Binary: Rough Draft Edition (Sword Dancers, Book 1)

Chapter 15: Ashley

Ashley couldn't describe how the downloading part of the process felt. Her head was pounding, but it didn't hurt. Her body was warm and felt weak. Everything around her looked green. Her skin itched and she fought the urge to scratch it. 

Despite the feelings, she fought through it.  Holding her both of her hands on her head.  She tried her best to hold back tears as she experienced all of Flair's memories. They weren't all bad, there were more accomplishments than failures. 

The binary process was the only way to save Flair and the other Sparks. She thought about how cold-blooded they must have thought of her, but she reminded herself that her body was her property and she had the right to protect it. In the grand scheme of things, she knew now that they had to find this monster. 

She sat down on her couch as the process faded away.  The process wasn't painful, which Flair told her it would be.  The couch was one of her favorite pieces of furniture in the house. She bought it with her third paycheck after landing a job with Binders, the third largest bookseller. It was cheap but comfortable. Although her vision was still making everything different values of yellow, she loved her purple couch. 

"You humans and your possessions." Flair said in her arrogant tone in Ashley's mind. Ashley shot back at her.

"Don't act like you aren't' the same."

"She's strong." Olivia said "I couldn't handle the process" 

"Don't worry about it," Tyree said. He patted Olivia on the shoulder. She could see that he was still in love with her.  

"Yeah, Ashley is one of the strongest women we know. She could have made it in the Army." Colin said.

Ashley didn't respond. She did feel a certain amount of pride knowing she didn't pass out, but it was taking all her strength. After this, she was going to do her yoga exercises to calm herself down and recover her strength. 

She didn't know how to feel about Olivia as her vision returned to normal.  She had to admit that she was jealous of her legs and that Olivia was attractive. She didn't like that Olivia decked her earlier. Admittingly she attacked first, but again, she was just trying to protect her body. She had a certain level of respect, but her pride was hurt from being beaten. She knew she was stronger and faster, well in truth, Olivia may be faster in her actions, but in a race, Ashley knew she would be the winner. 

"Olivia, Flair," Murphy said. "Are you both okay?"

"Yes." both of them said in unison. Not like Murphy and Cable, whose voices merged. Ashley could tell that she and Flair were starting to bond on a level that goes deeper than physical. If what Flair and the other Sparks said is true, she would know Flair more than any other partner she ever had.

"Well then," Murphys said. "Now that you are all in phase one of your bonding and getting to know your Spark partner. It's time to discuss the information I just found out some information."

"From the phone call from earlier? When Flair was basically dying?" Colin asked. Ashley noticed that Razor didn't' voice anything. Was Razor communicating with Colin telepathically or was Colin speaking for himself. She wasn't sure, but even though she was initially mad about being bonded with Flair. Colin had a point. The whole time they were explaining the war, the binary process, and introducing themselves. Murphy and his Spark, Cable, were on the phone. Cable was their Sparks leader. He didn't seem too interested in helping Flair. What phone call could be important that he would ignore the injuries of one of his teammates? 

She also didn't know what to think about Murphy. The others didn't' seem to know anything about him. All they told her is that he appeared as a beggar and attacked them. He did it to make sure that they were his team. Which, to Ashley, didn't make sense. Flair inside her head agreed.  Murphy told Colin and Tyree, that Megatron escapes and that it's possible he has a small team with him. Murphy seems like he was more interested in other things than his partner or the war.

"I don't know what you expect from us," Murphy said. "But, I still have a job to do and if I don't want to lose the job or arouse suspicion because of being bonded than I have to continue being a detective. That was my partner, Troy. He called to tell me there was another suicide"

"Another suicide? Ashley asked. 

"Yeah, earlier today on the news a man named Dexter was found dead. He was electrocuted, but the reporter said that police couldn't determine if it was suicide or murder." Colin replied. Ashley notice Colin looking at Murphy with a curious stare. Tyree also had the same look. Olivia seems like she was just waiting for the connection or importance of the news Murphy told them.

"Well, it's murder, I'm almost sure of it now. If I'm right then I think I know Megatron is alive and we might have our first clue to tracking him." Murphy said.

Again Ashley noticed that the Sparks were not as talkative as earlier. Is that part of phase one? Flair only woke up minutes ago, the bonding process couldn't move that fast, could it? Then in her head, she heard Flair said that it wasn't moving fast. She just didn't feel like talking out loud and that the others are doing the same. We're interfacing with each other Flair told her. Ashley didn't like that the Sparks could still talk to each other in a form of telepathy and that she couldn't' hear what they were talking about. 

"How are they connected?" Ashley asked 

"This would be the second victim. A woman. She was electrocuted with the same modus operandi as Dexter Farrell. The signs of the electrocution are consistent with the failure of a binary process."

Ashley and the others looked at Murphy. Olivia sat down on the couch. Ashley wanted too. The Sparks did tell them the process was dangerous, but since they all achieved phase one and survived, none of them thought about how it would be if they had failed. Now they were two others who went through the process and died. That meant that Megatron was one, alive. Two, jumping host.

"You mean to tell me that if we failed to bond with our Sparks, we would be electrocuted?" Colin asked. "I thought you drained us of energy? I mean I always wanted to experience the electric chair. "

"Colin, does it matter? We die either way. Besides, you were the one who was so gung-ho with this.  I knew this was a bad idea. " Tyree sighed. He looked at Olivia and Ashley and she could tell he felt guilty that they were brought in. She was still mad about that too, but she was dealing with it. She would figure something out. That what she does. That's what drove her figuring out mysteries and puzzles. 

"Well, the important thing is, we survived," Olivia said. Ashley was impressed that Olivia was being optimistic. She seemed like a woman that would be freaking out. Ashly knew she shouldn't judge her, but Oliva was a skinny woman. Sure, Olivia worked out, she had a toned body that wasn't all natural, the lean tone came from working out.  Enough so she looked pretty. Ashely thought. She wasn't jealous, men loved her body too, but with what they were going through, she didn't think Olivia could handle the physical demands. 

"True as that may be, the fact remains that it could still happen to us. Unless they leave us for another stronger host. How do we prevent that from happening to us?" Ashley wanted to stay focus on what they could control. Let Olivia be optimistic, Colin's cynicism and Tyree apathetic nature deal with it in their own way. Being cynical and optimist or apathetic wouldn't get anything done. There is a war that might come to Earth and is now linked to two deaths. They had to put the clues together and stop this Megatron. Ashley could hear Flair agree with her. 

Murphy walked to the door without answering any questions. "I have to go to the scene," he paused looked at the four of them and back to the front door of Ashley's house. "Are you coming or not?"

"Where?" Tyree asked.

Ashley knew the answer to that already. She patted Tyree on the shoulder. "To the scene of the second victim."