AJUSTES, parte 3

ultima parte do conto "AJUSTES".

3#

    Um ano se passou desde que Fido veio morar comigo, é novamente outono e o sol lá fora não é suficiente para afastar o clima frio. Eu tenho aquecimento central a gás e um aquecedor elétrico portátil (meu favorito), mas pela primeira vez não precisei usar nenhum deles. O aquecedor de água a energia solar que eu e Janine montamos há algumas semanas com a ajuda de Fido começou a funcionar pela primeira vez. É muito simples montar um aquecedor de água solar, e econômico também, mas eu e Janine decidimos testar um aquecedor central, que esquenta a casa, usando a mesma água quente, só que desviada para  tubulações especiais espalhadas pela casa. Deu muito trabalho, e por mais de uma vez a casa ficou inundada, mas no fim hoje estou esquentando meus pés sem dor na consciência. Claro que no inverno o aquecedor vai funcionar com menos eficiência ou talvez não funcionar totalmente, mas pelo menos vai ajudar a baixar a conta de luz.

    Alias Janine se formou, pegou o diploma no começo do ano. Quando soube que ela já tinha conseguido um emprego, fiquei feliz e triste ao mesmo tempo.Feliz por saber que ela chegou onde queria, triste porque não a veria mais. Com o tempo, comecei a gostar de Janine de uma forma meio diferente, não exatamente adequada, já que eu era o empregador e ela a empregada. No ultimo dia de trabalho dela decidi me abrir e confessar meus sentimentos. A acompanhei até a pequena varanda, banhada pelos últimos raios de luz do dia.

    -Janine...-Senti minhas mãos tremerem, percebi que Janine fixou seus olhos nos meus e ficou lá, imóvel, esperando que eu continuasse. Mas estava difícil encontrar palavras.

    -Janine, espero que você seja muito feliz em seu novo trabalho, vou sentir saudades...Por favor apareça por aqui para nos ver-Disse colocando a mão na cabeça de Fido que estava ao meu lado.

    Janine não pareceu gostar do que eu disse, ficou em silencio, com uma expressão zangada e respondeu, ou melhor dizendo, questionou rispidamente:

    -É isso? Jota, depois de tudo, só isso?!

    Ela pegou as copias das chaves da minha casa que nos últimos anos foram dela e jogou no chão.

    -Seu ESTUPIDO!!

    E saiu raivosa pelo portão. Fiquei desesperado, pelo jeito havia estragado tudo, mesmo sem saber como. Agarrei as chaves no chão e decidi ir atrás dela. Algo ousado, para alguém como eu, mas naquele instante eu havia percebido que precisava dela em minha vida, que não podia perdê-la. Quando me levantei, ela já havia voltado. Com um rosto zangado, ela caminhou lentamente até mim. Segurei seus braços, decidido a dizer que a amava, quando ela se segurou no meu pescoço e, sem dizer nada, me beijou. E eu apenas correspondi. Ficamos ali, juntos, nos beijando por um bom tempo no escuro da noite.

    -Seu estúpido, eu tenho que fazer tudo por aqui?

    -Sorri, como se sorrisse pela primeira vez, a beijei na testa, peguei-a nos braços e a levei de volta para dentro de casa. Nossa casa. Com um chute fechei a porta, e pelo resto da noite nós finalmente confessamos o que sentíamos um pelo outro.

    E o pobre Fido ficou trancado para fora a noite toda, sozinho no sereno, mas eu juro, foi sem querer.

    Hoje quando me lembro disso, não consigo evitar de sorrir. Alias nem tento. Já fazem seis anos desde que eu e Janine nos casamos ( colocamos “J&J” nas alianças), e oito anos desde que nosso amigo Fido passou a fazer parte de nossas vidas.Hoje ele não me ajuda mais no trabalho, isso eu deixou para os novos robôs que eu e Janine temos, o bom e velho Fido, com sua excelente manutenção e muitas up-grades é apenas mais um membro da família. Obcecado com limpeza, continua a insistir em limpar a casa. Eu e Janine admiramos muito como ele e nossa filha, Naylyn, se tornaram amigos. Ela, com seis anos, segue Fido, alguns centímetros mais alto, aonde quer que ele vá, e quando ela sai para explorar a casa, é a vez dele segui-la de perto. Ele é um Pinóquio moderno, com um software de grilo falante, cuidando da segurança dela, e tentando ensiná-la a diferença entre certo e errado.

    Nós sabemos que um dia não terá mais como fazer a manutenção de Fido, seu modelo, agora obsoleto já saiu de linha há vários anos. Mas Janine já achou uma solução: Um robô de ultima geração, com um programa emulador. Um novo corpo, o mesmo Fido. Mas decidimos adiar isso por algum tempo, para que Lyn possa entender toda essa idéia de troca de corpo.

