Mardock Scramble

“Turning over, it’s called, or just turn for short. This little fella here can return to his usual self out of any of his fragments,” the Doctor explained, ignoring the voice coming from the knob.

“This guy was originally developed for space exploration. He has this hyperspace within his body, and by reversing this substance that he’s got stored up inside it, he’s able to turn his body into any object you can think of.”

Balot picked up the knob from the radio. Softly, she rolled it around in her hand.

And then she remembered the curious exchange of electric currents that had just happened between her and the radio.

The Doctor informed her of its name: “Oeufcoque.”

“ ’Cause he’s a half-baked little thing, when it comes down to it.”

As she thought on this, the thing did indeed turn inside out. The part of it that was a radio knob went inside. At the same time, a mouse with golden fur emerged. It was the mouse from her dream.

“Good evening, madam.”

The mouse gave a polite bow of introduction from Balot’s hand. Somehow it was standing upright, on two feet.

“You have no objection to a mouse, I hope?”

The mouse spread his arms as if appealing to her, and Balot tilted her head toward him.

“For my part, I’m somewhat different from an ordinary mouse, so do feel free to speak to me without disgust… No, wait, you aren’t able to speak. Hmm. Well, if it would be of assistance I would be glad to become a radio again. Do please let me know what’s convenient, radio or television, as you desire.”

Balot tilted her head again. She didn’t feel bad. She remembered that the mouse had said something important in her dreams. To do with death. And its value. She wanted him to say it again. Why me—she felt he might be able to teach her a different answer to this question.

“What are you jabbering on for? Talk to her about our work, the task—” the Doctor interjected, amazed.

“There’s such a thing as taking it easy, you know.” Oeufcoque stabbed his finger toward the Doctor. “It was quite a shock for her, after all, the whole affair. Let’s start off with a bit of TLC for the mind.”

“You want me to prescribe her some Prozac? Or should we get her wasted just enough that it doesn’t interfere with her work?”

“No, I’m saying we need to get her to a state where we don’t need to do those things.”

–What should I do?

The speakers on the floor suddenly emitted the words.

The Doctor and Oeufcoque turned to look at Balot at the same time.

–Do you need me to nod to say that I’ll help you? Or maybe sign a contract?

“Well, that didn’t take long!”

The Doctor was all smiles now. “Okay, so, keep gripping that thing—Oeufcoque—and I want you to visualize what you can about Shell-Septinos.”

Balot had no idea what the Doctor’s words meant, but she quietly got on with doing what she was asked. She gently wrapped her hands around Oeufcoque’s body and thought of Shell.

Oeufcoque’s red eyes stared at Balot.

Balot’s jet black eyes also stared back at Oeufcoque. And then she thought of the thin smile Shell gave her at the very end. His figure waving at her from outside the car window. The Blue Diamonds on his fingers sparkling brightly. Just thinking of that light glinting made her heart slowly ooze poison.

Her lips trembled. The shame and the sadness suddenly surged through her hand and was transmitted to Oeufcoque.

Then Balot’s deepest feelings started to take shape and appear.

This was Balot’s new ability—and Oeufcoque’s.

Oeufcoque turned with a squish. Oeufcoque’s face, with its troubled expression, disappeared in an instant—and in its place Balot felt a profound weight in her hands.

A golden revolver had appeared in Balot’s grip.

Balot stared at the revolver. She wondered whether this was the answer. As she did so the trigger cocked itself. Click. She felt the bullet loading in the steel chamber inside the gun. This was, without a doubt, Balot’s snarc. The gun knew of Balot’s despair.

“Well, I didn’t think it would take the form of a gun with such accuracy.” The Doctor stared, fixated on the gun, and continued. “Now your psychoprint is recorded inside Oeufcoque. Physical evidence of your heart, as it were. And, using your heart as our foundation, we’re going to protect you and fulfill our objectives. So, we’ll defeat the man known as Shell-Septinos, smash OctoberCorp—”

“You’ve got it wrong, Doctor,” Oeufcoque interrupted, still in the form of a revolver. “She’s going to shoot herself.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened.

“She still has feelings for the man?”

“No, not that,” Oeufcoque said. Balot realized then for the first time that the gun didn’t have a trigger.

That was Oeufcoque’s will. And it was the first act of kindness that Balot had received from this curious little mouse.

She felt the warmth of a body in her palms. The gun lost its form with a squelch and turned into a golden mouse before looking up at Balot from within her grip.