"We got paid, girls. Five different customers, and all have happily given the payment. We've signed contracts to let them know that if the troublesome people rise up in the future, we can show them some courtesy and deliver a proper punishment for their trouble. If those fools behave, we don't have to worry." Mer smiled, at which point Brit grinned.

"Our pet is sleeping, so when you get cleaned up, she'll offer up that fine ass of hers." Brit closed and locked the door, and turned on the security system. A mercenary across the street had a knife against his throat.

"Are you on behalf of their clients, or the ones who took the photos?" Aya asked quietly.

"I can't give arghh!" He screamed as she gripped his right hand and crushed it.

"I will only ask one more time. The next time, I will twist your head off and download the information myself." She held out a collar, and he saw the prongs. "This will pierce the brain stem, and download the information forcibly. And that is whether or not your head is attached. It doesn't matter to me either way." He took a slow deep breath.

"It is not malicious. Our employer is worried they may retain data and threaten them in the future." He said quietly.

"Inform your employer that they do not have in house computer systems yet. The hacking was done by their employer, an associate of Red Ghost." Aya left with that statement only. She didn't need to place any other threat.

Red Ghost was her online name she used when she destroyed a few players for her grandfather. In his world, her online name made people sweat as she was one of the premier hackers in their kind of work. If someone opposed her grandfather, she exposed the source, cutting through all the dummies.

He pushed a button on his phone.  A preprogrammed phone was a mistake in his line of work, but in his own mind, these were only girls, not professionals.  This job shouldn't have happened in the first place, and the 'associate' gave him a good reason not to complete it.

"Your report is late." The man said. "What did you find out?"

"Small time operation. Not the kind that goes back on its word. A word of caution. They are backed by Red Ghost's services." He waited appropriately.

"Return to base. We do not wish to antagonize them. Since they do not pose a threat to us, we'll monitor and decide how to respond." The phone went dead, and the mercenary grimaced.

"What you mean is that you'll pull back and hope that they don't mind that you planned to kill their people." He looked at his hand that was already swelling. "The main problem is that I can sense people around me. I couldn't sense her even when she was right there."

 

* * *

 

"Sir. We have a lead on your granddaughter." George put the folder on his desk. Once it was opened, his face twitched.

"Crushed hand, and a warning. Is she being gentle, or making sure her people can continue to grow unmolested?" He asked quietly.

"My opinion is so that her people can grow. A first job was a fool for a client. They didn't want to use a high powered team to take out the trash, so someone with a small signature did them a favor, for a small price. This was a good thing for them, but he decided to try and tie up the ends that were not loose." George snorted. "If you ask me, he needs a warning. His children got pulled into something messy, they got blackmailed, someone took care of his problem for a small fee, and he wants to remove the ones who took care of his problem, not the blackmailers." His boss snorted.

"Yes. A bit foolish. An offered tool should not be refused. It should be reused. Hm. We want to create some ties with this small group of hers. It's a start that we should encourage." Aya's grandfather thought about this carefully.  George nodded.

"Strange that she wanted to go this route. I never saw her as someone who only dipped her toes in."  George said in that flat voice of his.

"Let them earn, but also earn loyalty. She could have used any number of things. Something that allows them to stay public, but also just on the edge. I can see the route she wants to take. Toughen them up. See passed the surface. Get experience." He thought for a moment.

"Are there any associates that need small problems taken care of?" Her grandfather asked.

"A cop on the payroll. An honest guy, but one who doesn't mind looking the other way when it benefits justice. He dropped off a serial rapist to a warehouse for us. His kid is getting harassed. Bullied badly. She's almost suicidal." He nodded.

"Send the request. Five grand for the reward. A warning, and a real beat down of their strongest and meanest." George smiled.

"I'll get the contract sent, and left at their door."

 

* * *

 

"Leen, something slid under the door." Jenni said and put her head back down. Leen lifted her eyes and nodded.

