Writing on the Wall (Working Title)

[araell]

Introduction

‘And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ (Genesis 1:26)

It is said that God created the Earth in seven days. On the first he gave us Light, for what is a world of only darkness? Come the second day God created the skies to give us a limit, and with the third came earth, life as we know it. With the fourth day God lit up the night sky with stars for us to aim for and on the fifth came life; God filled the skies and the oceans with animals, and gave the land its own life. Come the sixth and seventh day God created us, a race that ever longs for knowledge and power; Humans.

Science argues against the existence of God, saying we were created by fragments of rock and space dust. As we’ve evolved more and more people have come to accept it as fact, but what if everything we have learnt is a lie? What if this ‘God’ we once worshipped was in fact mortal and had a very real purpose to create us…

[Chinaren]

I know the feeling Arl!  I'm sure inspiration will strike soon!

 

[araell]

At long last, here is the next chapter 

Chapter 11 - Falling Apart

       Kairi knocked on the solid oak door loudly, breathing in slowly. After Trevor revealed the apparent cover up, she’d thought it best that Joe know too. She knocked again, realising at once that it had probably only been a couple of seconds since the last knock. Trying to calm herself, she took a step back, taking yet another deep breath. She could hear muttering from behind the door, it sounded as though Joe may have been on the phone. A clanging sound hit the door as he fiddled with what could only be keys.

“Just a second!” he shouted beyond the door.

   Finally, the door swung open and Joe turned his back on Kairi probably not even realising it was her. In fact he was probably expecting somebody else. Walking slowly, she went and stood in the lobby, quietly shutting the door behind her and waiting for Joe to hang up on whoever was on the other side of the phone.

“Yes I know that!” he exclaimed, obviously losing his patience. “Look don’t you…”

   A beeping silently protruded the suddenly tense air. Joe sighed, placing his phone in his pocket and scratching his neck as he turned to face Kairi.

“Kairi,” he said suddenly, a look of surprise hitting his face.

“Were you expecting someone else because…” she started to back off towards the door.

“No, it’s fine…I’m glad it’s you.” He smiled as she smiled back. “Please, sit down. Would you like a drink?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

   Clapping his hands Joe stepped towards the kitchen cupboards as Kairi took up a seat at the breakfast bar. Pulling down a bottle of wine from the rack above him, he poured the red liquid into two separate glasses, a dull scent of accented tones tinting the now calm air. Handing her a glass, they clinked them together, smiling once more.

   Kairi sipped her wine, feeling a sudden calm taking over her, making her not want to tell him the revelation that was still playing on her mind. She decided it could wait till morning and placed her glass on the bar, looking up at Joe’s blue eyes. But then there was that phone call?

“Who were you on the phone to when I came in?” she asked.

“Oh that,” he stammered, slightly shocked by the question. “It was nothing!”

   Kairi had always been a good judge of character and she watched as his eyes clouded over with doubt. He was afraid of something, but what? Whatever it was, it could wait till morning and after all; she was too tired to deal with all this now. Putting her thoughts to one side, she took another sip of her wine, smiling slyly at Joe as she did so.


   The sun began to rise on the city of lights that rippled on the Thames. The lights around her flickered, stretching across the outskirts of Swan Pier and bouncing off the river. It all felt so close through the floor-length clear glass window, so close Kairi felt she might fall in if she took another step. She shivered slightly, hearing a dull rumbling. Looking over, she saw Joe’s phone light up on the locker beside his side of the bed. Quietly, she crept over to it, picking up the phone and reading the now open text message.

‘Give up now, or next time, we will get the right target. You have been warned!’ read the message, all in upper-case letters. Whatever Joe was hiding, someone was not happy about it, but whoever it was had hidden their number from being identified.

   As she finished reading the text, Joe stirred, waking suddenly as he noticed Kairi next to the bed. Confusion welling up inside of her, she showed him the phone.

“What’s this all about?” she asked, as calmly as possible.

   Blinking his eyes into focus, Joe looked at the message, his face slowly going pale. He gulped, looking up at Kairi’s face, filled with questions. He sat up in bed and took the phone from her, reading the text again.

“This has got something to do with whoever you were on the phone to last night, hasn’t it?” Kairi’s voice shuddered slightly.

   Silence. Kairi looked into his eyes, seeing how he was struggling to find the words to say to her. After a while, he took a deep breath, rising to his feet and walking over to the window.

“Tara was never meant to get hurt,” he began.

“What do you mean? Is all this you’re fault?” Kairi stammered, pulling herself up and sitting on the end of the bed.

“Not exactly no,” he turned to face her. “Chris was part of an organisation that are creating something. I’ve been onto them for a while now and they’ve only just recently noticed.”

“This organisation, what are they doing?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I know it has something to do with those bodies that are turning up, like the one in Hollow Pond. All I know for certain is that Martin is somehow involved.”

“Martin as in our boss Martin?” Kairi frowned, what on earth was he on about?

“Yes, I overheard him talking to someone when I was down in the sewers.”

“And how does any of this link back to Tara?” Kairi could see in his face that Joe had lost it.

“It doesn’t. Like I said, Tara wasn’t Chris’ target.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The organisation are on to me, they know that I’m on to them and they don’t like it. It all started with Laura and it ends with you.”

“Me?”

   Joe took a deep breath and kneeled in front of Kairi looking straight into her eyes. It was almost as if he was pleading with her to understand him without having to hear the rest of his explanation.

“You were Chris’ target…not Tara, you!”

   Kairi took a deep breath, unable to take in what he was saying. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to put some of the information into order…make it make sense.

“You mean to say…they want me dead?” she said after a while.

“Not exactly…you would have been harmed to get to me…to warn me not to continue with my work…”

“You’re not making any sense.” Kairi stood, pulling the loose shirt tighter around her. You’re talking a load of rubbish!”

