Fragment of Destiny
Chapter 23 - A Mysterious Offer

A pair of enforcers escorted Samuel to interrogation room one. There was none of the usual jeering and racist remarks he was accustom to. Instead fear and anxiety radiated from them like a toxic cloud ever since they wrangled him from his cell.

One of the enforcers placed a hand on the scanner by the door and it soundlessly slid open. He felt a breath of relief escape his lungs, half from himself and half from the two enforcers. The interrogation room was empty save a metal table and two angular chairs. The enforcers sat him down facing the door and cuffed him to the table. They were scrupulously careful not to touch his skin. So, they knew at least that much about him.

The hard metal chairs did not look half as uncomfortable as they turned out to be. Samuel wished they had not cuffed him to the table, at least then he could have stood.

After what seemed like hours, the door to the interrogation room opened. Fear radiated like fire around a pillar of solid ice. It was the icy calm of supreme confidence. A tall man with steel gray hair entered the room. His face was hard set, and he wore the standard enforcers uniform only the insignia was something Samuel had never seen before. On the man’s left shoulder was the enforcer’s crest, the blazing eclipse with a star behind it and ten smaller stars five on each side.

At once Samuel refortified his barrier, shoring up the patches and holes that came from being left alone too long. Like the crashing waves of the firestorm on Central’s outer walls, the creeping fear from the guards by the door slammed into his barrier as it attempted to ooze its way through. The door closed cutting off the current of billowing fear leaving only the calm ice that deposited bits of frost along Samuel’s barrier.

“I was surprised to see Under Marshal Fin change his mind,” The man said as he took a seat across from Samuel. “He can be a very stubborn man at times but, the decision did save many lives.” He leveled a piercing gaze at Samuel as if he could punch through the barrier and read him like a book. So, Samuel decided it would be better to say nothing.

“I am here to offer you a deal. I am not ignorant of the threat you pose. Others overlooked this but that ends now. I know about your empathic manipulation,” The enforcer paused a moment to let the news sink in.

“Not only did you disobey a direct order from Under Marshal Fin you then forced him to have a change of heart about the defense of Shallows Point. Thusly costing us a key military installation.”

“You said that lives were saved. My team made the right decision,” Samuel said soaking up some of the man’s own calm to quell his mounting anxiety.

“This is not about your team. They have already been cleared of all charges surrounding the abandonment of their post and supposed insubordination. This is about you. You may think your slick, but I know you have been building your own faction within my military. Converting my enforcers to be loyal to you!”

Samuel flinched, that wasn’t it at all. True, he had influenced a few people but a faction? Did this man have any idea what it was like being a Halcinion among the enforcers? It was self-preservation nothing more.

His interrogator drew a datapad from his pocket and slid it across the metal table. On screen, was an image of Samuel using his true ability for the first time. After a second the image changed showing him shaking Marshal Jenkins hand at the assessment interview. The images kept coming. His encounter with his first commanding officer, Senior Novice Elstins, brushes with other recruits in the halls, contact in the gym, and especially hand to hand combat training. To top everything off the two times he used empathic manipulation during the malravian encounter. Samuel didn’t dare say a word. He was completely at this man’s mercy and no amount of talking would change that.

“So here is my proposition for you Spector. I reveal my findings to the overseer, you go to trial and we see how quickly you get an execution. Or, you work for me and do what I tell you to the letter.”

Samuel licked his lips, he couldn’t shake the growing uneasiness in his gut. It was hardly a choice, but still, the offer was so one-sided he couldn’t help but feel he was about to become the fall guy in this man’s back pocket if some conniving scheme went sour.

Suddenly the room went completely still jolting Samuel from his mulling thoughts. He locked eyes with the enforcer while his barrier eroded around him. He made no move to repair it, there was no need.

“So, is this your ability? To become completely emotionless?” Samuel asked. The man smirked but still, Samuel felt nothing.

“This is just to drive home a point. You can’t make me into your puppet. Try and I’ll kill you. Now, what will it be?”

“What is it you want me to do?”

The man smiled and got up from the table. Samuel felt a hint of satisfaction crash on his newly reformed barrier before the enforcer walked through the closed door.

Immediately the two guards entered the room and ushered Samuel outside. They did not say a word, but they were spewing so much fear they had probably soiled themselves. Instead of heading back to his cell they took the twisting halls to the main entrance of the detention center. The first season entrance was walled off, and they diverted down a side passage to a docked skimmer.

