"Vat do yoo mean, Nadan eez here? I tought dat doze Eenzteetute keedz vere locked oop for goot..." Rox made a sound of disagreement, and Swede frowned more. "Nope, records say we've got six Charybdis Institute probational soldiers here. And our two newest contestants are Nathan Terrance and Denali Katera Quistin. Respectively nicknamed Asmodeus and Kat."

Dante rolled over to face them, propping her elbow against the pillow and leaning her head into her hand. "Kat, that must be that red-headed bitch he was with earlier. Aren't there records or anything you can dig up, Roxy?"

"I zteel can't beleeve dat dey let dat greeyaz oot uv dat plaze, I tink he bezt loocked oop forevaire, neh, Jéli? Aftaire vat he deed to yoo and me, bakatare, vat I vooldn't like to do to heem..." Swede rubbed her stomach in rueful remembrance as Dante smirked maliciously. Rox glanced up and smiled too, the three of them wearing the same cold grins on their faces. "Ha, yah, dat boy he eez een for zum trooble, no? I'd like to zhow heem dat Zvede hazn't forgoteen vat he deed."

"Hey Rox, you having any luck?" Rox bit her lip in concentration, pulling one hand away from her keyboard long enough to wave it dismissingly at her friends. "Shhh, you wanted a hack, you shut up and let me work, neh? I'm almost in, be patient."

Reaching a hand up, Swede slapped her playfully on the back of her head, making a mock-frown as Rox glared at her, dark brown hair tousled from Swede's hit. "Cut it out, Aria, let her work." Dante managed a laugh, her own icy eyes dancing. "Thanks, Jélice, you tell the blonde who's boss. Besides, I'm in. You name it, I've got it. Whaddya wanna know?"

Dante sat up, pushing away from the bunk to slide in next to Rox, Swede watching the desk with interest from the other side. Rox sat cross-legged in the center, her desk centered squarely in her lap, files scrolling slowly as she continued to type. "Okee, here goes. Nathan Terrence. Admitted to Charybdis Institute on May 4th, about three days after he was iced. Spent two years in the place, looks like he was attacked once by some junkie inmate, had to report to the infirmary for a few injuries. Hmmm, took the name Asmodeus, which this other little site," here Rox opened another window, "says translates to 'The spirit of wrath that accompanies evil. One of the fallen angels.' Fitting, neh?"

Swede hissed quietly between her teeth, but Dante merely clenched her jaw and nodded for Rox to continue. "Lemme see, looks like we've got some info on that other chica, too. Denali Katera Quistin, admitted December 10th... whoa damn. Eight years ago, iced two days into her launch, after attacking a few other launchies. Quite a naughty little kitten, we've got quite a disciplinary record on this one. Anything else you'd like to know, Jélize? I gotta close up soon, before the security trolls track me down."

"No... I guess that works. We can always get in if we need more, right?" Rox smirked in affirmation as she logged off, the display darkening as she leaned back against the wall. "So what now, girls? We've got that Nathan kid o' yours, Dante, and his little Kat companion. You have anything in mind? C'mon, I wanna cause some trouble."

Swede rolled from the bunk, stretching with an evil grin at the pair. "I zay vee zhow dat boy whoze bozz, neh? Tree gurlz like uz, vee keek zum azz." Both Rox and Dante stood then, moving toward the door, but Dante paused and spoke. "No, if he doesn't bother us, we won't bother him... at least, not yet. He's... different. I don't want to do anything dangerous, okay?"

She tossed her duffel under one of the unclaimed bunks and plopped down. What had her commander said her cell mates names were? Roxy? Swede? She wasn't sure what kind of nicknames they were, but she'd probably find out when they came back. Chances were they wouldn't be all that thrilled about having a new kid in their cell, but it had to happen eventually. She sighed and folded her hands behind her head; she didn't really know much of anyone, no one besides kyle from Eagle had graduated yet. Drea would have had he not been iced. Lord knows why the others weren't here, unless they were on their way. But it was a nice thought to know that at least kyle was around. Her chest ached, the memory of the fight where the only word to describe what he'd done for her was he save her.

She wanted to go talk to kyle again, since she'd only been able to converse with him for a few minutes when they'd arrived, but it was getting late. The shuttle had got in late and only gave her about an hour before lights out. It wasn't worth leaving the cell, she'd have to go hunt down his quad in the morning before classes.

"Y'know, Aria, I wonder if it has to do with that Nathan boy. I mean, ever since he showed up here and I hacked into his files, she's been acting all weird; quiet and paranoid, and quite frankly, her eyes have me all creeped out. I haven't seen her like this since they had that fight back at Battle School."

