Part 6...
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Reese had decided to pass the time waiting for her shock to wear off by watering
Auset's one plant, a very overgrown but very healthy spider plant that had taken
over a whole corner of the small kitchen room. When the plant's thirst looked
to be thoroughly quenched, she went and sat down in the chair in front of Auset's
Nest.
The writer's sandy eyebrows furrowed as she pondered what exactly she could
do. She had to do something to help Auset, so she wiggled the mouse and the
screen saver melted so that the computers desktop was visible. A double click
on an icon marked "Address Book" brought up a spreadsheet that held the phone
numbers and email addresses of a whole score of people Reese did not know--until
she saw Ash's name. That would be a good place to start.
Smiling openly, Reese placed a phone headset over her ears and adjusted the
mouth piece so that it was directly before her lips.
"You little techno-weenie," she said aloud and then dialed Ash's number into
the computer's phone program. Three rings later and a very sleepy sounding voice
answered.
"Alo?"
"Um...is this Ash?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yep, sure is. Who's this?"
"It's Reese, Auset's friend?"
"I know who you are Reese," Ash chuckled before yawning audibly. "You woke me
up, so I'm afraid I'm not terribly on the ball yet."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you--"
"Nonono, it's OK! What's up?" he asked.
"Well, it's bad news. Auset's been arrested."
"WHAT? Good gods! What in the hell for?" the bartender gasped out.
"Well," she began. "Last night we were on our way to a concert--"
"You got her to go to a concert?" Ash asked, disbelieving. "You're amazing,
kiddo."
"Yeah, well, we didn't make it to the show. She needed to stop at this house
to pick up something for her work? And when I was waiting out in the car I heard
a gunshot, so I ran inside to check it out. When I got there, this crazy chick
was having a standoff with Auset, and the bitch had just shot Dade!"
"Whoa, waitasecond. What was Dade doing there?"
"I'm not sure. Auset said something about him being the 'contact' she was supposed
to meet...though she hadn't known it would be Dade. She also said that this
girl's name was Cally?" Reese finished and sat back in the chair dejectedly.
There was a pause and a sigh from the other end of the line.
"Cally, eh?"
"You know her?" Reese asked hopefully.
"Yeah, I do. Crazier than a pack of televangelists. Her and Auset were...ah...seeing
each other for about a year. It broke off pretty badly just over a year ago
after Cally pulled something really nasty, though I don't know the whole story,
Auset being the private sort," he snorted. "What the hell was she doing there
last night?"
Reese had been considering his words and had to forcibly snap herself back into
gear before she could respond. Auset had been dating that psycho??
"I'm not sure why. All I know is that come this morning the police were beating
down Auset's door and arresting her for Dade's murder. My guess is that Cally
set it up. I don't know what to do, and the only friend of hers that I knew
of was you," she remarked wryly.
"Heh, well I do hold that distinction...besides you of course," Ash replied.
"So you stayed at her place last night?" he finished, the smirk evident in his
voice. Reese could feel her face warming quite severely.
"Ah...actually I got knocked upside the head pretty bad during the whole scene
last night, so she brought me back here and let me sleep."
"Wow, you should feel honored. She doesn't take a whole lot of people into her
place. She must like ya, not that I can blame her, mind you."
OK. Now she was positive her face was redder than a beet. Puffing out an exasperated
breath through her bangs, she harnessed her resolve.
"Anyway, I need to get her out, prove that she's not guilty. I thought maybe
you could help?"
"Of course! I suggest the first thing we do is meet, and then head to the ole
police station," the bartender suggested.
"Right. OK. Where should we meet?"
"Well, seeing as I need to wake up and get clean, come on over by my house so
I have time. I live above Discordia."
"Convenient, and all right...I'll be there in about twenty."
After hanging up, Reese grabbed her keys and a key to Auset's apartment that
was lying on the desk next to the computer, locked up the place, and then headed
downstairs and outside to where her car was still parked from last night.
"How'd you guess?" Sera asked, still smiling. Auset moved a little closer to
the bars and arched a smooth black eyebrow at him.
