Raiders

by Malone, Stephan

  Calliope pretended to ignore her for a moment but her efforts were in vain as Mirabella flapped three large pieces of gold and black cardboard in front of her face. “Wow, that’s, that’s incredible. How’d you pull that off?” She raised her eyebrows as if excited at the news but her voice carried a sarcastic undertone to it.

  Mirabella looked at the customers who stood on the other side of the bubble tea stand. They appeared to wax impatient at the new and sanguine intrusion Mirabella injected into the moment. She turned back to Calliope and said, “My friend Surinelle is going out on the next Expedition and she had no need for them so she sold them to me real cheap! We can finally see the Deathtones!”

  Without turning to face Mirabella, Calliope continued on with her duties as she handed a customer a strawberry bubble tea. She asked from the side of her mouth, “Yeah, great. When?”

  “Next week. Friday at ten. Holy shit isn’t this so awesome?” Mirabella danced in place that made her appear as if she had to urgently use the bathroom.

  “Yeah it’s mind blowing. Stop flapping your arms around like an idiot I’m trying to work here. Christ it’s like you’re on synth-meth or something.” Calliope nodded to the customer who presently held a newly born strawberry tea, waved him off and said, “Next!”

  “Sorry,” Mirabella responded as she rested her arms at her sides. Kama never looked at the two girls who populated the small stand but she still listened in to their conversation while she stood there and nonchalantly observed the City people who passed on by.

  “What about Branson. Why don't you take him?,” Calliope asked as she spooned some tapioca pearls from the ice water tray and into a large clear cup. “I mean the third ticket.” She pointed the ladle at the black and gold lined tickets cradled in Mirabella’s hand.

  Mirabella wrinkled her nose and scrunched her eyes down. “Ewww no he’s a dork. I mean he’s nice enough but, just no, no. Yuck.”

  “Well then who then?” Calliope asked with a threadworn interest in Mirabella's response.

  It was at that moment that Mirabella turned her head to the left and noticed Kama who stood nearby. Kama’s backside faced them as she continued to stare out into the road and its flow of pedestrians and cyclists. She whispered really low into Calliope’s ear, “Jesus isn’t that that Raider girl?”

  “Yeah she just bought a tea from me.”

  “Serious? No shit.”

  Calliope matched Mirabella’s whispered tone. “Yeah. She didn’t say anything. I don’t think she’s ever had a tea before though. I don’t think she has any friends either. Just been standing there for the past couple of minutes like a wierdo.”

  Mirabella quietly said, “Holy shit we should totally take her with us.”

  “What? You’re fucking crazy,” Calliope protested.

  “No, think about it Cal. Look at her she’s one of those genetic things. S She’s like fucking perfect.”

  “Perfect for what?” Calliope shook her head side to side and gave a fleeted sideward glance at Kama. “She’s like a hundred years old.”

  Mirabella shuffled closer to Calliope in an attempt to mask their conversation. “Come on she’s thirty tops. Who cares how old she is? Every guy in that joint will be all over her. Shell be like, like a babe magnet.”

  “Yeah, so what?” Calliope asked.

  Mirabella said, “So dummy, she reels them in and we can pick the hottest ones that she doesn’t want. Hell she might not even be into guys for all we know.”

  “Sounds like a stupid plan.”

  Mirabella widened her eyes and whispered, “Come on. Trust me this’ll work. Holy shit this is gonna be so epic!”

  “Fine, whatever. Stop saying holy shit you’ve said that like three times in the past two minutes.”

  Mirabella turned to face Kama who continued to stare out into the road. “Hey! Hey you there!”

  Kama turned around, looked straight at Mirabella but said nothing.

  “Yeah you! Come here!” Mirabella said again.

  Kama stepped up to the desk front, sucked a pearl up from her bubble tea and chewed on its spongy, slippery texture. “What?”

  “Hey you’re that Raider girl aren’t you.”

  “I am Kama.”

  “Hey whatcha doin' next Friday?”

  Kama paused since she wasn’t sure at that precise moment what day Friday actually fell on but it didn’t really matter since she had no real plans anyways. “Next week I’m,” she paused. “Nothing.”

