THE SEVENTH EVENT

by Phillip Shaw

  34. Eye In The Sky

  The body was female but Markus could tell little else. The remains had been wrapped in transparent plastic sheets but the face was a horrific contortion of what used to be human. The appendages were present but they had been folded and bound to the rest of the body by wire. This was the killing of a twisted mind. Markus stood with Ava brainstorming ideas. The cordon around the vehicle kept out the prying eyes of the media and traumatised public. The investigators were combing the car for any trace of DNA but so far there were no identification results however Markus had the DNA of their quarry at hand and was waiting his chance to upload the traces in the car to The Order's servers.

  The process of brainstorming was refreshing to Markus, Ava was a natural partner, they shared the same desire to solve problems but went about it in completely different ways. It was now commonplace for them to do this with every decision.

  ‘This could change our mission'

  ‘How so Ava?'

  ‘I don't see the being we are searching for carrying out such a heinous act.'

  ‘Maybe you just don't want to see it. These beings are something that our society had been based on for centuries by all accounts. The fact that they could have such a disregard for human life may change the feelings you have about your own powers. I must admit I'm uncomfortable with this. I envisaged the pursuit continuing as it had been. If this turns out to be a simple serial killer hunt then you know we will be taken off this case and back to looking for a lead.'

  ‘Are you saying I'm scared that we won't be chasing anyone special Stent?'

  ‘No, I think you know what I'm saying.'

  Smiling she said ‘I've already told you I can't see your thoughts. You think I'm scared to go back to Schultz having failed this task. Maybe it's just going back that I don't want to do.'

  ‘We can get into this later Ava. The priority here is to find out who done this to that woman. What have you found out from the Police?'

  ‘The M.O. has been seen before. This is the third such case in the last month. The thing is, at least, one of our subjects have been locked up in that time. Either it's the lawyer leading a double life as a serial killer or this could go deeper than we want. In any case, when we get the DNA from the car we can, at least, confirm who we are chasing.'

  ‘Any news on the vans?'

  ‘Satellite imaging and traffic cameras have picked up a few suspect vans. It seems they all split when leaving here. Headquarters are waiting on them hitting a meeting point. Other than that we have five locations to search. Such is the magnitude of this mission we would need to search them ourselves rather than leave them to local agents or authorities.'

  ‘So we're left here like two fishermen until one of us gets a bite.'

  Ava shrugged and went back to her smartphone; she was continuing to monitor news in the area for anything strange. Markus shook his head; he couldn't let himself lose the part of him that relied on his own wits so he walked over and entered the cordon zone again. The head investigator came over to update him again while the body lay as it had been discovered on a plastic mat on the ground. Markus took out his notebook and began sketching the rough outline of the victim. From each wound, he pulled out a line and scribbled down his thoughts. Binding - done post mortem. Not a case of restraining the victim. A practicality, the killer does not hold any reverence for the dead body. Once they are gone the body is nothing more than a piece of meat. The clothing – only the bottom clothing removed. If a sexual motive is behind this then it was a matter of practicality or efficiency. The access to the genitals was all that he required, again disregard for the body. The supposed murder wound – face beaten to a pulp, possibly from repeated blows with fists or a blunt object. I'm leaning towards the latter. The only thing that suggests is anger either towards this person individually or there is a common denominator.

  Markus interrupted the chief coroner. ‘I understand this isn't the first case in the area. My assistant has discovered others. It looks like there is a serial killer or some kind of maniac at large in the area?'

  ‘Well I wouldn't like to say that yet but we have discovered a few bodies in the state with similar patterns.'

  ‘All women?' asked Markus.

  ‘No, so far two of each. The similarity is the damage done to the face and the nudity from the waist down. The bodies have also been bound up in a gruesome fashion.'

  Markus was taken aback; a scribble in his notepad took the sexual nature out of the equation. Unless the perpetrator was bisexual there was another reason for the stripping of the victims. Embarrassment.

  ‘Men as well you say? Is that not strange for this type of thing? I mean usually, victims of serial killers are all of one sex. Have you determined any common denominator in the killings?'

  The chief looked at him slowly and shook his head. ‘We could sure use some help in this case agent Stent.'

  ‘I'll speak to my superiors.'

  Although Markus was just fobbing the man off there was an element of truth to the statement. The detective in Markus had been awoken with the discovery of this body. He needed to piece together how it ended up in the possession of his suspects. His phone vibrated and a blank message from Ava greeted him, taking it as a signal to go outside he emerged again into the morning light. Snatched hours of sleep usually left someone aggressive and beyond their best but Markus thrived on this kind of deprivation. He felt alive and ready to go off on a tangent. The look on Ava's face was even better than he had hoped. Falling in beside her she held up the phone and moved close to speak into his ear. He didn't even feel her breath as she whispered.

  ‘It's them. Coates and Harding. The DNA you took from their teeth at the prison is an exact match. The vans are still being tracked so where to next?'

  ‘I have to call Schultz. See if you can find out more about the vans, if they are taking any pattern? They shouldn't know we have satellite on them they are just taking precautions for ground surveillance.'

