Chapter 10: A New Friend
Kai approached the R.U.R. restaurant. It was moderately upscale, though not too fancy. Following some distance behind him were four police officers, he had recruited them on the way. At first they were indignant, but shaped up with one swipe of Kai ID chip. Kai probably ruined his disguise, but he wasn't going to go near this girl without back up. Nainsi followed just to his right, he thought about leaving her behind for her own safety, but it occurred to him that her safety meant little without the information on Princess Selene. Nainsi would stay with him for moral support.
This was the restaurant at which, according to the mechanics at Mr. Yan's, Cinder usually ate. It had been confirmed when one of the police officers had sent a search over the net for recent activity by a 'Pyrenee, Cinder.' Lucky for Kai, Cinder was not a common name in New Beijing and this Pyrenee Cinder had been to this restaurant several times in the last four months. According to the network, she was there now.
The officers had their instructions to stand outside the restaurant, near the exits, but not to enter unless ordered to do so. They tried to object, but being a prince does have its advantages. Kai entered the restaurant, and took in the scene. The police info was right, this place, though nice enough for anyone, was catered in part to a less accepted clientele. Most of the surfaces were shiny metal, the soft music playing was obviously techno, and everywhere he saw prosthetic body parts.
It made feel a bit nervous being surrounded by some many of them. He never considered himself prejudiced against cyborgs, but there were more here than he had seen at any one time in his life, and it was making him feel uncomfortable. He focused on his task to distract himself, the police info said that Linh Cinder always sat at the same table. Kai walked toward the hostess, there was no other way of getting in without a scene.
"Hi." He said, hoping she wouldn't recognize him. "I'm here to meet a friend, Pyrenee, Cinder?" The hostess repeated the name twice as she scanned her list.
"Ah. Ms. Pyrenee! Yes, yes, she is expecting you." The hostess returned cheerfully. Kai was a little stunned.
"I am expected?" He asked.
"Oh, yes." Replied the hostess. "Ms. Pyrenee always asked us to prepare a second place at her table for a friend. I was beginning to doubt if you would ever show up! Right this way please." She smartly turned on her foot and walked to the stairs. Kai followed in short order shaking off the feeling that this was a trap. The hostess continued to make conversation as they ascended the stairs. "It is so nice that you decided to come, dear Ms. Pyrenee, such a sweet girl, has been sitting alone all this time. A treasure like her really deserves to have some company."
The hostess gave Kai a quick look over her shoulder that he didn't like. They arrived on the upper story of the restaurant and proceeded to a alcove jutting out. That particular location gave a good view of the plaza below. There sat an thin, unassuming young woman, with brown hair, slouching in her chair while staring out into the plaza. She wore an outfit of grey and lavender, that ,while nice, was not designer. Although not exactly plain, she was no great beauty either. The only odd thing in her appearance was the fact that on her left hand she wore a glove, but not on the other. She must have heard them coming because she turned to meet their eyes as they approached.
"Here we are! Your guest has arrived at last, Ms. Pyrenee." The hostess gestured for Kai to sit in the opposite chair, and winked at Pyrenee Cinder. Cinder mere returned a friendly smile. "Your waiter will be by in a moment to take your order sir."
"Thank you, Loretta." Cinder said. The hostess left, leaving Kai alone with Linh Cinder. There was an awkward moment of silence, that was finally broken by Cinder, when she said. "If you don't know what to order, the lobster bisque is very good. I had it on my first day." She made a visible effort to stay causal.
"Uh," Kai started, he picked up the menu and started to search. In a moment he had found the lobster bisque, it did look good, but out a growing sense of paranoia, he decided against it. "I think I'll go with the curry rice instead." Cinder looked at him thoughtfully.
"You don't trust me." She said without hesitation. Before he could reply, she continued. "Don't worry about it, I wouldn't trust me either if I were in your shoes. It's good to see your android up and about, nice to see you again Nainsi." Cinder turned and smiled at Nainsi.
"We've met before?" Nainsi asked. "I have no recorded of it."
"No you wouldn't, you were offline most of the time and when I did get you back on, you suffered a memory wipe." The waiter finally arrived, Kai gave him his order, and he left. Kai didn't have time to play around now, so he went with a more direct approach.
"I'd like to ask you about that memory wipe." Kai emphasized authority.
"Of course Your Highness," Cinder replied with a smile. Kai was only marginally surprised that she knew who he was, he half expected her to by now. "You would probably like to know what caused Nainsi's breakdown in the first place. Here I'll show you." Cinder reached into her pocket and pulled something in a small, clear plastic bag out. She placed it between them and Kai picked it up. It was some kind of computer chip, but unlike any he'd seen. It sparkled with a strange substance.
"A chip?" He asked.
"Yes, but not just any chip." Cinder answered. "It's a D-Comm. chip. You didn't have it installed did you?"
