ABC - Penance

Red Snakes Compound, Haven City

5th February 2047

“This is the place” I told Sam Preston, gesturing beyond the unmarked sedan’s front window at the heavily reinforced gates that faced us.

I had collected Sam early in the morning from her Camp in the Wastelands, driving a sedan I had requisitioned from Headquarters. It was an old model four door in chipped grey, used by our Undercover officers for surveillance work. The Sergeant from the Motor Pool had denied my request until a call from Trixie had solved the matter in four short words.

“The Boss said yes” I heard her voice over the internal phone network, the Sergeant turning a delightful shade of purple at having his petty kingdom invaded by the likes of me. I may not be much on my own account but I do know a lot of very scary people.

Sam had been equally reluctant about today’s expedition, mostly the part where she had to spend a good hour each way sitting in close proximity to yours truly. She still held a grudge over the events of last year, at least that was how I was reading it.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if she had resolved her whole ‘fuck me or fight me’ attitude from our previous encounters. Looking at her incredible body as she got into the car, I wasn’t sure myself how I felt about either scenario if it came to a head.

“Why did you let the kids stay with this Madam Sin after she rescued them?” Sam finally spoke up. She nodded at the gates that were now opening, men in armour vests and carrying guns visible in the widening gap. “The head base for a gang of criminals is no place for Cisco and Mara!”

“Kettles and Pots” I warned Sam, nosing the car forwards between the men as they formed two lines either side of us. I wound my window down and flashed my Ident to an older looking guy who sported a long, drooping moustache from his upper lip. He ran a hand scanner over it, checked the results, then waved us forwards.

“I have no idea what that means, Alvarez” she snapped in reply, reminding me she was a generation younger than decrepit old me. She swept her gaze over the view outside, ignoring me for now as the scenery stole her breath away.

The fortified walls that surrounded this compound were modern and efficient. What lay within was like another world, a scene from ancient China lifted in entirety from that time and place then deposited with artful grace here in Haven. We drove along a road paved with coloured bricks, characters of black and red set amongst paler bricks. What the words meant I had no idea, but it was like we were driving along an ancient scroll, the car ‘reading’ the words as we drove.

Hedges and bushes lined the driveway, giving glimpses of lush green patches of grass and ornate gardens. Narrow bridges of stone crossed meandering streams, once a big golden fish visible as it leaped in fishy glee in its pond.

People could be seen moving through this Eden, some dressed as workers, some as guards and others were children of a variety of ages. What surprised me was that the majority of inhabitants were obviously Chinese yet there were dark skinned and pale people here. They filled all the roles too, not just as servants or employees it seemed.

I stopped the car in a broad, open space bounded by low chains and bollards, alongside a couple of other vehicles. A woman in traditional garb approached us as we exited, bowing deeply and greeting us in an Australian drawl that hailed from across the border.

“Welcome, Inspector Alvarez and Miss Preston” she said politely. “Madam Sin is awaiting your arrival inside” She beckoned us to follow and we did, my eyes noting the subtly concealed firing slits in the vast edifice that fronted onto the parking area.

The building was a Pagoda in style, a half dozen stories high with sweeping curved roofs of red tile and rearing dragons, the snake like ones without wings, sitting atop each ridge. Grated windows, circular in some cases, looked over us and I saw movement behind at least one of them.

Inside the lobby it was traditionally styled too, expanses of wooden floors polished to a high sheen and pale slatted screens blocking lines of sight into the sides and corners. At the centre was a recessed pond, filled with flashing golden fish as they danced under a bubbling fountain.

Madam Sin, head of the Crimson Serpent Clan, more commonly called the Red Snakes, regarded us with imperious dignity to one side of the fountain. At her back stood two silent companions, a tall well muscled man in red robes carrying a sheathed sword and an older woman in white robes patterned with red serpents.

It was a moment of solemn dignity and I could feel Sam fidgeting nervously at my side. I locked my eyes with our host, keeping my face in “Police Mode” which meant a faintly disapproving expression.

Mabel cracked first, her painted lips parting in a broad smile as she rushed to embrace me. I folded her into my arms, burying my face into her powdered neck. She drew back and kissed me, long and hard enough to leave me gasping for air.

