by L. Fergus
Kat sprang at her, Dusk and Dawn cutting through the rain. Galina’s daggers answered every strike, the smaller blades absorbing and deflecting each impact easily. Sliding under Kat’s blades, Galina kicked her in her numb leg. As Kat collapsed, Galina stabbed her in her right shoulder. Kat lay on the ground with her eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain.
“I…I don’t think we can get up,” Kat whispered.
“You’ve got to,” Kita insisted. “Jess will die if we don’t. We’ll die.”
“I can’t beat her. I can barely use my right arm.”
“Then leave it for defense.”
“She’ll spot the weakness in a heartbeat. There’s nothing I can do,” Kat said her words dejected.
“Get up,” Kita ordered. “We won’t die on our knees. If we’re going to lose, we do it on our feet looking the enemy in the eye.”
Kat looked up at the dark sky, a mysterious point of light moved through the clouds. She rolled her head over and saw two Marines holding Rabbit as she screamed for her. Closing her eyes, she summoned all her strength to stand.
“It’s time you recognized your better, raven. You’d be nothing if it weren't for me,” said Galina with a defiant sneer. “I am the greater assassin, the master manipulator, and I am the better leader. All those titles you claimed for yourself should be mine. I’m the best in the universe, raven, not you. You’re nothing more than a broken has-been.”
Kat opened her eyes when she stood. “If you’re the best, why didn’t you take it all from me earlier?”
Galina snarled and attacked. Kat did her best to block the flurry of strikes from the daggers. Galina attacked her injured right shoulder as she predicted. Kat sacrificed her bracers to deflect the strikes, but the sharp blades took large chunks out each time. Blood began to leak through them.
Kat counterattacked, but Galina pushed her aside with ease. With only one sword, it was easy to guess Kat’s every move. She blocked another attack, and Galina twisted her dagger to lock their blades together.
“It’s over, raven. Say goodbye to your little girlfriend.” Galina smiled wickedly. She forced Dawn from Kat’s hand and slammed both her daggers into Kita’s chest.
Kat staggered backward until she tripped and fell. She looked up at the sky as the rain fell on her. The world was quiet. A small voice penetrated everything. Her head rolled toward the source. Rabbit pulled with all her might against the Marines’ grips, screaming, but Kat couldn’t understand her.
“I…I failed,” Kat whispered into the closing darkness.
“We’re not over,” Kita said.
“What’s left?”
“Us. In the end, there will always be us.”
“No,” said Kat quietly. “There is only me, myself, and I. We are one. If it’s time to die, we do it as one. I am Kita.”
“I am Kat,” Kita whispered back firmly.
“Together we are Kita,” they said together.
“I am Kita,” she said to herself as her world went black.
“Kita!” Rabbit screamed through the rain hiding her tears.
“Oh, shut up,” Sheppard snarled. She kicked Rabbit in the back and then swore as she held her injured shoulder. “Go help the General with the body,” she ordered a trio of Marines. “The rest of you, spread out, and look sharp. Just because she’s down, doesn’t mean she’s out.”
“Oh, she’s dead, Admiral,” Tina said, coming out of the transport. She stopped to scratch Sarge’s ears. “Your mom’s almost home, buddy,” she whispered to the cat. She walked down into the rain, but the water didn’t touch her. She walked to Rabbit and her captors. “Let her go, please. She’s going to need those arms in a bit.” When they didn’t listen to her, Tina waved her hand, and the pair slammed against the transport. “Come, Jessica. Sheppard, you too.”
Tina led the pair to Galina, gloating to herself while inspecting Dusk.
“What was the one thing we said you couldn’t do?” Tina said to Galina.
“She’s dead, but she’s not that dead. We can bring her body back.”
“That was not the deal. The deal was Kita’s body had to remain in the original condition—unaltered, no experimentation, no exploration, no torture, or anything else that would change her from that day,” Tina said firmly.
“Then you can put her back, and we’ll take her below.”
Three lights appeared from between the transports and drifted toward the group. The lights multiplied into an uncountable number of lights forming a larger ball of light, a woman covered in bark and vines, and a grim reaper.
