What it Takes Pt. 03

For now the man questioned if he should tell her now or when Eva gets home.

*

She was not happy. While her boyfriend was all so calm about this, the girl was raging. Them going out to drink was more of a way to not spoil their home with such thoughts.

"After all you fucking did they just throw you away! Inconsiderate fuckwits! No better than the whores I fight against! God damn, this fucking place just goes on and on and on and on and FUCK!"

"It's how things are."

"That's no fucking excuse! Things have to change and we have to do it! If I hear another person say that I will smash their head!"

It was hard to tell if the beer was helping her get riled up or making them forget. A long groan let out for her to finally consider what else to do but murder those people. Tempting, but for now they have not actually done something violent. Just immoral.

"So you're gonna start trying to find another. How soon can you get it?"

"Beats me. Last time I looked for six months for something to even match them and... no give. Probably have to settle for something paying little." He was not looking forward to it.

"Ugh... I hate this place." She got serious. "You want me to call it quits and have us just fuck off? I asked. You can come."

Something inside the man told him to take that with no damn regrets. But another part of him felt terrible if he would.

"I... would like nothing better. But something feels off. No, not you... just...."

"Yeah. Feels like we're putting ourselves in front of a lot of things. Leaving the guys here, just being cowards. Breaking both tenets. A lot of people over there might shame us for it."

"Thought they were far more accepting and such." The boy considered the aliens by now to be downright welcoming.

"Not if you're being a fuckwit. And okay, it's not that grave a thing, but we're basically discarding people and looking out for ourselves first. If we go there, people might ask if we're gonna do the same with them. Gonna be on our own. And slowly we just sorta get pushed out."

"Now it's starting to sound oppressive." Which actually relaxed the boy for them to feel... human.

"Well, they have reason. Again, it's a small thing so they're not gonna give us the boot from the start but gonna be colder shoulders. With the others... the people who did give up Earth for the empire, it was less their choice and just deciding to stay with the people they found there. Intention matters."

"Shame they won't set up some other cruise. But I bet everyone would want to stay and... not gonna get as good a welcome."

"Yeah, they knew it was gonna go like that. Heck, they even assumed some people might get impersonations to get their place. You guys would just murder each other for anything."

"Well, not me. But I assume as soon as everyone knows I have a big bag of money it's just a matter of time until someone takes it."

"And that's why this planet ain't making shit for progress. Okay, we're not that good. We had the unification wars where the two other factions were straight assholes. Luckily the guys to win were ours."

A song came on to help her other feelings, one containing many expletives that made the girl want to sing along. She was getting outright smashed, marginally better than sad and angry. Jack found his bottle empty and slipped over to the bar for a refill, promising to make this one the last before they went home. Times like these he could appreciate not having a car. No need to worry about driving home.

Eva started to understand the appeal of nightclubs, though would do so only in retrospect. Her almost primal following of the music was a desperate escape. No thought, no worry, no nothing. A place to drown out all sound, to welcome her to let out her feelings in eager flailing of hands and feet, to drown herself in loads of alcohol while sentience left her... was tempting. Equally she might feel pathetic. This is why Astoria needed none. They did not need to escape their worlds.

She barely noticed the trio of girls coming over to her table. All decked out in make-up and revealing outfits. Nothing about them said they enjoyed the music. But these women came even here on the hunt for men.

"It just saddens me to see a girl who can do better." The lead one said.

"What?"

"Girl, you could do so much more than that wimp. Bet he can't treat you right."

"Shut up and fuck off! Don't have time for your condescending bullshit."

"Oh, but you do." She got seated at Eva's table and the other two followed. "We gotta look out for each other and you look like you're settling with a nobody."

"I said fuck off! You don't know nothing."

Her boyfriend came back in time to see his seat taken by a girl, the group turning to him with those eyes that just want him to leave. Eva decided to get up. But her hand got forcibly taken by that woman.

"If you won't take that... then let me be clear. You stay and listen or the police will know Jack here raped me."

The tension in the room rose to heights previously unknown. To the man, even such an allegation was complete destruction of life. Politicians were demolished by baseless accusations, men were jailed for years without any evidence. His life could be over in just a minute. Spine ran cold as they both looked back to the group.

Something broke. The boy thought he had seen every flavor of anger that Eva had. But now she turned to him with eyes that were terrifying. A single word said with a level tone that managed to cut through all the noise.

"Leave."

He needed no other instruction. Fuck this particular beer, he'd drop it off on his way out. Something inside him told the man to be as far away from here as possible. Actually, he was never going back to this bar ever. Jack walked out into the night to get a ride home as soon as he could, only wondering how his girlfriend would return... and when.

Eva sat herself down with a dead calm. Her eyes showed displeasure, but these girls had clearly gotten enough information to do this blackmail. Always these games, but now they went too far. NOBODY THREATENS HER BOYFRIEND! She was consumed by anger unlike any other before. The kind that steadies hand and mind, deafening her to their words as the very careful planning was executed. Obviously, she would need to wait them out to leave this place.

