by Gin Hollan
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Here?” He glanced furtively around the room.
“Well, they are criminals,” she replied.
“They're not our problem. Take them elsewhere.”
She could hear the edge of fear creeping into his voice.
“That is not your decision.” She glowered at him. When he didn't move, she pointed a finger at his face. “Do you want your friends to get help or not?” she snapped.
He paused. “This is not normal,” he grumbled as he turned, heading toward the police chief's office.
She smirked. ‘Normal’ had ended months ago.
Tucked in her jacket pocket, the device rubbed warm against her fingers. It blocked blood abilities? That meant it needed to be near the long-term confinement, where these prisoners would be. Best to warn them now.
“Miss Barnes, to what do we owe the honour of this visit?” Police Chief Harbertrope said, using his most formal language. At least, it was the most formal he'd used with her. It felt . . . unsettling.
Arabeth stopped herself from frowning, thinking her parents must have been talking with him.
“I'm hoping you have twelve cells open in the prison. I have a man bringing the missing prisoners in.”
“They've evaded what's left of my police force, including Retired Detective Hicks.” His pointed comment made it clear he held her to blame.
“The man I have sent out will not fail. You'll see why shortly.” She didn't want to explain, but knew maybe she ought to elaborate, just to be sure Rorigard wouldn’t be surrounded and attacked. “Have you heard of a serenthex?”
His complexion blanched and he stared at her a moment. “Follow me.” He turned and walked to his office.
Arabeth's stomach did a flip. How much did he know for the word ‘serenthex’ to cause that kind of reaction?
Hurrying to catch up, she closed the door behind them. She'd been reprimanded in this office more than once, but the all-too familiar room had an ominous feel to it this time.
“Tell me why the word ‘serenthex’ is in your vocabulary.” He stood, fists on hips, and stared again.
“You first,” she said. His glare made Arabeth sigh. “The one bringing your prisoners in—”
Harbertrope held up one hand to stop her. “These are not my prisoners, Miss Barnes. This is your doing, and your family will be financially responsible for getting them moved to the capital.”
“Either way, he's bringing them and they need to be held in a prison.” She held out the device Rorigard had given her. “This will keep them from using their abilities.”
He hesitated to take it, so she put it back in her pocket.
“I'll activate it, but I need access to the prison,” she said.
His expression had shifted after seeing the device. He seemed willing to entertain the possibility now.
“If you don't mind me saying, it will add to the prestige of your police force. I wager no one will interfere with your policies and practices after this.” She'd appealed to his status before. It might work again. He was making her do a lot of the talking, but she was all right with that. He was probably testing the strength of her conviction in the matter.
He scowled at her this time, but she smiled.
“It would be good if you could continue to get the respect and, I might add, the financial support you deserve here,” she hastily added.
“I know that,” he snapped.
“I'll be going to the prison, then, since the serenthex will bring them to me.”
“To you?”
“That's what he said. Rorigard. The pilot.” Her speech was stilted, but she didn't care. Too many questions were fighting for her attention.
“Fine, let's say I give you permission. Once they've been turned over, what is next?”
She shrugged. She wasn't sure they could help the constables. There was no point in getting his hopes up.
“I suspect you'd like me to disappear.”
He snorted. “That's blunt, but accurate.”
“Then you'll be happy to know that once they're properly incarcerated, I'll be focusing on getting into my grandfather's workshop. I haven't cracked the code to get in yet, and it's my inheritance from him. It feels disrespectful to keep putting it at the end of my goals list.”
“That reminds me . . . there is something here for you.” He turned and went to a tall filing cabinet. Out of the bottom drawer he pulled out a small box. “He left this here. You should have it.”
The small wooden box was no bigger than the palm of her hand, and lighter than it looked.
“Thank you.” Running a finger across the small carving of a pelican in the centre top, she knew it was her grandfather’s. She felt her throat tighten. She tucked the box in her satchel.
“You should go,” Harbertrope said, opening his office door.
“Right,” she agreed, clearing her throat. That was easier than she'd expected, but the box had distracted her. As soon as she stepped outside the precinct, she pulled it out.
Her grandfather had practically raised her, right up until his disappearance when she was fourteen. The box could hold a clue, she thought, and she felt her heart lighten.
“Miss Barnes.” A voice growled behind her. “Step aside.”
Arabeth turned to see a detective with a man in custody.
“Sorry,” she said, slipping the box back in her satchel.
“Move your beasts,” he said, pushing Doxie out of his path with a boot.
“Hey! Be gentle,” she yelled, swooping down to pick both kits up.
“Get your priorities straight. You are a menace to society,” he shot back. “As a woman who's clearly out of her mind, you should stay indoors or concentrate on finding yourself a husband.”
Her ears burned red. This detective also blamed her for the constable's altered mental state, it seemed.
“It's a good thing you're not a reporter. With fact-checking like that, you'd be fired in a week.” She turned on her heel and walked away. She wouldn't be the target for anyone's wound-licking. She needed to confront Sam over this, but it would have to wait.
