Pride x Familiar

by Albert Ruckholdt

  However, as the months went by the threat they posed failed to materialize. So little by little the average Joe forgot about them.

  Perhaps I should say, out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

  But even when Crimson Crescent was mentioned – which was rare to say the least – people failed to bat an eyelid.

  I hadn’t forgotten them, and neither had the people who’d suffered because of that explosion.

  People like Arisa.

  Then one day I ran into them head first, and I realized the war between them and the Prides was in full swing. Except for years now, that war had been fought in the shadows out in the nebula, and on the worlds of the colonized star systems.

  That goes a long way in demonstrating just how effectively the Prides’ could handle information control across all mediums. Or perhaps, Crimson Crescent wasn’t bothered with keeping the public aware of their existence.

  However, the war raged on.

  It was a war that had cost lives on both sides – the lives of Familiars and Aventis.

  A war with no memorials to commemorate their deaths.

  A war people knew nothing about.

  A war I was eventually dragged into because of who I was, or rather who I became.

  Chapter 7 – Spirited Away.

  (Caelum)

  Our destination was an amusement park in Habitat Three within Island Three.

  To get there we had travel down the network of tunnels that connected the habitats to each other. We passed through the security toll gates at the entrance to Habitat Three, our entry into the habitat automatically registered. From there it was another fifteen minute ride through midday traffic to the amusement park.

  Constance parked the trike in the visitor vehicle parking house opposite the amusement grounds.

  Together with her, we walked across to the park. At a distance it was easy to hear the sounds of a thousand people or more enjoying themselves on the dozens of rides and attractions.

  Constance paid for the both of us, swiping her palm-slate over the ticket dispenser’s scanner.

  Two paper-like bracelets were deposited in the machine’s small bin. I strapped one onto my left wrist behind my watch. Constance made the same use of the other.

  Under the watchful eye of security drones that resembled large bowling pins, we passed through the turnstiles of the entrance gate and into the park.

  I realized I hadn’t been here in years, not since my parents died.

  Celica had often asked me if I wanted to go, but I always politely begged off.

  Now years later I had walked through the gates with barely a second thought. I put it down to being distracted by the multitude of worrying thoughts clustering inside my head.

  I needed to straighten myself out. Maybe meeting with the Princess was a step in the right direction. However, I wouldn’t know until I met and spoke with her.

  I’d carried my gym bag with me. At the locker station just inside the park entrance I paid for a locker and shoved my bag into it. I entered a digital code into the locking panel, saved it, then walked out of the station.

  Constance made a call on her palm-slate.

  I couldn’t listen in, but she quickly beckoned me to follow while listening to the party on the other end of the line.

  We walked toward a large fountain in the middle of a plaza that was near the entrance gates. A number of guys and girls loitered about, probably waiting for friends or partners to arrive.

  My gaze fell on one girl standing with a palm-slate to her right ear, and her left hand planted angrily on her hip. She was dressed in blue-back denim pants, a black T-shirt with violet writing on it – probably the name of a local band – and heeled sandals. Her golden hair was tied up into a messy ponytail.

  A couple of young men were obviously trying to pick her up.

  At sight of us the Princess pushed her way between the young men and walked toward Constance and I, ending the call she’d been making.

  The two guys looked incensed and ready to follow until they realized the girl was no longer alone.

  They certainly eyed Constance in her skintight black riding gear.

  They gave me a cursory look and dismissed me as no threat.

  In truth they were bigger and older than me, and most probably Aventis.

  I shrugged inwardly and decided to let the Princess deal with them should they come over.

  But when they gave me another look, I met their stares with a smile, almost as though inviting a fight.

  In fact, I realized I was actually looking forward to it.

  My body was still pumped with the extra strength Haruka’s Symbiote imbued in me. Regardless if they were Aventis, I was going to give as good as I got.

  I was going to make them bleed.

  They started walking toward us, and I started to over-clock.

  Then someone grabbed my left hand and pulled me along.

  That someone was the Princess.

  My over-clocking state faltered and broke. I perceived the surroundings in normal time, rather than quarter speed.

  The Princess muttered angrily. “Let’s go.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and saw Constance follow a few steps behind.

  Another glance confirmed the two young men were making no move to follow us.

  I relaxed a little, until I felt the Princess’s fingers tighten around my left hand.

  Her hand felt a little smaller than mine, and her fingers were long and slender.

  Her hand felt good.

  She led us to an area populated with food stalls and kiosks. Only when she stood in front of one of those kiosks did she release my hand.

  She bought three sodas in large cups complete with covers and straws. She didn’t even ask me what I wanted. Constance accepted her soda with a small thanks, clearly accustomed to the Princess making choices for her.

  I looked at the soda she bought me, feeling a little peeved with her behavior.

  After a moment debating whether or not to toss it into the nearest disposal bin, I shrugged inwardly once more and drank through the straw. As I did, I gave myself a chance to take in the Princess’s casual look.

  She looked like any other girl dressed to attend a live performance.

