Chapter 74 (Patreon)

It certainly wasn’t the introduction she had expected. Chunhua wasn’t sure what to even think of it. She’d seen her on television more than once, captivated if she was being honest with herself, which of course she’d firmly chosen not to be in this particular instance. Grossly inappropriate didn’t even begin to cover the kind of professional breach that even the thought of such a thing would constitute. Yet the first thing Sonya Chernovna had done when they met was to flirt, and not even subtly.

Chunhua had tried to salvage the situation, providing a proper and appropriately respectful greeting for someone of her personage. Only to be immediately rebuffed. She could only stand there for a few heartbeats, trying to process what had just happened. What the woman had said, the way she had said it. She remembered her grandfather for a moment, his gentle smile and easygoing presence. He’d always hated formality even if he had been a man of some importance for the majority of his life. 

I have a name, use it. That had been almost a catch phrase for him. He said it the same way every time, the same rhythm to the words, the same amused cadence. 

Chunhua blinked and caught herself, willing her body to push down the flush that had threatened to rise to her cheeks and instead allowed herself to smile and relax her shoulders. In a single exchange she had the feeling that she understood the woman in front of her more than anyone else in the room, all of the fantasies she’d had during the flight cast out to the wind. This wasn’t a person who respected formality and conventional rules of hierarchy, she stood alone and she was intimately aware of it. The way to this person’s good graces wasn’t through placation and overt respect. It was through treating her as a peer.

She could do that.

“Very well, Sonya it is,” Chunhua said and let go, her fingers tingling a little. She watched Sonya turn away and caught herself lingering on the nape of her neck. 

She’s so small. Chunhua thought, Petite, frail, but my instinct tells me that there’s so much more to her that I can’t even begin to figure out. She forced herself to look away. It’s even more evident now than when I first saw her on the television. She peeked again as Sonya shook hands with Vytal. Alabaster skin, silver hair, she’s like a ghost or a statue. Damn it, stop looking.

She looked away again and closed her eyes for a moment to settle herself. She listened patiently as Sonya greeted Sapporo. Her voice is pretty too. 

Euclidia immediately jumped into rambling, of course she did. When she wasn’t playing with puzzles she was talking. It was endearing, if you could understand half of what she was talking about. “... uh… can I get your autograph? For my girlfriend, I mean, oh man, wow you’re pretty.”

Chunhua’s eyes opened and her lips formed a thin line. 

“What would you like me to sign?”

“Could you sign my t-” Chunhua cleared her throat and shot Euclidia a warning look. The mythic-tier teenager gave her a sheepish grin in response. Chunhua shook her head and sighed, it was so different from working with soldiers. The personalities were just so… big. She cast another look at Euclidia, and abrasive. 

The greetings came to an uneventful end after that, much to Chunhua’s relief. Sonya seemed intent on getting straight to dinner and a more comfortable atmosphere which Chunhua was more than happy to acquiesce to. Sonya sat down quickly in one of the seats near the middle of the table. The woman who had entered with her followed but didn’t sit down, instead she stood behind Sonya with her hands clasped in front of her waist. Handmaiden, I read about her during the briefing. She’s a licensed mythic but not an active hero, Sonya’s bodyguard and caretaker. Chunhua sized the woman up and her instincts told her only one thing: She's strong.

Handmaiden returned her gaze stoically, her expression stony. Chunhua got the impression that the woman didn’t like her for some reason.

“Leader Chunhua,” The chairman spoke up, suddenly right next to her. She blinked and looked at him, realizing just how lost she’d looked for a few moments there.

“Yes sir?”

“If you wouldn’t mind sitting next to Miss Chernovna?” He suggested. “I’ll be sitting on the other side,” He added and made his way over, slipping into a seat next to the CEO. 

Chunhua glanced at the open seat he’d indicated and hesitated, looking up at Handmaiden. “What about you, Handmaiden?” She asked.

The woman shook her head, “My place is here,” She said simply.

Chunhua groaned inwardly, she hated politics.

