The Radical (Unity Vol.1) (14 page)

‘Yeah,’ he smirked, but my attempt to
unravel him wasn’t working.

‘How do you know there aren’t
emissaries in here with us right now?’ I peered at him with a hint of suspicion.

He glanced sideways to eye t
he clientele. ‘No, none of these are.’

‘How can you tell?’

‘Emissaries don’t loiter. All they know is how to kill.’

‘Explain to me then, why didn’t they grab you when you left your hotel room earlier? If you’ve taken a room up in the
Mercy Inn, which I’m sure you have, surely they’d see your U-Card had been used?’

He hastily thought on his feet; I could see the mental cogs turning.

‘Well, I pulled a few old-school contacts to get a fake U-Card before I left New York… an
d
managed to escape from my hotel room without their notice. I climbed out of my window and scaled down the side of the building.’

That explains the physique
.

‘You abseiled down?’
I laughed.

‘Yeah, I got a tast
e for it when I was in the Army,’ he retaliated, like he was hurt that I mocked his antics.

I didn’t believe for a minute that this man, as large and intelligent and wary as he was, was even a little bit afraid of a few
emissaries after him. He was more afraid of me finding out something he didn’t want me to know.

I twitched at the thought of falling, of sinking, of dropping and landing on the ground with a thud, plus bones smashing. Heights were my biggest fear.

‘What floor are you on?’

‘The 15
th… it’s nothing,’ he shrugged.

I scratched at the prickly heat that had broken out on my neck.

‘So, the great Seraph Maddon does have an Achilles heel after all?’

‘It
’s… not a topic up for debate,’ I warned him. Changing the subject, I demanded, ‘So, you were in the Army? When?’

‘I
trained as an officer in the medical corps straight out of university and became a captain, but once I realized I wanted to spread my wings, so to speak, I left for a change of career and ended up in virology.’

I
recognized why he dressed so sharply, with his brown leather brogue ankle boots, cream jeans and delightful shoulder-hugging jacket.

‘That explains the get-up. You don’t scream boring scientist who peers over a microscope all day long. The British Army know
s how to dress?’

He smiled
and sat back in his seat. ‘They do indeed. I learned more than you can possibly imagine during my time in the military. It made me who I am.’

‘And yet, you left?
It seems odd to me. I assumed most people got drawn into such institutions and never left?’

I
wanted to get the measure of him. I didn’t know whether the Army had yet to be infiltrated by Officium.

‘It’s fitting you should choose the word institution. That’s exactly why I sought a new career. It afforded me an ext
raordinary lifestyle and discipline, and yet I felt constrained by it. I left because of that, but also really because I felt my purpose in life lay elsewhere, and I was right. Now, I’m lumbered with this.’

‘We’re both lumb
ered with it, but I’ve been hunting this mystery for what feels like decades now, and no substantial evidence has come along in all that time.’

I put my
jacket on and got up to stretch the lethargy out of my legs before sitting back down. ‘You know, I always felt I would choose either one of two professions – detective or reporter. And guess why I didn’t become the former…? I would have been too constrained, as you put it earlier. Too bound by jurisdiction. Too thick within the enemy’s fold.’

Ryken was deep in thought for a few moments before speaking with mild gesticulation. ‘Look Seraph, it almost seems fated now that I should meet you here. You can help me, with all your contacts and whatnot. Now you know my predicament, we might as well see what we can turn up together. I’m in danger, there’s no doubt about it, but my biggest concern is getting to the bottom of this. That is what you do, isn’t it? Get to the bottom of things?’

‘Exactly. But aren’t the research teams constantly shifting around? Ulrich said they would sometimes leave one lab at short notice, to go to another secret location, just like that.’

I snapped my
fingers and he raised his eyebrows as if in agreement.

‘Wait a moment, I have an idea.’

I took out my xGen and opened it up, sending a message to the
Rascal
:
‘
Call me ASAP
’
.

Within seconds, the screen flashed with
UNKNOWN CALLER
. Ryken waited inquisitively, while on the screen I saw the obscured silhouette of a man who wanted to conceal his identity. He asked in a thick Caribbean accent, ‘Seraph, me beauty, what can I do for you?’

In the background, I
saw a virtual beach bar packed with holographic images holding cocktails.
He could be anywhere in the world
.

I
got straight to the point. ‘I need you to get me the last known location of Mara Dulwich. I’m praying you’ll say it was somewhere in the UK.’

‘Me dear, why you need this info, girl?’

‘Darling, you should know better than to ask questions.’

‘Who you with girl? You got a blush across your face, and I know it’s not me who gave you dat.’

