by R S Penney
“Right as a rainbow, Doc.” Jack replied. He was quick to dismiss any thoughts of getting to know Anna. After all, there was a zero-point-one percent chance that she would care about what he had to say now that there was a handsome doctor in the room. With a zero-point-one percent margin of error, of course.
“That's good.”
The doctor scrawled a few notes on his pad with his pen. His brow furrowed with concentration. “We found no evidence of any major head trauma,” he went on. “But just the same, it's good that you came in.”
Grinning and shutting his eyes tight, the doctor shook his head. “I want you to take a few days off,” he said, approaching the bed. “I'll write you a note. Just make sure you get some rest.”
Anna seemed fascinated by this discussion. In truth, Jack could almost see the gears turning in her head. He filed that little tidbit away under the heading things that make her a bit weird.
The doctor noticed her for the first time. “Is this your friend?” he asked, giving her the once-over. “We called the store to check your emergency contacts. They gave us your sister's number, but she didn't answer.”
“She may not be there,” Jack replied. “She's frequently out of town, so you may not have been able to reach her.”
“Well, we're willing to release you but…”
Tilting her head to the side, Anna grinned at him, her big blue eyes glittering with amusement. “I will make sure he gets home, Doctor,” she said softly. “It's the least I can do considering the circumstances.”
“Well, that's settled then.”
Yes…Jack thought. Yes, it is.
Through the window on the seventh floor, Anna looked out on the street below. A dozen or so cars were lined up between this intersection and the next one over, moving at a crawl. She spotted pedestrians on the sidewalk – some old, some young – all whizzing about like bees collecting honey.
The sun was a blazing sphere in the western sky, hovering just over the tops of the tallest buildings. Evening would come soon and she could already feel a rumbling in her stomach. To their credit, the doctors had insisted on running every test on Jack just to be sure he was all right. Of course, that required a large amount of patience on her part, but she didn't mind.
Anna pressed her lips together, then lowered her eyes to the floor. She took a deep breath and let it out again. You should mind, she told herself. Each and every second you waste with this young man is one more Denario can use to get away.
Chastising herself would accomplish nothing. She had made a promise to see Jack home safely, and prodding the snarl of emotions that had settled into her chest would only bring unnecessary aggravation.
She had seen many things in her three days on this planet, most of them leaving her with a bitter taste in her mouth. There was vanity here, selfishness and a casual disregard for the well-being of other people…but also nobility, strength and kindness. Jack Hunter had proved that to her.
It was easy to thumb her nose at a society that embraced values her own people had long since cast aside, but that would be a mistake. Hard as it was for her to admit, she had allowed herself to grow complacent. The first step down a road that led to bigotry was a little too much confidence in one's own convictions.
So where did that leave her?
Her people believed in a simple maxim: serve the servants. By putting himself at risk for a complete stranger, Jack had demonstrated a willingness to take care of others, and now she was honour-bound to take care of him. But she was also honour-bound to pursue Denario with every breath. The man had captured a sentient being and there was no telling what he had planned for the poor Nassai he had taken. A Justice Keeper must make the hard decisions, Anna told herself. She must control her emotions and act based on who has the greatest need.
The Nassai had a greater need.
Of course, that did nothing to make her decision easier. She knew next to nothing about this city. Denario could have gone anywhere, and somewhere deep down Anna felt as though she had already failed. By now, the symbiont could be dead…or worse. If she was to have any hope of saving the poor creature, she needed help.
Is that why you arranged for me to find Jack? she thought at the Companion. When you had analyzed the situation over and over, added up all the factors and found yourself unable to make a decision based on logic alone, sometimes faith was the only thing you had left. Not faith in the Companion – to Anna, that was no more than an abstraction, an attempt by humankind to articulate truths beyond their understanding – but faith in the idea that there was a purpose to the universe. Fate gave you a chance to make the correct decision; after that, it was up to you.
“Are you ready to go?”
She turned.
Jack stood in the small waiting area, dressed in his blue jeans and a brown coat over a black t-shirt. “That is if you insist on escorting me.” He went red, then bowed his head to her. “You don't have to.”
“No, it's my pleasure,” she replied. “I think we could both use something to eat.”
Chapter 6
Anna had never taken the opportunity to appreciate this city's beauty. After chasing Denario through Dead Space for nearly three days and then discovering to her shock that there was actually an inhabited planet out here among the wilderness – not to mention the skirmish after she pursued him through the SlipGate – she was in no frame of mind to be captivated by architecture.
No, she had been in fight-or-flight mode for almost four days, sleeping in alleys and deathly afraid that someone might knife her every time she shut her eyes. When you lived like that, it was easy to see everyone here as your enemy. A dangerous attitude, that. No one ever prospered by thinking in terms of “Us against Them.”
In the distance, Ottawa's skyline was alight as tall buildings reached up toward the heavens. The sky was a deep blue that was quickly fading to black, and stars were starting to twinkle. Could she see her home from here?
