The central
characters of Poltergeist: The Legacy do not belong to me –
they are the
property of Trilogy and MGM; I’ve only borrowed them for a while.
All other characters are created by me. Hope you enjoy …
POLTERGEIST:
THE LEGACY
DARE
DEVIL
Chapter 1
Strangers
It seemed unfair that, in the state of
The days were getting longer, warmer, but not sunnier. More foggy, yes. That was undeniable. And this
day …
It was a day he’d been mostly dreading. There was a little anticipation bubbling in
his veins, a little curiosity too, but, mostly, it was a hollow, nagging sense
of general dread. Derek didn’t feel
terror without just cause and this day wasn’t cause for that. Today was an auspicious day, a turning point,
the start of a new era in his house’s history.
Today, at some time, his house would return to full strength.
The reason
for his underlying sense of dread was that he hadn’t made his choice by any
standard, objective measure. He hadn’t
checked into anyone’s background or requested an in depth assessment by their
current Precept. He’d glanced thru the
files and he hadn’t even gone with his gut reaction. Derek had simply shuffled them and selected
one at random because, somewhere deep in a dark, dark corner, he hadn’t
believed it would actually happen.
Something would occur to force a reversal. Thus, he hadn’t bothered to ask the opinions
of the existing members of his house.
Derek hadn’t even told them that today was the day. He felt now that it had been a mistake – all
of it. Trust had been battered recently
and his silence on this wouldn’t help to mend the tattered fences so, mixing
with the dread, was an element of guilt.
The dread wasn’t due to the new arrival, it was due entirely to the
reactions of the others both to the newcomer and to Derek’s silence. The reversal he’d expected, even prayed for,
hadn’t happened. The guy was on his way.
As he
gazed at the fog billowing lazily over the water, Derek decided not to say
anything now. It was too late to change
anything and it would smack of desperation.
He firmly believed his team was capable of dealing with this. They did their best work under pressure,
backed into a corner. Why should this
day be any different? There was a difference but only in that no
danger was involved. It was still
pressure, however, and they would rise magnificently to the challenge.
Even
Andrew would cope. Derek considered
Andrew to be an associate member of his team in the same, but different, way
that Merlin was. Derek had no concerns
about Merlin’s ability to cope. She lived
on a knife edge every day and swayed in the wind of fortune, adapting each
second to changing situations.
He
turned from the window to study his reflection in the mirror. His face was carefully blank, even artfully
so. Change is good, he thought, lecturing
himself or perhaps rehearsing his defense.
It shakes us up. Keeps us on our
toes. A new arrival to the team will
strengthen us, widen our already wide scope.
Even
so, as he turned to the bedroom door, he had to acknowledge there was still a feeling
of dread in his heart.
*****
Steve
Anthony shifted his legs and checked out the window. His seat was upright and his safety belt was
fastened. The landing in
At
first, he’d felt excited then a little nervous.
That had passed quickly into a cutting anticipation to get there and
make his mark, take his place. Now, he
just felt ready. A steady calmness had
gripped him. He didn’t have to work at
making a good first impression – that would just happen. He was mature enough to know that he may not
be instantly liked but that would come in time.
Steve was happy enough to go along with the majority but wasn’t afraid
of speaking up with his own ideas and suggestions.
Steve
had done some stealthy investigation of his own on his new colleagues. He had heard of them and their reputation
already and that was why he’d asked for the transfer. Once it had been confirmed, he began some
more research, in depth .. or as in depth as he could go without being found
out.
Alex
Moreau was a growing legend in the Legacy, and quite a stunning woman. Beautiful and intelligent, passionate and
loyal. A heady mixture.
Rachel
Corrigan was an enigma. There was so
much in her background – witchcraft, sorcery, black magic – that Steve was
surprised she’d turned her back on it to go into science.
The
Precept, Derek Rayne … Well, the man was a legend. He’d turned down Legacy leader
worldwide. He’d survived more close
scrapes than anyone else in the club.
Steve wanted to meet him.
And
then there was Nick Boyle. Quiet but
hard. Not much got past him. He may not say but he saw. He was going to be a problem, Steve just knew
it. But, maybe, there was a way around
it. Steve wouldn’t know that for sure
till he got there.
*****
Andrew
Todd finished putting the groceries away in the larder and then checked the
time. He estimated how long the next
task would take, decided he didn’t have time to make a proper start on it, so
he began preparing breakfast instead.
