No Master Plan Here (Madness Runs in the Family)

by Joel Burdick

  Anansi sputtered, mouth stumbling over words until he finally paused, ordering his thoughts. “You could have...t-told me “Hey, I can, ah, make my skin bulletproof!” o-or “By the by, I can bleed on command.””

  “A girl needs her secrets, doesn't she? Besides, if you remember correctly, when we were dating I was spying on you and needed a way out in case you were the insane anarchist the FBI thought you were.” She pushed Anansi towards the showers. “I can explain more later, first, sober up. We've got an evil political despot to expose and unseat.”

  -~-~-

  Denise watched Anansi go into the showers with a smile. She briefly considered joining him, but decided against it. He needed time to decompress. She could tell by the way he had started stuttering. A shift in the light in the room let her know Kay had manifested behind her.

  “Thanks for letting me in,” Denise said, crossing her arms under her chest, still looking at the showers. For the first time she considered the implications of her position. Technically, she was dead, and therefore wasn't bound by anything, including duty. Right now, she wanted revenge for the attempt on her life, but beyond that, she had to decide if she would reemerge from the ashes once this ordeal was over.

  “I had it from someone who knows far more than he ever should that you were not mind controlled,” Kay said, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. She walked forward to stand beside Denise, clutching the holographic datapad in her arms as she watched Denise. She sniffed and adjusted her glasses. “You do not show any symptoms that I can tell, so I am willing to extend you a modicum of trust, but know that if you so much as twitch, I will end you.”

  “Noted,” Denise said, the AI's protectiveness not surprising her at all. Between the two, Kay had always demonstrated a longer memory than Anansi, and was more prone to mistrust than her creator. It was amusing to note the differences in personality between the two. “I will try to keep the psychotic twitches and thoughts of murdering Anansi's cute ass to a minimum.”

  Kay smiled, the hologram talking on a less hostile posture. “You do that. Would you like a drink or something to eat while you wait? I heard your stomach growling.”

  Denise shrugged, looking to the hologram. “Something to eat would be nice, but I can cook it myself if there is a kitchen.” Kay extended the holographic datapad so that Denise could see it. On it was displayed a list of food items and ingredients stored on the ship. Denise skimmed through it, making mental notes of things she might be able to use.

  “Or you could ask for something and have me cook it while you watch video feed of Anansi showering,” Kay said with a smirk. Denise flushed, causing Kay's smirk to transform into a grin. “I won't tell.”

  “That's fine, Kay. I'll, uh...Actually, can you cook that recipe he likes? The fried apple things? I would like a shower myself. I need a shower to get my blood off of me.” Kay nodded and lowered her glasses, looking at Denise's pocket. Denise's phone vibrated. She took it from her pocket and looked at the screen, which was displaying a pair of arrows, one pointing towards the door into Anansi's bathroom and another towards the door.

  “Choose your path. I'll have your apple pancakes ready when you two are done. The phone will guide you to the galley.” Denise nodded and chose the one that would lead to the door. Her phone led her down the stairs outside Anansi's room and into the room the next floor down. It was arranged much the same as Anansi's, only without any evidence that it had been used in some time. Denise shifted, her clothing melting away into flesh, and slipped into the bathroom. She had just turned on the water when a thought occurred to her.

  “Kay?” she said to the open air. The hologram manifested in the bathroom with her.

  “Yes?”

  “Can you make sure Anansi doesn't peep on me?”

  “You humans and your need for privacy.” Kay rolled her eyes. “You two would be happier if you engaged in procreation like you used to, and each other nude is not something either of you are unfamiliar with.”

  “Please?” Denise said, slightly exasperated and letting it be heard. Kay nodded and disappeared. Denise sighed and stepped in, wondering just how trustworthy the AI would be.

  Chapter 20

  Anansi was dressing himself in clean clothes when Kay reappeared. She was smiling in a way that made him know she was up to something. Meddlesome AI. “What did you do?” he said as he tugged a blue t-shirt over his head.