Their spiel was the same as every other online rant. That women deserve better, that she deserves a much better man, more handsome, making more money, giving her a lot more treatment. The girl was wise enough to see it for what it was. These women wanted to reduce others to their level to weed out their competition. They were worth nothing and knew it somewhere deep inside, but just like those companies... when everywhere you go you get the same treatment, you have to go somewhere like this. The only problem was when people find a way to leave. Men might survive without women, for which their ranting was louder, but jobs were a harder thing to live without.

If those women were less self-absorbed, they might have noticed what was in her eyes. They thought she was submitting to them and quietly listening, but she was TOO QUIET. Eva was practically unmoving through the event. Not drinking, not smoking, not even twitching, every blink a slow one. She was patiently stalking them until the time to act came around.

Once they were satisfied with sending the message of basically playing by their rules or her boyfriend would suffer, the girls would leave in their hunt for some guy to abuse. Sadly, they did not leave the bar so Eva would just sit still with a menacing attitude that would make others not even approach the general area she was in. Her eyes were on the door to see them leave, but she could spy the bar well enough from where she was.

A man would approach them to offer a drink, getting three pulled out of him if he wanted to talk. He decided to pay up and buy their drinks before the girls just sent him away on an equal threat of manipulation. The bartender won a point for telling them to finish their drink and get out. It made the girl smile. On other days she might punish such behavior by robbing them of triple the cost of their drink while also dosing those ill-gotten gains with laxatives that would make the Outsider's coffee look like mere warm-up. Estimated ten more minutes of them engaging in their circle jerk of condemning men for wanting them with just a drink for payment. Eva decided that such women did not deserve to walk.

She was good at this. Doing it for months. The girl would leave the bar a considerable distance behind those three with the right attitude to not trigger the survival instinct of them being hunted. Look down, keep your distance and duck around the corner when they stiffen up. She waited for those to be in an isolated enough place to do this... doable around here since many of the paved streets were darkened at this hour, restaurants closed and just the bars and clubs to host the whores.

A couple of hefty rocks were picked up from around, a nice insurance to not have them run. Hand-eye coordination was trained long ago, the implants just made her better. Diffusion of the face was enacted so they got nothing, coat engaged more for the atmosphere. No song today. She couldn't think of one. The girl had one thing on her mind.

When the only sound around was of the three's self-indulgent prattling, a cry would break through the atmosphere as the lead one felt horrible pain in her knee, a rock connecting with her leg hard enough to disable her and knock that one to the ground. Like any women, they screamed... used to someone being there to protect them. Phones were pulled out but another good throw made the almost disposable tech useless. Finally they looked around to see where that was coming from and saw the image before them of a red coat and murderous aura... even if they could not make out a face.

Stoning was actually a punishment practiced on this planet for such women... so why not give them that? Eva's targets were precise... legs to make them unable to walk, chest to knock the wind out of them and silence screams... face to ruin those figures they use to abuse others. Jaw to disfigure them on top of making them QUIET. She was soon left with three women whimpering as they were unable to scream without everything hurting, quietly accepting this.

She was not done. Those faces were their weapons... so she disarmed them with reinforced nails shredding skin... it would never grow back properly without astorian medicine and every man would be disgusted to look at them. Their so desirable loins were the prize offered... take it away. That area was quite sensitive so her boot stomp on it made an inhuman cry come out as the alien turned their pussies into just misshapen blobs of flesh. And they sure liked to show off tits... take one of them. Literally rip them off. Ambulance would arrive to save them before they bled out. They had to LIVE with this.

Her targets fainted from the pain by the time she was done. The girl was not satisfied. So many more out there being allowed to do this shit to other people. No consequences for their actions. They messed with the wrong person. Only one thing to show her motivation. They had their cosmetics on them... predictable. Lipstick would draw on them their so simple crime.

"Intentional false rape report."

One phone intact... the lead girl's. Emergency line would be called with a very stern message.

"You need an ambulance here."

Her words were chilling, the kinds that were being heard far too often. The people on the other end of the line knew what to do. It was a bit demoralizing that there was nothing to make these moments go away. While working there was in no way pleasant, this was the kind of thing to mark people. Shame Reynolds quit before they had a much more tangible lead.

And once she was done, the girl would walk off, another cold case for the pile.

*

Jack felt like absolute shit. The driver knew to keep quiet, just taking him home as the man stewed in his thoughts. It was the kind of moment to make one consider self-termination.

He could not protect his girlfriend. The man could do nothing. It felt like he was of some inferior class that those up top decided on his death without concern and society would go ahead with that execution to the ignorance of everything else. All he could do was leave her there.

Today was absolutely terrible. First his job and now this... as if a man did not have other reasons to feel worthless. He might almost excuse Eva for wanting to leave him after this. That look in her eye scared him more than his possible annihilation. The worst of it was that he was in no way clear. They got his name... possibly overhearing them or asking someone... and now could hold that over him and her forever.

That troubled him a bit more than his own fate. That she got into this from his own weakness. His inability led to the girl being abused. And he could just not forgive himself. He'd understand if tonight he was sleeping alone, despite them moving in together. Maybe he could beat her to it and just sleep on the couch... no, it might as well be right next to her... He could go to the other place but might run into her.

