She continued reading, "Argus, poor devil, informed us in the past you have no memory of who you are. That is most unfortunate, so I will tell you one thing. The Council did not begin your training or condition you. It was another department in the Sphinx Corporation. I wish I could tell you everything, but..."
The line broke off. A new line started.
"Remember, if you wish to destroy the Rogue, you must reach the Delta Phase. It is called the Knowing. To achieve the Knowing, you must first reach the Gamma Phase. I wish you long life."
The letter was signed by Mr. Morta.
Kim glanced over the letter once more. "So the corporation my father works for is behind the Pandora Project. So there could be a connection between my mom and Katharine." She placed the letter back in the envelope and put it in Kat's backpack. "But what is this Gamma or even the Delta Phase? Mr. Morta called it the Knowing. Know what?" She shrugged, searched the room once more, and headed back up.
Sometime later...
The elevator doors opened to an Un-Man, and she quickly raised the PPK.
The Rogue lifted its hands. "Do not shoot."
"You again." Kim kept her aim on it. "What do you want now?"
"I was snooping around this place myself when I saw you enter. I hid, then thought to myself, you might be able to help me." The Rogue kept its hands up. "I know you came back and saved Pandora." It paused and continued, "That act alone confused me, and I have been trying to process it since, but have not been able to."
Irritated, she snapped, "Like I said, what do you want?"
"I am rambling. I will get to the point then. I have a proposition." The Rogue paused and then asked, "Can I lower my hands?"
Kim wondered, "A proposition? What could it want? I should at least hear it out." She nodded and waved the Rogue back with the gun as she stepped from the elevator.
Kim questioned, "A proposition?"
"Yes, I overheard you talking with the doctor at the hospital. You told him you were looking for who killed Theresa Griffin."
Her voice changed and sounded hopeful. "Do you know who murdered my mom?"
"No, I do not have that information, but I did find something at the Factory. I discovered a disk I believe belonged to your mother."
She asked, "And you want what in exchange?"
"Silly woman, I want Pandora of course. Bring her to the Factory so I may kill her. Here." The Rogue handed her a piece of paper and a small blueprint labeled BL5. "This is the location of the Factory along with the layout for Basement Level Five of Research Building 10." It handed her a white keycard. "This will get you in through the parking garage."
She took it.
"Bring Pandora tomorrow night after nine to the first room circled on the blueprint in the Green Division. I will have the disk waiting for you in the Computer Lab circled in the Yellow Division. Here." The Rogue handed her one green and one yellow keycard. "Those will get you in the rooms. And one word of warning. The T-3s have gone rogue and have taken over the Factory. You will have to elude them." The Rogue handed her a small piece of paper. "Once you have the disk that word will unlock it."
She glanced at the password and snarled at the Rogue. "How do you know I’ll turn her over?"
"Because I know your kind. You do not care about anyone, even dear old dad. The only person you ever loved was murdered, and you want to find her killer. You want to take your revenge." The Rogue started out. "You must be looking for a way to get rid of the headache you reluctantly took in. There is no easier way than to hand Pandora over to me. Plus, you get something out of the deal."
"Fine. Tomorrow then," she said.
Kim then thought, "Sorry mom, but this Un-Man is right. Katharine has been nothing but a nuisance. It was so long ago you wanted me to save her. So much has changed." She glanced at the PPK and stared at her hand tinged with unseen blood. "I have changed."
Chapter Thirty-five
The Locked Door
2:47 P.M...
Hellenistic Sector, Residential Vicinage...
Nexus Apartments...
The digital clock in the kitchen read 2:47 P.M. Kat slightly stirred on the couch as Unfinished Melody played, keeping her in the grips of the Drifting Time. The digital clock was the only light in the dark apartment.
"Door unlocked," A.C.S. stated.
The spare bedroom unlocked, and the light within flicked on, lighting up the crack under the closed door.
Kat opened her eyes at hearing the sounds and sat up a little disoriented. "What was that?" She closed the Music Box and placed it in her pocket. "Umm... Could I have some lights?"
