It was late with quite a few more waking hours staring me in the face which for the first time that day thinking on how late I had slept in made me happy. It was lucky of me and an adjective that was becoming quite common the longer that dog stayed around.

I took three of the tabs. They worked incredibly fast and took all the alcohol from the system I just wanted to make sure it got all of it. I was going to need my wits. While I was waiting on the tabs to kick in I stared at Laetitia from the doorway. Sure it’s a bit creepy if you want to look at it that way but I could not be bothered to think that way. I still didn’t take any images of her, now that would be creepy.

Whatever she had done to my ankle made it like new. I silently thanked her for that, got on my bicycle and began riding off to a residence I had not been to in years. As I rode I asked Bevisste to record a message that would be delivered to Laetitia as soon as she woke up in the morning. I couldn’t just leave her wondering where the hell I went. She would probably move out before I got back. Be that as it may she was still most likely going to view it as an abuse of friendship.

"That looks good to me. Would you like me to consult any ’How to win over a girl you just met and continue to pawn your new dog off with’ books before I send this?"

"Can you consult ’How to teach your EEs manners’ books?"

"Do not be silly Tom; you know such a book doesn’t exist. It has no reason too."

I muttered silently to myself. That asshole that made the lenses needed to be taught a lesson.

It felt good to be back on my bicycle with the wind in my hair. Walking around isn’t all that bad it’s just so slow. Riding in buses and other forms of mass transit is that bad for the simple reason of claustrophobia. I never had the feeling until that day in the sand crawler. Thank the good Lord I don’t get the feeling inside buildings or I would be sleeping under the stars every night.

It took me damn near two hours to ride to Xing, just one of the many different neighborhoods of New Hamp City. The loft I was looking for was in a pretty nice high-rise. It had been a holoscreen and android production facility and was now a high-end condominium. It was kind of creepy the man I was there to see was an android living in a former android production facility. He said it made the place feel more like home even though he was made in a different galaxy.

"Open the door Helios! I know you’re awake." I yelled as I pounded on the door. I kind of hoped his rich neighbors would get pissed and complain about the company he kept. I found the idea amusing.

"How do you know I’m awake?" Came a high pitched reply.

"Because you just answered me and everyone knows androids don’t sleep. It’s sort of common knowledge Helios."

I stood in the hallway with a polished steel floor and beaten copper walls for so long I began to think he went out the window to escape having to talk to me. He owed me so many favors I would not have been surprised if he had. He hadn’t.

"Why are you here so late? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?" A really cute girl answered the door bare chested with only boy short cut panties on.

Helios claims that his consciousness was to go in the body of the man that was in line behind the cute girl body but some incompetent human messed up something and he went into the girl’s body, so he dresses like the man he believes he is. It honestly would not have surprised me if he was right. There is a reason why humans were replaced by robots on assembly lines back on Earth. Damn Unions turned out to gain strength once we left Earth though and much to the dismay of CFO’s looking at profit margins, assembly lines not staffed entirely by robots began to pop up on every planet in TUP.

"You would be surprised on how little sleep a human body needs and for those times God created caffeine. You gonna let me in or not? I could yell a bit more for those neighbors that didn’t hear my pounding."

His eyes went wide as saucers. "Don’t you dare."

I’ve never met a man so concerned with image, though in his line of business reputation is everything. "You’re so cute when you get angry."

Bevisste laughed at me as I held onto the doorjamb after getting punched in the crotch. I know he claims to be a man but that ass they made at the android plant is something else. I couldn’t help but stare at it. I really needed a date if I was checking out Helios.

"What the fuck do you want Tom?" Helios asked as he took a seat on the couch. He tossed me a beer bottle from the cooler in the floor in front of the couch.

I nodded graciously taking the amazing feeling recliner across from him. "You going to put a shirt on?"

"Why?"

I shook my head. This was going to be a long tough conversation. He may claim to be a man but that fantastic shirtless and way too sheer, even if he had a man’s body it would be unacceptable, panty clad body sitting in front of me was a bit on the distracting side.

"I need to call in one of the favors you owe me."

"You don’t have any more Tom."

"Yes I do! What about Rosen?"

"I paid your rent for two months in a row."

"Daisun?"

"That bicycle over there was to even Daisun."

"Xieleing?"

"I got you your date with Samantha. It’s not my fault you fucked that up."

This was not going how I expected. I was sure he owed me quite a bit. "I know. Last year when we were at Saul’s party that sonji would not leave you alone. I told you, you were going to owe me enormous for saving you. I had to kiss you and feel you up to get him to leave you alone."

"A part of you didn’t seem to mind doing that." Helios said with a grin on the cute face.

That was a really weird night. "You haven’t paid me back for that."

Helios thought it over for a minute. I looked around the room, everywhere but the bare breasts rising and falling with every breath he took. I had half a mind to force a shirt on his body, he was small, I could take him.

"Fuck. I can’t believe I owe you a favor. So what do you want to do? Finish what we started that night?"

I choked on my beer, spitting it all over my shirt and pants as I coughed. Helios laughed delightedly, even the laugh was cute. It must have horrible for him living in that body. He was easily one of the more ruthless motherfuckers I have ever met.

