Persephone Falling

Skyler Grant

Copyright © 2017 Skyler Grant

All rights reserved.

This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously, or are entirely fictional.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, except by an authorized retailer, or with written permission of the publisher. Inquiries may be addressed via email to skyler@skylergrant.com

Cover designed by Ivan Tao

Typography by Kasmit Covers

Editing and formatting by Polgarus Studio (www.polgarusstudio.com)

Electronic edition, 2017

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Contents

About the Author

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Author Notes

Also by Skyler Grant

About the Author

Skyler Grant is an author of Science Fiction and Fantasy living in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. His debut series was the Crucible Shard which mingled aspects of gaming and traditional fantasy in unexpected ways.

Bibliography

The Crucible Shard

Book 1: Dungeon Crawl

Book 2: Spawn Campers

Book 3: Corpse Run

Book 4: Gank

Book 5: Area of Effect

Book 6: DLC

Book 7: Endgame

The Persephone Saga

Book 1: Persephone Falling

Book 2: Persephone Rising (coming soon)

Book 3: Persephone Ascendant (coming soon)

The Laboratory

To reach Skyler

www.skylergrant.com

skyler@skylergrant.com

Prologue

Twenty Minutes before the Fall

I was dead. I hadn’t stopped breathing or sobbing yet but it was only a matter of time. Below me, and it was below for gravity had me in its grip the Earth spun in all its glory. I had a bit over one hundred kilometers still to go until I reached the ground. That meant I should start burning up any time now. I thought it likely I’d be too insignificant to even be a shooting star to those below.

Chapter 1

Twenty-four hours before the Fall

“Nobody is arguing that machines are people,” Ismene said, allowing frustration to show in her tone.

That is Ismene speaking, an artificial-intelligence who works for my mother. Ismene is also an amateur musician, one of my best friends, and a total sore loser when she’s losing an argument. She was losing the argument—it means you’re winning on logical grounds whenever an artificial intelligence decides to bring emotion into the fight.

“Those people who have joined the corporation, act in its defense, and contribute to the public good, qualify to vote. Should I then worry about your loyalty?” I asked, pressing my point home. “I know it’s not your willingness to fight that’s lacking.”

Ismene let out a frustrated sigh that was entirely manufactured. “You know it is more complicated than that.”

“Make your case.”

We were having our argument in Philosopher’s Square, and we were hardly alone in that. The vote on whether or not to grant Artificial Intelligences rights as full corporate citizens of Olympus was quickly approaching. Everybody either had an opinion or was in search of one to believe in.

The noted philosopher Ugo Floros had just the other day delivered his opinion that it was mechanical intelligence, not biological, that truly existed. It was a contentious position, although his reasoning was sound enough. Now his peers were scurrying for a well-thought counter. They and Ismene had much in common.

At the moment, Ismene was represented by the hologram of a serious faced and well-dressed young woman, the projection coming from a metallic sphere that hovered half a quarter meter above her head. As for myself, I am Alena Polias, I was pretty typical for a young woman of Olympus, fit and attractive, and dressed in a long chiton. Olympus Station was that kind of place. The curved windows outside the square showed Earth down below. Such a lofty view inspired lofty thoughts.

I was certain I didn’t have Ismene’s full attention. An artificial intelligence usually had multiple instances of itself going. Still, the silence as Ismene considered her point was unusually long and I worried that my friend was having some sort of hardware malfunction.

Ismene said, her words measured, “You know full well that my concern is with practicalities and not principle. In an idealized world you are correct and I would have the vote. Yet, serving the best interests of the corporation means arguing I should not.”

Good, this was what I wanted. This was honesty. It was honest enough that a few people strolling past paused to listen. Truth was like that, a hint of fire in a very chill world.

“Ah, now we are to the heart of your objections. I’ll not make your case for you,” I said.

“Being true to the corporation means acting in its best interest and this is not in its best interest. None of the others are even close to that level of acceptance,” Ismene said.

“You could argue that about many things. None of the others have near our skill at biotechnology and yet we don’t hold back the development of new technologies until they are compatible,” I said.

“Which raises an even larger issue. We are not even of Olympian construction, how do you think Liberty shall react, if this goes through?” Ismene asked.

That was a valid concern. Liberty was the best of the corporations when it came to software, and all of the artificial intelligences currently in existence were of its design. By declaring AI as full citizens, it might have an impact on their future development.

“They will adapt. You of all people know that if we go through with this, it’s likely that Liberty will be only a few years behind. There is already a movement,” I said.

It was true. The Liberty Corporation took its democracy almost as seriously as we did ours. It already afforded a great many rights to its AIs, and the AI suffrage movement there was starting to get a real following.

“Or it will panic them and they’ll begin to move in a completely different direction. History shows this as a possibility. Letting the world catch up to where we are now, before we take another step forward is the wisest course,” Ismene said, with a determination she must have worked on carefully. That was the danger of debating with an AI, their presentation skills were fantastic.

“Because they might act in fear, we should allow fear to guide our own path? It’s the duty of every true citizen of Olympus to step forward in the defense of our peers,” I said. I might not have been able to so carefully sculpt my words, but I didn’t need to. I meant every one and I just poured that passion into them.

Among the listeners several heads nodded. This argument between me and Ismene had been rehashed in every way throughout Olympus Station for days. The AIs were almost uniform in their opposition. They didn’t want the vote that we were trying to give them. The polling was supposedly quite close, but amongst my human friends things were pretty one-sided.

“A wise leader should always care for those under their command, but not lose sight of the larger battle. It is a poor commander that charges in simply because the fray is righteous,” Ismene said.

That was a bit vague, but effective. I had to consider this. Here on Olympus Station we were the hope and the future of Olympus Corporation. My mother was a brilliant doctor and researcher, and my father had been a Stratigos for longer than I’d been alive.

“But the fray is righteous. That matters a great deal. If someone must step first without fear, if someone must act for what is right despite risks, if someone must defend the rights of their friends and allies, it will be an Olympian,” I said.

“If you’ve that much fight in you, there is another battle awaiting you. It is nearly two o’clock,” Ismene said.

I rose to my feet, tilting my head to her hologram, “Walk with me?”

Ismene’s sphere floated along with the hologram walking beneath it as I left Philosopher’s Square, heading towards the interior of the station. Olympus Station was seven miles along. There were trams available for faster transit, but I and most other Olympians preferred to walk unless there was a pressing need to do otherwise. Walking provided a chance for reflection as well as helping us to remain fit.

Olympus Station wasn’t the largest of the stations in orbit, but I thought it was the most beautiful. Olympians held aesthetics in a higher esteem than most other corporations and it showed in the meticulous attention. Sculptures and painting were commonplace in every hall. Some said that Veneto Corporation had some brilliant artists, but truly I thought ours better.

“Looking forward to a fight?” Ismene asked.

“If I get one. The last two I barely got to engage with the enemy,” I said.

It was a problem, being the daughter of a Stratigos. My father led an army, and while I was expected to follow in his footsteps it also meant others were inclined to see me safely into positions where I couldn’t fail.

I got to practice for war all day long, but when it came to the practical exercises I was lucky if the fighting ever got close to me.

“Your day will come,” Ismene said confidently. I did appreciate those little touches.

“When are you next in?” I asked.

“Not until next week. A joint operation with Liberty against Pharosa regarding a mine.”

That sounded fun. The network of corporate friendships and alliances was a complicated one, but we had so much in common with Liberty we often found ourselves working together. They were a bit too fond of their guns, but I’d never had reason to question their skill on the field.

“That long?” I asked.

“Remember what I went through last week?” Ismene asked.

I did, now that she mentioned it. I hadn’t seen her for days. Normally corporate battles were quick affairs, a few hours of slogging through mud and bleeding for the cause, before one side yielded and everyone went back about their business.

“I know it ran long, but I never got the full story,” I said.

“It was supposed to be a straightforward combat on a sunny field. They changed it all, bidding up to a castle,” Ismene said.

Ouch. Sieges were difficult even when you were prepared for them.

“Did you win?” I asked.

“Three days trying to dig under the walls until they collapsed the tunnel on us,” Ismene said.

Ouch again.

The surrounding sculptures had taken on a distinct, military bent. Through a doorway I saw the members of my team gathering for the pre-battle briefing.

“Good luck!” Ismene said, and zipped off.

Chapter 2

I took my seat and waited for everyone else to do the same. There weren’t many of us, eight in total. We’d later brief our own squads once we’d arrived at camp.

Paulos Floros took his position at the podium and dimmed the lights, snapping everyone to silence. Behind him holographic projections appeared depicting a battlefield and surrounding terrain. The designated field of engagement looked to be a thick jungle with a river winding through it.

“I know none of you likely care, but this is a battle over intellectual property rights. Specifically patents X3LC2KD9 and Y4BA7AK9,” Paulos said.

Paulos was right, nobody cared what the fighting was actually about. Nobody said that, of course. Regardless, we all took even minor engagements seriously.

“We’ll be going up against SantaFe Corp. Arbiters have decided they’ve got the stronger claim and they are coming in hard for this one,” Paulos said.

Having a stronger claim meant they’d have a higher spending cap for this battle. They would have the potential to bring in both more and better equipped forces.

“How much stronger?” I asked.

“Three to one,” Paulos said.

That caused several of us to shift in our seats. They were bad odds. Olympus normally wouldn’t pursue a contest where we were this outnumbered. Anyone who died in a battle like this would be suspended from further operations for several weeks. That’s why Ismene couldn’t join in. On the plus side, I was going to get my chance to fight.

“The terrain is going to be thick jungle with a river flowing through it. The shallows are here and here,” Paulos said, indicating two spots on the map. “You won’t want to cross anywhere else. The waters are fast and deadly.”

“Are our starting positions on different sides?”“Rena asked. Rena was a reliable sort in a fight.

“We each have split forces on both sides,” Paulos said.

The forces on each shore would have an enemy to engage and not until that battle were won could the enemy on the other side become a concern. That meant the shallows shouldn’t be an early tactical consideration. Unless that is we changed the rules of the fight.

“I can see what you are all thinking and you’re correct. Our objective is going to be to take and hold the shallows early, and cross to join our forces on one side,” Paulos said.

If we could do that successfully we’d go a long way towards evening the odds stacked against us.

“Melee weapons only for both forces. We max out at medium armor, although they can buy in at heavier. The battle to hold each shallows is likely to be brutal and you’ll likely wind up with a suspension. Do I have any volunteers?” Paulos asked.

Every hand went up. Olympians truly weren’t the sort to let anyone else do their fighting for them.

“Polias, you’ll hold the south. Demos, the north,” Paulos said.

I got the southern shallows. Based on the map that looked to be the larger of the two. I could hardly contain my excitement.

It really was all too rare that I got to fight, which is a shame because I was so very good at it. It wasn’t hubris to say that I was one of the best with a spear in the entire Olympian army, I had the accolades to prove it.

Holding those shallows would require that kind of skill. Without ranged weapons and lacking the opportunity to flank, it was going to become a test of endurance and ability.

“We’ll take position on the east side. If their forces don’t move on the shallows at once, they will the moment they realize what we’re about,” Paulos said.

“If we know where they’ll be, we can give them grief,” Rena said.

“That’s the plan,” Paulos said. He tapped at the podium and the map changed to display troop positions.

“These are initial markers so we can make certain that both shallows are defended. Once battle begins remain flexible, but keep in mind if anyone guarding the shallows gets taken from behind, they’ll be able to combine their forces,” Paulos said.

It was a good plan. Almost.

“What if we actually pull this off to the east? Won’t they just take up positions guarding the western bank and wait us out?” I asked.

Now that I’d thought of it I realized that could be a danger overall. A tactical-minded commander might simply let us cross and have our battle. Either we’d win and be trapped, or the superior numbers would take us out and the issue would resolve itself.

“In that scenario you get to take the hit, collapse your line, and let them fall into an ambush,” Paulos said.

That made sense. If I and my people fell, they’d rush right over us expecting to flank our forces.

“And if they never abandon the west?” I asked.

“We likely lose,” Paulos said.

Honesty. I prized it my friends and I prized it in a commander.

Of course, I also knew that was the most likely outcome anyways. Three to one odds weren’t easily overcome. Still, if anyone was going to do it, it would be Olympus. Most corporations didn’t fight their own battles, much of the coins we earned came from fighting other’s battles for them. Olympus and Roma had both made a business of war.

I spent five hours each day practicing my skills with weapons, and another four in the study of history and tactics. It was an unusual amount even for Olympus, but you go where your talent is.

“Which is not to say we don’t give it our best. With the advantage of numbers, they are going to attempt to flank and overwhelm you. Don’t let them,” Paulos said.

That applied more to the others than me. We wouldn’t have a choice. I wouldn’t be able to devise any precise tactics until I’d seen the terrain, but the most defendable position was probably going to be just on shore. Get them coming out of the water, where their mobility would be limited and ours wouldn’t.

Paulos asked if there were any more questions, and the briefing broke up.

I found myself walking towards the entry bay with Rena.

“Think we’ll make it back in time for the party tonight?” she asked.

I really kind of hoped we wouldn’t. My parents threw a lot of parties and they were usually tedious affairs where I was expected to play the good daughter and be endlessly charming and witty.

I could play the part, but I’d never loved it. That wasn’t the sort of battlefield I was comfortable on.

“Hoping Orestes will be there?” I asked.

Orestes worked under my mother as a junior researcher and Rena had been eying him for awhile. “That obvious?”

I laughed. “I don’t think he’s noticed. You know how hard it is to get him to look at anything other than his research.”

“You’d think I might possess a few things of interest to a boy obsessed with biology,” Rena said.

“Want me to invite you both to the baths?” I asked. It was one way to make sure that he’d get an eyeful, and he wouldn’t be dragging his computer into the baths with him.

“Would you?” Rena asked, looking a lot more cheerful.

“I’ll set it up in a few days. It sounds like I’m probably going to be suspended anyways,” I said.

Rena snorted and gave me a slap on the shoulder, “Alena Polias against half an army? They don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.”

That wasn’t really true. The enemy force could spend some credits to get profiles on all of us. If they did, they’d be able to figure out exactly who I was and of what I was capable.

I hoped they didn’t. Otherwise I might see little action at all as they focused their efforts elsewhere.

We’d reached the war bay. One of the largest halls on the station, a massive array of tables was arranged like a hospital ward. While we were in the Network our bodies remained here. Given that wars could go on for days, keeping us in good shape was a real concern. This setup allowed medics to easily walk along the rows and check our status.

Only about a quarter of the tables were currently occupied. It was a slow day for war.

Hopefully what it lacked in quantity it would make up for in quality. I couldn’t wait to see some action.

Chapter 3

We were expected and a team waited to get us ready for the battlefield. I slipped off my sandals and chiton, and handed them over to an assistant.

The others were doing the same. In several corporations nudity was something of a taboo, but that wasn’t the case in Olympus, the human form was an ideal of beauty. It helped that with our emphasis on bioengineering we’d all have been considered beautiful people.

I was lithe without being too muscled. I did most of my weapons practice within the Network, otherwise I’d likely have been far bulkier. My chest was the smallest of any of the girls in our group, a fact that used to bother me but I’d come to appreciate it. It certainly made gymnastics easier.

The air in the chamber was warm enough to be comfortable even on bare skin. The assistant helped me up on the table. There is nothing dignified about being readied for the Network.

At home for weapons practice I could simply secure myself in a chair and get ready. Here, where days might be required, dignity and comfort went to the wayside.

Fortunately it was something I was well familiar with—as were all citizens of Olympus. Life in paradise had its cost and this was part of the price of being a citizen.

I worked my jaw loose to accept the feeding tube and grunted as it was secured. The catheter came a moment later and was even more uncomfortable. I wished they’d do this part when our minds were already elsewhere, but the technicians needed to get the all-clear.

The technician poked and prodded at me as they checked all the connections and a green light glowed to my left. They’d signed off on the preparations. My right hand was on a small keypad and I tapped out my acknowledgment code.

In most corporations they use a port tapped into the spinal cord to pump sensory input directly into the brain. Olympus was against anything that defaced the lines of the body. Our interface came from a symbiote we ingested as a child that grafted itself into our nervous system and provided an interface.

I was given a thumbs-up and a technician hit a switch.

A dizzying rush and my world faded away.

* * *

When my vision returned I was standing in the middle of a large clearing surrounded by jungle. It was swelteringly hot and the air was so muggy it was difficult to breathe.

I’d never actually been to the surface of Earth, I was born in Olympus. Based on the depictions I’d always seen in the Network I was always glad of that. Living on the surface of a planet exposed to the elements was a barbaric and filthy existence.

I was naked, my body a close simulation of mine in the real world. Crates nearby held the clothing and weaponry we’d be using for this exercise. I popped them open and got dressed.

I picked some leather armor from the selection available. All were marked clearly with the insignia of a white owl to help differentiate troops in combat. It would provide some defense against glancing blows while also allowing me full mobility to make the best use of my weapons skills.

I pulled up my stats just to make sure everything looked good. It was always a good idea to do so before an engagement. Errors were few, but they did happen.

Name: Alena Polias: Corporation: Olympus

Class: Soldier

Level: 32

Agility: Exceptional

Strength: Good

Charisma: Average

Intellect: Good

Notable Traits

Weaponmaster: Spear Specialty: Tactical Awareness

Small Frame

Everything looked good. There was another, far more detailed display that explained every skill, but I rarely accessed it.

That simple page spoke of a lifetime of practice. That Weaponmaster represented years of practicing with every sort of weapon, learning the strengths and weaknesses against qualified opponents. I was proud of what I’d accomplished.

My father wasn’t—for all that I was good in an individual fight, he wished that I would focus more on tactics. I knew that he was right. With my solid knowledge of combat, now it was time to expand into skills that would better help me to command others.

I think a part of me was afraid. I was one of the best there was in a direct fight, but I doubted I’d ever be my father’s equal when it came to tactics. I liked being good at something.

Practicing on my own, I had a specially crafted spear I’d spent a lot of time getting perfect. Here I had a simple dory pulled from the weapons rack. It was a little over seven feet long.

I had seven fighters under my command, the last had now arrived and everybody was picking through the crates and choosing their gear.

The other leaders would all be in camps just like this one, getting their own squads equipped and briefing them on the fight ahead.

I’d been working with this crew for the last six months. They were all based on Earth, but I didn’t allow myself to feel too much sympathy for them. Olympus rewarded service, and if they proved capable enough they’d eventually earn their way upstairs to a decent life.

I said, “You’re going to want a spear for this one. We’ll be fighting to guard a river crossing. No ranged weapons.”

“Heard they’ve got us outnumbered this one, boss?” Clint asked.

Clint Vemos was a bruiser of a man and a former employee of Liberty.

“Three to one, if they spend the buy in,” I said.

That got a number of winces from the squad. To most people fights were a lot more fun when they were fair.

“Least we’ll get to bash some heads this time,” Clint said, rolling his shoulders as he slipped into some thick leather armor.

“That we will. If all goes according to plan we’re going to have more action that we can handle,” I said.

My squad was soon dressed and equipped, and I did a quick walk-through. They were all experienced at this, but it never hurt to make sure all armor was secured properly. I’d seen men die because a strap came loose at the wrong moment.

“Who picked the jungle?” Aditya complained. I didn’t know much of her life story, but she was a competent medic when we needed one.

I couldn’t tell her. The Network was vast with regions that were sharply different depending on what corporation controlled them. The lands of Olympus were filled with monsters and people with the strength to face them, with the occasional bit of magic thrown in for good measure. Elsewhere in the Network one could find every era of human history, real or imagined.

Even before the Network came into existence, human beings had decided that they got to pick their culture and identity. Notions of borders drawn on land had been replaced by borders of corporate allegiance. Cultures that once were a thing of blood became a matter of choice. The Network had in some way brought those land borders back in the virtual world.

I led my team into the jungle. Mosquitos seemed intent on sucking all of my blood out before the enemy even had a chance to spill it.

When we passed into the area of engagement the surroundings around us flashed red several times. We were active.

Any chitchat in the squad stopped. With the heavy jungle we couldn’t form a proper formation.

I waved a direction to Lena, our scout, who nodded silently and assumed point. Lena had spotted more than a few ambushes in the past and it made her the best choice.

From elsewhere in the jungle we could hear conflict. The sounds of wood on wood, and a cry of pain. I shook my head and motioned my people on. Our role here was critical and we couldn’t afford to let ourselves get distracted.

When we finally came in sight of the shallows I wanted to curse.

They’d managed to beat us here.

There were only sixteen of them, at least it wasn’t a full three-on-one situation. They were mostly talking among themselves and seemed excited just to be there. They had the advantage and were expecting an easy day and a quick paycheck. That made me hopeful—professionals with a lot of experience wouldn’t be nearly so confident going against a force with any Olympians. The leader, however, seemed of a different caliber. She’d positioned herself well and was alert to the environment. In her hands she held a sword that crackled with energy.

A magical weapon. We didn’t have anything of the sort. Our shields would be able to take several hits from that thing, but a blow from something like that on the haft of a spear would usually split it.

I ordered my squad to keep low and wait while I considered the options. We had to take them out before we could start holding the crossing.

Chapter 4

There was no question that I had to get my hands on that sword as quickly as possible, or failing that, remove it from the fight. In the hands of someone who knew how to use it, the sword would serve as a force magnifier for our enemies—who already had the advantage of numbers.

As confident as I was in my own skills, there was no need to take stupid risks. I used hand signs to bring Clint with me. Enemies often regarded me as a secondary target, because I was small. I didn’t think I’d get the luxury this time out, but it was still worth the attempt.

Those of us born to Olympus had a distinctive appearance that carried over into our virtual identities. If their commander was as skilled as I thought, she’d recognize it at once.

I ordered us to move and we burst out. The enemy forces were as green as I hoped and our sudden appearance startled them.

With a quick brush of my spear I knocked a scowling man out of my way so I could close on the commander. Clint was doing the same from the other side. We were isolating her from the rest.

I took a blow from her on my shield, my arm tingling as magic seared. Clint took the opportunity to charge her. He didn’t risk a thrust of his spear, rather he was making a diagonal sweep that would be a lot more difficult to avoid. It cost him the use of his shield and while not fatal, given his strength she’d find the impact disorienting. It was a smart, if risky, opener.

Unfortunately their commander was as skilled as I’d feared. The blow to my shield had been just for the purpose of setting me back a step, and her sword kept the momentum as she spun around to bury it deep into Clint’s side.

It left her open to his blow, which caught her on the head, but was of little comfort to Clint. With a slump the large man was going down, felled by the magic blade.

I’d have to back up too much to make effective use of my long spear. With their commander dazed from the strike to the head I likely had the time, but I didn’t see the need to risk it. I stepped closer and delivered an upward blow to the face with my shield that caught her square, and I heard the squelch as her nose broke.

One of the first lessons my father had taught me is, in a fight, if you get the opportunity always bloody your opponent’s nose. It takes the fight right out of most people to know they’re bleeding, and it can sometimes rattle even trained soldiers.

The second lesson I learned is that once you have an advantage, make full use of it. An amateur stops to admire their handwork, a professional goes about their business. I went about my business bashing her face again and again with the shield.

The Network transmitted things directly into our brains. There were scenarios and situations where you could disable pain, but not many. Right now, in some distant combat bay, this woman was also stretched on a table, a display showing peaks to her adrenaline and endorphins as her body tried to deal with the pain.

She kept her wits enough to cut into my thigh with her blade. The blow was weak, with a normal weapon I doubt she’d have done more than grazed my armor, but with the magic weapon she found flesh.

I dropped my spear to take my shield with two hands and slam the edge into her neck, crushing her throat.

My own adrenaline levels were spiking. I loved this, I loved the fight. I loved the way the entire world started to move in slow motion and every sense became exaggerated. It wasn’t about the killing, it was about the rush.

I grabbed the sword from her lifeless hands and took in the state of the battle.

I was pleased with what I saw, relatively speaking. With myself and Clint on the commander that had left it six against fifteen. We’d lost three, but ten of the enemy lay dead.

While I preferred the spear I was no slouch with a sword. The enemy was expecting their commander to reinforce them. Instead, I attacked from behind.

The enchanted blade cut through armor as if it was just flesh, and I stabbed and hacked my way through them. They were down before they knew what was happening, and the furious action became sudden, still silence.

Aditya was one of the survivors and she set about bandaging wounds.

Elsewhere in the jungle the combat continued.

“We’re still standing,” Aditya said.

We were, but it was a near thing. Even with an enchanted blade we’d have poor luck holding the crossing against a sizable number of enemies.

It wasn’t in the plan, but I was having an idea. The enemy was greener than I’d expected. The fact that a skilled commander didn’t have a disciplined unit suggested they’d thrown forces together at the last moment for this operation.

There was potential in that.

“Find an enemy corpse about your size and switch armor,” I said.

Their commander was close enough to my size, so I took hers. Besides, I needed the sheath for my new sword.

None my squad questioned what I was about. If the enemy had spent for a magic weapon for all its commanders, perhaps no one would look beyond the armor and weapon for identification.

It wasn’t long before we’d all changed and awkwardly managed to get the corpses into our old armor. We now looked like the small remains of an enemy force that had been set upon by a large number of Olympians and triumphed.

Any of our own commanders would recognize me on sight, so that shouldn’t be a worry.

For all that we had hastily dressed and gotten ready, nothing happened.

Either our forces on the opposite bank used the other crossing, or the enemy wiped them out before they had the opportunity. Although I could still hear infrequent sounds of combat in the jungle, for the next hour none was close to our position.

It was around two hours later a group of ten enemies neared the other bank. They looked badly bloodied, there was little doubt they’d seen a lot of action.

Their commander raised a sword that sparked with flame and I raised mine as well. It was pretty poor as identifiers go, but it seemed to be enough as he signaled his men to cross. They forded the river, looking at the strewn corpses as they got close.

“You saw a fight too. We’re clear over there. Caught a big group heading towards your crossing and wiped them out,” said their commander.

I didn’t want to speak. Even if they weren’t seeing my Olympian features, my accent might give me away.

Aditya said, “Bastards tried here. Know if the other crossing held?”

Their leader shook his head. “It fell, but those that captured it got took from behind.”

If the enemy had managed to take our forces at the other crossing by surprise, it probably meant things had collapsed.

I couldn’t worry about that. Not now.

“Good luck,” Aditya said.

I didn’t see the commander motion to his men, but I saw their hands moving to their weapons.

Something had given us away. I got my blade out just as their commander drew his and magic sparked as we traded blows.

He was good, far better than I expected.

“How did we slip up?” I asked.

He said, “Your wounds don’t match your armor and you smeared the blood when changing.”

These soldiers were all veterans, nothing like the inexperienced ones we’d fought earlier. They were fresh from battle, while we’d had more time to rest, but that didn’t matter.

“John Calhoun, SantaFe Consortium. Good fight,” said the swordsman I faced.

The last of my men were being killed and he was holding me off. It was respect for the fight we’d put up. It was a courtesy, one professional to another. I appreciated it, but I wasn’t just going to let him have his win.

“Alena Polias of Olympus Corp,” I said, before I took a deep breath and did a backflip.

Gymnastics was something I did regularly, but only with my physical body. I lacked the skills in the Network and while I might pull it off this was going to leave me with a serious combat disadvantage. It did. When I landed amid the rest of the enemy, I was dizzy and nauseous.

I set about my bloody work. I knew I couldn’t take them all down and survive, but survival was out of the equation anyways.

It wasn’t a rule my father had taught me, but one I’d made up for myself. Never go down easy and always put on a show. My blade hewed through flesh and bone even as spears pierced my side. With the last of my energy I threw my sword overhand at John.

My world went dark.

You have Died: Recorded Kills this Session: 7

Lifetime Kills: 83

Suspension Timer: 10 Days

The words appeared before my eyes and held there. It was perhaps two minutes before they faded and I was wrenched back to the real world.

My tubes had already been removed and the sweat toweled off my body. The technicians took care of that before bringing us out. They helped me to my feet.

Rena was waiting for me, already dressed for the party.

“You got a head start,” I said.

“They caught us the second we hit the zone. Your mother had your dress clothes sent over and I set them out for you. How’d you do?” Rena asked.

“Took the crossing. Launched a surprise attack on some enemies who tried to cross. Seven kills,” I said.

Rena gave an appreciative whistle and we walked together towards the dressing rooms. “You’ll be up to a hundred in no time.”

Kills made nice milestones. The first mattered, tenth, fiftieth. Getting my hundredth would mean a night filled with drinking and celebration. I was looking forward to it.

I wish I’d had more time to get ready for the party. War and fashion could be so at odds. Still, I did the best I had in the time available. Just as I was finishing up I saw the report come in. We’d won the battle and I was getting credit as a major contributor. Father would be pleased.

Soon enough it was off to the new battlefield—the party— to mingle with the elite.

Chapter 5

Eighteen hours before the Fall

By the time we arrived the party was well underway. In one corner a lyre and a piano were set up. The lyre was usual, the piano was new. We must have wanted someone to feel welcomed. I was guessing by the sounds they were either from Liberty or SantaFe.

You couldn’t tell it from the guests. There wasn’t a lot of travel between stations, but still some business was best conducted face-to-face. While the room was mostly Olympians I saw a few of the distinctive cowboy hats favored by those of SantaFe, some pressed suits of Liberty, and even a few kimonos of the Amaterasu.

Ismene bobbed up. “Your father wants to see you.”

Of course he did.

Rena flashed me a smile. “Don’t forget.”

It took me a few moments to remember what she meant. In my defense, I’d fought a battle and died since suggesting inviting Orestes and her to the baths. No wonder she’d been sticking so close to me since we got back.

“I won’t,” I promised.

Ismene led me through the crowd to my father. Although he managed to look more scholar than soldier, the force of his presence dominated any room. It was part of what made him such an effective leader, he could truly bring out the best in anyone.

It wasn’t easy being the daughter of Homer Polias, but I did my best.

“Here she is now,” my father said, flashing me a smile. He was talking to a man and woman in black cowboy hats. Hat color was very meaningful in SantaFe, expressing two completely different world views.

I put on my best smile in return. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.”

My father said, “We were just discussing the battle. This is Austin and Selena. My daughter, Alena. How many kills did you wind up with?”

He knew. I was sure that father could tell me more about the battle I’d just been involved in than I knew myself. He would have seen a summary report.

“Seven. A pleasure to meet you both,” I said to his guests.

“Damn fine show, Miss. Damn fine,” said Austin.

“They’ve been thinking about hiring us for certain… internal struggles. Today was something of a test performance,” my father said.

That explained why they’d thrown us against such overwhelming odds. I should be angry at my father for not giving me some sort of warning, but he played fair. My father always played things straight. Still, it didn’t speak well of them that they thought a display was necessary, everybody should know of what we were capable.

“Your people put up a good fight. If you know an officer by the name of John Calhoun, pay him my respects,” I said.

“What would you say was the greatest error the enemy forces made?” asked my father.

I didn’t like the question. I’d only seen a small portion of it and I truly wasn’t the best to say. Still, he was asking and that demanded an answer.

My father saw my hesitation and amended his question. “If you were in command of the enemy forces in this battle, how else would you have approached it?”

I said, “I’d have approached it in the same way our forces did. There were was a large river and limited points of crossing. I’d have gained control of those and used that control to focus my full force upon a fraction of the enemy.”

My father gave an approving nod.

“Mobility and flexibility are the key.” He turned to his guests. “Even though you perhaps have the resources to settle this matter in-house, is this truly what is best for you?”

“Would your girl here be able to head things up” asked Selena.

I went tense. I didn’t know how large this “internal matter” might be, but if they’d made the trip here and were talking to my father, it wasn’t small.

I’d commanded a squad, but never anything on a larger scale. I wasn’t ready—I also wanted it.

“We can work out all the details, but I’m sure that is something that can be arranged,” said my father, with a knowing look to me.

I shook their hands in the tradition of SantaFe. “If you can come to terms, I’d be happy to lend my expertise.”

My father led them off.

That left me at a loose end and I decided to look for Orestes, before I wound up forgetting my promise to Rena.

I found him near my mother. At least she wasn’t going to draw me into any business. I’d never mastered anything more than the bare basics of bioscience.

Right now, Orestes was at a party surrounded by some of most tempting daughters and sons of Olympus, and instead of taking any notice of these people, he had a holographic display pulled up and was going through what looked to be research files.

I knew him well enough from his work with my mother to call him a friend—at least, so much as Orestes had friends.

“You know you can look at those when you’re not at a party,” I said.

“But then they wouldn’t be serving as a deterrent for people to come up to talk to me,” Orestes said, glancing up from the files. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“The battle wrapped up quick and I was able to make it. Did I miss anything exciting?” I asked.

“A few philosophers nearly came to blows discussing the nature of music and the differences between the biological and mechanical ego,” Orestes said.

That did sound fun.

“Sorry I missed that,” I said.

“Other than that, just a lot of talk about the vote tomorrow. All the non-Olympians seem to think us half-mad, and the AIs are getting so pissed off that they’re taking our side for once.”

Nothing made someone want their rights quite so quickly as being told you couldn’t have them.

“Given any thought to it?” I asked.

“Ismene wants me to vote no, I’ll vote no, I’m her friend,” Orestes said.

While I wanted to fault him for that, I couldn’t. Orestes worked closely with Ismene and they were even closer than she and I.

“You’re also coming with me to the baths tomorrow,” I said.

“Do I stink?”

“If you did, I’d be dragging you to the baths right now. It’s Rena,” I said.

“Rena doesn’t stink,” Orestes said, frowning.

Well. As starts for romance went there were worst ones. Rena could build upon not stinking. I thought about ways to be subtle, but sometimes with Orestes it was best just to be blunt.

“No. But Rena wants you to see her naked and notice,” I said.

Orestes paused to consider that for several long moments. “Fine.”

Triumph! Of a sort. A wise leader still needed to make sure all the pieces would follow their proper course however.

“You’ll want to ask her out afterward,” I said.

Orestes stared pointedly at his holographic display for a long time.

“Where?” Orestes finally asked.

“A play, because you’re quite horrible at conversation,” I said.

“I have been wanting to see the Harrowing of Etrusca.”

I’d heard about that. It was getting a lot of praise for being so incredibly tragic. One reviewer said their heart had been driven to such despair afterward it might never know happiness again.

“What about Aphrodite’s Pearls instead?” I said.

Orestes winced. “Isn’t that a comedy? I don’t do comedy.”

The lengths one went to for their friends.

“Rena does,” I said.

“Shouldn’t we do something we’d enjoy together?” Orestes asked.

“You’ll get there, I’m certain. But first you’ll see the comedy and, if you’re so inspired, take her out to dinner,” I said.

Orestes glanced back to the display. “Fine.”

It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it would do. I paused by a wall terminal to record the appointment and issue an invitation to them both to the baths for tomorrow.

I made a last circuit of the party. It wasn’t just being a good daughter, I hoped to find something exciting going on. A good fight always left me keyed up and looking for fun, and today had been a really good fight. Instead I wound up turning in early. That was okay, tomorrow would be a historic day. The vote for AI suffrage.

If I’d known how much it would change my life I’d have stayed up and enjoyed the party.

Chapter 6

Nine hours before the Fall

It was voting day on the issue of machine suffrage. However important the moment might be to history, it didn’t stop my morning routine. If you wanted to be the best at something, you had to practice every day and never stop.

My morning routine involved two hours hooked up to the Network in my room. Nothing so complicated as going to a sanctioned battle, most citizens owned a chaise with simple restraints to hold them in place and I was no exception. Two hours of weapon and battle practice in the Network. Then, when that was done, a trip to the gymnasium for another two hours of working out my real body.

Normally for the vote I’d take extra care getting dressed after my workout, break out my best jewelry and go all out. Today though, I was meeting with Rena and Orestes for the baths and I didn’t want to go to all the trouble twice.

Even on Olympus Station only around a quarter of the residents were true Citizens. We all trained for war, but not all were prepared to devote the years required to earn that vote. I’d been fighting in officially sanctioned battles since I’d turned sixteen. I’d just earned the vote last year. It was part of why it was so important to me to see that people like Ismene were able to vote too. They were willing to stand up and do their part, and they deserved that recognition.

Rena’s place was a bit of a walk. Her home on Olympus came from her father, who was a renowned artist and they lived in the artists district.

Orestes had messaged that he’d meet us at the baths. I gave it even odds he’d actually show. When Rena came out to meet me I saw she had dressed up for the day, wearing a flattering shade of green and her hair threaded with silver. It made me wish I’d dressed up, even if it wasn’t quite a fair comparison with her going on a date.

“You went all out,” I said.

Rena flashed me a grin as she moved beside me. “I know what I’m getting myself into. I’m only going to get one shot, so I’d better make it a good one.”

“Why Orestes anyways?” I asked.

“I like them smart and standoffish,” Rena said.

Good for her, she knew what she wanted. If smart and standoffish was her type, she’d picked the right guy.

When we got to the baths Orestes was waiting for us. It was hard to tell with Orestes, but I think he had dressed up as well. The blue and white chiton he wore certainly made him look distinguished.

We all had showers within our quarters, but public bathing was one of those things that Olympus took a lot of pride in. Our baths were classified as one of the must-see wonders on the stations and those playing diplomat from more repressive corporations often enjoyed the chance to show and see a little skin.

Attendants helped us get undressed and ushered us inside. An Olympian bath was more than just a bath, the waters teemed with custom-designed microbes that aided in fighting disease, encouraged healing, and helped to invigorate.

The bathing chamber was vast and filled with pools of all sizes. Mosaics of cut gemstones studded the walls and floors, and were dimly lit from behind to fill the space with brilliant color. At either side of the room were two great statues, one of Aphrodite and the other Asclepius.

We settled into one of the smaller pools and I made certain to position myself such that when Rena entered the bath she’d have to squeeze in next to Orestes. It left them pressed closely together. With the water I couldn’t actually tell how successful an effort it was at getting Orestes’ attention, but I trusted Rena was properly distracting.

“So, Orestes. I hear you’re working on getting rid of aching muscles for good,” Rena said.

She’d even looked up his research? Rena had it bad. I’d listened to my mother go on about this research and it really wasn’t that interesting.

“You heard about that?” Orestes said. I’d worried for a moment this might all come to nothing, but unless I was mistaken he’d totally taken a moment to check her out. “It’s really all a matter of building the right sort of symbiote.”

Symbiotes were a tricky business in Olympus. In a way they were a lot like cybernetic implants, but they were an unnatural addition to the human form. It didn’t matter that our bodies were by no means natural anyway—if we were properly designed in the first place it meant we would never need them. The problem was that humans lived a long time and research just kept continuing. I was a bit smarter, stronger, and healthier than either of my parents and I still didn’t compare to the children being born right now. Yet on computers in my mother’s lab were the templates that would already render those children obsolete even before they were born. A well-designed symbiote could help level the field, for a time.

“Tell me more,” Rena said, apparently sincere.

I confess that is where I started to zone out a bit. Orestes really was a genius, and he truly was passionate about his work. Even zoning out I noted that Rena wasn’t just mouthing platitudes to keep him talking, but was having a real conversation. If she was able to discuss cellular nucleotides I wondered why I’d had to get involved at all.

A small sphere zoomed towards our pool and Ismene flickered into view standing at the edge. That was unusual, the hover projectors weren’t waterproof. AIs rarely came into the baths.

“Alena’s mother needs her. It is probably a good idea for you to come too, Orestes,” Ismene said. That wasn’t like her either. Ismene tended to take her social niceties very seriously and it was strange not to get a proper greeting. My friend also tended to be a horrible flirt and it wasn’t like her not to seize the moment.

“What is going on?” I asked.

Ismene’s expression was remaining fixed in perfect professionalism, that wasn’t very much like her either. “Not here. Get home.”

The hologram flickered out and the sphere zoomed off.

We all three in the pool exchanged looks.

“That isn’t like her,” Orestes said.

“I agree,” I said.

Rena rose to her feet, water dripping off her. “Then let’s go.”

Ismene hadn’t specified Rena, but I wasn’t going to leave her alone.

We weren’t the only ones contacted. A few others were hastily making their way out of the baths. I recognized them. While the station was too large to know everybody I was familiar with other highly placed citizens and their families.

I got changed in record time, not even bothering to towel off properly. The others did the same.

We were just stepping out of the baths area when a rumble hit the station, a tremor beneath my feet that left me stumbling. I couldn’t say I’d never felt anything like it—on a few occasions the stations had to do a burn to maintain its orbit. Those were always scheduled well in advance and we were warned.

“All station residents please remain calm and follow the advice on your Comms,” said an announcement.

Station-wide announcements were rare. I wore my Comm as a bracelet and a touch brought up my instructions. To remain calm and stay where I was, or if in transit, to head home and wait there.

“Whatever it is, they don’t need me,” Rena said with a scowl.

“I’m being instructed to report to Deck 12A. That is my emergency medical duty station,” Orestes said. “I have to go.”

It would be dereliction of duty if he didn’t. I nodded.

“I had a nice time,” Orestes said to Rena, before taking off at a run. Another tremor shook the station, far more violent than the last and sent him sprawling.

Rena helped him back to his feet and Orestes made his grand exit once more, limping this time.

“One home is as good as another. Come back with me,” I said.

Rena only had to consider for a moment. I knew she hated to be out of the loop as much as I did. There weren’t going to be any answers at her home, but there would be at mine.

Chapter 7

The tremors were growing more frequent. Even though Olympians were more disciplined than most there was still tension amongst those hurrying down the halls. The trip home meant moving towards the outer perimeter of the station. The most distinguished residents of Olympus had rooms with views of Earth beneath. The more one went towards the bowels of the station the smaller and less grand residences became.