  He caught himself on watching her walk away. He would have to stop that. Looking down at his phone he stepped back into the SUV that had been delivered to them, shutting the door and clicking on the cold air he composed himself. He plugged the phone into the dash and the HUD appeared. Schultz was sitting calmly behind his desk with a cup of tea in his hand. Markus knew he could see him with the smile that had crept across his face. This was going to be a mutual exchange of information but Markus knew that he needed orders to proceed.

  ‘Schultz, we are at the arena. The scene here is surprising, to say the least. I don't know if you can call outing ten thousand people to sleep a terror attack. The worrying aspect is the presence of the adept. Now presumably, you know where he has gone?'

  ‘Markus, don't worry yourself about protecting adept. We need you to monitor the escapees from the prison. Have you any thoughts on them?'

  ‘To escape that prison he could be one of those we are looking for. The man, Coates was due to be executed in that prison today before something happened.'

  ‘I have reviewed the logs from the dead agent. I agree the signs could point to him being of interest. We cannot rule out the possibility of him being a rogue adept either.'

  ‘There is another issue Schultz.'

  ‘What is it?'

  ‘The vehicle our suspect travelled in had a nasty surprise in the trunk.'

  ‘Go on.'

  ‘It seems there is a serial killer active in the area. The body had the same M.O. as a killer the local authorities have been tracking. It could mean one of two things. Our suspect was in prison when the other murders took place…'

  ‘It means he was either being helped by this killer or it was just coincidence. I know what you're going to suggest Markus and I think you may have a point. I agree go after the serial killer first. Hopefully, it will be a case of a normal killer. If the killer is in some way helping your subject it could be something worse.'

  ‘The gathering of an army?'

  ‘In so many words.
We don't know what you are pursuing. If this is one of the beings we seek, we don't know how powerful they are. It may be wise to eliminate this serial killer link first.'

  ‘I would have thought the subject was the priority Schultz, by all accounts they were taken from the arena as hostages.'

  ‘Well if we see them again then we will know they are powerful. We have the vehicles under satellite surveillance. They are being tracked from here. When they get to their destination we will carry out reconnaissance. We may stumble into a whole force of denouncers. We can strike a crippling blow to their movements in the area.'

  ‘So you're willing to give the subject a chance to prove who he is?'

  ‘Between us yes. We need to make sure we are looking in the right continent. This could just be rogue elements. There has been another development Markus.'

  ‘What is it?'

  ‘One of them has been named. A speech was made in New York at the building of one of our adept. We believe the one that named it was just relaying the message. Our eyes in the area are keeping watch. Your lead is still the most concrete, so eliminate the loose end of this serial killer and we can regroup on your true subject. If this killer was helping him we could be too late.'

  ‘I understand, keep me appraised of the satellite tracking.'

  ‘Markus?'

  He paused about to terminate the call.

  ‘How is Ava doing?'

  ‘You trained her Schultz, you should know.'

  ‘There's no need for that.'

  ‘I'm sorry, lack of sleep. She's the perfect partner we wouldn't have gotten this close to the subject without her.'

  ‘Keep her close Markus. We need her.'

  The call terminated before Markus could hang up. He searched in his pocket for a piece of gum and finding it chewed over his thoughts. Why is Schultz letting me chase a Police matter instead of my mission? It makes no sense. We were sent out here to investigate the prison, then by chance, we may have stumbled upon one of the most powerful adept or denouncers yet found. Now we get to solve a murder case…

  In any case, this was what he wanted. The sight of the body before stirred the sense of justice in him. He stepped out of the SUV and headed over to Ava.

  ‘Suit up Ava we are heading out.'

  ‘Where to? Are we heading after Coates?'

  ‘No, not yet, Schultz wants us to eliminate the serial killer link. We need to make sure that Coates wasn't getting any help from him. Schultz thinks that he could be the ringleader in a group of denouncers.'

  To his surprise there were no questions from Ava, she turned in her step and headed over to the chief investigator. Markus spat the gum onto the ground, it was time to do some old fashioned work.

  35. Hood

  The pain in his knees was beginning to grate but Libero could say nothing. Hooded with his hands bound behind his back he could feel Pamela beside him. The thoughts of the others in the room were not so much distressing as they were invigorating. He could feel the ones closest to him. The only problem was he couldn't make them feel any better than they already did. They were free and committed to their cause. He would have to see this journey out.

  Jenson Kane sat in the passenger seat of the van as his driver Virgil drove the pre-prepared route. He felt strange. The operation had been a success. They had announced their existence to their enemies and no one had been hurt. Next time it may be different. The only thing eating at his mind were the two passengers they had bound in the back of the van. Normally they would have been lying in the middle of the desert with an extra orifice in their brains but something that he felt in the arena had stopped him. The look he received from the male in the ring made him feel right. He couldn't kill him there and when he had considered it halfway along the journey he couldn't do it either. The decision was made they would be going back to the base.

