by R. E. Graham
A moment of silence passed and lightning flashed outside followed by a deep distant rumble before she continued.
“He picked up his knife and ran off before I could follow. By then Jorse was dead, and that’s when I saw my son…” Eva began to cry at the memory of her young boy. She looked back to Varius with tears streaming down her face. “He killed him. He took my baby from me. That monster stabbed him seven times in the chest. Seven! Seven times he stabbed my baby…why would he do that. He was only six cycles old!” she shouted before she lost it and wept.
Varius stood up and swallowed hard as flashbacks of his own family attacked his mind. He walked over and sat further down the couch beside her and placed his left hand on her shoulder. As Eva began to weep she slid over and laid her head against his chest. Rain beat against the windows of the balcony view as another lightning bolt illuminated the dusty living room of painful memories.
Eva forced herself to stop crying and wiped away the tears from her eyes. Varius released her and she sat straight up. “I’m sorry Inquisitor. You don’t want to hear about my problems.”
The Inquisitor looked away from her to hide the tear in his own eye. “I’m sorry for the loss of your family.” He stood up and walked over to the balcony to watch the thunderstorm. “Did they ever find the man who attacked you?”
Eva’s shoulders dropped once more. “No” she started, “they never did find that son of a dog. The KoP agents did their normal routine but never came up with anything. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it…if I ever find him, I will make him beg for mercy before I kill him…”
Thunder shook the windows of the apartment savagely as the storm raged outside.
“After that night I couldn’t stay here any longer. I left and never came back. Ha, I didn’t even pack. I had to buy all new belongings. My husband had a good job so there was plenty of money for me to keep paying the bills. I…I just couldn’t come back here after I left.”
“How did you get involved with freedom fighters?” Varius asked as he turned back around to her.
“I knew a guy who helped me acquire a new identity. Since my late husband had enough money I just paid this unit off for cycles. I couldn’t come back, but I couldn’t let someone else just have it either.” She looked back at her captor. “For the record, we called ourselves Eden’s Forgotten Legion not because we had plans of violence, but because after I left this place I found so many others who had been let down by the government here. I um, served in the government for a while before I retired. So, I knew things were bad, but never from a citizen’s perspective. We organized ourselves first in a local temple and then started renting out a space in the downtown district.”
“Did you think of going to the Bureau of Central Intelligence? I know that they don’t typically send an inquisitor out for a small case…”
“Small?!” Eva sprang up with fire in her eyes. She pointed her finger square at the Inquisitor. “I know plenty about the inquisitors and their short comings. My family being slaughtered before my eyes is no small thing dammit!”
“No, that’s…” Varius stopped himself before he finished saying something else that would rile her up further.
“I know how inquisitors work and I want nothing to do with them. If I didn’t have this stupid bomb strapped to my neck I wouldn’t even be having this discussion with a reckless one such as yourself!”
“Reckless?” Varius stood to his full height. “You listen here. I have committed multiple grievances against the law to extract you from the heart of a Keepers detention center. I will not be lectured to by a terrorist about my conduct!”
“You don’t get it do you Varius? I’m no fricking terrorist any more than you are a pet groomer. I am being set up by someone in that twisted organization of dimwits. My people were warped into an irrational mob by that bastard Rian Kennedy and he got them killed to frame me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, and right now is none of my concern. I’m here to find out how the Shadow Man was involved with your people on the night of the warehouse attack.”
Eva put her hands in the air confused. “I don’t understand how one arms dealer is such a major deal that you would be sent out here to Eden. There must have been evidence all over the place in that warehouse. I heard that you went there before you burned it to the ground. Do you even know how to properly conduct an investigation inquisitor?”
“I went to the warehouse to look for clues but everything was scrubbed. Gone. They even cleared away the debris from the attack. I didn’t find a single shell casing.”
“Scrubbed?” Eva slumped back down into the couch. “I had hoped you were just clumsy.”
Varius squinted. “Wait…”
The woman looked back up at him with a concerned look on her face. “Sounds like this is much worse than I imagined.”
“I was able to find one plasti-crate deep in the facility with a triangular symbol on it. It happens to be the same symbol on a crate that I found on a different world. This Shadow Man may be more than just a small arms dealer. Do you know what he was trying to sell to your people?”
Eva crossed her arms and sighed. “No, they wouldn’t tell me. I let myself get too upset that they would even consider buying guns and before I knew it, Rian had me thrown into the closet and locked me in. Like I said earlier, by the time I escaped and got to the deal it was already crawling with KoP agents.”
“I need to see the evidence you have on the Shadow Man, so I can continue my investigation.”
Eva’s eyes got a little wider then she bit her lip. “Haha…so about that. I don’t exactly have the evidence.”
“Where is it then?”
“No, I mean I um…might of kinda lied.”
“WHAT?!” Varius kicked a small table against the wall and began to pace angrily. A dusty metal cup that was on top of the table bounced off the wall and rolled on the marble floor.
