The Ghost in the Doll (Fox Meridian Book 6) (18 page)

Yeah, Fox could just bet it had been, though she also doubted that Hiroko would agree with the assessment.

Nagasaki.

Fox had never been to Nagasaki before. On her previous visits to Japan, she had stuck to Honshu, never coming this far south. A visit to the Peace Park, since she was less than twenty kilometres away, seemed like a must-do, and she had an ulterior motive.

‘A greater expression of the potential danger of technology I cannot imagine,’ Jackson said over the video call Fox had set up, ‘but did you really feel it was necessary to leave the resort to call me? Eavesdropping is unlikely. Extremely unlikely.’

‘Agreed, but I didn’t want them knowing I called New York.’ Fox turned to face the fountain with the Peace Statue in the distance. It
was
actually peaceful there. ‘So, what do you think? We’ve got a wild diversity of facial features and body types, an apparent personality which Eve admitted she had not quite developed yet, and an eight-week delivery schedule.’

‘I admit that the technology required to do that is beyond me. That may be because it’s two a.m. here…’

‘Sorry, but I needed to talk.’

‘Not a problem, as such. Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I believe that it isn’t possible. Maybe it will
become
possible, but now… No. They appear to have some production method which shortcuts our own techniques. I begin to wonder whether these are bioroids at all. Perhaps a cyberframe of some sort with organic components…’ Jackson was drifting into theorising. He would be up all night if left to his own devices.

‘Check with Gottschalk, would you? Uh, in the morning. I don’t think they’re cyberframes. I mean, it’s a possibility, but… Jackson, I’m pretty sure Hiroko is a lesbian.’

‘That seems an odd choice for training. Bisexual would seem more useful under the circumstances. Perhaps a mistake in the training program.’

‘Maybe. See if Gottschalk can shed any light on this. I’ll keep my eyes open for more details. We can talk it over once I get back to Tokyo.’

‘Very well, Fox. Enjoy Nagasaki.’

‘Oh, I will. It’s a change from being surrounded by people with one-track minds.’

Tokyo.

Taro was waiting at a table at the back of the Blue Lotus when Yuriko walked in. That was unusual. Generally, the leader of the Fukui-kai liked to make an entrance. Yuriko noted the two hulking brutes sitting near the door, Taro’s bodyguards, and continued on to his table, bowing before taking a seat opposite him.

‘Good evening, brother,’ Yuriko said. ‘This time it is you who requested a meeting.’ Spotting a waitress in a tiny kimono approaching, Yuriko waved her away. She had no intention of staying longer than necessary.

‘I see that your superior, Meridian, has returned to Japan.’

‘Yes. She stopped briefly in Tokyo before moving on. She is still on medical leave.’

‘And she has decided to stay at the Kannotekina Atsuryoku resort.’ Taro’s voice twisted the statement into a question, one carrying a lot of disbelief.

‘I recommended it. It has excellent media control and she wishes privacy.’

Taro leaned forward, stabbing his index finger down onto the table. ‘That is not the only reason. Why is she there? You
owe
me, sister.’

Yuriko narrowed her eyes. ‘Very well. She is also there to observe the Yurei no Ningyo bioroids. MarTech are interested in them. Meridian-san
is
on medical leave from Palladium, but she is a friend of Martins-sama and elected to assist him in this matter during her convalescence.’

‘She called you from the resort.’

‘She sent a message, a courtesy, telling me that she had arrived safely. She called me to ask for my advice on local tourist attractions. I suggested the journey to Nagasaki would be most profitable.’

‘And why would she not ask the managers there?’

‘Perhaps she felt an independent opinion might be preferable? She is, primarily, on holiday, brother. Is that all?’

Taro paused to take a drink, delaying his answer on purpose, no doubt. ‘You may go.’

Yuriko got to her feet and bowed to her brother. ‘I trust that this clears my debt, brother, and that I will not hear from you again.’

‘Your debt is cleared when I say it is cleared. Leave me.’

Not bothering to argue, Yuriko headed for the door. She kept the smile off her face until she was past the bodyguards and out on the street. Fox had been right: the Fukui-kai
was
determined to stop people investigating the Yurei no Ningyo too closely.

Kannotekina Atsuryoku Resort, 15
^th
April.

About all Fox had managed to do after another day of observing the population of the resort was to confirm that humans were eventually going to bonk themselves to death, confirm that there was something weird and unsettling about the Ghost Dolls, and definitely confirm that her new skin did not tan, no matter how hard she tried.

