Instead of entering my apartment and going to sleep. My plans were derailed when I found an embarrassed and probably slightly drunk Gloria sleeping against my apartment door. I wasn't sure what to do about it, though. When I checked the building's security footage, I found out that she had been there since about midnight.

That made me sad, because that was two days in a row that she hadn't shown up for her night shift and she only just discovered that her permission had been revoked and she couldn't enter my apartment. By her position, she obviously wanted to interrupt my entering or leaving my apartment.

I just had to decide if I wanted her to know I wasn't home or if I should pretend I'd been there and either didn't hear her or ignored her. I let out a sigh and would play it by ear as I unlocked the door and let her fall backwards into the apartment. Depending on how drunk she was, she might not notice I was fully dressed and was only arriving home now.

“Huh? Wha...?” Gloria muttered when her head hit the plush carpet. Her eyes fluttered open when I grabbed her feet and pulled her into the apartment and closed the door.

“Good morning.” I said and took off my corpo suit jacket and flipped it inside out as I transfigured it back into my academy uniform. I tossed it onto the couch and remembered the gun and holster I had stored before I changed into Atlas and took it out and tossed it onto the coat. “What are you doing here?”

Gloria didn't bother sitting up as she tried to get her thoughts into order. Laying on the floor like she was, per perception of me was much different than what she remembered it to be. She caught her breath when I turned around and she saw the glowing blue design on my head.

I hadn't realized she hadn't seen me with it, so that meant it had been quite some time since we had met in person. I checked and tonight was the night Victor was going to certify me completely healthy and Gloria wouldn't need to be here anymore, not that she seemed to care about that.

I grabbed a NiCola from the kitchen vending machine and asked her if she wanted one. She didn't say anything, so I grabbed another anyway and walked back over to the couch and sat down. I didn't bother trying to help her sit up, since her mind was spinning through many thoughts as she tried to remember why she had come to visit me in the first place.

I opened one of the cans and took a sip, winced at the taste, and changed it to what it should have been. I sat back on the couch and politely waited for her to recover and get up off of her ass. Gloria didn't seem to be in any rush and she laid there on the floor as she blinked her eyes and stared up at the ceiling.

I sipped the cola and thought about turning on the television, then shrugged. The quiet was kind of nice and reminded me of spending time with my reading buddy. That made me chuckle as I felt a smug feeling that wasn't mine and I took out a book from my inventory and changed how I sat to recline on the couch.

Starship Troopers as a book was very different than what the movie portrayed. The satirical commentary on a fascist government was both fascinating and horrifyingly accurate. The ultra-nationalist political ideology and the strict regimentation of society and economic control would probably utterly fail in this world, since the corporations ran or influenced everything, even the various governments around the world.

There was no way for the military to become a separate entity, since most corporations had their own military forces and would never submit to anyone else's rule. Why would they give up what they have and become subservient to something they had completely control over? Right, they wouldn't.

The technology was interesting, if a little outdated. The combat suits were specialized gear fitted to each soldier, not to mention expensive to make, run, and keep armed. They were also an army onto themselves and could take care of many situations that a normal army unit couldn't handle without serious backup.

The space ships on the other hand were clunky and inefficient. Although, their star drives worked similar to warp drives and I could probably fake it. I could probably recreate the armored combat suits, too. It was just a bit of engineering and I could ape Armsmaster's armor and include a full faceplate instead of the visor he preferred.

With the artificial muscles from this universe added to bulk the suit up and to add super strength, the armored suit would be easy to make for anyone to use. Heck, with the people here's tendency to use their VR gear to netrun, they could easily interface with the suit's systems and wouldn't even need the same combat training that troopers needed before they ever earned the right to wear a combat suit.

“What are you reading?” Gloria asked and stared at the book in my hands. “I don't recognize the cover.”

“It's a book that was published almost 120 years ago.” I answered and saw the shock on her face. “Before you ask, the answer is yes.”

“It's real and not a reprint?” Gloria asked and finally sat up. “Where did you get it?”

“I've always had it.” I said and it was the truth. I had bought a bunch of my favorite books from the tourist shop a very long time ago and just never got around to reading all of them. That was a leisure time thing and I was usually to busy living my life to sit back and read.

The last time I had spare time to do so was back when I was John Snow in Game of Thrones. Back then I was reading the Harry Potter series to Arya and Daenerys, and later included the Red Priestess named Melisandre. They loved the books and that good had triumphed over evil in the end.

