I Am One
by Sean Gaffney
Copyrights and credits appear at the end of the story.
NOTE: This story takes place between the Dark Horse stories _Sim Hell_ and _Fatal But Not Serious_.
Part 2: Getting in Tune
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Cory Emerson was not having one of her better days.
She was falling down what appeared to be a bottomless drop, Shasti right below her. Cory was convinced that, after all the trouble they'd gone through, Shasti's mind had finally snapped, and she'd gone berserk again. However, she didn't have much time to think about it, as she was desperately grabbing along the walls that hurtled past them, looking for anything to stop their descent.
Shasti looked up, amused. "You'll break your arm if you try to stop yourself like that."
"Shut up!" Cory was beginning to get hysterical. "What the hell did you do, we're gonna die, what's the matter with you...why are we slowing down?"
Slowly, the pair came to a stop, about 20 feet from the ground. Shasti looked around, grinning.
"3WA has been built up over the years. Rather than tear everything down, they just built out over the existing structure. That left a lot of nodes in the middle of nowhere, like this one." Her voice became a little more strained. "Deirdre and I accidentally discovered this one when we were training. It had zero gravity, which came in very useful. It wasn't until later that we discovered that the Central Computer had known what we were doing all along, and had turned off the gravity to 'assist' us."
Cory heard the emotion behind the words. "I take it you weren't all that appreciative."
Shasti snorted. "Just another example of the 3WA trying to control my life. I suppose I should be used to it by now."
Cory tried not to make any sudden movements. She had very little Zero-G experience, and was trying to control her stomach. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait," Shasti replied. "There are only two people who knew that we trained here, and they're both dead. The CC could simply alert the 3WA to our location, but that's not its style. It's much more sneaky. No, I think we're safe here for the moment."
Suddenly, Shasti's movements became much more expressive. She came over to Cory's side in a manner that could almost be erotic. Snuggling up to Cory, she whispered in her ear, "I can think of a few ways we could pass the time."
Cory looked at Shasti with growing horror. "Shasti, what are you _doing_?"
Suddenly Shasti's eyes cleared, and she shoved herself away from Cory violently. This had the added effect of sending Cory in the other direction, and she impacted hard with the other wall.
"Aagh!" Cory exclaimed. She checked her body over for bruises, but there didn't seem to be any damage. Suddenly her attention was caught by the sound of sobbing from across the node. Shasti had curled up into a little ball, and was smashing her head with her fists. "Stop it!" she repeated over and over again.
"Shasti!" Cory shoved herself off the wall and towards Shasti. Unfortunately, she underestimated the amount of push needed and slammed both herself and Shasti into the opposite wall. They bounced back towards the center of the room, tangled in each other.
Luckily, the shock seemed to have snapped Shasti out of her mental state. She turned to Cory and whispered, "Oh God, Cory, I'm sorry. It...it was as if I were in my seductress personality. I didn't know what I was doing. Oh God, what's happening to me?"
Cory didn't say it out loud, but she had a pretty good idea. Shasti was undergoing severe mental stress, only a few days after having what amounted to a lobotomy. In order to cope with the events around her, her mind was fragmenting back into her old patterns. The med doctors had said that all four of Shasti's personalities still existed within her. Evidently Shasti had still not succeeded in making them part of herself.
Unfortunately, this was not the time for more therapy. They were on the run, and weren't even sure where the threat was coming from. "Shasti, I know how you must feel. But we can't take the time to stop and talk."
Shasti looked up. "Why not? We were very quick, I don't think anyone traced us. We can stay here and try to plan out an escape. And besides the Central Computer, the only ones who knew that I came here were Ayoob and Deirdre. And they're both dead."
***
Deirdre was approaching the pair from a few floors below. She had combed through all of the places where she and Shasti used to train, and this looked to be the winner. A vicious smile crossed her face.
She remembered the day she'd been awakened. She asked about Shasti, and had been told the _real_ truth. All of Shasti's friendship, all her feelings and emotions had been a lie. The tape of her original self dying, shot in the back by Shasti, was played for her over and over again. She began to realize just how much she had been betrayed, and that hatred fueled her training.
Jim told her that she had been brought back solely to kill Shasti once and for all. The fact that she had been cloned only as a tool of vengeance sometimes bothered her, but she let the vengeance overwhelm her mind until the thought went away.
She had retrained. It hadn't taken long, as all of her old memories were still there, up until the LaCombe mission. She went over strategy, focusing on holo captures of Shasti's criminal antics. The more she saw the deranged criminal on screen, the more she hated her. Shasti had become her life, morning noon and night, repeatedly going over the ways in which she could be killed. Brought to justice first, oh yes, but then Deirdre would see that Shasti's death was slow and painful.
Deirdre stopped suddenly in agony, desperately trying not to cry out. Her head throbbed. *This is probably the worst one yet*, she thought. Ever since she'd been awakened, she'd had to deal with these tormenting migraines. Jim had explained them away as a byproduct of the cloning, and mentioned that killing Shasti would probably get rid of them. But that thought only comforted her a bit. There were times when she would be walking through the halls, only to scream in agony as a white-hot knife of pain lanced through her head.
This had not endeared her to the other agents. There wasn't anyone on Pacifica who knew her past, so they had no idea of the torment she had gone through. They merely saw an agent intent on revenge who seemed to be having psychotic episodes. They didn't understand her at all. She wasn't mad, she just got these headaches.
Everything would be all right as soon as she killed Shasti. That was something she had to believe. That all of the trauma, her past memories, her betrayal, her pain and fury, would vanish as soon as Shasti was dead.
As Deirdre silently ascended to the floor below their old training grounds, she repeated the same thing over and over. Kill Shasti, and everything would be all right.
It was something that was getting harder and harder to believe.
***
Jim stared at the screen. He'd been tracking Deirdre, but she had faded out, just as Shasti and Cory had. Wherever they were, it was somewhere that 3WA did not have eyes or ears, and that bothered Jim.
The other thing that bothered him was the fact that Deirdre was still not ready for this. He hadn't expected DeFeo and his agents to actually capture Shasti, so he was somewhat unprepared. Deirdre still had memories of her friendship with Shasti, memories that were playing havoc with her head. He had emphasized to her the importance of killing Shasti before she left, but he was still unsure of whether Deirdre would be able to do it.
Luckily, he had another backup plan. Deirdre had been Jim's plan - simple, effective and subtle. But this backup was Jimmy's idea. Jimmy enjoyed wreaking havoc. Still, the situation had almost gotten out of control, and Jim couldn't see any other options.
Closing his eyes, he allowed Jimmy to surface.
Suddenly, he smiled brightly. "This is going to be cool!" Jimmy said to himself. He turned to his computer. "How many agents from the graduating class of 2136 do we have within a few hours' travel?"
The computer answered. "There are currently 14 such agents on or near Pacifica. All are currently available, save for agents Kei and Yuri, who cannot be located on the scanners."
Jimmy almost frowned. "I thought they despised Shasti as much as I did. I do hope they're not trying to betray us. Hmmm...recall the other agents, and try to find the Lovely Angels as soon as possible. Something has come up."
Jimmy turned from the computer, his eyes shining. He was going to enjoy this...
***
Shasti and Cory had moved, and were now discussing bits of strategy. Cory was relieved to be back in real gravity again. "I think that if we keep to these corridors," Shasti was saying, "we should be able to get about three buildings away from the shipyards. That should give us enough time to make a getaway, they'll be caught off guard."
Cory frowned. "Won't they have guards all around the shipyards anyway? We're going to be seen no matter what."
Shasti looked at Cory. "A certain amount of force is going to be necessary in order to get out of here. It's a choice of kill or be killed."
Cory didn't like the sound of that. Shasti had been sounding more and more matter-of-fact as they planned, and Cory got the feeling that Shasti had buried herself in another personality.
However, before she could say anything, a voice came from the darkness, causing them to freeze.
"Gee, what an intriguing question? Kill or be killed? It's, like, such a brain twister! But y'know, I think I'll choose to kill. I mean, if that's okay with you. After all, you did, like, kill me in the first place."
Cory began to panic. She recognized that voice from the tapes; it was Deirdre, right down to the Val-speak. But Deirdre was dead! She'd just spent a whole day convincing Shasti that Deirdre was dead! Damn 3WA, what did they think they were pulling? She glanced over at Shasti, and stopped dead.
Shasti had dropped her gun. She had her hands up to her face, and appeared to be gibbering a constant stream of nonsense.
"ohdeirdreshescometogetmeohgodimdamnedimsosorry".
The figure stepped out from the shadows. It did indeed appear to be Deirdre, right down to the last detail. The only thing that would make anyone question her was the hatred in her face, as she stared at Shasti.
"Well, what's the matter, _partner_? Like, aren't you planning on taking another shot at me? After all, you killed me once already, you little bitch, what's wrong with a second time?"
Cory needed to do something, and fast. Shasti's gun was still in front of her, but there was no way Cory could grab it without getting her head blown off. She could run, but didn't want to leave Shasti in the hands of what appeared to be her dead partner.
Suddenly the decision was made for her. Shasti almost shrieked as she fell to the ground in front of Deirdre, prostrating yourself. "Oh, Deirdre, thank God you're alive! Oh, what have I done, I killed you, and now you hate me? Oh, please, kill me!"
Cory almost cried. Shasti had finally snapped, and because of it they were going to die. She started to go for the gun anyway, reasoning that she wasn't going to accept her fate lying down. However, Deirdre didn't appear to notice her at all, instead looking down at Shasti with an incredulous expression.
"Why aren't you trying to kill me? Dammit, you did it once already! You shot me in the back; you betrayed me! Why...WHY AREN'T YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Deirdre was sweating and appeared to be in great pain.
Shasti's response was to rise up and hug Deirdre, putting the gun between them. "Oh, Deirdre, I love you. Please, let me make it up to you. Now that you're not dead, I can spend the rest of my life making up for my mistakes." Shasti looked at the gun that was between them. "Unless you want to kill me now. You have every right, if you want." And with that, Shasti pulled the gun to her heart and closed her eyes.
Cory's eyes closed as well, not wishing to see the death of someone she had come to call a friend. She wasn't particularly anxious to see her own death, either, and just prayed that it was quick. She tensed as she heard a scream.
But the scream wasn't Shasti's. Deirdre was on her knees, clutching at her head in agony. Shasti had put her arms around her, demanding to know what was wrong. Deirdre's only response was to scream one final time before lapsing into unconsciousness.
There was silence for several seconds. Cory was the first to break it, running to the spot where Shasti's gun still lay. "Thank God, I can't believe we actually made it through that," she said, picking up the weapon. "C'mon, they may have a tracer on her. Let's get out of here before she wakes up."
Shasti was lying by Deirdre's side, and seemed to be staring into space. When she finally spoke, her voice was totally calm and collected. "The tracer, if there is one, won't be able to pick us up. We're still safe from any surveillance." She got to her knees and began to look Deirdre over. "She appears to have collapsed due to severe head pains. From the look of things, I would guess that 3WA has attempted to brainwash her."
Cory was both astonished and disturbed by this almost complete recovery from Shasti. "But why isn't she dead?"
Shasti frowned. "I'm not sure. I'd need more evidence. Right now, our goal is to get to those ships. It's not going to be easy, especially now that we've got another person."
Cory nearly had a heart attack. "WHAT?!?! You must be out of your mind! She's trying to kill us! When she wakes up, what makes you think that she won't try again?"
Shasti looked at Cory coolly. "She probably will. The fact that she was unable to do so earlier makes me think that this might actually be Deirdre, instead of some 3WA plot. And for that reason, we are taking her with us. All four of us agree on this. I would sooner abandon _you_ that leave her behind again." She got to her feet, hefting Deirdre in a fireman's carry. "However, I'm not going to abandon either of you. We'd better get going. I'll need you to watch for signs of attack, as I've got my hands full. Can you handle a gun?"
Cory blinked, thrown off by the question. "Not really. Am I talking to Shasti or am I talking to her Investigator persona?"
