Chapter 9: Chapter Chapter Eight

“Pretty fuckin’…” Wolf’s eyes fluttered open. His words were weak. He could feel Nina’s soft skin against his. “Fuckin’…Vintage…Yeah?

“Those are your first words?” Sabine laughed. “I was expecting ‘Oh shit, I’m alive’.”

“Augments baby…” Wolf smirked. “I’m glad you’re here Ni.”

“She wouldn’t leave your side.”

Nina blushed. “What if he woke up while I was gone? I couldn’t…”

“Nice,” Wolf gasped and closed his eyes. “I’m so tired…”

“Then rest,” Sabine sighed. “But you need to stop pushing yourself so far. Part of being a pilot is knowing your limits.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it…” Wolf replied. “What about Sebille…?”

“I…” Sabine paused. “I haven’t gone home yet…I’ve been avoiding it. She hasn’t called me though…”

“Mmm…” Wolf had already fallen asleep.

“Are you going to stay with him, Nina?”

“Yes. Where else would I go?”

“I… suppose you’ve got a point. I’ll see you around…”

Ari was resting on the couch when Sabine arrived. She called out Sebille’s name. There was no answer. She checked all of the rooms. She wasn’t there. Sabine tried to call Sebille. There was no response. Sabine slouched down against the wall and wiped the tears from her eyes. Ari walked over and licked her cheek. She wrapped her arms and legs around his body and lay on the floor, crying into his soft mane.

When Wolf awoke, Nina was sleeping soundly next to him. He carefully escaped her grip and showered. When he finished, Nina had roused.

“Did you have pleasant dreams?”

“I uh…No…”

“Sorry, I forgot…” Nina replied meekly.

“It’s fine.”

“What’s it like?”

“Like flipping a switch. Or…Traveling forward in time?” Wolf pondered. “I blink, it’s a new day, and I’m fully rested.”

“That sounds…”

“Ni, I want to show you something. I’ll need access to your neural interface, though. If that’s alright.”

“Yes,” Nina responded as she turned away from Wolf and bent her head to the side. There was a small indent on the back of her skull where something could be plugged in. Wolf sat on the bed behind her and pulled a plug out of his neural interface, then gently stuck it into Nina’s skull. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

“What is this?”

“This is…what I used to dream about,” Wolf spoke softly. The two of them were sitting in a meadow. The grass was green and trees dotted the horizon with fluffy green tufts of leaves. The sun was high in the sky, bathing the land in flickering light. Flowers were blooming and the smell of rain and pollen filled the air.

“It’s so…bright…”

“I’ve always wondered what the sun was like. I heard it was just a ball of gas and fire, so I used the closest thing I could think of to simulate it. I knew it wouldn’t be like a street light or anything like that…”

“This is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Nina exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

“This is where I come when I’m depressed. Life wasn’t really worth living before I became a pilot. I guess I just kind of tried to live as little in the real world as I could…” Wolf explained as he put his hand on Nina’s cheek. “Fuck, your skin is…warm…and soft…”

“So is yours…”

“Sometimes I regret my augments…” Wolf’s voice seemed distant. “I can’t hold you like this in the real world. I can’t feel your warmth in my hands. If I hold you, will I crush you?”

“You can still feel my lips,” Nina replied as she gently kissed Wolf. “And if you’re afraid to crush me, then let me hold you.”

“I wouldn’t trade anything for my augments, but…sometimes I wish I’d stayed a virgin,” Wolf let out a long sigh. “Shall we head back?”

“I want to enjoy this just a little while longer,” Nina replied as she squeezed Wolf in her arms.

“Ow, ow, ow! You’re crushing me!” Wolf laughed.

“Sabby?” Wolf called out as he entered her flat with Nina. Ari was laying on the floor, licking up a pool of vomit. There were patches of dried puke in his mane. “Sabby, you doing alright?”

