The Sensorians: Trust

by Brigitte Morse-Starkenburg

  “No one is talking about punishment at the moment, Ned. Don't be down on yourself. We just needed to find out for sure where everyone's loyalties lie. You understand that. Don't you? I knew you would have a sensible explanation. Relax.”

  He looked at me slightly doubtfully and to be honest I didn't blame him. Markus was in a foul mood and would happily vent his frustration about the lack of control he had in the current Zaphire situation on Ned. But I had a much better plan. Rather than one of us trying to infiltrate the meeting, Ned should go, eliminating the risk of us being spotted anywhere near the convention. I would do my best to convince Markus to let him go, but I didn't say anything about it to Ned yet. I didn't want to get his hopes up. He could still end up with a stint in isolation.

  “Anyway, what happened to your face, mate? It looks bad,” Ned enquired, as if he'd only just noticed.

  “Don't ask,” I answered grumpily.

  When I left Ned's cell, I bumped into Michael. He clearly had a different experience with Lois than I just had with Ned. He stank of stress and anger. The muscles in his face were twitching manically. Of course an ordinary person wouldn't have noticed a thing. He just looked a tad hassled to the unknowing eye.

  “Hey. Bad news?” I guessed.

  “She's bloody unbelievable. She stone faced lied to me, thinking I couldn't see through her cloaking. Who does she think I am? Some bloody amateur!”

  I groaned. Lois was instrumental in running our compound. Markus had always relied on her. He'll be gutted to hear of her betrayal and it won't do anything to calm his state of mind.

  “Did you crack her in the end?” I dared to ask, slightly risking a bollocking. Instead he just sneered, my question clearly undeserving of an answer.

  “Lois actually approached one of Rick's followers herself. A lady from France, Angelique I think she's called. They knew each other years ago and had been in touch sporadically. Lois said she just wanted to find out more about Rick's vision and was tempted by the idea of having more freedom and power, but realised it was a mistake and wasn't going to go. But I know it was more than that, she would have betrayed us. She was heavily cloaking.”

  Fuck it. I was scared as to what Markus would do to her. She'll go to our court but I bet he'll push for the maximum sentence. We didn't need anything that could encourage protests or even dissent. The death penalty has always been controversial in our community.

  Markus was keen to send in Ned. Maybe a bit too keen. I wondered if he felt it was a way for Ned to prove himself to us, especially when he refused to send back up with him. It had made sense to me to have a safety measure in place, but Markus insisted that a tracker on his phone and him keeping contact with us was enough. He didn't want to arouse any suspicion and risk losing Zaphire. That did make sense too; Ned on his own would look legitimate as he was on the invite list. So, I let it go, pleased enough to have Markus back my plan.

  CHAPTER 45

  Eliza

  Soft knocking woke me from my slumber. Irena walked in purposefully and seemingly wide awake at 7am. She decidedly opened the curtains and threw open a window. The sun came streaming in with the promise of a beautifully warm summer's day ahead.

  “It's rank in here!” she exclaimed whilst waving her hands in front of face. We both heard a groan appear from underneath a duvet mountain on the sofa.

  “My head,” Daniel mumbled, clearly still in pain.

  “What on earth did you two get up to last night?” Irena quizzed whilst scanning the room for evidence of alcohol and such. Of course there was none. His headache the sole result of me bashing him over the head with a lamp. “Rick arranged you a full make-over today. Grab a quick shower but don't bother about washing your hair. He's booked you a fashion and hair stylist and they will take care of everything. Apparently he has a special hairdresser chair and sink and everything!”

  Irena seemed rather excited by the whole thing. Me less so. Couldn't think of anything worse in fact. I just wanted today to be over with. However, I had to snap out of it and play my part. At least Irena attributed my lack of enthusiasm to the 'heavy night' she thought Daniel and I had experienced. She even whispered in my ear before she left to give her the secret to hiding the alcohol scent so well, which made me smile a little.

