Rise in Revolution (Chapter Twenty-Five)

[tanadin]

 So I both love and hate this chapter. Our downtime is, however, at an end, so next chapter...well. We're off again.

Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
World map: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Kaldriel-RiR-map-594639189

Chapter Twenty-Five

 

Fury and Terror

Black Market, Sector IAL. February 23, 2272. Time instance 842N.

It was several hours later, when the Black Market was almost deserted, that Nine awoke to Seven’s voice. He had been dozing in his seat- sleep was, unfortunately, something that he still needed. Unlike Seven, who could just shut off his human brain and let the robot side carry on performing very basic tasks, Nine wasn’t metal enough in limbs nor brain, so he had to sleep.

It was frankly getting on his nerves.

He shoved off his annoyance about his need of sleep in order to run what Seven had said over in his mind, but it was all very hazy and confusing. “What?”

Seven repeated himself without the slightest tinge of annoyance.  “You’re not always that accurate when you’re explaining things.” He paused to make sure that Nine was listening this time. “For example, those four thousand units you were talking about earlier technically have large thrusters in place of their arms, in order to have increased speed and better aerodynamics.”

Nine shrugged. “Yeah, technically. But they don’t care about the technicalities- it would probably confuse them anyway- and it’s a hell of a lot funnier the way I said it.”

“...Funnier?” Seven dragged out the transition between the second and third syllable, confusion coloring his voice.

“Yes. Funnier. Amusing. It was supposed to make them laugh.”

“Why? What purpose does that serve?”

“It was entertaining. It’s not particularly useful from a logical standpoint, but it puts people more at ease and it’s a better way to make friends than not grasping regular-people social constructs at all.”

“You’re not approachable because you don’t try to put people at ease is what he’s saying,” Kyir barked. “Whereas he is. He’s a great cybernetic diplomat. He gets how to have a social life more than I do and he’s only been out of his tube for like a month.”

Seven frowned. “I don’t make it difficult to approach me. I’m usually in places that are easily accessible.”

Kyir groaned. “Not like that. We mean how easy you are to talk to in a social, not...fuck, what’s the word here? English is such a flawed fucking language. I guess physical way? We’re physically capable of walking up and starting a conversation, but socially it’s not easy unless you’re inept like me.”

Seven blinked. “Why?”

“Well, you and I share the barrier of being cyborgs. That immediately marks us as different. As outcasts.” Nine crossed his arms, glancing down at his metal hands self-consciously. “It’s also your...your…” He tried to figure out how to phrase your lack of an obvious personality tactfully.

“Your hat,” Kyir supplied.

“My hat?” Seven glanced up at his hat, attempting to look at it.

“Yeah. Your hat. It’s a douchebag hat.”

Seven looked at him in silent confusion. Nine followed suit.

“I mean...shit, dude, have you ever looked at it?” Kyir reached forward and removed it from Seven’s head, looking it over. “Watch.” He put it on. “Instant douchebag.”

“I don’t see anything different about you, other than the addition of a hat,” Seven told him.

“Thanks for that, bud.” Kyir removed it and handed it to Nine, motioning for him to put it on. “See? Douchebag. Imagine it on Scott. Now stop imagining that. That’s horrifying. Like the god of all douchebags. Admittedly, Scott already looked like a douchebag so I guess the addition of the hat was just adding the rocket launchers to the cripson dragon. Anyway, anyone who puts it on looks like the biggest douchebag in the entire world.”

“But it’s my hat!” Seven protested, taking it from Nine and putting it back on.

“Yeah, see, this is why you have no friends.”

Seven frowned. “I have you, Nine, and Tanadin.”

Kyir burst into laughter. “I’m no one’s friend. No one here. Except maybe Tanadin. On good days. I tolerate you.”

“Oh.” Seven pondered that for a moment, completely unfazed. “I guess I don’t understand friendship as much as I thought.”

