A Mermaid's Tale

"This club of yours mean more than saying goodbye to a man who died just outside your door. Why did he come here that night Mags?" Garrett asked and it was obvious she was emotionally torn. "You lured him here and your main attraction gave him a little push. Is that it?"

"Gods woman you are so damn pathetic!" The voice that came from Mags was half an octave lower and oozing menace. "Weak. Broken. Poor me. You make me sick."

"What the bloody hell?" Garrett cursed as he backed away from Mags.

"Poor weak Mags, the terrible things that were done to her." The other declared.

"What the hell are you talking about. I knew your dad. You had a great childhood." The Commissioner said confused.

"The mapping and transference were incomplete. Mags was dying when she left. It must be a portion of Omaha's memories or personality that poisoned the process." Qadira suggested. "She is a blend of two women and an A.I., no wonder she is broken. Poor thing."

"I am not pathetic!" Mags screamed her hands clenched tightly at her sides. She turned her gaze from Qadira to Garrett. His right hand shook as it moved from a relaxed position towards the interior of his suit jacket. Niamh realized how Pendergrass had died.

"You made him jump to his death. You compromised his BMI and you forced him to kill himself. You murdered him Mags. You killed the man you loved." Niamh paused to let the words hit home. "He came here when you asked for help. You hoped he would bring the puppet box with him. The tech that let you compromise other A.I.'s. Mags the Puppet Master."

"No one will ever know. Kill her Commissioner. Murder her for me." The other ordered as a soft whine reached the threshold of human hearing. Niamh held up a bright blue plastic wand. The tip of it was flashing a deep scarlet light. "Shoot!" The tip of the wand blossomed sending Garrett and Qadira to the floor. Niamh stared down the Other. "EMP device. You switched off their BMI's. Why are you not... oh, you don't have one?"

"Nick is a huge fan of Japanese Anime." Niamh smiled. "Ghost in the Shell. There is a scene between the main character Makoto, a full cyborg, and one of her coworkers. To paraphrase, if we were all the same, we would breed in weakness. There is strength in diversity."

"How dare you mention that monster?" The other shrieked when Nick was brought up. Niamh took what looked like a makeup compact from her back pocket. She set it on the desk and pushed the clear crystal on the top of the disk. The top split open revealing a holographic projector. It lit up and a miniature version of Nick Shaw stood hovering in the air.

"Hello old girl," Nick greeted her. "I fucked up. I should have let you and Mags die that day. I played god and who knows how many lives you have destroyed. Those sins fall heavily upon my shoulders. Jason begged me to save you. In my arrogance I created a monster. Like Frankenstein you are bits and parts of other people. I knew this day would come. I hoped it would not. If there is anything of Mags left in you, I am sorry what I did to you. Like any creator you seek out weaknesses to the work of your hands." The image paused and Surfer's voice could be heard from off screen.

"Satellite is in position." Surfer stated coolly.

"Wait, this is not a recording." The Other roared. "It is a live feed." She looked upward. "You cannot kill me I am immortal."

Unlike the movies there was no unearthly whoosh or cool visual effect. No, the invisible pulse fired from the satellite smashed into the club and unfortunately a few surrounding homes and businesses. The specifically designed attack damaged only silicon-based materials. As it was unleashed glass, computers, and data crystals were turned to dust. Niamh heard the sudden crashing sound outside and raced to see what the source was. She found Booker and Kusanagi staring at the huge gaps in the floor of the theater. The thick glass tubes that held all that water had been dissolved. The water fell into the basement. Along with the huge tank the underground was flooded with tons of water.

"I hope no one is down there." Booker laughed. "You okay?" He asked Niamh.

"I am fine. We still must deal with Omaha. Mags is offline." She explained.

"Codename Boss Lady." Kusanagi added. "It is going to take the two of us to deal with the cat."

"Three of us," Booker added. "I am going with you."

"Holy shit, did you take out both of them?" Niamh exclaimed seeing the two bodies.

"No, just the one, the big guy. The Russian killed his friend who stood up for me." Booker said his face a grim mask.

The trio returned to the office and found the hologram of Mags switched off and Garrett and Qadira waking up after the EMP pulse. The backlash had overloaded the device temporarily causing unconsciousness. The five saw the impact of the weapon deployed by Nick. Empty windows without glass panes. All the lighting fixtures were equally empty of bulbs. The sensor array that acted as a security system was fried. The sensors destroyed and the monitors and computers driving the system utterly wrecked. The dancers, male and female that made the Zoo their home, were gathering and looking for a reason for their loss of access to the net and cable television.