Tina smiled to the arriving gods. “Y’grene, E’fil, Ht’aed, nice to see you again.”
“Y’crem,” E’fil greeted.
“What’s your purpose for calling us here?” Ht’aed demanded.
“I’ve missed your company, Ht’aed,” Tina said with a smirk that faded. “The humans have broken their part of our agreement. They have killed my sister, Li’ve.”
“You mean her human body,” Ht’aed corrected.
“Yes, but it’s as much a part of her as mine is to me. It is not something that should be taken lightly. I know you don’t understand the connection, but trust me when I say it is important.”
“The rest of her is still bound. Without this body, it makes her all the weaker.”
“My sister was separated not because of her power, but her intentions on how she wished to use it. I will remind everyone that she did succeed in the task we gave her and sacrificed herself in doing so. This is not a punishment, just a time for her to calm down. If Kylee and Kamikaze ever hear of this, then it gives them the right to terminate their part of the agreement. We’ve all witnessed the destruction they’ve brought to countless worlds and systems looking for Kita. Imagine what it will be like if there are no rules? What they could do to Infinity.”
“Agreed, Y’crem,” said Y’grene. “These humans were tasked with a job and have failed.”
“They did more than fail,” said Tina. “They killed her on purpose, knowing their duty.”
“We did not discuss penalties with the humans. Is it fair to make them up now?” said E’fil.
“I say the punishment should fit the crime,” Tina said with a mischievous smile.
“Hey, we should get a proper say in this,” Galina demanded. “We didn’t ask for her body or to be the protector of it.”
“You did want her body,” said E’fil. “You made a deal with Ht’aed for it.”
“And he canceled it,” Galina snarled.
“But we gave her body to you anyway, as a sign of good faith,” said Tina.
“I didn’t want it to keep her alive.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want, subequation,” said Y’grene.
“You should be thanking Li’ve for saving all of you. Other subequations worship other advanced equations for such acts,” said E’fil.
“Don’t go and give my sister any ideas,” Tina said with a chuckle.
“What should we do, Y’crem? I hope you called us here with a suggestion,” said Y’grene.
“I did. I will restore my sister’s body to the condition it was in before her death. The humans will continue to protect her.”
“I hope with someone other than this one,” Ht’aed said and pointed at Galina. “It has proven to be unreliable.”
“Very true,” Tina agreed. “I suggest we put Jessica Rabbit in charge of her safety for now. I can reassign the duty to Jane when Kita finds her.”
“I’ll kill Jane first,” Galina hissed.
Tina smirked. “I’d like to see you try.”
“I fixed her. She’s just a waste of space, like when she first boarded that damn colony ship.”
“Then protecting Kita might fall into your lap.”
“What’s to stop me from killing this runt and taking Kita?”
“Nothing. If you can kill her, then take my sister. You know the conditions.”
“Uhm, what about me?” Rabbit said hesitantly.<
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“What about you, child?” E’fil said gently.
“What am I protecting Kita from? And am I really the person for it?”
Tina smiled. “Of course you are. I have faith in you and so does my sister. Danger of all kinds lurks in the universe. You have to be ready for anything. But don’t worry, you’ll have my sister. She’s a force all her own. Your real job is not to physically protect her, but that would be nice. It’s to keep all the wheels upstairs moving in the right direction.”
Rabbit frowned. “I…Ok.”
“I’ll be watching, don’t worry. I’ve been watching Galina’s little freak show since its inception.” She glared at Galina. “You’re an ideal match for Kita, physically, emotionally, and mentally. It’s unfortunate that this isn’t chance, but I’ll take it.”
“What do you mean?” said Rabbit her eyebrows going up.
“You were put in your current assignment by Galina because you’re my sister’s type. In case she ever needed to influence my sister, as a friend or love interest depending on what my sister was after.”
Rabbit looked at Galina furiously. “I didn’t earn my station?”
“You earned it. You were chosen for it because of your compatibility, Captain,” Galina snapped.
Rabbit ripped her Eyes of Providence from her collar. “You know what you can do with your captaincy and compatibility? Shove them up your whoring ass.” She flung the pieces of metal, hitting Galina in the face, leaving a small scratch.