“Try reading up on it,” Kyir suggested. “Not that any of my books have anything useful on the topic.  Try some ones on the bottom right shelf. No, the other one. Yeah. Maybe something there will help you. I got those from my mom. Never touched ‘em. Maybe I should have. Who knows what’s in there.”

~~~

It was the next day, late in the evening. The Black Market was almost entirely empty except for Tanadin and Seven as well as a couple of other people minding their own business. Tanadin was halfway through a gulp of water when, out of the blue, Seven asked, “Is it logical for us to get married?”

Tanadin just about choked on her drink. “What?” She whipped around and stared at him, pure confusion flashing across her face.

“Well, from what I can tell, it appears to be somewhat of an extension upon friendship, as far as I understand that concept, that people do when they enjoy or benefit from each other’s company and expect that to continue being the case for an extended period of time - a formal statement that it is the case; which I think it is, as I definitely benefit from you both being able to intermediate with and explain humans to me - which I don’t think will be ending soon. And, as far as I can tell from your willingness to help me than could otherwise be explained, you appear to enjoy my company. It also seems to serve to explain to other people as to why the two of them are together often - which we currently are, and as such may be useful.”

Tanadin blinked several times before understanding suddenly clicked into place. “Seven,” she said slowly, “I think you’re missing something.” She ignored Fan’s hysterical cackling in the background.

“Well, it did seem to include a sharing of resources between the participants - which I think is already occurring, and as such is not a large factor. There were also allusions to the sharing of resources being the case in order to be able to raise offspring with the resources of both people, but I’m unable to produce them in any case, and the offspring didn’t appear to be a required component. What am I missing?”

Tanadin put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re missing the entire emotional aspect of that. People tend to get married when they, uh, love each other. A lot. Like Scott and Clash. Except...more, I guess?”

Seven blinked several times. “I don’t understand.”

“And that’s okay.” Tanadin smiled at him and withdrew her hand. “Try not to propose to me in the middle of the Black Market again, would you? Fan will never let me live this down.” Fan’s laughter increased in volume.

Moments later, Fan took a breath to speak and was interrupted by footsteps and quiet voices in the tunnel that fell silent when they entered the room. Jimmy and Gali paused at the odd look at several people gave them.

“...What?” Gali hesitantly asked.

“Seven asked Tanadin to marry him,” Fan said cheerfully. “So, Seven, what was that about not being able to have kids even if you wanted?” Jimmy and Gali stared in shock and confusion. Tanadin groaned.

He blinked. “When a cyborg needs to have an area around the the pelvic bone replaced, it’s often easier to simply replace the entire bone and the tissues around it. As this normally involves directed both solid and liquid waste to a combined storage and disposal, it renders most that undergo the procedure sterile, with any hormones that would have been produced by removed organs being manufactured artificially.”

“So you don’t even have any fun things down there?” Fan sounded disappointed, shooting a look at Tanadin, who glared.

Seven frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Iiiii’ll tell you when you’re older,” Tanadin told him, ignoring his protests. “Fan, quit asking about his junk, would you? That’s fucking rude.”

“This,” Mars declared, “is more than I ever wanted to know.” She stashed the bottle she was holding on a shelf and walked out of the Black Market, the others watching her silently and suddenly aware that Shawn was also in the room and seemed to be covering his ears.

Woops.

~~~

It was Thursday, March fourth, when the past decided to jump Emma like a sudden streetfight, angry and brutal and definitely unplanned.

Not immediately, though.

Emma leaned on the side of a building, looking down the street and out over the lake to the mountains beyond. Those mountains to the south were not where the tunnel was being built, but she imagined it anyway- the earth elementals and mortal miners hacking away at and forcing away rock, other spellcasters and able-bodied assisting with creating supports. Emma silently wondered if, after SOV, they’d go and try to take ASQ. And, if so, if she’d see her family again.

She crossed her arms. Did she even want to see her family again? They probably didn’t miss her, and everyone else in the sector sure as hell didn’t. Wasn’t that what had gotten her transferred? Not fitting in? She glanced down at her hands, turning them over several times and clenching her fists. After a moment, she let her hands drop and gazed off to the south again, mind wandering to other places and topics.

She wondered silently what struggles lay ahead of them, to the north in SOV. Would the Mainframe expect them to build their own tunnel and strike at them that way? Would they even be able to take the sector? It was definitely better prepared than IAL had been, and they didn’t have the advantage of a damaged nine thousand unit or control center terminals. Whatever Seven had done before he was taken down and turned into a cyborg, it had messed with the control center enough to skew its logic and cause it to make some bad decisions that, in the end, brought it to its knees.

Emma smirked slightly. She wasn’t usually one to lose a fight. She pushed off from the wall and started walking again, not really paying attention to where she was going until she almost bumped right into someone. She blinked a few times as she looked him over, less surprised with the faintly glowing bandages wrapped around his head than with the fact that he was alive.

“I thought you were dead.”

“I’ve been getting that a lot,” Chester growled. “You get one fucking bullet to the head and everyone writes you off as dead. Fucking Scott. You’re his friend, aren’t you?” He looked Emma up and down- she noted with some amusement that he was shorter than her- with clear malice in his eyes. “Next time you see him, tell him he’s a dickhead and to fucking fight me. Think you can do that, or do I need to ask one of his male friends?”

