House of Ill Repute

Bishop Wainwright looked older than ever as we sat together in his car. It was a big dark grey sedan, electric of course, with a sophisticated communications array installed. I sat in the front seat next to my superior and Penny was in the back.

We watched the clean up team securing the office across the road. Ambulances from a private hospital the Order funded were taking away the survivors for treatment and the bodies for identification. Jeremy’s body had been the first one to be recovered, but he would be sent to a dedicated facility that handled our most sensitive cases.

Two squads of the Guard had also arrived, securing the perimeter. And reporting back everything they saw to the Archimedes Network I was sure.

“Wheels within wheels” said the Bishop, exhaustion and grief making his voice hollow. “That Warlock is still on the loose, and we don’t know what his real plans were”

“Removing you was definitely one of his goals” I answered. “What his plans with the Governor were I am not so sure. I doubt they have ended either. He is still moving forwards with whatever his agenda could be”

“Keep looking for him” said the Bishop. “He will go to ground but you may be able to sniff him out. The Judgement order still stands”

“What about Governor Rose?” I responded. “He was definitely involved in this. He had connections to the girl Amy Truong. His goons wanted to take us out of the investigation”

“Leave the Governor be for now. His actions have come under intense scrutiny from Jericho-Two and the rest of the Board. I doubt he will remain in office much longer, one way or another”. The Bishop ended and bowed his head.

“Thank you Miss Deeds” he said softly over his shoulder to Penny in the rear seat. “You saved my life tonight, and you saved Jeremy’s soul. You acted for the best”

“You are welcome, Bishop Wainwright” she answered. She seemed about to say more, then lapsed into silence.

“We will take our leave now, Bishop” I said and Penny and I got out of the sedan.

As we walked back to our SUV, now surrounded by other vehicles and hurrying figures, Penny turned to me with an enquiring look.

“What was it that you had Jeremy bring to you, back in that parking lot?”

“Oh, that” I answered. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the little bag. It was a bit crushed but should be fine. Jeremy had been a keen baker as well as a talented coffee maker. I opened it and offered the bag towards Penny.

“Cookie?”

=====

November 15th

In the past two days, Penny and I had searched from one end of Pan City to the other, hunting the elusive Warlock. He had slipped our net of that it was certain.

The man we had thought to be him was identified as Eric Stone, a visiting Englishman who had gone missing from his hotel a week earlier. His family had no idea where he gone, and we were not able to tell them the full story of his demise.

For many of the bodies found in the House of Ill Repute, they had been customers or employees of the business. Marco Pillot turned out to be an occasional client, having hidden his expensive habit from his wife. Amy Truong had been coerced into working there to pay for her addictions.

Neither of them, indeed any of the other victims, had deserved the endings that had befallen them.

The Order and the Board of Governors delved deeply into the financial operations behind the business. Silas Rose found himself having to answer some very awkward questions. He had decided to stand down from the Board, quoting personal reasons and ill health in a public announcement.

On the evening of the second day of searching fruitlessly, Bishop Wainwright called us into his office. He officially took us off the case, saying it was no longer necessary to have us chasing shadows. I was to go on extended leave and Penny would be returning to Rome and the Ordo Excommunicado.

At the Superior, Penny packed her bags and said a short goodbye. She expected to be back in the Zone soon and she hoped to see me again. I kissed her briefly and she left, taking an auto-cab to the airport.

I felt hollow and alone, so I called the Orphanage that night and told them I was available to help out for a while. They accepted gladly, knowing that Millie would be under control while I was there. That put a smile on my face at last.

November 29th

The past two weeks had flown by. Millie had been overjoyed to have me at the Orphanage again, even if for a little while. She had told me all about her new friends and how much her Aeromancy was improving.

She told me she had been researching her ability online. According to some net “experts” she was what they called a “Gunsinger”. Millie decided that was her new power and insisted on practicing shooting cans into the air. I had to admit to being impressed, as she had quite a punch in her bolts of air.

It was at the end of the second week that I was supervising Millie in a corner of the playground, making sure her Gunsinger did not put too many holes in the wall we used as a backdrop for her can shooting. She was in fine form, playing up to me and a couple of younger girls.

