Noir, City Shrouded By Darkness Read online

  "I can’t see," the remaining guard screamed again. "What’s going on?"

  Kat marched over to the blinded man, placed the barrel of the gun against his jaw, and took his weapon. She demanded, "Where’s Topa?"

  "I won’t tell you."

  With calm resolve, she leaned to him and whispered, "I’m only here to kill him." She put her hand on his back, pulling herself close to his ear. "Tell me, and I’ll let you live."

  Sweat beaded his forehead, and a salty droplet ran down his face, landing on her barrel. He squinted and looked to the fallen guards, but only saw blurred images. "Live like the others?"

  She glanced at one as that guard moaned. "They're alive. Now... Where’s Topa?"

  "I won’t..."

  She cocked the gun. "Last chance."

  "He’s... He’s in his office. Don’t kill me!"

  Kat uncocked the gun, then using the man’s own weapon, struck him in the back of the head, knocking him out. She tossed his gun, searched the other men, and took their 9 mm ammo and what A.P.Rs. they had. She put the clips in her pocket and tossed their guns and masks into the bushes. Kat walked to the guardhouse. She retrieved the Bible from the trash can, brushed debris from its blood dried cover, and held it close to her heart.

  She wondered, "Why did they kill you? Was it because of me? Was it another test?" Her lips trembled as anguish ripped at her heart. "Am I the reason you’re dead, Preacher?"

  Guilt saturated her thoughts as sorrow attacked her spirit. The mental accusers taunted her. They wouldn't let her forget she could do nothing to save the man she loved. The accusations pressed against her and made it hard for her to breathe, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

  “I've gone this long grueling year without killing anyone. I've taken careful steps not to take a life. I always found other ways to defeat the human assassins and bounty hunters the Council sent after me. Still, if I’m the reason Preacher’s dead, then I have to. I have to kill Topa! That's all I can do for you, Preacher. If I can't even shed a tear for you, then I'll...” She screamed within her mind, “I'll murder the man who took you from me!"

  She breathed as deeply as she could, trying to rid herself of the suffocating feelings. Kat let rage fuel her resolve. "I'll make him feel as much pain as I do!" She started down the dirt path that led to the center of the estate where the main house and Topa’s office stood. "I'll make him pay." Hatred seeped into her soul. "Topa must die today!" She rushed to her target, evading the rest of the guards. She wouldn’t have much time before the four at the gate were discovered.

  Chapter Five

  Enter The Life Closer

  9:09 A.M...

  The Sanctum...

  Within the Chamber...

  The Council monitored Pandora's bio-data on the Center Screen. They noted changes in her mental state and that her Ultra-Epi had engaged.

  "Pandora has entered Topa’s estate," Ms. Nona stated with concern. "Should we stop it? Topa is not part of the experiment."

  "No. We will use him as we have used others who stumbled upon our tests," Mr. Morta replied. "This situation could be the catalyst we have been waiting for to take Pandora to the Gamma Phase of its metamorphosis."

  Mr. Decuma said, "The Project has been a failure this past year. Sure, its skills are incredible, but..."

  "Yes, but Pandora holds back. It has not taken a life," Mr. Morta said. "Why? Is what we have to discover."

  "The conditioning has failed," Ms. Nona stated. "We should be working on the Epsilon Phase by now, not worrying about Gamma."

  "No, I think it is more than that. Remember, even before we took custody of Pandora, it was an enigma. There is nothing wrong with the conditioning. I believe it is Pandora’s emotions."

  "Its emotions?" Mr. Decuma didn’t understand the eldest member’s reasoning.

  He wondered, "Why does Mr. Morta hold such high expectations for this experiment? Has he grown attached? If it is true this could be a problem. One I must monitor. If Mr. Morta is not careful, he will lose his indifference."

  "Yes, Mr. Decuma. Pandora's emotions. Rage... Love... Both are driving forces as any human would know," Mr. Morta explained. "It has not tapped into them.”

  "Until it met Preacher," Ms. Nona added. “She knew love and now knows rage.”

  Mr. Morta nodded. "Precisely, if we had known how his death would have affected Pandora, we would have killed him long ago."

