“What do you mean?” Korse leaned forward across his desk.
“Just that, sir,” the man replied with a puzzled look on his face. “There’s a discrepancy.”

Korse sat back in his chair once more and stared at the visitor to his office. Looking at his security badge, he reconfirmed for himself what the man was doing there. An accountant. He had better things to do than talk with accountants.

“Why are you bringing this to me?” He tipped his head, mildly irritated by the man’s insistence. “Is it a security issue?”
“No, sir,” the accountant’s puzzled expression grew increasingly intense.
“Then, I’ll ask you again and be warned, there had better be a damn good reason for your wasting my time. Why are you bringing this to me?”
“Well...” the accountant shifted position as he thought of the best way to explain. “You did authorise it, sir.”
“I...” now it was Korse’s turn to appear puzzled. “I authorised what?”
“The guardianship, sir.” The accountant explained before continuing. “The problem is, the building they live in, it’s been torn down to make way for a new bank of steel gibets, but they’re still registered there and I can’t find any mention of either of them in any other building.”
“And I supposedly authorised it?” Korse pressed.
“Well... yes, sir,” the accountant replied. “I can show you the authorisation if you wish?”
“I should very much like to see that,” Korse raised an eyebrow, reaching out his arm as the man handed him the paperwork.

It didn’t take very long for Korse to realise what had happened. Merely reading the name of the child in the documentation was enough. Korse’s face morphed into a deep, angry scowl, triggering a nervous response from the man standing before him.

“You know the child?” He finally asked as Korse’s eyes almost seemed to focus on an area several feet behind him, giving him the impression that the exterminator was no longer even aware of his presence.

Slowly the words seemed to sink in and Korse’s attention was drawn back into the room. Now focusing his eyes on the accountant, he took a deep breath and continued.

“This document is fraudulent.” Pressing a button on his desk, the door to the office opened behind the man. “Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will deal with it immediately.”

The accountant’s eyes widened in surprise; who would fraudulently assign a guardian to a child? It didn’t make any sense.

“Fraudulent, sir? But...”
“Thank you. I will deal with it. You may go,” Korse interrupted, his tone clipped and the anger running beneath it beginning to fill the room.

The accountant chewed on his lip momentarily; whoever had done this had chosen the wrong person to mess with, certainly, but he was still astonished that someone would even bother.

“Sir, I don’t understand...”
“You don’t need to,” Korse growled. “You have done your job, now I will do mine. Get out!”
“Sir,” he replied enthusiastically nodding his head.

It seemed that Korse was not about to explain and he knew better than to keep pushing the matter.

“Thank you, sir,” he added as he turned sharply on his heels and headed for the door.

As soon as the door closed behind the accountant, Korse raised the phone’s handset and dialled quickly. Within seconds, the call was answered.

“Send three draculoids to the penthouse suite of City Tower and arrest Frankie Iero. Bring him to me. Say nothing of who ordered his arrest to anyone... and I mean anyone.”

Replacing the handset, Korse tapped his fingers together whilst considering all the available information and possibilities open to him. He had had Petra killed for wasting his time with what seemed to be incorrect information about Gerard’s lack of loyalty to BLI. Despite this, his suspicions had been aroused and he had arranged for Gerard to be secretly dosed with BLI’s patented emotion removing drug, Kanslokal. Having entrusted this task to new P.A., Jakob, and then for it subsequently to be discovered, Korse had had him killed to avoid potentially giving away his involvement. Jakob’s body was yet to be found, but the matter had been taken care of already. Aware of the boy’s interest in electronics, but not of the extent of his abilities, Korse wondered whether the boy had had any involvement in the downfall of either of the Way brothers’ P.A.s. If anyone knew about the extent of the Iero boy’s ability with computers, it would be Edward. He had done extensive background checks on all of the Ways’ friends. He would almost certainly need to involve Edward in his questioning of the boy.

Fraud was serious of course, but he was much more concerned about what the boy knew, what he had discovered and how he would deal with him. As a friend of the Ways, the matter was potentially sensitive, but also perhaps another way to test Gerard’s loyalty? If there was even the slightest suspicion that Iero knew more than the most innocent of details then he was likely to find himself the latest victim of a terrible accident.

