Two Mercs: Part Sixteen

A woman was in the doorway to the tastefully minimalist building that stood at the centre of the Yardley estate and Emily grinned as she jumped down from the van.
"Vicki!"
The woman began walking towards the van and Dave noticed that she was hardly any older than Emily, perhaps even a bit younger, and he hung back as the two women embraced. They broke apart for a second when Vicki pulled a small container from a pocket, popping it open and extracting a pill before swallowing it.
"You, or..." Vicki glanced at Dave for a second, her pupils steadily growing larger as the drug she'd just ingested kicked in, and gently giggled to herself. "...him, want one?"
Emily shook her head and took hold of one of Vicki's hands, spinning her round and guiding her back towards the house, and glanced over her shoulder at Dave, motioning with her free hand that he should follow them. Checking that the van was locked up Dave made his way to the front door, glancing around the driveway and the surrounding landscape. It didn't look like the home of a crime boss, although the only crime bosses Dave knew were from the urban canyons of the low-city. Stepping into the house's lobby he watched Vicki disappear around a corner and moved to Emily's side.
"Just as you remember?"
Emily glanced at Dave, a small grin on her face, and was quiet for a moment.
"She's exactly as I remember, just more alive than I predicted."
"Oh?"
"She was an addict then, probably taking enough to kill most people, and she's an addict now. I still think it'll kill her."

A servant had come and shown the pair to a guest room, sniffing in distaste as he watched Dave poke around the room, and quickly departed when Emily told him to leave. She glanced around, opening a series of cupboards and inspecting their contents, before letting out a laugh as she pulled out a small box filled with clothing.
"I thought I recognised this room."
Dave paused in his exploration as Emily pulled more boxes from the cupboard, spotting circuit boards and computer chips in one, and moved to pull off its lid.
"You've been here before then."
"A few times. When I wanted to get away from everything."
Dave thought of the times when Emily had disappeared, often for days at a time, and turned to take in the entirety of the room.
"And this is where you stayed?"
"It must have been, at one point. I think I have a half dozen stashes in various rooms here though."

---

The servant who'd shown Dave and Emily to the room returned as clocks throughout the building began chiming seven times, reluctantly informing the pair that they'd been invited to the evening meal. Emily shrugged, having found an appropriate dress tucked away in the depths of a wardrobe, and Dave glanced down at himself.
"Go without me. This is your world after all." Looking slightly embarrassed Emily dismissed the servant, saying that she knew the way to the dining hall and wouldn't need an escort, before dithering in place in front of the en-suite bathroom and Dave quietly sighed as he watched her. "I told you to go so get ready."
"Thank you."
Emily slipped into the bathroom with her dress over one arm and Dave turned to walk over to the boxes she'd spent time retrieving from their hiding places. Three were full of clothing of different sorts and he moved them aside to get to the ones containing the electronics. He reckoned that there was enough to build a whole computer and he glanced at the bathroom door, wondering what exactly Emily had done when she came to the Yardley estate. He was still looking at the door when it opened and he turned his gaze after a second when Emily entered the bedroom, her dress a flowing knee-length garment that was kept up by a knot on her left shoulder.
"Looks good on you Emily."
"Liar. It feels as uncomfortable as that holster you made me wear."
Dave laughed, remembering teaching Emily how to wear the shoulder holster.
"That looked good on you too."

The main feature of the dining hall was a full length window that made up an entire wall of the large chamber, allowing for a beautiful view of the countryside surrounding the house. Vicki and her parents were seated at a long table, its surface was covered by a selection of vegetable bowls and a single large piece of meat, and all three stood when Emily slowly entered the dining hall.
"I'm so glad that we could finally meet! My daughter usually waits until I'm not around before inviting people here."
Emily was a bit thrown by the attitude demonstrated by Vicki's father, expecting a hostile reception, and glanced at Vicki for a moment, frowning as she noticed the other girl's blissed out expression.
"I apologise for intruding upon your hospitality."
Sir Basil, dressed in a suit that was as up-city as his public persona was, shook his head.
"It is no problem. But I was told that there were two of you."
"My friend didn't feel like he would fit in. We didn't pack for formal dinners."
"And yet your dress seems perfect for this setting." Emily felt self-consciousness as Sir Basil looked at her from head to toe. "Please sit and help yourself. Even make up a plate for your friend if you wish."