Blue Eyes
By Ashleii, Kit, Mitch, Priss, Shaine, and Shatterclaw.
Individual rating: PG.
"and how do you like your blueeyed boy
mister death?"
-e. e. cummings
She woke slowly, the image of a large room with roaring fireplace overlaid upon what she could see of the alley. Which was not much, by the way, as she was lying half on her stomach.
Fucker...tried to fucking kill me... A shaft of light found its way down into the place where she was wedged between the wall and the dumpster, prisming oddly off of her eye. Red and gold highlights appeared, some of them almost greenish in the sea of her iris. Can't believe he did that...
"Hey, over here!" Loud footsteps threatened to deafen her.
Voices. Two female, one male.
"Yeah, I was going to harvest this one but I think it's still kind of alive..."
"Ugh," said a husky female voice. "The right arm's totally gone. You'd be better off just shooting it."
"But I don't think this is a normal Boomer. Look at her eyes, Priss!"
"Yeah...that is weird. Well, drag her on back to the lab and let's see."
She felt hands... No, don't touch me...
They were lifting her up out of the crack, whipsawing her body back and forth to pull it out...when she'd worked so hard on hiding herself there...
She saw the barest flash of a face. Erik... Don't leave me here alone like this...
But it was already far too late.
///
"Egads... what could have done this to her?" Kit gasped as she examined the damage done to the Replicant, which was strapped down to Kit's table. Priss looked on with an incredulous look in her eyes. "You sure you don't want me to put her out of her misery, Kit?" she asked.
Kit glanced at Priss quickly and replied, "Quite sure, Priss." She then turned back to the Replicant, who had a fearful look in her eyes. "W-what do you people want from me?" she asked in a nervous voice. "Please... don't hurt me!"
"It's OK," Kit replied in a gentle tone. "We're not going to hurt you. We just want to ask you a few questions. That's all."
"What... what are you going to do to me afterwards...?"
"I don't know. Just please bear with me here. Now then..." Kit leaned closer to the Replicant, putting a hand on her head to comfort her. "Who are you? Why are you hiding here?"
"I...I...
"That's none of your business!" she snapped. She then vaulted off the table and took a step toward the door...which caused her to fall flat on her face.
Kit quickly moved to Katerin's side, offering to help her up. "Hate to break this to you, but you're in no shape to go anywhere. Now, why don't you just calm down? We only want to help you."
Priss looked on, her face completely void of emotion. She watched the Replicant closely as Kit offered her hand.
"Tch..." Priss mumbled to herself. She shook her head as she walked over to Katerin. Priss bowed, halfway meeting the injured Replicant's glare.
"Who attacked you and why were you hiding?" Priss repeated Kit's question in her usual monotone fashion.
"Who are you?" Katerin's eyes narrowed. "Because if you're with Genom you can just fuck off!"
Before Kit even realized, she had pulled away and was standing, albeit shakily, without aid.
Damn you, Erik...
Priss's lips curled with amusement as she lazily rose to meet Katerin's eyes. Priss drew in closer purposely, invading her personal space.
"You're in no condition to tell anybody to 'fuck off.' " Priss said as her brow raised slightly. "We're not from Genom so you can relax. Tell us who you are..." She stepped back and watched Katerin, impressed by her display.
Moving faster than Priss could have imagined, the Replicant pulled herself up, using Priss as a crutch. She sprang back, shifting her weight to her good leg. Priss could see pain written on her face, but Katerin clearly refused to be mastered by it. One corner of her mouth curled up in a half-smile.
Priss felt a dull throbbing pain in her shoulder. She could also feel anger boiling up within her but she managed to keep calm. Her brow furrowed as she canted her head and shifted her feet slightly.
"My name is Shaine Katerin Lore Kohl. I'm the daughter of Erik Kohl. ...that sound familiar?"
Priss didn't reply. She glanced at Kit who was standing beside her.
"I'm Kit, and this is Priss. Please, let us help you..." Kit stepped toward the Replicant. Priss threw one arm forward to warn her away, but it was unnecessary.
I really don't like doing this...but we need to keep her from running away... Kit touched Katerin's arm gently - at which Katerin shuddered once, then fell limply to the ground.
"Let's just put her in that room around the corner for now," Priss said, her tone making it quite clear that she expected to be obeyed. "We can't handle this ourselves."
Kit's eyes went wide. "You're not going to call Genom, are you?"
Priss stopped for a moment, then said, "No. Even if they are her 'family' I don't like the idea of what they might do to her." She turned to Kit. "Just trust me, okay?"
Kit nodded. "Okay. I trust you."
"Good. Now help me drag her over there..."
///
She remembered the cold...
A myriad of tiny cuts stung her palms. Erik had told her not to go down to the lake, but she didn't give a damn. Scaling the cliff hadn't been too much of a problem, though it had hurt her hands, and as she stood on the muddy shoreline it seemed well worth it.
The water had to be freezing, but she didn't care about that either. For the first time in her life, she was going swimming in a real lake.
