I just hope it goes well.
*
“Seriously, Raoul,” Harrison says, staring through the cage in front of us to address the head of the Prop Department. “How on Earth did you manage to pull this one off?”
The older, white-haired man laughs and mentions some deal that the Department has with a nearby zoo, but I’m not focusing on him.
I’m focusing on the six and a half foot tall, five hundred pound bear looking back at us from behind the bars.
When Harrison and I had first received this Wish assignment, my partner had to read the form three times before the words sunk in. I was less shocked. I had enacted a “shark attack” Wish years ago, but the details of this submission still caught me by surprise.
Our client, a hundred and seventy-four year old from the city suburbs named Ricardo Alexson, had always wanted to know what it feels like to be attacked by a bear. Ridiculous? Yes. But that’s our job, and I try not to judge. The most difficult part of this Wish—after tracking down a full-grown bear—was figuring out how to complete it. After all, any injuries that Mr. Alexson would sustain from the animal would heal over, and we wouldn’t be able to remove his Life Chip if there was an enraged Grizzly hovering around the client. So after a brain-storming session that lasted an entire afternoon and evening, Harrison and I finally came up with a plan.
Before being released into the area set aside for Wish completion, the caretakers of the bear will coat its claws in a thick gel containing a powerful sedative. When the bear’s claws rake across Ricardo Alexson’s skin, the chemicals will enter his bloodstream, rendering him unconscious for a short amount of time. Once that happens, Harrison and I will shoot the bear with tranquilizer guns, causing it to fall asleep as well. Then, while the zoo caretakers transport the animal back into its cage, Harrison and I will remove our client’s Life Chip while he’s unconscious. The tricky part will be avoiding the rampaging mammal with sedative-laced claws, but with the hundreds of hours we’ve spent in our physical training we are both confident that we’ll be able to pull it off.
I turn my gaze away from the bear to my boyfriend, who is running over the details of this afternoon’s Wish with Raoul one final time. After Raoul leaves, Harrison turns to me with a wink and holds out his hand.
“Lunch?”
*
I lean back in my chair with a happy sigh, my stomach full of garlic pasta. Harrison is still working on his clam chowder, and I look around while he picks at his dish. We’re sitting outside one of the cafes located inside Headquarters. The gentle sunlight is warm on my skin. We are nearing the end of summer, and the leaves on the trees are already changing color. The foliage located in the complex is genetically engineered, as severe population density has made plant life in the city nearly non-existent. But the founders of the Security Branch wanted us to have a nice place to live in, so the branch’s Engineers worked alongside plant geneticists many years ago to give us the trees, bushes, and ivy that decorate the area.
I look at the man sitting across from me affectionately. Harrison is lost in thought, so I take the opportunity to admire him. He’s wearing a sky blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His communicator necklace has slipped underneath his shirt, so only the black cord looped around his neck is visible. The light blue of his shirt nicely compliments his caramel-colored skin, which has a slight sheen of sweat over it from the heat of the day.
Harrison notices my unabashed ogling and catches my gaze in his own. He smiles and stretches his hand across the table to hold mine. I turn his hand over and take it in both my own, pressing my fingers down to massage the surface of his palm. He moans in appreciation.
“So are you ready for the Wish today?” I ask him, finishing his first hand and motioning me to give him the other. “This will be your first animal-based Wish, right?”
Harrison nods and gives me his other hand. “Yeah. I mean, I’ve had Wishes that used animals, but this is my first ‘animal cause of death’ Wish.” He uses his free hand to make air quotes at that phrase. After all, removal of the Life Chip will be the actual cause of death, but no one besides Security Branch employees know that. I nod. While I continue massaging he asks me if I have any advice for animal attack Wishes.
“Well, the main thing is to keep moving.” Besides the Great White shark, I’ve also been on Wishes involving an oxen stampede, an attacking swarm of wasps, and a mountain lion. “When I was dealing with the cougar, keeping on my toes kept any injuries down to a minimum. And I’m guessing that the bear will be similar.” I look up and find his eyes downcast. I squeeze his hand to get his attention. “Hey, sweetie, are you okay? Are you nervous?”
