“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on being out cold for two days, but it happened,” he said, and she could hear the brief amusement in his voice. His tone turned serious again as he explained the message he had received from Keeva and said he hadn’t replied yet. “What’s the plan, in your opinion? I’ll keep doing my thing, but do you think you will be in a position to bring the rebels and Shiru to the negotiating table?”
“I think things on this end will work out to everyone’s satisfaction.” She had spoken briefly with her brother the night before to request the enforcer unit. He had balked initially, not wanting to risk Ayane’s safety, but when she quickly summarized the plan to bring in the rebels and Reznik’s attempt to bring the slaves and other houses against the Overseer, Seijin became supportive. He was obviously unhappy with the stand-down orders in place as well and was happy to be able to use an uprising with the help of the wasteland rebels as cover for any Shiru actions. He had made it clear that he wanted her team to not have a visible presence during the operation. She intended to speak with Seijin more in depth about planning details after she finished talking to Reznik.
“There’s been a change of plans, by the way,” she continued. “I’m coming back to Skin City with a twelve-man enforcer strike team. So I guess you will have to put up with me a little longer,” she said with a grin.
“Oh, so I get my back-watcher again—can’t wait!” She could feel his smile through the link. “I’ll meet with Lady Angelis today and plan on meeting you at your friend Declan’s place. When do you anticipate being back in the city?”
“I could be there in less than fifteen minutes if I needed to, but I think I’ll take care of a few things on my end and plan on being there in a couple days. I need to pay my brother a visit. That should give you time to set things up. If you need help sooner, you know how to get a hold of me.”
“Sounds good. Fifteen minutes? Wow, that’s amazing. Must be one of those sleek spaceship-looking aircraft to get you here from wherever you’re at so fast, huh?”
“Yes, there’s a hypersonic cruiser on standby. How about we meet for dinner at the Looking Glass Cantina in a couple days? Declan makes a hell of a good shepherd’s pie.”
“Sounds great. There is one other thing…” Reznik went on to explain Marcus’s message about Planter’s Ridge.
Rin sighed. “That doesn’t surprise me. I can try to reach Hank as well, but it’s likely too late. They could have all the comms jammed by now.”
“That’s what I was thinking too. I’ll keep trying though. Guess I better get going to meet my benefactor. See you in a couple days.”
Rin said goodbye and dropped the connection. Despite the bad news Reznik had from Marcus and Keeva, she dared to feel optimistic that things were starting to look up on her and Reznik’s end.
Chapter 15
Marcus jumped in his chair as someone flicked his good ear. He marveled that Bethany could make flopping down in a chair look graceful. She grinned at him as she sat in the extra chair in his spacious yet nearly vacant new office. She shoved a stack of files to the side and kicked up her booted feet on the corner of his desk.
“Why do you always have to sneak up on me?” he asked with some annoyance. “Would it hurt to knock on the door like everyone else?” In truth, he had been struggling mightily to keep his eyes open and doubted she had even tried to surprise him.
Bethany’s eyes gleamed in amusement. “Do I look like I’m interested in being like ‘everyone else’?” She had a look of mock hurt on her face. “Who else would make your life so interesting and unpredictable, if not me?”
Marcus shook his head but couldn’t suppress a smile for long. He leaned back in his chair and stretched, trying in vain to suppress a yawn. “How did your operation go the other night?”
“Hmm… I guess I’d consider it a successful mission for the most part, but it turned out a little messier than I like to leave things. I ran into an old… acquaintance, which made things a little interesting.” She shot Marcus an odd look before glancing down and examining her neatly trimmed nails. “Definitely a complication in my plans but nothing I can’t handle. I doubt they will regroup anytime soon.” She looked up and flashed him a quick smile.
“So what brings you up here?” Any “successful” mission that turned out “messy” doesn’t bode well for the rebels. For some odd reason, he was disheartened by that news, when he knew he should feel the opposite as a company man. He couldn’t help but think there were a lot of decent people, like the friends he had made in the wasteland, struggling against corporate oppression.
Bethany made a point of surveying his new office. “I must say, being promoted to director definitely gives you a much nicer office. Pity there’s no window available. How’s the new position working out for you?”
“It’s mostly an overload of work so far. I’m just trying to catch up on all these different programs I knew nothing about, plus I still haven’t fully read up on everything I inherited from Liu.” He frowned as he thought of his friend for a moment. “Besides all that, I haven’t really been able to enjoy any of the perks that come with the position.” He yawned again.
“No? Such a shame… surely there’s got to be more of those lush young interns around that get all wet at the thought of being bedded by the strapping young director of Section 7.” Her lascivious smile and bold stare made Marcus very uncomfortable, which she very well knew.
He felt the heat rush to his face and quickly cleared his throat to try to cover up his nervousness around her. His thoughts briefly flashed back to the dance floor the other night. Damn it, why do you have to torment me like this? Aloud, he said, “I’m sure your interest in my love life doesn’t warrant an interruption from your busy schedule.”
Bethany’s light, musical laugh brought some warmth to the cold office space. “Spoken like a budding bureaucrat,” she teased.
“What can I say? I have to try to act the part now.”