She heard the door slam a little harder than it needed to and felt a small sense of satisfaction as she turned toward the hospital. They may try to block her, but she'd have to convince them. With her reputation currently destroyed, maybe she could use that to her advantage.
First, she had to see the constables and determine what was wrong with them. She knew a few people there—at least one that would help her.
// Chapter 22 //
'A LADY DOES NOT tolerate injustice, especially when it is the result of misunderstanding.'
Where had she learnt this rule? Her mother . . . no, her grandfather.
It took around twenty minutes to get to the hospital; pushed forward by her anger, she shaved five minutes off that. Marble and the kits seemed to enjoy the pace, running ahead, then back, circling and dashing about.
As she approached the large double doors of the building, her anger was gone and she was thinking clearly again. Good thing. She had to talk them into letting her see at least one of the constables. Who was her best bet? Constable Murphy—was he one of the ones affected? He'd left with Sam, and Sam was fine.
Who else? She sighed and turned backward to push in through the doors. Would they care if she was surrounded by foxes?
To her surprise, the desk at the door was unattended. A commotion down one of the halls might explain why. She hurried forward toward the yelling and the sound of objects being dropped or thrown.
As she neared, she spotted a sign indicating it was a medical triage area. Inside, a crowd of men stood in the middle, facing outward. Still in uniform, the constables’ expressions were blank. They were armed with dining knives and other sharp objects, holding them outward, pointing erratically at different people then away toward nothing as though they argued internally.
Around them a mix of doctors and orderlies stood poised to take action. Some held a
syringe, while others held wrist restraints she recognized as being her invention. Nurses stood near, holding more syringes, ready to pass them forward.
Arabeth couldn't restrain her anger. Standing tall, she took in a deep breath. Widening her throat, she yelled, “Leave them alone!”
Suddenly, a long, thin line of decorative gold symbols surrounded the constables, spinning, causing a barrier between the two groups. Startled, one person yelped, then both groups fell silent and looked at her.
“What is the meaning of this?” a short, heavyset older man in a doctor's jacket said, commanding a response.
Arabeth snorted. “Men of science reduced to riot gear and restraints.” She tsk'd. “Let me relieve you of this burden.”
“Miss Barnes, what is going on?” Constable Larosse called out. “Why are we here?”
A few of the doctors began to murmur among themselves.
“How is it that you are now cognisant of your surroundings?” one called out.
The gold ring still encircled them, preventing doctors and orderlies from getting to them.
“I am protecting them from outside interference,” Arabeth said. “Theirs was not a physical breakdown.” She hoped she sounded confident. The facts were the facts, after all.
Still, the barrier did seem to free the constables from the violent behaviour and mental fog previously exhibited. Correlation did not guarantee causation. She’d want to test her theory, later.
“They'll be leaving with me, if you please,” she said.
More murmuring and quite a few shrugs were followed by light bickering.
“I haven't got all night. If you'd like to re-attempt your failed approach, I'll leave.” She hoped her bluff worked. Either way, there was no chance she'd let the barrier down.
“Now, let's not be hasty. What you've got going there has broken the trance, but what happens when it goes away?” one of the older doctors asked. “Your gadgets are famous, but this is one I’ve never seen before.”
“If you doubt me, I can turn it off and we can see.”
“No, wait. She's got them contained. Let her take responsibility for them,” someone barely whispered.
“I can walk them to the police station. If you've exhausted your medical knowledge, they should be discharged,” she stated, giving them no room to argue.
The doctors turned to quietly debate amongst themselves. She looked to a couple of the nurses standing to the side and gave them a pleading look.
One of them nodded and she turned to her task. Arabeth considered how she’d gotten a ring around the men in the first place. If she dropped it and things went south, there was no backup plan. Since she didn't know how the ring went up, she couldn't guarantee replication. For her own safety, she'd have to pretend to faint or something. That thought made her laugh.
Still, she hadn't walked in with a plan and something awesome had happened. Maybe it was time to trust herself a bit more. Time to trust her new abilities.
“Gentlemen, if you wouldn't mind walking toward the door, I'm sure the doctors will let you pass,” she said to the constables.
They started slowly, then gained confidence as the barrier maintained its distance from them, still circling. As they moved, it moved. The hospital staff scrambled to get out of the way, but one of them thought to be clever. Ducking down lower than the band, he reached for a constable’s leg. His hand hit an invisible barrier and he yelped as sparks flew out. Rolling to the side, he cradled his hand.
Arabeth was tempted to smirk, but thought better of it.
Out on the street, Arabeth worried about passersby. How could she warn them if they were too busy to notice the gold band hovering out? She shook her head. Who wouldn't see eight constables walking in a group down the middle of the road with a glowing band around them? Anyone that clueless needed a good thump.
“Someone clear traffic so I can get these men to the prison, please,” she called out. “I'll explain when we get there.”
It was a good four blocks away, but they were walking fast now. Three doctors and four orderlies walked ahead of the group, warning people off the road.