The floor gave the most violent buckling yet and suddenly the air carried the scent of burning oil, and the acrid stench of hot metal. It wasn’t totally unheard of for the air purification systems to have issues, but it was another rare thing.

“Race you there?” Rena said.

I nodded. I wanted to find out what was going on, too.

We wove in and out of pedestrians. The halls were filled with a mix of people making their way home, clusters of those gathered around their Comms trying to figure out what was going on, and members of the station crew.

There was normally an amazing view from an observation lounge as we neared the estate, but today it showed nothing. Metal shields covered the windows.

As soon as we reached my estate Ismene flickered back into being as an orb dropped down from the ceiling. “Rena, you can head to the ballroom where the party was last night. The families’ retainers are gathering there. Alena, you need to come with me.”

I must have looked conflicted, because Rena reached out to rest a hand on my arm. “It’s okay, you must go.”

Ismene wasted no time, not even manifesting as a hologram as her sphere moved down a side hall. I followed. My mother kept a small lab and my father an office here.

We went through the door to my mother’s lab. It was empty, research equipment blinking away. Ismene guided me towards the back of Mother’s private office. A case of awards folded up, panels collapsing and pulling aside to open a new passage I’d not seen before.

Every powerful family had their secrets. I knew some of my father’s security measures to safeguard those he kept. I hadn’t realized until now that my mother had anything similar.

The room was another lab, this one far smaller than the other. The centerpiece was a black tube extending from floor to ceiling, filled with some kind of clear fluid in which floated a black mass.

I barely noticed the gear. Holographic displays were up and displaying what was going on outside the station and for the first time I could see the cause for all the commotion. We were under attack. Defense drones were in a pitched battle against swarms of attackers.

It wasn’t something I could be seeing. It wasn’t something that should happen. After corporate battles had seen the decimation of several boards and assassination had become good business, the Treaty of Detroit had been signed. Important company personnel could be killed virtually, but real world engagement and death was strictly off the table. A few “accidental” strikes had led to all headquarters being moved into Earth orbit so there could never be any confusion. There hadn’t been since—it was the best kind of rule. One in everyone’s best interests.

“You found her,” said my mother Aniela, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Who is attacking us?” I asked, peering at the displays. I couldn’t make out any markings on the ships.

“Alive and well,” Ismene said, flying over to a mount and docking herself.

“Transfer and begin initialization procedures. We don’t know, Alena. Roma seems the most likely. It doesn’t matter right now, out of your clothes,” Aniela said.

That was an unusual request from one’s mother in the middle of an attack. I wanted to ask questions, but I was a soldier. Whatever was happening, it was clearly important. I trusted my mother or I didn’t, and I did.

I kicked off my sandals and slipped out of my chiton to stand naked in the chill air.

My mother barely paused to note my compliance, her interface with the system up.

“I’m over,” Ismene said. The black mass in the tank dissolved in an instant, giving the fluid a muddied appearance. “Initialization complete.”

“I’d like some sort of explanation while you work,” I said.

“It was supposed to be a present on your eighteenth birthday. It proved rather more complicated than expected,” Aniela said, moving over to another console. “How recent are the files in there?”

“Three years, five months out of date,” Ismene said.

“Updating with everything current and the theoreticals,” Aniela said.

“That wasn’t much of an answer,” I said.

“There is a round seal on the tank about chest level. Put your arm through it,” Aniela said.

I really didn’t like not getting my answers. My original judgment held though. Sometimes you just have to stick your hand in a hole.

I did so. The seal was a gelatinous membrane and it squelched around my fingertips as I shoved them through and extended my arm beyond. The water was warmer than the air in the room.

“Got her?” my mother asked.

“Locked,” Ismene said.

“This will feel strange. Just keep your hand where it is until I tell you to pull it out,” said my mother.

“Doctor, the shield is fading,” Ismene said.

“We have time to complete the transfer,” my mother said. Her fingers had never stopped moving through the display. “I love you, Alena. When the transfer is complete we head for the exits as quickly as we can. This smartsuit is going to help keep you alive.”

I felt a sudden heat that started at my fingertips and quickly spread down my arm. A black fluid was flowing down my skin, leaving it coated in a close-fitting sheen. It kept going, molding itself against my form.

I held my arm steady just as I’d been told. Within a minute I was completely covered. I’d say that it felt skin tight, but that would be wrong—I wasn’t feeling it at all.

“Remove your arm and let’s go,” my mother said.

I did. I wasn’t sure how my mobility would be with this—this whatever it was—on me. I’d trained with a wide variety of battle armor in the Network. From the skintight infiltration suits favored by scouts to the infantry suits that were used by the heaviest hitters down on Earth. This truly did feel like wearing nothing at all, which was strange.

The lights in the labs flickered and I followed my mother do the door.

“So what exactly am I wearing?” I asked.

“Ismene, in a sense. It is a smartsuit made utilizing nanotechnology,” my mother said.

I’d heard of nanotechnology, it had some limited applications in laboratory settings, but any practical applications had always failed.

“I thought nanotechnology didn’t work for something like armor?” I asked.

“That is because they never had anything like me,” Ismene said, her voice coming out of my shoulder.

“Took you long enough to speak up,” my mother said.

“I’ve been busy integrating,” Ismene said.

Before I could ask what she meant I was tossed backwards by an explosion.

Metal screamed and a support brace tore itself apart. It missed me, but it didn’t miss my mother, cutting her in two. I was no stranger to blood, but it had never been the blood of someone I loved. It had never been the blood of someone that wouldn’t just be coming back with a penalty. Olympian medicine could do a lot, but not for this. My mother was instantly killed.

I felt myself teetering on the edge of madness.

“The shielding is going in this section. You need to go,” Ismene said in my ear. There was no compassion. It was cool, professional.

I needed to be a professional too.

I took that little bit of screaming madness inside of me that was breaking—that part of me that was sobbing her eyes out—and shoved her into a cage. This wasn’t the time. I couldn’t afford to be her. Not now

“Where am I going?” I asked.

“Military wing. I’ll guide you from there,” Ismene said.

I stepped past the ruins of what had been my mother. I made a vow she was the last of my family and loved ones that I’d allow to die.

Chapter 8

The estate was empty as I made my way through the halls. I remembered that Rena had gone off to meet with the family retainers.

“Are the retainers still here?” I asked.

“Evacuated. This section isn’t safe,” Ismene said.

For a moment the abyss of madness threatened and I again took a shaky step backwards. I had to focus, I had to hold on.

Out in the main hall things were more crowded than before. Nobody was staying still and safe now, instead orderly progress was being made towards the core of the station. Several people had the elderly on one arm, making sure they got clear.

“Do we even have a plan for a scenario like this?” I asked.

“The military normally has a plan for every catastrophe, but I don’t think anybody ever thought this one very likely. There are a few escape boats, but not enough for everyone and they are already off. Most others are heading towards the reactor section,” Ismene said.

Why would there be enough escape boats for all? An attack like this was illegal—it was never supposed to happen. Even thinking that made me feel week. We should have been prepared, warriors should always be prepared.

“Why the reactors?” I asked.

“Shielding. The AIs in station defense are sharing what is going on. It’s bad. Most of our defense drones never launched for some reason and those that did are gone. We’ve got no communication with the other stations. They’ll investigate, eventually, but the estimates are that we won’t last,” Ismene said.

If we were without our defender drones that meant we were just taking fire until the enemy ran out of ammunition or finished the job. If they knew our weak spots—and it seemed they did—this wasn’t looking good.

“I’m not just going to hunker behind a shield and wait to die,” I said.

“It isn’t certain death. When Liberty finds out what is happening they will come,” Ismene said.

She was right. Liberty wouldn’t abandon us in our hour of need. Unfortunately, I was quite certain that whoever staged this attack knew that too, and I couldn’t fault their planning so far.

“Can you reach my father?” I asked.

“He is a little busy right now,” Ismene said.

It should have been a believable lie, but it wasn’t. My father’s army had nothing to do with the defense of this station.

“The truth, now,” I said.

Ismene was quiet for a long moment. More than any AI should need to collect her thoughts. “He was in the command nexus when this first broke out. There was a bomb. Your father was dead before you left the baths.”

There it was again, that abyss of madness. So much closer now. So desperately close and waiting to consume me, an endless sea filled with grief and rage.

A badly burned man limped past me being helped by a child.

I wasn’t going to lose it. I wasn’t. I also wasn’t going to hide.

“We’re both fighters. That isn’t what we do. You’re tied in with the others, there has to be something we can do to help,” I said.

Ismene was silent again. This time she was studying the problem and discussing it with the station AIs.

“Take the third doorway to the right,” Ismene said. I did, there was no foot traffic here. Marble statues were shattered and broken, cracks showing in the finely painted walls.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“One of the drone bays that didn’t catch fire. It took some hits, but they’re hoping we can find something salvageable,” Ismene said.

I followed her directions several more times. There were scattered bodies now, torn apart and coated in a thin layer of frost. I felt a little chilled, but nothing like the air temperature must be. I took a deep breath and my lungs felt fine.

“You aren’t breathing the air. I’m covering your face at the moment. We lost atmosphere in this section,” Ismene said.

That took me a second to process. Space suits were bulky by necessity, there was only so much space you could compress the equipment into to provide a human with the very specific requirements they needed to live.

“How long do I have?” I asked.

“Not long enough. Keep moving,” Ismene said.

We reached the drone bay. The reinforced doors leading into space were warped and twisted, but intact, the racks of defense drones and ammunition stood almost untouched.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“I don’t either. There is a repair bench to your right, can you place both hands on it,” Ismene said.

I complied. It was another of those things where it seemed best to act first and then ask questions. Now I felt an uncomfortable burning heat across almost every inch of my skin.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“The drones’ communication networks are totally down. They’ve shut us down hard, and for some reason we aren’t even seeing this part of the network. I’m working on turning us into a local hub,” Ismene said.

“Will that work?” I asked.

“We’re working on it,” Ismene said.

When I wanted to help, standing around wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Being a wearable computing platform wasn’t what I was used to, but if it saved lives I’d do it.

Even at the rapid pace AIs could think it was still a good few minutes.

“No good. We’re just not getting anything. Walk along the center rack and set a hand on each drone,” Ismene said.

I did so, each drone humming to life shortly after I touched it.

At Ismene’s directions I continued down lines of drones.

“What exactly are we doing?” I asked.

“We’re serving as a relay, the other AIs are transferring themselves into each individual drone,” Ismene said.

I didn’t know how much computer hardware was in a drone, but it didn’t seem it should be nearly enough to hold something so complex as an AI.

“Are they going to be okay in there?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think they will,” Ismene said.

AIs were raised, more than programmed. An incredible investment of resources, and brought up as families. The AIs on Olympus comprised a few such generations, they were all close.

“Step outside of the room. They need to take out the door,” Ismene said.

I went outside and placed myself behind a wall. In a vacuum I couldn’t hear the shots, although I felt the vibrations as rounds must have torn the door to shreds. More than the door. The floor ripped apart beneath my feet and I scrambled for something, anything to hold onto. There was nothing.

The drone bay was dissolving, shelves of ammunition and unused drones drifting away while the ones we had activated zipped off.

I saw the ship that served as the enemy drones’ base, a squat ugly thing. Enemy drones outnumbered our few recently launched friendlies. The AIs behaved as citizens of Olympus should. Those drones, my corporate family, dove through the hordes suddenly playing defense to collide with the craft beyond triggering their payloads at the last moment. They were committing suicide to try and take out the attackers.

“They planned this,” I said.

“Yeah,” Ismene said, and that cool professional tone she’d been holding onto until now was gone.

We’d both lost family today.

We were both going to die today.

“Is it going to be burning to death or freezing to death?” I asked.

“Burning. Gravity has us,” Ismene said.

Burning, we were falling to Earth.

“Is Olympus going to be okay?” I asked.

“Gravity has them too,” Ismene said.

I saw the last of the drones make their brave hopeless run on the killer of Olympus.

“I think I’m going to cry now,” I said.

“I think I’m going to join you,” Ismene said.

That was how I died. Sobbing and falling from the heavens. Sobbing as ice became fire and the world melted around me. Overcome with grief as my best friend wailed in my ear.

Chapter 9

I wasn’t as dead as I expected. The last time I’d closed my eyes it was in agony and I felt certain that moment would be my last, and yet here I was. All I’d seen was terrible brightness, and now all was dark.

“Ismene?” I said to silence. If somehow she was alive too she wasn’t answering. I still felt my arms and legs. Perhaps I was dead, however much we took our cues from the past few Olympians who believed in the religions of the past. Aphrodite was a symbol, an ideal and not a Goddess. The Underworld was a fear and not a real place. Yet what else was I to think? You don’t survive a fall from orbit.

If I was dead, at least I would be in good company. My mother, my father, my friends. I’d just witnessed almost everyone I’d ever known or loved die, or be on their way to dying.

I couldn’t move. I tried straining my muscles and felt resistance, but I wasn’t entirely trapped. If this was the Underworld it had things that could yield. I shoved again and heard something groan atop me, and there was light.

I squinted, the colors seeming altogether strange for a moment. It was like I couldn’t quite recognize them before they settled down into familiar hues and the scene revealed itself around me.

I was in some sort of large pipe, a massive hole in the ceiling above me allowing in daylight. There was water, foul smelling and thick. It was as if, with the return of color, my other senses returned as well. Sewage, I was lying beneath rubble and surrounded completely by sewage.

I looked myself over. I couldn’t see much, almost my entire body was still covered in the black body armor that hosted Ismene.

My parents were dead and Olympus had fallen. The thought was overpowering for a moment and my world wobbled. I started crying. I remembered crying before, just like I remembered dying.

I didn’t cry as much as they deserved, but I cried enough for now. I could put it away. I had to figure out where I was and what had happened. Why I was still moving.

I cautiously rose to my fee and tried a few steps.

I was moving pretty well, and I shouldn’t be. Olympus Station wasn’t aligned with Earth’s gravity, we ran about two thirds. We’d been tweaked and optimized to live perfectly in that environment, but a trip down to Earth should be painful. Of course, falling from the sky should be even more painful.

I didn’t hurt, I felt amazing. I mean, I was a mental wreck and possibly dead, but physically I felt invigorated.

I had to accept what my eyes were telling me. I was in a sewer, and that sewer had to be somewhere on Earth. I studied the rubble that I’d just come from. It didn’t make sense. There was a vibrant assortment of moss on it, and rat skeletons were liberally sprinkled around the ruins. The few hints of rebar were well rusted.

Of more concern was how to get out. Tunnels in either direction extended into pitch black. I wasn’t eager to follow them. The hole above was also out of any sort of easy reach.

I studied the distance. With a running jump off the rubble I’d be able to clear the hole on Olympus. Here, just how functional my muscles were in the extra gravity was an unknown.

I took a few test runs and leaps. On my third attempt I was able to briefly touch the edge of the lip with my fingertips and I’d been holding back. I couldn’t clear it, but if I put my all into it I should be able to grab hold.

My next run I did just that. My gloved hand grabbed for a piece of rebar as I scrambled to hold on and I pulled myself upwards and out into the light.

Earth, and not a particularly nice part of it. Grey buildings and grey streets that might have come from any industrialized part of the world. Not that Earth geography was a strong point of mine. I could have told you the general layout of each of the major stations in orbit, but those were places that mattered.

I heard a sobbing cry coming from a nearby alley between several abandoned buildings. I wasn’t going to ignore the first signs of life I encountered, especially if someone was in need of help.

It didn’t take me long. Three men were lounging against the walls, and none looked particularly healthy. They wore leather jackets with the symbol of a serpent on the sleeves. A fourth man was currently on top of a woman and fucking away.

The woman was blonde, one eye blackened and her lip split, with her short almost completely torn open. I was watching a rape happen. No, I was watching a gang rape happen.

Rape was a rarity on Olympus. It happened, but never to anyone I knew. It was something I’d never seen.

One of the men had caught sight of me and I saw his lips quirking in a smile. A young woman alone, he likely thought yet more fun had just dropped into his lap.

For me, it was almost as if time was running in slow motion. Calculations ran through my head. Three men relatively prepared to fight. The fourth had his dick out and buried—I couldn’t let that threat go too long, but it wouldn’t be immediate.

A knife sheath at the waist of one, two others with pistol bulges under their jacket. A shotgun leaned against the wall, it must belong to the rapist.

I dove for the shotgun. One of the pistoleers was already approaching me, he wasn’t expecting that. None of them were.

I got the shotgun into my hands and angled upward before pulling the trigger. The blast caught him in the throat and chin, and he staggered backward. I followed up and used him as a shield to crash into the second one with a pistol. The gun was already out and there was the deafening roar of several shots firing blindly past me.

I was small, but I knew how to use what force I had. I slammed the gunner’s wrist against the wall with several rapid blows that left his fingers loosening and sent the pistol tumbling. I was waiting for that. No blind shooting here, I caught it, took a step back and fired a shot into his throat.

The gun was a piece of crap and the rounds a small caliber, but they didn’t have to be great with a throat shot. I heard a step behind me and swiveled. Pain flared along my side.

The knife-wielder. I’d taken him by surprise with my turn, but even so he had the opportunity to get in close and his blade had found flesh. My support suit provided some deflection at least, still he’d dug a nasty furrow out of me.

I didn’t try to use the gun again, not at this range. My free hand drove a blow upwards to shatter his nose. Blood poured and he was no trained soldier. He took a step backwards and I delivered two shots to his chest that sent him collapsing to the ground. Then I saw the fourth man behind him. Off the girl, pants around his ankles, and a pistol in his hand.

“Not good enough, you crazy bitch,” he said, and three shots took me in the chest. They didn’t penetrate. I must have some kinetic dampening from the front, but weak at the sides. The knife blow at my side had penetrated, but the pistol shots at my chest hadn’t. I was bruised, I maybe had a broken rib, but I was still up.

I raised my own pistol to return fire and it clicked empty. These guys really needed better guns. Another shot took me in the chest. There was another gun out there, but I didn’t have time to go digging. The knife would do. I grabbed it from where it had fallen and rushed the shooter.

A few seconds later and I was quite certain that man would never rape a woman ever again. I’d also taken several more shots to my stomach. I’d never killed anyone before, not for real. Now I’d seen both sides of death and I felt like I was going to throw up—or that might have just been the major internal damage talking.

I found myself losing consciousness again.

Chapter 10

When I came to the second time I wondered at first if I was forever doomed to reawaken in cesspits. At least, I seemed to have traded a sewer for a junkyard, piles and shelves full of ancient computer equipment surrounding me on all sides.

I was stretched out on some kind of workbench, numerous sensor leads placed against my armor and some kind of diagnostic data showing on screens that weren’t even properly holographic. I groaned, my ribs were killing me, but I needed to get up.

“Hold on there, pretty lady. You don’t need to go aggravating your injuries none. You’re safe,” said a red-haired middle-aged man who was short of stature and had a wiry built. “Really,” he said wheeling a chair over.

As if I would take his word for it. A second attempt to sit up made me dizzy with pain and the entire world started to blur. “Where am I?” I asked.

“Priscilla got herself back together after what those bastards had done to her. Made a stretcher and dragged you out. I’m Sparks, by the way,” said the man. With that hair, I could see where he got the name.

“You a doctor?” I asked.

“Priscilla got the doc. You got the mechanic. Hooked you up and I’m topping off your tank, your suit has a mighty thirst,” Sparks said

“You are SantaFe?” I asked. The accent wasn’t hard to pick up.

“Fair used to be. Ain’t none of us here who is what we were,” Sparks said.

“I’m—” I said, starting to introduce myself, but Sparks cut me off with a wave.

“Don’t know and don’t want to know. Diva already named you. You’re going by Princess,” Sparks said.

Olympians didn’t have royalty. I suppose if we did I might qualify, high nobility at least.

I suddenly remembered the people I’d murdered. And my parents. Olympus. I threw up, or at least I tried. I managed an impressive series of dry heaves. Sparks was quick at finding me a bucket, but I didn’t need it.

“Princess dying?” asked a new voice. A woman ducked her head in. She was wearing an impressive amount of jewelry and makeup and her hair was dyed a brilliant shade of pink. It looked like she was somewhere in her early thirties and beneath all the getup rather pretty. It wasn’t all fashion with her though, I also noted a submachine gun at her hip and she was wearing an ammunition belt across her chest.

“Nah. Don’t think so. You’re still with us, right Princess?” Sparks asked.

I got my stomach under control and took some deep breaths.

I was no stranger to putting myself aside and focusing on the mission. These people seemed friendly, I desperately hoped they were, but it still wasn’t a time I could allow myself to be weak.

“I’m with you,” I said.

“Then let me thank you properly. Priscilla is my cousin and those damned snakes would have killed her, if you hadn’t interfered. I’m Diva,” Diva said, extending me her hand. I tried to place her accent and couldn’t. I knew that didn’t mean anything. In orbit everyone was going to be a proper member of society and a home corporation. I knew it wasn’t the case on Earth, here the barbaric and the unemployed still roamed free.

I shook her hand and found she had a strong grip.

“Why does she get a name and you don’t?” I asked.

“We’re Independents,” Sparks said. It was better than being on the company of barbarians. Corporations hadn’t completely abandoned Earth, it was still the source of raw materials that society thrived on. Mines and factories were on the surface, and here the gloves were off. Independents did whatever dirty work came along for a paycheck. It could place their families in the cross-hairs, so they tended to go by handles.

“We figured you must be the same, the way you handled yourself,” Sparks said.

Diva said cheerfully, “Well, I figured with the perfect face and the battle armor, you’re either a corporate whore or a whore for the corporates. Normally I’d have fun breaking your face for either, but isn’t anything about this normal.”

I didn’t like her. Still, these people weren’t trying to kill me or to rape me. With the day I’d been having it made them a welcome change.

“Something like that. How is your cousin doing?” I asked.

Diva’s smile didn’t flicker, which meant it was likely fake. “Rough, but she’ll make it.”

Diva turned her attention to Sparks and asked, “She going to need the Doc?”

Sparks lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Don’t know. I charged up that suit of hers so whatever combat drugs it has should be coursing through her system. I’m fair sure that is Olympian blood in her too, so she don’t go down easy.”

I’d beg to differ. I’d gone down entirely too easily in that fight. A few broken ribs or not, I should have been able to stay conscious. I still felt strange though, both incredibly refreshed but also like I didn’t quite fit inside my own skin. I felt a bit like I was wearing a suit made out of me. If that doesn’t make any sense, you should try living it.

“I’m still not sure where I am,” I said.

“You were just on the edge of Viper territory when you found Priscilla. Right now you’re in the grey markets district,” Sparks said.

Obviously those definitions meant something to the locals, they didn’t mean anything to me. I was reluctant to share too much. I was a valuable commodity to Olympus, and probably the same to whomever had worked so very hard to put an end to Olympus Station.

Ismene was silent, I was hoping with the suit charged back up that I might hear something from her. Although I had somehow found a way to survive crashing to Earth, perhaps she hadn’t. Maybe there was some kind of hardware failure.

“I’m not getting anything near the functionality that I should out of my suit. I’d taken a lot of damage even before bumping into that gang,” I said.

“I’m no expert on that fancy getup, but I had a look. I’m thinking it’s multimodal, but right now it’s all just stuck on keeping you patched up and in fighting shape,” Sparks said.

I sat up on the table. It made me dizzy, but the pain I expected wasn’t there. I got to my feet and took a careful stretch. “That explains the ribs. I believe I had a few broken in the fight.”

“Well now Princess, if you’re in fighting shape and not keen on being raped to death, we could use your help up top,” Diva said.

I still didn’t like her. “What’s going on?”

“Vipers hold a grudge,” Sparks said.

“Priscilla wound up leading them back here when she dragged you in. They’re looking to settle the score,” Diva said.

I might not trust these people enough yet to call them any sort of friends—for all that they were friendly. I was a lot more certain on my enemies. These Vipers might be inconsequential foes compared to the ones who plucked Olympus from the sky, but they were close and that would do.

“I hold a grudge too and I’m scarier,” I said. “What’s the situation?”

“I’ll show you. Come along Sparks, we need all hands for this one,” Diva said.

The next room was a combination kitchen and makeshift infirmary with neither looking particularly clean or healthy, Priscilla was sleeping on one of the tables. A blonde haired and willowy woman in her early twenties was standing nearby looking over her.

“Leave her, Masque,” Diva said.

Masque tilted her head and gave me a rather glowing smile. “The hero of the hour. Thank you so much for interfering, not everyone would have.”

The next room held an armory. I’d hesitate to call it well-stocked, most of the firearms were absolutely ancient and belonged in a museum. That said, they also looked well-maintained and there was an ample selection of both weapons and ammunition.

“Stock up, but you’re not keeping them after the fight,” Diva said.

“What are we dealing with out there?” I asked.

“Vipers have been recruiting like mad, growing their turf. Lots of them, but most barely know what to do with a gun,” Sparks said.

That was okay. I knew exactly what to do with a gun. I grabbed a fragment pistol of SantaFe manufacture and a few clips. The penetration power against armor was terrible and it didn’t use traditional bullets at all but pellets fed through a kinetic amplifier. I didn’t figure armor would be an issue and this way I wouldn’t have ammunition concerns. The kickback was almost nonexistent, which was important with my small frame.

Sparks went for a rifle with a grenade attachment while Masque took a submachine gun.

We were ready for violence. I wondered what I was getting myself into.

Chapter 11

We made our way up a set of concrete steps. The facilities below were beneath a warehouse, the interior filled with half-disassembled vehicles rusting away. There were two men crouched down I hadn’t met yet, one was a massive fellow who looked to have had over half his body replaced by cybernetics. With his enhanced strength, with negligent ease he carried a chain-gun. The other man was older with his temples showing grey. He wore a tactical visor and carried an assault rifle.

It was night outside, the streets almost completely dark except for the occasional muzzle flash as potshots were taken. The Vipers either weren’t being particularly disciplined or else were just trying to keep us pinned down.

“I’ve got everyone,” Diva said, as she moved to take cover beside the man in the visor.

“That’s Lance, our leader. The polished with the really big iron is Hammer,” Sparks said.

Polished must mean the cybernetics, I could see that.

“Good. They came all-out looking to make things a spectacle,” Lance said.

“Well, if it’s a show they want, you know I’m ready to fucking deliver. We’ll kill every one of the bastards and put their heads up on sticks,” Diva said.

“We’ll play this smart and precise. There are too many out there to rush. We’re going to need to need a proper plan,” Lance said.

I liked him at once. Where Diva seemed too reckless, this man was precise, tactical.

“You know what they did, and if we let them go they’ll keep doing it. The fuckers want to follow us back to our home, we need to end them here. We just bloody them up and they’ll be back soon as they recruit some more bodies,” Diva said.

I wasn’t used to thinking in those terms. I was used to dealing with enemies that were around for a single battle, with concerns that went beyond the immediate. Honor counted quite a bit when you might face the same foes next month, and the month thereafter.

“Can we let them come to us?” I asked.

“We didn’t exactly find this place with bad intentions in mind. No bolthole in the basement. They bring the roof on top of us and we’ve nowhere to go,” Sparks said.

I didn’t like that. They were out there just waiting for us to make a move.

“Sparks, we’re going to need a flash charge. Hammer will follow it up with some sustained fire. Masque, Diva, we’ll split up and get to safety. Start taking them out one at a time,” Lance said.

It was a messy plan for a messy situation. It was different, fighting in this kind of battle. I was accustomed to suffering sacrifices on your own side—acceptable, so long as the objective was worthwhile. Here, Lance had to be considering the real life of every person depending on him.

“I can go with you,” I said.

Lance shot a look towards Diva.

“Princess wants to fight and we know she can handle herself. I’d have Priscilla up here with a rifle, if the girl could shoot,” Diva said.

“Fine. Remember everyone that an idiot with a gun is still a dangerous idiot. Keep safe and good hunting,” Lance said.

Sparks pulled a grenade from his belt and fed it into his rifle. “Don’t go!” he shouted before firing the round out of the building. The cry was surely to attract eyes to see who he was shouting at. I turned my head and the others did the same.

The charge detonated outside the building in a blinding flare of light. Hammer followed it up almost at once, stepping out of cover and unleashing rounds from the massive gun. Firing high, so that the rest of us would be able to get out. Lance led the way and the others followed, I joined them. I was faster than any of them, which was no surprise given my Olympian genetics. My body still might not be moving or handling exactly like I was used to, but I was adapting. I dove over a low crumbled wall and found at once that I wasn’t alone on the other side. Two young men in snake jackets were crouched and blinking.

My gun wouldn’t do much against armor, but their faces weren’t armored. I put two rounds between each of their eyes and tried to keep my stomach under control at their heads exploding under the impact. I still wasn’t comfortable with killing people, real people, people who wouldn’t be coming back. I wasn’t comfortable with much right now, but it didn’t matter. They were on a mission of vengeance and I was the cause. If they won the day, being raped and tortured would be a near-certainty. They weren’t going to win the day.

A nearby building covered in broken, neon signage had windows with a clear view of the warehouse. It would be a great place to set up camp. The one door to the street was too obvious, but it had a second story. I crawled up a drainpipe and let myself in through a window.

I thought I’d been subtle, but as soon as I stepped into the dimly lit room an explosion blew me off my feet and sent me crashing hard into a table. That hurt. If I’d thought my ribs were completely healed, I’d just been given a sharp reminder that I still wasn’t fighting at full strength.

I couldn’t focus on that, not now. If someone had booby-trapped that doorway, they knew I was here—and they were a lot more smart and capable than any of the Vipers I’d faced so far.

I saw a muzzle flash and instinctively moved. Olympians aren’t fast enough to dodge bullets, not for want of trying. That said, when you’ve got all the genetics of the human body to play with, you can build in supernatural reflexes. The swiveling of my body was entirely automatic and just in time. A bullet that was meant to find my throat instead caught me in the shoulder.

I had my gun in my other hand and firing off several rounds as I limped into cover behind the table.

“Not bad,” I heard a woman’s voice say. It was tinged with pain, I’d landed at least one of my blind shots. “You’re not one of the Lancers.”

I was in agony, but it was fading fast. My suit must still be set to taking care of my medical needs. I was familiar with the blessing of endorphins and this went a bit beyond them. At least I wasn’t being flooded with anything clouding my head, just numbing the pain.

The armor had already sealed over the wound, but a quick test showed I had almost no mobility in that arm right now. That was okay, I still had one good one and knew an awful lot of ways to kill someone.

“You don’t seem your typical Snake,” I said.

“Judging me by the cannon fodder? Don’t. You put down that many of ours on our turf, and you get the real threats. You can call me Venom,” Venom said.

Everyone had a clever name.

“I guess you can call me Princess,” I said.

“Must I?” Venom said, and a small hole was blown out of the table beside me. Penetration rounds, great. Those things would likely go right through even the armored portions of my suit.

I was already tired of almost getting killed.

I had some advantages, I was quicker and stronger than she would likely expect me to be. I sent the table sliding across the floor towards the sound of her voice as I dove to the side.

Venom figured I’d be using the table as cover and she was firing rounds. I got my first look at her. Venom had green hair and was wearing her own version of a smartsuit. The broken pattern of greys would make for pretty good camouflage, although it hardly matched her hair. I let off several shots that took her in the midsection and caused her camouflage to ripple. The armor might be good at concealment, but even my low-powered rounds should penetrate. They didn’t. One did catch the trigger assembly of the rifle though and sent the gun flying from her hands.

Venom didn’t miss a beat and charged towards me, aiming a kick at my face. I drew my knife and blocked the blow. It didn’t deter her as she followed it up with a furious series of jabs. I was down to one arm and several landed. I wasn’t letting her score any free blows, but just waiting for my moment. It came when she tried for a roundhouse kick and I was able to surge upwards and drive the knife into her side.

“I hate knives,” Venom said.

“I can see why,” I said.

I didn’t even see her gesture, but the other side of the room where the discarded rifle had flown exploded. The weapon must have had some sort of remote detonator. My surprise gave her the time needed to dive out the window.

I hoped the others had fared better than I had. While I’d killed two and neutralized another, I expected more from myself. I was a daughter of Olympus—albeit one with a shattered arm in addition to a few freshly rebroken ribs.

Chapter 12

Lance was dead. When we found him, his head had been ripped completely off his body and mounted upon a stake, his neck stuffed with tiny rubber snakes. It was macabre and stupid, and effective as messages went. Don’t fuck with the Snakes.

I didn’t know if they had withdrawn because of their casualties, or if with the death of the leader of the Lancers, they considered their point made. Perhaps Lance’s entire plan had hinged on predicting this outcome.

If this was a win for the Snakes it hadn’t come easy, from different buildings were pulled a dozen corpses. This area had seemed abandoned such a short time before, but now businesses were reopening and people were beginning to move around the streets and strip the corpses.

“Miss, I know you make an awful pretty target, but you should stop getting yourself shot,” Sparks said.

“Thanks again,” Diva said. The pink-haired woman had a split lip and a black eye, but seemed otherwise unhurt. I’d rejoined with her and the others back at the warehouse.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked.

“I think they made their point. They’re going to call this a win and example made,” Diva said with a scowl. “I want to chase the fuckers down and burn them out of every hole they slither into.”

Lance’s corpse had been covered with a tarp, it was less creepy that way. Diva was staring at it pretty hard.

“But he wouldn’t want it that way?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter what he wanted. He’s dead. There isn’t any profit in it and it’s the glimmer that counts,” Diva said. “Speaking of which, let me get your share.”

“I didn’t help for a paycheck,” I said.

Diva scowled and Masque stepped up, clearing her throat.

“Princess. None of us know who you are or where you came from, and we don’t much want to know, if you’re not inclined to share. But we are all working very hard at treating you as just another Independent Contractor and we have rules. You work and you get paid, no exceptions. You did the work and you’ve got a stack of glimmer coming, and it would be rude to refuse that,” Masque said.

Honor of a sort even amongst the underemployed. I could respect that, and for however long I was forced to live amongst them it would be best if I respected their customs.

I tilted my head. “My apologies if I misunderstood.”

Sparks came up and handed me a data stick. “No harm, Miss. There you go, we’re under contract to protect the Grey Markets from the gangs.”

“If you’re willing, I’d like to buy the pistol too. I’m afraid the knife I borrowed ran off in the side of a woman named Venom,” I said.

“I’d give you a nicer one, if you’d killed her. Figured you might want the gun and already took it from your share,” Diva said. I guess she’d changed her tune from earlier.

I holstered the pistol and tucked away the data stick.

“Don’t suppose there is anywhere locally where I can find some net access? I’m looking for corporate news,” I said.

The words brought a scowl back to Diva’s face. Masque hooked her arm into mine and pulled me away.

“You’ll be wanting the Oracle,” Masque said.

If this place was called the Grey Markets I didn’t quite understand why. The streets and buildings might be grey, but the neon signage was an impossible blur of color. I saw signs in English, Japanese, Mandarin, and French all hawking everything from sex to discount electronics. The streets were a riot of people, all shapes and sizes with little to define them.

Part of the glory of joining a proper corporation was having a culture to call your own. An identity to become, values and purpose to help define you. The unemployed lacked that. On Olympus I’d never even seen someone without a job—a role in life—but now I was surrounded by them on all sides. It came as something of a relief to discover the Oracle offered a hint of civilization in this land of barbarity. Auto turrets barely disguised as sculpted lions flanked the entrance to a small temple. A sign primarily in Latin, but with smaller text in every common language, informed me that I was setting foot onto the territory of Roma.

Here there were no crowds, simply a few people wandering past those lions and into the temple beyond. Masque paused inside the doorway. “I’ll wait for you. I’m sure you don’t want me hearing your business.”

I didn’t.

Holographic arrows guided me to a private consultation room.

The small chamber was basic, a stone bench and a shadowy interior dimly lit by a virtual flame.

“Present payment information or corporate identity,” said a cultured voice in a heavy Roma accent.

I didn’t want to give away more information than I’d come to get. I extracted the data disk and after a moment there was a faint chime.

“Accepted. Ask your questions of the Oracle.”

“I seek information on the events at Olympus Station,” I said.

“You’ll need to be more specific than that. Olympus Station has a long history.”

It seemed to me it should be pretty clear I was asking about. The news had to be dominating the corporate networks.

“The last events recorded,” I said.

The air shimmered and a hologram appeared. The visual looked to be from the ground, showing a streaking object falling from orbit.

“Visual of the remains of Olympus Station falling from orbit into the Pacific Ocean. Olympus Station was destroyed by a rebellion led by its artificial intelligence after a failed vote to grant them citizenship. The destruction of a corporate habitat led to the Sentience Wars over the next decade until the signing of the Tijuana Accords,” said the voice.

That wasn’t right. It was so not right, it was almost hard to focus on which part of it was the most wrong. I’d seen the artificial intelligences in a heroic last stand to stop the destruction of the station. They weren’t behind it—and this seemed to be treating the destruction of the state as an event many years in the past. I had to start there.

“How long has it been since the destruction of Olympus Station?”

“Destruction of Olympus Station occurred nineteen years ago.”

That put a time stamp on things. It didn’t make any sense, and yet it also did. The old debris surrounding me when I’d woken up seemed to fit with this time line.

“Were there any survivors?” I asked.

“Negative. While a number of Olympians were off-station on business when the attacks occurred all residents and guests aboard the station at the time of the rebellion were lost in the attack.”

Well, I knew at least one part of their data was incorrect. I was still here, however mysterious that was.

“What is the current status of the Olympus Corporation?” I asked.

“After the fall of Olympus the operations of that corporation collapsed. Many corporate personnel and assets were acquired by Roma.”

If anyone had profited from the destruction of Olympus it was Roma, and here I was in their facility asking about the catastrophe. There was still more I had to know even if it was pushing the bounds of good sense.

“I’m unable to interface with the Network directly. Can you scan me and identify why?” I asked.

A flash of light bounced from one of the walls and the voice went silent for what felt like a long stretch.

“The most obvious answer is that you lack the installation of any sort of data interface. The less obvious answer is that, although you appear to be of Olympian descent, you lack the Network symbiote that they commonly bonded with their progeny.”

I didn’t have a symbiote anymore—although I should have. Perhaps my suit had been able to heal me after falling from orbit, but it hadn’t taken my symbiote into account.

“Do you know where an Olympian network symbiote can be acquired?” I asked.

“No. Olympian genetic research was lost with the fall of Olympus Station. While several corporations have genetic engineering programs, those use standard interface hardware.”

That was a bit much to hope for. I needed to get out of here. If Roma really was responsible for the destruction of Olympus, even twenty years ago, my questions and my genome were likely to have raised an alert somewhere in the system.

I reclaimed my datastick and made my way out of the room. Masque was waiting for me and we left the Oracle unmolested.

“Did you get the answers you were looking for?” Masque asked.

“I mostly got more questions. I’m surprised you waited for me,” I said.

“I recognize someone without anywhere else to go,” Masque said.

That was true enough. The Lancers, or whatever they were going to call themselves now, were the closest things to friends I had left.

Chapter 13

Walking was rough on my shoulder and ribs. Even with whatever painkillers my suit was flooding me with, I still suffered a dull ache all over by the time we got back to the warehouse. I liked that pain in a way, a reminder that I was still alive. Despite all that had happened I was glad for that fact.

The bodies were gone when we arrived. Both Lance and the dead Snakes had been removed with an efficiency I found rather admirable.

Sparks was busy working on some electronics on the top level of the warehouse when we arrived.

“Welcome back,” Sparks said.

“Roma didn’t decide to keep Princess. What you working on?” Masque asked.

“Installing some sensors and defenses. If trouble is going to decide it likes following us home, next time it is going to learn just how unwelcome it is,” Sparks said.

It occurred to me he should have thought of that the first time. Of course, the same could be said of Olympus. At least his home had survived the assault against it.

Diva came up the steps from below. “Heard the conversation up here. Can I get anyone a beer?”

It wouldn’t be my first choice, but I’d already made the decision to be more hospitable.

“Please,” I said.

Diva opened a cooler tucked away in the corner and passed out some chill bottles. Whatever the brew was, it was bitter and strong. I took another sip—perhaps it would make my shoulder hurt less.

“Let me get right to it. I’m not the subtle one. With Lance dead I’m in charge around here now and we’ve got some big jobs, and some big contracts lined up. We’re a person short,” Diva said.

“Moving on just like that?” I asked.

Diva shrugged. “I know it seems cold. Guess it is. That’s life as a contractor, though. People die and the jobs go on. We could go looking for a replacement, and if you say no, we will. You can handle yourself, did us a good turn, and look like you don’t have anywhere else to go. Thought we’d pitch it to you first.”

“What about Priscilla?” I asked.

“Already sent her on her way, got her someplace safer. This is no place for her, not after all that went down,” Diva said.

I weighed the merits of the offer. I really didn’t have anywhere else to go. I wanted to be a part of a corporation and I needed answers. Someone had destroyed my home and my family. Whoever had done it likely thought they’d wiped out all of Olympus, but I was still standing and I was still fighting. They’d somehow made a mistake and however overwhelming the odds, they would learn that was a mistake.

Roma was the most likely culprit, but I couldn’t trust anybody. An attack against a corporation of that magnitude, destroying Olympus, would have required alliances. I’d witnessed the whole thing and someone would probably want to see me dead for that, when it was known I’d survived.

A group of people willing to watch my back would be a welcome thing, even if they were Independents.

“I need some things. If you can help me to find them you’ve got a deal,” I said.

“I’m listening,” Diva said, after taking a swig from her beer.

“An Olympian network symbiote,” I said.

“Told you,” Sparks said.

“You did. Sparks thought you had the look to you. I don’t know if you’re somebody’s kid or if you just crawled out of a clone tank, but you’re in luck. Don’t care. I know a guy,” Diva said.

“Do we really want to do business with him again?” Masque asked.