Today was an important day. The
quarterly delivery had arrived. This was
something Andrew had instigated without being asked or told. The basement was a warren of massive
storerooms. During the quiet times –
when he wasn’t engaged on one of a myriad number of other chores in the house –
Andrew had been systematically checking thru the contents of the basement and
reorganizing them. Then, he had started
the quarterly deliveries. This was
everything wholesale which went straight into long term storage
downstairs. He still did the weekly
grocery shopping for the more exotic items, but the downstairs stuff was phoned
thru and a truck brought it over. Moving
it down to the basement, putting it in the right place, logging it so it got
used in the right order, keeping it organized, was a half day task.
Andrew
had automatically checked the notice board on his arrival. He had quietly insisted on the notes. He knew some employers preferred a one on one
meeting because notes were impersonal and implied a sense of giving
orders. Derek Rayne was one of those
employers. Andrew, however, had stated
his reasons for wanting notes left on the board.
“You’re
so busy, sir, that you might forget to tell me something important. If I’m here, of course, you could simply call
me. But, if it’s late evening, after
I’ve left for the day, or at the weekend, you could forget. I really don’t object to having notes left on
the board, sir. For one thing, it’s in
writing. It’d make my job a lot
easier. From .. things running out to
meal requests, visitor notification … My
memory is okay but not photographic.”
“And
you’re busy too,” Derek had commented.
“Exactly,
Dr Rayne. Sometimes, I forget. If it’s in writing … ”
That
hadn’t been the strict truth but Andrew preferred notes. He could organize them into lists, keep track
of things. Derek had yielded to the
gentle pressure. People had begun
leaving notes on the board.
This
morning, though, there had been nothing new left overnight. Once breakfast was out of the way, Andrew
could get on with the quarterly delivery.
He was
just setting the coffee on to brew when he heard the door open behind him.
“Good
morning, sir.”
“Andrew,”
Derek nodded. He looked around, his gaze
going to the fog outside the window.
“Was
there something particular, sir?” Andrew prompted.
“Yes.”
Andrew
waited patiently. Derek seemed to be
having a little trouble putting it into words.
“Do we
have any bedrooms made up ready?”
The
steward blinked. Derek knew the answer
to that. “Guestrooms, sir? Yes, several.”
Derek
hesitated. “Staff .. rooms.”
Andrew
went to reply then frowned. “Sir ..?”
Derek
shrugged quickly. “We may be having a ..
long term visitor join us today. With
the fog, though, I can’t guarantee anything.
I thought I’d .. give you a little warning in case you have to .. make the
necessary preparations.”
“I
see. Thank you. I’m .. almost certain there are rooms for
staff made up ready but I’ll check after breakfast. When you say long term visitor, sir, do you
mean a new resident in the house?”
Again
Derek hesitated. “Possibly. Yes. I
mean a new resident.”
“Male
or female?”
“Is
that important?” Derek frowned.
“Only
in that .. some rooms are decorated more in a male style and some are .. more
female. Some are neutral. Shall I check one of the neutral rooms, Dr
Rayne? Allow the new resident to choose
his or her own permanent room from the ones available?”
At the
mention of ‘permanent’, Derek’s eyes had flickered. “A good suggestion, Andrew. But Philip’s room is not to be included in
the choice.”
“I
understand, sir.” Andrew paused
delicately. “I’m surprised no one’s said
anything about this to me.”
“They
don’t know,” Derek admitted. “I would
prefer it to stay that way.”
Andrew
inclined his head. “Very well, Dr
Rayne. It’s possibly one extra for lunch
and dinner then.”
“Yes,”
Derek confirmed heavily.
*****
“Mom?”
“Yeah,
Kat?”
Kat
looked hesitant. Rachel felt her heart
sink a little. “James is home from
college this weekend for the summer an’ his parents are having a party. They’ve asked if I could go .. an’ stay
over.”
“They’ve
asked if you can stay over?” Rachel queried.
“Yeah.” Kat fidgeted.
“It’s outta town. They’re going
to some hotel an’ they need to know so they can organize the rooms. I said I’d ask.”
“I can
call them an’ check, y’know.”
