Above her, his older, phantom self crouched next to her, his hands hovering above her body, as if he could pull her into his arms. “Aunt Dren, I’m so sorry,” he whispered to her. He looked up at the soldier with hatred on his face.
“I got you boy. You are safe now.” The mask, reeking with the stench of Humans and the blood of his kin, reached toward him. Scythe fell away from those large gloves, down a long, dark tunnel.
In the black, vacant space between memories, the music asserted itself, but it was not something Scythe welcomed anymore. It was changing, becoming unhinged, unpredictable. The stanzas slipped every now and then and the notes that used to tie the piece together sometimes went missing.
Scythe spoke into the dark, “Why are you doing this?”
An eleven-year-old boy, still carrying the stink of smoke and blood on his clothes, appeared in front of Scythe. “I’m sorry it hurts you, Father,” he said. “It hurts me, too.” He looked down at the side of his shirt, pulling its sticky material away from his skin. He gave Scythe a sharp look, “I missed something. How did you do that?”
“What?” asked Scythe, casually reaching for the boy.
“Hide it, the memory,” he said, ignoring the hand, which passed right through a shoulder that faded away momentarily.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Scythe snapped, pulling his hand back and closing it in a fist.
The boy looked at him for a moment, concentrating, “I guess you don’t. But, still, that’s no small trick. What happened after the fire?”
“The Humans raided Poinsea, finding and capturing my mother. They interrogated her, learned about me, and set out to bring me back as well. They returned as heroes who had rescued a Human woman and her son from the Kin. There was a ceremony and everything. My father was killed in that raid, and my mother was never the same after.”
“If the Humans were such monsters, why did they want to rescue you?”
“Honestly? Some did it because they thought they were saving us, but ultimately it was because we were their trophy, their symbol of triumph over the Kin. Humans love to celebrate themselves almost as much as they love to crush their enemies under their boots. That man, he wasn’t just here to rescue me, though...”
“Show me the Humans, Father.”
-----------
Jiliecen rubbed his eyes and blinked widely. Then he reached over and grabbed his 'against regulation at a computer station' cup of coffee and took a long drink. He was exhausted after his sister’s engagement party the previous night, which hadn’t ended until two hours before he had to report to work. Then, after an entire day in front the screen, which seemed to be getting dimmer every hour, picking through tiny bits of information that had yet to produce anything of interest, his supervisor had asked him to review one more batch before he left for the day.
That empty sucking sound was the worst thing he had ever heard. He crushed the cup and tossed it at the trash bin under his desk. It bounced off the rim and hit him on the shin, spilling tiny drops of brown liquid on his pant leg. He kicked the cup under his desk and cursed, “Shit.”
Maybe he should just mark it as checked and head home for the night. His family would be starting dinner soon and his aunt had promised something amazing last night. What was it again? Something baked...Well whatever it was would be worth a little hassle from the boss.
Then he thought about how grateful he had been to get the job for the Scere in the first place. He hadn’t had any luck on his own until his cousin had spoken for him, which had gotten him an interview. Then months of background screening and he was still hired with a probationary status. He had his review next month...
He took a deep breath and shook his head to clear it. Then he focused on the screen. Looking for needles…
Batch # 46 (77)
1. Keyword: [bomb]
2. Keyword: [explo*]
3. Keyword: [meeting]
4. Keyword: [time*]
5. Keyword: [episode]
6. Keyword: [faction]
7. Keyword: [power*]
Forward (8-15)>>
“Seventy-seven!” he exclaimed disgustedly. Did they have the stupid thing set up right or was every damn one getting through?
The program was supposed to review the messages and only select the ones that were likely to be threats to the Kin or to the Scere. The messages in front of him were tagged for secondary review. If he thought it was something malicious, he sent it on to tertiary. He rarely found anything noteworthy, maybe one or two a batch.
What he needed was to get himself promoted to tertiary review. That’s got to be the job to have, he thought.
First one: [bomb] He scanned the message. It was nothing, just a harmless note from a kid to his grandpa. Jiliecen didn’t even know why words like bomb were on their search. No terrorist was writing a message and using the word bomb, he was sure of that.
Second: [explo*] (Explode). Again, useless. A cooking fiasco and a demand for a refund. Phew. He was glad he didn’t have to deal with that man. Talk about anger management.
Third: Nothing.
Fourth: Nothing.
Jiliecen looked around to see if anyone had left their contraband coffee when they had left. Nothing. Sigh.
Fifth: [episode] Looked like nothing, was probably nothing, but it was ringing a bell. Something in the message reminded him of the briefing they had given last week for the upgraded search parameters. A net was added for powered Humans to the existing scan for subversive elements. He wasn’t sure, but maybe the message in front of him was what they were looking for.
[connecting to dropbox.tra8090.383229]
[host id: 864019]: mom_love you_brother has gone hiking on his own but i think its okay_had an episode about it_had a bunch of them_i might need to come home_school is good otherwise<
An episode about a hike? What did that mean? It probably just meant an argument...Then why leave school? He decided he wasn’t going to spend all night on it. Let the tertiary guy take a look at it and decide. He needed something to do anyway, with his stinking three cases.
