He's a human. He doesn't understand what he scents. He doesn't know how you feel right now. He doesn't know that..." Technofox swallowed deeply. She continued in low tones. "...He doesn't know that you're turned on."

Firefox flinched, and turned away. "I'm so ashamed of myself," she whispered.

Technofox reached up and turned Firefox's muzzle to face her. "Never be ashamed. Not in front of me. Not in front of a woman you got of Blue Diamond. I love you. I respect you. I honor you."

Firefox smiled, just slightly, and trembled for a moment.

Maybe it was that moment of vulnerability and doubt that emboldened Technofox to put her thoughts into words and action. She put out a claw and lifted Firefox's chin. "I want you naked for me. Now," she said quietly.

There was a moment of stillness. Technofox kept her gaze on Firefox. Firefox didn't say anything.

Technofox opened her mouth to laugh and pass it off as a joke.

Firefox reached to her throat and undid the button there.

Firefox was wearing a charcoal gray shirt, long sleeves, pockets and concealed zippers and padding to distribute weight. It opened down the front, fastened not with buttons or zippers but with small snaps that opened easily and quietly. It was designed to carry electronics without sagging or bulging. Although it was tailored for a woman, it sealed left over right. That was to permit a quicker draw from a shoulder holster.

The shirt dropped to the ground. Underneath, Firefox was wearing a jog bra and shoulder holster with two extra magazines and a folding knife. Quickly, she took off the weapons harness, folded the straps, and put it on the night table. She took off her shoes and socks, and undid her belt. She pulled her tail out of the tail flap first, then pushed them down and stepped out of them, standing in front of Technofox in her bra and panties.

"Your breasts," Technofox said. "Let me see them."

Firefox hesitated, and pulled her bra off over her head. She dropped it and quickly cradled her breasts, covering her nipples.

"You're not naked yet."

"No, ma'am," Firefox said softly.

"Well?"

Firefox pushed her panties down, and stepped out of them. She held them against her pubes with one hand, blocking Technofox's view of her breasts with her other arm. Technofox snatched the panties from her, dropped them, leaving Firefox without a scrap to conceal herself.

"Arms by your side," Technofox ordered. "I want to see what you've got for me." She wanted to make her voice harsher, but she was aware of the others in the next room. Firefox obeyed, standing with her breasts and the sweet slit between her legs exposed. Her nipples stiffened as Technofox watched, the thin fur between her legs began to shine with dew, as though Technofox's look was a gentle touch. Her breath was slow and deep, and Technofox could feel her excitement. Technofox moved her muzzle close to her nipple, as though she was about to take it into her mouth. Instead, she blew gently over it. Firefox flinched.

"What a beautiful woman you are," Technofox said.

"Thank you," Firefox whispered.

"You're a dream made flesh and fur. People dream of women like you, dream of tasting heavy breasts like those, Of tasting you between your legs. And here you are. All for me."

Firefox trembled slightly.

"Now lie down on your side."

Firefox looked at the bed, confused for a moment. She looked back at Technofox and lay down on her side, facing her.

"Roll over," Technofox ordered.

Firefox hesitated, reluctant to take her eyes off Technofox, but she did. Technofox climbed in after her, fully clothed, and spooned in behind her, resting her chin on Firefox's shoulder.

"Open your legs for me."

Firefox parted her thighs. Technofox reached over her hip, rested a hand against her, taking possession. Firefox sighed, gasped. Technofox slipped her other arm under Firefox's ribs, and brought her hand up to place on Firefox's ample breast. Technofox opened her jaws and bit Firefox's naked shoulder at the same moment she slipped a finger up inside of Firefox, entering her.

Firefox didn't cry out, suppressing it by turning it into a hiss. Technofox moved her finger around Firefox's vagina experimentally, gauging her pleasure by the way she squirmed. She released her teeth and clamped down again, harder, as she touched Firefox's clitoris. Firefox bucked like an animal, biting the pillow to keep from crying out as Technofox silently ministered to her. Firefox moved her hands up, and for a moment Technofox hesitated, thinking she was going to push her away. Instead, the vixen grabbed the headboard, as though imagining ropes held her hands there.

And then Firefox shuddered, and twisted, fighting to remain quiet. Her eyes opened, and she lay there, panting softly, her heavy breasts heaving.

For a moment, Technofox was afraid she had gone too far. Firefox rolled over, grabbed her, crushed her in an embrace and covered Technofox's mouth with her own. She kissed her, hard, twice, before relaxing her grip.

"I didn't think I could love you more than I did," Firefox whispered.

"You ... liked that?" Technofox asked, suddenly afraid. Was Firefox just indulging her friend? Would she snicker about this to Silverfox later?

Firefox took Technofox's hand in hers, and sucked at the finger that had just been inside her. Firefox licked the end of Technofox's nose. "It was great," she said, her voice low and soft. She lifted her eyes, and looked into hers. "You really get me hot, did you know that?"

