Spark the Runner Ch. 03

Spark was looking for the keys to the manacles when he was brushed out of the way by Tonya, who simply walked up to one of the chains and crushed it and its lock. Then she moved to the next. Spark knew she had suprahuman strength, but had no idea just how far into superhuman she could actually be. He stepped back out of her way.

Tonya made short work of the chains and soon had Okami free, but still slumped over the table. Tonya reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a syringe and vial. She filled the syringe from the vial and then injected Okami with whatever it was. Then she went looking for another vial. Okami was beginning to stir by the time Tonya had done the second injection. She was trying to stand up when Tonya gave her the third.

"Methamphetamine," Tonya turned to Spark. "Antibiotics. Repair nanites. Make sure we are not disturbed for ten minutes."

Spark nodded, then went to a wall holding a number of torturer's tools. He selected a braided steel whip and went to the cell block's entrance, dogging the door and tying it shut with the whip. Then he hid next to the door with his pistol out.

Back in the cell, Tonya asked Okami, "would like to do the honor of executing them?"

"Don't..." Okami managed to groan. "Something better..." Then she paused for a moment, collecting herself, before adding, "when I can move..."

Tonya nodded and waited, watching as Okami slowly pulled herself together.

When we are ready to leave, Tonya told Okami, I will block your pain until we are back to the apartment. It will be a bit draining, but worth it.

"I appreciate that," Okami answered aloud. "How out of it are they?"

"Very."

"Then would you help me drag them into position?" Okami went to the Gorman first and started pulling him up onto his knees and elbows. Tonya assisted and they soon had the human and the Gorman on their elbows and knees, butt to butt. Okami limped over to the tool wall and selected a set of nunchaku with very thick handles.

She walked back over by the guards and unceremoniously jammed one of the handles up the Gorman's ass, then the other one up the human. She surveyed her handiwork, then turned to Tonya.

"Do you have any explosives?"

"I brought flash-bangs, just in case," Tonya told her. "Need some?"

"Just one," Okami told her before walking back over to the tools wall and taking down a pair of ball clamps. When she returned, she told Tonya, "please secure their wrists to their ankles and after I'm done, put a tether around their upper thighs to hold them together."

While Tonya did as requested, Okami put one set of ball clamps on the Gorman's testicles and the other on the human's. Then she connected the two, one to the body of the flash-bang, the other to its pin. When she finished, she got out of Tonya's way so that she could bind the two together at the top of their thighs.

"That should do it," Okami decided when Tonya was done. "Let's get out of here. I presume you have an escape plan."

"Back out the way we came," Tonya told her. "Spark in the lead. We blow through anyone in our way. I am trying to keep it non-lethal. However, I am now revisiting my decision."

"Your plan is fine," Okami told her. "Some pain relief would be nice."

Tonya reached out her mind to Okami's psyche and began the process of blocking the neural pathways that would normally transmit pain signals. Once she had a majority blocked, but not so many as to interfere with Okami's ability to walk, she told her, "let us go. I will begin their resuscitation on my way out. We will have about twenty minutes."

The two moved to the door, where Spark undid the whip and undogged the door. "You have a very sadistic side, Okami..." he commented. "I like it." Then the three eased out into the hall and back to the door where the two guards were still slumped outside. Spark and the others stepped through, Tonya moving Okami towards the stairs while Spark wiped down the guard's ID card with a steri-cloth and dropped it on him, with a "thanks." Then the three headed back up and out to the street.

As they passed the guy still dry-heaving against the wall, Spark gestured and the guy stopped retching and slumped unconscious. When they reached the outer door where the two Gorman were watching the two humans huddled on the ground moaning and crying out, Spark gestured again and the humans fell silent, apparently also passing out.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Spark told the two Gorman as they passed, then the three of them -- Spark, Tonya and Okami -- blended back into the traffic that was the main street of Spoke Six.

* * * * *

"You will finish healing in about six hours, Okami," Tonya told her as the Canilupe bitch climbed into her bed after using four cycles in the 'fresher. "Between the antibiotics and the nanites, you should be back to normal. And I took the liberty of 'scrubbing some of the shit' -- as Jamie puts it -- out of your memories. I did not go after everything, and I can do more if you ask me to, but it will be your call.

