Fan Fiction ❯ Red Scarlet ❯ Barron ( Chapter 6 )

Red Scarlet

Episode 6- Barron

Seen: A brightly lit office. It was almost identical to a doctor's office. The walls were paneled. The door was made of tempered glass. Prints hung on the walls. The desk was oak; there was an inn/out box on the left and a box of tissues to the right, next to the name tag that says: "CEO: Samuel Finch"

Four burly men (two outsiders, two undergrounders) stood guard in the office.

Sam sat behind the desk. He was tall and well built. His hair was brown, and he had one of those typical rich-guy fake smiles. His suit was rather common day for the amount of money this man actually possesses.

Scarlet enters the room.

Sam stands.

Sam: "Aah, Miss Scarlet. It is a pleasure to meet you after all this time."

Sam waved to the brown office chair across the desk.

Scarlet stood behind it.

Sam: "Please, take a seat. I insist."

Scarlet: "I rather stand."

Sam: "Then do so."

Sam took a sip of coffee.

Sam: "Forgive my manors, Miss Scarlet. Would you like a cup or some sort of drink?"

Scarlet: "No."

Sam: "Well then. How about we get to business?"

Scarlet lit a cigarette.

Scarlet: "I was meaning to re-model my apartment anyways. The little `I want you back' gift made a nice touch, Sammy."

Sam: "What makes you think I was the one that arranged that?"

Scarlet: "Let's set some ground rules first. I don't trust you, and I never will. This entire organization is one step away from becoming corporate, and I don't want to be apart of that movement."

Sam: "It is totally understandable, especially after what has happened to you under the employ of Mr. Cashus."

Scarlet: "You don't know shit about anything, Sammy. I'd rather take orders from that seventh level pit demon, then some naive bastard son that has high hopes for the future."

Sam: "I'm touched. Really, I am. I never knew you thought so highly of me, Miss Scarlet. But quoting something said to another Scarlet: `Frankly, My Dear, I don't give a damn.' Now you take that seat, and put out that god damn cigarette!"

Scarlet straitened her shoulders. She smashed the cigarette into the back of the chair before taking a seat.

Scarlet: "You don't have the attitude to run around with the Underground. What made you think you were able to do this? Dear Daddy bumped off Ralf for you so you won't expose yourself to the world what you are?"

Sam: "Who is the one here that knows shit about anything? There was no cue of any sort planned. Tech was getting worried that Cashus would plant another fork in their plans. Using the weapon, you, that Tech made against them while doing this. You don't know the half of it. Genitech has been kidnapping both `Grounders and Outsiders alike, splicing their genetic code to make a super virus to release it onto the world to destroy them all. The constructs were suppose to become the next super race, there to replace the others when they were wiped out."

Scarlet: "But the constructs will be under Genitech's control."

Sam: "Exactly."

Scarlet: "So they are going to do a planet-wide chlorine dip of the human gene pool. Eliminating: psychics, lycanthropes, clairvoyance, vampirism, ghosts, telepaths, empaths, and so-on-and-so-forth. Practically the next evolution will be stopped."

Sam: "Correct. They are going to create their new evolution: the technological evolution, where man will become machine. The new wave of Internet will dawn on us. Our children, or at least our grand children, will not be born in this world, but of one that is made of ones and zeros."

Scarlet: "I think these people watched those `Matrix' movies one too many times."

Sam: "If that is the way you can think about it."

Silence came over the room.

Sam: "Rent any disks lately?"

Scarlet: "No. Why?"

Sam: "Heard of `Anime', right?"

Scarlet: "Japanese animation, it was real popular when I was a kid. The fad died down a few years back."

Sam writes something down on a piece of paper and hands it to her.

Sam: "Look up that series."

March 20, 2013.

*

Seen: Scarlet's new apartment. It was about the same size as the last one: one bedroom, one bath, with a combined living room, dinning room, and kitchen.

Scarlet sat in the floor of the living room trying to figure out the wiring for the new systems.

A few of the Wraiths floated about the apartment carrying boxes and unpacking.

Two of the Wraiths (07 and 08) sat near Scarlet, reading the instruction booklets.

Wraith 07: "No, you have to hook the yellow plug into the same color outlet."

Scarlet: "There're three different yellow outlets."

Wraith 08: "That's for multiple systems. You just want to hook the DVD player into the TV."

Wraith 08 took the plugs and matched the color wires together. Then plugged them in the wall.

Scarlet: "I could have done that."

Wraith 07 picked up the remote.

Wraith 07: "We'd just need to figure out the mystery behind the half a dozen buttons on this thing."