“I don’t think she’s doing alright,” Nina replied. The duo followed the sounds of gagging into Sabine’s bathroom. She was sprawled out on the floor in front of the toilet, emptying her bowls periodically into the silver bowl.

“You sure you should be drinking like that, Sabby? Only a few days until our next match,” Wolf jested.

“She’s gone…” Sabine spat into the toilet. “Seb’s not answering my calls…”

“You’ve still got us,” Nina put her hand on Sabine’s back. Sabine pushed away her hand.

“Jusht get the fugg out…”

“Sabby, I get you’re down, but-“

“Get out!” Sabine screamed as she pushed Wolf away. Wolf gestured to Nina and began to leave before Sabine started sobbing loudly. “Wait! I don’t wand to be alone…”

Wolf smiled gently before grabbing Sabine’s hair and holding it behind her head. “We’re here for you, just let it all out. Nina, can you get some BJE Detox formula?”

“Where would it be?” Nina asked as she stood up.

“Uh…just ask the robo butler thing.”

“Ah, yes!” Nina’s ears perked up as she headed towards the kitchen.

“This stuff should clean you up in a few hours, if it performs as advertised,” Wolf explained. “So…how’s Bastien? He going to be ready for the next round?”

“He’sh fugged…”

“But uh…You can fix him, right?”

“Dave’sh…” Sabine stopped and gagged into the bowl. “Dave’sh worging on it. Battery is…Fried…”

“The fuck were you drinking? Or how much?” Wolf looked around the bathroom for empty bottles, but found none.”

“I finish…Finished off the Data Leak…”

“Sabby, that was like a fifth of a bottle,” Wolf laughed out loud. “You really are a lightweight!”

Nina returned with a sack of grey goop almost identical to the regular Big Juice Energy formula, the only difference being the text on the bag. “This is it.”

“Vintage, let’s take a looksie,” Wolf grabbed the bag and quickly skimmed the text. “Nice. Drink this up, Sabby. You’ll be ready to take over for that idiot Dave in no time.”

Sabine clumsily grabbed the bag and tore open the top, then choked down the sludge, gagging after every gulp. “Thish tashtes like shid!”

“Yeah, nice. We’re going to leave now because that’s uh…that’s basically just a bunch of laxatives and stuff, so…have fun!” Wolf laughed as he ran out of the room.

“I’m never drinking again,” Sabine slouched in Bastien’s cockpit. Wolf was standing on the catwalk behind her.

“How’s the damage?”

“Bastien or me?”

“Both,” Wolf chuckled.

“It would be selfish for me to let my personal problems get in the way of work, but…Fuck, Wolf. What am I supposed to do?”

“The fuck should I know?” Wolf shrugged. “Never been in that position. Just…give it time? Maybe she’ll want to talk. I’m sure she’s just as confused as you.”

“I hope so,” Sabine sighed. “As for this guy… All that energy overloaded his battery. I’ll have to replace it entirely.”

“That’s easy, right?”

“Expensive. Steiner will not be pleased.”

“We won though, right? Who cares what it cost us? It’s a fight to the fuckin’ death! She should be happy we’re still alive!”

“The expenses are starting to pile up. I’ve had to almost double my staff to keep up with the repairs,” Sabine replied as she gestured to the crowd of people scurrying about the hangar. “I’m starting to wonder if it’s really worth it…”

Wolf smiled a toothy grin. “We’re going to be fuckin’ superstars! That’s worth dying for.”

“It just feels like my life is falling apart,” Sabine’s eyes began to fill with tears. “I’m losing everything important to me, I’m killing people…I…I don’t recognize myself any more…”

“If something doesn’t scare the shit out of you, is it really worth doing?”

“I don’t know…I just…I want to be alone…”

“No prob,” Wolf replied as he began to walk down the catwalk. “I’ll always be here Sabby. Remember, I love you. Call me if you need anything.”

