She sees the teacup I left earlier that morning and states, "Tea. I love tea." She turns wide eyed like a kid asking for a piece of candy. "Could I have some, please? I haven't had tea in a long time."
"Tea?"
I glance at the kettle on the stove then at my purse. She has to be joking; she has to be here to kill me. I'm not sure what to do, but then I think of Topa's Closing. Maybe I can find out what was going on there, so I'll play along for now, and I answer her, "Sure, why not. Let's have some tea. Is black okay?"
I don't wait for an answer as I carefully position my purse on the counter, so I'll have quick access to my gun.
"Yes, black tea is fine."
Keeping a close tab on that woman, I fill the kettle, place the stainless steel pot on the burner, and turn it on high. "So..." I place two sets of cups and saucers on the counter. "Who are you and why have you come to see me?"
Katharine's view...
Heavyhearted over Preacher's death and still weary from the endless running, I laugh a melancholy chuckle as I stare at the table. "That's a good question."
I reach into my pant's pocket for my dearest possessions; they've been with me since the beginning, and maybe now one of them will lead me to the answers I desperately seek and a place I yearn to belong.
Kimberly's view...
When that woman reaches into her pockets, I go for my purse and start to grab my gun until I see the items that woman removes. She places a small silver box, two business cards, and a worn paper on the table, and then she opens the paper. She answers as she seems to be studying the writing, "Katharine, I think. If this note is meant for me."
I could shoot her now that that woman's distracted and end this game. The kettle shrieks, stealing away the moment, so I turn the burner off, remove the pot, and pour hot water into the cups. The aroma of orange fills the air as I say, "Note? I don't understand."
"Huh?" She turns to me. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't. You see, I don't know who I am." She looks back to the items. "The only clues to my identity are these three things." She seems unsure herself as she adds, "At least, I think they are."
What an unlikely story. I carry the two saucers to the table with my purse strapped over my shoulder as I try to figure out her ploy. I set a teacup in front of her and one at my spot. Either that woman is very clever or very stupid.
"See..." she says as she gives the paper to me.
I read the note, "Katharine, you must not fail; this is your last chance to redeem yourself. I know you can complete your mission, my dearest Kat. I am counting on you. Signed, R.G." I peer up from the note. "Who is R.G.?"
She shrugs.
"I don't understand. What does this have to do with me?" I ask as I hand back the note.
She folds the paper, picks up the business cards, and then explains to me, "For the past year, I've been trying to figure out how these clues fit in my life, and now I've found a person who belongs to one of these items." She slides the red speckled card across the table. "I found this at Topa's." She places the second one beside the other. "This one I've had."
I look over the blood covered business card I left beside Topa, pick up the second business card, and ask, "Where did you get this one?" I examine it more closely. "This is an earlier design from years ago."
Katharine's view...
"I'll start from the beginning."
I dip the tea bag in my hot water several times, drain the bag with a spoon, and place it on the saucer. I breathe in its citrus scent and stare at the brownish liquid. Sitting here seems so familiar to me like I've been here before.
"About a year ago, I awoke in the abandoned Etna Toys Plant and Warehouse with no memory. Beside me on a table was this note–" I begin as I tap the paper and point to the other two items, "–that business card, and this music box." I look to the backpack on the couch where I stowed the Beretta. With aversion to having to carry the gun, I add, "And one other item."
"What you're saying is, you don't know who you are, and you think because you have one of my business cards, you're supposed to find me? Okay... You have. Now what?"
After picking up the honey bear, I draw a smiley face on the spoon and whisper, "Fly... fly away, sad, sad day."
Kimberly's view...
I wonder what that woman's doing playing with the honey. She has to be out of her mind coming into my home like we're friends.
"Now what?" that woman repeats my question as she shrugs. "I don't know. I was hoping you knew me." She seems to be examining my face again as she inquires, "Are you sure we haven't met? You look very familiar, but I can't place you. It's kind of like when you wake from a dream. You know something happened, but all the details are fuzzy."
