[B]38  -  Flow[/B]


May 17, 2383


Seth steps from the Tokyo gate. Brooklyn’s sunny skies are replaced by cloud and light rain. He tucks the sushi box under his jacket and heads for the apartment complex.

…

“Jullian?”

Seth sighs and sits on the couch of the empty apartment. He wipes the raindrops from the sushi box with his jacket. He looks to the window, and the cloudy Tokyo sky. He thinks about his parents … [I]flying[/I].

He’d have to find Tristan. Tristan knew something about his parents. She would know about his mother’s papers, and perhaps, what it all meant. He’d seen her on Pegasi. Perhaps he’d spend the day there tomorrow. No traveling today though. Today, he just wanted to be with Jullian.

Seth goes to the kitchen area, deposits the sushi box in the keeper, and heads for the bedroom.

He opens the storage drawer. He remembers placing his mother’s envelope to the back of the drawer, under the clothing, unseen. Now, he sees a tiny portion of a corner of the envelope, sticking up behind a tee shirt.

He pulls the envelope out and opens it, removing the contents. The pages of code and the schematic are intact. He returns the pages to the envelope and returns the envelope to its hiding spot in the drawer, burying it under the clothing.

…

Seth stands at the top of the crystal clear ramp. He looks down, across the crowded Brooklyn mall, to the restaurant in the distance. A large smile comes to his face as he catches a glimpse of purple hair. His mind wanders as he thinks about Jullian, her pretty face, her smell, her touch …

He’s startled by the hand on his arm, and startled again when he turns to see that it belongs to the man in the light colored suit.

Seth looks at the man. The burns and cuts were healed but he recognizes him. It was his companion from the Creed’s tunnels. He hears urgency in the man’s dry voice.

“Seth Tarot. We need to speak. Please.”

Seth swallows “Alright.” He glances back toward the restaurant and feels the hand on his arm give a slight tug.

“Not here.” The man glances around nervously “Aquatica.” His eyes meet Seth’s, “Please.”

Seth feels a shiver pass up his spine, as he looks into the man’s dark eyes ,  so much sorrow and pain. Again, he glances back to the restaurant “Alright.”

Without a word, the man releases Seth’s arm and turns up the ramp, heading to the travel gates.

…

Seth steps from the gate. The man in the light colored suit stands waiting, looking anxious. Seth follows, as the man moves quickly through Aquatica. They pass the apartment terminals and eventually arrive at a small building with a shimmering, blue door. Stylized letters above the door read, [I]FLOW[/I]. The man motions for Seth to enter.

The bar is small, only eight tables, two of them occupied. The room’s only lighting comes from within a huge aquarium, covering the entire far wall. Thousands of tiny, brightly colored fish dart around, creating an ever-changing kaleidoscopic effect.

The man moves to the far corner table and sits. Seth joins him. A waitress wearing a shimmering, blue blouse and pants, approaches the table, smiling. “What can I get for you?”

Seth returns her smile “Soda please.”

The man stares into the aquarium as he speaks “Water.”

The waitress leaves. Seth sits, feeling awkward in the silence as the man continues to gaze into the aquarium. The conversations of those at the other tables are masked by the sounds of flowing water and bubbles.

The waitress returns, placing the drinks on the table. “Will there be anything else?”

Seth smiles “Perhaps. We’ll let you know.”

She leaves, and the man turns to Seth, his eyes looking unfocussed and distant. “I was eighteen when I joined the Guardian’s. That was eight years ago. Six years ago I met Ms. Mattice … Carry. From the moment I met her …” He blinks, seeming to come back to the room. “We worked together mister Tarot. We worked on special projects. Projects that few knew about.  Projects that would benefit all of humanity.” He goes silent, looking down at the table.

Seth swallows, speaking quietly. “Projects like the Dolly Factor?”

The man speaks to the table, seeming not to hear Seth’s words. “Then, you come into the picture, and I have a new project … keeping you alive.” He turns back to the aquarium for a few moments, staring into the aquamarine light. A tear slides down his cheek. He turns back to Seth, tilting his head to the side. “Why are you so important?”

Seth takes a quick breath as he flashes back to the Creed’s tunnels …

…

[I]Seth sits against the wall, shivering. He closes his eyes, trying to stop his teeth from chattering. How many days? How many games had they played? He wishes it would end … he wishes that they would finish it.