She pulled off her t-shirt, flinging it onto the ground. It'd get dirty, and she'd have to explain herself to Kathy - or worse, Cullyn - but at the moment she didn't dwell on it. She stepped toward the water, cold and injured hands fumbling at her belt, when she thought belatedly to see if anyone else was there.
Nope...no one. She was about to turn back toward the water when she noticed something half-concealed beneath a nearby bush. She grabbed her shirt and went closer...
It was a Boomer's hand.
///
Kit trudged back down the stairs to the spare bedroom, then took one last look around the garage. Far past time for some rest, and everything seemed to be in order.
There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" She called out.
"Um...hello... I'm looking for a friend of mine?" The voice was female, vulnerable. "Maybe you've seen her. She's short, with brown hair and blue eyes...kind of thin...
"Please, I've been looking everywhere!" She sounds desperate...
Kit opened the door a crack and saw a short, slender Asian woman dressed fashionably in black leather and synthetics. "Hello?"
She opened the door a little more. "Who are you?"
"My name is Lorelei..." Cullyn said. "Lorelei Mahler. I'm a friend of Shaine Kohl's...?" Her fingernails were long, and painted a dark grey. Kit stared at them for half a second. Something just didn't seem right...
"Okay. What do you need her for?"
"Need her for? What are you talking about?" Cullyn looked perplexed. "She just disappeared; I don't know what happened to her..."
"Seems you need her help with something."
"I don't understand."
"Ohh." Kit shook her head. Getting too late. "I'm a bit lost. Sorry."
"Do you know where she is?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"She's my friend! And her family is worried sick..."
"Well, okay. If you're sure..."
The short woman shifted her weight a bit, and Kit could see a glint of gold in her dark eyes. She looked at the Replicant curiously. I don't think she's just here for a social call...something's wrong about this! Cullyn flexed her hand, as if getting ready for something.
Kit backed away slowly, heading toward her worktable. Cullyn watched her coldly, then slid out the laser claws on her right hand.
"Shit!"
"Just give her to me and you won't get hurt. I can make them give you your garage back."
Kit lifted her wrench, holding it as if it were a sword. "And if I don't?"
Cullyn's left hand slid into her jacket, emerging with a Member II pistol. "That can be...worked around..."
Suddenly she pitched herself forward and down. Kit heard a large wrench strike the wall not too far from where Cullyn's head had been. "Shit!"
Katerin stood in the doorway with several more tools in hand, waiting.
Cullyn glanced at the other Replicant, then over to where her gun had landed. It took only a split second to decide that it wouldn't be worth it. She began inching toward the door, then began a full-out dive toward the street outside.
"A murder of ravens came today..." The booming voice filled the room. Cullyn stopped in the doorway, looking up...and up...at the black, metal figure standing just outside the door.
"Aw, fuck..."
"We have come to judge..."
"What in the name of...?" Kit whispered.
"Care for any last words, Boomer?"
"I want more life, fucker!" She pulled herself to her feet and slashed at the Raven with her claws.
His sword met them, sending sparks flying. "Too bad. Lifespans are regrettably short in this city." Then he kicked her with one heavy boot.
Cullyn fell, then stared at her hand. The tips of her nails were gone. "Never send a cat to a bird fight. You might get declawed." She dove toward the door again, twisting past him. The Raven fired a laser, but it missed by a hair, slicing a path over her left arm.
She raced off into the darkened street. "A warning, Boomer!" Crimson called after her. He looked back into the room. Katerin had crept closer, screwdriver in hand, clearly still on edge. Kit was sweating and panting visibly, but holding her ground.
Crimson ran out into the night, leaving the two women staring after him. Katerin relaxed immediately, sauntering back into her room as if it were all in a normal day for her.
Kit plopped against the wall, dropping her wrench. She had just caught her breath when the voice called out again.
"What did she want?"
Katerin stopped and looked back. "Oh, her? Same thing you do. Finish the job, right?"
The dark figure reappeared next to Kit. "That depends on you."
"Aaaah!" Kit jumped back.
Katerin smiled, then chuckled. "Sure."
"Who...who the hell are you?"
"What is your program?" Crimson demanded. Kit grabbed her wrench again, but he seemed not to care.
"To be her." Katerin stared up at him defiantly as he walked over to her.
"What's going on here?"
"You have a badly damaged Class Six Boomer here. It is illegal and very dangerous. And it's coming with me."
"No."
"I wasn't asking."
"I said no."
Two flex cables extended from his hand and snaked around to the back of her head. She tried to shove them aside but failed.
"Is that why Genom wants my garage?" Kit whispered.
"One reason. A small part of a much bigger plan. They want your land; a new Boomer plant is to be built on this site." he said as he studied Katerin's programming. There was an erase command; he disabled it without hardly thinking.
"Those lying bastards!"
"Did you expect anything more from them?" The amusement in his tone was audible even after the suit's audio filters masked his voice.
Kit sighed. "I guess you've got me there."
"Genom will do whatever it feels it has to, no matter who or what gets in the way. You're just an insect to them - one they've already slated for extermination."