    Hoje quando sento em meu escritório com dois robôs de qualidade ao meu lado penso em como minha vida mudou. Hoje sou um dos donos da empresa (toda minha paranóia de perder o emprego sem duvida me ajudou nisso), sou casado com a mulher que amo e tenho uma filha linda. Posso estar errado, mas eu acho que tudo isso se deve ao fido. Sem ele, minha vida não teria mudado, eu não teria saído daquela triste zona de conforto, e tão pouco teria tido a chance de conhecer melhor Janine, que antes era apenas uma pessoa estranha que trabalhava comigo. Alias, hoje tenho pela primeira vez muitos amigos. Meus colegas, meus vizinhos, de um jeito ou de outro sinto que foi graças a Fido que eu decidi ir atrás de outras pessoas, e ser um pouco mais humano. 

    Levanto-me e olho pela janela, lá estão os dois, Fido e Naylyn, brincando de piratas, ela pura energia, e ele logo atrás, com uma caixa de lencinhos úmidos.

-Senhorita, antes de por a mão na boca você deve higienizá-la, higienizá-la senhorita!

FIM.

wee knight!

"AJUSTES" parte 2.

#2.

Chegando em casa, a criaturinha mecânica saiu sem ajuda do porta malas, e com certo esforço também tirou a caixa com minhas coisas .

Me seguindo de perto, ele parecia deslumbrado com tudo. Bem, é uma casa simples, mas eu contrato uma moça que cuida da limpeza, então esta tudo limpo e em ordem, eu acho.

Abri a porta, entrei e sem olhar para trás, já fui dizendo:

-Bom... acho que primeiro vamos instalar tudo no escritório lá nos fundos...

Mas apenas a caixa estava dentro de casa. O robozinho estava no meio de um estranho ritual de limpeza: Equilibrado em uma perna só, ele limpava o pé direito com um lenço úmido. Depois, muito lentamente, ele ficou equilibrado na outra perna e limpou o outro pé, antes de entrar. Ele devia ter algum tipo de transtorno obsessivo compulsivo robótico.o fim ele apenas olhou para mim e disse:

-Higienizados, Sr.

É, isso ai não vai acabar bem.

As primeiras semanas transcorreram tranquilamente, mais ou menos. Fido tentava limpar a casa, e eu tentava manter Fido fora de problemas.

E é claro, trabalhar. De um lado, trabalhar em casa era excelente, pois podia trabalhar o quanto quisesse, a qualquer hora, desde que entregasse os relatórios dentro do prazo e, sem querer me gabar, eu que sempre entreguei meu trabalho dentro do prazo, passei a entregá-los em metade do tempo.

Porém havia um problema: o trabalho era meu único ambiente de convívio social. Agora eu passava os dias sozinho em casa sem ver ninguém.

Bem, não totalmente sozinho, já que tinha fido e Janine.

Fido, apesar de sua neurose com limpeza, era realmente útil. Organizava tudo de forma eficiente, de cuecas a arquivos do meu trabalho. Ele também limpava a casa constantemente. Até arrumar a cama, a única tarefa domestica que eu fazia (fazia mal, pois Janine sempre refazia a cama quando vinha trabalhar) ele passou a fazer. Janine, a moça  que faz a limpeza, é jovem, de boa aparência e trabalha muito. Além da minha casa, ela trabalha como baba e em uma pizzaria como entregadora, para pagar a faculdade onde cursa engenharia.

Janine teve uma reação ambígua ao ver fido. Ela gostava muito de máquinas e robôs, mas acho que se sentiu ameaçada pelo fido... Acabei dividindo as tarefas entre eles, deixando o fido um pouco de fora da área de Janine.

Fido também precisava de cuidados: A cada 72 horas ele recarregava suas baterias, uma vez por semana ele baixava suas atualizações, e uma vez por mês rodava um auto-diagnóstico preventivo (tudo sozinho).  Durante uma dessas ocasiões onde ele fazia seu download semanal, Janine veio a mim e me perguntou quais AppRs  eu estava usando.

-Apers? O que é isso?

Janine me olhou como se eu tivesse perguntado algo estúpido, como qual era a cor do céu.

-A-P-P-R-S! App- Rs! Aplicativos Robóticos! Eles servem pra deixar o robô mais útil!

É, Janine não se comportava de forma servil, muito pelo contrario, parecia que ela era a chefe e eu e fido os empregados, mas eu não ligava.

-Ah... Não sei, nunca vi isso, mesmo porque ele já faz tudo o que eu  preciso (até mais, pensei, mas nunca admitiria isso).

Janine ficou com uma cara desapontada, e continuou.

-Mas os Apprs também servem para diversão, e outras coisas! Tipo...tipo telefone!

Ela apontou para meu celular, velhinho...

- Você tem que pelo menos experimentar alguns!

E assim Janine passou a ser a co-proprietária de Fido. Todos os dias ela baixava versões gratuitas e de teste, do tipo “use por trinta dias” de uma variedade assustadora de programas.

