Killer Be Killed Read online

  “I have to be out there,” Talbert said in a tone that felt desperate.

  “I think coming to this planet was a very good step, sir,” said Roslyn a bit too loudly and pronounced. She tried not to grin from embarrassment. She had a lot to say, and didn’t know how much of it she should.

  “I’m glad you approve,” Allan said and glanced toward Talbert. Was he patronizing her?

  “I think the future of this firm is the future of law enforcement. I think we have the right placement and reputation to evolve with the evolving climates of these former colonies.” Stop saying evolve!

  “Maybe so, kid,” Allan smiled.

  “I think Hattie and myself can bring to this firm the training we’ve received in college to the real world…” She’d lost her train of thought. That damn mole! What the hells are you talking about?

  “Okay, dear,” said Allan, holding up his hand to halt her.

  “My old man always said, you can send a fool to college, but all you get back is an educated fool,” Talbert said. This caused her father to laugh.

  Roslyn’s ire burned down an entire forest of reason in one blast. What the fuck?

  To her mind, the meeting was adjourned without much of anything being established or accomplished. Talbert tipped his hat to her on the way out. She tried to pretend she didn’t notice.

  Roslyn drank a bottle of wine that night, watching the city light up and buzz from her small fire escape balcony. Father had found her the apartment. It was quaint. She’d need to redecorate for sure.

  The rain was mostly mist and fog. She kept going back to Devil Bill and the fool she’d made of herself in front of him.

  Devil Bill was the first celebrity she’d ever met, discounting her father. It had unnerved her. Feeling no pain, Roslyn crawled back inside after the bottle was empty.

  *

  Talbert

  Talbert sat at the far end of the bar of the Purple Rain Tavern. It occupied the corner of his block. A couple of war veterans hung there and Talbert felt comfortable around them. They were all war vets, so no one ever brought it up. Too many things had happened that needed never to be spoken of. The only war stories told were innocent and humorous. They’d bring up the oddballs and goofs who served next to them, but never the violence they’d seen and perpetrated.

  Talbert tried to recruit the larger man, Manny, into Allan’s band of detectives. But Manny had no stomach left for violence. That’s how the agency had formed. Allan Fink started it after the war, when the vacuum opened once Earth pulled its troops and infrastructure collapsed. Allan and his unit stayed behind. Allan had lost his family and so had Talbert. Talbert grew up on Athena. But his parents were loyalists.

  There were twelve men to start Allan’s agency after the war. They’d lost seven over the ten years they’d been in business. But they’d gained fifty-eight employees since then. Talbert chalked that up to success.

  They’d started it on Athena, but the Amazons became too much to deal with and Allan negotiated a deal with the Avians of Shiva to let him set up shop in their one city. His mission was to do good. Yes, make a profit while at it, but he was helping bring the Avians’ sense of justice to the former colonies. The fools were too steeped in their dogma of ‘No Government’s Gonna Tell Us What We Can and Cannot Do, Ever Again,’ to listen, and so it had been a rocky road to traverse. Taxes Are For Asses!

  Talbert felt it at first, and then he glanced to his side and noticed a young man staring at him. His round childish eyes were dark with liner. The man was dressed impeccably. He wore a silky, black and grey striped jacket over a black vest and grey shirt. His slick top hat was also black and grey striped. His smart goggles were pulled up onto the brim of the hat. On his face he wore a demented grin. Like he was in on some joke about to happen. Despite a heavy bug juice haze, this caused Talbert’s alarms to ring. He took a survey of the bar. No one else seemed involved in the man-child’s scheme.

  “Help you?” Talbert asked meeting the man’s round eyes.

  “Huh?” Man-child’s grin expanded. He put his hand to his ear.

  “Do I know you?” Talbert asked, pulling back his jacket in case he needed his gun.

