Hui went off again shortly back to work, somehow even more nervous than he had been when he arrived, but Boston stuck around for the moment. Anastasia had to wonder just how long they were going to manage to keep hiding the existence of the replicator from him. It didn't take long for Jannika to return from the bridge, either, grumbling about Loki sending her to bed again. Anastasia always had to chuckle about that, and how she so readily allowed herself to be bossed around by the cute little AI.
"So, Russian, are you?" Boston said conversationally. "How'd you get involved in this little operation, anyway?"
"Oh, I merely fell into the role, so to speak," Anastasia said with a grin.
"So are you and Tasha really, you know..." Boston made some inexplicable gestures.
Anastasia raised an eyebrow at him. "If you are wondering if she is my lover, then you would be correct. Is that a problem, Mr. Byrd?"
"No, no," Boston said, waving a hand. "And please, call me Boston. Mr. Byrd is so formal."
"I prefer formality, if it is all the same to you, Mr. Byrd," Anastasia said.
"If you say so," Boston said with a shrug.
Sleipnir's voice broke into the awkward conversation, saying, "Sorry to interrupt, but Hui Wang is outside again. Shall I let him in?"
"Yes, please," Anastasia said. Down below, she heard the sounds of the hatch opening, then quickly closing again and the small Chinese man climbing hastily up the stairs. "Back so soon, Mr. Wang?"
"Help! She's trying to kill me!" cried Hui.
"Who is?" Anastasia wondered, raising an eyebrow. Was Melissa up to trouble or something?
"A crazy woman in blue and yellow spandex," Hui said frantically. "Um... White, brown hair, was wearing a mask, wielding a sonic blade." Not Melissa, then.
"I didn't realize spandex was in fashion this decade," Boston commented. "Do I need to contact the fashion design department for a change in marketing?"
Anastasia said, "Did she follow you here?"
"Damn near chased me all the way from the east sector," Hui said. "She might even still be outside as we speak. I think I might have lost her on the last stretch of that, though. I wasn't exactly stopping to constantly look behind me or anything."
"Sleipnir, do your sensors pick up anyone matching his description nearby?" Anastasia asked.
"Negative," Sleipnir replied.
"I suppose that you managed to lose her, then," Anastasia said to Hui. "Sleipnir, can you find any information about anyone matching the description Hui gave?"
"Negative," Sleipnir repeated. "That information is classified."
"One moment," Anastasia said to the men, and headed onto the bridge. "Loki, any chance of hacking into the classified information about this spandex-clad woman who attacked Hui?"
"I'll see what I can do, babe," Loki replied. "If it's government work, it might be a tougher nut to crack than usual, especially without leaving any tracks. I'm far more subtle than Melissa gives me credit for! Really!"
Anastasia smirked. "Just be careful, please? The last thing we need is to piss off the galactic government, too."
"I'll keep that in mind." Loki chuckled softly.
Anastasia headed back to the rec room. "Sleipnir, please notify us if you detect the aforementioned individual anywhere nearby."
"Acknowledged," Sleipnir said.
Boston rubbed his forehead. "When you said that there was a government agent out to try to shut down the gate project, I didn't think you meant one with delusions of superheroism."
"I had not anticipated this turn of events, either," Anastasia admitted. "Perhaps, considering that there has already been an attempt made upon your life, Mr. Wang, it would be best for you to remain here for the time being."
"Wild horses could not get me away at the moment," Hui said dryly. "I'll stay here where it's nice and safe. And you guys better keep me safe, or I'll come back and haunt you."
"Do not worry, Mr. Wang," Anastasia said to him, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "We shall protect you to the best of our ability."
"I think maybe I should stay here for the moment, too," Boston said. "This all's making me really nervous, and while she's not out to get me, so far as I know, I'm not wanting to take any chances here."
"We have two unused crew cabins and plenty of supplies in the ship if you want to stay here for the tim being," Anastasia said. "Here, I shall show you to them."
Tasha emerged from her quarters that evening and found Anastasia in the mess hall munching on some cheese and crackers and chatting absently with Sleipnir. "Evening, Nastya. So, did I miss anything of interest?"
"Well," Anastasia said. "We discovered that Melissa may not have been entirely forthcoming with us in her intentions. It appears that Mr. Calen Tran was not, in fact, afraid of government agents shutting down the gate, but instead horrified about the gate's existence. On the other hand, a possible government agent wearing spandex attacked our informant, who barely managed to make it back here."
