Daughter of Mars #72 (Blind Wish part 2)

Writing | Dialogue Mechanics Caller 107 on sale

Daughter of Mars #72 (Blind Wish part 2)

Divergent_Fate_revision_2

(Start at the beginning [Hand of Raziel] here.)

Lost in a world of darkness, Risa clung to her memories of a time before her world went crazy. Between glimpses of her old bedroom and her father smiling, flashed scenes of his death. She embraced the sight of it, staring defiance into the flames with her mind’s eye. No longer did the nightmare control her. She summoned it, reveled in it, owned it. Deep within, she knew the same political machinery responsible for her father’s death had also killed the second man she had dared to love. Wicked dreams of fire brought anger instead of fear, and she found herself snarling into Shiro’s shoulder as he guided her into the side of a small car and set her down on a cushioned seat. Her hand brushed a surface reminiscent of suede, cool and soft.

Risa’s voice cracked with emotion. “Shir―”

The door closed to her right, stalling her question. A moment later he got in at her left. She decided against speaking again, and sat straight with her hands over her face, replaying the day she’d agreed to have her eyes replaced. General Maris favored the tactical superiority of artificial eyes instead of a semi-external implant like a ViewPane. He’d said it would be easier to hide, and couldn’t get knocked off her head.

Dustblow. Glowing purple dots are so inconspicuous. You just wanted the money a young girl’s eyes would get on the market. Shame fell on her shoulders. Normal people don’t give up perfect organs for machines. I was so idealistic… pissed off.

She clung to her anger in an effort not to give in to panic. Inertia pushed her to the side as the car took a corner. The lack of warning left her unable to get her hand up in time to prevent her head colliding with the window. Shiro put an arm around her, triggering an involuntary stiffening of her back muscles.

“You’re trembling,” said Shiro in a soothing half-whisper. “You can relax. You’ll be able to see again soon, and I’ll stay with you until you can.”

If Pavo’s ghost is watching me, I don’t want him to think… “I’m okay.” She reached her right arm out until she found the wall, and braced herself. “Thanks, but―”

“Too soon.” He lifted his arm.

What? How could he know? “W-what do you mean?”

“That Imari woman has not been subtle in her search for your associate. Your NetMini went offline within seconds of a call from your Japanese friend, and your current mood gave away all I needed to infer.” He grasped her hand, pausing for a moment. “I’m sorry, Risa.”

Faint trembles in her arms ceased. In place of sorrow, determination swept over her mind. I will not cry for Pavo until they all pay. “I will find the people who killed him.”

“That didn’t work out so well for you the last time you chased revenge.”

A mental image of the smug grin he might’ve had caused her fist to clench. “You know so much about me.”

She flopped into him as the car swerved through a hard left. As soon as the car straightened out, she pushed herself upright and grabbed her head in both hands, fingers splayed through her hair. I can’t stand this. Over and over, she concentrated on the mental command to activate the Wraith implant. Almost seven years I’ve been able to see in the dark, now I’m blind. I’m going to go crazy.

“Risa?”

“How?” She pulled her hands up and over her head, gathering her hair out of her face. “How do you know so much about me?”

“I thought I mentioned I have research people. Well, rather the company does.”

Risa swiveled her head as if to glance towards the sound of his voice. The same featureless darkness surrounded her on all sides. “You never did tell me which company you worked for. Can those ‘research people’ help find who I need to kill?”

“Starpoint, and possibly… but―”

“They’re in bed with military intelligence, so if C-Branch is involved, they”―Risa made air quotes―“won’t be able to find anything.” She let her arms fall dead in her lap. “Shit.”

Shiro chuckled. “I was going to say ‘but people would start asking questions I don’t have answers for.’”

She lurched forward as the car stopped, but managed to get her hands up in time to avoid kissing a hard, plastic barrier. The chirp of a NetMini’s credit scan came from her left, seconds before the door opened on a whirring automatic arm. Sounds of an open area with a large number of people moving about flooded in. Minimal conversation, most of the noise was footsteps. A courtyard. Faint melodic tones pierced the ambient sounds every so often. Primus Medical Pavilion. She caught herself trying to glance at Shiro again and fumbled her way out of the taxi, cursing under her breath while taking a few baby steps certain no curb would trip her. A hand caught her by the bicep and she instinctively drove her elbow backwards, aiming for the solar plexus of an adult male. Shiro let off a faint ‘oof’, and threw his other arm around her, trapping her against his chest.

“It’s me. Calm down.”

“Sorry.” She stopped squirming. “Little warning please. People who sneak up on me tend to die.”

“Shall I carry you?”

Again, her mind painted a smile on his face that made her want to punch it. “My legs aren’t broken. I’m just a little stiff.”

“That’s your agility wiring. You’re so used to having boosted reflexes that when they’re gone, you’re worse off than if you’d never had them. It’s not permanent; your body would adjust in a few weeks.”

“Would?” She moved to the side and put a hand on his shoulder. “I can walk.”

“You should be back online in a few hours.”

Disappointment welled up inside her. As close to a normal person as she’d been in years, and he was going to ‘fix’ it. His shoulder pulled her hand forward; her legs moved as if on their own. What’s wrong with me? A ‘normal’ girl would’ve been killed by those shitheads in the alley. Her free hand teased at the front of her neck where I/O had poked her with a sword. The more she thought about him, the more she seethed about feeling so helpless.

