Watching Yute (48 page)

The ghost took inventory of itself as
its little grey form tumbled along with the flow of water.
‘Killing’ its creator wasn’t the kind of thing it thought of itself
as doing. It wasn’t the kind of actions it learned from Marcus or
Cipriana, but it was what Cipriana thought needed to be done in
this case, for everyone’s safety.

But was it murder? Kirison’s nanite
system wasn’t human, but then, neither was the ghost. What would
Marcus say? It wished it could talk to him again.

Marcus was very important to
it.

It wished it could talk to him
again.

But Marcus was still gone.

~~~~~

:::C /46

~~~~~

The airlimb had been moved closer to
the confrontation spot, about twenty metres from where Kirison had
been gunned down. On Cipriana's recommendation, Kirison's body was
doused with more gasoline, to keep the fire burning a while longer.
Just in case.

Cassidy stood in the airlimb bay door,
watching as Storms and local police did all the things they felt
needed to be done. Nafim had given clearance for the local power
grid to be turned back on, but the fire was still the most
captivating light source. The night had settled in, and the streets
were still pretty quiet.

Brock and some assistants were doing
their best to find any stray nanites. Keith's face was scrubbed
with alcohol to get off any residual nanites from Kirison's blood.
Brock was satisfied with the tests afterward.

Cipriana made her way back to the
airlimb and gave Cassidy a quiet nod. “Sorry, Cip.” Cassidy said
softly. “I couldn't find you any marshmallows for your
fire.”

“
That's not terribly funny.”
Cipriana said, looking back at Kirison's fire.

Cassidy sighed, and leaned against the
edge of the doorway. “No, it's not. But doesn't this feel like some
messed up camp-out scene?” She looked at Cipriana closely, with
tired eyes. “Cip. Are you... are you you now?”

Cipriana forced a little bit of a
smile. “I was always me, Cassidy. But yes, he's gone. I'm alone in
my head again.”

“
Miss him?”

Cipriana scoffed softly. “I... I don't
know. I know what he is, and... I mean, I was never fooling myself
about it. He was welcome, but I suppose I feel... I
mean...”

“
Shut up, Cip.” Cassidy
wrapped her arms around Cipriana, and watched the dancing shadows
that the fire cast.

“
It only sounded like
Marcus. I know that.” Cipriana sighed. “But he was
good.”

Cassidy let Cipriana go, and sank down
to sit on the deck. “Don't over think it, Cip. It's over.” She idly
spun her rings around her finger. “Still, you might want to let Doc
Brock scan you over. Just to make sure you don't have anything left
in you. A better scan than the last one.”

Cipriana looked a little surprised.
“The ghost wouldn't lie to me.”

Cassidy shook her head slowly. “Maybe
not. Maybe it had some little scheme behind the scenes... maybe
Kirison's left a few tricks in the ghost's programming that the
ghost wasn't even aware of. I don't know, maybe I'm paranoid, but
do it for me, huh? I just need a guarantee that we have our old Cip
back.”

Cipriana smiled her soft sort of smile.
Cassidy couldn't imagine anyone else being capable of that smile.
This was pure Cipriana.

“
Well, now that everyone
knows I was carrying the ghost, I don't think Brock will let me get
too far without every kind of scan he can imagine. I think I might
get in some trouble for hiding it.” She sat down next to
Cassidy.

Cassidy scoffed. “Blame the ghost.
Claim mind control. You don't know for sure that it wasn't the
case. It's not like Brock can hunt it down now.”

“
I miss him.” Cipriana's
voice cracked, followed by a sniffle. “Not the ghost.
Marcus.”

“
Cip?”

Cipriana's breathing trembled a little.
“I get to miss him all by myself. I know it's all my own thoughts,
and I miss him. I... ” She crossed her arms and looked down.
Cassidy leaned over and put her arms around her again.

“
You damn well know you're
not alone, Cip. Not by a long shot.” It was the kind of things
people said in these situations.

