Synth, p.24
Synth, page 24
I watched Hakim repocket his phone.
“Go home, Gorski,” he said, his tone dropping to a low growl once more. “Mull it over. Figure out whether or not you want to come in on Sunday night. I don’t care what you decide to do, but if you do come in, don’t ever question me again.”
His gaze was deadly, his mismatched eyes all but burning into my own as the air around us grew tight.
“You pull something like that again, question my orders or refuse to leave a scene when directed, being handed back to Mallick in Patrol and Street will be the least of your career concerns. You follow my direction when I give it, understood?”
I didn’t want to answer. I wanted to throw up, but my reflexes betrayed me and the word left my lips.
“Understood.”
“Good,” Hakim said, then he pulled out his keys and started the engine. “Now get out of my car.”
I swallowed, nodded, then shoved my helmet back on my head. I ripped open the door and clambered out of the car, then slammed it shut behind me. My legs shook as I made my way back to my vehicle and got inside—only to rip off my helmet once more and throw it on the passenger side floor.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. Before I even realized what I was doing, I reached inside my vest and pulled out the tiny flip phone I kept plastered to my person.
I texted Warren, telling him I was coming to drop off the bag now, then added a second message asking if he could meet me. I didn’t wait for his reply. I had no idea where he was or how long it took him to reach the cave. I just started my car and drove away from Scott Beckette’s house as quickly as I could. By the time I reached the familiar road where I always hid my car, the afternoon was nearly gone, and soon evening would be setting in. Warren had messaged back and said that he would try to make it, so I grabbed the supply bag from my trunk and set off through the trees.
I cut along the familiar trail to the cave, my teeth clenched tight as my heart continued to race. I couldn’t stop replaying what had happened. The blood. The bodies. The girls sitting there against the wall. The hollow look in her nameless eyes. Hakim’s words and the crushing realization that this sort of thing must happen all the time. I picked up my pace, but the gut-wrenching feeling only continued to grow.
I was going to be sick.
I burst into the clearing, making it there faster than ever before. The sun was still too high for me to be exposed, but I didn’t care. I was suffocating in my blackout gear. I ripped off my helmet, running blindly across the stone toward the cave like it was the only sanctuary I had left. I winced in pain as the late evening sunlight burnt my face. I could feel myself hyperventilating as my skin blistered and my breath came in quicker and quicker rasps. Then I dropped the bag before the mouth of the cave and crumpled over, and retched.
“Corvus?”
I groaned, turning away from the sun’s rays and throwing up again as my eyes stung from pain. Even if I hadn’t recognized his voice, I would have known who it was by the name. I could hear his feet getting quicker as he ran toward me.
“What the hell – Corvus, what’s going on?”
If I didn’t know any better, I might be stupid enough to think that it was concern that laced his voice and that he might actually care. But I did know better. I knew a lot better now.
I forced my eyes open, barely able to see my helmet on the ground, only inches away from my mess. I guess I’d dropped that too. I inhaled, the air burning my lungs as I straightened once more and hissed in pain as the sun burned my face yet again.
“What are you doing?!” He grabbed my shoulder, just like Hakim had, then pushed me inside the shadow of the cave. “Are you trying to kill yourself?! You realize that your face is burning, right?”
“I couldn’t breathe,” I said, swatting his hands away from me and turning around to glare at him.
“What happened?” His eyes were trailing over my face in confusion, and I knew it was probably red and blistered. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay!” I yelled, acid burning my throat as I gagged again. He quickly unshouldered his rifle and then grabbed the supply bag and my helmet from outside the cave. “Nothing is okay! Nothing about any of this is okay, Warren!”
I let out a breath, pinching my eyes closed tight as my face started to heal. I could feel the skin reforming, and it itched with discomfort—but it felt like nothing in comparison to the pain that was radiating from my chest. I forced my eyes back open, moving toward the supply bag that Warren had just dropped on the ground, grabbing one of the water bottles inside, and rapidly downing half of it. Yet it did nothing to quench the boiling rage that bubbled up from my chest, and there was no hope of stopping it as it started to pour out in an angry, unfiltered rant.
“My partner called me in today, extended my probation, and asked me to meet him at a crime scene. I got there, and it was a bloodbath! Two dead women in the middle of some rich guy’s living room! He sent me downstairs to go get statements from the remaining women. Five. Five of them, Warren!” I said, turning to look at him as I crumpled the half-full bottle in my hand. “I figured it was another trafficking incident. Some guy with too much money and no moral compass—and Hakim and I would get to bust him and lay down a bunch of charges. So I went downstairs and found all these rooms. He was keeping them down there. They were living in his basement, but it turns out that they weren’t Reborn at all!
“They were humans, Warren!” I yelled, and he stood there in silence, watching me explode. “And the other officers didn’t even notice! They had no clue that they were interviewing humans! But the second the leads upstairs figured it out, the precinct chiefs called the whole thing off! My partner ripped pages out of my notebook! He forced me to leave! Owning humans is a federal offence, but they’re burying the case because the rich guy is Scott Beckette – the son of Joseph Beckette – our provincial chief justice!”
