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Author Topic: Smooth operator. [TALLY!] [M/TW]  (Read 13110 times)

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Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #20 on: February 02, 2014, 12:55:37 am »
Bard had been about to answer Cameron, but a soldier came into view, heading toward the zoo, and Bard touched Cameron's arm and drew him in away from the man. The soldier wasn't even paying attention to them, but it was better to give Cameron the impression that he was.

"Oh, so you're looking for work? Do you have a specialty? A trade?"
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2014, 01:00:05 am »
Cameron veered closer to Bard.  "I was a...um, a personal assistant."

He didn't know why it embarrassed him to say that Bhaskara mostly used him for sex, but it did.  Anyway, personal assistant was what Bhaskara had always called him, so that was what he told others.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #22 on: February 02, 2014, 01:36:52 am »
That was vague and didn't really tell him much of anything, but he let it go for the moment.

"Hmm...and your 'enhancements'? What kind of purpose do they serve?" Then he paused and laughed. "Ah, apologies, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. What I'm getting at is that I happen to run a large business, and as it happens we have some openings."
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #23 on: February 02, 2014, 01:43:03 am »
"I would love a job!" he blurted out.  More specifically, the AI desperately needed a purpose to serve, and that purpose needed to come from someone besides Cameron.

"I can do anything!  Well, I mean, not anything, but a lot!  I'm—"  He glanced around and made sure they weren't in earshot of anyone before continuing.  Even then, he had to swallow at his suddenly dry mouth before he said his next words.  "I'm...mostly designed for combat.  But I can do other things too!  My last employer had me wake him up every morning, so I can even be an alarm clock!"

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #24 on: February 02, 2014, 08:33:27 pm »
That piqued Bard's interest. Combat? Really? The kid seemed far too simple and naive for that, but he did say designed, and that carried some interesting implications. "Designed" pointed at this being something that was done to him, not something he did for himself. As if he were a creation, an object.

"A jack of all trades, I see," he said with a smile. "Sounds like something I could use. Ah! Here we are."

They had reached the residential district, where Bard kept his seasonal home. He lead the way to one of the larger buildings and swiped a card key to open the door, flipped the light on insie. "You'll be safe now," he said, motioning for Cameron to go first.

Inside, the place was luxurious and clean. The design was minimalistic, partly for aesthetics and partly because Bard didn't spend too much time here, but it was obvious the man had money.

"Relax, get comfortable. Once we get you settled, I'll make a few phone calls to set up your ID, and tomorrow, we'll get you off this station. But in the meantime," he said, heading for the kitchen, "care for a drink?"
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #25 on: February 02, 2014, 08:58:42 pm »
Cameron nodded along.  Jack of all trades, yes.  Exactly!

The interior of Bard's home took his breath away.  This...this was way different than the places Bhaskara stayed!  Cameron kept his home clean for him, but before Cameron got there he was fairly sure Bhaskara's home had been pretty gross.

He stood in the center of the room, afraid to touch anything even though Bard had said to get comfortable.  This place was just so nice and Cameron felt so grimy after living sporadically in hotel rooms for the last month.

"Yes, sir," he breathed, turning in a slow circle, taking in Bard's impressive home.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #26 on: February 02, 2014, 09:46:53 pm »
In the kitchen, Bard opened the fridge and looked over his shoulder to see Cameron just standing there, looking mesmerized. He was so used to his own home that he forgot the effect it could have on people--and it wasn't like it even got to have that effect on everyone he had over. Most of his visitors were also wealthy, but the ones that weren't?

That was always fun.

"What would you like?" he called to get Cameron's attention. "My place isn't as stocked as it would be if I came here more often, but you have some choices. Do you drink? You seem like you've had a nerve-wracking day and I find a little rum always takes the edge off."
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #27 on: February 02, 2014, 10:01:30 pm »
Cameron started.  He'd been lost in thought, wondering what Bard did for a living.  He joined him in the kitchen.

"I could try rum, sir!  I've never had it."

Bhaskara had just about every kind of liquor one could imagine, but Cameron couldn't recall ever trying rum.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #28 on: February 02, 2014, 10:32:57 pm »
He could get used to being called "sir".

Grabbing a couple glasses from the cabinet, he brought out the rum and poured two glasses. He handed one to Cameron and headed into the living room, where he had a large couch and a reclining chair set in front of a big screen TV.

Bard took a seat on the couch and leaned back, made himself comfortable. "Go ahead and take a seat. If you like, I'll give you a tour later, but right now I have a few more questions I wanted to ask you."
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #29 on: February 02, 2014, 10:40:37 pm »
Cameron took the glass with a mumbled thank you and scurried right along on Bard's heels.  He perched on the edge of the couch, not really comfortable enough in this nice home to lean back and relax.

"Yes, sir."

He was bizarrely nervous.  He couldn't think of anything he'd done that was particularly wrong under Bhaskara's employ.  They were involved in black market dealings, but it was mostly harmless stuff.  It was just...he wanted to impress Bard.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #30 on: February 02, 2014, 10:47:14 pm »
Bard took a sip of his rum. "I was just curious, when you said you were designed, what did you mean? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. My intent isn't to be rude, but I realize it might be a...delicate subject."
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #31 on: February 02, 2014, 10:54:42 pm »
"Oh well uh..."

Cameron started to answer then realized he had no idea what to say.  He stared at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts and what little he knew of his own origin, until he actually had something resembling a response.

