COLONY SHIP 02, UR: RAUTH ROBOTICS
“I’m not going to have another argument with you about this.”
“It’s not an argument. I am only… concerned for you, sister.”
“Your concern is misplaced. I’m fine.”
“So you say. But your words and your actions do not always match, especially of late.”
Two identical faces stared across the table at each other. The same jet-black eyes, the same gently-sloping nose, the same pristine lips. But beyond that, they were as different as could be. The one with a humanoid body was wearing casual clothes—a long-sleeve coat, skirt, and black stockings. Her fiery crimson hair was tied back in a wild ponytail and her expression could be described as “frustrated.” The other possessed a typical CAST body of gleaming red and black metal. Her red hair was cropped short, modeled after the style of her predecessor. Her expression was more akin to “strained patience.”
“I haven’t lied to you, if that is what you’re implying,” said Aki01, the Caseal with the humanoid body.
Her twin sister, Aki02, frowned and pursed her lips. She looked like she wanted to debate the issue further, but adopted a more conciliatory tone instead. “Not at all,” she said. “I am merely trying to understand.”
“What is there to understand?”
“For one thing, why you continue to avoid using the recharging alcoves with us. Sharing our memories—our experiences—has been one of our core functions since we were first activated. Rho and I have been using them together regularly for the past three months. Speaking of which—,” she turned to her other sister, “you and I need to have a talk about the last batch of memories you sent me.”
Rho became flustered and glanced away. “Y-Yeah, about that. I can explain! It was all Luna’s fault, I swear!”
“Later. After I’m done talking with Zero One.”
Across the table, Aki01 shook her head slightly. “I don’t know what you expect me to say.”
“All I want is the truth. If you are in pain, or in trouble, I want to know. Not because I think you’re hiding something, but because I want to help. You are my sister. I care about you.”
“I care about you, too,” said Zero One. “Which is precisely why I shouldn’t do it. Some memories are better left buried—where they belong.”
“This is about Lee Okada, isn’t it?”
She said nothing.
Which, of course, Zero Two took as confirmation. “What he did to you was terrible. Unforgivable. Using you to hurt your friends and family. Taking away your freedom of will. To a CAST, there is no greater offense. But—”
“No,” she interrupted, her tone stern. “And that’s final. End of discussion.”
“Clearly you are still in pain. We all see it. Isn’t that why you went on that cruise last month, to heal your troubled mind?”
“Actually,” said Rho, “I think Zero One’s been in a better mood since then. Last week I even caught her smiling to herself. It was like finding a Unicorn Rappy—so rare, you’d swear it isn’t real.”
Aki02 considered that. “You may be right. Perhaps the cruise did some good after all.”
A gleefully sinister look crossed Rho’s face, not unlike a kid in a candy store. “Did something good happen while you were away?” she asked Zero One, grinning from ear to ear. “Something you’re not telling us, perhaps?”
Once again, Aki01 said nothing.
“Maybe you met someone special on the cruise? Picked up a secret boyfriend, hmm?”
“There’s no ‘secret boyfriend,’” she insisted, glowering.
“I don’t know,” teased Rho, “you don’t sound so sure about that.”
“I’m sure.”
That was when the doorbell rang. It was a loud, laborious chime, clearly audible even from three rooms away.
“Luna!” Aki02 called to the next room. “Can you get that?”
“What am I, your maid?” came the curt response.
“Luna…”
“Alright, alright. You’re just lucky my new body isn’t ready yet. Once I’m a full-fledged CAST, I expect to be paid for my work.”
“Fair enough. But in return, Dr. Rauth will charge you for room and board. That sounds like an equitable deal, does it not?”
There was a pause. “Uhh… On second thought, forget I said anything. I’ll go answer the door now.”
“Thank you, Luna.”
The pitter-patter of little feet faded into the background. A few seconds later the sound returned, and soon after that Luna appeared in the doorway. “Zero One, you have a visitor,” she said.
Aki01 threw the support partner a questioning look.
“Some guy,” Luna explained. “A Newman. I didn’t catch his name, but he said he knows you.”
Some guy? Zero One had no idea who Luna was talking about. There was only one way to find out, so she stood up and headed for the front lobby. It was a short hike from the rec room. Through a hall, down a flight of stairs, and through another hall. But eventually she got there. When she did, she discovered there was indeed a guy standing in the lobby. As advertised, he was a Newman. On the shortish side, with pale pink hair, wearing a crisp suit and tie. Aki01 had never met him before. She was quite certain of that. Then the man turned towards her and she stopped cold.
