Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 5 - Alex

As I drove through the stupidly crowded streets of London, the car was one of those electric ones. There was always an irony in modern cars being electric while the planet had gone to shit. This thing was self-charging, which again was ironic with barely any sunlight in the city. No, this thing absorbed electricity from the neon lights and its own kinetic energy, the brakes' heat converted back to power and so forth. This car could also drive itself, but I wasn't about to hand that kind of control to the AI. For a start, I was in the car with a member of the resistance who could have the capability to hijack the remote control system. It was also government-issued, and they could override control if they decided I wasn't doing my due diligence.

It was possible that Terra had bio-implants that connected to tech. This was dangerous for the mind but often used by them for on-the-fly advantages. Either way, I wasn't about to take the risk.

"You look good, Alex," her voice snapped through my train of thought.

"You too," I replied, then mentally kicked myself. I mean, it was true she did, but fuck if I'd handed her that one. I didn't wish to blur the lines between who we were and what we had become; she was a criminal, and I had to keep reminding myself of that.

"You do..." She was about to say, "don't have to do this," when the display in my car lit up with an incoming comm signal.

I tapped the display, and it flickered, then fritzed in midair for a second before morphing into a familiar blonde, hovering between myself and the passenger seat, glaring at me.

"You're three days overdue to report in," she snapped angrily at me.

"Hi to you too, Abigail," I replied. I never rose to her; she was my handler and ultimately the only reason I got paid. I flicked at the holographic head, directing it to the back of the car to show I'd got my quarry.

"Huh, I thought you'd have put her down."

"Fuck you!" Terra growled in response.

"You wish, honey," Abigail replied.

I flicked back at the head, pulling it back into my range of vision. She eyed me with suspicion I knew she was looking for that sign of weakness that I might side with love over my job.

"Mission accomplished. I need a drop-off."

"London North," Abigail replied. "I'll meet you there." The hologram fritzed again, then vanished, and I let out a long sigh. I hated North London; it was all military and government, which meant it would take forever to drive through, and I was quickly getting annoyed with the stupidity of other road users.

I flicked through a couple of screens, then hit the panel, and the exterior of the car lit up in blues as the siren screamed out. To be completely honest, I rarely used the sirens; I was supposed to be in an unmarked vehicle. This was like sticking a giant target on the car, saying, "Here I am, you can run now." Though it always amused me how quickly people got out of the way of what they thought was a law enforcement vehicle. Technically I was, but operationally I wasn't, as I operated in a very thin grey area between the law and making sure my job was done. Sometimes that wasn't always in line with the justice system. Not that this world had justice—most crimes were now punishable by death. Why waste prison space when you can just end them? And the only prisons still in operation, well, no sane person ever ventured in there. They were somewhere between a prison and an asylum; horror stories were often told to children to make them behave.

I cut through the streets before hitting the first military checkpoint. I turned off the siren but left the lights running, rolling down the window to offer my ID to the surly-looking military guy. This post was Army or Navy depending on the season. Military capabilities in most countries had been torn apart by the government, shifting to having the military and the police merge into single entities.

This gave the government far more control and far more firepower to enforce their will on the populations. I walked a very thin line between doing my job and not harming those who didn't deserve it.

The guy waved me through, and I drove on. There had to be a dozen checkpoints between here and the facility, and I was in no mood to deal with any of them. One would check, then recheck, eyeing me, then Terra, then finally wave me through. This pattern repeated to the point I was beyond annoyed by the time I arrived at London North's Detention Facility.

Slowly I pulled into the forecourt and parked, before sliding from the car and opening the rear. Terra didn't try to fight as she climbed out. I felt sorry for her in that moment, though part of me had to wonder if this was some deeper plan. I pushed the thoughts aside and escorted her into the building to the desk.

"Hunter 12-08-06, Prisoner request 02.09-86," I stated. The annoyed attendant grunted at me, then pointed to the door. It buzzed and we made our way through.

A door opened, and there she stood, that five-foot-seven frame, blond hair, piercing blue eyes. Abigail Richards was both commanding and beautiful in the same moment, though the way she was currently looking at me suggested I was in trouble..

"About damn time, Oliveira!" She growled, then shoved Terra into the room, slamming the door as the electronic lock whirred and clanked.

"Have you ever actually driven through the northern sector?" I snapped in response. "It takes ten times longer than driving through central London, it's ridiculous. There hasn't been any type of assassination attempt in over a decade, it's not needed."

"Hmm, you wanna argue that with the politicians?" She chuckled, then led me to the observation room. Terra was pacing in the interrogation room as we stood watching behind the reflective one-way glass. Every now and again she would stare at us, then go back to pacing. "I'm just waiting on authorization to interrogate her, then we go in."

"Yes ma'am," I replied. I knew what came next.