Shasti didn't even blink. "Shasti is currently unable to cope with current events, so she has retreated, leaving me in her place. I will be in charge until we get to the shipyards, where the Warrior will take over. Then, once we have escaped, you may attempt to return Shasti to her - _my_ former self." She paused for a moment. "Assuming it isn't too late."
***
Three stories above, another pair were listening in on this conversation.
Kei was curious. "If she's so confident that they can't be heard, how come we can hear them?"
Yuri was all business, moving along quickly with her gun out. "First of all, they're looking for bugs in the room, and we've bugged Cory herself. Secondly, we can hear them because we're so close. We're pretty far down in the bowels of 3WA; I imagine we're probably off their sensors as well."
Kei also had her weapon drawn, but her eyes were wandering around the area. "Yeah, this is the middle of nowhere, isn't it? I didn't realize that 3WA had this many back passages. Have you ever been here before?"
"No," Yuri responded, "which makes it much more difficult to follow them. And I suppose it makes sense. Rather than constantly tear down, the 3WA simply built their new facilities around the old ones. Much cheaper. Also rather stupid, as it leaves a hole in their security big enough to drive a truck through."
Kei decided to raise the subject that they'd been avoiding. "Do you believe them?"
"I don't know."
Kei was surprised; until recently, Yuri had been convinced that this was another ploy of Shasti's, with Cory as an unwitting accomplice. "What changed your mind?"
Yuri scowled. "I haven't changed my mind yet. But...several things that she's doing make no sense unless they're at least telling some of the truth. I'm still not ready to believe them completely, though." She turned towards her partner. "Are you?"
Kei shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Yuri, but I do. I just can't believe that Shasti is that good an actor. It's hard to make up that kind of pain."
Yuri smiled slightly. "Then what do you think we should do?"
"Confront them. This time, without flying off the handle like we did last time. If she's lying, then we still have the upper hand, and can probably take her. If she's telling the truth..." Kei stopped.
"That's precisely what I've been thinking. If she's telling the truth, then what? Do we let her get away with the years of criminal rampages and killings? Do we let her get away with what she did to us? To Deirdre?"
Kei nodded towards the recorder. "According to that, Deirdre's alive."
"That's the other thing that's worrying me."
***
The agents entered the room and looked at each other with a combination of happiness and confusion. On the one hand, they were happy to see each other. On the other hand, it was rare to call in a dozen agents for one assignment, and rarer still that they all have graduated from the same class.
While they were catching up on each other's news, Jimmy entered. He surveyed the room, delighted that everyone had arrived. He then frowned. Almost everyone. The Lovely Angels were not here, and the computer could not find them, even though records showed they had not left Pacifica. This was going to be a problem.
Jimmy sighed. He had liked Kei and Yuri. Oh well, if he was going to have three people killed, what difference did it make if he added two more?
"Could I have everyone's attention please?" he asked. The room began to quiet down as the agents went into professional mode.
"I'm sure you're all wondering what you're doing here. We have a slight problem. By now you've all been briefed on 3WA's little child in the attic, former Agent Shasti." A mutter rolled through the room. They all knew what had happened to Shasti, and the criminal life she had subsequently embarked upon.
Jimmy smiled. He knew that the agents had _not_ been informed of Shasti's recovery, that still being top secret until its success was assured. "We have a situation. Shasti is on Pacifica now. We don't know how she got here, and we can't tell where she is. But we do know that she plans to cripple our ships, and perhaps even more." He sighed. Might as well make it look realistic. "For reasons unknown, she has obtained a clone of her former partner, Agent Deirdre."
The agents were shocked. Cloning was almost unheard of these days. 3WA was attempting to perfect it, but there hadn't been any major breakthroughs. They were also a little disturbed. Deirdre had trained some of them in logic (the benefits of having a computer in her mind), and her death had hit them hard. To see her memory desecrated like this made them furious.
Jimmy went on, knowing that this would be the tricky part. "She has also abducted a journalist, Cory Emerson, again for reasons known only to herself."
There seemed to be no limits on surprises today. Cory was also well known to the agents, through her exploits with the Angels. Both Kei and Yuri had praised her, and called her a good friend. And those two had trouble making friends, so she must have really been something.
"Unfortunately, as you know, Shasti's existence is still one of 3WA's big secrets. It is unfortunate that this woman was dragged into the middle of this, but we cannot let anyone, especially a journalist, find out about Agent Shasti. For that reason, you assignment is to stake out the shipyards, and when she arrives, kill them."
They reacted pretty much as he had expected. One of them, Clarisse, raised her hand.
"Sir, we have no objection to killing Shasti, and if Deirdre has been cloned to Shasti's specifications, I think she should be eliminated as well. But I see no reason why we need to kill Miss Emerson. Surely there are other alternatives. She's remained silent about 3WA business before."
"Shasti is bigger than both Kalevala and Tertius. We cannot afford to let her loose with that knowledge in her head."
Another agent piped up. "Well, can't we erase her memory? It's been done before..."
Jimmy smirked. If only they knew what an excellent segue that was. "It's never been completely successful. Shasti was one of the first we tried it on, and her memories returned fairly quickly." Deirdre too, he didn't add. "The subconscious mind always remembers. The only way to do it would be to wipe out her entire mind, which would have the same effect as killing her."
The others shivered. Clarisse, nevertheless, stood her ground. "Sir, I refuse to kill an innocent civilian. At the worst, we'll have to keep her here. Why not make her an agent? Her past has proven she has the abilities."
Jimmy was impressed. It almost made him regret what he was about to do. "No, I'm sorry, but there is no other choice. Now, how many of you object to this assignment?"
Everyone raised their hand. Oh well, he should have guessed.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It makes what I have to do that much harder." And with that, he pressed a button on the desk. Immediately the room was filled with a high-pitch tone, and the agents found that they couldn't move. "You see, I told you the truth. It's impossible to erase someone's memory without annihilating their mind. Unfortunately, I need you all to be focused on this assignment. Luckily, I had a new personality loaded into your mind when you graduated. It should be perfectly capable of performing the assignment."
He grinned widely; now he could drop the pretext. "This will, of course, have the side effect of totally erasing your own personalities, but I think you'll admit, it's for a good cause."
He looked at the agents, savoring the moment. Their eyes were able to move, and he watched as they pleaded with him. Some of them were even crying. Then they slowly glazed over, and gradually died. As this happened, the new personality took over. A dozen pairs of eyes came back into focus, filled with rage and hate. The agents were now gone; in their place were shells to do Jimmy's bidding.
Jimmy smiled. "You all understand your assignment." They all nodded. He looked around the room one last time. Still not here. Oh well. "And please add to your execution list Agents Kei and Yuri."
The others nodded. They no longer needed a reason.
"And now I think you'd better go to the shipyards and prepare." They nodded once more, and filed out without a word.
Shasti was good, Jimmy mused. Most of his pawns would probably be killed. But he didn't think she could escape all of them, especially with the training he had uploaded into them.
Jimmy grinned. That _was_ fun.
***
Deirdre slowly returned to consciousness. She had the strangest feeling that she was forgetting something. Now, what was it...
Oh, yes.
"DIE!!!" Deirdre shouted, spinning out of Shasti's grip. She quickly attempted to grab the woman in a headlock. Shasti slipped out of it and backed up against the wall. "Cory, get behind me. I'm going to try to get through this without bringing the Warrior personality up."
Cory scrambled behind Shasti for cover. "Why can't you just confront her as yourself?" If this kept up for much longer, Cory thought, there wouldn't be a 'self' left in Shasti.
"With Deirdre in the condition she is, I need to be at my best. My 'self' is currently attempting to recover from the shock of Deirdre's appearance." She ducked as Deirdre attempted a spin kick to her head, missing Shasti by millimeters. "Until then, this is the best option available."
Deirdre was getting sick of this. "They told me that you'd been cured! Guess it didn't hold up, hm? Should have guessed, after all, you're not a real human...AAAAIIIGGHH!!!" Once again, her head shot through with agonizing pain. She stumbled and almost fell.
Shasti looked down at her with a compassionate look. "Deirdre, 3WA has obviously done something to you. If we could get to a ship, I could try to..."
Deirdre regained her feet. "Try to finish me off? No thanks!" She lashed out with a hard punch, catching Shasti under the chin. The impact wasn't much, but it did serve to bring Shasti's Warrior personality to the fore.
"Shit...that hurt..." Shasti mumbled.
Deirdre sneered again. "Ah, we see the warrior now, do we? I've been waiting for you. You were the one that killed me in the first place, weren't you?"
Shasti flinched. "Yes, I was."
Cory felt the need to interrupt. "While you were under the influence of LaCombe."
Shasti quickly shook her head. "No! Fuck LaCombe! I am going to take responsibility for my own actions. _I_ killed Deirdre. I have to accept the consequences." She looked her partner in the eye. "And that's why I'm not going to do it again. No matter what."
Deirdre's eyes hardened, and she reached out to grab Shasti's gun. Shasti quickly reversed the handle and handed it to her. Cory decided that now would be an excellent time to curl into a ball and whimper.
Deirdre pushed the trigger. But just as the gun fired, she ripped it away, letting it impact the wall. Clutching her temples, she slid to the ground again.
Shasti went to her side, back in her Investigator personality. "She's passed out again. She appears to be fighting herself for some reason."
Deirdre was muttering to herself. "Have to kill her...no...she's my best friend..."
Shasti looked down at her, smiling warmly, then hefted her over one shoulder. "Come on. Let's try and make up for lost time."
Cory noticed the smile. "I thought that the Investigator was the cold, clinical one of the group."
Shasti looked at Cory closely. "That's true. But all four of us, and the Central Mind, all loved Deirdre as our closest friend. That was the one thing that never varied."
A voice came from the side corridor. "How can we be sure of that?"
Feeling very frustrated, Cory turned. She was greeted by the sight of Kei and Yuri pointing guns at the three of them. Cory slumped, putting her head in her hands. "I know I've said this before, but this is the worst day of my life."
Shasti tensed. She didn't want to fight the Angels, but she would if they tried to impede the three of them. "Deirdre needs to get medical attention. Please let us pass."
Yuri didn't back down. "Answer the question. How can we be sure that those are your true feelings? That you're not just going to kill Cory and Deirdre when you escape? That's something you've done time and again."
Shasti looked down. "That's true. I don't really have anything to convince you. I just...Social, please." Shasti shuddered, and when she looked up there were tears in her eyes. "Please believe me. I would sooner kill myself than Deirdre. Back then I was...LaCombe introduced a lot of new concepts into my mind. Concepts I wasn't ready to handle. It took the removal of his personality for me to realize how wrong those were. How horribly I was acting. But there's just me now. And I would _never_ hurt Deirdre." She looked down and smiled. "Or Cory." She looked up again. "Or the two of you. I can never make up for what I did to you. To the whole galaxy. But I can spend the rest of my life trying." Shasti had recovered somewhat, and smiled faintly. "I'm sorry I can't offer you more than that."
Yuri frowned. But before she could speak, a voice cut her off.
"That's all right, Shasti. We do believe you," Kei said, lowering her weapon. "And it's good to have you back."
Shasti grinned, and then looked at Yuri, who had not lowered her gun.
Kei noticed this too. "Yuri, come on. You're just being stubborn."
Yuri sighed. "All right. I believe her, too." She looked up with a serious look. "But I expect you to practice what you preach, Shasti. It will take years to make up for the crimes you committed, the lives you took. You may not be able to repay them personally, but you will pay them back by your thoughts and deeds. And I will be watching you to make sure."
Shasti looked down, flushing. "Of course."
Yuri lowered her gun. "Good." And with that, she reached out and hugged Shasti. "Nice to have you back."
***
"Do you think we have _enough_ hardware now?" Cory was buried under the weight of several pulse rifles.
"I hope so. We've encountered no resistance at all. That worries me." Shasti replied.
The shipyards lay before them. In the distance lay the sleek frame of the _Lovely Angel_. It seemed miles away to them. The shipyards appeared deserted, which was a bad sign. There had been no one at the armory either. Daltrey was toying with them.
Shasti frowned. She thought her Warrior persona would be able to handle everything. Dammit, this was going to be harder than she thought. She'd need the Investigator on the case too in order to stand a chance. Sighing, she turned to the others.
