All Worlds: Fantasy And Science Fiction Series Starters

by Vangjel Canga

  A white van pulled up, a man got out, and walked up beside her. He was dressed in a white uniform and said, "Excuse me."

  Kat moved out of his way.

  The man tipped a white cap. "Thanks." He pressed the button to an intercom positioned beside the gate and released it.

  "Welcome to Nexus Apartments," a man's voice said over the intercom. "I'm the manager. How may I help you?"

  The delivery man pressed the button again and spoke, "Delivery for Kimberly Griffin. Security Code 10 Alpha."

  After a few seconds, the manager replied, "Code verified. Proceed to the gate that faces Knot Street, and I'll let you in."

  The delivery man went back to his van, started up the engine, turned down Knot Street, and parked as Kat followed the sidewalk around the corner, walked by the vehicle's passenger seat, and noticed it was empty. The delivery man got out, strolled to the back of the van as he whistled, and then he started on a crate.

  She watched as the man struggled to load a rectangular box on a flat cart. "Where's your partner?"

  "What?" He paused, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

  She leaned on the back of the van. "Usually at least two men do this kind of job, so where's your partner?"

  The delivery man pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "He's out sick."

  "Would you like some help?" She motioned to the apartments. "I was on my way up."

  He looked her over. "I'm not supposed to cause of business policy, but..." He grinned. "You aren't some murdering psycho are you?"

  "No. Definitely not."

  "Well then..." He placed the wooden crate on the cart. "If you could push from behind, this thing weighs a ton."

  Kat went to the back of the cart and pushed on the crate. The apartment manager and a security guard met them at the gate.

  The old white haired manager looked over his H.H.C. "Kimberly Griffin isn't home right now, so I'll show you in." He examined the delivery man's employee badge and typed the ID number on the Hand Held Computer. "Follow me please."

  The delivery man pulled the cart as Kat pushed, and they moved to the glass front doors where another security guard buzzed them in. The manager led them to a service elevator, and they along with the guard went up to the thirty-first floor. Security cameras monitored the hallways.

  The manager stopped in front of Kim's apartment and commanded, "Apartment H, unlock. Manager code 12 Beta."

  "Voice recognized as Nexus' Manager," the Apartment Computer System stated. "Opening door."

  "Wow," the delivery man exclaimed. "Automated apartments. I bet you can tell the lights to come on."

  The manager said, "Our apartments are equipped with voice commands and manual utilities, giving our tenants the best in security and luxury."

  "I'll have to look into getting one of these places," the delivery man said.

  He pulled the cart down a small entryway as Kat pushed, and once they were in the living room, the delivery man started uncrating a cedar chest, so she went and looked around. The lady's huge apartment covered more than three thousand square feet. The entryway emptied into an open kitchen with four barstools at the counter, a large living room was off to the left, beyond it down a hall were two bedrooms and two baths, and off to the right of the entryway, a small round table sat next to a window.

  Kat thought it was odd that the table was so small, considering it was the only one in the apartment. She asked the delivery man, "Do you need anymore help?"

  "No, I got it from here. Thanks."

  She left, noted the apartment's letter H on the door, headed for the regular elevator, went up to the roof, and waited. Kat watched what little traffic traveled West 1000 Avenue as she gripped the icy metal railing that surrounded the top of the roof. Finally, she'd have some answers once she met with the lady who owned the two business cards.

  A cool breeze swept in, chilling the air and her thoughts, so Kat zipped up her athletic jacket, but it did little to stay off the cold. She had no idea what she would learn from the lady, so Kat clenched the jacket over her heart with her right fist as if in pain. She dreaded discovering the truth about herself, wondering if it would be worse than the unbearable ignorance she endured the past year. Whatever happened next, Kat knew it would change her life forever.

  Back in Apartment H...

  The delivery man finished his work and set the cedar chest against the wall in the living room out of the way. He placed the crate pieces back on his cart, had the manager sign for the package, and headed back to his van, and once inside the vehicle, he made a cell phone call.

  "I would like to speak with R.G." He waited for a moment. "Hello, Delivery Man here. Yes, my work is finished, and as per your instructions, I permitted Katharine to enter with me into the Nexus Apartments. She's still there." He paused for a moment, listening. "Yes, so far security doesn't know she is still on the premises. Do you want me to monitor the situation?" He started up the engine and drove the van, heading away. "Understood. Returning to base."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Confrontation

  7:22 A.M...

  On the roof...

  Katharine's view...

  I lean on the metal railing and continue staring at the road below, and at times of quiet stillness, I feel the barriercumulus, and its presence is like an evil eidolon. If this is true, who does this phantom look-alike belong to?

  The Dry Clouds softly roll and unsettle me, and it has done so ever since I first laid eyes on it, but there's also something else about the Dry Clouds; it's a hint of familiarity. I can't explain it, but today the foreboding's stronger than the familiarity. Is it because they're unnatural? Does everyone feel this way around it or is it just me? I watch them go by and look for shapes within the clouds and see an old sailing ship being chased by a sea serpent. The Dry Clouds have been around for thirty-two years and have been given the name the Great Specter of Noir. People also say that it's a mystery. I chuckle. In a way, we're the same.

