by Alex Siegel
"Calm down. We're making good progress. No reason to be pessimistic. I want both of you to come back to headquarters for a meeting. Smythe has been working in his lab, and I've been reading police reports. We'll pool our information and try to come up with a plan of attack."
"Yes, sir," both women said.
"Bye."
Sheryl hung up.
They left the room and headed towards the front door of the gym. Sheryl put her winter accessories back on as she walked. She decided she needed to get stylish gloves like Tawni's, but they wouldn't be black.
They went outside. Being inside the warm gym had caused Sheryl to perspire, and a blast of frigid air turned that moisture into ice. She blinked tears from her stinging eyes.
"Shit," she said. "I hate this weather."
They had parked on the far side of the lot. The pavement had been plowed, but there was still plenty of treacherous ice. She leaned on cars for support as she walked. Even though she was careful, she almost slipped a few times.
"Hey!" a male voice said. "Do either of you fine ladies have some food?"
Sheryl and Tawni turned. A man in an orange ski jacket was approaching them. He was wearing sneakers and jeans with holes in the knees. A scrappy, brown beard covered his chin. His face was gaunt and sunken.
"No," Tawni said firmly.
"Candy? Fruit?" the man said. "Anything? I'm starving."
She shook her head. "Go away."
Sheryl noticed shadows were leaking through Tawni's black gloves. It looked like they were smoldering.
The man stopped about one pace away from Tawni. "Then give me some money, so I can buy food. I'm so hungry it's making me crazy."
He was about two inches taller than her and quite a bit bulkier.
"This is the last time I tell you nicely," Tawni said in a low voice. "Go away."
Sheryl took a step back.
"What are you going to do, little lady? Hit me?" The man unzipped his jacket and lifted his shirt to reveal a rock-hard abdomen. His thick muscles stood out like ropes. "I can squat five hundred pounds. I'll snap you like a twig. Now give me some money!"
Tawni dropped down and performed a low, sweeping kick. His feet slipped easily on the icy pavement. He landed hard on his shoulder with an audible thump. She kicked him in the face. Blood leaked from his obviously broken nose.
"Stay down," she said calmly.
He tried to push himself up with his hands. She stomped on the fingers of his left hand, and Sheryl heard the crunch of small bones breaking.
"Stay down," Tawni repeated.
He tried to grab her leg with his right hand. She hopped to the side and kicked him in the groin with brutal force. He made a wheezing sound.
"You're pretty stupid," she said. "Are you going to stay down this time?"
He nodded with his eyes tightly shut.
"When did you start feeling so hungry? Talk, or this little lady will break more than your fingers."
"Two weeks ago," he said in a high, tight voice.
"Were you doing anything special at the time? Did you try a new food? A new drug? Meet a new girlfriend? Start a new job?"
"I don't think so."
"Think harder!" Tawni yelled.
She pulled off her right glove. Black smoke swirled around her bare hand like a miniature thunderstorm. She reached for the man's face.
"Don't!" Sheryl yelled.
She grabbed Tawni's shoulder. Tawni glared back at her with open hostility.
"Don't," Sheryl said in a gentler voice. "We're not killing or torturing anybody today. You've hurt him enough."
Tawni snarled and put her glove back on.
She marched off towards the car. "Come on. We have a meeting."
Sheryl followed.
* * *
Aaron nodded to the four legionnaires around the glass kitchen table. Perry had also joined the meeting, although he looked a little out of place without his computer.
"We'll start with Tawni and Sheryl," Aaron said. "You've been out and about in this fine weather for most of the day. Tell us about your adventures."
The two women traded off as they gave their report. Their attention to detail and insightful commentary pleased Aaron. They would've made good detectives. Their styles were very different though. Tawni was blunt and terse to a fault. Sheryl liked to elaborate on specific points until he became impatient for her to move on.
"Good," Aaron said. "Smythe, you're next. What have you cooked up in your lab?"
Smythe nodded. "I discovered an elevated white blood cell count, inflammation, and other signs of general infection."
"What kind of infection?"
"I don't know, sir. The samples were slightly decayed, which made analysis more difficult. I think the morgue isn't keeping their cooler at the proper temperature. It didn't help that I'm missing some of my lab equipment, thanks to the ever helpful twins."
"Did you test for drugs?" Aaron said.
"I screened for everything I could think of but didn't get any hits. If a drug is responsible, it's not a common one. Of course, this is with the caveat that I had inferior samples and missing equipment."
"Everybody we talked to claimed they were clean," Tawni said. "They were proud of it."
"Then let's assume the cause is an infection," Aaron said. "Perry, your turn."
Perry straightened. "Yes, sir. I've been studying the victims for patterns. They were attacked when they were alone and vulnerable. Women, elderly, and kids."
"Kids?" Sheryl said.
"Yes. A five year-old boy was eaten."
"Ugh."
"You can say that again." Perry looked at her through his big, black glasses.
Aaron nodded. "That would be consistent with the hypothesis that these are crimes of opportunity. Go on."
"It's happening all over northern Chicagoland, but the center is roughly Skokie. Finally, all the victims live in poor neighborhoods."
