Eye of the Monster

This time Dawson smiled. "And maybe after that, if you like. But what happened last night is normal for us."

Bells blushed faintly. "You guys are delta kinky."

"Yeah," Dawson said, "We try. And if you want to join us, you only have to say so."

She turned her face into the couch. "I might die if I cum that much."

Dawson couldn't keep from laughing. "You won't," she said. "I promise."

From the top of the stairs Instinct called out softly. "Ask her if she wants to join us yet."

Bells pulled the blanket over herself. Dawson grinned.

"You'll enjoy your time here more if you abandon your shame," she offered. "It works well for everyone else."

= = =

"Wake up, Conjurer."

Ivan's voice was unusually gentle. Normally he was in a hurry to find answers to his inquiries and although he claimed to appreciate Havelock's wit, he likely had a terrible temper when roused. His patience now must only have been because he was saving his fury for later, when it would be most glorious.

Elazar sat up slowly at the desk in the center of the lighthouse. Looking around he realized it was lucky he hadn't spilled any orichalcum on himself when he passed out.

The fugitive ork, public enemy number one in California, the once-Warboss of the bloody tusks loomed above him. The light of the comet streamed in through the open doorway of the lighthouse, mingling with the blue diodes of the reverse-engineered mana collectors. His face was cast entirely in shadow.

"The road has been long," he rumbled, "And hard. I know your battle, conjurer. You have lost everything you love and all this world wants is to take more from you. Will you sleep, when your enemies are yet undone? Will you rest before they are cowering in fear of your wrath unleashed?"

Havelock wiped his face with one hand. "Don't be so dramatic," he said, "I just fell asleep. I'm only human."

"You are a warrior," Ivan protested. "Your weapon is the beaker and the computer but in your heart you are a warrior of a stature no less than mine. Greater even, perhaps, for you war because of what you have lost rather than what glory you could gain."

Pulling his gloves tight on his hands again, Havelock grunted. "Thanks," he said. "I suppose. What are the creatures doing?"

"They have buried themselves again in the sand. A Lone Star helicopter passed by this place while you were asleep. If you intend to conjure anything else, it must be soon."

"It won't be long," Havelock said. "I'm about halfway done. May as well go all the way, I don't think there's going to be another chance after this. Keep watch for me, let me know if anyone approaches."

"Neon Justice will come."

Elazar looked at Ivan. "What makes you think that?"

"Did he not come before, in your first laboratory?"

It had puzzled Havelock how he had known where to find him. It was possible Neon Justice had just followed The Executive and the other blanks...

"He came when I sought to take vengeance against Calista in the arena," Ivan went on. "You know I do not believe in meaning, fate, or destiny... But there are forces in this world that weave tragedy and carnage together in moments that echo through eternity. One such moment is approaching, conjurer."

Superstitious hogwash. Yet this close to success of this scale, anything could happen. In fact, Havelock decided he would be surprised if everything didn't happen.

"Then you'll get your moment of truth," he said. "I'll flip the switch as soon as it's ready."

= = =

"Hey."

Impulse sounded annoyed. Indeed when Instinct looked up at her, her left eyebrow was raised.

She smiled innocently, showing her sharpened teeth. "Yes, gorgeous?"

"You want to explain this?"

Her human held up her commpad, showing a text message.

Hot4Cop6969: uhh hey wuz U srs about that suckin virgins dry?? >w>

Hot4Cop6969: cuz ur like the GOAT of muscle moms

Hot4Cop6969: wanna get my neck snapped w/ ur legs PLZ

Instinct put her left fist in front of her mouth to hide her barely restrained laughter. "That's great," she managed. "We're going to get some action soon, yeah?"

Impulse tapped the 'back' key on the commpad and returned to incoming messages. She had hundreds, and every few seconds a new one appeared. The previews implied they were all relatively along the same lines.

StepOnMeQueen45: is this the hot cop?? i have never been fucked PLZ STAND ON MY...

OnTheWayToPoundTown: oh drek your so fragging hot i am gonna lose my mind if i don't get...

AbsAddict: I SAW U FIGHT IVAN ON THE MATRIX PLEASE JERK MY BRAINS OUT

DetectMyVagina: please miss just a crumb of choking me

DwarfButHung: will u fuck a dwarf if not just headlock me while i beat off n im good

ProfessionalChair63: holy fuck please sit on my face

Instinct couldn't contain her laughter any longer, throwing her head back in the chair and slapping her leg.

