The rented limo pulled up to the main entrance of the Sentinel Hotel, waiting for the bellhop to
open the rear door for the passengers. The bellhop, obviously surprised to see another limo arrive for
the party that was already getting into gear, sprang into action, opening the door and peering into the
dim interior of the large car.
Inside the car, Sara looked at her friends, whom she had managed to sucker into joining her for
the party. On her left, Dr. Anthony Zacharias looked distinctly uncomfortable at the idea of being
trapped into a party with a bunch of overstuffed blowhards. However, he was wearing a very neat
tuxedo though, and he appeared to be fairly comfortable in the fancy clothes. Across from Sara, sitting
side by side, were CyberSix and Lucas. Lucas looked uncomfortable in his own tux, and Sara couldn't
help but compare him to a giant teddy bear in a suit when she had first seen him. In contrast, Six looked
absolutely stunning in the thigh length, strapless red dress she had bought several months ago, and her
pearl earrings and crystal necklace only accented her natural beauty.
On Sara's right, the only medical doctor in the city that Sara actually trusted fidgeted nervously,
wondering aloud why she had to join in a party when she could be sleeping. Dr. Reba Pearce was
wearing a black dress that had been custom fit to her tiny frame, and she looked like she was only
fourteen instead of her actual twenty nine, though the dress did make her look older, as her physical
growth had been halted just after her eleventh birthday.
Sara herself had gone to some pains to look a lot better than normal, and she had decided to
flaunt her appearance instead of hiding it. As a result, she was wearing a dark, cobalt blue dress that was
slit up her left leg, and the cut of the dress was fairly rakish. The dress had been cut at an angle, so her
left shoulder was bare, as was her right leg from below the knee. The only things that completed the
ensemble was an asymmetrical pair of gloves, matching the dress' own angle. Sara's right arm was
completely covered, excepting her fingers, and her left arm was bare from shoulder to elbow. Finally,
Sara's golden pendant was still hanging off of her neck, and her armour was dormant, having been
changed into an armlet that neatly wrapped around her upper left arm.
She looked at herself in a small mirror for a few seconds, smiled, and looked at her friends. "So,
shall we?"
_______________________
The techno's mouth twitched in irritation from the tiny receiver lodged behind his ear. He loaded
his tray with the last of the champagne it could carry and proceeded into the Great Room. The best of
the best were here tonight, celebrating the city's four hundredth birthday.
Diamonds flashed on the women as they flitted from guest to guest and exchanged gossip. The
men were decked out in their finest suits, looking stiff and austere. But the techno wasn't there to admire
the glamour. He was there to keep an eye on a certain young lady, her mother, and her estranged father.
Well, the young lady specifically.
As he proceeded to make his rounds, the techno spotted Jacinta and her mother, Magdalena,
huddled together by the beverage table. They looked distinctly uneasy at being surrounded by such
illustrious people, although they were both dressed as well as anyone else. Jacinta was wearing a long,
form fitting burgundy velvet dress, with black chandelier earrings and a matching choker. Her hair was
swept back off of her face, revealing her burning gold eyes to anyone that even thought of taking a
glance in that direction as well. Her mother was wearing a more traditional black cocktail dress, with
jewelry kept to a minimum, save for a beautiful silver crucifix around her neck.
They were both lovely, certainly, but they stuck out as surely as two sapphires among a row of
diamonds. They may as well have been wearing signs that said "I really wish I weren't here right now."
The techno knew why. Jacinta's father, Magdalena's ex-husband had invited them here; yet another
feeble attempt at trying to get them to accept him back into their lives despite the fact that both of them
had made it explicitly clear they had no intention of doing so.
Jacinta looked up, caught his eye, and nodded. He nodded back sympathising with the poor girl.
Naturally, Jose had been furious that he couldn't go. It would have looked beyond weird if he had. And
how could Jacinta ever explain him to her parents? So she had gently, but firmly insisted that she would
be fine and that he needn't worry. He would have hated it anyway, and deep down they both knew how
awkward they would look together in public.
The techno sighed. *So that's why I'm here, of course. To make sure his precious little fiancee
is safe. Oh please!* He shook his head and went back to the kitchen for more champagne. Hell, maybe
he'd have some himself.
