Was I confident? No. They could be planning anything. They could be intending to sit on my face and suffocate me, which had a bizarre sort of appeal. ...r they could try to fuck me to death, each, in turn, demanding I rattle their bones until my back broke and finally my heart gave out. Again, not entirely unwelcome.Or they might simply grab me and slit my throat. Was that how a gang of girls would do it? Probably not. Poison, more likely. Hold me down and pour hydrogen peroxide or hair dye down. Rick and I were out clubbing that next Saturday night. It was sometime after eleven, and we were standing at the bar at Kamikaze's, a new club that had opened up just off the strip. We'd driven up from Santa Monica, just to check it out. The place was pretty crowded, especially the area where people liked to congregate and dance. The music was loud, especially the strong bass that you could actually feel. Conversation was nearly impossible.It was still pretty early, although a few couples were. Your family is anxious to meet you.?Family. His family. Something he hadn?t known for many years, not since his parents had been killed in a small rebellion at the outpost world they had been sent to as Federation representatives when he was six years old. Since then, it had been care from the impersonal Federation youth hospices until he had reached an age that would allow him to join the military. Which had only been a change of watchdogs, in all honesty. The new watchdogs turned out. “He’s not going anywhere.” Helen whispered back. “I’ve got all night to fuck with him and the money to make it entertaining.” She activated the headset. “ACME 2, how are we doing?”The man from the movie studio hesitated.“ACME 2 is ready. Awaiting your signal. Though I still must protest. These units are very delicate; if anything happens to them...”Helena cut him off.“Then we’ll know they work, and we’ll get those people to make more for us.” She informed him.“Understood. Ready to deploy.”Helen.