"That's very interesting. We're looking for something that poor people do." Aaron stared into space for a moment. "I've been reading police reports and talking to the authorities. The statements are fairly consistent. All the attacks were extremely violent and quick. From five to fifteen pounds of meat and organs were eaten, usually while the victim was still alive. As Perry mentioned, the target was alone in every case. The attackers demonstrated great strength and aggression. In one case, burglar bars were pulled off a wall. In another, the cannibal jumped from the balcony of one house and crashed through a second-story window of another. If you get into a fight with these people, take it very seriously." He paused to let that warning sink in.
"Anything else, sir?" Sheryl asked.
"The authorities are afraid. Some are flat-out panicking. It's the sort of fear that makes people do stupid things."
"They have good reason to be afraid."
"True." Aaron nodded. "Does anybody have any suggestions?"
"I do," Sheryl said. "I think we need to go back to that gym and spend more time talking to the people who are obviously infected. They can't all be clueless."
He looked around the table to see if anybody else would offer an idea. Nobody spoke.
"Then that's what we'll do," he said. "Tawni, Norbert, and Sheryl will go to the gym dressed as fitness trainers."
"Try to get names and addresses," Perry said. "Maybe I can find a pattern in their backgrounds."
"And a fresh blood sample," Smythe added.
Sheryl raised her eyebrows. "You want us to draw blood?"
"Yes. I'll show you the proper way to do it."
"Eat dinner, and then get going," Aaron said. "Smythe, while they're gone, search the medical literature for relevant cases. Maybe some doctor has seen this before. That's all."
He got up and left the kitchen.
He navigated his way through the forest of scientific equipment that covered what used to be the exercise area. The clutter was starting to drive him nuts. He wanted his headquarters to be neat and orderly, not a junkyard.
He was counting the hours until the twins' project was finished.
Aaron found the twins working on the aperture as usual. They were welding components into place using an industrial robot and violet lasers. A tray held hundreds more components, each with a little, white label. Obviously, they were going to be at this for a while.
"How's it going?" he said.
"Not very well," Bethany replied in her synthetic voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Some of the raw materials aren't as pure as we need. The scientists keep making mistakes."
"What do you expect?" he said. "They're exhausted. Let them sleep a little more, and their work will improve. I have to call the legate and give her my daily status report. She'll want to know how much longer until you're finished."
"It's difficult to estimate. Perhaps a week, assuming there are no more setbacks."
He tried to read her emotions, but her metallic face and crystalline eyes made that impossible. She had as much expression as a mannequin.
"OK. Don't let the pressure get to you."
"We don't feel pressure, sir," she said.
Aaron made his way to his office. He went inside and closed the door.
He took out his phone. For the last two months, the legate had insisted on verbal instead of written reports from him. She didn't want to wait for letters to be delivered.
He dialed her number.
"Hello?" Ethel said.
"It's Aaron, ma'am. As I'm sure you already know, Chicago has a cannibal problem, but the good news is we're making progress. We've identified the main symptoms of the illness and are focusing on possible causes."
"What cannibal problem?" she said sharply.
"It's all over the news. I assumed the whole world knew."
"I've been preoccupied with the funeral in Washington."
He furrowed his brow. "I forgot about that."
Ethel was attending the funeral of Vice President Darrow. He had died of a stroke two days ago.
"It's funny," she said. "I've killed so many people and seen so much death. They could dedicate whole cemeteries in my name. I've been to precious few funerals though. When a member of the Gray Spear Society dies, we rarely get a chance to bury them properly, and the grave is never marked. We certainly don't bury our enemies."
"Was the funeral nice?" Aaron asked.
"It was wonderful. Roy gave a speech that had everybody weeping. He's a wizard at connecting with an audience. You would've thought Darrow was a saint struck down in the prime of his life instead of an elderly politician. It really made me think about the meaning of all our lives." She sighed deeply. "Tell me about these cannibals."
He briefly summarized the investigation so far.
After he was done, she said, "I'll fly to Chicago immediately."
"I don't think I asked for your help, ma'am."
"You're getting it. Somebody has to make sure the twins are absolutely safe, and all resources are made available to that end. While you're focusing on your investigation, I'll focus on them."
Aaron frowned. He didn't like the idea of the legate hanging around his headquarters and looking over his shoulder, but she had a good point. With her watching over the twins, he could stop worrying about them.
"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I look forward to your arrival. By the way, Bethany told me they'll be done in a week."
Ethel exhaled. "A week is a long time. Bye." She hung up.
Chapter Six
Sheryl, Tawni, and Norbert hurried across the parking lot of the Power and Energy Club. The sun had gone down, and now the cold felt even chillier. It was like being trapped in a freezer with the lights off. Sheryl kept her eyes down as she watched for dark patches of ice in her path.
They entered the club. Warm air made the tip of Sheryl's nose tingle. She began to strip off her heavy winter gear.
The gym was even more crowded and noisy now than before. Every machine was in use, and some people were waiting for a turn.
Norbert went to the front desk and said, "We need to see the manager immediately."
"About what, sir?" a perky, young woman with pink hair said.
"That's none of your business, but it's important."