"Don't know, maybe it was the nasty tingle I felt go up my spine at the sight
of you." He laughed then, tossing his head back before bringing his eyes back
down to meet hers dead on.
"One more thing to add to the list of reasons why I love ya, Auset. How are
you these days?"
"Could be better. Bars aren't really my style," she smirked. "But tell me, what
warrants this rare in-person appearance?" He pursed his lips and inhaled deeply.
"I heard about your little predicament here so I thought I'd come by, see what
I could do. That and I'd finally decided that I just had to meet my number one
student in the flesh." At this, his dark eyes roamed over Auset's body appreciatively.
She could almost feel his gaze on her, leaving uneasy but not all-together unpleasant
trails along her body. The hacker had no idea why, but this man was somehow
appealing to that darker side of her being. It was almost as familiar a feeling
as she got when she was around Reese, but this was far more dangerous and she
knew to be very, very careful.
"Well, I'm honored, really," she said and assumed a nonchalant pose. "But what
do you hope to accomplish here?"
"I plan on getting you out, of course!" Sera replied innocently. She just narrowed
her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.
"I have a feeling there's a catch?" she asked.
"Oh you're too good," he chuckled. "Nothing in life is free, as you well know,
and I make it a habit never to help anyone out who asks for help in the first
place. But, since you have never and still haven't asked for my assistance,
I've decided to help you."
"Interesting logic."
"Yes, well, it helps me to weed out the bad seeds, if you will," he quipped,
waving his hand dismissively in the air.
"So what's the catch?"
"Oh, it's nothing really. Something I'm sure you'll even enjoy," he said and
then paused to look right into Auset's icy blues again. "I swear, you have the
bluest damned eyes I've ever seen." Auset smirked and shook her head.
"What's the catch, Sera?" she insisted, her voice lowering.
"You have to get even with Cally again. After this little stunt she's pulled,
the score is uneven, and we can't have that. Besides, she's become...cumbersome...to
my operations. I need her out of the way."
"She was involved with your operations?" Auset asked incredulously.
"Eh, minorly," he waved it off. "I thought she showed potential at one time,
but she has proven to be a loose cannon that I cannot afford." Auset snorted
in agreement.
"So you want me to...'take care of her'?" she asked a touch skeptically.
"Yes, that'd be it. And then you can go back to business as usual." The hacker
took a moment to consider this and stared at the floor.
"It was never in my job description that I'd have to play hitman," she finally
said. Sera merely grinned slyly.
"Yes, but that's hasn't stopped you from taking out a few people here and there
when it became necessary, has it? And it has become necessary again."
Auset knew that he was right. She'd killed people on numerous occasions before,
so what was stopping her now? Especially Cally? Slowly, she allowed the darker
part of herself to surface, sprung from its cage like an animal restrained for
too long. Her eyes lifted to meet Sera's again, this time filled with icy cool
intent. If Sera had thought her to possess only an imposing and controlling
presence, suddenly it became quiet clear that the woman before him was also
fairly radiating menace and calculating intelligence. He practically swooned
at the sight.
"Well then, allow me to clear up this little mess and then you can go about
completing your task," he said cheerfully. Auset simply nodded and continued
to stare hard at the man just outside her cell who had begun stroking his dark
goatee. "I suggest you take care of business before these idiots have a chance
to realize who is really guilty of that murder and they merely lock her up.
We can't have Cally getting off that easily, now can we?"
"Right," Auset drew out the word in a deep growl. Sera tipped her a wink and
then sauntered back out to the front area where the guard was almost asleep
at his desk. At the sound of Sera impatiently clearing his throat, the guard
jumped up and pressed the button that opened the locked door to the public area
of the station. The large man exited without a glance back.
Exactly twenty minutes after leaving Auset's apartment, Reese pulled into the
tiny, decrepit parking lot behind Discordia. At this time of day, the club was
closed. The blonde haired girl walked up to the back door and pressed a button
for the intercom to what she hoped was Ash's place. After only a brief delay,
a decidedly male voice came over the speaker.
