The Dream Factory

Shifter

Shifter  

Elveridge Oats stared in disbelief into the cage at his mother and swallowed hard. This was going to be much more difficult than he'd imagined. 

'Elveridge, my boy. My lovely little boy. Don't do this to me. Don't kill your own mother.' His mother turned her face up at him, her eyes were red from crying, with lower lip tremblingly she reached through the bars and grasped his hand. 

'Ignore her Warden Oats, she's messing with your head. She knows she's going to get it. You know that as well as I do.' Investigator Derringer pulled the handcuffs from his belt and snapped them round her frail white wrists. 

'You're a hulking great chap Warden, how come your mothers so small?' Derringer winked. 

Elveridge looked down at Derringer and drew himself up to his full height, towering over the stocky Investigator. 'You brought her in Derringer which is why you have the right to be here. But remember I run this facility. I can have you turned out at a moment's notice.' 

'Ok, Ok, just saying.'  

Oats bent down until his eyes were level with the pockmarked face of the Investigator. 'Leave it.' 

Avoiding his mother's pleading eyes Oats drew the tablet from his pocket with his shaking hands. He carefully composed himself. He didn't want to look like a fool in front of Derringer. 'By the powers invested in me, Warden Elveridge Oats and by the order of the Prefect and the Assembly, you are, by virtue of your being found guilty of your heinous crimes by an assembly of your peers to be taken from this place and atomised until no atoms of your self can be recovered and reassembled in any form or means what-so ever.'  

'I don't know why you treat them the way you do Warden?' Derringer opened the cage and dragged Warden Oat's mother from it. They're all going to go the same way, down the hall there and 'pop,' that's it. If I had my way we'd march them all down there now and I'd stuff them in that infernal machine and throw the switch myself.' 

Elveridge tucked the tablet back into its sleeve and looked at the long line of cages stretching away down the corridor and the dark shapes huddled within. 'Please Investigator Derringer, have some decorum. Other inmates are listening. I don't want them alarmed. I run an orderly facility here, meditation and prayer is our ethos. It helps pass the days until their time comes. Let's not make it any more unpleasant than it already is.' 

The walk down the brightly lit corridor seemed to last an eternity. Derringer with one hand dragged the small bent frame of his prisoner along behind him while she wept silently into a small lace handkerchief.  

She stumbled. Elveridge helped her up. 

She stared up at Elveridge and held her hands out silently appealing for his help. 

Now he was going through hell. 

'My son.' Her tears trickled down her face.  

Elveridge looked away. How much longer could she keep this up? 

'Ignore her Warden, she's a hardnosed bitch. You know that.' 

'Careful Derringer that's my mother you're talking about.' Elveridge willed himself not to step in and give Derringer a dam good thumping. 

'Well,' Derringer shrugged, 'you know what I mean Warden. This is positively disrespectful. Don't you agree?' 

'Let's just get this over with.' 

They'd arrived at the glassy white door of the Atomising room. 

'Look Warden I'll take it from here if you'd like. I know this is difficult for you.' 

'I appreciate that Investigator Derringer. My man is inside with the Prefect. He'll take care of the formalities.' Warden Oats nodded to his mother. 'Now you behave in there, I won't have any shenanigans. You understand?' 

'Don't worry Warden. I've got it.' Slipping off the cuffs Derringer grasped Oat's mother firmly by the arm. 

As she reached up to try to kiss up the Warden he quickly turned away and strode back down the corridor. This was agony. 

'Oats!' Derringer shouted after him. 

Warden Oats swung around, looked at them both and shook his head angrily. 'God dam it Derringer, you said you'd got it from here. Right, you're both going back to the cells,' he growled pulling the stun baton from his belt, 'and I don't expect a peep out of either of you. Is that clear?' 

     **** 

'Damnation!' The Prefect looked at both Derringers through the bars before turning to face a worried looking Oats. 'How in the furies of hell are we going to untangle this one Warden Oats?' 

Inwardly Elveridge Oats cursed himself. He should never have taken his eyes off Derringer and the Shifter. 'You know Prefect there is one person who would have known what to do if they were still alive? 

The corners of the Prefect's eyes creased up in puzzlement, 'Who's that then Warden?' 

'My mother.'