Wilderness Hannah, page 26
part #3 of Damsel Series
“Ohhh... does it have indoor plumbing?”
“It does.”
“Nice. This class, it... Some of the people involved, if they want to try it, have been through some shit. A few recently. Things where being able to slip ropes or manage handcuffs could have really helped. I won’t sugar coat this, a few of them died, being tortured to death. We got them back, but... That’s going to leave some mental scars. They’re both trying, but... I can’t even imagine what they’re going through. Some were prisoners for a long time. The rest will be Terry, Lara, Kate and a few of her sisters who that kind of thing might be useful for?”
The man made a considering noise then.
“I can do that. We’ll need a space for it. Something big enough we can run and set up places to hide. Is that possible? I’d normally take you all out into the woods for that kind of work, but it’s too cold, right now.”
She nodded, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to hear her head rattle.
“I’ll get something. A warehouse, maybe? Let me ask around on that one? As to the other things... Kate is a bit bummed out that her secret identity was exposed. Not that she didn’t do that herself. She has a new costume now. It’s just her old one, with a girl in it, instead of a man. No voice changer, but you still can’t see her face. It’s a shame, since now I have to be jealous of Wisp’s figure as well as Kate’s. Other than that, she’s doing well. Veronica, you remember her?”
“Sure! She seemed nice.”
“Kate’s sister, in case you missed that. Basically clones, so... yeah, that’s a bit different. Anyway, I’ll try to get her in on this. So, extra strong handcuffs and rope for some of the practice? I’ll send you some cash, so you can buy everything you need that way. Also... What do you want to be paid for it? Ten thousand a class?” She didn’t know if that was high or not, but the man chuckled.
“For the entire set, plus extra practice? That means, when the weather gets nicer, you get to try and evade me and a dozen other people as we chase you through the forest. We should work out something like that for in the city as well. Urban survival, too. At least for you. Maybe for Kate?”
She stuck out her tongue, but nodded. That sounded uncomfortable and like good training that she didn’t want to do at all.
“Like living in the streets? Eating out of dumpsters and all that?’
“Yep. All of that. Though in that case, this time of year, we need to find a town further south for you to try it. You’ll freeze, doing that here.”
“Um, sure? Let me put on some weight first? I got down to eighty pounds and I think the current plan is forced feeding if I don’t get my act together. So far, I’m up two pounds though, so... You know, it won’t be forever. That’s in muscle, too, so, you know, be impressed.”
The man laughed then.
“I am, actually. Good. Ten weeks until the practical portion for that. I’ll have escape and evasion ready in a week. I have to come into town anyway, to be on this new show? Not that I know what I’m supposed to be doing, really. Moral support for you and Kate, since you both loved me so much from the last show?”
“Really, we can probably set it up so that this escape stuff is your part? It’s mainly about Kate and her sisters, so the rest of us, Terry, Lara and Tyler, Kate’s boyfriend, will just be in the background. So we might as well be working on things while we do that. We can cover how to do the urban survival stuff? Even if I can’t go out on the streets for it, right now?”
“That’s a plan then. I’ll write that up, as a class. I feel better now. I was afraid I was going to have to cater the whole thing and I have no clue how to get that done at all.”
She could feel that one. The whole show was being rushed into being, in a fashion that was incredible to see happening. Then, they struck while the iron was hot, or risked Doctor Pond and his people firing off another salvo, first. That wasn’t going to work very well, but bringing out pictures of Veronica taking on all comers at a cat man orgy could be used to lash out. The woman had been abused, but her body forced her to seem into pretty much anything sexual. So, it would have looked an awful lot like porn, or at least a party, instead of what it really was.
Not having a choice didn’t mean it was the same as wanting to do it, in the first place. Pond had already put out that his children, not being genetically related to him, didn’t count that way. Samantha had fired back that them being six when he’d raped them made that point rather unimportant.
It was a war of words, so far, but no-one expected it to stay that way, actually. They were just jockeying for position, for the time being, to see who was going to be thought of as the right side. It was going to be the girls’ side of course, since no-one loved creepy pedophiles. Plus, Doctor Pond seemed insane, almost constantly.
He might have been a genius, but he was also just strange in a way that anyone seeing him couldn’t help but think meant guilty. Which he was, handily enough. She didn’t have to feel bad for using that to destroy his reputation, even.
At about five in the evening, just about when she needed to think about dinner, Nate flew in, wearing his nifty Mr. Sparkles costume.
“Hey, Sis. I was thinking of staying in tonight. We’ve been patrolling every night for the last week, and noticed that crime has dried up in our area. It’s a bit off. I think Jaime doesn’t get the idea that we’re a real super team. He basically has us out as the neighborhood watch. It’s working, as far as keeping drugs out and graffiti down in a five-block area, but we have people who can toss trucks around, you know? We can stop some actual supervillains, if we’re careful. Solve some serious problems. Not that making sure the park isn’t a drug den isn’t important. It actually is, but... Well, we’re still getting our feet under us. My point was that they don’t need us to be on the streets every day.”
She nodded, since that just made sense, to her.
