#exitialis memoria

i. Spare Parts

I was given a rudimentary uniform to be shown around the ParaForce base. It wasn’t much more than a pair of blue pants, a tank top and a grey jacket. I really hoped the proper uniform looked better. I, of course, wanted to wear my own clothes, but for some reason they had seen fit to destroy them while I was unconscious. While they placed my belongings into storage, I hoped the monster didn’t carry any unwanted diseases. That would have really brightened my day. Finding myself inside a lift with the bald man, we headed up to the main core of wherever it was I had been taken to. It was then that the bloke began to explain everything about the mysterious ParaForce to me.

“ParaForce are the first line of defence against the evils of the World, natural and unnatural. You ever heard an urban myth, read about ancient beasts or unexplained events? We’re right behind them trying to put an end to it. Bermuda Triangle - portal to another dimension. Vampires - tougher than the movies try to tell you, and all sunlight does is strip them of their powers temporarily. Our job is to arrest those that step out of line, rehabilitate the redeemable ones and execute the ones too far gone. This place is our hub, where it all happens. Deep underground, right in the heart of London, Home Base houses all our operations gear …”

I interrupted him with a laugh.

  “Homebase? Seriously?” I asked, trying to stop my chuckling but not doing very well at it.  

“I told you I don’t joke. But that is beside the point, I’d get the laughter out of your system now, because that’s the call sign you will use for us whenever you are on operations. Get used to it.” He replied, rolling his eyes a little.

  I had a last few chuckles through gritted teeth before shaking my head, casting it away. “Okay, go on…”

“We have everything from research departments, magic potion brewing, training in combat and firearms, psychology departments for man and monster… whatever we need to fight like with like.” Terrence continued, folding his arms.  

“And you’re the boss of this little shindig?”  

“Me? No, I’m just a hired hand. I lead the première team who are on the streets doing what we do best; Ruby team. My name’s Terrence Reed, call sign Forerunner. You’ll be calling me the sign the most, so remember it.” He smiled again. He gave me the impression that while he smiled genuinely, he made sure it carried with it an assurance. That being, if things didn’t go his way he had the ability to hurt you with a single finger.

“So, Terrence, why Ruby team? Seems like a weird name.”

  “Our real boss, Damian Ivers, named all the founding teams after semi precious stones. I think he found the alphabet too simple and the Greek alphabet too up itself. Nobody’s actually asked him.” Terrence replied, a little chuckle in his voice.

  I struggled to draw a picture of the man in my head. “Will I be meeting this Damian?”  

“Soon, I’m sure. Especially since I recruited you and all.”  

I ran a hand through my silver hair, finding it sticky with sweat and blood. I realised I hadn’t showered since the morning I was incapacitated in the 'accident'. “About that; how does that work exactly?”  

“Well, you are filling in for a missing member in my team. It’s only temporary until we find a better candidate for the job with more experience, but if you want to start, then being under my tutelage is a good place to.”

It dawned on me then what I was being asked to do. “You’re making me replace Molly, aren’t you?” The man went quiet. I turned towards him, and he turned to me.  

“You are, aren’t you?” I asked again. He rolled his eyes.  

“Unfortunately, yes. It’s a requirement that each team has at least five members. Due to the elite nature of Ruby, ours only just fitted in to the requirement. Then Molly died and left us short handed. I promise you, this is only temporary. If you feel the responsibility of being in this team is too much for you to take, then just say and we’ll transfer you straight away, I promise.”

  I sighed. “And what about that Horizon girl? How does she feel about me replacing her friend?”  

“Oh, she doesn’t know yet, but when she does I recommend you find some place to hide.”  

“Thanks a lot. Don’t do me any favours.” I grumbled, turning back to face the door of the lift as I felt it coming to a halt. With a sharp beep, it stopped, but the doors didn’t open.

“Huh?” I muttered to myself, about to reach over to the door open button.  

“Other side.” Terrence shouted, some distance away. I turned around to see that the rear door had opened in to a narrow hallway Terrence was waiting at the end of.

  “…Why do people make doors like that?” I grumbled, moving to catch up with my tour guide.

  “Just wait until you get to the floors that open from the sides, those will drive you insane.” He chuckled, before opening the doors at the end of the hallway, leading to the main hub of ParaForce.

It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, apart from in movies with CGI tweaks. Floor upon floor of semi transparent offices were bustling with activity; men, women and unidentifiable creatures walking around. There were people in simple suits, people in scientist and medical garb; even the monsters were following the dress code for the most part.

  “Oh my God… this seems so impossible. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen.” I said, realising soon after how feeble it sounded as it left my lips.

  “I know. It’s amazingly technical, but you get used to it.”  

“There are so many people… do they all work here?”

  “These are just the office folk. We’ve got the Prison Guards, Security, Researchers, and, as you’ll soon find out, the field workers.” He replied, still walking. He led me through the people, office cubicles and general objects. As I soon as I reached the centre, I looked up in awe. The entire ‘office’ area of the complex was a giant circle, the halls around the side building up in a massive spiral. It had to go up at least a hundred feet easily, if not a whole lot more.

