Salvi smiled, and the silence took hold again as they both recalled the moment.
“What’s it like out there?” she asked him. “What’s been going on?”
Mitch exhaled heavily. “Everything. I’ve been finalizing reports with Riverton, taking witness statements, processing the scene, cleaning up your apartment…”
“Yeah,” she said, dropping her eyes to the bed. “Did anyone else see…?” her voice trailed off.
“It’s OK, Salvi,” he said. “I got rid of the footage. And the cameras.”
She looked up at him; his green eyes staring back at hers, the dark fringe resting on his forehead, his stubbled jaw.
“You did?” she asked.
He nodded. “Riverton uncovered the hack Bander had done to your security to give him access to Sky Tower 4’s systems. I figured that was enough to prove you were a target of his. I got rid of the sheets. Bought you some new ones.”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
He nodded gently back. “It’s no one’s business but ours.”
She swallowed, her throat still hurting. She reached out and picked up the glass of water sitting by her bed, took a sip and placed it back.
“Bander’s room at the Complex was clean,” Mitch continued, “but he had an apartment in the city and it was stocked with a whole array of footage hacked from people’s private security cameras, from his old job. It looks like he started out as a voyeur and it slowly built from there.” Mitch shrugged. “I guess his free license to be a violent sadistic asshole at the Solme Complex went to his head. He got sick of watching and started doing.”
Salvi nodded to herself. “How’s Subjugate-52?”
“He caught a bullet in the stomach,” he said. “He’ll be in hospital for a while, but he’ll be alright.”
“Did he get his medication?”
Mitch nodded. “First thing they did, even before the ambulance came.”
“And Subjugate-12?”
“He got a fractured skull, but they say he’ll be alright in time. Attis Solme is arranging a whole bunch of counseling for them with a new psychologist he’s bringing in.”
“It’s been two days and he’s already moved on?”
Mitch nodded. “The media is all over him. He’s trying to manage the collateral damage.”
“And the fallout in the town?”
“Mixed,” he said. “Solme released a statement to the press, painting the Subjugates as heroes. But people are uneasy. Like it or not, the killer came from the Solme Complex. Sheriff Holt is calling for an inquiry into the facility.”
“They never showed any aggression toward me. If anything, the fact that they’ve had the violence bleached out of them was the problem. Serene-41 was useless. He was too centerline to know how to react appropriately. Pragge was an easy target to knock down, and Moses was only effective in knocking Bander off me because he hadn’t had his meds. Because he still had the ability to feel something enough, to do something, albeit only slightly.”
“That’s a good thing, Salvi,” he said. “Don’t forget their pasts. These were horrible, horrible men before. Just like Bander was. They need to remain tightly controlled or they will offend again.”
“I know,” she said. “And Moses coded blue. And they knew he was still coding blue. That’s why they were hesitant to let me speak with him… Still he didn’t hurt me. And he genuinely seemed to think what Bander was doing was wrong. That’s why he tried to stop him. They were monsters once, but I think Solme might’ve actually been turning them back into men again. His methods are questionable, but if it hadn’t been for them, I’d probably be dead right now. Or at least, in a lot worse condition.”
Mitch clenched his jaw as though she’d brought back a memory he cared not to think of. She wondered what it must’ve felt like for him to come through that door and see Bander choking her on Solme’s desk.
“Thank you,” she said. “For coming when you did.”
He nodded, clenched his jaw again. “I’m just glad I got there in time… This time.”
She nodded, gave him a sad smile.
He cleared his throat. “Don’t ever leave your iPort behind again, Detective.”
“I know,” she said, “but I saw my apartment and I freaked out.”
“And you thought it was me,” he said, eyes fixed on hers.
“No,” she said, then paused. “I was confused… because my gut told me that you could never do something like that.”
He pursed his lips, looking down at the floor.
“You had every right to be screwed up after your girlfriend’s murder,” Salvi said, then gave a smile. “I was a heartless bitch. I admit it.”
He looked up at her, and a smile curled the corner of his mouth. “Well,” he said, “that’s in the past now. For both of us. We need to move forward.”
“Yes, we do,” she said.
Another moment of silence passed between them before the doctor walked back in.
“Here’s your clearance, Detective,” he said, holding out the pane and motioning for where she should sign. She did. “You’re free to leave whenever you like.”
“Thank you,” she said, and watched him leave again. She looked back at Mitch.
“You need a ride?” he asked.
“Yeah. I do.”
Salvi smiled when she saw Mitch moving toward her Zenith.
“Where’s the Raider?”
“Still recovering from her run-in with the drone,” he said, throwing her a glance. “She’s in the shop having her electronics overhauled. Ford is pissed.”
“I see,” she said, then smiled. “This is what happens when you take it off autodrive.”
Mitch smiled back at her. “I guess so.”
“Does Ford know about you talking with Fresner?” she asked as they reached the car.
Mitch nodded. “Riverton found it and flagged it with her. I told them we thought it was a setup and didn’t want to say anything until we knew who was setting me up.”
“Yeah? They bought it?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “although I may have mentioned to Ford about Solme blackmailing her.”
Salvi stared at him, mouth agape. “You have bigger balls than I thought you did.”
“What, you were that drunk you can’t remember?” Mitch grinned.
Salvi blushed a little. “I can remember fine, thank you.” They both climbed inside the Zenith. “So, did you find out what he was blackmailing her over?” She changed the topic of conversation.
Mitch nodded. “Ford crashed her car drunk twenty years ago. Solme got into the driver’s seat for her and took the hit. He hasn’t let her forget it.”
“Huh,” Salvi said.
They rode to her apartment in silence. As they stepped out of the elevator on her floor, Salvi felt a little trepidation. Mitch seemed to sense it, reached into his pocket and pulled out her swipe.