“Oh, I’m setting up an escape and evasion course, with Max Wellard? Then, later, after I gain about eighteen more pounds, we’re going to go and have an urban survival class. Whoever wants in on that? Reese is in for the escape portions, at least. Megan, too, if I can get her interested. I would be, if I was her, but they’ve been through some horrible things and... yeah.”
“Yeah. Still, I’m in, then. I don’t have that much to do, really.”
She held up a single finger.
“Fighting, unarmed. Lessons for Reese and me on Sundays? More than that if it’s needed. I kind of want to stress running away for Reese right now, since, you know, he can’t go around armed. Not legally. This is just so, if someone tries to beat him up at school, he can handle things. Not that we’re telling his parents that.”
She didn’t have a real reason for that, but was rewarded by her brother nodding rather firmly.
“That’s more of a thing than you might think. I’ll schedule time for that, then.”
He looked away, his white, full face mask, in his hands, as he stood there, sparkling as he shifted. Hannah wasn’t in much of a trance, but she noticed an incredibly faint version of her brother, pointing a finger at her, and a single line hitting her in the chest. It took her moment to process that, but she shifted just before he could point, tossing herself to the side, the beam of light missing her. Barely. Then, over the course of half an hour, she had to dodge his attacks, as she fought to go into a deep enough trance state to actually have a real chance at staying ahead of him.
The biggest problem came when he just fired a beam from his right hand and started to wave it around. She saw where it was going, after a fashion, inside her head, not really seeing anything at all. She wasn’t able to really not be hit by it, when he did that. Not until she realized that she could hide behind the walls, by leaving the room. That started a chase, a silent one, around the whole apartment then, as she tried to use seeing where he’d be in ten seconds or so, to her benefit.
The truth was, if he’d really been gunning for her, she would have been dead, twenty times over. At the end, he seemed pretty well pleased, for some reason.
“That wasn’t bad at all. I mean, you can’t outrun light, but if you’d been shooting back, I don’t know who would have won, to be honest. If you can dodge this...” He fired a beam at her, that was like a golden colored laser. She moved to the side before he could finish the action. “Then bullets aren’t going to be any different, really. Not that we don’t want to get you some armor, soon. You were targeted once already. A werewolf, but you need to stay ready, all the time now.”
She winced, but nodded.
“Did Al tell you that? What he picked up from Sendra?”
Nate shook his head.
“Not even second hand. Jaime thinks that I’d tell you instantly, if I knew what was really going on. Which is true, but a bit harsh, coming from my own boyfriend. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, as far as you’re concerned, personally. I mean, if it was that bad, Alistair would tell us all. I get the idea, kind of. He doesn’t want people to just use him, or his power. So all the rules. He isn’t going to be dumb about it, though. He’d break his rules to save the life of a friend or innocent person. He’s mentioned having done it, in the past. Which means that you can’t be in that kind of danger.”
He shrugged and then shook his head.
“Which doesn’t mean you’re safe, all the time. I mean, you’re probably fine, but how good are you with this psychic stuff, really?”
She thought for a second and then nodded.
“Not all that great. I think that a tiny part of me is starting to use that kind of thing all the time, but even in a trance, I’m sort of... Really, it’s a blur, in my mind, with half a dozen different things showing up at once, in a hazy and see-through fashion. I have a lot of work to do that way. It helps if I go really deep, but I can’t live that way. So, a vest and... I don’t know, varying my schedule and taking different routes each time, I go somewhere?”
Nate shook his head.
“Do better than that, for the armor. Jaime knows a guy. Top end work, but only about ten thousand people in the world need it, so it isn’t his primary business. I’ll get you the number? He did this costume for me. You might want something a little more...”
“Tacky? I could go rainbow colors, with glitter mixed in? Dayglo, maybe?” She grinned at the words, which got one back, at least.
“I was thinking something that would work under your clothing? That way you can wear it around more often. At least until the weather gets too warm. Still, not having it and needing it, and all that?”
She could see his point, really. Even if it wasn’t that important and no-one else ever came for her, supporting local craftsmen and making friends wouldn’t hurt.
“I should get some for Tyler, Lara and Terry, too. Just in case? They’ve been standing too close to some high value targets lately. Reese and Megan... Sure, with me in front of them, most of the time, but as you just sort of proved, I’m not bullet proof. Plus, me stepping out of the way won’t help them at all, if lead or other things, starts flying.”
“Exactly. Also, Jaime kind of implied that he got his last costume by essentially turning tricks for the same guy, so I want eyes on him. Sort of pay attention to what he has going on?”
Hannah nodded, wondering if it was supposed to be a joke or not. That such things happened in the world was just the truth, but she didn’t know anyone would have done that to get a bullet proof suit. Then, she hadn’t asked how Linear could afford that kind of thing. Working at a gas station wasn’t going to pay for it, that was certain.
Even his new job, managing a food bank, wouldn’t pay enough to drop twenty thousand on full coverage body armor that a person could still move in. The idea of one of her friends, her people, having to have sex with strangers for money, for who knew how long, didn’t thrill her. Not that she hadn’t done enough of that in her own life, but that had been for fun, not cash, and with an eye toward not catching anything.
