All is Fair

Millie

I awoke into black silence.

My arms and legs felt restrained and I was seated in a padded chair that supported my whole body. As my eyes grew adjusted to the darkness I could see faint sensor lights on a wall facing me. From what I could tell, I was still dressed in my clothes I had on before, but my vest and boots had been removed. I wiggled my toes and noted my socks were still on if a little damp. That was good as my feet got really cold at times – just ask Twenty when I tried to warm them up on her legs at night. There was a little movement in the straps holding my right arm down. Not so I could pull it free, but so my fingers could reach a touchpad set beneath them.

With a gentle touch, the screen came alive. The little light it shed revealed I was in a small chamber of some sort, the chair mounted in the middle. All of the walls and floor were lined with sound absorbing material. It was as quiet as the grave and about as comforting.

My mouth was dry and a latex mask of some sort covered my lower face. I could breathe in and out through my nose, but the mask stopped me making any but the feeblest of noises.

Whoever had put me in here knew all about my Gunsinger capabilities. The little noise I could generate with my mouth or right hand was swallowed up in the sound proof lining of my prison.

It reminded me a lot of the testing chambers they had put me in at the Awakening Centre, back when I was twelve years old. I had no doubt that this chamber had been deliberately designed to contain an Aeromancer. Particularly one with a bad attitude like me.

I had a major headache pulsing though my skull, a side effect of the tranquiliser and too little water. With a mental groan I laid back into the padded headrest. I hoped Twenty and Adoracion were OK somewhere and I fretted uselessly about them for some time. After a while I drifted away into exhausted sleep.

I jerked awake once more as light played over my face. Opening my eyes I saw the wall that faced me had a clear panel set into it. Light from the room beyond was illuminating my little chamber. I squinted against the unexpected glare and tried to make out details of the other room.

Shadows moved in there and then a figure resolved itself. It was the woman in white. As my vision cleared I could observe her more distinctly now. She was of average height, with long black hair framing a stunningly beautiful face. Her clothes were different this time, a short black dress belted at the waist, topped with a long sleeved white jacket, open at the front. She wore black gloves on her hands again, one of which was placed delicately against her cheek as she watched me, fingers drumming a thoughtful beat.

For a bad guy she could have passed herself off as a fashion model. It was nice to have an enemy that dressed well. I wondered if she appreciated my shorts and shirt combo in return?

“Good morning Millie” she said. I saw her lips move on her side of the partition but her voice came to me via an earbud I only now noticed had been placed in my right ear. I jiggled my right hand over the touchpad as a wave hello.

“If you want to say anything, type on the pad” she said in my ear, pointing to the pad under my fingers. I glanced down at it and saw a basic alphabet display had come up.

I quickly typed a reply with my fingers and hit the “Done” button. Then I looked eagerly up to gauge her response. A display screen came up on the glass partition, showing her my words. I could read them backwards from my side and I hoped I had not made an embarrassing spelling mistake in my haste.

Her eyes widened for a moment and she laughed. Not a big genuine laugh, more of a kind of amused laugh at the antics of a naughty child that was going to need scolding.

“Such language Millie” she finally said and looked back at me. “The Sisters would be very disappointed in your choice of words. At least you spelled them correctly”

I dashed off an even shorter response, then cursed inwardly when I saw the words appear before her. <Fick you> is hardly swearing in anyone’s language.

She came and stood right up against the clear partition, putting her face and eyes in shadow as the room light now backlit her. Her eyes seemed to have an internal wan glow of their own, a pale green that reminded me of sickness and decay. She did not seem so beautiful now.

“You know my name, don’t you Millie?” she said, her breath fogging the double insulated Ceramiglass between us. I nodded my head in response. I knew who she was. She was the woman responsible for the death of Ms Goody. Penny Deeds, the assassin after Jericho-Three.

“Do you remember me at all?” she said quietly. Her voice was transmitted clearly to my earbud. Obviously she thought I had met her at some point in my life but I could not place her.

<You must have worked with Venerae> I typed to her. <But I don’t remember you> She stepped back from the partition to read what I had sent.

“It doesn’t matter” she admitted. “You are just a bargaining chip for my dealings with Venerae. Or maybe bait, depending on how willing she is to talk with me”

<Penny Deeds> I typed. She looked with interest at the display, and then at my face. Penny raised an eyebrow enquiringly. <I thought you would be prettier>

Penny’s face just went cold, her eyes boring into me. I was reminded of the times I looked into the faces of the Guard, before I had met Twenty. Something not entirely human looked out from those eyes and for once I felt afraid of her.

“We all change Millie” she said flatly, “Even those we love. Remember that when you see Venerae again”

The lights in the room snapped off and I was plunged back into darkness.

=====

“Why did you kill Carter?”

I woke up in the familiar darkness, uncertain if I had heard those word or not. The lights in the other room were off, but then I saw the two faint green glows of her eyes, watching me from the dark.

I went to answer and remembered the mask that gagged me. With a muffled sigh I touched the pad beneath my fingers and slowly tapped a response.

<He deserved it> He was not the only one I thought, looking at my captor.

“You could have disabled him by taking his other hand, but you chose to kill him” her voice came to me in my ear. “I think you are far more like Venerae than they realised. It is no wonder she left you behind”

<What are you talking about?>

“Venerae always feared that her Order would try and recruit you. She tested you regularly to see if you could be an Adept. I remember how relieved she was when you Awakened instead”

<So I can’t be both?>

I heard her laugh at my ignorance. It was not a kindly laugh.

