by Simon Archer
“Well, it looks like they figured it out,” Kinley said, frowning at the holovision screen.
“Greed is a powerful motivator,” Cindra said. “It looks like they’ve finally figured out they’ll be able to accomplish more and get more money than if they each just kept a smaller segment of the market for themselves.
“This is terrible news,” I groaned. “They’ll have a lot easier time getting new clients and resuming operations now that they’re not competing with each other. Or anyone, really, now that we’re out of the foxgirl market, for all intents and purposes.”
“Plus, they’ll have law enforcement’s help,” Clem said, pointing at the screen.
I whipped my head around to see the chief of police blabbering on about the merger. That was my chief of police, the guy I put in that role to make sure he upheld the law. He must’ve been contacted by the secret organization, too.
“We’re very excited to work with the newly assembled company,” the chief was saying, but he practically refused to look straight at the camera. “We think this is an invaluable opportunity for a new collaboration between the binding corps and law enforcement. There is a rich history of such partnerships in Termina, and we’re glad to have the opportunity to renew that avenue of both revenue for the companies involved and resources for our law enforcement departments.”
“So you’re telling us that there is going to be less of a line between binders and police again, TelCorp excluded?” the nearest reporter asked him.
“Yes,” the chief said, nodding gruffly. “Though, of course, our door is open should TelCorp decide to resume our former relationship and their main binding operations.”
“Isn’t this illegal now?” another reporter asked. “The laws around law enforcement and corps have been seriously tightened and enforced as of late.”
“I have word directly from the Prime Minister that new legislation to address this is expected in tomorrow morning’s session,” the chief said, and I groaned out loud.
“Fuuuuuck,” I said, drawing out the word for emphasis. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me. There’s more? When’s it gonna end?”
“What can we do?” Lin asked, tense and on the edge of her seat now.
I shook my head. “I don’t know if we can do anything. I mean, I’ve talked to the politicians myself, and I’ll call the chief in the morning. I’ll even go down to the Parliament session in person if I have to, but they don’t seem like they’re going to budge.”
“But what changed?” Clem asked. “Just twenty-four hours ago, none of us could’ve imagined this happening, right?”
Lin shook her head, but everyone else stayed silent for several moments.
“That’s right,” I said finally. “We couldn’t have. But it has, and we just have to keep looking for the answer and trying to persuade these people to come back to our side.”
“But what if they don’t?” Lin asked, pressing the issue. “What will we do?” I thought about this for a moment.
“Well,” I said finally, “I guess we’ll just have to fix it for ourselves.”
Everyone stared at me.
“You mean, like, go against the other binding corps? And all of law enforcement?” Kira asked, astounded.
“I guess so,” I said solemnly. “I don’t want to do it, but if it’s what we have to do, then it’s what we have to do, I guess.”
“Good,” Lin said, her mouth set in a determined line. “I’m glad we’re taking this as seriously as we should.”
“I assure you that we are,” I told her. Then I displayed the energy drink still in my hand. “I have to go give this to Malthe and tell him what’s happened. I’ll be right back.”
They nodded, and I climbed back up the winding stairs.
I knocked on the door softly again when I reached Malthe’s office.
“Come in,” he said, and I walked back inside, shutting the door behind me.
I handed him the energy drink.
“Thanks,” he said, popping it open and taking a sip. “Ah, the best taste in the world.”
I shot him a skeptical look, arching an eyebrow at him. “Really? You can’t be serious,” I said dryly.
“What can I say, I’m a man of high-class taste,” he grinned.
“Right,” I said, before changing the subject. “Well, there’s been some bad news.”
“Uh oh,” he said, glancing up at me. “You weren’t gone that long. What happened? Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah, everyone here’s fine,” I assured him. “But the other binding corps, they’re joining together to better compete with us. It’s the biggest merger in history.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Malthe said, his mouth hanging open just like mine had when I’d seen the news. “That’s… really fucking bad.”
“Yes, yes, it is,” I agreed. “But there’s more. Law enforcement’s gonna back them up.”
“What’re we gonna do?” Malthe asked, echoing the concerns of our friends downstairs.
“We’re gonna fight, that’s what we’re gonna do.” I clenched my fists at the thought of all that had gone wrong in such a short period of time. “But until then, we need to figure out about the tunnels. So let me know when you’re ready. I’ll be downstairs.”
9
I hung out downstairs with everyone else until Malthe reappeared. I tried multiple times to suggest going to bed so that Clem and Lin wouldn’t be around when we were ready to go, but it didn’t work until the fifth try, around one-o'clock in the morning.
“Is anyone else just exhausted?” I asked for what felt like the millionth time. “I’m beat.” I forced a long, wide yawn for emphasis.
“You know, I actually am getting a little tired,” Lin admitted, exchanging a defeated look with Clem. “We won’t be any good to anyone tomorrow if we’re just a bunch of zombies.”
“I guess that’s true,” Clem admitted. “I just really want to keep watching.” He gestured at the holovision screen, which was showing a group of brawlers on the north side jumping up and down and throwing shit at each other to celebrate for some reason. Brawlers were some of the weirdest people in Termina, and that was saying something.