“I
know. I think you should. I can’t remember the name of the hotel. It’s down the coast a little way. It’s a surprise thing. James has been doing really well at college
an’ they want to celebrate.” Kat looked
into her eyes. “Call them. It’s easier if you talk direct an’ you’ll
know I’m not lying to you.”
Rachel
wanted to trust her daughter enough to say ‘that’s okay, honey, I believe you’,
and give her blessing. But. Fifteen, nearly sixteen, was a tricky age. Hormones were involved.
“Okay, I
will,” Rachel replied. “Just so I can
get the details. If something blows up,
I may need to call you.”
“Sure.”
“So
James is doing really well, huh?”
“Yeah.” Kat’s eyes lit up. “He found it tough going at first but he’s
really getting into it now. I’m so proud
of him.”
“I can
imagine,” Rachel smiled. “What’s he
studying again?”
Kat
rolled her eyes but smiled. “Law. He’s following in his father’s footsteps.”
“Right. How could I forget? Well, you had best be making tracks, young
lady. I’ll call his parents today, I
promise.”
“Thanks.” Kat paused.
“Are you going to the island?”
“Yeah,
later. I have a patient this
morning. Why?”
Kat
shrugged. “I just wondered.”
Rachel
angled her head. “Why? Have you .. seen something?”
“Not
exactly. Just .. well, it looked like a
storm. Black skies, lightning,
wind. Right over the house.”
“Maybe
I should stay home then,” Rachel mused.
“It’s
only foggy, Mom. An’ the forecast is ..
more of the same.”
“Well,
y’know how accurate forecasts can be at times,” Rachel laughed. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll bear it in mind.”
*****
Nick
paused in the bathroom doorway to watch his wife. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. Merlin was frowning at her reflection in the
full length mirror. She was naked, fresh
out of bed, and turning to the side then front again, her hands on her
belly. There was just the slightest
curve to it.
He came
up behind her and put his hands over hers.
The curve was rock hard. “It’s
starting to show.”
“I’m
getting fat.”
“You’re
not,” he protested. “You’re blooming.”
“Did
one of those books tell you to say that?”
Nick
laughed softly into her shoulder. “Just
my own observation.”
Merlin
shook her head slowly. “Y’know, all my
life, I have worked so hard to be in the best physical shape I can .. an’ now
it’s all slipping away from me. What’s
worse is that I can’t stop it.” She
angled her head at her reflection. “One day, I’m gonna lose my waist. I’ll look like a boy. Straight up an’ down. An’ it’s gonna happen soon.”
“You’ll
still be beautiful,” Nick said, his voice sincere.
“Naturally,”
Merlin agreed. “Cranky an’ ill tempered
but still a knockout.” She turned to put
her arms around his neck. “I think I’ll
put a drape over that mirror though.”
He
laughed again. “Your plans for the day?”
She
considered. “Not sure. Maybe drive into the town an’ go shopping or
.. come over to the island with you.”
“Shopping. Hmm …
We have a bigger house now. Lots
of empty rooms. We have the space for
the closets – ”
“Nicky,
nothing’s gonna fit me before too long.
There is no point at all in going clothes shopping.”
“We
have enough furniture. The house is ..
all but finished.”
“All
except one room.”
“Merli,
you know I wanna come with you for that.”
“I can
go look .. can’t I?” she begged.
“You
never just look. Come over to the
island, an’ I’ll negotiate a day off tomorrow.
We’ll hit the stores.” He
grinned. “You know I have to test drive
the strollers.”
She
grinned too. “Okay. Tomorrow.
I’ll hold you to that.”
*****
Derek
went to his office. Rachel wasn’t due
until the afternoon. Nick wouldn’t
arrive until nearer nine in the morning.
Possibly, Merlin would come with him.
That just left Alex …
Rachel
was an excellent judge of character but Alex was more perceptive. She’d known Derek longer than any of the
others. She could read him like a book
at times. Merlin, of course, could tell
when he was lying.
Still,
Derek mused, if I say nothing of Steve’s imminent arrival, I’m not lying to
anyone. That means I just have to .. set
it from my mind. When he turns up , and
they are surprised, I can admit to keeping it a secret. And I will deal with the repercussions of
that. I never actually believed this
would happen. Why couldn’t he have ..
changed his mind? Chosen another
house? Been indispensable to his
Precept? But that would only have put me
back to the beginning. Paul would be
calling every few days to remind me I am a person missing in my team.
