Lauren shrugged. “What place?”
“What would you remember about me?”
“As far as I’m concerned, you were never here.”
Clarissa chuckled. “Good answer.” She raised her wine glass to Lauren. “Merry Christmas, commander.”
Lauren returned the gesture; raising her wine glass to the woman. “Merry Christmas, sister.”
And with their mutual toast, they each swallowed a mouthful of wine.
Outside, lightning struck another tree with a boom that rattled the outpost’s windows. Rain continued to hammer the building with no foreseeable end. And if history and personal experience was any indication of future events, Lauren knew the storm would probably continue for another two months. Perhaps three.
And inside, there were two people with no means to call for help and only enough food for one.
Provenance of Fear
By R. Patricia Wayne
EDITOR’S NOTE: Humans have an inherent duality that resides inside us. And while most of us maintain a healthy balance between our light and dark sides, there are some of us who do not, or cannot.
This is a part of the backstory of Sister Eryn Hill. She’s one such person that lives in the gray area between good and evil, and right and wrong. And for those that reside on the edge like she does, well, sometimes all they need is a nudge. And from here, (as the readers learn in Book I), Eryn goes on a killing spree that has become infamous in the history of Mars.
Mars, Arcadia Colony
Year: 2246
Sister Eryn Hill had many faults, but understanding people usually wasn’t one of them. Today was different. She had only been awake for two hours and was now utterly confused. She found herself in a surreal set of circumstances and she had no idea what was going on anymore.
The day started off badly. First, the monsoon season had begun and that meant a couple months of nothing but rain. Nothing unusual for this time of year on Mars, but just enough to sour her attitude. She hated the monsoon season.
Then, as Eryn was about to get dressed, she noticed a message waiting for her on her living room’s display screen. It was from her partner in the protectorate, Sister Monika Black. The message stated Monika had received a summons from the marshall of Arcadia, Marcia Brenner. She was told to report to Marshall Brenner at 9:00 a.m.
“...and Eryn had better be with you,” Brenner’s message had said.
Eryn and the marshall had never got along, so this meant Eryn was in hot water, once again. As Eryn was the junior partner, she reported to Monika. And since Monika would never blow off Brenner, Eryn was forced to go. It was inescapable. She had no other choice but to report as ordered.
At 8:11 a.m., the Director of the Protectorate, Michelle Rayner, sent a communique that Eryn was being summoned to her office in the senate building.
Jesus Christ... Fine.
Director Rayner outranked both Monika and the marshall, so she would shuttle over to the senate building. She didn’t care to see that old hag Brenner anyway. Rayner was a bitch, but she was far more reasonable. If Eryn screwed something up, at least Rayner would listen to her side of the story. If Brenner had her way, Eryn would be mopping floors for a living.
Dressed in her red Protectorate leathers, Eryn left her apartment and trotted down the stairs, but as soon as she got to the building’s foyer, everything had changed again. There was a woman, soaking wet, and dressed in white leathers waiting for her. Just outside the front door of her building, there was a shuttle parked in the rain. Engines idling, waiting with its cargo hatch raised. A very long and expensive shuttle. The woman was obviously the pilot, and without a word, she handed Eryn a note, addressed to her from the Commissioner of Security herself, Captain Sarrah Rhodes. And that message said Eryn was to drop whatever she was doing and report to Rhodes. Immediately.
Seriously? What the fuck?
At this point, it was clear Eryn had done something that pissed everyone off. And whatever it was, it had even reached Captain Rhodes’ ears on the executive council. And if the executive council took notice, it could only be bad. Any time the government took notice of a citizen’s activities, it was bad. Eryn was a cop, but even that wouldn’t save her if the Rhodes was sufficiently pissed about something Eryn had done.