"Here's the plan, unless anyone can think of anything better. Kei and Yuri will guard Cory, and I will guard Deirdre. Cory, you will be responsible for getting Deirdre onto the ship as fast as possible. If there is any resistance, remember, they probably have orders to kill at least me and Cory, and possibly all of us. And we'd better disarm Deirdre, just in case."
Cory hmphed. "You realize this is all supposition. We don't even know that they're after us."
Shasti looked down at Deirdre sadly. "I'd say there's a pretty good chance."
Suddenly the PAs burst to life. "Shasti! This is the 3WA! Come out quietly, and we guarantee that no harm will come to anyone else."
Shasti turned to the others. "Anyone believe them?"
Kei grinned. "I do. That's Clarisse. She's one of our best friends. Let me handle this, things just got a lot brighter." Kei stepped out into the open. "Clarisse! It's Kei! Everything's -- "
Shasti slammed Kei down to the ground, just in time to avoid a shot that would have taken off her head. Yuri stared in horror.
"Clarisse? What are you doing? It's us?" That just earned another shot from the wings.
Suddenly, bedlam broke out. A dozen agents came charging out, guns blazing. Shasti managed to drag Cory and Deirdre to cover, but Kei and Yuri remained behind.
"What's the matter with you? Why are you doing thAAARGH!" Kei screamed as she was hit in the shoulder by a plasma beam. Whimpering, she fell to the ground.
Shasti fired back, hitting one of the agents in the head. She went down, but that still left eleven. Moreover, the agents appeared to be abandoning the Angels and targeting Shasti first. Things were beginning to look very bad.
Cory was not helping. She was alternating between screaming and babbling, talking about how she must have offended a major god to end up with a life this bad. At least she'd managed to hold on to the weapons. "Cory!" Shasti interrupted. "I need help! Grab a gun!"
Cory looked at the gun as though it was poison. "I can't hit anything!"
Shasti handed her a gun. "You don't need to with this gun. Just aim for the right time zone." And with that, she turned back to the shooting.
Cory stared at the gun, then noticed an agent coming at her with murder in her eyes. She screamed and fired. The agent exploded, showering Cory with blood. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed.
Shasti looked over for a brief second. "Oh, yeah, don't fire those things in close proximity. Long-range targets only." She had taken out two more, but there were still eight of them. Kei and Yuri had at last chosen to stop trying to reason with them, but were still refusing to shoot at them. What else could possibly go wrong?
"Shasti...I have to...please...I HAVE TO KILL YOU!" came a voice from behind them. Deirdre seemed to be in great pain, yet had still gotten a gun and was pointing it at Shasti.
Cory wanted to scream. Why did this keep happening? They were just postponing their inevitable deaths. Here I am, dying like a coward behind a stack of crates. I don't want to die like this...
She looked up again, at Deirdre menacing Shasti while the agents destroyed more of their cover.
"Nooooo!" she screamed, leaping onto Deirdre's back. Deirdre would normally have just flung her into the bulkhead, but was still in great pain from her programming, so there was a struggle. Cory was losing it, though.
"Dammit, how do we get this woman on our side? Box of chockies and some sweet talk?" Cory finally lost the battle and was flung against the wall where she slumped to the floor, dazed.
Shasti had gotten an idea, however. She grabbed Deirdre and swung her around, looking her straight in the eyes. "Deirdre, computer personality! Now!" she said, in a tone that brooked no argument.
In her current condition, Deirdre simply accepted the order, and reached back into her mind. Slowly, she began to shut down all of her emotional brain patterns and connections, calling on the computer that was built into her mind. And with that, the moral and ethical dilemma that had been plaguing her and causing her pain died away, leaving behind a purely logical Deirdre.
She quickly took in the situation, realizing that any problems between her and her partner must wait for a more convenient time. She took out two more of the homicidal agents. "What's our situation here, Shasti?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that, Deirdre. Ready to move, on three." The last of their cover was vanishing. Shasti hefted Cory, still groggy, to a standing position. "We'll keep Cory between us at all times. One...two...THREE!" They quickly ran towards the _Angel_, taking out two more agents. It took all of Cory's willpower to keep up with them.
Deirdre looked back, to see Kei and Yuri also moving to new cover, but having difficulty, as they refused to fire back. "Why are the Angels not firing on our opponents?"
"They're not going to fire on their friends. It's going to get them killed."
Deirdre turned to look at the others. "The agents were presumably sent by Jim Daltrey, or more likely Jimmy. In that case, they are no longer the same people. Jim does not believe in leaving anything to chance, and Jimmy delights in needless cruelty. The most probable answer is that they are mindwiped, in which case there is no way of getting them back. They are effectively dead."
Shasti took out two more agents, which freed up their party. "How do you know this?"
Deirdre looked at Shasti coolly. "Daltrey trained me after cloning my body. I had much chance to study both personalities, though this is the first chance I have had to think clearly about it."
Shasti glanced back. There was only one left, and she was still menacing the Angels. "Come on, let's go back for them."
Meanwhile, Kei was near tears. Her shoulder was in agony, and the look of hatred and loathing on Clarisse's face was horrifying to see. "Why are you doing this?" she wailed.
Clarisse didn't answer, but decided that attempting to drag them out into the open had gone on long enough. They didn't seem to want to fire at her, so she decided to kill them in hand to hand combat. She leaped for Yuri, dragging her to the ground.
Yuri barely had time to react before a punch nearly broke her jaw. She tried to fight back, but memories of her friendship with Clarisse spoiled it. Clarisse fought dirty, though, grabbing Yuri and slamming her against the bulkhead, breaking her arm. Yuri slumped to the ground, dazed.
Clarisse giggled, and her lips twisted into a sneer. "Now, traitor, it's finally time to die." She advanced on Yuri.
Before Clarisse could reach her, though, a shot blew out her chest cavity, and another took out her head. What remained of Clarisse fell to the ground.
Yuri looked up, expecting to see Shasti, but was instead stunned to find Kei standing there, holding her gun. Kei still had a look of shock on her face, with a tinge of horror as well.
"I killed her. Yuri, I killed Clarisse..."
Yuri tried to respond, but was cut off by Shasti. "Come on, you two. Daltrey's not going to sit there and wait for us to escape, let's get out of here!"
"How right you are." The voice came from the entrance bay behind them. Shasti turned to see a man standing there pointing a gun at her. "Daltrey, I presume," she said. "Am I talking to Jim or Jimmy?"
Daltrey grinned. "Jimmy at the moment. I wanted this to be special, and Jim doesn't have my flair for the theatrical."
"Lucky for me," Shasti remarked. "Jim would have simply shot me."
"And which one of you am I talking to?" Jimmy asked.
Shasti grinned right back at him. "Just me, Jimmy. Just Shasti."
A twinge of rage passed over Jimmy's face, but it was soon gone. He smiled and said, "Now, isn't this the point where I explain that I've always hated you, and all this was just a quest to satisfy my twisted thirst for revenge?"
"Could be. Is it true?"
"As a matter of fact it is, but I think it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. I do wish we had a sawmill around. Or a pendulum."
While Shasti and Jimmy bantered, Cory and Deirdre were watching from near the _Angel_. "This could be dangerous. Jimmy is quite capable of performing the most irrational acts. He will be especially upset since both his mindwiped agents and I have failed."
Cory was still not used to this new side of Deirdre. She'd read about it, but seeing what was basically a human computer in front of her took some getting used to. Suddenly she thought of something. "Did Jimmy have you bugged, Deirdre?"
"Of course," Deirdre replied. "However, the device was damaged when you fought with me below."
Cory was on a roll now. "And before that, we were out of its range. Deirdre, what if Jimmy doesn't know that you're on our side now? What if he still thinks that you're brainwashed to kill Shasti?"
Deirdre paused to consider the matter. "There is a problem. Jimmy will see me in my computer persona and know that I am no longer under his influence."
"Then cut loose! You know that you've been living a lie, so you're not about to go back to being homicidal!"
"No, but I will fall unconscious. When I come down from this state, I need recuperation time."
Cory's brow knitted. "You can't act emotional in this stage, right?"
"That is correct."
"Can you _look_ emotional? Narrow your eyes."
Deirdre did so.
"Great. Now, clench your teeth, and make your jaw vibrate..."
After seeing the results, Cory noted, "Well, it wouldn't fool anybody for long, but hopefully it'll give you enough time..."
Meanwhile, Jimmy was still bantering with Shasti. It was beginning to annoy her. "Why aren't you shooting at me?"
Jimmy smiled inanely. "Where's the fun in that? No, I want to make you feel pain first. Believe me, Shasti, you'll be the last to die." He then looked over Shasti's shoulder. "Or perhaps not. Deirdre, I thought they'd killed you."
"No." Said through her clenched teeth, Deirdre hoped that it sounded appropriately menacing.
"Well, I can hardly think of a more appropriate death. Deirdre, time to kill Shasti. Why not shoot her in the back?"
Shasti paled, and turned. She saw Deirdre pointing a gun at her, her face filled with...hate? What was going on here?
Deirdre suddenly dropped the pose and relaxed. She turned and fired at Jimmy with the pulse laser, putting a hole through his chest. His face twitching in surprise, he slumped to the floor.
Deirdre and Shasti walked over to the corpse. After verifying his death, Deirdre frowned. "I am sorry, Jimmy, but while in this mode I cannot offer an appropriate rejoinder to commemorate your death. Shasti, would you like to try?"
Shasti kicked the body. "No. Why should he deserve one?" She looked over at the Angels, who were still staring at the body of Clarisse. Kei's shoulder was still bleeding, and Yuri appeared to have a broken arm. Then she heard the shouting coming from the corridors. Apparently the rest of 3WA had finally realized that something was going on.
Deirdre turned to Shasti. "I do not think we should trust them."
Shasti smiled at her partner. "The only people I trust are right here." She walked over and moved Kei and Yuri away from the body. "Come on, let's get out of here before they decide to question us. They'll probably bring in another smart-ass journalist to do it."
"HEY!" Cory shouted. "I heard that! If it hadn't been for..." Cory paused as she took in the tone of speech. "Shasti? Is that you? Not one of your personalities?"
Leaving the Angels with Deirdre, she went over and hugged Cory. "It's me, Cory. Shasti. And I think it'll stay that way this time."
***
After entering the ship, Deirdre rolled her eyes up and collapsed. Shasti caught her as she fell.
"What happ-oh, she turned off her computer mode, right?" Cory observed.
"Right. Let's get out of here. Yuri, can you -- no, apparently you can't." Yuri was still staring straight ahead, as was Kei. "Cory, do they still have that big cat?"
At that moment, Mughi leapt into the cabin, knocking Cory to the floor. "Hey, stop it! Hee hee - stop!"
Shasti frowned. "Can it pilot the ship?"
Mughi turned and looked at Shasti, then got into attack position. He was stopped by Cory. "Wait, Mughi, it's okay. She's all right now. There's no danger."
Mughi growled an acknowledgment, but gave Shasti a dirty look.
Cory looked apologetically at Shasti. "Sorry."
Shasti smiled wanly. "That's okay. It's probably a look I'll need to get used to. Ask if Mughi can pilot us out of here." A pounding came from the airlock doors, with faint shouting. "Soonish."
"Why can't you pilot us out of here?" Cory asked.
Shasti looked down at the body in her arms. "I want to be at Deirdre's side when she wakes up." And with that, she moved to the other room, closing the door behind her.
Cory was left with the Angels. Mughi had been trying to elicit a response from them, with no luck. "Kei? Yuri? It's over now. Jimmy's dead, and we're leaving."
Kei blinked, and seemed to come back into focus. "Leave? We can't leave yet!"
Cory blinked. "Why not?"
Kei grinned maniacally. "We haven't blown up half the planet yet! Right, Yuri?"
Yuri also had a manic look on her face. "Right! I mean, we're the Dirty Pair! We've already taken out some of our closest friends today, why not wind it up by taking out the planet!" She started giggling.
Kei laughed. "After all, killing millions of people is what we do best!" They both pounded each other on the back, laughing hysterically. Cory watched them in horror, not knowing if this had caused them to snap.
