“Marnie,” said Sonya quietly, “Meet Barbie and Ken...”

---

I would like to thank my beta readers and editors, Monica Rose, Xtrim, Blurred_Edge and Pingu for their input and help. I'd also like to thank all of you for giving me a place to share my efforts. Last but not least, I want to thank my Muse, Dani.

All Characters Copyright 2011 - 2020 BolaDesign Studios. Image Copyright SuperArtistbOy.<

Slacker Part Six by Moongoddess In which Ken and Marnie have a confrontation, Femi needs calming down, Milo finds out more from Esther, Marnie and Sonya go to a party, and the Boardstock Trials begin.

Ken Brenner stood there looking at the two women in the tent with rage in his eyes. “You!” he snarled, “You’re the street trash that upset my babygirl. She told me all about how you were rude and cost her a big commission!”

“Better think twice before you do anything Ken,” Marnie countered, “anything Barbie told you is a twist of the truth and certainly not worth an assault charge.”

~Femi, what level of defense would we need to counter this jerk~

~anything around fifty percent would be fine, you’re currently at seventy percent and would Matrix him completely if you were at a higher level~ Marnie could feel the cold steel in Femi’s response.

~ok girl, calm down. Defense only. If he gets injured, it will be by his own folly~

“Wait a minute...” Marnie scowled, “Brenner... are you related to Douglas Brenner at NeilTech?”

Ken hesitated “Yeah... what’s it to you bitch? He responded sullenly.

“Check the name on the tent, and then check who the major sponsors of Boardstock are...” Marnie waited for the penny to drop.

“Ken, what are you waiting for... kick her ass!” whined Barbie from the sidelines. Ken silenced her with a glare.

“So what about my dad?” he growled, inching forward, tensing up slightly.

Marnie unconsciously assumed a fighter’s stance “My aunt is Esther Neil... your dad’s boss.”

Ken didn’t even think, he just swung. Marnie dodged and blocked the punch easily. Ken looked puzzled for a few seconds and threw another roundhouse at Marnie who blocked the punch and danced away.

“So what’s your aunt gonna do,” he panted, “Fire my dad?”

Marnie dodged another swing, “Probably not fire him, but when she finds out you attacked her niece, she’d give him a good talking to at the very least, and if you get charged with attempted assault, and I will press charges,“ she paused to dodge again, “what will the result be for you Kenny?”

Ken howled and charged Marnie like an enraged bull. Marnie quickly sidestepped and Ken hit the pole of the tent with his face. He rolled over panting and made moves to get back to his feet.

“Stay down Ken,” Marnie advised, “don’t hurt yourself anymore,”

Ken spat out blood and slowly stood up. “Who are the cops going to believe, you without a mark on you, or me with the bloody mouth and nose?” he sneered.

“I think they’ll believe the recorded evidence,” piped up Sonya from behind her cameraphone, “and the livestream.”

Ken wiped his nose and mouth on his arm and stalked by Sonya and Marnie. He turned back and pointed at them, “This isn’t over bitches... not by a long shot.” Ken took Barbie by the wrist and dragged her away behind him. “OW! Ken, you’re hurting me!” Barbie’s whining faded in the distance.

Sonya hugged Marnie and then held her at arm’s length. “You were amazing babe. You showed such restraint, and I know you probably could have taken his head off.” She dropped her arms and looked at Marnie. “They’ll be back looking for trouble you know?”

“I know it Sonya.” Marnie took out her cell and dialled the admin tent, “Hello? Yes, Marnie Neil here... one of your volunteers tried to assault me, Yes Kenneth Brenner, Yes we have evidence and witnesses, OK, Thank you.” She disconnected and shook her head. “Well, at least he won’t have easy access to the pits now. But my dear, I think we need cameras both inside and outside the tent from now on.” Marnie went outside, collected the water from the dolly and put it inside the tent.

~I’m still very angry about being attacked Marnie! ~

~Now it’s my turn to tell you to center yourself Femi... ~

~I will attempt it, but you cannot understand my frustration from my design standpoint. I am a combat computer, even though experimental. My first impulse, however fleeting, was to put your fist through Ken! ~

~Yipes!, and this is in off duty mode? ~

~That’s the problem Marnie, I never go off duty. My software is like the O/S on your computer or phone. Always on. ~ There was a sigh in Marnie’s head ~Anyways, I’m glad you’re in charge. ~

~I’m sorry you’re in this position Femi; this can’t be easy for you. Esther has a lot to answer for when we sit her down for a talk. ~

~She certainly does! ~ Femi agreed huffily.

