[adamu]

Al had been just about to police up the site a bit when he'd gotten Alyce's message. He sighed, and at first had returned just because it was her and he had trouble refusing her anything. But he'd been delighted by her handling of the other decker, and then well impressed by the way she turned the situation to her advantage in terms of both misdirection and appropriation. Had he been capable of self-criticism he might have felt chagrined at not thinking of those measures himself.

The women of the village had been somewhat shocked when Al had bludgeoned the man into unconsciousness, but Al had explained that the poor fellow had been begging for relief from the pain, and it had been the only way to give him a moment's peace. At which they had nodded at his sage wisdom.

Back outside the camp, he dismantled the other two booby traps he'd set up, not wanting some kid to stumble onto them. Next he'd retrieved his rifle. A durable throwback weapon, it was none the worse for wear. Then he'd looted the other two fallen men, taking food that would last him several days and also finding a medkit. He wasn't Alyce, but he knew how to use it, and would do so as soon as he was safely away from the village. He disabled and detroyed all of the men's weapons and communications devices, but left the bodies where they were.

He set off northeast again, knowing he needed to stop soon and attend to his head and ribs, but also knowing the group was getting a bigger lead on him all the time. Then he got the second message from Alyce, and it was all he could do to refrain from opening the attached image file. The first batch had just about floored him in more ways than one, and he couldn't believe she'd managed another set already. But then, with her it seemed nothing was impossible. He was, however, determined to be in somewhat less physical pain when he looked at them, so he made for a good spot he'd identified earlier to patch himself up.

On the way, he spoke, wishing her circumstances allowed her to use voice comms as freely as he was able to: <<Woman, you are dangerously endearin' yerself to me, I gotta admit. Handled that feller real damned nice. An' thanks fer the pix - gon' check 'em out soon - can't wait ta lay eyes on yer treasures. An' one other thing...that drone ya had shadowin' them hombres, you retask it, or ya got it followin' me around now?>>

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce smiles when she gets the message from Al.  She momentarily relives taking the second set and hopes that he will not be disappointed in her.  It is perhaps time for her to show Al a bit of who she really is and pictures can sometimes do so much better than words.  She sends a message back to him.  >>Thank you.  I, too, am impressed with you, Al.  You handled those mercenaries with skill and daring.  I watched just about all of it, wishing I could warn you or guide you in, like we have done before.  And yes, I have retasked the drone to remain at the village to keep tabs on that drek for a bit.  But he had several sensor drones out and I appropriated all of them, one of which is now shadowing you.  Let me know if you want to have access to its feeds and I will make it happen.  The rest are on the way here.  And I am very glad that you liked the first set of pics.  I hope that you like the second set even more.  And there are more to follow.  Just so you know it is me sending the messages.<<

[adamu]

Knowing that the threat of comm interception was lying unconscious in a Pearic hut, Al could almost see the wink at the end of Alyce's message about confirming sender identity. He smiled appreciatively at the vixen's coy humor. He said back: <<Yeah, jist make sure ya don't conceal any identifyin' features now. By the way, yer gon' follow me around with a drone day an' night, how 'bout extendin' me a few marks so I can use it fer small, simple stuff without distractin' ya. Not ta mention bein' able to shut 'er down fer a bit from time ta time would do wonders for my sense of privacy.>>

He made his way about three kilometers to the spot he'd scouted earlier, wincing all the way as his ribs screamed their dismay, but resisting the urge to take any pain drugs from the medkit, not wanting to become a hippie. The spot was a small grotto, ten-foot waterfall plunging into a small clear pool surrounded by moss covered stones and ferns. It was a well-concealed spot, and deliciously cool, but an indulgence because the falling water would keep him from hearing any threats. But that was what the drone was for, he remembered, knowing it would alert him of any approaching movement it spotted.

He stripped and washed his head in the falling water, cleansed and disinfected it, then sealed it with glue. Used the medkit's scanner to clear himself of pneumothorax and haemothorax, ignored its recommendation of painkillers, and that was it. He'd thought he'd have to wrap them, but found out that was hooey. Who knew?

Then he ate his first real meal in a day or so.