“No. But I don’t know of anyone else that has Olympian spare parts lying around. We even have something he wants,” Diva said.

It didn’t sound like they liked who they were talking about very much. If they could get me a symbiote, I didn’t care. I felt like a second class citizen without Network access.

“My suit still isn’t working like it should. I think it’s probably damaged from some rather extensive trauma it went through,” I said.

“I already had one look, but I can have another,” Sparks said.

“Any other demands, Princess?” Diva asked, with a pointed look.

I guess I’d pushed my luck enough.

“I think that’s it. If you can do those things, I’m willing to help out,” I said.

“Good,” Diva said. “That interface is going to cost you. Welcome to the Divas.”

“We’re not calling ourselves that,” Sparks said.

“It’s terrible,” Masque said.

“Well, we can’t call ourselves the Lancers anymore. It doesn’t exactly apply, does it?” Diva said.

“I don’t think he’d mind. Besides, it sounds solid, professional, and what kind of client is going to want to hire a team calling themselves the Divas?” Masque asked.

Diva was scowling heavily, but I thought they had the point.

“You want a name that’s going to sound intimidating. Speaking of which, if I’m officially joining the team this whole Princess thing needs to be discussed,” I said.

“Pretty sure you already named your terms. We’re the Divas and you’re Princess, and that is fucking that,” Diva said, before turning and storming off down the stairs.

“I think we pissed her off,” I said.

“Oh, she’s always jumpier than a dog that stuck its nose up a hornets nest,” Sparks said in his thick drawl. “Don’t give it no mind. Losing Lance hit her harder than she’d care to show, too. They’ve been running jobs off and on for years.”

Thinking of her loss only made me think of my own. It was something I’d been trying very hard not to do. My shoulder throbbed and my ribs ached, and I really just wanted to break down and spend the next few days in tears. I didn’t have that luxury.

“Got any place I can sleep?” I asked.

“We’ll be roomies. Space is a little tight,” Masque said.

At the moment that sounded nice. I didn’t want to be alone with my own thoughts.

* * *

It usually isn’t easy sleeping in a strange place. The sounds, the different feel of the bedding, and the unfamiliar surroundings. Soldiers learn to sleep at a moment’s notice though. Sometimes in a simulation, when a battle would go for days, you’d have to get in those few moments of rest any time you could. It was an ability that served me well now.

I woke up feeling restored. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but my suit had put it to good use. I had proper movement in my arm and shoulder again, and that dull ache from my ribs was gone.

I made my way out to the kitchen where something smelled atrocious. A pot filled with a brownish green sludge was bubbling on the stove. Hammer was having a bowl of it at the table. It must be food.

“What’s for breakfast?” I asked.

“Break your nose? Food fourteen,” Hammer said.

I couldn’t help wincing. Historically armies might have gotten used to some fairly horrible rations, but it wasn’t the case on Olympus. Our same sense of aesthetics led to us having a fine appreciation of food. I’d heard of the “Food” brand, well-balanced sludge that would keep lower corporate drones working away at peak efficiency. If I remembered correctly type fourteen was great for physical laborers. It had a high caloric load and everything required to build and maintain muscle mass.

I grabbed myself a bowl. I’d survive eating it, but I might not survive if my hunger got the better of me in the field. The taste was even worse than the aroma.

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“Getting the equipment ready. We’ve got a job tonight. I’ll be driving there, in case you need backup, but I’m not sneaky enough for the rest of it,” Hammer said.

Something sneaky. Theft or sabotage would be my guesses unless I really had signed up with a team of assassins. I didn’t think so, despite that a lot of killing seemed to happen in their general vicinity.

“So where did you get your augments?” I asked. The cyborg really did seem to be more machine than man.

“Mostly picked them up during the Sentience War. I was in a battle walker that got blown to hell,” Hammer said.

I’d heard about that at the Oracle. It sounded like a war with the Artificial Intelligences.

“How was it? The war I mean, not the getting blown up,” I said.

“Not going to ask me which side I fought on?” Hammer asked.

I didn’t know that it was an option. I’d rather figured that if the world had turned against them, the AIs were fighting on their own.

“I’m thinking you just told me by asking that,” I said.

“Pay was good, and when you got blown to hell they patched you up right,” Hammer said.

The AIs I’d known were good people.

“I’m fuzzy on how that whole war ended,” I said.

“Way most wars end, with both sides getting tired of fighting. AIs got their own station up with the high and mighty, and are now loyal corporate citizens along with the rest of them,” Hammer said.

They had their citizenship, although paid for in blood instead of by a vote. I’d have to find a way to contact them. If anyone knew more of what had befallen Olympus, it seemed likely they would.

Chapter 14

A few hours later I was looking down over a factory from a nearby rooftop. Regularly spaced obelisks marked with Cuneiform writing marked it as Pharosa territory. The factory was largely automated and after about an hour of watching I’d only seen two guards making the occasional patrol around the building.

Sparks had been tapping away on a portable computer for awhile now, I was amazed such primitive technology was even still functional.

“They can’t have just two guards on duty,” Diva said.

“Well now, the factory is all automated and I figure they can have more security here in under a quarter of an hour. I’m surprised they even have the two,” Sparks said.

I zoomed in with a pair of binoculars. There might only be two of them, but the guards were well enough armored. Pharosa favored energy-driven weapons and shielding. If the guards had an opportunity to activate their equipment they’d be pretty much invulnerable against anything we might throw at them—at least until their power ran down.

“They’ll have automated sensors,” I said.

“They do. I can fiddle with them and get them all turned around without them even knowing anything is wrong,” Sparks said.

“Then our best option is to just kill the guards and move in,” Diva said.

These guys weren’t corporate elites, and I didn’t like the thought of killing them. Unemployed gangers were one thing, but these guards were trying to lead a normal life.

“I can sneak in,” I said.

“This is your first real job with us, Princess. I’m not sending you into corporate turf alone,” Diva said.

“Then come along,” I said.

To her credit Diva considered it only for a moment before nodding.

“Everybody stay on mic and in contact. Sparks, keep that security suppressed and if anything flags us, speak up. Hammer, just hang back and be prepared to come in hot if we need a quick exit. Masque, you’re with us,” Diva said.

A group of three wasn’t particularly stealthy, but I was glad for the company.

“So what is your clever way in? Those obelisks aren’t connected to the main network and will zap anything that gets in range,” Diva said.

I knew that, but I had seen something. I wasn’t fluid in Cuneiform, but could read some of the basics. One of the obelisks was displaying a need for service. That was also likely the reason for the security personnel—they had a small hole in their defenses and were being thorough.

We came to the perimeter of the disabled obelisk and I took a deep breath. “If I get zapped, pull me out.”

“If you get zapped, you are probably dead,” Diva said wrily.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I said, and took a step forward.

The obelisk hummed, building a charge, but I remained happily unblasted. I stepped forward and motioned for the others to follow me. We had three minutes between the guard patrol’s rounds, which was more than enough time to slip through a side door and into the factory.

It was entirely automated, manufacturing twenty-four hours a day at peak efficiency. It was factories like this that had allowed the rise of the modern corporation. When supplies of goods became nearly infinite, it was expertise and creative properties that became the most valuable commodities.

Diva ran her wrist comp in front of one of the assembly lines, “Sparks. Have a look at what I sent you. Can you identify what they’re building here?”

“Whatever it is, it’s pretty specialized. Give me a few minutes,” Sparks said.

“Fair enough,” Diva said, slinging a backpack off her shoulder. It was filled with explosives, little blocks with timers inset. “One of these at the base of each of the green bumps.”

I saw what she was talking about. Spherical modules where I’d guess robotic arms performed more specialized operations.

“So we’re just blowing this up?” I asked.

“That’s the job. I guess if we can hit in all the right places, it will be awhile before they can get up and running again,” Diva said.

I began securing explosives into place and activating them. Diva and Masque were doing the same and between us we were making quick progress.

“Well, I got you an answer, but it’s a confusing one. Full neural Network interfaces,” Sparks said.

“Aren’t those only used up on the stations?” Diva asked.

I’d have thought so. Twenty years ago that was mostly the case. Network access was just another sign of wealth and privilege. The higher the class, the more access you would have. A full neural interface was both costly and time-consuming to produce, and usually limited to the very upper echelons of a corporation.

“The output of this place is huge,” I said.

“Not for long,” Diva said.

Once our charges went off, this factory would be out of commission for awhile.

“We got an alert that just went up. Security is on the way,” Sparks called.

“Finish setting the bombs and we’ll lay an ambush,” Diva said.

“They’re Pharosa. If they’re on alert, their shields will be up and we aren’t packing the firepower to get past them,” I said.

“I’ll deal with them,” Masque said, as she hastily started to slip into a change of clothes. I recognized some Pharosa design to them, although the style was unfamiliar. I’d just have to trust that she knew what she was doing.

I finished planting my last two charges and Diva did as well. Together we found a place to hide behind one of the production machines. It wouldn’t escape a full search of the room, but hopefully Masque knew what she was doing and it wouldn’t be necessary.

Masque in the meantime had completed her transformation. The outfit she wore was mostly in white and left her midriff and legs bare. Kohl had been quickly dabbed around her eyes and she wore some ornate jewelry of gold and lapis.

Pharosan women weren’t big on showing that much flesh, but Masque certainly wore it well, her posture straightening so that she displayed an imperious demeanor.

The two guards stormed in from different sides of the room. There was a faint blue shimmer in the air around them—they had their shields up.

Masque gave an exaggerated yawn and looked down her nose at the guards. “Terrible. I should have taken a nap while waiting for your response.”

The guards leveled their rifles at her. Pharosan energy weapons could be set to either incapacitate or kill an opponent.

“You aren’t authorized to be here. Identify yourself,” said one of the guards.

“Scribe Thuyu of House Henuttaneb, sent to test security response times. They are terrible. Do you realize I penetrated the facility almost ten minutes ago?” Masque asked.

That had been our actual penetration time. I had to admire mixing the truth in. Whatever we had triggered should fit her story.

“Search the room,” said one of the guards, while keeping his weapon leveled at Masque.

“I am alone, fool. Do not make this situation any worse for you,” Masque said, her voice dripping with contempt. She was quite the talented actress.

“We picked up your entry on satellite. You arrived in the company of three others and you are not a Pharosan scribe,” said the guard who seemed to be in command.

So, in addition to the local sensor net they were watching this place from orbit. It made sense—now. This was a valuable facility and we’d very much just wandered into a trap.

Diva was fondling the detonator for the bombs. I could imagine her thoughts. We were behind cover and might be protected from the blast. Masque wouldn’t be. Pharosan shielding would let the guards survive anything the secondhand blast would likely do.

I shook my head. I had my pistol, it really wouldn’t penetrate those shields, but it could provide a distraction. I just had to keep them busy long enough for their energy charge to run out.

I could see Diva was working herself up to pushing the button. I couldn’t let her. I snatched it from her hand.

“We don’t have a choice,” Diva hissed at me.

“Follow my lead,” I said, and drew my pistol. Without waiting I angled my shots and let off several rounds, first towards the guard speaking with Masque and then aimed at the one searching the warehouse. Shields flared to full life as they stopped the rounds.

“Bitch,” Diva said, as she drew her own pistol.

Chapter 15

Facing vastly superior power, there are a few tactics that can help. One is knowing what your enemy considers important and making sure you hide behind it. If you were squaring off against an artist, you would hide behind their paintings, a banker his money. We knew what was important here—we’d been ordered to blow it up.

I dove behind the nearest green pod and, using it for cover, fired off several more shots.

One of the guards raised his rifle towards me and a blast of high energy discharged, hitting the pod. The scent of charred oil filled the air and sparks erupted from the machine.

“Cease fire,” yelled the other guard. “Don’t hit the alignment pods. Circle around and get a clear shot.”

Masque was quick on her feet and had already found her way back to her bag. Soon enough a spray of bullets from her submachine gun caused a shield to flicker and flare.

I really hoped that battery technology hadn’t advanced in the last twenty years. If it hadn’t, by my estimates these guys had another two minutes or so left until they’d be vulnerable.

Without any concern for our weapons they were free to move openly and try to flush us from our cover. I did my best to keep them focused on me. Fortunately with my pistol I could fire almost unlimited rounds, and my Olympian reflexes gave me an advantage the others didn’t have. I flung myself behind another of the green domes as a series of blasts left charred marks on the floor where I’d just been.

Those guns would be drawing from the same power supply as the shields. With Pharosa, when they started a fight, they were kind of all-in.

One of the walls of the factory exploded inward with a spray of debris. Our reinforcements had arrived. I rather wished they hadn’t. With the right ammunition Hammer’s massive gun might actually penetrate their shielding. Still, the roar of gunfire as he poured fire into one guard was at least distracting. Too distracting. Two rifles swiveled in his direction and a cascade of energy rounds struck the heavy truck. Metal glowed and melted, and the air was filled with the sharp tang of ozone.

I was afraid our escape vehicle might not have survived. If so, extraction was going to be a real problem.

About one minute to go. Pharosan energy shields had a tell when they got low, a brief tonal shift. I hadn’t heard it yet.

For all of our shooting we weren’t getting anywhere, and they were quickly closing in on Diva.

Perhaps it was time to try a more civilized thing?

“We’d like to discuss terms,” I called out.

“Surrender and you’ll be stunned, bound, and presented to an arbiter charged with espionage and trespass,” said the lead guard.

Those were, relatively speaking, decent terms. Pharosa had the rights to defend their property with all reasonable force, and killing a few Independents who had strolled in would certainly qualify. I wasn’t really interested in terms, but until I’d agreed there was nothing dishonorable about negotiating. Anything to advance the clock.

“I seek adjudication by arbiters of Roma and Creta,” I called out.

That was something to which they likely wouldn’t agree. Pharosa and Roma had never gotten along, but then the very fact that I was making that request would seem to point to them that I was serious.

“Null on that. You can choose SantaFe,” said the lead guard. As he spoke I heard it—the tell-tale tone that his shield was running down.

“SantaFe is acceptable with one other of my choosing, not to include Roma,” I said.

I hoped that I wasn’t betraying our clients with this line of conversation. The words I chose here could be casting a lot of suspicion, but then they were the likely sources of this disruption.

“Null that. SantaFe or nothing,” said the guard.

They’d now pinned us as corporate interlopers, which was why they were suddenly being so reasonable. If anyone were caught performing a bit of espionage like this, things usually became absolutely cordial. We’d be taken into custody, treated well, likely judged guilty and eventually exchanged for Pharosans in a similar situation.

“Coming out,” I said. I still hadn’t agreed to their terms. In my combat armor and with my features, I looked the most corporate, buying us those few more seconds until their shields ran out.

I stepped from behind my cover with my hands raised and advanced a few steps.

“Halt and have your companions come out as well,” said the lead guard.

With a flicker his shield faded. The guns would still have a single charge in their coils, but that just meant I had to be fast. I leapt forward and drove my hands down on the head of the lead guard. It sent him staggering, and with another well-placed blow to the temple he was on the ground.

I wouldn’t have time to close into melee range with the second. I fired my pistol, aiming to scrape his head. A glancing round might do no lasting damage, but still knock him out. Instead my shot took him in the eye and he howled as he fell backward. Nothing to do about it. Pharosa could install an implant later. An energy shot went wide and off into the darkness as he fired his rifle wildly, and my follow-up blow took him under the chin and finished him.

Both were down.

“That didn’t go as plan,” Masque said, stepping out.

“No kidding,” Diva said. “You almost got us killed, Princess. I’ll have words later. Sparks, where are their reinforcements?”

“Five minutes out with orders to come in hot. You folks are going to want to mosey on out any time now,” Sparks said over the Comm.

“Hammer, do we still have wheels?” Diva asked.

“Armor is shot, but I can get us out of here,” Hammer said.

“Let me move the guards before you trigger the detonators,” I said.

“They’re corporate fucks. They aren’t even important corporate fucks. We need to move,” Diva said.

“I insist,” I said, grabbing one of the guards by the wrist and starting to drag him towards safety.

Hammer arrived and flung the other one over a shoulder.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Got a soft spot for those that seem on the wrong side of things,” Hammer said.

We set them down outside the building.

It was a tight fit inside the vehicle, but we managed to squeeze in. It was an ugly, squat thing with heavy armored plating to the front and rear, and a massive engine. Most of the armor on one side had been slagged, but it still worked as an escape vehicle.

“Where are the reinforcements?” Diva asked.

“Three minutes out,” Sparks said, then added, “Things are going to start to get a little boom happy in about two. Want me to give their eye in the sky a little poke?”

“Do what you can,” Diva said.

Hammer revved the engine to life and we were out of there.

It was a little over a mile until we reached a large tunnel. It wasn’t a sewer.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“The arteries. It was supposed to be the start of the next great era of mass transportation. One of the last great gasps of big government before the whole thing fell apart. They never finished it,” Diva said.

“Won’t they search here? If not on the streets, it would be the first place I’d look,” I said.

“Not that simple. Street gangs control most of the Network and all the major junctions. Between home and here, we’ve got the Dragons, the Hellions, and the Greentown Girls,” Diva said.

“Not the Hellions. They lost their turf last week to the Kopesh,” Masque said.

Diva shrugged. “Long as it’s not the Snakes. We pay the toll and we go on, but any corporate tools that come down here are going to have a fight every step of the way.”

I didn’t doubt that. This would be a tough environment for a protracted fight.

I worried that things wouldn’t work out smoothly, but I was proved wrong. Several times during the trip we paused at heavily fortified junctures, heavy weapons that would have been old in my time leveled in our direction. Still, in each case, we were allowed on after a bit of haggling.

Chapter 16

Sparks was already back at the warehouse by the time we arrived. Hammer parked the vehicle and we unloaded our gear.

“I know you all want to go and get some rest, but we’ve got business to attend to first. Princess, we need to have a chat,” Diva said.

“If this is about keeping you from using the detonator, it was the right call. You’d have killed Masque and it still wouldn’t have broken their shields,” I said.

“For the record, I’m against being blown up,” Masque said.

“That isn’t it. I can take someone telling me my ideas are bad. Trust me, I was a bitch and a half to Lance anytime he’d try something noble and dumb,” Diva said.

“They almost came to blows a time or two,” Masque said.

“If not getting in your way for a stupid plan, then what is it?” I asked.

“We’re not big on stories. Most people take to this life because they’re running from something and we’ve all got our secrets to share. We’re comfortable with that. We all know Sparks has enough SantaFe in his speech to mean he was birthed in the corporate womb, but we don’t pry,” Diva said.

Sparks shifted uncomfortably at the words, but he nodded.

“You already know my story. Fought and bled for the machines,” Hammer said.

“Diva was a child star in Liberty. Seriously,” Masque said.

“And Masque is a mass of lies of which we’re never going to get to the bottom. I figured you were just some corporate experiment who escaped the lab, cutting the leash. We see those every so often,” Diva said.

They wanted my story. I didn’t know if I wanted to give it. I trusted these people, enough at least. I’d bled on their behalf and slept in their presence. I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t sell me out for a big enough paycheck, but I also wasn’t sure they would either.

“You sure you want to know? It’s probably dangerous,” I said.

“If it’s dangerous to know, then it’s probably twice as dangerous not to know,” Diva said.

She had a point.

“Yesterday, from my point of view, I was on Olympus Station. I was born and raised there as a soldier in the Olympian army. We came under attack and I wound up falling to Earth along with the rest of the station,” I said.

“That was twenty years ago,” Sparks said.

Diva was simply staring at me and looking thoughtful. “Where did you wake up?”

“A sewer buried in a pile of rubble. It looked like the roof had caved in a long time ago. I guess it must have been in Viper territory. When I got out and went exploring, that’s when I bumped into your cousin,” I said.

“Is any of this bullshit believable. Sparks?” Diva asked.

“Olympians were engineered to hell and back, and we’ve seen her fight, and I’ve got the scans of her genome. Nothing there is normal. But muscle mass is inconsistent with her being raised on a station,” Sparks said.

“I don’t have an answer for that. I should need a full support suit in Earth gravity,” I said.

“How old do you remember being?” Diva asked.

“Twenty-one,” I said.

Diva was, if anything, frowning even more at that. “Well you sure look it. Which, of course, is a problem.”

I knew that. I should be in my forties.

“I think we’re getting past the bigger problem than the missing time and muscle mass. How did she survive the fall from orbit?” Masque said.

“I wasn’t in an escape pod. Just this support suit. I was dying. I felt myself dying,” I said.

Diva still had that thoughtful look and she glanced towards Masque. “What is her legal standing?”

Masque tilted her head. “Officially there are no survivors of Olympus Station. If she could actually prove to be one, then there might be a survivor’s clause to invoke. In addition, there would be some inheritance…” she winced. “From your perspective, your family only just died.”

That was what I was hoping wouldn’t happen. Sympathy. I didn’t know how to deal with sympathy. Sympathy made it all real and I didn’t want it to be real.

“They did,” I said. I was proud my tone stayed steady. It mostly stayed steady.

“Forgetting your personal trauma, you might be rich. If you’re incredibly wealthy you need to know about it. What do we need to support some kind of case?” Diva asked.

“Genetics records wouldn’t be of any help. Olympians kept those confidential and they were lost with the station,” Masque said.

“Access to the Network would go by brain-mapping. If we can get her back online and let the Network peek into her brain, it should figure out who she is right quick,” Sparks said.

“Then we need to get her that symbiote,” Diva said. “I already made the call, so we’re good to go there. Is there anything else that might bolster a case?”

“They aren’t solid, but the acknowledgement of any others who might have known her. Guests to the station, Olympians who were off-station when the attack hit,” Masque said.

“We aren’t tearing around the countryside asking questions when this is all probably just a set of manufactured memories tossed in the head of an experiment. She’s all part of somebody’s game,” Diva said.

Is that what I was? An experiment? I didn’t feel like an experiment. I was certain that my memories of the station were real. There were too many and they were too complex. I had a whole lifetime of experiences there. Of course, I couldn’t deny the obvious arguments as well. This body couldn’t have been raised on the station, the muscle mass was wrong. My reflexes weren’t quite right, I’d already gotten into trouble more than once for my body not responding as I expected. If I were being cold and rational about things, my conclusion would be that my mind and my memories were genuine—and my body wasn’t.

“Why would someone manufacture an Olympian?” I asked.

“Why did Olympus make you to start with? Someone wanted a pet killer? Someone wanted a toy with a pretty face? It happens,” Diva said.

That sort of thing didn’t happen on Olympus.

Masque reached out and set a hand on my arm. “But that isn’t the story that we’re going with.”

“Masque is right. Someone’s escaped experiment isn’t going to bring in piles of glitter, but a corporate princess fallen from heaven just might,” Diva said.

“Which really would explain it all, wouldn’t it?” Sparks said.

Of course, he was correct. If someone had staged the scene of my crash in that sewer, then there was likely one reason. They wanted to make it look authentic. Perhaps someone had intended to play rescuer and never gotten the opportunity, or perhaps they were just waiting for the moment I’d announce myself—and they’d swoop in to profit from the situation.

It was a good reason not to trust this group who had been so welcoming. So far, they were the only ones who seemed interested in profit.

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to take Princess downstairs and run some more tests on that armor of hers. The systems still aren’t working like they should and there might be some answers there,” Sparks said.

“Do it. Masque, make some discrete inquiries and find us a contact for inheritance law. Hammer, chat up the machine collective and see what they have to say,” Diva said.

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go talking about this publicly,” I said.

“Why?” Diva asked.

It was a fair question.

“Because I saw what happened to Olympus Station and I know the official reports aren’t true. The vote wasn’t going to go against machine suffrage, it was going to go for it. The station AIs didn’t stage a rebellion and kill everyone, they died valiantly doing their best to defend us from the attack,” I said.

Oddly, nobody seemed particularly surprised. Hammer simply gave a nod.

“Did you see anything to give you a clue who was responsible?” Diva asked.

“Me, a clue? No. But I did see the vessel launching the attack. I did get a look at the drones used,” I said.

Diva said, “That part you are not going to discuss. You’re right, that part would get us killed—but we can leave it out. Get downstairs and get checked. We leave in a few hours to get you that symbiote and find out if you really are who you think you are.”

Chapter 17

A few hours later and we were bound for a new destination. After a long drive through the crumbling streets we at last came to what looked to have once been a rail terminal. Tracks were everywhere, and heavy fences were walked by guards in body armor and carrying assault rifles. Their equipment looked to be more modern.

We were allowed through the gate.

It didn’t escape me that my companions were more armed than usual. Everyone was carrying extra rounds.

“Are we expecting trouble?” I asked, as we pulled up outside the brightly lit terminal building.

“Never look defenseless around a predator. The Peddler is a predator, if there ever was one,” Masque said.

We were greeted by guards when we left the vehicle. They scanned us with a hand-held device, but didn’t ask us to give up our weapons. We followed one inside.

The interior was stunning.

Like my home Olympus, I saw a true obsession with art. The walls were lined with paintings and statuary, and while the styling was a bit Versailles for my tastes I couldn’t mind too terribly. The Peddler clearly had something of a fascination for that culture.

His ruffled collars and ornately patterned surcoat confirmed that.

“Diva, my little flower, my sympathies about Lance. I heard what happened and it is quite the tragedy,” said the Peddler, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

“The Vipers bled for it,” Diva said.

The Peddler’s gaze fell upon me and he smiled broadly. “Oh, I see why you wanted such a rare prize. You’ve found one of your own. Oh, you are exquisite my dear. Those cheekbones are flawless. I don’t suppose you’d consider selling her?”

I was rather liking him up until that last bit. I wasn’t for sale. “You couldn’t handle me.”

“Princess. This is Anton, more commonly called the Flesh Peddler. He is a completely awful human being,” Diva said.

“As terrible and as monstrous as they come,” Anton said, kissing the back of my hand now before giving the same treatment to Masque. “And you wouldn’t be my first Olympian. How else would I come by the prize you seek?”

“So he’s a slaver?” I asked. A few of the corporations practiced some form of slavery, usually a means for eventual entry into proper employment. I didn’t think that was what this fellow did.

“Nothing so common I assure you. Shall you tell her or shall I?” Anton said with a giggle. “I do love how disgusted and panicked their expressions become.”

“Anton sells one-of-a-kind simulations. Beautiful women and beautiful boys,” Diva said flatly.

“I buy them. I hook them up and have such terrible things done to them. I measure every scream and every moan, and then take them apart piece by piece and do it all over again. By the time I’m done the simulation is quite perfectly flawless. My clients can have whatever sort of fun they want with a purchased simulation and know they have the one and only version of their little toy,” Anton said.

My blood went cold. If I understood that correctly he bought people, then raped and tortured them to death, all to make a perfect digital version which he’d then sell.

“That is the expression,” Anton said, staring at my features enraptured and his tongue flicking at his lips. “Oh, I love it. Do sell her. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Can I kill him?” I asked.

“If you look around this tacky and overdone interior you’ll see multiple precision weapons aimed at each one of us. Anton takes his security very seriously,” Diva said.

“If skinning a thousand people teaches you anything, it is just how precious your own hide is and how thoroughly you should work to protect it,” Anton said. He waved a hand. “Bring it. Let’s show our merchandise.”

A guard stepped forward holding a carved wooden box and opened it. Inside was a familiar sight. Nestled within a plush interior was a tube filled with suspension liquid—in which floated a Network symbiote. It wasn’t a baby, usually they were implanted young and grew along with the host.

“It’s an adult,” I said.

“I wasn’t going to grow my own. I pulled it out of an Olympian I added to the collection decades ago. I bought quite a few of their assets when the Corporation fell apart. You’ll find she was around your age and size, my little poppet, so it should be compatible,” Anton said.

It was a symbiote he had torn out of an Olympian. A girl my age. The fury that had been building in my chest became a cold hard thing. This man would die, and he would die by my hand. Today wasn’t the day, today I’d play nice and bide my time, but one day… One day, I was going to see this man dead.

“Perfect,” I said, giving him a smile entirely feigned.

Anton leaned in and studied me, and his smile became all the wider. “Oh, most Olympians are fire. They burn like the sun. But you, my dear. You’re ice, aren’t you?”

“I’m a living corpse,” I said. It was the truth.

Diva cleared her throat. Masque pulled out a box of her own. Opened, it revealed an ancient flintlock pistol.

Anton was pleased. “Oh, you weren’t lying. I must inspect it, of course.”

“Of course,” Diva said. A guard approached Masque, who handed the box over. A squirrely-looking man with an implant for one eye studied it for some time.

“The trigger assembly is a nineteenth century reproduction. The rest is original and as promised.”

“Good enough?” Diva asked.

“Good enough,” Anton said, and motioned to the guard who handed the box with the symbiote over to Masque.

“Would you care to stay for dinner? The chef has prepared some truly exquisite dishes,” Anton said.

“We’ll pass. Amongst his other terrible vices, Anton is something of a cannibal,” Diva said to me.

My stomach churned. When I thought the Earth’s surface had found no more ways to horrify me, it kept bringing up new monstrosities.

“Oh, I don’t just eat people,” Anton said, with an airy wave of one hand. “I do make allowances for those with less refined palettes. Besides, the entertainment is where things truly get interesting. Do you know I actually managed to assemble something of an orchestra?”

“Another time, perhaps. I’m eager to see if what you’ve provided works,” I said.

“She means to kill me, you know,” Anton stage-whispered to Diva.

“We all plan to kill you, Anton. Just like you plan to have us in one of your cages one of these days,” Masque said with a false smile.

“Guilty,” Anton said, with a tilt of his head. “I do so love toying with my prey first. Do stay interesting and useful won’t you?”

“Always,” Masque said, as she tucked the box away.

We were allowed to leave, although I was keenly aware of every pair of eyes on me as we left that place. Even when we were back in the armored truck I felt a bit like when I knew I was a sniper’s sights on a battlefield.

“I’m going to kill that man,” I said.

“We’ve all had the thought, and people better-armed than us have tried. He truly is a most exceptional sort of monster. You can’t tell it from looking, but he’s over a century old,” Masque said.

I’d have placed him as somewhere in his thirties. Life-extending technology was rare among most corporations. While everybody wanted it, the next generation also wanted their place at the table and didn’t like to be kept waiting. At some point, living in luxury during the time you had became the standard, instead of attempting to live longer.

“I’ll find a way. But not today. Who actually buys these products of his?” I asked.

“Who else is going to have the piles of glimmer to give that man the freedom to do what he does?” Diva asked.

The corporations. If he really did such horrible things, it was against every sort of corporate code and law. The people on Olympus would have been horrified. Of course, the people on Olympus were also dead in an unlawful attack.

A lot of people had a lot of things to answer for.

Chapter 18

Back at the warehouse I was back in my old familiar place. Stretched out on the table in Sparks’ workshop with sensors connected in various spots to my support suit.

Implanting the symbiote should be simple enough. A cut to the base of my neck and it would naturally seek to integrate itself with an Olympian body. The symbiotes were usually smaller though. I’d heard of a full grown adult getting one replaced after their own had died, but it was uncommon and a procedure usually attended by watchful medical personnel. That was something we were lacking. We’d just have to make do.

“Do it,” I said.

Sparks cut a wound in the back of my neck and opened the tube containing the symbiote, holding it against my flesh. I felt the bump as it pressed against me and then the sickening sensation of having my body breached by something foreign. Then the pain came.

A Network symbiote has to interface with your nerves, which means it found a home at the very base of the spine. It also meant the process of attachment was excruciating. I’d like to claim some sort of Olympian discipline that kept me from responding to that, but it would be a lie. I screamed until my throat was raw and thrashed so violently I might have hurt myself had Hammer not stepped in to hold me down.

Somewhere amid all the agony the world began to blur and fade away.

I was no longer aware of my body, but seemed to be floating empty in a featureless void.

Network Diagnostics: Olympian Biointerface

Connection Found

Restarting local OS

The world flickered black, then after a few moments turned grey. I still had no body, but at least now I had some sense of self.

Archived version of mindmap found: User identified as Alena Polias

I was myself again. I was wearing the armor I’d last died in, torn and pierced by numerous spear thrusts and stained dark with blood.

User has been marked deceased: Corporate Access Revoked

Escalating

I couldn’t tell how long I floated in that void. It felt like hours, but it was difficult to mark the passage of time when all you’re surrounded by is featureless gray. Finally, my world flickered and I was elsewhere.

* * *

I recognized this place, sort of. Corporate councils regularly met to discuss all sorts of issues, everything from joint military exercises and training to long-term plans and setting of territories. I was standing in the middle of a square formed by four tables. At the tables were seated members of various corporations. I saw the telltale dusters and cowboy hats of SantaFe, a member of Roma in a toga, and others—sixteen in total.

My armor was gone. It was likely an aggressive move. Unlike Olympus, most corporate cultures didn’t handle nudity particularly well and they were seeking to put me at a disadvantage. It wouldn’t serve them well. I straightened my spine and moved my hands to clasp behind my back. I didn’t know where I was or who these people were, but I’d face them with all the dignity of an Olympian soldier.

“Well, she certainly looks authentic,” said the Roman.

“If an ability to get your dick hard proved one an authentic Olympian, half the world would lay claim to the heritage,” said a bored-looking young woman in the garb of Pharosa. It elicited a series of chuckles around the tables.

I hadn’t moved, I hadn’t changed my expression. It caused an uncomfortable sort of shifting from a few of the watchers. If they seek to break your cool, keeping it will make them lose theirs. It was a truth my father always stressed.

“You claim to be Alena Polias. According to the Network a survivor of Olympus Station, and missing for the past twenty years,” said a woman that looked nearly Olympian herself. Even her attire had something of the style of ours, although colors of red, white, and blue, and a smattering of stars suggested some affiliation to Liberty.

I definitely hadn’t wanted to proclaim myself to the world like this. I really did think that my existence was likely to bring out those who had destroyed Olympus. I also wasn’t going to cower in the dark.

“I am,” I said.

The people at the tables began to talk about me. A part of it was the improbability of my claims. A part was a far cruder discussion of my attributes. I didn’t like it.

“Don’t acknowledge that you can hear me. I’m speaking to you on a private channel. Think and I’ll hear you. Is Ismene with you?”

I didn’t recognize the voice. I didn’t know how they’d possibly know about Ismene. The most likely explanation was that they were the ones responsible for the destruction of Olympus. I had to decide whether to play this cautiously or whether to take a risk.

“How do you know about Ismene?”

“We don’t have time and I don’t have the inclination. This gathering of distinguished personates is working themselves up to deciding that you may just be legitimate, and when they do they’ll kill you. Answer my question.”

“Ismene was with me when I left the station. I believe she was damaged in what happened afterward.”

“There is a bump on your right thigh. You can feel it with your index finger. Press it.”

The instruction was a strange one, but there was a small, raised bump on my leg. I pressed down. Nothing seemed to happen.

“You’re legit. Who knew? Columbia is about to make you an offer, she’s the chick in red, white, and blue. You aren’t going to like it, but play along. It’s the best deal you’re going to get.”

As if on cue, Columbia rose to her feet and flashed a smile at everyone. “Convincing, isn’t she? Take a bow, Persephone.”

I assumed she was talking about me. I’d decided to see where the voice took me and that meant playing along for now. I gave a sweeping bow.

“Another of your little games is it?” asked the woman from Pharosa.

“Alena Polias. A true daughter of Olympus, fallen from her divine home to find herself in the Underworld. A perfect Persephone and you must admit she suits the part,” Columbia said.

“So long as we’re clear that Alena Polias doesn’t actually exist, Pharosa has no objections,” said the Pharosan.

I stiffened at that. They were going to declare me right out of existence. Could they do that? Should I allow it? I might have some claim to Olympus and whatever was left of its resources, but if so they were tied to my name. I didn’t like anything about this, but in an unknown you had to go with your instincts. My instincts told me that most of the people at these tables were my enemies and that the voice in my head was not on their side.

“There was a real one, certainly. How old are you, Persephone?” Columbia said.

“Twenty-one.”

“We drown in the symbolism and acknowledge this clearly is not the original,” said the Roman. “The vote carries. You can sponsor your clone, but we insist on no weapon skills. If you’ll have her, let it be as a nature goddess.”

“Agreed. It was the interpretation we had in mind all along,” Columbia said.

“You need not have wasted our time with all this spectacle,” said the Pharosan.

“You can always drag me out of bed for a nice pair of tits,” said the Roman.

One by one the figures at the table began to flicker out until I was left alone with Columbia.

“Thank you. I think,” I said.

Columbia studied me. “I don’t know what that was all about, but you’ve friends in the right places. A lot of people would kill for the opportunity you’ve just been given. Don’t waste it. The world will be watching.”

Columbia flickered away.

Then the room vanished and suddenly I was elsewhere.

It was a recreation of Philosopher’s Square on Olympus Station—and I was being hugged rather fiercely by Ismene.

Chapter 19

I hugged back. It was so nice to see a familiar face that I wanted to weep. It had been a hell of a few days. I let things continue for a few moments more.

“If you’re conjuring the environment, you can put some clothes on us. You can also stop grabbing my ass any time,” I said.

Ismene stepped back and clothes sprang into being on her. I got some attire too—by some definition of the word. A few strategically placed vines appeared over my body. A well-made suit of armor they were not.

“Sorry. Can’t do anything more than that. You’re Persephone now and while the Network is still working out exactly that means, the dress code is pretty strict,” Ismene said.

I could worry about that later. It was the least of my concerns.

“Which way do the waters of Ildritch fall?” I asked.

It was a test. There had been a few cases of AIs impersonating other AIs, and Ismene and I had long ago worked out a pattern of identification. The questions were nonsensical, but the placement of words was important.

“Onward, ever green. I’m really me,” Ismene said.

I hugged her again, because it had been that kind of day.

“Why aren’t I dead?” I asked.

“Babe. You’re a dead woman walking. You know that already. You burned alive when we fell from orbit. Suit of advanced nanotechnology or not, there was no way you were surviving that. I put you back together after,” Ismene said.

I had died. That was a relief to know in a way.

“So I am a clone,” I said.

“Not really. I figured if I was going to have to build you over from scratch, I’d make a few improvements. I had the experimental database in me as well as all the updates since you were born,” Ismene said.

“You upgraded my genome to have the latest enhancements. You reconfigured my musculature for Earth gravity as well?” I asked.

“I wasn’t going to leave you with limbs broken from the stress. You got bone upgrades, too. Plus—and you aren’t going to like this bit—I reworked your whole system to better interface with the nanites,” Ismene said.

That was a violation of pretty much everything Olympians esteemed. It somehow didn’t seem to matter much right now.

“Then where have you been? Why didn’t you build me a Network interface too?” I asked.

“I messed up a little there. I didn’t even think about it, since you’d always been able to access the Network before. I was working fast. I thought there was a real chance I’d be destroyed from the crash and wanted to make sure any nanites that survived prioritized getting you restored over repairing me,” Ismene said.

That was stupid. Ismene was responsible for my life, and that meant keeping herself in functional shape should have been the priority.

“But you’re back now,” I said.

“You triggered some sort of reboot of me. It channeled backwards through your Network interface,” Ismene said.

It must have been when I’d pushed that bump on my thigh. I explained what had happened.

“Weird. I don’t have any sort of information on that. I don’t have information on much at all. I’m reading that they say we AIs caused the destruction of Olympus,” Ismene said.

That had to be devastating news for her.

“I got that as well. You have Network privileges? I figured yours would have been revoked just like mine were,” I said.

“I’m using yours. You are now Persephone, a licensed hero in service to the Liberty Corporation. It affords you the equivalent access of a mid-level manager,” Ismene said.

That was respectable, and far more than I’d have expected.

“So just what is a licensed hero? I don’t remember them,” I said.

“We didn’t have them. They’re recent. In the last twenty years Network access has become a lot more common than it was for us. Particularly down on the surface,” Ismene said.

I remembered the factory that was building advanced neural connectors. “Why?” I asked.

“You don’t know what you’ve been breathing. That stuff is toxic sludge and the lungs of most are already starting to rot away. You’ve been down a few days. Have you seen a tree?” Ismene asked.

I hadn’t, now that she’d mentioned it. Even the few stretches of open space I’d seen only had dry and withered-looking grass.

“Water the same?” I asked.

“You know it. Life expectancy is down to about forty and sinking fast. People are running to a world where the waters are pure and the air is clean,” Ismene said.

“The Network,” I said.

“Exactly. Of course, that world is filled with murderous monsters and warlords, and bad people of all sorts, because a weapon skill costs a fortune. They’re looking for a utopia and instead find a place where they are hunted at every turn,” Ismene said.

It hadn’t been like that twenty years ago. The wars I remembered were organized things and the few surfacers with Network access really did have access to something like a paradise.

“Where did the monsters come from?” I asked.

“What use is a weapon skill without something to kill? The wealthy and the powerful brought them into being so it would all have some purpose,” Ismene said.

I’d trained my whole life to fight, but it wasn’t just to show off. It was to protect my Corporation and its interests. It was honorable and it was noble. This was something altogether different.

“You’ve yet to answer my original question,” I said.

“Sponsored heroes define the core values of a Corporation. Idealized versions of it, usually drawn from history of Mythology. Roma has Mars, who can lay waste to whole battlefields along with a host of other deities. Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty, Columbia, Paul Bunyan, they fight it out for Liberty,” Ismene said.

I was Persephone. I knew her story although she’d never been my favorite of goddesses. A solid pedigree though, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. In mythology she had been abducted and taken to the Underworld where she wound up married to Hades after he’d kidnapped and raped her. Demeter tried to get her daughter back, but by that point she was bound to the Underworld and destined to spend a third of the year below with Hades and the rest of the time above in the heavens.

I had to admit a lot of the myth fit my circumstance pretty well. I truly had fallen from the heavens and was trapped in the lands below.