Crimson turned his attention back to the Boomer. "Now tell me your mission, word for word."
"To be Shaine Kohl. Perfectly and accurately, to the last detail."
"You are not Shaine Kohl. How can a Boomer replace a human?"
"I'm a Replicant," she corrected.
"Yes, a copy of a living human."
"Living?" Her eyes, which had gone blank before, flared back to life. "He lied. Or you lied... Fucking humans..."
"I have no need to lie to you, and after this no one will ever lie to you again. Now, why are you to replace Shaine?"
"Because he can't have the real thing."
"He who?"
"Erik."
"Erik Kohl."
"Yes."
"Why would he want to have a copy of her?"
"I told you. She's gone...or so he said."
"Yes, he killed her. We found her body."
"Hnh. Went through twenty others before me...doesn't seem unlikely."
"We've found no less than seventy like you. But that still doesn't answer the question."
"We were his family."
"You're a Boomer. You have no family."
"Don't need one. But he does. Me, him, Kathy...well, just him and Kathy now..."
"Explain."
"He was in love with the real Kathy. Then she died."
"So he made a Boomer of his brother's wife, who he could never have..."
"I don't know about that never...but yes, and killed Evon..."
Kit shook her head. "This is royally fucked up!"
"You have no idea..." Crimson murmured.
"So then he made a Boomer of his brother's daughter, who he could also never have?"
"Not Evon's daughter. Or so he also told me..."
"So he believed she was his."
"Yeah." Her tone of voice turned perfectly Shainish. "Don't ask me; I just work for humans."
"Does he have proof?"
"I don't know."
He laughed. "Well, you should. You're a very sloppy copy..."
"Yeah, well, bite me."
"One last thing: your access code. What is it?" A large, black bird flew through an open window and landed on his shoulder.
"NX-5701."
"There. Was that so hard? Now you can go where all good little Boomers go."
"To the scrap pile, huh?"
Crimson finished copying her code onto a new disk. "No, you'll become a raven. Meet Kathy; she was once like you."
"Kathy? Huh...?"
"...But she now serves a higher purpose."
"Never...more..." the bird croaked shakily. "My dear..."
Kit stared at it, her eyes widening in fear.
"See? She's happier this way. And you will be too, once you have feathers..." He laughed again.
Kit dropped her wrench.
"You have nothing to fear from me, human. I mean you no harm."
"That's...c-comforting..."
Crimson turned Katerin off. "I'm sorry about the mess."
She nodded numbly. "Wh-who are you...?"
"I am a myth. A legend from beyond time come to serve the needs of this city's innocents. I am light wrapped around the darkness, the white shadow that slips in unseen. Does that answer your question?"
"I...I think so..."
"Good. I'll be watching over you." He picked up the Boomer and both disappeared.
Kit took a deep breath, shook her head, and started cleaning up. "Yes, Virginia, there is a Batman..." she muttered.
"Bird, not bat..." a deep voice corrected.
///
The cool spring air whipped her hair across her face as she ran back to the house. Kathy...?
Her "mother" was there, by the door. Letting out a choked sob, she flung herself into Kathy's arm and explained what she'd seen.
"What...what happened...? I thought..."
"Ssh. It's all right." Kathy cradled her in her arms, slowly leading her back into the house. "Just relax..."
Kathy set her down on the couch, still sobbing. Is Cullyn here? ...No, don't think so. Good. "Everything is going to be all right. You just found a rogue, that's all."
What?! That's not possible. That couldn't happen to me...?
Her thoughts were cut off by the heavy thump of an EMP blast hitting off-center.
///
Priss looked around her new room, groggy after the short nap she had taken. There was a nightstand, a table...not in the best shape but adequate...and a phone.
The phone. It was ringing. Damn...
Priss fumbled for the switch on a nearby lamp, then pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror, examining her face. It was drawn from fatigue...which was to be expected, she supposed. Slight bags under her eyes...a little bloodshot... She walked back to the bed.
There was an empty bottle of beer sitting under the dim light. Fly swimming pool...it'd been there a while. Her lip curled back in disgust. The bed looked so damned good, with cool sheets and a soft mattress...
She sighed as she looked over the room, raising one eyebrow. Then she crawled back into bed.
The phone began to ring again. It was one of those really old-fashioned types, annoyingly loud and near-impossible to ignore. She sat up.
"Argh...hello?"
"Hello, Priss. Is this a bad time?" Sylia!
Priss blinked her eyes in shock. "What is it?"
"I've called in a few favors..."
"Yeah?"
"Mind you, Priss, it wasn't easy, but there is a local group that might be able to help you. I've arranged for a meeting with them."
"For what?"
"For everything." She had that damned teasing tone in her voice that Priss knew all too well. Like she was tempting a customer or coming on to Nigel.
"I don't need any help."
"But I managed to arrange for you to meet with them! It was the best I could do..."
Priss's lip curled up. "I know, Sylia..." She sighed. "When's the meeting?"
"3:05am, their time. At some park...seems their leader finds it soothing."
"Great directions, Sylia. What park?"
"From what I understand, it's only a few minutes from where you're staying."
