On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

“Right then…” Aliyah smacked her lips as she rummaged around in the well-stocked fridge that the plush private jet held. One thing’s for sure. We certainly travel in style now we’ve joined up with him. Though… As she pulled out a six pack of nicely chilled beer, thankfully American for once, as while Japanese beer wasn’t bad, she still missed the taste of home at times, she couldn’t help but glance down at where the cargo hold was located.

Travelling with a corpse, huh? Ordinarily, it shouldn’t bother me. I’ve seen my fair share of bodies, made enough of them too, but… shit, there’s just something a little off about these Chosen. Makes me worry they’ll suddenly spring back to life, though he assures me he’s removed the Favour, Seeds or whatever…

Setting that creepy thought aside, she pulled a can, tossing it to her brother, Trey, who caught it skilfully in his big hand and cracked the ring pull effortlessly, taking a long swig. Turning her attention to the others, Aliyah smiled in a manner she hoped was charming, straightening her back, pushing out her best assets, the ones that never failed to get a rise out of him, which made her simultaneously frustrated and amused. Teasing him isn’t so bad. He still owes me for last time in Vegas! Sure, that little bitch Shaeula instigated him, but he could have shown a damn spine and let me keep my modesty! Modesty, hah…

“You want a can, girl?” she asked Bethany Wright, who was wearing killer boots, paired with stockings and a pleated skirt, which left enough of a gap to draw her interest. I’ve heard that Shiro woman mention that. It’s called the Zettai Ryouiki, the Absolute Territory, in Japanese, right? I’m certainly absolutely interested! Her lacy black top was modest but showed off just enough to keep Aliyah happy too.

As Bethany hesitated, her brother chimed in. “My sister doesn’t mind beer, but she’d like something sweeter, no doubt. I’ll take one though! It’s a long flight, yeah?”

Aliyah wasn’t interested in Zachary, who was dressed down in a comfortable hoodie and jeans, but she tossed him a can nonetheless, which he also caught easily, despite her putting some force in. I guess he’s a Chosen too. Catching that ain’t anything special. “In that case… there’s some cocktail cans here, or some spirits…”

“I’ll have a sweet cocktail.” Bethany decided, and Aliyah quickly fished her one out, tossing it to her with far more elegance than the casual way she slugged it at her brother. As she opened the can and took a sip, Aliyah licked her lips, ignoring the glares from her own brother. Shit, Trey, I know! She’s the daughter of the Director of the damn CIA! We may be living in Japan now, but pissing him off is still a really bad idea, even more so since as Fenrir, we’ll be travelling to America a lot, I’d wager…

It wasn’t like Aliyah was planning to toy with her or mistreat her, getting close to a cute woman like Bethany was its own reward. While her base in Japan was full of hotties and cuties, sadly most of them were interested in him, their boss, Akio, which was endlessly frustrating. I’m not jealous though. Not… at… all.

The little girl, Adelheid, raised a hand, clearly wanting a drink. Aliyah hardly cared about such things as the legal drinking age, the shit she and Trey had seen at an early age made turning to booze to get by a necessity sometimes, and it made no sense that they could be on the battlefield, living and dying, long before they could legally down a beer. Tossing her a can though, Aliyah couldn’t help but ask her the question that had been on her mind a while. As the little blonde girl with the striking blue eyes narrowed them in enjoyment, looking like a contented cat, Aliyah spoke.

“So, how old are you, Tanya?” At that nickname, she frowned, but seemed not to understand the question. Aliyah fumbled through her old memories of other languages, before coming up with a few German words, her accent lousy. “Wie alt? Das… Alter?”

The blonde girl looked contemplative for a moment, before raising up the hand that wasn’t holding her beer, opening all the fingers once, closing them, then opening more. Seeing that, Aliyah whistled, surprised. “Shit, you are older than you look, girl. You’re definitely popular with a certain sort of bastard, I bet. Even so… bit early to be drinking for you ain’t it, although…” Some long-buried trivia resurfaced. “Although, Germany does have one of the lowest ages in the Western world, so… bah, who the hell cares anyway?”

“Is there none for me?” The buxom yet frustrating scientist, Christina Bakker, asked. She was in her usual lab coat, and as she pushed her glasses up her nose, which Aliyah was both amused and irritated to see were significantly more fashionable than the pair she used to wear, she pouted, her expression one that surprised Bethany and Zachary, as they stared at her open-mouthed, drinks forgotten.

