෴Raz෴

෴Sia෴

෴Ivy෴

෴Nona෴

෴Dara෴

෴Tris෴

෴Tavi෴

෴෴෴෴෴෴

Aches and Pains or, We Have to Talk

෴෴෴෴෴෴

Raz startled awake from a nightmare to sunlight on his face, the smell of coffee, aching hands, and an urgent need to pee. He was lying partially on the floor hanging awkwardly halfway off the futon, with one of his legs caught in the end frame. After carefully extracting his foot he lay back down and took in his surroundings. The yellow morning light streamed into the room, warming his legs. Relaxing there on the futon he appreciated the simple sight and feel of real sunlight, the room jumped into focus with harsh startling clarity. He’d been in the second bedroom many times before. Today everything looked the same, yet somehow unfamiliar and new.

Nothing had actually changed. He was on the folded grey futon against one wall, three bookshelves full of everything from textbooks to technical manuals to romance novels sat against the opposite wall. Across from the window, a framed family picture of Sia and her parents hung next to a framed diploma near the door. Her laptop rested on the writing desk by the window.

He stared around the room mouth agape, eyes wide in shock, as the room seemed to shout and overwhelm him with an infinite procession of minute details. The sound of distant car horns and brakes squealing as though they were in the next room. Footsteps nearby thumping the ground like a horse on pavement. Trivial observations jumped out at him as he took in the once familiar surroundings, nearly overwhelming in scope and number of small details. The mass of sensory input threatened to carry him away like a strong current. He struggled to make sense of it, to focus them down to a manageable set of concepts.

A barely detectable acrid odor floated on the air that reminded him of when he used to have cats, a nearly invisible layer of dust and pollen covered the furniture and carpet. For some reason, the middle bookshelf was cleaner than the other two. Every pen, pencil, and scrap of paper on the desk was in the same position he’d last seen them. The exception was the laptop, now four inches closer to the window, leaving barely visible streaks in the dust from when it was moved, yet the wireless mouse hadn’t been touched. It amazed him to realize that he could even see footprints in the nearly invisible dust layer on the carpet.

Why does everything look like this? Am I really seeing all this or is this related to you?

[This is related to increases in host perceptual abilities, much like the moment last night where you stopped and started at the city skyline, the world will look different to you now, and you will need to become accustomed to it.]

Yeah yeah, shit’s changed, I gotta deal with it. But for now, let's back it off a bit. I don’t need to be noticing random dust configurations everywhere I go.

He let out a sigh of relief, as the flood of input tapered off to a manageable level. The world around him seemed to lose a few degrees of brilliant color. The faint scent of old cat urine in his nose all but vanished. The sounds of street traffic muffled to a mild annoyance. With less competition for his focus, his mildly aching hands now demanded his immediate attention.

I should not have slept in these gauntlets, they're just so comfortable.

He gingerly unbuckled them and pulled them off, leaving deep red lines and shapes that mirrored every internal seam and contour.

He clenched and shook his hands out, flexed his fingers and stretched out his wrists while thinking back on his crazy week and recent nightmares. Raz absently rubbed at the most recent injection site, feeling the lingering soreness as more of a bad memory than actual discomfort. He pulled at the ambient energy while inhaling deeply. Every part of his body became energized at the very thought of a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee.

[Energy full.]

Let’s see if she’s up, or if that's the automatic timed brew. After that, I need to call the cops, or GBI, or the army, or whoever the hell you call about mad scientists and supervillains.

Raz stood up on his sore feet and grunted, regretting falling asleep in the ill-fitting shoes. They were bad enough while he was locked up, running and walking during his escape had highlighted how badly they fit.

To his surprise, he didn’t find a single blister. Standing reminded him how urgently full his bladder was.

Nice, I was sure I was going to have blisters this morning.

[Your recovery rate is sufficient to have resolved the small injuries that were forming last night.]

He left the ill-fitting shoes by the futon and went to the bathroom in the hallway to pee. Small details stood out, but no longer felt as though they were assaulting him. Though clean, the scent alone was enough to make it obvious that it had been used far more recently than the room he’d slept in.

