Chapter Six - Passions Igniting
She looked through the peephole into the room; the same room she had watched Inquisitors Merlose and Kalijan in the previous day. What had been said in there? What on earth went on in there yesterday? From her vantage point, she had managed to see things going on in there but they were too far away for her to hear anything properly. All she knew was that she had to act and act soon. She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand as dust particles drifted down in the enclosed space, each one seemingly homing in on her nostrils. She hated this job but it was necessary. Necessary to what she was unsure of yet but she knew it had to be important. Sondra Felsham watched and waited. That was what she did. It was a boring job yet at the same time, it was exhilarating. Listening to people talk, watching their movements; it excited the voyeuristic side of her personality. It was said that the VKP attracted the most perverse of people and you need look no further than Observer Felsham for proof of that. There was nothing she didn't know about her subject; she even watched Callo sleep. She closed her eyes and saw her; every single part of her image matched that of the real Inquisitor Merlose... shaking her head clear of the imagined reality, she knew it was time. Slowly she inched through the wall cavity, making her way towards the hatchway into the tunnel systems that ran underneath the entire city of Valein.
The first thing that hit her when she opened the trapdoor was the stench. She was glad that it quickly became tolerable to the human nose or else she'd develop a complex trying to get rid of the smell from her clothes and skin. It quickly permeated her, staining her completely, soaking her in the ambience of the tunnels. She was coming...
When presented with a wild-eyed woman who absolutely stank, most people would instantly look down on them but not Callo Merlose for she knew this woman despite not having seen her for years. For the second time in as many days she was dragged back to that night; one of the three days that would shape the rest of her life.
"Sondra." It escaped her lips like a hiss, shock staggering its way through her soul.
"We have to talk. It's important."
Callo took in their surroundings, the bright sunlight burning around them as the everyday bustle filled the street. As people walked past the pair, the stench coming from Sondra drew their attention, something neither of them wanted at this moment in time.
"We'll go to my place, you can get cleaned up there."
Showing consent with a nod, Sondra let herself be led the way in silence, mentally noting down the route they were taking by instinct, as was her job. Watch and observe; learn about your subject, every single detail was vital to the cause.
After a few minutes walking, they reached the front door of Inquisitor Merlose's apartment. Fumbling in her pockets, Callo drew out a key and slid it into the lock, twisting it and hearing the click as the door unlocked. Pushing the door open, she strode through and pocketed the key again. As the door closed behind Sondra, Callo turned to her, their lips meeting, long-sealed passions erupting again. Lip-locked, the pair stumbled into the bedroom, lying down on the bed, collapsing into each other...
Dejamir sat at his desk, shuffling paper as he thought of Callo. He felt so much pain for her; he shared her agony over hat had happened that night. His heart wept as he thought of that animal doing such things to her. What was this he was feeling for her? Sorrow? Pity? Love? What's becoming of me?
They lay there in the bed, both staring up at the ceiling, hands interlocked as wild thoughts ran through both of their heads. Breaking the bond between them, Sondra rolled on her side, propping her head up with an elbow as she smiled at Callo. "It's been quite a while since I've done that," she said with a grin plastered across her face.
Merlose only grimaced in reply, remembering the last time she had had an orgasm... Sondra noticed and frowned to herself. Gently stroking Callo's face with her free hand, her fingers lingered over her full lips. Slowly, she leaned over, leaving a soft, gentle kiss there. "Don't worry, I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere..."
"So what is it you need to tell me?" the Inquisitor asked, no emotion in her voice.
Sondra Felsham froze for a moment, and then swung herself around, her back to Callo as she scrabbled for her clothes. "Don't trust him Callo. You can't afford to trust him or you will die."
"Who? Ashley!" How could she know about his threat?
"No, Dejamir. He's a Pretender," came the reply as Sondra pulled the shorts up her legs and zipped them up, sealing the button.
The Inquisitor froze at the mention of the myth. Pretenders were the spies, the undercover men of the VKP. They had gained the name due to an attempted uprising against the board, a coup against the rulers of the VKP. They were the "pretenders" to the crown, the most feared of the VKP branches for they learned things and had secrets on everyone. There was nothing they couldn't get their hands on by twisting a few arms. They had been disbanded after the coup failed or at least, they were supposed to be. As in all sub-societies there were urban legends and the Pretenders were the VKP's urban legend.
"No... no, he can't be! He's a bloody legend. You know what he's done as well as I d--" Callo stopped as she realised she wasn't even sure that Sondra was in the VKP or what her real purpose here was. "What makes you think he's a Pretender? Hell, what makes you think that they even exist anymore?" Where there's smoke there's fire.
"I'm an observer, it's my job to know these things." Pulling out a wallet, she turned around and threw it to Merlose who caught it and flipped it open. As Sondra had said, the ID identified her as a VKP Observer, and a highly ranked one at that. Grudgingly, she threw it back, Sondra catching it and slipping it back into her pocket in one fluid motion before she picked up her T-shirt and pulled it over her head.
"What the hell is going on?"
"The Grand Stewart doesn't trust you. He thinks you've sided with Riskbreaker Riot and that's a big threat to the board's plans. He wants someone to get close to you so he can find out what you're going to do next and where your true allegiances lie, and so, Dejamir Kalijan, the great VKP legend, the last person you'd suspect of being such a person, was assigned to gain your confidence and find out everything you know."
"And you? What are you doing here if not exactly the same thing?"
Sondra shot Callo a look filled with pain and sorrow and Merlose instantly felt sorry for saying it. "Is that what you really think of me? There was a time when you would have said you loved me and trusted me with every single secret, but now, you think that of me? This was a mistake, I should never have come back here." Standing up, she made to leave but found her hand caught firmly in the Inquisitors grasp.
"I... I'm sorry. I just don't know what to think anymore... please forgive me Sunny?" she pleaded, resorting to using her old nickname for the Observer.
Sondra's shoulders slumped as she knew she couldn't resist her. This was the woman she loved for years, the woman who stole her heart and had seemingly thrown it away. How could she stay mad at her? Simply put, she couldn't... Turning around, she leaned over and kissed Merlose again, a long, drawn out passionate kiss as they wrapped their arms around each other, pressing their bodies tightly together...
A simple tune ran through his head as he stalked the streets at night, the simple beat matching his cadence. Step... two... three... step... two... three... step... two... three... Slowly the tune escaped his lips in an eerie whisper, the sound bouncing from cobblestones and bricks in the gloom of the night as a grin split his face asunder. Spinning on his toes, his trenchcoat whirled around him as he stepped onwards. Now his fingers were clicking, matching the hollow sound of his boots upon the hard street. And then he stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly it dawned on him. He was happy. How? Why? The answers escaped him, leaving him with just the fact he was happy. He might even go as far to say he gloriously happy. When was the last time he whistled or even danced if you could call it that. Shaking his head in disbelief of his foolish antics, he continued onwards through the gloom but it seemed to slide from him, his path glimmering in the foggy night. He felt it with him now, not just being something that was there; it was a part of him now.
And he stopped again, the fog lifting from his mind, if not the streets. He was slowly slipping and it was consuming him bit by bit. It had almost had him but his vigilance was now restored... for the moment. As soon as he tried to be normal he risked everything. He could never be human again. Neither condensation nor perspiration stuck to him; nay, he was exempt from these petty things but how he craved them. Everything seemed so much less real to him since that day...
And that was the moment a decision was made, he couldn't do it any longer. He was already fading fast. Sydney's choice hadn't been a good one. Ashley couldn't keep the power under control and it was only a matter of time until its incendiary nature came forth in destruction. No, he had made up his mind and this was how it would be...