_______________________
The elevator neatly pinged open, and Sara instantly swept part of her hair forwards, covering
the right side of her face, much to the amusement of both Six and Reba. The rest of her hair, which she
had spent several hours braiding, had been elaborately coifed and pinned in place, leaving a half dozen
braids hanging down to the small of her back, with a seventh braid hanging down over her right
shoulder, accenting her slim form. Sara noticed that Six and Lucas, despite their reservations about
being pulled along, seemed to mingle in the crowd better than she would, as Sara usually didn't feel
very comfortable in large crowds. "I told you that this was a bad idea."
Sara looked over at Dr. Zack, who had spoken in an undertone as he looked at the members of
the city's upper class. Sara shrugged, noticing Dr. Pearce expertly weave her way over to where two
older women stood, striking up a conversation in seconds. "Yeah, well. I'm just calling it a learning
experience. By the way, it looks like Tilman somehow managed to sneak up here. You might want to
watch your back."
Sara turned slightly, only to see that her warning had fallen on deaf ears. Dr. Zack had already
engaged himself in a conversation, and judging from the advanced algorithms being dropped here and
there, Sara guessed that at least the good doctor would also be happy that night. Feeling slightly thirsty,
Sara slowly made her way through the crowd towards the drinks, gathering many appreciative glances
from the men that she expertly breezed by, and many 'if looks could kill' glares from the various female
attachments near those men.
Sara smiled as she noticed that she had an immediate effect upon the crowd, as many people who
could normally articulate themselves correctly suddenly found themselves spouting gibberish. However,
as soon as Sara arrived at the beverage table, she found herself looking at two women that were standing
next to each other nearby. The older woman Sara didn't recognize, though the silver crucifix around the
woman's neck lent an air of studiousness and stability to her. The younger woman however, Sara had
no trouble recognizing. The burning gold irises that focussed on her for a second gave it away, and
promptly murdered Sara's good mood.
Sighing lightly, Sara ordered a lightly spiked fruit punch, then, after receiving her drink, she
decided to greet Jacinta for a moment. Walking up towards the girl, Sara slowly took a sip of her drink,
absently noticing the lack of Jose anywhere in the immediate neighbourhood. However, she was
distracted as several people, all chatting to themselves, cut between her and Jacinta, and
unceremoniously translocated Sara into the middle of the room. *My lucky night. I get invited here by
a no-show, and then I meet the girl I virtually pounded the tar out of almost a month ago. My lucky
night.*
The techno returned from re-stocking his platter with champagne glasses, only to notice a faint
clicking in his ear. Deciphering the code, he looked over at where Jacinta stood, and was surprised to
see a striking woman standing in between him and his charge. Before he could do anything, the taller
woman smiled shyly and offered her right hand. "Hello, I'm Sara. What's your name?"
_______________________
Jacinta frowned, idly swirling the wine about in her glass. Normally, she and her mother did not
drink, for physiological reasons as well as moral ones, but tonight they decided to go for it. "I still don't
understand why we're here." she hissed to her mother in Spanish, taking a bored sip from her drink.
"Because your father thinks it's important. And he did go out of his way to buy us our dresses
and jewelry." Magdalena answered, crossing her arms. "But I know what you mean. It's ridiculous. He
knows we don't belong here."
She and her daughter both set their smouldering gazes on Alejandro Velasquez, prominent as
a businessman in the real estate sector, and currently schmoozing with the mayor. When the three had
first come in, he'd tried to put on the impression that they were a normal family, only to be quickly
abandoned by both women. Since then, he hadn't bothered to talk to them. And neither had anyone else.
"Gawd, this is stupid." Jacinta muttered under her breath, downing the rest of her wine and
setting the glass aside. She was starting to miss Jose and the relative quiet of the mansion. She was
surprised, however, when she saw a tall, slender woman with blood-red hair approaching the beverage
table.
*Wow* she thought sarcastically, *someone's actually coming NEAR us.*
The woman was smiling to herself, but upon noticing Jacinta, her smile melted, reforming into
a neutral expression, and she quickly averted her gaze. She took a glass of punch and turned the other
way. Jacinta narrowed her eyes and studied the woman more carefully. There was something vaguely
familiar about her hair, and the way she carried herself. It seemed that she should know this person, but
nothing clicked. Shrugging, she ignored the feeling and went back to staring at the crowd.
_______________________
*Oh, God!* the techno thought. *What do I say?* The woman, Sara, waited patiently, still
holding out her hand.
"Uh, my name's Miguel," he answered quickly, mentally cursing the soft buzzing in his ear.
*Damn! Did Jose not know when to just back off?*
Sara nodded and shook his hand. 'Miguel' winced, noticing that her grip was quite strong.