  “Wanna go to Club Fire with us? I got an extra ticket. Hey I’m Mira this is my buddy Calliope here.”

  “I don’t know what the Club Fire is.”

  “No, it’s like the coolest shit. You should go with us! You’ll have fun.”

  “What do you do there?” Kama asked the two girls.

  “Yeah like stand around and drink and listen to the band. Lotsa guys gonna be there.” Mirabella smiled and held up the tickets mid-air. “These are really hard to get.”

  “What are they?” Kama asked.

  “Tickets. Place is small so they only let so many people in. Even with the tickets there’s still a line but it’ll be so freaking worth it.”

  Kama considered the offer for a moment and then said, “Good. Okay I will go with you. But how do you, I mean, what do you wear to this place?”

  “We’ll take care of that. We’ll just pick you up at your Pod two hours early.” Mirabella waved her hand in a circle right in front of her, palm outward. “We’ll work on all that later. We got you covered. Just bring some credits. How much you got?”

  “I don’t know. I think twenty thousand? I need to check my bank module.”

  “Great. Yeah. Wow that’s way more than what we need. Okay so Friday at eight. We’ll be there so be ready.” Mirabella smiled and nodded.

  “Do you know where my Pod is?”

  “We’ll find you, don’t worry about that.” Mirabella winked at Kama.

  Calliope drew her head close to Mirabella’s. “This is really really stupid. What if she kills us or something?”

  Mirabella said, “Shut up she’s not going to kill us dummy.” Mirabella turned and faced Kama once more. “Hey Kama nice meeting you, we’ll see you then don’t forget! Gonna be cray-zee!” She sang out and waved her hands over her head in a circle.

  The next Friday the three unlikely companions walked away from Kama’s Pod and down the lowlit road on which Kama lived, lockstep and three abreast. Calliope and Mirabella were dressed full-tilt in what they considered to be some seriously heavy-hitting going-out gear. Their clothes were multi-layered and colorful and laced with tiny illuminated eternals top to bottom. Calliope decided to wear glitter-gems over her eyebrows. They weren’t quite in vogue but she swore they were going back into style soon. Kama wore a basic black City issued casual pant and shirt ensemble.

  “Okay so here’s the deal. Kama, we’re gonna take you to Lunvane’s Clothing Shoppe and deck you out.” Mirabella said. “It’s just about ten minutes thattaway.”

  They arrived at Lunvane’s and were greeted by their old friend Danny. He held out his arms and greeted them with a syrupy sweet singsong welcome. “Well hello there my sweets! Welcome back! Oh ho ho! What do we have here now? “Danny stopped mid-step and stared at Kama from her hair to her feet and then did a once over.

  “Danny, we need some fast work done. You know, Club Fire in two hours. What can you do for my girlfriend here?” Mirabella jammed her head in Kama’s direction and brushed a red microbraid strand aside that always liked to take up residence in the front of her face and directly over her right eye.

  “Oh well let’s see what we have here.” Danny walked up to Kama and placed his hands on her hips. He patted them up and down her sides, down her butt and then squared off her shoulders and arms. “Hmm well you know girls, I think...”

  Kama stepped away from him and tightly grabbed his hands in a blur. Danny blushed over, pushed his eyes into saucers and then tremulously exclaimed, “Sweety!”
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  “No Kama! It’s okay he’s just getting a feel for your frame. For the clothes. Let him go.” Mirabella said.

  “Oh.” Kama released him and brushed his shoulders with her hands. “I am sorry. Continue please.”

  Danny let out a nervous but subdued laugh and said, “That’s okay honey! Now.” He patted her lower legs lightly down to her ankle line, turned to Mirabella and said, “Shouldn’t be too much to find something nice for her. Let’s try some things.” He nervously winked at Kama who looked uneasy and twitchy in spite of her attempts to hold herself in place. After a lifetime of elevation above almost everyone else, she was going to have to get used informal everyday interactions with other people.

  Mirabella looked at Danny said, “Don’t worry about the credits Danny we’re good. But not too much though.”

