Chapter 12
01
delirium.
were the only ones currently in the Broilerhouse waiting room. Shell removed his Chameleon Sunglasses.
He should have worked it out long ago.
fool to imagine that it would be easy to kill the girl.”
didn’t shake his head.
any situation. So, please, just get me out of here,” Shell continued.
“I’m frightened, Boiled, and I have absolutely no idea what it is that frightens me so. That’s the worst
“I’ll make everything disappear,” Boiled replied, his voice soft.
“It’s time to talk to your lawyers,” Boiled continued and started to rise, when Shell clamped his hand
“I’mbegging you… Help me… Help me become a different person again.”
≡
have been the root of all his deviant behavior. Despite losing his memories—no, because he’s lost his
–Why?
“Imagine that you’re experiencing constant feelings of terrible fear and anger and have absolutely no
sense of what it is to be Shell. Wouldn’t you do whatever you could to try and stop the terrifying feelings
sublimate those feelings—in your professional and social ambitions, maybe—but what happens when
“And as Shell grew used to the whole process, he became inured to it and started to believe that what
the crystal pendant on the choker. “It was probably a self-defense mechanism against his memory loss. He
feeling that he was responsible for the girls’ deaths, that their sacrifice was all his fault.”
Balot found herself contributing to the conversation.
past, similar to his. A shock to discover that they might have chosen one another because of their
Balot felt a pang of sadness in her chest. Sure, she felt uncomfortable and irritated too, but the feeling
through experiences similar to her own. On the contrary, Shell had always looked for such girls in order
I’m going to make you clean. I’m going to clean you up. When Shell had first yelled this out, it was
“Empathy, eh? Well, people do indeed actively seek out people like themselves—birds of a
somewhat. “Anyhow, all the memories we copied from the chips have already been submitted to the
with a chronological simulation of Shell’s memories. It’ll be just like fingerprinting him. Our aim for
–What’s myrole in all this?
everything. Don’t worry, this trial won’t be anything like the last one. The only person who needs to
this one. Not only will his past be dragged up for all to see and judge, he won’t even remember it for
–Not even the memory of killing his own mother?
blood, with half an eye toward her life insurance policy. He systematically cut the brake pads. The whole
enormous. And then there were his sexual relations with his mother…”
Shell’s mother was, in her own right, no stranger to the law. We ran a search on the old records at the
Furthermore, her husband was dead, and she was even suspected of murdering him in order to get her
this and decided to do the same thing for himself. The mother had assaulted him, effectively, and what
The Doctor laughed in a somewhat forced manner at his own somewhat forced joke. Balot didn’t
“You might want to work on that one, Doc,” said Oeufcoque, speaking for Balot as well.
concrete evidence in the courtroom, but more importantly, it’s going to pique the curiosity of the jury. The
pointed out, thank you, Oeufcoque. The DA is certainly delighted with this new turn of events, anyway.
The Doctor’s voice was steeped in cynicism, just as the whole situation was steeped in irony—
end of the most thorough and gut-wrenching attack imaginable, all on account of her own history. As a
fromthe pain.
already repudiated his past and cast it away. All he had left was lingering trauma.
waste any time on unnecessary distractions,” Oeufcoque said, again seemingly speaking for Balot by
don’t lose sight of the biggest fish of all.”
media—they’re perfectly capable of doing that for themselves.”
“Having said that, there are no guarantees, I’mafraid,” the Doctor continued, somewhat apologetically
either. If that happens, it’ll be hard for me to hold the DA back fromlaying it on thick…”
well, this is only a theory, but hear me out. You can shave away the memory, but the shape of the memory
everything in your mind is thrown up in the air. Your moral compass goes haywire. What better proof do
caused by OctoberCorp’s irresponsible, gung-ho technology?”
Balot asked the question out of a simple desire to know the answer.
exacerbating his urges. If all his memories were to be returned to him then his desire to rape and murder
–Well, I wouldn’t want his past either.
a moment. After a suitable pause Oeufcoque continued gently, “The past is nothing more than a fossil. To
fossil yourself. Shell made the wrong choice, that’s all.”
“At the very least, we can say that he didn’t endure, didn’t resist, unlike you. He just thought to
Balot thought about this for a while, then touched Oeufcoque.