Eva stood up frantically and put her hands up. “We…well I didn’t tell the full truth exactly. I know that Rian had set up the deal. I am sure he knows more and can lead us in the right direction.”
The Inquisitor’s eyes blazed. “Do you even understand the possible repercussions I might have because of you? I should just take you back to them immediately!”
“Look, Varius, Rian is the key. If we find him, you can do you inquisitor thing and interrogate him. I didn’t know what else to do. Just before you came into the room the one KoP agent put a gun to my head and told me to confess into his recorder or he was going to kill me!”
Varius stopped pacing and turned to her. “Wait, confess to what?”
The woman looked confused for a moment. “That I was responsible for leading my group to seek out firearms…that we had plans to attack the governor.”
“But why would they do that if they already had enough evidence to link you to the group and the arms deal?”
Eva shrugged. “Because there isn’t any real evidence. All I do know is that I am being framed and that Rian is some sort of KoP undercover bastard responsible for this.”
A dull roar of thunder echoed off the skyscrapers outside the apartment.
Varius brought his hand up to his chin while he analyzed the situation.
What if some members of the garrisoned KoP forces were behind some sort of coverup? That would explain why the warehouse was scrubbed clean of evidence. What if Titus and Vega are somehow involved?
He nodded to himself as he made his decision. “I’m going to go find this Rian Kennedy. But you’re staying here.”
“There’s no way that I’m…”
Varius cut her off when he held his right index finger up. He reached into his pocket with his left hand and pulled out a transmitter.
“You wouldn’t!” Eva exclaimed as she recognized the device.
The Inquisitor set it on the kitchen table and pressed a series of keys on his gauntlet. “If you try to leave the area of this transmitter, the bomb on your neck will go off. If yo
u try to get too close to it, the bomb on your neck will go off. If you try to tamper with this transmitter…”
“…the bomb will go off” the woman said as she waved away the Inquisitor and slumped angrily on the couch. In defiance Eva crossed her arms and stared at the wall across from her. “What happens if you get killed while you’re out? Do I just sit here and starve to death?
“I won’t be dying anytime soon. I will be back for you after I speak with Rian. If you are lying to me, I may just deal with you myself” Varius said before he left the apartment. The door slid behind him and Eva was only left with the terrible memories and the roar of the storm outside.
Chapter 14
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 13
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Downtown Lucifer
Varius spent the hours after he left Eva secured in her old apartment quite productively. He had taken refuge in an abandoned repair shop to build his plan for the next step of his investigation.
Rain water from the previous storm dripped through a hole in the sheet metal roof and pooled on the floor of the dank empty structure.
Marth was able to hack into the Keepers of Peace stream network on Eden and identify the agents involved in the warehouse sting operation.
Thankfully, the Inquisitor had a glimpse of the KoP agent Eva identified as Rian Kennedy and was able to compare the agents’ profile pictures with his memory. That is, before she started shooting at him when the pair was still underground within the KoP command center.
“Marth, pull up all agent profiles involved with the warehouse operation, remove the female agents and display the remaining faces” Varius said as he stretched his shoulders and adjusted his neck. Fatigue on his body was starting to build. He tossed two white caffeine tablets into his mouth and chewed.
When traveling to different worlds one’s internal body clock could get disoriented and make you tired at strange times. Unfortunately, there was no time for sleep right now.
I have to get a solid lead on the Shadow Man.
A green holographic projection appeared from his gauntlet and lit the nearby area of the abandoned structure eerily.
Using his right hand, the Inquisitor scrolled through the faces until he recognized one of them. The chiseled jaw gave Rian Kennedy’s profile away, except in the profile pic he was clean cut. In the compound he had a burly beard and longer hair.
“Must have changed his appearance for going undercover. Let’s see what his profile says.” Varius reached up and double tapped Rian’s face and began to scan through the file.
“So, Rian Kennedy is really Carso Rey? He has training in espionage? Interesting. Marth, locate Agent Rey’s home address. I think it is time we have a chat.”
Chapter 15
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 13
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Northside of the Residential District, outside of Lucifer
Varius took a cab from downtown Lucifer to the residential district. He decided it was wiser to walk the rest of the way to Agent Carso’s condominium rather than driving right up to the door.
As the Inquisitor navigated the near empty sidewalks of bright neo lights and manmade creations, he continued to check periodically to make sure he wasn’t being followed.
The massive red and black skyscraper that the KoP agent resided in stood out from the nearby buildings with a sinister emanating glow from the way the streets lights bounced off of its windows.
Two Keepers of Peace officers stood outside at the entrance of the glass doors. After hours of being on watch they had drifted into conversation and were too busy talking to one another to notice Varius walk right on passed them.
The double glass doors automatically slid open to the visitor’s approach and a rush of cool air burst outside. Inside the foyer Varius carefully checked the surrounding area for guards but continued to head right for the elevator.
He pressed the “Up” button and stood back. Two more guards on patrol with rifles slung on their backs strolled right on by the Inquisitor as he lowered his head to appear like he was focused on his gauntlet.