  “Denise is taking a shower now, if you would like to look in,” said Kay with a smirk. Anansi fixed his glasses and started sputtering, trying to find a response. Finally he took a breath and glared at Kay.

  “No, and stop it. I don't want to look in on her while she's showering.”

  “No, you don't want to admit to wanting to look in on her while she's showering. You want to be in there with her.”

  “Technicalities. Stop peeping on her.” Anansi waved one arm at Kay while he tried, unsuccessfully, to fasten his pants button with one hand. He gave up and used two hands.

  “Pfft, you humans and your unwillingness to do what you want to do.”

  “Pfft, you AI and your lack of morals and boundaries. Who taught you this stuff?” Anansi flailed his hands over his head as if he was exasperated, though he was still smiling.

  “You did. You made me.” Kay stuck out her tongue at Anansi.

  “Shush! You'll let everyone know!”

  “Hah. German apple pancakes are cooking in the galley at Denise's request. I've also set aside one of your detoxification pills.” Kay winked and disappeared, leaving Anansi in his room and thinking about Denise in the guest room downstairs. He pushed those thoughts out of his head, focusing on putting together some sort of plan to take down the President and his entourage of supers.

  He snapped his fingers, an idea hitting him, and rushed downstairs to delicious fried apple-y goodness.

  -~-~-

  Denise walked into the galley to the smell of fried batter and apples, wearing a loose fitting black tank top and pair of sweatpants. Anansi sat at the counter by the stove, eating golden brown chunks of fried apple pancakes. A pair of spider drones were cooking more, and a plate was covered in paper towels. Anansi waved to Denise as she walked in. He swallowed and gestured to the plate beside the stove. “More for you already ready.”

  Denise grabbed a plate and loaded it with a pair of the pancakes. She sat down next to Anansi and started digging in. Anansi looked Denise over. “Are those my clothes?” Denise shrugged.

  “Yup,” she said between mouthfuls. “Mine were shifted because the bodysuit I wear under my SHIP armor has a tracker in it.” Anansi nodded, blushing a bit when he realized that Denise hadn't been technically wearing anything when she had arrived. “I sneaked out of there, ditched my gear, and stole a plane.”

  “I didn't know you could fly a plane,” Anansi said, cutting off another bite of pancake and stuffing it into his mouth.

  “The things you don't know about me could fill a book,” Denise responded. She finished the first pancake and started in on the second, wolfing it down in no time flat. She eyed Anansi, uncharacteristically silent as she ate. He was watching her, frowning. “What?”

  “See, that's just it. I don't really know anything about you. Was the whole time we spent together before a lie?”

  Denise set her fork down. She had been dreading this conversation. She wasn't sure how to explain herself.

  “It wasn't all a lie.” She looked up at the ceiling, pausing to consider how to phrase her thoughts. “The time we spent together started as just watching you. Learning about you. Assessing how dangerous you were. After the first year, though, when they wanted to pull me out because you weren't considered a threat anymore, I insisted on staying longer.

  “I didn't want to betray you, but at the time, I believed that what you were doing was wrong. I still think it was wrong. But this?” She sighed, shaking her head. “I can't stand behind the president anymore now that I know what he is doing.” She looked back to Anansi, determined. “We
have to stop him.”

  Anansi nodded. He stood and took their plates, coming back with more pancakes. A spider drone brought over a pair of steaming beverages, coffee for Denise, cocoa for Anansi. Anansi took his mug from the drone and leaned back on his stool, using his free hand to stop him from falling backwards.

  “I think I understand,” he said. He took a sip from his mug. He adjusted his glasses with the lip of his mug and kicked his feet idly, taking his time with coming to a decision, it seemed. Denise watched him, her stomach roiling, not sure if she could eat anymore despite still being hungry.