Rox reached up to palm open the door to their cell as Swede nodded tiredly in agreement. "Yah, boot I can't blame her, dat Nadan deed zum nazty meen ztuff to uz. I voold ztill keel heem eef zhe'd let mee, boot zhe juzt geetz dat foony look and I doon't dare zay anyting, zee? I tink dat maybee..." she trailed off as they entered and noticed a new girl laying in a bunk. Shooting Swede a wary glance, Rox frowned and moved to poke the girl lightly in the side. "Heya, are you one of our new greens? Uh... I'm Roxy, and this is Swede... you look familiar. Weren't you in... Eagle Army, right? Didn't you know that Kyle kid there, Nene?"

She didn't want to go to class, and so she didn't. It wasn't as if it made much of a difference. Her teacher stopped harassing her about missed lectures once he realized that she probably knew more than he did. The IF just had no idea; here they were, trying to teach her about their latest computer technology, program writing, battle simulations. Child's play. She'd known all that long before she'd made her way to Command School, had been the hacker every soldier came to when they needed a security system installed or some information dug up. She'd even managed to sneak a few letters out to a desperate launchy's family. Yeah, Rox believed in all that karma shit her Buddhist parents had fed her, and when there came a knock on her door and a familiar voice calling her name, she smiled to herself. Good aura indeed.

Rox. What a kicker. Don had saved her a year ago or so from some overexcited soldier. But that boy's loss had been their gain. Whenever they were in need of... companionship, she was usually more than willing to oblige. It didn't matter which one of them it was. She liked Don and himself both equally; even together. That thought spurned another grin as Dom divested himself of his uniform jacket, unbuckling his belt and kicking off his boots and trousers before pouncing into bed beside her.

Her giggle afforded him a broader smile, one not usually seen on his reserved features. There was just something about Rox that reminded him of their Creche girls, Melinda and Madeleine. Sitting on her hips, pinning her to the bed, Dom poked Rox in the stomach with a stiffened finger and gave a mock frown as she stuck her tongue out at him and snickered.

"Here. I'll help you think." He snuck his hands under the edge of her shirt, yanking it over her head before she could resist. She squirmed a little, pretending to fight as he tugged on her skivvies next, stripping her while she continued to keep a straight expression as if thinking deeply about his inquiry. "You thinking straight yet?" Rox giggled. "Nope."

Dom couldn't restrain a laugh at that. His Rox, such a fiesty Japanese geisha-girl. He liked to think of her more as his than as Don's, even though his brother had been the one to gain initial favor. Of course, Don didn't know about the frequency of his visits with Rox anymore; they'd gotten pretty good at sneaking out to meet. He hated keeping things from his twin, but some opportunities were just too good to waste. "What do I have to do to make you answer me then?"

"Oh, I just don't know." Rox fluttered her eyelashes at him playfully, sliding her own hands into the legs of his shorts. His indigo eyes widened as she made an innocent face before pulling off his own underclothes. "But I'll just say that I missed you too. Let's play."

He didn't answer, just wrapped his arms around her torso and pushed against her, biting gently at her neck. With an appreciative giggle, she wrapped her own legs around his waist, twining her fingers into his black spikes as he moved. Damn. Neither him nor his brother had been around to visit her lately; too busy stalking other targets. Nicolai hadn't visited her either, for another reason whose name happened to be Dante. Rox didn't feel too much jealousy over that though, knowing that Nico wouldn't get far. She was great friends with the girl, but she just didn't know what she was missing by being so cold and withdrawn from everything male.

But then again... neither brother came to see her unless they needed something. Companionship was one thing. Other services were another. She had a sneaking feeling that Dom wanted something that had nothing to do with his little visit right now. And so with a smirk, Rox stopped her attack on Dom and pushed him away lightly. He huffed, trying to catch his breath and slightly irritated at being disrupted from their fun. "What is it... Rox?"

"Why'd ya come visit, darling? I know this isn't one of your social visits, like last week." Dom frowned at her, trying to kiss her again to make her be quiet so he could continue. Too smart for her own good. He didn't mind admitting that his coming here hadn't been entirely a pleasure trip... he wanted information about Dante, and now. Rox appreciated bluntness. He wouldn't lie to her. "No, I do need some information from you, love, but not right now..."

When they were both laying in bed, panting softly to themselves, Rox rolled over to sit on his stomach, trapping him. Now it was her turn to play. Scratching her nails gently across his chest, she leaned down to stare at him. "What is it you need, Dom?"

"There's this girl that you know..." he didn't even finish his sentence before she smirked and shook her head. "Another target? Who is it this time? Last time I almost got caught hacking into her files just so you could decide who could get her first. Not this time. Nope. No hacka for you."