“Do... do you know how much...” Gloria stopped talking and her eyes roamed around the large apartment. “Never mind.”

I closed the book and set it onto the coffee table and pointed to the second can of NiCola. Gloria took the hint and stood, wiped off her jeans as if they were dirty after laying on the floor. It wasn't, since I always cleaned with magic and everything was spotless. She walked over to the couch and took the can, sat down, and held it in her hands.

I leaned back on the couch and didn't pick the book up. I just so happened to also be in the same position I had been in after my accident and still had my casts on. Gloria didn't miss the subtle dig and she opened the can and took a huge gulp. She sat there for several minutes until she built up enough courage to speak.

“Vic's going to clear you tonight.” Gloria said and didn't look at me as she stared at the can in her hands.

“Hopefully.” I said, just to see if she'd laugh. She didn't.

“I'm sorry I screwed things up with you.” Gloria said.

“What time?” I asked and her face went red. “I didn't ask to embarrass you. I was reminding you that there has been a few times and you've had several chances to change things, then you pretty much said you wanted to use me like a joytoy when you need to and I wasn't going to be a part of your life.”

“Veder...” Gloria whispered.

“I accepted your decision, since forcing someone into a relationship is no way for anyone to be happy, especially me.” I said and she nodded. “Then the other day you didn't show up for work and spent it at the bar with Mama Welles and your son, then again last night and I figured you made your choice.”

“I don't know why I didn't show up.” Gloria admitted. “I was... I haven't spent all my time there. I...” She paused and sighed. “I can't even say I didn't want to face you as your nurse, knowing you didn't really need me. I...” She finally looked up from her can of soda and looked at me. “I didn't want charity, and I didn't want to take advantage of your good nature.”

“Then why did you show up here again tonight?” I asked.

“I won't be your nurse after tonight and I thought...” Gloria saw the expression on my face and sighed. “I knew it was too much to hope for. I just thought... with our professional relationship out of the way, you might be open to... you know.”

“...have a few quickies with no strings attached and no commitments?” I asked and she blushed. “No, thanks. I can have literally anyone, anyone at all across the city, if all I wanted from a woman was sex.” I told her. “I mean, I don't even have to pay for them. I would, if it was something they wanted. It would only be sex, after all.”

“Veder, I... that's not what...” Gloria stopped talking when I held up a hand to stop her.

“I'm not going to hurt myself by being your cuddle buddy and trying my best to not become emotionally involved with you, just because you aren't ready to feel that way about me. When I care about someone, I care about them and that's it. I won't pretend that being treated as disposable doesn't bother the hell out of me.”

Gloria gave me a look full of hurt. “I didn't...”

“You want me to treat you like a girlfriend without you having to reciprocate and treat me like a boyfriend.” I said and she didn't deny it. “I might have done things differently if I'd known you were that bothered by my age and because I was in your son's class at the academy. I didn't bother me at all that you were a choom's mother and I did what I did for you because I believed you were worth it.”

Gloria looked surprised and didn't say anything.

“I thought we could be good together and I'm sorry that you don't. The trouble you're having now is that you can't admit to yourself that you made your choice days ago and finally found who it was you didn't realize you were looking for. The only reason you came here tonight, make that this morning, was for me to point it out to you.” I said and pointed at my apartment's door. “There it is.”

Gloria stood and put the half-empty can of soda down. “I really am sorry for what happened between us, Veder.”

I sighed at her feeling regret for sleeping with me. “I'm only sorry you can't accept that someone not your age can care about and appreciate you as deeply as you believe only someone your age can.”

Gloria had many thoughts go through her head as she walked towards the door.

“I don't hate you for rejecting me, Gloria.” I said and she stopped walking just before she reached the door. “I also don't hold anything against you. You feel how you feel and that's okay.”

“What if I said I hate you?” Gloria asked me without turning around. “Just a little.”

“For not giving you everything you wanted and not asking for anything in return?” I asked back and she nodded. “No matter who you are, good or bad, rich or poor, ugly as sin or beautiful as an angel, sometimes things just don't work out, no matter how much you hoped they would.”

Gloria looked back at me and I had the same sad expression on my face that she had on her own. She knew I was also talking about myself as well as her, so she nodded once more and the apartment's door opened for her when she approached it.

