Sarin's War Read online

  Athena stepped aside. Sarin appeared in her god form, made of an uncountable number of red and black lights in the shape of her angelic form. “As a god, Mom’s—”

  “Extremely experienced,” said Sarin.

  “Sweetheart, you have to tell me who this new designer is. This is fabulous,” said Kisha, clapping her hands.

  Sarin chuckled harshly. “You both know me well. I am Edi’rp, or just Edi, the God of Pride. I am a god, the creators of your equation—what you call a universe. I have blended with the equation that governs the Angel Sarin so that we are one.”

  “That is an impressively complete costume, Jane,” Kisha said enviously. “What party are you going to that I haven’t heard of? I would be such an exquisite addition.”

  “Mother, be warned, pride cometh before the fall. And Pride stands before you.”

  “Role-playing, too? Oh, this will be absolutely fabulous.”

  Sarin sneered and waved her hand. The room went white and equations scrolled by.

  “Oh, darling. This will be hard to—”

  “Oh, shut up.” Sarin wiggled her nose, and Kisha’s mouth disappeared. Sarin walked over to her mother. “I warned you about the sin of pride, Mother.” Sarin snapped her fingers. Kisha’s face and body aged to match her physical age. “Remind me to let you have your mouth back so I can listen to you scream later. We’ll find out if you can live with being old or not.” She looked at her father. “I guess I wasn’t clear when I arrived: I am not a brainwashed, brain dead, party girl idiot. Kita is my partner, both in this equation and Infinity. There is no questioning it, so get used to it. Do you understand?”

  Sven nodded slowly.

  Sarin looked at Kisha. “And mother, from now on address me as Duchess or Vicereine. I am a noble, after all. Something you will never be.” She waved her hand, and everything returned to normal except for Kisha. A pistol and a mirror appeared in Sarin’s hands. She set them on the couch next to her mother. “In case you need them, Mother. Come, Daddy. Let’s go discuss more about me.” She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the room. The door closed and locked behind them.

  “Jane, what game are you playing?” Sven hissed.

  “Mother is as bright as a brick in a coal mine. She’ll blab about me all over the station.”

  “I won’t let you kill her.”

  “I’m not killing her. Her stupid pride will kill her.”

  “Jane, this is despicable. I won’t do it.” Sven tried to yank free of Sarin, but she held fast.

  “It wouldn’t be my first time. It’s no worse than what Mother does to her so-called friends, or you do to your business rivals. I know you’ve had people killed, and she has killed people’s reputations.”

  “The killing I’ve done has never been this monstrous.”

  “It’ll be suicide. If Mom doesn’t kill herself, she’ll never want to leave the house. We’ll see if mother’s pride is greater than her will to live.”

  “And the body? What will you do with that?”

  “I have my ways of disposing of those.”

  “And the rest of the world? She can’t just fall off the station. People will want to know how she died. Have you thought that the Political Bureau would be watching for such a coincidence?”

  Sarin muttered, “Can we falsify something, Athena?”

  “I could disguise myself as her, but I do not wish to participate in her social life. Perhaps if she were to take a trip?”

  “I’m putting an end to this,” Sven told them and pulled free of Sarin. He sprinted back to the sitting room. As he tried to override the door, they heard a muffled gunshot.

  Sarin waved her hand, and the door unlocked. “Pride wins again.”

  “Does this mean when you become a liability I must come up with a diabolical way of having you removed, Mom?” said Athena.

  “I hope it’s better than just putting a bullet in the back of my head.”

  “That wouldn’t work, anyway.”

  The pair heard Sven cry out from the other room.

  “What do we do if we have to kill him?” said Athena.

  “We won’t.” Sarin snapped her fingers, altering the equation that governed her father and gave him a new version of the truth—altering the how, but not the who or the why. “Start looking into funeral arrangements, dear.”

  “And how shall I say she died?”

  “Got drunk and fell down the stairs. Everyone will believe that.”

  With a placid look on her face, Sarin entered the front door of Gjord Villa with her father. As soon as the door and blinds closed, she made her wings visible and changed from her black mourning dress to her usual schoolgirl outfit.

  “That was utterly depressing,” Sarin said, rolling her eyes.

  “It was your mother,” said Sven. “You loved her.”

  “I hated her, and how much happier are you now that she’s gone?”

  “I loved your mother.”

  Sarin shrugged. “Well, you can have your pick of mistresses.”

  “And if someone killed this Kita, wouldn’t you be upset?”

  “Of course, but there’s a difference…”

  “And that is?”

  Sarin smiled at her father. “I can take revenge and make them suffer.”

  “I could do the same to you.”

  Sarin raised an eyebrow. “I see we’re finally getting somewhere. I’ll turn you into a cold-blooded killer yet. That said, you can’t kill me.”

  “I don’t need you,” he said harshly.

  Oh, really? Let’s see how you do without me. “Fine. Be that way,” Sarin yelled as she drew a pistol, put it to her head, and fired. She collapsed to the ground, a growing pool of blood spilling from her head.

  “Jane!” Sven yelled. He fell to his knees, frantic.

