by R S Penney
Bevi had hands clasped in front of herself as she slowly shook her head. “I'm not a rookie, Director Andalon,” she said in a flat voice. “The very first thing I did was contact water treatment plants and food processing centres. Their diagnostics show no indication of any foreign compounds.”
A silence seemed to hang in the air after that last revelation. No one knew what to say. After working through the scenarios in her head, Anna realized that she was forced to agree with Bevi Tremana's conclusion. This was a job for the Keepers.
She wasn't convinced that a telepath was responsible for all of this chaos. There might be some other explanation. Just because they had found no issues with the food and water systems didn't mean the problem wasn't chemical in nature.
Of course, they would have to explain how all of these different people came into contact with the same hallucinogen if not through the city's infrastructure, and that led to its own set of uncomfortable implications. Maybe there was some new drug on the street.
No…That didn't make sense.
If recreational drug use were the culprit, then at least one of these people would have admitted to taking something. Detective Tremana must have considered that angle as well. Chances were she had already ordered toxicology screenings, and if those had all come up empty…
“Well,” Jon said. “It seems this bears looking into. Keli, can you tell if someone's thoughts have been influenced by a telepath?”
“Easily.”
Jon nodded curtly as if the matter were settled. “Then you and Anna will interview the people who have been experiencing these hallucinations, and we will go from there.”
Anna woke in the middle of the night to a soft scuffling sound, and she couldn't stop the lazy smile that spread on her face. Pressing her cheek to the pillow, she snuggled under the covers.
Jack was home.
The e-mail he'd sent her this afternoon had promised that he'd be back tonight. So, she had opted to spend another evening at his apartment. A bit presumptuous maybe, but she had gone a week without cuddles, and she missed him. Besides, Anna really wanted to tell him everything: the upcoming art show, their new case with the creepy telepath-induced hallucinations.
The soft thump of Spock leaping from the foot of the bed was followed by the unmistakable ruckus of a cat scrambling through the hallway. “Hey, buddy,” Jack said in a quiet voice. “Did you miss me?”
Half a moment later, a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway, pausing in surprise when he saw her. Spatial awareness let Anna sense the slight curl of his lips. Jack hadn't been expecting to find her in his bed, but he was glad she was here.
She quickly peeled off her tank-top and every other stitch of clothing. The nights were getting chilly now, but that wouldn't matter if she had her partner to keep her warm, and she wanted to feel his skin against hers.
Jack snuggled in next to her, and she wrapped an arm around his tummy, resting her head on his bare chest. “I'm sorry to wake you,” he whispered. “If I had known you were here, I would have been quieter.”
“I'm glad you woke me,” she said. “Did you have a good trip?”
His lips brushed against her forehead in the softest kiss, and Anna sighed in contentment. “Tell you all about it tomorrow,” he whispered. Then he pulled the blankets up over her shoulder, a gesture that felt remarkably tender. “Good night, my love.”
It wasn't very long before she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, the kind that left you feeling rested and refreshed. The very first thing she noticed on waking was that she was warm. Deliciously warm and cozy. Safe and snug in a little cocoon that she shared with Jack. He was running the tips of his fingers over her back. Which meant he was awake, and that was unexpected. Usually, she woke up first.
Anna felt her lips curl, then turned her head and nuzzled his chest. “Good morning, handsome,” she said. “You didn't sleep?”
She sat up.
Jack was smiling up at her, his gorgeous blue eyes reflecting the morning sunlight. “I managed a few hours,” he said. “But I'm still living with beaucoup de jet lag, which is all sorts of fun.”
“Aw.”
“Want me to make you some breakfast?”
Turning her face up to the ceiling, Anna shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “You were the one who went on a long trip,” she said. “It should be me making you breakfast, don't you think?”
She felt his hands on her shoulders, his strong fingers kneading her skin. “I think I wake up every morning feeling grateful that you're my girlfriend,” he answered. “And I'd like to show it.”
With a gentle nudge, he urged her to lie down on her stomach, and then his hands were on her back. Tension that she didn't even realize was there began to melt away, and she felt perfectly mellow. “I'm sorry,” she murmured. “It was kind of presumptuous of me to just come over and go to sleep in your bed.”
Jack chuckled as he leaned in close to kiss the side of her neck. “So, let's use those detective skills that got you that shiny new promotion,” he said. “Would I really be giving you a massage right now if I wasn't happy to see you?”
“But maybe you were tired,” Anna protested. “Maybe you just wanted one night of uninterrupted sleep after that long flight.”
In her mind's eye, she could see that Jack was smiling as he shook his head. “I was exhausted,” he said. “I thought I was gonna flop down on the mattress and pass out. The whole flight home, I kept thinking about how much I wanted to see you, but it was too late, and I was too tired.”
“Yeah?”
“So,” Jack continued, “imagine how happy I was when my wonderful partner was right here waiting for me.”
Anna sighed and then hid her face in folded arms. “If you keep this up,” she said, “I'm gonna fall back asleep.”
“Good,” Jack whispered. “It's still early.”