We were applauding her latest bout of whistled accuracy when a familiar voice called to me.

I turned and saw Penny on the other side of the chain link fence that separated the yard from the parking lot. An auto-cab was waiting, the passenger door open.

“Hi, Vee” she said. “You look good”

I walked over to the fence and put my fingers into the mesh. Penny stepped up close on her side and linked her fingers with mine.

“Are you just arriving?” I asked hopefully.

“Just leaving actually” she said. “I was called here for an urgent excommunication”

“Anyone we know?” I wondered.

“Check the news feeds tonight” she replied. She had looked away, and then her gaze swung back to me.

“I am sorry Vee, but I have to go. I wish I could stay but you know what our lives are like”

“Then leave the Order” I said suddenly. “I will too. We have given enough of our souls to them already. Can’t we keep something for ourselves?”

“That is not a path we get to choose anymore Vee, you know that” Her beautiful eyes looked deep into mine. “I do love you, which is why I can’t be here. I can’t drag you down with me”

“Please…” I whispered. I wanted to say so much more, when a familiar blonde headed child appeared at my side, gazing at Penny through the fence.

“Hi, I’m Millie” she announced boldly. “Are you a friend of Sister Venerae’s?”

Penny smiled widely and released my hands. She looked into Millie’s face, almost a mirror to my own.

“No, I am just a work colleague” she said. “The Sister and I used to do some stuff together for the Church. Our partnership is over now and I just came to say goodbye”

“OK” said Millie and reached up to take my hand. “Sister, can we go have some lunch now? I am really hungry”

I looked at my niece with affection. “You are always hungry. Where does all that food go?”

“Don’t know” she said candidly and patted her flat stomach. “Maybe it goes somewhere else?” She waved goodbye to Penny and started to drag me towards the dining hall. Her friends had already gone in that direction.

I gave a final look at Penny on her side of the fence. She waved goodbye to me and mouthed something. I like to think it was “I love you”. Then she turned and walked to her auto-cab. It closed the door and drove her out of my life.

=====

That evening I was in the main hall where the teenaged children liked to congregate. The younger ones had their own noisy play area and the older ones tended to stay in their rooms. I was dressed in my usual long dark habit and was sitting on the communal lounge.

Millie was in her regular outfit of knee length shorts and a loose shirt. She wore this regardless of the weather or time of year. I wondered if she would ever wear a dress like the other girls, but I knew better than to comment on her fashion choices. I was hardly a role model in that respect, even outside of the Orphanage.

As had become our custom, Millie was laying against me on the lounge, sprawled out so no other children could sit there. She was oblivious to their glares and was contentedly watching the main screen with me.

Sister Adoracion went past and gave her own glare of disapproval at me. I knew I was setting a bad example to the other children, but everyone knew Millie was my favourite.

The evening news feed came on and Millie whined about changing the channel. I was about to when the headline news story came on. The recently stood down Governor, Silas Rose, had died earlier today in an unfortunate VTOL crash. He had been inspecting the construction works his company was overseeing on the outskirts of Pan City.

Details were still unclear, but apparently the pilot had lost control due to an onboard systems failure. The ex Governor and his security chief, Johann Fields, were listed as dead. The pilot was still missing somewhere in the crash wreckage but was expected to be found soon.

I duly switched the channel to some Japanese animated series that Millie loved. It featured giants robots and girls in remarkably short skirts.

Millie laughed happily at the animated violence and implied sexuality on the screen. A few of the other kids were enjoying it too. At any moment one of the other Sisters would come in and see what we were watching. Then we would all catch hell, me included.

I tousled Millie’s short blonde hair and she giggled some more. She reminded me so much of Alex that it hurt, but in a good kind of way.

My time with Millie was still uncertain. Her future with someone like me in it was unlikely to be happy or carefree. I knew I would have to break my ties to her soon. But for now I needed this connection, fate and the opinions of others be damned.

I could see the future if I wanted to. That was my gift and my curse. For now I refused to look and would stay here, in the present. With someone I loved.

The End of Part 7 of Millie the Gunsinger