“Just so you know, I won't be living here anymore after tonight.” I said and she stiffened as her walking paused, then she kept walking and the door shut behind her. Her last thought was about how she could no longer come here to escape her problems and she was going to miss that even more than the comfort she thought she would have gotten from me without giving any in return.

I checked the time and I had barely 2 hours left before I had to get up, showered, and dressed for school at the academy. So, I stored the book on the coffee table and cast a temporary sleep spell on myself that would last that long on myself and conked right out. It was kind of funny that my other body had just done the same thing and we had both had relatively good nights that were somewhat relaxing.

*

A NetWatch member investigated several odd anomalies that had happened without their knowledge and that someone had sent in an anonymous tip. It wasn't, unless they deleted the file reference and the digital signature of the informer. They didn't.

They knew exactly who on their staff worked on the side for the gangs and various corporations that wanted an early warning that NetWatch was coming after them or investigating them. They used the planted agents for their own ends and ensured the integrity of the local nets and kept the worst of the rogue AIs occupied and contained. At least, they hoped they did.

There was always some stupid idiot that kept poking the Blackwall and using the obviously left there loopholes that were traps that gave NetWatch their digital signatures and they kept an eye on everyone surfing the digital world and not just what people thought were threats. They were the best information gatherers on the planet and used everything they could to their advantage.

Why did the Fixer for the Tyger Claws want them to investigate a new netrunner? Because they had screwed up their interactions by dismissing the netrunner's information request. That was a mistake most people don't recover from, especially now that same netrunner had made his move and came onto the scene right under everyone's noses, even theirs.

But, now that they were on his trail, they could dig up everything that ever existed about both Atlas and Veder. They would treat them as separate identities at first, find out everything the could, and then they would combine their research to figure out all of the netrunner's secrets, both in real life and in the digital world. There was nothing they couldn't find out, thanks to their own massive databanks and the netrunners under their employ.

*

Susan Abernathy sat in her smaller office and chose to wait on using the new dirt she had gained about her pitiful rival, Jenkins. He was a brute, and a bully, and he didn't have a conniving bone in his entire body. He claimed he was strong and did things others didn't have the guts to do. What he really did was always the biggest things that gained the most attention and neither he nor his tactics were subtle. At all.

When it was time for the annual review and the company head and the board of directors gathered together for their yearly meeting near the top of the Arasaka Tower, she would bring up all of the things the man had done to make the company look bad and cost them millions of eurodollars from his own pettyness. Yes, that was what she would do.

Susan's mind drifted on its own to the intern named Veder that she had handed over to the man and she shivered. She flexed her hand and the new finger just didn't feel right. Maybe it was because the finger was newer than the other ones? Perhaps if she replaced them all, it wouldn't bother her so much.

She glanced down and the RealSkinn around it had blended it in perfectly, except in her mind she knew that it wasn't her finger. Veder had crushed that one as if it meant nothing to him and that image had stuck in her mind for the last two days and she wasn't sure how she was going to get rid of it.

Perhaps a visit to her lover would take her mind off of her troubles. Claudette always did have a knack for making her feel good about all of the harsh things she had to do to keep herself at the top of a pack of jackals that were all out for her job. She would take care of them when it was time, though. She just had to wait for the opportunity and she would show them. She would show them all.

*

Arthur Jenkins cursed at himself as he lay in bed. It had been so shortsighted of him to not fully inspect his new office for listening devices and surveillance cameras. They called them security cameras; but, he knew what they were really for. To watch all the people inside the building and to record everything they said and did to use against them.

He would tear that entire office apart until he found everything and then he would install his own specialty ICE programs and maybe even a Black ICE program or two as a backup. No one was allowed to use his own words against him, especially not some jumped up intern that Susan Abernathy had saddled him with.

He would show her exactly the kind of man he was. As soon as he had the opportunity, he would deal with her. Until then, he would have to play nice with the new agent under his authority. Perhaps it was even possible to turn him against his secret boss and maybe even use him as a tool against her.

Yes, that was what he would do. When it was time, he wouldn't even have to do a thing himself. Susan had given him Veder to do his dirty work for him and he wouldn't waste the opportunity she had given to him. It might take a while to gather all the information on her that he would need, perhaps 6 months or so, and then he would sit on it for several months and make them all think he had forgotten.

Then, and only then, he would strike. Abernathy would have no idea what had hit her and Veder would be the one to take the fall for it.