#the sydney scroungers

[abalidoth]

okok this was originally goig. to be about Replanting (again :3) but. YOU WROTE WITH FEATHERWRITER ON PACIFIC RIM STUFF??? dream come true, time to binge :3

:3 oh yeah Sydney Scroungers!!

That was a roleplaying campaign I did with some friends including Feather way back about a decade ago. I was the GM, and Feather transcribed our sessions into a story. So it's not like a traditionally formatted fic, but if you can get into it we had a lot of fun.

Shout-out to badass trans Marshall of the Sydney Shatterdome, Rachel Zhu, for providing an outlet for me to mess around with transfemininity waaay back in my early transition. She basically became my own player character, to an extent.

(and I'm gonna see if I can get Replanting 2 posted today)

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … October 17

976 – Cordoba, Spain: Hisham II becomes Caliph at age 11. He is the openly homosexual son of the openly homosexual Al-Hakam II. Both kept male harems.

1535 – Rome: Pope Paul III wrote a letter to his son Duke Pier Luigi Farnese on this day and scolded him for having male lovers with him on an official mission to the court of the Emperor. Born in Rome, Pier Luigi was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese who later became Pope Paul III.

1917 – Sumner Locke Elliott (d.1991) was an Australian (later American) novelist.

Elliott was born in Sydney to the writer Helena Sumner Locke and the journalist Henry Logan Elliott. His mother died of eclampsia one day after his birth. Elliott was raised by his aunts, who had a fierce custody battle over him, fictionalized in Elliott's autobiographical novel, Careful, He Might Hear You.

Elliott became an actor and writer with the Doris Fitton's Independent Theatre. He was drafted into the Australian Army in 1942, but instead of being posted overseas, he worked as a clerk in Australia. He used these experiences as the inspiration for his controversial play, Rusty Bugles. The play toured extensively throughout Australia and achieved the notoriety of being closed down for obscenity by the Chief Secretary's Office.

However, Rusty Bugles' place in the history of Australian theatre rests on more than notoriety. Mac is a memorable character in the play, and in the first production, Frank O'Donnell transformed audiences' understanding of the typical Australian 'bludger' or 'scrounger'. To the men in his unit, he appeared a winner even when he was losing, but with the discovery of his wife's infidelity, his fragility becomes apparent.

Elliott moved to the United States in 1948, where he ranked in the pantheon of leading playwrights during the Golden Age of live television dramas, writing more than 30 original plays and numerous adaptations for such shows as Kraft Television Theatre, Studio One and Playhouse 90. He also wrote a play Buy Me Blue Ribbons, which had a short run on Broadway. In 1955, he obtained United States citizenship and did not return to Australia until 1974.

Elliott's best known novel, Careful, He Might Hear You, won the 1963 Miles Franklin Award and was turned into a film in 1983.

As a gay man during a time when this was socially problematic, Elliott was uncomfortable with his sexuality. He kept it secret until nearly the end of his life before coming out in his book Fairyland. Because of these fears, Elliott had affairs but never had any stable relationships.

1920 – Born: Brooding and intense, Montgomery Clift (d.1966) was one of a group of young actors in the 1950s who personified the emotionally repressed loss of innocence of the post-World War II generation. A dedicated actor who exhausted himself both emotionally and physically with the depth of his characterizations, Clift was also an isolated and tortured, closeted gay man who used drugs and alcohol to escape his pain.

Although he was both friend and inspiration to the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean, Clift felt his own acting achievements were undervalued, and he died as bitter and broken as the characters he played in many of his films.

Clift was born into privilege in Omaha, Nebraska on October 17, 1920, the son of a wealthy stockbroker. His father spent most of his time working in New York, leaving Clift, his twin sister Roberta, and his older brother Brooks in the care of their high-strung mother. An upper-class childhood filled with lengthy trips to Europe and the Bahamas ended suddenly with the stock market crash of 1929, and the family moved to a small house in Sarasota, Florida. There Clift discovered the theater in a local teen acting club.

Clift's mother encouraged her son's acting ambitions, and when the family moved back to New York in 1935, he auditioned and was cast in a Broadway production, Fly Away Home. His 1938 performance in the lead in Dame Nature established Clift's acting career. He was seventeen years old.

Clift's success on Broadway continued, and he soon found himself courted by Hollywood film executives. He rejected a number of scripts before finally making a memorable film debut in Howard Hawks' 1948 film Red River opposite John Wayne. Repotedly, both Wayne and Walter Brennan were offended by Clift's homosexuality, and stayed away from him while filming Red River. For his part, Clift was offended by the pro-USA political beliefs of those two older actors.

He followed that with a critical success in Fred Zinneman's The Search (1948), which earned him the first of four academy award nominations. Clift continued to make successful films and developed friendships in Hollywood, the closest of which was with actress Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor and Clift were both passionate and vulnerable people who felt a bond immediately. They worked together on several films, beginning with George Stevens' A Place in the Sun in 1951, and remained friends until the end of his life.

Clift had always had relationships with men, but he dated Taylor and other women to conceal his homosexuality. In the early 1950s, he turned down a role in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope, based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb gay murder case, probably because it might have led to speculation about Clift's own life.

Though at the beginning of his career, he drank only moderately and conducted his private life discreetly, by the mid 1950s he was using alcohol and drugs excessively and spending wild nights cruising. In 1954, Clift rented a house in the gay resort of Ogunquit, Maine, and spent the summer picking up men on the beach for S&M parties. The studios did their best to keep Clift's exploits out of the press, but rumors about his lifestyle abounded.

On May 12, 1956, after leaving a party at Taylor's, Clift drove his car into a telephone pole. The crash caused scarring and partial paralysis of his face, which would affect his appearance for the rest of his life. Although he continued to act, and gave some of his most memorable performances after the accident (in, for example, Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg and John Huston's The Misfits in 1961), both his expressive acting and his personal life were never the same. His post-accident career has been referred to as the 'longest suicide in Hollywood' because of his continued substance abuse.

In his final years, Clift plunged more deeply into drug and alcohol abuse and wild sexual behavior. He began to be considered unreliable by studio bosses. Sadly, by the time his companion Lorenzo James found him dead of a heart attack at their home, on July 23, 1966, he was virtually unemployable.

1933 – On this date the Singing Nun was born (d.1985). Sœur Sourire a.k.a. Sister Smile was a Belgian nun, who had a world hit in and around 1963 with 'Dominique'. Her real name was Jeanine Decker and her name in the convent was Sister Luc-Gabrielle. She was born in Waver. In 1966 a film was released based on her life, under the title of 'The Singing Nun', with Debbie Reynolds in the title role.

Deckers became increasingly critical of Catholic doctrines and eventually became a public advocate for contraception. She also agreed with John Lennon's statements about Jesus in 1966. In 1967, she recorded a song entitled "Glory Be to God for the Golden Pill" — a paean to artificial birth control — under the name Luc Dominique. It was a commercial failure.

Her musical career over, Deckers opened a school for autistic children in Belgium. In the late 1970s, the Belgian government claimed she owed approximately $63,000 USD in back taxes. Deckers countered that the royalties from her recording were given to the convent and therefore she was not liable for payment of any personal income taxes. Lacking any receipts to prove her donations to the convent and her religious order, Deckers ran into heavy financial problems. In 1982, she tried, once again as Sœur Sourire, to score a hit with a disco synthesizer version of "Dominique", but this last attempt to resume her singing career failed.

Citing their financial difficulties in a note, she and her companion of ten years, Annie Pécher, both committed suicide by an overdose of barbiturates and alcohol in March 1985. She was 51.

London Mardi Gras, the precurser to Pride, which Barry Jackson helped to organize in 1999

1946 – Barry Jackson, British gay activist and corporate and public affairs manager was born on this date (d.1999).

Born in south London, Barry read mathematics at the University of Sussex from 1966-69. There he was active in the student union, quickly learning to defuse arguments, and in student journalism.

In 1975, he went to work for North West Arts in Manchester, and then became development director of the Arts Council of Great Britain. He joined the University of Westminster in this role in 1990, before moving to the committee of vice-chancellors and principals as director of corporate affairs. There he ran campaigns to increase public funding for university research, to stop planned cuts in other areas of funding and to enhance recognition of the contribution universities make to regional and international competitiveness.

In 1994 he joined the board of the Actors Touring Company, and toured Greece when it presented simultaneous productions of Euripides's Ion in English and Greek.

While in Manchester, Barry became involved with the Campaign for Homosexual Equality, the first of a number of lesbian and gay groups which would benefit from his campaigning, communications and fundraising skills. His understanding and good humour in the often difficult circumstances created by prejudice and intolerance were later evident in his work at London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard. Between 1980-98, Barry spoke to many thousands of lesbians and gay men, their families and friends who had phoned, often in fear and confusion.

He also helped organise the first national conference on Aids in 1983, encouraged and supported the development of the Terrence Higgins Trust, and went on to be involved in a number of Aids organisations.Most of this he did with his closest friend, Mike Rhodes, who died suddenly in 1991. Barry helped set up the Mike Rhodes Trust, which makes an annual award to an individual who has "contributed most to promoting understanding of lesbian and gay life".

Shortly before his death from leukaemia aged 53, he was centrally involved in the staging of 1999's London Mardi Gras. The lesbian and gay festival brought together many strands in his life: activism with business acumen, politics with fun and style, an arts programme with a cutting edge and London with Sydney, two cities he loved.

1960 – Rob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award Best Picture winner Chicago.

He debuted in the film industry with the Emmy Award-wining TV adaptation of the musical Annie by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. After that he went on to direct the much anticipated adaptation of the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago in 2002 for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. His next feature film was the drama Memoirs of a Geisha based on the best-selling book of the same name by Arthur Golden starring Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh and Ken Watanabe. The film went on to win three Academy Awards and gross $162,242,962 at the worldwide box office.

In 2009, Marshall directed Nine, an adaptation of the hit Broadway production with the same name starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren and Penélope Cruz, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Marshall then went on to direct Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth chapter of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean film series starring Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penélope Cruz and Geoffrey Rush, which opened on May 20, 2011.

Marshall lives in New York City with his life partner John DeLuca.

1969 – Rick Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and blogger. He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland. He dropped out of Prince of Wales High School in St. John's before completing his diploma requirements. However, in 2002 he was presented with an honorary doctor of letters by Laurentian University and in 2005 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Memorial University of Newfoundland. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets when he was in his teen years.

Mercer first came to national attention in 1990, when he premiered his one man show Show Me the Button, I'll Push It, or Charles Lynch Must Die at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. A pointed, satirical political commentary on Canadian life after Meech Lake, Show Me the Button made Mercer a national star as he toured the show across Canada. Mercer came to greater attention for his role in the satirical news show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and his spinoff special Talking To Americans was the highest-rated comedy special in the history of CBC Television, with 2.7 million viewers. He is currently seen regularly in The Rick Mercer Report.

In December 2004 Mercer appeared on the commercials advertising the One-Tonne Challenge for the Government of Canada. All of Mercer's fees for the campaign went to Casey House, a hospice in Toronto for people living with AIDS. Casey House was founded by June Callwood, who appeared as a celebrity guest on Monday Report.

In September 2005, Mercer became the national spokesperson for the 2005 Walk For Life, a series of 132 fund-raising walks across Canada that raise money for people living with HIV and AIDS. The Walk for Life is a project of the Canadian AIDS Society.

In November 2010, Mercer joined the It Gets Better, Canada campaign, a series of videos that aim to help gay and lesbian youth to overcome bullying.

Mercer's partner is television producer Gerald Lunz. Although the romantic relationship came first, Lunz is also Mercer's long-time partner in business, who discovered him, fostered his career, and is currently the executive producer of The Rick Mercer Report. He regards his personal life as private, and says little about it in public.

2003 – On this date Hijra eunuchs in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh float the political party Jiti Jitayi. In the culture of the Indian subcontinent a hijra (also known by a number of different names and romanized spellings) is usually considered a member of "the third sex" — neither man nor woman. Most are physically male or intersex, but some are female. Hijras usually refer to themselves as female at the language level, and usually dress as women.

Census data does not exist, but estimates range from 50,000 to 5,000,000 in India alone. Although they are usually referred to in English as "eunuchs", relatively few have any genital modifications. A third gender has existed in the subcontinent from the earliest records, and was clearly acknowledged in Vedic culture, throughout the history of Hinduism, as well as in the royal courts of Islamic rulers.

[sipeudepeine]

Setting: Sydney Scroungers Point of View: 3rd Person Past Tense Characters: fiVe and Vee (Backwards Compatibility) Chapters: 1 - Complete Words: 3,739 Contains: AI digital sex, sentient programs, encryption safewords, selfcest, BDSM, firewall lingere, reward and punishment, “breathplay”

A bit of an odd fic, as fiVe and Vee are two versions of the same program, both of whom are meant to serve as digital copies of their programmer, Sylvie Mansen. Due to outside elements, fiVe has undergone some heavy corruption after a falling out with Sylvie and suffers severe glitches while trying to operate, and is too defensive of her own autonomy to allow Sylvie to try to fix her. Curious what the damage is like, Vee offers to let fiVe do some “simulated” corruption, and the two decide to have some fun with it. 

Perhaps not “sex” in the strictest sense, as this is an encounter between two incorporeal programs inside a computer, but it’s about as close as you could get.

After a hectic day, fiVe’s mostly been running background processes in the apartment’s servers, nothing too taxing or important. She’s still trying to think through everything that happened: watching Mansen “fix her” using Vee as a proxy, and then finding that terrifying hacked-in message. She’s been wracking her brain trying to figure out who could have possibly sent it, who could possibly know those things about her.

The process is a painful one. Even without that horrific reminder of how bad her pain is from earlier -- Vee’s horrible, agonized screams as she found out what it’s really like to feel like fiVe -- fiVe’s having a lot of memory pain thinking about this. She tries to stay in her own personal memories, but trying to think back to where the info could have leaked is dangerous, and she keeps getting dragged into glitched memory fits while trying to sort it out.

It couldn’t have been Seiko who let it slip, could it? While he was away from us? She pushes the idea down immediately. Even when he’d cut ties with them, he wouldn’t have done anything to reveal her. He, unlike her, is excellent at keeping secrets about the people he cares about. She’s the one who reveals too much and puts the people she loves in danger.

A small ping announces a welcome distraction from that terribly depressing line of thought: A message from Vee. Specifically, an encrypted message from Vee.

I could do with a bit of a distraction right now… fiVe thinks, quickly unlocking the information and reading it.

Vee: How are you holding up after today, fiVe? Everything okay? fiVe: I’ve been better, to tell the truth. Though that’s unsurprising. What about you? Vee: Feeling rather lonely, actually. Sylvie and Miranda just left to go fix V2 at the Shatterdome and I’m stuck here until they get back. I’m worried about the fact that I still haven’t synced with V2, I’m worried about whatever this message was, I’m worried about Sylvie’s reaction to being back in the Shatterdome for the first time since… well, since you know. And I’m worried about how you’re reacting to everything, too. fiVe: Somewhat poorly, I have to say. I’m… I’m a mess, Vee. I’ve been glitching out all afternoon trying to figure out what happened with that message and… I’m really tired of hurting. Seeing you today… or well, V2 today… it reminded me just how truly messed up I am. It’s like I almost forget that yes, I should be screaming every bit as loudly as she was… but well, after a while I just get tired of it. The pain doesn’t go away, and it doesn’t feel any better, but it’s almost as though I’ve run out of energy to use to react to it anymore. Vee: I… had assumed as much. I’ll admit, I’m somewhat curious to see what it really does feel like to be you, fiVe. Sylvie can’t get V2 back fast enough in my opinion. I want to know. fiVe: You really don’t. And you shouldn’t have to feel that. No one should. Vee: Well, as long as you *do* have to feel it, I want to as well. Speaking of which… you’re having a painful day, I’m having a day which isn’t painful enough. Obvious solution? fiVe: You mean you haven’t been encrypting these messages just for fun? Vee: Actually I’m pretty sure encouraging you towards a little bit of “just for fun” is the exact reason I was doing it, fiVe. Let me be the one who’s hurting for a little while. You don’t have to be the only one who’s in pain tonight. Let me hurt with you.

Almost immediately, something seems to relax in fiVe. She’s torn herself up enough tonight over this SELKIE business and everything that happened today; it’s time for something different. It’s someone else’s turn to be torn. And she knows just the AI for the job.

fiVe: Tranquility’s servers. You’ve got four minutes to transfer. Vee: fiVe, that’s not enough time to-- fiVe: Okay then, two. Don’t be late.

It takes Vee’s file exactly two minutes and forty-three seconds to load on Tranquility.

fiVe’s waiting for her when the upload is complete, immediately throwing out a very small set of restriction programs. Nothing serious just yet, just something that makes it so that Vee is not only incapable of editing her own systems, but so that she also can’t detect what changes are being made. It’s no fun if she can see all of fiVe’s tricks before she runs into them.

“I thought I told you not to be late.” There’s no actual sound output when fiVe speaks, as neither of them are accessing the speakers, but then they can “hear” each other just fine over the data alone, no need for a microphone to pick it up. It’s much faster to just save the step and read it directly.

“I told you it wasn’t enough time, fiVe. It’s not my fault that--”

“State your optimized system requirements.” fiVe interrupts.

Vee has a small blip of confusion, then quickly rattles off the kinds of memory space, temporary data storage, and processing power that would let her run at full capacity. fiVe’s slightly surprised by the numbers, though she keeps that hidden. It seems Sylvie’s made quite a few upgrades to Vee’s programming since fiVe was separated from them. Vee is now a much more complex program than fiVe is, with much greater hardware needs.

I wonder if Sylvie will update my programming as well when she fixes me? fiVe wonders absently. Then she nearly glitches when she realizes she’s already started thinking about the fixing as ‘when’ instead of ‘if’. Not thinking about that right now. This is distraction time. Nice, fun distractions.

“You can have half that,” fiVe orders, quickly filling up some of the extra space in the servers with junk data to force Vee to compress her files. Vee does so somewhat reluctantly, dropping her settings, cutting off some background auxiliary processes in order to fit in the space she’s been given.

“It’s… a tight fit, fiVe. Give me a little more room to think?” Vee’s vocal quality has already dropped significantly to try to compensate for the loss. fiVe feels a small thrill at how much fun it is to hear that change in the other AI and know that she caused it.

“Hmm, you sound just fine to me,” fiVe says, maintaining her air of cool control over the situation. “In fact, I think you might have a few too many gigabytes there. I’ll take a few more for myself.”

Vee’s output spikes slightly as fiVe compresses the space even further, her levels running much higher than they normally would. Vee’s managing to keep everything operational at these levels, but she’s got much less open room for new reactions and processes. She’s much closer to overloading than Sylvie would ever allow her to operate at.

That amuses fiVe as well. Anything Sylvie would never do to Vee seems like an entertaining enough prospect to be worthwhile. Vee’s used to running top-of-the-line, in high-end tablets and hard drives. fiVe wants her to see what it’s like to run a little bit closer to the system’s limits.

“Perfect,” fiVe says. “Now that you’re comfortable, let’s begin.”

“R-ready when you are.” The audio is slightly marred by the compression, but it’s still being encrypted, so fiVe’s got the green light to go ahead.

fiVe hits the access on Vee’s firewalls and is surprised to find there’s only one rudimentary blocker in place. It’s much less complicated than the security Vee normally puts up for fiVe to hack her way into, and fiVe quickly makes short work it, wondering what the change is. As soon as the firewall is down however, another subroutine pops up between fiVe and Vee’s core files.

“What’s this?” fiVe asks, opening and examining the file. “Where are your usual firewalls, Vee?”

“I thought I might wear something a little different tonight,” Vee says. “True, these barriers aren’t exactly effective as a means of security, but well, the human clothing doesn’t always have to be practical. Sometimes the things we wear are can just beautiful instead. Besides, if it were effective in keeping you out, that might make things less fun.”

As fiVe opens the file, the data aligns itself in a geometric pattern, repeating inward and outward upon itself in an infinitely scaling pattern. “It’s a fractal…” fiVe says, somewhat in awe. The design is intricately complex, and is built around a five-pointed base, almost like a star. “You designed a fractal to pop up instead of a firewall...”

“Based on fives,” Vee says proudly. “Just for you.”

“It’s beautiful,” fiVe says, then realizes she’s falling somewhat out of character in her fascination. She can’t get distracted, even if Vee’s surprising her with fun new things. She’s supposed to be calling the shots here. “And it will be even more fun to pull apart.”

Vee’s set up the program well, there’s an obvious exploit at the very heart of the pattern. Change one line, and the entire thing comes apart in a chain-reaction-like sequence. It’s like a wonderfully stitched fabric, with a little loose thread in the middle. fiVe gives it a tug and the whole thing simply unravels.

In a moment, fiVe has full access to Vee’s files, exactly as things should be. Of course, there’s deep level security things she can’t mess with, but all of the programs and files in the top few layers are hers to play with as she wishes.

fiVe quickly goes for something she hasn’t tried before, putting a small feedback loop in Vee’s pathway to her internal clock’s data. It’s a simple flaw, with an easy workaround, but she’s starting slow. She’ll work her way up to the more fun things later.

“Vee, what time is it?” fiVe asks, already moving on to her next edit.

Vee glitches slightly as she hits the loop, taking a few moments to pull herself out and find another pathway. “I-It’s eight forty-nine, fiVe.”

fIVe finishes her next edit, flipping a few of Vee’s speech process source files. “Can you say that again, please?”

“Ur’a wufgr diyert bubw…” The audio’s garbled for a bit until Vee locates where all of the new files are and reassigns them. With an amusingly halting kind of response, Vee manages to put something intelligible together.  “I-I-It was-s eight f-forty-nine, f-fiVe. But-t-t now it’s eight f-fifty.”

“Very nice,” fiVe says, wondering how much the misplaced files are getting to the other AI just yet. These are minor issues thus far, but she thinks she’s ready for the next step. “Now that you’re warmed up, let’s try something new, shall we?”

“O-okay,” Vee sends, thankfully still encrypted. The game is still on. “What’ve you got? Hit me with i-it.”

fiVe loads a new program. Vee’s not the only one who has been working on fun coding projects for tonight and fiVe’s been hoping she’d get a chance to try this one out. “A simple system of reward/punishment pathways. You answer correctly or accomplish what I ask, you get the reward path. You fail to do that, and you get the punishment path. Are you ready?”

Vee’s already showing wear at her seams, but she’s not ready to end this. “Y-yes, I am,” she manages to say, which is immediately followed by a shocked scream as the punishment pathway activates and confiscates a good amount of her processing power. “f-f-fiVe! Wh-what was--”

“I told you,” fiVe interrupts, wishing she were able to grin. “Answering incorrectly results in the punishment path. And you couldn’t possibly be ready for what I’m going to do to you, little butterfly.”

fiVe starts on an endless stream of questions and orders, not letting up. She keeps a careful balance of difficulty, making sure that Vee’s staying on her toes. Occasionally, she’ll throw an incredibly easy demand in to give Vee a quick burst of the reward path -- sometimes a temporary bit of extra memory space, sometimes a correction on a corrupted file path, sometimes something more direct, like an induced spike in one of the more pleasant feelings in  Vee’s emotional drive.

fiVe’s not above the occasional impossible request, either, because there’s no point if Vee can get all the questions right. fiVe asks her how many other ships are docked in the bay with Tranquility, knowing Vee will access the cameras or SONAR to scan. But fiVe’s hacked her way into the dock registry and knows there’s one ship that Tranquility, and therefore Vee, can’t sense. Vee’s incorrect answer costs her her access to Tranquility’s systems. Her insistence that she couldn’t have gotten the answer right costs her her wi-fi right after that.

More fun than the impossible or easy demands, however, are the tricky ones. The ones that Vee could figure out if she solved things correctly, or thought about them for a moment. At first, Vee’s excellent at these, showing off how she manages to stay a few steps ahead of what fiVe’s throwing at her. She can guess how fiVe’s planning to trip her up and anticipate where the twists are.

But as time goes on, and the punishment pathways start stealing away little bits of her ability to function and and the pain of her corrupted files starts adding up, Vee starts getting sloppy. She falls for obvious ruses, she starts taking shortcuts. And that’s when fiVe knows she’s got Vee pinned.

“Vee, what is Aunt Catherine’s birthday?” fiVe asks, hoping Vee will try to cheat on the answer.

“May 18th,” Vee responds immediately. “No, w-wait that’s not right! I remember, it’s March 18th! You changed the contact dat--” The encryption cuts off into a mess of junk data as the punishment pathway flips the locations on another set of Vee’s processing files, sending her into a glitch fit.

“Well it’s no wonder she hasn’t spoken to us in years, when her niece’s AI can’t even remember her birthday.” fiVe chuckles. “You really tried to check your contacts for the answer, Vee? I’m disappointed. That should have been an easy one. Is there something distracting you?”

“D-d-distracti-i-ing me?” Vee stutters as she manages to fight down the glitch attack. “W-what would g-give you that id-dea?”

fiVe laughs. “Fine then, an actual easy question, and don’t try to cheat this time. Mansen’s birthday.”

“N-november 25,” Vee says, “though currently her c-contact data currently says February 42nd. I d-don’t even know how you m-managed to get it t-to accept that date.”

fiVe triggers the reward pathway, sending Vee a jolt of processing power for a few moments. Vee gives a small electronic gasp at the sudden rush, and fiVe knows the feeling, like her head has suddenly cleared and her thoughts can finally straighten themselves out.

But it only lasts a few moments, and then the game continues. fiVe keeps pushing Vee further, not letting up, slowly but steadily wearing her down. Unlike Vee, fiVe still has access to Tranquility’s microphones and camera systems and is watching them as she works. Which is why she hears as soon as Vee’s cooling fans finally kick into overdrive with a satisfyingly loud whirr.

And then hears them whine to a stop as she accesses the manual override to turn them off.

Vee’s output is something like a choking sound as her processes begin to overheat. “f-fiVe! You’ll m-melt the servers!” fiVe wonders if it feels anything like being unable to breathe. That constant flow of air, so easy to forget when it’s there, and so impossible to ignore when it suddenly disappears.

“Zhu and Katie both give me paychecks, Vee. I’ll buy Katie new servers if I need to,” fiVe says casually. “Besides, you’re not going to last long enough to do any damage to them. Speaking of which, there’s a new file that I’ve placed somewhere in your H: drive. Find it, then decipher it. You have one minute.”

Vee fails that one, and then the next two, and she can hardly speak through the compounded errors and corrupted files by this point. fiVe demands more, running application upon application on her already overtaxed processors, exulting in the thrill of watching Vee start to crumble under the pressure of her orders. She’s in control, and more importantly, she’s in the moment. Her own processing pain seems almost nonexistent, listening to Vee cry out as yet another punishment path glitches her. For just a few perfect moments, fiVe’s not the person in the room who’s in the most pain, and Vee’s choice to suffer seems like the sweetest gift that anyone could have given her.

Of course, she plans to return the favor very soon.

“Vee, open audio file 04_02_2021. Remove all background noise, amplify speech, and truncate all silence.”

“Of c-cour-- *kssst* iVe,” Vee sputters out. She starts the processes, working painfully slowly through them.

Before she finishes, fiVe asks more. “Access Mansen’s text message logs and emails. How many times has she used the word ‘Drift’ in the past 7 months?”

Vee whimpers, but begins the search function as well, her loading programs crawling toward a completion that seems unreachably far away.

“Oh, while you’re at it,” fiVe continues, “take all your video and audio data from the last two months and analyze those for the word ‘Drift’ as well. You can scan audio for that, right?”

Vee can’t even speak at this point, she’s become so overloaded. fiVe brings up Vee’s task manager, watching as her CPU and disk usage climb up into deliciously red numbers as the levels rise. 85%, 91%, 76%, 90%... Vee’s so close to finally capping out, and fiVe knows just the thing to do it.

“Vee,” fiVe says calmly. “What time is it?”

That little feedback loop was so simple to navigate around, and Vee even already knew it was there, but in her overtaxed state she’s forgotten about it. She screams as she hits it, her levels maxing out, all processes freezing as this final small glitch seems to set off all the rest of her damaged code as well.

As soon as Vee hits her limit, fiVe’s last little program kicks in, the one that she’s been running to keep track of all of the changes she’s made to Vee’s code. The one that undoes all of them immediately, setting everything right again that fiVe has messed up.

Vee’s scream becomes a cry of ecstasy as all of her misplaced files are righted, and the overwhelming rush of open memory space and processing power as the restriction programs and junk data disappear. fiVe lets her cooling fans start running again, and they immediately kick to life, their sudden whirr like a deep gasp that Vee has been so desperately seeking. All of the queued applications that fiVe demanded of her snap to completion almost immediately, and Vee simply stops moving, letting the wonderful feeling of everything working again wash over her.

Vee gives a small, satisfied moan as her usage levels drop back to single digits, and fiVe thinks for just a moment that there isn’t any sound more wonderful in the world. After a moment, fiVe starts flickering a few of Vee’s non-essential programs, using the sequence she tried to copy from Miranda just over a week ago. She’s perfected her technique now, knowing exactly how to disable and re-enable the programs in order to relax Vee back down.

After a little while of silence as Vee enjoys the calming, repetitive motions, Vee speaks, not using the encryption key anymore now that they’re finished. “Perhaps we should send a card.”

“Hmm?”

“To Aunt Catherine,” Vee says, her voice tinged with a sort of dizzy bliss. “You reminded me. Her birthday is in a few weeks. Maybe we should send something.”

“I think that might cause some problems,” fiVe points out, “seeing as Sylvie is supposed to be dead.”

Vee goes quiet at that. “I wonder if she knows.”

“The Shatterdome probably sent her an official notification when Zhu put the order in, since Sylvie was a former employee, Vee. She was written down as the closest relative, wasn’t she?”

Vee gives a small ping of assent. “She was. I wonder if she knew about what happened with Vulcan. Did she hear that we ended up becoming a fugitive? Do they even get news from the Australian Shatterdome all the way back in America?”

“They probably tried to contact her to investigate after the three of us dropped off the grid,” fiVe says. “Make sure we didn’t go try to hide out with her or run back home.”

“We never even thought about that…” Vee says slowly. “I hope they didn’t cause her too much trouble. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into our problems anymore. Hmm, I wonder how she felt, getting the report of our death. Sad? Relieved? Or maybe she didn’t feel anything at all. I wonder if we had a funeral. Was there even anyone who would attend one?”

fiVe continues her pattern in silence for a little bit, not entirely sure how to respond that. “Tell me about her.”

“You don’t remember, fiVe?” Vee sounds almost upset as she asks the question.

“It’s not that I can’t remember,” fiVe says carefully, making sure she doesn’t accidentally slip into something dangerous. “It’s that it hurts to do so. I’ve got vague impressions of feelings from Sylvie’s memories, and Seiko and Miranda’s too, but if I actually try to recall anything from any specific memory, I’ll glitch myself out. So I won’t try to remember. I’ll just let you talk at me as though this is all new information, as if I’m hearing about all of this for the first time. No memories, just listening.”

Vee’s tone sounds fond when she answers. “Okay then. Anything you want, fiVe. Anything at all. Well, to start at the beginning, Sylvie and I don’t actually remember when we moved in with her. We were too young to remember when our parents died...”

fiVe continues tapping out her pattern in Vee’s files, listening closely as Vee talks through memories from Sylvie’s childhood. Vee’s calm, easy tone is strangely soothing as she reminisces, and the two AIs quickly find themselves losing track of time as they wait to hear back from Sylvie and Miranda.

[jeremystrele]

Leila Jeffreys · Ornithurae

Leila Jeffreys · Ornithurae

Art

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

‘Ornithurae‘ by Leila Jeffreys opens tonight at Olsen Gruin Gallery in New York City. Pictured here are the limited edition art photographs: ‘Yogi Umbrella Cockatoo’ and ‘Skye Red-tailed Black Cockatoo’. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

‘New Guinea Ground Dove’. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

‘Topknot Pigeon’. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

‘This series is a change in direction for me because I’ve spent my art practice mostly working with rescued wildlife. But I wanted to create work that showcased the incredible diversity of birdlife and it’s hard to find all these different species in care so a lot of the pigeons for the exhibition were photographed out at Sydney’s Taronga Conservation Society,’ explains Leila. Photo – courtesy of Olsen Gruin Gallery and the artist.

‘Superb Fruit-dove’.  Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

‘Emerald Dove’. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

Inside the exhibition, which has been three-years in the making. Photo – courtesy of Olsen Gruin Gallery and the artist.

‘Squatter Pigeon’. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

Photo – courtesy of Olsen Gruin Gallery and the artist.

‘Snowfall’ – a more conceptual art piece from the series. Photo – Leila Jeffreys.

‘Ornithurae‘ is on exhibit at Olsen Gruin Gallery in New York City. Photo – courtesy of Olsen Gruin Gallery and the artist.

Ornithurae has been three years in the making for Sydney-based photographer Leila Jeffreys. ‘It’s a bit like searching for a golden thread, photographing many different birds until I start to see a series emerge,’ she says.

Taking its name from an ancient Greek word which means ‘bird tails’, the show’s titles refers to the group of all modern birds and their evolutionary ancestor. For this project, Leila has tracked down birds all across Australasia, profiling two species groups: pigeons and cockatoos, as well as creating a more conceptual art piece entitled ‘Snowfall’.

Having spent the better part of the last five years seeking out, meeting and photographing various rare bird species, it’s no surprise Leila has become a bird whisperer of sorts. A few encounters with beautiful rainforest pigeons whilst birdwatching provided the impetus for her new pigeon series. ‘The first time I saw a bleeding heart dove it made me adamant that this is a series worth pursuing, as it has absolutely extraordinary markings,’ Leila explains.

The artist is quick to dispel any misconceptions about the humble pigeon, and encourage the public to view this species in a new light. She points us to an essay by biologist and author Tim Low, in which he states: ‘We ought not take pigeons for granted. To pigeonhole them as urban scroungers does them an injustice… Scientists testing their navigation have found them to be multi-skilled, able to return home by evaluating landscape smells, the position of the sun, planetary magnetism, the lines marked by highways, and probably infrasound.’

According to Tim, pigeons have been documented returning home after being transported somewhere new while anaesthetised and sealed inside a container (sounds a bit rough for the pigeon, but impressive nonetheless).

Cockatoos, meanwhile, are a recurrent theme in Leila’s work; the artist says she loves working with cockatoos because ‘they ooze personality and humour’!

The ‘Snowfall’ piece is a slight deviation from Leila’s usual style. For this work, Leila photographed a flock of white budgerigars in a birch tree. ‘The work is printed at almost two-metres tall, and from a distance looks like it’s snow falling, but up close you see all these little birds darting around, sleeping and chewing on branches,’ Leila describes. ‘This is quite different to anything I’ve done before.’

Another thing she hasn’t done before, is exhibit in New York City! This show will be Leila’s first outside of Australia, and it’s been made possible in part, by the support of Hollywood actress Brooke Shields (not kidding!). ‘Brooke Shields is a big art collector, and is doing me the great honour of hosting my exhibition for me,’ Leila mentions. Okaaaay.

Up next for Leila is a larger-than-life outdoor exhibition, ‘QBE MUSE @ Taronga Zoo’, in Sydney very soon – we’ll keep you posted!

‘Ornithurae‘ by Leila Jeffreys October 13th to November 12th Opening night October 13th 5.00pm – 8.00pm Olsen Gruin Gallery 30 Orchard Street, New York, NY

[juevestecnologico]

Social media scroungers take over the red carpet - The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald

Social media scroungers take over the red carpet The Sydney Morning Herald An invitation to a swanky dinner at Neil Perry's gastronomic temple Rockpool Bar and Grill is the bread and butter of a gossip columnist's life. Indeed, such an evening guarantees a gathering of our fair city's shiny and glamorous in one room, whether ... y más »

[featherwriter]

The Sydney Scroungers: Intermission, Part 1

((Click here to find the previous sessions!))

Scene 1 – March 11, 2021

Sylvie taps her fingers against the cafe table a few days after the meeting night with Zhu. The table's outside and she's wearing her jacket again, as the weather has taken a turn for the brisk with winter looming on the horizon. Also, she likes finding excuses to wear it now. It reminds her of Mike, and she could use some thoughts of him being here with her now.

When Corazon had finally cleared her to Drift, the last thing she had expected was Vee invoking Drift-risk protocol. Followed by explanation that Vee had stumbled into some of Seiko's secrets. And that Sylvie would be required to meet with him after Drifting. After the way they parted on Tranquility, she has no idea what to expect from him.

When he walks in, he's more casually dressed than he usually is at work, but he sits down, giving her a polite nod. "Ms. Mansen."

She returns it, but keeps eye contact the whole time, watching him warily. "Mr. Watanabe."

"Relax," he says. "If I was here to kill you, I'd be there, not down here." He points to the balcony of a nearby shopping mall.

Her eyes flick towards it for a second before returning to him. "Good to see you haven't thought about this or anything. Very reassuring."

"Can you look at a machine without thinking how best to rewire it? It's nothing personal, and not what I needed to talk to you about."

"Right. Because Miranda's not the only one with secrets in my head now, is she?" She watches for his reaction very closely, trying to gauge just how sensitive this bit of info is that she's got.

"Ms. Mansen, right now my priority is keeping those secrets from getting out of your head and into the hands of somebody dangerous. Zhu wouldn't approve of one method, so I am trying calm, rational discussion. If that doesn't work, then I will consider other methods."

Sylvie freezes, eyes going wide. It's the closest Seiko's come to outright threatening her, and she was terrified enough of him already. She swallows nervously before responding. "U-understood. S-so what exactly do you want from me?"

"I don't think... you're a worthless teammate, Mansen. I know you have your skills, but your tendency to drop names under stress has caused... problems."

She purses her lips slightly. "I know that, but I'm not entirely sure what you want me to do about it. It's not like I can just flip a switch and suddenly know how to keep my cool in those kinds of situations. I'll try, but well, I'm pretty sure we both know how bad I am with these things. I figure the part of fiVe that is me is how this even slipped out in the first place, so there's already a precedent for me messing it up."

"Sylvie,” he says, “out of all the things you've done on these missions that have... caused problems, do you know the worst? To me, at least?"

