We spent some more time talking about the time after Noe’s mother moved them to Marchand’s street. Noe being lonely and me also being mostly lonely but by my own hand for the most part.
Mom talked about her recently getting better with dealing with the emotional burns of the incarna and how scary it was when she was being basically dragged out of the apartment by a bunch of hazmat gear wearing corpo cylons when the industrial sabotage thing happened, how she was scared and looking for me only to find my in a medical tent passed out with medical pads and bandages all over me with wires going to them.
Noe told us about some of the things she worked on and with to learn what she needed to make guns to help her mother, and about how she even started making bombs until her mother told her not to touch explosives until she’s older. Which she found silly as packing bullets is still dangerous explosives and you can hurt yourself with a lot of the tools she uses. Mom did say that there’s a difference in what can be healed or replaced and what can just be found in a crater, I agreed with mom mostly.
Soon enough Dr. Nguyen came in and said I was officially allowed to leave and handed me a leaflet about recovery care and what not to do. Said it was standard for all their patients who got cut open, then wished us goodbye.
Me and mom were heading back to our apartment but Noe said she wanted to go work on her projects now she knew I was alive, so we parted ways in the street.
That night I mostly just watched old movies with mom and chatted about stuff for the most part, jokes about Marchand, happiness to see Noe again, wondering where Noe’s mother Varia is and what she’s doing, what to do next in the apartment decoration. Mom went off to sleep first despite her sleeping in the day a bit but I didn’t fault her, whatever helped her cope.
I headed to sleep.
-
Waking up the next day was rough, apparently the anesthetic had given up the fight during the night and I was filled with a lot of pain upon waking. I rolled myself around and sat up and checked my bandages for signs of blood but nothing showed up which was good.
I got up and started getting dressed from the folded pile of clothes on the floor next to the bed, I needed to get some storage or drawer or something. Pulling a new t-shirt over me was a little difficult but with a bit of effort and stretching of the parts that didn’t hurt as much I managed it.
Walking out of my room I found mom bringing me a button up shirt for me to wear, as it would be easier to put on. I just thanked her for it and wore it over the t-shirt. She wished me luck with the training as I headed out the front door, I just smiled in response. I didn’t really know what I was getting into.
Traveling across the hallway and knocking on Marchand’s door got me an instant response as the door unlocked immediately, which was odd as we hadn’t agreed a time or anything. Was she just sitting there watching the hallway all day? Actually, I’d believe that with Marchand.
Walking through Marchand’s rooms and reaching her parlor door I could hear muffled talking from within and as I knocked on the door it swung open under my light knock. Marchand was sitting in her usual seat in her parlor but unlike usual across from her in the seat I usually sat in was the blue skinned patchwork Indian guy from the other day.
“As you can see Rivaan, I have other business this morning. You’ve come to me several times with the same issue from multiple fronts evidently trying to prove the worth of your project but it is riddled with logistical flaws and offers no immediate benefit to anyone involved other than achieving your goals and only the whisper of a future benefit.” Marchand said, looking into thin air nearby as she spoke, as usual. But her eyebrows were low with frustration. “Unless you can put up the funds to get the entire operation running up front and secure a benefit for the interested parties you speak of, and myself especially, then I see no reason to invest my efforts, resources, connections and risk reprisal.”
“Mrs. Marchand, you must understand that while the early efforts are significant, there are a number of avenues for both early exit with the wealth collected so far and reinvestment to move onto later stages of the plan that can see very large returns in both monetary and land means. The risk is only in the earliest stages when the minimum investment is needed.” Rivaan said, trying to use his hands to frame the differences in size he was discussing.
“Your plan is interesting on a surface level, I’m sure you’ll fine some interested parties outside myself. But I will not lay my reputation, my wealth and most importantly my trusted operators lives on the line for a payout of such meager offering without further expenditure. You claim minimal risk, but you’re stamping in deep waters with your goal and there are those who would see your true aim even from it’s earliest moves.” She said, arms crossing as she leaned into her chair. Clearly done talking to him.
I was just lingering by the door. Kind of feeling like a prop, I guess I was one here.
Rivaan seemed to spend a moment trying to re-frame his words until he lost his temper and rose with a huff seeming to turn towards me, or the door at least, before swirling back around.
“The plans will not be stopped for you Marchand, if you don’t agree to take part then it will continue without you entirely. Don’t complain when others are reaping rewards that could have been yours. And everyone involved is well aware of your connections to the outsiders involved as well, so if you start meddling then you’ll have brought what comes next on your own head.” He said with an angry expression that I could see even from my angle.
“You can take your bluster elsewhere Rivaan, in fact I’d prefer if you didn’t return at all. You have two days to remove yourself from the street, and I offer that in consideration for your sister. If you approach my home again with anything other than an up-front apology and clear intention you will die before you can reach the gate outside and I would hate to make little Lla sad. She doesn’t deserve such a egomaniac for a brother.” Marchand said venomously, seeming to freeze in position at his words.
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That seemed to put him over the edge as his fists balled up and his arms opened slightly, seemingly not all the way, but enough to reveal a pair of mauls built into the interior of his arms.
I considered grabbing for him but I didn’t have a single weapon on me, I’d walked across the hall and not even went onto the balcony walkway. I’d thought this was a safe area but apparently Marchand brought her own dangers, I’d be sure to be armed from now on while visiting. Yet another old careful habit I’d let go of, I needed to get my head back into shape.
Rivaan took a step forward and I reached out a grabbed for his arm, too short to reach his shoulder properly. But even as I placed my hand on his cold, blue synthskin there was a blur of motion and a odd wet noise.