Tall trees lined the sidewalks on both sides of Lyon Street with branches that nearly stretched across the road, creating a canopy of leaves above their heads. The houses here were almost…cute. Small, red-bricked buildings with gabled roofs and balconies on the second floor. Not the sort of place where you would expect to find barbarians.
Jack was humming behind her.
The young man walked along with his head down, a smile on his face. “So, are you gonna tell me your secret?” he asked with a shrug. “Or do I have to keep guessing until I pass out from exhaustion?”
Anna felt a blush come on. Closing her eyes tight, she shook her head. “I have no secret to tell,” she said. “Besides, if I did share it, that sort of defeats the purpose, now doesn't it?”
“Well, that depends.”
With a grin, Anna turned her face up to the heavens. “Maybe for you, it depends,” she said, eyebrows rising. “But not for me.”
Jack overtook her.
Clasping hands together behind his back, he travelled up the sidewalk at a measured pace, forcing her to stare at the back of his head. “Secrets are useless if you keep them to yourself,” he explained. “At that point, they're nothing but emotional baggage. When you get down to it, the purpose of a secret is to tell just one person.”
He spun around.
Anna frowned, then looked up to fix her gaze upon him. She blinked a few times. “So you think I should tell you,” she said. “Tell me then, how exactly have you earned so much trust?”
He went red and then bowed his head to her. It was nice to be able to put the man off balance; after so many quips, she was beginning to feel like every conversation was a sparring match. “So, you do have something to tell,” he said at last. “I'll have to put more faith in my powers of observation.”
Bleakness take him!
When was she going to learn to guard her responses? Covert affairs were not the standard mode of operation for a Justice Keeper. She was used to flashing a badge and getting to business. “Jack, you're reading something into not
hing,” she mumbled. “Why would you even think I have a secret?”
Oh…bad move.
“Well, let's see,” he began. “You needed an entire wardrobe. You were completely unaware that Canada offers universal health care. Then there's your accent. I have never heard one quite like it.”
Anna bared her teeth, then lowered her eyes to the ground. She let out a soft, slow hiss. “All right,” she said, nodding once. “So, you've noticed a few oddities about me. It doesn't mean I'm part of some conspiracy.”
Jack's mouth curled into a small smile, his cheeks flushed to a rosy hue. “I take it back then,” he said. “Forget I asked, and we can go on pretending you're just an ordinary young woman.”
After a moment's consideration, Anna decided that it'd be best to walk in silence for a little while. Many people had looked askance at her over the last few days – noting her accent or her stumbling attempts to master their language – but her interactions with each of them had been fleeting. With each conversation, she had grown more familiar with this strange way of speaking, learning at an exponential rate.
Jack, however, had spent quite a bit of time with her. It would be all but impossible to prevent him from speculating. That left her with a predicament. Did she simply come clean, tell him everything and ask for his help in navigating this city? Or was it better to preserve his innocence?
The people of this planet were clearly unaware that human life had been scattered across the galaxy. Perhaps they had forgotten the Overseers or rationalized them away as myths of the distant past. It was even possible that these people actually believed they had evolved on this world.
Could she disabuse them of it?
They turned down a narrow street where small houses looked out upon a road that was just wide enough for two cars. Trees along the sidewalk swayed in the wind, sighing as the breeze passed through their branches.
Anna shuffled ahead with hands shoved into her pockets. She paused for a moment, keeping her back turned. “I don't mean to be cryptic,” she said at last. “It's just that some of it is hard to explain.”
“Try me.”
Anna shot a glance over her shoulder, a small smile spreading on her face. “You've got a keen mind, Jack Hunter,” she said softly. “But I'm not sure that you would believe me if I did so.”
Grinning like a fool, Jack looked down at his feet. He scrubbed a hand through his thick brown hair. “Well, I can't promise I will,” he replied, “but you'll never really know until you give it a-”
Something caught her ear.
In the distance behind him, a yellow automobile came to a stop in the intersection with the street they had just come from. The back door swung open and a man got out in a hurry. This feels wrong.
He stood up straight.
Just into his middle years, the man wore a loose-fitting jacket over black pants and a matching shirt. His brow was lined with creases and his short hair was slowly graying at the temples.
Denario.
Anna shoved Jack to the ground. He fell hard upon his side on some stranger's front lawn, then turned his head to glare at her. “Et tu, Brute!” he snapped. “What in the bloody hell was that for?”
“Stay down!”
She ran off the sidewalk, into the middle of the street, then spun around to face her opponent. If the fool thought he would get past a Justice Keeper, she would gladly school him in the basic laws of physics.
Denario marched along with grim determination on his face. He lifted his chin and sniffed at her. “I knew I'd find you sooner or later,” he said. “Were you aware that you've been broadcasting a convenient signal?”
A signal?
Why in the Verse would she be broadcasting a…Dex must have activated a distress beacon before the shuttle went up! Elation bubbled up in her belly. This meant there was a chance she could be rescued; all she had to do was survive Denario and recover the stolen Nassai.
Her opponent sneered, shaking his head in disgust. “You're not going to walk out of this one,” he growled, thrusting a hand out. The force-field generator in his palm let out a high-pitched whine.
