Chrono Inquisitor (Gods Be Damned) (11 page)

“No he didn’t,” Frank said. “I offered to take him off the case and he refused.”

The White Horseman, Victory, answered, “True, but that’s probably because he was hoping you’d refuse his refusal and just take him off the case. He probably knows he’s under investigation, or would be because of what happened, and was hoping that you’d take him off without him having to file an actual request, thereby making him look even more suspicious.”

“Come on guys,” Frank said. “You’re supposed to be the best this company has to offer. I think it’s pretty obvious by now that
Cassius
was discovered. I bet E3 found out he was a mole and they fed him false information. Then they killed him before he could figure out he’d been played. I bet this whole thing was a setup. Think about it. E3 discovers we planted Cassius, they feed him false names, but not just any names, they give him some really important people to our cause like Julius Beit and Inquisitor Yan. They knew we’d investigate Beit, so they set a trap and killed the Inquisitors we sent.”

“There is no
we
,” War, the red cyborg said. “You only had to make sure Inquisitor Yan was assigned to the case. You’re the one who chose the others. You’re the only one who knew their identities. Frank Grenadier, you’re under arrest for possible conspiracy and the murder of four Inquisitors.”

“You’re arresting
me
?” Frank said in disbelief.

He got up from his desk as War and Famine stepped forward.

“Just while we investigate your possible involvement with E3,” Victory said.

Frank extended his wrists. “You want to investigate me, do it. I’ve got nothing to hide. I’ve dedicated my life to this company.”

Travis, you had better be innocent, otherwise, I’m going to kill you, he thought.

Paxton and I descended the stairs of the Peach Pit, into the torrent of zealots. Their prayers and blessings accosted my ears. I countered them with curses,
blasphemery, and profanity.

Some of the protesters covered their ears, as if hearing sinful things tainted their puritan souls.

“Don’t you all have a rocket to catch?” I shouted at the masses.

I caught the eye of a woman dressed in Puritan attire, leaned in close and whispered, “For you I’ve got a rocket right here.”

There was a look of astonishment in her eyes before she remembered herself, blushed, and then slapped me. I rubbed my new beard and smiled.

Several men formed an arch ahead of me, blocking my path. I could see my pad parked just on the other side of the mob. If only I could talk Kali in to running them all down.

They held out bibles as if that would expel the demons I kept locked prisoner inside.

I reached into compartment 7 and brought out a little book of my own - The Inquisitors Jurisdiction, my bible. Without hesitation, I thumped the guy directly in my way with it, right in the forehead. My bible wasn’t as thick as theirs, but it had a metal cover to compensate. Instead of a cross on the front like most of theirs, mine had a scythe, and because it protruded, it left a red imprint on the man’s forehead – the mark of the reaper.

One of the man’s comrades grabbed me by the shoulder. I turned around and thumped him as well. The man stumbled back, rubbing his head. Another mark.

“Do you see this?” I asked, holding up my book, turning so all could see. “This book grants me the power to do whatever I wish. Here and now, I am the judge and jury.” I snatched one of the protesters bibles and raised it in my other hand. “This book, so you claim, says I won’t be judged until after I die.” I raised my book a little higher. “According to
ChronoGen, they’ll make it so I’ll live forever. Now the question you all should ask yourselves is this, ‘Are you ready to put your beliefs to the test and be martyred today?’”

My little speech didn’t go as I had planned. The protesters got even more riled by my remark.

A torrent of voices washed over me.

“Trust in the Lord…”

“…Do not put your…”

“…test the spirits to see…”

“…Father except through…”

“…eternal life…”

What the hell is happening to the world? I wondered.

The man whose bible I’d taken reached out and snatched it from my hand.

I decided it wasn’t worth it. I had a job to do. I put my bible back into its compartment and continued on my path, for all of a meter. The men had reformed their arch. Others had joined them and a circle was almost complete with a second layer of reinforcement.

I walked up to one of the men and got so close that the man’s exhalation was my inhalation. I balled my fists, waited and timed it so that when I took a deep inhalation through my nose, I wasn’t competing for the gaseous fire fuel which life depended on.

‹You are severely outnumbered and your body cannot withstand another baptism so soon after already having undergone one,
›
Kali said, deciding to add her assessment of the situation.

