Balance - Book 2 by Marc Dickason
CHAPTER 11
You would think nearly sixty deaths in a few seconds would put a concerned look on a news reporter’s face. But as I lay in the medical wing of the Academy an hour later, head swimming and left half of my face throbbing, the muted television showed a deadpan woman. She stood outside the Academy gesturing to an enormous stretch of taped-off destruction. Emergency professionals swarmed about.
The camera pulled back to show a highly decorated Enforcer beside her, a man in his fifties with the most no-nonsense aura I had ever witnessed. He spoke calmly, manner not expressing the faintest hint of urgency.
The picture changed. Now a man I recognised from the televised debate earlier, mid-forties distinguished looking Dempsey, was speaking animatedly. At least he, I thought, had the decency to appear concerned. Even if he did seem like the kind of person who would insist you took off your shoes before stepping into his overpriced, but disguised as practical, vehicle.
The door to my little single-bed room opened and a nurse’s head appeared.
“Cadet Clarence?”
“Yes?”
“You were asking about a Linda Hasting.”
I swallowed. “Yes?”
“I’m afraid it’s confirmed. She was killed. A friend of yours?”
“Sort of. Yes.”
“I’m sorry. Would you like something to help you sleep?”
“No. Thank you. Coffee would be nice. My Primary Crutch.”
“Of course.”
Her head disappeared and the door closed.
I put my head on the pillow and attempted to digest the events, knowing I was too calm. Some kind of explosive reaction was due and not occurring.
Sixty people had died. Nurses, patients, trainers, and even an unlucky soul in the street outside the Academy. Many more were maimed or badly injured.
‘Little difference it makes to those patients,’ my throbbing head told me, ‘Vegetative and now crippled? The irony. Ha ha.’
Linda. Poor, silly blonde haired Linda, sent flying across a room and crushed. Never having been given a second chance. What it would say on her tombstone?
“Lived her life a slave,” I whispered, “died wishing she still was one.”
Christ, she never deserved that. She didn’t deserve to die like that.
I prepared myself, ready to contain the feelings of horror that would wash over me. Ready to feel my body shudder with racking sobs. But no emotions penetrated.
“You should be feeling something,” I told myself, “you’ve witnessed a terrible tragedy. It’s not right to feel nothing. If not horror, something else.”
So I tried to feel lucky.
“Sixty lives ended. You survived.”
But still nothing happened.
I draped an arm over my eyes and took a deep breath. A thought kept returning to me, one that had that been playing like a broken record since my arrival in the medical wing.
The white wall. The white wall.
The weird presence, the Crowd Surfing Spell, the white wall. Connected. That horse-demon, whatever it was going on inside that girl, had been getting worse and finally set-off explosively.
The white wall. It must have been planted in the mind of Linda by my mother, which meant its presence in Judy must likewise have been embedded by my mother.
The face of Liza Clarence floated before me. And then I did feel something. The flame bubbled up and snarled, rattling the cage furiously and demanding I fling off the bed covers and seek justice.
It occurred to me that one of my hands was rubbing the scar of the other wrist and I stopped it. It also occurred to me a figure was standing in the corner of my room, but only now was I noticing its presence. My demon. Its red eyes locked on my face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped at it, “I didn’t call you. Get lost!”
It did nothing.
“I said..!”
Realisation struck. The small room was alive with blue sparks.
“Oh my God…”
I put my head back, aware my body was shaking. Liza Clarence was again looking at me. The blue sparks began to pop.
I took a deep breath and found my Place of Calm.
“I’ll find you,” I told my mother, “I’ll find you. Not long now, I’ll find you. And I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done. For what you did to me. For what you did to my father. And for what you did to Linda. I’ll find you. Not long now.”
Gathering Spirit settled and began to recede, swirling as it vanished into an internal black hole.
“Not long now, I’ll find you.”
The floating blue sparks gave a final pop and faded. Calm descended. I glanced to the corner of the room. The demon was gone. I took another deep breath and wiped sweat from my face.
“Holy shit,” I muttered to myself.
The door to my room opened and I jumped, head spinning round. A Senior Enforcer appeared, Chief Commander Gill who had debriefed me. The impressive amount of medals on his breast glowed in the room’s florescent light.
“Hello, Cadet Clarence,” he said, “May I have a word?”
“Yes, sir. Of course.” My eyes flicked to the corner of the room. The demon was indeed gone.
Gill stepped in and pulled the door shut.
“You’re a lucky man, Clarence,” he said, his tone casual. But I detected a hint of anxiety. “Your Spirit Level saved you.”