A screen of white static appeared before him, so thick it seemed as though she were watching him through a blizzard of tiny snowflakes. It sped forward, threatening to crush her with the speed of an oncoming truck.
Bending her knees, Anna leaped.
She somersaulted over the wall of static, then uncurled to drop to the ground in the middle of the road. She brought up her fists in a fighting stance. “You wretched piece of festering lasonch.”
Clenching her teeth, Anna narrowed her eyes. “I'm going to make sure they throw you out an airlock,” she said, tossing her head about with such force that tendrils of hair flew across her face. “In the middle of a plasma storm.”
Jack was crouched on the nearby lawn. His face was bone-white as he blinked at her in confusion. “What the hell was that?” he exclaimed. “I…I…When in God's name did we make energy weapons?”
Soft laughter filled the air.
Denario backed away, keeping his outstretched palm focused on her. “Do you like my little toys, Agent?” He tilted his head to the side, a wicked grin splitting his face in two. “I have more.”
The man lifted his other hand, revealing another blinking device fused into the skin of his left palm. Most of this was for Jack's benefit. She knew perfectly well that Denario had several force-field generators implanted in his body. The fool did love to show off for spectators. “In a few moments, the first one will be charged. But…”
A wall of white static sank into the ground, kicking up chunks of asphalt as it sped toward her. In a heartbeat, she was standing in a storm of debris, bits of black pavement flying toward her.
Crossing her arms in front of her face, Anna backed away. She sank to one knee in the middle of the road, ignoring the pain as a piece of shrapnel slashed a shallow gash in her scalp.
Her sense of spatial awareness provided a silhouette of Denario in her mind's eye. He drew his jacket aside, retrieving a pistol from the holster upon his thigh. He raised his arm, taking aim.
Anna called on her Nassai.
The air before her fingertips rippled, light twisting as though someone had grabbed a portrait of the street and crumpled it. She saw the blurry image of Denario's fire, his arm jerking from the recoil.
Bullets struck the wall of rippling air, slowed to the point where she could see them with her naked eye. One by one, in a line, they veered off to her left and hit the road with enough force to send pavement flying.
She let the Bending vanish.
Anna looked up to meet his gaze. She felt her face crumple in disgust. “You must be joking!” she rasped. “You're really going to bring a half-empty clip to a fight with a Justice Keeper!”
Denario pulled the trigger but the blinking LED on his pistol gave him pause. An empty mag, two drained force-field generators and one very pissed-off Keeper: the man must have been sweating.
Denario snarled at her, his teeth bared with spittle flying from his mouth. He shook his head. “This isn't over!” he said, backing away. “You hear me? The next time we meet, I'm going to end-”
Anna leaped at him. She flew like an arrow right into his chest. The impact drove him backward, and he toppled to the ground, landing hard on his ass in the middle of the road.
Gritting his teeth, Denario squeezed his eyes shut. His face went redder and redder by the second. “You little bitch!” he growled, trying to sit up. “I swear to the Companion that I will-”
His eyes popped open.
Denario opened his mouth to let out a sharp squeal that reminded her of a pig being slaughtered. He tossed his head from side to side. “Aaaaaaahhhhh…” His body spasmed several times before going still.
Slapping a hand over her mouth, Anna flinched. She felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead. He's dead, she thought. Those bloody force-field generators fried his entire nervous system.
Funny how she had been willi
ng to kill him in the heat of battle, but now that she was perched over his dead body, the sight of it made her sick…He wasn't even dead by her hand, and yet she felt responsible.
Anna stood.
Running across the road, she hopped onto the sidewalk and approached the lawn. She dropped to one knee in front of Jack. “Tell me you're all right,” she whispered. “No shrapnel to the face? No oncoming heart attack?”
He seemed fine.
Jack winced, head hanging. He slapped a palm against his forehead and let out a painful groan. “I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling,” he said. “Anna, how in God's name did I get pulled into a Syfy channel original movie?”
“You care too much about strangers.”
“Noted.” He coughed. “You weren't speaking English…”
She wasn't? The conflict with Denario had been so intense that she hadn't noticed herself slipping back into her native tongue. What must poor Jack have thought? Sitting there, watching two people shout gibberish and hurl death at one another.
She gently laid a hand on his cheek. Jack closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. “I guess that solves one moral dilemma,” Anna mumbled. “Do you know a safe place where we can rest? I think it's about time I gave you some answers.”
Chapter 7
To say that Jack's apartment was small was a bit of an understatement. It was pretty much a closet, and whether you were standing in the kitchen or the bedroom depended a great deal on which wall you were looking at. Still, it was home. He had never needed all that much in the way of space.
Four red-bricked walls surrounded a couch that sat in the middle of a carpeted floor, facing a small television. His bed was in the corner, walled off by a set of white curtains on steel rails.
On the other side of the room, a line of cupboards was home to his small oven, and the fridge was humming contentedly next to the front door. Just enough space for a man to find a little peace. His apartment was the safest place he could think of, and now it was occupied by a woman who could make bullets curve.