Jiliecen flagged it and started in on the next one. Seventy-two more.
-----------
“Heya, Karin, anytime now. We’re trying to run a business here. You better not be smoking in there!” The manager pounded twice on the bathroom door and then returned to the register. “Sorry about that, these college students aren’t the class of workers we used to get, if you know what I mean. They get lazier every year, but what are you going to do? They’ll work for minimum and they’re not as completely useless as the high school crowd. Anyway, did you enjoy your meal?”
“Yes, thank you.”
After the woman paid, she stepped aside to put away her wallet, and Alan, Wanda and Pete stepped up to the counter.
“Three tonight?” The manager took a closer look at them, eyeing Pete’s university sweatshirt. “Hey, I hope you didn’t get offended by what I said; it’s late, you know? I know you aren’t all like that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Pete said, “We’re on scholarship.” Behind him, Wanda gave Alan a petulant stare. He smiled politely at the manager, but squeezed her hand to remind her to be polite. She pulled her hand out of his and crossed her arms across her chest.
The manager blinked and then forced out a laugh, “Of course, different class all together. Here, follow me.”
“Do you think we could get Karin to serve us? She’s a friend from school,” Alan asked when they arrived at their table.
“Uh, sure, but our policy is no freebies, okay kids?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Karin, you got a table!” After another pound on the door and the man was right back at the register.
They took their time looking over the menu for the five minutes it took before the woman that Alan had been trying to convince of his good intentions came out of what his family had always called the washroom. She went immediately back to the kitchen and was soon serving dishe
s to decidedly impatient customers, all with a weary smile and repeated apologies.
After another few minutes, she made her way over to their table, stopping a few feet away when she recognized them.
Alan spoke up right away, “Don’t worry, we’re not stalking you. We just came for a bite to eat. My girlfriend here…this is Wanda…”
Karin nodded at her but didn’t smile. She approached the table only after a glance informed her that her boss was staring at her and raising his eyebrows expectantly. “Wanda lives right down the street, don’t you honey?”
“Yeah, I live in this neighborhood,” she said grumpily, and then rolled her eyes and looked out of the window.
“Anyway, we just want to eat. We’ve already decided, Karin. Can we order?”
“Sure,” Karin said shortly and then waited with her pencil ready.
“Oh, okay, um...I’ll have a burger...give me the combo...and a soda. Same for my honeycakes here…”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Sorry, honey. Same for Wanda, but she’ll have diet, right? She’s watching her...”
“Strawberry shake, with extra whipping cream.”
“Oh, okay. You, Pete?”
“I’ll have a tuna melt, no fries and just water.”
Karin walked away before he was even done, taking their order to the kitchen herself instead of putting it on the turnstyle with the rest of the tickets. She didn’t return to the table until their food was done. She quickly dropped it off and turned to leave.
“Karin, we’ll need our drinks…”
“Right.” She turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen, passing the drink station on the way.
“Okay, this is getting us nowhere. What did you do to her? She hates your guts,” Pete asked.
“Did you sense anything?”
“No, but I did a little when we came in. Well, maybe there’s something, but it's like a soft humming. I’m not sure.”
“You are so full of shit, Pete,” Wanda said. “I can’t believe I’m dating someone who believes in voodoo.” Then she stuck a french fry in her mouth and chewed irritably, watching the cars go by again.
Alan prompted, “Remember, it’s me your dating, just for tonight, okay, Wanda?”
She didn't get a chance to answer, because Pete interrupted, clearly trying to keep things from getting any worse between them.
“No, I’m not getting anything right now, but I did the other day. It was huge, no joke.” He clamped his mouth shut, and made a face. Alan turned his head to see Karin returning with their drinks.
“Here’s your check. Pay on your way out.” She turned to go, and Alan reached out to grab her hand.
“Please, let me talk to you, just for a few minutes. I swear I’ll be quick…”
“Let go, or I’ll scream.”
Okay, he could play hardball, too.
“Stay and listen, or I’ll let it slip in every one of the Doctor’s classes that you have a strong, easily recognizable power.”
That got her attention.
“But I don’t.”
“So then I guess it doesn’t matter if I do, but I will warn you: these students are itching for some proof. The chances that all of them are as well mannered as I am are slim.”
She frowned, “But that’s...a really nasty thing to do.”
She didn’t know much about grad students.
“Now, don’t be harsh. I’m not asking for much. Just a few minutes. Will you hear us out, or not?”
“Two minutes. Go.” She started timing on the retro neon clock by the door.
“We are studying the recent increase in the number of Humans demonstrating gifts, or powers, particularly among bordertown residents...”
“You mean Doctor Everett is.”
“Of course. The evidence is pointing to a ten to one ratio, bordertown to city residents.”
“That was in the last paper.”
“Yes, but what isn’t in the last paper is that we think we may have identified a gene.”
