The Sensorians: Trust

by Brigitte Morse-Starkenburg

  “Help yersel' to whatever ye like,” he offered not unkindly.

  I rifled through the slightly sticky contents of the cupboard and found some cream of mushroom soup. I poured it in a bowl and looked for a microwave.

  “Nah, ye have to cook it on the hob, lass. Here's a saucepan.”

  I offered to make him some too, but he declined politely in his broad northern accent. He carried on making our tea, assuming I had milk and sugar as that's how it came.

  After about an hour of eating, drinking tea and awkward silences, someone else arrived at the house. It was a not unattractive, brightly dressed woman in her forties who immediately came over and introduced herself.

  “Hi, I'm Tina. You must be Eliza.” She offered her hand and gave me a firm handshake. “You must be wondering what on earth is going on?” she opened the conversation.

  “I have an inkling,” I said measuredly.

  “Well, tell me. What do you think is happening here, then.”

  I ignored her slightly irritated tone.

  “My father has taken it upon himself to free me from my isolation cell, in the hope I would join him in his quest? It's just a guess.” I added the latter part slightly sarcastically.

  “So where is he?” I asked looking around as if I expected him to walk in at any moment.

  “He's not here. You won't see him for a couple of days yet. That's if you want to see him of course. He doesn't want you to do anything against your will. We can return you to the compound if you wish us to do so,” she answered, not denying my presumption.

  “Okay. I'll stay here, thank you. I wish to meet my father,” I said rather formally.

  “You'll have to stay here for a few days, until we're sure you're not tracked. Just in case you've swallowed a device like you did before. As you know it can take some time to pass through your system, so we're taking this precaution. All they'll find is you and me, and I know nothing.”

  “I'm not being tracked. I had no idea this was going to happen,” I stated indignantly.

  “Well, I'm not a Sensorian so I can't tell whether you're telling the truth. We have to take this precaution. Your father seemed to think you would understand,” she replied matter of factly and slightly accusingly.

  “I do understand. Doesn't mean I have to like it.” I sighed and sat myself down at the kitchen table again. “How are we going to kill the time then, Tina?” I tried to sound a little more friendly. Might as well make the best of it, since I wasn't going to change anyone's mind about this arrangement.

  “Mattie is going to get us some provisions and entertainment before he'll be off. He'll come and pick us up when Rick decides it's safe to do so.”

  She said my father's name with such reverence and admiration, it made me wonder if she was in love with him.

  “You like my father?” I tried.

  “He's amazing. I've only met him a couple of times but I know he can change the world, Eliza. He's a true leader. The world would become a better place with him in charge.”

  I nodded non-committally.

  “Where did you meet him?” I asked, hoping to find out some information about his whereabouts.

  “Different places. At meetings in halls and hotels. He never stays in one place for long, except for at his base. But I don't know where that is. Not many people do.”

  “How many people are with Rick? How many followers does he have? Have you any idea?” I dug a little more.

  “I know he's gathered a core of other Sensorians and he's hoping you'll join them. There are about a hundred of us, common people, spreading the word.”

  “Spreading the word?”

  “Yeah, about all the good things he's done for us already. Helping to get the truth out of people and punishing those that lie. Can you imagine a world where no one can lie, because they always get outed. No more conmen out to get your money, no more cheaters, or people getting away with crimes. You don't need a body of evidence. All they need is to put be on trial and a penal of Sensorians assessing them.”

  “If only it was that simple,” I half mumbled. “Do you know how many Sensorians he already has recruited?”

  “I'm sure he'll introduce you to them in due time, if he trusts you. I don't know who they are or how many. He keeps most of the organisation close to his heart. Your dad's a very clever but cautious man.”

  Mattie, the driver, came back with supplies and a TV box. He set it all up for us, though Tina insisted she knew how to do it. The next few days were going to be less than exciting so I gave into it. I briefly tried to blag access to a phone, but was told that under no circumstances I was to have access to any phone, computer or tablet. So, I had myself a shower in the rather drab and uninviting bathroom. At least the water was hot. I put on some pyjamas that were laid out for me on a bed and ensconced myself in front of the small but functional flat screen. There was not much else to do than wait for Rick's next move.

