by Rick Scott
She pushes right past Lexi and makes a bee line for Rembrandt.
My heart jumps as she suddenly breaks into a run, releasing a fierce growl.
She moves with a speed that seems impossible for her size and before any of us can react, lays into Rembrandt with a vicious punch to the jaw that sends him sailing across the parking garage.
Chapter 13: Queen Angela
The android woman brandishes her tightly clenched fists over the cyberpunker, who is still recovering from the thirty-foot knockback punch she just delivered. The creases in her bodysuit now glow bright red and her body gives off a shimmer of heat.
“You’ve got some bloody nerve to come crawling back round ‘ere, king slayer,” Angela says.
I’m still trying to piece together what happened barely a second ago.
She sped up, punched him, and almost teleported to where he landed on the hard concrete, her body giving off sparks in the process, which could by why she’s smoking a little now.
Gilly and I share a look.
Gilly: Don’t mess with the android lady… O_O
I look to Lexi and she seems equally baffled by what just happened, as do we all.
Maxis, however, runs a hand over his nose and mouth, looking away and up at the ceiling, staring at the rusted hollow rib that’s dotted with LED lights. He knows what’s up for sure and I’m dying to know too.
And what did she mean by king slayer?
Rembrandt cracks a grin, revealing bloodstained teeth, his HP sitting at 90%.
“Well…” he says, dragging himself off the floor. “That was one heck of a lovely welcome, Angela. I’m sure I deserved it, though.”
“You’re damn right you did.” The tall woman stares down at him, looking ready to belt him another one. “What are you doing here and what do you want?”
Yikes…not a good start. When Rembrandt mentioned she owed him a favor maybe he was being sarcastic.
“Just looking for a bit of hospitality is all. I’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”
“You have no right to hospitality here.”
“Not for me,” Rembrandt says and then he gestures to us. “For them. They’re factionless and need representation.”
“And who are they?” she asks, not even looking at us.
“Well…you remember Max, don’t you?”
Angela looks over her shoulder at Maxis and lets out a scoff. “Your dim-witted accomplice? Yes, I remember him.”
Maxis goes from staring at the ceiling to glaring at the android. “Hey! What the heck did you just call me?”
Maxis steps forward, but Val Helena catches him by the shoulder and gives him a don’t-get-involved shake of her head. He releases a huff and then backs down, folding his arms.
“I’ve enough mouths to feed,” Angela says. “And besides that, why would I ever think of helping you? Do you know what kind of crap storm this place turned into when you left? The carnage went on for weeks, Rembrandt. True kills and all.”
Rembrandt lowers his head, removing his shades. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that…alone.”
Angela grimaces while staring at him. “Well someone had to, eh? True strength...what a bloody joke.”
They stare at one another unspeaking, and the uncomfortable silence permeates the air.
“You’ll find no sanctuary here, Rembrandt,” she says eventually. “You nor your friends. Leave.” The android spins on her high heels and heads back towards her crew. “Lexi, get the merchandise stowed and make sure they clear out of here.”
Lexi swallows visibly, glancing towards us but then gives a brisk nod. “Yes, my queen.”
This can’t be happening.
“Wait!” I shout. “You can’t just leave us like this! We’re sitting ducks out there with this stupid factionless thing on.”
“Not my problem.”
Man, she’s not kidding with that cold shoulder. But I need to break through to her somehow.
“It will be soon,” I say. “What we’re here to do will affect us all. And it’s affected you already. You just don’t realize it.”
Your Barter increases by 0.2.
Angela pauses and looks back at me. “And who are you supposed to be, ninja boy?”
“I’m ah…” I have to play this one cool. She’s already ticked off. I need to pander to her ego maybe, defuse the tension somehow. “I’m the dim-witted accomplice’s little brother.”
She stares at me confused, but still engaged. “What?”