"Guest request acknowledged." A.C.S. turned the ones in the living room on. "Setting lights to ninety-five percent."
She scanned the apartment. "I thought I heard someone talk. Umm... Apartment Computer System did you say something earlier?"
"Yes. I stated that the spare bedroom has been unlocked. The room is ready for use."
"Oh." Kat stood, rubbed her eyes, walked to the first room in the hall, and opened the door. "Kimberly, are you back?"
No one was in the room.
She entered and looked around. The walls were full of photos of Kim as a child and her mother. A few of them had Mr. Griffin in them. Kat walked by a bed, that hadn’t been used in years, and went and stood in front of a wall. She looked to the little blonde girl in the pictures. "Kimberly was so happy." There were pictures of Kim eating ice cream, of petting kittens, and playing on a sunny beach. She looked at photo after photo. "What happened to that happy child?"
Kat rubbed her shoulder as it itched a bit. "I don’t think I should be in here. Kimberly would be mad." She left the room. "But why did A.C.S. unlock it? Is it a malfunction? Why was it locked to begin with?" At the door, she glanced back in the room. "It’s like Kimberly hid all her happy memories. Why? Why would she hide them?"
Groggy, she yawned, returned to the couch, and plopped down on the cold leather. "I can’t believe how tired I am." She removed the Music Box and stared at it. "What would I do without you?" She held it close to her chest. "Ahh... To sleep. Sleep without fear the Un-Men will find me." Kat grabbed her blanket and pulled it over her. "To be warm and safe. What more could a girl ask for?" She drifted asleep.
Outside of Nexus Apartments...
A white van, parked at the curb in front of the gate facing Knot Street, sputtered smoke from its muffler. The engine idled as Zax sat in the driver’s seat.
He typed a few things on his H.H.C. "That should do it." He placed it on the passenger seat. "I don’t understand. Why do it in the first place? I guess mine isn’t to know, but to do." He removed a cell from his shirt pocket and dialed a number. "Delivery Man here, please connect me to R.G."
A few seconds passed.
Zax said, "Hello. Yes, as per your instructions, I waited till Ms. Griffin left the apartment, and I triggered the A.C.S. to unlock the spare bedroom. The rest is up to Katharine. Yes. Yes. I'm monitoring the situation now."
A red car drove by.
"Kimberly is returning." He buckled his seat belt. "I'll contact you with any new development. Delivery Man out." He hung up. "Now to move to a better position." He drove a little ways down Knot Street and turned onto West 1000 Avenue. "So? How will Kimberly react?" He shrugged. "To be honest, I don’t know."
Sometime later...
The door to Apartment H slid open, and Kim entered a little fatigued. She didn’t know why she felt so weary unless it was the decision to betray Kat that weighed on her.
"Why should that bother me?" Kim wondered and decided, "I’m tired from the mess she has put me through, that’s all."
"Welcome back Ms..."
"Night and Quiet Mode, A.C.S."
It shut down its verbal interaction and reverted to its evening setting.
Kim walked down the entry to the kitchen, and the lights came on at fifty percent. She set Kat's backpack on a barstool, placed the Beretta on the counter, and turned to the living room. She moved to
the back of the couch, and found her asleep, clinging to the Music Box like it was a teddy bear.
Kim stared at the enigma as she slept soundly. "I could so easily kill her," Kim thought. "I could walk around this couch and snap her neck. Nobody would know. No one would care that Katharine’s gone. Except maybe the Council. They only care because she’s some precious experiment of theirs." She put a hand to her hip in a tisk-tisk fashion. "She should have heard me when I entered and woke up. So where’s her instinct to survive?"
Her face softened. "Was the Rogue right? Does Katharine trust me? Is that why she's so peacefully asleep? Does Katharine believe nothing will happen to her here?” Her anger returned. “Stupid. It’s her fault if she does. I never told her to trust me. I'm a Closer after all."
Kim returned to the kitchen and placed her car keys on the counter. "There’s so many unanswered questions. Who gave her my business card? Who wanted her to find me and why? And what is Katharine the Key to?" She leaned on the counter. "Do I go through with the Rogue’s deal before I know the answers? Is finding my mom's killer more important?"
