First Interview (Necromorphosis Book 1)
Page 28
Jane smiled. “You’re not wrong. Over the centuries I’ve seen and done a lot. And working for secret organisations has been my pastime. Believe it or not. But that’s how things have turned out. You might be a big shot in here, but the world is far different out there than you ever realised. There are secrets that you have not even heard about. There are darker places than that dungeon of yours. But here’s a freebie: When you got some free time, go to your archives and dig as far back as you can. I’ll promise you’ll be surprised.”
I frowned. Whatever she was saying kind of made sense, but in the same time it didn’t silence the alarm bells in my head. It was as if they were permanently ringing. Or maybe something was seriously wrong in my head.
Thinking it was the latter case, I got up and offered my hand, “It’s a deal.”
“That’s an excellent choice of words.” Jane took my hand and shook it so hard that for a moment I thought it would come off. “I knew you would come to your senses.” She guided me back to the entrance, pressed the button and then looped her hand through my arm as the door hissed open.
“Wally, Red, let’s go and get my darling, and head out.”
“Um—“ I raised my hand, trying to protest, but she slapped it down and said, “Wait here a moment, I forgot something.”
I turned my head after her and then back again to see Wally and Red marching ahead. Wally holding his toolbox in one hand and dragging what was left of the holo-drone in the other, while Sergeant Red stomped next to him as if it had always been so. And just as I was opening my mouth to holler Jane, she was back at my side; an arm wrapped through mine.
We walked back to the prison like a couple. A few people stopped to watch us and I could see questions in their faces, but, knowing who I was and what I represented, they didn’t dare to question anything. Not the strange couple at the front, and certainly not the stranger couple at the back, even if they knew that she was a vampire.
But when we arrived to the holding facility I saw group of guardians standing by the gate, arguing with Red. “You’re not going to release her,” one yelled at him. “There’s no way that fucking bitch is going anywhere else than in a burner. Mark my words.”
“Henrik,” Jane said. “Do something or I will!”
I nodded and moved her arm carefully. Then I raised my hands and shouted, “Shut up. The deal has been made. Jaqueline and Lady McGriffin are going out the same way they came in and they will take Sergeant Red with them.”
“What?” Major Toss stepped towards me.
“You heard me,” I turned my attention him. “The deal has been made. Sergeant Red has been given a protection duty, and the sooner we get these people out the sooner we can go back to our business, and connect this level back to the others.”
“Where’s the order?” Major Toss challenged me. “I have not received anything.”
“Of course you haven’t, as Addison personally granted me this privilege. So bring out the girl and let this deal be finished.” When nothing happened I raised my voice. “Now!”
“You heard the man.” Red waved his hand to Wally standing in the control room. “Open the gates.”
Wally nodded. He hit couple of buttons and we heard clonks as the gates withdrew to the side to make room for Jaq, who walked out as if she owned the place. The guards stepped aside, holding their guns, batons and other weapons tightly. But she didn’t seem to care about them as she stopped front of Jane. “Are you coming?” she asked.
“Yes dear,” Jane said. “I’m coming.”
Then they took the lead and started to walk towards the exit with Sergeant Red following them as if he’d always been doing it. They didn’t stop by the armoury nor by any of the material stores to get anything that we’d been reserving for the outgoing patrols. In fact, the first time they stopped was outside the two gigantic vault gates that separated us from the outside world – the society that we’d abandoned.
Once there, Jane gave a nod to Red, who went to tap in the code and then she turned around and walked back to me. “Henrik,” she said. “Trust me. I’ll be your eyes and ears out there and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then she stood on tiptoe before I managed to say anything, to give me a kiss. It felt lingering, longer than I realised, as when I opened my eyes, she was in the room between the doors, waving her hand.
*** Harry ***
Harry watched the gate closing before he looked down from the main monitor to the room full of shadow brokers. He knew all of them. Even the strange ones, which were only visible to his bionic eyes, and he said: “So it begins. The deal has been done, and we are ready to move to the next phase in the Operation Gladius. And those who’re out still there will have no chance of surviving the coming days.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This book would not have been possible without my incredible wife Vivienne. Even though I wish that she had not spent so many months in various hospitals, sometimes in specialist wards, all too often in Intensive Care Units battling for her life, I would have been doing something very different with my life instead of spending the years caring for her and writing the stories that became this book.
Equally big thanks go to my editor Jeff Richard. For the years that it has taken to write this trilogy, he has stood by my side, listening and sometimes arguing against some of the ideas that I had visualised for my readers. He has been supportive from the moment First Interview saw daylight in the form of a short story. Since then, Jane has won him over, with her adventures in a world that is ten thousand times darker than anything humanity has seen so far. Even so, I hope the day will never come, when Earth and its people face the nightmare of an apocalypse.
I owe so much to Chris Penycate for being such a pedant when it comes to the English language. It is one thing to sort out the issues of a Native English speaker and, quite another to wade through the prose of a person whose first language is not English which is really, really rich in terms of vocabulary whilst at the same time being incredibly complicated with its structure. Nevertheless, I never imagined writing them in Finnish (my native tongue). It is hard to master and it is possible in the future, that it may join the roll call of dead languages along with its people, as our population is so small.
What is not small however, are the number of people, who read partials, provided crucial critique for this story that went through three major competitions with the big five publishing houses. I would especially like to thank the members of SSFChronicles.com. And so in no particular order: Chris Penycate, Sapheron, Droflet, The Judge, Gary Compton, Anne Martin, Psychotick, TheEndIsNigh, RJM Corbet, Hex, Warren Paul, Brian G Turner, Bowler1, Abernove, HareBrain and Peter Graham.
To Jo Zebedee, Lani Elisabeth and Arto Sandross all of whom read full versions and provided crucial critique on characterisations, world building and scene setting. You were all magnificent and without you, I would not have been able to complete this publication. All of you got excited which really, proved to me, that this story works.
Lastly, but by no means least, a big shout out to Jackie Felix for giving Jane and Sergeant Red faces; your art is fantastic. Go to see her work at the Artstation and if you get a chance, buy a copy or three of her magnificent ladies. They are truly spectacular, one-of-a-kind in my view.
CT Grey
London, UK
September 2017
BIOGRAPHY
C.T. Grey is an information junkie and engineer, who, from a very early age, started to build networked computer clusters and write obscenely complicated documentation; however, he soon realised that developing dark stories set in post-apocalyptic scenarios and faraway places was much more entertaining and interesting than going through all those super technical journals.
C.T. Grey not only writes in a second language, but he has developed and honed his skills so well that he has become a well-respected critic. Not only by helping aspiring writers to master their own craft, but he also devotes a lot of time writing episodic reviews and guiding conversation
s on critically acclaimed television series like: The Walking Dead, Star Wars: Rebels, The Expanse, Game of Thrones and multiple other SF, Fantasy and Horror productions.
Having had previous articles published online and in technical documents, specialist magazines and hacker underground journals. You can find him blogging on a daily basis via Facebook on technology, science and politics and a myriad of topics, fact and fiction.
He currently lives in London with his wife Vivienne and two, very spoilt, black cats named Treasure and Precious.