“You will regret that,” Galina hissed.
“As for punishment,” said Tina, “my sister is free of her cage. I say, let’s let her stretch her legs a bit and have her freedom. I bet the humans won’t take their eyes off her.”
“This isn’t fair. Kita will destroy everything,” Sheppard blurted out.
“My sister doesn’t have that kind of power anymore. A colony or two might get damaged. But, you should be able to protect your Empire from her, Admiral,” Tina said.
“We can handle her,” Sheppard grunted.
“You just can’t kill or damage her permanently.”
“I find this to be a satisfactory conclusion,” said Y’grene. The other gods agreed.
“Then it’s settled. The new laws go into effect as of now,” said Tina.
The three gods collapsed back into points of light and floated off into the storm.
“In all fairness to the humans, I will give you a chance to run,” Tina offered.
“As soon as you’re gone, I’m killing her,” Galina hissed, pointing to Rabbit.
Tina smiled and walked over to Kita’s body. Rabbit followed her. A pearly white shield went up around them.
“Are you injured?” Tina asked.
Rabbit shook her head. “Maybe my pride. I completely fell apart.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Tina as she ran her hands over Kat’s body, healing it. “You had no way of knowing. Galina’s an excellent manipulator and planner. Kita, on the other hand, is the master of both, plus much more. You’ll learn soon enough.”
After healing Kita’s body, Tina repaired her armor. Rabbit watched, fascinated.
“Soon, this will be nothing new for you,” Tina said with a grin. She touched Kita on the nose. “And may the devil rise once more to bring evil to the land.”
Kita gasped, her back arched, as she let out a painful scream. Her body relaxed and stayed still. Slowly her eyes opened. She saw Rabbit first.
“Are you ok, Jess?” Kita whispered.
“I’m fine, Kat,” Rabbit said with a smile. With Tina’s help, they raised Kita to a sitting position.
Kita rotated her arms and flexed her hands. She twisted to test her back and sides. “Your handiwork, little sister?”
“Somebody remembering a bit more about herself,” said Tina.
“Some. Not enough. Large chunks are still missing.”
Tina got to her feet and helped Kita up. “I hate to leave you in a pickle, but Galina’s still outside wanting blood.”
“The rain will run red with hers,” Kita said firmly.
“I’ll leave you to it, but first, a parting gift. How’d you do it for the others? Tap them on the nose right?”
“Huh?” said Kat.
Tina giggled as she touched her sister’s nose. “Boop.”
Kita let out a shriek as she fell to her hands and knees. The knobs on her back grew rapidly into thin bones. Buds appeared all over the fleshy appendages. Black feathers burst forth, growing to lengths up to six feet. When the pain subsided, Kita stood up. She opened her wings to their full twenty-foot span and roared up at the sky.
“Kat, are you ok?” said Rabbit.
“It’s Kita, now. And I’ve never felt better.” She smiled down at Rabbit. “Thank you for all your help.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet.”
“Then get that fancy suit on and let’s rip them a new one.”
Rabbit smiled. “Usagi, kogeki.” Underneath her uniform the suit expanded, leaving the uniform in tatters.
As Kita received her wings, Tina appeared next to Galina. “If you really wish to prove you’re the best, you shouldn’t have to cheat to do it.”
“You’re not an assassin. You don’t know how we duel. Kita didn’t claim her title with a fair fight,” Galina sneered.
“True, and you got the title. How long you keep it remains to be seen.” Behind them, they heard Kita’s faint scream through Tina’s protective bubble.
“You didn’t,” Galina whispered, turning white.
“It’s not technically cheating,” Tina smiled. “It’s just my sister at her one-time best. It’s amazing how far she’s come. Good luck.” She dropped the protective bubble just as Rabbit deployed her BEAR Suit and vanished into the rain.
“What the hell is that thing?” Sheppard said to Galina.
“I don’t know, but Kita’s the bigger threat.”
Rabbit turned to face the Marines, her mortars and missiles firing, as she attacked them.
“Are you sure about that?” Sheppard argued.
