"Don't worry," I tell him. "Help will be coming, hang in there. You have to. You can't leave me alone." I lean to him, pleading, "I can't bear my life without you, so please... stay with me."
I lean back, looking at the man who has been there when I wake screaming in the middle of the night in the shelter, the man who held my hand and stayed by my side for three days when I had been shot, and the man who didn't care that bio-mechas hunted me or that I'm the Pandora Project.
His eyes are closed, and he looks as if he's sleeping. I notice there's something missing about him, not something physical but spiritual. I know it's too late as my heart realizes what my mind has kept from it, and I finally allow myself to believe he's gone.
"Not you!" I scream. "Not you!!" I shake him and cry, "Noo!" I cradle his head in my arms and wail to the heavens as I beg him, "Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"
My heart aches, and my eyes swelter with a dry grief as I'm unable to shed a tear. It never tortured me before that I couldn't cry, but now I wonder if it's because I'm some thing like a bio-mecha who's not capable of expressing grief.
I sit there for minutes, holding Preacher in my arms as his blood saturates my t-shirt, then I rest my head on his, and whisper, "Forgive me, I should have been here. You told me not to go to the meeting and that it might be a trap, but I didn't listen. I had to go; I had to find that scrap." I sniff before continuing, "I should have listened, but no... I had to find out if the man knew anything about my past, but he wasn't there. No one was there."
I notice Argus' shadow that's stretches down the alley, and I wonder if the Council's behind this and if they lured me away to kill Preacher in another one of their tests. My sorrow turns to anger as I come to the conclusion that the Council did kill Preacher.
I direct my rage at Argus and demand, "Who did this? Who shot him?"
He doesn't answer me, and he stands there as the breeze whips his black trench coat as if he's a stoic knight standing guard at a drawbridge. I know he's no knight; knights are gallant and protect the weak. No one can't protect if they only watch.
I snap at him as if yelling at myself for not being there to save the man I love, "I know you saw... You're always watching. Was it the Council? Did they have Preacher killed? Did they have him killed to get at me because I'm not passing their tests? Because I'm not passing something called the Gamma Phase?" I gently lay Preacher down, stand, grab Argus by his coat's collar, and slam him against the alley wall. "You were here, weren't you?!" I scream, wild with rage. "You were here and did nothing!" I beat my fist on his chest. "Isn't that right? Tell me! Did you watch them kill him?"
"Yes," Argus answers as he looks down at me, taking my hits as if they're a small part of his penitence. "My job is to watch," he tells me as his expression remains blank. "I'm not to hinder or help. My job is to..."
"Shut up! I hate you!" I snap at him as I drop my fist, lean my head on his chest, and whisper, "I hate you."
My words must sting as if I punched him for his body flinches. I lift my face to scream at him again, and the next thing that happens, surprises me. His eyes are watering. Argus never showed any emotion before, and for the longest time, I thought he was an Un-Man.
Argus lifts his hand as if he's going to stroke my head and soothe my sorrow, but then he drops his hand. He had told me once that he developed something his training should have prevented; he developed feelings for me. A part of me wants to reach out to him and find some comfort with him, but I can't. He's part of the Council... He's part of those who did this to Preacher.
I deeply heave as sorrow and anguish drown me as I demand, "Tell me. Tell me who murdered Preacher. Was it the Council or the Factory?"
He doesn't answer me and that makes me infuriated more with myself than with him. It's not Argus' job to protect Preacher; I should have been here. I should have listened to Preacher's advice, so I direct all my anger at Argus only because he's standing there.
"For once in your life do something useful! Take a side... Take a stand!" I scream as I die inside. "Be more than an observer!" I look up into his watery blue eyes, looking... no pleading for comfort and whisper, "Kill me." I strike his chest with my fist; it's the only thing I can think to do for no one will wrap their arms around me again. "Help me," I beg as I hit him again. "Just do something!"
I hide my face in his coat as my body trembles with sorrow and heartache, knowing nothing will bring back Preacher and that I'm all alone.
