Promethean

by P. S. Power

  “One problem. You have a license, but don’t know how to drive. At least I didn’t teach you how. Also, since when do you and Oaks have a regular date night?” She didn't seem angry about it, just a bit baffled. As if she figured that she’d know everything about him, even if they were apart for long portions of each day. Most of it, in fact.

  Part of that was down to the fact that he lived twenty-four hours a day and she was always going to be at a disadvantage that way, sleeping for part of it. He had a moment to think, since Brenner moved across the room, sinking down on the sofa, part of her entering into Abbie, who gave the human woman a hard look.

  “Rude. Just sitting on me like that.” There was a grin about it, as she scrambled out of the way.

  Liam didn't comment on it, since Tiffany wouldn’t know it had ever happened and might not believe him anyway.

  His words were soft, though thoughtful.

  “I need to learn how to drive, then. I’m twenty now, according to the papers. That…” He went ahead, even if he was supposed to stay there for a while. “That will fix the issues that were there with Mary as well. Liam Frankenstein is an adult and provably so. Outside of the grasp of CPS. So that part should be done now.” He held his breath.

  After all, he was thwarting what the other woman wanted in life, for him at least. For some reason her job had been about holding him there and controlling him. Instead, he was suddenly outside of her ability to manage, in any legal fashion. She might respond violently or at least with screaming and yelling. He’d seen both from her before.

  Tiredly, she took a very deep breath.

  “Heh. Yeah, that sounds right, doesn’t it? I’m not really thrilled by the idea of you being under her control, to tell the truth. I mean, she might not be evil, but face it, the lady created you using sketchy technology. That’s a gray area at best. Well balanced people don’t do that sort of thing, you know?”

  Liam didn't know that at all, until he thought about what regular people did in life. Most of them really didn’t create new kinds of beings using science or even magic. Both were actually part of history, as far as stories went, however.

  Rather than argue the point that he wouldn’t be there if she hadn’t, he simply smiled at Brenner.

  “I probably won’t need a lot more from anyone, as far as being raised, soon. Some, since I don’t have all the knowledge of the world that I need yet. A lot of that I will get as I go along, I have to imagine. I don’t have a job or profession, as of yet, for instance.”

  The words got Brenner to shrug a bit, her face going still as she thought. Then she rubbed at her freckles, the ones across her nose. Her head tilted as she seemed to come up with an idea.

  “You know, you really do have some things going on for you. Making specialty shoes is a thing people will pay for. Not most people, but those that need them will. Also, the medical care for the other groups that you’ve been doing? You can do those from the house, once we can go back, if you want. We already have the clinic there. All of that is legit, even, plus you already have the basics down for both of them.”

  She shrugged, as if she wasn’t trying to manipulate him into staying with her. A thing that he smiled at, without trying to control his face at all. It was, mildly, funny to him. Mainly because it was really obvious.

  Also, it worked into his current plans of staying near her to watch what she was doing.

  “I can do that, while I make other plans. I should increase my knowledge of the other groups, really. Add dentistry as well, including advanced medical skills.” It hadn’t come up yet, though there had been hints of people needing that kind of aid, even if they hadn’t come to him or Brenner for it. No one did dental work for vampires, for instance. They had special requirements due to the structure of their dental formations. They weren’t alone that way, either. Most of those with broken teeth just had to deal with it and suffer in silence, instead of having anything done to repair damage or problems.

  Tiffany waved at him then.

  “Sounds like a plan, actually. We can expand what’s on offer, if you want. Having the clinic is pretty much fifty percent of why I’m involved in the community at all, to be honest. The part that everyone feels is legitimate. I could use the help with that, since getting a regular doctor in is less than easy. Now, if that’s settled for the moment, I need to knock the grime off of my body. Mitchel called and should be back in about… Fifteen minutes or so. Then we get the evening to plan.”

  He shook his head.