Suddenly the tenor of the hysterics changed, and the Angels both started to cry, great heaving sobs that drove them down to the ground. Cory relaxed. They had both been in shock, but seemed to be recovering. At least they were beginning to mourn. Whether they could accept what they had had to do...well, time would tell. She quickly put a medpatch on Kei's shoulder, which stopped the worst of the bleeding, and made a makeshift sling for Yuri's arm. "Come on, cat, let's get out of here before they cut their way in." Cory and Mughi headed for the cockpit, leaving Kei and Yuri holding each other, weeping.
***
Deirdre woke slowly, letting herself ease into consciousness. At times like this, she often wished that she didn't have total recall. She would have loved to have forgotten everything that had happened, like some horrible dream.
"Deirdre? Are you awake?"
So much for it being a dream. Deirdre opened her eyes, not surprised to find that she was already crying. "Shasti...I am, like, _so_ sorry..."
Deirdre suddenly found herself enfolded in Shasti's arms. Shasti too was crying. "Oh, Deirdre, thank god you're all right. I was so worried that they'd done something else to you." Shasti looked her friend in the eye. "How do you feel?"
"What do you mean 'how do I feel'? Betrayed, ashamed, repulsed! My god, Shasti, I tried to kill you! How could...how can you stand to be in the same room as me?"
"How can you stand to be in the same room as me?" Shasti gently retorted. "After all, I tried to kill you. I succeeded. Surely that gives you a reason not to want to speak to me."
Deirdre smiled. "I don't remember it. I'm a clone, y'know? My last memory is of the physical exam before the LaCombe mission. Then I woke up and there was Jimmy." Her face darkened. "He...told me what had happened. But he twisted it...made you look so horrible. And they, like, did something to my mind...made me focus on my hatred. Shasti, I don't hate you. You were under LaCombe's influence when you killed me."
Shasti shook her head. "That doesn't excuse it. I'm not going to blame LaCombe for all my faults. I should have been stronger."
"Then I should have, too. After all, I was just as influenced by Daltrey as you were by LaCombe. What makes us any different? Shasti, you were ready to let me kill you. What's more, you took me with you, even though I was attacking you. You trusted me, Shasti. Why shouldn't I trust you, too?"
The two of them hugged again. "From now on, we both trust each other with our lives. No matter what." Shasti replied.
The door opened. "Um...we appear to have an incoming message."
Shasti was amazed. "You're answering the communicator?"
Cory looked uncomfortable. "No. It just appeared on the screen and asked to speak to you. It says it's the Central Computer."
***
Kei and Yuri had finally fallen asleep when the three of them entered the room. The icon of the Central Computer filled the screen, appearing as a grinning happy face.
Shasti was anything but happy right now. "What the hell are you doing calling us up? After what Daltrey tried to do to us, do you think we'd want anything to do with you?"
If it were possible for an AI to sigh, the CC would have. "No, I don't. I called to offer you an explanation...and an apology, if you'll take it."
Cory was just as livid. "How can you possibly explain? We were set up from the start!"
"Not completely. You really were the best person to get Shasti out of her shell, Cory. Not even Deirdre could have done it. And DeFeo genuinely believed that we were helping Shasti with no strings attached. His death...upset me. But let me backtrack. Shortly after we created you, Shasti, the 3WA decided to make another multiple-personality agent. However, because of the problems you had experienced, it was decided to limit the personas to two. Basically, they would be Warrior/Detective, and Social/Seducer. In addition, this agent was going to be male. If all worked out...we were planning on pairing the two of you."
Deirdre scowled. "And what makes you think that either Shasti or I would have agreed to that?"
"Deirdre, you had only been partners for a little over a month. It wasn't known how viable the two of you were. In any case, the point became moot. Shortly afterwards, Shasti, you came back from a case with your mind in collapse. It took weeks to rebuild you. In doing so, we discovered you had developed a subconscious. You were a lot more alive than we thought. Naturally, I decided to pull the plug on the other agent. Creating life was not an area I wanted to get into...for one thing, it might make people question my authority."
Cory opened her mouth to make a rejoinder, but Shasti stopped her. Shasti's face had gone cold. "Go on."
"My orders were disobeyed. Jim Daltrey was never destroyed. Moreover, most of his training was patterned after yours. He began to develop an intense curiosity about you...a curiosity that grew to intense hatred.
"When I found out about Jim, I had him taken to be tested. My worst fears were confirmed. He too had developed a subconscious. I decided that the best thing to do would be to put him in the organization on Pacifica. By this time, Shasti, you had gone rogue, so having him carry out missions was out of the question. Likewise, terminating him would be murder. So we left him in middle management. In retrospect, probably not one of my wiser decisions.
"He was much more shrewd than I had imagined. Despite what most people believe, I cannot be everywhere. When Jim seemed to be behaving normally, I concentrated on other matters. That was when Jim created you, Deirdre. He had been following our cloning attempts with interest, and suggested that you would be the ideal subject for a test. One of the things I am happy about is that, despite Jim's attempts to brainwash you, you are Deirdre. Not merely an imperfect copy. It shows that we are further along than we imagined."
"I'm, like, _so_ relieved," Deirdre said, a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
"I should have realized. I should have stopped him. However, Daltrey had been spending more time as Jimmy. As Jim, he was focused, but logical, and therefore predictable. Jimmy, however, was completely insane, which throws predictions out the window."
The CC made a sound like a sigh again. "By the time I realized what was going on, it was almost too late. Jimmy had mindwiped twelve of our best agents. Deirdre had been sent out to assassinate you. The most I could do was damage control. I managed to keep everyone else away from the shipyards until you could make your getaway. I also convinced Goulet that the agents in question should be interred with full honors, having died in the line of duty." By now Kei and Yuri were listening to him as well, a fact the CC seemed to take note of. "Goulet was entirely innocent, by the way. He didn't even know who Jimmy really was."
The Angels seemed relieved, but Shasti's face was still cold. "This is all very lovely, but I don't believe it, unfortunately. When Deirdre and I were training, you knew everything we were doing. I find it impossible to believe that you could not be aware of Jimmy's activities. Why you wanted to do this, I don't know. But you did, and that's all I need to know. Now kindly get the fuck out of our lives."
The CC's icon frowned, and then disappeared.
"Um...that does leave one problem..." Deirdre announced.
Shasti turned. "What?"
"All four of us have got all these programs and junk in our heads, y'know, to turn us into psychos? If we don't go back to the 3WA, who's going to get it out? There aren't any other doctors capable of this level of treatment."
Cory suddenly felt very cold. "They were very specific about giving me a medical exam before I went to see Shasti." She looked up, and there was fear in her eyes. "I wonder what surprises are in my head."
Kei and Yuri were almost shivering, thinking that what happened to Clarisse and the others could happen to them. Suddenly, Yuri shot to her feet. "Ishtar!"
The reaction was immediate. Bafflement from Shasti and Deirdre, relief and a smile from Kei, and total and complete rage from Cory.
"NO! I swore when we left that place that I would _never_ go back there again? Do you realize what he'll be like when I show up again? He's bad enough on a normal day, but when he's smug...dammit, I refuse!"
"Would you rather we run around the universe, running from the 3WA, with a load of murderous cyberware in our heads?"
Cory took a moment to weigh the possibilities. "That's not fair! You're blackmailing me!"
Yuri, despite her injuries, grinned. "Yep. Sorreee..."
Cory continued to grumble. "God, that's irritating. Almost as annoying as Deirdre's speech."
"Ex-CUSE me? Like, what's wrong with the way I talk?"
"Nothing, if you're Moon Zappa!" Cory shot back.
Shasti felt things were getting out of hand. "If we could get back to the point...Yuri, how far away is this doctor?"
Yuri went over to the console, adjusted a strange device that looked like a gyroscope, and then said, "About six hours." Cory moaned.
"Fine. Mughi, take Kei and Yuri and go the infirmary. Deirdre and I are going to take the first rest watch. Cory, we'll relieve you in two hours."
"WHAT?!" Cory looked around, but the Angels had already left. "I can't fly this ship! I've flown little two-seaters, but not a monster like this! It's an entirely different kind of flying altogether!"
"It's an entirely different kind of flying," Shasti and Deirdre said in unison before heading back to the sleeping quarters.
"GET BACK HERE!!" shouted Cory futilely. Giving up, she collapsed in a chair. "I know I've said this before, but I mean it this time: THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY WHOLE LIFE!!!"
***
The Central Computer was worried.
Shasti was right, of course. It hadn't told them everything. It couldn't. Things were too fragile right now. It was probably a very good thing that the CC hadn't mentioned Jimmy. Or what the 3WA was really planning. The loss of the Lovely Angels would hurt more than anything else. It could cripple them. The Central Computer couldn't allow it to happen. Therefore, it left the project in the hands of its cloning expert.
The Central Computer was _very_ worried.
***
In separate tanks, two forms recognizable as the Lovely Angels floated serenely. A technician checked on them, then went to report progress.
"It's better than we hoped. They're up to 90% now, and should be just as good as the originals."
"Fabulous. And what of the third?"
"Yes...well, she's up to 70%. Um...why are we cloning her, sir? She's not even a 3WA agent."
"Contingency plans, my good man. After all, we were responsible for Miss Emerson losing what she described as the greatest story of her career." Turning, Jimmy Daltrey walked over to the third tank. "And we have to repay her, of course." The floating body of Cory Emerson stared back at him blankly. "I predict her career will just _skyrocket_..."
THE END (at least until the sequel)
Long, dull author's notes follow herein:
First of all, here's what I based this on. There was a bit of confusion with Part One, so I looked back to see _exactly_ what I'd 'lifted'.
1) The Dirty Pair, Kei, Yuri, Mughi, and the 3WA are Haruka Takachiho's.
2) Deirdre, Shasti, and Cory, as well as the murky motives of the Central Computer and the 'universe' for this fic are Adam Warren and Toren Smith's.
3) Shasti's Central Mind concept is Ryan Mathews'. Deirdre's Computer Mind concept, and Shasti and Deirdre's backstory are Larry Mann's. Larry's Experiment 101-E is an incredible piece of work. Actually, my story will probably make a lot more sense if you read his first. Much
of the plot I thought was in Dangerous Acquaintances was in fact in 101-E. In addition, while no plot devices were used, Reunions (Mann and Mathews) and Missing Angels (Stone) were stylistic influences.
None of these people have given me permission at all. However, a big thank you to all of them, for creation of some of the best stuff in anime.
BTW, the ending does _not_, I repeat NOT lead into Ryan Mathews' 'Lovely Angels Forever'. I have my own plans for these clones...
There are a few unanswered questions and loose ends here. In particular, there are references to an adventure with Kei, Yuri and Cory that has not yet been chronicled. The sequel to this story (working title "Won't Get Fooled Again") will deal with the final battle between Daltrey and our heroes, as well as flashback to the previous mission.
It is (brace yourselves) a crossover with the Future History of Robert A. Heinlein. There will be no sex, but I reserve the right to have long talky sequences that go nowhere. :-)
BTW, did I mention the retcon earlier? I didn't? What a naughty boy I am! I am no great fan of Fatal But Not Serious. In particular, Warren's treatment of Cory Emerson in that story inspired this one. Special mention to Jonathan Blum and John Peel, whose year-long argument has given me a great background on the history of the retcon.
Now, more thankings. My prereaders, Richard Lawson, Sebastian Weinberg. Nicholas Leifker, and especially James "Zen" Bateman, are far too good to me in pointing out grammar, plot holes, etc. Thanks, guys.
In addition, Fred Herriot, David Tai, Jeanne Hedge and Chris Davies also gave great comments.
The sequel will be a bit. I have another UY:TSY side story to write, and then a Patlabor. But it's coming.
Lastly, thanks to four guys without whom this fanfic _could not_ have happened: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and Pete Townshend. The refs to the albums 'Quadrophenia' and 'Who's Next' are all through here. The songs 'I'm One', 'Doctor Jimmy', and 'The Real Me' were hugely influential in the writing of this. Looking forward to the 97 tour, guys...
by Sean Gaffney
Copyrights and credits appear at the end of the story.