Was it possible, Technofox wondered, amazed, that this magnificent creature next to her could look at her and want her, the same way Technofox wanted her? It was only natural Firefox would inspire passion, but her?

Technofox smiled shyly.

"What can I do for you?" Firefox asked.

"I think we need to get back," Technofox replied, wishing she hadn't thought of that.

Firefox smiled, her eyes half closed, feeling Technofox's desire and basking in it. "I owe you," Firefox promised.

They went back into the living room. David and Silverfox weren't there. The door to David's room was open.

Technofox and Firefox looked at one another. "You don't think ...?" Technofox started.

"Not with an open door," Firefox replied.

"We're looking at Bishop's forensics on David's computer," Silverfox said out loud.

"Are you talking to someone?" David asked.

"Fire and Tech. They're in the living room. We hear better than you."

"They are? Oh."

"Find anything interesting yet?" Firefox asked breezily, as they went into his room.

David looked up sympathetically, clearly wanting to express condolences but not sure if that might be taking liberties. He shook his head. "Nothing we didn't know already," he said. He shook his head and grinned. "I exaggerate. Let's say we don't know anything that contradicts what we knew before."

"Do you think Bishop's hiding anything from us?" Firefox asked.

"Tech should probably look over these too," David said, "but I'm not seeing anything that's missing, and I really don't see him falsifying information." David looked up. "If he wanted us out of the way, Tech and Silver would be in impound, and I'd be in jail for running an unlicensed prostitution ring."

"Are you running one? I hadn't noticed," Firefox said. "And I'd really appreciate a heads up on that sort of thing."

David smiled briefly, glad that Firefox seemed to be more relaxed. He rubbed his chin, wishing he hadn't brought it up despite that. "Shadowfox," he said briefly. "Komorov gave her a check to cover her hotel bill for two weeks."

Firefox grimaced. "You're saying she took money?" Firefox asked him.

"She explained it was sort of an accident," David replied. "If Komorov had called the hotel and covered her bill, Bishop wouldn't have much of a case. Instead, he sent her a bouquet with a check in it. She can't really give it back because it would be breaking character, but it does mean he's given her money directly."

"Well, dang," Firefox said. "You think Komorov might be trying to trace her bank information, sort of a background verification?"

"It's very possible," David agreed.

"He wouldn't have access to that sort of information legally," Technofox said, "but he is a mob boss. Knowing the source account and transaction details makes it a lot easier to chase virtual dollars."

"Well, Shadow can put it in her cover's account," Firefox said. "There's nothing there that'll ring the wrong bells."

"Except that to a DA the subtle distinction between having sex for money and pretending to have sex for money is whisper-thin," Silverfox said. "Now back in Boston, Wagner's office is willing to cut us a little slack."

"I think Bishop will cover for us," David said.

"But don't let's pretend that Bishop's on our side," Silverfox said. "If he can screw us over, he will."

"If he needs to, he can," David disagreed.

"Well, maybe," Silverfox said begrudgingly. "She'd better return that check," Silverfox said.

"If she doesn't cash it, it'll look like she's worried he'll trace it," Technofox observed.

"It's Shadow's call," Firefox decided. "If she thinks she's better off cashing it, she cashes it."

"...Right," Silverfox agreed, reluctantly.

"I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable with Shadowfox's sideshow," Firefox admitted. "It's shaping up to be a dead end as far as 7.62 is concerned. I think it's a needless complication. The last thing we need is to bump heads with the law or the Komorovs."

"Do you want her to pull the plug on Komorov?" David asked, hopefully.

"I don't want to make that decision without her input," Firefox replied. "And unless it's a matter of saving her tail, I want her to disengage without souring the relationship. Much better they part on friendly terms in case we work on him later. In fact, it's probably for the best. Nice groundwork for the future."

David set his jaw but didn't say anything. Firefox didn't notice, or pretended not to. "David," she said, "next time you meet with Bishop, let him know that Lilith is involved. I don't see how putting police pressure on Lilith can hurt the investigation."

"I'm not sure of that," Silverfox contradicted her.

"Silver's right," Technofox agreed. "You see, Bishop thinks there needs to be a human behind the chimera. He's bound to underestimate her."

"Is that what you think?" Firefox asked Silver.

"Actually I was going to say he's kind of an asshole, but Tech put it better," Silverfox said with a shrug.

"I agree with Tech," David said. "Bishop's got a nasty blind spot. He's not going to believe Lilith is an free agent. I'm not even sure he'd believe Lilith could pose as a human."

"Okay, then," Firefox said reluctantly. She rubbed her neck. "I'd like to see their manpower on this, though..."

"So Lilith killed both Walton and Mehta, and the mob isn't involved?" David asked. "Did she have a score to settle with them?"

"Not that we know of," Technofox said.