   Shrugging her shoulders, she stood in the doorway, watching Joe carefully. Joe stared at her; not only was she not acting how he expected…her body language hinted at the fact that this time, she was hiding something…but what? How on earth could she be involved in all of this?

“Don’t you get it?” he questioned. “You’re a target! If it wasn’t for Chris getting it wrong you’d probably be the one in the hospital and not Tara.”

       Kairi shook her head, a single tear falling from her glassy eyes, almost wishing him not to say anymore. Stepping back, she left the room in a hurry, grabbing her stuff from the side in the kitchen and storming out of the apartment.

   Joe sighed as the door slammed behind her. Five years ago, one of these bodies had tuned up in Hyde Park, sparking an outrage on internet forums about political conspiracies. The case back then had almost killed him, and now it was doing it again. Even if he couldn’t get Kairi on side, he couldn’t give up, not now that he was so close to finding out the truth.

   His thought process was suddenly interrupted by the dull buzzing of his phone on the bedside locker. Rising slowly to his feet, he made his way over to the ringing device. Looking at the screen, he noticed it was the coroner who had taken away the body of Chris. Taking a deep breath, he answered the phone.

“Banks,” he stated.

“Ah Joe, thank god I’ve managed to get hold of you.” The coroner’s voice was well pronounced and official. “I was unable to contact Redman so I thought you would be the next best thing and it definitely could not have waited until you got here.”

“What have you got?”

“I was doing an autopsy of Mr Pontyfer’s body to try and determine a cause of death. As is happens; an overdose was not what killed him.”

“But then why were drugs found on him?”

“It could be that they were planted there. I had them weighed and they were twenty five grams…the usual supplement you would buy from your local dealer. It would appear the packet has been untouched.

“What also puzzled me was the examination of his heart. Now, according to Chris’ records, he very rarely required a visit to the hospital or to his GP. It would appear he was in the best of health. Upon examination of his organs, I found a bullet slug in his heart. Standard nine millimetre but with no serial number quite strangely enough.

“It penetrated the right ventricle of the heart and...”

“Skip the details and get to the point!” Joe was losing his patience; this morning’s events had put him on edge. He hated it when the corners went into detail about all the technicalities he would never understand.

“As I was saying,” the coroner had never been one for taking orders. “This would have caused an internal bleed, killing him outright. What is odd is that the skin is in no way harmed, not on the outside or inside. No scar tissue, no abrasion, no nothing. It’s like the skin just automatically healed over but there is no way that is logical. I’ll do some more tests, but I don’t think I’m going to come to any sort of rational conclusion.”

“So what does all this mean? Do we close the case?”

“That is up to you. I can find nothing else here and knowing the boss, he’ll put it down to an unknown cause of death. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Okay, thank you. Do me a favour and email all your findings to me. I’ll notify Redman when I get the chance.”

   Joe hung up, resting the phone on his chin, his lips pursed in thought. If Chris had been shot, why was there no bullet wound? Was he indeed shot because he failed the mission of getting Kairi? Or was this whole thing more complicated than he could ever imagine?


       Slamming the door behind her, Kairi slumped down and rested her head in her hands. Breathing deeply, she began to shake involuntarily, suddenly afraid that they had found her too.
 
“No…please no…” she muttered repeatedly to herself. “Please don’t let them find me…” she begged, pleaded.

   Standing suddenly, she rushed into the bedroom and started rustling through papers, pulling out drawers. She had to find it, what had she done with it? With the room now a mess, she stood in the centre, breathing hard, tears falling from her eyes uncontrollably.
       
       She was shaking again, but she pushed past it, wiping the tears from her face and suddenly noticing something glitter on the floor. Scrambling over to it, she clutched it in her quivering hands. It was the broach she had found back at the alley behind the Peabody Estate. She ran her thumb across the etchings of the crest, slowly bringing herself to calm down. Was Martin really involved in all of this? And if so, did he know who she really was?


OOh so lots of questions here then. It would seem we now know why Joe is involved, but somehow so is Kairi...thoughts??

Espee...Who is Laura?

What happened five years ago?

Do the organisation have something to do with the government?

BTW...I thought id just let you know that the big climax i have planned is due to happen very soon. So be prepared for the unexpected 

[Chinaren]

Laura is someone who vanished five years ago, someone he knows.

I have to say, I think Kairi was rather dim about 'getting' the whole 'she's the target' issue.  She really should have considered that earlier IMO. 

Maybe Kairi is somehow related to Laura, long lost twin or something, but she doesn't know it, they were separated at birth.

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

I was going to say she was his ex, but I like the long lost sister idea.  Maybe both?

[araell]

Hmm, i like where these ideas have taken my stream of thought. Okay so im going to have a go at writing the next chapter over the next few days. But be warned...it could be the last for a while if i get to suitable spot for the climax 

Keep your eyes peeled 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Hmm, i like where these ideas have taken my stream of thought. Okay so im going to have a go at writing the next chapter over the next few days. But be warned...it could be the last for a while if i get to suitable spot for the climax 

You mean we're nearly done???

[araell]

No thank god...it means that we're halfway through . This is the only climax i have planned...my only planned bit left to be precise so what happens after the climax is completely up for the takers.

So no ending is in sight just yet Perry 

[Chinaren]

Ah, book 1. I get it. 

Well, I shall be interested to see how this develops when your 'plan' has run out.

 

[araell]

China, as always you are spot on  I should be posting the next chapter later today so watch this space 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Not that I've ever managed to write very much, but I always struggle with planning stories. 

 

[araell]

As promised the next chapter. This is the penultimate one before the conclusion of Part 1 of Writing On The Wall. It's a slightly longer one, but it should answer quite a few of your questions 

Chapter 12 - Through The Glass

        Martin jumped suddenly, looking up to see Joe walk into his office. He frowned, his forehead wrinkling slightly. He stared, watching as Joe stood behind the desk and waited for a response. Martin raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘What are you doing here?’

