Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next morning, Sin headed to the church as soon as he woke up.
This time, he skipped the cathedral, heading straight to Benedict's official office.
Walking through the back halls of the Legion, he passed multiple priests.
Their attire made their position clear. There were Signifiers in formal robes with their brightly colored collars.
Ordanes wore fashionable suits meant to make moving around the city easier. Then there were the Centurions.
Around every corner seemed to be a pair of priests in the rubberized exo-armor of the Legion.
Theirs was black, where Sin's was a deep, midnight blue.
The difference in color was subtle, yet meaningful.
As he passed, some nodded their heads in greeting.
Others stared at him with fury. That, more than anything else, made it clear news had already spread.
When he finally reached the massive golden door to the Praetor's office, it was unguarded.
Considering the increase in security along the halls, that was almost surprising, but Sin knew Benedict did not want to be treated like a king.
He was simply a tool to help guide his flock. He'd said it many times before.
Sin knocked on the door, expecting a long wait. A few seconds later it opened from the inside, and a woman stepped out. Her suit marked her as an Ordane, and she tipped her head at Sin respectfully, but didn't immediately invite him in.
"Legate Sinclair," she said politely.
"Ordane," he replied, unaware of her name.
She smiled. "It's Esther. You're actually why I'm here. I'm supposed to summon you to speak with the Censor."
Yeah, that meant they'd already heard about the events of last night. "I intend to see him right after I speak to Benedict. I'm required to report to the Praetor before anyone else."
"So you're here to report the slaying of another priest?" she asked, seeming confused.
"That my angel was attacked by one, yes," Sin assured her.
"And that he was killed in the process of upholding my vow to God.
I'm also very curious as to why a priest of the Legion was running with five armed punks who were clearly either a part of a gang or a hired hit group. Had he fallen from grace?"
"I see," she said, offering him a smile but not an answer. "I will make sure the rumors of you cornering a priest in an alley are corrected." Then she licked at her lips. "You should also know he's not doing well today."
"Thank you, Sister Esther. I won't keep him long."
The woman stepped the rest of the way through the door, then gestured for Sin to enter. Once inside, he eased the door closed and then headed up the carpeted hall to the door at the end. There, he knocked again.
A weak voice from the inside beckoned him, "Come."
"Praetor," Sin said as he entered.
"Ah, Sinclair," Benedict greeted him. "From my lips to God's ears. Your timing couldn't be better."
The old man was reclining in a plush chair with his feet propped on an ottoman and a blanket draped over his legs.
Still, he wore the formal robes of his office, but Sin knew Benedict felt anything less was an insult to God in this room.
He also looked pallid, and today, the man's voice didn't hold the power it normally did.
"How are you feeling, Praetor?" Sin asked as he moved to kneel beside the chair.
Benedict offered his ringed hand. "Like I'm getting old."
Obediently, Sin kissed the ring and then rose to take the chair beside him. "I'm sure you've already heard about my predicament."
"Mm," Benedict mumbled. "I've heard about a predicament, but I'm not sure it's yours. Please, my boy, tell me what really happened yesterday?"
"As I was escorting the Ingénue to City Hall for her duty, I noticed a man following us.
Not sure whether it was my own paranoia or merely coincidence, I changed direction, moving my charge to use an alternate route.
That revealed additional watchers. Taking protective measures, I guided my angel toward a more remote location, which revealed four definite followers.
As you know, the Ingénues have been getting attacked for the information in their minds.
Due to my knowledge of the criminal history against these women, and the general area we were in, I aimed for a defensible position.
Once there, we were attacked by six people dressed as city punks.
Each one had some form of face covering, from masks to bandanas, and all of them brandished weapons.
One made the intent to harm my angel clear. I defended her."
"Uh-huh." Benedict lifted a brow. "And how did that go?"
"All six died," Sin explained. "Our backs were to a dead end. They had the chance to break off and escape at any time. In the course of the firefight, I was shot multiple times. My armor prevented most of the damage, but I did take a graze across my hand and my spinal implant was shattered."
"So you protected your charge even after you lost the use of your legs?"
Sin nodded. "Except for the last man. I was using a steel dumpster to shield Riss—I mean my angel. The guy used it as cover to get close, then jumped on top of it. I never saw him coming. I would've shot him, but the Ingénue was faster. She put a bullet in his armpit, likely right into his heart."
"And which one was the priest?" Benedict asked.
Sin just shook his head and sighed. "In truth, I have no idea. When the firefight was over, I called for backup—"
"Not during?" Benedict asked.
"Until I lost my legs, I didn't need it," Sin assured him. "Afterwards, I couldn't get her out. Rissa—I mean my angel—went for help—"
Benedict lifted a hand. "Rissa?"
"That's the name I gave her, since she didn't have one of her own," he explained.
"It's also a long story. The point is she went to find help, changed clothes so she was no longer in the blue robe that stands out so badly, and got the store owner to help me get off the street.
Trent took over her protection after that, allowing her to make the data dump, while Rob, Davis, and Julie took me to get repairs. "
"Took you where?" Benedict wanted to know.
"Home," Sin admitted. "The young man who lives beside me, Zan?
Yeah, he's as good with repairing my enhancements as any medical engineer.
When Rissa finished delivering her solution, Trent brought her to my apartment.
" He paused to drag a hand over his mouth.
"Which is when we realized this might be about more than random data. "
"Can you prove any of this?" Benedict asked.
"Because that section of street has no security cameras on it.
The moment you headed down the alley, you evaded any chance of surveillance that could prove your side of things, so now it's your word against the prosecution—and they are already planning to make this quite the ordeal, Sinclair. "
"Rissa has saved and stored her memories of the event," Sin told him.
"Because her mind is mostly cybernetic, she may as well be a walking security camera.
It's the only record we have, but she made sure to split off the required section last night, making sure the time stamp would work in our favor. "
"Useful," Benedict agreed. "But having only one copy isn't safe. Do you think she'd allow you to store a copy elsewhere?"
Sin thought for a moment. "I think she'd let Zan. I can always take him with me for our next assignment, but I'll need the use of a car for that."
"Done," Benedict agreed. "Although I think this means you should tell me more about this girl. Especially why you hesitate when using her name."
Sin chuckled. "I should start off with her saying the point of life is to live it.
There is no universal goal, because bacteria do not aspire to make great works of art and not all humans can produce children to carry on their legacy.
The purpose of life is determined by circumstance, and each individual has different ones. "
The old man smiled, looking almost relieved. "Good. Yes, that's very good, although it took you a while to bring that to me. Why?"
"Because I'm not sure I like the implications of you seeking an Ingénue's advice instead of God's," Sin admitted.
"My boy, God is here to guide us, but He cannot do everything for us.
Sometimes, we're expected to use the tools we have available.
" He leaned forward to toss off the blanket and then pried himself out of the chair.
Walking across the room, he continued, "You and your friends have all begun to pull away from the rest of the Legion.
At first, I feared you were falling from grace.
Now, I believe it might be something more divine. Would you like to enlighten me?"
"The church has been moving away from helping those in need," Sin told him.
"Mm, yes, it does seem that way."
"And recently," Sin went on, "there's been a split forming among the priests over what exactly the first precept means. The four of us are the only enhanced Legates, and we all felt the schism before the unenhanced."
Nodding, Benedict pressed buttons on a keypad until a beep sounded. Next came a click. Hearing that, the Praetor reached over to pull aside a painting, proving it was the door to a safe. From inside, he extracted a single dark object, then locked the whole thing back up.
"So what are the five of you doing?" Benedict asked as he shuffled back to his chair.
"Trying our best to save the church we know from becoming a haven for the corporate elite," Sin admitted.
"And you should probably know Rissa has found a chemical molecule being smuggled in illegal data.
She's convinced this is a cure for rejection.
Not a treatment, but an actual cure. According to her, Pharmacon doesn't want to market it because they'd lose the profit from Stabiltrol.
But if the church were to have access to it, it would make for some impressive miracles. "
"Is she interested in helping the church?" Benedict asked.
"In truth," Sin admitted, "I think she's more interested in helping her friends.
She's never had any, you see. The Ingénue aren't rich.
They aren't pampered. They are genetically altered children who are enhanced young and modified as they grow.
OutLink owns her! The cost of her equipment is more than she could ever repay, and with the additional expense of her daily care?
She's all but a slave. She never even had a name, just a serial number.
Her thoughts are monitored. Her emotions are regulated.
When she's inside the Enclave, she's expected to be a complete robot. "
Benedict held up a small neural drive between them. "Do you believe this woman would be put in danger for answering my question? It's on here."
Sin paused for a moment, debating between asking what the question was and assuring him that no, Rissa was smarter than her owners. In the end, he simply shook his head. "No, sir. I think she's basically a walking miracle. You see, she's not like the other Ingénue. She's..."
"Special," Benedict finished for him. "From the sounds of it, she's definitely special to you. Just remember the bond between a guardian and his angel is a chaste one?"
Sin huffed out a laugh. "You do realize she's a walking sack of cloth, right?"
"There is more than a body to lust after, my boy. Often, a brilliant mind traps a man harder than a woman's amazing curves. Your first duty is to get this girl safe from whatever threats she's under." And he passed over the drive.
"About that..." Sin accepted the object and paused to push it into one of his pockets.
"Benedict, I want to get her out. I'm well aware OutLink will try to get her back.
I also know we cannot use the Legion as sanctuary because of the conflict over the first precept.
It's possible I may have a hideout, though.
If that happens, I will need to go off the grid for a while. "
"I assume you will stay in contact with Brother Trent?" he asked.
"All of them, actually," Sin admitted. "They're helping me with this."
Benedict just smiled. "And what do you call yourselves again?"
"The Fallen," Sin mumbled, wondering how the Praetor even knew about that.
"Ah, yes. That's right. After the bar beside the apartment complex you share.
" He flashed Sin another knowing smile. "No, it's not divine knowledge.
Sister Julie is simply more willing to talk than the rest of you.
She also showed me the pendants. I only have one question.
Are you not doing the exact same thing you're accusing the other side of? "
"Making a split in the church?" Sin asked. "No, I don't believe so. Our pendants are a backup plan. A way to know who we can trust if a divide happens."
"And yet you're already dividing, Sinclair. The five of you make plans on your own. For the good of us all, you say. So is Joshua. To move the church forward, he claims. What's the difference?"
"That we," Sin said, "are looking for those willing to sacrifice themselves for those who cannot help themselves. Joshua seems to be looking for those he can sacrifice when he cannot help himself."
"That's the right answer," Benedict assured him.
"Now go. Joshua wants to know about this altercation last night, and yes, he has every intention of bringing it to a formal inquiry.
" Leaning forward, he placed his aged hand over where Sin's rested on the arm of his chair.
"Trust God, my boy. Joshua may be prosecuting you for this, but I will be directing the defense.
God will make it clear that you are innocent. "
"Thank you," Sin told him. "I'll make sure the Ingénue gets your question."
"Destroy that drive when you're done. There's a reason I don't want a record of it. She can pass you the answer herself."