.2

by Simon Underfoot

Copyright 2020-2022, All Rights Reserved

Author's Note:

This is the halfway point of the After the Second Fall trilogy. Thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Simon

Chapter 10

Pip walked slowly, deliberately toward the Courtyard, a small trail of blood following him. After the truly terrible experiences of the past bell, Pip couldn't care less: he just wanted to make sure everyone had come through the alarm okay. 'Who would have thought it ran so deep?' he asked himself rhetorically.

Pip missed a step and stumbled, almost going down to one knee before he recovered. Maybe sitting was a good idea.

It wasn't a quarter bell later that two Adams, Rico and Chester, found him. "Everything good, Pip?" the first asked cautiously, still standing three long strides away. Pip was leaning back against a wall, clearly favoring his left arm, which seemed oddly twisted. His black clothes and dark skin were shiny with blood, and his left eye was almost completely swollen shut.

Pip partially opened his eyes and took a moment to let them clear and then focus on the dark skinned Adam with the missing ear in front of him, and the broad blonde off to one side. "Sure, Rico. Help me up?" After a quick glance back at the other, Rico stepped forward, extending his huge hand to pull Pip to his feet. The smaller Adam swayed, but righted himself. "I need to find the Executive Director -- do you know where she is?"

"Of course," the blonde said, stepping forward, "in the Courtyard." Without warning, Chester swung his elbow backward into Rico's face, catching the other Adam off-guard entirely: Rico crumpled to the ground bonelessly. Chester's eyes never left Pip as he brought his fist forward, aiming at the side of his second target's head.

Barely thinking, Pip let the stiletto slip out of his sleeve and into his right hand; a single movement buried the knife under Chester's chin as he unsteadily ducked the blow.

With the immediate threat dealt with, Pip bent down to check on Rico, who was gurgling where he had collapsed. The left side of his face had been crushed, and his right hand was reflexively opening and closing in the air. "I'll send some help," Pip promised before slowly regaining his feet and shuffling on toward the Courtyard.

As he rounded the final corner, someone saw him and gave a shout, and people were soon running to meet him, even though all they accomplished was stopping his forward progress. Fortunately, less than a hundred beats later, Stash and Mars were beside him, helping him into the Courtyard, where they let him sit down on the grass in front of Lilith. Pip met her eyes, mumbled, "Rico," then passed out.

An undefined time later -- at least for him -- Pip awoke in Surgery One, which he recognized immediately; this was, after all, not the first time Pip had regained consciousness in the room. Taking stock, Pip found his left eye was bandaged shut and his left arm was wrapped securely against his side, effectively immobilizing it. Turning his head, he saw Rosie and Maggie were sitting next to him on metal chairs, heads leaned together as they both dozed. Behind them, flanked by Stash and a young Adam he didn't know, Lilith was rapidly providing direction to one person after another. A chance glance alerted her to Pip's wakefulness and she quickly broke off conversation, walking over to his side.

"How are you feeling, Pip?" She looked anxious as she awaited his answer.

"I've felt worse, Director Collins," he said as casually as he could. "My head is still ringing, and my shoulder is sore, but otherwise okay, especially given the circumstances."

She nodded while exhaling a relieved sigh. "Doc figured you probably have a concussion, in addition to the other injuries."

"Anything serious?"

Lilith paused before shaking her head. "Not in a long-term way, but you won't be in the Arena for a while. Whoever hit you in the face broke the orbital socket: I guess the swelling is going to get pretty bad. Your shoulder was dislocated, but Stash and Mars managed to get it back into place without too much trauma, so Doc's hoping it won't need surgery.

"Otherwise, you lost the very top of your right ear where somebody tried to cut off your head, and you have a couple fractured fingers on your left hand." Pip reached up and felt the bandage on his ear: it was small, so probably not a big deal. Then he looked down, and sure enough, his left hand was casted again.

"Pip, I know you're in pain, but I need to know what happened. I sent four Adams to follow the trail of blood you left, and they traced it back past two dead Adams to the Research area, where they found Director Jacobs and about ten of his people, also dead. Did you do all of that?"

"Most of it, ma'am. Director Jacobs was the one behind the alarm."

Lilith sucked in a sharp breath, then let it out slowly. "Actually, maybe that explains a lot. Start at the beginning -- whatever that means in this case."

