Letter of Resignation

[_____________Tynchre]

As she left the building where Dectective Cannon was being held, she could feel her plans slipping. Panic was a new feeling for her and she didn't like it at all. More would be coming, and if the shuttle didn't leave soon, all her hard work and plans would be for nothing.

When she had entered the interrogation hut, the second sun had shone through the trees of the swamp. The light had struck her and cast her shadow as a sprawling giant that extended the length of the compound. As she exited the hut, the sun had decended below the horizon, and the giant had left leaving only a woman.

She walked across the compound and entered another hut where her daughter lay across the floor. The ruined form of what had once been a woman trembled and shook. Rattled breath heaved, creating a bizarre dance of ingress and egress. First aid stims would keep her alive until the shuttle was repaired, but how much time she had left she didn't know.

As she watched the fruits of her plans, dying in front of her, she was struck with a hint of joy. Here was a woman who would sacrifice everything for her daughter. Enduring unbearable physical and mental torture for the child she thought was still alive. What the woman had gone through actually made Beverly Carlyle proud. Or as proud as she could possibly feel for the person she hated most in this lifetime.

It would soon be over, she thought. The shuttle would take them into orbit, outside the range of reclamation, and she would end her daughter's life. She didn't know yet if she would feel any better when that happened, but it was worth tryng. She considered destorying the shuttle and ending the life of both mother and daughter, but rejected the thought. Michael had taken the cowards way out, and that path was not for her.

As she watched the dying form of her daughter, her comm. link buzzed to life.

"Is the shuttle ready?" she asked, not bothering to check the identity of the trasmitted sender.

The comm. link remained silent.

"Jordan?" she asked the silence.

The voice coming through was feminine. "I'm coming for you Mother."

"Who is this?" she demanded. Looking down to verify identity she noted the name as Marge "Tynchre" Eskew. The name meant nothing to her.

"I was two years old when you abandoned me," the speaker said. "I'm coming for you, and my sister."

Panic was in full force as she stammered, "What....what....what are you raving about!"

From outside the hut she could hear heavy hydrolics whiring. Then the screams began from her crew. "Slayer....Slayer" they yelled. The sound of rending metal filled the night air. She cracked open the door to the hut and watched as a Slayerdroid Guardian was turning her turret into scrap metal.

Behind the bot, she could see two forms. The outer emergency lights of the compound struck them, turning them into black forms. Shadows extending across the compound. The giants had returned.

[Nevver]

The taller of the two shadows turned to the other and appeared to be speaking.

"I think the bot has pretty much taken care of the defenses, don't you?" Nevver grinned at Tynchre after she looked at the mess all around them. "Let's go get them."

Tynchre looked at Nevver matter-of-factly, "I'm trying to make a statement."

"Fair enough, but let's keep focused; I think you've been spending too much time around me." Tynchre nodded and the two sprinted towards the hut with the huge Slayerdroid in tow.

Just as they reached the small building, Nevver executed Challenger for emphasis. The program made her already tall profile even larger and, even though the effect had a crazy effect on her mind, she enjoyed it. Maybe the effect wasn't actually a bad thing.

A huge crash sounded as Nevver and the Slayerdroid attempted to enter the doorway at the same time, challenging the law of physics and failing miserably at fitting into the same space simultaneously. However, physics gave way as did the doorway and all three, including the smaller Tynchre entered the room.

Beverly Carlyle stood her place, or was temporarily shocked. Immediately the huge droid thrust forward one of it's pincered arms with the claw striding the neck of the woman, ends planted firmly in the wall.

"We have a few questions," announced Nevver.

...

[Brent]

John "Blackswords" Rm watched as Nevver and Tynchre and the bot ruined the defenses and charge into the main cluster of Buildings and entered one. He stood staring Indigant at them just passing off the compound guard problem to him.

Reality made its pressence know with a bullet grazing his armor. He dodged and weaved away from the fire, as its source of six armed uniformed men charged at him.

