“I could no longer bear the guilt of what I had done to the Taylor family. I lured their daughter into my flat. Once alone with her, I forced her knickers off and touch―”
The audio cut out, replaced with Devon Meath’s voice speaking over images of a shocked crowd. “Bell is giving a graphic description of his crimes, which we have elected not to transmit out of respect for the victim and her family.
Audio returned with Bell in mid-sentence. “…holo-recorded the entire event for my later use. I have turned that recording over to the Metropolitan Police force, having rendered a full confession.”
The crowd gasped; the video swept over them to capture their reactions. Anna blinked at whom she saw at the rear of the crowd. Doctor Mardling, tweed coat bundled about in the wind that tossed his hair, met her gaze and smiled at the camera as if he knew she saw him.
Constables escorted Mr. Bell down the steps. Two officers held back a furious man, no doubt Faye’s father. The crowd turned, their silent shock morphed into derision as they hurled insults as well as objects. Amid the pelting, the constables stuffed him into a marked car and drove off.
The camera returned to Devon Meath, now flanked by a sobbing man and a woman who looked as though she had recently gotten done crying.
“I’m here now with the missing girl’s parents. Missus Taylor, if your daughter is watching, what would you say to her?”
Anna looked away, unable to suffer the sniveling apology from a mother begging for forgiveness and asking her daughter to come home. Her father, too upset to talk, continued to sob into his wife’s shoulder.
She had to get back to Coventry and take Faye home, whether she wanted to go or not. With the last half-sandwich jammed in her mouth, she mumbled at the waiter to prepare her check and swiped the NetMini past the reader.
After swallowing, she glanced at the door then back to the man. “Where’s the nearest autocab terminal?”
He tilted his head. “Are you all right, miss?”
“Fine… why?”
“Yer ‘oldin’ a mini, why d’ya need a street term?”
Anna stared at the small slab of technology in her hand, feeling acute in her stupidity for a moment. She had gone so many years without one that the convenience of it had slipped her mind.
“Been up too long… forgettin’ meself.”
Her fingers flew over the screen, summoning an autocab to her location. She finished the food by the time the little car arrived. Now realizing she had the ability to―she called Penny once the car door closed.
The third time she got voicemail, she had to concentrate not to destroy anything. Neurotic Penny could not let a ringing phone go ignored; the woman would get the sweats if she left a text message unanswered for more than ten seconds. Anna rattled about the inside of the cab, fidgeting and worrying until it stopped at the edge of The Ruin, refusing to go in.
She ran into the muck, finding it easier to jump puddles using the fragments of old paving without the haze of zoom, and raced for the lone tower block that jutted up from the destruction. Had anything dared surprise her at that moment, it would have been bad for both parties. Worry removed her hesitation about hiding her power; nothing would keep her away from her friends. Ol’ Jack lay on his back in the ground floor lobby, smoke peeling out of his mouth. Two small, metal cylinders as big as shotgun shells stuck to his chest.
Stunners?
Anna grabbed them, gritting her teeth as she shrugged off the crippling electrical shock and redirected the power into the wall. The cannon-like sound of the discharge shook dust off the ceiling. Ol’ Jack drew in a breath, now able to move, and moaned as he sat up.
“Christ on a crutch, Anna… what the feck. How did you touch―”
“Are you all right?”
He coughed. “Someone got me BVR, no idea what…”
“BVR?” Anna helped him prop up against the wall.
“Beyond visual range… sorry. Sniper or something.”
“Shit.” She looked torn between him and the stairs.
When he waved her on and gave a thumbs-up, she ran. Gasping for air after running up a dozen stories, she screamed at the sight of Penny’s door half open. She found her apartment empty; no sign of Faye, the only occupant a small white bear perched at the foot of the bed with zip ties on its paws.
“No,” she yelled, backing up for three steps before sprinting across the hall to Penny’s flat.