Pip started to nod, but quickly stopped, since it made his head swim. "I was meeting with Cap in my room. He was telling me about one of his old fighters, an Adam that got killed in his first training fight. We hadn't been talking long when Marx -- that's one of the mid-tier Adams -- kicked in my door; Razor was right behind him.

"When I'm in the Arena, I can move around to get away from the bigger fighters, but my room is too small for that, so even with my... advantage, they were able to grab onto me. Marx got hold of my wrist and Razor threw a punch that I was able to turn away from, but he still caught me, obviously. I probably wouldn't have lasted too much longer, except that Cap stabbed Razor in the lower back, right at the base of his spine. That let me focus on Marx, but with the hold on me, I couldn't get to him, so I turned against my shoulder joint and punched him in the throat." Pip paused, and gave a weak wave to the girls, who had woken up and were listening intently. With an apologetic smile to them at the goriness of his story, he continued.

"Razor was screaming and trying to get to Cap, even though his legs wouldn't work, so after I... dealt with Marx, I pinned him down." Pip took a deep, calming breath. "Cap got him to tell us what was going on. The short version is that Director Jacobs and his team developed a drug that he was giving to some of the Adams to get bigger and faster, mostly the lower tier ones that knew they would never make it to the Arena otherwise. He also told us that the drug was really addictive for Adams, something about it being like sex on ecstasy, whatever that means."

"My Lord," Lilith said to herself, utterly astonished. "I can't believe we didn't have a clue all of this was going on. Jacobs must have had contingencies in place: it wasn't a quarter bell after he left the Council Room that all hell broke loose. Do you know what he was trying to accomplish?"

"Probably not all of it," Pip replied, "but Razor did know that two key pieces were killing you to keep the whole thing from being exposed, and killing me so that I couldn't stop the assassination or come after them later."

Lilith shuddered, thinking about all of the might-have-beens; then she remembered the actual impact, and let out a soft sob despite her effort to shove her sorrow back down. She was silent for some time before she could get her emotions back under control enough to speak calmly. "Pip, why did you go after Jacobs?"

Pip sighed. "I didn't want to, Director Collins -- I wanted to find you after what Razor said, but I was already dizzy and my arm wasn't working. I knew I wouldn't get there quick enough, so I sent Cap for help. After that, I decided to see what I could figure out on my own. It was probably the wrong choice, but I don't know that I was thinking clearly. I know I was mad."

Lilith laid her hand on Pip's good shoulder. "It's okay, Pip. Stash made it to us in time to save Cassidy and I, but only just. As for Jacobs, I hope he rots in Hell. Did you find out anything useful from him?"

"He didn't tell me much of anything, but one of his assistants did, after she saw what I did to him. She gave me the combination to the vault where they stored the drug, and also told me where the research notes were."

"And the others?"

"They tried to stop me when I broke the door, so it was only Jacobs and the assistant left to question."

"And her?"

"Locked in the vault for safe keeping. I thought you might want to question her yourself." Lilith nodded and patted his shoulder again, then turned to leave. "Director Collins," Pip ventured, "may I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"Is John dead?" The look of anguish on her face gave him his answer. Pip turned his head to look up at the lights high above him, letting his eyes go unfocused. "When he wasn't here with you, I thought that might be the case."

"He kept us safe long enough for Stash to arrive," she managed softly as Maggie and Rosie wrapped their arms around her back and shoulders, trying to provide some measure of comfort and support.

Pip managed a nod. "Sounds like something he would do. I'm going to miss him."

"Me, too."

There was silence, broken only by Lilith's unsteady breathing.

"Others?" Pip asked eventually.

"Too many. Loren and Irena. Fetching. Several of the Adams. Too fucking many."

"What about Rachel?" Pip asked, unconsciously holding his breath.

"She's okay, Pip," answered Rosie. "She's with Fetching's girl, Emily. There was also another man from her department that was killed, and a couple others hurt, so she's trying to take care of them. I'm sure she'll come see you soon."

Pip let out his breath and nodded again in thanks, not caring that it made his vision swim. "If it's okay, that's about as much as I can process right now. I'm going to try to get some sleep."