Harrison looks up with what seems to be an attempt at smiling, but he is so nervous that he just looks queasy. My heart aches, and I want to pull him across the table into my arms. He nods at my question.
“Yeah, a bit. I think I told you this story, but when I was little one of my brothers and I got attacked by a neighborhood dog. My brother was being stupid and annoying the dog, pulling its tail and hitting it, but it turned on both of us. I got messed up pretty badly, so ever since then I’ve been a little wary around animals.” He looks really embarrassed, and I feel a protective wave surge up inside me. I wish we could choose to reject certain Wishes, but that isn’t an option for Godparents. The only time we have a choice is if the Clerical Department screws up and assigns you two Wishes that are scheduled for the same time. But I still feel upset that Harrison will have to complete this Wish despite his fears. Since he’s done with his meal, I pull my partner to his feet and lead him back onto the pathway connected to our office building.
“It’ll be okay, Hare,” I say, resting my arm on his shoulders and kissing the top of his head. He leans into the touch and wraps his arm around my waist. “I’ll be right there, and you won’t get hurt.”
*
Clearly I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.
The Wish had been going well at first. Harrison and I were in an outdoor, woodsy-looking area—all thanks to the Prop Department—with Mr. Alexson, pretending to be a group of hikers camping out in the woods. Everything was going according to plan, but once the bear came out things took a turn for the worst. I don’t know what the trainers did to get the animal worked up into a frenzy, but whatever they did was a bit too effective.
The bear barreled out into the clearing, and while Harrison and I prepared to take it down it attacked Ricardo Alexson. Ricardo was screaming, probably rethinking his desire for a violent bear to be the last thing he would ever see. But it was too late for second thoughts, and within moments the animal was on him. Thick claws ripped across his skin, blood and gore spurting from his body. I had to turn away for a moment, nausea at the sight washing over me. But I recovered quickly. The gel sedative worked, because even though the bear was still swiping at him Ricardo was motionless, his eyes closed in his final sleep.
Harrison turned to me, clearly nervous but doing his best to ignore it.
“Alright, Elly, time to shine.”
But the sound of his voice made the bear turn around. The promise of a new, still-conscious target proved too tempting to the bear, and it leapt for Harrison.
“Harrison!” I cried out my partner’s name but I didn’t get the chance to do anything. The roiling mass of fur, teeth, and claws attacked. Harrison tried to fend it off, pointing his tranquilizer gun at the bear, but a flailing paw knocked it away before he got the chance to shoot. I was horrified, unable to move. Fortunately there was still some sedative gel on the bear’s claws, and with one swipe of the sharp points across his chest Harrison went down, joining our target in sleep. I choked with relief, glad that Harrison didn’t have to feel more pain, but my joy was quickly quashed.
Because now my partner is lying unconscious on the ground and I have to take down an enraged, five hundred pound Grizzly without any backup.
Shit. The bear’s eyes lock onto me from the other side of the “campsit
e”. When it charges I dive to my left, scooping my hand down as I leap to grab the tranquilizer gun that Harrison dropped. My fingers curl around it and I pull myself into a ball, hitting the ground and rolling slightly before jumping back to my feet, a gun in each hand and a gigantic bear running towards me.
Stay calm. I try to keep my heart from racing even though every muscle in my body is screaming for me to run. I drop one of the guns to the ground and grip the other with both hands while inhaling slowly. At my exhale, I take aim and fire round after round into the giant mass of fur barreling towards me.
The first shot misses, but the others bury themselves deep into its fur. The bear begins to slow as the concoction enters its body, but I still aim the second gun at it after emptying the first. I’m not taking any chances. The bear leaps the moment I start firing the next gun, and it lands directly in front of me with an eardrum-shattering roar. I fall onto my back and turn to scramble away on all fours.