Spawny’s hairy ass greeted her as she rounded out of the little access hallway past the bathroom. He lay bent over the couch, beaten bloody and secured hand and foot by plastic zip ties. Penny was on the far side of the couch, naked and hogtied, but did not appear hurt. Anna skidded to a halt on her knees by her friend, holding her fingers a half-inch apart on either side of the plastic. A brief spark melted through the bindings. After freeing her, she hauled the ragdoll of a woman into a hug, patting and shaking her until she moaned.
“Anna?”
She helped her friend stand, guiding her to the bed and wrapping her in a sheet. “What the bloody ‘ell ‘appened?”
Penny swooned in a chemical fog, her arm flopping at the sheet in an attempt to grab it. “We were shaggin’ when we heard Twee scream bloody murder. He got up to go check on her and these men kicked his ass in the door. They came for me when I tried to run. They nicked Twee. Didn’t much look like the filth.”
She brushed green crystalline residue off Penny’s shoulder. A thousand tiny wounds from minuscule needles created a rash-like patch tacky with blood. “No… They weren’t. Are you all right? They shot you with a tranquilizer needler.”
“Little shaken, but all they did was put us out of their way.” Penny squinted. “The devil is that?”
“Solid block of chemical tranq, shaved into shards and shot out of a gun.”
“I’m not gonna ask how you know that.” Penny squeezed, sniffling into Anna’s shoulder.
Anna held her until Spawny moaned. She melted the binders from him and hit him in the back with a stimpak. His bruising lessened, the blood dripping from his nose stopped, and he groaned while crawling down onto the rug to take up a fetal position. A liberal dose of obscenities fell from his mouth as he shuddered. Anna threw a blanket over him, and squinted at the wall.
“Bastards.”
“I didn’t do a fing!” blurted Spawny.
Penny gathered the sheet around and roamed about, plucking her clothes off the rug. “Why would they arrest her? She ‘asn’t left the place since she arrived?”
Spawny dragged himself onto the bed. “Cops smelled sweet meat. She’s probably getting the ol’ pig on a spit right now.”
Penny threw his underwear at him. “How can you say that?”
Anna’s voice came cold and soft. “No. She isn’t. Cops don’t ‘ave ‘er. CSB does. Besides, the cops don’t come in here lookin’ for it.”
“Wha?” Spawny lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a pile of cack, she’s not… um…”
“Like me? No.” Anna shook her head. “It’s got nothin’ to do with ‘er.”
Dressed, Penny abandoned the sheet and put an arm around Anna. “Are you all right, Anna? You seem… different. Don’t think I ever seen ya this, um…”
“Confident,” wheezed Spawny. “Ye look like a cat what’s eyein’ a mouse.”
Penny sank into the couch at Spawny’s side, shaking. The sight of her protector reduced to a shivering, terrified wretch sent sparks dancing up and down Anna’s arms.
“Oh, someone’s ‘bout to ‘ave a bad day.” Spawny blinked.
“I’m sorry.” Anna looked down. “This is all my fault. I won’t let them hurt you again.”
Anna stormed for the door.
“Anna! Wait!” Penny yelled, breaking into sobs. “What’s going on?”
It took every ounce of Anna’s willpower not to turn around. “I have some things I have to do to keep the people I love from being hurt. Don’t worry about me. Protect yourselves. I gotta go.”
nna clung to
the NetMini, standing at the edge of The Ruin waiting for the autocab. She had forgotten how much of a lifeline the little devices were. The line of constables eyed her with suspicion. Brown was among them and seemed about ready to have a heart attack. She glared at him.
What are you thinking about, you pig?
Her heart fluttered as she touched his surface thoughts. He knew. The CSB had been here. They told the officers to leave her alone. Hughes told Brown they’d “black bag” him if he touched her again. They showed him how close he’d come to death. He had seen the alley video; he knew what she could have done to him if she wasn’t high. At that moment, he froze like a deer staring down a hunter’s rifle, wondering if she would kill him. Brown tugged at the collar of his shirt, looking like he couldn’t breathe. Her chilling glare sent him scurrying inside like the filth he was. The Sergeant came outside; no doubt to see what had spooked Brown. He tilted his head at her, trotted down the small porch stairs, and approached.
Anna looked off towards London proper. “Good day, Sergeant.”
