Chaos Angel Spanner — Chapter 14: Plots and Plans
Part 2: I Choose Free Will (Revision 4)
Part 2: I Choose Free Will (Revision 4)
principal’s office. Six principals stare down at the girl with the violet eyes. She returns their stare clear-eyed and confident. “Well, Miss Anonymous,” Spiekerman says. “Rumors have come to us that you have been engaging in forbidden sexual liaisons. Correct?”
She smiles ironically. “Yes, I have.”
The principals gasp in horror and disgust. “Do you really expect to get away with it?”
“I do.”
Spiekerman nudges Falconer with his elbow to shut her up. “Explain.”
“Answer me this: do I look like a sex doll?”
The other principals nod enthusiastically. Spiekerman says, “Continue.”
“They are right. Properly, I should not even be marriageable. My looks are classified as ‘frivolous,’ not ‘serious.’ Thus deprived of a future, I choose to consort with my own kind.”
“Why,” asks Principal through a strained smile, “would you do a horrible thing like that?”
“Because it is my will.”
The assistants are too shocked to speak. Principal sweats and twitches. Falconer growls, “This is unforgivable.”
“I don’t seek your altruistic sentiment, Major. I serve a greater cause than yours.”
Principal narrows his eyes. “And what would that be, young lady?”
“Myself.”
Falconer barks, “The Law will show you no mercy!”
“The Law can do nothing. And there is nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Are you speaking treason?” shrieks Falconer.
“Whatever that is.” The principals gasp. She flashes them a beautiful smile of triumph, then turns toward the door. “The rumor is that the Governor is showing his contempt for the Shepherd-Mayor by marrying me to his heir. That rumor is true.” She opens the door and looks back toward them. “To hell with duty. I choose free will.” She slams the door behind her, leaving the principals stunned.
hallway. Akane watches on as Shira opens her locker. Harumi, Seika, and Sana join them as she unloads her backpack. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be here,” says Seika nervously.
Sana flirtatiously puts her arm around his shoulder. “Oh, we’re just here a little early.” Seika blushes.
Akane holds out his smartphone and launches an app. Suddenly it beeps. Shira’s eyes go wide; she suddenly turns to stare at him. Harumi gasps. “You the one with computer in your head?”
Sana’s jaw drops; she takes in a sudden breath. “Akane, how’d you figure that out?”
“Akimi-san,” says Akane.
Shira glares at him. “So that’s why you were at Biotron.”
2013... Shira rubs her head. “It hurts, Doc. When’s this headache gonna go away?”
“When your brain gets used to it,” says Dr. Whistler. “It won’t take long at all.”
“So what do I do with it?”
“Tell it to turn on.”
She thinks: System on. Suddenly she sees an entire operating system appear in her field of vision. “Plasmoids?”
“Better than apps,” says Zac. “Claim your system and it’s yours.”
She activates login, uses her handle as username, picks an unintelligible thirteen-word passphrase in thirteen languages and eight scripts, configures her IPv6 firewall, downloads her usual apps—but she finds a new one preinstalled. “Eyecam?”
Zac grins. “The one and only.”
She activates it—and finds herself immersed in full augmented reality...
“When your brain gets used to it,” says Dr. Whistler. “It won’t take long at all.”
“So what do I do with it?”
“Tell it to turn on.”
She thinks: System on. Suddenly she sees an entire operating system appear in her field of vision. “Plasmoids?”
“Better than apps,” says Zac. “Claim your system and it’s yours.”
She activates login, uses her handle as username, picks an unintelligible thirteen-word passphrase in thirteen languages and eight scripts, configures her IPv6 firewall, downloads her usual apps—but she finds a new one preinstalled. “Eyecam?”
Zac grins. “The one and only.”
She activates it—and finds herself immersed in full augmented reality...
“How come nee-chan find out?” asks Harumi.
Shira shrugs. “I told her.”
Sana crosses her arms. “So why didn’t you tell any of us?”
“Didn’t wanna be accused of cheating in sports.”
Disappointed, Seika and the girls say, “Oh.”