The Doctor threw his arms up in the air and grinned, a twinkle in his eye. “I hope you got that on tape,
could there be for Mardock Scramble 09?”
“Hmmph. Shame…”
The atmosphere in the room—so heavily laden with the pressure of having all their lives so
≡
As ever, the proceedings moved along at a sluggish pace, but at least Shell’s lawyer could see which
the case, the defense attorney seemed almost to withdraw from the scene, looking for an escape route that
memories were shielded from the worst excesses of scurrilous gossip that usually came with the public
had escaped the worst.
Shell was taken to prison.
There was a sudden ping—a message had arrived.
They were in the middle of an early dinner at one of the fancy restaurants in the neighborhood of the
It was the sort of place lawyers went to celebrate a victory or victims went to celebrate after being
it wasn’t so much in order to enjoy a gourmet meal as to take a much-needed pause before the case was
achieved and to prepare her to embark upon a new chapter. Oeufcoque and the Doctor felt she needed a
“It’s from the DA. Apparently the other side wants to talk, and they’re putting in their offer to us
of a choker. “The person offering the settlement isn’t even directly related to this case—he’s stepped in to
“Who is it?”
–What’s going on? I don’t understand.
spectacles though, his eyes weren’t smiling. Rather they were set in steely resolution.
proposing a negotiation.”
“The second case, as it were. The one that will implicate all OctoberCorp officials for more or less
digging till we find the mother lode—it’s not just Shell that we’re after. That’s what they’re afraid of, so
–Use mycase?
The Doctor hastily covered his tracks. “Not in a bad way. I just mean that the chips you won give us a
–So, to put it in blackjack terms, what we’re doing is instead of staying, we’re hitting in order to
“Well, in the end, Shell’s just as much a victim of OctoberCorp as anyone else is. You’ve seen his
Balot nodded. Oeufcoque remained silent.
OctoberCorp’s handiwork. It’s entirely possible to believe that this is what made him slavishly follow
–You mean theymessed around with his head and made him their slave?
they were artificially stimulating his pleasure centers, making it far more likely for him to follow orders
–How?
symbol, a dopamine shot is released inside his brain, and he feels just that little bit better. Reinforced
–I think that all Shell really wanted to do was escape. From his own life.
himwith an escape route. The ultimate inducement into temptation.”
–Shell seemed to think that working for OctoberCorp was just like a fish returning upstream to
Then Balot turned straight to the Doctor to look at himand ask hima question.
The Doctor was about to nod, but Oeufcoque interrupted him. “You’ve already solved your own case.
“Hey, wait a minute, Oeufcoque. Her case leads to the mother lode. All that’s happened so far is that
she’s already been officially recognized as a co-opted civilian aide to this case. As your user, we do
Oeufcoque was unconvinced—and not only that, he was now uncharacteristically raising his voice.
The Doctor appeared to falter, but he had a rejoinder. “I don’t know if you noticed, but at the trial just
the Broilerhouse recognizes that she’s still in danger. We don’t know what Boiled’s got up his sleeve,
OctoberCorp…”
Balot spoke quietly. The Doctor swallowed his words. Oeufcoque also was silent.
Just as Oeufcoque could now sniff out Balot’s innermost feelings, Balot was attuned to Oeufcoque’s
excesses of Shell’s corrupted memories while she was in her dreamstate.
best wayto do that is to guide me.
–Bell Wing called you my guardian angel. Guardian angels are strict but kind. If I run away
try and find peace.
and she wanted to find out what that really meant…
Shell had fallen into.
She touched the choker on her neck, gently transmitting these feelings to Oeufcoque, like a prayer.
resolving it?
fromher safe place and into the maelstrom.
The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. “I have absolutely no aptitude for this sort of thing myself, you
things start getting violent it’s Balot who will to need to protect me.”
“Looks like we’re on the road to victory, then. Come on, let’s go. Time for us to solve our case.”
Balot went to sort out her outfit in the bathroomwhile the Doctor settled the bill.
top of the toilet.
and unzipped her dress, unhooked her bra, and loosened the belts that ran up and down her body.
–I’m ready.
