My Archives: September 2003
Tuesday, September 9, 2003
“It is becoming very cold, Mackenzie… Are we there yet?”
Kizana’s voice echoed quietly as she swiftly scaled onward, up the steep, immeasurable vertical shaft, just behind the teenage boy who had taken point. Her words were long overdue, having come after much contemplation over weather or not to interrupt her creator. But as their climb slipped further into infinity, she had figured it was in her best interest to ask, and besides; curiosity, on her part, would be welcomed.
“Almost there, Kizana, we’re just taking the scenic route.” He replied jokingly, as it was rather obvious there was nothing readily scenic about the dank and chilly maintenance passage. It served as Zero’s own, private means of access to the abysmally kept, but thankfully, much more spacious streets of Prague. While it wasn’t the most luxurious itinerary, it was the best alternative. The tunnel - which was rather ancient, even when compared to the several shoddily made lifts that the other attendees of the Chatrani complex used as transport to and from the surface – was a well hidden secret of his, only now shared with his android companion. While there were two other, larger, non-mechanized pathways only to be used in case of emergency, this one was seemingly unknown of, and most likely, not present on any of the layouts of the Chatrani that others went by.Of course, finding it had been rather difficult, time consuming, and a complete trial and error experience involving the multifaceted ducts of the area, but since its discovery, it had proved rather useful. Mainly because it didn’t involve somehow slipping past the net of security that veiled his ‘home’, and its defense systems that went by the code of ‘shoot first, don’t ask anything’.
As always, there was one major downside: It was one hell of an ascension, which was just putting it lightly. Mackenzie had yet to actually measure the sheer distance it took to cover the length of the aging, perpendicular channel, it was safe to say the eight-minute climb was insanely long, and an arduous journey, as well. Not to mention unsafe; Zero was pretty sure that if the Chatrani had some sort of safety code, the rickety, rusting steel ladder steps that protruded from the wall, and the rest of the murky passageway’s overall condition was definitely unfit for anything, let alone traversing all the way to the top.
His hands wearily pulled onward, his eyes peering up along the rest of the stretch needed to be covered, blinking at the cool, damp air. The pair continued to navigate their way to the surface, Kizana having a bit less trouble than Mackenzie, who had to deal with the problem of fatigue. Instead of focusing on climbing, she took in the little details of her rather confined and dark surroundings. The cracked, concrete surface of the walls stole her attention for a moment. They were stained and covered in portions by who knows what; obviously having gone unpreserved for quite some time. Any further observations proved challenging, as lighting wasn’t so great. The only thing giving visibility were the cheaply made and tackily strung together pairs of barely luminescent lights ran along either side of them, every other fifteen or so feet.
Kizana frowned, speculating if the outside world would be a bit more interesting, and that her wait to see it would be over soon. Fortunately, it was, and moments later, the blonde boy just above her proclaimed that they had reached the end. He pulled himself up over the last few steps of the ladder and into a short concave that ended in a door. He hurriedly moved to it and began to slide it aside, its wood and steel base chipping and scrapping against the ground, and Kizana quickly leapt to his side, smiling animatedly and turning to look at him under the hood of her shadowy, ragged cloak.
“Mackenzie, you’ve been to the surface before, am I right?”
The messily haired blonde slowed his exertion against the door midway, his hands rested against it, already noticeably fatigued. “That’s right, Kizana.” He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his jacket, showing a smile at her promising curiosity and hardiness. She seemed to have not expended a single ounce of stamina, even after the long haul to reach the exit to the interconnected catacombs that lead out to the city streets.
“What’s it like?”
“Not much to look at, actually. Most of the time, anyway… It can have its moments.” He nodded, ending his sentence with an involuntary inhalation that Kizana took careful note of. The fact that he had not been sleeping much had somehow slipped his mind; but the occasional, lengthy yawn served as a reminder that eventually, he’d have to find a bed and stay there.
He sighed, looking at the edges of his reddened palms, pressed against the side of the door. They were swelling, noticeably, but it was to be expected: they were doing a hell of a lot of work, and the climbing marathon that had been the past fifteen minutes had only worsened their pain. His gaze darted over to the android Kizana, still smiling eagerly watching him with deductive eyes hidden behind bangs of crimson and violet.
His hands tightened as they pulled away from the door, and he spoke again. “Give me a hand with this, Kizana.”
She paused for a moment, as if unsure what to do, before nodding in partial understanding. “Do you want me to open it?”
“Yeah, just… Give the door a good push.”
“Affirmative, Mackenzie.” Zero swiftly backed away against the stone wall at his left, and watched her step in his previous place. She slowly pulled the hood on her cloak down, firmly planted her hands against the center of the door’s side. Effortlessly, Kizana heaved it forward, swiftly grinding it roughly along the granite at its base and out of their way. “Better?”
“Nicely done, Kay.” He started ahead of her, only to slow as he took the lead, looking back at her. Kizana had tilted her head oddly in wonder, as if ready to ask a question, which she soon did.
“It is morning, Mackenzie. Are we almost there?”
“You’ll see, Kizana. Follow me.” His hands clenched and relaxed at his sides, inflammation wreaking havoc on them, as he resumed striding ahead of her into the gloomily lit, spiraling stairwell.
Kizana walked casually after Zero, trailing him to some extent. She lifted to hood of her cloak over her head, eyes hidden under the shadow and bangs and the overall lack of light. In a detached – and almost, sly - tone, she replied quietly, “I was made to.”
* * *
The man sat motionless in his seat, as footsteps chanted consistently, the feminine figure moving closer, but staying at a distance.The vehicle she had ridden in on her way to meet her newest – if not vague – employers had died halfway into Prague.
Just her luck; it meant she had about a mile or two of walking to do, and she didn’t much like Prague. She didn’t much like the atmosphere of Czech period, actually. It was a dead country, in both spirit and just about everything else, wasting away slowly, just like its inhabitants, and sooner or later nothing would be left but dwindling memories of the past that some could not let go. They would even go as far as to kill and strive to preserve that which has already been long ruined.
And now she was asked to be a part of it. Well, it paid, at least. Her line of work was beginning to lose its novelty. She was tired of killing cheating wives, conglomerate spies, and the occasional loose cannon psycho that owed a debt she herself could pay off with her clothes. This was the first time she had ever found herself engaged in a petty street war, and the environment was noticeably different from her previous few travel opportunities, the most recent being France. It was quiet.
The nameless man looked at her questioningly, his eyes dark and weary. Her style of dress was casual and deliberate; noticeable, but easily forgettable, appealing, but nothing breathtaking. She looked attractive, young, but well out of her teens, blue eyes and brown hair that didn’t quite reach her shoulders and a sense of style that seemed more western, despite her European heritage. She had a thing for denim, which was the majority of her attire: jacket, jeans, and a tan undershirt to complete the ensemble.
There was a sense of normalcy about her. That wasn’t something he liked. Instead of a warm reception, he merely presented her with a blunt statement that was obviously uncaring that she was on time, despite having trudged a respectable distance through fogbound streets. “You’re not exactly what I was expecting.”