Because the face was unmistakable. It didn’t belong to a Newman. It didn’t even belong to a man, yet there it was. Completely familiar. Grinning up at her like she’d seen so many times before.
“Éva?!” she exclaimed in surprise.
“Ah,
mon chéri! How I longed to see that beautiful face. You look positively radiant, as always.”
That voice. That warm, lyrical, slightly accented voice. It definitely belonged to Évangelique, but modulated to a more masculine pitch.
Before Zero One could process the situation, the pink-haired Newman stepped forward and dropped to one knee. He (she?) reached out, took her by the hand, and lightly kissed the back of it. Exactly as Éva had greeted her before.
If there had been any doubt in Aki’s mind, it quickly evaporated. There was no question anymore. Somehow this Newman, this
man, was Évangelique Violette.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What are you doing here? And why do you look like… like that?”
Before Éva could reply, Zero One heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Two pairs, identical weight, both armored. Even without looking, she knew exactly who it was.
“Well, well!” exclaimed Rho. Her tone was annoyingly smug. “Who’s your new friend?”
Reluctantly, Zero One turned around. Rho and Zero Two were standing behind her—just as she expected. Rho had a “gotcha” look on her face. Clearly she had already jumped to conclusions. Zero Two merely wore an expression of mild curiosity.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Rho asked.
“This is, ah… This is…,” Zero One replied, trying and failing to supply an answer.
“Évaan,” the pink-haired Newman finished for her. “Évaan Jellick.”
Éva leaned in close to Aki01’s ear piece and whispered, softly enough so only she could hear, “Optical camouflage, my dear. Quite convincing, no? But fear not. Under this disguise, my parts are all still female.”
Amazing, thought Zero One. Even this close, Éva’s “camouflage” was completely perfect. No distortions or anomalies at all. The Caseal looked just like a male Newman—except her face, which remained unchanged.
Éva stepped past Zero One to address the others. She greeted each Caseal with an, “
Enchantée, mademoiselle,” followed by a kiss to the hand. First Rho, then Zero Two. She was all smiles and good cheer. Typical Éva, always the charmer. Afterwards she returned to Zero One and said, “You never told me you have such lovely sisters.”
“It never came up.”
Having stood there quietly, Zero Two finally decided to speak up. “So, how did you meet Zero One?” she asked.
Éva grinned and rubbed her hands together, clearly eager to tell the story. “On a cruise ship, of all places! A romantic voyage through the stars. I was there for business, she for pleasure. Our eyes met from across the room, and—
voilà! It was love at first sight. For both of us, I think.”
The Caseal-turned-Newman draped an arm around Zero One’s shoulders and pulled her close. Intimately close. As though they were a confirmed couple, deeply in love. It left Zero One feeling a bit flustered and annoyed. Annoyed at Éva’s brazen declaration—in front of her sisters, no less! And flustered because, if she was being completely honest with herself, she didn’t completely hate the idea.
And that scared her.
“I can only imagine it was fate that brought us together,” Éva continued. “Though I hardly believe in such a thing. And yet—here we are! Inseparable soulmates, bound together on this journey known as life.”
What presumption! What audacity! Zero One calmly removed Éva’s hand from her shoulder. With a hint of acid in her tone she said, “I don’t recall agreeing to that arrangement.”
Which didn’t deter Éva in the slightest, of course. “Oh,
mon chéri. One does not choose to be a soulmate. One simply is.” She turned to Zero One’s sisters and whispered, quite loudly, “She is rather cute when she gets embarrassed, no?”
“Embarrassed?” scoffed Zero One. “Now listen here—”
“What is it you do, exactly?” Zero Two asked Éva, interrupting her sister.
“
Excusez-moi?”
“You said you were on the cruise for business. What line of business are you in?”
“Ah,” Éva grinned in understanding. “I am… an art dealer, of sorts. I was there to acquire a rare and valuable piece. One of the great sculptures of the modern age.”
By stealing it, thought Zero One, but kept her mouth shut.
“Unfortunately things did not work out quite as planned. But as they say,
c’est la vie! Such is life. There will always be another day and another opportunity, eh?”