He hears a voice as dry as sand …

“Why are you so important?”

Seth looks over, hearing his companion’s voice for the first time …

The man is looking at him, his eyes, two dark slits in his swollen face. His lips barely part as he speaks again.

“Why you?”[/I]

…

Seth shakes his head. “I …”

The man’s eyes are glassy with tears. “I loved her mister Tarot. I would have done anything for her. I loved her more than anything, and now … she’s gone.”

Seth reaches across the table, putting his hand on the man’s hand, and feeling it shake. “I’m sorry.”

The man shakes his head. “I saved your life mister Tarot. It was all for you. She would have come. She would have helped us, but then, you told them, didn’t you? You told them about Carry. You betrayed her … and they killed her.”

Seth pulls his hand back. “No, I …”

“Once you had gone, they let me go from that hell … just like that.” The man sits back in his chair and wipes the tears from his face with the back of his hand. “You paid for our freedom with Carry’s life, mister Tarot. I saved your life, and you took her from me.”

Seth’s throat is dry; he wants a sip of his soda. “Believe me, I’m sorry for your loss, but I didn’t betray anyone. They asked me …”

Large beads of sweat sprout from the man’s forehead. His eyes grow dark and distant. “My precious Carry was wrong about you mister Tarot. [I]You’re not important at all[/I].”

The man’s right hand disappears beneath the table and emerges, shaking badly, and holding a pistol …

Seth falls to his right as the roar of the gun explodes in his ears.

Don't kill Seth.

[B]39  -  Retribution[/B]


May 17, 2383


The titanium sheathed bullet leaves the shaky gun, imbedding itself in a steel post near the bar. Seth hits the floor and rolls toward the exit, his ears, ringing from the blast. Another shot rings out …

Just inches from his leg, a small section of the aquamarine tilled floor explodes into small fragments and dust. Someone is shouting. Seth jumps to his feet. Two men, who had been sitting at a nearby table, stand. Seth sees the shaky gun turn toward the men.

The man in the light colored suit shouts at them. “No … [I]don’t[/I]!” His voice cracks, sounding more like a plea than an order.

Seth runs to the exit and out into the corridor. He glances left and right. The corridor is empty. He turns right and runs, bracing himself to hear another shot. Ahead, the corridor tee’s.

He turns left, almost falling as his feet slip on the polished tiled floor. He runs down a long stretch of narrow corridor, passing a couple of unmarked doors. The corridor turns left.

Seth turns the corner and stops in his tracks. A few meters ahead, a barred gate blocks the way … [I]his mind flashes back to the sound of rusty hinges[/I] …

There’s no way to climb the vertical bars. He makes a jump, missing the top of the gate by almost a meter. He turns, returning to the corner, and runs back along the corridor to the first of the unmarked doors he had past. An entry pad is to the right of the door. He presses the entry icon, and sighs as the request for a password appears on the small screen. He hears footsteps approaching.

Seth runs back to the corner and steps around it, leaning against the wall. Slowly, he peers around the corner, seeing the corridor’s tee in the distance. The man in the light colored suit steps into view and turns, looking in his direction.

He backs away from the corner quickly, his heart racing. He almost cries out when he bumps into the air scrubber unit, protruding from the wall. He turns; looking at the large, green box, about as high as his waist. He looks at the gate, several meters away. The footsteps grow closer.

Seth takes a few steps back from the box, and launches himself toward it, bringing his shoulder down to hit it full on. There is a loud cracking sound as the unit moves slightly, breaking its syntactic plastic mounting. Seth ignores the pain in his shoulder, steps back, and launches himself at the box again. The unit breaks away, revealing an ugly, unfinished section in the wall, a broken air duct, and several tufts of scrubber fiber.

Seth turns his back to the box and squats, leaning back against it, and uses his legs to push with all his strength. There is a low scraping sound as he inches the heavy box toward the gate. He watches the corner and pushes harder and faster, his shoulder protesting his efforts. He turns his head, glancing back; still a couple of meters to go. He looks back to the corner.

