Chapter 5: The Escape

Chapter 5: The Escape

"Who authorized this?" Nuada roared in her face so loudly that her eyelashes quivered from his expelled breath.

"Nuada, calm yourself."

"No! I will not calm myself, Giancarlo! It's bad enough we're doing all this behind the Enclave's back. If they found out we violated all kinds of freedom Codes with this Ikeda matter, our lives will be forfeit!"

"Isn't that a bit melodramatic?" From the vid screen on the wall, de Medici managed to sound placating and amused at the same time.

"I'm glad one of us is finding this funny, Giancarlo. And if she tells me you authorized the 'trode extraction, so help me God, this friendship of ours and all our plans are over!" The portly advocate whirled to glare at his peer.

"Sir, Signore de Medici had nothing to do with the order. I took the initiative to authorize the extraction on the orgamech." The woman stood stiff and resolute, her military bearing betraying no trace of emotion.

"You? You authorized this madness?" Nuada refocused his attention on the redhead. "Who are you to make such a decision?"

"Sir, I am Morgan la Freya of the Guardian Elite and its commander for the past six years." The woman saluted crisply, her gaze directed a polite five centimeters below Nuada's eyes as protocol demanded. It did give her a decidedly indifferent expression, however, since the man was a good half a meter shorter than she.

"Commander, eh? And you assumed that this status gave you the right to order a procedure that normally requires a subject's complete consent and at least ten extremely complicated forms to fill out? Who is your direct superior?" Nuada trembled in outrage.

"That would be Signore de Medici, sir."

"Giancarlo…" Nuada eyed his friend menacingly.

From the vid screen, the First tier advocate shrugged his shoulders innocently even as Morgan broke form and stepped forward to add hastily, "I repeat, sir: Signore de Medici knew nothing of this!"

"Is this true?" Nuada asked suspiciously.

Again, de Medici shrugged. "You saw me take her transmission, Nuada. And although you're a stickler for etiquette, I know you would have not been beneath eavesdropping on me had you thought something untoward was happening. She's telling the truth, my friend. I had nothing to do with the extraction. Why would I want to jeopardize our mission that way? I need Ikeda in prime operative condition and removing his electrodes would severely handicap the man. Tell me, Commander le Freya, why did you authorize the procedure?"

Both men looked to the woman and a tremor of uncertainty ran through her at their scrutiny. All three were convened in Nuada's office in the Administrative Guild hall, thirty minutes after Shinobu's spiking debacle. Since every Empath on First tier had rushed to de Medici, demanding answers, the advocate had remained behind to smooth over the incident while Nuada, taking advantage of the hour, had taken the first chute belowside.

Once at the Academy, the man had quickly rounded up those involved. Thankfully, very few Empaths resided on Second tier and Nuada did not have as monumental a task as his counterpart in playing damage control. He'd ordered Ikeda sent to the recovery wing of the Neurology Guild, placed the two medics under solitary confinement in the very same holding cell they'd undertaken the procedure, and solicitously walked a stunned Shinobu to his room with a sedative. Finally, Nuada had called the Guardian to his office for a full report.

And this was how Morgan le Freya found herself standing in the middle of a deceptively cheery room, her feet planted firmly on an Aubusson replica rug, surrounded by more replicas of famous late nineteenth century paintings.

For a man famous for his simplicity and Spartan nature, this office sure has as much opulence as a First Family domicile! Morgan thought to herself. Then she realized she was doing it again: distracting herself from being taken to task. She hated when she was wrong and tried to avoid situations like these as much as possible.

Ah, but you got yourself in this mess, le Freya. You and your vendetta against orgamechs. Damn Ikeda anyway! He deserved what he got! Ah, frag it! Let's just face the music, shall we? What's the worst they can do? Dismiss me?

"No answer? Defiance as well as insubordination. Well, we can't exactly have that, can we, Nuada? I'm afraid you've compromised our situation enough, Commander le Freya. Please surrender your weapon and badge. You are officially dismissed from service."

De Medici was speaking. What did he just say?

"Sir?" Morgan was disbelieving.

"I said you are dismissed, Commander. Of course, we cannot just ignore your many years of service with the Guardians, and we would certainly not wish for you to be left wanting. This was simply a misguided and unfortunate decision on your part, after all. Therefore, a generous severance pay will be deposited to your comcard as soon as you relinquish your effects." De Medici spoke softly but firmly.