Suddenly Rivaan was stumbling back, pushing me aside as he stepped backwards out of the door to Marchand’s parlor, I winced with pain as I stumbled back from the surgical wounds. It wasn’t until he took a few steps back in shock that I noticed his entire left shoulder was removed with a good chunk of the top left of his torso with a single cut.
The arm was on the carpet bleeding a mix of red blood and white aspiration fluid, a blood-like synthetic mixture of chemicals that some higher end cyberware needed to run properly. Some people even swapped out their entire blood supply with it because it was more efficient than blood.
I hadn’t even seen what had cut off his arm, there weren’t any guns or wires or anything visible in Marchand’s parlor. But Marchand was standing there in front of her chair looking right at Rivaan. Standing, I’d never seen her so much as cross her legs let alone stand. If you’d told me she was paralyzed I’d have doubted you but I’d also have considered it.
“This is your last warning Rivaan, get out. Tell your lovely sister that I said goodbye and that I’m sorry to see her go. Leave the arm there, consider it the monetary cost of crossing lines you knew well enough not to cross.” Marchand said with an angry expression on her face. “I can see this stunt of yours as a sign of your future with these deals you’ve been making, do tell your sister that I’m always hiring smart children to make their way in this city who no longer have anyone else to rely on.”
Rivaan was still frozen in shock as she spoke although his torso was twitching inhumanly around the cut, likely the chrome parts failing to react properly without their counterparts in the arm. He came too after a moment though and backed out holding his palm over the largest collection of open vessels spewing blood and aspire out.
“You maniac hag!” He said as he backed all the way through the first of Marchand’s rooms and then turned and hurried through the others and out her door with a bang as he slammed it.
Marchand just sat down as soon as the door slammed. She seemed to look at her interface for a moment and then just returned to her routine of staring at space and sitting quietly. I was still out in the other room, looking at her through the doorway.
“Come in Mal, your lesson will begin shortly.” She said, seemingly uncaring of what just happened. The arm on the floor had emptied what it could onto the carpet and just lay there now.
I walked in, careful not to step on the arm, and sat in the seat Rivaan had got up from. Hopefully I would do better than it’s last occupant.
“Thank you for trying to step in there at the end Mal, I did see you reach for him. That was very brave of you, and very stupid as I’m sure you’re aware. Quite unlike you actually. Appreciated none-the-less.” She said with a little smile.
“I’m brave enough, maybe not always, but enough.” I said, defensively.
“I meant the stupid part Mal, you’re usually far more hesitant to make a move and certainly don’t test your strength against a borg like that. I’d have expected you to shoot him if you were armed, which you are not, which is another odd thing. Not even a knife this morning? You do know the district you live in yes?” Marchand went on, her smile solidifying as she spoke.
“Noe said the same thing, that I’ve gotten careless and sloppy compared to my past. I plan less, I make less backups, I don’t prepare exits like I did, I don’t keep myself armed enough or in the right ways for the time. I think she’s right, and you’re right. I need to get some fear back into me after so much time working low risk solo jobs.” I said, defeated.
“I can offer fear if you need it but I think you’d do better to find yourself a sparring partner, someone who can be trusted to throw you around and beat you down but stop when need be. You used to have a wonderful mind that made an excellent shield, now that shield is shoddy and cannot protect you. Train your body to remind yourself of precisely why you needed your mind as a shield at your age.” Marchand said, quite sagely as well as she took her cig from the stand on her desk to the side.
“That’s a good idea, I’ll find someone. As for my bad habits I’ll work on some drilling and write some prep lists and go over what I’ve lost the edge for. It’ll take a while to get the paranoia into gear again.” I said, thinking carefully of what I’d need to do.
“They say it’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you. In this city at least there is no such thing as paranoia.” Marchand said.
“Is that guy going to be a problem?” I asked hesitantly.
“Ah the paranoia is kicking in already, wonderful. For you? No, he will pose no threat to you at all. If you mean to me, though? No, he will pose no threat to me at all.” Marchand said sneeringly. “He’s one of my older talents, his family arrived here with nothing and his father earned enough to build a home for his family with hard work. Rivaan worked for me for a time. Then he joins a corporate military, rises up and made enemies. But is still surprised when they attack his poor family, leaving himself and his sister alive, if barely for himself.”
Marchand took one of her long drags and let it out right away. Smoke filling the area with pale blue wisps.
“Rivaan is a glory hound with a grudge that will get him killed. The problem is he’s reaching out to those around him to aid his insane scheme to strike a deadly blow against the corporation that wronged him. Gonk brained idiot. He thinks he can gut a corp and let it bleed out while he takes off with a fortune and no ramifications will find him. He’ll be finding that lovely sister of his reorganized into one inch cubes spread across his apartment floor one of these days soon. Or some other macabre display of final warning or provocation.” Marchand said with the grimace. “Such a lovely girl too, she’d be an excellent face in the future, or even a fixer if she had the right training. What a loss. I wonder if there’s anything I can do…?”
Marchand looked a little lost towards the end.
“Do you want me to do something? I might be able to have a word, being a kid like her.” I offered.
“No, this is a changing situation. I’ll let you know if I think you can aid me in with it. As for you here today. It’s time to begin your netrunning training.” She said with a new smile.
“So where do I need to go?” I asked, curious and looking forward to what this would be.
“Nowhere, we’ll begin the basics right here. I’ll be teaching you to begin with, I may be old but never let it be said that I’m out of touch with modern methods and I can still teach children lessons just fine, no matter their size, as Rivaan just learned for hopefully the final time.” Marchand said as she placed her cig onto it’s holder and turned towards me.