"Brit, can you grab that letter? Your pet's tongue has almost got me to the edge, and I don't want to lose it." She grabbed Jenni's hair and pushed her down a bit more. "Mm, you're getting better, pet. Is the pain better?" She gave an 'okay' sign, but kept her head down, and her tongue going.

"Hm. Hey, Leen, make sure you have a shower after you workout! You're still sweaty!" Brit grimaced.

"Jenni likes the salt, don't you, pet?" Again, Jenni gave an okay sign.

"She doesn't like it. She endures it. Treat her right and she'll eat you out like she's starving, and your clit is an ice cream cone." Brit rolled her eyes. "Let me tell you, she woke me up this morning, and it was amazing. I'm going to have to roast her ass tonight." Jenni chirped when Brit slapped her bare ass after she passed, and swung her hips a bit. Jenni liked that idea.

"Mer! We got a letter!" She opened it. "Holy shit. Another job?"

 

* * *

 

"There she is, and there are the bullies following her."  Mer watched the group and could easily see the leader of this pack of fools.

From the age of five, they could see who was the one who was the leader.  Taking down the leader when they were alone was the easiest way to destroy a group like this.

"There is the bitch giving the orders. Follow them." Mer said and quickly jogged into the bushes after a group of girls who had surrounded their target. They were to talk to the girl, and see who her bullies were, but they found out quickly.

"Tsk tsk tsk." The group turned as Mer's gang showed up in the woods.

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?" The girl sneered.

"Brit." Mer said with a grin.  Brit was their best fighter, and she loved to take the first swing. Brit smiled, walked over, and before they had a chance to say anything else, Brit threw a straight right.  It went cleanly to the nose. The others all wanted to bolt, but the girls didn't let them. One after another, each little bitch was put down on the ground and given a few good kicks.

"FUCK!" The leader screamed. Brit didn't care and started to wail on her. A left, followed by a right hook to the body. She grabbed the girl's hair and gave her a knee to the ribs and put her on the ground. Mer walked over, grabbed her hair and pulled her face up from the ground.

"This is the only warning you're going to get. If we come back, not only will your little friends all end up in the hospital, but you will end up in a body bag." She looked at Brit. "Ground and pound, Brit."

Mer went over to the only one they didn't touch. She looked timid, which made Mer a little cranky, but she was the one they were sent to help.

"You're Janet, right?" The girl nodded. "A friend of your father's sent us to get these people off your back. Just tell your father that if he ever needs us to complete the job, tell George and we'll handle it." Mer turned.

"Brit, break her arm. The arm that grabbed the girl's chin." She looked at the group scattered on the ground. "This is your only warning. If you think calling the police will help, remember, this is a cop's daughter. Most likely, you'll end up in the back of a van, and brought to us. For more discipline." Mer grinned as she heard the leader screech as her arm broke.

"Let's go. Come on, Janet. This is no place for a student." Leen gently guided the timid girl as she was a bit more understanding then Mer was.

Mer had no choice but to grow up and get tough. It was either that, or end up a corpse in her own bed.

 

 * * *

 

"They did quite well, Aya."  Tandy said as Aya watched the footage.  Aya pursed her lips.

"Mer is a good choice for the leader, and always has been.  Still, those memories of hers."  Aya's eyes narrowed.

"Good jobs for the future, baby."  Tandy said softly.  She watched as Aya nodded, and once again, she pulled up the schematics for the interface, and augments that kept Tandy alive.  'You need rest, baby.'  Tandy said within their connection.

'I need you out of that vat.'  Aya whispered inside her mind, but it had a ripple effect inside Tandy's consciousness that sent her into a state of euphoria.  Every time Aya slipped into her awareness, or searched her memories to see if she had regenerated a bit, Tandy had a distinct impression that she had a sneak peek at someone on the brink of a monumental change.

It felt like Aya could evolve into a being that was would shine brightly in the cosmos, a being in a much higher order of existence than herself.

That scared her a bit as it pulled Aya even further away then the vat ever could.