I don't care who backs them! They hurt my son! I want them dead!

  -Last recorded conversation of the CEO for Ballin on High before Samurai Doma erased their HQ from existence

  I realize that I am actually thirsty, but I don't want to drop the full mask. I didn't want to embarrass myself. I flick open the suit customization menu and adjust my mask to only cover a bit of my upper face. Namely my nose and eyes.

  It works well, and I drain my glass. Doma raises an eyebrow, but then floats some water into my now empty glass. She doesn't say anything.

  I take a moment to compose myself. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” She doesn't elaborate, but she doesn't need to. “Now, on to a second thing you mentioned. Your sibling's hobby require our backing? Could you elaborate on that?”

  “Well, all of our skills revolve around either electronic intrusions, social engineering, and information extraction. And we don't really want to just throw those away, so they were hoping to act as corporate auditors, digging through problematic companies, or people, and finding evidence that The Family could use against them to either fix things or punish those who need to be punished.”

  “Oh,” She says, exaggerating the mouth movement. “That does make some sense. Does this mean you are anticipating your family coming under fire. Either metaphorical, legal, or physical, and will need us to extricate them?”

  “I'm not saying that that will be the norm,” I quickly say, “But maybe a bit of guidance, training, and being a silent guardian for them. If they get into hot water,” I start, but then she raises a finger, giggling at my floundering.

  “I'm sorry for teasing you, War Games. If you become a member of The Family, then of course we will support your family, whether that means giving them a safe place to live, or access to materials to better assist their… hobbies. In this case we will be gaining four very competent field workers who can help us keep the greedy accountable.”

  I sigh in relief, feeling the tension drain from me. They would be safe. Things would work out for them.

  “Now, on to the last thing from your earlier statement. You mentioned that the last job you were on had something to do with the stealth hive in the megabuilding. Could you elaborate on that.”

  “Ah, yeah. For the last few days, we have been infiltrating the Technical College on the Fifty Eighth floor. We weren't taking anything, but rather installing small chip drives in different fuse boxes or computers. Rote, boring work that paid extremely well, or at least, compared to our normal jobs. Then, once I got to the security servers, Synaptic informed me that the first sign of antithesis breaking out into the building was on the fifty eighth floor. That's far too high a floor compared to the rest of the hive to make it an obvious entry point. Roger and Synaptic agree that something strange is going on, so they are planning to lift some info from the proxy who hired up who is currently staying in the same hotel we are.”

  Once more, she pauses to digest the information. “I see the correlation in the data you provided, and my AI, Gwyn, agrees with the analysis. I will have a few of the cleaners check the devices your family installed and see if there is anything left to be obtained. Once your family finishes their grab, if you could share it with us so that we can at least stay informed.”

  The longer we talk, the calmer I feel, more secure in the knowledge that this person in front of me cares. What little tension I have left in my body melts away. I nod, “We can do that. I do want to say that at least Jill may feel a need to be directly involved in the apprehension of that client. And of the group that raised us.”

  Upon mentioning the company that I worked for, I could see a sliver of ice enter her expression. “Of course. Vengeance is an understandable motivator. Checking the information you sent, the barbaric forced conversion of Cybernetics that Ci-Spi has pushed onto you all is sickening.”

  My expression grows confused, “Ci-Spi?”

  Doma goes silent for a short moment, then she adjusts her posture, sitting up slightly, “You didn't know the name of the company that raised you, did you? No, of course not, I only just learned they existed. While we have been talking, I have had a friend of mine, Black Log, do some digging. He delivered a comprehensive file on the actual parent company who runs the shell company you… worked for.” When she said the word worked, it came out as If she had just tried one of those Füd B?rs. Pure disgust.

  I received a data package from her labeled Ci-Spi data rake. I open it and skin the contents. Profit margins, preferred partners, the entire C-Suite. And every center they have dotted across the country. Hundreds of kids, forced into the life me and mine survived for years. I feel sick.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Before I could wallow in that feeling, Doma cleared her throat, regaining my attention. "You can go over that information with your family later. Speaking of them, I'm surprised they are not here with you, or at least one of them.” Her demeanor shifts, and all ice disappears and is replaced with warmth once more. I am impressed at her control over her person.

  “They are going through a Class I full body upgrade, to get rid of any spyware the- Ci-Spi has left in them, as well as to just be better at what they want to do. Synaptic said it would take two days to finish.”

  “And you spend the points without hesitation.” She says. No question, her tone suggests praise.

  “Of course. We have the ability to get the best augments to better help with our work.” I pause. It's not work any more. No one can force us to do anything anymore. I take a sip of water.