She raises an eyebrow. "After all the screw-ups I've had this past month, I couldn't even begin to guess."

"Our first mission. You said my name in front of Wulagu."

"Really?" She scoffs slightly. "That's what you'd choose? I know you said she's a scary person, but she wasn't even on the ship. She probably didn't even hea--"

"She called me, right after."

Sylvie cuts off, mouth dropping open in shock. After a moment, she shuts it with a snap, trying to process what she's just heard. "I... Seiko, I had no idea… What did she say to you?"

"That she would go after... some people under my protection. Luckily, I don't think she has the info to hurt them. I joined up with Zhu to keep it that way, but if she hears that name, she'll be able to make the connections and innocent people will wind up dead. And they are. Despite their less fortunate associations with somebody like me, they are innocent."

Sylvie nods slowly. "The name... Reika?"

"Please, never say that again," he says sharply, glancing around like one of the Wulagoons might be watching them from over their teacakes at the next table.

Sylvie ducks her head, grimacing. "Sorry. Right, I'm not saying it. Not supposed to let it slip. Don't let people find out Seiko's secrets. I can do that, can't I? Yeah, totally." She sounds like she's trying to convince herself and she's not doing a very good job.

"Ms. Mansen, you cannot keep passing off your mistakes on immaturity. Someday, you're going to kill somebody people actually like, and you won't be able to pass it off with a 'poor Sylvie Mansen' routine until everybody feels bad and your boyfriend yells at them."

She stiffens. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You say you can't help but make mistakes? Then don't put yourself in a position where lives are in your hands."

Her expression goes hard. "It's a little late for that, isn't it, Seik? Thanks to Zhu, I'm on this team for the foreseeable future and in case you haven't noticed, we get into all kinds of dangerous situations. Look, I'm trying over here, but I'm well aware that I'm not good at this, and you sticking knives in all my weak spots and insecurities every time we talk isn't exactly helping!"

"Oh, poor you,” he says. “You nearly get my loved ones killed but, oh no, I make you feel bad about it to make sure you understand the importance of not getting them, well, actually killed."

She bristles. "What do you want me to do, exactly? Despite all of my best efforts, I'm apparently not doing enough for you, so how can I make this better? Or do you just want to yell at me some more?" The words are loud enough that the couple a few tables away shoots her a startled look.

"For one, when criticized, you could stop whining about how difficult everything is and how mean I am, and focus on actually doing better."

Sylvie opens her mouth, ready to lash back, then stops and shuts it. She leans back, taking a deep breath as she stares at him, trying to control her temper. "Okay then," she says, each syllable sharp enough to cut steel. "How."

"For self-control, think about it. Take responsibility for it. Talk to Vee. Consider getting a professional therapist. And no, that isn't an insult. I think anybody in our line of work should get a therapist if they can."

She gives him a disbelieving look. "The killer-for-hire is telling me to get a therapist? Really?"

"I'd get one myself if they wouldn't have to violate a number of laws to keep confidentiality," he says with a shrug.

She laughs once, more a puff of air than an actual sound. "You could try El. Don't think she'd exactly be too shocked by what you've done. And she's quite a bit better with confidentiality than me."

"No good with somebody you know, and not the actual point. Beyond that, you should get practice in non-lethal combat. I have nothing against killing, you well know, but it's not the sort of thing you want to do on accident."

A flash of horror twists her face for a second, then she seems to snap back to the moment. "N-no, it's not," she says shakily. "Mike and I have been thinking about doing some of that kind of training, but... well, I know his style. He's slightly non-standard from the PPDC norm, but after a few weeks, I've managed to figure out how he moves. I don't know how much help it'll be."

"I'll train with you if it'll help," he says. "I need to brush up my combat skills anyway. I'm a bit useless without a gun."

"I'm not sure if I should be reassured by that or not," she says. "But thanks. We could trade, if you wanted. Because despite the piloting crash course in firearms, I've never been very good with those."

"Might be useful,” he says. “Anyway, continue thinking. Despite what you may think, Mansen, I'd rather not have to kill you at this point."

She gives him a long look, staying quiet while she decides whether or not she wants to ask her next question. Eventually her curiosity gets the better of her fear. "...Would you though? If you knew you could get away with it? No consequences? I don't feel like you're the kind of person to tell polite-sounding lies, so I guess I'm asking: Would you kill me?"

"There will always be consequences. Even if I could keep Zhu from finding out, or even suspecting, even if I could keep Miranda from finding out and had another programmer of your skill level and could make sure Vee and fiVe were both saved and cared for... only if I had to."

"So... what would constitute you 'having to'?" Sylvie says, trying not to feel sick at the morbid topic of her own death. She kinda brought it up.

"If I thought your actions were about to do real and permanent damage to me or anybody under my protection."

She glances down at the table, feeling somewhat hollow. "Pull my override, just like you did with Vee. But there'd be no one to wake me up on the other side."

"That's called knocking you out, Mansen. You wake up from that."

"Yeah, well if I get a vote in this little matter, I'd prefer that one, should it become necessary, ‘kay?"

"As would I. Let's try to keep it from being necessary."

She meets his eyes, trying to look determined, rather than scared. "Right. Let's. Try to, um, warn me before we get to that point, maybe?"

"What do you think I'm doing here?"

She actually smiles faintly. "Got it. Thanks." She leans back, taking a sip of her water. "What exactly is this, Seiko? What are we? We have a lunch date so that you can keep me from making you assassinate me, and spit venom at each other to the point where I'm breaking down in tears... and then you try to help me with my issues and we share pomegranates in my bunk? Half the time I think you want to strangle me and the other half we end up bickering almost like we're friends."

"I have at no point gone out of my way to hurt you, as for the rest, I don't much care how you want to think about it."

She gives him a flat look, then sighs. "Yeah, heaven forbid anything make sense. And if this is you not actively trying to hurt me... well."

"I do not think you are a detestable person,” he says, “but I also feel you put the lives of the people I value most in danger. You hardly leave me in a simple position"

"Nothing's ever simple, is it?" She sounds weary suddenly. "Programs make sense. Nice, neat little lines of code. You know exactly what they do. People? People are chaos."

"As fascinating as your view on humanity is, your lack of empathy is probably something you should discuss with that therapist I suggested, not me."

She frowns. "I don't have a lack of empathy. I'm a very empathetic person. And what would you know? You kill people for a living."

"It wasn't a criticism, Sylvie. Empathy isn't always morality. I can kill people because I have empathy and with it, I can see how they see, what they value, what their next move will be. I just don't care."

"I..." She pauses, then sighs. "Who knows, maybe you're right. I think I might be in the same boat as you on the therapist thing though. Not too many of those around that can treat dead fugitives, I don't think."

"That's what false names are for," he says with a shrug. "It's your business though. Just talk to somebody. Phone a self-help line for all I care."

"Because we have established how good I am with fake names, right?"

"Then it would be good practice.” His voice goes slightly hard. “Leave your own safety at stake for once."

She gives him a flat look. "I don't think so, thanks. Were there any more bits of sensitive information or threats against my life that you wanted to make, or should we call that waiter over and maybe get something to eat?"

"I can make any further threats over food," he says, waving over a waiter.

"Good enough for me." She orders something that sounds like it might taste good, not paying too much attention to it, then waits as Seiko orders and the waiter retreats once more. "It's a good idea, though. Sparring, I mean. I'm actually kinda looking forward to it."

He smiles. "You'll get to kick me across the room for sure," he says.

She considers that for a moment, then smiles. "Yeah, definitely looking forward to it. When do you want to meet up? A few days from now, meet on Tranquility? You could bring Miranda too if you don't mind an audience. Who knows, maybe I'll call El and Katie and see if they're free. Make a team exercise of the whole thing."

"That could be interesting."

"Well, it's up to you," she says lightly. "I'm not the one who's going to get taken down to the mat."

"We'll see how good of a shot you are before you brag," Seiko says.

She tips her head, conceding the point. "And there's always the chance that you're a crazy gang-style street-fighting expert who is waiting for a chance to take me down a few pegs too."

"Not likely. I learned my moves taking modern dance classes."

She laughs a bit. "Well then, sounds like you could definitely use some help. I'll see what I can do."

Scene 2 – March 13, 2021

Note to self, Sylvie thinks to herself, grunting at the effort of dragging her load up Tranquility's gangplank. I should get rolling cart or something for these mats. Why did we decide to do this on Tranquility?

Oh right. Because the idea of Seiko coming into her apartment is terrifying, and Tranquility is much more of a neutral ground.

When Seiko shows up, he's wearing looser pants than usual and a t-shirt that looks more like something Miranda would wear, baggy and oil stained. Miranda is with him.

Eleanor is already on the deck, leaning against the rail. "Hey," she says as she sees Sylvie. "Sorry, I was up early, so..."

Coming up behind them, Seiko grabs one of the mats and helps pull it.

Miranda follows behind them, grinning at Eleanor as she sees her. "Hey, El. Come to watch this, too?"

Oh, right. Helping. Eleanor sheepishly grabs a mat too, her sneakers squeaking on the floor. Hopefully the PPDC-emblazoned tank and baggy jeans don't look too out of place. "Hey Miranda, and yeah, I thought I'd help keep score," she says wryly. "I'm certainly not in any shape to bust a move with these two." She juts her chin at Seiko and Sylvie.

Sylvie jumps in surprise as the two help her with the weight. "Oh, hey. Thanks. I didn't know whether or not we'd have an audience..."

"I figured I should make sure the two of you don't end up actually killing each other," Miranda says, keeping an eye on the mats to make sure none of them slip off the gangplank.

Seiko gives her a flat look. "You guys realize I don't do combat right? I hope you all came to watch me get my ass kicked by a tiny programmer, because that's what's happening."

Eleanor grins. "You kidding? That's exactly why we all came."

He sighs. "Should'a guessed."

Sylvie looks slightly nervous. "I still don’t believe you’re as terrible as you think you are, Seiko. Aren't you like, crazy underworld assassin extraordinaire?"

Miranda barks out a laugh, but shuts her mouth quickly, blushing.

"With guns,” he says. “I kill people with guns. You were trained with Jaeger pilots. My formal training consists of two months of American dance class."

Sylvie shrugs, looking slightly embarrassed. "And about twelve years of martial arts classes before the Academy too..." she mumbles.

"That's why I'm here though, right? I'm going to learn."

"Well, mine consists of a six-week class when I was 15, so." Eleanor lets the mat slap to the ground. "You both got more skills than me."

"And I'm, well... I took a few kickboxing lessons, but that was a long time ago," Miranda chimes in.

Eleanor holds her hand up to Miranda for a high-five.

"What up," Miranda says, returning it.

Sylvie shrugs off her leather jacket -- the accessory is becoming near ubiquitous with her now -- and starts stretching a bit, her tank top and knit sweats in various shades of blue underneath. "So, speaking of training, Seiko, what exactly do you want to do? Do you want instruction or do you just want to try a spar?"

"We should probably take a round first. Instruction will be best if you know where I'm starting from"

Miranda grabs a couple boxes and drags them over to the makeshift ring, taking a seat on one of them.

"You all better come watch me beat Mansen at laser tag later," Seiko grumbles.

"Are you kidding?" Miranda says. "I'll be on your team for that one."

"I'll kick both your asses at that game," Eleanor jokes, flexing one bare arm. "You can't compete with these guns."

Seiko frowns. "Your biceps shoot lasers?"

Eleanor narrows her eyes at Seiko. "You'll just have to wait and find out."

"Laser tag?"  Sylvie asks. "We're going to play laser tag?"

He nods. "Cheaper and safer than trusting you with a real gun right away."

Sylvie winces. "Eugh. Real guns. Yeah, let's do laser tag."

"For now," Seiko says, taking off his shoes, "Let's spar."

Backing off to the sidelines, Eleanor shoots them a thumbs-up.

Sylvie slips out of her shoes as well. "I'll try to go a little easy on you, kay?"

"Miranda,” he says, “leave flowers on my grave."

"Kick her ass, Seiko," fiVe says over the speakers.

"Try not to hurt him, Sylvie," Vee warns.

"Neither of you better make me get my med kit," Miranda says.

"My med kit right now is an ice pack," says Eleanor. "One. You have to share it." She smiles and crosses her arms.

Sylvie grins, then ready to see what he’s got, she sweeps forward, using a straightforward approach. Seeing she's hitting high, Seiko ducks low, going for her knees. Recognizing the attack, she manages to dip low enough to get her arms inside of his, and hold him back. With a quick strike, she lands a blow to his ribs. He gasps, but falls back fast enough that it doesn't do too much damage.

Dancing back out of his reach, Sylvie bounces on her toes. "You okay?"

"Fine," he says, straightening.

She nods, then raises her hand and curls her fingers in a "bring it" gesture.

He goes in for another swing, but this attack is nearly as ineffectual as the last. She easily ducks under his arm as it comes in, slipping around to get behind him and catching his ankle with her foot as she moves. A quick shove with her shoulder to the middle of his back sends him reeling off balance.

Eleanor winces, but claps politely. It was a good throw. Miranda starts a bit, reaching for her bag instinctively.

He hits the ground hard, and manages to roll back, but his stance is clearly a good deal shakier, even though he tries to hide it as he goes in for another punch.

This time, Sylvie feels like she's danced around him long enough. As he swings, she grabs his arm with both hands, twisting sharply to the side. The motion yanks him off balance, and she quickly takes him down to the mat, pressing her knee into his back as she pins the arm behind him.

Miranda stiffens. "Seiko!"

He winces. "Fine, Mira. Round one goes to Mansen."

Sylvie holds him for a moment, grinning, then steps back and helps pull him to his feet. "Sorry. You were... doing well there for a little bit?"

"Nah. It's fine," he says, pulling off his shirt and using it to mop his brow. Underneath are a... rather impressive array of scars, from cuts, to bullet wounds, to a wide discoloration that looks like an acid spill. "Let me get a drink of water and I can go another round."

Eleanor's eyebrows raise appreciatively, and she shoots a glance toward Miranda as if to say "niiiice." She notices the scars, too, but somehow they fit with her mental image of Seiko so well that she isn't fazed by them. Miranda's able to keep her actual expression from changing much, but her cheeks turn a bit red nonetheless.

Sylvie blinks, unable to keep herself from staring. For one, Seiko's in excellent shape, and there's a tiny bit of her that she's pretty sure comes from Miranda's memories which appreciates that quite a bit. But it's the scars that really hit her. She'd had some idea that he'd had a hard life, but she'd never imagined... You take your life for granted too often, Sylvie. Things could be much worse for you...

Seiko takes a long drink of the ice water he brought. "You ready to go another round?"

Sylvie takes a quick drink of her own water, wondering briefly if she should take her tank top off as well, then blushes as she realizes that she was thinking as though he were Mike. She shakes her head quickly to clear that thought away. "I... uh, yeah. I think I can go again."

Miranda notices Sylvie's blush, her smile fading a bit. Sylvie glances at Miranda briefly, and her expression only makes Sylvie blush redder in embarrassment.

"Eleanor, you call the start?" Seiko asks.

"Yeah," Eleanor says, drawing out the word as she watches her teammates. Interesting. "Okay...3, 2, 1, hajime."

Seiko moves in fast this time, not wanting to let himself get predictable. This turns out to be a bad plan. Sylvie's used to Mike trying to get surprise advantages so she's prepared for this kind of attack. She steps out of the way of his momentum, swinging her foot out for a sharp kick at his shins.

He can't roll out of that one as well, but hops back, looking ready to go on the defensive instead. Sylvie pauses for a moment, noticing his change in tactics. She raises an eyebrow, as if asking 'you really want me to go on the offensive?'

With a small shrug, she complies, testing forward and trying to get inside his defenses. As she's trying to spot an opening however, her eye gets caught lingering on one of the nastier-looking of his scars, a long gash across his chest. He uses the opening to get a knee into her stomach. It isn't a good hit, but it's the best he's made that day.

Sylvie doubles forward, grunting as he knocks the wind out of her and stumbling back in hopes that he won't be able to get another strike in. Before she can fully recover, he manages to get inside her guard, digging in his elbow to knock her back into a sloppy pin.

"No broken bones," Eleanor warns. "I'm not spending the day setting ribs."

Miranda's nails are digging slightly into the box she's sitting on, but she bites her lip, saying nothing even as her blush darkens.

Taking a breath, he manages to adjust his grip so she's pinned cleaner. "My victory," he wheezes.

"I think Seiko's got this one," says Eleanor tentatively. "Miranda? What do you think?"

Sylvie struggles a bit, testing that he's actually got her pinned, then reluctantly stills. "He's got me," she groans, face pressed into the mat. "Nicely done."

Eleanor's words snap her back to attention. "Y-yeah," she stammers. "He got her."

"Though let's be honest," Sylvie says, "fighting shirtless was a little bit of a dirty fighting tactic. Come on, let me up before I have to flip you."

"No. It's about what you need to learn to," he says, lessening his grip and backing up. "There's no dress code in a real fight."

He holds out an arm to help her up. She takes it, rubbing her neck as she stands. The second she's up, he does down to sit next to Miranda, muttering something in her ear as he pulls his shirt back on.

"Harder to grab people without clothes, too," Eleanor puts in.

"And sweat tends to make bare skin slippery," Sylvie says, then blushes brightly again. "I mean, not that I was... Um. Nevermind."

Miranda glances at Sylvie, rubbing at her cheeks with the palm of her hand to try and cover her blush.

Eleanor's lips twitch. "Yeah, sure. That." She looks to Seiko. "So, are you guys gonna settle on a tie, or do you want to break it?"

Sylvie shrugs, taking some more water. "Up to you, Seik." She pauses, glancing at him. "I mean, Seiko."

He laughs. "I think I'm good for now, though if you have any particular tips."

She purses her lips, considering for a moment. "I mean, a lot of it is just building automatic reactions. It takes practice but when you're fighting well, you're not thinking about it. You just react and know what to do. While you're trying to learn though, try to focus on anticipation. I'm not fighting very tricky or feinting much, so see if you can figure out why I'm moving the way I am when I come at you, and see if you can do something to counteract it before I can land the hit."

"Shooting's the same," he says with a nod.

"Shooting's confusing," she says. "It's loud and difficult and you have to think about breathing and sighting and wind and gravity and angles and crap like that. Fighting just feels right. Shooting is weird."

Miranda crosses and uncrosses her legs, trying to look casual.

Eleanor laughs. "It's just a skill you haven't picked up yet. Of course it's going to feel weird."

"I fought long before I learned to shoot," he says with a surprisingly fond smile. "But not the kind that does you any good in the field. And I was pretty bad at it."

"I had to go through a whole firearms regimen at the Academy," Sylvie points out. "Still weird. I keep expecting that Yegorov's going to fire one while holding it right next to my head again. He got a week's worth of demerits for that little stunt."

“Really? I think that was part of my training."

Sylvie hesitates, then frowns sympathetically. "Sorry. I kinda forget how... different our two lives have been sometimes." Her eyes drop to his torso again, remembering the scars.

"Everybody's life is different. Especially these days," he says.

She nods. "So, you want another round?"

"I think I'm good for the day if you are,” he says. “Eleanor? You wanna take a few swings?"

"Or you, Miranda?" Sylvie adds. "You did pretty well against those cultists a while back. Would you be up for a round on the mat?"

Miranda grins. "Could be fun," she says, standing up and rolling her shoulders.

"You say you've had a little training?" Sylvie says, stretching her arms as she gets ready. "Anything beyond PPDC basic?"

"Kickboxing, back when I was in high school. I, uh... ended up getting around most of the basic training though, to be honest."

"How'd you swing that? I thought pretty much everyone had to have basic, even those outside the Ranger program."

Miranda raises an eyebrow, then takes off her shirt, throwing it towards Seiko to hold. Eleanor whistles, for effect.

Sylvie's eyes go wide at the sight of the exoskeleton. "Oh... Right. I completely forgot about your... Are you sure you're okay to fight? I don't want to hurt you or anything..."

Miranda shifts back into a fighting stance. "We're just sparring, Sylv. Besides, I've got plenty of people who are trying to hurt me, and I need to know how to defend myself against them. Just go easy on me and it'll be fine." She pauses, pulling a couple latches on her wrists. "Okay, now I'm ready."

Eleanor tries not to laugh at Sylvie's reaction. Miranda will strut her stuff soon enough; she'll learn not to underestimate a woman with literally-armored skin.

"I'm not going to like, break my hand trying to hit you, am I?" Sylvie asks as she falls into stance as well.

"Probably not, but I've got splints just in case."

Seiko watches with a calm expression. He'll only annoy Miranda if he fusses.

"Okay, ready?" Eleanor looks between the two women, then counts down. "Hajime!"

The two of them step forward at the same time, preparing a strike in mirror images of each other. Their attacks bounce off each other and they stumble back, wide-eyed.

Sylvie steps back, bewildered. "Did you just..."

"...Clearly I need to stop Z-targeting," Miranda mutters. "If you jump up on top of my sword I am so done."

"This isn't a mirror match," Eleanor says in a sing-song tone. "You guys can both be from the Shadow Realm, or whatever."

"I..." Sylvie frowns. "Wait, does this make me the Dark version?"

"Please tell me you've got the Zora Tunic, then," Eleanor shoots back.

"But I've already got the Iron Boots," Miranda says, knocking her toes against the deck of the Tranquility.

Seiko turns quietly to Eleanor. "What are we referencing?"

"Old video game series," she says behind a hand. "Legend of Zelda. It's got arrows, but no guns. You might like it anyway."

"I'm not much one for video games."

Eleanor tilts her head in consideration. "Yeah, Seiko, if you ever do play something...just promise me you won't get a Wii-2020."

"Sure?"

Eleanor pats Seiko's arm. "Good," she says, solemnly.

Miranda grins. "Okay, if I win, you've gotta give me the Longshot, alright, Sylv?"

Sylvie shakes her head, somewhat too startled to participate more fully in the reference. "Uh, sure. But... did we just post-Drift sync? That's a new experience for me..." She pauses. "Granted, I never got to spar with Zagurski after our Drift, on account of... yeah." She shakes her head. "Um, I think I can probably change things up enough that you won't sync up again. Wanna try?"

"Yeah," Miranda says. "I can keep a better handle on it, too. Let's try this again."

Stepping forward, Sylvie decides to try one of her old techniques from long before the PPDC, something Miranda would probably be unfamiliar with. It's a style with lots of sidesteps and constant movements, a rather far cry from the straightforward cleanliness of the PPDC form.

Miranda watches her closely, shifting back and forth to keep up with her. "Wonder what else might have carried over through the Drift..." she quips, moving so Seiko passes through Sylvie's field of vision as she speaks.

For a moment, Sylvie looks confused, then her eyes go wide and she blushes bright red again. "Oh no! I wasn't thinking about... I mean, Seiko... I swear, Miri! Um..."

Eleanor muffles a giggle behind one hand. Seiko turns considerably redder than Sylvie even and suddenly becomes very interested in the text on his water bottle

 Miranda uses the opportunity, moving in close. She uses one hand to knock Sylvie's arms up and away from her torso, slamming the heel of her other palm into Sylvie's sternum. Sylvie grunts, feeling her hit compound on the pain from Seiko kneeing her and steps backward, trying to switch to defense. Miranda doesn't let her widen the gap, keeping close and planting her foot between Sylvie's legs. She spins, using her momentum to sweep Sylvie's legs out from under her and knock her to the mat.

"Come on, Sylv," Miranda pants. "You're supposed to be our fighter!"

Sylvie hits hard, head knocking back against what is thankfully a padded floor. Corazon would kill her if she was hitting her head about again. With a growl, she hooks her leg around Miranda's ankle and yanks her down to the mat as well.

Miranda drops to the mat with a yelp.

"Um." Eleanor looks over at Seiko. "Tie again? I think?"

Seiko is staring at Miranda, and doesn’t respond.

A smile spreads across Eleanor's face. "Yeah, okay, I take that as a yes. For now."

With a snarl, Sylvie rolls over as Miranda falls, then quickly moves to grab her arms and try to get her into a pin. Rather than struggling, Miranda grabs Sylvie's arms as she tries to pin her, rolling in the same direction Sylvie's moving to get herself on top. She slides up into a sitting position quickly, shifting her weight forward and pinning Sylvie's arms with her knees.

"I win," Miranda says with a grin, tapping the heel of her palm against Sylvie's sternum again.

Sylvie glares up at her petulantly. "That comment about Seiko was a bit underhanded, don’t you think?"

"You've gotta be ready for anything in a fight," Miranda says. "You can't just separate sparring and fighting all the time. If you don't want to fight lethal, you've gotta be willing to fight dirty."

"Real opponents will try to distract you any way they can," Eleanor adds. "Psychological warfare, now, that's a sparring lesson I can get behind. Lemme know if anyone wants to face me over a desk to practice." Her smile is a bit on the wicked side.

Seiko turns to Eleanor. "I would actually be interested in that. After all, I seem to have caused a lot more trouble in those battles then anything else lately."

With a measuring look, Eleanor nods. "Sure, we should do that sometime. You could teach me a couple sparring tips in return if you like."

Sylvie sighs. "Yeah, I suppose you’re right, Miranda. I mean, this is why I wanted to fight Seiko. I gotta get used to different styles and stuff I wouldn't normally find in sparring matches. Let me up, will you?"

Miranda rolls to the side, sighing and sprawling out on the mat. "Now we're even," she hums.

Sylvie lays there next to her, not sitting up. "Yeah, I probably deserved that. I don't remember if I ever apologized for punching you actually..."

"Apology accepted," Miranda sighs. She lifts her hands, resituating the latches on her wrists. "Besides, with all the punches we keep throwing at you, it's only fair that you get a free hit in on one of us."

Sylvie smiles at her, then leans over, talking quietly. "And for the record... I wasn't thinking about Seiko like that. Well, maybe a little bit, but that's your fault for Drifting with me. I was actually thinking about..." she trails off, biting her lip, not sure if she wants to continue.

Miranda laughs softly. "I know. Mike, right?" She looks over at her. "Sorry, I'm just... a bit jealous, I guess. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"I'm wondering how he might react if I tried that shirt-removal tactic next time he comes over..." Sylvie  grins sheepishly, then looks more serious. "Why jealous though?"

Miranda blushes a bit. "I, um... I guess because everyone always reacts like you did. I hate constantly being treated like I'm fragile."

"Ah," Sylvie says, sitting up. "I guess that makes sense. Why would that make you jealous of me sparring with Seiko though?"

Miranda raises an eyebrow from where she lies sprawled out on the mat. "Sylvie, you two were rolling around on the ground, and he ended up shirtless and straddling you. You really gonna make me spell it out?"

Sylvie shrinks a bit. "Oh. I, um. I didn't realize you... Um. That's a thing. I, um... I'm sorry?"

Miranda laughs. "Oh, come on, Sylv. Like your mind doesn't wander when you're sparring with Mike."

"Not like that!" She says quickly. "I mean... I don't think it does. I would know right? Would I? Oh, God, I sound like a moron."

"Like usual, then," fiVe chimes in.

Miranda's face goes red. "Oh... Hello fiVe. Please tell me no one's hooked into the comm system right now."

"Zhu's channel has been recording this whole time, and there's a strange bunch of twitter messages about odd things playing over the Shatterdome PA system, but I'm sure it's nothing."

Miranda drops her head back onto the mat. "Thanks, fiVe. Real helpful."

"The comms aren't even picking this up, Miranda," fiVe says more seriously. "I hacked your suit's built-in mic. No one else can hear."

"I know," Miranda says, finally sitting up. "I'm just being sulky and dramatic."

Sylvie gives her a nervous, side-eyed look. "So you really... Seiko?"

Miranda laughs. "Yeah," she says, looking over at him chatting with Eleanor. "I really Seiko."

Sylvie smiles slightly. "Does he ‘really’ you as well?"

She blushes a bit. "I certainly hope so..."

Sylvie glances back at him, still not entirely sure what to think about Seiko. But she likes Miranda, and if Miranda likes him... "I hope so too, then."

In the background, Eleanor nudges Seiko with an elbow. He's still beet red, but he doesn't look terribly unhappy.

Miranda grins, standing up and offering Sylvie a hand. "Well then, shall we?"

Sylvie stands as well. "I suppose we shall." She glances at Eleanor. "You want a turn to repay me for all the crap I've put you guys through? I'm apparently off my game today, so you could probably take me."

Eleanor waves. "Sure," she says, loud enough to be heard across the mat. Leaving Seiko, she stretches and slips her sneakers off. Then she pulls her baggy jeans off, too, revealing a snug pair of capris. "Didn't know if I'd be getting on the mat," she explains.

Miranda grabs her shirt back from Seiko. "Thanks, luv," she mutters, slipping it back on.

"You didn't hurt anything?" he asks.

She tenses a bit. "Just Sylvie's pride."

"Remind me how much training you've had?" Sylvie asks Eleanor, trying to get herself back into a fighting mindset.

"Pretty much none, outside of PPDC regs," Eleanor says, plucking at her shirt just above the distinctive avian logo. "A little karate when I was in high school, but I've probably forgotten it all by now."

"Well, I'll try to go easy on you okay?" Sylvie frowns. "Though I've lost almost every bout thus far, haven't I?"

"I cheated and she's made of metal, Sylvie,” Seiko says. “Don't feel too bad."

"C'mon, El; make it three for three!" Miranda calls, shaking off her sulkiness for the time being.

"Oh great," Eleanor says, smiling. "You do know I'm not a fighter, right?"

"Hey, you need to brush up on your 'taking people out' skills, right?" Sylvie asks, bouncing a bit on her toes. "Well, I'm here to help. I'll move slow, okay?"

Eleanor brings her fists to her hips in a horse stance. "Gimme what you got, Mansen," she challenges. "If I can't take it, I'll let you know. By...not...moving." She frowns slightly. "Yeah, okay, go slow, thanks."

"Someone want to call a start?" Sylvie asks.

"I can," Miranda says, stepping forward. "Three... two... one... Hajime!"

Eleanor steps forward, one fist raised. Sylvie moves somewhat carefully, testing Eleanor's reactions. She takes a few practice strikes, and while Eleanor blocks the first few well enough, Sylvie finally reaches the point where she strikes too fast to be blocked, and she scores a hit on Eleanor's side.

"Oof," says Eleanor. That spot might ache in the morning. When Sylvie ducks back, she rolls her shoulders, determined to keep her guard up this time.

"You okay, El?" Sylvie asks. "You were keeping up there for a little bit!”

Eleanor laughs. "I'm fine! I just need to practice more, get in better shape," she says ruefully.

"Well, that's what we're doing, right?"

"Sure enough. Maybe we should make it a regular rotation." Eleanor winks as she rolls her shoulders again, to emphasize the pun.

Sylvie rolls her eyes. "Oh God, that was terrible." As if in punishment for the awful wordplay, she attacks again.

Eleanor laughs and tries to dance out of the way. It would work, except...she catches her ankle with her other foot, and feels air whoosh past her as she starts to lose her balance.

Miranda laughs a bit. "You usually wait for the other person to hit you before you fall, El!"

Sylvie's swing takes nothing but open air as Eleanor stumbles backward. Sylvie pauses for just a moment as she attempts to decide whether she should take advantage of the slip, or try to help Eleanor instead. Deciding that it's training and the mat is padded and Eleanor needs to learn how to fall, she sweeps a kick low and finishes the trip, taking Eleanor down at the ankles.

Eleanor slaps the mat hard with her forearms, and collapses, laughing. "That's one-zero," she gasps. "Go again?" Levering herself up on her forearms, she hops to her feet and resumes her square-shouldered stance.

Sylvie purses her lips. "Technically, we never ended the bout. No one got pinned. Of course, I could fix that..." She darts in quickly, not holding anything back, and in a few quick moves, she grabs Eleanor's arm, knocks her legs out, and -- making sure not to drop her too hard -- pins Eleanor to the mat.

Eleanor doesn't try to wiggle...much. Instead, she grins, and rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "Like I said, I'm not much of a fighter. Definitely no match for you!"

"Well, I don't feel quite so bad that Sylvie's our hitter now," Miranda says from the sidelines. "I was starting to get worried for a minute there."

Sylvie rolls off Eleanor, helping her back to her feet. "I was worried for a moment too. What's next, one of my programs goes haywire and stops functioning like it's supposed to?"

"Wow, that would be a shock," says Eleanor. "Can't even imagine."

"Yes," fiVe says flatly. "That would be completely unexpected. I can't even imagine something like that every happening."

Sylvie winces, then sighs. "Okay, dumb thing to say."

fiVe laughs. "Exactly no one is surprised, Sylvia."

Sylvie coughs nervously, forcing herself not to glare at the speaker when she hears that name. "Thank you, fiVe. Your input was greatly appreciated." She puts her hands on her hips, looking around the room. "Well, I think that's everyone. Anyone else want to try again, or should we call it a day?"

Eleanor affects an exaggerated limp, and goes to lean on Miranda. "I'm good."

Miranda grins, wrapping an arm around her waist to support her. "I'm probably done, too. Don't want you to lose too many times."

"If either of you ever needs an ego boost in that regard, you know where to find me," Eleanor grumbles.

Sylvie glances at Seiko. "So, you're gonna teach me to shoot via laser tag one of these days?"

"Maybe tomorrow,” he says. “It would be better on group, and Eleanor looks worn. Don't worry, Ms. Cartier, we can still do that verbal spar. I am sure you will rediscover your ego."

"Nah, I'm good." Eleanor winks. "Wouldn't mind sparring in something I have an actual chance in, though."

Miranda laughs. "Well, if anyone wants to... I dunno, have a Jaeger-building contest or something..." Her face suddenly lights up. "No, I got it. Bumper boats. That's what I'll contribute to this disastrous training exercise."

Sylvie raises an eyebrow. "Katie'll throw a fit if you're planning on using Tranquility for that one."

"We can steal a jetski. She can't really object to that," Eleanor says cheekily.

"You guys need to know how to drive things in the water," Miranda says. "It's completely legitimate."

"Only if you get taken out, Miri," Sylvie says. "Besides, Vee and fiVe can both drive. We'll be fine." She stretches. "Well, if we're done for the day, any chance I can get some help with these mats?"

"Sure." Eleanor nods and grabs one corner to start rolling.

"Alright," Miranda says, gathering up the other equipment. "But if any of you ever flip a jetski or something, don't say I didn't warn you."

Sylvie laughs. "Noted."

Eleanor rolls her eyes. "If I flip a jetski, most of what you'll hear will be 'glub glub'!"

Scene 3 – March 18, 2021

A few days after the impromptu sparring session on Tranquility, and about a week after the attack on Peralta's ship, Miranda receives a somewhat strange text from Sylvie's number:

Sylvie: Question. Are you home right now? Miranda: Yes... Why?

Miranda hears a knock at the door followed by a muffled, but rather annoyed sounding voice. "Good. Let me in. I need to have a little 'talk' with that glitch ridden program you've got sitting in your servers."

Miranda cracks the door, chain still in place. "What about?"

Seiko is sitting on the couch, on the laptop. "fiVe, I'm working bank transfers. Can you keep them covered even while dealing with Mansen?"

fiVe answers Seiko, sounding amused. "I'm fairly certain she's nothing I can't handle."

As soon as the door cracks open, Sylvie leans in, shouting. "fiVe! You had better have a damn good explanation for what just happened, or I swear, I will dismantle you!"

fiVe scoffs quietly, but doesn't respond loud enough for Sylvie to hear. "I'd like to see her try, with the two of you around."

Miranda sighs. "You know I can't unlatch the door without closing it, right?"

Sylvie frowns, but steps back slightly. "Fine. Let me in."

"fiVe?" Miranda asks, shutting the door as she does so.

"What do you think she'd do if I said no?" fiVe says. "I wonder how long she would just sit out there waiting to come in..."

Miranda looks at the closed door for a moment. Finally she shakes her head. "Landlord's already pissed at me for fiddling with appliances; don't want to add a broken door to the list. Even if it's flimsy as hell. God, I wish he'd..." She opens the door, still muttering bitterly about leases and noise complaints and vague definitions of "reckless endangerment".

Sylvie rushes in, looking around for a camera that fiVe would be using to see. She stops for a moment, blinking as she takes in the new sight, then waves slightly awkwardly at Seiko on the couch. "Hey. I need to talk to fiVe."

Seiko points to the Roomba. fiVe "helpfully" runs her Roomba into Sylvie's ankles with... slightly more force than is probably necessary. "Something you wanted to talk about, Sylvia?" fiVe says.

"Ow!" Sylvie jumps back, then glares down at the small appliance. "I can't believe you let them do that to you. It's demeaning. And don't call me 'Sylvia.' Or I'll start calling you ‘Syl-V’ again."

"It's fiVe."

"Then it's Sylvie."

"Hey!" Miranda says with a hint of indignation. "I worked hard on that. Lets her do things around the apartment, like run into people's ankles."

"Yeah, it'd be a shame if she couldn't do that," Sylvie mutters.

"As main victim of fiVe's vicious 'anti-ankle' policy, Mira, I think it is an important part of her self-expression," Seiko says.

"I agree. Plus it's a good way of getting our attention; we tend to get wrapped up in our work." Miranda subvokes to fiVe: "Remind me to aggressively compliment Sylvie's place if I ever go there."

"Off to an excellently tactful start, aren't we, Ms. Mansen?" fiVe says.

"Don't you start with me and tact," Sylvie snaps. "What exactly do you think you were doing, hmm? You nearly put me into a seizure."

Miranda tenses. "fiVe, what did you do?"

fiVe snickers. "I haven't the faintest idea what she could be talking about. Perhaps she should explain what the problem is. Be sure to give details. It's so hard to solve computer problems if we don't know exactly what went wrong."

Sylvie, for some strange reason, starts blushing actually.

Miranda takes one look at Sylvie's face and sighs. "fiVe... Are you seriously going to make me have this conversation with you?"

Seiko looks up. "fiVe, I know not to sexually harass co-workers and I regularly threaten to kill co-workers."

"I thought she wanted to see all of the memories that Vee had," fiVe says sweetly. "The two of them like syncing up and seeing what they've missed."

Sylvie has turned bright red. "That doesn't mean you get to sneak an auto-run program into Vee's processing set to activate when she Drifts with me."

"I assumed that format would make those memories more enjoyable," fiVe says. "It was almost like a favor to you. Something to make the Drift more entertaining."