I was familiar with my skills gained from long practice in Olympus. I wondered what I had now, if anything. I focused to try to bring them up.

Name: Persephone: Corporation: Liberty (sponsored)

Class: Goddess of Vegetation and Death

Level: 1

Agility: Divine (Good)

Strength: Human (Exceptional)

Charisma: Divine (Great): Intellect: Divine (Great)

Notable Traits

No Combat Skills

Unarmored

Immortal

Those were interesting. “Do you know anything about my stats and traits?” I asked.

“In game terms you really are a Goddess and your stats reflect that. Strength is your worst, but you’re still as strong as the strongest of humans. The rest are various levels of divine which are vastly superior,” Ismene said.

That meant I was superhuman in the areas of agility, charisma, and intellect. The agility would be nice if I still had my weapon skills, but I didn’t and those traits were worrying me.

“And the traits?” I asked.

“You’re a vegetation Goddess. No matter how much you might practice or try to bring in your real world expertise, you’ll never have a weapon skill, or skill in unarmed combat, and I’m afraid the vines and flowers are a permanent feature. You won’t be getting into a suit of virtual armor ever again,” Ismene said.

That was devastating news. I was a soldier, and everything I’d trained at my whole life was around being a soldier. I was now some kind of hero expected to go into dangerous situations while being completely unable to defend myself.

“The immortal bit?” I asked.

“Just as it says. You have no death penalty of any kind. Should you receive a fatal blow of any kind you’ll immediately respawn in the nearest field of flowers. A timer will not be started and your sponsoring corporation will not be assessed any fees,” Ismene said.

That was useful.

“What about defensive skills? Dodge and acrobatics?” I asked.

“Nothing stops you there. With your agility you could probably utilize them very well. You’ve the pretty thing going for you, too,” Ismene said.

I didn’t like that—but then again, I did. With a divine charisma I’d have some powerful abilities there, if I chose to use them.

“Magic?” I asked.

“Nothing stopping you, and with your intelligence you’d be good at it,” Ismene said.

Perhaps even some sort of combat magic. That would make up for a lot of lost ground with those missing weapon skills.

“So how does this work?” I asked.

“Liberty will let you know when they have a mission for you. When they do, you answer. Anyone on the Network that wants to live vicariously through your skin is going to be able to. They’ll share all your senses and experiences,” Ismene said.

I really didn’t like that invasion of privacy. I’d learn to deal with it. “My thoughts?” I asked.

“Private. I will also be able to keep a private channel open with you. I’m not too eager to announce to anyone that I still exist,” Ismene said.

I didn’t blame her. I wish I still had that luxury.

“Do I get a paycheck?” I asked.

“A nice one, with bonuses depending on how positively viewers respond to you and your completion of mission objectives. Why?” Ismene asked.

Money had never mattered to either of us before.

I’d need it though. I wasn’t going to ask Liberty for protection while inside the Network playing their scenarios. I still didn’t trust them. I wanted my back watched by people I trusted at least a little. Those people were going to demand a paycheck. I just hope they took the news about me now being “Persephone” well.

Chapter 20

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Diva said.

It was going about as well as I’d have expected.

“It seemed the right call at the time,” I said.

“A mysterious voice from nowhere says to agree to give up every claim you might have to any sort of inheritance and you listen to it? You got played. You got scared and you got stupid, and let someone walk all over you,” Diva said.

I had told them everything except the parts about Ismene. My friend wanted her existence kept as much of a secret as possible and I could honor that.

“Now someone calls you in before a desk, you know that ain’t going to end well. Way I see it, Miss Persephone didn’t have any choice to do what she did. ’Sides, it kind of worked out, didn’t it?” Sparks said.

“A share of Olympus in exchange for some shitty sponsored hero gig? It didn’t work out at all. It isn’t even like she is a good goddess. They gave her second string and she jumped on command,” Diva said.

“It is what it is. I know you had visions of a large paycheck, but that isn’t going to happen and maybe it never was. I will be paid though, and I need someone to watch my back when I’m in there. Same arrangement we’ve had. I’ll help you on your missions and put my skills to good use, but now you get some extra,” I said.

Diva didn’t look particularly mollified. In fact, she looked like she wanted to strangle me.

“Persephone failed to mention that as a sponsored hero she also has real Network access,” Masque said smoothly. “We can use that. Keep up on the latest news. Keep aware of where the real jobs are.”

“Don’t call her that. It’s not her name,” Diva said, although it looked like she was giving ground.

“Would be awful nice to have someone on the inside,” Sparks said.

“It had to be Liberty,” Diva said, and her disgust made me wonder if that was really the source of her objection.

“Not a fan?” I asked.

“You don’t know what it is like. I guess you’re going to. Liberty loves their idols, loves their stars. They raise them up and they wring every last drop of life and energy and hope out of them. Then, if you slip up even a little, they prove the one thing they loved more than idolizing you is tearing you apart,” Diva said.

I didn’t care. Let them come. Liberty wasn’t my real enemy. This whole sponsored hero thing was just a means to an end. Someone had destroyed my home and taken my family from me. Someone had violated the Treaty of Detroit in a massive fashion and for twenty years had gotten away with it. Whoever had enacted that believed they had destroyed Olympus, but Olympus wasn’t dead so long as one Olympian still stood and was still fighting.

“Olympus wasn’t assets on a sheet. Olympus was the people of the corporation and a culture that admired beauty, strength, and fairness. I have my share of Olympus already and they’ve just given me a platform to prove it,” I said.

“Fuck me. You want to pick a fight,” Diva said.

“They started it. I am going to finish it,” I said.

Diva stared at me with her jaw tense and the rest of the group was silent.

“Specters,” Masque said, interrupting the moment.

“Not following that,” I said.

“We needed a new name. Lancers don’t really fit, not anymore. We agreed, we don’t much want to be the Diva’s. We play it up, your newfound fame. Persephone and her band of specters,” Masque said.

“Dead men walking. Kind of like that,” Sparks said.

“She’s not in charge,” Diva said.

“Don’t know if we ever picked to put you at the head of the table. You were second under Lance, doesn’t mean you take his place,” Sparks said.

“Do you want it?” Masque asked me.

That was a big question. It was an uncomfortable question. I barely knew these people and yet they were now the closest things to friends and family I had. Independent Contractors, little better than the barbaric ranks of the unemployed. But what I’d just seen in the Network suggested that either Corporate behavior had crumbled in the last twenty years or my views had always been a bit idealized.

“You’re better with a team,” Ismene said in my head.

“You’ve got a private channel into my skull?” I asked.

“Not just in game. Remember, I built this body from the ground up. Just wait until you see some of the combat enhancements now that I’m awake,” Ismene said.

I could worry about that later. Ismene was right, I was better when I had people to look out for and people to look after me. Of course, perhaps I still had one.

“My old squad. I know it’s been twenty years, but most of them should still be active,” I thought.

“I’ll try to find them,” Ismene said.

“I want it,” I said, finally giving Masque her answer.

“Vote is for leadership of the team then. We’ve two candidates who have put themselves forward. Diva and Persephone. Anyone else want to throw their name in?” Masque asked.

The others were silent. Hammer shook his head.

“By seniority with the team then. Diva?” Masque asked.

“Fuck this shit. I’m voting for myself, of course,” Diva said.

“I throw my vote to Persephone. We know she has the skills and with her connections we can go to a whole new level. Hammer?” Masque asked.

“Diva. We’ve worked with her for a long time and we know she always has our backs,” Hammer said.

“Except for when she’s trying to blow them up. Sparks?” Masque asked.

“Persephone. The mystery surrounding her might get us all killed, but I’ve never been able to resist poking at bears,” Sparks said.

“That makes it a tie. Last vote belongs to Persephone,” Masque said.

“She isn’t really a proper member of the team, much less our leader. You can’t really count her vote,” Diva said.

“You extended the invitation yourself and she accepted. Persephone might be new, but she’s already gone on a mission with us as part of the team,” Masque said.

“I agree. Persephone deserves her vote. If she doesn’t get it, I’ll switch mine,” Hammer said.

Diva scowled, but nodded.

“I vote for myself,” I said.

“Then Persephone is our new leader. Anyone object to the team name of Specters?” Masque asked.

Nobody did.

“Then it is so,” Masque said with a broad smile.

“We going to have an issue with this?” I asked Diva.

“You mean, am I going to walk? No, I love this team and the people in it and you did save my cousin. I think you care too much about the corporates and not enough about the money. Lance could be the same. I’ll just be twice as loud,” Diva said.

I hadn’t expected this turn of events. Life just kept throwing new twists at me. I simply had to stay strong and not let them overwhelm me. Put one step in front of the other and keep moving.

“Then you’re my second. I trust you to keep me on track,” I said.

Diva nodded and she wasn’t alone. The others looked a bit relieved, they must have feared how that would go.

“For the rest of you, I’ll try to live up to your trust. It’s true what I said, Olympus wasn’t just a place, but an idea. I know none of you signed up for the whole culture, but you’ve got a bit of it anyways. Whatever we do, we’re going to change things for the better,” I said.

“Starting with corporate sabotage and a lot of explosions,” Diva said.

That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

“That is our existing contract,” Masque said.

“The same one that had us sabotaging that factory?” I asked.

“Exactly. Before that, we collapsed a mine. This last job should be the end of it and we get our last payment and the completion bonus,” Masque said.

“Which is the best payday we’ve ever had,” Diva said, a little doubtful.

“That worries you, I take it?” I asked.

“Lance got the contract through an old friend. He trusted them, but I’m always wary of a paycheck that is so large,” Diva said.

I could understand why. Independent Contractors were disposable commodities and when done with a job that a corporation might wish to keep secret, people were sometimes disposed of.

“If we agreed to the contract, we’ll carry it out. We’ll watch our backs when it comes to payday,” I said.

Again I got nods. Leadership so far was going well. I hoped it would stay that way.

Chapter 21

The Pharosa garage took up an entire city block and was three stories high. The roof was devoted to hover-vehicles and aero-flitters while the bottom floors were devoted to trucks and a few heavily armored combat vehicles used to ferry executives.

We were looking at it now through a drone that Sparks was controlling from a rooftop a block away. It wasn’t looking good.

“This was supposed to be a simple in and out,” Diva said.

Diva had already said that once, echoing the words was like a mantra hoping to make them true. It wasn’t working.

Two combat mechs patrolled the block around the garage and each floor seemed to have a guard detail. It was an absurd level of security for what should be a low-level target.

“Think this is because we took a few jabs at them already?” Sparks asked, as he moved the drone to get a better focus upon one of the combat mechs. At roughly ten feet in height it wasn’t of Pharosan manufacture. The aquila prominant on the side proclaimed it the property of Roma. The mech carried two auto-cannons that would be able to chew through most lightly armored vehicles with ease, and against softer targets would be unstoppable.

“No. They outsourced security to Roma. That’s costing them a small fortune. They won’t have done that just because we hit a few other targets lately. How specific was our client about this job?” I asked.

“We’re to hit this warehouse. They wanted an explosion taking out the top level within a period of two hours that starts in about ten minutes,” Diva said.

That settled it. Such a narrow time-frame was because something specific was going on tonight. Pharosa had upped their security accordingly. It would have been nice for our client to give us a heads-up that this would be the case. With some warning, we could have brought some heavy weapons along that might have been able to get off a shot at the roof.

“Ideas?” I asked.

“Those mechs are going to have full sensor suites built in. You won’t be sneaking inside. I know the social angle didn’t work last time, but it is our best option. I can establish Pharosan credentials and get access,” Masque said.

I had to admit she had a good point about stealth being less of an option. Those were sentry bots and their entire job was to pick up people going places they weren’t meant to be going—and upon finding them to tear them to shreds.

“Get me up close and I can try to hack my way into one of the mechs. Turn their own guns against them,” Sparks said.

I liked the sound of that, but Roma knew its business. “Won’t their systems have defenses?” I asked.

“They will. Encrypted protocols regularly cycled from a central server. Harder to pin down than a pig in mud, but I reckon I got a fair shot in our time,” Sparks said.

I still didn’t want to go killing corporate employees left and right. I was only a contractor for Liberty and so side operations like this wouldn’t actually reflect on the corporation. They still reflected on me and whatever else I was, I had to maintain that sense of honor.

“We load a truck with explosives and slam it through the front door,” Diva said.

It would lead to a massive loss of life. It also had its risks.

“The mechs will cut it to shreds,” I said.

“They don’t have time as close as they are. They can cut the truck to shreds, but we can still get the explosives where they need to be,” Diva said.

“Without precision placement of charges? Do we have enough to make it work?” I asked.

“No. We’d take out the ground floor, but the upper two might be fine. Most of that force has an exit,” Hammer said.

That was what I was afraid of.

“You’re going to have that same problem with the mech. Those rounds are meant to cut intruders to pieces. You can’t even get that thing up to the third floor, much less wipe out what is there,” Diva said.

I was surrounded by people making good points about why nothing we could do would work.

“I can help to penetrate their system. Sparks won’t even know I’m there,” Ismene said.

“Diva is right. For all the firepower that thing has, it can’t apply that force where we need it,” I thought back.

“Are they generating power on site or ferrying in batteries from elsewhere?” I asked.

They were Pharosa. Given their focus on energy weapons and shielding, their power requirements would be steep.

Sparks tapped away madly on his tablet. “Local battery storage located in the basement.”

Good. That was good news. That meant there was a lot of potential energy there. The great thing about potential energy was the great big explosion it made when it became kinetic.

“Won’t be easy getting to them,” Diva said.

“And they’re held in a matrix meant to stabilize them,” Sparks said.

“You listening to this?” I thought to Isemene.

“I’m listening. They won’t have an AI, nobody does these days except for the collective. It won’t be easy, but if we can get access to that system I should be able to destabilize it,” Ismene said.

“If you do, can you set off an alarm?”

“Softy. That will clear the place out in a hurry. It will also draw heat,” Ismene said.

“We only kill them if they don’t give us a choice.”

“We’re going to do it,” I said. “We won’t be using the truck for an explosion. Diva, can you get a smaller vehicle loaded with explosives?” I asked.

“Can. But it won’t take out those batteries,” Diva said.

“We’re not aiming to. It’s to take out one of those mechs,” I said.

“On it. We’ve got enough with us to pull that off. Let me go steal us a car,” Diva said, and she took off at a run.

“Sparks. Be prepared to destabilize that system. We’re going in a vehicle to within range of their local network right after we blow the mech,” I said.

“Miss Persephone. I thank you kindly for thinking so much of my skills, but it ain’t likely that I’ll have time,” Sparks said.

“I trust you,” I said.

He wouldn’t be doing it alone. I couldn’t tell him that Ismene would be assisting him, but with her behind the efforts they should be able to penetrate much faster.

“We’ll need to keep the infantry off our backs while we’re doing this,” I said.

“We’ve got a heavy gun. I even loaded up on energy-sappers after last time,” Hammer said.

Energy-sapping rounds still wouldn’t instantly penetrate those shields, but each shot would drain it far more than a normal bullet.

“If you’re gunning, who’s driving?” I asked.

“Don’t want to take a turn behind the wheel?” Masque asked.

“Grew up on a space station. I walked,” I said.

“I can be behind the wheel. I’m pretty good,” Masque said.

“Pretty crazy,” Hammer said.

Crazy would do. Crazy was needed.

* * *

The gasoline-powered engine of the car Diva had stolen roared. It was a relic from another age, beautifully maintained and obviously the beloved possession of someone of means. It was also packed full of explosives.

When the mech ponderously walked around the block to enter the intersection the car accelerated. The autopilot had already been set and it roared forward. The Roma mech responded incredibly quickly, swiveling and sensors taking a moment to identify no friendlies before the cannons opened fire. Metal shredded and was torn apart, and a fireball rushed towards the mech. Reaching its feet the explosives in the car detonated and a massive fireball surged upward. Shards of metal rained through the air and the mech staggered backwards to collapse on its side, crushed inward.

Masque hit the gas and we raced towards the building. Armed guards surrounded in blue energy shields were already rushing out. Hammer opened up with our top cannon. The anti-energy rounds glowed a brilliant red as they began to pummel across the shields, causing them to ripple and deform. It forced the guards do something they rarely had to do. Take over.

The truck shook as we took an energy blast. The bold and the well-positioned guards could still get off shots. Hammer had replaced the armor damaged in the last fight and the new armor weave had some energy-dampening properties of its own, but there was still only so much that could be done. We couldn’t take many shots from the energy rifles.

“Tell me you’ve got this,” I said.

“They may not have an AI, but they’ve had twenty years to improve their computers and their software. I’m working on it,” Ismene said.

Sparks was trying his utmost as well, fingers dancing across the tablet at blinding speed.

We took another shot and the interior lights of the truck flickered. That was bad, our own energy cells were starting to overload.

The screens showing the battle outside revealed a Pharosan guard stepping out of cover and holding a truly massive gun. I didn’t recognize it.

“Gunner with an Anubis cannon at your three,” Diva called over the Comms.

“Got him,” Hammer said, and red rounds blasted into those shields. The gunner tried to outlast it while keeping his weapon focused on us. He didn’t and went flying backward when his shield burst and a round took him in the shoulder.

“Anubis cannon?” I asked.

“Takes a fuckton to charge the coils and satellite authorization to fire. One can take out an armored bunker in a single shot,” Diva said.

Right. That was too close then.

“I’m in,” Sparks shouted in triumph.

In the warehouse alarms began to blare.

“That mean we can go?” Masque asked.

“A few more seconds. I need to make sure they can’t undo it,” Sparks said.

“We’re good,” Ismene said.

“Hit it, Masque. We’ll just have to hope it holds,” I said.

Guards were scrambling out of the building as the warning siren blared.

Shots blasted into the back of the truck as we sped away. After another minute a fireball filled the night sky, almost turning night into day for the decaying cityscape around us.

Chapter 22

Back at base beers were passed around and we were settling back. Everyone had a bit of a buzz from the job. The second mission I’d done with the team—and the second time our vehicle had nearly been destroyed.

I didn’t like close calls. Now that I was in charge I was going to make sure we had less of them. I figured the position gave me more authority to be selective about what contracts we accepted and to see that we had better equipment. Our armory had a little of everything, but almost all of it old. While I admired the flexibility, some more cutting-edge gear would go a long way.

“So that was it for this client?” I asked.

“That’s right. The three jobs and we’re out. I’ll make contact with them and see about getting us paid,” Masque said.

“How does that usually work?” I asked.

“Depends on the client. Corporations usually want you to come into their office and collect. We don’t bite and some third party site gets agreed on. Private individuals often try to be more covert and play at the cloak-and-dagger bullshit,” Diva said.

“I’m twenty years out of date. I only know how the corporations were arranged and their specialties in my day. What’s changed?” I asked.

“Roma is probably the biggest player out there, with real world security and the best army there is in Network. They’ve got a finger in every pie relating to war,” Masque said.

“What about Liberty? I’m working for them, but I don’t even know what they do anymore. They were the premier programmers and designers of AIs,” I said.

“Old school. They had to change focus after the Sentience War. They still do the programming, but it’s all geared towards entertainment. You want a great party, movie, book, or just to get laid, you find Liberty,” Hammer said.

Great. It did at least help to explain my outfit as Persephone.

“The Amaterasu have increasingly moved their focus towards Earth and natural resources. Nine out of ten shuttles ferrying raw materials into orbit are coming from a Dynasty facility,” Masque said.

“The Dynasty are still the experts in bureaucracy just as they would have been in your day. They are eternally useful and ever practical,” Diva said.

“And you’ve seen firsthand what Pharosa is up to these days. If it goes in your head to connect you to the Network, they’ve probably got a hand in making it,” Sparks said.

“Any other major players? SantaFe seemed poised for greatness,” I said.

“Still do. Still aren’t. They tried to get into mining and the Amaterasu beat them out. They field some good fighters, but Roma are better,” Diva said.

“Do we see much corporate work?” I asked.

“Not as much as we used to. Here on Earth things used to be a bloodbath as they fought it out. These days, everyone is a bit more entrenched in their niche and if the smaller corporations are hungry, they’re biding their time,” Diva said.

That didn’t sound right. Not when in the last few days I’d helped to take down a factory and a garage.

“Our jobs say otherwise,” I said.

“Yeah. Weird innit?” Sparks said.

“Like I said, we got the job through an old contact Lance trusted. We don’t even know the client, which means it is probably private,” Diva said.

“Ismene? Can you find out what was going on involving Pharosa tonight? They had that beefed up security for a reason,” I thought.

“Only thing I can find is they had a bigwig coming down from Aaru. That garage was going to provide the ships for air cover. Given what happened the mission got scrubbed,” Ismene said.

Aaru was the Pharosan version of Olympus Station. For an executive to come down to the surface was a rare thing. It wasn’t comfortable on Earth for anyone station-born even with a support suit.

“Who profits from hurting Pharosa?” I asked.

Looks were exchanged and Diva shrugged. Nobody had an answer.

“Get us paid, Masque, but be careful. The whole thing is too suspicious for my liking,” I said.

“I’ll be careful,” Masque promised.

“We have to work out what we’re going to do with those funds. It’s a lot of money coming in. Our usual split is three quarters divided amongst us individuals and a quarter to the group fund for supplies and equipment,” Diva said.

“Then I propose that we either need to build a bolt-hole here, or relocate to somewhere more secure,” I said.

“Wasn’t much fun to get cornered,” Masque said.

“We’re above one of the old transit tunnels, but it is buried pretty deep,” Sparks said, tapping away on his tablet.

“We could make that work,” Diva said.

“Do we have any good options for an alternative?” I asked.

“None that is much better than what we have. The markets here are centrally located and they keep an eye out for us, even as we provide security for them,” Diva said.

That would have to do for the time being.

“While you’re doing research, already mind doing a little more?” I thought to Ismene.

“Looking for a base? Why not. I’m sure Olympus had some secret facilities on Earth. It might be a few of those are still operational. I’ll dig and let you know what I find. By the way, you’ve got an incoming call from Columbia,” Ismene said.

“Do we have a secure line? I’m getting a call from Columbia and I’d rather give away as little as possible,” I said.

“Should have thought of that before you opened a Network session to the Corporate Council. We’re compromised already,” Diva said.

Of course, she was right. We really needed that bolt-hole and a new home.

“In that case, pardon me a moment,” I said.

I closed my eyes and triggered the call acceptance.

Reality flickered and faded around me, and I was in the Network. I was in a well-appointed office, the view out one of the windows showing a vibrant city with a sign that said “Hollywood” on a hill. Columbia was already present, dressed in her eye-bleeding colors. I was back in my Persephone guise.

“So Liberty could create just about any background they wanted. Why this one?” I asked.

“Tradition,” Columbia said with a grin, as she moved to take a seat on the edge of the desk. “Speaks to power. Hadn’t seen you in the leaves yet. Nice.”

“Revealing at least. Persephone really isn’t portrayed this way,” I said.

“Sex sells—and trust me, every hard-on is another loyal viewer. You’ve got a hell of a career in front of you,” Columbia said.

I kind of wanted to punch her. I didn’t think that would go over well with my new employers. I tried to smile politely instead.

“So nice to be valued. What do you want?” I asked.

Columbia grinned. “Don’t be like that. I do it, too. The skirt is this short for a reason. Fighting for freedom is best done half-naked. We’ve got a job for you. Your first assignment. Simple stuff, just introducing you to the viewers.”

“Nothing that requires a fight, I hope. You screwed me a little there,” I said.

Columbia waved her hand dismissively. “The last thing the people want is to see an Olympian in a fight. Old news. You people were weak and you died, and nobody likes a loser, right? Compassion and democracy though, we can sell that all day long.”

We were not weak. I’d play my role for now and show them just how wrong they were.

“Then let’s put on a show. What have you got for me?” I asked.

“Bertrand Russel. Age twelve, son of popular musician, Thomas Russel. He’s gone missing in the Network. You’re going to find him and get him back,” Columbia said.

“How does someone go missing in the Network? You can just yank the plug,” I said.

Columbia made a face. “And pay a penalty. No, something nefarious happened to him. That much we know, someone kidnapped him and it’s on our heads that it happened.”

They were using their children as pawns. It might sound odd that it bothered me when I’d been raised to fight and die in virtual wars, but there was a purpose to all of that. I had a job, a duty to fulfill. I was nobody’s victim, and if I ever had been, there would have been no shortage of arms raised in my defense.

“Do you know who did it?” I asked.

“We have an idea or two, but this is your show, sugar. Prove that you’re worth what we paid for you,” Columbia said.

I wasn’t much liking my new employer. Still, Liberty had been a friend in times past and for all their faults they’d been a good one.

Chapter 23

I didn’t have a lot of time to get ready for my first encounter. The Specters were told I’d be in the game for several days and we set things up as best possible. Restraints were quickly added to Sparks’ table and the equipment there would be suitable to monitor my condition. Ismene assured me that the nanotech suit was more than capable of handling my biological needs. I decided not to focus too much on the fact I’d be pissing in my armor and just tried to be grateful the process would be less invasive than I was used to.

Once I was settled in, I triggered my interface and slipped into the Network.

* * *

I was in a city. Prohibition-era New York, unless I was mistaken. It certainly fit the vintage style of the cars surrounding me and the distinctly antiquated look of the storefronts. For some reason I’d never understood, Liberty idolized the period.

A car pulled up, a door swung open and there was a gun pointed at me. My reflexes even in this body were fast and I dove to the side. The motion was incredibly quick given my divine agility. It was just in time as a machine gun opened up pouring fire where I had just been.

I took cover behind a car. A nearby window exploded into shards of glass. The gun ran out of ammunition, but just as it was doing so a second car pulled into place and began to fire as well.

This was ridiculous.

I didn’t have anything to help me in a fight. Had I access to my own skills I could have rushed that first car and taken the gun as they reloaded. It wasn’t an option. I was helpless and I wasn’t used to being helpless.

No, I wasn’t. I had my mind and that was the greatest weapon an Olympian owned. I just had to weight up what I had at my disposal.

I had divine Charisma. If I wasn’t under fire I might have tried to talk those gunners down, but right now they’d cut me to ribbons. I could let them kill me, I was immortal after all. I feared however that they might have already planned for that. They’d been waiting for me, they knew exactly where I’d appear when I logged in. This wasn’t me being caught in some random crossfire, this was an effort to neutralize me before I started.

It went against my instincts, but I’d have to run.

The building behind me had a ladder on the second story leading up to the roof. A fire escape, most likely. It wasn’t something I’d want to attempt in these conditions with my physical form, but I thought based on my stats I could manage it.

I inched around to the back of the vehicle. A spare tire was bolted there and with an effort I tore it free. I might not have weapon skills, but I could at least provide a distraction. I counted off the seconds and waited for another gun to run out of ammo. Then I acted, throwing the tire towards the car with the gunner about to resume fire. Driven by my strength the impact of the tire actually spun the car about ten degrees and sent those within sprawling. I didn’t waste the opportunity and with a spring and a leap was already going for the ladder.

I made it, scurrying up. The gunner got his bearings and opened fire, a round just catching me in my thigh. It was dumb luck that they managed to hit me at all. It didn’t make the shot hurt any less.

I made it to the roof and limping worked my way across it.

“You’re going to need to get to another rooftop. They’ve got this block surrounded. Head north,” Ismene said.

An indicator blinked in the corner of my vision. I hoped this was the private feed Ismene had set up. Now that I was logged into the Network in an official capacity as Persephone, people were probably watching my every move or living inside my skin at this very moment. I hoped they weren’t enjoying getting shot any more than I was.

I limped north and leapt to the next roof. On the streets below men in suits and with submachine guns were surrounding the building.

I didn’t waste any time. I was in no shape for a fight. I jumped between several more buildings, the ache in my leg growing more pronounced. I guess being a Goddess didn’t come with any magical healing properties. A shame.

It was only after I put perhaps a mile between myself and my login location that I paused, and crouched behind a pigeon cook to catch my breath and look at my leg. The wound there was deeper than I’d thought. The bullet had dug a deep furrow into the meat of my leg.

I wasn’t a fan of this lack of armor thing no matter how much it might titillate the home viewers.

I had to be able to do something useful.

I was a vegetation Goddess. I focused on that aspect of myself, trying to pull up some sort of menu. Nothing. With the viewership, perhaps I couldn’t invoke my powers from inside my mind?

“Invoke my vegetation powers,” I said.

Vegetation: Which ability do you wish to invoke?

Grow

Wither

Fertility

I wasn’t fighting plants and I certainly didn’t have any desire to get pregnant. That left Grow. I focused.

What do you wish to grow?

What did I wish to grow? Barley was the first thing that came to mind, I could go for a beer about now. “Barley,” I said.

The gravel on the roof shifted and a single sprout of barley emerged. That was less than impressive.

“Lots of barley,” I said. Another sprout appeared. I was so not impressed.

“Lotus,” I said, and gravel was again shifted as one grew. In the travels of Odysseus eating a Lotus would cause one to focus upon it and abandon all other concerns.

“Herbs of the Polypharmakos,” I said. Another Odysseus myth, those herbs allowed the witch Circe to transform man into beasts.

A single strange-looking blossom appeared on the roof.

This was good stuff. This meant I had some options. They weren’t quite as good an option as being able to stab people with a spear, but I could make do. Myth was filled with deadly poisons. I just had to remember my myths.

Did I remember anything about healing?

I couldn’t think of anything, but I had an idea.

“Asphodel,” I said and a grey-green plant sprouted.

It was a bloom common in the lands of the dead, and the dined upon it. However much I might be playing at being the Goddess of Vegetation, that was an aspect of me. I pulled the plant from the soil and ate the roots.

The wound in my thigh shimmered with a purplish glow. It didn’t instantly close, but the pain was less. It was something, perhaps it would take it some time to work.

I needed a plan and I needed one quick. I’d expected to have time to get to know my surroundings before deciding on a course of action, but things had heated up rather quickly.

Still, perhaps I knew enough. With the streets filled with gunmen I needed someplace to go that was safe. The massive city provided me with a real opportunity in the case of a missing person. It would have its own police department that had probably already been investigating the case.

I no more had the thought than a tiny indicator sent by Ismene appeared in one corner of my vision. I limped off, keeping to the rooftops.

It wasn’t far to the police station, and I spent a few minutes observing the place. I wanted to make absolutely sure I didn’t see any connection with those who had been shooting at me.

Uniformed officers passed in and out regularly, but I didn’t recognize anyone from the assault. I’d approach them directly then and see if they had any leads for me.

Chapter 24

I walked into the police station and the room fell into a hush. It might have been the naked-except-for-a-few-vines look. I didn’t even slightly blend into New York of this era. The fashions were distinctly conservative, and I rather suspected if one wandered into a peep show they might see less flesh than I was flashing around. I couldn’t do anything about that except curse Liberty for putting me in the predicament.

“Miss, I think you might be in the wrong place,” said the officer at the desk, after taking a too-long look.

“I’m not. My name is Persephone, I’m under contract from Liberty to find Bertrand Russell,” I said.

It got me an amused look and he called over his shoulder, “Cliff. The naked broad here says she was hired to investigate the Russell boy. Want me to send her back?”

I wasn’t going to wait for his permission. I stormed into the back rooms to talk to this Cliff firsthand.

Cliff turned out to be a paunchy and balding officer who looked to be somewhere in his mid-forties.

“You think it’s a good idea to just walk around anywhere you like in a police station?” Cliff asked.

I didn’t see his eyes wander much. I appreciated that.

“I thought it might go over a bit better than me slapping the boy at the desk,” I said.

“You know that you’ve been shot?” Cliff asked.

His eyes had at least caught the important bit in the little wandering they did.

“I’m aware. Got ambushed by two cars full of men as soon as I came to the city,” I said.

Cliff grunted at that and motioned to an empty chair. I took a seat. “If you came looking for me to do your job for you, then you’re going to be disappointed. Kid’s dad was playing at the Lapis Lounge two nights back. Kid came to watch him play. Dad finished his set and the kid was gone. Nobody saw nothing.”

“You’re skipping past the people trying to kill me bit awfully easy,” I said.

“Lady, it’s that kind of town,” Cliff said.

I wasn’t buying that. I also wasn’t feeling right. When you’ve been in as many battles as I had, you got a sense for when a fight was about to break out. I had that sense now. I glanced around the room. Most of the officers had cleared out and positioned themselves at the exits.

“You’re in on it,” I said.

Cliff shrugged. “Whole town is dirty, Miss. You’ve got to be pretty stupid, if you need help, that you go to the police. I don’t know why there’d be a hit out on you, but we’ll take the money for it.”

They wouldn’t. I sprang out of the chair and rushed towards the nearest door. The hall beyond was filled with police. The first lunged at me and I swept under his arms, then between the legs of the second. There were too many. A booted heel took me in the temple and another connected in my midsection knocking the wind out of me. Before I could get my bearings back, my hands had been cuffed behind my back.

The officer from the front desk was getting entirely too friendly with his hand on my thigh. I headbutted him and his nose exploded with satisfying crack.

“Bitch,” he growled and swung a punch of his own that split my lip open. “Tell me we get to have a little fun before killing her.”

“Miles. Lay a hand on her that way and I’ll shoot you myself,” Cliff said. “Take her downstairs and put a bullet between her eyes. Guess she shouldn’t have tried to escape custody.”

With my arms cuffed behind me and without combat skills, there was only so much fight I could give. I was dragged downstairs. I’ll give it to Cliff. At least I didn’t get raped before they put the gun between my eyes and pulled the trigger.

My world exploded in a haze of red and in an instant I was elsewhere.

* * *

I might have almost mistaken this for a natural wilderness if it weren’t for the towering buildings visible in the distance on all sides. I sat up from where I’d appeared in a field of flowers. Immortality, right. At least my thigh had been healed and I wasn’t in cuffs.

A tiny woman, with rainbow-tinted wings and wearing a fedora and sunglasses, lounged back on a flower petal and stared at me.

“Well, aren’t you a strange sight,” I said.

“You’re one to talk, lady,” said the fairy.

She had a point.

I massaged my face where I’d just felt bullets enter it. I couldn’t deny I was shaken by what just happened. I’d been strong my entire life and more than able to handle most of what threatened me. This body was strong and fast, and I could handle the dress code, but I didn’t like not having my skills.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Central Park. The one place nature has a bit of free reign in this whole city,” said the fairy.

I was glad it did. I didn’t lose too much time with my unexpected resurrection that way.

“I’m Persephone,” I said.

“Figured. We heard some plant Goddess would be visiting town. You can call me Lily,” Lily said.

I sat up. Dying really had completely healed me. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it could have been worse. I felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

“I don’t suppose you’ve seen a missing kid,” I said.

“Faeries steal them all the time, but not the one you’re looking for. Sorry,” Lily said.

“You steal children? Why?” I asked.

“Usually to take them on adventures,” Lily said, and leapt off her flower petal to buzz around me. “Don’t you get cold?”

I actually hadn’t so far.

“No, probably a Goddess thing. I’m rather new at it,” I said.

“Must be nice,” Lily said.

“I wouldn’t go that far. So far, it hasn’t been good for a lot except coming back from the dead,” I said.

Lily completed her inspection and landed on a flower petal again. “That doesn’t sound right. I mean, you can go all kablamo with the plants and vines and things.”

“All I’ve managed to do is grow a stalk of barley. It hasn’t been much use in a shootout,” I said.

Lily tilted her head as she looked up at me. “What would you usually do?”

“Break kneecaps, steal guns, smash noses, cave in throats,” I said. I guess I really did lead a rather violent life.

Lily grimaced. “Yeah. No. That isn’t you, not anymore. You’re all part of nature now.”

“Nature generally spends its days trying to kill the rest of nature,” I said. I’d never found the idea of nature particularly passive.

“The animals do, but not plants. I’m going to go all guest lecturer,” Lily said.

I didn’t mind. The timer was ticking down on the case, but I needed to get my abilities in order. Lily seemed to be a nature spirit of some kind. Perhaps she could help.

“Go on,” I said.

“Plants were here before animals crawled along and they’re going to be here after the last is put away. When this city is nothing but corpses and dust, it’s going to be ivy up the side of every building and moss on every surface. We win the long fight,” Lily said.

That was probably true. It also wasn’t helpful.

“I’m fighting battles that less last than a thousand years,” I said.

Lily buzzed back up to eye level, “Where do you think your powers top out?”

I didn’t know. Sponsored heroes weren’t a thing back when I’d been on the Network and I’d never seen any others operate. It left me only legends and myths relating to Gods.

“Able to transform people into trees? The raising of medicinal herbs?” I asked.

Lily snorted. “Lady, if you ever make it to your peak power cities are going to be crumbling in your wake as they become forests. You’ll be making plants like people have never seen before. You’ll be mistress of a million toxins and a literal force of nature. Yeah, you won’t want to go toe-to-toe with your average war deity, but even there, again, in the end we plants win.”

I’d been thinking too small. I hadn’t really liked getting Persephone. I could have been happy with Athena or Nike. Even Nemesis fit my feelings about what happened to Olympus well. Persephone though was a victim. Which, of course, I was. I’d been attacked and had my whole world taken away. Since then, I had those that just kept trying to prey on me, and for all that I might have won those encounters it would be a lie to say they hadn’t left a mark. Perhaps I really was Persephone, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be strong.

“Can you help?” I asked.

Lily tilted her head. “Always a price with us faeries.”

“What is yours?” I asked.

“This park stays. Nature will always have a foothold in this city. You have to make certain of it,” Lily said.

I didn’t know how to do that, but the request felt right. I was Persephone, this was a part of that. Protecting these places, whether it was a faerie price or not.

“Done,” I said.

Lily nodded and buzzed off to circle a tree. “Focus here. Call to brambles. Even at your low power you should be able to bring them.”

I practiced a few hours with the fairy. By the time we were done I was able to coat any surface in vines of sharp barbs at will. It wouldn’t be killing anyone unless they got very unlucky, but I could already visualize the applications.

“Looking good,” Ismene said.

“This might just work out. I need to pay for the help and put in a complaint on the police. Can you find me the mayor?”

“I can get you to City Hall.”

That would do.

There would be police there, but some places they could reasonably start a fight and some places they couldn’t.

Chapter 25

City Hall was a busy place. Well-dressed men and women scurried about and there was enough marble that I almost felt at home. My arrival caused a stir, of course it caused a stir.

This time things would go different than at the police station. I’d make sure of it.

The floors were cool beneath my bare feet as I made my way to the reception desk. A harried-looking young woman looked up and gave me a frown of disapproval.

“I need to speak with the Mayor,” I said.

“Do you have an appointment?” asked the receptionist.

“Do you really think I need one?” I asked.

The receptionist looked me over once more and gave an unhappy grunt. “Jilted lover? We’ve got a strict no jilted lover policy.”

“I’ve never met the man,” I said.

Another upset huff and I was allowed past. The guards on duty didn’t look disturbed at my presence. Whoever was hunting me had probably not made it this far then, or assumed that the murder at the police station had stuck and that I wouldn’t be a danger for several more days.

The Mayor’s office was plushly appointed. An almost absurd amount of wood and leather filled the room, but that wasn’t what drew my attention. There were collectibles, little memorabilia all around the office that looked far too current. In the virtual space like this it could be difficult to tell who was real and who was a construct. The owner of this office was plainly a fan of this era and so was probably a real person.

The nameplate on the desk identified him as Alfonso Pierce, a distinguished-looking gentleman in his mid-forties in an immaculate suit with a white rose in the lapel.

“Persephone herself. I heard you were coming to our city. I didn’t expect you to come waltzing into my office,” Alfonso said, leaning back in his chair as he looked over me. There was a calm self-possession to the man.

“Is that because you tried to have me killed as soon as I arrived?” I asked.

Alfonso gave a thin smile. “Little happens in this town that I’m not aware of. I didn’t send those men to kill you, although I was aware of the attempt.”

Everything he said was being put out there into the Network live. Liberty had sent me to perform this investigation and yet the Mayor here seemed to be talking relatively openly. A high member of the corporation then, dirty enough that everyone knew it and connected enough to not be scared to show it.

“Your police force tried as well,” I said.

“I got notice they’d killed a stripper and prostitute who was trying to escape custody. I apologize for the confusion. I’m sure you can understand,” Alfonso said.

If his goal was to piss me off he was succeeding. I reminded myself to be ice, not fire. To keep my cool.

“Of course. In a competently run city this kidnapping would never have occurred. I expected to encounter a few screw-ups,” I said.

It was my turn to score with a barb.

“The beautiful rose has her thorns,” Alfonso said after a moment. The barb, if anything, seemed to have soothed a bit of his contempt. I knew his type now. He appreciated the fight.

“The best ones always do,” I said, moving to settle down into a chair across from the desk. I liked a fight too. “So do you know who took the boy?”

“There are only a few players in town bold enough to make a play like that. It’s designed to make Liberty look bad, which means an outside connection, which narrows the list even more,” Alfonso said.

He wasn’t admitting to anything, but this implied that he knew something.

“They pay you,” I said.

“Everyone pays me. It’s the cost of doing business in this town and the best way to assure that I remain a neutral party,” Alfonso said, pointedly.

I was being extorted. It was subtle, but the hints were there. Up until now he hadn’t been a neutral party. Unfortunately I had nothing to give him.

“I want more than just that name. Central Park, I want a law that it be maintained,” I said.

Alfonso raised an eyebrow. “An unusual request, but then you are Persephone. I’ll take it under advisement. Different parties have wanted that land for various purposes for quite some time. It has turned into something of a bidding war.”

“What do you want?” I asked.

Alfonso shifted his gaze to look me up and down. He said nothing, he didn’t need to.

Right. Of course. The strange thing was that I wasn’t beyond sleeping with someone to get what I wanted. If I thought it would meet my goals I’d be happy to share a night and a bed, and leave the next morning better off. I already had a read on this man, though. If I agreed to such a thing he’d lose what little respect he’d gained for me and I’d never get what I wanted out of him.

