Seija has done well for herself, before the actual mission; she's taken her time spreading the word, making herself known in the government cyberdistricts as high-profile and willing to take potentially fatal jobs, everything that one of the corporate monoliths would want in a hacker mercenary. Of course, she does expect it to take some time, and she predicts zero hour will be a month or so away- which is why, exactly three days and five hours after she finishes setting up in the medium, she is so taken aback when she gets a job offer from Eientei.
It's all bureaucratic language, the pretentious shit Seija despises, and it makes her lips curl in distaste just from reading it- but she has a job. They have a job! And this is going to be the first step in a long campaign, the ripple in the still pond that causes a wave of revolution. She's one step closer!- so the taste of satisfaction and excitement in her mouth overrides any of the disgust she felt from the emails. Immediately, Seija scrambles up to her feet, grabs her phone, opens the chat client.
Nue is probably online, just invisible, so she tests it out first just in case. The ping echoes through the darkened room.
inverse-monarchy: hey are you here or do i gotta track you down
It takes a minute- during which Seija puzzles over if she should have just gone downstairs after all- for Nue to respond.
HeianAlien: no need! i'm right here, champ )
inverse-monarchy: why do you call me that i dont get it
HeianAlien: i do this with everyone! get used to it, kijin.
inverse-monarchy: ffs
Seija sighs, flops onto the rickety mattress. She's already a bit irritated, but this is different; Nue seems to like getting a rise out of her, and what's more, she enjoys it herself. In some weird, un-amanojaku-like way: Nue tells her she only does this to people she likes, so she should be kind of angry, right? That Nue would like her, she's supposed to hate that. But it's almost satisfying.
It's harmless banter, she recognizes, and shrugs it off for now. Not a big deal.
HeianAlien: anyway, what did you want to tell me? you only message me when you've got news so
inverse-monarchy: why else would i msg you tho. and yea. we got news
HeianAlien: oh, shut up. tell me already!
inverse-monarchy: i got us a job for eientei
A pause. Then, the signature "HeianAlien is typing..." and Seija finds herself on the balls of her feet rocking back and forth as she awaits the answer.
HeianAlien: YYYYYYYYYYYTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! ! YES YES YES! FUCKIN YEAH!
Seija stifles a barking laugh. It's so ridiculously off-kilter, so unmistakably Nue. She's typing faster than before.
inverse-monarchy: you sound hyped
HeianAlien: fuck yea i am! hype train leavin the station! ALL ABOARD
inverse-monarchy: houjuu you better be actually serious about this job or ill kill you
HeianAlien: don't get me wrong i'm serious as hell! i'm just so fucking excited you have no idea
inverse-monarchy: im glad for that? i guess
HeianAlien: you better be! anyway, when's zero hour, what do we need for prep, how much are we getting paid, danger level, uhh what should i bring? snacks?
inverse-monarchy: jfc
inverse-monarchy: lemme send you the thing i got from eientei
inverse-monarchy: as for snax i think i just want a fuckin clif bar
HeianAlien: roger that.
Seija logs off, then writes a reply to the email- it's got to be one of the most contrived emails she's ever had to do, mainly because her vocabulary doesn't quite fit with the sort of diplomatic language that's used in these sort of interactions. A good thirty minutes later, she hears a distinctive ping from her email client, and reads through the reply about four times. After a little puzzling and a lot of data refining, she makes a quick rundown of the mission in an open note on her phone. It goes something like this:
- Eientei drops us off at zero hour in Mayohiga
- Building is only visible in cyberspace so we get in through the medium, on buzzout we'll be inside the building
- Purpose is the stock data/passwords located in Yakumo, they mainly concern Eientei
- I browse around digitally, get through protective ice, locate the files, Nue does meatspace damage control/drops anyone that tries to get in our way
- We get the files, make sure not to cross the AI, I hack in and make a remote copy of the files for safekeeping in our own archive, we don't open the ones we're giving to Eientei
- On our way out I drop the footprint
- Profit?
