As we left the room, George Bradshaw’s men were loading Borya’s body onto a stretcher while Cathy stood nearby in hands cuffs. How strange it must be to kill oneself, I thought
“Robert, is Doc in the surveillance room?” asked Karen.
“Chief, he’s here with Nicky.”
“Thank you, we’re on our way.”
The surveillance room was on the opposite side of a one-way mirror, of which Echo stared intently. Her eyes dark with a smile that made you want to kill her right then and there.
As the minutes passed, she began pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Refusing to sit back down until she heard Karen’s voice over the speaker. “Echo, this is Karen Davis, Chief of Elysian. I plan to send you home with a message, but first, I want to know where Lex is.”
“Screw you, and tell his mom the horny bastard was an easy catch.”
Before Karen could respond, Robert stepped up to the window and handed her a note that read: Olivia was able to retrieve Echo’s memories. Lex is alive and well. Jeff is on his way with a security team to pick him up now.
Karen nodded and stared back through the glass. “It’s too bad Borya died instead of you, Echo. A bimbo like yourself has only the skill of a whore with nothing to say.”
“I have plenty to say, Bitch, and your day is coming. Ghosts are not outliers; Elysians are. Who’s your friend, who’s not. You might be surprised to know which American tribes have already sided with us.”
“Sleep tight,” Karen replied as gas filled the room. “Robert, secure Echo in the chair so Doc can make contact. And Doc, don’t walk out of that room until you’re sure there’s nothing left in that trashy brain of hers. Understood?”
Doc seemed as stunned as I with her demeanor.
“Understood. And Chief, what do you want us to do with her when she wakes up?”
“I haven’t decided. Hold her there for the time being.”
Mitch was coming in as Karen and I made our way out. “Chief, it was brutal what Borya did to Cathy. Don’t be too hard on her. I would have killed him myself had she not beat me to it.”
Karen studied him for a moment, then moved on down the hallway to a waiting golf cart where she radioed back to Doc. “Put Mitch under hypnosis when you’re finished with Echo. I think he’s had plenty of time to access Cathy’s memories, and I want them all.”
“You got it.”
Linda, I want to talk with Jill Hanson. Go pick her up after you drop us off. I’ll meet you in your office after I close things out with the Wilcox family.”
Office and safe-room were interchangeable underground, every Elysian family had one. But Linda, Robert, and Karen’s have security features that allow them to monitor and control the entire complex. So Jeff, Olivia, and Lex were well aware of Echo’s comments, making our meeting with them a tearful one.
Shift is an online work of fiction.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift – Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
The story centers around shapeshifting.
I’m currently working on chapter nine.
Timothy French 