Any urge she had to press her point vanished at the soft touch of Jack's hands on her back. Bleakness take her, she didn't deserve to be this happy. Contentment pushed those thoughts away, and she drifted off again.
When she woke, Jack was lying on his side, facing her. Sound asleep. She could see in his face that he was at peace, and it left her with the urge to kiss him. She resisted that inclination. Jack needed the rest.
And she had work to do.
With a pistol gripped in both hands, its muzzle pointed down at the floor, Melissa moved cautiously through the corridor. Her lips peeled back from clenched teeth, and she shook her head. “Not this time,” she mumbled.
Adrenaline made every sensation sharper; every whisper of air on the back of her neck made her want to jump, and she was intimately aware of everything that Ilia sensed. The next time something tried to ambush her from behind, she would be ready.
She peeked around the nearest corner.
This next hallway was nearly identical to the one she had just traversed: nothing but gray walls and bright lights. No doors in this one. Which meant no opportunities to take refuge in some room.
Melissa scowled, a single drop of sweat running down her forehead. “You're not gonna win this one, Sarl,” she whispered. “Pull all the little tricks you want, but this time, you're going down.”
She started up the corridor.
After traveling no more than three steps, she heard the loud thump of metal feet, and then a battle drone came around the next corner. This one was sleek and slender with a metal body that practically shimmered under the bright lights.
Melissa broke into a sprint.
Falling backward, she landed on her ass and slid feet-first across the floor tiles. She lifted her weapon and fired.
A bullet sped from the barrel of her gun and struck the robot's chest just as the dan thing lowered its arm to point a closed fist at her. The drone froze in place like the Tin Man without his oil can.
Spatial awareness showed her two spheres the size of basketballs floating around the corner behind her, each one twisting in mid-air to point its lens at her. Death Spher
es? This course had Death Spheres?
A Time Bubble surrounded Melissa before she even realized what she was doing, its surface extending almost to the ceiling and to the walls of this narrow corridor. More of a tube than a bubble, which meant it would be harder to maintain.
She got up and turned around to find the two spheres floating side by side, one with a lens that was starting to glow. Two quick shots made two bullets appear just beyond the surface of her bubble.
Melissa released her hold on space-time.
Bullets hit both floating spheres at almost the exact same moment, causing each one to vibrate and then drop to the floor. That would buy her a few minutes, time enough to get the hell out of here.
Melissa ran.
She darted past the immobilized robot and ducked around the next corner to find herself in yet another hallway. This one had doors in each wall, and two slid open. One on either side.
Two drones stepped out to stand side by side in the corridor, each one raising its right arm to aim a closed fist at her. Oh, come on!
Dropping to her knees, Melissa bent backwards to make herself as flat as possible and slid underneath two bright red laser beams. She lifted her arm and fired. One shot and two, twin bullets that hit each drone.
Curling her legs against her chest, Melissa sprang off the floor and landed on her feet. Just in time! In her mind's eye, yet another drone came thumping its way around the corner behind her. Where did Sarl find these things?
She ducked between the pair of offline robots.
Pressing her back to one, using it as cover, Melissa closed her eyes and tried to gulp air into her lungs. Stay calm, she thought, ignoring the sound of approaching metal feet. You made it this far.
She lifted her pistol in both hands and tried to peek around the shoulder of the dead robot. Static over the PA system was followed by Sarl Venson's voice. “The simulation is over, Cadet Carlson,” he said. “You're dead.”
“What? I never got hit.”
“Your left leg is exposed,” Sarl explained. “Your pants might not have sensors to register a hit, but if this were a real mission, the drone would target your ankle and leave you unable to walk. Then, while you were still coping with the shock, it would waltz on over and kill you.”
Melissa winced, wiping her forehead with the back of one hand. “Okay, you made your point,” she grumbled. “Skinny robots make lousy cover. Noted.”
It took about two minutes to make her way through the maze of corridors, back to the staging area where she found Sarl Venson standing with his arms folded, a frown on his face. “These simulations are about more than developing the instincts to duck, dodge and call on your Nassai,” he said. “They're about developing a sound grasp of tactics.”
Blushing ferociously, Melissa lowered her eyes to the floor. “Yeah,” she muttered, nodding. “I get it.”
“You can have another turn once Akiri completes her run.”
“Thanks.”
She couldn't help but think back to a few months ago, when she, Anna and Keli had raided an Antauran battlecruiser. It dawned on her that she would probably be dead now if not for her companions on that mission. Mind you, the same was true in reverse. Even the best Keeper could only do so much against overwhelming numbers.
Still, she had walked away from that mission feeling pretty damn sure of herself. It was embarrassing to realize that she could still make dumb rookie mistakes. She wanted to believe that the simulation itself had put her in the wrong frame of mind. Her goal in that maze was to avoid letting enemy drones tag her vest with a laser beam. Shots to the arms or legs would not register as a hit.
But Sarl's lesson rang true. She had to think of the simulation as a real mission with real stakes. That was the only way she would avoid those little screw ups.
With the adrenaline rush fading, Melissa began to worry about another problem that had kept her up half the night. She had stored the briefcase with the N'Jal in her locker. It would be safe enough there. Leyrians really didn't steal anything. Not when most goods could be fabricated.
