About a week had passed since Proxy had shown up at Aldecaldo's camp. Saul had been warned of possible trouble, but he was as determined as the girls not to leave the place. He worked out a new patrol scheme with me, and we reinforced it considerably.
The girls and I went for the operative's base, as well as those in the clan who had already gotten copies of the bases. I also sold them to Bestia and Regina, who had not expected me to do so. Apparently, both of them knew about the fact that I had bought the bases, but the fact that I would start not just studying them, but hacking and selling them...
We've also cleared five more Stiletto bases...
The work was essentially routine and did not take us much time, heck we were from one base to another longer than we were on the bases themselves!
In general, everything went their way, the girls, according to them, have almost finished the next training base and I was almost calm ...
The call interrupted my work on repairing a rare revolver. This order came to me through the beast.
"I'm listening to you, Regina."
"David, I have an assignment for you..."
"Uh-huh?
"I'll have to work in Wakako's territory for starters, but I've made arrangements with her. In fact, she's the one who gave me this assignment because she needs it done quietly. And she doesn't know any better than you. But you don't work with anyone but me and Bestia."
"Well, actually..."
"I know about your affair with Dakota, you cheating--
There was a slight sneer in Regina's voice.
"Regina, I'm sorry!"
My authara folded her hands in a gesture of prayer.
"The demon clouded my mind and I didn't know what I was doing!"
"A demon? What kind of demon?"
"Hmmm..."
I hesitated ostentatiously.
"Most likely for profit and boredom."
"Hmm?"
"You and Bestia told me to stay out of town, and you can't get any orders outside of Knight City. So I jumped at the chance to get away for a little while."
"So it's our fault?"
"Yeah. (chuckles)"
I grinned.
"Tz... You bastard."
Regina shook her head.
"All right, enough of this bullshit. Anyway, we need to rescue a fighter from the underground arena."
I blinked in surprise and since Regina was silent I decided to insert my own little comment.
"Should I put his rival in the hospital?"
"No..."
"Well..."
I shrugged.
"...I don't work against children and civilian women, so kidnapping a wife and children is out. And you don't take those kind of orders, as far as I know."
Regina nodded her head.
"So what do you need me to do?"
"It's pretty simple, he's a prisoner... he should have lost the last fight, at least according to Tiger Claws, but he didn't take the money and sent them away. In general, his opponent, who they tried to make look like a dark horse and on whom influential people were supposed to raise money, he beat him like a god to a turtle."
I nodded my head understandingly.
"In short, the guy crossed the road not only to whom he should not have crossed the road, but also where he should not have done it..."
"Exactly."
I sighed.
"A place?"
"Little China, one of Tiger Claws' dojos..."
"Okay, the rest of the letter?"
"Yeah... Good luck to you and be careful..."
"Is there something I don't know?"
"I'm not sure of the information yet..."
"Regina..."
"Anyway, one girl is looking for solos who will go against you. She offers money, and good money at that, but she only asks for average guys, who, when they find out that they will have to work against you, quickly refuse."
"I see..."
"Judging by your tone, you know something..."
"Parker?"
"So she's familiar to you..."
"Yeah, she's Judy's ex, and she's tried to drag her into a very smelly affair for the umpteenth time. And apparently she's not happy that Judy now has her own family with me in charge--
"I see..."
I got the message and immediately opened it.
"Okay, I got the details. I'll go over it, and we'll be off to fulfill your order."
"Uh-huh...
The connection was broken, and I plunged into studying the order, throwing it to all the girls. Soon we were gathered in front of the behemoth in a sort of rest and eating area.
"So our recluse is coming to an end?"
Lucy looked wistfully up at the sky.
"Apparently yes..."
I sighed.
"Although vigilance will have to be made an absolute. Let's live by the principle of constant vigilance!"
I shouted it so loudly and so unexpectedly to the girls that they jumped out of their seats. I just grinned at that.
"David!"
Panam as she sat or rather stood beside me unleashed a punishment on my head in the form of a fist digging into my top.
"Everybody, everybody, everybody!"
I pretended to shrink in fear and pain and soon Panam had already stopped her 'torture' by sitting back in her seat again.
"But I wasn't kidding about the new concept of our life, because it's not just Arasaka Corporation, for whom we're essentially bugs. And since we haven't done anything for a week, it's doubtful they'll do anything. With their capabilities, we could be wiped out almost immediately..."
"Who else?"
"Parker's, uh. He just won't quit."