My eyes were attracted by a bright flash in one of the lower offices, causing me to look down at it. I witnessed a minor explosion caused by a couple of lab coats trying to use a spell book. As the smoke of the green pop died down, the guy had suddenly developed breasts while the woman had a beard. And from the looks of it, neither was very happy with the outcome - although the man’s hand was idly massaging his left growth.

“I know I asked this before, but what exactly do you do here?” I asked, moving back to Terrence’s side.

“We’re dedicated to stopping the activities of rogue demons, black magicians into the real heavy shit… Pretty much all of the general evils with supernatural elements are our responsibility, and we do that with any means we have available to us. We have top guys in counter spells, potions, teleportation, gadgets and technology, stealth, espionage, plain old ultra violence, and occasionally lawyers. We tend to avoid the last one if we can help it.” Terrence smiled warmly.

I shrugged. “I don’t blame you.”

“I think it’s time you met the people you will be working with. Speaking of which, here comes one of them now.” He stopped, but I kept walking, having not seen the person in question. I turned around to see Terrence kneeling down and petting a rather odd looking wolf; fluffy with dark red fur.

“What, is he a drug hound?” I asked, moving back to observe the wolf. It looked up at me in distaste.

“Nothing so droll. I’m the expert on black magic tomes and ancient prophecies for Ruby Team.” It replied, in a crisp but masculine voice.

“ Excuse me?” I replied, thinking for a moment that I had imagined it speaking to me. It shook its head.

“Who’s the newbie, Terry?” it looked up at the man kneeling in front of him, who was visibly trying not to laugh.

“This is Julian Connors; he’s temporarily joining the team. I’m sure you two will be working together in the near future, Kay.” He replied, before handing a treat to the wolf. Taking it carefully, it seemed to smile.

“See you around, Julian.” It said, swaggering off down the office floor.

“Kay?” I asked Terrence, still a little bewildered.

“Like he said, anything old, magical and prophetic, he’s our wolf. We only call on him when we need his expertise, but he’s still an invaluable member of our—excuse me for one moment.” He interrupted himself, picking up a gun and aiming at me.

“Hey, what the—?” I started to ask, raising my hands in the air. Before I could even finish my sentence, he fired. I felt the whistling past my ear and a hiss of air from behind me. I turned around to see a large black beach ball deflating from a ball bearing shaped hole. I looked back at Terrence quizzically, half shrugging with my hands still midway up. One of the lab coats ran up to the deflated ball and groaned.

“Why do you always do that, Reed?” the man asked, picking it up.

“I told you, you throw any more of those bloody things at the new staff I’d start shooting them. You ran out of warnings.” He replied, putting the gun back. As the lab coat left in a sulk, he smiled to me. “They change molecular density on contact, hits with the force of a medicine ball. Hurts like hell, apparently.”

“Oh… and the reason they made one of these things is…?”

“We have over nine thousand geeks working here. There has to be some playtime for them. We just breed ours more sadistic than the usual brand.” He smirked to himself.

From there we moved in to another lift and headed up to the upper floors of the spiral, where I assumed the field operations were organised and planned. When we arrived, I caught the glimmer of a knife heading directly towards Terrence.

“Think fast!” a male voice shouted from further down the hall. Without even blinking, I saw Terrence catch the blade in one hand and throw it back in the other, it impaling the other man’s hand to the nearby wall. Quietly, he looked at the wound he had incurred so suddenly and sighed deeply, pulling the weapon out gingerly. “Damn it, same place again.”

“You have got to stop trying, Matt. I’m sure your people are sick of repairing the wound I keep giving you.” Terrence replied, stepping out of the lift. I made sure to follow.

“Oh, is this Connors?” Matt asked, nodding to myself.

“Yeah. Julian, this is Matas the Fifth. But we just call him Matt. He’s a synthetic human, the fifth model of his kind if you didn’t guess. He’s the leader of Sapphire Team, the second best.”

“Well, since McDonald decided to retire in Tahiti with Damian’s blessing, someone had to fill his shoes. Who better then me?” he grinned, before turning towards me. “And it’s nice to meet you, Julian.” He smiled, taking my hand in his wounded one and shaking it.

As he let go, I realised there was a yellowish gunk left behind – it was obviously what passed for synthetic blood. “Uh… likewise…”

“Would love to keep talking to you, but I want him to meet the rest of the team before Mr. Ivers calls him up for his meeting.” Terrence responded, taking me by the shoulder as I wiped the fluid on my pants.

“Ah, understood, catch you later, Reed. I’ll get you next time.” He replied, walking off, a little bit of a smirk on his face. I waited until we were out of earshot until I spoke again.

“Is everyone here a little crazy?” I asked the happy bald man, slowly getting more and more concerned.

“I think it might be a possibility.”

I looked at the door we ended up stopping in front of as Terrence pulled a key card from his pocket. The window of the door was red in colour, but had a strange look to it, which made me put my hand upon it. I realised it was not just coloured glass, but ruby quartz; the signification of the rank of the team who worked within the rooms. I thought it stood to reason that the other teams had a similar set up on their doors.

Terrence entered first, holding the door open for me. Inside was a large meeting hall style table with several chairs, monitors and gadgets. I could see numerous other doors leading away from the main one – one seemingly a separate office entirely, most likely for Terrence. The next door led to what possibly could have been changing rooms. The one after that was an armoury with weapons I’d never even imagined before. The last was occupied; a possible room for technical operations, basic research and forensic duties, from what I could see inside it. Two women were busy at work inside.