"Nice to meet you, Miguel." she said, her voice carrying an undertone that implied the contrary.
*Why is she talking to me?* he thought, his mind racing for an opportunity to get away from
her. She had to suspect something. *Crap.*
_______________________
"Miguel, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about the members of the party. Could you
kindly tell me who that young lady over by the drinks is?" Outwardly, Sara smiled sweetly, but inside
her mind, she was quickly cataloguing everything 'Miguel' had secreted upon his person, including the
shiv he had up one sleeve, and the tiny subdermal microphone hidden behind one ear.
'Miguel' stammered for a few seconds, and then cleared his throat. "I believe that the two ladies
over there are of the Velasquez family. The older madam is Magdalena, and her daughter is Jacinta.
They are a stunning pair, are they not?"
Sara smiled again, letting a brief flash of something undefinable show through her eyes. "They'd
be extremely popular if they had not stonewalled everyone here. I think I'll go over and talk to them for
a while. It'd be better than trying to find my own friends in this place. Thank you for your assistance,
and," Sara leaned closer, gently kissing the techno on the cheek before whispering something in his ear.
"Tell Jose that he should not worry. After all, his love is in good hands."
Sara then turned, leaving the techno standing there, totally dumbstruck. As several men
grumbled good-naturedly about a server getting a kiss from such a lovely vision before they did, Sara
walked over to Jacinta, who had just finished off a glassful of wine. Seeing the opening was as good as
any, Sara gently reached out and picked up the empty wine glass, placing it on a passing platter that
was half full of champagne glasses.
Jacinta, irritated, turned and glared at Sara for a few seconds, but didn't lash out verbally.
Instead, Sara quite neatly placed her own drink on a nearby table, and offered Jacinta a handshake.
"Hello Jacinta. Care to talk instead of standing here and stonewalling all the guys in a twenty foot
radius?"
_______________________
*What the--? No way--it's HER!* Jacinta thought as her brain registered the speaker to be none
other than the bounty hunter who had abducted her a month before in order to meet her father and then
had given Jacinta the reward money instead of taking it for herself.
It was amazing what a transformation a nice dress could bring out. She had to admit that Sara
looked, well, pretty when not dressed in black and armed to the teeth. No wonder Jacinta had not
recognized her in the first place, but it was clear that Sara had. And here she was, smiling and asking
for a friendly chat. Jacinta hoped that was all she was here for.
Her mother nodded towards Sara. "Jacinta, do you know this person?"
Jacinta's throat tightened and she swallowed nervously. *Uh, yeah, that's the understatement
of the century.* Smiling stiffly, she said, "Mama, I'd like you to meet um..." she fished for a name,
suddenly realizing that the bounty hunter had never given it to her.
"Sara D'Arnise," Sara finished, stepping up and shaking Magdalena's hand amiably, acting like
any other woman out for a bit of fun. "It's nice to meet you. I noticed you two seemed a little lonely, so
I came over to introduce myself."
Magdalena smiled. "Well, that's nice. I didn't think anyone would want to talk to us. This isn't
really our crowd, I have to say."
Sara nodded politely. "Well, it's not mine, either. But you just have to learn to play it they way
they do. In fact," she glanced pointedly at Jacinta, "I'd like to show you how."
*What the HELL is going on here?* Jacinta wondered, eyes flitting between her mother and
Sara. *I hope to hell she's not planning to do something. Like kidnap me again.*
"Jacinta, why don't you go with Sara?" Magdalena suggested, her mood suddenly brightening.
Her daughter eyed both older women warily. "Aren't you coming?" Jacinta probed, obviously
not very comfortable with the situation that had suddenly been forced onto her.
"No," her mother answered with an airy wave of her hand. "You go on and have fun. Go on,"
she gave Jacinta a little push. "I'll be fine."
Jacinta gave her mother one last suspicious look before Sara grabbed her forearm and started
dragging her away. When her daughter had vanished into the sea of blue blood, Magdalena's eyes
searched out her ex-husband. *It's about time I had a word with him*
_______________________
"What do you think you're doing?" Jacinta hissed, squirming against Sara's grip.
"Getting you a little social action," Sara answered brightly. "This is a party, not some bar you
go slumming into."
"Yeah, a party that we don't belong in," Jacinta replied spitefully.
"Oh, nonsense," the bounty hunter said. "Just follow along and you'll be fine. Besides, Dr.Zack
and Cyb are here. I'm sure they'd love to see you."
"Huh? You mean CyberSix, right?" Jacinta asked wonderingly, her heart lifting for a moment.