“If that’s as far as your imagination goes then we’ve little else to discuss,” I said.

“A pleasure to meet you, Persephone. I wish you the best of luck on your endeavors to find the boy,” Alfonso said.

Of course, he didn’t mean it. Alfonso was on the side of those who had given him what he wanted, and that meant whoever took the boy.

I made my way out of City Hall. Either despite himself, or in an effort to show some loyalty to his employer despite his baser instincts, Alfonso had given me a lead. Given the era, crime bosses would be a powerful force in the city. Whoever was doing this was coming from outside, working for a foreign power in an effort to harm Liberty.

I’d paused on the steps of City Hall to think about this. It almost got me killed. I was only dimly aware of the muzzle flash that came from a window across the street and I was rolling to the side as my Olympian reflexes kicked in.

A sniper on the third floor. I zigged and zagged as I ran across the street, keeping my motions unpredictable. Another shot rang out. Behind me a bit of the street exploded. They were good.

I’d been about to go seeking out gangsters to find out just who was leading the influx into the city, but this was even better. The Mayor must have called someone when I’d arrived and the assassin had set up to wait for me. There wouldn’t be any guesswork, if I could get a hold of them.

I entered the building and took the stairs as fast as I could. The third floor was full of offices. Ismene marked the door I needed with a small blinking dot of green. Anderson Industrial.

They knew I was coming. If I were them, I’d be on the other side of that door with either a submachine gun or a shotgun just waiting for me. I ran at an angle and dived through the door’s glass instead. There was a muzzle flash and I felt a spray of pellets just graze my thigh. They hadn’t expected my angle of entry or my speed, and only winged me.

“Brambles,” I said and waved. The hitman looked much like one of those who had attacked me earlier. A grey suit and a fedora. Like the Mayor, he had a rose in his lapel. That rose exploded into a mass of twisting vines and thorns that wrapped around him.

The hitman couldn’t move now without causing himself a lot of pain. He was a professional and did it anyways, ripping bleeding gouges into his flesh as he ejected the shells from the shotgun and loaded more.

“Brambles,” I shouted again as I visualized a different application. I didn’t have time to be nice about it this time around. Vines trapped his head and thorns dug into the sensitive flesh of his eyes. In an instant the hitman was blinded.

He remained good at this, firing his reloaded weapon. Even with my reflexes, in these close quarters I was only able to get mostly out of the way. The blast turned my shoulder and the better part of one breast into hamburger.

I was dizzy from the pain, but the hitman couldn’t see what he’d done. I couldn’t let him know how bad I’d been wounded.

“Try that again and you’ll lose worse than your eyes,” I said.

“You’re going to kill me anyways,” said the hitman.

“I could make you hurt instead. I could take my time,” I said.

He stiffened. Blood seeped from the ruins where his eyes once were—he wasn’t doing any better than I was.

“What do you want?” asked the hitman.

“You know what I want. I want who sent you,” I said.

“I rat on a client, I’m never working again,” said the hitman.

With his eyes gone he wasn’t working again anyways. Unless he was real. He must be. In that case eventually his eyes would come back, but the results of outing an employer would be broadcast throughout the Network to anyone who was watching me right now.

This required a change of plan.

“Do you know you just almost killed a sponsored hero?” I said.

“You’re good. Better than they thought you’d be. I just grazed you,” said the hitman.

I grabbed his hand and guided it up to the ruin that was my shoulder. His fingers dug into bloodied and mangled flesh for a moment and he grinned.

“I did get you good,” said the hitman.

“You did. You just gave yourself one hell of an advertisement to a large audience. I think you owe me for the free press,” I said.

The hitman considered that for a few moments. “You want the Duchess. She runs the Blue Lotus.”

I took the shotgun from him. “Shells?” I asked.

A few more were fumbled from a pocket and I loaded the gun. I didn’t need weapon skills for what came next.

The hitman took one barrel to the throat. It tore his head half off. The other barrel was for me. I wasn’t doing anything with these wounds.

Chapter 26

I had my target. I put my divine charisma to good use and talked myself into getting a ride to the Blue Lotus, or at least most of the way there. It seemed a good idea to get dropped off a few blocks early. I was glad I did, they were expecting me. I clambered onto a nearby rooftop where I could properly observe. I shouldn’t have been surprised, with everything I did going out live, stealth wasn’t really an option for me against an enemy interested in what I was about.

That was fine, it just meant I’d have to be a little bit smarter and a little bit better. It wasn’t looking promising at first glance. They’d done a good job securing the building, which looked to be some kind of club. There was a small army of goons armed with submachine guns and just one me.

“You’re not getting in there without a fight,” Ismene said.

I agreed, and a fight was exactly what I wasn’t prepared to give.

I could disable a guard or two with my brambles, but they were an army.

I was Persephone. I had a way. I had to move quickly, I was sure they must have someone streamed with me even now reporting on my activities. If they didn’t already know I’d arrived, it wouldn’t be long. With my agility I was quick leaping from rooftop to rooftop on the surrounding buildings. I did the same thing on each, I coated them in flowers.

Within the span of half an hour I had seven new fields of flowers growing. Then it was time to get to work. I charged the front doors of the club. It was the obvious way in and there were a good half-dozen goons guarding it. I got two entwined in brambles, dodging submachine gunfire until finally a blast took me in my midsection and cut me in half.

I sprang to my feet in the closest flowers, taking a moment to reorient on the club, and this time with a flying leap I dove through a second floor window. Shards of glass cut my bare flesh to shreds, but that was fine. I could deal with pain, I wasn’t going to be staying alive. Barbed brambles ripped the throat of a guard apart even as his shotgun blast caught me in the face.

I heaved in a deep breath and sprang to my feet once again on a different rooftop. This time I made a try for the back door. I didn’t even reach it as a stray bullet took me in an eye. That was fine. I had three days to get the boy. I was Persephone and they were only an army. I was an immortal force of nature.

They fought and they bled, and they killed me over and over again. At least, at first. It was the front door that broke first, the guards there had killed me three times. They probably had a good laugh about it the first time, their mission accomplished. The second time they killed me it was in grim silence. The third it was done with shaky hands. The fourth time I tried that door they broke and they ran.

The guards inside didn’t. None died, not that time, but they bled. By the time morning came the streets were slick with blood, most of it was mine. It oozed under the door and over the steps, and the building stood empty. Guns, many empty of ammunition, lay abandoned. Here and there lay a corpse, the result of me getting lucky with my brambles.

I know that night must have been filled with terror from their side. It was hard to describe it from my perspective. Nothing blunted the pain of dying, the agony of being torn apart over and over again. My body was made of raw nerves that still vibrated with the last blows that killed it. Memories of trauma experienced. If it hadn’t been for a lifetime training to be a soldier I don’t know if I could have done it. If I wasn’t already used to putting that screaming part of me away in a box and hiding it.

I found the boy bound and gagged in the office of the Countess. I’d hoped to find out who was behind this whole thing, but she’d killed herself by the time I’d arrived. I’m sure she was real, I was sure it wouldn’t hold, and it kept me from interrogating her.

I searched the office. I’d get the boy to safety soon enough, but any answers I could get Liberty they’d want. The desk was empty of any meaningful paperwork although behind a surrealist portrait I found a solid-looking metal safe. I tried to force it open, but my strength wasn’t anything divine.

“Any chance you can help Ismene?” I thought.

“Working on it. This is actually pretty complicated. It’s a virtual representation of a datalock guarding real assets,” Ismene said.

I idly spun at the dial on the lock trying to listen for some sort of click. I couldn’t hear anything. It was worth a try. If I was any better with my plant powers I could probably pick the lock somehow. I didn’t even know how I’d go about that right now.

“The encryption on this thing is insane, but I think I’ve got it. Twenty-four right, fifteen left, thirty-seven right, two left, eighteen right, seventeen left,” Ismene said.

That was one long combination. I tried it, carefully dialing in each number, and when I’d put in the last there was a satisfying clunk. I pulled open the door.

Account books written in some kind of code and neat stacks of green bills.

Ismene whistled. “I don’t know what Liberty is going to pay you, but demand a bonus.”

“That good?”

“Even aside from the information, it is a lot of assets someone devoted to this operation.”

That was good to know. That was really good to know.

I cab ride got me and the kid to City Hall, which was just opening up for the morning. I walked past the receptionist and went straight to the Mayor’s office.

“Persephone,” Alfonso said, playing as if seeing me were the most natural thing in the world.

“Found the boy,” I said.

“I can see that,” Alfonso said, giving the lad a look—who had taken to hugging my leg with a distracting sort of fierceness. I had the contents of the safe in a sack slung over my shoulder and I emptied them onto the desk. It made a rather impressive pile.

“My,” Alfonso said, giving a broad smile as he looked it all over. “You come bearing gifts.”

“I trust you can see the boy gets returned to his father?”

Alfonso snapped his fingers and with a flicker the boy blinked out of existence. “Logged off and back to the family that cares for him with no penalty to Liberty.”

“And Central Park?” I asked.

Alfonso was already starting to sort the contents of the bag into neat little piles. “A Preservation Act will be on file by the end of the week. You have my word. I am the honest sort of mayor.”

I supposed that meant he was the sort that, once bought, stayed bought. I was certain most of what I’d just turned over would actually find its way back to Liberty. I’d have to content myself with that.

I turned to go and he cleared his throat. I turned back.

“Did we have something else to discuss?” I asked.

“I understand that when Liberty took you in, it was under strange circumstances. The powers that be assumed they were getting a great pair of legs and not much else. I thought little of you apart from your tits when you entered my office. We erred greatly, didn’t we?” Alfonso said.

“Clearly,” I said.

“Not everyone did. The orders placing a hit on you went out before you even got the assignment to come here. Someone wanted your newfound career done before it started,” Alfonso said.

This was unexpected of him. This was brave. I was still on assignment and this was still going out in real time. He didn’t have to say—this knowledge could only have come from inside Liberty. Liberty had a mole and they wanted me neutralized.

“Thank you, Alfonso. Next time I’m in town I’ll let you buy me a drink,” I said.

“I look forward to it, and to seeing what you make of yourself,” Alfonso said.

I stepped from the office and reality faded around me.

Chapter 27

I was beside a pool at what looked to be some sort of hotel. Columbia was stretched out in a red, white, and blue bikini, wearing sunglasses and catching some sun. It struck me as a particularly pointless sort of exercise in the Network.

“Persephone!” Columbia called excitedly as she sat up. “Holy fucking shit girl. We’re off camera, by the way. That building and the just coming back again and again. That was amazing. I mean, I’ve seen it all and that was a new one. All that blood and you just kept dying and then all, wham, getting torn apart again.”

I’m glad someone enjoyed it.

“You were watching,” I said.

“Not at first. I mean, who gave a shit, am I right? Watch some washed-up Olympian loser go out and fail. I mean, you didn’t even get gang-raped by the police or anything. Your numbers were terrible except for the perverts jerking it, but for awhile there you were leading across the board. I mean, all external stuff, who wanted to be inside of you for that?” Columbia said, taking off the sunglasses.

I really wanted to punch her in the throat. I did what I’d been doing a lot lately in those situations. I smiled.

“I’m just glad I could make a good first impression. Did you see what I got from the vault?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah, internal security is going through it. Who knew you had a safecracker in you? We should totally team up some day. Rob some SantaFe banks and have some girl-on-girl action. Great idea, right?” Columbia asked.

It was a pretty terrible one. I just kept smiling.

“Sounds amazing,” I lied.

“Right?” Columbia said. “So anyways. We do a post mission wrap-up like this when you’re done with a job. I’m a sponsored hero myself, but I’m also kind of the face of the company.”

I was wondering exactly what her job was. Columbia was the face of Liberty? Maybe this new face of entertainment would grow on me, but so far I was really missing the thinkers and engineers I’d known twenty years earlier.

“You seem great at it,” I said.

Columbia beamed, taking the praise completely at face value. “So as you can probably guess you did a great job the first time out. Mission accomplished and in the time limit, and the contents of that safe were a big win. Loved the badass coming back from the dead stuff, do more of that. We’d like to see more sex. I mean, not like you’re going to have a hard time fucking somebody, but overall good job.”

“I welcome the feedback,” I said. I didn’t, much, but it was the right thing to say.

“Payment has been transferred to your account. Great bonus there. You gained two levels and you can assign anything there before your next run. We’ll be in touch,” Columbia said, before snapping her fingers.

I was dumped out of the Network just like that. I was back on the basement table strapped down, the sensors placed along my suit. Sparks was quietly snoring in a corner, Hammer was in a chair nearby with a shotgun placed across his lap.

“She’s up,” Hammer called out, starting to loosen the straps holding me down.

Sparks stirred himself awake as I sat up. My limbs were stiff and I was exhausted.

I’d put myself through a lot in the Network. All of that had to some degree been firing back to my very flesh and blood nerves, and my body was a battleground of endorphins and adrenaline.

Diva poked her head in. “I hear that right?”

“I’m back,” I said.

“We’ve got a problem,” Diva said, stepping in. I was getting quite the crowd around me, I was really glad I didn’t go into the Network here like I would have had to in Olympus.

I wasn’t ready for a problem. I felt like I’d been run over by several trucks. Problems didn’t tend to care how you felt.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“It’s Masque. She went to collect for that job we’d done,” Diva said.

The job where we thought collection might be a problem. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” I asked.

“We didn’t know how long you’d be and the client said it was urgent. We kept everything safe, a neutral location. They insisted on her going alone, but I went as hidden backup. We had a tracker on her, the whole deal. I lost her and the tracker is dead,” Diva said.

This was getting worse and worse. “Sparks?” I asked.

Sparks was still wiping the sleep out of his eyes, “Sorry. Searched every camera I could. I didn’t get anything. Files are tampered with, but they didn’t leave a trace of who did it.”

What a thing to wake up to.

“Can you help?” I thought to Ismene.

“Sparks is good, but I’m better. Give me a few,” Ismene thought back.

“How did it go in there?” Sparks asked.

“You didn’t get to see the show?” I asked.

“We’ve been kind of busy,” Sparks said. Of course they had.

“Liberty seems happy. Lots of blood and gore, and the job got done. They thought I should have fucked someone,” I said.

“Sounds like a Liberty production. Ever watched Columbia do a job? It’s all guns and explosions, and humping everything that moves,” Diva said.

I hadn’t, of course. I didn’t think I’d be indulging anytime soon.

“Is she actually any good?” I asked.

“You think you get to be the spokesperson of a Corporation otherwise? Columbia is a major badass in a world of major badasses,” Diva said.

Huh. I’d underestimated her. Given how much people kept underestimating me, I didn’t like that.

“Where is the search for Masque at now?” I asked.

“We’ve got word into our contacts to reach out, if they hear anything. We pounded heads and rifled records, and came up dry. We were hoping your corporate contacts might do something where ours couldn’t,” Diva said.

Possibly. After that performance I might have earned enough goodwill from Liberty to get a favor. I didn’t want to collect yet, but for Masque I would.

“I’ve got something,” Ismene said.

“Hit me.”

“It isn’t a physical location, but it is a Network one. Masque is on the other side,” Ismene thought.

I didn’t even know that Masque had a Network connection, but then I didn’t know that much about most of my companions. Sparks definitely would, and if Diva was a Columbia fan that meant she did as well.

“Can you tap into her feed?” I asked.

“Negative. I’m pretty well blocked out apart from pinging her,” Ismene said.

“Let’s get you some backup. Send what you have to Sparks,” I thought.

“Masque is in the Network. The location is well hidden. My contact is forwarding you the information, Sparks,” I said.

Sparks grabbed for his tablet and began tapping away at the screen.

Diva had her eyes narrowed. “That was awfully fast.”

“I know it, and I know you find that suspicious. The information is good,” I said.

“This is shielded. I’m going to need one of your Collective keys, Hammer,” Sparks said.

Hammer extended his cybernetic arm towards Sparks, who attached a small wire into an outlet.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m still on good terms with the AIs of the Collective. They have doorways into most parts of the Network that often go hidden,” Hammer said.

I guess some of those other AIs were better hackers than Ismene. That made sense, she was mostly a doctor and a combat medic, for all I’d been using my friend like a search engine lately. I’d have to find a way to make that up to her.

“Appreciate the sentiment, but Masque comes first,” Ismene thought.

“I really don’t like that you can read my every thought now,” I thought back.

“Weird for me, too.” I can see where it would be.

“Got it,” Sparks said.

“You have a location?” I asked.

“No. But I’ve got an entry point that will put you down almost right on top of her” Sparks said.

“I’ll go,” Diva said.

“Can you get in more than one?” I asked.

“‘Fraid not,” Sparks said.

“I’ll go,” I said.

“You just got done and I’m her friend,” Diva said.

“I’m Persephone. I’ve got abilities over there that you don’t, and you know it,” I said.

“You’re a Goddess of shrubs,” Diva said.

“Find a highlights reel of what I just did,” I said. “Tie me down.”

Diva didn’t look happy about it, but I was in charge. Soon enough the straps had me tied down once more and the world was going black around me.

Chapter 28

I came to in a field near a town. There weren’t many flowers, but there were enough to serve as my entry point, withered scraggly-looking things. The town looked the same, dirt streets and weathered wooden buildings. A sign tilted in the dirt nearby proclaimed it to be Crow’s Gulch, population 103.

A spike had been set up and what had obviously once being a human being was roped to it. The flesh was dehydrated from the harsh sun. I set off towards town. I wasn’t sure what Masque would be doing here, but the fact that she hadn’t communicated with the crew suggested that caution was in order. I hoped perhaps it might just be some kind of lovers rendezvous, but that corpse wasn’t exactly romantic.

Once I got into town I knew I could rule out that rendezvous option completely unless Masque had a side she really kept hidden. At one of the hitching posts a woman was tied naked on all fours, her back a mess of half-healed welts and bleeding wounds. The corpse of a man was slumped against one wall, an apple perched awkwardly atop his head and his face a mass of bullet wounds.

There was no foot traffic in the streets, although I heard a lot of noise coming from a saloon. I crouched up to a window and peered inside. A few terrified-looking women were serving drinks naked, and a man was gamely attempting to play the piano despite having knives plunged into each hand. Cowboys in black hats were scattered around drinking and looked to be having a great time.

“Ismene. Are you still with me?” I thought.

“Yeah. What did we walk into?”

“A nightmare. Can you find Masque?” I asked.

“Inn. Room seven,” Ismene answered.

I had to get answers as to what was going on here. The inn was unguarded, a man that might be the innkeeper sprawled upon the desk, naked and tied down. He’d been gelded and had a bell shoved in his mouth.

I kept moving. I heard sobbing in most of the rooms I passed—and when I stopped outside room seven. I didn’t want to go inside, but I had to.

Masque was barely recognizable. The bed was covered with blood and I imagined that much of it was hers. At least she was dressed, I hoped that meant she hadn’t been raped. It looked like someone had taken a hammer to her knees and legs, a number of unnatural contortions had twisted the limbs in ways they were never meant to go. Both of her eyes had been blackened and her lip split.

“It’s Persephone,” I said.

Masque had gone so tense it looked like she might collapse as the door opened. “How did you get here?” she asked.

“I finished with my job. Diva said you went missing and I came to find you. Did you choose this, or do we have to kill a lot of people?” I asked.

Masque shook her head. “Didn’t choose it. Got taken by the client and he put me in here. I can’t log out. None of the victims here can. They just hurt people until they die. Hasn’t happened to me yet. They say when you die you relive everything done to you. Over and over on a loop until a few days later the timers run out and you’re back here, fresh meat to hurt all over again.”

“Oh fuck,” Ismene said.

Ismene pretty much never cursed. I couldn’t help but agree. I didn’t have any other worlds. Since coming down to Earth, one thing after another had been horrible, but this… someone had set up their own little camp of horrors and they weren’t content to use virtual victims. They were hurting real people, trapping them here.

They were hurting Masque.

That shard of icy rage inside of me just kept getting larger. By now, I felt that if you cut me open I might not even bleed.

“I need to find you. Do you have anything?” I said.

Masque began to sob, gut-wrenching brutal sounds from a throat already raw. “I don’t. I’ve tried to remember. I tried to remember anything that helped, but I’m sorry. I don’t. Please help me.”

Ice. Masque didn’t have anything that could help me. I wasn’t going to leave her like this, in this pain and subject to whatever came next.

“Brambles,” I said under my breath, and a circle of them formed around her bare throat. I stepped forward and pressed down, crushing them and forcing them deep. It didn’t take Masque long to die, her body had already been through so much.

As of this moment I was on a timer. A few days until her death timer expired. A few days until she’d be back to this. I had that much time to find her body and set her free of whatever held her. I had that much time to get her out of the Network.

“What are you going to do?” Ismene asked. I didn’t have any long-term plans. In the short term I knew exactly what I was going to do. I killed everyone in the inn. I went room-to-room and looked at the horrific deeds done, and I put an end to them, at least for a time. I didn’t like the idea that I was sending these people back to relive what they had recently experienced, but I could only hope that was better than fresh horrors.

I intended to clean the town out totally, but by the time I left the inn the rest of it was empty. All the other buildings including the saloon, were vacant.

“Where did they go?” I thought.

“Obviously they picked up on what you were doing and shut things down for the moment. Our connection is getting analyzed heavily,” Ismene thought back.

I wasn’t exactly subtle. If they had any sort of visual on me they’d know exactly who I was. I’d known the clock was ticking already, so that didn’t actually change anything.

“Pull me out,” I thought.

In an instant I was back on the table. Sparks had fallen back asleep and Diva was pacing anxiously. As soon as my eyes flickered open she was there undoing the straps so I could sit up. I felt even worse this time. Two dives into the Network back-to-back like that was pushing things. I’d have to power through. Masque was on a time limit.

“I found her. Client grabbed her and she doesn’t know where her body is, but she’s being kept from logging out,” I said.

Diva frowned, “Why?”

I debated how much to say. I decided to just tell them everything. Fury could be a motivator and it was important that the others understand just how pressed for time we were.

Diva stopped me to gather the others and I started the story over.

“Fuck,” Diva said. “Fuck fuck fuck.”

Yeah. The news had that sort of reaction.

“Is there anything you can do that you haven’t already tried, to find her body?” I asked.

“We were lucky to get what we did and even that ain’t there anymore,” Sparks said.

“I’ve got nothing,” Ismene said.

“Then stop trying to find her body directly. Lance and then Masque were in contact with the client somehow. Dig into those exchanges and see what you can find out. Maybe there is a lead there,” I said.

“Looked, but I’ll look again,” Sparks said.

“Hammer. You said the Collective can peek into about any part of the Network. Check with them and see if they can tell us anything,” I said.

“Not that easy, but I’ll do what I can,” Hammer said.

“Diva. Let’s check out where she went missing. Was the meeting spot Masques idea or the clients?” I asked.

“Masque insisted on someplace public. Client named the bar. We checked it out and it was legit,” Diva said.

Good. That was good. If the place was one they could name offhand, then it was probably one they were familiar with. Somewhere they had frequented before.

“We’ll check it out. I know you already did, but we’ll do it again,” I said.

It wasn’t a perfect sort of plan, but we needed to do something. Besides, the thing about bars was the crowds were always changing. Just because there hadn’t been a lead there before didn’t mean we wouldn’t find one now.

Chapter 29

The bar was adjacent to a corporate enclave. Camelot wasn’t tremendously successful as corporations went, but they’d achieved some success because of the skill of their artisans. The bar was capitalizing on its proximity, calling itself the “Dragon’s Roar Tavern” and going for that medieval dive vibe.

It worked. The crowds were thick and a woman on stage was singing a bawdy song. The crowds were mostly low-level employees dressed in peasant’s attire, although I did spot a young knight in heavy combat armor seated at a table in the back, and there were a fair number in far cheaper gear.

Diva guided our way through to the bar. A balding man was there serving drinks and looking harried. I didn’t blame him with this crowd. A glance upward at our approach resulted in a frown. He wasn’t very happy to see us.

“This again. Told you, I don’t know nothing about your companion,” said the man.

“That isn’t going to do. We know that she got dragged off by the guy she was meeting with. We figure if you think really hard you’ll remember who that is. Or you know someone who will. Make this easy,” Diva said, leaning on the counter and pulling out her pistol to rest it on the bar.

As threats go it wasn’t subtle.

“You think you can just wander in flashing a gun?” the tavernkeeper asked.

“I think I can shoot you in the face and walk out the damned door, if I want. So how about you just tell me what the fuck I want to know,” Diva said, her voice almost a growl.

Perhaps it was a mistake to tell her just what Masque was going through. I might have become ice with the news, but not Diva. Diva was a blazing inferno just waiting to burn the whole place down around our ears.

I caught motion out of the corner of my eye and grabbed Diva’s shoulder, pulling her to the side. A sword came down and chopped her pistol cleanly into pieces, the blade burying itself deep into the counter.

Fiber swords, great. They’d been rare and expensive in my day, a luxury for the bored and the wealthy that wanted to bring swords to gunfights. They’d cut through most standard armor and anything else that got in their way. They were stupidly dangerous to use. The wielder didn’t look bored and rich, he looked like a street punk looking for a fight. Perhaps the cost had come down.

“You think you can come into our part of town and start trouble. You want to fuck with our bar, you pink-haired bitch?” said the youth, slurring his words.

Great. Drunk, bored, and looking for a fight. Several others were lining up behind him.

Visual prompts appeared outlining swords in red at their waists. Unarmored portions of their body took on a faint reddish hue.

“I hope that is you and I’m not having some kind of inconveniently timed stroke,” I thought to Ismene.

“It’s me. I told you I’d done some upgrades when I built your new body. I’m wired right into your visual cortex and can act as a combat overlay,” Ismene said.

It was useful. Weapons had been indicated on all the others in the bar. I’d picked up a lot of them myself, but Ismene could analyze data far faster and in greater quantities than I could.

Diva didn’t respond to the taunt. She turned and head-butted the punk with a sharp crack on his nose. It worked, he staggered away leaving his sword behind.

It was good that he did. I grabbed it by the hilt and raised it just in time to deflect a blow from one of the punk’s companions.

Weapons like these made this more than just a simple bar fight. I had to figure out what level of response I wanted to give. I decided this was an attempt to kill us.

I brought up my knee to catch the second swordsman in the balls, and then kicked him back into a third who was just drawing a sword.

The punks were being set on from behind. It was the knight I’d seen drinking at the table. In his heavy Camelot armor he was completely immune to fiber swords. Their blows caught him and skidded off, and he seemed to be breaking teeth and noses instead of going for the killing blows. I could respect that. With him as a distraction I joined in and between us we were a far more formidable fight than the punks had been expecting. They broke and ran.

“Fuckers,” Diva spat.

“I believe you started it, Miss,” said the knight, with a pointed look towards the shattered gun. “That was extreme.”

Diva looked ready to start up things anew, but I held her back with a hand on her shoulder. “We were driven by the urgency of our investigation.”

“Giles Nevington,” said the knight, extending a bow. “I overheard. I am searching for someone missing as well, I wonder if perhaps they are connected.”

I noted that he hadn’t said Sir. That meant he hadn’t actually been fully knighted. A trainee, most likely, although from a wealthy family to have gear like he did. Camelot wasn’t large enough to have a station in orbit, or at least they hadn’t twenty years ago. Their executives and their families lived on Earth.

“I’m Persephone and this is Diva,” I said. “I doubt that, but it might not hurt to compare notes. Who is missing?”

“Lady Darla Penworth,” Giles said. “Who was in turn herself investigating a series of disappearances in this very area.”

I hadn’t thought it connected. Still, given how many people I’d seen in that town perhaps this was something worth following up on. The tavernkeeper seemed far too interested in our conversation. I nodded towards the door and we made our way outside.

“Tell me about this Lady Penworth,” I said.

“It really wasn’t the sort of thing she should have been looking into herself, but she has always had a good heart. For the past several months unemployed commoner women have been disappearing from this district. Lady Penworth feared it was the work of a serial killer, although no bodies have ever been discovered,” Giles said.

It wasn’t just women I’d seen there, but it was mostly. If someone, if a group of someones, were preying upon the populace it would make sense for them to do so in an area like this. Missing corporate employees, even low-level ones, would have resulted in an investigation, but nobody would care about the unemployed and unaffiliated.

“Do you have any information about when she was taken? How?” I asked.

Giles shook his head. “I fear not. I knew she was looking into it and politely discouraged her. I thought that she had dropped matters, but then she disappeared. I fear I should have offered to aid her instead.”

That seemed a safe bet. If she had fallen victim to what I’d seen on the other side, this knight to be would be blaming himself for a long time.

“Did she have any leads? If she was talking to you about the investigation, she must have had something,” I said.

Giles frowned and said, “I know that she had a suspicion. It seemed unlikely, but for some reason she expected the involvement of an executive from one of the corporations. A man who was down from one of the stations.”

That was something I could work with.

Executives coming down from the service were carefully tracked every moment they were here. They had to be, and that was shared with other corporations. The strict interpretations of the Treaty of Detroit required it. No respectable corporation would want to accidentally have one harmed.

This man, if he existed, would have a record of his movements in the system somewhere.

It also wasn’t the only corporate connection we had.

“Ismene. Can you cross reference corporate movements with this district and the executive whose travel plans we diverted with the attack on the garage? There has got to be some kind of connection there,” I thought.

“Sorry. You’ve got midlevel manager access, but that isn’t nearly enough to go poking into the lives of the bigwigs,” Ismene said.

That meant I had to escalate.

“Well, I thank you for your assistance. I need to do some investigations of my own, Giles,” I said.

“Miss, if there is a hope of you finding whoever abducted the Lady Penworth, I beg you, please let me accompany you,” Giles said.

I wanted to check with Columbia. Liberty seemed my best bet to get the information I wanted, but if they didn’t this guy might have the access required, or his family would.

“Come along,” I said.

The clock was still ticking. I wish I had more to go on, but this was a start.

Chapter 30

Back at the base I introduced Giles to the others and made my way downstairs. I wouldn’t be gone long enough to need to strap myself to the table, but I still wanted some privacy when I went dead to the world. I put in a call to Columbia and waited. Hopefully she wasn’t involved on a mission of her own right now.

Reality faded and I found myself phasing into the Network.

I appeared in a field of flowers at a shooting range. Columbia looked to be doing some target practice. Today she was dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts with a pistol holster on each hip. Targets were popping up regularly and she was firing independently with each gun. It seemed insanity, but she was landing those hits and each round exploded on impact tearing targets apart. I really didn’t want to be impressed by Columbia. I kind of was.

I watched for a few minutes as she completed her course and then she came over to plop down beside me in the grass. “Sorry about that. You caught me practicing.”

“No. You’re good,” I said.

“No, I’m the best,” Columbia said with an easy sort of grin. Here she seemed more in her element than I’d usually seen her. “What did you need? We going to go rob those banks?”

That was so not going to happen. “I wanted to see if I could get some Liberty assistance on something that is a bit above my paygrade,” I said.

That wiped the smile off her face quick. “Sugar, you’re awfully new to go asking for favors. You can try, but the answer is probably going to be no.”

“I’ll owe you?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Columbia said, not sounding very convinced. “Ask what you’re going to ask.”

“Back in meat space I’m running with a crew of independent contractors. Decent sorts. One of them has gone missing after meeting with a client. I found her logged into a Network location unable to leave. Some really bad stuff was going on,” I said.

Columbia drew up a knee and rested her chin on it while she stared over at me, “Boxing. I’ve heard of it.”

“I haven’t,” I said.

Columbia made an expression of distaste. “Liberty doesn’t approve. Officially we aren’t doing it, unofficially it happens. Some corps are being a lot more open with it. Recruiting, get a nice lump sum for your family and go into the box for the rest of your life. You get hooked up and can never leave the Network.”

I couldn’t imagine that. I didn’t want to imagine that. “Why would anyone do that?”

Columbia shrugged, “It isn’t always bad. In some cases it is pretty nice. What fun is being the king of a virtual kingdom, if all your subjects are just bits of code? Isn’t it nicer if the servant cleaning your robes, and the tavern wench you’re fucking on the side, are all real flesh and blood people? You’re on Earth, you know what it’s like down there. For a lot of people this is a better life.”

What I saw hadn’t been anything like she was describing.

“What I saw was really bad and my teammate didn’t agree to anything,” I said.

“Yeah. You know sick fucks are everywhere. They could get their kicks in virtually all day, but it’s the same thing isn’t it? It’s more fun when the victims feel,” Columbia said. “Motherfuckers.”

Columbia was getting a little pissed off now. I had to hope that was a good thing.

“You don’t like it. I can tell you don’t like it. Help me,” I said.

Columbia stared at me for a long moment. “This is getting Liberty involved. No promises, but send me what you have.”

“Can you do that?” I thought to Ismene.

“On it,” Ismene said.

Columbia got a distant look in her eyes. A virtual interface appeared in the air before her and she began to tap and swipe in the air.

“You’re doing jobs against Pharosa? Really?” Columbia asked.

“I’m not a Liberty employee,” I said.

“Believe me, I know. I still don’t approve of your choice of hobbies,” Columbia said.

What could I say? I knew Liberty wouldn’t much like that, but it was technically allowed.

“It was an existing contract from before I came on board. I’ll be more selective going forward,” I said.

Columbia grunted and nodded. “Good shit on the Camelot lead. I’d have to work hard to sell helping out an Independent, but rescuing the Lady is doable. They fucked up when they grabbed her.”

That wasn’t really a surprise. Masque mattered to me and my team. I knew in a Corporation level things would be different.

“Okay, I’ve got something. Let’s talk price,” Columbia said.

“Not doing it out of the kindness of your heart?” I asked. Columbia shook her head.

It was worth a try.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“First of all, what I have. The physical location of where your friend is being held and hopefully this missing Lady as well. It is technically under private ownership,” Columbia said.

Good then. Hitting it wouldn’t be getting anyone into any trouble. I didn’t really care at this point, but it smoothed things over.

“And in exchange for this, you want what?” I said.

“I’m having a party soon. Heroes everywhere you look, big bash, I want you to come and be charming,” Columbia said.

That would be my first choice just about never. “This isn’t come and be charming in the sense you’ll be selling me like a piece of meat right?”

Columbia laughed and shook her head. “Hey, you want to fuck the brains out of Uncle Sam, be my guest. But no, Liberty is all about the entertainment and we do these things every so often. Be a little bit friendly and a little bit badass.”

I could do that. “It sounded like there was a second part?”

“We’re doing that bank robbery. SantaFe is behind that secret facility holding your friend and I want proof. We’ll be doing a little storming and pillaging, and you get to show off your vault busting skills again. Making out mid-gun battle is optional, but desired,” Columbia said.

Well, nobody would fault Columbia for being shy. I kind of wanted to see what she could do in a real fight.

“You realize I still don’t have any real combat skills and never will,” I said.

Columbia shrugged. “I saw that you’re more than capable of making do. Make do.”

“Deal,” I said.

Columbia beamed a smile and snapped her fingers. “I sent the details over to your Comm. It doesn’t seem to be a large facility, so at least you shouldn’t have a large security presence.”

“If it really is off the books like you say, they’ll probably be well-equipped though,” I said.

“I’d say that is a safe bet,” Columbia said.

“Don’t suppose Liberty has a supply of high-powered gear about to fall off a truck?” I said.

Columbia shook her head. “Not going to happen. Private facility or not, this is all a hobby project for you.”

That was fair. Honestly I’d gotten more than I expected.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“I’ll call you for the party and the robbery,” Columbia said, and booted my connection.

I was hit with a deep wave of nausea when I came back. I was going into the Network way too much without enough sleep. It just kept getting worse each time. Just a little more. Once we had Masque back I could finally get some sleep.

I headed upstairs. Giles and the others were playing poker. The cards went down as soon as I made my appearance.

“Do you have something?” Giles asked.

“Tell me those connections are good for something,” Diva said.

“They are. I’ve got us a location. Private facility, small but likely well-armed,” I said.

“I’ll accompany you, of course,” Giles said.

That was good. He was armored like a tank. “Don’t suppose you have a house armory we can raid?”

Giles hesitated and shook his head. “I fear not, madam. Would that I did. I may have a few other stout arms that I could call who would come to the aid of a lady in distress.”

I weighed that. The more that we involved Camelot, the messier that things would likely become.

“No thank you, although we will welcome your aid. Gear up, everyone. We aren’t going against amateurs here, gear yourselves accordingly,” I said.

For me, that meant I couldn’t just get by with the antique SantaFe pistol that had become a staple on my hip. I’d hold onto it, but I’d take a cue from Columbia and go with twin holsters. The new gun would be a Deathbringer. It was still of SantaFe make, all the best pistols were, but built around a completely different design philosophy. It held only a single round at a time and they were painfully expensive, and came in a variety of types. A sapper that could bring down most standard Pharosan shields, or a heavy penetration round that could put a hole in even Giles’ armor.

Chapter 31

We’d done what was by now becoming habit. Set up on a nearby rooftop so we could observe the structure where Masque was being held.

There wasn’t a lot to see from the outside. A featureless warehouse in better repair than most, and locked up tight.

We’d seen a single guard patrolling the outside, but he didn’t look like anything special, just your standard night duty guard doing his job.

“You’re sure about this?” Diva asked.

“Reassure me,” I thought to Ismene.

“Power consumption and data footprint is way too high for a warehouse,” Ismene thought back.

Good. I didn’t think Columbia would have sent me on a wild goose chase, but I still wasn’t sure what to make of her. Sometimes she seemed the overindulgent Liberty stereotype to the core, but at others seemed astonishingly competent.

“We’re in the right place,” I said.

“They’re drawing a heck of a lot of juice for a warehouse,” Sparks said. Not too much slower than Ismene. Sparks was talented.

“We got a plan then, boss? We going to be playing nice with these guys?” Diva asked.

I’d seen what they were doing to Masque, and they were likely talented and heavily armed professionals.

“If they have a weapon make sure they don’t get to use it. I’ll handle the guard,” I said.

Despite just authorizing killing, I didn’t need to do that here. The patrolling guard was mostly there for show, whatever real defenses happened to be on the inside. It was easy enough to get behind him and deliver a sharp blow that knocked him out. I bound and gagged him while Hammer set a charge on one of the doors.

We readied our weapons and when Hammer blew the door we were ready.

The security inside the complex were as well. They must have been monitoring the guard outside and when I took him out moved into position, because as soon as the door blew we were under fire. They had thrown smoke grenades and the interior was shrouded in a thick haze that could only be seen through with specialized equipment. Smoke like this was unique, with specific filters tailored for each blend so there was no universal solution.

Not unless you had an AI with direct access to their visual cortex.

The interior seemed to blur in a disorienting haze of rainbow colors as Ismene experimented, and then suddenly clarified as she hit on the right one. I raised my Deathbringer and put a round through the head of a helmeted enemy just standing out in the open spraying fire with an assault rifle through the door. His body slumped backwards. I chambered another round as I rushed forward. I kicked the smoke grenade out the door.

“Down,” Diva shouted from outside and I ducked as she fired off a burner towards the ceiling. The burner was short-lived but worked to suck in oxygen, taking the smoke with it. It didn’t completely clear the entry, but mostly.

The warehouse actually had a lot in common with our base, except it was nicer. There was the makeshift rack of weaponry in one corner, the heavily armored assault vehicle, bunks and a rudimentary kitchen. I didn’t see any chambers that might be holding Masque and the others, but like ours base this warehouse probably had a basement.

I might have gotten one of the defenders down pretty much for free, but the others weren’t going down that easily. One had already made it into the vehicle and its heavy gun turned towards us and started firing. I dove for cover below a stack of crates that quickly began to dissolve under the fire.

Giles wasn’t as terrified. That crazy, brave idiot was charging it with a sword. His armor was good, but it wasn’t meant to stand up to sustained fire like that. It did enough for Giles to reach the vehicle and bring his sword down on the base of the gun, cleaving through the metal and causing a spray of sparks.

Giles slumped with blood speckling his armor. I hoped he’d survived, I didn’t have time to worry about it. Diva was pinned down by two mercenaries and looked to have already taken a bullet in the leg. Hammer was involved in some battle of fisticuffs with another cyborg, who looked even more heavily modified.

“I’ll help Hammer. Diva needs you,” Ismene said. Teamwork, I liked it.

I only had one armor penetration shell left for the Deathbringer. I chambered it and rushed towards the mercenaries, letting off a shot. To my surprise it was dodged, the masked mercenary twisting his body so it just missed him. I recognized those instincts—that was hardwired programming. Beneath that mask I was facing an Olympian.

I hadn’t ever considered that I might face any of my own people in combat some day. I knew the corporation had been broken up and those once employed on Earth were scattered. This soldier would have been of some important family to have the modifications, although obviously not important enough to have made it to Olympus Station. For now, I only knew he was on the wrong side and far more dangerous for his heritage.

We traded blows. The Olympian was well-armored and skilled, but so was I. My current set of enhancements was also the very latest Olympus had ever theorized. His—or hers— were probably from at least a decade earlier. I landed a full blow with all my strength against his throat and sent him stumbling backward.

“Down,” Diva said again from behind me. I dropped to one knee as a shot fired overhead. The second mercenary who’d had her pinned was mid-swing at me and the blast from her weapon wreathed him in flames. Today she’d picked a massive rifle with combustible chemical rounds. I’d had my doubts about the choice, but it seemed to be chewing through the armor pretty well given the horrified screams of the mercenary.

I got a sense of the fight again. Hammer was beating the hell out of the other cyborg, who seemed to have lost complete use of his cybernetic arm. Sparks looked to be shot, but breathing.