The man in the light colored suit raises the shaky gun …

Seth jumps to his feet. He turns, climbs up onto the box, and leaps toward the gate. His chest hits the top of the gate and he falls, catching himself by hooking his elbows over it. He hangs, suspended for a second, taking in a breath before pulling himself up. He swings himself over the top as the gun rings out,

The bullet hits the back of his right ankle, passing through it, and ending its journey somewhere unseen.

Seth falls hard. Another shot brings him back to his feet. He tries to run and almost goes down again. His ankle didn’t feel broken, but something was wrong. His right foot felt numb. He stumbles forward, moving as fast as he can and looking for some cover, or some help.

The corridor turns right into a small, open square. Seth makes for an exit on the far side. After a few more steps, the numbness in his foot spreads through his leg. He glances back, hearing something in the corridor behind him.

He falls, reaching out at the last moment, not quick enough to keep his head from hitting the hard tile floor.

…

Seth opens his eyes and raises his head. The man in the light colored suit stands over him, looking down. Seth lies back on the hard tile. His eyes dart from side to side, following the movements of the shaky gun, aimed at his head. There is a long silence.

He thinks about Carry and swallows hard, forcing himself to look past the gun, and to the man holding it. He tries to keep his voice calm. “I’m [I]pure[/I] … [I]like Carry[/I] … I’m [I]pure[/I].”

The gun comes to a stop, sighting itself on Seth’s forehead as the man stops shaking. He stares at Seth, and then past him. A few moments pass and he turns his head up, gazing at the ceiling of the square as if seeing the wonder of the stars for the first time.

Seth lays still and quiet, the gun still trained on his head.

The man looks back down to Seth. He takes a long, slow breath. His shoulders slump slightly as his whole body seems to relax. His dark eyes seem to flash with a decision or, perhaps, an inspiration. He slowly brings the gun up to his temple, and fires.

Seth scrambles back as the man falls to his knees and flops over backwards. The man stares up, small rivers of red running from his nose and mouth, spreading from the collar of his light colored suit.

Seth sits up, closing his eyes and shaking, his adrenaline spent. He hears a woman’s voice…

“What? What happened here?”

He opens his eyes to see two women in white robes, carefully approaching the bleeding man. One of them squats down beside him.

“Oh my … I don’t believe it.” She turns to her companion. “It’s Lanner. Lanner Wiccom.”

@ maedan and bluespice

Thanks again for your positive comments and feedback. I really appreciate it. 

@ mykali

Not to worry. Seth will be with us for a little while longer ------  probably.

[B]40  -  Lanner[/B]


May 17, 2383


The younger woman takes a step closer to the crumpled body, being careful to avoid the fast growing pool of blood on the tile. She looks down cautiously “Who?”

Seth looks at the women’s badges, already knowing that they were members of the Guardians.

The other woman, squatting by the body, stands and moves to where Seth sits, clutching his injured leg. She is older, perhaps in her forties. She has a narrow face and bobbed, bleached white hair.

She crouches down, glancing at Seth’s bleeding ankle before looking to him. “What happened here?” She doesn’t wait for a response before turning her attention back to his ankle and pulling his trousers away from the wound.

Seth blinks, a wave of dizziness sweeping over him “Lanner?”

The woman looks up again. “You’re losing a lot of blood. A few more minutes and you would have been waking up in the cloning facility.” She smiles, “Just relax, I’m a medic.” She reaches under her robe and into her belt pack, bringing out a medkit. “My name is Marta. Please lay back.”

Seth lies back on the hard tile, trying to relax. A shooting and a suicide in a public place ,  Detective Bresh’s expressionless stare flashes before him and he raises his head. “Marta, are you alerting the LED?”

She glances back at Lanner’s body “No, not yet. Who are you?”

Seth lies back again, feeling the instant relief of the medkit’s auto-syringe as the nanites get to work on his ankle and shoulder. “Seth. Seth Tarot.”

Marta stands, slipping the medkit back into her pack. She looks across the empty square and turns to the other robed woman, still standing by Lanner’s body. “Linsey, get some help. Let’s close off the square until we can collect the body and clean up.”

Linsey gives a short, puzzled look before turning away and rushing though the square’s north passage.

Marta looks down at Seth. “Just a few more minutes and you’ll be as good as new.”

