“As I said, this needs to be done quickly. The bounty is no longer exclusive to you.”
Bucard was shocked as the man did exactly what he didn’t want. An open contract meant competition, and not only from other lesser bounty hunters. The price would attract more professionals just like Bucard.
“You’re mad!” Bucard said.
“I would not worry about us, Mister Bucard.”
“You know this guy will rip those other hunters apart?”
“Then all you have to do is follow his wake. I don’t want to dwell on this, and if this man is as you say, I suggest you shouldn’t either.”
The cloaked man turned the way he came and began to walk out. Bucard was furious that he lost exclusive rights to take the bounty down, but he still had a lucrative offer. Double the bounty meant Bucard could retire early, but he would have to work for it for now that every bounty hunter would see the target.
“Hey, one more thing,” Bucard shouted across the room. “To build these lasting relations, it’s nice to know a name, fabricated or real.”
The hooded man paused in his tracks. “You already said it,” he said.
“What, Hood? Ha, fabricated it is then. Hood suits you,” Bucard said as Hood walked out of sight. “I think he took the cloak and daggers thing a bit too seriously.”
Bucard knew he had to get back to work quickly. This wouldn’t be the first Martian military trained man he’d killed, but they were as clever as they were dangerous. Bucard took comfort in the fact that no man could avoid the death stare of a rifle scope, Martian or not. It was a rookie tactic with professionals such as himself, undermining their level of expertise when taking down targets from arm’s length, but the money at stake was incredible and he knew full well what Martians were capable of up close.
He felt a slight smile come on, as the amount to be paid was handsome. Although he was always greedy for credits, Bucard always followed his jobs through and adored having as much fun as he could along the way. McKenna in particular would be tough, but Bucard was confident he’d see it done.
8
EARTH COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
The Freedom Tower elevator zipped past floors faster than McKenna could count. The Tower was the tallest in the city and one of the highest on Earth, unsurprising as it housed the Earth Council, the single authority governing the entire planet and the System itself. Why wouldn’t it be embellished to be high standing as well?
McKenna was required to present identification through biometric means at the 199th floor, which housed clergy workers, ambassadors and various emissaries. From there yet another elevator led straight up to the Council chambers, a thousand-foot gap to the spire, the highest floor. The elevator, along with a Council executive landing pad, was one of only two ways to reach the spire.
The elevator chimed as the doors slid open. Before him was an immaculately white room with a beautiful, deep blue marble floor and a reception desk with two sets of double doors on either side. The pretty brunette occupying the desk spun her chair around, stood up and walked up to McKenna to greet him.
“Mister Alan McKenna, welcome to the Council Chambers. My name is Patricia,” she said as she extended her hand. She wore a very attractive sleeveless white dress that was cut right before her knees, exposing her toned legs, and a smile that was radiant and never seemed to fade. McKenna returned a handshake and smiled back, still nervous about approaching the Council. “The Council has, as you know, requested an audience with you regarding a very delicate matter here on Earth.”
“I don’t suppose you know the nature of this matter?” he asked, curious despite knowing his questions would be answered soon.
“I’m afraid not, Mister McKenna.” She smiled. “The Councilors are very careful with the information they choose to disclose, and they do choose precisely who to disclose it to.”
“My apologies. I wasn’t given much information off-planet. I was supposed to meet an emissary at the docks, but he never showed.” She stayed silent but her smile finally began to decline. McKenna looked around, noticing the room was empty with only a few waiting chairs. “Not many visitors up here I take it?”
The receptionist was very polite and smiled again at McKenna’s naivety. They walked towards a window overlooking the city. Speeding VTOLs and incoming ships were flying by at great speeds. A Paragon News banner sailed slowly across the horizon with a message advertising Interpol recruitment.
“The Council almost always makes contact through video conferencing, that alone being a humbling affair. To be asked in person is a great privilege and is only conducted for issues of the utmost importance.” He nodded and continued to gaze outside as the receptionist walked back to her desk. “It’ll just be a few more moments, Mister McKenna. Please relax.”
