"So..."
Cake pulled up next to the house, and I looked around. The place really wasn't bad, a nice breeze from the lake above the flooded city. And it wasn't exactly desert, there were some plants around, and the house...
"...I'm preparing a place for you to rest now, and then I'll do the meat afterward..."
With these words I began to pull out of the car deck chairs, which I began to arrange on the pier, there I put a few umbrellas from the sun and a table, and the brazier I put a little aside on the ground. And just when I was putting coal and wood chips into it, Kiwi arrived on a motorcycle.
"I see everyone's here already?"
"Uh-huh. Kiwi, come to us.
"Hmmm..."
Kiwi looked at the girls who were already on the lounge chairs in their swimsuits, and then calmly began to undress. I looked at her sideways, wondering what kind of swimsuit she had chosen.
For example, Panam was wearing a plain black swimsuit, Judy had chosen a blue one, Lucy was wearing white, and Becca was wearing silver and black... or whatever that color is called? I've never been good with colors.
"Pfft! Poseur!"
Becca couldn't stand it when Kiwi stripped naked and walked calmly toward the chaise lounge prepared for her. My girls, however, reacted completely calmly.
"Why are you so calm? She's naked in front of your boyfriend--
Becca jabbed her finger accusingly at Kiwi, who had already laid down on the chaise lounge.
"And we took turns driving him around at night. so he's not really interested in watching right now."
I snorted.
"It's always interesting to watch, but at the moment I'm more interested in the meat I'm supposed to be doing. And Kiwi made it quite clear yesterday that she's not interested in me, so what's the point of looking at me? I've got people to look at and know that look hasn't been wasted."
"See, you're the only one with a problem with my bare breasts and vagina."
"Actually, I can, too..."
"You can't..."
Becca was besieged by Panam.
"А?"
"You're single, or rather, I don't know that you've ever had a romantic fling, and David likes you. If it weren't for me and Judy, he'd probably go for you or Lucy or both. So you can't take your clothes off."
"Tsk. What if I don't mind him hitting on me?"
"You might be okay with that..."
Judy joined the conversation, watching Becca and Lucy closely. Only the former showed any obvious reactions, though. Lucy only opened one eye and looked at Panam and Judy, and then at me. I grinned as I continued my priestly work.
"I see. so you don't want to share?"
Becky's voice was slightly mocking, but at the same time you could sense in it that its owner wasn't entirely joking.
"Should we want to?"
"I guess not."
Becca leaned back on the chaise lounge again and there was silence for a while.
"Well..."
I grinned and placed a comfortable chair close to the brazier, then walked over to Tortic and pulled out a small cooler bag.
"What is it?"
Panam followed me with interest and drew the attention of all the girls to my actions.
"I mean, you're so secretive. even Judy and I don't know what you're up to."
"Well, there's drinks."
I grinned then set the bag on the wooden pier and opened it.
"...I hasten to present, produced in secret from my dearest halves... from natural products. low-alcohol mead!
I handed the ladies a glass bottle of mead, which they accepted with some apprehension. And if Kiwi was more hesitant than the others, Panam and Judy looked at each other, opened the bottles from their homemade corks, and took their first sips.
"М?!"
Panam was the first to break away from the bottle, and trying to make as plausible an expression as possible, she turned to the others.
"No. it's a piece of crap. I don't think you should try it."
"Yeah, now..."
Becca jerked her hand away from the bottle Panam had already reached for and opened it and took her first sip.
"Hmm?!"
Seeing her reaction, and also remembering Judy and Panam's reaction, Kiwi and Lucy also opened their bottles and took their first sips.
"Mm..."
Kiwi shook her head, and I sat down on a chair facing the girls, but so that the brazier was a little to the side of me and was in my field of vision, I also sipped from my bottle, but it was a regular cocktail, not alcoholic at all.
"Kiwi, is it time for us to have a serious talk?"
"Hmm?"
"What are your plans next?"
There was a slight concern in her gaze, and Lucy looked at me carefully, expressing cautious concern for her mentor.
"Have you decided to opt out of Kiwi's services?"
Becca... straight as a stick... I just shrugged at her words.
"In case you all forgot, at the end of the first day, Kiwi and I made an arrangement. She works with us while we work against these dope fiends. and then after that, we'll talk in more detail. And you girls should think about it. it's already been a week out of the agreed two weeks..."
"You're running away?"
"Not at all..."
I shook my head.
"Just telling you that you too will have to decide something soon..."
"Decide?"
"Well..."
I shrugged.
"I honestly have no idea what's going on with your boss. What your team's fate is going to be. So, uh."
"Are you suggesting we join you?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow.
"Am I bad?"
I mirrored her gesture, which judging by the smirks of all the girls came out quite amusing.
"Does this suggestion apply to me too?"
Kiwi looked at me carefully.
"Yeah. (chuckles)"
"Can you feed me?"