  I got up and fixed Daniel a cup of coffee and some painkillers. He sat up but looked groggy. I hoped he wasn't concussed. He hadn't been sick, but he should really have his head seen to, just in case. However, it would have to wait. I would keep a close eye on him myself, which wasn't going to be difficult as he was going to be by my side for most of the day. He'd taken control of his phone again after we agreed our deal, and checked any communication I had with Zack. I managed to warn Zack that our conversation was monitored, but only after he'd sent me the message telling me Ned was coming to the convention to find out anything he could and just in case I needed help.

  It was dangerous Daniel knowing this, but I was convinced I could still trust him to uphold his end of the deal until Zaphy was free. Then my time would be up. I sighed deeply, earning a wary glance from Daniel. He hadn't spoken a word to me yet. I wasn't surprised to be honest. I decided to jump in the shower and fully throw myself into the theatre of today.

  ◆◆◆

  “I'm speechless,” Rick managed to squeak upon entering my room. Did I even spot his eyes tearing up slightly? I have to say, despite everything, I felt like a goddess. Ava and Harley had worked their magic on me, and managed to sweep me up in their enthusiasm so I even momentarily forgot all my worries. I twirled like a princess.

  “You look gorgeous and strong. Ready to be by my side and be introduced to my followers.” Rick brimmed with pride.

  Now I felt like a warrior queen, ready to go to battle. His words and pride did something to me. I wanted to be by his side and earn it, I didn't want to let him down. I craved him to be proud of me again. These were not feelings I wanted to admit to. Could not admit to.

  “Is Zaphire going to join us today?” I asked innocently, bringing myself back down to earth. Rick cloaked immediately.

  “I don't think it's a wise move, so I decided against it,” he said reservedly. I didn't confront him about the cloaking for the moment.

  “Don't you think it would show our strength?” I pressed a bit more.

  “That's what I initially thought. But now I think it may be a bit too provocative,” he mused.

  “I'd like to see her, please,” I demanded. It was worth trying.

  “Soon Lizzy, but not today. We need to focus.”

  Rick was desperate to get away from the subject of Zaphire, but I wasn't quite done yet.

  “Where is she now? Is she okay?”

  “She's nearby. She's fine.”

  No amount of cloaking covered that lie. He was nervous.

  “What's up, dad? Please tell me what is going on.”

  I tested him to see if he trusted me enough to divulge his treatment of her. Apparently not.

  “Leave it, Eliza. We will talk later. Let's go or we'll be late.”

  I didn't push any further. He'd used my full name.

  “Daniel, you need to get changed. You're a mess. You look like you have a hangover but you don't smell like it. What's going on? Are you ill?” Rick asked in a slightly annoyed tone. He wasn't aware Daniel hadn't left my side in the last twenty four hours. Irena hadn't bothered him with my snooping around incident. But he had a good look at Daniel now and I could see he was going to grill him. He could smell his presence all over me and the room, despite the windows being wide open all morning. I jumped in.

  “Yes, hurry up Daniel. Go get changed, I'm with dad. I'll see you there,” all the whilst ushering him out the room. Daniel's eyes were dark with warning, but he couldn't really do anything but get changed, so he reluctantly sped off to do just that.

  The mansion that served as Rick's headquarters was magnificent. It had an old fashioned grandeur about it, which could have been intimidating, but upon entering felt comfortable
at once. The interior designer had managed to successfully marry the old with the new, blending it into a warm but functional space. The meeting hall was done up with soft lighting and impeccably laid out tables, covered with a variety of white flowers. Unlike me, Zaphire would fully appreciate the beauty of it. A pang of longing seared through my whole body, making me shiver. I missed her so much. I had to shove those feelings to the back of my mind as quickly as I could before they might take over. I was scared if I let them in, I would completely lose control.