  An hour goes by, and I notice the Corvette pull into the parking garage. I jump up and down like a little girl who has just got the pony she wished for. I want to run back down and meet her and ask her all my questions, but I contain my excitement and wait a few more minutes, giving the lady enough time to arrive at her apartment. I don't want to come at her like some crazy person, so I'll have to keep my cool.

  A few minutes later...

  Kimberly's view...

  I hear a ding and the whoosh of the elevator opening and then someone approaches me as I put my mail in my dark green purse that matches my pant suit. I stand outside of my apartment and realize how odd it is that I've never seen any of the other tenants the whole time I've lived here. I need to at least get a glimpse of one of my neighbors, so I turn. My Closer training kicks in a second before I have a chance to panic as I spot that woman I've been hunting. For two days, I scoured Noir and turned the city on its head, but I couldn't find anything on this mysterious woman, not even her name. I drop some of my mail as I open my purse to grab my PPK, but then I remember the floor's security cameras. I can't kill her out here, not unless she threatens me, so I wait on that woman's next move.

  Katharine's view...

  Elated and full of expectations, I stop about two yards from the lady. Finally after a year of knowing nothing, I'll have some answers. I can't stand my excitement anymore, so I question her as if I already know the answer, and I'm ready to give my old friend a big hug, "Are you Kimberly Griffin?"

  The lady looks confused and very on edge like I'll pull my gun on her at any moment, but it's tucked away in my backpack. She must see me as threatening, so I smile real big to show her I'm a safe person as I repeat, "Is your name Kimberly Griffin?"

  Kimberly's view...

  "Yes," I reply as I step back and size up that woman who's smirking at me like some lunatic ready to murder me. I put out a lot of feelers while I was looking for her, maybe she already know
s I've been hunting her and has come to strike before I can. I realize something else. She knows my name, so I have to eliminate her now. I reexamine her cheerful face, and she looks happy to see me like we're best friends and we haven't seen each other in years. I can't figure out why she's putting on this act and not attacking me, unless she's also waiting to strike when there are no witnesses.

  She says to me, "I had a contact in the Noir Civil Police Force look up your address from your license plate. It cost me two months worth of water rations." She starts to ask me something and looks over her shoulder at the cameras. She removes two business cards, shows me the blood speckled one, and then questions me, "Is this you?"

  I grip the gun in my purse so sure that woman reaches for a weapon, but I'm surprised to see the business cards. I can't figure out what kind of game she's playing, and a million things go through my mind. That woman tracked me down and came all the way to my apartment. Is she hoping to blackmail me? Only an idiot would think they could blackmail a Closer.

  I scan the hall to see if anyone else is on the floor and ask, "What do you mean, is that me?"

  Katharine's view...

  "I've been looking for..." I start to answer and then decide I shouldn't say the Phoenix out loud. Someone could be listening, and the lady might not want anyone else to know, so I continue, "I've been looking for this... Umm..." I flip the card over, look at the picture, and turn it back to her. "This firebird. Is this you? If so, I'd like to talk."

  Kimberly's view...

  I can't let her leave, and I can't kill her out here. I glance at the hall's cameras. If I can only get that woman into my apartment, then I can... I wickedly grin as I visualize myself shooting that woman and then I see myself standing over her lifeless body. All I'll have to do is call Voice for a Guild Prep/Cleanup Crew, and I'll have this annoyance taken care of.

  That woman reaches down, picks up my dropped mail, and hands it to me as she asks, "This isn't a bad time, is it?"

  "No, of course not," I answer.

  It's almost too easy, but still I have to be on my guard; it could be a trick.

  "Come on in," I say as I take the mail from her still wary of that woman and command, "Door, unlock." The door slides sideways; I motion for the woman to go in first and then I follow. "Door, lock," I command, and the door closes, entombing us.

  The Apartment Computer System turns on the lights as we enter each room as it tells me, "Welcome back Ms. Griffin and welcome guest. The apartment..."

  "Mute," I command.

  That woman walks down the entry, stops, and studies the kitchen. She walks over to the faucet, glances back at me, and says, "I see no scanner for a Water Ration Card. Your water isn't portioned?"

  I look to the sink then think of the shower and bathtub and realize I never thought about it. Most of the city's given an allotment for the month and here I enjoy unlimited. I'm wary of that woman's suspicious questions. Is she trying to distract me or is she really this naive?

  I answer, "No, my water isn't portioned."

  "Oh, you must be rich then."

  She sets her backpack on the black leather couch, walks over to the small round table, and sits as if she's here for a visit. I start to pull out my gun, notice the cedar chest in the living room, and turn my attention back to that woman.

  She sees the teacup I left earlier that morning and states, "Tea. I love tea." She turns wide eyed like a kid asking for a piece of candy. "Could I have some, please? I haven't had tea in a long time."

  "Tea?"

