Kadoya was working on the computer in the office when One found him.
Waiting for him to finish, One started examining the office's décor. The
walls were covered with smiling humans, Killa caught in a mid air kick,
Kadoya's family, Kiko holding up a trophy, another grandchild walking
across a stage grinning from ear to ear and holding a college diploma-why
did these illusions matter so much to him? Perhaps Kadoya struggled with
boredom, much as he and his brother?
"Killa is fine?" Kadoya's voice broke One's reverie.
"Yes. She is sleeping." He didn't add: "in my brother's arms," he wasn't sure what the program thought of them, clearly he knew who they were, who the Merovingian was, and probably what they did for the Merovingian. It would be unfortunate if it became necessary to remove Kadoya as an obstacle, Killa would not like it, he would put it off as long as possible.
"Good." Kadoya turned back to the computer, a slight smile on his lips.
Waiting, waiting, still the program kept typing, finally One decided that if there was to be a conversation he would have to start it.
"How long have you know Killa?" Kadoya kept typing as he answered.
"A bit over three years."
One waited some more, and when he received no more information, queried again, "How did you first contact her?"
"She became a student at the dojo."
Was Kadoya deliberately being difficult? One leaned against the wall; this could go on forever.
"Ask. Dispense with human niceties. What is it you wish to know?" Kadoya stated flatly.
"Killa is an anomaly. Why is she still here?"
"Why do you want to know?"
One deliberated what to say, "We just do." That would have to suffice; he didn't care to discuss his motives at present.
"This will not be discussed with her. She is unaware of the Matrix, for the most part."
"We will comply," One agreed reluctantly.
"Killa does not wish to leave. Three years ago when her boyfriend was unplugged, he attempted to convince Killa of the existence of the Matrix, then tried to force-feed her a tracer program. She resisted."
"He was unplugged, how did she resist effectively?"
"I taught her techniques designed to enhance her ability to use the Matrix." Kadoya paused, "During the fight however she began to wake up on her own."
"How is that possible?"
"Do you remember the human Olympic runner? The one the machines had to cover up?"
Yes, One remembered that quite well. In the middle of the Olympics, a human started running faster than any human ever could. It was an enormous mess for the machines to conceal.
"Sometimes a human pushes themselves farther than any human should be able to go, when this happens, they may spontaneously wake up in their pods. Since there is no tracer program, there is no guarantee that they will be found before they drown in the sewers."
Kadoya checked One's face for reaction. Interesting, he was alarmed by the thought of Killa's death
Kadoya continued, "Killa's body has been located by the resistance, if she woke up, she would not drown, that is not the issue. She prefers the Matrix; of course this is largely unconscious."
"Why does she wish to stay here?" One didn't understand why any human would want to leave, but since so many valued their "freedom" it might be important to understand why Killa would wish to stay.
"She loves her friends, and, I suppose, her family-she stays for them, for human connection. She would not be allowed to see them if she were unplugged. The rebels have their rules." Kadoya's voice reflected how much he disapproved of the rebels and their rules.
One was more puzzled than ever "These are not her real family, they are assigned to her by the machines."
"The emotions and connections are real. Are you less real that an unplugged human? What is real?"
One chose not to answer such a foolish question.
"There is one problem, at some level Killa is aware that the limitations of this world are malleable. This leads her to push herself in ways that could cause her to wake up completely. The techniques I teach enable her to resist that awakening. That is also the purpose for your pushing her, I wish to see how far she has progressed in those techniques."
Kadoya turned to One, scanned his face for reaction, then said in a warning tone of voice "If her life were truly threatened, she would download herself to her body, assuming she were able to exit before termination. She would not be allowed back in the Matrix by the resistance. Permanently exited, and she would hate it."
One didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. It was more complex to be human than he realized before.
"Make sure your "other job" does not interfere with her safety. You would find that to be a costly mistake." There was no question that Kadoya was threatening him, how amusing.
"And if it does?" One smirked.
Kadoya gazed at him placidly, then said "Tell the Merovingian, when you see him, that Bishamon sends him greetings." He then turned back to his work and ignored One.
One wandered out into the empty dojo and idly started stretching. A noise, he turned around to see what it was and saw a human entering the dojo. He knew that human, a middle rung enforcer in the Merovingian's employ with a reputation for efficiency. What was he doing here, he seemed to be looking for someone?
