Undercity: Manifest

Chapter Seven

After the unexpected phone call from Ben that morning asking her to meet him at the station, Sadie was on edge. She had wondered if they had caught the man from the alley. Since the call, she couldn't shake to feeling a dread which had burrowed itself deep in her gut. She wasn't ready to face him yet and hoped they weren't going to ask her to identify him. Not that she would be much use, she hadn't seen his face. Ben had re-assured her that he just had some follow-up questions and wanted her to look over some evidence they held at the station. 

The taxi pulled up outside the police station five minutes before she was due to meet with Ben. The building was boarded by patrol cars seemingly abuzz with life as uniformed officers made their way in and out of the double glass doors. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and forced a calming breath before making her way inside. After telling the female officer at the reception desk who she was here to see, she was instructed to take a seat in the foyer and wait. 

She didn't have to wait long before Ben walked out of the door behind the desk with a serious expression on his face. She noticed it before he had time to morph his face into a soft greeting smile. Something was wrong and she had no idea what or why she felt the sudden urge to run home. 

'Hi Sadie, thanks for coming down'. Ben's voice was as calming as it had been the night they met. Yet, she couldn't shake the sense that something was different about him. His persona was similar to the one she plastered on at work. The one she used to make her customers feel at ease. She quickly buried her feelings and stood to greet him. 

'No problem. I'm happy to help and put this all behind me'. Ben's face gave nothing away in response to her reply. 

'If you're ready, we have an interview room set up'.

We, who's we?

'I'm ready.' At that, Ben led her through the back offices continuing past the various workstations to the interview room. 

The interview room was devoid of all colours and exactly what she expected. A bolted down table surrounded by three chairs, and what she assumed was a one-way mirror, were the only items of furniture. Ben pointed for her to sit at the lone chair on the side of the table furthest from the door. Then he did the last thing she expected. He left. 

She wasn't alone for long before the door opened, and Zach walked in. Her breath caught before she had even fully registered his presence. He wasn't in a uniform, he was wearing the same faded red jacket he had on the two previous time they had met. A detective then. Sadie had barley had time to comprehend this unexpected turn when another man entered. His presence sucked the remaining oxygen from the room. Whilst Zach was intimidating, this man sang of danger. Like Zach, he was dressed mostly in black, but where Zach wore fitted suit trousers and a shirt, this man wore faded black jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a dark leather jacket baring only the hint of a red tone.

'Zachariah, what's going on?' Startled by his presence as she was, she needed to get this over. Zach moved to sit down opposite her. His companion's face was unreadable as he remained by the door without sitting.  

'Sadie, what we're about to share with you will be... difficult'. Zach's voice was a controlled and measured as it always was, sadly, it offered her no comfort.

What the fuck is going on.

When he didn't continue, and looked at her assessing her reaction, she decided she had had enough. 

'And who exactly is we? I thought I was here to meet with Ben. I don't understand why there's a need for secrecy. Am I in some sort of trouble because you're treating me like I'm the one under investigation'. Her breathing was picking up from a combination of anger and worry.