Sabine closed the cockpit and let the soft lights wash over her. She closed her eyes and sobbed quietly into her hands. She reached up to the silver locket hanging from the ceiling and flipped it open. The mirror inside was cracked into three pieces. Sabine whispered to herself as she admired the polished surface. “What do I do…?”

Wolf slammed back his drink and let out a belch.

“Classy,” Sabine commented.

“You know, Wolf, I’ve got a favor to ask of you,” Nyx announced.

“Whoa, hold up. What happened to not forming bonds?”

“That was before I realized you were Wolfgang,” Nyx smiled for a brief moment. “I’m actually a huge fan of your radio show.”

Wolf burst out laughing. “You? Really? That’s so strange!”

“Of course, there’s nothing else to listen to when I’ve got to spend the night out in the wilderness, or I’m hunting down a mark.”

“The soundtrack of a killer,” Sabine jested.

“What’s your request?”

“I want to sit in while you do a show.”

“You…want to be a guest on my show?”

“No, no, I’m far too…” Nyx paused to think. “Let’s go with shy. I just want to watch the magic happen.”

“Yeah, no prob!” Wolf exclaimed before his expression suddenly became serious. “But it’s going to cost you.”

“What’s your price?”

“Information!”

“What would you like to know?”

“What is your mugen called?” Wolf asked, then frantically added to the question. “And why!”

“Shinigami, or Hades. The god of death. People call it that because everyone that crosses paths with me dies.”

“Ooooh! Spooky!” Wolf laughed. “Swing by my place after the next match and I’ll show you my studio.”

“I can’t wait,” Nyx’s lips parted into a toothy smile.

“Hey Sab, is that…”

“Sebille!” Sabine shot out of her seat and pushed her way across the crowded bar.

“Stay away from me,” Sebille commanded as Sabine approached her.

“What are you doing here? You’re not a pilot…”

“I’ve joined a group; they’re training me to be a pilot.”

“Why?”

“What am I to you, Sabine? Just a pretty face?”

“What do you mean? I would do anything for you.”

“Apparently not! You took someone’s life even though I told you not to. Why did you train Wolf to be a pilot and not me?”

“What?”

“Why did you choose that worthless piece of trash over me?”

“I’ve known him my entire life, Seb. Why would I want to put you in danger?”

“I’m nothing, Sabine! I’ve been living in your shadow doing nothing with my life! And I’m going to continue to be nothing unless I get out from beneath you,” tears had begun to stream down Sebille’s cheeks. “I’m going to do something with my life. I’m going to become a vampire hunter like Liet!”

“What are you…” Sabine noticed something on near Sebille’s wrist in the dim light. Sabine reached out and grabbed it. “Show me your arm.”

“Don’t touch me!” Sebille tried to pull away, but Sabine pulled up her sleeve. The veins in her arm were pitch black and there were small pinpricks all over her arm.

“That’s…That’s fucking poison!”

“The only way to kill a vampire is to poison it.”

“Are you crazy?! You’re going to kill yourself!”

“No! It’s harmless to humans.”

“Your blood is turning black! How is this supposed to work?”

“If I’m bitten, the vampire will die the second my blood hits its tongue.”

“No,” Sabine shook her head and tried to pull Sebille out of the bar. “No, no no. I’m taking you to Steiner, she’ll know how to fix this.”

“No! I don’t want anything to do with you!” Sebille ripped free of Sabine’s grip and ran out of the bar. Sabine returned to her seat beside Wolf.

“That was uh…” Wolf put his arm around Sabine. “Huh…”

“She’s going to die,” Sabine sobbed into her hands.

“Nah, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“Vampire hunters…”

“Let me talk to her, Sabby. I’ll tell her it’s a load of shit. Maybe once she realizes they’re being used as bloodbags, she’ll redirect that…Energy.”

“I just…I need to focus. I can’t let this distract me,” Sabine replied as she rose from her seat. “I’m going to prepare for the match. I’ll…see you later.”