Capítulo 119: Chapter 35: Before The Fight
The droid ran into the side of the bar, and the loud clank made Vindy jumped up into the air, the cables held in her shaking hands almost dropped to the floor as she's setting up the machine for her performance in the casino. According to Lady Lily, there is going to be a lot of people coming to the casino that she is currently in, and the event would be the after party of a fashion show from the fashion district. What's going to happen is that the ship that's housing the fashion show would actually take off from the fashion and technology district and land itself here and interlinked with the casino in the sky.
That's not the only thing Lady Lily told her as she tended to her injuries back in the base of Infinity on the top floor of the building where they have met earlier in the day. As Vindy sat down on the table and reached her injured wrist forward, there was no treatment packs or medical droids in the room. Instead, it looked like Lady Lily is studying biology and physiology of Rockies on a hologram. There was also another giant human male sitting in the room. He's exceptionally quiet and threatening.
What is going on here? Vindy wondered, as she thought all she had to do was to play some music and get the hell out of here. However, she had a sense that she might be in for some deep shit here. Trying to calm her body down and slowing her heart rate with a deep breath like she does before every performance, Vindy looked as calm and collected as she can.
She had her eyes on Lady Lily, who moved the hologram to the side gestured for Vindy to show her injured hand/
Then, she brought out a brush...no, it's a pen, but not a traditional kind as she has never seen one like that before. Vindy looked at her without saying a word, and with a single tap of the brush on her hand, she suddenly felt a ripping sensation as if her skins and bones are being pulled apart and put together forcefully. She tried to yank her arm back out of instinct as she gasp for air, but the hand isn't moving.
It felt like it was getting sucked into a black hole, and it remained clamped onto the table as Vindy almost strained her forearms by doing so. She looked to the side, and the giant human male appeared to have raised a finger.
The pain exited her body just as quickly as how it surges into her senses, as the strange grasp of force on her hand is released, she pulled back her wrist to see if it's alright, and it appeared that all of the injuries were fixed.
'What the hell?' Despite the outcome, Vindy is still angry at what Lady Lily did, 'where did that come from? And what just happened?'
'Tell me, what do you think just happened?' Lady Lily put the pen back at her waist and asked, leaning forward with both hands on the table.
'What...? Are you guys insane?' Vindy said.
'Answer the question, please.' The human male finally spoke, his voice low but cold. Vindy looked at him as a sense of fear flowed through her body. He looked like he could snap Vindy's neck over her thick fur and any moment's notice, and yet he's still remaining in the position he has been in since Vindy's entered the room. The finger that he raised is also dropped back down in his crossed arms.
'I...I don't know.' Vindy said, the one thing that overrode her senses was the pain, and the pain was so much that she didn't realize what else is happening to her. But judging by the results, she was.....healed? However, it wasn't like that. It wasn't as simple as a click of a button like in a video game.
Something else must have happened. She felt her soft tissues are being ripped apart and put into place, by the brush...pen. But how is that possible? Vindy is not one that's well verse in medical science at all, but that sort of 'non-invasive' but perfectly painful surgery still doesn't make any sense. And what the hell is the pen doing there?
Lady Lily and the human male didn't say a word, and they allowed Vindy a minute to think through what has happened.
The surgery that happened was only part of the story, but her arm was also held down by a strange force that clamped it against the table and prevented any movement. Instinctively, she looked over to the human male as it happens, and it certainly appeared that the human male was involved in that.
'But how...?' Vindy asked, rubbing her now perfectly healthy wrist, 'that was no magic. But how was it possible, what you did, fixing my hand and making it hurt like a bitch, and you, clamping my hand down...'
Lady Lily and the human male exchanged a look, and she finallly spoke, 'you have good instincts, Vindy. And what you were thinking of is correct.'
A metal hand appeared from the edge of her vision, and she spun around in her chair so fast that she almost strained her neck, but it turned out to be a waitress droid giving her a cup of fluid.
'What you have witnessed is a strange technology at work, and we would like to refer it as an artifact.'
Vindy's eyes opened up wide, and she immediately tried to suppress her look. However, it wasn't quick enough.
'I have one, and Sir Deva over there also has one. And you too.' Lady Lily said with a sly smile on her face, 'if I might take a guess, that's the secret behind your shining fingers trick.'
'There are that many...? What do you want...?' Vindy asked, pulling both of her arms back, 'do you want my artifact?'
'You know, we have met many artifact users like you, but also none are like you.' Lady Lily said, 'we have met a thief who uses his to make a career out of stealing, we have an entire group that uses theirs to fight against us, and we use ours for the good and the future of the galaxy...and yet you...you use it to play music.'
'You say that as if that makes me weak.' Vindy said with a stubborn look on her face.
'No, no. I actually respect that.' Lady Lily said, shaking her head, 'the artifacts are here for a reason, and our master is the very first activation within the known galaxy. His mission is to prepare us all for the upcoming battle, so that's why we are interested in you.'