  “No, we don’t. Abbie the ghost came by, the werewolf one? She heard that there are new ghosts at your office, who might have information. Mitchel can talk to them. I suppose that I could as well, but it isn’t really my job, so we were waiting for him. I mean, she didn't come to ask me to see to that.”

  Instead of being upset, Brenner just looked amazed.

  “Right. I forgot about that, that you can see ghosts, like he can. I’d claim bullshit, except that would be rude. Frankly though, we finally have a job that everyone will buy that the information came from the dead, if we get anything. We aren’t handling this through the courts, you know? Everyone at work is in on that. The local PD is with us in that, too. We can’t let this kind of thing go.”

  Then, without saying more, the woman just left the room. It was abrupt for her. Probably a sign that she was stressed. Liam was adding to that as well, or could have been. Pretending to go along with her for the time being would probably help. She’d seemed fine with the idea of him being on his own, as long as she was close to him. Inside her ability to observe, if not control perfectly.

  Which was fine, really. It worked with his current plan as well, after all.

  Liam simply started to research dentistry. It could come up eventually and working on that would signal to her that he was following her lead. Because he truly was. That should, if he understood the idea, allow her to be relaxed on at least the one issue. Leaving only the fact that a third of her coworkers were dead.

  Going in that evening to talk to them might not leave her feeling at ease, either. It would be better if she could see them for herself. Not that he could think of any way to allow that to take place. Magic came to mind as a way to handle ghosts. Except that he didn’t know any of that. Science was far more familiar to him.

  Twenty minutes wasn’t a long time to learn how to correct novel dental issues, since there were many complex skills that would be needed to learn first. Still, it allowed him to see enough to have a basic understanding as to what he needed to look into next before Mitchel came in, keys in hand, with Brenner moving out into the space, in fresh clothing, her hair damp and lank.

  She didn’t let him notice the ghost first, speaking rapidly.

  “We have information? I guess that some of the others are still at the office. Um, as ghosts? We should go and poke around. See if there’s anything to that.”

  Warner stopped in place, looked at Brenner, then Liam and finally settled on Abbie, who was sitting patiently on the sofa again.

  “Hi, everyone. Okay… We can do that. You have something on that, Abbie?” He looked at the transparent girl closely, locking eyes with her.

  “I have information from a source who recently passed over that claims there are several spirits lingering at the Federal building. I don’t know more than that. I came right here, once I knew about it. Liam stayed with me all afternoon, after he got back from meeting with his father.” She seemed nearly sly then, glancing at Liam from the side of her eye.

  As if he wasn’t going to see her doing it. Then, he’d never told anyone about what the world was like for him, not directly. Mary seemed to understand the basic idea and Oaks knew first hand. That he saw things all around him, all the time, in all directions was different than what most had going on.

  Even that wasn’t perfectly true. He didn’t need to turn his head to look at something, but it was clear that he blocked out a lot of what was around him, when he focused in a single direction. If he was enga
ged in study, people could and had, walked up behind him without him noticing at all, for instance. It was something to keep in mind.

  Mitchel simply looked over at him, understanding who his father was supposed to be in this case.

  “Oaks came by?” There was a sniff, as if the being still managed to reek on an intense level. That had been part of his troll act. A scent that ripped at the corners of the world with its aggressive stink. It wasn’t part of being a promethean at all. Liam wasn’t even certain that they could smell bad without using some outside chemical or scent. Bacteria wouldn’t grow on them, after all. Liam smelled a bit, to those with extra keen senses that way, but it would go away in about a decade, or so he’d heard. Even that wasn’t a strong thing. None of the vampires had complained, anyway.

  Still, even if Oaks wouldn’t have left a scent in the room, had he been there, Liam shook his head. It wasn’t the case, after all.

  “I went to meet him, under the bridge. He had papers for me and some cash. I’m now an adult, officially. I can even drive.” He grinned then, if only a little, since Agent Brenner was still dealing with the death of her friends. “Not that I know how to drive yet. I need to learn. Tiffany thinks I should work the medical clinic and make shoes for those in need, to make money to keep myself. I was just learning about dentistry as well, since that is a needed service.”