"I was, um, modified?  By a company...somewhere .  I don't remember exactly, but I know I'm incomplete."  He hated saying that part.  If he couldn't be human he at least would have liked to be wholly something else, not this broken half a thing.  "I don't know the company, and they don't know where I am either, so..."

He shrugged.  That was all there was to that, really.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #32 on: February 02, 2014, 11:23:04 pm »
He had no memory of the company and the company had no knowledge of his whereabouts.

That was a nice bonus.

Taking another sip and setting his glass on the table, Bard leaned forward curiously. "And your modifications?" he asked. "What are they?"

He paused, as though considering his next words, and asked, "Can I see them?"
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #33 on: February 02, 2014, 11:43:30 pm »
Cameron sucked in a breath.  It was silly.  This man was helping him, and putting himself out to do it.  Probably putting himself at risk, too.  Of course he had a right to see what he was dealing with.

"Yes, sir."

He placed the glass down and pulled the bandage off first.  The cybernetics crawled about the upper right side of his face, mostly just hardware support for his eye, which upon first glance no one would take for anything except fully artificial.  The pupil, iris, and white of it all bore the fine, intricate detail of nanotech work.  It was hard at work even now, the pupil expanding and contracting, shifting in color, drinking in detail about Bard and his home.

Then he rid himself of the turtleneck.  Beneath he wore a simple t-shirt, and it showed the majority of his upper modifications well enough.  His entire right arm had been completed.  Only a little of his original flesh remained, most of stretched over a fully metallic skeleton frame.  The rest?  The rest could not have passed for legal cybernetics anywhere.  It was all silvers and reds, a smooth, durable metal that was as light as it was strong.  The gauntlet bore the most incriminating design—no one with sense could have mistaken its ordinance compartments for anything but what they were.

The arm modifications continued on, disappearing beneath his shirt.  "There's more," he said, touching his shoulder.  "They go on for a bit.  My sternum and a good portion of my rib cage have been replaced.  Also my left leg and hip, and my right leg up to the knee."

He hesitated, debating if he should take his shirt off, too, but stopped there.

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #34 on: February 03, 2014, 12:17:17 am »
Now they were getting somewhere.

And what Cameron revealed was no less than impressive.

And very, very illegal.

If the kid was caught here with them, he would be divested of them, and considering the extent of them, he likely wouldn't survive their removal. But that was neither here nor there, since he planned on keeping him--but good to know nonetheless should he ever need to use that knowledge.

"That's amazing," he said at last. Engineered for combat, indeed. His purpose was obvious, and his body itself looked a weapon. It was amazing that all that was hiding in such a naive vessel.

"Thank you. That answered my questions, and I think I know what you can do for me. If you're still interested in working for me, that is. But rest assured, I treat my employees well, and I'd ensure your every need was provided for." Sitting back again, he crossed one leg over the other at the knee and continued his slow study of Cameron's body.

"How would you like to be my body guard? And something of a personal assistant, as well. Truthfully, there aren't too many times I need guarding, but I do need help managing business and personal affairs and such. You'd have to stay close to me, of course, but I don't recall you mentioning having anywhere else to go."
« Last Edit: February 03, 2014, 12:20:10 am by Rhi-Rhi »
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #35 on: February 03, 2014, 12:35:43 am »
Cameron would never say this to anyone, but he was pretty sure he hated people looking at his body like that.  Honestly, even if his modifications were totally legal on Libra, he would still be covering up just as much.

He clasped his hands on his knees, metal fingers drumming upon flesh ones, while Bard examined him.  He forgot his discomfort as soon as Bard uttered the words body guard.

"I can do that," he said, leaning forward.  "It's exactly what I did before.  Oh, I didn't get my employer in trouble, either!  It was just, uh, the Libran authorities...I mean, what he did wasn't technically legal."

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #36 on: February 03, 2014, 12:48:05 am »
"Ah, well I assure you, what I do is entirely legal, so you won't have to worry about that on this job," Bard said, smiling at Cameron's sudden enthusiasm. He reminded him a bit of a puppy--awkward and simple, but eager.

"We also won't be on the Libra, so you won't have to worry about hiding yourself. Ah, but enough business talk! You're probably tired." Picking up his glass, he finished off his rum and then glanced at Cameron's glass. "And you've hardly touched your drink. Is it okay?"
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #37 on: February 03, 2014, 01:03:06 am »
"Huh?  Oh!  Yes!"  He'd forgotten about the drink entirely.  He downed it into two gulps, and thank the gods for all of Bhaskara's liquor because he only grimaced a little and managed to cough only once afterwards.

He cleared his throat.  "Thank you, sir."

Offline Rhi-Rhi

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #38 on: February 03, 2014, 01:42:39 am »
Well...that was one way of doing things. It was like he thought he'd be judged or displease him if he wasn't overly enthusiastic about it.

Bard chuckled and shook his head. "I didn't mean you had to chug it, but..." He wondered if his alterations also gave him a higher tolerance? "Would you like some more? I have plenty."
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Offline Tally

Re: Smooth operator. [TALLY!]
« Reply #39 on: February 03, 2014, 01:52:19 am »
"I'm good, thank you, sir."  If he were to be employed here, he might as well start now.  He brought his empty glass to the kitchen to clean.  The AI in his head relaxed.  He'd never smoked, so far as he knew, but he figured it felt exactly like a nicotine addict finally getting a fix.

 

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