SIXTY-FOUR
Welkin Palace, Nebulosity
Kawasaki walked tentatively into the conference room. He had only been here on two other occasions, when discretion was of the utmost importance. It wasn’t a normal room, unless stalactites hanging from the ceiling and walls consisting of bubbles of ice were now considered normal in Nebulosity. This conference room was only for top-secret meetings; the walls and ceiling were specially designed for encapsulating sound and scrambling it.
The Empyrean, wearing his familiar shaggy coat, stood motionless in the centre of the room, his breath condensing in front of him as warm air met cold. Except for the fact that he had no pipe, one could have been forgiven for thinking he was smoking.
‘Good of you to join me, Doctor,’ he said, keeping his hands buried in the warmth of his pockets.
Kawasaki bowed. ‘I came as soon as I could,’ he said.
‘You know why I have sent for you?’ It seemed more a statement than a question.
‘Yes, Your Excellency,’ replied Kawasaki. ‘I just don’t understand why here . . . in this room. Surely you don’t think . . .’
‘If there is a traitor in our midst, Doctor, this is the only place where we are safe to talk,’ said Nimbus. ‘Have you finished what I asked you to do?’
‘Yes, Your Excellency.’
‘And?’
Kawasaki shook his head. ‘I found no spy, no traitor. All were clean.’
Nimbus looked up at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, contemplating his options. ‘Do you remember the last time you were here?’
‘Yes,’ said Kawasaki.
‘We discussed the SAFFIRE in detail . . . do you remember?’ asked Nimbus.
‘Yes, I do, Your Excellency,’ Kawasaki replied, wondering where the Empyrean was going with this questioning.
‘Things no one else could have ever known, unless they were here with us,’ continued Nimbus.
Kawasaki gave a slight shiver, whether from the cold or from what he thought the Empyrean was about to say.
‘But no one else was here. Were they, Doctor?’
‘No, but if you’re suggesting that I . . .’ Kawasaki started to say.
‘And yet,’ interrupted Nimbus, ‘now someone else knows what we know.’
Kawasaki took a sharp intake of breath. ‘Nimbus, you can’t be serious?’
‘You said it yourself. You found no spies at MAL, which only leaves me and you. And I know I am not a spy. So, Doctor, that only leaves . . . you.’
The doctor stood trembling. ‘I would never betray Nebulosity or my people. I am the one who invented the SAFFIRE; why would I steal it?’
‘Power? Greed? There are many reasons one becomes a traitor, Doctor.’ Nimbus motioned to the guards that had entered without Kawasaki realising they were there. ‘Take him away . . . the man sickens me.’ His hair and beard flared red like fire as the guards escorted Kawasaki away. He shouted after them, ‘Arrest everyone he worked with. Arrest them all!’
Marino, South Australia
‘The kid just toppled off the cliff!’ said Wilson.
Collins gestured for Wilson to go and have a look.
Wilson shook his head vehemently. ‘I’m not goin’. I’ve got a weak stomach – you go.’
Collins crossed his arms and refused to budge.
‘Let’s get back to the car,’ mumbled Wilson. ‘We’ve done what Erebus wanted.’ As they slunk away, Wilson added, ‘But let’s never talk about this again.’
~
Back at the car, Erebus was becoming impatient. The temptation to honk the horn was almost overwhelming, but he had remarkable self-control.
‘What took you so long? I told you to dump the boy, not take him on a world tour,’ he said when Wilson and Collins returned.
‘D-dump the boy?’ said Wilson, climbing into the back seat, followed closely by Collins.
Erebus started the car and sped away. ‘Yes, dump him. We couldn’t leave him lying on the front lawn, bound and gagged, could we? It might draw some attention. All you had to do was put him out of sight, or better yet, take him back into the house and tie him to a table.’
‘Dump the boy?’ repeated Wilson in a trance-like state.
‘Yes,’ said Erebus, frowning and looking in the rear-view mirror. ‘What’s the matter with you?’ Wilson didn’t answer. ‘Collins, what’s wrong with him?’ Collins did not look at either of them. Rivers of sweat were trickling down his brow. ‘Collins?’