Her response was fairly uncaring to his attitude, “I’m capable, that’s all you need to know. Do you want this job done or not?”
“If you can make it happen. You have the conditions, right?”
“One dead motorcyclist and…Some sort of mercenary?”
”She aided in killing Priest. I’ve told you about that. Can you handle taking them out?” The woman didn’t much go for his sense of humor. Mainly because the dark haired person in charge of what was left of this group wasn’t exactly kidding around.
“Should be simple enough; even if this Evelina is as hard to kill as you say she is.”
“…If you make it quick, I’ll double-”
The denim clad woman abruptly cut him off, turning around and headed to the other end of the room; which looked like every other in the horribly furnished, horribly kempt building complex. “No changing the deals, at all,” She stopped and looked over her shoulder, watching him closely and silently reaching into her jacket, brandishing a finely crafted handgun that seemed to glint, despite the eerie and dark conditions of the structure’s inside. “We’ve gone through this, my terms. Give me a week, tops.”
He laughed grimly, shaking his head. “You actually plan on wasting one of the Nightriders with a revolver…? What, do you have a knack for ancient museum artifacts? How very amusing…”
The woman slowly turned to face him, seated in his single chair at the end of the room. Her steps echoed quietly through the room, heels knocking against its surface, and the eerie calm in her look caused him to reach at his side, fingertips sliding along the end of his own gun. She raised her weapon consciously, slowly and rested its side against her temple, pondering and slowly curving her lips with a snide smile. She continued to walk in his direction, watching him intensely, with blue eyes that did not blink, incessant in their piercing stare.
She tapped her finger against the side of the revolver’s barrel, the steps of her feet increasing in volume as she neared. The look on her face, and in her eyes, began to darken and the rhythmic click of her heels against eroding wood flooring became a devious mantra. He was the condemned man, this was the last mile.
Her footsteps were his last rights, and the revolver, now extending toward him, directly in place with her gaze on him, was his priest.
“Six bullets and I only need one.”
He quickly pulled his own gun from his jacket and aimed it at her quickly, the nameless employer who had been so secretive about details other than the catch, up to this point, trying to show he came prepared. “What the hell are you-“
The revolver fired, an explosion that calculatingly jolted the weapon from his hands, and her other hand came to rest alongside the one that was pulling the trigger, and bang after volatile bang rang out.
Every round of the gun had been emptied around him, and he watched her with rather pissed off eyes, as she leisurely turned away once more, slipping the gun back into her jacket.
“So I would lower that tone of yours. No job has ever taken all six bullets. This will be no different,” as she neared the door to exit the area, several others entered through it, wondering what was going on and obviously on edge. They were the last members of Lux Divina, the followers of Priest still left alive and it seemed they were expecting to have found another massacre, but a gesture of the man she just spoke to, and fired at, told them differently. They pulled away from the brunette, and she rested a hand against the open doors handle. “Such a nice morning, by the way… Isn’t it?” Grinning inwardly, the woman known as Skye aptly walked through and shut the rickety door behind her.
* * *
Through illusionary eyes that stared off in idyllic wonder, Kizana stood absolutely still, her head tilted back and lips parted, and against soft, delicate skin that looked real, felt real, and in many was, was real, a lavender glow was cast down on her. Torn away was the roof of the highest level of the abandoned building, and drearily draped remnants of its ceiling hung down, a shadowy, jagged curtain now circling the breach to the sky. And such a delightful sky it was for her to behold. The information having been given to her and stored deep inside her mind, pictures and electronic information, fragments of what the world had been and what it was now seemed nothing like this. The tiny bit of infinity that she could see beyond the aperture was not scarred and chaotic at all. Instead, in this morning, overcast sea of violet, there was serenity. The sunlight could not penetrate the mauve haze, but despite this, its struggle was valiant – not futile.Kizana continued to stare in silent intrigue, wondering if perhaps, the sunlight would pierce the sky, for even just an instant.
And moments became seconds, and seconds became minutes, and through illusionary eyes that stared off pleasantly at the indigo mist that would be her first gaze at the world beyond - much like a child having first awakened – she blinked. It was an involuntary and unnecessary movement; but when her eyes came to focus once again, she noticed something. She noticed that the intrepid effort of the sunshine to break the reign of the foreboding and ominous darkness was beginning to weaken. And the lavender began to fade; the foggy mist soon ready to lift and the glimpse of violet sky over the streets of Prague, the illusionary girl’s first glimpse of the world beyond, would soon end.
“Hey, Kizana,” she blinked once more, having been roused from this state of thought by her companion. “Are you okay?”
Kizana lowered her head and rubbed her eyes slowly, nodding, and pondering about the incessant need to close her eyes for short periods of time. ‘This is beginning to become a bit of a habit…’
She slowly turned to face the blonde male, Zero, who sat crouched at the other end of the area, now watching her with much interest. His goggles sat atop his brow, as always, his right arm rested over his knees as he squatted. He had previously been busy tinkering away at a wrist bound ‘laptop’ that was half the length of his forearm and some peripheral device that was in some way connected to her, but had since stopped that, instead spending the last minute or so watching her observations of the sky. She replied a bit quieter than he expected.
“I am fine, Mackenzie. I want to see more. Is there more like this?”
“Like I said, Kizana… It can have its moments.” He slowly stood, smirking and looking down at the flat panel screen, typing diligently along the keypad connected to it on the back of his wrist. She watched him, pulling her hood down, enjoying the strangely peculiar feeling of forty-three degree weather along her neck. After a short while, he glanced at her momentarily, before nodding to himself. “Alright, Kay, this might sting a little… Don’t worry about it. I’m just connecting to you and starting this little… feature.”
She complied with a thoughtless nod of the head and began beaming at him once more. The reflection of the screen, which resembled a translucent sapphire plastic, shone brightly in his eyes, and he concluded his session of typing with a final press of the soundless, soft keypad.
Immediately, her entire body shook to the core as a violent, shrieking, mind numbing sound brought her to her knees. She tried to clasp her ears, in an attempt to silence it, but its source was indeterminable. It felt incredibly horrible, as if every single inch of her body was burning away, her eyes fluttering about uncontrollably. Though she tried to scream amidst the screech that could be heard by no one other than herself, voice, not the slightest verbal acknowledgement of the assault on her ‘senses’ came. And as quickly as it came, the sound, as well as the agony, passed, dissipating instantly.
It took her a few moments before she opened her eyes, mouth still hanging open from her noiseless scream. She had just experienced extreme sensory overload and irritation, and she did not like it one bit. Her lip quivered for a few moments, before Kizana found herself twitching and coming to a swift stand, her hands suddenly running over her body, trying to figure out what went wrong. There seemed to be nothing visually wrong with her, yet her eyes began to flicker about in an odd panic. Zero quickly dashed over to her, sensing the extreme agitation of the feminine android and apologizing and looking her over. His methods of comfort seemed rather awkward, however, as soon after he pinched her side, hard.