‘Your old skin didn’t tan either,’ Kit said when this last discovery was pointed out.

‘It used to… discolour in a vaguely unappealing manner,’ Fox replied. ‘Anyway, I’ve got all new super-techno skin, so it should
bronze
.’

‘Bronze?’

‘Yeah, like in a sun oil blip. Ten minutes in the sun and I should look like a goddess. Possibly a Brazilian goddess. I’ll mention this discrepancy to Gottschalk.’

‘Well, I suppose it would help with the disguise aspect that skin was invented for.’

‘Damn right. Let’s not forget the bronze goddess thing though.’ Fox opened her room’s door and paused while stepping through. ‘We’re booked until Sunday, right?’

‘Yes, Fox. I must say that I doubt we will uncover more information here than we have.’

‘I was thinking the same. Of course–’

‘Meridian-sama.’ Fox turned to see Natsuko walking down the corridor toward her, followed by a tall, dark-skinned man with an abundance of muscles. ‘Meridian-sama, could I speak to you?’

‘Uh, sure. Something wrong?’

‘No, and yes. I am concerned that Kannotekina Atsuryoku has not met your requirements.’

‘Oh, I’m enjoying my stay here–’

‘I am most happy to hear that, but Mako suggested that you did not entirely enjoy your experience with him. I would like to introduce you to Kuro.’ She indicated the man behind her. ‘He is an advanced prototype of the Eiko no Tenshi series, equipped with enhanced software. We are testing him for Aphrodite Cybernetics. There is normally a small surcharge to hire him, but I have decided to waive that. I feel that a discerning woman such as yourself will give excellent feedback on his performance.’

Fox was about to suggest that she did not need the extra entertainment when Kit piped up. ‘Kuro does not correspond to any variant of the Eiko no Tenshi series.’

‘His body temperature emissions are very human too…’ Fox replied. Aloud she said, ‘Why thank you, Enemoto-san. I’ll do my best to put him through his paces.’

‘What are you doing?’ Kit asked, concern in her voice. ‘He isn’t what she says he is.’

‘Well, it would be rude to decline her gift and I want to see where this is going.’ After a little bow to Natsuko, Fox stepped through the door. ‘Kuro, come in and let’s get acquainted.’

Kuro followed Fox in, closed the door, and then locked it via the control panel. Fox ignored that, even though she was quite sure he should not have been able to. He was a handsome man with fairly classical African American features, though he seemed to have had some work on his nose and cheekbones, sharpening both. His hair was short-cropped and black, his eyes dark brown. And there was that body, concealed by a pair of slacks and a shirt similar to those Mako had worn, but clearly toned and well-muscled. She was fairly sure all that muscle mass was natural too.

‘So, you’re a new model?’ Fox asked, circling around to sit on one of the sofas. ‘Class four AI?’

‘That’s right,’ Kuro replied, smiling. ‘I’m told it necessitated a more powerful processor and a few other minor upgrades.’

‘The computer in a standard Eiko no Tenshi is quite capable of running a basic class four,’ Kit said. She sounded a little sulky.

‘Well, that’s promising,’ Fox went on. ‘I think part of the problem with Mako was that… he just didn’t really understand what he was doing. And talking to him was a minefield. I never knew when I’d provoke a response that set my teeth on edge. Not his fault. It’s a limitation of the design.’

‘Not a limitation of mine.’

Fox smiled. ‘Would you get me a glass of wine, Kuro? One for yourself, if you like.’

‘I don’t drink, Meridian-sama.’ He turned to the little kitchen area to fix her drink anyway.

‘Oh, of course not. Sorry. And call me Tara. I’m not fond of formality. Less so from a lover.’

‘Thank you, Tara.’

Fox turned her back to him and sat down, crossing her legs and arranging her sarong. ‘He’s charming enough,’ she commented silently.

‘He’s probably going to try to kill you or something,’ Kit replied.

‘Oh, I hope so. You know, I haven’t
really
had a chance to test this body out in combat yet.’

‘What about Stone Canyon?’

‘They didn’t really put up a fight. And before you ask, Grant basically killed himself. I didn’t even touch him.’

‘So you’re turning your back on an assassin to see if you’ll survive?’

‘He’s unarmed and I’m medically dead. I think survival is a moot point. Anyway, he may simply be here to pump me for information.’