"No," Kai's mind began to race. D-Comm. chips were rarely use except for international conferencing. What was going on? "I didn't have it installed, you wouldn't know anything about it would you?" Cinder let out a low chuckle.
"Not at all Your Highness," She smiled. "Though I would have thought less of you if you didn't at least suspect me. Take the chip, you'll want your people to run their own tests. I'm afraid I believe your real culprit is someone far more ruthless than I. Not mention an incompetent cybernetic mechanic, the chip caused an interruption in Nainsi's power grid, classic rush job." Kai also began to suspect the origins of the chip. He let Nainsi scan it with her sensor, making a record for later, and then she took it and placed it in her storage compartment.
"Now you have explained Nainsi's breakdown," Kai turned back to Cinder. "How do you explain the memory loss?" Cinder gave him an embarrassed look.
"Well, that was actually my doing." Kai noticed her tugging absentmindedly on her glove. "You see, I suspected that whoever installed that chip was trying to gain direct access to Nainsi's files, but due to the power interruption caused by the chip, there is no way to tell if they got anything. When she booted up, she was spouting information about Princess Selene. Since I suspected that you didn't want any of it getting out and I had to go, I decided to download those files and wipe her memory, if they didn't get the files before, they may be able to now. I hope you'll forgive my presumption..." She pulled out a data card and slid it across the table. "perhaps this will help."
Kai reached for it, fingers trembling. If this girl was telling him the truth, then the answer to his problems could be on this card. He wanted to leave right away, but there was something about this mysterious Cinder that made him stay, so he handed the data card to Nainsi as casually as possible.
"It's really interesting once you get in depth, if you ask me." Cinder added as Nainsi inserted the card into her storage compartment.
"You saw it?!" Kai cried in horror only to flinch as he attracted unwanted attention. He hunched his shoulders slightly in an involuntary desire to hide.
"Calm down Your Highness." Cinder's face bore a look of both guilt and concern. "Yes, I got a good look at it, but your secret is safe with me. I have as little love for the Lunar Queen as the next Earthen."
By this time, their waiter had returned with their orders. Kai's curry rice smelled as it should, but he let Nainsi's olfactory and chemical sensors scan it anyway. Cinder on the other hand had Lobster Bisque. She sat up straight, laid her napkin on her lap, and slipped her spoon with all the grace of a well bred lady. The sudden change amazed Kai. She must have seen some gawking expression on his face because after taking several dainty bites, she spoke to him.
"What is it?" Kai snapped back into the present. He quickly followed her example and started eating formally.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just didn't think, I mean you are, after all a..." He trailed off in a mild stammer. She raised a eyebrow.
"I am a cyborg?" She finished his statement for him. Kai was become more unnerved by this girl by the second, most unlike a prince.
"Well I was going to say mechanic, but yes I was wondering about that too." He recovered. Cinder laughed.
"No, I don't suppose you meet many cyborg mechanics trained to dine properly, in front of royalty no less." She smiled warmly, in good humor. "We are a rare breed. You should see me at a ball, I can cut a rug better than most, but don't mention The Robot or I'll have you thrown out of the restaurant. Prince or no prince." Her friendly candor was refreshing in a life of stuffy formality.
"I take it that what Mr. Yan said is true?" Kai clarified. "Your father is rich?"
"Oh very, very rich indeed." Cinder replied.
"Then why do you spend your time fiddling with machines?" Kai asked. "Being a privileged heiress, I'd assume that you'd be out shopping." Cinder started to laugh uncontrollably, when she got a hold of herself.
"Me?! Shopping?!" She snicker still. "No, your highness, shopping really isn't my forte, well at least not to that degree. Once in a while I get the urge to go, but I prefer to pass my free time working with my hands. The tutors take up the rest."
"Tutors," Kai repeated knowingly. "Yes, I understand all too well. They great for preparation but I like to get out from time to time, to get away from it all." Cinder glanced at his hoody.
"Yes, walking around in the middle of summer with a hoody and no entourage would certainly be characteristic of a prince trying to escape reality on more than one level." She teased smoothly. "All well and good for you, I'm sure, though I'd rather work on a cybernetic arm, in a fairly cool shop. You know why it helps?"
"Why?" Kai asked.
"Because life seems so simple when you're fixing machines." Cinder explained, becoming slightly wistful as she raised her gloved hand to eye level and turned it back and forth. Like she was looking for some speck of dirt on it. "Since I'm part machine it's like communing with my other half, clears my head." Her focus on her hand was infectious and Kai found himself staring at it too. She looked back at Kai, catching his stare.
"Would like to see?" Cinder asked. She sounded serious, for Kai couldn't hear any amusement in her voice.
"Well, I uh," He stumbled again. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but I won't pry."