The door to the offices opened again as another man - looking roughly in his early thirties - entered with his head down. His black hair was spiked up a little, which was an interesting look. When he looked at me, I noticed his eyes were a somewhat demonic red.

If it weren’t for the fact he charged to me and picked me up by the scruff of my neck a good foot off the ground, I would have said the eyes were a good enough sign the man wasn’t entirely normal.

ii. Those We Left Behind

“What’s he doing here?” he grunted, holding me tight as I tried to kick him backwards with no joy.

“Put him down, Frank, he’s one of us.” The big man spoke, trying to push him away from me as well.

The man Terrence called Frank shook me as he still held me up. “Like hell he is, this bastard is a soldier for the Irish Army; it’s in his blood. Fucking spying on us! That’s the only explanation.”

I felt like something was crushing in my throat and the blood was stopping its flow to my brain. “Do… I know you…?”

“Sure you do. Frank Acker, Marine Corps. We served together during the Wars. I got shot and you left me behind. Don’t you remember that, Julian?” he said to me menacingly.

“You died when you got shot, Frank. Head shot. What exactly did you expect him to say, sorry?” Terrence explained menacingly. I gasped for air, trying to get my head straight, thinking I was about to die. Finally, the grip was loosened entirely as Frank dropped me to the ground, a healthy colour returning to my cheeks after a few moments.

“Of course… sorry… I’m not wired right; you know that…” he replied to Terrence, though I thought the sorry was aimed at me as well, half arsed as it was.

Getting my breath back, I stared at Frank. “I do remember you… and Terrence is right; they took you out, a single shot to the brainpan. You got your name on the memorial wall and everything. How the hell can you be standing there, right in front of me, alive and breathing?”

“Those filthy bastards… the Karodu National Army took my body, did God only knows what to it. I was in suspended animation until a team from here raided the camp I was being kept in and rescued me, four years ago. They studied the changes in me, helped me understand everything that was done to me. I’m barely human now. They fucked with my genetic structure or some shit like that. It’s hard to tell if it was an unfinished super soldier program or some kind of experiment to splice me with a demon that didn’t fully integrate itself. Either way, the event was only half finished but it hardly matters now. I am what I am…” my old comrade responded, his face not showing as much conviction to the words as he had probably imagined it would.

“I’m sorry… if I knew, I would have gone back. I never would have thought they experimented on the ones we left behind… were there any…” I tried to ask, not finding the words.

“Others? No. If there was, they were either killed by the experience or taken by the Karodu to fight. I was the only one they brought back.”

I hung my head, half angry, half ashamed. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay… I shouldn’t have picked you up by your neck. I wasn’t thinking straight. It’s been… how long has it been, Julian?” Frank asked, his red eyes flickering slightly, like he was struggling to remember.

“It was seven years ago, the day of my twentieth birthday. We partied, all of us, because we knew we marched out the next day and a lot of us weren’t coming back. It was a fluke I got the men I did home, safe and sound - all five of us. That was one of the reasons I left when my time was due, even if it was a whole two years later.”

“So long… so long ago. What have you being doing since…?”

“I was a police officer until all this started; now I’m working with you…”

“Good for you… it’ll be a pleasure serving with you again, I guess.” He replied, before walking off.

I sighed. “Any more surprises, Terrence?”

“I had no idea you two knew each other already, Julian. No more, I promise.” He replied, looking slightly guilty. The door to the tech room opened as a red head entered the room.

“Boss, Amelia needs a word with you, sir.” She said, pointing to the door vaguely. Her voice was quite… posh, for the want of a better phrase - a business womanly London accent. She was quite short, maybe a little over five foot, and had an air of elegance and intelligence.

“Is it about the sample?” he asked. The woman just nodded. “Oh, Lidia, this is Julian Connors, he’s going to be working with us. Julian, this is Lidia Weiss, call sign Cogwheel. She runs our op-tech, helps us with the gadgets and gizmos we need on the field. She’s also our best hacker. More than likely, we’ll be in constant contact with her, so I hope you two get nice and friendly.”

“Hi.” She said, quite shyly, offering out a hand to shake.

“Hello.” I replied, taking it and shaking softly, smiling reassuringly.

“You may as well come with me, Julian; this will concern you as well.” Terrence spoke as he entered the room Lidia had left. Lidia and myself exchanged smiles once more as she walked towards the changing rooms. I followed Terrence and came face to face with Amelia.

“You two already have met, obviously; Amelia Vaughn, call sign Horizon, this is Julian Connors.”

iii. A Girl Named Amelia

We looked at one another.

“Sir, you can’t be serious. You’re putting him on our team?” Amelia spoke, getting up from her seat. Terrence placed his hands on her shoulders and put her back down onto it with a firm push downward.

“I’m tired of telling people that I don’t know any jokes. He’s our new teammate. If you don’t like it, you know where the door is, Amelia. Use it.” He told her, straight and to the point.

She seemed to mull it over for a second before returning her attention back to the microscope. “Fine, I’ll stay. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“If it helps, I don’t hold a grudge, I would have been suspicious of me too in your situation.” I told her, in an attempt to be reassuring.

