The iFactor

  “Don’t let them change you.” She faced him. “Do you mind if we walk through the park?”

  “Sure, if that's what you'd like.” Matt scanned the grounds for potential threats.

  “I just want to collect myself before I get back. Last time, he was waiting for me at my door.” she continued to examination the path before her and walk in a slow, almost uncertain pace. Matt matched her, not wishing to rush. “He was angry that I went out to lunch with my friend Sal instead of him. The jerk thought I was cheating on him, with Sal.” She looked at him, humor on shone on her face. “I went with Sal to cheer him up. He'd just had a big fight with his boyfriend and was afraid he was going to get dumped.”

  “Ironic.”

  “Tonight he accused me of having sex with you, and the other one with you. I should have seen that the man was a freak.” She sniffled.

  “Sometimes loneliness can blind people to the faults of others.”

  “Only his fault was a chasm.” She smiled.

  “Yeah,” he responded. “Very funny. I don't think you need to worry about him any longer. The judicial council doesn't take violence lightly. At the very least, there will be a court order to keep him away. Unlike earth, an order like that can be enforced here.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I’ve heard the lecture. On Sirius no crime goes unpunished.”

  “Not while I'm here.”

  “Just like a Canadian Mounty.” she observed.

  “Pardon?”

  “A Mounty. The police force of Canada used to ride horses and were called Mounties.” she explained.

  “Yes, just like that. Except no horse.”

  “I can see that in you. You're definitely the always get your man type.”

  “Thank you. It helps in my line of work.”

  “So, you always notice crime?” She said.

  “Most of the time.”

  “And no crime goes unpunished in Sirius?” She continued.

  “That’s the party line.”

  “How about that place?” she pointed toward a small shop that was crowded with a line of people waiting to get in.

  “What about it?” Matt studied the place. “Nothing wrong with a shop being popular.

  “Oh, it’s more than popular.” Jill's smile faded. “It's a Fantasia den.”

  “Excuse me?” He appraised the building with more interest. He had been looking for Fantasia distribution sites. They pop up suddenly under the guise of a legitimate business, or club. They take the customers money in installments so as not to attract the attention of the mainframe. The heat starts and they faded away to appear somewhere else. “How do you know?”

  “I hear talk around the school. I keep track. In case I need to offer guidance to a student.” She said.

  “Why didn't you report it?” Matt said. “It’s your duty to report crime.”

  “I can't know for sure what goes on in there, what I know is hearsay. And as long as the dealers stay there, then I know where they are.” She walked into the park.

  “Aren't you going to get them, call in a raid?” she asked.

  “I'm off duty.” Still, he made a mental note of its location for later.

  “I don't get those people.”

  “They're just trying to make money. Unlike most of us however, they don't care how.” Matt said.

  “Not the dealers. I understand them. I don't understand why someone would ever want to take the hyper drug again, even in diluted form.” She shuddered. “Even in diluted form, why force a waking dream state, I mean it’s not like they can guarantee it’s a good dream.”

  “You know, I feel the same way about the drug. In fact, I would rather grow old and die on Sirius than ever take it again. The trip left much to be desired.” Matt was starting to feel apprehensive. The conversation had veered into uncomfortable territory. However, he didn't want to abandon her or forsake her company, just change the topic. “You know, I don't even know your name.”

  “I know yours.” She pointed to his nametag. “You are Dales. I was told you're a detective.”

  “My name is Matthew, and I've just been promoted, today is my first day.”

  “You seem comfortable for the first day in a new job.”

  “I was a detective before, back on Earth.”

  “I'm a teacher. Hi, my name is Jill, Jill Cochetti.” She thrust her hand forward. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” Matt shook her hand. Her warm skin against his made his body tingle. His heart was pounding. He felt like a sex-deprived schoolboy, and it bothered him. He was a little slower than he should have been letting go of her hand, reluctantly returning his attention to the path before them.

  “Do you live nearby?” she asked.

  “I live in delta quad.”

  “That's nearly on the other side of the dome from me.” She stopped. “I can make it home the rest of the way.”

  “It's fine,” he said. “There's a transit station near your address. It'll go right by my apartment. I’d feel better knowing you got home safe.”

  “As long as you’re sure. I never had a bodyguard before.”

  A suggestive phrase popped into his head, but he wrestled it down and instead said, “Consider it part of the service.”

  The night sky offered slight illumination through the dome high above, and what little there was came from the softer light emanating from the lamp posts dispersed evenly around the park. The city managers could easily increase the luminosity, but the human beings are creatures of habit. They like it dark at night. It keeps them grounded and provides a quiet time for the colony; even those that work one of the late shifts seem to appreciate the change in atmosphere.

  The softer lighting added ambiance to moonlight strolls, and he would have enjoyed it more if his current walking partner hadn't just been assaulted. They walked quietly, looking upward at the few alien constellations that were still visible through the dome.

  Matt observed a pair of shadowy forms sitting by an observation window to one of the fish pools. They took on an eerie, phantom aspect when lit up from the white water patterns of the pool.