Despite her father's insistence that he was well and truly done with that thing, she couldn't bring herself to give it to Larani. She wasn't sure why. Something just told her that her father was meant to have the N'Jal. She just prayed he wouldn't be hurt again.
Melissa didn't think she could bear it if he was.
Chapter 5
The police station in Telsaran's fifth precinct was busy this afternoon. Curved floor-to-ceiling windows allowed sunlight to illuminate a cozy lobby where maybe two dozen chairs formed a square against the blue walls. Anna was disheartened to see that many of those chairs were occupied.
The hologram of a tall, dark-haired woman in a blue skirt and matching vest over a white shirt stood in front of a series of flags that were hung on the back wall. There was one for the province of Adune, another for the city itself. “Good afternoon,” she said in a voice that emanated from a speaker. “How can I be of assistance?”
Dressed in gray jeans and a black three-quarter top, her hair done up in a ponytail, Anna scowled as she took in the sight. “Why are there so many people here?” she blurted out. “What's going on?”
The hologram flickered, and when she reappeared, her eyes were downcast as if this topic brought her shame. “This neighbourhood has experienced a spike in crime over the last two weeks,” she answered.
Anna frowned, then shook her head. “Yeah,” she said. “I'm Operative Anna Lenai with the Justice Keepers. Here to see Detective Bevi Tremana. This is my associate, Ms. Keli Armana.”
At her side, Keli stood with a stiff posture, hands clasped behind herself as she tried to kill the hologram with the force of her stare alone. In beige slacks and a red t-shirt, she looked like any ordinary woman. Completely non-threatening, or so Anna hoped. Most people didn't like the thought of a telepath poking around in their heads, and Keli's usual mix of bluntness and scathing wit might make that more difficult.
“Certainly, Operative Lenai,” the hologram said. “I'll call her immediately.”
Two parallel hallways branched off from the lobby's back wall, one on either side of the hologram, and Bevi Tremana emerged from the one on Anna's left. The detective looked tired with dark circles under her eyes. “Thank you for coming,” she said. “I've set up a meeting in the conference room. Follow me.”
The corridor wasn't very long but there were windows on either side that looked into offices, some of which were occupied by other detectives. At the back of the station, a glass door led into a room where a round table stood bathed in sunlight.
Almost every chair was occupied by someone. Anna noted an older fellow with curly, white hair and a goatee, a young mother with long dark hair who cradled her baby in her arms, a boy who might still be in high school sitting forward with his head down. She counted sixteen people in total.
If Detective Tremana's suspicions were true – if every last one of these folks had been assaulted by a telepath – then they were dealing with something truly insidious. The first order of business was to put their minds at ease.
Keepers should be a source of hope and comfort to those who needed it. That was what they were for her and for countless others before Slade ruined everything. Well, it was time to heal that old wound.
With a small smile, Anna bowed her head to the lot of them. “Good afternoon,” she said. “I'm Operative Anna Lenai with the Justice Keepers. You've all endured something scary, but we're gonna work together and make it right.”
The older man with the goatee twisted around in his chair to face her and squinted when he saw her. “No, offense, ma'am,” he said. “I always admired the Keepers when I was growing up, but I don't see what even you can do about a ghost.”
The young mother looked up, and her face was even more haggard than Detective Tremana's. Clearly, this woman hadn't been getting much sleep. “How can you protect us from something that attacks in our dreams?”
“I don't believe in ghosts
,” Anna said. “Or in demons or in any of that stuff. These incidents have a natural cause; we're gonna find it and fix it.”
Many of them visibly relaxed after hearing that, which only made sense. Anna had grown up believing in the Companion, but at some point in her early twenties, that belief had faded to an undefined agnosticism. Maybe there was something out there, maybe not; as far as she was concerned, it really didn't matter. That said, she understood the power superstition had over people.
When your problem was spooky and nebulous, it left you at a loss for how to solve it. But a problem with natural causes? That was a lot less scary. You could do something about that.
The very moment that everyone settled down, Keli strode into the room with her arms swinging, shaking her head as she grunted her displeasure. “We suspect that you've been victimized by one of my kind.”
“Your kind?” the old man spluttered.
“I'm a telepath.”
Frenzied murmurs filled the room while sixteen scared people exchanged glances with one another. So much for keeping everyone calm. Anna stuffed her annoyance down deep. Keli was trying; that was what mattered.
One man in the back – a handsome guy with dark skin and high cheekbones – slid his chair backward and got up. “A telepath,” he said. “That's it; I'm done. I have enough problems in my life.”
Anna studied the man with lips pursed, then offered a curt nod in response. “I can understand your discomfort,” she began. “But if a telepath has been assaulting you, then only another telepath will be able to tell.”
“What do you propose?” an older woman asked.
Anna stood before them with her arms crossed, frowning as she looked down at the floor. “We're going to interview you each individually,” she said, beginning a slow circuit around the table. “Ms. Armana will perform a light scan on your minds to see if there are any indications of telepathic intrusions.”