The Bright Image

by Tim Niederriter

Rebecca raised her eyebrows. "You're not a refugee."

  "Nope," said the waitress. "If you're with the news team that's been asking around, you're out of luck. The bar doesn't employ any of them yet."

  "Carlin's."

  "What about it?"

  "You know how long it's been here?"

  “Longer than anyone who works here. Why do you ask?” The waitress looked up from scrubbing. When she saw Rebecca, her eyes went wide.

  "Shit. It's you." She turned and shouted toward the door at the far end of the long room from the front door where a kitchen sign hung. "It's Rain!"

  "Wait," said Rebecca.

  The waitress retrieved a long switchblade from her apron and extended its point toward Rebecca.

  "No thanks," said the waitress.

  She raced around the table, then sprang toward Rebecca.

  Rebecca had figured this place could be dangerous. She leaped and slid over the bar, putting it between her and the waitress with the knife.

  "I'm not Rain," she said.

  "Like I'd believe that. Who else has that face? That voice." The waitress stabbed the knife over the bar.

  Rebecca ducked low and then lunged for the woman's wrist.

  Her arm darted back, but not far. The blade slashed across Rebecca's forearm, opening a cut in her jacket and slicing the skin beneath.

  "Damn it, stop." Rebecca withdrew her painful, bleeding arm. She raised both hands. "Seriously, I just want to talk."

  The waitress vaulted the bar and landed just out of reach of Rebecca.

  "Too bad I can't trust you. Shame. I kinda liked working here."

  "Nat!" called a deep voice from the behind the waitress. "Hold on a second."

  The waitress backed away from Rebecca, keeping the knife between them.

  "I'm listening, Harvey."

  A big man with graying brown hair and a bear of the same colors walked toward them from the door with the kitchen sign beside it.

  Rebecca clutched her bleeding forearm.

  "Go on," said Harvey, nodding to Rebecca. "Who are you, and why are you here."

  "My name is Rebecca," she said, grateful for the man's ability to reign in the waitress's attack. She sighed. "I'm looking for a hidden memory."

  "A memory?" said Nat.

  "Yes. I saw this place in a memory I'd had repressed. I needed to come here to see, and evidently, I was right. At least some version of me has been here before."

  Harvey tucked a pistol Rebecca had previously missed into the waistband of his pants.

  "I believe you," he said. "Rain would not have come unprepared."

  Rebecca frowned.

  "Rain was a clean."

  "Not just a clean," said Nat. "An agent of Yashelia."

  "How is that possible?" asked Rebecca. "Cleans can't fight, not on their own."

  "We don't know how it worked," said Harvey. He walked to Rebecca on the opposite side of the bar and glanced at the waitress. "Natalie, go get the first aid kit. She's bleeding on the floor."

  Natalie grunted but flipped her switchblade closed. She pulled open a drawer and retrieved a box marked with a medical symbol stickered onto it. Rebecca kept her eyes on Nat.

  "Thanks," she said.

  "It's the best we can do," said Harvey. "For an old friend."

  "A friend? Rain wanted to kill you, didn't she?"

  "She did," said Harvey. "But Rebecca was part of our team before that."

  "I don't remember," Rebecca said.

  "I’ll bet you don't." Harvey sighed.

  Natalie slid the medical kit along the bar top.

  Harvey caught the box and opened it. He turned to Rebecca.

  "Let's see that cut first."

  She winced and then gritted her teeth as he cleaned and dressed the slender gash. He finished wrapped her forearm with a satisfied nod.

  "Now," he said. "What's the last thing you remember about working for Yashelia?"

  "It's all in bits and pieces," said Rebecca. "I remember fighting the lone sentry, then not much for a long time after that. Then, I think she cleaned me."

  "Damn, you missed a lot," said Natalie with a grimace.

  "I want to know," said Rebecca. "I have to."

  "You got most of your memories back," said Harvey. "How?"

  "I had friends, well one friend from before I came to the city. He found me, found Rain. He got my memories back from Yashelia's tree."