“I did knock,” said Joe, motioning at the door. “Twice actually.”

“Yes, yes it’s okay,” stuttered Martin, sitting up in his chair and looking at Joe with an odd look on his face. His phone started to move as it vibrated into ringing.

“Don’t you want to get that?” asked Joe, pointing at the phone.

“Not particularly no!” Martin pressed the red button and looked up at Joe again.

“Well?”

   Martin frowned again. For some reason he was very confused as to what Joe was on about. He looked around, his eyes swaying back to Joe as he shook his head.

“A case? Have you got anything for me?”

“Oh yes, yes I have!”

   He jumped up suddenly, grabbing a file from the end of his desk and handing it to Joe. Joe opened it up, flicking through various crime-scene photos of three dead scientists.

“Three scientists were found dead this morning at around 4am,” Martin clicked a button on a small remote, binging up photos from the crime scene on a 52 inch LCD screen behind them on the wall. “Their names were Arntyne, Sebastian and Rundeep…all foreign, all in the country legally and have been for the past eight years. Their bodies were found at the London Metropolitan Archives…”

“Wait, why were the scientists there?” asked Joe, suddenly bemused as to why they would be in a police foundation.

“I don’t know. Fingerprints were pulled from the scene leading back to a sixteen year old male by the name of Tom Phelps.”

“I recognise that kid.” He said as a picture from his school file came up on the screen.

“And so you should. Do you remember that case a couple of weeks ago, he’s the kid off the Peabody Estate.” Joe nodded slowly, his thoughts now in motion. Could the cases be linked? “The boy’s been bought in for questioning. He claims he didn’t do it, says he was looking for something.”

“How did he manage to get in?”

“My guess is he hacked the system and got ahold of the codes. Smart kid!”

“Right, best get to it then.”

“Let me know what you find.”

   Martin clicked the switch again and the screen went black. Then, he followed Joe into the office, seeing Kairi eye up Joe as she sat at her desk. Coughing instinctively, Kairi looked up as he motioned towards interrogation. Kairi nodded and followed Joe back out of the office. Martin looked down at his again ringing phone, pressing the red button and stuffing it back in his pocket.

   The kid jumped as the file hit the table, echoing throughout the apparent metal room. He looked nervously over at the glass screen, unaware that Kairi was stood behind it watching his every move. His straying eyes met Joe’s as he followed his movement to sit on the chair opposite. A red light flashed in the corner and his eyes darted up at a small camera on the ceiling. He gulped and Joe pursed his lips in thought, waiting to see if the kid would say anything.

   After a moment of silence, Joe pulled the file towards him, opening it and reading the first page. After, he chucked some photos of the crime scene on the table, and again waited for a response.
 
“Tom isn’t it?” Joe asked, sighing and folding his arms across his chest. The boy nodded, but said nothing.
“Do you recognise these three men?” The boy shook his head, the look on his face signifying that he was somehow searching for an explanation for his actions. “What I find rather funny is that your fingerprints were all over the place, yet you claim that you didn’t even see the three dead bodies in the main foyer.”

“I swear they weren’t there…” mumbled the boy.

“Pardon?” Joe asked, leaning forward, but the boy didn’t answer. “You know the maximum sentence for breaking and entering is five years? I mean compared to the life sentence you’d get for murder or manslaughter that’s pretty low. Just think, would you rather waste five years of your life…or your whole life?” Joe paused, but still the boy said nothing. “The choice is yours!”

   Kairi folded her arms on the other side of the glass window, watching as Joe got up to leave the room. His technique was different from hers, laid back and talking to the suspect as though they were an equal…like they were innocent until proven guilty. This was one of the traits she admired about him.

      She felt a draft and looked around to see Martin enter the room and stand beside her. Looking back, they caught sight of the boy turn around and shout after Joe.

“I was looking for something!” the boy said, suddenly panicked.

“What were you looking for?” Joe asked, turning around and leaning against the wall.

“You were my flat weren’t you?” Joe nodded. “Which means you’ll believe whatever I say…right?”

“Within reason…yes.”

   Joe pursed his lips in thought. The two cases were definitely linked by this young boy and he was about to tell him how. With this in mind, did it mean the scientists were something to do with the organisation?

“I was looking for proof,” he said after a long sigh. “Do you remember that body we found in the alley behind my flat?” Joe nodded. “I think I know where it came from.”

   Kairi heard Martin hold his breath suddenly. The words Joe had said to her about him being involved in this ‘organisation’ came flooding back to her and she looked over at his pale gaunt face. She frowned…he looked worried! Looking back through the glass, she continued to listen intently.

“I think there’s a sort of organisation,” continued the boy, “That are trying to create life…artificial life that has no sexual organs. A form of life that has no desire…no will to live.”

   The boy looked up at Joe, looking him straight in the eye. It shocked Joe, he felt like the boy could see right through him. Trying to keep calm, he sat back down in the chair, keeping his eyes in touch with the boys’.

   Kairi’s heart began to race…her darkest thoughts were about to be revealed to her. All she suspected of her parents would be revealed…but could she really hear it coming from the mouth of someone she barely knew?

“These creatures…something went wrong and now they’re trying to cover their tracks. I figured there’s got to be proof…some sort of record that could get me to a conclusion because this has been going on for a long time.”

“How long do you reckon it’s been going on for?” Joe felt his voice quiver as he said those last few words.

“The first one found dates back to eighteen years ago in South Korea…”

“Korea?” Joe exclaimed, his heart racing as things he never even thought could be true suddenly were.

“Yes! A whole bunch of them were found in a dam…almost like they were being disposed of.”