“It’s not like anything’s happened in hours,” I said. “It’s just a bunch of shitty people doing shitty things.”
“I guess you’re right, Nic,” Clem admitted, stifling a yawn of his own. “We can head up.”
“Alright,” Lin said, rising and heading in the direction of the stairs. “I’ll see you all in the morning, then. Thanks again for letting us stay, Avil.”
“No problem,” Cindra’s sister said, and she sounded beat herself. “The bots should’ve put pajamas and towels and shit on all the guest room beds. Fourth floor.”
“Thanks,” Lin said again, already ascending the stairs. Clem took one last look at the holovision and then reluctantly rose to follow her.
“See you all in the morning, chaps,” he said. “To a better day ahead.”
“Amen,” Avil murmured. “I’d better check on Malthe.”
“Oh, he said not to wait up for him,” I lied. “He’ll be at it for a while. Lots of research to get done.”
She rolled her eyes. “Typical. Always burning the midnight oil and sleeping the day away, isn’t he?”
“It’s when he works best.” I shrugged. “Who am I to question it?”
“Maybe he wouldn’t take so long if he didn’t drink all those fucking energy drinks at night,” Avil said, but she was smiling fondly. Maybe they made a decent couple after all.
“What’s going on?” Cindra asked, leaning forward to whisper once Lin, Clem, and Avil had all disappeared from sight.
“I’ll fill you in later,” I whispered back at her and the other foxgirls. “We should probably all pretend to go to bed for now. Wait half an hour and then meet me back down here.”
They nodded in agreement, and we all climbed the stairs. I made sure Clem saw us disappear inside one of the guest rooms. Tha
t half-hour’s wait was painfully long, but it elapsed eventually, and we crept back downstairs.
“I talked to Avil for a little while,” Cindra said. “She’s really scared, Nic. They all are.” I could believe it, though Avil didn’t strike me as the scared or vulnerable type. Then again, her harsh persona was probably just a defense mechanism.
“Yeah, I know,” I said, smiling kindly at her. “But we’re gonna get to the bottom of it. Malthe’s already found some great intel.”
As if on cue, Malthe came lumbering down the stairwell, nearly tripping on the end of his jacket, physically awkward as always.
“Hey guys,” he said, looking around the room and craning his neck to see into other areas. “Is everyone else gone already?”
“They went to bed,” Kira said. “Avil’s letting us stay here tonight so we don’t go back to the north side while everyone’s going nuts in the entertainment and financial districts.”
“That’s my girl,” Malthe grinned. “She’s really a softie at heart.” Now that I really did find that hard to believe, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Okay, Nic said you found something,” Kinley said, peering anxiously at Malthe.
“Yeah, I was able to track calls on an old radio transmission line,” he explained excitedly. Then, seeing the confused expressions on the foxgirls’ faces, “Never mind, I can explain it to you later. The important thing is that we figured out how these people are communicating with the members of Parliament and the other binding corps and shit.”
“We figured out that they were also in contact with Elias before he died,” I added, “and that they had been for some time. They might’ve had something to do with my dad’s death, too.”
“Really?” Kira asked, her eyes widening. She reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry, Nic. I know that must bring up some old heartache for you.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, averting my eyes from hers since I really didn’t feel like talking about it. Then, looking back up at Malthe, who was still standing by the coffee table around where we were all sitting, “Did you find anything on the tunnels?”
“Sure thing,” he said. “It’s not much, but it’s something at least. I’m pretty sure there’s an entrance by my office. It shouldn’t be too hard to find. As for what you’ll find when you get down there… that’s another story entirely.”
“Right, well, let me deal with that,” I said, nodding determinedly.
“Wait, you’re not going down there alone, are you?” Cindra asked, giving me a stern look.
“Well, yeah,” I said, trying not to look at Cindra now. I’d really wanted to avoid a repeat of this particular argument.
“Nic, we’ve been over this,” she sighed. So much for avoiding it.
“Yeah, we’re stronger together, especially with our bond,” Kinley said stubbornly, crossing her arms.
“We fought with you at Serenity General, remember?” Kira asked, not unkindly, but she was still firm. “And that worked out pretty well, didn’t it?”
“I guess so,” I grumbled, looking away from them. “But this is really dangerous. And if something happens to me…”
“Don’t use that argument again, dumbass,” Cindra said. “If something happens to you, we’re dead too, remember? We’re soulbound.”
“Oh, right,” I said, running a hand through my hair sheepishly. I did tend to forget about that part of our bond, though it was the whole reason I’d bound the foxgirls to me in the first place. I had to. Otherwise, they’d be stuck with the sleazy clients.
“Alright, should we get going then?” Malthe asked as if the discussion was settled. But I didn’t consider it settled. I wasn’t sure why, I just wasn’t comfortable bringing the foxgirls with me down there. Maybe I preferred to work alone? Then it hit me.