  The T-shirt looked a bit faded – and certainly stretched across her chest – but it was unremarkable even with the wild violet writing on the front and back.

  I tried not to appear obvious as I ran my gaze over her.

  I realized she had a faint smirk on her face and I averted my gaze.

  She leaned forward into me. “Not what you expected?”

  I shook my head automatically. “Not in the least.”

  She laughed. “Ha, so what do you think?”

  “I’m not sure it’s safe for me to answer that.”

  Her smile faded and her expression grew cloudy. “Mind explaining what you mean by that?”

  I drank another mouthful of soda through the straw, swallowed and admitted, “Well, I might give you the wrong idea about me.”

  “Which would be?” She frowned abruptly. “Wait, you don’t like girls?”

  I shook my head quickly. “No, I definitely like girls. I’d give you ten out of ten if I was asked to rank you. You’re certainly my type.”

  She blinked slowly a few times. “Ha, well you do sound honest enough.” She shrugged and slowly walked away as she sipped her soda. “I wonder what Simone would say to that.”

  I could be wrong but I thought her cheeks looked a little rosy.

  Wait—didn’t I just answer her in my own way?

  And why was she mentioning the Countess?

  Constance stepped up to me. “I’ll be around.” She leaned her face close to mine. “Treat her like a Princess, is that clear?”

  “Ah, yeah. Sure. No problem.”

  Constance’s eyes searched deep into mine. Then she drew back with a predatory smile on her lips. “That’s good.”

  She walked away without another word, disappearing
into the slowly moving crowd.

  Where was she planning on going?

  I sighed and chose not to worry about that. There was no doubt she would be close by in the event something happened.

  That thought gave me cause for concern. I looked around at the crowd surrounding us. They looked like regular folks just enjoying a day at the park.

  But what if some of them weren’t regular folk at all?

  Damn, if I kept this up I was going to be swamped by doubts and fears that would manifest into indecision.

  I drank down another mouthful of soda, then bitterly chased after the Princess before she attracted more unwanted attention.

  #

  (Caprice)

  The first call I received was from Arisa.

  I’d just finished showering and was getting dressed to take my bike out for a ride. The bike was a gift from Arisa. She bought it for me a month ago when I passed my provisional license exams. I had another eleven months to go before I graduated to a full license.

  Arisa spoke quickly. Constance had made contact with Caelum, near the gym, about a minute ago.

  I felt my heart freeze in a panic.

  Arisa told me to get over there as soon as possible.

  The second call I received was from Simone Alucard Raynar.

  The girl asked me to pick her up on the way. I told her I didn’t have a spare helmet, but she told me not to worry.

  I realized then that the Countess had been conferenced on Arisa’s call.

  I collected the bike from the apartment complex’s sublevel garage.

  Simone was waiting for me outside the mag-lev station where Constance had intercepted Caelum. She was dressed like a regular teenager, in tight denim pants, a sleeveless blouse under a denim jacket, and black and white sneakers on her feet. And she had her own riding helmet in hand.

  “How did you get here?” I asked in a flat tone.

  “By cab.”

  “Then why didn’t you get a cab all the way to the park?”

  “Because I’d rather go in with you.”

  I gave up trying to argue with her or question her.

  The Countess secured her helmet over her head, climbed onto the back of my bike, then wrapped her arms around me. “Let’s go.”

  I wasn’t accustomed to tandem riding, but I managed to avoid spilling us both onto the street. It took a good twenty minutes to arrive at the amusement park.

  I was lucky. We found parking for the bike close to the park.

  I paid for an admission ticket, snapped the water proof paper bracelet around my left wrist, and walked through the turnstiles unchallenged.

  The Countess walked right beside me.

  I called Arisa. “We’re at the park. So what now?”

  Arisa said, “Put me on speaker.”

  I did as she instructed and held the palm-slate between the Countess and I.

  The girl was looking about anxiously. “Where the Hell are they?”

  Arisa asked through the palm-slate, “What do you plan on doing, Simone?”

  The Countess sounded irritated. “I’m planning to separate those two.”

  I gave the girl a flat look. “What is Prissila planning to do with Caelum? She can’t be thinking of harming him.”

  The Countess continue searching the faces around us. “No, she won’t harm him, but I’m worried of what Caelum may do.”

  I struggled to keep my voice devoid of emotion. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Arisa interrupted me. “Simone, I’ll ask you again. What are you going to do?”

  The Countess inhaled long and deep. “I’ll tell him what he needs to know. I’ll tell him the truth.”

  Arisa asked, “In that case let me ask, have your people secured the park?”

  “No, the Ventiss personnel got here first. They’ve shut the Alucards out.”

  Arisa said, “Then you’d better hurry, Simone. Get to him before they can stop you.”

  “They wouldn’t dare,” the Countess muttered angrily.

  “Oh yes they would. Look behind you.”

  The Countess and I both faced the entrance.

  Sure enough, a number of security guards were heading toward Simone and I with purpose.

