Chapter 648: Ducati

Dex fidgeted slightly; his train of thought was running on two separate tracks. The first was that a shoulder rub from Quicksilver wasn't something that anyone would want to turn down. Her deft fingers seemed unnaturally adept at finding knots in his muscles. The second train was running a bit faster than the first and threatened derailment. He wasn't good with people; his overwhelming social talent consisted of an ungodly ability to say the most awkward things.

Darsi kneaded the muscles, noting that the tall string-bean-looking hacker had a pretty solid muscle build. "The boys are pushing you too hard. Don't worry; I'll make sure you are compensated."

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Dex had spent the last two days working on the six-pod tandem design. The other four members of the Bottom Feeders had paired up to use the tandem jumper, the result being that the 'new guy was given an important assignment; make the six-pod tandem work. "Having a hard time focusing. It's been almost three days."

Darsi let her hand rest on the younger hacker's shoulders; leaning forward, she hugged him from behind. "Tell you what… No more work; I want you to relax for the rest of the day, partner's orders!"

Dex smiled over his shoulder. "Can I take your bike for a ride?"

The arms that were still resting on his shoulders squeezed tight. "You want to drive my baby? Now, you're taking advantage of me."

Dex chuckled; her tone instantly alleviated the stress he'd been feeling. "That's a yes?"

Darsi ruffled his hair with both hands before stepping away. "Damn, hacker punk! Get ready; we'll meet top-side in ten minutes."

Dex waited until she left before stepping into his closet for some riding gear. A black leather jacket, jeans, and Gramp's old combat boots were the extent of his biking wardrobe. Before he left, he slipped on the bracelet that contained the chip he needed for reentry into the Hive.

The same stoic Russian with his dog was sitting just outside of the elevator. Dex waved at them before stepping into the warehouse. The revving of a high-performance engine grabbed his attention as he closed on the Ducati's parking space.

"Hey…" Dex was rehearsing something clever to say when he was stopped by two separate things. First, Quicksilver's bright red biking leathers clung to her athletic form like a drowning man to a life vest. Beyond a doubt, she rocked them like they had been invented for her use. The other surprise was the presence of his Kawasaki. "How'd that get here?"

"Can't I take care of my partner?" Darsi slid a leg over the Kawasaki and released the kickstand with a swipe of her boot. "I had a buddy of mine steal it for us."

Dex had a bit of sentiment toward the old bike. According to his grandpa, it was the last Vulcan that Kawasaki manufactured. "Thank you."

Darsi watched him for a moment before gesturing toward the Ducati Panigale. "My buddy almost kept it for himself. This may very well be the last Vulcan."

At her invitation, Dex started the Ducati. "Lead the way." He was aware that her Panigale could top 300 mph, while the Vulcan would struggle to reach 175.

Darsi nodded and keyed her wrist hud; a moment later, the garage door on the far side of the warehouse opened up. Unexpectedly, she gunned the engine and whipped out of the parking spot like her hair was on fire. Darsi was at the door before he could respond.

The advantage was completely nullified within seconds as the Ducati effortlessly closed the gap. Dex pulled up alongside the Vulcan and matched its speed.

The winding road leading to the Hive felt as straight as an arrow. The Panigale's handling and suspension were light years beyond anything Dex had ever driven. He followed Darsi into a Hairpin turn that she had been forced to brake through. His ride handled it like it was a gentle curve on a leisurely drive.

"How does it feel?" Darsi wore an open helmet with old school goggles pulled down over her eyes. When matched with the red leathers, it gave perfect representation of the person herself; one part hot, one part nerd.

Dex grinned at her. "No idea… I'm not really driving it yet."

She responded to his statement with a smile of her own. "Then let her go!"

The words had barely left her mouth before the Ducati accelerated away from her. She watched him disappear into the next curve. His body shifted off of the seat to lean knee-down into the turn. "Hmm… Sexy Dexy can ride."

Ten minutes later, they coasted to a stop at an overlook. The horizon was a vast ocean of green trees. Darsi stowed the kickstand on the Vulcan before surprising Dex by getting behind him on the Ducati.

"One mile north of us is a road that is arrow-straight. You can't see it from here because of the tree cover." Darsi wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. "Once we get there, hit it hard."

A few minutes later, Dex turned onto the road in question, as Darsi claimed it was straight and flat. The Ducati slowly accelerated, gaining speed while the trees blurred into their peripheral vision. At 300 mph, it was the fastest he'd ever driven; perhaps Darsi had it modified. "Is this stock?" Unfortunately, it was lost in the wind as the red bike sliced through the Canadian countryside if she answered.

Both Dex and Darsi wore big smiles when they returned to the bottom of the hive nearly six hours later.