NOTE: This story takes place between the Dark Horse stories _Sim Hell_ and _Fatal But Not Serious_.
Part 2: Getting in Tune
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Cory Emerson was not having one of her better days.
She was falling down what appeared to be a bottomless drop, Shasti right below her. Cory was convinced that, after all the trouble they'd gone through, Shasti's mind had finally snapped, and she'd gone berserk again. However, she didn't have much time to think about it, as she was desperately grabbing along the walls that hurtled past them, looking for anything to stop their descent.
Shasti looked up, amused. "You'll break your arm if you try to stop yourself like that."
"Shut up!" Cory was beginning to get hysterical. "What the hell did you do, we're gonna die, what's the matter with you...why are we slowing down?"
Slowly, the pair came to a stop, about 20 feet from the ground. Shasti looked around, grinning.
"3WA has been built up over the years. Rather than tear everything down, they just built out over the existing structure. That left a lot of nodes in the middle of nowhere, like this one." Her voice became a little more strained. "Deirdre and I accidentally discovered this one when we were training. It had zero gravity, which came in very useful. It wasn't until later that we discovered that the Central Computer had known what we were doing all along, and had turned off the gravity to 'assist' us."
Cory heard the emotion behind the words. "I take it you weren't all that appreciative."
Shasti snorted. "Just another example of the 3WA trying to control my life. I suppose I should be used to it by now."
Cory tried not to make any sudden movements. She had very little Zero-G experience, and was trying to control her stomach. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait," Shasti replied. "There are only two people who knew that we trained here, and they're both dead. The CC could simply alert the 3WA to our location, but that's not its style. It's much more sneaky. No, I think we're safe here for the moment."
Suddenly, Shasti's movements became much more expressive. She came over to Cory's side in a manner that could almost be erotic. Snuggling up to Cory, she whispered in her ear, "I can think of a few ways we could pass the time."
Cory looked at Shasti with growing horror. "Shasti, what are you _doing_?"
Suddenly Shasti's eyes cleared, and she shoved herself away from Cory violently. This had the added effect of sending Cory in the other direction, and she impacted hard with the other wall.
"Aagh!" Cory exclaimed. She checked her body over for bruises, but there didn't seem to be any damage. Suddenly her attention was caught by the sound of sobbing from across the node. Shasti had curled up into a little ball, and was smashing her head with her fists. "Stop it!" she repeated over and over again.
"Shasti!" Cory shoved herself off the wall and towards Shasti. Unfortunately, she underestimated the amount of push needed and slammed both herself and Shasti into the opposite wall. They bounced back towards the center of the room, tangled in each other.
Luckily, the shock seemed to have snapped Shasti out of her mental state. She turned to Cory and whispered, "Oh God, Cory, I'm sorry. It...it was as if I were in my seductress personality. I didn't know what I was doing. Oh God, what's happening to me?"
Cory didn't say it out loud, but she had a pretty good idea. Shasti was undergoing severe mental stress, only a few days after having what amounted to a lobotomy. In order to cope with the events around her, her mind was fragmenting back into her old patterns. The med doctors had said that all four of Shasti's personalities still existed within her. Evidently Shasti had still not succeeded in making them part of herself.
Unfortunately, this was not the time for more therapy. They were on the run, and weren't even sure where the threat was coming from. "Shasti, I know how you must feel. But we can't take the time to stop and talk."
Shasti looked up. "Why not? We were very quick, I don't think anyone traced us. We can stay here and try to plan out an escape. And besides the Central Computer, the only ones who knew that I came here were Ayoob and Deirdre. And they're both dead."
***
Deirdre was approaching the pair from a few floors below. She had combed through all of the places where she and Shasti used to train, and this looked to be the winner. A vicious smile crossed her face.
She remembered the day she'd been awakened. She asked about Shasti, and had been told the _real_ truth. All of Shasti's friendship, all her feelings and emotions had been a lie. The tape of her original self dying, shot in the back by Shasti, was played for her over and over again. She began to realize just how much she had been betrayed, and that hatred fueled her training.
Jim told her that she had been brought back solely to kill Shasti once and for all. The fact that she had been cloned only as a tool of vengeance sometimes bothered her, but she let the vengeance overwhelm her mind until the thought went away.
She had retrained. It hadn't taken long, as all of her old memories were still there, up until the LaCombe mission. She went over strategy, focusing on holo captures of Shasti's criminal antics. The more she saw the deranged criminal on screen, the more she hated her. Shasti had become her life, morning noon and night, repeatedly going over the ways in which she could be killed. Brought to justice first, oh yes, but then Deirdre would see that Shasti's death was slow and painful.
Deirdre stopped suddenly in agony, desperately trying not to cry out. Her head throbbed. *This is probably the worst one yet*, she thought. Ever since she'd been awakened, she'd had to deal with these tormenting migraines. Jim had explained them away as a byproduct of the cloning, and mentioned that killing Shasti would probably get rid of them. But that thought only comforted her a bit. There were times when she would be walking through the halls, only to scream in agony as a white-hot knife of pain lanced through her head.
This had not endeared her to the other agents. There wasn't anyone on Pacifica who knew her past, so they had no idea of the torment she had gone through. They merely saw an agent intent on revenge who seemed to be having psychotic episodes. They didn't understand her at all. She wasn't mad, she just got these headaches.
Everything would be all right as soon as she killed Shasti. That was something she had to believe. That all of the trauma, her past memories, her betrayal, her pain and fury, would vanish as soon as Shasti was dead.
As Deirdre silently ascended to the floor below their old training grounds, she repeated the same thing over and over. Kill Shasti, and everything would be all right.
It was something that was getting harder and harder to believe.
***
Jim stared at the screen. He'd been tracking Deirdre, but she had faded out, just as Shasti and Cory had. Wherever they were, it was somewhere that 3WA did not have eyes or ears, and that bothered Jim.
The other thing that bothered him was the fact that Deirdre was still not ready for this. He hadn't expected DeFeo and his agents to actually capture Shasti, so he was somewhat unprepared. Deirdre still had memories of her friendship with Shasti, memories that were playing havoc with her head. He had emphasized to her the importance of killing Shasti before she left, but he was still unsure of whether Deirdre would be able to do it.
Luckily, he had another backup plan. Deirdre had been Jim's plan - simple, effective and subtle. But this backup was Jimmy's idea. Jimmy enjoyed wreaking havoc. Still, the situation had almost gotten out of control, and Jim couldn't see any other options.
Closing his eyes, he allowed Jimmy to surface.
Suddenly, he smiled brightly. "This is going to be cool!" Jimmy said to himself. He turned to his computer. "How many agents from the graduating class of 2136 do we have within a few hours' travel?"
The computer answered. "There are currently 14 such agents on or near Pacifica. All are currently available, save for agents Kei and Yuri, who cannot be located on the scanners."
Jimmy almost frowned. "I thought they despised Shasti as much as I did. I do hope they're not trying to betray us. Hmmm...recall the other agents, and try to find the Lovely Angels as soon as possible. Something has come up."
Jimmy turned from the computer, his eyes shining. He was going to enjoy this...
***
Shasti and Cory had moved, and were now discussing bits of strategy. Cory was relieved to be back in real gravity again. "I think that if we keep to these corridors," Shasti was saying, "we should be able to get about three buildings away from the shipyards. That should give us enough time to make a getaway, they'll be caught off guard."
Cory frowned. "Won't they have guards all around the shipyards anyway? We're going to be seen no matter what."
Shasti looked at Cory. "A certain amount of force is going to be necessary in order to get out of here. It's a choice of kill or be killed."
Cory didn't like the sound of that. Shasti had been sounding more and more matter-of-fact as they planned, and Cory got the feeling that Shasti had buried herself in another personality.
However, before she could say anything, a voice came from the darkness, causing them to freeze.
"Gee, what an intriguing question? Kill or be killed? It's, like, such a brain twister! But y'know, I think I'll choose to kill. I mean, if that's okay with you. After all, you did, like, kill me in the first place."
Cory began to panic. She recognized that voice from the tapes; it was Deirdre, right down to the Val-speak. But Deirdre was dead! She'd just spent a whole day convincing Shasti that Deirdre was dead! Damn 3WA, what did they think they were pulling? She glanced over at Shasti, and stopped dead.
Shasti had dropped her gun. She had her hands up to her face, and appeared to be gibbering a constant stream of nonsense.
"ohdeirdreshescometogetmeohgodimdamnedimsosorry".
The figure stepped out from the shadows. It did indeed appear to be Deirdre, right down to the last detail. The only thing that would make anyone question her was the hatred in her face, as she stared at Shasti.
"Well, what's the matter, _partner_? Like, aren't you planning on taking another shot at me? After all, you killed me once already, you little bitch, what's wrong with a second time?"
Cory needed to do something, and fast. Shasti's gun was still in front of her, but there was no way Cory could grab it without getting her head blown off. She could run, but didn't want to leave Shasti in the hands of what appeared to be her dead partner.
Suddenly the decision was made for her. Shasti almost shrieked as she fell to the ground in front of Deirdre, prostrating yourself. "Oh, Deirdre, thank God you're alive! Oh, what have I done, I killed you, and now you hate me? Oh, please, kill me!"
Cory almost cried. Shasti had finally snapped, and because of it they were going to die. She started to go for the gun anyway, reasoning that she wasn't going to accept her fate lying down. However, Deirdre didn't appear to notice her at all, instead looking down at Shasti with an incredulous expression.
"Why aren't you trying to kill me? Dammit, you did it once already! You shot me in the back; you betrayed me! Why...WHY AREN'T YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Deirdre was sweating and appeared to be in great pain.
Shasti's response was to rise up and hug Deirdre, putting the gun between them. "Oh, Deirdre, I love you. Please, let me make it up to you. Now that you're not dead, I can spend the rest of my life making up for my mistakes." Shasti looked at the gun that was between them. "Unless you want to kill me now. You have every right, if you want." And with that, Shasti pulled the gun to her heart and closed her eyes.
Cory's eyes closed as well, not wishing to see the death of someone she had come to call a friend. She wasn't particularly anxious to see her own death, either, and just prayed that it was quick. She tensed as she heard a scream.
But the scream wasn't Shasti's. Deirdre was on her knees, clutching at her head in agony. Shasti had put her arms around her, demanding to know what was wrong. Deirdre's only response was to scream one final time before lapsing into unconsciousness.
There was silence for several seconds. Cory was the first to break it, running to the spot where Shasti's gun still lay. "Thank God, I can't believe we actually made it through that," she said, picking up the weapon. "C'mon, they may have a tracer on her. Let's get out of here before she wakes up."
Shasti was lying by Deirdre's side, and seemed to be staring into space. When she finally spoke, her voice was totally calm and collected. "The tracer, if there is one, won't be able to pick us up. We're still safe from any surveillance." She got to her knees and began to look Deirdre over. "She appears to have collapsed due to severe head pains. From the look of things, I would guess that 3WA has attempted to brainwash her."
Cory was both astonished and disturbed by this almost complete recovery from Shasti. "But why isn't she dead?"
Shasti frowned. "I'm not sure. I'd need more evidence. Right now, our goal is to get to those ships. It's not going to be easy, especially now that we've got another person."
Cory nearly had a heart attack. "WHAT?!?! You must be out of your mind! She's trying to kill us! When she wakes up, what makes you think that she won't try again?"
Shasti looked at Cory coolly. "She probably will. The fact that she was unable to do so earlier makes me think that this might actually be Deirdre, instead of some 3WA plot. And for that reason, we are taking her with us. All four of us agree on this. I would sooner abandon _you_ that leave her behind again." She got to her feet, hefting Deirdre in a fireman's carry. "However, I'm not going to abandon either of you. We'd better get going. I'll need you to watch for signs of attack, as I've got my hands full. Can you handle a gun?"
Cory blinked, thrown off by the question. "Not really. Am I talking to Shasti or am I talking to her Investigator persona?"