Oeufcoque’s turn was quick and thorough. A skintight bodysuit spread out fromunderneath the choker,
toe. Power flowed through her.
herself in the mirror on the way out and subtly altered the design and color of the bodysuit so that it
She returned to the restaurant and joined the Doctor to head out to the parking lot.
The car was officially registered as being made by an obscure custom car company, one that existed
parts on contract.
may not have been officially acknowledged, but the parts that he made certainly were.
steering wheel sank into the dashboard and found itself fixed in position.
Balot fastened her seat belt, and the car moved off.
“Excuse me a minute,” the Doctor said as he leaned over toward the passenger seat and pressed his
maps, a wallet, a small handgun, and a bottle of pills.
The pills contained a potent double dose: a mixture of caffeine and enzymes that accelerated the
then popped the bottle back in the compartment, which he pushed back into the dashboard.
“They’re doing everything by the book so far,” Oeufcoque said, his voice emerging from the vicinity
Balot looked straight ahead at the road. She thought how there was still so much she needed to learn.
two people there, either—there are at least five of them,” Oeufcoque said when they parked the car two
The Doctor checked something out quickly on his PDA, then shrugged. “I get it. The bar’s part of a
regular basis, of course.”
earth if need be,” said Oeufcoque.
business transactions. Rather than bothering to go in, why don’t we just launch a rocket or two at them?
Balot braced herself, imagining for a moment that the Doctor was indeed about to do as he suggested.
Balot realize that of course they were going to do no such thing. “They’re going through the official
“Sure, sure. Can’t say I’m wildly enthusiastic about the prospect, though. I suppose we can expect
is going to be in it for us. They must know by now that we’re not the sort to be bought off.”
Oeufcoque.
“Hmm… If it comes to it, I’ll leave that side of things to you and Oeufcoque, if that’s okay. My
door?”
“Right, then, let’s go!” With these words the Doctor hopped out of the car and walked toward the quiet
There were two sets of doors, and Balot realized that something was up the moment they passed
Someone was watching them. The Doctor had noticed it too.
surprisingly refined lot—some were smoking cigars or drinking brandy from large goblets, others were
It was a veritable pocket of resistance against the recent all-pervasive trend of smoking bans.
they wore for court, they would have felt terribly out of place. No one else sat at the bar; patrons lounged
The Doctor pointed to a bottle on the counter, then went into a detailed spiel as to how exactly the
The bartender—middle-aged, receding hairline—took his order with a nod, and then looked at Balot.
recalled what the hero ordered when he was in a bar.
She spoke through the crystal on her choker. A funny look flickered across the bartender’s face.
voice. Or it could have been that he was surprised by the very fact that someone like Balot was in this
If he felt something was odd, the bartender certainly hid it well. “Would you like ice with that, miss?”
This part wasn’t in the Western.
The bartender prepared the two drinks with a precision that could only come from years of practice.
for a moment that the bartender might do the same for her with the carton of milk, but it wasn’t to be—it
The bartender placed the glasses on the bar, then retreated to one side.
laughter out of his voice. Balot looked at him.
be here already, of course, just making us wait…” The Doctor took his glass in his hand.
“There’s a fast-working sleeping draught in yours, Doc. Balot’s is clear,” whispered Oeufcoque.
hoping for the Trustees to slip up, I guess. They sure don’t give up easily.”
another,” continued Oeufcoque, before his hand moved off the Doctor’s shoulder.
about that!” He clinked his glass with Balot’s and downed his drink. “Urgh…and I’d only taken an
looked on at himwith wide eyes.
“Dr. Easter? I’mSkyscraper. I trust you received my messages?”
couldn’t tell whether it was an act or not.
compensation claims. I do apologize for having kept you so long. Please, do come and take a seat over
“Thank you,” said the Doctor, walking over to the chairs as if he were floating on clouds. Balot
The man who called himself Skyscraper sat down last, squeezing his generous frame into the chair.
Balot’s glass on a tray. “What about you, sir, are you not drinking?”
It was pretty clear by now that the Doctor really was getting tired. Balot nudged his shoulder gently.
Skyscraper evidently interpreted this move as concern on Balot’s part.
about your return—we have a chauffeured car on hand to take you both back to wherever you need to go.”
“Yes, although we’ve had all the relevant paperwork prepared for some time.”