She heard Kat mumble and moved back to the couch. Kat slept, but her lips moved, reciting a phrase in a murmur. Kim placed a hand on the back of the couch and leaned over to listen.
Kat whispered, "Always know there will be, a love that will not die."
"What did she say?" Kim wondered and walked around the sofa as Kat rolled over, faced the couch, and said nothing more.
Kim shrugged and started for the hallway. "Whatever she's the Key to doesn’t matter. It’s more important I find out who murdered my mom and take my revenge." She paused at the hallway entrance and glanced back at the living room. "Katharine’s been nothing but a headache since our meeting. I'll be glad to be rid of her." Kim walked past the spare bedroom. "So with that said, how do I convince her to come to the Factory? From what she has told me, if I were her, I would never want to return there." Exhausted, she reached for the doorknob of the master bedroom. "All of that can wait till morning." Her eyes drooped. "I need to get some sleep."
Kim paused as her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened as her weary mind recalled something out of place, and she quickly turned, looking to the spare bedroom. A glow showed through the crack under the door. "How did the light get on?"
She walked back and turned the knob, expecting it to be locked. The door opened. Furious, she searched the room. Nothing had been moved. Everything was as she left it years ago.
Enraged, Kim turned to the living room. She fisted a hand, controlling her anger and said gently, "A.C.S."
"Yes, Ms. Griffin."
"How did she unlock this door?"
"She?"
"Yes, Katharine."
"Your guest did not unlock the door. A command was given over the Nexus Apartment’s main system."
Her rage turned to puzzlement. "By who?"
"Identity unknown."
She took several deep breaths as her anger boiled again. "Tell me this, did she go in the room?"
"Yes, your guest entered after I announced the door had been unlocked."
Kim fisted her other hand and thought, "I can’t yell at her. I want her to go with me to the Factory tomorrow, so I don’t need her mad at me. A.C.S. lock this bedroom door."
"Yes, Ms. Griffin."
She headed into her bedroom, shut the door, and slipped into her pajamas. Kim lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. "Katharine better not have touched anything or the Rogue will be the least of her worries."
Back in the living room...
Kat’s face wrinkled as her dream changed to a nightmare. "Preacher! No! Don’t die. You can’t leave me alone. Don't leave us alone." Her eyes rapidly moved under her closed lids. "What do I tell him? What do I tell Chad? NO!" Kat sat up. Sweat beaded her forehead as she looked around. Her face saddened as grief struck her. "What do I tell the boy? First, I left him and now Preacher." She covered herself with the blanket. "What do I tell him?"
Back in the master bedroom...
Kim continued to stare at the ceiling as she muttered, "Katharine's life means nothing to me, so why am I hesitant to hand her over to the Rogue for the disk?" She rolled on her side. "Is it because Katharine is the Key?" She grumbled, "Hades! Nothing’s been easy since I met her. It'll be good to get rid of her. It'll be good to return to my mundane life." Kim chuckled. "Listen to me. I never thought I’d hear myself say I miss the solitude."
She rolled on her back and wondered, "Do I really miss the loneliness?"
Chapter Thirty-six
What’s On TV
October 20...
Wednesday...
7:58 A.M...
The TV came to life as Kim turned it on with the remote.
Anchorman Jim Charles with NBS gave a report. "As we wrap up this hour, news has come in that Dr. Robert Seeker’s trip to Antarctica has been delayed."
Famished, Kat sat at the kitchen bar, watching Kim cook oatmeal and fry eggs and bacon. Kat had slept for more than twelve hours and felt like a new woman. Her stomach growled as Kim poured her a glass of orange juice.
The anchorman continued, "Dr. Seeker was scheduled to leave yesterday, but–"
Kat hummed Unfinished Melody as she whirled on the bar stool.
Kim commented, "You’re in a better mood this morning."
"I am," Kat said.
"–the helicopter had mechanical problems," Jim Charles continued. "Dr. Seeker should be on his way to Vulcan Station within the next twenty-four hours." The anchorman turned to another camera. "This just in. There are reports of several explosions in the Hellenistic Sector."
