The Adventure of the Double Image

by Kevin L. O'Brien

fact, Eile felt certain she drove a bit faster than normal to get them to the vet sooner.

  She gave her a twenty. "Nah, we'll catch the bus home. Keep the change."

  "Thanks." She grinned and pocketed the bill. "Hope everything woyks out."

  She held the door open for Sunny, and they went into the reception area. It was deserted, except for a dozen cats lounging around; there wasn't even a receptionist.

  "Hello?" Sunny called out.

  A tall, statuesque woman with a fit build, wearing a light green lab coat, came out of a back room. She had long, billowing soft black hair with a jagged white streak running from her forehead over her crown down her back. Her black eyes stood out against her light cream complexion in a heart-shaped face.

  "Yes, may I help you?"

  "I'm Sunny and this is Eile. We called earlier about the frozen cat." And she held up the bag.

  "I'm Dr. Luasaigh. Bring her in here." She gestured as she turned and walked into the back room. Eile followed Sunny and found herself in what she supposed was a treatment room.

  Dr. Luasaigh went behind a table. "Set her here."

  Sunny put the bag down and zipped it open, then removed the bundle. Dr. Luasaigh unwrapped the cat and examined it. She didn't say a word as she checked it over thoroughly, and Eile could only stand beside Sunny and watch in silence.

  After about fifteen minutes, she looked up at them. "She's lucky you found her when you did."

  "Will she be alright?" Sunny asked, her tone anxious.

  "She will now. She just needs fluids and a chance to warm up. I'll keep her here for a few days, but I have no doubt she'll make a full recovery."

  Eile felt more relieved than she figured she would.

  Sunny sighed and looked like she would faint. "Oh, thank goodness!"

  Dr. Luasaigh picked up the cat and carried her to a workbench, placing her on a soft pad. "Do you know who her owner is?" She retrieved IV bags and placed them in a warm waterbath.

  Eile exchanged glances with Sunny. "Uh, no, we've never seen her around before."

  "Is there some way we can find out?" Sunny asked.

  "There's no collar. There might be a chip."

  "A chip?"

  The vet retrieved what looked like a baton from a desk drawer. "A microchip implanted under the skin." She passed the baton over the cat's body. "It sends out an encoded signal when stimulated. The codes are registered in a database with the owners' contact information. Ah, we're in luck."

  The baton had made no sound or flashed any lights, but the vet held it up and read a liquid-crystal display. She then went back to the desk and used the computer to log into a website. She entered the code, but frowned as the results came up.

  "That's strange, there's no name or telephone number, just an address."

  "Then, there's no way to contact them?" Sunny asked.

  "Short of sending a letter, no."

  Eile knew that Sunny's concern was for the owner. She probably imagined some little girl crying for her lost kitty. Her concern was the vet's bill after the cat had recovered. If it had an owner, they should pay for the treatment, not her. Not that she didn't feel sorry for the cat, but she didn't feel sorry enough to pay for services they couldn't afford.

  "Would you write down the address for us?"

  "Certainly." She picked up a pen.

  Sunny beamed as the vet scribbled on a notepad. "We're gonna go tell them, aren't we!"

  "Sure, why not? They're probably frantic for news."

  Sunny squealed in delight as she threw her arms around Eile's shoulders and smooched her on the cheek. "You're the best partner ever!"

  Mortified, she hissed. "Not in front of the Doc, ya spaz!"

  Sunny crinkled her eyes and giggled, but she let her go.

  "Here." Dr. Luasaigh held out a slip of paper. Sunny took it and slipped it into her purse.

  "Thanks!"

  "You need us for anything else?" she asked the vet.

  "No, go ahead and take off."

  Sunny took her hand and they went out into the reception room. Dr. Luasaigh followed, but she didn't go any farther than the receptionist desk. Once outside, Eile opened her purse to take out her cellphone, but a short honk distracted her. As she looked up, a cab pulled up to the curve.

  "Isn't that the same taxi that brought us here?" Sunny asked.

  "I think it is." She bent down to the driver's window. It rolled down, and she saw the lady cabbie grinning at her.

  "Yoos gals need a lift?"

  "What're you doin' here?"

  "I didn't have another fare, so I decided to stick around. Can I take yoos anywhere?"

  She looked at Sunny, who grinned back. "Yeah."

  Sunny took the note slip out of her purse and gave it to the driver.

