It was hard to tell if I had dreamed during my deep sleep, as there was no mental record of it. There was a feeling that I had felt something - more of a force, perhaps. A swirl of emotion as if I were an old pot of paint that someone was trying to bring back to life. A drab color, I was sure, but all things had a purpose.
My eyes shot open at the sound of knocking at my door.
I was starting to hate doors. As if it was their fault that they became something to be beat upon to get my attention. Seemed more reasonable than blaming the perpetrator, as it wasn’t likely I could remove their hands. Not that it would stop them. I wondered if I wished for an un-knock-able door it would come true.
Perhaps I could just pretend to be out. It was daytime now. My aching body was still stiff, and would prefer to remain in this position for a dozen or two more hours. A believable lie.
“Dubs? It’s me. Don’t want to come in just in case you are indecent.”
Or rather, I should wish to be able to scream - that would be a true blessing.
I had no way to tell her I’d be a few minutes without putting a shot through the door - which, while tempting, would let in too much air when it got cold. Nutrition cannister was empty, a betrayal.
“I just want to say a few things about last night.”
Either she could read the pile of bikes and spread of debris and blood like a clairvoyant, or she otherwise had eyes on my nighttime exercise. Latter seemed quite likely, even if the former was an overt clue.
I exhaled in lieu of being able to grunt, and worked my way off of the mattress. To signal that I was alive, I tapped my gun on the wall three times.
“Is that a cry for help? Do you want me to come in?”
Left hand clenched as I banged twice.
“Does… two mean yes?”
I paused, unsure as to what the best course of action would be. It felt as though she was looking for an excuse to come in, so I decided silence might win on this occasion.
“Shit, I’m bad at this. I’ll give you two minutes to put your panties on, otherwise I’m kicking the door in - just in case you’re hurt. Not because… of the… panties thing…”
Her voice trailed off at the end there, so I decided that I hadn’t heard anything past ‘two minutes’. My left side burned from the healing over wounds, and my stims granted me a small amount of relief. Still mad at me for how rough yesterday had been. I ejected the shell from the chamber and removed the drum.
Only briefly considered sliding in a Sanguine stake. With the company I seemed to be keeping, it might be an idea to carry the rest on me at all times. Quickly switched over my cans, shaking my head out so the lethargy would go away. Over to the door, and I sighed deeply before opening up. The sun washed over me, only paling in brightness to the excessive smile on Roxy's face.
“You’re alive!” She beamed at me. Back in her hero outfit, hands holding something behind her back. “Look like shit and smell twice as bad, though.”
I returned a blank stare and considered going back to bed. I… deserved better than this.
“League had me in for… well, to give me a bit of a tongue lashing. It got late and they don’t like me hopping across the city at night, so I stayed at a hotel.” She gestured over to her house. “Have security cameras though, and was rather surprised when I checked them this morning.”
I nodded, my own eyes going over to the pile of inert machinery covering seeds that would never bloom again.
“Honestly? Impressive as fuck.” She tilted her head. “Like, you took down that mob group at the casino - but a villain and his gang out in the open…" She whistled. "Considering you’re not a super yourself, that’s pretty skillful. I watched the vids like… three times over. They usually give medals for that kind of thing, but I’m sure you don’t care about that.”
I gave her another nod - at least she read me correctly there.
“Sooo… instead of that shit, and to thank you for saving my house, I got you a little something.” She brought the black box around from her back to present it. “A bit of an olive branch too, since we’re both shitheads, right?” Her grin was unflappable.
To save me the awkwardness of trying to pry it open, she did the deed herself - it turned out she was capable of learning. Maybe unfair for me to think that. She was just earnestly thankful for my efforts last night.
The reveal was presented before me, and I raised an eyebrow.
A vocalizer, with the correct connectors to attach to me.
I stood, frozen with indecision. As much as it would be a boon to my current existence, part of me wanted to shun it. Go without and stay detached from normal society as much as possible. Alone and efficient.
“Just think, you’d finally be able to tell me to fuck off.” Her eyebrows bounced up and down.
All things considered, I’d just about reached the end of my patience with being talked at but being unable to respond. Everyone has their limits. It wasn’t so that we could bond over coffee or I could breeze through my communication with Boss - I just needed to have the clarity of being understood fully.
