Chapter 72 (Patreon)

Sonya stepped out of the room and glanced to her left, watching Craig head towards the exit of the casino. Her eyes narrowed a fraction before she caught herself and let out a breath, chuckling. Plans never quite work out once you’re on the scene, do they? She asked herself, walking out onto the floor and brushing her hair over her ear. She turned towards the bar and sauntered over, ignoring a few of the looks she got and instead focused on the call function of Cyber-punk. She dialed out and waited, not expecting an immediate answer. While she did, she also shot a message over to Amos.

<Amos, I need you to get into the Palace’s records and see where Craig Hart is staying. He’s a real estate mogul, might be under an assumed name but his financials will probably be right.>

<On it.>

<Thank you, after you do, send the information to Blackrazor.>

She sat down at the counter and gestured at the bartender who walked over with a smile.

“Cola,” Sonya said, “Can you do a little extra syrup?”

The bartender nodded, “Sure thing, miss,” He said and started to prepare the drink, turning the dial on the soda gun while the call in her head clicked over. She leaned forward and relaxed against the counter as the glass was set down in front of her.

“I’m here, Mistress,” Blackrazor’s voice popped into her head. “Just arrived at the hotel.”

She sipped her drink, “There’s a person that I want to talk to, alone, Blackrazor. Amos will be sending the location of his room to you,” She said through the mental call, “His name is Craig Hart.”

“I’ll deliver him to a secure room, mistress,” Blackrazor said without hesitating, ending the call.

Sonya looked up at her reflection in the mirrored back bar and sipped at her drink. The woman that looked back at her smirked and nodded. She would have looked away before, but she knew now wasn’t the time to reject what she was becoming. Tomorrow was going to be chaotic, no doubt about it, and she needed her more than ever. She set down the drink and looked at it, she hadn’t even noticed how it tasted. Distracted, she thought. She brought it to her lips again and took another sip, savoring the bubbles and the stronger sweetness than the usual can. She smiled to herself, “Refreshing.”

“Glad you think so, miss,” The bartender said and inclined his head, winking at her as he walked away. 

She watched the guy go and shifted to the right a bit as she felt Marta approach her from behind. Marta hesitated before letting out a sigh and sitting down next to her. “Your senses are kind of scary.”

“You’re just loud,” Sonya teased.

“Have an interesting meeting?” Marta asked.

“Yes, I think I might have made a friend,” Sonya said and set down the glass, “I also found someone I’ve been looking for,” She said in a lower voice. “Someone like Ocche.”

Marta tensed, “What are you going to do?”

Sonya ran her fingers over the rim of the glass and looked towards her friend, “Something new, and maybe a little scary. Let’s go to the room for a moment,” She said and started to get up.

Marta frowned, “You’re not trying to get out of meeting the International Team again, are you?” She asked, not moving.

“No, I’ve come to terms with it,” Sonya said with a sigh, “As funny as it would be to throw you to the wolves, I need to face this. Besides,” She flexed her fingers and grinned, “New product would be nice.”

Marta searched her face, “What are you planning?” She asked but got to her feet regardless. Sonya had Marta go over to the chairman and inform him that the two of them were going to freshen up a little before meeting the international team, and may be a moment. Sonya watched the chairman wave her off with a smile and looked up to nod at Sonya. Sonya returned the nod and scanned the room as she made her way towards the doors. It was getting more crowded, but she still managed to spot Hyunh and Duong sitting at a card table, Duong focused on cards in his hands while Hyunh stood nearby.

Cheater, she snorted and spotted Firestorm and his team, they were all laughing at Bandit who was hanging his head in front of a slot machine. She didn’t turn her head as Marta approached, “I’m glad they’re having fun.”

“You care about them,” Marta commented, “It’s a little hypocritical.”

“The sign of a renaissance person is being able to entertain two opposing thoughts at the same time as equally true,” Sonya said in response, “They’re her enemy, they’re my children.”

“...her?” Marta asked hesitantly.

Sonya didn’t respond as they made their way out, making for the elevators that would take them to their room. It was fairly high up which Sonya liked. She appreciated a good view, a bit of a hold over from being a scout, she guessed. Just like the rest of the building, the elevator was overdesigned to the point of aesthetic perfection, as was the hallway, every inch spotless with an overbearing weight of wealth hanging in the air. They made their way to the room and went inside. It was less a hotel room and more a full apartment suite. Marta gave her a sidelong look when she saw the size of the beds. 

