Sinner: The Deadly Seven, Origins

by Pecherczyk, Lana

  When it was clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, Gloria continued. “How much do you know about the Project, Flint?”

  “Um. I know as much as anyone else with level five clearance. We were told it’s a humanitarian initiative. That we’re building tools to help make the world a safer place. That’s why I applied. I want to be part of something good.” He wanted to do something right after failing so hard when he was younger. He never wanted to feel that guilt wrenching his heart in two. He wanted to be part of the cure, not the disease.

  Mary’s lips curled up and a light entered her eyes. Call him hopeful, but it looked like pride. A warm feeling spread from his center, washing out his nerves. How did she do it? Every damn time. A smile from her was like a warm hug on a cold day. He wanted more.

  Frowning, Gloria gave a soft grunt of discomfort and rubbed her belly. “Apologies, he’s kicking. Feisty little one.”

  “He likes the sound of Flint’s voice,” Mary said, shifting her smile downward to Gloria’s belly.

  Gloria’s lips quirked on one side. “Or he just wakes up when I’m still.”

  “No, I think the deep rumble is soothing,” Mary added. “Enticing even. Not something he’d normally hear around here.”

  Flint shifted in his seat. They were discussing timbre of his voice like he wasn’t there.

  Gloria flicked a glance his way, proving he was wrong. “And what of your future plans?”

  “My future?”

  “Yes, where do you see yourself in five years? Even two?”

  “I… ah… I’m just trying to save enough money to put someone through college.” It slipped out before he could stop it.

  Gloria looked up sharply, catching his eyes.

  Behind her, Mary flinched. “You have a child?” she asked.

  “No, but I…” He scrubbed his face. He didn’t want to confess his worst sin, but he couldn’t lie.

  “Mr. Fydler,” Gloria said in a clipped voice. “This job will be handsomely rewarded. If it’s money you’re looking for, we can help with that. But if you have other family commitments, I’m not sure this is for you.”

  Flint could feel the weight of the Mary’s stare on his heated face. He swallowed. “I have no family commitments. This is something else, righting a wrong I made a long time ago.” He had no idea why he confessed. He didn’t think he wanted the job if it had something to do with weapons and children. But when neither woman spoke, Flint begrudgingly continued. “I could have stopped an accident years ago. Because I didn’t, a young girl lost her parents. I send her money every month to help with living expenses.”

  Gloria put her pencil down, and said, “I don’t understand. How could you have stopped it?”

  “I knew the driver was getting into his car drunk, and I didn’t stop him.”

  “You didn’t tell him to stop?”

  “Worse. I thought about it, but said nothing.” There. There it was. They knew the worst about him now. Flint studied his gadget, turning the metal sphere in his hands, waiting for the hate.

  A soft sigh came from Mary, and he knew there would be pity in her eyes if he looked up. But it was Gloria who spoke in her blunt way. “We all make mistakes. What is important is that we learn from them. I don’t believe spending a lifetime sending her money teaches the right lesson, do you?”

  Was she belittling his actions? “But I had a responsibility to prevent the tragedy, and I didn’t.”

  Gloria’s lips widened, splitting her face in a full smile. Was this woman for real? She twisted and reached up to latch onto Mary’s offered hand. Something passed between them until the sound of a crying baby brought everyone’s gaze to the window where an older woman walked into the room with a screaming infant.

  “Right,” Gloria said quickly. “We’re running out of time. I think Mary is right. You are the man for the job. Please join me at the observation window.” With Mary’s assistance, Gloria levered herself out of the chair awkwardly. As they walked to the window, Gloria continued speaking. “What I’m about to tell you mustn’t leave this room. Do you understand?”

  Flint could only nod. That twisted feeling in his gut hadn’t left, and at the sight of the child, it pulled and yanked until he felt physically ill.