When Cassidy finally headed back to her
quarters on the airlimb, her terminal had a little light flashing
slowly. A message.

“
Hey, it's me.” Brandy.
“Just calling to check up on you. Talk to you later.”

Cassidy looked at the time. It wasn't
that late. She called back. Ring.... ring....

“
Hey! Cassie!”

“
Hey Brandy, what's
up?”

“
You look tired!”

“
Yeah, thanks. Hey, guess
where I am, Brandy?”

“
Looks like the room on your
flying avenge-o-bird.”

Cassidy smirked “Yeah, yeah. And guess
where it's parked?”

“
Mars! I dunno, just tell
me.”

“
Downtown
Densfarn!”

“
What?! What are you doing
out here?”

Cassidy grinned. “Did you hear about
any power outages this evening?”

Brandy narrowed her eyes, and tilted
her head. “What exactly have you done now?”

Cassidy laughed outright. “You'll see
it on the morning news! And... and if you don't, it probably means
I'm not allowed to tell. I'm not sure how classified things are at
this point.”

“
Cassie, what the hell? Are
you Jane Bond now or something? In the Grand Elder's secret
service?”

Cassidy chuckled. Brandy was great.
“No, no, hell no. This is it. All the 'i's have been crossed, the
't's have been dotted, the weird stuff is over.
Finally.”

“
Your 't's have been d- oh,
whatever. Well, alright then, how long are you in town?”

“
Frig, I don't know. Another
half hour maybe. Remember, flying avenge-o-bird.”

“
Well damn, Cassie! You come
all this way, and you don't even stop in for coffee?”

“
Brandy! I'm... I'm not
really in the market for... coffee.”

“
That's not what I meant,
smartass.”

Cassidy smiled softly. “Goodbye,
Brandy.” she said quietly.

~~~

“
Sergeant Dixon.” Colonel
Nafim said, shortly after Kieth had gotten the airlimb on
course.

“
Yes, Sir?” Keith turned in
the seat to face her.

“
Sergeant, how attached are
you to operating this airlimb? I realize it took a good deal of
training and whatnot, but-”

Keith was taken a bit aback. “Sir? Am I
doing a bad job?”

“
No! No, no. I just noticed
that you get along with the Yute temple personnel fairly
well.”

Keith furrowed his brow to show his
confusion.

Nafim turned her back, to look out the
window. “It's just that they are unfortunately a little shorthanded
at the moment. I can't have them borrowing people from me
indefinitely. They will need to find permanent
staffers.”

“
Are you suggesting I
transfer?”

Nafim turned to face him again. “Yes. A
suggestion only. You do a fine job here, but I think you would also
do well there. It's a unique unit. You would likely fit in, where
many would not. It's just an idea. Give it some
thought.”

Keith looked out into the night sky.
“Yes, Sir. I'll think about it.”

~~~

Within the hour, Grand Elder Armil was
on board, settled into his on-board office. Cassidy knocked on the
open door frame, with Armil's spear in the other hand.

“
Hey, busy?”

Armil looked up from his desk and
smiled. “Not at all! I'm here to see you, after all. Come in!” He
walked over to the floor rug, and sat down behind the spear's
case.

Cassidy sat across from him with the
beast spear in her lap. “So, you heard it's over, huh? Want your
poky stick back?”

Armil leaned forward to open the case.
“I think its job is done. It deserves a rest for a few
decades.”

“
It's not like it got to
draw any blood.” Cassidy didn't think Cipriana's hand counted,
“isn't a spear made for sticking into people? Do you think it's
content with this outcome?” She rested the spear in the case and
stared at it.

“
You're a soldier, Cassidy.
Arguably, you are trained to kill. Are you discontent on a day that
you don't have to kill anyone?”

Cassidy scoffed lightly. She replied
almost under her breath “Sometimes. When it comes to Horad.” She
looked up at Armil. “So, has he been sentenced yet?”