“What?” Christina whined, tossing her head, ash-blonde and somewhat messy ponytail bouncing. “I don’t normally indulge, keeping a clear head is important for any sort of scientific endeavour, but… I’m confident a few drinks won’t hamper my thinking nowadays, not after Chirurgery, and besides…” Her expression was so out of place on her features, Trey nearly choked on his beer.

“…I’m missing Akio already. Oh well, at least he should be waiting for us when we return to Japan!”

“Here!” Aliyah tossed her a can, enjoying her fumbling for it. “Have a drink and stop looking so… so damn lovesick! It’s messing with my head. You’ve got a great body, I can’t believe you fell into his clutches too.”

“I wish I was in his clutches.” There was a cold hiss as the can in her hands opened, and Christina took a long sip. “Ah, that’s pleasant. As I was saying, he’s not so easy to win over, alas. But nothing good ever comes easy, does it?” She tittered wistfully before taking another sip of beer.

“Or maybe it’s that he’s not into the crazy ones? Nah, no fucking way that’s true, not with the psycho maid and that wicked little bitch Shaeula… even that beauty Shiro, she’s got that red Devil inside her, who always looks at everything as if she wishes she could eat it. Thinking about it, the childhood friend’s a bit of a crazy one too…”

“So, you’re saying I have a good chance then?” Christina chuckled, and Bethany couldn’t help but speak up in amazement.

“Zack, am I going crazy or is she a completely different person?”

“Nope, sis, I see it too.” Zachary was equally amazed. “I realised it before at the bar, but… you know, I thought the Hero of Britain was so awesome, saving Princess Eleanor like that, and then rescuing those kids in South Korea. But maybe this is the most amazing feat of all, taming a monster!”

“Rude!” Christina chuckled. “I wasn’t a monster… I just… I was too focussed on the results, not the processes. Too logical, that’s little miss Christina’s biggest flaw. No room for emotions.” Her face flushed, and not from the half can of beer she had downed, as her grin had turned sloppy again, her eyes moist. “It really was foolish of me. Emotions are so… so… well, fascinating. And… exciting!” She squirmed, her breath coming fast. “When I was lying there beside him, naked, defenceless… oh, how I waited, my body aflame… but…”

“Yeah. Quite enough of that!” Christina yelped as Aliyah threw her another can after gulping down her own, pulling out another pack from the fridge, as well as a bottle of whiskey. “Shit, I need the hard stuff to get through a flight like this. You too, right Trey?”

Her brother nodded as he caught the bottle. “Oh, this brand’s expensive. But yes, it’s going to be a gruelling flight.” Pouring out some glasses of the amber liquid, he glanced at Christina. “The boss might take it wrong if you say you slept beside him. You were in a different bed, weren’t you?”

“That bed was still beside him!” she protested, and Zachary burst out laughing.

“To think, sis… the ogre that everyone said was an unfeeling machine who would dissect us as calmly as we’d eat a steak is blushing and giggling like one of your college friends.”

“My friends aren’t so… so pathetic.” Bethany sighed, finishing off her cocktail. “I’ll take one of those whiskeys. This is making my head ache.” As Trey passed her a glass, she observed the mad scientist. “Aren’t you embarrassed, being so desperate? It’s not like he doesn’t already have a lot of women.”

“Oh, that stings.” Christina giggled. “The abuse… as for shame… I consider that as meaningful as budgetary complaints for my research. As in, it’s pointless. I want, no, I need to succeed, so I shall. The sweet pain is just a bonus!”

“You’re… a total masochist, aren’t you? Creepy…” Bethany shuddered, and Aliyah found herself nodding her head.

“Yeah, she’s a lost cause. A real heavy woman, a landmine girl, they call them in Japan.”

“You’re one to talk, sis.” Trey snorted, and she shot him a glare, her beads jingling as she whipped her head around.

“Shut it! I’m a damn catch! Beautiful, strong and best of all, I know a woman’s heart. But fuck me, I think I might end up shaving my head and going all Buddhist if I have to watch more and more women fall into his clutches.” She snatched a well-filled glass of whiskey and gulped it down, not savouring the vintage. “That hits the spot. Anyway, fuck me, where was I? Oh yeah, lost causes… Beth… I can call you Beth, right?”

