Organ Reapers

by West, Shay

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Eli left the office, surprised his plan actually worked. Platt usually didn’t put much stock in polygraphs, said they were too easy to fool. But Eli figured that since these people weren’t from here and didn’t know about the test, they wouldn’t be able to control their bodily functions enough to fool it. Satrick seemed to fool it.

  It was the only explanation that made sense. Satrick had somehow been able to fool the machine into thinking he was telling the truth, keeping the Feds from digging any deeper. Eli thought that it was something the killers must have been trained to do in case they were ever captured. The closer he got to the interrogation room, the more the idea blossomed in his head. I can’t believe I almost fell for their bullshit story.

  He found Ava in the interrogation room. An officer already had Tani hooked up to the machine. The young man sat there with his hands in his lap looking like he was about to take his last breath.

  “The machine won’t hurt you. It has the ability to pick up when you’re lying,” Eli explained.

  “Everything I’ve told you was true. Why would I lie?”

  “I had some time to think about that when I was seeing the captain. See, I think you and the others that are a part of your strange group are trained to lie when captured. But this machine will get to the bottom of everything.”

  Eli ignored Ava as she tried to get his attention. He’d exaggerated the usefulness of the machine, but he hoped Ava would keep quiet about it. If the suspects didn’t know he was lying about what it could do, they might let something slip.

  Keena sat in the corner, head down, hair hanging over her face. Perhaps we need to question them separately again.

  He walked over to Ava. “Maybe you should take her and question her again in a separate room.”

  She shook her head. “I want to see her reactions to the questions we ask. You focus on Tani and I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Eli nodded. Her idea made sense. The two were obviously close. If Keena reacted to something Tani said, it might give him an angle to work. How am I supposed to work with the kind of story they’re feeding me?

  When the technician indicated the machine was ready, Eli began questioning Tani.

  “State your name for the record.”

  “Tani.”

  Eli sighed. “Please state your full name.”

  Tani frowned. “That is the only name I have.”

  He tried a different tactic. “What was the name you were given when you were born?”

  “Tani.”

  “Come now. No one uses only one name. Isn’t it true that Tani is the name you took after becoming a killer?” Eli didn’t try to hide the anger in his voice.

  Tani shook his head. “No. It is the name I have always had.”

  “So you’ve been a killer all your life then?” Eli leaned forward to see the lines on the paper coming out of the machine.

  “No, of course not. I have only been a Harvester for two turnings of the seasons.”

  The lines ran straight and true, barely moving from the center line. Eli looked at the technician who merely shrugged his shoulders.

  “How many people have you killed since becoming a Harvester?” Eli decided to go for the jugular.

  “Five.”

  Eli sat back in his chair, stunned that the young man had revealed that bit of news so quickly.

  “What were their names?” he asked softly.

  “We never knew their names, only what they looked like.”

  The lines didn’t deviate in the slightest. Eli continued to question Tani on things he had mentioned: the priests, the gateways, the organs, being from a different world. Tani never hesitated before answering.

  “Are you sure this thing is working right?” Eli asked.

  The technician raised his hands. “As far as I know.”

  “As far as you know?”

  “Want me to try a different one?”

  Eli shook his head. “No. Let me try something.” He faced Tani again, patience wearing thin. “When I ask you if your name is Keena, answer yes, okay?”

  Tani didn’t say a word, just sat there looking miserable.

  “Is your name Keena?” Eli asked.

  “Umm, yes.”

  The machine spit out paper with lines that clearly indicated Tani was lying. We know the machine works. But that still left Eli with a problem. Either the lad was telling the truth or he was convinced he was telling the truth. Eli had dealt with his fair share of delusional suspects and they all believed they were something they weren’t. Hell, one suspect was convinced he was a superhero and tried to prove it by taking a dive off the top of a building. That was after he’d killed his wife and kids, thinking they were villains.

  Eli turned to the technician. “Thanks, but I’ll take it from here.”

  The tech shrugged and left the interrogation room.

  Ava walked up and sat on the corner of the table, exposing her spectacular legs. “Convinced yet?”

  “The only thing I’m convinced of is that these two think they’re from another world. It’s a scenario they’ve obviously been fed over and over until they either believe it or they can give a good impression that they do.”

  Ava shook her head. “That doesn’t fit the evidence we have.”

  “I’ll find something to explain all that.”

  Ava faced Eli. She was angry, angrier than he had ever seen her. She’s even sexier when she’s pissed. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes flashed.

  “You won’t find a damn thing and you know it! You’ll never be able to explain the flash of light, their strange DNA, how they can be in two places almost at once.”

  “We don’t know anything about their DNA as it hasn’t been run yet. Maybe they are perfectly normal.”

  Ava snorted. ”Give me a break, Robins. You’re reaching. The only explanation that works with the evidence is their story and you know it.”

  “I know what is true, not some strange tale that sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi book. We’re detectives, Ava, and trained to look at the evidence. Their story can’t possibly be true.”

  “Why?”