  I glance at the kettle on the stove then at my purse. She has to be joking; she has to be here to kill me. I'm not sure what to do, but then I think of Topa's Closing. Maybe I can find out what was going on there, so I'll play along for now, and I answer her, "Sure, why not. Let's have some tea. Is black okay?"

  I don't wait for an answer as I carefully position my purse on the counter, so I'll have quick access to my gun.

  "Yes, black tea is fine."

  Keeping a close tab on that woman, I fill the kettle, place the stainless steel pot on the burner, and turn it on high. "So..." I place two sets of cups and saucers on the counter. "Who are you and why have you come to see me?"

  Katharine's view...

  Heavyhearted over Preacher's death and still weary from the endless running, I laugh a melancholy chuckle as I stare at the table. "That's a good question."

  I reach into my pant's pocket for my dearest possessions; they've been with me since the beginning, and maybe now one of them will lead me to the answers I desperately seek and a place I yearn to belong.

  Kimberly's view...

  When that woman reaches into her pockets, I go for my purse and start to grab my gun until I see the items that woman removes. She places a small silver box, two business cards, and a worn paper on the table, and then she opens the paper. She answers as she seems to be studying the writing, "Katharine, I think. If this note is meant for me."

  I could shoot her now that that woman's distracted and end this game. The kettle shrieks, stealing away the moment, so I turn the burner off, remove the pot, and pour hot water into the cups. The aroma of orange fills the air as I say, "Note? I don't understand."

  "Huh?" She turns to me. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't. You see, I don't know who I am." She looks back to the items. "The only clues to my identity are these three things." She seems unsure herself as she adds, "At least, I think they are."

  What an unlikely story. I carry the two saucers to the table with my purse strapped over my shoulder as I try to figure out her ploy. I set a teacup in front of her and one at my spot. Either that woman is very clever or very stupid.

  "See..." she says as she gives the paper to me.

  I read the note, "Katharine, you must not fail; this is your last chance to redeem yourself. I know you can complete your mission, my dearest Kat. I am counting on you. Signed, R.G." I peer up from the note. "Who is R.G.?"

  She shrugs.

  "I don't understand. What does this have to do with me?" I ask as I hand back the note.

  She folds the paper, picks up the business cards, and then explains to me, "For the past year, I've been trying to figure out how these clues fit in my life, and now I've found a person who belongs to one of these items." She slides the red speckled card across the table. "I found this at Topa's." She places the second one beside the other. "This one I've had."

  I look over the blood covered business card I left beside Topa, pick up the second business card, and ask, "Where did you get this one?" I examine it more closely. "This is an earlier design from years ago."

  Katharine's view...

  "I'll start from the beginning."

  I dip the tea bag in my hot water several times, drain the bag with a spoon, and place it on the saucer. I breathe in its citrus scent and stare at the brownish liquid. Sitting here seems so familiar to me like I've been here before.

  "About a year ago, I awoke in the abandoned Etna Toys Plant and Warehouse with no memory. Beside me on a table was this note–" I begin as I tap the paper and point to the other two items, "–that business card, and this music box." I look to the backpack on the couch where I stowed the Beretta. With aversion to having to carry the gun, I add, "And one other item."

  "What you're saying is, you don't know who you are, and you think because you have one of my business cards, you're supposed to find me? Okay... You have. Now what?"

  After picking up the honey bear, I draw a smiley face on the spoon and whisper, "Fly... fly away, sad, sad day."

  Kimberly's view...

  I wonder what that woman's doing playing with the honey. She has to be out of her mind coming into my home like we're friends.

  "Now what?" that woman repeats my question as she shrugs. "I don't know. I was hoping you knew me." She seems to be examining my face again as she inquires, "Are you sure we haven't met? You look very familiar, but I can't place you. It's kind of like
when you wake from a dream. You know something happened, but all the details are fuzzy."

  "No, we haven't met," I answer, irritated, and then I remember our first meeting at Topa's estate and decide I might as well get some information from her before I eliminate that woman, so I state, "I am curious. What were those things you killed at the estate? Were they some kind of robot and why were they there?"

  Her gaze becomes distant, exhausted, and dismal as she replies, "They're bio-mechas, model Un-Men." She flushes as if she is a little embarrassed. "They were there to hunt me."

  "Hunt you?" I chuckle, thinking she made it up. "Why are you so important?"

  "I don't know. They call me the Pandora Project."

  "They? Who are they?"

  "The Council. A man named Argus said they were monitoring me and watching me through the tests." She mutters as her eyes show fatigue, "And there have been so many tests."

  "Pandora?" I inquire and then I remember a story I heard long ago. "I've heard of her; she was a woman who opened a sealed box from Zeus and let all good escape from existence, so are you supposed to be the woman who doomed the world?"

  Katharine's view...

  "Let all good escape?" I utter. I never considered the significance of the project name.

  Kimberly answers nonchalantly, "Yes, Pandora caused Mankind to suffer."

  I stare out the window at the dark day for a few moments, wondering if my destiny is to make people suffer. I don't want anyone to get hurt, so many people have already been hurt because they knew me. I feel conflicted inside about my purpose.