I breathed out, trying to expel the aggression I was feeling within. “Will you please let me pass?” I asked with as much politeness as I could muster.

For a second I thought the man was going to be troublesome, but then the man smiled and stepped away, saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I wish.

“Let these wayward souls pass,” the man said. “And let us pray that they will see the error of their ways and turn back towards the light of God.”

For the second time that day, people parted like the Red Sea, but this time, I wasn’t Moses, the other man was.

As I walked by I patted the guy on the shoulder and replied, “Best of luck with that.”

Just when I thought I was home free, a young woman called out Paxton’s name.

Paxton turned. “Maddie?”

Great, the Missus.

I turned and saw a woman with long blonde hair wearing a plain light blue dress approaching them.

“Paxton, what are you doing here? What are you doing with him? Are you in trouble?” With each question she asked, her voice got higher in pitch.

Paxton went to her and embraced her in a hug. At first she welcomed it, but then she pushed him away.

Everyone was looking at the two of them.

“Don’t you all have some protesting to do?” I said.

The people slowly turned away and began their chants about salvation again. I motioned Paxton and
Maddie towards my pad for some privacy.

They didn’t go in, instead they just walked around to the other side.

Following them I said, “Don’t worry about Paxton, he’s in good hands.”

Maddie
gave me an uneasy smile.

“What do you care?” Paxton asked, his mood suddenly different. Thirty seconds ago it had been that of a young man in love, now it was cold and distant, like a man who’d had his heart broken.

“How can you say that? Of course I care. I love you, Paxton. You’re the father of my child.”

“Yeah, except you won’t let me see him.”

“I never said you couldn’t see him.”

“Your parents did, and you didn’t disagree.”

“Is that why you left?”

“I told you I was leaving. I asked you to come with me.”

“I didn’t think you were serious. I’d just had a baby, and you were asking me to leave everything I knew.”

“It’s not like we hadn’t talked about it before. Do you really want to go live on Mars?”

She hesitated. “No, but everyone we know is going. My family. Yours. Come with us, it’s not too late to repent.”

“I’ve told you, I can’t pretend anymore. I don’t believe in God. Not that one, anyway. But I do love you,
Maddie. Isn’t that enough? Stay. Stay with me. We can go somewhere new, start over. You, me, Charlie, we can be our own family. Live by our own rules, how we want.”

“What would we do, Paxton? Where would we go?”

“We could go anywhere. We could do anything. We both could get jobs. Women make more money outside the compounds, especially since you have a kid. I’m not saying it’d be easy at first, but we would be free to live our lives how we choose.”

I felt awkward just standing there while these two kids were emotionally trying to plan their lives. At least when Sam and I were young and stupid we didn’t have a kid in the mix making things even more complicated.

With a shake of her head, she said, “I can’t, Paxton.”

“Yes, you can. I know you’re afraid. I was too. I’ve made mistakes, but I’m fixing them. This guy,” Paxton pointed at me. “He’s an Inquisitor, and if I help him with his problem, he’ll help me with mine. He can help us. He’ll take us somewhere new.”

Great,
how’d I know he’d drag me into this?

Paxton looked at me with a kind of sad, puppy dog face which said, ‘back me up.’

“Look,” I said. “I’m not a charity, but yes, if he helps me out, I’m willing to return the favor.”

She shook her head. “You’ve made a deal with the devil, Paxton.”

Does she mean me?

“What would your mother say if she knew what you’d done?” she asked.

“I don’t care what she’d say. I don’t care what any of them think about me. All I care about is you.”

She started to cry and shook her head. “I can’t.”

And that was it. She turned and ran back to the crowd. To her people.

I looked at Paxton and saw that he was holding back tears. After a few seconds he said, “Let’s go.”

The sun was setting and as we stepped inside the pad, I gave the crazies a little wave goodbye.

Walking to my weapons arsenal I grabbed a Glock and placed it in the empty holster on my thigh, replacing the one that had been left behind in the desert. I didn’t have another Maelstrom, but I did have a Smith & Wesson
SuperNova, which I grabbed along with every SolarFlare in my arsenal. I stuffed every pocket of the vault with an assortment of weapons and fun little gadgets.

