Hammerblow

I had just known it, all along. I realised that the holocall had told me everything with its disconcerting silence. And the malevolent staring.

Fisher didn’t say much to me. He sat in respectful silence while I composed myself as best as I could from the hammer blow. A Hammerblow to my heart. I asked him what evidence there was to back up his suspicions.

“Adem, we are currently checking all the information we have, just give me and the surveillance department a little more time to put it all together. Just give us a little more time, please.”

“Typical line of yours: wanting more and more time. We need to do something. Now. Not –” Not when it would be too late.

Fisher nodded. He offered me some tranquiliser, but I refused it.

“Okay, young man, give me a call if you need me.”

He let me be in the spartan office, which I was grateful for. I needed to compose myself, and quickly. I didn’t know if I could do that around him.

I felt lots of conflicting feelings and emotions collide inside me, but I knew one thing for sure: if I never saw Blue again, or if she was harmed because of me, I’d never ever forgive myself.

She should have been with me! I should have kept her safe. How stupid could I have been – the warning signs were there!

Had Fisher known it was going to be this way? Surely not...

I didn’t want to think anymore. I just wanted to do something.

Half an hour later, we were all gathered into a larger office, security finishing off a sweeping for bugs, under the direction of Malik. Bobbi had joined us, the Head of Security called Gavin was present, and a few other senior staff in addition, of whom I didn’t know so well. Robbie and Daniel entered, sitting by me. Steph soon arrived – after she flashed her press pass and explained her role very briefly, I had insisted she would be permitted to attend – or I would be gone. Despite looking uncomfortable at being given this ultimatum, Fisher assented.

Bobbi moved closer to me and squeezed my hand. I barely nodded in acknowledgement. Outside I was frozen, but inside I was getting ready for whatever it took.

Gavin began by filling us in about the security situation. “The reallocation of guards caused by Adem’s departure and currently successful reintegration was not entirely completed. Two guards asked for their contracts to be terminated due to not wanting to relocate, which was their legal right, and that occurred a week ago. However, in the early hours of this morning, their IDs were bizarrely reactivated – and this was not flagged up until we ran a check in the last hour. We ran further checks on the cameras, timing when these ID passes were used to enter and exit certain areas. The summary was, it seems that those two guards tracked Belinda Blue after her entrance into the facility complex at 07:44 hours, using the computer system they had access clearance for. We have footage of her outside a restroom, are you okay for me to play it now?” He looked squarely at me. I nodded.

Nanobots created a wide screen instantly, and the feed was started. Blue was about to go into the restroom, but turned as two guards came into shot, one with an empty wheelchair. She looked straight at the camera, and shouted “Hey you two MORONS, this is the ladies', don’t follow me in here!”

Something struck me. I filed it away, returning focus to the video playback.

The guards entered the restroom about a minute after that confrontation. The feed was fast-forwarded about three, four minutes…and the guards came out again, with a similar-sized person to Blue restrained in the wheelchair – but the patient had a different face with short grey hair. She looked like she was in her late forties, wearing standard inpatient garb. Gavin stopped the feed dead.

“We had the tech inventory searched, and it appears that three sets of holomasks and chameleonwear were taken at 6:13 am. Clearly Blue has been allocated one set. From video footage, though, we can see that the two guards haven’t used the other sets in their time here, so we presume they have future intentions for them. They left in an autotaxi that we traced: they went straight to a mall with a Telepod.”

I started talking. “Do you have video security footage from my time here?”

“Yes, of course. We store it for at least two years.”

“Can you rewind it to about a week from when I was put in my last room here, the one with all the gym equipment, and let me watch the footage?”

"That will take some time, at the moment, but we will have that queued for you." I cradled my head. Time was ticking away.

Bobbi spoke up. “Why, Adem?”

“'Moron' isn’t a term that Blue tends to use. And remember, she never unwittingly stares at a camera…”

“Ah!” At that moment, Bobbi must have recalled Blue's past plushie-throwing defiance.

I looked at Fisher. I still didn’t trust him. When he saw me studying him, he quickly looked away. Then curiously enough, he spoke to Steph.

“Stephanie, I believe strongly that, for the moment at least, we should wait and see what the abductors want with Blue. I think we can take a guess as to why she was taken, sadly. But involving the press at this stage might put her life in jeopardy. I know professionally we should also contact the police. However, based on my assumptions of who might have taken her, and how difficult it would be to catch the perpetrators when they have hologear, I’d suggest waiting until they make contact.”

Fisher was really beginning to concern me.

Bobbi spoke up. “Adem, is there something you’re not telling us? You came here randomly, saying you wanted to see Blue. What was behind that?” Robbie came next. “Bud, show people the video recording of your call earlier on.”

I beamed it onto the wall. They saw the hooded man and his mask. While they watched that, I was watching Fisher. He was nodding, knowingly.

“What information came up on the call log?” Gavin asked.

“Nothing. It said it was from an unknown source.”

“That…shouldn’t happen. Ever.” Gavin responded, stunned. “It’s not possible”.

Fisher spoke. “Oh, it is. I definitely recommend that we wait after seeing that.” He turned to me. “You were called by an Elder in the Sect.”