She only hoped Rorigard would be there when she arrived. He seemed to know what was happening between the prisoners and the constables. Or maybe the device he gave her would break the connection between the two groups . . . Wait, she thought. Was she supposed to use it now, or wait for the prison? She'd forgotten. She lost concentration and the golden circle of symbols fell away. The constables stopped and looked at her.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Sure,” the one nearest her said. “Does this mean we can move freely now?”
“I think so, but you should go to the prison anyway. The guards there may need your help.”
They all turned and continued toward the prison, then one of them slowed to a stop. Like dominoes, the others did as well.
“Nuts!” she muttered and concentrated on getting the symbol barrier back up. “Okay, gentlemen. Let's continue.”
As one, they started forward again. At least she had her answer now. She had to keep the barrier up or get them tucked safely into cells.
Ahead of them, she heard a scream. Judging by the outline of the large robotic armour ahead of them, Rorigard was there.
“Rorigard!” Arabeth called out. Relief flooded her as she waved one arm overhead.
Seeing the escapees detained by way of a tether around each of their necks was a little startling.
The serenthex turned to face her. It raised one hand, then lowered it in a slow chopping motion into its other hand.
She dropped the barrier and a few moments later each of the constables dropped into a standing sleep. A couple of the doctors approached the constables, looking them over. One less thing for her to worry about, she hoped.
With the barrier down, several people in Rorigard's group started talking and muttering, pointing and becoming increasingly agitated. A shimmer of yellow-white electricity travelled down the cord attached to their necks and they all slumped to the ground.
“What was that?” Sam demanded, pointing at the serenthex. “Did you just electrocute them all?”
The attending medical staff rushed over to the re-captured prisoners. Sam was there as well, she noted.
“They're unconscious,” an orderly called out. “Someone help get them inside.”
“Carry them inside please, into any unoccupied cell,” Dr. Range said, walking up.
“Next one, Arabeth,” Rorigard called out over the noise of the slowly growing crowd.
“Wait, wait!” a woman cried out. Arabeth turned to see Penny standing nearby. The only child prisoner currently held her hand.
Wind swirled around them now, picking up speed until a portal opened on the far side of the prisoners. One by one they lifted off the ground and shot into the vortex. The portal didn't seem to affect anyone else.
She looked at the constables. They looked disoriented but alert.
The serenthex walked toward the portal and Arabeth's heart jumped in a near-panic. He couldn't go. Not yet.
“Wait, we're not done. We still have to recapture Howard,” she called out. She used her trousers to wipe away the nervous sweat from her palms. “I can't do it without your help.”
The serenthex halted and paused. The front of it, from collarbone to waistline, split open down the middle, swinging wide. There was a loud series of snaps and Rorigard suddenly fell forward and out. Arabeth hurried forward, kneeling next to where he now lay, unconscious.
The serenthex suddenly closed and, as it did, it was lifted into the air and pulled into the portal. The portal swallowed it up and snapped shut, leaving Rorigard behind.
“A doctor!” Arabeth called out, head turning wildly as she scanned the people nearby. “I need a doctor over here!”
Only one doctor remained - the rest had gone inside with the constables to check them over.
“Dr. Range, please help,” she called as she stood.
Th
e man turned to nod at her, then looked back to the nurse with him. “Make sure you document this without bias,” he instructed. “I want to review it later.”
// Chapter 23 //
A RUSTLING FROM her spare bedroom caught Arabeth's attention. Dr. Range had said to let Rorigard rest, but not let him lay around once he woke. The bandage wrapped around the strange synthetic nodule embedded in the point of his right shoulder was to be checked every hour and changed if the spot continued to seep.
Arabeth knocked on the door frame and Rorigard sat up, the bedcovers falling to his lap. As they did, her eyes went to the plug on his right shoulder. Walking over, she placed the glass of water she'd been carrying on the side table and reached out, rubbing her finger along the outside edge of the bandage to feel for moisture. He watched her face as she did, staring blankly.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
He tapped the side of his head. “I don't think I'm all here.”
Arabeth hid a sudden grin, biting her lip. “People say that about me all the time.” She stood back. “I don't understand the dynamics of being linked with a semi-sentient machine, but I'm sure I can get the serenthex to come back out again. If that's what you need, I'll head there now.”
“My serenthex has made its choice. It severed our connection. There's no point in trying.”
“It's probably just a side effect of it being back in stasis. When it has moments of awareness, you will connect again,” she countered.
He paused, then shrugged.
“Are you feeling well, otherwise?” Arabeth asked.
He nodded.
“There is a fresh change of clothes for you on the stool,” she said, pointing to a brown paper package. “I'll get you something to eat.”
She wanted him to rest but they didn't have time for that. She needed to know how to lock Howard away. Tamden would be a normal capture. He didn't exhibit any special abilities. She'd have to talk to Harbertrope about him to get an arrest warrant and he'd saddle her with a constable or detective to keep it legal. Bounty hunters' legal permissions were limited, for good reason.