“You never got that far, did you Georg,” she muttered.She bundled the worn cards and placed them back in her kit.She needed a different tactic.
Talia paused and took several deep breaths.She counted her knives.She chose one and drew her eyes along the blade, finding the nicks.She found the point.It had a three-degree angle from the distal ridge.She followed it to the hilt.Her current purpose was to coat as much of it as possible in blood.She could examine her other purposes after.
Georg had taught her that.
Georg had also been too good for her.The designer of the Ruskov chamber had sold all of his stock the day before he had discovered it and told the board that Model 21 had been founded on the uploaded consciousness of Dr.Morgan Black.Black had succeeded with the upload but told the board he had failed.And while NovAITech benefited financially from his continued inventions, Model 21’s purpose was never to invent.It was always to preserve and propagate Black’s mind.
Georg just didn’t have all the details.
That came from Sesi and an old biology textbook much later and only after they had found and killed Georg.At the very least, he had been able to be a pain in their asses for several years.He had bought them some time and she would always be grateful.
Talia smiled, remembering the day Georg discovered that biosig sensors couldn’t read Sesi.She had grinned like an arrogant idiot, stance wide, a crate of experimental IntelArms that she had simply picked up, hoisted on her deliciously wide shoulders, and carried away.Their SmartCartridges drove the Styx out of The Cars for good.
That was the night Talia fell in love with her.She always did fall hard and fast.And Talia suffered from persistent colour blindness when it came to flags.Red?Green?Who cares?Sesi was fucking hot.
As was their sex life.Like two lionesses and violence was their love language.She knew how that would end.She knew that even now, if she lost either her or Callie, those wounds would never heal.
Callie had somehow given her Sesi back.And what pittance could Talia offer in return?It was all too much.Too good for a fuckup with anger issues like her.A tear blurred her vision.Talia wiped it away angrily, wishing she could punch her emotions into submission.
Talia sighed and grit her teeth.She finished oiling her knives and placed them back in their sheathes.By tomorrow, Sesi would have the location of the Natalists’ labs and she could put her past behind her.She could begin anew.She could take the first step on her journey to becoming good enough for Callie and Sesi.
January 14 2268
Talia sat up, bleary-eyed.She cursed herself for never muting her Opti.Too few people even knew how to reach her.
But it was too late.A rush of guilt flooded over Talia, followed quickly by the type of blinding rage she hadn’t felt in years.She could dissect who had seen her without her mask on later.Right now, she needed to get to the base and then she would kill every last one of them.
Talia flew into her clothes, cinched her knife belt and burst out the door.Sparx’s motorcycle thrummed lowly outside the alley.
“How did you…” she started.
“If I know where she is now, I knew where she was last night.”Sparx refrained himself from making any further suggestive comments.Talia forced herself to be as grateful as she could be in this situation.
Talia hopped on the bike and Sparx revved the ethanol.The cowling glowed brighter in response.
“You had to pick the most conspicuous mode of transportation?”Talia growled.The whine of the supercharger echoed off the Hexaline.Thankfully the streets were mostly devoid of people at this hour.“Does it also shoot confetti?”
“You’re welcome,” Sparx shot back.
They lucked out with a clear stretch of pavement to power through all eight gears, but in the early morning, a thin sheet of frost still clung to the roads.
Sparx locked the front wheel.The back slid gracefully across the ice, positioning the bike to power at full speed around the corner.Talia had to admit, this was kind of badass, though she’d never admit that to Sparx.She would need to look into getting a bike of her own after this was done.
Sparx glanced back to check on Talia.“What the fuck?Where’s your helmet?”
“It fell off the back.”
“Christ, Talia!You’re supposed to put it on your head!”
“No time.”
“If you die, whatever horrible thing you think you can do to me, Callie will, in fact, do worse.”
The thought of Callie losing her shit and torturing Sparx because of her death did cause a thrill to sparkle over her.Sparx felt Talia shift in her seat.
“Jesus, you’re not really getting off thinking about that, are you?”Sparx yelled, horrified.
Talia squeezed him in response.