"Walton had a lot of unsettled scores," Silverfox said. "Can't say that about Mehta."

"Walton was killed with Odenberg's bullet, and we traced Lilith to an apartment with those bullets," Firefox said. "That's pretty solid. We can speculate beyond that, but let's remember it's speculation..." she grimaced. "Guys, did Lilith ever mention anything about ... I dunno, being a shooter, or wanting to kill people for money? Damn, that sounds ridiculous but you know what I mean."

"Not that I can recall," Technofox said.

"I never got that vibe off her," Silverfox said. "I always thought she had fun with her job."

"What?" David asked, surprised.

Silverfox hesitated. "Well... it's a matter of personality. Don't get me wrong -- in Blue Diamond, it was all for the clients. But sometimes you could sort of ... throw yourself into it. I mean, in most porn the girls have fun too. I mean, the characters, not the actors. And once you get regulars, then everything changes. There's a connection there -- they start to be protective of you. And you can use that for your benefit." She hesitated. "I think Lilith was that sort of girl. If it were up to her, I see her staying in the sex industry."

"Except it wasn't up to her," Firefox said. "Tech, do we know what happened to Lilith after Blue Diamond?"

Technofox had set up that query to run earlier; she brought up the work status on her implant. The progress bar was still hovering around 50%, indicating that the query was a complex one, but that the automated system wasn't stumped yet. She knew what that probably meant: Lilith was underground. "The computer's still working on that," she said. "David, mind if I log into my laptop from here?"

"Not at all," he said, getting out of his chair. Technofox sat down, toggled to the Compaq and then negotiated a secure connection to her laptop. She brought up the partly completed dossier.

Blue Diamond wasn't Lilith's first owner. She had been purchased from the factory by Stormshard Games, as a motion-capture model, mascot, and booth babe. Stormshard had gone under, and Blue Diamond picked her up.

Technofox paused. A chimera right out of the factory was pretty mellow and pliable. Their personalities hadn't had time to firm up. Typically, they wouldn't need Blue Diamond taming. But Lilith had worked outside the sex industry before Blue Diamond, so she might have been ... reluctant. She thought of the rape picture in the book.

Technofox smiled, and hated herself for that.

Foxforce had burned down the Blue Diamond Resort hotel off San Diego. Under normal circumstances, Blue Diamond's chimerae would have been retained by Blue Diamond Incorporated. However, Blue Diamond had become the focus of a major debate over the treatment of chimerae, and there probably wasn't a judge in the country -- honest or not -- who was looking forward to ruling that Blue Diamond's chimerae should be retained by the company.

Fortunately for them, one of Blue Diamond's chimerae, Victoria, had turned out to be a brainwashed and surgically altered human named Victoria Simmons. Investigating the provenance of other chimerae owned by Blue Diamond had revealed equally questionable exchanges -- some, like Foxforce, had apparently been stolen and then resold without Blue Diamond exercising due diligence over the exchange. So, Blue Diamond's chimerae had passed into humanitarian impound, and had then been sold off from there, or returned to their original owners.

Along with the other Blue Diamond chimerae, Lilith had sat in a sort of legal limbo. Three of Blue Diamond's chimerae were split off from the rest because of security concerns: Lilith, Cheshire, and Alice, the canid they were training as a new Tamer. Those three had shared a suite in a long-stay hotel.

After a month, Lilith had been sold to Dragon's Lair, a fantasy-themed resort hotel in Las Vegas. She had gotten on a bus in San Diego, and never arrived in Nevada. Dragon's Lair got its money back, and title reverted to the state. As it would be awkward and embarrassing to post a bounty on a chimera who was technically under humanitarian impound, California never listed her as an runaway chimera with a bounty; instead posting her as "missing" and offering a small reward for information leading to her return.

The trail went cold there, and while there was no harm in letting the computer saw away at other sources of information, Technofox doubted that anything would come of it. She told the others.

"How would she hook up with Odenberg to begin with?" Silverfox asked. "Do you think he met her before or after she ran?"

"Before, I'd guess," Technofox said. "I wouldn't run unless I had a place to run to."

"You're a very careful girl," Silverfox said.

"Odenberg and Lilith were both role-players," Firefox said. "Lilith was once owned by a game company, and I heard Lilith talk about role-playing in Blue Diamond. She doesn't just look like she masturbates with a Hackmaster +12, she really has masturbated with a Hackmaster +12." Firefox paused. "I'll bet they met through gaming, somehow."

"Think so?" Silverfox asked dubiously. "Is that really a good way to network?"

"Sure," Technofox said. "Generate a MMORPG character and you're instantly interacting with people all over the world."

"And besides, there's a huge convention every year in San Diego," David said. "I can see if there's any evidence she was ever sent to it."

"She probably was," Technofox said. "Odenberg got her autograph."