Tasha blinked a bit. "You know, I really need to work out that entire daylight thing. Everything interesting happens when I'm asleep."
Anastasia chuckled softly and leaned over to kiss her. "Yes, you do. But that is alright."
"Alistair knew the secret of it," Tasha said. "But he never saw fit to share it with me. Not, mind you, that I had exactly in any way earned it yet at the time either. Or probably not even now, anyway."
The door slid open, and Melissa strolled into the mess hall and over to the replicator for a cup of hot coffee and a plate of omelettes. "Evening," she said. "Did you folks learn anything of use while I was asleep?" From her tone, she clearly would be surprised if they had.
"There's a woman in yellow and blue spandex attempting to kill a nervous Chinese scientist," Anastasia said matter-of-factly.
Melissa's fork paused on the way to her mouth and she just looked at Anastasia. "What?"
"We suspect that this individual might be the government agent you have been searching for," Anastasia said.
"It would certainly fit the profile, from what little I could find, but still," Melissa said. "Run this by me again, and start from the top this time."
"That fellow we mentioned who knew Calen," Anastasia explained. "He came here, went back to work, then came back here quite frantically when this crazy woman came up and tried to kill him. He's down in the crew cabins if you want to talk to him. He might not have gotten to sleep yet. We had no luck in finding out any further information about her, as the information appears to be classified."
"Do tell me that your bumbling didn't alert the government to our presence as well," Melissa said dryly.
"I did tell Loki to be more cautious than usual," Anastasia said.
"We're doomed," Melissa said lightly. "I don't suppose you have any idea where this super hero wannabe got off to at the moment, do you?"
"Sorry," Anastasia said, shaking her head.
"Great," Melissa muttered. "Okay, I'm going to go out investigating again. If she happens to come back here, notify me at once. And try not to get yourselves killed or anything. It would be positively embarrassing to get killed by someone in brightly colored spandex."
"We'll try not to get killed or anything, I'm sure," Tasha said with a smirk. "Good luck."
Still shaking her head, Melissa finished eating and headed outside again. Anastasia murmured after she was gone, "One might think that she were not truly intending to deceive us into a false friendship for how insulting she has frequently been."
Sure enough, however, arond midnight, Sleipnir's sensors detected the oddly-clad individual skulking about the landing area, and he helpfully projected the image on the viewscreen for Tasha and Anastasia. She didn't appear to know quite what she was looking for at first, peering over first one ship then another. Taking Melissa's advice to heart, Anastasia pulled out her wrist-comm and tapped it to contact her.
"Anastasia here," she said. "The individual in question is examining the landing area most intently."
"I'm on my way," came Melissa's reply. "Keep her occupied until I get there if you can, I'm kind of in the middle of something here."
"We shall endeavor to," Anastasia said, then looked over to Tasha. "Do you believe she will locate the correct ship? She may have intercepted Mr. Byrd's message to Mr. Wang."
"I wouldn't bet on the alternative," Tasha said dryly. "Look, there she goes."
The female on the viewscreen came around and finally located the ship she was looking for, and began to poke around outside of Sleipnir. She was even wearing a blue cape and a partial face mask. Anastasia had to wonder how frequently she had issues with the cape getting caught in things inadvertently.
"That sonic blade of hers looks tough," Tasha commented.
"She might begin attempting to force her way through the hull," Anastasia mused. "Or at least trying to pry open the hatch."
"I've an idea," Tasha said. "Sleipnir, unlock the main hatch, but keep the other doors locked except the one leading into the cargo hold. If she goes in there, seal and lock that door behind her."
"Acknowledged and understood," Sleipnir replied.
"Loki, can you analyze that weapon of hers? Any way to disable it from here?" Anastasia asked.
"Singing," Loki replied simply. "Flood the chamber with white noise - or powertwitch music, for that matter - and she won't be able to remodulate it properly. It'll remain an ordinary blade."
It was almost too easy, as the woman climbed aboard the ship and grinned broadly as she got inside, and after seeing the other doors locked, headed straight into the cargo hold and got stuck there. Once inside, the speakers in the cargo hold promptly began blaring Epileptic Trees music at high volume. The woman began what might have been cursing from her body movements, but it was impossible to hear anything over the music.
"So what made you believe she would walk straight into a trap that should be fairly obvious to anyone with half a brain?" Anastasia wondered.
"Because she doesn't have half a brain," Tasha replied. "From Melissa's description, it didn't sound like she was entirely there insofar as the mental capacity. She might not be a complete idiot, but she clearly thinks she's far more clever than she really is and the only reason she's gotten this far is because she has government backing, otherwise she'd never wind up getting anywhere."
