Clarity's Edge: Technopaladin, #1

by Elizabeth Corrigan

  “Cass gave me the day off,” Clarity said. “There was a bit of an altercation down at the gate, and that took up more of my time than I expected.”

  Zeal perked up. “An altercation by the gate? That sounds interesting. What happened?”

  “It’s a long story,” Clarity said. “I don’t suppose one of you would be willing to carry a tray for a poor girl with a broken ankle?”

  “Zeal will,” Hope said. When Zeal looked affronted, Hope grinned. “What? You’re going to tell Clarity the same story you told me about Mercy’s weird behavior, and you might as well do it where I don’t have to hear it again.”

  “I’m sorry my stories are so boring,” Zeal said, but she stood up and waited for Clarity to do the same.

  As they headed inside to the cafeteria line, Clarity asked, “What’s this about Mercy being weird? I just saw her this morning, and she seemed normal to me.”

  “Well, I thought she was normal, too, until she told me to toss out a perfectly good box of Dovexin,” Zeal said. “Apparently we’re living in such fortunate times, we can just toss out life-saving medication that doesn’t expire because we’ve got extra.”

  “Wait, what?” Clarity stopped dead in her tracks. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I know! That’s what I’m saying.” Zeal realized Clarity wasn’t following anymore and turned around. “I know there’s a vaccine for Clement’s Disease, but enough people are allergic that cases still pop up on occasion, and there are a number of off-label uses for Dovexin. There’s no reason to just throw it out.”

  No reason unless… Mercy wanted to say something about Cass this morning. Has she figured out what we’re up to?

  “Especially since it’s a biohazard,” Zeal continued. “But she specifically told me to put it in the dumpster behind the medical facility. I had half a mind to disobey, but she’s my boss, and I want to keep my internship.”

  Mercy’s actions were too bizarre to be coincidence. She must have realized Clarity needed the medication and expected Zeal to report the odd behavior. Clarity needed to get to the medicine before the dumpster compacted. “I… You know what? I’m suddenly not feeling very well. I don’t think I’m going to have lunch with you guys after all.”

  Zeal peered at Clarity. “You’re a terrible liar. What’s really going on?”

  Clarity shook her head. “It’s better if you don’t know. But thank you, Zeal. You don’t know what you’ve done.” Before her friend could ask any more questions, Clarity turned and headed out the door.

  Chapter 19

  “Have you been crawling around in a dumpster?” Cass asked when Clarity arrived at his office an hour later. “Because you smell terrible.”

  “Actually, yes,” Clarity said, then laughed at Cass’s shocked expression. Apparently he’d thought she’d have a better explanation than dumpster diving for the rank odor she carried with her. “On the bright side, I got the medication we need.”

  She moved to sit down in the extra chair in his office, and he pointed at her. “Don’t you dare use that chair. I’ll never get the smell out. Couldn’t you have showered before coming to see me? And I assume this medicine is for Evelyn?”

  Clarity huffed, hurt by his reaction, but did not sit. “She wanted me to get her more Dovexin. Her son is sick now, and the other parents heard about my generous nature. I planned to stop by to troubleshoot with you how to get more, but your mother helped me out.”

  Cass whipped his head around. “My mother helped you?” He gave the door a nervous glance, as if waiting for it to burst open. It didn’t, and Cass spoke in a lower voice when he continued. “You told her what we were up to?”

  “Of course not!” Does he really think I’d do that? Especially given what his mother said about the Azurites at dinner last week? “I was getting a check-up on my leg when you called, and she overheard. She also wanted to ask me something about you, so I think a better question is, did you tell her?”

  Cass let out a long breath. “I didn’t tell her, but I used her as an excuse for why I was looking up the Dovexin supply lines, and Tenacity tattled. Coupled with our conversation from dinner last week, she must have guessed what was up.”

  “Well, after I left, she told Zeal to throw out a box of Dovexin. She must have known Zeal would tell me about her strange behavior.” Clarity recalled the rank smell of the dumpster and had to suppress a gag. “I had to get the medicine out of the trash, thus my new perfume.”

