Free Fox Hunt (Fox Meridian Book 1) by Niall Teasdale Page B

multiplication of good relationships or a bright relationship.’
    Fox opened an eye and peered at her friend. ‘You’re not trying to drag me to a sex club, are you?’
    ‘If I am, they fooled me too. Drink, dancing, probability of attempted pick-ups is high, but that’s normal.’
    ‘I can provide individual or aggregate reviews, if you wish, Inspector,’ Kit said, smiling.
    ‘No… I said I’d go out with him and it’s probably better if I don’t know what I’m getting into until I get there.’ She turned, closing her open eye and opening the other to peer at Kit. ‘If we’re going to be getting to know each other, you’d better start calling me Fox. Nothing that looks as… cute as you do should speak so formally.’
    ‘Thank you, Fox,’ Kit replied, beaming and clutching her hands in front of her breast. ‘I think we will make an excellent team.’
    Fox closed her eyes again. ‘I’m sure Terri’s just trying to wind me up.’
    ~~~
    Clubs were another place Fox let the virtual tagging work pretty much as the designers had set them. If you were going to go to a club, there was no point in worrying over reality, and the result of not accepting what others wanted you to see was usually less pleasant.
    For example, Fox had dressed herself in a slightly oversized T-shirt with a wide, scooped neck and a chaotic sort of pattern in black over a purple base, short shorts, and over-the-knee, high-heeled boots. What you saw was what you got. Sam was in jet-black plazkin jeans and a white T-shirt, but his shirt was v-tagged to run scrolling, dancing geometric video patterns with colour streams wound through them indicating his mood.
    If Fox were honest, Sam in a tight, white T-shirt was better than the enhanced version, but she had the distinct impression that 27Lex would have been considerably more boring without its virtual imagery. There was likely chrome and glass, and it probably didn’t look too bad, but…
    You entered straight from the level the maglev station was on, and the club went up and down. The dance floor was straight ahead, and apparently transparent: people were dancing in thin air with the bars and tables of the floor below quite visible beneath their feet. Looking up you could see a balcony with additional bars and people standing, looking down at the dancers. That was probably a real balcony. Everything was dark: black or smoked glass structural work, red and purple neon shone out, marking the railings. There was not a whole lot of light, and the music was throbbing, synthesised dubmetal that got into your chest and hummed. Now she was inside and looking around, she noticed the throb of the music was reflected in the red lighting. And there was something else…
    ‘Drink?’ Sam suggested, pointing upward.
    Fox’s gaze swept the dance floor, taking in a lot of people who seemed to be dancing closer than she might have expected. The air had an odd, hot, musky scent to it. ‘I think a drink might be good.’ Her throat felt dry. As she followed her friend up the steps to the upper floor, she began to notice other things, like the number of people who seemed to have dilated pupils. As Sam ordered two drinks at the nearest bar, Fox leaned closer. ‘Are they using subliminals in the viron?’
    ‘Yeah,’ Sam replied, blandly. ‘I think it’s a little unsubtle. Their memetic engineer needs kicking in the ass. It’s just something to make the place live up to its name. They’ve got private rooms off the bottom floor if you can’t wait.’
    ‘Fuck, Sam! I’m not in the mood for picking up some random dick in a club.’
    Sam looked at her, his lips curling. ‘Any urge to try to get me in the sack?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Then it’s not affecting you.’ He picked up a wine glass and handed it to her.
    Fox sipped it and glowered at him. ‘You’re not that irresistible, Mister Clarion.’
    ‘As a matter of fact, I am. I spend a lot of time making sure I am. It’s my livelihood.’ His gaze