  CHAPTER 23

  Zaphire

  “Let's track her movements backwards, starting from the moment she left the compound,” Markus decided.

  He had listened to our account of what happened so far, immediately telling us off for not informing him straight away. The news that Jessica had failed to deliver an important message about Rick's whereabouts was received with concern and raised eyebrows. Her odd behaviour leaving the compound in such a rush and leaving such a stench did nothing to alleviate that worry.

  “Wait a minute. Look where she's coming from.” Zack's interest piqued. I heard his heart quickening. “It's the bloody isolation cells. What the fuck is she doing there? She's coming out of Eliza's cell!”

  Zack rushed out of the room heading for the cells before Markus could stop him. I hot-footed after him and I heard Markus and Michael follow not far behind. Markus contacted Vivian and ordered her to come straight away too. I noticed Zack fishing the keys out of his pocket. He'd clearly 'forgotten' to hand those in after being relieved of his duties. He opened the door.

  “What the...where the fuck is Eliza!” Zack thundered.

  Jessica sat on the bed; looking up at us triumphantly.

  “Wouldn't you like to know?” she taunted.

  Realisation of what had happened hit us instantly.

  Markus entered the room and pushed us aside. Jessica's face dropped. Her demeanour changed immediately from cocky to repentant and submissive. It didn't fool anyone.

  “I'm sorry Sir. I never...,” she started but was roughly interrupted by Markus.

  He walked over and hauled her to her feet, then pushed her down to kneel in front of him.

  “What have you done Jess.” his voice low and threatening, but mixed with an undertone of surprise. He'd never imagined anyone would actually undermine him and our society like this. And this was big. A huge betrayal. “You need to tell us everything you know. Now!” he demanded, eyes cold as steel.

  Zack looked like he was going to kill her there and then, but I felt stricken. Eliza had run. She'd betrayed us. I felt sick as a dog and puked my guts up, just when Vivian arrived. I sat myself on the bed and watched everything as if it was a film. I couldn't believe Eliza had left like this. Something or someone must have made her. She wouldn't do this to us. Not to me.

  “All I know is that I came here, swapped clothes, gave her my card and she left. There was a car waiting for her a couple of streets away. I didn't make her go. She chose to.”

  She glanced maliciously at me and Zack.

  “What street,” Markus barked.

  “Duress Road,” Jessica whispered.

  “Michael, get CCTV from the surrounding roads. We need to find out what car she travelled in and what direction it went.”

  Michael turned around and rushed out of the room. Time was of the essence.

  “Where's she heading.”

  Markus stared Jessica deeply in the eyes. She wouldn't be able to hide anything from him.

  “I don't know. I don't know anything. I was coerced,” Jessica squeake
d, in a desperate attempt to save her skin.

  Markus turned around, disregarding Jessica's pleads.

  “I'll deal with you later Miss Summers. And I can guarantee you'll wish you'd made a different choice. You know the consequences of betrayal. You're done.”

  His words dripped with anger and contempt.

  Markus marched out and signalled us all to follow. I hesitated looking at the pool of sick I'd left behind.

  “Leave it,” Markus growled. He was in no mood to be slowed down. We walked back to Markus' office. “Zack, you're going to assist Vivian in trying to locate Eliza. She's a fugitive and needs to be captured. We have to assume she's colluding with Rick and it needs to be treated that way. You will follow Vivian's orders to the letter. Understood?” A threat sat hidden amongst the words.

  “Yes Sir,” he answered dutifully, but I knew my brother. He wasn't happy about having to obey Vivian at all, but relieved he was on active duty again so soon.

  “Zaphire, first of all, well done for being so alert at your job to have picked up the missing message. However, you're too close to Eliza to be of any use at the moment. So, go back to your job, for now.”

