'Mer.'

'Doctor? What's up?' Mer asked through the connection.

'The two brought here, Inez and Aline, are going to be fitted with full skeletal frames. Once installed, and they recover, they will join the team in the mental construct for combat training, but due to their enhanced strength, agility, speed, and reflexes, they can't join the club physically.' Tandy explained.

'Um, did the boss..."

'No, Mer. She didn't need to use conditioning techniques on them. Once they figured out they could personally take revenge on their tormentors, they both volunteered. They even purchased their own frames through the loyalty point shop.' Mer blinked, and quickly checked the point shop.

'Wow, they earned that many points so quickly? The boss must have earned their trust for that to happen.' Mer stayed silent. 'Just a quick question, doctor.' Tandy smiled mentally.

'You don't have enough interactions to earn your points at that rate. Right now, you're focused on local, the club, and your girls. If you turn your focus onto the larger picture, you'll become a better leader.' Tandy said, and waited.

'I see. Yeah, I have been focused on the here and now, not the long term. What we can earn for the club, not for the boss.' She thought for a moment. 'What does the boss need now, and in the future, doctor?'

'Exactly what you have provided. Personnel. The twins, Aline and Inez, earned you a hundred points. Once the others are ready to be integrated, they will also earn you points. Each person you bring that becomes loyal, and a part of her forces, earns points for you with their loyalty. The reason the twins are an exception to that is that the boss earned that loyalty herself.'

'Why do you call them the twins? They aren't related.' Mer asked. Tandy grinned.

'The same reason you consider Leen to be as close to you as a sister. Those two were mentally and emotionally linked before they were enhanced. Now, that bond is much stronger.' Tandy sighed a bit. 'Also, if you have them visit, be cautious about testing their loyalty with a bit of deception. They react violently if they believe you might betray the boss. Even a hint of it will turn them into an enemy.' Mer thought for a moment.

'I can understand their sentiment. To test the loyalty they feel with deception can also be an attempt to feel out a potential ally when deciding to make a betrayal.' Mer thought for a moment. 'We should put together a manual for behavior and interactions.' Tandy tilted her head in the vat.

'Explain.'

'The deceptive practice can have multiple purposes. Test their loyalty, probe for weaknesses, or to find an ally when considering betrayal. If it is against the code of conduct for the club, and it brings a penalty against the loyalty points, then it won't become an issue.' Mer nodded thoughtfully. 'Yeah, I like that. We always had our own code, but when dealing with new influences, we had to be cautious. The deceptive practice was useful, but when people are enhanced, and integrated, emotions, intentions, and actions can be read, recorded, and analyzed. We shouldn't need it in the future.'

'Agreed.' Tandy smiled. 'Ah, it seems the boss likes your proposal. She wants your members to come up with that code of conduct manual. It may be amended in the future, if there are matters we haven't come across before. Don't worry about a final form. Just work on a loose structure that we can build upon.'

'Understood, doctor. I'll tell the girls, and we'll work on it. Anything we should prepare for?' Mer had her attention divided, but fully on her girls, and the club.

'Yes, Mer. Get the club members ready for an invasion of another club. They have their eyes on your territory, so it's time to erase them.'

* * *

"Have the other clubs checked in lately?" The president of COA, Cult of the Asphalt asked.(random name of off a name generator)

"No sir. We've sent some riders their way, but no one has reported back in the last week." The VP said, but when the president saw his eyes, he frowned.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"That hacker sent us a message, boss!" He queued up his computer, which he hadn't brought up in a few days. As soon as it booted up, a small pixelated skull floated across the screen. A section of text was enlarged, all without him touching a button.

"You were warned." That was the message on the screen.

"How long has that been there!" The president stood up quickly.

"Two days. What the fuck is going on?" The VP asked. The president looked at his own computer, and moved through his emails.

"Two days ago. That was the last message from any of our chapters. Three chapters have gone dark." He said quietly. The others in the room, since the conversation had begun, had already moved into other rooms, and quietly left the club.

They were also given warnings. When they saw the signs, and if they decided to stay, they would be erased the same way.

Out of the fifty regulars, only ten were foolish enough to stick around. Those forty found an invitation from another local club in the area in their mailboxes. They could join on the condition that they renounced their affiliation to the other club, released their assets, and stayed away from that territory in the future.

Once they agreed, and met their new president, they were congratulated on being smart enough not to anger their backer. No warnings would be given if they decided to intrude on that seemingly vacant territory in the future.

The remaining members of that club were erased that evening. The bodies left behind were beaten beyond recognition, and not a bone in their bodies was spared.

* * *

'Mer.' Tandy caught Mer's attention during their celebration after the subjugation of the rival biker club.

'Doctor? Did you want to join in?' Mer said as she pushed Jenni's face down, while Brit fucked Ava furiously, and Leen fucked Jenni. The rest of the club were going at Jia, or helping Brit and Leen.

'No. The boss took measures tonight to make sure you were successful. However, the tension she felt while your group acted was palpable.' Tandy started.

'We felt it through the network. Ripples, and feedback.' Mer said as she sobered up. She gestured to one of the girls to take over for her, and went off to the side so she would have her senses about her.

'Yes. Tonight's action, and the injuries sustained by Leen and Kata have made her quite unstable. Choose a few of your members who want the frames but can't afford the loyalty points. Make sure that they understand that this is not reversible, and the enhancements link them together even more then before. One quarter of your membership.' Tandy said firmly.

'I understand. We've already discussed this, and most of us decided to save our points for the frames. The rest wanted to focus on enhancing our combat potential before full enhancement.' Mer said. 'All of us would choose the frames in the end.' She heard a slow release of breath.

'Good. Four at a time. One month, or less. Aya will also update all their chips, and lay enhancements that are much more advanced.' Tandy said, and flashed into the construct. She pulled Mer inside. 'Mer, this is important.'

'What aren't you saying?' Mer asked.

'She almost lost her temper when she saw the wounds on her girls. All her frames were readied. Twenty enhanced frames, all ready to decimate their enemy.' Tandy said and rolled her eyes. 'You and your people are important pieces of her...no, not assets. You are the ones she chose first. The ones who will be the central figures that she puts in place to protect her family. You will be as close as family to her, or even closer.' Mer let out a sigh.

'This is heavy, doctor. What did we ever do to gain her attention like this?' Mer asked quietly.

'The simplest answer is the best, and most accurate.' Tandy smiled. 'Loyalty. To someone like her, loyalty is the most important part of your personality. It allows her to trust you with the ones that she considers the most important to her. Other then the twins, and your club, there is no one else she trusts with her family.'

'Then we will be her people.' Tandy smiled at Mer's declaration.

'A box will be delivered in the morning. It contains enough tubes for each member, with the micro machines that install the neural networks. They will update, and upgrade what you already possess. This will make it easier for you to heal and regenerate. Now go have fun, Mer. Things are about to get serious.'