  "Whew, that's way up north, somewhere's above Commerce City. Okay, hop in." She started her meter.

  Joyce watched the girls get into the cab. After it drove off, she went back into her treatment room. The cat had partially rolled over so that her forequarters and head were upright. She wavered a bit, but she managed to give her a level stare. The other cats had gathered inside to comfort the newcomer, but they stayed out of the way.

  She removed the IV bags from the waterbath. "What is your Face Name?"

  It responded in a series of weak meows, trills, and chirps.

  "Snowrunner." She connected the bags to IV lines and hung them above the cat's table. "Yes, I have heard of you. I am honored to meet you."

  The cat smiled and answered back.

  "I understand." She opened the valve on one bag and let a little of the IV fluid dribble out the needle to remove any air bubbles. She then pinched and lifted a fold of skin on the cat's side and inserted the needle, finally opening the valve further to allow the fluid to flow in faster.

  "What happened to you?"

  Her reply went longer. As Joyce listened, a cold, grim rage filled her gut. "Just like the others."

  Another short response.

  "Who is doing this?"

  She emitted a single, drawn-out, growling meow.

  Fury erupted through Joyce's nerves and blood. "Mabuse." She slammed a fist down on the exam table. The other cats in the room all voice a simultaneous bloodcurdling yowl.

  The cabbie pulled up to the curb. "Are yoos gals sure this is the place?"

  Eile wondered that herself.

  "Is it the right address?" Sunny asked.

  "Oh, this is the address yoos gave me, alright; whether it's the right one..."

  "That's the address the vet gave us."

  "If yoos gals say so. Yoos getting out?"

  Eile looked at Sunny. "There's probably been a mistake somewhere. Maybe we should call her and double check?"

  Sunny studied the abandoned factory complex with an expression that mixed excitement with trepidation. It was a look she had begun to recognize, which said Sunny had found an adventure worth pursuing.

  "Let's check it out first. Maybe the cat belongs to the watchman, or somebody."

  She wasn't certain that was a good idea, but as long as they had their cell phones they could call for help if they got into trouble. Besides, her own curiosity had been piqued.

  "Yeah, we're getting out. There's no need ta wait, we don't know how long we'll be."

  "Are yoos two sure?"

  "Of course!" Sunny said. "We never refuse when adventure beckons!"

  "Put a sock in it, ya ditz."

  Sunny giggled.

  "If yoos're sure, then. Be careful."

  After they got out, she paid the fare and watched the taxi drive off. When she turned around, Sunny stood staring at the huge, rundown building. The whole area around it looked like a giant parking lot, and both were surrounded by a security fence. However, instead of a gate, the only barrier across the main drive was a rusted iron chain, with a battered and soiled NO TRESPASSING sign swaying in the low wind. There were no guards that she could see, though that did not eliminate the possibility of electronic su
rveillance. Still, she didn't see any cameras either, so who knew what was going on?

  Sunny stepped over the chain, and for a moment she panicked, half expecting something to materialize out of thin air to attack her.

  Her partner turned around and beckoned for her to follow. "Come on."

  She shook her head, chagrined at her own nervousness. It was just an old, deserted factory; what was she expecting, monsters? She stepped over the chain and walked up beside Sunny.

  "You okay, partner?"

  She covered her anxiety with irritation. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with."

  They jogged up the drive through the parking area to the front entrance. They found it locked, but worked their way around towards the loading docks. There they discovered a door that stood ajar and they stepped in. It appeared to be an office of some kind, probably to handle shipping orders, with an inner door. That led into a warehouse, which was empty except for a car. They went over to examine it, and she was struck by the fact that it appeared to be a new model, well serviced and cared for, rather than a derelict abandoned with the factory.

  "That means there is someone here!"

  She had to admit it made sense, but if anything it made her even more nervous. Who would make a home in an abandoned factory?

  "Hello?" Sunny shouted. The only response was her own voice echoing in the huge chamber, and a whistling sound as a flock of startled pigeons took wing.

  "Look." Sunny pointed to the back of the room. Eile saw a door nestled between two piles of rusted, grimy oil cans.

  "Let's go." They walked across the warehouse floor, and when they reached it, they found it unlocked. It opened into what might have been another warehouse, except it was filled with pipes, conveyors, and nondescript equipment. She figured it must have been the factory floor. The machinery sat packed tightly together forming a labyrinthine