The light bulb inside the lamp flickered. "So...what? I'll just run into it or something?"
Sylia's cool voice began reciting a set of directions. "No, you'll walk...I do know him; he won't harm you, Priss. But he has been known to be...unreasonable."
"He? Who is he?" Priss suddenly sat up very straight.
"He is Crimson, a local...operative. He's a good man, when he wants to be."
Priss said nothing, her thoughts chaotic at this newest turn of events.
"Trust me, Priss. I can't afford to lose you like this."
"Yeah?" She sighed, letting her eyes wander.
"Yes. If you want I can have them send a taxi to pick you up."
"No. I'll take my bike." She stood up, scratching her head.
"I know it's very late, Priss, but he does want to meet you as soon as possible."
"Fine."
Underneath the phone was an old-style fax; a sheet of paper shot out of it. "There's a map, if it does any good. Personally, I always get lost in that city..."
"This tells me where to meet this guy?" Priss's voice was dull.
"Yes, just ask for Crimson."
Priss sighed. "Yeah...right."
"Good. I'll call you again at a more civilized hour."
Priss reached out to hang up the phone, but Sylia had already hung up. The phone buzzed indignantly.
///
The cold night air stung Priss's face as she made her way through the park. Sylia's directions led her to a darkened path with overgrown trees, at the end of which could be seen a man. He was half cloaked with shadows, something odd on his shoulder. She couldn't see what it was just yet.
Priss looked over her dim surroundings, stopping short of the hidden figure. She clenched the handles of her bike, reluctant to go further.
"Priscilla Asagiri," he called out. It was not an invitation or a question...or a greeting. It was a simple statement.
"Who are you?"
"I am called Crimson. And as to who I am, like Miss Stingray, I seek to free mankind."
"Yeah? So what's this meeting about?"
"I meet with everyone connected to Stingray who passes through this town. She sent you to my city and I want to know why."
Priss removed her helmet, showing her face. She could see then that the thing on his shoulder was a large raven, and it was staring at her.
"She didn't tell you?" She countered sarcastically, looking at him. His face was plain, but broad...rather unremarkable.
"She never tells me anything unless it benefits her."
"Caw, araaaw!"
Priss sucked in her breath, startled by the bird.
"She thinks highly of you, enough so that I had to do my own background checks."
"She said that your people are supposed to help me."
Crimson offered his hand to the bird, which hopped down. "It's a raven. Our calling card. And yes, Miss Asagiri, we are here to help you."
"Whatever...are you?"
"I'm impressed by what I didn't find on you...which is why the fact that you ended up here, in Chicago, surprised me."
"I'm not here to impress anyone," she said in a calm, dull tone. "I just want to know why I'm here. What is this meeting about?"
"I take it you're not here in your official capacity? That you in no way represent the Sabers in any dealing with Genom?"
"I don't deal with Genom," she snapped. "Where's the rest of you?"
"They're here, all around us..." He chuckled. Priss could hear movement, but see nothing.
She narrowed her eyes, studying the shadows a bit more closely. All she could see was an unusual number of ravens, one of them with feathers dyed bright pink.
"Are you gonna quit screwing with me and tell me what this is about?" Her voice was still dull and unimpressed.
"...But not of the hardsuited kind, as you can see. I assure you, Miss Asagiri, I am not screwing with you."
This man has some serious problems. What the hell is this, Sylia?
"Sylia has little to do with us, normally. And if it's true, you're not here by her orders. May I ask why it is that you are here?"
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm here on tour, that's it."
"I see. You must forgive me; I took that as a cover story."
"No. Sylia didn't tell you anything else?" She grabbed her helmet off the back of the bike, clearly disappointed.
"No, Miss Stingray is still angry at me. We have something she wants, and until a time comes when I feel free to give it to her..."
"What's that?"
"That, Miss Asagiri, is why we are here."
Five black hardsuits appeared as if by magic. "These are the Steel Ravens. My Knight Sabers, if you will."
Her eyes widened suddenly.
"How long do you intend to be in town?"
"Tch...not long, unless there's more to this."
"There always is." He could see that Priss was becoming impatient. "An open invitation, then, to join us for as long as you are in Chicago."
What?
"You have to forgive me, but it's not often that we can add a member without training her. Do you accept?"
"Let me talk to the rest of you first."
"Fair enough. We have a meeting stop, where you can always find one of us." He handed a business card to the bird, which flew over and dropped it in her hand. "The back booth. It's always open."
Al's Italian Style Roast Beef - Best Beef in Chicago. Hm.
"An open invitation. It's also worth a free meal, every time."
"Yeah..." She pulled the helmet over her head and turned the key. "I'll be there."
"You want to talk to my people, they'll be there. You want to talk to me, I'll also be there.
"We'll be waiting." The hardsuits disappeared before her eyes: a slight rippling effect, then they were gone.
"Maybe next time I can see your face," Priss snarled, then she sped off into the night.
I hate these damned birds...
///
The next day...
"Hi there...are you Kit?"
"Yeah. What can I do for you?"
