Work Text:
The squeak of shoes on the gym floor echoed through the large gym. Standing among the students was the striking student council president, Cela vann Ridian. She remained still momentarily, standing near the volleyball net, while the other team struggled to lob the ball, an arcing shot which would fall close to the net. Flipping dark her hair and chuckling, the tall girl leapt high, hand raised with picture perfect poise. The volleyball came to meet her overhead strike, then-
With a tiny sparking shock in her back, a second, illusory image of Cela flashed into existence around her as she somersaulted forward in midair. She caught the net with her outstretched arm, and the ball with her face.
The squeak of shoes suddenly went silent when the nets all came crashing down, tangled around the unfortunate student council president.
“Ugh, why…?” Cela groaned, while walking out of the nurse’s office. A quick check told her that the hologram module was working properly, but as soon as she tried to activate the unit, those same checks flickered and spasmed. The one module had rendered the entire cybersthetic inoperable. To make matters worse, she wouldn’t be able to get it fixed soon.
Her usual modder was in another district for the foreseeable future. They were the one who had done the install and all the maintenance for her flight unit, which was a… not so typical piece of tech. All on the up and up of course! According to security scans run on the devices…
The malfunctioning hologram projector was intended to provide camouflage while flying stealthily, but she mostly used it for giving performances lately. But now the blasted thing didn’t want to work right! Her only options were to go without her wings for who knew how long, or to find someone with the skills to fix her… unusual cybersthetic…
A short while later, Cela swallowed nervously, before stepping over the threshold into a room on campus she had never visited before. It was dim and narrow. The overhead lighting had partially blown out and now struggled to illuminate the metal shelves piled high with all manner of unknown devices and gadgets. The glare of the computer screen opposite the doorway accomplished more. At the center of the chaos sat her target. Spinning around in a too-large chair, sat The Red One.
“Why, if it isn’t Miss Student Council President,” jeered Achi Antimony, the target of Cela’s currently ongoing investigation. Making such obvious contact with her target was clearly not in the best interests of the party that had given her the mission, but Cela had her own problems to worry about. Grounded as she was, her life would be quite difficult. She had seen Achi’s work. It was usually more incendiary than Cela’s needs, but she clearly had the skills required. The problem lay in convincing her.
Achi gestured grandly to the space around her. “What brings you to my domain today?”
Cela remained unflappable. “I’m here to make a deal. I’d like you to fix my flight unit.”
“Oh? That sounds like a favor.” Her impish grin seemed to glow in the dark. “What do I get out of it?”
“I won’t tell the teachers why all the pears have disappeared from the cafeteria,” Cela smirked back.
“There’s no proof it was me,” Achi rebuffed her handily, “I made sure of it.”
Cela simply raised a hand to the suspect devices all around. “Then, I also won’t mention you hijacking the janitor’s closet.”
This time, Achi’s bravado faltered. The small room was in fact a janitor’s closet. The high shelves held as many cleaning products as they did probably-explosives. And Achi didn’t want to get kicked out of her HQ. Again. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t simply fold. “Fine, on one condition.”
“What condition?”
A dangerous grin spread over her face once more. “You help me… with a Collab.”
To be continued…?