Eryn twisted her lips as she thought back to everything she’d done recently. Something that might have got everyone’s attention. Sure she had some run-ins with the syndicate recently. More than usual. Then the more she thought about it, this must be about the two criminals she had beaten half to death. But that was a couple days ago, and nothing she hadn’t done many times before. Besides, those two pricks deserved the beating she gave them. They had taken the daughter of the Governor of Arcadia and intended to ransom her back. That must be it. And the daughter must have complained about Eryn’s brutality.
Fuck me! I try to help someone and this is what I get? I saved that girl’s ass, but no. That’s not the topic of conversation. No one wants to talk about the fact that I rescued her sorry ass from the syndicate. Everyone would rather bitch about how I did it. Sometimes I don’t know why I bother. She better hope it doesn’t happen again. Next time, they can keep the little cunt, for all I care.
She had enjoyed beating those two thugs. They were syndicate, and it wasn’t her fault they had chosen the wrong career. Eryn hated every last one of them. And it wasn’t something she planned on apologizing for.
Eryn crumbled up the note and dropped it on the floor. With no other options, she was forced to do as the message instructed. Regardless of everyone’s desire to chew her ass out this morning, Captain Rhodes outranked them all and they’d all have to stand in line. Eryn darted outside, into the rain, and into the waiting shuttle. The pilot followed her inside, closed the hatch behind her, and squeezed into the cockpit. As the shuttle lifted off, Eryn slicked her wet, blonde hair back over her head and tucked it behind her ears, then she stared out into the gloomy rain.
Eryn’s apartment was in one of Arcadia’s middle class neighborhoods, but her destination was not. Wherever they were taking her, it was somewhere outside the colony. They had flown over the entire colony and kept going. Again, this did nothing but confuse her more. She found it hard to believe that Rhodes would have a home outside of Arcadia. It was outrageously expensive to build and maintain a home in the jungles. How could she ever afford it?
It wasn’t long and they had entered the section of the jungle known as Hera’s Orchard; the inhospitable sea of palm trees. And a few moments more and Eryn spotted their destination, but things weren’t getting any clearer. They were headed directly for a large mansion made entirely of mirrored glass. The estate had sprawling flower gardens, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and servant buildings. This couldn’t possibly be where Rhodes lived. It would have cost her a fortune she couldn’t have accumulated in a dozen lifetimes.
With the shuttle closing in on the mansion, she felt somewhat relieved. Whatever punishment she got from Rhodes, the rest of Eryn’s superiors would abide by her decisions. All Eryn had to do was keep her mouth shut and take the punishment without comment. Both were skills that she hadn’t quite mastered yet.
The shuttle descended toward the mansion. It slowed and hovered, and after a few more seconds, it spun and maneuvered under the awning of shuttleport. I then touched down with a soft bounce. Then the hatch rose.
Well, it’s time to face the music.
Without delay, she stood up and stepped down the short flight of stairs into the covered shuttleport. A young woman in a short white dress was already waiting to meet her.
“Sister Eryn Hill?” The woman called out, trying to be heard over the pouring rain.
Eryn nodded.
“I’m Jaclyn White. Follow me, please.” The woman turned on her heel and headed inside.
Like I know who the fuck Jaclyn White is...
Eryn followed the woman through a set of double doors, turned down a short hall and through another set of double doors that le
d into a massive two-story room. The room was entirely made of cherry-colored wood and lined with bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. All the room’s books were expensively bound in leather. A welcoming fire burned in a stone fireplace at the far end of the room, a white bearskin rug covered the hardwood floor near the fireplace, a dozen red leather chairs faced one another, a set of glass French doors led to a veranda, and another set of oak doors led into the house. Eryn was convinced. This was not Rhodes’ mansion. The cost of the leather-bound books alone were beyond her salary.
“Where am I?” Eryn asked.
“You are in the home of the Baroness Kimella Chandler.” Jaclyn smiled.
Chandler?
Eryn recognized the name. Baroness Chandler was the wealthiest woman in Arcadia. And probably the most powerful woman outside of the chancellor.