As Bethany nodded slowly, a little confused by Aliyah’s intensity, she continued. “Just… try not to succumb, all right? I don’t want to be all alone! Besides…”

“I don’t want to interrupt, but my sister likes guys.” Zachary warned, and Aliyah slumped down in her seat, waving her glass for a refill.

“That’s because she doesn’t know any better. I ain’t one to give up… anyway, subject change! This is depressing me!” Sometimes I wish I could be like little Tanya over there, just oblivious to the surroundings, drinking beer…

“Ah, excellent timing!” Christina suggested, lounging in her chair, eyeing Beth and Zachary like they were tasty morsels on her plate. At that look they flinched, and she softened her expression, fiddling with her glasses, embarrassed. “I don’t bite… though I do understand why you would be so wary. No, I’m simply curious. Just what powers do you possess and what Gods do the pair of you follow? I know Akio will dig deep into that on his return, but… a head start never hurts!”

“For some reason I think telling you is a bad idea!” Beth countered, but Christina shook her head.

“You’re under Akio’s protection, here at his invitation. Besides, I promised Chris…” Aliyah didn’t miss how Beth’s face twitched as Christina addressed her father so familiarly. “…I’d be good. I’m a woman of my word, especially now. Akio hates lies. Well, teasing and playful mistruths are fine, but genuine lies and breaking promises is anathema to him. It’s likely the influence of Shaeula, I think. It’s a fascinating area of study. The spiritual affects the physical, yet the reverse is also true. We are shaped by more than merely nature and nurture.”

Watching her lecture, Aliyah exchanged a glance with Trey, and knew they were thinking along the same lines. She’s a different woman when immersed in her research. Honestly, she wouldn’t look out of place on the podium at some big scientific symposium. Her poise is ruined if you know her though…

“If you want to harness your abilities, for both your own benefit and safety, and that of others, then you have to be open with what you can do. So… do enlighten me!” Christina giggled again, breaking her solemn image. “I’m all ears. I’m a good listener!”

Beth and Zachary exchanged another long glance, before he nodded. “Come on Beth, it’s too late to be shy now. I don’t know about you, but… I’d love some guidance. Our abilities are hard to use. If… If I was stronger, you never would have got hurt.”

Beth rolled her greenish-blue eyes, sighing. “If you weren’t a reckless idiot, charging in like a kid with a new toy, you mean.” Her hand went to her side, and her relief when she felt it was palpable. Taking a deep breath, Aliyah couldn’t help but glance at her thighs as she crossed her legs, getting comfortable. Damn it, I know. It’s bitchy of me to get pissed at him for checking out my tits when I do the same to other women, but… I have to have some pleasures, damn it all! Besides, I know he fucking well loves the abuse anyway.

“We… we have twin Goddesses, as it happens.” Beth finally spoke. “Not that we met Goddesses. It was some sort of strange spirit that visited us in our dreams. At first I thought it was just that, but…”

“I called her. I’d had the same sort of dream!” Zachary was excited. “And unlike Beth, since it seemed so real to me… I tested it when I woke up! It was easy to see the results. Throwing dice, I could get high rolls almost at will! Same with tossing coins, and… I even found a lost wallet on the street that morning!”

“Ah, probability manipulation.” Christina grinned knowingly. “Quite a common Mystery-Type ability. Even generic, from our findings. Almost all of you slightly affect the world around you in this manner, yet some few of you can actively influence such things. I wonder, does this validate Many-Worlds Interpretation, that it shifts the world to the desired outcome, or… no, no, I digress.” She smiled wickedly. “Now, let me tell you, Akio deems this ability of yours as Fortune. And he has tested it extensively and quantified it. So, do tell me more!”

Aliyah was momentarily drawn in by her breasts as she leaned forwards, her jumper and coat straining, and she clicked her tongue as Trey snorted. But Christina and the two siblings were paying her no mind, so she just listened, swigging whiskey and beer alternatively, enjoying the moment.

“I have the ability of Dola, Goddess of Fortune.” Zachary explained. “I can manipulate my luck to make it better, and it helps a bit in battle. If I stab, or throw something, then usually it hits home.”