  “We feel the same way about prevention, Mr. Fydler. When I was a child, I was… hard to control. My parents argued a lot. My father pushed me academically, believing my behavioral problems were because my brain needed stimulation, but my mother disagreed. She believed the smarter I got, the more eccentric I would be, and the less I would fit into society. She wanted a normal life for me. Pride turned their marriage into a battleground until my sixth birthday.” She took a deep breath, her sight turning inward. “They argued. So much. It went for hours. You’re the reason no one turned up—You’re the problem! She’d have friends if it weren’t for you…” The tone of Gloria’s voice became tighter, strained as she mimicked her parents’ argument, and then all emotion leached from her voice. “My father shot my mother in front of me, and then he shot himself. Point blank.” Gloria stopped. She put her hand to the window and stared, watching the nun inside placate the baby until its cries softened, and it eventually fell asleep on her shoulder.

  Well fuck, thought Flint. That was a shitty childhood. But what did it have to do with anything?

  The silence expanded. Flint turned to look at Mary and found she already watched him.

  “Ten years ago,” Gloria continued, “I isolated the genome sequence for greed. Once I’d done that, the rest of the deadly sins weren’t hard to find. And then I met Julius. He was devastated after his wife and child were poisoned and together we thought, wouldn’t it be magical if we could stop these sins before they happened? Of course, you know what magic is, don’t you Flint?” Gloria gave him a wry smile. “It’s science we don’t understand yet.”

  The room in front of them suddenly filled with children ranging from elementary grade to toddler. All looked similar in features, wide lips, big eyes, darkish hair… features he had no doubt would develop into the painted perfection of their mother. He detected a few lighter splashes of hair color and tanned skin. Who was the father? It didn’t matter. Flint didn’t need to know. He didn’t need any of this.

  “Each of these precious children has had their DNA tweaked and modified so they can sense deadly levels of sin. They are the first of their kind. Maybe the last.”

  “You’re making super soldiers,” Flint stated. He could feel the heat rising up his neck, the anger prickling his skin. “You’re experimenting on innocent children, forcing them into a life none of them asked for.”

  “They’re well looked after,” Gloria started, but then held her tongue. Irritation swam on her features and she avoided his eyes. She stepped away from the mirror, rubbing her belly, breathing deep. Something Flint said clearly distressed her.

  “That’s why we’re here.” Mary stepped in. “The Vatican is a major investor and insisted they were the humanitarian representation. We nuns are responsible for the wellbeing of the children. You can see they’re treated well. They’re not harmed in any way. All tests are done by saliva swab, nothing intravenous.”

  An older boy smacked a younger boy on the head and snatched his stick of celery back. A fight almost broke out, but the eldest girl, maybe six or seven, stepped in and soothed them all. She was tall and waif-like, like her mother.

  “That’s Despair,” said Gloria, back at Flint’s side. “Despite her namesake, she’s always stepping in to keep the peace. It’s the forgotten deadly sin, yet, I believe the most important. Hope is her virtue. She astounds me every time. And those two she interrupted”—she pointed—“Wrath and Gluttony.”

  Christ. They didn’t even have real names, like mass-produced products on an assembly line. “They’re not machines, you know. What if they grow up and decide not to be your peace-keepers? What if they want something else for their lives? What if hunting sin wears down on them, twists them, and turns them into the very thing th
ey’re fighting against?”

  Both women stared at him.

  “That’s exactly why you’re here,” Gloria said simply.

  Flint opened his mouth to respond but shut it in confusion. This was all getting too much. Too many variables. Not like a computer system where everything was zeros and ones. Where it had to be either one or the other. This had the potential for chaos.

  “Julius has changed,” Gloria whispered. Her words cut through Flint’s confusion with a slice of danger.

  “The boss? What do you mean?”