  “How can we know anybody, brother, we don’t even know ourselves,” Man-child said with a sanctimonious smile. Talbert saw the green glow from his mug and realized this kid was probably drinking bug juice for the first time. He was most likely there studying the Birds. Talbert wasn’t in the mood to hear their high and mighty bullshit. They evolved the ability to fly and think. What did they know about human suffering? Talbert wasn’t there to hear all that, he was there to put himself down so that he wouldn’t have nightmares. He was also there because drinking alone made him feel guilty. Though he’d do it more often than he’d admit.

  “Well, if you don’t have business with me, I’d advise you stop eye fucking me, then,” Talbert said in his deepest voice.

  “It’s just that I’ve been given the secret truth of the universe, brother,” the young dandy said. Talbert assumed he was from Earth, but his accent sounded like he was from Danaus; Annabellus more specifically. Here was just some rich kid from Danaus trying to learn how to become enlightened from the Birds. Someone from Danaus who was still wealthy was a rare sight. The war had devastated Danaus.

  “I’m sure you have,” Talbert grumbled and turned away.

  “Did you know that the universe is a living organism?” asked Man-child. “Entropy created the universe and it created consciousness, simultaneously. Okay? So, it’s the same driving mechanism that created both things, which means they are the same. The universe and consciousness are as intertwined as space and time.”

  “Son,” Talbert said, turning back to him with a scowl. “Thanks, but I’m not into that shit. Save it for One Day School.”

  “It’s a complex system, brother” Man-child continued, oblivious to the threat to his life. “As part of it, our souls keep reincarnating, right? We’ve been here since the beginning. Since the Big Bang. We’re all just residue from the Big Bang. Recycled energy vibrations, brother.”

  Talbert turned his back to the man. He tried to catch up on what his old war buddies were joking around about. He’d missed it.

  “Entire cultures and generations will reincarnate at the same time. We have a core group of souls we’ve been traveling with since the beginning. Because we were all one large cluster before, shot out into the expanding universe, man, after the bang. It’s been broken apart over and over, until we’re like crumbs. But we come from the same cookie, brother. You see? The cookies have become entire cultures. So the souls of people in Ancient Rome later became Americans and before that they were all in Atlantis. Sure a few will defect and wait to be born with a later generation, but for the most part, we all come and go at the same time. Ain’t that wonderful? Pretty good, pretty neat.”

  Talbert heard him, but pretended not to listen. He didn’t believe in all of that shit. He wasn’t sure he trusted the Birds. They were smart and wise beyond any human, but… He cared not to dwell on it. If they were so powerful, why hadn’t they prevented the war? Because they are too passive? Why did they allow bad things to happen?

  “That’s why history repeats itself. We fall into old patterns and never get to move forward. One day all the Birds will be gone because they’ll stop being born. They’ll have all reached nirvana. Then it will be a living hell. Only the bad souls will be born. The crooked and rotten ones. Hitler and Stalin and Devil Bill.”

  Though he hadn’t been listening, this caught his ear. He spun on the Man-child. He went to grab the man’s collar but he was no longer there. This caused Talbert to spin. He looked around, but there was no trace of the man. How many bug juices had he had? This was his second, correct? He tried to clear his head. Had that all been imagined? Had he hallucinated?

  That night, he dreamt of a church, full of children, burning. He could hear the children screaming and could do nothing to stop them. Only the flames quieted their cries of ago
ny.

  CHAPTER THREE

  IPKDA Board Room:

  Shiva

  A large hologram of a frail, thin man, with a thick mustache, wearing a very expensive suit, a walking cane and sharp boots, hovered above the table. Floating beneath it:

  DOGG HOLLY. Alive: 585K Dead: 10K.

  “Dang, they want him alive, huh?” whistled Bella Gomez from the other side of the table.

  “That’s Dogg Holly, of course they do,” said Frank Lee, adjusting his white gloves. Evidently, no one had ever seen his hands. He had never been spotted without those white gloves. Roslyn liked him immediately because he was too young to have fought in the war. He was from her generation.

  “Now that’s the big time, dang,” said Charlie Siringo, a tall, lanky senior agent recently returned from assignment.

  “Who’s put up the job?” Talbert asked.

  “It’s a funny thing. It was anonymous,” Allan said.

