Eye of the Syndicate

by Drew Avera

  Eye of the Syndicate

  Syndicate Series: Book 2

  Drew Avera

  Copyright © 2019 by Drew Avera

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Akran Tyrel

  2. Halem

  3. Pollux

  4. Micah Troth

  5. Akran Tyrel

  6. Halem

  7. Pollux

  8. Micah

  9. Akran

  10. Halem

  11. Pollux

  12. Micah

  13. Akran

  14. Halem

  15. Micah

  16. Pollux

  17. Akran

  18. Micah

  19. Halem

  20. Pollux

  21. Akran

  22. Micah

  23. Halem

  24. Pollux

  25. Akran

  26. Micah

  27. Halem

  28. Pollux

  29. Akran

  30. Halem

  31. Pollux

  32. Akran

  33. Micah

  Epilogue

  About Drew Avera

  Prologue

  Twelve years after Halem Scrimpshire became Pontiff, the colonies outside of Archea have grown at a rapid rate. Clenist’s beauty rivals Archea as its modern architecture looms mightily under the dome, but the speedy construction has proven to be the Achilles heel of developing more colonies on Mars. An overload of the power grid in Outer Downtown following a reduction in workforce has stalled efforts to expand, despite the great push to keep pushing forward.

  With the infrastructure for the Artificial Atmosphere under development, it is projected to be capable of replacing the domes in less than seventy-years. But at what cost if so many problems have arisen due to cutting corners and a lack of experienced laborers?

  The future was supposed to look bright for Mars, but whispers behind closed doors of the World Council tell a different story.

  With the Agency under Pontiff Scrimpshire’s control, the World Council has done everything in its power to clean up the mess made by its predecessors; namely Councilman Tetrim Rine. This endeavor has not gone unnoticed, but such efforts have put a tighter rein on those once in power, and they feel they are losing control that they once held over Archea.

  To make matters worse, the World Council is spread thin. With the broadened expansion efforts into other colonies, their authority is slipping away.

  It is in this moment of weakness, that the claws will come out, and threaten to destroy everything the World Council has worked towards.

  One

  Akran Tyrel

  As I stepped out of the empty sub-rail, and made my way for the escalator leading topside, my ears popped after exiting the sealed railcar. It was much later than I would have liked. The sun had already set and all of the maintenance in this area cast much of the southern part of the city in shadow. Only the emergency streetlights glowed as a majority of the commercial buildings went dark after hours to give the power grid a rest. The power routed from other areas prevented a sure disaster, but all it did was put a bandage over an amputation. If the power grid was not restored, then the same malfunction would inevitably happen in other areas.

  The threat loomed while those of us in authority did nothing; our hands tied in financial woes.

  I wanted nothing more than to get through this rough patch and return to life as normal, which included getting off the sub-rail closer to my apartment. Not having quarters at the World Council Building downtown made me miss my office in Archea that much more.

  To add insult to injury, getting used to the new sub-rail schedule was difficult as it added an extra forty-five minutes to my commute home from work. Thankfully, the inconvenience was slated to be temporary. At least that was the word I received at the last briefing.

  Maintenance was due to be completed in ten days, just before Pontiff Scrimpshire came to give a speech to the new citizens of Clenist on behalf of the World Council. I looked forward to seeing him again, even if things changed between us before I was ordered to come here. A part of me wondered if it was a retaliatory decision of his own doing, but I kept those thoughts to myself.

  There was no need to bring up our past mistakes. It would only get in the way of the future we both envisioned for Mars.

  I held my hand along the rail as the escalator climbed. Along the walls I watched holographic ads for consumer products spring to life, each one matching my recent search history as they synched to my comm. It was a blatant violation of privacy that never seemed to go away. I did my best to ignore them all, especially the one for the dining set which matched the one my mother owned.

  For years I kept toying with the idea of buying items that reminded me of the family I gave up when recruited into the World Council. With a living room overcrowded with knickknacks, I finally felt I had taken it overboard, and my obsession with my past impeded my future. Still, I didn’t want to let go of it all and get rid of them. I imagined one might think I was a hoarder, but that wasn’t how I would describe it.

  “Sentimental” seemed a more appropriate word, and a lot less derogatory.

  I waved my hand across the holographic images jutting out from the projectors mounted to the ceiling, erasing them from my feed. Fortunately, the small act was enough to switch them off, though society would be much better if we could walk in public and not be bombarded with ads. Too bad no one could convince the marketing firms of this. It was also strange those ads didn’t seem to be affected by the power grid failure, at least not the ones attached to the sub-rail system mainframe. It was most likely a separate circuit, but that was just an assumption as I exhaled in discontent as a new set of ads began populating just before the escalator came to an end.