"Reese! C'mon up," Ash said and the door buzzed and unlocked long enough for
Reese to fly in through it. She walked slowly through the deserted club, across
the empty dance floor and towards the back where a staircase up was located.
After ascending the steps, she found herself on a balcony that overlooked the
club where a number of large chairs and booths were located. Reese glanced around
for a moment and then noticed a wooden door at the other end that had a sign
nailed to it that read, "Private Residence". Figuring that it was Ash's, she
headed for it and then knocked. The door creaked open to reveal a half naked
bartender, his short brown hair wet and freshly washed it seemed.
"Hiya!" Ash greeted her happily and ushered her into the apartment. "I just
got out of the shower, so pardon my somewhat disheveled appearance."
"Heh, it's all right," she replied, smirking, before her eyes took in the room.
Ash's apartment appeared to be made up of four rooms; living, bathroom, kitchen,
and a bedroom. Pretty decent place for a guy living alone, she thought. It was
all very stylishly decorated with a few framed posters from various movies (Trainspotting,
Brazil, The Matrix, and Blade Runner posters were located in the living room),
a large wall hanging of Celtic design, what seemed like hundreds of candles
and an impressive looking stereo system. The thing that caught her eye the most,
however, was a rack of four short swords that were each unique and very beautiful
in design.
"What is it with you and Auset and your weapons?" she joked. Ash looked up from
his search to find a shirt and chuckled.
"Actually, she got me into it. Auset is obsessed with old-skool weapons and
made a point to make sure I appreciated them as well. It wasn't hard, really,
because the more I saw the more I really liked. I dunno, something about a well-crafted
sword...it's like art to me an' her. Now, Auset can handle a sword like a madwoman;
she's got that skill head and shoulders above me," he explained while pulling
a black tank top over his head.
"She'll never cease to amaze me," Reese said, chuckling slightly. Ash looked
at her and grinned before moving off into the kitchen.
"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked from the other room. Reese lowered
herself onto the large and very comfortable couch before answering.
"A beer, if you have one."
After a minute, the bartender reemerged holding a glass of cranberry juice and
a bottle of beer which he handed to Reese. His brown eyes looked worried.
"So, what to do about Auset," he said simply and took a seat on the low coffee
table across from Reese. She shrugged and sat back, her brow furrowed in concern.
"And, by-the-way, I have to thank you for at least trying to do something to
help. Auset doesn't have many friends...actually, it was pretty much just me
until you came along," at this he smiled. "...and I must say I'm impressed by
how fast she got to liking you. I'm more impressed, and relieved, that you're
so willing to help her out. She deserves someone like you, I think," he finished
with a wink. Upon noticing the several shades of red Reese was now turning,
he only chuckled quietly and finished off his juice.
"Yeah...well, ah...I can't just let her go to jail for something she didn't
do," she replied sheepishly and took a swig of her drink.
"I'll second that. But there's one thing you have to understand--Auset isn't
so good about accepting help from others. Chances are she's also sitting there
thinking that she somehow deserves what she's getting."
"That's ridiculous!" Reese blurted and sat up.
"But it's how she works. Auset isn't exactly an innocent, as I'm sure she's
made sure to tell you, and when shit happens to her she just takes it and assumes
that, in a karmic sort of way, she deserves it. Believe me, I don't agree at
all...I think Auset is a wonderful person under all that bluff and bravado.
I just want you to understand where she'll be coming from."
Reese sat back again to consider all of this. This girl had more pride than
anyone she'd known. She was also more amazing than anyone she had ever known,
and damned if Reese wasn't going to prove her innocent of this and get her out.
Auset deserved as much, and Dade deserved to have his real murderer brought
to justice. She owed him that.
"Godamnit!" Reese huffed and pounded her fist into her thigh. "This all really
sucks, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know that. But I think if anyone can help her out, it's you," Ash replied
and grinned. "I have a feeling that you're pretty stubborn and persistent when
it comes to getting what you want." That seemed to calm Reese a bit as she snorted
and shrugged in acceptance. "Now let's get down to the police station and see
what we can do."
