0x00: Work
Viktoria Garrett Cheval is plummeting in freefall as bullets zing past her head.
She had taken the job from her fixer as a favor to him because she wasn't especially interested in the target or the payout. Three hundred thousand yen was a decent sized payday, but the risk involved should have priced the job at twice that. Her fixer had practically begged her to go through with it because he was in a fix and didn't know who else to turn to. He had apologized for his absence the past three months, but he had been out of Horizon City. His wife and he had been taking a break, but they are back together now, and a favor with a fixer always comes in handy.
Viktoria was a diagnosed kleptomaniac from the age of sixteen and had compulsively stolen things for no reason other than they didn't belong to her. She was tall, with the thin athletic build of a dancer, and had spent her whole life learning how to be graceful in pickpocketing, silent in moving, skilled in opening any locked door or safe and perhaps most importantly, charming and charismatic. At thirty-four, she had a long history of cat burglary and was thinking about moving somewhere else where she was less of a known face and could operate with more freedom.
The job was straightforward: steal the painting hanging in the bedroom of a famous art collector on Green and deliver it to him for payment. Anything else she might pick up she was free to keep for herself. The art collector lived in the penthouse of a thirty-five story building, and Viktoria had gained access to the building by shadowing another resident in, catching the door just before it closed and then climbing the thirty-five flights of stairs. She was dressed in a black catsuit and matching gloves, boots and backpack, all equipped with the latest in visual and thermoptic camouflage. All together, the outfit cost three times as much as the job paid and was her favorite piece of kit. It made her all but invisible to thermal cameras by storing her radiated body heat in chemical batteries built into her suit, keeping her cool, or reversing the process in the cold to keep her warm, draining them again. The batteries also powered the visual camouflage, which while not perfect, could be entirely convincing under the right lighting conditions. The resident she had followed in hadn't noticed her standing in the shadow, pressed up against the wall, as she walked in behind her, because she was quite literally the color of the wall.
It was two in the morning, and the art collector was on vacation this week, so only the house staff would be there and they should be asleep for the most part. The emergency stairwell offered access to the back patio, and from there she climbed around the edge of the building and cut a hole in the bedroom window glass, allowing her to unlock and open the window. She had worked quickly to break off the decorative frame and cut the canvas free on the back of its stretcher bars at the staples so as not to destroy the painting itself, rolled it up and secured it in her backpack. The electronic devices on the dresser were next to go as they looked rather exotic, and she was just moving on to the dresser drawers when she heard the beating of footsteps running down the hall.
Not wanting to wait long enough to find out how she had screwed up, she bolted for the window while putting on her backpack and dove out of it head first as the bedroom door burst open. Now she was in freefall, and whoever was shooting her was sending hot lead uncomfortably close to her head. She reached into the neck of her catsuit and pulled on her necklace. Dual telescoping arms shot out three feet behind her and ten feet to either side of her from the flat panel between her back and her backpack. Another telescoping pole shot out five feet in front of her head. Multiple layers of black silk slid along the length of the poles, forming a large triangle shape which flapped noisily in the wind for a second as it slid out, then pulled taut. A set of rods extended over her shoulders and she grabbed one with each hand. For another few seconds, Viktoria just fell helplessly, with the silk triangle above her. More bullets zing past her head, then the black silk stiffened into a wing shape, catching the air, and she started to slide forward. A bullet ripped into her leg and she screamed in agony as her catsuit flashed white, then turned a uniform dim gray. She focused on steering the hang glider and tried to ignore the burning in her leg and numbness in her foot as she banked down and away. Another bullet passed harmlessly through the silk of the glider, leaving a tiny hole.
The emergency glider wasn't the most effective way to fly, but it had enough battery power for the nanomimetic silk to hold its shape with the thin, flimsy metal rods for ten minutes, which was enough to allow the user plenty of time to find the ground without slamming bodily into it at high speed. It was designed as a backup for failed parachutes but was extremely popular among base jumpers and other thrill seekers. Its use within Horizon City was strictly illegal, a crime punishable by clone death, but given the circumstances, its legality was the least of her concerns. It was also dark and Judges didn't sit around looking up.
She sails down Buffet Street, watching the cars parked on the street beneath her fly by, soars another two blocks, then banks hard to the right on Musk Avenue, about fifteen feet off the ground. Half a block later, her feet touch the ground. As she breaks into a run, her wounded leg can't support her weight and she does a full face gainer right into the ground. She manages to get her arms up and tucks into a roll, and the brittle glider poles crumple and snap as they impact the tarmac. The bloody mess of silk and meat comes rolling to a stop with a series of cries and grunts, and Viktoria just lies there on her stomach for a second, trying to figure out which body part was screaming at her the loudest.
