All is Fair

Extract from the personal files of Twenty Hargreaves

September 7th, V26 (2046AD) - Evening

That damned Carter had thrown me against the wall of the Orphanage. I fell stunned to the paving near the entrance, lying in a heap. This was not good.

Millie was out there to my right somewhere, her and Sister Adoracion. I knew I had to protect them but my head would not clear. My feet kept slipping out from under me and I wondered if I was concussed.

I slumped back against the wall, desperately trying to focus. Like voices underwater I could hear Carter taunting Millie. Rage filled me as I thought about all the ways I was going to kill this man for daring to hurt her.

Just when I thought I could order my scattered thoughts, a piercing horn sounded close by. I clutched my hands over my ears and huddled against its ear splitting noise. That had to be Millie and her air horn, so she was still in the game.

By the time I came back to my senses, Millie’s dear little face was peering into mine.

“I’m OK” I said thickly to her. “How is the Sister?”

Millie didn’t reply but staggered off across the parking lot. I tracked her with my eyes as she found Sister Adoracion and knelt beside her. It looked like the Sister was still alive so I felt relief flood through me.

Then Millie jerked and took something from her neck. She fell a moment later across the other woman and my feeling turned to horror. I scrabbled for my pistol and saw it some meters away. I lunged for it, trying to look for who was attacking us now.

Near Millie a woman in white appeared, literally showing up in an instant, the rain pushing away from her in a halo as she manifested from the air. A tall dark coated man was behind, touching her with his hand. An Awakened who could Teleport? They were so rare even here in the Zone.

I had my pistol in hand and started running painfully slowly towards Millie. The woman was touching Millie, almost gently and speaking to her. The tall man just watched me calmly, his eyes pools of darkness. They were too close to her, I dared not risk a shot. I had to get closer to protect her and the Sister.

Finally I was close enough and I sighted at the man. He took one last glance at me and touched one hand to Millie and the other to the strange woman. They vanished as suddenly as they had arrived.

With a lurch I stopped next to the Sister. Millie and the other two were nowhere in sight as I scanned the whole area. Even the two vans had driven off, taking the survivors with them. I fell to my knees beside Adoracion and felt despair well up inside. I had been so close but they had stolen her away from me.

I don’t know how long I knelt like that in the rain, my clothes and body utterly soaked. It was Sister Agatha from the Orphanage leading some young men and women who found us. They got me to my feet and dragged me into the shelter of the foyer. Two strong lads in their night clothes carried Sister Adoracion in and laid her on a couch, her face bloodied but she was still breathing.

They were like a military unit I observed, the older children and the young adults all moving with purpose and skill. Agatha barked orders and the orphans (for who else could they be?) carried them out. First aid was administered, wet clothes were removed and weapons and armour tended to. A young girl wrapped me in a warm blanket as my shirt and pants were sent to be dried.

Near the main doors I saw two of the older ones standing guard, a young man with a machine pistol and a woman bearing a short sword. They had the doors partially open and were watching the parking lot and street beyond intently. Their stance with the weapons was confident and showed professional training.

I began to wonder exactly what this Orphanage was really for.

The young woman at the door was relieved by a child of around twelve carrying a pistol, equally as confident and alert. She was wearing a bright green frog onesie and had fluffy slippers on her feet. Looking around I noticed that all the children were in their pajamas, slip on boots covering their feet.

“Are you alright now?” asked the young woman with the sword. She had come to stand in front of me, her hands clasped demurely in front of her waist, the sword gripped between them. Her pink two piece pajamas were damp at the shoulders where she had been outside.

Her face was so intent I had to smile. She blushed, her dark skin barely concealing it. I guessed she was of Indian descent, with her dark hair and eyes. Her hair hung in a long braid that reached past her waist.

“I am feeling better, thank you” I answered. I had already been checked by another Sister who had declared I was neither dead nor concussed and moved onto other duties.

A small girl, maybe ten years old, presented me with a hot tea loaded with sugar. I was told it was to help with shock and she watched me with similar intensity to the bigger girl while I drank it. Satisfied I was following instructions, she moved off as well, leaving me with the sword bearer.