In just twenty minutes after Sera had left Auset in her cell, there was a slight
commotion at the door by the guard. The hacker sat back down on the bench and
waited. After some debate by whoever was out there, the guard sauntered up to
the cell and unlocked it. Sera walked in followed by another officer who stood
behind him looking quite nervous.
"Come along then, we're off," Sera ordered with a broad smile on his face. Auset
got to her feet silently and followed the taller man out of the cell.
After getting her personal affects back and being checked out, Sera lead her
out front to wear a large, sleek black limo waited. Auset glanced at the car
and then raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Well, yes, a little luxury now and then is good for the soul," Sera answered
her unspoken inquiry as the driver opened a door for them. They climbed in and
Auset sat back in the leather seat, arms crossed, directly across from her mentor.
The car started and began moving down the street.
"Where we headed?" she asked. Sera grinned and began stroking his goatee again.
"To someplace where we can have some privacy..." Auset narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"...and get you the information you need on Cally," he finished coolly. The
hacker nodded and glanced out the window. They were headed into the downtown
area, both sides of the street lined with office buildings and commercial space.
The limo worked its way past the library, huge green gargoyles leering down
at them from its roof, and then into the parking garage of an especially large
skyscraper. They got out and Sera lead her to an elevator, where they were zipped
up to the 160th floor. After walking down an especially long hallway, they came
to a large oak door that Sera had to press his thumb over a scanner to open.
Upon entering, Auset took in her surroundings carefully.
It was a huge office space with windows on three sides that overlooked the city.
Along one wall was an expansive wooden desk that supported a top-of-the-line
computer and accessories. The one, non-windowed wall contained an entertainment
center of sorts complete with a fully stocked bar. There was another door in
that wall other than the one they had come through.
"Welcome to my home," Sera offered brightly. "You have full use of my computer
and monitoring systems. I'm sure they will come in very handy, seeing as they
are soooo much faster and more powerful than the machine you have at home,"
he teased. Auset chuckled and shook her head as she sauntered over to sit at
the desk where the computer was. It was all she could do to keep from drooling,
it was such a sweet machine. Immediately she kicked into work mode and soon
nimble fingers were eating up the keyboard as she initiated her research on
Cally's present day stats. Sera sat on the edge of the desk and watched with
hungry eyes as Auset went about her business.
"I love to watch you work," he said appreciatively. Auset chose to ignore the
remark and continued with her mission. The notion that, to her knowledge, Sera
had never actually seen her work before only flitted through her mind briefly
before she dismissed it.
The Volvo pulled up in front of the police station and two figures stepped out.
Reese entered the building with determined steps, Ash following silently behind
her. She approached the front desk and spoke to the man sitting behind it who
was engrossed in a baseball game on TV.
"Excuse me," she began. "I'm looking for an Auset Passaris. She was brought
in early this morning."
The man looked away from the television long enough to take in the short blonde
girl standing at the desk. With a shrug, he replied,
"She aint here."
Reese felt the wind go out of her determination.
"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.
"Some fella sprung her just about ten minutes ago and they took off inna fancy-ass
limo," he drawled, attention turned back on the ball game.
"What was the man's name?" Reese asked impatiently. When the officer didn't
reply immediately, she continued. "Look, sir, it's not like the Cubs are actually
gonna win, so if you would take a second out of your time to please look up
the name of the man who got her out?"
The officer looked back at her crossly but proceeded to look through the days
records where he came up with the name.
"Marcus A. Detrimus."
"Thank you," she huffed out and then turned to Ash. "Do you know who that is?"
"It rings a bell, but I can't place him. Sorry," he shrugged. "Maybe if we go
to her apartment, there will be something helpful?"
"Good idea," Reese agreed and they left the station and got back into her car.
As Reese cut through the heart of the city, bound for Auset's apartment, Ash's
gaze caught something on one of the buildings.
"Hey Reese," he said excitedly. "Check that out." Reese glanced over at a sign
on the building they were stopped next to at a red light. It read, "Detrimus
Enterprises."