  The pale man, who looked human, even if he wasn’t, nodded.

  “That’s not wrong. I can name five or six people that could use that kind of service, just off the top of my head, once you have it ready. That probably means that there are a hundred times that out there, who could use that kind of thing. Especially if you can travel to them. A dentist or doctor that makes house calls would be big for us, in potential. You take payment in chickens, right?”

  That last part was a joke, since he had little to no use for that kind of thing. Only once every few months, at least, if he wanted to keep to his nice tan coloration, instead of the bright yellow he normally held. That, using chicken, would leave him with a much darker skin tone, he thought. He’d tried lamb first, which was the lightest any meat would make him. It was a nice rich color, though being darker could be interesting as well.

  The man looked at the door to the kitchen, the idea of birds being food reminding him of hunger, most likely. It was subtle, with Brenner not seeing it at all. Liam nodded at the idea though. Mitchel had been gone all day. Brenner had as well. She simply didn't focus on food or eating all that often.

  “You need food?” Liam whispered the words, looking at both of them in turn.

  Which got two nods, without speaking.

  Abbie shrugged.

  “We can go in an hour then. The ghosts, the fresh ones, will be stronger at night anyway. Can we get into the building?”

  They had to translate for Tiffany, since she was blind to parts of what was around her. Still, she nodded and moved to the other room, to make something for the three of them. Cutely enough she offered to make something for Abbie, who didn’t need to eat.

  Which wasn’t the point, Liam understood, once he thought about it. Brenner wasn’t a fool. She was making an attempt to be polite, even if she couldn’t see or hear the girl who was once alive. That the dead girl couldn’t possibly have any use for food wasn’t what the question was about. Including her was.

  Liam even ate that night, having a small salad, with some almonds. Those were good, even if he didn't really need a lot of them in particular. The saltiness and crunch were nice. The leaves and tomatoes were flavorful as well. He didn't bother with dressing on his, though did use a fork, since he wasn’t a complete heathen.

  The idea made him smile, since he recalled, vividly, learning how to do that kind of thing, not five months before. Then, he’d been a child, who hadn’t known simply because there hadn’t been a chance to learn before that point. Now, apparently, he was a man. A male, anyway. It was on his driver’s license and birth certificate.

  It took about an hour to eat, clean up and head over to the FBI office. They all went, since three of them could see and interact with ghosts, and the other had the keys to the place, or more to the point, was allowed to be there, so that the agents in the space wouldn’t be left wondering why they were being invaded at nine in the evening. Especially with several of them talking to the air like it would seem they were doing.

  There were only three people in the place when they got there. Kim Simpson smiled at Liam when he walked in, and waved a bit. Then she looked at the others there, who were people that Liam hadn’t met yet at all. She stood up and walked out from behind her desk, her hand out.

  “Mr. Warner… Liam. What can we do for you this evening?” She wasn’t ignoring Brenner, exactly, but only gave her a slightly baffled nod.

  Mitchel shook with her, so Liam spoke.

  “We were told that there might be ghosts here, who will fade soon. Abbie… She’s one of those herself, came to get Mitchel to talk to them. Would that be all right? It may not tell us anything. Or it might.” He wasn’t married to the idea that they needed to do that kind of thing at all, since it wasn’t his task to find out who’d murdered the FBI agents in the office there.

  Really, it wasn’t Mitchel’s or Abbie’s job either. Not that he knew of.

  Then, he didn't really know what either of them did for a living. He’d never asked, which was a failure on his part. Not that he was going to be doing that at the moment.

  Agent Simpson went wide eyed then.

  “Right. Fuck… Yeah, I hadn’t even thought about that. I mean, ghosts, right? I can’t see them, so… You know.”

  Abbie nodded back, her face lively. For a dead girl.

