The Composer of Screams

by Matthew McCollum

  Laura poked it very lightly with a finger. “You haven't tested it yet, I take it?”

  “No, no.” Clarke jumped, nearly dropping the heart in the process, as a thought occurred to him. “That reminds me! Lily, whenever you're ready, we can start the surgery.”

  “We're in the middle of something here,” she said. “Planning for tomorrow. I'll be in... say... Monday? The heart can keep until then. And it will give you time to make spares.”

  Clarke nodded happily. “Of course, of course. It will be good practice. If we can replicate your heart, we can replicate anyone's. I'll leave you to it.” He headed out the same way he came in, literally giggling.

  Ling frowned as she stepped forward again. Derek hadn't heard her retching. Apparently she had managed to keep her dinner down. “Why can't we tell him what we're really doing, again?”

  “Only the people in this room have been cleared,” Laura said. “And trying to get a blood sample from Doctor Clarke would raise too much attention.”

  Ling rolled her eyes. “Yeah, thanks for that.” She glared at Adam. “Did you really have to go that far?”

  He shrugged, unconcerned, as Lily finished his bandages. “It worked out in the end. Although I still think we should bring Lizzy in—”

  “No,” Laura and Derek said at once. They looked at each other, and she nodded to allow him to continue. “No. We're not getting her involved in this. She's...” He shook his head to clear another migraine. “We're not going to suck her into this. Not to mention you already failed getting a blood sample from her... what? Five times?”

  “Twice,” he corrected. “Including the time with Ling. It's just bad luck. I can get it next time.”

  “It would draw too much attention,” Derek said. “And it's irrelevant anyway.” Not to mention he seemed to have bad luck getting these samples in general. He had mentioned he had tried to get some from Simon and his new girlfriend, but been interrupted by a gargant attack.

  He threw up his hands in defeat. “Fine. Then can someone tell me why my girlfriend is getting a heart transplant?”

  Lily frowned. “Didn't I tell you Doctor Clarke was using my cells as seeds for his project?”

  Adam grimaced again as she tightened his bandage. “Nope.”

  She shrugged. “Well, he is. It's no big deal.”

  He seemed ready to retort, but Derek changed the subject before he got a chance. “So how are we going to get the location from the sleepers? You still haven't explained that.”

  Laura patted the strange device she was working on. It looked like a large robotic arm, coming down from the ceiling, but instead of tools on the end there was a place to look into, like at the eye doctor's.

  “This is something Moradin cooked up a while ago. He designed it to help people remember their dreams. MC figured out a way to tweak it a little.” She grinned, and she suddenly didn't seem quite as intimidating as people always claimed. Making progress on a project always did that to her. “Now you could call it a reverse hypnotism machine.”

  Derek had to fight to keep himself from sounding skeptical. He didn't want to ruin this for her. “So... it will make the sleeper run his orders in reverse?”

  She sighed, and her face went hard again. “No, of course not. But it will let him remember what happened, which should lead us to the Composer's lair.”

  “Why didn't you already?” Akane asked from the corner, where she was keeping an eye on everything. She was insistent that the singer had been telling the truth, though she couldn't say why. She probably saw something in his eyes that she couldn't quite explain.

  Laura coughed uncomfortably. “Well... yes. I haven't done it yet for much the same reason Moradin let the project die. There are... side effects.”

  Ling smiled knowingly, like she always did when a “plot twist” came up. “Insanity? Hallucinations?”

  “Well... yes,” Laura admitted. “But those are easily treatable. The problem is a bit more serious.”

  Derek frowned. “What is it?” It must be serious, for her to beat around the bush like this.

  Laura stuttered a little, hesitating even more, so MC stepped in.

  “Their head explodes,” she said flatly. “A day or so after the treatment.”

  “Technically, just their brain explodes,” Laura corrected quickly. “The rest of the skull is fine.”

  Lily looked up. “Wait, I've heard about this. Isn't that exactly the sort of thing the Banyan party is trying to outlaw with the Mental Health and Safety bill?”