Eram programas de culinária, de ginástica (sim, Janine passou um mês fazendo ginástica comigo, e não, eu não consegui  “tirar vantagem” da situação), e também alguns bem interessantes, como um programa com a função “impressora”. O meu robozinho foi dormir uma torradeira e acordou um Van Gogh, um Da Vinci, da pintura e do desenho. No começo ele desenhava cenários e imagens a lápis e caneta, mas depois eu tive a oportunidade de vê-lo pintar com giz e lápis de cor, foi impressionante. Janine trabalhava em um de seus projetos de engenharia, uma estação de ônibus com teto de vidro em forma de concha e fido, supervisionado por Janine, transformava a figura em preto e branco em uma ilustração de enorme qualidade.

    -Uau... Eu ainda não tinha visto um programa desses.

    -É bom, não concorda? Antes eu entregava meus projetos em preto-e-branco, pois eu não tinha nenhum talento para pintar. Agora o fido pode fazer isso para mim...

    -Isso não é trapaça?-Perguntei meio assustado.

    -Claro que não, o desenho é meu, ele só esta colorindo.

    E os dois continuaram pintando. Eu estava um pouco preocupado e maravilhado ao mesmo tempo. Robos podiam pintar lindos quadros, ou seja, não precisava-se mais de pintores. Haviam muitos setores de trabalho onde a participação humana havia quase desaparecido devido a disponibilidade de robôs de inteligência artificial verdadeira, normalmente trabalhos como minerar antigos depósitos de lixo atrás de metano e materiais recicláveis, mas a idéia de que robôs podiam substituir artistas me fez temer que nós, humanos, estivéssemos transferindo responsabilidades demais para as máquinas. Aonde essa espécie de preguiça mental levaria a sociedade, se as pessoas delegavam até a arte as maquinas?

    Claro que eu também me preocupei com meu emprego, afinal meu trabalho era mais simples do que pintar um quadro... E decidi fazer “serão” a semana inteira, pra mostrar que eu podia competir com um possível substituto robô.

AJUSTES.

Aqui vai um conto em português para melhor atender aos meus compatriotas. em breve pretendo traduzir contos para o espanhol também, mas aos poucos...

Obrigado e boa leitura:

 AJUSTES.

Meu nome é João e eu sou uma pessoa bem normal, se você considerar normal alguém viver só sem amigos, saindo de casa apenas para trabalhar.

Minha casa é herança dos meus pais. É pequena e confortável, fica no subúrbio, um lugar bem calmo. Eu vivo lá, ou melhor, apenas durmo lá já que a maioria das minhas refeições são feitas fora de casa, já que acho um desperdício cozinhar só para mim.

Meu trabalho é ótimo, pelo menos em minha opinião.  A maioria dos meus colegas fica pouco tempo no meu setor, dizem que o trabalho é estafante e chato, e que ficam praticamente escondidos atrás das divisórias de plástico que separam nossas mesas. Normalmente eu não faço amizades dentro do trabalho, por que sou realmente tímido, mas sempre tento me dar bem com meus colegas de setor. Quando eles me perguntam o que acho do trabalho, eu dou de ombros e digo: “eu até que gosto.”

E gosto mesmo. Nós checamos documentos, vídeos, fotos e depoimentos sobre sinistros. Sinistros são acidentes, e nossa empresa é uma empresa de seguros. Só quero deixar isso claro, pois eu quase sempre me expresso de forma errada, ou é o que me dizem.

Meu trabalho é analisar informações periciais e determinar qual a porcentagem adequada de premio cada cliente deve receber, de acordo com os estragos. Vejo de tudo, caminhões de sorvete capotados, transformadores de escolas explodidos( algum delinqüente jogou uma lata de cerveja vazia dentro do transformador, não me pergunte como) , e outras situações que meus colegas acham deprimentes. Mas eu não ligo, já que sempre fui mesmo deprimido, e adoro passar horas estudando cada caso, e sempre que fico cansado, tenho a sorte de ter uma janela do meu lado que da para a rua. Eu ganhei essa posição na janela a alguns anos, quando eu desvendei uma fraude em um dos meu casos. Acho que meu chefe quis me recompensar, e eu realmente gostei.

Infelizmente minha empresa mudou.

Um assessor de eficiência foi contratado e muitas pessoas foram mandadas embora e depois substituídas por robôs. No meu setor o clima era pesado. Um dia cheguei na empresa, e vi que todas as mesas haviam sido limpas, e o conteúdo das mesmas colocado de forma excepcionalmente cuidadosa dentro de caixas de papelão. Todas as mesas, inclusive a minha.

Uma vontade de chorar surgiu, mas eu me controlei. Não tenho mais idade para chorar em publico.

No meu caminho para o banheiro, onde iria chorar escondido, dei de cara com o Assessor de eficiência, um rapaz muito jovem (eu já tenho 36. Sorridente, ele me deu bom dia, e sem esperar me conduziu direto para a sala dele.

E eu fui. O que podia fazer?

A sala era do tamanho do meu setor, onde éramos seis, mais dois estagiários, mas serei honesto, não havia ostentação ali, apenas trabalho. Trabalho e robôs, pelo menos cinco deles, homens metálicos magros e silenciosos, com grandes olhos de azul brilhante.