  “At the start of this, he wanted to prevent loss of life, but now… now he wants to control the children and use them for his own gain. The bitterness of losing his first wife and child has twisted him into something ugly. I thought making him the sperm donor for these children would give him purpose again, but it’s all messed up now. I was so wrong. He pushed me to make them better, stronger, more powerful than anyone could hope. He thinks he owns them.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I told him I could give them enhanced abilities to help with their jobs, to give them an advantage over the criminals… but none of the abilities have manifested, and the investors are getting restless. The children’s lives are in danger. If I can’t demonstrate their investment is advancing, they’ll be wiped out.”

  “We won’t let that happen,” Mary said, placing a firm hand on Gloria’s shoulder.

  “How the hell are you going to stop them?” Flint shook his head in disbelief. “You’re a bunch of nuns and a skinny-ass pregnant woman. I can’t help. I’m not a fighter…. I…”

  “I’ll pay you a million dollars for each child,” Gloria blurted out. “To help get them safely to the Hildegard Abbey, where Mary is from.”

  “Fuck.” Flint’s gaze shot to Mary. He liked her, he really did, but how could he be part of this? “Fuck. I can’t. I’m just a guy.”

  He couldn’t even save one child, let alone many.

  The room swayed. He had to get out of there.

  Seven

  Mary sensed Flint’s panic rise and rushed to his side, placing hands on his shoulders. In his eyes, she searched for understanding, but found only fear.

  “Flint…” She took a deep breath, unsure how to proceed without scaring him off. She was about to tell him everything and prayed to the Virgin Mary that he could take it. Mary glanced at Gloria. “Could you please give us a few minutes, Gloria?”

  Gloria placed her hand on her stomach and nodded. “I will go to the bathroom. When I get back, Flint, I need an answer. We are almost out of time.”

  Something hardened in Gloria’s eyes before she left. Her insinuation was clear. Mary would have to deal with Flint if he said no, and she didn’t want to do that.

  He had to say yes. He wouldn’t have been in her recent vision if he said no… would he?

  “You’re more than just a guy, Flint,” Mary said, sliding her hands down his arms, tracking the movement with her eyes. Sweet Mother. She knew she shouldn’t be touching him, but she loved those arms. Her fingers ran back up to his shoulders. “Flint, you’re much more than that to me. You’re loyal, determined, clever… exactly the person we need to help get us out of this. I’ve seen it.”

  He gave her a pained look. “Sister…”

  “I’m not a nun,” she blurted, dropping her hands from him.

  He blinked, spluttered. “What?”

  “I…” Mary surveyed the room on instinct, making sure no one watched. It was an old habit when you lied about your identity. One that stayed even though she knew they were alone. “I’m not a nun. The others in there are, but I’m… a Sinner. I’m part of a secret faction in the Hildegard Sisterhood that even the Vatican doesn’t know about.”

  “Tell me about them.”

  “The Sisterhood?”

  “The secret faction.”

  She took a deep breath. “They have a history reaching back to medieval times when the original Sister Hildegard struggled against a male dominated clergy. Now the world knows Hildegard as the founder of scientific history in Germany, but back then, her opinions were completely disregarded until she claimed to have visions from God himself. Belittling herself as a woman in order to be heard was only the beginning of the humiliation the woman faced.

  “So she started her own abbey filled with women. That same abbey exists today and is a place where women can be celebrated and their education encouraged—minus the male influence. Records at the Sisterhood archives reveal they had a hand in the rise to power of many women over history from Joan of Arc to Indira Ghandi. From Catherine the Great to Margaret Thatcher. But, under the surface of the auspicious abbey is their secret mission that no woman should ever suffer the same struggle as Hildegard had.”

  “So you hate men?”

  “No! Maybe some of them do, but I can’t. Not with someone like you in my life.”

  Flint ran his hands through his hair. “There’s more you’re not telling me. What is this sinner business? How does their mission to put women in power relate to this project?”