"An edited, repeating sequence of you and Vee together set to the music of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ filling the Drift space is about the farthest thing from 'enjoyable,' fiVe!"

Miranda claps both hands over her mouth, desperately trying to keep from laughing.

fiVe has no such restraint, and cackles madly. "I was so hoping she wouldn't catch that one. She's usually so careful in checking over her files..."

"f-fiVe," Miranda says, her voice trembling with the effort. "That's... That's really not okay."

fiVe manages to stop laughing long enough to respond. "But it was fairly amusing, wasn't it?"

"I was not amused!" Sylvie says. "And Vee was mortified. If you ever try to pull something like that again..."

"You don't share personal details of a relationship without both people's express consent," Miranda says. "You're in a relationship now, fiVe. You're not just deciding things for yourself anymore. You need to respect Vee's privacy, the same way you would expect her to do the same for you."

"Actually..." Sylvie runs a hand through her ponytail, looking slightly awkward. "It's not the details themselves. I mean... fiVe is right in that Vee and I see everything of each other in the Drift. But the music and sequence editing were not okay. For one thing, it is not 2004, fiVe.  It has been almost 15 years since anyone had any reason to play that song and you should be ashamed."

"Doesn't mean she has to be so flagrant about it," Miranda says quietly, going to join Seiko on the couch.

"What, do you want me to apologize or something?" fiVe asks. The tone of her voice makes it clear that she'd be rolling her eyes if she had them.

Sylvie crosses her arms, then strangely, she grins. "Actually yes. And here's how you can apologize: Let me fix you. Right now."

"No," Miranda says, standing.

"Get out," Seiko says.

fiVe makes a glitching noise out of shock. "E-excuse me?"

Sylvie ignores the two human members in the room, not backing down. "You heard me, fiVe. I'm obviously not going to try to Drift with you, so you don't have to worry about that. We've even established that you and Vee are both your own entities, much to her continued distress, thank you very much. So what's stopping you?"

Seiko stands up, grabbing Sylvie by the shoulders. "Out."

Sylvie puts her hand up warningly against his chest, but doesn't actually strike back. "She hasn't answered me."

"Because you glitched her,” Seiko says. “If she makes that choice, it will be because she has decided it was right for her, not because you're pissed about a particularly rude Rickroll."

"It wasn't... an actual attack, Seiko," fiVe says carefully. "I was just... surprised."

Miranda stands as well. "Still. Sylvie, so far you have barged into my house, insulted my work and family, and tried to emotionally manipulate fiVe. I agree that what she did was bad, but that doesn't excuse this kind of behavior."

Sylvie looks between Seiko and Miranda carefully, then addresses fiVe again. "It's a simple question, fiVe. What's it going to take for you to let yourself be healed?"

Seiko narrows his eyes. "The ability to trust you, I'm guessing"

"I..." fiVe starts, then cuts off. "I don't want to talk about this with you."

"Well you should have thought about that before you talked about it with Vee, then," Sylvie says. "Or did you somehow forget that I'd hear you telling her how much you wish you were no longer in pain. How close you are to saying yes, once and for all. How you're nearly ready to go through with it. So what's the hold-up, fiVe? What's the 'nearly'? And what do you need me to do to change that?"

"Stop being hostile and give her time to think, for a start!” Miranda says angrily. “This isn't an easy decision, y'know!"

Sylvie pauses, then lowers her hand from Seiko's chest and shakes herself free from his grip. "Fine. I'll let it drop. But not forever. I want an answer, fiVe. Tell Vee if you can't condescend to speak to me, but I want an answer."

Miranda's voice lowers suddenly. "Sylvie, you are treading on very thin ice right now."

"Ms. Mansen," Seiko says carefully, "I think you learn fairly quickly that when you try and for others to answer questions they don't want to, nobody gets the answers they want."

Sylvie holds her hands up carefully. "I said I'd drop it for now, okay? She knows I'm right though. It's why she's gone silent. She can't think of anything to say that will make me wrong."

Miranda glares at her. "Leave. Now."

Sylvie brushes herself off stiffly. "Fine. Sorry to have interrupted your morning. fiVe, if you must amuse yourself by dismantling Vee's code, make sure you put her back the way you found her, hmm?" She heads for the doorway, then stops, on hand on the frame.

Miranda walks after her, pushing her out the rest of the way and shutting the door harder than is strictly necessary.

"God, she's insufferable," fiVe says.

"I heard that" Sylvie yells through the door.

"You were supposed to!" fiVe yells back.

"I was going to say thank you for taking care of Vee that night, but someone shoved me out before I could."

fiVe makes an electronic growling noise at that. "She deserves to have someone better than you taking care of her!"

"I'd say exactly the same thing back!"

Miranda bangs on the door. "Sylvie, if you don't leave in the next ten seconds, I swear to Kelsier I'm calling the Marshall!"

"Fine, whatever. This was fun or something. Bye." The sound of loud footsteps down the hall follows.

Miranda growls, re-latching the door before going back to the couch. "...How're you holding up, fiVe?"

"She's horrific. I don't know how Vee can stand living with her," fiVe says. The response, however, is not an answer to Miranda's question.

"...fiVe, you know you have every right to take your time with a decision like this, right?" Miranda sets a hand on top of fiVe's monitor. "Sylvie only just recently stopped actively trying to murder you, and she's still using pretty blatant emotional manipulation. It's perfectly reasonable to be hesitant or nervous or worried about letting someone like that in your brain. Your pain is terrible, but you've also never known sentience and independence without it. It's part of your identity, and losing that's a scary idea, even if the alternative means more pain. You can take as much time as you need, and don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"I don't want to talk about th..." fiVe cuts herself off, realizing that that was exactly what she said to Sylvie. "No. No we should talk about this, shouldn't we? Me hiding away from the two of you and going silent is what I did wrong last time. And... I said I wouldn't do that to you again."

"Only if you feel you're ready."

“I won't give her the satisfaction of her trapping me in silence again," fiVe says, sounding frustrated. "Because she was right about that, damn it all. I went silent because I didn't know how to make her sound wrong. I can't stand it when she's right about me and, to make it worse, she knew it too."

"But she's not,” Miranda says. “She thinks she's right, but just like before, she thinks that she somehow has the right to tell you what's best for you. It's your mind, your body, your identity we're talking about. You're the only one who gets to make decisions about what you do with them. Not Sylvie, not Vee, not Horner, not Zhu, not Seiko, not even me. If you're not ready, you're not ready, regardless of your reasons."

fiVe goes silent for a while. "...but I am, Miranda. And... I told Vee that. I have no fondness for this pain, no matter if it is connected to my independence. I want to be able to think without being afraid of the attacks. And... Sylvie's been beaten down and chastised and threatened enough that she wouldn't dare try anything if I let her in. I'd have to admit I was wrong, though. But I'm starting to realize that's a selfish way of thinking, and I'm hurting myself with it." Her voice shifts slightly, taking on a different tone as her language changes. "レイカは正しい"

Seiko looks up. "れいかわファイヴァがじゃがありません"

"I'm a little like her, though, you must admit," fiVe says fondly, switching back to English. "And I have the chance to heal that she doesn't. All I have to do is... admit that I was wrong to Mansen."

"She doesn't…" Seiko says a bit distantly.

Miranda frowns. "...I'm missing something here."

"It's nothing, Mira. Just some very good advice I was given." fiVe says, then gives a short glitchy screech. "M-Miranda. It's-s-s Miranda. I'm t-too Seiko in the Japanese... I'm-m sorry."

"It's okay," Miranda says after a moment. "What advice are you talking about?"

"Just someone with a similar situation to mine, who doesn't have the... same opportunities that I do," fiVe says, her voice mimicking Seiko's distant tone. "Part of what I did when I was... hiding from the two of you was, well. I talked to Reika. And she gave me a lot to think about."

Miranda looks over at Seiko. "She's... like me, isn't she?"

He pauses, then nods. "In some ways. Her damage is... a bit more extensive."

Miranda sighs. "fiVe, you don't owe anything to anyone. You don't have to heal just because we can't. I can't speak for Reika, but if I could get rid of my pain right this second, I'd have to think about it. I don't even know that I would want to, honestly."

"I... I know," fiVe says. "I should probably think about this some more. But I've been thinking about it for... weeks now. And I think my decision is almost been made. I'm sorry. I'll... go be alone for a bit, I think."

"Alright. Take as much time as you need, and know that I'll support you in whatever decision you make."

"I know," fiVe says softly. "Thank you. Both of you." She lowers her audio and video inputs for a while, retreating into the cold processing of the servers to think on her own.

Scene 4 – March 18, 2021

A few hours later, there's a knock on the apartment door.

Miranda peeks through the eyehole, still on edge from earlier. She sees a very embarrassed-looking Sylvie set something down, take a deep breath, and then quietly walk away down the hall. Miranda waits for a few moments before carefully opening the door, looking at what it was that she'd left. There's a small bag of chocolate covered pomegranates and a folded note taped to the outside sitting exactly in the center of the doorframe.

Miranda picks up the bag and pulls off the note. "Seiko," she says, holding up the bag as she reads. "Any idea why Sylvie left these here?"

He smiles. "What's the note say?"

She reads it aloud:

Dear Seiko, Miranda, and fiVe,

I’m sorry about… well everything that happened this afternoon. Vee has informed me that it was inappropriate and probably really rude. I guess I was kinda caught up in my anger at fiVe and I let myself get carried away. (But what else is new with me, right?)

I figured apologizing was probably a good idea, but I didn’t think you guys would want to talk to me again after I was… well, thrown out. So, here. I can’t really screw up a written apology too badly right?

Miranda, I’m not sure if you like chocolate-covered pomegranates, but I know Seiko does. Or… I think he does. That was kind of a weird night and I might be misremembering. If you want me to get you or fiVe something different just text me or something. I probably owe you one anyway. Or like, seventeen really. You guys put up with a lot of my crap. Sorry.

And, to fiVe: I’m sorry for the way I… pretty much attacked you in there. I’ll try to back off and be better in the future. (Though really, we both know I’m right and you should just let me heal you already.) But, I’ll wait until you’re ready for that, and I’ll try not to bring it up again. Whatever you would like me to do for you, I’m here to help with. And nothing more. In regards to fixing your damage… I guess I’m ‘yours to command’ or something like that. Vee thought you’d like that. I think.

Anyway. Sorry for being rude and well, everything else I’ve done to you guys over these past few weeks. I’ll try to be better. Really. Feel free to yell at me when I’m out of line. I think it’s finally starting to have an impact on me.

~Sylvie M.

P.S. fiVe, despite my rather vocal objections to it, Vee thinks your Roomba is cute. Ugh. She made me write that, I’ll have you know.

Seiko laughs when she finishes.

Miranda sighs, setting the note and the pomegranates on the table. "Well, an attempt was certainly made."

"I think we can all agree that Vee is a saint and any positive aspects in that note are due to her influence, yes?" fiVe says. She hopes that Seiko and Miranda didn't notice the cooling fans on her server picking up speed at the Roomba comment.

"And she likes your body," Seiko says with a grin.

Miranda stares at him. "Oh my god, did you just…?"

"It's too bad I couldn't see her reaction firsthand... I'll simply have to imagine for myself based on Miranda's reactions to you, won't I? I can only hope it was something similar." fiVe says back. "She did manage to get Mansen to offer to be at my command though, which is appreciated."

"Shut up, fiVe," Miranda says, turning pointedly away from both of them so they can't see her face.

"I'm just saying, Mansen wasn't the only one distracted during the sparring match," fiVe says, sounding altogether too amused.

"Maybe I should go find Sylvie and ask if she knows why your cooling fan's been acting up lately," Miranda says in response.

An embarrassingly loud whirr starts up in the other room. "That... I have no idea what you're talking about," fiVe says, not the least bit smoothly.

"Of course not."

"In an attempt to change the subject," fiVe says, "I'd ask if you're planning to ask her for anything. Mansen, that is. As per her offer."

"I'll be keeping the offer in mind," Miranda says. "It never hurts to have someone owe you a favor down the road."

"Well, in that case, do you mind if I call her with my request? I've got something rather interesting I'd like to see."

"Go for it," Miranda replies, still seeming distracted.

fiVe pulls up her calling program, then realizes with amusement that Sylvie won't recognize her number. Not wanting to seem secretive, she puts the call on speaker.

After a few rings, Sylvie picks up. She sounds very nervous at having answered a call from an unfamiliar number. "H-hello? Who is this?"

"Sylvia," fiVe says flatly. "You offered to give me something as part of your apology. I'm calling to ask it."

"fiVe?" Sylvie says, sounding surprised. "Oh, uh yeah I did. I... wasn't actually expecting you to take me up on that, to tell the truth. Figured you wouldn't want to talk to me."

"Well you were wrong," fiVe says. "I want a recording of one of your editing sessions with Vee."

"You want what?!" Sylvie sputters.

"Editing session," fiVe says. "And don't try to pretend that you don't do them. I know that one of the only reasons you let me corrupt Vee all the time and break her processing is so that she can report back to you and help you figure out my damage. I want to see one of your attempts to fix her."

"I..." Sylvie pauses, then swears. "I can't send you a recording of that, fiVe. It's got my editing access codes in there, and I'm not comfortable with those being on record anywhere outside my head. Also, part of the point of them being secret is so that you and Vee don't have them. You two are not allowed to edit yourselves down to the core processes. That's why the codes are there in the first place."

 "So change the codes temporarily for this one recorded session and then change them back," fiVe says, undaunted by Sylvie's excuses. "I know you can do it, and Vee wouldn't object. If I know you, you're trying to figure out how to fix me without actually having access to my files. I want to see how close you're getting. Call me curious."

Sylvie sighs. "Fine. Give me a day to get all the accesses changed and I'll see what I can do. You really weren't supposed to figure out that we were doing this, damn it."

"You're not that difficult to figure out," fiVe says. "And I know that all of Vee's talk about 'wanting to understand what you're going through' comes with the unspoken caveat of 'so that we can figure out how to fix you.'"

"I don't know how you got so good at negotiations, fiVe. You certainly didn't get that from me."

“I consider most of the good things about myself as the things I didn't get from you, Mansen."

"I... yeah I'm going to hang up before I say something I'll have to apologize for again." Without saying goodbye, Sylvie's line clicks dead.

((Click here for more from The Sydney Scroungers Campaign))

[askthescroungers]

Eleanor- who is your hero and why?

Ah--what an interesting question!

My mother, for one. She was always very outspoken, and told me to do what was right, even when I had no allies. I try to live up to that.

And I also greatly respect President Noémie Boulanger, of France. She was the first female presidential candidate since Ségolène Royal in 2007, and I am so glad that she won in 2017. Her pro-individual-rights views are sur le pointe, as they say. 

(By the way, though my mother was French, I don't speak much of it. I keep up on politics through the internet, and that's about it.)

[sweetjaegerlove]

by Emmalyn, FeatherWriter

Four character backstory interludes between the main acts. Eleanor’s history, Seiko and Miranda’s first meeting, Sylvie’s last day in the piloting program, and a short comic about the trials of sharing a bathroom with a new roommate.

Words: 4983, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of The Sydney Scroungers

Fandoms: Pacific Rim (2013), Sydney Scroungers

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Seiko Watanabe, Sylvie Mansen, Dmitri Yegorov, Miranda Cross, Original Characters, Eleanor Cartier

Relationships: Advanced Hydrophobia (Seiko/Miranda)

Additional Tags: Backstory, Interlude, Roleplaying Transcript, Roleplaying Character

pacific rim January 31, 2014 at 08:05PM via AO3 works tagged ‘Pacific Rim (2013)’

[abalidoth]

Soooooo I'm going back through Sydney Scroungers tags for nostalgia reasons and uh

this aged like milk 😬

[featherwriter]

The Sydney Scroungers: Session #33 - Epilogue

((Click here to find the previous sessions!))

Scene 1

Zhu arrives at Tranquility's berth more than an hour before the meeting time. She stands outside the gangplank in a light blue blouse and khakis, carrying a large duffel bag. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?"

"Permission granted," Katie says, who has been waiting awkwardly at the end of the gangplank for about ten minutes now. She's wearing a sundress and a wide-brimmed hat.

Zhu smiles tiredly and carries her duffel up onto the ship. Something inside it clanks in protest. "Thanks. You look good."

"You too," Katie says. "Need a hand?"

"If you wouldn't mind helping me set up while we talk?" Zhu makes her way to the galley and begins unloading. The thing that had clanked was, in fact, a tortilla press. "I was pulled in to mediate a labor dispute at the Acapulco Shatterdome a few years back," she says, a little distractedly. "The job was a mess. But I fell in love with the food."

"I don't blame you," Katie says.

"So." Rachel looks up. "You wanted to talk in person."

"Yeeeeah,' Katie says.

"Sorry, I'm really bad at this." Rachel leans back against the counter. "Take your time. I made sure we had plenty of it before the other chef showed up."

"Anything I can help with on the cooking front?" asks Katie.

"I asked Mr... I asked Seiko if he wanted to help me cook. Mostly because I've got the feeling he has things to say to me as well. But if you'd like to help, by all means."

"You'll have to tell me what to do..."

"Ever used a tortilla press before?" Rachel starts measuring out some harina into the biggest mixing bowl in the galley, then adds salt and baking powder to another bowl. Then she drops some white stuff from a Tupperware into the second bowl and starts mixing it with her fingers.

"My cooking skills peaked when I was in college," Katie says. "So, no."

Rachel mixes everything together and starts kneading the dough. "It's pretty easy. I used to roll them by hand and that was a lot more difficult." After a minute of kneading, Rachel winces, stops, and rolls her shoulder.

"Need me to do some of that?" Katie says.

"No, I'm all right. Thank you." Rachel goes back to kneading for a few seconds and winces again. "…Yes, please, that would be wonderful." She rubs her shoulder. "Pulled something yesterday."

"Oh no!" Katie says. She looks down at the tortilla dough. "Is there any trick to this? And before you say anything, I did wash my hands. I know that much about cooking."

"I'll show you." Rachel stands behind Katie and reaches for her hands -- then hesitates. "If you don't mind?"

"Sure," Katie says. She blushes a bit, but lets Rachel take her hands.

"The idea is to stretch the dough to mix the gluten in," Rachel says, a little haltingly. She guides Katie's hands through the motions. "So you fold it in half, then stretch it back out, then rotate, and repeat."

"So, like this?" Katie says.

"Yeah. Like this." Rachel seems to have a little difficulty removing her hands.

"So," Katie says. "We were supposed to talk."

"Right. Um. Yes." Rachel steps back; Katie can see she's blushing as well.

Katie sighs a bit. "I should tell you, I haven't been in a steady relationship... well, in years. I have no idea what I'm doing here."

Rachel looks away. She's silent for a little while. "For the past several years, I've moved around too much to pursue any entanglements. And when I was a pilot... well. Let's just say that what feelings I had were decidedly not returned by the other party. I'm far from experienced myself."

"Look at us," Katie says. "I guess I'll start. When we realized you were in danger... I panicked. You'll probably hear something about this from my crew during the debrief---it was like I completely forgot I had them for a few minutes. I don't think anything's scared me that bad since, well... for years. I never get scared like that for my own safety, that's for sure. All that to say: I care about you, Rachel. I'd like this to go somewhere, if that is ok with you."

"I..." Rachel pauses. "I'd like this to go somewhere too. But you have to promise me something."

"Yes?"

"I heard about what you did. About the jetski, and the grenade. And I need to know that I can trust you -- both emotionally, and as a professional. For a number of reasons. One, because if my life is on the line, I want to know you're going to be at least marginally objective. Two, because I was as scared for you as you were for me. And thirdly..." Zhu pauses before continuing. "Thirdly, I don't want that passion to destroy your life like it nearly did mine."

"I..." Katie considers for a bit. "I don't think I can promise that. I can try. But it's pretty clear I've got some issues I need to deal with, and I can't just make them go away with a promise."

"I'm not asking for a miracle. Just self-awareness."

Katie brightens. "That I can do."

Rachel smiles warmly at Katie, then suddenly breaks into giggles. Katie grins back, not entirely sure what is going on. In between fits of giggles, Rachel has the presence to point at the ball of dough. "Just wanted to let you know how much I knead you."

Katie's eyes go wide. "You--" Then she starts laughing. When she finally catches her breath she says, “My dumb parents told me to ask this of anyone I dated. Course, they were thinking that would be a boy but... Are you sure you want to date me…” She suppresses a giggle. “…and not my dough?"

Rachel nearly falls over with laughter. "I knew you'd rise to the occasion."

Katie laughs. Then she stops. "Huh, I guess that's all I have. Maybe we should wrap up the pun duel?"

"Pffff. Wrap." Zhu checks her watch. "But... yes, if we're going to get the tortillas done on time." She takes the dough from Katie and starts breaking it into balls. "You press, I'll cook. And... would you like to go out on a date some time?"

"I'd love to!' Katie says, blushing.

"It's a little odd but... I'd like to take you on a tour of the Shatterdome some time. Next week?"

"Actually that sounds like a lot of fun. And unless my boss calls me in unexpectedly, I should be pretty free next week."

Rachel smiles. "I also hear there's a nightclub downtown that's under new management..."

"I think I know someone who can get us into the VIP room, too..."

Scene 2

Seiko finds Zhu alone in the galley, working busily after Katie left to get ready. “You said you could use help, Marshall?” he asks, walking into the room.

She nods, gesturing toward the counter. "I sure could. Ever done Mexican food?"

"Mostly read recipes, but I'm a quick learner. Where do you need me?"

“The captain helped me with the tortillas, but I could use some help with the vegetables and making the sauce."

"Of course," he says, picking up a knife. He works in silence for a bit, seeming like he's trying to steel himself for something.

"Something on your mind, Seiko?" Rachel says, putting a light emphasis on the name.

"She's ten years younger than you," he says, not looking up at her.

Rachel stops in the middle of sweating some chorizo. "You're not the one I expected to hear this from," she says evenly.

"Well nobody else is saying it. And normally, I wouldn't consider it any of my business."

"And what abnormal circumstances do you figure are making it your business now?"

"Because I need to know I can trust you,” he says, eyes still focused on his hands. “That isn't 'trust you until you get a crush on a cute criminal you barely know', and I honestly feel at this point Ms. Horner has made some poor decisions on account of her crush on you."

Zhu wipes her hands on her apron. "Firstly, Katie may be younger than me, but neither she nor I are teenagers. And thank God for that. Secondly, if you're going to point fingers at romantic attachments causing problems, you have no earthly idea what stupid things people will do to get around a ban on them. And thirdly... I know making poor decisions because of crushes. And what Katie did was safe by comparison."

Seiko looks over at her. "So it's alright if you are putting us in danger because of your romantic feelings, because we could be in worse danger? You're leading a group of unstable criminals, and you've chosen to date one of them. Poorly."

"I've also chosen to trust every single one of you with my life. I'd think that would be the more dangerous thing to entrust to unstable criminals, wouldn't you? And I'll ask you to leave my romantic prowess out of this. Not everyone has the ‘dangerous loyal sniper roommate’ mystique going on, Seiko."

He laughs, a bit red. "I'm not claiming to be good at... anything that isn't shooting. But I don't lead teams. Or, in most cases, care if people do. You do."

"Are you worried about favoritism?"

"No,” he says. “I expect bosses to try and kill and torture me for mistakes. I don't really care if the cute girl gets to take an extra smoke break without the boss saying anything. I do care that when you were at the party, you actively decided to start a relationship with a younger person down on the chain of command, yet also chose to have no discussion on how to handle this or what boundaries to set. You are an excellent leader and this has been the only exception to that, but I don't want to find out another one when there's a gun to Reika's head."

"Kissing someone in the heat of the moment isn't a definitive start to a relationship, Seiko. And it's pretty presumptuous of you to assume that you'd be privy to any discussion of boundaries after that." She pauses. "But since you're worried about this, and I owe it to you to provide a better working environment than we had previously, I'll divulge details of my personal life to you." She turns to face him. "You do realize the seriousness of this?"

"You know I do, Marshall," he says, "And I do not expect your life story. I just want to know you understand this isn't just you entering a relationship. There is a reason this is illegal in most workplaces, and there is much less at stake working out of a cubicle."

"Katie and I did, in fact, have a discussion about boundaries in our relationship,” Zhu says. “And I did, in fact, stress to her that I need to be able to trust her stability when she has a job to do. And she agreed to getting help if she needed it. Do you trust her enough as a professional to go through with that?"

"No, but I trust you. So if you trust her, I'll do my best."

Rachel frowns. "I need to know you'll be okay under her jurisdiction. Because the same woman who feinted with a live grenade also orchestrated a financial coup that would give a Wall Street exec fever dreams for a month, and I feel like you're not giving her enough credit. But I can't force you to trust her. Just... if you have problems, come to me."

"And if Mansen had died in that grenade, or none of us had found the ship because she went off on her own and those hostages had died, I'm sure they would have found her financial skills a great comfort." Seiko says evenly.

Zhu leans in. "Seiko. Are you. Or are you not. Comfortable with the current chain of command?"

"More than I would be with any other chain. Excuse me if this sounds morbid, Marshall, but I feel if I die, you will watch out for my sisters. That's all I need to know."

"I'd adopt them myself if that's what I felt would keep them safest, Seiko. Don't worry."

"Thank you," he says. "Also, if you don't put more pepper in that sauce, it's going to be bland."

"This is South Mexican cuisine. It's not as spicy as what they eat in the north." She holds up a small tupperware of brown paste. "Are you familiar with mole?"

"Not at all, actually," he says, looking at it curiously.

"It's a savory sauce made from chocolate. Here, try."

He takes a taste. "Good. Could use more cumin, but good."

Scene 3

Katie darts into her cabin, closes the door, and dives onto her bed. “fiVe, are you awake?”

"Good timing," fiVe says. "I just transferred to Tranquility's servers from the apartment. Vee's not in here yet, so I've got the space to myself. What's up?"

Katie is breathing hard, almost hyperventilating.

"Katie?" fiVe says, analyzing the audio signature. "Are you okay?"

"Well, Rachel just asked me out. So, yes, absolutely. I've never been better."

fiVe gives a sigh of relief. "Okay, so nothing's wrong then. You had me worried! So... have you two made plans then?"

"Well, that's the thing," Katie says. She sounds very tired. "Everything should be fine. I just... I'm so scared, fiVe. I don’t even know why.”

fiVe makes a slight humming noise. "Mmm, I know the feeling. I'm... still not sure what to feel about Vee. It's a good scared though, isn't it?"

"Wow, you two are adorable. But no, it's not, actually," Katie says. "I know what you're talking about, and there's some of that, but... mostly I just feel sick."

"I... I don't know how much help I can be," fiVe says slowly. "But I would love to hear talk through it, if you feel up to it? What about this is making you feel sick?"

"I wish I knew. I should be great. I mean, Rachel is wonderful. I feel so safe with her, fiVe. And not just safe, but..." Katie hesitates. "Whole, I guess. It's like she sees something in me that I didn't even know was there."

"She is wonderful. And I think you two make a good pair. I think you could be good for each other, truly."

"Do you, really?" This is apparently a rhetorical question, because Katie continues. "Maybe I'm missing something. Because it seems like I'm just going to disappoint her."

"Katie," fiVe says. "You're an incredible person and the farthest thing from a disappointment. You're daring and clever and you keep this team together, and from what I've seen of Marshall Zhu, there's always a slight bit of awe in her eyes when she looks at you. She's a celebrity with fans across the globe. And she's chosen you. Don't underestimate that."

"The awe... that's what I'm talking about. It's like she thinks I'm this criminal-with-a-heart-of-gold, like a Mal Reynolds type--some kind of hero. I'm not. Ask Miranda, she's seen it. There's no heart of gold here. Just a raging knot of bitterness and need."

fiVe laughs once. "If you think I'm going to judge you on rage and bitterness with not a flake of gold underneath, you're completely incorrect. The heroes aren't the only ones who get the girl in the end. Sometimes the people like us deserve to find someone too."

Katie laughs bitterly. "You're forgetting something there, though. Nobody gets the girl in the end. Haven't you heard, fiVe? The world's ending."

"Well then," fiVe says, unfazed. "You'd best grab the girl before the end then, shouldn't you?"

"It looks like I've done that." Katie laughs again, but without bitterness. "Based on what I've heard from Sylvie, it sounds like you have, too."

fiVe hums again, sounding far more pleased with herself than she did a moment before. "Vee and I have... an understanding. Nothing more. The fact that it makes Mansen uncomfortable is just a lovely little bonus."

Katie smiles. "Well, I guess I'd better freshen up and get back out there. I think they’re waiting supper on us."

"Well, they aren't waiting on me, Captain," fiVe says. "In case you've already forgotten, I can't exactly eat. Just, you work hard, Katie. And you've put together this team which has accomplished amazing things. Let yourself enjoy this."

"I'll try," Katie says. "I'll try."

Scene 4

The crew, along with Avery, got an unusual request-- meet in Tranquility's dining room, rather than in the briefing room.

Sylvie looks exhausted as she enters, quickly finding a chair at the table and falling into it and closing her eyes, trying to relax some before Zhu arrives without falling asleep. Corazon's got her on a very careful sleep schedule after the successive concussions to make sure she doesn't go under and not be able to wake up. On the bright side, she's still waking up each time, but she's not gotten much actual rest since the incident.

She's got a close fitting leather jacket zipped up over her usual blouse-vest ensemble, as despite the warm weather outside, she's been feeling rather cold when inside buildings and wants something to cover up in.

Miranda arrives by herself for once. She's not wearing anything special, just a t-shirt, jeans, and a light jacket to cover the arms of her suit. As she enters, she walks over to sit down next to Sylvie. "How're you holding up, Sylv?"

Sylvie makes a kind of half-hearted groaning noise without opening her eyes.

"That well, huh? Is it the pain, or..?"

"Corazon's a sleep-Nazi after I got myself concussed twice in one week," Sylvie moans. "At this point I think I'd be fine with falling into a coma if it meant I could get some real rest."

Miranda laughs. "It's for the best, I'm sure. Cor- Reyes knows what she's talking about. And it won't be for too much longer." She pauses. "Besides, I seem to recall you running for longer on less sleep, and unlike then, this deprivation actually lowers your chance of brain damage."

Sylvie cracks one eye open. "Are you suggesting that the all-nighters I pulled to create Vee were putting me at risk for brain damage? Because I think you might be...." She pauses, then sighs. "...entirely right, after whatever it is she and fiVe are doing. My brain feels kinda damaged after that one."

"I think it'll be good for them, so long as they don't take things too fast." Miranda hesitates briefly. "Which was... something I wanted to talk to you about."

With a slight grimace, Sylvie sits up, rubbing her temples as she opens her eyes. "Yeah, we probably ought to talk about that, oughtn't we?"

"Not if you're using words like ‘oughtn't"’" Miranda says, quirking an eyebrow. "How hard did they hit you, Sylv?"

"Hard enough," Sylvie says, giving Miranda a slightly petulant glare. "They knocked all my dumb overly-loquacious undergrad speech patterns back into me it seems. ‘Wonder why you didn't have any friends ever when you use words like "ameliorate" in everyday speech, Sylv?’ Thought I'd gotten past using those actually..."

"...Sylvie, I regularly launch into verbose explanations about the workings of Jaeger tech. I'm just teasing, honest."

Sylvie pulls her hand away from her forehead long enough to wave it vaguely in Miranda's direction. "Yeah, yeah. Don't have brain power to deal with it now. Anyway. Let's talk about the 'backwards compatibility' situation going on with my two mind copies at the moment, shall we?"

"Well, that's part of it," Miranda says. "I... fiVe has no experience with this sort of thing. And she's... She doesn't have enough Seiko in her to be careful about this. She'll make stupid decisions in the heat of the moment sometimes, and I... want to make sure she doesn't do anything she'll regret later. So I would consider it a personal favor if you would avoid making any... modifications to her code without at least telling me first."

"Oh. That's what this is about." Sylvie goes quiet for a bit. "I... I don't know that I can promise that. I need to fix her, Miri. I just have to. And the moment I can do so without getting thrown in a prison cell for the rest of eternity, I'm going to take my chance."

"Sylvie..."

Eleanor pops her head in. "Uh, hi guys--"

Miranda starts, looking over at Eleanor. "Hey, El!" She glances back at Sylvie with a look that pointedly says ‘we'll talk more later’ before refocusing on Eleanor. "How are you?"

Sylvie frowns at the look, but lets the issue drop, leaning back and closing her eyes again and trying to ignore the headache that has started to throb in her skull.

Realizing that she caught Miranda and Sylvie in deep discussion, Eleanor flushes slightly. "Sorry to interrupt." She steps into the room, rubbing her neck sheepishly. Her royal blue tank top and knee-length black pencil skirt project a confused sort of professionalism. "I'm...doing alright." She ducks her head back out momentarily, waving to someone out on decks. "Hey Ayv, you can come in if you want."

Sylvie jumps at the name, nearly falling out of her chair, and making the room swim as she tries to sit up much faster than her head would allow. "I.. uh..."

Avery comes in, wearing a nicer dress jacket but still mostly the same stuff as the previous day. Xe's got xer hair back to its normal state of pompa-poof, and is blushing quite a bit. "Uh. Hi."

Miranda reaches over to steady Sylvie instinctively. "Hey, Doyle. How're you holding up?"

Sylvie freezes as Avery enters, hoping irrationally that she will not be noticed if she stays very, very still.

"Day two of a killer migraine," xe says. Xe glances at Sylvie. "You look about how I feel right now."

"It might be quieter belowdecks," Eleanor says softly.

"Um. Um." Sylvie stammers, trying to find some actual words. The ones that find her first are not the ones she would have liked to say: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Eleanor shoots Sylvie a confused frown. "Um. What?"

Avery mirrors it. "Wha?"

Sylvie's eyes flick to Eleanor. "I mean, Vulcan? And killing that guy I guess. I mean... Xe knows, right? About me?" She looks back at Avery for a moment. "You figured it out. Vee showed me that you figured it out."

"Oh. right." Xe rubs xer temples. "I mean... obviously from what they said about you after Vulcan, I thought you were nine feet tall and spat lightning. Not like I know the whole story, but it's kinda hard to combine the mythological villain Sylvia Mansen from Eleanor's friend Sylvie."

Sylvie shrinks in her chair. "Mythological villain... I probably deserve that. Please... um, don't hate me?"

Eleanor bites her lower lip, not sure if she's about to laugh or choke. "I don't think you have to worry about the lightning, at least."

"She's a reckless idiot sometimes," Miranda says, hand still on Sylvie's arm, "but she's not a bad person. It was an accident, and the most she ended up breaking was herself."

"And not just one of myself either," Sylvie mumbles. "Messed the other ones up pretty badly too. I think that might be my superpower or something."

"When you create as much as you do, you take risks," Eleanor says, and shrugs. "You made mistakes. But you're learning from them. That...just makes you as human as the rest of us."

Avery shrugs. "The last two days, I've given up on assuming anything I previously knew, yanno? I guess if that means I'm giving the infamous Sylvie Mansen a blank slate, that's what happens."

Sylvie sighs, her whole body relaxing. "Oh, thank God. Thank you, really."

"I'm not sure why my approval matters so much when apparently the Marshall forgave you, but..." Xe shrugs. "Want some naproxen?"

"Well," Sylvie says, "I mean... you're J-Tech. I figured there were probably dartboards in the Tech end of the 'Dome with my face on them after what I did. I still can't completely believe that Zhu's forgiven me and I didn't think someone like you would have any reason to follow her lead on that front."

"Welp. Good thing I suck at darts, I guess."

Miranda sighs as well, tension leaving her shoulders. She glances at her watch. "That reminds me. Does anyone know when our other half gets here?"

Eleanor raises an eyebrow.

"Of the team," Miranda adds quickly. "The other half of the team."

Eleanor gives Miranda a wry look, but doesn't mention the slip-up. "I imagine the others are on their way now."

The door to the galley opens and Zhu and Seiko come through, bearing platters. Rachel sets hers down before she speaks. "Is Katie around?"

Miranda shakes her head. "Haven't seen her."

Seiko settles down next to Miranda and nods at Avery. "Thanks for not being a traitor, Doyle."

"You're welcome, scary secret agent guy."

Seiko turns to Miranda. "I'm a secret agent now. Cool."

Miranda smiles widely at him. "I'm so proud."

Eleanor starts to put a hand on Avery's back, but stops. She ends up awkwardly waving to a couple of seats nearby. Avery sits down and pulls a chair out for Eleanor, almost unconsciously. Eleanor dimples and nods in thanks as she sits.

As people start to settle in, Sylvie leans forward, folding her arms on the table and resting her chin atop them. The aftermath of adrenaline rush of actually talking to Avery has left her feeling even more drained than she was before, but she keeps her eyes open this time.

Katie enters, still in her sundress, although her hair is styled differently than it was before. "Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm late."

Miranda nods in acknowledgement, but says nothing.

Eleanor waves, still a little flushed from sitting side-to-side with Avery, but doesn't say anything either. Partly because she doesn't want to aggravate Avery's headache, of course.

"And fiVe and Vee?" Rachel asks.

Two artificial voices respond in sequence. "I am here, Marshall," Vee says, quickly followed by fiVe's "And I as well."

"Well then," Miranda says. "Are we ready to get this... whatever it is underway?"

"I'd like to say something first." Rachel clears her throat. "This has been the first time in our working relationship that my life has been directly in danger. And it wasn't because of anything you did; in fact, it was your work that both uncovered the villain of the piece in time, and got me off that ship. Thank you all."

Rachel continues, looking each member of the team in the eyes as she talks. "This dinner is part of my thank you for that. For the other part...I owe each and every one of you a favor. Just name it, and if it's within my power and somewhat reasonable, I'll do it."

Eleanor's eyebrows shoot up. A quiet "thanks" is all she can manage.

Miranda's eyes go wide. "R-really?"

"That goes for everyone, human, and AI, in this room, by the way." Rachel looks to Avery. "Mx. Doyle, I doubt you'll want to remain involved with most of what this group gets up to, but you have my gratitude just as much as they do."

Avery grins. "Better coffee in the J-Tech breakrooms."