  What the hell. He couldn't do this to me! There was no way I was going to go back to that boring admin job now. No way.

  “Markus. Please. I can be of use. I know Eliza better than anyone. You need me,” I tried, to no avail.

  “Zack knows her well enough. He can ask for your input if Vivian requires it. I don't need you on this job. You're too emotionally involved and I can't have that. The job is too important. Not another word about it.”

  Arsehole. Why was Zack allowed and not me! It took all my strength not to have an emotional outburst and prove him right. Instead I turned towards Vivian.

  “If there's anything you need me to do, please let me know, Ma'am.”

  Vivian accepted gracefully. Not wanting to ruffle my feathers or defy Markus.

  “I will certainly do that,” she answered dutifully.

  At least Zack was in the loop so he could keep me updated. I wanted to prove Markus wrong. I convinced myself that Eliza hadn't betrayed us. There must be a different reason for her escape. There simply had to be. I couldn't wait to talk to Zack later. See how he felt about it. I knew he would think the same and together we could find out, under the radar, what was going on.

  “Thank you Vivian. I'll go back to my office now and leave you to it.”

  I made a good show of being obedient and mature about it and I think I managed to cloak my true feelings well enough to not raise any suspicion from Markus, but I noticed Zack's expression. He wasn't having any of it. He could read me too well.

  “You're both still grounded by the way. Don't think you're exonerated, and this job is just because it's an emergency, Zack. And you need to apologise to Stefan. You used your authority to bully him into covering for you. You weren't on a mission so you shouldn't have abused your power. Don't roll your eyes at me, Zacharya.”

  Zack was so pissed off. Markus knew exactly how to punish him.

  “I'll give you some advice though. Next time find someone to cover for you who can actually cloak. Stefan is an open book to everyone.”

  Markus smiled to himself, annoying Zack even more. I made myself scarce, back to my office. I didn't want to bear the brunt of his wrath.

  CHAPTER 24

  Eliza

  If anything, my father was indeed a careful man. Three days in, and no sign of him. Nothing from the Sensorians either, unless they found me and were waiting for Rick's move. If Rick had spotted them, we would be stuck here forever. He wouldn't make contact, and it would all be for nothing. I would never be able to prove what my intentions were and would probably be tried for betrayal. I only have Zack as my witness, and they might not believe him as it may look like he was covering his own arse.

  I hadn't gotten much more information out of Tina, and though she wasn't unpleasant, we didn't have much in common either. I got bored of practising VH on Tina, but I was getting good at it. I could keep the vision alive for a few minutes now. My constant touching of her hand or arm really weirded Tina out though, so I had to stop doing it after a while. Something needed to happen soon. And as if someone heard my musings, Mattie arrived just after lunch.

  “It's time, lass. Get yer stuff. We're off.”

  Clearly no time for small talk. I ran upstairs to get my toothbrush, towel and the few items of clothing Mattie had purchased for me. I was downstairs and ready to go within five minutes. Mattie nodded appreciatively. Tina said her goodbyes as, to her dismay, she wasn't coming. She'd really hoped to accompany me, mainly to meet Rick again, but her desires were denied. I started to feel nervous. I was going to have to dig deep to pull this off. I had to start believing this was for real, otherwise he'd know straight away. I had to immerse myself in the Eliza that had chosen to run away from the Sensorians, looking for something else, hoping Rick would interpret that as a chance for him to convince me to join him.

  Mattie blindfolded and handcuffed me, mumbling an apology, saying he was just following orders. I cursed within as it would mean I couldn't check the road signs. Once again Rick proved himself an extremely careful and clever man. However, he didn't know I could hack someone's vision and I hoped I would get an opportunity to use it. If only I could do it remotely.

  I tried to concentrate on the direction the car took but I lost track within a few minutes. I think we took the motorway at some point, but then were back on little windy roads. At this moment, there was no way I could give Zack any useful information on where I was headed, even if I was able to contact him.

