Post by Maxine on Mar 1, 2020 7:02:23 GMT -8
“You get it, don’t you? I don’t care for all the politics, but renewables are an obviously growing market, and so we want in… but, with an insurance policy. This shouldn’t be anything new to you.”
”Yes, understood. Plausible deniability. A wise move, oyabun.”
“Mm hm; working with an android is so easy. Go make our family’s mark on the project, and you’ll get paid. It’s a win-win. Remind those Ox-Corp dogs who’s really in charge of Oolong City.”
”Before that… your espresso is ready, oyabun.”
“That – That is certainly a strong start. But, please, you’re better off putting that much effort in on the job; not while haunting my office. There’s little time to waste. And I already have a coffee machine.”
”U-Understood!”
----------
Manual labour wasn’t nearly as appealing to Maxine as serving coffees in an office, but if it was a job, then it was a job. She’d considered just settling into such work, once upon a time, but she wasn’t made for it like some androids – she was better suited to checking paperwork and watching her superior’s backs than heavy lifting. Being a big scary battle robot did sound nice now and then, but… she didn’t really enjoy fighting anyway. Not for any particular moral reasons, but she didn’t enjoy getting hurt. She didn’t enjoy hurting others, either. Just a waste of energy, unless there were appropriate circumstances.
Speaking of which.
”Your bleeding is getting more noticeable. I think it would be bad for your reputation if you don’t come to a decision soon. A professional such as yourself shouldn’t be getting hurt on their own worksite.”
“I-I don’t have any debts! Listen, you’ve got the wrong guy, I’m sure of it – j-just take it easy! I won’t tell anyone, so let’s just call it here! Never see each other agai-”
”I’m a professional – you can’t fool me. I suggest you start negotiating rather than looking for excuses.”
She pushed a little harder – that was about as close as she ought to get. A few more centimetres and it’d definitely begin to snap. The young man gagged and grunted; an impressive response. He was tough for his age, in spite of his begging. She’d have to remember his name.
“Okay! Okay, okay, okay; let’s talk! Let’s talk! I’ll talk! We can just – talk it out! L-Listen, the project is underfunded right now, so I can’t just take on any workers, b-b-but maybe – maybe I can figure –!”
She let go. With a thud, the man fell onto his knees; but hastily got back to his feet, at least long enough to collapse into a plastic chair. Maxine idly leaned on the back of the opposite chair to watch him; albeit keeping her position above him while he wheezed… well, this was usually how she got to be taller than people.
“So, look, I shouldn’t be doing this, b-but… there’s a system for temporary staff. Maybe I can… make up some excuses and hire some of your guys on that way. It’ll be messy, but I-I guess…”
”Two men. One woman. At least one in an administration role. Do that, and you won’t see me again. You might even find that a lot of your troubles tend to disappear.”
“S-Shit, I never wanted to deal with yakuza…”
”You don’t need to. You’re merely working with a particularly useful recruiting company. It’s a win-win, I think you’ll soon find.”
“More like an offer I can’t refuse. Why should I trust you, huh? You can wear whatever expensive suit you want, but you’re just another punk. And an android no less… I can tell by your eyes; they’re not real.”
Maxine didn’t raise an eyebrow, scoff, or frown. ”Well spotted.” she said simply; genuinely. She put a hand into her suit jacket, and gradually took a tool out – a knife; with a blade five and a half inches in length. It wasn’t a kitchen knife, and it was no switchblade. ”Allow me to teach you something, as a show of goodwill. Perhaps you can trust me a little then.
Admittedly, the tantō blade was a rental; her client just liked to have an image, even among her contractors. But, what this young man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. ”A lot of those ‘punks’ quite like their guns nowadays. They’re threatening. But, even if they’re well suppressed kinetic models, they make a lot of noise. Even those newer energy weapons leave a lot of mess thanks to the obvious cauterisation and radiation; albeit depending on the model. Guns just aren’t practical if you actually intend to hurt someone. Very easy to trace, bring a lot of heat, noisy, messy; they’re no good.”
“Let me guess – and knives don’t, so they’re better? They make a mess too! C’mon, this isn’t a movie.”