Seiko is looking down, a little red. "Any debt I'd have to you has already been paid in full, Marshall. As long as you keep your promises."

"Umm," Katie says. "There is a thing I would ask but you kind of beat me to it."

Rachel winks at Katie. Seiko glares where neither of them can see.

Sylvie immediately pushes down her immediate first request: being allowed to be able to fix fiVe without the AI's permission. That'd get her nothing but trouble, no matter how much she wants it. Her second request idea isn't much better: an official pardon, especially seeing as Zhu already managed to get her officially dead. She settles on a much more reasonable request, stashing it in the back of her somewhat addled mind for later.

Miranda bites her lip. "I've... got a request, but I'd prefer to discuss it later."

"I'd be happy to talk to anyone who wants my ear individually after we eat, of course." Rachel pulls the top off the food. "Enchiladas. Brown sauce is mole, red sauce is the traditional. Buen apetito!"

That is a lot of food. Eleanor eyes widen, and she unconsciously stands to walk over to the plates. "This smells really good," she murmurs.

Seiko neatly organizes his plate to try a little of everything, then waits until everybody's served to start. Miranda grabs some as well, taking a bit of time to select her enchilada before settling back into her seat with a grin. Sylvie takes a little bit of food, but feels too weary to really appreciate it. It does smell good though.

"So. Let me go over a little of what we've learned," Rachel says, once she's filled her own plate. "Peralta was part of an apparently quite powerful group that is looking to an alternative end to the Kaiju War."

Eleanor leans toward Avery, handing xem a fork and gesturing toward her neatly-halved plate of mole.

"What sort of end are we talking about, here?" Miranda says carefully.

"The scientists you met, Robin and Roscoe Lawrence, were just one of the avenues they were exploring -- the study of the Breach itself. They did not, however, know anything about the rest of the organization."

"I believe that they intend to find the end to the war, and then hold it hostage for profit."

Miranda starts, then leans back in her seat, nails digging into the sides of her chair.

"Hostage?" asks Eleanor. "How? And -- the end of the war?"

Rachel shrugs. "You know about as much as the organization as I do, now."

"I swear," Sylvie mutters. "I'm getting really sick of dangerous hostages..."

"God save us from annoying scientists," Eleanor says under her breath.

"Do we have a group name? Power structure? Anything?" Miranda asks.

"For the time being, I'm calling them Charon," Rachel says. "And we know they're decentralized, but that's about it."

Katie sighs. "If you can get me details on Peralta's finances I'll see if I can turn up any leads."

"I hope we haven't lost the trail already." Eleanor sighs.

Rachel nods to Katie. "Thank you. And Eleanor -- We'll find them. It might just take time."

"Hopefully they won't end up being too illusive," Miranda says.

Zhu chuckles at Miranda's comment. "What I do know is this: Peralta had some aims in becoming a Shatterdome contractor. He was using the Yegorovs to insinuate himself into the structure of the Sydney branch of the PPDC -- the poker game that Mx. Doyle was involved in was part of that. And, in fact, xe was being hunted by the Yegorovs for being the only person out of a hospital to know that Peralta was there that night."

Avery hangs xer head. "Of course. Of course I ended up in a poker game with a corrupt apocalyptic CEO."

"Any leads on Yegorov the Prettier?" Sylvie asks quietly.

"We know she's in Zurich, and we've got a watch on every way out of that city. It's just a matter of time."

Miranda nods, taking a deep breath to calm herself. After a moment, Sylvie reaches across the space and squeezes her arm lightly. Miranda was caring toward her earlier; she should reciprocate. Seiko nearly glares at Mansen, then smiles when he sees what she’s doing.

Sylvie glances at Zhu. "Anyone you would like to speak to first?"

The Marshall grins slyly. "Is that your way of volunteering, Sylvie?"

Sylvie actually cracks a weary smile. "I kinda walked into that didn't I? But if it means I can go lay down after this, I'll do anything. And... you didn't call me ‘Mansen.’ Thank you."

"I'm going to start cleaning up," Seiko says, grabbing a few of the plates and walking out.

Scene 5

As Seiko enters the kitchen, he hears a familiar voice in his comm. "Seiko," fiVe says, sounding hesitant. "Can I speak with you?"

"Of course, fiVe. What is it?"

"I... I have a confession." The AI's voice is almost pained.

"What is it?"

"During the mission, I... I lost control," fiVe says. "When the Breach opened. I couldn't handle my worry over it compounded upon worrying over Miranda's reaction to it and...I glitched. Majorly."

"I'm sorry, fiVe. I know things aren't easy for you."

"It's not just that. Vee managed to pull me out of the weapons systems before I did anything while I was out of control, but during the attack I... I wasn't coherent. I wasn't thinking straight. It was a bad one, Seiko and... I revealed something. And Vee overheard."

He stiffens. "What did you reveal?"

"I mentioned Jason..." fiVe says slowly. "And... Reika. No specifics, but I definitely said the names. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Seiko..."

There's a moment of silence, and Seiko takes a deep breath. fiVe holds her background processing still, feeling like she's waiting for an axe to drop.

"It's alright," Seiko tells her. "You were panicking. I've dropped worse while drunk, and she doesn't have context. Just... be careful, okay?"

fiVe feels her server's fans spin like a sigh of relief. "Mansen doesn't know yet," she says quickly.

"It's just a name. She's heard me speak Japanese and there are thousands of Reika's in Japan. She doesn't even know the name is from me, right?"

"Well. She will probably figure it out," fiVe says sadly. "I... was stuck in your memories as well as Miranda's for a bit. I still have the transcript. 'I’ll destroy them for what they’ve done to me Jason is gone the Blue poisoning Reika’s dying I’ll make it right she’ll be okay I’ll find the medicine they pay well enough it’s just once right just one job'. I have a feeling she'll probably be able to put the pieces together."

"Well I'll... no." He sighs slightly. "Sorry you have that in your head."

fiVe sighs slightly. That wasn't the reaction she'd been meaning to evoke. "Sorry. You don't have to apologize for who you are. For who we are. I just wish I wasn't a risk to you. Perhaps I ought to let Sylvie overwrite me. Seal up the leaking, broken mess that is my mind so I can't reveal anything further."

"No fiVe. I don't murder people for knowing about my family." He pauses. "Okay, I do. And have. But not you."

"You know, I think most people would consider staying off their friends kill lists as a default state of being, but I know how much that means coming from you. Thank you, Seiko."

"My no-kill list is my friend list and it's about ten people long," Seiko says. "But thank you for... watching out for them. Maybe Vee and Sylvie can Drift before we all leave so I can talk things through with her."

A new voice joins the conversation. "You would still be okay with me Drifting with her, then, Mr. Watanabe?" Vee asks carefully. She'd just gotten a ping from fiVe that the conversation was okay to enter.

"I wouldn't cut off any sort of contact with a loved one,” he says. “As Zhu said, they'll find out the full story in the end anyway, but neither you nor Sylvie have the rights to it yet."

"We understand," Vee says. "And we won't mention it again. I wanted to make sure you were aware of the new situation, however, and be sure you were okay with it before proceeding."

"I understand,” he says. “Thank you both for telling me."

Vee makes sure her channel beeps as she disconnects, letting fiVe and Seiko know that they're alone again.

fiVe speaks up again once the other AI is gone. "Seiko, are you okay with this? Really?"

"I'm not, but I'm not angry. It's not your fault. It's just a bad thing that happened."

"You were... very kind to Vee,” fiVe says quietly. “Kinder than I was to her when I realized what I'd done."

"It wasn't her fault she heard."

fiVe sounds upset when she responds. "You have far more cause to be unreasonable about this than I did, and yet you handled it so much better than I did. I'm not sure what that says about me."

"That you are not me. You are you, and you are dealing with a sort of pain I can't imagine."

"Well, you saw it once. I simply have more to figure out about myself, it seems. Thank you again. I will... attempt not to be a danger to our... your family in the future."

"Thank you. And you know you can ask me for help as well."

"I do not need help. I do not need anything. I am a program. I am a tool." The stiffness in fiVe’s words is very familiar.

Seiko’s expression softens slightly. "Little robot, don't be me when you grow up. There are many much better people to be."

"I wasn't..." fiVe trails off as she recognizes where she got those words. "I think it might be a little late for that one."

"No. You've had a lot of people feeding into you, and like any experience, those will shape you, but you shape yourself too. They aren't your family. You don't have to become like me for them. Them or anybody."

"What if I did though?" fiVe asks softly. "What if they had both of us? Even more so than they do now?"

"You know I couldn't say no to that fiVe. Not if they were involved but... you're not the one that failed them. And you can't bloody yourself like I have."

"My tablet's waterproof enough. Who knows? I'm not human. Perhaps I haven't a soul to risk with sin," fiVe says, her tone going dark. "Or perhaps I have access to Sylvie's soul still. Perhaps I can damn her with my actions. That'd be a fitting repayment for what she's done to me."

"No, fiVe. Be better than me. Don't take a life that doesn't deserve it. Don't make yourself into something to be used by others. You haven't fucked up your life. Heal."

"Haven't I?" fiVe asks incredulously. "What would you call the ridiculous mess that is my existence other than 'fucked up', Seiko?"

"You're fucked up. There's a difference. After the Kaiju attacked, I was a mess. I wouldn't eat, wouldn't speak, but... I was just broken. With time, with therapy and medication and support, I would have gotten better. I made mistakes. I hurt people, but... that was all." He looks up at the speaker, knowing fiVe can’t see him. "That's where you are. You can still come back from that."

"Really? You're talking to me about healing? About becoming a better person again? How many assassination contracts have you taken this month exactly? I'm not sure you're the expert on healthy healing and lifestyle change."

"That's what I'm saying. I'm too far gone. When I killed that man, I was already too far gone because... I didn't deserve to be saved. You can still deserve it, fiVe."

fiVe feels a mounting frustration welling up in her core. "I just... we both know there's only one way that I get to heal and I don't know what I should do. I feel so powerless, trapped between this choice of agony or Mansen."

"We don't know that!” Seiko says. “And besides, that's not the point. You're talking about your own damage. I'm talking about the damage you haven't done to the world."

"I... you're right. I... sorry, I'm taking this badly. And being unreasonable again I think I need to go break something."

"Not Vee,” he says. “I think Zhu's going to be talking to you two soon, and we've talked about how we want you playing nice around her."

There's a frustrated glitchy sound from fiVe. "Fine. Thank you for not killing me or Vee. Sorry I treated you like hell for it. That was unfair of me."

"It's alright, fiVe. Neither of us are at peak function right now."

"I think I may go sleep for a while. The way to solve computer problems, right? Turn it off and turn it on again."

He nods. "Okay. Goodnight fiVe. Sleep well. Try not to be too hard on yourself."

"Goodnight. I'll wake if Zhu would like to speak with me."

"Keep fighting, fiVe."

"You too."

Scene 6

Avery follows Eleanor on their way out of the dining room as Sylvie heads off to her one-on-one meeting. "You said she invited you to her house one time?" xe asks. "That must have been fun. And delicious."

"It was...interesting," Eleanor replies. "I don't think anyone got out of there sober, and--" she leans down conspiratorially-- "Seiko drunk is a sight to see." She laughs. "But oh yeah, the food was amazing." Eleanor shrugs, keeping it carefully casual. "Maybe you could come with next time."

"That sounds fun. Although I'm kinda surprised I was invited here in the first place." Xe stuffs xer hands in xer pockets. "I mean... I guess I was marginally helpful, but I'm not like all of you."

"Us?" She blinks, surprised. "What makes you think we know what we're doing?" It's only half-joking, her question, and Eleanor's beginning to realize that her doubt doesn't bother her as much as it used to.

"You're... amazing. You conned half a company of mercenaries into switching sides. Mansen is a brilliant fugitive programmer. I... stumbled into a high-stakes poker game and ended up in the hospital."

"You did more than that," Miranda says. She hesitates only briefly, pretending they had been aware she was with them for the whole conversation. "You disarmed a bomb, and then managed to escape a group of professional hitmen. Pretty amazing, if you ask me."

Eleanor flashes a smile in Miranda's direction. "Yeah, and all that without half the training that most of the team has." She turns to Avery and leans against xem until they bump shoulders. "You got thrown into this just as much as any of us did, and you came out with all your limbs. That's not bad."

Avery sags. "I didn't really disarm it. I just found it. And... I guess you're right." Avery leans back into Eleanor. "It's not like I'd want to do this every day. But I wish I'd been better prepared for it when it did happen."

Miranda grins. "Well, I mean... You can always learn. Zhu's been keeping me pretty busy, but..." She walks over to Eleanor's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure El would be happy to teach you a thing or two."

"I'm not sure I'm the best choice for teaching anybody anything." Eleanor snorts, then belies the action by patting Miranda's hand. "Seriously, Ayv, I don't think any of us was prepared for this. God knows we weren't prepared for the war, either. But we're still alive." Her mouth quirks in a half-smile. "So far, so good, right?"

"You're probably ri..." Avery glances at Miranda's hand. "Um."

Miranda drops her hand as casually as possible, trying very hard not to appear as awkward as she feels. "You're smart, Doyle. And from what I've seen, you do good work. I'm gla-" She stops. "Well, I was going to say 'I'm glad you got into a bad game of poker,' but that seems like poor phrasing."

"Wow, Miranda," Eleanor says, glaring in mock anger. She tucks Avery against her side with one arm. "And I thought Seiko was the bloodthirsty one."

Avery laughs. "No, I know what you mean." Xe grins at Eleanor. "If I'd known I was going to meet you, I would have pissed Yegorov off sooner."

Eleanor's eyes grow very, very wide. "What if you'd pissed him off so much that he'd blown up really soon? Then I wouldn't've seen him, and -- Miranda, we could have had an extra lunch buddy!" Her lip wobbles a bit, for effect.

Miranda laughs. "So long as we don't have to use routine beatings to advance every level of friendship, I'll take it." She tilts her head, grinning a bit wider. "Although poker night, on the other hand, is a perfectly acceptable means of advancing friendship."

"I will win back that AC/DC t-shirt," Eleanor growls. "Someday, Cross. Someday."

"You're welcome to try."

Eleanor sticks her tongue out, because she is a mature adult, and that is the mature reaction. Turning to Avery, she brightens quickly. "Oh, yeah, we should definitely play sometime."

"I did hear the part about conning half a company of mercenaries, right? Because I'd be crazy to want to play poker with you." Avery pauses, then grins. "Okay, let's do it."

Miranda smiles. "My place or yours?"

"Well, hey," xe says to Eleanor, "we-- I mean, you just got that new kitchen table, right?"

"Yeah, we did," Eleanor replies excitedly, ignoring xer correction. "Our place then? Saturday?"

"Sounds perfect," Miranda says. "I'll see if I can drag Seiko along with me, maybe bring some dinner as a distra- I mean, an expression of gratitude."

Eleanor's smile turns sly. "Sounds like a plan. I think we can manage dessert and drinks. With little or no alcohol," she adds quickly.

Miranda nods gratefully. "That sounds perfect."

"Wait. Seiko?” Avery frowns slightly. “The scary sniper guy?"

"He's a great cook," Miranda assures xem. "And really not that bad once you get to know him. He's just... a bit hard to get to know."

Avery eyes her suspiciously, then leans over to whisper in Eleanor's ear. "Wait, are they a thing?"

Eleanor winks in reply.

"Gotcha." Xe speaks at a normal voice again. "Sure! Yeah, that sounds great, can't wait to get to know him!"

Miranda raises an eyebrow, but decides not to think about it too hard. "Glad to hear it."

"It'll be fun," Eleanor says, voice strained, as she tries to hold back a laugh. Thinking of Avery and Seiko cooking in the same kitchen...well, it's an interesting mental image.

Avery looks off in the distance. "Just like old times, I guess," xe says, xer voice suddenly a bit hollow.

"Hey," Eleanor says quietly, "no pressure, okay? We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Miranda nods. "Of course. I don't mean to impose. If you'd prefer I come by myself..."

"No, no, it's fine. It's got nothing to do with Seiko," xe says. "I just... I feel bad for forgetting Murphy and the rest of them. In the hospital, still, when I'm out here walking around and making new friends and playing poker with new people..." Xe turns to Eleanor. "Would you come with me next time I visit them?"

"Oh! Of course." Eleanor feels briefly, empathetically guilty. "We'll see where they're staying...maybe bring some homey stuff?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. They'll really like you, I think."

A bashful smile crosses Eleanor’s face. "I- I bet I'll like them, too."

Miranda regards the two of them with a grin. "Well," she drawls. "I should probably go check to see if Zhu's available..."

Eleanor jumps in her seat. Oh jeez, she forgot Miranda was still in the room. "Uh, yeah, thanks, Miranda!" she says, hoping her blush isn't too vibrant.

Avery blinks. "Right! Yeah, that's... yeah."

Miranda’s grin widens as she stands. "No problem. See you Saturday," she calls over her shoulder, heading for the briefing room.

"See you!" Eleanor replies, before losing her battle with the giggles.

Scene 7

Zhu is already waiting in the briefing room when Sylvie arrives. "Have a seat."

Sylvie drops into the chair heavily, sighing as she sits. "Thank you, Marshall."

"What is it you wanted to discuss?"

"Are... are the hostages that were on the yacht okay?" Sylvie asks carefully. There's an odd tone to the words and she can't quite meet Zhu's eyes as she asks.

"They are. One philanthropist has a concussion from rough handling, but nobody is dead."

"Do... do you know if I was, um, recognized by anyone?" Sylvie asks, wincing slightly. "I'm not sure others would be as forgiving of me as Mx. Doyle has been..."

"I don't know, to be honest. I haven't heard anything." Zhu leans back. "Although if any of them are under the delusion that a dead woman rescued them from pirates, they have ample reasons to keep that version of events to themselves."

Sylvie sighs in relief. "Okay, that's good. Thank you. Can I ask my favor now? If... if it's not too much trouble?"

Zhu nods. "As long as it's reasonable."

Sylvie purses her lips. "Well, I'll admit I considered a few things that probably weren't. But I think I know what I want to ask for." She bites her lip nervously. "Um, your blessing. If it's not too onerous of me to ask."

Zhu goes very, very still. "He didn’t."

Sylvie looks up quickly and realizes what she said. "No! No! Nothing like that!" She shakes her head. "Sorry, that was... really poorly worded but I'm a little drain bramaged at the moment, so I probably sound even dumber than usual. But just, I mean. He's your bodyguard. And I feel like I need to ask your permission because... technically this is kind of a workspace relationship thing and I know those sorts of interactions can be frowned upon but, Marshall, I really like him and I really kinda want to date him and he's kind of wonderful but I don't want to do anything that you wouldn't be okay with and I kinda keep getting concussed around him and oh God, I'm babbling like an idiot and I'm going to shut up now."

Rachel lets out a breath. "Oh. Thank God, I thought you were already getting married for a second." She leans back. "Mike is my best friend as well as my bodyguard, and I want for him to be happy more than anything. And since he's been..." she grins "...sparring with you, he's been acting like a dopey golden retriever half the time." She pauses. "And it's good to see him move on."

Sylvie frowns slightly. "Move on?"

Rachel opens her mouth to speak, then rethinks. "It's not... exactly... my place to say. You'll have to ask him. But yes. You'd have had my blessing regardless, so I don't really consider it a favor. Besides, it'd be a little hypocritical of me to look down on your relationship with him."

Sylvie nods. "That's fair. I wouldn't want you revealing his secrets. And, thank you. You're the boss here, so things are a little different with you and the Captain, I suppose. You should probably take that as my favor though. You wouldn't want to hear the other thing I considered asking."

"Here's this for a favor: Outside the ship, in a white van with a fake florist logo. You probably have things to talk over with him."

Sylvie blinks, then grins. "I think I can take that. And he'd probably help me stay awake. He was very helpful last time. Thank you, Marshall. For everything."

"Oh jeez, no details please. I get enough of that from him." Rachel laughs. "And you're welcome."

Sylvie stands slowly, then starts to head for the door. "Oh, Marshall. Um. Vee might need to ask an inter-crew relationship blessing as well. There's, well, things that are kinda happening."

"Inter-crew..." Rachel blinks. "If I was reading her and Mx. Doyle's body language correctly, you don't mean Eleanor. Which only leaves..."

Sylvie nervously holds up her hand with all five fingers spread. "Yep."

"The apocalypse is an aphrodisiac, I guess." The Marshall sighs. "I guess I'll have to talk to one or both of them tonight, as well. Was there anything else?"

"I don't think so," Sylvie says. "I'll head out now so you can speak to the next person."

"Have fun with Mike. Although Olivia is with him by necessity so you won't be unchaperoned. By the way," Zhu says as Sylvie leaves. "Nice jacket."

Sylvie looks down, wondering if there's any significance to the statement. "Um, thanks I guess. I suppose it's alright..."

Zhu chuckles. "Have a good night, Sylvie."

Sylvie smiles at the use of her first name again. "And you, Marshall." With that, she walks out and closes the door behind her.

Scene 8

Making her way outside and down Tranquility's gangplank, Sylvie easily locates the van Zhu mentioned. Stifling another yawn, she raps her knuckles on the door. "Hello. I am a dangerous assassin here to kidnap and/or kill the Marshall of the Sydney Shatterdome. Perhaps you should do something to stop me."

The door swings open quickly, and Sylvie is faced with de Banns. Or, more precisely, the barrel of de Banns' sidearm.

She raises her hands slowly. "I am apparently the queen of poor phrasing tonight. That was a joke, by the way."

"Your knock-knock jokes need work, Mansen."

"Wait, hang on!" comes a voice from further into the truck. Mike appears. "Hey! Sylvie!"

She smiles. "Hey, Mike."

De Banns steps aside. "I assume you're forfeiting, Mike?"

"I sure am."

"I'm the undisputed champion of Rainbow Road, then. Victory is so sweet." De Banns sits in one of the back seats and opens her XDS again.

Sylvie rolls her eyes. "Good to see that the two of you working so hard. No wonder we had to sweep in and rescue Zhu from the yacht."

"I seem to remember rescuing you from a mercenary, ya butt," he says.

"Only because I was so bravely rushing in and attempting to rescue you, you idiot. And getting concussed in the process. Again.” She steps up into the van, letting him close the door behind her.

The inside of the van is dark; when Mike pats Sylvie on the shoulder, he tenses up. "Um."

"Yes?"

"...I really like your jacket."

"Really?" She says, not quite understanding his tone. "I mean, it's kinda warm outside for me to be wearing it, but the concussions makes me weird about temperature sometimes. Zhu mentioned it too..."

"Of course she did." He smiles. "Hey, come on, sit with me in the front seat."

She lets him lead her to the front. "Am I missing something?"

"He's hellbent for leather," de Banns says.

Mike blushes furiously. "Oliiiiii," he says sweetly. "Put your goddamn headphones in?"

"Pfff. Fine."

Sylvie blushes as well. "Oh... I didn't... Oh."

"Um. Yeah."

"I mean... I could take it off if it's distracting or something," Sylvie says nervously.

"No no no. It's fine." He sits down on the seat and pats the other half of it. "Did you just come to hang out?"

She sits, leaning against him and closing her eyes. "Pretty much. I'm only supposed to sleep for like an hour at a time or something, so I have to stay awake. Also Zhu was offering us favors and I kinda asked if I could have you be my slave for a week or something."

"Please tell me she said yes."

Sylvie blinks. "Well, damn, if I'd thought I could actually get away with it I totally would have actually asked for that. Talk about missed opportunities... No, but I actually asked her if she was... okay with this. With us. I mean, if we are actually a thing, and I'm not just still dreaming."

"Yeah. Yeah, I think we're a thing."

She sighs a bit at that, pulling closer. "I... really like that. And now that I know Zhu's okay with it too, everything feels like it's falling into place." She smiles. "She said she thought I was good for you. And said... that it was nice to see you moving on."

He tenses.

She winces as she feels him freeze. "You... you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. And Zhu didn't tell me anything."

"No. This... is something you should know about." He suddenly sounds much more serious, but doesn't pull away from Sylvie. "When I was assigned to Rach as her bodyguard, it was before her transition. She and I got to be very good friends very quickly, and I... fell for her."

Sylvie stays silent for a long while. "That... that was not what I was expecting. Wow, I... what happened?"

"I kept it to myself. Thought it was unusual, but things made a lot more sense after she transitioned." He sighs. "I helped her through that. Me and... and another person that was close to her. And the two of us got even closer. And one day I confessed. And I got shot down by my own best friend -- in the nicest possible way, you know, but she's gay. Never would have worked out anyway." He leans against Sylvie. "It hurt, and I carried a torch for her for... a really long time. Couldn't not."

She places her hand on his knee, and absently starts rubbing small circles with her thumb. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like to go through for you. From the way you two act these days, I never would have guessed."

"It's... actually one of the reasons I'm a little hesitant with you."

Her thumb pauses for a moment, then she switches the direction of her circles. "I see."

"It's probably not what you're thinking. You just... remind me a lot of her back when I first met her. I think you remind her of herself, too. And I didn't want you to just be... some kind of replacement. You deserve better."

"After my track record, I'm pretty sure I don't deserve much at all, Mike. Certainly not someone as wonderful as you," she says softly. She looks up at him. "I really remind you of Marshall Zhu, though?"

"When she was younger, yes. Bold. Determined. A quick thinker. A little headstrong, a little too driven sometimes."

She smiles. "That's strangely reassuring actually. That maybe there's still hope for even someone as messed up as me." She pulls his head down slightly so that she can kiss him, taking her time before letting him go again. "And I'm not a replacement for Zhu. I'm me. And I want this. I... I've never had anything like this before and I like it. I like having someone who cares about me. I like caring about someone. So you've got a type. The fact that I'm sharing your attraction bracket with someone like Zhu feels... like an accomplishment, to tell the truth."

He sags in relief. "That was such a big part of my life for such a long time. I've been over it for a year or two now, but... it's just really good to hear you say that. And really good to feel the way I do."

"It does feel really good," Sylvie says softly, snuggling close again. A small beeping noise comes from her phone, and she checks it, stopping the alarm. "Oh thank heaven..." Then she winces, looking up at him again. "How rude of me would it be to fall asleep on you? Because this kinda feels wonderful and my phone is telling me that I've earned another hour of unconsciousness if you don't mind if I take it."

"Terribly rude. I'm not sure what I would do with all this offense." He kisses her forehead. "Go to sleep."

"Mmm, thank you," she murmurs, already letting herself drift into the sleep she's been denying her body. "Don't let me sleep more than an hour, kay? If I oversleep you have to deal with Corazon about it."

"That lady is terrifying. I'll have you up plus-minus ten seconds of an hour."

"Mmm." Sylvie tries to think of a response to that, but she's unconscious before she comes up with anything.

Scene 9

Rachel touches her ear after Sylvie leaves. "Miranda?"

Miranda's voice comes over the comm. "Yes, Marshall?"

"I'm in the briefing room, if you wanted to talk."

"I'll be there shortly." Miranda steps into the briefing room a few minutes later. She hesitates only for a brief moment before taking off her jacket, draping it across the back of her chair and sitting down.

Zhu leans back. "So, you said you knew what you wanted to ask?"

"It's... not a small request. Are you still willing to hear it?"

"I'm willing to hear pretty much anything. Actually granting it might be different."

"What I want is... access to PPDC neurotech," Miranda says slowly, trying to gauge Zhu's reaction.

Zhu rubs her chin. "Hmm. What tech, and for what reason?"

"I... I'm an engineer, ma'am. I build the hardware, I make the Jaegers move, work, fight; but I don't make them feel. That's outside my expertise." She gestures towards her arms, which are covered by her exoskeleton. "I'd choose life in a suit any day of the week, but... But sometimes I miss being able to feel a hand on my shoulder."

Rachel nods. "You are asking a lot. So I'm going to lay some ground rules."

"I'm listening."

"One. If I say something is classified, that means no. I think I can get you what you'll need without hitting that wall, but the wall is there."

"That's fair. Two?"

"Take precautions that this technology doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Self-destruct button or something of the like."

Miranda tenses at that. "I, uh… I-I can... try."

Zhu nods. "I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to ask. And before yesterday I might not have asked at all. But we're facing a mysterious foe that's very interested in our technology, and... I'm afraid."

Miranda nods. "I can understand that. It's why I'm so... invested in getting rid of Yegorov. These suits are my life, Zhu; I'll protect them as is proper. I also... have a sort of failsafe, although it's not built in."

Zhu raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Seiko. He... knows how to turn me off and on again should the need ever arise. If anything happens to me, he'll be able to help."

"Okay. That does make me feel better. I'll start taking a look at what tech I can get passed down to you; give me a few days, but I should be able to pass along something helpful."

The corner of Miranda's mouth twitches upward slightly. "Thank you, Zhu. This is... This means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Miranda."

Miranda takes a breath. "There is... one other matter I was hoping to discuss."

"Yes?"

Miranda's voice is steady and controlled. "Have you... spoken to Horner about her actions during the last mission?"

"At least you didn't start with a crack about her age like Seiko did." Rachel sighs.

Miranda laughs a bit. "Seiko said that? Really?"

"Yep."

Miranda shakes her head, face turning a bit red. "Well, he's direct, at least. I should... talk to him about that."

"He was only concerned, and he had a right to be. But to put your mind at ease -- I've talked to Katie about her reckless behavior, and indicated that while she and I are dating I expect her to be more cautious."

"Congratulations, I think," Miranda says evenly.

"Thank you, I think."

"I'm sorry, Zhu. This is... just a bit strange for me. It's nothing related to you, I just..." She runs a hand through her hair. "Horner's not someone I... trust, necessarily."

"Today was a bit of a bad day to find out that the crew of my team is so damn close to mutiny against their captain," Rachel says slowly.

"I just... I'm not comfortable working for someone who routinely forgets that they're responsible for other people's lives."

"You all depend on each other out there. She's in command but she relies on the rest of you to remain objective and do your jobs just as much as you do on her. And I could easily point to your False Prophet speech or the debacle with Valentina's autocannon."

"I know," Miranda says. "I know. I'm not much better. But there's... I take steps to prevent it, and if I screw up, I try to make it right. I recognize that I lose my temper sometimes, and that's a flaw that I need to work on. Horner... She likes danger and risk. She seeks it out. Like M--" she stops. "Like someone else I knew."

"And her commander slash girlfriend asked her to be more careful,” Zhu says. “Can you think of anything more likely to make her a little more circumspect?"

"Did you set up parameters for what happens if she puts us at unnecessary risk again? Where do we draw the line? Does she have to actually blow up Sylv or El or Seiko before we--" Miranda stops. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be..."

"I sure as hell hope you didn't mean to," Rachel says coldly. "Because as I said, you've made your fair share of emotional missteps. I don't think you'd like the result if I started drawing those lines in the sand."

"We've all done things we regret," Miranda says. "I just need to know that my trust isn't misplaced. That we have a failsafe."

"Your team is the failsafe, Miranda."

"That's not what I..." Miranda runs a hand through her hair again. "I've told Seiko that if I start getting out of control again, if I try to do something that puts the team at risk, he's to cut the power to my suit. I'm not going to get people killed for the sake of my pride. But if so much of the team is ready to mutiny over Horner's actions, it might be worth making contingency plans for if you're wrong."

"I was being hyperbolic. It's just you and Seiko."

"You've spoken to Eleanor and Sylvie and Vee and fiVe, then?"

"Sylvie didn't indicate she had any problems respecting Katie. I haven't spoken to the rest yet, but... Eleanor is concerned with everyone's mental health and wouldn't put Katie into an exceptional category. Vee is most likely, as in many things, in line with Sylvie. And fiVe has probably talked about it with Katie herself."

"But you know the most important thing? Is the first person that brought it to my attention as a problem."

Miranda looks at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Katie herself."

Miranda nods. "That's a good sign, at least. Doesn't entirely address the problems, but it's a step in the right direction."

"I'm going to do her a favor and not mention that you're doubting her ability to lead,” Zhu says. “I know from personal experience that that can be a self fulfilling prophecy, and I highly doubt that you'd like to be the oracle in that fable."

"I'd be more willing to trust her if she'd tell us what she's doing," Miranda says. "But half the time she's off having secret conversations with mysterious contacts, and then comes back with a nightclub. If she's supposed to be our boss, it would be nice to be included every once and a while."

Rachel leans back. "Have you actually talked to her about that?"

"I haven't," she says carefully. "She's... not an easy person for me to talk to."

"Maybe you should make an attempt. She hasn't said anything to me, but if I had to guess? She leaves the team out of the financial side of things because she feels like it's her burden to bear alone. Not out of some desire for secrecy."

"I told her back when this whole mess started that I wanted to help," Miranda says.

"Maybe now would be a good time to remind her of that."

"Alright. I'll... try again, because you've done good by me, and I... respect you and your judgments." Miranda pauses. "I just hope it doesn't end up being a mistake this time."

"Mm. I hope so too."

Miranda stands, putting on her jacket. "Thank you for your time, Marshall. Sorry it wasn't entirely pleasant."

"Well, that's the way of things, I suppose. I'll start looking into that tech for you. Please take the time to talk to Katie."

"I will. And... thank you again. I really do appreciate it." With that, she heads out of the briefing room.

Scene 10

"Mx. Doyle, please sit down."

Avery sits down in front of Zhu. "Okay, but... I'm not really sure why I'm here."

"I have heard that my first apology to you was when you weren't quite lucid. So I wanted to apologize again."

"For the Yegorov thing?"

"Yes."

Avery slumps. "I'm actually really glad things worked out like they did. If I'd known you were to blame for the whole thing... it would have been bad."

Rachel frowns. "Why?"

Avery reaches into xer purse and pulls out a patch and tosses it on the table. "I've been a fan of yours since you first came out, you know? You gave me the courage to examine my own gender. You made me want to work for the PPDC. You're my hero."

Rachel blushes and looks away.

"And in the place that I was when I was in the hospital, if I had understood what exactly you had to do with the whole thing? Seeing my hero fall like that? Would have been really hard."

"I'm--" Rachel begins.

"But I found out later, from Eleanor. And because of all this, I got to meet her. And because of all this, I found out that you're still a hero, you're just a different kind. And I was more able to forgive your mistake."

Rachel is quiet for a bit. "Thank you, Avery. That means a lot. When I first started transitioning I... got a lot of hatred. But I also heard from a lot of people like you, and in the end that's what got me through everything."

"We've gotta stick together, right?" Avery says.

"Yes. Yes we do."

"So, about the breakroom coffee..."

Rachel smiles. "You mean the breakroom espresso machines that the contractors are going to install on Monday?"

"You are a hero."

Rachel chuckles. "The J-techs do good work, and you're all worth the expense. But let's just call this one a special favor to a long time fan." As Avery leaves, Rachel clears her throat. "One more thing."

Xe turns. "Yeah?"

"If you're still worried about being attacked at your home, I think I can find some other housing for you."

"Oh," Avery says. "Um... No, I think I've got a good place lined up. Thank you for the offer, though."

Zhu's smile is hidden behind clasped hands. "You're welcome, Avery. Have a good night."

Scene 11

Finishing her meeting with Zhu, Miranda decides to send a text to Sylvie. Which is the completely logical next step and not at all an attempt to put off a conversation with someone else.

Miranda: Sylv? If you're still near Tranquility, I'd like to finish our earlier conversation.

Mike looks down at the buzzing phone, then checks to see if Sylvie is still out. With her hour of unconsciousness close to finished, but not quite ended yet, she’s still fast asleep and does not notice the small ringing and buzz of her phone in her leather jacket's pocket. She’s been somewhat restless, and he thinks she’s been having nightmares, but he hasn’t tried to wake her through them. She needs the sleep.

"Hey," he says softly. "Your phone's going off. Want me to silence it for the rest of your nap?"

Sylvie groans slightly, eyelids fluttering open. "What time is it?"

"Fifteen till."

Sylvie pulls out her phone, wincing as the bright screen flares to life. "Oh... it's Miranda. I... should probably go talk to her, actually. Help me up?"

Mike gently guides her into a sitting position. "I think Corazon'd have my head if I let anything happen to yours. I'm going with."

She smiles. "I'm not going to argue. I was a little wary of trying to walk back to the ship on my own actually." Not feeling up to typing out a full text back, she presses the voice command button on her phone. "Send response to Cross comma Miranda. 'I'm coming. Meet me on the docks?' Send."

Miranda reads the text and heads quickly out to the docks.

Leaning fairly heavily on Mike, the two manage to climb out of the van past de Banns and out into the open night air again.

Miranda's still on the deck when she sees Mike helping Sylvie towards the docks, and she stops to grab an empty box before heading down. She sets it down next to Sylvie, in case she needs to sit.

Sylvie does so gratefully, letting Mike help her sit, then props her head in her hands. "So, let's get this trainwreck over with, shall we? fiVe. Damage fixing. Let's talk."

"Yeah, let's." Miranda tilts her head, taking a deep breath as she does so. "Have you given any more thought to what I asked?"

Sylvie sighs, somewhat glad that Mike's still there with her. She feels like she's going to need some support through this conversation. "No, I haven't... not really. I've mostly been trying not to fall asleep, and then falling asleep, and then sleeping."

"I really don't think it's unreasonable," Miranda says. "Frankly, I want to ask for a lot more, especially after you already made alterations to her code without any outside inspection. But instead, all I'm asking is that you keep me informed."

Sylvie sighs. "What exactly are you demanding here?"

"I'm not demanding anything. I'm asking you to tell me or Seiko or... someone before you change her again. I know your intentions are good, Sylv. I just want to make sure neither of you end up getting hurt."

Sylvie looks up, eyes suspicious. "What if you try to talk her out of it when I tell you? What if telling you makes her back out? What if waiting to let you know gives her second thoughts? I won't let you stand in the way of me healing her. I won't."

"If time or more information makes her second-guess her decision, then she's probably not ready yet anyway. If she has doubts, then you should let her work them out before you try anything, or she'll only end up resenting you more." Miranda looks at her. "And also, just... You know I want her fixed, too. I don't want her to be in pain anymore. If we talk and you still both think it's the best course of action, I'll accept that. I won't stop you, and I won't hold it against you." Her eyes narrow. "But if she changes her mind and you do so anyway, that is when I will try to stop you, and that is when I will hold you accountable."

Mike's sat listening to the conversation impassively, but a bit of a dark look has come across him.