“Relying on luck to fight is why I got wounded…” Beth chided him. “I… I was found by the messenger of Dola’s twin sister, the Goddess of Misfortune, Niedola. I don’t have good luck myself, probably why I got hurt. But my enemies, they stumble, or fail, or…” she trailed off. “It’s largely useless. If I could call fire or lightning, or have super strength or speed…”

“Useless? Hardly.” Christina shook her head. “Anyone can develop those sorts of talents. Well, anyone siding with Akio, it seems.” She puffed up as she praised him, as pleased as if she was getting it herself, and Aliyah felt a brief sense of wry shame as she couldn’t help but find that cute. Must be the booze rotting my brain. She’s cute in the same way a black widow spider is…

“No, we had a… test subject, I suppose I should say, who also had the ability to create misfortune, alter probabilities in a negative way, though his gift was to centre it on a specific area. The testing of that was fascinating. Hmm…” Aliyah was taken aback momentarily as Christina stared at her. “If I remember correctly, he was captured in Las Vegas. I wasn’t much interested in the how so much as the fact we had secured him, but I do vaguely remember that the Black Wolf Company brought him in, an off-the-books mission.”

“Yeah, that was us.” Trey agreed, and Aliyah leaned back in her seat, reminiscing.

“Yeah, that sleazy fuck in Vegas. His whole tournament was a scam. Not only was he messing with the numbers, his whole operation was crooked anyway. And that’s where we crossed paths with Akio for the first time. If I could go back in time, I’d have suggested we ride and die with that dumb redneck fuck Alex Trakand and get our asses gunned down by the Spetsnaz.”

“Now I know you don’t mean that, sis.” Trey soothed, holding in a laugh. “You’re just a little sore about how things panned out. But honestly, Akio liked you even then, right?”

“If by liked, you mean he couldn’t stop checking out my damn tits in that dress I wore, then yeah, no shit.”

“It was spectacular. I’m no admirer of women’s bodies, but you certainly were a beautiful sight, Aliyah.” Trey complimented her, and Aliyah hated that her skin felt hot at the praise. I’m no damn blushing schoolgirl, like some of his fiancées. Frustrating…

Before she could answer, taking a swig of whiskey to give her a moment to compose herself, Christina leaned in with interest in her eyes. “Oh, just what dress was that then? Maybe I need to find it myself. He did pay me more attention when I accompanied him to the White House… as… as his partner.”

“Keep dreaming.” Aliyah scoffed, feeling better. It was hard to stay embarrassed next to such a mess as Christina Bakker. “Partner? Not in the sense you’re thinking. But sure… I’ll take you shopping if you really want to hang around him with your tits on show.”

Beth actually giggled, and as everyone looked at her, she flushed. “Sorry, it’s just… it’s very hard to reconcile her with how she used to be. Anyway… I’d like to hear more about how you and Akio met. I know my brother’s just dying to hear about it.”

“No kidding I am Beth!” he agreed. “I’m a huge fan of his heroics, so hearing about it, some stories that the public hasn’t heard yet, I’d feel like I’m a friend!”

“Fine.” Aliyah snorted. “But top everyone’s drinks up Trey. This will be a long one. Give Tanya some more beers too. She might as well get buzzed since she doesn’t understand what the hell I’m saying.”

As she was given another can of strong American beer, the blonde girl nodded, leaning back with contentment. When everyone had their drinks, Aliyah glanced out of the window, seeing the clouds passing by below, focussing her mind. “So yeah, the casino was rigged to shit, and then this guy, and the cutest little orange haired girl you ever saw, came strolling in, though her looks sure are deceiving. Shit, anyway, he checked me out, the pig, then the pair of them started winning, and winning big…”

***

“…so yeah. I’m kind of pissed off that the reason I won third place was because Akio was cheating on my behalf. Seems like I won him over, or my tits did.” As there were chuckles around the cabin, Aliyah continued her story, pleasantly buzzed. She had shucked her hoody, feeling hot, and after a glower at Zachary to stop him checking her out in her tight, cropped t-shirt, she had stretched, grabbed a bottle of spirits to herself, and was now sipping as she spoke.