“Get in,” One of them said pushing Samuel from behind. The interior was similar to the skimmers of the shuttle system only the windows had been blacked out and a partition erected between the front and rear of the cabin. Samuel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Where ever they were taking him at least he was away from the detention center and the executioner’s table.

They hadn’t gone far when the landing struts came down. So, they were definitely still in Central somewhere. The metallic clink of a docking coupler rang in his ears and the hatch flew open pelting him with freezing air.

“Get out!” The driver ordered, his voice booming over the intercom.

From the moment he exited the skimmer Samuel’s breath became large plumes of smoke that nearly crystalized midair. Shivering violently he examined the small room. Behind him, the skimmer detached and the external door locked tight. Only a few freezing steps away was another door. Instinctually Samuel scrambled for it and placed his hand on a frost covered control pad. A small light flickered green, and the door opened. Beyond the door, it felt like stepping into a furnace despite the thick plumes from his breath that clouded the air. The heat seemed to stab at him all over and what little color he had, began to soak back into his skin. Taking a tentative step motion sensor lights clicked on dispelling the deep darkness.

What lay before him was too much for words. He had expected a dungeon. This was anything but. To his left, the wide archway opened into a kitchen that spilled into a room nearly the size of his old apartment. Even as he gaped in wonder, the puffs of steam from his breath began to dissipate as the house recognized his presence and turned up the temperature for him. So, this was the kind of luxury his friends had been privy to their entire lives.

Near the end of the great room, another hall curved to the right around a corner and headed back the direction he had come.

Down the hall was a modest size bedroom with a bathroom directly across from it. At the opposite end of the hall, a door led to another bedroom, this one large enough to rival the great room. It was so lavish it even had its own private bathroom through another door. Even if they had only planned to stash him here for the night, it was the height of luxury.

On a small lampstand beside an enormous bed, Samuel found a phone and its message icon flashed red. Tapping the screen he found a message with no subject line from enforcer command. Samuel nearly dropped the phone as he glanced over it. With trembling hands, he read it again attempting to let the words sink in. For a moment he expected to suddenly wake up to find himself in his detention cell, but the longer he waited, the more nothing happened. Eyes fixed on the screen he read it once more.

“Samuel Spector, you are hereby promoted to upper-caste citizen status and will hold the rank of Enforcer Senior Novice. These changes are effective immediately. Report to Under Marshal Briggs at 06:50 hours. Location: Sector eight detention center.” [Enforcer Command]

Not even an hour ago he was being threatened with execution and now this. It took Samuel a moment to gather his wits. He couldn’t fathom what price this mystery man would exact from him but he knew it would be high.

Setting the phone down Samuel began to pace while running his hands through his finger length yellow hair. Forcibly he put the notion of price out of his mind, instead he turned his attention to the investigation of his new room. Yet another door was found in the bathroom. Inside a modest clothing rack held three identical uniforms. Embossed on the left shoulder of each were two small stars on either side of the blazing eclipse, senior novice. Quickly he stripped off his detainee uniform with quivering hands. Stupid excitement filled him from head to toe as he donned the senior novice regalia. Returning to his new bed Samuel lay there and read the message over and over again. He was still re-reading it when a link from Elroy appeared.

“Samuel, good. I guess this means that they decided not to execute you after all,” Elroy said as the link connected. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“For now, anyway. You wouldn’t believe the place they gave me-”

“That’s great. Are you hungry? I was thinking we should get some Lee Chi’s to celebrate them not killing you and all.”

Samuel knew that Elroy preferred the company of his computers to the company of people. He quickly got the feeling meeting was less about celebrating and more about whatever Elroy wanted to say but couldn’t over the enforcer network.

“That sounds great I’ll meet you there.”

“Right see you there,” Elroy said and terminated the link.

Now to see if they would let him leave the house. Sending out a hail to any nearby skimmers he waited. In a few seconds, he got a ping from a skimmer coming to pick him up. It felt good to have a little bit of freedom again. Even if it was undoubtedly monitored. He tucked the phone into his pocket and headed for the door.

Samuel waited for the skimmer to be fully docked before he darted out through the small transition room. Through the non-blacked out windows, he could see the long shadow of the rim as it stretched nearly the entire length of Central. It was a short ride from sector five to the crystal-less sector.

Once docked with Lee Chi’s the skimmer door opened and Samuel was once again met by the freezing cold. Inside the Lee Chi’s upper level was completely empty. Beside the door sat a small display which came to life as Samuel passed in front of it. Ju Chi’s smiling face appeared as a recording greeted him.