“Is this really an Orphanage?” I asked her as I sipped the tea. I was wondering if I was still lying out in the rain, hallucinating wildly.

“Of course it is” said my companion. “We are all orphans or abandoned children here. It is just that some of us are chosen to join one of the Orders”

I looked down at the sword she carried. It was an old European short sword, much like a Roman Gladius. Able to deliver powerful strikes but also deadly thrusts with the broad blade. It reminded me of the sword that Venerae carried.

“My name is Impassionata” she said to me earnestly. She registered the look on my face and hurriedly added “Both most people call me Nata. I am a Novice in the Order of Michael”. She blushed again under my gaze.

She was pretty with the bloom of youth. Her body looked slim but athletic, much like Millie’s. That thought grounded me once again in reality and my face dropped. Tears burned my eyes and I stifled a sob.

“Please don’t cry Twenty” said Nata and sat beside me. She put her sword to one side of the couch we were seated on and grasped my free hand with her own. “Millicent is not someone to be defeated so easily. I am sure we will rescue her”

“How do you know about her and me?” I asked.

“I am sure Sister Adoracion told you how well known Millicent is here at the Orphanage. Some of us like to know what she is up to. And of course we know all about you” she added.

“Um, I need to go check on Adoracion” I muttered, embarrassed to my core. I stood up, wrapping the blanket close around me and was pleased to note I was steady on my feet. My clone body can recover far quicker than a regular human one. Leaving Nata on the couch I went and knelt next to the Sister.

Adoracion was sitting upright now, her brow swathed in bandages and smaller stick on ones scattered across her cheeks, neck and hands. I wondered if I looked as beaten up as she did.

“They took Millie” I said with no preamble. I could hear the harshness in my tone and Adoracion nodded in acknowledgement.

“Millie is not yet 18 years of age, so she is still under the protection of my Order” declared the Sister. “We will help you find her and rescue her, that is our promise to you”

I bowed my head in thanks. “I am grateful, Sister”

The next half hour was a whirlwind of preparations. My clothes and armour were returned, dried and cleaned as best they could be. My pistol had been expertly stripped, oiled and reloaded and the bag of gear was checked and made ready.

My plan was to head to the Church and try to locate Venerae. She had been staying out of contact for some days and even the Order was unable to get word to her. All I could hope was that her own instincts would bring her within my reach.

I was nearly ready to leave when Nata, the young Novice, came and stood before me once more. She had changed into street clothes but with a long heavy coat on top that came to her mid calves. It had the heavy weight of an armoured weave. Concealed beneath was her short sword in a long custom sheath fitted to the inner lining. Black tactical boots came to her knees and I recognised them as a similar design to my Guard boots, with armoured layers to protect her lower legs.

The child was armed for battle and I gave her a wary look.

“Why are you dressed like that?” I asked her bluntly.

“I am your guide and emissary from the Order” she replied, brimming with confidence. Sister Adoracion joined us and told me it was true. She wished she could accompany me herself, but Impassionata was her best student and would go in her stead.

“I can’t let a child risk her life in this matter!” I shouted, surprising myself and them. Nata barely blinked and instead came close to me, her intense eyes boring into mine.

“I am the same age as Millie” she scolded me. “Do not doubt my skills or my determination. Millie needs our help and I am here to give it!”

It was my turn to step back. She looked so meek and shy yet there was no denying the fire inside of her. She reminded me of Millie in so many ways even though they looked so different.

“She used to be a friend of mine, years ago” Nata suddenly pleaded. “Please let me help you”

I knew when to accept the inevitable. As Millie was fond of misquoting to me, “Don’t bite the inedible.” I gave Nata my thanks and told her I would be honoured to have her help.

Sister Adoracion presented me with two metal charms, one of gold and the other silver, marked with Runes. They were on a sturdy chain and she looped them over my head, settling them against my neck. I gave her an enquiring look.

“These are Wards against certain magic” she told me, which left me little the wiser. She saw my confusion and tried to explain more. “The silver charm will protect you from Sleep spells and the gold charm will ward you against Possession. They need to be recharged at dusk, as the power we imbue into them only lasts a day”

I lifted them up and examined them closely.

