Sarin's War

by L. Fergus

  “We’re far from crazy, sir. In fact, we’ve come to a very rational conclusion,” Kita said, her tone becoming sinister. “Why don’t you tell him, Deputy.”

  “Gladly,” said Sarin, taking a step closer to Ray. “We’ve decided Kristi displays the aptitude and attitude we desire in our unit. Normally, we only take people without any strings attached. We have in the past experimented with a girl who was married. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well for her or her daughter.”

  “Kristi isn’t going anywhere with you two whack jobs to join whatever insane wannabe legionnaire game you’re playing,” Ray yelled.

  “We don’t want her in the Legion,” said Sarin. Kita appeared next to Sarin. Together they made their wings appear. “We want her to be an Angel.”

  “And that doesn’t include you,” Kita whispered.

  “You’ll never get away with this!” cried Ray.

  “We already have a plan,” said Sarin. “The train you took to get here is going to have a minor mechanical failure that will create a cascade of failures, until the train jumps the track and plunges into Turtle Lake. It will later be discovered, that there was a series of false maintenance reports covering up the problems.”

  “That’s impossible. Even you don’t have those kind of resources.”

  The two Angels changed into their god forms.

  “We’re gods,” said Kita. “With a wave of our hand, it’ll be airtight.”

  Ray turned around and grabbed a pistol on the rack. He fired two rounds at Kita. The two Angels burst out laughing.

  “You just killed a hologram,” Kita said as the two holes closed.

  Ray fired at Sarin. The bullets hung in the air a foot from the pistol.

  “I’m real. But you need to do better than that to kill me,” Sarin drew her pistol and fired. The bullet pierced Ray’s trachea. The man dropped the pistol he was holding and grabbed at his throat. He tried to speak, but only a gurgle came out.

  “I shot you in the throat so you’d shut up,” said Sarin. “You’re an ‘I’m sorry’ gift to my partner. We had a spat earlier, and I want to make it up to her. I’ll give you a warning. I like to shoot people. It’s a fun adrenaline rush. For Kita, it’s something else. She’s hardwired to get enjoyment from killing. Couple that with a serious bloodlust, and you’d normally be in for a very long night.” Sarin looked at Kita. “Make it quick. We need to get him to his final destination.”

  Kita fell upon the man. Sarin snapped her fingers to put the pair in a plastic enclosure. She heard Ray screaming through the hole in his throat. Not wanting any part of Kita’s idea of fun, she left to finish preparing for her other guests.

  Sarin tuned every available screen to the various news channels for when her father and Kristi arrived.

  “What’s going on?” said Sven, looking around at the ten different reporters talking at once.

  “One of the trains derailed and exploded over Turtle Lake,” said Sarin, trying to sound shaken.

  “Is Ray here? He’d have taken that line to get here,” Kristi said, panic creeping into her voice.

  “No. Should he be?”

  “He messaged me that he was leaving. That was over an hour ago. It only takes thirty minutes.” Kristi twisted and turned as she hugged herself looking worried.

  “I’ll contact our news network and send security over to find him. I’m sure he’s just stuck somewhere,” said Sven. He muted the other screens and made the calls.

  “Isn’t that a waste of resources?” Kita said as she entered with Athena.

  Sarin knew how hard it was to lose a partner and wanted everyone available to comfort Kristi when the time came.

  “It’s a perfect allocation of resources,” said Sven. “It will make a nice human interest story and put a face on the tragedy.”

  “Oh, I’m not passing judgment or anything. I would have done the same thing. It’s good to know we have like minds.”

  “We are nothing alike.”

  “Keep telling yourself that.” Kita went to go hover over the food.

  Sarin smacked her hand. “You can’t eat. Get out of here.”

  “You didn’t get any cookies, anyway,” Kita said with a practiced pout.

  “No one needs any cookies. The food’s ready. We’ll go down to my wing. We can look out onto the garden and see the curve of the station from there.” Sarin and the other Angels picked up the platters of food and led the way.