-João, que bom que te encontrei logo cedo.

Respondi com cordialidade, mas eu estava suando frio. Quem me dera eu tivesse faltado ao trabalho, mas então lembrei que em oito anos eu não havia faltado nem uma vez, nem por doença.

-Você deve saber que estamos reestruturando a empresa, deixando-a mais competitiva, e que tivemos que fazer algumas mudanças e, infelizmente, alguns sacrifícios.

“Alguns sacrifícios” Disse o açougueiro para a ovelha, pensei.

-...e infelizmente seu setor vai ter que mudar.

Fim de jogo,  estava sendo mandado embora, e nunca mais voltaria a trabalhar.

-... Portanto você e seus colegas vão passar a trabalhar em casa de hoje em diante. Desculpe o aviso assim, em cima da hora.

-Em casa? –disse quase gaguejando. Até pensei em perguntar se ele não estava enganado, afinal eu me sentiria mal se outra pessoa fosse mandada embora em meu lugar.

-Titus vai ser seu ajudante de agora em diante.

Titus? Ajudante. Eu já ia perguntar quem era esse tal Titus, quando ele apertou o botão do interfone e disse:

-Titus, venha cá, vou te apresentar alguém.

Me virei , olhando para a porta. A porta se abriu, e eu continuei olhando. Até que percebi que deveria olhar mais para baixo. 

Lá estava ele: Titus, um robozinho de plástico, com olhos realmente grandes  e uma altura de uns oitenta centímetros.

-João, para poupar custos à empresa vai mudar a forma como trabalha. Todos que puderem irão trabalhar em casa, assim poupamos dinheiro de convenio de estacionamento, vale combustível, vale transporte... Sem falar na conta de luz e no preço do aluguel do espaço físico da empresa. Como essa mudança é repentina, todos vão levar um Titus- D 212 para casa. Ele vai ajudar a conciliar as tarefas domesticas com as tarefas do trabalho.

Eu apenas olhava para a criaturinha a minha frente, e quando ele me esticou a mãozinha de quatro dedos para apertar minha mão eu fiquei sem reação. O robozinho olhou para mim, depois para sua mão, tirou um pedaço de papel toalha de algum lugar dentro da mochila que ele carregava a tira colo, limpou a mão novamente e disse, esticando o bracinho mecânico:

-Higienizada, Sr.

Dessa vez eu apertei a mãozinha, ainda pasmo. Eu nunca tive um robô. Minha família sempre foi simples, e esses robôs eram caros.

-Eu vou ter um robô?

-Na verdade a empresa é dona dele, e a empresa esta cedendo ele para você, assim como qualquer material que você precise do seu setor. Use-o como achar melhor, mas tenha cuidado com seus comandos, ele acabou de sair da caixa, então ele ainda é meio bobinho.

-Sim, mas eu irei desenvolver minha capacidade de raciocínio com o uso. Por favor, cuide bem de mim, para que eu possa servi-lo melhor.

Cuidar bem? Com certeza. Assim que chegasse em casa trancaria o mesmo no armário. Já pensou se ele quebrar? Deve custar uma fortuna!

Ainda pela manhã voltei para casa com fido, quero dizer, Titus. Fido Titus.  Me disseram para dar um nome próprio para ele. Não deu pra pensar em nada melhor, mas Fido não parecia ligar, pelo contrario, me atrevo a dizer que ele me seguia empolgado, sem tirar os olhos de mim. Ele insistiu em carregar minha caixa, o que fez com muita facilidade. Eu queria que ele viesse na caixa dele, escondido no meu carro, pois as duas quadras até o estacionamento davam muita chance para que um bandido qualquer tentasse roubá-lo .

No carro Fido não esperou nenhum comando, guardou a caixa no porta-malas e se sentou... bem,  ele se sentou ao lado da caixa, dentro do porta-malas.

Ei, é como eu disse, ele fez isso sozinho. Senti-me mal, como se trancasse um cachorrinho no porta-malas, mas fido logo disse:

-Sem uma cadeira especial, é perigoso transportar um humanóide do meu tamanho no banco de trás. Aqui posso viajar sem colocar sua segurança em risco.

-Hm... Se você realmente acha que deve, então tudo bem...

E fechei (cuidadosamente) o porta-malas.

ROUGE OF THE BLADES" 2/2

second part "ROUGE OF THE BLADES"
Trying to return to my regular daily posting basis... here is part 2 pelase enjoy!

Part II.

Rouge, Rouge of the Blades. She couldn’t stop thinking that she finally earned the name she was given by the Oracles of Blades. For many and many years she was trained in the vicious and efficient ways of the Killer Clans, learned the old, unfair and powerful laws of the Empire, and how to bend them to suit one’s interest. Learned how to convincible confess love to a man just before poisoning him with lips covered in ancient potions. She abdicated any possible chance of a normal life in exchange for the secrets that give a warrior the power to drain strength directly from the universe around him – or her – as well to know the secrets of the modern warfare, personal shields, mechs, starships, everything.