Kizana emitted a strange vocal sound and jumped back, looking at him with a distressed and weary glare. It was comical, and at the same time, she seemed eerily on the verge of actual anger. “Mackenzie, what are you doing? Why does…”
“It’s called pain, Kizana. It’s the closest thing you have to it, right now, at least. If it ever extremely discomforts you, your systems have the option of turning the operation off. I just figured… You know, it’d help you learn to keep from getting hurt and you’d seem much more…” He trailed off, not sure how to continue.
“…I’d seem much more human?”
“…Like I said, you have the option of turning it off.” He repeated, trying his best to figure out if there was anything else he should tell her. Kizana quickly replied, smiling once again after a rather tense moment, and nodding elatedly.
“…Pain. My apologies, I was unaware it… Hurt to such an extent.” She grinned with odd enthusiasm, not quite sure if that sounded logical.
The room began to darken, the morning sky now falling victim to the gray, dreary spell it knew all too well. Zero, seizing this moment and being reminded of his reasons for coming to the surface in the first place, hurriedly pulled her deeper into the housing. Kizana, once again donning her hood, kept close to him as they weaved through the dirt stricken rooms and hallways that had once been places of livelihood in times past. As the two came across a worn, rickety window sill that was spaced only a short distance away from the next building over, Zero began to approach it slowly, looking out beyond its splintered and cracked frame into the darkened room opposite.
“Are your joints working alright, Kizana?”
“They’re working fine… Was I supposed to experience problems?”
“Nope, you’re just going to have to jump.”
Zero stepped back, an adventurous grin forming on his lips, as he quickly sped over to broken and aging balcony. He leapt, pushing off of the end of the building and landing inside the one across, spilling into the room in a rolling haze of dust. After a moment, the cloud of gray began to settle, and he came to a stand, dusting himself off and walking around a bit. He looked back towards the hooded girl watching him cautiously, “Come on Kay, we need to get going. Can’t stay gone long.”
“Alright.” She stated simply.
“Just be careful not to-” He pulled his goggles from his head, wiping them clean on his jacket and stepping back slightly.
There was a creak, and foreboding and loud snap that caused him to raise his eyes from his goggles over to Kizana, and without further warning, he fell. The rotting and weakened wood flooring beneath his feet suddenly gave way, and Mackenzie was sent crashing through the floor in a billowing miasma of dirt and crumbling lumber. The event was sudden, sending him to his back on the level below, his goggles slipping from his fingers and landing on his face moments later.
Zero let out a groan, and then a sigh, pain shooting through his back momentarily. He peered upward, pulling away the pair of goggles on his forehead and grasping them tight.
‘Smart move, genius, way to go.’
And laying silent – completely still – when he realized the groaning noise did not stop, long after he did. The floor under his back was giving way.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
He hit the ground level hard. Dazed, confused, and most importantly, hurting, he quickly tried to bring himself to his feet, wafting away a wispy cloud of filth and coughing sporadically. Kizana wasn’t anywhere to be found, and he was hoping she’d stay put, because if not…
“She better not get hurt… If she can’t regulate that…”
He stumbled about in near absolute darkness for a few moments, before gathering enough sense to lift up his sleeve and bring his arm-bound personal computer to life. It hummed softly and illuminated the surrounding area with a soft, blue aura. Mackenzie exhaled thankfully, somewhat relieved that it had not suffered any damage in the fall.
Stricken with a decent amount of pain in his legs, but not caring to stay in the building’s floor level that seemed boarded away from the little daylight there was around, he slowly moved forward. As he wandered about through the bleak and shadow drowned halls of the accommodation, he did his best to use the glimmering panel not only as a source of light, but as a means of locating Kizana as well. It seemed his connection to her, however, had been jilted by the crash just prior.
His foot steps slowly came to a halt, and he peered upwards as his boots sorely rested their movement. He heard something; noises from above, wherever he had managed to get himself to in the last few minutes time of stumbling about.
They were gunshots, not a great deal of firing, but enough to get his attention. Not to mention make him extremely worried, suddenly.
“…Oh no, Kizana-”
“Yes Mackenzie?”
He spun around instantly, looking at her wild eyed. His heart had literally jumped and done a few flips for good measure, before he finally realized who he was staring at. “Christ, Kizana...? How’d you…”
“Are you hurt?”
“No… Listen, we have to…”
“Mackenzie… I came down to find you and I overheard… I mean, this group is looking for a woman from the Chatrani. I think your friends might be in danger…?”
The blonde blinked, and suddenly, his legs didn’t hurt anymore. He wasn’t paying attention to them. He was eyeing her carefully.
‘Natalie…?’
He needed to get back.
“…What did you hear, again?”
* * *
Through eyes that feigned life yet shone brightly with curiosity, Kizana stood still amidst the benevolent sheet of raindrops. The sky showered the stone streets of Prague, bestowing its gentle pour endlessly and sprinkling the young man at her side and washing around the protective cape of her hood. They were in the middle of the road, the android having come to a stop; eyes enamored with pure, adoring mellowness, as she watched the rainfall wash away the grime that had been so evident before.She enjoyed the sight of the Chatrani. Like Mackenzie, it was her home. It was the only place she could really call home, and she only wished to see more of it. She wanted to protect it, just as the Nightriders did, because nothing was to disturb the magnificent scene before her.
She was beginning to feel the same appreciation for Mackenzie. He was her caretaker, and without him, she would have never have been able to witness this. Her eyes would have never gotten the chance to watch the spectacle of downpour from the heavens with the extraordinary glee that she had now. She would watch over him, much like he watched over her.
Kizana slowly began to smile, and she titled her head back, pulling down the hood of her cloak and keeping it down, slowly letting her hands rest at her sides as the flood of rain spilled across and throughout the fibers of her hair and gently caressed her cheeks. And she could feel it, and it was unlike anything she had ever known to exist before. It felt wonderful. The clear liquid ran across her cheeks and against her eyes, causing them to sparkle soundlessly every once and awhile at the contact. It ran down her chin and smoothly slid across the cure of her neck and coursed along the rest of her elegant body.
She focused her eyes against the soft, melancholy sea of gray overhead. She slowly let them close, and Mackenzie spoke to her quietly.
“We have to go, Kizana.”
She turned her head to the side, eyes glimmering once more at the rain, and she smiled even brighter. She looked happy.
“Alright, Mackenzie. Let’s go.”
As they continued traversing down the long streets of Prague to their home, one conscious thought remained in the android Kay-RX11’s mind.
‘I was… I was made to know… To know beauty…
I was made to be human.’
* * *Posted by Jubilation Link @ 02:43 AM CST [Link]
Thursday, September 4, 2003
Evelina sat on the edge of the bed, unsure what to do. It had taken them very little time to claim the room, and Marena had almost immediately afterwards went into the bathroom, saying something about the condition her hair then had started a shower, which had lasted all of about one minute. She now had the complimentary hairdryer on at full blast. Eve swung her legs back and forth on the side of the bed and stared at the door.