Irritated, I commanded, ‘Atlas, just get me the info before I leap through the screen and grab your puny balls off.’

‘Okay, okay, I’ll see what me can scrub up. Catch you later sugar.’

‘Don’t disappoint me.’ I snapped my xGen shut.

‘That wasn’t who I think it was, was it?’
Ryken asked, enraptured.

‘Yeah.’

‘How do you know all these people?’

‘I guess it sometimes helps having a great rack. But als
o, the only thing worth squat in this world is who you know, not what you know. Look how much we’ve discovered since finally crossing each other’s paths.’

He
didn’t know where to look and I relished every damn moment this man was under my thumb. He hid behind his coffee cup and drank eagerly, finishing the last of his drink. I needed my bed, so did he.

I got a response within seconds
: ‘
Drake’s Cottage, Waterside, Stratford-Upon-Avon.
’

My response:
‘
Thanks, you sure on this one? When was she last there?
’

From Atlas:
‘
Bout three day ago probly, her xGen were there for sure cos it spiked the whole area. She go by codename the apprentice. Would know her anywhere. She has the fastest machine on the planet! Can’t fake the presence her device creates.
’

‘Okay, he says she was in
Stratford three days ago. What do you think? Shall we head there and see what we can find? You never know.’

‘I don’t see why not.’

Ryken

We made our plan to visit Mara and went our
separate ways, in a rather formal, businesslike manner. I went into the gent’s toilets, saying I was going to climb back up to my room from a window that went outside. However, once I thought she had probably gone – I went back through the pub and the airport halls to get back to the hotel via all the normal routes.

Once back in my room, I was severely troubled. Laid on the bed with my
legs hanging over the edge, all I could think about was Seraph. Despite wearing bland clothing, hardly any make-up and no jewellery, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever come across. I felt the need for a cold shower.
Get a grip man.
I quickly quashed those thoughts, pushing them to the back of my mind as I remembered there was business at hand. There were matters to be dealt with.
Pull yourself together
.
She is just some arrogant reporter who thinks there are no consequences to what she writes
.

The self-preservation part of me told me to leave her well alone. She would never understand the real me. Yet as I closed my eyes, I imagined her naked and dripping with sweat as I licked between those heavy breasts. I saw all kinds of illicit images and my heart rate soared, my breath quickened. I grabbed myself and pulled out the biggest orgasm of my entire life.

T
he next morning I met Ryken outside the rent-a-car point on the outskirts of the airport. After our late-night chat we had decided on meeting at the reasonable hour of 11am, though I still felt crappy, having barely slept at all.

I was running out of clothes and had to pick up a granddad shirt from the airport st
ore. Buttoning at the top, I left a couple of buttons loose, for whatever reason. Yes… I was insanely attracted to the man. No, I didn’t trust him. Yes, I wanted to pick his brains until he told me all the stuff he was clearly harboring. Shit, I wanted him. Not like I wanted cake… like I wanted… I couldn’t even bring myself to say the words, even in my head.

He was
nearly wearing the same clothes as yesterday but had put on a brown sweater instead of the polo neck. We chose to take a hydro-car instead of going via public transport; we would not be able to talk freely on a train. Plus, if there were any authorities trailing us, they wouldn’t have time to tamper with our random pick of vehicles. It was Ryken who chose which car to take, scanning his U-Card across the self-service panel by the side of the vehicle before letting us both inside.

‘
Drive safely and have a good day‒
’

Once we
were on our way, having tapped Stratford into the navigation system, we got to talking. With the road and poly-tunnel fields whizzing by us on the 10-lane motorway, I wondered aloud, ‘Don’t you think it’s strange, even dare I say more than just a little bit
fateful
, that we ran into each other like that in the airport?’

‘What do you mean?’ Ryken took his concentration away from the wheel, letting the auto-driver system take ove
r as he turned to me.

‘You know, you being who you are, and me being a reporter, a very well-known one who works for the only paper in the world that dares to investigate Officium. It all seems eerily set-up.’

Ryken became defensive. ‘Well, I didn’t arrange it. All I know is that we met and now we’re off on what is probably going to be a wild goose chase.’

I didn’t miss the annoyance in his tone. When my loose
tresses brushed his hand quite by accident, his fist clenched and he pulled away, scratching at his skin. I watched his hands in the daylight and the silken hairs decorating them captivated me.

‘For someone who constantly works on the assumptions of theory, you’re pretty pragmatic aren’t you?’

‘I’m not a natural scientist, that’s true. I’m more of a “let’s make a plan and stick to it” kind of guy.’