"Where is Omaha?" Garrett asked his voice a razor's edge. "I am the Commissioner for Scotland Yard. Now, where is she?"

"Her and Leo are down in the garage." Elrica the White Mouse said exasperated. "I think she did a runner."

"Oh shit," Booker gasped in surprise. "Jason, where the hell is Jason?"

"Gone. Long gone." Anuba the Jackal Girl said. "Something spooked him, and he cut out of here a few minutes ago."

"It was Ariel." Mephala the Spider Woman explained. "They got into one hell of a row. They were wrestling when Ariel was hit from behind with one of those injectors. She toppled and Jason started kicking the living shit out of her. She grabbed his ankle and I think she bit him. He was cursing and one of Jason's thugs picked up Ariel and followed Jason."

"I didn't see you." Anuba said. Mephala pointed at the ceiling. "Oh, sneaky little perv. Always watching folks."

"I can't help it. I am a voyeur at heart." Mephala giggled.

"That explains that video someone took of me and the boys," Elrica laughed. "I wondered at the queer angle."

"Guilty as charged," Mephala blushed. "Speaking of, where is Minos and Leo?"

"Minos is dead, and odds are so is Leo if he was in the garage when it was flooded." Booker said. "Minos tried to help me and Ursoid killed him."

"Where is that murdering bastard!" Elrica screamed.

"I... I killed him." Booker admitted. "He did not give me any choice." Elrica spat on the ground.

"Good riddance I say. You avenged Minos and that puts you in good graces in my book." She replied. Kusanagi saw the spark and failed to hide her smile.

"What?" Booker asked and he smiled.

"Maybe you two need some time to mourn Minos together." Kusanagi suggested.

"Ooh, I like that idea! It is only fitting after all." Elrica crooned. "Angry sex is the best sex after all."

"Ooh, I can see it right now." Niamh chuckled. "The Zoo Cruise. Poor Bob and all those exotic ladies." The dancers swarmed Booker and he winced in pain and glared at his bodyguards.

"I need to know something before this gets complicated." Garrett said and turned to face Niamh. "How does the story end? You never finished it."

"I didn't do I." She laughed. "Let us see. Oh right, Black Tom with the help of the wizard cats created a gift for the queen. He paced and barely ate until the day arrived. Every cat of great importance the worldwide arrived to celebrate the end of the queen's mourning. The tiger in his arrogance demanded that she open his gift first. The queen and the whole of the arrayed court watched as her page carried the elegantly carved box to her majesty. The puzzle lock was equally clever, but she solved it with little difficulty. It is by their very nature that cats are the cleverest of all creatures. Inside the box was a flawless ruby cut and polished to perfection. Its size was that of a human infant's skull. Many were impressed with the gem's beauty. Not the queen. She showed her disapproval with a few careful words. It is beautiful, she said, it is so cold and unyielding as well. Thank you. Black Tom nervously stepped forward and handed his gift to the page. There was soft laughter as the page crossed the floor but a single withering glance from the queen brought silence to the court."

Niamh looked around and grinned.

"What do we have here? She asked. So light and sealed with magic. Interesting. The queen sniffed the box and grinned. You have hidden its scent she stated her curiosity provoked. The queen broke the seals and the box opened itself. Everyone gasped when she pulled up the dress and saw how light and translucent it was. I will be hiding nothing wearing this, she purred. She stood, undressed, and slipped on the silk garment. Its spotted design seemed odd at first. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she sniffed first one spot and then another. She lifted the dress and rubbed her cheek against the material."

"I don't get it." Garrett said.

"That is just what the courtiers and nobles said. The queen tore herself from the dress and called Black Tom to the foot of the dais where her throne stood. This ignoble feline has seen into the heart of what we are. Tell them, the queen ordered. Black Tom spoke hesitantly at first but then with more and more confidence. I noticed, he said, that the queen rarely leaves her palace. She seemed caged to me and missing out on so much. I spoke with the mages and they helped me gather scents from around the world. They distilled and imbedded them in those spots you see. If the queen cannot travel the world. I brought the world to her. The overwhelming silence was deeply profound. It should come as no shock that the queen chose Black Tom as her consort. The ceremony began and it was the queen's turn to give him a gift. He knelt and she rose from her throne, walked down to him, and took her gift from its box and placed it around his neck. The loud clicking sound as the collar locked into place echoed in Tom's ears."

