truly dead.
“What the hell was that for?” cried Jack.
Murum took his hand out, all bloody. “My magic has been sapped, so I can perform less amazing feats. I can only take the two of you, he was just a burden.”
Viper nodded as though she was okay with that. Jack said nothing, how could he possibly be okay with it? Jack was not a team player, he really wasn’t. He hated working with people, for people, or even around people. But he knew the one basic rule of it all. DON’T KILL THE PEOPLE ON YOUR SIDE.
They linked hands with Murum, Jack having to hold the bloody one. Then they ran towards the wall and felt themselves float straight through it. Jack found himself rising, with an unnatural sense of gravity in his stomach. He wanted to be sick, but kept it in. Then they touched down on the surface, and Jack puked everywhere.
“The lovely smell of freedom,” said Murum, enjoying the cold breeze brushing against his cheeks.
“That’s not freedom,” said Jack looking up, “sorry, that was me.”
12
CLAIRVOYANT TRICKERY
Mercy
When Mercy awoke, the world still appeared to be spinning. Swirls of darkness clouded her vision until they were eventually replaced by blurred shapes of various colours. There was a distinctive smell of rot filling her nostrils, and she was beginning to feel her senses return.
She stumbled forwards, holding out her hands in front of her. She felt something metal, and long. Oh no.
Metal bars. Enclosed spaces were something that Mercy was never good with. Some might say that it was her phobia, though she would argue that she was fearless. Although, she was aware that her last encounter with Viper went some ways to disproving that fact.
Slowly her vision returned and her fears were confirmed, she was in a small cell. Clearly she wasn’t being held by any kind of official body otherwise they would have had to make the space a little bigger, there was no care for human rights here. In fact, she was surprised to even see a small toilet – or hole in the ground, as it should be described – sat in the corner, though she imagined that it would be a pretty dire circumstance for her to actually be willing to use it. Already a tray of mushy food had been pushed underneath the bars. It didn’t look particularly appetising but there was little choice other than to eat it anyway.
She tried to drag herself towards it, but her entire body cried out with internal pain, willing her to just collapse on the floor and fall unconscious once again. It didn’t come to that, she had been trained to resist all instincts that her body attempted to drill into her no matter how strongly it wanted to obey. It’s how she’d survived for this long, control over her body and emotions. If she was starting to fail at this then she feared she might not be long for this world. To be honest, that was a fear, even with her skills. It certainly wasn’t looking great.
Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and rolled over onto her knees, then onto her feet and using the wall she managed to stand. Rather than getting used to it, she ended the pain by snatching up the tray and falling backwards so that she was sat on the hard bed parallel with the back wall. It wasn’t comfortable, but she certainly felt better for having something to prop up and lean against, she felt supported rather than imbalanced as she had before. The next challenge was one she really didn’t want to do, worse than fighting any of the monsters and killers she had been able to slay. Eating that food.
She wasn’t even sure it was fit for human consumption, but she was certain they weren’t trying to poison her because she could be useful. So, she used the disposable, wooden spoon to scoop up a small pile of the mush, then she licked a tiny bit off the corner. She grimaced. Normally things were not as vile as they looked, though it wasn’t a stretch to say that this definitely was. At least it was bad enough for her to hurl the tray into the wall rather than quenching the hunger pains that had built up in her stomach.
She cursed herself for becoming distracted. This wasn’t what her training taught her. When captured by the enemy, you don’t sit there enjoying their hospitality, no, you search for a way to escape and then get the hell out of there. Not that they had directly taught her how to get out of metal bars. Her magic wasn’t exactly good for breaking through things, in fact, it was pointless unless there was someone that she could invade with her mind. But there were no guards, everywhere was completely deserted.
She checked for weaknesses all along the bars, any small gaps that she could expand enough to climb through, even hidden passages. Damn. She thought Patience watched too many films. No matter what she tried, she just couldn’t get results. Just when she had given up, a face appeared between the bars. It was an ugly face with milky white skin that was covered in horrible, red scabs. His smile widened to show small needle-like teeth.