“It doesn’t. Now shut up. Please.”

“Ames, come on, give the guy a break, he’s trying.” Lidia spoke, returning to the room with a bag in her hand.

The other woman didn’t speak, though she looked up at her colleague. With a sigh, she moved backwards from the microscope with a concerned look on her face. “Eating in again…?”

“I’ve got too much work to do, you know that, Amelia.” the red head responded, rolling her eyes a little in dismissal.

“You have to live outside of these four walls, you know, even if it is just going out for food. It’s going to drive you mad in the end, hon.” Amelia smiled, patting the other’s arm.

Eventually, Terrence just coughed. “You wanted to speak to me, Amelia?”

“Oh, sorry, boss. It’s about the sample.”

“What about it?”

“The tissue is already degrading at an immense rate.”

“What? Are you sure about that?”

“I checked, double checked, had a lab guy come from downstairs who then checked, double checked, verified our theory and took a second sample downstairs to do it all over again just to be sure. It’s happening.” Lidia added, with a mouthful of what appeared to be a tuna sandwich.

“Are you completely sure you’re studying the right tissues?” Terrence asked, still concerned.

“We’re not incompetent; this is definitely the Reckoner’s sample. The tissue is returning to its former state.” Amelia responded, folding her arms.

I suddenly started paying a lot more attention.

“But that is impossible. We know that’s impossible. That would mean it was only 4 or 5 years old, and we had it jailed for twice that amount of time. There’s absolutely no way of changing a fully feral Reckoner back in to its human form. We’d have that knowledge by now if it existed.” Terrence replied, seemingly confused by the emerging situation.

I raised a brow at his choice of words, sitting on one of the empty tables at one side. “Hang on a minute; the Reckoners are human?”

“Not exactly; when a Reckoner is born, it assumes a human-like form to allow it to blend in with society. Once it reaches the Reckoner puberty, age 3, they begin to go through feral cycles, which is why many people mistake Reckoners for your average lycanthrope. A year or two through that cycle, they eventually never return to the human form. Which is…” he started, before Lidia interrupted.

“Which is completely at odds with the scientific evidence, boss. The Reckoner was turning human just prior to death; that much is certain. We just need to find out how, exactly.” she explained, still eating.

Terrance just stood there for a minute, looking confused. Eventually, he moved towards the microscope.

“Let me look at those samples.” He muttered.

Amelia got up from the seat and let him, though she shook her head in disbelief. While their disagreement continued, I slipped out of the room and sat at the table in the centre room. Frank had disappeared into one of the other rooms, leaving it empty. I was having difficulty taking everything in from what I had seen and been told. The life I knew was a lie. Monsters, demons… they lived with us, some even blending in to be like us. I think, years earlier, it might have driven me insane, but there was a small part of me that thought it made sense in the cosmic order of things. Some of the things I had experienced during the wars told me there had to be something else, something more than just man in this universe. Otherwise, with what we were capable of as a species, we were going to ruin everything we could reach.

  Amelia joined me at the table, staring at me silently. I stared back, slightly uncomfortable. It lasted for several minutes before I finally broke the silence. “We haven’t gotten to the greatest of starts… I don’t want to be a replacement; especially for someone people cared for …”

“You will never replace Molly. I want that clear right now. You’ll never be fit to spit shine her shoes. You’re a maggot compared to her.” She replied venomously.

“I think I can accept that. But we have to work together. Do you think we can do that?”

She went silent, almost thoughtful. She didn’t get a chance to answer, as Terrence left the tech room.

“The big boss just called from the office. Ivers wants to see you in his office on the top floor, Julian. Looks like your joining is about to be official.” He grinned.

I felt like a spit-roasted pig with an apple in its mouth, except my fruit was my heart, beating so loud it could have woken the dead. We silently shared a moment, staring at one another. It looked as if to take a deep breath, its chest puffing up, making his already considerable height even more intimidating. It then let out an ear splitting scream right above my head. It was the same one I heard that led me to find the body.

“You… you lured me here to do the same thing you did to her, didn’t you?” I muttered, shifting my weight to my thigh muscles. I fought against myself, against the fear I felt and the ever-increasing need to relocate the contents of my stomach onto the grass under my feet. Shifting my centre of gravity lower, I tried to channel my emotions away to the back of my mind. With a clear head, I let the one thing that had kept me alive during my 8 years in the military take over – my survival instincts.

The head of the beast came down to attack me but I lunged forward, rolling away and getting back on my feet in a single movement. I hadn’t been able to see it too well from a distance, but in that split second we had been close to each other I saw all I needed to. It had fur that was mangled and black with patches of dark red, its paw-like hands had long claws that were stained with blood. It was easily two feet taller than myself when fully upright, with a wolf’s maw and teeth as sharp as a bayonet. Its eyes were as black as coal. Without warning, the beast launched another ferocious attack, swiping at me with its huge claws, narrowly missing my torso as I hopped back out of the arm’s reach.

With the monster about to swipe me again and with no more room to move backward in, I moved inside its range in sheer desperation. With surprise on my side, I swung a fist at the thing’s nose and, to my utter shock, the monster recoiled as I contacted solidly. I stared as it stumbled backward before attacking again, punching it in the muzzle. With a sharp yelp, it reeled away again, almost losing its footing. Before it got a chance to get up, I kicked it hard in the stomach, pushing it to the floor.

