From: wyvern@agora.rain.com (Scott Sanford)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: Dirty Pair fanfic: Dangerous Alliances (2/5)
Date: 6 Dec 92 23:47:27 GMT
Article-I.D.: agora.Byv3F4.615
Organization: Worlds' Welfare Work Association


     DANGEROUS ALLIANCES
========== Part Two ==========

Nogurosu, 23 Aug 2139: Shikokuyama Hospital

  At Shikokuyama Hospital Yuri sat in bed with a terminal on her legs as she 
had for hours, forcing her mind through the screen into the computers in 
search of clues.  Even a small planetary population generates vast amounts of 
data every day, and there are hundreds of mainframes in a network.  Finding a 
useful piece of information was hard.  Recognizing it as significant could be 
impossible.  But sometimes you get lucky.
  "Hmm..."  Maybe, just maybe.  "Take a look at this, Kei.  Kei?"
  "Skzzk..."
  "Fine, be asleep."  Yuri checked the clock--quarter after twelve.  She 
couldn't get too mad at Kei for being asleep after midnight.  Knowing the hour 
made her tired as well.  One more thing done, she decided, and she could rest.
  Yuri transferred to another system and typed out a quick message.  She 
snapped closed the terminal, lay down, and fell asleep.
  All too soon someone was telling her to wake up.
  "G'way, Kei; s'too early," she mumbled, even while realizing that Kei's 
voice wasn't this deep.  Reluctantly other parts of her brain came on line.  
She knew who must be sitting on the bed before looking.
  "Oh, good morning, Scott."  Yuri sat up and rubbed her eyes, then corrected 
her posture after reconsidering leaning way over in front of him in a small 
top.  She yawned.  Halfway through a stretch she stopped.
  "'Scuse me," she gasped, and bolted for the bathroom.
  A minute later Yuri was out of the bathroom, a bit more awake and much more 
modestly dressed.
  "C'mon, Yuri, tell us what you found," demanded Kei, bouncing up and down on 
the bed.  "Why did you want Scott here?"
  "Calm down; I just went to get dressed."  She looked at Scott.  "It isn't 
the medication, you know; Kei is always like this."
  Kei blew a raspberry at her.
  Yuri made a face back.  "Nyyr!"
  "Ladies?", Scott begged, against all evidence.
  "Right!  I asked you to come over because I found something that may be 
related to Shasti's activities here on Nogurosu."  Everyone sends signals with 
their words, tone, and body language; this was Yuri's I-am-not-a-crazy-bimbo 
mode.
  "I was searching through databases last night and found this in the police 
files: Samantha Darwin has been missing since yesterday morning.  No clues so 
far."
  Yuri handed Scott the terminal, its screen showing a picture of the missing 
woman.  Samantha Darwin is blond, attractive, well dressed, and appears 
cheerful and friendly if not very bright.
  "You think Shasti is involved."
  "What was your first clue?"
  "Hush, Kei.  Look at her vital statistics, on the next page--she's almost 
exactly Shasti's size!"
  "Of course.  Shasti could have laid in funds, but she didn't have clothes.  
A Trouble Consultant's uniform is too conspicuous.  Good work, Yuri."
  "Thanks.  The police had a list of what she was wearing when last seen.  She 
probably had some money on her, too."
  "Probably."  He looked out the window a few moments.  "Did this woman have a 
vehicle?"
  "Yes, an aircar.  It's missing too."
  "Damn.  This means that Shasti could be nearly anywhere, and that we will 
probably not find Samantha Darwin's body."
  "You think she's dead?", Kei asked.
  "Yes.  Shasti would be working with only what she could carry away from 
LaCombe's shuttle.  She needed camouflage and mobility; this woman's clothes 
and car provided that.  Money is always helpful, of course.  Shasti could take 
what she needed and leave Miss Darwin alive, but in her current state, do you 
think she would leave a witness behind?"
  "Actually, it's *Mrs.* Darwin," said Yuri.  "Her husband's been bugging the 
police a lot."
  "Mm.  I will have to talk to him.  I'm not looking forward to that."
  "Let us," Kei said.  "We're supposed to get out of here today."
  "Or tomorrow," Yuri amended.
  "Aw, they don't need us in here.  We'll be out by this afternoon!"
  "Let's hope so.  Shasti won't waste any time getting off-planet if she knows 
she's being pursued, and I have to assume she does.  She could discover the 
increased alertness level I've incited in the local police agencies, and if 
she knows that you two are still alive she knows that the WWWA will be taking 
the obvious actions."
  "Director Ayoob already got to the media," Yuri told him.  "They aren't 
going to say anything."
  "Good.  That takes care of the obvious leak.  Given her abilities it would 
be a trivial matter to arrange an alternate entry into the WWWA computer 
systems beforehand, but she's less likely to be able to crack in from the 
outside.
  "Either way, she does not know that *I* am here.  I was in the area on other 
business, and when I found out what had happened I took the precaution of 
getting to work on the case without waiting for orders."
  "So the computer doesn't know you're here!  Yeah!"
  "Isn't that against the rules?", Yuri asked.
  "Yes.  It is."
  "Oh."

