Chapter 1

Andena stared into the dirty mirror situated in the bar’s toilet. In spite of the fact that she knew it would ruin her efforts to look like an Archon girl, she had a strong urge to thicken the lines on her eyelids.

She shuddered when she remembered the nightmare she’d had in simply acquiring her dangly earrings. She was lucky that the slime ball had passed out before she was completely naked. Her self-brewed liquor had knocked the greasy haired man out cold just before he could lay his filthy hands on her body.

She sighed when she looked appraisingly at her silhouette aware that her figure wasn’t as spectacular as Danette’s, but pleased that at least the combination of bright green eyes and naturally vibrant red hair never failed to turn men’s heads.

Her mission was clear: she was to get the access code for the main door of section Gamma fifty-four and her boss, Lunn had said that the guard, who knew the code, had a soft spot for red-haired girls. It was her first assignment, a ticket to a better life and was much better than working in a bar where men continually slapped her ass or groped her breasts. She had reluctantly allowed herself to be diminished to a sex object, hoping to get the occasional tip but she rarely left work with more than a few extra credits.

Andena checked her lips and made sure her blouse and bra were straight, thereby enhancing her cleavage. The high heeled boots made her look just that bit taller, and her short skirt accentuated her toned legs. She winked at herself as she whispered, “Go get him!”

Armed with a grubby photograph of the guard she stepped out of the ladies room into the over full cafe hoping that she would be in and out without too much of a delay. It was getting late, and most of the customers were too drunk to notice her slipping past them, and it was with a sense of relief that she stepped into the cold night.

The air was remarkably fresh, and she rejoiced in its richness. Inhaling the concentrated levels of oxygen made her feel a little light-headed. Andena knew that she would be much faster and could run a lot longer than the average security guard based at the Archon quarters. Her apartment was at level eight-hundred-ninety-eight. The buildings had been sealed from the outside atmosphere to provide the necessary oxygen levels because the air in the higher regions did not contain enough oxygen to sustain life.

In the early days the levels had been up to twenty percent, but nowadays they had dropped to nineteen point two percent because all of the nearby volcanoes had suddenly erupted. Mount Merapi and Mount Ontake had claimed thousands of lives, and the high-levels of pollution meant that it was unsafe.

Andena had been born when the level was around nineteen point three five and as such, her body had adjusted to the low levels. When she was five, cars with a combustion engine were rendered useless because they weren’t able to start due to the lack of oxygen. That was the moment that all chemical processes which consumed oxygen had been placed under strict rules and regulations. It was also when the hype had started: growing your own plankton to get more oxygen in your living quarters that often resulted in slippery staircases which were covered in a slimy, green substance which emitted a foul stench.

She was grateful for the fact that she had remembered to take her jacket with her because the evening had cooled the air considerably and having to seduce a guy while she felt cold didn’t appeal to Andena. The streets were empty at this time of night, and she knew that she needed to hurry if she was to stand any chance of evading the curfew cameras. Two more turns and she would be at the gate of Gamma fifty-four. The heels of her boots reverberated loudly against the walls of the narrow lanes, and she decided to take them off after realising that walking on her tiptoes made the muscles in her calves ache. She shivered for a short moment as she continued barefoot but resigned herself to the fact that it was only going to be necessary for a short distance.

Peeking around the corner, she recognised the young guard from the photo who was pacing back and forward in front of the dark door. Andena thought that he looked even cuter in real life and was impressed by his sharp, chiselled features. His broad shoulders, well-developed chest and strong arms were clearly visible through his tight fitting suit. The bulge in his trousers and the heavily toned muscles on his legs made her body tingle with desire.

She stepped quietly into her boots which were still warm and slipped her jacket off. She knew that he would be distracted by the see-through fabric of her lace bra and blouse. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the concealed area wiggling her hips just a little more that she normally would. The guard looked up and instantly flicked his helmet light on, finding himself drawn to her breasts which stood out in the light. Caught off guard, she cursed silently but managed to retain her smile, and said in her sultriest voice, “Hi, I think I’m lost. Can you help me please?”

She watched as his face turned first into a smile and then disbelief as she walked closer to him. The extra lighting gave the young man a perfect view of Andena’s body and she smiled as she noticed his eyes widening. Gulping, he said in an unsteady voice, “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

She knew that he was going to need a little more persuasion and moved closer all the while pushing her chest slowly forward making sure he had a clear view of her attributes. While she was holding her jacket behind her back, she shook her chest making her breasts jiggle, as she purred, “I really would love to push those against you.”

Looking up into her eyes, he said hoarsely, “You mean right here?”

She caressed the fingers of the hand holding the rifle and whispered, “I need to be back before curfew, but there is plenty of time for some fun.”

He tentatively moved his free hand to her breasts, and she moaned softly as she let him touch them. She nipped at his earlobe with her lips as she whispered, “Let’s go inside.”

He nodded nervously and turned to the keypad next to the door. He was too blinded by lust to notice Andena studying the movements that he made with his hand as he punched in the code. She was surprised by how simple the code was: nine five four four five nine. She instantly understood the logic behind it all: nine for the ‘g’ of Gamma and fifty-four for the section number and the order of the last three numbers was a mirror of the first three.

As soon as they were inside the building Andena hugged the man from behind, and started to caress his chest. “I like men who massage my ass,” she purred. He longed to turn around, but she hissed. “No! Stay as you are now.”

The guard moved his arms awkwardly backwards and travelled down to the small of her back. She bit him softly on his neck and purred in his ear, “Oh yes. That’s my boy.”

Lunn was sitting behind his desk and irritably straightening his desktop mat. He was annoyed that he had allowed Danette to use his desk when he was out. She always managed to turn the desk into a mess. Logging onto the system, he checked his messages. Danette had left him a short note informing him that assembling the androids was slow work. She still had three androids to finish and wanted to know if he knew of any tricks that would help speed up the process. He smiled as he read the note and shook his head slightly because he thought that her project was ludicrous. He had only gone along with it because the company providing the gear was funding the whole mission.