He
paused for a moment, listening for sounds of activity outside, then opened the
drawer and withdrew the file. Steve
Anthony. A little late in the day, Derek
assessed the man’s suitability. Age
thirty three.
Right
age, right experience. He glanced at the
photograph and frowned slightly, angling his head.
I never
really noticed that before, he mused. He
looks like Nick … Well, so long as looks
are as far as it goes, we should be able to survive. Two temperaments like Nick’s would make for a
very strained atmosphere.
“Derek? Are you in there?”
He slid
the file back into the drawer and quickly closed it. “Yes, Alex.
Is there a problem?”
“No,”
she said as the door opened. “It’s just
.. the only time you’re in here before breakfast is when you’ve been in here
since supper. Is there a reason for the
early start?”
“None
.. except conscience,” he replied.
*****
Steve
Anthony’s plane landed ten minutes late but it was still early in the day so he
didn’t get cranky. He’d been told his
temper had a short fuse but it took a lot to get that fuse burning. He waited for his cases to arrive on the
carousel then went to the car rental desk.
He would arrange to buy an automobile; first, he wanted to find his way
around this city, see what automobile was best.
No time had been specified for him to be at the island so, he figured,
he had a couple of hours to kill before making tracks and showing up.
Once
he’d found his car in the lot and loaded his bags into it, Steve sat behind the
wheel for five minutes to catch his breath.
Ten days of his life had vanished into a black hole and he’d hardly noticed. He’d been too busy cutting the ties to
But I
will, he told himself. I will find a
niche for myself. I’ll work hard to form
relationships with my new colleagues. I
will understand that .. my newness will mean I represent doubt in their minds
but I will show them I can be trusted, and I will not lose it if that takes
time. I won’t push for recognition. I’ll bide with patience, bring them round by
results and loyalty. Okay. I can do this.
He
turned the key in the ignition and took the next step into his new life.
*****
“You’re
still not eating breakfast?” Alex queried.
“I don’t think that’s right. It
can’t be good.”
Merlin
shrugged. “Breakfast made me feel like I
wanna puke, Alex. I did try. I didn’t keep it down long enough to get any
good from it. So I take vitamins an’
drink milk. An’, for a cigarettes an’
black coffee person, vitamins an’ milk is a big step in the right direction ..
or so says Mr Baby Doctor over there.”
Alex
laughed quietly. “I always knew Nick
would take to this being a father thing but even I’m surprised how many books
he’s read on the subject.”
“It’s
his way of sharing the experience. He
can tell you how big, how heavy an’ how long this baby is right now, an’ what I
can expect to happen to me an’ it in the next week. I tell him I already know what I can expect –
to get fatter.”
“Oh,
but it isn’t really getting fatter, Peri.”
“You
try saying that when your waist
starts to disappear. Alex, I want you to
promise me something.”
“Sure,
if I can,” Alex agreed instantly.
“If you
ever see me wearing a flower patterned muumuu, you’ll take me out back an’
shoot me.”
At the
table, Nick was negotiating. “Just one
day. I’ll stay late tonight an’ come in
early the day after tomorrow. I promised
Peri I’d go to the stores with her.”
Derek
regarded him. “Do you have any idea how
envious I am of you right now?”
Nick
flushed slightly. “You wanna come too?”
“No! Well, yes, but I’ll restrain myself. You’ll be pushing strollers, trying to decide
which one is just right for your baby. Trying out cribs. Choosing such .. tiny clothes. Of course, you must do this.”
“Thanks,
boss.”
“I’m
just not sure if tomorrow is good.”
Derek balanced the unknown with the known. “Ask me later just for confirmation, but, for
now, I’ll say yes.” He sat back. “Make the most of this time in your life,
Nick. It seems like forever but it’ll be
over all too soon. And .. if another
expedition is arranged into the strange country of nurseryland shopping, count
me in.”
“You
got it,” Nick grinned.
“I have
to decorate a room here,” Derek commented.
“For when you and Peri have no choice but to stay over.”
Nick
knew Derek didn’t have to do that but he didn’t protest. One of Derek’s regrets in leading this life
was not having a family of his own. He
got around it by making his team his surrogate family. Derek knew how much the Legacy damaged family
life and, if making one room into a nursery helped offset that damage even a
little, he would make it the most opulent, the most perfect, toy filled nursery
he could.