  “They're the same stars you see from earth.” Jill broke the silence.” We are just seeing them from another vantage point.”

  “I never really thought about it.”

  “Do you think they'll ever bring in birds?” she asked. “The trees seem so lonely without them.”

  “I heard there was a petition to bring in some.” Matt regarded the tank again. The couple had vanished. It means nothing. Not everyone is a threat. They probably just went inside for a sexual encounter.

  “I know, I signed it.” she said. “I don't think they will risk it though. Maybe if we could free all the parrots, love birds, and parakeets the execs brought in for pets.”

  “Probably won’t happen.” Matt appraised the park, being as subtle as his training permitted. “You never know how the mind rip might affect a large quantity of birds. Not all of the ones brought in for pets make it through all right. They have to be euthanized.”

  “I saw a movie once, when I was young. It was about a town being attacked by hundreds of birds.”

  “We wouldn't want that here.” He was being paranoid, and forced himself to breathe deeply.

  “Still, it would be nice to hear them chatter again.”

  “Maybe you can get a petitions going to play bird noise recordings from the trees. I never noticed the birds much, but I always heard them.” Breath followed breath until apprehension subsided

  “Maybe I will,” Jill smiled through painful bruises. “I live just down the lane.” She stepped off the grass. Matt made note of a nearby transit stop and followed.

  “What will they do to him?” Jill asked.

  “Your boyfriend?”

  “Ex boyfriend.”

  “Well, he's guilty of assault.” Matt said. “If he has no priors, they will probably give him some confinement time while he undergoes anger management. Then after that he'll be tracke
d for a time to guarantee that he stays away from you.”

  “He wasn't a bad guy, really.” she said. “He just got jealous.”

  “He hit you. To me, that makes him a bad guy. This colony is a contained group of people. Anyone who cannot control their temper here becomes a danger to the whole colony. If he's a hard case, then its confinement and expulsion back to earth. Crime, especially violent crime will be accepted on Sirius.” Matt used his official voice. “It goes against the company line.”

  “No crime goes unpunished. That is why some of us came here. The earth is just so... well you can never feel secure there. I'd never feel safe walking through a park at night.” She pointed to the next building up. “That’s mine. I half expected him to be waiting for me.”

  “I'm sure he's been apprehended by now. You'll be safe.” She moved to the main entrance. Matt watched from the walk.

  “Thank you.” She said and walked in. Matt waited until he was sure that she was safely inside then started walking purposely toward the transit stop.

  The night seemed a less inviting place without her. The shadows shifted and moved at the edges of his periphery. They began to play tricks on his tired mind. Matt moved briskly to the transit stop.

  Paranoid eyes observed every shadow, looking for the slightest shift, any motion that wasn't part of the normal pattern. He wished he had his dog back. Several people approached from the walkway. He gave them a wide birth as they passed.

  There was no one, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was stalking him. It grew as Matt stepped up onto the boarding platform and waited. Each moment passed like a pendulum swing, slow and inevitable.

  The transit car stopped and he leapt on board, and threw his back against the wall of the vacant cage, eyes searching like a hunted animal as the door slid closed and the car moved along the track. Thankfully, each meter down the track eased the tightness in his chest and he started to breathe easier again. By the time he reached his own stop, he felt like a foolish child afraid of the dark. He stood up erect, brushed his uniform straight, and walked out of the car and down the walkway to his apartment.

  Matt’s legs felt as though they could scarcely hold his weight, but climbed the stairs all four levels up to his apartment. He listened to each creak intently. His neighbors, he knew, were most likely asleep by that time. He liked having the hallways to himself. As he turned the door he appraised his apartment door, more specifically, he focused his attention on a small rectangular piece of paper that was placed at eye level. Written on it, in blocky letters, were the words, THEY ARE WATCHING YOU.

  Matt inspected the locks for any telltale scratches and sniffed the air. Any electronic lock override device would have to be powerful and might leave the smell of ozone. As far as he could tell, they were all secured. None showed any signs of tampering. Matt pulled the paper off the door and entered quietly, locking the door him. It took several inspections of each room and all the locks before he felt comfortable enough to go to try to sleep. He took the maximum dose of medication the psychiatrist would allow, but got little sleep that night.

  Chapter 12

  Matt left his psychiatrist’s office with new medications, a new therapeutic game in hand, and a smile on his face. His doctor said that his increase in symptom intensity was due to the new stresses and should quickly subside. Regaining his position, the doctor thought, most likely brought back many of the feelings and memories that Matt experienced when he lost his rank. It made sense to Matt, and he was glad for the stronger medicine. The new pills came in quick metabolizing gel capsules. The doctor promised almost instant absorption, and immediate relief. He took one as he arrived and Matt could feel it taking effect before his session was over.

  Trees were dispersed around the park, tall and nearly perfect. Still there was no sound of wind, no waving or rustling and no sound of birds. Jill was right. There was something very wrong in that. He wasn't sure that false bird songs would have enhanced the ambiance, but they could at least turn up the city ventilators to create a gentle breeze. At least he could feel the heat of Sirius Primary upon his face. It almost felt like earth’s sun. He slowly strolled along and reveled in his freedom from anxiety. Jill's face came to mind, not the bruised face of the previous night, but the unmarred beauty of their first meeting. It filled him with an enigmatic joy.