"That dedication seemed a little ... intimate to me," David disagreed. "She probably signed it after they knew one another."

"She's a Blue Diamond Girl," Silverfox said. "'Fuck me hard' and 'It's nice to meet you' are pretty much synonymous." David couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"Do you suspect maybe Cheshire and Lilith were ... closer than Cheshire's let on?" David asked. "After all, they shared a room for at least a month."

"Again, Blue Diamond Girls," Silverfox said briefly. "They might screw twice a day and Cheshire wouldn't think they were friends."

"Would Blue Diamond send her to a gaming convention?" Firefox asked.

"Sure. San Diego's just a ferry ride from where Blue Diamond was, and Blue Diamond publishing did do a line of adult gaming material," David said.

"Any good?" Silverfox asked, taking it for granted that he had read it.

David considered. "Some of the medical stuff about pregnancy and STDs was well thought out," David said. "I especially liked a set of rules they had where players couldn't be sure if they were being treated by someone competent or by a quack -- I ended up integrating that into my campaign for other diseases. Had a player who could cure trauma damage but not disease effects, and nobody knew it... But I thought the magic items were vulgar and jejune."

"I saw their supplements too. I kind of liked the Dildo of Dorian Grey," Technofox said. "Even though it's only for male characters."

"I guess they needed something to counteract the STD rules," David agreed.

Firefox nodded. "David, I'd like you to work that angle. Tech's prepared a timeline for Odenberg's known location and activities going back to the first 7.62 killings. I'd like you to see if it overlaps Lilith's. Tech, I want you to talk to Cheshire, see if her story adds up."

It was an odd choice, but it made sense. Silver was reluctant to interrogate Cheshire. Firefox would put Cheshire on edge. And Cheshire would never talk to a human about Blue Diamond.

"Right," Technofox said. "Oh, wait -- something I forgot. Did you hear about the hit 7.62 did in Mexico? I want to see if there was a work schedule --"

Firefox laughed. "One step ahead of you. I checked. The schedule's a matter of public record. 7.62 buried the body where it would be found on the ninth."

Technofox went to the elevator lost in thought.

7.62's dance did mean February 9th. But he was telling his mob contact when a body would be found in Mexico, and not when Walton would be killed in Atlanta. To Technofox, that made perfect sense. In fact, the "0209 dance" and the murder of Walton on February 9th had been the only thing which implied Walton's murder was mob related.

But why kill Walton on the same day?

On the other hand, why not?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Morgan asked, walking up behind her.

Tech smiled at him. "Just sorting through some things in my head. You going to the lounge?"

"Yes. Walk with you?"

"...Sure," Technofox said.

He dwarfed her completely, and Technofox couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by him. She hesitated before pressing the up button on the elevator; it took an effort to commit to sharing a ride up with him. Even though he had never been anything but respectful to her. She realized her suspicions from before were right. She assumed he was a rapist waiting for an opportunity. Angrily, she pushed the up button again. She'd beat this.

"How goes the case?" he asked.

She looked at him. "You know we're still on it?"

"Not hard to figure out," he said affably. "Car in and out of the parking space, not like you decided to spend a day on the town. You seemed pretty confident that the body was a setup. Besides, you're still here, and your boss is with you. Now, maybe that's just to keep the authorities happy, but I don't think the police would have a captain finishing up the paperwork. So it's safe to assume the investigation's still under way."

"That's right," she agreed. She wondered how much she could tell him. He didn't mention hearing anything from Shadowfox -- of course, he wouldn't betray a trust casually.

"If there's anything I can do to help, let me know," he said.

"Thanks. I did have some questions, if you don't mind."

"Shoot," he said affably.

"Was Walton staying here alone?" she asked.

"No, his son Tyler was with him," Morgan said.

Technofox nodded, absorbing that. She had expected to hear about a woman. "He's what, sixteen?"

"Seventeen."

"What kind of kid is he?"

Morgan shrugged; he didn't know him well. "Seems nice enough. A bit withdrawn. Didn't really seem comfortable with his father." He hesitated. "He likes films about zombies. I mean, he's able to talk about directors and special effects -- he and Cheshire had this long chat about people I never heard of. When I snorted at the tactics in one film he paused it and got me to sketch out how I would expect soldiers to respond."

"You were in the service?"

"Tenth Division."

Technofox nodded. Did his son know what his father did for kicks? Possible, but unlikely... "What's that about?"

"Couldn't tell you for sure," Morgan admitted. "The thing is, he's not as smart as daddy and unfortunately he knows it. There was a divorce when he was young, and he went with his mother." He shook his head. "Dreadful thing. You know, Victoria's parents split up while she was in Blue Diamond. When she came back, they pretended they were still together. She figured it out, unfortunately, and that sort of made it worse -- they were trying to make her feel comfortable and they made her wonder what else she's being lied to about."

