by Leia Howard
I said good-bye to Rhea and Soon Yee and thank Dani for locking up the office when she leaves tonight. I then wait in the main office for the police driver. Within a few minutes, the front door opens and Sheriff Helki appears. Oh, good grief, as my man Charlie Brown says.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring anyone else with you when you picked me up,” I finally broke the silence in his four-door cab pickup as we were nearing the hospital. Sheriff Helki still seemed put out that I didn’t let him help me put my bike in the bed of his truck. It wasn’t an equality thing, I just don’t want him to touch my stuff.
“I didn’t want to stress you out before you even started. Lowell offered to pick you up, but he doesn’t have a bike rack for his car handy. So, he’s at the hospital with all the guests and I’m playing chauffer. I like how you dressed up to meet everyone.”
My hood was up and pulled tight across my head. No part of me was touching his vehicle. My zipped-up hoodie happened to be black with a gold Wonder Woman symbol across the upper chest. On the back was a close-up drawing of crossed forearm braces ringed by her golden lasso.
“I could’ve been an adult and worn business casual, but I decided to be comfortable instead. I didn’t invite all the spectators along, so they get what they see. And my hoodie is awesome, don’t be jealous.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I didn’t bring my Batman jacket. But I outgrew it 20 years ago. The lower west wing of the hospital was available. There’s a large nurse station with plenty of seating at the entrance to the wing where we’ve all gathered. The hospital room is the farthest away from the station and was prepared as you specified. Will you want to meet everyone before the consultation, or afterwards?”
“Like you don’t have an argument prepared why The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie. As to meeting everyone, I prefer to just walk in, nod my head, then do my thing in the room with minimal contact beforehand. Afterwards, I’ll be tired, but can meet with them for a bit. I don’t want to exchange meaningless pleasantries for thirty minutes, nor be asked for a dissertation on every Psycept ever. But I can handle a few questions.”
“I think we can manage that,” he says, as we pull into a visitor’s space at the hospital.
We walk into the entrance and head upstairs to the second floor. En route to the empty wing, I loosen my hood, but kept it up. We walk up to a small crowd gathered at the nurse station. I say hello to the people I know, then nod at Chief Yanaba and Chief Quanah when introduced.
“Chief Yanaba and Chief Quanah, this is Gray Graham. She’s just going to start straight away with the consultation. She’ll join us afterwards for a brief discussion,” Sheriff Helki said.
He led me to a room with Detective Wakiza and an unknown police officer standing outside the door. The sheriff dismisses the officer, then he and Detective Wakiza begin to suit up in PPE that was left on a table outside the door.
“I’m going to take a quick look at the room while you don the PPE. Wait until I give the all clear to enter the room, please.”
I grab a sterile wipe at the entrance of the room and pushed on the handle to open the wide wooden door. A privacy curtain was stretched across the entrance and the bathroom door was shut. Still gripping the wipe, I sweep the sterile curtain open. The gurney and body are draped as I requested. No movable medical equipment is left in the room, but the headboard area has the standard socket, port, and gas connections. There’s also a chair and a mobile swivel tray in one corner. I can smell the bleach mixture used to clean the room. I look up at the ceiling and down at the baseboards, then pull my handheld gizmo out of my hoodie pocket.
“You’re good to enter the room. Please stand to the side as I do a sweep.”
The gizmo’s a bug detector that searches for hidden cameras, GPS trackers, microphone transmitters, as well as computer and cellphone spyware. I begin a room sweep. I check inside the cabinet spaces, along the windowsill, and check the gurney as well. After checking the chair, I drag it under the lighting. Sheriff Helki asks, “I don’t suppose you’ll let me help you with that, at least the ceiling part?”
“No, thanks. So far, so good. Next, I’m going to check around the light sockets.”
“Just checking.”
“I should be just a few more minutes. Thanks for not pitching a fit about the sweep.”
“Take your time. I figured you’d do something like this and warned Wakiza. I am fine with waiting until we can sign off on receipt of the body.”