Seth watches as she walks back to the body and squats down, checking the dead man’s pockets. A short time later, three robed men enter the square from the north. Linsey follows them. Two of the men unfold a large, dark blue plastic sheet, spreading it on the ground beside the body. Seth sits up as Marta returns to him.

“Mister Tarot , ” She smiles, “Seth, you wouldn’t mind returning to my office with me, would you? I knew that man, and I’d like to understand what happened here … before we bring law enforcement into this.”

Two of the robed men lift the body onto the sheet, while the third begins the clean up.

Seth stands, testing his ankle and shoulder. Good as new. “Thanks for the help, Marta. Of course I’ll return with you.” Anything was better than ending up back in Bresh’s office; trying to explain another series of events he didn’t understand himself.

…

They walk down a wide hall and turn, heading through an equally wide doorway. A small, white plaque reads, [B]Medical[/B].

Marta turns to Seth as they walk. “I would guess that this is your first visit to the Guardian’s headquarters.” She smiles, “Wonderful, isn’t it?”

Seth returns her smile and nods. “It is. I’ve been here once before though, when I met with Sylvian.”

Marta raises her eyebrows in surprise. “You know Sylvian?”

They pass a large glass door, with a large office beyond. Seth looks at the small white plaque ,  [B]Marta Letran - Director of Medical Studies[/B].

He shakes his head. “Not really, I’ve only spoken to her the once.”

“So you …” Marta is interrupted as Linsey catches up to them.

“Room number four, Marta?”

Marta stops, turning to Linsey. “That’s fine Linsey. I’ll join you soon.”

Linsey nods and moves ahead along the corridor, disappearing through a door on the right. A little further on, Marta motions Seth through another door.

A soft, blue light illuminates the room. Four large and comfortable looking chairs are set around a low, white table. Soft music fills the air, and a pleasant scent, the smell of the ocean.

Marta stays by the door. “Would you mind waiting here for a few minutes? I’d like to take a quick look at the body. Ten or fifteen minutes at most.”

“Alright.”

Marta smiles and points to a small, white cabinet in a corner of the room. “You’ll find some drinks in there if you’re thirsty.” She leaves, closing the door behind her.

Seth touches the face of the cabinet and it slides back silently. He sees a familiar soda and pulls one out. He moves to a chair, sits, and sips the cold soda. He tries to think clearly about what had happened, and why, but his thoughts keep drifting back to Jullian.

…

The door opens and Marta comes back in, Linsey close on her heels.

“That’s alright Linsey, I’ll speak to Mister Tarot alone.”

Linsey makes no effort to disguise the look of disappointment on her face as she leaves the room. Marta closes the door and takes a seat across from Seth.

“We’ll talk in here.” She smiles, “It’s much more comfortable than my office.”

Seth looks at the woman, seeing the sincerity of her smile, and eyes he feels he can trust. “I’m surprised that the Guardians have such a large medical research facility.”

Marta gives him another soft smile. “The Guardians research many things Seth; anything that might be beneficial to Mankind.”

Seth thinks about Carry and the Dolly Factor.

Marta continues, “In any case, we’ve spoken to the witnesses that were in the bar, and I have a pretty good picture of what happened in the square before we arrived. Do you know the man that was trying to kill you?”

Seth sits his soda on the table. “I’ve seen him before, several times lately, and before that, in the worst of circumstances … but until today, I didn’t even know his name. Lanner Wiccom. Who was he Marta?”

She tilts her head slightly. “Okay then Seth, I’ll go first. Linsey didn’t recognize Lanner because she’s only been with the Guardians for a year. Lanner joined us some time ago. As a rank 1, he stood out as one of the most promising new recruits we had ever seen. Two years ago, just before he was to be promoted with special recognition, he disappeared; disappeared completely.”

[B]41  -  Marta[/B]


May 17, 2383


Seth picks up his drink, his throat, suddenly going dry.

Marta shakes her head. “After today’s events, we won’t be seeing him again. I can’t understand why, but he had no clone.” She watches as Seth finishes off his soda in a long, slow sip. “The deep medi-scan, revealed traces of prohibited drugs in his body, administered in high quantities. When did you first meet him?”

“I met him in a very dark place.” He flashes back …

[I]… the merc shines his light into a dark corner ,  a hooded figure wearing a dirty robe, lays curled up beside a bench …[/I]

Seth blinks, focusing on Marta. “Carry. Were they close, Lanner and Carry?”