"What?! Are you out of your mind?" Morgan's jaw dropped and she threw all protocol to the wind as the full import of the announcement sunk in.

She was being dismissed. Over the Ikeda extraction. What the hell? Oh, sure, she'd acted rashly and had probably disregarded a whole mess of bureaucratic red tape. And maybe it was a minor violation of the freedom Codes. But Ikeda was a runner; it didn't matter if he supposedly had ties with certain First Families. A runner was a felon and, technically, was not protected by the freedom Codes as the other Avalon citizenry were. Plus, he had really pissed her off.

"Ms. Le Freya, as you are now a civilian, I cannot call you on insubordination but I must remind you that you are in the presence of two advocates. Kindly observe the correct social conduct for this situation." De Medici was inexorable in his distant indifference.

Morgan was about to open her mouth to spew forth a series of choice invectives when her training stopped her. Whatever de Medici said, she was still a Guardian and she refused to tarnish that image by acting out of line. There were better ways to deal with this matter. De Medici wasn't the only Firster who needed her services. She would go to the Machiavellis or the Montavanis; surely one of them would have use for her skills. She was the best and everyone knew it.

De Medici was discarding her like last night's refuse, eh? Well, he was playing a game here and Morgan did not want any part of it. She would simply take her severance pay with confidence, knowing that her last assignment had been completed as per instruction. And if any future employers asked why she'd been dismissed, she'd just fabricate a nice little story. Morgan didn't think de Medici would expose her. She had overheard enough of "the mission" to know that he and D'Argent were planning something illicit so she had something over them too.

Blackmail worked both ways.

"It is as you say, Signore. May I leave now?" Morgan bowed stiffly, her mind already going down the list of First Families she could approach.

"Yes. As soon as you surrender your badge and blaster."

Silently, Morgan deposited the requested effects on D'Argent's desk. Then, remembering she need not salute anymore, she whirled around and stalked haughtily from the room, trying to prevent her anger from seeping through her façade. The door swished silently behind her.

"Well, that was abrupt." Nuada sighed and sank into his desk chair, swiveling around to face the vid screen.

"Abrupt yet necessary. Le Freya was showing just a little too much initiative. She's a good Guardian, one of the best for her age, I hear. It was why I commissioned her in the first place. And she got further than all the others; she acquired Ikeda for us. But this extraction business. Ugly. And unprofessional. I was warned about her prejudice against orgamechs, but I thought her training would be enough to overcome that. My mistake. I apologize, Nuada." De Medici inclined his head gracefully. Even when he erred, he did so with finesse.

The Second tier advocate grunted. "All well and good, Giancarlo. But now we have another loose end. What makes you so sure le Freya won't go directly to the Enclave with this? "

"We wouldn't have had that worry if you hadn't revealed their ignorance of our mission," his friend gently rebuked him. Before Nuada could defend himself, de Medici raised a hand and continued. "But that is neither here nor there. Remember, it was she who violated the freedom Codes. If she wants to get a commission elsewhere, she'll keep quiet. The scales are balanced. She is not a concern. What is a concern, however, is your protégé."

"Shinobu?"

"Yes. This is a regrettable turn of events. Why did Tezuka react so violently – so intensely – to Ikeda's pain? They're virtual strangers to each other. Tezuka shouldn't even have known Ikeda was here, let alone be able to delve into his mind like that. Perhaps throwing them together for this mission is unwise?" de Medici's query was calm enough but a frisson of worry was evident in his furrowed brow.

"No, no, no!" Nuada was hasty in his disagreement. Then, seeing the First tier advocate's raised eyebrow, he modulated his next statement carefully. "I mean, we've invested a lot in Shinobu's training and, barring this unfortunate incident, he has shown the most promise out of all the candidates. Besides, haven't you forgotten why we chose him in the first place? He's an offworlder and knows nothing about our politics. And his first loyalties are to me. Surely this alone points to him as being the most reasonable choice?"

"Hmmm." De Medici was noncommittal.

"Let me talk to him, Giancarlo. I'll ferret out what I can. We have a few days before we're ready to proceed anyway. Besides, Ikeda needs time to recover from the operation."

"Speaking of Ikeda, what have you done with him?"

"He's in recovery."

"No Guardians?"

"What for? I doubt he's set foot on Second tier in the past eleven years and much has changed. He'll have nowhere to run because he won't know where to go. And with his electrodes gone, he can't hack into the Hub and access any information. He's safe where he is."