  Laura looked uncomfortable. “Well... yes. But the law hasn't been passed yet. The Kongeegen are blocking it, with the Iluvatar leaning towards passing it, and the Granit leaning towards not. But right now, it's still between the Banyans and the Kongs.”

  Derek glared at her, ignoring the political talk. “We are not killing someone.”

  “Better than the Composer,” Akane muttered.

  “She's got a point,” Adam put in. “One life to stop this guy? Cheap at ten times the price.”

  Derek stood firm. “The point is to not become monsters in order to stop a monster.”

  “I'm already a monster!” Lily said cheerfully, though he saw a shadow in her eyes. She didn't like this any more than he did, she was just trying to lighten the mood.

  Derek sighed. “Not the time.” He turned to Laura again. “If we had a volunteer, then maybe—”

  “Adonides already jumped at the call,” MC said. “He offed a couple of his friends while he was under, and he's chomping at the bit for some redemption.”

  Derek silently counted to ten. Why were they even having this discussion?

  “Derek,” Laura said as she stepped forward. Her hand edged to her necklace, but she stopped herself. “This isn't like killing some random civilian for a one-in-a-million shot at finding the Composer. This is a very good chance, and Adonides knows how it will end.” She met his gaze, her black eyes unwavering. “I know you can stop this if you have a mind to. So I'm asking you, please, let us do this.”

  Derek didn't break the gaze. He didn't say a single word.

  Eventually, she broke eye contact, stepping back again, trying not to make it too obvious she was avoiding looking at him.

  He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Just... give me two days to think about it, okay? Can it wait 'til Sunday?”

  Laura looked up and frowned. “It really shouldn't... but I understand. Sunday.” She pushed a button, and the machine recessed back into the ceiling. “But we need to be ready at first light, Sunday morning. No delays.”

  Derek nodded. “No delays.”

  Chapter 52: SUMPTU

  ARTEMIS

  The fel threw herself at the strong metal mesh of her cage, snarling at them. Or trying to, anyway. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out, the wound that had severed her vocal cords years ago still visible as a scar on her furry throat.

  “I told you, Artemis,” Isaac said. “She hasn't settled down at all. She's still clearly 'aggressive.' I don't know why you expected her to revert.”

  “It was just a theory,” Artemis said. He patted him on the shoulder. He looked down at him and smiled. Isaac wasn't too short, but Artemis was tall, and he was hunched over with his fake age. “Weren't you the one who told me to always tell you about my theories?”

  Isaac rolled his eyes. “Because last time, it set me on the path to the toy maker.”

  “Exactly. Sometimes you need a non-scientist to give you a fresh perspective.” He shrugged. “But if I was right every time, I'd be a scientist.”

  Isaac smiled a little. Just a little, though. They had far too much on their minds for humor.

  “Admiral Ursler,” Artemis said. She was patiently waiting a few steps behind them. “You have those numbers I requested?”

  Like Isaac, Janelle Ursler used the toy maker to appear older than she actually was, but for her it was because no one would take her seriously otherwise. She was very young for an admiral, not that Artemis cared. He promot
ed his people based on merit, not age or position.

  “Four biters,” she responded promptly. “One-hundred and twenty-eight burners. Five-hundred and three bats, nine-hundred and eighty bleeders, an even two-hundred skins, and nine-hundred and seventy two lasers.” She put the pad down. “That's two-thousand, seven-hundred and eighty-seven total. That includes the ones gained in testing, accidents, and those lost due to accidents.”

  “Thank you,” Artemis said, taking the pad from her. “I appreciate the help.” They were short-staffed at the moment, so he had asked her to grab the data for him, even though normally someone of her rank would never have to play aide like that. “Now, what about your own report?”