“Ah, yes, well, we may be on different sides, but we do have certain issues in common. Our jobs are
and that our businesses are allowed to develop progressively.”
“Yes, and we at OctoberCorp are most concerned about the man you brought to trial, Shell-Septinos.
“Well, you would, wouldn’t you, given that he seems to know everything about everything. And?”
shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Balot with a concerned expression.
“The crimes that the man committed are terrible, of course. There’s no denying that. But to refuse him
would like to give him the opportunity to reflect on his crimes and thereby gradually redeem himself. We
that he is unable to pay you out of his own assets.”
give me what I want? Balot had seen that inane grin too many times.
peacefully under the thumb of his corporate masters… That’s how the story goes, is it? Presumably we get
during the next trial?”
“Maybe not out loud, but I certainly think it. As for your answer, well, I’ll make sure that a reply is
the password you’ll need to get into it.”
“‘Dear Balloon-face. Eat shit.’ ”
His face turned crimson, his eyes bloodshot. Yet he was still smiling. A grotesque sight.
sort of smile. “The courtroom antics are only a small part of that. The best thing you can do now is run
appeal for a retrial. Won’t do you any good in the long run, though.”
Balot was visibly concerned. She was worried that the Doctor might have hurt himself.
your milk anymore?” he said, his voice now steeped with sarcasm. “Don’t blame me, blame this idiot
His dark red cheeks puffed out as he rose out of his seat toward her. He wore a whole new expression
arms reached out toward Balot to grab her, but Balot slipped to one side.
man has a handgun in his pocket, but that’s all you have, right?”
Balot realized that the people at the other tables were now drawing in.
Balot wanted to make sure she was doing the right thing before she did anything she couldn’t take
“That’s right. They’re planning on holding you for ransom, and in exchange for your release they’ll try
hear him.
–Am I allowed to shoot them?
Balot’s left armwas under the table, and she felt it grow heavy with the weight of cold steel.
—Balot had actually aimed for his crotch, but Oeufcoque had stayed her hand and made the bullet fly
Balot lifted the table up quickly with Oeufcoque’s help—the bodysuit that was him melded with her
She threw the Doctor’s sleeping body onto the sofa to keep him out of harm’s way, scattering their
every which way. Balot wondered where she had seen such a scene before, and then she remembered.
“We keep the death toll to a minimum. Got it?”
Balot emerged from behind the plush red curtains and fired at three men in order as they attempted to
floor and rolled around in agony.
from the impact. Balot stuck her arm out from behind it and fired swiftly. Not a single bullet of hers was
cartridges and causing them to explode. The men never knew what hit them. Balot then fired a couple
Balot jumped out of the booth, table leg under her arm.
least as much as she did—as a shield. They gave her everything they had, firing blindly. In return Balot
Just then the bartender emerged frombehind the counter with a shotgun in his hands.
both his shoulders. Unbelievable, his face seemed to say, as he turned a backflip into the array of bottles
The last man standing in the bar had his gun held out with a stupefied expression. Balot stuck her head
still failed to hit her, and indeed one of the flying bullets grazed his own armas it ricocheted back, making
but other than the new hole adorning it, the mirror seemed fine—as it turned out, it was a fairly sturdy
Balot brandished the table over her head and threw it at the man.
The bar was evidently fitted with quality air conditioning, as the white smoke in the air was already
ejected her cartridge, reloaded it with a new one generated from within the gun, and went to sit back
There, the Doctor was snuggled up against Skyscraper, the former happily snoring away while the
push his chunky frame back against the wall. He squirmed so hard, it appeared as if he hoped he might be
“I…I’m just a hired hand! Please…” For someone who had succeeded so far in one of the most
–What do we do now? Just go home?
and Balot’s glove became a cell phone.
“Call your employer. We want to speak to him directly.” Oeufcoque’s voice emerged from the cell
He had to try the number a few times before he eventually got through. “Hello…this is Sky…
Er…yes, surely…”
to her ear. All she needed to do was connect to the part of Oeufcoque that was inside her suit.
Trustee for this case.” Oeufcoque spoke out loud so that Skyscraper could hear too. Balot was starting to
carton of milk.
