Chloe ducked through the doors of the shuttle a moment before they slammed closed behind her, and sighed in relief; made it -- this time at least. The shuttle was packed full of people both seated and standing. Chloe looked out the window at the ground as the shuttle slowly began to rise into the air. This was probably about as close to space flight as she was ever going to get, she thought as she shuttle lifted higher and higher before slowly picking up speed and flying off towards its next stop. Her life was boring like that, well, usually at least.
Chloe sighed and hung on to the hand rail above her head as the shuttle was buffeted by turbulence. The city really needed to replace these old, dinky shuttles; they were starting to fall apart. Public transportation seemed the least of their worries though; they probably wouldnt get upgraded until the big corporations released their new space models, and the old B-27-Es replaced the current shuttles. Chloe looked around outside the window; there were many freighterss flying around, and even the odd fighter ship. Some of them were on their way up to the massive docking rings that orbited above the city; others were travelling between destinations just like they were. Youd have to be filthy rich to own a private ship, Chloe thought.
At last, the shuttle reached downtown New London and begun its decent. This was Chloes stop. The doors opened and she stepped back onto solid ground. It was only a short walk to the station from here, luckily. She walked briskly down the street. The Chief would be proud that she was on time, but he wouldnt be pleased if he knew she didnt sleep well last night. It felt unavoidable, though. Chloe had far too much on her mind.
The elevator delivered her to her departments floor; clocked in and stepped into the office. She was supposed to take some time off to recover from the recent crash, but until now she didnt even think of it. There were too many answers to weed out. She sat down at her desk and checked her neural net for a few moments. The Chief walked into the room and noticed her almost right away. Blackmore, what part of take some time dont you understand? He asked gruffly. No time for that, Chief. I can still do my job; youve got a new case, right? Chloe asked. The Chief ran his hand across his face with slight frustration. Aye, but I want all hands working on this crash. He replied.
Well, if Im still a suspect then I cant work on the new case. Chloe offered. You sure you wont throw up again? Someone jeered from the back of the room. Chloe didnt see who, but she ignored it. Fine. Follow me. He gave in, and headed for the elevators. Chloe got out of her seat and followed him, walking with a bit of caution in her step, knowing everyone in the room was probably staring at her, again.
“This is her?” Chloe asked, looking at the figure lying on a cold steel slab, a white sheet pulled up over her face. “Yeah.” The Chief replied. Chloe carefully folded back the sheet to reveal her face. Such a shame for someone so pretty to die that way, she thought, someone so young, too. Chloe inspected her face for a moment. “Has she been cleaned yet?” She asked. “Not yet, she hasn’t even been processed. We lost two comrades in that crash, I’ve had all hands working on it, trying to determine the cause.” The Chief explained. “None of us will feel justice until we do.”
“They all blame me for it, don’t they?” Chloe asked, turning away from the body. “No one’s saying that.” He reassured her. “No one except Mark.” Chloe reminded him. That suddenly reminded her as well, she was going to rage at Mark before the homicide incident happened. God, she had so much to do. “Don’t you worry, I’ll deal with him.” The Chief assured her. Good, one less thing to worry about. The Chief sighed heavily. “After I deal with the boys uptown, they want that evidence for their case, but it’s also evidence in ours. I can’t let them have until we’ve finished processing it.”
“How much was left?” Chloe asked. “Not much. Less than half the artefacts survived, most of them are fire damaged to some extent. We got what’s left stored down here” He explained. Chloe glanced across at the evidence locker. She felt her heart beat heavily once and felt a heavy weight in her chest. She didn’t understand why, but she felt she had to take a look. She took a step towards it, she felt herself losing control of her own body again, like before. Her hand reached out before her, reaching out to the door as her feet moved, one step at a time. “Chloe, what the hell?” The Chief asked, he could clearly see her acting strangely. “I… I don’t know. I feel like I have to look…” She said.
She gripped the handle on the door tight, her heart beating out of her chest as she twisted the knob and opened the door slowly. The room was dark inside, and the light behind her shone onto the floor and back wall, lighting up more and more of the room as she opened it, she reached into the room and flicked on the light. Glancing around, she felt a sort of disappointment somehow, as if the answers to everything that had happened to her over the past few days would be in some room. But no, it was just a pile of old world relics and a few artifacts. Junk they’d collected from various crime scenes, all of it stolen from various museums around New London.