Dom frowned up at her. "That's not what I need, Roxy. You know this girl. Dante. We read through her files, all that information about her and that Nathan Terrence. He's not good for her, Rox, you should know that as her friend. We'd just like to... y'know. Protect her from him."

"Protect? Right..." she raised an eyebrow before leaning down to kiss him. "I know Dante. What is it you need to know?"

"Yes, yes, Rox. Comprende. I understand. Now stop being such a pest..." he reached up to tickle her ribs, smirking when she exploded into giggles and fell from her perch on his hips. Dom continued to attack her, rewarded with her peals of laughter as she tried to kick at him. One of her feet caught him square in his chest, and with an exclamation of surprise, he tumbled backwards from the bunk to land on the floor with a thump. "You little..."

Rox peered at him over the edge of the bed, her eyes wide as she fought to keep a straight face. Dom looked hilarious, sprawled on the ground with his feet still propped awkwardly on the bunkside. Running a light fingertip along the bottom of his bare foot, she smiled broadly at him when he gasped and jerked his ankle away from her touch. "Little what, cutie? Now shhh, be quiet and I'll tell you what you want to know. I assume you've already read all the files in the school mainframe?"

"Ye... yeah. Yes." He managed to choke out, still trying to regain his breath from their tussle. "We read everything. What else is there to know?" Rox was staring at him intently, and it was his turn to stick his tongue out at her, rolling onto his side to push himself back onto all fours and crawling into bed beside her. She shifted to make room, kissing him briefly before he settled into her pillow and stared at the ceiling. "C'mon, tell me..."

"Now you're pestering me. Well, lemme see. You know all about Dante and Nathan's fight... well, she was just fine'n'dandy until he showed up here a few days ago. Um, I guess they got into an argument or something, and I hacked into his files to find more out about why he was here. Don't do anything stupid, Dom... he's dangerous. We were all trying to protect Dante from him, especially after he attacked some other girl she used to have in her army. Wick her name is, I think. Anyway... they locked him up but he was released, and since then she's been acting all funny. Stormed outta the observatory last night when we were all there. I don't think that even Nicolai has managed to get her to talk. What else do you wanna know, nosy?"

Dom digested this information in silence. A confrontation after two years apart... no wonder she'd been so cold and withdrawn. Add all that bitterness and betrayal on top, and damn. He and Don certainly had their work cut out for them. He wondered briefly whether this was a futile effort; but the memory of her silvery eyes and lovely face quickly erased that thought. They'd never lost. Dante might require a much more concentrated approach, but they'd win, as always.

However, the delicate question remained unspoken. A little unnerved by Rox's gaze, Dom barely kept his cool reserve without blushing. "Is she... I mean to ask, what exactly was her relationship before with Nathan?"

"Don't you mean, did she ever sleep with him?" The blunt attitude did cause Dom to blush, just slightly, and Rox caught that instantly. "You're going after her, aren't you? She's your new target? Well, pshhhhhhhhht." She rolled her eyes and yanked the pillow from beneath his head, smacking him across the face as he spluttered and protested. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Bullshit! You wanna get Dante! Hahaha, good luck, Casanova, cause you're gonna need it!" She hit him again before jumping nimbly from the bunk, retrieving her clothes from where he'd thrown them carelessly onto the floor. Pulling on her uniform again, she wrinkled her nose before throwing his own pants into his face as he sat up. "Get dressed, sweetie. I'm hungry, and you still owe me. Needta keep my energy up, specially if you and the bro come around again soon..."

Dom sighed in mock resignment, buckling his pants around his waist again as he slipped into his jacket. "Yes, don't need you being tired, little animal. And whaddya mean, bullshit? You don't think I can do it? C'mon... you know how charming I am..." He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him, kissing her when she started laughing.

"Yeah, so charming. But no, I don't think you'll get this one. Nada Dante for you." Rox poked her finger against his chest, a stabbing gesture that made him narrow his eyes. As if they couldn't get Dante. No girl had ever held out again them for long, and once they figured out the secret to get Dante's icy shield down, she'd be no different. "You wanna bet?"

"Ooooh, Dom, a challenge? Maybe I'll just tell her all sorts of nasty true things about you and Don. Lady breakers, you are. Lucky I'm so big and tough." He laughed at her then and nodded, planting a kiss as he took her hand and shook it vigorously. "Good, it's a bet. If I win, well... you know. If you win... same deal. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

A few minutes still remained until lights-out, but everyone appeared asleep, breathing slowly as the illumination from the ceiling dimmed for approaching dark. Dominic crept over to Rox's bedside, placing a hand over her mouth as with the other he swiftly wrapped the blanket around her, grinning as her eyes snapped open. She tried to say something, growling a little, but he shook his head warningly and lifted her easily, still keeping her muffled. Rox squirmed against him, hazy eyes trying to focus on his face, kicking him as he signaled for his brother. Donovan quickly picked up her scattered uniform from the floor, then strode to his side, tugging sharply on her hair until she stopped struggling.