"That's just dumb luck," she chuckled nervously. Ash grinned and stared up at
the extremely tall building. "I think we should still go back to her place first."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Man, this is going to be interesting."
Reese smiled slightly and continued down the street, something in the back of
her mind telling her that indeed, bad or good, this was going to be interesting.
"She's staying at the Palmer House," Auset concluded after a few short minutes
of digging up Cally's current whereabouts. The bearded man who had been pacing
around in front of the desk snorted and shook his head.
"Girl's got class. You have to give her that."
"No I don't," Auset mumbled as she continued with her searching. "How the hell
is she affording that? And more importantly, why is she staying at such a high-profile
place? She knows I can find her there." The black-haired hacker sat back in
the chair and rubbed her temples.
"Perhaps she wants you to find her," Sera offered as he absentmindedly played
with a fountain pen.
"That's what I was thinking. She's crazy enough for that to be true, so I'm
gonna have to be careful going into this," Auset said. "But if that's what she
wants, that's what she's going to get."
Sera came around the desk to stand in Auset's path as she stood up from the
chair. "You need anything?" he asked. The woman raised an amused eyebrow at
him and then pushed past and headed for the door. Sera turned to face her again
as she opened the portal only to find a bedroom.
"Try door number two," he joked. The hacker just shook her head and went to
the other door, this time finding it to be the one she had come in through.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"Great. I feel much better," she deadpanned before heading out the door and
closing it behind her.
After finding nothing more of great interest at Auset's apartment, Reese and
Ash were back in the Volvo and headed for the building they had seen earlier
marked 'Detrimus Enterprises'. As the blonde woman pulled the car up around
a corner to the side of the building's main entrance, she saw a dark figure
striding out and off down the sidewalk.
"That's her," Reese said to the bartender in the seat next to her, leaving her
eyes fixed on Auset's figure.
"Park the car and let's follow her," Ash suggested. She did so and they began
their quiet pursuit. Chicago being the busy city that it is, following someone
was proving to be relatively easy, Reese thought. The multitudes of other people
out walking helped to obscure their purpose to the woman they were trailing.
Auset lead them for only a few blocks before entering the glass doors of the
Palmer House Hotel. Reese paused for a moment to glance up at the structure
and wonder what exactly had brought her friend here.
After walking through the front registration area, they ascended a small staircase
and found themselves in a rather spacious lobby area. Reese looked up in awe
at the vaulted ceiling that was covered in beautiful murals. Ash glanced over
at his new writer friend and chuckled at her amazement, himself having been
in this place before. Personally, it was all much too opulent for his taste.
He tugged at Reese's arm to get her attention as he spotted Auset boarding an
elevator.
"Hey, c'mon," he urged. Reese snapped out of her revelry and followed quickly
after Ash as he made for the elevators.
"We have no way of knowing what floor she went to," Reese said dejectedly. Ash
hopped anxiously from one foot to the other as they waited for the doors to
open.
"Watch for which floors her lift stops on and we'll check each one."
The floor indicator above stopped only at three floors; 5, 8, and 12.
"Now let's just hope that we pick the right one," Ash finished as they boarded
their own elevator. Reese stared at her feet for a moment and considered why
she was feeling such an increadible sense of urgency flowing through her. All
she knew for sure was that something was telling her that she had to get to
Auset, fast.
"Twelve," she blurted and punched the button for that floor. Ash looked at her
quizically.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Positive."
The doors shut and the lift was taking them up to the twelfth floor. They were
alone on the ride. At the very second that the doors reopened, Reese found herself
bolting out and into the long hallway as a somewhat bewildered Ash struggled
to keep up with her.
"What the hell?" he cursed as Reese stopped in her tracks for a moment to consider
which way to go.
"I don't know," the writer began as she looked off down each end of the hall.
"Just go with me here, we have to find her quick."
At that, she caught sight of a dark figure turning a corner far off down the
way to the left and Reese broke into a run. Ash shook his head in amazement
but quickly followed suit.
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