She smiled again. “Actually, I’ve come here to clue you in on yet another program you didn’t know about.”
Marcus groaned.
“And…” she let the word hang before continuing, “I think there might even be some potential for your love life as well.” She winked.
“What are you talk—”
“Come on.” She sprang to her feet and grabbed Marcus by the upper arm more quickly than he could follow the movement.
“Shit.” He started and knocked his coffee mug off the corner of the desk. He belatedly reached for it, but Bethany neatly caught it with her free hand inches from the floor.
“You’re all tense, Director. Life is good; you should relax.” She placed the mug back on the desk and slipped around behind his chair. Her strong fingers massaged the kinks in his neck and shoulders.
“Ah, that feels good. Hey, I uh… wanted to apologize for the other night at the club. I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” He could hear the knowing smirk in her voice, and he was sure she knew all about what had happened after she left. Maybe Naya is one of her spies. The thought seemed to have the ring of truth to it.
Bethany’s fingers continued to work at the kinks around his neck. “It was kind of weird for me because you feel like a little brother, that’s all. Nothing against you personally. In fact,”—her breath tickled his good ear as she whispered—“I probably would’ve taken you back and fucked your brains out that night if I hadn’t felt that way.” Her musical laugh rang through the office, and she stroked his smooth head.
Marcus coughed in embarrassment and changed the subject. “Are you going to tell me what this new program is?” He was relieved when she went back to working the tension out of his muscles. Her fingers were as adept at massage as they were at pulling a trigger.
“I think you should see for yourself. There are only a select few that are read on to this program, so this doesn’t go beyond this room. The subject is having an exam due to concerns o
ver loss of mobility, and you should see if she wants or needs to be reskinned.”
The neck massage felt so good that Marcus didn’t want to interrupt her. He could only wonder what the hell she was talking about.
***
“Who is she?” Marcus asked.
A young Asian woman lay calmly on a table as medical personnel prepared a full-body scanner. The narrow table would slide into a capsule that would provide high resolution imagery of her neuromuscular system, Marcus judged from the file he had finished leafing through. He watched through the one-way glass of the observation booth.
“She’s a very important guest of ours,” Bethany replied vaguely. Marcus took that to mean that she was a political prisoner of the corporation. Rumor had it that thousands of prisoners occupied the secret prisons run by Thorne Industries. Even in his new, elevated position, Marcus didn’t have the “need to know,” as CorpSec liked to say, about that side of the business, and CorpSec never offered up any information of its own volition.
“Well, this sounds like a medical issue to me,” Marcus replied with a little irritation. He wondered why Bethany was so adamant that he deal with this woman personally. “If I have to deal with this ‘program’ that I haven’t been clued in on, I think I have a need to know what the hell is going on. All of it.”
Bethany glanced at him askance, eyebrow raised. “All right, Director,” she said sarcastically. “Ayane Takahashi is being held to ensure the cooperation of her Yakuza clan, which is the controlling interest behind the Shiru International corporation.”
“So she’s a hostage, then?” Marcus asked bluntly. He didn’t follow global politics much, but even he knew that Shiru was a hostile corporation with no love for Thorne Industries. Something bothered him about the name of the woman—it sounded familiar somehow. A split second later, he realized the warrior woman Rin, whom he had met in the wasteland, had inquired about a friend of hers by the name of Ayane. Rin’s interest made sense if she was connected to the Shiru corporation. Maybe she’s Yakuza herself, even. Suddenly the pieces fell into place: the unusual interest Rin had when Marcus had taken them to Outpost Echo, her reluctance to be seen or have him inquire with Bethany about her friend. She was very intense but didn’t seem hostile toward Marcus. In fact, Rin, along with Reznik, had risked her life to save the town of Planter’s Ridge and free Marcus and the others from the slavers. The thought of Planter’s Ridge brought a sick feeling to his stomach as he realized the town was soon to be wiped off the face of the Earth.
“Are you still with me?” Bethany’s question snapped Marcus back to the present. She was looking at him curiously. “Something on your mind?”
“Uh, no. I was just thinking… never mind. You were saying about the hostage?”
“‘Hostage’ is an awfully strong word, but I suppose it’s not inaccurate,” Bethany replied after studying his face a moment longer. She could normally read him like a book, but Marcus just hoped she didn’t get suspicious. He had promised to give Rin any information he could find out about her friend. He still intended to, but he knew he would have to be careful, especially with this new development.
On the table, the young woman turned her head, and Marcus saw that she was quite beautiful. Her large brown eyes, high cheekbones, and small mouth all made for a comely face. Her lustrous, wavy black hair cascaded over a pale shoulder. The thin garment she wore clung to her slim body appealingly. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, a few years younger than Marcus himself.
“Why are you bringing me in on this? This seems like a CorpSec matter.”
“She is a VIP and is to be treated to the highest standards. Being in charge of Section 7, reskins are your domain, and like I said, this is very close hold. I don’t think anyone below you is trustworthy enough to know about her. I thought that, in dealing with her, a lighter touch than those already assigned to this project might be needed. You have a soft heart; here’s a pretty young broken thing that you might be able to mend.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “She’s all yours; coordinate with Captain Mills on any arrangements that you need to make. Do what you can to make her stay here as pleasant as possible.” She winked at him before she walked out of the observation room.
