“What do you mean? Ren’s a cop, she already carries a gun.”
“Yes, a gun with normal jacketed ammo in it, not even hollowpoints. She faces vampires and shifters every day with ammo that’ll barely scratch them. The department won’t even buy silver plated ammo for their SWAT teams much less a Detective. She could use something better.”
“You think I should give her one of the Walther pistols?”
“Heavens no! Those guns are illegal for anyone that isn’t a Hunter Class Officer, you know that! I just think that you need to give her some silver ammo.”
“You’re right. Remind me and I’ll pick up a few boxes before I leave today.”
Cassie was still cradling her badge. I reached into the briefcase and handed her the holster and spare clip that went with her futuristic gun.
“Let’s put these on and then go get you some new clothes. How’s that sound?”
“You’ll come with me right?” She turned those big brown teary eyes at me.
Again, how can she be so adorable?
“Of course.”
* * *
The Tailor was in a wing off of the Bestiary. It seemed like everything I dealt with was. The room reminded me of a sweat shop. Hot, with little air circulating, and fabric hanging everywhere in every style and color.
“. . . busy, busy, busy, busy. . .” a clicking, metallic voice chanted in the back of the room, hidden by the walls of cloth.
Emmy helped Cassie pick out and mark different clothing styles from a number of catalogues. I’d started to help them, but I knew absolutely nothing about little girls fashion. I still had trouble picking out my own outfits, or at least everyone else thought so. So, I just stood there watching them with my mouth shut, listening to the chanting from the other end of the room.
Whoever the Tailor is, he sounds like an obsessive compulsive that forgot his meds.
“Well now, that will give you a good wardrobe to start with. We can always come back for something new later,” Emmy said standing up with a stack of catalogues in her arms. “Now remember, the Tailor is a special person. Be sure to treat him nicely.” Emmy glared at me with that last line, a light growl of warning in her voice.
Is she worried that I might do something rash? Me, of all people?
“I promise not to shoot him . . . today.” I held up my left hand with my right over my heart.
Emmy didn’t look pleased at my choice of words. “Right. Well let’s go.”
She took off through the walls of cloth, catalogues in one arm, holding Cassie’s hand with the other. I followed them.
I did promise not to shoot him, today anyway, but I’m pretty sure I could get to the knives and cut him if I had to. Besides, I need the practice with them anyway.
“. . . busy, busy, busy, busy. . .” the chanting continued uninterrupted by our presence.
Emmy led Cassie to a small raised platform in front of a circular wall of mirrors.
“Now stand still.” Again Emmy glared at me again. “Both of you.”
She really didn’t trust me? Fine, I‘ll be good.
I just shrugged and put my hands behind my back. I gave her my most innocent look, pushing out my bottom lip and batting my eyes. It was the look I’d practiced at home in the mirror. The look made me look cute and harmless. Not nearly as adorable as Cassie, but cute enough. Emmy didn’t buy it. She moved to stand directly in front of me.
“I mean it, be nice,” she warned through clenched teeth at me.
I started to say something smart, but a metallic clanking noise drew my attention. Small motors whirred between each light clank.
What the hell is that noise?
“. . . busy, busy, new one, new, new busy, busy. . .” the chanting grew louder.
Emmy stood in front of me blocking my view. I could see Cassie over her shoulder. Cassie gasped so lightly I barely heard it, her eyes growing wide at whatever she was looking at.
What’d she see? What was so bad that Emmy didn’t trust me?
The clanking stopped. Motors whirred. A shape grew large behind Emmy.
“Cyborg,” Cassie said softly.
* * *
Emmy glared at me one last time then stepped out of my vision. Before me was a mixture of man and machine. The right half of a human torso was perched on top of four robotic legs. The left half was made up of motors and circuitry. The thing had two heads, one vaguely human, the other more robotic. There were four arms, only the upper right one was human, the rest were mechanical with different tools for hands on each. Both heads turned towards me. Glowing red robot eyes in one head, the other head held oversized pitch black bug eyes. No whites, no iris, just deep black unmoving pools.