"Ah," Anastasia said. "So you are more experienced in dealing with the consequences of stupidity?" She grinned wryly at Tasha.
Tasha smirked back at her and just said, "Something like that."
Anastasia tapped her wrist-comm and said, "We have her trapped in the cargo hold."
"Thanks," Melissa replied over the comm. "I'll be there in a moment."
Anastasia went over to one of the bridge terminals and typed a text message to appear on the terminal in the cargo hold. "So, do you have a lame superhero name to go along with the costume?"
Tasha looked over to what she was doing and quirked an eyebrow. "Baiting the prisoner now?"
"Curious," Anastasia replied.
The captive glanced over to the terminal and went over to type a reply. "My name is Tharpie. Let me out of here."
"Tharpie? Not much of a name, is it? And why should I let you out? You were attempting to murder one of my friends."
"I'm on official business," Tharpie typed. "If you don't release me immediately, I will send a message to friends in high places and you will be in serious trouble."
"Not much of a threat," Anastasia typed back. "Considering that the government is not even supposed to be doing this sort of thing. I bet they will merely conveniently refuse to acknowledge your existence since you managed to bungle and get into trouble."
Tharpie paused for a long moment and stared at the screen. "Fuck you," she typed.
Anastasia chuckled softly in amusement. "Such language!" she typed back. "So, while you're stuck there, care to tell me just why the government wants to shut down the Pandora's gate project?"
"Not particularly," Tharpie typed. "That's classified, of course."
"How about if you talk, I'll turn off the music and switch to white noise instead?"
"This is cruel and unusual. But fine. The government, and rightly so I will add, thinks that this project is far too dangerous to carry through on. You never know what might come through from other dimensions. It could be monsters or demons, or sinister aliens with the intent on taking over the universe. Or sinister humans, for that matter."
"You are quite right, of course," Anastasia replied, switching over the noise as she had promised. "Although I would be hard-pressed to describe myself as 'sinister'. But you see, it is already too late. Their previous attempts have already started to weaken the boundaries between this universe and the rest. Things may begin to slip through regardless and further weaken it. The gateway will merely speed the process. How would your government feel if they believed themselves safe from interdimensional interference, only to discover that such has been happening directly under their noses, and they had no idea to watch for it?"
Tharpie stared at the screen for several minutes, her face dropping, and she leaned back against the wall next to it, putting her face into her hand. She slid down to the floor, and she might have been muttering to herself, but it would have been impossible to make out any words through the noise.
"Melissa has returned," Sleipnir said. "Shall I let her in?"
"Go ahead," Tasha said.
Melissa came inside and climbed up to the bridge, peering over at the image on the viewscreen. "What did you do, depress her into surrender or something? She looks positively emo."
"I gave her a clear view of reality," Anastasia said. "And explained in no uncertain terms the hopelessness of the situation in general."
"Congratulations," Melissa said dryly. "You're depressing."
"So now that we've got her, what are we going to do with her?" Tasha wondered.
"Leave that to me, if you will," Melissa said. "I'll deal with her."
"Alright," Tasha said. "Sleipnir, let Melissa into the cargo hold."
"Acknowledged."
Tasha nodded to her, and Melissa gave a disturbing sort of grin and headed out and down there. When the door to the cargo hold open, Tharpie looked up and sprang to her feet, whipping out her sonic blade with inhuman speed. Anastasia could scarcely follow the blur of movements as Melissa rapidly closed the distance, but Tharpie was already flipping out of the way. A quick strike up with the sonic blade, and one of the speakers was damaged badly enough to stop emitting noise.
"Sleipnir, seal the cargo hold," Anastasia said. "Make certain that she cannot escape."
"What about Melissa?" Tasha asked.
"She can take care of herself. She wished to deal with the culprit herself, after all." Anastasia stared at the screen. "I merely wish that I could follow their movements better. They are extremely quick."
"At least I didn't order anything easily breakable."
On the screen, the two women were circling one another and bouncing around wildly. From the flash of a grin on Melissa's face, she could almost think that the woman was enjoying this and was merely toying with Tharpie. Another bounce brought Tharpie's blade into the second speaker, with a crackle and a fizzle canceling the silencing white noise in the room. Anastasia flipped a switch to turn on the sound intake from the rooms so they might hear what was going on there.
Tharpie began to sing wordlessly, the sonic blade in her hands humming to life. "You won't stop me this time, Shadowcrawler! Just wait till my employers have your head on a pike!"