Shasti didn't even blink. "Shasti is currently unable to cope with current events, so she has retreated, leaving me in her place. I will be in charge until we get to the shipyards, where the Warrior will take over. Then, once we have escaped, you may attempt to return Shasti to her - _my_ former self." She paused for a moment. "Assuming it isn't too late."
***
Three stories above, another pair were listening in on this conversation.
Kei was curious. "If she's so confident that they can't be heard, how come we can hear them?"
Yuri was all business, moving along quickly with her gun out. "First of all, they're looking for bugs in the room, and we've bugged Cory herself. Secondly, we can hear them because we're so close. We're pretty far down in the bowels of 3WA; I imagine we're probably off their sensors as well."
Kei also had her weapon drawn, but her eyes were wandering around the area. "Yeah, this is the middle of nowhere, isn't it? I didn't realize that 3WA had this many back passages. Have you ever been here before?"
"No," Yuri responded, "which makes it much more difficult to follow them. And I suppose it makes sense. Rather than constantly tear down, the 3WA simply built their new facilities around the old ones. Much cheaper. Also rather stupid, as it leaves a hole in their security big enough to drive a truck through."
Kei decided to raise the subject that they'd been avoiding. "Do you believe them?"
"I don't know."
Kei was surprised; until recently, Yuri had been convinced that this was another ploy of Shasti's, with Cory as an unwitting accomplice. "What changed your mind?"
Yuri scowled. "I haven't changed my mind yet. But...several things that she's doing make no sense unless they're at least telling some of the truth. I'm still not ready to believe them completely, though." She turned towards her partner. "Are you?"
Kei shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Yuri, but I do. I just can't believe that Shasti is that good an actor. It's hard to make up that kind of pain."
Yuri smiled slightly. "Then what do you think we should do?"
"Confront them. This time, without flying off the handle like we did last time. If she's lying, then we still have the upper hand, and can probably take her. If she's telling the truth..." Kei stopped.
"That's precisely what I've been thinking. If she's telling the truth, then what? Do we let her get away with the years of criminal rampages and killings? Do we let her get away with what she did to us? To Deirdre?"
Kei nodded towards the recorder. "According to that, Deirdre's alive."
"That's the other thing that's worrying me."
***
The agents entered the room and looked at each other with a combination of happiness and confusion. On the one hand, they were happy to see each other. On the other hand, it was rare to call in a dozen agents for one assignment, and rarer still that they all have graduated from the same class.
While they were catching up on each other's news, Jimmy entered. He surveyed the room, delighted that everyone had arrived. He then frowned. Almost everyone. The Lovely Angels were not here, and the computer could not find them, even though records showed they had not left Pacifica. This was going to be a problem.
Jimmy sighed. He had liked Kei and Yuri. Oh well, if he was going to have three people killed, what difference did it make if he added two more?
"Could I have everyone's attention please?" he asked. The room began to quiet down as the agents went into professional mode.
"I'm sure you're all wondering what you're doing here. We have a slight problem. By now you've all been briefed on 3WA's little child in the attic, former Agent Shasti." A mutter rolled through the room. They all knew what had happened to Shasti, and the criminal life she had subsequently embarked upon.
Jimmy smiled. He knew that the agents had _not_ been informed of Shasti's recovery, that still being top secret until its success was assured. "We have a situation. Shasti is on Pacifica now. We don't know how she got here, and we can't tell where she is. But we do know that she plans to cripple our ships, and perhaps even more." He sighed. Might as well make it look realistic. "For reasons unknown, she has obtained a clone of her former partner, Agent Deirdre."
The agents were shocked. Cloning was almost unheard of these days. 3WA was attempting to perfect it, but there hadn't been any major breakthroughs. They were also a little disturbed. Deirdre had trained some of them in logic (the benefits of having a computer in her mind), and her death had hit them hard. To see her memory desecrated like this made them furious.
Jimmy went on, knowing that this would be the tricky part. "She has also abducted a journalist, Cory Emerson, again for reasons known only to herself."
There seemed to be no limits on surprises today. Cory was also well known to the agents, through her exploits with the Angels. Both Kei and Yuri had praised her, and called her a good friend. And those two had trouble making friends, so she must have really been something.
"Unfortunately, as you know, Shasti's existence is still one of 3WA's big secrets. It is unfortunate that this woman was dragged into the middle of this, but we cannot let anyone, especially a journalist, find out about Agent Shasti. For that reason, you assignment is to stake out the shipyards, and when she arrives, kill them."
They reacted pretty much as he had expected. One of them, Clarisse, raised her hand.
"Sir, we have no objection to killing Shasti, and if Deirdre has been cloned to Shasti's specifications, I think she should be eliminated as well. But I see no reason why we need to kill Miss Emerson. Surely there are other alternatives. She's remained silent about 3WA business before."
"Shasti is bigger than both Kalevala and Tertius. We cannot afford to let her loose with that knowledge in her head."
Another agent piped up. "Well, can't we erase her memory? It's been done before..."
Jimmy smirked. If only they knew what an excellent segue that was. "It's never been completely successful. Shasti was one of the first we tried it on, and her memories returned fairly quickly." Deirdre too, he didn't add. "The subconscious mind always remembers. The only way to do it would be to wipe out her entire mind, which would have the same effect as killing her."
The others shivered. Clarisse, nevertheless, stood her ground. "Sir, I refuse to kill an innocent civilian. At the worst, we'll have to keep her here. Why not make her an agent? Her past has proven she has the abilities."
Jimmy was impressed. It almost made him regret what he was about to do. "No, I'm sorry, but there is no other choice. Now, how many of you object to this assignment?"
Everyone raised their hand. Oh well, he should have guessed.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It makes what I have to do that much harder." And with that, he pressed a button on the desk. Immediately the room was filled with a high-pitch tone, and the agents found that they couldn't move. "You see, I told you the truth. It's impossible to erase someone's memory without annihilating their mind. Unfortunately, I need you all to be focused on this assignment. Luckily, I had a new personality loaded into your mind when you graduated. It should be perfectly capable of performing the assignment."
He grinned widely; now he could drop the pretext. "This will, of course, have the side effect of totally erasing your own personalities, but I think you'll admit, it's for a good cause."
He looked at the agents, savoring the moment. Their eyes were able to move, and he watched as they pleaded with him. Some of them were even crying. Then they slowly glazed over, and gradually died. As this happened, the new personality took over. A dozen pairs of eyes came back into focus, filled with rage and hate. The agents were now gone; in their place were shells to do Jimmy's bidding.
Jimmy smiled. "You all understand your assignment." They all nodded. He looked around the room one last time. Still not here. Oh well. "And please add to your execution list Agents Kei and Yuri."
The others nodded. They no longer needed a reason.
"And now I think you'd better go to the shipyards and prepare." They nodded once more, and filed out without a word.
Shasti was good, Jimmy mused. Most of his pawns would probably be killed. But he didn't think she could escape all of them, especially with the training he had uploaded into them.
Jimmy grinned. That _was_ fun.
***
Deirdre slowly returned to consciousness. She had the strangest feeling that she was forgetting something. Now, what was it...
Oh, yes.
"DIE!!!" Deirdre shouted, spinning out of Shasti's grip. She quickly attempted to grab the woman in a headlock. Shasti slipped out of it and backed up against the wall. "Cory, get behind me. I'm going to try to get through this without bringing the Warrior personality up."
Cory scrambled behind Shasti for cover. "Why can't you just confront her as yourself?" If this kept up for much longer, Cory thought, there wouldn't be a 'self' left in Shasti.
"With Deirdre in the condition she is, I need to be at my best. My 'self' is currently attempting to recover from the shock of Deirdre's appearance." She ducked as Deirdre attempted a spin kick to her head, missing Shasti by millimeters. "Until then, this is the best option available."
Deirdre was getting sick of this. "They told me that you'd been cured! Guess it didn't hold up, hm? Should have guessed, after all, you're not a real human...AAAAIIIGGHH!!!" Once again, her head shot through with agonizing pain. She stumbled and almost fell.
Shasti looked down at her with a compassionate look. "Deirdre, 3WA has obviously done something to you. If we could get to a ship, I could try to..."
Deirdre regained her feet. "Try to finish me off? No thanks!" She lashed out with a hard punch, catching Shasti under the chin. The impact wasn't much, but it did serve to bring Shasti's Warrior personality to the fore.
"Shit...that hurt..." Shasti mumbled.
Deirdre sneered again. "Ah, we see the warrior now, do we? I've been waiting for you. You were the one that killed me in the first place, weren't you?"
Shasti flinched. "Yes, I was."
Cory felt the need to interrupt. "While you were under the influence of LaCombe."
Shasti quickly shook her head. "No! Fuck LaCombe! I am going to take responsibility for my own actions. _I_ killed Deirdre. I have to accept the consequences." She looked her partner in the eye. "And that's why I'm not going to do it again. No matter what."
Deirdre's eyes hardened, and she reached out to grab Shasti's gun. Shasti quickly reversed the handle and handed it to her. Cory decided that now would be an excellent time to curl into a ball and whimper.
Deirdre pushed the trigger. But just as the gun fired, she ripped it away, letting it impact the wall. Clutching her temples, she slid to the ground again.
Shasti went to her side, back in her Investigator personality. "She's passed out again. She appears to be fighting herself for some reason."
Deirdre was muttering to herself. "Have to kill her...no...she's my best friend..."
Shasti looked down at her, smiling warmly, then hefted her over one shoulder. "Come on. Let's try and make up for lost time."
Cory noticed the smile. "I thought that the Investigator was the cold, clinical one of the group."
Shasti looked at Cory closely. "That's true. But all four of us, and the Central Mind, all loved Deirdre as our closest friend. That was the one thing that never varied."
A voice came from the side corridor. "How can we be sure of that?"
Feeling very frustrated, Cory turned. She was greeted by the sight of Kei and Yuri pointing guns at the three of them. Cory slumped, putting her head in her hands. "I know I've said this before, but this is the worst day of my life."
Shasti tensed. She didn't want to fight the Angels, but she would if they tried to impede the three of them. "Deirdre needs to get medical attention. Please let us pass."
Yuri didn't back down. "Answer the question. How can we be sure that those are your true feelings? That you're not just going to kill Cory and Deirdre when you escape? That's something you've done time and again."
Shasti looked down. "That's true. I don't really have anything to convince you. I just...Social, please." Shasti shuddered, and when she looked up there were tears in her eyes. "Please believe me. I would sooner kill myself than Deirdre. Back then I was...LaCombe introduced a lot of new concepts into my mind. Concepts I wasn't ready to handle. It took the removal of his personality for me to realize how wrong those were. How horribly I was acting. But there's just me now. And I would _never_ hurt Deirdre." She looked down and smiled. "Or Cory." She looked up again. "Or the two of you. I can never make up for what I did to you. To the whole galaxy. But I can spend the rest of my life trying." Shasti had recovered somewhat, and smiled faintly. "I'm sorry I can't offer you more than that."
Yuri frowned. But before she could speak, a voice cut her off.
"That's all right, Shasti. We do believe you," Kei said, lowering her weapon. "And it's good to have you back."
Shasti grinned, and then looked at Yuri, who had not lowered her gun.
Kei noticed this too. "Yuri, come on. You're just being stubborn."
Yuri sighed. "All right. I believe her, too." She looked up with a serious look. "But I expect you to practice what you preach, Shasti. It will take years to make up for the crimes you committed, the lives you took. You may not be able to repay them personally, but you will pay them back by your thoughts and deeds. And I will be watching you to make sure."
Shasti looked down, flushing. "Of course."
Yuri lowered her gun. "Good." And with that, she reached out and hugged Shasti. "Nice to have you back."
***
"Do you think we have _enough_ hardware now?" Cory was buried under the weight of several pulse rifles.
"I hope so. We've encountered no resistance at all. That worries me." Shasti replied.
The shipyards lay before them. In the distance lay the sleek frame of the _Lovely Angel_. It seemed miles away to them. The shipyards appeared deserted, which was a bad sign. There had been no one at the armory either. Daltrey was toying with them.
Shasti frowned. She thought her Warrior persona would be able to handle everything. Dammit, this was going to be harder than she thought. She'd need the Investigator on the case too in order to stand a chance. Sighing, she turned to the others.
