Nikolai closed the shutter and gently shook his sister. "Tasha, wake. We are landing in the Rising Sun Sector of Noir, and soon we will be on a Hover Train to the Hellenistic Sector."
"Hmm..." She stretched and yawned. "Already? I did dream as you said. I dreamed of a sky full of stars."
He said, "I told you you would."
The male attendant announced over an intercom, "Inside your kits you'll find an instruction booklet." He raised the handbook. "A Winnow Mask type A." The attendant lifted a small triangular devise with a rubber rim which fit over the nose and connected to a filter. "And the Liquid Oxygen Spray known as L-O." He raised what looked like a fat ball-point pen. "Please wear the WM-A anytime you go outside, and it will keep you from feeling the ill effects of the pollutants caused by the petroleum based clouds. They can be dangerous for those not used to living below Dry Clouds." He paused. "The triangular filter fits over your nose. Breathe in through this filter and out through your mouth. The basic design mask has to be held to the face. If you find that you are outside a lot, you can purchase an upgraded version of the Winnow Mask that is handsfree." The attendant demonstrated and removed the mask. "If you should feel queasy or light headed, inject yourself with the L-O Spray and this will give your blood stream a burst of oxygen."
The attendant paused for a moment. "Place the spray's head on your bare wrist or neck, press the red button on the top, and the solution absorbs right through your skin. Your body will take some time to get used to the air, so please keep your kits with you at all times. These items can be replaced at any drug store. If you have any questions, an attendant will help you."
Natasha looked at the mask. "They are not very fashionable, are they?" She whined, "I wish to be done with this Closing."
Nikolai turned to her. "Patience, sister. We will return to Mother Russia in time."
Chapter Twelve
Nexus Apartments
4:35 P.M...
Hellenistic Sector, Residential Vicinage...
Kim drove her Corvette into the parking garage of the Nexus Apartments. She had stopped earlier at a gas station and changed out of her black clothes into a blue pant suit and made sure to wash the splattered blood from her face. She got out of the car, made her way to her apartment, went in, and threw her knapsack on the couch in the living room. Kim went to the hall, walked to her bedroom, went into her bathroom, leaned on the sink, and stared at herself in the mirror.
"Idiot!" she shouted at herself. She had let herself be seen. Kim turned on the faucet and watched the water run down the drain as the security she had in her job washed down the tube. She should have gone after that woman and killed her, but no... Kim looked up and stared at herself again. She panicked and ran. Kim cursed, "Hades!"
In the bedroom, the screen saver of the flaming phoenix flew across the laptop, and the glow lit up the dark room, casting shadows across the floor and walls. Kim splashed her face, trying to wash away her anxiety over what the Assassins Guild would do to her once they found out her identity had been compromised. She dried her face with a towel then went and sat at the desk. She pressed the space bar to pull up her desktop and then she sent an instant message, and within minutes, a reply came back.
"Topa's Closing is complete then," Voice typed. "The payment will be placed into your account. Did you run into any trouble?"
Kim started to type no, but backspaced and responded, "About a dozen robot like men showed up and killed everyone in sight."
"Must be some sort of bio-mecha, perhaps the next generation of assassins," Voice typed. "Most likely someone there was their target, but was it Topa? We'll probably never know, at least you got out."
Kim raked her hand through her hair, knowing the grave mistake she had made, and she moved her hands toward the keyboard to write, and they shook with dread as she forced herself to type, "Someone saw my face." She hit the send button and stared at the screen, and two grueling minutes passed with no reply. "What should I do?" She hit the send button again, hoping for a reply and praying for some guidance and solace.
"Find them and kill them; you know it is very dangerous, Phoenix. Even I don't know who you are or what you look like. If your identity gets out, you will become the target, and then the Assassins Guild will be forced to deal with you." The statement ended and another followed. "But before that happens, you know I will step in, and you don't want me to rectify the problem. You know my means."
She did know; there was no reprimand for a Closer. Kim grabbed the sides of her desk and gripped them tightly. She knew with Voice and the Assassins Guild there was only one way to deal with a Closer who had lost their anonymity, and it was the sanction of their own Life Closing.
"Don't contact me again until this matter is taken care of. Voice signing off."
Rolling her chair away from the desk, Kim glanced at the dark afternoon through the bedroom's window. She had to find that woman, but she didn't know that woman's name. She only knew that woman was there to kill Topa because he hired an Illicit Closer to murder someone named Preacher. Kim didn't even know what he was a preacher of.
"Hades..." she uttered. "This is going to be impossible."
* * *
Two days later...
October 15...
Friday...
6:49 A.M...