  “So what's the plan?” she said, when the silence grew to be too uncomfortable for her. Anansi looked to her, an eyebrow raised.

  “Plan?”

  “Yes, plan. To take out the president. You've got one, right?”

  “Nope,” Anansi replied nonchalantly. Denise felt the truth of it, but wasn't sure she believed him.

  “Are you going to make a plan?” she asked, confused. This wasn't Anansi's normal behavior. She wondered, for a moment, if he was taking this seriously, despite being relatively certain he was. The Redpaths were many things, and loyal to each other was at the top of that list. Anansi wouldn't simply allow the president to threaten his family without repercussions.

  “Nope!” Anansi said, kicking both feet out at once and rocking his stool. He had a smile on his face that made Denise wonder if her truthfinding ability was not working today, because he sounded like he was joking.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yup. No plan this time.”

  “But...you always have a plan.”

  “And every time I've got a plan, someone comes in and tries to stop it. Throws a wrench in the gears, leaves me to improvise to come out on top. You, Spark, even the president has been in on the action. People see my eyes get that world-dominating glint in them and think I've got to be stopped every time I get a plan in.” Anansi rocked back to a more stable position on his stool and set down his mug. He picked up his fork and shoveled another bite into his mouth. “No plan this time” he stated through a mouthful of pancake.

  “How does that work?” Denise asked, taking up her mug and taking a sip. It was just the way she liked it, a bit of sugar, a bit of vanilla, and a bit of cream.

  “Dunno. Never tried it before.” Anansi seemed to have given up caring, swaying back and forth on his chair.

  “You're insane,” Denise replied. Anansi chuckled and nodded.

  “You're probably right, but I think this just might work. We'll need to get you some new armor, but first!” Anansi rocked his stool so that it went back onto one leg before settling back down on all four. “Let's finish breakfast.” Denise rolled her eyes and watched as Anansi tore into his plate of pancakes. One thing was certain, he had a knack for keeping everyone else off balance.

  “What's after breakfast?” Denise said, sipping at her coffee.

  “We get you a suit of my kind of armor. I'll give you a rundown on how to use it and what to expect. After that, we head back to the states. I know someone who owes me a favor.”

  Chapter 21

  June 20, 2017

  The Cicada touched down on the rooftop helipad of Blue Steel, Inc.'s New York headquarters. Anansi ran through the shutdown procedures while Denise looked out the viewscreen at the cityscape. Anansi unplugged himself and let the cable reel back into his neural implant. He had spoken via chat with someone under the handle TKRTPK on his private server, and whoever it had been had granted access to the building for a secret project that Anansi wanted to do that was part of his preparation for the totally unplanned assault on the president, though they had stipulated no costumes on the helipad. People watched them, apparently.

  Anansi had dug up some more feminine clothing from his stores on the Sanctuary, but Denise had opted to stick with the tank top and pants. They were comfortable, and allowed her to show off some of the tattoos she wore in her Ghost form, which she spent a long time coming up with and actually liked. She considered making them a part of her personal form when this all blew over. Anansi wore a brown hooded sweatshirt and a pair of green cargo pants. Denise entertained the thought that cargo pants might be all Anansi owned for casual wear.

  Anansi stood from his seat and proceeded out of the craft, Denise following in his wake. She ran through her mental list of people who might be involved here.

  A pale redhead in a black pantsuit waited for them a safe distance from the Cicada's wings, frowning at the craft. Denise felt like they had met before, but from the distance wasn't sure. Anansi walked down the stairs, taking the last four in a single hop. He waved to the redhead, who Denise got the feeling was glaring at him.

  “You're late,” the redhead said. Denise finally recognized her. Rose Redpath, CEO of Blue Steel and de facto head of the Redpath clan when their mother was not around. The frown dissolved into a smile as Anansi and Rose shared a hug. The hug broke and Rose looked around Anansi to Denise. “Ah, Gee, was it?”