  "Fascinating," said Harvey. "I always suspected the aeons had to store all that information somewhere. I never guessed a human could break out of a mind like one of theirs, though."

  "My friend is pretty special," said Rebecca with a flush.

  "Now that, I believe," said Natalie with a hiss of half-repressed laughter.

  "So, your friend brought you back. Now you're looking for the truth about yourself, and why you were cleaned?" Harvey looked solemn. "We usually start getting real customers in half an hour." He turned to Natalie. "You think we can fill in the basics before then?"

  "I suppose so." Natalie shook her head. "I tell you, things never happen at convenient moments." She turned to Rebecca. "Especially when you're involved, seems like."

  Rebecca frowned.

  "I need the memories back, not just an explanation of what happened, but I suppose we have to start somewhere."

  "Right," said Natalie.

  Harvey gave her an approving nod.

  Natalie leaned her crossed arms on the bar top.

  "Harvey and I were working as agents for Yashelia, freelancers really, when she decided to hire a new full-time talent a few years back. That talent was you. She had the two of us help train you in the physical aspects, and you tutored us in memeotecture and sensocycling."

  "Sounds like me," said Rebecca. "I was such a know it all."

  "Still might be," said Natalie with a smirk, "I'll tell you that later."

  "We became a team, information warfare, and disruption against Yashelia and Sudhatho's opponents in the council. She was still sane back then but never governed a whole lot of people. Nothing interesting in that for her, apparently. But she had Rebecca run point a lot. She—You were pretty scary sometimes. Always got the job done, even when the sentry intervened and people got hurt."

  Rebecca looked down at her hands, unable to hide the pain of missing the truth for so long.

  "A couple years later, she had this rival who was giving her a lot of trouble in the political sphere. Tohamaya." Natalie took a breath. "Eventually, Yashelia decided Tohamaya had to go. She wanted our team to take care of it. We. All of us, even you, Ruthless Rebecca refused. Yashelia didn't like that, so she cleaned you. But when she did, she gave you a new identity somehow. Rain took over, and she killed Tohamaya."

  "I killed an aeon?" said Rebecca softly. "For Yashelia?”

  Harvey bowed his head.

  "She made you do it."

  Rebecca's hands shook. Yashelia would pay for using her. She looked at Natalie.

  "She came after you two, didn't she?"

  "Yeah," said Natalie. “We went into hiding about that time. Rain kept hunting us, or so we thought."

  "My friend found me at a slave market near Yashelia's garden in Lind Park."

  Natalie glanced at Harvey. He shook his head. Natalie turned to Rebecca.

  "We don't know how you got there. Could be Yashelia was done with Rain. Maybe the heat was too much and she had to ditch her new favorite toy. Could be some other reason."

  "She came after me back then, before she got trapped in her garden last fall." Rebecca frowned. "Evidently she wasn't done with me when I ended up in the market."

  Harvey folded his arms.

  "Rebecca...I want to help. But it could be dangerous."

  Natalie snorted.

  "Will be dangerous."

  "Probably," said Rebecca. "But I need the real story. We need it, for everyone's good."

  "Yashelia's still out there," said Natalie. "Maybe with what you knew the purifiers could finally catch her."

 
; Rebecca nodded.

  "And more than that. I know it's selfish, but I'm tired of feeling incomplete."

  Harvey nodded.

  "Nat?"

  "I'm in," said Natalie. "No offense, Harv, but Rebecca was my best friend."

  "And you still tried to slice and dice me," Rebecca said.

  Natalie held out her hand. "We had a complicated relationship. Nice to meet the new you."

  "Call me Rebecca Waters."

  They clasped hands.

  "I'm Natalie Gutierrez. Call me that."

  Harvey reached out and patted Rebecca's shoulder. "I'm glad you're back. Harvey Crantz, at your service. Well, after last call."

  The door swung open, and a party of young men came inside. Judging by the snatches of discussion Rebecca heard from them, they were refugees.

  From the stairway by the kitchen came a pair of female aeons in scanty clothing that left their central wounds and those in their palms exposed. They gave questioning looks at Rebecca as they approached the bar.