He was anxious and wanted to stop guessing. Just a day ago he was a Mars detective, and now he had no idea what he was doing. All he could tell for certain was that the situation was strange. Finally he heard a beeping noise as the receptionist raised her OPIaA.
“They’re ready for you now, Mister McKenna. Through the doors, either side.”
McKenna nodded nervously and walked towards the doors. The receptionist took one last look at him and smiled before she went back to her desk.
The Council Chamber was the same as the reception area. Same blue marble floor and white walls, although vastly larger. In fact, it was the size of a small hangar, yet nothing was in the room save a handful of small tables and exotic leather chairs. McKenna looked to either side to see two honor guards, clad in white armor with blue cloaks and a red sash across their chest. Judging from their gear, they were more than just for ceremony, however, as each was equipped with HSK Purger light-machine guns. They nodded as he went further in.
The chamber was mostly comprised of dozens of holographic info screens. To the left was another door, sealed off from the rest of the room with another two honor guard protecting it – and rightfully so. This room held the Earth VOX. It was an absolute piece of technology capable of dominating all media and InfiNET outlets. It essentially hijacked all video terminals and OPIaAs on Earth for emergency service messages and Council mandates. The previous Earth leader had been very fond of the VOX.
At last, the Council sat at a large blue and gray marble desk towards the very back of the room, a good ten feet tall with stairs leading up to it on either side. McKenna felt awkward knowing they were looking down on him as they sat behind small, see-through holographic terminals.
Comprising the Council were four individuals, three male and one female. Judging from the info screens in the room, it was clear that the Council dealt with a high volume of governmental affairs daily, all from the same room.
McKenna stood by the door, not sure how to approach. He had seen a lot in his day and not much scared him in life, but in that moment, he was at the very least nervous. Suddenly, all but four of the screens in the room minimized, showing each of the Council members’ faces.
“Come forward now, McKenna,” a Council member said with a deep voice that echoed in the large room. “Don’t be bashful.”
McKenna didn’t want to get too close, stopping just in the middle of the room. Another Council member, an older grey-haired man, began speaking.
“No doubt you have many questions, Mister McKenna, but first we have to go through some formalities,” the Councilor said. The man appeared to be older, possibly in his fifties, but thanks to modern medicine he could’ve been much older than that. His tone was subdued, as though wanting to get formal introductions over with. “Starting from your far left are Councilors Andrei Glazov, followed by Nina Mahto. I myself Benjamin Windsor, and to my left is Mandan Krieg.”
McKenna followed the introductions well and already had an image burned in his head for each Councilor, and he was quick to begin analyzing. All the Councilors wore ceremonial robes while in meetings and conferences. The robes were made of a deep blue fabric with green accents and gold trim. They also wore green sa
shes that wrapped around the waist and red silk scarves.
The Councilor on the far left, Glazov, was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. He sported a thick beard that was also white and grey. He looked stern and attentive, a common look for a politician.
The second Councilor was a bit more shocking. Councilor Mahto looked very young to be on the Earth Council, appearing to be in her mid to late thirties with sharp facial features. Her light hazel eyes were her most distinguishing feature, and she herself was very attractive for a Councilor. He’d half expected them all to be old men in robes. How she received a position on the Council at such a young age was unknown to McKenna.
Councilor Windsor was next. He was one of the key people in convicting Michael Orintus, the previous authoritarian leader of Earth, of atrocities at the end of his rule. While all the Councilors were equal in status and position, the other Councilors looked up to him, as he carried the best balance of neutrality and wisdom. His hair was completely grey but his face still looked younger than his scalp gave him credit for.
The last Councilor was already starting to bother McKenna, as he kept staring at him with judging eyes. Krieg was the oldest of the group, clearly and unmistakably well over eighty. He was severely balding and had a constant look of anger on his face. It could’ve been his everyday expression.
