Dark: Alexa is a new woman, no thanks to Yardley.
No editing on this monster.
All the good things belong to Monolithsoft.
Elma knew she was eavesdropping, but hadn't she essentially been eavesdropping for a decade now? She would have ignored it, or joined the conversation, but Alexa's whispered warning worried her. "I guess you can help, Lin, but you can't tell anyone else."
"I promise," Lin had whispered back.
Elma focused on her comm device for a moment, then started to dictate a report. She was quiet enough not to interrupt the conspirators, but loud enough that they would think she was otherwise occupied. They didn't know her mimeosome was automatically reciting a list off the screen, requiring no thought. It was a neat trick, and it allowed her to concentrate on their hushed conversation.
"Don't tell anyone, but I'm tired of being nice. I'm going to become evil."
Lin stifled a giggle. "I can't see you as evil, Alexa."
"You don't think I can pull it off? Well, then maybe I shouldn't have you as a sidekick."
"Villains have henchmen," Lin pointed out. "Or accomplices."
"Whatever. I can do it, and I will. Project Dark Alexa starts today."
"Cool," Lin whispered admiringly. "How can I help?"
There was a pause when the oven timer dinged and Lin pulled out a tray of spice cookies. Elma switched screens, started a different recitation, and waited. The two young people resumed their whispers, with added chewing and puffing noises. "I gotta do some preliminary work. The big prep I could do in my sleep. We've had enough villains running around NLA that it's getting boring. What I need is some flair. Something to really make me stand out."
"A cape," suggested Lin.
"No. I mean it, Lin. I'm not playing. This is the year that people tremble."
"Okay, okay. So what can I do?"
There was another pause. Alexa's voice dropped so low that Elma nearly had to blow her cover to hear her. "Next Monday. 1900. Outfitters. Meet me in the gear repair resources room. Act casual but be ready to leave NLA."
xcxcxcxcxcxcxcxcxcx
Elma was positioned hours in advance, waiting motionless within a spare set of Sakuraba heavy armor (male). She'd arranged the suit to slump realistically against a table, the helmet at an unnatural angle. It meant her nose was uncomfortably smashed against the inside of the visor, but otherwise she had plenty of room. If she hadn't been so worried, she might have managed a short nap in the oversized closet.
She was glad she was early when the lights blazed long before the appointed time. Alexa locked the door from the inside, checked that it was secure, and vanished under a work table. Elma didn't dare move to see better, at least not yet. She'd be clumsy in the too-large armor if she needed to fight. She almost wished she had shared her concerns with someone else, Secretary Nagi perhaps. Having backup hiding in the air ducts would have been nice, but it was too late. Besides, she had absolutely not wanted to spread any suspicions about Lin. She would settle this herself. She waited for Alexa to reappear.
She did, exactly 380 seconds later, dragging a bundle of random alien scrap. Not scrap, Elma realized as Alexa stretched it out on the work table, but a miniaturized version of one of the deadliest mechanoid enemies on the planet. Even at human scale and sprawled like an abandoned marionette, the form of Go-rha, the Guardian Deity, was impressive, from its peaked head to its wicked limbs. Alexa pulled out a soldering iron and started to hum as she worked on the lifeless model.
Or was it lifeless? Alexa stopped after a bit, then fiddled with a small control pad. The model powered on, its core glowing a deadly red, then sat up with a struggle. Alexa sighed, shaking her head. She turned it off and it flopped back. Alexa returned to her repairs, whistling cheerfully now, and Elma struggled not to shudder.
At the expected time there was a knock on the door and Alexa let Lin in. The two immediately started to chatter about the fake Xe-dom. Elma struggled to understand, realizing there must have been ongoing communications.
"So you only have one?" Lin asked.
"Yeah, I figure one is enough. Plus a cape."
"Yay! I told you that you needed a cape. Black, right?"
"Naturally. If I manage it right, I'm adding anti-grav to it so I can fly, or at least float."
"Cool." Lin watched as Alexa stored the repair tools neatly. "Are we ready to, you know, go test it?"
