Glitch in the God Complex (AmpCore #1)

50 - Spivs Don't Know How to Party

She felt the music before she heard it. It felt like an earthquake had somehow managed to learn some rhythm. Piper glanced at Odiye striding alongside her and couldn't help but crack a smile. The weariness of earlier seemed to have faded away now – the prospect of doing something that demanded no procedure, no corporate subterfuge and no academy oversight giving him an almost giddy aura.

Shit, and he looked good too. He'd cleaned up since she last saw him – a shave, a formal black shirt beneath his academy jacket that hugged his torso in all the right places. His trousers were pressed smooth above a set of smart, laceless shoes – making the most of the dress uniforms that AmpCore had provided.

Piper had to admit, it had felt nice to dress herself without having to think about training, or going into battle. Corps liked their luxury, and she decided she might as well sample it while she had the chance.

She wore a sleek, long-sleeved dress of inky black that cut off just above the knee, together with silvery-grey leggings and a pair of low-heeled boots that were so comfortable it ought to have been illegal. Her long tresses of black hair were restrained back into a ponytail that swept down the right side of her neck and down her chest.

Other girls at the academy had make up. Piper only had the AmpCore provided clothing, but she wore that like a badge of honour as she strode towards the sound of the music – the sound of a little piece of escapism.

They turned a corner, and the distant thump of the music suddenly swelled, washing over her with intoxicating force. A slamming bass rhythm vibrated in her implants and she let the sensation roll through her. Rapid synths blended with chugging guitar riffs and slamming drum beats. Ahead of them a large square door lay open, and she could feel the churning hurricane of AmpCore energy burning like a furnace beyond. It strobes flickered and flashed beyond, illuminating a sea of bodies.

Arrow lounged at the doorway, waiting for them. Their slim frame was encased from throat to ankle in a sleek grey bodysuit, sleeveless to reveal a spiralling patterns of tattoos; characters in a language Piper didn't know. Their hair was slicked back and a dust of silver had been applied across their eyes, giving their gaze an ethereal quality.

It was quite a transformation from the stern young operative Piper had come to know. They looked positively striking.

"Damn," she said as they approached. "Someone sparks up good, don't they?"

Arrow grinned. "Thanks very much. Back at you." They looked her and Odiye up and down with a cocked eyebrow. "Ready to blow off some steam?"

"Fuck yes."

"Then let's go." They reached out, grabbing both of them by the hands and dragging them into the maelstrom.

The room was a massive cube – some kind of converted storage space, Piper guessed – with a low stage at one end, and haphazard clumps of tables and chairs clustered around the dozen massive support girders that filled the main space. In the centre of the stage a big table sat, supporting an elaborate bank of holoscreen, projecting glittering pattens into the air. A male student stood behind it, long hair tied into thick braids that flailed wildly as he danced from screen to screen, amplifier flicking and flashing as he controlled the music.

It was dark, the air thick with expensive colognes and perfumes, and strobe lights of all colours bombarded the writhing bodies of dancers. Piper let herself be led into the middle of it, her heart pounding with excitement. There was a raw, feral energy pulsing in this place that made her implants stir.

The voice stayed quiet though, mercifully. She didn't want to deal with it right now. She just wanted to be.

A small glass of clear liquid found its way into her hand, and then Arrow's smiling face came into view. They held a shot glass of their own, and raised it in toast. Then they gulped it down, their head rocking back and mouth opening in a silent gasp of satisfaction.