âCollateral damage is to be minimized. But even this is acceptable if it becomes necessary for the success of the mission.â
The Business district represented the public face of the City, in many ways. Though of course there was inevitably come competition with the Pleasure District for the truth of the matter. Darcia had learned this of humanity, at leastâseldom was a human being what he or she first appeared to be. Many of them were not honest, but even those that generally were had personas to maintain, faces to wear that helped them achieve their ends. By contrast, she could be considered strikingly simple. Though she possessed the capacity to lie, she had never used it, for it never made sense to her to do so. What reason could she have for hiding the truth?
But it was nevertheless so that when dealing with humans, she had learned not to take everything they did at face value. Though she was greeted courteously by this Ms. Allegro, therefore, she did not assume that the visit would end in a friendly manner. She returned the words with a slight bow, and her violet eyes flickered to just a moment to Crux. He seemed to be acting courteously as well, but his words, ambiguous as they might have been to anyone else, made perfect sense to herâthis situation had become one with a great potential for hostility.
Darcia headed for the office door, driving the deadbolt through it with a decisive click. A rather mundane locking mechanism, but effective enough when the most interference one had to worry about was from humans. She was also sure to interface with the roomâs electronics, shutting down all means of possibly communicating with the outside world. Ms. Allegro was trapped. What she would do with this situation, however, was truly up to her. Resistance was always a choice. It was just not, Darcia supposed, very often the logical one.
The ride back to her flat was rather uneventful compared to the one of the previous night, and if that luck could hold, she might be able to set her affairs in order before everything turned upside down again. She slid calmly off the bike when it came to a stop, pulling off the loaned helmet carefully. She was about halfway to handing it back to Violet, and intent on ignoring his entirely-unneeded commentary about her appearance (though she supposed such things were rather unsurprising, from him), when they were approached by one of her neighbors, Mrs. Cartwright.
Perhaps it was fortunate sheâd managed to hand the helmet back by that point, because if she hadnât it would have slipped from her numb fingers. Her entire body felt cold, like something had sapped the life right out of her. And really, it had. There were exactly two human beings left on this entire forsaken planet that Stella Iaret had ever loved, and now they were dead.
To everyone else, they were her parents, but Stella knew for a fact that they were her aunt and uncle. Her biological parents had disappeared long ago, leaving her fatherâs brother and his wife to raise their only child. Poor though they had been, they had given her everything she ever needed, and all the love she had been unable to find in herself or anywhere else. Sheâd moved out as soon as sheâd discovered her mutations, for fear of exactly thisâthat someone would connect the dots, and hurt them.
âIt hurtsâŠâ she murmured softly, though whether she was speaking to Mrs. Cartwright, Violet, herself, or nobody at all was something not even she knew. Her expression was frozen in one of open pain and no small degree of shockâsomehow, this event had managed to drive home what she had accepted cerebrally but not really down in the core of herself. Someone, for some reason she could not begin to fathom, wanted her to die. Why would anyone want that? She wasnât importantâshe was just some stupid girl that woke up one day with powers sheâd never desired and hardly ever bothered to use. She didnât even count as a blip on the Networkâs radar, or she shouldnât. All she wanted out of life was to be left alone with her pets and her books and her surrogate parentsâthat was it. She wasnât a threat to the government!
âŠAt least not until just now.
The shock was replaced by anger, a tide of it stronger than she would have thought herself truly capable. Stellaâs jaw tightened; the anger, she felt, was a much more productive emotion than the shock, and for now, it would be her shield against the pain. Anger, she could do. Her eyes narrowed, and she glared up at Unoâthough the rage in that gaze was not directed at him at all. Pursing her lips together, she took his hand, her grip firm and without hesitation.
âJust tell me what I need to do.â
For the longest time, sheâd known she was a monster, deep down.
Now everyone else was going to know it, too.
But it was nevertheless so that when dealing with humans, she had learned not to take everything they did at face value. Though she was greeted courteously by this Ms. Allegro, therefore, she did not assume that the visit would end in a friendly manner. She returned the words with a slight bow, and her violet eyes flickered to just a moment to Crux. He seemed to be acting courteously as well, but his words, ambiguous as they might have been to anyone else, made perfect sense to herâthis situation had become one with a great potential for hostility.
Darcia headed for the office door, driving the deadbolt through it with a decisive click. A rather mundane locking mechanism, but effective enough when the most interference one had to worry about was from humans. She was also sure to interface with the roomâs electronics, shutting down all means of possibly communicating with the outside world. Ms. Allegro was trapped. What she would do with this situation, however, was truly up to her. Resistance was always a choice. It was just not, Darcia supposed, very often the logical one.
âI...â
The ride back to her flat was rather uneventful compared to the one of the previous night, and if that luck could hold, she might be able to set her affairs in order before everything turned upside down again. She slid calmly off the bike when it came to a stop, pulling off the loaned helmet carefully. She was about halfway to handing it back to Violet, and intent on ignoring his entirely-unneeded commentary about her appearance (though she supposed such things were rather unsurprising, from him), when they were approached by one of her neighbors, Mrs. Cartwright.
Perhaps it was fortunate sheâd managed to hand the helmet back by that point, because if she hadnât it would have slipped from her numb fingers. Her entire body felt cold, like something had sapped the life right out of her. And really, it had. There were exactly two human beings left on this entire forsaken planet that Stella Iaret had ever loved, and now they were dead.
To everyone else, they were her parents, but Stella knew for a fact that they were her aunt and uncle. Her biological parents had disappeared long ago, leaving her fatherâs brother and his wife to raise their only child. Poor though they had been, they had given her everything she ever needed, and all the love she had been unable to find in herself or anywhere else. Sheâd moved out as soon as sheâd discovered her mutations, for fear of exactly thisâthat someone would connect the dots, and hurt them.
âIt hurtsâŠâ she murmured softly, though whether she was speaking to Mrs. Cartwright, Violet, herself, or nobody at all was something not even she knew. Her expression was frozen in one of open pain and no small degree of shockâsomehow, this event had managed to drive home what she had accepted cerebrally but not really down in the core of herself. Someone, for some reason she could not begin to fathom, wanted her to die. Why would anyone want that? She wasnât importantâshe was just some stupid girl that woke up one day with powers sheâd never desired and hardly ever bothered to use. She didnât even count as a blip on the Networkâs radar, or she shouldnât. All she wanted out of life was to be left alone with her pets and her books and her surrogate parentsâthat was it. She wasnât a threat to the government!
âŠAt least not until just now.
The shock was replaced by anger, a tide of it stronger than she would have thought herself truly capable. Stellaâs jaw tightened; the anger, she felt, was a much more productive emotion than the shock, and for now, it would be her shield against the pain. Anger, she could do. Her eyes narrowed, and she glared up at Unoâthough the rage in that gaze was not directed at him at all. Pursing her lips together, she took his hand, her grip firm and without hesitation.
âJust tell me what I need to do.â
For the longest time, sheâd known she was a monster, deep down.
Now everyone else was going to know it, too.