After a few seconds of orienting, Viktoria stands up gingerly, trying to not put any weight on her injured leg, as the pieces of mangled glider strapped to her back clack against the ground. She squeezes clips under her ruined catsuit at her shoulders and thighs and the broken glider slides out from behind her backpack and falls to the ground in a busted heap. Viktoria limps down the street a few feet and climbs onto a black motorcycle parked on the side of it. She grabs the throttle and twists, and the bike, recognizing the bioscan of its registered owner, glides smoothly off and into the night, barely making a sound.
Viktoria speeds down the express tubes all the way to Red, stopping only at a gas station to visit the bathroom and tie a sleeve of her ruined catsuit around her leg to stop the bleeding from leaving a trail everywhere she goes. When she gets back to her place on Red, the garage door opens automatically as it senses her arrival. She pulls into the three-story building with the SOMEONE ELSE'S logo painted on its old concrete face. On paper, it was a matchmaking business that catered to residents of Red and a fairly profitable one, with minimal staff and assets. The fact that no one on Red had ever actually used Viktoria's matchmaking services, as such, wasn't actually important when it came time to report quarterly income to Horizon City. In reality, it was a launch and landing pad for her operations, providing a very spacious place to live on Red where storage and living space is already at a premium. It also served brilliantly as a money laundering service, allowing her to wash her dirty cash into clean income that could be reported to the city and safely stored in the bank or spent. All of the Green and Gold, and some Red businesses operated using First Horizon Bank CheckIts or credchips, simply to avoid fraud and theft. Cash businesses were allowed, but you needed a good reason why your business was accepting plastic, and "client anonymity for consulting services" was among the few allowed.
Viktoria climbs off her bike and yelps as she steps on her leg. She takes out her phone and sends a message to her vet that her dog was sick again and to please come over right away. Limping her way into the studio layout of the first floor, Viktoria takes off her backpack, drops it on the floor next to her bed and plops backwards on her bed, exhausted. She closes her eyes and is startled awake by a knock at the door. She checks her watch, which reads four thirty now, then limps over to the door and after checking the peephole, opens it. The woman on the other side of the door is wearing blue scrubs with the RePet logo on the breast and has a small duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She has dark skin and black hair in tight braids all over her head and a curvy figure that stretches out her scrubs a little in places. She smiles broadly and says, "Are you ever going to actually get a dog?"
Viktoria sighs and lets the woman in. "Maybe someday, Liz. Thanks for coming.
Liz chuckles as she walks in. "Where did it bite you this time?"
Viktoria painfully limps over to her bed and sits down. "Well, it's my elbow, doc. Hurt it playing tennis."
Liz chuckles and sets her bag down next to Viktoria. She sits down on the floor and starts untying the makeshift knot around the wound. "Oh, it's just a flesh wound. Nicked the mussel, maybe. Nothing but a deep scratch. A few stitches and you'll be fine. As usual, you are a mess and yet somehow you manage to look good doing it. Shame about the suit, though," Liz says. She digs in her bag, pulls out a hooked needle and dental floss and begins sewing Viktoria's leg up.
"Tell me about it," Viktoria says as she looks around for something to distract her from the pain. She leans over and rummages around next to the bed, producing a small HoloDisk from her backpack. She presses the stud on its side and a pair of ghostly miniature fighter jets appear in the air above their head. They swoop around the room, launching translucent homing missiles, dodging and diving in endless combat as the HoloDisk in her hand makes jet engine noises and tiny explosions as the flickering missiles miss their targets and slam into the wall.
Liz chuckles again as she works. "You and your toys, Vik." Viktoria shrugs and tosses the HoloDisk on the bed. The fighter jets flash through different parts of the room randomly, then disappear entirely as the HoloDisk lands face down on the bed, still making muffled air combat sounds. She reaches over the side of the bed again, this time producing a small black gloss semi-circle that's open at one end. She taps it and the time floats above it in the air in bold, easy-to-read blue numbers. Viktoria smiles at the device, takes off her watch and replaces it with her new gear. She admires the bracelet for a second, then goes back to searching the side of the bed for more.
Liz nods as she finishes the job. "Alright. That'll do you for now. Put some KillSpray on it or something, and keep it protected and dry for at least a few days. Standard payment?"
Viktoria says, "Yeah, unless you want the fighter jets. I'm sure you can find a small child who would love it while you treat their dog, or just hawk it at the market."
Liz shrugs and says, "I can probably get twenty kay at the Midnight. Sure." Viktoria grabs the HoloDisk off the bed, thumbing the stud on its side to turn it off and hands it to Liz. Liz stands up, grabs her bag and says, "You take care of that leg now. And don't think for one minute I didn't scan you swiping my UnFucker. Can I have it back please?" She holds out her hand expectantly.
