The First Conception_Rise of Eris

by Nesly Clerge

The attendant was finishing Lauren’s bath when I returned to the room. One person I loved was about to be bathed for the last time. The other would have many baths for years to come. I had a daughter now, and she needed me.

  “I’ll take over,” I said.

  “You’re not scheduled until eight tonight.”

  “Tell them to change the schedule. Have someone relieve me at seven tomorrow morning.”

  “Maybe you ought to reconsider. You look like you need as much care as this little one.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I heard a lot of activity out there. What’s going on?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  She handed a swaddled Lauren to me and left. I curled up on the single bed, placing my daughter between me and the wall. We cried ourselves to sleep.

  The next morning, I found Abigail had left three messages on my phone and an equal number of text messages. She’d have to wait.

  CHAPTER 75

  A blown-up photo of a laughing Patricia rested on an easel next to her closed coffin. Thankfully, the weather cooperated. So many women attended, the memorial had to be held outside on the grounds. The procession to the graveyard was the largest the city had ever had to coordinate.

  Afterwards, everyone returned to headquarters, where testimonial after testimonial was offered long into the night.

  At one point, Connie sidled up next to me. “We’re going to have to do something about our prisoner. We’re getting tired of feeding him.”

  I pulled her away from anyone who might overhear. “I’d forgotten about him. With what was going on with Patricia and Lauren, and the arrangements for this.”

  “We know. And don’t worry about it. Keeping him on ice isn’t a problem. But we can’t do it indefinitely, nor do we want to.”

  “What have you done with him so far?”

  Connie shrugged. “We’ve asked him politely to tell us who he is and what’s going on.”

  “And?”

  “He’s a clam. Now it’s time to ask him a little less politely.”

  “I want to be there. I have questions and won’t leave without answers.”

  “I figured as much. That’s why I waited.”

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. Abigail. “Excuse me while I take this.”

  I answered and told Abigail to hold on while I looked for a place where I could be alone. “Sorry. I had to get where I could hear and speak.”

  “I’m surprised you answered at all.”

  “A lot has been going on here.”

  “Don’t try to tell me you couldn’t find even one second to text me back.”

  “It wasn’t the right time.”

  “Speaking of what’s right, you have no right to ignore me. I’ve always been there for you.”

  I allowed the silence and distance between us to hang in the air for several moments then said, “I have more important things to be concerned with than your exploits.”

  “That’s only because you don’t have any of your own.”

  “I’m hanging up.”

  “Sure. Run away from your problems, just like you always do.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

  I ended the call and located Connie. “I say we conduct our Q&A tomorrow.”

  “Friggin’ A. Mind if I warm him up ahead of time?”

  “Whatever works for you works for me. But just warm him.”

  “Like a toaster set on light.”

  CHAPTER 76

  I’d arranged to take the day off, at least until eight that night, when I’d take over with Lauren. I met Connie in her office at nine that morning, and together we made our way to yet another private space below ground level, one Patricia had never revealed to me, and located in another part of the building. It was a basic utility room, minus the security entrance features required for the other rooms.

  I followed Connie into the small brightly lit room constructed out of concrete everywhere but the ceiling, which was comprised of solid wood beams. Three women from the security team were seated at a folding metal table. They looked up and nodded when we entered.

  At the opposite end of the room, their captive sat duct-taped to a metal chair positioned over a drain installed in the floor. His head hung toward his chest. Dried blood smeared his face. His pinkie fingers lay on the floor on either side of his chair.

  “You warmed him up all right,” I said. “Any results?”

  “Nope.”

  The man raised his head, sneered and spit blood in our direction.

  I whispered something to Connie. She nodded and left the room.

  “You will talk,” I said to him.

  He laughed and grimaced in pain. “If these Amazon bitches couldn’t get me to say anything, what makes you think a runt like you will?”

  “I know something they don’t.”

  The briefest flicker of fear mixed with doubt reflected in his eyes.

  Minutes later, Connie returned carrying a glass bottle sealed with a glass stopper obtained from the science lab. “They didn’t even blink when I asked for it.”

  I took the bottle from her and walked closer to the man. “In this bottle is H-Two-S-Oh-Four.” I turned to Connie. “How’s the ventilation in this room?”

  “Top-notch. And there’s that.”

  She pointed to a large ceiling fan, like an attic fan found in older homes before central air and heat became a staple. It was recessed in the corner of the ceiling to my left, which was why I’d failed to notice it. “Does it run quiet?”

  “Yep.”

  “Better switch it on.”

  I turned back to the man. “Since your expression went blank at the mention of the chemical formula, I’ll explain. In this bottle is sulfuric acid, otherwise known as oil of vitriol.” I sneered. “Now it’s registering. Then you know about its strong acidic properties, especially if it’s concentrated, which the content of this bottle is.

  “When applied to the skin, it causes burns upon contact, as well as secondary burns through dehydration. Did you know that?” He didn’t answer so I continued. “This acid is hygroscopic. That means it absorbs moisture from the air. Imagine what that means for skin. You can stop me from using it if you answer our questions.”