Maxis sighs. “He’s not lying. He is my little brother. About the dim-witted part though—”
“Like I bloody care!” she shouts. “Shove off, the lot of you!”
Darn, that didn’t work.
“No wait,” I say. “You owe us.”
Your Barter increases by 0.1.
Skill Up! Your Barter is now 8!
“For what?”
“If not for Rembrandt, the Bosozoku would have stolen your mana trees. He made them back down.” I then look to Lexi. “Tell her, Lexi. It’s true, right?”
Angela shoots Lexi a glare. “You crossed the Bozos?”
Lexi points right back at me. “It was their fault. I didn’t realize they were factionless when I picked them up. The Bosozoku attacked me trying to get to them.”
“What do you mean picked them up?”
“An Omega was chasing them in the wild,” Lexi says. “I couldn’t just leave them.”
Angela sighs.
There! An opening! I press on to capitalize on it.
“So you’ve pretty much already taken us in,” I say. “We just need some orientation and then I’m sure we can find our own way. Right, guys?”
“Just a day or so,” Val Helena says. “We’re not looking to stay in this city any longer than we have to, much less in your faction.”
“I see,” Angela says and then looks from Val Helena to Maxis. “And you. You’re still on that fool’s errand of yours to save Citadel?”
“We all are,” I say. “And it’s necessary. More than you even know.”
“Look, I’ve got enough problems in this world,” Angela says. “I can’t be worried about what happens back in that tin can.”
“That tin can houses our bodies,” Gilly says forcefully, “and if we don’t save it, we’ll all die. Including you.”
“Save me the fairytales, little girl.” Angela throws her hands onto her hips as she stares Gilly down. “I’ve heard them all from your big brother already.”
“He’s not my big brother,” Gilly says and then jerks a thumb at me. “He’s Reece’s big brother.”
“Like I even care!” she suddenly explodes. “Look just slag off, the lot of you! I don’t have time for this.”
Ack…Gilly pushed it too far maybe.
“I’m sure we can make it worth your while,” Becky says, stepping forward.
The tall android bends at the waist to meet Becky’s gaze. “How so?”
“The reason you even have these mana trees is because of us,” she says. “And I don’t mean the situation Rembrandt defused. You harvested them because the Class Change function reemerged. And Class Change exists again because of us.”
Angela snorts a breath through her nose. “Yeah, right.”
“The point I’m making,” Becky says, “is that we’re capable of things you don’t yet realize.” She then nods to me. “That one especially. If you give us a few days, I’m sure there is something we can do to repay you in return.”
Angela’s eyes light up with her HUD as she looks at me, no doubt pulling up my stats.
“He’s a Dodge Tank, love,” Rembrandt says and then nods to Aiko. “Her too. Together they can take on almost anything.”
Angela looks at Rembrandt and cuts her eyes. “Don’t call me love.” She then focuses on the rest of us. “But I didn’t get this far by passing up opportunities. I’ll hold you to that promise…Becky…was it? You can join our faction as initiates but you’ll need to do something for me in return.”
> “And what’s that?” Aiko says.
“You’ll know when I decide.”
A prompt then appears on my HUD.
You have been invited you to join a Faction!
Angela has invited you to join: Young Lords
Do you accept [Y/N]?
I choose yes and a string of information pops onto my HUD.
You have joined Young Lords!
You have joined the channel
Congratulations!
You are no longer factionless! (I guess someone really does love you!)
Congratulations!
You have completed the Quest: Survive!
You gain 5000 XP
==Welcome to Young Lords==
==To all Newcomers: Queen Angela is the Boss…do what she says… or else!==
Each of my friends then join in turn, appearing on the Faction member list which is already populated by some hundred or so names.
Aiko has joined Young Lords
Becky has joined Young Lords
Val Helena has joined Young Lords
Maxis has joined Young Lords
Gilly has joined Young Lords
“Thank you, Queen Angela,” Rembrandt says, bowing his head.