For one price: her old, painful life, and the satisfaction of her greatest wish, vengeance. 

Wasn’t an easy life, be one with the Blades. Different than most people think, the child of the Blade isn’t valued only accordingly to their strength. No, while other “Mercenary Guilds”, a euphemism to “Killer Guilds” disposed the weak as trash, killing their own, based in mere athletic challenges, the Blades had the philosophy that “everything and everyone has a use”. So, even a pathetic slave like her was warmly welcomed on the arms of the Brotherhood. But to achieve one’s dream, to have the secret mark, and to be one of “the Blades with Names”… It was an everyday fight:

The trainings would start hours before dawn, no matter if outside was raining or snowing. The adepts were expected to be on site to be trained punctually: No one would call for them, and anyone late to the training was sent back to basics.

Then the morning exercises: eight hours of severe training to shape body, mind and above all, soul, to the requirements of the job of an assassin. Those who didn’t meet minimal standards, like jumping over a trench six meters wide, in absolute silence, or climb a ten meter wall without tools in less of five seconds, were failed and sent back.

Then the more difficult lessons, secret arts, like mind control,  hidden weapons handling, sabotage, explosives, ambushes, lessons in how to lie and how to see through lies…

The worst, some would say, were the lessons about pain, were teacher and student would physically torture each other. To her, the pain was an old friend, but to torture someone she learned to love like a father, a brother and a teacher, was terrible.

Many times she cried to herself that would be easier to forget and live like a Blade with No Name, a spy, a second class agent, hidden in the darkness, but she just had to look at her scars to remember the disgusting touch of the skin of her molester, her torturer, and then pure wrath would fuel her again.

Tonight she fulfilled her vengeance, and the wrath had changed: Before it was an intoxicating red mist, but now it was like the hot sun burning in a hot dry summer day.

But the pain was still there, unchanged. The masters and brothers warned her that vengeance helped to ease the wrath but not the sorrow, and they were once again right, but still, now she finally belong to something else. Something beyond her family, beyond her hatred, beyond her pain. Now she was truly a Blade, heart and soul, and soon body too, would belong to the Guild. It would bring a smile to her face, if she wasn’t a master of her expressions and feelings.

Was close to three in the morning when she arrived at the Castle Kardis, the fortress that guarded the only road through the mountains to the capital of the land of Ord, Arkharia.

Kardis was a huge and old castle, from the times before the Second Empire, and in the past it guarded another capital,  a hundred miles away, Lotonn.

It was past: Today the old capital was nothing but stones and dead unburied bones on a land that belong only to misfits and witches.

The security was tight, even with the frantic movement. Troops where marching over the army of Drepain, now completely lost in confusion and with no supplies or reinforcements. Tonight the land would be drenched in blood and the land of Ord would see a new sunrise with borders three times greater than it had a month ago.

She covered her face and presented her orders to the guards at the gate: She could enter the castle silently, but it would be disrespectful. The fear of the guards and soldiers as she passed through them was delightful, after all she found the human touch disgusting, and no one touch something they fear.

The Feudal Lord was a man who looked and dressed like a statue of a fat Budha, and transmitted a aura of tranquility, aura she identified as a ancient mind control technique, like the ones the Blades learn in secrecy. He was sit in the middle of  a large room, with plain and sober decoration and several holographic maps. At least eleven generals and a dozen advisers and secretaries were there, waiting for her, all sitting on comfortable white futons. They looked at the package like thirsty men look at the fresh water. She kneeled and spoke softly:

-My Lord. Mission accomplished with total success. The enemy castle is ruined, his officers dead or disbanded. Supplies and reinforcements were destroyed, and in my hands you will find the head of your enemy.

The “Budha” replied:

-Excellent. Please, unwrap the head of my foolish enemy, so I can offer it to my loyal followers.

His self control was absolute; she could feel nothing in his voice but peace.

As instructed, she unwrapped the thermo blanket and revealed the head, first to the Feudal Lord, then to the Generals, who watched in awe and applauded, not her, but the lord.

-Wonderful my lord! Now the knights of Drepain lost their lands and have nothing to fight about! Soon they will realize their only two choices are coming before you and offering their services or escaping! The samurai too, now ronin, will no longer threat you!

-Yes! Such marvelous development! Almost without moving troops on enemies territories, Ord conquered his three most troublesome neighbors and all their wealth, with the roads and cities intact! Congratulations Sir!

The Lord kept calm and peaceful, but the tone of its voice changed slightly: She could sense the pressure of his will-power as it flooded the room. Now he spoke like a father who lecture a dear son, but his mind control was strong enough to scratch the surface of her many mind defenses.

-Yes. The last years have been difficult, with such bad neighbors imposing terrible taxes over our traders and many times stealing precious cargos to assure they never reach their destinations. They attacked our economy directly, shielded by the ancient laws of Feud Independence, and sadly they managed to reach the very core of our good land, breeding distrust and worst… Treason, among our most precious citizens.

Now the mind control was obvious: They wanted to reply, but none could move; actually, they could barely breath. His will paralyzed them.

