Rain Saga

by Barton, Riley

  Just then the doorbell rang, causing both human and AI to turn.

  “That’s Bridget. Come in!” Luna said, rising to her feet. “Ada, polarize the theater system, and go with the film 2012. I’ve never seen that one.”

  “As you wish, Miss Luna. Polarizing theater system, and preparing film.”

  The windows darkened until they were no longer transparent. They then lit with the preview screen common to all of the old vids, bathing the apartment in green light. Having completed her assignment, Ada’s shimmering figure shrank and then vanished, returning to the confines of the apartment’s circuitry.

  The apartment door swung open, and Luna hurried to greet her friend.

  “Hey, Bridget!”

  “Luna! How have you been? It seems like forever since we’ve had a girls’ night!” Bridget exclaimed, giving her friend a quick hug.

  “I’ve been okay. Really busy with my research and really tired ‘cause of all the long hours. But other than that I’m doing great. How about you?”

  Bridget smiled widely and brushed back a strand of strawberry blonde hair. “Well, since you brought it up … I just got promoted! You’re looking at Mr. Saul Edgard’s new secretary!”

  “Wow! That’s a huge step from being a lobby receptionist!” Luna exclaimed, patting her friend on the shoulder.

  “Wait, there’s more!” Bridget’s green eyes sparkled, and her smile grew even wider. “I just met the greatest, most sweetest guy at work today! He’s so smart, and funny, and handsome! You’d love him! But don’t even think about loving him, he’s mine!” Her eyes narrowed into slits and she pointed a slender finger at Luna in mock fury.

  “Don’t worry, Bridget. I won’t take him,” Luna laughed. “So what’s this guy’s name?”

  Bridget removed her raincoat and hung it beside the door, revealing the black pinstriped suit and soft pink blouse she wore beneath. “His name is Keith Tagawa. He’s one of those security agent guys at Unitech. He’s one of the best of the best, and he asked me—me—to go out with him tomorrow! Can you believe it? It’s going to be so totally amazing! I can’t wait!”

  Luna grinned and handed her friend a plate before serving herself. The two women walked around the kitchen island and sat down on the couch just before the last preview came on.

  “So,” Bridget said, lowering her voice, “What about you? Do you have a boyfriend yet? Or are you still going it alone?”

  Luna bit her lip. She’d known Bridget long enough to anticipate her bubbly friend’s customary question. She just hadn’t expected it quite so early in the evening.

  “Um … no. Not yet,” Luna replied, casually. “I mean, I’m good where I am right now. I don’t see any reason to rush into a serious relationship, you know?”

  She knew Bridget didn’t know—taking things slow was not in Bridget’s vocabulary—it just sounded better to Luna to add the rhetorical question. It made her sound less like she was trying to avoid the topic—which she was.

  However, she really had told Bridget the truth. Well, most of it anyway. Deep down inside, she still carried the wounds from the many painful breakups she’d had during her short life—the last of which had been by far the worst. The truth of the matter was that she was still very, very much afraid of giving her fragile heart to someone again only to have it smashed into a million tiny pieces when they discovered the truth about her condition.

  “Hey, if waiting for Mr. Right works for you, then that’s great,” Bridget laughed. “But I’m not going to wait around twiddling my thumbs. Believe me, I know love when I see it. And its name is Keith Tagawa!”

  Luna laughed dryly, pushing back the painful memories swelling inside her. She then forced an expression of sincere concern, “I just hope you don’t get hurt. A broken heart is a hard thing to fix. Trust me.”

  Before either one of them could speak further, the previews ended, leaving the two of them to eat while they tried to focus on the hundred-year-old movie.

  After the film was over, they talked and cleaned up the remains of their dinner. Bridget—who was just as confused by the film as always—bombarded Luna with questions while they washed and put away the dishes. The two of them continued to talk for another hour before Bridget finally decided to call it a night.

  “I’ll be seeing you, Luna,” she said, donning her raincoat. “We should do this again next week. Then I can tell you all about my date with Keith!”