Hundreds of street lights lit up twilight as a horde of bats flew across the ever dark horizon. The sidewalk went on forever in both directions as Kat made her way across West 1000 Avenue and paused, looking at the tall Nexus Apartments. It was the building of the Phoenix's nest. Kat walked all night and morning to reach this part of the Hellenistic Sector, and her shoes felt heavy, and her feet were sore. She adjusted the strap of the backpack that crossed her chest as she studied the sensors on an eight foot concrete wall lining the building's perimeter. They consisted of a black sphere the size of a volley ball and were spaced about ten feet apart along the top of the wall. She followed the sidewalk to a gate, and on the gate's metal bars was a gold shield which was the Sphinx Corporation Emblem. Kat ran her hand over the shield and over a winged creature in its center with a woman's head and a lion's body. The creature's right paw was lifted, and its claws were extended. The emblem seemed to plague every place she went. Even the Council and the Factory were departments within the Sphinx Corporation. She studied the perimeter and wondered if the sensors provided more than security for the building. Kat put her hand up toward a black sphere and felt and heard a hum coming from the device. They might also act as a barrier.
A white van pulled up, a man got out, and walked up beside her. He was dressed in a white uniform and said, "Excuse me."
Kat moved out of his way.
The man tipped a white cap. "Thanks." He pressed the button to an intercom positioned beside the gate and released it.
"Welcome to Nexus Apartments," a man's voice said over the intercom. "I'm the manager. How may I help you?"
The delivery man pressed the button again and spoke, "Delivery for Kimberly Griffin. Security Code 10 Alpha."
After a few seconds, the manager replied, "Code verified. Proceed to the gate that faces Knot Street, and I'll let you in."
The delivery man went back to his van, started up the engine, turned down Knot Street, and parked as Kat followed the sidewalk around the corner, walked by the vehicle's passenger seat, and noticed it was empty. The delivery man got out, strolled to the back of the van as he whistled, and then he started on a crate.
She watched as the man struggled to load a rectangular box on a flat cart. "Where's your partner?"
"What?" He paused, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.
She leaned on the back of the van. "Usually at least two men do this kind of job, so where's your partner?"
The delivery man pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "He's out sick."
"Would you like some help?" She motioned to the apartments. "I was on my way up."
r /> He looked her over. "I'm not supposed to cause of business policy, but..." He grinned. "You aren't some murdering psycho are you?"
"No. Definitely not."
"Well then..." He placed the wooden crate on the cart. "If you could push from behind, this thing weighs a ton."
Kat went to the back of the cart and pushed on the crate. The apartment manager and a security guard met them at the gate.
The old white haired manager looked over his H.H.C. "Kimberly Griffin isn't home right now, so I'll show you in." He examined the delivery man's employee badge and typed the ID number on the Hand Held Computer. "Follow me please."
The delivery man pulled the cart as Kat pushed, and they moved to the glass front doors where another security guard buzzed them in. The manager led them to a service elevator, and they along with the guard went up to the thirty-first floor. Security cameras monitored the hallways.
The manager stopped in front of Kim's apartment and commanded, "Apartment H, unlock. Manager code 12 Beta."
"Voice recognized as Nexus' Manager," the Apartment Computer System stated. "Opening door."
"Wow," the delivery man exclaimed. "Automated apartments. I bet you can tell the lights to come on."
The manager said, "Our apartments are equipped with voice commands and manual utilities, giving our tenants the best in security and luxury."
"I'll have to look into getting one of these places," the delivery man said.
He pulled the cart down a small entryway as Kat pushed, and once they were in the living room, the delivery man started uncrating a cedar chest, so she went and looked around. The lady's huge apartment covered more than three thousand square feet. The entryway emptied into an open kitchen with four barstools at the counter, a large living room was off to the left, beyond it down a hall were two bedrooms and two baths, and off to the right of the entryway, a small round table sat next to a window.
Kat thought it was odd that the table was so small, considering it was the only one in the apartment. She asked the delivery man, "Do you need anymore help?"
"No, I got it from here. Thanks."
She left, noted the apartment's letter H on the door, headed for the regular elevator, went up to the roof, and waited. Kat watched what little traffic traveled West 1000 Avenue as she gripped the icy metal railing that surrounded the top of the roof. Finally, she'd have some answers once she met with the lady who owned the two business cards.
A cool breeze swept in, chilling the air and her thoughts, so Kat zipped up her athletic jacket, but it did little to stay off the cold. She had no idea what she would learn from the lady, so Kat clenched the jacket over her heart with her right fist as if in pain. She dreaded discovering the truth about herself, wondering if it would be worse than the unbearable ignorance she endured the past year. Whatever happened next, Kat knew it would change her life forever.
Back in Apartment H...
The delivery man finished his work and set the cedar chest against the wall in the living room out of the way. He placed the crate pieces back on his cart, had the manager sign for the package, and headed back to his van, and once inside the vehicle, he made a cell phone call.
"I would like to speak with R.G." He waited for a moment. "Hello, Delivery Man here. Yes, my work is finished, and as per your instructions, I permitted Katharine to enter with me into the Nexus Apartments. She's still there." He paused for a moment, listening. "Yes, so far security doesn't know she is still on the premises. Do you want me to monitor the situation?" He started up the engine and drove the van, heading away. "Understood. Returning to base."
Chapter Thirteen
Confrontation
7:22 A.M...
On the roof...
Katharine's view...
I lean on the metal railing and continue staring at the road below, and at times of quiet stillness, I feel the barriercumulus, and its presence is like an evil eidolon. If this is true, who does this phantom look-alike belong to?