“Indeed, girl. You look like a different person. Off the poison?”
“Couple days now. I’m trying, sir.” Her anger ebbed. “I’m not sure what they told you, but I’m not dangerous. I just want to be left alone and live like anyone else. I’ve no interest in trouble with the law.”
“That’s good to hear.” He glanced at an approaching pair of lights. “Sorry about Brown. Damn union got involved, couldn’t ship him off. Looks like you’ve a lot on your mind.”
The autocab pulled up and opened its door.
“It’s the CSB, sir. I probably shouldn’t say more. People could get hurt.”
He nodded. “Take care of yourself. Oh, and eat something.”
Anna almost smiled at him as she settled into the car and gave Doctor Mardling’s address. The engines whined as it got underway, and the gentle sway of the ride lulled her into a nap.
A hand on her shoulder jostled her awake. She looked up into blinding bright light. From behind the glare, came a woman’s voice.
“You all right, miss?”
She had fallen asleep; the autocab had parked in the subterranean parking deck of James’s building. When she did not get out, it summoned the police. The fatigue of such a brief sleep kept her emotion neutral as she dragged herself to her feet.
“Sorry about that, I’ve ‘ad a long day.”
The female constable waved something in her face. “Breathe please.”
Anna exhaled on it, making it chirp.
“All right then, you’re not intoxicated. Do you need assistance?”
“Been awake almost twenty hours, constable… Just comin’ ‘ome.”
“Which one’s yours?”
She gave James’s door number. “It’s not my flat. I live with my boyfriend.”
Electronic noises came from another constable a few yards away as he looked her up in the system. He gave a nonchalant nod to his partner, who relaxed. Her file was still clean.
Minutes later, she wobbled up to Doctor Mardling’s door and hit the buzzer. The greyish-white panel slid to the side, revealing a bare chested and weary James Mardling in long flannel pajamas. The delirious frown became a smile at who had stolen him from sleep at five in the morning.
“James! I need help!” She all but tackled him through the door. “They’ve taken Faye. They’re going to kidnap Penny and Spawny as well if I don’t do what they ask.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Calm yourself, Anna. The girl should be able to go home now.”
“You made him confess?”
“Of course.” He chuckled. “Men like that do not develop a conscience at random and give themselves up.” James’s grin fell flat. “I had half a mind to make him embellish what he’d done to her, but his collection of holo-disks could not hold a candle to my imagination. That little friend of yours was not his first.”
Anna fumed. “You should’ve let me kill him.”
He patted her shoulder. “The girl whacked him over the head with a porcelain cat to get away. Gave him a slight bump, less than he deserved; however, I suspect he will get far worse in jail. You need some sleep.”
“James, there’s no time.” She pulled on him. “They took Faye!”
“You… need… sleep.”
His words echoed through her mind in a repeating circle. The next thing Anna knew, she was on the couch under a blanket, boots and socks off. The overcast gloom from the windows offered little clue as to the hour. Fog hung between her ears. She sat up and stretched, momentarily confused by weak red lines around her ankles. Her finger traced the mark, and soreness brought everything back in flashes. Anna bounded to her feet and sprinted towards shifting blue-orange light in the rear hallway.
James sat at a desk of gleaming silver and glass, manipulating images of blobs, atoms, and bits of brain. Holograms floated, twisting and growing as his fingers brushed the light. He was working, though almost everything hovering there went way over her head.
She swooned into the doorframe and wiped her eyes. “What time is it?”
He swiveled around to face her, smiling at the sight of her. “A touch past noon.”
“Oh, shit. Faye…”
On his feet before she could fall, James guided her to a small green bench at the back of his office and took a seat next to her, holding her hands together.
“You were utterly exhausted. Take a breath and tell me what happened.”
“I went back to Coventry Tower to get Faye. I saw a news bit about that nonce confessing, and wanted to bring her home, but the CSB took her.”
“What?” James let go of her and leapt up, pacing. “Why the devil would they do that? It makes no sense for them to pay attention to a small girl. She is neither a political matter nor psionic.”