  “Denise, actually,” Denise replied. “Though Gee is fine.” She smiled and offered her hand to Rose, who gripped it tightly and shook it once. Denise noticed that Rose's hand was rather warm, even considering the temperature.

  “Nice to meet the real, not undercover, you, Denise. Try not to betray the Family this time. I don't give a third chance to people.” Denise shivered as Rose released her hand and began walking to the elevator tower. Anansi stuck his hands into the pockets of his sweater, nodded his head in Rose's direction, and followed. Denise sighed and followed, wondering what else might be in store.

  The elevator was positioned at the edge of the building and had glass walls facing outwards so that one could see the view of the city. It descended a dozen floors, the ride quiet as Anansi leaned against the glass, Rose tapped her foot, and Denise tried to stay out of Rose's line of sight.

  When the doors hissed open, Rose led the way out onto a floor with no windows The walls were grey and the carpet was a greyish blue. The hallway split into several directions, but Rose led them straight forward, towards a pair of double doors with a security device on the side. Rose gave a hand print and an ocular scan to the security device before the doors hissed open, allowing them past.

  Inside the doors was a large room with an expansive ceiling that probably accounted for at least two floors. Cubicles lined the outside of the massive square room, parting in areas to create pathways. Beyond the cubicles in an inner square was rows of tables and workbenches. Armor, weapons, and devices of all sorts littered the tables, and two large and partially assembled exoskeletons took up one large section in the corner opposite the entrance they had used. People filled the room, working at their various places and projects.

  “Welcome to the Maker's Collective, the place that keeps Blue Steel on top of the world of innovation,” Rose said with pride. “Jake may be a genius and may make some of the best stuff around, but he's a bit hard to rely on when he's off crusading.” Anansi stuck his tongue out at Rose, who returned the gesture. Denise smirked and shook her head.

  A bald man approached the trio, looking more like a college professor in his tweed jacket and pipe hanging from his lips than a scientist. He nodded a greeting, more focused on Anansi than the two women. “Anansi, right?” Anansi nodded, extending his hand to the man. The man took it and shook it vehemently with both hands.

  “Richard Ways, head of the Maker Collective, and may I say, what an honor it is to meet you, sir. Ms. Redpath has told us about you and let us in on a few of the projects you've sent us over the years, and they're always brilliant. I saw your fight with Archangel back in '14 and you were fantastic.” Anansi chuckled and worked his way from the scientist's hand.

  “Calm down. I'm just another guy, just with cool toys,” Anansi said. Denise could see he was uncomfortable with the praise he was receiving. Richard shook his head, tugging at Anansi's sleeve to lead him into the work areas.

  “You aren't just a guy with cool toys, you're a celebrity around here.” Denise no
ticed that as they walked, they drew stares, all focused on Anansi. Anansi's posture grew stiff as he walked. He had noticed as well, and was beginning to freak out. Richard continued without pause.

  “Around here, we're mostly Class ones and twos, nothing really to notice by ourselves. None of us are the sorts to be out there, doing things, even if we were more powerful.” Richard turned around, walking backwards. He nearly bumped into a woman who shifted out of his way at the last second. “But you and The Suit, you're out there with the Works and the Bruisers and the Blasters. You make it so that people take Makers seriously.” Richard paused, scratching the stubble on his chin. “Or at least more seriously. You make people see Makers can be more than lab rats, and that makes a lot of us happy around here.”

  Denise grabbed Anansi's hand, his tightening around hers. He seemed to relax some with her there.

  “A lot of us spend time on the database that ranks powers. It's our pet project. There's an ongoing debate about you.

  “See, The Suit is easy to figure out. Comparing his strength and speed to a Works, he comes out somewhere in the Class four section, but you're more ambiguous because your style isn't as direct.

  “As you know, there isn't any Class five Maker super out there. Class fives are ridiculously rare, but there seems to be at least one of every type at any given time.” Richard stopped, glancing back at Anansi and Denise.