Finally, he settled down to check out his gift from Alyce - he'd loved the first pictures - nothing he hadn't seen before, but even knowing that Milo had been loitering around, just the fact that she'd sent them to him allowed him to hope that things weren't over between them. He set the file to show the images one at a time, and was surprised that the first was a short text. [Jiahui says hello and that she hopes you enjoy the pictures.]

That sent Al's mind racing with possibilities, but he realized that Alyce must have let her new girlfriend take the pictures instead of having a big troll gunman standing around the whole time.

The first picture, however, was indeed of a naked Jiahui, a nervous smile on her face and her right hand showing a peace sign. Holy moley. Although Al was so infatuated with Alyce he really didn't have eyes for anyone else, it was a cute shot and it wasn't as though he minded seeing it.

Fortunately, the next shot included Alyce as well, smiling brightly and holding the girl's hand. And then Al's eyes widened as things escalated from there. Shutting off the commlink, he took a deep breath that sent pain from his broken ribs coursing through his body.

Better than a cold shower.

Once he got over his shock at the unnatural display, he found that he wasn't really all that bothered. He'd known it had been going on, and it certainly wasn't hard to look at. Besides, it was a girl, not another man, so it was really no problem. He realized that what had set him on edge the most was that she hadn't told him about it - not that he had any right to expect her to - even when he'd hinted at it in a way he knew a woman as smart as she was couldn't miss. So actually he felt a lot better now that she'd laid it on him, and with a sort of off-beat saucy elegance that was oh-so-Alyce.

Still, he had been seriously considering a real relationship with this woman. Was she going to take herself a new lover to tide herself over every time he left her alone for five minutes? That thought gave him serious pause. Dammit, when you fell for someone so different from yourself, how far could love go to bridge the gap, and when did it have to draw the line?

He needed to get moving soon to catch them up, but it was already getting dark. Eyelids heavy, he said into her brain: <<Yup, Reckon I liked 'em all right. More'n the first set? Hard ta say. Little more'n I bargained for, ta be honest. Glad that's out inna open though. Gon' need ta digest it all a bit.>>

[adamu]

Alyce and Jiahui return to camp in a good mood.  Even Xander does not seem to mind having been detailed to the escort duty.  The other men in the camp can only imagine what had gone on out there and what Xander might have been witness to.  The two women get dinner ready and served and Alyce gives the evening briefing on Senor’s progress, noting that he has changed his route of march and is now once again heading in the general direction of the target.  She leaves out the existence of the second camp for everyone except Milo and Xander, to whom she adds a few lines of briefing to explain what had happened.  After the dinner meal is finished and cleaned up, Alyce calls in her new drones one at a time and burrows into each one to get the ownership changed and begins rotating them to sentry duty.  She sends two to Al to replace the one she had originally left him, resolving to let him control one while she maintains control of the other..
By the time she is done with the last drone, she is the only one still up except for the sentry and she goes to the tent she shares with Jiahui.  She undresses outside the tent to avoid waking her tent mate and slips inside to curl up next to the young missionary she has introduced to her world.  She puts her arm around the woman next to her and casts her mind to Al.  Just then she receives his message.  Smiling, she sends a reply to the man she loves.  >>Al, I am glad that you liked the photos.  I had to convince Jiahui that it was alright, but in truth it did not take that much convincing.  I want very much to talk to you about me.  And the possibilities of you and me.  Now, I have noted that you did everything right with the medkit except take the pain meds.  I understand why you do not, but they do help when taken in moderation.  I am sending two replacement drones to you and you will be able to mark one and use it as you need to.  I will control the other, but will respect your privacy if you tell me to turn it in a different direction at times.  You picked a beautiful campsite and I wish I were there to give you comfort.  Or perhaps you would prefer that both I and Jiahui come out?  I happen to know that she has a crush on you and you could probably have a lot of fun with both of us.  Dream about me, dear Al, because I will be dreaming of you.<<
After sending the text, Alyce opens a channel to Al and whispers, “Sleep well, my love, and stay safe.  I love you.”  Afterwards, she puts her nose to Jiahui’s neck and nuzzles her a bit before falling asleep.

[adamu]

Half asleep, Al was completely taken aback by what Alyce suggested in her text. Then, as always, hearing her voice saying she loved him almost melted his resolve to think rationally about her.