"No, we haven't met," I answer, irritated, and then I remember our first meeting at Topa's estate and decide I might as well get some information from her before I eliminate that woman, so I state, "I am curious. What were those things you killed at the estate? Were they some kind of robot and why were they there?"
Her gaze becomes distant, exhausted, and dismal as she replies, "They're bio-mechas, model Un-Men." She flushes as if she is a little embarrassed. "They were there to hunt me."
"Hunt you?" I chuckle, thinking she made it up. "Why are you so important?"
"I don't know. They call me the Pandora Project."
"They? Who are they?"
"The Council. A man named Argus said they were monitoring me and watching me through the tests." She mutters as her eyes show fatigue, "And there have been so many tests."
"Pandora?" I inquire and then I remember a story I heard long ago. "I've heard of her; she was a woman who opened a sealed box from Zeus and let all good escape from existence, so are you supposed to be the woman who doomed the world?"
Katharine's view...
"Let all good escape?" I utter. I never considered the significance of the project name.
Kimberly answers nonchalantly, "Yes, Pandora caused Mankind to suffer."
I stare out the window at the dark day for a few moments, wondering if my destiny is to make people suffer. I don't want anyone to get hurt, so many people have already been hurt because they knew me. I feel conflicted inside about my purpose.
"I guess this was another dead end," I tell Kimberly as I push back my chair. "I guess my search continues. I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll show myself out."
"Are you so naive?" Kimberly stands and reaches into her purse. "Idiot! Do you know what I do for a living?"
"You're Kimberly Griffin." I glance at the business cards on the table. "You're the Phoenix." I pause as the horrible realization sinks in. "You're a Life Closer." I stare at the splattered blood on one of the cards. "You kill people." Appalled by my own naivety and Kimberly's apparent ruthlessness, I turn my gaze to her. "You kill people for money."
"Idiot! And to think I was worried I let you slip by at Topa's estate." Kimberly removes her gun and screws on its silencer. "You do understand I can't let you live." She shakes her head in a tisk-tisk manner. "You've seen my face, know my alias, and even been in my apartment." Her expression shows outrage and disbelief. "I don't think I've ever met someone so stupid!" Kimberly takes a moment to regain her cold detached demeanor. "You were searching for me, hoping to find answers, but–" With indifference and a just business attitude, she raises the gun and aims it at me as she says, "–all you've found is your death."
Chapter Fourteen
A Forgotten Melody
8:32 A.M...
Katharine's view...
I look down the barrel of Kimberly's gun, wondering how I could be so wrong. It's not the first time I've stared at death, but it's unexpected, and in confusion, I turn to the table and gaze at the three items that led me to this point. I have been foolish, and I fist my hands. I believed the items were clues, and if I followed them, I would find answers not my end. I close my eyes in frustration. I have been stupid feeling so safe here.
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Kimberly's view...
I prepare to kill this strange woman. Her death will be like countless other Closings I've performed in the past except this one will involve more paperwork, and it'll be the first one I have executed inside my apartment. I notice she doesn't panic and doesn't plead for her life like most Marks do. That woman only stares at the gun and then she closes her eyes as if she deserves her death. A little surprised by her actions, I ask, "Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Do you understand you're going to die?"
Katharine's view...
I open my eyes and rub my forehead, remembering the wound I had when I first awoke in Etna Toys. The urgency of the situation finally sinks in, and my attitude changes as I repeat Kimberly's words, "You can't let me live?"
I feel my demeanor transform from a wide eyed child to the fierce glare of a cornered tigress. I look to the backpack that holds my gun, but it's across the room. I consider this could be one of the tests and that Kimberly might just be another assassin hired by the Council. I go over in my mind how to incapacitate her. I still can't believe I let my guard down. My face softens as I think about how I felt so at home here. I stare at the tea, not wanting to hurt Kimberly. It's like I'm cursed to always end up in these situations.