After completing the sweep of the main room, I head to the bathroom. This brought me in proximity to the entrance. I reach across the doorway and snag a few more wipes. “Almost done,” I say. The bathroom checks out. “All clear.”
I wipe the tray down, move it next to the head of the gurney, then throw away the used wipes. While the tray dries off, I wipe my detector down and put it back in my hoodie pocket. The carrying case is placed on the chair. I remove the hoodie and drape it over half the tray. I want a little time for my arms to soak up some emanations, I just need to be careful not to bump into anything. I pull the case number up on my phone’s note app, the pull out the voice recorder and turn it on, then begin to speak. I provide the case number, date and time, my name, and the presence of Sheriff Helki and Detective Wakiza to verify condition of body. I push pause on the voice recording, turn my phone off, then place the voice recorder on the bare part of the tray. I resume the voice recording.
“Lifting the sheet from the right side of the body to expose the right arm. Male, slight bruising on the second through fourth knuckles. No visible tattoos on the arm. Old scar, about two inches in length and one-quarter inch wide, diagonal. Lower edge located an inch-and-a-half above lateral epicondyle. Upper edge slanted medial at approximately 20°.” I then continue to note the state of each limb of the body, then the upper and lower torso. His head is wrapped as I requested, and I note that the head covering will remain on during the reading.
“Sheriff Helki is pulling body photos attached to the case. As requested, no cranial or facial photographs are attached as of this recording. They’ll be uploaded after the reading. I can confirm the limb and torso photos match the body on the table. Signing off on the body receipt at 1602.”
I pause the recording, then I use my stylus to sign Sheriff Helki’s tablet for evidentiary chain of custody on the case. “Good luck,” he wishes me, as I walk them to the door, taking care not to accidently bump into anything as my upper arms are exposed. I wait until they disappear around the curve, then close the door to the room. I pull the privacy curtain shut behind me, then walk toward the swivel tray. I pull off my gloves, take a deep breath, then resume the recording. “Touching the right arm now, there may be a delay as I connect with the memory.” I reveal the right arm, then lightly grip the arm above the scar.
I’m immediately sucked into a raging lake. Huge swells pitch me about and a storm is gathering above me. I can see the rope with a knot at the end, far above me. Touching a dead body brought me directly to the death memory. I swim against the push of the current, fighting my way back to an earlier time, staying underneath the rope as much as possible. With no object to buffer me, I’m beginning to get chilled from the water, and I’ve not even touched the cold rope yet. Becoming tired, I come to a point I deem early enough, then concentrate on the feel of the water. I begin to freeze the water below my feet, starting to form a platform. Slowly adding water then freezing it, I gain height and finally rise within reach of the chilled rope. Instantly, the rope begins to pummel my body. Hunched down, I kick the end away, then jump to grasp the desired portion, head pointed to the knot. I pull my legs up to wrap around the rope, then began my slow horizontal climb towards the knot, reading as I go along.
“Psycept here-memory meld achieved. Unless noted, the remaining verbal account will be from the memory holder.”
“I’m running drills on base and hear my name called by Major Danielson. I’ve been activated, wheels up in two hours. I
’m proud and excited to serve my country. Two days after previous memory. I just woke up from the procedure to provide resistance. I’m now protected from a fucking psychic attack by freakish mind rapists. Five days since last memory, I’ve been dropped off fifty miles outside the border of the Plateau Conservatorship. It’s 0030. I’ve got a four-wheeler ATV that’ll get me 40 miles, then I’ll change clothes and hike the rest of the way. The four-wheeler has all the gear I need stowed away.
“It is 0217. I’m about to attempt to infiltrate the Plateau Conservatorship. My objective is to test border security and see how far inside the territory I can get. We are reasonably sure there are no Psycepts located on this conservatorship. So, if I’m captured, they’ll have to be brought here to interrogate me, or I’ll be sent to them. Either way, the delay will allow me to clock weaknesses and note strengths.