–

Sonya hated politicians. She forced herself not to shoot the Chairman a glare when he ambled over to sit at her right, grinning ear to ear. It had been hard enough to rein herself back in when she had gotten started talking to Chunhua during their introduction. Now she was supposed to sit next to her? Madness. Absolute fucking madness. Just looking at her was agony in a way she could never begin to articulate. The attraction, the sadness, the joy, the confusion, the everything. She’d managed to bluster her way through with grins and smiles and a joking attitude but now there was no room for that.

They’d have to have a normal conversation.

A normal conversation, with the past self of the woman who you are the widow of. No big deal, Sonya. You’ve only seen her naked more than anyone else on the planet and the sound of her voice makes you want to do stupid submissive things. Oh and not to mention that the last time you saw her she was a god damn corpse! She dug her fingers into her leg, squeezing tightly to control her face. Yeah, no big deal, no problem, you got this. Don’t forget that your ability makes it so that you can’t lie, by the way!

Chunhua sat down next to her. Fuck.

The two stared at the table for a moment.

“Miss- Sonya?” Chunhua asked.

Sonya turned a forced smile on the woman, “Yes?”

“What are you planning on eating? I’m not used to this kind of cuisine, if I am being honest,” Chunhua asked, looking thoughtfully down at the menu that was placed in front of them while Sonya was having her little panic attack.

You. 

Sonya let out a thoughtful breath through puffed lips and picked up the menu, “Something greasy so I can sleep hard,” Sonya said bluntly, “Though I’ll of course pair it with a soda, which kind of defeats the purpose,” She continued rambling.

The others at the table stared at her for a moment, Sonya snorted and shrugged, “What? Liquor does nothing for me, it’s no secret,” She redirected quickly, “Anything catch your eye?”

The others looked back down at their menus, no longer focused on her and murmured amongst themselves. Sonya leaned over a bit to peer at her menu, it was the same menu, but she couldn’t help herself. Its what she would have done before and old habits died hard. In response, Chunhua shifted her grip on the menu and pulled her head back a bit. Sonya glanced up at her, did she just flinch?

“I’ll probably just go with the steak,” The hero said, tapping her finger on the item in question.

Sonya scoffed, “Boring, you’re in Vegas, get something exciting!” She laughed and pointed at a few things. I can’t stop myself, Sonya realized with mild panic. I need a distraction!

As if sent from the heavens above, a sudden jolt of noise drew everyone’s attention at the table. Hyunh had gotten to her feet and was staring at her phone, her face a little pale. She quickly bowed to everyone else present. “I need to take this, apologies,” She said hurriedly and rushed out of the room, even leaving Duong behind. The man turned to watch her go but didn’t get up to follow. 

This’ll do. She thought with relief and brightened into a mischievous grin, “Duong! Is this the first time I’m seeing you without your other half?” She laughed, “You two are attached at the hip, aren’t you?”

He blinked slowly at her for a moment, almost looking confused before she saw a bit of light come to his eyes. Ten bucks says the Night Society is doing well, Sonya thought with a bit of self-satisfied amusement. 

He shrugged, “We’re to be married, is it that much of a surprise?” He asked, his words coming out articulate but still with a layer of muted calm. 

Still under control, but Hyunh is definitely distracted. She smirked at him, “Everyone needs their space now and then,” Sonya said with a wave of her hand, “Even happy couples like you two, don’t you have any hobbies?”

He was about to answer when she turned to the other members of the international team, making it clear it was a rhetorical question and she really didn’t care. “What about you guys? I’ve only heard about you through your profiles in the Pandora server, but that doesn’t tell me anything fun,” She said brightly.

Molly, Euclidia, sat up first with bright eyes, “Oh I just love puzzles! I have like, um, four, no, no, six puzzle cubes on the plane and two in my luggage for the hotel room!” She said eagerly, her hands already working as if she was doing one such puzzle. “I also have some knot puzzles, a few twisted metal puzzles, and tons of puzzle books.”

Sonya raised an eyebrow, “I heard you had an interesting power, does that help?”

Molly’s expression turned almost a little wicked, “Oh you have no idea.”

Sonya was about to turn to Vytal when a bit of text flashed across her HUD.