"Topa," Argus whispers. "Topa ordered the Closing on Preacher. He has an estate on the outskirts of the Hellenistic Sector."
I sniff, pull myself back, and stare at him heartbroken. I stare at him for a long time, then I slap Argus in the face, and he only looks at me. I tell him with self-loathing thick on my lips, "That's for doing nothing and letting Preacher die."
It was me though... I let Preacher die. I'm the one to blame because I wasn't here. My eyes still burn as I turn my back on him and tell him, "I don't ever want to see you again." I walk over to Preacher, take the Bible from his grasp, and head out of Wayfaring Lane as I inform Argus, "You're my shadow no more, so don't follow me."
Chapter Eight
From The Ashes
Present time...
October 13...
Wednesday...
9:47 A.M...
Katharine's view...
Topa's office feels menacing and reeks of corruption as the men in the photos stare at me. They seem to glare down at me as if I'm the monster in the room, but I ignore their silent accusations as my heart aches so much it makes me ill. Preacher gave me the strength to go on, and he made me feel like a person, not a project. Now I feel empty, alone, and part of some twisted experiment. Topa will pay for killing the only light in my life; I'll snuff out his flame as he had Preacher's life extinguished.
My gun weighs heavy in my hand, and I don't know how much longer I can hold it up. Sorrow overwhelms me as I aim for Topa's forehead. I have to make the pain go away, and this is the only way I can think of to make it stop hurting. Preacher's presence is here with me as I cradle his book, clenching it as I will him to come back to me. I know he won't be coming back, and as I grip the gun, I also know Preacher would want me to do this. He's urging me on. He's telling me to take the shot, but... I feel like I'm missing something. I feel as though I'm about to betray him in some way.
Topa must notice my hesitation for he questions me, "Have you ever killed someone?"
I don't answer as I start to press my finger against the trigger. Topa's death will be like the others; he will die just like the Un-Men. I'll squeeze the trigger, and the bullet will penetrate his forehead and enter his automaton brain. No... That's not right. I can't be naïve about it. This killing will be different. Topa's flesh and not a bio-mecha, so I have to be honest with myself. I waver a little. I'll be taking a life, and it's the one thing I fought so hard not to do, but he killed Preacher, so it has to change things. Preacher was my friend, and I lov...
I let the last word fade from my mind. I have no right to claim that type of relationship, not when I couldn't admit that simple word to Preacher. I pause in my thoughts as grief seizes me again, and I scream, "Nothing will bring Preacher back, so you have to die!"
"It isn't all that easy taking someone's life," Topa tells me as he reaches down, and I hear him open a desk drawer which probably has a gun in it. "Can you do it?"
"I will kill you! You murdered Preacher! You should die!"
My arm shakes as rage and grief shrieks at me to pull the trigger, but something holds me back.
He must see the hatred in my eyes for Topa becomes a little nervous, but then two of his men enter from the door behind me, and he regains his confidence and questions, "Preacher? Oh... You mean the do-gooder causing me problems on Wayfaring Lane. You say he's dead?"
"You know he's dead! You ordered the Closing!"
"Maybe I did."
"I k
now you did!" I scream as the pain in my chest worsens, and I can no longer withstand the sorrow wanting to consume me. My resolve to kill Topa vanishes as I wish with all my being that Preacher would wrap his arms around me and tell me everything will be all right. I know that will never happen, and my gun arm drops slightly, and I no longer aim at Topa. I pull into myself, and once again aim the blame at my own feet. I should have never left Preacher's side. He's dead because I wasn't there to save him.
"You're here to do what?" he asks. "Kill me?" Topa looks me over and mocks my resolve, "You don't have it in you."
I can't let him dictate my revenge, so I lift my gun as if this action alone will give me the courage, but something within me tells me courage isn't what I'm missing. I ignore the voice and tell him, "You should die for what you did, but before I kill you, I have to know. Do you work for the Council or the Factory? Which one of them had Preacher killed?"
"The Factory I've never heard of, but the Council..." He studies me more closely as if seeing me in a darker shade than before, and then he questions me, "What would someone like you know of them?"