        The boy paused for a while, thinking. Joe watched as the boy looked down at the table, deep in thought. He felt a huge amount of respect well up inside of him and suddenly the boy was no longer a boy…but Tom Phelps…the young man he had been right from the moment he was bought into the police station.

“I think the scientists were part of the organisation…the same with that Peruvian guy that was found dead in the sewer behind my flat. They’re all part of it!”

“But why would they have been killed?” asked Joe, more out of curiosity then professionalism.

“They must have had a change of heart…maybe they tried to leave and so they had to be disposed of too; for fear of this ever getting out. But that’s not the half of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“About sixteen years ago there were a couple of supposed serial killers that were arrested. They were targeting couples who appeared to be rather well off. They’d rob the house and leave everyone in it dead…brutally murdered. According to the police, the only thing the cases had in common was the financial background of each victim. But even more of a coincidence was the fact that all of them had jobs involving science. This, the investigators failed to notice!”

   Kairi’s heart began to thud, beating faster than she could cope with. Deciding quickly she took a deep breath, a single tear falling down her cheek as images; unknown to anyone but her, flooded into her mind. Unable to handle the pressure she suddenly felt herself under, she left the room, Martin watching after her, confused by her actions but thankful for the privacy he now had. Not wanting to intrude, he continued to watch through the glass.

   On the other side, Joe heard a door slam and panicking slightly he jumped, realising what it could mean. If Kairi had left the observation room, then the boss would see and walk in in her place. He would hear everything and that was something he could not risk. Thinking quickly, he leant forward and started scribbling something onto a form he pulled out of the file unaware that his actions were in vain.

      As Joe looked up at Tom, he mouthed something, something Martin couldn’t quite make out. Tom nodded and Joe leant back, beginning to read back what he had written.

“So let’s get this straight,” Joe began. “You entered the building at what time?”

“About one o’clock in the morning,” Tom answered. “I left around two.”

“And you say that none of the bodies were there at the time that you entered or left the building?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anyone who can confirm your whereabouts after you left the building?”

“Yes, I bumped into my dad just down the road. He took me for a pizza and we went back to his.”

“I see. Well, then I guess we’re almost done here. Is your father home?” Tom nodded and Joe pushed the paper over to him. “Then if you could give us a contact number and sign the bottom we’ll see about getting you released on bail.”

   Tom took the paper and scribbled a number and signature at the bottom of the paper. After scanning his statement, he handed the paper back to Joe who gathered the papers and put them into the file. Nodding to Tom, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

   Continuing to watch the boy on the other side, Martin dismissed the other people in the room for their lunch. As they left the room, he turned his back on the glass; deep in thought. Joe had just stopped the interrogation and covered up the whole thing with a less detailed version of events. By doing so, he had not only managed to gain control of his curiosity but also give Martin a potential threat to his whole organisation.

   Interrupting his sudden stream of thought there was a sudden knock at the door. He looked up to see his secretary who came over and stood in front of him.

“Sir there is someone in the office waiting for you,” she said in a quiet voice, her jet black hair covering worried eyes.

“Did he say who he was?” asked Martin, looking down on the secretary, half knowing who was waiting for him in his office.

“No sir.”

   Martin nodded and the secretary left the room. He stood for a while, thinking desperately how he could avoid the situation. Realising there was no way he could possibly get out of this, he left the observation room and headed for his office.

        Pausing just as he got to the door, he took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he opened the door, opening them seconds later to a tall slender looking back of a man. The man had a full head grey-black hair and stood straight, almost to attention. As the door creaked closed, the man turned to face Martin, a thin face with blue eyes staring right at him.

      Martin had always wondered what his boss looked like within the shadow of the webcam phone calls. Never did he expect a man only slightly older than himself, nor a man who had seemed to age so much better than he.

“Martin Shifler,” said the deep voice of the now intimidating man that looked down on him. “We finally meet in person!”

     He smiled vacantly, revealing white teeth. Martin smiled back, his one of nerves and anticipation. Nodding his head, he tried to seem calm as he strolled over to his desk and sat in the chair. Following the sentiment, the man sat in one of the chairs that were on the other side of the desk. Both waited for the other to talk first, a long silence ensuing whilst they stared at each other coldly.

“You’ve been ignoring my phone calls Martin,” said the man, a smile touching the edges of his flawless face.

“Yes, well I’ve been busy!” answered Martin abruptly, now avoiding his gaze.

“It would seem so…leaving dead bodies wherever you turn.”

“What else was I supposed to do?” shouted Martin.

“Dispose of them so that they would never be found. I’ve warned you about this before…you’re too laid back. If he finds out what we are doing we’re through. Do you hear me?” Martin nodded. “Especially now that he has that agent Burns involved.”

“Who Kairi?” A confused look appeared on Martin’s face.

“You don’t really believe that she woke up alone on a park bench the other night after disappearing from Scala with Banks, do you?”

“No of course not…”

“Then there we go. You need to get rid of him Martin!”

“But we could use him. He’s a clever man and a good agent. You should’ve seen him today. I think he…”

“I don’t want to hear it!” shouted the man as he rose to his feet, empowering Martin as the lesser man.
“Either you deal with him…or I will!”

   Straightening up, he smiled at Martin and left the room, leaving the door to swing open.
Martin placed a hand on his forehead, his heart racing with panic. He took a deep breath, looking over at the door to see someone standing in the doorway. His eyes met the shining blue of Tara Cook and suddenly his heart came to a sudden halt. She looked him in the eye, her still battered face not letting anything slip.


So we have some answers at last. This 'organisation' goes deeper that you ought to think, right??

Espee...Did Tara overhear the conversation between Martin and his boss? If so, her reaction?

What's going on with Kairi? She's acting very strangely indeed!

Your thoughts on Tom Phelp's revelation so far...

