Chartreuse || ONC 2022

▪︎ Digi Log 2 ▪︎

Nova's statement was met by three disenchanted blank stares.

"Big Sister?" Ava-1 scoffed. "Is that a joke?"

Nova shook her head. "I think it's a lame and epic failure of an attempt to come across as our comrade. There's nothing 'sisterly' about her. She's cruel, oppressive, and manipulative, but Neo-York's productivity and gross national product are up since she arrived, so most citizens will not speak out against her, no matter how afraid they are. Those who align with her become her most trusted confidantes and highly decorated officers."

"Keep your friends close," Ava-1 muttered.

"There is no freedom," Nova continued, her cerulean eyes alight with intensity. "Every business, residence, and public space is bugged. Her spies and surveillance drones are everywhere. Rip open our walls, and you'll find covert cameras and microphones instead of cockroaches."

"Which explains why you wanted to meet and debrief outside the city," Ava-1 surmised.

"Yes," Nova confirmed.

Saito, Mina, and Ava-1 shared a lengthy look of significance.

"Troublesome," Saito murmured.

Mina and Ava-1 nodded in unison.

"So," Nova said, scrutinizing each of them in turn. "What sort of 'negotiating' do you do, exactly?"

"Every kind," Saito replied. "Reconnaissance and infiltration."

"Persuasion," Mina said.

"Sabotage and entrapment," Ava-1 added.

"Excessive force," Saito concluded. "Whatever the situation requires."

Nova shook her head, mystified. None of that sounded like "negotiating" to her. She'd kept up with the rumors that spread across the endless dunes regarding the mysterious trinity known as the Negotiators, but she'd dismissed most of what she'd heard as ridiculous hearsay. Her digital invitation to them had been a last resort. Never had she expected to find the rumors true.

A breeze blew loose grains of sand across the rockface, and Nova held up a hand to shield her eyes.

The air was dry in the city, but far worse out in the desert. From the pocket of her pewter-colored work uniform, Nova pulled a small tube of moisturizer. She quickly squeezed a dollop of the pistachio scented cream onto her hands and began rubbing the product into her skin.

Ava-1 observed Nova's actions until the moisturizer was completely absorbed. "Dry skin?"

"What? Oh, yeah," Nova said. "Desert air makes me feel like a reptile. Want some?" She held the tube out to Ava-1.

The cyborg glanced at the aesthetically pleasing label. A soft shade of green accompanied a brand name and brief product description:

ᴄʜᴀʀᴛʀᴇᴜꜱᴇ
Hand Cream
For temporary relief of dry skin.
Apply thoroughly as needed.
Use as directed.

"No, thank you," Ava-1 declined. "When I need to lube up, I usually opt for WD-40."

Nova nodded slowly, unsure if she'd just experienced cyborg humor. She returned the moisturizer to her pocket.

"About 'Big Sister'," Ava-1 said. "Can you give us a description? If you're detailed, my facial recognition program will know her even at a great distance."

"Really? Wow. Um, sure," Nova said. Her fascination with this strange trio was increasing by the minute. "She's small in stature. In fact, you'd never take her for a dictator. She could almost pass as a child. She's short, and incredibly thin, almost to the point of looking malnourished. She has very dark hair, chestnut skin, severe cheekbones, and always wears red. Always. Honestly, you can't miss her."