“
No, not yet.” Armil closed
the case. “I suspect he will serve at least fifteen or so years for
each death. He has also been linked to several bombings, to which
he has voluntarily confessed. I don't know how many bombings, but I
suspect he will not outlive his final sentence.”

Confessed. Voluntarily. “What, he had
some magical change of heart or something?” Bringing more crimes to
the attention of authorities didn't sound like a great defence
tactic.

“
Maybe...” Armil tapped the
case, “maybe he was visited by a mournful soul, who opened his
eyes.”

Cassidy remembered the talk she had
with Horad in the airlimb bay on the day he was apprehended, but
laughed anyway. “I don't think me and this spear really did much. I
don't think you really needed me at all.”

Armil closed his eyes and smiled. “Need
flows many ways. I think all needs have been served as well as
circumstance would allow.”

“
Well. I'm done.” Cassidy
stood. “I'm headed back to the temple base, back on duty. Me and
Cip, and the big stone dog. See you around, Armil.” She gave a
quick salute.

“
Walk with peace,
Cassidy.”

~~~~~

:::C /47

~~~~~

The temple base was as it had always
been. People flowed between the base and the temple during shift
changes, and went on with daily life the rest of the time. Alan's
cookies were still the focus of good natured conflicts, Maxine
still went to her exercise square, Cipriana still meditated on her
bunk, Jim was still a likeable, hopeless dork.

Life went on. In so many ways, as if
nothing had happened. It disgusted Cassidy. It seemed as if reality
itself were making light of Cheryl's death.

After choking down a microwaved ration,
and trying to politely avoid friendly conversation, Cassidy
wandered back from the mess towards the womens' barracks. A day had
passed, and she started to wonder when she would be asked to return
to active duty. She wasn't sure, but she would have wagered that
Cipriana hadn't missed any shifts since Marcus' funeral. Maybe that
was thanks in part to the ghost.

She turned the corner and saw Cipriana
on her bunk, reading from her terminal. Cipriana somehow looked
more alive than she used to. She just had a vibrancy that Cassidy
didn't remember from before. Was she like this before the
attack?

From the doorway, Cassidy looked as
closely as she could. Was Cipriana smiling? She noticed Cassidy,
and waved her over with the terminal in her hand. Cassidy walked
over. “What's up?”

Cipriana handed Cassidy her terminal.
It was open to an email.

From:

To:

:::Hello, Schmetterling.

:::Kirison support colony components
that entered the sewer are confirmed destroyed.

:::I have also confirmed that the fire
was effective.

:::Eidechse

Cassidy handed the terminal back to
Cipriana. “S-ch-metter... what?”

Cipriana smiled again. “Shmet-er-ling.
It's German. The ghost knows my father is German. Schmetterling
means 'butterfly'.” She pointed over her shoulder to the painted
butterfly over her bunk. “When I dropped the nanite ball into the
sewer, he destroyed the nanites that bled out of Kirison. Then he
came back to make sure my fire worked to get anything left on the
street.”

Cassidy raised her eyebrows. “So the
ghost is still 'alive', running around writing email?”

Cipriana's smile persisted. “You're
still worried he could become a problem?”

“
I guess not.” Cassidy
sighed. “I'd feel better if he had a checkup with Brock or
something, though.”

“
At which point, Doctor
Brock would be required by law to destroy him.”

“
True. At any rate, I'm
still glad we have you back in original condition.” She patted
Cipriana on the shoulder, and headed back out.

“
Where are you going?”
Cipriana asked.

Cassidy stopped, and looked at the
ground for a moment. “It's a nice day. I'm going for a walk.” She
looked forward to the exit. “Gonna try to relax a bit. You know,
now that all that crap's been dealt with.” Without giving Cipriana
another look, she left the base.

It was a nice day. The mid-morning sun
hadn't yet become uncomfortably warm. It was the way she'd like to
be able to remember the ruins, except for a couple missing details.
One in particular.