<You have upheld a portion of your deal with Pandora. Delivering payment. Merger has been improved. You may now combine products within your warehouse and more safely merge abilities through deals.>

Craig is dead. She thought, doing her best to keep her expression neutral as Vytal began talking about painting. Off to the side she spotted Martin standing there, staring at her, only to tense up and reach for his ear. He frowned and looked away before making eye contact with the Chairman. 

<I think they’re onto you.> She told her copy through their connection.

<I know.> Her copy said.

–

Following the way the cameras shorted out briefly had been a pointless pursuit. Tracking just about anything had resulted in failure. That was until an unoccupied room near the top floor, one of the floors that had lost camera signal for several seconds, had its movement sensors go off. That wouldn’t have been unusual, it could have been housekeeping. But no member of housekeeping was scheduled to be in that room at the present time. Ironsides gut told him that this was the place to be and he wasn’t going to waste a second.

He’d hurried out of the security room and to the elevator, quickly reaching out to Martin through the earpiece.

“Martin, I think I found something. Cameras are out in the area but an unoccupied room’s movement sensors are going off. I’ll keep you posted,” Ironsides said as he stepped into the elevator.

There was a momentary pause followed by, “Understood. Do not engage if you see her.”

Ironsides chuckled, “I’m not you.”

“Just be careful,” Martin insisted.

Ironsides smiled to himself and hit the button for his destination. He arrived a few moments later and stepped out onto the floor. It was just as grand and audacious as every other floor in the building and despite his knowledge to the contrary, nothing else seemed amiss. He made his way over to the door in question and pulled out the security card he’d been given by the hotel staff.

That was when the door opened of its own accord and the smell of blood hit him like a truck.

He tensed, his relaxed demeanor melting away as he took in the scene. There was a body laying in plain sight on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with a bloody hole where the heart should be. His eyes shifted from the corpse to the person standing above it, a woman in a white leather combat suit wearing a smooth helmet that completely concealed her face. Long white hair flowed down her back before spreading out a bit. It was no wonder that Martin thought Ishtar was Sonya Chernovna. The hair color was so similar.

And yet, Sonya was downstairs and Ishtar was right here. Right in front of him.

He reached up and tapped his earpiece, “She’s here.”

Another pause, “I’m on my way, do not move!”

Ishtar tilted her head and held out a hand, beckoning him inside. “I think that ship has sailed, Martin. Get up here fast,” He said as he strode inside and the door shut behind him, the lock engaging. His hands dropped to his sides, his fists clenching as the metal armor spread across his skin. 

“Ishtar?” He asked.

“Ironsides, right?” Ishtar asked in a raspy hiss that made his skin crawl.

“That’s right,” He confirmed.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to change sides?” Ishtar asked, “I offer great benefits and I could make your life far more enjoyable than working for the Committee,” She said, “We could make a deal. Money, new powers, comfort and security for your family. All you have to do is tell Martin that you were wrong and walk away,” Ishtar offered.

He frowned, “Don’t talk about my family,” He said with a low growl.

“Three brothers, two sisters, an aunt, and a father in a wheelchair,” Ishtar said without heeding him at all, “It must be tough supporting them all,” She said with a sigh and nodded, “I get it. Taking care of the people you love is challenging.”

His eyes narrowed and he reached up for his earpiece, “Martin-” He winced when static and feedback filled his ear.

“None of that,” Ishtar said, her luminous eyes glowing brightly, “I asked you a question.”

“Tell me why you’re doing this, and I might consider it,” He said quickly, thinking on his feet. If he could just keep her talking then Martin could arrive and confirm. It was a pain but Martin had to make the call to bring in the international team as the Chief. 

Ishtar chuckled, “You’re not very good at lying, I’m jealous, to be honest.”

He frowned, “Jealous?”

She sighed, “My primary ability restricts me a great deal, Ironsides,” She said, “I’m physically incapable of lying. It’s very troublesome,” She tilted her head to the right and pointed a finger at him, “The offer was genuine, Ironsides. Please don’t hold this against me,” She said as light began to blossom on her fingertip.