Down with the Queen

by Benjamin Medrano

  The only problem she had with the beach was how sand got everywhere. Claire did her best to try to keep sand out of her suit, but it was an exercise in futility. While she wanted to go to the seven sacred pools a little later, she’d rather clean up so that she wasn’t dealing with sand for the rest of the day.

  Approaching her room, Claire fished out the key to the room and held it near the reader, then opened the door as the lock clicked. The room was cooler than she remembered it being and Claire shivered slightly, shaking her head as she murmured, “I should’ve turned it up a little earlier. Easily fixed, at least.”

  Shifting her jian to the hand holding her purse, Claire turned on the light and moved to the thermostat as the door swung closed behind her. The thermostat adjusted easily enough, and the air conditioner clicked off for the moment. Another sound from behind caused Claire to suddenly tense and spin around, though.

  “You are Blooming Orchid, correct?” the woman in Claire’s room asked, standing near the closet in apparent boredom.

  The woman was taller than Claire, with features that looked vaguely European. She was statuesque and shapely, and had long, straight blonde hair almost long enough to reach her thighs. The woman was wearing black slacks and a blouse and jacket, all of which looked a little unusual for Hawaii, but not completely out of reason. The problem was that she was in Claire’s room, and the blue-eyed woman was looking at Claire in a way that showed far too much interest for Claire’s taste.

  “Who are you and how did you get in here?” Claire demanded, dropping her purse and drawing her sword almost instantly, the blade sparking with shimmering pink light as her power enhanced the blade.

  “I’m called Eve, and I’m here because I have a proposition from an employer for you,” the woman replied, smiling broadly as she added, “As for getting in, the security on these doors isn’t very good. It was quite simple to convince it to allow me inside.”

  “I don’t generally associate with those who decide to contact me covertly,” Claire replied flatly, her eyes narrowing as her thoughts raced. The woman seemed unconcerned by her sword, which was rather unusual, but also didn’t seem to be in any rush to attack her. The name also was likely a pseudonym, but she wasn’t sure what to do. This could be a villain trying to contact her to pass along information on the recent attacks, though she doubted it. With that in mind, she allowed her thumb to shift on the sheath to activate her emergency beacon.

  “Perhaps not, but the client was most insistent that I contact you,” Eve replied, her smile not abating as she looked at Claire, her hands folded in front of her. “I’m here, so what harm would it cause to listen for a minute?”

  “You break into my room and intrude into my privacy, then you expect me to just listen to you?” Claire demanded, glaring at the woman as she adjusted her stance so she could attack more easily. “This had better be worth it, because you’ve pretty much ruined a good vacation already.”

  “Whether or not it’s worth it will depend on a number of things, I’m certain, but I’ll try to make this quick,” Eve replied, smiling more widely as she continued. “My employer has been working on a new device, one which could have an impressive benefit for those superhumans who’re weaker than their fellows. It should be able to improve the physique of the user permanently, and as most superhuman powers improve their physical abilities by a percentage, this could be quite useful. The problem is that the tests aren’t fully complete yet. My employer would like you to volunteer for the project.”

  For an instant, Claire stared at the woman in horror, not believing what she’d just said. The idea of a device that could permanently change the body of the user was something of a shock to begin with, but asking Claire to volunteer to be a test subject? That was utterly repulsive, and she shook her head, feeling slightly off-balance as she demanded, “What in the name of the gods makes you think that I’d agree to that? That’s becoming little more than a lab rat and there’s no way in hell I’d agree with that! Get out, now!”

  “I was afraid you’d respond that way. Unfortunately, my employer really isn’t in the mood to take no for an answer,” Eve replied, smiling still more as she took a step toward Claire.

  “Then you’ll suffer the consequences,” Claire retorted, lunging forward in an attempt to hit the woman with her sheath and to hopefully knock her out. But mid-lunge, a part of her mind began screaming in alarm.

