Forget about me

Bering City

Chapter 7

When the world changed, environmental disasters started happening, earthquakes, floods and other kinds when people started messing with things

All of this ended in a changed world. Sure countries were basically named the same but the landscape had changed, some of it credit of what we did to each other and earth.

Other part is because of the icecap melting.

First people fled the flood that entered europe. Rising water levels and earthquakes while people were changing led to millions migrating for safety to asia and america. a LOT of Europeans fled here.

But soon after it started in america too and things calmed down in europe. But asia and america got hit much harder than europe so all around the world people eventually ended up mixed like crazy, it was not unusual to have russians, french and germans as many as americans in whatever village there is around the world.

Migrants are not a thing connected to where people belong anymore, just who has papers to stay and who does´t.

But where I live we are probably the most diverse in the world. Before there was just “Bering sea” and once people believed that the sea level there was low enough to allow humans to migrate east on foot from Asia to North America across what later became the Bering Strait.

Other animals migrated in both directions which is probably why America ended up with a rich animal life (well until most of them got hunted to extinction).

This is commonly referred to as the "Bering land bridge" and is believed by most, though not all scientists, to be the first point of entry of humans into the Americas.

But when the sea levels started to rise in most of the world during all of the happenings as a result of the virus and war, this part of the landmass started to rise again and now America is connected to Russia through the Bering landmass that is between Alaska and the east part of Russia.

We are between the two biggest continents in the world while people migrated first to one part of the world and then to the other. Eventually things did calm down but not after people had mixed with enough to change and mix all cultures. So I live in a very important time in a very important city and the part of the world with most mutants to lose to mutant craziness.

“So” Johansen said. “We might be able to change things before it goes really bad, we´re working towards STOPPING all this craziness and murders so this here now is worth a try.

Alexandra is going to work with us, we´re going to learn how to handle mutants and hopefully show that leaders amongst them can stop it all. Create TRUST”.

“Miss Safier” I looked right back at him.

“You and David have the chance to get this working, I believe we have already taken some tests but I hope you keep to your agreement and continue with our testing. You have the lead, now lead”. He turned and went into his office and slammed the door.

I looked at the tall blonde, with a serious face. She had russian features especially visible in her face but her eyes were cold and hard. She could be a daughter of a russian mob coldly telling them to “dispose of the body” and it would fit her to a T, I thought.

She looked me directly in the eye, “I want to talk” she said after a while.

I nodded and showed her into my office. She followed in high heels, with her black tights paired with a big white blouse. Her blonde almost white hair was put up in a bun. Damn she looked sexy.

I closed my door and sat down on the side of my desk, motioning for her to take the chair in front of me. She did slowly. looking down at the floor.

“I don´t know what happened after I screamed at my boyfriend, we had an argument and I was so furious and then with all that pain I got really scared and panicked.. after that i only remember bits and pieces but i was definitely not in my right mind…. I remember the look on his face when I slashed his chest with my claws… I remember the smell of blood and gore and the strong sense of pain and anxiety”. She looked up at me with glistening eyes, but she didn't shed the tears.

“I loved him, but now all I have is gone. I can't go back, his family is going to hate me for what I've done, I can't stay in that apartment with our memories of all the blood… I tore him apart with my bare hands…...claws.

I will have threats coming from everyone I know... neighbors … family … there's nowhere safe for me. Boris said you´re trying to stop this, to make this city safer and stop the bloodshed. To stop this crazy. I will help.

She said this, not as a question but as a statement of fact (Why don´t you order us to give you our lunchmoney too while you´re at it, I thought with an eyebrow raised).

I thought for a moment. Where did they take your test, where did they do them? I want the results of those reports. I´m sure Boris had plenty of his own researchers in his little town and they undoubtedly had information I had not been told.

If i could get them to work together with the government researchers then things might speed up with figuring out how to make this work.

I had a detailed talk with Alexandra and she explained that they did blood tests and then asked her to come back for more detailed research. I called Andrea and she said she would get me information on how to get a hold of the head of the research department.

Right. I needed to get a hold of Boris researcher too, or the closest one he had, they needed more details on how to handle things.