  “What?” asked McParland. “How do we know it’s legit?”

  “Cause who ever it is, put the credit to our account, it’s just on hold until we bring him in. But it’s been verified, through legit Earth banking institutions,” said Allan.

  Roslyn tried to pretend she wasn’t playing catch up. But she felt like she was always one second behind everyone else. She tried to sooth the mole by explaining that this was her first board meeting ever.

  She did, however, enjoy seeing her father in his natural environment. She couldn’t help but smile when he’d crack a joke or finalize a decision.

  “So who gets it?” asked Frank Lee wearing a smug grin. He was ambitious, Roslyn thought, a commendable trait.

  “Well, first of all, do we think its something we can achieve, you know, as a team? This is the big time here. We’re packing a stunny while he’s playing for real and he’s proven himself one of the fastest draws out here. You might and probably will get killed. My gut says to pass on it. But it came directly to us. It’s an exclusive.”

  “Exclusive?” asked Talbert.

  A chill wafted into the room. Roslyn imagined the air conditioner had kicked on. She wished she’d brought a sweatshirt or at least a jacket.

  The lights brightened momentarily and everyone grew quiet, save a few nervous whispers.

  “Oh, boy,” whispered McParland looking up at the ceiling.

  “Well…” Allan said, also looking up. “Looks like we’re about to hear about our recent fuck ups.”

  “Here come the Birds,” Howard McGee said leaning back away from the table.

  A door in the ceiling opened, spilling in rain, but drains in the floor dispersed the water.

  Ambassador Baraquiel landed in the center of the table. Water droplets fell from his soft-blue wings as he furled and then unfurled them.

  His talons clattered across the table as he stepped down from it.

  You moved the table, said Baraquiel as he strode toward the head. Only the message wasn’t auditory, it was telepathic. The yellow and green beak didn’t utter a sound.

  “We weren’t expecting you, Ambassador,” Allan said, standing to allow Baraquiel to take his seat. But the bright blue, eight-foot-tall bird preferred to stand. Its face resembled an owl with two forward facing, all knowing eyes. Roslyn nearly fainted at the sight. It was her first encounter with the most divine, the Holy Avians. But she knew everything about them, as did most kids on Earth.

  I’d like to question the suspect, please. Is he here? asked Baraquiel. Roslyn tried to hide her amazement but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. In real life the Avians were even more majestic than any text could portray. There was what seemed to be a luminescence of white light enshrouding them. They radiated divine energy.

  “There was a problem,” Roslyn stood. The ambassador turned to stab his golden eyes into her. It was titillating and frightening at the same time.

  You killed him? No… You put him in a coma… Baraquiel’s stare was too much to bear. She thought she might pass out. Consider yourselves on probation. Did you kill those people?

  Roslyn felt hot tears brewing. She slowly dipped her head and then nodded.

  One more act of senseless murder without justice results in you finding a new planet to call home, Baraquiel said. Now bring me the suspect. I’ll revive him.

  Roslyn’s heart leapt as a wave of relief splashed over her. She wasn’t sure if the stories of the Avians performing miracles were half-truths or right out lies.

  The bounty was brought in and Baraquiel laid his hands on the hillbilly rapist’s head. After a few minutes of nervous silence, the man sucked in a loud gasp of air and blinked open his eyes. Roslyn wanted to do a back flip.

  “I volunteer for the mission,” said Frank Lee, raising a gloved finger. “Dogg Holly. I can bring him in.”

  “I volunteer as well,” Roslyn joined. She wanted to show her gratitude.

  “Hold on, now. This isn’t a volunteering situation,” Allan grumbled. “There’s deliberating to be done.”

  Allan called the meeting concluded, but Ambassador Baraquiel asked Roslyn and Talbert to stick around.

  You violated our treaty, directly, said Baraquiel to Talbert, who sat with his elbows on his knees, head bowed. It wasn’t out of devotion, but to avoid looking up at the angry Bird.