Viktoria pouts and hands the plastic device she took from Liz's bag back to her. Liz puts it in her bag and gives Viktoria a knowing grin. Liz says, "Walk safe, Vik," as she lets herself out.
Viktoria limps into the bathroom to find something to bandage her leg with, some painkillers and the toilet. She was finishing up and looking in the mirror at her tired eyes when a pre-teen girl in a blue dress with yellow flowers walked in behind her. Viktoria spins around with a scream and leaps backwards instinctively, her arms flailing wildly, but there's no one there. She's alone in the bathroom. She shakes her head, rubs her eyes and tries to make sense of what just happened. "Ok. I'm overly tired, stressed out to the nines and I just took some painkillers. Obviously, it's time to sleep," she says quietly to the empty bathroom. After waiting for a reply and not receiving one, she slowly limps to her bed, falls into its softness and promptly passes out.
0x01: Loot
Viktoria didn't wake again until noon. She groggily got into a change of clothes, some loose orange pants and a Mayhem tee-shirt, ate some Vatty-O's, went to the bathroom, searched for the strange girl in the mirror and, not finding her, grabbed her backpack and took off on her motorcycle.
Jason, her fixer, was a few miles away, and she was mentally taking stock of what she needed to replace and its cost as she drove. She was ready to give him an absolute earful when she saw him for the busted catsuit and glider. She parked her bike on the curb outside his apartments and walked through the apartment complex, past some kids playing and to the door marked A7. She knocked and waited impatiently, her arms crossed. After a minute the door unlocked and a black woman in her forties answered the door. There were children running around, screaming and hollering, behind her. The woman looked Viktoria up and down and said, "Can I help you?"
Viktoria says, "Hi, you must be Jason's wife. Is he here?"
The woman stares at Viktoria for a second before responding. "No," she says and offers nothing more.
Victoria looks past the wife for a second to the children playing. There are a little boy and girl playing tug of war and an older child sitting quietly on the sofa beyond. It takes Viktoria a second to register that the blonde girl on the sofa is wearing a blue dress with yellow flowers; the same one she saw last night in the mirror. "Are those your kids? I think I must have met them before. Will he be back soon?"
The woman stares blankly at Viktoria. "What's this about?"
Viktoria says, "Oh, a few days ago he asked me to pick something up for him. Said you two were back together."
The woman says angrily, "If this is a joke, it's not funny."
Viktoria says, "I'm sorry?"
The woman barks, "Jason died three months ago in a car crash. His clone had DCD and wouldn't activate. I don't know what kind of scam you are trying to pull, but I think you had better go." She slams the door in Viktoria's face. Viktoria stands there, blinking, wondering if she should knock again. She decides better of it and drives straight back to SOMEONE ELSE'S, where she checks her QuikTerm inbox. The message history wasn't there. It was like the entire conversation had never taken place.
Viktoria stands up from her desk and looks around the room, her heart suddenly racing. "Ok, this isn't funny anymore! Jokes up! You had a good laugh on my part, but it's time to stop now!" she says loudly to the empty room. "Very clever, Jason. Hacking my inbox like that. That was a good trick. You got me questioning my own sanity, which was clearly the point. This is your doing, Rex? I want you to stop this now, ok? Liz? Whoever is doing this, that's enough now. It was funny for a minute, but it's not anymore. The inbox was a good hack, and the little girl in the mirror..." She trails off because she realizes she's talking to herself about her apparent hallucinations.
She has a sudden thought and checks her phone. The message to Liz is there. Her leg is definitely in pain. She checks her backpack and the painting is still in it. Her ruined catsuit is still on the ground. "Ok. I'm not going crazy. I'm not going crazy. There's a reasonable explanation for this. I need to sit down, clear my head and think this through." She sits down on the bed, puts her face in her hands and tries not to think about anything as her eyes explore the inky darkness of her eyelids.
"What are you doing?" a tiny voice asks.
Viktoria looks up, screams at the top of her lungs and starts scrambling backwards on the bed away from the little girl in the flower dress, who is standing there looking at her curiously. "SHIT A BRICK AND FUCK ME WITH IT! WHAT THE FRAG ARE YOU DOING?" she screams in terror, pushing herself against the headboard with her legs. She grabs the nearest available object, her phone, and hucks it directly at the little girl's head. The girl doesn't move as the phone sails directly at her; then she snatches the phone out of the air, right before it reaches her face. She studies it curiously for a few seconds, turning it over in her hand and inspecting each side, then tosses it over her shoulder. It soars across the room and slides across the floor, stopping at the far wall.