“Physical torture does not scare me. It’s what those mind rapists, blood drinkers, and cannibals can do that disgusts me. Like they say, if Psycepts aren’t under our control, then they’re the enemy and need to be eliminated. Honestly don’t want those creeps anywhere around me. Like the good book says, ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’.
“It’s not easy to cross the border, but it’s doable. There’s supposed to be all these cops and soldiers along the border, but I only saw three pairs. Dogs are with them, but my scent suppression gear works here as well as it did in Afghanistan, and I’m able to evade detection. There are trip wires and traps set up along the interior, but fifteen miles inside, I don’t encounter ‘em much anymore. The last bits I saw were just wind chimes that made some hollow flute sound.
“I continue to march farther into the conservatorship. I thought there weren’t any creeps living here. It feels like there are eyes on me, it’s making me itch. Are they trying to get into my head? I feel ghost fingers. How current is our intel? Could the fucking witches live here and just not receive packages? Is there a hidden encampment of creeps here? I need to tell the major that our satellites need to be directed here, fat good it’ll do. We haven’t been able to penetrate the spell they have masking the GT. Can’t call him now anyway, no gear to trace me back, I’m just pretending to be a harmless lost hiker. What is that roar, is that the falls or is it a cougar? Those eyes keep staring at me. This itch is driving me crazy. The ghost fingers are solid and start raking my brain. Why am I seeing red?”
“Psycept here-end of memory retrieval due to death of subject. Written report to follow. Voice recording end.” I release the knot of the memory rope, I can’t hold on any longer, he does not welcome me after death. It was a chore to make it to the end as it was. Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes to light that blinds me for a few minutes. As soon as I can tolerate the light, I turn off the recording, cover the arm, and quickly pull out my laptop. I log into the case, marked it as Read by Psycept, then began to write my report. I load the voice recorder data card on my laptop and began to play the file while I write. The recording seemed okay, when I finally spoke after ten minutes of silence I didn’t hear any strain or distress in my voice. I add my usual extraneous notes not provided in the oration.
Memory holder’s name is Staff Sergeant Edward Michaels of Fort Chambly. Major Richard Danielson. Four-wheeler left approximately 31 miles from the due west from Shoshone Falls. Drop-off point, and origin of ATV, is just southeast of Hot Springs. Scent dogs should find it, if they haven’t already done so. Recommendation that an autopsy be performed, focusing on the brain cavity, major and minor blood vessels of the brain, and area around aneurysm. Also recommend not only toxicology, but micro and nanobiology tests be performed on the blood.
Report saved, and audio file uploaded, the reading is complete, time to face the interested parties. Pulling on my fresh pair of gloves and hoodie and gathering my items, I leave the room and call out, “I’m done. Please come and get me.” I hear three pairs of footsteps while waiting for my phone to connect to service.
“You’re finished with the reading. No further need for the room or body?” Sheriff Helki confirmed.
“Yep. You can do what you need to. PPE not required.”
“Great. Wakiza, please follow me into the room. We need to log return of the body. John, please stand guard for now.”
Within a few minutes, Sheriff Helki and Detective Wakiza exited the room. “John, please stay with the body for now. You can go into the room and sit on the chair if you like. When we’re finished, either Ranger Pallaton or I will come back to assist with transport of the body. Thanks,” Detective Wakiza said.
“You look beat. How’d it go?” Sheriff Helki asked as we were walking toward the nurse station.
“It went. The written report and the audio file are uploaded to the case. There’s about ten minutes of silence between me touching the body and then beginning to speak. I left it in, so I’m not accused of tampering with the evidence. Same with the silence at the end. The written report has only a few additional details, but it includes the case subject’s name and a few other pertinent things.”
“Tamez and Lowell were opening the case when we headed to you. I think everyone is reading your report first and will wait to play the audio until you arrive,” Detective Wakiza said.
“That’s cool. I’m going to doze for a bit while you do that. Just text me when you want me to join back in. The vibration alert should wake me up.”