  “Go screw yourself.”

  I removed the glass stopper and allowed one drop to fall onto the jean-covered thigh of his right leg. He screamed obscenities at us in response to the agony caused.

  “Will you talk now?”

  “Screw you and every bitch in this place.”

  “Unzip his pants.”

  His eyes opened wide as Connie moved toward him.

  “You’re all crazy,” he shouted.

  Connie undid the button of his jeans.

  He struggled against his restraints. “You’re not fooling me. You’re not going to do it.”

  Connie dragged the zipper down. She pulled nitrile gloves from one of her pockets and slipped them on. “No way am I touching that thing bare-handed.”

  When she opened the fly on his boxers, he said, “Wait. Okay. I’ll talk. First, give me some water.”

  Connie picked up a plastic water bottle from the table, popped up the drinking nozzle and held it to his mouth.” He gulped half the bottle.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  He licked water droplets from his lips. “My name doesn’t matter.”

  “That answer doesn’t satisfy me.” I glanced at Connie. “Does it satisfy you?”

  “Nope.”

  He looked from Connie back to me. “Damn it. My name’s not in any system. I’m a ghost.”

  I moved forward, my hand on the stopper. “Do ghosts dissolve in acid?”

  “All right. I’m part of an elite team.”

  “Keep going.”

  “We were hired by the government to take WAM down.”

  “Why?”

  “They know what’s going on here. The stuff the public doesn’t know about.”

  “How do the
y know?”

  He pressed his lips into a tight line. I twisted the stopper.

  “All right, damn it. There’s a mole in the organization.”

  “Give me a name.”

  “No way the government’s going to let you bitches carry out your mission.”

  “Who’s the mole?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I pulled the stopper out. “Tell us, and I won’t use this. Tell us, and I’ll let you live.”

  “I swear I don’t know. We weren’t given a name, just that it’s someone at the top.”

  Connie and I looked at each other. Her stunned expression shifted to one of fury in a flash.

  “Any suspicions?” I asked her.

  “Zip. You?”

  “I can’t even begin to imagine.”

  The man coughed and spat off to the side. “That’s all I can tell you because that’s all I know. We were told how to get into the first room and given a code that was supposed to give access to a hallway. We were told entry after that required facial recognition, which is why we had explosives along to blow the other doors so we’d gain access to the underground sections. The code we were given didn’t work.”

  “What was the code?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “It was given to the team leader only. When we found out the code didn’t work, we started prepping to blow that door as well. Then that Hill woman came into her office and found us in the anteroom. We thought we hit the jackpot, but she wouldn’t cooperate.”

  “How many of you raped her?”

  “Shit, lady.”

  I removed the stopper.

  “All of us had a turn.”

  I said to Connie, “How many were there?”

  “We counted nine.”

  I faced him. “Nine.”

  “It usually takes just the first one, maybe three guys, to get a woman to talk.”

  “In those circumstances, what do you do, toss a coin?”

  He shrugged.

  His indifference turned my anger to ice. “She wouldn’t cooperate, so you all—”

  “It’s the adrenaline rush, you know? It makes you do crazy shit.”

  “Did you beat her before or after the rapes?”

  “She wouldn’t cooperate.”

  “Same question.”

  “After.” He grinned. “Too messy if you beat ‘em first. Ruins the moment, if you get my drift.”

  I pulled the stopper from the bottle and walked up to him.

  He squirmed against his restraints. “I told you everything. I swear. I told you everything. Look, just take me to the woods somewhere and drop me off. I can’t go back to the team. If you’re caught, you’re out. Out of all of it. I’m on my own now. Persona non grata.”

  Carefully, I poured a third of the acid onto his genitals. As the acid did its work, I poured a third over his heart. The top of his skull received the final third, and the acid worked its way through his skull to his brain. His screams lasted longer than I’d anticipated.

  I faced Connie and the other women. “I suggest you hose him down and wear protective gloves and clothing when you remove him.”

  Connie said, “We’ll handle disposal. We have someone who’s an expert.”

  “The sanitation worker. You can trust her?”

  “Tested and proven.”

  One of the women rushed to a corner and vomited.

  One of the other women, whose eyes were fixed on the man, said to me, “I didn’t know you had it in you, Katherine.”

  “It was the adrenaline rush, you know? Makes you do crazy shit.” I placed the stopper into the empty bottle. “He was a fool, or thought we were, if he believed we’d let him go.” I shook my head. “Men. They still don’t comprehend what we might do if they push us to the edge. Or over it.”

  Connie blew loose hair from her face. “Friggin’ A.”

  CHAPTER 77

  Agatha called a meeting of the top women, which included me. I counted thirteen of us around the table in one of the larger conference rooms. Fourteen in total, with Agatha standing at one end. I’d had limited or no interaction with most of them.