“I know, sir.”
“My name is Gill, if you didn’t catch it before.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Chief Commander Gill.”
He moved over to the bed and sunk into a chair.
“I must say that a person walking out of that hall looking as it did, and you looking as you do now…. I can only call it a miracle.”
“I honestly didn’t do much, sir. It just happened.”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat and looked at me closely. “Are you feeling okay, Clarence?”
“I’m okay, sir. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? I can get you over to the Mental Wellness Centre right away…”
“No, sir. I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Alright.” He paused and his face hardened. Again I saw a flicker of anxiety. “It was a damn tragedy what happened. A damn, unforgivable tragedy. I have hardly seen a worse loss of life in my entire career.”
“Yes, sir. It was.”
“There are a lot of unanswered questions about how this occurred. A full investigation is already underway. I’m sure you understand that I need to ask a few questions. Do you feel up to it?”
“Of course, sir, I’d like to help in any way I can.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you said that.” He cleared his throat again. “Clarence, I understand you were performing your training on Judy Carlson. Is that correct?”
“It is, sir.”
“Can you remember how you come to be working with to this particular woman?”
I cast my mind back. “I believe I was assigned to her, sir.”
He nodded. “And what did you notice during your training sessions? Anything unusual?”
“In the last few sessions I noticed her mental state deteriorating, sir. The visits became increasingly more disturbed. My trainer, Mister Gibson, said it was nothing to be concerned about.” I hesitated, wheels in my head clanking. “There is something I noticed, Commander Gill.”
“What is it?”
“I had been feeling uncomfortable in the hall. Particularly right before the explosion.”
His eyes squinted with interest. “Uncomfortable? How so?”
“I felt something in the hall, a presence. I was told it was a Crowd Surfing Spell and not important. It caused the patients to be restless, especially Judy Carlson and another woman; Linda Hasting.”
“I see.” He leaned back, rubbing his jaw. A small notebook appeared from his top pocket and he scribbled words into it. “Linda Hasting.”
“Is it connected, sir?”
“Well, Clar
ence,” he said, “something caused this. The drugs, girl, or circumstances were unusual. And since the drugs have been checked and were not expired, and the only thing unusual about the girl is that she did not seem to have a family, or life, beyond that hall, which was the same for half the patients, the unusual element must have been in the environment. So yes, I think it is connected.”
I nodded. “I thought so too, sir.’
“We will find out what happened,” he went on, “but first we have a much bigger problem to deal with. And that is a girl who can cause some very serious damage running around the city.”
“Where is she, sir? Have there been more explosions?”
“Not yet.” His brow creased. “I’ll be honest with you, Clarence. I was not here just to ask questions. I have been gauging your mental stability. You, of course, are scheduled for compulsory evaluation in the Mental Wellness Centre shortly, and are not supposed to be allowed out until clearance has been granted. This is a very serious and justified precaution, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
“Yes, sir.” My eyes once again flicked to the corner of the room.
“But we need your help, Clarence. We need to bring in Judy Carlson. The D.O.M has eyes on her at this very moment and is gearing up. Would you be willing to help? I can waive the compulsory evaluation if you tell me you are stable.”
I hesitated. “Why do you need my help, Commander Gill?”
“Few can do what you did today, son. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“It is an invaluable skill. One that no other Enforcer in this entire city is capable of. We can request help from outside the city, but it would be hours before that person arrived. So we’re asking you. Yes, we could go ahead without your help. But with your help our chances of minimising casualties increases dramatically. Understand?”
“I do, sir.”
“Now, I know you have been through a lot already, and ordinarily I would never dream of asking a Cadet for assistance, not in anything but extraordinary circumstances. But that is what we have here; extraordinary circumstances. Clarence; I’m asking you again,” His eyes narrowed. “Are you one hundred percent sure you’re okay?”
‘If Judy is now free, she’ll be going to the white wall,’ a voice screamed at me.
“I believe I am, sir.”
“And would you be willing to help?”
“Yes, I believe I can help, sir.”
“I can’t make you do this, Clarence. You understand that? I’m requesting, and it is well within your right to tell me to go right on and screw myself. Are we clear on that?’
“Yes, sir. I want to help.”
He nodded, eyes still studying my face. “Good. This wont be forgotten, Cadet. You’ll be starting your career on the right foot, make no mistake.”
“Glad to help, sir.”
“Then get up and get dressed. Someone will be along for you shortly.”
With that he stood and headed for the door, exiting as the nurse stepped in with my coffee.
“Good afternoon, nurse.” Gill said as he vanished out the door.
