Part 28.4

Adventures in Parodyverse - Saving the Future Part 28.5 (Epilogue)


    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Not bad.”  The Psychic Samurai commented on Liu Xi’s new apartment overlooking Paradopolis University.  Except that she was standing in front of the window looking into the room.  While she owned the building, she hadn’t really seen any of the units furnished before.

    It was familiar, with many of the furnishings of Liu Xi’s room at the Lair Mansion.  But it was also different, not just in arrangement, but in sensation.  It was brighter, as if it reflected a brighter and more cheery stage in the Chinese girl’s life.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Danny stopped by.”  Liu Xi changed the subject.  “It broke my heart at first.  We sort of decided we’d be friends.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Be careful with him.”  Chiaki warned.  “He’s sweet, but very manipulative...a little like his dad.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes, I know.”  Liu Xi rolled her eyes a little.  She did live with him for what she thought was weeks or months, after all.  He played games with her almost constantly, to test her, until one day she told him how much the lack of trust hurt her feelings.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Liu Xi, listen carefully.”  Chiaki moved closer and looked her right in the eyes.  “Danny is very loyal, to Kerry in this case.  Kerry, though, is not as trusting.  If their relationship becomes rocky, Liu Xi, you’ll become a target of both Kerry’s wrath and Danny’s need for comfort.”

    The Chinese girl looked down and sighed.  “I know, Chiaki.  After the experiences I had, I’m very careful now...maybe too careful.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I trust you.”  Chiaki looked up and sighed.  “I suppose I’m so protective of you because you’ve been hurt so many times--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Hooded Hood wants me to kill someone doesn’t he?”  Liu Xi guessed, changing the topic suddenly.  When Chiaki looked away, she added, “It’s in your eyes, and hidden in your words.  I see it.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Possibly.”  Chiaki admitted sheepishly.  “I also considered the possibility you may become trapped on an alien planet, accused of killing someone.”

    Liu Xi knew who she referred to, and she shuddered.  “The Hooded Hood is tricky.  I suppose we have to be ready for anything.  But also I don’t think he’ll harm me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh?”  Chiaki perked up at those words.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He did visit me.”  she explained.  “He was speaking to me...strangely.  He speaks to me me...like an adopted daughter.”

    Chiaki frowned.  She wondered if it was because the Hooded Hood wanted Danny and Liu Xi together.  Or perhaps only because she was a close friend of Danny’s now.  Or maybe the Hooded Hood thought of her as part of his legacy.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m suspicious of that.”  Liu Xi continued.  “The Void Scholar did the same thing.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Hooded Hood is far more honest and honorable.”  Chiaki noted out loud.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No kidding,”  Liu Xi said with a laugh.  She then asked curiously, “Why are you only guessing?  You don’t know what the Hooded Hood will do?”

    Chiaki smiled, as the reason to her was so clear.  “I know what most people will do because their thinking is...very linear.  They have a plan, with a clear conclusion, or possibly a handful or possible conclusions.  The Hooded Hood--”  She sighed and shook her head.  “He has many plans that merge at many points and have many conclusions.  And none of them is more important than any other.  All I can see from him is possibilities...and it’s quite likely he sees the same, and it’s all he needs.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I see.”  the Chinese girl responded slowly.  She then eyed Chiaki and asked her, “What are you going to do?  About you and Jay?”

    The Samurai sat down on the arm of Liu Xi’s couch, and her smile disappeared.  She left her sword lying across her lap.  “I...believe I’ve changed our friendship forever.  Whether it’s for the better or worse, only time will tell.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I hope it’s for the better.”  Liu Xi offered sympathetically.

    Chiaki smiled for just a moment, but her eyes showed some doubt.  “Anyway, it seems I have a job to do.  To restore my honor, I suppose, to Jay and to the world.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I heard.  Do you think you’ll succeed?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I think so, yes.”  the Samurai replied with a nod.  Then to change the subject, “Do you start classes soon?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“In a few days.”  Liu Xi replied.  “It’ll be a nice change...becoming part of the real world.”

    Chiaki laughed, and said, “It’s a rare treat, for people like us.”

    Then the Samurai headed back toward the door.  “I have somewhere to go, Liu Xi.  I’ll be happy to visit you again later.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Okay.”  Liu Xi replied with a nod.  She grabbed a jacket and followed.  “I suppose I have somewhere to go too.”