Wilson took a deep breath and started slowly, ‘Well, Boss . . . you see . . . we thought . . .’
Erebus braked heavily, squealing the tyres. There was a thud as the poor girl in the cargo bay slammed into the back of Wilson’s seat. The rest of them lurched forward, stopped only by their seatbelts.
‘What have you done?!’ said Erebus, turning and glaring at them both.
Wilson gulped loudly and then said as fast as he could, ‘You told us to get rid of him and we thought that meant kill him so we took him to the cliff edge, but then we decided not to and then he woke up and . . . he fell over the cliff.’
Erebus gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles started turning different colours. ‘Is he dead?’ he whispered.
Wilson nodded his head grimly. ‘I – I think so. It was a hundred metres straight down onto rocks. No one could survive that fall.’
They all sat very quietly for a few moments with their heads bowed, as if they were honouring a fallen soldier.
The hum of the engine was the only noise to indicate that the world hadn’t stopped.
It would be too dangerous for Erebus to go back and see the boy’s demise for himself. Besides, what good would it do? He didn’t want to see a dead child. What a sad and horrible waste of a life. He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth. ‘We’d better get the girl out of here before someone notices,’ he said at last.
As if that was her cue, the girl began screaming through her gag and kicking the back of Wilson’s seat.
‘Hey, quit it!’ said Wilson. ‘It’s not gonna do you any good. Collins, here, is the best tier-upperer there is. You won’t get free.’ The girl started swearing at him, through her gag. ‘This one’s no lady,’ Wilson said to Erebus, wiggling his pinky finger in the mirror.
SIXTY-FIVE
Marino, South Australia
Not more than an hour after the intruders had left, the house 52 Clarence Drive was buzzing with activity. At least ten police cars were sprawled along the street and driveway, and a chequered blue and white tape cordoned off the front yard. Most of the sleepy neighbourhood had emerged from their homes, curious and whispering to each other on their front lawns. Inside, forensic officers swarmed like bees, searching for anything that looked suspicious: fingerprints, bloodstains, fibres.
The residents of number 52 came out on stretchers.
‘I don’t remember anything, Officer. The last thing I remember was getting into bed, saying goodnight to my wife and turning off the light. N-next thing I’m on the kitchen floor and there’s a policeman slapping me across the face.’
‘I’m sure he was just trying to wake you up, Mr Murphy,’ said Officer Jones with a small cough. ‘Did you see anyone outside acting suspiciously last night?’
‘No.’
‘A stranger, perhaps?’
‘No.’
‘A car you haven’t seen before?’
‘No. I already told you,’ said Mr Murphy, sounding upset. ‘It was all very normal.’
The paramedic wheeling the stretcher interrupted. ‘Your questions will have to wait. We need to get them to the hospital.’
‘I’ll talk to you later, Mr Murphy,’ said Officer Jones, snapping his notebook shut and placing it in his top pocket.
‘Are you sure my family’s okay?’ Mr Murphy asked the paramedic as they pushed him into the back of the ambulance.
‘Yes sir, they all seem fine. It’s just routine,’ said the paramedic with a reassuring smile.
On the lawn in
front of number 52 stood two policemen, one of whom called over to Officer Jones, ‘Jonesy, what do you make of this?’ pointing to the grass.
Jones knelt on one knee and lifted a tuft of grass with his pen. ‘Don’t know, Sid . . . maybe some sort of a scuffle?’ He stood up and brushed the dirt from his trousers.
‘There’s a set of drag marks over here,’ said the second officer. He was examining an area several metres away near the side of the house.
‘Who would they be dragging?’ said Jones, scratching his head. ‘All the family’s been accounted for . . . Any of the neighbours missing?’
‘Me and Bernie interviewed both sides and across the street . . . they’re all accounted for,’ Sid replied.
‘They see anything?’ asked Jones.
‘No, they all said it was pretty quiet,’ said Sid.
Jones didn’t look surprised. ‘It does seem like a professional job.’ Sid nodded. ‘What about the anonymous tip-off, any leads on that?’
‘The guys at the station are still working on it,’ said Bernie.
‘You think the person in the scuffle rang in?’ asked Sid, eyeing the drag marks.