"I was hoping you could take a look at my car." The tall man gestured toward a 70-something Barracuda just outside the garage.
Nice car, but nothing outstanding. She popped the hood. Needs a new engine, and some body work.
"This needs a lot of work, and it'll take a while, but I'll do it." Looks like it's been in some sort of accident...the bubbles in the paint...must've been on fire. The doors are out of alignment...transmission is shot. Damn.
She wrote up an estimate and the tall man gave her a more than generous down payment, promising to spend as much as she thought necessary. Then he left.
Kit looked at the car again. "Egads."
As she began to work on the car, she found bullets, casings, scorch marks...and a strange black box. It was about five inches wide and ten inches long, made of black metal, with a port on one side which looked like it might connect to a computer. She put it to one side and went back to the car.
"Geesh, looks like this baby's seen some hefty action."
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Miss Katherine Bashe? I'm from the Office of Land Management. May I speak to you?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"May I come in?"
"Sure!" She opened the door to find a young man in a three-piece suit. "So what can I do for you, Mister..."
"I've come here on behalf of your landlord. He has sold the building, and I'm here to offer you a contract on the new development."
"Wait... When did this happen?"
"Yesterday. The Genom Corporation has purchased this land to begin a wonderful new land development."
"Genom, huh?" Her tone went flat. Do they know about the Boomer? No, that's impossible...
"Yes, ma'am. The new housing development is being offered to you at the rate of $1,900 a month."
"Nineteen hundred dollars? Reasonable?" She made raspberries at him.
"Why, that's quite reasonable. They lowered their price from twenty."
"That's still pretty steep."
"That's not how Genom sees it. So...can I sign you up for a ground floor apartment?"
"I can still live here...but for more than I was paying before?"
"Now, if you want, I can authorize a bank loan... --No. Or, more to the point, you will have to move to temporary housing until the new place is built. After they raze this, well..." He cut himself off. "Of course, the rent for the temp home is free."
Why am I putting up with this crap? I ought to let him have it! She grabbed a nearby wrench. "Get out of my garage, you piece of slag!"
"Well, I never!" He began to scramble out, his sense of self-preservation winning out over his businesslike veneer. "You'll be hearing from me again," he called over his shoulder feebly.
"And tell Genom to take their land development and shove it up their ass!"
"I'll be back!"
She snorted. "Such nerve!"
Seeing that he'd left the terms of contract on the table, she picked it up, glanced at it, and then threw it back down. "The garage is still in my name."
Kit headed toward the Cuda, muttering under her breath.
Then she noticed the black box again...
She got the connector connected, and it brought up a dialog box: "Do you want to play a game; yes/no".
She clicked yes, and it brought up another window. "What is your name?" She typed in Katherine Bashe. "Welcome Katherine Bashe.
"If you witnessed a violent act and had a way to stop it, would you?" She typed yes.
"Which do you believe is more important: human life or money?" Human life.
"How do you feel toward Genom, and Boomers?" Genom, although necessary for the economy, is dirt.
"Would you work for them if employment was offered?" No.
The screen flashed, and the dialogs disappeared. A new screen popped up: an encrypted three-dimensional box. She decrypted one side; it flashed and rotated around to another side. "What is the square root of pi?" it asked.
"Great," Kit muttered. She typed in an estimate, hoping it was close enough, and the second side flashed and disappeared.
"How would you fix a carburetor in the field?" She typed in an answer and the third side disappeared. "Where would you shoot a rogue Boomer if you hoped to stop it?" A Boomer model appeared, and she clicked on it right between the eyes. The box broke into pieces and faded away.
The screen dissolved into a first-person shooter, Kit versus the Boomers. She quickly shot down a cleaning Boomer, then walked forward into the building before her character. Inside, two waitress Boomers with giant tongues were licking coffee stains off of a human man. The first one looked at her, and began to charge.
She nailed it easily, and the second one came at her. Not too hard.
A new hallway appeared once the second Boomer had fallen, and she turned left. It got darker...she could see a Boomer dressed in latex, beating a human. Sparks jumped from the Boomer's head.
The human saw her.
"Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm okay? Help! She's going to kill me!"
Kit fired at the Boomer, but it dodged. She rushed to free the human, but stopped when the Boomer brought out a whip. Somehow she managed to avoid it, and shoot the handcuffs restraining the human. Undoing the ropes around his feet, she cried, "Run!" Bringing her gun up again, she shot point blank at the Boomer and it melted into so much slag.
The game world dissolved into black, and words appeared on the screen. A date, and a time...underneath was a map giving directions to the park. She scrambled to write them down, then just as she finished the screen blanked out. There was a beeping noise, and then a dial-up signal. After that, it went dead.
"Huh...that's weird."
///
The sky was already growing dark. Stars peeked out from behind thick stormclouds. "Good thing I brought my umbrella," Kit murmured.
At the end of the walkway she could see a dark, man-sized shape. "Hello?"
"Come closer," he said. As she did so she could see that he wore a long trenchcoat, along with a hat and sunglasses. It was difficult to make any sort of statement about his actual appearance other than to mention that his skin was dark.