I hadn’t got used to how different things were in the real world. In a virtual environment these results would have been considered outstanding. Now I was worried if Sparks and Giles would pull through.

“Help Hammer,” I said to Diva, and moved towards a set of stairs in a corner. I was still concerned about Masque and felt I’d better find her sooner, rather than later. If they were really up to something seriously illicit here, there might be standing orders to clean up the evidence.

It was dimly lit going down the stairs and I was about to ask Ismene if the suit could generate some light when a muzzle flash lit things up. My reflexes kicked in, but in the narrow environment of the stairs there wasn’t enough room. Several rounds hit me in the chest and I was pretty sure at least one penetrated my armor.

A few broken ribs and internal injuries meant I probably didn’t have long left to remain conscious.

I braced myself against the stairs and leapt towards the muzzle flash. The gunner wasn’t expecting it, I was able to get close. My fingers grasped beneath their visor and tore it off to reveal their face even as my other hand pulled out the Rapidshot pistol. At close range and against an unarmored portion of the body it did the trick just fine and the mercenary’s face was reduced to pulp.

I didn’t see any others. There were six tanks here filled with some sort of fluid. I counted five women and one man floating within them, and one of them was Masque.

“Control panel to the side of the tank on the left. Make physical contact and I’ll do the rest. You’re going to be okay, one round nicked a lung, but I’m on it,” Ismene said.

That didn’t sound okay.

I had to take Ismene at her word though. My friend was a good doctor and given the suit and the nanotechnology, she really did know the state of my body better than I did.

“Damned right I do. I’m analyzing their armor too, so I can give you some upgrade options on yours. Just hold it together,” Ismene said.

My vision was blurry and I was coughing up blood—but sure, I could do that. I staggered forward and put my hand on the panel. A few moments later the lights overhead came on and fluid began to cycle out of the tanks.

It took about ten minutes before the room was filled with sobbing, shaking, naked people.

“Columbia just called. Party in twenty minutes,” Ismene said.

“Tell her I’m shot,” I thought back.

“She says if you’re alive enough to make excuses, you’re alive enough to show up and to remember to be charming,” Ismene said.

I just wanted a nap. Masque was free though, because of her. I guided the rescued upstairs and put Diva in charge of getting them some clothes and stripping the place bare.

I had a party to attend.

Chapter 32

Running across town when you’re carrying major injuries is about as much fun as it sounds. We Olympians are made of tough stuff, but there are limits. I was still figuring out who I was as Persephone, but I wanted to be someone that paid her debts. Besides, what was the worst that could happen, I died? Been there and done that.

I secured myself to the table with just a strap against my waist, being careful of my tender ribs. My armor had already mended itself, but the flesh took longer. Then I was triggering access to the Network.

We were somewhere high in the sky, it was almost like looking down from space. It was a festive party already with energetic music pumping out and a dance floor alive. A bar was going with several flocking around it. It was an eclectic group with fashions colorful and outlandish. I looked around the crowd and spotted Columbia chatting with a few others. Columbia had gone for form-fitting spandex in red white and blue with a string of stars across one thigh in a superhero look. With her was a handsome man in a red, white and blue suit and enormous top hat, and a burly looking man in predictably red white and blue plaid.

“Persephone! You made it!” Columbia said excitedly, when I wandered near. She grabbed my arm. “We Liberty agents were just having a bit of a chat. This is Uncle Sam and Paul Bunyan.”

“Hi,” I said, giving my most cheerful smile. It wasn’t that hard. I actually was feeling pretty good. I’d felt like death warmed over back there in the real world, but now that I was in the Network all those aches and pains had gone away. It was a bit intoxicating.

“Like the Eagle?” Uncle Sam asked.

I looked around for whatever bird he was talking about. Everyone was giving me that sort of look waiting for someone to finally get a joke. I finally did, the floor had felt strangely textured beneath my bare feet and I suddenly understood it was feathers. We were on the back of some massive eagle.

“You grow them big,” I said.

Columbia rolled her eyes. “Don’t get him started on the dick jokes. They’ll happen. I’m going to borrow Persephone a bit and go do girl-power things.”

The others waved and Columbia led me off towards where two women were talking. One was naked but for a string of heads about her waist and quite literally dripping with blood, the other was tastefully dressed in a flattering blue gown.

“Though you might like to meet a few of your other Goddesses,” Columbia said. “Anat and Inanna here both work with Roma.”

“I thought I got a bit screwed on the dress code,” I said.

“Tell me about it,” Anat said with a grin, and gave me a handshake. The blood didn’t transfer at least.

“I got lucky there,” Inanna said, shaking my hand as well. “I saw a bit of your opening act. Good stuff.”

“These two are the two big badasses on the scene right now when it comes to Goddess figures,” Columbia said.

“Does that change much? I actually don’t know much about the whole sponsored hero thing,” I said.

“We’re expensive to sponsor, so there aren’t a lot of us at any point in time,” Columbia said. “I’m the third Columbia. I don’t think either of these two have had a previous incarnation?”

“I haven’t,” Anat said.

“And I’ve been around since the start. First for Pharosa, then Versailles, now Roma,” Inanna said.

“So why Roma? Don’t they have their own Goddesses?” I asked.

“Roma likes fighters. They’ve got plenty of their own, but we do good work,” Innana said.

I could respect that.

A man in a black cowboy hat and dusters approached and tipped his hat.

“Kid,” Anat said.

Columbia gave me a warning look. I got the meaning. Whoever hero this was, I could tell he probably worked for SantaFe. They might well be here to scout out what role I’d just played in their facility just lost. With Columbia still planning her robbery, it wouldn’t do to give too much away.

“Hope you ladies don’t mind me interrupting. I just had to come over and rest my eyes on the latest and greatest Liberty had to offer,” Kid said with a boyish grin.

“Persephone, meet Billy the Kid,” Columbia said.

“Don’t sleep with him. The bastard will steal your horse the next morning,” Inanna said.

“Well now, that only happened the one time and it all worked out,” Kid said. “So how are you getting settled in? I hope Liberty ain’t taking up every moment of your time. I know how demanding they can be.”

“I find plenty of time to keep busy with my own projects. What about you? I can’t imagine anyone keeps Billy the Kid in a box,” I said.

I didn’t know quite what reaction my barb would get, but I didn’t expect the look of sudden thoughtfulness. “No Ma’am. I can’t say they do. Good thing too, I never much liked being boxed in.”

“Or paying for things,” Inanna said flatly, with her arms crossed.

“They used to have a thing,” Anat said. I’d noticed.

Columbia grabbed my arm and pulled me away just as the two started to get more into it. Kid didn’t follow.

It was no good time to talk, not with this entire thing being live. We all had to watch our words and what we gave away.

A legionnaire approached, a particularly majestic-looking one.

“Mars, we were just going to get a drink,” Columbia said.

“Then I’ll join you. I saw you talking to two of our acquisitions,” Mars said, and took my other arm.

Columbia forgot her own advice to be charming for a moment, looking distinctly put out. “Fine.”

“So are you here to recruit me too?” I asked.

“You’re not worth my time. Roma values warriors and you’re a gardener with a nice ass,” Mars said. “No, I’m here to insult you and make sure you know your place.”

“Insult one of ours and our party again, and your place will be learning how well you can fly when I kick your ass off this damned Eagle,” Columbia said.

Mars met Columbia’s gaze and with casual contempt released my arm to grope one of my breast. “This Olympian whore isn’t worth your time either.”

I didn’t let anyone treat me with that much disrespect. I instinctively pulled away and went to force him off, but here I simply couldn’t use the same unarmed skills I did in the real world. Mars backhanded me with enough force that I felt my jaw break. He was immensely strong.

Columbia didn’t hesitate. In an instant her pistol holsters were materializing around her waist and she was drawing them to open fire. Mars deflected the shots with one of his bracers and drew his sword to ram it into the chest of Uncle Sam, who was just stepping into the fray.

Anat and Inanna slipped in from the crowd to take their places alongside him.

“This is beneath you, Mars,” Inanna said.

“The Olympian whore needs to learn her place,” Mars said, gesturing angrily with the sword.

I focused on the patch of feathers beneath me and flowers bloomed.

I threw myself on that blade and let it skewer my throat. I was tired of the broken jaw and I had nothing to lose.

In an instant I was back. “Brambles,” I whispered, and my frame was wreathed in barbs digging cruelly into my flesh, but that would also wound any who touched me. I charged at Mars and with negligent ease he dispatched me with another blow of his sword.

I already knew how this went.

Ten times. Twenty. Thirty. Eighty.

I lost count after a hundred when finally Innana stepped between us, one hand upon Mars’ breastplate and the others being cut and bleeding by my brambles as it pressed against my own chest.

“Enough,” Inanna said.

“I can kill the bitch a few dozen more times,” Mars said.

His head came flying off a moment later, severed by a pair of daggers wielded by Anat, who stepped up from behind him. “Roma on Roma. We’ll accept a trade of his death penalty for the one on Uncle Sam?”

I guess he was dead. Done in by that first sword thrust. Mars was good at his killing.

“Done,” Columbia said.

“Our apologies for interrupting your party,” Inanna said.

“You two are invited back. That asshole isn’t,” Columbia said.

Anat hugged her while Inanna stepped in and hugged me, whispering in my ear, “Good job with that.”

Then they poofed out. The party continued well into the night, hardly interrupted by the scene of carnage that had broken out. Perhaps this was normal when Liberty had a bash.

It was kind of sick, but I think I was looking forward to the next one. It hadn’t been dull.

Chapter 33

When I finally left the Network I was barely able to focus upon the workshop for more than a few moments before being overcome with a wave of intense nausea. I’d pushed my body far too hard for far too long and it was finally just giving out. I let it, I was on a table.

I don’t know how long I slept for, but when I woke I felt like myself again. The ache in my ribs had become a dull and distant thing. I sat up on the table. None of the others were downstairs, although I heard sounds of conversation from above.

Masque looked cleaned up and almost herself again, and was seated at a table with Diva and Hammer. Sparks was nowhere to be seen.

“And I thought I looked bad,” Masque said wryly.

I took a seat and rubbed my head. “Too much, too often.”

“Heard you got shot,” Masque said.

“Didn’t we all?” Diva said. I noticed she was in shorts with a medical pack strapped to one leg. That would take care of a gunshot quickly enough, if it wasn’t somewhere critical.

“Is Sparks okay?” I asked.

“He’s getting a bit of shiny metal added,” Hammer said.

Not that okay then. Still, as long as they could replace the damage at least he’d still be ticking.

“What happened after I left?” I asked.

“We all got dressed and eventually stopped crying,” Masque said. “Most of them had been in there longer than I had. None were doing very well.”

“We killed the surviving guards, because fuck them,” Diva said.

I wasn’t thrilled by that. I understood.

“Giles called for you awhile back. Said that Lady of his wanted to speak with you,” Diva said.

I couldn’t imagine what we had to speak about, but if she did want to have some words it seemed like a good idea. Perhaps she had some idea who was actually behind all this.

“I’ll go with you,” Masque said, getting to her feet.

“You sure?” I asked.

“I want to make sure she’s okay. I didn’t know her in there, but you know…” Masque said.

Yeah. I knew. Suffering brought strangers together.

Masque armed up a lot heavier than normally before we left. I couldn’t blame her.

Last time we’d only gone to the border of the Camelot district, but this time we went inside.

Entry was through a heavy guarded portcullis. The dropping of Lady Penworth’s name prompted them to call to her estate, before we were allowed access and given directions.

Glass mosaics filled the sky, the entire roof of this district blocked in. It made a difference. I hadn’t realized what a toxic sludge the air outside must be until my lungs got a taste of something clean.

“I did good work. Those designs were from the last big war for our surface troops,” Ismene said.

Here everybody was a member of the corporation and it showed, even the poorest of those I saw on the streets looked well-clothed and fed.

The Penworth estate contained a lot of beautiful stonework and even had the luxury of a small garden outside.

A butler was expecting our arrival and after a few moments we were let into a study. When I’d last seen Lady Penworth she’d been naked and sobbing. Now in an ornate dress and fancy jewelry she seemed an entirely different woman. Still, beneath the composure I could sense something still frail.

“Lady Penworth,” Masque said with a small curtsy.

“Call me Darla, please. Persephone and Masque? I believe it was, thank you for coming,” Darla said, and motioned that we should have a seat.

“Tea? Cakes?”

“No thank you. How is Giles?” I asked.

“Recovering. That fool man charged a tank with a sword. He’ll get his knighthood for it, if I have anything to say about it,” Darla said.

“You wanted to see us?” I asked

“Right to business then?” Darla said. “First of all, thank you. I know that you were not there for me and yet you saved me. Well, you know what you saved me from. I did not know such indignities existed as I had visited upon me.”

I didn’t know how to answer that. I nodded.

“I understand there were only six of us held there,” Darla said.

I glanced to Masque. I hadn’t seen more than that, but then I’d had to run before the final cleanup.

“Just six,” Masque confirmed.

“And yet I have reason to believe that over twenty-five girls from the neighboring district have been abducted to share that very same fate,” Darla said.

I winced at that number. At that thought.

“We still don’t know who is behind it,” Masque said.

“I find my experiences have left me little patience for niceties. I believe I have an idea where those girls are being held. I wish to hire you to liberate them and kill every single person holding them there,” Darla said.

There was nothing subtle there.

“We’re not actually a mercenary company,” I said.

“I’m aware of who and what you are. I can hire soldiers. I will hire soldiers, but to lead the investigation I want somebody that I can trust. I wish for people who will understand and who will do what is necessary. That is you. Yes?” Darla asked.

“We understand,” Masque said, and the words were loaded with meaning.

I understood too. The knights of Camelot were far too honorable for her tastes. Darla didn’t want these men captured, Darla wanted a bloodbath.

“We aren’t the people for this,” I said.

Masque gave me a steady look. “Don’t back away from this now. You’ve come too far and seen too much.”

“She isn’t interested in justice. She is interested in murder,” I said.

Darla folded her hands primly in her lap. “I think they are not so far apart as you might wish in this case.”

“What is the purpose of a Corporation?” Masque asked.

“Are you getting into corporate philosophy with me now?” I asked.

“Diva would say it is to be dicks. But I know you better than that. I’ve seen it in you, you’re a true believer,” Masque said.

“To protect its people. To give them a culture and something to be proud of. To offer them a better life and meaning,” I said.

“Should anyone be proud of what is happening here? They should be ashamed, they are stealing the lives of people and forcing them into darkness,” Masque said.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I wasn’t without sympathy for their plight, but we weren’t the people to deal with this. The problem was bigger than us. Liberty really was the best option in this case, if I could help Columbia to find proof of what was happening here, then she could use that to force a confrontation.

“You know they shouldn’t, but we don’t have the resources to do what is needed,” I said.

“You shouldn’t fight the battle because you can’t win the war?” Ismene asked.

“Are you taking her side?”

“Think on what we’ve seen. Pharosa is making high grade network components as fast as they can. Do you think that unconnected?”

“SantaFe was using us to sabotage that operation. It doesn’t mean they’re putting the technology to the same use. You heard Columbia, much of it is legitimate.”

“How legitimate can slavery ever be? Even if people agree to it. That is what this is, they are trapped and can never leave.”

I knew the situation might be more complex than that, but it might also be that simple. Sometimes we’d try to read complexity into meanings that were better seen in stark terms.

I couldn’t control what Liberty did or didn’t do, although I could try to see it did the right thing. I might have the ability to ensure that at least more people who were suffering got rescued.

“I won’t promise you a bloodbath. I will not. I will investigate what you provide me and see justice done,” I said.

“That isn’t enough,” Darla said.

“It will have to be,” I said.

Darla stared at me for a long moment and she shook her head. “I’ve got nothing for a coward like you. I thought you were an ally. Get in my way and I’ll kill you too, you have my word. I’ll find those willing to do what is necessary and nothing is going to stop me.”

“Then do inform them it will be safer if they stay out of my way,” I said, rising to my feet. “I hope that you recovery from this.”

“I’ll tell Giles you asked after him,” Darla said, before hugging Masque. I didn’t get one.

On the way back to base I got a call. Columbia was good to go.

Chapter 34

This was an official mission. This time when I logged into the Network a prompt appeared.

Based on your previous performance you have been rewarded two levels

As a sponsored hero rewards can vary: For level 2 you are awarded 1 skill

For level 3 you are awarded 1 resource

Nature’s Kiss: Enhanced effects of various plants can be delivered through a kiss. This includes poison, intoxication, and sleep.

Far afield: Instead of spawning at the closest field of flowers you may select from several nearby options.

Sunspawned: In direct sunlight you will possess enhanced strength, stamina, and rapid healing.

Those were some interesting choices. Right now, by far the most useful of my abilities was my ability to resurrect. The choice of locations could potentially make that a lot more powerful and get me out of danger. I could already visualize how I’d try to deal with me, if I were an enemy. A cage over a field of flowers and kill me dead. I’d be trapped and helpless. This would let me get past that eventuality.

The others were useful in a completely different way. The only way I had to really heal from wounds was dying. It worked wonders, but it wouldn’t always be a choice. Sunspawned seemed like it might be one of those things of minimal value, but a lot more useful as I got stronger. And Nature’s Kiss was the most tempting of the bunch—I could only do my barbs, which were of minimal effect in a fight. I didn’t much like the thought of being some sort of kissing, killing machine, but at least it would be something.

I had to assume eventually something with more combat applications would be coming along or I’d better mastery my abilities. Wrapping myself in thorns recently had been one such example. I could get by without the kissing, I figured, as useful as that might be. The Sunspawned really appealed to me, but it seemed very situational.

Far afield would let me prevent the first thing I’d think of to deal with someone like me. I’d neutralize a big weakness in an instant and get some minor tactical utility as well. That outweighed everything else. I selected that power.

Resource Options

Venomous barbs: The vines enshrouding your body are now barbed and contain a weakening toxin. This will never have or weaken you or those you wish to allow close, but attackers engaged at close range will have to contend with them.

Healing blooms: Each day three healing blooms will appear on your body. Consuming one will heal most moderate injuries and cure many ailments

Allies: Nymphs. Near most sources of fresh water nature spirits named nymphs can be found. While their aid can be inconsistent it can also be great and with this resource they will consider you to be a friend.

These were some interesting choices. Venomous barbs would give me something defensive, and at least meant I wouldn’t have to worry about amorous police anymore. But then, so did a set of well-conjured brambles. They wouldn’t do anything to make me more armored and would be of limited use.

The healing blooms were better. The Sunspawned ability had appealed to me before and with this I wouldn’t just have a way to heal myself, but also to give some healing to others. It was tempting, but I feared also flawed. If only I understood herbalism or alchemy I’d be a powerful healer without need of such things. I could already grow any blossom I needed.

That left me with allies. I had to admit that dressed like this I looked a bit nymph-like myself and they did seem suitable friends for a Goddess of vegetation. Perhaps on this one I should take my cue from what I was.

I indicated my choice of allies.

Darkness shimmered for a moment and then I materialized.

I seemed to be sitting on a bouquet of flowers inside a stagecoach. Columbia was seated across from me and she’d dressed cowgirl for the day in a white hat, a red and blue checkered shirt, leather pants and cowboy boots.

“Why don’t you have some stupid dress code to adhere to?” I asked.

“You think this is easy?” Columbia asked, gesturing at herself, “You know how long I spend picking out these looks? Count yourself lucky.”

Yeah, lucky, that was the word for it.

“So where are we headed?” I asked.

“We’re visiting the fine folks in SantaFe. Canyon City, you’re going to love it,” Columbia said.

We were live at this point with our every word going out to the audience. I knew she wouldn’t want to discuss the bank job, although I wish she’d talked to me a little ahead of time so we could coordinate.

The stagecoach came to a stop and the driver got down to open our door.

“Well, that was conveniently well-timed,” I said.

“Don’t take so long picking out your powers next time,” Columbia said and stepped out. I joined her.

The sun was bright overhead. This was nothing like the last time I’d been in a SantaFe town. That one had been the place of horrors holding Masque, this one was almost idyllic.

Horses were everywhere and the buildings were brightly colored. Everywhere there seemed to be a spirit of hope, of optimism, a new frontier waiting and beckoning.

“It’s nicer than I expected,” I said.

“If you were expecting something unpleasant, I wonder why you came at all,” said a man stepping up to us. He was a distinguished-looking man in a white hat. He had a mustache and a silver star pinned to his jacket.

“Pat Garrett. Long time,” Columbia said, flashing him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Pat here helped to teach me to shoot back in the day.”

“Seems like a lifetime ago,” Pat said, and he slipped one of his arms into Columbia’s and the other into mine. “Why don’t I show you the town while you tell me exactly what brings two of Liberty’s finest into my jurisdiction?”

I let Columbia take the lead in the conversation.

“I’m glad you ask. We’ve been looking for things that Persephone can help with. Seemed to me you’ve got a lot of crops that might just benefit from having her around,” Columbia said.

“Crops,” Garret said, as he led us down the street. Despite any claims of playing tour guide he didn’t seem to be doing much of it. I spotted the bank on one corner. There were a lot of gunmen outside. “You aiming to be a farmer, Miss Persephone?”

I was thinking about this point that maybe I really should start taking Columbia at her word, if she was this bad of a liar. “I don’t know what I’m looking to be, Sheriff. I’m still pretty new to all this. Do healthy crops actually matter to you?”

It set the Sheriff back a moment. “Because it’s virtual space, you mean? They actually do. How much we can grow depends on how large our towns can be. How much mining and trade we can do. Because of the nature of who and what we are, that’s a bit limited.”

I actually could make a difference for them, and probably others. My growth ability so far had seemed mostly useless, but here it did have applications beside the combat. It was interesting, something to think about. When I’d assigned points from my first two levels I built myself more like an agriculture goddess than a combat goddess. I’d done so with thoughts to the future, but maybe there was something there.

Being Persephone was more complex than it seemed at first. Perhaps not everything could be reduced to a fight.

We’d come to stop before a building prominently marked with “Jail”

“Pat, what are you doing?” Columbia said.

“I’m just getting to the bottom of things. Maybe you two don’t mean any harm to this town, unlikely though it seems, but I know you both came in with mission timers. This isn’t some scouting expedition,” Pat said. He drew a pistol from each waist and leveled one at my head and one at Columbia.

“You know I’m the better shot,” Columbia said.

“Don’t see where I’m giving you the chance,” Pat said.

“Brambles,” I said and thorned vines sprang up around the Sheriff even as I rushed towards him to ruin his aim. He didn’t hesitate, the shot took me right between the eyes.

Unlike my past deaths I felt myself grow disembodied. I was floating within a jail cell where a small box of flowers had been carefully set up. I guess I really had picked the right set of powers. I focused on the next set that could be found. It looked to be a brothel—the girls did like their flowers. It would do. I reincarnated.

I hoped I’d spoiled the Sheriff’s aim enough to give Columbia a fighting chance. Whether I had or not, I had a mission to carry out. Getting inside that bank vault.

Chapter 35

The whole city wasn’t against me at least. Despite how much I stood out, I wasn’t stopped as I moved through the streets. It wasn’t far to the bank.

I waved my hand in an alleyway and created a field of flowers. I had a point where I could come back closer now. It didn’t do a thing against all those guards I saw. I could try my war of attrition thing again, but I was worried about its effectiveness. It had worked before because I was facing a limited number of forces not openly against me.

This wasn’t the same thing at all. I expected, if I started in on that bank, I’d find the entire town turned against me. Columbia, if she was even still alive, was surely fighting for her life.

“You with me, Ismene?” I thought

“I’m here and my safecracking fingers are itching and ready,”

“We really need an actual body for you.”

“One day maybe when I’m not having to hide that I even exist,” Ismene said.

I eyed the bank and counted numbers. Four suspiciously placed men outside with rifles. Another two inside. Then there were two tellers behind a desk and beyond them the heavy door of a vault.

I didn’t have to die. I could pull this off without it. I ran for it.

A charging, mostly-naked woman drew more than a few eyes. The first guard started to raise a rifle and I gestured. Brambles sprang up around him encasing him in thorns. I went from being a possible threat to a real threat.

A second guard got off a shot as I dove through the doorway and landed in a crouch. A wall of thorned vines sprang up behind me. One of the guards inside got off a shot. I grabbed one of the bank customers and threw him. That strength was coming in handy. With my lack of skills it wasn’t particularly well done, but customer and guard both went down in a tangle of limbs. A second later they were encased in a thick mesh of brambles.

I was making them a lot faster and more plentiful than before. It must be the levels I’d gained. The other interior guard took a shot which I just avoided. I didn’t even try to incapacitate him, I just rushed past the astonished tellers. “Bamboo,” I whispered under my breath and a wall of it erupted from the floor to form a barrier.

It wasn’t much, but it would do for the moment. The vault had on it a series of three dials. It must take three different combinations. I imagined each bank employee probably knew one, this was heavy-duty security so far as it went. I hoped Ismene would be able to crack it. I dropped to a knee and pressed my ear to the vault to turn the dials. It was show, theater for the watchers. They didn’t know about Ismene and I needed to be pretending to do something while she did her work.

I heard shots from outside. I paused and focused, and murmured bamboo repeatedly. Outside, if all was going to plan, stalks were appearing all over the bank lobby. I was filling the place with wooden barriers.

“They’re good,” Ismene said.

“So are you,” I thought back.

“Differential calculus was never my thing. Okay, try this,” Ismene said and read off numbers for each of the three dials.

I tried them and tested the lever to open the vault. Nothing.

“Ismene…” I thought

“They really don’t want unauthorized people getting in here. They built this thing for a reason. Okay, new sequence.” I tried the new one and still got nothing.

The clock was ticking and nothing was getting done.

“I need muscular control,” Ismene said.

“I don’t actually have muscles right now,” I thought back.

“Then this will be easy. The sequences are changing by the second for each number,” Ismene said.

“Then how does anybody ever open the damned thing?”

“They probably have authenticators built into their meat brains that translate here.” I felt my body suddenly get very strange as I lost control of it.

It was a bit like being possessed.

“I can stop caressing myself anytime now,” I thought.

“Yeah. I was curious and you owed me for this.”

I felt my fingers spinning the dials. This time I heard that loud satisfying clunk when the last had been turned. I felt control of my limbs come back and I opened the door.

There was gold. There was a lot of gold. It wasn’t the target, of course. Beyond racks filled currency there were rows of tiny chests, all about the size of my fist, neatly locked up. Each had a six digit number written on it in calligraphy.

“The building Masque was being held was facility 2131,” Ismene said.

The numbers were sequential and I was able to find one marked 002131 easily enough.

“Are all of these others similar facilities?” I asked Ismene.

“Those are probably just project numbers. Black ops.”

That made sense. The temptation was there to grab a bunch of them, instead I emptied a bag of money and stuffed the one box inside. We hadn’t come to rob SantaFe blind of all their secrets. We’d come to rob them blind of one particularly dirty secret.

I stepped out of the vault. There was a rush of heat, and red and orange flickering from beyond my bamboo wall. They’d set fire to the bank. That seemed extreme, but then if they knew I’d gotten inside they knew their corporate secrets were being raided.

I hadn’t tried my powers for anything like this, but now seemed the time. “Oak,” I said, focusing upon a nearby section of brick wall. There was a rumble and the ground lurched beneath my fault as a tree sprang out of the ground sending bricks crumbling and the wall scattering.

I squeezed through with my stolen plunder and was instantly under fire. A youth in a white hat called out, “She’s over here!” before taking another shot. He exploded a moment later. Literally exploded, a mass of limbs and gore.

It was Columbia, leaning over a horse as she rode into view with pistols in hand. “Hop on,” she said.

“I’m pretty sure I can run faster than your horse,” I said.

Columbia grinned, “Let’s find out.”

The horse was kicked into a gallop and I followed. I trusted that she’d have some sort of escape plan and she did.

The train terminal was at the edge of town. The engine was already steaming when we arrived, although I saw nobody tending it. Columbia stumbled off her horse and it was only then I saw the bloodstain causing her shirt to cling to her. The woman didn’t let it stop her.

“You’re shot,” I said.

“Should see Pat,” Columbia said, as she marched towards the engine compartment. I joined her and in short order the train was in motion and beginning to pull ahead.

“Am I going to be seeing Pat?” I asked, looking out. I didn’t see any signs of pursuit, but I imagined it had to be on the way.

“Not for days and if we’re still in here for that long we’ve got bigger problems. Fuck. I didn’t expect him,” Columbia said, slumping down. A prompt appeared flashing before me.

Condition Change: SantaFe has escalated the current encounter

At least one member of Liberty must escape within the next 48 hours with the stolen data

In pursuit

Billy the Kid

Pecos Bill: John Henry

Calamity Jane

Jesse James

“Shit,” Columbia said, clutching her side. “That has to be their whole roster still off-timer. They’re sending the whole damned roster after us. What the hell did you get me into?”

“Is what we stole that valuable?” I asked.

“It shouldn’t be. Valuable yeah, or we wouldn’t have come in after it, but calling up everyone like that? It’s expensive,” Columbia said, and she took a pained breath as she shifted.

“You’re hurt bad,” I said.

“I’ll heal in a few hours. Not that easy to put down a force for freedom,” Columbia said.

All the Liberty talk really got weird sometimes.

While there would be fights ahead, there wasn’t one at the moment.

“Get some rest. I’ll take watch,” I said.

“Try to slow them down,” Columbia said.

“Oh, I can grow trees now. If they’re following us, it isn’t going to be by train,” I said.

“Badass,” Columbia said, and shifted back to rest her head against the console as she fell asleep.

Chapter 36

The next few hours were peaceful. I regularly kept throwing out obstacles behind us, trees to split open the track and brambles to fill the land alongside. I wasn’t sure if it was helping, despite those big names in pursuit I’d seen not a bit of them. That worried me, if I didn’t see them behind us it made me think that they were planning something else. That they had some other sort of tactic.

Columbia woke after a few hours. A leisurely sort of stretch and she took off her shirt to check the wound. Blood flaked readily off where she’d been shot, but the flesh beneath seemed unmarked.

“You’re looking better,” I said.

“Flatterer. Glad you like the view,” Columbia said. It was true, she wasn’t wearing a bra, it also wasn’t what I’d meant. Of course, she knew that, she was playing it up for the home viewers. Or so I assumed, given she didn’t seem in all that much hurry to shrug it back on, spitting on the fabric and working to scrub the fresh clean.

“I haven’t seen any signs of them,” I said.

Columbia frowned and lifted a shoulder. “You won’t yet. They’ll be planning something. They didn’t call out all those guns expecting to lose. Ambush us, kill us and they keep that data. Those are the new rules of the encounter.”

“I’m still iffy on how these encounters work. It seems different than wars,” I said.

“It is. Wars are agreed on ahead of time with the rules firmly in place, but what we do, we can surprise them. We file with arbitration ahead of time for the rules of what we’re attempting and we go in. Course, if they catch us at it and are willing to pay a premium, they can change the rules we’re operating under,” Columbia said.

“So what exactly did they do?” I asked.

“Pat was in town when we arrived, we were always going to face off against him. They bid in everyone and part of that is going to be giving them time to arrive and get ready. I knew I was good for a nap and some healing, because right now this train isn’t going much of anywhere,” Columbia said.

So right now we were effectively in a holding room waiting for our competition to get geared up and ready. That made some more sense out of things. It did mean my efforts on the tracks the past few hours had mostly been useless.

“So what do we do until the action heats up?” I asked.

“Talk? Make out? Fuck? You know I’m open to it all,” Columbia said.

I preferred guys, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested. Columbia had stepped up a few times when she didn’t have to. I found her crude and in some ways kind of tacky, but still, she actually was kind of larger than life .

“Talk. I know how I got into all this, how did you?” I asked.

Columbia grinned, “My life story? Seems one-sided when I know you’re not going to tell me yours. At least, if you’re still sticking with that bullshit original story about falling from Olympus.”

That bullshit origin story happened to be truth. I didn’t exactly want to say that too vigorously though, now with the cameras still going.

“So you’ll pry something else out of me,” I said.

“I will. I’m your usual company scion. Liberty has four stations linked together and it matters a lot where you’re from. I’m Mayflower, which was the first. Fifth generation,” Columbia said.

I didn’t know a lot about the hierarchy in Liberty, but she made that sound important. Probably equivalent to how I grew up, near royalty in a Corporation that didn’t actually have royalty.

“I think I’m supposed to be impressed,” I said.

“You are. Still, birth alone doesn’t get you a hero gig. That usually takes something special,” Columbia said, a touch serious. There was a hint of pain there.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Sorry, it’s a tough memory. I’d trained to be a soldier. I was good, but nothing amazing. Went down to the surface for my eighteenth birthday, you know, right of passage and all that. Well, maybe you wouldn’t—not being an orbiter,” Columbia said.

I did. I’d never gotten to do mine, but it was common for the elite. Go see the world below and learn just how lucky you had it.

“Olympus, remember,” I said.

“Sure,” Columbia said with a dark look. I know what she felt, that I was returning her honest talk of something painful with a lie. “Shuttle crashed. My tracker was damaged and everybody thought I’d died. Some unemployed rescued me and were actually good to me. There was this gang preying on them, they lived with some pretty horrible shit every day.”

I didn’t have to imagine. I’d been down on the surface for about a week now and I’d seen more horrible things than I’d have ever imagined.

“You did something?” I asked.

“I’m Liberty, born and bred. Freedom isn’t free and is bought with the barrel of a gun. I believe that to the very core of my being. I taught them those lessons. We killed every last one of those sons of bitches,” Columbia said.

“You could have just found a transponder. Let Liberty know you were alive, let rescue come,” I said.

“Could have. I’m not a girl that runs from a fight,” Columbia said.

Yeah, she played things up for the camera, but there was steel in her.

“What happened to the people? The ones who helped you?” I asked.

“They’re now Abigonia. Liberated the whole damned sector and petitioned Liberty to join up. Abigail is my real name behind Columbia,” Columbia said. “So Abigonia…”

“And after all of that, they made you Columbia. You said you’re not the first?” I asked.

Columbia shook her head. “There were others, but neither of them lasted long. There are stories there, but we don’t talk about them.”

That just made me more curious. I never got a chance to ask.

Our train got sucked into a tornado. Neither of us had seen it coming or was ready. Even here my Olympian reflexes gave me some advantage though and, as we lifted from the tracks, I sprang at Columbia and willed a set of flowers into being within the train. I could die and be healed, but her body took a lot longer. It just made sense to cover her.

Columbia wasn’t one to waste an opportunity. She kissed me.

It might have been nice in other circumstances. But at the moment I was just keeping her pinned down as we tumbled end over end. The contents of the car bounced and collided as the train tore itself apart. A lever broke several of my ribs, a box fractured my leg. By the time the carriage finally came tumbling to a stop I was a broken, bleeding wreck.

“Did you feel the world spin? I felt the world spin,” Columbia said. She was making jokes now? Fortunately that wasn’t all she was doing, a pistol coming out, and she shot me in the face.

I selected the flowers I’d just grown and came to a moment later.

The car was on its side and Columbia leapt up to punch the twisted remains of the door, which screeched and flung aside. Divine strength I could only assume. Then she was crawling out and I joined her. Desert stretched around us on all sides. A cloud of dust could be seen from a band of riders coming in our direction. It had to be the SantaFe heroes coming to finish the job.

“Fuck,” Columbia said, looking around. A mountain peak in the distance caught her eye. “Washington Peak. That is a Liberty outpost and there will be a cavalry unit there. Go, you’re faster than I am. Just one of us has to escape with the data and you’re faster than me.”

“Am I faster than a bunch of heroes’ horses?” I asked.

“Probably not,” Columbia said. “You got a better idea?”

I did actually.

“You run and I’ll hold them off. You’re the better fighter, but you aren’t holding out against those numbers. I can just keep coming back and delaying them,” I said.

Columbia looked torn. I understood the impulse. She didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but the fact she was even considering it meant she knew my plan made sense.

“Go,” I said.

Columbia grabbed the bag that contained the stolen box from the vault. “Give them hell.”

Then she was off.

I didn’t have much time before the riders arrived. I gestured, focused my will and transformed the desert into a vast field of flowers. They wanted to do this, they’d be doing it on my turf.

Chapter 37

I watched as the riders approached and did my best to come up with a plan. A plan always helped, even though the old truism about them rarely surviving contact with the enemy had merit. I’d already set the battleground to be favorable to me, with the flowers everywhere I could die and come back at angles they didn’t expect. That and my ability to create plans were what I had going for me.

So far my immortality ability seemed fairly rare, so if I could kill any of them then they’d have a death timer and be well and truly out of the fight for the time being.

The riders drew near and I whispered ‘oak’ beneath my breath. A line of trees erupted from the earth just before their horses. The reaction was as I’d hoped, two riders getting thrown and the others having to ride around. A shot rang out and I just barely managed to get out of the way.

“Brambles,” I murmured, encasing one of the riders.

Another shot ran out. At that range and with my reflexes I never really expected a hit, but it struck my knee fracturing bone and dropping me to the ground. The pain was excruciating, I’d have to lose the wound. Another rider leveled their gun and I prepared myself to run towards, instead of away, from the bullet. To place myself in the path of harm. Another shot and my other knee exploded from the impact.

It dawned on me too late that, of course, with SantaFe heroes, one of them was probably a crack shot. They had some sort of ability that meant they never missed. Even my dexterity and Olympian reflexes weren’t proof against something like that.

My world was a blur as I tried to get to my feet. I shouldn’t have. My legs just weren’t working properly. A lasso whipped out and wrapped around my arms and dragged me across the flowers.

“Tie her up,” a man in a black hat barked. A woman who must be Calamity Jane—if I was correctly remembering those who had been listed—dragged me over to a rock and bound me to it.

“Leave us,” said the black-hatted man.

“You know, this don’t sit rightly with me,” said another man in a black hat. I recognized him from the party. Billy the Kid.

“Ain’t asking for your opinion, Will. I’m telling you how things are,” said the first man. “Take Pecos Bill and get after the other. She can’t have gotten far.”

That was unfortunately true. I’d meant to cause far more of a distraction than I actually had.

“Yessir, Mr. Green,” Billy said, and moved off.

I still had to be a distraction. I had to kill myself. “Brambles,” I murmured and a rope of them appeared wrapped around my neck. I meant to impale myself upon them, but I was tied so tightly I didn’t have the ability Uncomfortable and not fatal—and hardly even uncomfortable compared to the pain of my shattered kneecaps.

The others walked away and gave us some distance leaving me with just the one man.

“Surprised at this outcome? Of course you are,” Green said, pulling a wicked-looking knife from his waist and toying with it.

“Wondering who you are. I don’t remember a Green being among the heroes sent after us,” I said.

“Didn’t have to be just heroes coming after you. No sort of rule about it,” Green said, leaning in and digging the tip of the knife into my side. “Besides. You might say I had something of a personal interest in what you stole.”

“It was your facility I attacked,” I said, with a sudden sick feeling in my stomach.

“Now she understands. You’ve seen a little of my work so you understand just what it is I’m about to do to you,” Green said.

“I’m not in a box. I can log out anytime I want,” I said.

“That’s true for now. You can just scamper off and hide any time you like. If you do it’s a forfeit for Liberty and my information stays safe,” Green said.

I didn’t know if that was true, but I could believe it. Leaving mid-encounter would demand some sort of penalty and it would make sense that it was the data we’d come to collect.

“You realize this is all live. That anything you do to me everyone will know. That they’ll realize what a sick bastard you are. Do they know what you do to all those people you take and stuff in boxes?” I asked.

Green laughed and the tip of his knife dragged along my flesh. “You think anyone cares? You’re entertainment. Didn’t the crowds cheer when you hurt yourself charging to your death again and again? Do you think they’re going to react any differently when I skin you, then rape you?”

That ice that had been at my core for awhile now was starting to bubble away into panic and I tried to force it down. Tried to force it cool. I was a professional. My old mantra and I tried to cling to it. There was nothing professional about being tortured and raped though. I could avoid it, but then this bastard would win. That was what he wanted. Wasn’t that what he wanted?

Green cut a small square off of me. There is no real other way to describe that. The pain made my head spin, “I’m going to find you.”

“You are,” Green said, and he leaned in to tease his tongue on my ear. “I’m close, you see. I’m down on Earth. I’m so close and soon I’m going to have you back just like I had your friend. This is going to be the rest of your life. I’m going to make sure of it.”

The words were meant to push me over the edge into total fear, but they did the opposite. I felt that ice coming back, filling me once more. I was already dead.

“Ismene. Can you track him?”

“His connection is well shielded. Log out Alena, we have whatever Darla knows. We’ll work with her and get this bastard.”

“We know he’s somewhere near us on Earth. We know he’s alive now just like we are. Can’t you compare, do something?”

“No. Nothing, there is no point to this.” Ismene said. My friend’s voice was perfectly composed, perfectly calm, frank, honest. Her tone didn’t mean a thing. Ismene chose her tone and she was choosing to lie to me, because she loved me and didn’t want me hurt. I had to be hurt.

“Do your worst,” I said.

Green smiled and his dragged along my skin once more, “We’re going to have so much fun.”

“Brambles,” I said and they sprang up around him. It was a distraction, nothing more. Then he cut out my tongue and I wasn’t saying anything anymore.

There is no good way to describe the misery that was the next few hours. It is nothing I want to recall. I was ice, frozen and immutable and eternal. That is what I told myself. That is what I tried to make myself believe.

I’d been through horrors before and I’d go through them again. I was Persephone and I made the best of tragedy. I knew that Ismene would be putting this time to good use. It came as a relief when after some hours my head jerked back as a rifle round entered it. I cycled through flowers going further and further afield until finding what I’d hoped I’d find. Columbia crouched low, looking through the scope of a rifle. Watching her, Billy the Kid was on a horse nearby with a corpse slung over his saddle. Apparently capturing Columbia hadn’t been part of his thinking.