I had made the decision. With a sigh vibrating through my re-breather, I lifted up my hand to pull down my scarf.
“Oh, you’ve got quite a lot going on there.” Her playful grin turned to concentration. “Sorry, I’m pretty bad at tech, and clumsy with my hands - but I’ll give it a go.”
Half of that was a lie, I was sure. She picked out exactly what my gun was previously, so she had some tech knowledge. This was also the right vocalizer for what I had in my neck - of which even I didn’t know the version or parts numbers.
I stood statuesque as she removed the slim device from the box and moved a little closer to reach. Tongue sticking out her mouth slightly, she affixed the pins into the port, and I tried not to look her directly in the face as she leaned into me to get a good view of what she was doing.
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With the connectors in, her fingers brushed against the back of my hair as her hand went around my neck. The main body of the vox clipped to my skin as if it were magnetized. Probably was. She took a step away from me and smiled, hands on hips, waiting in anticipation.
After all this time, I could finally speak. My insides tensed up for what would be my first words in this life. I took one long breath before deciding what to say.
[Fuck off.]
Her eyes lit up. “Nice! How does that feel?”
[It feels like you are not fucking off.]
“Right? I’m happy with the tone, though. I think it suits you.”
Any disdain I had for the woman took a backseat to the fact that I could actually talk now. A gruff tone that had a slight robotic reverb at the end. It did, in fact, suit me. She seemed to ignore my spoken intention just as eagerly, even though I could put my thoughts into words now. Maybe just excited that I was no longer a wall for her to bounce her constant need for attention off of.
Still, part of me was… excited? Speaking was so alien to my current life, but seemed natural. It was an effort to remain calm and cordial and not spout off anything that came to mind.
[You picked the voice yourself?]
She nodded. “They didn’t exactly have an extensive catalogue, but… yeah.”
For as much as this gift felt more of a burden, or something mostly for her own benefit, I had to admit that I appreciated the thought put into it. If I were to have a voice, then this would be as close to what I imagined it to be. Might unplug it while working, though. I’d hate to end up spouting one-liners and engaging in banter with… well, I wasn’t sure who.
Everyone that would hear me, no doubt.
During this time of contemplation, Roxy stood patiently, as if she was waiting for something. I gave her a nod, as that seemed enough to tie off whatever conversation we were having.
“Prick. This is the part where you say thanks. I assume you had a life with manners before you became… this?” She crossed her arms, buckling herself in, ready to have a full-on conversation with me.
[I do not remember any of my past.]
She pulled a face. “Oh. I’m actually supposed to be on the clock, but how about in lieu of you showing some respect, we play a little game? Ask each other three questions?”
I grunted. There were certain things I wanted to know about her, however shouting ‘why’ repeatedly probably wasn’t how this sort of thing was played. As much as I wanted to go back to sleep and properly process the gift given to me, curiosity had me dancing to her tune.
[You may ask, then. Ladies first.]
A smirk came up at the side of her face and she crossed her arms. “That’s more like it. First question then… you gave me a vague answer about being a mercenary - is that accurate?”
[Hitman is perhaps closer to the actual reality of it, and to save you a further question - no, I do not target innocents.]
She nodded slowly. “Okay, your turn.”
A remarkably good poker face, considering she usually had no filter. She’d seen my handiwork, so there was no hiding that I was some manner of killer.
[Why did you move your house next to mine?]
Roxy rolled her eyes, as if that was such a banal question. “Like I said before, I didn’t know you were out here. That’s kinda why you’re out here, right? To be unknown. As to why…” She deflated slightly. “League thinks I cause more trouble than I’m worth. After almost landing on a school bus, this was the softer option compared to some of the others suggested.”
Her eyes went over to linger on her house for a few seconds before returning to me. “Freelance, or you work for someone? Organization or gang, etc?”
[I am employed by an individual. That is the only detail I am able to give you.]
“That’s fair. Those sorts of people like their privacy.”
[My next question is… why are you trying so hard to be a good neighbor to me?]
