In the morning, Tamaa was snuggling up to her past and present lover and feeling very content with the world.
Spider was exactly how she remembered. A very good lover, considerate, and still a killer at cards. Not that she had expected any of it to change, but it was nice to see she remembered everything accurately.
Spider was in, with full knowledge of the plan to become a sovereign nation. The most telling thing had been her revelation that Dr. Light was still alive, albeit in a different form… and she was his granddaughter and last creation.
Tamaa idly thought about it, remembering the ancient past as Spider slept. When Dr. Light had been a very young man at college, he'd had a brief love affair with a young black woman. They had parted because her family had disapproved of her dating a white man, and she had been pregnant. She had never informed him of that, and they had both gone their separate ways.
Dr. Light had only found out the truth when his daughter was an adult, and her mother had finally told her after seeing him on TV. Fascinated, that daughter had made contact with Dr. Light. The DNA test had been hardly necessary… Tamaa had a locket with a picture of her mother, and when she compared it to Dr. Light the resemblance was clear… but they'd taken it anyway to make absolutely sure. After that, Dr. Light had forged a relationship with his daughter, and had known Tamaa herself since birth.
Tamaa sighed, remembering that. She'd been quite close to Blues, who had been created when she was only thirteen. By the time Rock and Roll had come around, she had been an adult and too busy with her own life as a budding rock star to spend summers with them. All through her life as a child, she had spent summers with Dr. Light.
It was remarkable that none of it had hit the papers. Or perhaps not. People at the time had been more interested in Dr. Light's creations than the good doctor himself. The only articles that focused more on Dr. Light tended to be scholarly, not the sort to dwell on private matters. And in narrow terms of appearance, there was really nothing to hint she was Dr. Light's granddaughter.
Of course, there was a hint now. When he'd turned her into a Reploid, Dr. Light had made her almost identical to her human body, but he hadn't been able to resist putting his mark on her. He'd changed her eyes from a warm brown to a glorious, vivid blue. The same color as Rocks' eyes, and his own.
Tamaa winced, touching her throat as she remembered the accident that had made it all necessary. Oh, she'd been a damned fool. A damned, drunken fool and she'd popped some pills besides. Jumping into the shallow end of the pool headfirst had seemed like a good idea at the time. Idiotic, in retrospect.
Spider stirred, and she glanced up at him to see he was smiling at her. She was almost exactly the same height as him, but Tamaa liked resting her head on her man's chest, so she was well beneath him right now. He gently touched her hair, then kissed her on the forehead.
"Are you hungry, love?" He asked softly, and Tamaa sighed as she considered that. She really was hungry. The last meal she'd eaten yesterday had been cakes at the teahouse. Reploids might require less food than humans to top off their reactors, but that still hadn't been much. Still… she didn't want to move.
"A little. What time is it?" She glanced over at her datapad, where Blues was watching. She blushed lightly, wondering if he'd watched all through the night as well.
Ten o'clock. Everyone's wondering if he killed you with passion. Spider choked at that, and Tamaa snorted. That was especially amusing because she was sure it was true.
"Well, let's go prove to them I'm still around." She pushed herself out of bed, quickly pulling on some clothes… a loose fitting, royal purple gown, almost a robe. It was embroidered on the hem and cuffs with a vine pattern. It made her look a bit like a latter-day hippie, but it was comfortable, well worn and slightly stained. Perfect for tending the chickens, which was part of her duties for the day. Tamaa grinned to herself, wondering what Spider would make of that. When she didn't have a job lined up, she took her turn at farm chores like everyone else, and he would be expected to as well.
She had trouble picturing Spider with a basket, gathering eggs. But it would have to happen sometime.
As it turned out, Spider could gather eggs.
Well. After a fashion.
"Where did you FIND these creatures?" Spider glowered at a rooster, who seemed to be attempting to menace him. It was surprisingly effective for a bird. Tamaa grinned as she deftly secured another egg.
Spider had started the day in civilian clothes, but very stylish ones. With his black slacks, white dress shirt and black vest, he'd looked like a professional card shark if Tamaa had ever seen one. Now, though, he was slightly disheveled and the shirt was punctured in a few places.
"They're several different breeds, actually. This is free range, so we work with what we get… and it doesn't matter how much meat they have on them. We're only interested in the eggs." She grinned at him. "Rodney really doesn't seem to be taking to you, though. Maybe he thinks you're after his hens."
"Oh joy. I'm a sex object to chickens." Spider turned around to stare at the rooster, daring him to continue. The punctures on his shirt were from an earlier kamikaze rooster raid, and he had no desire to repeat the experience. Tamaa laughed, getting the last egg and putting it in her basket.
