Project Gemini (WATTYS 2016 WINNER!)

Chapter Four - Memory Retrieval Service.

KINGSLEY MOTIONED FOR her to be silent as the front door of her house shut behind them. A subtle look that said not yet lingered in his eyes. She nodded, accepting the command for now, but barely stifling the blaze of questions inside of her. Every neuron in her head was demanding answers, something to cure the bubbling insanity. She could feel her power stirring inside of her, clinging onto her guts like a lead weight. The urge crooned to her in the back of her mind: use me.

Kingsley led her down an alley between the last two houses on the row and stopped in front of an idling black Audi waiting for them.

"Don't even say it, kid."

"The Chancellor's eyes—."

He shoved her against the wall. "You're putting us both in danger!"

"They glowed." She gritted her teeth as her hands grazed the brickwork. "You saw it too."

"I saw nothing, and so did you."

She dropped her bag on the floor and pushed him away, "You're afraid, aren't you?"

"I ain't afraid of self-preservation, kid. In fact, I think it's mighty fine."

"And you're going to let him walk around freely?"

His head snapped up and his eyes narrowed sharply. A leer on his lips.

"I'm letting you, aren't I?" he said bitterly.

She bit her tongue. He had stumped her on that one. She scooped up her bag and tossed it through the open window of the Audi onto the backseat. So much for a happy mutualistic working relationship with a police officer. For all she cared, once she helped him catch these killers—and guaranteed she stayed on the right side of the Wall—he could go on his merry way. He caught her arm before she got in the car.

He put his mouth to her ear, "Think very wisely about what you say next," he said.

"Shouldn't you worry about what I do?"

"Eva . . ."

"He had an aura and you knew it too," she said, "I'm gonna prove it."

She shot a glare at his hand and he retracted it quickly, closing the door on her. She let out a quick sigh of relief and sunk back onto the leather seat. Kingsley got in the door opposite her, he didn't spare her a look but instead murmured a word of instruction to the driver. The car purred into gear and slid smoothly out the alley.

"What now?" she asked, forcing a sense of calm as her house disappeared around the bend.

He didn't look up from clenching the rim of his hat, "We've got an appointment."

"With who?"

"You'll see."

***

Eva couldn't stop fidgeting as they drove across the city. Passing checkpoint and checkpoint, but only her and the driver had to expose their tattoos to the Reapers. Kingsley, it seemed, had special treatment that with a nod of his head they let them through.

She was sceptical as the sleek black Audi pulled up outside a shop in eastern London, the loosely named Section Two—or the Void district—and told her this was it. Section Two was famous for all the illegal deeds of the capital. The ground here was scorched black bearing the echoes of the firebombs and the riots that descended here every year. Black stains blotted the skanky brick work that made the houses look like they were one shiver away from falling down.