Her mouth opened and closed before her face contorted into a grimace. “I might look like a fiery tomboy who grew up on a farm and has more muscle than social graces, and that’s because that's exactly who I am.” She shrugged and looked out at the barren plains around us. “Never been around much folk, but it’s better to be tight with those closest, you know? Last night, for example.”
I nodded slowly. It made some manner of sense, even if I didn’t fully believe that was the true reason. There was a casual acceptance of what I was and had done that didn’t sit comfortably, but I could trust her backstory for now.
“Last one for me. You know how to fight damn well. Did someone teach you?”
[No. Surviving for five years doing my work was enough. Avoiding death is a constant lesson.]
“I’ll say. It shocks me that you can bounce back from injuries so quickly.” She looked me up and down twice. “Hit me with your last one then, big guy.”
[Why was the wizard after you?]
“Comes with the territory.” She smiled. “Bust enough criminals and villains start taking it personally. I’m pretty sure I took down his business partner not long back. Absolute unit with one eye.” Her gaze drifted off as she recounted the details.
I grunted. Something that had an actual audible tone to it now. Would definitely take some getting used to, although this short conversation had been rather draining already. Not as much as gesturing at her with hand signals, I supposed. I noticed that she was beaming at me again.
“I’m real happy to finally hear you, Dubs. Somewhat relieved you’re reasonably eloquent. I know a few other edgy lone wolf types who think monosyllabic responses are mysterious and powerful.”
[Oh.]
“Ass! And I just used one of the few long words I knew.” She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t falter. “I’ve really got to dash now, otherwise League will blow their top. I’m… this doesn’t have to be a friendship, but I hope we can be cordial neighbors at least.”
I looked down to see that she had a hand extended to be shaken. Her left one, even though I was reasonably sure her right was the dominant side. Either she had rustled up the effort to be more thoughtful over my gun-arm, or she had seen the trick I had pulled against the wizard and wasn’t keen to be the repeat.
“Peace treaty?” she pestered.
I returned the gesture, unsurprised that she had an incredibly firm handshake. The gleam in her eyes hinted that she was testing me, and that maybe I hadn’t disappointed.
[If we are to be assailed by your fan club, then it would be pragmatic to come to an agreement on shared defensive protocols. This must remain a place of safety and secrecy for us both together.]
“Easy, tiger.” She turned from me and started to walk away, keeping a side-eye on me. “You’ll make a girl blush.”
I remained impassive, staring at her blankly.
Once a good twenty feet away, she looked towards the city and crouched down. “Oh,” she shot me a quick glance, “I’m for real about the bathing thing. It’ll honestly change your life.”
Before I had the wherewithal to give her a response, a blast of dust washed over me as a shockwave ran through my yard. The super launched into the air at an impossible height, arcing towards the built up area of Goldarch. Briefly, I imagined what I could do with such a leap. Would certainly make my entrances more dramatic.
With a sigh, I returned to the safety of my home - and the inside of my head. Door shut and everything seemed so… drab. The bright sunshine had clearly ruined my eyesight, so that the indoors maintained an odd hue to it. That was surely it.
I stepped over and sat in the chair by my desk.
Did nothing for possibly ten minutes as my brain sat idle, spooling back up. I had a voice now. Something I had been so keen to avoid for so long, but that now seemed so foolish. While the super was now slightly more tolerable, the more important use of such power was using my STAR.
I prodded through to find the menu option to register voice commands. A few agonizing minutes of repeated presented phrases until it was satisfied it knew me. Considering it was embedded in my flesh, you’d think it would be more cordial.
[Send message to Boss.]
The screen spooled up, bringing the waiting text field for me to fill. Where to begin?
[Killed a villain who was attacking the super. She gifted me a vocalizer as thanks. Send.]
That reminded me - between my exhaustion and the pestering hero, I had totally forgotten to check through the rest of what Boss had left for me at the drop-off.
Hopefully nothing that I fucked with the EMP grenade.
Two more stim packs, which I put away carefully. A case of eight nutrition cannisters… these were a newer type. Be nice if they were better than the sediment ones. Two unused EMP grenades.
Then finally, two unknown cases. I placed them side by side on my workbench.
I didn’t have the heart to think up a one-liner that I could now speak out loud.
Instead, I popped the latches of both - and opened them at the same time.