  “I’ll see what my schedule’s like, but that should work. Drive safe.”

  “I will! Good night, Luna!”

  Luna waved after her friend, waiting until she was safely in the elevator before closing the apartment door.

  She sure was talkative tonight. Luna crossed her arms and looked around the kitchen. Everything was tidy. Good. No chores for tomorrow morning.

  “Ada, can you pull the blinds for me, please.”

  “Of course, Miss Luna,” the AI replied smoothly, darkening the windows until they were a solid screen of black.

  “Thanks, Ada. Good night.”

  “Good night, Miss Luna. Sleep well.”

  Luna washed her face with warm water and brushed her teeth before changing into her midnight-blue pajamas. She made her way into her bedroom, switching off the lights behind her. Closing the door, she glanced down at the antique book resting on the nightstand beside her bed. She had always loved the feeling of old books: the weight of the cover, the way it felt to turn a page made of actual paper. And this particular novel was just getting good. For a moment she considered trying to squeeze in a chapter, but then she saw the clock and her heart sank. It was already well past midnight.

  “Well, I guess it’s probably a good thing I don’t have to be back in the lab until ten.”

  She yawned and crawled into her queen-sized bed. Reading could wait. After all, the book wasn’t going anywhere. It would be there in the morning, waiting right where she’d left it.

  Her heavy eyelids fluttered and closed almost as soon as her head hit the pillows.

  Chapter 2

  Security Chief Carl Landers placed the small shot glass on his desk and refilled it. “What’s our status, Alex?”

  “Area is secure, Chief. All laboratories are locked down for the night. The last of the research staff have been gone for 15.5 minutes.”

  “And what about the factories? Are all the workers clocked out for the day?”

  “Affirmative. All bio-signatures within secure sectors are those of Agency staff only.”

  Landers ran his hands through his graying hair and stared at the holographic displays lighting up the wall across from his desk; various readouts and security monitors flashed before his weary eyes. Everything checked out. But everything had checked out on that night too.

  “It’s been twenty years, Alex. Twenty years on the dot,” he said, emphasizing his words by tapping his index finger on the desk’s polished black surface. “Hard to believe he’s been dead that long.”

  He lifted the glass to his lips and quickly downed its contents.

  Just then the office comm system beeped and a woman’s voice drifted up from the speakers: “Sir. Agent Tagawa is here, and he wishes to speak with you. Immediately, if possible. Should I tell him to come back in the morning, sir?”

  Landers eyed the comm for a moment, searching for the talk button.

  “Um … no. That’s all right, Rosa. Send him in now. I’ve got the time.”

  The office door slid open and a young man walked in and stopped before the Chief’s desk. Landers stood to his full height and clasped his hands behind his back, surveying Agent Keith Tagawa with his piercing gaze.

  The young agent was fit and clean shaven. He had short black hair and dark eyes, and his black suit was immaculate. At a glance Landers knew Tagawa to be a by-the-book agent who would pay close attention to even the most minute of details—whether in a case or in his personal life. He reminded the chief of his second in command, Lieutenant Manning, back when Manning had been a raw recruit.r />
  The chief extended his hand to the newcomer, who gripped it firmly.

  “So, Tagawa is it? Can I offer you a drink?”

  “No thank you, sir.”

  “Suit yourself,” Landers said, refilling his glass. “So, what’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait until morning?”

  Agent Tagawa produced a folder and placed it on the chief’s desk. “I’ve finished my background check on Mr. Edgard’s new secretary. A Miss Bridget Chavé. I’ve run her through Alex’s database, and everything checks out so far. But I’m still going to do a personal evaluation tomorrow night, just to be safe.”

  “Does she know you’re evaluating her?”

  “No, sir. She’s under the impression that we’re on a date.”

  Landers chuckled and threw back another shot of scotch. “Poor girl. I hope she doesn’t get too attached to you on this “date.”

  “I doubt that will be the case,” Tagawa replied. “Nonetheless, I’ll take every precaution at my disposal to keep her from getting too attached—as you put it, sir.”