Almost.

How could she say that she loved him as she lay there with someone else? And the way she had flaunted that in the pictures. Hell, despite the days they had spent together falling in love - or so he had thought - he and Alyce had never really gotten together. And now she suggested adding another person to the mix when they took that step?

He laughed at himself, noticing how his irrepressible affection for her had turned him into such a wuss. He reflected on the irony. Had she been any other attractive woman, he would have jumped at what she'd offered without a second thought. But because he'd come to care about her so much...

He woke with a start before the sun rose, just as he't told himself to. Ate, took a last chance to get clean in the pool, and headed out. He knew that under Ling the main group was pretty much keeping banker's hours, so an early start should bring him level with them by the end of the day, busted ribs or no. As he went, he transmitted the day's route to her. With two drones on him now, he figured he could do what he liked with his. All he had to work with was a rudimentary commlink though, but it was easy enough to type commands into the dog brain. Sure he had left pursuit behind, he had it range ahead on the lookout for threats, its view open in a small window in the upper right corner of his vision.

He knew he could talk to her anytime, and he had so damned much he wanted to say. But all of that was stuff he wanted to hash out in person, and out of the damned jungle. So he resolved to keep things light as long as they were apart. They were still maybe a week out at this point, and once they had the book, they'd have to hump it back out - the last thing he wanted was more damned drama. At the moment, however, he couldn't think of anything light to say, so he just marched on.

Tonight he'd look at the pictures again - that was something to look forward to anyway. And what the hell had she meant about him liking the next set even more. The mind simply boggled, and he decided not to even conjecture.

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce wakes up feeling good about the day, an attitude that would help her through a particularly trying one.  Her ultrasound sensor can easily map out the ground around them, but its range is a bit limited and several time the team is forced to turn around after moving in what had seemed to be a promising direction.  The terrain was only getting worse, with numerous natural barriers popping up to slow them down or turn them back.  It proves quite difficult to keep to Al's travel route.  Fortunately, Alyce is able to communicate all of this to Al, thus allowing him to avoid some of the worst setbacks.  The satellite imagery indicates that they are close to a sort of mountain plateau, which ought to make the last few days easier, but getting to it is proving to be very hard.  Another short day saw very little gain in actual distance travelled, even though it seems like they were walking all day.

The evening meal is short and all fall into bed early.  Alyce gives Al the evening briefing and goes to sleep all tangled up in Jiahui's arms.

[adamu]

The setbacks the main group had suffered due to the terrain had allowed Al to catch up with them easily. For the first half of the day he'd resisted the pain med Alyce and the computer had recommended, but then although his injuries were not slowing his pace much, he caught himself protecting his breathing, taking shallower breaths to avoid the pain caused by deep inhalations. That limited range of motion would cause problems as he healed. So he had taken the minimum dose and carried on, reminding himself of what he'd learned from Grandmaster Ryder's course on proper breathing technique.

That night he'd watched the camp for a while and plotted out only an initial course for Alyce, explaining that now that he'd caught back up, he'd be ranging ahead in order to prevent the sort of backtracking they'd faced the previous day. Once the camp was asleep, he spent some time looking again at the pictures she'd sent, the second set arousing but also discomfiting him.

We was up well before dawn, having dreamt. He'd been in the most comfortable bed in the universe, enveloped in warmth and softness. His whole body and even his soul had tingled with its deliciousness as he sank deeper and deeper into the silky-soft bliss. When he had sunk far enough it folded over him and he felt peace he'd not known since his mother's womb, coupled with a vague anticipation of the adventures that lay ahead upon his separation from her. Gradually, however, it had become apparent that rather then the doorway to life, this time was a doorway to death, the pillows and comforters and duvets smothering him, blocking out light and movement...

He'd shaken the meaningless nightmare off, attributing it to the hippie drugs he'd been taking, and set off north into the dark morning. The pathfinding had gone well - he'd been able to adjust the path throughout the day so that the group made steady progress. And so it went for three steady days up further into the Cardamom range. Each afternoon he'd be far enough ahead by the time he'd found and transmitted a campsite that he was able to sleep for a few hours before they arrived. And then once they were all down, he'd catch a couple more hours before arising early to scout the next day's march.