“You should probably have this back now,” he said.
She took it and used it to let them inside.
As the door swung open she saw the air vents were back in place, the smashed cameras removed. And as she stepped into her bedroom, saw the bed was made with clean sheets and the TV off.
“What did you do with the footage?” Salvi asked him.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a disc and handed it to her. “Thought you’d want to be the one to destroy it,” he said. “For peace of mind.”
Salvi took it and turned it over in her hands. “You haven’t made a copy?”
He looked at her, another smile curling his lips. “Nah. I never was one for watching TV.”
She smiled back.
“I’ve double-checked everything, Salvi. Your security’s tight. I had the company change your codes and swipes.” He glanced back at her, then held his hand up in apology. “I didn’t mean to overstep. You can change them again so I don’t know them.”
She nodded. “It’s alright. Thank you.” She glanced around her bedroom. “You�
�ve been busy the past couple of days.”
“Yeah,” he said, then glanced around and exhaled heavily. “Well, I guess I should leave you to rest. If you need anything, just call me.”
Salvi stared back at him, not sure what to say.
“I’m glad you’re alright, Salvi,” he smiled gently. “You don’t know how much.”
“Yeah, I do,” she said, returning his smile. “You wear your heart on your sleeve, remember?”
“Ah, yes.” His smile broadened as he nodded. “I need to work on that.” He started walking toward the door.
“Mitch,” she called out, stopping him. He turned around. She placed the disc down on her bedside table, then turned back to him. “I spoke to Ford earlier, when she came by the hospital.” She looked at him, trying to find the words she wanted to say. “I told her…” she cleared her sore throat. “I told her that I can’t be your partner any more.”
His face fell, as did his eyes to the floor. He nodded, ran his hand down over his mouth, then looked back at her. “What did you tell her?”
She stared at him. “I told her I can’t partner with someone like you…”
Mitch moved uneasily, turned his body like he was going to walk away.
“Someone I have feelings for,” she finished.
He paused and looked back at her, not sure he’d heard right.
She shrugged softly. “You wanted me to feel something, Mitch. Well I do… For you.”
He turned his body back to face hers.
“So, what does this mean?” he asked.
She shrugged. “It means Ford thinks I have a crush on you, so she’s splitting us up. I’m going to be with Beggs, and you get Caine.” She smiled. “I think you get the better end of the deal, by the way.”
“Ford doesn’t know we slept together?”
“No,” she said. “It’s nobody’s business but ours.”
He nodded. “So, what does this mean?” he asked again. “For you and me?”
“It means… We’re going to stop punishing ourselves for our past mistakes. We’re going to forgive ourselves. Move forward.”
“Together? Or alone?”
Salvi took a moment, and a subtle breath in. “I think I’m done with being alone.”
He nodded, the intense look upon his face slowly melting. “Yeah. Me too.”
She smiled softly. “Let me get back on my feet, make sure this BioLume hasn’t turned me radioactive, and… we’ll see where this goes.”
He nodded again and smiled back. “Whenever you’re ready, you know where to find me.”
With that, Mitch left, and Salvi turned to her apartment windows.
She moved over to them and looked out upon the city. She saw the Golden Gate hiding in the mist, saw the drones buzzing about amid the gray skies. Her eyes drifted to focus on the buildings, and she wondered what was going on behind all the closed doors out there. Wondering who, right now, was crossing that line between man and monster. Wondering which criminal she would be chasing next.
She thought it strange that, after all that happened, she was ready to get back out there and get into it again. Get working on a new case.
She thought of Vowker again, how he’d told her she was dead inside. She wasn’t. She was just dead to Christianity.
And it suddenly dawned upon her then, the path her life had taken.
She’d been born into religion. The structure, the discipline, the control. She’d fought hard against it, but the truth was, it had been so ingrained into her system. The structure, the discipline, the control, was firmly in her veins. She didn’t know any other way to live her life.
She thought she’d left religion behind but she hadn’t. She’d simply left Christianity behind, and she’d replaced it with a new religion.
Law enforcement.
Acknowledgments
Although writing a novel is at first a solitary effort, it takes a village to bring it to publication. Thank you to the following for making this book’s publication possible:
To my beta readers, Tia, Todd and Joan – you always read the less perfect versions of my books and help make them better. Thanks for continuing to come back for more.
To my agent, Alex Adsett – thank you for your persistence and patience.
To Marc and the team at Angry Robot – thank you for taking a chance on me. Here’s to a long and fruitful relationship.
To my editors Paul Simpson and Claire Rushbrook – thank you for helping to make this book stronger and sleeker.
To Lee Gibbons – thanks for the great cover.
To my family and friends – you’re accustomed to it now, but thanks for your patience and understanding of my time constraints, and for your continuing support of my work. It means a lot.
Lastly, but never least – thank you to my wonderful readers who follow me from book to book and continue to ask for more. You are the very reason I do this!
About the Author
Amanda Bridgeman is an Aurealis Award finalist and author of seven science fiction novels, including the best-selling space opera Aurora series and apocalyptic drama The Time of the Stripes. She studied film and television/creative writing at Murdoch University, earning her a BA in Communication Studies. Perth has been her home ever since, aside from a nineteen-month stint in the UK where she dabbled in film and TV extras work.
amandabridgeman.com.au • twitter.com/bridgeman_books
By the Same Author
The Aurora Series
Aurora: Darwin
Aurora: Pegasus
Aurora: Meridian
Aurora: Centralis
Aurora: Eden
Aurora: Decimus
Aurora: Aurizun
The Time of the Stripes
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An Angry Robot paperback original 2018
Copyright © Amanda Bridgeman 2018
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