She hadn't seen her aunt in a while and it would make her night if she could spend some time with her.
She let Sara drag her along in search of her group, all complaints leaving her.
_______________________
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, 'Miguel' was relentlessly downing glass after glass of champagne.
_______________________
"So, no hard feelings about the last time we met?" Sara had easily begun to mingle with the
other partygoers, though she kept a sharp eye on Jacinta, who looked like she would much rather be
slumming in the nearest bar.
Jacinta, surprised at being addressed so casually about the 'incident' nearly choked on her new
drink. Pausing for a few seconds, she then shook her head. "Not really. By the way, Jose still wants to
find and beat you up."
Sara nodded, gently shaking hands with the Mayor's wife. "I can't say I blame him. I remember
what I did when I thought I had lost someone important to me, and it wasn't pretty. Pardon me Mrs.
Trillio, but did you by any chance see Dr. Zacharias pass by?"
Sara waited politely for a response, and, seeing Dr. Zack standing by the doors to the outside
balcony, she gently steered Jacinta towards the older doctor, only to be intercepted by the one person
who could instantly set Sara's nerves on edge.
There, in between her and what could be considered a safe haven, was the mayor's son. If there
could be any other overly officious, smarmy, and otherwise completely lecherous person at the party,
Sara would be hard pressed to pick one out. The brat, as Sara preferred to call him, noticed her, and he
instantly decided to walk over and attempt to lay out his 'charms'.
"Hel-lo, babes of the evening. Care to spend some time with Myron the fantastic?" Sara instantly
snorted derisively, but refrained from flipping off a rude gesture or activating her armour and
backhanding the young man through a window. Instead, smiling sweetly, she reached up and grabbed
his ear, pulling him down to her height, as he towered over her by a good eight inches.
"When pigs grow wings, and I doubt you'll be flying under your own power any time lately."
Jacinta snickered, as did several other guests who had overheard the blunt rebuttal, though Myron
looked entirely nonplussed. Grabbing Sara's left hand, he pulled her towards him, acting like he wanted
a kiss or something more from Sara, who was entirely uninterested.
"Come on baby, you know you want Myron's big slab of hot love, and Myron'd happily give it
to you." With that muttered statement, Myron pressed Sara's hand into his crotch. Sara's response was
to quirk an eyebrow and smile sweetly.
"Where is it?" Seeing Myron frown, Sara smiled again, threatening to give someone diabetes
just from the sweetness of her smile, and then spoke again. "No, seriously. Where is it? All I can feel
are two peanuts and a thimble."
Sara paused for a second, taking a light breath, and noticing that Myron reeked of bad booze.
She then reached slightly further down, and, knowing that her fingernails were exceedingly sharp, she
grabbed onto an uncomfortable part of the male anatomy and twisted. "Why don't you take your little
toy there, and go bother someone who is brainless enough to actually respond to your advances."
Sara then let go, leaving Myron gasping for air as she walked out to the balcony, Jacinta
following with an amused smirk on her face. "So, that was an example on how to enjoy yourself at a
party?"
Sara rolled her eyes, sweeping her loose hair back behind her ears so she could get some of the
cool air on the right side of her face. "No. That was another how-to. How to cripple the rampant lech
of the party without physically injuring him. What would you have done in the same situation? Punched
him out?"
Jacinta nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, and I would have felt a lot better about myself too."
Sara nodded, and collected two glasses of champagne from a passing server. "And, if I had
wanted to, I could have activated my body armour and thrown the little perv through a foot thick wall.
however, I don't want to be saddled with an assault or murder charge, so verbally emasculating him was
the next best choice. Besides, it was funny as hell to walk him waddle off like that. Still, I think you'll
want to avoid the ice sculpture, as he'll probably use that to cool down."
Jacinta giggled, making a disgusted face at the mental image Sara had just planted into her
mind. "Now, where did Tony meander off to?" Sara handed over the second glass of champagne to
Jacinta, who accepted the drink with a little trepidation. However, just as Sara started to look around
the balcony for Dr. Zack, he found them.
"Hi Sara. Enjoying yourself as much as I am?" Sara nearly laughed, but instead, she shook her
head.
"It could always be better. By the way, do you know Jacinta Velasquez?" Sara gestured Jacinta
forwards, smiling slightly as the doctor seemed to pause, almost as if he was having a double-take.