Marta looks at him with surprise. “Carry? Carry Mattice? Now why would you ask that?”

“Because he told me he loved her and …”

“Wait, Seth.” Marta stands and walks to the cabinet. She opens it and removes a bottle of water and a soda. She sits back down, sitting the fresh soda on the table in front of him. “Okay, please, start from the beginning.”

….

Seth tells Marta about his encounter with the Blood Creed, and the day he was saved by the unknown wielder of a tazer. He tells her the little he can remember about their time together in the Creed’s tunnels, and about the drugs. He tells her of the sightings he had after his release, of the man in the light colored suit.

“Then, this morning in the Brooklyn Mall, he approached me, and asked me to come to Aquatica to discuss something important. I …”

There is a knock. Marta stands from her chair and opens the lounge door. Linsey is standing outside, looking anxious.

“I’ll just be a moment, Seth.” Marta steps outside, shutting the door behind her.

Seth leans back in his chair, looking up into the ceiling’s blue light. He closes his eyes, listening to the soft music. Behind the music, he hears a voice; Lanner’s voice … [I]Why are you so important[/I]?

Seth opens his eyes and takes a quick sip of soda, clearing the voice from his head. The door opens and Marta steps back in. Linsey peers into the room, over her shoulder.

“Seth, the LED arrived a short time ago to investigate the incident in the bar. They’ve interviewed the few people that were there at the time.”

Seth sighs and stands from his chair.

“Wait, Seth. Sit for a minute more.” Marta turns and smiles at Linsey before closing the door, leaving her outside.

Seth sits back down and Marta continues. “The bar that you were in isn’t very well known. It is owned, and frequented almost exclusively, by current and retired Guardians. What that means, Seth, is that the people the LED interviewed were able to give a good description of the man with the gun, but they had some trouble describing the man who came in with him and ran from the bar when the shooting started … namely, you.”

Seth blinks. “Oh.”

“Seth, Lanner was one of ours. A Guardian with great promise, and now …” she gives him a reassuring smile, “It looks like you can help us understand what happened. I want you to know that if you’d rather go to the LED now, I fully understand and you’re welcome to.”

He shakes his head. “No Marta. I’ve spent enough time with the LED since I was taken by the Creed. I’ll help you, if I can.”

Marta opens the door. “Linsey, please let Errin know that Mister Tarot will not be speaking with the LED.”

Linsey gives Seth a curious look as Marta shuts the door and returns to her chair.

“Now, Seth …”

…

Seth tells Marta about the meeting in the bar. He tells her of Lanner’s infatuation with Carry, the special projects he said they’d worked on together, and his accusation of betrayal.

“He held me responsible for Carry’s death. He believed that I’d sold her out. I had a note with me with her vid-phone number and the mercs got hold of it. I’m pretty sure I’d written the penthouse access code as well.” Seth shakes his head. “I can’t be sure Marta. All the pain, and the drugs … I don’t have any clear memories.”

Marta speaks softly. “I knew Carry well. I worked with her quite often and I’m completely surprised by the relationship Lanner told you about. Not to mention the special projects he referred to.”

“Do you know about something called the ‘Dolly Factor’, Marta?”

“Dolly Factor? No, I’ve never heard of it.”

Seth sighs, looking at the table.

“Seth, did Lanner say anything before he took his life? There was no note or vid-pad log.”

He shakes his head. “No, but I said something to him. I told him I was pure; pure like Carry.”

“Pure? What does that mean?”

Seth stares into the white tabletop, not hearing Marta’s question. He remembers the pain in Lanner’s eyes. Not rage, or hate, but a deep, festering pain. Then, at the end, the look of relief and peace. Something becomes clear to him. He speaks his thought out loud …

“He wasn’t really trying to kill me.”

[B]42  -  Beloved[/B]


May 17, 2383


“Wasn’t trying to kill you? According to the witnesses, he almost killed you in the bar. I was the one who took care of your ankle wound. A wound that would have killed you if I hadn’t arrived when …”

“I know, but I don’t think that was intentional.” He looks at Marta. “Marta, Lanner could have killed me with the first shot. I was taken by surprise and he was sitting right across from me. He could have killed me with the second shot when I was lying on the floor a few feet from him, but he missed both times, point blank, and when he came after me,  he didn’t run, he walked.”