"Here's the plan, unless anyone can think of anything better. Kei and Yuri will guard Cory, and I will guard Deirdre. Cory, you will be responsible for getting Deirdre onto the ship as fast as possible. If there is any resistance, remember, they probably have orders to kill at least me and Cory, and possibly all of us. And we'd better disarm Deirdre, just in case."
Cory hmphed. "You realize this is all supposition. We don't even know that they're after us."
Shasti looked down at Deirdre sadly. "I'd say there's a pretty good chance."
Suddenly the PAs burst to life. "Shasti! This is the 3WA! Come out quietly, and we guarantee that no harm will come to anyone else."
Shasti turned to the others. "Anyone believe them?"
Kei grinned. "I do. That's Clarisse. She's one of our best friends. Let me handle this, things just got a lot brighter." Kei stepped out into the open. "Clarisse! It's Kei! Everything's -- "
Shasti slammed Kei down to the ground, just in time to avoid a shot that would have taken off her head. Yuri stared in horror.
"Clarisse? What are you doing? It's us?" That just earned another shot from the wings.
Suddenly, bedlam broke out. A dozen agents came charging out, guns blazing. Shasti managed to drag Cory and Deirdre to cover, but Kei and Yuri remained behind.
"What's the matter with you? Why are you doing thAAARGH!" Kei screamed as she was hit in the shoulder by a plasma beam. Whimpering, she fell to the ground.
Shasti fired back, hitting one of the agents in the head. She went down, but that still left eleven. Moreover, the agents appeared to be abandoning the Angels and targeting Shasti first. Things were beginning to look very bad.
Cory was not helping. She was alternating between screaming and babbling, talking about how she must have offended a major god to end up with a life this bad. At least she'd managed to hold on to the weapons. "Cory!" Shasti interrupted. "I need help! Grab a gun!"
Cory looked at the gun as though it was poison. "I can't hit anything!"
Shasti handed her a gun. "You don't need to with this gun. Just aim for the right time zone." And with that, she turned back to the shooting.
Cory stared at the gun, then noticed an agent coming at her with murder in her eyes. She screamed and fired. The agent exploded, showering Cory with blood. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed.
Shasti looked over for a brief second. "Oh, yeah, don't fire those things in close proximity. Long-range targets only." She had taken out two more, but there were still eight of them. Kei and Yuri had at last chosen to stop trying to reason with them, but were still refusing to shoot at them. What else could possibly go wrong?
"Shasti...I have to...please...I HAVE TO KILL YOU!" came a voice from behind them. Deirdre seemed to be in great pain, yet had still gotten a gun and was pointing it at Shasti.
Cory wanted to scream. Why did this keep happening? They were just postponing their inevitable deaths. Here I am, dying like a coward behind a stack of crates. I don't want to die like this...
She looked up again, at Deirdre menacing Shasti while the agents destroyed more of their cover.
"Nooooo!" she screamed, leaping onto Deirdre's back. Deirdre would normally have just flung her into the bulkhead, but was still in great pain from her programming, so there was a struggle. Cory was losing it, though.
"Dammit, how do we get this woman on our side? Box of chockies and some sweet talk?" Cory finally lost the battle and was flung against the wall where she slumped to the floor, dazed.
Shasti had gotten an idea, however. She grabbed Deirdre and swung her around, looking her straight in the eyes. "Deirdre, computer personality! Now!" she said, in a tone that brooked no argument.
In her current condition, Deirdre simply accepted the order, and reached back into her mind. Slowly, she began to shut down all of her emotional brain patterns and connections, calling on the computer that was built into her mind. And with that, the moral and ethical dilemma that had been plaguing her and causing her pain died away, leaving behind a purely logical Deirdre.
She quickly took in the situation, realizing that any problems between her and her partner must wait for a more convenient time. She took out two more of the homicidal agents. "What's our situation here, Shasti?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that, Deirdre. Ready to move, on three." The last of their cover was vanishing. Shasti hefted Cory, still groggy, to a standing position. "We'll keep Cory between us at all times. One...two...THREE!" They quickly ran towards the _Angel_, taking out two more agents. It took all of Cory's willpower to keep up with them.
Deirdre looked back, to see Kei and Yuri also moving to new cover, but having difficulty, as they refused to fire back. "Why are the Angels not firing on our opponents?"
"They're not going to fire on their friends. It's going to get them killed."
Deirdre turned to look at the others. "The agents were presumably sent by Jim Daltrey, or more likely Jimmy. In that case, they are no longer the same people. Jim does not believe in leaving anything to chance, and Jimmy delights in needless cruelty. The most probable answer is that they are mindwiped, in which case there is no way of getting them back. They are effectively dead."
Shasti took out two more agents, which freed up their party. "How do you know this?"
Deirdre looked at Shasti coolly. "Daltrey trained me after cloning my body. I had much chance to study both personalities, though this is the first chance I have had to think clearly about it."
Shasti glanced back. There was only one left, and she was still menacing the Angels. "Come on, let's go back for them."
Meanwhile, Kei was near tears. Her shoulder was in agony, and the look of hatred and loathing on Clarisse's face was horrifying to see. "Why are you doing this?" she wailed.
Clarisse didn't answer, but decided that attempting to drag them out into the open had gone on long enough. They didn't seem to want to fire at her, so she decided to kill them in hand to hand combat. She leaped for Yuri, dragging her to the ground.
Yuri barely had time to react before a punch nearly broke her jaw. She tried to fight back, but memories of her friendship with Clarisse spoiled it. Clarisse fought dirty, though, grabbing Yuri and slamming her against the bulkhead, breaking her arm. Yuri slumped to the ground, dazed.
Clarisse giggled, and her lips twisted into a sneer. "Now, traitor, it's finally time to die." She advanced on Yuri.
Before Clarisse could reach her, though, a shot blew out her chest cavity, and another took out her head. What remained of Clarisse fell to the ground.
Yuri looked up, expecting to see Shasti, but was instead stunned to find Kei standing there, holding her gun. Kei still had a look of shock on her face, with a tinge of horror as well.
"I killed her. Yuri, I killed Clarisse..."
Yuri tried to respond, but was cut off by Shasti. "Come on, you two. Daltrey's not going to sit there and wait for us to escape, let's get out of here!"
"How right you are." The voice came from the entrance bay behind them. Shasti turned to see a man standing there pointing a gun at her. "Daltrey, I presume," she said. "Am I talking to Jim or Jimmy?"
Daltrey grinned. "Jimmy at the moment. I wanted this to be special, and Jim doesn't have my flair for the theatrical."
"Lucky for me," Shasti remarked. "Jim would have simply shot me."
"And which one of you am I talking to?" Jimmy asked.
Shasti grinned right back at him. "Just me, Jimmy. Just Shasti."
A twinge of rage passed over Jimmy's face, but it was soon gone. He smiled and said, "Now, isn't this the point where I explain that I've always hated you, and all this was just a quest to satisfy my twisted thirst for revenge?"
"Could be. Is it true?"
"As a matter of fact it is, but I think it lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. I do wish we had a sawmill around. Or a pendulum."
While Shasti and Jimmy bantered, Cory and Deirdre were watching from near the _Angel_. "This could be dangerous. Jimmy is quite capable of performing the most irrational acts. He will be especially upset since both his mindwiped agents and I have failed."
Cory was still not used to this new side of Deirdre. She'd read about it, but seeing what was basically a human computer in front of her took some getting used to. Suddenly she thought of something. "Did Jimmy have you bugged, Deirdre?"
"Of course," Deirdre replied. "However, the device was damaged when you fought with me below."
Cory was on a roll now. "And before that, we were out of its range. Deirdre, what if Jimmy doesn't know that you're on our side now? What if he still thinks that you're brainwashed to kill Shasti?"
Deirdre paused to consider the matter. "There is a problem. Jimmy will see me in my computer persona and know that I am no longer under his influence."
"Then cut loose! You know that you've been living a lie, so you're not about to go back to being homicidal!"
"No, but I will fall unconscious. When I come down from this state, I need recuperation time."
Cory's brow knitted. "You can't act emotional in this stage, right?"
"That is correct."
"Can you _look_ emotional? Narrow your eyes."
Deirdre did so.
"Great. Now, clench your teeth, and make your jaw vibrate..."
After seeing the results, Cory noted, "Well, it wouldn't fool anybody for long, but hopefully it'll give you enough time..."
Meanwhile, Jimmy was still bantering with Shasti. It was beginning to annoy her. "Why aren't you shooting at me?"
Jimmy smiled inanely. "Where's the fun in that? No, I want to make you feel pain first. Believe me, Shasti, you'll be the last to die." He then looked over Shasti's shoulder. "Or perhaps not. Deirdre, I thought they'd killed you."
"No." Said through her clenched teeth, Deirdre hoped that it sounded appropriately menacing.
"Well, I can hardly think of a more appropriate death. Deirdre, time to kill Shasti. Why not shoot her in the back?"
Shasti paled, and turned. She saw Deirdre pointing a gun at her, her face filled with...hate? What was going on here?
Deirdre suddenly dropped the pose and relaxed. She turned and fired at Jimmy with the pulse laser, putting a hole through his chest. His face twitching in surprise, he slumped to the floor.
Deirdre and Shasti walked over to the corpse. After verifying his death, Deirdre frowned. "I am sorry, Jimmy, but while in this mode I cannot offer an appropriate rejoinder to commemorate your death. Shasti, would you like to try?"
Shasti kicked the body. "No. Why should he deserve one?" She looked over at the Angels, who were still staring at the body of Clarisse. Kei's shoulder was still bleeding, and Yuri appeared to have a broken arm. Then she heard the shouting coming from the corridors. Apparently the rest of 3WA had finally realized that something was going on.
Deirdre turned to Shasti. "I do not think we should trust them."
Shasti smiled at her partner. "The only people I trust are right here." She walked over and moved Kei and Yuri away from the body. "Come on, let's get out of here before they decide to question us. They'll probably bring in another smart-ass journalist to do it."
"HEY!" Cory shouted. "I heard that! If it hadn't been for..." Cory paused as she took in the tone of speech. "Shasti? Is that you? Not one of your personalities?"
Leaving the Angels with Deirdre, she went over and hugged Cory. "It's me, Cory. Shasti. And I think it'll stay that way this time."
***
After entering the ship, Deirdre rolled her eyes up and collapsed. Shasti caught her as she fell.
"What happ-oh, she turned off her computer mode, right?" Cory observed.
"Right. Let's get out of here. Yuri, can you -- no, apparently you can't." Yuri was still staring straight ahead, as was Kei. "Cory, do they still have that big cat?"
At that moment, Mughi leapt into the cabin, knocking Cory to the floor. "Hey, stop it! Hee hee - stop!"
Shasti frowned. "Can it pilot the ship?"
Mughi turned and looked at Shasti, then got into attack position. He was stopped by Cory. "Wait, Mughi, it's okay. She's all right now. There's no danger."
Mughi growled an acknowledgment, but gave Shasti a dirty look.
Cory looked apologetically at Shasti. "Sorry."
Shasti smiled wanly. "That's okay. It's probably a look I'll need to get used to. Ask if Mughi can pilot us out of here." A pounding came from the airlock doors, with faint shouting. "Soonish."
"Why can't you pilot us out of here?" Cory asked.
Shasti looked down at the body in her arms. "I want to be at Deirdre's side when she wakes up." And with that, she moved to the other room, closing the door behind her.
Cory was left with the Angels. Mughi had been trying to elicit a response from them, with no luck. "Kei? Yuri? It's over now. Jimmy's dead, and we're leaving."
Kei blinked, and seemed to come back into focus. "Leave? We can't leave yet!"
Cory blinked. "Why not?"
Kei grinned maniacally. "We haven't blown up half the planet yet! Right, Yuri?"
Yuri also had a manic look on her face. "Right! I mean, we're the Dirty Pair! We've already taken out some of our closest friends today, why not wind it up by taking out the planet!" She started giggling.
Kei laughed. "After all, killing millions of people is what we do best!" They both pounded each other on the back, laughing hysterically. Cory watched them in horror, not knowing if this had caused them to snap.