Rho and Zero Two nodded politely.
“I have always had a keen eye for beauty. Which is why, from the moment I saw your enchanting sister here, I knew I would do anything to have her. Fortunately she did not require much persuasion in the matter, as she has become quite taken with me.”
“That’s funny, she never mentioned you,” Rho remarked. “Like, not even once.”
Éva could only smile in return. “Her modesty and privacy know no bounds, as I’m sure you know. But regardless, here I am now, making my grand entrance.”
“Why
are you here?” Zero One asked bluntly. She hadn’t thought to ask sooner, but suddenly the question was all she could think about. This wasn’t a mere social call on Éva’s part. Of that, she was fairly certain.
“For you, of course! I am here to whisk you away, as I promised when we last parted.”
“To whisk me away?”
“Like a romantic getaway?” asked a starry-eyed Rho.
Éva nodded sagely. “Exactly that.”
Rho jabbed Zero One playfully in the shoulder. “A surprise vacation? I’m jealous, sis! I don’t know where you were hiding this guy, but you better hang onto him. Otherwise I might have to snag him for myself!”
“You want him? You can have him,” Zero One quipped dryly.
That produced a chuckle from Éva. “You are too much, joking about such things. But I am quite serious, my dear, both in my affection for you and my invitation. So what do you say? Will you do me the honor of joining me this weekend? I would very much like the pleasure of your company. And, I think, you may find it worth your while as well.”
There was something about her tone, the way she said it. Hidden beneath her words was a genuine plea for help. The others probably hadn’t noticed, but Zero One certainly did. And since Éva had come all that way to ask…
“Alright,” she replied, hoping she wouldn’t regret it later.
Éva’s eyes sparkled with delight. “
Très bien!” she exclaimed with a clap of her hands. “Then off we go!”
“…Right now?”
“Yes, now. Don’t worry about packing. You will have everything you need when we get there.”
Zero One raised her eyebrows. “In that case, lead the way.”
* * * * * * * * *
Éva’s vehicle was parked out on the curb. It was a motorcycle—not a hoverbike, but a standard model with rubber wheels—painted in her favorite colors, purple and black. More importantly, it had a sidecar attached. Éva climbed onto the bike while Aki took the sidecar. The engine started up with a snort and a purr, and off they went.
A hundred meters down the road, when the lab was safely out of sight, Éva reached into her pocket a pressed something hidden inside. Her Newman persona shimmered, wavered, and then vanished. In its place was the familiar Éva, the one Aki met on the cruise. Her violet hair ruffled fiercely in the wind as the bike swept them down the boulevard.
“A portable holo-emitter,” said the Caseal, by way of explanation. “Quite handy, no?”
Aki nodded. “Impressive tech. The effect was completely convincing. I couldn’t tell the difference even when I was standing right next to you.”
“Then I would call it a successful field test, given your sharp eye. I’ve toyed with holographic camouflage in the past—the false ‘Infinity’ sculpture, for example—but this was my first time using it this way, on a person.”
“You made it yourself?”
“
Moi?” Éva laughed. “
Non non, darling. One of my people. She is what you might call a ‘tech wizard.’ Remember the weapon camo devices I acquired on the cruise?”
“You mean the ones you
stole?”
“The ones you allowed me to take,” she corrected Aki. “You could have turned me in, yet you didn’t. Which I still appreciate, by the way. In any case, my little tech wizard modified them to create this—personal, full-body camouflage.”
“Then what? You decided to drop in on me, unannounced, and make that blatant declaration? In front of my sisters, no less! And whisking me away, as you put it, suddenly and without explanation?”
Éva maneuvered the bike to a highway on-ramp. The signal light turned from red to green and off they went, like a horse at the races. The vehicle zipped and dodged around the morning traffic with ease. They were going well past the posted speed limit, but Éva didn’t seem to mind. As with most things, she handled it like a pro.
“Come now,
mon chéri, there is no need to kid yourself. You are not mad at me. Not really.”
Aki frowned. “No? And why is that?”
“I bring some much-needed spice into your life. The thrill of adventure, of romance! A distraction, perhaps, from thoughts you would rather not dwell on. So no, you are not upset. You like it when I take charge. Maybe it even excites you a little.”
“Th-That isn’t…! I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. But I can tell.”