"Idiot," Kimberly utters in a calm voice as she places the muzzle of the gun against my temple. "It's going to be messy; your brains will splatter all over my table and wall. Why couldn't you have died at Topa's estate?"
Ignoring her, I glance at the clues to my life. What's the point in fighting or in fleeing? I pick up the music box. What does it matter if Kimberly kills me or I fall prey to one of the Un-Men or some other assassin? I heave a great sigh as if it'll be my last breath on Earth. I'm tired, so I open the lid to the music box, and the melody plays. I'm tired of the tests, and I'm tired of being alone. I feel myself slipping into the Drifting Time as the tune continues, then my eyes slowly close, I go into a trance, and enter the Drifting Time, but this one's different than the ones before. Within it, I enter the domain of dreams, and in this realm of my subconscious, no Dry Clouds exist, the sun shines on the land, governments not corporations rule the Earth, and no one hunts me. I drift in this world on my stomach as if floating on a peaceful river. A breeze blows at my back, and the air smells crisp and clean. I pass over large cities and small villages. I fly over many races of Man. I float over forests, hills, deserts, oceans, islands, plains, lakes, jungles, mountains, and streams. I believe I recognize a few of the places, but I can't remember their names. The dream seems endless until the wind changes. A torrent of air blows against me and slows my progression as a shadow casts over the land, invading the peacefulness. A male voice laughs, and the sun flees as Dry Clouds storm in and plunge the land into perpetual night. I feel afraid as I glide over this dark world, seeing no more of the places and people I saw. Everything's different and darker in their appearance and atmosphere. I stop midair as if I slam into an invisible wall, then an unknown force pulls me, and I plummet to the earth. The force also affects time, and as I drop, I grow younger till I reach my early teens. My descent slows, and my thirteen year old body lands feet first in a white tiled room, and in the room, people talk with muffled words. Two women's figures appear, but they have no faces.
One of the faceless women places her hands on my shoulders and tells me, "Katharine, you must be strong. I can no longer protect you." The woman looks to a door, hearing footsteps approach what appears to be an office, and then the faceless woman turns back to me. "There are those in the corporation that want to exploit you."
The doorknob jiggles as someone tries to enter, and I hear one of the women speak again, but I'm not sure which one it is.
"Rosetta, they're here. Hurry."
"Quick, Mary. Push the desk against the door. I need more time!"
One of the women kneels to one knee to look into my face and tells me, "They will take you. I can't stop them, not with the power I have now."
Someone outside tries to bust in the door.
One of the women yells frantic, "Hurry! They're coming."
"Be strong, Katharine." One of the women strokes my cheek. "My dearest Kat."
A small explosion removes the door from its hinges, and it falls as five soldiers rush in.
Chapter Fifteen
Portraits Of Her Past
Dawn, dusk, and twilight did not exist in Noir since the sun no longer ruled over the land. Shadows gathered in the park across the street from Nexus Apartments and held position, and the gathering stared at the building, knowing their target lay within. The shadows detected an electronic barrier surrounding the building, and like a magical curtain, it prevented the glowing eyed monsters from entering, so for the moment, they would wait till the prey came to them.
Within Apartment H...
Kimberly's view...
All I have to do to rid myself of this strange woman is pull the trigger, and then she'll be gone from my life like any other Mark I have come across on my morbid travels. I only need to continue walking the path my bleak and lonely existence has already led me down, but a split second of time changes the course of both our fates. Unfinished Melody chimes from the music box that woman holds, filling the room with a familiar tune. Louder and louder the music grows until the melody incites a trigger and ghastly images inundate my mind. I hear the roar and smell of fire, screams that chill my soul, and the distinct sound of three shots. My head throbs, and I gasp as horrible pictures buried deep in my brain force their way to the surface. Memories of my mom rapidly flood my consciousness, making me feel sad, alone, and abandoned.
"Stop it!" I yell, but the tune chimes on, pulling from my psyche portraits of my past I long buried.
