In the farthest corner of the twenty-four-hour diner sat a small woman typing away at her laptop. A mass of unruly medium-brown hair formed a halo around her pale golden face, while a scattering of brown freckles played across her straight nose beneath bright hazel eyes. She was connected to the dark web, adding \u201cclassified\u201d information under her alias as \u201cVassily,\u201d a former covert Russian operative, on the run after uncovering a dangerous secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two weeks ago, the Premier of Transmontia had a series of phone calls which kept her occupied for the entire day. My sources say those calls included the Russian President, the Chinese President, the British Prime Minister, and the United States President. Yesterday afternoon, the Premier of Transmontia sacked her entire cabinet, replacing them with \u201creformers,\u201d even as tens of billions of dollars of national debt disappeared off their books. Those same reformers wasted no time cutting deals for: Russian oil, tech trade with China, and open borders to several NATO countries. This smells like a back-door NATO invasion into Eastern Europe while trying to keep Russia and China in the dark with their own deals.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She read over her posting and submitted it. Except for the bit about the phone calls and the over-the-top likening it to an invasion, it was, more or less, factually accurate. The disappearance of the national debt was easily explained; it was artificial debt created by members of the cabinet to their privately held companies. Cleaning up the cabinet opened the country up for previously stalled trade deals, and the open borders agreements were with the EU and<\/em> the EAEU. Still, a little easily verified truth makes the rest seem plausible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the new conspiracy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris looked up from her laptop. The woman who stood across from her had warm, olive skin, hazel eyes, and long, straight black hair. She was dressed in a bespoke suit, custom-made Louboutins, and oversized sunglasses. Eris felt a small pang comparing the woman\u2019s too-perfect appearance to her own. She tugged at the hem of her hoodie, trying to straighten it out. \u201cWhy are you here, Laverna?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just wanted to check on you.\u201d Laverna sat opposite Eris and pushed her laptop closed. She made a point of looking over Eris\u2019 outfit, torn jeans, a t-shirt that said, \u201cUnderestimate me, I dare you\u201d, a black hoodie, and ratty sneakers. \u201cYou really don\u2019t seem to be doing so well these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy, because I like to blend in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause you look a mess.\u201d Laverna laughed. \u201cLet me take you in for a few days, I\u2019ll have you looking like a goddess again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris snorted. \u201cYou<\/em> don\u2019t look like a goddess. You look like a cross between a failed actress, a banker, a pimp, and a mob boss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna smiled, but there was no warmth behind it, her dark-brown eyes icy. \u201cI have been some of those things,\u201d she said. \u201cNever tried acting, but never needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That stung. \u201cI didn\u2019t act in the silents because I needed<\/em> to, it was just something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow long have you been living on the investments you made with your movie money?\u201d Laverna\u2019s smile turned to a smirk. \u201cInvestments that I helped you make?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris frowned. \u201cFine, I needed to then, but I don\u2019t need to now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo instead, you what? Start conspiracy theories?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat, and deep fakes. It keeps me amused.\u201d Eris put her elbows on the table and leaned her chin on her hands. \u201cAnd it works very well. Have you noticed the state of the world lately?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have,\u201d she said, motioning the waitress over. \u201cCoffee, black, and whatever fresh fruit you have.\u201d As the waitress turned to go, she added, \u201cFresh<\/em> fruit, nothing from a can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, if you\u2019re done being rude, I\u2019ll go,\u201d Eris said. She stuffed her laptop into the backpack on the seat next to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease, stay.\u201d The set of Laverna\u2019s face told Eris she didn\u2019t have a choice. \u201cI helped you invest, and you owe me one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, you need my help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t say that.\u201d Laverna shifted, turning away from Eris toward the window. \u201cI just said you owe me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you can\u2019t say you need my help, you won\u2019t get it.\u201d Eris reached for her backpack and began to stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, fine. I need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Better.” Eris settled into the booth. “Tell me what you need.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I assume you know what happened in Transmontia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Of course. Crooked politicians got busted.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The waitress returned with a cup of coffee and a salad plate filled with apple and pear slices, berries, grapes, and chunks of cantaloupe. Laverna smiled at her and turned back to Eris. “That happens when you get stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “They got greedy<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGreed,\u201d Laverna said, “is a fine motivator, but I have no<\/em> respect for anyone stupid enough to get caught.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Okay, fine.” Eris stole a grape off the plate. “What’s that got to do with me?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna took a sip of her coffee, frowned at it, and set it down. “The current Premier is opening things up. This is aligned with my interests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd?