Chapter X

Michael Dorn sat in the lab analyzing his research results. Without his dose of Prozium he would be furious, whereas under the dose he only felt something like mild irritation. But still, he felt – and he considered this fact as a problem.

Prozium III was ready, according to Vice-Council's wishes. It was only the matter of ingredients and their proportions. Once taken, it would accompany every single Librian for his lifetime. The time of introducing the drug was almost due, but another problem suddenly appeared: the antidote.

"Martin, do you have to complicate everything?" Dorn thought.

He attempted in vain to recreate the antidote by himself, hoping to understand it.

If he had access to Stein's laptop it would spare him a lot of trouble. Martin's notes already made his research easier, leading it in the right direction. But there was still something missing, something vital.

"Some help, some hint would be highly appreciated" the scientist thought.

"Mr. Dorn, there are two vials of an unidentified substance to be analyzed," a voice of a lab assistant distracted him.

"Two vials," Dorn thought and suddenly he recalled the information he got from the interrogator after Stein was questioned.

"Where did you get them?" Michael asked.

"One of the patrols caught a sense offender carrying those" the man answered.

"Show them" the scientist ordered.

The lab assistant left the vials on Dorn's desk and left.

Michael felt a distant echo of excitement. He immediately got down to work. If his assumptions were correct, he wouldn't have to worry about gaining access to Stein's laptop anymore.

Obviously there was still an important thing that needed to be done. He had to inform the Vice-Council as soon as possible.

"What Martin Stein revealed to you, Cleric," the Vice-Council asked a man in a navy blue uniform standing in front of him.

"He managed to produce two vials of the antidote," the Cleric started, "and had them hidden in an unknown location, but that isn't a problem anymore."

"Specify" DuPont ordered.

"One of the patrols caught a sense offender carrying two vials of an unidentified substance" the man reported. "I'm almost absolutely sure that this is the antidote."

"Almost?"

"Well, in order to be absolutely sure, we handed the vials over to Mr. Dorn for further analysis."

"Perfect. If that's it then it's everything we need."

"Is this all?" the young Cleric asked.

"No," DuPont with difficulty refrained from smiling, "There's one more thing. I'll call here your new partner."

"New partner? Now that's interesting" the man thought.

"May I ask who is it?" he asked aloud.

"Yes," the Vice-Council answered, "It's Andrew Ross, Grammaton Cleric First Class. He's very experienced, one of the best, but I need you to observe him and report any suspicious behavior to me."

"Yes, sir" the Cleric answered.

Just a moment later Andrew Ross came in.

"Cleric Ross, I would like to introduce you your new partner," DuPont started, "Kurt Donovan, Grammaton Cleric Second Class."

Andrew acknowledged his presence with a nod.

"Cleric Donovan is a talented, ambitious man" the Vice-Council said to Ross. "I hope you will guide him, so he can learn further from your experience."

"I'll do my best" Ross answered.

"Good. You both may leave."

While heading back to the Cleric's Department Andrew wondered, whether the Vice-Council considered him as an idiot. Ross knew DuPont's true intentions and he didn't like the fact of being observed by Cleric Donovan. It reminded him of a similar case five years ago. A zealous Cleric as a partner was the last thing he needed right now.

The Vice-Council was in a triumphant mood. Everything went well so far and only some kind of disaster could stop him now. Without the antidote there were no other threats, no other obstacles. According to the reports, the sense offenders movement was very limited and it was only matter of time, before they would be defeated. The only thing that needed to be done was to observe and remove uncertain elements.

"It's just a matter of time" he thought. "A very short time."

The Stein family was brought into the Hall of Destruction. Crow, Ross and Donovan observed them closely. As an honor, which James and Andrew considered to be dubious, they were allowed – obliged, in fact – to participate in the combustion. With his clerical training and newly found knowledge, Andrew analyzed their behavior. Martin was both furious and broken down, while his wife and daughter were just slightly confused at most. It was clear to Andrew that the female family members were on the dose and it's most likely that they never went off the dose in their entire lives.

James' conclusion was similar. There was clearly something wrong. He kept asking himself why Martin's family members were here. Of course it wasn't a first case of that kind he witnessed. But it still felt wrong, making James' efforts of pinpointing the culprits pointless.

"Why convicting the innocents?" he asked himself. "What's the point?"

Crow felt like leaving the place, but he knew he can't. Despite the Prozium the awareness of the fact that it was his investigation that finally lead to the execution, made him feel uneasy. Even the internal excuse, that it was his job sounded pathetic in these circumstances.

Contrary to his stony expression, Andrew struggled as well. He concluded it would be much better if he hadn't stopped the Sweeper from shooting Martin. Unfortunately, some mistakes couldn't be repaired.

The convicted scientist looked with hatred at Donovan. He already knew that the antidote had been found – the Cleric remembered to inform him about this fact before the execution.

"I had the right – even a duty – to risk my life for this cause. But did I have the right to risk the lives of my wife and daughter?" he thought bitterly.

The flame burnt him quickly - along with feelings of self-hatred and defeat.