  “Sir.” She saluted crisply. “The Battle of Chronias was an utter failure. In addition to having the second-highest number of new screamers, we also had the highest number of deaths, and the second-highest amount of property damage. But even if that had all gone well, we still lost Zaphkiel.” She bowed—an interesting trick, with the massive tail that had replaced her legs. “I will accept any punishment you deem necessary.”

  “None,” he said without hesitation. She looked up at him in surprise. “You are an admiral. I know your skill on land is less than perfect.”

  She worked her mouth silently, searching for something to say, before simply bowing her head again. “Thank you, sir.”

  “I do have other questions, of course. First, how did Medina do?”

  Ursler's brow furrowed briefly, before clearing. “Oh, right, the Highlander.”

  Now it was his turn to be surprised. “The... Highlander?”

  She nodded. “Yes, one of my men moonlights as a bodyguard for Medina's friend Lizzy. Apparently that's her nickname for her.” She shrugged. “It kinda stuck with me.”

  “Fine, I suppose it doesn't matter. How did she do?”

  “Pretty well, considering everything that went wrong. She got the Draculas whipped into shape quickly, and used them to take out the generators while the EMP had them disabled. After that, it was pretty much a turkey shoot.”

  That was about what Artemis had expected. All the reports he was getting praised Laura's strategy; Victor and Maria would be pleased, at least. “That's more than enough. I'm sure your written report will provide more detail.” He turned back to Kat, still thrashing about in her cage. She turned into a bat briefly and threw her herself against the double-layered mesh weakly a few times, before smoking back into a cat-girl. “What is the situation with the Northern Fleet?”

  “The Rahabs are getting more aggressive—not something I would have thought possible. They probably think the screamers are weakening us.”

  Artemis snorted. “They are. The question is whether or not it will be a weakness the Rahabs can take advantage of. How many ships have we lost?”

  “Just one so far, the Merchant Registry ship Eatonrun. Just a food supplier—as that ridiculous name implies—so there was minimal crew on board, and they all survived. We were also able to salvage most of the cargo, though the 'habs stole enough of it to keep themselves going for a while.”

  The Rahabs weren't a culture, not really. They were just a gang, united by nothing but hatred. They were the last of the old gangs, in fact, largely because they kept to Whitecap Bay, where Necessarian forces were already spread thin.

  But that was precisely what made them so dangerous. They didn't have the numbers of any of the real cultures, but it didn't take many men to sink a ship, if you knew what you were doing. And there were more of them than Artemis was comfortable with. Even their ramshackle little fleet was far larger than the 'sarian one.

  Well, he didn't have time to worry about that right now. The screamers were taking all of his attention. “Thank you, Ursler. Admiral Briggs is in the West Wing. I'm sure you two have many things to discuss.”

  She performed that strange bow again and slithered off to find her southern counterpart. It was indicative of their small navy that they had a grand total of two admirals.

  He turned his attention back to Isaac. “Well? How bad is it?”

  He rubbed his forehead. “Between the cages, feeding them, and all the precautions we have to take in order to keep our guards and aides from getting infected...” Isaac shook his head. “Too much. It costs far too much.”

  “Domina isn't equipped with prisons,” Mary Christina said from a wall speaker. “The city is a prison. I'm not sure how much longer we can last like this. We're going to have to start eliminating captured screamers soon.”

  Artemis leaned heavily on his cane. Killing enemy combatants or criminals was one thing. But the only thing these people were guilty of was getting infected. If they just started throwing them to the dogs, there would be riots. And the public would find out. The Paladins would notice when the screaming started to die down, and Derek at least wouldn't let it stand uncontested. And he wouldn't be the only one.

  “I take it you still haven't had any luck curing them?” I asked Isaac.

  He gave Artemis a sad little smile; they both knew he would have told him about something that important. “No progress whatsoever. I think the singers might be the key, but we don't have any of those in custody.”

  “I hope that's not what you called us here for.”

  Artemis turned at the cheerful voice to see Victor Medina and Maria Huntsman striding up.

  He felt a smile find its way onto his face, despite the grim situation. Those two reminded him of happier times. “I wasn't sure you two would make it.”