\u201d Eris watched with raised eyebrows while Laverna quietly ate a few pieces of her fruit. “Why must I drag everything out of you? If you don’t tell me what you need help with, I’m leaving, and considering this annoying conversation as payment in full.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The current Premier is well liked, by a little more than half the population.\u201d Laverna poured sugar into her coffee and tried another sip. \u201cThe rest, though, hate her with a passion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSounds like a riot in the making.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll I\u2019m asking for is that you don\u2019t poke around in Transmontia until after the next election.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris frowned, her eyes squinting. \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019re going to like me very much, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat have you done?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI may have played a little amusement in Transmontia\u2026 just seconds<\/em> before you came in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUndo it. Now.\u201d Laverna leaned forward, staring into Eris\u2019 eyes. \u201cYou owe me, I\u2019m calling in my debt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Laverna, you know I don\u2019t work that way,\u201d Eris took Laverna\u2019s hand in her own and patted it. \u201cI just pull threads and see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna jerked her hand back. \u201cYou will undo it, or I will turn one of my lower-level organizations loose in your beloved little neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s not a threat, dear.\u201d Eris smiled. \u201cI love all my neighbors, but the neighborhood does get a little\u2026 predictable after a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEris, how many times have I stayed your hand over the last 100 years?\u201d Laverna asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToo many.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo this for me, and it is debt paid in full.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou seem desperate, cousin.\u201d Eris took Laverna\u2019s hand again. \u201cI will try, and my debt will be released.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna grabbed Eris\u2019 hand in a bone-crushing grip. \u201cYou will do<\/em>, or your debt is doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris considered a flippant response but knew there was no way to get through to Laverna when she was like this. \u201cFine, cousin.\u201d She looked around the diner. \u201cHow far we\u2019ve come, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou used to have a temple, a grove, and <\/em>a gate named after you in Rome. While I,\u201d Eris said, shaking her head in mock dismay, \u201cnever had any of those. But I\u2019ve got my own cult now.\u201d Her eyes lit up in a broad smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fucking parody<\/em>, not even a real cult,\u201d Laverna snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWorks for me. They don\u2019t take me seriously, and I don\u2019t take anything seriously.\u201d Eris stood. \u201cYou, dear cousin, take everything too<\/em> seriously. Now, if I\u2019m to quell the chaos, as sickeningly boring as that sounds, I really must be leaving.\u201d She motioned the waitress over and handed her a twenty-dollar bill which she put into her apron pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna rose and shook the waitress\u2019 hand, apologizing for being rude, and presented what she thought was the twenty from the waitress’ apron. Instead, it was a slip of paper with the words “Nice try.” Laverna raised an eyebrow, then noticed her keys dangling from the waitress\u2019 finger. She held her hand out for her keys to be returned. \u201cYou’re good.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The waitress stared into Laverna’s piercing gaze and dropped the keys into her waiting hand. “You’re not so bad yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna handed a business card and a hundred-dollar bill to the woman. “If you want a job, give me a call.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris returned to her one-room apartment in Little Athens. Being surrounded by Greek neighbors was comforting, even if they butchered the language and acted just like all the other Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She removed her laptop from her backpack to check on her amusements. By logging in to alternate accounts she was able to keep up with her growing conspiracies. The flat-earthers were getting more sincere, even holding international conferences while their idiocy was debunked as soon as it was released. The one about conservatives being part of a world-wide Nazi conspiracy to destroy governments so that Hitler’s secret grandchildren could take them over by proxy was growing again, but still quite slow. Her more recent conspiracy about a world-wide, Satanic, child-killing cult of liberals and elites, however, was spreading like wildfire. Some of its adherents were even being elected to major party positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to stop the Transmontia game was top of her mind. One of the Russian state-run news sites was already running it as a story, it was picking up in social media, and it wouldn’t be long before the videos started showing up. She sighed. Laverna spoiled her amusement for a hundred-year-old debt. She closed her eyes, visualizing the situations as threads in a weave. It was a simple matter to find the thread to pull to make the whole thing chaotic but once that was pulled, figuring out how to reverse it was impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best Laverna could hope for, and the absolute worst<\/em> as far as Eris was concerned, was that some other shiny thing would take the focus off her little game long enough for the truth to overcome the narrative. Sure, there would be people who would cling to it forever, bless their tiny little minds, but it might still be possible to save the Premier and her new agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was time for \u201cR,\u201d her former NSA agent alias to produce a video. She couldn’t upload it to social media herself but posting it on the dark web and on one of the -chan sites would see it hit the major social media within a matter of hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris wrote a script and