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Night came fast and so did Shin-Lee’s cooking. The dish of the night was bokchoy rice, baked chicken with stir-fried veg as a side dish.

I wolfed it down in ten minutes, not my fastest, but certainly my most enthusiastic. Hanna giggled, as she watched. She even tried following my lead, only to be spanked by her mother, who then eyed me in annoyance. “Sorry bad habits” I mouthed to her, but she wasn’t having it.

Soon after Hannah finished her food, which was a dish of macaroni pie, and stir-fried, for some reason, the girl hated rice, which made me believe that was certainly her Latrina blood. Generations of eating rice? Anyone would welcome the blissful taste of cheese infused macaroni pie. I certainly did.

Hannah played her game and eventually began dozing off at the table. I scooped her up, took her bed and lay there for five minutes before Shin-Lee stood in the doorway, hands on her Kimber.

“We need to talk.” She whispered, but Hannah wasn’t having it. She rolled over, hugging me tightly and curling herself into a ball, ensuring I had no way of moving without her knowing. I cupped her cheek and brushed her hair back, then shooed Shin-Lee off, without a glare surprisingly and lay with my daughter for an hour before her grip finally loosened, allowing me to leave.

As I made my way towards the corridor, the sound of water splashing chimed to my left. She’s in the shower I mused. I turned right, made my way to the living room and began surfing some channels.

Ten minutes later, I received a message via my cybernetic eye. Bed. Now. I slowly sucked my teeth, feeling as I was about to get an earful. Shin-Lee was aware of what had happened with Akatani, but she didn’t give me her thoughts, which was rare in a case like this…so when she said she wants to talk, I sure as hell knew what that meant.

The bedroom door pulsed open with little to no light trickling through. My cybernetic eye picked up sitting on the side of the bed, hunkering over in a white silk nightgown barely covering her legs. Her milky skin had a sombre glow in low light, I always loved that about her. She turned to me, and her eyes held that seductive look, which matched her feline eyebrows perfectly.

“Oh no…no-no-no.” She said. “None of that…we have to talk.” She said as if she read my mind. She did, but she doesn’t have to know that. “Sorry…automatic reaction, it’s been a while.”

“Liar.” She hissed. I shrugged and plunked myself on the bed. “What’s on your mind?” I asked.

“A lot…”

“I know, but saying ‘a lot’ won’t help…tell me what’s on your mind Shin-Lee.”

Shin-Lee straightened up, and I watched her hair flow down as she untied the bow that kept it in place. A minute passed, and she still didn’t say anything, which made me feel dejected but mostly annoyed.

She finally bellowed a long sigh, folding her arms, and lapping her left leg on top of her right leg, lighting the room with her smooth milky skin.

“The four hundred thousand creds you spent recently, how are we gonna recoup that?”

“Recoup? Why? Are we low on nanite shots?”

“We aren’t…we have enough for two years.”

“Hmmm…I smell a but here.” I said, squinting at Shin-Lee.

“…but, the price for the shots may surge up.”

“Huh…Why the hell would the price of the shots surge up?”

“The Federation is looking to put a halt to all incoming Latrina Refugees.”

“Why?”

“….apparently majority of Latrina refugees seem to be part of the contingent that started the riots within the Welkey’s Industrial District.”

“…and what does that have to do with the surge in the price for the nanite shots?”

Shin-Lee went from serious to disappointed. She then bit her lip, shook her head and mumbled under her breath. The only words I heard were “can’t believe”.

“If the Federation stops the entry of Latrina refugees…the production of Anti-Mienyelfribosis nanites will scale down, tremendously. They would try to sell off the nanites at an exorbitant price to maximise profits.”

This is exactly why I loved Shin-Lee, she was on top of things when it came to Hannah. She kept herself abreast of The Federation and what affected the citizens, and this affected us tremendously.

I took a few seconds, allowing myself to seem as If I was in great ponder, then finally said something. “You’re right. I take it you’ve looked into stocking piling for the two additional years?”

“No.” She said, shaking her head. “A year's worth.”

“What? Hannah’s six…we have two years worth, she just needs additional two years and we’re set…why only one year?”

“refrigeration costs for nanites have been soaring since the announcement been made.”

“Damn it, I forgot how much storage costs it’s gotta be crazy right now, how much do we pay right now?”

“A hundred thousand a year.”

“…and how long do the nanites last without refrigeration?”

“Three days top.”

“What have you worked out, that we will need to weather this storm, for at least a few years till Hannah is fully better?”

“Around seven hundred thousand.”

“Plus the four hundred thousand?”

“That’s already included.”

“Hmmm…I see.” I said, rubbing my chin.

The last I checked my account, the balance was around seven hundred thousand creds, we spent around five hundred thousand on this apartment, plus refurbishments. It’s not that we were lavish…but the plan was, to kill Akatani. Sell the apartment, with the refurbishments intact…make a killing and be back on point.

Shin-Lee though never left things to chance, and I agreed with her. I needed work…just in case Akatani proves a bit too resourceful for me.

I watched as Shin-Lee rolled her neck back, turned towards me and gave me a long gaze. “What are you gonna do?” She whispered, sagging her arms on the bed. She looked defeated and frustrated all at once. Well, we can’t have that I mused to myself.

“Look babe, I’ve already re-upped with CSS, I’m just waiting on a call from them.”

“CSS as in Celazron Security Systems? You signed back up with them?” Shin-Lee hissed, slapping her fist into the bed. “For Christ's sake Kaiden they’re charged FORTY PERCENT Tax! FORTY! You’ll be only bringing home crumbs! after one of those jobs!”

“No, I won't,” I said firmly, trying to assure her. “I’ve signed up for VIP and VVIP detail, you know my N9 classification allows that…with ease.”

“I don’t care about your damned classification Kaiden! You know this. You promised you won’t do anything dangerous anymore. Just odd jobs here and there.”

“You’re right, I did promise. But I messed up with the Police Department.”

“…something you still won’t explain to me.”

“I will, once I get back…I promise…it’s…too sensitive right now.” I answered. “Look, it’s not that I don’t hear you. I do…but just trust me…we’ve gotten this far…haven’t we?”

She didn’t respond but wrapped her arms around her chest, clearly angered. I slid across the bed, wrapped my legs around and brought her in for a close embrace, smelling the floral scent of her making my lips go dry. Not from thirst…but from anticipation.

“You know how I hate to see you doing these things Kaiden” Shin-Lee whispered.

“I know…but it’s what I’m good at.”

I cupped her cheek, feeling her delicate skin, then looked into her hazel eyes, feeling my heart race as I brought my lips down to hers. Her soft plump lips caressed my own, and I felt the moisture of her tongue, as she slid it into mine. Then, she bit my bottom lip softly, showing her anger and frustration…but mostly her passion.

She pushed back onto the bed, then slid down the straps to her gown, eyeing me as if she hadn’t seen me in months. She hadn’t and it seems she missed me more than I did her.

I grabbed her by her waist, then let my right slide up her back, which made her body shake. “I hate that you know my spots.” She whispered. Then she kissed me on the neck, sucking light, my body grew weak in an instant, then I turned to her and whispered. “…but I love that you know mine.”