  ‘Sir, are we ready to head for home. I haven't seen a trailing vehicle since we left the arena.'

  ‘Yes Virgil, you can signal the other vehicles.'

  Kane was proud of his driver. The name Virgil was assigned to him as people in his group had no ties. They lived off the grid and left their identities behind. It was a necessary sacrifice, If only they saw what I did if only they could see the demons. Kane was especially pleased that he had disrupted Avery's performance. His dreams had been crushed when Avery came into the business. He thought back with a grimace as he felt the injury to his quadriceps.

  Jenson Kane had been a rising star in the American amateur wrestling scene. His statuesque physique coupled with a natural charisma in front of the crowd propelled him from gifted rookie to genuine top-drawer performer. The state wrestling show signed him up and he rose through the ranks. He always gave equal billing to his opponent in the ring and garnered as much praise from his fellow entertainers as he did from the adoring public at the small supermarket and leisure centre shows. The name of Jenson Kane was a one-way ticket to a great match and even being beaten in the same ring as him, advanced your career. Kane was the most charismatic performer for years. Entering not from the arena walkway where the greats of yesteryear did. He entered from the crowd, wearing his distinctive hooded jacket unsuspecting members of the paying audience could sit for up to an hour beside their hero before the lights went down and the music kicked in. as soon as it did he leapt up and made a beeline for the ring. The crowd went wild and Jenson drank it all in. It wasn't long before he was noticed by one of the big corporations. The call came; he was offered an invitational match against one of the interstate champions.

  The meeting before the match went well. They were just to go through their normal moves, then the referee would be knocked out and the fun would start, steel chairs, garbage cans and anything that could be used as a weapon would come into play. The winner would be decided by crowd reaction. Either heat for winning or heat for the just winner being robbed the signal would come from the announcers table. Jenson started as always, the crowd went wild, his opponent came back into it and then the weapons came into play. Blood was strategically spilt in all the right places and it came down to the endgame. Jenson Kane, a local performer, a guest appearance had a title belt in the organisation. Within six months the hype train built and he was about to go global. As quickly as it built, his world came crumbling down.

  The organisation transferred to a different TV channel and signed up with Blaincorp, they brought in the CEO Avery or as he was to be known on screen, Jackson Deane. The first meeting with the roster changed it all. Jenson still remembered the headaches. The throbbing, searing pain that built until Avery came into the room. The look at his eyes, the black nothingness that ate at his soul it all began to unravel. His matches didn't have the same effect; others began to get the publicity. Less talented ones, ones with a secret, Jenson saw the eyes. They were cloudy like a black fog was over them; he asked others but no one else saw it. Everyone who got a push had the black eyes. The breaking point came in his last match. He had been scheduled to win, the plan was followed and he climbed the turnbuckle to deliver the flying elbow drop. The move he saw his hero land as a child, the move that made him get into wrestling. He jumped but his opponent didn't stay down, he got up and the wind was out of Jenson's lungs, crashing onto the mat he didn't have time to break his fall, his opponent twisted his legs into the figure four and held it. The pain was excruciating. The pain moulded him into the man he was today, Avery came down to the ring and oversaw the end, Jenson stared at him until he passed out. He woke in the hospital, his muscle torn from his upper leg, he would never wrestle again. The crowd cheered as he was stretchered away, they saluted the new champion, they didn't know. They will all know soon.

  Kane shook himself out of the daydream; it had been difficult for him to be back in a ring back before the crowds. Of course, none of them recognised him now; he was, at least, thirty pounds heavier and his hair that had once been like flame was now bleached to a ghostly white. The hood and entrance to the ring had remained but so long ago none knew him e
xcept the one he wanted to see him. He needed to find out who he had taken hostage. ‘Virgil pull over.'

  ‘Yes, sir.'

  Pamela was close to an emotional breakdown, she knew that the last few days were going to be difficult but nothing could have prepared her for what had happened. The elation at the escape of the death sentence had been grounded with the horror of the prison escape. She could still see the faces of the inmates who had tried to kill them. Unnatural, snarling beasts that had quickly formed a pack to kill anyone not with them and most importantly she had witnessed Coates or Libero as he had called himself tearing them apart. She remembered his fighting, it was ferocious, he fought with absolutely no fear, supreme confidence that nothing could touch him. It was the same feeling that she felt running through her ever since he had messed with her mind. Whatever he does, it's good. In fact, it was so good that she craved more, like a drug his presence was infectious. It was the only thing keeping her from sobbing uncontrollably under her hood.

  The van started to slow down and she felt him move closer again. Thoughts ran through her head, all we need is a chance, we can do it, just shoulder the one with the gun, force his head into the van wall get the hoods off, take the drivers and escape. She felt Libero nudge into her and the notion was gone. The van travelled over some rough ground and stopped suddenly, Pamela found herself face first on the floor and embarrassingly struggled to lever herself back to a vertical base, she had never been as glad to have chosen jeans from the laundry van instead of her usual pencil business skirt.

  The van doors opened and she heard the voice of the man from the ring. ‘Bring him, leave the girl for now.'