"How may we help you?" One stepped forward and was pleased to see the man's face pale a bit in recognition.
"I have a package for Killa Bonsol. Is she here?" The human looked nervous. Interesting.
"We will accept the package for her." One's voice purred with threat.
He then contacted his brother's mind to let him know Killa had a visitor and felt Twos' surprise when he showed him an image of the human in question.
"I need to explain it to her." The slight tremor in the human's voice became more pronounced the closer One came to him. Amusing, he must be aware of his and Two's work.
One stopped within inches of the man's face, reached into his pocket to retrieve his switchblade in case it became necessary. "Explain it to us," his voice a whisper.
Sweat was forming on the human's face, a sure sign of stress, "It's a surprise, Killa's my friend, I just want to,"
"Show us this "surprise." One followed the human to the front of the dojo where he found a new racing bike with a big red bow on it and a big box wrapped in shiny silver foil. The box had a label on it "To Killer, Win!- Randall."
Killer? Killa's nickname was "killer"? What did this human intend for her to win? And what exactly was meant by this present? He wasn't very pleased with this human giving Killa expensive presents.
"What is in the box?" One opened his straight razor and glided over to the human who backed away obviously trying not to look scared.
"Nothing bad, a set of Bates racing leathers, that's all." The human backed up against a light pole, stumbled, fell, and looked irritated with himself.
One towered over the human, smirking. He nudged him with the toe of his boot, "What sort of races? Explain. How do you come to know Killa?"
"High school, she, we, took an art class together." Randall stammered.
"It has been quite some time since high school though, hasn't it? Explain further."
One was quite enjoying this talk. After all, he behaved himself all during the class despite the ineptitude of some of the students. His brother could take his time waking Killa, that would suit him nicely. He and this human would have a little chat about this "friendship."
Two heard his brother calling him and gradually came back to awareness. "Two, could we wake up? There is a person here to see Killa." One mental voice dripped with disapproval; then he showed Two an image of the human and Two could understand why. How did Killa come to be involved with such a vicious useful human, and involved in what way? Two opened his eyes and gazed at Killa snuggled against his neck; she felt him shift and followed the warmth of his body, cuddling as close to him as possible, her breath warm on his neck-One had lowered the temperature in the loft. "Nicely done," Two thought to One gratefully. One sent back an image of himself smirking.
Two traced the line of Killa's jaw with his finger, then began to stroke her neck. The dark circles had faded from under her eyes, but were still somewhat visible. He checked her code and saw several small adjustments he could make so she would feel better. As he stroked her hair she whimpered slightly and parted her lips, Two bent his head to kiss her, then thought better of it. He remembered what Betty said about behaving himself. He contented himself with stroking the skin of her neck, then following it down to where her workout jacket covered the swell of her breasts. Two traced lazy circles on the skin visible above her jacket, deciding what to do. Betty's words warred with his instinct to do what he wanted, regardless of the consequences. Then he remembered Killa crying last time and felt his desire taper off. He removed his hand and turned back to look at Killa's face; he should wake her up.
She was watching him, her eyes half-lidded and sleepy. She reached out and cupped his cheek, then slid her fingers up into his hair and pulled him down to her. He knew there was someone waiting downstairs for her, let him wait; he'd wanted to kiss her for what felt like so long. He began the kiss gently, moving his lips across hers and then along the edge of her jaw, he heard her indrawn breath as he kissed along her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat. She stroked his hair and then along the sensitive base of his neck, slipped her hands over his jacketed back. Much more pleasant to have her hands on his skin, One leaned back, undid the belt and took the jacket off. Her eyes followed him the entire time; he reached down to the belt on her jacket, but stopped when he saw her pull away a millimeter. She'd take it off when she was ready.
He leaned over her, watched her lips part in anticipation of his kiss, her eyes dilated with desire, he wanted to see her desire, memorize it. "Kiss me already," she murmured, "I want you to kiss me, please," she paused and leaned forward until he could feel the breath from her mouth on his lips and then whispered it again, "please," her fingers in his hair, hands moving over his chest, then his back as he kissed her first gently, then more and more passionately. This time she matched his passion, pressed her body against him, whimpered into his mouth, yielded completely to him.
