Shadowrock, Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Chapter 4: Gala

We spawned in on a Saturday night, and the gala was on Tuesday. Not a typical day for a ball, but Liberation Day didn’t care about what day of the week it was, only the date. And a Liberation Day gala didn’t care about your fashion sense. The dress code was strict, being suits for men, and evening gowns for women. Since I didn’t have any real evening gowns in my wardrobe, I ended up spending a good portion of the funds I had on getting an evening gown, and accompanying shawl.

The ensemble was nice, but expensive. A bit of armor, though not anything to really brag about, and I could change the colors wirelessly, which was useful. What was less useful was the daring cut of the dress, which dipped low in the front, showing off my cleavage, and then daringly had the back bare, right to where my cybernetic cat tail emerged from my tailbone. The shawl allowed me to cover up a little bit, but this was definitely a dress designed to be seen in, with the understanding that the people who saw me would be drooling over me.

Of course, that kind of dress meant I needed accessories, as well. The ‘Handy Sack’ was a high-tech women’s purse, designed with folds in the internal fabric which allowed it to shift things around on command, so that whatever item you wanted was on top, with no need to search. Too bad it didn’t exist in real life. Though I bet someone was working on it. The idea was too good not to reproduce, if they could figure out the technical side of things.

I also grabbed a ‘livingwear’ pendant. The thing was basically a ‘living crystal’ gem that absorbed nutrients through my skin to keep alive, and rested between my breasts, pulsing with a soft blue light in time with my heartbeat. Not even as bright as a candle, but it was noticeable, which was what I needed, if I was making a splash at this gala.

One of TechKat’s contacts was a pimp who operated out of the downtown area, near Five Points. He also dabbled in dealing recreational drugs. None of the hard stuff, and definitely not anything that could be classified as combat stims. But he definitely had ‘party favors’ to make everyone enjoy their time with his stable of joygirls more. TechKat was able to score a ten-pack of eX pills, the kind that easily dissolved on the tongue, or in someone’s drink, which she handed over to me, giving me another possible route to completing the job.

For weapons, I only had my taser and my implanted weapons. I was heading to a fancy gala, after all, not the shooting range. The taser was acceptable, since a lady needed to have some kind of protection in this dangerous world, and I couldn’t leave the implants at home. But I did find myself wishing I could bring my more impressive weapons to the party. I didn’t like being nearly unarmored and all but unarmed. Nothing I could do about that, though.

Since we didn’t how the night was going to go, or where I might happen to come across any good information, I had my simrig running from the moment I left my fashionable downtown condo. The implant would record everything my senses detected, as well as my emotions, and allow them to be played back later. Better yet, the others would be able to go through the recording, and maybe find things I’d missed in the moment.

My arrival at the Fox Theater for the gala drew instant attention, from the moment I stepped out of the luxury rideshare service’s SUV. Cost 100 nucred, but it allowed me to arrive at the gala in style, rather than taking my motorcycle (not an evening gown kind of ride), or the Tsarina (bringing my ‘work’ vehicle to an event I was attending under my government name was a bad idea). Fortunately, I wasn’t the only attendee arriving in such a manner, mainly because no one wanted to deal with Atlanta traffic tonight.

Congressman Nicholas Anderson was easy enough to find. He was in a group with his wife, Holly, their daughter, Grace, and several local business and government leaders. That much, I had expected. What I hadn’t expected was the way Grace’s eyes lit up when she saw me. Recognition was one thing. I’d paid the points for national fame, after all, and my black cat ears and tail, along with my cat-shaped cybereyes made me a fairly recognizable figure unless I covered up. But this was beyond recognition. Clearly, Grace was a fan of the Kittenz.

She did her best to compose herself as she made her way over. Clearly, her parents had trained her on how to act in public to avoid causing embarrassment to her father. Otherwise, it looked like she’d be squealing in delight and rushing me. Even so, she was practically buzzing with excitement as we got close enough for a conversation.

“Oh, my goodness! It is really you! The real Casey Rhodes of Kittenz! I have all your albums! You’re my favorite singer!”

I smiled, and let her fangirl over me. This was part of the Fame quality, and the implanted memories of ‘Casey’ told me this kind of reaction was normal when I was out and about as my public persona. It also dovetailed nicely with the job, which was nice.

Smalltalk ensued, as Grace led me over towards where her father was holding court. Simple things, like her telling me her favorite song of mine, and my giving her some tips on singing. Nothing that would be problematic if anyone overheard us. I caught a glimpse of the Congressman looking my way as we approached. The look in his eye was hungry, but he quickly looked away. So, he was a healthy man, after all, even if he restrained himself. Good to know.

The wife, Holly, was the first to speak with me. Her smile looked warm, but her eyes were calculating, and judging. Especially when she glanced down to the pendant in my cleavage. Probably jealous that I clearly didn’t need any support, despite being a D-cup. “Oh, you are that singer that Grace has been going on and on about, aren’t you? What prompted such a beautiful and talented woman to go with such garish cyberware?”

“Mom! Please, don’t embarrass me!”