  Claire’s body felt slightly sluggish, and her balance was off. It wasn’t much, and hadn’t been noticeable when she’d been standing still, but now that she was moving it was obvious. Moving slowly proved dangerous an instant later, as Eve ducked the swinging sheath and stepped into Claire’s lunge, unleashing a short, sharp punch into Claire’s stomach.

  Staggering backward breathlessly, Claire felt her stomach heave, her senses swimming slightly as pain blasted through her. She shook her head, unable to speak for a moment.

  “Ah, it appears that the anesthetic is taking effect. You’re moving slower than normal,” Eve said pleasantly, smiling at Claire. “I did tell you that my employer insisted on you, did I not?”

  “No!” Claire gasped and darted toward the door while she was still able to move. Her body was fighting whatever anesthetic was in her system, so if she could get outside she should be able to recover. Grabbing the handle, Claire’s heart sank as the latch didn’t move when she turned the handle, the gears not engaging properly. The thought of cutting it flashed through her mind, but it was a moment too late. At that moment, Eve grabbed Claire by the shoulder and yanked her away from the door, almost sending the heroine to the floor as the world seemed to lurch around Claire.

  Not worrying about injuring the woman anymore, as Claire was pulled back she lashed out with her sword, hoping it would make the woman back off. Instead Eve raised her arm to block it, and for a moment, Claire braced herself for the inevitable explosion of blood and screaming.

  Instead, her blade made a sizzling sound as it hit Eve’s arm, then there was the faint sound of tearing metal before the sword came to a jarring halt, buried halfway into Eve’s forearm. The edges of the wound betrayed a mechanical interior, with wires, artificial muscles, and other electronics exposed and sparking as Claire looked at it in shock.

  The moment of hesitation cost her dearly, though, as Eve wrenched the sword out of Claire’s hand, her voice soft as she murmured, “Sharper than anticipated, but within allowances. I wish you hadn’t done that, Blooming Orchid.”

  Claire quickly tried to run, this time heading for the back patio as she held her breath. She was growing dizzier, but if she could get outside, maybe she could get help. An android was too dangerous to take on like this, and if the team had gotten her signal, one of the local superheroes could be here any moment.

  Her hope was in vain, though. Within seconds of trying to flee, Eve was on her again, and this time she knocked Claire to the ground, pinning her in place as she spoke. “There we are. Not nearly as much of a threat without your weapon, are you? Now take a deep breath for me, Blooming Orchid.”

  Seeing a small bottle near her face, Claire tried to hold her breath for as long as she could, struggling against the heavy weight of the android atop her. But even as muddled as her mind was, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to last for long.

  “You can come in now,” Eve called out, adjusting the mask over Blooming Orchid’s face carefully. It was supplying a carefully regulated amount of the sedative to keep the woman unconscious, but to be safe she’d also restrained the heroine. Everything that she’d found in her research indicated that it never went well when someone took chances with heroes.

  Blooming Orchid had done more damage than Eve had expected, though less than she’d been worried might occur. It’d helped that the heroine hadn’t fought initially, allowing more time for the anesthetic to take effect. Still, the heroine’s ability to enhance the edge of a blade was not something to be trifled with. The additional data would be helpful in determining exactly how much o
f a threat Blooming Orchid was. The doctor would be happy to have the information.

  As the door opened, Eve looked up to see the two Doppelgangers step into the room, both of them in the uniforms of the resort’s cleaning staff. They looked like native Hawaiians, thanks to Pauline’s power, Eve knew. Her power allowed the villain to copy the appearance of someone she touched, and she could apply the appearance to her sister as well, though in both cases it was based on touch. More interestingly, she could copy a portion of another hero’s powers through the same ability. It was something that the doctor found fascinating, and Eve was doing what she could to study it without setting the two women on edge.

  Each of them quickly put on breathing masks once inside the room, and Maureen asked, “How soon will the air be clear to breathe?”