Oh no, public restrooms are going to be a nightmare. I’ll need a way to keep this stuff from making me lose my lunch every time someone nearby has a bad taco with too much hot sauce.

A pulse of the faint, almost subliminal buzzing followed. The faint odor of sweat and urine in the air changed, now perceptible more as a datapoint than a visceral scent.

Well of course. If she has her sisters visiting why wouldn’t they be using the second bathroom. I guess I’m lucky the futon was still unclaimed. Then again, I was so tired the floor would have been good enough last night. Is it weird that I’m even finding Sia’s bathroom comforting?

He flushed the toilet and spotted himself in the mirror. He rubbed his fingers across his long stubble as he looked at himself across the bathroom counter.

I forgot how clear real mirrors are.

The man in the mirror had changed, something was different. Like a picture taken at just the wrong moment in just the right lighting, he saw a man with a somehow menacing look staring back at him. He turned his head, trying to catch a glimpse of what it was he could see. It was as if something lurked under the skin, just out of sight. This man was still him, but the ‘him’ he saw there looked different. The reflection looked like him, but more calculating, guarded. He started to turn away and then snapped his gaze back to the image.

That's what it is. Something about the new me in the mirror looks threatening, or at least dangerous.

He tried unsuccessfully to relax his face and find an expression that looked like his old self.

If I could just fix this face then maybe that whole ordeal could turn out to be a bad dream.

[It was not a bad dream.]

[Your face is fine.]

He looked again, realizing that his face actually wasn’t different, just his own perception of it, and of himself.

Is this what it’s like when you’ve killed someone? Am I a bad person now? I might be. I’d do it again. I hope I don’t end up regretting not killing that asshole Rich and that woman chasing me.

Raz yawned and shook his head.

Holy shit, did I really just wonder if I’ll regret not killing two people? Who, or what, am I becoming?

Says the guy talking to a voice in his head.

He shrugged his shoulders and stretched a bit.

At least I’m feeling ok physically. Do I have any of those negative things right now?

[Current negative conditions:]

[Distress level 10 (-10% resilience)

Anxiety level 10 (-10% stability)

Tired (physical) level 10 (-1 stamina, - 10 energy)

Overprovisioned (capacity breach) level 60 (+120% upgrade cost)]

More Overprovisioned? How do I get rid of that!?

[A week without anyone injecting you with more catalyst would be the best way.]

Best way. Is there any other way?

[Alternatively, you can buy down this status with unlocked capacity.]

I don’t recall you mentioning that before.

[It is a very inefficient use of capacity.]

[More importantly, you did not ask.]

Oh wow, in all the excitement, I totally forgot how much fun it is to play 20,000 questions with you.

He ran a hand through his hair and caught a whiff of his own body odor.

But we’ll talk about that later. Right now I need a shower, stat.

He stripped off the baggy mismatched uniform and got in the shower. Getting out of the dirty clothing was enjoyable all by itself. The steaming water and high-pressure spray felt like a decadent luxury after a week of trickling lukewarm showers. The warmth melted away his anxiety and unkinked muscles he hadn’t even realized were tight. Feeling truly clean left him feeling relaxed and ready to face whatever came next.

Unlimited hot water from an onsite boiler has to be one of the best inventions ever.

Even after he was clean, he lingered in the shower, luxuriating in the warm spray.

Ok, so while I enjoy this. What can you tell me about this analysis I’ve been performing?

[Additional external datastream analysis can provide several benefits.]

That's not helping. We need to talk about those benefits. Ok, maybe the question is, ‘What is analysis?’

[It is a sub-ability branching from the core HUD ability tree.]

If I hit myself, does that count as hitting you? Ok fine. Tell me about the level of analysis I currently have.

[You have Analyze 2, fully unlocked with Advanced Interface 2 also being fully unlocked.]

Awesome. Groovy. Seriously cool. What. does. it. do?

[Analyze 2 allows for all the functions of Analyze 1, as well as rapid analysis, analysis resume, analysis decrypt 1.]

I understand the resume function, that's cool. I understand what decrypt means, but more context on what it means here would be good. Mostly though, none of that tells me what the analysis ability actually does. I don’t suppose you can just tell me the answer to what I’m really asking?

[Only if you do not want the capacity gains that are critically needed.]