***
“Good afternoon, Ms. Takahashi. My name is Marcus, and I’m here to see if you are being kept comfortable.” Marcus glanced nervously at the tablet with her data on it.
Ayane sat on the edge of the bed, regarding Marcus coolly. They were in a temporary room set up for her in the medical ward. “I suppose I’m fine… for a hostage. I’d be much more comfortable if you let me go back home. Thank you for your concern, though.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, but I don’t have the power to let you go. I did look at your medical file—”
“Oh, I’m sorry as well—I mistook you for someone that has some say around here. I guess that woman is the one that pulls the strings around here, is that it?”
Ouch. This is starting off on the wrong foot. “I just recently got promoted to director, not that that means a whole lot, but if you would like to request a reskin, I can make that happen. Or if you need any assistive medical devices to help you get around.” Ayane gave him a withering stare. “Um, or if you just want to be left alone, I can do that as well,” he said in a rush. Damn it, this isn’t going at all according to plan.
“Last choice—just leave me alone.”
“Oh, okay… sorry to have bothered you. If you change your mind, just ask for me. I’ll just let you be.” Embarrassed, Marcus turned to leave.
“Wait,” she called out just as his hand touched the door knob. “Marcus, was it?” Marcus nodded as he turned around. Her face softened as she regarded him. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. You’re the only person around here that’s been nice to me. Well, Captain Mills is pleasant enough, I guess. I meant the only real person around here—not just someone following orders to treat the prisoner well.”
“It’s quite all right,” Marcus said, relieved. He sat down on the wheeled stool facing her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Ayane shrugged. “Not really. It’s just nice to have someone to talk to, I suppose… someone that’s not just a robot with a pulse.”
Marcus laughed nervously, and a faint smile cracked Ayane’s face. She suppressed it right away, but Marcus thought she really was pretty—especially if she would smile more. “Yeah, the CorpSec types aren’t renowned for their witty conversational skills, that’s for sure.”
Ayane smiled again, a bit longer this time. “I know the feeling. I grew up in a household where emotions were frowned upon—even among real people, not just enforcers and military types.” She was quiet for a moment, and Marcus wasn’t sure what to say, so they sat there for a moment. “There is one thing you can do if you don’t mind. Can you raise the temperature in here a bit? It’s always a little too chilly, and I have to wrap myself in the blanket just to stay warm.”
“Oh yes, of course.” Marcus walked over to the thermostat and adjusted it a few degrees warmer. “It’s right here if you want to adjust it—it’s not chip encoded or anything like that.”
“Sure, thanks.” Ayane looked a little embarrassed, and Marcus thought of the medical files he had reviewed, which indicated the spread of a rare neuromuscular disease. He was about to mention her file when she spoke up. “I have my good days and bad days, you know? Today is… well, not the best day I guess. With my condition, the legs go numb first, and then the loss of muscle control. The numbness has come on fairly quickly in the last few months. The loss of muscle control comes and goes.”
With that, she slipped her legs off the bed until the tips of her toes were touching the cool floor. Marcus couldn’t help but notice the smooth expanse of thigh that was revealed as the hospital gown hitched up as she lowered herself. She eased herself down until she stood in front of him, and Marcus realized she was very petite—she couldn’t have been much more than five feet tall. Nervously, she let go of the bed and sto
od there.
“On the other hand, perhaps today will be a good day.” She smiled and hesitantly took a step toward him, but then she wobbled and pitched forward. Marcus rushed forward and caught her before she fell. He noticed she weighed next to nothing as he helped her back to the bed. Ayane’s face turned red with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry… thank you, Marcus. I wasn’t planning that stunt, really. I just wanted to walk over and shake your hand and thank you for being kind to me.” She wiped her eyes, and Marcus noticed the tears rimming them. “This disease has been in my family for generations. It skips around, so not everybody gets it. My grandmother had it, but I don’t remember her very much. My father was lucky and wasn’t affected, but my aunt Reiko wasn’t so lucky. I think she was about my age when she got the disease. She lived with it for a long spell—until she got reskinned. She’s quite the badass now.” She smiled and wiped her eyes again.
“I can arrange for you to get reskinned if that’s what you would like,” Marcus offered.
Ayane shrugged. “I’ll pass on that for now. Hopefully I’m not here the rest of my life. If you have one of those exoskeletons, that would be helpful. And a much less drastic step.”
“Yes, no problem. I’ll go see about procuring one right now.”
“Thanks, Marcus.” She smiled warmly at him, and Marcus smiled in return. “Will you stop by to visit me from time to time? I’d like that.”
“Sure. I’d like that too.” He meant it. It would be nice to have someone to talk to that was around his age and wasn’t a corporate drone.
Chapter 16
Lars and Lynessa led Reznik through a service entrance of a large, modern factory. The factory was on the edge of Lady Angelis’s compound, fronting one of the main streets of inner Skin City. The residential buildings were clustered on the opposite side of the expansive property.
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