“So, after that, the sleaze asked us back for drinks to do the publicity for the win. I’d made a bit under two million dollars. Not bad for a night’s work. Of course, he planned to rob us and keep all the cash for himself. Short-sighted prick. But then, Akio dealt with his thugs like they were nothing, and I choked the fat sack of shit out. At the time I thought Akio and Shaeula were Japanese Special Forces or Intelligence. I quickly realised they were both just idiot show-offs though. Anyway, he left, trying hard to be gallant…” She snorted, enjoying how everyone was hanging on her every word, except Trey and Tanya, of course, Trey as he had heard it all before and was there, and Tanya for the obvious reason.

“…then we cut the power and extracted our target.” Trey finished for her. “And that’s where you come in, Christina.”

“Yes, he ended up at the Star Mirror facility. Still there now, I imagine. He wasn’t overly willing to cooperate, but… we had our ways.” She seemed a little down.

“Well, don’t feel sorry for that fat fuck. Anyway… that’s my story.”

“Not all of it. You and Luciana went to gather more information on the target, right?”

Oh fuck you, Trey! I’ve told you more about just what happened at Kelly’s Rest that night than I should have. But you know there’s more…

“I’d love to hear more!” Zachary insisted, and when cute Beth nodded, Aliyah swallowed her pride and shrugged. Maybe it’s the booze talking, or time is a great healer, but… yeah, it doesn’t sting so much anymore. But no fucking way I’m playing cards with Shaeula again, unless… huh. An idea. Seeing Aliyah grin invitingly suddenly, Zachary blushed, which she found rather amusing. He’s just a young idiot. Well, whatever…

“Fine, but I want a favour. If you two can mess with probabilities, I need to play some cards. You two are on my team!” Maybe I’ll have my revenge yet!

As Zachary promised, stammering, eyes on her ample chest barely restrained by her t-shirt, Aliyah went on with her story. “He was trying to feel me out at the casino, dropping some keyword hints. Of course, now it all makes sense. Aether. Territory. Don’t worry, you pair will get the crash course. So, we agreed to meet at the bar owned by another guy at the poker tournament. You were at his bar and met him last night.”

At their nods, she continued. “Anyway, when we got there, he was with Shaeula, as well as his fiancée, a cute, shy-looking little thing called Eri, but don’t let her fool you, she’s a possessive, fiery woman in truth. His sister too. She’s kind of my type…” Aliyah paused, glancing over at Beth. “Well, I ain’t making a move on her anyway. Akio’s an overprotective idiot for her, I ain’t risking my life for it. Though I might have, if she was willing. It’s odd, she gives off a bit of a scent of being into girls, you know…”

“That’s a dangerous subject. Best drop it…” Trey advised, and she shuddered.

“Yeah. I ain’t saying she’s a lesbian, far from it. I wouldn’t dare. Just… well, who cares? I’m not crazy. My point is though, they were careless as hell. Bringing uninvolved family to a meeting with us. So Luciana and me, we subtly tried to probe for info, what Japanese agents were doing going after the corpulent fucker, what they knew… but I guess I was a bit drunk. So when I tried to get a bit closer to Shaeula, maybe see what she looked like under her clothes… she took me to the fucking cleaners. Seems I pissed her off ogling her and the others, and she’s a bitch for tricks and teasing.”

“Here it comes…” Trey muttered, and Aliyah didn’t even have the energy to glare at him. All in the past now.

“So when I suggested some strip poker… well, I got carried away, seeing as I won third place at the tournament. I didn’t know Akio had helped me win then… Shaeula just ate that up. And she annihilated me, even when I was cheating. Total loss.”

“Aliyah’s always been a bad gambler. Can’t bluff.” Trey pointed out as everyone except Adelheid listened, fascinated.

“Shut the hell up, Trey.” Aliyah snorted. “Of course, the deal was I had to show Akio. I guess if you’re not into other girls, losing strip poker to them ain’t much of a problem. Especially for the Japanese. I know she ain’t native, but she’s adapted to their bathing culture and shit.”

“By… show… you mean? Like… underwear?” Beth asked, fascinated and horrified, face cramping. “I couldn’t…”

“No, I mean total loss. The way we came into the world, no arms or hands hiding it.” Aliyah puffed out her chest proudly. “I ain’t no fucking coward. Besides, Shaeula would never let me back out.”

“And that’s why you were so pissed at the poor guy. Sounds like it wasn’t really his fault.” Trey whistled. “Anyway, Aliyah is a terrible drunk. We’ve been thrown out of no end of bars after she’s started fights. And she… does tend to start getting careless with her clothes.” He nodded at her, and Aliyah shrugged again.