Rox bounded into her cell, throwing herself onto her bunk and picking up her desk. She sat with legs folded, lotus position, meditation before the technology gods as with nimble fingers she plucked the discette from her front pocket and slid it into its slot in her display. A few long, anxious moments as the mainframe loaded, and her fingers tapped impatiently on her keyboard as she waited.

Fifteen minutes.

Loaded, finally. Her fingers flew as she snuck past the first few security clearances, eyebrow furrowing as she bit her lower lip and concentrated, delving deeper. Past the general files, through maintenance, to the treasure trove she was seeking; the simulation server. All the data for the control panels blinked before her eyes, and Rox giggled with excitement.

Ten minutes.

She smiled again when the simplicity of Vinny's program became evident. He was a prankster after her own heart, that boy. Nicolai wouldn't know what hit him. Every few minutes one of his scout's systems would go offline. It could be anything; the program chose at random. One moment the blasters, then the reverse thrust might short out... never two at once, but always something. And the flashboy might be good, real good, but there was no way in hell he could beat her and Vinny's masterpiece.

Five minutes.

With another laugh she blanked the display and tucked the desk under her arm, jumping from her bunk. Whenever Nicolai got angry enough, he'd hit the game arena, fighting anyone rash enough to challenge him, just to work off steam. Rox checked her watch. Three minutes until his last class got out, and she had no doubt he'd go straight for the arena. Perfect. Palming open the door, she swept from the barracks and began to jog.

A knock on their cell door interrupted whatever quiet conversation they had been engaged in. Rox glanced over her shoulder, startled and wary, and Dante looked toward Swede. With a sigh, she shook the spikes from her eyes and pushed herself to her feet, stalking over toward the door and palming it open cautiously.

Rye was on the other side, smiling slightly at her. "Mornin', Swede." She grinned, relieved that it was only him, and turned slightly to look at her friends for confirmation. Rox nodded, and Dante perked up enough to smile quietly as he stepped inside a few steps. "Well Rye, what a surprise. Nice to see you again."

"Heya, Rye." Rox winked half-heartedly and then returned her attention toward her nails with absentminded concentration. Thoughts of Dominic were occupying her, and any in-depth conversation was beyond her abilities at this point. Dante wasn't much better, her violet-silver eyes rather unfocused even as she smiled at Rye.

"What is this bullshit, anyway? Have we ever had a parade review before? I mean, damn, what the hell is going to be accomplished by shoving us all into some room?" She bit at her nails and nudged Mik, who yawned and grinned at Swede. "Eh, just means we hafta get all dolled up, I guess. I don't think I've ever worn that dress uniform."

"Yeah, well, Ty said that we gotta be all nice an' presentable, and you know how anal he gets about this shit, huh, Nene." Swede snorted, snickering loudly. "Yah, dat meenz yoo are gunna hafta vear an udderzhirt, Roxee. I tink dat Hedmaztaire zee yoo vitoot vun, he..."

Rox interrupted with a giggle. "Maybe we'll get extra points if I don't wear anything under the jacket, eh?" Mik and Swede giggled along with her, before Mik rolled her eyes and gave Rox a light kick. "Glad I ain't in your quad, Roxy, you get in trouble too much. Me, I gotta worry 'bout Jack... boyo thinks if we don't spit-shine our shoes, they're gonna demote him. Nervous little prick, he is, but from the sounds of this new guy, I'm not sure I blame him too much."

"Vatevaire happeened to dee old Hedmaztaire, anyvay?" Rox suddenly fell silent, glancing around the room before rolling onto her stomach to face her friends. Mik and Swede followed suit, eyeing her curiously as Rox smiled secretly and whispered. "The new guy threw him outta office."

"Are you serious? How the hell did you manage to find that out?" Mik was more intrigued than Swede, who shook her head and blew the spikes from her eyes. "I tinkz dat yoo are lyeeng, Roxee. Vat yoo do? Hack eento zee filez agin? Yoo can't geet eento dat ztuff, eetz too clazzifeed."

"Fuck, Nene, I'm not some green. You can't tell anyone, though, okee? Otherwise I could get in some deep shit." They leaned closer together as she whispered again. "It's some hiretsukane from the IA... name is von Starnburg, Johan von Starnburg. Remember how I played that prank on Nico? Rabin got the riot gear when he got into some kinda tussle with this guy. I guess he came in and kicked out ol' Major Bryant, and they threw him into the Detention Center... I dunno why, I couldn't find anything more, but damn... this guy's an ass."