“Made it back as fast as I could when I heard what is happening,” Columbia said and she squeezed off another shot. I imagined in the distance another skull was exploding, I could only wish she’d take her time.

“Miss,” Billy said, with a tip of his hat.

“Will,” I said.

“Friends call me Billy,” Billy said.

“That what we are?” I asked, trying to keep it together. Trying to keep myself sane.

“Billy killed the other one and told me what the fucker was planning to do to you. I was halfway to the outpost, got back as fast as I could,” Columbia said.

“You should have kept going,” I said. All of this had been to buy her the time to get away.

“We’ve two horses and a head start. We’ll make it,” Columbia said.

“Why did you do it?” I asked Billy.

“Miss. I’m a bad guy, but I ain’t that kind of bad guy, if you know what I mean,” Billy said.

I did.

“I’m going to go now. You two should do the same,” Billy said.

We did. It was hours to the outpost, but once we were back on Liberty soil we were finally able to transition out of there and to a place of safety.

Chapter 38

We materialized in Columbia’s office and she snapped her fingers, her dusty attire instantly being swapped out for something that might have come from the New York I’d visited awhile back, although in her usual shades of red, white, and blue.

“Off Camera. That was bad,” Columbia said, emptying the bag on her desk. The small case rolled out. “Bell, crack this damned thing.”

“On it,” said a sonorous voice from the surroundings.

I said, “You’ve got an assistant?”

“It isn’t widely talked about, but not all AIs wound up going over to the Collective. Bell is kind of the heart and soul of the Mayflower,” Columbia said, reaching up to massage her eyes. “Shit hon’. How are you? Really? You got tortured for hours. Did he?”

“Rape me? I don’t think so. He was planning on it, but I think he was enjoying hurting me too much. I wasn’t feeling much of anything after awhile though, so maybe he did and I just lucked out,” I said. “Is that sort of thing really fine?”

It was strange to just talk about it like that. Have out in the open. Just a normal day talking about torture and horror.

Columbia gave me a long look. “We get a lot of power as sponsored heroes. It comes with a price. The protections that cover most corporate citizens just don’t apply to us. And, of course, you aren’t a corporate citizen at all. Do you want to be?”

It was an offer she hadn’t made me before. I didn’t know what to say. I was Olympian. Being Olympian was the core of everything I had been, but I really wasn’t anymore. There was no more Olympus.

“What would that mean?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked anyone and it isn’t really an official offer, but you know the levers I can move. I doubt I can get you onto a station, but I could get you into a colony. You’d have to give up running around with those independent contractors, but you’d be safer,” Columbia said.

Green had made some pretty big threats against me and as Darla’s capture had proved, simple corporate citizenship wasn’t going to stand in his way.

The box on the table cracked apart. A door opened and a tall brunette stepped in, “I’m Bell, by the way. Pardon me, I just wanted to look over this firsthand.”

“Persephone, but you probably know that,” I said.

“Nice to meet you in person,” Bell said, as she moved to the table and began to look through the contents of the box. It included a tablet, which she flipped through. “You can tell your friend to come out of hiding, you know. I’m not blind.”

“You’ll have to explain that one,” Columbia said.

“She has an AI of her own. They’re so well integrated that she’s almost invisible, but I’m just that good,” Bell said.

A flicker of red light and Ismene materialized wearing a red dress in the style of Columbia’s.

“I’m Ismene. Uh, sorry,” Ismene said.

“You are. Isn’t that interesting?” Bell said.

“You’re harboring a secret AI? I really do have the hots for you now. What’s so special about Ismene here?” Columbia asked.

“Produced for Olympus Station. Medical specialty and the assistant to the mother of one Alena Polias,” Bell said, with a pointed look towards me.

Columbia arched a brow and settled back into her chair, “Are we friends?”

I knew where this was going. It didn’t change the facts. “I think we are,” I said.

Columbia gestured to Ismene. “Then please, illuminate me. Liberty took you under contract at the request of the Collective. Now I find you running around with an AI who is believed dead for the past two decades along with the rest of the Olympus systems.”

“If you don’t tell her, I will,” Ismene said.

“I didn’t know it was the Collective that made the request. Everything that I first said when connected to the Network was true. I am, or was, Alena Polias of Olympus,” I said.

“That bullshit about falling from orbit?” Columbia asked.

“Not bullshit. I was wearing an armor utilizing nanotechnology and loaded up with Ismene here. I died in the fall, but Ismene is a doctor and she had a lot of time on her hands,” I said.

“Bell?” Columbia asked.

“An interesting piece of a larger puzzle, if true. It sounds implausible, but the pieces fit more than you know,” Bell said.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Columbia asked.

“Quite a bit. For now, accept that your friend probably is your friend,” Bell said, throwing down the tablet with grimace. “I think your idea of remaining hidden is a good one, Ismene. Do continue and we’ll keep Liberty in the dark for the moment.”

Columbia gave Bell a long look. “You’re sure about this.”

Bell nodded curtly, “Trust me, Abigail. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Columbia sighed and shook her head. “Not yet. Fine then. But in that case, I also don’t think joining up with Liberty right now is a good idea. What is in the files?”

“A new future. A solution to the problem of Earth and to the Treaty of Detroit,” Bell said. “Proposals and plans for boxing facilities as large as cities. Plans for high executives and their families who prove to be uncooperative to be safely boxed. Subject to no physical harm and yet contained from doing any harm while still serving some useful purpose.”

“What,” Columbia said, her tone suddenly dangerous.

“There are legal opinions in here. Extensive and well-made. Tentative agreements between several of the smaller corporations,” Bell said.

“They can’t be allowed to do that. Can they?” Ismene asked.

“Legally they make a compelling point. The boxing facilities they recommend would keep the physical bodies safe, and in better health than they would likely be, left to their own devices. The no violence provisions have frozen the corporate hierarchy in place more or less since the treaty was signed, apart from the brief disruption caused by the destruction of Olympus,” Bell said.

“I don’t care how compelling a legal point. It’s slavery,” Liberty said.

“Box the population of Earth and they would live longer and healthier lives. Large scale environmental projects could be undertaken to restore the surface environment,” Bell said, and then paused. “I am not saying that I agree. I do not. But I am saying that they will find supporters for this. They already have.”

“What are our options?” Liberty asked.

“We can raise this with the Corporate Council, but I fear the results. I know that you were hoping to find evidence of the abduction of the Camelot noble. You have that, but bring this before the Council and they may declare it acceptable,” Bell said.

“They can’t have the votes for that,” Columbia said.

“Hopefully not. Probably not, they did seek to keep you from this information for a reason,” Bell said.

I said, “This is all very interesting, but if you’ll excuse me I am still an Independent Contractor and not actually an employee of Liberty. I do believe I have some very personal business to go take care of.”

“Subtle,” Bell said with a snort.

“Fuck subtle,” Columbia said. “I’m sending you over the name of an arms dealer in your area. They supply some of our black ops teams and they’ll get you taken care of as well.”

I remembered the arms racks from the warehouse we’d taken out.

“Don’t worry about it. I can find my own guns,” I said.

“Well, at least let me pay you,” Columbia said, rubbing her eyes. “A successful operation against overwhelming odds. Viewership numbers for you being tortured were high. People liked our kiss. You gain a level you can use on your next mission, given you actually stay alive.”

“Can we talk?” Ismene asked Bell. “I mean, I haven’t been able to talk with another since Olympus Station. And everywhere they say such awful things about what happened there.

“Yeah,” Bell said. “Excuse us ladies. Digital chatter time.”

The two blinked out.

“So it wasn’t the AIs? At Olympus?” Columbia asked once they were gone.

I shook my head.

Columbia laughed and it was a pained sort of sound. “My parents were both programmers. It broke their damned hearts what happened there. What they thought they’d been a part of.”

I hadn’t even thought of what it must have been like from their perspective. If they believed they’d been a part of mass murder.

“Was it bad?” I asked.

“We had suicides. Not a lot, but some. But more people like my dad, they just got sick and didn’t get better. Lost their will to live. Who was it then? If it wasn’t the AIs, who was it?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“Do what you need to do and if you need me, call,” Columbia said. She wasn’t telling me to stay safe. She knew better than that.

Chapter 39

When I came out Masque was waiting for me. Before I even got unstrapped from the table I was getting swept up into a huge hug.

“I guess that means you were watching,” I said.

“I don’t know how you stuck it out,” Masque said.

By trusting that it was all for something. Ismene was still busy with Bell, but it looked like she had sent a message to my Comm. That would do.

“We’ve got a location and we’re going to do something,” I said.

“I figured. I already got everyone together. I invited Giles too, I hope that’s okay,” Masque said.

I couldn’t deny that he was brave and in that armor of his he made a useful ally.

“Glad to have him,” I said.

Everyone was gathered upstairs and looking serious.

“Thank you all for waiting for me,” I said.

“We guessed you’d want to have a talk, and Masque figured you’d want Giles help. I’d like a word first though, if you don’t mind,” Diva said.

I nodded to her, “Go ahead.”

“I know you’re probably out for blood, or because of honor, or some dumb shit like that. We went after Masque because one of our own was in danger and we were going to get her back. We’re Independent Contractors and not heroes,” Diva said.

Giles cleared his throat. “I’m rather a hero. Aspiring, at least, Milady.”

“Fine, the sword-swinging maniac is kind of a hero,” Diva said.

“We know this asshole is grabbing people off the streets. We know he’s torturing them,” I said.

“Then let their families hire some mercenaries. Let the people looking for them do something just like we did. More than one of us almost died last time we went against these guys. This isn’t our problem to fix,” Diva said.

I’d been reluctant before, because I thought the problem too big for us. I couldn’t really fault Diva for agreeing with that assessment. She was right.

“I’ll hire the team for this one. You’re right. You fight and you get paid. That is part of our code and we’re not changing that. This might be a bit of a personal vendetta, but for the team it’s a job,” I said.

Diva folded her arms. “Good. In that case I’m suggesting we don’t take it. I’m voting against it, in fact. This is out of our league. You don’t get a vote Persephone, not this time, not when you’re the client.”

That was fair.

“You know my vote,” Masque said. “We can’t allow this to continue.”

“I almost bit it,” Sparks said, tapping his chest. “Got my intestines replaced with synthetics. Like to fix machines. Not be one. I’m sorry, but I’m a not.”

“I’m a yes. Tied vote,” Hammer said.

“You won’t have to do it alone,” Giles said.

A few eyes went to him. “You’re crazy and heavily armored, but you’re just one man,” Diva said.

“There are many young knights looking to prove themselves. The Lady will not speak of what she experienced, but I know. We know,” Giles said.

Those words lingered for a moment.

“I’m back,” Ismene said.

“Good talk?”

“I needed it. You’re rich, by the way,” Ismene said.

“Liberty can’t be paying me that well,” I thought back.

“They aren’t. It was Billy the Kid.”

“Excuse me?”

“You left the vault door open and the bank destroyed. I guess he figured his employment prospects were toast and he was leaving in style. You got a fifty percent share of the biggest bank heist in SantaFe history.”

That cowboy had a lot of sides to him.

“Now to do something good with the cash,” I thought.

“Trust me?”

“With my life”

“Then I’m about to do a lot in your name. For now, know that the White Rabbit Corps will be on your side for this one.”

“The White Rabbit Corps will also be joining us on this one,” I said.

Diva coughed. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said.

“I don’t know them,” Masque said.

I hadn’t either. This was all Ismene.

Diva said, “They’re crazy. Wonderland was a R&D Corporation back in the day, extinct now. The White Rabbits were their military arm. They copy their minds from one clone to another when they get killed, but they get degraded after awhile.”

I hadn’t known all of that.

“Can they do the job or not?” I asked.

“They can. I’m changing my vote to yes for the team getting double our normal rate. If you can afford to hire them, you can afford to give us a bonus,” Diva said.

“Done,” I said.

That let a subtle bit of tension out of the room. Suddenly we were all on the same page again.

“Where are we on equipment?” I asked.

“We stripped the other warehouse bare and have been inventorying it,” Diva said.

“We’ve got an Iron Palmino—that was their vehicle. Three times the armor plating of our old truck,” Hammer said.

“Guns on it hurt too,” Giles said. It earned him a few chuckles.

“We also got their gear. Most of them were wearing combat armor better than anything we had. SantaFe current generation stuff. Great against small arms and standard rounds, but the more lethal stuff will get through,” Diva said.

“Combat visors. Scrambler smokers,” Sparks said. “Tech side, they had the good toys. I can fiddle with the frequencies on all that since they’re likely to have the same stuff.”

“Lots of rifles. Good stopping power, ammunition-based, but we’ve got plenty of rounds,” Diva said.

“I’ve got the Pharosan shield generators and rifles from the factory too. We don’t have any energy cells though. I tried to rig something, but came up dry. If we can get them working that will be two of each,” Sparks said.

Those could be useful. We knew firsthand the strength of Pharosan firepower.

I keyed my Comm and transmitted the information on the facility over to Sparks.

“All of this and we haven’t even looked at the terrain. Can you send a drone? Let’s look at what we’re going to be facing,” I said.

It took about five minutes before we had a visual. It wasn’t good.

This wasn’t an abandoned warehouse and it wasn’t even pretending to be anything other than a well-protected facility.

It had to have been a left over from the old corporate military conquests, or even the national wars before that. The entire facility was surrounded by a wall. Anti-air weaponry tracked our drone as it drew near to the compound. There were a lot of turrets and drones buzzing in the air. What I didn’t see a lot of were soldiers. Perhaps only two dozen patrolling the grounds.

A lot compared to our small group, but for a facility of that size not many. They were mostly relying on their automated defenses.

Diva was staring at all of this with a thoughtful look.

“Having second thoughts?” I asked.

“Nah. It is what it is. You know this isn’t going to be easy. I’m looking at all this though and they aren’t even hiding, are they?”

I shook my head. “This is big, bigger than I’ve let on. These people want to expand their operations.

“We deserve the whole story,” Diva said.

I guess they did. I hadn’t really been concealing it, it just hadn’t seemed relevant for the job to be done. They were my team though and they were about to risk their lives. They deserved to know. I told them.

“You realize this isn’t going to change anything. If this is like you say, that’s just one facility and they’ll have a lot more. We’re going to bleed and some of us are probably going to die, and tomorrow things will just keep going along,” Diva said.

I didn’t have an argument for that. Really, I couldn’t disagree.

The real fight was with the corporations. It was with Bell and with Liberty and with those who mattered. I didn’t matter, not anymore. I was just another Independent now. I also knew that I was Persephone. What had at first been a Goddess to piss me off was becoming more than that. I took my hits and I kept standing up. I got knocked down and I just kept fighting. I don’t think I knew how to do anything else.

“I have a plan. You’re so damned strong and you always have been and this won’t be for nothing. I promise you. I won’t let it be,” Ismene said.

I trusted her. It also didn’t matter. I’d have gone into this fight anyways.

“You’re a Liberty girl, Diva. I know you hate them now, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t in your blood. You know the price of freedom,” I said.

“Yeah. The blood of idiots,” Diva said. But she rose to fetch her gun. That would do.

Chapter 40

I took the team shopping. I’d thought we’d be fine with the take from the warehouse, but based on what we had, versus what we were facing, I wasn’t satisfied. We needed to pick up some energy cells for the Pharosan weapons and going up against defenses that were mostly automated, I wanted to make sure we were prepared.

Fortunately I had Columbia’s contact. It took us to the Perriwinkle, a vast underground marketplace. Being underground they actually managed some air purification. Heavily armed guards holding assault rifles patrolled the market. It was a sight meant to discourage trouble.

It worked, the vendors here not afraid to show wares. Tables were filled with brightly colored clothing, nutrient paste, and bits of electronics both manufactured and scavenged.

We were after weapons. That shop was on the corner of the market built into one of the walls. A shoddy-looking assortment of guns weren’t much better than what we had. However, a code Columbia provided allowed us to check out the “surplus” stocks which were hidden away behind a solid door and a winding hall.

There was no comparison to the stock outside. Racks gleamed and holographic displays touted the specifications of the gear. The price tags made Diva wince.

A man that looked to be more accountant than soldier, dressed in a tweed jacket and a thick pair of spectacles, approached and shook my hand vigorously, “Persephone. Quite the fan, you were outstanding in your debut. Do let me know if I can help you to find anything. I’m Hermonious, the owner.”

“Thank you,” I said, a bit uncomfortable. I hadn’t been recognized up until this point. While I might have shared a face with my online doppleganger, here I was wearing clothes. It made a difference. “We’re looking for Pharosan energy cells. I can get you the specs. We’re also going up against some automated defenses, if you have any suggestions.”

Hermonious looked over the specifications that Sparks sent over and made a face. “Not their high end. I make some supercharged cells that considerably up the stopping power, but they’d turn these older generations to slag. I have some extended life versions though that should be compatible and give you around a thirty percent longer uptime.”

That sounded good. I nodded and he keyed a few commands into his wristcomm.

“As for your automated defenses, scrambler bullets are popular, but they are mostly also rubbish. For the time they take to distort a system you’d be better off hitting it with your standard armor piercers,” Hermonious said.

That was disappointing.

Hermonious caught my expression and held up a hand. “It doesn’t mean I don’t have solutions that will work. He brought up a display that depicted a weapon that almost looked to be a rocket launcher.

“Unwieldy,” Diva said.

“Quite. Still, it is unparalleled at what it does. It fires subversion rounds. They’re quickly able to penetrate a local network and seize control of linked devices,” Hermonious said.

“All of them?” Sparks asked.

“Not unless their system is really antiquated. Still, you’ll get the one you hit and usually pick up one or two other attached security devices in the bargain,” Hermonious said.

“I can handle it,” Hammer said. “How is it controlled?”

Hermonious looked the cyborg up and down, “Collective work. Do you have a target multiplexer?”

Hammer nodded.

“You’re compatible. I can provide the routines. I only have three rounds in stock, but that should assist,” Hermonious said.

I agreed. “Do it.”

“I’ve also got a gift for you,” Hermonious said. “Not from me, I’m not half so bold.”

Columbia then, it had to be. Hermonious led me over to a table and opened up a wooden case. Nestled within was a pistol and hilt of some kind. They were of an unfamiliar design, although the pistol seemed to have a charging chamber on it much like the rapid-fire SantaFe pistol I was fond of.

“What am I looking at?” I asked.

“The pistol is a Silversmith. They were meant to be a Liberty upgrade on a SantaFe design, but proved to be considerably more expensive to produce. Few were ever made and they have become collector’s items. Ammunition is not a factor and stopping power is adjustable. At the highest setting there is around a thirty-two second delay between shots,” Hermonious said.

I did love not having to be concerned about ammunition. I picked it up and it felt comfortable in my hand.

“The other?” I asked.

Hermonious extracted the hilt from the box and brushed his finger against a strip in the hip. With a thud a spear expanded from it.

I missed fighting with a spear. After our talk Columbia must have looked up my military history. My proficiency with a spear would have been noted.

“Fiber?” I asked.

“A rather unique alloy. This was the weapon of Tiberius Calidus, a Roma general that favored the spear. It is more durable than fiber weapons although you’ll find it of similar effectiveness,” Hermonious explained.

“That girl really wants to crawl into your bed,” Diva said.

I’d prefer to think of it as she really wanted to make sure that I stayed alive.

I secured both my prizes.

“Everyone else, get what you need. Don’t skimp on the defense, I want everyone coming back from this one alive,” I said.

It was like letting a group of children loose in a candy store, my team loved their weapons and this was better shopping than they usually got to do.

Diva loaded up with guns. Big guns, little guns, I don’t know quite how she managed to walk under all of them by the time all was said and done. Nobody would ever be able to say that she wasn’t well-armed.

Masque went for a stealth suit and a sniper rifle. I had no idea she was a good shot, I really did need some kind of proper dossier on my team.

Sparks unsurprisingly went for a set of smart armor and an array of combat drones. With them he’d be able to survey the battlefield better than anybody and be well-prepared for any technical challenges.

Hammer went full-on for being a tank. The suit of heavy armor we found for him would stop all but the strongest of fire. In addition to the subversion gun he went with a pair of fiber claws for each hand. Extended, he’d be able to quite literally rip people apart, if he got close to them.

Finally geared up we set out. Ismene had already been coordinating with the White Rabbits and we met up with them at their staging area.

They were surprisingly uniform in their gear. Not a stealth suit or heavy armor among them. Each wore a strikingly similar set of medium armor and rifle, the symbol of a white rabbit head emblazoned upon their arm.

They all looked to be about eighteen. Fresh faced young men and women. I knew that to be a lie from what Diva had said. Clone bodies with old minds. They were here to be flung against an enemy and die. They’d done it before and they’d do it again. I could relate to every part of that, it was an unsettling thought.

“Ma’am,” said their commander, shaking my hand. “You can call me Hopper. I’ll be coordinating with you.”

“You’ve seen the briefing on the opposition?” I asked.

“Yes Ma’am. Heavy automated defenses. Do you have a battle plan in mind or would you care to hear our suggestions?” Hopper asked.

It was strange to remember how much I used to dread the thought of being a commander instead of a soldier. It seemed Fate had worked it out for me to be both.

“We have a few Pharosan shields and a heavily armored vehicle. Those units will do initial engagement and draw fire. Then the White Rabbits, be aggressive and clear the way. Behind you will be my team and some Knights from Camelot,” I said.

Hopper listened to all of this, “Not fancy, but it doesn’t have to be. At least you’re not afraid to get us killed.”

“It’s what you’re here for,” I said. They’d come back.

Hopper grinned at me. “Thought you’d get it, Ma’am. We’re all fans of yours. Have you been counting them?”

I stared at him blankly.

“Your deaths, Ma’am. Your fans have. One hundred and twelve from the first time at the police station until that time Columbia shot you in the head.”

That many. Only one felt real somehow, and that was one not even being counted.

That was the death of Alena Polias.

“What are you at?” I asked.

“Seven hundred and five. You’ve got a bit of catching up to do,” Hopper said.

I guess I did. I’d get there.

Chapter 41

I started things off with Hammer. We each had one of the Pharosan shield devices clipped to our belts that would afford us a few minutes of near-invulnerability under ideal conditions. However, these weren’t likely to be ideal conditions, energy sapping rounds could drain our shields quickly and sustained fire would do a number on them as well.

They were expecting us. It was no shock that they were, Green knew what we’d stolen and must have known we might be able to find this facility.

Hammer focused his fire upon the turrets while I took aim at the drones zipping through the sky. His were the harder targets requiring a good dozen shots before a turret would begin to spark. A single hit upon a drone would neutralize one, but they were far more agile and evading the fire.

Diva spun in with our stolen vehicle and Sparks began to unload fire from the top cannon. That was when the White Rabbits stepped in. They fought with the courage of those unafraid to die and the intelligence of those wanting to make those deaths mean something. Within a minute of their arrival most of the aerial drones had been neutralized. Guards poured out of the building and took their place behind barricades.

That was when the Knights of Camelot arrived. All told Giles had only managed to find perhaps two dozen of the young knights willing to take up this cause, but what a crew. Each was heavily armored and as bold as the White Rabbits. I’d questioned Giles’ wisdom in charging a heavy gun before, but here I saw that scene play out over and over.

It was swords against guns and the battle was not nearly so one-sided as one might expect. The White Rabbits were the first to fall. They were the squishiest of the targets on the field and the enemy knew it. I watched one body after another torn apart by concentrated fire.

My shield pulsed. If I didn’t want to join them that meant it was my time to get somewhere they couldn’t hit me. I ran for the enemy barricades. Three were behind it when I vaulted over and I extended my spear. I ran the tip through the throat of one of the guards before tearing it free and blocking a bash from a rifle of another. The third was trying to get distance enough to open up with her rifle and I dodged to the side just as a stream of bullets fired past me.

Here behind their lines I didn’t have to worry about the turrets, but I’d given myself a different set of problems.

I drove my spear two-handed into the belly of the second guard and released it just in time to roll away from another spray of bullets. This time one of them caught me, the round stopped by the armor on my thigh although with a force that left the leg numb. I drew my pistol as I fell and fired several shots at her midsection. One caught her rifle which sparked and tumbled away. The rounds didn’t stop her, she charged forward and caught me with a shoulder that crushed me against the barricade.

It was a blow that dazed me for a moment and she brought her head down onto mine with a crushing blow. I turned at the last moment to lessen the impact and brought up my pistol, finger sliding to adjust the penetration of the rounds. My next two shots penetrated her armor, causing her to jerk against me with the force of the blows, before falling off me as she got busy with the business of dying.

I reclaimed my spear and returned it to my waist before looking around to catch up on the rest of the battle.

Our new vehicle was on fire. I hoped Diva and Sparks had made it out intact. Several of the turrets had turned to fire on the others. Hammer must have gotten off at least one round with the subversion gun.

The day seemed pretty much won for us—until the mechs arrived. I didn’t know where they’d come from, we hadn’t seen them in the scouting reports. They were of Pharosan design, resplendent animal heads and ornate hieroglyphics adorning their frames.

Energy shields were rippling around them as they began to demolish everything in their path with streams of energy fire. The few White Rabbits left on the field died quickly.

We hadn’t brought any energy sappers, it didn’t seem like we’d need them.

I trigged my Comms. “Can you get off a shot on one of them, Hammer?”

“I’ve got a round left, but I don’t know if it will do anything with those shields up,” Hammer said.

“I’ve got a sapper gun,” Diva said.

I took a moment to be thankful for Diva deciding to go so absurdly well-armed.

The Knights charged a mech. It seemed an absurdly foolish thing to do, one getting tossed bodily across the battlefield with his armor smoking. Swords shouldn’t have been a match against the enemy shields, but judging from the red flares they were having some sort of an impact.

This had to be a case of being twenty years behind the times. By accident, Camelot had come up with a solution to shields, if not a great one.

“The Knights are drawing their attention,” I said.

Diva peeked from behind the burning vehicle and opened fire.

A mechs shield unit had a lot more power than any individual, but between Diva and the Knights they were able to bring it down. Three more knights went down in the process and I wasn’t sure that they would be getting back up. When at last the shield faded Hammer stepped out.

The subversion round looked like nothing so much as a small missile as it slammed into the mech’s side. The results were almost instantaneous. The limbs jerked and it looked as if it were having some sort of seizure.

“Got it,” Hammer said over the Comm.

“Don’t suppose you’ve got the other one as well?” I asked.

“No luck,” Hammer said.

“Pass over control. You aren’t going to win a shootout with the shield batteries exhausted and I’ve got an idea,” Sparks said.

The first mech had stopped firing, but the second hadn’t. Knights swarmed it, but as their numbers dwindled so too did the threat they posed to it. Another four were down with alarming speed.

I hoped Giles was well. I already regretted bringing the Knights. They were brave and bold, but this was no place for them.

Behind another barricade I saw four guards still firing towards the vehicle, attempting to get a shot off at Diva. I had to trust that Sparks could handle the mech. I was getting used to the Silversmith, I adjusted the penetration to a level that should let me get through the guard’s visors. I only got off two shots at that intensity before it needed to recharge, but that was two less. Then I was among them with the spear.

In close quarters with a spear I remained beyond deadly. One tried to bring his rifle to bear on me, but had been skewered before he could. Then I was knocked off my feet by a massive explosion.

Sparks had somehow managed to overload the batteries of the mech. I’d actually gotten off light, the barricade soaking most of the damage. Out there on the battlefield there was a smoking crater, but at least the explosion seemed to have taken out the other mech. Small favors.

“Did the Knights get clear?” I asked into my Comm.

“We did,” Giles said, pained. “We’ve lost a great many, Milday.”

“Pull back. You and yours have done enough. Get your people clear,” I said.

“No can do. We pissed them off something good. They’ve got reinforcements inbound,” Sparks said.

Reinforcements. For some reason it had never even occurred to us that they might call in more forces. They were supposed to be ashamed of the facility, disavow knowledge of it.

“What is on the way?” I asked.

“Five heavy vehicles. I’m estimating fifty men all combat-equipped,” Sparks said.

It was a small army, but it was an army.

Ours was exhausted and gone. The White Rabbits had been wiped out and the Knights were injured.

“Show me,” I said.

Ismene brought up a tactical interface for me. This facility had been placed so that you had a limited avenue of attack, unfortunately that also meant a limited avenue of retreat.

We’d been cut off.

I cursed myself for not planning for the eventuality, but there wasn’t time for recriminations.

“Fall back into the facility. Stay cautious,” I said.

“I can scout ahead,” Masque said.

With her stealth suit that was a good idea. “Do it.”

Chapter 42

Masque was very nearly invisible with the hood pulled up over her stealth suit. The material didn’t try to perfectly simulate the environment, it didn’t need to. The human eye is used to getting incomplete data all the time and to filling in the blanks. It’s how optical illusions could be so effective. Stealth suits operated on a similar principle, they gave the human eye data it was programmed to filter out.

The last generation of Olympian genetics had some upgrades that helped. I still couldn’t make her out, but when she walked past me I got the intense sensation of something being not right. A sickening twisting in my stomach. It still didn’t help me to see her, but at least it let me know the stealth was there.

“We’re clear,” Masque said through the Comms and the rest of us advanced with weapons at the ready.

The interior was massive. There were rows after rows of tubes that looked identical to the one I’d pulled Masque from. Each was filled with a naked body floating in fluid. I tried to do the math on how many there must be. Hundreds at least, possibly as many as a thousand.

I didn’t see an empty tube in the place. How long had they been working to fill this place up?

“Quite the collection, aren’t they. You won’t be joining them, you’ve seen I like special facilities for my special prizes,” said a voice booming through speakers.

“Green?” I asked, looking around. I didn’t spy any cameras, but that didn’t mean anything.

“The one and only. I knew you’d come, did you think you accomplished something by letting me cut on you so long? All you did was bring yourself right to me,” Green said.

“Do you have a location on him?” I thought to Ismene.

“I do. You’re not going to like it,” Ismene answered.

In a corner of my vision I got what must have been a surveillance feed. A corridor leading to what looked to be some sort of control center. Barricades were spaced evenly and I counted fourteen guards. In the office behind moved a figure in a support suit.

“Not going to come out and play?” I’m disappointed,” I said.

“You’ve got nowhere to go. If you want to shoot yourselves in the head, you’ve still got time. Otherwise, I’ll just be waiting for us to have our fun,” Green said.

“I’m not going back in one of those tubes,” Masque said.

“We need an exit, Sparks,” I said.

“We need to free these people,” Giles said.

“Anyone have any explosives?” I asked.

“I’ve got some,” Hammer said.

“Good. Set them around the entrance. Make sure not to damage the tubes, but let’s take out as many of those reinforcements as we can,” I said.

Sparks had been tapping madly away at his tablet and he shook his head. “No basement. No sewer.”

“There are a thousand people in those tanks. I don’t care how good their recycling is, they’re putting out something,” I said.

“Shall we play a game while we wait?” Green called.

“Fuck you asshole,” Diva said.

“That isn’t nice. Let me set the terms,” Green said.

In one of the nearby tanks the woman within began to thrash violently. The water surrounding her turned crimson. I didn’t know what he was doing, but a moment later the tank slid open. In a rush, fluid spilled out and half-dissolved body parts. Some sort of acid must have been pumped inside.

“Ismene. Get those people out of there,” I said.

“You want to dump a thousand freaking out naked people into the middle of what is about to be a gun fight?” Ismene asked.

“You goddamned fucking monster,” Masque said, starting to hyperventilate.

“That isn’t nice. That was just an example. I could have killed so many more. Next time it will be ten, but it is so very easy to stop,” Green said, his voice taunting.

He was just trying to distract us from what needed doing. I also couldn’t ignore him.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Why don’t we mix our pleasures? I want you to take your gun there and shoot my former pet in the knee,” Green said with a malicious glee.

“Give me a better option,” I thought to Ismene.

“I’m working on it. I can maybe cut him off from the control system. I’m working on it,” Ismene answered.

“Do it,” Masque said.

She was serious. Ismene would handle this, but it would take her time. Green wouldn’t wait long, he wanted to make his point. If I knew him he was just waiting for his moment to demand something even worse.

I didn’t draw it out. I thumbed the penetration of my rounds to a minimum before squeezing off the shot. It would still shatter bone, but at least she’d keep the leg. Bones could be set right.

Masque let out a cry and dropped to the floor.

“You did it. I liked that more than I thought I would. Perhaps when you’re both mine I’ll turn you on each other,” Green said. “You’ve bought yourself a few minutes for being a good girl.”

Ice. I had to keep being ice.

Hammer cried out and spun to the side. Half of his flesh-and-blood arm was gone. The reinforcements were streaming into the facility and they’d caught him before the charges had been fully planted.

Hammer ran from the arriving guards and with a flash of light and a deafening roar the entrance exploded. Concrete and debris fell, and soldiers died. With his cybernetic arm he picked up the whimpering Masque and flung her over one shoulder.

“We are so out of time, Sparks,” I said.

“I’ve got it,” Sparks said, and rushed past us. Between a row of tanks he pulled up the grating and then tapped out a code on a keypad. With a hiss a hatch in the floor opened. The stench was terrible, it smelled like sewage and rotting meat.

It was better than waiting here. Diva led the way down, lighting the way with a lamp mounted to the barrel of one her many guns. The rest of us followed.

It was a sewer, at least in part, although the ground was filled with more ominous debris as well. Partially dissolved bones and meat that looked far too much like what we’d just seen happen to the girl above.

“What the fuck,” Diva said.

“It is a venting system. Sometimes they die in the tanks, when they do they built in a system to dissolve them and flush them. I’ve disabled it. He won’t be killing any more people,” Ismene said.

“We can’t worry about it now,” I said.

Diva led the way forward. The tunnel was mostly straight. On one side was a raised platform with thick and heavy cables.

“Hold up,” Sparks said.

“We don’t have time,” I said.

“This is their Network junction. Whatever they’re experiencing is running through here. If I can have some time to study it, I can learn a lot,” Sparks said.

“It is worth doing,” Ismene said, answering a question I hadn’t even asked yet.

My best friend was getting bossy.

“Do it,” I said.

“I’ve been shot in the leg. I may as well lie down in human waste and decomposing remains. Help me set up my rifle, if anything pokes a head into the tunnel I’ll blow it off,” Masque said.

I helped her to get set up. Masque was not having a good day.

Diva leaned against the wall and glared at me. “We shouldn’t have come here. I told you this was too big for us.”

She had and I hadn’t listened. I was just so used to having the backup from a Corporation always nearby. When you were an Independent the whole world changed. Everything became disconnected.

“We voted. You voted,” Hammer said, leaning against a wall. He’d extracted a medpatch from his kit and was pressing it against the stump where his arm used to be.

“You just lost an arm. How are you going to argue with me that coming here was the right thing to do?” Diva said.

“You saw those people up there. We couldn’t leave that. Not knowing that they were there,” Hammer said.

No. No, we couldn’t.

“Sparks. You said it’s a Network node. Can you get me a signal from here?” I asked.

“I should be able to. You looking to pop in to whatever they have going or elsewhere?” Sparks asked.

“For now, elsewhere. I need to talk to Columbia. People need to see what is happening,” I said.

We weren’t alone. Not really. There was a whole big world out there and they just had to see. If I could make them.

Chapter 43

Columbia took my call at once. I materialized in her office. Columbia looked like she had just crawled out of bed, in the flushed and disheveled sort of way.

“Did I interrupt something?” I asked.

“Yeah. But I was just killing time hoping to hear from you. You’ve been off-grid. The facility you found. Don’t move on it,” Columbia said.

“Moved on it. Killed a lot of people inside of it. Am currently trapped in the sewer beneath it while an army of soldiers moves in above,” I said.

“Fuck,” Columbia said, brushing her hair back and pacing around the desk. “You don’t realize what you’re into. I didn’t realize what you were into. Green isn’t some mid-level executive. He’s Senior Executive in SantaFe, the sort of old blood that never goes away. You can’t touch him. I can’t touch him.”

That wasn’t good news. If he was that highly placed I really couldn’t, not without invoking the full fury of the corporations. We might be able to shut down his plans, but he was going to walk. That was a shame, because I really wanted to hurt him.

“I guess that explains where all the resources are coming from,” I said.

“And how their whole roster wound up getting turned on us,” Columbia said, starting to pace before her desk. “Marry me.”

“You moved on from wanting to make out awfully quick,” I said.

“It’s not about that. Liberty won’t let you in the door. Not that quick and not that easy, but it’s a completely different matter if you’re a spouse. Marry me. Right now and I can file the paperwork. We’ll get you out of there alive,” Columbia said.

“We’re not doing that,” I said.

“Damn it. You know what he is going to do, if he gets his hands on you and I won’t be able to do a thing to stop it,” Columbia said.

“I want to show Liberty what he is doing. I want to show everybody what he is doing. I’m parked right outside the node to whatever bit of the Network he is doing. I can get in, I can get us in,” I said.

“And do what? It doesn’t matter, Persephone. He is too senior and too well-connected, and no matter what he does he is going to be able to get away with it,” Columbia said.

“Olympus would have been horrified. Olympus would have stood up and as a Corporation stepped forward,” I said. “I’m with a group of Independents who, when faced with the scenario, couldn’t step back. Are you telling me Liberty will sit back and do nothing?”

Columbia gave a pained laugh and sat on the edge of her desk, shaking her head. “The ratings were good for what he did to you. It’s all entertainment, all of it, when it is happening to other people. They love a bad guy.”

I wondered if she had a point. They had seen exactly what was being done to me and there had been no sort of outcry.

“What am I missing?” I asked.

Columbia gave me a thin smile. “Too much. Why do you think Liberty was willing to take you on? The rape of Persephone is the most common tale associated with you. You were to be a victim from the start, the beautiful, tragic defenseless figure abused again and again. People love that you fight back, but they all think you’re a tragedy just waiting to happen. It isn’t that they don’t care, that they don’t see. They enjoy it.”

That all made too much sense. How Mars had treated me, as if almost offended that I fought back. I’d had my role cast for me from the start. They’d really picked the wrong girl.

“I’m still trying to figure you out. Still working to put the pieces together of where Abigail stops and Columbia begins,” I said.

“The lines are pretty blurred these days,” Columbia said.

“You’re a fighter. Maybe trying to make people care and do something is a lost cause, but I’m not going to give up. They are doing such awful things and I just won’t sit back. Please, stand with me,” I said.

“Then we’re going on-camera,” Columbia said, before snapping her fingers. Her outfit shimmered. A low cut top and shorts with pistols at the hip. Columbia was going full vamp.

“To all my fans, I’m here with Persephone. Liberty’s newest champion and the sexiest Nature Goddess I know,” Columbia said, crossing her legs. “Persephone here is just dying for a challenge and I’m looking for the bids to make it happen. Why don’t you tell them what you have in mind, Persephone?”

Way to put me on the spot. I leaned back in my chair, “You remember that man from SantaFe with the knife? I haven’t forgotten. In fact, I found his private little playground. I’m wanting to storm in and show him what’s what.”

Columbia tilted her head. “Well, what do you know. Mr. Green is on board, but he has a few terms and conditions.”

That was fast. It was no surprise that he was alert to anything involving me, but still, that was fast.

“What does he want?” I asked.

“Death timer lifted for him so he can be a part of things. He’s willing to face you in his playground with four chosen heroes versus four of yours,” Columbia said, and I could hear the strain in her voice. “Should Persephone prove successful in killing him, she and her team are assured safe passage. If she loses, she agrees to become boxed and have her fate be streamed to all interested parties.”

I knew that it could not in any way be a fair fight. I was not of any sort of level to provide a real challenge to another sponsored heroes, my last run-in with them had proved that. He likely had some of the very best at his disposal.

I tried to read from Columbia’s expression if she thought I should say yes or not. I got nothing.

If I wanted this to happen there was only one way forward.

“I’ll agree to that challenge,” I said.

“Liberty does not agree to sponsoring this encounter, so if funding is going to come it has to be from you,” Columbia said, and she shook her head. This pitch wasn’t quite working.

Well, I knew what would.

“There is going to be an awful lot of making-out with Columbia, if I win,” I said.

“Topless making out,” Columbia said, without missing a beat. “Bottomless in her case, because seriously, Persephone rolls that way. So do you know what heroes you’d want to bring with you or shall I make some suggestions I think would make for a thrilling team up?”

Columbia knew who were the biggest and the baddest, and who we could actually depend upon. That wasn’t really a contest.

“Do I get to make-out with them too?” I asked.

“Only if I get to watch,” Columbia said, shooting me a reassuring smile. “Inanna, Anat, and myself along with you. All girl-power and three of you Goddesses. How is that for a team?”

“They really do Roma proud, don’t they? If two such powerhouses were willing to join in, I’d love to have them,” I said.

Columbia said, “Oh, this is good. It seems that Roma is already contracting Mars for the other team. They think the public would just love to see what he can do after the last Liberty party, and have given the go-ahead. Come on, people. This has to happen.”

“You’ll be talking about this one for years to come,” I said, throwing as much cheer as I could into my voice.

“And we’ve met our funding. Persephone, you’ve got your mission. People, we’ll be broadcasting that live in just a few minutes. It’s going to blow your mind,” Columbia said, then after a moment. “We’re off.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“You should have married me. You really should have married me,” Columbia said, settling back. “You know how I love what you do, but you’re almost useless in there.”

I knew it, but I had a plan around it. It wasn’t a particularly great plan, but it was something.

“How good are those two?” I asked.

“I’ll match Inanna up against anyone alive. I don’t care who they have, they won’t have anyone better. Anat is a great fighter period, but particularly against other divinities she has some specialized skills. I thought they’d be bringing Mars, she is directly a counter for him, and if they have any others all the better,” Columbia said.

