Prison of Blood and Lies

Four

“Excuse me, miss, you need to put your bag on the belt to be scanned,” the guard craned his neck to meet my gaze. He stood next to an X-ray machine, similar to those at the airport. With crossed arms, a furrowed brow, and a gun at his hip, he gave the appearance of a tough guy. His aura, however, rippled with fear and uncertainty. 

            “Gemba is expecting me. If you'd just excuse me—” I tried to step around him and walk through the metal detector. He reached his hand up to my shoulder in an attempt to pull the bag off. I suppressed the urge to slap his hand but couldn't hide the tips of my fangs as I held in a snarl. “Not a good idea, buddy. Hands off.” He either didn't notice or was too used to screening unusual types into the prison. 

            “For security purposes, please place your bag on the belt. I can't allow you to pass until you do this.”

            A man in a well-pressed suit stepped out of an office just beyond the security portal. His shoes clacked on the polished linoleum floors as he walked toward us. He stopped just on the other side of the metal detector. He held his arms out wide in welcome. 

            “Alice, I'm so glad you could make it.” His face broke in a smile. The brilliant white of his teeth a beautiful contrast to his complexion. Tall, fit, and well-put together, Gemba was a fine specimen of a man, or whatever he was. 

            “Gemba,” I inclined my head in his direction. Almost on instinct I searched for his aura. Gemba was one of the few beings I’ve encountered who could conceal anything from me. Other than the lack of aura, I wouldn't have guessed at any of his superhuman abilities. He played a human quite convincingly. 

            He turned his attention to the frustrated guard. “Robert, please let Alice pass. She's a friend of mine.”

            “I understand sir, but protocol dictates—”

            “That's enough. She's with me. There's no need to screen her. I assure you if she meant us harm, she'd already have done so.” Before the guard could reply, Gemba crossed the threshold, and gently guided me through the metal detector with his hand on my low back. I put my arm around the messenger bag and pulled it tight to my body. 

            He turned back to Robert, “See? No alarms. As you were.” Gemba guided me into his office and shut the door behind us. 

            The office was a colorful contrast to the drab, gray prison hallway outside. A lush calla lily nearly as tall as me sat in the far corner. Exotic and risqué paintings depicting different carnal acts adorned every wall. Every last detail seemed to be planned and perfected. I'd have expected no less from him. 

            “So, uh, what's with the human guard? Just a speed bump to slow us down?” 

            Gemba laughed, his rich voice filling the office.

            “He’s there in case any humans wander in. We don’t need anyone accidentally eating a human trespasser. The badge and the gun are usually enough to scare any  visitors away.”

            Gemba sat in a plush leather chair behind a grand mahogany desk and motioned for me to sit in a chair across from him. I followed his lead and sat, pulling my bag into my lap.

            He smiled at me and clapped his hands together. “So, since you’re here, I’m assuming you’ve thought about my little proposition?”

            I leaned back in my chair and looked him over. “I’m considering it. I need more information before I decide if I can trust you.”

            “Of course, I’ll tell you anything you want.”

            “What are you? I haven’t met anyone like you yet.”

            A crooked smile passed his lips. “An angel.”

            I hadn’t really known what to expect from him but his response took my by complete surprise. I’d never known that angels existed here on earth. “So, you expect me to believe that you’re an angel? Come on. If there are angels, why did God allow those bastards to take my babies and then put me through such indignities? Prove it.”

            I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. Until I was force-fed my first drops of blood as a vampire, I’d naively believed that humans were the apex predator. In the months since then, I’d met others. An angel, however? Gemba would have a hard time convincing me of that.

            “Prove it?” he grinned. He stood from his chair and moved toward the center of the room, facing me. He unfurled great, white feathered wings behind him that spanned the entire room. They were easily wider than he was tall.

            I gasped. “They’re beautiful.”

            The wings closed behind his back and he hid them from view once more. There was no sign of the wings when he walked back to his seat. They were completely invisible. “Are you satisfied now?” he asked. I nodded.

            “Good.” He pressed hip fingertips to his lips and waited for me to fire off the next question.

            “What exactly are the terms of our agreement, Gemba? You were a little light on the details.”

            He clicked his tongue. “Yes, that. I need someone who can capture the supernaturals who aren’t following the rules and bring them in here. That someone also needs to help me interrogate them for information about any other possible crime connections they may have.”

            “Alright, but what are the rules? Nobody gave me rules when I was created.”

            “There are two rules. Number one, survive. Number two, keep our world secret from the humans. I don’t need to explain why that is important to you.”

            “Fair enough. Who decides when some supe is breaking the rules and endangering the secret? Do I need to know about supernatural police or?” My voice trailed off.

            Gemba shook his head. “Officially, no. But as an angel, I would say that I’m uniquely qualified to judge right from wrong, yes?”

            “You have a point. So, what about the Big Guy upstairs? Does he have a say in any of this?”

            “Now that’s a touchy subject. Let’s just say that He and I aren’t on speaking terms presently.”

            That was interesting. An angel who was on the outs with God. Gemba clearly didn’t want to discuss that topic further, so I didn’t press him.

            “So if I agreed to do this, I would bring supernaturals in who risk exposing the secret and interrogate them? When do they get released?”

            “That’s correct. And, they’re released when I feel that they’ve been sufficiently rehabilitated.”

            “I’ve never captured anyone like us before. Only humans. Why in the world do you think that I’m the right person for this?”

            “I’ve heard that your interrogation technique is quite,” he waved his hand in the air for a moment, “unique.”

            “Well, you weren’t swayed by my powers earlier.”

            “Nope. Because I’m an angel. As long as you don’t try to interrogate any other angels, you’ll have the information you seek just as easily as you’ve gotten it from the humans,” he said. “Well, it might be a tiny bit more difficult, he added in a falsetto while gesturing with his thumb and forefinger.

            I felt unsure about his assurances, having only met others like me, but I had never tried to influence them.

            “So, Alice, let’s talk about the particulars of our arrangement, shall we?”