‘Doubt it,’ said Jones. ‘They were very efficient, knocked out four people without any sort of struggle. I’m sure they wouldn’t have let this one get away.’
‘Unless some of their own gang turned on them . . . you know, got greedy or something, and one took off,’ said Sid.
‘Or, maybe it was an early morning jogger,’ said Bernie. ‘Saw something they shouldn’t have.’
‘Well, let’s see where they went,’ said Jones, striding off after the drag marks.
The three men ended up at a cliff edge with a hundred metres drop.
‘This doesn’t look good,’ said Jones quietly.
All three leaned over the edge and gazed down at the ocean waves swirling around the jagged rocks.
‘Looks like we’re going to need a diving crew,’ said Bernie .
‘Down there!’ said Sid suddenly, pointing towards the base of the cliff. ‘See it wedged between the rocks?’
Jones nodded. ‘Better call for a body bag,’ he said.
Erebus’s Lair, Adelaide, South Australia
Once inside the apartment, Erebus had Collins tie the girl to a chair. Erebus undid her gag. ‘Now be a good girl,’ he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, which she tried to shrug off. He gave a small sigh and then walked into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind him.
‘This place is surprisingly posh . . .’ said the girl, regaining some of her courage, ‘. . . for a bunch of common criminals.’
Wilson snuck over to the bedroom, stooped down a bit and placed his ear against the door. ‘He’s talking to someone on the phone,’ he whispered to Collins. He listened some more. ‘He’s mentioning the jewel . . .’ He paused. ‘Now, he’s saying something about the girl . . .’ He glanced over at Collins. ‘What are you doing?’
Collins was sitting opposite the girl, gazing at her face. He seemed intrigued by her vivid blue eyes. The girl was trying to look everywhere but at him.
‘Stop it. I think you’re creeping her out,’ said Wilson. The door swung open and he half stumbled, bumping into Erebus’s chest. ‘Sorry, Boss,’ he said, straightening. ‘I thought I saw a moose – I mean a mouse.’
Erebus smiled and went to join Collins. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of the girl, he said, ‘So, young Azurien, what’s your name?’ The girl’s mouth tightened and her eyes flashed hatred. Undeterred, Erebus retrieved the necklace from his pocket and dangled it by its chain in front of her face. ‘Why would they send a young girl and an Agrarien boy to look for something so important?’ He paused, but received only silence in return. ‘They must be getting mighty desperate to send children.’ He rubbed the stubble on his chin for a while and then smiled. ‘Unless they didn’t send you at all . . . which means . . .’
He jumped up and paced around the room a few times. ‘Your Empyrean must be very worried,’ he went on.
‘How’d you get here?’ It was a useless question; she refused to answer. ‘Steal a hopper?’ A flash of surprise crossed her face and Erebus grinned. ‘You did steal a hopper. Well, well . . . quite the little thief.’ He seemed to change tack, then. ‘I’m sorry about your boyfriend. I’m sure he was quite nice . . . for an Agrarien.’
The girl gritted her teeth. If she hadn’t been bound to a chair, she looked as if she would have tried to rip his throat out.
‘My boss is exceptionally pleased that I have captured an Azurien,’ said Erebus. ‘She thinks you’ll make a great bargaining tool. But . . . you know . . .’ He cocked his head and looked at her sweetly. ‘If you were to co-operate with me, I might be able to get you out of this terrible mess . . . considering we’re the same.’
That seemed the final straw for the girl. She cursed at Erebus several times and then hissed, ‘You’re nothing but a filthy traitor.’
‘The young lady has a tongue,’ said Erebus, a smirk on his face. ‘And what a tongue.’ He gave her a wink. ‘I think you’ve been hanging out at the shipping docks for too long.’
‘Go to hell,’ said the girl.
Erebus placed the pendant necklace in his trouser pocket and then said, ‘Hungry?’
‘No.’
‘Collins, go make her something to eat.’ When Collins left the room Erebus added, ‘You wouldn’t believe it to look at him, but he makes the best cucumber and vegemite sandwiches I’ve ever tasted.’
‘This won’t work, you know,’ the girl spat.