Why would someone from the upper class want to see me?
“I thought I was supposed to meet Captain Rhodes?”
“All I was told was to see to your comfort until the baroness meets with you. Can I get you some lemonade while you wait?”
Eryn shook her head. “Water is fine.”
“Make yourself comfortable, sister. Feel free to peruse the library, if you’d like.”
Eryn’s usual reading material was erotica, and probably not something the Chandler library would stock. Even if it did, knowing she was about to get the reprimand of a lifetime would seriously impede the entire point of reading about some hot and steamy sexual encounter.
“No, thanks.” Eryn sat down in one of the expensive leather chairs. “I doubt you have the type of books I like to read.”
“As you wish.” Jaclyn nodded and then left through the oak doors.
Eryn crossed her legs and began tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. Patience wasn’t one of her virtues either.
Jaclyn was gone for at least ten minutes before Eryn’s tolerance level for sitting in this library had reached zero. She got up and began strolling along the bookshelves that lined the room. She wasn’t looking at anything in particular. She was more marveling at the pristine condition of paper pages covered in leather bindings. Something that she had rarely seen before.
Most books were digital. Those that weren’t, were printed with flimsy excuses for paper. Tissue paper, Eryn called it. Leather-bound books just didn’t exist except for the few housed in colony museums. Eryn couldn’t help but feel that this was unfair. Unfair that one person could accumulate so much wealth when so many others had so little.
As she browsed along the bookshelves, the oak doors opened again. Jaclyn entered with a glass of water and followed by three other women that Eryn didn’t recognize. After Jaclyn handed Eryn her glass of ice water, she began the introductions.
“Baroness Kimella Chandler,” Jaclyn gestured at Eryn but spoke to the older women wearing too many rings on her fingers and a flowing black, v-neck dress “This is Sister Eryn Hill.” Then she spoke to Eryn while pointing at the baroness. “Sister Hill, I’d like to introduce you to the Baroness Kimella Chandler...” Then she gestured toward the middle-aged woman in the black protectorate leathers. “Captain Sarrah Rhodes of the chancellor’s executive council...” Then to the other middle-aged woman in white slacks and a red blouse. “And the chief arbiter for all seven colonies, Arbiter Ursula Aris.”
Holy fucking shit!
Now Eryn was worried. Not only did she somehow manage to irk the wealthy and the executive council, but she had pissed off the highest ranking arbiter in the criminal justice system. It was bad enough to see an arbiter inside a courtroom. Outside of the justice system could only be worse.
Well, shit, I guess this means prison. But what in the hell did I do?
Jaclyn guided Eryn by the arm to the nearest chair. “Please sit.”
Eryn did as instructed, but couldn’t think of what she should say. It was probably wiser to keep quiet from now on.
“Do you need anything else, Baroness?” Jaclyn asked.
“No, Jackie. Let us have some privacy for a while.”
Jaclyn nodded to the baroness and left the room again. The three women sat down in three chairs opposite Eryn, with the baroness directly across from her. All eyes were scrutinizing Eryn. They were sizing her up, but Eryn still couldn’t figure out why.
“Sister Hill,” Captain Rhodes spoke. “Do you have any idea why you’re here?”
Eryn shook her head.
“You’re a popular figure this morning,” Rhodes said. “Everyone wants to see you about your recent encounter with the syndicate.”
“I figured,” Eryn muttered.
“When we heard the shit was hitting the fan, we wanted to see you before anyone else got to you.”
“Why?”
“I think you handled it the way it needed to be handled, but I’m in the minority opinion.” Rhodes briefly placed a hand on her own chest. “So, let’s be realistic about what happened. Those two criminals are going to be hospitalized for quite some time, and even though they were obviously guilty as hell, someone is making a big deal out of it. The syndicate going through the press, more than likely. You’re in a tough spot, Eryn. No one is going to publicly commend you for what you did. In fact, the press made a stink about it this morning. And the stink went right up the chain of command and landed on the chancellor’s desk. Now, if certain parties get their way, you’re history.” She paused to gesture at the other two women. “Between the three of us, we decided to intervene. You’re safe now that you’re here.”