“I didn’t do it for you,” she says and turns to us. “You can have the loft on the third floor. Should be enough room for all of you. Lexi!”
“Yes, queen!”
“Get them to unpack the cargo and then get them settled. Since they’re your strays, I expect you to take responsibility for them. Understood?”
Lexi gives a short bow. “Yes, my queen.”
Finally she turns to Rembrandt. “I’d like a word with you…in private.”
Rembrandt nods. “As you wish.”
The cyberpunk looks back at us as he follows behind ‘Queen’ Angela and her entourage, heading for one of the elevator doors.
“Everything should be fine, mates,” Rembrandt says to us privately through the party-chat. “Lex, thanks so much. Look after them, yeah? I owe you once more.”
“You’re welcome, Lord Rembrandt.”
He leaves our Party then to presumably join one with Angela. As he embarks the elevator I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Looks like we got through that one okay,” I say in the chat. “She’s kind of scary though.”
“Who? Queen Angela?” Lexi lets out a chuckle. “Trust me. She’s a breath of fresh air compared to our last king.”
“What’s with all the queen and king stuff?” Gilly asks.
“Denotes them as a faction leader,” Lexi says. “Nothing in game, mind you. Pure social politics, but it keeps law and order around here. The kings of each faction generally meet before anything truly horrid happens. Like what Lord Rembrandt did with Axel. We have no love for the Bozos, as we call them, but we have a truce at the moment, so he wouldn’t be so quick to violate it. Not sure how Lord Rembrandt knew about it though, but I guess maybe he was just going for a bluff.”
“So that Axel guy is the leader of the… Bozos?” I ask.
Lexi nods. “Head Bozo the clown himself.”
Eesh.
“So what’s the Lord title mean?” Gilly asks. “You keep calling Rembrandt that. Is he some kind of vice-leader or something?”
“No, he’ll never lead a faction,” Lexi says. “In fact, he can’t even join this one. Or any one for that matter.”
“Huh?” I say. And then I do notice that he was never added to the Ylord Faction chat along with the rest of us.
“Why not?” Gilly asks.
“The title of Lord is reserved for Ronins,” Lexi says. “Ronins can’t join factions.”
My blood chills. “You mean Rembrandt’s killed over 100 players?”
She shakes her head. “No, he’s not just any Ronin. There are lots of punters out there who manage to become Ronin by racking up the 100 kills. Some even do it by killing and reviving each other like bloody idiots just to get the stupid title and combat bonuses. But Rembrandt did it the true way.”
“What’s that mean?” Aiko says.
“Over twenty true kills,” Lexi answers. “He’s what’s known as a True Ronin. One of only a handful in the entire city.”
My stomach drops through the floor as I stare at the elevator doors, now sealed. I don’t know whether to feel shock or awe. Twenty true kills? The Rembrandt I know has killed over twenty people…?
For real?
“Nothing tougher on the streets really,” Lexi says with a starry-eyed grin. “Like I said, mates. Lord Rembrandt is the most badass Gunslinger there is.”
Chapter 14: Repast
We get about to stowing the crates within a vault down in the basement below the parking garage. It’s hard work, even with Val Helena’s help, but we manage to do it in less than an hour. I see a lot of neat things in the basement too: racks of weapons, mostly guns and rifles along with ammunition and suits of hard ballistic armor. A few vehicles are stored down there as well, which is surprising since Lexi was able to store her dune buggy as an item in her inventory once we finished removing the crates.
“How much nano does that take to recreate?” I ask her as we ride the elevator up from the basement and to our new loft.
“A couple of fragments,” she says. “Normally I’d just stow it in the vault, but anything in there is considered free use and I just upgraded the engine. Don’t want any of my faction mates enjoying a free ride and then forgetting…” She makes some air quotes. “…to give it back.”
I chuckle at that.
“Can we get access to the stuff too?” Aiko asks.
“Not as initiates,” Lexi says. “But in time if you stick around, you can earn some cred and be able to rank up.”