“Expecting company?” Marta asked with a grin.

“I might indulge myself tonight,” Sonya said with a laugh and walked to the curtains, closing them over the outer window.

“Just warn me before you do,” Marta said and sat down on the bed, “Now what’s the plan?”

Sonya turned to her and closed her eyes, pulling Duplicate out of her warehouse. She’d only pulled it out once before to get the instinctive knowledge of its function. For Dupe, the ability created a few barely sentient copies that obeyed his commands and shared any additional abilities he had. Sonya’s version would work much differently, in theory. Not because of Broker per-se, but because of Cyber-punk.

She created a needle of light and pricked her finger, holding it out over the carpet and felt a swelling beneath her hand. She pulled her hand away and stepped back as Marta let out a gasp of surprise. When Sonya opened her eyes, she was looking at herself, naked, sparkling, and returning her gaze pointedly. I had a feeling, Sonya thought. My copy is far more self-aware.

“Enhanced Intelligence and Technopathy working in tandem?” She asked aloud, noting that Marta had gotten to her feet and was watching with significantly more interest. 

The copy seemed to hesitate for a moment before crossing her arms and nodding slowly, “That’s a good theory, though I’m not so sure. It could be all manner of factors,” The copy said.

“That’s Dupe’s ability,” Marta said with a breath, “I’ve never seen him use it. Is it supposed to be so…”

“Real?” Both Sonyas said at the same time before looking at one another and laughing.

The real Sonya stepped back and admired herself for a moment, tilting her head, “Not bad at all, the sparkling is far more impressive in person than in a mirror. I look good,” She chuckled and let out a sigh, “I think the copy retains a lot more because like Dupe it has all of my innate abilities including the mishmash that is Cyber-Punk. Enhanced Intelligence and access to my Technopathy means it can probably feed off of my thoughts a little better and act more distinct.”

The copy shrugged, “I can’t tell myself, I just feel like me,” She said and put her hands on her hips. “Either way, we’re getting side tracked. What do you think the limitations are?”

They stared at one another for a while, “Uptime is a bad idea,” Sonya confirmed.

“Agreed,” The copy said, “Dupe’s power worked at a maximum of a mile,” The Copy added, “That hasn’t changed.”

“This is a warehouse power, so you and I both can’t use any other warehouse powers while this is active,” Sonya continued, rubbing her chin.

“Operating time,” The Copy muttered, deep in thought for a moment, “I estimate four hours.”

“Generous,” Sonya said with raised eyebrows.

“So long as I don’t have to do anything overly physical,” The Copy added.

“This is really, really, weird,” Marta said with a bit of a laugh, “I hope you don’t-”

“Wanna f-” Both started at the same time, grinning at one another.

“Stop!” Marta held up her hands, “Please, don’t go there.”

The two laughed in unison, hugging themselves in mirth before Sonya sat down on the bed and leaned back. “Since you have a copy of my brain and the hardcoded memories, you know what the plan is?” She asked the copy, kicking her feet from the bed and glancing over at the pile of luggage. The Copy turned to the luggage and stared at it for a moment, a frown crossing her features before she turned back to Sonya.

“You don’t think that’s risky?” She asked bluntly.

Sonya frowned and gave the copy a hard look. 

<We aren’t alone.> Sonya said.

<She’s going to realize eventually.> The copy pointed out.

<You’re pretty willful for a copy.> Sonya growled.

<I’m a bit more than a copy, aren’t I?> The copy challenged, but relented, <We aren’t ready, I get it.>

The interaction happened at the speed of thought, their connection amplified thanks to technopathy, allowing the messages and considerations to happen so fast that it only seemed like they were staring at one another for a heartbeat. The Copy shrugged and put her hands on her hips, striking a pose, “I will play the role of the monstrous Ishtar!” The copy announced, turning on her heel and walking over to the luggage. “And my dear creator will go back to having fun, two places at once.”

Sonya caught Marta staring and glanced her way, “Something wrong?”

Marta shook her head and seemed to admonish herself with the frown she gave. She cleared her throat, “No, it’s a good plan. That Detective is watching so if Ishtar makes an appearance while you’re clearly in line of sight, it’ll force him to re-evaluate.”