“How do I recharge them?” I wondered.

“You can’t as you are not an Adept” Adoracion responded. “I have used my power to fill them tonight, but tomorrow you will need to have Nata recharge them both”

Nata nodded her agreement to this.

“Do you carry such wards?” I asked the novice.

“I have been given a number of Wards from our inventory plus some useful Spell foci” she confirmed.

“Just remember your cup is not that big” admonished Adoracion. “Be mindful of how you use your power.” Nata assured her mentor she would be careful and with that we left the Orphanage.

The bodies of Carter and his armed men had been removed at some point, the ground already washed clean of the blood and gore. I hoped none of the children had been required to do such a gruesome task.

At the edges of the parking lot I saw Sisters in their habits standing watch, some with weapons ready. All of them looked alert and capable. This Orphanage was certainly something more than I had expected.

An auto-cab was waiting for us, it’s doors open. The rain had stopped for now and the moon was making an appearance through the drifting clouds.

“I am sorry we brought such carnage to your home” I apologised to Sister Adoracion. She was standing with us, supported by one of the young men.

“It is not your fault” she consoled me. “If we had been more prepared we would have set our own sensors out to warn us we were under attack. The drones and charms have been deployed now so do not fear for the children here. Go find Venerae and rescue Millie”

Nata and I both bowed to the Sister and got into the cab. As we drove away I looked towards the Tower of Babel in the distance, a marker for where the Consolidated Churches were established. For the first time it sunk in that Millie was not with me on a mission. I feared what her abductors had planned for her and I vowed to myself that I would do anything I had to in order to get her back.

If I had to tear this city to the ground I would do it. She would do the same for me.

=====

The auto-cab zipped along the streets then dove into a tunnel, using the expressways that criss-crossed under the city to reach our destination. It was a smooth ride and the onboard dumb AI moved easily around the slower traffic. They were all transports as far as I could see, with no private vehicles in sight.

“How can we be allowed out when everyone else is in lockdown?” I asked Nata. She showed me her phone, displaying a Consolidated Churches priority pass.

“The Order has some high level accesses we can use in emergencies” she explained. “Part of the deal made years ago with the Board of Governors”

There seemed to be a lot more going on behind the scenes than I had been aware of. The Church Orders were far more militant than my Guard training had ever indicated. Pan City, in fact the whole Zone, had a lot of competing forces at play. How many other power blocs were there operating in the shadows?

“Nata, does magic really exist? Isn’t it all just some variation of Awakened abilities?”

She checked the dumb AI and asked for Privacy Mode. It confirmed the mode and the exterior windows darkened. In theory everything we said or did in the cab was no longer being recorded.

“Yes and no” Nata answered. “Magic operates under similar rules and concepts to some Awakened abilities, that is true. However the people who can become Adepts or Awakened are mutually exclusive. The energy that powers our abilities come from two different places as well. One of my educators, Bishop Wainwright, explained it really well.

We live in one side of a bubble, the Light side, and there is a barrier between us and a second world, the Dark side. The barrier is generally referred to as the Boundary, though some call it the Veil or the Border. Each side has many creatures that live there, some sentient like us and others just beasts.

Both sides have tremendous energy stored within them. The Awakened on our side are able to tap into that energy and use it to power their abilities. The Adepts draw their power from the Dark side, reaching through the Boundary and bringing that energy to our world”

“Does that cause imbalances between the two worlds?” I queried. “Surely the drawing of energy from one side into another must have consequences?”

“It is something that theoretical physicists and Adept scholars have discussed many times” she agreed. “I don’t think they have come to any real understanding of it all. That is part of the reason the Churches have influence in a technology driven region like the Zone. Everyone is searching for answers, both the Adepts and the Awakened”

I suppose that was the crux of it. We all wanted answers. The only answer I wanted right now was where Millie was. Everything else was secondary to that.

The auto-cab signalled we had arrived at our destination. Nata paid the fare and the windows cleared to show the deserted arrivals bay for the Abbey. I grabbed my bag and led the way onto the sidewalk. Nata joined me and together we crossed the expanse of the courtyard, walking towards the spot-lit Church that dominated the space. Our ride hummed smoothly away to its next fare.

