Chapter 643: The Hive (1/2)

Dex stood at the bottom of the silo. A large circular room that went straight upward to the surface. Built into the sides of this circular dormitory were dozens of custom living spaces.

Darsi studied him while he took in his surroundings. Her comrades were still on the 10th floor, trying to pick up what remained of their shattered pride. Dex had taken on the offensive pillar also, facing the ICE of the best Hive had to offer. It was a beat down of epic proportions. ”This way, Sexy Dexy.”

”What's this Da Vinci thing mean?”

Darsi pursed her lips slightly. ”Da Vinci was ahead of his time. That's what it means; a step ahead of everyone else.” She pointed to a round door that looked like it had recently been painted blue. ”This is you.”

”The door's round… Did a hobbit live here?”

Darsi laughed and opened the door. ”All the doors are round. Welcome to the Hive.” She pointed up toward the surface; an odd assortment of doors could be seen all the way up. ”The guys will join us later; they're busy going through your stuff.”

After Dex blitzed both tests, Darsi showed the group the array Dex constructed and the gloves. Then, she used the distraction to escape with him.

Dex stepped into the room, instantly realizing that it was much bigger than he was used to. ”This place is huge.”

Darsi followed him in, pointing out the different attractions. ”Technically, you can pick any of the rooms on this level, but this one is best.”

”Better water pressure?”

Darsi smiled slightly. ”That and it's next to mine.”

Dex didn't know how to reply to that, so he opted for ignorance. ”Still not sure what you do here.”

”We hack the world and make some money doing it.” Darsi gestured to the room. ”Nice things can be costly.”

Dex glanced around the room. The ceiling in the entryway was nearly five meters in height. The first part of the room was a single story, but that changed into a loft about halfway towards the back. A kitchen, dining, and living room were visible; it made him wonder who brought all this stuff down here. ”What's upstairs?”

Instead of answering, Darsi headed for the stairs. ”Best part!”

”Holy…” Dex stopped at the top of the stairs. ”Isn't this a bit too much space?”

Darsi shrugged. ”Only twenty or so of us currently live in the hive; this place could easily accommodate three or four times that.”

The King-sized bed was bordered on one side by an alcove filled with floor-to-ceiling shelving. The other side sported a walk-in closet that doubled as the entrance to a spacious bathroom. ”You do realize my last home was a barn?”

”I know…” Whatever else she was going to stay was paused when the other four members of the bottom level walked in. ”Let's go Dex! This will be your first 'bottom feeder' meeting.”

Gadget took a seat on the couch, still holding Dex's gloves. ”Put in an order with Gunner on the 12th level for food and supplies. He handles all the incoming deliveries.”

”I'll take care of that when we're done.” Darsi took a seat next to him, smiling at the old man's shamelessness. ”Going to try and reverse engineer that?”

Gadget didn't bother to deny it. ”Yeah… Unless he volunteers to make me one.”

”I want gloves too!” Stiletto's voice seemed a bit too loud for normal conversation. She was holding Dex's toaster array in her hand. She smiled sweetly at him. ”It's the least you can do considering that I'll be cooking your meals for the next week.”

”Slow your roll, Stiletto. He doesn't owe you anything for winning a bet.” Darsi gave her a mischievous smile. ”You haven't even seen the stealth pod yet.”

It was more than an hour later before the meeting started. The group of five were sitting comfortably in Dex's new living room. Gadget had disappeared for a few minutes to grab beers for everyone.

”You used the stealth tech from an F-22 Raptor?” Mongoose's accent slipped through when he got excited. ”I would never have thought of that.”

Dex shrugged slightly. ”Trust me, when you are forcibly unplugged for three years, all sorts of shit pops into your head.”

Mongoose flashed his white teeth when he laughed. ”Maybe, but I hope never to find out.”

Thumper sat her beer down on the coffee table. Although she was about the same age as Darsi, that's where the similarities ended. She had brown hair with eyes so dark they appeared nearly black. No one would describe her as beautiful, but there was something pleasant about her that both men and women found attractive. ”Let's get the meeting started; I've got a job later.”

Darsi nodded and motioned for Dex to retell the story of how he was warned by Enigma.