“. . . busy, busy, Kieran, not Kieran, not Kieran, not busy, busy. . .” the robot head chanted away.
Emmy stepped between us, motioning to Cassie. “This is Cassie, our little sister, she needs a wardrobe like ours. Cassie, this is the Tailor.”
The two heads turned to look at Cassie. She stayed still just like she had been told to. The Tailor raised and lowered a few times while both heads tilted back and forth.
“. . . busy, busy, sizes, small sizes, busy sizes, choose, choose busy, choose clothes, busy, busy. . .”
Emmy handed the catalogs to the cyborg. It flipped through the pages faster than I could’ve possibly turned them with my hands. Nodding both heads from time to time when it passed one of Emmy’s markers. Once it finished flipping through the pages it handed the catalogs back to Emmy.
“. . . busy, busy, hour, busy one hour, one hour, busy, busy. . .” It turned and clanked away from us.
Emmy pulled on my hand. “Come and sit, he’ll be done in an hour.”
She led me to some chairs next to the wall of mirrors. Cassie sat between us. We all watched the Tailor work. It had an arc of white-hot plasma that glowed between its mechanical fingers that it used to cut and weld the special fabric.
That’s why the clothes are seamless, no stitching required.
All four arms moved at a blurring speed. It only took just over a minute for him to finish the first full outfit.
“You aren’t freaked out?” Emmy asked me quietly with a look of confusion.
“Not at all. I was always a big sci-fi buff. This, this is . . . cool.”
Emmy just shook her head at me. “Cassie, how about you, are you okay?”
Cassie still had wide eyes, she looked up at both of us then back to the cyborg. “Yes, this is neat. Master Yuric introduced me to a number of cyborgs while I was training. Each one is different. It’s neat to watch them.”
Emmy groaned. “Why do I even bother worrying? You probably aren’t afraid of spiders, are you Cassie?”
“No. Spiders are weird, but not scary. Why?”
“Well the clothes are made from a special spider-silk.” Emmy acted like she was trying to gross out the little one.
Cassie just nodded without ever changing her expression. “You mean like the Steel Spider. That’s what made your clothes right? Master Yuric trained me to recognize a number of different types of body armor. Your clothes feel like the silk from the Steel Spider. Is that what my clothes are being made from?”
Emmy groaned again burying her face in her hands. Then she gave up and started on the paperwork for Vicki’s gun license on a laptop the size of a paperback book that she pulled out of her coat pocket.
So much for grossing out little Cassie.
“Yes Cassie, you’re getting clothes just like us,” I said. “But, I find it creepy that they’re made from spider-silk. I hate spiders, really hate spiders.”
Cassie looked up at me, and in all seriousness told me, “Don’t worry Big Sister, I’ll protect you from them. Promise.”
I had to hug her. The thought that this little kid would protect me from my fears was too much. I hugged her and kissed her forehead.
“Thank you Cassie.”
Chapter 7
After the Tailor finished we went home, stopping to p
ick up some ammo from the Main Armory for Ren on the way. We had a carload full of clothes for Cassie. The front doorman pitched in, helping to carry the clothes up to my apartment. Charles met us at the elevators as usual.
“Well now Miss Grey, who is this little lady?” He knelt down to shake Cassie’s hand. Which was quite a feat to me since I knew about the arsenal of guns hidden under that long red coat.
“This is Cassie, our little sister. She’ll be living with me now. Cassie this is Charles.”
“Pleased to meet you Mr. Charles.” Cassie held out the hem of her skirt and gave a little curtsy to him.
He laughed. “And I am pleased to meet you as well, Little Miss Grey. Please remember to call on me if you ever need anything.”
It took both of us plus the doormen to bring up all the clothes from the car. Mary squealed with joy when we introduced Cassie. “My god, you are just perfectly adorable!”