Emma puffed up. “Excuse me?!”

“You heard me. Or do I need to help you with that too?” Chester crossed his arms, looking bored. “Go tell him. And whoever the fuck leads the Black Market, tell him that Scott’s a piece of shit and that I’d be better for business down there.”

“Number fucking one, you’re a sexist asshole and I’m not doing shit for you. You can go fuck yourself. And I don’t think Tanadin would welcome you. She doesn’t like garbage in the Black Market.”

Chester growled and unfolded his arms, standing up straighter. “What did you call me?”

“Garbage. And your attitude is even worse.”

“You shut the fuck up! You don’t talk back to me that way!” Chester’s fists clenched and his upper body tensed, creating what had to be the most telegraphed punch in history.

Emma decided he was right, though. She was done talking back to him. And she wasn’t about to let him hit first.

She punched him in the jaw.

Chester stumbled back and almost fell, howling at the pain in his jaw and the blood pouring from his bit tongue. Emma landed another punch on the side of his face, above his jaw, which knocked him down. Chester curled up tightly as Emma kicked at him once or twice before turning around and storming away, fury burning through her blood.

Stupid fucking sexist douchebag.

She felt someone fall in step behind her and carefully grab her arm. She started to pull away but the other person was stronger, keeping her in their grip. “Hey.”

The red haze over Emma’s vision dimmed enough for her to recognize Tanadin. “Emma, I need you to take a deep breath. Calm. Slow inhale and exhale.”

Emma reluctantly followed her instructions, feeling some of the white-hot anger dissipate but not the burning in her blood. She repeated the action several times until Tanadin deemed her calm enough to hold a decent conversation.

“What the fuck was that?”

“He was being sexist and pissed me off.”

“No, I know, I heard. But you just kicked his ass without any hesitation. Do you do that a lot?”

Emma shrugged. “I guess.”

Tanadin raised an eyebrow. “Does it have anything to do with you getting transferred to IAL?”

Emma kicked at the ground. “Yes. I got violent with one person too many and they’d had it with me. ASQ is full of idiots, though. You can’t help but get mad at them. And they deserved it, every last one of them. I don’t hit anyone that doesn’t deserve it.”

“I believe it.” Tanadin put a hand on her shoulder. “Does it bother you? Hurting people?”

Emma didn’t answer. Sometimes, I wonder which one of us is more human.

Tanadin let her sit in silence for a moment before hugging her friend gently. “Come on. Let’s get back to the Black Market. Gali said she found some hot chocolate in one of the warehouses and there might still be some left. Ever had hot chocolate?”

Emma shook her head.

“Then we’d better hurry, as it’s one of the best things in the world!” Tanadin grabbed her arm and set off at a run, Emma smiling and following behind her.

Maybe there wasn’t a need to regret the past.

~~~

It was midday on the seventeenth when Shawn came racing down the street towards the Black Market, feet pounding against the stone as his legs carried him as quickly as they were able. He practically burst through the door and ran towards the tunnel, only being stopped by Zahnra grabbing his arm as he passed.

“What is it? What’s happened?” she demanded.

“It’s done!” Shawn gasped, trying to force air into his lungs. “The earth elementals say it’s done.”

A wolfish grin spread across Zahnra’s face. “An excellent birthday gift for me- the promise of the revolution carrying on. Let’s tell the others.”

Shawn led the way down the tunnel, picking up speed as he ran through the Black Market and skidded to a stop in front of the table Tanadin sat at. She looked up at him, curious, as did the others. Shawn didn’t leave them to wait long.

“The tunnel. The tunnel is done.”

A grin similar to Zahnra’s lit up Tanadin’s face. But behind that joy lay other emotions- anxiety, worry, fear. Would they succeed, or would all of their struggles be in vain?

Tanadin stood with inhuman speed and approached him. “You’re sure? It’s completely done?”

“That’s what the elementals say.”

Tanadin’s grin widened and she turned to the others. “The tunnel is done!” Cheers lit up the Market as people realized that their long wait was at an end.

Seven began to speak, explaining the plan of action and what they had to do next, but no one was listening yet.

They were only listening to each other and their own fears, hidden behind cheers and grinning faces.

What will happen when we reach the other side? Will we succeed, or will we die? Will I fall in battle? Who must I see die before my eyes?

The revolution was ready to move, with all their hopes, hearts, and dreams.

Despite the sheer terror that ate at them.