Gods and Monsters

XI

Little Seoul restaurant - Fulham, London

The restaurant was still busy for so late in the evening as Atlin and Jessica finished their traditional Korean cuisine. Their table was romantically lit, tucked away in the furthest corner of the restaurant so they had a bit extra privacy. Jessica knew that Atlin's day at work hadn't been too easy, and wanted to treat her to a meal out, due to them not having spent too much time together recently.

"Do you want to talk about your case then?" Jessica asked, inquisitively.

Atlin slurped up the final few noodles on her plate. "You know I'd love to, but I can't for now. It's confidential." Jessica looked confused at this as she tried to understand what Atlin was saying. "I mean it's secret. I can't tell anyone about it. Sorry."

Jessica nodded now as Atlin explained herself. "Do not worry, I understand. You top secret agent." Pointing her fingers towards the sky as if holding a handgun, Jessica caused Atlin to erupt in laughter before quickly following suit herself. She excused herself as she had to make a call to her Father who would likely just be waking up back in South Korea, and made her way to the outside of the restaurant.

After pressing two on the speed dial, Jessica waited a short while as the phone rang before it was picked up. "Oxford Siren," Jessica said into the receiver, speaking in perfectly clear English.

"Miss Suhyun Kim, what have you got to report?" The voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Atlin is still holding out when it comes to information. She's dedicated to her job, if nothing else; however, I did have an interesting confrontation this afternoon with Detective Parker. Seems she may have a slight problem with the pills. I'll see what else I can find out and report back soon."

The voice on the other end of the line paused for a moment. A faint scribbling could be heard as they made notes about what Jessica had reported. "Your comments will be passed on, Miss Suhyun Kim. Thank you, and goodnight." The line went dead and Jessica went back into the restaurant.

"Dessert?" Atlin asked as Jessica sat back down at the table, a beaming grin stuck on her face like a ventriloquist's dummy.

Canterbury Manor – Mentmore, Buckinghamshire

"Thank you for passing the information on Dominic. I'm glad to know we're making progress on that front. Have a good evening." Jack hung up the phone as he moved back into the dining room where Maria was finishing her meal.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yes, everything is fantastic, thank you. And your meal?"

"Exquisite. Please pass my compliments to the chef."

Jack drifted back round behind Maria, pulling her chair out as she stood up revealing her long, slender legs. Holding her hand, Jack led Maria into the study where they sat and continued to converse and drink.

"...and then I turned back to him and shouted, "No Tim, the orange one!" Maria said as the pair erupted into a fit of laughter that filled the near-empty manor's halls and rooms. Jack slid closer to Maria on the sofa, his steely blue eyes meeting her own deep brown orbs, as he placed his large hand on her chin, their lips moving within inches of one another. Hot breath now the only thing between them, they were interrupted by Jack's butler, a tall, gaunt old man, who cleared his throat in the corner of the room.

"Master Canterbury. Apologies for interrupting, but I wanted to let you know I was retiring for the evening. If yourself or Miss D'Angelo require anything, please don't hesitate to wake me."

"Thank you, Godfrey. I'm sure we'll be fine though. Goodnight."

Godfrey raised his right hand to his forehead in a salute before turning on his heels and heading to his quarters. Jack turned back to Maria but it appeared that the moment had passed now.

"Maria, earlier you mentioned about being completely honest."

"Yes, that's right."

"There's something I wish to show you if you'll let me."

She nodded her approval as Jack stood up and walked over to a bust of Beethoven on the mantelpiece. Placing a finger in each of the eye sockets, he pushed them in. A light rumbling momentarily concerned Maria as the bookcase on the wall slid back revealing the steel doors of an elevator. She pulled herself up from the leather sofa and moved next to Jack as the doors parted revealing a velvet red interior. The trip must have lasted about half a minute and the doors opened to a near empty cave that lead to an endless black abyss. The one visible item in the cave was a switch a short walk away that was placed on the edge of the chasm.

With some trepidation, Maria approached the ledge with Jack following closely behind. "What is this Jack?"

"You asked me to be honest with you. I want our relationship to work, and so I am showing you my largest secret. Pull the switch." Jack's fingers twitched ever so slightly as he adjusted his watch once again, waiting for Maria to do the deed.

The switch was slightly stiff, a sign that it hadn't been used for quite a while, but with a bit of force, she managed to pull it down. For a moment, there was no effect, but before Maria could question what was happening, rows of lights began to illuminate below them. They must have been fifty feet up on that ledge, but below them, Maria could see hundreds, if not thousands, of square rooms, each containing a lone occupant with basic facilities including a bed and toilet. The walls used some kind of two-way mirror that allowed her to see inside but the occupants unable to see outside. Security guards patrolled the narrow grey corridors between the rooms, each carrying a machine gun which Jack assured her was merely a precautionary measure.

"A precautionary measure for what?" Maria asked, her voice breaking slightly in the shock at this prison under the manor.

"Maria, these people may look like you and me, but I can assure you they are anything but. Each one has a superhuman ability; telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis, flight, you name it. Among normal people, these posthumans as they have come to be known are too much of a risk to our safety. While they are stored here Quantum Technologies scientists can analyse them, examine their abilities in a controlled environment and learn how they can be utilised safely in the future. Unfortunately, some of these people are probably normal, law-abiding citizens whose powers wouldn't pose a threat to us, but..."

"It's a necessary evil." Maria finished for Jack. Turning to him she smirked before pulling the switch leaving the facility in darkness once again. 

Continued in Part 12