New Reality 2: Justice (14 page)

The maniacal Hank grinned like a demon. "I'm so excited to bring this to you. We have helmet-cam footage of a raid on the South Quarter of the estate today. I have to warn you though; this isn't for the faint of heart."

Marie looked away from the report to see Doug shove another garlic prawn into his fat mouth. He worked the meat like he was chewing rocks and took in the news report. He was pissed; she'd asked too many questions.

The footage on the screen was good quality; the high-definition camera showed the estate in all its wretched detail.

The close proximity of the tower blocks created tight walkways that the officers ran down. Rubbish littered the floors. The label 'Estate Rat' was, without a doubt, appropriate for the environment in which they lived.

Suddenly, there were loud voices, several bangs, and the splintering of wood as a door was kicked in. The helmet-cam followed several officers into a flat to find a group of about six men huddled around a table.

It was only the briefest scan of the flat, but it was enough to see how horrible it was. The wallpaper was coming off the walls, there was no furniture—other than the table in the room—and there was a child screaming in a cot in the corner. Marie’s heart sank.
Was this her future existence?

Batons appeared and the sounds of heavy thuds followed. Screams answered the attacks and bodies fell as the room filled with police. For every man, there must have been five officers—a familiar ratio adopted by Nirvana's finest. The men from the estate were easily overpowered.
 

As the victims were dragged from the flat, the officer with the head-cam waited behind. Once the room was clear, the camera focused on the baby. It lay on its back and chewed its own hand. For a second, the cameraman paused as if he was considering lifting the infant up and then walked away, leaving it all alone.

Marie's heart thumped in her chest as she watched. Again, the baby moved in her womb, obviously reacting to her stress.
Were they really going to leave that child on its own? Was life that disposable on the estate?

The next image was Hank Manifesto. "Phew! What an ordeal. I don’t know about you guys, but I'm glad I saw that. I'm sure happy
I
don't live there. For
Nirvana TV
, this is Hank Manifesto." He pointed his fingers like a gun and clicked from the side of his mouth. "Stay lucky, viewers."

The screen blinked off, making the dark restaurant even darker.
 

Doug's voice filled the void. "That was a
serious
bust. Wow! Those rats really got what was coming to them."

Yeah, that baby was a nasty little fucker, eh?
Marie kept the thought to herself.
Had Doug forgotten the questions already, or was he simply pretending they’d never been asked?

***

"Thank you, Zampanó," Doug said as they left the restaurant.
 

The old man dipped his head and saluted. "Anytime, Dougie."
 

To save herself taking a tumble, Marie let Doug go first. He could trigger the disco stairs.
 

As they descended, Marie looked down and counted.
Twenty-five stairs? There were only thirteen on the way up. What the hell?

When they got outside, the thick heat ran nausea straight to Marie's gut. A deep breath did little to encourage digestion in her full stomach as she watched Doug pace up and down the pavement.

While his back was turned, she tugged on her top again so her cleavage was on full view.
Did her gut look as big as it felt?
Even with the corset on, the swell of pregnancy felt painfully visible. It was certainly pushing against her tight bonds.

The sharp whistle hurt Marie's ears as Doug hailed a cab. When it pulled up, he turned to her and said, "I need to go somewhere, so take this cab back to work, yeah?"

When he didn't look at her chest, she pushed her breasts forward. "I was, uh, hoping to get a ride back with you."

A cock of his eyebrow and a smug grin and Doug shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint, sweetheart. We'll get another chance to go out soon though, don't worry."

Without another word, Doug turned his back on her and hailed a second cab.

Once she was sitting in the back of the taxi, Marie sighed and pulled her top up. She'd been chewed up and spat out; picked up and dropped like a cheap whore.
Did she deserve any better treatment?
She watched Doug's taxi head off in the opposite direction.
Did she do something wrong? He didn't even look at her like he normally did. Had she pushed too hard? Was it her playing Doug or the other way round?

Chapter Twenty-Three

What was she doing meeting a woman she didn't know in a place she'd never been to? The woman had given her a name— well, her initials—and that was a big deal in the control room. She was putting herself on the line, so surely, she could be trusted. Marie knew what she wanted from this relationship, but didn’t know what GG was after.

Marie walked slowly down the busy street, large dark glasses covering her face. It may have been getting closer to evening, but it was still damn hot and she was still full from her lunch with Doug. The knot of anxiety she'd left the restaurant with didn't help the feeling in her stomach either.

The farther she travelled down Station Road, the fewer shop fronts there were.
Where was the cafe that GG had referred to in the note? Did it even exist? At what point would she turn around and walk back?
There was no way she was going into the areas reserved only for the people from the estate. They'd take one look at her and know she wasn't one of them. And what would she say to the police if they stopped her?

Marie looked across the road to the side used by the people from the estate. Was the cafe over there? Surely, GG wouldn't expect her to cross to the other side.

When shouting erupted in front of her, Marie stopped in her tracks.

A policeman had a man from the estate pinned to the wall by his throat. "
Why
are you on this side of the road?"

A hard frown darkened Marie's view as she saw the grip the policeman had on him; there was no way the man could reply.
 

"
Talk
, you horrible rat." The policeman squeezed harder, the man making gargling noises in response. "What are you doing on this side of the road?"

Although he grabbed at the policeman's wrist, the man from the estate couldn't break free. With a face so red it looked like it would pop, he wheezed, "I was just leaving work."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Thick veins stood out on the man from the estate's temples and he made more gargling noises. "I…" He lost his voice for a moment. "I work in the laundry behind me. I have to cross this pavement to get to the other side of the road."

There had been too many times where Marie had turned a blind eye. Not anymore…
 

The officer was about twenty. The man in his grip was old enough to be his dad.
Where was the respect?
She stared at him, although he seemed utterly oblivious.
 