Everyone glances up when we walk into the open station. The computer tables at the hospital are set up so that everyone faces each other in a rectangle. Only the unit secretary’s desk is set up facing outwards as a buffer. On one side, Liaison Lowell sits in the middle, flanked by Chief Yanaba and Chief Quanah. On the other side of the table is Detective Tamez, with Ranger Pallaton on her right and an empty chair on her left. Detective Wakiza sits in the empty chair next to Detective Tamez, and Sheriff Helki sits between Chief Quanah and Ranger Pallaton, on the short side of the rectangle.
I can only imagine what everyone saw when they looked at me. I’ve yet to pull my hood back up, so my Dutch braids and bun tuck are visible. I can feel a few wisps of my chestnut-brown hair floating about. I’m tired, so I picture my light-brown eyes with faint shadows underneath and a mild pallor to my pale skin, which will make my freckles stand out despite the foundation. At 5’6”, I’m on the tall side of average height, but my solid weight and my oversized hoodie probably gives the impression of me being a more substantial figure than I am.
“Hello, everyone. As you know, I’ve uploaded both the written report and the audio file. I don’t mean to ignore you, but this reading has tired me and I’m going to take a light doze. Discussing this case will not wake me and Sheriff Helki will loop me back in when needed. I’m sorry for not being more engaged in the early discussion, I just need to rest for a bit.”
I can tell that Chief Quanah is slightly put out, but everyone else seems understanding. I sit in the chair at the secretary’s station, pull up and tightened my hood, put my phone down on the desk beside me, and fall into a light sleep with my head on my crossed arms. Hopefully, I don’t snore.
In what felt like five minutes, but was closer to forty, a text message alert wakes me up. I pull my chair to the short side of the rectangle, opposite Sheriff Helki. All eyes turn toward me as I bring down my hood and sit in the chair, I feel like an animal on display.
“Ms. Graham. What do you believe we should do about the findings of your vision?” Chief Quanah starts right in.
“Please, call me Gray. I don’t have any recommendations because I’m just a Psycept consultant. This matter falls under the military as it pertains to protecting our borders. I’m confident that the War Chief of PlateauCon as well as Ranger Pallaton and others have done their due diligence. They’ve surely refreshed the bone wards that Sgt. Michaels heard and tripped, updated the protection wires, reconfigured patrols, and performed an exhaustive review of the entire incursion. If blood hounds were unable to backtrack Sgt. Michaels scent, I’ve provided them with more specific areas to se
arch.”
“Gray is correct, we’ve completed our border review. It took us a couple of days to follow his scent trail back to the ATV. But from there, we were easily able to backtrack to the drop-off point. The scent trail ends there since he arrived in a closed vehicle. I’ll leave the possible involvement of Canada and the US to others, including the GT,” Ranger Pallaton replied.
“Gray, it’s clear that this was a preliminary test and that Psycepts seem to be the ultimate target. Did you get a sense of the scope of the operation?” Chief Yanaba asked.
“Not much of one, ma’am. Sgt. Michaels did not train with other soldiers, but he sensed there were others that went through training separate from him. I don’t know where he flew to for wheels up. I don’t know how many were involved with the procedure. The major is the executive officer of a different battalion from the one Michaels served in, plus Michaels was Staff. The fact that this major from a different battalion issued orders to a staff sergeant is interesting. Also, interesting that he seemed not to consider the fact there are GT citizens with Psycept abilities that don’t live in Psycept communities. He planned for a delay getting someone to interrogate him, but it seems that the higher-ups don’t have that same blind spot.”
I could see them looking at each other. I’m not trying to obtain top-secret information, just stating the facts. We all know that there are many people with abilities in the GT, they are just not designated as such nor are they sequestered to certain approved communities like us permanent residents. I mean, statistics. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the reasons the GT originally offered asylum to American Psycepts was to provide a smokescreen for their own psychics.
“Gray, most of your other readings, you’ve been able to give more detailed information. Did the death from a brain aneurysm interfere with your ability?”