  Doma must have seen me come to that realization as her smile brightens. “Well, once they are finished, you could bring everyone here to meet and greet some people who can assist. You said they would be done in two days, so we can schedule the meeting for three, Saturday at around nine am? That gives me time to gather a few other Samurai to introduce you to.”

  “That should be fine.” I respond, suddenly excited for the next few days.

  Doma stands, and I do the same. I can tell this conversation is coming to a close. She reaches her hand forward. “This has been a very productive first meeting, War Games.” She says as I shake her hand, “I look forward to working with you going forward. Kira will be your normal point of contact for more mundane issues, and I will forward Black Logs contact info to you, as he is The Family's contact for less mundane issues, including calling for back up in regards to antithesis situations. He will also get you set up with our internal servers and databases, as well as our normal welcome package.”

  “Thank you, Doma, for meeting me. This has been a lot better than I had thought it was going to be. I am truly looking forward to working for The Family.” I say.

  Then, her hands tighten a bit over mine, and she looks me straight in the eyes through my mask, “With. Working with The Family. You are a Samurai now. While The Family may seem like a normal corporation, that stops at Samurai. We all work together to better humanity. I may be the head here but all that means is I have the respect of my peers. You never have to work for anyone again.”

  She lets go, and I take a moment to internalize that. It's going to take some effort to change how I perceive myself.

  As I step out into the nondescript hallways, I get a new ping, a connection request labeled Family Building- Samurai Network. I accept and instantly the bland hallways are filled with new information. Doors labeled with different Samurai names, the floor has different colored paths, labeled Cafeteria, Archives, Crafting, Parking, and a few others.

  “Welcome back, Games,” Kira says, the smile on her face not having changed since I left. “And welcome to the fold. Is there anything else you need to do here at the HQ today?”

  “Ah, yeah.” I say slowly, coming back to reality. “I was informed that the family has real-estate options, and that I could inquire about a floor on the Megabuilding I just fought my way out of.”

  Her augs glow briefly. “Yes, I do see that you have priority choice in regards to that location. We would need to go and speak to Black Log about that as it is currently listed as an active Family operation.”

  “Let's do that another time. Buying a place is a big milestone and I want to go over it with my family first.”

  “Very well! In that case, if you have no other pressing matters, shall I walk you back?”

  I feel a bit too awkward to refuse even though I have an AR path leading me, so we walk back in silence.

  **************************

  In Doma's office, the Samurai in question stands before the screen overlooking the city, a glass of wine swirling in her hands. A hologram of a black Jellyfish floating behind her.

  “First impression of the new kid?” It asks, the voice warped as though through a voice modifier.

  A soft smile takes its place on her lips, “He is a good kid. Socially awkward, yet wanting to trust others. A strong focus on family and bonds. His confidence needs work, but that is something that will happen with time.” She sighs, “The biggest problems with him are in his past, and the uncertainty of his family. I will have a better understanding once I meet them, since their work files are very biased. That said, the girl, Jill. She will need a strong hand to guide her.”

  The jellyfish scoffs, “Typical. Let me guess, you want to take her on? Bring her into your sisterhood?”

  “As tempted as I am to do just that, she probably has a strong attachment to her team, her family, so it would be a difficult situation to do so. I will hold off on assigning a mentor until I have had the chance to talk to her.”

  “Shocking,” the jellyfish says, punctuating his statement with electric lines running down his tentacles, “I've reviewed War Games actions using the records at the megabuilding, and I have to say I am impressed with his tech, but also by his cautiousness. The first time he took any real damage was because of a never before seen variant Nine. So, understandable there. I have asked Jelly about the Catalog he uses and.” He pauses, releasing a heavy breath, “Damn, he had the potential to be a real monster. Proper Command and deny warlike race. It might be for the best if we corral him towards the outside of the city to hunt for hives, getting him to grow as quickly as possible.”

  “While that may be true, he is still a child. We should make sure he has the chance to socialize with the other Samurai. Blizzard is holding a dinner event next week, I'll see if she is willing to invite him over. Now, about this Ci-Spi company.” Her voice grows cold, quiet, and sharp, “How is it that not a single Family branch has any information on these bastards?”

  The jellyfish floats next to Doma. “I've checked in with all my brothers in info. A few of them found traces of editing in some of the lower priority servers, adjusting the information on Ci-Spi. Thankfully no Samurai are involved so far, but they only just started digging. Give us a few more minutes and I should have a report.”

  “I'll request a low ranked emergency meeting with the Family Heads to discuss our response. Get a few strike teams short listed and monitor the dorm where War Games used to live. If you see signs of liquidation, move in immediately.”

  “Already on it.” The jellyfish sighs. “Every time we stop a fire, five more are brought to light.” The hologram dissipates, leaving Doma alone with her thoughts.