What does Martin do with Joe (sorta already planned but lets hear your thoughts anyway) 

[Chinaren]

Wow, lots of new stuff there. 

I'd think that this kid should be added to the hit list too.

As for the espees:  I'd say Tara overhears, but is curious, so follows him in secret...

And thus sees him either try to do the murder, or actually do it.

[Angel]

I think china nailed it again. I must agree with him on his points

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

I think Tara did hear, and she confronts him, and then he tries, reluctantly to silence her, but only half heartedly.  As a result he fails, and then breaks down and confesses to her.

I have no other useful suggestions for the others, at least better than said already.

[araell]

Ah okay interesting . Well ive started writing the last chapter of part 1 and with a bit of luck it should be online in the next few days so keep your eyes peeled 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

 

[araell]

After finding out yesterday that i got into Winchester University, i decided why nnot do some writing to celebrate  cheers

This is only the first half though as there is a lot to get through in this chapter so part 2 should be up next week 

Chapter 13 - Joe's Secret (Part 1)

“Tara!” Martin stuttered as he rushed to his feet, making Tara jump slightly. She smiled briefly, stepping into the office and pushing the door to.

   Martin smiled back, trying desperately to seem calm. He hoped to god that she had not heard the bulk of the conversation, but by the looks of it, he would never know.

“What was that all about?” she asked, innocently enough.

“Oh it’s nothing…just unhappy customers…you know how it goes.”

“Course.”

   Tara looked into Martin’s worried eyes. Even in her weakened state, she could see he was hiding something. Being a forensics agent had the benefits of seeing through people, you weren’t the one who interrogated them so it meant you could take a back seat, look at the victim from a fresh point of view.

“What can I do for you anyway?” he asked quickly, wanting for her to leave as soon as possible.

“I was just wondering when I can come back to work,” she answered calmly.

   How on earth was she not letting anything slip? Martin had no idea how much of the conversation she had heard. What she do next if she had happened to eavesdrop on something she shouldn’t know?

“So soon? You only came out of hospital this morning?”

“It’s like you said; I have to get on with my life. Chris is dead, there’s not much else I can do but move on. I figure the busier I keep, the more closure I’ll get.”

“Sounds reasonable enough.”

       He was silent for a while, thinking of the nest decision for both her and the department. Bringing her back to work soon would certainly give him the opportunity to keep an eye on her. After all, he couldn’t risk another agent going off the rails.

“I would say…beginning of next week?” he said bluntly.

“Perfect! I’m gonna collect a few things from my office, read up. See you Monday!”

   Smiling again, Tara turned on her heel and left the office, a slight spring in her step. Martin smiled nervously; maybe she hadn’t heard anything at all? Shaking his head, he decided it was best not to worry, especially if she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After all, he couldn’t let another agent slip under the nose of his own boss for fear of losing yet another good agent.

      Tara closed the door, pausing as she did so and listening for the faintest sound. She heard the sound of plastic clicking as a phone was picked up from the desk. A few muffled words were exchanged but the best of it she heard loud and clear; the target would be at Garfunkals’ on Charring Cross Road at one o’clock.


   Her heels clicked on the white tiled floor as Kairi strolled down the corridors of the mortuary below the Metropolitan Police Station. She breathed heavily, taking in the smell of death and decay. For some reason, today it did not affect her, it did nothing to phase her.

       She reached a door to the observation room and entered, knocking silently as she did so. Inside were the bodies of the three scientists; lying on tables that were spread across the wide room. The smell of organs and flesh tickled her nose, causing her to grimace slightly as she coughed.

      She heard footsteps as the medical examiner came in from another room with some papers. He didn’t notice her at first, instead he placed the papers on a metal table across the other end of the room. Suddenly he jumped, turning around and facing Kairi.

“Ah, Kairi,” he said joyfully, pacing over to her after gathering up the papers once more. “I didn’t see you there. What can I do for you?”

“I just came down for those medical reports,” Kairi explained.

“Ah well yes there would be reports but you would not understand. I must show you my findings.”

“I see…”

“Do not worry, all will become clear soon. Now did Joe tell you about what happened with Chris’ report?” Kairi shook her head. “Well it doesn’t matter either way.”

   The examiner went over to the computer in the corner of the room. Pressing a few buttons on the keyboard, he binged up some pictures which then appeared on an LCD screen above the computer. They showed two cells if Kairi’s science was right. The untrained human eye would not notice a difference, but Kairi could see immediately that these two cells were not the same.

“Now on the left,” he pointed to the cell structure on the left, “You shall see a picture of what a normal human cell looks like. On the right is a skin cell from one of the scientists. Do you see a difference?” Kairi nodded slowly. “The one on the right differs slightly in colour and has rather a considerable amount more of nerve cells then the average human being. Upon close examination I realised their skin has an extra compound, one that has been genetically modified for certain purposes.”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“I believe it would be better if I showed you.”

   Motioning with his finger, he took Kairi over to the nearest scientist and took within his hand a scalpel. Trying not to breathe, Kairi watched the examiner as he prepared his experiment.

“This is the body of Sebastian Wan, an Asian middle aged male who is lived in the UK for eight years. He has been working as a medical testing expert in the local research facility for cancer. Upon trying to take a blood sample, I noticed the incisions were no longer there when I returned to clean the body. Somehow they had magically closed over.

“Upon examination of his heart I found a bullet, yet there was no wound on the surface skin, and according to his medical records there is no other need for it to be there. So it would appear that the bullet was the cause of death, yet there is no logical proof. Strange right? Look what happened when I do this.”

   The examiner took up the right hand of Sebastian’s corpse and made a horizontal incision across the top of his hand. No sooner had he finished the minor wound, it began to close over, like something out of the X-Men.

