[Jack Fontaine]

Nobody Don't you know who I think I am? + CBE-177/"Anna"

"You can call me Jack." They stood as she motioned towards the couch, and moved over towards it, taking the phone as they sat down. They skimmed it, then looked up. Her box, clearly she'd been kept as some sort of animal, but this talk of waking up. Had she hibernated for half a century? Surely not? On the other hand, there was nothing to suggest that long life was not amongst her catalogue of abilities. That would certainly be a question to answer. If she could, as would be the question of how to remove all trace of her arrival. She had killed someone, brutally judging by the blood, and in LA animal attacks tended not to fly. They filed it away for later consideration, although later would likely have to be soon. The thought of senseless death bothered Jack. They were not the most sentimental of people, but they did not do things without a purpose, even if that purpose was only to entertain themselves. The question of the box was answered a moment later. Jack nodded with a faintly impressed look. To devise not only an RTG, but to also create a functioning cryogenic storage device when the theory itself was still in its infancy. Jack would have loved to have met Matsushita, and would no be endeavouring to acquire as many examples of his work as possible. They wisely kept these thoughts to themselves however. They looked surprised at 177's refusal to sell their body, though not because they had assumed it would be a given, but because they were surprised it had been mentioned at all. "I wouldn't worry too much about that, I'm not interested in that kind of thing, and I certainly don't need you to do that in order to make money. You can do with your body what you will. Blood is… more complicated, but possible. But…" They paused there, and looked more searchingly at 177. "How do you decide if they deserve it?" They laughed at the request for a phone, "I'll take you shopping, I'm sure we can find you something that will keep you entertained. "

© seadra of gs

[CBE-177/"Anna"]

She was somewhat surprised but certainly pleased when Jack agreed to her terms without any argument. She'd thought that asking for so many conditions might have doomed their agreement, or at least led to an argument. Could he be different from the others? She dismisses the idea. No, he was just as corrupt, and she'd see how sooner or later. For now she just had to be grateful that he was accepting her offer.

She finished her story, searching him for a reaction. She saw almost nothing, which disquieted her. She wasn't used to other people masking their reactions as well as she did. What would he want? What was he planning? She had no clue- only the certainty that he had an agenda. She would simply have to be careful.

At his question about how she knew if someone deserved it she set the phone in her lap and studied him for a long moment. Yes, he would be the sort to ask that question. She knew what it really meant. It meant, will you one day decide J deserve it? Can I really trust you?

And maybe he couldn't. Maybe he did deserve it. Her suspicion was that all rich people did. But for now she couldn't see that, and she needed him. This world was strange, and while she could doubtless navigate it on her own, it would be immensely easier as part of something. So he was safe. For now.

She typed.

If you had ever seen one who deserves it, you would not ask the question.

And she thought of Masushita and his goons, of the guards and the Party leaders going up all the way to Stalin himself. She thought of what she'd seen and felt at their hands and all the fantasies she'd had of getting out and returning what they'd given her. She thought of the strange things she'd seen tonight and watched the man in front of her and the way he'd watched her and spoken to her. He was one of them. She was almost certain. Well, she'd been among those people all her life- what harm would a little longer be?

So be careful, "Jack", she thought. Right now I need you. But one day, if you've done what they've done, there's going to be a reckoning, and I'm not afraid to be the one to make you pay it.

-FINIS-