There was a soft knock. Eve was so startled by the noise -- and timing -- that she jumped a little, then started for the door. She looked through the peephole and, surprised, flung the door forcefully open, startling the small girl in front of her.
“What!?” was all Evelina could muster, and studied the girl. “You. You...?”
The girl looked hurt but not exactly surprised. “Kaori. I was in the Chatrani...I-I caused that...quake...and....” she trailed off at the end of her sentence, looking down the hall.
“Oh.” Eve said, a bit surprised to see girl here, and wondering how she got here. “How? Why...?”
“Motorcycle. Because I didn’t want to be with the Nightriders; not the ones till at the Chatrani. Not after all of that...” she muttered.
“Oh.” Eve repeated, a bit harshly. “Well, come in, I guess.”
** Marena stared at herself in the mirror, her elbow resting against the counter surface, her hands as steady as always. She pressed the small stick against her eyelid and pressed lightly, dragging the black pencil-like line across the edge connecting her eyelid and eyelashes. She carefully pulled the line up towards the end of her eye, then proceeded to reverse the direction and repeat the process under her lower lashes. She then placed the pencil back in the bag and retrieved a small, plastic box, the contents a powdery version pencil color. She rubbed her finger in the shadow and dabbed it delicately in strategic points, making her eyes appear smoky and glamorous and wonderful. Each eyelash was traced with a color as black as it’s predecessors. Cheekbones made prominent by golden-red blush; lips made delicious with glistening red color.
She ran her finger in a crescent pattern on her cheek. Sometimes, in certain light, she would remind herself of her mother so much it was eerie. She had her mother’s features and her father’s coloring, and for that she was thankful; she didn’t want to look like her father. She closed her eyes and pictured her home, but bathed in a sunlight she had never seen but could only imagine. She saw beautiful Moroccan beaches, the sand glistening as the waves and rough current whipped it around, changing the patterns along the shore. She’d never really been able to go in the water, for fear of the dangerous undertow, but always imagined herself floating among the waves, feeling the hot light against her face, burning it in such a way that it was more pleasure than pain.
Her thoughts wandered back to her mother, and she would see her on the beach as well. Her soft skin tone burning in the light, raven hair glistening and piercing green eyes sparkling; Marena believed her mother to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She would remember times walking down the beaches in Safi and down the streets of Tangier, taking in the fragrances and culture, looking in shops they knew they could never buy from, trying on clothing they would never own.
She was happy thinking about her home and her mother. She was happy thinking of a world where the sun actually shown, where each day was a little brighter than the next. But, inevitably, when Marena thought about her home, she thought about her father, and home would suddenly go very dark again.
She opened her eyes and stared at herself in the mirror once again, her mother’s face now vanished.
“Beauty is only skin deep.” Evelina said, interjecting into Marena’s thoughts.
Marena’s hand faltered. “Skin deep is the only part that matters.”
Eve made no comment. “Where are you going?” she changed subjects, pointing to Marena’s attire as well as her actual primping.
“Out.” Marena answered sharply. “I’m going to go get us some things to make our stay more pleasurable.”
“Oh.” Eve gestured at Marena’s bright red dress, which also had hints of and an entire lining of yellow. Marena had quite a few flashy colored dresses and shirts she had brought along. “And this helps how?”
“Well,” Marena said, not even looking over at Eve, “I assure you that it’s not only my intellect that’s going to help me tonight.”
Eve was quiet for a moment, as if thinking how to approach something. “Um, Marena, we have a little problem.”
Marena looked away from herself and over at Eve. “What?”
Eve stepped aside and motioned. A young girl, probably in her late teens, stepped through the doorway and stared at Marena.
Marena returned the stare. “Who is she?”
“ Kaori. She was at the Chatrani, she caused the little accident and I guess she figured running away was the best solution.” Eve explained. Kaori looked at her coldly but didn’t say anything. Eve then motioned for Kaori to leave the bathroom, and Marena thought she could hear Kaori say, sarcastically, something about “Mommy and daddy having to talk now.”
Eve put her hand to her forehead. “What the hell are we supposed to do with her?” she paused. “She got here on a motorcycle, she can damn well get back. She can’t stay with us!”
Marena stared at Eve. “What? We can’t kick her out! It’s the middle of winter, and I know I couldn’t make it on a motorcycle all the way back to Prague. She doesn’t have anywhere to go, Eve.”
“I know.” Eve agreed, exasperated but still with a look of utter frustration. “I don’t need more ‘buddies,’ Marena. I didn’t want any in the first place.”
Marena huffed. “I know what it’s like to be that age and completely alone. So she can be my ‘buddy,’ because she’s not going back.”
Eve gave a grunt.
Marena walked out of the bathroom, her shoes clicking against the linoleum before being muted by the carpet. She reached over and grabbed a small purse, which she had put anything she might need in tonight. She looked over at the girl. “What do you plan to do tonight, Kaori?”
Kaori thought for a moment. “Stay as far from Eve as possible.”
Marena laughed, but tried to cover it. “Well...I‘m going to go down to the casino. I suppose you can come for a little while.”
“Oh.” Kaori nodded. “Okay.”
** The main floor of the casino was a dazzling sight, with chandeliers and scantily clad women as far as the eye could see. Golden statues of ancient gods littered the entryways with tables and slots filling out the middle. The most amazing part of it was, however, the ceiling. The ceiling was one giant screen that looked like the sky, with swirling clouds, changing weather and the night and day progression, as if the world wasn‘t always really perpetually dark. She understood why some people spent their whole lives in here.
The floor of the casino was packed tight, and Marena had no trouble swiping a few wallets from both tourists and seasoned casino veterans alike as they veered into her at an almost constant pace. Most of the wallets had a decent amount of cash so they could buy the necessities, such as gambling. Most of the wallets she threw back onto the floor once she rifled through them and took the cash. She handed some over to Kaori, or seemed utterly unfazed by what Marena was doing, to entice her to leave for a little while.
Marena stopped and leaned against a wall, followed by Kaori. “What can you do, Kaori? I can‘t really drag you along now, for a little while anyways. Can you do something on your own”
“Um...sure.” she replied. “Where are you going?”
Marena hesitated. “Business.”
Kaori smirked. “Sure, ‘business.’ Well, I’ll go do some ‘business’ of my own. I‘ll meet you by those doors in a little while, okay?” she said, pointing to a set of double doors to the west.
Marena nodded and the two parted. Kaori headed off towards the actual casino area, while Marena headed towards the front desk. She wasn’t exactly sure what else she would be capable of taking, in this casino at any rate, so she decided to look a little outside of the casino.
Marena soon found herself walking up the slanting, curving driveway to the parking garages. Most of everything she saw on the floors were things she really didn’t want or knew she couldn’t obtain; security on most high end cars was too complicated on the resources she had, and the ones that weren’t she never saw.