memorized it. In one corner of her apartment, a sheet hung over the wall, bright lights behind it. In front of it sat a camera and microphone. She stuffed her hair into her hoodie and put a baseball cap over it. She added a jacket with padded shoulders to change her profile, and a long, full, false beard to be captured in profile. With the backlights on full and the camera running she sat down and recited her lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeveral hours ago, I received word from \u2018Vassily,\u2019 a former FSB agent and long-time source, that his family was captured by criminal elements in Transmontia. Those same criminals that the Premier ousted for the billions of fraudulent charges to their companies. That message was composed by the ousted cabinet. The truth is that all the debt that \u2018disappeared\u2019 was the fraudulent debt to those cabinet member\u2019s pockets. The trade deals were already in the works but stalled by the corruption in the politburo. In regard to the open borders, NATO has nothing to do with it. It\u2019s open borders with both the EU and EAEU. By the time you hear this, our operatives, working in concert with Vassily\u2019s, will have freed his family and he will be out of Transmontia, headed to a safe-house somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris logged in to five different Twitter accounts, one logged in from Brazil, one from the UK, and three from Transmontia. Over the course of the next hour, she posted just a few tweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IamR: Op status go #savevassily<\/p>\n\n\n\n R-naught: On the ground #savevassily<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ribocop: In place #savevassily<\/p>\n\n\n\n R-naught: ten on mark #savevassily<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lil\u2019bro: tango down #savevassily<\/p>\n\n\n\n R-naught: success #savevassily<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ribocop: en route #savevassily #howwedo<\/p>\n\n\n\n VassilyActual: with family en route to safehouse much thanks @IamR<\/p>\n\n\n\n She edited the video, darkening her image to a silhouette, and altering her voice to be unidentifiable. After editing she posted it on the dark web, and as \u201cR\u201d to starchan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After she waited another two hours, she posted another Tweet from \u201cVassilyActual\u201d saying that he and his family were safe, and to ignore his earlier post. She watched as #savevassily trended briefly then trailed off. Finally, she posted a follow-up message on the dark web from \u201cVassily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family safe, thanks to assist from R-anon and others. Former cabinet members Varislov, Lebedev, Kuznetsov, and Oblonsky directly involved in kidnapping of my family. They stand to gain the most by keeping Transmontia closed off from EU and EAEU. Premier Yeltsina is watching out for her country, these crooks are watching out for their wallets.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By morning her new conspiracy was growing more quickly in Eastern Europe than any other she had started and was gaining support in the US as well. It was a simple matter of time before it turned into protests against the former cabinet members, and possibly their arrest, if the mob didn\u2019t get to them first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As evening rolled around Eris returned to the diner to troll social media, right-wing and left-wing specialized media, and major news sites. Her \u201cusual,\u201d a random selection from the menu made by the waitress shuffling and drawing cards, arrived: a salad with olive oil, tater tots, a pork chop and unsweetened iced tea today. This time she heard the clack of Laverna\u2019s heels as she approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwice in two days,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d think you\u2019re starting to like me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna said something to the waitress as she passed her and sat down. \u201cYou really can\u2019t help yourself, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris popped a tater-tot in her mouth and raised an eyebrow in question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI told<\/em> you I didn\u2019t want you fucking around in Transmontia!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris shrugged. \u201cAnd then you told me to undo what I\u2019d already done before<\/em> you said that. Make up your mind, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI told you to undo it.<\/em>\u201d Laverna\u2019s cheeks flushed with contained rage. \u201cI did not tell you to start a protest and send an angry mob into the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was already going to happen,\u201d Eris said, biting into another tater-tot. \u201cBest I could do was change the target.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The waitress set down a plate of fruit and a glass of sweet tea for Laverna, giving her a wink as she did so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLooks like you made a friend,\u201d Eris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you are trying to make me an enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you want to calm the mob, give them what they want.\u201d Eris sipped her iced tea. \u201cHelp the Premier arrest the former cabinet members and they\u2019ll calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026 that\u2019s not\u2026,\u201d Laverna sighed. \u201cI guess it\u2019s no different than trying to get you to bring order to chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not,\u201d Eris said, \u201cbut if I know you, you\u2019ll figure out a way to make money on it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna thought for a moment and nodded, a small smile crawling across her face. \u201cI think I will at that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They ate in silence, only speaking again once their plates were empty. \u201cI miss her,\u201d Eris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTacita. She never said much, or anything, really, but she was always so calming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna nodded. \u201cShe did<\/em> make it easier for the two of us to get along. Where has she gone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast I heard she was a monk in Tibet.