"Good evening."
He looked up toward the trees. "Yes...yes, it is. So how did you find our little test?"
"It was in the back seat of one of my 'projects.' "
He grinned. "Yes, I know, but the true question is, how much do you know? And how much do you want to know?"
"I don't know much, I'm afraid...but what I do know kinda makes me want to know more."
"I see...tell me what you know."
"I know that whoever is behind this has a problem with Genom...and right now, so do I."
"Yes, they're buying out your land..."
"Exactly." She stopped. "Wait. How did you know that?"
"It's my job to know what they do, when they do it, and to stop them from doing it."
"Oh...kaaaayyyy..."
"What if I told you you're not alone?"
"Well...that would make me feel a little better."
"And that, even if you did have proof, the courts would step aside in favor of Genom?"
"That would really piss me off."
"I'm sorry, but this isn't about human feeling. It's about power, money...and Genom's vision of Chicago...and humans have very little to do with that." He looked straight at her. "So how pissed would you get? What would you do to stop them?
"More than that, what would you give to stop Genom?"
"I..." Kit hesitated. She took a step back, trying to see more clearly. There was a huge black bird sitting on his shoulder, and it unnerved her.
"It's time to choose. The blue pill will let you wake up from a dream...but take the red one, and you'll see just how far down the rabbit hole you can go..."
She thought she heard a shadow of the Replicant's laugh. It was faint, though...like a dream... The raven looked around as if trying to find the source of the sound, and the dark-skinned man seemed to twitch.
"For a chance to get those scumbags out of my garage for good...I'd shake hands with the devil."
"Trust me, Miss Bashe, I don't want your soul."
Kit sighed softly. "Well, that's a relief."
"Not many can say that." He smiled darkly. "There are rules, though, a code that we follow..."
"A code?"
"It is for your protection. And ours."
"Okay..."
"You will not divulge any information concerning the Steel Ravens. You will never act upon a personal grudge. You will never act without the mutual consent of all Ravens...
"You will not attempt to secede from this organization. You are responsible for damage to the organization's equipment while it is in your possession or use, unless that damage was unavoidable.
"You will never divulge information regarding any of our clients. You will not attempt to gather intelligence on your own. This task will be divided among all members as seen fit. You will keep in regular contact with other members.
"The penalty for violating any of the rules is death. Do you understand that this is the price of destroying Genom?"
Kit took a deep breath. "I understand." Her eyes were still on the raven, which seemed edgy. Its eyes darted around, taking in as much of the shadows as they could.
"Don't mind him," Crimson said mildly. A bright light suddenly shone through the treetops and a door appeared behind him. "Well, Alice. It seems we've found the rabbit hole...shall we find out what's at the other end?"
Kit shielded her eyes from the light. "Holy..."
A tall, redheaded man with a crooked smile stepped out of the shadows. "Hey, Crimson!" He stepped through the door. Another figure, a shorter woman, followed him. Kit couldn't see her too well; she was still blinded by the light and the woman never turned toward her.
"That's Wolverine, our close combat expert," Crimson explained as he led Kit into the Wing. "Go ahead, have a seat."
"New member, huh?" Mitch grinned. Boy, is she in for the ride of her life...
"And this is Freefall, electronic warfare."
"I'd introduce myself...but I think you already know my name?"
"You..."
"Yeah." Her face remained entirely impassive. Cold. Just like the Boomer...
"You look just like..that girl I found by my garage!"
"It's not a girl. It's a Boomer." Her eyes flashed cold, like a midwinter storm or a river run out of control. "It's a monster."
"Oh, my God..." Kit's eyes had gone wide and her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"Yes, seems you have someone's play toy back at your house." Shaine stiffened at that description, but said nothing. "This is the real person it was based upon."
Kit was likewise too stunned to speak; Shaine recovered first. "Someone...lost a woman he loved, and couldn't accept that. So he decided to become the center of her daughter's world. And when he lost the daughter...he couldn't accept that either.
"So he made that...thing...that you saw."
"We have been fighting Genom for more years than I care to count. Over those years I have handpicked those who have skills that can help us. Freefall, for her abilities with computers." The other woman stared at Kit darkly; Kit glanced back, slightly scared. "Wolverine, for his police connections and close combat skills." Mitch smiled, and Kit turned her eyes back to Crimson. "You've been chosen for your repair skills."
"I'm...ah...flattered..."
"You didn't fix that thing, did you?" Shaine burst out. Crim looked at her, and she glared right back at him as Mitch laughed quietly.
"I didn't know how..."
"Yeah..." Shaine shook her head and muttered, "That's right..."
"What you found was an advanced type of Boomer known as a Replicant," Crimson explained. "Only five Genom facilities are capable of producing them. They're nearly more human than human...and very dangerous. But then you already know that."
Crimson's raven began cawing and flapping around by the lockers on either side of the Wing. It rammed into one, cawing wildly and trying to rip through the metal door with its claws. Shaine swore incredulously in another language...it sounded like German, maybe...
