“Oh.I suppose I have been rude.”
“And you have been having a lot of sex outside where he can see through the fence.Just a hint as to why nuts are on his mind.”Keska whirled and waved to those assembled.“Coming, Jienne?”
Jienne nodded and followed her, nodding to the consortium in the back yard.
They walked inside.Keska spoke to Ava, who nodded with a grin.Keska waved at Zera and Torun but only used one finger.
Jienne wanted to know the story behind that particular signal.Neither of the two targets seemed upset, so that had to have history behind it.
Keska looked at her when they got to the wardrobe room.“So, are you wondering about the feud between Zera and me?”
“Uh, yeah.It’s...odd.Everybody likes her.”
“Hm.Yes and no.Zera was inspiring, and she’s excellent at weapon design and biotech.She’s focusing on weapons design at first with Z Tech, and I don’t do weapons, so I signed up for the BDC before numbers were a thing.Caska tried it as well, but it wasn’t really her thing.We were the proto-escorts.I created the masks and the defense robots.Caska wrote up the charters that gave us the option to operate in sixteen different countries using their own regulations, and Zera ran them through all of the governing bodies.We were the weird little gremlins behind the scenes while Ava made the money to make everything look viable and create the hub in the capitol.”
Keska pulled some casual clothing out of the racks and wardrobes, including shoes.“Here you go.”
“So, what happened?She asked you to make weapons?”
“She began to give me lists of items she would like created, and at that point, I knew she was using me to create the weapons prototypes, which was fine, but I don’t know how I make my stuff.I make it; I fix it.I can’t make more than one.Each item on an escort cloak is going to be individual, but I don’t mind that because I can make them look different.”
Jienne unzipped her dress.“You are an artist.”
“Yeah.Zera never really got that.Hence the flipping off.But I get a ton of money from the BDC for my support tasks, and I spend my free time working for the live ranges with a few patrons designing environments.I do the attack bots for solo stuff and the camera bots that broadcast on our livestreams.”
Jienne got dressed.“So, why am I coming along?”
“We can always use someone who can do front of house and calm bruised egos.That pays really well when you are dealing with actives all day.”Keska chuckled.
“Oh.Right.”
“Come, see the vibe and know that you will always have backup.At the very least, get away from the folks here.You can use a new environment for a few hours.”
Jienne nodded and smiled as she pulled the Salat and Khytten tee over her head.“How does that look?”
Keska chuckled.“Like one of my people.Shall we?We can get lunch while we are out.”
“Sure.”
They headed downstairs, and Keska said, “Ava, I am heading to work and taking Jienne on a ride-along.”
Ava nodded and waved.“Make sure she gets lunch.”
Keska gave her a thumbs-up, and they headed outside to a gathering of vehicles.She walked over to a rich-red low-slung sports car and opened the door for Jienne.Jienne got into the sports car and buckled up.
Keska got behind the controls, buckled up, and smiled.“Don’t worry.I keep the speed for the track.Nice car though.This is the road-safe prototype.”
“Wait.So, you design vehicles?”
“I design everything.In this case, the engine assembly and transmission.I had a friend do the exterior.He prefers black, but I snuck out with some spray paint.After that, he had it properly painted.”
They began to glide forward silently, slowly making their way down the long drive.When the gate opened, Jienne smiled.“It is silent.That’s an expensive motor.”
“Naw, I made it out of junk while eating tortilla chips.I should have cleaned my hands more frequently, but I managed.”
Jienne laughed softly.They were soon on the main road, and the car glided under expert hands.
Jienne asked, “So, why live ranges?”
