Pretty took out a brush and brushed her hair. She had long black that shone in the starlight. That was one of the perks of being one of the clones of the original Parvati. The other one was her long eyelashes. The original Parvati had some very nice genes. She could attest to that. Parvati was a bit of a star in the old historical video. She was what many called a star influencer in her teens and college.
That had helped her pay for her PHD in biotech. Her education alongside her experience in media had made her a hit. The continuum had seen that and quickly recruited her to be a face of their operations. Parvati hadn’t stopped there. She used her continuum salary to study other branches of biosciences. When the continuum found out, they had reimbursed that money back to her and paid for all her further expenses.
That had made her extremely loyal to the continuum and its founder Jay Chandra. So much so that she had worked hand in hand with him to beg, borrow and steal technology from Rier to create the cloning program Pretty was born from.
But as they say, every story has a good part and a bad part. When things had fallen apart in their world, Parvati had changed. She had gone from the optimistic youth working to better humanity to a woman who saw nothing but a bitter reality. Soon she had lost youthful glow, the makeup and the mascara eyelashes. And in came the frown lines, the wrinkles and the dark circles under the eyes.
Pretty hated looking at those photos of her progenitor and did everything to keep herself from going that route. She had her moisturisers, anti-wrinkle creams, and when all failed, she tried her level best not to frown.
Her brushing done, Pretty took out her nail filer and started giving herself a dry manicure. After that, she applied some lip paint. That done she painted her nails. Now with everything done she started to look around.
She was in Taran E65’s motorised trike. The effort Pretty put into her face was not even a fraction of what 65 put into his trike. That was evident by all buttons and knobs everywhere. Unfortunately, none of them responded to her. Just to make sure of the fact she hit one. She did not know what it did, but she pressed it, nonetheless. Then started turning a knob.
“Will you stop that?”
Pretty who was going to flick a switch stopped and looked to her side “T? Are you awake?”
Taran E65 took off the visor on his eyes “Don’t call me that.”
“Well, you don’t have a nickname.”
“I choose not to have a nickname.”
“Well, that’s stupid. Your name doesn’t even match your job.”
Taran E65 looked at Pretty “Seriously?”
“Yeah, you are a clone of the original Taran that’s okay but E’s are Engineers. You don’t do engineering. You blow up things.”
“I am explosives engineer and I demolish structures.”
“That’s not a real thing.” Pretty huffed.
“Do you know the original Parvati was a biologist?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you like this?”
“Did you just call me dumb?” Pretty asked in a low voice.
Taran E65 lips twitched upwards, and he put his visor back on.
Pretty smiled. She liked Taran E65’s humour and said so “That was not bad E65.”
“Don’t call me that either. That’s what our bosses call me.” Taran said while flicking on his visor.
“Okay. But… Are you going back to sleep?”
“I am not sleeping. I am scouting for our wayward visitors.” Taran E65 said in an exasperated tone.
Pretty looked at her friend and then hit a number of buttons in rapid succession.
“What!? Why are you…” Taran almost shouted.
Pretty cut him off “I am bored!”
Taran took off his visor and held it out “Do you want to take a look?”
“Ew. No. Your visors are all sweaty and smell weird.”
Taran sighed. He touched a button. His chair, which was in a reclining position, straightened. He reached past the front chair and ran hand on the trike’s console. The buttons all returned to their normal positions. Then he flicked a switch that turned the windscreen into a screen that was focussed on a metal gate.
A moment later the roof of the side windows also transformed from black to showing the outdoors. They were all zoomed into various points in the distance. The only thing that was left was the floor underneath them.
Taran E65 looked around, nodded and then turned a pointed glare at Pretty.
“What?” Pretty asked
“Why me?”
“Hey it wasn’t my choice to come here with you. General Athena assigned me to this task.”
“Why couldn’t you ask for another one?”
Pretty shrugged “Because everyone else would flirt with me.”
Taran E65 frowned “Didn’t I tell you not to flaunt your cleavage at Aditya M83?”
“I had just lost my arm. I wanted a new one.”
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“You had a new one.”
“I had a cybernetic. What do you want me to be, another one of those new way augments.”
“How did you even get him to clone you a new arm? Isn’t the wait time for that in years?”
“I gave him a handshake. Then another one with my new hand.”
“A handshake?” Taran E65 slowly realised what Pretty was talking about “Oh. You know I am going to have a talk with that medic.”
“Oh, come on. He is cute and quiet.”
Taran E65 growled “All Aditya’s are quiet. That is the problem.”
“Yeah, but he is a shy one. Seriously, I had to make the first move every time. Even after I took him to bed. I had to ask for more, verbally, even after giving him coy looks and hints.”
“You took him to bed?’
“Don’t look at me like that. I have needs.”
“Pretty!” Taran hissed.
“No, T65. I had him as a boyfriend. And you don’t get a say in my sex life.”
