Chapter 8: The Girl Who Cried Wolf.
Words failed me as I gawked at the still smiling wolf girl, her pearly white grin flashing in the darkness. I didn't know what surprised me more, the fact that she had managed to obtain Zheren's palmtop computer, or the fact that she was talking to me.
"Well?" She asked evenly, her tail flicking with mild irritation.
I tried to speak, but the words ended in a jumbled mess. "I... ah... how are.."
The girl's grin turned into a disappointed frown, before sighing while she climbed off my chest, now standing in the center of the room.
She began browsing through Zheren's Palmtop computer once again, her face illuminated with the glow of the hand held device. Her dainty fingers quickly swiped across the screen, as if operating a touchscreen was second nature to her. The girl's tail swished back and forth as her crimson eyes were transfixed upon the small screen.
'Just what was this girl up to?' I thought, beginning to hunger for answers.
I jumped to my feet, facing her full on.
"It's remarkable really..." She mused casually, still flicking her fingers across the screen.
"Such a sum of knowledge, contained in such a small device..."
I blinked, unsure if she was talking to me or just simply noting her thoughts.
"You... you can read?" I asked skeptically, reaching into the cloth jacket and placing my hand on my holstered gun. I couldn't be too careful around her.
The girl's wolf like ears flicked once as she tore her eyes away from the screen to look at me. She shot me a childish smirk, placing one hand on her hip.
"I can. Why? Can't you?" She taunted, beginning to fiddle with the small device in her hand.
Afraid of her breaking it and possibly losing valuable information on Zheren's benefactor, I moved forward to take it from her.
"That's mine, stop treating it like some kind of toy." I growled, reaching for the device.
The girl simply giggled and stepped nimbly around me as I marched towards her, placing the device behind her back.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, quickly spinning round and reaching out to grasp her arm.
The girl merely smirked and side stepped me again, now dangling the small device above her head.
"Oh? Do you mean this?" She cooed playfully, swaying the computer to and fro between her index finger and thumb.
"Unfortunately, it no longer belongs to you." She said with a cocky smile.
I scowled at her, "Is this some kind of game to you wolf?"
She blinked, her smile quickly fading. She flicked the computer into the palm of her hand and began studying the device once again. I stared at her for a moment, wondering if she had heard me.
"Just give it back!" I growled, quickly moving in before trying to swipe the small device while she was distracted. The girl pulled away, keeping me at bay with a single hand.
"A moment." She snapped, still flicking through the device.
I backed off, craning my neck to see what she was doing with the device. She was browsing through a series of directories, none of which seemingly containing what she was looking for. After a minute of solid searching, she let out a small huff as her white tipped ears began to flatten on her head. She turned to face me, a small flush of embarrassment crawling across her face.
"What... is... a wolf?" She muttered uneasily, her crimson eyes darting to the floor.
I rose a brow in surprise at her question.
"A wolf? Well... it's an animal..." I spluttered, slightly confused by her question.
"An animal..." She repeated, her embarrassed flush growing redder.
I rubbed the back of my neck before it clicked. She probably had no idea about the world outside the lab I found her in. I decided to indulge her... for now at least.
"Well... an animal is a classification of a living creature. Like you or me for example, but not necessarily like us." I explained awkwardly, unsure of how to put it in a way she'd understand.
She nodded, "I see... and a wolf is like us?" She asked again.
I ran my hand through my hair letting out a sigh, "Well not exactly, no. Maybe more to you than to me... but... er..."
I tried thinking of something she could compare a wolf to. She leaned in as I thought, expectant of an answer.
"More like Enek, Nora's dog." I stated, with a small smile of satisfaction.
The girl stiffened, her swishing tail becoming ramrod stiff. Her once curious gaze darkened into a scowl.
"Are you saying that I'm like that thing below us?!" She hissed.
I flinched away from the wolf's sudden outburst.
"W-well... not exactly... but you do share similar qualities." I stammered, glancing down to Zheren's palmtop computer.
