The Great Game

If you’re new to the Great Game, please have a quick look at the blurb to your left, where you’ll find a short catch-up introduction.

“Two thirds of the Centre has failed to show, Agent Taylor. I haven’t been able to contact any of them. I hoped you had some information.”

“Shit.” All sorts of nasty possibilities leapt to mind. “Can you send me a full list of today’s no-shows?”

She took a sharp breath. “Apparently I can, sir. I’ll get on it immediately.”

“Thanks.”

I broke the connection, and sat there for a moment, pondering my next move. Officer Mortimer wasn’t answering calls… Not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. I needed to check his place over, make sure he wasn’t lying there dead. Or worse.

I got up and went over to Travis. “Sir.”

He looked up at me. “Yes?”

“Something screwy is going on at Cadogan Place Station. I need to go and check something out. Do you know if there are any other agencies working on this problem?”

Travis rolled his eyes. “Most of them, in one way or another. But we’re point.”

“So no-one else should be grabbing evidence? Using unmarked APCs, for example?”

“No,” he said. “They’d bloody better not be. Hm. Should I have someone check?”

“Might be a good idea,” I said.

He frowned. “Alright. Let me know if you find anything. Parking is in the basement.”

“Thanks.”

I found my way to the parking area easily, which made a pleasant change. It was huge but packed, and my heart sank. I took out the parking stub, and looked at it. A trail of light immediately appeared at my feet. I immediately jumped back a couple of paces. The light didn’t waver, and I realised that it stretched out into the sea of pods. A pulse welled up, and blipped off down the path. I shook my head ruefully, and then followed it.

A minute or two later, I was sitting in my pod. Travis didn’t seem to have done anything to it, although he’d probably added a tracker or something. Then, of course, I realised that he could have popped a tracker into me whilst I was out. Not that it made any difference. I fired up my communicator and put it on standby, and then set my pod to take me to Mortimer’s house.

Outside, it seemed like a perfectly ordinary day; lightly overcast, but bright. I stared out of the window as the businesses and homes slipped past, wondering how everything could look so normal. After a little while, it almost looked false, as if the buildings and the people and the greenery were all just thin facades, with something dark and horrible hiding behind them. I fought hard to shake the mood off, and eventually it withdrew. Of course it looked normal. That was the whole point.

By the time I got to Mortimer’s block, I was almost feeling back to normal. According to the records, Phil Mortimer shared an apartment with a colleague from the Cadogan Place Security Station, who was also on the no-show list. The building was an ugly, sprawling affair, not quite slum grade, but only a couple of levels above it. It looked like it held several hundred apartments over ten floors, with concrete walkways and enclosed stairwells providing access. A dour place.

I directed the pod to a parking spot, and fished my holstered pistol out from its locker. I wasn’t about to go in there unarmed. I strapped the gun on, and after a moment, I decided to put on my blank glasses as well.

I could feel eyes on me as I got out of the pod. I ignored the feeling, and made a show of striding confidently to the nearest stairway. Mortimer lived four levels up, towards the left end of the building, and I made it to his door without seeing another soul. The feeling of being watched didn’t fade, though. I rang the door buzzer, stepped slightly to one side, and waited.

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Today’s photo is Alexandra Road Housing Estate by Jamie Barras.