  Harvey grinned at them.

  "Girls, this is Rebecca. She's an old friend of mine and Nat's."

  "Good to meet you," said Rebecca.

  One of the aeons held out a gold-bleeding palm.

  "Need a dose? On the house."

  The sharpening of Rebecca's senses from the earlier dose was still clear and strong. She shook her head.

  "I'm good, but thanks."

  "Any time," said the aeon with a smile.

  Harvey turned to the group of refugees.

  "You're just in time for happy hour, boys."

  The young men whistled and slapped hands.

  Rebecca ordered a drink and took one of the booths on the far side of the room to wait. She dove into the network and disabled the warning she had left for Jeth at BrightNet.

  She sent Thomas a message, telling him she'd found the place she was looking for and would be investigating further. He replied with an affirmative.

  After her communications, she turned her attention to the news. The murder of the aeon student was all over it, but the thoughts of a different killing plagued Rebecca.

  Tohamaya.

  Rebecca went searching for facts about the dead governor but kept one eye on BrightNet as their broadcast began.

  After concluding our interview with Angela Watts, Phil and I rejoined the rest of our team. While we had brought some ichor reserves, we planned to acquire more as we needed it, in case we ended up cut off. It didn't hurt that Rebecca contacted me from Carlin's Blood Bar to tell me she was in the district with us.

  The bar was noisy with a mix of locals and refugees when we arrived. The smells of alcohol and ichor mingled in my nose as I led the way inside. Samantha and Ellen followed close behind me, with the sensor brothers bringing up the rear.

  A big man with a graying beard stood behind the bar. An aeon stood at his side, her palms up and wounds bared. While many aeons governed, it was possible to find those who either lacked status and resources or simply enjoyed the atmosphere of a place like this to distribute their valuable ichor.

  I spotted Rebecca at a booth across from the bar. Samantha raised her eyebrows at me when she noticed me looking.

  "You know her."

  "As a matter of fact, we're together," I said, heat in my face.

  "What's she doing here?" asked Ellen.

  I shrugged.

  "Meeting us."

  "That's not an answer," said Ellen.

  "Half true," said Samantha. "It's not a good answer."

  I shook my head, not wanting to reveal my own ignorance as to why Rebecca was in the refugee district at all, especially after my earlier answer to Samantha. I nodded to the bartender, then walked around the tables full of drinking patrons to the booth where Rebecca sat.

  Her eyes unclouded as she disconnected from the network. She noticed us as we drew close. Despite the noise all around us, I felt far more comfortable with her present than before.

  I slid into a seat across from her.

  "Rebecca," I said, "Meet the investigating team."

  I motioned for the four of them to sit.

  Rebecca nodded to each of them as they introduced themselves, but seemed distracted. Her message before had told me her location, but not much else. I didn't want to ask if something was wrong in front of the others, though.

  Samantha, sitting beside me, smiled across the table at Rebecca.

  "So, how long have you two known each other?"

  "A long time," said Rebecca. "We're both from out west."

  "Really?" asked Ellen. "You must have a different idea about the refugee situation than we do?"

  "Well, my parents are still out there, like Jeth's," said Rebecca.

  I nodded.

  "I would guess the refugees from the Green Valley should arrive within the next week or so."

  Samantha gave me a mild glance.

  "You would guess. Based on what?"

  I fought back an urge to retort, given her condescending tone.

  "My parents sent me a letter before they left," I said.

  "I see. That is good to know." Samantha smiled at Rebecca. "If you've been in the city as long as Jethro, no doubt it'll be odd to see your parents again."

  "That's one way to put it," said Rebecca.

  I knew she had trouble with her parents, both father, and mother. I hoped her younger brother was safe. I was pretty sure he had not left the Green Valley in the intervening years, thanks to corresponding with my parents.

  Samantha nodded.

  "Excuse me. I didn't mean to pry, but the instincts are there."

  The Kowalski brothers exchanged awkward glances.

  I turned to them.