More bullets zipped thru the air near him and he felt a few smack his armor, but one struck like white hot flame in his right thigh just above the knee. He needed to get outta the line of fire fast, so he dodged into a one of the buildings thru a door and turned and locked the Plasteel door behind him.

John turned and looked down the hallway of the building and stared at the group of eight guards as they prepared to force a room door open with weapons at the ready. Both parties stared stunned at the sight of each other. John reacted first as both his pistols snapped upright and sent a hail of bullets down the hall while his body made him jump behind a few crates in the hallway for cover.

The guards in the hallway had no cover and soon two of them fell to Johns guns. One of the guards seemed to panic and franticly work the electronic Keypad to the room they we're going to force eariler. In a few tense seconds the fellow had the door opened and charged inside with another guard following him in. Several loud shots rang out and the two guards staggered out into the hallway with mortal wounds showning in they're chests. Another guard turned his weapon into the newly open room and fired a few rounds but was thrown back against the wall with return fire from within the room.

The three remaining guards reacted with confusion as to where the real threat was and lost precious seconds to indiscion as what to do about it. A man stepped into the hallway with a cloud of cigarette smoke wreathing him with pistols aimed down either hallway blasting out noise and death. John opened fire on the confused guards as well and the remaining three slumpped into death.

John Cautiously exposed himself to the smoking Man with his pistols in hand but aimed away from the man.

"I'm Betting you don't work for them." Spoke John to the fellow. "So you must be here to Help Ditzie out..."

"I'm John "Blackswords" Rm and you are?"

Before the stranger could respond the outside door John had locked now opened and the six guards charged into the hallway weapons blazing at both John and the strange Smoking Man.

[Ditzie]

White metalic pincers pierced the wall, and between the segments of claw, Beverly Carlyle was helplessly trapped. They had her and Ditzie was going to be all right. Tynchre took her eyes from the struggling woman and looked about. Debris from the shattered doorway was strewn about the room, and in the midst of the debris, the huddled form covered in tattered clothing, mud and blood trembled. Tynchre felt sick to her stomach.

"Mother!" she breathed then turned her icy gaze back to the trapped villaness.

The woman choked and gasped breaths in panic. She croaked at Tynchre, "Who...aaare....ou?"

Tynchre felt rage building and screamed back at the woman. "I'm your daughter, you heartless bitch!" She raised her pistol to the woman's forehead. "The one you left behind."

The confusion on the woman's face could not be an act. Tynchre could see that she was completely bewildered. Her pistol began to shake. "Your daughter?" the engineer inquired, unsurety evident in her question.

Beverly Carlyle tried to shake her trapped head, and croaked, "Only....one..."

"Liar!" Tynchre screamed into the woman's face, then swung the butt of her pistol, cracking the woman sharply above her ear.

From the moment she was old enough to hold her head erect, Tynchre's father had spun her tales. Great exagerations of his life's experiences. For years she had told her friends that her father had traveled in a circus and had been shot from cannons. Later, she told them that he was a retired Colonel, bestowed with the highest awards SOL Banking had to offer. And here was the greatest tall tale of them all. Realization struck her like a hammer blow. Beverly Carlyle was not her mother, and Ditzie was not her half-sister.

"Yeah, okay, enough with the non-reunion," Nevver interupted. "Where is she?" she demanded.

Tynchre stood in stunned silence. Almost every significant event in her life was built upon a lie. In her distraction, she almost missed the bloody lump on the floor move, and the twinkle of steel raised in a shakey grip.

((OOC- Ooops! I meant to post this one as Tynchre. *shrug* ))

[Ditzie]

((These events take place between the first message and Ditzie's trip to Baboons))

Being a Board Member of Devil's Advocate had its perks. After this last bit of dealing, she would send out a message, resigning her Organization affiliation. But first, there was something she needed. Something most citizens of Rubi-Ka could not get on their own.

The figure looked perfectly in-place in the busy street of Omni-Entertainment. A man who most would pass without question, but Ditzie knew him as someone who held life and death within his power.