“Oh my God!” Kairi exclaimed, taking a step back.

“Remarkable isn’t it? As you saw the skin healed on its own and an impeccable rate. Even as we stand here talking, the incisions I made to inspect the inside of his body is also healing and will soon be as though I never examined him at all.”

“Did you try this on all three of them?”

“Yes, I did. Upon instruction from Joe I also tried it on Chris’ corpse and his did exactly the same thing.”

   Kairi looked around, her head becoming swamped with all this information. She took a closer look at the hand of Sebastian, noticing the flawless way in which the skin had knitted itself back together, giving an almost moist look. A thought came into her head and she looked up at the examiner suddenly.

“Did you get skin sample from those bodies that came in the other week…the one from Hollow Pond?” she asked.

“Yes, I did!” he answered bluntly.

“Could you bring it up in comparison to the scientists please?”

“I can indeed.”

   The examiner walked back over to the computer, pressing more buttons and changing the picture on the left to one that was identical to the skin cell on the right. It seemed that both the scientists and the strange bodies had the same skin.

“Oh my,” the examiner exclaimed.

“They’re the same!” Kairi concurred, folding her arms across her chest.

“Now this is remarkable indeed.”


So things are starting to get strange what with mutant scientists 

Espee: How does Tara react to finding out about Kairi and Joe?

Are we getting closer to Kairi's secret?

What's with Martin, is he loosing his grip on reality?

Thoughts please 

[Chinaren]

A nice little segment Arl, although

loosing

.   

I think Martin is quite stable, he's a bit desperate though, trying to keep things together. 

I did enjoy the whole healing thing, obviously the strange bodies are what they use to develop these powers. Nice.

[Angel]

I'd say Martin's desperation is making him unstable and acting irrationally.
As for Tara now knowing, I think she goes straight to them and tells them. They're friends after all!

[araell]

  

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Happy to see another chapter here, but I can't think of any good suggestions to go with the above, so I'll just sit back and wait for the outcome...

 

[araell]

Now that all the celebrating and illness is over for a while, i should be able to get down to writing this final bit for the time being. After there will be a few polls, one or two espees whilst i try and figure out this climax. Keep your eyes peeled my readers 

[araell]

Okay, here's the next little snippet. The next chapter will be the start of the climax, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for it. Enjoy! 

Chapter 13 - Joe's Secret (Part 2)

        Picking up the head of the phone, Joe dialled the number that Tom Phelps had given him earlier that morning. As he pressed the final key, he lent back in his chair, swinging to the side slightly. He waited for someone to answer on the other end, fiddling with the cord and looking up as he saw Kairi enter the office and sit at her desk across the way from him. He looked at her pale face intently, staring into her troubled eyes. They sent him into a sudden trance which bewildered him. Now, she was hiding something…the boot was now on the other foot, but he could not tell whether her secret was good or bad.

“Is somebody there?” exclaimed an impatient voice on the other side of the telephone.

“Yes!” answered Joe, jumping up from his chair suddenly and causing a low murmur of laughter around the office. “Terribly sorry about that sir…I was miles away.”

“Yes, well I should think so.” The voice was that of a man who seemed empowering, even if he couldn’t be seen.

“My sincerest apologies sir...”

“What do you want?” the man sighed heavily as Joe imagined him smoking a cigar like his own father used to do.

“My names Joe Banks, I’m from the LPD. I’m calling about your son, Tom Phelps.”

“What’s he done now?”

   Joe got the impression the boy had been in trouble before. Even if he had no record, perhaps he was always in trouble at school. Either way, his father was not impressed.

“Nothing I hope, I just need you to confirm his whereabouts early this morning.”

“Well he was with me. I bumped into him on the corner of Northampton Road. He seemed pretty upset, so I took him for a pizza and then we went back to mine.”

“And what time was this?”

“I don’t know…about two o’clock in the morning.”

“And your address sir?”

“Flat 3 Arlington House.”

“And your license plate please?”

“Why do you need my license plate?”

“It’s just to confirm your place of whereabouts. Your sons fingerprints were found everywhere, we need to confirm that you’re not covering for him.”

“Okay fine, um it’s a Honda Civic,” Joe took a pad of paper from a drawer and began writing down the details. “And the licence plate is W668 AHK.”

“Thank you for your co-operation.”

“Yeah well…when can I come and get Tom?”

“As soon as I’ve checked both your statements, he will hopefully be free to go.”

“Thank you Mr Banks.”

“No no, thank you Mr Phelps.”

   With a smile, Joe put down the phone, sighing heavily and sitting back in his chair for a while. He gathered up some papers and then left the office, before answering another phone call on his mobile.

   Kairi leaned back in her own chair, watching after Joe as he left the office. Once she’d lost sight of him, she turned to her computer and bought up the search bar usually used for searching through people’s files. Checking around once more, she typed the name ‘Laura Dean’ into the search bar and pressed ‘enter’. Leaning back again, she waited for the search to finish.

       Why the name rang a bell with her, she had no idea. Laura had been the woman Joe mentioned back at his flat that morning. The surname seemed to fit right, but for the life of her, she could not think why.
The computer beeped as it bought up a case file with a picture of a blonde woman with sparkling green eyes. The name at the top of the file read ‘DCI Laura Dean’ and according the date of birth she was only twenty four when she died almost five years ago. Next of kin listed a fiancé by the name of Malcolm Sprack who worked for the ambulance services.

      Placing her hand on the mouse, Kairi clicked on the date of death, bringing up the details of her death. Several scene photographs appeared showing a car crash between two cars, one the van of a medical inspector and the other a Renault Keleos. Kairi zoomed in on the picture of the Renault, seeing inside two bodies one of which was reminiscent of Laura, the other was Joe.

      Kairi’s eyes widened and she spied Martin coming out of his office and motioning to her. Closing all the windows quickly, he came over to her and leaned in close.