“The bloodlines that make you either an Adept or an Awakened are different. Most people are neither, and none of us can be both” She paused, contemplating,

“For most of humanity, for people like me, the only path to any kind of power is to be Enhanced. That is the route that our science has given us. That is the path I chose”

<So why did Venerae leave me?> The simple words I typed did not convey the pain I felt over this. I think Penny knew it anyway.

“She made a pact with her Order. If she remained their loyal servant, you were protected. They would not reveal what she was to you and they would not take you into their ranks. Truly a bargain with the Devil”

<You are lying to me> I sent back angrily.

“I lie all the time” she agreed. “Sometimes though you get better results with the truth”

Venerae seemed more distant from me every time I spoke about her.

<Why did you tell those men to kill Goody?>

“Goody? Ah, you mean Gudrun Thorsfeldt, that mercenary at the labs. I did not want her dead for myself, that was on the wishes of another party”

<Who?> I snapped out the letters.

“Sorry Millie, but I have some secrets I can’t tell you. Your life hangs by a thread right now. Knowing such answers would require the thread to be cut”

I thrashed and screamed silently in my prison, my anger engulfing me. My Gunsinger surged out but there was so little for it to use. Weak strikes against the armoured glass partition barely marked the surface.

Penny laughed in my ear at the futility of my rage.

“Patience Millie, patience” she finally said to me. I stopped my pointless movement and just seethed.

“Your time will come” she told me. Her green eyes moved as she stood and left the room. Darkness and silence returned.

=====

“Are you hungry?” Penny enquired, rousing me from fitful dreams. She was in darkness again, her eyes watching me from her room. I came back to awareness and thought about what she asked.

<Yes and I need to go number 1> I sent back.

“Very well, but you need to behave” she answered and I saw her eyes move away.

Soon after I felt more than heard a door open behind me in the chamber. Light spilled in from the open doorway, illuminating Penny as she appeared beside my chair. A stun rod in her left hand was placed gently against my stomach, the charge prongs pressing through my shirt.

“Be a good girl” she warned me softly and I nodded agreement. Penny undid my restraints, the stun rod always close to my body. I slid myself off the chair to face her, my socks not preventing the cold floor chilling the soles of my feet. She reached up and undid the face mask and laid it on the padded surface of the chair.

It felt great to be able to stand and breathe without restriction. I slowly stretched and eased my muscles, taking care not to alarm my captor with any sudden moves. As I flexed and twisted, I looked about my little cell.

Everything was covered in that textured sound absorbent material, even the floor and ceiling. The inner face of the door was the same. I doubted I could use my Gunsinger with any effect in this space even with a decent source of noise.

As I was still unlocking all the kinks in my neck, I noticed the Pathfinder Stone I wore on a chain there was missing. Venerae had given it to me on my tenth birthday and I had worn it ever since as a reminder of her. Despite my best attempts, I had never made it function like she had claimed it could. I wondered what had happened to it. Lost in the fight against Carter I supposed.

When I finished my routine, Penny pointed me to the doorway. With me leading we entered a long corridor. To one side there were windows, looking out over Pan City. We were some height above the ground and nearby were residential towers. Against the building we were in was a High School with teenaged students milling about in the courtyards. This had to be an Awakening Centre.

Penny let me enjoy the view for a few moments then pushed me firmly towards a restroom a couple of doors along on the left. As I entered she came in behind me and directed me to a larger cubicle for disabled users.

I went in and was going to close the door but Penny propped it open and joined me. Her stun rod was never far from me at any time. She nodded to the toilet and I realised this was going to be one of the most embarrassing episodes of my life. My hatred for her reached a new level.

After I washed my hands she sent me back to my chamber. As I walked towards the still open door, I hesitated as I saw two armed Sentinels facing us from the other end of the corridor.

“It’s OK, they are mine” Penny said and guided me into my little prison cell. How did she have control of Pan City Sentinels? Then I realised it was probably the same contacts that gave her access to an Awakening Centre right here in the city.

Once I was seated again, she secured my legs and left hand again. With deliberate care she fed me warm broth from a self-heating can and then some water. A small trolley had been brought in while I was out of the room.

“Any chance of a coffee?” I asked hopefully.

“Next time” she said like a parent to a small child. My right hand was strapped down once more. Before she reaffixed my mask, she took a damp cloth from the trolley and wiped my face and neck. Her expression was intent but gentle and I wondered what thoughts were running through her mind. The hatred I was feeling must be shining from me, yet she seemed to ignore it.

“Do I really look like Venerae?” I asked Penny, just before she put the mask in place.

“Yes” she answered and leaned in to kiss my forehead. Her lips were soft and warm.

I looked at her artificial eyes and pondered who was in there. How close had she been to Venerae? And what was the real relationship between my guardian from the orphanage and myself?

=====

<How long have I been here?> I typed in the glow from the touchpad. Penny’s eyes gleamed at me from the darkened room she sat in.

“Long enough” she answered through the earbud. “Your friends are still looking for you but they won’t find you here”

I felt my heart race at her reply. Did that mean Twenty and Adoracion were still alive? It was the one question I wanted to ask more than any other, but the answer could break me.

<Will you release me if Venerae gives you what you want?>

“Perhaps. It depends on how nicely she asks” Penny stated.

<Will you hurt me?> I sent. She was giving me such weird signals I had no idea if she hated me or cared for me. Maybe it was both. Her personality seemed to shift at times, like there was a good Penny and a bad Penny alternating who was in charge.

“Perhaps”

<Am I the reason you and Venerae stopped working together?>

She paused and I could see her green eyes watching me without blinking from her side of the barrier.

“Yes”