She raised her eyebrows.
He nodded, “A gene and that means a test for likelihood of being able to manipulate energy fields, and genetic tracking. What we lack is sufficient cases…”
“Test subjects,” she filled in, not attempting to hide her distrust.
“Yes, test subjects to be sure. All we want from you is a little bit of blood, since I’m guessing a tissue sample is out of the question?”
“First, only an idiot would let it come out that they have powers. It’s considered criminal behavior since that law was passed. Second...well, I think the first is reason enough. I’m amazed you have even one volunteer.”
The fact that she was even aware of the minimally published Kin law and knew the full significance of it proved to him that she was nearly as serious a student as anyone on his team. The language concerning the criminal aspect wasn’t even included in the Human translated version of the law, so almost no one outside of the field knew about it. She did, so the chances of her letting her name be used in any of his research had dropped to next to zero. It was a huge disappointment. However, just because he couldn’t use her for his published work didn’t mean that she wasn’t of any value to him.
“The names published are changed for privacy reasons, but you are right,” he added in response to her lowered eyelids and open look of disgust, “we still need to keep records of test subjects. We have never had any problem with the law; there is not one case of implementation of that law, not since it was passed, so I don’t think it was anything more than a political maneuver…”
She shook her head, “It’s beyond stupid, and you know it. I don’t see how I can help you, Mr. Gibbs. I’m not an energy field manipulator, so how would having my blood help you?”
“It helps us either way. If you’re not, well, then it will come up negative, won’t it?”
Unimpressed. “Anything else?”
“Well, there are a couple of more studies that we are running on how energy fields work, how they are manipulated and how they can be controlled by mechanical means.” He didn’t fail to see her interest in all three. “Any help you could provide with those would be an enormous asset.”
“Well, I am interested in your studies, which is why I took Dr. Everett’s classes in the first place. However, I can’t help you. I don’t have any of the abilities you are looking for, probably because I come from a city family; there isn’t bordertown blood in my family for generations. Unfortunately, I’ve had to drop my science classes due to stress, so I won’t be seeing you again after today.” She lowered her eyelids, “I won’t be seeing you again...right?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I didn’t keep my word. Thank you for listening, Karin.” When she nodded her head and turned away, he added, “I could share some of the key findings of my research with you, as a sign of my gratitude.”
She was tempted, he could tell by the way she hesitated, but she said, “No, thanks anyway. I’m pretty sure that falls under several categories of unethical practice, or something like that. Besides, I don’t really have any need to know, now that I’m focusing on my major.” She lifted her hand in a short wave and turned away before saying, “We’re done here. Good bye.”
He frowned at her back until she took it into the kitchen.
“I think she’s lying,” Pete said, leaning forward conspiratorially when she was out of earshot. “I definitely felt something.”
Wanda scoffed, pushing Alan ahead of her so she could get up. “I am leaving. Let’s go, Pete. You so owe me for this.”
Alan followed them, thinking about the discussion he had just had with his team in the morning. What they really needed was a strong subject to provide valid, reliable, incontestable evidence for their work; something like that would also be invaluable for the Doctor’s most recent proposal. They had been wanting to extend their project to the field research stage, hopefully into one or more of the bordertowns, but they couldn’t get t
he funding.
He shook his head at some of the crazy ideas that were taunting him. It wasn’t worth the risk, since there was no proof, beyond Pete’s testimony, that she was anything more than a student mildly interested in the phenomenon; any rash actions might bring about disastrous, project-eliminating repercussions. It was too bad, though, he thought. A breakthrough in their research was what the Human race really needed right now.
It wouldn’t have hurt him at all, either.
-----------
Aorin dropped the bag on the desk and plopped down in her chair. She swiveled her seat around and leaned back in it. “Okay. One question.”
He grinned, but didn’t stop working. She could tell from where she was sitting that he had his screen divided in two; he was running a search on one half and was busily accessing one of the Human databases on the other. Without a doubt the second was not something that had been authorized for their current assignment. He had been doing his own work from the first day, and she had begun to wonder if that had been his plan all along. She even considered the possibility that he had already planned it before he had shown up in her apartment.
She rolled her chair up until she was next to him to get a better look. “Wassell University? What are you looking for there?”
He had just pulled up attendance records for a class labeled: “Kin Studies 201: Family Dynamics in the Modern Age.” He pulled down the list so fast, she couldn’t read any of the names. Apparently he could, though, because he closed the screen a second later. “Just checking on something. Was that your question?”
“What? Don’t you trust me?” In truth, it was fine with her if he didn’t tell her what he was doing. She knew he had a lot of secrets to keep. Heck, he couldn’t even safely walk through the city without worrying about being picked up by the police and thrown in jail for the rest of his life. The Youngs were on a few watch lists, too. She knew that the Scere L’Eler was once interested in them and still might be; they were always looking to add another piece to the board. Yeah, she knew that he had a lot to worry about, so she had ignored his extra curricular work and hoped that it was helpful to him.
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