Rise in Revolution (Chapter Twelve)
Apr. 12th, 2016 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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saladloveDue to some irl stuff, my update schedule is probably gonna be kinda fucked for awhile. If I miss a chapter or post one on days that aren't Tuesday or Friday, you know why. I'll pretty much be getting chapters out as I finish them.
Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
World map: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Kaldri
Chapter Twelve
Calm
Black Market, Sector IAL. January 15, 2272. Time instance 842N.
“So, Zahnra,” Jimmy began, “how do you feel about Seven being on the team?”
Emma looked up from her book as she heard Zahnra growl quietly, crossing her arms. She carefully slipped a bookmark between the pages to mark her spot and set the book down, intent on the conversation unfolding at the next table over.
“I hate it. We don’t need him.”
“I mean...we kinda do.” Gali told her. “Like...if we want to be able to do anything other than blindly fight and lose people against the cyborgs, we do need him. That’s why Kyir’s figuring out how he works and thinks, isn’t it?”
“We don’t need him.” Zahnra repeated. “He’ll turn on us. The Mainframe will find a way to reconnect him and turn him against us, and now that he knows where we are, he’ll kill us all and then where will we be? Hell?”
“Oh, I wish.” Geek put in. “I’d love to see home again.”
Emma rolled her eyes and laughed quietly, quickly shutting up when Zahnra’s angry purple eyes moved over to look at her. “It’s not funny. If you think all of us dying is funny, then get the hell out of the Black Market.”
“Zahnra.” Tanadin’s voice was firm, but not accusing or angry. “Only I can kick people out. Behave, would you?”
Zahnra grumbled bad-temperedly and crossed her arms. “I don’t know why you authorized Kyir to keep him alive. We could have gotten what we needed off of his systems.”
“And pass up having someone else on the team? Someone more capable than most of us? Have you lost your damned mind, Zahnra?”
“I won’t-”
“I know you have your grudge against cyborgs- we all do! Who doesn’t?!” Tanadin shut her book and stood. “But you can’t let that get in the way of us doing what we need to do!”
Zahnra bared her teeth. “You have no idea of what they did to us!”
“I lived through the invasion! I watched my only way home become shut and locked! I watched dozens of my friends and relatives die in that initial anti-magic blast! I know damned well what they did to you- it’s exactly what they did to us! I know I don’t look much older than twenty, but I am about three times your age, Zahnra! I’ve seen plenty. And Seven himself has done nothing to you, especially not now that he’s been freed of the Mainframe. Don’t take your anger out on him.” Tanadin crossed her arms and glared, irises glowing faintly with flame.
Zahnra wouldn’t meet her gaze, looking away.
Tanadin huffed, sitting down and going back to reading.
Emma watched as Jimmy and Gali exchanged glances.
“Why do you have such a grudge against cyborgs?” Emma found herself asking. She shivered as Zahnra’s eyes locked on her. “Other than the obvious.”
“Because they tore my clan apart, scattering us to the wind and ruining our lives. Even more so than most of those living here.” Zahnra sighed, uncrossing her arms to drum her fingers against the table.
“Your clan?”
“I’m from Norendor- home of the werewolves. We were a tight-knit clan that didn’t interact with outsiders, and that suited both them and us just fine. They considered us monsters, we considered them lawless barbarians. When the aliens came, they enslaved us and treated us just like they treated the others. They sent us off to wherever we were the most ‘efficient,’ spreading us out amongst the outsiders and leaving the clan broken and scattered.
“I never got to have some of the important ceremonies of my people as I got older. I was only fourteen when they came, and I was sent to live in Sector TZI with my mother- my father was killed in the initial attack. Once I was old enough to live on my own, I was transferred here, probably because I didn’t cooperate with the Mainframe worth shit. IAL’s where they send the misfits. The people they don’t like, the people they don’t want. It’s hard, tiring work here, and you’re so isolated that what damage you can do is contained. It doesn’t matter. You don’t matter to them. You’re just another number in the system.”
Emma nodded, silent. She had experienced the Mainframe’s lack of caring firsthand.
So that’s what I am to them. Unwanted. Well, that’s fine by me.
Zahnra opened her mouth to speak further, but was interrupted as her eyes caught two more people entering the Market. Her jaw snapped shut and she glared at Kyir and Seven as they walked towards the back of the room, Seven looking around and taking in the appearance of the room. He lingered on the flag, but didn’t seem to think anything of it.
“I’m done here.” Zahnra told them, voice cold, and got to her feet. She swept past Kyir and Seven, not shooting them even a glance as she left.
“Geez. Who insisted that she has fleas this time?” Kyir asked, watching her go.
“Fleas?” Seven questioned.
“She’s a werewolf. It’s a joke.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“She told us why she’s here and why she hates cyborgs.” Emma told them, voice quiet.
“And she’s a bit pissy because I told her that I do understand what she’s been through.” Tanadin added.
“Then Seven came in and she got mad and left.” Emma finished.
Seven blinked in confusion. “Why the grudge?”
“You guys kinda tore apart her clan and family in the initial invasion.”
“No Kaldriel-made cyborgs were in operation yet, particularly not the seven thousand class.”
“Not you, just...the aliens and everything they brought in general.”
“Many are not fond of the actions taken twenty years ago.” Emma jerked at M’s voice, and, surprisingly, so did Seven.