  Agatha tapped her pen against the table. All present ceased talking. “Patricia left instructions, should anything happen to her, which are in this sealed envelope.” She took a moment to compose herself then held up a letter-size envelope from the WAM stationary supply. “It was to be opened and read in front of all of you, in the event of her … which I’ll do now.” She used a letter opener, withdrew the folded single sheet of paper, and began to read.

  “It’s a line said in movies and novels, and though I don’t mean to sound trite, it fits the moment, because if this letter is being read to you, it means I’m no longer with you.

  “What a remarkable life I’ve had with all of you at my side. You’ve given so much of yourselves—your time, energy, and, yes, funds—to fulfill our purpose in, and for, our world.

  “Some of you have been with me nearly from the start. No matter how long you’ve been a dedicated member, I can never thank you—each of you—enough. And I hope you’ll understand when I say—call it intuition, perhaps, or simply commonsense—but after great consideration, I began to groom one of our members to take over for me in such an event.”

  A number of women at the table glanced at Agatha, Brenda, and Lavender.

  “Katherine Barnes is that person. She is to take over my position as head of WAM. Access to everything is hers. I know she’s capable. More than capable. I trust each of you to give her any assistance she needs, to heed her advice and directions, and to give her the same loyalty you’ve given to me and our organization. Our sisters depend on each of you, and we depend on each other.

  “I ask you to do everything possible to succeed beyond our most dearly-held desire to achieve our goal.

  “With all my love and heartfelt appreciation. Patricia.”

  Agatha folded the letter, placed it back in the envelope and said, “Katherine, as our new leader, the meeting is now yours.”

  She walked around the table to where I sat speechless. I scraped back my chair and stood, too baffled to say anything.

  Agatha handed the envelope to me then embraced me. “Go on, Katherine. Your chair at the head of the table is waiting. We’re all waiting.”

  I took my position and looked at each woman in turn, noting their expressions of anticipation, puzzlement, and so forth. Connie winked at me.

  I cleared my throat. “First, I must tell you that I had no idea this was Patricia’s plan. I thought her involving me with new responsibilities was solely to assist her, to familiarize me with the inner workings so my assistance was accurate and productive. But this …

  “Because I’m as surprised as you are by this transition, I ask you to give me a few days to comb through Patricia’s records to further familiarize myself with all she took care of. There may be several rough patches as we move forward, but with your help, we can get through and beyond them. For now, I suggest four of you alternate leading the monthly meetings. You can decide among yourselves who’s best suited to that task.” I lowered my head. “I’d give anything to have her standing here instead of me.”

  I brushed tears from my face, remembered how often Patricia had handed me a tissue, and looked up. “She’s entrusted me to fulfill the various purposes of our organization. I’ll do my best to pay tribute to her. And to you. We’ll meet again in the next several days, once I have a more thorough understanding of what’s involved. Meeting adjourned.”

  The women scooted their chairs back and made their way to me. Hugs and congratulations were exchanged. It seemed to me their generous comments were genuine.

  I reminded myself that one of them was a traitor.

  CHAPTER 78

  Agatha, Brenda, and Connie followed me into Patricia’s office, now my office. I closed the door and started a pot of coffee.

  Brenda settled onto one end of the sofa. “Katherine, you really had no idea what Patricia had planned for
you?”

  I turned and rested against the credenza. “None whatsoever. I was as gobsmacked as I’m certain all of you and the others were.” My gaze drifted to Patricia’s favored and empty chair. “I can’t get used to the idea of her being gone. It doesn’t seem to matter how many people you lose, does it? Regarding the pain and vacuum it creates, I mean.”

  Brenda nodded. “Each one is a unique loss.”

  We sat in silence until the coffee was made and distributed in Patricia’s china cups. I took a sip and turned to Connie. “What about security? They may come back.”

  “Beefed up, like we’re expecting an invasion. Any man tries to get in or even puts a toe on the property without authorization, he’ll regret it faster than he can blink. We’ll be cautious about women not known to us as well.”

  I nodded and looked at Agatha. “Obviously, my schedule will have to change.”

  “I’ll be sorry to lose you.”

  “Any medical service I can provide in a pinch, please ask. However, keep me scheduled for nights with Lauren. How long before you think she’ll be well and strong enough to leave?”

  “Another month, to be safe. Maybe a bit more. However, you’ll need sitter care during work hours once she’s released. We’ll help you arrange that here so you have constant access to her anytime.”

  Connie said, “I’ll set up a designated security team to take care of her. Don’t want to take any chances, not even with members we trust. Anything happens, they wouldn’t be equipped to handle it.”

  I gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”

  Agatha nodded her approval. “Is there anything we can do for you now?”

  I shook my head. “I need to start going through everything.”

  Agatha stood. “Then we need to let you get on with it. Come, ladies. We all have work to do. Katherine, let us know if you need anything.”

  “I will. Connie, please stay for a moment.”

  Brenda and Agatha kissed me on the cheek and left.

  Connie leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “You didn’t mention the mole to them. Any reason?”

  I made eye contact with her. “It’s a delicate predicament.”

  “No kidding. Any plans for how to find out who it is?”