_______________________
Inside the kitchen, Miguel had been joined by Myron, who was holding a very large bag of ice
to a very sensitive area of his body, and guzzling champagne almost as quickly as the techno.
open the rear door for the passengers. The bellhop, obviously surprised to see another limo arrive for
the party that was already getting into gear, sprang into action, opening the door and peering into the
dim interior of the large car.
Inside the car, Sara looked at her friends, whom she had managed to sucker into joining her for
the party. On her left, Dr. Anthony Zacharias looked distinctly uncomfortable at the idea of being
trapped into a party with a bunch of overstuffed blowhards. However, he was wearing a very neat
tuxedo though, and he appeared to be fairly comfortable in the fancy clothes. Across from Sara, sitting
side by side, were CyberSix and Lucas. Lucas looked uncomfortable in his own tux, and Sara couldn't
help but compare him to a giant teddy bear in a suit when she had first seen him. In contrast, Six looked
absolutely stunning in the thigh length, strapless red dress she had bought several months ago, and her
pearl earrings and crystal necklace only accented her natural beauty.
On Sara's right, the only medical doctor in the city that Sara actually trusted fidgeted nervously,
wondering aloud why she had to join in a party when she could be sleeping. Dr. Reba Pearce was
wearing a black dress that had been custom fit to her tiny frame, and she looked like she was only
fourteen instead of her actual twenty nine, though the dress did make her look older, as her physical
growth had been halted just after her eleventh birthday.
Sara herself had gone to some pains to look a lot better than normal, and she had decided to
flaunt her appearance instead of hiding it. As a result, she was wearing a dark, cobalt blue dress that was
slit up her left leg, and the cut of the dress was fairly rakish. The dress had been cut at an angle, so her
left shoulder was bare, as was her right leg from below the knee. The only things that completed the
ensemble was an asymmetrical pair of gloves, matching the dress' own angle. Sara's right arm was
completely covered, excepting her fingers, and her left arm was bare from shoulder to elbow. Finally,
Sara's golden pendant was still hanging off of her neck, and her armour was dormant, having been
changed into an armlet that neatly wrapped around her upper left arm.
She looked at herself in a small mirror for a few seconds, smiled, and looked at her friends. "So,
shall we?"
_______________________
The techno's mouth twitched in irritation from the tiny receiver lodged behind his ear. He loaded
his tray with the last of the champagne it could carry and proceeded into the Great Room. The best of
the best were here tonight, celebrating the city's four hundredth birthday.
Diamonds flashed on the women as they flitted from guest to guest and exchanged gossip. The
men were decked out in their finest suits, looking stiff and austere. But the techno wasn't there to admire
the glamour. He was there to keep an eye on a certain young lady, her mother, and her estranged father.
Well, the young lady specifically.
As he proceeded to make his rounds, the techno spotted Jacinta and her mother, Magdalena,
huddled together by the beverage table. They looked distinctly uneasy at being surrounded by such
illustrious people, although they were both dressed as well as anyone else. Jacinta was wearing a long,
form fitting burgundy velvet dress, with black chandelier earrings and a matching choker. Her hair was
swept back off of her face, revealing her burning gold eyes to anyone that even thought of taking a
glance in that direction as well. Her mother was wearing a more traditional black cocktail dress, with
jewelry kept to a minimum, save for a beautiful silver crucifix around her neck.
They were both lovely, certainly, but they stuck out as surely as two sapphires among a row of
diamonds. They may as well have been wearing signs that said "I really wish I weren't here right now."
The techno knew why. Jacinta's father, Magdalena's ex-husband had invited them here; yet another
feeble attempt at trying to get them to accept him back into their lives despite the fact that both of them
had made it explicitly clear they had no intention of doing so.
Jacinta looked up, caught his eye, and nodded. He nodded back sympathising with the poor girl.
Naturally, Jose had been furious that he couldn't go. It would have looked beyond weird if he had. And
how could Jacinta ever explain him to her parents? So she had gently, but firmly insisted that she would
be fine and that he needn't worry. He would have hated it anyway, and deep down they both knew how
awkward they would look together in public.
The techno sighed. *So that's why I'm here, of course. To make sure his precious little fiancee
is safe. Oh please!* He shook his head and went back to the kitchen for more champagne. Hell, maybe
he'd have some himself.
_______________________
The elevator neatly pinged open, and Sara instantly swept part of her hair forwards, covering
the right side of her face, much to the amusement of both Six and Reba. The rest of her hair, which she
had spent several hours braiding, had been elaborately coifed and pinned in place, leaving a half dozen
braids hanging down to the small of her back, with a seventh braid hanging down over her right
shoulder, accenting her slim form. Sara noticed that Six and Lucas, despite their reservations about
being pulled along, seemed to mingle in the crowd better than she would, as Sara usually didn't feel
very comfortable in large crowds. "I told you that this was a bad idea."