“Commander Gill.” She crossed the room and handed me the mug. “Your coffee, Cadet Clarence.”
I accepted it and took a sip, my eyes drifting again to the corner of the room.
You would think nearly sixty deaths in a few seconds would put a concerned look on a news reporter’s face. But as I lay in the medical wing of the Academy an hour later, head swimming and left half of my face throbbing, the muted television showed a deadpan woman. She stood outside the Academy gesturing to an enormous stretch of taped-off destruction. Emergency professionals swarmed about.
The camera pulled back to show a highly decorated Enforcer beside her, a man in his fifties with the most no-nonsense aura I had ever witnessed. He spoke calmly, manner not expressing the faintest hint of urgency.
The picture changed. Now a man I recognised from the televised debate earlier, mid-forties distinguished looking Dempsey, was speaking animatedly. At least he, I thought, had the decency to appear concerned. Even if he did seem like the kind of person who would insist you took off your shoes before stepping into his overpriced, but disguised as practical, vehicle.
The door to my little single-bed room opened and a nurse’s head appeared.
“Cadet Clarence?”
“Yes?”
“You were asking about a Linda Hasting.”
I swallowed. “Yes?”
“I’m afraid it’s confirmed. She was killed. A friend of yours?”
“Sort of. Yes.”
“I’m sorry. Would you like something to help you sleep?”
“No. Thank you. Coffee would be nice. My Primary Crutch.”
“Of course.”
Her head disappeared and the door closed.
I put my head on the pillow and attempted to digest the events, knowing I was too calm. Some kind of explosive reaction was due and not occurring.
Sixty people had died. Nurses, patients, trainers, and even an unlucky soul in the street outside the Academy. Many more were maimed or badly injured.
‘Little difference it makes to those patients,’ my throbbing head told me, ‘Vegetative and now crippled? The irony. Ha ha.’
Linda. Poor, silly blonde haired Linda, sent flying across a room and crushed. Never having been given a second chance. What it would say on her tombstone?
“Lived her life a slave,” I whispered, “died wishing she still was one.”
Christ, she never deserved that. She didn’t deserve to die like that.
I prepared myself, ready to contain the feelings of horror that would wash over me. Ready to feel my body shudder with racking sobs. But no emotions penetrated.
“You should be feeling something,” I told myself, “you’ve witnessed a terrible tragedy. It’s not right to feel nothing. If not horror, something else.”
So I tried to feel lucky.
“Sixty lives ended. You survived.”
But still nothing happened.
I draped an arm over my eyes and took a deep breath. A thought kept returning to me, one that had that been playing like a broken record since my arrival in the medical wing.
The white wall. The white wall.
The weird presence, the Crowd Surfing Spell, the white wall. Connected. That horse-demon, whatever it was going on inside that girl, had been getting worse and finally set-off explosively.
The white wall. It must have been planted in the mind of Linda by my mother, which meant its presence in Judy must likewise have been embedded by my mother.
The face of Liza Clarence floated before me. And then I did feel something. The flame bubbled up and snarled, rattling the cage furiously and demanding I fling off the bed covers and seek justice.
It occurred to me that one of my hands was rubbing the scar of the other wrist and I stopped it. It also occurred to me a figure was standing in the corner of my room, but only now was I noticing its presence. My demon. Its red eyes locked on my face.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped at it, “I didn’t call you. Get lost!”
It did nothing.
“I said..!”
Realisation struck. The small room was alive with blue sparks.
“Oh my God…”
I put my head back, aware my body was shaking. Liza Clarence was again looking at me. The blue sparks began to pop.
I took a deep breath and found my Place of Calm.
“I’ll find you,” I told my mother, “I’ll find you. Not long now, I’ll find you. And I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done. For what you did to me. For what you did to my father. And for what you did to Linda. I’ll find you. Not long now.”
Gathering Spirit settled and began to recede, swirling as it vanished into an internal black hole.
“Not long now, I’ll find you.”
The floating blue sparks gave a final pop and faded. Calm descended. I glanced to the corner of the room. The demon was gone. I took another deep breath and wiped sweat from my face.
“Holy shit,” I muttered to myself.
The door to my room opened and I jumped, head spinning round. A Senior Enforcer appeared, Chief Commander Gill who had debriefed me. The impressive amount of medals on his breast glowed in the room’s florescent light.
“Hello, Cadet Clarence,” he said, “May I have a word?”
“Yes, sir. Of course.” My eyes flicked to the corner of the room. The demon was indeed gone.
Gill stepped in and pulled the door shut.
