Mardock Scramble полностью

Why was she suddenly thinking like this? Was it because she had just met an extraordinary woman in Bell Wing? The thoughts swirled around Balot’s mind. Balot was a long way off from having the sort of composure you needed to be able to walk away from a table, unperturbed that you had just been beaten, just as Bell Wing had done a minute ago.

She also lacked the sort of compassion that Oeufcoque had—if she’d been abused so roughly by her user, she doubted whether she could be so understanding as to come back and work in the hands of her erstwhile abuser.

She was thinking about all this at reception while she had her chips changed into more manageable denominations, when the Doctor said something to her out of the blue.

“So, it looks like you make that sort of face too.”

Balot had no idea what he was talking about. She looked up.

“I’m talking about your face when you were locked in your battle with the croupier back there.”

–What do you mean?

Balot’s face turned sour.

“You had a sharp, fearsome look about you. Almost as if you didn’t need us anymore. Now I know I made the right decision in bringing you here.” He passed Balot the basket full of ten-thousand-dollar chips, her stash.

While Balot was trying to work out what he meant, the Doctor took off toward the box bar. He peered this way and that, whistling at the more impressive games, every inch the hooked gambler. It was hard to tell whether it was an act anymore.

Balot trailed behind him, and they sat down in a semi-private box booth, shielded by black screens. One that you could sit in regardless of the games going on either side.

“What do you want to drink?” the Doctor asked. Balot pointed at the menu. The Doctor ordered for both of them using the microphone built into the table. When he finished ordering it was Balot’s turn to ask a question.

–What do you mean by a fearsome look?

“Hmm?”

–My face—when I was playing roulette.

“Uh. What’s the best way to put it…”

–You were looking at something that only you could see, interjected Oeufcoque through the microphone.

–I don’t understand.

–I think the Doctor’s getting a little bit concerned that as you start to realize your full potential, we’ll become increasingly redundant, until finally we’re out of a job.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, half in jest. As if to say That wouldn’t actually be so bad.

At that point a waitress came carrying a tray with two glasses. The Doctor tipped her generously and winked. Every bit the accomplished player. The waitress placed the tip into her cleavage and sauntered away, giving the Doctor a generous shake of her derriere as his reward.

Balot watched this scene play out—what else could she do?—and then replied with her honest reaction to Oeufcoque’s words.

–It’d be a terrible thing if you two disappeared from my life right now.

She wasn’t saying this to be nice or to suck up to them.

The Doctor picked up his glass and smiled. “Well, I should hope so. If we were dispensable, we’d be pretty useless as Scramble 09 Trustees. We’d be disposed of immediately, or at the very least thrown straight in the slammer.”

–So what did Oeufcoque mean just then by “redundant”?

“Well, you do have the right, you know. Whenever you like. The right to fire us and hire a different set of Trustees. All you have to do is head on over to the Broilerhouse and just say the word. You could even use some of your war chest that you’ve just won to hire our replacements.”

–Why would I want to do a thing like that?

“Don’t you want to?”

Balot’s shoulders sagged. Why were the Doctor and Oeufcoque being like this? It was completely different from earlier. She had no idea what was going on, how to read the situation. It was like the time she was suddenly told goodbye without any warning…

–Why?

“Well, from our point of view we’d rather you didn’t, of course. That’s why we appeal to our usefulness—we think we’re the best in the business, and we have to prove it to you.”

Balot nodded. It was what they were doing.

“You’re a Concerned Party in this case,” continued the Doctor.

Balot nodded again.

“You’ve hired us to fight an injustice committed against you and to bring the offenders to heel.”

She nodded a third time.

“And now you’ve taken it upon yourself to solve the case on your own.”