The Chaos Hour

He smiled back.

"Okay, I have in the past," he admitted. "And probably will again now that you bring up such a good point. But I'm a people person, I like to interact in any way possible. Watching the new movies for free, participating in the chat rooms, whatever. I like to be around people in and out, you know? And by the way, I came to this room to lay low, same as you."

"Hey," the redhead said. "Was your friend joining us or what?"

Magus looked over to her on the bed, then back at Ali.

"I'm not asking you to join in, but what are YOUR thoughts on this type of thing?" he asked her.

 

"Okay, I have in the past," he admitted. "And probably will again now that you bring up such a good point. But I'm a people person, I like to interact in any way possible. Watching the new movies for free, participating in the chat rooms, whatever. I like to be around people in and out, you know? And by the way, I came to this room to lay low, same as you."

She nodded. Fairly typical of a Com user. Probably explained the interesting avatar, too. It certainly was one way to find some interesting interaction. Ali had forgot about the redhead still sitting on the bed.

"Hey," the redhead said. "Was your friend joining us or what?"

Magus looked over to her on the bed, then back at Ali.

"I'm not asking you to join in, but what are YOUR thoughts on this type of thing?" he asked her.

She smiled.

"Like I said earlier, I'm not that easy."

"Though I would be a liar if I said I've never done it before. In the real world, I have no love life. A little escapism, now and then, is refreshing." She looked back to the redhead.

"But, two on one really isn't my thing anyway."

 

He raised an eyebrow again at Ali's remarks. A smile would soon follow and even a snicker.

The redhead got off the bed and approached Ali.

"Maybe you should try something new," she said to Ali. The redhead was close enough to Ali to kiss her, she touched Ali's cheek ever so gently.

Magus' eyes widened a little and a smirk came out.

"This would be one hell of an ice breaker," Magus said.

 

Ali regarded the redhead with a sort of amused smile. She was centimeters from Ali's face. She could feel the warmth of her body close to hers.

"Maybe you should try something new,"

Her voice was slightly slurred and seductive. Indeed, Ali imagined that no man could resist it. But Ali was unfazed. She reached up and put a hand on the woman's chest and pushed her slowly back.

"Sorry, hun. I don't roll like that."

 

"Ooooh... rejected," Magus said, teasing the redhead.

He turned to Ali with a little laugh.

"So we're not doing this(pointing at the redhead), are we doing that(pointing at the grate)?"

 

Ali laughed.

"Either we do that," She pointed up at the grate. "or we stay here and wait for a bit. The guards will be by to check the rooms. If its locked, and they can't hear anything, they'll move past. Eventually they'll turn up nothing, and I'll be able to do what I came here to do in the first place; hide until this fricking code block does what it needs to do."

She let out a breath.

"After that, I have to see if this whole thing didn't just send my business transaction to hell."

 

Magus played with the redhead's locks as he listened to Ali walk through a simple yet effective gameplan. The code block was really a pain in the ass. He let his fingers walk down the redhead's back to her backside and gave it a squeeze. Then Ali mentioned a business transaction going bad, which wrestled his attention back to her.

"Ahh, so you're here on business," Magus said to her. "And what do you do for a living?"

 

Alethea watched Magus carefully as she talked. He wasn't quite paying attention; he was busy fondling his friend, who seemed rather happy with the situation. Her mention of business brought his attention back to her.

"Ahh, so you're here on business," Magus said to her. "And what do you do for a living?"

She smiled, reaching behind her and picking up the gun from the table, and checking the clip. Ten rounds left. She didn't expect the news to go over too well with them, even if she didn't have any intention of apprehending either of them.

"I work for the government. I bring in those people who use the Com in an illicit manner." She said, replacing the clip and letting her gun hand dangle.

"Don't worry. You two have nothing to worry about. Yet." She winked at him.

 

Her wink sent chills down his spine. He liked the feeling of being in danger, but the actual danger itself he can do without. He nodded.

"Government, huh? I've never seen a government official here in tight brown leather pants. You must be an undie. As for worry, I'm well aware of the risks everytime I log on. And I'm somewhat sure my use isn't illicit... yet."

"Oh, sh*t. You work for the government?" the redhead asked frightfully.

"Listen, Big Red, why don't you sit down while Mommy and Daddy have a chat? Sound good? Thank you" he said with a smile, assuming she'd automatically be okay with it.

And she was. She sat down on the bed and let her face fall in her hands. Magus turned back to Ali.

"Now you, I saw you in action a little earlier before the club scene. What exactly are you after tonight?"

 

"Government, huh? I've never seen a government official here in tight brown leather pants. You must be an undie."

"You could say that." She said. It was actually fairly deep cover, too. She herself had had a Chaos Key procured for her illegally, and only a handful of operatives knew the exact kind of access she had...and her exact objectives.

The redhead, of course, was a little perturbed. Absently, Ali wondered what exactly she had done. Didn't really matter. She was here to have a good time; and the lackeys would take care of anyone toting only minor offenses. Magus diplomatically ordered her to the bed, where she went without hesitation.

"Now you, I saw you in action a little earlier before the club scene. What exactly are you after tonight?"

She met his gaze.

"I was supposed to meet a contact; get my next assignment. There was a fight in a back alley nearby, and I tried to break it up. Then the announcement came for the code's execution. If its a user sweep, my cover could be blown, and months of work would have been for nothing." She sighed.

"I came in here to get into a crowd. Sweeps have a rough time scanning through a dense cluster of users that are moving around a lot. It mangles and blends the data traces. I kind of...underestimated the AI guardians. Those buggers are smart. Which is why I'm here. Still hiding. Hoping for this program thing to blow over so I can get back to work."

 

"I came in here to get into a crowd. Sweeps have a rough time scanning through a dense cluster of users that are moving around a lot. It mangles and blends the data traces. I kind of...underestimated the AI guardians. Those buggers are smart. Which is why I'm here. Still hiding. Hoping for this program thing to blow over so I can get back to work."

"Well you made quite the entrance," he said.

He looked over at the redhead and smiled.

"You're doing very good, Big Red. It's almost over." he assured her.

Magus walked over to Ali and whispered in her ear.

"Your work... would that be execution or evasion?" he asked her.

 

Magus stepped close to her, and she tensed slightly, staying aware of any sudden moves. She could feel the warmth of his body coming close to hers. The musky smell of his cologne filled her nostrils. Dammit, this place feels so real sometimes. She thought to herself.

"Your work... would that be execution or evasion?" he asked her.

"Both." She whispered back. "As the situation warrants, and as I'm ordered."

 

"One hour and ten minutes until program activation. All within the Com will be terminated" said a voice throughout the Com.