Suddenly the tenor of the hysterics changed, and the Angels both started to cry, great heaving sobs that drove them down to the ground. Cory relaxed. They had both been in shock, but seemed to be recovering. At least they were beginning to mourn. Whether they could accept what they had had to do...well, time would tell. She quickly put a medpatch on Kei's shoulder, which stopped the worst of the bleeding, and made a makeshift sling for Yuri's arm. "Come on, cat, let's get out of here before they cut their way in." Cory and Mughi headed for the cockpit, leaving Kei and Yuri holding each other, weeping.
***
Deirdre woke slowly, letting herself ease into consciousness. At times like this, she often wished that she didn't have total recall. She would have loved to have forgotten everything that had happened, like some horrible dream.
"Deirdre? Are you awake?"
So much for it being a dream. Deirdre opened her eyes, not surprised to find that she was already crying. "Shasti...I am, like, _so_ sorry..."
Deirdre suddenly found herself enfolded in Shasti's arms. Shasti too was crying. "Oh, Deirdre, thank god you're all right. I was so worried that they'd done something else to you." Shasti looked her friend in the eye. "How do you feel?"
"What do you mean 'how do I feel'? Betrayed, ashamed, repulsed! My god, Shasti, I tried to kill you! How could...how can you stand to be in the same room as me?"
"How can you stand to be in the same room as me?" Shasti gently retorted. "After all, I tried to kill you. I succeeded. Surely that gives you a reason not to want to speak to me."
Deirdre smiled. "I don't remember it. I'm a clone, y'know? My last memory is of the physical exam before the LaCombe mission. Then I woke up and there was Jimmy." Her face darkened. "He...told me what had happened. But he twisted it...made you look so horrible. And they, like, did something to my mind...made me focus on my hatred. Shasti, I don't hate you. You were under LaCombe's influence when you killed me."
Shasti shook her head. "That doesn't excuse it. I'm not going to blame LaCombe for all my faults. I should have been stronger."
"Then I should have, too. After all, I was just as influenced by Daltrey as you were by LaCombe. What makes us any different? Shasti, you were ready to let me kill you. What's more, you took me with you, even though I was attacking you. You trusted me, Shasti. Why shouldn't I trust you, too?"
The two of them hugged again. "From now on, we both trust each other with our lives. No matter what." Shasti replied.
The door opened. "Um...we appear to have an incoming message."
Shasti was amazed. "You're answering the communicator?"
Cory looked uncomfortable. "No. It just appeared on the screen and asked to speak to you. It says it's the Central Computer."
***
Kei and Yuri had finally fallen asleep when the three of them entered the room. The icon of the Central Computer filled the screen, appearing as a grinning happy face.
Shasti was anything but happy right now. "What the hell are you doing calling us up? After what Daltrey tried to do to us, do you think we'd want anything to do with you?"
If it were possible for an AI to sigh, the CC would have. "No, I don't. I called to offer you an explanation...and an apology, if you'll take it."
Cory was just as livid. "How can you possibly explain? We were set up from the start!"
"Not completely. You really were the best person to get Shasti out of her shell, Cory. Not even Deirdre could have done it. And DeFeo genuinely believed that we were helping Shasti with no strings attached. His death...upset me. But let me backtrack. Shortly after we created you, Shasti, the 3WA decided to make another multiple-personality agent. However, because of the problems you had experienced, it was decided to limit the personas to two. Basically, they would be Warrior/Detective, and Social/Seducer. In addition, this agent was going to be male. If all worked out...we were planning on pairing the two of you."
Deirdre scowled. "And what makes you think that either Shasti or I would have agreed to that?"
"Deirdre, you had only been partners for a little over a month. It wasn't known how viable the two of you were. In any case, the point became moot. Shortly afterwards, Shasti, you came back from a case with your mind in collapse. It took weeks to rebuild you. In doing so, we discovered you had developed a subconscious. You were a lot more alive than we thought. Naturally, I decided to pull the plug on the other agent. Creating life was not an area I wanted to get into...for one thing, it might make people question my authority."
Cory opened her mouth to make a rejoinder, but Shasti stopped her. Shasti's face had gone cold. "Go on."
"My orders were disobeyed. Jim Daltrey was never destroyed. Moreover, most of his training was patterned after yours. He began to develop an intense curiosity about you...a curiosity that grew to intense hatred.
"When I found out about Jim, I had him taken to be tested. My worst fears were confirmed. He too had developed a subconscious. I decided that the best thing to do would be to put him in the organization on Pacifica. By this time, Shasti, you had gone rogue, so having him carry out missions was out of the question. Likewise, terminating him would be murder. So we left him in middle management. In retrospect, probably not one of my wiser decisions.
"He was much more shrewd than I had imagined. Despite what most people believe, I cannot be everywhere. When Jim seemed to be behaving normally, I concentrated on other matters. That was when Jim created you, Deirdre. He had been following our cloning attempts with interest, and suggested that you would be the ideal subject for a test. One of the things I am happy about is that, despite Jim's attempts to brainwash you, you are Deirdre. Not merely an imperfect copy. It shows that we are further along than we imagined."
"I'm, like, _so_ relieved," Deirdre said, a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
"I should have realized. I should have stopped him. However, Daltrey had been spending more time as Jimmy. As Jim, he was focused, but logical, and therefore predictable. Jimmy, however, was completely insane, which throws predictions out the window."
The CC made a sound like a sigh again. "By the time I realized what was going on, it was almost too late. Jimmy had mindwiped twelve of our best agents. Deirdre had been sent out to assassinate you. The most I could do was damage control. I managed to keep everyone else away from the shipyards until you could make your getaway. I also convinced Goulet that the agents in question should be interred with full honors, having died in the line of duty." By now Kei and Yuri were listening to him as well, a fact the CC seemed to take note of. "Goulet was entirely innocent, by the way. He didn't even know who Jimmy really was."
The Angels seemed relieved, but Shasti's face was still cold. "This is all very lovely, but I don't believe it, unfortunately. When Deirdre and I were training, you knew everything we were doing. I find it impossible to believe that you could not be aware of Jimmy's activities. Why you wanted to do this, I don't know. But you did, and that's all I need to know. Now kindly get the fuck out of our lives."
The CC's icon frowned, and then disappeared.
"Um...that does leave one problem..." Deirdre announced.
Shasti turned. "What?"
"All four of us have got all these programs and junk in our heads, y'know, to turn us into psychos? If we don't go back to the 3WA, who's going to get it out? There aren't any other doctors capable of this level of treatment."
Cory suddenly felt very cold. "They were very specific about giving me a medical exam before I went to see Shasti." She looked up, and there was fear in her eyes. "I wonder what surprises are in my head."
Kei and Yuri were almost shivering, thinking that what happened to Clarisse and the others could happen to them. Suddenly, Yuri shot to her feet. "Ishtar!"
The reaction was immediate. Bafflement from Shasti and Deirdre, relief and a smile from Kei, and total and complete rage from Cory.
"NO! I swore when we left that place that I would _never_ go back there again? Do you realize what he'll be like when I show up again? He's bad enough on a normal day, but when he's smug...dammit, I refuse!"
"Would you rather we run around the universe, running from the 3WA, with a load of murderous cyberware in our heads?"
Cory took a moment to weigh the possibilities. "That's not fair! You're blackmailing me!"
Yuri, despite her injuries, grinned. "Yep. Sorreee..."
Cory continued to grumble. "God, that's irritating. Almost as annoying as Deirdre's speech."
"Ex-CUSE me? Like, what's wrong with the way I talk?"
"Nothing, if you're Moon Zappa!" Cory shot back.
Shasti felt things were getting out of hand. "If we could get back to the point...Yuri, how far away is this doctor?"
Yuri went over to the console, adjusted a strange device that looked like a gyroscope, and then said, "About six hours." Cory moaned.
"Fine. Mughi, take Kei and Yuri and go the infirmary. Deirdre and I are going to take the first rest watch. Cory, we'll relieve you in two hours."
"WHAT?!" Cory looked around, but the Angels had already left. "I can't fly this ship! I've flown little two-seaters, but not a monster like this! It's an entirely different kind of flying altogether!"
"It's an entirely different kind of flying," Shasti and Deirdre said in unison before heading back to the sleeping quarters.
"GET BACK HERE!!" shouted Cory futilely. Giving up, she collapsed in a chair. "I know I've said this before, but I mean it this time: THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY WHOLE LIFE!!!"
***
The Central Computer was worried.
Shasti was right, of course. It hadn't told them everything. It couldn't. Things were too fragile right now. It was probably a very good thing that the CC hadn't mentioned Jimmy. Or what the 3WA was really planning. The loss of the Lovely Angels would hurt more than anything else. It could cripple them. The Central Computer couldn't allow it to happen. Therefore, it left the project in the hands of its cloning expert.
The Central Computer was _very_ worried.
***
In separate tanks, two forms recognizable as the Lovely Angels floated serenely. A technician checked on them, then went to report progress.
"It's better than we hoped. They're up to 90% now, and should be just as good as the originals."
"Fabulous. And what of the third?"
"Yes...well, she's up to 70%. Um...why are we cloning her, sir? She's not even a 3WA agent."
"Contingency plans, my good man. After all, we were responsible for Miss Emerson losing what she described as the greatest story of her career." Turning, Jimmy Daltrey walked over to the third tank. "And we have to repay her, of course." The floating body of Cory Emerson stared back at him blankly. "I predict her career will just _skyrocket_..."
THE END (at least until the sequel)
Long, dull author's notes follow herein:
First of all, here's what I based this on. There was a bit of confusion with Part One, so I looked back to see _exactly_ what I'd 'lifted'.
1) The Dirty Pair, Kei, Yuri, Mughi, and the 3WA are Haruka Takachiho's.
2) Deirdre, Shasti, and Cory, as well as the murky motives of the Central Computer and the 'universe' for this fic are Adam Warren and Toren Smith's.
3) Shasti's Central Mind concept is Ryan Mathews'. Deirdre's Computer Mind concept, and Shasti and Deirdre's backstory are Larry Mann's. Larry's Experiment 101-E is an incredible piece of work. Actually, my story will probably make a lot more sense if you read his first. Much
of the plot I thought was in Dangerous Acquaintances was in fact in 101-E. In addition, while no plot devices were used, Reunions (Mann and Mathews) and Missing Angels (Stone) were stylistic influences.
None of these people have given me permission at all. However, a big thank you to all of them, for creation of some of the best stuff in anime.
BTW, the ending does _not_, I repeat NOT lead into Ryan Mathews' 'Lovely Angels Forever'. I have my own plans for these clones...
There are a few unanswered questions and loose ends here. In particular, there are references to an adventure with Kei, Yuri and Cory that has not yet been chronicled. The sequel to this story (working title "Won't Get Fooled Again") will deal with the final battle between Daltrey and our heroes, as well as flashback to the previous mission.
It is (brace yourselves) a crossover with the Future History of Robert A. Heinlein. There will be no sex, but I reserve the right to have long talky sequences that go nowhere. :-)
BTW, did I mention the retcon earlier? I didn't? What a naughty boy I am! I am no great fan of Fatal But Not Serious. In particular, Warren's treatment of Cory Emerson in that story inspired this one. Special mention to Jonathan Blum and John Peel, whose year-long argument has given me a great background on the history of the retcon.
Now, more thankings. My prereaders, Richard Lawson, Sebastian Weinberg. Nicholas Leifker, and especially James "Zen" Bateman, are far too good to me in pointing out grammar, plot holes, etc. Thanks, guys.
In addition, Fred Herriot, David Tai, Jeanne Hedge and Chris Davies also gave great comments.
The sequel will be a bit. I have another UY:TSY side story to write, and then a Patlabor. But it's coming.
Lastly, thanks to four guys without whom this fanfic _could not_ have happened: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and Pete Townshend. The refs to the albums 'Quadrophenia' and 'Who's Next' are all through here. The songs 'I'm One', 'Doctor Jimmy', and 'The Real Me' were hugely influential in the writing of this. Looking forward to the 97 tour, guys...