Milo sat in the hospital room of Esther Neil waiting for her to regain consciousness. Her stomach had been pumped and she was under a light sedative. Her wrists and ankles were also restrained.

“For her own safety,” he mused, “and that of others, like Arthur.” He looked down at the sheaf of papers on his lap, trying desperately to find a way to reverse what Esther had done to the boy.

The tech involved was almost beyond him and he was absolutely certain that he would have to talk to the Nanotech designers and the programming team, but how could this be done without further disrupting the kid’s life. He heard a low moan, quickly stood up and moved to the bedside clutching the papers.

“Esther... Esther,” he hissed in a low whisper, “for the sake of everything you love, you must be quiet about the last four days!”

Esther slowly opened her eyes and seemed unable to focus at first. She snapped her head toward Milo, while her mouth worked to form words, “Why... why are you here Samuels?” she croaked, “Why can’t I move?”

“You are restrained because you were found at your home unconscious and suffering from alcohol poisoning and a suspected emotional break.” Milo stated flatly, “Listen carefully, I know what you did and I have been desperately trying to cover for you.”

“Artie?” she asked, her panic rising.

“Arthur is the only reason you are not in deep trouble Esther,” Milo informed her, “That kid is more on the ball than you gave him credit for. He... She showed up at my house looking for answers. She had spent the morning getting her identity straight with the help of my daughter.”

“Your Daughter? I didn’t know you had a wife, let alone a daughter?” she goggled.

“You never were interested in finding out anything about me, were you Esther. But that’s neither here nor there. By the way, you might want to remember that your Niece, Marnie, is in town.”

“Marnie? I don’t understand?” Esther felt confusion overwhelming her.

“Then keep quiet and listen... I know what you injected into your son, even if you didn’t, and you’re lucky you didn’t dissolve your child. The enhanced soldier protocol somehow managed a miracle and rebuilt Arthur completely from the DNA up.” Milo paused for breath, “Marnie is an enhanced human now designed for battle, but luckily the AI built into her was not fully programmed and is acting as a guide rather than a... a War Machine.”

Esther turned her head away and moaned.

“Esther, listen to me. There may be a slight chance of reversing this, but I need your help!” he urged.

She turned back as if seeing Milo for the first time. “What do you need from me?”

Milo looked her straight in the eyes, “The next forty eight hours will be crucial, that’s how long we have before the Feds come a knocking. The doctors are going to examine you and that includes a psychological exam, you have to convince them that you had a very stressful week and got very drunk, that’s all.” He paused to let her absorb what he was saying, “otherwise they can place you under a seventy two hour observation and I need you out of here to give me the access I need to the design of this serum.”

Esther nodded slowly.
Milo continued, “We also have to make it look like Arthur is travelling before university and establish the presence of your niece Marnie as visiting you. Marnie will contact you when she is ready to tear you a new one.”

Tears of regret welled up in Esther’s eyes but she set her jaw and nodded again.

“Now take a deep breath and we will get a nurse in to get your release happening.” Milo patted her hand and pressed the call button.

It took Marnie and Sonya about three hours to get their lair set up to their satisfaction including the six unobtrusive cameras inside and outside the tent. There was nothing left to do except to get some rest.

Marnie looked around and scowled, “Fuck this noise! We are not sleeping on cots tonight! Let’s go to your place Sonya, grab some shit and sleep in comfort!” she pulled out her phone and did a quick Google search. “There... The Shangri-La Hotel... hmmm the Executive Balcony King room looks nice for a night.”

Sonya stared, “Are you F-asterisk kidding me?! The Shangri-La is one of the most exclusive hotels in Metro Vancouver! They’ll never let a couple of boarders rent a room, let alone a suite!”

“Oh ye of little faith,” countered Marnie, “ if you did your work well on the ID’s, the drivers licence, combined with the NeilTech Credit card my mom got me will get us a room in nothing flat.”

“A credit card in your old name you mean,” said Sonya blandly

“Yeah, A. M. Neil... DUH!” Marnie grinned, “and I think it’s time Esther started paying some of the bills round here! Anyways it won’t set off any alarms, the last time I bailed on Esther; I stayed at the Metropolitan, ran up the room service, watched movies and got wasted.”