She continued up until she got to the level that Eve had parked her bike on, which, she hadn’t noticed, happened to be the VIP area. She figured she’d might as well check on Eve’s bike to make sure it was okay, seeing as at the time it was their only mode of transportation, despite the fact that Marena hated it with a passion. That’s what she was up here to fix, though.
She happened upon the bike a little while later and it seemed to be in the same condition as it had been earlier. She was tempted to kick it, but she knew Eve would somehow find out it was her and stick a couple of dents in her as well. In frustration she slapped the leather seat as hard as she could, causing the bike to wobble. Marena gasped and wrapped her arms around the bike to steady it, muttering curses as she hugged the bike.
Marena walked as quickly as she could from the motorcycle, in the opposite direction in which she had come. As she walked, she noticed at the far end a station, obviously there for security purposes, but what security it offered she wasn’t really sure; all she could see was a rent-a-cop watching a portable TV, his feet propped up on the desk, sets of extra keys from valets hanging off the wall. The casinos had very large signs in the garage stating that harm to any cars was not their responsibility and, despite that, people still parked their millionaire sports cars in these shotty garages. She wondered if people just didn’t take them because they were afraid they would get caught by cameras that probably didn’t even work, let alone tape the entire garage.
Marena continued to walk towards the rent-a-cop building when something very shiny caught her eye. She spun around and, in it’s silver plated glory, was the most magnificent car she had ever seen. One of the most expensive sports cars on the market was sitting in front of her, so there was obviously reason she had never seen one. She had heard about them, however, from books and off the streets. Plenty was to be said about them; their power, their expense...
And their horrible locks.
It was almost common knowledge to anyone who had stolen a car that the newest model, which this one obviously was, had a terrible lock system that nearly anyone could get into, given they had the perfect circumstances to do so.. The problem was never spoken about to the company, however, because once you broke into the car there wasn’t much to do. The car may have had shitty locks, but hotwiring it was close to impossible; no one had ever done it. Not to say they had never been stolen, but it usually required months of planning she didn’t have.
Marena continued to stare at the car in it’s glossy, sleek glory. She then, without even looking away, slid her hand into her purse and pulled out a small pair of cuticle scissors and a pocketknife. She took a quick look around and noticed only one camera facing her, but someone had knocked it off the stand and it was staring straight down at someone else's car. She slid down to the ground and somehow got her head and arms underneath the door panel and proceeded to pull back the bottom of the panel with the butt of her knife. Behind the thin panel one could simply reach up and pull down the wires that connected to the door looks. It was a childishly simple set up; all she had to do was cut the two wires and touch them together and the locks would trigger open. The problem usually was the alarm would go off one the panel was pulled back, even if it was easy to stop as well. This time, however, the alarm didn’t go off. She wasn’t exactly sure who to thank, but she thanked them anyways. She then went on to cut the wires with the cuticle scissors and she heard the sweet sound of automatic locks flipping open. She smiled wickedly and got off of the ground, wiping off her dress.
She excitedly opened the door and immediately sat down in the drivers seat, looking for any form of information she could use. She checked under the seats, in the little sun visors, and in the middle compartment and found nothing, but upon inspecting the glove compartment found something very interesting: a valet ticket and insurance papers. It was common knowledge nowadays that the ticket was given to you and the valet took the car. This guy, however, must have left and come back, not bothering with the valet. Also, the insurance papers clearly gave her the owners name, who was hopefully the person driving it. This was a very good thing for Marena. Now she didn’t even need to knock out the cop and search, painstakingly, for the right key. She could present the ticket and present herself as this man’s wife. This was working out so insanely well that Marena was certain it was some sort of trap. Not that she cared or intended to stop, but it was in her thoughts nonetheless. Lady Luck was apparently on her side.
Marena closed the door of the car and fixed the door panel before walking over to the station, mustering all the charm she possibly could to give her any sort of advantage. She reached the station and knocked on the glass, startling the man inside. He turned around to see who was there before exiting the building.
“What seems to be the problem, m’am?” he asked politely.
“Oh, sir, I’m so glad you’re here.” Marena said, sounding tense and worried. She had also strengthened her normal accent, so if she mispronounced the man’s name it would sound like she just couldn’t speak English well. “My husband told me to come up and get his car for him, but I dropped the keys down the drain and we don’t have another set with us, I can’t even get into the car. He’ll be so angry with me, I don’t know what he’ll do. But...didn’t the valet leave the extra set of keys up here with you? I could use those and run home before he finds out and...” she acted as if she was going to cry.
“Don’t worry, m’am, I’m sure he did. I just need to see your valet ticket, okay?” he told her, trying his best to “calm her down.”
Marena nodded and handed him the ticket. “Thank you so much, you don’t know what this means to me.”
The man smiled and looked at the ticket for a moment, then walked back to the hall of keys. He returned a few moments later holding a set of keys. “One more thing m’am, to confirm, I need your husband’s name and registration number?”
Marena tensed a bit but didn’t let it show. “Reg...registration number? I don’t know that! Sir, how would I know that? I can’t...but I can’t ask him! Oh, what he would do if he knew what I have done.” she actually started crying now, an act she’d learned long ago. It helped immensely in these situations.
The man’s face softened. “Oh, come on- no, stop crying, just give me his name okay?”
Marena gave a weak smile. “Dante Lamoroch.”
“Well then.” the main nodded and handed the keys over to Marena. “Here they are. Don’t lose these, now, or I can’t help you.
Marena nearly squealed with joy. “Oh thank you so much, sir! I will not forget your kindness.” she said, handing him a €100 bill, and thanked him again. The man did not protest.
Marena walked calmly back over to her victory, but once she was inside could not help herself as she peeled out of the garage and sped out. She was tempted to give it a test run, but knew she had said to meet Kaori at the front and, as she pulled past the doors, saw Kaori walk up to the exit and stand, waiting. Marena groaned and pulled the car into the parking garage of a casino across the street, gladly paying the small fee to hide away her new toy. She then took the walk back over to her own casino ans walked through the doors, meeting a very happy Kaori.
“Look.” she said simply, and flashed a roll of €100 bills and grinning widely.
“Now how did you manage that?” Marena asked.
“Uh...” Kaori hesitated. “Skill? Or... ‘skill,’ maybe.” she smiled, accentuating the second skill. “Maybe.”
Marena laughed. “Good job. Well...” she began, then threw the keys at Kaori, who nearly dropped her money in the process of catching it.
The girl looked for a moment, then Marena saw her eyes bug out and she looked back up at Marena, slackjawed. “Now really. How?”
Marena paused for a moment. “Hm. ‘Skill’”
The two smiled at each other and laughed once again, wickedly, which almost -- but not quite -- covered up the sound of gunfire coming from the casino.
Posted by Liz @ 09:44 PM CST [Link]
Tuesday, September 2, 2003
Kaori looked at her surroundings. Nothing but the dark, black sky above her and run down buildings around her. She clutched one of her daggers, she’d need them eventually. Grabbing the only bag she had she stepped forward, walking through the dark streets of Prague looking for some mode of transportation. She had overheard Evelina and Marena and planned to follow them to London. It was the only thing she could think to do at this point. She couldn’t possibly stay with the Nightriders after what happened, not now at least.