  I'd lost my sense of time completely. I could have been in the car for forty minutes or two hours. No music was played, so I couldn't even count the number of songs and estimate the time. It was time to somehow get physical contact with Mattie.

  “Can we stop somewhere, please. I need to adjust the seatbelt. It's hurting me.”

  I knew he would never let me go for a wee, but I thought I may have a chance with this request. He didn't answer straight away. I felt he had a little internal conflict whether to permit it.

  “Cannit you hold on fair longer?” he answered gruffly.

  “No, it's so uncomfortable. You know we feel things a lot more intensely than ordinary people, don't you. It's driving me insane. Please?” I pleaded.

  I could feel a shift in his attitude. He was going to stop. And a couple of minutes later I felt the car slowing down and veering off to the left. I had to concentrate to make use of the slight opportunity that was coming.

  “Could you...,” I lifted my handcuffed hands, implying I couldn't unbuckle myself. He took the hint. I moved my arms slightly and felt his arm brush past. His vision hit me straight away.

  Damn it. He was looking at me, keeping his eyes firmly on my hands. I adjusted my position slightly.

  “Buckle me up again, please.”

  He brushed past again which would help keep the connection just a little longer. He finally looked up and I saw we were in a lay by. Some bins, yellow. A burger van parked up about ten meters away. He checked his mirrors for traffic and moved off. Glanced over at me for a second.

  “Are yee feeling rites?”

  I lost his eyes. Shit. Not sure how useful the information I managed to see would be but it was better than nothing. At least when we'd arrive there I would be able to see what time it was and estimate how long I'd been driven around. It wouldn't have given me a guarantee of how far we'd driven as he could have just gone in circles for all I knew, but any indication would be helpful.

  When we arrived, Mattie took off my blindfold but left my hands tied up. I squinted to shield from the bright light suddenly penetrating my eyes. We had parked on the drive of a large but modern looking place. It looked a bit like a mixture between an office and a residential house, with its stark metal beams and enormous windows. It easily contained ten or more bedrooms.

  A man and woman were waiting for us. They were d
ressed smartly, but ever so unremarkable. They could blend in anywhere easily without drawing attention to themselves. The woman took off my restraints and led me to a room straight away. There was not much in it, apart from a bed, a chair and a table with some books on it. A little chemical toilet shoved in the corner. The scent of it too pungent for my sensitive nose. I just had to get used to it. No window. It felt awfully like my isolation cell and I hoped I hadn't just been transferred from one cell to another. No one had spoken to me at all, not even Mattie. I had not been able to sneak a view of the time, no clocks, no phones or computers or anything in sight. I decided to grab a book and read for a while. There was enough light coming from the rather dull orange bedside table lamp, though in my previous life I would have struggled due to the medication dampening all my acute senses, including my vision.

  I hoped someone would give me something to eat soon, as I started to feel a little peckish. At least I didn't have to wait too long. A gorgeously smelling plate of roast beef with all the trimmings was passed to me, and I happily tucked in. Still not a word was said to me, but my month of isolation had prepared me for that, so I tried not to let it bother me too much. I trusted I would find out soon enough what would happen next.

  A knock on my door woke me up after a fitful sleep, and a girl not much older than me beckoned me out of my room. My eyes could hardly cope with the brightness out there, having been accustomed to the relative darkness I'd been living in. I finally caught sight of a clock, telling me it was 8.30 in the morning. That made sense at least. The girl led me to an open plan kitchen with one side that completely opened up onto the patio. It was a magnificent sight. A table fully laid out with breakfast waited for me giving off the most delicious smells, which I eagerly approached.

  A familiar scent hit me, and I noticed Rick standing right in the corner, observing me. I broke out into a sweat, I couldn't help it. A wave of panic engulfed me and it took all my strength to calm myself down and get control over my senses. I took a deep breath and envisaged a calm sea, with little waves licking the beach. I no longer used Kas riding the waves as my calming strategy because that had quite the opposite effect on me now.