  “Good. Now is there anything else you wanted to tell me?” Landers asked, realizing that the conversation wasn’t nearly as urgent as he’d first assumed.

  “No, sir.”

  “Excellent. Now that business is over, are you sure you won’t join me for a drink? It’s no fun when there’s no one else around.”

  Keith raised an eyebrow. “With all due respect, sir. How many of those have you had?"

  “Plenty, son. Plenty. Now will you help me drain another bottle, or won’t you?”

  “Sir!” Keith exclaimed in genuine surprise. “What if someone outside the office heard about this? It could ruin your reputation! I must insist that you stop this immediately, for your own good!”

  “Relax, Tagawa. It’s no big deal. This day only comes around once a year. So don’t ruin it for me. It’s my day to remember … and try to forget. Besides we’re the only people here. And I’m sure you won’t repeat this to anyone. Will you?” Landers said, cocking an eyebrow at the young Agent standing before him.

  “No, sir … I won’t tell anyone,” Keith replied hesitantly, watching his chief opening another bottle of scotch. “Sir—if you don’t mind my asking— you said that this day only comes around once a year. With respect, sir, what happened on this day that would make you want to get wasted?”

  He sure is intuitive, Landers thought, grinning slightly. The young Agent reminded him of himself, not so long ago.

  “You seem like a good man, Tagawa. Sit down and I’ll tell you.”

  Keith did as he was told and seated himself in front of Lander’s desk.

  “It was twenty years ago, back when I was a twenty-four-year-old recruit working for Jack Anderson.” Landers said, returning to his high-backed chair. “He was the one who first got me into the security department here at Unitech. It was my job—and the job of all the other Agents—to protect him and his family, along with his research and development facilities.

  He was a great boss and a good man. So, as you can imagine, it came as quite a shock to all of us when we discovered him murdered in his office. Someone had shot him. Shot him right through the heart with a forty-five automatic. And that bullet was all the evidence we ever turned up.”

  “Weren’t there any security recordings?” Keith asked.

  Landers shook his head. “Nope. Nothing. For some reason the boss’ office didn’t have any security cameras. He probably didn’t want anyone spying on his designs for the Cathedral reactor or one of his other inventions. But, even if there were cameras in the office, it wouldn’t have helped us any. All the other tapes were as clean as could be. Nothing was out of place whatsoever. No one went into the office except for Mr. Anderson, and he never came out.

  My chief had us all go to work trying to hunt down the murderer. But even after twenty years, nothing has ever come up. I’ve been working this case for nearly half my life, Tagawa. And every year that rolls by reminds me of my own incompetence. That’s why I’m getting wasted today. Because I was the guard on duty that night—it was my fault,” he whispered, tapping his finger against the shot glass. “I let him get killed.”

  Landers drained the last of his scotch and set the glass down on the desk while Tagawa sat in silence.

  “Jack had a wife, too. Did I tell you that?”

  Keith nodded, “You mentioned protecting a family. What happened to her after Mr. Anderson’s death?”

  Landers shrugged, “She moved. Went to live with family in one of the other cities. But I’ve never heard anything from her since … and frankly I don’t blame her. Sorry. I bet you didn’t want to hear all that,” he said, staggering to his feet. “You know … I think you were right. I have had too much to drink.

  Keith rose quickly and steadied the older man, then pressed the comm button. “Rosa, the Chief says you can go on home now. I’ll close up shop tonight.

  “Did you just say what I thought you said?” Rosa called back through the comm.

  “Yes, you did. I’ll take care of things here.”

  “Okay … Thanks, Keith.”

  “You’re welcome,” he replied, handing the Chief his raincoat.

  Landers fumbled around before finally managing to pull it on.

  “You know … I really don’t think I should be driving tonight,” he said, surveying the coat he’d just put on inside out.

  “I agree with you on that one, sir,” Keith replied, checking the security monitors to make sure Rosa was leaving her place at the reception desk.

  “Come on, Chief. I’ll drive you home.”