"Would you like a sedative, to counteract the amphetamines? Sleeping is probably the best course for you, right now. Jamie and I have some research to do before Erliss arranges an introduction to the Ambassadors."

"Sure," Okami told her as she stretched out. "Note to self -- don't go wandering around without a buddy to protect me. I can't thank you and Jamie enough for coming and rescuing me."

"That is what friends do, Okami," Tonya told her. "Or so I have been informed. I will be back in a few moments with the sedative." Tonya left and Okami relaxed down into the bed.

Spark was already hard at work, looking up the unpublished background of the Cresco's politics, and precisely how much power and discretion the ambassadors had. If there was another layer that needed schmoozing, he didn't want to miss it. He noted Tonya taking care of Okami, then went back to his research. He'd started with the publicly available library information, then hacked the Cresco's internal network at the Embassy. Now he was cross-referencing what he'd found with the police archives, looking for quasi-legal connections. He was fairly sure that, based on the actions and attitudes of Erliss and her two males, the Cresco would be into legal activities, but barely.

And it was possible that unofficial, rogue Cresco could have thrown in with Mars' underworld. Unless they had the power to dictate policy from the shadows, though, they weren't going to be the problem. The ones who could negotiate trade deals were the ones they wanted to woo away from the Blood Alliance.

Tonya joined him and together, they ran down as much as they could find about the realities of the Cresco on Mars. They didn't want to take anything for granted.

* * * * *

Two days later, Spark realized he was getting impatient. He had no idea how long Cresco politics took, and he didn't know what the Blood Alliance was doing or how well. Nor what kind of timeline they were up against. He wasn't a pacing sort of person, but he was definitely fidgeting. That's when the landline rang.

Okami answered it with a simple, "yes?" After a moment, she turned to Spark. "Someone wants to talk to Jamie McLeod," she told him, holding out the handset. Spark got up and went to get the handset while Tonya turned to Okami, obviously curious.

Cresco? she asked as Spark said, "yes?" into the phone.

Okami shook her head, which immediately got Tonya's attention shifted to eavesdropping on Spark.

"Mr. McLeod," the voice on the other end said. "You are a hard man to track down. I will make it simple. You owe me remuneration for my repairs."

"I have no idea who you are and I have no idea what you're talking about," Spark replied. "So have a nice day and bugger off..."

"I am Nikolai Borzoya, I own the Izvrascheny and you owe me for the damage you did to my bar," the man hurried to explain before Spark hung up. "I think you should pay me, before something nasty happens to you... or your friends."

Spark paused a moment, then gestured to Tonya, indicating his head. He suddenly felt her presence in his mind.

"You say you own the Izvrascheny," Spark countered. "I've heard it supports kidnapping, torture and sex slavery. Why would I want to have anything to do with you or your bar?"

"Let us cut the fignya," the man now known as Nikolai responded. "A couple of days ago, you came to my bar with a woman. Oddly enough, my security cameras failed about the same time. Lousy Euro-chink system. You entered my establishment and sometime later left, along with a Canilupe bitch. When the dust cleared, you left behind a damaged table, some other damaged furniture, and five damaged employees, two of which required surgery. It is strange, but no one in the bar seems to remember anything about it.

"Now what I am thinking is that you owe me about six million kredity, and I think you should deposit it in the Hellas Planitia Bank, under my name. When you do that, nothing will happen to you. Or your friends."

"If your security video failed and no one remembers me, what makes you think you have the right person?" Spark parried. "You haven't got shit, and you sure are not going to extort a fucking credit from me."

"There is a reason I pay derelicts to sit across from the entrance to my bar, Mr. McLeod," Nikolai countered. "I have very good P-com vid of the two of you entering and the three of you leaving. Now, cut the crap. Are you ready to copy down the account information?"

Let me talk to him, Spark heard Tonya's voice in his head.

"Hang on a second, podonok," Spark told him. "There's someone here wants to talk to you." He handed the phone to Tonya, who took it with an intense look of concentration on her face.

"Nikolai Borzoya," she addressed him. "You are the sole owner of the Izvrascheny? You do not have a silent partner? One who will be unhappy with you?"