“So much for that thought,” he muttered under his breath.

[Reminder: Verbalizing to me has caused trouble before.]

Yeah yeah. I got it.

“Actually no, fuck that. I take that back. I got away from those crazies. I can talk to myself if I want to,” he muttered to himself.

“Hey honey, were you talking to me?” Sia asked through the door.

Her voice startled him so much that he jumped, slipped and nearly fell in the shower. “No one babe, just talking to myself, it’s been a really crazy week.”

Survive that fucking place and break my neck in the shower, that would be an awesome end to this story.

“Ok, I’m looking forward to hearing about it. I missed you. Is it related to that story you were going to tell me when you called? I hope whatever you had to do turned out ok.” She said with a tone of uncertainty. Just how bad of a week was it for her?

What on earth was I going to tell her about? That call feels like a lifetime ago.

“Thanks for asking babe.” He stepped out of the shower and toweled off. “Hey, are your sisters still here?” The smell of bacon reached him.

“Yeah, some of them. Why do you ask?”

“It’s definitely not that I was hoping to come out there naked, grab you and sweep you off your feet into the bedroom and…” He grinned into the fogged mirror. “Tickle you till you have no choice, but to submit to my savage will!”

“Well, I see vanishing for a week hasn’t improved your sense of humor. Not that I’m totally opposed to that plan, but yeah, they’re still here.”

“That’s too bad. I’ll have you know that at least one or two people think I’m quite funny.” He picked up the dirty uniform pants and could smell them at arm’s length.

“Looks aren’t everything. I don’t know about that whole tickling thing, but the rest of your idea sounds fun once my sisters clear out.”

He could hear the smile in her voice. It was great to be back.

“Hey, do you want your spare workout gear?” she asked. “I think your gym bag is in my closet.”

“Yes, so much yes! You read my mind. Yes, please.” The thought of clean clothes was almost as nice as the shower.

“I thought you might. They’re right outside the door. Coffee’s on, I’m making breakfast. We need to talk, but no sense doing it on an empty stomach.”

Well shit. ‘We need to talk’ has never in human history led to a fun conversation. What am I going to tell her about what happened?

He pulled on his spare gym clothes. Even in simple boxer briefs, a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Raz felt better dressed than he had since they’d taken his clothes.

His eyes fell on the baton and the knife he’d tucked into the pile of dirty clothing.

I hope it's over, but what if it's not?

He clipped the knife over the sweat pants waistband. The baton was clearly too large for the small sweatpant pockets, so he slipped it halfway into the concealed key pocket behind the drawstring. He turned the pocket itself into his underwear and let the baton be supported by the pocket and both waistbands. Bounced and went into a squat then stood back up. The baton felt secure enough.

I guess that will have to do. Going to have to figure out a better place for these, or get rid of ‘em.

Raz inspected the running shoes. The left shoe’s sole was half detached.

Crap. I meant to fix these or replace them. Oh well, I can just buy some—

Instinctively, he moved his hand to grab his wallet from his back pocket and remembered it was missing. An exasperated sigh escaped him. It sounded loud in the silence of the apartment.

Even out of that place they’re still screwing me over. Where’s my car? My registration had my address on it. Can I even go home? Can I call the police about this, or will I just get sucked into something worse?

He carried the shoes back out of the bathroom along with what he was mentally calling his prison clothes.

Sia was reading a book on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

No, that's Nona, or Ivy. Shorter hair, darker tan. They look so alike without makeup!

He compared the mental image of Ivy last night to the woman on the couch. Similar hair, deeper tan.

“Good morning Nona.”

She looked up and smiled. “Morning Raz, how’d you sleep?”

“Not great, but I can honestly say it was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had on a futon.”

He walked over to the front room closet with his shoes.

“Oh hey, I’ll take care of that.” She dropped her book on the couch and jumped to her feet. The blanket fell off revealing a short yellow pajama top and matching bottoms.

Raz reflexively looked her up and down. Gorgeous, but definitely not as stacked as Sia.

“My sister is trying to be a good hostess, but she’s a little busy cooking.” She took the shoes from him and looked at them critically. “I know you’re going to say you can fix these.” She looked at the underside of the shoe.