"I trust you with this then, Nuada. Attend to Tezuka and watch Ikeda. Electrodes or not, he's a wily one, if the reports are true." De Medici reached forward to end transmission.

"Do you want me to interrogate Shinobu now?" Nuada asked.

"Leave it for tomorrow, my friend. We have an Enclave meeting tonight and there will be even more explaining to do then. We'll need to be careful and alert. Why don't we try and recuperate; it's been a most unpleasant day."

~

Shinobu made sure he'd keyed the door to his bedroom on "lock" mode, set his mind shields in place and prepared to play. He decided he'd recovered sufficiently from his unprecedented spiking and he wanted some answers. He wanted to know what had happened to make him lose control like he'd done. And he really wanted to know who that person was, the one with the light and the shadows. It was time to solve the one mystery that had haunted him sporadically for the past five years.

It pained Shinobu to keep his synapses open like this, but he'd been raised in a mining colony and he'd be damned if he'd take the meds Nuada had given him.

Ouch! So much for masculine arrogance, Shinobu winced wryly as he was assaulted by another Empath's residual recoil feedback. Gods, you would think these people were all untrained, the way they leak like this!

To distract himself from the pain, Shinobu searched until he found a familiar, comforting mind to latch on to.

Ah! There!

It amused him to think that Nuada, as a non-Empath, never had any inkling whenever his protégé chose to dabble in his head. Shinobu respected his mentor enough not to pry too deeply, but it really was so much easier sometimes getting information from the Academy president than researching it himself. Nuada D'Argent had an impressively organized mind.

What's this? Nuada's angry? Over what?

Shinobu settled in more comfortably on the couch, slouching low and crossing his legs at the ankles. This was going to be interesting.

Darkness…a maze of secret agendas and plots…conspiracy? Treason? What…?

Shinobu bolted upright and concentrated more fiercely on Nuada's thoughts. This was not what he'd expected. The advocate was so distraught that his carefully controlled mind, usually so orderly even for a non-Empath, was completely unshielded and open to perusal. Shinobu hesitated briefly, his loyalty to his mentor almost superceding his burning need to know more. Maybe he should stop?

But the proverbial Pandora's box had been broached and the information was too tantalizing to resist. Shinobu sloughed off all frivolity and focused in earnest.

A mission, six years in the planning. Nuada and de Medici. De Medici? He's First tier advocate. Why is he…? Something to do with a…ship? The Gwydion? The outer tip of the galaxy's spiral. That's unchartered territory. No one's been there before. But that's where I'm being sent! Coordinates…this Gwydion is there? And de Medici wants it badly. So does Nuada. What is it about that blasted ship?

Shinobu felt dirty for invading Nuada's mind. He truly felt an affection for the old man and he knew it was wrong for him to violate his mind like this. But de Medici was fair game.

Do I dare? Am I strong enough? De Medici's on First tier; that's at least 500 meters up. Ah, what the hell! I need to know!

Shinobu strained his synapses and searched for the man. This would prove to be difficult since he'd never met the advocate and was unfamiliar with the man's thought patterns. But surely, since he was in conference with Nuada, there would be a trail linking the two…?

Ah, there you are! Hello, Giancarlo de Medici! What secrets does your mind have to offer?

Later, six months after the fact, to be precise, Shinobu would regret ever having delved into de Medici's head. But hindsight was twenty-twenty and at that moment, Shinobu was too consumed with curiousity to even contemplate stopping now.

The Gwydion again! And…Dregos? How do they fit in to all of this? Wait. I got it! They're being…tested? Discarded? Death…so much death!

Shinobu opened his eyes to escape the fear clawing at his mind. He didn't know if it was residue from de Medici or his own personal panic. He felt dirty and wrong. The whole thing was wrong! What did he have to do with missions and death and ships? And why was Nuada involved? Could he be trusted? Were Shinobu's loyalties misplaced after all?

Calm. Be calm. There's more to think about and histrionics will not help.

The Empath shoved emotion into a little corner in his mind and refocused his attention on the stolen thoughts.

Mitsuru Ikeda. Shinobu paused at the name and could not control the smile that assaulted his face. Mitsuru Ikeda. The light and the shadows. That fascinating, irresistible presence that he'd sensed intermittently for the past five years. Shinobu finally had a name to the mind that he'd played tag with for so long, it felt like a part of him.

So, Mitsuru Ikeda. I guess it's karma that we've been thrown together. Again, the smile that wouldn't quit. But de Medici thinks you're dispensable. He needs you to retrieve the ship. And after that, he plans to…to…no!