"The manager went home, but the assistant manager is up there." She pointed at a second-floor office that overlooked the gym. A balcony provided access.
Norbert headed in that direction without another word. Sheryl and Tawni followed him up a narrow flight of stairs to the office. He knocked once and then opened the door without waiting for a response. Everybody went in.
The assistant manager was in his thirties and very fit. His fabulous, brown hair made Sheryl think of Hollywood movie stars. She also liked his perfect nose. He was wearing a green T-shirt with the exploding atom logo on it.
He stood up. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah," Norbert said. "Corporate sent us to perform a surprise inspection."
"I didn't hear about any inspection."
"Hence the word 'surprise.' We're going to pretend to be trainers for the next few hours. We'll look at the equipment and talk to the customers to verify they're being treated right. Make sure nobody gets in our way, but don't tell the staff who we really are."
The manager picked up his phone. "Let me just call..."
"The corporate office is closed now. Go ahead if you like talking to answering machines. Of course, your lack of cooperation will be mentioned in our report."
The manager frowned and hung up the phone.
"We'll go change now," Norbert said. "Have everything ready by the time we get out."
He left the office before the manager had time to complain. Sheryl and Tawni hurried down the stairs after Norbert.
"Well played," Sheryl said.
"Thanks," he said. "The trick is not giving the other guy any time to think."
They went into the locker rooms. Tawni was carrying a gym bag containing tights for herself and Sheryl. Unfortunately, the tights wouldn't allow them to carry any weapons, but there was no choice. They changed and stuffed their regular clothes into a locker.
Sheryl looked at Tawni and sighed. Her gray leotard and black leggings showed off a phenomenal body. Her only flaw was extra muscle around the shoulders and upper arms, which didn't look feminine. She spent a lot of time practicing with her sword.
"I told you not to stare at me," Tawni said.
Sheryl clenched her jaw and turned away.
They left the locker room and found Norbert waiting. He had changed into gray shorts and a black T-shirt. His muscles were very impressive but not attractive to her. He certainly looked the part of a fitness freak on steroids.
"We need three clipboards and lots of waver forms," he said. "We'll write down the names and addresses on the wavers."
"I got it," Sheryl said.
She jogged over to the front desk. The assistant manager was talking to the girl there. Sheryl obtained the clipboards and wavers without any trouble. She returned to her friends and handed them out.
"Let's split up," Norbert said, "but stay within sight of each other. We're not expecting trouble, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. A Spear is always ready for battle."
Tawni and Sheryl nodded.
Sheryl headed towards the stair climbers and treadmills. She walked along the long line of machines as she sought a likely candidate.
A mirror on the wall made her instinctively stop and check her appearance. Her tights had pink and white stripes which seemed to vibrate with energy. She observed with displeasure that Tawni wasn't the only one with chunky muscles. I'm starting to look like a warrior instead of a woman, Sheryl thought. It's Aaron's fault.
She noticed a Chinese woman running on a treadmill at its fastest setting. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing in gasps, but she seemed happy. Sweat dripped from her lean body. She had three empty juice bottles in front of her, and one was stuffed with used candy wrappers.
"Hi!" Sheryl said with a cheerful smile. "I'm Kristy. Mind stoppin
g so we can talk?"
With obvious reluctance, the woman paused the machine. She stood there panting. "What?"
"I'm one of the trainers in this gym. As a promotion, we're doing free consultations. I want to talk about your exercise program and make suggestions for how you can improve it."
"Free?"
"That's right." Sheryl smiled again. "It will just take a few minutes. We have to start with a standard waver form. Sorry, but those are the rules. Just write down your name and address clearly, and sign it."
The woman quickly filled out the form. Sweat left wet blotches on the paper.
Sheryl checked it and saw her name was "Ye."
"Perfect," Sheryl said. "How long have you been working out?"
"Just two weeks."
"Really? You look like you're in great shape."
"Thanks." Ye grinned.
"What's your secret?"
"It's not hard. I run twenty miles a day on this machine, and I drink a lot of mint tea."
"Twenty miles every day?" Sheryl said. That would kill me.
"It goes fast if you put the machine at the top setting. I feel great afterwards."
"Maybe I should try mint tea. Judging from the mess, it looks like you drink a lot of juice and eat a lot of candy."
"I need fuel to keep going," Ye said. "I burn a ton of calories."
"It's usually not a good idea to eat while you're running."
"I watch my intake. I don't eat more than ten candy bars while I'm at the gym."
Sheryl stared at her. "That seems like a lot."
"Look at this body." Ye pointed at herself. "It's working, isn't it?"
"To be honest, it sounds like you have a very serious medical condition. Running and eating that much isn't normal. Could be a parasite."
"Huh? What kind of parasite?"
Sheryl shrugged. "I'm not an expert on parasites. Think back to when you first noticed the change in your body. Did you eat any strange food? Take any pills? Visit someplace exotic?"
"No. I'm a waitress in a restaurant. I do the same thing every day. Do you seriously think I could have a parasite?" Ye bit her lip.
"It's certainly something."
"I don't know what it could be. One day I woke up and felt good. Every day since then, I've felt even better. It's like God is smiling on me."