"Not at all," Cinder brushed aside his chivalry. "There was a time when I was more than a little self-conscious, but it doesn't bother me the way it used to. Here, let me show you." Cinder pinched and tugged at the tips of her glove until she got a good hold and slipped it off. Kai nearly flinched when a gleam of light hit him in the eye. Before him was a shiny titanium hand of the upmost advanced design, polished to perfection. It was, by itself, beautiful. If it had been on a android, he would have almost called it a work of art, but instead it clashed with the tan flesh attached to it in a way that made Kai's skin crawl for a moment.
"It's quite nice." Kai managed to sound indifferent to the unnatural arrangement. "You do the polishing yourself?"
"Yes, I suppose that is another difference between me and the typical teenage girl." Cinder said as she flexed the artificial fingers. "They polish finger and toe nails, I polish my hand. Don't worry, it's not like wires are contagious." She must have suspected Kai's initial revulsion. Then a thought occurred to him.
"I am curious, forgive me for being frank, but if your father is as rich as you say, why not a skin graft." Kai tenuously asked in spite of his etiquette upbringing. "You could certainly afford it."
"Well, I thought about it for a long time," was Cinder's reply. "In the end, I decided that I didn't have anything to hide, least of all to myself."
"But you wear a glove." Kai pointed out. A look of chagrin flashed on her face.
"The glove helps me pass unnoticed among the more bigoted, besides I like the feel of it. However, the real reason I keep my hand ungrafted to remind myself what I am and why I'm this way," Was the response. Kai turned his eyes from her face back to her artificial hand. With a sudden click, a screwdriver popped out of one to the extended digits and Kai almost cringed in surprise. He saw Cinder's mischievous smile. "Besides, skin grafting makes it a little hard to use my built in tool kit."
Kai couldn't help himself, he laughed. It had been the first genuine laugh he had had in a couple of weeks. It felt good to laugh again.
"I thought you could use a laugh," Cinder said, retracting the screwdriver. "The way you came in, I knew you were feeling the weight of the world. I heard about your father, I am so sorry."
Kai's humor immediately dampened with the mention of his father. Being orphaned by the blue fever and now Levana at the palace, it all terrified him. What would he do? How would he get on?
"And...well, you have my sympathy dealing with her." Cinder twisted her face in a pained look. "I mean, I only got a glimpse of her but I didn't like what I saw."
"You were at the palace? During the rally?" Kai asked.
"Yes, I kind of got drawn in with the surge after leaving Mr. Yan's shop." Cinder explained. "I saw the crowd and the signs and, well, I let curiosity get the best of me." She shivered. "I wish now that I hadn't gone."
"You saw her when she calmed the crowd." Kai summed up.
"Yes." Cinder replied.
"She is...potent." Kai stated. "What was it like? What did you see?"
"Well," Cinder paused as if trying to recall a faded memory. "When she first came out she appeared stern, I even say bitter. Then everything changed, not physically mind you, just we read her differently. The expression on her face was not frightening, but warm. Welcoming. Generous. I for one wanted her to be our queen, to guide and protect us."
"How long did it last?" Kai asked, intrigued by Cinder's point of view, similar but different from his own.
"That's hard to say." Was her reply. "I think the moment she left the balcony is when it began to wear off, but we were all 'dazed,' for lack of a better word, for the better part of half an hour. Only then did I at least feel like myself again."
"Do you remember anyone unusual?" Kai poked the question through his own reluctance, not thinking it would amount to anything and he could expose a potentially dangerous idea to an unguarded civilian. "I mean, did you notice anyone acting differently from the rest?"
"I'm afraid not." Cinder gave him a confused look. "The crowd was so...out of it that I if a bomb went off in the middle of the crowd that we wouldn't have batted an eye. Why do you ask?"
"Oh no reason at all. Just curious that's all." He tried to display his false sincerity with a smile. He must have failed judging from the questioning look on Cinder's face, but she didn't press him. He looked at his watch and realized the late hour.
"I should go." He said as he stood up. "Shouldn't have stayed out this late, my staff is probably wondering where I am."
"Don't mention it, I understand." Cinder replied. "Don't worry about the bill, it's on me, I won't charge royalty." Kai looked at their empty plates.
"Isn't the man the one who pays for the meal?" He inquired with a grin.
"Meal?!" Cinder feigned indignation. "I was talking about your android."
"Wait, Mr. Yan said you worked for free!" Kai countered. Cinder smiled.
"Mr. Yan is usually a good source of information, but you shouldn't believe everything he says." Cinder remarked with a subtle grin. She sobered and looked him in the eye. "Look, if you ever need someone to talk to, about Nainsi or anything else, you can look me up. I'll be in town all month."
"I'll consider it." Kai responded feeling a rise in assurance that Cinder was a woman of her word and trustworthy. "Thank you Cinder for everything. Goodbye," and he left.
Outside, the four officers still stood guard, becoming irritable by the long wait in the heat. Kai motioned them to follow as he exited the restaurant. They fell into line behind him and Nainsi. When they reached the hovers, Kai selected one to take him and Nainsi to the palace. He wasn't eager to get back, but Torin would only get worse the longer he delayed his return.