I'd be at a huge loss if she broke it in a fit of rage... or if she broke me for that matter.
"Qualities?" She repeated flatly, cocking her head.
"I mean... you and Enek both have similar traits right? Like your ears and tail?" I muttered nervously.
She scoffed, "My ears and tail are unlike those of that thing. They belong to me and none other."
I stared as she began stroking her luscious white tipped tail with proud adoration. She was certainly odd to say the least, and I think I preferred her when she was silent. I stiffened my lip, aggravated by the wolf's narcissistic display.
I pointed my index finger at the girl, it was time to get answers.
"Listen here Wolf-" I growled, before she promptly gave me the cold shoulder.
"Don't call me that." She stated icily, almost threateningly.
I droped my hand slightly, "W-what?"
"Wolf. Don't call me by that phrase. If wolf refers to that Enek thing in someway, then I want no association with it." She replied flatly, giving me a cold glance over her shoulder.
'She's certainly going to be a handful...' I sighed in my head, before looking her straight in the eye.
"Well what do I call you then?" I asked, trying to mask my aggravated tone.
She tore her gaze away from me, looking down at the floor, her face hidden beneath her thick copper hair.
"I do not know." She muttered softly.
"You don't have a name? Nothing you call yourself?" I asked, unsure whether to pry into the matter.
"Subject eight... that was what I was referred as. A number..." She trailed off, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging in the room.
"Names seem to be important in this world. As if they hold some kind of value... I suppose a number isn't the same as a name, is it Kraft Lawrence?" She sighed, looking back at me, revealing a sad almost broken smile.
I nibbled my lower lip, I'd apparently stumbled upon a sensitive subject.
She turned away again, slowly clutching at her arm with her free hand. As she turned, her left shoulder caught the room's dim lighting, illuminating her pale skin. My eyes widened as I stared at the blocky letters marked upon her skin. It was just like the serial numbers at Wheaten, the wolf girl's markings read 'H-0LO'.
The silence hung in the air like a dense fog...
"What about Holo?" I asked.
The girl quickly spun around to face me full on, "Holo?" She repeated.
I shrugged. "It's short, sweet, rolls off the tongue." I said with a casual tone.
The girl pondered the name for a moment. "Holo..." she repeated once again as a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"Very well. I am Holo, and Holo is all that I am." She trilled lyrically and with a slight pirouette, she glided over to the room's window. I figured it was her way of boasting about her newly appointed name. She seemed pretty happy with it.
"So... um..." I muttered, the feeling of unease starting to creep back into my gut.
She turned to face me, her silhouetted figure standing out amongst the light entering through the blinds.
"Hmmmm?" She hummed quizzically, awaiting my question.
My hand went to my gun once more. "Let me get one thing straight. What do you intend to do?" I asked, wanting to get right to the point.
Holo was silent for a moment, before she let out a shrill of laughter. "Are you that afraid of me?" She asked with an amused chuckle, glancing at the arm touching my pistol.
"Just answer my question!" I snapped, wondering if she knew I was ready to draw my pistol if necessary.
She sighed, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"I intend to find answers. Nothing more."
"Answers? What answers?" I asked, furrowing my brow in thought.
"Ah! You've already asked your question. Now it is my turn to ask." She exclaimed, pointing a finger at me.
My face fell "W-wha-" I tried but was quickly silenced by the now grinning Holo.
'Is she treating this like some kind of game?' I thought as the girl's ears flicked with amusement.
"A question for a question, an answer for an answer. Does that sound like a fair trade?" She giggled with mirth. I grimaced, wondering how long it would take before I snapped from the wolf's childlike antics.
"Ok fine, whatever..." I grumbled, letting my hand slip from the gun in my jacket. I doubted that she meant me any harm.
'So long as I played her game that is...' I thought sourly.
"Now, this amusing little gadget can only tell me so much..." She stated, tossing Zheren's computer aside, now bored of it.