"This isn't funny!" Dawson insisted, even though she was obviously fighting a grin of her own. "These people think I'm going to have sex with them and I don't have time for that right now! We need to be ready to move on Havelock when Megiddo comes through.

"Okay," Instinct said, taking a few deep breaths and getting the last of her laughter out. "Alright, alright. Just... Send them a mass message to contact me, and I'll get details from people and we'll organize an itinerary, for after we bust Ionfist and Havelock."

"What... That's not what I meant! You think we're going to fuck everyone in San Francisco?"

"Yeah! Why not?"

"There's 10 million people in this city!"

"We'll take turns! That's only 5 million each!"

"You're insane!"

"Tell me you don't have the desire in you, Impulse."

"That's not the point! How are we ever going to keep track of all of it?"

Alenia called from the kitchen where she was gnawing on something. "I can help!"

Impulse put a hand on Instinct's face to keep her from speaking. "We're not having this conversation right now. Possibly not ever. I've been thinking..."

Instinct licked her human's palm, making her fingers tighten in response. "I love your filthy mind."

"Narcissism is still a negative trait even if you feel it for someone else," Impulse chided. She let go of Instinct's head and Instinct caught the hand before it could get away, pulling it in front of her face so she could keep licking it.

She whispered, "Preach to me, my beloved."

That earned a blush on Impulse's face. "Ugh, don't tempt me. I'm still sore from last night. And this morning. And my ribs aren't even healed yet." All the same she let Instinct hold her hand and lick away. Your body is mine, Instinct thought, and mine is yours.

"We might need some help taking on Ionfist, and anything that might be with him..."

Her eyes darted away but Instinct knew what she was referring to. She meant more of her kind. The ones who hadn't been given a gift yet. It was unlikely they'd ever get the chance.

Between licks she said, "Tell... Brandt."

"I will," Impulse said, "Though maybe... not right away. I want him to show up after we've had a chance to subdue Ivan."

Instinct raised her eyebrows. "Just like with Sabbath."

"Yeah," Impulse said, "Though hopefully I won't get shot in the stomach this time. You're going to have to pilot the suit... The kinetic foam will break my ribs again if I get into it right now."

She nodded. "Yes. And you'll keep your distance."

"I'll do what I can," Impulse corrected. "If you engage Ionfist and anything else he has in store, I can look for Havelock."

Instinct pulled her tongue back into her mouth and met Impulse's eyes. "What are we going to do about Ionfist?"

A great sigh. "We can't kill him. If Calista is right, we'd be killing the whole city. And we'll never be able to fuck them if we're all ghosts."

"I don't think he's going to come quietly. It's not in his nature."

Impulse whispered, "I know."

"And who else do you have in mind for help?"

Another sigh. "Are you and Candles on speaking terms?"

= = =

The club was called Technoir Inferno. The waiters and waitresses were dressed as androids, complete with visors and blocky vests that would have looked at home on the set of an old pre-awakening film about whether or not an AI could have dreams.

The dancers were dressed in shimmering retro outfits of polyester and velour, sporting holographic hairstyles provided by headbands. There was drink, a few narcotics and something that looked dangerously close to sex in public. It was easily the tamest such place Dawson had ever been into in her life.

Candles and Andariel were on the dance floor, swinging around in circles in a way that suggested moderate inebriation which did nothing to dampen their coordination as a couple. The blonde, crew-cut haired ork was dressed in a white coat with tassels, sporting comically oversized sunglasses. His wife (following their so-called Flamethrower Wedding) was dressed in a backless maroon gown with a second lair that caught the light from the rotating disco ball above them in such a way as to make her look like she was on fire.

They were singing together.

"So don't delay, act now! Supplies are runnin' out, allow if you're still alive - six to eight years to arrive! And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow but if - the offer's shunned, you might as well be walkin' on the sun!"

Dawson had seen distraction take far worse forms than this. It was almost wholesome were it not for someone getting a blowjob beneath a table ten feet away from the dance floor. Although maybe that was wholesome in its own way.

When the song was over and the music reduced in volume, the two of them came away sweating. Candles caught sight of Instinct and smiled; then he saw Dawson standing behind her and his smile slowly went away.

Instinct spoke first. "Hey, handsome. Get blown here often?"

"Not in the last hour or so," he said evenly. To his credit, Candles didn't beat around the bush. "What do you want, Dawson?"