“What was all that about earlier in interrogation?” he asked calmly and quietly.

“I…I just needed some air,” she stammered quickly.

“Ah, are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“I’m fine!”

“Well you know where I am if you need anything. The next time you need some space, just let me know…okay?”

   Kairi nodded and Martin smiled, wondering back to stand in the doorway of his office and shutting the door behind him. Looking over at Joe’s desk, she saw Joe grab his jacket and keys and checking his pockets as he waived to Martin.

“Off to lunch!” he shouted as he left the office.

   Martin nodded and clapped his hands together, rubbing them…maybe he was cold. Kairi stood and swung her jacket off from the back of her chair. She picked her bag up from under the desk and grabbed her phone and keys from beside the computer, turning off the screen as she did so. She nodded to Martin, who nodded back as she left the office for lunch.

So there we have it!!

Espee: What does Kairi do next?

How does the 'hitman' deal with Joe?

What do you think the climax will be?

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

Mmm, maybe Kaira follows Joe. 

[Chinaren]

Tough one, but for the assassin, a sniper is my preferred route.

[araell]

Its been one thing after another recently. Who would've though uni would be so much work before you even get there Enjoy!

Chapter 14 - Endgame

       The bell rang as Joe entered Garfunkel’s Restaurant, his usual lunch spot. He paused in the doorway, looking around the empty diner. Where was everyone? Usually the place was brimming with business, bustling with noise and chatter. Today, the only person pottering about the black and white tiled floor was the waiter who was cleaning the already sparkling tables. Shrugging his shoulders, he wondered over to his usual booth which, for some reason, was always vacant. For what reason though, he knew not. As he took a seat, the waiter came over with a notepad and pen suddenly in his hand.

“What can I get you agent Banks?” he asked in an unusually high-pitched voice.

“Oh I’ll have the usual soya latte please?” answered Joe taking a quick look at the menu as he did so. “And a chicken caesar wrap as well please?”

“Coming right up!”

   The waiter walked away and round the bar towards the kitchen, shouting some orders at the cooks. Not long after he bought over a mug, filled to the brim with the creamy froth of his soya latte. He breathed in the familiar smell of soya milk, how much it pleased him. Taking a sip, he appreciated the fact that he could hear the noughties tracks that played on the jukebox in the corner, the clang of the plate that was put on the table in front of him, the bell ringing as the door creaked open…

   Looking up from his soya latte, he saw Kairi enter through the door and look over at him. She smiled slightly, walking over to join him in the booth. Again, the waiter came over as she sat down, not even giving her chance to get comfortable. Oh, the frivolities of an empty café.

“What can I get you ma’am?” he asked, daring to smile at the foul look on Kairi’s face.

“Yeah, just give me a minute,” she snapped.

   Kairi sighed heavily straightening herself up, and taking up the menu. She glanced over the hot drinks section, noting her order and smiling creepily at the waiter.

“I’ll take a skinny latte,” she stated, the smile not faltering.

“Coming up!” the waiter said, ignoring her smile.

“That’s a rather…creepy smile,” Joe sniggered.

“Yes well, patience is a virtue.”

   The waiter strolled back to the booth with another mug and put it down in front of Kairi, spilling it slightly as he did so. She sighed again, containing herself beautifully. She was too posh for a restaurant like this, especially ones that spilt the customers’ drinks. As the waiter wondered away she took a napkin from the holder and wiped where the skinny latte spilt. Then, delving into her briefcase, she pulled out a brown file and handed it to Joe.

“You should probably take a look at the autopsy reports,” she said, taking a sip of her skinny latte. “I think you’ll find them a very interesting read.”

“Okay,” Joe mumbled whilst munching on his wrap. “So you’re talking to me now then?”

“I don’t have a choice do I?”

   Joe raised his eyebrows and began skimming through the reports of the three scientists. When he finished, he looked up at Kairi and put his wrap down on the plate. Taking some napkins, he wiped his hands with them and took a sip of his soya latte.

“I can’t make head nor tail of these reports,” he stated blankly, closing the file and handing it back to her.

“Don’t lie to me Joe,” Kairi said abruptly, ignoring the gesture. “You owe me an explanation at least, especially after this morning. I’m giving you a chance Joe, don’t waste it.”

   Joe sighed, opening the file back up again and reading over the reports once more as he finished his wrap.

“So their skin just…fused over leaving the bullets intact?”

“That’s right, I saw it with my own eyes,” Kairi explained. “It just stitched itself back together, didn’t even leave a mark.”

“That’s what they said happened to Chris.”

“I know. The M.E. said that their skin had an extra compound that basically makes it impossible to bleed out…it makes them sort of immortal. On a whim, I asked if he could compare it to the skin sample of the body from the sewer behind the Peabody Estate.”

“And?”

“It was a match!”

“What?” Joe’s face turned to one of confusion. The scientists and the bodies were somehow linked…but why? And if the scientists were now similar to the bodies, did that mean they had no need for them and they were now…disposing of them?

“What does it all mean Joe? The stuff you told me this morning, this case…Laura Dean,” Joe looked up into Kairi’s confused eyes as she said Laura’s name. “Help me to understand…please?”

   Joe sighed as he leaned back, pursing his lips and sipping his soya latte. As he tried to compose himself, Kairi waited patiently. She knew this must be hard for him, and she was prepared to wait if need be.

“Laura was my partner before you,” he began, keeping his voice low so as to avoid any possible eavesdroppers. “About five years ago, she was supposedly killed in a car crash.”

“What do you mean ‘supposedly’?” asked Kairi, trying to remain calm.

“Let me start at the beginning, then it will save questions.”

“Okay.”