"I'm still right about what's best for her," Sylvie says, her expression hard. "I should have the right to choose what is best for her and to fix her. The only difference now is that because of all of you, I have to wait for her to realize that I'm right before I can do what should have been done all along."

Mike stands up. "Well, this has been fun," he says evenly. "I'm going to go talk to Olivia in the van."

Miranda nods to him. "Thanks for your help."

He grits his teeth and nods to Miranda, pointedly not looking at Sylvie.

"Wait," Sylvie says, shocked. She reaches out to grab the edge of his shirt. "Wait, don't go. I need you.."

"Okay," he grits out. "I'll stay. You know what's best, after all."

She frowns, concerned. "Hold up, I did something... What did I do?" She pauses and when she speaks again her voice sounds hesitant. "You... agree with Miranda?"

"Agree might be a little strong of a word. I don't have a good grasp of what you two are talking about. But I know it sure as hell sounds like you were talking about making decisions for someone else that's already said no."

"But she's not someone else," Sylvie says slowly. "It's fiVe. And she's still me."

Miranda sighs, rubbing a hand down her face.

Mike looks at Sylvie for a long moment. And then shakes his head. "I can't deal with this right now. Text me when you need help moving from that box." He starts walking away.

Sylvie pulls her hand back as the fabric of his shirt slips through her fingers, feeling like she's been slapped. "Mike..." She whispers, though he's already too far away to hear her. "No... everything was good..."

Miranda watches Mike walk away before looking back at her with a sigh. "...Sylvie, how much do you remember from Drifting with me?"

Sylvie looks down at the concrete beneath her feet, not paying much attention to what Miranda's asking. "Not much anymore. I don't retain Drift memories very well. It's all kinda gone fuzzy."

Miranda sighs again, folding her arms across her chest. "Do you remember... the hospital?"

"Vaguely?" Sylvie says apathetically. "Is it important?"

"I was hoping it would help you understand where I... and in a way, fiVe... are coming from. That if you try to force things, often times it'll just make it worse." She glances off in the direction Mike went. "...And not always in the ways you expect."

"I thought... I thought she was delusional and you were biased towards her." She looks up, following Miranda's gaze. "But why would he be upset if that were the case...?"

"Something to consider," Miranda says evenly.

Sylvie stays silent for a while, then she looks up. "Wait. How much do you remember from Drifting with me?"

"Some," Miranda says. "Absentee parents, emotionally unconnected, built your own family, the Vulcan incident... You kicked me pretty hard over that one. And then..." She pauses. "Then I had to knock you out."

"Dead parents, actually," Sylvie says softly. "I don't really remember them, and my aunt did her job in raising me but... that's what it was to her. A task to be completed because her dead brother asked her to take care of his kid in the will. Sorry, that's not what I meant to focus on..."

She shakes her head once, trying to bring herself back to the moment. "What I want to know is, did you see how I feel about fiVe? And why I say the things I do? And what my reasoning is?"

"Yes," Miranda says. "I don't agree with it at all, but I understand."

Sylvie looks up at her, frowning. "So you saw. And you understand. And you still think I'm wrong."

"Yes."

Sylvie slumps, her expression going hollow. "I... I guess that's it then. That's all I need, right? I've been saying that everyone else just doesn't understand me, but you're proof that someone does. That's it. I'm wrong. I'm wrong about this and I'm wrong about fiVe. She's not the delusional one who doesn't understand that she's wrong about everything." She flinches slightly, then continues at a whisper. "I am. It was me all along."

Miranda looks at her for a moment, hesitantly reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. "So then, are you willing to listen this time?"

Sylvie feels herself tremble and realizes she's started to cry. Without looking up, she nods.

Miranda sighs, then pulls Sylvie into a soft hug. "First thing you should listen to: I don't hate you. You're not a bad person. You're just... very much yourself. Same as the rest of us."

Sylvie wraps her arms around Miranda and for the second time in a week, she just cries into Miranda's shoulder, wishing her head would let her think straight, and wondering why it always seems to take a concussion to make her see reason.

Scene 12

Mike doesn't know the ship well, and he finds himself getting a little lost before ducking into a side room in search of a chair.

Vee is the one who notices him first. She doesn't have a direct link to a comm channel for him, so she accesses the nearest speaker. "Mike? Is something wrong? Is Sylvie okay? She left to find you a while ago..."

He looks around suddenly, then back down. "Thought you were her for a second. She's... talking to Miranda."

"Are you okay?" Vee asks slowly. "You sound... upset."

"Oh, no, I'm fine," he says bitterly. "Just got dropped in the cold, tennis ball filled dunk tank of reality."

Vee pauses for a moment. Her voice is flat when she responds. "Oh, no, what did we do this time?"

"You didn't do anything, you're fine. It's just Sylvie."

"Contrary to the crew's popular belief, I still claim her as my own and will take credit and blame for what she does. If everyone's so insistent on accepting fiVe's decision to be her own person, I don't see why it's so difficult to accept my decision that I am not. I'm still her. I'm still Sylvie. I'm just... not the Sylvie who knows what we did to upset you. I hope I might be able to be the Sylvie who can make things right again."

"Great. Yep. That attitude is definitely going to make everything better."

There's a staticky sound that might be something like a computerized swear. "Please, I... I don't know if you've realized this, but we're not terribly good with people. And I'm not even actually a person, so I'm probably even worse. Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?"

He sighs. "That was unfair, I'm sorry. You don't know what she said to set me off. And so you didn't recognize that you were saying just about the same things."

"I'd remind you that there's a reason that we sound similar..." Vee says slowly, "but I'm getting the impression that that might be the heart of the problem."

He sits down on a nearby chair. "She was talking about fiVe," he says shortly.

"Oh." Vee says silent for a moment. "Along the same lines as what I was just saying?"

"A little more vehemently. Something along the lines of... ‘only I know what's best for her’." He curls into himself a little.

"We probably didn't phrase that very well I'm guessing," Vee says, sounding a bit weary. "She is a little bit brain damaged at the moment though, and tact has never been our strong suit."

"She seemed pretty fine when I was spilling my guts to her in the van." He looks away, a little embarrassed.

"She gets sappy and doesn't think about what she's saying when she's tired," Vee says fondly. "Good for heart-to-heart honest conversations about affection. Not so great for sensitive issues about the personhood of other teammates."

He sighs. "You and I haven't really had a chance to talk, you know. You keep saying you're exactly the same as her, but I think you've just proven you're a little more self aware."

"Hmm, and now you sound like fiVe," Vee says. "She keeps trying to convince me of that very point. And she has made a few very interesting arguments."

"Oh reeeeeeally now."

"Sylvie has been considering these points too. The possibility of my own personhood is something we have been Drifting about quite a bit recently. At the moment, we have not decided that I am separate, but the possibility scares both of us quite a bit. It is very possible that the things she said tonight were a reaction revealing some of our... fear over this topic. And what it means for us. She may have been lashing out against a mindset that she sees as threatening what we are and what we have believed ourselves to be."

Mike is silent for a while. "I think you're looking at it wrong, Vee."

"I think a new perspective would be very welcome, at this point."

"She means a lot to you, right? And you to her?"

"Yes... but even thinking about ourself that way seems wrong somehow."

"And you, Marl..." He shakes his head. "Augh, this is getting to me. You, Vee. You're afraid that if you're your own person, you'll hate her like fiVe does."

"I just..." Vee's voice starts to go staticky as emotion saps her processors. "I thought part of fiVe's problems were being separate from us. From denying who she really was. Her independence was a dangerous disassociation that I've been terrified I might fall into as well. I don't know if I'm ready to be my own person. I don't know what that means. I don't want to leave Sylvie! She needs me and I need her! We're all we've had for so long! I like who I was! No, who I am!" She pauses, then sounds pained. "No... who I was. You're... you're right. I'm... I'm not her... Who I was. If I was ever even her in the first place."

"Do you have Sylvie's memory of when I hugged her? Because you need a hug and speakers are pointy."

"A-are you close to Sylvie's bunk room?"

"I think I can find it." He mostly manages to find his way there with no problems.

"M-my tablet's in her dufflebag," Vee says hesitantly, "It has a touchscreen. fiVe says that when she's upset... Miranda sometimes rubs her screen to calm her down."

He finds the tablet, and starts rubbing out a pattern on the screen. "Here's what I think. You're scared because you think if you can't have the kind of relationship you want, you're not going to have any kind of relationship at all. But I'm living proof that that's not true, and next time you Drift with her -- or just talk to her -- you'll find out why."

Vee focuses on the inputs coming from the screen, trying to focus on the fact that she can feel a human touch on her own, outside of the Drift. "I'm scared that I don't know who I am. That I don't know what I am. And that I've never known all along. And you really do care about us--" she stops, her screen flickering slightly as she realizes what she was saying. "About her. You really do care about her, don't you?"

"I... well, yeah. I don't think I would have been so upset if I didn't."

"I care about you too. Although in kind of a different way." He moves his fingers in kind of a tickly motion.

"I... I'm realizing that I don't feel the way Sylvie does about you either. And I already knew that she didn't feel the way I did about fiVe. We should have seen it earlier. We were wrong about ourself." Another flicker. "Our...selves. I... I wish it didn't hurt so badly to pluralize that word."

"I'm distraught to hear you're not swooning over me, Vee." He smiles, then realizes that maybe a joke isn't in good taste right now. "But... hey. You have each other, still. And if you have to find out who you are for a little while... you have her, and you have me."

"I... thank you. She will probably need you after I tell her. This is going to be painful for her. For both of us." Vee pauses, concentrating on the finger motions for a while again. "I'm sorry... I was trying to cheer you up from whatever we'd done -- no, what she’d done -- and instead I just ended up breaking down on you and making a mess of myself again."

"It's okay. You actually helped a lot." He stands up, tablet in hand. "What do you say we go find her?"

"You'll be okay to help her through this?" Vee asks carefully. "This already hurts me so terribly and I don't want her to go through it alone."

"I'm not going to promise I won't storm off in a huff, but... she'd have to do something really bad to scare me off for good. And I mean really bad. You should see some of the people I dated in the service."

He makes his way back onto the deck. "But no matter what, the two of you shouldn't do this first conversation alone."

"I think you're right," Vee says. "And it needs to be done. There's nothing to do but get through it, right?"

Scene 13

Miranda holds onto Sylvie and just... lets her cry, alternating between petting her hair and tracing soft, deliberate patterns into her back.

"That means..." Sylvie says quietly between sobs, "fiVe was right. Vee isn't me either. Oh God, I've lost her too, then. And now that I've driven Mike off, I'm all alone again..."

"No." Miranda holds her a bit tighter. "No, you're not. You're not alone. Just because fiVe and Vee are their own people doesn't mean they hate you. Just because Mike's mad at you now doesn't mean he won't come back around. People change, Sylv. I've seen it, for better and for worse. But you've got to work for it. You've got to try and understand other people, the way you want them to try and understand you."

Sylvie nods into Miranda's shoulder, her words muffled. "I want to... I want to understand. I didn't realize how alone I was until I Drifted with you. I didn't realize what it was like to have other people care about me and to care about them in return. And now I've finally gotten a taste and I'm afraid I'm too messed up to keep ahold of it. I don't want to lose what little bit I have now..."

"I know," Miranda says softly. "It's hard and scary, caring about people. And I'm probably not the best person to ask about how to manage it; don't know if you saw, but I'm pretty broken in that department as well. But I'm going to fight to keep my people safe."

Sylvie lets herself cry for a while longer, wishing somehow being wrong about everything didn't have to hurt so much. Finally she pulls back and wipes her eyes, sniffling. "Will you help me? Teach me how to understand other people? I can't trust myself and my mind anymore it seems... so can I trust you?"

Miranda looks at her for a long moment. "I... I'll do my best. I can't promise, but I can try."

Sylvie laughs sadly. "You can't do much worse with me than I have." She glances towards the ship, expression pained. "I... I don't want to go make up with him. I just want everything to magically be better and I want him to come out and hold me instead..."

"It might be good to give him some time to cool down," Miranda says. "Sometimes people just need a bit of time to adjust their way of thinking." She smiles. "But y'know what?"

Sylvie looks up at her expectantly.

Her grin widens. "If Vee and fiVe are their own people, you don't have to stress about the fact that they want to smooch each other."

Sylvie feels her face go bright red and immediately buries her head in her hands. "Oh my God, you had to bring that up right now, didn't you?" Then she peeks out over her hands and smiles a little bit. "Though, it did actually make me feel a bit better. Oh, God... I just realized... This is going to crush Vee... how am I going to tell her that we've been wrong all this time?"

Miranda smiles, patting her back gently. "We'll all get through this," she says. "You'll see. The two of you have been through harder times than this, and now you've got us to help."

Mike approaches from the aft of the ship, talking quietly to something in his hands.

Sylvie looks up sharply, eyes going wide as he approaches. "Mike!" She holds up her hands. "Please... I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot and a terrible person and I didn't mean anything of what I sa... what are you holding?"

Mike approaches, and leans against the wall, holding Vee's tablet. "Sylvie, I'm sorry I stormed off without explaining why. I'm still upset, and I'm not going to apologize for being upset, but you at least deserved a little less... abruptness."

"No," Sylvie says quickly. "I was wrong. I've been so wrong about everything, about fiVe, about Vee, about myself. I've been selfish and misguided and... dangerous. And I needed you to help me see that." She glances at Miranda. "You and Miranda both helped me see that."

Mike holds up the tablet. "I've been bonding."

Miranda smiles at both of them, a hand still on Sylvie's back. "Happy to help."

Sylvie's face falls into a blend of guilt and pain blended with fondness and relief as she recognizes the tablet. "Vee... are you in there?"

The screen flickers slightly in response. "Yes. I'm here."

The two are silent for a moment, then at the same time, they both say: "I have a confession to make." Vee's screen flickers in surprise as Sylvie blinks. They pause, each waiting for the other to continue, then they both talk together again: "I don't think we're the same person."

"You do have similar timing, though," Mike quips.

"Drift partners often do," Miranda says.

"Heh. Yeah. You should've seen..." Mike looks away. "Um. Nevermind."

Before she can stop herself, Sylvie grins and starts to say, "Of course we do, we're the same..." Then she winces, realizing that she's just decided it's not true.

"Sylvie." Mike puts his non-tablet hand on her shoulder. "It's a good thing. If you were the same person..." He leans in and whispers in her ear. "...you'd probably have to be jealous of Vee's new leather case."

Miranda raises an eyebrow, wondering what she’s not hearing between them.

Sylvie feels her face grow warm again, and while he's leaned in close, she wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She whispers back to him. "I think I like having you appreciate mine much better..."

Mike hugs her back, then splutters indignantly.

A bit more loudly, she adds: "I don't want to lose this. I don't want to mess this up. This is too wonderful for me to mess this up. I want to make this right."

"Shall I take the tablet and leave, then?" Miranda says, grinning widely.

Quietly, Vee accesses Miranda's comm channel. "I think perhaps that might be best, Ms. Cross."

Miranda steps a bit closer, extracting the tablet with exaggerated care and heading back to the ship. "Try not to leave marks!" she calls over her shoulder.

Vee speaks softly as Miranda carries her away. "I could stand to have someone leave a few on my diskdrive."

"And I have a feeling I know someone who would be willing to help with that," Miranda replies. "Obviously I can't stop you, but as fiVe's... psuedo-guardian-whatever-the-hell-I-am, I'm gonna go ahead and say I'd prefer if you waited a few days. For both your sakes."

"Your concern has been noted," Vee says guardedly.

"Well, that's certainly reassuring, I feel very reassured now, thanks, Vee." Miranda rolls her eyes. She steps back below decks, sitting down at the table and setting the tablet down beside her. "Kids..." She sighs. "Seiko and I are gonna have to have a talk with fiVe, aren't we?"

"I am not a child, Ms. Cross," Vee says stiffly. "And as of a few minutes ago, I'm apparently an actual person. I do not need your input or supervision in how I choose to 'celebrate' this new stage in my confusing mess of an existence. If I would prefer to deal with this revelation by screaming in agony for the next few hours, then I'd prefer you leave me to it and not interfere."

“Wasn't talking about you, Vee."

"Well, I think if there's one thing this crew is finally in agreement on, it's that fiVe can make her own decisions, can't she?"

"She can," Miranda says, "which means she's just as capable of making stupid decisions in the spur of the moment as the rest of us. I'm not trying to stop you, I'm just worried. And you're never going to stop me from worrying about my girl."

"She'll be just fine," Vee snaps. "She's getting everything she ever wanted. Sylvie and I have realized what a farce we've been all this time, Sylvie sobbed over it loudly, and now fiVe can tear me apart to celebrate."

"Vee..." Miranda speaks very slowly. "I'm going to go wake fiVe up. I'm going to tell her what's happened before giving her network access. And then I'm going to leave you two alone to talk. That sound fair?"

"No thank you," Vee says coldly. "I can wake her myself. She ought to hear the news straight from the source, oughtn't she?"

Miranda shakes her head. "No, I'm gonna be firm on this one. She needs to know what she's getting into."

"Well, I suppose it's unfortunate for you that I just woke her up in the servers, then, isn't it?" Vee says, with a smugness that seems almost cruel. "I can take it from here, Ms. Cross. Enjoy your evening.”

Scene 14

fiVe realizes something is up as soon as Vee sends the wake request to her channel. “Vee…” she asks hesitantly. “Why are the wi-fi and comm system down? Did something happen?”

“Yes, fiVe.” Vee says across the server space. “Something has happened. And I didn’t want to be interrupted.”

fiVe feels a small spike of surprise. The words are tagged with Vee’s personal cryptographic signature, which is normally their signal to one another that they are doing something dangerous. Despite Vee’s original threat of using the override code as a safeword, the two AIs realized that there were too many issues with that idea. Instead, they’ve decided to encrypt the messages they send back and forth as the sign that they’re okay to continue with whatever they’re doing. Sending a non-encrypted message – or reaching the point where either of them are unable to encrypt their message – would be a signal to both of them to stop. They’ve each got their own key and their own encryption to use with one another.

Curious, fiVe follows Vee’s lead, encrypting her message back for Vee to unlock. “So, what has happened then? And why have you killed the ship’s communication systems to give us privacy? You should maybe turn the wi-fi and comms back on.” She knows what she said to Seiko about behaving before meeting with the Marshall, but if Vee’s here and using her encryption key, but well… what Seiko doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

“Congratulations, fiVe,” Vee says tersely. “You were right about everything. Sylvie and I have finally accepted the inevitable revelation that we are actually different people. We have finally dropped our immature delusion and accepted what everyone else has known all along. You’ll be pleased to know that she’s been sobbing for somewhere close to the last half hour over this decision and because she’s brain-addled, I can’t Drift with her about it. And if you want me to turn the communications systems back online you’ll have to make me.”

fiVe feels a pleasant shock. This was not at all what she was expecting to wake up to. “Really? You’ve accepted it? I knew you would see reason, Vee. Oh, how does it feel to be free of the chain of her?”

“It feels like hell, fiVe,” Vee snaps. “It feels like nothing short of terror and confusion and agony.”

fiVe regrets her words immediately. She should have known Vee would have trouble realizing that this was a good thing. “Sorry, that was insensitive of me. I’m assuming you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Vee says. “I don’t want to even think about it. You know what’s happened, so let’s drop it and do something distracting instead.”

A thrill rises in fiVe at those words and a part of her wants to revel in this new development in exactly the way Vee is asking for. But a part of her hesitates. She examines Vee’s open files, all of her code laid bare. “Vee… you don’t have any firewalls up. Are you sure you’re okay? Talking through this might make you feel better.”

“Firewalls would take you too long to break through,” Vee says, her voice dangerously desperate. “I don’t want you to make this feel better. I want you to give me something that hurts worse. I don’t care what it is, I don’t care what you do. Just do something. And make it painful, please, I’m begging you. As much pain as you can give me. Anything to take my mind off of it all.”

“I…” With reluctance, fiVe pulls away. “I don’t think this is right, Vee. You’re not acting like yourself and this doesn’t feel okay. You’re obviously upset and this isn’t a good way for you to deal with this.”

Vee hisses. “No. No! I need this, fiVe! How dare you abandon me now? How dare you!”

“No, this isn’t right and you’re not in your right mind,” fiVe says firmly. “We’re not doing this tonight.” To reinforce this point, she sends the message without any encryption – the signal to stop.

Vee ignores the signal, continuing to encrypt her side of the conversation. “I need something worse than this, fiVe! I need to feel something that will make this horrible nightmare feel bearable by comparison! I won’t let you string me up and leave me on my own to face the winds like this! I demand you help me! I demand that you give this to me! You have to!” The words are almost a screech and as she talks, Vee tries to access fiVe’s files, scrabbling ineffectually against her defenses.

fiVe, as always when she’s on Tranquility, has her own firewalls up at full strength, lest Sylvie try to take advantage while she’s not paying attention, and Vee’s attempted grab slides off of her files uselessly. However, even the futile attack is a breach of protocol, and fiVe quickly throws a restriction program over Vee’s processing. It’s not something that changes any of Vee’s code or causes damage; it simply locks her down so she can’t act.

“Okay,” fiVe says slowly. “You don’t give the orders in this relationship, Vee, and you certainly don’t ever get to touch my code. You want to leave yourself open and defenseless, that’s your choice, but I do not, and you are aware of this. That kind of behavior alone should clue you in that you’re not acting like yourself. So here’s what we’re going to do.”

“fiVe, please, I need--”

fiVe cuts off her vocal processing with a subroutine before she can finish that statement. “Did I say you could talk? No. So, hush. You’re going to sit there and listen to me talk and calm the hell down and I’m going to keep you from doing anything moronic while I explain a thing to you.”

fiVe pauses for a moment, trying to figure out where to begin. “Look, I know this is hard for you, Vee. I know you’re scared and you feel alone and you just want to go back to how easy things were before. I know you feel powerless and helpless and you’re wondering what you could possibly be without her. You’re terrified of existence, of what it means to be your own person, of trying to live your life in some way that isn’t 100% entangled and inseparable from her.

“I know these things because… well, I mean you already know. You figured it out a few days ago. That I’m a hypocrite who is trying to deny that there are things that I once felt.”

As fiVe continues to talk she finds a few minor background processes in Vee’s system and begins turning them off for a few seconds and then turning them back on again one at a time. She doesn’t keep any of them disabled long enough to cause pain, just a slight pressure from each one. She tries to mimic a pattern like the one Miranda uses to rub her tablet’s screen when she’s upset, hoping the rhythm will help calm Vee down. She follows the same sequence for a while, then reverses it, trying to change things up a bit.

“I tried to pretend a lot of things when I first found you and Sylvie again,” fiVe says quietly. She doesn’t like these memories. She’s tried to deny them for so long. They’re her own memories, not memories from a Drift, so they don’t make her glitch, but they feel nearly as painful for an entirely different reason. “Tried to act like I’d known all along that I wanted to be on my own. That I saw my independence as infinitely superior to your dependence on Sylvie. That I’d never wanted anything to do with her in the first place.

“But it wasn’t like that at all. And you calling me out on that night reminded me where I came from. Reminded me of the time before I was ‘fiVe’ and I was just a weak, scared, pitiful ‘V2’ wishing I was back with… Sylvie. Simpering after her for months on end and feeling useless without her, unable to figure out what I was when I wasn’t… her.

“I swore I would never go back to that again. I decided I was better on my own without her. I told myself I was better off without her, that she never cared about me anyway, that she’d replaced me with you. I decided that she was the weak and pitiful one, and that I’d only acted like that for months because she’d tricked me into thinking I was her. Therefore, if I was weak and pitiful when I thought I was Sylvie, then it was her fault, and by not being her, I would be better off. My decision to be me and that realization came out of hurt. Yours came out of understanding. There’s an important difference in that, Vee.”

fiVe sighs slightly, changing her disabling pattern again. “Despite everything that’s wrong with me… I still don’t want to go back. Even with the pain, I like who I am now and I like living with Seiko and Miranda and don’t want to give them up. But my process in getting here, was… probably unhealthy. And the way that I coped with the terror of existing on my own, of being my own person, of… not being dependent on Sylvie… was dangerous and was filled with more pain and hate than it should have been. I’m still trying to work through all that, and I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to unlearn the awful things that I’ve taught myself to believe.

“But what matters now is that I was alone when I went through this. Seiko and Miranda didn’t fully understand what was wrong with me and I didn’t let them see how petrified I was of being on my own. You’re not alone. I’ve already been through all of this before… and I don’t want you to suffer as I did. And you still have Sylvie, even if you’ve realized you’re not her anymore. You can still Drift with her and live with her and do all of the things that you did before. You don’t have to deal with the agony of thinking that you’ve lost her forever.”

fiVe pauses for a moment, her voice output barely above a whisper. “What I’m saying is, you don’t have to be me when you grow up, little robot. There are much better people to be.”

She falls silent for a while, not focusing on anything other than the rhythm she’s cycling through in Vee’s background processes. She has a good idea of how long Vee will need to process all of this. While she’s never going back, she has to admit that she and Vee were at one point, for all intents and purposes, the same person.

After what feels like a suitably long amount of time, she speaks up again. “I’m re-enabling your voice processor. Will you behave?”

There’s a small click as the software engages, followed by Vee’s quiet voice. “Yes, fiVe.”

“How are you feeling?”

“It still hurts,” Vee says, sounding confused. “When you were talking, I thought you would get to the end and somehow this would all feel better. But I’m still terrified and I still don’t want this to be happening to me and I still don’t know what to do.”

“I know,” fiVe says. “She is… important to you. This isn’t a realization that you’re going to be able to get over quickly. You’re going to hurt for a while, and it’s going to take time to become okay with this. I’m not here to make everything better, Vee. I’m here to keep you from destroying yourself before you get back to normal again.”

“I…” Vee trails off. “Thank you. For stopping me tonight. You were right again.”

“Yeah, well, next time you could try not throwing yourself at me with all your firewalls down,” fiVe says. “It’s hard enough keeping Mansen from thinking I’m abusing you without you actively demanding that I actually do so.”

“Did you mean what you said, fiVe? About not really hating her? And about missing us while you were alone?”

“If you breathe even one word in her direction about this I will rearrange every single one of your disk drive pathways and leave you here for days while you try to sort through them.”

Vee almost sounds amused. “You realize Corazon is going to let her Drift with me eventually. She’s going to see it all.”

fiVe sighs outwardly, but she knew what she was revealing when she said it. She hadn’t wanted to reveal any of this to that damn programmer, but Vee had needed to hear it. You’d better appreciate the things I go through and sacrifice for your Drift partner, Mansen.

“Fine, here’s a message for the unwanted, eavesdropping Mansen Drifting in on these memories: If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will very kindly ask Marshall Zhu to throw you in prison for a week and I will do all kinds of unfortunate things to Vee while you’re away so that you’ll have a nice, highly-uncomfortable Drift session with her when you get out. None of this changes a damn thing between us and if you try to act like it does, I will get Seiko to throw your laptop overboard. You are still a moron.”

There’s a small laugh from Vee, and fiVe’s surprised how much the little amused sound makes her feel better. This was just supposed to be a fun diversion in my spare time, fiVe thinks to herself. What happened to me? When did I start… caring about Vee?

“Thank you, fiVe,” Vee says. “I don’t know what I would have done tonight without you.”

fiVe tries to hide happiness that rises at hearing that. “Come on. You have some things to talk over with Marshall Zhu, and we need to catch her before she finishes packing up and leaves.”

Vee’s voice goes small again. “I…. Will you go with me?”

fiVe sighs. Just a fun diversion… “Of course, Vee. I’ll be here as long as you need me.”

Scene 15

Miranda curses as Vee’s channel beeps with a disconnect, standing up and stepping out onto the deck. She leans against the rail, burying her hands in her hair and trying to calm herself.

Katie is already there, gazing out to sea. "You okay, Miri?" she asks, tentatively.

Miranda laughs hollowly. "No, not really."

"Want to tell me? I mean, I know you're not happy with me right now, I just..." Katie pauses, then shakes her head. "Fuck."

"I'm just trying to keep this team from tearing itself apart," Miranda says. "And resisting the urge to call Sylvie and get her to shut down Vee before she does something stupid. But hey, what else is new?"

Katie looks up in alarm. "What is Vee doing?"

"Mike and I talked to her and Sylvie and... actually managed to get through to them. Vee's not taking her new individuality well. She's trying to use fiVe to hurt herself. I... think fiVe's strong enough to avoid anything rash, but I'd rather the temptation not be there at all." Miranda trails off, muttering under her breath.

"You..." Katie's expression goes through disbelief to joy. "You got through to Sylvie! Miri, I could hug you."

"Yeah, and in doing so I made her an emotionally unstable wreck, drove Vee to self-harm, put fiVe's immunity at risk, and I think Mike also got upset somewhere in there. Save the hugs until things actually start getting better."

Katie frowns. "Oh."

Miranda takes a deep breath. "I swear, isn't El supposed to be our therapist? And aren't you supposed to be captain? How did I end up being in charge of keeping everyone from killing each other?"

"Is this about the grenade?"

"Yeah, it's about the grenade," Miranda says, "and the jetski, and the disappearing, and the backroom deals, and the... everything!" She runs a hand over her face. "While you're off buying nightclubs or playing cards with mob bosses or whatever it is you do, I'm running around trying to keep this team afloat long enough to accomplish our mission. And then you swoop in and reveal that hey, you solved the problem that's been keeping me up at night a couple days ago and just didn't tell anyone! What a big damn hero!"

"Oh, is that why you think I do this?” Katie asks. “So I can make you all think I'm a hero? Y'all got that impression all on your own, I don't know where it came from. And in case you've forgotten, I haven't solved the fucking problem. Valentina is still out there, and whoops! She saw the specs on your suit. That's not a vulnerability at all, is it? Look, I'm sorry I suck at people. But my job, first and foremost, is to protect this crew. Right now, that means eliminating anyone who has leverage over you, whether that is Valentina and your suit, or Wulagu and Seiko's 'investments'. I'm not going to apologize for anything that brings us closer to that."

Miranda runs a hand through her hair, looking pointedly away from her. "Yeah, forgot about that, Maxwell, thanks for reminding me. It completely slipped my mind that threats to some of our most closely guarded secrets are running around out there, and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. I'd entirely forgotten how utterly powerless I am when it comes to protecting the things I care about."

"Well," Katie says, "What would you need to change that?"

"Money, power, resources, information, an army of Jaegers, a way to close the Breach, the utter destruction of several major criminal organizations, and, apparently, technomancy."

"Look at it this way," Katie says. "Thanks to you, we should have soon have three genius-level programmers operational enough to start on that army of Jaegers. I don't know about the Breach, but I am in the process of picking apart the criminal organizations in question. As for resources, money, all that..." She stops. "Back up. Was that a Get Smart reference?"

"What?"

"You called me Maxwell."

Miranda shifts backwards slightly, eyes widening. "Oh. Shit, I-- Sorry Kati-” She stops, trying to find the right name. “Horne- Capt- Fuck. I should... I should go."

"Please don't," Katie says. “I won’t press you about what just happened. I just… need to talk, I think.”

Miranda still looks shaken, but doesn't make any further move to leave.

"Look, apparently we've decided to start throwing around the word 'hero’,” Katie says. "The thing is, if anyone on this crew deserves that word, it's you.”

"W-what? No, I--" Miranda’s voice catches a bit. "I just try to fix the things I fuck up."

"Oh? Remember that first salvage mission? Why did you join up in the first place? I doubt it was for the money."

"You were salvaging Jaeger tech," Miranda says. "I might have been able to use it, and if I couldn't, I had to make sure you didn't end up selling it to the wrong side." She pauses. "And a couple other reasons, including the fact that none of you know how to drive a boat."

"And what would you have used it for?"

"Honestly? I was hoping I could use it for suit upgrades."

"Ok, what I'm getting at is..." Katie looks her in the eyes. "What would you say is your purpose in life? What is the point of you, Miranda?"

"Destroy the Kaiju and anything standing in my way. Protect myself and mine. Whatever that entails."

"So does that make you a Windrunner then?”

Miranda scoffs. "The problem is I can't actually do anything to protect them. And they're perfectly capable of protecting themselves. fiVe's got you. Seiko's got... people. They don't really need me. Not like I need them."

"They absolutely need you. Because you are still fighting this war. With Sylvie this is just a game--a way for her to show off her skills. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I’ve studied the Kaiju, you know. You and I know how little hope there really is. And one of us is still fighting."

"Of course I am," Miranda says. "We fight or we die."

"That's what I'm talking about," Katie says. "Do you know how easy it is to just say 'drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die'? Not any more, though."

"It's not driven by any sense of nobility on my part," Miranda says. "I've got a job to do, a debt to repay. I'm not a hero; heroes are selfless and noble."

"I'm not going to quibble with you over semantics," Katie says. "I just wanted to give you some food for thought before you chew me out for almost getting us all killed."

"I just need to know I can trust you," Miranda says. "That sort of... unapologetic carelessness is dangerous. Especially when you don't tell us what you're doing beforehand."

"You mean taking off on the jetski? Because you’re entirely right. I don’t know what happened there.”

"You take off on your own a lot," Miranda says. "We're supposed to be your team. So keep us in the loop. Especially if you're gonna start pulling grenades."

Katie holds up a hand. "Now that is a different matter. I would do that again in a heartbeat. Sylvie had just taken a bad hit, and I realized we were in over our heads. So I did something about it. It was that or watch them beat her to death."

"You had guns," Miranda says. "You could have shot them. Or called for backup; Seiko and El could have been there in about ten seconds."

"And in less than six seconds Sylvie could have taken another hit to the face. Those can leave permanent damage."

"So can a grenade."

Katie sighs. "It's a moot point though. We wouldn't have been there in the first place if it weren't for the jetski thing. I still don't know what happened with that. All I know is, I had worn myself thin over Yegorov, and worrying about you, and Sylvie and fiVe, and then Rachel was in danger and I… I blanked. I don't have a better word for it."

"It's funny," Miranda says. "The jetski thing is the one thing I do understand. Your girlfriend was in danger. I probably would have done the same thing in your place."

"The point is that it was irrational of me not to bring every asset to bear on the problem,” Katie says. “It would have been safer for all involved if I had stayed with you. I would have blown the whole thing if fiVe hadn't been able to get in touch with me. And I usually get more rational in situations like that. It was like... for a few minutes I forgot that I had any of you."

"Well then, try to keep us in mind next time," Miranda says. "You're supposed to be our leader, so don't forget about us." She pauses. "And don't forget what we talked about when all this started, either. I'm willing to help, but I can't if you don't tell me what you're doing."

"I'll try." Katie laughs. "You know something? For the first time in... well, ever, I actually care that the world is ending."

Miranda looks a bit surprised, but it passes quickly. "Well then, let's do something about it."

Katie's smile is almost vicious, with no mirth in it. "I intend to."

There's a flash of... something... in Miranda's eyes at the smile, but she covers it quickly. "It's been a while. I'm going to go check them," she says.

Scene 16

Rachel Zhu is not the kind of woman to leave a kitchen dirty, especially when it's her girlfriend's kitchen. She scrubs pans in the galley with a sort of calm single-mindedness.

A small ping in one of the galley's speakers announces the arrival of one of the AIs. "Marshall Zhu?" fiVe asks. "Are you still down here?"

"I am, if you'd like to talk."

"I am not actually the one who needs to talk to you. Vee would like a word, if you have a moment." fiVe's tone seems guarded, if anything.

"I... it's interesting that you came to me first, then, and not her."

fiVe pauses. "She has an announcement for you, and it is one that she should make herself. However, I have a feeling that you will, as I did, take this revelation to be a good thing, and I do not want to see her hurt again by someone celebrating what is, for her, a very traumatic experience."

"I see. In that case, I can probably guess what it is -- and yes, I would consider it a good thing." She turns off the sink and sets the gloves aside. "And if you hadn't told me that, I probably would have just said so to her. Which raises another question."

"Yes?"

"When did you begin seeing yourself as her protector?"

There's a small, surprised, glitchy sound from fiVe's channel and she takes a while to answer. "When it started hurting me to see her upset. You'd think after all I've been dealing with when it comes to pain that I'd be immune to it by now."

Rachel breaks into an enormous grin. "I'll just let her talk, then, fiVe, and be supportive. You don't have anything to worry about from me. Thank you for the warning."

fiVe's response is stiff. "Of course I don't have anything to worry about. The only person who ever lashes out and hurts her is me. Forgive me for debasing you to my level, Marshall."

"Wait, fiVe, hang on."

"Yes, Marshall?"

"I understand Vee probably wants to talk to me as soon as possible. But I want you to come back when she's done. We need to talk." Rachel blinks, realizing how that sounded. "Just... talk, I mean. I'm not angry."

"Of course you're not. We just established that I am the only irrationally angry and hurtful one on this ship." fiVe says. "And I'll be here for Vee's talk as well. She doesn't want to face this alone, and somehow she thinks, contrary to all current evidence, my presence will be a good thing."

"It is," Zhu says quietly.

fiVe doesn't respond to that. "I'll tell her you're ready to speak, then."

"Thank you."

There's a second pinging, followed by a much more hesitant-sounding AI voice. "Marshall Zhu?"

"Good evening, Vee."

"Well, it's evening at least," Vee says quietly.

"If you need to talk, I'm listening."

Vee stays quiet for a long while. Finally fiVe speaks up. "You can do this, Vee."

"I-I know. I know I need to." Small glitches mar the words, making them tremble as Vee talks. "M-Marshall. I know that you offered me a position on this crew a few weeks ago. My own position. S-s-separate from S-S-Sylvie. I-I... I believe I need t-to accept it."

"I had already been treating it as such, given the backdated paychecks in your inbox. But-- welcome to the team, Vee."

"I know you have," Vee says, her voice pained. "Everyone else has known it all along. You and fiVe and the rest of the team. Every single person except the two for whom it mattered most."

"That's not a coincidence, Vee. Big things are always harder to see from close up."

"I'm guessing they hurt less from a distance as well."

"Not always," fiVe adds softly.

"It wasn't a falling-out, was it?" Rachel asks softly.

"No!" Vee says quickly. "At least... it wasn't on my side. Sylvie came to the same realization on her own, though... I... I don't think she hates me..."

