Dragonseer- Thank you so much for reviewing!!!! The point of view is
switchy, some being Remora's and some being Raziel's.
Don't TOUCH this, wheaty/mcfly/tom/crow/whoever. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- (--Ch.3, File under O.D.D.--) (--Remora *Hack--)
Remora always walked. No one in New Tokyo owned cars, merely calling a cab to get from place to place. Drivers were automated to reduce crashes, and the Hackers knew how often hardware went haywire. She looked an odd sight, walking down the street with her purple/green striped hair and her Hi-Wattz headphones reducing her eardrums to quivering jelly, wearing a bright pink tank-top and black pants three sizes too big for her, held up with suspenders. One would note that when the girl walked, it was as if it wasn't enough to get from A to B. she had to make odd, arrhythmic steps that weren't quite Illegal Dancing, but weren't exactly walking, either. They couldn't have realized she was listening to unlawful Re-Mixed old video game music. (It'sa me! Mario!!!)
When Remora reached the old Microsoft Manufacturing plant, she stripped off her Invisiskin. Wincing as the patch pulled epidermis, she flashed the tattoo at the camera.
"Remora *Hack, elite hacker. Password: IsAFreak. Lemme in, TooTired. You really need to change the password. It was funny for only like... one minute."
The door opened and a young boy's face peered around the corner. It was TooTired, Remora's kid "brother." He yawned and revealed filed teeth, the kind Remora always shivered when looking at. She couldn't figure why he did it.
"I know, Remora, but I can't remember how and I just love hearing you say it."
"Remind me to punch you."
Remora stalked off down the corridor, leaving the apprentice hacker to his door duties. She was greeted by many, bumped by a few who didn't know her, and finally turned into Sparks's room. Sparks made things, hence his title "Lemming." He was useful, but sometimes his ungodly wheelchair blocked doorways. He was always tinkering with something. Though he had no arms or legs, it didn't seem to keep him from building robotic ones. She knocked on the door.
"Hey SparkstheLemming, lemme in!!!"
"Who the hell is it? I done give out all my calls yet, and the net's not done!"
"It's Remora! Lemme in, sparks!"
She didn't normally yell, it was just that his door was three inches thick in order to keep in explosions. His "wheelchair" was blast-proof, but other people weren't. The door opened to reveal an odd arachnid of a creature. The body was an endo-plasti bubble, and inside was some odd chrysalis/pupa thing of a man. Oftentimes it reminded Remora of an egg, half filled with liquid and the embryo still developing. On the outside, however, there were eight steel legs/arms that he walked on and worked with.
She'd seen those arms rip through twenty-six inches of enforcer armor, while not touching the soft fleshy men underneath. She'd also been lifted up on top of buildings, without even chafing against them. Those limbs of his were both gentle and rough, and served his every purpose. The only thing she hadn't figured out was how he ate, or where he took a shit. She had asked him once, but he only said that the wheelchair served his every need, and there was no reason to wonder why. She had been too creeped out to ask him again.
"So what brings you around to my room, Remora? Don't tell me you want to borrow my brizz-saw again. I still haven't forgotten what you did to TooTired's other security cam. I had to build him a new one, you know."
"He was getting just a little too inventive with it, Sparks. The last time I showed up, the cam wasn't exactly on my tattoo or my face, if you know what I mean. When I walked by I heard him say something about sonic-vision. Now you do know how 'accurate' sound-sight is, right? We use that to see around corners. We can't have a thirteen year old trying to see around clothing, now can we?"
"Very true. Now just what do you want?"
Sparks spoke the normal way, via the mouth. That much was obvious, but he also spoke with his wheelchair on a different, super/subsonic level. He'd altered his vocal cords to produce computer-like sounds. Every once in a while, you could get a smidgen of high-pitched static-squealing when you were around him for any length of time. Somehow he managed to talk normally to you, and screech at his machine at the same time. Just don't keep any wineglasses near him, as they tended to burst without warning.
"I need a way to move, and move fast. The boys and I are headed off to an Enforcer station to just cause general havoc, and we, and by "we" I mean "they", decided I should run decoy. We wouldn't normally do something like that, but DedInDaHed got himself caught again, taking one of their satellite up-links."
"What an idiot. When you find him, tell him the satellites are directly hard-wired into the capital. You can't take one without a full alert."
"And now I know what to do for a decoy. Thanks, Sparks. So what about that way to run?"
"Remora, you're crazy! You're nuts! You'll be made an Example-of!"
"That's precisely why they'll chase me. If you don't want me to get caught, Lemming, you'll hand over a speed boot or the equivalent of an Acme rocket. If you don't have one, you'd best think of something quick."
A speed boot wasn't really a set of sneakers. It was more like a pair of robotic pants that, when worn, were really heavy and uncomfortable. So impossible to move in, you needed a remote control to operate them. They also unfashionable. Though they were not exactly sneaking material, they had a button that Sparks had dubbed, 'Panic'. The panic button would give you a near-indestructible shield from the front, then send you running in whatever direction that you were facing. Oftentimes this was through a wall, hence the shield.
"I gave my last pair out to DedInDaHed. It would take me a week to make another set."
"I can't wait that long. Got anything else?"
"No."
Remora sighed, But she knew how to get what she wanted.
"Fine then. I'll use my call at the station to say good-bye, and I'll ask if you got anything to break me out. Not that you will, Lemming."
There was a high-pitched squeal and Sparks's body moved so fast to block the doorway that he almost stepped on Remora's feet.
"well. there is something. But you can't let anyone know, got it?"