  “Oh Mom, quit being so dramatic,” Athena said, coming in from the foyer.

  “You’re no fun.” Sarin sighed as she stood up. She touched the holes in her head and fixed the damage.

  Sven stared up at her, looking dumbfounded.

  “I’m a god, Daddy. It’s going to take more than a kinetic round to my head to put me down. It does leave me with a splitting headache, though.” She helped him to his feet.

  “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” he yelled.

  “Maybe, but it’d take more than that to stop that artificial heart of yours.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Come,” she ordered. She guided her father through the house into the informal breakfast area, motioned her father to a stool, and then dug in the fridge for some fruit and breakfast foods. She put the platters on the bar.

  “Since when do you do anything for yourself?” said Sven.

  Sarin raised an eyebrow. “For over ten thousand years. Kita may have grown up a noble, but she hated the idea of servants. She preferred to do everything for herself unless it was a formal occasion. I learned quickly. Plus, you never know where some of those peoples’ hands have been.” She picked up a piece of banana and popped it into her mouth.

  “I’m surprised you’d let anyone tame you.”

  “I didn’t let anyone do anything. I didn’t have a choice.”

  “So, she did influence you,” said Athena.

  “I fell in love. As you know, when you fall in love, you tend to gravitate toward the other person’s habits and mannerisms. Kita refused to wear makeup and do anything with her hair before she met me. Well, that’s not totally true. Snowy did her hair. I made her conscious about her appearance in general. I also improved her sexual skills, bedroom prowess, and self-confidence. She also needed someone to take care of her in general.”

  “You, a caregiver?” Sven scoffed.

  “Not like that, well, not often. Kita does tend to end up in the medical ward pretty regularly.” Sarin stopped to wipe a pair of tears away. “Sorry,” she whispered. “That was the last place I saw her. I’m her psychiatrist, is what I mean. Kita’s a high-level sociopath with a
penchant for violence. At the same time, she’s very caring and protective of those around her. She’s a great mother…when she’s around. The Angels are her family. It’s why she recruited me in the first place. She was trying to make up for what she felt she never had growing up. She’s smart, funny, and adorable.”

  “None of that sounds like anything you would have drifted toward,” said Sven.

  “True. I didn’t know much about Kita when I first met her. I was there to teach her to walk again. A bomb blew out most of her lower half. I just happened to be attending to her when she woke up. Her eyes opened, and she looked directly into mine. She surprised the hell out of me, but I couldn’t look away, either. Her eyes were beautiful, but that wasn’t what made me fall in love. It was the way she looked at me. Not like everyone else—with jealousy, lust, hate, desire—instead, she was looking at me like she saw that part I keep hidden. I swear her eyes smiled. She didn’t say anything, and after a few long moments, she faded off again. I knew she was the one I wanted.”

  “And you didn’t change your mind when you found out what she was really like?” Sven asked, picking up a piece of pineapple.

  Sarin laughed. “Don’t be silly. You weren’t this way when you first started. Like everyone, we grow and learn more about ourselves. It was the same for her and me. We grew together.”

  “Athena mentioned she changed you.”

  “She helped me change from what I was when I left here to what I am now. She didn’t force me. I chose to be an evil angel so I could make my own choices, and know they were mine.”

  Sven frowned. “That’s depressing. I thought I raised you better than that.”

  “Who is better, an evil person who chooses her path or a good person who’s forced down her path by fear of code, law, or deity? I have learned that evil people are often better than their counterparts. If an evil person does something good, she is often praised, and her peers pay it no mind. If a good person does something evil, she is often ostracized and punished. Evil people are often more reasonable and easier to deal with, even if it means being more physical. And by that, I mean, whoever hits harder is right.”

  “Loyalty, respect, and compassion are not worth anything?”

  “Don’t confuse evil with wicked. I have all of those, and so does Kita. She has them to a fault. We wouldn’t be here if she’d killed Galina the first time that bitch betrayed her.”

  “What you describe goes against logic,” said Sven.

  “The universe isn’t as simple as a movie. It’s complex with choices and consequences. I know that I can’t be as open and reckless here as I was back…home. I can’t leave a dead body on the street or at least not one traceable to me.”

  “You shouldn’t be leaving bodies anywhere. It took my security team days and millions of dollars to cover-up the guards you killed in the car.”

  Sarin chuckled. “Kita tried to get away with only killing the wicked and unrepentant. She tried to protect the innocent and was distraught when she did kill them. It was a hard lesson for her to learn that you often have to kill them for the greater good. And that’s what matters, the greater good.”

  “The ends justify the means?”

  “Yes.”

  “That isn’t always true.”

  “If I must sacrifice a million to save a billion I will do it. I’m not saying we hide behind that as a justification for our activities. Sometimes killing is just killing, like killing Mother, for instance. She was a spoiled bitch that needed to die. But, even Kita kills that way rarely.”

  “That’s why you killed your mother?” Sven said aghast.

  “She annoyed me and wouldn’t shut up. I don’t need extra irritants in my life. I have enough as it is. I’m sure there’s some revenge mixed in there too.”

