The lead lug nodded. “Good to have you back, sir.”
It took a moment to realize he addressed me as ‘sir’. Good thing I’d mastered the poker face. I straightened my shoulders and gave him my best stern look.
“Thank you. I’ll dispense with the pleasantries, because time isn’t on my side. I need to see the Savant.”
That sounded like a jingle-brained request if I ever heard one, but it was what Hunter had told me, and was my only clue to finding out where Selene's missing leg was. The burly guard didn’t even blink.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir.”
My heart sank. If I couldn’t get in, I’d never find out the answers I didn’t really want to know. Which meant I’d have to return empty-handed, and somehow I didn’t think that would sit well with Selene, who wanted her leg back, or Poddar, who wanted his dame back. Or Rob, who wanted to shoot things, or Stinker, who wanted to bite me.
The guard continued. “I’ll do the next best thing. I’ll take you to see the Warden. Are these… individuals with you?”
“Indeed, my good man. Special agents assigned to the case. The dog, too. Shall we?”
The android paused as though to let me know my bullshit wasn’t beyond his programming, but turned and gestured to the other guards, who fell in behind us as we marched through the gatelodge. After surrendering our weapons, the door shut loudly, cutting us off from the outside world.
We were locked inside the Fortress.
I got claustrophobic the moment I entered. I think the place was built with towering concrete walls just to make the folks inside feel as insignificant as possible. After a creepy walk down dull, dimly lit hallways, we got to the Warden’s office. The lead gorilla opened the door. A sweet-looking brunette looked up from entering data on a tablet.
I cleared my throat and spoke in my most authoritative voice. “I’m here to see the Warden.”
“You’re seeing her right now.” She gave me the once over with a critical eye. At closer glance I saw she was a synoid. The face was too doll-like, the eyes just a tad on the glassy side. Made sense. Why put humans at risk at a meat locker like the Fortress?
She pursed her synthetic lips. “You look like a walking stiff, and that’s not gonna cut it. Not tonight. I heard you’re still dealing with memory loss, but you’d better get your act together. The Savant has this place more of a madhouse than normal, and my guards may not be enough if things get out of hand.”
I pretended to know what the hell she was gabbing about. “Ok, Warden. Why don’t you just tell me who this chump is, and why he should matter to me?”
She pulled on a protective vest and checked her mech-guns while she answered. The B52s, I noted. An improved version of the garbage the goons at the Docks sported, except modified for synoids, which made them far more accurate.
“Glenn Faraday is his real name. He masterminded a plot to destroy this Haven, and almost got away with it. A scientific and mathematical genius, he is rumored to possess paranormal powers as well. Though if that’s true they haven’t spirited him out the cell he’s been in since he got here. As to why he should matter to you… ” she looked at me almost in a pitying way. “You’re the one who took him down.”
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any more bizarre. Still, I supposed I shouldn’t have been shocked. I had figured by then my strings had been pulled from the moment Ms. Kilby stepped through my door. Just had to find out who was the puppeteer.
She gestured. “Come on.”
We walked out the office and joined a squad of guards who kept Poddar and Rob company. One of them handed me my heaters back. I suppose the surprise showed on my face as I strapped them back on.
“Special circumstances,” the Warden said. “And it’s not as if you can hurt any of us.”
How true.
They all fell in as we practically jogged down more dark hallways. A noise like thunder grew louder as we drew near. When the large steel doors at the end of the hall opened, I found out what it was.
We entered the main prisoner wing. Chaos washed over us in the form of wild screaming, chanting, and a downpour of confetti from torn papers. The prisoners shook the walls, roaring in a swell of pure hate while guards in riot gear lined up, preparing to join the concert with some head banging of their own.
“It’s been like this since the day started.” The Warden yelled over the noise, walking as if at a country picnic. “Nothing we do seems to have any effect.”
“What’s causing them to act like this?”
“The Savant.”
I should’ve known.
When we entered the segregation wing, the doors shut behind us and muted the noise somewhat.
“This is as far as we go. He refuses to talk to anyone except the person he wants to see.”
“And that would be…?”
“You really have to ask? Last cell down. Be careful. His most dangerous weapon has always been his mind.”
I turned the corner and took the long walk down to the bing ward. Prison cells always made me uneasy, but maybe that was because I’d seen the view from the inside out a couple of times. I tried to focus on the moment instead.
Dr. Faraday waited for me in the last cell. Only a few humming lasers separated me from the most dangerous man in the city. I figured I should have had a memory jolt or something when I clapped eyes on him.
I figured right. Because I’d just seen him before. In that crazy flashback I had when I got my egg cracked by the Bo staff. Dr. Faraday was the same labcoat who had me hooked up all that equipment. The same equipment which had exploded around us, throwing me into dark choppy waters…
I looked into his eyes. Deep intelligence and calculated cunning stared back at me.
He smiled. “At last. You look well, Mr. Trubble. A bit haggard, but well. Do you know who I am?”
“Not exactly. But I just recently had a gonzo hallucination from getting cracked over the head with a Bo staff. Long story, but the main thing is you were in it. Bad part is I have a few memory issues, so I can’t remember much about it. And now that I think about it, you’re probably the reason why.”
His smile only widened. “You don’t remember me, do you? Fascinating. I wasn’t sure if the process would hold up. Your unexpected acts of violence forced me to think on my feet, as it were. I see you survived the river. I wasn’t in the proper condition to see so at the time. You know, since you had just tried to murder me.”
That rattled me more than I could afford to show. I kept gabbing to keep him from noticing. “So you’re telling me you’re the one who messed up my memory? You figure on tipping your mitts on what that was all about? Lemme guess — something to do with this leg business and the shadowy goon with the mental powers.”
“It sounds like you’ve been watching too many science fiction movies, Mr. Trubble. Do you think this is the standard confrontation where the villain tells the hero his plans so they can be swiftly unraveled? If it were, then our positions would be reversed. Tell me — do you believe in New Haven?”
I was about sick of that question. “Should I?”
“Indeed you should. It is what has made you a new man. This city is your salvation.”
He gazed around as though he could see it beyond the walls. “It’s almost… magic. All of these people. Going about with no idea of how things work. What deeds they did to gain entry. Just like you, Mr. Trubble. What sort of demons visit you when it’s late at night and you can’t sleep?
“Can’t say I have that problem, Mack. Booze puts me to sleep just fine.”
“Always a glib response from you, isn’t it?” He had the nerve to actually look pityingly at me. “What a cloud of unanswered questions must hang over your head. What is it like to have your memories suddenly vanish? How do you go on when you don’t know where you’ve been?”