  “Which you could have washed out before coming here.”

  “I could have.” Maybe I should have. “But I wanted to tell you as soon as possible about the new plan.”

  “We need a plan to bring a box of medicine to someone?”

  “We do when it’s in the Azure District.” Clarity took a deep breath. “I need you to go to Evelyn and give her the medication.”

  She expected an argument, but Cass looked calm. “A few days ago, you wouldn’t let me take that risk,” he said. “What made you change your mind?”

  “I promised.” Clarity thought back to the crowd of people in the alley who had witnessed her holding a man at knifepoint---and heard her vow never to return. “I said I would give Evelyn a single dose of medication and never go back.”

  Cass leaned back in his chair. “Let me get this straight. You know it’s not safe for paladins in the Azure District. You have evidence of this, because people tried to hurt you. Yet you want to send me in by myself because you made a promise to some Azurite thugs?”

  Clarity thought of Cass defenseless against people trying to hurt him, and she could have sworn her heart stopped beating for a second. “When you put it like that, having you go does seem a little foolhardy. I’m just not sure what they’ll do if I go back, and you scream ‘paladin’ slightly less than I do.”

  “Because people in the Azure District frequently have mechanical arms.” Cass’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I don’t have a blue patch on my clothes. I belong as much as you do.”

  “Okay, fine, you’re right,” Clarity said. “I guess I’ll go. At least you’ll know where I went, if I don’t come back.”

  “Hey.” Cass reached out a hand and put it on her arm. “If you want, I’ll go with you.”

  Clarity stared down at where they touched, and her breathing grew unsteady. “Are you sure? I know you’re in on this with me, but you haven’t done anything as illegal as going into the Azure District. Besides, it’s dangerous.”

  “Then I can’t let you go alone.” Cass’s voice was light, but when he looked her in the eyes, she could see some deep emotion there.

  “Okay.” Clarity knew she should say no, but she couldn’t deny she felt better about going with backup. “Let’s go.”

  Cass pulled his hand back and turned to his computer. “In a couple of hours. I can’t skip out on work again this week without putting Tenacity back on high alert. And you need to take a shower.”

  “Fine.” Clarity gathered up her crutches and moved toward the door. “I’ll meet you by the front gate in three hours. Don’t be late. I don’t want to be in the Azure District after dark.”

  Two hours and fifty-nine minutes later, Cass stood outside the Citadel gate thinking he should have worn a thicker jacket. The afternoon he had lain out on the lawn with Clarity had been so lovely and pleasant, he couldn’t believe the weather was so cold and windy. He glanced over at Al, who seemed unperturbed by the chill in the air. The owl had insisted on coming with him, despite all arguments to the contrary. The AI had been so docile since breaking Clarity’s leg, Cass had forgotten how difficult the robot could be. In the end, Al’s stubbornness won out, largely because Cass didn’t want to be late.

  He checked the time on his ocular implant, prepared to chastise Clarity for being late, but as the digits flipped, he heard the squeak of her crutches exiting the Citadel. Thankfully, Confidence was no longer on dut
y, and the man stationed at the gate didn’t know enough to guess their destination.

  Despite Clarity’s assertion that she wanted to be back before dark, the sun was already setting as they headed through the city. Cass had to wonder if nighttime would provide them with an advantage. The streets grew emptier as they approached the Azure District, the citizens of Londigium more sensible than the two paladins headed to forbidden ground in the dark and cold. With any luck, the Azurites would also have gone inside for the evening, and they could get in and out without anyone being the wiser.

  When they got to the Azure District, luck seemed to be in their favor, as the streets were empty. Despite the holes in the walls and roofs, the Azurites must have found their shops and homes warmer than the streets. Cass tried to keep track of the route Clarity took through the desolate alleys, but after a turn or two, all the buildings looked the same in the dim light. He trusted her to know where they were going, since she’d been to Evelyn’s house twice before.