Suddenly two new programs upload under codenames impenetrable to the pop-culture incurious: “Wimpy” and “Bokonon.” The latter is the Icenine worm currently circulating the Darknet. After determining the other is not a virus, she starts it—and recognizing the Japanese text, just as quickly closes it. She stares at Akane in shock. “Fire with fire,” he says.
Harumi stares at him narrow-eyed. “And what is that?”
“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you.” He winks wickedly. Shira stashes the new apps into her hidden directory along with the one labelled “English Key.”
homeroom. The girl with the violet eyes arrives early, only to find she’s not the first one to class. One short girl with beautiful long black hair stares silently out the window. The face it reflects is that of Daisy Kwon, and she looks depressed. The violet-eyed girl silently and slowly walks up behind her; Daisy watches her reflection approach. She puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. Daisy gasps and turns to face her. They stare at each other for a minute, saying nothing. Then Daisy throws herself sobbing in her arms. The violet-eyed girl gently strokes her hair. “What’s wrong, Daisy?”
“Y- you... you killed them...”
“Daisy, they were there to kill us.”
“I mean... Yesterday in the park... one swing... and the war came back...” Daisy holds her tight, confusing her even more.
“The war?”
“Were you in Europe when the Caliphate invaded?“
“No!” the girl protests. “Why?”
“We called her Hinagiku,” says a voice at the door. They turn to see Jennifer. “She was part of a detachment of young kunoichi who fought alongside us when we killed Emir Yusuf Kony and drove his jihadi hordes out of Europe early last year.” She walks up toward the violet-eyed girl as Daisy embraces her from behind.
“’Us’— you mean you—”
“Unlike her, I didn’t fight willingly. The Revolutionaries forced me into a ‘children’s crusade’ unit they called ‘Alice Company,’ consisting of juvenile delinquents, perceived undesirables, and daughters of dissidents between the ages of eleven and sixteen. They armed us, stripped us, and sent us to Europe to fight at the front. We found ourselves right in the middle of the first Caliphate invasion. We joined forces with Russian girls in the same situation and with the kunoichi to mow down the Caliphate jihadis and hunt down Kony. A cyborg from Italian intelligence blew herself up to kill him and destroy his base.”
“You should have been there with us,” says Daisy. She kisses the girl on the cheek. “How come you didn’t join us?”
Jennifer caresses the girl’s cheek. “The Owners wanted her blood for themselves.”
“She’s Factor Positive?” The girl nods sadly. Daisy holds her tight and kisses her again. “Too bad, you would have been the best of us...”
scenario: Inside his floating base, Emir “Butt Naked” and his lieutenants finish their orgiastic meal of the wine-spiked blood and barbecued flesh of captured infidels when suddenly they hear a demon scream in the air in that very room—a woman naked as themselves, beautiful as an angel, long black hair flowing free, pure murder in her eyes, flying at him with katana cocked back—he has no time to scream before she swings her sword and takes his head—The violet-eyed girl raises her gaze in wonder. “I should have. I’d be free from Grandfather, I wouldn’t have been the Molotov twins’ slave, and I’d have the chance to die a hero.”
“Don’t say that!” protests Debbie from behind Jennifer.
“Did you see me swing Oliver’s shovel, Debbie? It reminded Daisy of the ninja girls she hunted Yusuf Kony with.”
“One swing, and twelve men fell dead,” Jennifer muses. “It was so beautiful, it was almost like I was back...”
Debbie spins and gasps. “You were in Alice Company?!” She grabs Jennifer by the scarf and starts to shake her. “Damn it,” she sobs, “you got to be a hero and I didn’t! God, why do You keep doing this to me?”
scenario: Suddenly shots ring out! Emir “Butt Naked” sees his lieutenants fall down around him, all shot between the eyes. The sniper is up in the balcony, a small spike-haired blonde drunkenly laughing, shooting at will and never missing. He is about to order her death when the demon screams and he turns to see the black-haired beauty flying at him to take his head—Christie crosses her arms. “Why are we telling war stories?”
The other girls stare at her like a fool. Jennifer looks her straight in the eyes. “Do you envy us, Christie? Debbie does.”
“Hmph!” She walks to her seat as Dave and Shira arrive.
dictel park. News helicopters from four networks arrive to hover over the school. Alarmed, the Ghostface-masked man demands, “Why in God’s name did you call them for, Tremayne?”
