The Billionaire’s Savior

WEST: (chuckling, draping a hand over her shoulders) “Just messin’ with you, Kenny.”

KENYA: “Why do I even — ” (furrows her brow) ” — slag, what just happened?”

EDGEHAWKER: “Why is Ikon — is he — ”

WEST: (in unison with Edgehawker) “ — hugging Metabez?”

(CCTV cut to Ultra Ikon hugging Metabez, then back to the four.)

KENYA: “Ikon never hugs.”

EDGEHAWKER: “Oho, a challenger has entered the ring!”

KENYA: “Curiosity is killing me.”

EDGEHAWKER: “Could have sworn it was jealousy.”

KENYA: (gives him a stern wave of her finger as she walks off screen; POV switches over to Cassette) “Oi, Cassette, what just happened?”

CASSETTE (off screen) : “Far as I could tell, Metabez just complimented him on a report about typefaces.”

KENYA: “Typefaces?” (scoffs) “Nerd.”

(cut to the interview)

KENYA: “Yeah, I wasn’t much of the academic type outside of my field of interest. Oh, don’t get me wrong: I love hearing others talk about their passion. I find it infectious. But I won’t pretend to understand it. Stuff I was into personally: History, Political Science, Drinking, and Brawling. Helluva combo. Made debates interesting. Too bad I kept getting kicked out of them. Arguing the flaws of upholding Communist policy while blitzed on 420 was generally frowned upon.”

(Cut back to footage of Main Docking Bay. POV Cassette, Kenya walks up to Ikon, placing a hand on his elbow.)

KENYA: “Won’t lie to you, soldier; a lot of people saw that.”

IKON: (stunned) “I didn’t think anyone read that report…!”

(Cut to Edgehawker and West)

WEST: “You really think she got jealous?”

EDGEHAWKER: “Pfft. Of course she did.”

(Cut back to Kenya, holding her hand out to Metabez.)

KENYA: “Hi, there. I’m Kenya, part of the security detail here on the Bob Marley. Welcome aboard.”

(Cut back to Edgehawker and West)

EDGEHAWKER: “Now she’s marking her territory.”

WEST: (groans) “She’s gonna start a fight, isn’t she?”

EDGEHAWKER: “I wish. You think you can talk her off the ledge? I’ve seen how quick Ikon can grab her by the scruff when she goes on the offensive. Besides, she’s nearly sober. You’ve got her flask.”

WEST: “So I have.” (Takes another pull.)

(Cut back to Kenya, Ikon, and Metabez.)

METABEZ: (in admiration) “You mean the Decimator Prime? Former Moon Shine affiliate and covert agent for EagleScout One?”

KENYA: (about to protest, finger up, aborts, optics dart to Ikon, then Metabez.) “I’m…not under arrest, am I?”

(Return to interview)

KENYA: (pinching her fingers together) “Yeah, I may have a teeny little rap sheet involving bootlegging during the Zombie Occupation. Supposedly negated due to the fact that we were at war and we needed funds for supplies. Some agencies never got the memo, so I’m a little on edge when recognized.”

(POV Cassette footage: Jamaica, on board the shuttle, boarding for takeoff.)

TORNADO: “They’re cutting it close—”

EGYPT: “I just talked to the boss; they had to spring ‘Cutter out of hock.”

TORNADO: (after a pause) “What?”

CASSETTE: “Here they come!”

(Focus on West in vehicle mode crashing through a median and onto the runway; Edgehawker darts past him; Kenya keeps up with West.)

TORNADO: “That’s not an ‘hurry up, we’re late!’ clip, is it?”

EGYPT: “Nope, more like ‘we’ve got a trunk-full of contraband and thirty clicks till lift off!’”

(Return to interview)

KENYA: (looking up at a point on the ceiling and nodding.) “Yeah.”

(Return to CCTV footage)

METABEZ: “I read all of Carlos’s reports in Destroyers: Declassified on you! You rewrote the book on deep space guerrilla warfare! The Wazimu Fuel and Sulfur Flares technique — we used that when we were pinned down in the ruins of Shimoni when facing off with a Zombie platoon, thanks to you and your innovation!” (to Ikon) “Did you know she’s the only Majitu in history to commandeer a Spacemarine, almost single-handedly?” (back to Kenya, shaking her hand vigorously with the mambot of his.) “An honor — truly an honor!”

(Return to interview)

KENYA: “I’d like to know what he and his troops had been doing with a case of Wazimu Fuel in a backwater garrison on Shimoni; never did get a chance to ask.” (Rubs the back of her neck.) “I mean, I know what we were doing with Wazimu Fuel and sulfur flares, but Metabez…?”

(Jamaica’s infopod footage. Kenya, in blues and blacks, sits between Achilles, who was tapping at a blurred out infopod as to obscure whatever was on screen, and Desertfire, keeping sentry over the fort with a cryo-laser on his shoulder. Trance music thumps in the background.)

DESERTFIRE: Amazing how two mechs can constitute a rave.

JAMAICA: (runs past them with a flaming bottle of Wazimu Fuel) “VIVA LA RAZA!” (hurls it over the edge of the fort. An explosion follows, off screen, as the scene takes on a green glow. She cheers and runs back the way she came. The three other Nano tric peer over the side of the turret to witness the destruction.)

KENYA: (whistles) Okay, that was impressive.

JAMAICA: (off screen) FOR SCIENCE!

ACHILLES: (after a ten click pause) That’s going to burn for a while.

(Return to footage)

KENYA: (rubbing the back of her neck with an embarrassed chuckle) “Well, I wouldn’t say single-handedly — I just took advantage of a tactical error on their part.”

(Return to interview)

KENYA: “’We capture the one guy no one on either side trusts, and then give him free reign of the ship! And we’ll listen to his tactical “advice”'” (draws air quotes) “‘while he’s all co*k of the walk!’” (holds two fingers to her head and makes a firing gesture, flicking her head back.) “Zombie Troops: the more their numbers, the dumber they get.”

(Return to footage)

METABEZ: “But you acted upon it! In my humble opinion, the acquisition of the Destroyers’ Spoils turned the tides in our favor against the Angelus! Dare I say it — you’re one of my heroes!”

(Cut to interview with Zimbabwe)

ZIMBABWE: “I can’t believe he got to Kenny! I mean, you look up ‘jaded’ in a search engine, you’d get a picture of her pounding back shots, first page! You can’t give her a compliment without her suspecting your ulterior motives, and here’s Metabez doing just that! The one mech I thought immune to his charms, and there she is, totally under his spell! Primus!”

(Cut back to footage)

KENYA: (stunned) “Um…thank you?”

METABEZ: “The pleasure is mine! Oh, you must excuse me, I sense the aura of another practicing Spectralist. It was wonderful to finally meet the mambot of you, and I wish you much happiness!” (turns to approach Drift.)

(Kenya and Ikon stand, shoulder to shoulder, for a couple of clicks in silence.)

KENYA: “What do you think he meant by that?”

(cut to focus on West and Edgehawker)

WEST: (frowning) “What the hell did he mean by that?”

EDGEHAWKER: (chortling) “Whose marking whose territory now?”

(cut back to Kenya and Ikon)

IKON: “I have no idea. But … he read my report!”