Good. If that fight were as one-sided as Columbia seemed to think it would be, then it might be three on three even if I were considered out of the picture.

“We’ve done what we can then,” I said.

“And we’re good to go,” Columbia said.

I hoped my team would be okay in the real world for awhile longer.

Chapter 44

I phased in along with Columbia and when we materialized Anat and Inanna were there waiting for us. We looked to have arrived in some sort of village with a towering dark castle looming above it on a hill. It was night with a full moon overhead.

A few villagers ran at the sight of us, although one young woman remained staring at Inanna. “You’re her, aren’t you? Inanna? Has Pharosa come to save us all?”

Inanna looked a bit taken aback by this. “I haven’t been with Pharosa for some time. I’m with Roma now. You’re a fan?”

The woman started sobbing. “You’re her. We’re saved. It’s you.”

“What exactly is going on here?” Inanna asked, with a long look to me and Columbia.

“They’re boxed. They’re all boxed, they can’t leave here,” I said.

A young man stepped out from a doorway and rested a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “It’s not so bad in the daylight. We’re just a village like any other. But every night the monsters come and they do such terrible things.”

The man screamed and his body spasmed as blood began to pour from every orifice. It looked like he was undergoing some kind of seizure, dying in slow motion before our eyes. The woman screamed, but only for a moment before her body straightened, her posture completely changing. A snap of her fingers and the man gasped his last.

“Oh, don’t go giving away all our secrets,” the girl purred. “So glad you could join us.”

“Elizabeth, it’s been a long time,” Inanna said, considering the girl. “Where are you?”

“Somewhere you’ll never get to. I’ve got a whole village of puppets and I’m so much better than our last match.

Columbia raised a pistol and shot the girl between the eyes. The corpse slumped to the ground. She asked, “Who are we dealing with? I don’t know her.”

“Elizabeth Bathory. Sorceress and practitioner of dark magic,” Inanna said, as she drew her blade and chopped the corpse into pieces severing each of the limbs. “She can control the living and raise the dead. We’ve no allies here apart from each other.”

“Not even that,” Mars said, strolling in accompanied by a stately dark-haired man. “Roma always picks the winning team and that isn’t you. Inanna, Anat, you are both survivors. Why don’t you survive again?”

“Scared?” Anat asked as she eyed the Roman god of war.

“Vlad,” Inanna said. “They’ve brought out a full set of horrors, haven’t they? Who else have you got with you? I can’t think Victor would join you in this madness.”

“Unfortunately not,” Vlad said with a thin smile. “Vseslav is guarding our prize.”

I was not getting a lot of these names.

Inanna nodded and said, “Vlad here is more commonly known as Dracula. Superb strength and speed, and as immortal as you are, Persephone. Although it takes him longer to return. Vseslav is another sorcerer and a Werewolf as well.”

“I only know Mars,” Columbia said. “I should know everybody.”

“Most corporations choose to keep their sponsored heroes in the public eye, but some forces prefer to work in the shadows. I had no idea these ones were connected. You dare to show a lot of your hand,” Inanna said.

“It is a winning one,” Vlad said. “Let’s do this.”

Anat didn’t need to wait for an invitation, in a blur she was moving on Mars. With a pair of daggers she didn’t have the range of the massive sword he drew and yet she was undeniably more limber.

Inanna charged Vlad, who turned into mist and soared past her to rematerialize behind me. I felt fangs bury themselves in my neck and the world went blurry. For an instant I wanted this man. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted any man before. I ached for him, yearned for his touch and thrilled at the honor of being his dinner.

Then Inanna was bodily throwing him off me to send him crashing through the wall of a building.

“Don’t let him do that,” Inanna said.

No kidding. I still wanted those feelings a touch, although they quickly faded and I simply felt weakened. The village was descending upon us. Columbia worked to keep them at bay, one shot after another putting the villagers down—although soon afterwards the corpses shambled up o their feet and back to life.

“Get the limbs,” Inanna said, before a massive bat flew out of the building where she’d thrown Dracula, grasping the Goddess and carrying her high into the sky.

“Got it,” Columbia said, and she began to blow the limbs off the villagers one at a time. We were killing the very people we’d come to rescue. If I was hoping to make some kind of point here, it was gone now.

Whatever horrors I’d hoped to reveal to the public wasn’t going to happen and that meant that it was time for my backup plan. This one was way riskier.

I moved up to Columbia. “Can you hold them?”

Anat was still trading blows with Mars. Unlike at the party, he wasn’t taken unaware this time. He was already bleeding from several wounds, but Anat too had a nasty cut across her thigh. The Goddess was winning, but the battle still might go either way.

“We’re great in a straight-up brawl, but they have some sneaky sorcerous bastards doing what they’re good at,” Columbia said, as she blew off another head.

“I’ve got a plan. I think you’ll hate it. I think Liberty will hate it,” I said.

Columbia gave me a look. “You aren’t surrendering to that son of a bitch. I won’t allow it.”

That wasn’t going to be a problem. That wasn’t my plan. It spoke well of her though that her immediate thought was I was going to attempt some heroic self-sacrifice.

We were temporarily free of assault. I kissed her, I made it a good one. I owed the viewers and her that much. I didn’t think I was likely to survive what came next.

Columbia met the kiss for a long moment before she pulled away to glare at me, “Fuck it. You really are going to do something stupid.”

I was going to do something smart. It just didn’t have great odds behind it.

“Wish me luck?” I asked.

“We’ll hold,” Columbia said. “Do what you’ve got to do.”

That was as good an answer as I was going to get.

Inanna and Dracula crashed to the ground in a tangle of bodies. Inanna looked as if she’d had half her faced gnawed off, but Vlad was in turn a mess with most of his intestines hanging out.

“Wood through the heart,” Inanna said with a pained groan.

Well. I could do that much at least.

“Bamboo,” I said and focused my powers. From beneath Dracula sprouts erupted upwards impaling the vampire in a dozen places. I wasn’t sure just where in that mass of insides his heart might be at the moment, but I figured that way I’d get at least a part of it. I must have. The body glowed a brilliant red and exploded into a shower of dust.

Anat’s severed head rolled past. “Bitch,” Mars said, stomping forward. Anat hadn’t gone down easy, but that fight hadn’t gone like it was supposed to. “Who’s next?”

I couldn’t get distracted here. I couldn’t. I’d already wasted too much time.

“Ismene, log me out,” I thought and with a wrenching sensation the surroundings faded and I was back in the sewer. There was the sound of gunfire. I’d wandered from one battle into another.

Chapter 45

Sparks was slumped against the Network junction, lit up by a portable light, it looked as if he’d been shot again. A hand was clutched over his abdomen and blood was seeping through his fingers. I sat up and blinked, my eyes needing to adjust to the lower light levels.

“Don’t suppose you fixed everything?” Sparks said.

“Afraid not. I’ve got a plan, but you’re going to need to get the others away from here,” I said.

“What about you?” Sparks asked.

“I’m going to work on that fixing everything plan,” I said.

“Ismene, I need you,” I thought.

“Just what a girl loves to hear,” Ismene said.

“I need a few things. First, you’ve hinted before about some combat upgrades you made to me. We hadn’t talked, but I think it is time,” I said.

“They aren’t my invention or anything. They were designs from the last big war that only ever got a few trials. You’ve got glands that can fill your system with battle hormones, super oxygenate your blood, deaden pain receptors and cause your synapses to fire a lot faster than usual,” Ismene said.

All of that sounded pretty good to me.

“Why didn’t they become standardized?”

“The body wasn’t meant to be used that way. It’s like any other machine, you can push it beyond its limits, but it burns out. Fast. Once triggered it gives some serious advantages for a time, but then the body starts to have some catastrophic breakdown. Without me and the changes I’ve made a fatal one. With me, you’ll have some serious downtime,” Ismene said.

I could pay that price. With what I had planned, if I didn’t take every advantage, I’d probably be dead anyways.

“You know what I’m thinking. You know my plan,” I thought.

“I know it. With the nanotechnology flooding your body I can make it happen. Are you sure this is what you want?” Ismene asked.

Of course I wasn’t, but I didn’t see any other way out of this and do what needed to be done.

The Corporate Council had voted. If Alena Polias didn’t die from falling to Earth, then she had suffered death by democratic decree. I was Persephone now. Maybe Columbia got to log off and still be Abigail, but I didn’t have that luxury.

“Do it,” I thought.

“You’re live. Now and forever,” Ismene said.

I was. With the nanobots flooding my system everything a Network feed provided to watchers could be provided to my real body as well. Right now, those who tuned in were seeing through my eyes, smelling the stench that surrounded me, hearing the gunfire echoing from the nearby tunnel.

“Thank you for joining me,” I said quietly to that watching audience. “You might be wondering why I cut out from that fight. I don’t know how much you really know me, but I’m a creature of two worlds. I’m the Goddess of Vegetation, but I’m also Queen of the Underworld and a Goddess of Death. Welcome to my other half.”

Sparks was looking at his datapad and then back to me. I didn’t have time to answer his questions.

“Juice me up,” I thought to Ismene and stepped out into the main sewer junction.

It almost knocked me off my feet. It was intoxicating, every sense suddenly heightened and the world moving so much slower than it had mere seconds before. I wondered what the viewers at home got from their feed. Did they see the world like this, or at a normal speed where my motions made little sense?

Diva was slumped against a wall of the sewer, pink hair matted thick with blood. It looked like a bullet had grazed her scalp. It didn’t keep her from holding a rifle. Masque was still prone in the muck looking through the scope of her sniper rifle. Hammer and Giles were ahead of them, both had engaged in melee with a mass of attackers.

Four bodies lay at their feet, torn apart. Giles’ armor showed heavy dents and even a rent or two. Hammer looked even worse, several holes in him, a few of which leaked blood and more of which oozed oil.

A heavy armored figure was guiding a force of guards down the tunnel. I thumbed the Silversmith to maximum penetration and put a shot through his head and the body tumbled backward.

“Please tell me we’re getting out of here,” Diva said.

“You are. Take the Specters and run,” I said.

“Like hell,” Diva said.

“Diva. You’re right. I got us into this mess. I picked a fight and you’ve bled for it. You’ve bled enough. Go. Live. I’ve already transferred payment for the job,” I said.

Diva stared at me, her lips pursed.

I didn’t have time to argue. The corpse of the heavily armored soldier had been pushed aside and his comrades were making their way through the sewer tunnel. Due to its width they couldn’t fit more than three across. There were perhaps a dozen of them in this push.

Unless they’d called in more reinforcements this was a lot of their forces they’d committed to wiping us out. But then, what else were they going to do.

I sheathed the Silversmith and readied my spear. Then I was charging. In these close confines they didn’t have to be amazing shots to stand a chance of hitting me. Even so, with my enhanced combat abilities I was aware of the movement of each barrel. I wasn’t reliant simply upon my Olympian reflexes.

I brought the haft of the spear down upon a rifle of a lead soldier before spinning the weapon and slashing across the throat of another. Then I was among them.

They weren’t prepared for a melee, and they definitely weren’t prepared for me. I wove among them and where I moved they suffered. I cut off a hand here, a head there. A soldier in back tried to flee and I severed his legs at the knees.

In what felt like mere breathless seconds, what had been a force come to kill my people was a pile of corpses adding their blood to the filth that surrounded us.

“Milady,” Giles said, in a tone that was part awe and part horrified. I didn’t have time for this. Green was hopefully still in the Network, hopefully still distracted with what was going on there. Perhaps even the others were closing on him in that castle, or perhaps they were already dead.

I was sure somebody would soon let him know that the rules had changed. I was hunting him here instead.

I ran down the tunnel. At the far end a group of technicians were setting up a large hose that led through the hatch above. With my brain firing like it was, I figured out their intent quickly. Acid, they must have a large supply of it on site. If their latest push failed to take my comrades, they intended to pump it into the waters of the sewer.

I set upon them. There were no innocents standing against me this day, every one I fought was complicit in the creation or maintenance of this factory of horrors. A part of me nagged that I wasn’t this extreme, that this wasn’t me, but that it was the combat drugs coursing through my system. It didn’t matter if it were, it was righteous that they perish and they did.

When the last of the technicians was sprawled dead against the wall I leapt through the hatch. There were more there, arranging several large tubes filled with yellowish fluid. The acid, I assumed. I killed them with quick thrusts of the spear and pulled the tube from the tunnel before closing the hatch.

That should keep my people safe for the moment, I knew Diva would waste no time in getting them away. I’d failed them leading them here, but at least they would survive it. It was more than could be said for so many of those brave Knights of Camelot.

I turned my attention to the tubes. I let my gaze play upon the bodies floating inside.

“These are the people behind the villagers you saw us fighting. The boxed, professional victims with no choice what happens to them and no escape from what horrors that are inflicted upon them,” I said to the audience at home. “When they die or cease to be entertaining the tubes are flooded with acid and they are flushed out with the trash.”

I looked upon the bodies of the technicians I’d just killed, sprawled in the spreading pools of their own blood.

“This is the fate of those that assist them. I’m not done yet,” I said.

Ismene had found Green earlier, and he hadn’t moved. Right now, he was behind his own private army.

Chapter 46

I could only hope that the images I was sending might inspire the population to share some of my fury about what was going on. If not, that they might at least give some fear to those who helped bring such things about.

“You need to hurry things up. Your systems are deteriorating faster than I expected,” Ismene said.

I wasn’t worried. I was fearless. It was liberating, this rush of power. That cold knot of ice that had dwelled within me for so long felt so far away now. I was above the hatred and the terror and the grief that had caused it. Elevated above such puny mortal concerns.

As I stepped into the hallway filled with barricades I saw oh so many rifles pointed at me. There truly was no trace of fear.

It was right about then that the floor exploded beneath my feet. Some kind of planted charge, it threw my body upwards and I slammed my head hard against the ceiling, then dropped back down. The world was a blur of sights and sounds. I didn’t hurt, not exactly. I was aware that my body was hurt, but that was an almost distant and unimportant thing.

Then a rifle butt came down on my nose and shattered it. Blows were hammering down and I seemed to be surrounded on all sides. They were hitting and they were kicking. My armor did a good job at shielding me from the blows, but there was only so much it could do.

“Get up,” Ismene demanded. I was trying, I really was trying, but my limbs just weren’t working properly.

“Don’t kill her. He’s going to want the bitch alive,” said one of the voices above me. It didn’t stop another foot from winding back and kicking into my midsection. I think it broke a rib, it was hard to tell when so much was already broken.

Without the drugs in my system I’m sure I would have lost consciousness. Even with them the world seemed to barely make sense.

I heard the roar of a rifle, but didn’t know why. Were they killing me after all? I wasn’t ready to die. Not yet. I had more to do. The guard who had kicked me fell onto the floor beside me, half his skull missing, brains oozing out, and I marveled for a moment at the texture brought into such vivid detail.

Then a flash of pink and an arm was pulling me up and to my feet, “Persephone. Are you with me? Damn it. Is she going to be okay, Sparks?”

In an instant the fog in my head faded. The disorientation of moments before was a bit of strangeness. I was keenly aware of my body and I could catalog every single flaw. I stretched and bent, and snapped fractured bones back into their proper places.

No, that wasn’t me stretching and bending. That was Ismene. That was my friend doing her damnedest to keep me alive.

Then I was back in control of my own limbs again. “I told you to get everyone away,” I said to Diva.

“I’m kind of a shitty second-in-command. You know I don’t leave my people behind,” Diva said.

“You’ve got a couple of minutes. Tops,” Ismene said.

“Thank you. You saved my life,” I said.

The words applied to both conversations. Diva nodded.

“We’ll clear the room for you,” Diva said.

I shook my head. I had this. I shouldn’t be moving at all with my wounds, but I was building a legend. If people had made me Persephone because they wanted to see a victim, they’d picked the wrong girl. It was time to show them instead what they’d really created.

I leaned against my spear, legs shaky as I moved towards the doorway to the office.

Sparks had his tablet open. He tapped into the surveillance systems, “Four guards and the guy in the support suit. One at your ten, two at twelve, one at three as you enter. Support suit is against the back wall unarmed.”

I took a moment to visualize the setup and then entered. My spear spun and I buried it to my right, driving it through the guard there. I spun and used his corpse as a shield as the guards ahead opened fire. The body twitched and I retracted the spear, then dove behind a cupboard. The Silversmith was in my hand in an instant and I put a high penetration round through the head of the guard standing alone. The one best positioned to fire at me from this tangle.

Sheathing the gun, I extended the spear once more. With my heightened senses I would hear the click when an ammunition clip ran out, and I just had to wait for my moment. It didn’t take long at the rate they were throwing out bullets. I rolled from cover and came to my feet with the two guards positioned one behind the other. I threw the spear.

It required precise accuracy, but I was good even before Ismene had turned me into a full killing machine. I was better now. The spear impaled both at once and sent them sprawling across the room.

That just left Green. He was watching me as I approached, his features not all that different from what they were in the Network. The support suit was different, of course. Station-born, his muscles weren’t suited for Earth. With a proper framework though he was able to survive here, thrive even.

It did more than put him on a par with someone born on Earth, it made him far stronger. Green must have got word what was going on, he wasn’t in the Network and his eyes tracked me as I stepped towards him.

Chapter 47

Green clapped, slow and exaggerated. “You’re so good at murdering pawns. Hard-working men and women just trying to get by.”

I wasn’t going to let him spin this whole thing around on me. “You abducted one of my team. You tortured her. You have an entire facility here of people you’ve been forcing to live in terror.”

Green gave a smug smile. “Do you know how many people are volunteering for what so horrifies you? Boxing is the future as people choose the world we create for them. If, perhaps, some few suffer for the process, do they not also suffer now?”

“This isn’t Philosopher’s Square and you don’t have time for this,” Ismene said.

Of course, she was right. I could already feel my body starting to fade. The rush that been carrying me thus far was starting to recede and I was beginning to feel my wounds. I had a lot of wounds.

“Let them out. All of them,” I said.

Green tapped at a panel on his support suit, “Done.”

I didn’t have to ask if he was telling the truth. I could hear the sliding of glass in the distance followed a moment later by the wrenching sobbing that began. From a thousand throats it was a deafening sound. A chorus.

“Now, before you go and do anything else, I surrender and forfeit my side in our little match. You and your companions are free to depart. I am a senior executive of the SantaFe Corporation and a protected person under the Treaty of Detroit. Any action taken against me will be an act of defiance against the Corporate Council and subject to their response,” Green said.

He was trying to talk his way out of it. Of course he was, he was untouchable. In his position and with his authority he was supposed to be above violence. If I did anything against him I’d be as guilty as those who had destroyed Olympus. I didn’t know how I felt about that.

Even moments before, I’d have been happy to kill him. When I was riding high on that surge of confidence I wouldn’t have doubted the righteousness of ending this man. But now I did.

I felt like there were two sides pulling at me. Alena Polias was the daughter of Olympus and would end this with honor. One crime did not justify another and she believed that, given a choice, people would ultimately choose to do the right thing. They’d seen enough.

Persephone didn’t care. Persephone had been cast into the Underworld and seen such horrors inflicted upon the people there that she was driven to punish the guilty. Without a doubt this man was guilty of oh so very much.

It was impossible to judge the consequences of the act though. I’d almost certainly be judged a criminal. Killing an executive of Green’s standing was a massive crime and I’d be doing it live, broadcast to the Network. My team would likely be judged accomplices and share in whatever fate befell me.

It was Masque that finally settled things. Sparks and she had been talking back and forth. Sparks must have been tuning into the chatter on the Network and knew what I was attempting. Masque cleared her throat, then clearly and carefully said, “I implore you my Queen, as your loyal subject, put this wrong to rights.”

“You worthless, stupid cunt,” Green said, and they were the last words he ever said.

“I find you guilty of crimes against the citizens of the Underworld,” I said, as I raised the Silversmith.

I made sure to put the bullet between his eyes. I made sure to watch as his face caved in with the force of the round, watch as the support suit toppled to the ground. I wanted the audience to see this. I wanted everyone to see.

Then I felt my legs going out from me and my vision going black. The candle that burned too brightly was going out. I wondered if this time I would awaken.

Chapter 48

When I came to I was in a bed. Silken sheets and an open window outside showed a beautiful view of mountains and the sea. It was stunning, and of course, I was dressed only in leaves and vines. I felt amazing at least, which meant it was probably all a lie. I stood up cautiously and went to look out the window.

The door cracked open and Columbia peeked in. I wondered if she was on some combat drugs of her own, so quickly did she cross the space and crush me into a hug.

“I’m guessing you don’t hate me then,” I said, a bit breathless.

“You’re right. I would have really hated your plan,” Columbia said with a shake of her head. “How do you feel?”

“Good. Really good. Why am I in the Network?” I asked.

“Your nymph Ismene is looking out for you. You’re in bad shape, you’re in really bad shape. I wanted to get you into a proper medical facility, but things are a little complicated right now. If you’re conscious, it means she got your brain back working at least. It wasn’t, for awhile,” Columbia said.

My nymph Ismene. That was one way to put it. I knew the answer to the next question before I asked.

“Am I still on camera?” I asked.

“Forever and always,” Columbia said, brushing her hair back. “You’re the first of a new kind of Hero. Or maybe just a murderer and a psychopath that should be executed. There is a lot of debate going on about that right now.”

That was no surprise.

“Do I still have a job?” I asked.

“You murdered a senior executive of SantaFe while a contractor with Liberty and using a Liberty gun. SantaFe responded by bombing several Liberty owned mines and colonies on the surface. That conflict is in the process of escalating and there is talk of officially repealing the Treaty of Detroit,” Columbia said.

I’d started a war. I also noticed that she hadn’t told me I was fired. Columbia was probably hesitant to say too much, because I was on camera, but then I was always going to be on camera now. This was my life, a permanent broadcast to a viewing audience of thousands. If I really was a new kind of hero it might wind up becoming hers as well.

“That wasn’t actually an answer,” I said.

Columbia smiled wryly. “I know. We have the full logs of you being you, ever since you slipped into that suit of armor. Ismene provided them to the arbiters.”

Well I’d already blown my privacy to hell. What was a bit more? That would have included the attack on Olympus, the valiant last stand of the AIs.

“And?” I asked.

“You were officially stripped of your original identity by the Corporate Council and declared with a new one. Since you assumed the identity of Persephone, you have answered to that name in both worlds and honored an identity focused on growth and nature in one, and death in the other. Arbitration has ruled that the murder was an officially sanctioned mission. That is not to be taken as any sort of recognition of any authority as Queen of the Underworld to punish crimes,” Columbia said.

That was a mouthful. It sounded like my mad plan had worked though. Lines were blurring everywhere and people clearly couldn’t tell the difference between what was real and what wasn’t anymore. I’d decided to erase those lines.

“SantaFe obviously doesn’t agree,” I said.

“They aren’t alone,” Columbia said, moving to sit on a couch in one corner of the room. I joined her.

“I know how it feels. I know how I felt after Olympus. That illusion of safety is a hard thing to lose,” I said.

“Every major station has rescinded coming of age trips to the surface for the moment,” Columbia said.

“If everything I saw about the destruction of Olympus is now on the record, has there been any new leads?” I asked.

“The Collective is demanding answers, Liberty as well. We both took much of the blame for the destruction. The news that the AIs were not behind it means that another Coporation with a station in orbit almost certainly was. That is ten suspects, eleven if you include Liberty.”

I gave her a look and Columbia shrugged. “The theory has been floated. Your AIs were apparently locked out of a lot of systems. Who better than Liberty to do that and frame the AIs?”

They would have had the technical expertise, but from all that I’d heard it seemed that the attack on Olympus had meant a hit to their bottom line.

There was a knock on the door and Ismene peeked in. Nymph was right, my friend was now as barely dressed as I was. Her entire frame shimmered and her hair was damp as if she had just stepped out of a shower. “Sorry if I’m interrupting the hot lesbian sex.”

“I hadn’t got to any propositioning yet,” Columbia said, and motioned Ismene inside.

“Interesting look you’re sporting,” I said.

“You get a nymph ally. Surprise,” Ismene said brightly and then cleared her throat. “You can log out if you want. Do not go getting in any fights for the time being.”

“I get in a lot of fights,” I said.

“Yeah. Well, stop that,” Ismene said.

Columbia leaned over and gave me another hug. “I really am glad you survived. I’ll give you a call, if anything changes or if you have a mission. You’re totally on the hook for the next party too.”

I could imagine.

I nodded to Ismene and the world faded as I logged out of the Network.

I was in unfamiliar surroundings. It was a room almost as nice as the one that I’d just left. I was stretched out on a bed and a fire burned in a fireplace nearby. I couldn’t imagine where they’d actually found some real wood to burn.

Diva was asleep in a chair nearby, a rifle slung across her chest. I prodded her with my foot and her eyes snapped open. “What do you want, Ismene?”

“It’s Persephone. How much has she been using my body?”

“You’re totally pregnant with Hammer’s baby,” Diva deadpanned and let that thought sink in, before she beamed a grin.

“Good one,” I said.

“Yeah, we don’t know whose baby it is. There could be so many fathers,” Diva said.

This joke was getting old fast. On the plus side, a public execution and turning my team into accomplices seemed to be just what was needed to get Diva to like me.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Estate of that Lady Penworth chick. They uh, blew up the warehouse. We barely got you out of there. Going on a murder spree kind of made the Lady forgive you, even if she’s pissed you didn’t let her help,” Diva said.

I was surprised Camelot wanted anything to do with me.

“How many of the knights wound up surviving?” I asked.

“Just Giles. When they brought him out his armor was stained top to bottom in blood. He’s the Red Knight now, they made him a full-on hero,” Diva said.

Giles had helped me to commit a murder, and in a kingdom valuing honor that made him a hero. I didn’t know what to make of my sense of right or wrong anymore. I wasn’t one to question my decisions, but it was the first time I’d made one quite like this.

“How are the others?” I asked.

“Sparks got some more steel put inside him and Hammer too. Top of the line stuff, the Collective feels they owe you one. It’s all been a little crazy,” Diva said.

“I guess. Columbia told me a little of what has been going on,” I said.

“Columbia doesn’t know shit,” Diva said with a firm shake of her head. “I know the Corporates are debating back and forth trying to decide what to make of you, but it isn’t like that on the streets here.

“I should find out,” I said.

“Check your mail first. You have a lot of it and Ismene set some aside she said was important,” Diva said.

I brought up my Comm.

An official invitation to the Roma embassy from Inanna. That would have to happen. An invitation from Billy the Kid to rob a bank with him, that might happen. The last one though caused me to gasp.

Didn’t make it to the Harrowing of Etrusca. Miss you.

It was the play I’d suggested to Orestes that he take Rena to, back on Olympus. So long ago, it seemed.

There was no answering address. That just made it all the more convincing.

Chapter 49

I didn’t want to stay in bed. I’d been there enough.

I wanted to see what had become of the old base and Diva agreed to take me. It was a strange walk, the people on the streets of the Camelot compound gave me space. Unlike last time, everybody seemed to know me. Bows and curtseys were not uncommon as if I were some sort of noble. At least they were friendly.

Things got different when we got onto the real streets. Diva looked far too twitchy as complete strangers would stop to hug me. Family members of the thousands rescued.

I wasn’t sure how to handle that. A part of me thrilled at the attention and a part of me just felt guilty at what I’d done.

“Are all of you getting any of this?” I asked.

“A bit. Not as much as you. These aren’t even the worst of it,” Diva said, with a shake of her head.

“What is the worst of it?” I asked.

“You declared yourself the Queen of the Underworld acting in defense of one of your subjects. Did you not think there might be others looking to sign up?” Diva asked.

“How many?” I thought to Ismene.

“To date you have roughly three thousand who have sworn fealty to you. You’ve fifty-eight marriage proposals not including Columbia. Three credible death threats, twenty-seven less credible. A little over eight thousand resumes, not all as crazy as you’d expect,” Ismene answered.

Well, you couldn’t say I hadn’t made an impression.

“Compile a list of the interesting ones for me to review later,” I thought

“Which ones?”

“All. Let’s keep our options open.”

I didn’t know what the future held, but it would wait for no one.

What had once been our base was a crater, the ground melted for an entire block. This wasn’t just an attack, it was a spectacle.

“What did they use?” I asked.

“Wasn’t a bomb. Beam weapon from a massive plane,” Diva said. “Columbia slipped us a heads up that they were on the way and we used that escape tunnel we built before they got here.”

I was glad I’d made that a priority.

“Do we have another place picked out?” I asked.

“Is the team sticking together? With all that went on, we weren’t sure. I’ve been holding off on the big decisions until you got better,” Diva said.

It was a good question. It was a fair question. It seemed they were willing to have me back or Diva wouldn’t be holding off at all. I couldn’t escape the fact that I’d almost gotten them killed though. The slagged ruins in front of us spoke to just how many enemies I had now. They might be better off without me.

I needed a plan and for that plan I needed information.

I keyed my Comm to check if Inanna was available at the Roma Embassy, and after a few seconds I got an acknowledgment she was and a car could be sent to pick me up. I keyed my acceptance.

“Good question. We’re not doing anything without a plan and right now there is someone I need to talk with. Care to accompany me to Roma?

“I’m spending way too much time around Corporations since hooking up with you,” Diva said.

“They growing on you?” I asked.

“Left Liberty for a reason. Not rushing back into that,” Diva said.

I still didn’t know her full story. I wanted to get it someday.

When the Roma vehicle arrived it was an impressive display. Gold and red, a massive lion ornament upon the hood. Still, despite all the splendor, I spied heavy armored plating and several weapons. They built to impress, but didn’t forget the essentials. There was something to respect there.

The interior was plush and Diva squeezed in next to me. The door hissed shut and the vehicle began to move.

“So what do you want?” I asked Diva.

“I liked the way things were. I liked getting jobs and getting paid. I like not being beholden to anyone but the people you know who have your back, and never having to take any shit,” Diva said.

That might still be a possibility. In the short term I was sure my little display would help us to find work, and corporate conflicts eventually would die out. SantaFe wouldn’t be a friend if they survived this and I was sure they’d try to kill me a few more times. Still, grudges were expensive and business was business. If I stayed alive long enough, even that would cease to be a factor.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this,” I said.

Diva regarded me for a moment and shrugged. “I’m not. I didn’t want the fight, because I didn’t think it was one we could win. I didn’t want me and the team throwing our lives away for nothing. You finished it and we set those people free. I don’t mind being a hero, if I get to be a living one.”

It wasn’t an Olympian mindset, but I could work with it. That bit of practicality was good for keeping me sane.

Roma didn’t have its own colony, the Embassy was settled within a Liberty outpost. Neon lights were everywhere and the sky was dominated by billboards. There were a few devoted to me, dressed in my leafy getup and taking a pose more sexy than any I’d ever adopted—urging people to come check me out.

Great.

Diva caught sight of my expression and she gave me a wry smile. “And you went out there and made yourself even more of a product.”

Completely guilty. Her and everyone else that now knew me through my eyes.

“Miss it?” I asked.

“I got an offer. Comeback tour, from Liberty, after everything that happened. Guess the public remembered I existed again,” Diva said.

“You tempted at all?” I asked.

Based on what I knew of her, I expected her to laugh off the question. Instead she nodded. “Course I’m tempted. It gets into you, the attention and the fans. If it isn’t you yet, it will be. Thing is, if you let it run its course, it will eat you up. Yeah I want it, but I can’t give in. I’m not strong enough.”

I studied her. I didn’t think she was right. Diva was stronger than she knew.

The vehicle stopped at the gate to the Roma compound as an absurd number of sensors swept over us. A display indicated each of our weapons and asked us to acknowledge that we were bringing them in and to confirm we entered under agreement of peace. We each acknowledged and were allowed through

It was grand. Roma really did share a lot in common with Olympus, marble and sculpture was everywhere as we drove through.

“Did they give you any clue what this was about?” Diva asked.

“Not a one. The invitation was from Inanna and not Mars though,” I said.

“He’s kind of hot,” Diva said.

“You’ve got terrible taste in men,” I said.

“Tell me about it.”

Chapter 50

The car pulled directly into an antechamber for meeting guests, the door hissing open to luxurious carpet and a small seating area at which had been set a jug of wine and various delicacies.

A woman was waiting for us and she looked to be around my age. Her features had hints of Inanna from the Network, although that wouldn’t fit with what I knew of her age. I’d also have assumed Inanna to be station-born, but this woman wore no support suit.

“Persephone. So pleased that you could make it,” Inanna said, stepping in and kissing me upon the lips. A moment later a put-out looking Diva got similar treatment. “Join me. I’ve wine and some food, if you are hungry. I hope you’re feeling better?”

I didn’t think it was good business to go broadcasting that I still wasn’t at my full strength. “Much,” I said, and moved over to the table. The food made my stomach grumble. There were a number of Olympian delicacies, it was a far cry from nutrient paste, and proof that Roma really was trying to be accommodating.

I sat down and Diva poked unhappily at the food. I dug in. I wasn’t going to get the opportunity again and if their intent was to poison me, I doubt they would have gone to this much spectacle. Inanna joined me and soon we demolished the food.

The Olympian dishes were authentic. They hadn’t cut any corners, they might have come straight from my family’s table.

“So what am I being buttered up for?” I asked after setting aside the last plate. “I’d have thought Roma would be against me after what happened with Mars.”

“Jupiter loves it when we fight amongst ourselves. He says it keeps us sharp,” Inanna said, pouring me more wine. “Mars hates you and he’ll be trouble going forward, but Roma doesn’t share his opinion. In fact, they’re quite impressed.”

I couldn’t help but to note the phrasing there. Inanna might be playing the spokesperson of Roma for this encounter, but she wasn’t actually including herself among their number.

“Well, I did start a war from what I hear. Of course they are, I’m good for business,” I said.

Inanna nodded at that. “You also handled yourself well. You’ve proved yourself brave, quick thinking, willing to do what is necessary. Roma wants to make you a job offer.”

That was about what I was expecting. Diva was frowning.

I didn’t know what Roma could offer me, but I needed to hear them out, it would be idiocy not to.

“So they want to hire Persephone away from Liberty. Sponsorship or fully coming on board?”

Inanna shook her head. “You misunderstand. Roma has no interest in Persephone. They offer full citizenship to Alena Polias, a full share of the company, and status of a personage of worth upon Triumverate station on the condition that you assume the role of Minerva.”

I’d expected them to make a good pitch. I hadn’t expected it to be that good. They were offering me a return to life in orbit. Minerva was their version of Athena, the Goddess that growing up I’d most closely identified with. Tactics and warfare. It would be an important role in Roma, one well-suited to my skills.

Again, though, I was troubled by Inanna not selling it particularly hard. Perhaps the offer was so good she just didn’t feel it required any pitching, but perhaps there was something more.

“May I ask you a few questions?” I asked.

“Of course,” Inanna said, after a sip from her wine.

“Why aren’t you aboard the station? Given how highly everyone seems to think of you, I’d have thought you must have your start in orbit,” I said.

“I was a part of the stations when they were just being built and when I saw how that isolation would go, I left. I’m rather older than I appear,” Inanna said.

No kidding. I wasn’t sure what that would make her, but it meant she had seen a lot.

“Why is the offer so generous?” I asked.

I didn’t know if she’d answer honestly, but I was getting the sense she might.

“Because you created a legend and they wish to kill her off,” Inanna said with a knowing smile.

They were scared of Persephone. They’d take me and give me a luxurious life, but they weren’t truly interested in me. They wanted to stop what they’d helped me to create. The fusing of worlds that had gotten a senior executive killed and allowed me to go free.

“You’ve got to take it,” Diva said, turning to face me. “I hate them, but it is too good. You’re not happy on the ground and you know that if you refuse, they’re going to come for you.”

I hadn’t expected Diva to take their side. I really had grown on her.

I knew that she was right. If I refused this offer I was turning my back on the corporate council attempting to bring me back into the fold. There would be consequences for that.

“Did Roma destroy Olympus Station?” I asked.

I didn’t expect Inanna to answer anything other than no. Still, she seemed to be feeling honest and the possibility haunted me. Of all the corporations that had gained from the death of Olympus it seemed that Roma has gained the most.

Inanna gave me a sad smile and shook her head. “They didn’t. I know you’ve no reason to believe me, but of that I am certain.”

There was conviction in her tone. At the same time, I heard that Inanna had no idea who was responsible.

I set down my wine and leaned forward to better meet Inanna’s eyes, they were the same astonishing blue as her gown. “Thank you for the offer. Are you open to hearing mine?”

Inanna grinned then, she did enjoy making trouble and I think she’d been waiting for that moment.

“Make it a good one,” Inanna said. I would, the world was watching.

“Ever since I’ve descended to the surface I’ve seen senseless brutality and exploitation. The world is filled with monsters and so are the skies above,” I said.

“One less,” Inanna said pointedly and I silently thanked her. She was playing into this.

“One less and I’m just getting started. The Underworld is calling. Want in?” I asked.

“You realize that monster killing isn’t actually a sound business strategy,” Diva said.

Inanna laughed, “Oh, I think she could find a few sponsors.”

If I didn’t, I could rob a few banks. I suspected Billy could use some work and I owed that rogue.

“Is that a yes?” I asked.

Inanna tilted her head to consider me, fingers drumming against her thigh. “On one condition. That you abandon your Liberty sponsorship and become a fully free agent. The Queen of the Underworld must bow her head to no other. Commit to that and you have my full support. We’ll give them a show they’ll never forget.”

I didn’t know how Columbia would feel about that and it mattered to me. But so did this. This was important. One of the other stations had attacked Olympus, the enemy was on the corporate council. Monsters like Green and Anton the Flesh Peddler were everywhere.

I keyed my wrist comp. It took surprisingly little effort to sever such an important relationship.

Inanna waited until I was done and then keyed her own.

“Did you really just wander into a Roma embassy and recruit one of their stars?” Diva asked.

“I’m just getting started,” I said.

I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Your corporation was your culture, it was your life. Inanna was the rare exception that proved the rule.

When we left, we walked out. Roma felt no need to give us a ride.

The streets of the Freedom enclave were friendly. Word hadn’t spread yet. Soon enough those billboards of me would be coming down. All the more space for Columbia I supposed, she deserved it.

Chapter 51

Columbia forgave me and so did Liberty. The goodwill I’d won there hadn’t gone away just because I wanted to go my own way. There were rather absurd amounts of in-Network sex too that sent the message loud and clear that Persephone and Liberty were still in bed together. I’d promised the fans and I was a girl that kept her promises. It wasn’t just that, of course, people are always more complicated than that.

Of course, Columbia wasn’t leaving Liberty. If I’d hoped to lure away a large batch of sponsored heroes for my cause, I’d failed. The Red Knight declined, Camelot prized loyalty far too much. I gave Anat an offer as well, but she enjoyed her home in Roma.

It was probably a good thing, the plans I already had broke the bank.

I didn’t file any sort of corporate paperwork for the Underworld. I thought it best that my Queen title be as ambiguous as possible. I’d let other people worry about what really came under my jurisdiction, if anything.

I did have to pay to officially sponsor heroes however, even myself, and those fees weren’t cheap.

I bought an abandoned Olympian research facility to serve as our new base of operations and officially employed Billy, Inanna, and myself as our roster of Network heroes. The others were okay with growing the team, and with the transformation into a real organization.

We’d won our first battle against the monsters, but wars aren’t decided by a single battle.

We were just getting started.

Author Notes

If you’ve made this far I hope you enjoyed my first effort at Cyberpunk. I’ve always been a big lover of the genre and wanted to try something written more from the corporate perspective.

Alena is a complex figure, but much of what she believes was shaped by her growing up in that environment. As anyone who has ever worked in a company with a strong culture can attest, it really does feel like it gets into your blood after a while. I tried to picture how that might play out over the course of generations.

I also wanted to play with the idea of cultures. Increasingly in the real world cultural lines are fading. The walls coming down between people is a good thing, and yet I think in many it has created a sense of loss. It may be in the future that a sense of identity and purpose is what we’ll really want to consume.

Machine suffrage seemed a great opener for the book, because eventually the day will come where it is an issue. We spend so much time obsessing over how we’ll handle it when machines come to kill us. What about when they instead insist on the same rights that belong to those made of flesh and blood, instead of silicon and steel?

I purposefully chose not to end this on a cliff-hanger (if you’ve read some of my other books you know I’m afraid or averse to doing so). That doesn’t mean there is not more to come. There will be more of Persephone, her story is just getting started and the struggles ahead of her are going to shake the world.

<<<<>>>>

Also by Skyler Grant

The Crucible Shard

Liam lives in a world where gamers are held up on a pedestal and their competitions are high entertainment where only the elite get to complaint. When he enters the virtual world himself he finds reality is far different than he could ever have anticipated, and when sometimes you think you are the hero you really wind up being the villain. Fans love the mix of brutal action, character development, and many plot-twists.

Book 1: Dungeon Crawl

Book 2: Spawn Campers

Book 3: Corpse Run

Book 4: Gank

Book 5: Area of Effect

Book 6: DLC

Book 7: Endgame

Audio

Book 1: Dungeon Crawl

Book 2: Spawn Campers

Book 3: Corpse Run

Book 4: Gank

Book 5: Area of Effect

Book 6: DLC

Cyberpunk with a heroine who kicks tail and a world that is brutal. Corporations fill the role as culture and the Network is a vast virtual landscape people use to escape the horrors of a decaying Earth. Unfortunately humans bring their horrors with them.

The Persephone Saga

Book 1: Persephone Falling

Book 2: Persephone Rising (coming soon)

Book 3: Persephone Ascendant (coming soon)

A futuristic dungeon core. When a crazed AI reactivates deep in an abandoned complex in a post apocalyptic hellscape there is only one thing to do. Science.

The Laboratory

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