  "Feel free to mingle, people. Just be back at the hotel by midnight. We're off the clock for now unless something comes up."

  "Thanks, boss," said Phil.

  Layne nodded.

  The two of them got up along with Ellen. Samantha nodded to her assistant. The three of them went to the bar to order. Samantha unfolded her legs.

  "If you'll excuse me."

  "Of course," said Rebecca.

  "Good to meet you." Samantha turned and then disappeared behind the wall at my back.

  "I can see why you don't like her," said Rebecca once Samantha was out of earshot.

  I nodded. "I appreciate that. But I have to ask. Is something wrong?"

  She looked at the black tabletop between us. "I went to Candlegrove for some tests. Found out some things about my past."

  "Your hidden memories?"

  "Yeah. An image from my head brought me here." Rebecca sighed, hands on her temples. "The bartender and one of the waitresses knew me on sight. They used to work with me, before."

  I frowned in thought as she filled me in on the details with a packet of mental information. I blinked, then glanced at the bartender.

  "That guy is one of the two?"

  Rebecca nodded.

  "He’s Harvey."

  "Right," I said.

  "And this woman who attacked you, Natalie, thought you must be some kind of Clean assassin?"

  "Yes."

  "This is a lot to process," I said. "But thank you for sharing it."

  "I knew you needed to see."

  "The wall in your mind..." I frowned. "I wonder how you missed it for so long. There must be some kind of encryption to keep it hidden."

  "Now that I've found it, I don't know if I want to see what's on the other side."

  "Whatever it is, I'll face it with you."

  "I know."

  She reached across the table and grasped my hand tight.

  Unregistered Memory, Elizabeth Ashwood, Light Ship Kestrel IV

  Vistenna's light ship lifted from the skydock at Candlegrove Heights and turned to fly into the rain driving from the east. Elizabeth sat with her hands in her lap between Lena and Sarah in the spacious cabin attached to the bridge. Sarah used one of the sensor nodes to get a view outside the ship.

  With her frien
d occupied, Lena turned to Elizabeth.

  “Weird day, right?”

  “Right,” said Elizabeth. “I’m surprised at Balancar.”

  “Did you think he supported reproductive research for aeons?”

  “That’s not it. His position isn’t too strange to me. Worse things happened today.”

  Elizabeth pictured the mad aeons she had encountered over the past year, Yashelia with her evil gaze, Tooth with his gnashing attack projections. Both of them were less of a threat now, especially Tooth who the authorities had captured prior to Sudhatho’s indictment. Yet, Elizabeth could not shake the fear they would be far from the last mad aeons to appear in the city.

  Lena pursed her lips.

  “I know what you mean. That aeon student…”

  Elizabeth nodded.

  “Who knows if they’ll ever find out the truth. Humans can be murdered without anyone solving it, even in this city.”

  Lena sighed.

  “Cheery. You know, I think I liked talking to Mister Gall better.”

  Elizabeth wrinkled her nose.

  “How dare you.” She smirked.

  Lena giggled and shook her head.

  “Okay, that was unfair.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “

  I’ll accept your apology.”

  Lena laughed.

  “Who said that was an apology?”

  A shudder and gasp of breath drew their attention to the helm. Vistenna’s intent focus on the controls shattered. She flinched back from the control system. Her eyes grew wild. She threw her head back and screamed.

  Elizabeth scrambled from her seat and ran to the elevated control station. Vistenna’s wildly flailing arms lashed out. One hand hit Elizabeth. Pain erupted in Elizabeth’s temple and she staggered back from the blow.

  The light ship began to lose altitude.

  Lena raced to Elizabeth’s side. “Are you alright?”

  Sarah tore her attention from the viewer.

  “Vistenna!” she said. “What’s wrong?”

  “Something is in my mind.” Vistenna released a hissing breath. “We have to land.”

  A spasm ran through Vistenna. The whole ship shuddered this time. They headed fast toward the streets below. Too fast.

  Elizabeth grabbed onto Lena’s wrist and braced herself against the side of the control station. She signaled mentally, projecting as far and as fast as she could. Help.