Kaori clutched her arms around herself to keep warm. It was cold tonight, just like every other night. She was looking for anything with wheels that could move. A motorcycle would be best, though she didn’t expect to find one in the middle of the night, in Prague no less. The only thing she was remotely well at driving was a motorcycle though, it was something her father had also taught her before he died. It was her best bet, though she could live without one. As long as she could get out of Prague and get to London she would be fine.
She kept walking until she passed by a bar and to her surprise, as well as shock, she spotted a motorcycle parked near the door. She smiled and walked over. She was lucky tonight, very lucky. She debated whether to sit and wait for the bike’s owner, or to just hotwire it. She was horrible at hotwiring, though time was running out. She needed to get on the move so she didn’t get too far away from Evelina and Marena. She wondered, though, if the bike had an alarm. If it did she could alert it’s driver with it.
It was her only idea at this point so she went ahead with it. She walked over, tapped the bike roughly and thankfully an alarm went off. Whoever was driving it was probably drunk, so they would probably be taking their time to get to it. Kaori simply leaned against the wall of the bar, waiting for someone to step outside.
Within in a few moments a man stepped out. He was wearing a Leather jacket, with pants to match. Kaori eyed him up and down, estimating that he was probably in his early twenties, and wasn’t drunk enough to make this fight an easy one. He stopped the alarm on the bike, then looked over to Kaori with a suspicious eye.
“Did you set the alarm off?” He asked demandingly. Kaori just smiled sweetly.
“Why yes, I did. I was wondering if I could maybe borrow your bike. I need to get to London.” The man laughed and looked at Kaori as if she had eight heads.
“Let me think about that one….No.” With that Kaori pushed herself off the wall and moved in front of the man.
“I knew you wouldn’t choose the easy way.”
Before the man could reply Kaori kicked him in the side of the head, causing him to stumble backwards and trip over his bike. He looked at her like she was psycho, then quickly got up from the ground.
“Can I have the bike now?” Kaori asked innocently.
“No! You stupid bitch, get the fuck away from me!” He clutched the side of his head, to see how bad the cut was.“I see. Well, no one calls me a bitch and gets away with it.” Kaori lost her innocent composure and was now quite serious.
She grabbed the man and pushed him into a nearby ally way. He tripped, once again, over a pile of garbage, though this time he made little effort to get back up quickly. Kaori carelessly walked over, standing in front of the ally. The man pulled himself up by clutching a chain link fence, he then attempted to walk toward Kaori but was stopped as a dagger landed dead center in his forehead. He wasted no time falling back down, though this time he wouldn’t get up.
Kaori walked over to his body, kicked it, though she knew he was gone. She rummaged through his pockets and came up with some money. She was thankful for that, since she was completely broke. She also pulled the jacket off of him, he had managed not to bleed all over it and it would keep her warmer.
“A shame it had to turn out this way. Thanks for the jacket though, it matches.” She pulled the dagger from his head and wiped the blood off using his shirt. She stuck it back into a holder and walked off to the Motorcycle, keys in hand.
** Kaori had been driving for hours, without any sign of life in sight. Only the chilling, darkness laid before her as the motorcycle sped down the lonely, cold road. She had begun to regret following after Evelina and Marena, beginning to doubt if she would ever catch up, they would probably be out of London by the time Kaori managed to catch up, leaving her stranded and alone, to wallow in her own regret.
She tried to picture where she was. Putting the amount of time she was on the road and her starting point at Prague she figured she must be in Germany by now. Though, finally, for what seemed like forever she stumbled upon a filling station. She checked her gas gauge and saw that she, indeed, should probably stop so she didn’t end up stranded in a place like this.
She pulled up to one of the pumps and turned the bike off. Since she was in Germany the people here most likely spoke German, which she couldn’t speak a word of. Hopefully she could communicate through gesture, hopefully. A man stepped out from what seemed like a small market selling food. It was the perfect time to see if only gestures would work.
Kaori pulled out some money and waved it, then pointed to the bike’s tank. If the man couldn’t understand what she meant, then she’d lose all hope for humanity right there. Thankfully, he did get the picture and began to fill the tank. Kaori took a deep breath and then walked into the market. It was a small, small place, so it would be easy to steal from. Kaori wanted to save what little money she had, so stealing would be necessary in this case. Though, in order to not look suspicious she did pick up two cheap items to buy, while she stuffed food into her jacket.
Walking up to counter she placed the items down, looking at yet another man who didn’t speak a word of English. There was no need to talk though, just pay, which she did. She grabbed the bag and walked out the door, heading back towards the bike. She handed the man some money for the gas and then started the bike, driving off into the darkness once more.
** It was getting colder, though it could have just been Kaori. She was feeling scared now. It was the first time in a long time that she’s been alone and she was feeling it’s affects. She pulled over to the side of the road, taking a moment to calm the feeling down. She placed the items she stole in the bag she had and got off the bike, leaning against it and looking to nothing in particular.
She clasped her hand around her necklace and closed her eyes, remembering the time she first got it, from her Mother before she died.
** It was raining, it had been for several days. The small room was lit by a simple candle that sat upon a table next to the beds. It flickered in the wind that blew through the cracks in the door, adding to the ominous atmosphere that befell the room. Kaori sat in the corner of the room, resting her head against the wall. Her Father was gone, having passed away the day before. Her Mother was barely hanging on.
Kaori tried to hold her tears back, but it was impossible. So she wallowed in the corner of the room, covering herself with a blanket and sobbing the day away. She didn’t even know if her Mother was still alive, she hadn’t checked at all. When her Father died she made refuge in the corner of the room and didn’t move since. She was to afraid to face the inevitable.
Her Mother was still alive though, which Kaori knew when the dying woman’s voice rang across the eerily quite room. It was a small, whispered, raspy breath accompanied by Kaori’s name. Kaori’s sobbing stopped and she looked over to her Mother. Her Mother lifted her hand up, using what little strength she had left, to signal Kaori over.
“Yes, Mother?” Kaori said with a congested voice as she kneeled down beside the bed. Her Mother didn’t speak and instead pointed to a box that sat atop a burrow. The box was black, decorated with Pagodas and Cranes in an assortment of colors. Kaori had always wondered what was inside, but could never see because the box had a lock.
Her Mother took the box in her hand and pulled a key from under the mattress. She unlocked the box to reveal an Emerald necklace, neatly laid out on a soft velvet surface. The bright green stone reflected off the smooth porcelain surface of the box, creating pretty green streaks all along the black.
“Kaori…I want you to have this. It has been in our family for many generations. Handed down to each of the Matsuya women. Now I want you to have it. I must give this to you now because I fear I do not have much longer left. Now, take it, and whenever you feel alone or scared you hold this and I will be right there with you. I love you Kaori, please…Stay strong for me…” Those were her last words as she let go, leaving Kaori behind and alone. Kaori held the necklace, then held her Mother’s hand as she left the world. Kaori started to cry once again. She didn’t know what to do, so she just held the necklace and rested her head next to her Mother’s. She stayed there for several hours, crying, not willing to let go.