Taran E65 looked at Pretty “T65? That was really bad. Even for you. Also, when I am not shooing away the boys you flirt with?”
“Yeah, you need to stop doing that.”
“If I stop doing that you end up shooting them, with your shotgun. You know the one with those scarily large barrels.”
“That was one time.”
“The man was an officer.”
“I was eighteen.”
“That’s why you didn’t get punished.”
“You saved him.”
“Yes, but only after you shot his leg off.”
“I was aiming for the middle one.”
Taran E65 rolled his eyes and then stopped.
“What?” Pretty asked.
“Behind you. The rakshasas are back.”
Pretty turned and watched the window she was looking through zoom in and then again. There were four of them. And they were looking down a sand dune.
“Huh, I thought they left already.” Pretty muttered.
Taran hit a few switches on the trike’s console and requested a closed channel to General Athena.
Pretty poked Taran E65 “Tar, there are more of them this time.”
“Don’t…” Taran stopped his response as he ran a scan “Oh my.”
“Oh. This is bad.”
“What?”
“Shhh…”
Taran sent a request once again and then sent one on an open channel. This time his request was accepted by none other than Taran 45. The high councillor of the continuum.
An older Taran’s image replaced the one of the gates on the screen and he asked “Yes, Taran E65, what seems to be the issue?”
Taran E65 pursed his lips “High Councillor, sir, we are here tailing the two warders.”
“Possible warders.” The high councillor corrected E65.
“Yes sir. Well sir, there are four Nishachars here. Two of them are the usual one sharded scouts. The third is a two sharded gravitron specialist. The third one, sir, he is a four sharded constable.”
The high councillor who was eating something stopped chewing “A constable?”
“Yes sir.”
“Four shards… Hmm… Thats…”
E65 cleared his throat to cut of Taran 45 “High Councillor sir. A little bit of clarification. Both the Rak ascended are three and four shards respectively and have symbiotic shards. If they work together...”
Taran 45 raised his eyebrows and was silent for a moment “Hmm… That is interesting. Observe their battle. Do not reveal yourself. And send their scans and the recording of the battle to me.”
“Sir?” E65 blinked.
Taran 45 smiled on the screen and in a dismissive tone said “E65, if they are warders, they will survive. If they are not, then they will be of no consequence.”
“Sir, they only have one shard each.”
“They went into a trial, right? They should have picked up a couple more shards over there.” Taran 45 dismissed E65’s concern.
“Sir…”
“No, E65. You will not involve yourself. Whoever these people are, whether they sink, or swim depends on if they are warders. And I want the recordings of their soul structure for the betterment of the continuum.”
“And I want these warders dead. So, when these new people come to us, they are bloodied, bruised and broken. That will make incorporating them and their world into the continuum easy. Also, you will be able to negotiate from a position of power. Isn’t that right, High Councillor?”
Taran E65 heard the familiar voice. Everyone knew that half metallic half female voice. And prayed the owner of that voice wouldn’t take interest in their mission.
His hopes were shattered when the screen on the trike split into two. The high councillor’s frame was pushed to the side as another one of the continuum leaders joined the open channel.
Taran E65 eyes slightly widened as Athena A07 joined the call.
“A07, this is none of your concern.” The high councillor said on the call.
“I disagree.”
“I allied with you and your faction so that I can do what we need to do not for you to take over critical missions A07.” The high councillor said in a stern voice.
“I am not taking over, high councillor. And let’s not fight in front of the children.”
Taran 45, the high councillor of the continuum gave A07 a penetrating look and then reclined in his chair. He motioned for A07 to continue.
Athena A07 smiled and gave him a curt nod. Then she turned her cybernetic eyes on Taran E65 and Pretty “Hmmm….”
Taran E65 put a hand over his chest and saluted “Assault commander.”
Athena A07 smiled slightly “Ah, the demolition engineer. I think I used you in fire city, didn’t I?”
“Yes, assault commander.”
“Hmm… That was a good job you did there. Funny that you don’t have any augments, to help you with it, young man.”
“No, ma’am. I have never really gotten hurt and qualified for them. Also, with people requesting them every few minutes or so, the wait times for them are too long. So, I just use my brain and fingers to do the best job I can.”
Athena A07 smiled “And you do that well. Tell you what, perform well in the upcoming days and I will recommend you for three augments of your choice.”
Taran E65’s soul shook with Athena A07’s words. Augments were just another way for the continuum hierocracy to control them. And he did not want any of those parts on him. But he kept the disquiet of his face and gave the assault commander a grateful nod.
Athena smiled at him and turned her gaze to Pretty “What about you young Parvati? Do you have an augment?”
Pretty squeaked “Yes, Assault commander. I did.”
“Did?”
“My arm assault commander. I had it cloned.”
Athena A07 pursed her lips “Why?”
Pretty licked her lips nervously and then shrugged “I like…” Pretty stopped and blushed. In a small voice she continued “Sex is better with flesh, assault commander.”