"You didn't answer my question! Who do you work for?!"
Topa laughs at me again as if I should know the answer, and then he tells me, "I work for no one but myself."
I don't believe him, and I let him know by saying, "You can refuse to answer me, but I know better." I scream, "You have to die because you killed him!"
I aim the gun again as I wrestle with the trigger and my emotions. I don't understand… I shouldn't be hesitating. I should shoot Topa and finish it! At that moment, I once again feel the worn leather of the book, reminding me of Preacher, and this time, I hear his true voice. I drop my gun arm and sob as I finally understand. Preacher wouldn't want me to take revenge. It's wrong. He wouldn't want me to kill someone because of him, and he would never tell me to take the shot.
End Katharine's view...
Outside the window...
Kim watched the entire scene unfold, and then she muttered, "Idiot! You're weak and spineless." Kim gripped the PPK as she muttered, "Kill him. Take your revenge. I wouldn't hesitate if someone had killed someone precious to me."
Within the Sanctum...
An alarm sounded. The analysts and supervisors fell silent in the Chamber as they tensed, fearing the reaction of the Council. On the center screen in large red letters blinked, Third Evolvement Failure.
"NO!" Mr. Decuma shouted as he slammed his fist on the table, jogging his laptop. "Pandora failed! Why can it not take a life? Pandora has no problems dealing with the Un-Men, but it refused to kill every human assassin we sent after it."
"The Un-Men are bio-mechas. They are not alive," Ms. Nona stated. "Pandora knows the difference even with the conditioning."
"Should we terminate the project? "Mr. Decuma asked.
An analyst turned off the alarm as Mr. Morta replied, "No, not just yet. All we need to do is find a sufficient catalyst."
"What about the tests?" Ms. Nona questioned.
Mr. Morta ordered, "Call off the bounty on Pandora's head and cancel the Life Closing for now. Pandora could use the rest."
"Agreed. I stated my concerns earlier over its fatigue," Ms. Nona said. "We have been pushing it too hard. Most subjects would have broken by now, and what about the Un-Men? Can we get the Factory to call them off?"
"We can request it, but I doubt they will," Mr. Morta answered. "The Factory feels they have as much of a right to Pandora as we do, and most likely, they will continue to test their bio-mechas. We will focus on finding a catalyst for now."
"Agreed," Ms. Nona and Mr. Decuma said in one accord.
Back at Topa's estate...
When she dropped her arm, his henchmen quickly grabbed Kat from behind, and one of them took her gun.
"Vengeance is mine, says the Lord," Topa said and then chuckled as one of his henchmen grabbed the book from her. "I think you should take up a new religion because this one has failed you." He motioned to his henchmen and ordered, "Take her to the wine cellar and hold her there. I'll be down later to deal with our new guest."
They nodded and took her out as Topa closed the drawer to his desk that held the gun. He stood, walked to a wall safe, and started to unlock it when he heard the door opened.
"Now what is it?" Topa asked, irritated as he turned toward the front.
Kim entered, locked the door, removed her knit mask, and then stated, "I usually don't let anyone see me." She knew the Mark didn't know the reason for her arrival, but he soon would, and she took a bit of wicked pleasure out of that fact. Kim told him, "But you're a special case."
"I'm going to have to do something about my security." His expression changed as he looked over the beautiful blonde and stated, "I suppose you're also one of Preacher's friends." He moved back to the side of his desk and pulled out his chair but didn't sit as he continued, "Perhaps you're a lady of the evening who can't live without her daily confessions?"
She sneered, moving to the middle of the office as she ordered him, "Keep your hands where I can see them. I don't need you tripping any silent alarm, and as for my profession..." Kim threw a business card on his mahogany desk as she stated, "This should answer that."
Topa glanced down at it and then questioned, "What's this? A firebird?" He recognized the emblem and sat in his chair as if someone had shoved him down in it. "No... You can't be." He peered up and panicked. "Puck! You're the Phoenix?!" He stood, searching for a place to run. "You're a Closer! Don't kill me! I'll pay you anything! I can give you credits or–" Topa motioned to his safe. "–I have cash."