  Eli laughed at the seriousness of her face as she asked the question. “What do you mean?”

  “Why can’t it be true? Just because you’ve never come across anything like this doesn’t mean it’s not true. People have been speaking of strange occurrences all over the world for centuries. They can’t all be crazy.”

  “I’d rather bet they’re crazy than that they’ve seen aliens or Bigfoot.”

  Eli wished he could take her seriously, but the idea of another world was preposterous. It was more likely they had stumbled on some sort of cult that held to an ancient belief of burning human organs as part of some sacrifice to a medieval god.

  “What will it take to convince you?” she asked.

  “If I see a gateway open up right in front of me and if someone from this other world comes through it, then maybe I’ll believe.”

  “Geez, not asking for much, are you?”

  Eli turned to Tani. “Is there a place where your kind arrives for each visit or is it a different place each time?”

  “When we come here it’s usually the same place.”

  Eli leaned forward eagerly. “Can you show me where it is?”

  “Of course, but it will do no good.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Unless the gateway is activated, the area looks like normal scenery.”

  Eli blew air out of his nose. “Of course it does. Pretty convenient. When is someone scheduled to come here again?”

  Tani shrugged. “I don’t know. If someone here matches the person that is dying on my world, then they will be targeted for Harvesting.”

  “Wait a second, you’re telling me your world has the ability to do MHC matching?” Ava asked incredulously.

  Eli didn’t pretend to know everything about organ donation, but he knew enough to realize that for someone t
o get an organ, they had to match on a genetic level, at least as close as the doctors could get.

  “I don’t know what any of that means. I just know the person here is a match for the person that is ill on my world.”

  “If your people have the ability to genetically check for viable people here, why don’t they just do the same for people who have died on your world and take their organs? Why kill people here?” Ava faced Tani with her hands on her hips. Eli was glad her anger wasn’t directed at him.

  “The gods on my world forbid the mutilation of the dead. It is written in our sacred texts,” Tani explained.

  “But the gods are perfectly okay with killing someone? Most religions I know of don’t look too kindly on murdering people,” Ava said disgustedly.

  “The priests believe the machine was given to us for this very purpose. Master Kelhar believes the gods want him to save the lives of our people at all costs.”

  Ava turned to face Eli. “Can you believe this?”

  “Tani, didn’t your priests ever consider the possibility that this machine of yours was simply meant for visiting and not killing?” Eli asked.

  “This is one of the reasons we came here for help.”

  “How do these machines work exactly?” Eli asked.

  “We do not know. Master Kelhar found the scrolls and got the machines working again.”

  “Is it some sort of magic or do you have technology like ours?”

  Tani shook his head. ”We don’t have technology like yours. Our mages can perform some of what you would call magic, but it’s mainly used in healing and speaking to the gods.”

  “Well, forgive me for saying this, but it sounds like your priests have been talking more to devils than to gods if they have convinced your people that killing is perfectly fine,” Eli said, his temper flaring once more.

  “They would never do such a thing,” Tani said looking horrified.

  “Since you never questioned them until recently, how can you be sure?” Eli asked, satisfied at seeing the look of doubt that crossed Tani’s face.

  Eli was at an impasse. He had questioned the suspect and wasn’t entirely convinced he was telling the truth. Tani said he didn’t know the names of any of the people he had killed. Unless Eli could get him to confess to specific murders, he’d be forced to hand him and Keena over to the Feds—the very worst-case scenario—to let them go. Part of him wanted to do that and be done with it. He needed to focus on finding real evidence, not wasting his time listening to stories.

  “I’m going to speak to the captain. We need to give Charlie the time he needs to see if he can match these two with any of the footage we have thus far and to do the DNA analysis. I’m not handing them over to the Feds until we have chance to nail them, Eli said.

  “I’ll go push Charlie. I’ll start looking through the photos and see if I can find anything.” Ava left the room.

  Eli turned to face Tani and Keena, placing his hands on the table so that he leaned over them. “Your time is running out. I’m taking you back to your holding cell for now, but when I return from speaking to the captain, I want to hear the truth, not some cock-and-bull story about being from another world. My patience with you has reached its limits.”

  Eli took the pair back to the holding cell. It grated, knowing that if he couldn’t get them to confess or if Charlie couldn’t tie them to a victim, he’d be out of options.

  At least if they’re in the custody of the Feds, they aren’t running free.

  CHAPTER 26

  “TANI, THAT MAN was very angry.”

  He sat next to Keena on the bench and took her hand. “Remember, he’s an Enforcer. They aren’t on our side.”

  “The lady seemed like she wanted to listen.”

  He shook his head. “She will do what the dark-skinned man says.”

  “What are we to do?”

  Tani swallowed the lump in his throat. Fear threatened to steal his wits, but he couldn’t lose it; Keena needed him to be strong. She looked so small and frail sitting in the bench with her hands between her shaking knees. Slowly, gently, Tani pulled her close until her head rested on his shoulder. He felt her body tremble as he held her close.