\u201d Eris finished off her iced tea. \u201cBut that was, what, fifty-odd years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSame.\u201d Laverna stared at her drink as if searching for answers. \u201cHey, did you hear about the anti-Greek protests in Russia? Or did you start that, too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I was too busy trying to fix things for you in Transmontia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA Russian Orthodox priest was killed while visiting Greece. It\u2019s getting ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot the way I do things,\u201d Eris said. \u201cI prefer to dangle half-truths and whole lies and watch what kind of insanity rolls out of the little minds of the humans. I don\u2019t do assassination. Well, except for character<\/em> assassination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna grunted a non-reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI may just have to sit back and see how well the humans spin this one out of control on their own,\u201d Eris said. \u201cAfter all, I shouldn\u2019t be forced to make all my own entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI gave up on entertainment long ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut you run the largest international criminal organization in history. That\u2019s got to account for something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna sighed. \u201cEven the few in the company that do pray, they\u2019re praying to St. Dismas, not me. At least you have a cult, even if it\u2019s a parody. Th\u2014that\u2019s not the point! I\u2019m flying out to Transmontia tonight, so I won\u2019t be around for a week or so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris was about to ask what, exactly, was the point when she was interrupted by sirens passing by the diner. \u201cThey\u2019re playing my song,\u201d she said. \u201cSounds like they\u2019re heading to Little Athens.\u201d She grabbed her backpack and handed a twenty to the waitress as she ran out the door to follow the noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris ran toward her neighborhood, her backpack slapping against her shoulder blades with every footfall. She turned the corner and saw it. Angry mobs facing off in the middle of the street, Greeks and Russians. Slurs and epithets were flying in a mishmash of English, Russian, and Greek. Those were quickly followed with fists, then stones, then Molotov cocktails. Her building was on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris strode through the fracas to get to the other side. She threw her hood back and laughed. \u201cThis. Is. GLORIOUS!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A rioter ran up to her from behind and hit her in the head with a baseball bat at full swing. He faltered when she laughed. Eris turned to him, smiled, and whispered in his ear. He wet himself, dropped the bat, and fell to the ground, curled in a fetal position. She could do the same to everyone there if she wished, but the chaos was just too beautiful to stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fire trucks and ambulances were prevented from entering by the mob, and the police were doing their best not to get overwhelmed while they waited for SWAT to arrive. A late police car pulled in behind her, stopping at the gibbering man in the road. One officer checked on him while the other questioned Eris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMa\u2019am, it\u2019s not safe here, you should probably go home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris pointed at the building, flames now licking up the outside to the top floor. \u201cThat\u2019s where I live.\u201d She did her best to hide her glee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEris Dichonoia,\u201d she held out her hand. \u201cPleased to meet you, Officer\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBlake.\u201d The officer shook her hand. \u201cDo you have any ID?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris pointed at the building. \u201cIn there. Didn\u2019t think I\u2019d need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s in the backpack?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLaptop, phone, a notebook and some pens,\u201d she said. \u201cI was just out doing some writing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you know what happened to him?\u201d she asked, pointing at the man paramedics were loading on to a stretcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Eris replied. She made a sweeping gesture toward the tumult in the street. \u201cIt was all probably just too much for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t seem too concerned by it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI grew up in the middle of a war,\u201d she said, \u201cthis is nothing. When your entire life is unpredictable, you learn to roll with anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n SWAT troops poured past them, lobbing smoke grenades and firing pepper bullets. The crowds were quickly driven back enough for the fire trucks to get in, although the fire had well and truly taken hold of the building by that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll need to get a witness statement from you. We can do it now, or\u2026 do you have somewhere to go?\u201d Blake asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot really,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn that case, would you mind coming to the station to give your witness statement while it\u2019s fresh in your mind? We\u2019ll help you find a room for tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the jail?\u201d she asked. \u201cI\u2019ve never been to one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blake laughed. \u201cNo, I meant we\u2019d find you a motel room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n #<\/p>\n\n\n\n The motel room was an extended stay suite with a small living room and kitchenette. It was similar in size to the apartment she\u2019d lost in the fire, so Eris stayed. Two days after a phone call to the lawyer Laverna insisted she keep on retainer, she had a new ID and passport, and had changed her permanent address to the motel. Her lawyer also drew up a contract that gave her three years residency in exchange for payment up-front at ten percent below the current rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rioting in Little Athens and elsewhere died down as the story came out. The priest wasn\u2019t killed, he died of a previously unknown allergy to peanuts after having a candy bar containing the legume for the first time in his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris read the news articles about the incident and the subsequent calls for forgiveness and unity. \u201cBoring.