Stealer
AU In a world where intercision is perfectly normal, where the horrors of Bolvangar are commonplace, a great crime had been committed: someone is stealing the experimental test subjects.
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Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to or belonging to His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.
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Chapter 1: Bad Tidings
Mrs. Coulter sat at her desk, looking over the latest intercision reports from the Northern Station. They were by far the best. The reports from the stations that had been opened since were not quite so good. The First Station still led in successful intercisions. And the doctors up there were experimenting with conscious subjects, something the doctors in the south were avoiding.
She mulled over the-less-than-satisfactory documents. The General Oblation Board would have to raise the standards for those Stations in the south. The public was beginning to ask for more experiments, even paying for the Board to take their children. The time had come for more drastic measures if there was to be success.
Her dæmon, perched on a shelf by her head, shifted slightly, alerting her that someone was coming.
A man walked into her study, his raccoon dæmon ambling in on his heels. She looked around in curiosity, though she did not look uncomfortable. Mrs. Coulter, however, knew that she wasn't as tame as she appeared. Her own golden monkey casually dropped from the shelf nimbly to her lap.
As she gently patted his silky fur, she recognized the man. He was a lesser doctor at the Northern Station. A mixture of anger and dismay coursed through her veins. If all was well, as the reports indicated, what was he doing here?
"Yes?" she asked coolly.
"Ma'am, I don't mean to… to alarm you… but –"
"What is it?"
"T-there have been some… problems… at the Station."
"What kind of problems?"
"Er… break-ins and robbery, ma'am."
"What kind of robbery?" she asked in a deadly soft voice.
"A – a few subjects have been taken."
Mrs. Coulter stood up, outraged. Her dæmon leapt to the edge of her desk, baring his sharp white teeth in a feral smile. "And why was I not informed sooner?"
"I – I really don't know, ma'am."
As the fateful answer left the man's lips, the golden monkey jumped for the raccoon on the floor. He landed squarely on her back, digging his sharp black hands into her fur. She snarled, trying to throw him off.
"Let her go!" the man gasped.
"I suggest you get a full report of the robberies for me," she said sweetly.
"I – I will! Just let her go!"
Mrs. Coulter signaled to the golden monkey, and he reluctantly loosened his grip. Slowly, he got off her back and walked over to her. She scooped him up lovingly. "Well?"
"Y-you will have the report tomorrow!"
"Good! Now get out of my sight!"
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A/N: When I was re-reading (yet again) the part about Bolvangar in The Golden Compass, this idea hit me, and I just had to write it down.
So, what did you think? Tell me in a review!
-Oh, if you're wondering, yes, Lyra and Will are going to show up.