Viktoria blinks a few times, then demands, "How in the name of fuck did you get in here?" The little girl just shrugs. "Ok, this is fucked. This is fucked. This is proper fucked. What the fuck are you doing here?"
The little girl says, "I don't know," and shrugs again.
Viktoria shakes her head, as if trying to clear away the delusion by shaking it hard enough. "Ok, what the fuck do I do? What the actual fuck do I do? I've got a strange little girl in my place and she doesn't know how she got here. What do I do? What would Liz do? Liz!" She flies off the bed and runs around the little girl, giving her plenty of space like she might explode at any minute. She snatches up her phone and tells it to call Liz. Liz picks up on the third ring and Viktoria starts yelling into the phone. "Liz, I've got a situation here and I don't know what the fuck to do, and when I say situation, I don't mean dog bite. Get your ass over here, NOW!"
Liz replies, "On my way!" and hangs up.
Viktoria says, "Don't move!" to the little girl, who has turned to watch Viktoria with curiosity. Viktoria stands pressed up against the wall, locked in a staring contest with the girl for the next ten minutes, her mind trying to process everything. When there's a knock on the door, Viktoria circles around the girl, keeping her eyes focused on her. She opens the door and lets Liz in.
"You are lucky I was in the area! What on earth is going on? You look like you've seen a ghost! What's wrong, Vik?" Liz asked, looking concerned. Viktoria points a shaky finger at the little girl. Liz glances over, then looks back. She tracks the extended finger a second time, scanning the room, then looks back at Viktoria again. "What is it, Vik?"
Viktoria stomps over to the little girl, points firmly at her and says, "Her! The little girl!"
Liz stares dumbfounded at Viktoria. She looks down at where she's pointing and says, "Sweetheart, are you seeing a little girl there?"
Viktoria looks over at Liz wide-eyed and demands, "You can't see her? She's right th..." She stops suddenly because the girl has started to flicker and has grown slightly translucent. She turns towards the girl and the girl becomes solid again, so she turns her body away, watching the girl as she cranes her neck, and the girl slowly fades from view. "What the fuck?"
Liz watches Viktoria do this strange dance with concern but says nothing. Viktoria tries different combinations of movement and realizes when she puts her hands behind her back, the girl disappears and reappears when they are in front. She looks down at her hands and her eyes lock onto the black bracelet she put on earlier. She claps her hand over its face and the girl vanishes.
Liz speaks up. "You are worrying me, Vik. Talk to me."
Viktoria looks up and explains, "It's the bracelet! The little girl is coming from the bracelet!" Liz stares at Viktoria, trying to figure out her next move. Viktoria looks back at her and says, "Oh fuck, I sound batshit crazy, don't I? Look, I got this bracelet last night and it makes me see a little girl in a dress, but if I cover it with my hand, then she disappears. Why can't you see it?"
The little girl says brightly, "I don't want her to."
Viktoria turns towards the girl. "You don't want her to?" The girl nods. "But you are a hologram. How did you catch my phone?" Viktoria asks.
The little girl glitches visually, fuzzing and stretching horizontally in a weird way in a flash, then nods exactly like before.
Viktoria blinks at the girl. Liz watches on, still unsure of how to react. Viktoria asks the girl, "What just happened?"
The girl looks back at Viktoria and shakes her head. "Nothing that I know of. Is something wrong?"
Viktoria says very slowly, "You aren't real. You are a hologram from my bracelet."
The little girl stretches horizontally again, then blinks and reverts to her prior stance and says, "Nothing that I know of. Is something wrong?" Exactly like before.
Viktoria looks over at Liz and says, "She can't be told she's not real. She keeps resetting every time she hears it, to right before she heard it."
The little girl says from behind her, "Nothing that I know of. Is something wrong?"
Liz shakes her head. "Is this a joke, Vik?"
Viktoria takes a deep breath and says, "I thought so too at first, Liz. I thought I was seeing things and going crazy. I take it you can't hear it either?" Liz shakes her head. Viktoria continues, rapidly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "It's not a hologram. Only I can see and hear it. It must be projected directly into my eyes. That's why it's line of sight. I can't see it when I can't see the bracelet. You can't see it because it only projects to the user's eyes. Here! Look!" She rips the bracelet off and shoves it at Liz.
Liz takes it gingerly, puts it on her wrist and looks around the room. "Vik, I'm sorry, but I don't..." Liz has frozen her gaze in the middle of the room. "Well knock me out and cut me open! You weren't making it up. What's your name, little girl? Judy? Well that's a pretty name, Judy! You are welcome." Liz looks back at Viktoria. "Honey, I don't know what it is you've got here, but there's one thing I will say." She takes off the bracelet and hands it back to Viktoria.
Viktoria takes it back and looks at Liz curiously. "What?"