    Chiaki looked behind her after she crossed through the doorway into the hallway outside Liu Xi’s apartment.  Liu Xi had crossed through the doorway and vanished somewhere else.  She smiled and locked the door behind her.


---


    Liu Xi Xian walked straight into Hatman’s office from the doorway, and over to his desk, where he sat in his chair watching her approach.  She leaned over him from behind and hugged him tightly, pressing her chin against his shoulder.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What was that for?”  he asked once she let him go.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“For not throwing Chiaki to the wolves.”  Liu Xi explained, and then she smiled.  “Because I need her right now, and I was worried she wouldn’t be around.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Me too.”  Jay confessed, looking down at his desk as he did.  “On both counts.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m very proud of you.”  Liu Xi said.

    Jay finally looked at her.  “And I’m proud of you, for encouraging me.  You’ve really grown up.  The old you would have come in here cursing at me.  All that ever did was make me feel even worse.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know.”  she agreed.  “I’m sorry.  For all the times I did that.”

    They both turned around at a gentle tap on the door.  A blonde opened it and stuck her head into the office.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lara!”  Liu Xi called out first.  “You’re back!”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  Lara responded as she entered the office.  She crossed the office and hugged Liu Xi briefly, and then Jay too.  “I missed you two.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Where did you go?”  Jay asked.

    The blonde shrugged.  “I met some new people.  I can’t really tell much about them just yet...I hope you understand.  They’re secretive, and they trust me.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are they dangerous?”

    Lara shook her head.  Though she had her doubts, at least she wouldn’t be lying about what she knew of them right now.  

    She smiled then, and changed the subject, “Hey, I should take you to visit my home one day, for a few hours at least.  It’s only fair, since you’ve been so hospitable to me here.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What about Liu Xi?”  Jay asked, trying to be fair.

    The Chinese Elementalist smiled.  “I’ve been there already, Jay.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh really?  And you didn’t tell me?”

    Liu Xi shrugged.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And it won’t cause a paradox or anything bad like that?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.”  Lara laughed.  “The forces there are pretty good about planning for this kind of stuff.  Just, you know, don’t try to blow up my Earth or anything while you’re there.”

     Jay smiled as he replied, “I think I can promise that.  I can’t really go right now though, I have some work to do...have to get Chiaki set up to work at the Safe.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh, right.”  Liu Xi nodded and looked at Lara.  “Chiaki is going to fix up the place so people stop escaping.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hopefully.”  Jay added.

    Liu Xi kept the rest to herself, wondering if it might help her someday if she were ever tossed in there for every bad thing she’d done.  When she glanced at Lara, she realized that the blonde saw a worried look cross her face, so she quickly smiled again.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Anyway, I have one more person to visit, one more promise to fulfill.”  Lara said.  “I’ll be around for a little while after that.”

    In a flash of light, Lara was gone.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It’s so cool when she does that.”  Liu Xi whispered.

    Jay pointed out, “Your Void tricks are pretty cool too.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yeah.”  she agreed with a shrug.  She craned her neck to see as Jay’s cell phone rang.  

    He answered it, and simply said, “Oh, good.  Thanks for calling and updating me.”  He then hung up and told Liu Xi, “Looks like Chiaki arrived at work just in time.  I hope she can handle it.”


---


    Chiaki Bushido looked around at her new office in the Administration building, on the grounds of the Safe.  It was a building made like a fortress, but mostly for an illusionary peace of mind of its human occupants.  The thick concrete walls were really no match for most of its prisoners.

    The office was furnished to look rather modern, presumably to give it a positive feel to any public or press who might visit.  She walked across the grey carpeted floor past the two soft red velvet visitor chairs, and and the matching red velvet couch along the side wall, with a painting above it.  She placed her sword across the glass and steel desk, and sat carefully in the tall leather executive chair.

    She then looked at her personal secretary, standing in the doorway with a clipboard, holding the edge of the heavy wood door.  Behind the Samurai was smooth bullet-proof glass, with heavy bars visible on the outside.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What sort of tasks do you have for my first day?”  Chiaki asked.

    The secretary approached the desk gingerly, and pulled a few papers from the clipboard.  “Written request from Baroness Zemo asking for larger quarters.  Another from her asking for temporary release to campaign in the mayoral election.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Denied, on both counts.”  Chiaki summarized.  She took both of the forms and fed them to the shredder next to her desk.  “How is she typing these requests?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“They’re usually faxed in by her lawyer.”  the secretary said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hmm.  She’s distracting us from something.”  Chiaki said.  “I’d like the recordings of her phone calls, please.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Cracking heads on the first day?”  Warden Westwood said as he walked into the office, passing the secretary as she left.  “Glad to see you’re taking this seriously so far.”

