“Body’s already been identified. A man named Ethan.”
Lily was overcome with surprise, which the Knight must have interpreted as shock, as he said, “I’m sorry if you knew him. Maybe take a seat. I’ll bring you over a glass of water. I’d offer you a coffee or something, but you know, budget cuts and all.”
Lily nodded and took a seat nearby.
Someone already identified him? Who else managed to find him so fast? Lily thought. A couple of seconds later the Knight came over carrying a plastic cup full of water.
“Here. Take as long as you need,” he said. He turned to go, but before he could Lily called after him, her curiosity overpowering her nerves.
“Who identified him?”
The man didn’t say anything, but nodded at a girl sat across the seating area. She couldn’t have been much older than eighteen. Bright orange hair flowed down past her shoulders, curling more and more as it went. She wore jeans and a strappy top, the logo of a band Lily had never heard of adorning its front.
The girl had clearly been listening, as she got up and moved to sit next to Lily while the Knight left.
“Hello,” she said, holding out her hand. “My name’s Jen.”
“Lily,” Lily replied as she shook the girl’s hand. The girl’s emotions filled her mind.
She’s definitely sorrowful, although not as much as I. A neighbour perhaps, who didn’t know Ethan that well?
“It’s nice to meet you Lily, even if it is in these terrible circumstances. When I saw him just lying there this morning I could hardly believe it. How did you know Ethan anyway?”
“He was a childhood friend.”
Jen clasped her hands over her mouth.
“Oh goodness! I’m so sorry. You must have known him pretty well.”
Lily nodded. “I did. May I ask how you knew him?”
“I didn’t very well. He lived down the street from me. I often saw him when I left for work in the morning. He would wave and I’d smile back. Occasionally we’d be headed the same direction and we’d get to chat for a while. He seemed like a nice man.”
“He was.”
“What was he like, if you don’t mind talking about it?”
“Always optimistic,” Lily replied. Jen laughed.
“That sounds about right. Always happy, always positive that life would be better just around the corner. Hopefully it was in the end. He seemed happy the last time I saw him.”
Really? He didn’t seem happy to me, Lily thought, remembering Ethan’s call for help.
“That’s good,” Lily replied, not wanting to give the girl any more bad news. Again, her curiosity got the better of her. “When was that?”
“Uhm, about a week ago,” Jen replied. “I’m on holiday from work at the moment you see, so wasn’t leaving the house the same time as him.”
It must have been a recent thing then, Lily thought. She finished off her water and left the empty cup on a nearby table.
“I’d better get going,” Lily said. “It was nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet you too. Where are you staying? It would be wrong to let you walk home alone after losing someone so close.”
How does she know I’m staying anywhere? Lily thought, suddenly suspicious. It must have shown on her face as the girl explained.
“Your accent. It’s similar to a city-dweller’s, but there’s a hint of Colony there.”
She knows I’m from the Colonies! That means she knows I’m-
“Don’t worry, I’m not one to judge. My brother was a Gifted also.”
That’s a relief, Lily thought. Maybe the city had become more tolerant in the years since she’d left.
“Well, thank you for the offer, but I’ll be alright,” Lily said, standing up to leave.
“No really, I insist,” Jen replied, standing up to follow Lily out. “It’s no trouble.”
Fine, Lily thought, making for the door. Jen followed her out, and Lily began the walk back to her hostel.
“What brought you to the city then?” Jen asked as the pair made their way down the street.
“I was meant to be visiting Ethan,” Lily replied. Jen threw her hands over her mouth again.
“That’s terrible! This must be so hard on you.”
“It is, but I’ll be okay.”
Before Jen could reply, there was a cry from a man just down the street. A woman screamed and people started to run.
“What is it?” Lily asked. Jen stood on her toes to look over the panicking pedestrians. A man was lying by the side of the road. A pair of men stood over him, fists balled.
“Gifted? Pah. What use are your gifts now?” one of the assailants shouted.
“Please, I didn’t do anything.”
“Liar, I saw you take it. You’re all the same. Just because you’re gifted, you think you can do what you like and take what you will. You make me sick. You’re nothing but a dirty freeloader.”
The gifted man cried out again as one of the men kicked him in the ribs.
“Quick, let’s get out of here,” Jen said.
“Shouldn’t we-”
“Let the Knights deal with it. Trust me, you of all people don’t want to get involved.”
Jen grabbed Lily’s arm and pulled her across the road. Lily looked back to see a crowd forming around the man.
“Go on Gifted, show us a trick!” someone yelled.
“Yeah, do some magic for us!” shouted another.
Lily looked round to the Knight’s station in time to see the Knight who’d been on the front desk stick his head out the door. He stood for a couple of seconds observing, then closed the door and went back inside.
Before Lily could see more, Jen pulled her around a corner and onto a different road.
“The Knight. He did nothing!”
“At least he didn’t join in,” Jen replied.
“You knew he wouldn’t help?”
“Not for sure, a few still care. But the majority just don’t bother anymore. Why do you think the Colonies exist? So that people like you can get away from all this. Which way from here?”