- Yeah like more than 200k if we survive that is
She protects the file, then sends it to Nue, an excitement prickly and growing in her stomach. The phrase "if we survive that is" resonates with her, somehow- she's not sure if that means she's determined to get out alive, or that she wants, somehow, to die.
Two before zero hour, Nue meets her at her apartment, carrying the promised Clif bars in the pocket of a black and red patterned hoodie. She's wearing striped skintight leggings (red and blue, mismatched as usual) and sneakers otherwise, and her wings are poking out from the holes in the back of the sweater. She pulls at her beanie, somewhat nonchalantly.
"We got time to plan, I guess," she yawns, falling backward onto Seija's bed, which emits a pained-sounding creak as she sinks into the mattress. "I got the list, uhh, what should I bring in terms of weapon?"
"Preferably something non-lethal. Uhh, maybe check what your rounds are, if they're synaptic you should be fine. Either that or regulars in case shit really goes wrong."
"I can bring both?"
"Yeah, sure, let's just go with that." Seija yanks open one of her desk drawers, rifles through it to pull out a box of ammunition. "Take the blue ones and the black ones but load the blue ones first, make sure you don't kill anyone unless absolutely necessary."
"Right." Nue nods, flipping open the lid of the box and inserting a cartridge into the pistol she has holstered at her hip. "Hey, how are you going to deal with security cameras?"
"I can jam the communications, although they'll probably figure out that something's going on... if that happens I'll need you for backup. Preferably, we want to make it look like this never happened. That means no casualties and no big explosions, I don't wanna deal with that shit," Seija drawls. She kicks the filing cabinet closed, locks it with a swipe of her finger. Her body feels light, almost immaterial, like she's perfectly in control of every movement. Good, she thinks. Control is what I want. Ever since Seija first slipped into the world of cyber-anarchy and revolutionaries, she's had a fascination, an obsession with being the master of her own body and mind. She has refused to accept her limitations, punched straight through them like flimsy cardboard, and has developed her own abilities so keenly that now if there are any mistakes on a job, they're guaranteed not to be hers.
Nue groans from the back of her throat. "Aww, but I like explosions," she fake-pouts, swinging around quick to face Seija.
"Explosions will come later," Seija assures her, before tweaking the dials on her headset. From here she can buzz in quietly and efficiently, her rig set up against her body in the hidden pockets of her windbreaker. "I actually had no idea that the entrance to meatspace Yakumo was in cyberspace. I always thought that was kinda weird, since Yakumo does a lot of shit openly, they'd be all cloistered and hidden like that..."
"I bet if any other AI ran it, it'd be a different story," Nue shrugs. "The Ancient pulls shit like that all the time. And at the last minute too."
"Speaking of, aren't Aya and Hatate going up to the Netherworld this week too?"
Nue is agape. "What? I thought Aya swore off that project."
"Yeah, I did too," Seija admits, brushing some dust off her upper arm. "But she's had enough of moping around. I bet they'll come back with something or other. They're the closest to the truth about the fourth AI, and fuck if they don't get it before they die."
"That's kind of a scary way to put it," Nue says. She starts to shapeshift, then- Seija's never seen her really do it, but it's fascinating and somewhat gruesome, to see her body distort, grow taller, changing the color and length of her hair. Seija looks away, and the next time she sees Nue, the usually short winged youkai has become a tall, brown-haired tengu-looking girl- only for a second, though, before she wavers back into her original form. "Sorry," she adds. "You'll see me as me. Just gotta make sure no one else does. My form changes depending on the person."
Seija shrugs, finally clipping her pistol to her hip belt, and stretches upwards. "It's the truth of the business," she answers. "Alright, it takes us an hour from here- maybe?- to get to Eientei. They're going to drop us off in Mayohiga by the next hour. Zero hour is at exactly 02:00 AM. We get the job done before 05:00 when the actual non-automated security staff takes over, and we're good to go. Any questions?"