Marta considers Seth’s words. “Then, why did he do it?”

He’s silent for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. “He fired the tazer, risking his life, trying to save me from the most brutal mercenary group in the Dominion, because Carry asked him to. He didn’t know me. He didn’t even know why, but he did it because Carry asked him to, to keep me pure, safe from the Dolly Factor.”

Marta looks like she might interrupt, but doesn’t.

“In the bar, I saw the look in his eyes … a terrible look. He looked like he was already dead, or at least, dead inside. With Carry’s death, the very reason for his existence was gone.” Seth shifts in his chair. “But if he killed me, I’d clone, and become impure. His last task for his beloved Carry, was to see that that didn’t happen. So he was trapped and tormented, wanting to kill me for taking his beloved from him, but not able to because of a promise to that same beloved.”

Marta leans forward. “So he took his own life instead?”

Seth nods slowly. “I think that when I reminded him that I was pure, like Carry, he realized there was only one way to keep his promise to Carry, and end his torment. He had no clone and neither did Carry. I don’t think he knew that my wound was serious. All three of us would remain pure. At the last moment I was looking him in the eyes, and the darkness was gone.”

Marta takes a long, slow breath “Alright Seth. What is this ‘Dolly Factor’?”

Carrie was gone, her documents burnt. Lanner was gone. Who else new about the Dolly Factor? Seth couldn’t think of any reason not to tell Marta what he knew.

…

Marta’s expression grows more doubtful as Seth finishes his explanation.

“You know, Seth …” Marta pauses, choosing her words. “Carry was a good Guardian and always a fervent supporter of our causes and campaigns. She was also known to have a talent for sniffing out plots and conspiracies in the most, unlikely places.”

Seth remembers Jullian’s giggles and words … [I]the Queen of Conspiracies[/I].

Marta gives him a small grin. “However, very seldom, if ever, did she have enough proof to get the Guardians involved as a whole.”

He thinks of the tall, dark building. “I’m sure that others know about the Dolly Factor. I saw Carry and a group of Guardians protesting in front of Dolly Incorporated headquarters in New York.”

Marta shakes her head. “That’s not why we’re protesting. The Guardians believe that Dolly can afford to provide clones at a much lower cost, making them affordable to more people while still making a very healthy profit.”

There is another knock at the door. Marta stands, moving by Seth.

He doesn’t turn to see who is at the door. He tries to make sense of Marta’s explanation of the protest. Who else knew about the Dolly factor? He turns as he hears his name.

“Seth. Sylvian is coming by. She would like to speak with you.”

…

Seth joins Marta and Linsey in the corridor. A robed figure comes through the main doors. Linsey snaps to attention as Sylvian approaches them. Seth expects her to salute at any moment.

Marta turns to him and smiles. “Thank you for your time, Seth. Perhaps we’ll speak again.”

Linsey eyes him suspiciously as Sylvian speaks.

“Hello Seth. Let’s go to my office.”

…

Sylvian raises an eyebrow. “You lead an exciting life, Seth.”

He sits back in the chair, trying to clear the questions that are spinning in his head “Lately, yes.”

“I’ve looked into your legal problems with Dolly Incorporated. You told me that you’ve never filed any legal actions. Correct?”

Seth nods. “That’s right. Carry had the papers ready to sign, but I refused.”

Sylvian picks up a large envelope from the nearby table. Somewhere in his mind, Seth hears Carry’s voice …

[I]… Don’t you see, Seth, you and I are still pure ,  part of a dwindling few. We have to stick together ,  I need your help…[/I]

Sylvian opens the envelope and takes out several documents. She looks through them and removes one, looking at it for a moment before handing it to him.

Seth looks at the legal document entitled, [B]Negligence Leading To Death[/B]. He feels light-headed as he catches a brief, strong smell of paper. He stares at the signature on the document. It was his.

[B]43  -  Risk[/B]


May 17, 2383


Sylvian moves behind Seth’s chair. She reaches over his shoulder, pointing to the bottom of the document he holds. “Is that your signature?”

Seth continues to stare. “It looks like it, but it can’t be.”