** Kaori held tightly on her necklace as she thought back to that day. She wished she could forget it. She wished someone would hit her so hard she wouldn’t remember who she was.
She sat back down on the bike, still holding the necklace. Even in the dark it managed to maintain a surreal green glow, it may not have actually been glowing, but it looked like it and that was enough.
“I’m scared…And alone now Mother, so where are you?”
** Kaori managed to catch up quite nicely with Evelina and Marena once they left Belgium. She was careful not to get to close. She could live with losing them, after all she knew where they were going and she would definitely get there before they left. She spent the rest of her money getting across the English Channel Bridge, which wasn’t even really expensive, but she spent a good portion on gas for the bike.
Now that she was in London, and managed not to lose track of Evelina and Marena, she had to come up with a reason as to why she followed. Kaori knew neither of them would be pleased. It was even more uncomfortable since Kaori barely even spoke with Evelina. She didn’t even know if Evelina knew her name. Kaori knew absolutely nothing about Marena, and had never even seen her until recently. So, would they even let her stay? Perhaps the entire trip was a waste.
Either way, Kaori stopped her bike next to the sidewalk in front of the Hotel. She waited a few seconds before she went in. She decided to leave the bike there, she didn’t care if it got stolen or not, even if Evelina and Marena wouldn’t let her stay.
Kaori hopped off the bike and walked into the Hotel. She got a few stares from people, due to her attire. She was dressed in a black tank top, black jeans and a leather jacket. She looked odd among these people to say the least, but she could care less.
Kaori scanned the lobby, finally spotting Evelina and Marena entering the elevator. She cursed herself for not moving faster. She’d just have to see what floor they went to and try her best to find the right room. The elevator stopped at the fifth floor, so Kaori took a deep breath and walked to the elevator, waiting along with a few others for it to settle on the first floor once more.
She entered the elevator once it came down and took her place in the corner. She was surrounded by neatly dressed people, people who had way to much money on their hands. She was extremely uncomfortable, but would have to endure it as best she could. Kaori was getting impatient and worried. She was nervous about missing which room Evelina and Marena would enter. There were other methods to finding them, but she would rather just do the following.
Finally though the elevator stopped at the fourty-fifth floor. Kaori hurried herself out of the elevator and rounded the corner in time to see a boot enter a door at the end of the hall. Judging from the people around this place they didn’t wear boots like that, so that must be where Evelina and Marena were.
Kaori leaned against the wall in the hallway for a few minutes, she had to work up the guts to knock and face what might be her having to leave. Well, hopefully her bike was still there. She took a deep breath, having spent the last five minutes standing far from the door it was about time she acted. So, she walked up to the door and planted a small, barely audible knock.
Posted by Transient @ 07:58 PM CST [Link]
Monday, September 1, 2003
“Uh…” said a woman’s voice, which echoed around the room. “Hey, kid.”
The voice was that of Cube, and she had tentatively poked her head into Ana’s living quarters. Not that she was normally a timid person—on the contrary, Denise, AKA “Cube” was known for her gung-ho personality. But after witnessing the spectacle of the child, anyone would be wary.
The child was sitting on the center of the mattress, with her legs crossed and arms drawn protectively around them. She stared over her knees at Cube with wide eyes, but she didn’t say a word. A shiver ran down the woman’s back as she stared back into those eyes. They just seemed a little…off.
“Mind if I come in?” Denise asked, grateful that the other Angels weren’t around. Cube was never this polite, and they would have given her hell for it.
Ana shifted in place and lowered her arms, settling into a more relaxed position but keeping her legs crossed. “Go ahead,” she said in a rather eerie, soft voice. Cube almost laughed at herself for expecting some kind of demonic voice instead. Powers or not, she’s just a scared kid, she thought.
Cube felt rather awkward as she realized there was no where to sit in the room, aside from the hard, flat mattress occupied by the child. After a quick glance at the unforgiving floor, she took a few baby steps toward the bed and perched on one of the corners. Unless Denise was imagining things, a small smile flashed across the child’s face.
“So…rough night, eh?” Cube said rather loudly. Ana inclined her head to the side but didn’t say anything.
“Heh…” said Cube, absentmindedly adjusting her tank top. “Tough crowd.”
The child’s amusement showed in an all-out grin upon her face, and while it lingered there she looked like a normal, happy girl. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” she said, grin vanishing a moment later. Her skin was ghostly pale, almost like porcelain, from being indoors for two years.
“Oh, yeah, of course not,” said Cube, trying to push her earlier visions of terror (such as, her head being prematurely separated from her body) out of her mind. Desperately searching for a topic of conversation, Denise finally said, “Hey, don’t worry about Livewire, if she’s the one making you want to escape. She’s…not usually like that. It’s just been a bad time for her lately is all.”
Ana nodded. “I see,” was all she said, breaking eye contact with Denise. “You’re the one known as Cube…?”
“Yeah, that’s what they call me,” she replied. “My real name’s Denise, as you…might…know.” Cube gave a nervous laugh. “Anyway, that’s kinda like you, right? Hardly anyone knows your real name, but you’re gonna be called Psyche now, right?” Denise felt like an absolute moron, but at least she was making an effort, and she hoped the girl appreciated it. Conversation had never been her forte—guns and machines were more her language.
The girl nodded in reply, and it was impossible to tell her feelings on the new name. “So you’re here as my baby-sitter…” Psyche said in more a statement than a question.
Denise nodded, and as there was really nothing more to say on the subject, all was quiet for a few minutes. Cube yawned once, again fixing her shirt, which was a nervous habit. At 25 years old, the young woman was exceedingly fit, which she liked to showcase in her rather sporty clothing. Growing up in an uncommonly well-preserved area of Washington, D.C, Denise’s mother had been a stickler for perfection, both physically and mentally. School hadn’t counted for much for a while, and neither had wealth, but her mother clung desperately to the illusion of The Perfect Family. And, she had expected her only child to play her role accordingly.
Cube’s mind wandered deeper into her memories, thinking about her father and how he had disappeared when she was very young, off to fight in yet another ill-conceived war. As a soldier for the U.S. Army, he’d had no choice, and when he didn’t come back Denise’s mother changed for the worse.
She’d always been a perfectionist, but it got so bad that she essentially lost hold on her sanity, driving Denise away. After a two-year stint in the army herself, Cube grew discontent with the Establishment and joined the Angels soon after.
“It’s good that you…at least remember your family,” said Ana abruptly, which brought Cube back from her reverie. Psyche’s brown-violet eyes shone brightly and contrasted with her skin, giving her a doll-like appearance. It was, in a word, creepy, and Cube wasn’t really sure how to respond.
“Yeah,” said Denise, shaken. “From what I hear, you’ve got amnesia or something, from being in that place. That must be rough…to not even know your roots, I mean. Do you even know how old you are…or where you come from?”