  I asked the Countess, “Are they yours?”

  She gave me a pained glance. “Definitely not.”

  Arisa’s voice was clear despite being on speaker. “Caprice, I want you to cover Simone.”

  “Say again?”

  “Make sure she gets to Caelum and Prissila. Do what you need to do.”

  “Permission to use the Valkyrie Armor?”

  She was quiet for a heartbeat. “Very well, permission granted. Non-lethal force and I leave it to your discretion.”

  I nodded unnecessarily. “I’m wearing the skinsuit you prepared for me. That might be enough. Where are the Princess and Caelum?”

  “Sending you the last known holovid feed. They’re somewhere near the water course. Oh, how romantic. It looks like they’re in the queue to board one of those pedal boats for couples.”

  It was hard to remain impassive, but I kept my feelings from showing.

  “I know where that is,” Simone said.

  She did? I frowned at her as she turned away smoothly on her sneakered feet, her movements light and precise.

  I followed her, keeping an eye on the security guards that were beginning to walk hastily toward us. “Arisa, what’s going on? For the Ventiss to make such a fuss to keep us away from Caelum seems a little extreme.”

  Arisa held back from replying straight away. “Caprice, when this is over there are things I need to tell you.”

  I frowned inwardly. “Does this have something to do with the Original Twelve?”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “Yesterday. It was something the Princess mentioned to Caelum, but she didn’t tell him what it was.”

  Arisa was clearly annoyed. “Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”

  “I’m sorry. It slipped my mind.”

  I heard her sigh loudly through the palm-slate. “Then you and I definitely need to talk. For now, protect Simone. I have a bad feeling about this situation.”

  I glanced at the guards again. “Arisa, I have to go.”

  “I understand. Go Caprice.”

  I ended the call and slipped the palm-slate into a pocket. The skinsuit doubled as a bike riding suit so it had two pockets I could make use of. While the skinsuit enhanced my strength beyond what was natural for an Aventis, I was going to need a lot more if I was to get the Countess to Caelum and Prissila.

  I concentrated my will and directed it at the anklets and bracelets I wore on the outside of the skinsuit. Unlike Caelum’s Fragment, mine didn’t require contact with my skin in order to function.

  I summoned the Valkyrie Armor, and the black mist surrounded my body, chilling both myself and the air around me.

  A handful of seconds later I felt the Armor encase my legs and forearms. Now I had an edge no Aventis, even one clad in a skinsuit, could hope to match.

  I ran in front of the Countess and crouched down. “Get on,” I said.

  Simone hesitated until she heard the guards calling loudly for us to stop. That spurred her into action. In a heartbeat the Countess was riding piggyback on my back.

  I straightened easily. “Hold on tight—real tight.”

  “I can’t do that without choking you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Just don’t break my neck.”

  Her arms tightened around my neck, but I could still breathe comfortably thanks to the protection the skinsuit offered me.

  Crouching a little, I took off at a run. I covered a hundred meters in less than five seconds, and had to be careful not to collide with the various small crowds walking between venues.

  The Countess blurted out, “That bridge to the right—take it.”

  I veered onto it, narrowly avoiding a young family with their kids.

  I didn’t even have time to apologize
.

  The Countess instructed, “Left at the end, then straight on until you get to the small fountain.”

  Following her directions, we not only left the guards behind, we avoided many of the guards running to intercept us.

  “This is too much,” I muttered. “They’re taking this too far.”

  We neared the fountain.

  Simone said, “Take that path to the right that runs diagonal.”

  Again I changed my vector.

  Simone was holding on for dear life but I wasn’t about to let her fall.

  We neared a water way with a wide bridge running across it.

  I saw the queue on the opposite side lining up for the next available boat.

  Caelum and Prissila were moments from boarding one.

  At sight of them, I felt a dull pang through my chest.

  The distraction made me stumble and the Countess cried out in fright. But I recovered without dropping her.

  Then I saw movement off to my left and it was too quick to be a Regular.

  Too fast even for an Aventis.

  A skinsuit clad Familiar.

  “Get off,” I yelled at the Countess, digging my Valkyrie heels into the ground in an effort to slow down.

  Simone practically jumped off my back.

  I heard her cry out as she fell and rolled along the ground.

  But my attention was on the girl with the long lance aiming her barrier-field at me.

  I raised my arms, extending the sharp blades of my gauntlets, and projecting a barrier-field of my own.

  Both her barrier and mine collided and the air grew heavy, so much so that I found it a little hard to breathe.

  But neither of us backed down, even as the permacrete ground began to crack and shatter under the pressure of our colliding barriers.

  I looked at Constance, her face a picture of concentration as she drove her field into mine. “What the Hell are you doing?”

  “Keeping the Countess away from the Princess—as instructed!”

  The ground between us shattered. As the fragments billowed up into the air, Constance leapt back, putting room between herself and me. I took the reprieve not to withdraw but to attack. The bridge was only meters away. All Simone needed to do was get to the bridge unimpeded.