“Welcome to Lee Chi’s restaurant, please come in. Our secondary dining room will be open until 09:80 hours. Please follow the lighted path and again welcome!”

A moment later a narrow band of light shone on the floor guiding him to the stairway. Samuel glanced back at the display. It looked new and much better than having Ju run up here each time a customer arrived.

As Samuel entered the second level, he could feel the vibe of the room shift. People who had been content and enjoying a meal with family or friends were now tense. It took Samuel a second to realize why. He was used to people giving him dirty looks and feeling harsh prejudice, but this was fear. Then it clicked, the uniform. This was the first time he had been out in public since receiving his assignment. Buffing up his barrier Samuel ignored the alarm from the patrons and began to look for Ju.

Busy as ever, she was at the far end of the room waiting on several tables. With any luck, Ju would still have a private room available. He had no intention of talking with Elroy out in the open. Samuel couldn’t help but be amused as people attempted to avoid eye contact and some even slinked down in their seats when he passed.

Ju turned from her table right into Samuel, “I’m so sorry, please excuse me,” Ju said nearly spilling a pitcher of water. Then she actually saw him. She gave a small gasp and set down the water on the nearest table, much to the surprise of the couple sitting there.

“Samuel!” Ju shrieked as she drove her head into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment his barrier flagged under the sudden outburst of emotion. When Ju looked up, he could feel his face flush. “I am so glad you are ok,” Ju said pulling away but still holding on to his arms as if he would disappear if she let go. “Demetrius told me you had been accepted into the enforcers. Then when we heard about the attack I, we… we were so worried about you,” At once, she seemed to notice that she was still clinging to him. Ju let go awkwardly and her face flushed a bright red.

“Well, I’m alive,” Samuel said with a grin. “Ju, I need to ask you a favor. Do you have a private room I can use? I am meeting someone important.”

Ju grimaced at him, “Unfortunately someone just rented out our only private room on this level. Though he was in an enforcer uniform, perhaps your companion got here before you did. I believe his name was Elroy or something.

“That would be him. Thank you.”

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” She said again following him to the private room entrance. There was an awkward pause, as Samuel looked back toward the main dining room. Ju just stood there next to him for a long moment twisting her fingers behind her back while bouncing on the balls of her feet. Then with a squeak, she turned and dashed back to the confused looking customers.

It was odd seeing her act like this, but it did feel good to have someone worry about him. Pulling his mind from Ju Samuel entered to find Elroy waiting, a cloud of impatience surrounding him.

“I was surprised you beat me here.”

“You know I am as interested as you are in the circumstances surrounding your exoneration. Fin was pushing for an execution you know. I am glad they denied him.”

That darkened Samuel’s mood. Yes, he had been insubordinate but they would all have died otherwise.

“Any idea who’s pulling all the strings?” Samuel asked, taking a seat across from Elroy.

“No, not yet. I have done some preliminary investigations but have not found anything particularly insightful,” Elroy said and pointed to Samuel’s pocket. “Can I?”

To which Samuel retrieved his new phone and slid it across the table.

“Interesting,” Elroy mumbled more to himself than Samuel as he eyed the phone.

“What is it?” Samuel asked but Elroy held up a hand for silence.

“I like this phone. It has a very good design to it, much harder than I would have expected to find the tracking software that way.”

“So, I was being tracked?”

“You still are. They, whoever they are. Would notice if I disabled something like that so, for now, it stays on. However, I did wipe the video and audio recordings. I also corrupted the formatting so if they turn that function back on, they won’t get anything useful. You were technically under house arrest tonight, but I took the liberty of crashing the security system that ran the external doors. They have gone to pretty great lengths to keep you under their thumb.”

“And yet you circumvented it all so easily.”

Elroy smiled, “What can I say it’s what I do. But down to the business of this puppet master, tell me what happened.”

Samuel recounted the story glossing over most of his stay in the detention facility aside from his few interactions with the guards and other enforcers. When he got to the part about the interrogation room, Elroy had him slow down and give everything in as much detail as possible.

He had nearly finished his recap of events when someone knocked on the door. The immediate tension felt like a suffocating ooze that popped like a boiling caldron. The door opened slowly, and Ju poked her head in and the tension melted away instantly.

“Sorry to interrupt but it’s nearly 21:50, and we will be closed soon.”