Lilith nodded, even though Pip couldn't see her with his eyes closed, and headed back to the door; she was surprised that Maggie walked with her. "Rosie will take care of Pip," the younger woman said, "and I'm going to stay with you." Lilith was ready to argue, but when she saw the determined look on Maggie's face, she gave up.

"Thanks."

Maggie dipped her head in acknowledgement and the pair moved out of the surgery with Stash and Mars in tow, Lilith once again giving orders to the never ending line of people now trailing along behind them. The foursome found Cassidy sitting on the huge steps leading to the Complex's main entrance; she looked exhausted. Lilith, feeling the same, waved off the now much smaller group of followers and sat down next to her, joined immediately by Maggie.

After almost a quarter bell, Lilith finally broke the silence. "Are you ready to hear what I've pieced together so far?" Cassidy didn't make eye contact, but did nod, and Lilith summarized as quickly as she could.

Cassidy let her head fall forward, either in resignation or relief -- Lilith couldn't tell. With a deep intake of breath, she sat up again. "It sounds like we were right at the edge: the absolute brink of disaster. It will be years before we make up what we've lost."

"That won't ever happen," Lilith stammered out, her personal anguish refusing to be turned away any longer.

"For us? No, it won't ever be the same without John, but the program and the city will survive. As leaders, that's what we need to focus on."

"I don't know if I'm strong enough for this," Lilith managed. Cassidy turned to see that Maggie was holding the Executive Director tightly.

"I understand," said the Meister, standing up. "I will take over." Lilith was startled out of her grief by the words and her eyes got wide, then a combative expression formed on her face. Cassidy gave the smaller woman the best smile she could manage under the current circumstances. "See? You didn't really mean that. Just remember what John told you: you don't give yourself enough credit." She offered Lilith her hand and the two smaller women were soon standing. "What would you like to do now?"

Lilith closed her eyes tightly, trying to find the stillness in the center of the ongoing storm. When they opened again, they had become hard. "Everything stays locked down until we tie up the loose ends." Turning, she called to two of her Communication employees that were standing off to the side, then motioned the two Adams forward. "I want everyone back in their rooms as quickly as can be done. Make it clear they will be there for at least a full day, and probably more, details to follow. Stash, you two round up the Adams and usher any uncooperative people to where they're supposed to be. We'll wait here with the Meister until you return."

Turning back to Cassidy, she said, "I want the entire Complex to stay locked up tight. Do you have enough constables to make that happen if it takes a week to set everything in order?"

"It won't be a problem: there are only six entrances for this whole place. Do you want me to bring in an investigative team?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind. I want an objective analysis of whatever the fuck happened. We have most of the details, but not everything makes sense yet. I would also like to take you up on your previous offer and get a magistrate here for immediate sentencing. With everyone confined to their rooms, it should be pretty straightforward to take care of anything nasty."

Fortunately, the investigation itself was much quicker than Lilith had anticipated. Thanks to Richard Jacobs' fastidious record keeping and the willingness of his former assistant to fill in gaps, Lilith, Cassidy, Directors Baker and Humbolt, and the Chief Constable were sitting in a miscellaneous conference room with the lead investigator as the eighth bell tolled on the second day after the alarm.

"Constable Reeves, you may proceed," said the Chief. Carl Townes, the head of Rieckenburg's police force, was a short man with close cut gray hair and a matching beard. He wasn't necessarily unpleasant, but was extremely direct and always seemed to be scowling, which had etched deep creases into his face. He had Cassidy's full confidence when it came to the city's regulations, and was known to be a stickler for enforcing laws as-written.

"Thank you, Sir," said the detective. "Ladies, Gentlemen, thank you for your support in carrying out the investigation. I am sorry that we are meeting under such circumstances, and with this in mind, I will try to keep this as simple as I can. We will be recommending sentences for twenty-three workers here at the Complex due to a range of drug charges from consumption to distribution, with terms likely ranging from six months to the full ten years, to be determined by the magistrate. We will also be recommending the immediate execution of Veronica Carrie, who was the primary assistant to Richard Jacobs."

Johann Reeves had been expecting some sort of emotional reaction from the four leaders sitting in front of him, probably a combination of surprise and revulsion; instead, all he received were neutral expressions. They were, apparently, much harder individuals than he had realized. Consequently, he launched into his team's findings, not sparing the upsetting details he would normally skip.