Shinobu abruptly cut off transmission and fell back on the couch, gasping. Horror engulfed him and he struggled to pull himself together. What he'd discovered was heinous and evil and unthinkable. But thoughts didn't lie, especially ones unshielded as de Medici's were. And before he'd left the advocate's synapses, Shinobu had caught one last fragment.

He thinks I'm dispensable too!

Galvanized into action, the silver-haired Empath rose from the couch, a dangerous gleam in his grey eyes.

I may be an offworlder, a backwater hick, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that no one knows about. And I refuse to be a pawn in someone else's master plan. I've been playing the dilettante far too long. I think it's about time these Gaians found out how dangerous their little pet can be!

~

Morgan le Freya stormed out of the Administrative Guild hall and blindly followed a random path. She ignored the chirping of birds, the splash of the wall fountains that periodically accented the covered archway. She paid no heed to the students and scientists she brushed past. She was busily calculating her severance pay, running through the list of First Families and cursing Mitsuru Ikeda all at the same time.

I'm the best. The best, dammit! They'd all be fools if they don't hire me! I've been trained at hand-to-hand combat, tactical weaponry and covert assassination since I was fifteen! I rose in the ranks and made Commander at twenty! I served four of the First Families before de Medici commissioned me. I'm the best! The best!

The redhead lengthened her pace furiously. The rational part of her brain told her that throwing a tantrum was useless and that she would be much better off focusing her energy in other ways. But the emotional part of her, the one that identified most closely to her half-Celtic, half-Spanish blood, encouraged the rant and even fed the fires by bringing to mind the cause of her present situation.

Mitsuru Ikeda. You puling, ineffectual, impotent whoreson! You…you…orgamech! I hate you!

Morgan added a few other insults that she'd heard her officers use and which, back when she had been a fledge, had made her blush furiously at their inventiveness. Now, however, she ran the gamut of her extensive knowledge of curse words, punctuating each one with a fierce stomp as she marched on.

Then the rational part asserted itself and Morgan had to admit she sounded childish and stupid. Was it really Ikeda's fault? He had done nothing to her. He had been nothing but an assignment, a commission. Why did she let him get to her like this?

Because he's an orgamech!

But even that excuse was beginning to sound old and frayed. Morgan knew better than to let her personal feelings get in the way of her career, a career she had built on her own with no help from anyone. A career she had sought after since as long as she could remember. A career that would now be tainted if she failed to cover up her tracks.

Okay, le Freya, knock it off. Let's get down to business. How much money do we have and how long will it last before we can scare up a new commission?

Morgan rounded a corner, thinking furiously. She was not paying attention to where she was going and it took her an inordinately long amount of time to register the arm that pulled her close to a rock-hard stomach and the knife that magically appeared against her throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice whispered in her ear as she tensed to throw her captor over her shoulder.

"And why not?" Morgan hissed angrily, preparing to pay no heed to the advice.

"Because I can kill you with a thought." To prove his point, Shinobu crept into her mind and made her believe that she was not getting any air into her lungs. Morgan found herself gasping violently.

"Have I made myself clear?" The Empath eased up on his control enough, allowing the woman to respond.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"I'm the nightmare you thought you'd left under your bed when you grew up. You caused me a lot of pain, lady, but lucky for you, I don't have time to seek vengeance. Right now, I need you to get me and my friend out of here and down to Third tier."

"What the hell are you talking about? What did I ever do to you? And why do you need me? It's a free city; go down the chutes yourselves!" Morgan's mind raced as she tried to make sense of this unforeseen turn of events. This was definitely not her day.

"Listen to me! Are you listening?" Shinobu pushed the knife deeper into her skin and drew blood, simultaneously grabbing hold of her mind again and squeezing. Morgan nodded helplessly, about to pass out from what she believed was lack of oxygen. "Good. I know I can use the chutes, but my friend is a bit persona non grata around here at the moment and I'd rather not call attention to our departure. With your Guardian status, you can clear us through and do so with minimum fuss. Understand?"

"For your information, I'm no longer a Guardian, at least not right now. I've been dismissed from service."

"Ah, but only a certain number of people know that, right? News doesn't travel that quickly around here. If we act fast, we'll be able to get out of here with no one the wiser."

"And then?"

"And then what?"

"Once I get you to the City, what then?"

"Then you'll be free to go. You have my word."

"The word of a madman! Why should I trust you?"