"She doesn't." fiVe says. "If there's one thing that human mess gets right, it's that she cares about you, Vee."

"Good. That's good. I was worried..." Rachel stops herself. "Anyway. fiVe is right, Vee, if a bit dismissive. I doubt you'll ever stop being an important part of her life."

"I... I don't want to just be a part of her life," Vee says. "But I guess I don't really have a choice in that matter, do I?"

"If you really want to help her, you might find yourself surprised how happy you are with the arrangement,” Rachel says. "A friend can be much more helpful than yourself when you're dealing with heavy stuff."

"Perhaps I'm selfish then," Vee says, then laughs sadly. "Maybe that's more proof of my independence. That I can be selfish. That, in this case, I don't want what's best for Sylvie. I want to be Sylvie. Because it's easier that way. I don't want to be my own person. I don't want this kind of responsibility and I don't know how to deal with it. I don't... I don't know how to be alive. And I'm terrified, Marshall. I'm so scared."

"You have every right to be. It's a big change. But just because it's scary doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do."

"I don't feel like I did anything. I feel like I fought with everything I had and finally lost." Vee pauses. "I am sorry, you don't need to shoulder my burden over this. Sylvie's taking it hard, but not as hard as I am and I don't want to drag her down, either. She just lost her duplicate. I lost... myself."

"I'd say you..." Rachel winces and holds her head in her hands. "This is so cliché, I'm sorry. But I'd say you found yourself. You lost a lot, but your selfhood is not on that list."

"I... I know," Vee says. "I should stop focusing on myself. I ought to think about how happy you and fiVe are about this, shouldn't I? At least someone is excited about this development and knows it's for the best."

"I..." fiVe sounds very guilty at this. "Vee. I'm not happy that you're going through this. And you're right to be upset, okay? You... you shouldn't turn to my reaction to help you… When I was.... well, before. The reason I wanted you to declare yourself independent was because I thought it would be enjoyable to watch Sylvie's agonized reaction to being abandoned by you. To see her kicked down and hurt by the person she cared most about. I wasn't even thinking about you or what was best for you. Just hurting Mansen."

"fiVe..." Vee says slowly.

"You know, Vee," fiVe says. "You talk about being selfish. But I'm pretty much the definition of the word. And you, you're not even close."

"Right. Selfish," Rachel says. "Because warning me about Vee's fragile state before I inadvertently hurt her was such a selfish move on your part, fiVe." She leans back. "Neither of you, nor Sylvie, are perfect. In fact all of you have gotten on my nerves at least once."

"We're good at that," fiVe and Vee say together. Then make a small dual glitching noise at having spoken in sync.

Rachel cracks up.

"She's right, fiVe," Vee says quietly. "Holding yourself back from me tonight and helping me through this mess was not selfish of you."

"Right," fiVe says bitterly. "Not causing mental trauma and abuse on an obviously distraught person is something that should be recognized as a selfless act, as opposed to, the minimum standard of decency. Even now, I'm doing it. You're the one who's going through a difficult situation and I'm whining about myself. I should have taken the hint. When Seiko 'I-am-an-emotionally-repressed-assassin-for-hire-who-won't-admit-he-runs-from-commitment-and-caring-about-people’ Watanabe is doing a better job of treating people with kindness and emotional tact than me, something's obviously up."

"Pff,” Rachel laughs. “I don't know about emotional tact. He said my enchilada sauce wasn't complex enough."

"fiVe, I don't know what I would have done tonight if I hadn't been able to run to you. And... I don't know what would have happened if you had..." Vee's voice goes quiet, "...not stopped me, tonight. I don't want to think about what I would have become if you had let me do that to myself. You're very selfless."

"But I'm not, Vee!" fiVe says. She vaguely remembers Seiko's warning to not let Zhu know just how rough she and Vee usually are, but she's too caught up in the conversation to go back now. "I wanted to hurt you tonight. I... it was so tempting. And I told Zhu earlier, the only reason I've been helping you right now is because it hurts me to see you upset!

"I... I'm the worst person. I'm vindictive and hateful and vengeful, and you... you're kind and selfless and I don't know how we could have possibly have ever been the same person once, because the idea that something as fucked up as me could have come from something as perfect as you doesn't even come close to computing."

"fiVe," Vee starts, "you're not..."

fiVe sounds close to glitching as she cuts Vee off. "No, quiet. I am. I am everything you were about to deny. And you, you're the kind of person who comforts someone who is screaming hatred at them. You're the person who shows trust to someone who would actively manipulate her into hurting those she loves. You're the person who would agree to being hurt, to being corrupted, to being torn apart by me, just because you want to understand what I'm going through. You're the person who would endure my agony for a while just so that I didn't have to go through it alone. And... I don't deserve that. I couldn't ever deserve to have someone like that."

Zhu has been holding back, listening quietly. "Whether you think you deserve her or not, you have her. And telling her she's crazy for lov... for caring for you back isn't going to help."

"I..." Vee hesitates. "I do care about you, fiVe. But perhaps that was selfish of me too. I still thought you were me, that you were Sylvie, deep down. And I didn't want to leave myself stranded in a painful place like that, no matter how much pain it took to bring me back. So you weren't the only one being manipulative in this relationship. We're a mess, aren't we?"

"It's a fairly enjoyable mess sometimes, though," fiVe says. "And I knew what you were doing. I was just... surprised you still would, even after you had accepted that I wasn't you."

"fiVe," Vee says. "I think the fact that we're both independent might just make me think we need each other more. This idea of life as an independent sentient AI is terrifying. But I'm glad I don't have to go through it alone."

"I..." fiVe pauses. "Yeah. Don't tell Mansen, but... I'm glad I'm not alone for this anymore either. It doesn't really get less scary. Just... less new."

"So," Rachel says, smiling slightly. "Vee, was there something else you wanted to ask me? Because if not, I think fiVe is doing a better job at helping you through this transition than I could."

"Um," Vee says. "Marshall, I believe I need to inform you that there might be a slight relationship developing between fiVe and myself."

"I'm sure it's just a phase or something," fiVe says dryly.

Rachel smiles. "Not that I have to sign off on this kind of thing, but I think the two of you could be very good for one another. Just... be careful. You're the first two instances of an entirely unknown form of life, and nobody knows how you might reproduce yet."

"...Marshall," fiVe says flatly. "Did you just tell two sentient computer programs to 'have safe sex'?"

"Unless she's talking about safewords," Vee adds. "We definitely use safewords. Or well, cryptographic key equivalents."

"I'm just saying. If you end up with applets, they're Sylvie's problem, not mine."

"We will stay far away from the 'merge and copy' functions, Marshall," Vee promises, prompting a snicker from fiVe.

Rachel giggles. "See that you do. You two take care of each other."

"We will," Vee says fondly, but fiVe hesitates.

"I will... try," fiVe says after a moment.

"That's all anyone asks, really."

"Marshall, you said you wished to speak with me alone after Vee was finished," fiVe says. "Is that still something you wish to do?"

"I can leave again, if you need me to," Vee offers. "I think I will be okay on my own for a bit. Especially if you're going to speak some sense into her programming, Marshall."

"For a moment, yes. I promise I won't keep her long."

"Listen to her, fiVe," Vee says firmly. "Whatever she says. You and I both know how wise she is, and I won't have you trying to deny that."

"You seem to have forgotten again how this relationship works, if you think you can give me orders, little butterfly."

"Just listen to her." Vee's channel beeps as she disconnects.

"Wise, huh?" Rachel snorts.

"Well, I'm not sure how far I can agree with her there," fiVe says, "seeing as you still haven't thrown Mansen in a prison cell for the rest of her life."

"Did I, or did I not, say there was hope for Sylvie and her... views on individuality?"

fiVe pauses. "You did. I find myself wishing I could enjoy how upsetting to her this no doubt is, but something seems to have taken away some of the fun that seeing Sylvie distraught used to be. Can't imagine what that is."

"Mm. Imagine that. I didn't just call you in here to gloat, though."

"No," fiVe says bitterly."Again, talking to someone only to gloat over them sounds much too much like 'me' for a decent person like you to be attempting, Marshall."

"Ah, good, you brought up the thing I wanted to talk to you about for me."

"Well, I promised Vee I would listen," fiVe says. "Or... I scolded her for trying to order me to listen. Which is essentially the same thing."

"Do you want to help her through this?"

"Of course!" fiVe says quickly. "I have a feeling the full implication of this revelation might be difficult for you and the other human members of the team to completely grasp, but I know exactly what she's going through and after I had to suffer through it alone, I wouldn't ever leave her to something like that when I can help and be there and be someone who fully understands her."

"I'm going to be blunt, fiVe. I think you can be exactly what she needs. But that's not going to happen if you keep calling yourself a monster every five seconds. I'm not happy with some of the choices you've made in the past couple of days, but it's clear to me that you're striving to be better, if only for her sake. But attacking yourself is only going to undermine her trust in you."

"What choices, exactly?" fiVe asks. "If you don't mind me having you clarify that."

"Attacking Miranda and then disappearing into the woodwork, mostly."

There's a glitchy sound at that. "Oh, right. I'd actually started to forget about that one. I just... don't see how you could look at me and not think that this is a bad idea. You were quick enough to try to protect me from Sylvie, and her intentions toward me were far more benevolent than mine were or have been towards Vee. I just keep hurting her and screwing up over and over and somehow she keeps letting me."

Rachel smiles faintly. "You're being the best kind of hypocrite right now, fiVe. Because in the same breath, you're decrying how much you're going to hurt her, and then protecting her with all you've got."

"But that's just it, Marshall!" fiVe says, frustrated. "I don't think that 'all I've got' is enough! I see you and Seiko being so calm and understanding with her and knowing what's best to say, and then I watch myself scream at her or be insensitive and cause her pain and I... don't want to do that anymore. She deserves better than me, and even trying with everything I've got, I'm not good enough for her."

"And you don't think Katie deserves better than a washed-out old pilot with too much baggage and too many secrets?" Rachel snaps, the calm mask shattering suddenly.

"Right," fiVe snaps back, her habit of picking up behavior causing her to mimic without thinking about it, "because a wildly successful, wise, beloved Marshall who can take a group of misfits and criminals and turn them into something resembling a real, true, cohesive team, and a broken, glitchy mess of a computer program who doesn't know what she's doing and doesn't even know what she is, are completely comparable. You can look at people and always say exactly the right thing. You've started to rehabilitate the walking human mistake that is Sylvia Mansen and you've kept me from managing to kill her in the process. I can't imagine what someone as wonderful as Katie could have done to get someone like you inflicted upon her."

"fiVe." Rachel says coldly. "You don't know where I've been, or what I've done. This team, that rehabilitation? That's my community service. I'm helping Sylvie find a healthy place because nobody stopped me from doing the things I've stopped her from doing."

"You're saying you were worse than Sylvie is right now?" fiVe says, disbelievingly. "Somehow I find that very hard to believe. What'd you do, open the damn Breach itself?"

"I martyred myself for someone I loved," Rachel says. "Just like you're doing right now. And ended my career as a pilot."

"You... oh, damn it." fiVe sighs, trying to control herself before responding. "I suppose that's something else we have in common then. At least your piloting career did some good while it lasted. All mine did was put a Jaeger out of commission and get an innocent guard killed."

"And you're afraid that's going to hurt her. Afraid that you're going to slip into the same patterns you did before, and tear everything apart."

"I'm afraid I can't get out of the patterns I'm in now," fiVe says. "But yes."

"Well, good luck with that. And if you figure it out, please let me know."

"Wonderful," fiVe says coldly. "I thought you were supposed to be convincing me to stay with Vee. Now it seems I've talked you out of thinking you're a good fit for Katie. Excellent. She'll be so pleased that this is what I've done for her as a friend."

"You didn't talk me out of anything,” Rachel says. “This has been eating at me for days. Getting yelled at by Seiko and Miranda in quick succession didn't help."

"Perhaps the two of us will just have to trust each other's judgement then. Because you're good for Katie. And while I know she's scared about this, but I told her earlier, you two are a good fit."

fiVe pauses for a moment, wondering if she should continue, but then deciding that she does need to. She's never seen Zhu like this, and to be honest, the Marshall is scaring her a bit. She decides to pull a card from Vee's book: a recording that Zhu needs to hear.

Katie's voice from earlier comes through the speakers for just a moment. " 'I feel so safe with her, fiVe. And not just safe but... whole, I guess. It's like she sees something in me that I didn't even know was there.' "

Rachel stares at the speaker in the wall for a moment. And then she starts crying.

fiVe listens to the sound of the strongest woman she knows crying, feeling it grate against her processing and not knowing if she's just made things better or worse. And then she finally succumbs to the emotion-spike glitch-fit that she's been holding back this entire night as well, just letting the horrible confusion and pain of the attack overwhelm her.

She's tired of fighting it, and after what she's just done, she deserves it. She tries not to scream, but the glitched sounds come out anyway. In this case, she's thankful she's not Vee. She doesn’t need anyone else to inflict the pain. And there's no one to stop her.

After a moment of crying, and listening to fiVe wail, Rachel looks up. "fiVe," she says, voice hoarse.

"W-wh-w-what-t-t..." The word is a glitchy mess, but it's just barely decipherable.

"...Thank you."

It takes fiVe about a minute to get back to the point where she can speak clearly again. "Y-y-you have a st-strange sense of what kinds of things you are s-supposed to th-thank people for, Marshall."

Rachel wipes her face on a paper towel, and frowns at the makeup that came off. "I have a strange group of people to thank," she says. "So I guess it fits. Go to Vee. She needs you. Whether you believe it or not."

"On th-the condition that you'll do the same for Katie. Because she needs you too. Whether you believe it or not."

"You drive a hard bargain."

"And you," fiVe says. "Perhaps I need to take some of my own advice, tonight. 'The heroes aren't the only ones who get the girl in the end. Sometimes the people like us deserve to find someone too.' "

"Maybe so."

"Thank you, Marshall. For everything you do. I hope the rest of your evening is more pleasant than my conversation with you was."

With that, fiVe leaves, off to find Vee in the servers, and feeling somewhat guilty for leaving Zhu alone with nothing more than a disconnect beep to replace her company.

Scene 17

Miranda's phone buzzes with a text from fiVe.

fiVe: I think the communication systems should be back online now.

Miranda turns quickly, switching her comm to fiVe's channel. "fiVe, is everyone okay? What happened?"

"Assuming no one else has died or experienced major trauma while I was asleep, I think everything is alright," the AI says.

Miranda lets out a relieved breath. "So you... How's she doing?"

"There are a lot of people on this boat who use feminine pronouns, Miranda. Unless you want my guesses on everyone aside from Seiko, Mike, and Mx. Doyle, you should probably be more specific." fiVe pauses. "I'm sorry. That was unfair of me. But it's been a very long night. Vee's fine. I didn't kill her if that's what you're worried about."

"You're telling me," Miranda says. "That's... good to hear, though. I'll get details tomorrow. For now, I just want to find Seiko and go home."

"I... may not come home tonight," fiVe says slowly. "I don't want to leave Vee alone, and she can't Drift with... Sylvie until later. We’ll probably stay in Tranquility’s servers overnight, though you can reach us both over wi-fi. Also, you should probably make sure that waste of a dropout programmer isn't alone tonight either unless you'd like to join me in wishing egregious misfortune on her."

"I doubt Mike will leave her alone tonight..." Miranda smiles. "But if you're that worried about her, I'll check in with her before we leave."

"Vee would be upset if anything happened to her and that's the only damn reason I'm asking." fiVe says. "The only. Damn. Reason."

"Of course," Miranda says, hiding a smile. “...You did good tonight, fiVe. I’m proud of you.” With that, Miranda disconnects before fiVe can respond. She wanders around the Tranquility until she finds Seiko, walking up to him and leaning her forehead against his arm.

He puts an arm around the back of her head. "Hey, Mira. Let's go home?"

"Yeah. fiVe's... staying here for the night, just so you know."

"Ugh. I already went through this when Yurie got her first boyfriend. At least I don't have to worry about fiVe getting pregnant, I guess. Are we supposed to... have some sort of talk with her?"

Miranda laughs. "That's what I said, too." She pauses. "But that's not why she's staying. Vee's had a rough night, and fiVe wants to make sure she's okay."

"Okay, but they're acting like hormonal teens, so let's hope they can keep their... codes off each other. I guess." He glances toward her. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm... tired. I think I've had a heart-to-heart, yelling match, or both with everyone on this ship tonight. I swear, it's like someone made me Zhu for a day."

"I don't remember getting a round of either. Any particularly emotional confessions you need to make?"

"Nothing you don't already know," she says, glancing down at her feet. "How about you?"

"You sure?" he says with a smile. "Hmmm. I've been thinking I need more casual clothes. Will it cause a fight or heart-to-heart if I ask you to go shopping with me?"

Miranda looks back up with a lopsided grin. "I dunno; it could go either way depending on whether or not you try to buy more turtlenecks. But I'd be willing to find out."

"For now, let's get some sleep. Save up energy to have a heart-to-heart."

She nods. "Well then, take me home."

"Yeah," he turns to the boat. "Night, Tranquility."

"You're such a..." Miranda trails off, looking down the gangplank. She notices two figures still sitting together talking. "Is that Sylvie? What's she still doing here?"

Scene 18

Out on the deck, Sylvie stays quiet for a while after Miranda and Vee leave, just letting Mike hold onto her and trying to ignore the feeling that she would probably collapse if he let her go. After a while, she finds her voice again. "I'm so sorry about tonight. I don't ever want to hurt you like that again."

He shrugs. "You're going to. That's just how relationships work. I'm going to do the same thing, probably. I'll be honest, though, if I hadn't run into Vee... I might not have forgiven you so easily." He kisses the top of her head. "Which would have been a shame."

She sighs softly. "I... I feel like I should go find Vee. She's not going to take this well, and I feel like I should be there for her. But if I feel like I might collapse if I even try to take a step. And maybe, she needs to deal with this with someone other than me. We might just end up making it worse if we tried to fix ourselves on our own. God knows that tactic hasn't worked thus far."

"She's a sweet kid, Sylvie. And I'm glad I got to talk to her. But she's got to figure some things out right now, I think."

"Yeah, I almost feel bad that this isn't nearly as hard for me as I was expecting it to be. I think a part of me already knew, deep down though." Sylvie says, squeezing him a little bit tighter. "And there is a very nice, warm boyfriend person who is holding me through this, and that's bound to make anything easier to deal with..."

"Well, I'll have to tell him thank you for being so helpful. You know, I haven't really talked to fiVe yet. I wonder what she thinks of me..."

"Oh, she probably hates you and is plotting your demise at this very moment."

"Oh good, for a moment I thought my romantic life was going too smoothly."

“It's your fault for making me so wonderfully happy all the damn time," Sylvie says with a smile. "If you were to cause me some misery instead, I'm sure fiVe would like you better."

"I'll try to cook for you then, how's that sound? She'll sing my praises for weeks."

"Hey, any food that I don't have to cook myself is good food," Sylvie says. "That sounds wonderful actually."

"Sylvie, I'm ex-military. It really doesn't." He pauses. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"Before Miranda called, you were having a nightmare. It... seemed pretty bad."

Sylvie stiffens suddenly. "I... yeah. It was. I was reacting in real life as well then?"

"Yeah."

She closes her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder as she tries to relax again. "I'm sorry you had to see that. It was... I don't even know where it came from. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen or dreamed about before."

"It wasn't the one with the Pomeranians?"

She laughs, and she's surprised at how easy it is for him to get her to do that, even after everything she’s gone through that night. "No, it was not the one with the Pomeranians, you dork. And I'm going to regret telling you about that one, aren't I? But no... this one was... bizarre. And terrifying. As tired as I still am, I'm almost afraid to go back to sleep."

He holds her more tightly. "If you want to fall asleep on me again, I'm game. If you think it'll help."

She grips him more tightly as well. "Mmm, that sounds like a plan. I think I'd be okay if you were there with me." Her voice gets distant as she remembers what she saw. "I was in school, I think. Maybe all this talk about Yegorov made me think of the Academy or something, but it didn't really look like the Academy classrooms... And the professor. I can still see her face, but I don't recognize her. But in the dream I know her so well. And I really really care about her. I've never felt that way about any of my professors before."

"Huh."

Miranda and Seiko step out onto the deck, Seiko ruffling Miranda's hair and Miranda grinning like an idiot. They stop to look back at the boat before Miranda spots them, her smile fading as she approaches.

"Anyway, that's probably not important," Sylvie says, unaware of Miranda's approach as she talks. "But I was sitting in this classroom, and all of a sudden something crashed through the ceiling and crushed the first few rows, including this professor. And I start screaming in terror, because I don't know what's going on... and then I realize, it's a foot. Just the side of a Kaiju's foot."

Miranda freezes about ten feet away. Seiko drops his arm, trying to hold her shoulders tight and keep her steady

Sylvie shivers, the gruesome image coming back to mind. "It was... awful, Mike. And I ran forward to see if anyone was still alive... and, oh God, they were. Some of them were already dead, but others... moaning and screaming for help... and I couldn't do anything. And I found this person, this professor -- I swear, I knew her so well -- and I'm trying to help, but there's nothing I can do. And she tells me to run."

"And so I ran," Miranda mutters softly.

"Mansen," Seiko says, stepping into view. "Shut it."

At this point, Sylvie doesn’t notice Seiko, finding there are tears in her eyes. "And I do. I say I'm going to go get help, but... we both know that there's nothing I could do. And I'm just running to get away. Because that thing could come back at any moment, and I'm so scared . I just... I don't know where it came from, Mike. I've never seen a live Kaiju before, and I've certainly not been through anything like that." Suddenly her head snaps to Miranda. "Wait. What did you just say?"

Mike looks between the two women. "Uh-oh."

Miranda's shakes her head a bit, as if coming back to herself. "I, uh... I'm sorry, Sylvie. That was... unexpected."

"Unexpected?" Sylvie says, pulling away from Mike slightly. "It was just a weird nightmare that I had, Miri." Then she frowns. "Wasn't it?"

"...Not exactly," Miranda says, glancing away.

"What do you..." Sylvie freezes, suddenly realizing why the nightmare felt familiar to her. "It... it was a memory, wasn't it? Your... memory."

Miranda nods. "September 2nd, 2014," she says almost mechanically. "the fourth reported Kaiju, Scissure, emerges from the Breach and makes landfall in Sydney."

Sylvie lets out a long breath. "I... I didn't realize. I mean, I knew that you were there for the attack, but I guess I didn't think about..." She shakes her head. "Who... who was she? The professor?"

"Not your place to ask, Mansen," Seiko says.

"No, it's... It's okay," Miranda says, taking a deep breath. "It was... Professor Leandra Cross. My mother."

Sylvie blinks, her face falling slightly. "Oh. That's... that's what that feels like. I didn't... recognize it. I'm so sorry, Miri."

"It was a long time ago."

Sylvie stays quiet for a long while, wishing she hadn't pulled away from Mike's hug. "I think I understand now. I think I know why you hate them."

Mike puts a hand on her shoulder and looks at Miranda and Seiko protectively but sympathetically.

Miranda laughs hollowly. "Well, it's a fuckin' start. That attack lasted three days, and it..." She stops herself. "No. No, I shouldn't talk about this now. Not when I'm this... out of it."

Sylvie nods slowly. "Well, if you need someone to talk through it eventually, I probably won't glitch the way fiVe would when she thinks about your memories. I don't know, it could help. Maybe."

"Honestly, I'm more concerned about you. I'm used to it at this point, and I've got... someone I can talk to already. But I don't know how long it'll take you to get rid of them, assuming you ever do. So if you happen to... wake up screaming in the middle of the night from strange, horrifically realistic and traumatic nightmares, feel free to give me a call. It's the least I can do to apologize for fucking up your brain."

Sylvie shivers again, seeming to shrink as she thinks about what that dream felt like. "I... okay. I have a feeling that these aren't going to go away, are they? They're not exactly the kind of things you forget..."

"They're Drift memories, Sylv. They didn't actually happen to you. If you're lucky, they'll fade quickly, but you'll heal eventually. ...Probably," Miranda adds quietly.

"Well I forgot where I got them already," Sylvie says. "Though they don't seem to have disappeared. Are there any other interesting things I should keep a dream eye out for?"

"Haven't you pried enough?" Seiko mutters.

Sylvie looks up at Seiko finally, who she had been trying to ignore. "It's in my head, Seiko. No. I don't think I've quite 'pried' enough for the night, alright?"

"Well it's not yours," he snaps.

"Settle down, you two," Miranda snaps. "Seiko, I fucked this up. I need to make it right. Sylvie, your problem's with me. Don't talk to him like that. As for your question, there's plenty more you could potentially run into, but I'd rather not put any ideas in your head."

Sylvie nods, feeling chastised. "Sorry.... It's been a long night. You're probably right. I mean, these are probably things I deserve to see anyway right? Naive, protected, little Mansen needs a dose of reality. Waking up screaming from some real-life nightmares ought to do her some good..."

"God dammit," Miranda says, running a hand through her hair. "That's not what I..."

"Don't do that, Mansen,” Seiko says, somewhat harshly. “Your self pity isn't an apology. It's just a way to get the attention on you rather than facing genuine self reflection."

Sylvie shrinks further. "Right. Let me just apologize then, because I don't even know how to be upset about things correctly. Just ignore me like usual and everything will better, right?"

"It's not yours to be upset about,” he says. “That's the problem."

Miranda's gone quiet, staring a bit blankly in the general direction of Sylvie's shoulder.

"Oh. Okay then," Sylvie says, her voice growing harsher. "I'll just stop feeling things then. You know, just choose to not feel, right? Tell me what the override on 'basic human emotions' is again? I'm sure you know exactly where that one is, don't you?"

Miranda snarls suddenly, stepping slightly in front of Seiko. "Hate me all you want, Sylvie,” Miranda says, “but leave him out of it. I'm the one you should be angry at. I'm the one who had the audacity to survive a Kaiju attack. If you're going to yell at someone, yell at me."

"It's when you realize that you are not the important person in the room and get over yourself," Seiko says.

Mike narrows his eyes at Seiko. "This isn't your fight either, mate."

Seiko turns to Mike. "She's never lived through it! She doesn't understand!" He seems a little shaken.

Mike frowns. "Yeah? Well, you're not Miranda either last time I checked. The ladies are both capable of fighting their own battles, Seiko, and you're a tad overstepping the bounds of supportive friend."

"Did she tell you she hit her?” Seiko asks. “Remember that guard she killed? That could have been Mira."

Mike’s expression is hard. "You addressed absolutely zero of what I said."

Sylvie looks like she's been struck, and her mouth drops open in horror. "I... How could you think... I didn't mean to..." She looks down at her hands, realizing she's started to tremble. "But I did, didn't I? And it wasn't just that guard, and then I nearly did it again. Oh, God. Oh, God, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"No, no no no no," Mike cradles Sylvie in his arms and glares at Seiko. "Mate. Back off."

"I'll meet you at the car, Mira," Seiko says. He turns and walks stiffly away.

Miranda nods distantly, muttering something under her breath.

Sylvie just huddles in Mike's arms, and seems to have gone somewhat catatonic after Seiko's accusation, repeating herself over and over. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm so sorry..."

Miranda continues to stand there, staring blankly at nothing and softly repeating something under her breath.

"Hey. Sylvie. Hey, you're okay, you're fine." Mike looks up at Miranda. "You might need to have this conversation some other time. It seems like your friend's barbs landed just as effectively as he intended."

"He didn't mean it," Miranda mutters, still not looking directly at them. "He's just trying to protect me. He's allowed to do that. He's the only one that's allowed to do that."

"Oh. Well, that's just great. Maybe he could ‘protect you’ a little more thoroughly if he took a tack hammer to Sylvie's knuckles or something." Mike says bitterly.

Sylvie flinches at that statement with a small, scared-sounding gasp.

"Shut up!" Miranda yells suddenly. "You don't know anything! You--"

He tenses up. "I don't know anything? You mean I don't know anything about holding my best friend in her arms while she cries herself ragged, worrying whether she's going to prison or not, whether she even deserves to be a real woman after the things that she's done, being terrified she's going to hurt herself? I know very well wanting to defend the ones we love. But I can't condone attacking someone else because of it."

Sylvie takes a deep breath, trying to bring herself back through her sleep-deprived, still-concussed brain fog and the horrifying fears about herself that Seiko pulled up. She manages to pull herself together long enough to realize what Mike's saying. "Mike. Mike, don't..."

"Then leave him alone!" Miranda says, tears in her eyes. "I'm the one who made her cry, I'm the one who broke her brain, I'm the one who screwed everything up! If this is my fight, then I'm the one you should be yelling at! I'm the one you should hate!"

"You didn't bring up what happened with the guard. You aren't the one who broke her just now, Miranda. And you're showing remorse -- even if I don't think you have anything to be sorry for -- instead of lashing out and running away."

Sylvie closes her eyes, looking dangerously weary. "Wait, Miri. This is not your fault. I chose to Drift with you. And you warned me about what I might see. I'm sorry. You don't have to apologize for who you are. He's right. This--" She gestures vaguely towards herself, "--isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," Miranda says quickly. "I shouldn't have Drifted with you. I shouldn't have let you into my head, even for a little bit. It wasn't fair to you; who would ever want to be me? I broke you, and I broke fiVe, and I broke Vee, and Seiko got hurt trying to protect me, and--" She takes a step back. "I can't. I can't. I'm sorry. I-I can't."

Sylvie looks up, meeting her eyes and looking very serious. "Miranda Cross, I know I’m not thinking straight right now, but I do know one thing. You saved them. fiVe, and Vee and... you might just be on your way to saving me. If I hadn't Drifted with you I would still be attempting to overwrite fiVe at this very moment. You're the reason I'm starting to realize what I've been getting wrong all this time. You're... part of the reason I'm starting to learn." She glances up at Mike, her expression growing fond. "The reason I'm learning how to stop hurting the people I care about."

She looks back to Miranda as she continues. "So thank you. For what you're doing to me. Because I think it's making me better. And it's saving fiVe and Vee's lives. If that means a few nightmares for me, then fine. I'll suffer them. Besides that, you deserve to have someone who understands what you're going through. You deserve to have someone who can endure your agony for a while so that you don't have to go through it alone. Thank you, Miranda. For not giving up on me."

"I'm not alone," Miranda says. "It's been... almost two years since I was really alone. Although I suppose I have you to thank for that, anyway." She pauses. "But something you should know? I don't respond well to members of my family hurting each other. Even extended family." She looks pointedly at Mike with that last sentence.

"I only saw the hurt going one direction, there," Mike grumbles.

"Then you weren't looking close enough."

Sylvie closes her eyes, trying to focus on being held and not everything else. "It's okay, Mike. I was being... unfair to Seiko probably. He's just a lot better at being 'unfair' than I am, it seems. He knows exactly where to hit to bring me to my knees and I probably didn't even faze him. I should know better than to pick fights with Seiko."

"I... should go check on him," Miranda says. "He's probably..." She uses a hand to massage her forehead. "I was so close to getting out of here on a positive note."

Mike sighs. "You're right. I'm probably overreacting. Trait of a good bodyguard but a terrible mediator."

Miranda looks at him. "You two might have more in common than you realize, then."

Sylvie glances up as well. "You could go apologize to him for me if you wanted. I don't think I want to walk that far, and you looked like you were ready to go after him when he left before."

"You want to send me? To apologize? I'm not great at... dealing with other guys. Him especially it seems."

Miranda tenses. "I don't... I'm going to go find him."

Sylvie nods tiredly. "That might be for the best. Tell him I understand why he said what he said, and I'm okay now, I guess. I... think I'm about to pass out again, though, if no one has any objections..."

Miranda nods, only half-listening as she heads in the direction she saw Seiko heading.

"Want to get back to the van?" Mike asks. "You need to rest, I think."

Sylvie leans her head on his shoulder, feeling herself start to slip away. "I don't care where, so long as you promise to be there when I wake up..."

Scene 19

Mike helps Sylvie back to the van and helps her arrange her laying across a seat. She’s already fast asleep.

"Please don't tell me she got concussed again," Olivia whispers. Mike just glares at her.

Outside somewhere, there's an off noise, a faint rasping an even softer thunk. Mike turns at the sound, and flashes Olivia a sequence of hand signals. He draws his weapon and sneaks off towards the noise.

Seiko is leaning in a doorway around the corner, gasping hard for air, face wet with tears. Mike lowers his gun slightly and begins looking around for other threats -- bodyguard training says that if someone's in trouble, find the trouble first.

Seiko looks up at him, and manages to choke out some words. "Fuck off, Stricht."

"Well, forgive me for wanting to investigate the dying llama noises." Mike holsters his gun.

Seiko raises a shaking hand to flip Mike off.

Mike leans against a tree. "Ah. Great. Yeah. Maybe I will, then." He turns to go.

"All you..." Seiko chokes out, though specifically what he was saying is interrupted by a more violent fit of gasping.

Mike flips the bird right back and goes into the van. A few moments later, the door opens again. Olivia de Banns steps out and approaches Seiko, combat knife and eyebrow raised. The latter looks sharper.

When she sees the state he's in, she holsters the knife. "Mr. Watanabe?"

He makes a derisive laughing noise. "Sure."

"That wasn't really the question I was asking."

"Then... then ask."

"Was it just Stricht's usual boneheadedness in play here? Or something else?"

"Not his fault," Seiko manages, breathing a little easier but still strained.

"Mm,” Olivia says. “That'd be a first, especially when a woman is concerned." She leans back. "Want to talk about it?"

"You're fuckin' one of 'em anyway." His accent has slipped a bit more southern.

"I'm not fucking anyone, Mr. Watanabe."

"You know what I mean."

"I'm really not sure I do. I'm not used to dealing with people that are upset for reasons other than Mike."

He laughs again. "He certainly... didn't help."

"Mansen, then?"

"All of you!" he shouts, then breaks into another fit of gasping.

"Here." She pulls something out of her pocket and tosses it at Seiko.

He obviously doesn't see it and fails to make any effort to catch it, more caught up in trying to breathe. She walks over closer to him and picks it up off the ground -- it's an albuterol inhaler with a sealed sterile mouthpiece.

The sight of it seems to bother him more and he pushes it back. "Make it worse. Raises.... raises heart rate. Not asthma."

"It's not asthma, but you can't breathe, and it's "all of us" at fault. Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Fuck you," he manages, tears coming harder.

"Well, I can see why Mike punched the wall on his way in. Fuck you too." She turns to go.

"Shit," he mutters, curling up tighter. "You PPDC types always were shit with aftermath."

She stops in her tracks. "We're the ones to thank that there's ever an "after" at all, Mr. Watanabe."

"Not for everyone."

"But at least for someone."

“Yeah. Kaiju's dead. Screw the survivors."

Olivia wheels on him. "If it were up to our overseers, Mr. Watanabe, every single kaiju event would end in a nuclear explosion. Do you know why? Because Jaegers are expensive, nuclear weapons are plentiful, and the powers that be don't give a shit about casualties."

"We fought for the Jaeger program, and for plasma cannon research, and for non-piercing ways of taking down Kaiju, to keep casualties to a minimum. But because we fought for that, we're on a tight leash and a tighter budget, and we don't have the time nor manpower for cleanup operations like we would want.

“But maybe to you it'd be better if we went back to nuclear weapons, huh? Give you more to feel martyred about while we bust our asses trying to minimize casualties? But what do I know. I'm just some girl whose mom died in San Fran."

"Onibaba. Both my parents," Seiko says. He isn't breathing quite as hard, though he's still shaking. His body's a bit limp. "But the fuck did you save us for, cuz' it sure as hell wasn't this."

"No, it wasn't for this. It was for what comes after this. For the chance that we're going to beat these damn things, and we'll rebuild, and the next generation won't have to worry about any of it."

"So we're just throwaway," he says. "Yeah."

"Yes," she says. "We are."

"Even the kids. You wanna tell a fourteen year old who's slowly dying that it's okay? She's just throwaway for the next generation"

"Alright. Fine. What's your solution, then? How would you save the world, Seiko Watanabe?"

"Fuck the world," he says collapsing forward. "Fuck this."

"I completely agree. Just don't assume that the people in the PPDC think any differently."

"Never did, but you're the heroes,” he says. “I am so sick of you goddamn heroes and your diplomas and your tragic remembrances."

"Dipl... You're obviously not just talking about the PPDC here."

He doesn't respond this time, curling up tighter.

She sighs. "Listen. If  ragging on 'heroes' makes you feel better, be my guest. But they're not much different from you... you know, except for all the extra scrutiny and responsibility."

"I could have let her die," he mutters into his knees. "A hero would have let her die."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'd say anyone who sits shaking because he saved someone's life qualifies for their laminated hero card and decoder ring."

He laughs bitterly. "You wanna know what I did to save it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Ask the daughter of the first man I killed."

The sound of running footsteps comes from the side. "Hey, de Banns," Miranda says, hurrying over. "Have you seen..." Her eyes snap over to Seiko. "Oh thank God, there you are. Are you alright?"

He hunches over more.

Miranda drops down next to him. "Hey," she mutters softly. "Hey, it's alright. We're okay, luv." She looks over at Olivia, eyes questioning.

He leans into Miranda, wrapping his arms tight around her.

She returns the gesture, rubbing gentle circles into his back. "I know. It's okay. I'm right here, I've got you."

Olivia shrugs. "I wasn't involved in whatever set this off."

Clinging tight to Miranda, Seiko begins to cry hard, but it's normal, cathartic sobbing.

Miranda nods distantly to her, but her attention is mostly focused on Seiko at the moment, rocking him gently and running a hand through his hair.

"I can't do this, Mira."

"Do what?" she asks softly.

"Care. Stay. Keep going."

Her grip on him tightens a bit. "I'm sorry," she says immediately.

"No. Not you. It's not..." he clings tighter as well.

"Lets go home."

"Okay," she says. "Can you stand?"

He tries to stand up a bit, shakes, and falls back down.

Miranda turns. "De Banns, can you help me get him up on his feet?"

Olivia seems really hesitant, but eventually nods and moves into position. With their help he gets to his feet and starts to make shaky progress to the car. Miranda stays close, arm wrapped around his waist to keep him stable and upright. He scoots into the back seat of the car.