Each Councilor, while on equal levels with each other, had a specific duty they carried out. Mahto oversaw Earth High Science as well as the World Health Organization, both organizations dedicated to the health of the people and scientific research. Glazov oversaw Citizen Relations and Well-Being and dealt with infrastructure, populace concerns and off-world colonial relations. Krieg carried a large role, as he was the adviser to the Earth Navy and Interpol and oversaw security of the planet and its cities. Windsor, meanwhile, had a much more discreet role, as he oversaw Earth Intelligence and Marshal Service Tactics. He was in constant communication with several Marshals and advised on their cases should they require assistance.
“So, let’s begin with you, Mister McKenna,” Windsor said as he put his hands together. “Why do you think you’re here?”
McKenna tried not to, but after all that he’d been through just to get to Earth, he couldn’t help but be honest. “Between you and me Councilor, I haven’t a damn clue,” McKenna said.
“Mind your approach, McKenna,” Councilor Krieg intervened in a shaky and aging voice. “You are in the presence of Earth Council.”
“It’s quite all right, Councilor Krieg,” Windsor said. “McKenna’s been through a lot so far. We were no doubt unorthodox in the manner we reached out to you, but you were overruling our profiling dossiers.”
McKenna couldn’t help it, but his own irritation was beginning to show. The Council had been beating around the bush since they called for him on Mars. He needed to escalate things on his own. “If I may, Councilors,” McKenna said. “Two days ago, I was a Captain with the Mars Colonial Police, earning a living until you, the Council, decided to reach out and somehow convince my boss that you needed me. No information about my assignment or duty, I was almost shot out of the sky, and on top of all that, almost victimized by a mugger, twice.” McKenna glared at the faces of the Councilors as he continued. “I don’t know how things here on Earth work, but that doesn’t sit right with me.”
“McKenna!” Krieg shouted.
“Our methods were crude and rushed at that,” Councilor Windsor interjected. “And for that we sincerely apologize. However, they were necessary. Time is not a luxury we can afford, and secrecy is a merited strategy.”
“Earth is unique in comparison to the rest of the system, McKenna. You’re aware, I’m sure?” Glazov said.
“You’re talking about the Black Cell,” McKenna said.
“Correct,” Glazov continued. “Hundreds of years ago Earth encountered its greatest enemy, and it’s one-millionth our size. Black Cell. A supervirus mutated from the common cold became an incurable killing machine that still plagues our planet. However, we’ve survived as long as we’ve been wise to its capabilities. Until now.”
“Until now?” McKenna asked.
“Black Cell is changing, McKenna,” Mahto added, “And not to our benefit.” The remaining screens in the room changed to show the effects of Black Cell. “Hundreds of years ago, when the Black Cell first emerged, it began as a simple viral mutation from the existing virus Nasopharyngitis, the common cold, with the same symptoms and high survivability rate.” The screens showed aged images of Old Earth, its populations and a microscopic view of the virus.
“However, the virus mutated for reasons that only scientists can speculate. It became a lethal killing machine within years.” The screens transitioned to gruesome images of people taken victim by the mutated Black Cell, causing McKenna to shift his eyes away briefly. The images depicted victims bleeding from the eyes, lesions of the skin, many contorted as they lay dead. “This is the virus as we know it today. In this form, it killed over ninety-nine percent of our previous population.”
Mahto looked away from the images, clearly feeling uneasy from the imagery.
“Please give her a moment, McKenna,” Windsor said. “Councilor Mahto was previously Director General of the World Health Organization, and she’s studied the Black Cell extensively. It’s not easy looking at an unstoppable global killer under a microscope, especially when we possibly face the same pandemic again. Here’s what’s happening now.”
Windsor pressed a small button on his desk, changing the images. “The Black Cell is still present and hasn’t changed, but it has produced a different strain on top of the base virus, which we’ve now dubbed Black Cell Strains. This strain doesn’t seem to kill the victims, but rather alters their genomes and DNA, mutating them. The mutations are given crippling defects and abilities, some of which give immunity to the infected atmosphere.”
