Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.
Chapter 5:
Discussion. Musings. Storytelling.
"Goddamn pacifist…why the hell can't she look after herself properly?" Saxen grumbled as she dashed down the corridor in the direction of Fire Blossom's scream. Moksha ran almost happily at her heels. A good sign; a sign there wasn't too much danger. Still…best not to take chances. As she skidded around a corner, Maverick pulled a revolver out of her coat and sprinted towards Effie's cabin. There was a bright light glowing from between the cracks in the door.
When the door wouldn't open, she stepped back, ran towards it, and kicked it down. Or, would've kicked it down, had the door not decided to open on its own accord. Gasping, Maverick fell forward. Her eyes widened as she saw open space beneath her. But before she could tumble into the vast emptiness, a strong arm caught her around the shoulders and steadied her.
"Wow…aren't we coordinated?" A nasal voice asked.
Maverick blinked and looked around for the speaker. "Washu?" Her eyes found Effie instead, who was staring in shock at the floor mirror that was…floating…in…space? Shaking her head, the bounty hunter realized that the image of space was just an illusion; like a video wallpaper. But the hitchhiker didn't seem to notice. Because Washu was currently in the place her reflection should've been.
"First you have to show up in my food, now my mirror?!?!?!?!?!?!" she gasped. "Is nothing sacred?!?!?!?!"
The genius laughed. "What can I say? There's a little sadistic streak in me. But anyways…it's good to see that you two got a hold of our God of the Hunt. Now if only Saxen would restrain herself a little…"
"What—" she colored as soon as she realized the "strong arm" belonged to none other than Van Helsing. Silently, with as much dignity possible, she straightened and stepped away from bemused vampire slayer. Effie giggled madly.
"So then would you mind explaining who you are?" Van Helsing asked, ignoring Maverick.
"But of course! I am Washu! Goddess of Jurai and the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" Washu grinned. "And you can call me 'Lil Washu. And you would be Gabriel Van Helsing, the man who killed Dracula, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, several other minor obnoxious critters, and when it comes down to it, there really isn't anybody else who could be the God of the Hunt."
"Um…all right…'Lil Washu…" he raised an eyebrow. "And my next question is: why are you all talking about this "God of the Hunt"? You don't seriously think…"
"Of course not. I know. I chose you after all. Made you what you were," Washu tapped her chin in thought, then her eyes lit up. "So, that kind of makes me your mom! Not biologically of course, but…"
"I don't think that's helping Washu," Effie whispered and pointed her thumb at Van Helsing, who was still staring at her uncomprehendingly.
She shrugged. "Well, we don't need him right now after all. But by the time you've got all nine, he'd better have this denial dealt with."
"Nine? You mean there are more?" he asked.
"Yep. And as far as that goes ladies, no I don't have the next target for you. But when I do," Washu pointed at Van Helsing, "You'd better make yourself useful! Or we are going to have to have a long talk about responsibility!"
"Yeah!" Effie piped up.
Maverick glared at her. "Will you be quiet?"
"Well, that's about it. Now, if there's any other questions, ask Fire Blossom or Saxen. And if they can't answer, well, then you're pretty much screwed unless you can wait for my next call!" she waved at them. "See ya!"
The mirror immediately lit up then faded back to Effie's reflection.
"That was…interesting…" Effie commented. Saxen rolled her eyes.
"I'm going back to my room."
While Effie's cabin was ethereal and beautiful, Saxen's was sober and plain. It had a double bed set into the floor, a closet, a low futon, and a desk. The light sources were four black metal floor lamps in each corner. The only decoration was a large map of the Orion galaxy on the wall above the desk.
Silently, the bounty hunter removed her ever-present coat and hat. Beneath, she wore long baggy black pants and a tight brown tank top. She reached up and touched the copper pendant hanging around her neck. It was in the shape of a wolf's head, the Gaganite symbol of strength.
She was aware of a knock on her door. Pausing to wonder if she should be caught dressed like she was, she shook her head and untied her shoulder length maroon braid.
"Come in," she called.
Van Helsing stepped inside. His eyes went wide at the sight of her top...or perhaps it was the sight of her skin. Effie did say that Earth women wore more clothing in the nineteenth century.
"Can I help you?" she asked, brushing a hair back, trying to forget the falling incident in Effie's cabin.
"Washu said I should come to you with any other questions. I tried to get something out of Fire Blossom, but…"
"Let me guess. She wasn't any help," Maverick finished for him.
He nodded.
She shrugged and turned on a light. As it shone on her arms, Van Helsing saw that they were covered in tattoos of black flames, from her wrists to her shoulders. But there was some kind of strange tint to them; something that made them actually seem to flicker in the dim light of the cabin.
"So what's the question?"