"That's crazy. You can't be serious." Swede made an unintelligible sound of disagreement, and Rox flushed, angry at the two. "You already said that, Ti. I'm fucking as serious as Nene's little crush on that Rye boy." Mik laughed as Swede hissed and gave Rox a slap upside the head. "Beetcha! Dat eezn't troo, yoo juzt makin' diz zheet oop now!"

"Bite me, Nene. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. It's not like you know." She shoved Swede away and sat up, dark chocolate eyes narrowed. "Whoa, settle down now, Roxy. C'mon you two, this is ridiculous. Let's go do something fun. I feel like playing."

"Roxee can't play aneemore, zhee'z got herzelf a boyfreend now. Zhee eez outta dee game, Ti, eetz juzt yoo an' me, zinze Jélize don't play eidder."

Out of the game? She was never out of the game. As long as it was just looking, not touching, there couldn't be any harm. Swede's comment hurt her pride more than she cared to admit. Woe the day that Rox left the game for any one man.

"You Swedish skank, I ain't outta the game. Dommy doesn't care if I play, and I don't care if he fuckin' does. I ain't sleepin' with our toys, so hell, let's go. I'll show you I'm still good."

Mik pushed herself standing and smoothed her hair, straightening her uniform as she pulled on her jacket and tossed the others theirs. "Time to rock an' roll then, eh, girls? Stop pouting, Nene, and get ready. They just gotta new ship of greens in this morning... just perfect timing for us."

"Zheet, diz bettaire be good, cuz vee haft anudder meeteeng vith Ty agin... and yoo gotta zee Jack lataire, rite, Ti?" Swede zipped up her collar as Mik sighed. "Yeah, and another in the morning. How many times can we talk about how to get dressed? It's not like this means anything."

"Forget Ty, he won't give a shit if we miss his little meeting. And Jack can suck it. Maybe we'll find Jélice along the way or something. Playtime."

Dominic nudged Rox, who only yawned and rolled onto her back to give him a sleepily irritated frown. He grinned when she waved a lazy hand at him in dismissal, sneaking his fingers across her bare stomach to tickle her side. She exploded in giggles, indignant amusement on her features as she slapped his hands away and yawned again. "So ask who it is, Dommy."

"Oh, fine." He turned his attention toward the door and called out. "Who is it?" There was a long pause, before an accented voice spoke from the other side. "MJ. I need to see RN."

MJ? RN? Dominic was confused, and shifted to look down at Rox, who suddenly appeared very awake. She gave him a pensive glance, dark chocolate eyes narrowing as she tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down and pinned her to the bunk. "No no, Rox. Who's MJ? I assume he's here to see you."

Was that jealousy she detected in Dominic's tone? Rox struggled a little before huffing and rolling her eyes at him. "It's only Jude. One of my boys. He's probably just here to report in or something. I promise it won't take long."

Despite having known Rox for quite some time, on very intimate terms, Dom still had a very shallow understanding of what she did. He was aware that she had "boys;" people that got her things and helped her out, but beyond that, he didn't really know much. It was more of an underground circuit than anything else, and he was distinctly out of the loop. All he knew was that she got these visits often, sometimes handing out packets or boxes to certain visitors, sometimes working on her desk for hours at a time. And she always seemed to put this "business" ahead of him. It was jealousy that made him frown, but he let her up from the bed, watching silently and rather sullenly as she hastily dressed.

"Why the hell can't he just email you? Why does he have to disturb us?" It was less of us that was implied than me, and Rox turned to stare at him as she tugged an undershirt over her head, surprised and a trifle angry at his demeanor. "And what the fuck is wrong with you, Dommy? I'm sorry I'm not in bed pleasing you right now, but I have things to do too. If you don't care to wait, then you can leave me here with Jude."

That caught him off-guard, and for a moment, he didn't know quite what to say. But he did know that he sure as hell wasn't going to leave her alone with some soldier, especially a man who was one of "her boys," whatever the fuck that entailed. Dominic was slowly learning to trust Rox, but slowly was the key word. It came rather hard to him; he'd gone nearly eighteen long years of relying and trusting only one person-- his brother-- and putting faith in a little prankster like Roxinne Natano was difficult. Still. Her anger made him feel slightly... ashamed... and he conceded the point with veiled wariness.

"I'm not leaving. Go about your business. I'll just lay here and stare at the ceiling." Okay, so maybe he didn't give in quite as graciously as he should have, but Dominic wasn't in the mood to care. Rox shot him an odd glance before shaking her head. "At least put some pants on, and be polite in front of company, Dom."