Sonya bounded across the tent and gathered Marnie into a huge hug, “I Love IT! What a great place to get ready for the Party tonight!”

“Party?! Oh my god! I completely spaced on the party!” Marnie started to panic, “I can’t go to the party like this! Everyone there only knows Artie, not me!” she started to feel trapped.

“Whoa! Chill girl! You were just talking about waltzing into the Shangri-La and now you’re about to lose it over the party?” Sonya grabbed Marnie by the shoulders, “What’s the problem?”

“You’ve seen how the boarders treat gir...Women! I only woke up like...like this today!” she stuttered, “I don’t wanna be the object of all those...Guy’s attention!”

“Sweetie, hush now, I’ll be there and I’ll protect you,” Sonya stroked Marnie’s hair.

“You will?” Marnie sniffled.

“I will.” Sonya hugged Marnie tightly, “Now, you were saying something about plans for the evening?”

A little after six pm, two rather fashionable young women walked up to the registration desk of the Shangri-La and waited. They were attended to by a lovely girl in uniform whose nametag identified her as Naomi.

“Good evening and welcome to the Shangri-La, how can I help you tonight?”

“Hi Naomi, I’m Marnie Neil and I have a reservation for an Executive Balcony King room,” She handed over her driver’s licence and credit card.

“Thank you Ms. Neil, one moment please...” The registration clerk took the documents and started typing, “Ah, here you are.”

“Here’s where the rubber meets the road,” Marnie thought while keeping a pleasant smile on her face.

“Alright Ms. Neil, the Executive for one night is four hundred and twenty five dollars Canadian plus taxes with the option of more nights if needed.” The girl handed Marnie a pile of papers, “if you’ll just sign these forms, we’ll get you your room keys.”

Marnie signed all the places on the papers as A. M. Neil, just like on the back of the card and licence and handed them back to Naomi.

Naomi examined them for a moment and then handed back Marnie’s ID’s and her room keys. She rang a small bell and called over a Bellhop. “Take these ladies and their luggage to EB Three please.”

The young man loaded up the trolley with the girls bags and led them to the elevator bank. He selected the twentieth floor and they were off. Once at the room, he escorted them in, showed them the amenities, accepted the offered tip and left them alone in the luxurious suite.

Marnie threw herself onto the couch and sighed, “I could very easily get used to this. You do excellent work my dear Sonya; she never even glanced twice at the licence.”

Sonya meanwhile was exploring the suite, with running commentary,” Jebus! Did you see the size of the bathroom? It’s bigger than my room at Dad’s house! And a stocked Wet Bar! Uh... Marnie, there’s only one bed...”

“What’s the problem Sonya; it’s a California King, plenty of room for us.” Marnie replied.

“Sure thing, Jeez! Did you see this Balcony?” she slid open the glass door to reveal the setting sun over the city.

“Huh, Good Idea,” Marnie observed as she walked out the doors, fished out a joint and lit up.

Taking a deep toke, she handed the joint to Sonya, “You know, I never stopped to look at what a beautiful part of the world we live in. My nose was always in my books or buried in games. That and boarding was my life.”

Sonya exhaled noisily and nodded slowly, “Loner huh? Sounds like me, shuttling back and forth between here and Toronto. All I had was books and computers. I’m not knocking dad, he’s great but always so deep in thought. Mom on the other hand was a Rosedale Princess and I was an afterthought. The occasional accessory.” She sighed and took back the joint, “I never had any real friends till I started working at the mall.”

Marnie looked at her friend, it seemed impossible that they had only met this morning, but everything seemed impossible today, “Let’s get a drink and you can help me get ready for the ball.”

It was already nine thirty before Marnie and Sonya were ready to go, but Sonya reassured Marnie that this thing didn’t really get started till after ten.

They had called Milo to let him know where they were staying and got his approval over the idea of using Artie’s credit to; as he put it, establish a paper trail for Artie’s whereabouts.

The Shangri-La’s doorman hailed them a taxi and they set off for 1222 Hamilton St, the Bar None Club. Built in a converted warehouse, the club was one of the few places to be able to host the large gathering of skaters, followers, and fans.

The cab pulled up in front of the club and a throng of people trying to get in. Marnie could hear the thumping beat of No Doubt’s Hey Baby through the club windows and remembered why she didn’t go to clubs that often.

“Sonya, please please please stay near me tonight, I don’t think I can handle this solo.” Marnie entreated her friend.