The presence of sound changed, making her lift her head in another futile effort to look at whatever object loomed overhead. A hiss from in front startled her, but Shiro didn’t slow. He pulled her forward, wobbling on stiff legs, into a standing wall of cold air. Pneumatic doors closed behind them, cutting off the rush of the crowd for the soft ambiance of distant conversations.

Soft electric pings interspersed with a pleasant female voice. “Attention friends or relatives of”―the voice changed pitch― “Haoru, Ishikawa”―the voice returned to its former tone― “your friend or relative has completed his procedure in good health. He should be emerging within twenty minutes.”

Risa followed Shiro’s lead through a slalom of chairs and people. How can I want to be weak? She ran two fingers over her face. I miss my eyes.

Shiro stopped after a few minutes of walking, guided her into a seat, and patted her on the back of the hand before letting go. “Wait here. I’ll make the appointment.”

She reclined, closing her eyes even though her world was already dark. Time dragged by in quiet silence. She wondered why Raziel hadn’t said a word since she watched the video of Pavo’s last moments. Is he avoiding me because he knows what I’d ask him? He’s an angel. How could he not know something was going to happen to Pavo? Why didn’t warn me. Fingernails dug into the armrests, squeezing her anger into the almost-cushioned chair. He knew I’d have gone to help Pavo instead of Arden. Rage faded to guilt at the memory of Tara. I didn’t save the settlement, but most of the people survived. She slouched forward, face in her hands. Even Pavo wouldn’t have wanted to trade so many lives for one.

“Miss Aum?” asked a neutral-toned male voice.

It took her a few seconds to remember the false identity she’d used on her first meeting with Shiro; her head popped up. “Yes?”

“The doctor is ready for you. I understand your eyes aren’t working, so I brought a hover-chair.”

“Great.” I hate feeling so dependent.

“Might want to let me hold your gear,” said Shiro, at her right.

She stood, shrugged out of the harness, and faced ninety degrees left.

“You’ll be fine.” Shiro patted her on the arm and took her pistols.

When something bumped her calves, she reached back to find a chair behind her, and lowered herself into a floating seat, which bobbed up and down for a few seconds until it corrected for her weight. The hospital worker pushed her at the pace of a brisk walk; she kept her hands in her lap rather than the armrests, not wanting to risk having her knuckles slammed into obstacles her eyes could not see. She remained quiet through a right turn, two minutes in a cramped elevator, and another series of hallways. Another soft hiss came from an opening door, before a wave of even colder air brushed her face.

“Okay, we’re here.” The man swiveled the hover-chair over a few small bumps and scooted it sideways for several feet. “I’m going to ask you to lie down on your stomach on the table. You can take your boots off if you want, but it isn’t necessary.”

“No tank?” She fumbled out into the dark until her fingertips found the edge of a table.

“Not yet. We’re going to run a diagnostic first. Where’s your M3? Ear or neck?”

“Behind my left ear.” She slid onto the table and rested her right cheek on her folded arms. “I’m not military.” At least this thing is soft.

He wiped the area behind her ear with a cold, wet lump. The scent of rubbing alcohol followed seconds later. “Hmm. You’ve got dried blood in the port. I’m going to clean it up first.”

Risa lay still while he rummaged through what sounded like trays of small tools. A cold droplet crept down the back of her neck, triggering an involuntary shiver. He moved closer and set one hand flat on top of her head, holding her down with a light, even pressure.

“I’m going to be as gentle as I can. Most people find this unpleasant. Try not to move.”

Her calm lasted until he stuck the tip of a delicate tool into the socket and worked it back and forth. The scraping of metal on metal reverberated through her skull. Between the sound scratching through her head and the feeling of the tool snagging on hard clumps, her jaw clenched and her right leg twitched. She clawed at the cushion, squirming side to side in an effort to resist the instinctual urge to do whatever she could to escape.

After a moment, he paused. “Is something wrong?”

“Ugh. This is worse than having my teeth drilled.”

He put a hand on her shoulder to hold her down. “Please stay still. I’m sorry this is uncomfortable, I’m trying to be quick.”

Hell lasted another forty seconds until he withdrew whatever tool he’d been using and connected a standard interface plug. Compared to the cleaning, the click that echoed through her brain felt wonderful. She relaxed and closed her eyes, as if lying on a massage table.

“Oh, there’s your problem,” said the man.

“That was quick,” muttered Risa.

“Your NIU is toast. No signal at all. I could’ve plugged this in your nose and gotten the same result.”

“That’s why nothing works.” Central link down. “Let me guess, I need brain surgery.”

“I’m afraid so.” He pulled the wire out. “I’m going to check with another wire and another diagnostic unit just to make sure… but we won’t know what else happened until we get a functional NIU in there.”

“How much is this going to cost?” As if I could put a price on being able to see.

“One moment.” A few electronic blips chimed overhead. “Oh, looks like everything’s covered by your insurance.” The man patted her on the shoulder. “I wish I worked for Starpoint. That’s one hell of a package.”

Risa blinked. Shiro…