'A battle?' Vindy scoffed, now the fear completely gone from her head, 'sounds like an excuse for you to do what you want.'
'For any villain group in comic books, perhaps.' Lady Lily said as she looked over towards Sir Deva, 'but we do like to play by the rules here. Nothing we do is for fun, or unnecessary. Our choices are driven by our vision. Unlike the other group, and unlike you.'
'So why are you doing all this?' Vindy asked, 'why tell me all of this shit?'
'Because I would like to, actually.' Lady Lily smiled, 'it's fun, and I would at least get some practice with my speech, for when times arise when I will talk to others like you. By the way, you will be under our control, or you can choose to lose your artifact to us.'
'You thought you can be free, Vindy, but freedom is a lie. It's been a lie, and it will always be a lie.' Lady Lily stood up and said in a creepy whisper, 'there is no such thing. A war is coming, and we will need whatever we can get our hands on to win it.'
'Get away from me!' Vindy yelled, the artifacts activated in an instant as her fingers lit up and she tapped down on the table in front of her. The vibrations that sounded like the loud clank of a guitar base shot through the table and shattering its surfaces into a thousand pieces before flying towards Lady Lily like a storm of bullets!
Sir Deva moved fast immediately, artifact activated and ready to pull back the shards and splinters. He is fast, but Lady Lily is much faster. With her hand by her waist already, she broke down the seats beside her into it's basic forms of chains of carbons and other chemicals before rearranging into a shield right in front of her. All of the shards dug deep into the melted salad of plastic and fabric that was once a chair, and she dashed around the table after dropping the 'chair' onto the ground.
Sir Deva deactivated the artifact, and simply watches Lady Lily go to work.
Vindy jumped up into her chair as her entire focus is now on Lady Lily who is moving so fast and she had to turn her head as quickly as she could just to keep track of her movements. Those that attacked her back in the alley way moved fast, but Lady Lily is much faster. Vindy scanned around for things that she could send a shock wave to, but before she could touch the ground, Lady Lily has already dashed in front of her and held her by her neck with one arm into the sky.
Vindy tried to grabbed onto her hand instinctively, and the artifacts in her fingers lit up as an unhinged wave of vibrations and shock shattered the flesh on Lady Lily's arm as blood and meat splattered across the entire room. Vindy was dropped back onto the ground, and the now right-arm less Lady Lily took a step back. Despite her loss of a limb, she doesn't appear to be fazed at all, with her remaining arm, she grabbed the brush pen, kicked up the biggest chunk of intact tissue on the floor into the air and reassembled her right arm in an instant. The pain she felt is obvious, but there is not a hint of it apart from a vein over her forehead.
'Your artifact is an instrument of great power, Vindy, and you know it.' Lady Lily continued to approach her as the bloodied arm hung by her side, 'you are strong, but we are stronger. If you ever want to live, or you want your freedom, you will have to do what we want you to do until the war is over.'
Vindy opened her mouth up wide and trembles as she tried to crawl backwards, but she ran into the legs of Sir Deva instead. That was the first time she has directly used her artifact powers on another being, and the effect was devastating. And yet, despite her arms exploding mere seconds ago, Lady Lily's pace has not deviated for even a second. She looked back and tried to attack Sir Deva too, but he raised yet another finger, and Vindy's hand are slammed onto the ground with palm facing up.
There is no way for her to use the artifact in that way.
Lady Lily reached out with her bloodied arm and turned Vindy's face to face her. Blood stains all over her beautiful face, and yet her blood red dress appeared completely normal except for some chunks of meat here and there.
'I hope your tiny little rebellion will be over from here on out. You can challenge and fight us for your freedom anytime you want, but you will never be strong enough to win.'
'So for your sake, just be a good musician and listen to your conductor.'
And then, she was out.
When Vindy woke up, she found herself back at the hotel in her room. The time on her personal interface says it's just about midnight, and she shot up onto the bed breathing heavily as she slowly started to process what has happened.
'Damn...' The nastiest headaches hit her, and she quickly scrambled for some chemicals that can gets off her brain's response before downing it with some fluids. Did all of that just happen? Looking down at her wrist, she still couldn't believe all the information that was dropped on her. Then, she saw a note left on the table with her very own handwriting.
Please arrive at the Marble Casino in the entertainment district by sixteen hours standard time to set up.
Regards
Lady Lily
'Shit.' Vindy rolled the paper into a ball and threw it at the window with all her force. The ball gently bounces off the glasses and kisses the floor. She scratches her head out of frustration and anger, as the one thing she craves so much, the one thing that sets her on the current path she's on is snatched away.
She wanted no part of the political drama, or the goals and vendetta's of Infinity. She just wants to be free in this galaxy, and yet the presence of Infinity is everywhere, and she can feel herself being watched and tracked down.