The Copy snorted as she reached into one of the bags, tapping around a moment before finding a compartment in the bottom of the bag and unzipping it. She pulled out the white leather armor and began slipping it on, throwing her hair back and pulling on the gloves and boots. She turned to another bag and opened it as well, pulling aside some of the clothing that was put in there just to cover up what had really been concealed inside; Ishtar’s helmet. She pulled it out and ran her fingers over the smooth surface, “The man’s obsessed,” She said after the long silence, her tone had dropped an octave, “I doubt even seeing us right next to one another will change his mind.”

Sonya felt something tighten in her gut at the way the copy acted, the way she carried herself all of a sudden. It was a series of small changes that seemed to build on one another in a way that made her skin crawl. She knew what it was, she had concerns about it, about her own mind. Yet when the copy turned around, the helmet sliding over her head, she felt her chest tighten a little bit more. There is something very wrong with me. She concluded.

“Ah…” The copy, no, Ishtar said. “Much better,” She flexed her fingers a bit and clenched her fists. “So I just wait here until we hear from Blackrazor?”

“Yes,” Sonya said, “Get the job done and then find somewhere to dissolve, preferably a shower drain.”

Ishtar nodded as her eyes came online, her voice modulator activating next. The next words were said with that hissing rasp that Sonya had never heard from outside before. She’d never seen Ishtar in person, never known what everyone else saw and heard. “It will be done.”

Sonya resisted a flinch and glanced at Marta, “Let’s head back.”

Marta looked between them and nodded slowly, “Got it.”

Sonya turned away from her copy and made her way out the door, she flinched a little when Marta put her hand on her shoulder, “Sonya, are you okay?”

“I’m not sure,” Sonya said, “But I know I’m not going to be doing this very often.”

Marta nodded and locked arms with her, giving her a reassuring squeeze, “I think that’s a good idea.”

–

Back downstairs, Firestorm was sitting in front of a slot machine with a pensive look on his face. He wasn’t sure which mode to pick, he was terrible at this kind of thing. He knew there was a trick to it, or so his dad had told him, but he really couldn’t for the life of him remember exactly how it all worked. He scratched his head while Bandit frowned at him from the side.

“Are you serious? Just pull the damn lever man,” Bandit groused.

“And end up blowing all my tokens like you?” Firestorm shot back.

Bandit narrowed his eyes, “Don’t be a dick.”

“Too late,” Bluestar said behind them, “Boys, time to get going, we’re heading to a VIP room.”

Firestorm looked up, surprised, “Huh? Already?”

Bluestar crossed her arms, “You just missed them come in, I just got back from greeting the team leader. The Chairman, Lifesaver, Hero An Set, and Miss Feng are already in the room. We’re just waiting on you two, Miss Chernovna and Handmaiden.”

Firestorm hopped to his feet, getting a scowl from Bandit, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” He said excitedly.

“Coward,” Bandit grumbled, Firestorm pointedly ignored him as Bluestar turned away to lead them to the room. When they got there, Firestorm hesitated at the door. These people were mythic-tier and the individuals that the various nations who contributed them had decided possessed the most potential. He knew that this new culture of heroes was new, that things would change a lot. Right now, though, it could be argued that the people on the other side of the door were the best of the best. He was popular, sure, but they were powerful.

Bluestar raised her eyebrow at him, “Nervous.”

“Uh, yeah?” He said bluntly.

She smiled and pat his shoulder, “Don’t be, I think you’ll be surprised.” She said as Sonya and Marta hurried towards them from afar. 

He glanced past Bluestar and brightened. “Miss Chernovna! There you are!”

Sonya slid to a stop and panted, “Phew! Made it.”

Bluestar turned to face their sponsor and put her hands on her hips, “Miss Chernovna, you’re late!” She said with a frown before sighing hard and straightening herself up. She looked back at Bandit and Firestorm. Behind Bluestar, Sonya made a face and stuck her tongue out at the Guildmaster, only to switch back to innocence when Bluestar glanced back at her. “Okay, are we all ready?”

Bandit chuckled, “Miss Chernovna certainly is,” He said and pointed at the door.

Bluestar blinked and looked to her right, Sonya was already walking inside. Bluestar let out a gasp and looked to Firestorm aghast. Firestorm laughed and stepped past her, patting her shoulder. “Are you seriously surprised when it comes to her?” He asked, “Come on, let's go meet the most powerful heroes in the world.”