  I quickly stepped out onto the sidewalk topside only to be bombarded with something else which was becoming overly burdensome in my opinion.

  “Do you have any spare change?” A man said at the top of the escalator, nearly blocking my path. Every night there was someone else posted at the exit, this man I had seen at least six times over the course of the last two weeks. I gave in and provided spare change at first, but it seemed I created a dependency in him that had grown out of control. Our government had systems in place to help people like this. It was simple to sign up, but to me, it seemed most of the downtrodden believed begging for change was easier than going through the process to attain Basic Assistance.

  If I was honest, I had a feeling my pride would not let me go to such lengths if it was me. But what choice would I have if I lost my job due to cutbacks? Most of the time, someone could not help their circumstances and it was wrong for me to assume any different if I was in that position. That was why I caved; a decision I second guessed ever since.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t,” I replied as I tried to side-step him.

  “Come on, lady. Just a little change to help me out. I lost my job a few months ago. I just need help getting back on my feet.” He stayed in my path, closing in on me. The closer he was, the more I tensed. I didn’t want to assume he would hurt me, but I saw the desperation in his eyes, and the animalistic instinct to do whatever necessary to survive. I had seen that expression more than once in my life, and each time it resulted in something horrible.

  “Might I suggest you apply for Basic Assistance?” I replied, shoving my hands into my pockets and clenching my fists in anticipation. Nighttime in Clenist had become increasingly desperate over the last year
, but the end of the labor contracts sent us into a dive I don’t think any of the economist saw coming. Now that I had to pass through this area to get home, I noticed how bad it really was. It was finally to the point our law enforcement needed to grow to meet the demand.

  Of course, funding was always the concern. Never mind the fact Outer Downtown was covered in patchwork graffiti in the form of anti-government propaganda. The people knew who they held responsible and it terrified me greatly.

  “I keep getting denied,” he said, getting close enough to force me to a stop. His claim held no water in my opinion. I knew how the system was designed to work and no one should be denied if they were laid off by the government. As far as I was concerned, he did file a claim and wanted to leach off of others as his own form of protest. I heard about it all of the time since becoming a member of the World Council. I hated to think I had become cynical, but I didn’t know what else to call the gnawing suspicion I felt.

  “Excuse me,” I said, shoving past him, and thanking whatever power watched over us that he didn’t grab hold of me. Though, I wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  “Be like that, councilwoman. Yeah, I know who you are, and I know how you voted. You’re the reason I lost my job. You owe me,” he barked a string of expletives as I walked faster. I listened for approaching steps and I was thankful he didn’t follow. Once I turned the corner ahead, I stole a glance back and saw him sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the partition of the escalator as he held his head in his hands.

  I felt bad for him, but mostly I was scared. The vote to only employ unionized workers was meant to restore some job opportunities after the construction of Clenist was completed. All it did was force non-union workers out of their jobs prematurely and place a hold on any job openings for those still capable of working for the government contractors. It was bureaucracy no one expected, save for the people responsible for writing the bill.

  It was a farce which many believed was someone padding their pockets and using government funding to do it. I was not inclined to disagree, though I had no idea how to prove it, or fight it. It was something I hoped to discuss when the Pontiff arrived in a couple of weeks.

  I pulled my comm out of my pocket and dialed Pontiff Scrimpshire. Of course, it went directly to his messages.

  I scoffed. Really? I kept up the pace, walking as I waited for the line to finish connecting me to his inbox.

  “Halem,” I said after the prompt. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but the praise this city receives for rivaling Archea wanes drastically once the sun goes down. You’re scheduled for a visit in a couple of weeks, if I remember correctly. I would like to clean things up for any of the photo-ops you have scheduled, and to keep us attracting new residences if we’re going to boost the economy. Unfortunately, there’s not enough law enforcement here to keep the bedlam at bay. This will greatly hinder future projects if we don’t nip this in the bud soon. I thought you might take an interest considering your past with law enforcement. Perhaps more funding is in order? I’ll speak to you soon.”

  I closed the comm and smiled. I knew exactly how to lead Halem Scrimpshire to the same conclusion I had. Clenist needed more funding to hire additional law enforcement personnel. Harkening back to his life as a cop might have gone further than necessary, but as the Pontiff, he had his finger on the pulse of the World Council. He knew who to speak to in order to shift things in the right direction. I may have stroked his ego, but in the end, I had a responsibility to set things right for this city.

  If I could get the rest of my colleagues here on the same page, we might actually be able to rival Archea with more than just our modern infrastructure. We could render that archaic city obsolete and Clenist could become the capital of Mars.

  That was my dream since coming here.

