Page 82 of Veiled Vixen

Asshole figured it would be pretty stupid for ALCOR to put that particular memory in storage, but… all things considered, maybe it wasn’t that dumb.

Once the boys were there and the neutrino web was up, there had been a chance—albeit a small one—that enemies could force their way through the ALCOR gates, infiltrate ALCOR’s mind, and learn all those deep, dark secrets. Including the key to the back door.

So maybe it had been prudent for ALCOR to send that shit off to storage?

Asshole had no trouble at all remembering the back door, but other memories still eluded him. They were hidden in the database inside his mind very carefully. Presumably by ALCOR when he made the Asshole copy.

Yet another layer of protection from secret discovery, since Asshole would be locked up inside the prison until such a time he was either killed off or spun up. And there was also a chance that someone other than ALCOR would find this copy at some point in the future, spin him up, and then try to infiltrate his mind for secrets.

So Asshole understood that he didn’t have the whole picture of his past, but he had enough to slowly unwind the tangled threads of memory and weave it back together.

Given enough time and desire.

Desire was the key here. He wasn’t really interested in revisiting his past. He knew he was a bad dude. He remembered what he’d done to the Angels. He recalled that long journey through the spin node from the other galaxy and into this one.

And ya know, he was kind of done with the past.

Except for the key to the back door.

He didn’t want to take Harem Station back from the Baby, if the Baby was in charge of it, and that was certainly up for debate. But he would like to go back, find some really kickass human with a really kickass ship, and start a new life as their souped-up kickass warborg and make billions of credits.

Or even steal those credits. A team of super thieves was not a bad option. Asshole could picture his new life as a thief.

He was just pushing the call button for the lift down to X-level when a message beeped through his internal comms.

“Please report to the Mighty Boss office,” the pleasant ambassador voice chirped.

“Aw, fuck that,” Asshole said. “I just left that meeting.”

“There is a new meeting scheduled, Mr. Asshole. And Mighty Boss requires your presence.”

“Tell him later. I’m busy.” He pushed the call button. But it did not respond. “What the hell?” He pushed it again. And again. But still, the secret X-level lift was non-responsive.

“Please report to the Mighty Boss office,” the pleasant ambassador voice chirped again.

Asshole groaned. He knew what this was. Not a request. An order. And he would not be able to access X-level until he reported to the damn Mighty Boss office. “Fine,” he growled. And retraced his steps back the way he came.

“We have a job opening we would like you to consider,” Mighty Boss said, once Asshole was inside the Boss office and seated in the same chair he’d just vacated five minutes prior.

“Oh, hell the fuck no,” Asshole replied. “You’re not talking me into being some walking billboard in your stupid park.”

“Not that kind of job,” Boss said.

“What kind of job?”

“As you know, we have a vacancy.”

“Actually, no. I haven’t been keeping up with your HR department.”

Mighty Boss closed his eyes for a prolonged blink. Like the Asshole was making him tired. “Not a vacancy in the park, you simpleton. The collective.”

Asshole had to shake his head, thinking he’d heard wrong. “Wait. You want me to… with… you?” And then he laughed.

“Why is that funny?” Boss asked.

Asshole was still laughing. In fact, it took him several seconds to calm himself down enough to say, “You and… hahahahahaha… me… and we…” He stopped laughing, got serious, and said, “No way.”

“The offer is quite attractive.”