  Landers nodded, “That sounds like a good plan. Alex, shut down my office and the reception desk for the night. But keep me informed if anything unusual happens. You know where to find me.”

  “As you wish, Chief. I will see you tomorrow,” Alex replied, shutting down the office lights and monitors.

  “All right, Tagawa … let’s get out of here.” Landers leaned on the young Agent as he staggered out of the office and into the hallway. “Rest in peace, Jack, old buddy. Rest in peace.

  Chapter 3

  Luna couldn’t believe what was happening. Her worst nightmares—her deepest fears—had become a reality. Chaos surrounded her. Sirens blaring. People running. And over it all, the sound of Alex’s voice repeated the terrible words over and over: “Containment field breach! All personnel evacuate lab twenty-nine immediately!”

  Her feet pounded against the sterile white floor of the lab as she frantically ran toward the exit. She had to get out! Ahead of her she could see the other technicians running through the airlock into the hallway, the reinforced doors slowly closing behind them. The lighting panels along the ceiling and walls flashed red, bathing the laboratory in a hellish glare of light and shadow. Behind her she could hear the hiss of security doors sealing off the room containing the ruptured security field—the room she’d been in moments before. Had it been sealed quickly enough? Or had the deadly parasitic agents housed within already escaped into the rest of the lab?

  Panicking, she fixed her eyes on the airlock. The doors were closing too quickly. She’d never make it!

  “Please! Wait! Don’t leave me in here!” She threw herself against the transparent door as it slid into place and locked.

  “No! No! Please! Someone help me!” Luna pounded her fists against the glass, tears streaming down her face, begging the scientists on the other side of the barrier to save her—even though she knew they could not.

  Then she smelled it. The dank odor of the swamp.

  Spores! Her terrified mind screamed, and she beat the door with renewed force until her knuckles bled. “Please! Help me!”

  The smell grew stronger, and the air around her began to take on the sour taste of the marshlands: the taste of death and decay. She screwed her eyes shut and tried to hold her breath. It was the only thing she could do to delay the inevitable.

  Her lungs burned, screaming for air. Finally, after nearly a minute
and a half, she gave in and inhaled. Spores flew through her mouth and nostrils, filling her chest. A few seconds later the spores sprouted in the dampness of her body, sinking their parasitic tendrils into the neighboring tissues.

  Luna gasped in pain and clutched at her chest, struggling to breathe.

  This can’t be happening to me! She coughed, spitting up mouthfuls of blood and spongy, red-orange fungus. It felt as if her lungs were on fire! She continued to cough, wheezing between spasms in a desperate—but futile— attempt to breathe.

  “Please … someone … help me …” She coughed one more time and then collapsed against the door, wanting nothing more than to die and be rid of the fiery pain quickly spreading through her stricken body.

  Chapter 4

  Luna woke up screaming, gasping fitfully for breath amid the tangle of sweaty sheets cocooning her trembling body. She struggled through the knotted blankets and finally managed to pull them away from her face, taking in gasping breaths of cool, clean air as she fought to calm her shaken nerves.

  Breathe Luna, breathe. She told herself, placing a hand over her racing heart. It was a dream. Just a dream. You’re all right now.

  Oh how she wished that was true.

  “Miss Luna, are you all right?” Ada called, materializing beside Luna’s bed.

  “Yeah … it was just a bad dream,” she replied. Though she knew that wasn’t the case. Her dream was more real than anyone—even Ada—knew.

  Luna brought her knees up to her chin and cradled her head in her hands.

  It had been two years. Two long years since the accident in lab twenty-nine.

  Back then she’d been a driven sixteen-year-old prodigy working as an intern at Unitech on a cure for the Blister Wart disease. If only she’d known what was in store for her.

  She bit her lip, remembering the details of that day: the second most terrible day of her entire life. She’d gone into the back room to run a diagnostic on an especially virulent strain of the Blister Wart fungus. Everything had been going well. She’d just entered her password when a power surge tore through her console and deactivated the containment field between her and the spores she was studying. Everything else was a panicked blur in her mind.