–That was quite a show you put on for us back at the casino. How did you use your last ten
your mind of your woes, perhaps?
–Where’s your proof that I’m behind this? You have no witnesses. No one will arrest me.
she placed her gun on the counter, took a carton of milk fromthe refrigerator below the counter, picked up
robbery, she realized, but there wasn’t any other way she was going to get her drink.
end of the bar, repelled by the nearby phone conversation.
“Washout? It’s too late for you to try and bring our case down by establishing a counter-case, if that’s
–Not if we’ve already applied for our own case. Looks like we’ll be taking the same defendant to
“The same defendant?”
our good name and standing, took on fraudulent loans for his own personal advantage, and even had
“How convenient for you. By assets I assume you’re referring to the dowry he would presumably have
–Marrying her? Ah, yes, there was such talk at one stage, wasn’t there?
–Ours is a family business—family is our rock and the foundation of our success. I was actually
Balot squeezed her glass tightly. Suddenly she had a feeling that she was missing something.
–Shell—I didn’t actually dislike him, truth be told. He had a good head on his shoulders and a
we’re telling the truth when we say his current prospects are most lamentable.
somewhere deep inside her unconscious. Balot tried to put her finger on the reason.
squabble amongst ourselves, of course, but wouldn’t it be better if we collaborated in prosecuting
“What exactly are you planning to do? Have him imprisoned and transported to a state where they
John laughed. Balot heard the laugh as if it were echoing in the room right beside her. His future
–We need not trouble ourselves right now about what may or may not happen after Shell goes to
actions—a certain someone who was hoping to marry him and has been damaged as a result of what
“Inheriting it…”
behalf. We’ll simply rehire the excellent PI that he currently has in his employ and have him work for
“You’re going to have Boiled kill Shell, is that the idea? You…”
out amongst themselves. In the meanwhile, it’ll be our own OctoberCorp that’s wholeheartedly
“You dare to invoke the Three Magi? Can you put your founding director on the line to support your
–She’s a sleeping beauty who won’t be waking up anytime soon. You know as well as I do that she’s
“What I do know is that OctoberCorp is taking advantage of her comatose state to abuse the technology
know full well that none of the Three Magi really want such a thing.”
being “abused” by our technology, as you put it. We’re just doing our duty as a clan to develop our
“That’s a foul deceit—trying to justify the suffering of innocent victims, hiding behind weasel words.”
“What—”
as creator, ruling in her place far more ef ectively than she ever did. In much the same way, we at
values are obsolete in the face of social progress.
new morals, just morality.”
by hiding behind the shield of Mardock Scramble. Your so-called Scramble 09 is nothing more than a
to a society who never asked for you in the first place and doesn’t want you now. But has society ever
somehow…
“No one who refuses to acknowledge that they themselves are potentially dangerous has any right to
With all her might she threw the glass in her hand toward the mirror at the end of the bar.
The glass smashed against the mirror, splashing the milk across the surface.
quickly. She picked up her gun fromthe counter and unloaded it into the mirror in one swift movement.
Finally, though, it started peeling fromthe wall.
Balot threw her gun down and snarced the left hand of her bodysuit so that she held a brand-new one
Gun outthrust, she stood in front of the warped mirror.
had the chance to think about what she was doing, she pulled the trigger, hard. Oeufcoque was there for
“Ah…you seem to have us at a disadvantage, sir. I never imagined for a moment that you would be in
dripped with sarcasm. But Oeufcoque was Oeufcoque, after all, and he could only take so much—the
I can see all sorts of laws being broken…”
young. In the midst of them was a giant lump of flesh—far bigger than Skyscraper—sprawled on a sofa in
“This is private property…” the corpulent figure finally managed to spit out. It was the same man they
“Indeed, so we’ll refrain from actually entering unless we’re forced to. We’ll just wait here, keeping
my jurisdiction to arrest you on charges of attempted kidnapping, extortion, and—well, lots of other
Oeufcoque managed to stay levelheaded. The proof of this was that he kept the safety catch on the gun
Balot shook her head. She wanted to kill them—kill them all, even the young boys and girls with John.
do to her, and felt her blood rushing around her body so quickly she thought it might start flowing
“Balot.” Oeufcoque spoke even more deliberately.
it was coming.
