"Safewords confirmed. Please wait while we match your preferences."
The Clouds receptionist tapped at her terminal. On the holographic display in front of Oliver and V, a stream of digital portraits began to cycle—each one a currently available doll. The system was scanning for the best match based on their profiles.
"Selection confirmed."
As the receptionist spoke, the projection stopped on a single figure for Oliver.
A purple-haired woman with striking features, deep black lipstick, and a cigarette held delicately between her fingers. Her Clouds alias: Skye.
Based on Oliver's forged background and hormone indicators, she was rated the optimal match.
"Looks easy enough to handle."
Oliver's gaze swept briefly across her neck, confirming he could subdue her without much effort. He asked T-BUG over comms:
"This one's your doing? Gotta say, not bad at all."
"Nope. That was the system's own match based on your hormone readouts. I thought about altering it, but turns out there was no need. That's just who your bio-profile says you're into right now."
"Can't complain."
Oliver seemed content. V, however, looked… uneasy.
The system had matched him with two options.
The blue-haired receptionist also paused at her screen, visibly intrigued.
"Two matches? Now that's interesting..."
Two?
Oliver quickly looked at V's shared display. His face shifted slightly.
That's not something we covered.
Could it be a glitch? Was there a risk of exposing themselves?
V immediately asked T-BUG, "Is this a bug in the system?"
"No... Not exactly," T-BUG replied, her tone a little uncertain. "It's more like… your tastes are unusually broad."
"Broad?" V repeated, frowning.
"Let's just say the system flagged both options as compatible. You're rare like that."
"Wait, both? What does that even mean?"
"Might be something unique about your physiology," T-BUG replied, still analyzing. Meanwhile, Oliver shrugged off the oddity.
"Relax. Two at once isn't even weird. I've seen plenty of braindances with three, even four-way scenes."
"Sure, but this system also says you almost matched with another doll named Angel. If that had gone through, you'd have had three options… and Angel's a guy."
"…So I should just be glad both options I got are at least female?"
V groaned over the channel. Ever since joining this crew, things had been moving fast, and not just on the battlefield. Still, he hadn't forgotten why they were here. He turned to the receptionist.
"So... two matches? That mean I'm supposed to pick both?"
The receptionist smiled. "You may choose either, or both, for your initial experience. It's entirely up to you."
"One will be enough."
Too much noise during the takedown might draw attention.
V looked over the projected profiles. On the left: a short red-brown-haired doll named Azure. On the right… a woman named Evelyn.
No alias. Just Evelyn.
"Why doesn't she use a codename like the others?"
The image of Evelyn was striking—a true beauty, with a calm, poised demeanor. V asked the receptionist:
"Is she special?"
"Evelyn?" The blue-haired receptionist gave V a knowing look. "If Clouds is the peak of indulgence, then she's the very tip of the spear. Someone like her doesn't need a codename. She is the brand. Only VIP clients are usually matched with her… but, well—"
She glanced over at Oliver. The implication was clear.
You're with him. So you get special treatment.
"If she's the best, does that mean she's… different?"
V's instincts were on high alert. If Evelyn was elite, could she be equipped with higher-end cyberware? Advanced chips? Would it make subduing her more difficult or risk detection?
"Of course she's different," the receptionist replied, winking. "Our dolls aren't chip-controlled puppets. They're trained professionals—the finest in the industry. No programming required. They intuit what you need and deliver it, perfectly."
So… it's her service that's elite?
V glanced at the price—500 eddies for a standard session. Street dolls ran about 100. Evelyn, though? She clocked in closer to 5,000.
As he hesitated, eyes on his account balance, T-BUG cut in:
"V, pick Evelyn."
"Why?" V asked, confused. "She costs five thousand. Is that really worth it?"
"Because Evelyn works in the VIP section. That tier comes with temporary VIP status. And near the VIP suites… is the manager's office. His system runs on a separate subnet I can't access remotely—but you will be close enough to get me in."
"Clouds has tiers?"
V sighed, then turned back to the receptionist. Under her guidance, he transferred the 5,000 eddies.
After leaving behind his weapons—as required—he waved a casual goodbye to Oliver and made his way past the main reception lounge toward the upper VIP floor.
Oliver, meanwhile, didn't head to his room right away. Instead, he leaned casually against the bar, flirting with the receptionist and asking about VIP pricing, playing the part of a carefree heir just out for a thrill.
They may have split physically—but comms remained open. And as V passed through the security checkpoint manned by two guards and climbed the stairs to the second floor, two more comm lines connected.
"Karl and I are in position," said Jack, joining the channel. "Stairwell secure. Ready when you are."
.
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