He raised an eyebrow. “You know what I’m going to say, do you?”

She froze, licking her lips nervously. “I, uh, I can't think of a good way to say this, so I’ll just admit that boyfriend money habits is one of the things sisters talk about. We talk about you more than you probably think.” Her gaze flicked down at his pants and back to his face so fast he almost missed it. “In fact, I probably know more about you than you’d be comfortable with,” she said with a knowing smile

He had followed her quick glance and groaned. “Seriously? Is there no decency?”

Her smirk reminded him so very much of Sia. “Not between sisters. We tell each other everything.” She drew the last word out, making it sound suggestive and lascivious.

The smirk faded to a smile. “But for today we should look at getting you some new shoes. Who in their right mind repairs running shoes these days anyways?”

Raz’s stomach made a loud rumbling sound.

“Why don't you go see if she needs any help with breakfast. I’m going to see if the others are up yet.”

Raz carried the dirty uniform into the kitchen and dropped it in the trash can. Sia stood by the stove wearing a t-shirt that was big enough on her that he was pretty sure it was originally his, and pink ankle socks. She turned over slices of bacon on a baking sheet. He watched her work for a few seconds.

We have to talk? Is that ever good news?

“Can I help?”

Sia turned around and smiled. “Sure thing. You could set the table.”

“On it, how many places?”

She paused and counted on her fingers. “Seven including you.”

He pulled out a stack of plates. “Seven!? I didn’t realize you had the whole clan in town. I was expecting four to five including me. I’ve only seen Nona and Ivy so far.”

He arranged the plates on the table. “I take back anything I ever said or thought about the size of this table. I thought it was huge, but it's barely gonna fit everybody.”

She giggled. “Well I don’t usually have all my sisters and my boyfriend over at the same time.” She worked on scrambling a big skillet full of eggs.

That's a good sign right? Maybe this won’t be a dump Raz talk. I don’t need any more bad news this week.

“Sia, I’m really sorry to just disappear like that. I can't say it all makes much sense, but I want to be clear that it wasn’t my—”

“Shh.” She gently cut him off. “Save it for after breakfast. I’m starved, you look hungry, and whatever we have to talk about won't be made easier by doing it on an empty stomach.”

She doesn’t even want to give me a hint. Whatever is coming is going to be bad.

“Tables ready, anything else?”

She glanced around the counter and then at the table. “Not really, just take a seat and we’ll all sit down with you in a minute.”

He nodded, “I’ll let the others know it's time for breakfast.”

“Stop!” her voice rose like a cracking whip.

Raz froze, with an expression between caution and curiosity “Yes?”

She turned to him with an angry expression. “Do you honestly think, for one second,” she advanced on him with narrowed eyes. “That you can just waltz in here after standing me up that night. Then disappearing entirely, for over a week mind you, that I’ll let you simply leave the room without so much as paying the kiss toll?”

His guarded expression melted into a smile. “Well ma’am, I thought you might let me off with a warning this time.” He slipped back into one of their games. He shrugged helplessly.

She tilted her head, gazing at him sidelong. “I suppose, I might be able to look the other way. Contingent on how well you do on your field test.” She looked up at him and slowly licked her lips.

He tried to keep up the charade and almost kept the smile off his face. “Well ma’am, I’ll do my best. I wouldn’t want to be found guilty of failing to do my very best.” With that he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet into a kiss. His hands on her sides and back confirmed that the t-shirt was all she was wearing.

A notification popped up, but Raz reflexively willed it to the side tray. His focus was on her inviting lips.

He lost himself in the warm familiar embrace. The kiss started soft, then deepened as they both leaned into each other. They both enjoyed the rising heat, her open mouth welcoming him. He tightened his embrace, pulling her body close. He was excruciatingly aware of the feel of her arms wrapped around him, her breasts and hips pressed against him, separated only by two thin layers of t-shirt. She gently ground her hips against him, moaning softly into the kiss.

Raz broke the kiss, leaving them both breathing a little heavier.

She shifted her hips against him. “Oh my. You packing a baton around or are you just happy to see me?”

He winked, “I missed you too. Maybe you'll find out later if you're lucky.”