Lily pointed, and the pair slowly made their way back to Lily’s hostel. Jen still seemed eager to talk, but Lily was too shaken to really listen. Eventually Jen gave up, and they reached the hostel after a few minutes of silent walking.
“It’s this one,” Lily said, stopping beside a door below a sign for ‘Blue Sky Hostel’. “Thank you for walking back with me.”
“No worries,” Jen replied. “Like I said, I’m on holiday anyway. It was really nice meeting a friend of Ethan’s. I hope you have a safe trip back to the Colonies.”
“Thank you,” Lily replied, not wanting to say she actually planned to stay in the city and investigate Ethan’s death. She waved a brief goodbye, then turned and headed into the hostel.
* * * *
“Bye,” Jen called after Lily as the door swung closed. She waited outside for a couple of seconds, making sure Lily wasn’t coming out again, then pulled a phone out of her pocket. Swiping across a ‘ManaNet’ logo, she brought up her contacts and pressed the top one. The phone dialled, connecting through ManaNet. Jen held it up to her ear and began to walk. She’d only taken a couple of steps when the other end picked up.
“Hey Izzy. How’d it go?”
“Everything went as planned.”
“Excellent, and her empath powers weren’t a problem?”
“Not that I could tell. I made sure to keep my brother in mind when talking to her, seemed to do the trick.”
“I’m sorry you had to do that Izzy. I know that’s not a pleasant memory.”
“It’s okay, it was a long time ago now.”
“I guess I’ll see you back here in a bit then.”
“Matt, wait.”
“Yes.”
“Do you ever, you know, wonder if we’re doing the right thing?”
“Izzy, we’re contract killers. We’re never doing the right thing.”
�
�I know that, I mean with our choice of targets. I’ve met some disgusting people who deserved to die, but Lily seems genuinely caring and nice. She was clearly really upset about Ethan, and I just don’t think-”
“I know, Izzy, it’s hard. Some people deserve to die, and others don’t. But it’s not our place to choose. Life’s dealt us this hand, and we have to play it out. If we start rejecting jobs, the people who hire us will go elsewhere, and we’ll lose our business. Without business, we starve. We just have to grit our teeth and get on with it. If it’s any consolation, your job is done now. Damos will head out tonight, and then this will be over.”
“Thanks, that’s a great comfort,” Izzy said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I don’t know what else I can say.” There was a pause. “Sorry, Victoria’s calling me about something or other. I’ll speak to you when you get back.”
The phone beeped as Matt hung up. With a sigh, Izzy returned it to her pocket and started the long walk home.
* * * *
Lily collapsed onto her bed. She’d barely lain down when she felt something pressing into her abdomen.
The box, she thought, remembering Ethan slipping something into her jacket pocket. Amongst all that had happened she’d forgotten it was there. Pulling it from her pocket, she held it up to inspect. It turned out the box was a case, inside which sat a silver disc. ‘ManaCorp’ was printed across both the disc and the case in stylised letters.
Well that makes sense at least. Last I knew Ethan worked for ManaCorp.
Lily turned the case round, looking for more writing, but found none. Taped to the back, however, was an old-fashioned key. Picking at the tape with her nails, Lily managed to peel it back and separate the key from the case.
A house key, Lily thought, remembering Ethan unlocking his door with a similar key the last time she’d visited him. He clearly wants me to go there.
Returning the disc case to her pocket, she sat up and left the hostel. Not far down the road a silver cylinder rose out of the sidewalk with a three-dimensional map projected on top of it. Using the interactive map, she located the closest skyrail station. Assuming Ethan still lived in the same apartment, it would only be a few stops away.
Part way to the station Lily paused to pick up lunch from a street vendor. Despite living in the colonies, she still had a card with which she could pay for things in the city. Credits had replaced physical currency long ago, and although the colonies used neither, visits to the city had necessitated she keep her card.
“Here you are sweetie,” the vendor said as she handed Lily a sausage-filled bun. Lily usually tried to eat healthily, but city visits were an exception where she took the opportunity to enjoy the greasy food which only the inner city could provide. She savoured the first bite as she continued on her way.
A few minutes later she reached the skyrail station and began to ascend to the platform, located some way above street level. A pair of mana-powered escalators silently carried other pedestrians up and down, but after her particularly unhealthy lunch, Lily chose to climb the stairs instead.
The timetable at the top of the stairs informed Lily that the next skyrail she could take would arrive in five minutes. Taking a seat, Lily quietly waited, being thankful that there weren’t a lot of people around to mess with her emotions.
The skyrail itself was slightly busier, but not unbearable. Still, Lily positioned herself as far from other people as possible, focusing on the city below to distract herself. The further she travelled, the less dilapidated the buildings became. Worn stone became spotless glass, and the height of the buildings rose, quickly surpassing the height of the skyrail. The streets grew busier, and Lily was glad that her empath powers diminished in strength with distance. It was when she stepped off the skyrail and descended to street level that she was reminded how much she wished she could just turn them off altogether.
Doing her best to ignore the barrage of rogue emotions, Lily headed to Ethan’s apartment block with a brisk walk. She dreaded to think how much his place must have cost. So close to the city centre while still being inside the north district, this was a very expensive part of the city.
