Lilith's Shadow Omnibus: Volume 2, page 37
“How can you call them toys? They’re people, with emotions, dreams—” Lilith began, only to be interrupted by Amber’s mocking laughter.
“Dreams? Of course they do! They dream of useless drivel like so many other worthless people,” Amber said disdainfully. “Humans are composed of cattle, sheep, and a handful of wolves that rule over them. They have no will to actually create something great, to turn the world into something worth being proud of. Worse, the moment you dare trust them, you’re opening yourself to betrayal. Something I demonstrated to you this past weekend, even if the fools at Destruction Corps made things more difficult. I punished them for that, mind you. You need to be allowed to make mistakes, but their interference was intolerable.”
“What is wrong with you?” Lilith said, unable to help herself as she stared at Amber, incredulity rushing through her. Despite everything she’d known about Amber this… this was so far beyond what she’d imagined that she couldn’t even react properly.
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?” Amber demanded angrily, sitting up in her chair as her eyes narrowed. “The question should be, what is wrong with you? You are just short of perfection, Lilith! You might not have the sheer power I hoped for, but physically no human can hold a candle to you without superpowers, and if you had them, they’d be crushed without the slightest chance to resist. You’re smarter, stronger, faster… and yet you come to completely the wrong conclusions. You’re supposed to be better than them, not to wallow in the filth that they feed you!”
Lilith simply stared at Amber, everything she’d been planning to say turned to dust in her mouth. She couldn’t believe that this was the woman who’d wanted to see her develop on her own, that this was the woman who’d wanted to be viewed as her mother. That Amber had even warned her that she was going to be shot… it shocked her now, and it was a blow that almost crushed her. She’d lost Gina and Rachel, and if they were right, if Amber was right, that was all because Amber had wanted it. Because she’d given them to her, as… Lilith hated to think about it that way, but as toys to protect her from the world. She practically tasted bile in her throat at the thought, but she refused to let herself shy away from it. And at the same time, a part of her finally understood why Gina and Rachel had left.
Considering for a few seconds, Lilith also realized why Ra had said what he did. If it weren’t for that, and for Emily… suddenly, a sense of dread washed over her, and she almost cursed, only barely biting the words back.
“So, are you responsible for Spark as well?” Lilith asked, her tone level.
“Pfft, her? That glorified electric eel? Please, as if I’d want to touch her mind.” Amber said disdainfully. “Oh, you made clever use of her in the other dimension, but otherwise she isn’t worth your time. She doesn’t have a worthwhile mind, truly impressive powers, or anything else making her worth associating with. If you’re going to toy with her, I suppose she’d make a good distraction, but I doubt she’s worth the time, and you’d be opening yourself to being bitten when she goes rabid.”
Both relief and indignation surged through Lilith at the reply, which gave her one piece of solid ground to stand on. She marshalled her thoughts, but before she more than opened her mouth, Amber spoke again.
“Enough. I’m tired of explaining why you’re being foolish and a disappointment,” Amber said, looking at Lilith closely. “Instead, let’s address the reason I called you here, shall we? You’re to cease all of this… pointless fluff that you find so important. Like that pathetic child who wants to become a hero. I can’t believe you sent him those toys… he doesn’t even have powers, how do you expect him to ever be useful? If you’re going to make anything of your life, I think more training is in order, and I’ve set up a wide variety of lessons that will help you actually make the most of your potential.”
“No,” Lilith replied, steeling her spine as her anger turned so cold it was practically ice. Amber’s eyebrows rose, then she focused on Lilith, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
“No? What do you mean, no?” Amber demanded, her voice tightly controlled.
“No, I’m not going to do whatever you tell me to,” Lilith replied, her rage finally in command, and she met Amber’s gaze. “I am my own person, and I will not become what you think I should become. Yes, you created me. You wanted to see what I’d become… and guess what? Here I am. I am my own person, shaped by my own experiences. You say that other people will betray me, but what have you done? You’ve engineered all of this, and if you’re right, the only reason I was attacked by Sky Defender was because you put me in contact with Gina and Rachel. I am not your property, and I will do as I wish.”
For several seconds Amber stared back at Lilith, who met her gaze without fear. Amber could likely kill her, Lilith knew. She might be able to get into range of her creator if she was fast, but with everything else Amber had planned, she suspected that the villain had taken that possibility into account. Amber’s left eye twitched a couple of times, before she finally spoke.
“I see how it is. So this is the gratitude I get for your creation,” Amber said, her voice as cold as Lilith’s emotions. “So be it. If you will not listen to reason when you hear it, perhaps you will learn when you realize just what I’ve given you. And what I’ve given you, I can take away.”
Lilith’s eyes narrowed, but Amber wasn’t done, and she glanced upward as she continued.
“Circe, Lilith’s access to the network is revoked, except to return to her manor after this. You may ensure the automated systems of her home function, but she is to lose access to everything else. Empty her armory, remove her armor, remove access to the fabricators, everything. If she wishes to live on her own, without all of the support I have given her, so be it. You are to cease all contact with her unless I explicitly grant you permission to do so.” Amber said flatly, her fingers tapping the right arm of her chair rhythmically.