Niamh paused as the word's hit home.

"She whispered in his ear. Congratulations you little braggart. Your stories will have truth but all who see you from this day forward will know who owns your ass. You belong to me now; she said and bit his ear lightly. Take him to my chambers the mourning period has ended. The crowd roared and the tiger saw how close he came to losing his freedom and never darkened the court of the queen ever more. Be careful what you wish for or brag about, it just might come true."

Her audience roared in laughter. Garrett grinned and thanked Niamh for the story. He turned to leave as Booker gestured for his bodyguards to join him to investigate the garage and try and find out what happened to Jason and Iris. Garrett stared down at his feet as he pondered all the paperwork he was facing.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Let's go." He said and headed for the exit. Anuba caught up to him, took ahold of his arm, and whispered naughty things in his ear.

"I love older men," she purred. "They know how to make love to a woman."

"You are a witness in an investigation." He fired back.

"Aw come on Commissioner," Anuba growled in his ear. "I won't always be. Besides, think of us lounging on a beach together. Black sand beaches, deep blue sea, and me in absolutely nothing."

"You tell me the truth about what went on here and we'll see." He bartered with her.

"I agree." She began. "So, no shit there I was..."

Endings and Beginnings.

Booker and those willing to accompany him reached the garage via the external entrance near the street. The sloped concrete ramp led into darkness. There were piles of powdered glass in regular intervals along the way down. Dillan, one of the few unaltered employees of the Zoo, provided a flashlight from the boot of his car that was just outside the blast area of the satellite weapon. After sixty feet of steady downward progress, they found them. Leo was on top of the Mercedes Benz cradling Omaha's broken body. He was crying as he slowly rocked her. Booker noticed the odd angle the car was in. The car showed recent damage and it became clear that those tons of water came crashing down and shoved the town car into its current position and scarred the wall along the way.

"I tried... I tried so hard... but it was already too late." Leo sobbed. As the light of flashlight played over Omaha's damaged corpse, they could see white protrusions where bones jutted out of arms and legs. The rush of all that water must have thrown her against the stone walls and battered her to death. Dried blood could be seen around her lips where she had coughed up blood from internal bleeding. Garrett called for crime scene investigators, the meat wagon, and uniformed officers to interview the survivors. "I was standing outside the car smoking when I heard it. It was a dull rumble at first. Then I saw her racing in front of the wave. It caught her and tossed her around like a rag doll. She was slammed into the wall and disappeared under the water. I leapt to the top of the car and held on. The wave hit it and drove it twenty meters until it hit the corner here. It took all my strength to hold on. Those holes up top are from my claws. Her body smashed against the passenger side. I... gods I tried to reach down and pull her up, but she was dying. I tried!"

"Of course, you did," Booker said. "No one is blaming you."

"Hey," Elrica suddenly cried out in alarm. "Where is Ares?"

"The last I saw him he was chatting up a girl in a blue hoodie." Mephala said. "That was a few minutes before he headed for the basement."

"He is safe," Garrett declared. "Everyone needs to give a statement. Let us head up and we'll see if anyone else was caught up in the flood."

Leo carried Omaha's body to the surface. By this time emergency crews were on site and at work. Paramedics took Omaha's body to be autopsied. Uniform police took statements and began placing crime scene tape to keep the location secure. The Commissioner filed his own report, as crazy as it sounded. His report was the first of many dominos to fall. The corruption of the Home Secretary was uncovered. Erotech was reorganized. Numenor replaced any property lost from the strange phenomenon that struck the East Side of London. An arrest warrant was issued for the only outstanding survivor of the whole affair, Jason Rainwater. It was believed that he took the money he received from investors and went off grid.

Land of the Setting Sun:

The news cycle had long forgotten the events that occurred in East London. The attention span of the world drifted to the grand opening of the casino and luxury hotel on the distant moon of Europa. The wealthiest humans on the planet were seated around gambling tables beneath the clear armored dome that revealed the stunning glory of the planet Jupiter up close. The live footage showed them enjoying themselves and being pampered as only the ultrarich could brag about. The hotel was booked up and even the vineyard had been designed for tours for the curious. The winery had been in place for a decade though only a handful of individuals outside of Numenor Technology knew of its existence. It was one-part science project and one-part business opportunity. Like so much of what Nick touched it turned to gold. The wine produced was as delicious as it was expensive.