‘By the way, I didn’t set this up either, if you were wondering…’

‘Oh, don’t worry,’ he chuckled, ‘it didn’t cross my mind for a second that a woman such as yourself would throw herself across my path like that.’

‘
Huh, yeah. Keep tryin’. You know I won’t give you the satisfaction.’

He raised his eyebrows
and a few minutes of silence passed.

‘What makes you think Mara will talk to us anyway?’

‘I heard she has affiliations with certain people I have connections with. You’re better off not knowing,’ I assured him.

‘The
plot thickens…’ he trailed off, and I watched as he mused over my words. ‘You know, I read your work. I don’t think there is a person who doesn’t. I enjoy some of it… those character assassinations you write, those are something. I mean, all the shit you dig up on them…’

He was talking about the way I had taken many a politician down. Then again, it didn’t have to be a statesman. It could be anyone… famous surgeon. Philanthropist. Banke
r. Whoever. If I built up a rap sheet big enough, I ousted them for whatever they had done wrong. It was just a bit of fun, really. It was the small things that really undid Officium’s people, such as uncovering foreign holidays they had taken without their bosses’ permission. That was always a good one. If you worked for Officium, you had no life. Simple. If you tried to live outside of their realms, you were for it. The best instances of my work were those cases where people who were so wrapped up in villainy had been undone by something so small. Such as an association Officium didn’t like. Sure, anyone could lie, steal or act unlawfully, but if you were friends with someone Officium didn’t like – such as someone who publicly stood against them like me – you were dead. Probably why I didn’t keep many friends. I mean, look at Ulrich.

It was Ryken’s tone that had my instincts raised. I knew he was heading for that file and I didn’t want the case re-opened. Ulrich was dead, what could we do about it?

And anyway, I had some words of warning for him…

‘You think it pleases me that I have to work this way… splashing their misdemeanors inside our paper like some kind of sideshow? I don’t like the work I do, Ryken. In fact I find it demeaning. But how else am I meant to work? How else am I meant to get to them? I take what little victories I can get. If I have to set them up for slaughter, fine. I am not the one with the noose round their necks. They do that all by themselves.’

He shook his head. ‘You could do something better… you’re intelligent enough. Why this, if it is so demeaning? I don’t understand.’

‘Work for them
instead, you mean? Kill for them? I would rather kill myself. I want nothing to do with anyone who has been in their employment. They blacken souls and drain hope…’ I paused, scowling out of the window, ‘…a creative soul such as myself has no other option. My writing might be a laughing stock to some, but to me, it is helping people… it is giving them a semblance of hope that there are some of us working to rid our society of the cruelty of others.’

‘I don’t buy it. I know there’
s more you don’t want to say.’

‘Whatever
.’

So then he just went for the jugular, obviously feeling brave.

‘Anyway… how did you and Ulrich meet?’

I obliged him
– I would deceive him that I was affected and then turn the tables.

‘We both minored in ethical studies at NYU.’

‘Why ethical studies?’

He could enquire all he liked but I fully intended to cull his
persistence…

‘I dunno. I suppose I had this romantic notion that journalism could be ethical, should be ethical, and needed to be carried out ethically.’

I rubbed at my knees out of agitation. He wanted to understand me but the truth of me was the thing I hid from the most.

‘So y
ou’re not really the person who cons her victims with false affection, maybe even bribes them or threatens violence, so that they spill their guts?’

‘Just say the word, Doctor Innocence. Say the word and I shall give you a demonstration.’

I was so ratty and still suffering deep, impenetrable levels of exhaustion. The throb at the front of my head and the dizziness I was struggling with made me feel like the only thing to put me straight again would be a hospital stay and induced sleep. You know what they say about retirement killing people… well only a few days away from the “office” was nearly killing me.

I had been
up all night with nervous excitement at finally getting closer to a revelation, no matter how small. I had also spent several hours reading every news article ever written about Doctor Hardy, discovering the various acts of bravery he had performed in the Army and the George Cross he won for saving 15 people from a burning bus during one of the London riots of the early 2050s.

He had to be a goddam
hero, didn’t he? Ugh.

I avoided his eyes
and sniffed. ‘If you think you can possibly psychoanalyze me, be my guest. Believe what you want.’

I
didn’t like the person he was insinuating I was, but then I didn’t want to be myself either.

‘What was it with Ulrich then? Sex? Or just intimidation?’

By that point I was doing anything to avoid his eyes. My foot tapped against the dash and my hands were kept beneath my thighs to avoid punching his lights out. He was picking too close to the bone. Ulrich was still a raw subject.