Ron snarls, “If we wanna regain our manhood, we gotta slay those evil witches Thomas and Shelley, along with all their friends, in front of the whole world.”
homeroom office. Dave finds Jennifer riffling through the desk and confronts her. “What do you think you’re looking for?”
“Making sure Bernkastel didn’t leave behind anything his fans might use like, say, a weapon.”
“I’m sure the authorities took everything that was in there.”
“Never underestimate the paranoia of a Conservative Revolutionary. Here.” She carefully pries something from above the center drawer. He is appalled to see she has pulled out Bernkastel’s combat knife.
“I thought they found the murder weapon.”
“That’s the thing with these conservative types, they always have huge arsenals and make sure part of it’s hidden. Case in point.” She puts the knife on the desk, takes the drawer completely out, sets it on the table, and reaches back in. “Crazy, this Party insistence that all citizens absolutely, positively must be armed to the teeth if we’re to be free and secure. Every man for himself, children be damned, that kinda shit.” She pulls out Bernkastel’s service Beretta. “This is actually the first time I’ve touched a gun since I got back home.” She sets the gun next to the knife and reaches under the desk again. “You know what the company commander said once? ‘It takes the blood of innocent millions to protect America’s freedom.’ Repulsive old twat.” She pulls out something not deadly and studies it carefully. An old SD card? Her expression turns to shock when she recognizes her own handwriting—then to outrage when she realizes what Bernkastel used it for...
“What’s wrong?”
“War pictures,” she says, disturbingly calm. “Those girls begged me to take pictures of ’em, alive and dead, so the world would remember they lived.”
“What was he doing with pictures of dead girls?”
She stares at him with cold fury. “Wanking.”
Dave nearly faints.
homeroom. Dave faces only half a class: Debbie, Kelly, Polly, Scotty, Marina, the Fleer sisters, and the tutors: Shira, Jennifer, Connor, Cory, Daisy, Rob, and his nameless twin sister. Scotty complains, “Why are we even here?”
“If you wanna leave, then leave.” Scotty takes his stuff and leaves.
Dorian asks, “How many teachers are still here?”
“Not many.”
Christie stands up. “I don’t think there’s any reason to stay.” She leaves; Dorian and Charmian look at each other, then follow their sister out.
Shira says, “Not even a lecture?”
Dave shrugs. “Hardly anybody left to lecture to.”
She stands up. “C’mon guys, pool’s ours.” The tutors leave with Polly and Marina. Debbie looks at Dave, shrugs, and dashes out.
hallway. As Scotty wanders aimlessly, someone interrupts from behind. “Why are you still here?” asks Lucy.
“I was gonna ask you that.”
“Somebody’s got to keep this school safe.”
“Need any help?”
Lucy smiles. “Why not.”
He smiles back. They blush. They walk away hand in hand.
pool. While the Student Council is in session, tutors and fighters decide to swim nude: Shira, Jennifer, Connor, Polly, Cory, Steve, Marina, Fiona, Rob, and his twin sister, the girl with the violet eyes. Their clothes are in the boys’ locker room they have turned coed. Jennifer carries her dolphin flipper. Polly asks nervously, “Uh, what if they see us?”
“Throw ’em in and take off their clothes,” says Shira.
“That’s a great idea!” says Jennifer.
“If you say so...” says Polly. They all jump in, except Jennifer, who sits down to buckle the flipper onto her feet. She awkwardly shuffles her body to the pool; but once she’s in, she’s the picture of perfect grace. The violet-eyed girl swims to the deep end, submerges, holds her breath, and dances a mesmerizing languid underwater dance...
2013... Leila’s hair is long silky black, Clarissa’s long and golden with elegant curls: fourteen years old, together for an underwater modelling shoot, unselfconsciously nude in front of the cameras, letting their hair and their transparent white scarf flow free, silently determined to make this a record of their love like the videos recorded by desperate young girls forced into war in the certainty that they too will be commanded to die for the profit of the Owners.
Three breaths left: they dance together in languid free fall, beautiful love-filled eyes gazing deep into each other, slim bodies liquidly shifting with a mermaid’s grace, connected only by their gaze and the scarf that veils and unveils them like an angel’s caress...