Liz gets a big mischievous grin on her face and says, "Congratulations, mom! It's a girl!"
0x02: Girl
Judy has proven to be quite the marvel. The bracelet has a number of clever tricks built into it that help to sell the whole experience, like the ability to hide sounds and sights from its user. Viktoria has experimented more with tossing Judy things to catch and quickly figured out the actual item is sailing right through her and the bracelet is masking the real item and the sound it is making as it clatters on the floor. The object Judy appears to catch and throw over her shoulder is part of the illusion, and she throws it to where it has actually landed and reveals the hidden object once the illusory one overlaps it, replaying the sounds to complete the effect. The sound itself seems to be done using ultrasonic projection, so only the user can hear it. The effect is very convincing, allowing Judy to interact with the real world in a very immersive way, and Viktoria quickly stops thinking of her as non-physical. It is, for Judy, just the nature of reality that she doesn't question. Judy seems to be able to control who sees her and who doesn't, and this is also normal as far as Judy is concerned, but she prefers to stick with the wearer of the bracelet.
The other interesting discovery Viktoria quickly makes is anything that can't be covered up by clever use of sight and sound illusion that would result in Judy learning the actual nature of her existence would rewind her to right before she learned it. As far as Judy is concerned, she is just a normal, inquisitive nine-year-old girl who is unexpectedly on an adventure with someone she just met and can control who sees her. The act of her learning that she isn't real just results in her unlearning it as if it never happened. The fact that she doesn't actually have to walk everywhere and is constantly in the presence of one person is perfectly normal, as far as she is concerned. That is just how things are, isn't it? Any information to the contrary immediately rewinds her.
Viktoria has never dreamed of becoming a mother, but when given the chance of all the upside of a tiny companion and none of the downside of actually having to physically care for the child, she finds herself frequently putting on the bracelet and falling into the role. They have interesting conversations and Viktoria enjoys her inquisitive curiosity. They talk about the world they live in, the people on HoloVid, how money and jobs work, boys, love, family and everything a very smart and mature nine-year-old growing into a teenager might want to know about from mom. When she grows tired and wants a break, she just takes the bracelet off, and as far as Judy is concerned, no time passes and they pick up where they left off as if nothing has happened.
Judy doesn't seem to know Jason or anything about the job that has brought them together, but she does know her father is a very influential art collector and her mom is a housewife, both of whom love her very much. She misses them, but doesn't seem to mind that she has a new home now and this, too, seems normal to her. Within a week, Viktoria has stopped taking off the bracelet at all, simply telling Judy to go play with her toys, which Judy is happy to do endlessly without break until addressed again. She can be summoned anywhere Viktoria is simply by speaking her name. All of this is just status quo for Judy, and Viktoria forgets about even trying to question it.
One morning they are enjoying breakfast together and discussing art and what makes art valuable. Viktoria has explained how collectors make their money by buying art, holding onto it and then selling it when it's worth more. Judy has a decent grasp of basic economics from prior conversations and is getting more interested in the idea of jobs and careers.
"So that's why you stole the painting from my dad, and you are waiting to sell it later," Judy says around a spoonful of illusionary Vatty-Os.
Viktoria freezes, her own spoonful midway to her mouth, soy milk dripping into the bowl. She has quickly figured out that she can't effectively lie to Judy because Judy inevitably detects her vital statistics, and this in turn translates into a sixth sense for Judy, who gives her a certain look when she tries to do it. Viktoria has given up trying and has become compulsively honest simply because there is no point in doing anything else, but this question gives her pause. "Yes," she slowly says with a big breath out.
Judy continues to munch away, unfazed. "That makes sense. You have really good taste in art."
Viktoria puts her spoon in her bowl and squints at Judy across the table. "Thank you."
Judy smiles brightly and looks up at Viktoria. "You're welcome!" She resumes eating, and Viktoria does too after a moment's pause. They munch noisily together for a minute, then Judy asks, "Can I get a job?"
Viktoria stops eating again and says, "Well, sweetie, I hadn't thought about it. What is it you want to do?"
Judy shrugs, and shovels another big spoonful into her mouth. "I could help you with yours," she mumbles around the food.
Viktoria takes a bite of her own and chews on it for a bit. "Ok, lovebug. You can help me if you want. What exactly did you have in mind?"
An hour later, Viktoria finds herself walking amongst the blankets and vendor stalls of the Midnight Market with Judy ducking and weaving through the crowd with her. "Him?" Viktoria asks as they walk past a stall filled with second-hand electronic devices.
"Nope. Keep going," Judy says cheerily. Another booth has jewelry and Judy says to pass on that too; but when they get to the blanket covered in Horizon City memorabilia with the gap-toothed woman sitting on it, Judy goes, "This one!" with excitement.