As the elevator reached the ground floor a small ding sounded off just before the doors opened. Varius stepped onto the lift and quickly turned his back to the camera situated up into the top corner of the metal box. He flipped up his hoody and pressed the 26th floor button.
The doors quietly slid shut and the elevator silently rose upwards. A calming orchestra melody played through the elevator speakers. Once more the elevator chimed before the doors slid open to the 26th floor. The Inquisitor strolled out into the hallway and headed left towards Carso Rey’s condominium.
Just as he rounded the corner he saw two more-armed KoP guards standing outside Carso’ residence. He jerked himself back into the hall and went back to the elevator. He tapped the up button and let out a small sigh of relief when the doors immediately reopened.
Varius boarded the elevator once more and this time pressed the 27th floor button. Within seconds he stepped off the elevator and went left down the hall. He continued until he came to the unit that would have been directly over Carso’s unit.
The Inquisitor checked both directions of the hall before he stepped up to the door and brought his gauntlet up. “Marth, I need to get inside” Varius said keeping his voice low.
“I will need only a moment to gain access Inquisitor.”
I hope no one is inside…
The door panel chirped and the door slid open. He entered the unit cautiously. After the door closed behind him he could hear what sounded like a holomovie coming from somewhere inside.
The hall led inside to a long dining and living room combo. Large glass sliding doors at the end of the living space separated the inside dwelling space from the balcony. Blue furniture decorated the room but what was distracting was the smell of old dirty dishes from the kitchen to his right.
With as much stealth as he could manage, Varius made a straight line for the sliding door and stopped only to look down the small hallway to his left to make sure no one would notice him. Light flashed in the bedroom from the action holomovie but the resident was fast asleep and didn’t notice the Inquisitor sneak through the condo.
Varius pressed the door panel button and the sliding doors opened bringing in the smell of the damp air from outside. In one swift motion he exited the unit and pressed the outside door panel to close the glass door. The balcony was mostly bare except for one lone chair that sat in the corner.
Decorative metal railings lined the extended floor. Varius leaned over the edge to see the identical balcony design below. He carefully lifted his leg over the rail followed by the other.
With even more care he lowered himself to a squat and used his hands to hang from the lip of the balcony. He swung his legs back and forth several times before he leapt down and landed in a crouch on agent Rey’s balcony.
In a flash he moved from the crouch position to trying to hide the majority of his body from outside the view of anyone inside the condo. He tried to peer through the glass but couldn’t really see much. Muffled music could be heard coming from inside, but the lights inside were off and he took that as a good sign that Carso was also slumbering within.
Marth gained access to this door and the Inquisitor snuck inside. Soft instrumental music played from a sound system to his right that sat atop an entertainment center. Even on the 36th floor light from the city below helped to illuminate the living room. The layout of the unit was identical to the one on the floor above.
As the Inquisitor continued to make his way through the condo he accidentally kicked a brightly colored child’s toy across the room. It made a hollow plastic sound as it rolled across the carpeted floor and hit the wall to his right. He stood absolutely motionless for what felt like an eternity as he waited to hear if Agent Carso would check to see what the noise was.
A long couch sat against the wall to th
e Inquisitor’s left while various other matching pieces were placed throughout the unit. Placed on top of a nearby black shelf sat a framed picture of Carso Rey and a small girl.
Probably his daughter…
He quietly snuck towards the hall on his right that lead to the bedroom and peaked around the corner to have a look. There were three doors before him. On his left the first door was shut, the one ahead of him was open but the room was dark which meant it was probably a bathroom, while the door to his right was shut he could hear someone snoring inside.
Varius felt confident this was where Carso was likely to be and used his left hand to open the door using the door panel.
The snorer awoke and said, “Huh…who’s there?”
While the room was pitch black, Varius used his gauntlet to shine a light into the room. The beam of white light revealed agent Carso in his pajamas covering his face from the brightness shone directly in his eyes.
“What the!” Carso said as Varius ran up and punched him in the face. The KoP agent’s head smashed into the headrest behind him and he instantly blacked out.
The Inquisitor wasted no time in dragging the incapacitated man out of his bedroom to the dimly lit living room. He didn’t want to risk drawing attention by turning a light on in the unit, so he did the best he could in the dark. Varius dropped the Agent’s hands to the ground and moved a chair that sat against the wall to the center of the room. He lifted Carso into it and walked back to the bedroom. Varius then found some belts in the agent’s closet and used those to secure him to the chair.
He turned up the music several more levels before he went to the front door and checked to see if it was locked. The green light emanating from the door panel signaled that it was still unlocked. Varius knew the two guards were outside as he could hear some sort of muffled chatter from the other side.
The Inquisitor pressed the lock button and hoped that the two KoP agents wouldn’t notice. He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the two men continue their muffled conversation. He went to the kitchen and searched through the cabinets for a glass. Unlike the neighbor above, Carso’s kitchen was spotless.