Unconcerned with the news, Kim placed a plate full of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of Kat along with a bowl of oatmeal. "There’s milk and honey for the oatmeal."
Kat stared at the TV as the flames from the explosions reflected in her eyes. Her stomach growled again, and she turned facing the counter. She dove into the eggs, shoveling them in her mouth and devoured strips of bacon between spoonfuls.
Appalled, Kim uttered, "I guess you were never taught manners."
Kat peered up from her plate, wide eyed, picked up a napkin, and wiped her mouth. She continued eating at a slower pace.
The anchorman finished, "At this point, the cause of the explosions is unknown. We will update you as new reports come in. This is Jim Charles with NBS, signing off."
Kim took several bites of her breakfast.
"Umm... Last night..." hesitant, Kat started. "A.C.S. woke me, and your spare bedroom light was on, so I went in."
Kim stopped eating, put her fork down, and stared at the plate, thinking, "Katharine better not have touched anything. Not one item." She picked up the remote and turned off the news.
She noticed the change in Kim's demeanor. "I ah... thought you were home and went in. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. It’s a special place. One you made for your mom. I shouldn’t have..."
"Did you?" Kim interrupted as she turned and glared at her. "Did you touch anything?"
"Umm..." Kat swallowed hard, feeling the intensity of her stare. "No. I only touched the door knob."
Kim picked up her fork and examined it as if she would stab it through Kat's heart. Kim thought, "Remember the Factory and the disk." She set the fork down. "The Rogue won't make the deal if Katharine is already dead."
She calmed down, forced a smile, and said, "It’s okay." She turned to Kat and pressed a wider teethy smile. "No harm done."
Kim thought, "I have to think of something else. I have to take my mind away from the image of Katharine violating the memories. What though? Etna Toys. That's right. The things I found at Etna Toys."
Her smile made Kat uneasy, and Kat dared not say anymore.
"Oh." Kim stood, retrieved Kat's backpack, and pulled out the envelope. "I found this yesterday in the basement of Etna Toys." She handed her the letter from Mr. Morta.
Cautious of her, Kat took the letter and opened it. After about a minute, Kat wondered, "What did Mr. Mort
a mean by poor devil when referring to Argus? Did something happen to him?"
"So," Kim started as she went over in her head how to manipulate things so Kat would go to the Factory with her. "If I understand everything, you want to find out who you are and what you’ve forgotten?"
"Yes. And you're searching for who killed your mom."
"Here’s the deal," Kim began. "We’ll work together to find our answers, but once I find my mom's killer this partnership is done. Understood? I'll help you no more after that. I have no reason to."
"A little one sided," Kat thought. "But it’s not like I have a better offer." She nodded.
"Good then." Kim retrieved her knapsack from her bedroom, returned, and removed from it one of the papers the Rogue gave her. "I need your help. I have discovered the location of the Factory and that there’s vital information about my mom there. The information's on a disk." She showed Kat the address. "I'm heading there tonight. Will you come with me?"
"Is this right? She wants me to go to the Factory?!" Kat thought. "She wants me to go back after they tortured me? I don't know if I can. I swore I would never let them take me again. So how can I go back? But... Can I let my fear win?"
Kat pushed those feelings aside and asked, "Is this information important?"
"I believe very. Will you help me?" Kim added a little bait. "The Factory could have information on you. After all, they've been trying to kill you."
"Kimberly's right about the info. The Factory could have some, but is it worth the risk?" Kat wondered. "I did tell her I'd help, but going back... I just don't know. Crap! This is hard. Can I wimp out now? If Kimberly has a plan and we can sneak in... Even if she has a plan, that doesn't mean we won't get caught. Sheez... This is hard. How do I decide? If Kimberly was one of my friends... If she was Chad, and he was asking me for help, I wouldn't hesitate to tell him yes."
She decided against her fears and answered, "If it’s important, I will." Kat started on her oatmeal, and said between mouthfuls, "That’s what partners do. They help each other, right? But you do have a plan, right? I don't want to get caught."
Noir, City Shrouded By Darkness Page 20