Wraith 08 took the control from him and hit the power for the TV and the player. The disk slot opened and he stuck in the first DVD.

March 22, 2013.

*

Seen: Still in Scarlet's apartment. The anime they were watching was a copy of "lain". It is half way through the 8th episode.

All the Wraiths sat around the living room watching the TV.

Scarlet was half asleep on the couch.

A Wraith poked Scarlet awake.

Scarlet (yawning): "What? I'm awake."

The other Wraiths shushed her.

Scarlet sighed and left the room.

Scarlet: "The whole series is too weird for me."

Again the Wraiths shushed her, some threw popcorn and an empty beer can at her.

Scarlet caught the can.

Scarlet: "Which ever one of you shades threw that is getting a one way ticket out of here."

The Wraiths ignored her.

Scarlet went into the bedroom and changed into something decent enough to ware outside. She found a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. She dressed and headed out the door, snatching her purse from the back of the kitchen chair on her way out.

March 23, 2013. 3:46 PM

*

Seen: An Italian Restaurant. The place was decently filled, not enough to be crowded but enough for a good atmosphere.

Scarlet sat by herself at the table. She slowly picked at the plate of pasta before her and occasionally alternating between the wine and her smoke.

The waiter came up to her.

Waiter: "Would there be anything else you would like."

Scarlet: "No thank you, this will be fine."

Waiter: "Enjoy your evening, Madam."

The waiter walked off.

The sound of numerous guns being loaded echoed through out the restaurant.

As soon as the shots started firing, the crowd cleared out in a hurry.

Some of the shots were fired from outside into the Restaurant, others from people who were hidden as some of the customers.

Scarlet was already on the move before the first few where fired. She grabbed the closest shooter and took the gun from him.

Scarlet shot the man with his own gun and started returning fire to the other shooters. With her first two shots were on the mark. The next few were near misses as one of the shooters was surprisingly fast enough to out run a bullet.

That person was on top of Scarlet with in mere moments. They landed a few punches on her, knocking the gun across the room then sending her through the next table.

Scarlet landed on her feet as she flipped back from the table.

The assailant was quick to get back into the fight.

This time Scarlet was able to dodge their next blows and land a few of her own.

They too were quick to get back on their feet.

The sound of gunfire was heavy outside. Two massive men entered the door and started firing at the agile fighter.

The fighter leaped into the air into the rafters. With a second jump they crashed through the upper window and was gone.

The two men came to Scarlet's side.

Man 01 (in an emotionless voice): "Are you alright?"

Scarlet (through her teeth): "I'm fine."

Scarlet paused and eyed them a bit longer

Scarlet: "Hey! You're Sammy's lackeys."

Man 02: "Correct."

Scarlet: "Tell that prick I don't need his help next time."

Man 01: "We were ordered to interfere."

Scarlet: "And you let them get away."

Scarlet pointed up to the broken window where the fighter escaped.

Man 02: "That was intentional."

Scarlet (snapped): "`Intentional?' Is your boss brain dead!"

Man 01: "You must take it up with Samuel."

The two men turned and exited.

Scarlet gave a loud sigh. She crossed her arms and glared at the upper window.

March 23, 2013. 5:11 PM

*

Seen: Scarlet's apartment.

The Wraiths had re-started watching the series, for the 3rd time.

Scarlet entered and flopped down onto the couch. She fell through two Wraiths as she did so.

The two moved and sat closer to the TV.

Scarlet took the remote and turned off the Player.

Several protested.

Scarlet: "Tough, I'm watching the news."

Wraith 05 entered through the window.

Wraith 05: "You really made a seen this evening."

Scarlet: "Do you have any clue who it was that attacked me?"

Wraith 05: "We can't get a positive ID. It is a proverbial fifth party."

Scarlet (moaning): "A fifth party. Great."

Wraith 02 sat down beside of Scarlet and took off her shoes. He started to massage them.

Scarlet: "That feels nice."

Scarlet looked back up to Wraith 05.

Scarlet: "You're counting us as the fourth, right?"

Wraith 05: "Correct. Genitech is the first party. Sam Finch's merger is the second. The non-aligned grounders and siders is the third. Thus making us the Forth, though we tend to work for Number two for financial reasons, not for our health."

Wraith 04: "The ties to both Finch's is most likely why they are getting at you first."

Scarlet: "Could they be the ones that blew up my apartment?"

Wraith 05: "Possibly. But we still can not rule out Chucky and Sammy from our lists."

Scarlet: "Does the universe hate me? I knew I should have stuck with traffic tickets. But no, I had to be a P.I."

Wraith 02: "Honey, things will get better."

Scarlet: "My life is short."

March 23, 2013. 10:13 PM.