Robert Charette - Never deal with a Dragon

“How did it go?”

He did not want to disappoint her, but he had nothing to fulfill her hopes. “I am told that there will be periodic reports on Janice’s welfare. I may write letters to her as well, but I am not to complain any further. At least, I wasn’t forbidden to pray for her.”

She searched his face. “You don’t really believe that the company will follow through, do you?”

Sam said nothing. If Hanae had read enough in his face and stance to ask the question, she already knew the answer. She reached out to touch his cheek, then she threw her arms around him in a fierce hug. Her warmth felt good.

“I think you should talk to someone,” she suggested tentatively.

“I don’t need a shrink.”

She laughed nervously. “No, that’s not what I meant. I think you should talk to someone I met down in the public mail.”

“Hanae, I’m really not in the mood for small talk with a stranger.” He had never found her friends of more than passing interest, and he just wanted to be alone.

“You don’t have to do it now. Besides, I’d have to arrange a time, anyway.”

While the knowledge that an immediate meeting wasn’t in the offing was a relief, her comment raised his suspicions. “Who is this person?”

Hanae nervously glanced around. “I’d rather not say her name here. She’s a… talent scout.”

“I’m not going on trid.”

“No. Not that kind. She’s corporate.”

This was an interesting development. Talent scouts looked for dissatisfied employees who might be willing to switch corporations. Hanae was concerned enough to talk to a headhunter. Such an involvement was totally out of character for her; she was a loyal company person. He realized that he, too, was acting out of character. Here he was actually considering the possibility.

The mall was vibrant, full of sound, light, and life. After the ordered corridors of the private sectors of the arcology, Sam found that the sights, sounds, and smells of the public sections took some getting used to. The blare of the public trid screens was the worst of all, touting the latest products between reports of the latest corporate war or Urban Brawl game. He usually avoided coming to the extravaganza that rambled over the first five levels of the arcology, preferring the company malls and shops scattered throughout the living levels. There he was less reminded that he was denied travel outside the Renraku corporate world without a Renraku corporate escort.

It wasn’t the crowds that bothered him. He found the people of Seattle intriguing and the mix of types exhilarating. Tourists included Asians, tribals from the surrounding Salish-Shidhe Council, corporates from all the local multinationals, UCAS citizens ranging from rich to street people, and even the occasional Elf, Dwarf, or group of Orks moved elbow to elbow with one another in the thoroughfares. Before long, Sam’s discomfort faded as he relaxed and let himself become part of the crowd. Being in a group always seemed to comfort Sam, but of late that feeling had been rare.

Upon first arriving at the arcology, he had made some forays into the metroplex of the outside world, but those trips soon became an exercise in isolation and frustration. Sam’s chaperones had made enjoyment impossible. People on the street were leery of approaching anyone with a Renraku guard escort, and the guards themselves were rarely good for conversation. After the first few weeks, he had given up on his outings, content to learn more about Seattle and its people from the Matrix, the trid, and travelogues.

Hanae was walking by his side wearing wraparound chrome sunglasses, an affectation in the filtered sunlight of the mall. Her hair was arranged differently, her blouse was new, and though he recognized her jeans, he knew that she rarely wore them. She was really getting into her role as an intriguer. He hoped her obvious ill-ease would not attract the attention of any of the strolling Raku guards.

He had done nothing to disguise his identity. What would be the point as long as he wore the screamer on his right wrist? Any guard who cared to check in with the central security databanks would have his identity in a second. All they really had to rely on for privacy was the guards’ indifference to their “shopping trip.”

Hanae had lobbied for a week to get him to accept a meeting with her mysterious new friend. Believing that any contact, however tentative, with an outside recruiter would be an irrevocable step, Sam had stalled. She had broken down his arguments one by one, and he had finally given in. Now, two days later, she had dragged him to the mall to meet the recruiter.

Spray washed over them as the ventilation system sent a stray breeze in their direction. The dampness was a reminder that the waterfall was real and not just a dazzling example of special effects holography. The water cascaded from an opening concealed on the third level. The rushing torrent tumbled along huge quartz boulders from Madagascar, the rocks framed in lush tropical greenery that enhanced their translucent shine. The slope of the waterfall lessened near the first level, gentling the flow before it reached the lagoon park where Sam and Hanae walked. Tropical birds and insects flitted past, restrained from leaving the park area by their own inclination, as well as a subtle ultrasonic barrier at the park’s edge.

Sam caught a glimpse of what he thought was a large-eyed monkey in one tree. The creature’s swaying movements soon convinced him otherwise. It stopped on one limb and turned its gaze in his direction. Its eyes were huge, dark, and liquid. The eyes caught and held his attention with their compelling stare. After a moment, Sam realized he was no longer looking into those eyes. The animal was gone. He searched the trees but could find no sign of it. When he told Hanae about it, she laughed. “A ghost lemur. They say there are several of them in the park, but I’ve never seen one. They’re magical, you know.”

How could he not know? The creature had vanished before his eyes. He shuddered with distaste. Every time magic had touched his life, it had been something awful.

Hanae led him away from the place he had seen the mysterious animal. They strolled over the bridge that spanned the lagoon tank and onto the walkway along the surface of the coral reef environment. The peace of the park was reasserting itself when Hanae abruptly grabbed his arm and started dragging him along the path. Ahead of them was the entrance to the Coral Cafe, a popular restaurant whose sub-level seating offered a window onto the submerged coral reef.

“Over here,” Hanae insisted. “That’s her.”

The woman Hanae pointed out was stunning. From her platinum hair to her gold-studded black leather boots, she was a vision from the next issue of Mode Moderne, Her clothes were cutting-edge, but they were only a setting for the jewel of the woman herself. She was tall and slim and moved with sensual grace.

A gold Renraku ID flashed on the flaring collar of her long, flowing vest, but Sam didn’t believe for a moment that it was legitimate. As they approached, she brushed back the long fall of hair that hung over her right shoulder. For a fleeting instant, the motion revealed a delicately pointed ear.

Sam had not expected an Elf. Elves were the Metahumans most common in the corporations, but that still made them rare and few were in positions of responsibility.

It all made sense now. Her slimness and height, the delicacy of her features-all characteristic of that branch of metahumanity known as Elves. He wondered how old she was. Once an Elf reached early maturity, he or she showed few visible signs of aging, so she might actually be only about twenty, as she appeared. On the other hand, she might have been one of the first babies from the Year of Chaos, which would make her about forty years old.