I wonder where Jen lives? Lily thought, looking at the neighbouring buildings. She must have come from a rich family, or had incredible early success, in order to afford somewhere near here. In fact, if she lived here, I wonder what brought her past that park this morning?
Knowing she was unlikely to get any answers, Lily pushed the thought from her mind as she approached the entrance to Ethan’s building. She stepped up and presented her hand to the scanner beside the door. Assuming Ethan had wanted her to visit, he’d have re-added her handprint to the database. Sure enough, the door clicked open.
Lily made straight for the elevator, travelling up to the seventeenth floor. Ethan’s door stood out immediately as the only door without a retinal scan to get inside. Lily retrieved the key and gently inserted it into the lock. She twisted it but it wouldn’t budge.
Come on, work. She slid the key out and in again. Still nothing.
If it’s not a house key, then what does it unlock? And why was my handprint recognised by the scanner? I guess he could have left it on there from last time I stayed over, but it’s unlike Ethan to be so lax.
Lily gave the key a final sharp jerk. It slid back slightly, then twisted round.
Finally.
Withdrawing the key, Lily tentatively entered. The apartment consisted of mainly of one room, with only an adjoining bedroom and bathroom. Sunlight filled the space, let in through a window which looked down on the street below. A mess of objects covered the surfaces and some of the floor, and yet the room still appeared neat. Lily smiled as she remembered Ethan explaining his unorthodox system.
“Everything has its place, it’s just that some of those places are unconventional.”
You couldn’t have made this easy for me, could you? Lily chuckled to herself, remembering Ethan’s love of teasing her with puzzles. She stopped suddenly. Or maybe you could.
Pulling the disc case from her pocket, she made her way over to Ethan’s computer and booted it up. A holographic screen appeared with the ManaNet logo displayed across it. Like all devices, the computer drew its power and connected to other devices using ManaNet. Lily had been taught at school that some time ago, devices had been powered by something called electricity, and connected through special systems designed specifically for that purpose. Then the discovery of mana and the development of ManaNet had changed all that. Now any powered device could connect to any other, and could be activated anywhere with ManaNet coverage, which meant it could be used pretty much anywhere.
After a few seconds, the ManaNet logo disappeared to be replaced with a password box.
Ah, this could be a problem.
Taking a wild stab in the dark, Lily typed a guess into the box and hit enter. ‘Password Incorrect. Please try again.’ flashed up on screen. Lily hit enter again and the password box reappeared. This time however, a password hint appeared below it: ‘Hint: Sister’s full name’.
Ethan always was a bright one, Lily thought. It would be far too simple to look up the name of a real family member.
She typed her own name into the password box and hit enter. A loading symbol flashed on screen for a moment, then Ethan’s desktop appeared. Lily located the disc drive and inserted the disc. The machine whirred for a moment, then a window appeared with several options. Lily touched the open button. Rows and rows of strange symbols filled the screen. Although unable to read them, Lily knew what they were.
ManaNet code. I need an expert to read this. If only Ethan were here, he’d be able to tell me what it meant. Although if he were here, I wouldn’t be doing all this.
Lily took the disc from the computer and slipped it back into her pocket. After shutting down the computer, she headed out of the apartment. She could already feel her tears returning, and couldn’t bear staying any longer. As she left she glimpsed a photo hanging on the
wall by Ethan’s front door. It depicted a pair of smiling parents and two teenagers; a happy family, except one of them wasn’t related to the others.
The photo broke the flood defences and tears streamed down Lily’s face. She grabbed it and ran straight into the lift, desperate to get away. How could he be gone? Ethan, whose family had taken her in when she’d been alone, who’d been a brother to her for most of her life.
Lily remembered the day it had all happened. She’d overheard her parents talking. She liked to pretend that she didn’t remember what they’d said, but it was a lie. ‘Freak’, ‘abnormal’, ‘monster’; all words they’d used to describe their own daughter. They never said them to her face of course, but that didn’t matter. She could feel it. Every time she walked into the room, she felt the sense of horror her parents regarded her with. Eventually it had grown too much, and so she coped the only way she’d known how. She ran.
Ethan’s family had taken her in. Giftedness seemed to run in their family, and so they were all used to the prejudices of society. Initially it had only been intended as temporary, and Ethan’s parents had gone to Lily’s to try and explain that her gifts were nothing to be afraid of. After a couple of days Lily had gone back, but things had been worse than ever. Her parents blamed her gifts for making her leave, and so had grown to hate them even more. The negative emotions buffeted Lily like a hailstorm, pounding her into a spiralling vortex of depression. Ethan picked up on this almost instantly and his family took her back in. Ethan’s parents had once again spoken to Lily’s, but she’d never gone back. To this day she still hadn’t seen them again.
She’d stayed in the city long enough to finish school then almost straight away moved to the colonies. Ethan’s uncle lived there, and he and the other Gifteds welcomed her with open arms. She’d never have to worry about her gifts again, and could live happily amongst others like her. The only times she’d ever gone back to the city were to visit Ethan and his family.
It was only now she realised she would probably never visit Ethan’s apartment ever again.
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