"I want to know more about that woman. Washu," he said.
Saxen shrugged again. "There isn't much either of us know. We only met her a couple days ago ourselves. But from what I gather, she's obnoxiously confident, and what's worse is that she has every right to be. I mean, she built this ship. And she's a goddess. And yet…"
"What?"
"I don't know. She just rubs me the wrong way. I think Effie likes her though," Maverick answered.
"You and Effie have known each other a long time then," Van Helsing continued.
She shook her head. "No. I met her when I met Washu."
He blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes. Part of me can't stand her either. But then another part of me…well…" she touched the desk thoughtfully. "A part of me really, really likes her. Go figure."
"Do you know anything about her power?"
"No. We have a "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. It's better if we both keep our secrets."
Van Helsing stared at her. "You have secrets?"
"Several. If that's all…" she pulled a towel out of the closet. "I'm going to take a shower."
On her way to the shower, Maverick noticed a large glass doorway. Frowning, she walked over to it and peered at the other side. It was dark, and she couldn't see. Curiosity overcoming her, she opened the door and went inside.
Immediately, the room was illuminated, and she was shocked at its size. It was mostly empty, and nearly two stories tall. Around the top there was a balcony, and on the floor were several different markings. But what caught the hunter's eye was the wall to her left. The wall that was actually a gun cabinet, filled with every kind of firearm ever created.
Eyes widened in interest, she dropped the towel and walked to it. Her eyes scanned over the rifles, pistols, tommy guns, and others she couldn't even name. Almost in a trance, she reached out and pulled out a Saturn Magnum automatic. As she did, she felt a change come into the atmosphere of the room. It was more electric, more tense.
Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared in the middle of the room. Three words appeared on it.
CHOOSE TARGET PROGRAM
Maverick stared at it as several little options popped up beneath it. Target practice. Sharp shooting. Gun fighting. With a gasp, she realized the large, empty room was a shooting range. But how to access a program?
Voice activation she thought.
"Gun fighting."
The screen flashed and changed.
CHOOSE LEVEL.
They were numbered from one to ten. But which was the highest level? She threw it to chance.
"Level Ten."
The screen flashed a final time.
COMMENCE PROGRAM?
"Commence."
The room went dark again, and several more holographs opened up. But this time, it wasn't just a screen with words. No, these were people. All races of people. Humans, Gaganites, Nibirans, Dtorcas, and several others. And all were armed, and aiming for her.
A grin spread across her face as her reflexes kicked in. She ducked and spun, not bothering to wonder what would happen if one of the holographs shot her. Firing at a human man of about twenty, she was surprised at the thud that shook the ground and air as he fell. Quickly, she bent down and touched him. He wasn't bleeding, but she was shocked to realized that he was real. But there wasn't time to dwell on this, because several more shots broke the air around her.
Meanwhile, Effie was wandering down the hall in search of entertainment. She had just eaten a meal of pretzel sticks, chocolate, and a can of soda with too much caffeine to be legal, so the hyperactivity was just about to kick in. And from the video game sounds coming from the room at the end of the corridor, she was starting to think she'd be able to find an outlet.
But when she opened the door, it wasn't a video game she found. She was looking down from a balcony at what looked like a video game, but couldn't possibly be one. Because Maverick was the one fighting down there.
And from the looks of it, she was winning. There were about six people down there, all armed. But the bounty hunter was slowly picking them off, one by one, while avoiding their own volleys with shocking agility. It was like watching someone try to squish a cockroach. No matter how hard her enemies tried to squish her, there she was. With a gun. Effie made a mental note to keep the cockroach analogy to herself.
A few minutes later, the room suddenly lit up. The people disappeared, and Saxen was left alone, standing sweaty in the middle of the floor.
"Whoa…that was cool! Despite the fact you were using blatant violence on innocent people, which is sick and wrong! Even if they aren't real!" Effie called, waving down from the balcony.
Maverick looked up and raised an eyebrow as Effie ran down the staircase to the floor. "You were watching me?"
"Uh-huh. I didn't know you were so fast. How'd you do that?"
She shrugged. "Practice. "Never forgo an opportunity to better yourself."
Effie's face became serious. "That's good advice."
"I know."
"Who told it to you?"
Maverick wandered back to the gun case and replaced the Magnum. She then walked to a water dispenser next to it and filled a paper cup. Swallowing, she didn't bother to look back at Effie. "The smartest man I ever met."
"What was his name?"
"…Algonkian."
"Who was he?"
She filled another cup. "The man who taught me everything I know. How to fight, how to pilot, how to shoot, how to be a bounty hunter." She grinned slightly. "All for the one low price of my virginity."
Effie blushed slightly. She made another mental note: Be careful about asking questions about Saxie's past.