"No! Fuck no!" I yelled.

He gave me a pouty lip and looked hurt.

"Don’t fucking give me that look Helios. So not fair. No I don’t want to." I shook my head hard. "No, that’s just fucking weird. Damn Helios."

"Oh don’t get so butt hurt. I wouldn’t let you touch me anyway. Now what do you want?"

"I need a ride on a city runner tonight. I need to get to Marland before the sun comes up." I held my breath.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Helios leaped to his feet. Yep I was expecting just that reaction. "You want me to do an unscheduled run? Tonight? You’re fucking insane Tom! You have any idea what I have to go through to get one of those across the mountains without being seen?"

I stayed silent. I knew he would work it out in his head with curiosity eventually winning out. He shook his head and began pacing back and forth. There is something surreal with watching the almost completely naked body of an incredibly cute girl pacing back and forth and knowing the mind inside the body was one hundred percent man. It’s pretty much the entire reason why I installed a mental block on the memory of Saul’s party. Much too odd to think on.

I was correct on curiosity winning out.

"Why do you need to go to Marland so bad?" He with that cute head cocked to the side and his hands on those hips.

"I’m doing a story on Cleopatra’s dead cat. It turns out there is oh so much more to the story than just a dead cat."

"Oh?"

"Yes.  Her father, Timber, had the cat killed because of a family feud to send her a message. She refused to take the message and sent me a bread crumb trail that a dinosaur would not be able to pass up following."

"Some dinosaurs were carnivores." Helios added.

"You’re a dick."

"I wish I had one." He said wistfully.

See, weird.

"So what exactly do you want and why aren’t you telling me everything? You’ve told me you need to hitch a ride on a city runner which means I am sticking my neck on the line for you and you won’t tell me the whole tale. Why not?"

"You’re not outside Timber’s reach."

"That’s so sweet. Killing me with kindness. You gonna find some lube so it doesn’t hurt when you come over here and fuck me in the ass to keep up with this kindness?"

"Oh come on Helios."

"Don’t come on anything Tom! You know how much a fucking risk I take with a city runner and you want me to risk my neck, my reputation, my life because you said some little slut is having daddy issues! You have to fuck me better than that for me to give you the keys to the kingdom. That or get the fuck out of my house!"

You see Helios is in the business of drug smuggling and the running of illegal goods between different economic zones TUP set up with the few planets that don’t claim affiliation with them or SR. We had met during my time as an Interrogator.  The cute face won me over before I learned a man was living behind it.

It was a mighty risk for Helios to run me across the mountains between New Hamp City and Marland since the plains were one hundred percent covered by metropolitan area connecting both cities, the mountains were also where his store and launchpad were hidden. Oazan and TUP were always on the lookout from a city runner, his store and that launch pad. So even with the radio and satellite interference the mountains naturally provided, he still could not keep the store or launchpad in one area more than a few days.

So yes, it was a risk for him to take but me through mountains two police forces monitored although me telling him everything was a risk on my part. If Cleo found out I spilled her story I had no doubt both father and daughter would come down on me harder than one of the mountains Helios did his business from.

"After killing the cat did not work, Timber had his daughter kidnapped and every person working in the household killed. Two kleens that I know of were killed, I have reason to believe there were a few more in the house as well."

"Oh Jesus, Tom. I didn’t know." Helios held a hand to his breasts with shock on his face.

"How would you?"

"You know what I mean. That’s fucking horrible." He sighed then looked like he just swallowed a bug. "I’ll tell you what. I’ll set it up but I still need to be monetarily compensated. Making out with me and coping a feel to get rid of a disgusting sonji is definitely a favor worthy feat but it is not a city runner trade. I’ll pay your rent for the next year or something for that."

"How much?" I asked a little hesitantly. He is incredibly shrewd at bargaining, sonji hate dealing with him.

"Half of what you get from Timber or Cleo."

"Go fuck yourself. I’ll walk there. Besides, I don’t know if they are going to give me money for this."

She laughed like the ringing of a crystal. "Oh that’s fucking rich Tom. That’s more comical than me being in this fucking body. Not a chance you’re doing this just for the excitement and to help a good looking woman out. Half of whatever you get."

"Ten percent."

"I guess you are walking."

"Twenty percent Helios. Don’t be a fucking dick."

"Forty five."

"Twenty two."

"Forty or you’re walking."

"Thirty or I run up and down the halls screaming about how we just had sex and the sonji are on their way to join in. You know I’ll do it."

If androids could go into apoplectic shock Helios would have died right there. His eyes went wider than when I mentioned the city runner for the first time. "I will feed you feet first to sathers and just the feet for a long while."

"I’m sure you will. Thirty percent or sonji sex?"

"I hate knowing you Tom."

"No you don’t." I said with a shit eating grin. It was actually the first time I had ever won a negotiation with Helios. I think he respected me even more now.

"I need to take a shower and get dressed then we’ll leave. You want to join me?" He said over his shoulder. My god they did a wonderful job on that ass.

"No thank you Helios. I’ll wait out here and drink all your beer."

Next Chapter: A good friend