  When Evelyn answered the door, she gave Cass a level look. “You brought another one,” she said to Clarity. “And a robot.”

  “This is Cass,” Clarity said. “You met him by the gate today. He’s been helping me out. I couldn’t have gotten the medicine without him.”

  “But you got it?” Evelyn’s stern expression softened as Clarity nodded, and the Azurite woman stepped back to let them inside.

  “Watch the door,” Cass told Al, then followed Clarity into the hovel. Cass was grateful for what amount of warmth the drafty room provided, especially in light of the cool look Evelyn gave him.

  “Cass doesn’t sound like a paladin name,” she said.

  “It’s Perspicacity.” Cass hoped Clarity would hurry up and get the medicine out of her satchel. Considering they were saving this woman’s children, she didn’t seem very friendly.

  Evelyn made an amused noise in her throat. “That doesn’t sound much like a paladin name either. Aren’t you all named things like Honor and Valor?”

  Cass stiffened. She doesn’t know, he thought. She’s just throwing out virtues. “Clarity, do you have that medicine?”

  Clarity pulled a grimy box out of her bag. “This should be enough,” she said. “If not, get a note to me through Grace or something. Don’t show up at the Citadel again.”

  “I learned that lesson,” Evelyn said.

  The three stood and stared at each other for a minute, as if unsure how to proceed. Cass didn’t want to stay, but he figured they at least deserved a thank you for risking everything to get her the Dovexin. For her part, Evelyn looked like she was trying to decide how quickly she could kick the people saving her children out of her house.

  Clarity cleared her throat. “Well---”

  A loud “Hoo!” interrupted whatever she was about to say. “Cass, you better get out here!” Al called.

  Cass and Clarity ran for the door, and as soon as they stepped outside, Cass at least wished he hadn’t. A half-dozen of the largest, gruffest men he had ever seen---which was saying something, since he had spent his life among paladins---approached the house. Evelyn was the only Azurite he had seen up close, but he suspected these men in suits were garbed better than the average citizen of the district, and each one carried a bat or laser pistol.

  “Run,” Clarity said. “There’s no way we can fight them all, and I can’t get away. You go, and I’ll find out what they want. Hopefully one paladin is enough for them.”

  Cass balked at the idea of leaving Clarity alone, even if he knew she was much more capable against a physical threat than he was. “I’m not letting you---”

  “Hoo!” Al dodged past Cass’s head and fled down the street away from the thugs. For a split second, Cass considered letting his owl brave the streets on his own, but he knew Clarity needed his help less than Al did.

  “Be safe,” he said to Clarity. Then he ran.

  He had almost caught up to Al when a gruff voice said, “Dennis and Zayne, after them!” Cass slowed as he glanced behind him to see two of the well-dressed men break off from the pack and head in his direction. Cass picked up his pace, knowing from his experience racing Clarity he couldn’t keep the speed up very long.

  “Do you know the way out of here?” he asked Al, who was thankfully keeping at the level of Cass’s head. I knew I should have memorized the route.

  “This way!” Al darted around a corner, his bright blue eyes lighting up a small space in front of him. Cass appreciated that, since no lights lined the streets, and he only had the dim light of the crescent moon to see by.

  The men were gaining on Cass. Just my luck to get chased down by fast thugs. I hope the way out is closer than I remember, or I’m in trouble. The flare from a laser pistol narrowly missed Cass’s head, and he hoped the thug had it set to nonlethal. They wouldn’t kill a paladin, would they? That would be more trouble for them than it’s worth. But he hadn’t taken the time to have a conversation with them. They might think he was a run-of-the-mill intruder.

  The cold night air hurt as it entered his warm lungs, and he found himself choking on it. Clarity was right. I should have been in training all this time. The road curved ahead of him, and he barely caught sight of Al turning a corner. He hoped the thugs were far enough behind that they wouldn’t be able to tell the direction he went, but he still heard their powerful footsteps getting closer. I guess there’s only one way out of the Azure District.