\u201d She trolled the -chan boards to see what new sorts of mischief were afoot. When nothing caught her interest, she returned to the diner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was just about to sit down when two police officers approached. \u201cMs. Dichonoia, you\u2019re under arrest for the assault and battery of Sergei Kozmelov.\u201d One officer grabbed her backpack while the other cuffed her hands behind her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse, me, officer,\u201d she said, \u201cI have a twenty-dollar bill in my hoodie pocket that was for dinner. Could you please give it to the waitress for her trouble?\u201d She smiled at the waitress who was standing dumbfounded, holding her order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The officer pulled the twenty out of her pocket, examined it, and handed it to the waitress. \u201cYour money, if you wanna throw it away,\u201d he said. He patted her down, and content that her pockets were empty, led her out to their car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When she entered the station, she saw Blake walking by with a cup of coffee. \u201cHi, Blake!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, hi,\u201d she said. \u201cI forgot your name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEris,\u201d she called over her shoulder as they marched her to an interrogation room. Once they were in the room one of the officers removed her cuffs and told her to sit in the chair at the table. \u201cCan I get you something to drink? Coffee? Soda?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWater would be fine, thanks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blake entered with a plain-clothes officer and they sat in the chairs opposite her. \u201cI\u2019m officer Blake, this is detective Adamson. He\u2019ll be asking the questions, I\u2019ll be observing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adamson read from his clipboard. \u201cYou have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure, I guess,\u201d Eris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. Are you a good conversationalist?\u201d Turning to face Blake she smiled openly and asked, \u201cDoes this mean I\u2019ll get to see what a jail looks like?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blake raised an eyebrow and looked at Adamson. \u201cSee?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adamson cleared his throat. \u201cMs. Dichonoia,\u201d he started before she cut him off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease, Eris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEris, my colleague thinks you\u2019ve got a screw loose. But I\u2019ve got a guy in the hospital with brain damage, and the only thing he can say is \u2018Eris Dichonoia did this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow odd.\u201d Eris tilted her head. \u201cHow did he get brain damaged? Or was he born that way? And what does he say I did?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell me about what happened the night of the riot in Little Athens?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I was having dinner with my cousin at the diner over on Lake and 115th when I heard the sirens heading toward Little Athens.\u201d Eris leaned forward. \u201cI ran home as fast as I could, but by the time I got there my building was on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have reports that you were laughing and yelling about it being glorious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook, Adamson, I was born in a war-zone. I grew up in war. If you don\u2019t have a sense of humor everything<\/em> will tear you down. When you can\u2019t control what\u2019s going on you have to decide whether to enjoy the chaos or suffer it. Either way, the only thing you can control is how you react.\u201d Eris sat up straighter. \u201cI choose to enjoy chaos. There\u2019s already too much suffering in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He slid a photo across the table. \u201cDo you recognize this man?\u201d It was the man who had hit her with a bat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen him around the bodega on 119th,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t remember his name, but he was always hitting on me. Not my type, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blake held up a hand to stop Adamson. \u201cListen, Ms. Dichonoia\u2026 Eris. I have witnesses that say he hit you with a bat and you didn\u2019t flinch. Instead, you whispered in his ear and he collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat sounds a little loony to me,\u201d Eris said. Leaning over the table she whispered, \u201cAre you feeling okay, Blake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEnough of the crazy talk.\u201d Adamson pointed at the photo. \u201cWhat did you do to him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI explained how rushing into a mob with a bat was a bad idea,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me you talked to him,\u201d Blake said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Eris said. \u201cYou didn\u2019t ask. You asked what was wrong with him, and I told you that it was all probably a bit too much for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat did you say to him?\u201d Adamson had the practiced look of cool indifference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just explained how big and chaotic the universe is and how tiny he was in comparison.\u201d Eris shrugged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd that gave him brain damage?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow could that give anyone brain damage?\u201d Eris asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen did he collapse?\u201d Blake asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight after I talked to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you didn\u2019t try to administer any assistance?\u201d Adamson asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Eris said. \u201cI\u2019m not a doctor and I\u2019m not getting sued for trying to be helpful. Besides, I was busy watching my apartment go up in flames.