The French on the signs were no problem for the black cat that wandered stiffly through the streets of the Brussels Arcology. There were too many people about, even at the late hour that was her preffered time to be places. After dusk, when the air felt cooler and the stars spanned forever across the skies. Entering the building, with some amount of trepidation, she was now in a room with annoying lighting and far too many moving humanoids for her taste.
She stood there, unknowingly seeming more awkward than if she'd taken a seat somewhere. Already she stood out, a black cat in a bright room wearing a skintight black bodysuit. Along the arms were slick interfaces with screens, and on her head between her ears was a mask with inset goggles. Her eyes were narrow, the light unkind to her, reddish coloring peeking through her uncomfortable gaze.
And so she just stood there, waiting to be spoken to. This is where she was told to go for a real challenge, and for the money to afford what she needed to empower her craft.
Looking up from his work, the desk officer finally noticed the Chongwu and blinked. "Oh, sorry, didn't hear you come in," he said, looking through his notes before asking, "Are you...Fel Shade?"
Her gaze locked onto the man, intense and unblinking. Suddenly realizing this was probably unwanted, she blinked for his sake and walked closer. "Yes, that is my name, " she said, a soft German accent tinting her words. "Are you... of what importance are you?"
"Not much, just make sure people get where they need to go," the desk officer said with a chuckle. "Since you are Fel Shade, I'm gonna take you back to Captain Simmons."
"I thank you," she said softly, waiting for him to stand up. "You are of importance. Even if it is not apparent." She'd learned a long time ago that everyone was important. Or more accurately, that's what she'd been told to think by her friends back on Hawking. He seemed like he needed some encouragement.
"I'm never sure how I'm supposed to take that kind of talk from a Chongwu," he replied, tapping a button. "Not that I think you're lying, just...you know, hope there's more free thought behind those words than programmed responses." As he talked a droning noise was audible in the ceiling for a few moments, before it ended and the officer's computer beeped.
"Alright, yep, nothing except for your cybernetic implants," he continued, locking his computer and standing up. "Let's get going, follow me."
"My programming is entirely up to me now." She said with a low, slightly offended huff that she tried to mask. "I hope yours is as well."
"Fair enough," the desk officer said, shrugging as he led her into the office.Walking back, Fel could see a number of officers working on their computers, some in cubicles, others in more open floor plans or having discussions in [roughened?] glass rooms. Going to one of the last rooms, the officer tapped a dark plate next to the door.
"What is wanted?" came a female voice through the plate.
"Fel Shade to see you, Captain," the desk officer said.
"Thank you, let her in," the plate said, before an audible click unlocked the door.
"Good luck," the officer said, pressing on the door to open it for the Chongwu.
"Thank you for your well wishes," she said with no hint of sarcasm, "but luck is the tool of the unskilled." She entered the room, red eyes scanning the room quickly for her newest benefactor.
Captain Beatrix Simmons sat behind a large, black glass desk, with a computer terminal sitting on one side and various papers and coffee cups scattered across the rest of it. "Evening," she said, looking up from the terminal with a smile. "Please, sit," she added, pointing to a chair that sat kitty corner from where she sat. "Just signing out of a few things and then I'll be ready to talk."
Fel looked to the seat offered and sat down, sitting there stiffly. Unnaturally still, she waited, watching Captain Beatrix as she worked, blinking only twice over the next few minutes. As told, she remained quiet until the Captain was ready to talk, instead letting a thick silence hang over the room.
"Good to know you'll be good on stealth missions," Beatrix said, looking over at Fel. "Thanks for waiting. And glad I don't have to intro a new agent while gearing up. So, what brings you to Interpol? Looking at your resume and some other notes, you could of been set for a post-singularity paradise at Hawking and be a great asset for the independence movement."
Fel shifted uncomfortably in her seat, eyes locked onto the Captains. "Such was the intention of my design, once. To be the puppet of humans who feared technology's eternal rise. So, via technology, via what they feared, they thought themselves wise for uploading themselves into a large server bank in an attempt to appeal to machine overlords that never came."
She tilted her head, ever so slightly. "I have improved on their false ideas. I spent much time with the freedfolk of my kind, learning my trade. But they do not need me anymore. Their work is done in that land. I am not fit for humanitarian diplomacy with old men and other such fools. My mentor taught me that there is far more important work to be done, and I have come to do it. You have read of me. How much am I expected to explain? The clerical work is done."
"I like to hear it from you over reading it in a report," the Captain said, looking back at the computer as she typed. "Like your excellent turn of phrase was not in here, but is a good thing for a superior officer to know."
"Either way, let's go over your capabilities," she continued, looking back at Fel. "What do your improvements do?"
"I interface with machines as if one." She said carefully. "With a few seconds I can cause the cameras of this building to feed me into the rest of the machines, all the ones connected to the camera system. From there I become as though a spirit, and I own the system until I deign to leave it."
An ear flickered uncomfortably. "Without... being as dramatic, I can spead my sight throughout all available cameras. I have sometimes used drones as my avatars of will, however... my drone was confiscated on the shuttle for illegal modifications. Which sounds..." stifling a growl she stated with finality. "Well, it sounds like saying a tattoo is illegal. Or... a set of clothes. In my personal opinion, this is foolishness."
"Guess if you count a set of clothes as a force multiplier," Beatrix said to herself, typing more notes. "Send me what shuttle service that was and I'll get them brought over. Perks of being in law enforcement. Besides that, any prefered call sign?"