Stupid place to put the baton. I guess it's possible she’s just angling for breakup sex.

She looked up at Raz. “By the way, we ordered you some new shoes. Nona kicked in for them when I confirmed that you’d probably try to fix that old pair. So the deal is you have to let those busted up runners rest in pieces. It's the athletic boutique on the corner, she explained the situation and they’ll bring them up here as soon as they can.”

Raz pulled her in close and hugged her tight. “Thanks babe! I didn’t expect that.”

Sia pulled him down for a quick kiss. “Maybe I just didn’t want to watch you gluing a shoe together on my kitchen table again.”

He shrugged, “That's fair. Did they say how long till we can get them?”

Sia shrugged, “I’m not sure exactly, I’ll get a notification when the order is ready for pickup, I assume they’ll bring it up after that.”

She smiled and leaned into him. “Too bad the place is a little crowded right now, and I’ve got food on the stove. I know what I’d rather do now,” she rested her head against his chest and looked up at him with an exaggerated wink.

One of her sisters walked in and leaned on the doorway. “Oh? What would you rather do now?” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

Raz and Sia reluctantly disengaged and stood up to greet the newcomer.

He noted her straight black hair. “Hey Tavi, been a long time. How's the library business?”

Sia put her hands on her hips, causing the oversized t-shirt to ride high on her thighs. “It’s a mystery isn't it? I haven't seen my boyfriend all week and work has been crazy stressful. The world may never be able to determine what I’d rather be doing right now.”

Tavi ignored Sia and looked at Raz, “Oh you know, still full of books,” she said before turning back the way she’d come. “Hey everyone, time to eat so we can get out of here. Sia and Raz need the place to themselves for some bow-chicka-wow-wow!” She shouted across the apartment.

Raz did an exaggerated face palm then looked down at Sia. “What do you think babe, should we just get started right here in the kitchen? I can move a chair and you can—”

She cut him off with a light smack on the shoulder. “If you’re trying for an orgy that's not the way to start it.”

Nona came in and stopped next to Tavi. Raz couldn't help but notice how much alike they all looked outside of their style choices.

“Did I hear orgy? Any chance we can get more people I’m not related to involved?” she said. Nona put her hand up, Raz high fived her. A hud prompt off in the tray flashed once.

Sia huffed. “Let's try and stay focussed. Is everyone up and going?”

Raz looked at Nona and Tavi, “Shall I pound on the door or do you want to?”

Nona looked at the table. “I’ll finish setting.”

Tavi shrugged, “I would, but I was on the way to the bathroom.” She walked off toward the second bathroom.

Ok then, I’ll go wake up whoever isn’t up I guess.

On the way out of the kitchen he willed the recent notifications up. Read them, then read them again, trying to wrap his mind around the implications.

[Alternative Upgrade Datastream detected, resume analysis? y/n.]

[Alternative Upgrade Datastream detected, resume analysis? y/n.]

A resume! How can that be? Oh my god, how did I miss this? Bee, can you tell me when this resume is from?

[Both resumes are from the pursuer you disabled last night after leaving the building.]

That doesn't even make sense, This looks like I got a resume prompt from Sia and Nona both.

[That is correct.]

[Nonetheless, the analysis event from that pursuer is the analysis the resume function would be resuming.]

He strained his senses and could hear the subtle sounds of distant traffic, a vacuum running several floors down from him, and the sound of a shower running in the next apartment. The complete absence of women's voices talking to each other came into sharp mental focus. He stood very still, listening intently for a long moment. The sounds of movement were clearly audible but none of the sisters were speaking.

They’re all so chatty when they’re in the room with me. Why aren’t they talking to each other at all? Who, or what, am I dealing with here? Am I cracking up or is this real? Am I still dreaming?

He looked down at his bare feet and then quickly pinched his forearm as though trying to surprise himself.

Well, that felt real so I guess it's not a dream. But real or not, gotta act like it is. Can’t wait for those new shoes. Need a reason to get those crappy shoes back on now.

The front room was empty. He was nearly to the hall on the other side of the room when he remembered his travel shaving kit in the gym bag. “Hey babe, have I got time to shave real quick?”