  Al swooped back and circled Cass’s head. “You have to run faster!” the owl said, seemingly oblivious to Cass’s pained gasps. “We’ll never make it to the exit at this rate.”

  Cass glowered at the owl for speaking the obvious, but he didn’t have the breath to say anything.

  “What we need is to outsmart them,” Al said. “We’re mechanical geniuses. We should be able to do that.” Al and Cass both eyed the buildings up ahead, looking for any kind of advantage. Several yards in front of them was a building with a fire escape.

  I can run up to the roof and maybe find some cover up there, but I’m going to lose speed on the stairs.

  “I have a plan!” The owl circled Cass’s head a few times, then headed, of all places, behind Cass. “You were the best creator a robot could have. Don’t fix me. It’s better this way.”

  “What are you---?” Before Cass could process what Al was saying, he reached the fire escape and had to turn to run up the stairs. As he reached the second story, he had a perfect view of his mechanical owl flying up to the face of the thug with the laser pistol. “Al, no!”

  Cass should have kept running. He knew he needed to keep running. But the sight of his creation going toe to head with two men who didn’t care that he was a miracle of modern science brought Cass to a sudden halt. He could do nothing but watch as the pursuer with the bat swung the weapon to knock Al out of the air. The small metal owl slammed into the nearby brick wall like the cheap toy Steadfastness always said he was, then crashed onto the ground, the light no longer glowing from his eyes.

  Cass wanted to run down to Al, but he couldn’t let the AI’s sacrifice be in vain. Blinking back tears, he hurried up the remaining three stories of the fire escape onto the roof of a nearby building. Desperate to catch his breath, Cass ducked behind a rooftop HVAC unit and crouched there until he heard the sound of feet pounding up the metal stairs. Grateful the roofs of the rowhouses were connected, he raced across a few more buildings before trying to get a glimpse of his surroundings.

  He thought he could see the entrance to the Azure District a few streets over, and from the looks of things, he could continue on his current path. Climbing up and down the edges of each building was taking its toll, and he knew he’d feel like crap in the morning. Still, he continued like his very life depended on it, because he couldn’t rule out the fact that it was.

  He reached a five-foot-wide gap in the roof, and during the few minutes he took to gauge the leap, he realized
he no longer heard footsteps behind him. Unable to take the time to ponder what that meant, he braced himself and jumped. His first foot landed solidly on the other side, but his left foot didn’t quite make it. He lost his balance and tumbled over the edge. He reached out with his mechanical hand to grab the edge of the roof and caught it with grasping fingertips. The arm could hold his weight, he knew, but to pull himself up, he needed the muscles in his shoulder, and he didn’t have the energy left for that.

  He glanced down at the ground four stories below. He spotted a tree that might slow his fall, but he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t break his leg anyway. Before he could get up the courage to drop, Dennis and Zayne rounded the corner on the ground.

  “Ha!” said the one with the bat. The one who murdered Al. “Told you he’d lose his footing at the gap.”

  “You were right,” the other said. “Hey, paladin! We’ll come up and save your miserable life, but if we do, you’re coming with us.”

  Cass took a deep breath. He didn’t think he had much choice. Still, he hesitated.

  “Tick-tock, paladin!”

  Hating himself more with every second, Cass surrendered.

  Chapter 20

  Clarity watched Cass chase after his owl and hoped against hope he would be safe. Archer sent two of the thugs to chase him down, and Clarity tried to believe Cass’s brief stint in training had paid off, or that Archer had chosen some of his slower guards to give chase. She didn’t have high expectations for either scenario.

  She held up her head and looked over the men in front of her one by one, stopping with Archer. “What do you want?”

  “I? I want nothing more than an end to your interference,” Archer said.

  “Right,” Clarity said. “You brought me to the Azure District to show me its struggles, and you didn’t have any expectations? I don’t believe that. What was your endgame, then, if it wasn’t for me to interfere?”