Chapter 1 - The Social Welfare Agency
Alcide looked around. This was his workplace now. Clean, formal, almost like an office. Too... Normal. It hardly showed the true nature of the organisation that lay within its walls. Only the courtyard outside and the dormitories of the girls betrayed what it actually was, and you wouldn't get anywhere near them unless you were a handler, or a trusted member of the agency.
---ooo000ooo---
Until just a few short months ago, Alcide had been just some guy living on the streets, begging to make enough money to live another day. But he had some friends. He knew where to go if he was in trouble, and what to do if the situation ever arose. He knew the best places to scavenge, where people were generous, and so on. Then, one day, it all changed.
It was a seemingly ordinary day, the money coming in a quite a good rate though, when he chanced upon a man wearing a very smart suit and tie. With him was a small girl, nearing adolescence maybe, and carrying an AMATI violin case. 'Now,' he thought, 'this guy must be rich. He might give me enough money to last a week or more!' He decided to ask him, but in the depths of his mind a sliver of doubt grew. However, Alcide suppressed it and walked with calm calculation over to the man in the suit.
"Spare some money, my friend?" He asked, with a smile that was hard to resist. The girl looked surprised, and started to pull something from her belt, but seemed to think better of it and stopped. She had short, brown hair that stopped just above her shoulder, and was wearing what seemed to be a school uniform. 'Strange,' he thought, 'considering that its the holidays right now...' But he shook this aside and looked back towards the man.
He could see the man's face now, a young face with again short hair, this time black. His green suit clearly showed his wealth, along with the fact that the girl who was obviously with him was carrying an AMATI violin case - not something common people would care to spend money on. The sun, coming from behind him, obscured Alcide's view of him, but he saw enough.
"And why should I give you something?" the man asked, in an amused voice, "Tell me." He had the air of someone who knows that he has power, and isn't often in such a situation, Alcide thought. How wrong he was.
"Well..." he faltered. "Surely you want to help your fellow human?" an instant of inspiration came to him. "You have everything you need, money, a family... But I have nothing."
"What makes you think I'm rich?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Alcide wondered how such a man could ever have gotten rich, but continued anyway, "Look, you're wearing an obviously expensive suit, and your daughter has an AMATI violin case! AMATI instruments aren't exactly cheap you know..." he trailed off. The man laughed.
"You think... Well it makes sense, I suppose. My name is Jose by the way. Anyway, I will help you, but not by giving you money. I know the perfect place for you. Have you heard of the Public Welfare Agency?"
---ooo000ooo---
So Jose brought him to the Social Welfare Agency. He had explained about Henrietta and the others, about how they were cyborgs, biomechanically engineered to become killing machines so that they could do the government's dirty work. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about all of this, they were just young girls after all. But he accepted it.
Now he had his own girl to teach and look after, whom he had named Isabella, he knew that he couldn't leave. Even if he hated her, she had no choice but to love him, and he had seen that in the case of Henrietta and Jose it had grown to a true feeling instead of just a conditioned response. He wished a similar thing for him and Isabella - not a forced relationship but an optional one.
So he stayed, albeit against his better judgement.
"Alcide! Alcide!" Isabella's voice drifted into the room, with the owner following close behind. Alcide turned to face her, grinning wildly.
"Hey there Isabella! I'm guessing you want to go to the shooting grounds?" He felt dread that such an innocent-looking girl may actually want to do such a thing, but hid it beneath a veil of false joy.
"Well, actually... I, um, wanted to..." she stopped. At this, Alcide relaxed. It seemed that Isabella didn't want to go to the shooting grounds, which was definitely a good sign in his opinion.
"Yes?"
"Do you mind if... um..." she seemed scared to say what was on her mind.
"Go on," Alcide said, smiling in an attempt to encourage her.
"If..." She seemed to have regained some of her confidence, as she went on this time, "we go to a museum or something like that?" she looked hopeful. Alcide smiled. Was this what she had wanted all along? Perhaps the conditioning had had less of an effect than he had thought...
"Of course I don't mind," he said after a short pause. He smiled. Isabella smiled as well.
---ooo000ooo---
Had anyone looked upon the dormitories that night, they would have seen two figures leaving the building. One tall, one much shorter, the tall one leading and clearly knowing his way around. They would have seen the first figure move quickly, as if it was determined to reach its destination as soon as possible, with the other trailing behind, a reluctance in its steps.
But no-one did.
