W." Great. I go by Eddie now, Jack."He took a sip and eyed me. "Last I heard, you and Vince were ready to tear up the town.Now you're where?"It's a lo...g story, E ... uh, Eddie. Kind of an ear-bender." Like I said, I've got time," he said. "I love a good story."= = = = =MERRIAM AND BACUSWe were equal partners, Vinnie and I. Our strengths complemented each other and diminished our weaknesses.I was the idea man and the writer. I was also the pitchman who sold the ad campaigns.I wrote the scenarios. James' androids were far superior to the market's best new models between the upgraded intelligence and more lifelike attributes. It was his attention to detail and that perfect skin.James even developed multi-sexual units that could switch from male to female with a simple command long before the big corps developed them. The additional hardware and software upgrades also made for smoother and more realistic movements in the boudoir. His finest upgrade at the time was a gift to his former. The unsuspecting asteroids drifted and rotated slowly, as though performing an intricate dance with one another.Calara focused intently on the targeting grids in front of her. “Firing beams!” she said excitedly as her finger caressed the trigger on the right control. Six lances of coruscating energy blasted outwards and sliced an enormous tumbling asteroid in half. The chunks separated cleanly, each half glowing from the heat of the incision.“Main guns!” She cried out, as she cycled through the. Michael had no idea that this event was raising the expectations bar for the Owen twins, Misty, and especially Valerie when they reached their own fourteenth birthdays.Captain Hoag and his soon-to-be sponsor-wives watched the dynamics with amused interest. All three became even more convinced that their future was looking bright.As the music wound down, the pair of young women each took a hand and walked Michael to the promenade deck, where they stood in the shadows on the fantail and watched.