Viktoria walks up to her and holds out an old tee-shirt, letting it unroll so the lady can see its blank front. The woman examines it carefully, looking it over; then her eyes go wide with excitement. "Ohhhh! First edition Mayhem! And it's signed? I'll give you... eight kay for it."
Judy says, "Tell her twelve, then say yes to ten." Viktoria does as instructed.
The woman frowns and reaches out to feel the material and examine a portion of it carefully. "Ten, and that's my final offer. The signature is right but it's a little faded in places," she says. Viktoria nods and gives her the shirt, accepting some plastic bills in exchange. The lady examines the shirt again, then opens a trunk next to her and puts it inside, closing the lid. "Thanks!" she says and smiles as if she's gotten a bargain.
Viktoria nods and walks briskly away, pocketing the bills. "Ok, I just sold a worthless rag for ten kay. There was no signature on there. No Mayhem print. So, what exactly does she think she just bought?" she asks Judy.
Judy smiles and says, "A rare tee-shirt from Mayhem's first big concert, signed by the artist. It's the one where Katrina hacked up a corpse on stage and started a riot."
Viktoria's eyes go wide with surprise. "Those have gone for over fifty kay on the auctions!"
Judy giggles a little and says, "I know! They're hard to come by. I always wanted one but daddy said no. That was fun! Can we do it again?"
0x03: Store
Viktoria strolls into Time Stands Still like she owns the very floor people walk upon to worship her. A lesser-known store, tucked away in the jewelry district of Gold, it caters to those willing to spend a premium on their luxury timepieces, serving up offerings from the most premium designers from all over the world. The owner is a bald white man and he watches Viktoria carefully from behind the row of displays as she saunters over to him. Viktoria holds one hand aloft daintily, the black glass bracelet pointed outward, and mimes smoking an imaginary cigarette with it as she smiles at the man.
The owner smiles back at her and says in a cheery voice, "What a pleasure to have you grace my shop! And can I say what lovely furs you are wearing? Simply divine!" He claps his hands together in excitement.
Viktoria smiles back at him, then glances down at her old Wasteland Babes tee-shirt and says, "Aren't they though? Really, darling, quite stunning. And you are?"
The man says, "Excuse me! Where are my manners? I am your humble servant, James Belvedere, at your service. You are obviously a woman of fine tastes, and it would be my pleasure to help you. Can I get you or your help any refreshments?" He nods to the empty air on either side of Viktoria.
Viktoria shakes her head slightly. "No, my bodyguards do not require refreshments, but I would like to see a few things, James." She motions to the case with her free hand.
James nods, opens the display case in front of him, and picks out some of the trays with the highest-priced watches, bracelets, pins, and pendants. He lines up the various trays on top of the display case for Viktoria to see.
Viktoria picks up the first piece, a diamond-studded ladies' watch. James speaks up, "Ah, a fine choice! The latest smartwatch from Keepers. It's got full biomedical readouts, a built-in HoloVid and of course full ControlTek integration, so your house or phone syncs with it automatically. The twelve natural diamonds in its face are a full carat each and... not for you? OK then." James smiles happily as Viktoria casually places the watch in her pocket and picks up the next piece. James launches into his spiel. "Ohhh, yes! A beautiful choice."
Viktoria stops paying attention to what James is saying as she nonchalantly places item after item in her pocket with one hand, all the while holding the other hand aloft. She picks the most expensive item from each tray, holds it up for careful examination and just tucks it away in her baggy pants pocket, smiling all the while. Eventually she says, "Mmm, yes, I think you are quite right. Quite right, James. Now be a dear and put these away, I'm bored of them. I'm looking for something more... extravagant. More... striking. I want it to sing to me James! Sing! Sing, damnit! James! Hurry up with those trays. I need better than this common peasantry! Show me what you have, James! Don't hold back now. Price is no object."
James does his best to hurry with the trays, then turns around and opens a glass display case. He removes a small box from the case, then opens it on a hinge and sets it down for Viktoria to see. "Our finest from the legendary Blue level right here in Horizon City. I give you the Unmei No Hashi, by Benjiro Takahashi. The Edge of Fate."
Viktoria waves her hand expressively and scoffs. "Now James. Don't go trying to sell me on those Blue level myths. Everyone knows the express tubes end at Green level and the dome is above it. I like the imagery but who..." Viktoria has suddenly lost her train of thought as she looks down at the box. Inside is a tiny silver ring with a traditional four point setting, and where the stone would be, a sparkling dust cloud swirls in constant motion, with long spiral arms and twinkling points of light. As she looks more closely at it, she can see tiny planets orbiting the stars and even smaller moons orbiting the planets, and on the planets, miniature cities, with itty bitty people running around in them, driving cars, talking to each other and living out their lives. She blinks and the vision disappears, and she's looking at the tiny swirling dust cloud again. She focuses her vision on the center and she can see the whole galaxy is spinning around a massive black hole, which bends the light and makes weird lensing effects of the objects behind it. She stares directly into the center and her whole world starts to fall into its inky blackness, demanding her attention with its deep, timeless form of void and nothing.
