21
Director Lane didn't stand when her doors opened, but Duo and Deera did. The succubus entering wore a black pencil skirt and white blouse combination along with enhanced eyewear that would be providing information on the three succubi in the office. Director Lane often wore a set herself when she was out and about, but had made herself familiar with this particular woman's resumé long before she arrived.
Janessa Veer was one of the senior executives for SDM Incorporated, and as she came to a halt a few feet forward of Lane's desk, it was obvious by the set of her wings and her lashing tail that she was furious.
Without a word of greeting she slammed down a tablet facing Lane as she said, "You may have been able to weasel your way out of providing purchase specifics for that gene seed, but this is a cease and desist order. You are forbidden to clone or germinate any other seed from this particular race."
Lane arched an eyebrow, glancing down at the tablet before returning her attention to Veer. She mildly said, "I would have your reasoning for this rather draconian move, if you please?"
"This ... thing is a menace. It's going to wreck the whole season!"
"Surely, the simple fact that he's set a record is no cause for-"
"It's day four," Veer snapped, interrupting Lane, who closed her mouth to listen politely.
"He's killed forty-three contestants personally and been indirectly responsible for the deaths of another eighteen, seven by trap and eleven by interfering in event activities which he has personally completely neglected! He hasn't acquired a single ally. He's nothing but a murdering psychopath!"
"So ... what you're saying is, he's made the highlights?" Lane asked, still keeping a very polite tone. She had to walk a very fine line with Veer, who had more than enough clout to sabotage Division Four in future. In the present, however, Taz was so dominant on the leaderboard that Lane had no trouble accepting some risk to protect his progress.
"I've read the reports. He killed his wrangler. A succubus! If I'd known that before the season opener went live I'd have pulled him off the roster!"
Rather than answer verbally, Lane turned around to look as she activated the screen behind her desk. On it was a recorded broadcast announcement from earlier in the day. The announcer — a ridiculously sexy succ that even Lane would have taken to bed given the chance — was standing next to the leaderboard as she spoke. Over her other shoulder, a silent video was playing of a borealan running easily through a forest. His hair was spiky and primarily orange with black stripes, and the look in his green eyes was determined. His abbreviated muzzle was peeled back in a feral snarl, and he moved with typical feline grace.
"-Maximus, the sole borealan entrant this year. The obvious leader of his team — comprised of two duoden and a packwren — started in the jungle band but the group quickly cleared their way to the beach where they secured a supply drop early day two. They've been gathering allies ever since, killing any who stand in their way. All four males show promise and rank in the top twenty, but Maximus himself remains a distant second to the runaway surprise of the opening event."
The video feed of Maximus faded out in favor of a slowly rotating camera pan around a naked Taz. As the rotation continued, arrowed captions describing physical attributes faded in and out. The announcer hovered her hand under the video as she said, "Meet the new gene seed from Division Four! His official name on the entry roster is 'Taz,' but bookies and fans alike have given him the first tag of the season: Silent Knight."
The rotating infographic faded out in favor of footage of Taz, wearing his camouflage, stalking a pair of competitors. It was footage of his fourth and fifth kills. The announcer continued as Taz reached out, caught the first of the two by the hair, and yanked him backward as he jammed a knife into the side of his throat and ripped it forward. Blood geysered from the fatal wound, but Taz had already moved on, plunging his knife into the syban male only just beginning to turn. In under two seconds Taz stabbed the poor creature in five different places, all wounds calculated to open major arteries and pierce vital organs. The syban never had a chance.
"With over forty personal kills, including four three on one's and even a single four on one, Silent Knight tops the leaderboard by a comfortable margin despite scoring penalties for killing from ambush and a complete lack of alliances. Access to his feed is running six times the usual rate for an opener and his viewership numbers just broke the record for a rookie species set by the borealans over fifty-"
Lane paused the feed and as she turned back to Veer said, "Six times the usual rate and still pulling record-breaking numbers? I'm honestly shocked you're complaining about him. SDM Incorporated is making a mint off my gene seed. It seems rather ungrateful that you've responded to the windfall I've provided by blocking my efforts to capitalize."
"Director Lane, let me be clear: what you have unleashed on my games is — without question — the most murderous sentient the succubi as a race have ever seen. I have no doubt he'll topple from the leaderboards when the social events begin, but the problem with him runs far deeper than his participation in Sex, Death, and Money. He has been hunting, stalking, and killing relentlessly for four straight days. Presuming he's typical of his race, they — like the borealans — present an existential threat to our way of life. At the very least their use must be strictly regulated. Until those decisions are made, the cease and desist is a necessary precaution to prevent your division from flooding the market with deadly livestock."