"That's too bad," Technofox said, faking sympathy. Well, she could understand, intellectually, how a human might feel about their parents divorcing, but she didn't have anything to compare it to in her own experience. With Morgan it was different, she sensed. He felt bad about it in a way Technofox couldn't quite grasp. That was part and parcel of being a family retainer, she supposed.

"Any women?" Technofox asked. She already knew the answer, but she was curious if Morgan knew, or would tell.

He hesitated. "Keep it quiet?"

"Mum's the word," she promised.

The elevator opened; they stepped in. She felt a moment of clamminess as the doors closed, and he pushed the button. Well, she was committed. She stood there, feeling the absence of escape routes keenly. Did he step away from her? Did he feel her nervousness, and was he trying to relax her?

"Doctor Walton was seeing Cheshire on this trip," he said. "The police might not know that." He grinned, sardonically. "He was pretty fond of her, but she's a bit difficult for me to read -- sometimes I got the sense that she didn't like him as much as she wanted him to think, if you know what I mean. She'd change her expression if he was looking at her, that sort of thing. Not so much a lover as a woman pretending to be his lover."

"Blue Diamond Girls are like that," Technofox said.

"Yes."

"We've been playing with the notion that there's a woman involved in the killing," Technofox said, curious to see if that would spark anything from him.

He blinked. "Well, he's not on good terms with his ex-wife, but I don't see her suddenly deciding to have him murdered. And I'm not sure about other women. To tell you the truth, I don't think he liked anonymous sex. I saw a woman hint about a one-nighter to him backstage at the conference, and he chose not to pick up on it -- maybe it was to keep things simple, but I got the feeling he wasn't really that taken with the idea. He liked women he knew, but he didn't want to get too emotionally involved either."

"Sort of like he had a lot of fuck-buddies, instead of serious relationships?" Technofox asked.

"Yeah, that's closer," Morgan agreed. "I don't know if he had a lot of ... buddies, but he and Cheshire talked about a few other women. I overheard from their bedroom." He hesitated a long moment. "First names, mostly. And this all seemed to be in different cities -- maybe he was bragging, but I don't think so -- he was pretty matter-of-fact, and it was obvious she knew the women. Mostly chimerae names, I think. Not the sort of thing he'd talk about to her if she was supposed to be the love of his life."

Technofox was speechless for several seconds. Did Morgan know Walton had probably raped those women?

He went on. "I never got the feeling his affairs were ... intense enough to merit murder. For a jealous lover, you'd need a woman who felt more strongly about him than he felt about her. Cheshire is his Atlanta girl, and if anything she feels less about it than he does."

For a moment, she wondered if he was being sarcastic -- but she doubted it. She felt something dark and heavy settle over her. If Walton restricted his violence to chimerae, and he probably did, there was no way that he'd go down in history as a serial rapist. Who listened to chimerae? And even if Firefox testified about what he did to her, someone was bound to claim that Walton thought it was consensual.

"So Cheshire and his son knew his schedule," Technofox said.

"...Yes," he agreed, considering the possibilities and looking thoughtful. "Tyler is a possibility... he probably knew his father saw different women, and kids can resent that in their fathers. A third party might have bullied him into it, too. He's pretty broken up, but I suppose that could be guilt..."

"You mentioned they didn't get along too well."

"No, they didn't. But I'm not sure if that would be enough. Here's the thing -- if he didn't like his father, he could just avoid him. He stands to inherit through his mother, but he's got a trust fund. I don't see a strong motive there."

"Drugs or debts?"

"He's been straight since I saw him. I suppose it's possible he's got gambling debts or something like that, but that's more your specialty."

Technofox grinned to herself. "What about Cheshire? Do you think she had anything to do with it?"

He lifted his eyebrows. "Still no motive. She doesn't have illusions about being Walton's lover. Not sure if I see her conspiring to murder, to tell you the truth. Way too risky. I don't see her caring about anything enough to do it."

"What if she were bought off?"

"With what?" he asked.

And that was a good point. Cheshire couldn't own money legally. A few hundred might buy her some toys and comforts, but that would hardly be worth the risk of subjecting herself to a court system where she had no rights and where she could be euthanized as a dangerous animal if a judge was in a bad mood. Escape to a free state? Maybe, but with her knees she'd have trouble waiting on tables, and her resume would never get her an sit-down job.

"I'd like to talk to her," Technofox said, as though just thinking of it.

He glanced at her, and nodded. "She's probably in the suite," he said. "I'll take you there."

The suite was on the top floor, one of two that occupied the whole tenth floor along with the chimera lounge. It was interesting that the tenth floor held the two most expensive suites and the room used by the house slaves: the top and the bottom of the hierarchy rubbing shoulders, as it were. Technofox used her implant to activate the sensors built into her cell phone. Morgan touched a switch and his own implant sent a coded signal that Technofox's cell picked up and stored for future examination. Accepting the signal, electromagnetic bolts slid in their bearings and the door unlatched.