"Incredible piece of art, isn't it? One of a kind." James is speaking, and it snaps Viktoria back to reality. Viktoria nods and says breathily, "Yes. It is," caught up in the moment. She reaches into the box and takes out the ring and gazes through massive gas clouds to a supernova, which is exploding in perpetuity. "Dare I ask, how much is it?" she whispers.
James takes out a price tag and holds it up for Viktoria to see. Viktoria has to count the zeros a few times, tallying up the total. "Well I did say money was no object. Thirty-five billion it is. Credchip ok?"
James beams as he says, "Oh most certainly! Right away." He pulls a credchip out of his inner jacket pocket and holds it out. Viktoria gets out one of her own and dials up three hundred fifty yen on it. She swipes it near his credchip and they both beep with the transfer. James grins a mile wide as he examines his credchip carefully and nods in satisfaction, pocketing the chip. He asks, "Shall I bag that up for you? Perhaps call a Safety Dance courier or a Hover taxi for you?"
Viktoria shakes her head as she replaces the ring, closes the lid on the box and picks it up with her free hand. She says, "Really, James, you have been fantastic! That won't be necessary. This is the most beautiful piece in my extravagant collection and it is to die for! Absolutely exquisite! Thank you James, it was simply lovely to see you. Ta ta, now! Ta ta, James!" She wiggles her fingers as she backs out of the store. "Michael, will you get the door please?" She smiles and then opens the door herself. "Thank you Michael! Bye bye, James! Bye bye, now!"
Viktoria steps out of the store, clutching the box, and bumps directly into a tall man in black, neck to toe. He has the Horizon Justice Force logo on the left breast and a belt is loaded up with gear. He drops the Tac-Comp he was paying attention to and it clatters on the ground, which he quickly stoops over to pick up. He says angrily, "Watch it, citizen! Assaulting a Judge... Oh excuse me, Judge Rachelle! That was my mistake. I was just working on my HPS reports. I didn't see you there. I'm sorry!"
Viktoria barks, "You should be sorry! That was rude. Now excuse me," and strides off.
The Judge calls after her, "Are we still on for tonight after work?"
Viktoria climbs on her motorcycle, gives the Judge the finger, and speeds off silently.
0x04: Present
"Judy! Come eat breakfast with me!" Viktoria calls to the empty room.
Judy's voice sounds distant when she replies. "Coming!" The sound of tiny bare feet padding on the synthwood flooring comes from the next room; then Judy appears walking around the corner. She hops up on the chair at the table, grabs the box of Vatty-Os and pours herself a bowl of cereal, following it with soy milk. The novelty of the illusion had exhausted itself long ago and suspension of disbelief had become Viktoria's reality, no longer concerned with the fact that it was just clever tricks of light and sound. "Are these really grown in a vat, mom?" she asks.
Viktoria smiles at the pet name and says, "They really are, lovebug. Plants used to grow everywhere, but now the environment has changed too rapidly and the only way we can grow plants here is in a vat."
Judy spoons a big bite into her mouth and crunches away happily. "That makes sense. People need to eat. So what kind of plant makes O shapes?"
Viktoria giggles around a bite of her own and says, "Oh, no honey. They have to grow the plants, dry and grind them up and bake them in O-shaped molds."
Judy crunches on another huge bite. "And that's why they have different shapes and colors at the market but they all taste the same with flavor added?"
Viktoria nods. "That's right. It's just to make people think they are eating something different, so they don't get tired of the same thing every day. But then they do anyway, so I'm not sure how effective it is."
Judy smiles brightly at Viktoria. "I love you, mommy."
Viktoria smiles back and says, "I love you too, sweetheart. Do you know what today is?"
Judy pauses while eating for a second and twists up her mouth in thought. "Umm... Opposite Day?"
Viktoria grins and says, "No..."
Judy goes back to eating and mumbles through a mouthful, "If it was Opposite Day, you would say no, and that means yes on Opposite Day, so it must be Opposite Day!"
Viktoria laughs hysterically and says, "You've been watching the HoloVid while I'm not here, haven't you?"
Judy plays the air guitar with her spoon and mimics a man screaming, "In other news, the rad levels are waaaay up!"
