Brink by Mikel Parry
Chapter 20 - Absolute authority

CH-ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY

Morning came and the crowded city came bustling back to life. The once muted streets clattered with activity, each person moving with purpose towards their next destination. Each blissfully unaware of how each and every one of their choices would echo on into the future. Thomas was among them. He was nearing the mysterious building he was beginning to call home. He knew what was inside; a literal universe of thought provoking options. But for now it was just a means to an end. He needed to finish the job and put an end to this prevailing misery.

He approached the plain, unmarked side door and waited. He was going to knock but knew better. They knew he was here. Looking down the alleyway, he saw a homeless man staring blankly back at him, scuffling around in a pile of garbage. Was he homeless? Was he real?

“I thought you’d never come back.”

Thomas looked up to see Banks filling the doorway. He had a smirk on his face that was quickly replaced by one of concern.

“I get that a lot lately. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be,” said Thomas pointing towards his phone.

Banks nodded and went back inside.

“A lot’s happened since you decided to go roaming about the city. Don’t think we don’t know what happened. There are at least a hundred bodies still being dug up. You knew to be there; I’m not sure how, but you did. I’m not at liberty to say this openly, but screw it. You’ve really pissed some people off. Including me! We’re supposed to be a partnership. Now, I get your suspiciousness, but look what happens. Is it really worth it?”

Thomas shrugged.

“You tell me? Has anything improved here?”

Banks stopped for a moment, allowing a few suited men to walk by. This gave him a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Roslin’s on the warpath. He’s being stretched thin, too much on his plate. And with his brother’s absence, he’s been aside himself. He claims it’s of no concern to the agency. But I beg to differ. He’s tearing this place down.”

“So what’s he doing? I can’t imagine such a soulless machine could ever come completely apart.”

“You’ll see. Let’s just say nobody’s future here is secure. We picked a bad time for this to happen. Too much else is going on.”

“Like what?”

Banks pursed his lips before he spoke.

“Even I can’t answer that.”

The two entered the large white room. They were met by Jo, who looked unapologetically disgusted by Thomas’ presence.

“You look horrible. Like you’ve been sucked into a neogenic recombinator or something. Seriously, get some sleep.”

Thomas scowled at Jo who immediately cowered behind Banks. But Banks wouldn’t provide the emotional bulwark he so desired.

“We’ve got work to do. Thomas has been through hell.”

Jo’s eyes darted across the room. Both Thomas and Banks followed them, tracing a path directly to Roslin, who stood to the side like a fuming volcano. In his hands he gripped a newspaper tightly. He jutted forward and slammed it onto the table.

“What the hell is this? We agreed you could go solo to help stop this, not make it worse! We’ve had our men working around the clock to scrub the scene and erase any evidence linking you to us. Men we don’t have the luxury of giving up to janitorial work! You better have a good reason as to why I shouldn’t have my men escort you out of here right now and throw you behind bars!”

Thomas snorted in anger.

“I was solving this case! Did you think that when I started putting the pressure on, things wouldn’t escalate? We’re dealing with a psychopath, a brilliant, dedicated psychopath. He doesn’t care who gets hurt. He only cares about winning! Sure sounds a lot like you, doesn’t it?”

Banks started to interject but stopped. There was a sparkle in his eyes. Perhaps Thomas speaking up to Roslin had harmonized with something in him. The overreaching arm of Roslin seemed to touch everyone’s life who was involved with him.

“You’ve got a serious attitude problem! I made a mistake bringing you here. You’ve done nothing but create more problems! I should have never—”

“Never what? Tried? You knew this was going to happen one way or another. And whether you’d like to admit it or not, you’re letting this hit home. Your brother is merely another part of the equation.”

“Don’t you dare bring him up! He’s got nothing to do with this. That’s personal!”

“It has everything to do with this! This whole case is personal! Look, I get how you feel—I’ve lost someone—I’m sure we all have. But this isn’t about that. You’re brother still has a chance; he’s still out there. And so are they—everyone that has suffered or will suffer if men like this aren’t stopped. You want to know what stake I have in this? It’s one I’m willing to put my life on.”

Roslin threw a chair across the room and then ripped the newspaper in two. Jo darted towards his room. Roslin put two hands on the table and braced himself. He was panting like a dog, trying to contain his emotions.

“I was brought back for a reason. I don’t have time to keep explaining myself. Either you can deal with the consequences or you can’t. Either we do what it takes or we don’t. But just realize that the more we don’t trust each other and do what’s necessary, the more he’ll take advantage of it. He doesn’t share our moral compass.”

Roslin looked up at Thomas. His eyes burned like two fiery coals, but Thomas could see he was beginning to understand his point of view. People were being sacrificed now at an alarming rate. And things were only going to get worse. There was no turning back. Doing his best to regain his steadfast composure, Roslin got up and quietly left the room. He muttered only six words, but with absolute authority..

“Just do your job or else.”

The exit door slammed, leaving the remaining men alone.

“Let’s get things moving. I’m tired of wasting time.”

Banks’s eyes were still fixated on the door. He had a fierce look on his face. Had Thomas crossed the line?

“Did you hear me?”

Banks shook his head as if to clear it.

“Talk to Jo. He’ll get you dialed up.”

Thomas approached Jo, who was still cowering inside his futuristic room, his safe place. When Thomas entered, Jo cringed as if expecting pain.

“Relax, it’s over. Big daddy has left the building,” Thomas assured him calmly.

Jo squirmed around awkwardly, trying to adjust his lab coat, which was draped over a dark black shirt, embroidered with a classic rock band’s logo. The image made Thomas curious. What sort of hobbies could someone who kept himself locked away in a secret facility possibly have?

“Okay, okay, about all that . . . I . . . I was going to get this going.”

Jo wiped the sweat from his face that had accumulated during the tense encounter. He began tap dancing his fingers across a keyboard, pulling up an array of information and data.

“We had an event. This one has really upset the flow here.”

Jo pointed towards a monitor, where there was a crisp image of waves of transcendent energy radiating from one acute point out into a much larger field.

“That looks intense. But I thought you said nothing significant could change so rapidly?”

Jo looked completely befuddled.

“It can’t. But this point has upset other portions that are behaving like some sort of superimposed harmonic! The wave pattern is being amplified by natural occurrences that were already going to happen!”

“English?”

Jo sighed. How many times would he be forced to teach remedial time travel classes?

“The killer changed something that is piggybacking off of things that were going to happen anyway, therefore, amplifying the possibilities. It’s brilliant!”

“Just get me back there. We’re already behind.”

A betrayed look came across Jo, who glanced out at Banks sitting patiently in the white room.

“He’s not happy with you.”

“I know, just give me the coordinates.”

Jo did as he was told. His thick brimmed glasses perched precariously on his nose as he programmed the coordinates into Thomas’ watch.

“And don’t forget—”

“I know, I know . . . Remember? I don’t forget anything,” interrupted Thomas, exiting the room.

“This time when you get back, we work together. No more running around solo. We either beat this as a team or lose. Is that clear?” Banks asked tersely.

“What are you, my boss? You’re talking like you own me here, which you don’t.”

Banks looked away. Thomas was proving to be too much to handle at the moment.

“Just do it. It’s not your choice anymore.”

Thomas ignored Banks. His mind had already revved up. As he stepped out into the middle of the room, he pressed down on the prompt to glimpse. As he did, the skewed images of Banks and Jo were slashed to bits by the powerful beams of energy. The world as he knew it slipped out of view. But would the world he knew still be there should he fail? Would the world succumb to darkness?