In the elevator, she had felt an irrational anxiety at being alone with Morgan. Here, she felt a different tension, deeper in some ways, even before the door opened. This place was Walton's. Already, she could sense his presence here, even though she had only seen him in the flesh once. In a strange way, she feared Walton dead more than she feared Morgan alive.

The door was unlocked, and Morgan waited for her to open it. She gritted her teeth, gripped the knob, and pushed. Cheshire was standing by the coffee machine, drawing a cup. She looked over at the door, and she held a finger to her lips. Next to her was Stephanie, in a midriff-bearing shirt and hip huggers. The skunk brightened on seeing Morgan, walked over and kissed him.

"Hi, sweetie," she said softly. She closed her eyes and nestled against him. "Hi, Tech," she said as an afterthought.

Morgan kissed her ear lightly, whispering something that made Stephanie smile. Well, Shadowfox had mentioned he had a girlfriend here.

Cheshire wore a robe, open, and nothing under it: one of her breasts was half-covered, the other and her pubes exposed. The jaguar glanced at Morgan and unhurriedly closed the robe; not from modesty so much as propriety.

Once she was covered, Morgan pretended to just notice her. "How's Tyler?" he asked in low tones.

Cheshire nodded. "Doing okay, considering."

Morgan nodded, upset. Stephanie tapped him lightly on the nose. "My client's away until dinner," she said. "And there's nothing you can do here."

Morgan looked at her and then at Cheshire. "Is there--?" he began.

"Shoo," Cheshire said, making little wavy gestures with her fingers. "His mom's not flying in until tomorrow."

"If you're sure," Morgan said.

"Be sure," Stephanie said to her sternly.

"I'm sure," Cheshire agreed. "I don't want you back here until dinner. Relax."

"...All right," Morgan said reluctantly.

"You're exasperating," Stephanie said. She kissed his nose.

"Later," Technofox said, raising her hand. Stephanie and Morgan left, closing the door carefully behind them.

Technofox and Cheshire locked eyes.

"I couldn't care less who killed him," Cheshire said, without preamble. "I don't want to know, and I don't need to know, and this has nothing to do with me. You four go on your merry way, and I'm not asking for anything. Is that clear?" There was something in her voice, a touch of anxiety.

"We didn't kill him," Technofox replied.

"Whatever you say," Cheshire replied, shrugging and looking away.

"No, really," Technofox said. "Someone beat us to it."

Cheshire looked up, and seemed to roll that around in her head for a while. She then looked at her for a long time. "That," she said slowly, with a touch of wonder in her voice, "is so stupid I believe it."

"Thank you," Technofox said with a nod.

"Why tell me?" Cheshire asked.

"Because we're after the killer."

"Why?" Cheshire asked with a frown.

"Firefox wants him," Technofox replied.

"Ah," Cheshire said. She hesitated. "Is that enough of a reason?"

"It is for me. How's the boy?"

Cheshire smiled, a natural and unforced expression that she immediately tamped out. "It's a complicated situation for him," she explained. "He knew about daddy's tastes. And he hated him for that. But on the other hand, it was his father."

Technofox looked at her robe. "You've been distracting him?" Technofox asked.

Cheshire was silent for a moment. "Yes. Have some coffee," she said, getting out another two mugs. Stephanie had left hers behind, half-full on the counter. The three mugs matched one another. Technofox blinked and took the offered mug, taking a deep sip. Technofox had never drunk from a set of matched mugs before. Mugs were mementoes, souvenirs and a way to express one's interests: there was something frightening and impersonal about matched black mugs.

There was a sliding door leading out to a balcony. Technofox walked towards it.

"You like balconies?" Cheshire asked. "So do I."

"Yes, I do," Technofox said. "Mind if I have a look?" she asked, a hand on the door, ready to push it open. Cheshire looked puzzled. "Of course not," she said.

Technofox opened the door and stepped out, Cheshire following her, pulling her robe tighter around her. It was a little cool, but not uncomfortably so; a human would have wanted a jacket, but Cheshire's fur fluffed slightly and provided the same protection. Technofox leaned against the railing and looked up. There was a decorative pattern in the bricks that would make a nice ladder. Yes, she could make it to the roof from here, easily.

She glanced at the cityscape to orient herself; this was on the north side of the building, with the airport in the distance. 7.62 had fired from the west side, and had tossed Odenberg over the east.

Technofox wondered how 7.62 had gotten Odenberg up to the roof. The more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that a human, acting alone, would have been capable. Odenberg had not been a big man, but he was wearing combat dress and with the arctic gear to keep him at body temperature on top of that ... it was a heck of a load to haul up ten stories. If he had gone up ten stories.

"It's quite a view," she said, at random. The airport was visible, and near it the conference center.