“I just think it would be a bit of a logistical nightmare to have so many people down there together,” I said, realizing that it was true as I said it. “We’d have to keep track of each other, and we have no idea what we’re going to find, or who we’re going to find for that matter. And we don’t even know what the tunnels will be like, or if we’ll be able to see well, or even all fit down there.”
The foxgirls all peered back at me stubbornly, and Malthe gave me a sympathetic look.
“Fine,” Cindra said at long last, crossing her arms. All three foxgirls were sitting like that now, all in a row on the couch. It was quite a sight.
“But one of us is coming with you, then,” Kinley said, a note of finality in her voice. “Not all of us, but one of us.”
“You’re not going down there alone, Nic,” Kira said. “Someone needs to go with you.”
I bit my lip, trying to think of another reason to protest, but none came.
“Fine,” I said, echoing Cindra, “but just one.”
“Okay, that’s settled then,” Malthe said, giving a relieved chuckle. “I only made one, so you take it, boss.” He handed me a small, pod-like device.
“Where do I put it?” I asked, staring down at it blankly in the palm of my hand.
“In your ear,” he explained. “Your right one, to be exact.” I looked at it a bit more closely and realized that it was, in fact, shaped like the inside of my ear. Tentatively, I raised it and put it in, where it fit snugly.
“It won’t fall out?” I asked.
“Shouldn’t,” he said, shaking his head. “Does it feel loose?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head vigorously to make sure. “It’s fine. You’ll speak to me in here.”
“Should be able to, unless something disrupts the signal,” he said, pulling another, larger device out of his pocket. It was a miniature microphone plugged into some kind of antiquated black box. “I’ll just turn this on and talk into it.”
He leaned over into the microphone and tried to say something, but all I heard was a painful screeching noise delivered right into my eardrum. I cried out in pain and pulled the thing out of my ear, throwing it down onto the coffee table.
“Oops, sorry,” Malthe said, laughing nervously. “Try again?” I glared at him.
“I don’t think I want to do that again,” I said, but I begrudgingly placed the device back in my ear, knowing that it was important to the success of the mission.
“Okay, testing, one, two, three,” Malthe said, keeping his lips a safe distance from the microphone this time. There was no screeching now, and I could hear the small replica of his voice clearly in my ear.
“Much better,” I said, still eyeing Malthe with suspicion. “Just don’t do that first one while I’m down there, okay?”
“No problem, boss,” he grinned. “I’ll be careful.”
“Alright, let’s go,” I said, rising and pulling the thing out of my ear and placing it in my pocket. “You said it wouldn’t take long to get there?”
“Should be right by my office,” Malthe said cheerily as if we were just going for drinks.
“Okay then,” I said, and led the way out of the great big house. We were about halfway down the walkway back to the main gravel path when something large and strong crashed into me, pressing me down into the grass.
“Wha… what?” I asked, clambering around to get out from under whatever or whoever it was that was holding me down. But this person was big and muscular, almost as much as I was, and he’d gotten a head start on me, holding me down in just the right way that made it difficult to impossible for me to break away.
“Clem, what the fuck are you doing?” I heard Cindra scream, and then it all made a bit more sense, or at least I knew who it was. For a second there, I was convinced it was some kind of drunk brawler come out of the shadows to do me in for good, maybe paid off by the other binding corps. Or corp now, I guessed.
“Clem?” I asked, my voice muffled by his shoulder. “What’re you doing?”
“I want to know what’s going on, and why you won’t tell me,” Clem said. “We both do?”
“Both? What?” I asked, but then I got my answer.
“I promise I didn’t know he was going to tackle you,” I heard Lin say, her voice slightly panicked. “We just wanted to know.”
“We heard you talking back there,” Clem said gruffly. “What’re these tunnel things? What’re you keeping from us, and why?”
“C’mon, man, get off him,” Malthe said, and I could vaguely see his outline approach us in the dark, and he grabbed the back of Clem’s jacket, trying to pull him off of me. But it didn’t make any difference. All Clem had to do was shrug to get him to back off.
“Just let him go,” Cindra implored.
“Why are you doing this?” Kira asked.
“I’m not letting him go until he tells me what’s up,” Clem explained. “If this is the only way to get any answers out of you people, then so be it.
“What d'you hear?” I asked, my voice still muffled by Clem’s shoulder.
“Just about the tunnels and something about some kind of organization you’re trying to find,” Lin said, still sounding panicked. “Come on, Clem, there has to be another way. This isn’t right. These are our friends.”
“Yeah, I thought so, too,” Clem said, and there was unmistakeable hurt in his voice, much like back when he realized I was lying to him about the slums before Elias died.
“Look, we don’t know who we can trust, okay?” I said, trying to get him to understand. “After what happened in Parliament, it’s pretty near impossible to know who our friends are and who our enemies are. Or something in between.”
“You can’t seriously think we’re not on your side,” Lin said, sounding hurt too, now.
“That’s insulting,” Clem said flatly, not relinquishing his grip on me. “Haven’t we proven ourselves to you yet? We’ve done everything right, everything you’ve asked of us. And you still don’t trust us.”
“I want to trust you,” I said, pained more by the subject than the physical exertion of being held down.