  A female supervisor handed Ms. Nona a report.

  Ms. Nona said, "This could be a problem."

  "What is it?" Mr. Decuma asked.

  "It seems one of the corporations does not like what Topa has been doing lately. A Life Closer has been sent to the estate."

  "By our corporation?" Mr. Decuma questioned.

  "I think not," Mr. Morta answered. "But with an organization as vast as ours, who knows for sure."

  * * *

  At the northwest corner of Topa’s estate, a lone figure threw a small J-shaped grappling hook over the wall. The northwest part of the estate had little light, so she easily hid in the darkness of the late morning. Mirky gray Dry Clouds rumbled overhead, warning of a possible Tainted Rain storm. A cool breeze, filled with the odor of petroleum, blew across the imported trees and grass. Kim pulled her knit mask over her face, made sure it was securely in place, and checked over her black outfit. She wore thin gloves, jogging pants, running shoes, a tank top, and a zipped up hooded sweatshirt. Kim was a native of the Dark Half and didn't need a Winnow Mask.

  Kim thought, "I need to keep my identity a secret. I don't want to kill anyone not part of the Closing and have to file extra paperwork. Voice hates unnecessary deaths as much as I do. And I don't want to make Voice mad." She thought about the last Life Closing. "Not again. At least, I think Voice is mad over what happened in Moscow."

  Kim climbed the cord to the top of the wall, dropped down to the other side, and glanced at her watch once she reached the ground. She would have this Life Closing done within the hour, if all went well. "Topa will make the front cover again," she thought. "But with the headline, Found Dead." She tossed the thin climbing cord, grappling hook, and black knapsack in the corner and piled some leaves on the items to hide them. She checked the Military Defender (a tactical knife) in a sheathe strapped to her right calf. She quietly slipped by the guards, making her way to his office. In the e-mail Voice sent, the client stated Topa would most likely be there.

  The office was at the end of a long cobblestone path leading from the house. Black cast-iron lamps lit the area. Small pine trees grew along the path, and hedges lined the last twenty feet of the walkway and around the office. She hid in the bushes underneath a window just left of Topa. She glanced in, seeing her target busy at his mahogany desk.

  "Only one guard inside. Should be easy enough." Kim placed a silencer on a Walther PPK and stood to make her way in, but the front door opened. She ducked back into the hedges, and the green-blue bushes rustled with her movement. Through the window, she watched as a second henchman walked into the room. He removed his WM-B and adjusted the mask's strap.

  Topa sat at his desk, counting bundles of money. He placed the stacks in a suitcase. His henchman stood off in the corner.

  "This is payment for the Illicit Closer we hired to take out that nuisance on Wayfaring Lane." Topa finished counting. "That do-gooder won’t be hindering our sales of Sunna Snapps anymore."

  "Why the cash, boss?" the second henchman asked. "Why not credits?"

  "This cash can’t be traced to me. Credits could be."

  "Makes sense, boss."

  "Illicit Closer?" Kim thought. "I can’t believe he hired an illegal assassin. Why would he chance hiring someone who doesn’t belong to the Assassins Guild? If Voice or Thanatos finds out..." She shrugged. "I guess it doesn’t matter. Topa’s Closing is today. What more can they do to him?"

  Topa shut the suitcase and handed it to the second henchman. "Also, tell our contacts at the Valhalla Corporation, we’ll be doubling our next order
of Sunna Snapps now that business will be getting back to normal."

  "Understood." The henchman put his Winnow Mask back on, took the suitcase, and left.

  Topa turned to the first henchman. "Ready my car. We’re going into the Norse Sector."

  The henchman left by the back door.

  Kim glanced in the window. "The muscle's gone. This will be easier than I thought." Again she started to leave her hiding place, but the front door opened. She ducked into the bushes and uttered under her breath, "Hades! What’s up with my luck today?"

  Kat entered and found Topa alone. His office smelled of polished wood and had an old feel to it. Black and white photos of distinguished men lined the walls. They looked related to him.