  Danny stepped back from Kama and said, “Okay sweetie.” He cupped his hands, squinched his eyebrows into an amusingly disarming contortion and then whispered, “I’ll keep it below three hundred, but only for you my dear.” He smiled and tapped his Personal Assistant band on his left upper arm. “Vasuki would you please draw for my friend here a black dress, base pattern twenty-two with a strapless variation?”

  A female voice that carried a Hindi-esque accent emitted from Danny’s armband, “There are three customers standing near you. Please select customer for overlay.”

  He blushed and saluted straight into the air. “Well dearies Danny’s brain is just not here today! Hah! Yes Vasuki, the customer right in front of me please.” He waved his hands out toward Kama and rolled them. “I’m sorry sweetie your name is?”

  “Kama.”

  “Vasuki, wrap a black number twenty-two around my dear Kama please. Strapless.” At once a grid of lights threw themselves out from the back corner of the store's ceiling. Kama’s body shimmered with chaotic illuminated traces, just for a second or two and then a black dress appeared over her clothes. Brief interruptions in the rendered holo-dress pushed through as Vasuki had some difficulty keeping the light holograph directly over Kama’s body. She couldn’t hold herself quite still enough.

  Calliope spoke up. “Danny, we need a...Umm...She needs a little more.” She winked at Danny and then said,“You know. Advertising.”

  Danny held up his hand. “Say no more my dear. Haven’t even started yet. Vasuki, sequins please, diffused. Five millimeters.” The holographic dress fabric transformed into a sparkled black sequin attention grabber. “Collect back the shoulder seam please.” The shoulder seams moved themselves back and thinned down. “Eternals on shoulders. Full spectrum. Three centimeters apart please.” Six small lights appears in a row across the shoulderline. Danny briefly looked straight at Kama’s chest for a moment. “Thoracic apex, minimal augment.” He silently mouthed to Mirabella, Doesn’t need it. Danny looked at Kama and her new pseudo-dress. “Vasuki, cycle through some princess panels please.”

  Vasuki rendered vertical dress panel highlights onto Kama's torso in three second intervals. As she did so Calliope and Mirabella said, “No, no, no, no,” until finally they were happy with the selection. “Yes!” Three panels on the abdomen, the sides were slightly open and laced up but the laces themselves were hardly visible.

  Danny showed off his true talents as he ricocheted off a series of commands to alter the dress. “Vasuki, drop the neck seam line three millimeters. Good. Flare out the sleeve ends a little. No, no that’s too much I’m afraid, taper them down. Good. That’s good. Okay angle the lower hemline at twenty degrees. A little more. Twenty two. Twenty three. Good hold it there. Save pattern Vasuki.”

  “Pattern saved. Is the customer ready now?” Vasuki asked.

  “No.” The group cycled through the remaining accessories with Vasuki’s help. They picked out bracelets, shoes, a handbag that Kama didn’t really need although it looked spectacular with her ensemble and the other trinkets to complete it all. Everything was picked out with Vasuki and Danny’s help without actually seeing any real, physical merchandise. After about twelve minutes from the moment they walked into Lunvane’s Store, Kama’s outfit was almost ready to go.

  Danny looked at Mirabella, kissed the ends of his fingers as if Kama were his own created masterpiece, giggled and shrugged. Mirabella cupped her eyes and shook her head. “Oh Danny you are such a nut, but we love you. Okay that’s good we’ll take it.”

  “Vasuki, please print out the dress. My honey-dears you will just have to give Danny a few minutes to assemble it? Miss Sewbot back there isn’t working so well these days. I will have to do some of the seams myself. Be right back.” And with that Danny retreated behind a curtain-lined door.

  Twenty minutes later Danny emerged with everything from the back room. Kama dressed herself in her freshly fabricated outfit. The girls checked their messages using standalone kiosks that were automatically tethered to any nearby bodyworn Personal Assistants. The kiosks were ultra low power devices and only used energy when accessed. The rest of the time they rested in a deep hibernation state that consumed only three thousandths of a watt thanks to flexible circuit technologies that were developed in the early 21st century.

  Danny kissed Mirabella’s left cheek, lightly squeezed her shoulders and said, “Don’t stay away from Danny too long next time my lovelies!” He wiggled his finger in mocked scorn. “Be good now!”