"Hades... You really disgust me. Why is it I always hear the same old thing from you Marks? Do you really think you can buy off a Closer? Well, you can't." She cleared her throat and then stated, "Samuel R. Topa, the Valhalla Corporation has decided they no longer want to do business with you. They're tired of losing their shipments of Sunna Snapps, so under the Life Closer Clause of your contract with Valhalla, I am authorized by the Assassin's League to terminate your life."
"But why kill me?"
"I'm only guessing, but it sounds like the narcotic Sunna Snapps hasn't been approved for use, but you're selling it anyway for the corporation. A kind of clinical street trial, but the participants don't know they're guinea pigs. You messed up when you lost a few of the shipments," Kim replied as she aimed. "The Valhalla Corporation is now tying up loose ends and using the pretense of your contract to do it." She shot twice and smoke rolled from the silencer, and with no emotion, she added, "You know... just business."
Gray matter splattered the wall as Topa fell back in his chair and blankly stared at the ceiling.
"For once, someone got what they deserved," she muttered. "For Ares' sake! To think you had a preacher killed and used an Illicit Closer to do the job. Did you really think the Assassins Guild wouldn't find out?" She glanced over the black and white photos on his wall. "I know people like us are going to Tartarus, but you had to provoke whatever god you believe in to send you there a little early."
Kim pulled the knit mask back on and headed out the front door. She wanted to leave the estate as soon as possible and forget about this horrible week.
Chapter Nine
The Un-Men Arrive
Points of interest...
Corporations had to develop alternatives for those addicted to nicotine since tobacco plants were nearly wiped out the first few months after the Dry Clouds appeared. The first year of the Dry Clouds (Zero Year), tobacco farms were started on the Light Side of the planet. Twenty-eight years ago, the Corporate Senate decided that crops planted on the Light Side had to produce food, so NicPhake and other synthetics were created. The idea was to wean people off of smoking all together. The synthetic tobacco proved to be as addictive, and the secondhand smoke from NicPhake caused blindness in some infants. NicPhake was then regulated and could only be acquired with a prescription.
10:12 A.M...
Four black Chrysler 3000s drove across the road leading to Topa's estate. The human drivers parked, turned the headlights off, plunging the area back into darkness, and then the passenger and the two back doors opened. Three Un-Men got out of each car, and the vehicles rocked back and forth as the Un-Men exited. They moved to the back of their vehicles as the drivers popped the trunks, and an Un-Man of each group removed Uzis from the back and armed their brethren, and once they were armed, their Input Sensor blinked three times as they received their orders from the Factory.
They uttered, "Setting programming to Infiltration Mode. Eliminate any obstructions to primary Seek and Destroy Program."
The dozen Un-Men gathered in front of the lead vehicle and looked to the north gate that was about a hundred feet down the wall from them. They synchronized to determined the best entry point and relayed their findings to the Factory.
Five armed men stood guard within the gate. The guards noticed them when they pulled up and readied themselves to engage the armed intruders, and if they had to, the men would shoot on sight.
In unison, the Un-Men nodded their understanding of the Factory's orders. They slung the Uzi over their shoulder and started for the wall directly in front of them as the drivers drove the vehicles away. The Un-Men climbed over the fifteen foot wall by stabbing their fingers into the brick. Each thrust of a hand into the mortar and clay sounded like a boot crunching across the snow; it sounded like an army marching across the white powder as they all scaled the wall.
"The intruders climbed over!" a man at the gate yelled.
"Quick, radio in backup!" another man yelled through his WM-B.
The five guards opened fire on the intruders, and bullets riddled the dozen bodies, filling their business suits with holes. The Un-Men remained standing, staring ahead. The guards ceased fire and glanced at one another, seeing that the intruders were still alive.
The Un-Men turned their heads in an eerily co-occurrence and looked to the guards.
"Obstacle encountered," they stated as they assessed the obstruction.