  Maria shrugged. “We were in the area. And getting past your security sounded like fun.”

  Artemis had given the pair a set of alpha-level security badges pretty much at the same time as he created the security system in the first place. Not that it mattered. They insisted on sneaking in every single time. Sometimes they actually succeeded, but most of the time his men just pretended not to see them.

  “Well, never mind that now. I have an assignment for you two.” He saw the disturbed looks on their faces. “And before you ask, it doesn't involve capturing a singer.”

  “As long as it's not capturing the Composer himself instead, I think we'll manage,” Maria said with a grin.

  “I need you to find Zaphkiel.”

  Victor leaned against the cages, either not noticing or not caring about the screamers trying and failing to claw at him. “What do you need the Watcher for?”

  “And why do you need us to find him?” Maria said. “I thought you were still on relatively good terms with him.”

  “I am. But he's a screamer now, and the Composer has him.”

  Maria groaned. “Silver moon and golden sun, Artemis. Can't you ever give us anything easy?”

  “If this was easy, I'd just send your kids.”

  Victor held up his hand. “Wait one second.”

  “Don't worry, I know you're busy tomorrow. This can wait a few days.”

  “That's not what I meant. We're not exactly humble, we know we're good. But surely you can't expect us to beat a warlord, let alone a screamer?”

  Artemis started walking away from the cages, limping a little, and the others followed. “Don't worry about that. I just need you to find him. I'll have someone else capture him.”

  Maria still sounded confused. “Who?”

  Artemis grinned a little wolfishly. “His mother, of course.”

  Victor quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “You can't get her involved. If the Mother Monster is turned—”

  Artemis raised his hand to quiet him. “Simmer down, Victor. She won't get close to him. She hates violence, anyway.”

  Mary Christina spoke up from the speakers. “Let's just say that the most powerful monster in the city will make good bait.”

  Victor and Maria still looked apprehensive.

  “I did most of her buffs myself,” Isaac said. “They'll never catch her.”

  Artemis smiled. “And that's why she's good bait.”

  Chapter 53: AMICITIA

  LA
URA

  “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEREK!” everyone cried.

  He grinned. “I thought we were doing this later?”

  Laura shrugged. “Maria and Dad had something come up, so we decided to do it early.”

  “Besides, this is payback for my party,” Akane said, playfully punching him in the shoulder. “Now you know how it feels.”

  Ling smiled, shifting her present under one arm. “Hardly the same thing.”

  “Come on,” Laura said, pushing past Derek and out of his room. “They're waiting down at the park.”

  He glanced around, a small frown beginning to form. “Where's Lizzy?”

  “Sorry, that's my mistake,” Flynn apologized. “I forgot to tell Ling until the last minute, and she wasn't able to get a hold of her.”

  “She's in the middle of something with Turgay anyway,” Ling added.

  Laura bit her lip. “Have we met Turgay?”

  Ling shrugged. “Adam has, and Lily already knew him. I don't think the rest of you have.”

  They finally managed to reach the elevator—with nine of us, it was much harder than it had any right to be—and headed downstairs without any more incident.

  “How's that new job treating you, Flynn?” Derek asked before the silence had a chance to become uncomfortable.

  “Good actually,” Flynn said. “The kids are great, and it gives me something to do.” He grinned a little. “I'm not like you guys. With my skills, I really shouldn't be wandering the streets looking for monsters to slay.”

  “Got that right,” Akane muttered, her beads clicking as she pushed her hair back. Laura noticed that she was wearing the onyx earrings Flynn had bought her for her own birthday earlier in the month. Good for her.

  Adam frowned as the elevator doors opened. “You're... teaching 'sarian kids sword fighting, right?”

  They all piled out into the lobby, past Emily, who was still reading one of her magazines. “General self-defense,” Flynn said. “These are eight and nine-year olds. Too early for swordplay.”

  Akane shrugged as they walked out the front doors. “I started when I was five.”