He rolled onto his back pulling her with him; she broke the kiss, leaned back straddling him, his hands sliding down her back, her hair half obscuring her face as she ran her hands down his chest. She smiled a predatory smile, then bent down to lightly nibble along his rib cage. He gasped as she kissed her way up his chest, circled his nipples with her tongue. Source, who taught her that? Slowly she kissed her way along his jaw until she reached his mouth, where she maddeningly decided to pause, then slid off him onto the floor.
Two felt frustrated that she didn't want more, and satisfied that she desired him. He stood up, circled her from behind and bent his head to nuzzle at her neck. She'll yield he thought, but instead of yielding she stiffened slightly then said, "Let's go downstairs." He let her go immediately, but looked a little grumpy about it. Killa smiled when she saw his face, then leaned in to kiss him intensely one last time. So that was how it worked? Two filed that insight into Killa away. He would be sure to remember that.
He watched her as she walked to the mirror and attempted to smooth her hair. "You wouldn't have a brush would you? Or a comb?" Killa paused then asked, "Do you know where my hair tie is?" as she scanned the room for it. Two liked her hair down better anyway, so he said No," even though he knew exactly where it was, in his pocket. "We have a comb somewhere in the bathroom. We don't have much need of it ourself, you understand." Killa smiled at his attempt at humor as he walked to the bathroom at the back of the room.
He grabbed the comb and walked back to her, she had retied her jacket and smoothed her pants down; except for her messy hair she looked as good as anyone ever did in workout clothes. He moved closer and then noticed her lips were slightly puffy from where he had kissed her, he felt pleased that he had marked her as his even in this slight way. She reached for the comb and he said, "Let us?"
"Ok, but be gentle. It's pretty messy." She followed him into the living room and sat down on the footstool while he sat behind her on the couch. He proceeded to gently comb out her hair, a process made vastly easier by his ability to manipulate the Matrix. Basically, he ran the comb through her hair and the tangles and snarls undid themselves, her hair smooth and gleaming in the wake of the comb. He took his time, partly because his brother was now sending him irritated images of the human pacing the dojo, and partly because he was enjoying Killa's response to him.
When he was halfway finished with her hair, she sighed and said "Two, you have the gentlest hands. No one has ever been able to comb out my hair without a single pull before." No one had ever called anything he did gentle before. He tried on the word; it wasn't too bad. With Killa he could be gentle. He finished and gathered her hair in his hands; it slipped cleanly through his fingers.
"Thank you, Two, that was lovely," she said then leaned briefly against him. He followed her downstairs, with a slightly happy look on his face.
"Killa is fine?" Kadoya's voice broke One's reverie.
"Yes. She is sleeping." He didn't add: "in my brother's arms," he wasn't sure what the program thought of them, clearly he knew who they were, who the Merovingian was, and probably what they did for the Merovingian. It would be unfortunate if it became necessary to remove Kadoya as an obstacle, Killa would not like it, he would put it off as long as possible.
"Good." Kadoya turned back to the computer, a slight smile on his lips.
Waiting, waiting, still the program kept typing, finally One decided that if there was to be a conversation he would have to start it.
"How long have you know Killa?" Kadoya kept typing as he answered.
"A bit over three years."
One waited some more, and when he received no more information, queried again, "How did you first contact her?"
"She became a student at the dojo."
Was Kadoya deliberately being difficult? One leaned against the wall; this could go on forever.
"Ask. Dispense with human niceties. What is it you wish to know?" Kadoya stated flatly.
"Killa is an anomaly. Why is she still here?"
"Why do you want to know?"
One deliberated what to say, "We just do." That would have to suffice; he didn't care to discuss his motives at present.
"This will not be discussed with her. She is unaware of the Matrix, for the most part."
"We will comply," One agreed reluctantly.
"Killa does not wish to leave. Three years ago when her boyfriend was unplugged, he attempted to convince Killa of the existence of the Matrix, then tried to force-feed her a tracer program. She resisted."
"He was unplugged, how did she resist effectively?"
"I taught her techniques designed to enhance her ability to use the Matrix." Kadoya paused, "During the fight however she began to wake up on her own."
"How is that possible?"
"Do you remember the human Olympic runner? The one the machines had to cover up?"
Yes, One remembered that quite well. In the middle of the Olympics, a human started running faster than any human ever could. It was an enormous mess for the machines to conceal.
"Sometimes a human pushes themselves farther than any human should be able to go, when this happens, they may spontaneously wake up in their pods. Since there is no tracer program, there is no guarantee that they will be found before they drown in the sewers."