"Who the fuck is this?" Nikolai demanded. "Get off the fucking phone and give it back to McLeod!"

"When you get upset, Mr. Borzoya, your blood pressure rises," Tonya went on, unfazed. "That is dangerous to your heart... especially your ascending aortic aneurysm."

"Fuck off, shlyukha. Give the phone to your pimp. We've got business to discuss!"

"Are you sitting comfortably, Mr. Borzoya?" Tonya went on. "In a nice, overstuffed leather chair, paid for from the profits of your human, and humanoid, trafficking?"

"What the fuck difference..." he started, but Tonya cut him off.

"Because if you are sitting comfortably, the pain will be substantially less."

"What pain? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"The pain from the ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm," Tonya explained. "Essentially, the heart attack."

"WHAT HEART ATT--" Nikolai's shout was cut off by a strangled cry and the sound of the P-com dropping. Tonya handed the phone back to Spark.

"I do not believe he has much more to say to you," she told him, then walked back to the kitchen table and sat down with Okami.

Spark looked at the phone for several moments before walking over to the wall and hanging it up. Anything he was going to say, or was even thinking about saying, he decided to sit on.

* * * * *

It was two more days before a messenger arrived with a certified letter to Mr. J. McLeod. Hardcopy was unusual, especially on Mars, and Spark accepted it -- after showing proof of identity -- then brought it to the kitchen table to open it.

It was an engraved invitation to Mr. Jamie McLeod, Mrs. Elizabeth McLeod and Ms. Okami to a reception being held at the Cresco Embassy the following night -- attire formal, no weapons. It was printed on gold-embossed paper and had the official Ambassadorial seal.

"What have you ladies got for formalwear?" Spark asked to the room at large.

"Formal?" Tonya poked her head out of her bedroom.

"Are you kidding?" Okami poked her head out of hers.

"On Mars???" they both asked in unison.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Spark told them. "I know it's going to break your hearts, but we need to go formal shopping. I'm sure, if I even own a tux, that it's back on Earth."

Tonya and Okami looked at each other. Then to Spark.

"Are we going to a formal affair?" Tonya asked, and Spark could almost swear she was hiding a smile.

"We've been invited," Spark held up the letter, "to a reception at the Cresco Embassy, tomorrow night."

It was unclear, between Tonya and Okami, which one had their P-com out and looking up formalwear stores faster. Spark left them to it. In some ways, it was a major advantage to still be wearing the same men's fashions since Edward ascended the English throne. A tuxedo would be just fine.

A few hours later, Spark, Tonya and Okami were back at the apartment, comparing purchases while several formalwear store clerks, who worked on commission, were grinning ear to ear.

"That's considered formalwear for a Canilupe bitch?" Spark was asking. Okami's choices were puzzling him, because they didn't seem like much to wear, period. Okami held up a hooded mid-calf cape with raglan sleeves in a deep emerald green, and some sort of hips and crossed-chest belt thing in gold that Spark had no idea what to call. When worn closed at the neck only, it served as an open and flowing cape that didn't impede any of her natural movements and yet stood out because of the rich coloring.

"I think this combination would be best, Jamie," she told him. "It is demure from a human point of view, although when open, it does nothing to hide my teats. In fact, with the gold bandoleer belt, it accentuates them. It will not get in my way and will meet the human -- and probably Cresco -- requirements of formal."

"Do we not want to look sexy, husband?" Tonya asked, holding up her primary choice -- a floor-length sheath/column backless, sleeveless, double-split front silk-satin gown in fire engine red with minimal gold embroidery. "The Cresco thrive on sex. Do we not want to be noticed?"

"Oh, you two will be noticed, alright," Spark sighed. "I'll be beating the guys off you all night. So... I keep you on my left and Okami on my right... I should have picked out a white tux, instead of black..." Both women appeared confused. "Port?... starboard?..." Spark prompted, then decided, "never mind..."

The look on both the women's faces when his allusion finally dawned was priceless. Ha-ha, very funny... would probably sum it up.

"So you decided on black?" Tonya asked, expecting Spark to show her.