Sylvian moves to a chair besides Seth’s and sits. She reaches, and plucks the document from his hand. “It’s your signature, Seth. Biometric scans prove it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been accepted as an official legal document.”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t sign anything.”

“Yes …” she places the document with the others on the small, white table, “you did.”

Seth closes his eyes, just wanting to be home, home with Jullian.

“Seth. Last time we met, you told me about your meeting with Carry.”

He opens his eyes. “Yes.”

“Did anything unusual happen you didn’t tell me about?”

He thinks back to the meeting. “The entire meeting was unusual  …”  

[I]… He walks from the room and stands in the main room of the penthouse, breathing deeply and feeling light-headed, the smell of the paper fading. What had happened to him? He tries to relax  …  [/I]

“By the end, I wasn’t feeling well, so I told Carry ‘no’, and I left.”

“You weren’t feeling well?”

“A little dizzy, and there was a really strong smell, like the smell of paper.” Seth shrugs. “I was pretty stressed that day with all the …”

Sylvian interrupts. “Did you eat or drink anything while you were with Carry?”

“I had a soda. I don’t think I finished it.”

Sylvian’s face shows her concern.

…

Seth lies back on the scanning table.

Marta smiles down at him. “Just relax, Seth. The scan only takes a few minutes.”

Seth sighs. “I already told you that the mercenaries gave me drugs when I was their prisoner.”

She nods. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find traces of the same illegal stimulants I found in Lanner’s body. I’m looking for something else. Something else I found in Lanner’s scan.”

“What are you looking for?”

She turns away, looking at the screen. “Something I’d rather not find.”

…

Seth follows Marta back to her office door. Linsey eyes him from a nearby desk, peering over the top of the desk screen. They enter the office. Sylvian is waiting inside.

Marta sits behind the white desk. “Have a seat, Seth.”

Sylvian waits for Seth to get comfortable. “Seth, we’re telling you this because you’ve been honest with us, and because we feel partly responsible for your situation with Dolly Incorporated.” She looks at Marta, giving a small nod.

Marta leans forward, lowering her voice although they are alone in the room. “The deep scan revealed what we were looking for. Carry gave you a drug called Diophazine. It causes long-term, and sometimes permanent, memory loss of a short period of time. Five minutes to two hours or so, depending on the dosage.”

“It also has the strange, and unique, side effect of temporarily causing a sense to become hyper sensitive. Which of the five senses goes into the hyper state seems to depend on the individual. In your case, it was the sense of smell.”

Seth looks from Marta to Sylvian. “But how can you be sure that it was Carry that drugged me? Why do you feel responsible?”

“Because Diophazine is very rare, strictly controlled …” she glances at Marta “and a creation of the Guardians. It belongs to us, exclusively.”

Seth looks at the floor, quiet for a few moments. “So, I did sign those papers, but I don’t remember doing it.”

“Seth, I hope you appreciate that we’re taking a risk, telling you about this.”

He looks at Sylvian “Risk?”

“I know you want to clear up this Dolly business. That’s understandable. Now that you know what happened, you may be tempted to report what we’ve told you about Diophazine. I just want you to know that only a few Guardians know of the drug’s existence, and even fewer can detect its presence.”

Seth takes a slow breath. “In other words, Dolly wouldn’t be likely to believe me.”

“We’ve told you this in trust, Seth. We don’t want you speaking to anyone about this.”

He tries not to sound desperate. “Then, what can I do?”

“Wait, Seth. Just wait a while. The suite’s already been filled and processed, so I can’t just have it dropped, but I can delay the next phase for at least a month. In the meantime, we’ll keep looking into Carry’s [I]special[/I] projects.”

Seth nods slowly “Alright.”

Sylvian stands, moving to Seth and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Try not to worry about it Seth. Give us a little more time. Trust us. We’ll clear this up.”

Marta smiles, “Linsey will show you out.”

…

Seth feels Linsey’s eyes on him as they walk down the corridor. As they near the exit, she stops suddenly and he turns back to look at her.

“Excuse me, Mister Tarot. I really don’t mean to be rude … but you’re a young guy, and you don’t wear the badge of any GD agency, corporation, or clan. I haven’t seen anyone get this much attention around here in a while. A personal audience with both Marta and Sylvian?” She tilts her head, “Why are [I]you[/I] so important?”