  Shasti drove over the forest, her face expressionless except for constantly 
shifting eyes.  Her long hair was in tangles from the wind.  She hadn't bathed 
in three days.
  She knew these things, in the sense that she could answer correctly if asked 
about them, but they were irrelevant to her.  Only her social personality 
cared about such things, and it was not functioning.
  In fact, very little was functioning properly.
  Internal diagnostics, overworked, reported multiple systemwide failures 
contributing to ongoing fragmentation of the system.  The Investigator 
routines concurred.  Fault diagnostics kept returning 'nontraceable software 
conflict' and 'unknown fatal error'.
  Warrior routines were functioning unhindered; the meta-controller kept 
trying to default to that operational protocol.  Threat-assessment algorithms 
noted the total lack of dangerous situations or personnel, and handed off 
control to Meta for more appropriate handling.
  Consulting the Investigator again on fault management, it was noted for the 
873rd time that the fragmentation process had not reached disastrous 
proportions until the termination of Deirdre (WWWA TC 101-D, see data files), 
but was unable to offer any repair advice.
  The Warrior aspect noted 99.86% probability of termination in that instance, 
and saw no significance in the action.  Ten humans had died in that 
engagement, seven of them killed by Shasti, three of those were Trouble 
Consultants.  None of them inflicted injury before their death, and none were 
left to give pursuit.  What was the importance?
  The LaCombe program concurred; yeah, the girl was dead--so what?
  Investigator theorized an emotional breakdown.  Error trapping algorithms 
caught this as an invalid diagnostic result.  Twelve percent of the processor 
went into an oscillating loop before being cut out and wiped.
  Covert Activities routines were brought on line, more because they were 
functioning than because they were appropriate to the moment.  The tactical 
and strategic situations were analyzed, extrapolations made, and the judgement 
rendered that all was occurring as it should.  Covert Activities shut down.
  In desperation Meta invoked the Social program.
  Oh wow I did it at last I'm away I'm free no more 3WA no more experiments no 
more no more *Deirdre* I didn't I did oh God no I couldn't Deirdre my only 
friend Deirdre DEI--#Error# #Error# #ErrErrErrErEEEEE&!^///-

  Shasti woke up, saw that she was in an aircar parked in a large clearing.
  "Oh, God, that was a bad one," she said, feeling her aching head.  The car 
was down and stopped; the driving software must have lasted long enough to set 
down safely.  These system crashes were hell.  The only good thing about this 
was the period of integration after everything fell apart.
  Where was she going when she fell apart?  She was going to obtain a way off 
the planet, but there was something more.  There was something important that 
she couldn't remember--no, shouldn't remember.  What had happened that--
  The Covert Activities programs seized control.  The entire police force of 
the planet was alerted to her presence and would be hunting her.
  Shasti was in motion before any conscious decisions were necessary.  She 
checked her surroundings even as she was bringing the car into the air.  If 
she was being hunted she would have to move quickly.
  This was something she could handle.