"Yet, it pertains no information on Project Romulus... My question to you Kraft Lawrence, what was the purpose of the project? "
I stared at her blankly, 'Project Romulus?' I thought.
"I er..." I was at a loss. 'What the hell is Project Romulus? And why does she think I know about it?'
"Well?" She asked, leaning in towards me till I could see her features in the dim light. She was becoming impatient.
"I haven't even heard of this project before, let alone know it's purpose." I flustered.
Holo scowled at me. "Yet Professor Yoitsu transferred something to you. Some sort of information to something of yours. Your Ink Circuit... if I recall correctly. Where is it?" She demanded with a growl.
My face fell, 'That's right... Yoitsu had transferred something to me before he died. And nearly killed me in the process. But how the hell did she know about it?' I thought, pondering the extent of her knowledge.
I placed my hand upon my head and sighed, "Well... I guess I can show you..." I muttered unenthusiastically.
Holo watched with great interest as I rolled up the left sleeve of my jacket, revealing the intricate black circuit that ran down to my wrist. I extended my arm out towards her so she could view the markings in the dim light.
Her curious expression quickly turned to one of confusion.
In almost a flash she was by my side, closely inspecting the markings. I felt her firm grip press against my skin as she examined my arm, her tail swishing about wildly as she made her observations. I flinched from the sudden contact and went to protest, but was silenced yet again.
"This... is the Ink Circuit?" She asked wiht a befuddled expression.
I wrenched my arm out of her firm grip, rubbing it instinctively. "Yes! It's also my arm you're twisting!" I growled.
"How does it work? Where's the information on Project Romulus?" She whined, deeply confused.
I rose the palm of my hand and spoke. "Now hold on a second. We had a deal, an answer for an answer right?"
Holo blinked, as she realized I was turning the tables on her. After a short moment of silence she spoke. "Yes..."
"And you've asked me at least three questions, so it's only fair I can ask three in return." I stated firmly, holding the wolf to our shaky agreement.
Holo crossed her arms and pouted like a spoiled brat.
"Ugh. Fine." She moaned.
'Three questions Lawrence. Make them count.' I thought, beginning to sleuth through the questions my curiosity longed for.
"Ok, first question. How did you learn to speak English?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Holo thought for a moment, beginning to pace across the floor of the small room.
"I listened. I learned. I heard sounds, which became words. Later I realized that these words conveyed meaning and the projection of thought. I simply copied those words and memorized them in order to express my own thoughts and feelings... they... they did not like that..." She trailed off and changed the subject before regaling me any further.
'She listened did she? She must have some impressive hearing...' I pondered, glancing at her wolf like ears.
"And for your next question?" She griped, wanting to move on.
I stroked my bearded chin in thought. "You said you listened to... them... right? So this Project Romulus, what do you know about it?" I asked, hoping to get an idea on what Yoitsu had given me.
Holo's ears flicked as she turned to face me, her gaze seemingly a million miles away.
"They called it many things, a solution, a liability, progress. All I know is that Project Romulus was the reason I was trapped in that cold prison. I want to know why I had to endure it, what was the purpose of it all..." She stated coolly, before her ears drooped down and a solemn expression crossed her face.
"I want answers..." She muttered softly, her gaze fixed upon the floor.
I felt a sudden wave of empathy overcome me. Before I even registered it, I had moved over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, are you ok?" I blurted, not even realizing the words were coming from my mouth.
Holo gazed up at me with a small smile. "Yes... thank you... I'm happy to be free from that place. I suppose... I have you to thank for that." She said, far more calmly then I expected.
I rubbed the back of my neck, my cheeks turning a slighter shade of red. "I.. err... well I can't say I helped a great deal." I mumbled, slightly embarrassed.
Holo's smile grew wider. "Well, thank you regardless... Oh, and Kraft Lawrence..."
"Please, just call me Lawrence." I chuckled nervously, totally falling for her charm.
Holo raised her dainty hand, and touched my nose with her index finger, a mischievous grin now spread widely across her face.