During that time, he and Alyce had concentrated on business (or at least he had), their communications limited to the path ahead and other logistic concerns. He wanted to talk to her but didn't know what to say, and wasn't sure each night if he was disappointed or relieved not to receive more pictures. On the third night from their last conversation, however, he could go no longer without her voice, and once he thought it was late enough, he ventured, <<You awake?>>

[adamu]

Three days of hell on earth.  Three days of some of the toughest climbs Alyce had ever attempted.  There were times when she was almost convinced that Al was picking the hard route, but she knew that it that were true, it was for a good reason.  Even knowing that in her heart, she swore many times in her native Russian as she struggled as much as anyone else.  Jiahui proved surprisingly resilient, but even she was fading.  It comes as no surprise to anyone that Ling Tse Tau is the weak link of the team, requiring frequent rest stops and complaining constantly.  Alyce feels a need to be fair, even to him; the route is bad and tempers fray for everyone.  Her private briefings with Al on routes and campsites are short and terse, with the only words of tenderness coming from her.  She had vowed when she realized how much she loved this man that she would never give up and never lose hope, even though it might seem that he had.  She never failed to send some word of love to him at the close of every message and forced herself to keep doing so even when there was very little or nothing back from him.  The third drone Alyce had sent out to him was hers alone to command and she used it to make sure that he was alright, knowing that he would lie his arse off to keep her from worrying.  She maintains her morning and evening briefings to everyone on the progress of Senor and his team.  The opposition had made it to the Pearic village that Al had left Ron in, but had left him behind when they departed the following day.  All Alyce mentioned was that Senor had found one of the villages and left it in the morning.  Alyce went silent for a moment before mentioning that there were no teen-aged or adult males and few young women between sixteen and thirty in the village, giving her opinion that the shaman has them working at his temple.
 
At the end of the third day, Alyce is in her tent curled up to Jiahui.  The young missionary had been far to exhausted for anything more than a cuddle and a kiss before falling into a deep sleep.  Alyce was sending her thoughts and prayers out to Al when the call came in.  His voice in her head, she carefully gets up and leaves the tent, walking naked into the jungle.  Her sensors allow her to avoid the sentry and she walks to where she can have some solitude.  >>I am awake for you, my love.  I was just thinking about you.<<

[adamu]

<<Yeah,, well, I ain't got nothin' ta say, really.>>

He was a few hundred meters away on the other side of a small ridge. But after about an hour of fingertapping code on the burner link's screen, he'd zeroed his little microdrone in on her tent, and ordered it to track on any movement that came out of it. So now he could hear her and also see her in his image link. He didn't use AR, instead risking the vulnerability of blindness to overlay the image fully across his field of vision. The way it felt to see and hear her was exactly what he said.

<<Reckon they's some things we don't see eye ta eye on. Want ya ta know it don't change what I think o' ya.>>

[adamu]

Alyce nods her head.  >>Yes, Al.  I think that we should have a long chat about what we don’t see eye to eye on.  But I think it would be better face to face, don’t you?<<  She smiles as her agent sends her the information from its periodic scan of her sensor drones.  >>And I thought that you did not know much about tech, Al.  Are you getting a good picture?  The light is not optimum, so let me…………………….yes, the camera is now on low-light vision and you should be able to at least see me a bit better out here.  I hope that you like what you see.  I will send you a text on how to make the changes to low-light and thermographic vision and back to regular.  And Al, there is nothing that you could do that would ever change how I feel about you.  The only question here is if we can live together with all of our differences.  That is something for both of us to think about before we talk in person.<<

[adamu]

<<Criminey, ya put that condition on it reckon I may not see ya in person fer a good while. I mean, that's a whole lotta thinkin'.>> Live together!?! <<No, seriously, naked-kemo sabe, I'll do ya one better. Reckon we both got feelin's, an' reckon we both think they's nothin' we can do ta put each other off 'em. So what say we put a talk like that off till we's outta this damned jungle an' holed up inna Bangkok Imperial's presidential suite?"