Two breaths left: they swing red and pink flags around them in well-practiced synchronization, pushing themselves to the limit; trembling with exhaustion, they circle each other to the surface...
Last breath, their lungs are burning, this one must count: unveiled, bodies touching, prepared to die together if the client commands, they dance a slow languid dance of pure beauty dark despair and burning passion, caressing each other with hands lips and breasts, tears of love and pain dissolved in the blue water; they are ready to give up their last breath and die in each other’s arms when the command comes to surface—the client wants them to live...
Three breaths left: they dance together in languid free fall, beautiful love-filled eyes gazing deep into each other, slim bodies liquidly shifting with a mermaid’s grace, connected only by their gaze and the scarf that veils and unveils them like an angel’s caress...
Two breaths left: they swing red and pink flags around them in well-practiced synchronization, pushing themselves to the limit; trembling with exhaustion, they circle each other to the surface...
Last breath, their lungs are burning, this one must count: unveiled, bodies touching, prepared to die together if the client commands, they dance a slow languid dance of pure beauty dark despair and burning passion, caressing each other with hands lips and breasts, tears of love and pain dissolved in the blue water; they are ready to give up their last breath and die in each other’s arms when the command comes to surface—the client wants them to live...
She surfaces with a gasp. Suddenly Jennifer bursts out of the water to pull a double-twist backflip forward, making her astonished friends gasp and howl. At the end of the pool she sees Marina’s body tread water, so beautiful, so delicious. She slips over to embrace her and smile into her shocked face. She curiously cocks her head. “What is it, Marina?”
“Are you the mermaid who killed ten thousand jihadis?”
2013... she dances defiantly nude on the waves, Blondie on the tip of her dolphin tail, contemptuous of passing bullets, taunting the screaming hordes on shore—they rush in together ululating holy hatred after the playful demoness—she disappears under the waves—
she on the surface, they underneath, the perfect chance: dagger-wielding assassins kick their flipperless legs as hard as they can, swim to the surface as fast as they can, they’ve got her, but she slips away—flailing on the surface, screaming in absolute pain, hundreds of robed killers dying of the bends, some drowning themselves to end the pain—
the floating base plies a sea of dead men, bloated robed corpses from horizon to horizon, bad omen: the holy warriors panic—ticking silently away beneath, the mine she planted on the hull explodes—
she on the surface, they underneath, the perfect chance: dagger-wielding assassins kick their flipperless legs as hard as they can, swim to the surface as fast as they can, they’ve got her, but she slips away—flailing on the surface, screaming in absolute pain, hundreds of robed killers dying of the bends, some drowning themselves to end the pain—
the floating base plies a sea of dead men, bloated robed corpses from horizon to horizon, bad omen: the holy warriors panic—ticking silently away beneath, the mine she planted on the hull explodes—
Jennifer sighs. “Yeah, it was me. Cruel necessity and all that.” She flipper-dances away with a playful smile. “But right now let’s celebrate being alive.” She slips below again and surfaces to shock Marina with a sudden kiss.
pool locker room. They shower coed in the boys’ room. The girls revel in the boys’ looks, except shocked Marina. “Why do you let guys look at you like that?”
“They let us look at them,” Shira says. “Look at these boys, Marina, aren’t they beautiful?”
The nameless girl puts her arms around her brother and Connor. “If you make love to each other in front of us, Jen and I will do the same for you.”
Jennifer tries to protest. “Please, no—” The girl cuts her off with a kiss.
Shower over, everyone now dry: Connor lies face down on the bench, Rob hovers above him ready to penetrate him as the girls blush and squee. Jennifer and the violet-eyed girl have their hands in position to pleasure each other. “Girl, you’re crazy,” says Jennifer.
The girl grins. “I know.” Rob begins slowly slipping his erect penis into Connor’s waiting anus—
—but then an explosion startles them—then the alarm goes off. Shira declares, “Fun and games are over.” Everybody rushes to their lockers.
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[Revision 4 Final, 12/28/12: Condensed from the shorter Revision 2 installments called “Fujoshi Paradise” (14.2) and “Optional School Day” (14.3), then expanded. The title opening scene was part of 14.4 in R2 and is both condensed and revised for Fourth Revision continuity.]
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