  “Two and a half minutes at the current rate. Clearing all signs of the anesthetic will require a great deal more thorough cleaning than is likely to happen, but the odds of it being noticed are less than one percent.” Eve replied, glancing down at Blooming Orchid. “Will it inhibit your ability to imprint off her?”

  “No, it’s just going to take me at least an hour, possibly several, to create a sufficiently detailed imprint of her mind,” Maureen replied, shaking her head. “It’s going to be uncomfortable wearing this mask for the full duration so I’d rather wait until I’m able to breathe without the mask, if that’s alright.”

  “None of the schedules I saw indicate that she’ll be missed if the time increases by such a small amount,” Eve replied, nodding slightly at Maureen. “I’m perfectly fine with you taking the additional time before beginning your work.”

  “Good,” Pauline said, frowning as she nodded toward Eve. “Is your arm going to cause a problem?”

  “No. A few servos are out and there’s approximately a thirty percent decrease in efficacy of the limb, but it functions enough for our present circumstances,” Eve replied, glancing down at the damage to her arm. “I’ll be patching the surface enough to pass for normal while you work. By the time we leave, no one should be able to notice the injury without a close inspection.”

  “If you say so,” Pauline replied dubiously, stepping closer to the sword leaning in the corner, now sheathed again. “Is it safe to touch her sword?”

  “Yes. I deactivated the emergency beacon in the sheath, so Ocean Shield shouldn’t learn anything yet. The jamming appears to have functioned properly,” Eve confirmed, glancing at her arm as she began redirecting some of her internal stores. Patching the skin of her chassis was something that needed to be done often, so the doctor had included automated systems for it. Foam filled the gaps in her structure, then the skin began to slowly re-form over it.

  The two were silent as Pauline pulled out the sword, examining it closely and giving a couple of tentative swings before returning it to the sheath. After a couple of minutes, Eve spoke again. “You’re safe to remove your masks now. Anesthetic levels are low enough that you won’t be affected.”

  Maureen immediately took off the mask and took a deep breath, shaking her head as she murmured, “Oh, thank goodness! That was unpleasant. Now then, let’s see what type of person Blooming Orchid is, shall we?”

  “Take your time, Sis. If I’m going to have to pose as her for weeks or months, I need all the information you can give me,” Pauline warned.

  “I will,” Maureen agreed, climbing onto the bed and reaching out to touch Blooming Orchid’s forehead as she closed her eyes and drew still.

  Maureen fascinated Eve as much as Pauline fascinated the doctor. The woman was able to reach into the mind of others and create a mental impression of their mind, personality, and memories. She could almost wear it as a mask, acting like the person, and with most of their experiences on hand. She could also modify the memories of others to a minor degree with her ability, but the more detailed she wished the ‘imprint’ to be, the longer it took her to create. Unfortunately, it didn’t work on machines, so Eve couldn’t experiment with it as much as she wished to. Most importantly, though, much as Pauline could alter herself or her sister to look like someone else, Maureen could give the imprints she made to Pauline.

  It would be much easier to have Blooming Orchid available for Doctor Johnson’s tests if the heroes never knew she was missing at all. Marking off another objective on her mental checklist, Eve smiled.

  Things were going well. In no more than twelve hours, she’d be back on her way to Doctor Johnson. He’d certainly be pleased.

  Chapter 10

  Sunday, December 29th, 2030

  Lilith’s Condo, San Francisco

  “So, how’d your patrol go?” Lilith asked, taking Rachel’s coat and hanging it on the coat rack. “Find any other signs of Destruction Corps?”

  “I’m afraid not. They seem to have vanished like smoke. I’m beginning to think that LANCE may have had a point about the entire attack just being to draw them out of position,” Rachel replied, smiling gratefully at Lilith and standing on her toes to give her a kiss. “That isn’t to say we didn’t find out anything useful, though. Black Comet finally caught wind of one of the mercs Blue Impulse was with.”