“What the devil is going on, Chloe?” The Chief asked. “Nothing, I just felt like… its nothing, just forget it.” She shook her head, turning one more glance into the room before closing the door and sealing it tight.
Out of a sudden, the intercom on the wall made a buzzing noise, the Chief glanced at Chloe for a moment, and she glanced back at him. The Chief stepped over to the intercom and pressed the button. “Yeah?” He asked. “Chief, we found some info in the black box.” The voice on the other side spoke. “Send it down to me.” The Chief replied and moved to the lab’s computer. Chloe got to her feet, her head felt heavy. She stood behind the Chief and watched as he logged into his neural net and loaded the files.
The numbers loaded on the screen, and the Chief scanned them quickly. It didn’t much sense to Chloe at all, you must need to be a technician to understand it, she thought. The Chief seemed to understand it though. “Hm… this doesn’t make sense.” He thought out loud. Or maybe not. “The power output from the engines doesn’t match up with the ships flight speed.” He continued speaking out loud to himself as he stroked his chin. The Chief got to his feet, and pulled a cigar from his front shirt pocket. “What does that mean?” Chloe asked. The Chief lit his cigar, and headed for the elevator without a word.
Guess that means he doesn’t know. Chloe thought to herself. She looked down at the computer again. Silly old man, forgot to log off. She thought to herself, and reached down to do it for him. She stopped in her tracks as her eye was drawn to a data file. It was the sound recording file of the ships black box. Of course! This is what she needed. How could this have gone unnoticed? She opened the file. Hm, password protected, wonder why the Chief would password it. She sat down made a quick guess, and grinned. Etna, how predictable of him. The file loaded and Chloe leaned back in the seat. She just wanted to listen to their voices… one last time.
Hey look, Jason. No hands! Yeah, and no life once we all crash and burn because of your -- Jesus, keep the damn ship steady. Haha! Saved your life. How the hell did you of all people get your pilots license? Cause I got mad skills. Yeah well youre not a fighter jock. It doesnt take mad skills to fly this thing. Okay then, you do it.
Chloe smiled as she listened to Jack and Jason jesting back and forth for a few minutes. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes already; she could listen to this for hours. But dare she listen to the recording just before their deaths? She had to know what happened. This file could free her from suspicion. She fast forwarded to a few minutes before the crash and listened, this time on the edge of her seat.
Geeze, whats the time already? Im getting hungry.
Uh oh, thats not how Chloe remembered it. This wasnt good. Well get there before lunch, dont worry. Screw that, Im hungry now. Are the cruise engines on this thing active? Using Cruise speed in atmospheric flight will cause a massive blow back. Youll blow us all to bits!
Chloe could hear the ship starting to shake through the recording, and the sound of a crash. Then it all settled down.
Fine, well do it -- Chloe? Chloe whats wrong? Jake, get us in contact with uptown, I think shes seizing. Get them or organise a medical transport at touch down, get us there on the double. Im on it.
Amongst the chatter between Jake and Jason she could hear herself wailing. It happened to her before? That made sense somehow.
Chloe. Chloe look at me!
This was so very wrong this is not what happened. This is not what she remembered. BLACKMORE!
Suddenly, the wailing stopped. The whole recording fell silent for a few moments. Hello? Jason? Chloe? Whats going on back there?
HOLY -- WHAT THE HELL? CHLO -- HUUgh
Then there was a thump, and a silence. Chloe sat in her seat, hands clenched tight on her lap, her whole body tense and her eyes open wide. What the hell was going on here? Through the recording Chloe could hear the ship beeping in warning as the ship began to spin out of control. She could hear Jake, still alive, but gurgling on bubbling blood as he tried feebly to pull the ship back into control. She could see it so clearly in her head now.
No, this couldnt be right. This was not happening. Jake gave a final grunt as he died, and through the recording Chloe could hear her satisfied panting.
((Note: To anyone following this, I've made some changes in the last few posts. I was rushing the story to try and meet a deadline, but I wasn't happy with how it was turning out. So, I've changed it.))
The Chief returned to the lab and looked around for a moment. Chloe? He called with concern when he could not see her anywhere. He took a few more steps into the room, and noticed a pair of shoes sticking out from under a table. Chloe, what the hell? He asked and moved closer. He stooped down to look at her, crouched under the table with her knees drawn up to her check, hugging them tight and her lips pressed against her knees. She stared blankly at the floor, a surgical knife dangling in her hand lazily.