“One of those bodies turned up in Hyde Park in the middle of the concert that takes place every year. As the M.E. drove the body to the mortuary, we escorted them in a car up ahead. The next thing I know, the M.E.’s van drives straight into the back of us. I woke up a week later in hospital.”

“You escaped…unscathed?”

“Not quite. Broken arm, my leg was fractured in several places, heck I even had to have a few stitches in my head.” He paused momentarily to sip his soya latte. “The doctors told me that both Laura and the M.E. were dead and that the body we were supposed to escort was never recovered.

“When I returned to work three weeks later, I got the opportunity to look at the case files. According to the report, the M.E. lost control of his car. When I managed to look at the photos of the scene I noticed something though. The woman in the seat next to me was not Laura.”

“What? How?”

“I don’t know. But her features were different, the jewellery she was wearing…it was different. I had Trevor carry out an independent test. You know him, he knows things, things he’s not trained to know. From dental records and DNA he managed to determine that the woman in the car…it wasn’t Laura. In fact this woman didn’t even exist.”

“So what happened to Laura?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that I have to find her and that is why I’m pursuing this case. That is why I’m in this mess. But I’m not sorry because I know she’d do the same for me.”

“So why am I involved.”

“Because…you are my weakness…and they know that.”

“Weakness?”

“You’re their key to me…they hurt you they hurt me…simple cowardice. You’re a target for them to get to me…for them to stop me. And I’m telling you now it’s bloody working!”

“No!” Kairi took a hold of Joe’s hands. “I want to help you Joe. Don’t give up just because you think I’m going to get hurt. I can take care of myself, and you and Trevor know that better than anyone else.”

   Joe felt the warmth of Kairi’s delicate hands as he relaxed himself. She wanted to help him! That was more than he could ever have hoped for. But could he really risk her getting involved? Could he handle the prospect of losing another partner? The other thing he hadn’t yet banked on was now approaching Garfunkel’s Restaurant; a blonde bombshell of a woman who seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere.


   Tara hurried down Irving Road, watching as the bus she had just got off passed around the corner. Taking a deep breath, she walked briskly towards the restaurant, peering in the window as she passed for the door. Pausing at the window, she scanned the empty tables in search of Joe.

   Her eyes reached his usual booth where she was surprised to see Kairi sat opposite him, surely the words of Martin’s vaster were not true, Kairi would not betray her like that. Standing on her toes, she looked over at the booth in time to see Joe lift Kairi’s hand towards his lips and kiss them. She watched as Kairi smiled, her whole world seeming to fall apart once more. How could she do this?


“I mean it Joe,” exclaimed Kairi as she snatched her hands back to finish her skinny latte. “I really want to help you.”

“I know you do,” answered Joe, a smile appearing on his face. “But you have to understand what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Joe, there’s probably something you should know…about me…a secret of sorts.”

“What do you mean?”

“I…”

   She was interrupted by the dull vibrating sound of her iPhone on the table. Picking it up she looked at the caller screen, noticing Tara’s name at the bottom of the screen.

“I have to take this.”

   Joe nodded, watching after her as she left the restaurant and stood outside. Saved by the bell! He thought, hoping that she wouldn’t change her mind about her secret when she came back.

   Looking around, Kairi turned her back on the entrance to the restaurant and looked towards the other side of the street as she answered her still ringing phone.

“Hiya,” answered Kairi.

“How could you,” came Tara’s voice, breaking slightly.

   Kairi looked up suddenly, noticing a path of blonde out of the corner of her eye. Looking in the direction of the colour, she noticed Tara standing and watching her, her bruised face tearstained and saddened.

“Tara I…” she tried to say, not understanding how Tara could be so upset when her and Joe broke up almost a year ago. Surely she couldn’t have loved him that much if she managed to cheat on him five different times during the year and a half they were together.

“I don’t wanna hear it. You’re supposed to be my friend!” Kairi said nothing, she just stared at Tara, looking her right in the eye. “Whatever happened to you being there for me…huh?”

“I don’t have time for this Tara, not now anyway.”

   She watched as Tara shook her head, a dull beeping emitting from her receiver as she hung up. Looking down at her phone, she pocketed it, looking up to see that Tara had vanished. Sighing heavily, she turned back to enter the restaurant, pausing as she noticed three shadows move very quickly behind the glass.

   Before he had chance to react, Joe was held up by the collar of his white shirt and thrown against the wall. Grabbling with the man’s hands, he looked the bald thug in the eye as the other man in the suit watched with a smirk on his face. He felt a cold metallic substance touch his chin…the barrel of a loaded pistol. He gulped, feeling the wrap he had for lunch turn in his stomach. This was it, his final moment.

“Bye bye Banks!” exclaimed the man as he pressed the gun up against Joe’s chin and readied his finger on the trigger.



Dun, Dun Duuuun!!

So Banks is being held at gunpoint whilst Kairi watched from the outside window. Climax...sorted

No espee as such as i have plans for the next few chapters so this is where this goes...uninteractive for a while. However, i would still like to hear your thoughts on what happens next so please, suggest away

[Chinaren]

A very nice chapter Arl, enjoyed it. Good pacing and nice dialogue, and finally a reveal! 

One thing...

The other thing he hadn’t yet banked on was now approaching Garfunkel’s Restaurant; a blonde bombshell of a woman who seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere

I'm not a fan of this kind of foreshadowing, I don't think it's needed.  Just my opinion of course.  Also the last line has a tense-slip. 

Looking forward to the next part! 

[araell]

Thanks China for pointing out the tense part, i shall be sure to change that haha. Hopefully the next bit shall be along shortly, i just need to figure out how to word it 

[ViP Perry Tratchett]

This was a very smoothly written chapter.  Though, was there any reason the cafe was empty?  That came across as a plot thing which never matured.

[araell]

Dont worry Perry, i have plans for that cafe. All will soon be revealed