"...That was your final question." She teased playfully, her tail rustling with mirth.
My hand dropped from her shoulder in shock, before raising it to my head in frustration.
'She'd played me.' I thought with a groan, while Holo giggled like a schoolgirl, clearly amused.
After this, Holo pressed me for information on my Ink Circuit, demanding to see if it had any information on Project Romulus. I complied, not wanting to tangle with the wolf's strength. I was curious myself, just to see what data had been dumped with, and whether I could make any money from it.
Booting up the laptop I had salvaged from Zheren's van and sitting on one of the beds, I carefully hooked myself up to the old laptop, hoping my arm wouldn't suffer another electrocution. Holo watched over my shoulder, taking great interest in the procedure. She tried her best to refrain from asking questions, preventing me from gaining more questions to ask her.
Before long, I was feeling a burst of electrical current run up through my arm. I clenched my hand into a fist, testing if my nerves weren't affected. After a short while, the old Laptop's display flashed with a new screen, indicating my grid had successfully established a connection with the old machine.
I let out a sigh of relief, I was glad to know my grid was still functional.
I traced my finger across the laptop's track pad and clicked to access the data stored on my grid. My mouth dropped at the results.
"Wh-what the fuck?!" I swore, staring at the screen with a look of fury.
Holo took a small step back, surprised by my sudden outburst. "What's the matter? Is the information not there?" She asked, a hint of distress in her voice.
I gripped my silvery hair, staring at the screen wide eyed. "My files, programs, software all of it scrambled!" I exclaimed, staring at the garbled characters that littered my screen. I couldn't make any sense of it. I began muttering to myself, thinking through the possibilities.
"File corruption... Fragmentation... no... this is encryption." I mumbled, the situation becoming clear. The entirety of my Ink Circuit had been encrypted. Holo peaked over my shoulder to look at the screen.
"Fix it then." She griped.
I let out a heavy sigh, "It's not that simple. I need the proper decryption software in order to unscramble this junk. Doing it manually could take days... weeks even." I grumbled, annoyed by the girl's attitude.
"Well... get to it." She retorted.
I turned to face her.
"You're kidding right?"
She glared at me, clearly unamused.
"You said you could do it manually, so... do whatever it is you do and get me the information I want." She stated curtly.
I stared at her in disbelief.
'She really isn't kidding' I thought despairingly.
"Look, even if I did try to decrypt this manually and there's no guarantee that I could do it. Why should I give you anything?" I grumbled.
Holo stared at me in disbelief, her ears flicking with irritation.
"Are... Are you refusing me?" She growled, shock underlying her threatening tone.
"I risked my neck for this data, and probably made enemies all over the god damn continent acquiring it. So enlighten me, Holo why the hell should I do anything you say?!" I exclaimed, not caring that this girl could tear my head off at any given moment.
Holo blinked, before her ears dropped, an distraught expression appeared on her face.
"P-please don't yell at me." She whimpered, genuinely intimidated by my outburst.
My rage instantly dissipated, a heavy feeling of guilt overwhelmed me as I stared at the bandaged wolf girl.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-" I offered sympathetically, before being cut off by her shrills of laughter.
"Oh Lawrence, you really are an easy mark." She grinned, clutching her stomach as she continued to howl with laughter.
I felt red in the face. 'This girl felt no fear, could tear through metal and was the master of manipulation. Great job Lawrence, you've got yourself one dangerous psychopath on your hands.' I griped in my head.
Holo's laughter eventually subsided and gave me a cheeky smile.
"Games aside, you do make a fair point. Why should you do as I ask? An valid question..." She smirked, much to my surprise.
"What are you saying?" I muttered, caught off guard by her sudden change in topic.
Holo let out an amused sigh before turning her back to me and walked over to the blinds. She gently parted the metal shutters and stared out the window.
"This world... it is... different from the cold dark prison I once knew. Fraught with danger and death, it frightens me... and yet, I have never felt so alive... it's exciting. However if I am to survive in this world, I will need the aid of a fellow survivor... one with experience." She muttered with a swish of her tail.