"He does seem to have an unerring instinct for ladies' men. He won't tolerate Marcus, either." Tamaa stood, brushing her dress off. "Don't worry… there are a lot of things to do here besides chicken duty." They both left the chicken pens behind, Spider keeping a wary eye on the rooster until they were out of range.
"What sort of things?" Spider asked warily. Tamaa pursed her lips, thinking about it.
"Well, bounty hunting, contracts of all sorts, thefts… we'll do anything if it pays well enough. If you mean the chores, there's laundry, kitchen duty, cleaning, weeding, watering, preparing food for winter… all the chores of a large complex and a farm." She shrugged at his expression. "It's not so bad. The fact that there's so many of us works for us… I'd say you'll only have to spend four hours on chores on a typical day, when you're not occupied with missions." Tamaa grinned. "Those of us who do the special jobs pitch in mostly to give the regulars time off."
"I see. Well, I think I would prefer to wash dishes than go near that rooster." Spider grimaced as he looked at his shirt. "This was a silk shirt."
"Silly of you to wear it, then," she said fondly. Tamaa was certain he'd picked it out to look romantic and studly, without thinking about the realities of farm work. "You should get some overalls, like the ones Nos Gwenwyth is wearing." She pointed to the Reploid in question, who was weeding the garden wearing denim overalls. Spider shook his head.
"Those might look cute on her, but I think I would just look like a bizarre reincarnation of Old McDonald." Tamaa snorted as she imagined that. "No, I'll just get some jeans and t-shirts."
"Sounds good. Heh, if you really want to see a reincarnation of Old McDonald, you should see Gilgamesh when he does farming." Tamaa grinned. "He wears overalls, a straw hat, and chews on a stalk of grass!"
"Really… was he an actor?" Spider asked, curious, remembering how Gilgamesh had followed him most of the day without being noticed. Tamaa grimaced, mostly at the accuracy of the question.
"Before he joined us? Oh yes. A wonderful character actor. His portrayal of King Lear has to be seen to be believed. He was even in some movies," Tamaa said. "Of course, that was before his sister went Maverick and all his savings were confiscated." Spider stopped and stared at her.
"What…? How does that work?" he asked, confused. Tamaa smiled, but it was a smile full of vinegar.
"Why, Spider, surely you've been keeping up on the laws our oh-so beloved leaders have been passing," Tamaa said sourly, then drew a deep breath and explained. "In their wisdom, they decided any assets of known Mavericks would be forfeited to the state. I believe that law was passed during the Repliforce rebellion, and I know for certain the survivors were affected by it. The rationale is, that the money probably came from previous Maverick activities and dealings with Sigma. So it should go to fighting him."
"But, most Maverick outbreaks just happen! A person can be entirely innocent, then be overcome by the virus." Spider protested, and Tamaa nodded.
"Tell me about it. Worse yet, any assets held by the Maverick are affected… even if they're held jointly. All of Gilgameshs' accounts were joint with his sister. You see that woman over there?" Tamaa pointed to an older human woman with long blond hair in a single braid. From her features, she could have been thirty, but the lines on her face hinted that she could be much older. Her gaze was hollow-eyed and very intense, even as she watered the garden. "That's Jolene. She used to be a Maverick Hunter, in the heavy arms division, and she fell in love with one of her teammates. They both quit to start civilian careers… until the virus got him. She lost everything."
"Dear god. Isn't there any way to get the accounts back?" Spider asked, shaken. It seemed unutterably cruel, when a person was already suffering the loss of a loved one, to kick them in the teeth by taking everything they owned. Tamaa laughed bitterly.
"No. You might as well bang your head against a wall, it's less painful. Jolene is a rare case, you see, a human affected by that law. Most of the poor people who lose their savings are Reploids, and who really cares what we think? And hey, if one sibling went Maverick, maybe the other is just hiding it better. It's not wise to protest too loudly." Spider blanched at the implications, but didn't protest. He thought Tamaa was being a bit too negative, but… things could happen. He certainly wouldn't put what she was describing out of the realm of possibility.
They walked silently for a while, before Spider thought of another question.
"How much money do they get out of that? And where does it go?"
"A good question," Tamaa smiled approvingly. "And if we knew for sure, we'd all be happier. All we can really say, though, is that it's a lot, and we know where it's NOT going. The Maverick Hunters. A lot of it seems to be going to 'local defense' instead."
"Local defense… oh, you mean the army garrisons." Spider frowned. "I wasn't aware they were getting new equipment."