  “No shit. If you could, you wouldn’t need Mitch here. Anyway, we should go and find the new kids. They probably won’t be here, once they pass their messages. This way?” The ghost moved then, as Liam repeated what she’d said, so that the others there could hear about it. They moved to the office off to the side. Where AIC Ridley had done her work. The door was closed, the glass front mottled enough to prevent him from seeing through it.

  Simpson sighed as she got the plan.

  “Yeah, that’s where they were killed. We think, anyway. Come on. I guess.” As she moved, the woman grimaced a bit. “Um… Rich called earlier. He wants a meeting with you.”

  She was silent, since they were at the door when Brenner nodded.

  “We can do that. I have some choice words for him. He’s on leave?”

  Kim shrugged then.

  “Yep. Carlisle did that yesterday. He doesn’t want to talk to you though, he asked for Liam. I told him to go fuck himself, but he insists that it’s important and not about him being an asshole. He wouldn’t explain himself though. I said that I’d pass it along. So I have.”

  The other two there looked upset by the words. Liam thought that it fit with parts of what Oaks had mentioned being possible. Simpson wasn’t acting rationally, but had seemed to be trusting Liam not to simply murder him, for some reason. Even if that didn’t make any sense at all, given their one meeting before that, were the man had seemed truly evil to him. Not that he hadn’t the second time, either.

  “Okay. Later though, if that’s all right? In the morning?”

  Everyone looked at him as if he might be insane, which was possible, given what he’d just spoken of. Meeting the man didn’t seem to have a real reason. Outside of an attack coming again, it was hard to see what his point might be at all.

  Kim, the man’s ex-wife, simply snorted through her nose.

  “I’ll give you his number then. He claims that he isn’t planning to attack you. I can’t promise that, though. I wouldn’t do it, if it were me. Maybe he wants to apologize, to try and keep his job?”

  That got the others to nod, as the door to the office was opened. Inside, instead of there being six ghosts with blood and bullet holes all over them, he saw that AIC Ridley was sitting, behind her old desk, with the other chairs in the room each having a see-throug
h person in them.

  The Asian lady behind the desk nodded at each of them, her eyes locking with Mitchel.

  “Mr. Warner? Thank you for coming. We tried to pass word to you, through the grapevine. I’m shocked and amazed that it actually worked. You brought Mr. Frankenstein with you? That… works for us. We have a man working into place, inside the group that attacked us. I won’t make you wait, we know who murdered us. We have a list of names.”

  Looking around, Liam noticed a large yellow legal pad and a blue pen sitting on the desk, taking it up, he got ready to write as the woman spoke.

  Nodding at him, her eyes going a little wide, she started.

  “George Abercrombie. Marcus Kinney. Ronald Offed. Ginger House.” Her voice, sounding echoing and deeper than it had in life, started to fade then. She wasn’t finished speaking however, even as she seemed to be moving away, once her message was passed. “They’re all on the team. The Special Action Unit…”

  Liam didn't let that surprise him, he simply wrote the words down. Mitchel cleared his throat.

  “We’re losing her. She started saying something. Names, I think. Did you get that, Liam?”

  He nodded, the others vanishing from the chairs around them, without anyone else having spoken at all. He thought he understood the basic idea, after a moment. Abbie moved toward where the boss had been, her see through hand out in that direction.

  “And… we lost them. Which makes sense. The information they needed to let you know was passed, so they were pulled instantly. Normally they’d get to stay for longer than that, to say goodbye. I guess none of them thought of you as being that close to them? It’s a shame, since I know that I have some questions. Not that I can’t look them up on the other side, eventually. That can take years though. There are a lot of dead people, you know?” She turned to him then, which got him to hold the pad out, for Agent Brenner to see first. Her face went hard then.

  “Crap. Is this real? We can’t just accuse our own people like that. Even if we were told by spooky bullshit all about it. This doesn’t count as proof.” She seemed to be denying the reality of it, rather than just letting them understand how the court system and the law would respond to the knowledge that accusations had come in from the dead.