And then he remembered...he'd been so panicked by her mention of a 'long chat' that he'd nearly missed the other thing she'd said. <<An' jist cuz I abhor that bastardization o' reality y'all call the matrix don't mean I ain't good with tech. Leastways real tech, that is. Now listen, we's jist a few days out, now. An' more I think about it, more I think the play is fer me ta slip in an' grab the book an' slip out. You can ride along all virtual-like. Any other way involves the brothers, an' only thing they's good for is turnin' dozens o' conscripted laborers inta mincemeat. I git in trouble, they can be on standby to pull some o' the shaman's fold their way. But I din't git into this to go about slaughterin' the locals. Whaddaya say?>>

[adamu]

Alyce feels a weight lifted from her.  He wants to hole up with her in a hotel.  Her head spins for a moment and she almost misses his follow-on remarks.  She carefully weighs her words before saying, “Thank you, Al.  That relieves my mind a great deal, as I had been thinking along the same lines as you in that I do not wish to kill the villagers, either.  Most of them are acting against their will and doing this to try to save their families and you might even get covert help from some.  Just remember that he will probably have some men there who are actually loyal to him, or at least as long as the string of village girls in their beds lasts.  Are you sure you do not want the Gaxxins to help you?  There is supposed to be a large demon there as well, remember?  Have you got a plan to deal with him?”

[adamu]

Watching her standing there in the jungle for him made it hard for Al to talk shop. But it wasn't that complicated. <<Plan? Plans are fer pussies. Always go wrong anyway. Got my voodoo juice in my hands, the magic word on my lips, an' my wits in my head. Not ta mention the Good Lord a'watchin' over me. So demons shmemons. But I do know this - ain't gon' do much sneakin' with Tweedle Big an' Tweedle Bigger shadowin' me, an' all they firepower ain't no good against no demons anyhoo. Besides, closer we git ta the action, the closer ol' Lingsie's gon' keep them boys by his side. Nah, they'll make a real good reserve force if things go apeshit an' I need a distraction or some coverin' fire. But hey, with you watchin' my back an' guidin' me in, what could possibly go wrong?>>

[Mercy Merchant]

Alyce grins in spite of herself and shakes her head.  “Al, plans are so you can have something to blame when everything goes south.  I will brief the Gaxxins on your thoughts.  I do not think that they will be too happy, but I know that they do not want to kill the villagers either.  I can flood the area near you with what drones I have and keep you informed of anything.  I hope that we are past the hardest part of this climb.  I am so tired that I do not know if I would have the strength to shag you properly if you were to show up.  I guess I need to wait for that room at the hotel.  But hey, I can do something for you.  Focus that drone down below my waist.”  She takes a hand and begins rubbing herself, running a finger inside her.  Knowing that he is watching makes it easier for her but she has to remain quiet to avoid alerting Lok, who is doing the sentry duty tonight.  Before long, she is biting her lip to keep from crying out, almost doubled up around her hand as she rubs herself to an internal explosion that sends her to her knees.  She is panting hard as she says, “Al, that was for us.  I think about you often and I love you more than anyone else ever will.  Be safe.”

She quietly makes her way back to the tent, crawling in next to Jiahui and curling up next to her.  She puts a hand on the missionary’s breast and goes to sleep.

[adamu]

More than anyone else ever will, huh?

<<Sha-zam, woman, that were one hell of a way to tell a feller g'night.>>

He'd controlled his voice, but the truth was her display had left him a bit short of breath. He'd wanted to cross the short intervening distance, go to her. Why hadn't he?

Why didn't he just go back in? It'd been more than enough time since the rumors of his death had been so woefully exaggerated - he could stage his miraculous survival scene anytime - and he dearly looked forward to the look on Ling's face when he did.

Would Alyce stop sleeping with the Chinagirl?

Would she use her clandestine employment of the Gaxxins to push Ling out?

He didn't know the answers to those questions. Much as he thought he'd known her, the last few days had shown him he'd known, perhaps, a part of her. But that was all. There was more. A lot more. The thought of plumbing those depths was like entering a dark cave filled with the promise of untold fortunes ageless....and the certainty of razortoothed death heartless.

He was cold and hungry and in pain. But he realized he was staying away on purpose. 

He loved her. That was sure as his heart.

But if he'd been cautious back in Andoung Tuek, he was downright wary now.