“Time? Yeah, I think so. I don’t have a razor for you though, unless you want one of mine,” she called out from the kitchen.

He headed over to the front closet. “No need, I’m pretty sure I’ve got one in my gym bag.” He paused at the closet. “You said it was in the closet by the door right?” He turned the knob.

“Y-No!” She yelled. “Wait, come help me in the kitchen please. I need a hand with this right now!”

The closet door burst open as though it had been stuffed to capacity and then some, before being forcibly closed and latched. A large pile of black military-style gear spilled out. Several featureless black armored masks with big hexagons and small numbers painted on them fell out last and landed on top of the pile.

Oh shit.

His heart pounded. He spun around anticipating an attack. No one was there. “Hey honey, is there anything you want to tell me?” he tried to keep his voice calm.

“Of course babe, there are a lot of things I want to tell you. Can we talk over breakfast?” She sounded nervous.

He studied the pile of gear. No weapons were visible, just armor and clothing. He felt slightly reassured by the weight of the baton and knife at his waist.

Should have kept the gloves on.

He cautiously made his way across the room to the kitchen, keeping his head and eyes in motion and the hallway behind him in view as much as possible. “So, why are your sisters in town?”

“We have a contracting gig, sometimes they hire all of us.” Her voice had a tiny quiver he wasn’t sure he would have been able to detect last week.

He reached the doorway to the kitchen and checked behind him again. No one was creeping up on him.

“I actually am pretty hungry. Is eating all we’re going to do right now?” he spoke softly, his voice pitched to just carry into the kitchen.

“Yes, just eating I promise. No surprises.” She stopped herself, “Well, no bad surprises. Let's just eat, you and me.”

What do you make of it Bee?

[Her voice shows very high levels of stress. No specific threat or deception markers are present.]

He popped his head in and out of the kitchen as fast as he could to see the room. In the instant his head was inside, he spotted Sia standing still in the center of the kitchen with empty hands out to the side palms facing him. He looked back at the hallway.

“What about your sisters? They must be hungry.” He tensed, ready to run or fight.

“They’re going to stay in my room and wait for us. This is just you and me till you’re ok with them coming out.” Sia swallowed audibly.

Despite a decent night’s sleep, all at once Raz felt bone tired. Tired of being scared, tired of running away.

Fuck it. I won't get far, no shoes, no wallet, no car. But just in case Bee, help me stay alert in case we need to bolt.

[On it.]

Raz popped his head back in. Sia was still there. In the same position.

“R-Raz, I know what you saw, and I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but please give me a chance to explain,” she whispered to him.

He walked past her to the table and sagged into the chair with its back to the corner that overlooked the rest of the room.

“You know what, if it involves them, you might as well invite them all in. At this moment it's taking everything I have to stay seated here and not bolt out of here. Let’s all talk this out now.”

And if they are all in sight I’ll be less worried that one of them is up to no good. At least the food smells good.

Raz served himself some eggs and bacon and raised a bite to his mouth and then stopped.

“Are you going to eat?”

Sia nodded. She stepped over to the seat at his right. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

“Someone’s got to. Might as well be you,” he said, his tone cool. “Why don’t we start with who all is here?”

She swallowed and nodded. “You’ve seen Tavi and Nona. You’re sure it’s ok if they all come out and eat with us?”

Raz hesitated and then nodded.

Tavi and Nona walked in and sat down. Neither said anything.

“Dara, Ivy, and Tris are here.” Sia continued.

“Anyone else here?”

“No, that's it.”

Three more very similar women walked in. They all wore t-shirts and sweatpants. Raz recognized Tris by her dirty blond pixie cut and dark tan, and Dara by her darker brown bob and her rather pale complexion. Ivy still looked remarkably like Nona if one overlooked the different tan.

He nodded at each of them, and then looked at Sia. “I have a few thoughts right now. One of them is that you’ve never given me a reason to distrust you in the past. At least up till now.”

Sia quietly sobbed. He couldn’t tell which, but at least one of the other girls echoed her sound of misery.

“You said we have to talk. You talk, I’ll eat. I hope there is an explanation for all this. But you go ahead and tell it anyway you want.”

Sia nodded once. “Ok, let's you and I eat, and I’ll tell you everything.”