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone knocked on the door and Adamson got up and slipped outside. A moment later he came back in. \u201cWe\u2019re done for now; your attorney is here.\u201d He and Blake left, and the attorney Eris had on retainer but had never seen entered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello, Eris,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m your attorney, and you are not to answer any more questions without my approval.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris scowled. \u201cThemis, how did you get here? Or are you calling yourself Justitia again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, my current name is Julia,\u201d she said. \u201cBesides, none of the current effigies of me are flattering, are they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, Julia<\/em>, since it seems our cousin has saddled me with you, what are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re in a bad spot, cousin.\u201d Julia pulled out her cell phone and showed the video to Eris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDecent deep fake, but not great,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to be in my hand?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSupposedly some sort of poison you administered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet me guess, Transmontia is safe for Laverna now, and she needs new leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou never were stupid.\u201d Julia switched to another video. This one showed the man swinging the bat at her, Eris turning and talking to him, and the man nodding and then slowly lying down on the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, I get back on the hook with Laverna and she releases the second video. I decide to go it alone and she releases the first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s about the size of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019d never make it to prison, you know.\u201d Eris smiled. \u201cIf I wanted to, I could walk out of here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut your face would be plastered all over. You wouldn\u2019t find a place to blend in, for at least a generation.\u201d Julia put up her phone and shrugged. \u201cIf that\u2019s what you want to do, that\u2019s your call.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m no good with this kind of decision,\u201d Eris said. \u201cNot enough variables visible to find the right thread to pull. Have you got a coin?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia pulled a quarter out of her pocket. \u201cPlanning on making a call?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Eris said, \u201cyou are.\u201d She flipped the coin high overhead. \u201cCall it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHeads,\u201d Julia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They watched the coin clatter to the table. It landed tails. \u201cI guess I\u2019m not playing this round. Tell Laverna to release her weak deep fake and we\u2019ll see where it leads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia narrowed her eyes. \u201cYou\u2019ve already seen where it will lead, and you\u2019re ready to pull at the threads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou and your foresight,\u201d Eris sighed. \u201cYou always were a spoil-sport. I thought I\u2019d get the chance for her to owe me<\/em> a debt for a century.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia texted Laverna and waited for a response. When it showed up, she knocked on the door. \u201cBring the officers back in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The officers entered and Julia showed them the second video. \u201cDo you see any attack here, other than the man barely missing her with the bat?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d Blake asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll send you the link. It\u2019s spreading on social media,\u201d Julia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adamson sighed. \u201cThe video seems to match your story, but why didn\u2019t you say anything about Mr. Kozmelov trying to hit you with a bat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris looked Julia, who nodded. \u201cBecause,\u201d Eris said, \u201cit seemed like he was in a bad enough place already without me getting him in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you want to press charges?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d she replied, then turned to Julia. \u201cSorry, spoke without your okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cQuite all right, Eris.\u201d Julia looked at Adamson. \u201cSo, is my client free to go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Adamson said. \u201cJust don\u2019t leave town any time soon. We may need more information from you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you.\u201d Julia rose and led Eris out of the interrogation room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLaverna\u2019s pissed, huh?\u201d Eris asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Julia said, \u201cbut she is disappointed, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n #<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eris and Laverna sat at the diner, eating a quiet supper. Laverna looked at Eris, opened her mouth to say something, then stopped. Finally, she caved. \u201cI feel ashamed. It\u2019s not something I\u2019m used to. You caught me and I can\u2019t fathom how to feel about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNever mind that. Good try anyway, cousin,\u201d Eris said, \u201cbut deep fakes are not your strong suit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Laverna pushed her plate aside. \u201cI worry when you\u2019re not in my debt. You\u2019re too unhinged for my tastes to be running wild. It\u2019s discomforting to know I have no way to rein you in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLife is unpredictable,\u201d Eris said, \u201cor at least I work to keep it that way. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll find something else to hold over my head one day. Not that it\u2019s ever slowed me down before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the farthest corner of the twenty-four-hour diner sat a small woman typing away at her laptop. 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