“You’re not so tough, are you?” I laughed, adrenaline coursing through me as I looked down at it. My good humour was cut horribly short as the monster angrily lashed out at me as it got back to its feet. The blow launched me up into the air and backwards in a physics defying display, coming to a shuddering halt as my body smacked into a tree at high velocity.

Slumping to the ground, my body was racked in pain. It took every fibre of my being to keep conscious. The pain was close to blinding; an average sized person would have probably been broken by the impact. Thankfully, the Military had made me tough, though I was still going to bruise in the morning. But, even with that in mind, I knew I would be just as dead if I didn’t do something then and there. I took everything I had left and charged the monster, planting my shoulder firmly into its waist and hooked my hands under its knees. With it lifted up into the air in my hands, I ran forwards, screaming loudly.

Before I even knew what happened, I hit another tree, though the body of the bizarre beast cushioned the impact this time around. And the screams - the horrific, terrifying screaming of the monster in pain, the likes of which I’d never heard before, and probably never again… the screams still haunt me to this day.

Its limbs began to thrash around, trying to lash out at me but I simply pushed back and moved completely out of its reach. My charge had pushed the beast onto a thick, broken branch, impaling it straight through the chest. It bled darkly and rapidly, gushing like a broken water main. Not taking any chances, I picked up what looked like the shattered remains of the rest of the branch that was stuck through the monster’s chest. The creature started clawing at the tree, tearing at its own flesh in an attempt to get free. The sight was horrific, but the thing was no closer to removing itself. “Trapped, huh…? Well, don’t expect any sympathy from me, you murdering fuck!” I growled, punctuating the last word by swinging the branch with all my remaining strength into the face of the beast. The wood splintered in to tiny shards at the impact but the purpose was served. The monster slumped against the tree - unconscious, but alive, at least for now. It wouldn’t last very much longer though.

Falling to my knees, I reached into my jacket pocket, taking hold of my mobile phone. I held 9 for speed dial, trying to catch my breath before the darkness overcame me. It felt like an agonising lifetime before the other side of the phone finally picked up. “This better be good, Connors, I’m in the middle of a meeting with the Home Secretary.” The voice of the Met’s latest and greatest Commissioner, Banks, barked at me down the receiver. Out of all the people who could have been responsible for my near-meteoric rise of rank, I knew it would never have been this man. I’m sure he hated me as soon as he laid his eyes on me. But that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered any more. Because of what I just did, what I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes, the entire world just turned itself up on its head.

“Sir, I’m calling in a murder, I’m at the crime scene now.” I told him, still sounding out of breath. “So? Let the crime scene boys handle it.” “They’re not here yet… haven’t called them in. You’re the first person I contacted, sir… I’m not on duty.” “Good God, man, why did you bother me first? Who was the victim?” “I… don’t know yet, sir, I haven’t disturbed the scene. Well, apart from that one thing…” “What? What did you disturb, Connors? Why the hell have you broken protocol?”

I looked up at the unconscious body of the monster.

“You might want to look at it yourself…” I replied, tilting my phone to the side and taking a photo of the beast with the camera function, sending it to the Commissioner’s phone immediately. In a few moments the clattering of the Commissioner’s phone impacting on the floor and being picked back up again came through my phone’s speaker, sounding stunned as he returned. “What the hell is that?” “The killer.”

ii. Unexplained

“Okay, so, what is it?” the Commissioner asked me again as several police officers and crime scene investigators combed the area where our fight – and the murder – took place. “I wish I knew, sir. The thing just attacked me. I think it wanted to do to me what it did to that poor woman… it led me here, made me fall right up against her corpse. I was too late to help her, way too late…” I replied, shaking my head a little. The coroner had already taken the corpse away, but the monster was still impaled to the tree firmly, mostly thanks to the clawing it did in the attempt to free itself. We were waiting for a second ambulance crew to arrive with one of their specialist heavy-duty vehicles so it would fit inside. “Is it…?” “Dead? I think so… pretty sure it bled out a while back. If I could have helped it, I would have kept it alive so some scientists could study it, but it was so busy trying to kill me I didn’t think straight.” I replied sarcastically. “Well, we’ll take it to the coroner; have them perform an autopsy so we can learn more about what it is. This is an amazing discovery of a new life form, don’t you agree?” I had a bad feeling about it. Something told me this was anything but new. Someone had come up across these before, and this certainly wasn’t the only one of its kind.

When the ambulance arrived, they finally managed to take the monster off the tree and carefully placed it into what looked like several body bags put together. Placing it on the stretcher and wheeling it to the vehicle. I noticed the hydraulics nearly break to compensate for its weight, but it looked like the vehicle could take it. Just as they started the engine, something in the back of my mind urged me to go with them. With that, I ran to catch up with the paramedics. “I want to go with you to the Morgue, get the Coroner’s report from the horse’s mouth. No doubt they’ll be on it as soon as the bodies arrive with a case like this.” I asked them, still in some pain but pushing it to one side. The paramedics looked to one another, then back to me. “Sure thing, man. But you have to ride with this… thing.” He replied, signifying the corpse of the monster. “Fine with me.” I said with no hesitation, climbing into the back and closing the doors behind me. I rode with them straight to the Coroner’s office, silent, simply staring at the body bag that I was riding with, trying to figure out what it was that set upon me. As soon as we arrived, I left the vehicle to help the paramedics unload the stretcher with the beast’s corpse on. Once the thing was off, I jogged my way to the Autopsy wards, checking in with the reception and heading to the rooms to speak with the on-duty examiner. When I got there, I was met with a new face I didn’t know.