The Dry Clouds softly roll and unsettle me, and it has done so ever since I first laid eyes on it, but there's also something else about the Dry Clouds; it's a hint of familiarity. I can't explain it, but today the foreboding's stronger than the familiarity. Is it because they're unnatural? Does everyone feel this way around it or is it just me? I watch them go by and look for shapes within the clouds and see an old sailing ship being chased by a sea serpent. The Dry Clouds have been around for thirty-two years and have been given the name the Great Specter of Noir. People also say that it's a mystery. I chuckle. In a way, we're the same.
An hour goes by, and I notice the Corvette pull into the parking garage. I jump up and down like a little girl who has just got the pony she wished for. I want to run back down and meet her and ask her all my questions, but I contain my excitement and wait a few more minutes, giving the lady enough time to arrive at her apartment. I don't want to come at her like some crazy person, so I'll have to keep my cool.
A few minutes later...
Kimberly's view...
I hear a ding and the whoosh of the elevator opening and then someone approaches me as I put my mail in my dark green purse that matches my pant suit. I stand outside of my apartment and realize how odd it is that I've never seen any of the other tenants the whole time I've lived here. I need to at least get a glimpse of one of my neighbors, so I turn. My Closer training kicks in a second before I have a chance to panic as I spot that woman I've been hunting. For two days, I scoured Noir and turned the city on its head, but I couldn't find anything on this mysterious woman, not even her name. I drop some of my mail as I open my purse to grab my PPK, but then I remember the floor's security cameras. I can't kill her out here, not unless she threatens me, so I wait on that woman's next move.
Katharine's view...
Elated and full of expectations, I stop about two yards from the lady. Finally after a year of knowing nothing, I'll have some answers. I can't stand my excitement anymore, so I question her as if I already know the answer, and I'm ready to give my old friend a big hug, "Are you Kimberly Griffin?"
The lady looks confused and very on edge like I'll pull my gun on her at any moment, but it's tucked away in my backpack. She must see me as threatening, so I smile real big to show her I'm a safe person as I repeat, "Is your name Kimberly Griffin?"
Kimberly's view...
"Yes," I reply as I step back and size up that woman who's smirking at me like some lunatic ready to murder me. I put out a lot of feelers while I was looking for her, maybe she already knows I've been hunting her and has come to strike before I can. I realize something else. She knows my name, so I have to eliminate her now. I reexamine her cheerful face, and she looks happy to see me like we're best friends and we haven't seen each other in years. I can't figure out why she's putting on this act and not attacking me, unless she's also waiting to strike when there are no witnesses.
She says to me, "I had a contact in the Noir Civil Police Force look up your address from your license plate. It cost me two months worth of water rations." She starts to ask me something and looks over her shoulder at the cameras. She removes two business cards, shows me the blood speckled one, and then questions me, "Is this you?"
I grip the gun in my purse so sure that woman reaches for a weapon, but I'm surprised to see the business cards. I can't figure out what kind of game she's playing, and a million things go through my mind. That woman tracked me down and came all the way to my apartment. Is she hoping to blackmail me? Only an idiot would think they could blackmail a Closer.
I scan the hall to see if anyone else is on the floor and ask, "What do you mean, is that me?"
Katharine's view...
"I've been looking for..." I start to answer and then decide I shouldn't say the Phoenix out loud. Someone could be listening, and the lady might not want anyone else to know, so I continue, "I've been looking for this... Umm..." I flip the card over, look at the picture, and tur
n it back to her. "This firebird. Is this you? If so, I'd like to talk."
Kimberly's view...
I can't let her leave, and I can't kill her out here. I glance at the hall's cameras. If I can only get that woman into my apartment, then I can... I wickedly grin as I visualize myself shooting that woman and then I see myself standing over her lifeless body. All I'll have to do is call Voice for a Guild Prep/Cleanup Crew, and I'll have this annoyance taken care of.
That woman reaches down, picks up my dropped mail, and hands it to me as she asks, "This isn't a bad time, is it?"
"No, of course not," I answer.
It's almost too easy, but still I have to be on my guard; it could be a trick.
"Come on in," I say as I take the mail from her still wary of that woman and command, "Door, unlock." The door slides sideways; I motion for the woman to go in first and then I follow. "Door, lock," I command, and the door closes, entombing us.
The Apartment Computer System turns on the lights as we enter each room as it tells me, "Welcome back Ms. Griffin and welcome guest. The apartment..."
"Mute," I command.
That woman walks down the entry, stops, and studies the kitchen. She walks over to the faucet, glances back at me, and says, "I see no scanner for a Water Ration Card. Your water isn't portioned?"
I look to the sink then think of the shower and bathtub and realize I never thought about it. Most of the city's given an allotment for the month and here I enjoy unlimited. I'm wary of that woman's suspicious questions. Is she trying to distract me or is she really this naive?
I answer, "No, my water isn't portioned."
"Oh, you must be rich then."
She sets her backpack on the black leather couch, walks over to the small round table, and sits as if she's here for a visit. I start to pull out my gun, notice the cedar chest in the living room, and turn my attention back to that woman.