Meanwhile the superyacht Numenor was anchored off the coast of Japan. Nick had been so busy with the final plans on Europa that he delayed Booker's debriefing until weeks after events had settled down. Booker delivered his experiences to Nick from the deck of the six-hundred-foot-long vessel. His exotic guests lounged on the deck, swam in the Olympic sized pool, and otherwise entertained themselves.

"Hey Nick, remember that Batman movie where Bruce Wayne steals away with the entire Russian ballet?" Booker boasted quite loudly.

"I seem to recall such a thing, why?" Nick indulged him.

"Oh, I just thought I would like to thank you for letting me use your fine vessel here." He snickered as Elrica strode by wearing just a smile. "I am so spoiled."

"You deserve it after London. Well, some of us have to work." Nick said about ready to end the call as an urgent matter threatened to call him away before he could finish with Booker.

"Before you go can you uh Agatha Christie me?" Booker said and then explained. "You know at the end of the murder mystery the great detective lays it all out for the reader."

"What part don't you understand?" Nick asked and the female dancers formed a semi-circle around Booker so they could hear.

"I don't get it." Booker said clearly flustered. "Was Ivory Inkpen a mutant or what?" Booker asked Nick. "Why was her DNA so unique?" They could hear Nick hesitate and then give in finally.

"You are a gamer. You must have heard fairy tales about the wee folk. If you dive into legends, you will find stories about the Sidhe. They are the nobles among the Fae. When I brought you into this, I told you there were near human races. The Sidhe are one of them. They exist in a pocket realm attached to the Earth, like the Maze. You have been in the Maze. The most distinctive quality described to their realm is the flow of time. A day here is nearly a century there." Nick explained. "It is not unlike digital time versus meat time."

"Whoa... wait! Holy shit, it makes sense now." Booker exclaimed. "They were gone for a day, but if the treatment made them full blooded Sidhe... that is how Ivy knew so much about medicine and pressure points."

"I wonder if the electric shock Garrett received was tied to it somehow." Niamh speculated.

"Yeah, the wet footprints that vanished." Qadira added. "Could Iris have vanished that way?"

"You can ask her when we catch up later. Garrett's retirement party is today. He promised to meet with Anuba on a black sand beach. I feel like I missed something in Jason's financials." Booker said his frustration showing.

"Are you insinuating that I left something out?" Surfer stated as she manifested.

"Then, where is he?" Booker snapped. "Sorry. I still feel like crap about Minos' death and having to kill Ursoid."

"It has been weeks since he vanished. He has not approached the twins since they settled for now in the Bahamas." Surfer stated clinically. "His GPS chip is either destroyed or somehow blocked."

"If he pops out of from under whatever rock he is hiding we will be waiting." Booker promised. "We will be pulling up anchor soon."

"What was the connection between Mags and Omaha?" Anuba asked. Nick was silent for a long time. "If you don't want to talk about it, we will understand."

"No. Quoting the grand dame, old sins have long shadows." Nick said his voice weak and listless. "There was a time when I believed I could do anything. I thought I was a god. I found a way of cheating death after a fashion. I discovered how to map the human mind. I could upload and store a human lifetime in a single data crystal. It was termed crystalizing. With the advent of cloning organs for individuals what the public never knew is that the technology was not limited to just organs. I once had the capacity for cloning an entire human being in truly short order."

"How?" Elrica asked and then suddenly she answered her own question. "The Sidhe, you made a deal with them didn't you."

"I did indeed." Nick admitted. "I could begin the process, hand it over to them, and in no time at all one fully grown human."

"So, what happened with Mags?" Elrica continued.

"She was dying. Inoperable brain tumor. I thought I could successfully scan her, clone her, and restore her to Jason. In my arrogance I copied what I could. What I did not foresee was that her neural pathways were extensively damaged. I had Surfer scan the hospital records and found Omaha. She was dying from a drug overdose. She was clinically brain dead. I had no time to run a single simulation. I just did it. I took what I had of Mags, supplemented the missing parts with an A.I. and plopped her into the body of a sociopath. I could heal the damage done by the drugs and lack of oxygen what I did not foresee is any part of that woman surviving. The A.I. was there to help her relearn speech, motor skills, and the like. By the time she left the hospital I thought she was healed and whole."