Balot didn’t even turn around; she merely fired off a number of shots over her own shoulder.
pitch a few notches, and he writhed helplessly on the floor.
thought of resistance had been wiped from Cleanwill John October’s mind, and he blubbered, “Peace!
Balot would have rather seen himin pieces than in peace, but she managed to overcome this feeling to
She left the rest to Oeufcoque. It was the only way she could get through this.
≡
the young children as they were wrapped in blankets and escorted to safety.
“To think that we’d be able to catch one of OctoberCorp’s directors so easily,” said the Doctor. He
progress.
make Boiled more or less a fully paid employee of OctoberCorp?” the Doctor asked.
OctoberCorp for a little longer and make out that we’re interested in continuing discussions with them.
“OctoberCorp is more ruthless than you give them credit for, Oeufcoque. At this stage it’s do or die.
Shell—” At this point the Doctor and Oeufcoque fell silent.
The Doctor fumbled with his PDA. “He’s been released on bail pending his final trial, and he’s
fromthe DA’s office tailing him, of course, but…”
“He’s probably already heard,” said the Doctor.
Without another moment’s notice, the Doctor revved up the car, and it sped off from a standing start.
–What’s the matter?
The Doctor shook his head. “It’s Boiled. Unless he gets an order from OctoberCorp to stop him, he
of OctoberCorp’s directors in the bag.”
It was Oeufcoque who answered this. “The Doctor will head to the Broilerhouse. We’ll go to the hotel
–I’m going to go and save Shell’s life?
“That’s right.”
Balot was silent, thoughtful.
Balot programmed the name of Shell’s hotel into the display, and the car set off.
“Just in fromthe Doctor. Shell’s in room663.”
then suddenly realized that the buttons stopped at the fortieth floor.
Balot even had the opportunity to ask. She snarced the elevator, sending it up to the sixty-sixth floor.
Suddenly—without Balot having to snarc anything—she felt a squish about her left hand and realized
Balot progressed with the utmost care. She walked down the corridor with silent footfalls and stopped
Balot snarced the electronic door lock open, calling on help fromOeufcoque to decode it.
The air conditioner wasn’t working. Next to the door was a large dresser coated with a layer of
There was the sound of running water; Balot headed slowly for the bathroom. An orange light was on,
Balot steadied her gun and entered the bathroom. She was filled with an uneasy premonition. She was
through to its logical conclusion. She walked across the polished marble floor and past a large mirror
Balot’s feet stepped in flowing water.
The sight that assailed her made her heart miss a beat.
floated but her mouth was full of splashing water, and her eyes had started to go muddy, cooked by the
The woman was naked, and her long blonde hair covered her body as the hot water continued to flow.
she resisted, or perhaps bruises she received because she couldn’t resist.
“Looks like this was Shell’s fiancée…” Oeufcoque muttered.
positioning herself in front of the television. She snarced it to grasp its inner workings, then accessed the
“What’s this about, Balot?” Oeufcoque seemed concerned, but Balot ignored him, turning the
of servers, cracking the encrypted passwords with ease.
know! That’s a crime! There are official channels we need to go through for this sort of thing. Don’t you
Balot stared at the television, tears suddenly filling her eyes. Her face crumpled and she sat down. She
–Let me kill Shell.
–Let me kill that man Cleanwill too.
–Please. Let me. I don’t even care if I die afterward.
Balot shook her head. Neither. Both. She felt her destiny swirling about her. Her terrible, terrible
to clean you up. The words echoed around Balot’s mind.
Balot managed to snarc the words to Oeufcoque through the terrible memories that were resurfacing
“The same…? You mean, that is to say…” Oeufcoque started, but he didn’t need to finish. He’d
men and women had done things to her.
“Calm down. This has nothing to do with you. Don’t get sucked in. Take a deep breath and calm
Balot held on to her gun. Her whole body shook as she cried. Quietly, her breathing a mess.
feeling of seeing her sorrow transform not into anger but into sheer murderous intent. She wanted to kill
in this case, Boiled and even the Doctor. Then, after she had done all that, she wanted to save the last
–I can’t bear it. Help me. Save me.
Balot clasped her hands together in prayer, and Oeufcoque&rsq