“Uh, hello…” I spoke to the young woman wielding the scalpel. “Oh, you must be DCI Connors, nice to meet you.” She replied, offering her hand to shake. I looked at it, and her. Her blonde hair was cropped in a way that suited her in a very sexy fashion, and it came with sweet blue eyes, ruby red lips and fantastic, defined curves. She was a few inches shorter than myself, but size and stature didn’t seem to be a problem for her, a confident and commanding presence around her. “My reputation precedes me…?” I replied, slightly confused. She laughed softly, picking up the clipboard at one side of the cold silver table. “Your name was on the papers.” She smiled, before putting it back down. I laughed at myself dryly, shaking my head.

“So, what can you tell me about the victim?” I asked, looking down at the corpse of the young woman. It was no longer in its unnatural positioning, but still very much lifeless. “Plenty. Her name was Molly Hammond, aged 37.  Never sick a day in her life, a happy girl, single, in a job she loved, with friends that cared.” She replied, putting a hand on the shoulder of Molly’s body. I couldn’t help but raise a brow at the in depth summary of the girl’s life. “…And how do you know all that?” The coroner looked at me as if I was stupid, but suddenly laughed and shook her head. “I’m just talking. I always give the people who arrive here a fantasy life. Sometimes it’s better than the hard truth.”

I had the strangest feeling something was wrong about it, but I shrugged it off as the pain clouding my judgement.

“Okay… what’s the cause of death?” “Separation of all the upper vertebrae, completely disconnecting the head from the neck and spine. You may have noticed that her head was slightly stretched in the wrong direction. Well, the impact bruising,”— she pointed out the darkened area of the skin at her jaw line – “is consistent with a single, incredibly hard punch. All the other breaks were post mortem, done in a complete fit of rage. Whatever caused this was inhuman in its strength. Or… not human at all… what the hell is that?” she finished the sentence in a mixture of shock and disbelief, staring towards the door as the beast was wheeled in by the paramedics at last, the bag unzipped halfway to reveal the monstrosity within. Her eyes never left it, her look locked into an amalgam of shock, horror and amazement. “That was what killed her…” I replied, watching as the monster on the stretcher was placed alongside the table with Molly’s corpse upon it. “What killed it…?” she asked, staring at it in disbelief, running a hand around the wound in its chest. “Me… ran it through with a tree. Self defence.” I shrugged, my body punishing me for it, still severely sore. “But… but then, why was it brought here?” “Commissioner thought it’d be a good idea - progression in the scientific world and all that shite. I’ll leave you to it.” I turned away, nodding to the paramedics as I opened the door.

Closing it as I left, it felt as if a lightning bolt shot up the right hand side of my body. Almost collapsing in pain, I clutched my ribs and grimaced as I was overcome with a sharp, dizzying coughing fit. “Fuck… must have got me worse then I thought…” I muttered, trying to push the agony back again, battling against it. I headed towards the exit, bumping in to another coroner. “Oh, DCI Connors, are you here to see me about the girl’s body?” the familiar voice of the regular Coroner, Dr. Fitzsimmons, asked as I took two steps back. “Oh, hi, no, your colleague has already taken care of it for me.” I replied, smiling through the pain. “What colleague? I’m the only one working tonight.” He replied, looking at me with a confused look.

“Huh? But, what about the woman working in the autopsy room down there? The blonde with the curves?” “We don’t even have a female coroner right now. What the hell is going on in here?” he said, starting to run towards the room I just left. ‘Shit.’ I thought, turning around. The stinging was long forgotten now that I was worried as hell. Fitzsimmons opened the door and looked inside before turning back to face me. “There’s nothing here, Julian! The body’s gone!” he yelled down to me. They had all vanished. The corpse, the monster, the Coroner and the Paramedics had disappeared from the room. “FUCK!” I ran outside of the building as quickly as I could, only catching a fleeting glimpse of a vehicle speeding out of the grounds. I looked around for transport that I could ‘borrow’ to give chase, when my eyes were attracted to a Ferrari. Climbing aboard, I pulled out my phone and unclipped one side, opening it to reveal the special police issue key kit. The device was a moderately new advancement in technology that was developed to allow police in the field to hack through certain pieces of other technology. It was mostly used to hack through doors with special kinds of locks and, in the case I was about to use it for, accessing the software inside vehicles that ran engines and identification – another common system these days. Using it enabled officers to commandeer vehicles with ease to either move out of the way or use in pursuits. Of course, when it was revealed to the public, they accused the Government of becoming a Big Brother state, again. It may be heading close to the middle of the 21st century, but people haven’t changed a bit…

Of course, I had no way of predicting what was to come after. Once I’d gotten the car started and pulled out of the hospital grounds, I was ambushed. The ambulance they were obviously using as a getaway vehicle had doubled back and rammed straight into the side of the beautiful but borrowed car. Last thing I remembered was the Ferrari rolling from the impact at least ten times before the vehicle hit something solid.

iii. Unimpressed

When I awoke, I was on a very cold table, alone and stark bollock naked. I attempted to move my arm only to realise I was strapped to the table firmly. I tried to speak but my throat was hoarse, like I hadn’t had a drink for days – maybe I hadn’t, it was hard to tell. I knew for sure I’d been there a while; while my body felt tender from what I assume was the damage from the car crash, the rest of my body had relatively healed from the attack from the monster I came up against.