“I thought we had lost you” she breathed to me, her face still close to mine. “I couldn’t bear to lose another friend so soon”

“I couldn’t bear to lose me either” I assured her with a smile. “I’ve grown quite attached to myself”

“I hope so, Luisa” she replied sagely. She stepped back as I mulled over this comment, introducing us to her Head of Security and the Keeper of the House. Confusingly, the big guy with the sword was the House Keeper and the white robed woman was in charge of Security. After I had introduced Sam, we all bowed and made brief pleasantries until Mabel got to the crux of today’s meeting.

“Let me take you to the children” she said, leading us through a number of tastefully furnished halls and chambers until we reached the very rear of the palatial building. Here the rooms were more functional, fitted with modern devices and decorated in a Western style.

The room we entered was big, maybe ten meters wide and double that in length. Long shelves filled one wall, stuffed with boxes of toys and games. Windows and sliding doors looked out over a grassed playground, with climbing frames and swings evident.

Through these spaces ran and shouted a horde of children, ranging from tottering infants to serious faced teenagers. They were of all nationalities it appeared, playing and squabbling without concern like children everywhere. Smiling adults moved among them, assisting in resolving disputes and consoling the ones with scraped knees or elbows.

It was a riot, utterly at odds with the serene dignity elsewhere in this great house. Mabel stepped into the midst of it all, a huge grin on her face. Her companions stayed outside the room, gesturing for us to enter behind our host. I walked in and Sam followed, nervously staying close to me.

I understood her apprehension. I love kids but get enough of them into one place and they are worse than adult rioters. The noise was deafening, until Mabel raised one ring covered hand and they all stopped like mechanicals whose batteries suddenly ran out of charge.

“Cisco! Mara!” Mabel called out in a clear, ringing voice. “Please join us in the dining room!”

As if by magic, the sea of children parted and the two named ones appeared. Cisco appeared much as I recalled, only the anxious expression clouding his face something new to me. His elder sister Mara looked far more at ease, her right hand sporting a bandage over her missing finger yet she seemed fitter and healthier than ever.

Other children whispered half-heard words of encouragement to the pair, then Mabel led us through another door into a dining hall. Sam hesitated, looking out over the crowd of children as they recommenced their games.

“Come on, Sam” I said to her. “Let’s go talk with Mabel and discuss their futures”

She let me guide her from the room, the noise ending abruptly as one of Mabel’s assistants closed the door behind us.

=====

“With your permission, the Crimson Serpent Clan would like to adopt Cisco and Mara” Mabel announced, seated at a long dining table. Her companions stood behind her, attentive yet unobtrusive at the same time. The children sat side by side next to Mabel, Cisco between his sister and the woman, holding a hand each in his own.

“Their father passed about a year ago” Sam replied. “Their mother the year before that. We never had anyone formally appointed to care for them, it was just a group kind of thing”

“Is there anyone who would wish to become their guardian?” Mabel enquired, innocently enough but I could see the shrewd look in her eyes. She knew the answer already.

“No, there isn’t” Sam said quietly. Her eyes fell, unwilling to look at the children whom she had failed so badly. “We have so many to care for and little enough to do it with”

“Why do you want to take over their care, Mabel” I asked in the silence that followed. “You only met them a few days ago”

Mabel met my eyes without rancour, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Sometimes you meet a person and know right away that you want be part of their lives” she said. “Since I returned to my Clan, I have wondered about what path to guide my people down. Choosing the road in such troubled times is not easy, I am sure you will agree. It was when I met these two, that the way forward became clear to me”

She gripped Cisco’s hand tightly and the small boy turned to look at her with such utter devotion my heart skipped a beat.

“The Crimson Serpents have accepted outsiders into our ranks for years, some earning the right through marriage and others by their skills and abilities. This was something I had always encouraged in my many years as head of our family. You have seen already the diversity that is part of this household”

“Yet now a new path must be taken” she continued. “I wish to change our Clan from what it was into something new and wonderful. Cisco and Mara have the talent to be a part of that and I wish to guide them. In truth, I shall accept them as my own flesh and blood, if you will give your agreement”

Sam looked up sharply at this declaration, her expression troubled.