I exhaled hard, dropping the water bottle and threading my fingers into my braided hair.
“And if I report it, if I push this – I’ll lose my job. My partner doesn’t care. He’d rather spend his time on things ‘that actually matter’. The idiots from 24 probably still don’t even know – the only reason I knew is because I know you!” I said, gesturing toward him as I started to pace in the small cave. “And no one cares! Not a single person! They didn’t even have names! They weren’t allowed to have names, and she’s been there since she was seven. SEVEN! She was covered in bite marks! Just – all over – and I had to leave her, and it was – I just—”
My voice cut out as I struggled to inhale, and I finally stopped pacing.
“There are Reborn women going missing in the eastside, and my family doesn’t care,” I whispered. “The mayor doesn’t care. My department doesn’t care. The case is going to be taken away from us at the end of November when the election is over, and then they’ll bury that too.”
I stared at the stone wall of the cave as the red glow of evening started to filter across the opening.
“It’s wrong,” I whispered. “All of this is wrong – and I’m sorry.”
I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into the fabric of my pants as I turned to face him. He was staring at me with a strange expression, but he didn’t say a word.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, wanting him to know that I meant it. I wished he would accept it, but knew that he never would as he remained there, motionless. “I’m sorry for all of this.”
Silence rang through the cave for a long moment, then Warren’s voice finally filled the air.
“So what are you going to do about it?”
His gaze was hard, but somehow the words came out soft and unlike any he had spoken to me before. I stared at him, my eyes trailing over his broad shoulders and messy locks of hair, across the stubble that covered his jaw and the cheekbones that made him look strong. I knew his face, but I knew nothing about him. I knew nothing about his people. I knew nothing about what they were working on or the broader aspects of their plan. I was but a tiny little thread attached to the edge of a massive needlepoint picture, and I wanted that to change.
“I want in,” I whispered, stepping toward him. He didn’t move as I approached, and his hands remained unarmed and loose at his sides as I stopped a foot away and looked up to meet his gaze. And this time, he didn’t appear nervous by how close I was. “I want to know everything. All of it. I want to help. I want to be a part of this – whatever it takes. No matter the cost. No matter the risks. I’m in.”
He stared at me quietly, his eyes trailing over my face in the fading light as my heart continued to race.
“Alright,” Warren said, his deep voice flooding my body with relief. “You can meet Orion.”
fourteen
Orion
Saturday, September 19
6:21 pm
Without another word or explanation, Warren stepped away, shouldering his rifle before gesturing to my helmet. “Are you coming or not?”
“Now?” I asked, watching as he pulled out his phone and rapidly sent a message. He waited a moment, eyes locked on the device’s screen until it buzzed with a reply.
“Yes.” He looked up to meet my gaze. “Unless you have somewhere else to be?”
I stared at him, then glanced outside the cave at the slowly setting sun. It was almost Sunday, but I had the distinct impression that Hakim and Vogle would not be contacting me tonight after what had happened. They would wait to see if I would come into work for Monday’s shift, which meant that I had just under twenty-four hours of uninterrupted time until anyone would be looking for me. If there was ever a moment to go gallivanting through the woods with a human, this was it.
“No,” I said, turning back to look at him. “This is where I need to be.”
“Alright.” He nodded, lifting the supply bag. “Then let’s go.”
I grabbed my helmet from the ground, stuffed it on my newly healed head and followed him out into the sunset. We headed north toward the river, then shifted east along the shore for twenty minutes at a brisk pace. When the sun finally fell beneath the top of the trees, I took my helmet off and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. I hesitated when Warren slowed, and I realized that he was leading us to a collection of large stones that crossed the rushing waters.
“Are – are we crossing that?” I asked, breaking the silence as Warren moved toward the first rock.
“Yes.” He glanced back at me as he stepped onto the second stone. “Is that a problem?”
“No, it’s okay.”
I tried to say it confidently, but even I could hear the waver in my voice as I squinted through the dim evening light and cautiously approached the first stone. Warren waited on the second rock, watching me in silence, and as I carefully stepped onto the stone, my legs began to tremble.
“Do Reborn not like water?” he asked, and a halfhearted laugh left my lungs.
“No.” I forced myself to inch across the slick surface. “Reborn are fine with water.”
He moved to the third rock and stopped again, watching as I stood there paralyzed. I wanted to move to the second rock. I told my legs to do it, but my CPD-issued black laced boots remained firmly planted beneath me as the sound of rushing water filled my ears.
“But you’re afraid of it,” Warren said, and I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“Gee, what gave it away?” I asked.
It was just another thing for him to turn into a string of stinging insults. I forced myself to meet his gaze, to face whatever brutal commentary he planned to dish out next, but to my surprise, he was smiling. It was small, more like a tiny tilt to his lips as opposed to a full-blown grin, and he looked like he was trying to hide it.