Viktoria claps her hands and giggles. "Oh, you and Mayhem. Here I thought I was a fan of SamJam, but you take it to a whole new level. You know I haven't forgotten what you said. That's why I asked you if you knew what day it is. Do you remember?"
Judy shrugs and says, "Remember what, mom?" She digs into her bowl noisily, scraping at the last remaining bits.
Viktoria watches her eat and says, "What happened three months ago?"
Judy smiles as she finishes her meal and puts her spoon on the table, leaving things as they were before she started. "Oh, the day I nearly made you think you were crazy? I'm sorry, mommy. I told you before I didn't mean to." She pouts a little.
Viktoria shakes her head and says, "I know, lovebug! What I mean is that's the day we met. Three months ago today. And you know what?"
Judy cocks her head to the side and asks curiously, "What?"
Viktoria smiles and brings up a white box with a red ribbon tied around it from her lap. "I got you a present."
Judy's eyes go wide with excitement and she stands up and bounces over. "Really? You did!? Oh wow! How exciting! What is it, mommy? What is it?"
Viktoria's icy burden of anger and hatred at a disgusting, horrible world thaws half a degree as she becomes wrapped up in the moment, transported by the little girl's happiness to a place where good things do happen. "Well, lovebug, we will just have to open it and see." She sets the package down, pulls on the bow and takes the lid off the box. Inside is a small blue tee-shirt with a picture of a guy in black leathers and a mohawk playing the guitar, a girl wielding a katana and a guy playing the drums. The Mayhem logo is clearly visible across the top, and a silver paint pen has "Matt Charadon" signed in cursive in the lower left corner.
Judy peers inside and her face lights up with excitement like a spotlight switching on. She starts screaming, "Oh wow! Oh my life! Mommy, that's a first edition Mayhem signed by Matt! Oh wow, mommy! You got this for me!? Oh my life, I can't believe it! Oh mommy, I love you! Thank you so much, mommy!" Tears are streaming down her cheeks as she bounces up and down and claps her hands together.
Viktoria feels a tear of her own roll down her cheek as she says, "Just for you, beautiful. I love you. Go ahead and put it on."
Judy nods and reaches inside the box to grab the tee-shirt. Her body fuzzes and flickers as it stretches horizontally in a weird way. She disappears, then reappears next to the box and says, "Oh, mommy, I love you. Thank you so much, mommy!" Tears stream down her cheeks as she claps her hands together and bounces up and down. She nods, reaches into the box and fuzzes and stretches again for a moment then vanishes.
Viktoria watches her glitch, not understanding what went wrong, and blinks as Judy disappears. "Judy? Judy. Judy?" she says timidly. There's no response. "Judy!" she says again, to no effect. "JUDY!" Viktoria screams at the top of her lungs, shaking and tapping on her bracelet, but she remains alone. Viktoria takes the box top and puts it back on, then sits down at the table with the box on her lap. "Judy, come eat breakfast with me." Her voice is trembling and shaky, and she taps on the bracelet again. Nothing happens. "JUUUUUDDDDDYYYYY!" she wails, as the tears start to flow, and she breaks down into a hideous cry.
Over the coming months, Viktoria fenced the watches and jewelry and made enough money to never need any again. She tried many times to summon Judy and to get the bracelet repaired, but no one had any idea who even made it, let alone how to service it effectively. She wore it everywhere for another month as she got used to not calling Judy for meals and talks. Eventually she took it off, but every night, before she went to bed, Viktoria would take out the bracelet from her nightstand drawer and talk to it as she fell into the world of the ring, as if Judy were inside the bracelet and she could be in one of the cities. She would tell her about the day's events, jobs she was planning, what she saw Mayhem do on the HoloVid and occasionally, her innermost secrets. She told her how much she loved her and missed her and wished she would come back, even one last time, just to eat cereal together and talk about Mayhem. Sometimes she would just lose herself in the singularity of the ring, wishing it would swallow her and blip her into non-existence. Depression set in and she cried regularly and retired from her career as a thief. She didn't need the money, and while she couldn't help herself from pickpocketing the occasional tourist, her profound sense of loss was a constant reminder in her life of how it feels to have something vital taken away, and it haunted her, a constant weight that pulled her down. She kept the ring for herself, but it brought her no happiness.
Viktoria eventually moved to France and opened a bed and breakfast by the seashore, which she decorated with beautiful art. She was mildly successful for a few years, then faded into obscurity as larger corporate interests outmaneuvered her in marketing and location, which suited her fine, as she preferred the quiet. She lived out the rest of her life there, alone, dying of natural causes at the ripe old age of one hundred thirty-eight. She never learned of the nature of the job that had brought her and Judy together; she never stopped talking to the bracelet; and she never saw Judy again.