Sara looked over at Dr. Zack, who had spoken in an undertone as he looked at the members of
the city's upper class. Sara shrugged, noticing Dr. Pearce expertly weave her way over to where two
older women stood, striking up a conversation in seconds. "Yeah, well. I'm just calling it a learning
experience. By the way, it looks like Tilman somehow managed to sneak up here. You might want to
watch your back."
Sara turned slightly, only to see that her warning had fallen on deaf ears. Dr. Zack had already
engaged himself in a conversation, and judging from the advanced algorithms being dropped here and
there, Sara guessed that at least the good doctor would also be happy that night. Feeling slightly thirsty,
Sara slowly made her way through the crowd towards the drinks, gathering many appreciative glances
from the men that she expertly breezed by, and many 'if looks could kill' glares from the various female
attachments near those men.
Sara smiled as she noticed that she had an immediate effect upon the crowd, as many people who
could normally articulate themselves correctly suddenly found themselves spouting gibberish. However,
as soon as Sara arrived at the beverage table, she found herself looking at two women that were standing
next to each other nearby. The older woman Sara didn't recognize, though the silver crucifix around the
woman's neck lent an air of studiousness and stability to her. The younger woman however, Sara had
no trouble recognizing. The burning gold irises that focussed on her for a second gave it away, and
promptly murdered Sara's good mood.
Sighing lightly, Sara ordered a lightly spiked fruit punch, then, after receiving her drink, she
decided to greet Jacinta for a moment. Walking up towards the girl, Sara slowly took a sip of her drink,
absently noticing the lack of Jose anywhere in the immediate neighbourhood. However, she was
distracted as several people, all chatting to themselves, cut between her and Jacinta, and
unceremoniously translocated Sara into the middle of the room. *My lucky night. I get invited here by
a no-show, and then I meet the girl I virtually pounded the tar out of almost a month ago. My lucky
night.*
The techno returned from re-stocking his platter with champagne glasses, only to notice a faint
clicking in his ear. Deciphering the code, he looked over at where Jacinta stood, and was surprised to
see a striking woman standing in between him and his charge. Before he could do anything, the taller
woman smiled shyly and offered her right hand. "Hello, I'm Sara. What's your name?"
_______________________
Jacinta frowned, idly swirling the wine about in her glass. Normally, she and her mother did not
drink, for physiological reasons as well as moral ones, but tonight they decided to go for it. "I still don't
understand why we're here." she hissed to her mother in Spanish, taking a bored sip from her drink.
"Because your father thinks it's important. And he did go out of his way to buy us our dresses
and jewelry." Magdalena answered, crossing her arms. "But I know what you mean. It's ridiculous. He
knows we don't belong here."
She and her daughter both set their smouldering gazes on Alejandro Velasquez, prominent as
a businessman in the real estate sector, and currently schmoozing with the mayor. When the three had
first come in, he'd tried to put on the impression that they were a normal family, only to be quickly
abandoned by both women. Since then, he hadn't bothered to talk to them. And neither had anyone else.
"Gawd, this is stupid." Jacinta muttered under her breath, downing the rest of her wine and
setting the glass aside. She was starting to miss Jose and the relative quiet of the mansion. She was
surprised, however, when she saw a tall, slender woman with blood-red hair approaching the beverage
table.
*Wow* she thought sarcastically, *someone's actually coming NEAR us.*
The woman was smiling to herself, but upon noticing Jacinta, her smile melted, reforming into
a neutral expression, and she quickly averted her gaze. She took a glass of punch and turned the other
way. Jacinta narrowed her eyes and studied the woman more carefully. There was something vaguely
familiar about her hair, and the way she carried herself. It seemed that she should know this person, but
nothing clicked. Shrugging, she ignored the feeling and went back to staring at the crowd.
_______________________
*Oh, God!* the techno thought. *What do I say?* The woman, Sara, waited patiently, still
holding out her hand.
"Uh, my name's Miguel," he answered quickly, mentally cursing the soft buzzing in his ear.
*Damn! Did Jose not know when to just back off?*
Sara nodded and shook his hand. 'Miguel' winced, noticing that her grip was quite strong.
"Nice to meet you, Miguel." she said, her voice carrying an undertone that implied the contrary.