"Do you have a choice?" Again, Shinobu exerted his control over her mind. Morgan gritted her teeth but knew when she was beaten.

"Fine. Let's go."

~

Mitsu woke up for the second time that day and felt like something was missing. Besides his hair, that is.

Well, it's not pain, that's for sure. Hello, pain. I see you're back. Friendly little pain, aren't you? Did you miss me?

The conman rose from the bed slowly and took stock of his present situation. Another room, another headache. Would this day never end? He glanced around and noted furniture. And, more importantly, a door.

So now I'm not a prisoner? What the hell is going on around here? And what is it that I'm missing?

Mitsu poked around in his head and wracked his brain to come up with an answer. Then it hit him. He was no longer tuned in to the Hub. The void he was feeling was the silence in his skull, the non-presence of the electronic hum that had become a part of his subconscious since he'd been 'troded at seventeen.

They extracted my wetware. Oh, this is choice. Just peachy keen! First my hair, now my 'trodes. What next? Ritual castration?

Mitsu was past caring. So many things had happened at once and he was tired. All he knew was that he'd fallen into the hands of a psycho Guardian bitch who had seduced him, assaulted him, juiced him, locked him up, insulted him and, to top it all off, had taken away his one chance at escaping. Because, without his 'trodes, he had no way of accessing the Hub, the Moirai or his crew. He was stuck in gods knew where and he didn't even know what he'd done to land him here in the first place.

They don't do this to any old runner, so I know it's not because of my smuggling. And that bitch called me by my real name so she's got to be in cahoots with some pretty important people. Wait a goddamned second here! Guardians? Extraction? Holy hell, I think I'm aboveside!

Mitsu groaned in despair, buried his head in his hands and began to pray. They'd finally caught him. After eleven years on the run, hiding out and pretty much trying to eliminate all traces of his past affiliation with the upper tiers, he was back where he started. He didn't even try to see if the door was locked or not. It didn't matter. If he truly was aboveside, there was no place left to run.

Well, R'Ikeda, looks like your luck's finally run out. The only thing that can save you now is a guardian angel.

"Will we do?"

Mitsu's head whipped up at the sound of that voice, the one that suspiciously resembled the smoky whispering in his head from earlier. He gaped incredulously at the two people framed by the doorway.

"You? And you!" The conman's eyes widened when he spied the silver-haired stranger but narrowed dangerously when he noted the redhead.

"Hey, Ikeda. Let's go. We're here to rescue you." Morgan announced sourly.

"Is this some sort of a sick joke? Are you nuts? I'm not going anywhere with you!" Mitsu folded his arms across his chest and frowned mutinously.

"Fine. Have it your way. Am I free to go now?" Morgan glanced at her captor irately. The knife had been put away so as not to arouse suspicion as they walked the Academy halls and the woman had regained a bit of her spit and vinegar in the absence of the weapon.

"Mitsuru Ikeda, this is no joke." Shinobu ignored the redhead and stared, entranced, at the conman. He was just as beautiful as his mind had been. And just as dangerous. The light and the shadow. In the flesh. A little thrill of excitement threaded through the Empath.

"Yeah? And I should believe you, right? You're the freak that got inside my head and screwed with my mind. I don't like 'ware rapists." Mitsu growled, his fingers itching for the blaster he didn't have.

"We don't have time for this! I'll explain everything later! Right now, we've got to get you to your ship and as far away from Avalon as possible!" Shinobu felt a stabbing hurt in his chest as he realized his excitement was not mutual. But time was of the essence and the Empath needed to convince Mitsu of his sincerity. He buried his hurt deep.

"Why?" Mitsu continued being difficult.

"Because de Medici has plans for you. For us. And they aren't pretty."

At the mention of the name, Mitsu turned ashen. "De Medici? That family is behind all this? Why didn't you say so in the first place, man? Let's get the hell outta here!"

The conman hurried to the door, stumbled as his legs betrayed him. His body, having gone through a series of traumatic experiences, finally crapped out. Shinobu was there to catch him. Unfortunately, doing so meant relinquishing his grasp of Morgan's arm and mind. The woman slapped at the com on her left shoulder and screamed:

"Guardians! Breach in recovery! To me!"

"Idiot!"

Mitsu, one arm draped across Shinobu's shoulders, clamped down on Morgan's wrist with his free hand at the same time that the Empath resumed his hold over her mind. Moving awkwardly as one, the unlikely trio made for the nearest chute terminal.