“You got it sweetie, and I have a surprise for you as well,” Sonya smiled mysteriously.

They paid the cabby and got out into the crowd. Flashing their team badges to the bouncer, they were quickly ushered into a different kind of chaos and led quickly to a booth seat designed for eight.

Marnie looked at the occupants and saw the people who had been so kind to her at the mall this morning. She mock glared at Sonya, “You Brat! How did you manage to get them all in?”

“Whatever do you mean Marnie,” Sonya grinned, “This is Team Neil, at least as far as the Club and registration team know. What did you think I was doing whilst you were chin deep in that huge tub?”

Bryan sprang to his feet and hugged Marnie off of hers, and then suddenly she found herself in the middle of a seven person hug.
Marnie waited till the hug broke and grinned around at the entourage that had been sprung on her, “Seriously, what are you all doing here...I mean you barely know me from Eve?”

“Seriously Marnie? Sonya called and we came running. We could all see the distress you were in this morning and this seemed like the right thing to do.” Kayla responded.

“Besides,” Genifer broke in, “We wouldn’t miss one of the best parties of the year!”

Gisele piped up, “Plus we get to see how all our hard work turned out!”

“Oh hush up you two,” Richelle smiled at the sisters and took Marnie by the hand to lead her to a seat in the booth. Once everyone was settled and chatting at club levels, Bryan was elected to find a waitress.

He returned with a young lady in tow just as Daft Punk started playing, “Ladies, this is April and she’s here to look after us tonight.”

“How can I help you tonight?” April yelled pleasantly over the music.

Marnie handed April her credit card, “Let’s run a tab for starters, and speaking of starters, can we get some appetizers for the table please. Then I’ll start with a vodka martini, Dirty.”

There was a chorus of "we can’t let you pay," but Marnie overrode them with, “I owe you all Big Time for what you did earlier, and if anyone else has a family credit card, they can buy the next round!”

April took drink orders from the rest of the party and wove her way through the crowd to the bar.

The DJ spun up Houdini by Foster the People, Genifer and Gisele dragged Marnie reluctantly to the dance floor, “Woooot! Shake it girl!” Gisele yelled as Marnie relaxed and moved to the music with a grace that surprised even herself. Three songs later, Marnie made her way back to the booth and found both food and drink awaiting her.

She took a generous sip of her Martini and felt at peace for the first time today. She was surrounded by her new friends who were all chatting and decided to check on another friend.

~Femi? How are you doing? This is all very new to us both, I figure. ~

~This is unique and enjoyable for me, Marnie. Though the data stream here is very large, I am learning many new things.” ~

~Like what? ~

~Don’t read the comments on Twitter. ~

Marnie almost snorted her drink and covered with a fake sneeze.

It was coming up on one o’clock in the morning and Marnie was alone in the booth momentarily and decided that she was ok with that. Her friends had made sure that there was always someone with her; she was sure at Sonya’s subtle suggestion. There was a short lull in the music as the DJ turned the house music on and began to pack up.

Someone sat down in the booth and startled her until she sort of recognized him. He caught her glance.

“I’m sorry, do you mind if I sit down for a minute? I’ve been on my feet all evening.” He inquired.

“No, please sit down...” she looked at him again, “excuse me if this is rude but aren’t you...”

He cut her off with a grin, “Yeah, it’s me. I’ve been promoting my gin and this party seemed like a great place to do it.”

Marnie grinned back, “Do you mind?” she gestured with her phone.

“Not at all, it’s pretty much the least I can do,” He quipped with a half smile.

Marnie snapped a couple of photos, “I didn’t know you were a boarding fan.”

“Oh big time, are you competing?” He asked.

“Yeah, my trials are in,” she glanced at the phone, one fifteen, “seven hours,” Marnie grimaced.

“I’d better let you go then,” he stood up to leave, “It was a pleasure almost meeting you...?”

“Marnie” she supplied, “the pleasure was mine,” she held out her hand and he shook it firmly.

He wandered off and was lost in the crowd in seconds. Sonya picked that moment to come back to the booth.

“Who was that Hun?”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” Marnie smiled as the rest of the gang drifted back to the table. April showed up carrying a bottle and seven shot glasses. She placed them on the table. Marnie raised her eyebrows.

“On the house kids, courtesy of the distillery,” April explained as she poured the shots.

Sonya looked at the bottle, Aviation Gin, then looked at Marnie with wide eyes, “No... Way!”

Marnie just sat there and smiled broadly.