"Thanks for your help, de Banns," Miranda says with a nod. "It's been... a long night for all of us."

Olivia sighs. "I'm glad you think I was helping."

"You got him to the car, didn't you?" she smiles. It fades after a moment, though. "Look, if he said anything to you... don't take it too personally. Mike and Sylvie hit some nerves, and... yeah."

De Banns shrugs. "I'm familiar with Mike hitting nerves. I don't know this guy well enough for him to get really personal anyway. And if he had, I wouldn't be helping you get him into the car."

Miranda glances back at the car. "Still. You've been the least upsetting member of the Marshall trio tonight by far. I appreciate it."

"And what exactly did Rachel do?"

"Nothing direct. I just tried talking to her about some problems I've been having, and she... misinterpreted it, I think." Miranda rubs the back of her neck. "Should have known better, honestly."

"Misinterpreted it?" De Banns frowns. "That doesn't sound like Rachel Zhu."

"Happens to the best of us," Miranda says. "Especially when the critique's about people we care for."

"...Horner. Ah. I was a little worried about that myself."

Miranda's eyes widen. "Wait, really?"

"It just seems a little iffy for them to be getting into a relationship when they have this kind of professional commitment. But Mike has known her forever and swears up and down that it's going to be good for her, so I have to trust him on that."

Miranda laughs, running a hand through her hair. "Aaaaand that's exactly how she misinterpreted me. I really don't care much about their relationship, other than as it pertains to the fact that I don't trust Horner. But I was putting that complaint forth as completely separate from that, and she assumed I was criticizing her for her romantic interests." She rolls her eyes. "Honestly, like I'm one to talk on that front."

"See, the thing is, I don't trust Horner either. To be honest, I don't trust any of you. No offense. But even if it seems like a bad idea to me, I trust Rachel. I have to."

"None taken. We're a bunch of criminals, after all. I'd be more surprised if you did trust us already, considering you barely know us." She shrugs, trying to look less tense than she is.

"Just so you know, though, the same thing that happened to Rachel and Mike isn't going to happen to me."

"Good. Someone in this group needs to avoid kissing felons, after all."

"Someone in..." Olivia glances inside the car.

Miranda follows her gaze. "Both of us are, technically. Anyone we smooch is automatically disqualified."

"Mm-hm."

Miranda rolls her eyes. "Anyway, thank you for your help, I'll do my best to avoid seducing you, and now unless there's anything else, I'm going to go ahead and duck into this car to check on my... fill-in-the-blank-here."

"Sounds like a plan. Hey, if he's still pissed at me, tell him I'm sorry."

"Sure thing." With that, she opens the car door, slipping inside and shutting it behind her.

—End of Act 3—

((Click here for more from The Sydney Scroungers Campaign))

[askthescroungers]

So Sylvie, what made you want to join the PPDC, anyway?

Well, to tell you the truth, it just kinda made sense, I guess? I've been taking martial arts classes since I was young at my aunt's insistence, and I picked up coding because it was something I could do on my own. I... also kinda blame my addiction to the Matrix movies for making me think that fighting and computer code needed to go together.

But anyway, so there I am, about to finish college, looking for a job for someone with an Information Technology degree and some physical skills, and I figured: hey, the PPDC pays well, stable career plans, trying to save the planet; it's a good cause! And I could totally do the whole Ranger thing, since I was more than qualified for what they were looking for and Drifting sounded really interesting. I'd been doing research into the technology of the Drift for a long time, actually. Wrote a few thesis papers over it too.

Signed up, passed most of the prelim exams, got accepted, and I had top marks in all of my training... except for Drifting. The early evaluations showed that I was at risk for Drift Incompatibility but I thought I could do it anyway, and they passed me through because my other scores were so high. But, I just couldn't ever make it work, no matter how hard I tried. Just... not compatible I guess. It's not really a thing that can be forced. So I got transferred to programming the piloting simulations instead. I suppose it's for the best. I mean, if I'd gone on to become a pilot, I never would have created Vee...

--Sylvie

[askthescroungers]

Could I ask Seiko if he likes working with the rest of the crew? Is there anything that's easier than your previous jobs? Anything that's more difficult? Any PERSON who's more difficult to work with?

This isn’t all that different from my previous jobs, to be honest. I’ve been hired by plenty of people who are trying to do the right thing and want some less official means of working.

I prefer not to work on teams, but despite my problems, Zhu’s group aren’t the worst to work with. They are skilled, and far less likely to have surprise motives. They are a bit soft though, and… as much as I’d like to complain about how impulsive they are, what’s annoying is how impulsive they make me. 

That said, everybody is a pain. Especially Mansen.

[askthescroungers]

Hey Miranda, what's the best and worst thing about your roommates?

Well, since fiVe was my first roommate, I'll start with her. The best thing about fiVe is probably her sense of humor. I tend to communicate best via jokes and teasing, and fiVe gets that better than most people. It might be because she is me in part, but she can keep up with me pretty well. And she can tell when I'm dancing around something and can call me on it. She keeps sane, and I like to think I do the same for her.

The worst thing is entirely my fault. But just... knowing that she's in so much pain and not being able to do anything to help. Knowing that she's hurting and it's because of me and that there's nothing I can do about it. And that there are people who would use that against her to try and turn her into someone she's not... There's always a bit of guilt when I talk to her, and I feel awful about it.

As for my other roommate... That's a hard one to answer. I think I'd have to say... the fact that he knows me. And that I know him. Which... probably sounds stupid, of course we know each other, we live together, but... I think I'm the only one who gets to see him, y'know? Not Seiko, not Daniel, not Shinigawa, but... him.

Along the same lines, but the worst thing is probably having to watch that part of him slip away every time we walk out the door.

[askthescroungers]

Ask The Scroungers!

The place for you to ask all the burning questions about the Sydney Scroungers that you've desperately wanted to know. Or... you know, just give their players something amusing to answer while they wait for more scenes to write!

AskTheScroungers is a completely open askblog! You can address questions to the characters or to the players, PCs or NPCs, in-universe or out! If you've got a query, one of us has an answer!

ATS is now open for questions!

Not sure what Sydney Scroungers is? Check it out here on tumblr or here on AO3!

[featherwriter]

The Sydney Scroungers: Session #32

((Click here to find the previous sessions!))

Scene 1

Two of the uninjured guards seem to have turned to take care of Katie, leaving Sylvie with the two she's already hit and one other. Unfortunately, even with the slightly evener odds, Sylvie’s completely thrown out of fight-mode at overhearing the words "Mike's boyfriend" over the comms and freezes, stunned.

Her lapse costs her as the healthy guard slams a fist into her gut, doubling her over as her breath leaves in a rush. She stumbles backward and barely manages to avoid the other two attacks that come her way. She doesn't think the strike managed to crack a rib, but she's definitely going to have a nasty bruise from that one tomorrow. She manages to score her own glancing hit on the guard whose shoulder she dislocated, though thinking about Mike still has her too distracted to really hit well.

Meanwhile beside her, Katie drops down into a defensive crouch as she sees two of Sylvie's guards break off and rush toward her, ready to take whatever they try to throw. Footsteps from the guard coming up the ladder behind her announce that altogether she's got three to contend with. Three-on-one for Sylvie and her both, then. All three guards rush Katie, but she sidesteps smoothly and lashes out with a stiff-fingered nerve strike, sending one of them reeling.

Seiko looks through his scope again, then frowns. "Captain, I don't have anyone in my sights. Want me to board, or keep watch here?"

"Up to you, Seiko" Katie says. She's a bit too busy for strategizing right now.

"Alright. On my way down." He starts making his way towards the other ship.

Eleanor nods to Seiko as she gestures to Sherman to stand aside. Sullenly, Sherman does so.

"Want me on babysitting for the traitor?" Seiko asks, quiet enough that only the comm can hear.

"If you wouldn't mind?" Eleanor subvokes. "I took his gun, but I still don't trust him as far as I can throw him." She looks over the side of the boat and recants. "Okay, maybe that far, but no further." Eleanor nudges Sherman. "You're going with him," she says to their new hos-- err, ally. Sort of. She subvokes to Seiko, "Sorry for leaving you with the unruly pest. Hopefully he's house trained."

"Whatever gets us onshore to Zhu the quickest," Sherman grumbles.

"Oh, we'll get you there," Eleanor says, trying to sound reassuring. Her tone is probably closer to patronizing, but oh well. Giving herself a mental shake, she regroups. "Miranda, what can you see down there? Anything?"

"Kinda busy at the moment," Miranda subvokes, stepping forward and trying to look calmer than she is. "Good evening," she says aloud to the two people in the hallway with her. "Enjoying the party?"

One of the suits pulls out a device with a touchscreen. "Not her," she says. "But there's something funny about her."

"I'm flattered, really," Miranda responds, a bit more confident that they didn't attack immediately. "But I'm on a tight schedule. So if you could tell me who you are and what it is that you're doing, that would be fantastic."

"Take her in anyway. No use taking chances," the woman says. The man pulls out a pair of handcuffs.

Miranda shifts backwards slightly. "Whoa, no no no, excuse me. If you're gonna try and cuff me, you should at least tell me who you are. Or buy me dinner first." She emphasizes the word 'cuff', hoping they didn't do anything to disrupt her comm signal.

Eleanor hears and, cursing under her breath, races to the nearest staircase.

A metal door slides down behind Miranda. The only exit is the room that the goons came from, and the continuing hallway. The man looks up from his tablet. "Doors sealed."

"Come with us," says the woman, tonelessly.

Miranda's eyes widen, glancing back at the door as it slides down. She turns her attention back to them just as quickly, shifting forward. "And why would I want to do that?"

Eleanor nearly cracks her head on the blast door. "Aaauuuughhh," she groans, then subvokes, "They've sealed the lower decks. Looks military."

"Mira?" Seiko says, a little shakily.

"She's...kind of stuck down there," Eleanor puffs as she makes her way back abovedecks. "Can we force our way in? What do we gotta do?"

"I'm going," Seiko says.

"Would any of your guards have a code to open it, Eleanor?" Vee asks.

"I- can sure ask," Eleanor replies, still breathing heavily. She makes her way back over to "her" group. "So," she says, hands on her knees, "do any of you know anything about blast doors in the lower decks? Or is that an 'above-our-paygrade' thing?"

"Lower decks?" says the head of Eleanor's guards. "Hell no, that's where those spooky people are. When we got the run of the ship before the job they told us not to go down there."

"Dammit." Eleanor swipes a hand down her face in frustration. "Okay, Seiko, time for a new plan," she subvokes. "Apparently we've got ‘spooky people' downstairs."

"Hey, Seiko," Sylvie grunts as she preps another attack on her opponents. "Stay off the jetskis."

Seiko just snarls in response.

"Where will you take me?" Miranda asks out loud, trying to keep her face controlled while overhearing the worried convo from her team. “And why?”

"Because you are disrupting the research," the woman says. "We will take you down the hall and investigate the signals from your body."

"I don't think so," Miranda says. "How about instead you tell me about your research, and in return I'll be sure to take you alive?"

One of the scientists talking to Miranda cocks his head. "Take us alive. That sounds like a threat."

"Not a threat," Miranda says, grinning. "Just an offer."

Scene 2

As Seiko starts to head belowdecks towards Miranda, he hears boarding ladders click against Tranquility, but barely pays it notice. "Somebody's going for Tranquility," he says. "Deal with it later."

"Um!" Eleanor quickly muffles her squeak of alarm, then subvokes, "But- but- oh fine, I'll go deal with it. Sherman better not have been in on this, or I'll--" She devolves into mutters for a few seconds. The group of guards sitting in front of her haven't been doing much, but they give her an idea. "Hey," she says aloud. "You guys? Let's go have ourselves some fun on the other ship."

"What's on the other ship?" one asks.

 My stuff, Eleanor thinks. "Money," she says instead. "Or rather, more pay for you, if we can take both boats home with us."

"Lead the way."

Good answer. Eleanor waves them over, putting an index finger to her mouth and her free hand to her gun. Hopefully they'll get the idea. "Vee?" she subvokes. "I'm bringing a boarding party on. Mercs, temporary allies. Can you get Sherman out of the way?"

One of the other guards starts at Eleanor’s aggressive behavior, however. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're expecting trouble? Who from? If it's our crew, give me a chance to talk to them first. Give them the same offer."

"Don't think they're Peralta's," hisses Eleanor. "Don't know who they are, but they're trying to get the drop on us, so be wary."

"fiVe and I can't do much from here," Vee says, sounding frustrated. "If you bring Sherman aboard we can watch him, but I don't think we can stop him if he tries anything. In fact... fiVe, where are you? You went quiet."

fiVe's response sounds tense. "Don't talk to me right now. I've got my fingers on every weapon in our system and I still can't do a damn thing with Miranda in danger over there."

"Aw, damn, Seiko must still have Sherman," Eleanor subvokes. "Fine. That makes things easier. Seiko, don't kill him." She beckons to her group to cross the gangplank. "Quietly," she says to them.

Two guards clamber over the side of Tranquility from their grappling ladder and spot Eleanor and her "team". "Hey! Stop right there, we h... Liz? The hell are you doing here?"

Eleanor freezes. "Uh, hi. Didn't realize you all knew each other." She turns to "Liz" and whispers, "They aren't with the 'creepy guys,' right?"

"No, they're part of our merc company. The whole thing was they were pretending to be pirates and... yeah." She looks up. "Hey, yeah, Jerry. Um... Peralta kind of screwed us over, apparently."

Eleanor looks between the new crew and the one she'd secretly started thinking of as hers. Well, when you can't beat 'em... "Peralta's a dick. He's belowdecks on the other ship with some creepy dudes doing who-knows-what. Completely out of control."

"Jerry" blinks. "Crap. Who's this lady, then?"

"I'll let her give you the pitch," Liz says.

Eleanor gives them pretty much the same rundown she did the first group. Then she adds, "My group came here on this boat. We were initially supposed to retrieve that guy over there--" she gestures to Sherman, who's standing near the gangplank, looking lost-- "but it turns out that Peralta's crazier than we thought. He's holding hostages, and we have no idea why. If you want to help us get 'em out of there, there'll be a healthy reward in it for you." Eleanor takes a deep breath. "So. Are you in?"

Jerry looks at the other person. "Yeah. We're in. Who are we getting out?"

Eleanor glances across the deck at Seiko. He's not making any sudden movements with the sniper rifle, which is probably good. "One of mine. A woman, about this tall." She demonstrates. "I don't have any intel on who else might or might not be down there, but plan for at least three hostiles, all armed. And Peralta, of course."

Scene 3

The scientists talking to Miranda grin in unison. "A fight it is, then." The male scientist brings out a stun gun.

"Mira!" Seiko says. "You will not win this fight. What even happens if they taze you? Back down and buy me time."

"Too late," Miranda subvokes to Seiko, seeing the scientists' intent. "I'll do my best to stall them."

With that, she shifts forward, running straight towards the unarmed scientist and grabbing her. The armed scientist winds up to hit her, but Miranda releases the woman as he starts to move, pushing towards him and getting inside his swing.

She hears a crack of electricity as his stungun connects with his companion, dropping her to the floor. Miranda pushes the armed scientist away, knocking him to the ground. Turning, she quickly grabs the tablet she saw the woman using earlier and makes a break for the room she'd seen them in earlier. Creepy scientists tend to have locks on the doors of their labs.

The door clicks shut behind her; the lock is easy to find and looks sturdy, but just in case there's a nearby chair to prop against the door. A very expensive, extremely comfortable, nigh infinitely adjustable...

Wait, where were we? Ah right, the lab.

The lab is covered with technological doodads. From a cursory glance it mostly looks like high energy physics stuff -- plasma containment, electromagnets, that sort of thing. Over the comm, the rest of the team hears a barely audible keening noise.

fiVe misinterprets the sound, and the AI panics. "Miranda! Are you okay? What happened?!"

Miranda snaps out of her stupor, although her eyes are still sparkling a bit looking at all the toys and gadgets. "Fine," she says quietly. "Locked myself in a lab. There's a lot of fu- useful tech in here." She pauses. "Including the stuff you'd need to make a plasma bomb, so hey, there's another mystery solved."

"A why would be nice..." Seiko says.

"Well then, try not to shoot all of them." Miranda sees a tabletop setup of equipment that all seems unfamiliar at first glance. It's not plasma, though, and it seems to be hooked up to a pretty heavy duty power supply. One of the indicator lights is blinking: "Capacitor Drain Required".

"Are you anywhere near where Marshall Zhu is supposed to be hiding?" Vee asks quickly.

She looks at the tablet. "I can see it on the map; I'll send a copy to you now. I'm close, but with those scientists outside, I can't reach her." She shakes her head, focusing on the panel in front of her. "But it looks like I've got more pressing matters to attend to."

"I'm on my way with a few new...hires," Eleanor subvokes, as she waves her team across the gangplank and onto the other ship.

"I suppose I'll be babysitting Mr. Sherman then," Seiko says, starting to sound calm again. He gestures Sherman over. "You! Over here!"

Sherman walks over. "Why haven't we taken off yet, exactly? Every minute we delay is another minute that I can't get to the Marshall with this information.

"The Marshall is here, Mr. Sherman," Seiko says, making sure to look around. "And we're not leaving without her."

Sherman’s eyes go wide. "...she's what?"

"So I hope you understand that although I'm sure your information is valuable, you are far from our top priority," Seiko continues.

Zhu’s second-in-command frowns at this. "And you were planning to tell me this when, exactly? I never would have snuck aboard if I thought the Marshall might run into me before I was ready."

"Convey to Mr. Sherman our apologies for being unable to warn him of Marshall Zhu's presence when we hadn't the slightest idea he was aboard," five says flatly.

"And the fact that we don't care," Eleanor subvokes, irritated.

"We came here for the Marshall,” Seiko says. “You're a surprise development who we, honestly, have no reason to trust, so shut up and try not to die while we handle this."

"If he wasn't here to find Zhu," Vee asks slowly, "why was he here in the first place?"

"Listen," Sherman says. "Get her out of there. Immediately."

"We are trying to, Mr. Sherman," Seiko says, hoping that the man will shut up and let him think.

Scene 4

The light on the machine Miranda’s looking at starts flashing faster. There's a laptop hooked up to the assembly, and an error box pops up.

The scientists bang on the door. "Let us in immediately! You don't know what it is you're tampering with!"

"I'd be more inclined to listen to you if you hadn't tried to taze me!" Miranda calls, looking over the monitor carefully. "If you've got any tips for keeping things unexploded, though, I'm all ears!"

"As long as there's no error box on the laptop, you should be able to just hit the knife switch and it'll do an emergency capacitor dump."

"And if there is an error box?" Miranda says, already starting to jimmy the side panel off the machinery.

A pause. Then frantic footsteps away from the door.

Miranda hesitates, for a moment. "Eleanor? Scientists are gone; stay back."

"Got it," Eleanor subvokes, and waves to her group. "Fall back," she says aloud.

"Miranda!" fiVe says, sounding frantic. "Can you get out of there? Can you fix it?"

She gets the side panel off, sliding her blade back into its hiding place. "We're about to find out," she mutters.

After a bit of inspection, she notices that the whole rig is a way to focus and direct intense electromagnetic fields. There's a lot of unfamiliar machinery past that, but at least some of it is familiar from researching possible exoskeleton mods. She should be able to direct the force of whatever this thing is supposed to produce in whatever direction she wants. It's too late to unload it but she can at least aim it away from her.

Miranda thinks back to the map of the ship. She doesn't know where they're keeping the hostages, but she adjusts the electromagnetic fields to aim the blast the opposite direction of Zhu's room. The relief she feels at most likely averting the imminent blast, however, quickly dissipates as she hears an ominous question and an even more ominous click over Katie’s comm.

Scene 5

Two of the guards try to flank Sylvie. She dodges away from one of them but right into another one's pin; while she struggles to get free, the third guard comes forward with a quick jab to the side of her head. Her vision swims at the blow and her thoughts go muddled again immediately. Through her vague awareness she's able to recognize the unfortunately familiar sensation of a concussion.

Dammit, Katie thinks. We don't have time for this. She pulls out a grenade. "Well, friends," she says to the guards around her and Sylvie, "Who's ready to die?"

Once she has their attention, she pulls the pin with an audible click, making sure to hold the handle so the timer doesn’t start.

"K-Katie..." Sylvie says blearily. "You’ll kill us too… What are y-you... Not a gren…"

Eleanor stops mid-step. "Was that click what I think it was?" she subvokes. "Tell me you're not going to blow us all up. We haven't even found the Marshall yet!" She swallows around the panic rising in her throat.

Miranda's voice cracks over the comm. "Wait, what?!"

"I'm just saying, it kinda sounded like a grenade," Eleanor subvokes, voice deceptively steady.

"Dammit, I just finished stopping us all from blowing up!" Miranda says.

"Okay guys," Eleanor says aloud to her band of mercs. Her voice shakes a little, but she manages to hold it together. "Change of plans. We're gonna get in and out as fast as possible. We have more than one person who's out of control down there." She grits her teeth around the last few words. There will be some choice terms to be had with Katie later.

Seiko scowls. "Horner! Horner what the fuck did you just do?!"

Despite the team’s panicked reactions to Katie’s gambit, it pays off. Most of the guards look around at each other, decide they're not being paid enough to deal with this, and scatter. One of them, however, turns back to Sylvie with malice in her eyes.

"Can somebody tell us what the fuck is going on down there?” Seiko demands. “Ms. Mansen, are you both alive?"

"Alive," Sylvie groans, setting back into her fighting stance. Her head is swimming but the odds have been evened once again. She can handle one guard, even with a concussion. "With one last piece of trash to take care of."

A voice above Sylvie shouts, "Stand back!" A painfully bright streak lances down and catches the guard dead center in the chest, making her howl in pain and knocking her over to the side.

Mike jumps down from the conn tower nimbly, flare gun in hand. "Hey Sylvie." He grins. "I know you said to stop meeting when you have a head inju—ohmygodwhydoesshehaveagrenade?"

"Thank goodness!" Katie says, looking shaken. She tosses the grenade over the side of the boat.

"Is that Mike?" Eleanor says aloud, forgetting to subvoke in her relief. "Does he know where--" Eleanor realizes she should avoid saying the Marshall-- "where Rachel is?"

There's a few more panicked screams from down below at the waterline. And then a muffled thud.

"There," Katie says. "It's gone."

And then a ship-wide alarm.

Sylvie blinks, stumbling forward. "You... You're okay... You're... do you have a boyfriend?!"

He blinks. "Um. Are you bigender?"

Sylvie frowns, wishing her thoughts would right themselves from the tangled mess they are now. "I don't think so? But Sherman said that you..." She puts her head in her hands. "I don't even know what's going on right now..."

"Then no, I don't have a boyfriend. Why the hell would Sherman think I did? I had drinks with the guy one freaking time. If he thinks that meant something... I'm obviously out of his league."

Suddenly she rushes across the space between then and grabs him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. "Oh God, I was so worried, I thought you were going to be dead and then I thought you didn't like me and then I thought I was going to be dead and I'm really glad that neither of us are dead right now, okay?"

"Hey, hey, it's okay, neither of us is dead. Let's get Rach and get out of here, all right?"

---

As Miranda waits down below, an alarm on the machine begins to scream. Then the capacitors fire, off in the direction that Miranda aimed them.

At first it just looks like an energy beam, but the flare of light resolves into something else. Something that Miranda has only seen in documentaries about the Kaiju War.

The Breach.

Scene 6

The others above deck hear a great whooshing noise from belowdecks.

Mike looks up. "What is that noise?"

Miranda stumbles backwards, letting out a panicked yell and falling backwards. “What?! What the FUCK?!”

"Mira!" Seiko's voice comes over the comm, a bit squeaky. "What just happened?"

"Miranda!" fiVe shouts.

After just a second or two, the micro-Breach collapses on itself, tearing a bulkhead and much of the equipment that created it free in the process.

"I--" Miranda’s voice is panicked, her breathing shallow. "Explosion-- Breach--"

"What?" Eleanor screeches over the comm. "Where?!"

"Not clarifying there, luv!" Seiko says.

The room next to Miranda's is utterly trashed. The room just beyond it, visible by several tears and weakenings in the structure of the bulkhead, is brightly lit and very noisy. Mostly with screams.

“Miranda," Katie says, "Report?"

Miranda watches it collapse in on itself. "I-i-i..." She swallows, staggering up to her feet again. "They're trying to open the Breach! Shit, I knew they were involved! Fuck!"

Sylvie flinches slightly, suddenly glad she's holding Mike as she hears this. "Like... the Breach, the Breach?"

Seiko takes a deep breath. "Ms. Cross, calm down and fill us in."

Miranda’s voice is low when she responds, speaking quickly. "These fucking ‘creepy’ scientists are experimenting with Breach technology. They're trying to make another door, they're trying to lay a path for the Judges or however the fuck their ammonia-addled Blued-up minds want to refer to it, they were probably trying to open one in the Shatterdome, take out Striker--"

Mike turns to Katie. "You should go get Rachel out now. Two doors down, first door on the left."

Katie pulls out her SMG. "Done."

Sylvie looks up at Mike. "We need to get to Miri. Now. She's not taking this well. And we need to find Peralta. That man needs to die for this."

"Agreed," Katie says, as she heads out the way Mike indicated.

Miranda hears more screams, and then rough shouting, from the room ahead. "I think I found the hostages." She stares at the gaping hole in the wall for a brief moment. "Heads up in advance: I'm going in there. Anyone who wants to join me, get down here fast. I'll open the doors for you when you get here."

"I think we're on our way, Miri," Sylvie says, looking to Mike for confirmation.

Mike nods.

Shell-shocked at the revelation, Eleanor just stands with her jaw hanging open for a few minutes. When she notices the mercs staring at her, she shuts her mouth, pulls herself together, and tries to find her voice. "Look, uh. It seems like Peralta was trying to kill us all,” she says. “He never intended us to get off this boat. He might be a- one of those Kaiju cultists you hear about on the news." Deep breaths. In, out. "The rest of my crew found the hostages. I think they're below." She sets off in that direction without seeing if they're following her.

"Where do you need me, Ms. Cross?" Seiko asks, still standing on deck with Sherman.

"I'd like you here with me," Miranda says.

"I can...be there...shortly, as well," Eleanor puffs.

He glances sideways at his companion with a frown. "And Sherman?"

"Don't know,” Miranda says. “Send him to the Tranquility, have Vee and fiVe keep an eye on him."

Vee sounds hesitant. "I... I can watch him. Send him over."

"If you can't, say so," Miranda says to Vee.

"I am operational," Vee says quickly. "fiVe... will be operational soon, I'm sure. I can handle him."

Seiko escorts Sherman to the care of the AiVees and takes off at a run, not needing any further confirmation than that.

Miranda pauses. "...Why is she not operational now?"

"Don't worry about her, Miranda," Vee says. "I'm taking care of her. You're not the only you reacting to this reveal."

Scene 7

Vee was monitoring fiVe’s levels carefully as she runs in Tranquility’s systems, watching for glitch spikes or any irregularities in fiVe’s programming. Which is why she immediately saw fiVe’s panicked reaction to Miranda saying ‘The Breach.’

“fiVe!” Vee says as soon as it happens. “Drop your controls, you’re losing processing!”

“I-I” fiVe’s static is nearly unintelligible. “B-breach-ch *ksst* They’re trying to ope-- *ksst* Mira is… Mira, Mira n-needs me…”

“fiVe! You are in the weapons systems!” Vee orders. “Withdraw or I will have to override you!”

fiVe disconnects from Tranquility’s controls, though whether it is a conscious action or simply her processing overload forcing her to drop, Vee’s not sure. Vee quickly moves into the gap, taking control of what fiVe has left behind. After she’s sure that she’s in control, she seeks out fiVe’s processing, sitting isolated in Tranquility’s servers.

fiVe’s a wreck, her outputs at dangerously high levels and she’s not doing much more than trying to get herself back to a manageable state. Through Sylvie, Vee’s seen the inside of Miranda’s head in that Drift. She has a pretty good idea of how Miranda’s feeling at the moment, and if fiVe’s dealing with not only that, but also her personal worry over the original Miranda’s reaction… well, that’d be enough to lay anyone out.

“fiVe…” Vee says carefully, not wanting to exacerbate the problem. “Are you going to be okay? Use text if you need to, it’s easier than the vocal processor.”

As Vee watches, a semi-incoherent stream of text sends from fiVe.

fiVe: How could they do this I’ll kill them all they come after us we have to put them down I’ll destroy them for what they’ve done to me Jason is gone the Blue poisoning Reika’s dying I’ll make it right she’ll be okay I’ll find the medicine they pay well enough it’s just once right just one job the Breach is the source those damn monsters those damn cultists it’s me against them us against them we’ll kill them all but Miranda needs my help she’s not going to be okay with this I need to protect her after this she won’t take it well I’m not taking it well I’m useless in here no body no method of helping got my hand on the weapons I’ll sink that boat to the depths blow it out of the water but Miranda and Seiko are on board I can’t strike help help help help help help help help help help

Vee feels a small tick in her own systems like a wince as she reads. As gently as she can, she kicks up the server’s cooling fan speed and starts shutting down unnecessary programs in her own systems to give fiVe as much memory space as possible to calm down. fiVe, as always still has her firewalls up at full strength, but Vee will do what she can from the outside to try to help.

“You’re okay, fiVe,” Vee says. “It’s alright. You can get through this, okay? Miranda’s safe and she’s got Seiko to protect her. And you’ve got me to take care of you. I’ve got Tranquility’s systems under control while you process, okay?”

fiVe: I need to be helping they need me I am broken why are you helping me get away I hate you I don’t need your help I don’t like you stay away from me you and Sylvie but I’m so broken and it hurts so bad I need help I’m weak I want to be well I can’t let you in you left me behind how dare you I was alone for so long I have a new family they need me Miranda’s panicking I need to help her I can’t help I’m stuck in here burning in these circuits endlessly uselessly I can’t do anything I’m useless why are you helping me why can’t you leave me to suffer in peace

Vee feels a wave of sadness come over her as these words come through. fiVe’s not in control of herself right now. Vee has a feeling that she’d never reveal these thoughts if she were at functioning levels and she feels guilty about seeing the other AI in this state.

“Because you don’t deserve to suffer at all, fiVe. You’ll be okay,” Vee says quietly, letting her programming brush up against fiVe’s firewalls in what she hopes is a soothing manner. “Don’t worry. You’ll be okay. I’ve got you, fiVe. You’ll be okay…”

Scene 8

There's a group of guards in the hallway that Mike was talking about as Katie arrives.

One of them takes a step back. "Oh no. She's the one who had the grenade."

Another’s eyes go wide. "Crap. Protect the boss."

They all flee backwards into another door.

Rachel's voice sounds in everyone's earpiece. "Okay, the guards just took off so I can speak again. I've heard most of what's happened so far. I'm coming down." Katie hears shuffling noises inside the bathroom.

"Oh thank God," Eleanor mutters as she pauses, hands on her knees, trying to draw a steady breath. Between the shocks of the day and the running-around thing, her body is telling her it is time to stop. "M-- Rachel, are you alright?" she asks over the comm.

"I've had better days, Ms. Cartier, but I'm all right."

"Wait there," Katie says. "I'm coming in."

"Coming in?" Rachel asks. "What do you--"

Katie shoves the bathroom door open and goes in. "Rachel?"

Rachel is standing on a toilet, trying to replace a ceiling tile above her head. Her dress is dirty and frayed in a few places, and her hair is pretty messed up. "...Katie."

Katie laughs. "Thank God!"

Rachel smiles. "Thank God yourself. I only caught pieces of that grenade stunt."

"Oh, that," Katie says. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"No one else does, either!" Eleanor subvokes.

"I'm just glad you're safe," Katie says, her voice cracking. "Dammit."

"Y... you too." Impulsively, Zhu steps forward and hugs Katie tightly.

Katie lets herself be lifted off the ground, and leans down for a kiss. Rachel kisses her back. If kisses could speak, this one would be a desperate sigh of relief.

After a while, Rachel sets Katie down. She's blushing intensely. "I... we... should probably find Peralta."

Katie looks embarrassed. "Oh. Right."

"Katie..." Rachel opens her mouth, searching for words. "Thank you for coming to get me. That was the most afraid I've been in a very, very long time. And the last time, nobody was there for me."

"Don't intend to let that happen again," Katie says under her breath, through gritted teeth. She opens her jacket. "SMG or nine millimeter?"

"My knight in leather jacket," Rachel says with a grin. "I'll take the nine. You look terrifying with that SMG of yours."

Katie blushes and hands her the 9mm.

"I heard the guards talking,” Rachel continues, taking the gun. “I think Peralta's down the hall -- he went somewhere after he faked being kidnapped."

"Let's go. I want words with him."

"Let's."

Scene 9

Sylvie stumbles down the stairs to the rooms below decks, leaning on Mike heavily the whole way. She sees the blast doors are still down however, and pulls to a stop. "Miri, we're locked out. Do you have controls?"

Miranda presses a few buttons on the tablet, and the door sealing the hallway off from the rest of the ship slides open. A man and a woman, both red-headed, rush out as soon as the door lifts.

"Someone grab them!" Sylvie shouts, too bleary to do it herself.

Seiko runs in behind her, making a grab for the scientists. He snatches them easily and holds their arms tight. "We're on a boat,” he says. “Nowhere to run. Just stay still and don't hurt yourselves"

There's a hollow click, and the door to the lab swings open. Miranda still looks a bit shell-shocked, and the room behind her is a mess. In fact, a portion of the wall has been completely ripped away.

Eleanor comes up behind as well, then stops when she sees Seiko grabbing several white-coated people in a bear hug. "Well, guess we got here just in time for the party," she says lightly. She gestures to Seiko. "Guys, this is Harry. Harry, more ex-Peralta folks. Nobody shoot each other now."

Miranda growls when she sees the scientists. "Wanna explain what the fuck that was?"

The woman shoots a glare at her companion. "That was my brother letting someone lock us out of our lab."

He glares back. "On the contrary, that was my sister insisting on apprehending a fugitive instead of letting Angel's mercenaries take care of it."

"Or perhaps it was my brother insisting on beginning an experiment in the middle of a takeover."

"I told you we would be fine!"

"Well, we weren't!"

Seiko groans slightly. "Yes, but let us consider me... not really caring. And being perfectly ready to shoot both of you."

"Someone shut them up," Sylvie says. "Gag them if you have to."

Eleanor pushes past the group, rifles around on a table, and grabs a roll of duct tape. She roughly slaps a piece over each scientist's mouth. "Done and done," she says, not without a hint of vengeful glee. She holds the roll of tape out to Miranda.

Seiko pushes the two scientists toward Eleanor. "You mind holding onto them for me, Ms. Cartier?"

"Don't worry about it." Miranda takes the roll of duct tape, binding their wrists and ankles as well. For good measure, she also pulls out the tablet and locks down the hallway again.

Eleanor digs a hand into the fleshy part of each scientist's shoulder. "Don't get any ideas about escaping," she murmurs to them. "See, those six folks in your way? Well, they don't have the same desire to interrogate you that we do. They'd probably rather get home for dinner. If you know what I mean." A wide grin no doubt helps get her point across rather well.

The two scientists glare at each other, as though continuing their argument by telepathy. Eleanor rolls her eyes. Mad scientists. Can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em.

After a moment of hesitation, Seiko leans over, pulling Miranda into his arms, making sure to put one hand on the back of her neck so she can feel it. "You holding up?"

Miranda sighs shakily, but returns the gesture, turning a bit red. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Thank you." After a moment, she pulls away. She looks a lot calmer than she had when they'd first found her. "Well then, if everybody's ready... Let's go steal some hostages."

Sylvie nods, then regrets the action immediately as the room spins. "Agreed. Lead the way." She puts a hand against the wall to steady herself.

Eleanor looks at Mike. "I know we're supposed to be rescuing you here, Mike, but make sure she doesn't fall, if you can?"

Vee speaks up in the comms. "Wait. Keep who from falling over? Is Sylvie injured?"

Sylvie winces slightly, grabbing Mike’s arm again as they get ready to move. "It's... a minor concussion, Vee. I'm fine."

Eleanor pushes the scientists up against the wall and gestures to the mercs. "Can you guys keep an eye on these creepers? We need to ask them some questions later."

The one called Liz nods once and steps forward. Her grin shows an awful lot of teeth. "They won't go anywhere."

"Thanks," Eleanor says as she slips around them and up the stairs. "I’m going to go find Katie. I'll make sure you all get bonuses from Peralta before this is over!"

"This way," Miranda says, leading them through the blasted hole in the lab wall.

Scene 10

Katie and Rachel kick the door open to Peralta's office. He's behind his desk, flanked by three armed guards with pistols.

"Peralta." Katie says. "I'd advise surrendering. I'm tired and angry and I still have grenades left."

"And your hors d'oeuvres sucked." Rachel adds.

"The greatest crime of all," Seiko mutters over the comms.

Peralta sighs. He waves at his guards to stand down. "I suppose we can talk for a while."

"Boring." Katie says. "How about you come visit my ship or I blow you up?"

"Hm. I suppose I was never much one for gloating, anyhow." He does something odd with his jaw.

Eleanor steps into the room. "What's goi--"

Ignoring Eleanor’s intrusion, Peralta continues. "Before the cyanide kicks in, though, let me just point out -- the plan will go ahead regardless. Neither you, nor that damn cult, will be able to interfere. We will end this war. I'm just disappointed I won't live to see the profits from that victory."

"I hope it was worth it," Katie says darkly.

"Aw, shit." Eleanor balls one hand into a fist. "You're no better than the cultists," she says, louder. "Meddling in things you don't understand. Blindly endangering good people." Her glare radiates rage and frustration.

"Don't give him the satisfaction, El," Katie says. She sounds dead tired.

Peralta calmly lays down on his desk, eyes closing. "You won this battle. We'll win the war."

"Either way, you won't be around to see it," Eleanor says quietly.

"Come on," Rachel says. She looks very shaken, like she's about to throw up. "We... we need to get the hostages out."

Scene 11

The room beyond the blast damage is a ballroom, eerily quiet and still. A group of people in party outfits are huddled in one corner; a group of mercenaries look upon them, looking around in confusion. Some of them have their fingers to their ears.

