Purple Monster

And she had a trick with it, she had a small cord keyboard – a cylinder that fitted into her hand, most people used them these days and they were quick, so unbelievably quick compared to the old QWERTY they were also alot smaller and harder to damage. But she didn’t really need the keyboard for most of her computer access she didn’t have an uplink and she didn’t so things by tactile touch the way Mashers did – they liked to still keep their minds free of the system that way security ice would kill their brain just their equipment. She was comunicating somehow with it directly, sort of a mechanical ESP thing going on but she had her suspicions had known things like it in the past.

Had been burnt for it, accussed of witch craft and ostracised from the humanity of those parts, oraised as gods messanger and set on the route of cannonisation and many other things. She didn’t like it it pulled at the center of her mind. Like a creature stired within her. It was however useful and she had built her computer specifically to be capable of letting her in.

With her in the little machine she could use it to surf the system, it gave her strange vertigo. The systems were not quiet right for the technic she was using and her capability to do so made her squirm with questions – but that ment looking at her past and that was one of the things so avoided doing at the best of times. Now was not a best time, now she had her new ‘family’ in intensive care and a killer on her tail. She should leave but she didn’t she just accessed a shopping bot and gave it the list of compents she wanted and authorised the transfer – most of it was inter Corp so just added itself to her bound debt. One or two items were a bit more tricky but she sorted and rolled her mind out of the system. She looked at the little pink monstrosity and disconnected it. Wrapped its jacks around it and placed it cradled lovingly in one of her many pockets.

She had a feeling she’d need to be leaving fast at some point and well the computer was more than useful, infact it had sort become part of her. She run a hand loveingly over her bike and then headed off to see the Ent’s Manager – she needed a gig or something. They needed money and quickly.

The slimy man glared at her though and then shoved her out of his club screaming and shouting about sabatarge. It was clear and something she hadn’t really countered on – the band it would appear were out of a job. No job on the Cruise Islands could be bad – she had exactly 5 days to locate herself a job or she’d be homeless and have no choice other than to go to the Advisor. She headed for Dev’s he was bound to have something – the crap bit was nothing would pay her as high as she had been getting not unless she wanted to present herself as a Masher and that just somehow didn’t seem wise to her.

Dev was cheerfully behind the greese splattered counter he spotted her and the cheefullness sliped slightly – if it had just been pity she wouldn’t have faltered at the door but there was something their mixed in with it and shea wondered weather she should even continue into the joint.

‘Hi Dev’ she said waving, she hurriedly ordered a pot of tead (Dev was always trying to get the authentic feel of a greasy spoon right – she didn’t knwo wheatehr to laugh or cry).

‘How are the Bros?’ he asked as he set the willow pattern chipped tea set down, the cup was tea cup shaped with the traditional blue and white, the chips she saw where artfully added for that flavour of the archaic, however they had mixed the fashions and styles up so it had a twisty wave to the procaline which was perma-plastic anyway. The design would have been nice on a plain white cup – it also had no handle and obviously never had had. She pursed her lips at it.

‘Still not awake,’ she said numbly.

He nodded looking sad, she was glade to see he had taken off the Nora Batty outfit she supposed it wasn’t the Patron Siants day anymore and might be concidered disrespectful. ‘I here it was a hit job?’ he asked carefully looking slightly left and right, the fear begain to boil off of him , she could actually smell it.

She shrugged ‘some coocks get strange ideas nothing security can’t handle though.’ Dev nodded and smiled reassuringly at her.

‘Listen Dev, I don’t suppose you’ve got any vacanys going…’ his smile had frozon on his face she continued anyway you never knew, ‘the ents manager sort of sack me – I think’ she added lamely. Dev was sweating.

‘I have too many staff already,’ he lied.

‘Oh ok,’ she said sounding small, he rubbed his fingers over his head and made an embarrassed little jump.

‘I sorry hon but your hot property,’ he smiled apologetically and then shruged she suddenly wanted to smash his face in. ‘The Security bods are recruting though?’ he said. Her face lit up and she poured her insipid tea.

‘Thanks Dev and can I have a Sushi burger?’ she was almost humming to herself again.

He smiled looking relieved ‘Its on the house ok?’ he stated. She grinned back at him.

The sushi burger was somehow greasy she was amazed that he had managed that but then she was releived that he did sushi of any sort. A sushi burger was a bizar concept but then Dev didn’t really under stand the historical culinary landscape at all. This ment he’d come up with some very interesting and some them even tasty dishes. She chomped her way steadily through the burger and swilled the tea, the dregs as always were cold, the self heating teapots where on the blink and Dev couldn’t afford new ones.