Korse smiled to himself; he hadn’t risen through the ranks by neglecting to take care of his own interests. An eight-year-old boy, however well-connected, was not about to change that.

*

The next time Gerard woke, he found himself lying on an old worn mattress with a folded blanket for a pillow. For the first time since he found himself in the Zones, his head felt reasonably clear, even if he still felt queasy. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he inhaled and exhaled deeply for a few moments as he gathered his senses. Looking around the room, he could see it had once been a store room of some sort. Boxes that had once been piled up on top of each other had collapsed in on themselves, partly from age and neglect, partly from insect activity and partly from the sheer weight of the objects contained within breaking through the failing cardboard. Many of the items had spilled across the floor, breaking in the process and the remnants lay scattered around, covered in thick layers of dust, sand and grime.

Casting a curious eye over the broken objects, Gerard was struggling to work out what sort of establishment it would once have been. The items were many and varied, from electronics to pottery to toys and clothes. All of the items appeared worn to different degrees, and it seemed that not all of the damage had occurred from tumbling to the floor. The only two possibilities he could think of was either a goodwill store or a pawn brokers. It was worth remembering - he had no idea where he was being held, but if he did have a chance to get a message out to anyone, having some clues to pass on could make all the difference.

The room was too small to be a main store room, either that or the establishment itself was tiny. If he had to guess, it would be some sort of overspill room for when the main room was full. That, or perhaps a place to store items that required repairs. He lost interest in trying to figure it out. It was irrelevant anyway, the only thing he really needed to know was how to get out. Pushing himself to his feet, unsteadily at first, Gerard edged his way slowly around the room. It was dark, illuminated by a single bulb that emitted very little light, but there was enough to find the door. He didn’t hold out much hope and turning the handle with no response revealed that he was right. Locked in, but at least not strapped to the gurney anymore, Gerard tried to clear his still fuzzy mind and think of ways to escape. One thing he hadn’t considered was that trying the handle would attract attention. Taking a few paces back as he heard footsteps approaching, he readied himself to attack whoever came through the door. If he were lucky, it would be the curly-haired boy he had spoken to earlier. He had been taller and broader than Gerard, but all of Gerard’s ballet training had made him quick and strong - if they were expecting a weakling, they were going to be surprised.

Holding his breath as heard the bolt being shunted across, Gerard launched himself forward as the door opened. Running into the waiting arms of Leech, Gerard struggled furiously but to no avail. The man may have been a phlebotomist, but he was army trained and knew how to restrain a prisoner. Finally shoving Gerard back into the room, and again as the boy reset his balance and darted forward once more, Leech appeared irritated.

“Calm down!” He ordered as Gerard glared angrily at him, the boy’s chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing.
“Calm down?” Gerard gasped, remaining poised to run once more. “You drug me, abduct me, take me...”
“No we didn’t,” Leech cut in with an almost tired sigh.

Gerard stopped mid-sentence. Straightening up, and offering a puzzled frown to the man standing between him and the now closed door. There was something about the man’s expression and the way he spoke that suggested to Gerard that he was being truthful. But how was that possible?

“What do you mean, you didn’t?” He asked carefully. “I didn’t choose to come here!”
“And we didn’t choose to have you here, either!” Leech grumbled. “We’re doing an old army buddy a favour.”
“What favour?” Gerard asked nervously.
“Getting you off Kanslokal, that’s all.” Leech replied with a frown. “As soon as you’re clean, back to Bat City you go and it can’t come soon enough as far as I’m concerned.”

Gerard grew ever more confused; he didn’t want to be there and it seemed the feeling was mutual. The main point of confusion was the issue of the Kanslokal.

“I’m not taking Kanslokal,” he replied with a creased brow. He remembered Petra trying to make him take it before they were told she had been reassigned, but no one had tried to make him take it since. “I’m only thirteen.”
“Yeah, well, that’s where you’re wrong.” Leech insisted. “Korse had had some guy called Jakob slipping it to you in your coffee.”