It was different.
Rather than get worked up, especially over a thing she didn’t know was real or not, Hannah went to her VR training room, and set up a game. She nearly practiced against bots, but decided to see who was there, actually online, first. That meant she was asked to join a co-op game with her entire team. Technically they weren’t one of those in any official sense, not being registered in the league, but it was The Rook, The Marxist, Johnberry and Meathead. Her crew, in the game she was playing that day.
They ran some practice sessions first, against bots, then played several games against other teams. They didn’t dominate or anything, but they worked as a real crew and the guys were all good. She did her part, plus a bit, since she was training not to die in real life, which meant there was a bit more effort having been put in on her part.
On the last game, when they put up the call for a match, they had Douchetastic hitting them up almost instantly. Hannah didn’t even bother frowning, just dropping into the deepest trance she could manage. It was interesting, but her subconscious mind really didn’t see anything different between the people inside the virtual game and actual reality. That meant she could kind of get a feel for what was about to happen.
What happened next was an epic battle of will, skills and to a certain extent, powers. It wasn’t exactly her running Carl all over the place, but she tried to hunt him, while holding to good cover and not being seen. At the same time, she was able to match him in response speed, part of the time, knowing where he was in the game. That wasn’t perfect at all, of course, but in the end a rather frustrated Carl had died ten times to her twelve and her team had dominated the other players, meaning that they’d won.
It was close, only two kills ahead, but that counted. At least for the time being.
Carl, sounding almost giddy for him, chuckled.
“Nice! Great work, guys. All of you, really. WH, we’re running a one-on-one match, now.” The last word was a command, and she bristled a bit at the tone, then shrugged.
“Let’s do it. Talk to you all later?” There was a chorus of yeahs and a friend request from one of the other team’s players, which she accepted, having no reason not to.
Then Carl selected a map, and she joined, moving into not just one battle but two hours’ worth. It was brutal, since Carl was suddenly applying himself, apparently using, if not everything he had, enough to really make her struggle to keep up. That only happened, her holding her own, when she pushed herself into a very deep mental state and kind of let go of considering anything consciously.
Then, well, she wasn’t winning, but she was sort of tying up. At least part of the time. She could know where he was going to be and with enough focus, where he was aiming, but that didn’t give her an instant win. Not by any means. In the end she lost, and was covered in sweat, but didn’t feel too badly about herself.
Carl, Douchetastic, made a derisive sound for her to hear, at the end.
“You can do better than that. Probably not a lot, but you had some moments out there which were nearly good. Are you running a script?”
She knew what that meant, now at least, so didn’t have to ask about it. He was asking if she was using a cheat code or program of some kind, to give her an edge. Which he didn’t seem upset about at all.
“Nope. Pure psychic precognition there. The real kind. Running a cheat code won’t help me in real life. I’m not good at it, but I have been trying to put in some practice and use it all the time, so I don’t get caught out too easily. I’m also working on running away, escape and evasion. By that, I mean that I have a class lined up. With Max, from the show?”
“Yeah? He’s decent. Good. How are you holding up? There’s been some shit, lately.”
“I’m good. Kate is keeping her chin up, but I have some people... Reese and Megan... They, you know.” He’d been there, after all.
“That I do. What do you want me to do about it?” The tone was brisk suddenly, as if she wanted anything from him. That hadn’t even been in the back of her mind, until she’d mentioned it.
“Nothing yet. We need some real range days for Reese. He’s doing the VR stuff, running and learning unarmed, but it won’t mean as much without some real practice as well.”
There was a drawn out swear word then, but the other soldier in the waiting room nodded at her.
“I’ll find something. Call it... When will you both have time free? I want to work you on shotguns, anyway.”
Saturdays was the answer, but starting after the next one.
“I’m on it then. Keep practicing. That psychic stuff, too. If you can learn to push that out even a few minutes, it can be a useful talent. Like, big league level. You working with Lash on that?”
“Debbie. That and Nate, who keeps ambushing me and shooting blasts of light for me to dodge.”
She had to move then, as Carl, rather slowly for him, drew and started shooting. She managed it, even though he was aiming and not that far away, inside the virtual world.
“There we go. Keep that up and maybe you won’t be dead half as soon as I’d thought you would. Keep working with Deb then and see about pushing that time out a bit. I’ll talk to you again in... Probably a few days. Keep me in the loop, if anything comes up.”
Then the other figure vanished, so she did the same. Her gear needed to be cleaned and recharged, anyway. When that was done, she wandered out into the front room, and settled on the sofa.
Thinking about her life.
Which got her to dial Trevor, since she’d kind of ditched him, as far as their date went and then hadn’t called back to confirm anything with him. She’d been busy, sure, but that was no excuse not to take ten minutes to say she remembered him.
“Trevor here, what may I do for you this fine night?”
“Set up a date? Even if you already have a new girlfriend, you should at least let me come over and school some ghosts. I’ve been practicing, so, you know, they’ll be eternally damned in no time, if they bother you too much.” She couldn’t do that, but faking it hard enough seemed to work, more or less.