  People started to fill up the place, and as there were plenty of ordinary people (I could not bring myself to call them Dullards) mixing in with the Sensorians, a plethora of vibes, sounds and smells were hit my senses. Awe, nerves, excitement and anticipation overpowered all other outputs. It was going to be a tiring day, coping with all of these and constantly having to cloak. I don't know why my father was so keen to live amongst them all. Only the medication I used to be on made it just about bearable.

  I felt nervous. I didn't like being the centre of attention, but that was exactly what I was. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Then I felt my dad's reassuring hand on my shoulder and my VH kicked in. Seeing the room through my father's eyes was different. He might have looked relaxed on the outside but he had eyes on everything and everyone that was in that room. He focussed on particular people and noted who was talking to whom. He spotted two men having a rather heated discussion and I knew he was listening in right now. I did too. A few seconds in, it was apparent that it was something personal and nothing to do with the cause, so he moved on, turning his attentions to me briefly.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  I shrugged.

  “As ready as I can be, I suppose.”

  He took that as a yes. He rubbed my shoulder and moved off to do some more surveying. The moment of his speech was getting nearer and my heart rate sped up. Daniel, despite his anger, took my hand, squeezed it and gave me a little smile. My nerves must have been so obvious. He was such a good guy.

  I spotted Ned mixing with some girls on the other side of the room. He caught my eye and signalled for me to come over. I was just about to go and say hello to him but suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. Anticipation was at record levels when Angelique made her way to the microphone and announced for everyone to take their seats. There were those that had a place at the tables, presumably the important members, predominantly Sensorians. I saw Ned at one of them, right amongst some high ranking police officials and politicians. Then lots of people in the rows of seats at the back. There must have been over two hundred people in total. I moved to the head table and sat down next to my father. My throat dry and heart racing. He stood up and got ready to take the stage.

  “Fellow Sensorians and Followers, thank you all for coming to this gathering at such short notice. Things are moving quickly at the moment and I wanted to keep you all updated. As alluded to in your invitation, I have two important announcements to make.

  But first, let us remind ourselves what we are striving for. Let's never lose sight of our end goal: A just society for all, where crime will be eradicated. Where money does not determine whether you get justice and where criminals don't have more rights than victims.

  Us Sensorians have lived long enough in the shadows of the existing society; working hard to get justice where it's needed, using our gift to help the police find evidence, but it's always been hidden and unrecognised. That's how we used to fulfil our destiny, hiding and serving the ordinary people. But it's not enough. Criminals get away, fraud and corruption rule, and I can't sit back any longer and let that happen.

  It's time to step up, come out of the shadows and take over. It is our responsibility as Sensorians. I believe that's why we have been put on this earth. Not to be serving communities, but to be ruling them. Leading the ordinary people into a Fair and Just Society for all”.

  Rick paused to allow the people to burst into a resounding applause and hoots of support. He lifted his hand to signal calm and within seconds it was dead silent again. He commanded a huge amount of respect amongst his followers and any newcomers fell in line pretty quickly. I noticed he carefully avoided calling ordinary people Dullards, not to alienate any of them.

  “It's not going to be easy to make this happen and unpleasant and unpopular decisions will have to be made along the way. Decisions that I previously may never have considered or even would have condemned. But my previous leaders, first Valentino and then Markus, were not wrong when they taught me that consequences need to be followed through to maintain leadership and keep course towards a common goal. Our goals are just different.

  When I was younger I once broke away from my community because I was angry about how my friend was treated when he had to pay the ultimate price for his betrayal. But now I realise it was what had to be done to maintain the status quo of our community at the time. I recently realised it was the status quo that I disagreed with, our goals needed to change. So I decided to break away once again, as I couldn't live any longer in the Sensorian community where our true potential was stifled.

  I, and all of us, need to live life to the full and to be able to do that, a new society needs to be created and that is what we are striving for. A society where Sensorians can fulfil their purpose on this earth and everyone will benefit, Sensorians and ordinary people alike. Only criminals and liars will lose out. It will simply be impossible for them to escape justice.”