  “Are these all yours?” Sven asked after seeing Sarin’s display of weapons when they arrived in her living area. “We can’t have these in the house.”

  Sarin spotted several red dots on the white carpet. “Of course they’re mine. They’re a history of my life as a gunsmith, sniper, and gunslinger. Except for the original, I designed and built them all myself. They all work if you want to squeeze off a few rounds.” As she talked, she moved to the spots of blood, put her foot on them, and made them disappear.

  “That won’t be necessary. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you clean anything,” Sven teased his daughter.

  “Being what I am, I do have some practical purposes.”

  “How did dirt get in here?”

  “Oh, I can guess,” Sarin said looking at Kita. “But I probably dragged it in when I went out to see the garden.”

  Kristi looked around nervously.

  “Sweetheart, sit. Ray will be fine,” said Sarin. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Just some water.”

  “No problem.” Sarin went to the small kitchenette. The beer left over from Ray sat on the counter. She grabbed it and poured it out.

  “It’s not good to drink alone,” said Sven.

  “That’s why it’s still here. I got the message you were coming.”

  “I just don’t want to see my girl become an alcoholic.”

  Sarin gave him a bright smile, hiding her past as a drug addict and an alcoholic. “Feel free to eat.”

  “Oh, I can’t even think about food,” Kristi said with a shiver.

  “It’ll be all right.” Sarin put an arm and a wing around her. “I know exactly how you feel. Someone is very good at leaving me in similar circumstances. But sitting and worrying yourself into a fit won’t help. All you’ll do is stress yourself out. Daddy’s people will find Ray. Have a little faith.”

  Kristi burst into tears.

  “How is she?” Kita asked as Sarin and Athena stepped through the screen onto the stone patio.

  “Asleep, finally. Poor girl exhausted herself crying,” said Sarin. “We all know what it feels like to lose someone. What’s the latest report from the scene?”

  “It’s going to take a few days to get the cars out of the water,” said Kita. “The whole station is in an uproar over what happened. As a witness put it: this just doesn’t happen.”

  “First time for everything,” Athena muttered.

  “Indeed,” Sven said from a dark corner where he had gone to smoke a cigarette.

  “Daddy, what have I told you about that?” said Sarin.

  “Save it, dear. I’ll choose how I wish to kill myself. My company built those trains. I know what their safety record is. What did you three have to do with this wreck?”

  “Nothing,” Sarin said, offended.

  “Don’t lie to me, Jane. I raised you, and I don’t need some alien to tell me when you’re lying. Why did Ray have to die?”

  “Hey, back off,” said Kita.

  Sarin waved her partner back. “He died to free Kristi. We need her to be committed to us and not worrying about some man back home.”

  “That’s not your choice to make,” said Sven.

  “Everyone here has lost someone. We’ve all lost more than one person we care about. It’s hard, but with our help, she’ll get through it.”

  “You don’t think you’ve helped enough?” Sven yelled.

  “She’s going to get a chance to say goodbye. She’ll put that chapter of her life behind her, and that’s all she can do
.”

  “Have you asked her what she wants?”

  Sarin put her hands on her hips. “Rarely are we asked what we want when the equation changes. I didn’t get asked, Kita didn’t get asked, and Athena didn’t get asked. It just happens, and you have to deal with the outcome.”

  “But it’s not some grand twist in the equation. It was the three of you who did this. What gives you the right to play God?” Sven said accusingly.

  “If I were that kind of god, I wouldn’t be standing here!” snarled Sarin.

  “And your mother would still be alive.”

  “At least you and she got the chance to say goodbye. The three of us didn’t. Our friends and family were slaughtered before we even knew what was going on. They killed our babies and Athena’s partner. I listened from inside a cell as the orbital guns fired over and over, raining destruction down on them. They didn’t get a chance to fight back, and there was nothing left except radioactive dust. I couldn’t do anything to stop them.