But I don’t move fast enough and one of the paws descends. The flesh on my right thigh splits open. I can’t hold back the shriek that escapes my lips. I fall onto my stomach and curl forward.
I both hear and feel the thud. I turn around. The bear lies limp, its chest slowly expanding and contracting while the tranquilizers finally take over its system.
I let out the breath I was holding in a relieved whoosh and move to stand. A lightning bolt of pain shoots up my leg and I grimace, but when I look down at the tattered remains of my jeans I can see that the bleeding has already stopped. I am very grateful for my Life Chip in this moment. I test my weight again, and find that this time the pain has subsided enough that I can stand.
Behind the bulky form of the bear I see Harrison and Ricardo on the ground a few dozen yards away, both sleeping peacefully. All I want to do is run to Harrison and make sure he’s okay, but I know that I must first remove Ricardo’s Chip before he wakes up. Otherwise this assignment will be a complete failure, and the pain and efforts of myself, Harrison, and the bear will all be for nothing. So I jog over to our client and pull out my silver Life Chip Extractor.
A few seconds later the hundred-and-seventy-four year old has successfully died.
Now I can finally run over to Harrison and collapse beside him. From the rips in his shirt and pants it’s clear that the bear got him in the chest and thighs, but the wounds are almost finished healing. There will be some pink scars decorating his honey-gold skin, but those will be gone within a few days.
Guilt wells up inside of me. I promised him that he wouldn’t get hurt. I say a silent prayer of gratitude that he wasn’t wounded more severely, and that he was unconscious for the takedown of the bear. Even though the backup would have been helpful, I’m glad he didn’t have to deal with his fear of animals for too long.
Harrison’s eyelids flutter, and I lean over his collapsed form to look at him as he wakes up. He opens his eyes, finds my face, and whispers, “Did you complete the Wish?”
I nod and hold up the small bag with the bloody Chip inside as proof. Harrison looks relieved and closes his eyes again.
“Good. Also, let’s not do any more bear attacks for a while, okay?”
I laugh under my breath, leaning down to press my forehead to that of my lover’s.
“Deal.”
Wish 4
With the bear safely secured for transport and Ricardo Alexson’s body being removed by the cleanup crew, Harrison and I return to headquarters. Harrison was leaning against me heavily, the residual pain from his wounds still burning, but now that we’re back he is standing strong. I’m glad, because to the unknowing eye we both look a mess. Our costumes are in tatters—Harrison’s more than mine—and dried blood and dirt covers our skin. But Harrison looks up and gives me another of his thumbs-up. I smile, glad he’s feeling better.
Please don’t let anyone submit an animal-attack wish for a while, I think to myself. We both need some time to recover from today’s assignment.
I cannot wait to get to the locker room, change out of my ruined costume, and wash the grime away under a hot shower. But the second we step through the entrance to the Godparent building a monotone female voice comes out of the speakers on the ceiling.
“Godmother Hayworth, please report to Primary Godfather Johnson’s office. Repeat, Godmother Hayworth, please report to Primary Godfather Johnson’s office.”
Harrison and I both stop, eyes wide and filled with shock. A trickle of embers fall to the ground as my after-Wish cigarette dangles forgotten from my fingers.
Harrison turns and looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “Geez, Elly, what does the big boss want with you?”
His confusion is warranted. Regular, Wish-completing Godparents rarely interact with the Primary Godfather, the leader of our Organization. The only times I have ever seen him were when I was initially admitted into the Fairy Godparent ranks over six years ago, and when I was assigned as Harrison’s mentor three years ago.
I shrug my shoulders, but a slight trickle of fear runs down my spine. “No idea.”
Is he upset about how our Wish just went? Am I in trouble for not being able to protect Harrison from the bear? I shake my head to clear away the nerves and look back at him. “You don’t think they’re firing me, do you?” I try to smile with my joke, but it feels forced and wrong on my face.