-It saddened me, not for the “change of hearts” of those few, trusted servants. What brought down tears to my face was to discover for how cheap a lifetime of friendship and trust were sold to puny jackals, like this one who’s head lay here, dead and cold, at our feet.

She could move freely, not only due to her training, but because she could almost see the shape of his will power, avoiding her.

-Such petty treason, in exchange of gold and jewels, it is unforgivable. If it was something made in a moment of passion, against some unfair action of mine, if it was a vendetta, for family or tradition, or even for the pride of a soldier, I would forgive it! But gold… gold is nothing. Some of you, in this room, sold their souls and honor in exchange of few golden coins of cold, worthless metal. I have my trustworthy assassin in front of me, I should simple ask her to purge those traitors and their families at once… But I won’t. Many say I am a fool, but I live accordingly with a simple law, that everyone deserve at least one redeeming chance to regain honor. So, I will grant a last chance to save your names and bloodlines, the ten-thousand years ritual of the seppuku.

To her surprise, he released them. His aura was still strong, but they were free… Most of them were confuse, but three generals immediately collapsed in tears. The older, a bald man with blue eyes and a scar shaped like a crescent moon under his left eye, was the first to spoke:

- I am General Nathaniel Krawer, and for five generations my family served yours with loyalty… But I brought shame to them all, for I betrayed my Lord…! I am ashamed and assume total responsibility: No one in my family knew about my dishonor; master, I thank you for the chance to clean the name of my family!

And the old man caught his pulse-knife. The energy formed a burning blade that he pushed deep inside his own abdomen, from left to right, then from bottom to top, in two fast and continuous movements. He leaned forward almost immediately, dead, with the energy knife still blazing his body.

A heavy silence took the room, and once again, was the Lord the one to break it:

-General Krawer was a good soldier and friend, this honorable departure deserve praise and respect. Few men can meet their end with such dignity and strength.

And he bow down in respect to the dead man, something the others soon follow to do.

The second man to speak, a young general, handsome and elegant, had a faulty voice, as he tried to hold the cry in his throat.

-Indeed… General Krawer lived and died up to the name of the Iron Boar. Master, I faulted with loyalty to you, but I didn’t sold my loyalty for money. I was arrogant and stupid enough to be caught in a indiscretion, which was used to blackmail me. Still, to save the appearances, I compromise many secrets.

-Yes, the nature of this indiscretion is not of the concern of anyone here, but is good that everyone know who was the coward who blackmailed you and caused your downfall.

-Master, the one who betrayed my trust and blackmailed me was an young ordnance called Myamoto Laccus, he serves with the high military staff.

Many men in the room had the blood drained of their faces. Oh, she could guess what kind of “indiscretion” the young general was caught doing, and she could bet he was doing it – or letting it be done to himself –with this Laccus boy. Probably many other officers in that room had done the same “indiscretion” with that ordnance a couple times… men were sad and filthy creatures, a man who could have any woman just with his looks and beauty was too busy frolicking in the shadows with a boy no older than sixteen, and getting blackmailed over it.

The handsome general got his short Japanese sword, a replica from ancient Earth’s samurai swords, and with his hands shacking asked:

-My lord, can this pathetic man ask two last favors?

-Yes, if they are reasonable, they will be granted with happiness.

-First, I pledge that Laccus don’t be tortured, or be subject to any cruel punishment.

-You ask for mercy for the one who caused you downfall?

-Yes. Even knowing his treason, I still hold him dear to my heart.

-Your kindness leave me no choice. The punishment to this boy will be fast, painless and will not mark his body unnecessarily. Your second wish?

-Please, forgive my weakness, but could this fool ask for an assistant in his seppuku?

-There is no shame in having a assistant, and I wouldn’t deny such humble request. The woman of the Blade will assist you, for her skills are the greatest among those in this room.

She got up, and without a word stood beside him. His hand was quick, but her was far more: In the moment his small sword punctured the skin of his abdomen, her sword cut his head off with perfection. Swiftly, she caught his head before it could land on the floor. His face was strangely beautiful, no pain or fear, just a almost childish smile of tranquility. She respectfully dragged his body to the middle of the room, put his head in the space over his shoulders where it belonged, and covered him with a dark blanket.

-Thank you, woman of the Blade. Your assistance made the last moment of my young general a beautiful memory. He lived as a strong and beautiful soldier, and died in the same way. I will always cherish the memories of him.

Her spirit was between the amusement and the usual repulse for those affected nobles and their rites, but her expressions and voice were cold and respectful.

-The Blades are here to serve.

The last traitor among tears of pure despair growled a curse at her and then spoke to all in the room:

-Honor? A beautiful death? You are all insane!!! You really expect me to kill myself for you?! You are crazy! Crazy! Bastards… Why should I be punished for treason? Few weeks ago we were all sure we would be murdered by our neighbors! Our lord told us he had no plans, and the only order he gave us was to move troops from left to right without purpose… So how can you, no how can any of you blame me for accepting their offer? I didn’t want to loose everything without fighting! If our lord had shown trust in the first place and revealed his plans I wouldn’t never take such desperate measures! It’s not my fault!