“When did all of this escalate?” McKenna asked, viewing the screens.
“Recorded mutations are scarce, but our earliest sightings go back as far as this past month and have been rising steadily,” Mahto said. “Like the original Black Cell, these cases are seemingly incurable.”
“Sightings?” McKenna asked. Windsor cleared his throat. It was obvious they had trouble describing what sounded like horror fiction.
“These ‘mutants’ are retreating to the Orange and Red sectors of the city where Interpol has very little to no presence. The only intelligence we have as to why this is a mutation, is this.” Windsor pointed to a screen.
The screen showed a street-level video recording of a man without a breather writhing in pain on the ground before becoming feral and attacking pedestrians walking by. “His body was recovered for study and that’s how we know what we do now. Their numbers have steadily been increasing, giving a spike in reported sightings.”
“The same body that was recovered for testing was stolen from High Science, here in Freedom, earlier this month,” Mahto said. “The attackers killed all facility staff present that night. Earth’s top Black Cell researcher, Doctor Hinsin, was among them. Doctor Veena U’ldanta, an Auroran researcher attached to High Science, was killed as well. Her body was not found.”
“It was a massacre,” Windsor said. “Black Cell leaked throughout the facility. It’ll be months before any kind of work can continue there on these mutants. Combating them will be most difficult without any new studies on them.”
“So what’s my role in all this, Councilors?” McKenna asked. “I’m neither a scientist nor an ambulance pilot.”
“Believe us when we tell you this, McKenna, you were not our first plan of action,” Krieg said. McKenna felt as if Krieg was jumping ahead, already regretting a decision that had been made when McKenna wasn’t even sure what it was yet.
“Councilor Krieg is somewhat correct,” Glazov said. “We had opted to put more police units closer to Orange and even Red Sector to combat these mutants. However the buildup of forces could spark a war with the Red Sector gangs and cults. We
need a more delicate approach.”
“We thought long about it, but we ultimately arrived at the conclusion that a new unit within Interpol is needed to operate in the more hostile parts of the city,” Windsor said. “And to do that, we need elite individuals to guide these forces within those sectors.”
McKenna shook his head. “I still fail to see the positive outcome of a new unit,” he said. “If mutants are running rampant, I don’t think a small unit would be able to stop them and worry about a gang war simultaneously.”
“I apologize, McKenna.” Windsor said. “We are misleading you. We want you to find those responsible for the attack on High Science. To find out why that body was so important to them.” Still, McKenna knew there had to be something more to the situation as the pieces began to fall into place. “Should you take this assignment, your immediate objective would be identifying this hostile group. After the facility was attacked the city went on temporary lockdown, no one in or out. However, in Freedom, when one wishes to disappear they do so in the undercity … and forever lost they would certainly seem.”
“Someone didn’t want us to look into that body, McKenna,” Mahto stated.
“So, what does that mean? Am I being activated with Interpol now?” McKenna asked.
“You’ll be reinstated under the Earth banner, and we will give you ranking within Interpol, but we strongly believe you’ll need to go further than the jurisdictions of Interpol itself.”
“Further?” McKenna asked.
“Don’t get excited,” Krieg said. “That doesn’t mean blasting your way through the undercity like a demon out of hell! That’s right. We know all about the incident up in the sky, and we know all about you, McKenna. To say that this situation with Red Sector is delicate is an understatement. Aggression from Interpol towards the Red Sector gangs would ignite a full-scale war. Your death tallies, ruthless tactics, recklessness, your disregard for command… Sometimes I’m shocked we came to you in a unanimous decision.” It only infuriated McKenna. “Then why the fuck am I here?” McKenna shouted at Krieg. “It’s clear I don’t have your blessed confidence! So, please, tell me!” The guards behind McKenna stood at the ready.
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