“Whatever
you want, Derek,” Nick said. “Appreciate
it an’ I know Peri does too.”
Merlin
was watching Alex choose her breakfast.
“Rachel says I’m at the end of my first trimester an’ I should be
thinking of wearing special clothes.”
“You
don’t want to?”
“My
jeans were getting unbearably tight so I’ve switched over to low risers. I’m okay with them. Why advertise?”
“Anyone
would think you don’t want people to know.
Aren’t you proud to be pregnant?” Alex challenged.
“Not
especially,” Merlin replied. “It’s
something we want but I don’t see why I have to wear loose fitting clothes when
I don’t have to. It’s only this piece of
me which is expanding, not all over.”
She looked down, half exasperated with her abdomen, half amazed by
it. “It doesn’t show that much .. does
it?”
“No, it
really doesn’t.”
“So I
get embarrassed going into baby stores. I’m
drawn there like they’re magnetized, y’know?
But I feel so like a fraud.”
“But
you’re used to adapting and fitting no matter what, so it’ll be a piece of cake
for you,” Alex remarked, going to the table.
“Will you be having your baby at home?”
“We haven’t
decided yet,” Nick answered.
“It
can’t be in a hospital,” Derek commented.
“Yeah,
but Rachel says the medical setup here is as good as .. so it may be here.”
“On the
island?” Derek exclaimed, sitting bolt upright.
“Oh, that would be wonderful, Nick!”
“Wouldn’t
be the first birth in this house,” Alex remarked, thinking back to Rachel’s
arrival.
“It
would be the first in this house,”
Derek replied firmly. “And I can think
of no other way to .. bestow a blessing.
Peri, if Rachel says it would be better for you, please, whatever we can
do, let us do it.”
“Thanks,
Derek,” Merlin smiled.
*****
“It’s
an expensive item of equipment, Dr Corrigan.”
“I’m
aware of that. How soon can you have it
delivered?”
“Within
the week.”
“Great.”
Rachel
hung up and checked the time. She wanted
to do the best for Merlin and, so far, the pregnancy had gone as Rachel had
expected. Merlin had suffered some minor
morning sickness but she was now blooming.
Rachel had always loved the second trimester the best. The initial nausea was either fading or gone,
and the swelling abdomen was not yet an inconvenience. The one thing Rachel hadn’t done yet was an
ultrasound scan. Now the equipment had
been ordered, she could expect to perform one within the next two weeks.
Yes, it
was expensive but the machine was being paid for by the Luna Foundation and it
would be useful for other things. It
would form part of the medical suite but be used whenever and however needed.
The
doorbell chimed. Her patient was here.
*****
I am
going to love
He’d
located the office from which he would be collecting his crates or arranging to
have them delivered. He’d driven thru
He felt
a twist of disappointment which surprised him.
It looked so far away. It would
take hours to get back to the city.
But
then he shook his head, recalling some of the cases he’d managed to read. There was a launch and a helicopter. More often than not, it seemed trouble came
to the island so they didn’t have to go very far at all. Still .. all that nightlife just waiting to
be discovered … Maybe, if it’s quiet, I
can swing a night off, if only so I can get to learn the layout of my new
hometown. Maybe Alex could show me.
I am
not one for romancing colleagues. Don’t
believe in it. Only leads to
trouble. Rivalry, jealousy. Legacy’s a tough enough deal without that
tossed in as well to muddy the water.
Keep it above board and above the belt buckle. Anyone who gives into that temptation has an
inherent weakness. They can look tough
on the outside but … Loyalty is
good. Being there for each other is
good. Let love into it and the Darkside
has a fast track to your loyalty and courage.
Won’t go down that route, no sir, no way.
Alex
doesn’t have a damn thing to worry about.
Neither does Rachel Corrigan.
Derek Rayne is going to trust me because I have integrity.
*****
“Peri,
do you have a moment?” Derek asked.
“Sure.”
He
gestured to his office and she followed him inside.
“What’s
all that about?” Nick asked at once and in a quiet voice.
Alex
shook her head. “I don’t know. He was in there early this morning. Said it was conscience. Something’s on his mind but .. he hasn’t said
anything to me.”
Me
neither, Nick thought.
Derek
sat down behind his desk. Merlin perched
on the corner.