“What talent do you mean, Madam Sin?” she demanded. “They are NOMAs like most of us at the Camp”

Mabel turned to Cisco and Mara, smiling gently at them.

“Take out your Candlestones, little ones” she asked them. Both children reached into their pockets, pulling out small leather pouches. “Just drop them on the table for now, please”

They did, spilling smoothly shaped stones with a hole drilled in one end and what looked like letters or characters of some sort carved into the face. Mabel gestured to Sam and I to pick one up, so we took a stone each into our hands.

It felt warm from being in an active child’s pocket but otherwise it was just a stone and I said so to Mabel. Sam’s stone was similarly unimpressive and she laid it on the table once more.

“In the hands of an Awakened, or indeed the majority of humanity, a Candlestone is just a pretty rock” agreed Mabel. “Among those of us we call Adepts, they are used to test the potential of a new Sorceror. Even an untrained Adept can unconsciously draw power from the Dark Side, giving power to the spell focus carved into the stone”

Sam scoffed loudly and I had to admit even I was sceptical, despite all I had seen.

“Cisco, Mara, take up the Candlestones” Mabel asked them. The two children grasped their stones eagerly, willing to please their benefactor.

“Holy shit!” I gasped as the pieces of rock started to glow with a pale white light, streaming between each child’s fingers. Mabel gave me a triumphant look, only matched by the gleeful looks from Cisco and Mara.

“I thought you were a low Grade Awakened, Cisco” I said to the boy. “Looks like you are something else entirely”

“Madam Sin says she will teach us to be Magicians, Miss Alvarez” Cisco stated proudly. “She wants us to help her create a better world for everybody”

“Is that so?” I pondered aloud. “That would be quite a change of direction for the Clan. How does the rest of the family feel about it?”

It was Madam Sin not Mabel who answered me, her face hardening and eyes glinting like dark stones behind her lashes. For the first time I understood she had her own Judy inside of her, ready to come out when needed.

“I have led the Crimson Serpents for over one hundred years” she said boldly. “My will is the will of the Clan. My wishes are the wishes of the family. No one will argue against me”

“Will you love them?” Sam spoke at last, her chin pointing at the two children. The unshed tears in her voice caught at me, letting me know how much she regretted everything.

“I already do” Mabel answered. “They have become very precious to me”

Sam nodded her head in agreement, a solitary tear rolling unheeded from her cheek.

“Then for what it is worth, I give my consent. I wish them all the best in the world”

“Thanks Sam” Mara said to her and came around the table to give the older girl a hug. Cisco hesitated, then did the same. When they finally broke apart, the young boy extended his hand to me, so I took it. We exchanged a solemn handshake and Cisco voiced his own thanks as well.

The kids left us then, running out through the connecting door. Shouts of glee came from the other room and I had to smile to myself. Whatever Mabel had planned, those two were in a far better place than Sam or I could offer them.

We talked for a while longer and Sam signed some documents that Mabel’s assistants produced. I ran my eye over them and they seemed legitimate, with Sin Mah Bel accepting sole guardianship of Cisco and Mara Ramirez.

Mabel offered us lunch, but Sam was antsy so I politely declined. I had to promise to come back another day with Minke, so I gave my honest word we would return.

As we left, Mabel took us past the playground area and we paused for a few minutes, watching the children yell and scream in a fun way. Cisco and his sister Mara were talking and running with the other kids, happy smiles wreathing their faces.

Whatever game they were playing, it seemed a number of children had also brought out their Candlestones. Sam and I looked on as the game progressed, seeing all the stones lighting up in the small hands. Some were as bright as torches, others just a faint gleam. Yet there were dozens of them amongst the children, a veritable army of young Adepts waiting to be trained.

“Is Magic real, Luisa?” Sam asked me as we drove away, the heavy gates swinging closed behind the sedan.

“I honestly don’t know for sure” I admitted. “But if Madam Sin is really over one hundred years old, she must know some pretty good tricks”