He caught a concealed energy pistol, small but deadly and took the general at his left as a hostage.

-Now listen to me… I am in charge now… you will get me my money and a shuttle…

The men in the room were paralyzed in surprise and fear, but not her. She spoted the gun on him in the moment she walked into the room, and from his expressions she could tell he wouldn’t simply cut his own guts and die for his lord, lord which was also completely calm. In his face just a minor, discrete and probably well calculated sign of outrage, for appearances. He didn’t said a word, just signaled to her with the tip of his finger and she charged.

The traitor split his attention between her ant the guards, a deadly mistake, once that in the fraction of second he looked away from her, she literally flew over him, gave two extremely fast spins in the air above, to land silently beside him.

Not even the most diligent soldier or general could tell the moment she drew her sword, or when she cut of both, finger and trigger, with supernatural precision, and they only noticed that she cut the top half of the head of the traitor after it felt on the floor. But they will never forget the calm which she took what was left of the gun of his hand, searched him for explosives or other devices, and in the end, pushed the infamous long dark steel dagger, symbol of the Guild of Blades, into his chest, till the hilt.

The lord broke the silence for the third time that night:

-Such pitiful demonstration of dishonor and cowardice. This man don’t deserve our kindness or respect. No, he was a vermin, breeder of treason and malice. Guards!

Two armed soldiers, kneeled in front of him, they were about to present their apologies, but he interrupted with a imperious voice:

-I don’t want to hear nothing! I command both of you to issue an order to terminate the blood line of the traitor Aspen Weller, former general and  a traitor! Kill his wife and children, and all his male brothers, as well as any male son those may have, kill too any any male grandchild! Seize all his wealth and give it those who lost fathers, sons and husbands in the war! The land I lent to him I now take back! All his family members must be banished of my lands under the penalty of death to those who return or refuse to leave immediately!

Now he used all his theatrical talent and mind control technique, the room was totally hypnotized. If he ordered them to commit suicide, she would be the only in the room to walk out of there alive. Before they leave, his expression changed again, now apologetic, and even sad:

-This shameful demonstration of cowardice and dishonor almost made me forget a important promise to a good and loyal servant. What a shameful Lord I am. Send my private guard fetch a young ordnance called Myamoto Laccus, that serves with the high military staff in this fortress. He must not be harmed in any way. For his crime, give him a quick and painless death. Ask my private doctor for aid, he will have neurotoxins to do such merciful task. After his death, dress him properly and assure he is buried with my good young general, and that in his files shall be noted that he died in service.

She was amazed with the spirit of peace and charisma that emanated from him now, his men just watched him order to butcher the family of and colleague, people they knew, but now they only cared about the suffering of his lord. Drepain was truly a fool to fight such monster. Short after the officers were dismissed, and she was requested to speak privately with the Feudal Lord:

-So, you are Rouge of the Blades, am I right?

-You honor me calling me by my name sir.

-You deserve better than just be called by your name, Rouge. Your role in this war was decisive to my victory.

-I was only one among many loyal Blades, my Lord.

-Oh, but the one who orchestrated this war was you, not the Blades.

She controlled her emotions:

-My lord, you give too much credit to this poor peasant.

-Enough theater Mariz. Even if we were just small children, I wouldn’t forget the face of my favorite cousin.

-Well, you sure pretend very well Asshrahm, I could swear you and your father forgot about me in the last years.

-Our fathers hated each other. My father never forgive yours for marrying Neptunia. Jealously, resentment and the fear of engaging war without having any ally…

-Yes, spare me. I know its not your fault. I remember how my father used to talk to yours. I never truly believed they were real brothers.

-But they were, so the land Drepain took is, by successor’s right, yours.

-No. its not. I would have to find a husband, and he would become the feudal lord in my place.

-A husband, one you can control and even dispose at will is something easy to arrange, specially to the Blades.

-I and the Blades had a arrangement, and it involved vengeance and leaving everything behind. So if your concern is me taking your lands with the aid of the Blades, you can relax, and tell your shock troops behind the paper walls to relax too, I’m not trying to murder my contractor, not tonight.

-How did you managed to…

-To find them? Well, they are very, VERY good, but 40 armed men, even highly trained, are difficult to hide behind thin paper walls, at least from someone with good hearing like me.

He smiled.

-And if I say to you I want you to have your land back, even if you have it under other name?

She was a little puzzled, but she didn’t let it show in her face, but he probably was reading on the edges of her mind, because he noticed her doubts.

-As one of my generals, or as my kin, you would be a very important ally, and a excellent mediator with other feuds that don’t exactly appreciate the fact I am now three times more rich and powerful than I was yesterday.

Now she spoke with her mind, directly inside his:

-But you have skills that most don’t even know that are real, like mind control and mind whispering…

-Oh well, I could hide my mind whispering from you, but it would be pointless. Yes, I have such skills, but you too, and much more. A guild assassin that is dazzlingly beautiful. Elegant as few, once you were educated as a noble lady and as a professional assassin. Expert in politics and murder, war and diplomacy. You are the most valuable soldier anyone could desire.

