Season 02 - Episode 14

‘something is wrong’

“Hi, Ste,” says Syl, hurrying into her boss's office and dropping into a chair with a sigh.

“Hello,” says Ste with a mild frown. “And by all means, take a seat. I actually...”

“So,” says Syl as if Ste hasn't spoken, rubbing her face. “The EnFo's have finally managed to get The Endless Church of Boundless Love out of The Nineteenth. A few survivors scattered, but they're done, The Nineteenth is ours. The Rational Front are still holding out in The Fifty-Sixth though, we've taken heavy losses there. They somehow managed to...”

“Syl,” Ste interrupts gently. “That's not why I asked you here.”

“What?” says Syl, frowning her confusion. “Then why?”

“I'm afraid I have some bad news,” says Ste sadly. “I wanted to tell you before you saw it in the shift end reports.”

“What's happened?” Syl hears herself ask. Her stomach clenches.

“It's the monastery,” says Ste. “The monks.”

“Why? What? No...” says Syl.

“Earlier today,” Ste continues calmly. “The EnFo's tasked with protecting the monks were lured away by a diversionary action. In their absence, The Children of The Future moved in and took the monastery by force. There were no survivors.”

Syl leaps from her chair, turns one way then the other then sits back down again.

“I know this is difficult for you, Syl,” Ste continues. “You worked with them for a long time, but we are at war. There'll be time to grieve later. Right now we have to focus on wiping out the cults and securing GovCo's property and assets.”

Syl stands again and takes a breath, wiping away a single tear and raising her chin.

“Thank you, Ste” she says quietly. “I appreciate you telling me.”

She leaves Ste's office and heads towards her own. As she walks, images of the monks slide past her mind's eye. Quiet little men in their robes, just boys some of them. And the Abbot, all bombast and condescension. The sadness she feels condenses into furious anger.

Her pace quickens and before she knows it, she has passed her office and is striding onwards, downwards. She storms into the detention centre, flashing her pass at one EnFo after another until she reaches the maximum security wing.

“I want to see The Enemy,” says Syl through gritted teeth to the EnFo on duty. “Now.”

A few minutes later she is standing before the bars of a cell. Inside, a painfully thin looking woman with a bandaged hand is lying on a low bed. She struggles up onto her elbow to look at Syl.

“Get up,” Syl seethes. “Cultist scum.”

The woman in the cell raises her eyebrows, looks Syl up and down but doesn't move.

“The name's Iz actually. Who are you?” says Iz eventually. “Another torture artist?”

“Don't try that with me!” Syl hisses. “GovCo doesn't use torture.”

Iz just smirks and lies back down.

“I want to know why you did it!” cries Syl. “Why you killed all those people. Why you started all this. Why?!”

“I didn't kill those people,” says Iz wearily.

“Of course you did!” snaps Syl. “I've seen the video!”

“Have you,” says Iz flatly.

Suddenly, Syl doesn't know why she came, what she's doing. She turns to leave.

“Oi!” Iz calls, so that Syl stops and reluctantly, turns back.

Iz throws something, a small object that passes through the bars. Syl catches it at her breast instinctively. She looks down and finds she is holding a dirty, severed finger.

“Your man let me keep it,” says Iz. “A reminder he said, but I don't need it.”

Syl drops the finger in disgust and hurries away. As she makes her way back to her office however, she finds all the rage and sadness of before has lost its focus. Instead of a flaming arrow of righteous justice, it's now a nebulous cloud floating around her. Meanwhile, a creeping cold is growing inside her.

Something is wrong.

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