Aki glared straight ahead. She was frustrated, and annoyed, and embarrassed, and at a loss for words. Because once again, Éva was right. Somehow this woman, a complete stranger until a month ago, knew Aki better than she knew herself. And that drove her crazy. At the same time, she found herself drawn to Éva in ways she couldn’t explain, as though the other Caseal exuded the gravitational pull of a black hole from which there was no escape.
“What is this really about?” asked Aki, changing the subject. “I assume we aren’t really headed for a weekend getaway.”
“Sadly, no, though I very much wish it were so. For now, I suppose we will have to settle for what we can get.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
A pause, followed by an enigmatic smile. “A heist,” Éva replied. “The likes of which few have ever attempted, and even fewer have succeeded.”
Aki couldn’t believe her ears. “You expect me to help you commit a robbery? Again? After everything we went through aboard the
Celestial Princess?”
“Don’t be so quick to judge, my dear. You may change your tune when you hear the intended target.”
“Go on…”
As they approached the next exit, Éva eased the motorcycle over two lanes and took her foot off the gas. They cruised down the ramp, slowing as they approached the intersection. There was a big green sign at the junction. It had an arrow pointing right that said “Downtown” and an arrow pointing left that said “Docking Bays.” They turned left.
“I believe,” Éva said carefully, “you are acquainted with the group calling itself the Non-human Independence League?”
That was an understatement. The NIL, as they were commonly known, was officially branded a “terror organization” by the Oracle government. Comprised of disgruntled Newmans, CASTs, and Deumans, they sought to end the so-called “oppression of humanity” by any means necessary. Their stated goal was the formation of an independent nation, one run by—and for—the non-human races. Their methods, however, often resorted to violent attacks, usually on civilian targets.
Almost two cycles ago, Aki accepted a client order from the Oracle government to infiltrate and dismantle the NIL leadership. But she was discovered and subsequently captured and tortured. In the end, she not only managed to escape but succeeded in taking down the head of the NIL, a vicious Newearl known as Nami’el, a.k.a. the Wraith.
For a while it seemed as though the NIL would collapse on its own. Lacking a unified command structure, the scattered remnants focused on small-scale demonstrations. Reminders, they said, that their flame had not yet been extinguished from the universe.
Recent months had seen a resurgence in NIL activity. Their efforts became more coordinated, their targets more prominent. No one outside the organization knew for sure what changed. However, rumor had it that the NIL was under new management, or at least had secured a new source of funding.
“You checked into my past,” Aki said to Éva, when her thoughts were back in the present.
The purple-haired woman shrugged nonchalantly. “Your past is mostly a matter of public record. And, I might add, rather impressive. War hero, scourge of the criminal underworld, former headmaster of the ARKS Academy. You’ve had quite the career, my dear.”
“With an emphasis on the
former part. I’ve been suspended from active duty. An indefinite leave of absence, remember. I have no authority to take action against the NIL, or anyone else for that matter.”
“I’m not asking you to do it for the ARKS. I am asking you to do it for me—and yourself, if you are so inclined.”
Aki arched an eyebrow. “I’ve heard that line before.”
“I meant it then and I mean it now. You don’t condone robbing the innocent—of that, I am well aware. So why not steal from criminals? Our gain will be their loss, what you might call a ‘win-win scenario.’”
Éva had a point, Aki had to admit. Logically it made sense. And though she didn’t agree with some of the woman’s methods, she had no problem robbing a bunch of terrorists and murderers. Of that, she was certain.
“I’ll help you,” she said, “on one condition: That everything you take will be used by your people to fight the Darkers.”
Éva got uncharacteristically serious for a moment. “That is our mission, darling. Our holy crusade. I promise you, every last meseta will go to a worthy cause.”
“And one more thing. If I do this, I’m doing it for you. I don’t have anything to prove to myself. Not anymore.”
Though she was driving, Éva spared the Caseal a sideways glance. Her eyes, Aki noticed, were practically sparkling with affection. “
Mon chéri, hearing you say that means more to me than you know. I am sure we’ll make quite the team, as usual.”
This time it was Aki’s turn to smile. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked.
Up ahead, the entrance to the docking bays was fast approaching. The motorcycle raced on, ready to meet it.
“I’ll tell you,” replied Éva, “once we reach my ship.”
TO BE CONTINUED