Her eye’s sparkled for a moment – she wasn’t expecting a retort. And not a bad one. She had to take a moment to reorder her speech. She wasn’t a knife fan herself, to be honest, but if a boss made a special request then she’d carry it out. ”Certainly. But you work in a building site. You’re a new hire. You’ve got a background. I don’t like to put this so bluntly, but a professional is not the first person on the list if you were to be found with your throat slit. Even if you were alive, it’d be considered very doubtful that it was some sort of hitman.”
“Tch. Yeah, well; I don’t like the idea of getting killed by some psychopath robot anyway. I guess I’ll let you off the hook. Still seems stupid having yakuza hassling me about working on a dam.”
”Not my business, I’m afraid. I would consider it a compliment. It’s an investment, and I assure you that such conglomerates know where the money is if they’ve survived long enough to spend their time convincing you rather than just… replacing you.”
He scoffed, but relented. “Whatever. I’ll get you your cronies’ paperwork. If they do good work, then it doesn’t make a difference to me. Didn’t need to send a killer robot out to ask me for that! Shouldn’t you be all for renewable energy? You’re a drain-type, aren’t you?”
Another impressive observation. Or, a lucky guess. But, she’d pay it, all the same. He’d appreciate the ego boost. ”Well spotted, once again. I appreciate that you’re quick on the uptake, young man. In fact – what’s your name?”
“Like hell I’d tell you. You’re meant to be some wannabe professional, anyway! You should know that much.”
”Mm. Jūrō Horvat. Northernlands, I’d guess?”
“South, actually. Grandparents were from North though, so I’ll give you a pass.”
”I see. In return, I am UN-11. ‘Psychopath robot’. But, I prefer the title of ‘bodyguard’. ‘Butler’ is fine too. Sometimes just ‘professional’.”
“More like ‘consummate professional’. What kind of a name is UN-11? Could be any robot.”
”Indeed. I’m just a machine. So, I don’t have a better answer.”
The man paused, having calmed down considerably. Maxine would have liked to call this part of her plan, but she was just as comfortable having to stake his hand in a table with a knife. This was just… nice. She didn’t consider herself very personable, and didn’t like the idea of having such a reputation; but it was good to be… grounded.
“You’re a real people person, huh? Fine. I guess I can appreciate someone straightforward. Well, at least say something cool so I can tell my friends a proper story.”
”Hm… very well. ‘Make friends with disaster. Misfortune is your cousin. Leave your regrets behind. Tomorrow it could be you.’ How’s that?”
A line from an old movie. It sounded meaningful, didn’t it? She liked it an awful lot. Enigmatic, bold, exceptionally coo-
“That’s kinda weak. Like something out of that ‘Seiyaman’s Seven’ spinoff.”
”The one with the ‘Silver Seiyaman’? ‘The world won’t change. All it does is turn.’”
“Yeah, yeah. Looks like at least you’ve got good choices for your inspiration, or at least whoever fitted your brain together did. That show, man. Twelve episodes was the perfect amount.”
”The cinematography was excellent. The saturation really made it surreal; and the midnight colour palette placed it aside from the rest of the series. I don’t think there’ll ever be another show like it.”
“---Geez. Chatting about TV with an android yakuza hitman, a minute after she tries to break my arm. The world really is going to pieces.”
”I’m not a hitman. I’m not built for killing.” insisted Maxine, reflexively – she didn’t like being called a killer. She’d spent her first weeks after being activated sorting out a funeral, and she’d handled death plenty of times after… she didn’t like the idea of actually killing someone, in spite of her usual clients. It wasn’t something about morality or principles, she thought; it just… made her sick.
“All talk, huh? Fine by me. But I think we’re done talking, at this point; as much as I’d like to discuss more obscure TV shows.”
”Perhaps I shouldn’t waste any more of your valuable time, then; Mister Horvat. It seems we’ve found some common ground, and come to an understanding. I didn’t even make a mess; my client will be thrilled.”
“I don’t like the sound of that! But as much as I’d rather have nothing to do with your ‘client’, it sounds like the opposite is finding out what you define as a ‘mess’. Alright, Miss Purple. I guess you win this round. I’ll play nice with your friends. So long as this dam gets built, I get paid, and the world’s a better place; so I guess it doesn’t matter who’s next in line. If there’s any trouble, though, you’d better damn well know I’ll be looking for you.”