  “You made a wrong turn, lady,” a voice said behind me.

  As I turned, two men came into view, emerging from the shadows like predators. They startled me to the point that I was too afraid to speak.

  “How about you give us your valuables and we’ll see if we can’t forgive your trespassing on our property?”

  The man next to him grinned but didn’t say anything. Both of them loomed at least a head taller than me, dressed in dark colors. The man doing the talking had shoulder-length blond hair and piercing blue eyes which caught the streetlight as he stepped from the darkness. I had the sneaking suspicion I had seen him before, but I was too rattled to remember where.

  “I have nothing of value,” I lied.

  He smiled and glanced back at his friend. “Do you get the feeling she doesn’t want to pay the toll?”

  “Sure do,” the shorter man said. He moved like he was about to cross his arms over his chest, but instead he pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket. “But everyone knows Councilwoman Tyrel is the wealthiest woman in Clenist. It would be a shame to see that wealth go to waste because she was found expired in a dark alley.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” the first man replied as he turned back to me. “What about you, Councilwoman? Don’t you think that would be a shame?”

  “I don’t know what you think you’ll accomplish threatening me,” I said through my teeth, spewing vitriol despite my better judgment. I had no idea where the courage, or stupidity, to speak back came from, but it set them back a step. “The Syndicate will find you and make you pay if you harm me in any way.”

  The taller blond man canted his head and whispered something too soft for me to hear. The other man nodded, handing him the gun.

  Regret drenched in fear washed over me as he returned his attention to me. “Guess we’ll have to pay them using your money,” he said. With the next breath, he slammed the grip of the pistol across my face.

  My vision blurred as I fell towards the hard sidewalk. I was rattled, and my ears filled with a dull ring as I stumbled. Before my head hit the ground, a boot came into view a split second before striking me.

  And that was the last thing that I saw.

  Two

  Halem

  My heart thrummed as I bit back rage. I hadn’t expected to wake to news of one of our own being attacked in Clenist, much less the event taking place weeks before my arrival. The fact the attack happened to someone I once held dear, made it more difficult for me to quell the fires of hatred burning inside of me. Something had to be done and trusting the resident law enforcement to handle the situation appeared to overtax their infrastructure. It came as no surprise that now it was on me to do something about it.

  What that something was, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t exactly in my realm of power to provide the funds for increased security without passing the proper legislation. Nor could I declare a state of emergency without all hell breaking loose. I exhaled the stale air I had kept in as I paced in frustration.

  “Pollux, I need you in here,” I said as I pressed a button on the intercom on my desk. Less than thirty-seconds later he stepped through the door, barely loud enough to draw my attention. “Have you heard the news?” I asked, my question more of a statement than an inquiry.

  He shook his head as he took a seat and crossed one leg over the other. His deep-set eyes bore into me as I continued to pace. How he could follow my every movement with turning his head used to creep me out. Now, it was just part of who he was, and I had grown used to it. “Is everything all right?”

  “You tell me,” I said, hitting the playback button on my comm. Akran’s shaky voice was undeniable.

  “Halem. I want you to know that I’m all right, but I was attacked by two thugs on my way home. I no more than sent you my message regarding how we needed more security to clean up areas of Clenist, before the ramifications of our weakened infrastructure fell against me. Two men assaulted me and stole some personal belongings. I have two fractured ribs and several bumps and bruises, but otherwise in good shape considering I’m still breathing. I don’t know what happened for our city to suddenly become so grim, but I und
erstand if you want to postpone your trip.

  “I miss you, Halem— Bye.”

  The message was over, and I turned my attention back to Pollux. “Do you think this is all right?” I asked, jostling the comm in my hand as if pointing with it. “One of our councilmembers was assaulted on a public street and had to seek assistance after crawling to a precinct. We’re lucky she wasn’t killed.”

  I was lucky, I thought regretfully. I hadn’t expressed the guilt I felt in Akran’s predicament because I didn’t want to own it. But there was no question that I was the reason she was there in the first place.

  “What would you have me do?” Pollux asked. His arms were folded across his chest as he leaned casually in the chair. I knew better than to assume he didn’t care about the situation, though anyone on the outside looking in might have read his body language differently.

  “I expect the Agency to take a stand against these hoodlums running amuck. Your job is to protect members of the World Council.”

  “You oversimplify our job, Halem. Besides, we don’t have the numbers to run a personal security detail for each member. Perhaps it would be wise to reinstate the Guard?” Pollux suggested. It wasn’t the worst idea, but funding would be a nightmare. Not to mention the negative press the World Council would receive by such an act. The goal was to give the illusion of smaller government. It would be hard to do that with uniforms patrolling the streets.