“Nata” I said, my eyes roving ahead, “Do the Church use guard dogs?”

“No, certainly not in open spaces like this” she replied in some confusion.

“Then get ready to fight” I told her and dropped my bag to the ground. My pistol was drawn into my right hand and the metal baton snapped open in my left. In my peripheral vision I saw the Novice draw her sword smoothly from under her coat.

“Lacerata” she intoned and her sword suddenly gleamed with a pale blue light. She adopted a fighting stance I had seen my old Guard instructors teach us for close quarters combat with long blades. I felt suddenly more sure of her ability to defend herself.

The running shapes I had seen appear around a distant corner loped closer with inhuman speed. Their four legs made them look like dogs but as they drew near I knew these were something from a nightmare. They were as big as Great Danes, with jet black fur and glowing yellow eyes. As they came they let loose drawn out howls that chilled me to my core.

“Black Dogs” declared Nata, “Drawn from the other side by a Warlock. They can only be struck by Blessed weapons”

They were nearly on us. I started firing at twenty meters, my pistol sending the heavy AP rounds into the closest one. It did not even flinch as it leaped the last distance towards me.

With a hoarse battle cry Nata met it halfway, her illuminated sword cleaving the beast mid-air. Even as the blade passed down its length, the hound dissipated into black vapour. She dropped to her knees with the downswing of her strike and another dog took her sword arm in its jaws, dragging her past me.

A third Black Dog rushed at me and I swung my baton to deflect its snapping jaws. The baton flexed under the impact and I fell to the ground. I had no time to worry about Nata as the beast was on top of me, lunging in to bite at my throat. Repeated blows from the baton had no effect other than to hold it at bay.

The fetid stench from its mouth was like breathing in a charnel pit. I have encountered many dead and rotten corpses in my Guard life but none compared to the stink from this creature.

It had pushed my baton right back to my body when a flash of blue light swept through its neck. The beast dissipated into foul black smoke, making me cough violently.

“Get up Twenty!” urged Nata. I scrambled to my feet and we stood back to back. Nata had dispatched three of them, but we had six more circling us. For a moment the fear of Nata’s glowing sword kept them at bay, but soon they would attack. If they swarmed us, we were done for.

“I don’t suppose you have a spare magic sword?” I gasped to the young woman.

“Sorry, I am only carrying this one” she said breathlessly. Her right arm showed tears in the armour weave and some blood was dripping to the paving.

I shoved my pistol back in a pocket and took the baton into my right. My bag was about halfway between the circling dogs and me. I had a plan, the kind of half-assed plans that Millie always used.

“There is a sword in my bag” I told Nata. “I am going to get it”

“Does it have a Blessed blade?” she asked.

“No idea, but hope springs eternal” I said and with a shout I lunged forwards. My sudden motion made the Black Dogs flinch and I got to the bag. I dropped my useless baton and ripped the bag open, uncaring of the zipper that parted loudly.

“Twenty!” screamed Nata as a dog leaped at me, howling wildly.

My hands found Freya the Ninjato from Ms Goody and I pulled it clear, the scabbard remaining caught in the bag. The naked blade met the bite of the Black Dog and it screamed and drew back. With a howl all the other hounds rushed us at once.

With a strange sense of detachment I felt myself twisting and turning, the sword arcing and cutting through the beasts. Two fell immediately to Freya and another to Nata’s sword. Their fading bodies wreathed us in choking black smoke.

The remaining dogs were darting in and out of the lingering smoke, using their dead companions to hide their attacks. One managed to grab my left arm, tearing at the flesh. The bite sent an ice cold chill down the length of the arm and I felt my strength draining away.

Of its own volition the Ninjato plunged into the dog’s belly, driving deep. It burst apart in an evil smelling cloud, leaving me to face another as it jumped, teeth bared, right onto the out thrust blade. I was carried to the ground by its weight and breathed in more foul vapour as it left this world.

I lay my head down on the paving as my strength was almost gone. Nata came to my side, her eyes wide in terror.