He did so, sitting up in bed to lean against the wall and fold his arms across his chest, dark eyes shaded midnight as she suddenly crawled onto the bunk beside him, and leaned in to whisper. "Thank you, Dommy. And if you want, I'll tell you about all this once Jude leaves. Okay? Please don't be mad." It was a sacrifice on her part, to trust him so highly as to tell him all the details of her business. Certainly no one else really knew just how many boys she kept. Each client knew only her and the operative she used to fill their request. Each operative knew only her and that she'd supply them with jobs and trades as she saw fit. Many of them knew one another, of course, and she often hung out with those who worked for her. But to tell him details... well, Rox had decided that if she was going to claim she loved Dominic Creche, she might as well tell him everything.

Now he really couldn't find anything to say, and so remained silent, watching her with intensely focused obsessiveness as she stood and strode to the door, palming it open. A tall soldier he'd seen before only in passing brushed past her, paused to stare at him, and then shifted his gaze back to Rox with blank questioning. "It's fine, Jude. Now tell me why you're here."

"I'm here because you haven't been, Rox. This is getting ridiculous. None of us have been able to find you, and shit, things aren't going so well right now. That new Headmaster is out after students, and it's tightening the noose around us. Migs almost got caught and you didn't give a fuck. I'm delivering shipments and I can't risk being searched by MPs. The only reason we've kept out of trouble is because Landry's been watching the cams for us, and he keeps us safe. You haven't done jack shit lately, boss, and some of us are beginning to question whether or not you even care anymore. Ever since you got him--" Jude nodded at Dominic, who narrowed his eyes dangerously and made to stand, only to sit again when Rox scowled and made a dismissive motion. "You've been out of touch. So we just want to know what the fuck is going on."

Goddamnit.

She hadn't built her web only to watch it crumble now. He was right, and Rox accepted the reprimand for her inavailability. It was true, after all-- since she and Dominic had gotten together, she hadn't devoted as much time as she should have to her boys. Now they were warring for her time, and she wasn't quite sure which deserved it more. She couldn't just abandon her boys-- no, she'd spent too many years to obtain what she had now. She couldn't just ditch Dominic, either, though. But the cold calm and cool rationality that had made her the successful head of such an operation took over, and Rox frowned.

"This does not concern him, nor should it concern you, Malachy. You think I'm not aware of all this? I regret that I have been busy and rather unavailable for conference with you all, but I don't think my business is any worry of yours. Migs overstepped his bounds and I will reevaluate his level of work. Landry was in contact with me just this morning, so perhaps you should stay current on your information before you come confront me like this. The situation with the MPs has been duly noted and will be addressed at our meeting tomorrow. Now kindly remove yourself from my room, go about your deliveries, and I will see you tomorrow afternoon, Jude."

Jude looked for a moment as if he would have liked to backhand Rox, but one glare from Dominic seemed to decide him, and he shrugged with strained acceptance. He wouldn't have really hit her, anyway, but the desire had been there. "Fine. Tomorrow. I hope you show this time, unlike last week." He didn't bother to say goodbye, just shoved past her again and palmed out of the barracks, leaving Rox staring after him in irritable silence."

A tentative voice finally ventured "Rox?" She turned to see Dominic watching her, uncertainty on his face, but an underlying tension that she couldn't miss. Now he was probably pissed off at her too. Just what she needed. With a few succint curses underneath her breath, Rox sighed and moved back to crawl onto her bunk and sit in Dom's lap. "Sorry 'bout that, Dommy..."

"You okay, Roxdoll? That didn't seem very... friendly..." Dom hugged her to him as she buried her face into his chest and sighed again. "Yeah, it's just that he's right and I know it, and my boys are all pissed off at me... but you're not mad, are you?"

He smiled quietly into her hair as he kissed the crown of her head. "Mad, why? I don't understand any of this, but that's your own business, Rox. Okay? Now cheer up, sweets, and give me a kiss."

In a space meant to hold four persons in rather tight accomodations, the tiredly rowdy assembly of her nearly fifty operatives practically shoved the walls outward. Soldiers were everywhere; pressed against the walls, crowded on the bunks, and seated on the floor as Rox stood in the center of the room and tried to control her boys.

"I'm tellin' ya, Chick, things been gettin' tight. How the hell is a guy supposed to thieve if there be MPs ready to strip search anyone who even looks at 'em funny?" A few sounds of muted agreement, then more voices. "You are right, Har. Even a hacker such as myself is finding it difficult to get anything done." Snippets of conversation continued to distract her. "Boss ain't keepin' up to speed, neh? Jude an' I snatched some three hundred rounds o' razor ammo, two of that goes to Mikal, and damn, we're stretchin' what we got left just to fill orders."