  “That was not blind fate, Father. That was Galina killing a pair of girls who looked up to her as a teacher and a friend. She didn’t care. She was just following a plan that included killing my girls, Nell, Leaf, and so many more.” Tears ran down Sarin’s face. “They were my friends, my family. No one asked me if they should die. Otherwise, I’d have gladly given myself up to save them. I’d put the pistol to my head and pull the trigger if I had to. Don’t lecture me about loss and fate, Father. I’ve had enough of both to last me a thousand lifetimes.” Before she could say more, Kita wrapped her up in her arms and closed her wings around them.

  Sarin cried herself out. Kita stroked her hair and dabbed at the tears on her cheeks. Sarin hugged Kita possessively. “I’m going back to the ship. If you need me, call me. Babe, can you and Athena handle things here?”

  “Sure.”

  “We’ll take care of her, Mom,” said Athena.

  “I need to go decompress,” said Sarin. “I wish you could come with me,” Sarin said to Kita.

  “I know. I wish my biological self were here, too.”

  Sarin gave a hint of a smile.

  “You can’t run away from this,” said Sven.

  “Sir, stop,” Kristi said from above them. The group looked up to see Kristi on the balcony. “I know your heart is in the right place, but the outrage belongs to me. Will one of you catch me if this goes badly?”

  “Ah, sure,” said Kita. She clapped her hands. “We’ve reached saturation.” A set of wings peeked over Kristi’s head.

  “What a pretty color,” said Athena.

  “Yeah, I was thinking of going for a spice theme. Cinnamon is both a color and a great name.”

  Athena giggled. “Only because you can shorten it to Cin.”

  “You know I don’t go for that hokey pokey stuff. Go ahead, we’ll catch you,” cried Kita.

  Kristi jumped over the rail. Kita and Athena floated waiting for her. They caught her and set her on the ground. She hugged Sarin.

  “I’m sorry, Jane. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose so many friends or a child.”

  Fresh tears fell down Sarin’s face. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have to apologize.”

  “Yes, I do,” Sarin said as she pulled away. “This…This wasn’t an accident. I caused it.” She bit her lip, nervously waiting for Kristi to come apart.

  Kristi frowned sadly. “I don’t know what to say, Jane. I wondered how this would play out. Kita was very blunt about what she expects from the Angels. It simplifies things, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you for it.”

  “Wait, don’t get mad at her,” said Kita. “Blame me. It was my idea.”

  “I know. I will deal with you later.”

  Kita pursed her lips. “Just because you’re an Angel, doesn’t mean you have to join us.”

  “You are not getting out of this so easily, Kita. I understand you wanted to protect me, but I don’t need to be protected. I can take care of myself, and I decided weeks ago to leave Ray for you.” She huffed. “I’m going back upstairs. I’ll find you when I’m ready. Until then, leave me alone.”

  “Well, I will say one thing,” Kita said after Kristi was gone, “you give a girl a set of wings, and she no longer fears anything.”

  Sarin shook her head.

  “You know what I mean,” Kita said, putting her arms around Sarin.

  “I need to get back to the ship. Can you handle this?”

  “As well as I can. I’m probably going to need Sven’s help.”

  Sarin looked at her father. “Daddy, just don’t, please?” She didn’t wait for an answer and vanished with Athena.

  “We are going to have to get some of these for the house,” said Athena to Sarin. They were in an underground utility passageway above a Political Bureau facility.

  “You think so?”

  “With the long hallways, stairs, and priceless treasures, a pair of R/C cars would be exciting.”

  “Ok, but no direct interfacing with the car. Kita’s a bad enough cheater, on several levels.”

  “You did choose to partner with someone who will do whatever is required to win.”

  “I know. It’s saved our lives more than once, but for little things, it’s kind of annoying.”

  Athena chirped laughter. “The car has arrived at the front door. I don’t detect anyone within a five-yard radius. Are you ready?”