“I have enough for now. I’ll let you know what I find out,” Elroy said getting to his feet and making for the door.

Ju watched him go, worry crowded around her like a thick fog. To Samuels surprise, she did not leave. Instead, she looked back into the dining room for a moment then slipped in and closed the door behind her.

“Samuel I…” She started but then paused as if unsure how to proceed.

“It’s ok. There is no need to apologize, and thank you,” Samuel said saving her from the awkward silence. It was an odd feeling. Not that Samuel hadn’t felt worry before, but never was it so poignant in nature. Never the less he couldn’t help feeling grateful for her worry.

“I can’t tell you what happened. Everything about Shallows Point, aside from the official statement, is classified. But I am safe now, and as for the other enforcer who was here, he is a friend. I just wanted to see how he was doing after everything.”

“I’m glad you’re safe. I was hoping we could catch up a bit. I mean it’s been such a long time since I last saw you. I am sure there are some things that aren’t classified?” Ju pleaded.

It was true he had not had a chance to see her or any of his friends, save Demetrius, for a long time. The last time the two of them had talked had been during his crowd training. At the time Lee Chi’s had been one of the few places he felt safe while training. A place where he could go to escape the constant bombardment of people’s emotions without having to break contact with his crystal. When the restaurant had been slow enough Ju had sat with him and let him vent even as she pressed for stories about survival school and his trial. Ju had always listened content to let him talk, and this was an invitation to do the same.

“You’re sure your father won’t mind?” Samuel asked. Ju shrugged and placed her elbows on the table as she sat down, cupping her face in her hands.

“So, tell me. What’s it like in the outside world? What is it like to not be a crystal-less, to actually have an assignment?”

“It’s different than I had expected, yet exactly what I expected in its own way…”

“Well that’s an ambiguous answer if I ever heard one,” Ju said.

They both laughed. Samuel told her about the last of his days at the crystal academy. The dread of possibly never receiving an assignment and the frustration of being passed over again and again even when he was more than qualified. He told her about how Marshal Jenkins had met his father, Nickolas Specter. It was not exactly a story he was proud of, the man who sold out his nation. Yet he was glad to know it. The Marshal and his father had struck a deal. The Marshal would provide safety for Nickolas and his family and in return had received valuable information. His father's actions had cost the lives of thousands of Halsinions, including his, in the end. As part of the surrender agreement, he had been handed over to the Halsinion high council for execution.

At first, Samuel made no effort to hide how he had been treated during his enforcer training, but after feeling Ju burst into an inferno of rage, he decided to talk more about the good points like his team. As he talked Ju listened, actually listened, and asked questions. He had forgotten just how good it felt to have someone who was genuinely interested in what he had to say.

“Do you know where you will be living now that your training is over and you are officially an enforcer?” Ju asked.

“I was a bit surprised, but they promoted me to senior novice and gave me a house in sector five,” Samuel said leaving out the bits about being arrested and nearly executed.

Ju squealed in delight at the news, “Samuel that’s amazing! Congratulations.”

It was funny, Ju was more excited for him than he was for himself. Although he figured if he told her about the mystery man in the interrogation room and his little deal, she would be more worried than excited.

There was a knock at the door and it began to creak open. “Ju are you in here?”

Samuel glanced at the time on his phone it was 22:26, well past curfew. There would be no more skimmers to come and pick him up tonight. He locked eyes with Ju for a moment unsure what to do. Normally he would have just walked home, but with only his uniform as protection from the cold, he would freeze to death before reaching the edge of the sector.

The door opened, and Ju’s father stepped in. “Oh, I didn’t realize we still had a customer… Samuel is that you?”

“Yes, sorry we lost track of time,” Samuel said.

“Ah,” Lee said brushing aside Samuel’s excuse like he didn’t care. “An enforcer now I see. Well, congratulations. But come on, it’s too late for you to go home. I have a spare bed you can use for the night.” Both Ju and Samuel looked at each other for a moment then shrugged in unison.

Samuel followed Lee out and down the hall to a hatch in the floor. Inside a padded ladder dipped into a cramped living space. A small terminal sat in the corner of the room with a rolling chair, and an old couch sat across from a view screen. Lee sent Ju to get a pillow and blankets as he went to work taking the fraying cushions from the couch. A tense metal frame squeaked and moaned as Lee unfolded a hidden bed. For all the ways the Imperium liked to save on space this was a new one. With the bed unfurled Lee retrieved something from his pocket and handed them to him.

“Earplugs?” Samuel asked.