"Let me buy you a burger, sweets," he said with a smile.

Ditzie nodded, knowing his usual business practices. Together they walked to a Bronto Burger stand on the southern outer wall of the Arena.

Ditzie left her burger unwrapped as the man chewed happily. "So you know, Ditz." He said between bites. "There's no going back from this."

"Cut the crap," she replied. "Just give me the damn bullet."

He frowned and said, "Hey, it's your money." Then he added, "I hope you never get pissed at me."

"It's in your burger bag, sweets. You know how it works, right? The bullet emits an EM pulse that disrupts the flow of energy upon death, so make sure..."

In between bites, as he talked while he chewed, Ditzie had disappeared. Keying data into his pad, he smiled as he saw the flow of credits into his own account.

*********

*The present*

"Where is she?"
"Where is she?"
"Where is she?"

The voice rang in her ears. Familar and beloved. One of the two souls she loved more than life itself. Even through the fog of pain and drugs she felt joy in hearing the voice. She stired slowly, a chunk of wood fell from her left leg. In a fairy tale, her Nevver would be here to save her. But this was no fairy tale, and if she were to be saved, then Elizabeth would be sacrificed.

Her blurred vision identified four figures. A white mass pinning a humanoid form against the wall. Another blurred figure next to the white mass. And the final one towered above all the others. She wished that she could clearly see Nevver's features; but perhaps this was for the best.

Two loves in her life. To save one, the other must die. If she herself were to be rescued, then Elizabeth would be gone once again. And she could not bear that. Her bloodshot eyes squinted as she pulled the pistol from the remains of her shredded coat. A pistol loaded with a bullet intended for Michael Walker. Slowly she raised the gun. "Forgive me, Nevver," she spoke. "I love you."

Hattie McCallagher aimed her pistol at the partner of her soul and squeezed.

[_____________Tynchre]

Tynchre turned her head slowly and watched the pistol raise. It's was pointing in the wrong direction, and at it's present level it would fire it's shot into Nevver's head. In an act of selfless love for a sister, an act that went beyond blood relation, she flung her body in an upward leap. She sailed into the air, as the room exploded in sound. She watched flame shoot from the barrel and blurred tiny motion traveling forward.

The entry into her shoulder was painless, but as the slug colided with bone, pain blazed. Internally bone splinted and fragmented, tearing at tissue and tendon. The bullet continued its journey past the shattered bone, slowed and came to reside in the muscle beyond. From there, the pulse began.

Blue flickering energy rippled outward from her shoulder, scrambling thoughts and energies traveling through her central nervous system. Her brain had but one last command before it shut down. One last order to send from the brain to the mouth.

As her body crashed to the floor from it's spectacular flight, she yelled, "Tynchre Toy, Pinch!"

The huge claw of the Slayerdroid Guardian snapped together, passing through flesh, muscle and spine as well as a section of the wall it had impaled. Beverly Carlyle's head sat atop the claw for seconds, then slowly leaned and fell to the floor. The pulse from the bullet washed outward and bathed the room in crackling energy.

As she lay groaning on the floor, Marge "Tynchre" Eskew looked into the eyes of the woman who she had thought her mother. The pulse receded and synapsis began to fire again.

[Nevver]

The shot run loudly in the small room and Nevver's ears rang from it. Instinctively, she turned and raised her staff in the air in preparation to bring it down in the direction where the sound came from. Nevver froze.

There, sitting on the floor, shaking, was Ditzie.

Ditzie!

Nevver lowered her staff and dove to the small figure and hugged her tight! "We were so worried about you! Tynchre and I... Tynchre! You shot Tynchre! Why?"

Nevver moved over to where Tynchre was groaning from the gun shot wound. "Tynch? Are you okay?"

Tynchre nodded affirmitively and Nevver turned back to Ditzie. "We have to get you out of here."

[________________Zhik]

((Cruel! I thought she was gone there for a second... Geez folks, this is good stuff!))

[_____________Tynchre]

((I'm editting as I go for continuity *grin* Like I would kill off my favorite charcter. Bah!!!))