  It scared me that he seemed to have made peace with Valentino's decision to eliminate his friend Tom. He was basically saying he would not hesitate to do the same. I seemed to be only one of a few with reservations, the majority of people were nodding and cheering vehemently in agreement and the atmosphere was getting close to frenzied. He was incredibly clever at focussing on the benefits of this new society he envisaged, and playing down the violence he clearly was willing to use to achieve it. People, both Sensorians and ordinary, were buying it. It did not bode well.

  “It's time I got to the point as to why we have all gathered today.”

  He glanced over to me and I knew my time to shine was getting near. My heart was beating so hard, it felt like it was going to explode. A fine sheen of sweat started to cover my face and body. Breathe, for crying out loud! I started visualising the sea.

  “Our leadership has been greatly boosted by the addition of no other than my own daughter. Please raise your glass to welcome Eliza Mankuzaj into our community. Come and join me up here Eliza.”

  There was no option than to brave the crowds. I smiled and stood up, raised my glass to everyone, which was met with a raucous applause. I joined my father on stage and felt ever so grateful for my makeover, being under the scrutiny of hundreds of people.

  “The second announcement I can make is that, thanks to Eliza, we have a huge bargaining tool which made it possible to persuade Markus to let me into his compound to deliver our vision. He has given us Carte Blanche in recruiting new Sensorians to join us without repercussions for them or us. Eliza captured Zaphire, his daughter, and we have guaranteed her safe return upon him honouring the deal we made. Let's all raise a glass again in thanks to Eliza, for whom it must have been a difficult decision to hand over her former friend. But she did, for the greater good and to show her loyalty to us.

  To Eliza everyone.”

  Hundred of voices united when they toasted my name with reverence. It was the oddest experience I'd ever had. It felt surreal. I felt like a complete fraud.

  CHAPTER 46

  Zack

  It had gone quiet. Ned had been giving us updates every ten minutes, but we hadn't heard anything for the last hour. I didn't like it one fucking bit, but we had to assume he was just in no position to text us and that he would do so as soon as he could. I started to doubt my recommendation to send him in, but I convinced myself it had been the best course to take to arouse the least suspicion. However, what he hadn't told us, and we subsequently found out from Lois, was that the invitation ha
d come with a stark warning. Anyone coming with the aim to infiltrate or betray would be met with severe punishment when uncovered. We should have sent some back up with him. I feared Markus' decision not to, could end up stabbing us in the back.

  “It'll be fine mate. We made the right decision.”

  I could always count on Brody for some reassurance. I felt a little useless, just sitting waiting around for messages from Ned or Eliza, but it was the only thing we could do at the moment. The last message from Eliza was rather cryptic and I couldn't be sure who'd actually sent it, as Eliza had said the phone was compromised. It hadn't read like Eliza's messages but it seemed to ask to confirm Ned's attendance, which was odd as I had already told Eli. I asked for clarification, but that never came.

  In the mean time Markus was busy getting a team ready to deal with Rick for when arrives at ours the day after and deciding which people to send to free Zaphire. He'd already let me know Brody and I were part of the team, but neither of us would be leading. Frank, Michael and Rob, the VH expert, were most likely to be in charge and Laura was bound to come here and host the meeting Rick had requested. Markus didn't want me anywhere near Rick and he had made the right decision. I would have found it difficult to control the red mist in his presence. He may be Eliza's father, but all I wanted was revenge for his treatment of Zaphire. I wanted to fucking deck him one.

  The plan was to leave for the North in the morning by private jet. I sincerely hoped we would know a bit more about Zaphire's exact location by then. We would need quite a few more people, if we had to go into several different locations. Not ideal.

  “Let's ask for a break,” I suggested.

  I desperately needed to blow off some steam.

  “Fancy a box?”

  Brody was already on his feet. He didn't like all this hanging around either.