-Oh, are you trying to enlist me or marry me?

-Both. Rougeblade, become my spouse.

She fell strangely aroused: That man pleased her. And she didn’t need to enter his armored mind to know he had great ambitions, and the talent to achieve them. She, for the first time in her adult life, desired to be touched by a man, by him. But not enough to forget who she really was, who she wanted to be.

-Alluring. But I’m not interested. I am Rouge of the Blades, not by accident, not by fate, but by choice. I have no interest in playing games of power with nobles. I have more fun this way.

She got up, walked to him and landed a soft kiss on the right side of his face:

-You are an excellent client, I would be honored to work for you again.

And she walked away, powerful and silent like a tigress. He couldn’t help but smile and admire that woman. In his mind a last though before he turned his attention to other subjects:

-Maybe when I become Emperor…Maybe you will accept to become my Empress…

She disappeared in the night, as the ambitious feudal Lord gave his first steps toward the ultimate goal. Both were sure to meet again in the future.

End.

"YOU NEED A HERO" latest chapter

Oh boy this last month wasn't a good one.
i'm late with everything blog-related, and wrote barely nothing.
still here is the LATEst chapter.

0005#

Another two weeks have past, and the number of deaths blamed on the “One Hit Killer” skyrocket. In matter of days, dozens of new horrific murders parade on the news – al cops. The total numbers, some of which were clearly copycats went over one hundred, and the city in panic, was about to burst in flames and riots.  The cops got the bad part of it, the front line: Thanks to the mayor lack of common sense and need of quick results, the police were diverted in tens of squads and task forces after the maniac, each one under absurd pressure from the midia and from the city politicians, who fought like jackals over the publicity that came with the panic.

Thanks to that, each task force, each little investigation group, was segregated of the others accordingly with the political bonds of the officers in charge. In the end, criminality exploded, as the killer become more legend than man.

Josh and Sammy weren’t the kind of cop who kiss politicians asses, so they were quickly brushed away from the main investigation. Not that they give a damn about it.

Using (and abusing) the chaos in their favor, they kept track of a single suspect, a strange young man, who lived alone in a old warehouse that belong to a facade company. A import and export facade company. True be told, the one who gave the tip to them was Marcy, apparently she had a affair with the mayor’s assistant, and managed to get some hot leads that no one look over, because they were busy fighting for publicity.

-Vincent works with the mayor, and lately we didn’t talk much. He is always busy with his boss, who apparently is going nuts… For real, but please, you didn’t heard that from me, right? Anyway, all the info on this case are a mess, and Vince was trying to put pieces together, but no one knows what to look for. He asked me to give a look after work, and well, a couple Louis Vitton’s later I said yes. Damn, was a bunch of crap, but then, I found this company…trading high quality carbon blades for medical purposes… And it caught my attention… I checked and it was a façade…

Sammy looked at the computer screen and scratched the back of her neck. The company made only one shipment ever. High quality carbon blades and it arrived one week before the dog and homeless killings started. But still…

-Marcy, sorry to ask, but why you give it to us? I’m sure you have plenty other friends in the force who could reward you for this information…

-True. I do have a couple “friends” that would love to have this info. “Friends” who always made me favors…in exchange of something else. I know what everyone say about me behind my back, and its true. But I am the best investigator this lab ever had. No one have more degrees, no one solved more cases, no one wrote more scientific papers. But at the end of the day I am still the department whore.

Marcy was looking deeply sad, and angry, like never before. Sammy and Josh just waited.

-This is big. Big enough to end it. My opportunity to get someone to recognize my work, and above all, my chance to dump those “friends” for good. And for it work properly, I need help. I am just a lab investigator, I barely pass my firing tests… and be honest, Sammy, Josh, we aren’t best buddies, but I made a background check on you two, just like I know you two did a background check on me, so I know you two are my best chance to do some real, REAL cop job here, without feeding up those politicians…

Sammy scratched her head again.

-Fair, we have a deal Marcy.

That was a day before the riots.

The city exploded in violence, mostly toward police, who responded with brutality, once all higher ups closed their eyes and pretend to be deaf, as long order was restored. But it didn’t: It become worst, looters, arsonists, rapists, bank robbers, political terrorists and simple honest people who just had enough shit during all their lives decided that was a good opportunity to see the world burn, and to settle scores, of course. What have started with a single serial killer had inexplicably evolved to mass hysteria.

But Sammy and Josh had a lead and wouldn’t let it slip no matter what: they went under the radar, literally disappearing of the face of the world – something rather easy during the riots- and start tracking the movements made by the facade company.

When they found a large, old warehouse/factory, half of it built with bricks and wood infested with termites, they couldn’t shake the feeling it was too easy to be right place.

With no back up and with weapons in hands, they sneaked in while the city burned around them, unaware that violent eyes hidden in the shadows watched them, rather amused.