[Nevver]

((YOU were worried???))

[Garfunkel]

"I'm Betting you don't work for them." Spoke John to the fellow. "So you must be here to Help Ditzie out..."

Tua turned to face the man clad in black omni elite armor, he smelled of leet and gunpowder. now he knew where the stench was coming from.

"I'm John "Blackswords" Rm and you are?"

Tua raised is guns into the face of John. “I would duck if I were you.” Tua let loose with a volley just as John dived to the side, four guards at the end of the hallway wielding dual blades fell. A fifth still charged them as the magazines on Tua’s guns ran dry. He cursed loudly running at the man with the swords head on, he blocked one of the swords with an empty gun but was struck in the shoulder by the other. Tua quickly wrapped his arms around the other man’s pinning his arms behind Tua’s back taking his swords out the the picture. The swordsman brought a knee up into Tua’s groin, he let out a high pitched groan but kept the man’s arms pinned. Tua moved his head back and snapped it forward into the swordsman's face, the mirrored sunglasses of Tua shattered on impact.

The swordsman collapsed to the ground with Tua standing above him bleeding and cursing in various tongues. “Sonova...”


MINUTES LATER

Tua stumbled into the inner courtyard of the compound kicking a severed head out of his way as he came up on the three ladies and the bot. Two of them laid on the ground with injures as Nevver tried desperately to help them. Tua looked at the gun in the hand of Ditzie then to the bullet wound in the young engie. “And I thought these guards were a bad shot.”

“Shut the hell up Barb! This isn’t the place for your attitude!” Snapped Nevver. “We’ve got to get them out of here.”

“Well that’d be easy...if someone didn’t ground the shuttle.” He looked back over his shoulder at Rm.

(Gah, I'll have to edit this and it horrid grammar at some point in time)

[Ditzie]

The rest of the night was a blur of movement and sounds. Shots rang out from outside, warm arms embraced her, then carried her from the building. A terrible battle was being fought, and she was placed to the ground. She watched Nevver leave her side as her lead pipe and staff began to swing, aiding two others bring down nameless faces.

As she lay, a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Shhhh sis!" the voice said. "I won't tell her. You're going to be okay." Waves of nano-energy washed over her as Tynchre used a Treatment Labratory. Her rattled breathing cleared almost immediately.

But she wasn't okay. The severed head on the floor of the hut was her mother, and pieces began to fall into place. It was all a cruel game. Much crueler than the one she thought she was playing. There was no Elizabeth. When the child's tiny fingers slipped though her own nine years ago, she had died.

And the cruelest joke of all was that she had tried to kill Nevver. It was time to escape, withdraw, go inside her own mind and try to heal and make sense.

[Brent]

John looked a Tua with the comment about the shuttle not flying again and pulled the CPU out of the pocket.

"Add this and she'll fly..Landing may be rough but flying no Problem."

John Bagged the CPU and bowed to the doorway.

"If we shall all decamp to shuttle we can fly it outta here in less then 3 minutes."

John Looked down at the Head of the older woman on the floor. Then saw Ditzies gaze start to cloud even though Nevver and Tynchre gave comforting words. Words that will not make her fight to live.

"Tua would you mind hold the troops a bay for a minute."

John walked over to Ditzie and pulled off his helmet as he drew close.

"So this is the Ditzie that has caused the ruckus." John snorted "She fought all this way and sacrificed much to meet her foe and she wilts when finds out she's been had."

John casts the most powerful of heal nanos he know upon Ditzie.

"This is the woman who fought a Bastard of a husband tooth and nail? This is a woman who's life here has drawn friends to risk themselves for her?"

John shouts the next words into her face.

"And NOW YOUR CHICKENING OUT!!! RUNNING AWAY AFTER ALL THIS!!! I DON"T THINK SO!!"

John raised an palm to strike at Ditzie but held it Hoping he'd spark life back within her with the threat.