"New equipment, new recruits, new everything. And they're being quiet about it. Probably so the Hunters won't suspect." Tamaa's gaze was dark as she looked away. "At the best, I think they'll act as a check to the Hunters. Keep the Hunters weak and the garrisons strong, and they'll be able to handle the Hunters if they rebel."
"And at the worst?" With Tamaa, Spider was sure there would be a worst.
"When Sigma is finally gone… who will need Hunters anymore?" she said softly. "And X and Zero's fame could be… inconvenient. Couldn't it?" Spider stared at her, chilled by the Machiavellian scenario she was painting. It couldn't be true.
Could it?
For the next week, there were only a few minor heists planned. There were no opportunities for real mayhem or anything else that seemed worthwhile. It was a quiet week. Tamaa made a couple speeches, where Spider got to see her in action. She was really able to paint a dazzling verbal portrait of their future. It was almost a little frightening, how easily it was to be swept away in her vision.
Spider didn't much enjoy farm chores, but he definitely enjoyed joining into the card tournaments. Every evening, there was something going on, even if it was only Euchre. The higher stakes games, like poker, could be very entertaining. They usually played for semi-precious stones, most of which had been taken in the DeBeer robbery. Not really worth selling, the amethysts, lapis, garnet and zircon stones made excellent counters. Very pretty, too, in a pile on the table.
Then came July 4'th, and Spider discovered that the commune had developed some interesting traditions.
"A picnic and lunch barbecue? Followed by a supper barbecue, dancing, and finally fireworks?" Spider was looking over his e-mail, amused, as he and Tamaa cuddled together in bed. His own datapad didn't have anything like Blues… AI programs of that nature were illegal… but it worked perfectly well when it came to accessing his e-mail account. "With all the neighbors invited?" Because of the nature of the complex, they usually didn't hobnob with the neighbors besides trading honey for other items. Which was apparently completely normal, for this part of the country. Neighbors tended to keep to themselves.
"We do it every year," Tamaa said sleepily, eyes closed. "It's a lot of fun, really. Maybe half the neighbors come, mostly for the lunch party. Did you know some of them think we're secretly nudists?" Spider blinked.
"Really?" He smiled, amused, as she nodded, finally opening her eyes. "How insane!"
"Not really. They think the places we scramble with our jammers are the secret orgy rooms," Tamaa said with a laugh. "But they'll come for free lunch, even if they're afraid to be around for supper. Never know what the nudists might do."
"I'd be more worried about Gilgamesh." Spider said dryly, and pried himself out of bed. He'd have liked to stay… but his datapad was informing him that it was nearly 10 in the morning. It had been a long night, and none of it had involved cards.
"Oh, he's nothing to worry about. He always does the same thing. You'll see." Tamaa said with a twinkle in her eye, as she pulled on her own clothes.
He did see. When they got outside, they saw Gilgamesh in front of a rapidly heating grill, rubbing his hands together. He was wearing an amusing cooking apron with jolly cows on it, and a matching chefs' cap.
"I'm feeling a primal urge to burn meat coming on!" With that, he began slapping the chicken breasts, hamburger patties and hot dogs onto the grill. "Burnt offerings! Get your burnt offerings!"
Tamaa chuckled, taking Spider's arm as they explored the festivities. She had seen it all before, but Spider was curious. He smiled as he saw the horseshoe game going on.
"So that's what that sand is for." He'd wondered, but assumed they were odd sandboxes for the children. Right now, most of the children in the complex were playing on a water slide and using water guns on each other. They had been joined by several strange children that Spider assumed were neighbors.
"We used to play lawn darts, before there was an unfortunate accident." Tamaa murmured. "The words 'lawn darts' and 'children' should never be uttered in the same sentence."
"Oh. I hope the damage wasn't permanent." Spider said absently, his attention diverted by a lively card game. Tamaa grinned, then poked him in the side.
"It wasn't, just a hand. But try not to fleece the neighbors. We want them to like us!"
"Will that really help?" Spider asked dubiously, remembering everything she had said about the power hungry attitude of the elite. He doubted the authorities would care much more about what a group of farmers thought than they did about Reploids. Tamaa shrugged.
"With the main problem? Likely not. But it makes it easier to trade our honey." Spider blinked, then laughed softly. He hadn't thought of that.
"You know, I wish X was here," he suddenly said. This was the kind of party the blue hunter would deeply enjoy, he was certain of it. Tamaa's eyes darkened, and she squeezed his hand.
"I wish so too…" She had always wanted to know her brother, although it probably would never be.