"Yeah... standard black tux with a black brocade vest. I was going to go with a white shirt but the saleslady talked me into a pleated electric blue job. I won't have to worry about concealing weapons... I'm being escorted by two of them."

"So we are now your escort service?" Tonya asked with a slight smile.

That's another reason to think she's made the leap from Artificial Intelligence to Actual Intelligence... an unprogrammed sense of humor, Spark thought. She just keeps getting more perfect...

"You're not tricking me with that one," Spark smiled. "What do we know about the ambassadors?"

"The female ambassador is named Saeless," Okami spoke up, "and the male is Krisslum. Unless there is a layer we haven't uncovered, they're the top dogs. They report directly to the King and Queen, who are back on their home planet. Even the criminal elements appear accountable up through the ambassadors -- except for a few rogue Cresco. They don't seem to stay alive long."

"There will be many different groups of 'movers and shakers' in attendance," Tonya added. "Governor Reynolds will be in attendance, along with his mistress Suzanne du Mont, and several of the Senators along with their spouses or mistresses. Similarly, some of the Tribune Council have been invited, and various high ranking business personnel. The Cresco have certain invitees designated as 'at ambassadorial discretion' and we are in that group. I have no idea what their professed reason for inviting us will be."

"I guess we find out when we get there," Spark mused. "Definitely 'wing it' time. I'm going to guess that Erliss, at least, will be there to make introductions. Is there anything we've overlooked?"

"Probably," Okami told him, "but I don't know what it would be."

"Do we have anything from running the database of those 'procurers' you ran into at the laundromat?"

"Nothing direct," Okami told him. "Just business as usual. Apparently one of their major clients recently had a heart attack and is not currently buying."

"Although there will be some Al'yans krovi connected people there," Tonya pointed out. "They are intermingled with the politicians and businessmen."

"Well, you two are the ones with the heavy duty meta abilities," Spark nodded. "You're just going to have to keep me from stepping in it big time."

"We know," Tonya and Okami said in unison.

"So let's hope we can balance keeping a low profile with making a favorable impression," Spark told them as he started to put his tux away. "People are going to be curious as hell about who we are, and we want to seem uninteresting except to the Cresco. That's going to be tricky."

"These are not the Droids you are looking for," Tonya intoned, and Spark smiled. All these years and it is still a classic, he thought. Although, I think it was you're...

* * * * *

"Mr. and Mrs. Jamie McLeod, and Ms. Okami," Spark told the man checking invitations at the Embassy entrance. The man took the invitation and scanned it, looked up something on his digi-pad, looked at Spark and the women and then handed him back the invitation.

"Through the detectors," he directed them, "then straight ahead to the queue. They'll double check your ID, then aim you at the check-in. First time here, huh?"

"Yes, sir," Spark nodded. He felt it was always a good idea to call the Security guys "sir" or "ma'am"... it made for smoother relations.

"Okay, well the people at the check-in will give you your basic orientation and the schedule for tonight. Have fun." And with that he waved them through towards a bank of security scanner, through which people were filing.

It really is an odd mix of people, Tonya thought to Spark as they walked. I recognize humans, Canilupes, Gormans and a number of mutants, but there are several I have no idea what they are.

Aliens, Spark told her. Real, off the planet, aliens. Mars has contact with about a half a dozen sentient races from other planets. Not a lot of them, and they're mostly politicians or represent powerful business interests. In general, they keep to themselves and stay away from Earth. Did you want to know something specific?

No, not really. Just very curious about them. I am always looking to expand my knowledge base.

You'll probably get a chance to mingle with them this evening, Spark pointed out. Just try to stay out of trouble.

Of course, husband... Spark noticed the slight smirk.

The three cleared the backscatter x-ray machines and headed for the queue to the check-in station. All three noted that they were getting more than just casual glances from the other attendees.

The check-in desk reconfirmed their identities and gave them small packets of information including the layout of the embassy, where the festivities would be, where the bathrooms were, other amenities that might be needed, and so forth. They got their program for the evening, which indicated it was one, big open bar and mingle with the exception of a "speech" from the ambassadors at 2100.

So we are basically on our own, Spark thought to the others as they moved into the large, central ballroom where the drinks and canapés were. Let's circulate until something comes up. And be gracious.