Ky

I watched the glowing image of the cloaked girl as she stumbled back, trying to move away from me. There were so many different people in the market it was hard to tell if I had seen a chip on her wrist. But based on how she had swung her right wrist behind her back in alarm, I was positive I had just stumbled upon exactly who I was looking for.

Because she was certainly hiding something. The visor made it hard to distinguish the features on her face, but I tried to conjure up the image of the Marilyn’s I had seen before, and place it over what I could see of her features. I could conjure up a V-World overlay, but I had been out all day, and using the map had likely used up more of my battery than I would've liked.

Besides, all I needed to do was scan her wrist and I would get the confirmation I needed.

I moved forward, and the girl pressed herself to the jewelry stand behind her. She was getting ready to run, but she had to know that would be futile. I had already sent a notice out to the droids surrounding us, and they were moving in. There was no way I was letting this damn clone get away a second time today. I just had to scan her then send her on the way back to the ECCO facility where she could be reunited with the rest of her test tube sisters.

The outline of the hooded sweater she wore fell over her face, a useless effort to hide it from sight. I could hear a few whispers from the crowd around us. She was fidgeting her arms behind her, like she was struggling with invisible cuffs.

Good. Because she was as good as captured now.

“I’m not who you’re looking for,” she said. Her voice made me pause, faltering as I neared her. I tilted my head to the side. Without being able to recognize people by face, I had learned to recognize voices. Hers sounds oddly familiar.

But that was impossible. I did not know any Marilyns. Perhaps, I reasoned, it is just because they all sound the same. I probably had heard one of them speak before, that was why she sounded familiar.

“I think you are,” I replied my lips lifting in a victorious smile. “But feel free to prove me wrong and show me your hands," I said smugly, lifting my scanner to emphasize my point.

I could feel her eyes fixed on me, the shadows of the hood obscuring the visor's projected image of her face. Based on the heat her body was giving off, she was nervous. Her blood was pumping rapidly through her veins, preparing her to fight or run. I need to make sure she didn't do either.

But then to my surprise, she held out her hands. I looked them over but no metal chip marred them with their cold metallic blue outline. Disbelief coursed through me. Had I been wrong? Was this not her?

But it had to be. I ground my teeth. She figured she could fool me just because I was blind.

The thought of it made anger course through me.

I paused, using the control pad of my suit to send off another wordless command to the androids to hold off tackling her. I pressed my lips together, keeping my frustration at bay. I had to be sure before taking action. If I accidentally tackled a civilian in the Lower Hollywood Market, the press would have a hay day with the scandal. It was annoying, but I had to stay calm. Rational. There was a lot at stake.

“What’s your name?”

She paused before speaking. It was a moment too long.

“Halley," she said, but I already knew it was a lie. People always tried to fool others with their expressions, but to someone who couldn’t see, a liar’s voice was always a dead giveaway. People who could see never knew how to disguise their voice the same way they masked their face.

Again, her voice sounded familiar, something that was starting to bother me. I had definitely heard it before.

I stepped closer to her. We were in a public place, and if anyone had recognized me they left us alone. People passed by on the street, bumping and jostling us as they went. Things were going back to normal since I hadn’t gone and taken the girl into custody.

Human curiosity, such a fleeting thing. When there was no drama to watch unfold, they lost interest. We might as well have been invisible as I cornered her to the stall. Only the jeweler seemed to pay us any mind.

“What are you hiding, Halley?” I asked, drawing out her name so she knew I didn't buy her lie.

“Nothing.”

Too quick. But I quirked my head to the side. Listening to her all too familair voice. I hadn't heard it just once or twice.

Frustration got the better of me. I tapped on my V-World enhancer settings, letting it fill in the spaces around me. It painted over the infared, coloring the market with the colors that surrounded us. It heated against my face, working hard to create an image in my mind of the market.

The girl's face filled in. She had warm tan skin--not at all pale like a Marilyn’s. Green eyes were darkened under her grey hooded sweater. Under it she wore the nondescript clothing of a clone, only she did not wear the face I had expected. I furrowed my brows under the liquid metal of my visor, feeling it reform to my change in expression.

“A Halley that looks like a Zara--without a chip.” I scanned the image, seeking out her wrist. I found the culprit, a thermo-bracelet was wrapped around it, likely obscuring the metal underneath. “Tell me what are you trying to hide?” I sneered.

That seemed to do it. Like a frightened little bird she shot forward, trying to dart around me. But I might have been blind, but with the V-World’s assistance, I could see as well as she could. I shot out, grabbing her by her bracelet clad wrist before she could get far. It was warm to the touch, the functional piece used by many Drowners to keep fend off the cold. She let out a strangled cry as I gripped her arm hard, pulling her to me.

I was no fool. I knew there were ways to change a face.

“Tell me, Marilyn, if I take off this bracelet, what will I find?”

She was close to me, and I could see the anger as it warped over her delicate Zara features. Now she looked more like a Marilyn. Angry and volatile.

Defective to the core.

I knew it had been her the moment I spied her lingering between the stalls, hiding under her hood.

“Fuck you asshole.”

There were no nerves or hesitation in her voice, but I finally realized why it sounded so familiar. Maybe it was because she was finally not trying to hide herself, or maybe it was because I was used to being sworn at by this particular voice.

My grip faltered. I went still. Then I looked at her closely again. Definitely a clone.

Likely the Marilyn trying to disguise herself.

But still I couldn’t help the question as it burst from my lips. “LoreLei?” Disgust rocked through me to even think it. But there was no denying why her voice was so damn familiar. I had heard it nearly every night for months playing Galactica on the same team.

“Shit.”

She froze. Her eyes widened in terror. And I knew why, if I knew her V-World user, I could find her anywhere. She could get the chip on her wrist removed fairly easily in some Lower City Enhancement shop. But in order to exit the V-World, unless she could afford an Elevated surgeon, she'd have to remove her whole eye.

As I though this through, her other arm--the one I wasn’t gripping--came up, taking advantage of my surprise. Pain rocked through my skull before I could block the hit, and the visual enhancement of my visor faltered.

Then everything went dark.