by R. E. Graham
"Director Seneca said that he was going to be here in three days, and I am going to go wait for his arrival."
"Where at?" she called out to him.
"The only place I know that is probably safe!"
Eva sighed and chased after him.
Chapter 31
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 14
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Downtown Lucifer
The walk to Eva's old condo complex was thankfully uneventful. Varius had elected not to speak the entire time as he retreated in his mind to think. He did his best to shake his thoughts so he could check around him, but his mind kept pulling him back to think about Envy's offer.
I could finally get vengeance for them...
He glanced over to Eva who had taken the hint and remained quiet as they made their way through the busy sidewalks and backways to her previous home.
...but at what cost?
While he continued to process things, Eva was busy thinking herself. She managed to do a much better job of looking around them, but her heart ached for him.
As the two neared the large condominium, they passed by a storefront with holographic signs calling out to them and others who walked by heading about their way. One was of a heavyset man who shouted about low, low prices on used clothes while another flailed her arms around like a maniac trying to get attention drawn to the store.
All of these people are going about their day like nothing big is going on...
Finally, the two arrived at the entrance for the condo. The door opened automatically as they approached. A heavenly aroma of fresh desserts being baked somewhere on the first floor greeted the weary wanderers, but the Inquisitor had no time for such pleasantries. Eva's stomach growled fiercely at the smell of the sweet food.
"Oh, I'm so hungry."
"How did you survive as an inquisitor?" Varius asked keeping his voice low from the older couple that were exiting the building.
"What do you mean? I ate food when I was out on missions" she replied as she pushed the button for the elevator.
"You weren't afraid of being poisoned?"
Eva's face shown bright with shock. "No, why?"
Varius shrugged.
"I mean, yeah on certain missions I was more cautious, but most of the time I never felt in danger of getting a sandwich."
The Inquisitor couldn't help but chuckle at her outlook on a job that he held with such caution.
"You know, I think that is the first time you have ever genuinely laughed."
Trying to not make it more awkward, Varius didn't know what else to do but to clear his throat.
Eva looked over at him. "I like it. You should laugh more often."
"Yeah well, not much time for that these days" he said as the door to the elevator opened and they stepped inside.
Once the elevator reached the 15th floor it dinged. The doors opened, and they exited into foyer. Varius fell back into thinking about his choice again while Eva led the way. She scanned her thumb at the door and was surprised to see that the lights were on.
The Inquisitor recognized it too and instantly kicked into alert mode. He entered first and kept himself close to the wall as he did.
"Were in here!" shouted a female voice from within.
Varius visually sighed at the sight of Liberty and Knowledge. Without her helmet on, the bronze Keeper waved happily as the two came into the living room.
"Nice place you have here Eva" Knowledge said as he sat on the arm of the couch. "Kinda fancy for my tastes, but quaint."
"How did you..." Varius started to say.
"Know where to find you?" Knowledge finished.
Liberty pointed over to her comrade. "You can't tell, but that is his smug look."
"Well I can't tell much of anything since he always is wearing his helmet" the Inquisitor quipped as he found a chair to sit in. He sank lower than he thought he would and kind of bounced from the strong springs in the cushion.
Eva covered her mouth trying very hard not to let out a laugh. Instead she elected to continue the conversation. "How did you find this place?"
"I'm not called Knowledge for my looks" the dark blue Keeper said starkly.
Again, Liberty jumped into the back and forth. "Those big boxy things on the sides of his head contain tons of information."
"Like what?" Varius asked.
"Well, seeing as how we are just giving out deep secrets..." Knowledge said as he lowered his head.
"It's not a secret that you are called Knowledge because you know lots of things" Liberty grinned.
"Anyhow...to answer your question, basically anything and everything I ever see or hear is stored into my helmet's database."
"That must be quite the archive" Eva said.
The male Keeper nodded. "One of the largest in the Republic. Only challenged by the stream itself actually."
The Inquisitor was done with playing nice. "So, why are you here?"
"I know that you were talking to Director Seneca on Foundation about the situation here" Knowledge started. "Regrettably, my signal was compromised, and the conversation wasn't finished."
Eva sat straight up. "Wait, so you can hack into encrypted communication links?"
"Yeah, it really isn't that hard."
"How" Varius had to ask.
The blue Keeper just opened his arms. "Knowing things is what I do."
"Were you the one who called the KoP agents on us?" Eva asked suspiciously.
Liberty shook her head. "No, it wasn't us."
"What about last time" the ex-inquisitor inquired.
"No, we still don't know that one either" Knowledge said reluctantly.
Varius leaned back in his chair. "Is there a chance someone else has access to the same technology as you? Getting into encrypted communication links usually takes a big operation to pull off."
"It isn't likely. I have my own suspicions though" the male Keeper said as he stood up.
"Please, enlighten us" Varius replied sarcastically.
"I think that your gauntlet is the link to this."