Darsi shot him an accusatory glance when she walked with him to his door. "You forgot to mention that you can handle a bike."

Dex gave her an innocent look. "I own a bike… So doesn't it make sense that I can handle one?"

"Hmm… There's handle, and then there's HANDLE!"

He laughed at the funny face she made. "Thanks for letting me ride the Ducati." They switched bikes several times over the last few hours.

Darsi shrugged the comment off. "I love the feel of the Vulcan." She fist-bumped him before turning toward her door. "Get some rest; we're planning on visiting Syntax in a few hours."

A scalding hot shower followed by a light meal served as the icing on Dex's recovery day. The biggest issue with the Tandem-Six pod (T-6) was the software. In comparison, syncing two jumpers was fairly straightforward. Dex had solved the problem by creating a cache overflow that was restricted to the NO pathway. The two jumpers shared visual acuity via a basic pip. With the T-6, solving the syncing issue was infinitely more complicated.

"Come in!" Dex turned as the sound of someone knocking on his door. He noticed that Darsi was wearing her normal blue jumpsuit attire. "Want to tandem when we visit Syntax?"

Darsi nodded. "No need to even ask, Partner." She gracefully ascended the stairs two at a time, like someone who had trained as a dancer.

"Have you ever studied dance?" Dex realized his personal knowledge of Quicksilver was somewhat limited.

Darsi smiled and nodded. "I did for a while until the waves called me. Must have been about thirteen when I told my parents I'd had enough."

She opened the Tandem Jumper doors and stepped into her side. "I'm curious as to what Syntax has been doing the past three days. I'd bet anything that you have a guess."

"Maybe… Remember, she's basically pure data that's been confined for quite a few years. It's quite possible that her presence exceeded the limits of the Trip-7 drive.

"You think she compiled and compressed her data." Darsi nodded in agreement. "That's a good theory. Unpacking and adapting to the stealth pod might take a few days."

Dex adjusted the shoulder harness and then let out a long breath. "Whenever you're ready."

"In we go, Dex." Darsi initiated the tandem jumper.

This time they jumped directed onto the navigation platform that Thumper had modded. The two of them stood open-mouthed while they took in their surroundings.

The feel of the wind pushed at them; it was accompanied by the fresh smell of cedar and the pleasant honking from a flock of geese flying overhead. White clouds floated pleasantly against the sky's deep blue; their faces were warmed by the mid-day sun.

Darsi whistled softly. "Syntax seems to have developed this place a bit."

Instead of answering, Dex operated the Nav-Console, instantly changing position. He stared at the horizon for a few moments. He had only raised their elevation by three thousand meters; the platform's location was still directly over the Hive. "Curvature of the Earth… This is a simulation on a planet-wide level."

Darsi breathed in deeply, her pretty face showing how impressed she was. "The air is thinner too. Moisture in the air and a real change in barometric pressure."

Dex nodded… In theory, an AI could do billions of calculations every second, possibly more. Unfortunately, his thought process was interrupted by the arrival of Thumper, Stiletto, Gadget, and Mongoose. The entire process of shock and discovery replayed in the rest of the Bottom Feeders.

Gadget has his eyes closed, feeling the sun and wind on his bare face while he tried to find a flaw in the simulations. "Genesis says that God created the world in seven days if you believe that sort of thing."

"So, three days is awe-inspiring," Mongoose finished the train of thought.

Darsi nudged her partner. "Dex gets at least half-credit."

"Doesn't Genesis say six days?" Dex leaned on the rail of the platform; his sharp mind was listing all the possible applications this could be used for.

Gadget opened his eyes; a slow smile spread across his face. "I'm afraid you're wrong on this one, Dex."

Darsi watched the interaction; although she wasn't raised according to any religion, Christian creation was widely known. "If Dex says six… that's good enough for me." Since they were partners, she decided to back him.

"On the 7th day, he saw that it was good and rested." Dex smiled at Gadget. "Seems like it took six days, with one day off… Which is referred to as the Sabbath, or day of rest."

Darsi laughed at Gadget's expression as he slowly considered Dex's words. "Do we count off days?"

Dex changed the nav console's coordinates to their original position before moving to the platform's edge. "Syntax?"

[I am here. Your interactions are interesting.]

Dex was joined at the railing by the rest of the Bottom Feeders. "I think so too."

A kernel of light formed directly in front of the group. It expanded both horizontally and vertically until it resembled a somewhat androgenous figure, bathed in light. After a few moments, the light dulled to display a surface of continuously scrolling code. Glowing eyes and a thin mouth were clearly visible. It focused on the group.

[Thank you for coming.]