"Oh, please," Melissa said. She shot out some sort of weapon that caught Tharpie around the ankle. It appeared to be some sort of lasso. "Spare me your drivel. If I'd known it was you who was behind this, I wouldn't have wasted so much time trying to track you down. You're too pathetic to have succeeded in your mission anyway."
"Why you..." Tharpie snarled, then yelped as Melissa gave a yank and pulled her feet out from under her. The sonic blade flew out of her hands and clattered to the floor. Frantically, Tharpie tried to reach for it again.
"Don't even," Melissa said, kicking the blade away. "I think this shall be our final encounter, Banshee."
"Fuck you," Tharpie said.
"You wish." In moments, Melissa had the struggling Tharpie tied hand and foot, and dragged her out of the cargo hold. She returned to the bridge without her moments after.
"Where'd you put the nutcase?" Tasha asked.
"In my quarters," Melissa said. "Her weapon's a custom job, so it might fetch a good price, unless one of you has the bizarre inclination to learn how to use a sonic blade."
"What are you planning on doing with her?" Anastasia asked. "And why did she call you Shadowcrawler?"
"It's a long story," Melissa said. "And I'll do with her whatever I please."
"I take it you have had some previous acquaintance with the woman?" Anastasia said.
"You could say that," Melissa replied. "But I'd rather not go into it just now. Don't worry, you won't need to deal with heragain."
"I want to know what you're going to do with her too," Tasha put in.
"I'm going to torture her slowly for fun and then kill her," Melissa said flatly. "You happy now, or would you have rather not known about that?" She smirked broadly at them.
"That's fine, just fine," Tasha said lightly. "I'd just rather people not be trying to deceive me or outright lying to me."
Melissa snorted softly. "You're an idealist."
"Not so much as I've been in the past," Tasha said. "But I'd prefer that those who would be my friends be honest with me, no matter what they're doing. I might be more forgiving of that than of deception."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Melissa said. "Was there anything else, or shall I go play with my new toy a bit?"
"Go right ahead," Tasha said, waving her off. Melissa chuckled softly and inclined her head toward them, and headed off.
"Why did you do that?" Anastasia asked after she was gone.
"I wanted to see if she was going to come clean on her own. Guess we saw the answer to that one."
"Do we really wish to allow her to torture one who believed she was attempting to do the right thing for the good of the universe, whatever her unorthodox style of doing about it?"
Tasha made a helpless gesture. "Do you really think you could stop her, anyway? Look, we might be able to get the jump on her and take her down, maybe, but she's far better trained and more skilled and experienced than the rest of us put together. What are we going to do, lock her in her cabin and try to start her to death and hope she doesn't figure out a way out, get pissed off about it and kill us all?"
"You have a point," Anastasia said, sighing.
"At the moment, I'd prefer her to be honest than nice. I just wish I knew what she might do now that she's got what she was looking for, but it doesn't look like she's immediately going anywhere in the near future."
"I still dislike the idea," Anastasia said. It bothered her more than she particularly cared to admit, in fact. "How can you be so casual about death and suffering?"
"If we hadn't been here, do you think she would have done otherwise?" Tasha asked. "Doubtful. She'd have still managed to track Tharpie down and catch her one way or another."
"This happening on our ship makes it seem as though we condone this sort of thing, however."
"Look, regardless of her misguided attempt at being a hero, Tharpie is our enemy. She was working at cross-purposes to what we were trying to achieve. And Melissa may very well be a valuable asset in the future if we can keep her on our side. The same could not possibly have been said about Tharpie."
"Is that really all this is to you?" Anastasia said softly. "About achieving your own goals and using people as pawns for your own desires?"
Tasha looked away and stared at the floor for several long moments, before replying quietly, "No. It isn't." She shook her head and looked up again. "I'm not going to fall into that trap."
"Good," Anastasia said, going over to hug her reassuringly. "I worry about you at times, you realize."
"Why?"
"Doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons can be equally as bad as doing the wrong things for the right reasons. I merely wished to ensure that you knew why you were doing things, and that you were doing them for the right reasons."
Tasha smiled crookedly at her. "Don't worry."
Loki put in abruptly, "Uh, I hate to interrupt this touching conversation, but... Worry."
"What?" Tasha said in confusion, turning to the brightly colored box.
"I can't get Sleipnir to respond. He's behaving oddly and is starting to take off on his own."
"Ah crap," Tasha muttered.