His shame was just overbearing and he wanted to do SOMETHING. Couldn't even summon the energy to message her... what if they do something unreasonable due to it? No winning. He could share in her hatred of society for where it had arrived. He understood her and wished this planet had received the aliens with a well ordered garden.

How many men from that place came here from trust and safety, acceptance and understanding to be treated like slaves, money dispensers one could just entice with a wink? How many people looked at this place from across the stars in complete disgust after hearing the honest accounts of those visitors? How did the empire hold off from just blowing the entire thing up?

His apartment felt different as he got home. The man did not even remove his shoes, just stepped out to the balcony to lean over the railing and continue this self-condemnation. Something inside tempted him to just leave this place... to disregard their earlier notion and accept a bit of shame from the aliens to go there... but would they consider him just as bad? No winning whatever he did. He understood why they would be cautious. Why they abstained from immigration. Why they laughed at this place.

So much pride here. People thought they had something to offer aliens... something they needed. So many stories of humanity dominating stars, of having one first contact with some horribly big alien empire that in just one year they figure all the tech and teach them warfare and blood and so on. Sounded like that was all they knew to give. Violence. And nobody even proposed the idea that it be some mercenary service. No, humanity met aliens and when they did not get everything they wanted, they threatened violence.

But no one was ready for space to bring them back better humans... in warfare as well as everything. Some theorized they might impress with art, music, cooking, logic... or just being the one predator in a universe of sheep. Every day they got humiliated by the empire. It felt like the revenge of that James guy... how he showed one could make a better place. Free of every problem to plague humanity and keeping all the strengths, even making new ones.

His smoke was needed. Jack wanted to just collapse in that seat and watch the world die. There was a temptation to crack open a beer of the ones they held in the fridge for at home dates. But that felt like he was going into alcoholism... not that it was unjustified. There were several aspects of his life that felt like coping with the stress. The smoking, the games, the video games, the porn... even just snacks or delivery.

He felt like crying. He also felt like jumping. That would not achieve much since he lived on the first floor. Also, Eva would be sad to find that. No... he had to just bear this. Push that feeling inside him and bottle it up just like before. He had to wait for her... or see how long he can stay up before it was clear she was not coming. Man could stay until morning.

The girl would be delayed, but make it back home.

*

She had dashed almost an entire district away. That was careless. A rule for this was to not have any contact with the targets to not hint at her. Now it was clear that her message was rushed and the attempt last minute. It could lead back to her or maybe even Jack. No, these fucked up authorities would consider the man the murderer a thousand times before a woman. It gave her some advantages.

This cigarette was needed as the girl considered what she could do. Not much. She called the ambulance already and they would be there. It might have been better to just not leave a message. Too late now. She's fucked, possibly. Even if it's not solid evidence to convict her, it's enough evidence to send some underground hitmen or such to destroy their life. Send a message. And from her, the rest of the community. Day couldn't get any worse.

As she sat on the ground, resting against the wall of this closed bank, there was a long question on what to do. Only thing she could do was tell Frank. He might be able to do something. Man would be mad, but understanding in the end. Question was if she could also save Jack.

And then she heard... clapping. Slow, echoing and right in front of her. Eyes looked up from the pavement to see a figure much closer than she had the opportunity to see with such privacy. HIM. Plaid shirt, loose jeans, boots and that rounded face with a week-old beard. An average guy who she has seen far too often as of late.

"Got a bit heated there." He said.

"You!" The girl sprang to her feet, smoke dropped as she had her rage flare up. "Who the fuck are you?! Why are you following me?! I don't have time for your bullshit today of all fucking days!"

"Me? I'm the Beast of Gévaudan." If only she could look that up.

"The fuck that means?! And why are you fucking following me?!"

"Oh, Eva... three reasons. To confirm something, to witness something and to check up on something."

Her name being said made the girl get even more pissed. There was a smug attitude about this guy that just put her off. Emotions spoke before reason. The guy was really making the day worse. She was fucked anyway, why not deal with another problem?

Every implant activated to tune her up to power, she just recovered from her previous exertion, but could once again kick ass. A fist was delivered to him with more speed and force than humans could usually match.

Usually.

Hand came to catch her attack with a sound akin to a sonic boom. Looked like he had some implants. No... he was not one of theirs. Some ascended like those guys. Where's James when people like this guy need to be taken care of? Leg came up to be side stepped just as her momentum was weaponized to throw the girl aside, just half of a roll before she sprang back to her feet to charge him. The girl was just lifted up and thrown into the wall, almost leaving an imprint before crashing down.

"You need to relax." The man said with a level tone.

"Fuck you!"

Another punch and another and another. She was barely doing anything as the man either blocked, dodged or turned her strikes into her being thrown around. It just got her angrier and angrier. If she had military implants, this could go for weeks, but she just had some of the best civilian grade implants... powerful, but not earth shattering.

Slowly she would wind down as breaths got heavier and each pause was bigger than the last. It left her with hands on the cold concrete, trying to gather up her strength for another assault, though it was far more tempting to just fall down. Eva burned far too much in this fight and the other. There was a reason she did this only once in a while.