Kadoya checked One's face for reaction. Interesting, he was alarmed by the thought of Killa's death
Kadoya continued, "Killa's body has been located by the resistance, if she woke up, she would not drown, that is not the issue. She prefers the Matrix; of course this is largely unconscious."
"Why does she wish to stay here?" One didn't understand why any human would want to leave, but since so many valued their "freedom" it might be important to understand why Killa would wish to stay.
"She loves her friends, and, I suppose, her family-she stays for them, for human connection. She would not be allowed to see them if she were unplugged. The rebels have their rules." Kadoya's voice reflected how much he disapproved of the rebels and their rules.
One was more puzzled than ever "These are not her real family, they are assigned to her by the machines."
"The emotions and connections are real. Are you less real that an unplugged human? What is real?"
One chose not to answer such a foolish question.
"There is one problem, at some level Killa is aware that the limitations of this world are malleable. This leads her to push herself in ways that could cause her to wake up completely. The techniques I teach enable her to resist that awakening. That is also the purpose for your pushing her, I wish to see how far she has progressed in those techniques."
Kadoya turned to One, scanned his face for reaction, then said in a warning tone of voice "If her life were truly threatened, she would download herself to her body, assuming she were able to exit before termination. She would not be allowed back in the Matrix by the resistance. Permanently exited, and she would hate it."
One didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. It was more complex to be human than he realized before.
"Make sure your "other job" does not interfere with her safety. You would find that to be a costly mistake." There was no question that Kadoya was threatening him, how amusing.
"And if it does?" One smirked.
Kadoya gazed at him placidly, then said "Tell the Merovingian, when you see him, that Bishamon sends him greetings." He then turned back to his work and ignored One.
One wandered out into the empty dojo and idly started stretching. A noise, he turned around to see what it was and saw a human entering the dojo. He knew that human, a middle rung enforcer in the Merovingian's employ with a reputation for efficiency. What was he doing here, he seemed to be looking for someone?
"How may we help you?" One stepped forward and was pleased to see the man's face pale a bit in recognition.
"I have a package for Killa Bonsol. Is she here?" The human looked nervous. Interesting.
"We will accept the package for her." One's voice purred with threat.
He then contacted his brother's mind to let him know Killa had a visitor and felt Twos' surprise when he showed him an image of the human in question.
"I need to explain it to her." The slight tremor in the human's voice became more pronounced the closer One came to him. Amusing, he must be aware of his and Two's work.
One stopped within inches of the man's face, reached into his pocket to retrieve his switchblade in case it became necessary. "Explain it to us," his voice a whisper.
Sweat was forming on the human's face, a sure sign of stress, "It's a surprise, Killa's my friend, I just want to,"
"Show us this "surprise." One followed the human to the front of the dojo where he found a new racing bike with a big red bow on it and a big box wrapped in shiny silver foil. The box had a label on it "To Killer, Win!- Randall."
Killer? Killa's nickname was "killer"? What did this human intend for her to win? And what exactly was meant by this present? He wasn't very pleased with this human giving Killa expensive presents.
"What is in the box?" One opened his straight razor and glided over to the human who backed away obviously trying not to look scared.
"Nothing bad, a set of Bates racing leathers, that's all." The human backed up against a light pole, stumbled, fell, and looked irritated with himself.
One towered over the human, smirking. He nudged him with the toe of his boot, "What sort of races? Explain. How do you come to know Killa?"
"High school, she, we, took an art class together." Randall stammered.
"It has been quite some time since high school though, hasn't it? Explain further."
One was quite enjoying this talk. After all, he behaved himself all during the class despite the ineptitude of some of the students. His brother could take his time waking Killa, that would suit him nicely. He and this human would have a little chat about this "friendship."
Two heard his brother calling him and gradually came back to awareness. "Two, could we wake up? There is a person here to see Killa." One mental voice dripped with disapproval; then he showed Two an image of the human and Two could understand why. How did Killa come to be involved with such a vicious useful human, and involved in what way? Two opened his eyes and gazed at Killa snuggled against his neck; she felt him shift and followed the warmth of his body, cuddling as close to him as possible, her breath warm on his neck-One had lowered the temperature in the loft. "Nicely done," Two thought to One gratefully. One sent back an image of himself smirking.