“Hello, Missy,” he said. His voice was cruel and tormenting, somehow he stood out from the rest of them, like he didn’t quite belong there. Maybe that could be because it was easy to tell that he was a psychopathic killer, and normally people like that don’t react well to authority. They don’t like being told who they can and can’t kill. “Seems I’ve been reduced to escorting you someplace.”
Mercy stepped back. “Go ahead, suppose I haven’t got much choice anyway.”
“No, no choice at all,” he laughed, “you’re like a caged rat, but just a little more ugly.”
“You’re the one to talk.”
“I admit, looks never were my strong point, but I make up for it in other ways.”
Mercy smiled. “Give me my swords and I’ll show you how I make up for it.”
“We’ll be having none of that, Missy,” he said, “name’s Jack Ripper, and as I hear it, you’re in no fit state to fight back. So, I wouldn’t think about it, otherwise I might not be as nurturing as Madame Viper.”
He sounded slightly sarcastic as he addressed her.
Mercy showed hints of a smirk. “So, she’s your boss.”
“I’m not a slave to anyone, especially not that woman.”
“Yet here you are doing the small jobs. I bet she doesn’t even tell you what their plan is?”
“Yes, I’m important see. They tell me things.”
Mercy had hit a nerve. “Are you sure? It sounds like you’re their pet. I hate to say it, but that’s all I can see.”
“I ain’t no pet,” he cried, “not a pet!”
“Well, why don’t you prove it? Just let me out of here, I will make it worth your while. Prove that you are your own man.”
Jack twisted into an angry smile. “Don’t think I can’t see what you’re trying to do, I’m not stupid.”
“Oh, I bet.”
“And I can see powers, I know you’re a clairvoyant. You try to worm your way inside people’s brain and make them do things for you.”
“Like Viper is doing to you.”
“But it won’t work, I won’t fall for it.” Jack opened the cell door and pulled her out, pushing her in front to force her to walk. “You have an appointment…. and I’d hate for you to be late.”
Mercy sighed hopelessly. “Wouldn’t that be awful.”
They made their way through the corridors of what appeared to be some kind of facility. At one point Mercy thought she heard the sounds of heavy machinery in a room to her side, but her knowledge about factories were limited, so she couldn’t pinpoint where she was. Her exposure to the facility was rather restricted. By the time they turned off into a small room that looked like an office, she hadn’t properly got to see any parts of it.
Viper was already sat in the seat on the other side of the desk. Jack led her in and sat her down opposite, offering no restraints. Viper must have felt confident that her injuries would hold her back, or maybe it was confidence in her own abilities. Either way, Mercy was struggling to even walk, let alone strike out and engage in a successful fight.
Viper locked her fingers and stretched her legs out onto the front of the desk.
“You took your time,”
she said, “not that it matters.”
Mercy frowned. “I thought I’d be meeting this ‘Mr Big’.”
“My boss is a very private man. He prefers to orchestrate events in more of a backseat position, watching from afar, so to speak. So in effect, it is my boss who sits before you, but acting through me.”
“You’re his…. representative.”
“Exactly,” she said, sitting up straighter, “he is powerful, but if the Luminary were to find out his identity, it could be catastrophic for his plans, at this point. However, in just a few short days he will no longer matter. My boss will be unstoppable.”
“Why are you too scared to say his name?”
“What? I’m not scared?”
“Then say it.”
“I am not scared.”
“Then say his name. Go on, say it.”
Viper waved her hand. “This is irrelevant gossip. We are both grown-ups here, so I feel that maturity should be the manner in which we lead this conversation.”
“So no fart jokes,” she said, “is that what you’re trying to say?”
Viper scowled. “Well that would certainly bring down the intelligence of the conversation, but that’s not strictly what I meant. Only that we can approach this in a way that is clear and succinct.” She leaned forward, trying to disguise her face with a pleasant expression. “You have information which I need, and you’re going to give it to me. And here’s where the honesty comes in. If you don’t tell me, you’re not helping