“Then, I’m not in trouble for what happened?” Eryn asked.
“Not anymore,” the baroness replied. “Governor Dietrich is a friend of mine. I wanted to personally thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty. And now that you’re here, I’d like to get a feel for how you think.”
Eryn’s face unintentionally scrunched in confusion. None of this made any sense. She understood being blamed for what she did, but why would anyone care what happened to a couple of thugs who were committing a crime? And why would the government get involved? Or Chandler? Why did anyone care what happened to a cop like Eryn? Eryn had problems with authority and anger management issues. Even she knew she wasn’t much better than the shit she arrested.
Ursula crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. “How old are you, sister?”
“Nineteen?” Eryn’s answer unintentionally came out as a question.
Ursula narrowed her eyes at Eryn. “And how long have you been in the protectorate?”
“On the streets?”
“That’s what I meant.”
“Three years, give or take.”
Rhodes spoke next. “Are you aware that we’re familiar with your academy record?”
Oh, shit.
After a moment of wondering where this was going, all Eryn could mutter was one word. “No...”
“How were your grades, sister?” Ursula asked. “In the academy.”
Convinced this interrogation was leading to a point, and sure she was still about to get busted for something, Eryn thought it best to remain vague and evasive.
“I passed my classes.”
“Not really,” Rhodes corrected. “You had a handler, a benefactor, and she saw to it that you passed your classes.”
No, Eryn remembered taking all her tests. She didn’t get great grades, but she passed... hadn’t she?
When Eryn didn’t reply, Rhodes continued. “You joined the academy at fifteen. With all the trouble you had with the girls in school, didn’t you ever wonder how you managed to graduate within one year? Your grades were horrendous.”
“They were?” It was all Eryn could think of to say.
“If your handler hadn’t called the academy director and told her to pass you, you’d still be in the academy.”
“Who has the power to order an academy director to pass a student? ”
“We cannot answer that question, at this time. Let’s just say this person is... She’s very influential. Perhaps one d
ay the two of you will meet.”
Who in the hell would be interested in me?
“Now,” Rhodes pointed at Eryn. “Why do you think she helped you?”
Eryn shrugged. I have no fucking clue.
“Because we need people like you. You’ve impressed the right people, Eryn. Just like your handler said you would. And now your benefactor is hoping you’ll become more than an interest. She’d like you to be... friends... with the right people.”
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t matter, Eryn,” Rhodes said. “You keep doing what you’ve been doing and you’re going to have a long and rewarding career.”
Eryn looked from woman to woman trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
Okay. Who did they mistake me for?
“Let me ask you a question, Sister Hill,” Chandler said. “Why did you beat those two men as badly as you did.”
Eryn didn’t know how to answer that question either. It just happened. Things like that always happened when Eryn got angry.
“Just answer the question, sister,” Ursula said. “You’re among friends here.”
“I was pissed off,” Eryn blurted out, then stopped herself. After a deep breath, she decided to play along. She’d tell them everything. She hated holding things inside and wanted this ordeal over with.
“I can’t help it,” Eryn continued. “I’m so sick of the syndicate doing shit... stuff... like this. In case you hadn’t heard, the syndicate killed my mother when I was ten. No one cared about the man that ordered that assassination, only the one man they caught. So, these assholes just keep doing what they’ve always done because they know they can literally get away with murder. I’ve tried being nice, tried warning them, but it gets me nowhere. I’m sick of it. As long as I’m on the streets, they’d better think twice about... I still carry a lot of anger inside about my mother’s murder, and it’s all I can do to keep my temper under control around those motherfuckers.” Eryn winced. “Excuse my language.”
Odyssey_Double Helix Page 10