Anna recounted her brief abduction. The retelling of it sounded lifeless in her woozy state. Nonetheless, the more she talked, the redder James got. By the time she reached to the point where she’d come to on the boat, the look in his eyes was terrifying. He seemed to take notice of her fear and forced a disingenuous smile. She went to him, clinging.
“They want me to kill this man. They said if I did it, they’d leave me off the register. If I don’t, they’ll take Faye, and Penny, and Spawny and shut them away somewhere forever.”
He pondered, at last shaking his head. “No, I doubt they will harm your little friend. We should step up my plan to relocate.”
“James… I can’t just leave her to them, Gordon told me they could do whatever they wanted. They will kill her, I know it… and I can’t leave Penny in Coventry.” Her head returned to his shoulder. “You’ve saved me from that awful place… I want to go with you, but I can’t leave her there.”
Doctor Mardling glanced at the wall. “Lord Thompson is a moderate. He is pushing an agenda of more lenient treatment of psionics. Rumor is that his son has the gift, but no one has proved or disproved it. He represents a true possibility for change, Anna. If he were to die, it could spell disaster for every psionic in the UK.”
“I don’t want to kill him, but what choice do I have? I’m not sure leaving Britain is a good idea… it’s all I’ve ever known.”
“As much as it pains me to leave”―he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper―“it is my home too, after all”―he raised his voice―“it would be less risky for us all.”
“How do you figure that?” Anna gripped the carpet with her toes, feeling lost.
“In the Colonies, the government does not possess the insufferable paranoia of King William. They have psionic constables as well. It would be far easier to get on there and not arouse undue suspicion. Would you not find it a lesser task not to have to hide your nature?”
“Colony? You mean the UCF?” Anna tilted her head.
“Is that what they call themselves now?” James rolled his eyes. “Certainly the little girl is better off in custody than on the street. She is not psionic, so they have no reason to harm her. You should igno
re Thompson and take this opportunity to come with me where they cannot reach you. It is sad, but sometimes the world is a sad place.”
“I suppose it might be better there…” Anna wandered back to the sofa and fell on it. “I can’t toddle off to the far side of the pond and leave them in that grotty shithole. She’s always been there for me, I…”
James studied the ceiling for a moment.
“Besides, you’ve eliminated the reason Faye couldn’t return home. I don’t want to leave her to those bastards. There’s got to be something we can do!”
“Agent Gordon, is it?” His hand ran through her hair. “Perhaps there is at that…”
James scurried around his work area, knocking stacked datapads from his desk in a feverish search for a blank holodisk. He popped it into a writer and waved Anna to join him.
“Pull up that chair.”
She padded over, sitting as close as she could. James rested one hand on the optical writer and cradled the other around her head. The warmth on the back of her neck made her shiver.
“Doctor Mardling―”
“James,” he said, smiling.
She glanced down, matching his smile and blushing. “James, what are you doing?”
“I think you should pay Thompson a visit. Now think about your meeting with that tosser, Gordon.”
His words filtered into her mind. Lightheadedness crept over her. James’s eyes seemed to glow as the room around him blurred. Once more, she was restrained in the chair, screaming at the silent echoes around her. The scene played through her memory as if on fast forward, slowing down only when Gordon spoke of his plan for her. When the remembering ceased, her consciousness returned to James’s study. She broke down in sobs, trying to rub the soreness out of her wrists.
James held her tight. “Anna, It’s okay, Anna. Everything will be just fine.”
ord Connor Thompson’s estate sat northwest of the city center, far enough removed that the land allowed a copious front lawn with a reflecting pool. Anna glanced at a massive marble statue of a man on a horse, hanging inexplicably above the water. When it shimmered into a frolicking marble nymph, she knew it to be a hologram; multi-ton statues do not float in midair. Her nerves had gotten the better of her, despite her concealment atop the brick wall. She lay flat on her stomach in the shade of a trio of huge evergreen shrubs at the corner. The perimeter barricade was wide and tall enough to hide her from patrols going past on the ground, so long as she stay prone and motionless. The swaying branches blocked direct view from the house.
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