Instinct got out from between them. Dawson replied, "To apologize. For how it went in Folsom."

The ork chewed on that for a moment as Andariel took a seat and nursed her drink, something bright red and probably highly alcoholic. The woman had quite a tolerance.

"I saw you," Candles said. "On the matrix. That was you two, yeah? Yeah, don't try to deny it. I heard you're in the shithouse with your buddies in Lone Star and you still won't give up the chase. Tell me Dawson, why are you so damned dedicated? Whole world's screaming at you to fuck off and you just keep trying to put your dick in their mouth."

"Sometimes people just need to get fucked in the mouth."

Instinct grinned. Andariel snorted into her drink. Candles couldn't keep a smile from his own face.

"You want to apologize because you wouldn't let me torch that freak in the cell? The one who killed my sister?"

"He's of more use to the world alive than he is dead," Dawson offered, "At least for now."

"For now," Candles said, though he clearly didn't buy it. "That psycho belongs in a shallow grave out in the desert somewhere, and I'll never stop believing that. But... If I put my anger on you, that's like pretending you didn't do anything to try and bring him to justice. Even if you and I might have different ideas about the definition of that word and how it should be pursued."

He offered her his hand and she took it. Candles pulled her close and clapped her on the shoulder.

"If you're good," he said, "We're good again. Besides, this fucking succubus sister of yours will probably fuck me to death if I don't make peace with you. If my goddamned harpy wife doesn't do it first."

"I'm right here, pendejo!"

"Don't I know it," Candles muttered. Andariel reached out with one fist and hit Candles in the small of his back, making him grunt. He turned, leaned over and their mouths met in a noisy kiss.

"Hey," Instinct whispered, leaning towards her. "Maybe we should get married."

"I don't think you're allowed to marry your sister."

"Says who? Illich will marry us, I'm sure."

He probably would, the sweet old saint. "A conversation for later."

"So Dawson," Candles said, "I hear you're trying to fuck all of San Francisco now. Starting with the virgins first, bahaha! How's that going?"

"First step is making sure there's a San Francisco to fuck."

He reached up and took off his glasses, looking from her to Instinct and back. "How can I help?"

= = =

Mother was howling, out in the sea. She was always groaning these days, and Illich had spent his second life trying to ease her pain. She guided him to the worst atrocities against her and he used the skills of his first life to staunch the bleeding. He did not change history as he did so; it was always meant to be, and for this he thanked God. God and Mother both.

Now he was old and the young had to take up the sword to save her. But Illich could still guide. Still guide and pray and speak to Mother. Mother listened, now, when Illich spoke. For that he was grateful.

He stood in the belltower of the Basilica of Saint Mary, looking west though he could not see the ocean past the city he had made. Out there was his salvation.

Carefully Mendoza descended to his knees and clasped his hands together. His pride and anger were distant memories, belonging to another man in another life. All he had now was his humility and his

"Please," he whispered. "Come. Come and save this city's people. I beg of you."

Mother's breath carried his words away towards the setting sun.

= = =

It was shortly after sundown when Megiddo called her again. He appeared on the commpad with a look of vague smugness.

"Ah, detective," he said. "So glad to see you a stone's throw from decent. You'll be pleased to know I've come through on my end of things."

Before Dawson could ask any questions the elf held up in his left hand a small device with a button on it that he promptly pressed with his thumb.

"I'm sending you the data from the tracker now. I trust you'll know what to make of it, my degree is not in geography."

Dawson narrowed her eyes. "You're not even going to look at it? What if he's on the other side of the country?"

"Then I would suggest you book a private jet."

The call cut immediately. Instinct said from the passenger seat, "What a prick."

From the back seat the speaker on Candles' helmet crackled on. "Cocksucker belongs in a soundproof box."

"The kind with air holes?" Instinct asked.

"That wouldn't be very sound proof, would it?"

A feed arrived to Dawson's commpad, opening up to some rudimentary geolocation software. After a moment of decryption it began zooming in on the California coast line. Every few seconds it became more accurate until finally stopping on a spot on the northern end of the Great Highway.

"Right here," Dawson said, pointing at the spot indicated on the pad. "There's an old lighthouse here, isn't there?"

"If you want to hide somewhere in the sixth world," Candles said, "Go somewhere that doesn't make anyone any money."