Ah, the non-human look was what she was going to focus on. I placed a hand on Grace’s shoulder to silence her, as I smiled at Holly. “Well, surely you should know that every performer needs something to set them apart. It is easy for a woman to get certain cosmetic procedures done, turning otherwise normal individuals into model-quality beauties. If you want to make it in the entertainment field, you need to have that special something that sets you apart from the others. Plus, you’d be surprised how many people just adore the ‘catgirl’ appeal.”

I paused, just long enough for her to get ready to do the righteous condescension thing, and then smiled. “Of course, I am sure you’re aware of all this. Politicians have to have something more than just ideas, if they are to keep the attention of the masses. Good ideas and heartfelt ideals are not enough. Same as with entertainers, you have to keep the people believing you are the best choice for their vote, whether it is with their ballot or their nucred.”

“She makes a good point, Holly,” Congressman Anderson said, as he joined the conversation. “I know I wouldn’t be able to keep my seat unless I was able to keep the people believing I was the right choice for the job. Unfortunately, most of the voting citizenry are more interested in flashy things than quiet competence.”

Pussycat’s Con (Seduction) test: 15d6 = 7 Hits, 1 Miss

Nicholas’s opposed Negotiation test: 12d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (5 Net Hits)

I turned to smile at the Congressman, and turned on the charm. “Thank you, Congressman. I must confess that I have tried to stay out of politics, but I’ve always heard people say that you might be the first honest politician in NCSA history. And such a lovely wife and daughter, as well.”

“Ah-hem.” Congressman Anderson smiled broadly, because everyone liked it when a pretty woman paid them compliments. “I wouldn’t be where I am without my Holly, and that’s the truth. It is far too easy for a good man to get turned around and fall into temptation without a good woman by his side, to keep him grounded.”

“Flatterer,” Holly said, though I could see her smiling, as though something like that were her due.

Pussycat’s Con (Seduction) test: 15d6 = 6 Hits, 2 Miss

Holly’s opposed Negotiation test: 6d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (4 Net Hits)

“Oh, I can believe it,” I said, turning my charms on her, now. “I’m sure you have to go around, chasing all the girls off with a stick. How did the two of you meet?”

Holly giggled slightly, and some of the harshness left her face. Well, this is one of the things my build was designed to do, get in close with people and sweet-talk them. It wasn’t exactly mind control, but still. “Well, we actually met in school, at the University of Georgia. I was pre-law, and Nicky was a political science major. We met at a student-run debate society on campus. The Demosthenians trace their lineage all the way back to the founding of the University, you know. Only time it ever shut its doors was during the Civil War, though there were a couple lean times during both world wars. A proud tradition to be a part of, and we spent many a night going back and forth on debate topics.”

“It’s true,” the Congressman said. “Holly challenged me in ways no other woman did, and she wasn’t one of the girls who was on the ‘wifey track’, attending college mainly as a means to find a husband. We got married a month before graduation, which was fortunate, since only two months later our Little Grace came along.”

“Daaad! Don’t embarrass me in front of Casey!”

I grinned, and said, “Don’t worry, Grace. It is part of a father’s job to embarrass his little girl now and then. After all, sooner or later, she’ll be all grown up, and looking to head out on her own. I know my parents would have loved to see me now. But they were flying to New Orleans on business when the Crash happened.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Grace said. “I didn’t know.”

“No reason for you to,” I said, giving the girl a small hug. “Story wasn’t exactly unique, and I was only starting my career back then. Lots of people lost friends and family when the flight control computers went on the fritz, all around the world. I’m told it would have been quick. Terrifying, but quick. I thank God that at least they didn’t suffer, like some poor souls did. The ones who got trapped in train derailments in the mountains, or other nastiness.”

I found a reason to stay around the Andersons for the rest of the gala, without looking like I was hogging their attention, or that they were monopolizing mine. For their part, all three of the family looked more than happy to have me close at hand. And I kept using my charms, drawing each of them in closer, each time we talked. Oh, and there was an open bar, and they may have had a couple more drinks than I did, by the end of the night.

Funny enough, no one objected when I found myself in the Anderson limo when the gala ended, and everyone was heading home. Which was great for my little infiltration mission, looking to find some way to get some nice blackmail material on the Congressman. I had my simrig, but releasing a recording from my point of view to be used as blackmail materiel was not really the best way to go about things, since it tied my public persona too tightly to my shadowman persona.

Fortunately, I wasn’t in this alone.

TechKat: Took me two days of careful probing, but I’ve managed to hack into the Anderson home node, and have admin access. No alarms, so I’m safe. Still, his home system is cutting edge for non-military systems. Good thing I spent Edge to cover my entry, or the IC might have noticed me when I logged in.

Cougar: The rest of us are mobile, and staging in a parking garage about ten minutes out. Rich people’s security notices if unfamiliar vehicles start hanging out around their mansions. But if things look like they’re going to go sideways, we can have the cavalry come in and be on-site within fifteen minutes. Long time to hold off an attack, but best we can do without warning people.

Tigress: Not that we’re expecting trouble. Just good practice to prepare for it.

TechKat: I’ll get into their personal links once they get home. There’s a trusted synch program in the home node, to share data with the family. I can use it to piggyback into their links, and see what they have to hide.

TechKat: Also, there are security cameras all over the living areas of the mansion they live in. If something happens, we can have it leak from their own cameras, instead of your POV.

Pussycat: You’re the best, TK.