“I’m hot, so what? If the boy over there sneaks too many peeks…” She moved her fingers into a claw shape. “Out with his eyes! I can look after myself, Trey! But…” Feeling in a good mood, her mind a little fuzzy, she grinned lopsidedly. “…Akio, he could have been a gentleman. But I guess I’m too fucking irresistible. Anyway, so I went up for the hug, as agreed…”

“Wait, what?” Trey muttered, and Aliyah yawned, shaking her head.

“Keep up, dumbass. I went double or quits with Shaeula when I lost the last hand. If I won, she’d get naked too, and if I lost… I had to hug him, totally nude. She got me good. The problem was…” Aliyah touched her lips, remembering. “I was so fucking pissed at the time. We slipped, and our heads clashed. Lips too. When he kissed me, I fucking lost it. Cried like a little girl. I’m so ashamed. It was only locking lips, a damn kiss. Not like it was my first, if that even matters, I’m not a damn Japanese schoolgirl.” The words poured out of her, almost cathartic. “Sure, might have been the first man to touch my lips, but it’s not like he had his tongue down my throat, or he was grabbing handfuls of my tits and ass. I soon perked up after a few more drinks anyway. Got my pride, you know? I ain’t no shrinking violet, just sat there, fucking naked. Let him take a good look. So, in the end, I win, I guess? I wasn’t embarrassed, and… if any of you tell anyone about this, or how I cried like an idiot, you’re dead, got it?”

As Aliyah clenched one fist, Trey was shaking his head. Yeah, maybe I’ve had more to drink than I thought. It’s the first time I’ve told the full story, not just about the strip poker. But… I guess it ain’t the sore subject it’s been before anymore. Still, if the crew knew I’d cried… well, if Trey talks, I’ll beat him until he’s sorry…

“So anyway…” Aliyah leaned forwards, and Zachary looked away, which made her smile. Little punk. Real women too much for him, no doubt. You can look though Beth, I’m hot stuff!  “…I want to pay Shaeula back! So I’ll challenge her again, and you two help me, okay?”

“That’s a terrible idea Aliyah. Damn, how much have you had to drink?” Trey eyed the half-drunk bottle of spirits in her hand. “I suppose at least we can’t get in too much trouble on a private jet. Think about it…” He rubbed at his temples, as if he had a headache. “…if Shaeula does lose, doesn’t that mean young Zachary here will see her naked? If so… he’ll be travelling back to America in the opposite direction to Egil Andersen, but also in a coffin…”

“Shit Trey, I’m not an idiot, of course I thought… of that.” Aliyah was finding it a little harder to articulate, perhaps because she was frustrated. “No, he just… waves his hands and gives me the luck, right? And then Beth here and me, we can double team her. She curses her to bad luck, I use some sleight of hand…”

“And you’ll still lose.” Trey advised. “Best quit it while you’re ahead sis. If she made you hug him naked last time, she won’t be satisfied with just that, and you know it. Unless…”

“Fascinating!” Christina observed, eyes behind her glasses sparkling. “If it’s a plan where Akio has to hold you… I’m in. I am not much good at poker, but I can calculate the odds!”

As Aliyah nodded, her brother addressed Beth and Zachary. “See? If my drunk sister and Christina here think it’s a good idea, you can be sure it’s not. So… stay out of it.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I’m not getting naked!” Beth shuddered, eyeing Aliyah a touch disdainfully, which made her feel bad. Zachary also shook his head, unwilling to get on Akio’s bad side. Oh well. Not everyone is… as brave as me.

“Trey…” Aliyah muttered. “…you tell the next part. I’m going to drown my sorrows…”

“Heaven help me…” Trey grunted. “But fine. This flight’s a long one, so listen up. After my sister’s escapades in creative flirting…”

Oh shut the hell up Trey. Damn, this is good booze. A glass or two more ain’t going to hurt…

***

“…so he beat the shit out of us.” Trey was gesturing with his half-empty glass, and Aliyah found herself nodding along. I remember that. Busted up my ribs good.

“It gave me chills when he declared that he’d even go after the President if we made a move on his friends or family.” Trey continued, and Aliyah found herself nodding. No shit. It’s even more ironic now.