The Inquisitor's face displayed full disagreement. "Not a chance. How would it be able to even do that only when I reach out to Director Seneca?"
"I'm not quite sure. It is also plausible that the KoP agents are being orchestrated by someone from within to allow you both to keep slipping through their grip, while also being drawn deeper into this hole. You said yourself that the Shadow Man thinks you are important" Knowledge said as he stepped up to the Inquisitor. "Now, I need to know what Seneca told you."
Varius took the Keeper's approach as a threat, so he stood up and stuck out his chest. His face's reflection was warped and distorted in the Keeper's face plate. "I don't have to tell you anything."
Eva sighed while Liberty rolled her eyes.
"Varius, we are on the same side" Eva pleaded.
"You think so? I keep feeling like they are on their own side. Sneaking around, only popping up here and there even though they know we could have used the backup."
"You don't get it, do you? We have been after the Shadow Man for cycles. He continues to elude us and this time we are as close as we have ever been by a long shot. I'm not going to apologize to some lawman and explain my decisions. You will cooperate with us."
"Or what?" Varius said as his fists clenched.
Liberty stood up and carefully walked up to the two men. She placed an armored hand onto her fellow Keeper and spoke softly. "There is no need for this. Please, Varius, we need your help to help us finally bring the Shadow Man down. We have to eliminate suspects and possible connections."
"You think that the Director is somehow linked to this?" Varius asked shocked by the veiled accusation.
"Tell us what you both talked about."
Varius let up as he felt Eva's hand on his own shoulder. He took a breath. "Alright, I updated him on what was going on here on Eden. He told me that I am supposed to go before the tribuna
l..."
"Knew that" Knowledge said matter-of-factly.
The Inquisitor shot him a wary glare then continued. "Then he told me that he was going to bring some other inquisitors he trusts and was going to come to Eden to help me."
"Didn't know that..." the blue Keeper said as he wandered away to think.
"How long did he say it would take him to get here?" the Keeper asked.
"Three rotations."
"What is it Kay?" Liberty asked as she walked over to him.
Knowledge turned back to face the Inquisitor. "Varius, I'm going to be open with you, our lead on the Shadow Man has gone cold. I want to clear Seneca of any suspicion, but his behavior seems quite irregular. There is clear protocol in the BCI about secret missions and he has failed to do his part. I am going to venture to guess that he is actually going to show up a rotation earlier than he said he would."
"What would that prove?" Varius asked before he crossed his arms again.
"For starters, I believe it would prove that he is connected to this in some way."
"I don't follow" Eva said confused.
"It is possible that my suspicions are all wrong, but something tells me that he is guilty."
"Not a chance! The Director has always been the straight arrow type. I have never seen him do anything questionable" Varius said defensively for his mentor.
"Except send you on a dangerous secret mission and allow you to get in the sights of an inquisitor tribunal where only he can rescue you. If I'm wrong, it would give us another ally on Eden. I do not want the Shadow Man escaping us again. Next time we find him, we need to end this."
"If it makes you feel any better, you can follow us to our meetup location" the Inquisitor suggested.
"Already was planning on it" Knowledge replied arrogantly.
"Going by procedure, he will signal my gauntlet when he arrives on world. Until then, we will not be able to reach one another."
Knowledge began to head for the door as he said, "Alright, I want you both to wait here until that time."
Eva followed him towards the door. "Wait, how will we contact you?"
"Don't worry, I'll know where and when to meet up."
Liberty’s helmet formed around her petite face. "Please understand, we must locate the Shadow Man. There is too much at stake here. Millions of lives could be hanging on what happens in the next few rotations."
The Inquisitor nodded, and the Keeper started for the door. Her heavy steps thumped on the floor as she exited the condo.
Eva returned to the living room. "I'm not sure how I feel about this."
"Me either, but we need all the help we can get to bring an end to this."
"Have you made a decision yet on Envy's offer?" she asked hoping to not hear the wrong answer.
"No."
“You must see that this is a trick.”
Varius shook his head before he walked over to the couch and laid down. “At this point, I don’t know who to trust. All I do know, is that if I am given the chance to kill the man who took everything from me, I will take it.”
Chapter 32
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 16
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Downtown Lucifer
Two rotations passed while Varius and Eva laid low in her old condo. They had only gone out once to purchase some food, but otherwise stayed inside. The Inquisitor had much on his mind and remained fairly introverted despite Eva’s attempt at starting conversations.
With midday light beaming through the condo windows on the East side, Varius found himself at his companion’s meticulously crafted wooden table. He took a large bite of some gocho, a locally grown vegetable exclusively found on Eden. It’s moist yet chalky consistency was covered by its naturally salty flavor.
As he chewed his crunchy food loudly the Inquisitor happened to notice a small scratch in the table’s top. Before he knew it, he had discovered the table was covered in the tiny imperfections. Gently he touched the markings with his calloused hand.
“Those are from my son” Eva said startling Varius. She had quietly approached from behind and leaned up against the wall.