“You planning on another attack?” Paxton asked.

“No, this time I plan on doing the attacking. Like I said, I’m taking the fight to Van Horne. If you really want a fresh start, it begins with him.”

“Do I get a toy then?”

“Hmmm, I recall something about you saying how you’d cherish the last gun I gave you, and yet, you left it in the desert along with the rest of my stuff.”

“Well excuse the shit out of me. Would you rather I’d grabbed it and let you die?”

I tossed him a Glock.

“This is the last weapon I’m giving you, so don’t lose it.”

I went to my bar, refilled my flask, and took a swig of the whiskey before putting the bottle away. My new body didn’t have the built up tolerance to the liquor. The liquid fire hit me like I was a Molly on her first excursion, making me cough.

Damn it! It took me years to get to that point.

I instinctively went to take a swig from my flask but when it got to my lips I decided against it. It wouldn’t be the wisest thing to do, going into a possible fire fight at less than full capacity. I had already done that one too many times this year.

“So, partner, where does this devil of yours call home?”

“Let me think a sec, there’s a few.”

“Such as?”

“Well, he owns a penthouse at the top of Legacy Tower. A mansion in the Excalibur Enclave, and he has a room at his office, as well at his club.”

“Where do you think he’ll be?” I asked, realizing just how long the list of the man’s abodes was.

“My best guess is that we’ll find him at Hyde’s Ice Creamery & Sweets. The place closes at sundown, and after what happened today, it’s where he’ll be regrouping and planning his next step. He also has a sweet tooth and ice cream helps him keep his cool.”

“How sure are you?”

“Sixty percent,” Paxton said. The way he said it made me think it was more like thirty.

“That’s all? How many places does this guy own?”

“Fuck if I know them all. I’d be surprised if it were anything less than half the damn city.”

“Kali, give me a list of the establishments Van Horne owns.”

‹As Mr. Thrass said, Mr. Van Horne does indeed own at least half the city through various corporations and investment ventures. The list you are requesting contains hundreds of establishments.›

“All right then, give me a list of the main ones, based on whatever parameters you come up with.”

‹Filtering. The most lucrative business ventures he is a part of are the following: The Oasis Retirement Villa & Spa, the Mirage Megaplex & Casino, several Infinity Life, Longevity, Health, & Happiness centers, including the Peach Pit. The places where he is most often seen are: The Hard Knockers Grill & Bar, The Regale Hearth Lounge, as well as the place where Mr. Thrass believes we will find him, Hyde’s Ice Creamery & Sweets. His main offices are located in the old Edgar Olin house on the corner of 13th and Craig St. While it did not make either of the two lists I compiled, I feel you would like to know that Mr. Van Horne also owns Francine’s Fulfillment. It also may be of interest that while I was reviewing and further categorizing your Arkhive over the last twenty-four hours, the man identified as Varun ‘Give’m Hell’ Naraka, was present outside the bar when you arrested Mr. Thrass.›

“Well that brings up some questions, now doesn’t it. But then, it also explains some things.”

This guy probably thinks himself untouchable. Maybe in some ways, he is. But not today.

“Kali, take us to Hyde’s.”

‹As you wish.›

“You know what? I think it’s time I show everybody what a real reaper looks like.”

I went to my closet, took off the vault, and retrieved my reaper robes. They were technically only used in ceremonies, another gag amongst my peers, but I’d liked them so much I’d had them altered and outfitted to be of actual use. I hadn’t found a need for them yet, but now they’d get to see the moonlight of night.

After putting them on, I stood in front of the mirror, donned my specially made Death-mask, and brought up my hood, smiling sadistically underneath.

“Holy fuck,” Paxton said. “You look scary as hell dude.”

“You think I look scary now, just wait.”

I grabbed the SuperNova and made sure it was fully loaded and ready to go. I slung it over my back, and then retrieved my kamas and hid them within my robes.

Then I picked up my
bō scythe - the trademark of a reaper. It wasn’t the scythe used in ceremonies. No, this one I’d had custom made. It normally looked like a standard bō staff, but with the press of a hidden button, a scythe head would spring up and out, along with handles to hold it. Both ends did this, and the staff could be separated into two half-sized scythes. In this form, they looked like two large kamas, which I was a master at.