“He’s a passionate man!” Christina giggled. “Don’t worry, you two. Now you are under his protection, he’ll afford you the same!” As Beth and Zachary seemed rather embarrassed at that, Aliyah spoke.

“I don’t know why… ugh, maybe I’ve drank too much…” Her eyes wavered and she burped, before her vision swam back into focus. “…anyway, why are you being so cocky, woman? Ain’t half this mess your fault, yours and your damn agency? We only tried to pull him in because of orders from you all!”

“A fair point. Though originally, I was seconded over from DARPA… oh, you don’t want to hear that.” Christina giggled cheerfully, her own face flushed from booze, though she hadn’t drunk nearly as much as Aliyah had. Nobody has. Bunch of pussies. Don’t they know this is a celebration? We got out of this trip alive. It was fucking touch and go at points, Trey and me, we almost died in South Africa…

Feeling a bit melancholy, she hiccupped, before taking over the tale from her brother. “So yeah. We got picked up by the Japanese military and were put in a secure facility. Prison really. Wasn’t so bad though, right Trey?” At his nod, she smirked meanly. “They even let us have exercise gear, dumbbells and shit. Real generous. Then one day, this bigwig which turns out to be the grandfather of another of Akio’s fiancées turns up and says we should think very carefully about our future. Fuck me, if… uh…” Feeling a little sick, she knuckled her head to clear it. “…we had anything else to do but think. Then Akio came along, and the rest is history.”

“Yes. The Black Wolf Company came under his care, those of us who didn’t quit…” Trey began.

“Fucking turncoats.” Aliyah muttered fiercely.

“…I don’t respect those who left, but I still get it. Anyway, then we started undergoing some strange training, honing our skills. No, I suppose they should be Skills, with a capital S.” Trey snorted. “But you two will be learning that soon enough.”

“I’m a little scared, but also excited…” Zachary nodded, eyes wide with excitement from the tales of their crossing paths with Akio, though Aliyah was amused to note Beth was less enthused.

“That’s the spirit!” Christina clapped. “Well, would you two like to hear of my fated meeting with Akio? It was dramatic, let me…”

“No thanks.” Beth shot her down, and Aliyah roared with laughter, slapping her thigh heartily.

“Yeah, who wants to hear about your stupid antics? So, anyway… more booze, all right?”

“Nope, you’ve had enough, sis.” Trey suddenly stood, snatching her half-empty bottle. “At times like this, better Ether Healing would sure be great. Shit.” He cursed lustily as Aliyah tried to punch him. “Calm down sis, I know it’s good to cut loose now and again, but…” he leaned in. “Aren’t you trying to make a good impression?”

Suddenly feeling sober, Aliyah nodded. “Oh… yeah. Fuck me. Whoops.” The warm glow of alcohol was coursing through her, but she shook her head, hair beads jingling, to clear it. “Damn, we’ve still got ages to go before we land. Damn…” Bladder feeling uncomfortably full, Aliyah staggered to the toilet, and after yanking down her jeans and emptying it, she splashed her face with water, before checking herself in the mirror. Uh, yeah, I look wasted. Best… cool it for a bit.

***

“No matter how much you pick on me, I ain’t stripping.” Aliyah snorted, looking at the terrible cards dealt to her again. “Lucky we’re only betting pocket change though. I see how he and Shaeula ripped off all those casinos now.”

“Don’t worry, if it was strip poker, I wouldn’t have played, even to assuage my curiosity.” Christina sniggered, looking at her own cards. “No offense, little Zachary, but little miss Christina here…” she thumped her chest proudly, and Aliyah couldn’t help but watch. “…has learned I can’t be careless with my body. It’s not for you!”

“Why do I hate the fact I feel like I’ve been dumped and I wasn’t even interested?” Zachary sighed, shaking his head.

“If you were interested, I’d disown you, Zack.” Beth warned. “She may have changed, maybe, but she’s still Christina Bakker!”

“Yes, I’m still me!” she agreed. “Anyway, shall we place our wagers? I want to tally the figures and update the running total.”

“So I’m curious…” As their hands were flipped over, Zachary with a full house, Beth with a straight, and everyone else with assorted trash, Aliyah with a shameful nine high, Zachary had a question. “…just how much did Akio win from Las Vegas?”

