The Chartreuse Factory
Micro-Oz, Neo-York
13:55

On an elevated platform outside the Chartreuse Factory, Ava-1 surveyed the cityscape. Her left eye, which was equipped with a variety of filters that allowed her to see night vision, infrared, three dimensional laser outlines, x-rays, and toxins, now contained a new filter: one that could see the mysterious compound in Chartreuse products as a physical manifestation. She'd designed the filter herself after isolating the unknown ingredient in her experiment earlier that day.

"It's incredible," Ava-1 said to Whitlock, who stood beside her. "It's a thick green fog. It's everywhere. As if the city is engulfed in an emerald miasma."

She sent him a digital access code that allowed him to upload the filter to his goggles. He was silent for several seconds, then let out a low whistle.

"Marmalized gigs on toast," he cursed. "That is insanity."

"Perfect word," Ava-1 agreed. The dense cloud of green was so opaque, she couldn't see the skyscrapers beyond Micro-Oz. "If the substance is that thick in the air, you know it's in the lungs, organs, and blood stream of every Neo-York citizen."

"Yeah," Whitlock murmured. He pushed his goggles up so that they rested on his head. "I took a Chartreuse brand multivitamin this morning. Now I feel sick."

Ava-1 switched off the filter and the miasma vanished. The cityscape was visible in its entirety, but the sensation of grotesque saturation remained. "We should get back to the others," she said.

Whitlock led the way down the steps to street level, and they reconvened with Saito, Mina, and Nova beneath a nondescript overhang. The plan was to observe Big Sister and her inner party without being conspicuous themselves.

"Well?" Saito prompted upon their return.

"Just like I thought," Ava-1 said. "It's everywhere. Hovering in and around the entire city. You'd have to leave Neo-York to escape its reach."

The others nodded in remorseful silence. Nova's stomach twisted in nausea.

"Here they come," Whitlock announced. He pointed. "Check it out."

A cube-shaped hover craft approached at the speed of a parade float, and glided to a halt before the entrance of the factory. The small craft was open to the air, had a waist-high glass barrier on all sides, and was operated by an android driver of the same model as those that guarded the Red Palace.

Atop the craft were four passengers. Two dozen android guards stood in formation around the hover craft, armed with automatic weapons. 

"That's Major Tom," Nova whispered, indicating a middle-aged male passenger with the broad chest and squared shoulders of a war veteran. "See? Astro military uniform, gray hair, mustache? He always looks disgruntled. Or in pain, I can't decide which. I'm pretty sure he hates appearing in public with Big Sister."

"Of course he does," Mina sympathized. "She's holding him hostage through the misfortunes of his wife. If anyone had used Jonathan in such a despicable way, I don't know what I would have done."

"Lemme guess," Ava-1 said with a smirk. "The handsome one is Dorian Gray?"

Nova nodded. "Gorgeous, isn't he? Like something out of a lost novel."

"Yeaaaah," Whitlock drawled, rolling his eyes. "He's sooooo handsome. I especially love Big Sister's hand up his ass, working him like the brainless puppet that he is. Super dreamy."

Ava-1 snickered. "Hard to believe he's her bodyguard. He looks like he'd freak out if a single hair was out of place."

"And that one is Oliver Twist," Nova said, pointing to the mischievous child in the Spies' uniform and newsboy cap. He was perched on the flat ledge of the glass barrier, swinging his legs and recording the passersby with a surveillance device. "Creepy little cog."

"Where's Big Sister?" Saito asked.

"There," Whitlock said. "Standing on the other side of Dorian. She's hardly bigger than Oliver. Red fabric, see?"

"Ahh, yes," Saito mused. "I wish he would step aside. I'd like to get a look at her face."

"Ditto," Ava-1 said. She adjusted the setting on her left eye to "record."

Mina said nothing. As a hint of breeze flowed through the square at the factory's entrance, she breathed in deeply.

“Her scent is off,” Mina remarked. She breathed in again and slowly exhaled. “The scent of Big Sister's blood. It's odd. Foreign. She is not completely human. Neither is Dorian Gray. There’s something erroneous about his blood. Major Tom and Oliver Twist are human, though Oliver has had some type of enhancement to stilt his aging.”

"That's not creepy at all," Whitlock stated. "Just a normal day."

At that moment, the foreman and multiple line supervisors emerged from the factory entrance and jogged over to meet the hover craft.

"It's about time," snapped Big Sister's voice over the din. "The last man to keep me waiting ended up vaporized."

The foreman and his colleagues cowered, and flinched, and mumbled incoherent apologies. Oliver aimed his recording device at them, giggling with glee.