"Yes," Cheshire agreed, looking out. They watched as a passenger jet lifted clear of the runway, heading East. Distance muted the engine roar to a soft rumble. Technofox saw as Cheshire watched the plane intently. She seemed to be counting, and a smile flickered as it turned slightly to the south.

"Boeing 2707," she said. "That turn means it's going to the air traffic corridor to South America. Brazil, probably. Ever fly on an SST?"

"Shadowfox did once, but she was pretending to have a rich owner. The rest of us had to take a bus to make up for it."

Cheshire laughed. "You must envy her."

"Not even slightly," Technofox said, shaking her head. "I'm free in ways she isn't. You either."

"Oh."

"What were you doing when Travis Walton was killed?" Technofox asked.

Cheshire grimaced. "I was asleep. It was early. Walton woke me up. Usually I woke up when he did, but he had to wake me deliberately, I remember. So I got him off and got him some coffee, and after he left with Morgan I went back to bed. That was ... about half an hour before he was killed. So I slept through the whole thing, actually." She paused. "I must have been pretty tired -- the rifle didn't wake me."

"He only took one shot."

"I'm a pretty light sleeper."

"Then the helicopter woke you up?"

Cheshire blinked. "Helicopter?"

"SWAT landed a team on the roof with a helicopter," Technofox said slowly.

Cheshire blinked, and rubbed her head. "I guess I'm not a light sleeper," she said with an uncertain laugh. "I slept until Morgan came back, and I remember going to Tyler when he came back."

"Ah. Was Tyler here that night?"

"No, he had a date with Stephanie." Cheshire pursed her lips. "His daddy paid for it without letting him know. Stephanie had a free night, and she's always looking for some spending money."

"Was Tyler upset?"

"I hope you don't hold it against him," Cheshire said. "He was his father."

"No, I suppose I can't. How did you feel?"

Cheshire's expression turned serious, and she moved a hand to her throat, holding the edges of her robe closed. She finally shrugged. "He tipped well. I had nothing against him. But I'm sorry Firefox didn't kill him," she said. "I'd like to think there's some justice in the world." She stared down into her coffee. "He talked about her, that morning," she said. "He talked about Firefox. So I guess he didn't know."

Technofox's hackles rose. "Didn't know what?"

Cheshire looked at her, and hesitated. "Tech, Firefox and I were setting up a scene with him. Fire and I met that night to talk it over."

Technofox remembered waking up alone the night before Walton's murder. She closed her eyes and felt relief flood through her. She had been so afraid that Firefox had been with Walton before his murder. Relief, and gratitude to whoever had killed him just in time.

Then she blinked. "He used her name?" she asked. "Walton used her real name?"

"Of course," Cheshire said, a little surprised. "Why?"

"He talked about what you did to her? With Morgan in the apartment?" Technofox couldn't believe it.

"He did it to her. I was just there."

_With a cane,_ Technofox thought. "Yes," she said.

Cheshire shook her head firmly. "Not about what he did to her. Of course not. He knew chimerae, and he knew Morgan could overhear him."

The vixen relaxed. "I see." Yes, another soft click as a puzzle piece slid home.

"Walton was careful not to say anything ... too obvious. He told me to be careful about that too -- because Morgan didn't know about his preferences." Cheshire looked off into the distance. "It was so strange," she said. "He talked about her as though ... as though the three of us were lovers."

"You set up scenes with Stephanie for him, didn't you?" Technofox asked casually.

Cheshire looked surprised. "She told you?"

"She warned us off Walton," Technofox explained. "Said he was into stuff."

Cheshire smiled. "She warned Blue Diamond Girls about a kink. She's a sweetheart."

Technofox set her jaw. She didn't like that phrase. "You faked the beating, right?"

Cheshire stiffened. "Of course. I have a slapstick cane. It stings a bit but it sounds like a real blow. It's show biz, semi-improv, with an outline we set up in advance. Fortunately, Walton didn't like to hit -- he liked watching me hit a pretty girl, make her beg for it before he raped her."

Technofox looked back through the sliding doors and around the living room. It was bigger than any room in their apartment in Boston, and that had four bedrooms. Their room here had seemed big and spacious; this was a lot more so. Walton's apartment. Where Walton relaxed.

There was an painting on the wall, small, and probably an original. If Technofox had seen it in someone else's room, she wouldn't have thought twice about it. The curves implied a woman, possibly nude, dancing with her hands clasped over her head. But it was something Walton had purchased, and knowledge of that put chains on her wrists, turned her sinuous dance into a writhe under a whip.

She found herself looking for railings or shelves a woman might be tied to. Maybe spread-eagled on the coffee table -- it was sturdy enough and big enough, and there were TV trays. A woman could be tied face down to that, beaten, and then mounted from behind.