  “Revenge for what? What could she possibly have done to you?”

  “All those parties and events, the way she treated me. She wasn’t Mommy of the Year material. I was just her prize to be shown off.”

  “You’re unbelievable.”

  “I’m evil. I don’t have to have a good reason. I don’t need a reason at all. If you think you have the power to stop me, then do it. Kita had it, and she used it.”

  “Might makes right?”

  “Yep.”

  “Not here it doesn’t.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Sven made a disgusted face.

  “My world is not so different than yours, but instead of money and lawyers, we fight with fists and bullets. The loser is dead, not left destitute on the street.”

  “So, what’s your plan? You said Kita was coming for revenge.”

  “And she is, not for the people of the United Earth Empire, but specifically for Galina. But, she will crush anything in her way. It’s too bad the UEE won’t just hand Galina over.”

  Sven chuckled. “I don’t think even I can arrange that.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “To get them?”

  “No, to clear the path to them. We have no interest in killing the populous as a whole.”

  “That’s the most reassuring thing you’ve said so far.”

  “Oh, Daddy. Give it time. You’ll understand.” She clicked her black and red nail against her teeth. “Athena, when are the new simulator and servers going to be installed?”

  “My custom servers are being built, even though I’ve had to argue with the contractor over why I need such powerful machines when one is more than enough to run the system. I have them scheduled to start next Tuesday.”

  “What’s this?” Sven asked with a confused look.

  “Athena needs more than the entertainment system to hack into the city. This first array of servers is a start. We need to think of more upgrades to sneak in more machines. But, when the simulator is installed I’ll take you home, Daddy. And, you can see the environmental conditions that shaped all of us Angels.”

  “I’ll look forward to the trip.”

  “You say that now.” Sarin giggled, and then looked at Athena. “So, what are we doing the rest of the day?”

  “You’ve been home for over a week and haven’t made any social appearances beyond the funeral. I suggest we go shopping.”

  “Then I’ve got to walk around with that stupid look on my face.”

  “I suggest you start therapy, to explain being rid of it.”

  “Fine. Vet the list of psychiatrists Daddy has and find one that’s not in the Emperor’s pocket, and that I can control.”

  “I have two,” said Athena.

  “Feel like doing some interviews, Daddy?”

  “Do I get a choice?”

  “Athena can project and play you if you’d like.”

  “No. If I’m going to be living with a monster, I might as well not feel like a hostage.”

  Sarin rolled her eyes. “So dramatic, Daddy. We can go shooting later. Do a little father-daughter bonding.”

  “Won’t that be suspicious, moonbeam?”

  “Wait until you see the range,” Sarin said, her eyes twinkling. She stood up. “All right, let’s see what uncomfortable dresses are in my closet.”

  “You used to love those dresses,” said Sven.

  “Then I met Kita and realized comfort could go along with style.”

  Sven raised an eyebrow.

  “See you this afternoon, Daddy.” Sarin kissed him on the cheek and followed Athena back toward her closet.

  Sven shook his head in disbelief. “Maybe I should just turn her in,” he muttered to his banana.

  “At least give me a chance to show you what happened to me, Daddy, before you do anything rash,” Sarin’s voice answered from thin air.

  Sven jerked, looking around for her. “I’ll give you a week after the simulator’s installed to make me understand how that world changed you into this monster.”

  “I think I can pack ten thousand years into a week. Most of my life there was one battle after another.”

  “Where are you? I thought you shut
the intercom down.”

  “I did. I’m in my closet looking for something remotely comfortable to wear.”

  “Is Athena here somewhere?”

  “Daddy, I’m a god. I may be strictly limited, but that doesn’t mean I can’t manipulate the equation locally. In this case, turn my thoughts into a voice heard by you.”

  “You’ll have to explain that to me,” Sven huffed and rolled his eyes.

  “I can see you, too.”

  Sven shook his head and walked next door to the game room. He went to the bar and poured himself a drink.

  “A little early for that, isn’t it?” Sarin chided.

  “Between you and your mother, it’s never too early.”

  Sarin giggled and went quiet, leaving her father to drink alone with his fears.

  Sarin stood in the center of the new holographic room in Gjord Villa. She’d extended the old room, taking over two of her mother’s closets, to make a three-story space big enough for her to practice with her pistols.

  “Athena, how’s the system installation going?”

  “I’m installing myself now. It’s going to take some time. If you mean the simulator, it’s ready for a test. Anything you’d like to see?”

  “Roost.”

  The simulator hummed and the room shimmered, and Sarin stood in front of Roost’s hangar door. The station was complete, except for the inhabitants. Sarin filled the missing life in with her mind as she walked through the empty corridors. She passed Arconian staff, students, and warriors. Entering the reserved area for the Angels, she opened the door to the small viewing room.

  The space contained: a plush carpet, sofas, a large screen, game tables, a large window looking down on the planet, and trophies from the group’s many adventures.

  She missed the movies and cuddling the early Angels shared. It had seemed so carefree back then, a time before empires, corporations, armies, and politics.