Maxine offered a deep bow, as was customary, before beginning to take her leave – of course, after tucking that knife away again. ”Pleasure doing business. I’m sure you’ll find your new staff especially useful. Just don’t ask them too many questions.”
“I think I’ve had enough questions for a year, so I’ll take your word for it, Purple.”
----------
The android was relieved to leave the little substitute office amidst the dam’s construction site – her mind was buzzing (possibly literally) after that. S-She might have shut the door a little too quickly… aaah, whatever! S-She did it! She totally did it! She was so cool and professional! She should have recorded that for her demo reel! Ah, she’d been practicing for so many years, but it’d been ages since she’d had it go that well… i-it was like acting, but with a gun to your head. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively; sometimes she even had the gun.
But, it never became ‘easy’.
“Elev’n. Got it figured out?”
She was met only around the corner by a familiar face – a heavy set and tall saiyan-beastman hybrid; a girl who probably couldn’t find any job but ‘thug’ with her figure and demeanour. Well, ‘thug’ or ‘plus-plus-size’ model; but unfortunately the latter was a bit undermined by the perpetual look of disinterest or drowsiness on her face. Wrapped up in a heavy coat and scarf, and standing a good foot over your average person; let alone the 5’ android; she looked like nothing but trouble. Aside from the floppy fox-like ears that stuck through her bob cut, anyway.
”Of course. The oyabun will get her insiders for the project, and I imagine she will get her stake in it once she can slip one high enough in the committee. The young supervisor is quite fiery… I think he’ll get along just fine.”
“’kay. No use for me then. I’ll tell the boss.”
Always a girl of few words, that girl. But, that was probably for the best; Maxine preferred a professional. Especially a professional who could probably take a shotgun blast and sleep it off. She’d probably sleep through it in the first place, too.
”I appreciate your support as always. I’ll expect my pay to the usual account.”
With that, Maxine and her unlikely co-conspirator parted ways, and left the barren construction site in turn. Another mission complete; if a shallow one; but she needed all the money she could get after her last body got so wrecked. And with Two scrounging all the resources Maxine could afford, as well… it seemed this dream of hers was becoming quite taxing, as if that debt wasn’t enough.
‘This dream of hers’?
Since when did a machine dream, exactly?
[2112]
”Yes, understood. Plausible deniability. A wise move, oyabun.”
“Mm hm; working with an android is so easy. Go make our family’s mark on the project, and you’ll get paid. It’s a win-win. Remind those Ox-Corp dogs who’s really in charge of Oolong City.”
”Before that… your espresso is ready, oyabun.”
“That – That is certainly a strong start. But, please, you’re better off putting that much effort in on the job; not while haunting my office. There’s little time to waste. And I already have a coffee machine.”
”U-Understood!”
----------
Manual labour wasn’t nearly as appealing to Maxine as serving coffees in an office, but if it was a job, then it was a job. She’d considered just settling into such work, once upon a time, but she wasn’t made for it like some androids – she was better suited to checking paperwork and watching her superior’s backs than heavy lifting. Being a big scary battle robot did sound nice now and then, but… she didn’t really enjoy fighting anyway. Not for any particular moral reasons, but she didn’t enjoy getting hurt. She didn’t enjoy hurting others, either. Just a waste of energy, unless there were appropriate circumstances.
Speaking of which.
”Your bleeding is getting more noticeable. I think it would be bad for your reputation if you don’t come to a decision soon. A professional such as yourself shouldn’t be getting hurt on their own worksite.”
“I-I don’t have any debts! Listen, you’ve got the wrong guy, I’m sure of it – j-just take it easy! I won’t tell anyone, so let’s just call it here! Never see each other agai-”
”I’m a professional – you can’t fool me. I suggest you start negotiating rather than looking for excuses.”
She pushed a little harder – that was about as close as she ought to get. A few more centimetres and it’d definitely begin to snap. The young man gagged and grunted; an impressive response. He was tough for his age, in spite of his begging. She’d have to remember his name.
“Okay! Okay, okay, okay; let’s talk! Let’s talk! I’ll talk! We can just – talk it out! L-Listen, the project is underfunded right now, so I can’t just take on any workers, b-b-but maybe – maybe I can figure –!”