‘Puns? At a time like this?’

‘Your wine, Tara.’ Kuro was standing there with a glass of white wine and a smile on his face.

Fox smiled back and took the drink. ‘Please, sit down. Have you been at the resort for very long?’

Kuro took a seat beside her, turning a little to make it easier to chat. ‘Not long. I’ve had two clients here…’ He frowned. ‘An unfortunate choice of words.’

‘That’s okay. I’m quite aware of our relationship. I’ve used professional companions before, human ones. Perhaps you’ll persuade me that androids can be just as good.’

‘Have you?’ Kit asked.

‘No. The only pro I’ve ever wanted to do it with is Sam.’

‘And Naomi.’

‘Okay, and Naomi, but both are for personal reasons. I don’t usually need to pay for one-night stands.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ Kuro said, his smile returning. ‘I hope your stay here was not marred by your dissatisfaction with my colleague?’

‘Oh… No. It was a learning experience. If you don’t try something, you can’t really say you don’t like it, can you? I prefer to try and discover I don’t than not know.’

‘A good philosophy.’

Fox sipped her drink, eyeing him over the rim of the glass. ‘Could you take your shirt off?’

An eyebrow rose, but Kuro unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. His skin was a glossy black beneath it, hairless, very smooth. Fox reached out a hand and stroked her fingers over his bicep. His smile became more of a smirk and he tensed the muscles.

‘Oh, wow… You’re strong. Gorgeous muscle definition.’ Shifting her hand, she slid her fingertips over his washboard stomach and he shivered.

‘I… My programming is making me a little eager,’ he said.

‘Huh, mine too.’ She lifted her hand away. ‘But, I mean to make this last. At least until I’ve finished my wine.’

‘Are you teasing the probably-assassin?’ Kit asked.

‘Might be. We don’t have anything that can check this wine for drugs, do we?’

‘Unfortunately not. Since they would not affect you, that seems like overkill.’

‘Yeah, I just wanted to know whether I should look out for signs of him being confused.’

~~~

Twenty minutes later, Kuro was not looking confused. They had chatted away for fifteen of those minutes and Fox’s wine had dwindled steadily. He had never tried to press her for any kind of information, aside from stuff it was likely that anyone might know: who she worked for, why she had come to the resort. If he
had
been an AI and Fox had never met Kit or Belle, she would have been impressed with his design. He spoke easily and with an edge of charm, playing up the ‘I’m a new AI and may make mistakes which embarrass me’ card occasionally. In the last five minutes, Fox’s bra had joined Kuro’s shirt on the floor, and they had graduated to kissing and stroking.

‘He’s not looking for information,’ Kit said. ‘Why hasn’t he attacked you?’

‘If he’s here to kill me, he knows I’m ex-military. He’s not going to take a chance on being able to overpower me in a fair fight. He wants an advantage so he’s waiting for the alcohol to take effect. He’ll likely want a positional advantage too.’

‘Positional?’

‘He’ll want to come at me from behind.’

‘I just bet he will.’

Laughing in the middle of semi-passionate kissing seemed a little off, so Fox decided to push things along. She slid her hand down Kuro’s stomach, found the bulge in his slacks. Her fingers encircled him and began to stroke up and down.

Kuro broke the kiss, gasping. ‘Bed?’ he suggested.

Fox gave him a smirk and lifted to her feet, walking around the sofa to the screened-off bedroom area. There, she paused, waiting with her back turned to him. He stepped up behind her a second or two later and she felt his erection press against her behind just before he undid the bows on her bikini bottoms and allowed them to fall away from her body. Almost gently, but with a hint of urgency, he pushed her forward until her stomach was n the sheets, her behind tilted up toward him. Then he was entering her, a sharp, thrilling spike of sensation that flared up from the sensitised nerves inside her, making her stomach flutter and drawing a gasp from her throat.

And then one of his arms swung around her neck, the other gripping her skull and pulling her head back hard. Her spine arched away from the bed and she gasped again. ‘Interesting tactic,’ Fox said inside her head. ‘I’m sure they don’t teach that in jujitsu classes.’ Kuro’s arm tightened around Fox’s throat. ‘Huh, going for a choke.’

‘You’re being very blasé about this,’ Kit commented.

‘He’s trying to cut the blood flow off to my brain, which has several technical difficulties. Like, I don’t
have
a blood flow to my brain, and my brain’s in my chest.’ Still…