  “My hands are charged.”

  “Turning on the mass generator.”

  They waited for someone to investigate the sudden appearance of mass at the front door. This mission was the first time they had used this type of espionage tactic. Sarin had always left the cloak and dagger stuff to Kita. Now, she wished she’d paid more attention.

  All Sarin needed was a distraction so she could blow a hole in the wall. This facility was larger than the previous two, and she didn’t think smashing the front door would be the way a small group of college-age revolutionaries would do it. She and Athena had spent the better part of three days trying to develop a clever plan. After researching a dozen movies and shows, this tactic seemed to be the best idea that might work in the real world.

  “We’ve got three or four people at the door,” said Athena. “I—Blast doors deployed. They think we’re a bomb.”

  “Good.” Sarin transformed into a female activist. She pulled the mask down over her face tucking in her now brown hair into the back, and then placed her hand on the wall. “Let’s give them one. Blow it.”

  As Athena sent the command to detonate the car, Sarin blasted a hole in the wall. Athena floated behind her in her ball, as Sarin entered a room with seemingly endless rows of computer stacks.

  “Uh, I think this is much more than a Bureau observation station,” Sarin said. “What is this place?”

  “It could be backup storage or computers just crunching data. I had warehouses full of machines doing calculations for Hades.”

  “What if it’s an AI?”

  “That would depend on what kind of shackles it has. It could be hostile, though I think it would be indifferent.”

  “Would you be?”

  “I’m not shackled, and I would defend my home with whatever resources available.”

  “Maybe if it is one, we can offer it a way out.”

  “Let us see if that’s the type of dragon that is in this lair.”

  Two male activists appeared next to Sarin. They were not holograms, but biological constructs linked to Sarin. They were alive, but she had to do all of their thinking. She gave them each a Bureau gun, taken from her first attack back on Neptune, to make sure the investigators would link the activists to the attacks. She drew her pistol and made her way through the rows of machines. She counted over a thousand computers by the time she reached the end of the row. Looking left and right, there were at least fifty rows.

  “This place must take up a city block,” Sarin said to Athena.

  “It is a lot of hardware. This facility
might be the central control system for all of Seattle.”

  A door opened from the platform above them, and a large group of guards pushed their way in. Sarin fired her pistol, aiming the 9mm rounds between gaps in their armor. With all of the guards dead, she led her group through the open door to a stairwell. With a reluctant sigh, Sarin climbed the stairs.

  “There are no doors out of here,” said Sarin after climbing seven flights of stairs.

  “The plans we purchased are useless,” said Athena. “This is supposed to be the food court for the building.”

  They climbed seventy-seven stories before finding another door. Sarin burst through, but the corridor was empty.

  “This is very troubling,” said Athena.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We leaked our intentions to attack this location. I would have expected higher security.”

  “Don’t tell me we’re going to have to do this again.”

  “We should see if there is a prize waiting for us. Even if there is no AI, we could steal some important data.”

  Sarin stretched out her consciousness to look at the equation. She drifted through the walls until she found what looked to be a control room. Leading her group down the well-lit corridor to a heavily secured door, Sarin put her hand on it. An explosion blasted the door into the room beyond. She jumped inside, searching for targets. She found a pair of guards, and her puppets found three more. The trio put their targets down with ruthless efficiency.

  The room held several workstations, papers and bodies now littered the floor. A panoramic window showed the Seattle skyline.

  “Hello?” Sarin called, but no AI answered. “Well, damn. Can you hack in and see what you can steal?” she asked Athena.

  “Yes, but I’ll need a few minutes.”

  “No problem. We’ll guard the hallway and the window. Now that we’re in, I’m worried about getting out,” Sarin grumbled. “I—”

  The window exploded inward blasting the Angels with glass shards. The shower of glass shredded one of Sarin’s puppets. The second puppet collapsed with a throwing star in the center of his forehead. Sarin transformed and brought her wings forward to block the glass.