“Mary please, you’re embarrassing us,” Emmy pleaded.
“I’m sorry. Cassie are you hungry? Would you like a snack? She can have a snack right?” Mary asked me.
“Sure why not,” I shrugged.
Mary grabbed Cassie’s hand. “Do you like brownies? I have some left.”
Cassie suddenly looked shy. She just stared at the floor while digging at it with the toe of her shoe. “I . . . I don’t know. I’ve never had brownies. They had me on a strict diet back at the center. I never got to try a lot of foods. Are brownies good?”
We all just stared at each other not knowing what to say.
A seven-year-old kid that’s never had brownies? What else has she missed out on life as a kid because of who she is? Has her entire life been all about war?
“Cassie, brownies are good, especially Mary’s brownies. She’s an excellent cook. Go try some, I think you’ll like them.”
“Okay.” She lifted her head just as Mary dragged her to the kitchen.
As soon as they were in the other room I cracked, “Emmy, how in the hell am I supposed to raise a kid? I can barely take care of myself even with help from you, Vicky and Mary.”
Emmy sat us down on one of the couches. “Every parent asks themselves that at one point or another. You just have to do the best you can for her. Think of how you were raised and try to bring her up the way you think is right. In time she’ll make all the decisions for you. For now, just try to do what you think is best for her. It’s all you can do, really. You’re lucky in a way. You get to start with a child that is already past some of the basics of life. And, you have me, and you also have Mary, and everyone else to help you with her. Between all of us she’ll turn out alright. I’m sure she will.”
“Thanks Emmy. I’ll definitely need your help with Cassie. I don’t have a clue of where to begin with her.”
“First off we need to go shopping. She’s a young girl. We need to decorate a room for her and get her some toys.”
“Kieran! Emmy! Hurry, come look!” Mary was whispering at us from the door of the kitchen, frantically waving us towards her.
We rushed to the door, quietly sticking our heads around the corner. Cassie sat at the kitchen table tearing into the brownies as if it were the last meal she would ever have. She had brownie and milk smeared across her face, as she ate one bite after another. I couldn’t help it, I started giggling. Cassie heard me and looked up at us in the doorway. She smiled great big with brownie in her teeth.
“Brownies are good!” she said with her mouth full.
We all broke out laughing.
Emmy crossed the kitchen picking up another napkin on the way. “Perhaps we should start with table manners,” she said laughing.
The door CHIMED. Mary started for the front. I held up my hand stopping her.
“I’ll get it Mary. See if you can help Emmy clean her up,” I was still laughing.
My laughter followed me to the front door. Who can it be now? I asked myself, then started to hum the melody of the 80's song with the same name as I opened the doors without looking first. Vicki stood there in a slinky party dress under her overcoat. I thought she’s supposed to be at work. And why didn’t she just come in? She has a key.
“Vicki, hi.”
She looked disappointed at me. “You’re not ready yet?”
“Ready?”
Mary rushed in behind me. “Oh Miss Kieran, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot to call and tell you. You said before that you didn’t have any plans tonight. When Vicki called and said she had the night off I didn’t think you would mind going out. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s okay Mary, but. . . . Vicki, I’m not sure I can go with you. I sort of have a new roommate moving in tonight.”
“Roommate?” she questioned with jealousy in her voice.
“Yeah, remember how the Vampire Council was bringing me a gift. Well they gave me a little sister.”
“Huh?!?”
I filled Vicki in on the high points as I took her in to meet Cassie.
“Big Sister, are you leaving me?” Cassie asked with those big eyes pleading me to stay.
Damn that cuteness. It should be registered as a lethal weapon. You’d just kill yourself for that cute face.
Emmy hugged her. “No sweetie, she’s just going out for some grownup time. You and I are going to work on a surprise for her while she is gone. Is that okay with you?”
“I guess. Promise you’ll be back?” she asked me with pleading chocolate eyes.