*Why is she talking to me?* he thought, his mind racing for an opportunity to get away from
her. She had to suspect something. *Crap.*
_______________________
"Miguel, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about the members of the party. Could you
kindly tell me who that young lady over by the drinks is?" Outwardly, Sara smiled sweetly, but inside
her mind, she was quickly cataloguing everything 'Miguel' had secreted upon his person, including the
shiv he had up one sleeve, and the tiny subdermal microphone hidden behind one ear.
'Miguel' stammered for a few seconds, and then cleared his throat. "I believe that the two ladies
over there are of the Velasquez family. The older madam is Magdalena, and her daughter is Jacinta.
They are a stunning pair, are they not?"
Sara smiled again, letting a brief flash of something undefinable show through her eyes. "They'd
be extremely popular if they had not stonewalled everyone here. I think I'll go over and talk to them for
a while. It'd be better than trying to find my own friends in this place. Thank you for your assistance,
and," Sara leaned closer, gently kissing the techno on the cheek before whispering something in his ear.
"Tell Jose that he should not worry. After all, his love is in good hands."
Sara then turned, leaving the techno standing there, totally dumbstruck. As several men
grumbled good-naturedly about a server getting a kiss from such a lovely vision before they did, Sara
walked over to Jacinta, who had just finished off a glassful of wine. Seeing the opening was as good as
any, Sara gently reached out and picked up the empty wine glass, placing it on a passing platter that
was half full of champagne glasses.
Jacinta, irritated, turned and glared at Sara for a few seconds, but didn't lash out verbally.
Instead, Sara quite neatly placed her own drink on a nearby table, and offered Jacinta a handshake.
"Hello Jacinta. Care to talk instead of standing here and stonewalling all the guys in a twenty foot
radius?"
_______________________
*What the--? No way--it's HER!* Jacinta thought as her brain registered the speaker to be none
other than the bounty hunter who had abducted her a month before in order to meet her father and then
had given Jacinta the reward money instead of taking it for herself.
It was amazing what a transformation a nice dress could bring out. She had to admit that Sara
looked, well, pretty when not dressed in black and armed to the teeth. No wonder Jacinta had not
recognized her in the first place, but it was clear that Sara had. And here she was, smiling and asking
for a friendly chat. Jacinta hoped that was all she was here for.
Her mother nodded towards Sara. "Jacinta, do you know this person?"
Jacinta's throat tightened and she swallowed nervously. *Uh, yeah, that's the understatement
of the century.* Smiling stiffly, she said, "Mama, I'd like you to meet um..." she fished for a name,
suddenly realizing that the bounty hunter had never given it to her.
"Sara D'Arnise," Sara finished, stepping up and shaking Magdalena's hand amiably, acting like
any other woman out for a bit of fun. "It's nice to meet you. I noticed you two seemed a little lonely, so
I came over to introduce myself."
Magdalena smiled. "Well, that's nice. I didn't think anyone would want to talk to us. This isn't
really our crowd, I have to say."
Sara nodded politely. "Well, it's not mine, either. But you just have to learn to play it they way
they do. In fact," she glanced pointedly at Jacinta, "I'd like to show you how."
*What the HELL is going on here?* Jacinta wondered, eyes flitting between her mother and
Sara. *I hope to hell she's not planning to do something. Like kidnap me again.*
"Jacinta, why don't you go with Sara?" Magdalena suggested, her mood suddenly brightening.
Her daughter eyed both older women warily. "Aren't you coming?" Jacinta probed, obviously
not very comfortable with the situation that had suddenly been forced onto her.
"No," her mother answered with an airy wave of her hand. "You go on and have fun. Go on,"
she gave Jacinta a little push. "I'll be fine."
Jacinta gave her mother one last suspicious look before Sara grabbed her forearm and started
dragging her away. When her daughter had vanished into the sea of blue blood, Magdalena's eyes
searched out her ex-husband. *It's about time I had a word with him*
_______________________
"What do you think you're doing?" Jacinta hissed, squirming against Sara's grip.
"Getting you a little social action," Sara answered brightly. "This is a party, not some bar you
go slumming into."
"Yeah, a party that we don't belong in," Jacinta replied spitefully.
"Oh, nonsense," the bounty hunter said. "Just follow along and you'll be fine. Besides, Dr.Zack
and Cyb are here. I'm sure they'd love to see you."
"Huh? You mean CyberSix, right?" Jacinta asked wonderingly, her heart lifting for a moment.