"Parker?"
Judy looked at me in surprise.
"Uh-huh. Regina said she's trying to hire solos against us. She's working with the mid-levels so far, and they're realizing their capabilities. well, most of them, so they won't go after us. But whether she goes for newbies or a serious solo...
I sighed.
"I see..."
I noticed the look in Judy's eyes and I didn't like it.
"Judy, what are you up to?"
"Huh? It's nothing, I--
"Don't lie to us."
Kiwi looked at our Judy with disapproval.
"Exactly..."
The other girls supported her and me in wanting to understand what our Clever Girl was up to and she had no choice but to tell us everything.
"I was just thinking. we need to deal with this issue. with an end in sight."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah..."
There was determination in Judy's gaze.
"...I should have dumped her back when she disappeared after the Arasaki hoopla, but I have..."
Judy sighed.
"I mean, we were happy. I used to think so. And for the sake of what we once had, I brought up the question of finding her and saving her. But. Now."
She shook her head.
"...now I realize I shouldn't have done it."
"Judy..."
I stood up and walked around the table behind her and put my hands on her shoulders, then they slid to her collarbone where they crossed, hugging her and pressing the back of her head against my stomach.
"Don't regret what you did. and don't think that we don't support your decision about Parker. You just think again about what you want..."
"Are you talking me out of this?"
Judy lifted her face slightly to look up and meet my eyes.
"No, I'm just reminding you once again to evaluate your moves and their consequences. And not only in terms of what they will entail, but also in terms of how you will feel right there..."
Touching her right breast with one hand.
"In the boob?"
Becca snickers from her seat.
"Well..."
Judy lowered her gaze to my hand, then put her hand on mine and slowly lowered it. I saw a faint smile appear on her lips as she did so.
"The heart is right there."
I shrugged.
"Maybe. But touching your breasts is much more pleasant, especially if I hadn't put my hand on your breasts, but put it in the heart area, you wouldn't be smiling right now. But, uh."
I pulled her a little tighter against me.
"You've relaxed a little bit."
"Yeah, uh. you're right. I did relax a little bit, but it's still an issue that needs to be dealt with. I'll put you on a conference call, but don't interfere with the conversation..."
"Okay..."
We all nodded and we immediately got a call, which we answered, and a dozen seconds later Parker answered the call.
"Judy! I'm glad you decided to call me yourself! That tyrant is far away now and you can speak freely?"
"Uh, Parker. I'm not in the mood to talk to you, and I'd rather not dial your number. But you made me do it."
"Judy, come on, I'm doing this for you, for us."
"You're doing all this for yourself, and we've already established that. Just as we have found out that I have no feelings for you anymore and that I asked you to save me only in memory of the past."
"Judy I don't..."
"And now I find out you're trying to hire a solo to eliminate David and most likely the rest of the team..."
"No! Just him! I just want to set you free!"
"I don't need to be freed! And you don't seem to understand ordinary words..."
There was steel in Judy's voice.
"...then I will speak from a position of ultimatums. Leave Knight City. Get out of this town and never come back. Don't ever seek to see me again, don't try to hurt my family, and don't try to contact any of them... You have three days. If you don't disappear, I will personally kill you."
"Judy..."
I could hear the confusion and disbelief in Parker's voice.
"I've said my piece. Get lost or I'll make sure you never bother us again."
"I... got it."
Parker's words were obviously very hard, but I couldn't hear the sincerity in them. Judy simply dropped the connection and ended the conference between us.
"I doubt she..."
"She's not leaving..."
Judy grinned sadly at this interrupting Panam who was trying to make the same point.
"Just couldn't not give her a chance?"
Lucy looked at her friend understandingly.
"Yeah..."
"Well, uh. we'll support you either way."
Becca gave a friendly smile and pulled out her gun and examined it closely.
"And when the time comes, we'll, uh."
"No..."
Judy interrupted her.
"...myself. I'll have to finish this myself. I've relied on you for too much on this issue as it is. At the very least, I'll have to finish it myself."
"That's what Family is for..."
"To solve problems?"
"No fool..."
Becca got up from her vengeance and came over to Judy and I and hugged us both from the side.
"To share not only joys but also sorrows. Not only to enjoy its ease, but also to help each other in difficult moments."
"I..."
"Just shut up and accept our care and help."
Panam grinned and came over to hug us too... Soon all the girls enclosed Judy and me in a cocoon of hugs, in which we stood for about five minutes...