  The trio left Lunvane’s and headed to Club Fire which was three levels down and a half kilometer away in the Centre Link community. Mirabella missed Danny’s affectations as they were indeed authentic. She knew him since the time she was able to pick out her own clothes. He felt like an extension of her real family in some nebulous and undefined way.

  Nine

  When they arrived at Club Fire at ten the club’s entrance doors were mercifully devoid of anyone waiting to go inside. Mirabella handed the doorman three tickets as a rhythmic and muffled bimmety-boom bimmety-boom-boom resonated from two doors, one black the other red. The doorman looked at Kama for two seconds, flexed a nod and then stoically waved them past.

  Once inside the three grabbed a high table and sat down. Kama looked nervous and fussed with the folds of her new dress. “My hair doesn’t match anyone else’s. Does that matter?” she said to Mirabella, her voice raised so it would overtake the music.

  Which was true. The formerly bald parts of her scalp were covered with about two centimeters of hair except for the five centimeter circle of long strands still bound by metal rings all the way down her back. Before they left her Pod Mirabella had scrunched and teased Kama’s hair up and back with some glitter infused Polar Ice Gel. It had dried quickly into a workable viscous tack.

  “Don’t worry. You look great,” Mirabella said. “Sometimes it helps to be different, maybe you’re setting a trend, you know?” Mirabella shrugged and then tapped the table top which lit up and showed a series of drinks with their attached descriptions and prices. She flicked her finger just over the table’s surface and the display scrolled round to show even more drinks. “Ooh this one looks good.” She circled the image of a drink labeled Sunspottwice without actually touching the table to confirm her order. She looked to Kama. “What are you getting?”

  “I don’t know,” Kama said “None of this really means anything to me. Just pick one.” Kama raised her head from the huddled group and resumed her observation of the club customers who shuffled past their table. “Pick any one. I don’t care.”

  “Okay that’s cool. You like cotton candy?” Mirabella asked Kama.

  “I don’t know.”

  Calliope asked, “What about chocolate ice cream?”

  “Just pick any one.” Kama shrugged and frowned.

  “Ooh, I know! You like citrus fruits? Umm, mangos, oranges, that kind of thing?” Mirabella asked.

  “Yes.”

  Without saying another word Mirabella circled her finger around the Waste Blaster drink option. It was a conglomeration of blended mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon, mango, ice, sugar, rum, pure grain, vodka with just a touc
h of plum brandy.

  Calliope whispered to Mirabella, “Jesus you’re evil. Think she can handle it?”

  Mirabella patted her hand on Calliope’s and puttered her lips. “Phhht, sure. Don't get all boring on me now.”

  Calliope rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, whatever. Get me one of those too.” Mirabella circled her finger around the Waste Blaster image once more to confirm two orders. Four and a half minutes later a waitress who wore a one piece dress lined with eternals approached their table. The dress was red on the left side, black on the right with rows of tiny eternals that flickered and dimmed with the music.

  “Welcome to Club Fire. I am Kandia. Who’s getting the Sunspot?”

  Mirabella threw up her hand. “Right here! Looks good, thanks.”

  Kandia set the drink down in front of her. The glass’s bottom had a special polarized coating that captured any ambient light and focused it straight up the glass and into its contents. Her Sunspot faintly appeared to glow in the dark with an orange-yellow hue with tiny black dots that floated in suspension. Mirabella guessed that the black things were supposed to be representative of sunspots perhaps. She raised her voice as the music volume ratcheted up a little. “Hey, what’s in the black things?” She asked the waitress.

  “Nothing, just sugar and some gelatin. It’s just for effect. Do you want something else?” Kandia cranked her head slightly forward and stared at Mirabella with a look of evident concern.

  “No, no. Thanks though. Love your eternals though. Can’t find any that do that.” Mirabella pointed to her own outfit which was heavily studded with eternals although they did not glow nor dim, but remained invariably illuminated.

  Kandia continued with her dispensation. “Yeah by boyfriend bought it for me. Thank you for noticing though! Okay so you two, here are your Waste Blasters.” She set the two large oval shaped glasses in front of Calliope and Kama. Kandia looked at Kama and said, “My favorite. You’re gonna love it.” She winked, spun herself away and then walked over to another table.