Stray Cat Strut - Volume Eight - Chapter Eighty-Four

Chapter Eighty-Four

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“C’mon,” I said as I grabbed the waist of Lucy’s pants. I wasn’t gonna let her sleep in her fancy business clothes. Sure, it was hot, but not for sleepwear. I had Lucy’s favourite pyjamas on the bed next to her, big fluffy pants, this oversized sweatshirt made of this cottony, soft material, and warm, wooly socks. I especially liked the socks, because Lucy’s feet were cold and she liked pressing them into me. 

“Mm,” Lucy mumbled. “I have a headache, maybe tomorrow.”

I snorted. “I don’t want sex,” I lied. “I just want to change you. Did you really wanna sleep in a bra?”

“Hmm,” Lucy agreed. She woke up, but looked bleary-eyed and tired still, her hair all matted to one side and a bit of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. She helped me help her out of her clothes, then fell asleep again halfway though the process of taking off her top.

I sighed and helped her the rest of the way out, then slid her into her more comfortable clothes.

“Stupid,” Lucy said.

“Wow, thanks,” I replied.

“Not you,” she said. “Words. Urgh. When I’m empress of the world, what will you be? Can’t have two empresses, that doesn’t work.” She yawned. “Gonna need to, uh, invent a new title.”

“Uh-huh,” I agreed. I shifted her legs around, then tugged the blanked up and to her neck. Then I bent down and gave her forehead a kiss.

Lucy smiled at me, eyes still closed. “Love you.”

“You too,” I replied.

I was still smiling as I went around the bed and started to look for something to sleep in. Just an oversized t-shirt or something. Lucy kept the bedroom cold, because she liked it that way. It always ended up giving her an excuse to snuggle and steal all of my warmth. I’d have rather sleep naked. 

I raised a shirt from the floor, gave it a sniff, then started to undress when I heard a knock at the door. I paused. One of the kittens needing something? They usually didn’t knock.

I padded over to the door. “Yeah?” I asked. Then I remembered that it was pretty well isolated, sound-wise, so I tugged it open.

It was Junior. “Hey,” she said. “A weird little samurai is here to see you.”

I blinked. “Huh, okay,” I said before I finished putting on my shirt. “Thanks.”

“Mhm,” Junior agreed. She looked past me, towards the sleeping form of Lucy, then nodded. “She had a big day?”

“Yeah. Step... something of her plan to take over the world,” I said.

Junior snorted, then spun and walked off. I followed her. Weird little samurai... that could be Shy. Maybe she came to see me after the whole spectacle today? Or Princess. I winced. I hoped it wasn’t Princess.

The brat led me to the living room, then gestured to the couch where someone familiar was sitting. 

My heart did a flip, then sank. “Oh, not you,” I said.

“Wow.” Deus Ex said in stereo.

The pipsqueak was sitting on one of my couches next to... herself. Both Deus Exes... Deus Exi? Deus Exs? Both of her were dressed in the same form-fitting white skinsuit with armoured panelling. They had their helmets off, resting on their knees, and for the most part, she didn’t look armed, though I knew better than to assume that from a higher tier Samurai.

“What’re you doing here? And which one of you am I supposed to look at while talking?”

“Neither of me is the real me,” Deus-Ex-of-the-Right-Side-of-the-Couch said. “I’m at work right now, so these two clones are the most I could spare.”

“Freaky,” I said. “So... wait, how old are you, again? I want to ask inappropriate questions.”

She glared, also in stereo. 

“Nevermind,” I said.

“Better. Anyway, I watched your presentation, to the gangs of New Montreal. I’m sure I won’t be the only one to see it.” Deus Ex leaned back into my sofa. “It was alright. I think the delivery could use some work, but the message was decent enough.”

“Thanks,” I replied as I crossed my arms.

“Decent isn’t great.” She shrugged. “The threat was softballed. I give it a month before the gangs are pushing and prodding to see where the limits are. But you still gained a month, so it’s not all bad, and it was a good way to promote the samurai you work with. I bet a lot more people will know your name and that of the others in your group by the end of the week.”

“You care that much about popularity?” I asked. It was that or I’d latch onto how ineffective she said this whole thing was.

“I care insomuch that it’s a form of soft power. A newbie Samurai like you who wants to threaten a corporation has to walk up to them and explain what they’re doing wrong and threaten them to their face. It’s a lot of work.”

“And you don’t have to do that?” I asked.

She blinked at me. “I’ve seen entire corporations shut down and declare bankruptcy overnight because I sent their CEO an email that was just the word ‘no.’”

Okay, weird flex, but kind of intimidating. It fit, though. Deus Ex was... up there, in terms of strength. 

“I have a job for you,” she said.

“Nope,” I replied. I shook my head, turned around, and started to head back towards my bedroom. Lucy was warm and comfy, and waiting for me.

I tried to walk, but met some resistance in the form of a third Deus Ex with her arms crossed standing by the exit to the living room. 

“Okay, that’s creepy.”

“Sorry?” that Deus Ex said with a little shrug.

I spun back around to face the two girls on the couch. “I don’t want a job. I have school, and hobbies, and sometimes I hang out with the new Samurai and blow up aliens for points. I don’t need more work.”

“It’s not right away,” Deus Ex said. “At least hear me out?”

“I don’t wanna. You’ll make it sound reasonable and then threaten me if I don’t do what you want. And what you want is probably for me to do your work for you.”

She pouted in triplicate. “It’s important work that needs to be done. People will die, Stray Cat, if we don’t step up and take care of things.”

“Well, in that case, get stepping, pipsqueak,” I said. “I’m not the only one with legs. Hell, it looks like you’ve got more legs than most.”

“I can’t be everywhere, and... I’ve acted as a bit too much of a hammer.”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

She looked away from me, which was weird coming from three sets of eyes. “Well, I may have solved several issues in the past in a quick and efficient manner, and now when I show up to solve something, people tend to expect more of the same. It’s a common issue for us, as Samurai, I mean. Think of the way you handled the mayoral issue, but amplify it by having several years more experience doing similar.”

“Ah,” I said. 

She was like one of those shitty caretakers that didn’t mind smacking kids around. Once it was done, everyone knew that they were capable of it, and expected it from then on.

“That’s not a reason to make me do the work. What even is the work, anyway?”

She smiled, as if she had me... the bitch. “Quebec city. About an hour’s flight from here.”

“I know of it, yeah,” I said.

“Well, it’s not doing so well. Troops and supplies that were supposed to come here have gone there because they need it more. In a week, I’d like for you to go over and help them fix things.”

“Not right now?” I asked.

“They’ll hold for a while longer,” Deus Ex said. “There’s an order to these kinds of things. A pattern. You need to let Samurai get a little desperate before they’ll accept help. It’s just the way things are.”

Well, that was messed up. And... dammit, yeah, I could see myself hoping over to help. “For how long?” 

“It’s not that far. Get a faster flying vehicle and you can be there and back in time for supper.”

“I don’t have the points for anything that fast,” I complained.

“Oh, you’ll have plenty by the time you’re done,” Deus Ex said.

God, I hated this little pipsqueak soooo much.

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