Retrograde

Chapter 3 • Errand of Necessity

This time, he didn't check the back seat.

It took about 25 minutes to get to the ruins, so he was a little late. Cael wasn't sure exactly where at the ruins he was supposed to meet the woman. So, he settled for roaming the neglected expanse of rubble. He walked up the steps, minding the debris that laid around. No one alive knew first-hand if it was a battle that ruined the memorial or if the Syndicate had it destroyed.

"You're late," a voice spoke. A familiar voice with that same hint of aggression. Cael stopped in his tracks, his stomach dropping. He turns on his heels to finally get a look at the woman who had him out of sorts from the car incident.

She had a thing for asymmetry. Her hair was locked in an asymmetrical bob, shaved at one side. The woman was decked out in an asymmetrical, black vest with a gray long-sleeve and black pants. But he took note that what symmetry she lacked in her clothes, she gained with her facial features. Cael? He looked like he had a class to teach at that very moment.

He cleared his throat. "So are you."

"I was already here. I watched you to make sure you were alone and weren't followed."

"Oh..."

"Am I what you expected?" she asked curiously, tilting her head. Cael laughed humorlessly.

"I didn't expect anything. I didn't expect for someone to be in my car when I got there, but I guess that's my fault for forgetting to lock the doors before classes," he explained.

"I would have gotten into your car regardless."

She didn't speak the words in a boastful way, she was rather matter-of-fact. Cael felt unsettled by this, shifting from foot to foot—he would have preferred she be arrogant about it instead.

"What's your name?"

She was quiet for a moment, her arms crossed defensively. "...Reena. My name is Reena." Cael committed the name to memory.

"So...Sabin? Who is Sabin?" Cael asked, skipping over the rest of the introduction.

Reena dropped her arms at the mention of Sabin, blowing out a breath. "Sabin...he is someone I trust. Someone I believe in. And someone that you will have to prove yourself worthy to." Cael's brows furrowed.

"Prove myself worthy to him?" Cael asked, incredulous. He took a step forward. "Are you joking? You get your ass in my car on some remember-who-you-are bullshit and I have to prove myself to a phantom? A phantom that didn't even come to meet me himself?"

Reena's fingers flexed, but she remained calm. "Yes. Yes, you have to prove yourself worthy to that phantom. Because we have what you want, and you wouldn't be here if you thought it was bullshit, now would you?"

Cael remained silent.

"Alright then. First of all, I cannot tell you everything because we don't trust you yet. But there's something that we need you to do..."

"And what is that, Reena?"

"You have to kill your girlfriend."

Cael blinked. "...What?"

"Kill your—" Cael walked forward and roughly brushed past her to walk down the steps. Reena swiftly turned. "This woman is playing you for a fool."

"What the fuck are you talking about? I'm not killing my goddamn girlfriend. She's innocent."

Reena reached into the pocket of her vest and tosses something at him. Cael caught it and opened his hand to find a small vial with translucent blue liquid. Cael looked up at Reena, confused.

"See any of those around your house?" Cael tried to think back, see if he had.

"No...I don't know...I can't remember."

"Yeah, that seems to be the theme for you," Reena said, walking down the few steps that Cael had walked down. "That vial of liquid was used on you and anyone that became a major problem for the Syndicate. They erase the memories of major problems, but when they feel like they need to help maintain the erasure, they slip you that."

"And why was I one of the major problems?"

Reena looked away, stuffing her hands into her back pockets. "That's the part of information that we have but I cannot give you yet." Her eyes returned to his. "But what I can say is that the woman you know as Clarice has been babysitting you for the time you've been together."

It was like a computer being overloaded; Cael was having a hard time processing it all.

"No. No, you're lying. You're fucking lying." He gripped the vial in his hand.

"I wouldn't come all this way to lie to your face, Cael. You are in danger. Think of this as an...errand of mercy, or in your case, of necessity. Not only would you prove that you can be trusted, but you would be saving your own life. You may need us, but...we need you as well." And for the first time since they started talking, Cael saw sincerity in her eyes without the added bonus of her combative tone.

They parted ways. Even if Reena had more to tell Cael, he didn't even think he wanted to know more at the moment. So, he headed home to think things over.

Luckily, the lights were out when he got home; Clarice was asleep. And hearing what he had at the ruins, Cael was glad for it.

All the same, he made an effort to enter the house with as little noise as possible. It was dark in the foyer, the night glow being shut out when he closed the door. He stood there for a minute in silence, listening to make sure he didn't wake Clarice. When he realized he hadn't, he made a sigh of relief.

"I really don't like when you're late, babe." Clarice's voice said, a cryptic tone laced in it. Cael turned in the direction it came from—where she had been standing behind the door.

THUNK! Cael hit the floor as Clarice turned on the light.

Spinning the handle of a pan in her hand.