    Chiaki stood and bowed slightly.  “Thank you.”  she said.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“You’re just in time, too.”  he said.  “We’re got a new crisis on our hands.  After two escape attempts in a year...we have a new mayoral candidate whose platform is advocating closing down the Safe.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Oh?”  Chiaki asked as she sat back down.  “Who is that?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Some guy named Marvin Zimmermann, used to have a TV show.”

    Chiaki blinked, and shuddered internally, though she gave no visible sign of it.  She knew of this guy...he called himself Marvellous Marv.  He was exceptionally dangerous.  And as soon as she heard his name, she guessed the next part, before Warden Westwood even said it.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Vendredi dropped off the ticket.”  Westwood added.

    The Psychic Samurai sighed.  “I figured as much,”  she whispered.  “Is it okay if I make a private phone call right now?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Sure, no problem.”  he said, guessing she was going to call someone in the Lair Legion.  It was, secretly, part of why he allowed her to serve at the Safe.  “After you’re done, come up to my office and I’ll give you a tour of some of our ‘guests’.”

    Chiaki stood and bowed again as Westwood left and closed the door behind him.  She then pulled out her cell phone - she suspected the prison’s phone lines were under surveillance - and she called the one person she thought would be most concerned.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“How are things going with the new job, Chiaki?”  Jay asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Perfectly fine.”  she replied.  “That’s not why I’m calling.  Did you hear about the mayoral election?”

    There was a pause at the other end, before Jay quietly said, “Yes.  I heard.  He’s not breaking any laws...so there isn’t much we can do.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“But Jay--”  Chiaki started to say.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know, he has a history with me.”  Jay interrupted her.  “I know you want to protect me, Chiaki--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“And I know he has power over one of your greatest weaknesses.”  Chiaki pointed out.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes.”  he admitted.  “Don’t worry, I’ve got the best here watching my back.  Fix up the Safe...because if we have to put Marv there someday, I trust you to make sure he can’t escape.”

     The Psychic Samurai smiled at that.  She was indeed in quite a unique position this time.  “I’ll do my best.”  she said.  Then she hung up.


---


    Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is Killer Shrike.”  Warden Westwood noted as he began his tour of the Safe prisoners.  He held open a tiny door which gave a limited view of a small, completely bare metal cell.  There was a man curled up on the floor, wearing only a grey wool prison uniform.  “His conditions reflect his ability to build a weapon from nearly anything.  He nearly killed two guards this week.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hmm.  He’s drugged.”  Chiaki took out her brand-new passkey and swiped it next to the door fearlessly.  She noted that Warden Westwood moved behind her quickly as she did so.

    As soon as the door opened, Killer Shrike moved his head almost imperceptibly.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He hasn’t been fed.”  Chiaki noted that he seemed unusually thin.  “How long has he been here?  Why is he here?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He’s awaiting trial.”  Westwood told her.  “Apparently he was under the employ of the Baroness, who’s also--”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I know him.”  Chiaki interrupted.  “He’s a mercenary.  He will work for anyone who has money.”

    At those words, Killer Shrike lifted his head completely.  He had long unkempt hair, which fell across his face.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He must be placed in a regular cell immediately.”  Chiaki concluded.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“He’ll try to escape again.”  Westwood warned.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“No.”  Chiaki said as she kneeled beside him and brushed aside his hair to get a look at his eyes.  “I don’t believe he will.”

    There was a glint of recognition through those heavily drugged eyes.  Killer Shrike gasped, and reached out for Chiaki.  The guard just outside the door drew his stun stick and moved in.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Wait.”  Chiaki ordered the guard.  

    When he didn’t listen, she forcibly took the stick from him in a blur.  He moved to object, but Warden Westwood pushed him back.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Shrike.”  Chiaki told him.  “I know you understand.  From now on you will be my guest.”  With that, she stood, and walked back to the door.  “Place him in a regular cell, please, and get him cleaned up.”

    The guard looked at Westwood.  He frowned and said, “Well?  What are you waiting for?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes, sir.”  the guard said quickly before scrambling out.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What’s our next stop?”  Chiaki asked as she closed the cell door carefully behind her.

    Warden Westwood smiled.  “Oh, I saved the best one for last.”



TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin