Project: MI

Bruce Kane exited his vehicle and headed over to the main entrance of New Canaan Penitentiary. The doors, made of solid adamant, stood tall, gleaming in the light of the noon sun. Above them were a string of rusted barbed wire, a relic of an older time from even before the Golden Age. As he approached, an orb dropped down, an electric blue eye flashing at him.

“You have entered a restricted area,” the Guardian intoned automatically. “Halt and state your business.”

“Prisoner interrogation,” Kane replied as the orb ran a retina scan. The orb’s eye flashed three times as it processed the information.

“A thousand apologies, Epsilon Sentinel,” the Guardian said, bobbing up and down, as though in a nod. Kane took note of this oddity, wondering how much more advanced this particular AI was. “You may enter when ready.”

The orb floated to the side, allowing Kane to continue forward unabated. As he did so, the adamant doors opened, creaking and groaning loudly. Kane entered the main courtyard where he was greeted by a vast emptiness, devoid of all life save for the barracks and jails that lay within the prison walls. He ignored the wasteland and made for the barracks. He saw movement from within one of the windows of the barracks, and the door opened, revealing a massive, overweight, uniformed man. His stomach bulged like its own separate organism, and he nodded at Kane, recognizing him.

“He’s in his cell, like always,” he said, as though this were nothing more than a formality. Kane nodded in return, not bothering to speak. There was little else to say after all.

“Adam Bishop,” Kane said, coming to a stop. Before him was a clear screen, displaying a small, white and blue room with a single bed on the far wall. Next to it was a toilet and a sink. Sitting in the center of the room was a pale, balding man with a rough, scraggly-looking beard. He was thin, and his eyes were cavernous. In spite of his appearance, his expression indicated nothing but good humor.

“Bruce,” he greeted casually, a small smile touching his lips. “Did something happen?”

“Yes,” Kane nodded. He paused before adding, as a courtesy, “You seem to be better today.”

Bishop waved him off. “The reports from the psychiatrists, nurses and wardens say otherwise. I’d ask for better conditions, but I know how far that will get me.”

Kane nodded reluctantly. The man was convicted of treason after all. “In answer to your question, I am here to tell you, as a personal favor, that your actions were premature. The First had to be removed.”

“Oh.” Bishop’s face fell and he looked away. Running a hand through his beard he glanced back up. “So there’s only six more chances left.”

“Yes.”

Bishop sighed. “Not a lucky number to have.”

“No, it is not,” Kane agreed. His normally stone expression cracked a little, becoming sorrowful at the other man’s plight. “It’s…not your fault,” he said. “There were some developments that you couldn’t have predicted.”

“Nature favors the unseen flaw,” Bishop grimaced. “And the next six will be…more so.” Uncrossing his legs, he got to his feet. Kane noticed his shakiness.

“Are you eating well?” he asked, noting how thin his legs were. Again, Bishop waved him off.

“No more than anyone else behind these walls, including the guards.” He looked at Kane more fully. “Don’t worry. It’s the effect of the Darkness. It’s drawn to places like this more readily than out there where it’s safe and full of light. It won’t be life threatening for a while yet.”

Folding his arms behind his back, his fingers gripped his wrists tightly. That did nothing to help him feel better about the man’s condition.

“I have petitioned to remain in Clark City for the duration,” Kane said, hoping to relieve Bishop of some of his burdens. “If allowed to do so, I can protect Grey until he is ready. He is coming of age, and will need someone to guide him.”

Bishop smiled. “Thank you for that, but I have already…ensured that little matter is taken care of.”

Kane inclined his head slightly, frowning. “Pardon?”

Bishop turned around and half-staggered toward his bed. “Never mind for now. Maybe it is a good idea though for you to be there. A little redundancy is important.”

“Bishop…” Kane began carefully. “Have you been in contact with…?”

A finger rose and wagged at Kane like a naughty child. “I’m under watch and key here,” he warned. “Be careful.”

Kane reluctantly withdrew his question.

“Is that all the news?” Bishop asked, craning his head so he could look over his shoulder. His motions were stiff, and coupled with his pallid, malnourished appearance Kane would have sworn he was looking at a man already dead.

“Romana Pax is folding under investigation,” he said. That was all. No details. Nothing more needed to be said. Bishop simply nodded and sat back down on the floor, back to him.

“The government chose the right man for the job,” he said. “I wish I had their confidence. I wish that I had the same for them.” Kane heard a tired sigh from the man. “You might want to get going. The weather is about to become foul here.”

Kane didn’t argue with Bishop about the weather even though the sun shone brightly in the sky and not a cloud was to be seen. He regarded the courtyard carefully as the door to the barracks closed behind him. This time, instead of being empty, a trio of Guardians floated to and fro, eyes sweeping the ground before them. As he watched, he saw one of them fire at the ground, scorching the earth before moving on. The process was repeated by the other orbs. Turning his gaze downward, he saw a tiny curl of inky blackness start to rise like a seed sprouting.

“It’s the effect of the Darkness…”

The blackness curled and began to take a new shape. Kane raised his foot and watched it form for a moment.

“…It won’t be life threatening for a while yet.”

Grimacing with disgust, he brought the heel of his shoe down on the darkness and ground it against the unfeeling ground, Q-Field flaring around his body. Ignoring the quiet hiss of the heat burning beneath his foot, he looked back around the empty courtyard for a moment before setting off back toward his car.

End of Book 1