She let go. With a thud, the man fell onto his knees; but hastily got back to his feet, at least long enough to collapse into a plastic chair. Maxine idly leaned on the back of the opposite chair to watch him; albeit keeping her position above him while he wheezed… well, this was usually how she got to be taller than people.
“So, look, I shouldn’t be doing this, b-but… there’s a system for temporary staff. Maybe I can… make up some excuses and hire some of your guys on that way. It’ll be messy, but I-I guess…”
”Two men. One woman. At least one in an administration role. Do that, and you won’t see me again. You might even find that a lot of your troubles tend to disappear.”
“S-Shit, I never wanted to deal with yakuza…”
”You don’t need to. You’re merely working with a particularly useful recruiting company. It’s a win-win, I think you’ll soon find.”
“More like an offer I can’t refuse. Why should I trust you, huh? You can wear whatever expensive suit you want, but you’re just another punk. And an android no less… I can tell by your eyes; they’re not real.”
Maxine didn’t raise an eyebrow, scoff, or frown. ”Well spotted.” she said simply; genuinely. She put a hand into her suit jacket, and gradually took a tool out – a knife; with a blade five and a half inches in length. It wasn’t a kitchen knife, and it was no switchblade. ”Allow me to teach you something, as a show of goodwill. Perhaps you can trust me a little then.
Admittedly, the tantō blade was a rental; her client just liked to have an image, even among her contractors. But, what this young man didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. ”A lot of those ‘punks’ quite like their guns nowadays. They’re threatening. But, even if they’re well suppressed kinetic models, they make a lot of noise. Even those newer energy weapons leave a lot of mess thanks to the obvious cauterisation and radiation; albeit depending on the model. Guns just aren’t practical if you actually intend to hurt someone. Very easy to trace, bring a lot of heat, noisy, messy; they’re no good.”
“Let me guess – and knives don’t, so they’re better? They make a mess too! C’mon, this isn’t a movie.”
Her eye’s sparkled for a moment – she wasn’t expecting a retort. And not a bad one. She had to take a moment to reorder her speech. She wasn’t a knife fan herself, to be honest, but if a boss made a special request then she’d carry it out. ”Certainly. But you work in a building site. You’re a new hire. You’ve got a background. I don’t like to put this so bluntly, but a professional is not the first person on the list if you were to be found with your throat slit. Even if you were alive, it’d be considered very doubtful that it was some sort of hitman.”
“Tch. Yeah, well; I don’t like the idea of getting killed by some psychopath robot anyway. I guess I’ll let you off the hook. Still seems stupid having yakuza hassling me about working on a dam.”
”Not my business, I’m afraid. I would consider it a compliment. It’s an investment, and I assure you that such conglomerates know where the money is if they’ve survived long enough to spend their time convincing you rather than just… replacing you.”
He scoffed, but relented. “Whatever. I’ll get you your cronies’ paperwork. If they do good work, then it doesn’t make a difference to me. Didn’t need to send a killer robot out to ask me for that! Shouldn’t you be all for renewable energy? You’re a drain-type, aren’t you?”
Another impressive observation. Or, a lucky guess. But, she’d pay it, all the same. He’d appreciate the ego boost. ”Well spotted, once again. I appreciate that you’re quick on the uptake, young man. In fact – what’s your name?”
“Like hell I’d tell you. You’re meant to be some wannabe professional, anyway! You should know that much.”
”Mm. Jūrō Horvat. Northernlands, I’d guess?”
“South, actually. Grandparents were from North though, so I’ll give you a pass.”
”I see. In return, I am UN-11. ‘Psychopath robot’. But, I prefer the title of ‘bodyguard’. ‘Butler’ is fine too. Sometimes just ‘professional’.”
“More like ‘consummate professional’. What kind of a name is UN-11? Could be any robot.”
”Indeed. I’m just a machine. So, I don’t have a better answer.”
The man paused, having calmed down considerably. Maxine would have liked to call this part of her plan, but she was just as comfortable having to stake his hand in a table with a knife. This was just… nice. She didn’t consider herself very personable, and didn’t like the idea of having such a reputation; but it was good to be… grounded.
“You’re a real people person, huh? Fine. I guess I can appreciate someone straightforward. Well, at least say something cool so I can tell my friends a proper story.”