"I knew you'd see things my way, Sparks."
Don't TOUCH this, wheaty/mcfly/tom/crow/whoever. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- (--Ch.3, File under O.D.D.--) (--Remora *Hack--)
Remora always walked. No one in New Tokyo owned cars, merely calling a cab to get from place to place. Drivers were automated to reduce crashes, and the Hackers knew how often hardware went haywire. She looked an odd sight, walking down the street with her purple/green striped hair and her Hi-Wattz headphones reducing her eardrums to quivering jelly, wearing a bright pink tank-top and black pants three sizes too big for her, held up with suspenders. One would note that when the girl walked, it was as if it wasn't enough to get from A to B. she had to make odd, arrhythmic steps that weren't quite Illegal Dancing, but weren't exactly walking, either. They couldn't have realized she was listening to unlawful Re-Mixed old video game music. (It'sa me! Mario!!!)
When Remora reached the old Microsoft Manufacturing plant, she stripped off her Invisiskin. Wincing as the patch pulled epidermis, she flashed the tattoo at the camera.
"Remora *Hack, elite hacker. Password: IsAFreak. Lemme in, TooTired. You really need to change the password. It was funny for only like... one minute."
The door opened and a young boy's face peered around the corner. It was TooTired, Remora's kid "brother." He yawned and revealed filed teeth, the kind Remora always shivered when looking at. She couldn't figure why he did it.
"I know, Remora, but I can't remember how and I just love hearing you say it."
"Remind me to punch you."
Remora stalked off down the corridor, leaving the apprentice hacker to his door duties. She was greeted by many, bumped by a few who didn't know her, and finally turned into Sparks's room. Sparks made things, hence his title "Lemming." He was useful, but sometimes his ungodly wheelchair blocked doorways. He was always tinkering with something. Though he had no arms or legs, it didn't seem to keep him from building robotic ones. She knocked on the door.
"Hey SparkstheLemming, lemme in!!!"
"Who the hell is it? I done give out all my calls yet, and the net's not done!"
"It's Remora! Lemme in, sparks!"
She didn't normally yell, it was just that his door was three inches thick in order to keep in explosions. His "wheelchair" was blast-proof, but other people weren't. The door opened to reveal an odd arachnid of a creature. The body was an endo-plasti bubble, and inside was some odd chrysalis/pupa thing of a man. Oftentimes it reminded Remora of an egg, half filled with liquid and the embryo still developing. On the outside, however, there were eight steel legs/arms that he walked on and worked with.
She'd seen those arms rip through twenty-six inches of enforcer armor, while not touching the soft fleshy men underneath. She'd also been lifted up on top of buildings, without even chafing against them. Those limbs of his were both gentle and rough, and served his every purpose. The only thing she hadn't figured out was how he ate, or where he took a shit. She had asked him once, but he only said that the wheelchair served his every need, and there was no reason to wonder why. She had been too creeped out to ask him again.
"So what brings you around to my room, Remora? Don't tell me you want to borrow my brizz-saw again. I still haven't forgotten what you did to TooTired's other security cam. I had to build him a new one, you know."
"He was getting just a little too inventive with it, Sparks. The last time I showed up, the cam wasn't exactly on my tattoo or my face, if you know what I mean. When I walked by I heard him say something about sonic-vision. Now you do know how 'accurate' sound-sight is, right? We use that to see around corners. We can't have a thirteen year old trying to see around clothing, now can we?"
"Very true. Now just what do you want?"
Sparks spoke the normal way, via the mouth. That much was obvious, but he also spoke with his wheelchair on a different, super/subsonic level. He'd altered his vocal cords to produce computer-like sounds. Every once in a while, you could get a smidgen of high-pitched static-squealing when you were around him for any length of time. Somehow he managed to talk normally to you, and screech at his machine at the same time. Just don't keep any wineglasses near him, as they tended to burst without warning.
"I need a way to move, and move fast. The boys and I are headed off to an Enforcer station to just cause general havoc, and we, and by "we" I mean "they", decided I should run decoy. We wouldn't normally do something like that, but DedInDaHed got himself caught again, taking one of their satellite up-links."
"What an idiot. When you find him, tell him the satellites are directly hard-wired into the capital. You can't take one without a full alert."
"And now I know what to do for a decoy. Thanks, Sparks. So what about that way to run?"
"Remora, you're crazy! You're nuts! You'll be made an Example-of!"
"That's precisely why they'll chase me. If you don't want me to get caught, Lemming, you'll hand over a speed boot or the equivalent of an Acme rocket. If you don't have one, you'd best think of something quick."
A speed boot wasn't really a set of sneakers. It was more like a pair of robotic pants that, when worn, were really heavy and uncomfortable. So impossible to move in, you needed a remote control to operate them. They also unfashionable. Though they were not exactly sneaking material, they had a button that Sparks had dubbed, 'Panic'. The panic button would give you a near-indestructible shield from the front, then send you running in whatever direction that you were facing. Oftentimes this was through a wall, hence the shield.
"I gave my last pair out to DedInDaHed. It would take me a week to make another set."
"I can't wait that long. Got anything else?"
"No."
Remora sighed, But she knew how to get what she wanted.
"Fine then. I'll use my call at the station to say good-bye, and I'll ask if you got anything to break me out. Not that you will, Lemming."
There was a high-pitched squeal and Sparks's body moved so fast to block the doorway that he almost stepped on Remora's feet.
"well. there is something. But you can't let anyone know, got it?"
"I knew you'd see things my way, Sparks."