What has gotten into you? He asked. Why? Why did you hide that from me? She asked. What the hell are you talking about? He asked, and she motioned towards the computer, where the voice recording had been playing on loop for the past two hours. Every time I listen to it again, I hope it will be different. Hope it was wrong. But its never wrong, its always the same. Theyre dying, over and over. She rambled in distress. I thought maybe it would be better for everyone if I just ended it. But it wont let me do that... that would be too easy. She continued speaking; to the Chief it was complete nonsense.
Watch. She said as she moved the knife closer to her wrist. Her hand started shaking uncontrollably as she moved it closer. Jesus ****ing Christ, girl. The Chief swore as he grabbed her knife from her hand. Think of your daughter. He said. Oh God, she hadnt even thought of that, Chloes lip began to tremble as she started to cry again. You knew all this time... She spoke through a broken voice. Why? She asked. I was trying to protect you. The Chief tried to explain. I killed them. Jake, Jason... I killed them both. What if I killed Saga too? She asked, her voice breaking down even more as she continued.
That wouldnt happen. You love her too much. The Chief tried to reassure her. When it comes over me... I cant control it. What if I... Chloe said, but then the Chief interrupted her. That doesnt matter now. The important thing now is we get you somewhere safe. He tried to convince her. He reached out to take her hand, and pulled her out from under the table.
Chloe allowed the Chief to pull her out and to her feet. He dropped her hand and began to walk towards the elevator. Chloe took a step and glanced across at the evidence locker again. Something tickled the back of her mind as the Chief lead her out of the room.
"Chief, where are we going?" Chloe asked, staring out the window of the car as it rolled through the dark streets. The ambient glow of the city lights overhead surrounded the lower levels of the city in a perpetual twilight of orange street signs and traffic lights. "Somewhere, just for the night. Until we figure out what to do." He replied. They had already been driving for hours, Chloe wondered where it was they were going that was so far away. It was probably for the best. Maybe the Chief feared they were going to lock her away, and he was giving her a chance to escape. That's not what she wanted at all, if she were to deserve it. After rows and rows and rows of tall buildings the city scape suddenly folded out into a flat landscape littered with residential homes. Chloe had never been this far out, not in all her life, though she had heard about it. This was where all the rich billionaires lived far outside the smog-ridden city's of New London in the peaceful developments outside. Could this possibly be where the Chief himself lived? It seemed difficult to comprehend how much travel would be involved each day to and from work.
The Chief continued to drive, Chloe had lost all sense of time, slightly bewildered by the almost serene landscape around her, a child-like innocence in her eyes. She briefly forgot all her problems and made a mental note to bring Saga here one day. Chloe glanced across at the Chief, all this beauty seemed lost upon his stern, expressionless face. It was almost enough to bring Chloe back to reality. The car began to slow and the Chief pulled into a private access-way off the main road. Maybe she was right, maybe he did own one of the impressive houses out here. Who would have known? The access way was long and sheltered with many trees, so many trees. Eventually the tree line broke away to reveal a somewhat disappointingly small house. Chloe was expecting something huge, like a mansion. Oh well. The Chief pulled his car up in front and stepped out of the car. Chloe followed his example, grateful to finally be able to stretch her legs.
Chloe followed the Chief up to the porch and to the door. He twisted the handle and stepped inside. Not even locked, that's pretty strange. The Chief flicked the light switch and the white lights on the ceiling flickered to life, illuminating the immediate room. "Are you hungry?" The Chief asked. Chloe shook her head as she stepped into the house. "No, I'm just tired." She replied. "Bedroom's through there." He motioned towards the door. What a gentleman, she thought. She shouldn't be ungrateful, though. She headed towards the door, but stopped for a moment and turned around. "Oh, and Chief." She called to him. He looked straight at her without replying, that same stern look. "If I get out of control, I want you to put a bullet to me. Promise me." She continued. The Chief still didn't respond, just staring in her direction. It was clear after a few seconds that she wasn't getting a response out of him. She turned around and headed to the bedroom. She really was exhausted after the long car ride.