She wanted to just run away, and the next shuttle up to the orbit will be in twenty minutes. Time to pack up.
Rolling all of her luggage and packing it in the luggage, she saw another note hidden underneath the box.
Please don't try to run, we have tracked you and you will be zapped and knocked out the moment you have left the low orbit.
Regards
Lady Lily
'FUCK!' Vindy swore underneath her breath, she will kill her the next time they met. When she blew Lady Lily's arms off in the fight, that was the first time that she has used her powers on another being, and she absolutely held back just because she is not a soldier or a killer. However, next time, she might have to cross the line. For her freedom, she will do whatever it takes.
Knowing that running away is now not an option, all she can do is to cooperate with Lady Lily for now, and find the best chance to leave. It sounded like Lady Lily and the other artifact users had a few enemies, so if she can reach out to them, then that may be where she could go.
The next sixteen hours went by like torture, as Vindy tried her bests to not think about what her future might be, but rather focus on what she could do at the present.
At around noon, she has left for the entertainment district, and she found her way at the Marble Casino, a giant spherical building floating in the sky, and it does indeed look like a marble with the transparent outer layer reflecting the city lights down below and the sun shine up above. The actual interior structure is obscured when viewed from outside, but the event manager is already waiting patiently at the entrance at the exact same time Vindy comes near the entrance in the building.
She politely guided her into the building and she acts like she has no idea of what has happened on the top floor just a day prior. It seemed like Infinity has kept most of these things under wraps within its highest echelon. The casino is only at about half capacity, as the lower levels are filled with virtual reality pods and brain computer interfaces while the upper levels resorted back to a more physical type of gambling, a rather old school approach to the field.
The event manager took Vindy on a short tour before bringing her to the main level, where there is a music stand in the corner where Vindy presumed she will be playing her music. However, she had a distinct feeling that she will be asked to do more, and that she has no right to refuse. Else, why would Lady Lily expand all that energy...reassembling her blown up arm, or even get into a fight with her in the first place.
She wanted to show who's the superior fighter and user of the artifact, and it was clear since the beginning. Vindy is simply outclassed in every single regard, and all she can do is follow Lady Lily's orders, or who knows what will happen to her. She wanted to be free and she also wanted to be alive to enjoy that freedom.
The event manager gave her a big smile and left her outside the main office on top of the Marble Casino overlooking the busy crowds down below. The door has already been knocked before the event manager left her there, but there is no response.
Just as Vindy is about to turn around and look at the environment all around her, the door swung open, and a short oriental human male is appeared from behind the door. He is dressed in a business suit, and appeared to be about middle aged with the full beard perfectly groomed. He is very attractive for a human despite his stature, and he is only a tiny bit taller than Vindy, who's tall for a Rockie.
'Ah, so you are Vindy.' The human male looked small, but his low and deep voice is anything but. He sounded even more masculine than Sir Deva, 'I am Hong Fu, and you will be the one assisting us tonight.'
'With the music?' Vindy asked, raising the music box neatly packed in her luggage slightly.
'That, yes. But not all.' Hong Fu said, then he walked to the side and let Vindy into the room. He gestured a hand full of blisters towards the seat nearest to the table and walked towards his own seat. After the door is shut, Hong said after sitting down, 'I understand that Lady Lily might have used some matter of persuasion to get you to join us, but since you are working under me, things will be different.'
Vindy looked up, and yet she is too scared to hope.
'The big event tonight will be extremely important for Infinity, and they have asked for my help in order to secure an asset.' Hong said, 'an asset extremely important to them, but in order for that to succeed, they will need my help.'
'Are you talking about artifacts?'
'An user, instead.' Hong said, 'from my understanding, this user is capable of altering trajectories, of many things. And Infinity wants her badly.'
'Why are you telling me this?' Vindy asked, but Hong puts up a finger before any further questions, with the wave of a hand, a glass of tea is poured for Vindy. Then, a chess board raises up from the table.
'We need you in your best form.' Hong said, 'Your powers are capable of manipulating people's emotional states, that's how you are able to connect with many with your music. We need that.'
'Ok...But I can do that without you telling me this. That's how I play.'
'Yes, and that would be what we hope for.' Hong said, as he started giving the chess board in front of him a big shake as the pieces clanked loudly into each other. It was so loud that even to Vindy's deteriorated hearing it was still too much. Hong pointed a finger down at the the chess board, and to Vindy's surprise, the pieces have formed into a strange pattern that looked like the standard writing:
"They have tracked and tapped you, so this is how I will convey the real message from now, 'do you understand how to play chess?"
Vindy may not be trained in any of these communication techniques, but she knew what Hong is asking. She understood what is happening, and said, 'Yes, I understand.'
The chess board is shook again, and a new line of writing formed.
"If you work with me for tonight and onwards, I can offer you protection from them."
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