"What is up with that bird?"
"Doesn't like...the B-word." Shaine scowled.
"Ohh..."
Crimson pulled out a large gun and went to the lockers. "Shaine, control your pet!" Mitch snapped.
"Hey, I'm a hacker, not a fucking animal trainer! ...Morri, here!"
"Quiet, both of you!" Mitch hid his smile behind his hand as Crimson opened the locker to reveal...absolutely nothing. The raven landed on the floor of the locker, still cawing wildly.
Just then there was a soft but distinctly metallic thump. "What the--?" Kit whimpered.
Shaine and Mitch drew their guns in one almost perfectly synchronized motion. "Wolverine, take the south wall. Open everything. Freefall, north. Kit, don't move!"
Shaine glanced back at the locker, then ran to Crimson's side and threw open another locker door, aiming inside. "Nothing here..." She could hear Mitch yanking open door after door on the other side of the plane. "Dani's tits, man, what is going on?"
The next door yielded an answer. Priss Asagiri sat inside the locker, looking rather cramped.
She glared sharply at Shaine, not even seeming to notice the barrel of the Miyako, which was aimed squarely at her chest. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Crim...?"
Mitch rushed up behind Shaine to cover the intruder. "Who are you? Locker fairy?"
"And what if I am?" Priss stared back at Mitch.
"No," Crimson said, a grim smile upon his face. "More like a Knight Saber."
"What?" Shaine's head jerked up, her aim spoiled.
"Priscilla S. Asagiri," Crimson said. "Also known, though not to many, as the Knight Sabers' close combat person. ...And lead singer of the band Sekiria, though that's hardly relevant."
Mitch laughed. "Mind telling what's with the visit?"
"Priss?" Kit got up and hurried toward the locker as Priss, still covered by Shaine, crawled out. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, so now we've got Priss and the Replicants, huh?"
"Truth is stranger than fiction, Shaine. You should know that." Crimson smiled at the newcomer. "So, Priss, have you decided to take us up on the dinner offer?"
Mitch holstered his gun, and Shaine reluctantly set hers on her seat next to her purse.
Priss cleared her throat, and stepped away from the locker. "Dinner sounds good..." Mitch sat down, laughing softly.
"Freefall, remind me to have Belladonna clean this jet out..." Crimson's nose wrinkled up in sympathy as he stepped closer to the locker in which Priss had hidden. "And her dirty innerwear..."
"Caw, araw!" The raven flapped back up to Crimson's shoulder.
"Any other surprises, Crim?"
Priss stared at the raven, scowling. "That damned thing would make a good dinner, now that I think about it...and as hungry as I am..."
Crimson waited for her to finish speaking, then answered Mitch: "Yes, I am going to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and make Chicago disappear."
Shaine shook her head. "That's not even funny, man."
"You'd be surprised at how useful the ravens can be. This one told us that you were there long before we would have known relying on our own senses."
Kit walked back to her seat, feeling faint. I just don't get this...the girl, the Boomer...Priss...what is going on? She collapsed, limply, just before she got there.
"Aw, shit..." Shaine drawled.
"Great. Another for Branks to poke at. Rai, ETA to the nest?"
"Five minutes."
Mitch knelt before Kit, pulling a vial of smelling salts out of his pocket. He waved them under her nose, and she woke up with a start. "Are you okay?" He smiled at her.
Kit smiled back, a little. "No, not really..."
"So, Miss Asagiri. Do I take this to mean that you've decided to join us?"
She glanced at Crimson. "Don't you wish you knew?"
"No, not really. I don't need to babysit Sylia's outcasts. Or her spies."
Priss stood there silently, ignoring Crimson, as Mitch helped Kit back up.
"Thanks!"
"Don't sweat it," Mitch said reassuringly. "Just a little culture shock, I think."
"Of course...it does take a bit more than that to cut it as a Raven," Crimson said.
"Docking in twenty-nine seconds." There was the sound of the Wing landing, and docking clamps falling into place. The doors opened and Crimson walked outside, followed by Shaine and then Mitch.
"Whatever..." Priss muttered, stepping out into the hangar.
Kit's eyes widened as she left the plane. The hangar was huge, holding two planes and a car but with room for more.
"Nest sweet nest," Mitch said, and offered a hand to Kit.
"Wolverine, take Kit to the good doctor and have her check her out. Then bring her down to the meeting room. Freefall, you can show Priss around while the two of you are waiting."
"Okay..." Shaine watched Mitch and Kit leave out of the corner of her eye. Well, at least those two look like they could make a good team. Girl's got a sense of compassion if nothing else.
"Thank you."
Priss's brow arched as she looked at Shaine again. Shaine slowly walked toward the door, leaving Priss to follow her...or not. Crimson headed down toward another door as Rai, still in his suit, stepped out of the back of the Wing. Unlike the Sabers' suits, this one was almost all black. Its helmet was white, with red markings.
She idly wondered if all of the Ravens' suits looked like that - and marveled at the sight of a male hardsuit. It seemed almost...unnatural.
"Caw, caw!" He called after them. Shaine ignored him and kept going, Priss in tow.