  "Who’s this?" Kim wondered, peeking through the window. "A second Closer?" She glowered, a little irritated, and ducked back down. "Voice has never sent in backup before. I’ve never needed one." Kim thought about her statement. "Never needed one before Moscow." She cautiously glanced through the window. "No. She doesn’t have the look of a Closer. Who is she?"

  Topa looked up as the door squeaked open. "How did you get in here?" He pressed a button under his desk, triggering a silent alarm.

  Filled with hatred and mourning, Kat raised the gun. "You killed Preacher. Now, I’ll end you!" She aimed for his forehead. "You must pay for what you did to him!"

  Within the Chamber...

  Ms. Nona reported, "Argus is on the estate and has found Pandora in Topa’s office. It is about to kill Topa."

  "Good... Good... The Gamma Phase finally will be achieved. Pandora will take a life." Mr. Morta beamed. "Where is the Closer?"

  "Holding outside of the office," Mr. Decuma answered. "The Closer will not move with the unknown woman in the room."

  "Finally..." Mr. Morta considered all the hard work they had devoted to Pandora. "I have had such high hopes for this particular project. For one long year, we have waited to achieve this pinnacle." With elated breath, he added, "Now we will witness Pandora’s transformation as it completes the Gamma Phase. This will be the Turning Point Phase."

  Chapter Six

  Preacher

  Puck originally was the word for a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. The meaning later expanded and emerged in slang around 300 B.D.C. in lands owned by the Druid Corporation. It referred to one's disdain for something. The word has taken on other meanings over the centuries and has been used cross-sectorally.

  One year earlier...

  31 A.D.C...

  October 26...

  Monday...

  3:15 P.M...

  Hellenistic Sector, Old Business Vicinage...

  Flickering street lights and neon signs cast a somber glow on Wayfaring Lane. It was a place where society’s outcasts drudged out an existence. Many people lined the street, selling Transgenic Vegetables, used clothes, and canned food. There were even those who dealt in flesh, Sunna Snapps, and/or stolen water rations.

  Huddled in a corner down a dead end alley, three, dirty, thin junkies shared a needle of Sunna Snapps. A man and woman already shot up and were oblivious to their surroundings. The third rolled up his sleeve, injected the yellow liquid into his arm, and leaned back against the brick wall. His body warmed in the cool air as if he lay on a sunny beach. Snaps of light appeared like he was seeing stars, but larger and brighter. He smiled as drool ran down his mouth, and all faded to darkness.

  A six-wheeled robotic Street Sanitizer, the size of a small car, rumbled down the potholed road past the alley. Nozzles in the front of it and the middle sprayed a cleaning agent. Scrubbing brushes, just behind each set of nozzles, scoured an oily residue on the road left behind by the Tainted Rain. A vacuum in the back sucked up the dark liquid and stored the polluted water in a large tank. The small vehicles kept the highways and byways from becoming cesspools. Without the cleaners, Noir would come to a halt.

  The loud Street Sanitizer rumbled on, passing a Grub Filter sitting on the sidewalk against a building. The eight foot square metal beast, also known as a Grubby, pulled in air, filtering out the petroleum based pollutants caused by Dry Clouds. Usually four Grubbies covered each block, but this was Wayfaring Lane. They were lucky to have the one.

  Evening approached as more people filled the street. Some wore Winnow Masks, marking them as recent immigrants to the Dark Half of the planet. Most of them didn’t wear the air filters, having lived in Noir long enough for their lungs to become accustomed to the pollutants.

  Kat stumbled onto Wayfaring Lane, fleeing the Un-Man with the Bowie. Four days ago, the Un-Man attacked her and since then, it had been chasing her in a sadistic cat and mouse game. For the moment, it hadn't found her again. She knew that because it would have triggered her bio-mecha warning, like the Un-Men had done when they first entered Etna Toys Plant and Warehouse. Kat knew she couldn't stop running, so she hurried to find some place where she would be safe.

  "Does such a place exist?" she wondered. "Or will I be running for the rest of my life?"

  Blood caked her left shoulder where one of the Un-Men's bullets had grazed her, and dried plasma crusted the knife cut on her left forearm. Since waking at Etna, she had only eaten what food she could scrounge from trash cans, and slept only minutes at a time. Exhaustion and mental anguish were taking their toll.