Dorian smirked, as if he were delighted to see the workers in such a state of distress, and stepped back to allow Big Sister to take center stage.

The mouths of Saito, Mina, and Ava-1 fell open in horrified disbelief. Saito whispered a series of curses in his native language. Mina crossed herself. Ava-1 opted for a single word: "Fuck."

"What?" Whitlock hissed. Big Sister was in the middle of berating the factory management, and he had zero desire to draw her attention to their makeshift hideout. "What it is?"

"What's wrong?" Nova asked, her face pinched with worry.

Mina spun around, her elegant eyebrows drawn together in abhorrance. "Why did you neglect to tell us that Big Sister is a witch?" she demanded.

"A what?" Whitlock exclaimed.

"A witch?!" Nova repeated. "But— She's not!"

"She has fucking green skin!" Ava-1 cried. "What further proof do you need?"

Nova blanched in shock. "Green?" she asked. "No..." She looked past the irate Negotiators to where Big Sister was still threatening the foreman and his associates with vaporization, insisting they were all replaceable at the snap of her fingers if they couldn't be punctual. "No, her skin's not green. It's...I don't know...tan. Taupe. Beige? But it's not green!"

Saito glanced at Whitlock. "You don't see green either?" he prompted. "When you look at her?"

Whitlock shook his head with vehemence. "No way. Not even close."

"How could this be?" Mina inquired. "We can see it, clear as day."

"An optical illusion?" Nova offered with a helpless shurg.

"Don't be daft," Mina scolded. She crossed her arms with a huff. "Ava, love, please tell us you have some sort of theory?"

Ava-1 rubbed her hand across her smooth head. "It's Chartreuse..." she said. "I'd bet my pentium processor on it. This is what the mystery compound is suppressing. Her true appearance. Her real identity. That's why the entire city is enveloped in the stuff."

There was a stunned silence. Nova and Whitlock gaped at each other, fighting shock.

"It's her insurance plan," Whitlock said in realization. "To get people to follow and obey her! A dictator is one thing...a witch is something else."

"A villain," Mina said.

In the square, the foreman was typing furiously on a digi-pad. The look on his face suggested he was mere seconds away from going into cardiac arrest. "There!" he cried at last, and a huge set of holographic numbers appeared on the wall of the factory. "The most recent stats."

Big Sister scrutinized the numbers through narrowed eyes. Her green lips curled in a sneer. "Acceptable," she spat. "Nothing more. Chartreuse perfume will be released next week. I better see these numbers skyrocket, or their will be some changes in staff."

The androids surrounding the hover craft raised their weapons in perfect synchronicity and the workers cowered once more.

"Naturally she needs Chartreuse sales to remain high," Mina growled under her breath. "Should they dip, she'll have to worry about the effects wearing off and her secret being exposed."

"Take me home," Big Sister commanded with a swift flick of her boney wrist. "This place stinks of fear and exhaust."

The hover craft pivoted around gracefully, and glided in the opposite direction, the small army of android soldiers marching in its wake.

"I need one of those androids!" Ava-1 cried suddenly.

"Why?" Whitlock asked.

"I'll explain later. I just need one."

"Hang on, I got this," Whitlock said. He motioned to Saito. "Samurai X, you're with me."

Saito sniffed in amusement and followed at Whitlock's flank.

As he jogged after the retreating androids, Whitlock snagged a pebble off the ground. "Hey!" he whispered to Saito. "Go that way. Hide around the corner. We'll come to you. Get ready to pounce!"

Saito nodded once and took off in the direction Whitlock had indicated.

Whitlock jogged until he was parallel with the last droid soldier to leave the square. He took aim and chucked the pebble at the gray oblong head.

The android stopped in its tracks and wheeled around. Its identical cohorts continued marching after the hover craft.

"Hey!" Whitlock jeered at the lone android. "Hey, you obsolete glorified can opener! Bite me!" He made a vulgar gesture to signify a sexual act, then spun in a half circle and took off running.

The android pursued him in haste on its reinforced stork legs.

Whitlock zipped around the corner and flashed a double thumbs-up to Saito where he stood poised and ready.

The android rounded the corner in hot pursuit of the delinquent, and Saito sprung at it and tackled it to the ground. The weapon in its mechanical hands went flying, and Saito pinned its arms behind its back.

"Hold him!" Whitlock cried. From his pocket he pulled a taser and jabbed the sparking prongs into the back of the android's neck. The synthetic soldier shook with spasms for a couple seconds, then fell still.

"Teamwork!" Whitlock celebrated. "Yes! Up top!" He displayed his palm for Saito to slap.

Chuckling, Saito obliged. 

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