Ana looked almost confused, but she nodded. “I’m eleven, and I’m from Liberac, Czechoslovakia. You’re wondering how I know this? That’s the basic information that all the nurses, orderlies and such people knew. I don’t know any more about myself, other than my name.”
“How’s that?” asked Cube. She realized that she hadn’t been able to place Ana’s barely noticeable accent until now.
“None of them seemed to know either.” Ana shrugged. “Being aware of…my abilities, I’m sure very few people knew a lot about me. Because I guess they didn’t want me to know.” Ana remembered the man from the evaluation room, the one whom she could not detect a single thought or feeling from…and she suspected that he had been some kind of android, impossible to scan but probably full of secrets.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” said Cube, nodding. “Okay, be honest with me,” she said. “What do you think of this place? What do you think of all of us?” The girl was really a mystery to everyone, and although they all secretly wanted to ask her questions, most were too proud to admit it. “Because…well, just so you know, I don’t think you’re a stupid kid, or annoying for that matter. And I’ve let Dominique know that.”
Ana smiled shyly. “Thank you, Denise,” she said quietly, looking down at her hands. It was odd; Cube noticed…one minute, the child spoke in a serious, almost businesslike tone, very much like an adult. The next, she was behaving like a bashful little girl. Cube could only assume it must be very difficult to cope with, and much like being two ages all at once.
As Ana opened her mouth to reply, she sensed that someone was outside the doorway, and looked at Cube and then motioned over toward the blanket. Cube nodded. “Oi!” she called loudly. “Someone there?”
A young man with dark brown hair and nicely sculpted features stepped into the room, a bashful grin on his face. “I was just about to say something,” said Seth, reaching up to touch a small, bleeding cut on his forehead. “Just, uh…wanted to say hi to our guest.” He smiled at the girl, thinking, She looks pretty normal, but if her eyes start glowing or something, I’m out of here…
“What happened to you?” asked Cube, eyes narrowing. “Get in Dom’s way or something?”
“Nah, not this time,” said the young man, scratching the back of his neck absentmindedly. He wandered a bit closer and leaned against the wall. “Icarus.”
“What’s his problem?” asked Cube, looking over at Psyche so she wouldn’t feel ignored. The girl had a blank look on her face, but she was gazing at Seth.
“He seems to think I was somehow responsible for the crash.” He sighed dejectedly. “We kinda…got in a fight, but Sphinx broke it up.”
“Damn Seth, cut that shit out,” Denise chided, but she was smiling now. “You know he just wants to fight, and he’ll look for any stupid reason. Stop taking the bait.”
“Duly noted,” he replied, looking over at Psyche. “So um…hi there.”
“H…hello,” the girl replied, looking away. Cube and Gryphon exchanged a look, and he cleared his throat.
“Are you doing all right?” he asked, not wanting to ask anything too personal. He’d had all sorts of questions lined up in his mind, but now that he’d met her they all seemed too sudden.
She nodded quickly but didn’t look up.
“Well that’s good, then,” Seth said, and he could sense the tension in the room rising very quickly. “I’m going to get to bed now, but uh…I’ll talk to you again sometime, all right…uh…”
“Psyche,” Cube interjected.
“Psyche,” he added with a quick smile. “See you around. G’night.” He turned and walked out of the room.
There was an awkward silence, and Denise started digging around in her pockets. “Oh hey, Psyche…do ya like chocolate?”
Ana raised her eyebrows and shrugged. Incredulous, Cube held out a small, thick chunk of some kind of consumable, wrapped in tinfoil. Ana shook her head to say she didn’t recognize it.
“Damn, girl,” Cube said with a chortle, breaking the chocolate in half and offering some to Ana. “Kids are supposed to love this stuff, they really deprived you in that place, didn’t they?”
Psyche took the offering and examined it before popping it in her mouth. “It’s…really good,” she said. “Everything we ate at Dynatech was mushy or stale. Do you…have any more?”
Cube grinned at her. “Sure,” she said. “I keep some around for when my blood sugar gets low. It helps when I’m jogging in the mornings.”
“Okay then,” said Ana uncomfortably, forcing a smile. No one had ever been nice to her up until today, and she didn’t know how to respond. Ana desperately wanted to trust this woman, as she could sense she had good intentions, but it was still difficult for her. Her motto had always been: Never Trust Anyone, Especially An Adult, and it wasn’t about to change overnight. The various needle marks and scars on her body served as a reminder.
Still, it was impossible for her not to feel good about their interaction, and about Dom’s strange form of kindness, and about the young man who had just paid her a visit. Even with Livewire’s hostility, Ana’s mistrust toward these people was lessened a great deal.
Cube couldn’t know this, so she merely smiled back and checked her watch, commenting, “Oh, it’s two AM…You should try and sleep, huh kid? I mean, Psyche?”
Ana’s eyelids were indeed starting to droop, so she yawned in reply and lay down on the bed. Cube noticed how she curled into the fetal position and immediately shut her eyes, as if she were playing dead. Shaking her head, Cube covered the child with the wool blanket and observed her for a few minutes. She didn’t care that, in all likelihood, her mind was being scanned as she sat there. Everything she thought was kind, and the kid certainly needed some positive feedback, to say the least.
“I’ll find you a pillow soon,” Cube whispered. She would have to remain here until the girl fell asleep, though she doubted seriously that Psyche would try to escape again.
As Denise went to shut off the light, something caught her eye, and she noticed that Psyche was still holding the candy wrapper in her hand. Well, she thought with a smirk, I guess baby-sitting isn’t so bad after all.
**
Ana dreamt that night.
Somebody was holding her close, and talking quietly. It was in a language that seemed familiar yet alien all at once, and the girl listened more closely but was unable to decipher the words.
She felt completely at peace, and warm, with these arms wrapped around her and someone’s heart thudding softly nearby. Where she was, she couldn’t see. She could smell coffee and cooking eggs…the voice faded out…
Someone had slapped her so hard it felt as if her brains might go spilling out of her head, and there was shouting…A tiny little voice screamed out, but it was unrecognizable, and surely not her own…a moment of blackness…
She felt scared, but she did not feel alone, because there was someone nearby who would protect her. She felt small and insignificant but never alone. As she slept there was familiar warmth next to her, which meant that she was safe and sound…then more blackness and the feeling of fear…
There were so many voices all at once, but the faces all blurred; unrecognizable. There was a loud noise, and then that strange little shrieking voice filled the air as her arms felt like they might be torn from her body…
She was cold and utterly alone…
Fragments of memories were beginning to surface. When Ana awoke, the realization of her dream hit in a wave of nausea, and in a panic she temporarily forgot where she was. She was not terrified of monsters lurking in the dark, but of nameless, faceless people with their arms outstretched…taking her away from all that she knew of happiness. She suspected that without the medication, there would be no holding back the past, whether she wanted to know or not. She could not sleep for quite some time, shivering and staring into nothingness.
Posted by Sylpheel @ 05:57 AM CST [Link]