  Weary, Kat sprinted down an obscure alley, looking over her shoulder and splattering through puddles of Tainted Rain. The black water, that smelled of petroleum, speckled her t-shirt and pants. She turned the corner, and ran into a man who wore a black trench coat. She stumbled back, and he said nothing only eyed her curiously. Kat raised the Beretta and aimed at him.

  "There’s no need for that," he said. "My job isn’t to kill you."

  "Your job?" She was too tired to understand and took two steps back. Her face showed fatigue and her eyes had the look of a lost puppy. Drained, she whimpered, "Stay away from me."

  "I’m Argus. My employers the Council have some information for you." He took a step forward, pushed the gun down to her side, and noted her wounds, including the large bruise on her forehead. "The Un-Man that the Factory sent after you, the Rogue, is no ordinary bio-mecha. There’s a glitch in its programing. The Council wants you to be extra careful of it. They also want me to inform you that the only way to defeat it is to reach the Delta Phase of your metamorphosis."

  "Delta Phase? Metamorphosis? I don’t understand." She looked to the sidewalk and smoothed her left hand over the stubble of her shaven head. "You said the Council. I’ve heard that name before. Who are they?"

  Argus started to leave.

  She grabbed his wrist and pleaded, "Please tell me. You must at least know me. Tell me what my name is."

  "You don’t know?" This bit of information surprised him, but it did explain some things. "You're the Pandora Project." He grabbed her arm, turned her hand over, and placed a 9 mm clip in her palm. "To survive the tests, never run out of ammo." Argus turned and headed down the street.

  "No! Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Tell me what my real name is! There must be more... I must be more than a project."

  "I’m not here to kill you, but I’m also not here to help you. You’re on your own. Though it’s regrettable you have no memory." He sounded sincere. "It must be very frightening not knowing why bio-mechas are trying to kill you." His face softened for a split second as if he pitied her. "It’s simple. You’re being tested. They’re being tested." A black sedan pulled up, and he got in as he yelled, "Know one thing, stay alive."

  The car drove down the road.

  "On my own? I don’t want to be on my own." What he told her hit her hard as if she had just received a death sentence from a judge. Kat walked over to a building and turned as her knees buckled. She slid down its rough wall and landed in a lump. "Someone help me," she whispered. "Please, help me."

  In the sedan...

  Argus placed a wireless headset on and made a call as the vehicle turned off of Wayfaring Lane. "I have some new information for t
he Council," he started and waited until he was patched in. "Pandora claims to have no memory of who it is and there does appear to be a wound on its forehead." He paused, listening to their reply. "Understood. I'll continue my surveillance and tell Pandora nothing about itself. As the Council wishes, so it will be done."

  He hung up and thought, "The Council, the Fates of Noir."

  Back down the street...

  Kat clenched the Beretta, trying to understand what he had told her. "Argus said the Un-Men were sent by the Factory, that the one I can’t kill is called the Rogue, and that it’s no ordinary Un-Man. So who or what is the Factory? Why do they want me dead?" The coldness of the sidewalk chilled her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Argus said the Council wants me to be extra careful with the Rogue. Is the Council on my side?" She found little comfort in her own embrace. "I don’t think so. And what is the Delta Phase? What am I supposed to turn into? I don’t understand. What's happening to me? Argus called them tests, that I’m being tested, and that the Un-Men are being tested. Why? What's the purpose?"

  She stared at the Dry Clouds in the dark sky. Kat knew she should get up and flee, but she was so exhausted. "I'm tired of running. Maybe I should let the Un-Man capture me. No. I'm more afraid than tired. I'll..."

  lub-DUB... lub-DUB...

  Her heart sounded the bio-mecha warning as Ultra-Epi rushed through her veins. "Not now!"

  She stood and franticly looked across the street. As she searched for the relentless hunting machine, Kat ejected her old clip and with a shaky hand placed in the new one. The e-field of her body altered as her eyes shimmered with blue electricity. She would later find out the light coming from her eyes was called Ultra-Epi Light Emissions (Ult L-E).