We exit the elevator and arrive on the third floor. It’s built like a hotel with a single wide corridor and numbered rooms along the sides. We pass a few doors and then stop at one numbered 312.
“This is you,” Lexi says and the door swishes open, sliding sideways. “Angela already gave you access. I guess you all can just stay put for now until the Queen decides what to do with you.”
“Does that mean we’re prisoners?” Aiko asks with a smirk.
Lexi stares back at her as if wondering if she’s making a joke or not.
I’m almost wondering myself by the way Aiko is still smirking, but it doesn’t look good natured.
“What she means, I think,” Gilly says, stepping in between them, “is, are we free to look around the city? We do have a mission here and time is of the essence. Like we really need access to the Grand Archive data bank to find the location of Citadel.”
“The archives?” Lexi raises one of her pierced brows. “Fat chance of that, love. That place is sealed away in Lennox Tower.”
“So how do we get access to it?” I ask.
Lexi shrugs. “Haven’t the foggiest, but I suppose you can pay a visit and check.”
“Can you take us there?” Gilly asks excitedly. “Please?”
“Ugh…” Lexi groans. “I suppose, but the sun is rising and I’m dead tired now, mates. How about we go after I’ve had a few winks, yeah?”
“Perfect,” Becky says. “So in a few hours then?”
“Try ten,” she says. “Maybe more.”
“Ten?!” Gilly says. “It’ll be nighttime again by that time.”
“Yes, that’s usually how it works, love,” Lexi says, nonplussed. “Look, don’t get your knickers in a twist. The city never sleeps. The archive will still be there whether day or night.”
“Fine,” Val Helena says. “Not like we couldn’t use a bit of rest ourselves.”
“You can say that again,” Maxis says with a stretch. “Is there a nano-processor in there?”
“Should be,” Lexi says.
“Good,” Maxis says, heading through the doorway. “Dinner’s on me, folks.”
* * *
We finalize our plans with Lexi to meet up around 6 pm the following day and then head into the loft for the remaind
er of the night. Just the thought of eating food from a real nano-processor has my stomach growling, but the sight of the loft itself draws my attention first.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretch the entire length of the single room which is at least sixty feet wide and perhaps half that dimension deep. A brilliant sunrise is cresting over the city skyline, painting the metropolis in a soft orange hue. The street below us is crawling with morning traffic and more aero-cars and drones join the air traffic as well, or perhaps we can just easily see them now.
Besides the gorgeous view, the loft itself is amazing. Hardwood floors cover everything save the large kitchen and dining area that are covered in white tile. What looks like a hallway leading to bedrooms and showers are on one side and in the center is a large entertainment center with several couches set about a holographic display.
“This is so cool…” Gilly says, stepping inside, as mesmerized as I am.
“Sweet civilization!” Aiko shouts, her body swirling with nano-dust as her outfit changes from Thief leathers to relaxed-looking athletic gear. “Finally!”
The elf lets out an uncharacteristic giggle of excitement and jumps over the back of one of the couches, plopping herself down while kicking her legs.
“Max!” she calls out. “Order something, I’m starving!”
“Hold your horses,” Maxis says, strolling into the kitchen area.
He starts fiddling with the oven-sized nano-processor that’s made of brushed aluminum and polished steel, ordering from a menu far more extensive than anything I’ve seen before. We decide on pizza and Max uses some of the ‘quid’ he had left over from his last visit to New London to purchase our dinner from Lennox Corp food service.
We spend the next few minutes exploring our new digs while the processor works. There are only three bedrooms, but there are enough couches for everyone to find a place to sleep.
Val Helena removes her armor, and much like Aiko, puts on more comfortable attire of spandex-y yoga pants and a tank top that both look like they come from one of the reality shards. I too dress down a bit, removing my heavier chest gear, but luckily ninja armor is fairly comfortable most of the time anyway.