“You take care of her. I’ll take care of Kita.”
Kita turned away from Rabbit. The girl and the VI had everything under control as she flew around the pad firing on targets. Kita felt wet fur rub against her leg. Sarge had wrapped himself around her legs, marking and possessing her. She smiled. “Hello, boy. I thought you were over me.”
Sarge turned toward Galina and Sheppard, raised his hackles, and growled in their direction.
“Something’s not right with them, is it?”
Sarge huffed, his large tail lashing behind him angrily.
Kita knelt down and ruffled his fur playfully. “Say you were only biding your time waiting for me?”
The large cat rubbed against her in affirmation.
“You’ve been hanging around me too long, old friend.”
Kita was still trying to piece together how she got here. She knew that Galina had taken advantage of her earlier wounded state and killed her. Galina wasn’t a fallen angel, so this attack had been personal. As far as how and why she was standing on a shuttleport in the rain, she’d get answers when this was over. But a personal attack couldn’t go unpunished.
Kita’s wings burst into flame, lighting the dark pad as Rabbit’s attacks took out the lights. “Come out, pretty pirate. Come face me, Galina,” Kita called maliciously to Galina using an old nickname.
Taking cover behind a personal shuttle, Galina and Sheppard watched Rabbit darting around in the air firing on the Marines.
“Where the hell did she get a suit with firepower like that? Did Kita build it for her?” Sheppard asked.
“Impossible. Kita can’t access any of that.”
“She just called you out by name. She might have access to her computer.”
“That’s locked by a series of specific trigger encryption keys. It will take forever for her to find them all,” Galina snapped. “You deal with that flying tin can. I’ll hand Kita h
er ass.” She rolled out from behind the shuttle and faced Kita. “Just because you’ve got wings doesn’t mean I won’t kill you again. I am the greatest!” she yelled through the rain.
Kita raised an eyebrow. Where are your wings? I didn’t take them from you… She smiled wryly. “Only in your own mind, pretty pirate.”
Galina snarled in rage and sprinted at Kita. Calmly, Kita drew her swords and flourished them. She blocked Galina’s attacks, spun to throw Galina’s daggers to one side and counterattacked viciously, leaving two long lines across Galina’s back. Kita backflipped, booting Galina in the back, sending her sprawling across the friction-coated decking.
“I remember what I’ve been missing,” Kita clucked down at Galina, “a ten-pound counterweight.” She waved her burning wing over Galina’s wounds to cauterize them. “You’re not getting out this easy.” Kita smiled wickedly. “Get up.”
Galina flipped herself to her feet. “You are nothing. I beat you at your own game. I took everything you had—your body, family, friends, empire, power…It all belongs to me. You are mine. I own you.”
“Nobody owns me,” said Kita. “Whatever you think you’ve taken, I can rebuild. That’s what makes me greater than you. I refuse to be anyone’s peon and beg for scraps on a table. I’ll kill to be free or die trying. Most importantly, you don’t have the brains or backbone to create something from nothing.”
“You’re a thief and con,” said Galina. “You’re a pathetic charlatan that talks or intimidates her way through life. You don’t build, you steal. If someone disagrees or opposes you, you kill them. The only thing you’ve built is a mountain of bodies.”
“Does that make you jealous? I have the desire and will to get what I want? You fail to mention I take care of those who help me.”
“You don’t do what is good for the whole.”
“No one does what’s good for the whole, only themselves. All you do is what’s good for the Emperor.”
Galina sprang at Kita, striking with speed and ferocity. She slid, spun, and flipped around Kita, looking for an opening.
Kita anticipated Galina’s every move. Using her swords and wings, Kita countered every strike and movement with attacks and movements of her own. She corkscrewed and flipped over Galina. The pirate blocked the attack, but not the twist as Kita changed her grip on her swords. Kita locked Dusk between the daggers’ quillons and wrenched them from Galina’s hand. With a backflip kick, she sent Galina skyward. Kita flew after her and threw her back to the metal deck. Kita landed, driving her fist into Galina’s chest. Grabbing Galina’s front, she pulled her to her feet.