"Are we going to make it?"
Seija looks to the side, then wipes her brow with the back of her hand. She hadn't even noticed she was sweating. "The odds are slightly on our side. That doesn't mean it'll be a sure show. But hey," she says, and a new energy bubbles up in her heart- they're going to do it. They're going to go in there, fuck shit up, and start bringing down the pillars, one by fucking one.
"We can live cowards or die rebels. And I dunno about you, but I don't wanna fight a battle I know I'm gonna win."
They arrive at Eientei right on time, and are escorted into a meeting room, sat between two guards facing the head of the table. A flickering sort of mirage, sitting in the great chair, but the form turns quickly solid, less hologram, more skin and bones. Seija looks on, and feels her body go numb with the thrill. That's her, she thinks, in a fit of adrenaline. That's her, the commanding AI.
"Welcome to Eientei," the woman says, a gentle and powerful low voice. Seija recognizes it as the voice of someone wise, influential, and dangerous. "I hope you have made preparations?"
"We have," Seija says, nodding. Her fingers curl into the hem of her shirt; this presence is so strong, so electrifying.
"Very well. I am the entity running this corporation, known as the Lunarian. I hope you know that this is a high-profile job, and failure almost certainly means death, so I came in person to go over it with you." She twists a lock of silver hair around a perfectly manicured finger. Her smile is red and sharp as stained glass. "The risk is great; the reward is even greater. Information you bring back to us is not part of your reward, however, and if there is any damage done to the files I will not hesitate to terminate you immediately, no matter how well the operation goes."
"Understood," comes Seija's voice from her throat. It's stable and consistent, much unlike her state of mind right now; her heart is throbbing so hard against her ribcage that it threatens to break. Just looking at the Lunarian is unsettling- such a sophisticated array of code and responses, it doesn't even seem mechanical at all. The way she moves, slowly and languidly, her undistorted voice and measured words: none of these are characteristics of any artificial intelligence Seija has ever encountered before. Small gestures, her cadence firm and varied. It's like- and Seija thinks this with complete horror in her heart- she was alive once.
"Security personnel will escort you to the drop location in Mayohiga now. We expect only the best," the Lunarian says, and waves as Seija and Nue stand up and walk through the door.
Rain mingles in double helixes on the windows of the car, as Seija stares out and into the city. Flashing neon lights, red brake signals in front of them, all bring color to the streaks of rainwater on the tinted glass. Nue is saying nothing, looking down at her thumbs. Seija can feel her nerves from across the cushioned seats; she's not much better, either. Her ears are burning at the tips, a sure sign of stress, and her fingers are shaking the slightest bit. She watches as the cityscape blurs into cones and rods of motion, colors like melting wax all down her vision. Her hands are numb, her eyes rapidly blinking. She is moving. She is ready.
The car pulls to a stop at the corner of Hakurei and 71st, and the automatic doors open. Seija stands up, pulls her jacket over her shoulders. Nue comes around from the other side, stands next to her in the rain. Her hand, mostly covered in her sleeve, brushes Seija's ever so lightly- whether purposefully or accidentally, she can't tell, but it's somewhat reassuring.
They sit down, together, under the awning of an old closed-down antique shop. The rain pounds above them, but only drops fall now on Seija's shoes, sticking out slightly from under the shelter. Nue waits for the security car to drive off, and then strings the jack behind her ear. Seija does this as well, their practiced, timed movements almost synchronized. It brings stability, calm to the process.
Nue pulls her hood up, turns her head to Seija.
"Are you ready?" Seija asks, her voice a firm whisper over the sound of the rain.
"I'm ready," Nue affirms. And, as one, in perfect synchronicity, they pull the connector towards the jack. Seija hesitates, but only for a stuttering half-second before she presses hard down, and then- then- she's flying.