I remained silent, wondering where she was going with this.
"I need someone like you Lawrence. And I know that you need someone who can offer necessary leverage." In a blur of motion she was upon me, leaning in closely, a confident smirk across her lips.
"Someone like me..." She cooed softly, her tail rustling as she spoke those words.
"Mutual cooperation could benefit us both." She said with a wink.
I blinked, "You... want to partner up with me?" I asked skeptically.
Holo nodded, "I do, if not for your company, then only to further my goals." She teased with a soothing smile.
"Forget it, I work alone." I grunted.
Holo arched her brow at me, "Really? Then what happened to the men you betrayed earlier? Zheren, Bailey. Oh, and not to mention the man you so coldly disposed of? Weren't you working with them?" She cooed smugly.
"That- That was different!" I snapped, angered by her accusations. My mind flashed to when I pulled the trigger, the sheer look of terror on the fat man's face.
"Betrayal or not, you seem to be perfectly capable of working with others." Holo stated flatly.
"You know for someone who's keen on their survival, partnering with a traitor wouldn't seem to be in their best interests." I retorted, pointing out the flaw in her logic.
Holo pinned me with her crimson stare. "As if a mere human like you could kill me." She chuckled darkly.
"Besides, I know you would not be foolhardy enough to try that. You know there would be dire consequences to follow." She continued, a threatening gleam flashing in her vivid irises.
I felt sweat form on the back of my neck, "W-well, how do I know I can really trust you. You did try to kill me after all. Not too mention all the others you've ripped apart." I stuttered, hoping to turn this back on her.
Holo's threatening glare quickly fell to a look of understanding.
"I see... yes, I suppose your reason for concern is warranted..." She muttered, a hint of sorrow in her words.
"But know this, I killed only out of necessity. You and those others posed a threat to my freedom and I acted." The wolf mumbled, quickly changing her tone.
"So as long as I don't pose a threat to your freedom, you won't tear me asunder? Is that it?" I griped.
"Yes, that is correct." She replied curtly.
I glowered at her, "Fine, but what do I get out of this... partnership?" I asked, still skeptical.
Holo's playful smile returned.
"Well, think of it like this. I want to learn from the information stored on your arm, to find my answers. You seem to seek profit..." She mused and I began to see where she was heading with this.
"If Project Romulus was as important as I think it is... well.. any information on it must hold some value, correct?" She asked innocently.
I rose a hand to my mouth, my brow furrowing "Yes... you have a point..." I muttered, thinking this through.
Data on genetic manipulation would be worth something certainly. The thing was I didn't know what exactly was on my Ink Circuit, nor did I know of anyone who'd be willing to buy such data. Yet... the prospect was tempting.
"So... knowing that you stand to make a profit in helping me, I will in turn find the answers I seek. We share a common goal." She grinned confidently.
I sighed, "Well... I guess I've made enough enemies in bringing you this far... might as well start making friends." I said dryly, unhooking myself from the laptop and standing to face the copper haired girl.
"Alright, you've got yourself a deal." I said, extending my hand out towards her, gesturing a handshake to seal our agreement.
Holo smiled, happy that we were now working together, but gazed at my extended hand with curiosity.
"Well?" I asked, still with my arm extended.
Holo glanced up to meet my gaze. "Well what?"
"Aren't you going to shake on it?" I questioned, beginning to realize the error I'd made.
Holo looked to my hand and back to me with a puzzled expression, "And why would I do that?"
"Well it's... a way to signify an agreement between two people. So..." I trailed off.
Holo did her best to stifle a giggle. "Humans are certainly odd. What a bizarre notion." She mocked, smug superiority written across her face.
I glowered at her and started to drop my hand. However, in a blur of motion I felt something lightly grasp my hand. I looked down to see that both our hands were entangled in a handshake.
"Nevertheless, it is an appealing one..."