[_____________Tynchre]

Tynchre frowned at John Rm. "I know what you're trying to do," she said as his hand hovered in striking pose. "But I don't think she's there right now."

John looked at her harshly. "I risked my hide for this? Someone who gives up? Quits?"

Tynchre replied in her matter-of-fact way. "She isn't quitting anything. If you really want to help, go put that module back in the shuttle while Nevver and I get her in."

The man lowered his hand and shook his head. Then he made his way to the shuttle.

Tynchre grinned at Nevver and said, "Men! No patience."

Nevver gave her a concerned look. "I hope you're right."

"I am," Tynchre replied, then added, "Aren't I always?"

"You've definitely been hanging out with me too much," Nevver shot back as they lifted Ditzie together and headed for the shuttle.

**************
Epilogue 1

**************

Fate. What a funny thing. It twists realities, warps perspectives, ruins lives. And every once in a while it wraps its warm arms around you like a caring lover and works its magic to a possitive outcome. The office was dark except for her dim desk lamp. Kaitakait had closed up the office and went home, reluctantly leaving her business partner at Tynchre's insistence. Her shoulder hurt like hell, but one more burst from a treatment labratory should make it feel much better. Her head was another matter. When the pulse radiated from her shoulder, something had happened. Twice in the last three hours she had blacked out, each episode lasting two or three minutes. During the shuttle ride home, she had experienced her first loss of time. Again, while telling Kaitakait everything that had happened. Perhaps it would fade, but time would be the judge of that.

Tynchre's thought churned at a rapid speed, trying to piece together the events of two lives, entertwined and molded by fate.

She picked up a framed picture of her father, from it's place of honor on her desk. He was a simple man....loving, but simple. It had never before occured to her in her whole life, that the story of Beverly Carlyle was just another of his tall tales. A tall tale, spun for the amusement of a lonely girl. Yet, this particular tall tale had once saved a young woman from the horror that was Michael Walker, and now, nine years later, it had saved her again from another monster. But the cost of that saving tale was almost unbearably high. The death of four year old Elizabeth, and the anguish of her mother.

While she shared no blood relation to Hattie "Ditzie" McCallagher, she silently made a vow to the memory of her father. She would be the big sister, guardian angel, or just a shoulder for her to lean upon whenever she needed her.

Straightening up her desk she noted a missed message from the offices of Director Trybes. Probably calling with a job, but work could wait until tomorrow. She switched the lamp off and left the office.

[Ditzie]

The first night home, she tried to sleep in the spacious Jobe apartment. Hattie had lain stiffly, oblivious to Nevver next to her. She stared at the ceiling until moments before dawn when exhaustion overtook her. The sleep lasted all of ten minutes, before she screamed and bolted upright. Nevver awoke in a flash, expecting tears, but Hattie remained impassive and cold in her arms.

After three days, Hattie would allow herself to be fed. The first signs of coherent thoughts acured that afternoon when she had a visitor. The doorbell chimed its sing-song melody and Nevver grudginly left her side to answer it. Hattie bristled when she heard the voice speaking to Nevver at the door. As the footsteps approached closer, she pulled her knees up to her chin and began to shiver.

Her eyes narrowed to slits as she watched her sister stepping down into the living room. Suddely she erupted to her feet and snatched a crystal vase of off the coffee table. Hurling the vase at her sister, she screamed "GET OUT!!!!!" Over and over, she yelled, furiously picking up items both cherished and tolerated and flung them. Tynchre backed away, dodging the deadly nick-knacks.

Flinging a poorly aimed picture frame, Hattie struck Nevver at the temple, leaving a small line, whelling with blood. The berserk woman panted and heaved as she watched her wife bring a finger to her head, and swipe a small smear of blood. Nevver gave Hattie a smile, trying to silently reassure. Hattie's eyes filled with panic and ran toward Nevver. By the time she reached the tall woman, she was openly sobbing. Tears held back forever ran like a torrent down her cheeks. She colided into Nevver and shook as the dam holding back the flood crumbled into dust and debris. As Hattie cried bitterly, Tynchre mouthed silently to Nevver and indicated that she'd try another day, then slipped back outside.