Judging by her voice, she would have chuckled wryly if she could.
"Yeah, uh. I think if things work out, I'll talk to Regina, she'll take into account the growing team and find more... more lucrative assignments from our point of view. After all, there's a lot of junkies in this town and, as we've recently learned, it's very lucrative to work against them."
"Mm..."
"Well, I was talking to Dorio just yesterday. I had a feeling you'd bring it up. So, uh."
Kiwi sighed.
"The team has been disbanded."
"What?!"
Becca even jumped up from the chaise lounge, and Lucy opened her eyes in shock and stared at Kiwi.
"You're leaving?"
"It's not ours. it's ours. Ugh."
She shook her head.
"...Anyway, I'll start over. Maine is relatively stable now, he even went to a couple of rippers who basically gave the same diagnosis as Victor. He wanted to go to Borg, but he's got Dorio on his back. She's already let her guard down once and almost lost him, so now... Only proven rippers with good reviews. Anyway, he's been told at least a year with the chromium he has, plus prescription meds for recovery because his brain's been overloaded."
"Overloaded?"
"Uh-huh...
"I talked to Victor too, I wanted to know a little better about the psychosis..."
I sighed.
"And?"
"Well the point is that psychosis is not dependent on the amount of chromium..."
"I mean, everyone knows that cyber-psychics are always very chromed. Or they've been psychologically traumatized, but even so, they're at least seventy percent chromed.
Lucy was curious, and Kiwi and the others looked at me with interest.
"There were a lot of terms. but in general cyberpsychosis is an overload of the brain's neurons, when the brain can no longer process the mass of information coming into it, causing hallucinations. In some cases, during a borderline state, psychosis may not manifest itself as hallucinations, but as a severe manic disorder."
"Well, we know how it manifests itself, especially the result is essentially the same pile of corpses and Max-so eliminating the psycho. But what's the chrome connection?
"You see. the brain itself is a very powerful tool. And it can withstand the replacement of anything, Smasher is a good example. Except that most of the time people do stupid things..."
"Stupid?"
Becca was interested, and understandably so, because it could affect her brother, whom she didn't like, but he was still her brother. At least that's how I can decipher her interest.
"They forget that different manufacturers do not have unified software."
"And?"
While we were talking, I took off the barbecue and put the skewers on plates in front of the girls. They also got a new bottle of mead.
"Eat up, while I continue the story..."
I showed by example how exactly I offer to eat, and like in the old Soviet movie about Shurik at the construction site, I took a piece of meat off the skewer with my teeth. After chewing it and drinking it, I decided to continue my story.
"So, different software has respectively different errors, flaws, assumptions yes there is a lot of all sorts of crap in the programs, our runners should understand this better than others..."
I scrutinized Judy, Lucy, and Kiwi, who nodded their heads.
"...and now add conflicts between different software that overlap with all of the above and the brain just can't cope anymore. That's where cyberpsychosis comes in."
"Well..."
Kiwi shook her head.
"...Dorio generally said that Mayne was condemned for rarely attending normal rippers, condemned Borg... saying it could have been avoided..."
"Well, theoretically, one could..."
I nodded my head.
"...up to a certain point all this could be smoothed out, experienced rippers can synchronize chrome, of course this procedure is not the easiest, well, and it should be repeated at least once a month."
"Yeah... I don't think Borg would have given this much thought."
"Exactly..."
I nodded my head. But in terms of where this whole conversation started... so Mayne's out for at least a year?
"Yeah, uh. and frankly, after working with you this week, I'd love to continue on your team. Especially since Dorio said that she and Pilar and Regina have started working, but it's not much, but it's enough for food and rent... and a Reaper."
"In general, we can even throw them some money, for me and the girls a thousand a day to give them is not a problem, and for them in the current situation is a good help..."
Becca shook her head.
"even my cretinous brother. Although he should generally support himself. But I don't give a shit about him, and I'd stay with you guys. Fine, but don't forget to ask your friend about the shooting range. because you're just promising."
"Well, it's been a very busy week. so it's been a little slow, but I think next weekend I'll make sure we have a similar vacation."
"Uh-huh...
The girls had just finished their kebabs and looked greedily at the brazier, on which skewers with new kebabs were already lying. But they still had to be cooked...
"Lucy?"
"I'm in. I've got a job. I've got money. There's a lot of work, but there's money, and, uh. you got a better vibe on your team. with Maine, it's more. just more, and you've got a warm. family-like. I'm starting to forget about my dream a little bit.
"A dream?"
I looked at Lucy interestedly.
"I dream of going to the moon..."
It was said in a confused voice.
"Well, it's not a bad dream, maybe in six months, a year we'll go for a week with the whole group... Kiwi?"
Lucy's eyes widened and she nodded dumbfoundedly.
"I'm in. I still have debts to pay... and with you it's easier... and Lucy's right, it's more homey. I like it."