“Here—” He stepped back onto the second rock and extended his hand.
I stared at it like it was a foreign object, absolutely stunned that he would offer to help and allow me to touch him voluntarily. Yes, I had touched him before, but that was different. This was not at all the same thing.
“I won’t push you in,” he said after a moment of silence had passed. “Probably.”
I looked back up to his face again, intending to glare at him, but I found my lips twitching into a tentative smile instead when I saw the open amusement shining in his eyes.
“Alright.” I reached out and took his hand, and even through my glove, I could feel his warmth. Despite having touched his skin before when I’d healed his leg, I found the heat surprising. I hadn’t realized just how cold my own body was in comparison. “Thank you.”
He nodded but didn’t say a word as I stepped onto the rock by his side, even though I was definitely gripping him way harder than necessary. I tried not to think about how incredibly close we were. I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable, but he tolerated it and helped me across the rest of the rocks in the same fashion, never once commenting on the tremble that shook through my hand. When we got to the northern side of the river, he set off at a jog, weaving his way into the sparse trees along the bank and continuing in an easterly direction. It wasn’t until another ten minutes had passed that I spoke.
“So, this Orion,” I said, easily keeping up with his pace and wondering if I should offer to carry the supply bag. I could smell the sweat on his skin from the effort of hauling it. “Is that – is he your boss? Is he the person in charge of your group?”
“Yes,” Warren said, nodding his head. “He’s our leader.”
“Did he recruit you?” I asked. “Is – is he—”
“Yes, he’s human,” Warren answered when I struggled to ask the question.
“So, does he lead all of you? Or – how did you meet him?” I asked, glancing at him again and noting the odd expression on his face. I couldn’t tell if he was apprehensive or just thinking. Then I noticed the faint gleam of sweat across his forehead. “Do you want me to carry that? It’s a little bit heavy compared to some of the other bags I’ve brought.”
Warren scoffed, the sound almost like a laugh as he glanced over at me.
“I can manage it,” he said, then he looked away again. “Orion is my father.”
I faltered, slowing for a moment before I sped up to jog by his side again.
“Wait – so you’re the son of the leader of your people?” I asked, unsure of what that meant or if that title came with any importance. “Are you – are you like the heir to—”
“It’s not like that,” Warren cut me off, preventing whatever ignorant comment I was surely about to make.
“Then what’s it like?” I asked, genuinely wanting to understand. “What does that mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Warren answered. “He isn’t a king if that’s what you’re thinking, and I don’t get special treatment for being his son. People choose to follow him. He leads our group, but there are multiple groups of humans across the country.”
“How many?” I asked it without thinking, and Warren shot me a look that suggested it was an answer I would never get. “But you help him? And he’s the one in charge of the stuff going on around here?”
“Yes.”
I could tell he was growing uncomfortable again, so I tried to keep my remaining questions at bay for a while as we slowly moved away from the river and made our way north through the trees.
Then I caved.
“How long has he been leading?”
I couldn’t help it. There was so much that I wanted to know, and for the first time ever, it felt like Warren was speaking to me like a real person, without the usual hatred that laced his voice, and it was a nice change. It felt… normal, and I liked it.
“Since before I was born,” he answered.
“I see.”
I glanced at Warren, wondering if he looked like his father. Or did he look more like his mother? I wondered if I would ever meet her too. Did he have other siblings? What would they think of him bringing me back to wherever it was we were going? Would they be angry? Would they glare at me and look at me with hatred, too?
I tore my eyes away from him, uneasiness starting to form in the back of my mind. I had gotten used to being around Warren, and slowly over time, his blatant distaste for me had faded some. That said, I knew he still fundamentally hated me, and I accepted that. But I wasn’t sure if I could manage being around a crowd of humans glaring at me like I was the devil incarnate.
“He, uh – he knows I’m coming with you, right?” I asked as I glanced over at him again. “He said this is okay? That’s who you texted? I’m not – this isn’t going to be a problem, me showing up?”
Warren slowed, coming to a stop near a thick pine as he looked down at me with a strange expression. The trees had started to thin, and the birds were getting quiet. And I was suddenly aware of just how alone we were.
“Are you changing your mind?”
“No,” I answered, my voice firm as I looked up at him. “I said I was in, and I’m in. I just—”
“You’re afraid,” he said, disbelief in his voice.
His eyes swept over my face in the low light, looking at me again—really looking this time. I didn’t say anything. There was no point in refuting him because he wasn’t wrong; I just wasn’t afraid in the way he thought I was. I knew I was physically safe, probably. I just wasn’t sure if I could mentally bear their collective hatred, but I didn’t want him to know that.
“Imagine that,” Warren muttered, his eyes meeting mine once more. “A Reborn afraid of a small group of humans. Never thought I’d live to see the day.”
“I just don’t think I’m the sort of surprise guest you should bring home unannounced,” I said, looking away from his warm gaze to stare at the massive pine. “Regardless of whether or not you’re willing to accept help from me, I can’t imagine that your people would appreciate that.”