I separated myself from those happy moments that died when my mom left my family, but they come screaming back. I need to rid my mind of them, but that woman didn't respond to my demand, caught within the recesses of her own mind, so I slap her hand. I knock the music box to the floor, and as I slap her hand, I inadvertently move my gun away from her head.
"I said stop it!!"
The music box closes as it hits the carpet, and the melody ends. I stare at it for a few moments, turn my attention back to that woman, and snap, "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it won't work on me. Do you hear me? Are you going to stay silent? Aren't you going to plead for your life? No? Well it wouldn't have done you any good."
I start to move the gun back to her head.
Katharine's view...
Within my dream, five soldiers barge into the white tiled room, and Rosetta and Mary scream as three shots resound, and then all fades to black.
"No!" I scream as I pull from my trance, swing my hand up and back, and shout, "Mary! Rosetta!"
I knock Kimberly's gun to the side, and it goes off, and a bullet strikes the wall. The gun blast lights up Kimberly's surprised face. Still caught within the drama of my dream, I make a fist, pull it back to hit her, and pause, realizing I'm no longer standing in the white tiled room, but in the apartment. There's no fire or soldiers, and no one's in danger but myself. I slowly blink, frozen in place, and then I lower my hand.
I caught Kimberly off guard, but she quickly recovers, and she aims the gun back at me. I ignore her at first as I cling to what I remember while in the Drifting Time. I can't hold on to the memories for very long, and they slowly leave me. I turn to Kimberly and realize I hit her, and I'm worried I might have hurt her.
"I'm sorry," I tell her as the last remnants of the dream world fade away. "I didn't mean to..."
Kimberly's view...
"Who are you?" I interrupt as my emotions overwhelm me. I haven't felt such fear or heartache in a very long time, and I don't understand why I'm feeling them now. It doesn't make sense, so I demand, "Why are you here?"
My head continues to throb as I step back from the table, getting some distance between myself and that strange woman.
Katharine's view...
I notice her trembling hand and that her eyes are watering, and I feel a little pang in my chest and ask, "Are you crying?"
"No," Kimberly replies as she wipes her eyes. "Shut up and sit there!" She rubs her throbbing temple and asks, "Who sent you?"
I cross my arms and pout, "You just told me to shut up, so how can I..."
"Ah!!" Kimberly yells as she grabs my t-shirt, balls it in her hand, and demands, "Who sent you?"
I drop my arms to my side as I repeat, "Sent me?"
She loses her professionalism, and like a common thug, Kimberly thrust her gun in my face and yells, "Yes, who sent you to mess with my head?" She releases my t-shirt and puts that hand on the gun to steady her shaky aim.
"No one," I tell her, and then I add, "I'm with no one." I'm very concerned that I might have hurt her, so I start to stand as I ask, "Are you all right?"
Kimberly's view...
"Don't move! Sit right there!" I scream at that woman as I take another step back, getting squeamish. Since the flood of memories, I've felt as if we're not alone and that some person has been watching us. My headache fades as I glance at a shelf in between the entry and the living room where my mom's picture rests. My mom's photo gazes at me and watches me threaten that woman, and my mom's eyes are more alive than ever.
I whisper to the picture, "I can't take a life with you staring at me." I lower my gun as I question her as if she's here, "Why did you forsake me? Why did you abandon me?"
Katharine's view...
I look to where Kimberly's looking, and I see a photo, and at first, I think the picture's of Kimberly, but then I realize the lady with blonde hair pulled back in a bun isn't her. The blonde lady seems familiar, but I can't place her.
"Is that your mo..." I start to ask, then I put a hand to my chest.
lub-DUB... lub-DUB...
I quickly turn and stare out the window down at the street. I feel the urgency to flee as Ultra-Epi courses through my blood, and I utter, "They're here."
"Who's here?" Kimberly questions me still notably upset.
"The Un-Men," I reply as I point. "They're just outside."