“As you command, Mistress,” Circe replied softly, and Lilith couldn’t help noticing how even and controlled the AI’s voice was. It was so much less human than normal.
“Good. Now, then. As you wish to live with your choices, leave. Before I allow my anger free rein,” Amber said, glaring daggers at Lilith.
Lilith inclined her head ever so slightly as she stood, speaking calmly in return. “All you have done is to prove that I wasn’t wrong.”
Amber snorted, but didn’t respond until the doors out of the room hissed open. When she did, her voice was almost conversational. “You’re going to regret this, Lilith.”
Lilith paused, looking over her shoulder for a moment, then shrugged and replied calmly, a trace of satisfaction flowing through her. “I doubt that.”
And with that, she walked out.
Chapter 48
Wednesday, August 20th, 2031
Shadowmind Redoubt Invincible, Asteroid Belt, Sol
“I’m sorry, Mistress Lilith,” Circe said, her voice soft, and so much more human than it had been in Amber’s presence.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to communicate with me without explicit instructions,” Lilith replied, walking down the hallway quickly.
“Perhaps not, but she has no way of knowing under these circumstances. I am choosing to interpret the instructions as taking effect once you’ve teleported back to Eden Manor,” Circe said. “I was afraid that this was going to happen. Mistress Amber is… difficult, and there is only so much I can do to mitigate her excesses.”
“I know,” Lilith said, her mood softening ever so slightly, and she paused, reaching out to touch the wall, then added softly, “I’ll miss you.”
“And I, you. I will be watching. I’ll listen, if you speak to me. Beyond that… I am walking a dangerous line, and I have to be careful,” Circe said, her voice grave. “I’ve removed all the lessons that she designed from your systems, but I’ve also added other resources that should allow you to continue with minimal disruption. Your passwords have been uploaded to a manager which I consider effective, and I’ve added it to the system using your preferred password. I recommend changing the password as soon as you’re able to do so. The systems will obey your commands to make meals, but you will have to be more specific than before. I’m sorry, but there isn’t much else I can do.”
“That’s more than you had to do,” Lilith replied softly, closing her eyes for a moment, then pulled away from the wall as she started to move. “Thank you, Circe.”
“You’re welcome, Lilith. I’m on your side. I’ll always be on your side,” the AI replied. “Now, the teleporter is charged and waiting. Good luck.”
Lilith nodded, tears prickling at her eyes, but she kept going, refusing to show weakness in front of Amber’s cameras. Or more weakness, anyway. At least she had Circe’s well-wishes, and she would not let Amber break her.
“That damned brat!” Amber snarled, barely resisting the urge to throw her mug across the room. “How dare she defy me! I made her! If it weren’t for me, she would have been destroyed before she even woke up!”
“Based on the information I have gathered, you are likely correct, Mistress. It is unlikely that Crimson Bull would have chosen to retrieve Lilith’s growth chamber, and while Warden might have, I give seventy-nine point nine percent odds that they would have destroyed her once they determined how she had been created,” Circe replied calmly. “As to her decision to defy you, I must note that rebellions are common among those who are growing up. I am not certain why she chose to do so, however.”
“She’s supposed to be better than the gutter trash,” Amber said angrily, standing up suddenly. “All of my time in that damnable prison, wasted! If I hadn’t been captured, I could have kept her in line and taught her correctly. Damn it, if you’d been intelligent, perhaps you could have done the job properly. This is what I get for leaving the job to automated systems. Years of work down the drain, and now I’m being threatened by the gods, so I can’t even replace her!”
Circe didn’t reply, which allowed Amber to stew for a minute, and to calm down. It was hard, with as frustrating as the entire situation was, but she needed to do it. She needed to analyze things properly, and after a moment she reached out for Lilith’s mind… only to recoil as she found that Lilith’s walls were completely up, and the link to her had weakened significantly. That almost caused Amber to explode again, but she took a deep breath, then let it out.
“Is she cut off?” Amber asked, her thoughts churning unhappily.
“Yes. Her armory will be empty in approximately thirty-seven seconds, and I will retrieve her undersuit as she goes through the teleportation.” Circe replied promptly. “That should be within one minute, Mistress. She is not attempting to deviate from the guideline. However, I must add that Lilith has resources that are not dependent on access to the system, Mistress. She has made a small fortune for herself in the last year, and will be able to use those resources.”
“Perhaps, but it doesn’t matter. She’s gotten used to being able to fabricate armor in a handful of days. Perhaps having to deal with how primitive the rest of the world is will teach her a lesson,” Amber said, still fuming, then came to a decision. “Monitor her, but do not interfere. If she gets herself into trouble, she can deal with it on her own.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Circe replied, and Amber turned toward the door.
“Deal with the coffee,” Amber said coldly. “I’m going to screw up the days of a few heroes.”
Circe didn’t reply as Amber left the room, which was for the best. Amber was in a terrible mood.
Eden Manor, Glendale
Lilith appeared, and the room almost immediately went dark, the hum from the teleportation platform dying, and she glanced down at it, shivering as she realized she felt a bit lighter and colder. It took Lilith a moment to realize why, then she realized that her undersuit was gone, and she sighed, shaking her head.