Gerard took a deep breath and pulled back slightly; how did this man know about Jakob? And Korse wouldn’t do that. Korse was his uncle, a respected senior exterminator, his guardian.

“No,” Gerard shook his head, incredulous at the accusation. “No, he wouldn’t do that!”
“Who? Korse or Jakob? because I’m telling you, your system’s loaded with it. Why do you think you’ve been throwing up for the past five days?”
“F-five days?”

Gerard stammered at the news, moving backwards until the backs of his legs brushed against a chair. Flopping down in the dusty, lopsided and somewhat rickety plastic chair, Gerard stared up, confused and scared.

“I... I haven’t been here five days,” he paled as he said the words.

Leech sighed at the sight of him and reached down to the side of the mattress to retrieve the old, paint-splashed bucket.

“Here,” he said with quiet sympathy as he passed the bucket to Gerard.

Taking it without a response, Gerard merely continued to stare up.

“I don’t...” he closed his eyes as his vision blurred and his head swam with confusing thoughts. Disorientated, he gripped the edge of the seat for fear he might fall off. “I...”

Looking down at the bucket seemed to trigger memories he didn’t even realise he had and he fought the urge to vomit once more.

“Do you want some water?”

Suddenly the memory of the brackish water that Jet had given him flooded his mind once more and without hesitation he began to retch, bringing up very little but a burning mixture of water and acidic bile.

“I’m sorry, kid,” Leech’s voice softened and tears of pain and distress sprung to Gerard’s eyes as he finally gasped and looked up from the bucket.

As he glanced at Leech through blurred eyes he saw the small towel the man was handing him. Accepting it gratefully, Gerard wiped his mouth and lowered the bucket to the floor.

“Who are you?” He finally asked, his throat parched and sore.
“Best you don’t know, really,” Leech replied. “Needless to say, when you’re clean and the drug’s out of your system, you’ll be going back to Bat City.”
“And when I do, don’t expect any mercy!” Gerard spat, still upset and angry at his situation.
“I never do,” Leech replied with a dry undertone. “It’s not what the Crows are known for.”
“Who brought me here if you didn’t?” Gerard asked, still unsure what to make of the man standing in front of him.
“A friend,” Leech shrugged.
“Not a friend of mine!”

Leech nodded with a half smirk on his face.

“Only a really good friend would risk everything to get you clean. He may even have saved your life. He certainly saved your sanity.”
“I don’t believe you,” Gerard growled, narrowing his eyes.

Leech merely shrugged; his expression one of indifference.

“I don’t care,” Leech tipped his head before shaking it, almost sadly. “You asked me, I told you. Whether or not you believe me makes no difference to me whatsoever. Like I said, we’re doing a job for a friend. Once you’re clean, you’re going back and we’ll be gone. Then everyone’s happy.”
“I won’t be happy until I...”

Leech stepped forward suddenly, grabbing Gerard from the chair and throwing him almost immediately back onto the mattress. Rolling over as he landed, it was a moment or two before Gerard righted himself, by which time Leech was already by the door.

“Get some sleep,” he ordered. “The more you rest, the faster it’ll be out your system and the sooner you’ll be gone!”

Hitting the light switch and plunging the room into absolute darkness, Leech closed the door behind him, bolting it firmly before walking away.

Still seated on the mattress, Gerard pulled his knees closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. The man’s words echoed in his mind long after he had left. The accusations were outrageous, but if all they planned to do was send him back, why even make them? Resting his forehead on his knees, Gerard knew he couldn’t remember being there for five days, but neither did he remember being at home recently either. Was it the effect of something they had given him or was it possible...? He couldn’t be telling the truth, could he? Kanslokal? Could Korse really be...? No. Gerard squeezed his eyes shut briefly before lowering himself back down onto the mattress. Sleep. He felt weak, dazed and confused. Sleep would surely help. Besides there was little else he could do. Things would be clearer after some rest, he hoped.

Notes

Hello lovely readers

Back with another instalment. It’s getting a bit trickier now because uni work is really piling up and deadlines are ever present and nearer every day. But, I needed some time off and this is my way of relaxing. I hope you enjoyed it :)

Take care
Sas xx