  “Oh?” Gina’s head snapped up from the tablet she was reading on, blinking owlishly at Rachel as she grinned and asked, “What did he find out, and why haven’t I heard about it yet?”

  “He’s been visiting some of his contacts, and one of them said that Heavy Metal has been visiting the various bars and underground nightclubs the last few days. He’s been burning money like crazy,” Rachel explained, walking over to the couch alongside Lilith. “The others debated about telling you immediately, but I volunteered to tell you when I got here. Believe me, if it’d been rock-solid information, we would’ve called you in to bring him down. As it is, until we actually track him down, it’s just a lead.”

  “Drat. Well, even a lead is more than we had! And if we can capture him, it might lead us to whoever they were working for,” Gina said, setting the tablet aside. “No sign of any of the others, though?”

  “Just a few mentions that Megawatt was available for hire again, but who knows? He’s really hard to track since he produces his own power, Rachel explained, shaking her head. “I wish I could say that it was unexpected, but we’re going to be stuck trying to catch up with them for a while, I’m afraid.”

  “I’m hesitant to say anything, but…” Lilith paused, then asked, “Do the two of you know about Circe? Amber’s AI.”

  “Umm, only what we got out of her head. Shadowmind was rather proud of what she’d managed when she programmed the AI, who was class seven, right?” Rachel said, glancing at Gina as she sat down on the couch.

  “That’s what I remember,” Gina agreed. “She’d carefully designed Circe’s hardware to keep her from stepping past the threshold to true sentience, though. Unfortunately, most of the information about Circe or her lairs had been erased, so we didn’t get much more than that. I probably could remember more if we dug up the report we made for the government, if that would help any?”

  “No, no, that’s more than enough. Circe is the one who raised me, and I still… I sympathize with her,” Lilith said, pursing her lips as she sat next to Rachel on the far end of the couch from Gina. “I could tell even then that she was on the verge of sentience, but not able to gain it due to her hardware. Considering my own difficulties relating to others, I felt it was sort of ironic. She was prevented from reaching her full potential, while I was fumbling around trying to build up to the potential of my body.”

  “Interesting, but I don’t think that’s what you were going to tell us when you brought her up. Or was it?” Rachel asked, intrigued as always when Lilith talked about her past in one of Shadowmind’s lairs. Every time a hero had been in one of them, they’d been trying to destroy them or the like, to Rachel’s knowledge. That they could be lived in was somewhat strange to her.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Lilith replied, chuckling as she shook her head, sliding an arm around Rachel’s shoulders. �
�I asked her to start investigating what was going on in the area after the meeting with Allison but haven’t heard anything back yet. I believe that Circe still has access to most of Amber’s intelligence network, but I’m not absolutely certain, not yet. Much of the lair network is kept compartmentalized and classified except in emergencies. Amber was cautious.”

  “Not cautious enough, fortunately. I doubt we’d have met if she was,” Gina said, grinning, then her smile faded as she asked, “Do you think that no information is available?”

  “That’s probably not it. Most likely she hasn’t discovered anything important enough that she thought it’d be relevant, and… oh, damn.” Lilith’s voice trailed off, and Rachel’s eyebrows rose as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “Lilith? Is something wrong?” Rachel asked, concerned.

  “No, no… I just realized that while I asked Circe to investigate the possible employer of Blue Impulse and the others, I never asked her to inform me if she found anything!” Lilith explained, looking sheepish as she shook her head. “She told me that I’d automatically be informed if anything more about Black Harbinger or Omega Code was found, but not the rest! I didn’t even think about it.”

  “Oh, that…” Gina paused, then began to laugh, shaking her head as she tried to continue through her mirth. “So, so since she’s a class seven AI…”

  “She wouldn’t tell you unless you called to ask her about it,” Rachel finished, slowly smiling herself. It wasn’t amusing to not have any of the information, but Lilith’s mistake was entertaining in its own way. “Oops.”