"You need not be concerned. Division Four is extremely cautious with new gene seeds. Taz is our only specimen at present. We wanted him to prove out before investing heavily in presenting a new species to the public," Lane said, smiling sedately at Veer.
The truth was that Lane had only bought one, and at the time only one had been available. The circumstances surrounding her acquisition of Taz were unique in a variety of ways, not least of which was that he'd been a gray market 'speculative' purchase. Getting more of his race would be extremely expensive, as Division Four would have to shoulder the costs of getting the new species certified for legal trading.
"You'll forgive me if I don't take your word," Veer said, gesturing toward the pad she'd thrown down. "There's a summons there as well, and an official inquiry has been ordered by the Hierarchy. Presuming everything is above board, SDM Incorporated will pay the entire cost as stipulated by law. If you're found in breach ..."
She let the threat hang in the air as she turned on her heel, tail whipping. It was obvious she wasn't at all satisfied with the meeting.
Lane was, and let the other woman leave without another word. Once she was gone and the doors closed, Duo and Deera resumed their seats. Duo looked worried, but Deera was grinning ear to ear. Lane, as usual, found her position to be somewhat between the two.
Lane said, "We need not concern ourselves with the inquiry. The panel will include a marked associate, and my acquisition bill of sale will withstand challenge. As long as the paperwork surrounding Mauren is in proper order, SDM Incorporated just pissed away a lot of money."
Deera said, "I can't wait until his essential potency becomes general knowledge. We'll have agencies beating down our door for 'human' gene seeds to raise as executive bodyguards. This species might even displace the duoden in the role. Their reputation alone would be enough to keep most other livestock in line."
"We're a long way from that," Duo said, frowning as she nervously stretched her wings. "This inquiry, whether we win it or not, will draw the wrong kind of attention to us. We already have a bit of a shady reputation. If it gets too much worse reputable companies won't deal with us. Not to mention when SDM loses their challenge they'll shit all over us when it comes time to forward contestants in future years, just for spite. They can do everything from giving us shitty sponsor time slots to forcing reviews on every future submission. The fees and bribes we'll have to pay long term are going to be exorbitant."
She hesitated, then leaned forward a bit as she said, "I'm beginning to see where Mauren was coming from. Taz is ... just a fucking nightmare. The announcer gave us a pass when she neglected to mention that four on one was him killing a sentry then slitting three sleeping throats. If he doesn't absolutely shock me, Veer is right: he's going to drop like a stone when the more social events come around. It's SEX, Death, and Money, not Death and Money. My spies in Liminal say he completely bombed out of any sexual training and the one volunteer they got tried to kill him."
Deera waved a dismissive hand as she said, "I heard about that and I guarantee Palashai set it up that way deliberately. I wouldn't worry. The medical report we got from Liminal was absolutely glowing. Trust his trainers. Palashai is the best in the business, and she's risked everything coming out of retirement to help her daughter train him. She'll get him to the finish line."
Lane showed her hands to her subordinates as she said, "We'll just have to wait and see. The next event is still officially in negotiation, but Taz's performance has seriously weighted the discussion. Liminal won't be able to off-set, so whatever comes next is practically guaranteed to be completely non-violent."
Both women nodded, then Duo's expression shifted. Her eyes widened and she said, "Lane, turn on the broadcast! There are four kills left until the end of the event, and Maximus' group is closing in on that doll Taz has been goaltending."
Lane knew that Duo had one of her links tuned to the broadcasts at all times, and asked, "Is he there?"
Duo nodded and said, "He's there."
"Woah," Deera said, and for the first time since she'd been put on the project, Lane saw her looking worried.
"Our physical assessment of Taz is that he's a heavy-worlder, but the borealan is that and more. They're a restricted species for a reason. To be honest, it's the only confrontation where Taz has no physical advantage. I was really hoping they wouldn't match up."
"It's worse," Lane said, frowning as she watched the broadcast, which had opposing breakdowns on screen. "Maximus has three companions. Taz is alone."
Duo, head cocked in a way that told Lane she was listening, said, "The odds-makers are giving six to one against."
"That low? I expected at least ten to one," Deera said, glancing at Duo, who nodded.
She said, "He's been using the shadowcat assigned to the doll to help him, then feeding it the bodies. It's not friendly, but is unlikely to attack him now without provocation. For the purposes of this encounter, the bookies are considering it his ally. There's also the fact that he's got traps in the area. Almost all of his kills have been within a square mile of where he is now too, which means-"