Two traced the line of Killa's jaw with his finger, then began to stroke her neck. The dark circles had faded from under her eyes, but were still somewhat visible. He checked her code and saw several small adjustments he could make so she would feel better. As he stroked her hair she whimpered slightly and parted her lips, Two bent his head to kiss her, then thought better of it. He remembered what Betty said about behaving himself. He contented himself with stroking the skin of her neck, then following it down to where her workout jacket covered the swell of her breasts. Two traced lazy circles on the skin visible above her jacket, deciding what to do. Betty's words warred with his instinct to do what he wanted, regardless of the consequences. Then he remembered Killa crying last time and felt his desire taper off. He removed his hand and turned back to look at Killa's face; he should wake her up.
She was watching him, her eyes half-lidded and sleepy. She reached out and cupped his cheek, then slid her fingers up into his hair and pulled him down to her. He knew there was someone waiting downstairs for her, let him wait; he'd wanted to kiss her for what felt like so long. He began the kiss gently, moving his lips across hers and then along the edge of her jaw, he heard her indrawn breath as he kissed along her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat. She stroked his hair and then along the sensitive base of his neck, slipped her hands over his jacketed back. Much more pleasant to have her hands on his skin, One leaned back, undid the belt and took the jacket off. Her eyes followed him the entire time; he reached down to the belt on her jacket, but stopped when he saw her pull away a millimeter. She'd take it off when she was ready.
He leaned over her, watched her lips part in anticipation of his kiss, her eyes dilated with desire, he wanted to see her desire, memorize it. "Kiss me already," she murmured, "I want you to kiss me, please," she paused and leaned forward until he could feel the breath from her mouth on his lips and then whispered it again, "please," her fingers in his hair, hands moving over his chest, then his back as he kissed her first gently, then more and more passionately. This time she matched his passion, pressed her body against him, whimpered into his mouth, yielded completely to him.
He rolled onto his back pulling her with him; she broke the kiss, leaned back straddling him, his hands sliding down her back, her hair half obscuring her face as she ran her hands down his chest. She smiled a predatory smile, then bent down to lightly nibble along his rib cage. He gasped as she kissed her way up his chest, circled his nipples with her tongue. Source, who taught her that? Slowly she kissed her way along his jaw until she reached his mouth, where she maddeningly decided to pause, then slid off him onto the floor.
Two felt frustrated that she didn't want more, and satisfied that she desired him. He stood up, circled her from behind and bent his head to nuzzle at her neck. She'll yield he thought, but instead of yielding she stiffened slightly then said, "Let's go downstairs." He let her go immediately, but looked a little grumpy about it. Killa smiled when she saw his face, then leaned in to kiss him intensely one last time. So that was how it worked? Two filed that insight into Killa away. He would be sure to remember that.
He watched her as she walked to the mirror and attempted to smooth her hair. "You wouldn't have a brush would you? Or a comb?" Killa paused then asked, "Do you know where my hair tie is?" as she scanned the room for it. Two liked her hair down better anyway, so he said No," even though he knew exactly where it was, in his pocket. "We have a comb somewhere in the bathroom. We don't have much need of it ourself, you understand." Killa smiled at his attempt at humor as he walked to the bathroom at the back of the room.
He grabbed the comb and walked back to her, she had retied her jacket and smoothed her pants down; except for her messy hair she looked as good as anyone ever did in workout clothes. He moved closer and then noticed her lips were slightly puffy from where he had kissed her, he felt pleased that he had marked her as his even in this slight way. She reached for the comb and he said, "Let us?"
"Ok, but be gentle. It's pretty messy." She followed him into the living room and sat down on the footstool while he sat behind her on the couch. He proceeded to gently comb out her hair, a process made vastly easier by his ability to manipulate the Matrix. Basically, he ran the comb through her hair and the tangles and snarls undid themselves, her hair smooth and gleaming in the wake of the comb. He took his time, partly because his brother was now sending him irritated images of the human pacing the dojo, and partly because he was enjoying Killa's response to him.
When he was halfway finished with her hair, she sighed and said "Two, you have the gentlest hands. No one has ever been able to comb out my hair without a single pull before." No one had ever called anything he did gentle before. He tried on the word; it wasn't too bad. With Killa he could be gentle. He finished and gathered her hair in his hands; it slipped cleanly through his fingers.
"Thank you, Two, that was lovely," she said then leaned briefly against him. He followed her downstairs, with a slightly happy look on his face.