“Why so jumpy all of a sudden?” Tanadin questioned, frowning.
“I had to shut off his threat detectors. All the kartzal down here gives him a headache.” Kyir explained.
Seven looked at him disapprovingly. “You shut off most of the sensors responsible for the threat detection. You-”
“Shh. It’s easier to explain this way. They don’t understand all the technicalities behind it. Keep the complicated robot-speak between you and me and speak in simple, easy English for the others.”
“I am speaking English.” Seven protested.
Kyir rolled his eyes, despite it being impossible to see behind his shades. “Are all of you cyborgs so literal?”
“I...don’t know?”
“They’re certainly not all as good.” Emma mumbled. “Why is that?”
“There are multiple classes of cyborg, shithead.” Kyir told her as if it was obvious. “Seven’s a seven thousand class, as were 7006 and 7005.”
“Obviously. But why are there different classes?”
“For different purposes. If I knew I was going to be explaining shit, I wouldn’t have come down here in the first place.”
“We could go back to the workshop.” Seven reasoned. “We’re not done, are we?”
“No, we’re not.”
“We should finish.”
“We’ll be in there forever. At least it’s interesting.”
“At least they get along.” Tanadin muttered. “Most people don’t like Kyir.”
“Really? I wonder why.” Emma said, straightfaced.
Tanadin snorted in laughter, joined quickly by both Jimmy and Gali. Seven looked confused while Kyir crossed his arms.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, dicknuggets. Come on, Seven. You’re the only one that gives me respect around here.” He turned around and walked back towards the exit of the Black Market, Seven following behind with a clear expression of confusion.
As they left, the atmosphere in the Black Market seemed to relax a bit. Despite little open hostility towards Seven, he still unnerved people.
It had been only two days, after all.
“Don’t think I’m ever going to get used to seeing a cyborg come strolling down here.” Mars muttered. “It’s unnerving.”
Several others, including Clash, nodded assent. “We need him to help us get Scott back.” The phoenix muttered.
Tanadin nodded. “We need to formulate a plan. Cap, maybe you should check out that prison again. See if you can find him.”
“Play another game of dodge-the-cyborg with unit 2409? Sure.” Cap shut her book and got to her feet.
“If Cap gets arrested, do I get her money?” Fan asked.
“No.” Cap told her. “You’d spend it all.”
Fan thought about that for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. I would.”
“Not that I’m complaining.” Mars said innocently. “What a coincidence that business has doubled since Scott was put out of commission.”
“You’re my only option, Mars!” Fan waved vaguely at her.
“If Seven sticks around, you might get more business from everyone.” Shawn told her. “And most of us don’t even drink.”
“I changed my mind. I love Seven. My new favorite guy.” Mars grinned.
“Ha ha. In awhile I’ll have more business too. When he tries to kill you all.” Devan grumbled. He jumped as M ghosted up to him, but the mysterious being only dropped an arrow out of his sleeves onto Devan’s counter before going back to his stall to make more arrows.
Emma exchanged a glance with Tanadin. The fire elemental put down her book and got to her feet, motioning for Emma to follow. They headed outside together, walking down a few streets before Tanadin started to speak.
“How are you doing so far?”
Emma raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean, you’ve been with us for eleven days. You’ve been here for eleven days. Between all the destroy-the-cyborg stress and you being new, I wanted to make sure you’re holding up okay.”
Emma smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m doing okay, I think. It’s been kinda hard but having friends immediately helps a lot.”
Tanadin smiled in return. “I’m glad. It’s...hard, being relocated, but you just have to kind of carry on, you know?”
“Yeah.” Emma shivered slightly. “I manage.”
“As for the whole Seven thing...what do you think of him? I mean, did I make the right choice in having Kyir do that?”
“I suggested it, you know.” Emma smiled, amused.
“I know, I know. But still.”
“Well...yes. I think you did. And Kyir agrees with you. He’s smart, if a bit of an asshole, but I can’t really blame him for that. I’m kind of an asshole too.”
“We’re all a little dickish sometimes.”
Emma snorted. “Yeah. We are.”
“I wonder why.”
“Human nature?”
“I’m not human, you walnut!” Tanadin swatted at Emma’s shoulder, laughing.
“Well...whatever! You know what I meant!”
Tanadin rolled her eyes. “Because I’m clearly human. Definitely.”
“I forget, okay?”
“Watch it, I’ll set you on fire.”
“No you won’t.” Emma sounded confident.
Tanadin sighed. “No. You’re right, I won’t. I will, however, spoil the book you’re reading.”
Emma paled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, but I would. You see, Jake-”
“TANADIN, NO!”
“TANADIN YES!” Tanadin took off down the street, Emma not far behind.
It’s good to have friends, Emma reflected as laughter surfaced. It’s a good feeling to be wanted.
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Date: 2016-04-13 01:46 pm (UTC)I managed to avoid Harry Potter book spoilers, but only because I got them at launch and read them the same day (yes even the longer ones)
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Date: 2016-04-13 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-13 11:18 pm (UTC)As we know from HP chocolate heals :)
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Date: 2016-04-14 01:15 am (UTC)Sweet! I got a Dumbledore card!
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Date: 2016-04-14 01:43 pm (UTC)^^
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Date: 2016-04-14 09:47 pm (UTC)Good thing I got three extras