By the end of the bell, Reeves had laid out a story that aligned well with the events Pip had described, but with less holes.

"When Piper was on his way to the Courtyard, why did the two Adams attack him? What was their part in Jacobs' plan?" Lilith asked.

Reeves shook his head. "Actually, we don't think they were involved at all. It appears that the one called Chester saw it as an opportunity to move up. Our theory is that he thought he could take care of Piper because of his injuries. The other one, Rico, was just in the way."

"So no pre-meditation?"

"We don't think so, ma'am."

"Director Humbolt, does that fit?"

Geoff contemplated for a dozen beats, then answered. "It could. Chester wasn't a hard case, but his emotional stability was borderline and he was a top five Adam before Pip moved up. We want ambitious Adams, and this kind of thing isn't unheard of within the program."

Lilith nodded slowly, then moved to her next question. "What about Loren and his First, Irena -- what is your theory on why they were targeted?"

"I hate to say it," replied Reeves, "but it looks like bad luck. It's pretty clear that Alfred Fetching was a target, since an Adam broke through his door. The two you mentioned were there, as was a young woman..." he trailed off as he looked at his notes. "Emily Weisskauf. There was a fight and the smaller Adam was able to overcome the rogue, but not before Mr. Fetching and Ms. Kohlkraft were killed. As you know, the smaller Adam, Loren, died from injuries a short time later. Dr. Shepard reported extreme internal damage, probably from being squeezed around the midsection during the struggle. To his credit, Ms. Weisskauf survived without injury."

"What about the other fatalities?"

"Well, I guess you could call them good Samaritans, ma'am." Lilith didn't look impressed with his answer, so he continued quickly. "Mr. Jones and Mr. Riveau were part of a group that took down the last of the rogue Adams. Six additional men were hurt in the fight."

"Eight men took down an Adam?" asked Geoff, surprised.

"Actually, sir, it was around fifteen, as far as we can tell. One of them got in a shot to the Adam's knee with a wrench and they were eventually able to pull him down."

"Constable, if it's not already clearly laid out in your report, I want the names of those men," said Lilith. When she saw that the detective was getting ready to object, she clarified, "We will be recognizing their courage and sacrifice, Constable Reeves, not disciplining them." Reeves closed his mouth and nodded.

Geoff spoke again. "So this Adam and the one the one that Rover and Mars killed, where were they going?"

Reeves shook his head. "We don't know for sure, since nothing about Jacobs' plan was written down, and his assistant didn't know anything about it. Our best guess is that one was sent after you, sir, and the other after Director Baker."

The two men shared a look, then Geoff nodded to Reeves. "Thank you, Constable."

"So Jacobs subverted five of our Adams, including our number three," stated Lilith.

"It seems that way, ma'am."

"How do we know there aren't more?"

"Yes, ma'am, a good question. Jacobs did keep records of which Adams he supplied the drug to, and there were only six names on the list. The other Adam was called Ranger, and I believe he died some months ago."

"It goes back that far?" asked a shocked Geoff.

"It seems so, although it is worth mentioning that Ranger was the first name on the list, so we think that the expansion of Jacobs' program was a more recent occurrence."

"So if this hadn't been caught now, more of the Adams would likely have been introduced to the drug?" asked Cassidy, speaking up for the first time.

"Yes, ma'am, that is our working assumption."

The silence that fell over the room was palpable as the occupants considered this statement. After entirely too long, Lilith finally tore through the silence. "Is there anything else that we should know now?"

"No, ma'am," said Reeves, almost gratefully.

Lilith stood, followed immediately by the others. "Thank you for your time, Constable. I know I speak for the rest when I say that we appreciate your efforts and your candor." Humbolt and Baker nodded, and with a final look to Lilith, both men stepped out the door, followed by Cassidy and Chief Townes, who left together.

"Ma'am," ventured Reeves once it was just the two of them, "one more moment?" She turned back and nodded to the detective. "I didn't want to say it in front of the Chief, but Piper used a knife to kill an Adam, as well as several of the scientists working for Jacobs." When Lilith didn't reply, Reeves continued. "Please excuse me if you are already aware, but there is a city ordinance specifically banning Adams from using weapons of any kind, and a knife definitely qualifies."