  “We will keep trying to convince these Enforcers that we speak the truth,” Tani said.

  “What if we can’t?”

  He hated seeing the look of despair and defeat in her eyes. He wanted to promise her everything was going to be fine, but he was beginning to think they had made the wrong decision in coming back to this world. They could have stayed and perhaps lived full lives, maybe raised a houseful of children.

  But they would always have to live in fear of the Enforcers and the priests and for Tani, that was no way to live. He squeezed Keena’s shoulders.

  “At least we’re safe from Master Kelhar here.”

  ***

  Cees glanced at his partner, Saxon, making sure the man placed the five gateway stones safely in his knapsack. He wanted to leave this place as soon as they apprehended the defectors. Even though it was the dead of night, this world was full of strange and terrifying sounds.

  “We should have told Kelhar to bugger off. We don’t belong here,” Saxon said as he slung his pack on his shoulders.

  “Doesn’t matter. We have a job to do.”

  Cees turned in place, trying to gain a feel for where Tani and Keena might have gone. He spotted something that looked like a flame far off in the distance.

  Without a word to Saxon, he set off toward the faint orange glow. As he walked, Cees wondered what manner of magic made the tall metal trees glow at their tops.

  Suddenly, something came out of the dark, a beast with two white eyes. It growled and squealed as it drew near.

  “Hey, you idiot, get the hell out of the street!”

  Cees and Saxon covered their ears when the beast let out an angry blaring sound.

  “Was that a person inside that monster?” Saxon asked as the thing passed by.

  “Perhaps the beast fed prior to coming out here. Perhaps we should move, so we lessen our chances of encountering another one.”

  Cees’s heart raced as they moved closer to the massive towers made of stone. Everything about this world was large and loud. Nothing looked familiar. Saxon stayed right on his heels, nearly walking over him in his desire to stay close. Cees didn’t blame the man. It would be too easy to lose oneself in the endless shadows, perhaps to be swallowed up by some other manner of monster.

  As the pair got closer to the orange light, Cees breathed a sigh of relief. It was a fire, something he recognized, something familiar. There were people standing around it; he could hear them laughing and the low murmur of their voices.

  “Hey Mona, here’s another couple of sharp dressers like we seen earlier.”

  Cees frowned at the man who had spoken.

  “Where you guys comin’ from anyways, some sort of Renaissance fair?” a second man asked.

  “We are searching for two young people,” Cees said.

  “They friends of yours?” the one called Mona asked.

  “In a manner of speaking. We need to find them.”

  “Not much for small talk, are ya?” the first man said as he scratched his scraggly hair.

  “I sent ‘em over to the shelter over on State Street,” Mona answered.

  “Show me where to find this shelter.” Cees stepped closer to her.

  “It’s a few blocks away, over on State Street like I said,” she said, eyes growing wide.

  “Look, we don’t want no trouble. Just go a few blocks in that direction and you’ll find it,” the second old man said, pointing toward a group of tall buildings.

  Cees signaled Saxon to follow as he led the way in the direction the old man had pointed. He had no idea what a shelter was or what it looked like, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. He and Saxon would have an easier time finding Tani and Keena if they avoided unwanted attention.

  The far off rumblings of the metal machines reached his
ears. His eyes roamed the unfamiliar territory, hoping he would catch sight of one of the beasts before it nearly killed them like before. There were more of the strange branchless trees with lights on top. He ran his hand across the surface. It feels nothing like bark, and yet what else could grow so tall and thin?

  He avoided gazing up toward the sky. The height of the buildings made him dizzy and weak-kneed. He kept his face still as stone, so as not to give away the fear threatening to send him back to his own world. I have a duty to perform and I will only return when I have the defectors in custody.

  “We should have asked what this shelter looked like,” Saxon said, his voice a low growl.

  “We’ll find it.”

  The other man merely grunted in response. Cees knew Saxon wouldn’t question his authority even if he thought the decisions were in poor judgment. Cees almost wished he would. He had no idea how to proceed, and every second spent in this loud and smelly world made him wish he would have refused to come. Then it would be you Master Kelhar would be seeking.

  There was one building that appeared to have lamps lit even at this late hour. Perhaps that is the shelter. Cees approached slowly, unsure of what other strange things would come at him. He was grateful he hadn’t seen any more of the loud metal beasts, but that didn’t mean there weren’t unseen monsters lurking in the shadows.

  He walked to the window and peered inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pair he was after. If not, he would at least get an idea of the layout and have time to form a plan of action. He and Saxon would need to capture Tani and Keena, somehow find where the Enforcers of this world had taken Satrick, and take them all back home using the gateway stones. And all without being taken into custody by the Enforcers of this world. Cees had no idea what punishment was like here, but he had a feeling it would be more brutal than anything on his world.

  Saxon positioned himself so that he could see if anyone or anything was coming up from behind. Cees wished he had a full detachment, but that many men would be too difficult to keep track of, and it was much more difficult to bring that many people back through the gateway. They would have to go a few at a time, increasing the chances they would be caught before they could all return.