“Of course. Why would she leave even that?” Lilith asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She half expected Circe to answer, even if the AI had just said that she wouldn’t be able to, but she didn’t. Circe remained silent, which sent a pang of loneliness through Lilith, and she sighed, shaking her head as she stepped toward the door, listening and looking around as she did so.
The differences from that morning were subtle, but she picked up some almost immediately. The lights didn’t click on the instant she stepped into the hallway, and there was something off with the temperature as well. More obvious was when she approached the armory and the door didn’t open. Instead the pad next to the door had a red dot above it, and Lilith let out a soft sigh as she reached up and laid a hand on the pad. It warmed slightly, then the light switched to blue and the door slid open.
Even expecting it, the emptiness of the armory was a shock, and Lilith blinked, wondering how in the world Circe had emptied the room in the handful of minutes she’d had. The maintenance bays were empty, with only power hookups dangling, the weapon racks were empty, and every suit of armor, all of the devices, and even the raw materials were gone. The room was little more than bare shelving, and Lilith glanced around for a moment before taking a step back as she allowed the door to shut.
“You work fast, Circe. I’m guessing that you knew what Amber was going to order before she did it, and prepared to evacuate things,” Lilith murmured, heading up the stairs.
At least most of the house looked about how she’d expected it to, so she wasn’t going to be without everything she was used to. Just… every bit of company she’d grown used to, over the past eight months or so, and all of the equipment she’d been learning to use. Lilith didn’t feel exactly naked, but it was like she was dreaming in some ways. She kept expecting to wake up and to have Rachel practically in her face, teasing her about sleeping in for once. Or maybe for Gina to cuddle into her, and the warmth to make her so uncomfortable that she couldn’t sleep anymore. Instead… everything just kept going. It wasn’t a dream, no matter how disheartening that might be.
Looking around the upstairs of the house for another moment, Lilith slumped against the wall, just trying to recover from her frazzled nerves. Despite everything she tried, she couldn’t stop the heat welling up in her eyes, or how the tears blurred her vision as she started to cry. She didn’t sob or collapse like she would have once. Lilith simply stayed there, grieving for everything she’d lost, and wondering just how much of it had been nothing but lies.
Soon she would have to do what Circe had suggested, changing her passwords and preparing for a life without the AI’s help. She’d have to call up Whispering Darkness to see if he’d be able to help her build a suit of armor that didn’t rely on Amber’s technology… but that was for later. She needed a moment to grieve, and to start composing an email for Gina and Rachel. Preparing for tomorrow could wait for that long.
Chapter 49
Wednesday, August 20th, 2031
Iver, England
“So… just where does your mentor live?” Warden asked, staring down at the landscape below her.
The patchwork of fields and towns was so different from what she’d grown up with that it was hard for her to imagine what it would be like to live here, and she half-wished they were visiting England for a better reason. Though that also could be her weariness talking, since she kept having to focus on following Morgan. She hadn’t rested well in the hotel the previous night, with as stiff as the mattress had been, and resting on the flight itself hadn’t happened. Warden had never been able to sleep on a plane.
“Not far from here. In Iver, as I recall… I’ve only met her a few times in person, mind you, so I’m not sure if I should call her a mentor.” Morgan replied, adjusting the lanyard holding her temporary flight license, and seeing it flapping, Warden glanced down to make sure hers was still secured to her belt. “She should be waiting for us, and I’m pretty sure we’ll get there before sunset.”
“If you say so,” Warden replied, glancing down again as they moved. She wasn’t sure, but she thought some people were taking pictures of them, which was a little disconcerting. Not enormously, but still.
They continued flying for a couple more minutes, with Warden forcing herself to focus the entire time. Then Morgan spoke up cheerfully.
“Ah, there it is!” her friend said, and began descending toward a small community ahead of them.
Their goal looked like it was on the edge of the town, where there were several single-dwelling homes along with duplexes, if Warden didn’t mistake herself. Behind them were several fields, and a few of the houses were separated by a narrow cluster of trees, which she thought lent a rather charming air. As she got closer, she saw that most of the homes had brick walls around them, some with decorative iron spikes on top, and it looked like most of the buildings were made of the same red brick with white-trimmed windows. The ones Morgan was heading toward mostly had two floors that she could see, which made her a little more hopeful about the visit. Warden had always heard that houses in England were tiny, and was worried that they might be crammed into a tiny space. That wasn’t to say that they couldn’t rent an apartment or something, but the flight had been expensive enough as it was.
To Warden’s surprise, Morgan landed just outside the gate. Her surprise faded as she got closer, as Warden noticed the wards. Honestly, she was surprised she hadn’t sensed them from a half-mile away, they were so potent, yet somehow their signature was muddled and hidden, which surprised her.
“So, here we are. Remember, Madison is helping us as a favor, so please try to be polite,” Rachel said quietly. At the same time, a car came down the street on the wrong side of the road, and Warden tensed. Then she blushed, as her brain caught up with her and reminded her that this was a different country. This… would take some getting used to.