“You’re a lucky man, Clarence,” he said, his tone casual. But I detected a hint of anxiety. “Your Spirit Level saved you.”
“I know, sir.”
“My name is Gill, if you didn’t catch it before.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Chief Commander Gill.”
He moved over to the bed and sunk into a chair.
“I must say that a person walking out of that hall looking as it did, and you looking as you do now…. I can only call it a miracle.”
“I honestly didn’t do much, sir. It just happened.”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat and looked at me closely. “Are you feeling okay, Clarence?”
“I’m okay, sir. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? I can get you over to the Mental Wellness Centre right away…”
“No, sir. I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Alright.” He paused and his face hardened. Again I saw a flicker of anxiety. “It was a damn tragedy what happened. A damn, unforgivable tragedy. I have hardly seen a worse loss of life in my entire career.”
“Yes, sir. It was.”
“There are a lot of unanswered questions about how this occurred. A full investigation is already underway. I’m sure you understand that I need to ask a few questions. Do you feel up to it?”
“Of course, sir, I’d like to help in any way I can.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you said that.” He cleared his throat again. “Clarence, I understand you were performing your training on Judy Carlson. Is that correct?”
“It is, sir.”
“Can you remember how you come to be working with to this particular woman?”
I cast my mind back. “I believe I was assigned to her, sir.”
He nodded. “And what did you notice during your training sessions? Anything unusual?”
“In the last few sessions I noticed her mental state deteriorating, sir. The visits became increasingly more disturbed. My trainer, Mister Gibson, said it was nothing to be concerned about.” I hesitated, wheels in my head clanking. “There is something I noticed, Commander Gill.”
“What is it?”
“I had been feeling uncomfortable in the hall. Particularly right before the explosion.”
His eyes squinted with interest. “Uncomfortable? How so?”
“I felt something in the hall, a presence. I was told it was a Crowd Surfing Spell and not important. It caused the patients to be restless, especially Judy Carlson and another woman; Linda Hasting.”
“I see.” He leaned back, rubbing his jaw. A small notebook appeared from his top pocket and he scribbled words into it. “Linda Hasting.”
“Is it connected, sir?”
“Well, Clar
I nodded. “I thought so too, sir.’
“We will find out what happened,” he went on, “but first we have a much bigger problem to deal with. And that is a girl who can cause some very serious damage running around the city.”
“Where is she, sir? Have there been more explosions?”
“Not yet.” His brow creased. “I’ll be honest with you, Clarence. I was not here just to ask questions. I have been gauging your mental stability. You, of course, are scheduled for compulsory evaluation in the Mental Wellness Centre shortly, and are not supposed to be allowed out until clearance has been granted. This is a very serious and justified precaution, I’m sure you’ll agree.”
“Yes, sir.” My eyes once again flicked to the corner of the room.
“But we need your help, Clarence. We need to bring in Judy Carlson. The D.O.M has eyes on her at this very moment and is gearing up. Would you be willing to help? I can waive the compulsory evaluation if you tell me you are stable.”
I hesitated. “Why do you need my help, Commander Gill?”
“Few can do what you did today, son. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“It is an invaluable skill. One that no other Enforcer in this entire city is capable of. We can request help from outside the city, but it would be hours before that person arrived. So we’re asking you. Yes, we could go ahead without your help. But with your help our chances of minimising casualties increases dramatically. Understand?”
“I do, sir.”
“Now, I know you have been through a lot already, and ordinarily I would never dream of asking a Cadet for assistance, not in anything but extraordinary circumstances. But that is what we have here; extraordinary circumstances. Clarence; I’m asking you again,” His eyes narrowed. “Are you one hundred percent sure you’re okay?”
‘If Judy is now free, she’ll be going to the white wall,’ a voice screamed at me.
“I believe I am, sir.”
“And would you be willing to help?”
“Yes, I believe I can help, sir.”
“I can’t make you do this, Clarence. You understand that? I’m requesting, and it is well within your right to tell me to go right on and screw myself. Are we clear on that?’
“Yes, sir. I want to help.”
He nodded, eyes still studying my face. “Good. This wont be forgotten, Cadet. You’ll be starting your career on the right foot, make no mistake.”
“Glad to help, sir.”
“Then get up and get dressed. Someone will be along for you shortly.”
With that he stood and headed for the door, exiting as the nurse stepped in with my coffee.
“Good afternoon, nurse.” Gill said as he vanished out the door.
“Commander Gill.” She crossed the room and handed me the mug. “Your coffee, Cadet Clarence.”
I accepted it and took a sip, my eyes drifting again to the corner of the room.