Sighing heavily and thanking Dev again she rose and made her way to The Security she thought about the stupid security office uniforms with their elf feet – she almost turned back. But at the end of the day she reasoned Snake and even Bodge was more important to her than what she had too waer – if she was honest to herself – anybody was.

When she entired the office she noticed Rookie sitting behind the reception desk, a swerling dark blue black plastic counter, clouds of shimmer and so shiny Rookie was checking himself out in it. She almost back out – there was no way a bod she had been accostic to was going to give her a job. She sighed and stepped forward anyway.

He smiled nastily at her, ‘Come to confess?’ he said cooly leaning back on his tempra foam chair, she wished it would snap and send him toppling. ‘Nah come for the job vacancy,’ she said striding over to the counter in a show of confidence she did not feel, the smile slipped frfom his face and he narrowed his eyes, she felt the ice roll off of him. She swallowed inspite of herself.

‘You’re what?’ he spat.

She smiled wonkily, ‘Applying for the job vacancies – they all gone?’ she asked cheekily cocking her head to one side – she had resurrected the Moheccan hair style and wondered how that would affect her prospects.

‘Well no their not all gone, but are you really serious?’ he asked suddenly unsure of himself.

‘Of course I am,’ she smiled sweatly this time imagining breaking his ball sac.

‘And you think this is an appropraite job for someone like you?’ he sneered covering up his uncertainty. She bristled and then settled back – she needed this job. But mainly she wanted a chance to save this idiots life, he’d hate it so much.

‘Of course why not?’ she snarled back.

‘Well look at you!’ he said.

her anger was seething, she pushed it down smiled and again and said, ‘Ah yeah I would do well in the Miss I’m Talking to an Arse Whole Contest wouldn’t I?’

He jumped up and slammed his hands on the desk top, ‘get out of here before I lock you up!’ he shouted.

‘No! I want an application form,’ she said.

His nostrils were flaring and she was contemplating how she was going to get out of the lock up when Gaz strode in.

‘Whats all the noise?’ he said looking startled.

Rookie could bearly speak through his fury, ‘She… wants… a… job.’ he said through his teeth. She sighed and shrugged at Gazzes slightly startled look.

‘Ents sacked us cos of the clubs being totaled. And I need the dosh to pay for Bodge,’ she smiled apologetically at him, he nodded. His big shoulders showing the tension he felt at someone neeeded medi-allowance boosted – she felt a joilt of gilt over it. She knew his past and this was… this was manipulation. But what she felt really bad about was just how little she was actually affected by what she was doing, always and again, survivial came first.

He looked her up and down and then got some smart paper out from behind the counter, it was already set up as an application form, ‘You’ll need to fill this in and have a medical,’ he said. Shit! a medical she wondered what would happen if they had proper imagin equipement – she wasn’t entirely set out like most people, the hospital unit hadn’t been the only time she’d run into problems but the course was set and she really had no choice but to follow it not if she really cared for her friends.

‘Oh and your hair,’ he said carefully, ‘and the piercings?’ she nodded she knew how bad it could get if a nose chain got yanked she could always have them pierced again when things settled down. The wholes would be gone in a day. She could put flesh formers in the wholes but it was more trouble than it was worth.

She took the trasparent device out of her hair and it collapsed, ‘I can hide the colour under the hats cant I?’ she asked.

‘Of course not!’ snarled the Rookie.

‘Edson shut up,’ Gaz said and then nodded to her. She felt low filling in the forms Gaz was sticking his neck out here for her and she might have to bolt at any moment she hoped if that happened he wouldn’t get into too much trouble.

The form took a lot of memeroy power for her – she’d had to reinvent herself so many times it was hard keeping track of who she actually was legally. The other thing was that the pay was less than she’d been getting in the clubs – this was bad news – she had a set up going with the Corp over the sky bike and oncce that came out it just about covered accomadation and she was in the smallest unit as it was. Food nearly always eat everything else. She had to eat more than others , she could survive on less but it wasn’t a good idea plus she wasn’t sure her body would let her do that if it detected food about. But she was very much going to be on a reduced budget – she might have to go to the Advisor after all.

She filled the form in and gave it to Gaz he ran it through the systme and not red lights showed up so he took her out back to find the uniforms she’d be needing. ‘Gaz where is everybody else?’ she asked suddenly – the Cruise Islands had a large sercurity force so why was there only him a Rookie in the office?

‘Ah well alot of them quit after the shooting,’ he shrugged, she stared at him.

‘But… ?’ she couldn’t believe it why would they it was just one shooting she’d seen worse of Old London’s back streets.

‘Most of them where here to get free use of the facilities and most the time we deal with drunks – there were only a few level 9 and 10 security anyway.’ he sounded tired. He was level 11.

‘Oh’ she said sounding stupid.

Posted: Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 @ 10:49 am
Categories: Uncategorized.
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