"You got the skell?"
"It's just outside. I borrowed Doug's," Lin smirked. "I told him I wanted to observe some simians but I wasn't sure if my skell would keep me safe. I had his keys before I finished the next sentence."
They worked together, packing the deadly model in an unobtrusive gear chest. When they left the room, Elma wasted no time getting free of her hiding place, but she was too late to intercept Lin's borrowed skell.
"Doug," she snapped into her comm device, "I need a trace on your skell."
"Lin's in trouble?" His voice was tense.
"Give me the tracking info." She had her own skell ready just outside the hangar and was slinging herself into the pilot's seat as the information was transmitted. "You can follow me if you want, but don't let her spot you."
"On my way," was his answer.
xcxcxcxcxcxcxcx
The quiet hollow between the rocks near the East Gate was a good choice for forbidden testing, Elma had to admit. Shielded out of sight of the city, close enough that the long range radar system didn't kick in, absent any indigen likely to need more than a good kick to discourage. It took almost as long to land a discrete distance away and slink along the edge of the boulders as it had to arrive in the first place. Elma wasn't sure what she'd find.
Lin and Alexa were standing opposite each other with the Xe-dom puppet beside Alexa. "Try it again," commanded Alexa.
"It still won't be strong enough," complained Lin.
"No, see, this time it'll work. The shift in the augments will..."
"You said that the last time. The last four times!"
"Just hit the button already." Alexa pointed at Lin threateningly. "Dark Alexa commands it!"
"You're really getting in the mood," grumbled Lin. "Gotta give you that." She pressed a red dot on her comm device.
Before Elma's concerned eyes, Alexa slowly began to rise into the air. Her feet remained tethered to the ground by ropes of electricity, snapping blue and pale yellow. The black cape she wore swirled around her legs, flaring to pump more electricity into the air. "Dark Alexa commands her minions awaken!"
"Minion!" Lin corrected her.
"DO NOT MOCK DARK ALEXA!" Alexa's grin was brighter than the electricity surrounding her.
Lin snorted and pushed another dot, blue this time, and behind Alexa rose the deadly puppet. The electricity seemed to caress its vicious form, feeding it and making it pulse with dangerous power. "Rise, my minion, rise!" Alexa shouted with triumph.
"It's working!" Lin screamed in disbelief.
"All shall learn to respect Dark Alexa!"
It was time to put a stop to this, Elma decided. She unsheathed her swords and started to step into the open. A loud bellow surprised her. "What the hell are you two idiots up to?"
"Dougie!" Lin spun around to face a very large and worried Harrier.
"Doug! Whooops!" The electricity discharged in a new direction, towards Doug and his thick armor.
"Yeow!" he shouted, dancing jerkily from the shock. "Lin, this isn't funny."
"On it!" She said, poking her comm device frantically.
Alexa was back on the ground by then, flicking her cape out of the way while she checked on the once again motionless tiny Xe-dom. "Little Go-go is fine. You know, we never considered the possibility of interference from the audience. Good thing you pointed it out." She gave Doug a thumbs up, then frowned. "What are you doing here anyway? Lin, you told him, didn't you?"
"I didn't tell anyone. I swear on a stack of skell manuals!"
"Not Lin. Elma," answered Doug, rubbing his arms.
Elma decided it was time to join the group. "I've been keeping tabs on Project Dark Alexa. I can't let you become a threat to the city, whatever your reasons."
Alexa's bright smile had returned. "Perfectly understandable, and we'll start mitigating that little discharge issue..."
"Little?" muttered Doug, still checking his limbs.
"Not a thing, and it wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't gotten so close. Maybe we can just keep the audience back with tape or something."
"Audience? Just what are you planning?" asked Elma.
"I'm planning on winning, is what. This year the Halloween costume trophy is going to be all mine, or at least all Dark Alexa's."
a/n: The story I could not stop writing. No editing because I'll set it on fire if I look too hard at it.
Next up: Afterlife.