With a blink, she caught herself watching the Captain's movements, her face, suspicious for a moment. "You are... too kind." She blinked again, shifting in her seat. "I prefer Shade. Because of the darkness." She nodded to herself, assuring herself of her choice. "How many others are in your number? I appears as though there are many people here. How many are important to me?"
She stood there, unknowingly seeming more awkward than if she'd taken a seat somewhere. Already she stood out, a black cat in a bright room wearing a skintight black bodysuit. Along the arms were slick interfaces with screens, and on her head between her ears was a mask with inset goggles. Her eyes were narrow, the light unkind to her, reddish coloring peeking through her uncomfortable gaze.
And so she just stood there, waiting to be spoken to. This is where she was told to go for a real challenge, and for the money to afford what she needed to empower her craft.
Looking up from his work, the desk officer finally noticed the Chongwu and blinked. "Oh, sorry, didn't hear you come in," he said, looking through his notes before asking, "Are you...Fel Shade?"
Her gaze locked onto the man, intense and unblinking. Suddenly realizing this was probably unwanted, she blinked for his sake and walked closer. "Yes, that is my name, " she said, a soft German accent tinting her words. "Are you... of what importance are you?"
"Not much, just make sure people get where they need to go," the desk officer said with a chuckle. "Since you are Fel Shade, I'm gonna take you back to Captain Simmons."
"I thank you," she said softly, waiting for him to stand up. "You are of importance. Even if it is not apparent." She'd learned a long time ago that everyone was important. Or more accurately, that's what she'd been told to think by her friends back on Hawking. He seemed like he needed some encouragement.
"I'm never sure how I'm supposed to take that kind of talk from a Chongwu," he replied, tapping a button. "Not that I think you're lying, just...you know, hope there's more free thought behind those words than programmed responses." As he talked a droning noise was audible in the ceiling for a few moments, before it ended and the officer's computer beeped.
"Alright, yep, nothing except for your cybernetic implants," he continued, locking his computer and standing up. "Let's get going, follow me."
"My programming is entirely up to me now." She said with a low, slightly offended huff that she tried to mask. "I hope yours is as well."
"Fair enough," the desk officer said, shrugging as he led her into the office.Walking back, Fel could see a number of officers working on their computers, some in cubicles, others in more open floor plans or having discussions in [roughened?] glass rooms. Going to one of the last rooms, the officer tapped a dark plate next to the door.
"What is wanted?" came a female voice through the plate.
"Fel Shade to see you, Captain," the desk officer said.
"Thank you, let her in," the plate said, before an audible click unlocked the door.
"Good luck," the officer said, pressing on the door to open it for the Chongwu.
"Thank you for your well wishes," she said with no hint of sarcasm, "but luck is the tool of the unskilled." She entered the room, red eyes scanning the room quickly for her newest benefactor.
Captain Beatrix Simmons sat behind a large, black glass desk, with a computer terminal sitting on one side and various papers and coffee cups scattered across the rest of it. "Evening," she said, looking up from the terminal with a smile. "Please, sit," she added, pointing to a chair that sat kitty corner from where she sat. "Just signing out of a few things and then I'll be ready to talk."
Fel looked to the seat offered and sat down, sitting there stiffly. Unnaturally still, she waited, watching Captain Beatrix as she worked, blinking only twice over the next few minutes. As told, she remained quiet until the Captain was ready to talk, instead letting a thick silence hang over the room.
"Good to know you'll be good on stealth missions," Beatrix said, looking over at Fel. "Thanks for waiting. And glad I don't have to intro a new agent while gearing up. So, what brings you to Interpol? Looking at your resume and some other notes, you could of been set for a post-singularity paradise at Hawking and be a great asset for the independence movement."
Fel shifted uncomfortably in her seat, eyes locked onto the Captains. "Such was the intention of my design, once. To be the puppet of humans who feared technology's eternal rise. So, via technology, via what they feared, they thought themselves wise for uploading themselves into a large server bank in an attempt to appeal to machine overlords that never came."
She tilted her head, ever so slightly. "I have improved on their false ideas. I spent much time with the freedfolk of my kind, learning my trade. But they do not need me anymore. Their work is done in that land. I am not fit for humanitarian diplomacy with old men and other such fools. My mentor taught me that there is far more important work to be done, and I have come to do it. You have read of me. How much am I expected to explain? The clerical work is done."
"I like to hear it from you over reading it in a report," the Captain said, looking back at the computer as she typed. "Like your excellent turn of phrase was not in here, but is a good thing for a superior officer to know."
"Either way, let's go over your capabilities," she continued, looking back at Fel. "What do your improvements do?"
"I interface with machines as if one." She said carefully. "With a few seconds I can cause the cameras of this building to feed me into the rest of the machines, all the ones connected to the camera system. From there I become as though a spirit, and I own the system until I deign to leave it."
An ear flickered uncomfortably. "Without... being as dramatic, I can spead my sight throughout all available cameras. I have sometimes used drones as my avatars of will, however... my drone was confiscated on the shuttle for illegal modifications. Which sounds..." stifling a growl she stated with finality. "Well, it sounds like saying a tattoo is illegal. Or... a set of clothes. In my personal opinion, this is foolishness."
"Guess if you count a set of clothes as a force multiplier," Beatrix said to herself, typing more notes. "Send me what shuttle service that was and I'll get them brought over. Perks of being in law enforcement. Besides that, any prefered call sign?"
With a blink, she caught herself watching the Captain's movements, her face, suspicious for a moment. "You are... too kind." She blinked again, shifting in her seat. "I prefer Shade. Because of the darkness." She nodded to herself, assuring herself of her choice. "How many others are in your number? I appears as though there are many people here. How many are important to me?"