Hattie cried in Nevver's arms. Between the blurting of tears, Hattie gasped for breath as she tried to form words. They were chopped and heavily influenced by her hyperventilating, but the meaning came though clearly. "Had" Hattie grunted in between sobs. "her" she added when breath would allow. "back" she finished then ground her face into Nevver's chest and sobbed.

"I know, baby," Nevver said softly. "I know"

Hattie looked up confused and pushed back slightly. Tears were pouring down her cheek, and dropping like heavy raindrops onto her bare feet.

"Tynchre and I found logs of your mother's arrival. We know she made you think your daughter was alive, so she could hurt you. We pieced it together and found you, baby."

Hattie sniffed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of one of Nevver's blouses she was wearing. She looked around the room, searching for her sister. "Shhhh." Nevver whispered. "She'll be back when you feel better."

"OH Nevver," Hattie sniffed again. "I thought she was mom." She leaned her head close against Nevver again and whispered "I thought a lot of things."

Her eyes grew heavy and her body began to relax. Sensing the oncomming sleep, Nevver helped her to the bedroom. As she pulled the sheets up to her wife's chin, just before sleep took hold, Hattie whispered. "Nevver.....My name's Caitlin."

Nevver leaned down and whispered back. "No it's not. That was a nightmare, but it's morning now."

Hattie's eyes fluttered softly as she breathed "Nevver?"

Nevver waited patiently for Hattie's last words before sleep overlook her. "Merry Christmas."

She smiled as she saw her wife deeply resting peacefully. "Merry Christmas, Hattie."


finis

[Brent]

Dear Ditzie & Nevver,

First Sorry for looking like I was trying to strike you but I'd see shocky cases before and tried to snap you outta it, Happy to hear it wasn't needed. I was kinda Miffed I didn't get to see the monster behind this all lose her head and all sorry for the short temper in that. Well just sending this to wish you a merry xmas and all.. No clue as to what to send you too for gifts. (Sent Tua a carton of his Favorite cancersticks. Owed him for the great coverage job in the run to the shuttle..I only took 2 minor hits.)

So Inclosed in this Message is two Credit vouchers for 5,000 credits. Enjoy and merry Chirstmas.

From

John "Blackswords" Rm

*************************************************

Hello Tua,

Great coverage in the too the shuttle Dash. Enjoy the shuttle its yours as a xmas gift, Oh and there is an engineer who can help you fix it Tied up in the spacesuit locker. Shouldn't require much work to repair the landing legs and bent hull plating and get if flying again. I included a Carton of your favorite cigarettes Enjoy and Merry Christmas.

From

John "Blackswords" Rm

*************************************************

To Tynchre,

Sometime you get some interesting Christmas Presents in Life. Yours was Bittersweet I think. But to my mind you have a sister in spirt and heart even if not flesh. Treasure that and grow with it. I have a gift for Ditzie I am hold till you think she's ready for it.
Its her mothers head I had it encased in Lucite and have it in my Bank till whenever. You always make trophies of monsters you kill, at least I do and she quantifies as a monster in my book, Her own mother sheesh....

I asked a friend in Omni-Med to make sure Mrs. Carlyle didn't have a insurance account under a false ID. Will get back with you on that, Monsters need to stay dead. In that regard did you shoot Mrs. Carlyle with the Blackmarket Perma Kill bullet before Killing her or after? Those Cheap EMP pulsers Only work if they're delivered at the moment of death. If fired into a living target and the target survives it will have major synaptic damage. Reclaiming will clear up such things so long as Don't insure after getting hit with it, Insurnance will make the target have the perm damage. I use Anti-Matter bullets for my Perma Kills.. Kills target and emp pulses them at the same time.

Well okay enough of the morbid stuff. Merry christmas I have included a set of nanomaster tools latest edition for ya.

Enjoy,

John "Blackswords" Rm

[Laeni]

Kudos to all for a GREAT story.