“I
don’t want Nick or Alex to know about this,” he began and her eyes
twinkled. “Yes,” he agreed in response,
“it does seem like a return to the bad old days of deep, dark secrets. But it isn’t.
It isn’t, really, a secret at all.
It’s .. more an unpleasant surprise.”
“Okay,”
Merlin nodded. “How about you start at
the beginning?”
Derek
did. He told her of his meetings with
Paul Emery and the gentle but constant pressure to replace Philip in the
team. Merlin didn’t mention that she
already knew most of this from Rachel. Then
Derek told her how, in a knee jerk reaction, he’d picked one of the five files
at random.
“I
never believed anything would actually come of it,” Derek confessed.
“But it
has.”
“He
arrives today.”
“Oh … ”
Merlin breathed. “And you can’t tell
your team because ..?”
“It’s
too late to change anything.” Derek
looked uncomfortable. “I .. agreed I’d
run my choice by them. Let them help me
decide. I didn’t do that.”
“No one
ever said Legacy Precepts work by democratic decision making. This isn’t Congress, Derek. Having said that, confession wipes a guilty
soul clean,” she remarked. “An’ telling
them now would avoid a lot of embarrassment when the new guy arrives.”
Derek
nodded heavily. “Very well. What I’d like you to do is vet him when he
turns up. Read him. I trust you more than the Legacy file.”
“I’m
flattered,” she said and hesitated. “But
.. I can’t.”
Derek
met her gaze. “You’re refusing a direct
request?”
“Yeah
.. in a way.”
“Why? Why won’t you do it?” he frowned.
“I
didn’t say I wouldn’t. I said I can’t,”
she responded, blushing slightly. “I
don’t have any special gifts right now.
I’ve been switched off, Derek.
This baby is gonna be normal, not an Enforcer. Once it’s born, I’ll get switched on again.”
“You
couldn’t have told me this before?”
Merlin
laughed low in her throat. “Like you
told the others as soon as you gave your choice to Paul?”
“It
impacts the – ”
“Hold
up,” she interrupted. “For one thing,
Alopex is covering for me. For another, I
don’t an’ neither does he have anything to do with the operational efficiency
of your house. You’re Legacy people,
Derek. You deal with things very well on
your own. You don’t need an Enforcer on
site twenty four, seven. That you did
was a bonus, not part of the regular package.”
She slid off the desk. “If you’re
really concerned about having the new guy checked over, call Alopex. Get him over here. He’ll do it for you, no problem.”
Merlin
watched his conscience go to war with his loyalty to his team. His conscience said Steve Anthony was a
Legacy man. Yes, they had turned before
but there were signs to wave a warning flag to any eyes perceptive or
suspicious enough to recognize them.
Steve had displayed none of these signs.
Therefore, vetting was not only unnecessary but also a violation of
personal values. His loyalty to his team
demanded a check be made. In the thick,
lives would depend on Steve Anthony. If
there was a weakness there, no matter how deeply it was buried, Derek wanted to
know before things got critical.
His
conscience won out. Paul Emery had
endorsed Derek’s choice, declaring Steve to be an excellent addition to the
team. Paul was a good man. He knew Steve. He wouldn’t lie to Derek.
“All
right,” he said. “No check will be
required.”
“If you
change your mind … ”
“I
won’t.”
She
nodded. “You want me to call ’em in?”
“I’ll
go out there,” he decided.
*****
Steve
Anthony leaned on the deck rail of the ferry and watched the mainland slowly
start to ebb. Within three hundred
yards, it also started to fade. The fog
was thick over the water and, sighing, he turned away to discover he could
hardly see the other end of the boat.
“Whoa
.. spooky,” he grinned.
Somehow,
though, it felt right – fog, curling like bony fingers, reaching, grasping
… Surrounding the bastion of the Legacy
on the west coast of
With the
fog came the chill. He shivered, hugging
his arms around his body, and started to walk the deck beside the rental car.
The
ferry has radar. It won’t hit anything
and sink. It’s done this trip a thousand
times at least.
“Hey,
man, do you have a light?”
“No. I don’t smoke,” Steve replied. “Sorry,” he added with a slight shrug.
“Are
you sure?”
He
glanced round and saw a shape just .. there.