= = =

The parking lot nearest to the lighthouse was barely more than a stretch of asphalt on the side of the road before it veered east to follow the coastline. The three of them stood beneath a lone street light looking down at the beach, the only remotely modern piece of civilization within sight being one of the old air raid siren towers situated at the other end of the asphalt.

Instinct looked at Impulse. "Do you think he'll come?"

Her human nodded. "Secrets are for thieves, not cops."

"Then we should start now," Instinct advised.

They opened up the trunk of the Firebird. Immediately the small drone flew out from among the pieces of the suit. The speaker on Candles' helmet crackled.

"Hey, you gonna record this?"

"Some of it," Impulse said.

Instinct began taking the pieces out of the rear of the car. "We want people to know that whoever is in the suit is on their side."

"If public enemy number one..."

"...gets caught by public enemy number two..."

"Then Lone Star won't be quite so zealous about finding out who's piloting it."

"Hey," Candles asked after a moment, "If one of you sucks a dick, does the other taste it?"

"Not right away," Impulse said, glancing at Instinct and grinning. She grinned back.

Before their shadowrunner companion could hit on one or both of them, the siren started to wail.

All three of them turned towards it.

"Oh shit," Candles said, holding his flamethrower with a single hand. "I've never heard one of those things go off before. Fuck, didn't even think they worked."

Beneath the frightening klaxon the sound of Instinct's commpad chimed from her pocket. Dawson reached for hers at the same time.

A state-wide matrix alert had gone out, overwriting normal software to inform the public of something crucial.

OCCUPANTS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA

THE NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED A CLASS FOUR AWAKENED SPIRIT ENTITY ON A DIRECT COURSE WITH SAN FRANCISCO

THE ENTITY IS MOVING AT AN EXTREMELY FAST RATE THROUGH THE PACIFIC

IT IS PREDICTED THAT STORM CONDITIONS WILL ARISE WITHIN THE NEXT 60 MINUTES

IF POSSIBLE YOU SHOULD EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY

IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO EVACUATE THEN SEEK SHELTER IN A HIGH PLACE THAT WILL NOT FLOOD

THIS IS NOT A TEST

Instinct thought, Fucking hell.

The wail of the air raid siren suddenly cut out. The two of them looked up suddenly to see that Candles had walked over to the structure and ripped open the box at its base, the wires and circuitry of which he was now fiddling with. The silence that followed felt echoing, worse somehow than even the nerve-racking klaxon had been. Vast and terrible, as if the only thing that could fill the gulf of its absence were the promised flash of an atomic blast.

Impulse swallowed and spoke shakily. "Vorsyth?"

Instinct shook her head. "But why?"

Her human looked at her. "Could Illich have asked it here?" She was barely keeping hold of her panic as she considered the implications. "It's the oldest sentient storm on record. Who knows what it's capable of!"

"Wouldn't mind having Jill here right now to enlighten us," Instinct lamented. She set the legs of the suit on the ground and stepped into one, then the other. Next came the body harness, and from there the segments were easy to fit into place.

A small shower of sparks from the circuit box was followed by a screech from the analogue speakers up above, and a new sound of a scrappy guitar soon backed by drums began to emanate across the lot and the beach below.

"Rising up! Back on the street... Did my time, took my chances... Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet! Just a man and his will to survive!"

Candles unholstered his flamethrower from his back and began marching towards the footpath leading towards the shoreline and the lighthouse below. "Come on," he blared, "Let's go get these jackasses."

Impulse came close to her and kissed her quickly on the mouth, not lingering long enough to let Instinct make it something more intimate. "I'll go around from the east. Maybe... maybe if we get Havelock under a gun, Ionfist will surrender."

Both of them knew that wasn't likely.

With all the rest of the components in place the plates that formed the helmet slid up and encased Instinct's helmet. Her iris was scanned, her biometrics checked. As soon as the operating system determined that all the required organs and DNA were present--tactfully ignoring all the extra parts of her that she had inside--the suit did what it was programmed to, picking up on the sound waves around it and piping the music inside for her to hear.

"So many times... It happens too fast! You trade your passion for glory! Don't lose your grip, on the dreams of the past... You must fight just to keep them alive!"

The sensors came alive and the world around her lit up. Out in the pacific she could already see enormous storm clouds rolling towards where she now stood, faster than any ordinary wind would propel them. Picking up on matrix broadcasts, a warning popped up in her field of vision: Class Four Awakened Spirit Entity inbound to San Francisco - State of Emergency declared.