The man tried to brush it off as if she didn’t surprise him as he cleared his throat and took another bite of his food. “My table used to look like this. Not as fancy of course.”
“Yeah, my husband loved to show off his success” she said as she moved around the table and took a seat. “He used to say, “We don’t get to take it with us when we die” so he always wanted the best.”
Varius avoided making eye contact with her as he could hear the pain in her voice from recalling memories from long ago.
“My wife uh, she…she used to cook the best homemade meals” the Inquisitor said as he played with the remaining stalks of gocho on his plate. A smile spread across his face as he recalled his own happy yet painful memories. “She was an unbelievable cook. Knew how to make all of my favorite foods…still haven’t found anything that compares to what she could make.”
Eva placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. She caressed the table but remained silent as her mind played joyful scene after scene of happy faces of her son and husband. “I miss them both so much.” She noticed Varius watching her and sniffed deeply before taking a moment to regain her composure.
“I know though that one day I will see them again.”
“What makes you say that?” Varius asked interested but also guessing he knew the answer coming.
“Well, because of my faith.”
The Inquisitor shook his head. “And what makes your religion different than the dozens of others out there in the ‘verse?”
“Well, for one, I have actually seen one of the fallen now.”
“You mean Envy?” Varius asked as he leaned back in his chair.
The woman nodded. “Varius, please, you can’t listen to him. He is a deceiver.”
Not wanting to hear her prattle on more about what he needed to do, the Inquisitor looked away.
“Look, I understand your hesitation from hearing me talk about my beliefs. I was a lot like you cycles ago. My focus was the job and serving the Republic. I had no time for guardians, daemons or anything spiritual.”
“I get you are worried Eva, but I am not ruling anything out. Right now, my focus is on my mission. That’s it.”
The woman opened her mouth to say something when Varius’ gauntlet chirped. Both of them looked at one another before he lifted up his arm to see that Marth could not identify who the incoming caller was. He pressed a button on the gauntlet’s screen and said, “Hello?”
“Varius, this is Director Seneca. I just arrived on world. We need to speak. I have news.”
“Director it is good to hear from you. Eva and I have been hiding out waiting for you. I thought you said that you would be arriving tomorrow?”
Eva shook her head but Varius gave her an annoyed look.
“Things moved faster on my end than I thought they would. Tell me where you are located and we will meet with you” Seneca said.
Instantly the woman’s eyes opened wide and she shook her head anxiously. Varius got the hint. “Well uh, I think we should meet somewhere that isn’t being watched. We aren’t in a good place to discuss private matters.”
“Understood. I will transmit you coordinates. Be there in an hour.”
“Yessir” the Inquisitor replied just before the connection was cut.
A few seconds later Marth received the location for their meeting location. “Coordinates received Inquisitor.”
“Knowledge said that Seneca would get here early” Eva said as her eyes implored him to connect the dots.
Varius stood up and stretched his back. “The Director is an honorable man. You will not question him any further. If you want to tag along you can, but I don’t want to hear anymore dissention about him.”
Eva lowered her head and shoulders in sadness.
An hour later the pair was walkin
g up to a big gray structure in the retail district of Lucifer. They navigated between shoppers trying to not draw any attention towards themselves. Eva always wanted to appear tough, but she couldn’t stand sneaking through crowds, always constantly worried someone was going to identify them.
She leaned towards Varius as they neared the gray building where Seneca waited for them and slid her arm through his. “Do you think the Keepers are going to attend our meeting?”
The Inquisitor shrugged despite the tingly feeling he felt inside at Eva’s surprise gesture. “Doesn’t matter to me. I’m just glad to be getting some backup.”
Up ahead, a lone male inquisitor waited outside the structure. While dressed in traditional uniform for the order, he had been leaning against a stack of boxes nearby the front door. Both he and Varius recognized one another.
Daltar Davis…
Inquisitor Davis stood up slowly then turned and went inside.
Something didn’t seem right to Eva. “Varius, this feels like a trap. We need to wait for Knowledge.”
“Absolutely not!” Varius whispered angrily. “We don’t need his help. That was Inquisitor Davis. Like the Director, he is a good man.”
Eva shook her head but continued to inspect the building as they strolled up to the door. Detecting motion, the twin metal doors slid open and a small cool breeze blew out.
The foyer of the building was well lit and brought a smile to the Inquisitor’s face. “You see, things are already looking up.”
“But where is Davis?”
“This isn’t a trap.” To prove his point, Varius boldly entered through the doorway. His sudden advancement yanked his arm free of Eva’s.
There wasn’t anything that the ex-inquisitor could place her finger on, but everything in her said to run. She knew though that she couldn’t abandon Varius to whatever waited inside. Not to mention, she knew she could be wrong.
The doors slid shut as Eva followed after her companion. What was strange was that there were no sounds. Even though there was plenty of foot traffic outside, no one was in sight.
“Maybe this is an undercover government facility” Varius said as he looked around.