“I’ve heard Shaeula bragging. She won a slots jackpot, he obviously came second in that rigged tournament, and they kept winning big at every casino they went to. A bit under ten million dollars.” Aliyah shrugged. “I know Shaeula constantly plays around on online gambling sites when she’s bored and usually wins a fair amount.”

“Hey, Beth? Why didn’t we think of that?” Zachary blinked in shock. “It seems so obvious.”

“Online gambling’s illegal in our state, stupid.” Beth chided him. “Come to think of it, it’s illegal in Japan too, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but it’s trivial to obfuscate one’s whereabouts online.” Christina muttered, as Zachary scooped up his winnings. They had been playing cards and drinking for several hours, though Aliyah was mostly drinking coke and water, clearing her head. One good thing about having these Levels and Statistics is my body runs hot, it quickly recovers, even when I’ve had frankly dangerous levels of alcohol.

“Oh… yes, these figures are very encouraging. See?” Christina showed Zachary and Beth her notes. “It’s possible to estimate the effect of your increased and decreased Fortune, though more of the data seems to be obscured by some spiky results. Of course, the answer is simply more testing!”

“She hasn’t changed!” Beth rolled her eyes. “I’m so bored of this. And it’s giving me a headache, using my powers.”

“Oh, you wound me!” Christina teased. “I’m just preparing you for life in Tokyo. You’ll be using your gift a lot, I’m sure. Though Zachary’s will likely see more use. Especially if it stacks with Shaeula’s Fortune manipulating talents. Though…” Aliyah watched sourly as Christina stared intently at Beth, until Beth looked away, troubled.

“…no, that’s it! It’s just like negative numbers multiply to a positive. Fascinating. Please, I need to test this now! Just a few more hands… oh, you said you were bored. Let it not be said little miss Christina is not a good listener, and a compassionate woman!” She winked. “Be sure to tell Akio how good I’ve been when we land, all right?”

Rummaging around in the supplies in the well-stocked cabin, she quickly found some dice. “You two just keep your abilities running on me when I say, and I’ll do all the testing and data crunching. Easy!”

“It’s not easy! It’s very exhausting!” Beth protested.

As Christina countered that Beth needed more training, more Levels and better Skills to make all this a breeze, and that pushing herself was the first step to victory, Aliyah yawned. Stretching, she happened to meet Tanya’s gaze. Yeah, I get why he teases her with that name. I don’t know why, but… she just seems to be a Tanya. Oh well…

“Uh… at least you’re having… oh, you don’t speak English. Let me see… uh… Spaß? That’s fun, isn’t it? Shit, my German is nearly non-existent, and there’s no use asking Trey. If it was Russian, or even Japanese now, I’m not too bad, but…”

Adelheid, who had been idling away the time peacefully, drinking beers and looking casually out the window, or listening to the in-flight TV on her headphones, nodded. Raising her half-drunk can, she spoke. “Meine Philosophie ist, das Leben zu genießen, solange ich kann.“ With that, she turned away, leaving Aliyah to ponder her words, while Trey ended up drinking with Zachary, and Beth was idly watching Christina roll dice with ever more excited cries and reactions as she scribbled frantically, despite Beth’s protestations that she wasn’t intersted and was bored.

The first bit’s easy… her philosophy, right… so… uh, Leben is… life, I think? Her philosophy in life is to… oh, screw it. She’ll learn Japanese and English soon enough. Then we can hold a proper conversation…

Leaning back in her seat, Aliyah yawned. “I’m going to have a sleep for an hour or two, so keep the noise down, all right? That means you, you squealing madwoman.”

“How rude!” Christina pouted. “I’m not mad, just… very excited. But, out of deference to your performance during this trip, and your support for my beloved Akio, I’ll try and keep my voice down.”

“Your beloved? Dream on…” Aliyah snorted, eyes sliding shut, the pleasant feeling of intoxication, the gentle rocking of the jet, and the lack of danger around her dragging her down into a peaceful slumber. Fenrir, huh? Not going to lie… it’s… kind of cool. Shit… I’m going to have to recruit hard. I want… to teach a load of… cute, sexy women to fight, to be bad bitches. But… they’ve already snatched so many up, even… Luciana…

Those were her last thoughts for a while, as blissful slumber took her…