”Hm… very well. ‘Make friends with disaster. Misfortune is your cousin. Leave your regrets behind. Tomorrow it could be you.’ How’s that?”
A line from an old movie. It sounded meaningful, didn’t it? She liked it an awful lot. Enigmatic, bold, exceptionally coo-
“That’s kinda weak. Like something out of that ‘Seiyaman’s Seven’ spinoff.”
”The one with the ‘Silver Seiyaman’? ‘The world won’t change. All it does is turn.’”
“Yeah, yeah. Looks like at least you’ve got good choices for your inspiration, or at least whoever fitted your brain together did. That show, man. Twelve episodes was the perfect amount.”
”The cinematography was excellent. The saturation really made it surreal; and the midnight colour palette placed it aside from the rest of the series. I don’t think there’ll ever be another show like it.”
“---Geez. Chatting about TV with an android yakuza hitman, a minute after she tries to break my arm. The world really is going to pieces.”
”I’m not a hitman. I’m not built for killing.” insisted Maxine, reflexively – she didn’t like being called a killer. She’d spent her first weeks after being activated sorting out a funeral, and she’d handled death plenty of times after… she didn’t like the idea of actually killing someone, in spite of her usual clients. It wasn’t something about morality or principles, she thought; it just… made her sick.
“All talk, huh? Fine by me. But I think we’re done talking, at this point; as much as I’d like to discuss more obscure TV shows.”
”Perhaps I shouldn’t waste any more of your valuable time, then; Mister Horvat. It seems we’ve found some common ground, and come to an understanding. I didn’t even make a mess; my client will be thrilled.”
“I don’t like the sound of that! But as much as I’d rather have nothing to do with your ‘client’, it sounds like the opposite is finding out what you define as a ‘mess’. Alright, Miss Purple. I guess you win this round. I’ll play nice with your friends. So long as this dam gets built, I get paid, and the world’s a better place; so I guess it doesn’t matter who’s next in line. If there’s any trouble, though, you’d better damn well know I’ll be looking for you.”
Maxine offered a deep bow, as was customary, before beginning to take her leave – of course, after tucking that knife away again. ”Pleasure doing business. I’m sure you’ll find your new staff especially useful. Just don’t ask them too many questions.”
“I think I’ve had enough questions for a year, so I’ll take your word for it, Purple.”
----------
The android was relieved to leave the little substitute office amidst the dam’s construction site – her mind was buzzing (possibly literally) after that. S-She might have shut the door a little too quickly… aaah, whatever! S-She did it! She totally did it! She was so cool and professional! She should have recorded that for her demo reel! Ah, she’d been practicing for so many years, but it’d been ages since she’d had it go that well… i-it was like acting, but with a gun to your head. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively; sometimes she even had the gun.
But, it never became ‘easy’.
“Elev’n. Got it figured out?”
She was met only around the corner by a familiar face – a heavy set and tall saiyan-beastman hybrid; a girl who probably couldn’t find any job but ‘thug’ with her figure and demeanour. Well, ‘thug’ or ‘plus-plus-size’ model; but unfortunately the latter was a bit undermined by the perpetual look of disinterest or drowsiness on her face. Wrapped up in a heavy coat and scarf, and standing a good foot over your average person; let alone the 5’ android; she looked like nothing but trouble. Aside from the floppy fox-like ears that stuck through her bob cut, anyway.
”Of course. The oyabun will get her insiders for the project, and I imagine she will get her stake in it once she can slip one high enough in the committee. The young supervisor is quite fiery… I think he’ll get along just fine.”
“’kay. No use for me then. I’ll tell the boss.”
Always a girl of few words, that girl. But, that was probably for the best; Maxine preferred a professional. Especially a professional who could probably take a shotgun blast and sleep it off. She’d probably sleep through it in the first place, too.
”I appreciate your support as always. I’ll expect my pay to the usual account.”
With that, Maxine and her unlikely co-conspirator parted ways, and left the barren construction site in turn. Another mission complete; if a shallow one; but she needed all the money she could get after her last body got so wrecked. And with Two scrounging all the resources Maxine could afford, as well… it seemed this dream of hers was becoming quite taxing, as if that debt wasn’t enough.
‘This dream of hers’?
Since when did a machine dream, exactly?
[2112]