  He arrived at work grinning. The balance of the paperwork from the preceding day couldn’t bring him down. He scanned through the screen, signing in the applicable places and then when on to the new work. The chair was comfortable enough and he had a fresh cup of coffee. He was ready to begin delving once again into the Sisyphean piles.

  The man who had assaulted Jill was in a holding cell, having pled guilty. His defender was in discussions with the judicial council over penalty. A restraining order was now in effect, so at the very least Jill wouldn't have to worry about him. If he got within ten meters, alarms would go off and an officer would intervene. Matt still promised himself that he would monitor the man, just to be certain.

  The next file comprised the data on the rape investigation. The trial for that case was set for the following day. Matt was still astounded at how fast things occurred in colonial security. Although he felt rushed, he looked over each document judiciously; the last thing that he wanted was to let a rapist go on a technicality. Of course, such a thing couldn't happen on Sirius. The legal system was designed so that the computer wouldn’t have let him file an arrest order if there were any technical issues. Still, it was his first case and he wanted it to be perfect.

  “Crap!” the voice of Officer Perry echoed across the room

  Matt signed his final document, sent it out and walked over. “What's up?”

  “Having problems with an identification.” Perry said.

  “What are you working on?”

  “Same case.” Perry said. “I was just going over the final review of the contact web.”

  “So what's the problem?”

  “The problem is that I have the dock manager who we linked to the bursar. It looks like a clandestine meeting with someone in the park. At the same time, a large financial transaction was made to an unidentifiable person. He paid someone off.” Perry said.

  “Can't you run the ID?” Matt asked.

  “No, the individual was four steps removed from the rapist. Outside our warrant limitations. Standard procedure is three step.” Perry said. “So I requested a supplemental warrant to find out this contact. They denied it. Too far removed from principal to have relevance to our case.”

  “Well nothing you can do but note it in the paperwork. I'll see what I can do to get the chief to look into it. The drug smugglers might have been paying off someone in the colonial authority to look the other way.” Matt said. “I'll talk to you about this later. It’s a good lead, we’ll follow up.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Perry looked up. “I just never hit a wall before.”

  “Join the club. Running into walls happens all the time on earth. Hell you’re not a proper detective until you found your way around a few of them. We’ll figure it out.” Matt took a step back toward his office when his palm started vibrating again.

  “Can I borrow your palm reader?” he asked Officer Perry.

  “Go ahead.” Perry pushed his chair back and clasped his hands behind his head.

  Matt walked around the desk and waved his hand over the scanner. The screen, which made up most of its surface lit up. “It’s the chief; he wants me in his office when I have a minute.”

  “Well that was a short lived promotion.”

  “I don’t think I messed up that badly in a day.” Matt replied. “Don’t stress the wall. Think of it as an opportunity to earn our pay.”

  “Dales?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You were good at your job, back on Earth, right?”

  “I thought so; I guess the Chief thinks so to.”

  “I want to be more than a file jockey. Can you teach me?”

&nb
sp; “Getting close to me might not be a career maker. I’ll teach you what I can, but I’m not sure how much of it applies here. How about a trade. You teach me to comprehend the synapsis and I teach you how to get around walls.”

  “Deal. Good luck with the chief.”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  He’d just finished his paperwork; it was as good a time as any. He stepped into the elevator and pushed the chief’s floor. “You rang.” On arrival, he looked cautiously into his office.

  “Yes, I did.” The chief said. “I hear you did pretty well for a first timer in the detective unit.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Close the door please.” The chief looked more intense than he'd seen him since their earth days. Matt closed the door and sat in the chair before the large wooden desk. “I don't want anyone to hear our conversation.”

  “If you're trying to scare me,” Matt's heart braced for the shoe to drop. “It’s working.”

  “Sorry, I'm not trying to. Look, I have a case I need you on, one that will require your special talent for hunches.” He leaned forward in his desk. “Can you be discreet? I mean can you give the team the benefit of your hunches without letting them know they come from your gut, or intuition, or where ever the hell they come from.”

  “Are you still worried about the Trust?” Matt’s desire to laugh it off was eclipsed by the memory of the feelings he’d had the previous night. He could swear that he was being followed, and then of course there was the note. Someone was trying to warn him, or scare him. A cold chill went up his spine. “Yes. What's this about?”

  “It’s complicated. You'll find out in the briefing. I will give you this heads up. We have a situation that requires real earth style detecting. You've got the training and the experience.” the chief slunk into his chair.

  “What about my current case?” Matt asked.

  “I was under the impression that the case was closed.” the chief said. “Is there any further information?”

  “Yes, sir. Officer Perry found a large monetary transfer from the dock supervisor to an unknown individual. He was unable to pursue it because the warrant stipulated a level three contact web. He was refused an augmented warrant.” Matt said.