“Ju snores. It’s terrible you’ll never get any sleep without them,” Lee said just as Ju reentered the room.

“Don’t listen to him. I am not the one who snores, it’s him,” Ju said swatting at her father with a pillow before handing it to Samuel.

“The bathroom is the first door to the right down the hall if you need it,” Ju said bringing a delicate hand up to stifle a yawn.

“I agree it’s late, and we have an early start in the morning. How about you let Samuel get a head start on sleeping before you start snoring,” Lee said and coaxed his daughter from the room. Ju rolled her eyes and beamed one last tired smile at Samuel before padding along after her father.

The lights went off leaving Samuel in the dark holding the pillow and blanket. He let his eyes linger on the dark hall leading to Ju’s room. He could not have imagined ending his day like this after starting it in a detention cell.

Leaving his uniform in a tight ball at the foot of the bed Samuel attempted to make himself comfortable on the thin mattress. Metal coils and the bed’s support bar seemed to dig into his back regardless of his position. In the distance, he could hear the low hum of a furnace as it kicked on to fight the all-consuming cold of second winter.

Despite his weariness, he could not sleep. It was not the uncomfortable bed or the hum of the furnace that kept him awake but rather the prospect of tomorrow. Elroy had said they were tracking him and that he had been under house arrest. What kind of reaction would his overnight at Lee Chi’s elicit? Then the snoring started. Long and loud like a shaper blasting rock to bits.

After several intense minutes he resigned himself to the fact, he would not be getting sleep tonight. Even the earplugs, for how much they helped the noise, made his ears so uncomfortable he was not sure which was worse. Removing the earplugs Samuel wondered if perhaps he could sneak up to the restaurant’s second level and sleep there. That level was shielded and even sleeping sitting up in a padded booth would be better than this rickety old bed.

As he lay there pondering his options a shuffling noise caught his attention. In the brief silences between Lee’s loud snoring, he could hear footsteps. Instantly his sleepy daze vanished. His heart pounded as he squinted at shadows in the darkened room. Down the hall, the door to the bathroom closed leaving a small seam of light to spill out from beneath it. Samuel let out a sigh of relief and shook his head. He was letting his mind get the better of him.

After a minute the bathroom door opened and light trickled down the hall. Samuel could feel Ju’s presence and she did not go back to her room. Instead, she came and stood at the end of the hall looking out over the dark room. From the corner of his eye, Samuel could see her dressed only in a small white negligee that stopped halfway down her thigh. A strong mix of longing and contentment radiated off her and buffeted against his barrier. For the first time since meeting Ju, he let himself realize what he, in a way, had already known. Ju’s concern for his wellbeing was more than just one friend to another. Instead of fortifying his barrier like he always had when confronted with powerful emotion, he let it fade away. Like slipping into a soothing bath the cloud enveloped him.

“Good night Samuel,” Ju whispered.

“Good night,” He said in kind.

Ju gasped, her desire shifting to a wave of embarrassment. “I... Um. I didn’t realize you were still awake.”

“It’s ok,” Samuel said sitting up to get a better look. For the first time the word beautiful instead of friend, came to his mind when he looked at her.

“I just forgot my earplugs by the terminal,” Ju said. Then scampered quickly past him and snatched something from beside the keypad.

On impulse, Samuel caught her arm and drew her to a stop. Whether it was his own emotions or a reflection of hers that drove him, he didn’t know. Gently he drew her down cupping Ju’s soft cheek in his hand and kissed her. Ju leaned into the kiss for a long moment. Then suddenly as if startled she pulled away from him, squeaked good night and darted back down the hall to her room.

The intense desire faded slowly, replaced by a sense of bewilderment at his own actions. He should have never let his barrier down like that. Samuel formed his barrier and brought himself into a state of equilibrium before releasing it. With no one else in the room, he wouldn't really need it.

As he lay there in the dark trying to find sleep it was no longer the snoring or the worry about tomorrow that kept him awake. Instead, it was thoughts of Ju, about how she looked in her nightgown, and about their kiss. Even now after bringing himself to an emotional balance the thought of her in his mind was still associated with beauty. A strange new affection for Ju he had never known before lingered like a cloud of perfume around him. Could his reckless absorbing of emotion have caused a permanent shift in his own feelings towards her? Or had he merely awakened feelings that until now had been dormant? The question bothered him far more than he cared to admit. If the first was true, then he was just as susceptible to his empathic manipulation as anyone else.

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