A shadow within the mist. Then it
stepped forward. Or, rather, shuffled
forward. A young man. The crotch of his pants hung three inches
above his knees, and the flares flapped around what had to be the thinnest legs
in the universe. The guy had grungy geek
written all over him. His T-shirt looked
stained and his coat was too big and dirty.
His hair – a bulk standard brown – was ratty and hung in tangled tails
beneath a knitted woolen hat crammed onto his head.
Steve
was about to put a little distance between him and the man when he noticed the
eyes. An alarm bell began to shrill in
the back of his mind.
The
eyes should have been as vacant as the expression on the long, sallow, pimply
face. But they weren’t. They were intense and staring. Hungry.
Eyes
like that saw drug deals go wrong. They
saw victims lying in pools of blood.
O-kay,
Steve thought, aware of his muscles starting to tense in readiness.
“Really,
I don’t have a light,” he said. “Not
even matches.”
“Strange
how the fog is so thick here. Didn’t
seem so bad from the shore.”
Steve
frowned, thinking it was a weird thing to say but then noticing the guy was
right. He’d been able to see
“You
going to the island?”
“Yeah,”
Steve said. “Ferry doesn’t go anyplace
else. You?”
“I’m not
getting off. I just like being on the
water in boats.” The young man gave a
listless shrug. “Meeting people. Y’know.”
“Uh
huh.” Steve paused. “We should be there soon.”
“Yeah. You’re in a rental,” he gestured. “From outta town?”
“Just
moved here, from
“Nice. Been there a few times. Happening city.” He sniffed and wiped his nose with the back
of one hand. “You sure you don’t have a
light?”
“I’m
really sure. I know I don’t.”
“Then,
um, this is for you.”
Steve
held up his hands. “I don’t think you
wanna do that – ”
The guy
had dug into his pocket but didn’t pull out a gun. Instead, it was a little ornately carved
box. “The guy over there said to give it
to you. Said you’d appreciate the gift
inside.”
Steve’s
eyes darted to the other side of the deck but there was no one there. The young man snickered as he stepped back.
“Actually,
that was a lie. It’s a gift from
me. I
know you’ll appreciate it.”
“What’s
inside?” Steve inquired.
“Not
what you’re thinking. But, hey, no
big. Throw it away if you want. Your choice.
But, if you do open it an’ you
like what’s inside, do me a favor? Pass
it on to someone you know will
appreciate it.”
Steve
noticed the box wasn’t in the guy’s hand anymore. One of his jacket pockets felt heavier than
it had before.
“Whatever,
man. Life’s too short, y’know?” the guy
said, and putting one grimy, nicotine stained index finger to his head, tossed
off a casual salute before drifting back into the fog.
Steve
stood motionless for maybe ten seconds.
He couldn’t remember seeing the grungy guy at the dock and there hadn’t
been that many people waiting for the boat.
Slowly, his hand went into his pocket and his fingers brushed against
the ornate carved wood. It felt
strangely warm and comforting.
What a
great way to start my new life in
Twenty
minutes later, the ferry docked at
Definitely
a great way to start my time here … I’m
seeing things. The guy’s below. He has to be.
People don’t just .. disappear.
He put
it behind him and set off for the estate, the little box heavy in his pocket.
*****
Andrew
nodded to himself. Nick and Peri’s
room. The room next to theirs is already
allocated .. even though the occupant isn’t around just yet. However, I know Dr Rayne has plans for that
room. He told me. It’s going to be a nursery. A home away from home for the baby.
Alex’s
room is farther down and on the opposite side of the corridor. Dr Corrigan’s room is at the end, opposite
Kat’s. Dr Rayne’s room is along the next
corridor. I wonder which of the others
our newcomer will choose …
In the
control room, Derek emerged from his office.
Merlin followed him but moved away.
She didn’t go to stand by Nick; she signaled pure neutrality in whatever
was coming. Alex had glanced round and
had then stopped what she was doing to turn completely from her
workstation. Nick looked at her and then
did the same. He felt his heart start to
sink. Whatever it was, it was not going
to be nice, not if Derek’s expression was a reliable indicator.
“Nick,
Alex,” he began, “I have – ”
The
phone rang. Nick picked it up. “Yeah.”
He listened in silence, his gaze flicking to Derek for a moment. “Thanks.
Do it.”
Replacing
the phone, Nick didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds then he angled his
head.
“That
was the gate,” he announced. “Our new
member has just arrived. He’s on his way
up.”
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