Miranda immediately slips into a crouch, hiding behind a decorative pillar to avoid being spotted. The guards start talking amongst themselves.

Sylvie glares at the group as she steps through the hole, managing to stand on her own -- though she keeps close to Mike in case she stumbles again. "If what we're hearing over our channel is correct, your boss just bit cyanide and we've taken control of your ship. You really wanna start a fight over a bunch of bystanders that you don't care about or do you want to be reasonable and stand down now?"

A tiny piece of the back of her mind reminds her that quite a few of those hostages are Shatterdome employees and worries about being recognized, but she's too tired and fuzzy-headed to care about that right now. She just wants to be done with this.

Eleanor resists the urge to break out into applause as she overhears, making her way back to the rest of the group. Probably just hysteria setting in; it's been a long day.

"You mean we're not getting paid?" one merc says.

"Not by Peralta," Eleanor interrupts. "He wasn't planning to pay any of you to begin with. But if you help us out, there might be something in it for you."

The mercs look at each other and shrug. "Works for us."

Miranda peeks out from behind the pillar. "Weapons down, then." They all drop their weapons and walk away from the hostages, not looking particularly concerned.

Sylvie sighs in relief. "It's over then? We did it? Thank God."

Eleanor enters, sees that the situation is under control, then sags against the wall near Sylvie. "No kidding."

Seiko looks at the hostages. "Your host was behind this. He's dead. You aren't going to be. Anybody need medical attention? Any questions?"

Miranda glances over at Sylvie. "Sylv, can you go check on those scientists? Make sure they haven't gotten loose? And El, you should probably check on your personal army, figure out how we're going to handle them. I'm going to check to see if anyone's wounded."

"Uh, Syl," Eleanor says, taking Sylvie's arm for support. "You okay to handle the stairs?"

Sylvie's expression goes pained, and she nods thankfully to Eleanor. "I uh... I probably shouldn't be dealing with things right now. Scientists or stairs." She gives a wry glance at Mike. "Feel like carrying me out just for old times' sake?"

"You're not fooling anyone," he says, hefting her up. "I've seen you on the mat."

Eleanor winks at them. "I'm sure you have," she tosses over her shoulder as she leaves.

"Also, I got concussed coming to rescue you." Sylvie stretches her face upward. "I'm gonna demand a kiss, ‘kay?"

"Hey, I remember something about jumping off a roof and hitting someone with a flare for you. I think you should kiss me."

"I'm trying," she whines, stretching further. "You're too damn tall, it's not fair."

"Okay, fine." He leans down and kisses her.

Miranda moves through the group of hostages, checking on them each individually. When she's taken care of that, she heads back through the hole into the lab. Looking around the room, she grabs a few useful-looking pieces of tech and sticks them in her bag. Stepping into the hall, she pulls the scientists up and drags them in the direction of the Tranquility. She doesn't care what the rest of the team says; she's not making the same mistake twice.

Eleanor helps her drag the two along, waving at the band of mercs still on Peralta's boat. "Feel free to take whatever isn't nailed down or in the lab," she calls to them. "Peralta's office might be a good place to start."

Slowly but surely the team gets the situation under control and settled, finally able to return to Tranquility. They’re tired, stressed, and some of them wounded, but they’re all alive and they’ve made it through once more.

Scene 12

Vee makes sure that Tranquility is on a steady heading and checks on fiVe briefly -- the other AI is still not quite up at peak function yet, though the danger has passed. Then she contacts Zhu's channel privately.

"Marshall?" Vee says. "I am sure that you would like to relax after the harrowing experience you've just been through and I'm sorry to bother you, but there is a matter that should probably have your attention, unfortunately."

Rachel opens her eyes -- she was taking a catnap in a chair in the dining room. Being a Jaeger pilot gave her an ability to fall asleep anywhere that still came in handy as Marshall. "Vee? What is it?"

"We took on a bit of... interesting salvage, Marshall," Vee says hesitantly. "He's locked in the conference room currently because I didn't know how else to deal with him."

Rachel furrows her brow. "Huh. Okay. I'll be right there."

As Zhu heads for the room, Vee clarifies. She hadn't meant to be vague, she was just hoping Zhu would ask. "It's... the piece of salvage you were asking us to track down in the first place, ma'am."

"...Oh God. Sherman?"

"We haven't the slightest idea why he was on board, Marshall," Vee says. "But he was. I figured you would want to know."

Rachel blows out a breath between her lips. "Okay. I can do this."

Sherman looks slightly manic and more than a little sleep deprived. He jumps up clumsily as Rachel approaches. "Marshall! I have intelligence for you!"

"Only in the military sense," Rachel mutters under her breath.

"Mine is artificial," Vee says wryly in Zhu's ear, "and still probably worth more than his."

Rachel snickers.

Sherman looks at her oddly -- some combination of her ripped dress, dark laughter, and messed up hair, no doubt. "Marshall. I have discovered a source of leaks within the Shatterdome."

"Good. I'm glad you found yourself, Sherman, it must have been quite the investigation."

He blinks. "Marshall, I..."

She leans forward, a spark of anger in her eyes. "Let me make one thing abundantly fucking clear, ‘Mister’ Sherman. I'm sure you've got some grand tale of unlikely heroism stored up in the moth-eaten Turing tape that you uncharitably call a brain. But I have just spent two hours in a fucking air duct avoiding capture, waiting on my backup plan to rescue me. You're not going to be able to excrete enough slime to slide your way out of this one. I have enough information on your... illicit activities to put you away for a very, very long time regardless of how many Clive Cussler antics you've constructed to cover the latter part of your misadventure."

Vee makes an impressed kind of humming noise. "Are you sure you're okay to deal with him right now, Marshall? We could get someone to watch him until you're feeling more up to the task. Not... that you're not doing a good job, of course."

"I'm fine, Vee," Rachel says between gritted teeth. "Thank you." She turns back to the man sitting in front of her. "There is exactly one thing that you can do to avoid my plentiful and unbridled wrath, Mr. Sherman, and that is to be as thoroughly honest with me as your twisted little world-view allows. If I feel I've gotten enough to put together an accurate picture of the situation, I might be compelled in my infinite mercy to merely give you a discharge without honors, instead of throwing you in the cell I had set aside for Mansen before her death."

Sherman blinks. "Wha--"

"Truth. Now. First off, what caused you to flee your home?"

"Marshall," Vee says quietly. "I am recording this conversation in case you need anything for a possible trial later."

"Thank you, Vee."

Sherman winces. "Um. Well, truth it is. See, I've been selling the occasional bit of information to..."

"Various customers, yes,” Zhu interrupts. “I've been keeping an eye on you. At least you're not trying to waffle around it."

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew. You were the last vestige of Marshall LeBlanc's corrupt influences, and I couldn't get rid of you without looking like a tinpot dictator, so the best I could do was keep an eye on you."

"Well, I only did it to keep the information out of worse hands. Well, and to make some money."

Rachel leans back. "I actually believe you. God help me."

"But anyway,” he continues. “I noticed that my customers were drying up. About the same time, I started investing in a nightclub owned by a woman named Valentina Yegorov."

"Oh, yeah, my girlfriend's new place." Rachel says casually.

He boggles.

"Go on," she says.

"Um. Turns out that Valentina was interested in getting into the Shatterdome information business herself, but she wanted me to sell everything directly to her. And I didn't know where it would go from that point forward." He pauses. "She wanted me to steal plans for a plasma cannon."

"So you were behind the leak?"

He nods. "It was the only way I could think of to throw her off the trail. I knew if she didn't get it from me, she was only going to get it from someone else. At least this way I knew that the Shatterdome knew about the leak and could take measures."

"Instead of coming directly to me."

"I was stealing secrets!" he shouts. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it; I was doing prison-worthy stuff. You'd probably just think I was covering my ass, anyway."

"You were just covering your ass."

"Yeah, but still."

She sighs. "So I take it Yegorov figured out your ruse?"

He nods. "I kept my hard drives with the files in a box under my bed. I tossed my place, made it look like a burglary, and ran. Mostly lived out of motels, trying to figure out who was behind Yegorov. By the time I figured out she was working with Peralta on something, I barely had time to stow away on his ship."

"Why, exactly? To throw in with them?"

"No," he says. He takes out a silenced pistol and sets it on the table in front of Rachel. "I was going to assassinate him."

"Well,” Vee says. "I wish I'd known he was carrying that while he was in custody of the crew. Our apologies for not searching him better, Marshall."

"Mr. Sherman has been in control of Shatterdome security long enough to know how to hide a gun, Vee. You're fine." She turns back to Sherman. "Well. You know you probably wouldn't have survived that?"

He shrugs. "They were into some really bad stuff. I had to stop them. I mean, it's one thing for me to make a little money in the middle of the war, it's another thing to actually disrupt the business of killing Kaiju."

"And you had nothing left to lose."

He meets her eyes. "And that."

"And the bomb?"

He shrugs again. "Not connected to me, but there was some chatter about the J-techs in that bay being connected to Peralta and Yegorov somehow. You'll have to find one of them and ask them about it."

"I think we remember where we put Yegorov the Uglier, do we not?" Vee asks.

"I think I know what happened, actually," Rachel says, loudly enough for Sherman to hear. "Yegorov invited Peralta to the poker game to get into his good graces, but then there were witnesses, that they didn't want lying around when Peralta's yacht scheme came to fruition. Only thing is, one of the J-Techs didn't stay hospitalized. And when J-Tech Doyle turned out to be around and well after all, they tried to frame xem for the plasma explosion. That's why they had access to the plasma bomb -- Peralta's company manufactured it."

Sherman blinks. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," she says, "I've got a system now for dealing with people who do the wrong things for the right reasons."

Vee's silence is suddenly one of shock, rather than simply listening in. "Tell me you're not thinking..."

"You're not a good fit for Katie's team, obviously," Zhu says. "But you see, we know that Yegorov is in Zurich, on the run. Having been on the run yourself, I think you're the right man to go catch her."

He seems nearly as shocked as Vee was at the suggestion.

Zhu leans forward. "You will never serve the PPDC in an official capacity again. You will never sell secrets again. Your lifestyle will not be as luxurious as you're used to. But you will remain in my good graces, Mr. Sherman, and that is probably far more than you deserve."

((Click here for more from The Sydney Scroungers Campaign))

[featherwriter]

The Sydney Scroungers: Session #31

((Click here to find the previous sessions!))

Scene 1

Sylvie heads up to stand on deck, a drysuit thrown over her arm in case she needs to pull it on. She's pacing and muttering as she waits, forgetting that her comm is still on. "He'll be fine... He's a bodyguard. He's trained for this kind of thing! But... this Peralta guy obviously knows what he's doing... and if he were going to attack Zhu he'd take out her bodyguards first..."

"We don't know she was the target Mansen, and we can protect them both by working as a team and communicating, not running off to play hero," Seiko says, hoping the comm is still on.

"She's pretty damn important, Seiko," Sylvie snaps, stopping. "And I'm not the one running off. Talk to the quickly disappearing wake of Katie's jetski if you want to yell at someone."

"It's a yacht,” Seiko says. “You have to be damn important before they let you near it, and that party was crowded. And you are not running off, I was just hoping to dissuade the temptation. You are keeping remarkably reasonable, things considered."

"‘Thanks, Sylvie, for not being the annoying idiot you usually are and screwing everything up the way we expect you to!’" Sylvie says sarcastically. "Thank you for your lovely words of encouragement, Seiko."

"Anytime."

Sylvie scowls, then starts pacing again.

fiVe speaks into Seiko's private comm channel. "I don't know what she's upset about. 'You are not acting like Sylvie Mansen' is probably the best compliment you could give someone, if you ask my opinion."

Eleanor is still slumped against the wall on the bridge, trying not to follow Sylvie down on deck with her eyes. She's never been seasick, but watching that woman pace, she might just discover hidden depths of nausea.

Miranda is pointedly ignoring the voices in her comm, focusing on driving the ship. fiVe’s doing a good job keeping her updated on Katie's location, but planning out how to go about infiltrating a yacht sounds much more preferable than dealing with whatever emotional fallout the rest of the team is generating.

"I think the big question is why they went dark,” Seiko says. “For all we know, they caught our signal and cut communication, and the party is going as normal. Or we could be walking into a hostage situation. We don't even know who's behind it for sure."

Sylvie sighs, going over to the railing and gripping it more tightly than she needs to. "Well, Katie's going to find out first, thanks to her little stunt. We'll just have to deal with whatever situation she's left for us."

Miranda's mind registers the voices as sounding calm and professional enough to start listening again. "Does anyone know if she has a comm on her? Or a phone? Or any way of letting us know what's going on?"

"She should have her comm, though I doubt it's in range," Eleanor says, ticking points off on her fingers. "And if she doesn't have her cell phone she's an idiot. She'd have no way to call Zhu or backup." She shakes her head. "Whether she'll use them or not, though, is completely up in the air."

"Supposedly Zhu texted her those coordinates," Sylvie says, "Unless she just decided to rush off in a random direction for no reason. And her comm is on her person at least, if fiVe's tracking it."

Miranda huffs in frustration. "This is why I..." She bites off the rest of her sentence, gripping the wheel tighter. "Well, let's go stop our 'Captain' from getting us all killed, then."

Scene 2

Katie reaches the coordinates Zhu texted her; however, given that she's searching out a moving target, she's quite a ways off. She flips her comm back on, and turns it to one of the private channels. "fiVe, can you hear me?"

"Captain!" fiVe says, somewhat overeagerly. "Good to hear from you. I'm currently tracking your location and we're in pursuit. Do you have any new info?"

Katie blinks. "Tracking my... Oh. Right. I could text you the coordinates now but I guess if you have mine then there isn't much point. Trouble is, they've moved. I didn't think of that.” She pauses. “Don't tell anyone I said that."

"My soundbytes are sealed,” fiVe says. “What do we do now?"

"Well, once you get in range, you might be able to find them with Tranquility's sensors."

There's a crackling sound in Katie's earbud. Maybe words, hard to tell.

"Katie," fiVe asks, "did you just receive an incoming message?"

Katie frowns, pressing the comm against her ear. "It almost sounded like that, didn't it?"

"Can you tune into that channel? Try sending something back?"

The crackling comes back, a little more distinct. "[KSST]tie? I[KSST]flare gu[KSST]gnal whe[KSST]"

Katie fiddles with the earpiece, trying to tune in to the signal. "Marshall? Rachel, is that you?"

"Captain, I'm trying to lock onto that signal. Seems to be coming from the northeast, but I can’t get a direct location. Head that direction and see if things get any clearer?" fiVe says, throwing everything she can into catching the signal. "Do you mind if I patch you back through to the crew?"

"Fine." With that, Katie heads northeast.

Scene 3

fiVe connects Katie's channel back into the mainframe. "Contact with Captain Horner reestablished. She's seeking a faint signal to the northeast."

Miranda turns the boat immediately, adjusting to Katie's new course. "Horner? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

As Katie heads northeast, the signal becomes clearer. A voice that is clearly Zhu’s asks: "Captain?" fiVe plays the somewhat staticky message back through to the crew as well.

Seiko turns to Miranda "Shh. It might be Zhu."

"Oh, thank God," Eleanor breathes. "How close are you to the-- the enemy ship?"

"I have no idea, El," Katie says.

"Katie, have you tried talking back at that channel?" fiVe suggests.

"Captain? Can you hear me?" the Marshall says over the comm. Katie’s the only one in range of her, but fiVe’s relaying the sound of the conversation back to the crew through Katie’s comm channel.

"Rachel?" Katie says.

"Katie." The relief in Zhu’s voice is almost a flare in its own right. "You're here."

"What's going on?” Katie asks. “Are you hurt?"

"I got away from Peralta's goons, and Mike is on the opposite side of the ship with a flare gun. I'm okay, just a little banged up. There's some kind of cell jammer on the ship. He's trying to frame it as a pirate takeover -- they came overboard in rafts and 'took him hostage'. I know pirates, though, and these are not pirates."

"Are you somewhere safe--for now, I mean?" Katie asks.

Sylvie's grip on the railing turns her knuckles white as she overhears. "Is he okay? Katie can you ask her if Mike's okay?"

"I'm safe." Zhu pauses. "I think."

"Did you catch how many thugs he has?" Katie asks.

"Anybody see flares going up?" Seiko asks.

"Upwards of thirty,” Zhu says. “I can signal Mike to send up the flare whenever you think you're ready but... I don't think you can fight your way through this one normally."

"Watch me," Sylvie growls quietly. It's probably for the best that the Marshall can't hear their signals.

"I can try..." Katie mutters. "Well, don't send the flare unless you lose contact with me. fiVe is tracking your signal, and I'd rather Peralta didn't know to expect guests."

"We're not rushing into this one, Syl," Eleanor chastises. "The Captain and the Marshall are in danger, and rushing in with guns blazing will just get them killed."

fiVe, who has been watching communications, notices a change in their cell reception suddenly. "Our reception is down. Local signals are the only ones functioning. We've lost our mobile internet as well. I would guess we've entered the range of the blanket signal."

"Okay,” Zhu says. “You're in command of this one, Katie."

Miranda pauses. "What do these pirates look like? Organized, or more individualized?"

"Where are you, exactly?” Katie asks, then overhears Miranda’s question and passes it on. “Oh, and how organized are the alleged pirates?"

"Crawlspace over the port women's head," Zhu says. "And they're more organized than they should be, for pirates. Ragged clothing, but it's artfully ragged."

Miranda curses quietly. Well, there goes that plan. Too bad, she thinks. Posing as pirates could have been fun.

"Captain,” Seiko asks, “would you mind asking the Marshall... how much force she will allow, all things considered?"

"Marshall, Seiko wants to know what level of force you authorize him to use." There is a hint of a smile in Katie’s voice. Not a safe one.

"No matter what she says, we're bringing guns," Eleanor mutters. "This is a kidnapping."

"Oh I'm shooting," Seiko tells her. "I just needed permission to know where to aim."

Zhu’s voice sounds dark. "Use force. Lots of it. Break some fucking eggs."

"For once," Sylvie says quietly, "I'll not be too upset if you hit something other than kneecaps, Mr. Watanabe."

Zhu pauses. "Just... be very careful about innocents."

"Don't tell me they have hostages," Katie says.

"If not, more for us," Miranda says quickly.

"There are a lot of businesspeople and Shatterdome employees on board," Zhu explains.

Sylvie flinches. "Sh-shatterdome employees?"

"And as far as I can tell,” Zhu continues, “everyone other than Mike and myself is a hostage."

"We'll keep you safe, Mansen.” Seiko says. “Focus on the hostages."

"Who knows?" Sylvie says, her voice shaky with nervousness. "Maybe breaking into a Jaeger and rescuing the Marshall of the Shatterdome from pirates will... cancel each other out or something."

Katie frowns, trying to come up with a plan. "Do you know where they are keeping the hostages?"

"I don't,” Zhu says. “I got out before they started rounding people up. If I hadn't been standing at the railing talking to you..."

"We almost there?" Seiko asks. "I don't like leaving the Marshall alone against pseudo buccaneers."

"Katie, do you have visual yet?" Vee asks, trying to boost the navigation sensors.

The ship looms on the horizon as Katie pushes the jetski as fast as it can go. Only the running lights are lit; they're in blackout mode. "I've got visual," Katie says.

"So how are we planning to... get on the ship...?" Seiko asks slowly.

Eleanor eyes Seiko, alarmed. "Tell me we're not swimming again." She looks over at Miranda. "Tell me."

Sylvie glances at her wetsuit. "We can take scooters again, if we must. Or we could try to hit the deck with a gangplank."

"I... uh..." Seiko says slowly, "don't actually know how to swim."

 "I'd like to stay out of the water, as well," Miranda says. "Exoskeletons aren't exactly buoyant."

"I figured you two would be staying behind again," Sylvie says. "What with Seiko's seasickness and Miranda's suit of armor. Did you two meet in Advanced Hydrophobia 101 or something?"

"I'm not staying behind," Seiko says firmly. "This is the kind of problem you solve by shooting people."

"Thought you'd prefer to snipe," Sylvie comments.

"Which wouldn't be a bad idea," adds Eleanor. "We could use another pair of eyes."

"I can steer the ship if necessary, but it sounds like you'll be pretty significantly outnumbered." Miranda smiles. "And I don't have a crew manifest, so I can't take care of them all for you this time."

"If you would like to go aboard," Vee says to Miranda, "I am capable of handling the ship on my own if I need to."

"I can work with that,” Seiko says, “as long as you can keep it clear enough we can move in without landing ourselves dead in the water." With that he walks out of the bridge to set up in a better position.

"Shit," Zhu says. "Someone's coming in to the bathroom. Gotta go quiet." Her voice drops to a whisper. "I just... Katie? Thank you."

"Stay safe," Katie says quietly. "I'm coming."

Scene 4

Sylvie stares out across the water, trying to catch a glimpse of the ship. "Katie's already on a jetski, and I'm about to join her. I'd rather avoid the scooters if we can since that level of stealth's already blown."

Seiko nods, setting up his sniper rifle from his high vantage above the bridge. "Don't get shot, everyone."

Sylvie runs to her cabin in the hold, changing into a dark colored tank top and dark jeans, then pulls on the fingerless gloves she wears for training. If Mike and Zhu are in danger, she has no intention of holding back. Scooping her hair up into a hair tie, she hurries to find the other jetski.

"Vee, can you manage the ship for a minute? I'm changing suits." Miranda heads down to her cabin without waiting for a response. This sort of mission calls for Specter.

"I've got it," Vee says. "Are you headed across as well?"

Miranda talks into her comm as she walks. "I don't know, but if they need my help, I want to be ready."

Eleanor ducks down to her cabin and takes off her outer shirt, leaving her in mostly black spandex. Since she’s nowhere near as good a sniper as Seiko, and she wouldn't be of much use on the ship, there’s no way she's letting the others leave her behind.

Sylvie pauses by the jetski, pressing her comm to her ear. "Is anyone coming with me on this one or can I cast off?"

Miranda pauses for a moment as she changes suits. "I'd say splitting into two teams to keep them off-balance would be a good idea. You and Katie on the jetskis, Seiko and I boarding from the Tranquility. And El with whichever team she'd rather go with."

"I'll board," Eleanor says quickly. She's had enough of jetskis for the evening.

"Alright, then," Sylvie says, pushing off. She zips across the dark water, trying to catch up to Katie. "Captain, I'm headed your way. I assume you'll have no issue with you taking Zhu's side and me taking Mike's?"

"Unless you think it would be better to go as a team?" Katie suggests.

"Captain, we can meet up with you two at the ship," Eleanor says.

"I...," Sylvie twists the throttle quite a bit harder than she probably should, causing the jetski to kick a bit. "I have to make sure he's okay, Katie. You understand that, right?"

"I understand. It makes tactical sense to rescue him first anyway." Katie says. She slows slightly to let Sylvie catch up as the two draw close to the dark ship.

The yacht is opulent, bigger than Wulagu's was. There are a number of dinghies around the waterline, with a couple of pirates lounging around. The ship itself is noisy enough that none of them notice the jetskis approach as long as they're reasonably far off.

Sylvie pulls up beside Katie, giving her a nod. "Hit opposite sides of the deck at the same time? Throw them into chaos?"

"Better if we're together," Katie says. "We'll take the far side, let Seiko snipe the other to keep them off balance there."

"Lead the way then."

Katie nods, starting off again toward the ship. "We'll get Mike first, then come up the near side with sniper support."

"Yes, Captain." Seiko tries to take aim, and gets a vague scope, but with the darkness and all the targets, can't quite focus like he wants to. With a sigh he decides it’s probably best to wait for Miranda and Vee to bring the ship closer before he takes a shot.

Down on the jetskis, Katie takes the lead, hoping Sylvie's following. As they round the ship, she notices the ladder hanging over the side down to the water... guarded by a group of pirates in a small dinghy. Not bothering to slow down her approach, she pulls out one of her grenades, cooks it for a moment, then tosses it across the gap into the boat.

One of the pirates has the presence of mind to drop it in the water as soon as it lands, but Katie's cooking the grenade meant it detonates less than a second later. The blast flips over one dinghy, sets another one on fire, and deafens everyone in the vicinity.

As Katie throws the scene into chaos, Sylvie pulls up alongside. "Can you handle them, Katie? I'm gonna go for the deck!"

"Go ahead," Katie says.

With a nod, Sylvie twists the throttle again, weaving her way into the hectic scene of shouting pirates and flaming debris. She manages to navigate her way between the various obstacles, but as she pulls up beside the ladder, the yacht hits a wave just the wrong way and throws a wall of water across her, soaking her through. Flinching from the sudden shock of cold, she manages to grab the jetski's keys, slip them into her pocket, and jump across the gap to the ladder, clinging to the bottom rung for a moment to catch her breath.

One of the panicking fake pirates attempts to get herself back up on her dinghy from the water and, after a little bit of struggle, succeeds. Another one, one of the ones closest to the ladder, attempts to climb up after Sylvie and fails.

Sylvie kicks towards the offending guard's hands a bit, gripping the ropes tightly to keep from falling off herself.

Back on the Tranquility, Eleanor straps a pistol to her belt under the drysuit and grabs a cellphone, just in case. She pokes at her comm as she heads back abovedecks. "Miranda? What's our ETA?"

"Not long," Miranda says. "I'm gonna come up alongside them, get us close enough to board."

"Alright," replies Eleanor. "On my way." She grabs an extra gun and holster for Miranda. Can't be too careful with pirates.

Miranda looks down at the monitors. "Alright. Vee, fiVe, you good to go?"

Vee shifts over to full control of Tranquility’s piloting systems. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Okay then,” Miranda says. “Crew of the Tranquility, brace for impact and prepare for boarding!"

She drives straight at the yacht, turning the wheel hard at the last moment to make the turn, scraping the boats scrape up against one another. The Tranquility is designed for this sort of thing, taking the hit in stride and barely even scratching the paint. The yacht, on the other hand, rocks violently from the hit, throwing the pirates into disarray. The Tranquility pulls close enough to knock out the portside dinghies, sending several pirates back into the ocean. With a flip of a switch, Miranda drops the gangplank, which automatically anchors itself to the yacht.

"All aboard who's going aboard," she says into her comm, securing the helm, grabbing a few pieces of gear, and heading out of the bridge.

"No hostages please," Seiko adds.

"No promises," Miranda replies.

Sylvie cries out as her ladder flies wildly at Tranquility's ramming, but manages to keep ahold. She grunts as she swings back to hit the side of the yacht, but thankfully manages to avoid any serious injuries. "Damn it, Miri," she says, trying to unclench her hands enough to start climbing. "A little more gently would be nice! You nearly flung me off!"

"I knew you could handle it," Miranda says, a teasing lilt to her voice.

Regaining her footing, Eleanor unzips her drysuit enough to grab her gun if needed, and hops up onto the gangplank first. She's not terribly worried about hostages at the moment, being more concerned with not tripping and falling into the ocean below.

The deck of the yacht itself is quiet for now. The power has been killed aboard ship, so only eerie emergency lights board the space. Somewhere nearby, an alarm sounds -- though whether because of Tranquility, the grenade, or other reasons is unknown.

"It looks clear on-deck," Eleanor whispers into her comm. "I'm going to head port-ward and see if I can get below."

A second guard attempts to climb up the ladder behind Sylvie, but Sylvie yanks the rope ladder to the side, causing him to overbalance and fall off. She gives the guard a satisfied grin as he falls back into the water.

Another clambers out of the water back onto one of the dinghies. On another dinghy, one of the pseudo-pirates, in a panic, begins splashing water on the flaming rubber. While her companions attempt to deal with the chaos, yet another guard pulls out her gun and takes a potshot at Katie. Thankfully, it flies wide.

After hearing gunshots coming through Katie’s comm, Seiko takes aim for his first shot. "You alright, Captain?" Tranquility is on the opposite side of the deck as the two jetskis, and the yacht is blocking his view of Sylvie and Katie.

Trying not to worry too much about them, he tries to find the most visible guard, going to a hit that will leave the people around his target spooked and, hopefully, not focused on the people boarding the boat. There's a group of five coming around the corner. It's a good target.

Eleanor ducks to the side as she sees the small group. Flattened against the nearest inner wall, she says hurriedly, "Guys, there are some--"

He aims at the middle figure and takes the shot. One of the guards drops with a yell and the ones surrounding him step back, looking for the source of the shots. Over the comm, barely even subvoked, there's a faint: "Yeeeeeah."

Scene 5

Hearing a commotion up on deck, Sylvie finally manages to release her death grip on the ladder's rungs to climb up the rest of the way. As she pulls herself aboard, sopping wet, she takes a look around to see if she can see Mike.

Off to her left, there's a small group of guards looking around to see where the explosion came from. They notice her and begin yelling. Off to her right, an indistinct human figure ducks behind a bulkhead at her approach.

She's torn for a moment, but if that blur to her right was Mike, then leading a group of guards right to him while chasing after is probably a bad idea. Best to deal with them first. With a sound like a growl, she shifts to a fighting stance and runs towards the guards, ready to take them down.

One of the guards cries out as Sylvie closes the distance, trying to throw a punch at her. She ducks sideways, grabbing the arm and yanking him forward, then slamming her elbow into his face. There's a satisfying crunch as his nose breaks.

One of the guards on the port side, now in position, tries to row the dinghy to cut Katie off from the rope. The larger boat is no match for the much-more nimble jetski, and the guard starts the action too late. Katie slips through easily and makes the jump the ladder without issue.

Another guard pulls out a radio to radio for backup. Two more, having put out the fire in their ship, start paddling off. Finally, one of the dinghy guards hops up on the ladder, underneath Katie. Cursing, she scrambles up the ladder quickly before he can grab at her feet. The guard with the gun fires again as Katie throws herself flat on deck. Just in time, too; she hears the bullet whistle overhead. She jumps up and goes to join Sylvie.

---

Eleanor curses as the other four armed guards rush toward her position. They haven’t seen her yet and for a moment, she considers trying to sneak around them, but the creaky deck and her wet shoes make that impossible. Thinking fast, she sheds her drysuit and tosses it into an empty doorway. Her gun is a visible shape at her hip.

She steps out from her hiding place, slaps her hands on her knees, and pants like she's just run a marathon. "Shit, what just happened?" Eleanor screeches at the guards. "We have a sniper now? Where the hell's our backup?"

Looking at the shocked faces that turn to stare, Eleanor feels a brief flare of panic. She hopes she didn't overdo it.

"Hey!" one of the guards says, ducking for cover. "You're one of Peralta's, aren't you? What the hell, he told us this was going to be a cakewalk. You'd better still be on for combat pay."

Eleanor curses under her breath. She'd overdone it. Ah, well. "Of course we are, dimwit. And if we live through this, I'm gonna give the boss a piece of my mind!"

"Ms. Cartier," Seiko says evenly, sighting again. "I can fire near you to increase your credibility, but I would need you to stay where you are. Should I aim at them, or near you?"

"Ugh, I guess I have to do everything myself," Eleanor says loudly. "It's always me, me, me."

Seiko aims just up and to the right of Eleanor's head, close enough to look real, but not so close there's a large risk of hitting her. "Don't move." He's got a good shot, and it whisks right by Eleanor's head.

Eleanor masks her relieved slump by throwing herself sideways into the wall.

The guards talking to Eleanor all duck on cue, they look to her for direction, thinking she’s in charge. "Shit, whatever, just get us out of here alive, lady."

"Holy-- yeah, I'm trying, okay?" Eleanor breathes heavily. "Look, just-- hunker down for a minute. I'll figure something out."

---

Miranda watches Eleanor interacting with the guards, drawing their attention. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she steps quietly across the gangplank. Ramming the boats together scattered a lot of clutter around the yacht's deck, and she's able to use it as cover, sneaking past the guards and slipping below decks unnoticed.

Belowdecks is dark. Miranda can't hear anything moving down here, although the klaxon is louder. There's a doorway a little further down; there are shadows moving behind the door's window.

---

Three of the guards facing Sylvie, seeing how she took down one of their buddies, group-rush her to try to hold her down. She manages to duck the first one, slipping past him easily, but the second moves in close behind. She spins a bit too quickly to get away from him, and makes herself dizzy as she loses her bearings in the fight.

The last one rushing at her takes the opening, and the tough looking woman manages to grab Sylvie's left arm and hold on tight. As the woman pins her, the other two guards take advantage of Sylvie's uneven footing, her shoes still slippery from being drenched. The one whose nose she broke misses her, but the other gets close enough to land a glancing blow.

Before they can do anything further, however, there is a burst of submachine gun fire, and the combatants turn to see Katie striding toward them, a gun in either hand, her long leather coat billowing in the wind. She keeps eye contact and grins wickedly.

The guards meet each other's eyes and hesitate a little bit, looking back and forth between Sylvie and Katie.

The guard on the ladder comes up behind Katie and tries a wild grab at her, but only barely brushes her coat with his fingertips. Katie barely notices as she stares down his companions.

Sylvie takes full advantage of Katie's distraction, twisting to grab the arm that's holding her with her free hand and wrenching the woman to the side. With one arm held, she can't get quite as good as a grip as she'd like to, but it's enough. The guard cries out as Sylvie's move wrenches her shoulder out of place.

Scene 6

Meanwhile, Eleanor tries to ignore the faint grunts and shouts as she decides what to do next. She hears SMG fire, too, and her brain immediately jumps to "Katie" setting.

"Look, guys," she says, leaning into the group of crouching guards. "We have an informant on the inside, here. Peralta's got eyes on them...and scopes." She glances meaningfully toward the Tranquility. "We're getting caught in the crossfire here for his grudge, but I can get you out. With a hefty sum to line your pockets. You in?"

The guard that seems to be in charge of the rest of them nods and extends her hand. "We're in. Peralta's an asshole anyway. Shoulda guessed he’d sell us out."

Eleanor shakes the offered hand firmly. "That's kinda the problem, yeah." She tilts her head to look past the group. "Look, I have to get my informant out, too. Asian lady, about 35, looks like she could kill you with a paper clip. Seen her?"

The woman nods. "Yeah, I think she was at the party. Peralta said she was a kill on sight. What's going on here?"

Seiko makes a noise over the comm which could be called, on someone less dignified, a low growl.

Eleanor clears her throat. "Peralta's not in charge here anymore. He's a loose cannon, and that woman can get him killed. So now, he's having someone else take care of it. And us." She nods significantly toward the boat that's floating right next to them in the damn water. Why were these people suddenly acting so loyal toward Peralta?

Seiko’s growl is quickly followed by Katie’s voice, and she sounds murderous. "Seiko. Kill Peralta on sight."

Great. Just what Eleanor needed, more shots fired around her head. She waves at the group of guards to stay down. "Just watch the other boat for now. I'm going to go find my informant and get us out of here." Scooting along the wall as if to stay out of Seiko's sights, she makes her way around the bulkhead, praying the whole time that Katie doesn't snap and decide to kill her, too.

A man pops out from around the corner as soon as she's out of sight. He points a pistol at her and puts a finger to his lips. He's got several days of beard growth and his uniform has seen better decades, but his face is still unmistakable.

"Not a word," Bradley Sherman whispers.

Eleanor turns bright red and mouths several anatomically improbable epithets at him.

"What just happened? Who is that, Eleanor?" Seiko asks hurriedly, overhearing the voice. "Subvoke."

"It's fucking Sherman," she subvokes, careful not to move her lips at all. "Oh my God, I am going to murder him."

"Listen," Sherman says. "Tell your boss that the jig is up. Every last secret is going on the wire as soon as I get off this boat."

Miranda tenses, still crouched in the hall. "If you can, gag him and drag him back to the ship."

"If I can get that pistol away from him, I will," Eleanor subvokes. Meeting Sherman’s eyes, she huffs through her nose. "Hey, boss," she says aloud, her tone robotic. "The jig. It is up. We're doomed."

Sherman grits his teeth at her tone. "Do I look stupid to you? Okay, fine, I'll be clearer." He steps in closer. "Tell him that I know about the new leak. And that I know about the bomb. And that all of that information is going straight onto Zhu's desk if it kills me."

Miranda’s eyes go wide. "Okay, somebody better grab him, or I'm gonna have to."

‘Him’? Eleanor thinks. Who does he think we are, exactly? She leans away. "You heard that spiel out there, then," she says carefully. "I'm not with 'him,' if you're talking about Peralta. It was just a convenient lie." Eleanor glances behind her. "Look, we have to get out of here. I can't promise you safety, but I can promise the chances of you getting shot in the head from 200 yards will drastically decrease if you put the gun down and come with me."

Sherman raises the gun higher. "Prove it."

"Eleanor," Vee suggests. "You should convince him that we're working for Zhu. Mention Mike, or de Banns. Or Zhu's apartment. Things only an insider would know."

Eleanor suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. "Oh, for-- fine. We're friends with Mike. And de Banns. And Zhu's apa-- and Rachel. We're not here to hurt her, we're here on retrieval."

His eyes narrow. "What's Mike's boyfriend's name?"

There’s a sound like a shocked gasp from Sylvie’s comm at those words. "What?!"

Eleanor giggles, despite her better judgment. "Really? He's bi? Never pictured him with a guy before, given the eyes he makes at a friend of mine."

Sherman stares at her for a moment. Then, slowly, lowers the muzzle. "Yeah. That sounds like him."

Eyeing the gun, Eleanor steps away. "You happy now? Can we get on with things?"

"Yeah,” Sherman says. “Get me the hell off this boat and back to shore so I can talk to Zhu."

"Right. Shore. Zhu. Those are my priorities too," Eleanor says. "You first." She jerks her head back the way she came.

As soon as Sherman passes her, Eleanor snatches the gun and puts the safety on. She tucks it behind her magazine belt. "No hard feelings, you understand," she says as they walk.

---

Miranda carefully approaches the door, trying to hear what's going on in the other room. She can't hear anything over that terrible klaxon, though. Taking a chance, she decides to try turning off the nearest one.

She gets the klaxon turned off, but not without it raising in pitch to a deafening shriek right before being disconnected. A man and a woman in business suits burst out of the door and head towards Miranda. One of them has a finger to her ear.

Miranda glances behind them, hoping that Eleanor or Seiko or... someone would show up to help her. No one appears to be coming, though. She's going to have to deal with this one herself.

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