She made an attempt to catch their attention, but her sharp whistle died on her lips when she realized that no one cared to listen. "Shit, Migs, we've all had some close calls lately." Someone groaned. "Fuckin' tell me about it, you hear that Galt got traced, but he wiped his 'puter before they could lock his location? He comes runnin' like a bat outta hell, I thought he was gonna have a heart attack or somethin', but motherfucker, he got me all ready to bail!" Another soldier spoke up. "Whoever the fuck is runnin' this place now, he be crackin' down. Old man Bryant knew better, he just let things be, and we ran good, didn't we? None o' this shit with almost gettin' tossed in the cells. Someone needs to teach that fucker a lesson."

"New headmaster needs to meet ol' Rox, she'd knock his boots and take over this fuckin' place!" Half the room exploded in laughter, ignoring her scowl and continuing to snicker. "Yeah, just send the squad out... can you imagine? Landry'd blow every comp in this place, Mikster'd probably shoot the bastard in the foot, and Sticks would have his ass tied to the IF pillar in the commons with his own fuckin' bootlaces before he could say anythin'."

More laughter, this time sending the room swaying as they crowed wildly. "Make Rox the headmaster, no more battles, we just be in bed all day and never go to classes again!"

Well, at least they didn't seem to be angry at her anymore.

"Listen up, buckos!" Her shout finally got the attention of a few soldiers, and they all gradually quieted, smiles still on their faces as they turned to regard her conspiratorially. She grinned right back, a broad smile that contradicted the surprising calculation in her lilting chocolate eyes, and she didn't speak until there was complete silence. "I'm gonna apologize right now, up front, for doin' such a shit-ass job lately. Part o' that blame goes to Dommy, but now that I got him sufficiently broken in, we--" Rox held up her hands for silence again, dismissing the laughs and murmurs from about the room. "We're back to business!"

Fin cheered from his position on a top bunk, dangling down to grin at her impishly until she made a face at him and continued. "So here's the deal, my boys. We're gonna reclaim this fuckin' school! We been runnin' for years, and I ain't givin' up just cause some IA hakujin hiretsukane decides to take over! He ain't never met the likes of Roxinne Natano, neh?" A few catcalls, and some of the soldiers began to clap, until she blushed and giggled. "Okay, okay, cut it out now! This ain't gonna be easy-- the weapons department is tightenin' the noose, and fuck, half of us have noticed that the security trolls in the system ain't too happy to see us. Call it luck or call it fate or call it 'Goddamn, that Rox knows how to pick 'em', but our good ol' Vinny here miraculously made a crack for the newest version of the mainframe, so after this meetin', hit him up for a disc and he'll get ya started."

"And--" she was interrupted again by applause for Vin, who somehow managed to extricate himself from a far corner and stand, the trademark deadpan expression on his face doing nothing to hide the amusement in his eyes. Someone shouted "Speech!," to which he rolled his eyes and pulled a discette from his front pocket. "In honor of our newest IA headmaster, I've christened this program the 'Fuck 'em up the BackAlley' crackbug. You all are welcome to enjoy my latest masterpiece, but please, remember that we only use this bit of technology to aid the forces of good." Jeers at the irony of his statement broke through the resulting din, but he waved for quiet, and eventually things settled down enough again for Rox to resume her own speech.

"Where was I?" Niles called out "BackAlley!," and she made a face of mock anger. "Sickos. Y'all get your minds outta the gutter now; I'm just your innocent little boss, see? Now, we got a spot o' business to discuss before we all go get ready for this so-called 'parade review' this afternoon." Groans and boos echoed briefly. "Hey, if I hafta wear a dress uniform, I think you boyos can manage. So shut up. We're gettin' more requests for equipment and hacks than we can fill, which either means we hafta find more operatives, or we're gonna hafta cut down on how many orders we take. I don't like it; fuck, I hate it, but with the added security and shit from the headmaster, we need to up our costs and trade."

Another soldier booed. "Yeah, then we ain't gonna get so much business, Roxy, then we won't get paid, neh?" Rox folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "Fuck, Resa, you know I ain't pleased. Y'know when things get tight, no one gives a shit what they pay, they just want their goods. And since I care so much about the welfare of my handsome boys, an up in price means an up in pay. We be rakin' in the trade, lemme tell ya, guys. If we were Earthside, y'all would be bajillionaires drivin' Porches and Ferrari's. But since we're here, I'm gonna stick to this plan, and soon we be ownin' half the souls in this shithole."