Harrison places his hand on my shoulder and tilts his head up to kiss my cheek. He smells like the cologne I bought him for his birthday: a light, fresh, and tangy scent that always reminds me of him.
“I think,” he whispers, giving me another kiss before pulling back to look at me, “that he is calling you in to his office to tell you that you are the best Godparent our organization has to offer, and that he’s giving us matching hover-convertibles.”
I can’t help it; I let out a laugh. “Oh really? So if I’m the best, why would you get a car too?” Some of my apprehension melts away.
“Duh.” Harrison rolls his eyes. “Because I’m your partner, and obviously I’m responsible for some of that awesomeness. Ask him to get me a blue one, alright?”
I grin and nod, still relieved that he isn’t upset with me for how the Wish went. I plant a quick kiss on his forehead. “Come by my place later?”
“Sounds good.” With a wave we set off in opposite directions; him heading to the locker rooms to change, and me to the office of Primary Godfather Johnson.
*
To get to the office of the Primary, you take the hallway that leads to the Godparent offices. Around the regular offices the carpeting is a nice golden brown and the hallways are lit with simple overhead can lights. But as I continue down the hallway, the decor slowly becomes more rich and elaborate. Brown carpet turns to a deep ruby and the walls change from simple yellow paint to dark wooden paneling. Artwork begins gracing the walls at random intervals, and while I walk I pass by painted images of the Fairy Godparents Headquarters’ grounds and complex. Finally I come to a set of large double doors, a gold plate on the left proclaiming the room on the other side to be the office of the Fairy Godparents’ top agent.
I inhale deeply to steel my jangled nerves before raising my hand to the Primary’s door. I knock—the sound deadens against the thick oak. Moments tick by with no response from the other side. I nervously shuffle my weight from one foot to the other. I look down and am horrified by what I see. I am still wearing my costume from my Wish assignment! I look like a mess. The right leg of my jeans is in tatters where the bear got me, the leg itself covered in dried blood that I didn’t get a chance to clean off, and dirt is ground onto the chest of my shirt from when I fell. I wear tattered sneakers over my feet, and I can only assume that my face and hair look as dirty and grimy as I feel. When I pat at the fabric of my shirt, trying to discourage some of the dirt there, I also see that the blood from removing Ricardo’s Life Chip has dried into red flakes on my fingertips. I panic, not wanting to appear before my boss in this state, but just as I’m wondering if I have time to run to the locker rooms a
nd change—
“Come in, Godmother Hayworth.”
The Primary’s deep voice resonates from inside. Too late. I let out a slow breath in a futile attempt to slow my erratic heartbeat, place my hand on the golden handle, and gently ease the door open.
The office of the Primary Godfather is even more richly decorated than the hallway outside. Thick, blood-red velvet curtains hang over the windows, dark wood bookshelves line the walls, and a crystal chandelier illuminates the room with sparkling light. The Primary is seated behind a large wooden desk at the end of the room in a plump leather chair. I reach back to pull the door shut, and bow my head as the latch clicks into place.
“You sent for me, Primary Godfather?” My head is still bowed. My hands itch to cover the pathetic state of my clothing, but I will them to stay motionless.
“I did.” His voice is powerful and authoritative. “Please sit down, Godmother Hayworth.”
I raise my head, and he gestures to one of the two chairs facing his desk. It is only then that I notice we are not alone. In the chair beside the one intended for me sits a young woman. She turns around to look at me as I move toward my chair, and lifts the corners of her lips in a shy smile before turning back to the desk. She has a pretty, heart-shaped face, rosy cheeks, and her almond-shaped eyes are a crystalline shade of emerald green. Her hair, black with bright-green tips, has been pulled back in a high ponytail, and I spot a tattoo—a simple black circle—located just beneath her right ear. I slide into my chair and the cushion on the seat compresses comfortably. I shift my attention from the mysterious girl to the Primary.
Death Wish Page 3