It was dark, well almost. A faint light shone from under the thick blinds, a single beam of light that managed to shine its self on Chloe's face, stirring her back to life. She sat up slowly, and drowsily, her head was a blurry mess. Her wrist met a sudden stop as she tried to lift it. Why was her left arm cuffed to the bed post? Oh, that's right... she didn't trust her own subconcious any more. Obviously not a well thought out plan, though. Her eyelids still felt heavy, it had not been a comfortable, nor lengthy sleep. Time to wake the hell up and get this **** sorted, she thought. She stood up groggily, swaying slightly from the blood rush to her head, before regaining focus. She fumbled around until she found her pants, and struggled to pull them on. Not an easy task when one of your arms is cuffed to a bed post. Finally, she pulled up the zipper and did up the button at the top. She tugged slightly at the cuff around her wrist, now how to get out of this thing? She spied the glint of the key, tossed against the wall. She really, really should have thought this through.
Stretching beyond her limits, she reached out for the key with her fingertips, trying to inch her way closer and closer. She colapsed back and sighed, no use. It was only just out of her reach, but then, that probably was the idea. Seemed like a good one at the time. She leaned back against the bed to catch her breath for a moment. A shadow moving past the window caught her attention. The Chief? She thought. Another shadow moved past the window. Then another, and another. No, it's something else, she could tell. That was her job, after all. A pit feeling in her gut told her that they were here for one reason only. She just hope the Chief was as vigilant as she was. A new sense of urgency over came her. She reached out for the key again, seemed kind of pointless though, she already knew she couldn't reach it, not like that. She pulled at the bed, hoping it would budge closer, but to no avail. She reached out with her foot, as far as her legs could reach, touching the carpet just a hairsbredth away from the key. Outside the room she could hear the sound of muffled movement and conversation. Where was the Chief?
The rattling on the door knob gave Chloe a startle. Good thing the door was locked, but that wouldn't stop them for long. She heard a bang against the solid wood, yep, they were already breaking their way in. With another bang against the door, the lock burst and the door swung open. Chloe buried her face in the bed sheets and closed her eyes, terrified of the uncertain future. She didn't want to die yet, not any more. A sharp pain ran through her wrist and a loud ping rang out. Chloe lifted her head slightly, gritting her teeth and peering at her wrist through a half open eye. The cuff had snapped? No time to ponder it now. She got to her feet. This was not the end, she turned around to face the two figures. Hunched over, with her hair dangling in front of her face, she looked up at them. One of them held out a badge, both had their guns trained at her. "Are you Chloe Blackmore?"
A feeling began to rise up inside her, as she thought, they were here for her. This feeling, it was like before... but it was different than before. She clenched her hand. She felt light... as if a great burden had been lifted off her shoulders. "Are you Chloe Blackmore?" They repeated again. Words echoed in her own head, she couldn't tell if they were said outloud, or not. I am light...
She took a step forward, the two agents straightened their aim. Chloe could see through the door, there were more of them outside, yet it didn't seem to bother her. I am an angel of death...
Maybe it was the adrenaline, but as she lunged forward, and the guns flared, she couldn't feel a thing. She knew she had been hit, but it wasn't the same as before. The agents must have hesitated, dropping their guard as this crazy little woman took two tranqs and kept charging. She grabbed the first by the throat, and tossed him into the other, almost like a rag-doll. Where did all this power come from? At that point, she was ready to charge out into the living room, which was most likely swarming with cops. A horn blared outside, catching her attention as a car pulled up with a sliding stop. It was enough to brought her to her senses, she wasn't invincible. More agents began piling into the door frame, these ones carrying assault rifles. She took a running leap towards the window, with shots flying at her heels, she hit the closed blind and smashed the window behind it. Her momentum carried her through, making a rather dramatic exit, but a rather ungraceful landing. As she sailed through the air, one last thought ran through her head. "I am power."
"Chloe, come on!" the Chief urged her. Why was he risking everything to help her? She picked herself up off the broken glass and ran towards the car. "Heh, saved by the horn," she thought to herself. Chloe leaped through the open window of the car as more shots came from behind, traveling past her. The Chief slammed on the accelerator, and the wheels spun in place until they got enough grip on the road, and took off with Chloe half hanging out the window. Chloe pulled herself through the window and upright. "I always wanted to do that." She said, panting slightly. The Chief shot her a glance. Chloe looked down at her body to assess the damage. She pulled two tranq darts from her chest and stomach, and one from her back. Her breathing was becoming more laboured as the adrenaline wore off and the tranquilizers took over. Who ever wanted her, clearly wanted her alive.