She hadn't seen her aunt in a while and it would make her night if she could spend some time with her.
She let Sara drag her along in search of her group, all complaints leaving her.
_______________________
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, 'Miguel' was relentlessly downing glass after glass of champagne.
_______________________
"So, no hard feelings about the last time we met?" Sara had easily begun to mingle with the
other partygoers, though she kept a sharp eye on Jacinta, who looked like she would much rather be
slumming in the nearest bar.
Jacinta, surprised at being addressed so casually about the 'incident' nearly choked on her new
drink. Pausing for a few seconds, she then shook her head. "Not really. By the way, Jose still wants to
find and beat you up."
Sara nodded, gently shaking hands with the Mayor's wife. "I can't say I blame him. I remember
what I did when I thought I had lost someone important to me, and it wasn't pretty. Pardon me Mrs.
Trillio, but did you by any chance see Dr. Zacharias pass by?"
Sara waited politely for a response, and, seeing Dr. Zack standing by the doors to the outside
balcony, she gently steered Jacinta towards the older doctor, only to be intercepted by the one person
who could instantly set Sara's nerves on edge.
There, in between her and what could be considered a safe haven, was the mayor's son. If there
could be any other overly officious, smarmy, and otherwise completely lecherous person at the party,
Sara would be hard pressed to pick one out. The brat, as Sara preferred to call him, noticed her, and he
instantly decided to walk over and attempt to lay out his 'charms'.
"Hel-lo, babes of the evening. Care to spend some time with Myron the fantastic?" Sara instantly
snorted derisively, but refrained from flipping off a rude gesture or activating her armour and
backhanding the young man through a window. Instead, smiling sweetly, she reached up and grabbed
his ear, pulling him down to her height, as he towered over her by a good eight inches.
"When pigs grow wings, and I doubt you'll be flying under your own power any time lately."
Jacinta snickered, as did several other guests who had overheard the blunt rebuttal, though Myron
looked entirely nonplussed. Grabbing Sara's left hand, he pulled her towards him, acting like he wanted
a kiss or something more from Sara, who was entirely uninterested.
"Come on baby, you know you want Myron's big slab of hot love, and Myron'd happily give it
to you." With that muttered statement, Myron pressed Sara's hand into his crotch. Sara's response was
to quirk an eyebrow and smile sweetly.
"Where is it?" Seeing Myron frown, Sara smiled again, threatening to give someone diabetes
just from the sweetness of her smile, and then spoke again. "No, seriously. Where is it? All I can feel
are two peanuts and a thimble."
Sara paused for a second, taking a light breath, and noticing that Myron reeked of bad booze.
She then reached slightly further down, and, knowing that her fingernails were exceedingly sharp, she
grabbed onto an uncomfortable part of the male anatomy and twisted. "Why don't you take your little
toy there, and go bother someone who is brainless enough to actually respond to your advances."
Sara then let go, leaving Myron gasping for air as she walked out to the balcony, Jacinta
following with an amused smirk on her face. "So, that was an example on how to enjoy yourself at a
party?"
Sara rolled her eyes, sweeping her loose hair back behind her ears so she could get some of the
cool air on the right side of her face. "No. That was another how-to. How to cripple the rampant lech
of the party without physically injuring him. What would you have done in the same situation? Punched
him out?"
Jacinta nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, and I would have felt a lot better about myself too."
Sara nodded, and collected two glasses of champagne from a passing server. "And, if I had
wanted to, I could have activated my body armour and thrown the little perv through a foot thick wall.
however, I don't want to be saddled with an assault or murder charge, so verbally emasculating him was
the next best choice. Besides, it was funny as hell to walk him waddle off like that. Still, I think you'll
want to avoid the ice sculpture, as he'll probably use that to cool down."
Jacinta giggled, making a disgusted face at the mental image Sara had just planted into her
mind. "Now, where did Tony meander off to?" Sara handed over the second glass of champagne to
Jacinta, who accepted the drink with a little trepidation. However, just as Sara started to look around
the balcony for Dr. Zack, he found them.
"Hi Sara. Enjoying yourself as much as I am?" Sara nearly laughed, but instead, she shook her
head.
"It could always be better. By the way, do you know Jacinta Velasquez?" Sara gestured Jacinta
forwards, smiling slightly as the doctor seemed to pause, almost as if he was having a double-take.
_______________________
Inside the kitchen, Miguel had been joined by Myron, who was holding a very large bag of ice
to a very sensitive area of his body, and guzzling champagne almost as quickly as the techno.