"What about the MPs? How the hell are we supposed to deal with 'em?!" Landry stopped Rox from replying and smiled reassuringly at the crowd. "For the past few days, I've been tracking their schedules. There is a period of a few hours in the morning, followed by another in late afternoon, where they leave the detention center to come out and harass poor little angels like us. So its just a matter of avoiding them when they're out, and laying low until they disappear again. I've got the holocam system on my computer, and will continue to monitor all activity. Check your mail when you get back to your barracks-- I'll send out the schedule, so you can plan your deliveries and such around their hunting time."

Rox patted him on the back. "Thankee, Landry babe. Does that answer your question, Pip? We all set there?" A multitude of mumbled 'yeah's and 'sure's echoed, and she nodded her head in approval. "Good. I gotta little surprise for you, boys, so cock a lug and close those mouths. In keeping with my ever generous and giving nature--" she grinned at a catcall from one of her boys, "I'd like to invite y'all to check your cards... I do believe you'll find that you all now have unlimited credits for the rest of your Command School years. Now, does that make up for me bein' gone?"

The chorus of "Fuck yeah!" reassured her, and made her smile grow wider as a few wolf whistles sounded. Ollie leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek, resulting in wild cheers from the room, and she blushed and fluttered her eyelashes playfully at them. "Aww geez, guys..."

"Hey Roxy! Make Dominic your 'under-cover' operative, and then he won't get pissy that you're spendin' so much time with us!" More hooting, but this time she feigned anger and glared at Jude, who stood grinning cockily at her. "At least I got myself a boy, Jude-o. You're probably just jealous cause Sticks ain't livin' up to his name for you, eh?" Sticks was instantly harangued, and had to shout to be heard. "Hell no I ain't puttin' out for Malachy! I save that for his girlfriend!"

Things started to get out of hand; soldiers laughing so loudly that there were answering pounding on the walls from her quadmates, and she had to call for silence. "Enough! Okay, my lovelies, this meeting is adjourned! Out! Go get your asses ready for parade review, and don't forget to check your mail for MP schedules. Hacks, pick up the discs from Vinny, and now y'all get the hell outta here!"

There was a literal stampede for the day, Vinny nearly knocked over as he tried to toss out discs to everyone who upheld their hands, Landry beset with questions, and Fin almost getting trampled until Niles picked him up and carried him from the room. Rox sat on the edge of her bunk and talked to a few lingering members of her group before they too departed, and finally the last of them was gone. It was only a moment later that Swede poked her head into the room, eyeing Rox quietly until she motioned for her friend to come in. "We're all done; thanks for gettin' the greens outta here, Nene."

She had run as fast as her short little legs would carry her all the way to Phoenix Quad, but Dante was nowhere to be found. Nicolai was in a bad mood, and Fin said he hadn't seen her all day, and Rox ran out again without a word. She tore through the corridors, knocking into soldiers along the way, and she was about to pass out when she finally stumbled into her barracks. There was no one in her cell, and she fell onto her bed, her hands automatically reaching for her desk as she panted and gasped and shook. Dante had to be somewhere. Rox had to find her.

Her fingers flew as she typed frantically, but it wasn't until five minutes later that Rox had the presence of mind to check Dante's mail account. There, like a black notice, was a message from that Litong man, requesting a meeting. No! No, this couldn't be happening! Rox knew that it was all lies, but only because she'd been in touch with Dominic-- what would Dante think?! The girl hadn't spoken to Donovan since he was taken away, and given her withdrawn demeanor, Rox was deathly afraid that Dante would think that Litong spoke the truth.

Oh, this is so bad!

Rox had fucked up big time on this one.

This was beyond terrible; it was catastrophic. Why hadn't she kept her mouth shut?! Why hadn't she responded like she was supposed to, and feign ignorance, and just be polite and noncommital like Dominic told her to be whenever someone asked about the Creche?! Rox buried her face in her hands, but nothing could keep the tears from leaking between her fingers and hitting the display of the desk held in her lap. Dominic had trusted her, and she had ruined it all. Unless Litong was blind-- and she knew he was far from naive-- then the twins would be sent away, gone forever.

Wiping the tears from the keyboard, Rox sobbed and wrote a message to Dominic. When she touched the 'send' key, it sent a fresh wave of guilt through her, and she promptly threw her desk across the room and set about wailing. It wasn't anger that drove her tantrum this time, but as Rox cried and keened loudly, the result was much the same.

Someone entered her room, but she didn't notice until she saw Khris's face above hers, worry in his eyes. Having someone to commisserate with her only made her sobs harder, and she pressed her face to his shoulder and screeched as he picked her up and curled on the bunk. "Roxy... sweets, what's wrong?"

Rox just wailed until he hugged her again.

I dinnit mean to, Dommy! I really didn't this time... please be okay....

Khris held her until she fell asleep against him.