The high councillor cracked a smile and Athena A07 twitched as she blankly looked at Pretty.
Taran E65 decided to look everywhere but at the three people around him.
Finally, Athena A07 nodded “Ah, I remember you now. You are the young promiscuous one.”
The high councillor chuckled “Are you going to get to a point A07. Or are you just going to embarrass the young lady?”
“Yes. Forgive me, high councillor. I got sidetracked there.” Athena A07 nodded and then continued “I don’t disagree with your approach councillor. Your advances again and again have proven to be beneficial for all of us. That is why everyone considers you to be the heart and soul of the continuum. What I disagree with is the fact you haven’t considered what happens if the warders survive.”
“Survive? After fighting people who are three, maybe four times stronger than them?” Taran 45 tried to sound dismissive, but his sharp eyes gave away his excitement.
Athena A07 grinned showing off her metallic teeth “Yes. What happens if these warders win against a constable and his retinue?”
This time Taran 45n’t hide his interest “Do you think they could prevail against four Nishachars? When one of them is a four sharded constable?”
Athena A07 shrugged “Who knows. It’s been so long that we have seen a warder at work, but you remember the stories from when Jay Chandra walked amongst us.”
“Propaganda A07.” The high councillor dismissed Athena A07 concerns.
“Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s not take any chances, shall we?” The assault commander said to the older Taran and turned her gaze to Taran E65 “E65, you will not interfere. You will stay hidden under your camouflage field. If those two win, then you will bring them in. I am sending you a backup to subdue these wandering warders if needed. And Jay has asked me to send Marshall Lara to further evaluate these new warders.”
“Possible warders.” Taran 45 snarled.
“Yes, possible warders, councillor.”
“Uh…” Taran E65 started and then stopped.
“What is it boy?” Athena turned a sharp glare at Taran E65.
“Why not just kill them, Assault Commander?” E65 asked.
“No!” Taran 45 screamed and then took in a deep breath to calm himself “E65, do not raise a hand towards them. You too, Pretty. Warders are monitored by the system itself. Threaten a warder’s life and the system will punish us if we are lucky. If we are unlucky, it will purge us all.”
“Purge us, sir?” Taran 65 took in a shuddering breath.
Athena A07 locked her jaw and with gritted teeth asked “Taran 45. What do you know?”
The high councillor shook his head “It’s second, maybe third hand information. Almost gossip that I picked up drinking in the free city.”
E65 took in a deep breath as Taran 45 and Athena A07 started arguing about the competence of the source of the rumour. That was good. Because that meant no one was paying any attention to him. It also validated the reason he had asked the question. No, he didn’t want to kill the warders, he was trying to keep his cover. In fact, his real boss, General Athena has sent him to keep them safe. She had her own plans, but the time wasn’t right for them just yet.
Taran E65 nodded when the two leaders quieted down “Then councillor and assault commander. May I give two suggestions to you both?”
Athena A07 looked at Taran 45. The older Taran nodded “Go ahead boy.”
“These people, sir, they don’t have any cybernetics. They might find them intimidating and they might mistake us for enemies. I suggest I speak to them so that we can bring them in peacefully.”
Athena A07 tapped her chin.
Before she could respond the high councillor laughed “That is a good idea kid. Well done. I agree.”
“Yes. I agree too.” Athena A07 nodded “What is the second one?”
“We send Pretty back to General Athena. She is really annoying and won’t let me work.” Taran E65 said in a pleading voice.
That elicited a snort from both his superiors and an open-mouthed look from Pretty.
Athena A07 nodded “I will ask one of my Augs to chauffeur her back to the fire city. Back to her momma who likes to pamper her.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The high councillor nodded “Good job E65. proud of you boy.” and dropped off the connection.
Athena A07 sighed and muttered “Politicos. They always need to have the last word.” and then she was gone too.
After the connection was cut off the screen switched to the image of the gate. This time two people stumbling out of the trials. The woman was supporting her male friend. She laid him down and began to fuss over him.
“They are back. And one of them is hurt.” Taran E65 announced.
“Gesh that. What do you mean I am annoying?” Pretty asked in a high-pitched voice.
“Language Pretty.”
Pretty folded her arms over her armoured chest “I will give you language…”
“Pretty! Listen! I can’t reach General Athena. I need you to go back and tell her everything that happened just now.”
Pretty blinked “Huh?”
“Pretty, I needed them to think that I am sending you off because of some silly reason, and not because I want you to report everything that is happening here to the General.”
“Oh. I see.” Pretty was silent for a minute and then muttered “Well that’s smart.”
“I am glad you agree.”
“Oh, I don’t agree. In fact, if you call me annoying in front of our bosses again, I will shoot you. In the nuts.”
“I see.”
“With my shotgun.”
“I am sorry.”
“It's shells scatter.”
“I get it.”
“They will hurt.”
Taran E65 closed his eyes “I know Pretty. I know.”
“A lot.”