“Twenty!” she kept shouting, trying to keep me awake. I knew she would not be strong enough to carry me anywhere, I was just too big for her. I was resigned to dying right here on the pavement. The chill from my left am had crept into my chest and my heart was slowing. I felt my eyes closing as if for the last time.

“Come on Twenty, you need to stand up” said Ms Goody. She was standing there behind Nata, dressed as I last remembered her in the black body weave, her long blonde plait hanging over her shoulder. She reached past Nata and took my hand, drawing me up to my feet.

The Novice took my arm from Ms Goody and together we wove our unsteady way to the doors of the church. I still felt Ms Goody’s warm hand in mine, offering me her strength.

We reached the doors and found our way to some wooden pews. Nata sat me down and I heard her calling for help. There hardly seemed anybody in here and her voice echoed loudly from the high ceiling.

“Thank you, Goody” I said to her and looked to where I held her hand. Only the sword Freya lay there, a fading feeling of warmth in the hilt. “Oh” I sighed and closed my eyes at last.

September 8th, V26 – Early Morning

I spent a lot of my time these days waking up in strange places. It was becoming a disturbing trend in my life. My internal clock told me it was 1:36AM the same night, some hours after I fought the Black Dogs.

“You are awake” Nata said with relief. I opened my eyes and saw her bright smile first. She had her coat off and a bandage wrapped about her arm. We were in a small first aid room, the smell of antiseptic mingled with a strange herbal odour. Behind her an old man in a long black cassock was mixing something with a mortar and pestle.

He turned and looked at me with kindly eyes. A simple silver crucifix hung from a chain around his neck. His white hair and trimmed beard gave him a distinguished air.

“Welcome back to the land of the living” he greeted me. “You had us worried there. The bite of a Black Dog would kill most people. Luckily for you, your body was able to fight it off, a legacy of your designers”

It was obvious he knew I was a Guard clone.

“Thank you for helping me” I said at last. My tongue felt thick and my throat was dry and raw.

“This is Bishop Wainwright” said Nata by way of introduction. “He is one of my mentors in the Order”

The Bishop finished his grinding and mixed a little water into the bowl of the mortar. He offered it to me, the herbal smell evidently from this concoction.

“It will help” he explained. I took it and drained the mixture in one go, grimacing at the strong taste.

“Where are we?” I asked, my throat already feeling better. I would have to get the recipe for Millie, as she was always getting sore throats. I choked at that point, a surge of grief washing over me.

“We are in the main church, safe for now” said a concerned Nata, and laid her hand on mine, gripping it tightly. She understood what I was grieving over. “It will be fine, Twenty” she reassured me, “Millie is very strong and we are going to find her”

“I know” I returned her grip on my hand “Thank you Nata for getting us here. You can tell your trainers from me that you are one hell of a fighter” She blushed again with my heartfelt praise.

“Bishop, has there been any news of Sister Venerae?” I asked him.

“No, she is not answering her phone and has not been seen at her room for days now. Even Longflower and her network of spies has not been able to trace her”

“The Witch agreed to help us?” spluttered Nata. “Doesn’t that violate some code between the Church and her Master?”

“Things are very complicated in the City right now” answered the Bishop. “Witches hate the Warlocks as much as we do. Enemy of my enemy is my friend, that kind of thing”

I watched the two of them talk back and forth. The words I understood but the context seemed insane. How did I not know before today this was a world with Witches and Warlocks in it? Then in hindsight I had to admit I had fought demon dogs from hell with a sword possessed by a dead woman. That had seemed real enough at the time, as unbelievable as it was.

My internal processor ran a systems check. As far as it could tell, I was awake and perfectly coherent just now. This was all real, as unreal as it had become. As my trainers always told us, when you are faced with the unexpected, roll with it and find a way to win.

If I had to fight demons and dragons and evil fairies to get Millie back, then that is what I would do.

I flexed my arm and rotated my back. Everything was nominal and I was ready to fight. That mixture from the Bishop was seriously good stuff.

“So how do we find Venerae then?” I asked Nata and the Bishop. Venerae would help us find Millie and together we would take down Penny Deeds and her conspirators.

“I have an idea about that” said Nata.