“Yes Cassie, I’ll be back. You’re my little sister, I could never leave you.”
“Well, have fun then!” She smiled at me.
“Oh, how sweet,” Vicki said smiling too.
* * *
It took me half an hour to get ready. When I was a guy I could’ve been ready in five minutes. Now there was choosing the right outfit, makeup, accessories, and of course weapons. I never had such a hard time getting ready in my old life, and I never go anywhere unarmed in my new life. Vicki chatted with Cassie as Mary and Emmy helped me get dressed. They still didn’t like most of my fashion choices. They probably never would.
The deep royal purple wrapped around my neck and breasts. Leaving my back bare -- no bra again -- and ending just low enough to cover the thigh sheath of throwing knives and the garter. The garter did double duty holding both the derringer and my badge. Simple heels and my special hair clip with the hidden grenades finished the outfit. The oversized purse was for the regular guns. I switched the shoulder holster so that it now held one of the pulse guns and a Glock with silver ammo, one under each arm. Just in case, I also added the boxes of silver ammo for Ren. I didn’t plan on seeing her, but you never knew. Psychopathic murderers never were courteous of other’s plans.
Back in the kitchen both Vicki and Cassie looked me up and down. Vicki started to comment, Cassie beat her to it.
“Big Sister, you’re beautiful!” she said with adoration in her eyes.
“That she is, isn’t she?” Vicki added.
It took three hugs and a handful of promises that I was coming back, before Cassie would let me leave. Vicki drove us to a fancy Italian restaurant. Nothing as fancy as the French place Tanaka had taken me, but fancy enough that the dress fit right in. We settled in for a nice dinner, where I explained everything about Cassie to her.
“Wow. You’d said that Marsala warned you that gifts from the Council could be anything, but a kid? What are you going to do with her?” Vicki asked.
“Raise her like my little sister I guess. I really have no choice. If I don’t take her in the Vampire Council may destroy her because of what she is. Besides, she’s just so cute, I couldn’t say no.”
Not to mention Yuric’s little mind manipulation! He owes me for that one!
“I know what you mean. Is it true that she never had brownies before? She kept trying to force me to try them until I gave in. They were good, but not that good.”
“Mary would be hurt to hear you say that.” I teased. “Poor Cassie, she never had a childhood. She missed out on so mu
ch. I bet she never even had a pet.”
“Poor girl. We need to take her shopping. Get her some toys or dolls or something. It’s not fair for her life to be only about killing. By the way, you had to name her right? Why call her Cassie?”
I smiled, blushing to myself at the memory. “Well the old me never really had a girlfriend . . . ever. But early on in elementary school, there was this one girl that had a crush on me, shy little Cassandra. We were too young for it to be anything serious, and she moved away after a few months. I was the only one she let call her Cassie. For some reason, that was the only girls name I could think of other than you, Ren, and Emmy.”
“Sweet. I think Cassie is a good name for her.”
“Officer Grey?” Not again! The waiter was standing at our table with a cordless phone in his hand. That does it, next restaurant I go to won’t have cordless phones, or any phones for that matter. “You have an urgent call–”
“From Detective Michaels, yeah, yeah I know,” I finished for him taking the phone. Vicki was already pouting at me. “Hi Ren, who died this time?” I asked grumpily.
“This is becoming a habit now. You go out to eat, someone dies. Try staying home for a while and let’s see if the body count goes down, will ya? We have another Jacob.” That one sentence summed up everything I needed to know. “Same M.O. as the blowup doll last night. I hate to pull you away from Tanaka again bu–”
“Vicki. I’m out with Vicki tonight.”
“Really? Boyfriend one night, girlfriend the next. Just can’t make up your mind can you? Why don’t you all get together and just have a three-way and get it over with? You know you want to.” She was teasing.
“Ren.” I let my voice sound unpleasant.
Revenge's Web (Kieran Grey Psionic Hunter) Page 6