After a few minutes of the solitary darkness, the door opened and the room was filled with blinding light. “Hello, Mister Connors.” the person who entered the room spoke. I recognised the voice as the Coroner from earlier, which was obviously faked as her voice had an American twang to it now compared to earlier. “Where am I…?” I grumbled, squinting as I tried to refocus my eyes to the light. “That’s none of your concern. I’m here to ask you some questions.” “You know I’m only going to give you name, rank and serial, don’t you?” I felt her hand grip my ankle lightly. “Oh yes, the good little soldier… you realise I hate your types?” “You read up on me, huh? In that case, fuck you too, and the horse you rode in on.” Something thin and sharp was pushed into the ball of my foot. It felt like someone set fire to the blood in my veins. I’ve known torture, in training and on the battlefield, but that sensation was unreal. As I writhed in pain, the woman smirked at me. “You’re not the one who’s in control. I’m going to get some answers, or the next one goes in your balls, I friggin’ promise you that.” She told me. The pain finally died down, leaving me catching my breath. “Well, ask a-fucking-way, because I’m all ears now, you cunt.” I replied, a growl in my voice. The woman stood upright, walking around me in a circle. “What were you and your pet doing in the forest? Why did you tell it to attack that woman?” I understood then. They thought I was to blame for the monster, like I somehow had that fucker on a leash. My mind boggled. “Me? It wasn’t me, you idiot; I was the one who put a stop to it! I was too late to save…” I started, but was interrupted by the slamming of the woman’s palms on the table, a hand either side of my head. “Don’t you fucking lie to me, asshole! Don’t you fucking dare!” she shouted at me. “I’m fucking not! I swear to fucking baby Jesus, she was dead, and the fucking thing I brought in wanted me next!” The room went silent. Her baby blues continued to burn a hole in to me, though not as fiercely. “Aren’t you a fucking atheist?” she asked. “Well, yes, but it doesn’t make it any different.” I replied. She shook her head and walked away. “Sure it doesn’t…” I wanted to smirk, but I thought better of it. “That tale you told me about her, about Molly… it was true, wasn’t it? You knew her, didn’t you?” Her face seemed a little conflicted. “She… she was my colleague. We worked here together, until…” she sighed sharply, walking back towards the table. She glared at me, the harsh fire back in her eyes. “How am I supposed to trust you when you make false promises? I bet every word that comes out of that mouth is a lie.” “Now that’s not true, it happens I have a line on honesty.” I frowned as I spoke, staring at her. “Oh, and how is that, exactly?” “Because I have to tell you, you’re beautiful, but fuck me, you act like a bitch.”

She screamed in anger as her hand wrapped around my throat; the other hand raised upwards, needle-like weapon pointing down at my nether regions, making me gulp hard. Suddenly, the door slammed open, causing her to freeze. “Horizon, stand down.” A voice came from it. The sound… it was the first time I could have ever said that a Liverpool accent was like music to my ears. “Sir…” she growled, not moving for a moment. Suddenly, she thrust her hand down, causing me to cry out. She missed by centimetres. On purpose, I hoped. She stormed out the room and the door closed again, though I couldn’t bring myself to look, beads of sweat raining down my body like it was monsoon season. I was surprised when I heard the voice of the newcomer, still within the room.

“I have to apologise for Horizon, Mr Connors, she can fly off the handle sometimes, but none of us are taking this one very lightly. Molly was one of us; she was supposed to be in my care. When our cells malfunctioned and let the beast out, she was the only one who had been able to track it down. Unfortunately, as you’re aware, Molly obviously didn’t get the chance to apprehend it.” He explained, moving to the table and removing the needle from it, throwing it away. He proceeded to undo the binding that held me to the table, allowing me to sit up and get a good look at the man that saved my crotch.