  “They want women to influence the children, and… well, there are things holy women can’t do, and that’s what I’m for. I’m allowed to sin. In fact, I'm the designated sinner—their necessary evil. My line of work isn’t exactly innocent, so I’m not ordained and my vows are different to allow me the freedom to work. I guess I’m more like a CIA operative, if you like. I’m sorry I lied to you. It’s cut me up inside for months, but I couldn’t jeopardize my purpose for being here. The fewer who know, the better.”

  She turned her gaze to the two-way mirror and held her breath, waiting for a reaction from Flint. Something. Anything.

  Silence.

  And then he moved, cutting into her personal space.

  No man in the world intimidated Mary. None. Yet, she found herself back against the wall with Flint dominating the area before her. His body heat hit her in the face, stealing her air, making it hard to breathe. She closed her eyes to steady her beating heart. One. Two. She opened them.

  “Are you fucking shitting me?” he bit out. The crease between his brows deepened, the two slashes of brown almost one. His lashes lowered as he took in her face, coming to terms with her confession. “So I was right. You’re not a goddamned nun.”

  She licked her lips and, on instinct, lifted her finger to smooth the wrinkle still between his brow. She hated knowing she put that there. There was a small smudge of grease on the bridge of his nose, and Mary rubbed it away. His eyes fluttered closed, and he leaned in to her touch. When they opened, some revelation flashed in his eyes. It was deep, dark, carnal and desperate. He cupped her face between his hands and lowered his lips to press against hers reverently.

  His salty taste hit Mary’s senses and desire sparked an inferno inside. Everything she’d held back over the years came rushing to the surface. She speared her fingers into his hair, pulled him close, and returned the flames. Everything she’d denied, she pushed into that kiss. She had to let him know how she felt, how she truly felt. No more teasing. No more flirting. She needed him with every ounce of her being. She pushed her tongue into his, bit his lip, sucked, licked, kissed. He got it all.

  Breathing hard, Flint pushed his hard body against hers, flattening her against the wall, trapping her. Sweet Mother, this was what she wanted. Needed. This was exactly what she’d imagined. His taste, heat, passion… all funneled in her direction, as though she were the only thing in his life worth having. His tongue delved inside her mouth, claiming and taking. She released a small moan of appreciation. He swallowed it with another kiss. Yes. More. Together.

  He pulled back suddenly and the cold air rushed in. His hair stood up, mussed from her fingers, looking every bit disheveled as she felt. All that heat, all that fire, gone in an instant and she was left bereft and trembling.

  “Flint?” she asked, voice as shaky as her legs.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since I met you.” It was an accusation. He scrubbed his face and turned his back on h
er. He clenched his fists at his side. She placed a palm between his shoulder blades and he shuddered. “How can I trust you,” he murmured, “when you’ve lied to me the entire time I’ve known you?”

  Her head dropped next to her hand and she sighed, resting her cheek on his warm back. There was nothing more she wanted to do than slide her hands around his waist and hug him tight. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Anything.”

  He turned and held her at arm’s length. “Start with the elevator. Why did you want me to delete the camera footage—which I did, by the way, and you’re welcome. You can thank me later.”

  “Part of what I told you wasn’t a lie. They don’t like weakness around here. If they found out I had a condition, they’d fire me. But the truth is, there’s more to it. It’s not epilepsy. I have visions,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut. Here goes. “Please believe me. I’m not lying. As far-fetched as it sounds, I can see the future. If Julius found out, my mission would be in jeopardy.”

  “Your mission?”

  “The children.” Mary nodded at the observation window where the children were now helping to clean up their meals.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, Mary. Am I part of your mission?”

  “No! God no. I never meant to involve you, but… ¡Ay, chingado! I make the worst nun because I can’t stay away from you. My feelings were bound to come out. From the first time we bumped into each other in the break room to the time you started leaving me sweets. I’ve loved our talks. Nobody has ever cared enough to ask me about my day, but you do. I think about you all the time, and I’ve dreamed about what it would be like if I were a normal woman. But, I’m not. You endanger my mission, just by being a variable I haven’t planned for. But I … it’s you.”