‘If you want to keep your prett
y face intact, you ought to button it Hardy.’

‘Come on Seraph, it might help talking about it.’

‘Please, stop. If you know what is good for you, shut up. Please.’

‘I can’t help feeling inquisitive.’

I could feel the anger simmering. ‘Talking is bullshit. I only know about acting, that’s all I know – acting the hard bitch to get a story, playing tough to force people into submission. Being so unapproachable that asshats like you just leave me the hell alone.’

‘Please, don’t–’

‘Don’t, what, Hardy? Huh?’ I turned to him, my eyes blazing. ‘What do you want, I mean, what? What? You want a confession? That I feel shitty about Ulrich? What? That maybe he and I could have been somethin’? Yeah? You want it, do you? My confession that I am not as cold as they all say?’

‘No, no–’ He looked horrified.

‘Ha! Not so tough are we? Look at you! A stuttering wreck in front of a bird with big tits and long hair! Two hundred fifty pounds of meat and you’re reduced to a quivering wreck? We’re all just driven by our impulses, Doctor Hardy. So, so what if I decided to negate my own happiness? It makes me the only one who can do this. I don’t have anything I want or need. Means I can live alone, work alone. If it gives me the slightest chance of getting to them, it is a small price to pay.’

‘Ulrich loved you, didn’t he?’

‘Please drop it,’ I held my hand up between us to block him, ‘de-fuckin’-sist, yeah?’

‘Seraph‒’

‘No.’

‘No, what?’

‘Leave it, Ryken. We are done.’

‘I want to know, why?’

Why won’t he drop it?

‘Why,
what
?’

‘Why you turned up at the car place this morning. Why you are here with me now. You cou
ld have fled, gone anywhere, be anywhere else by now if you wanted to be.’

‘Forgotten the grounded jets have we?’

‘You know exactly what I mean.’

‘Do I? Really?’

‘A night of thinking might have made you rethink meeting me this morning. You could have gotten away. But you are here. You are still with me.’

I needed to vanquish all his romantic notions.
‘I know what you want Ryken, but I’m never going to give it to you. You men are all the same. None of you could possibly understand what makes a woman like me tick.’

‘Try me.’

‘Would it make you feel better if I just fucked you too? Well, you can just keep dreaming.’

‘No it wouldn’t make me feel better actually.’

Oh god, those shoulders of his. Jesus
. I couldn’t think straight.

‘I don’t have to explain my methods to you. You think that being a her
oic Army doctor is honorable. Wow, let’s all congratulate you. Let’s pat you on the back and give you a juicy fat pension at the end of your career. You ought to get inside my head and see some of the things I’ve seen. My job puts me in the thick of it with the scum of all scum. Some things simply cannot be healed with a band-aid.’

‘Seraph, I’m not your enemy, trust me. I really do want to be your friend.’

I couldn’t handle his obstinacy and desperately needed to silence him. I overrode the seatbelt mechanism and the vehicle computer started beeping with a warning to reattach it. Ignoring the noise, I launched myself toward him to straddle his lap.

He was quicker. He took hold of my body and pulled me close, so we were nose to nose. He had my hair so tight in his hands that I couldn’t move forward any more if I had wanted to.

His chest was heaving and I saw the pectorals beneath his sweater were swollen and deliciously round, each like a pillow crying out for my cheek.

‘
I think you are grieving, hurt, sad, tired. Please let me in.’

His words were hateful. I tried to
move forward to kiss him but he moved one hand over my mouth to cover it. He was too strong, superhumanly stacked, and I was more vulnerable than I ever had been. He was a monster of a man.

‘Don’t move,’ he insisted. ‘Close your eyes.’

I did so only because I wanted him to get it over with and prove me right: he would act with his dick and nothing else.

Instead, he inflamed my desire tenfold. He swept his lips across my cheek and his hot breath hit my ear. He smelt my hair and stroked it. He rubbed his nose in my throat and breathed deeply.

‘You don’t need me to tell you how beautiful you are, I think you know. What I want to know,’ he insisted, stroking his knuckles across my other cheek, ‘is why nobody worthy has come along for you yet and shown you that life really isn’t worth shit without someone there to share your problems with.’

A lump formed in my throat but I still mistrusted him and everything he made me feel. Knowing he was now weak,
I saw my chance to teach him a lesson. I reached for him and we immediately kissed open-mouthed. I tasted coffee and man. We were such a good fit, lining up perfectly. My hands on his shoulders, I pulled away and saw him breathless, his eyes drowning in lust.