They settled up the tab and got ready to go home, the group wanted to keep the party going, but Sonya was firm, noting that Marnie might only get five hours sleep before her trials. They all promised to be in the pits by nine and grabbed an Uber together. Marnie and Sonya took a cab back to the hotel and were heading back to their room by two o’clock.

“Arrgh!” Sonya moaned, “Whose bright idea was it to have a huge party right before trials?”

“Boarder Culture, proves how tough you are, I guess” Marnie burped and went to find water and Tylenol.

Without any further thought, they went to the bedroom and curled up on the huge bed like a basket of kittens.

~Marnie~

“Go way!” Marnie mumbled into her pillow.

~Marnie, its seven am~

Marnie prised her eyes open and surprisingly didn’t expire, in fact she felt good, hungry, but good.

~You’re awake, good~

~Yes, I’m awake and not hung-over... your doing? ~

~Yes Marnie, active nanotech has its uses~ there was a hint of a smile in Femi’s voice.

Marnie gently disentangled herself from Sonya who grumbled something. Swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, she stood up and padded to the bathroom. After her ablutions, she gently woke Sonya.

Sonya reluctantly got up, “Gah! My tongue feels like the army has been marching on it all night!”

“Go grab a quick shower; it’ll put you back together. I’ll make some coffee.” Marnie suggested, “We have an hour and a quarter to get to the trials.”

While Sonya used the washroom, Marnie got dressed for boarding. She made the coffee and got out cream, sugar and two cups.
When the coffee was brewing, Marnie called down to the front desk and arranged two more nights at the hotel. Sonya came out of the bathroom in a robe, and Marnie was aware that delightful bits of her were poking out here and there. She shook her head, poured coffee for them both and started another pot for the thermos.

“Get yourself ready Sonya,” Marnie said, “we bounce in twenty minutes. Leave your luggage; we have the room for another two days.”

“Cool.” Was Sonya’s only reply. So not a morning person, Marnie thought with a small smile.

They took a cab to the park and went to the security tent. The guard told them there had been no incursions around their tent. Satisfied, they walked to their HQ and Marnie got down to the serious business of selecting a rig and fine tuning it before her first trial of the day.

It was five minutes to nine, when Marnie, decked out in her finest, went to the top of the half pipe and waited for her run to begin.

~OK Femi, let’s do this cleanly, no gyros or magnets or anything that’s not me~

~Will do Marnie, but your physical enhancements cannot be turned off~

~I understand Femi, and thanks~

The clock ticked down the last few seconds and Marnie’s chosen music came blasting through the speakers, Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky. She nudged her board over the edge and started building up speed for her first maneuver.

She achieved sufficient air and cut into a Caballerial. Sticking the landing, she then got up the speed to pull a McTwist. 560 degrees later she built up height and speed to pull a loop, like she had yesterday... up, up and over, gripping the board with one hand. Near perfect she landed and bled off speed till she was at rest at the bottom of the pipe. She felt the Caballerial was a bit sloppy, but it was her first run of the day. She made eye contact with the Judges and exited the half pipe.

She made her way back to the pits and was immediately surrounded by her ‘crew’.

“That was Intense!” Kayla gushed.

“Intense? That was bloody brilliant!” Bryan countered.

“Thank you all... I felt the first move wasn’t tight enough, but it’s up to the judges now.” Marnie poured coffee from the thermos and took a deep sip, “We’ll know in about an hour or so.”

She lay down on one of the cots, “Now run along you crazy kids, and enjoy the carnival atmosphere with your passes.” Marnie grinned as Gisele stuck her tongue out at her.

They all trooped off except Sonya who lay down on the other cot with a red bull.

“What do you think about breakfast?” Marnie asked.

“I think I would welcome and devour it,” answered Sonya, “let me check DoorDash...” as she got busy with her phone.

They settled on toasted western sandwiches with orange juice. The food arrived in a half hour and disappeared almost as quickly.

At half past ten, the standings were posted and Marnie showed a strong third overall. “I knew I f’ed up the Caballerial,” she grumbled.

“You’re ticked for coming in Third Overall?” Sonya asked incredulously, “In a field of Seventy five? After all you went through yesterday?” She shook her head.

“Well when you put it that way.” Marnie smiled at her friend.

To Be Continued.

Next time, Milo and Esther reluctantly work together, Ken Brenner stirs up more S**t and Marnie is confused by her feelings.