///
Priss studied Shaine's back for a good while - not an entirely bad view, the back of her tee was one large image of Mulder and Scully hugging - and eventually found herself led to the meeting room. Crimson, Mitch and Kit were already there, sitting on a large couch. The room was done up in black and white, lit softly...a far cry from Sylia's control room.
Shaine sat down across from the others and slouched with all her might. Priss, meanwhile, took up a position further away, leaning against one wall with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Crimson stood. "Departing from our normal method of operations, we will be having dinner in here as well as a debriefing. Due to our last mission, we are down two people. Snakebite is still injured, and Saki is grounded. Therefore...we're in need of new blood."
Priss pressed her lips into a thin line as she glared at the bird. "Caw, caw! Araw!"
Crimson looked at it. "Down, now." It looked back, then flapped out of the room. "They're friendly once you get to know them."
"Friendly, my ass..." Priss muttered softly.
"As I was saying, Kit was chosen to-- Ms. Asagiri, at this time your ass has nothing to do with the birds."
"If you want, though, you may certainly have a seat..."
Kit giggled. Priss smiled innocently at Crimson and sat down near but not next to Shaine as Belladonna walked in, holding several menus which she passed out to the others.
"Shaine, I want you to help Kit during her training."
"Me?"
"Yes, Jinks is still down, and the others have other things to do."
Kit smiled and took a menu. "Thank you."
"No problem!" Bell smiled. "Al likes the big orders... And if you don't see it on the menu, Al will still make it for you."
"I could die for some barbecue ribs...and I hope you have some good German beer around here?"
"Sure, just have to raid the Boss's office!" Bell whispered conspiratorially. "--Er, the beer, not the ribs."
"Make that two," Mitch said. "But I want a Guiness with mine."
"Only if you don't sing 'Danny Boy'!"
"Maybe later, Bell..."
Crimson rolled his eyes dramatically. "Great. I'll get the earplugs..."
Priss set down her menu and glanced at Bell. "A veggie burger with mushrooms and swiss cheese...and I'll have a glass of water."
"I'll have two cheeseburgers and fries, please. And do you have any Pepsi?"
Bell laughed at Kit. "We own Pepsi! And have a controlling share in Coke...and Mountain Dew..."
"No way!"
"...Which has been in short supply... Boss, you want anything?"
"Not right now, Bell."
Mitch chuckled softly. "Want a Dew, Shaine?"
"No," she growled back.
"As if! She hasn't even come down from the last case." This prompted an icy glare from Shaine, who was obviously in the mood for revenge...
"Bell, go get the drinks," Crimson ordered. "Now, then. As a Raven you will be trained in the use of our hardsuits, vehicles, and weapons. Each of you will be chosed for a specialization in field operations once the training is completed. Training shall last for a week, and you will as usual be responsable for the hardware and equipment issued to you. You will pay for any avoidable damage to it.
"But we'll cover that more later. As for what we are... We as a whole are unknown - rumor, myth urban legend... Criminals speak of us in hushed tones and Genom disavows us - while trying at the same time to crush us..."
Shaine's eyes went hard, and her jaw tightened. At the same time, Mitch cracked his knuckles at the thought of Genom. Crimson cast a look at them, then continued.
"One factor in our success has been the hardsuits' cloaking field. In time you will learn how to use it. I won't bore you with the specs, but the basic idea is that it bends light around us, while scanning to match the environment. So far, nothing has been able to break this field - save for the fact that when you run in a hardsuit...sound, unlike light, is a bit hard to mask. So far, we are the only known group using Stingray technology to have this advantage."
"Stingray technology?" Kit echoed.
"Katsuhiro Stingray," Shaine explained. "He designed the suits. And Boomers."
"It's the overall name for hardsuit tech," Crimson added.
"Oh."
"He was...a visionary, but his work has been misused." Crimson looked up at Priss, who raised her glance to meet his and raised an eyebrow.
"My father used to talk about him like he was God..." Shaine said wistfully.
"Our motor pool is extensive: three Raven Wing jets, fifty motorbikes, ten motoslaves, and a few cars and trucks. Please do note that you should go easy on the cars...the Cudas aren't cheap to replace."
Belladonna returned with the drinks. Kit smiled and thanked her; Priss and Shaine simply took them and Shaine started drinking straight from the bottle. Just as she reached Mitch, red lights began to wash over the room.
Shaine sputtered and set the water down. Crimson walked to a control panel on the wall and pressed a few buttons.
"What's that?" Kit asked nervously.
"We've got a Boomer going rogue." A screen next to Crimson displayed a map of the city, with the Boomer's position marked in red. "Gold Coast, a mile from the manor. Shaine, Mitch, suit up."
He turned apologetically to Kit. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come with--"
"What about the training?"
"You'll just be along for the ride, not the fight." She reluctantly put down her drink and walked out, following Shaine.
"And Priss, you may want to come as well, seeing as you've had some time in a suit."
Priss set down her glass and stood. Wordlessly, she turned on her heel and walked out, past Crim.