‘What won’t?’ asked Erebus.
‘Trying to be nice to me. James will come. You don’t know what he can . . .’ The girl halted, bit her lip.
Erebus jerked back on the table. ‘James?’ He shook his head sympathetically. ‘I’m sorry . . . but unless he has superpowers . . . he’s dead. I didn’t want him to die. He seemed like a nice kid. But no one could survive that fall.’ Coolly, he continued, ‘So your best bet is to start cooperating . . . or you might end up the same way,’
The girl gasped and then screamed at him, ‘You are not fit to call yourself Azurien, you murderer!’
‘What? You don’t think Azuriens kill people?’ said Erebus, faking surprise. ‘Come, come, surely you’re not that naive?’
‘I’ve not heard of any . . . except you,’ she snarled.
Erebus responded with a sneer. ‘Really? How about your beloved Empyrean?’
‘He would never kill anyone,’ hissed the girl.
‘He murdered my mother!’ yelled Erebus, losing his composure for a second.
‘You lie! He would never . . .’ The girl’s hair flushed bright red like her face. She lashed out with her feet, trying to connect with Erebus’s private parts, but he was too quick and jumped out of the way. Her legs swung wildly in the air, making her chair overbalance. She fell heavily to the floor and cried out in pain.
Collins, who had just returned with a plate of sandwiches, quickly righted her chair and inspected her hands for any broken fingers by gently pulling on each one and wiggling it. He gave the nod that there were no broken bones, and then Erebus stormed off into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
The girl tried unsuccessfully to wipe the tears away using her shoulder as a handkerchief. Declining the sandwich Collins offered, she said, ‘Your boss is a . . .’
‘Now, now, no need to get personal,’ said Wilson. ‘He’s only doin’ his job. How about we watch somethin’ on the box?’ He picked up the remote. ‘We’ve been on the news every day this week. I feel like a movie star – don’t you, Collins?’ He flicked backwards and forwards through several stations, finally settling on one when Collins appeared to be moments away from taking the remote and shoving it down his throat.
‘Here we go . . . Rebecca Morse is on. She can read me the news anytime, hey Collins?’ Wilson gave Collins a nudge in the ribs with his elbow.
‘Police were called to a house in Marino, where a horrific ho
me invasion occurred overnight.’
‘That’s us, that’s us,’ said Wilson, pointing to the television.
Collins reached out and placed his massive hand on top of Wilson’s head, forcing him into the seat.
‘Brazen robbers tied up the residents and then ransacked the house.’
‘What? That’s not true,’ protested Wilson. ‘We never messed up nothin’.’ He pointed a thumb at Erebus’s bedroom. ‘He wouldn’t let us.’
‘News just at hand. The police have made a grim discovery, pulling an unidentified body out of the ocean not far from the house.’
The girl let out a small cry of shock. Wilson noticed her blonde hair fade to a dirty shade of ashen grey as tears cascaded down her face.
‘It is not known at this time if the body is related to the robbery. Police are urging any witnesses to come forward . . .’
Collins grabbed the remote from Wilson and flicked the television off. For a long while no one spoke, only the girl’s soft sobbing broke the gloomy silence.
Gaudy’s Jewellery Shop, Adelaide, South Australia
There was a soft hum as the photo emerged from the console. ‘Is there anything else?’ asked Angie.
Cirro looked at the image. ‘No this will do just fine.’ He stepped from the hopper and headed for the fire escape leading down to the street below. Two minutes later he was pushing the glass door open and a little bell was jangling overhead. He nodded to the shop assistant and reached inside his coat for his badge. Ten minutes later, he left the jewellery store, a smile of satisfaction on his face for the first time in a week.
SIXTY-SIX
A Park, Adelaide, South Australia
The park bench was already beginning to make permanent grooves in Cirro’s behind. It was not designed for – he glanced at the time on his Supasmart Z – four hours of continuous sitting. The afternoon sun was shining uncomfortably on the back of his neck as he thought-keyed through his Supasmart Z, searching for the latest news from Nebulosity. He had acquired a surprisingly good lead at Gaudy’s Jewellery store, which had brought him to this park, but since leaving the store he’d also been given bad news.
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