Her eyes settled on a section of the wall. It was blank except for a hook with a ring projecting out from a wrought iron strip, bolted securely into a structural member behind the wall. That was it. It looked like a plant hanger, but that was pretense, she was sure. There was a plastic mat under the hook, to protect the carpet as he took a woman there. She was sure the master bedroom had a four-poster bed. Master bedroom.

The entertainment system was first-rate, and speakers were bolted to every wall. There was a remote terminal on a wheeled cart, tucked away into a corner; the computer itself was elsewhere in the suite. There was enough space for a dining room table and a kitchen table.

There were bookshelves, four of them, one devoted to medical texts. Looking out of place there was a battered soft-bound collection of a comic strip she had never heard of; something called _Li'l Abner._ On the spine was a picture of a creature that looked like a bowling pin with legs.

Everything in the suite was the best. There was a chair that probably cost more than all the furniture in Technofox's own bedroom. And this was just one of Walton's homes, set up as an investment, or so he could stay in Atlanta without roughing it in a hotel.

"Thank you," Technofox said. "That's delicious. I see you stopped taking cream and sugar too."

Cheshire's eyes met hers. For an instant, they each remembered the awful non-dairy creamer and artificial sweetener that Blue Diamond used to stock the coffee cart.

"Give me peace," Cheshire said to her, softly.

"It's not mine to give," Technofox replied.

Cheshire glared at her for a moment, but didn't respond.

"What do you hope to get from his son?" Technofox asked.

Cheshire looked pained for a moment. "He was upset. I knew I could help him ... not forget, no, but I could distract him." She looked at her. "I don't expect you to believe me. But I think I'm helping him."

Technofox studied her. "I think I believe you," she said.

Cheshire smiled. "Thank you."

"Is Tyler any good?" Technofox asked quickly. It was a silly question, out of nowhere. Cheshire looked surprised for a moment, and laughed.

"Not really," she said, dismissively at first. "He's a kid, he's not that experienced. He's ... it's a bit like screwing a fire hose." Technofox laughed in response, and Cheshire looked more serious. "He's ... sort of nice, though," she admitted reluctantly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's all for him, not for me, but he likes it when I have fun." She looked out at the airport. "He's not good, but he's considerate."

"He thinks you're lovers," Technofox said.

"...Yes," Cheshire admitted.

"Maybe you should teach him what you like."

"I couldn't do that," Cheshire said, shocked, and looked at her. "I'm an actress. It's for him."

"His next girlfriend would thank you."

Cheshire laughed.

"Not all," Technofox said. "You were decent. I never figured out why they made you a Tamer."

"I'm an actress. I'm the woman they want me to be." She took a sip of coffee. "I don't know for sure," she said. "I think it's because I was a good dominatrix. There's a lot of demand for professional dominants, more than for submissives."

"But you don't have to train a woman to be tied up," Technofox said.

"That's part of it," Cheshire agreed. "But it's also security. If a woman might get violent with a client, it's safer to have her tied up. A dominatrix has to consent. The victim in a rape fantasy doesn't."

"Tigre had a real taste for it, but you and Lilith didn't," Technofox said, lying. For the next bit, it was important that Cheshire not suspect her of having ill will towards the dark elf.

"She didn't?" Cheshire said, surprised.

"Well, she never seemed abusive to me," Technofox hedged. "You know those loyal family chimerae in the movies? I think she bought into that. She really believed she lived to serve her owner. Her bad luck it was Blue Diamond. If she were somewhere normal, she'd be normal too."

"Could be. I'm not sure how much she really got off on it," Cheshire said. She shrugged "But you're right. Lilith was all about sucking up to Tigre. Not that I'm in any position to criticize."

"What ever happened to Lilith?" Technofox asked, trying to sound casual.

"She belongs to a consultant," Cheshire said. "Named Per something. He's some sort of engineer, travels around a lot, and she's his secretary. I had dinner with them a few months ago. Want their email?"

"Sure, thanks," Technofox said. She hesitated, and put out her hand. "And I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Cheshire asked, looking at her hand dubiously.

"For being better than Blue Diamond wanted you to be. Maybe you'll always feel you didn't do enough, and maybe that's true. But at least you did something. And if I can do something for you, let me know."

Cheshire shook her hand. "Thanks," she said, her voice breaking a little. She looked away. "Uhm, I think I hear him getting up. We need to cut this short."

"Sure. See you later."

Cheshire smiled again, and there was something relaxed and sincere in it.

Technofox rushed down to the apartment. Firefox was alone there. "Hi, love. Hear anything interesting?" she asked, a bit distracted.

"Yes. And I what I didn't hear was interesting too."

Firefox looked up. "What do you mean?"

"You ever hear anyone talk about the Tenth Division?" Technofox asked. "US Army?"

Firefox frowned. "You mean the Tenth Mountain Division? I've never heard anyone call it just 'the Tenth.'"

"Like I said," Technofox said, grinning. "Interesting."