"Don't get lippy with me, you scumbag."

When he pulled his baton free from his belt, Marie gasped, "No!"

He swung for the man anyway and Marie's knees weakened at the hollow crack of the baton connecting with his head.
 

The man from the estate's eyes rolled and his legs gave way beneath him. Another flash of his baton and the policeman drove it into the guy's mid-section.

When he wound up again, Marie stepped forwards and grabbed his wrist. As they stared at one another, Marie shook.
What was she doing?
"Please, officer, I need your help."

With his baton still raised and rage swirling in his piercing eyes, the officer bit down on his bottom lip and glared at her.

Marie kept a grip on the baton and pulled her glasses down with her free hand so she could make eye contact with him. "I think I just saw someone being robbed by an estate rat back there." She pointed at an alleyway back up the road.

As a 'good' citizen of Nirvana, Marie had rights. If she had a concern, the police had to listen to her.

The tension left the officer's body.

At that point, the man from the estate, who had been shifting away the entire time, got to his feet and ran on bandy legs to the other side of the road. He was so wobbly it was a wonder he made it.

The fury returned to the officer's face. "I've lost him now. Look what
you've
made me do."

With the man from the estate free, Marie's courage returned. "One of Nirvana's citizens is being robbed back there. Is that something you care about as an officer of the law?" She felt like a teacher reprimanding a naughty boy.

The look in his eye suggested he had plans for his baton that involved Marie's skull and the breaking of it. Sweat beaded on his brow. With his jaw set, he wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve and continued to glower at her.

"Do I need to find another officer?" Marie asked.

The policeman glanced across the road at his escaped victim before sighing and shaking his head. He then ran off in the direction of the alleyway.

On the other side of the road, several people from the estate surrounded the escaped man and helped him to his feet. Blood painted a vivid line down the side of his face, but he was still conscious.

He nodded at Marie, made a fist, and patted it twice against his chest.

As much as she wanted to respond, Marie looked away. The little routine had attracted quite a few onlookers. After slipping her glasses back on, Marie ignored the nosy bastards and walked off.

***

By the time Marie arrived at the cafe, all of the unwanted attention she'd solicited had gone.
 

She stepped into the building and searched the room; it was styled like a diner from the nineteen fifties. The shop was full of private seating pods and most were closed so it was impossible to tell who was using them.
 

Then Marie caught sight of an open booth with GG inside. Her heart lifted and then sank.
Was this a set up?
 

GG smiled and beckoned her over. She seemed legit.
 

Despite the anxiety bubbling in her stomach, Marie beamed a full grin at her co-worker. Another quick scan of the room showed her no one else was watching, so she walked over.

Just before she stepped into the booth, GG pointed at the floor. "Mind the step."

It was only then that Marie realised she still had her glasses on. She removed them and said, "Thank you."

The booth was made up of a circular, red and white, leather-cushioned seat. Marie slid onto it, put her bag down beside her, and sat up straight. The corset felt particularly tight. On a normal day, she would have been home by now and have taken the wretched thing off. A deep breath filled her senses with GG's floral perfume.

When GG pressed the button in the middle of the table, the door closed with a
whoosh!
 

She offered Marie the menu. "Have a drink… on me."

Although Marie took the menu, she couldn't take her eyes off GG. Despite working with her for a few months, this was the first chance she'd had to look at her properly. It was nice to take her in without worrying about who was watching.
 

Petite like a china doll, GG's blonde hair shone and finished about halfway down her back. She had brilliant blue eyes and a cluster of freckles ran across her nose—a constellation of character on perfect skin. With a broad smile of brilliant white teeth, she pointed at the picture of a steaming mug on the menu. "The coffee here is to
die
for."

It didn't matter what she drank, the important thing was she was finally meeting up with someone from work. However, it would have been rude to decline GG's offer. "Do they do decaf?"

GG nodded. "They do, and you can barely taste the difference."

"That sounds delightful." After tapping her order into the menu, Marie relaxed back into her seat.

"So, my sister," GG said, "how are you?"

Sister? What the fuck?
"Please call me Marie."

"Of course, sorry; and I'm GG, as you know."

Marie leaned forwards and rested her elbows on the table.
Was there more going on with this woman? Why had she called her sister?
"I'm
so
glad you wrote me that note. I've been
desperate
to talk to you for weeks now."

With her eyes sparkling, GG grinned. "I know; me too."

A steaming mug rose from the centre of the table, and GG slid it to Marie.

Despite the air conditioning, it was still hot in the café, but Marie wrapped her hands around the mug anyway. The strong and bitter smell of roasted beans rose up from it. "Thank you. It smells wonderful."

"You wait until you taste it."

"So why did you want to meet me?"

"I had to talk to you."

"About?"

"I live on my own. I've lived on my own for some time now. A few years back, my parents both got hit with varying degrees of dementia."

Where was this going?
Marie sat back and allowed GG to continue.

"When they were going through it, I would come home to an empty flat and cry all night. Being an only child and not being in a relationship, my parents were everything to me, and some days, they didn't even know who I
was
. I had no one to share my pain with. I was going through one of the most stressful experiences of my life and I had to do it on my own."

"So you want a friend to talk to?"

"No, I'm pretty set now. I've managed to process a lot of my feelings about it, and while it still tears at my heart every time I see them, I'm over the worst of it. Death is inevitable, right?"

"I still don't understand where this is going."

There was a softness in GG's blue eyes that was hard to be suspicious of. "I remember how lonely I was when I had to deal with something on my own. I made a promise to myself that if I saw someone in a crisis and I could help, then I would."

The booth turned blurry and Marie's bottom lip bent out of shape. "I don't know what you're talking about."