He was dark tanned, looked pretty mistreated by age thanks to the wrinkled forehead nestled just under his bald head, shining brighter than Donny Osmond’s teeth. His brown eyes examined me, though perhaps a little too much considering I was still naked. He regarded me with a grin. “Speaking of the beast, just what was that?” I asked, assuming they knew more than I did. I rubbed my neck as a reflex, but my entire body was stiff. I had to have been there for some time… “Ah, a Reckoner. A brute of a demon, but only acts under the will of others, which is why Horizon thought you were the one responsible for Molly’s death. Considering how you dealt with it, I knew better.” He nodded, turning to something in the corner of the room that had been out of my line of sight earlier. He turned again, holding a plastic cup of water and handing it to me. “What do you mean?” I replied, taking the cup and drinking it. It hurt to swallow at first, but it did help. “The easiest way to incapacitate a Reckoner demon is to grab its ear. The species use them as part of their reproductive cycle.” He grinned more. ‘I’ve heard the phrase bollock for brains before, but not bollock for ears...’ I thought to myself, finishing the water. I let everything sink in, but I still couldn’t believe everything I was being told. “This is ridiculous. Am I supposed to believe that demons roam the world now? Have we really gone that far downhill around here?” “The demons were here first, to be fair. Might not have been God, but something created good and evil whenever this slag heap came to be, it’s only right that there were figures to represent the notions.” I laughed a little. “For a Liverpool lad, you seem pretty intelligent.” “You should see my brother. Thick as pig shit.” He laughed, which caused me to laugh more. “Besides, you’re one to talk, Paddie.” I twitched. “Aye, and everyone else who’s ever called me that before has gone home in an ambulance, mate…” I told him as I got to my feet. However, my balance was non-existent, causing me to drop back onto the table. “If it weren’t for my situation right now, I wouldn’t make an exception.” “’Ey, ‘ey, now there’s no need to get physical. We’re just here, talking. I apologise if I offended you, Julian. I was just trying to keep the mood light.”

I took a deep, calming breath, and looked back at the other man. “Where am I?” “Honestly? A secret compound in the heart of London, deep underground; we work here to fight, contain and eliminate threats like your Reckoner.” “And who are we, exactly?” “The people who want to offer you a job opportunity.” I just looked at the man. “Are you fucking serious?” “Deadly. You’ll find I’m not one for making jokes, Mr Connors.” “You ram me with an ambulance…” “Horizon’s fault, she wanted to make sure you or your photo of our murderous monster didn’t escape us.” “You kidnap me and lock me in a cell…” “Horizon thought that you were to blame for…” “You threaten my testicles with needles…” “Horizon…” “Then you offer me a goddamn job! Do you have any idea how ridiculous it sounds?” The man paused for a moment before responding. “I am aware of it, yes.” I fumed. I wanted to get up and strangle the man, but I took another deep, cleansing breath. “You’re holding the cards here… what choice do I have?” “Oh, you have a choice. If you decline, we can have your memory of us, the monster and Molly erased. We already took the liberty of erasing the memory of the other people you involved, including the Commissioner.” He replied, matter of factly. I laughed, though only because if I hadn’t, I probably would have cried. “You think you’re above the law or something, is that it?” “We’re not; we’re monitored by government regulations and the like, just like you guys in the Met. We just have a higher authority.” “So, what, are you secret agents or something?” “You could say that. We’re just that much more… secret.” “And as far as the usual law enforcements are concerned?” “It’s not to say that we don’t exist, but they certainly wouldn’t admit to that.” “Are you always this evasive to simple questions?” “Possibly.” He grinned.

i. Office Call

I thought I lived in a time when people could stand up for what they believed in without being knocked back down to the ground. I thought I witnessed the moments where people fought to protect everything humanity took for granted. I thought I lived with the freedom of choice. I thought...

What does it matter what I thought? Me, Julian Connors, only 27, barely a responsible adult? Just an ex-Soldier – and ex-police officer to boot – who thought he could make the world a better place? It’s obvious that my judgement has been less than solid as of late, considering the mess I’ve gotten myself in to.

No. Not myself. This isn’t my fault. None of this is. I was manoeuvred into this. I’m nothing but a pawn in a sick elaborate game, and every time my opponent takes out one of the pieces, my life gets that much worse.

I sit here, blood matted into my silver hair; the ends sticking to the back of my shoulder blade. My grey eyes are straining in the darkness, trying to make sense of it all. I know it has to make sense, it has to. It has to because…

It has to because.

My hands are shaking, just a little, because I know what has to come now, even if it still makes no sense. The pistol I'm gripping onto feels like it weighs a ton. My mouth is as dry as camel fur, and tastes twice as foul. My body is crying for me to stop, rest, sleep; but my brain tells me I can’t. I stop now and they will catch me, quicker than a fat kid in a lunch line.

I hear a noise behind me, causing me to spin almost a full circle in a nanosecond; but it's just a mouse. Our eyes lock for a moment. For once, it's nice to see someone (or thing) that isn’t out for my blood. I had to question what the little one was thinking. It probably just wondered what kind of idiot would wander around in this scum hole. I considered that myself.

My arm, which had snapped up with a finger on the trigger of the pistol not a second earlier, relaxed, and so did I. Safe a little longer; but not truly. I know that, until the game is over, one way or the other, there will always be a target on my head and a price. Always going to be someone coming for me, and it was kill or be killed.

Looking back over the year I’ve had, it’s a wonder I didn’t suspect something like this would happen to me eventually. Too many unexplained events, too many coincidences… my life became too convenient for it not to end up with a toll I wasn’t willing to pay.

It started back when I was in the Met. A DCI in the heart of London, one of Scotland Yard’s nearest and dearest. Once I paid my dues in the Irish Army Infantry, I moved to England for a fresh start, make a new life for myself to put some of the horrors I saw when I was fighting in the Wars behind me. I thought being a Copper would have been easier. I was right for the most part, I was surprised myself at how well I took to it and how quick, at least relatively, my rise through the ranks was.

But that one fateful night, that night when my path crossed with that of Amelia Vaughn…