  Reading her mind, at least on an emotional level, Baraquiel spun to Roslyn. You, my dear, panicked and made a series of poor decisions. Your intentions, while greed based, were positive for the greater good of the universe.

  “Thank you,” whispered Roslyn, feeling a river of peace wash over her. The knot that had dominated her gut unwound and drifted on. She’d been absolved.

  I believe you know who to send on the next case, Baraquiel said to Allan before he climbed onto the table and alighted out the sunroof. He had Mr. Bangers the bounty in his talons. Roslyn wondered what the Birds would do to the man.

  Allan frowned and tilted his head. He felt confused and panicked, like he’d forgotten to study for a very important exam. But as the ambassador took flight and the sunroof closed, he began to openly weep. “No!” he yelled, but he knew it was already decided.

  Phoenix City, North Vader:

  Planet Danaus

  The shuttle dropped them in Phoenix City at sun down. The street lamps began to glow as Roslyn, Hattie and Talbert exited the shuttle. The android porter pushed their luggage ahead on a hover truck.

  The city was alive like it was a weekend, as music issued into the streets from hopping nightclubs. There were several people milling about the town’s main thoroughfare. Gamblers on losing streaks moved to hotter clubs. Groups of friends strolled together toward other taverns and restaurants.

  The android porter dispatched them to a hotel, where to Roslyn’s shock, they were given one room with a king sized bed. Upon surveying the room, Talbert laughed softly.

  “Don’t you get any ideas,” said Roslyn.

  “I’ll sleep on the floor,” Talbert grumbled.

  *

  Hattie and Talbert

  The next morning Roslyn decided to explore the town.

  Hattie was up next and tried not to wake Talbert on the floor. She performed her prayer ritual and meditation.

  When she came out of her mediation, she noticed Talbert was staring at her; hands behind his head, fingers interlocked. She felt painfully insecure. How long had he been staring?

  “So you believe all that shit? Excuse me, stuff,” Talbert said. He hoped she’d smile again. It was like the sun breaking through a thunderstorm when she did.

  “Of course I do. I’ve seen it,” said Hattie.

  “What do you mean, you’ve seen it?” he asked, squinting.

  “The things they explain are true. They understand the universe far more deeply than we’ll ever be able to,” Hattie said. She was adorable. She was perfection. Too bad she was brainwashed. “You were there. I’m sure you’ve seen it plenty of times.”

  Talbert looked out the window at the sky. “You’d never know if they were bu
llshitting though, would you?”

  “Why would something that’s a bunch of bullshit, be so true and on point? This is the secret truth of the universe,” Hattie said.

  Talbert felt a shiver of recognition. He’d heard that argument before; but from where he could not say. He nodded and grunted and crawled to his feet. His back cracked and his ankles popped. His cheeks stuck to his teeth. He needed water desperately. His head throbbed. Though his stomach rolled, he knew the best thing for him would be breakfast. He thought about asking Hattie to join him, but decided it would probably be awkward and he’d be forced to make small talk, which he hated, and so when she went into the bathroom to shower, he exited the room to find a spot to eat. The rest of the day, he spent walking around town, listening and searching. There was no sign of Dogg Holly.

  The three of them regrouped as the sun fell.

  Talbert strode directly to the bar, while Hattie and Roslyn decided to try video poker near the wall. After losing a few hands each, they joined Talbert well into a mug of bug juice at the long Da’akwood bar.

  “Well, and just what do we have here?” asked the man reading a glitchy hologram news article, standing behind the android bartender. “Fresh from Earth, I take it?”

  “What gave us away?” asked Roslyn.

  “Your outfits. Well, actually,” the man looked Talbert up and down. “You’re from out here someplace. But they’re from Earth. What you girls drinking?”

  “I’ll take some whiskey with a pinch of sugar and some water. Do you have lemons?” Roslyn asked, putting on a chipper voice.

  “Charlie,” the man turned to the android. “Do we have lemons?”

  “We do not. We have brockdens,” replied the smiley-faced android.

  “It’s a local fruit, similar, it’s citrusy,” the man rocked his hand back and forth.