I left my office to see who else was there. David was out on patrol with Robert and Klas was free today. Frank was on paper duty. Somebody had to answer mail, phone and emails that came in an endless amount. That left me with Chian.

“Yo! c******n, lets gogo gadget out of here.” Frank gave me the middle finger when I passed him and I did the same.

Chian had obvious looks of chinese descent. With his short stature, dark hair and thin dark brown eyes. He wasn't fat but he wasn't thin either, he was definitely going to get a potbelly later in life. I didn't have much of a handle on him since he was most of the time the quiet one. Short and to the point was his thing. An observer. I wondered not for the first time what thoughts he was hiding behind his quiet demeanor.

“Where are we going?” he asked when we got to the car.

“I got the contact information to get a hold of our science department so now we need to bring them up to speed with what the mutants know, in other words get our batmobile to mutanttown an´ let's get crakin´”. He looked at me like I was crazy (he might not be far off) and started the car.

I guided him to where Boris had his little bar and we entered.

Chians eyes went wide for a moment.

The light inside was a little bit darker than usual in bars and most people in there were visibly mutants.

Extra big people with shining eyes in all kinds of colours, some looked predatory with visible fangs or fur in places normal humans did not have and others looked angelic with long flowing hair and well muscled bodies with all the right kind of curves.

The music was more muted than it usually is in bars. I guessed a lot of them had more sensitive ears and eyes so having the music and lightning low seemed logical.

As soon as we took two steps in, all eyes turned to us.

I tried to ignore people as I stepped up to the bartender.

“A soda for me and my friend here” I pointed a thumb next to me where Chian stood keeping his eye around us for “surprises”.

The bartender, a guy looking almost normal except for his fangs poking out from the sides of his lips, had long brown hair in a ponytail. Warm brown eyes and laugh lines made him look like someone who cared, but for right now he looked down at me suspiciously.

“No sure you should be ere darlin” he said in a thick accent.

I gave him a fierce smile. “WELL darlin´” I mocked him. “I don´t think that's any of your buisness, I´m ACTUALLY trying to stop a looming g******e of YOUR kind so maybe a little nicities is in order”.

A hiss from someone sitting by the booth next to the entrance made me turn my eyes there.

“I recognise your coworker there, he has murdered children! I find it hard to believe he will help US”.

I chuckled. “Sure but luckily for you  I'm in charge”. I turned back to the bartender.

He looked at me and slammed down a glass with soda in front of me.

“He gets nothing” he said calmly and nodded his head in Chians direction.

“Fair enough” I said and turned to Chian. “Sit down or wait in the car”.

He sat down next to me. I sipped my soda for a little bit then I turned around to the suspiciously quiet bar.

“Well I´ve been thinking, I'm quite new at this policing in general, but there are a lot of questions about why things are happening the way they are. I need any and all information I can get from you people to stop any incidents before they happen.

Also from what I´ve seen you people have information we have not. It's sharing time.

I paused for a moment then smiled brightly looking around the bar “Who starts?!”.

As anyone would have guessed they of course didn't share anything with me.

They didn't trust me and I would´t expect them to but to find the right amount of information I needed to start finding the right people and get the facts about what we were working on. So this was a good step in the right direction.

Chian and I sat down and chatted a bit. Chian was as I thought good to bring since he was quiet and didn't feel the need to defend himself to all snide comments and accusations coming his way. I happily spread my comments to everyone and everything which seemed to amuse the bartender after a while.

When we finally got up to leave I gave the bartender my contact information and said loudly that I AM interested in getting cooperations between our people to stop the violence. Then I told Chian to go to the car and wait for me there. “I'll probably be out in about 30 min. Then I strode to the door I had kept my eye on since we got here and janked it open.

“OUFF” I said when I ran into somebody standing right inside the door. “

Part 2

I took a step back and lifted my head to look at who I bumped into.

Cold ice blue eyes met mine. Blonde hair peeked out under a black cap and a scowl on his face and distrust in his eyes he looked at me with scorn.

Tall, sleek and slender body, he stood with his arms folded in front of him.

It took me a moment's pause but then I remembered, he was the guy standing next to David's boss when I went here the first time.

“Well aren't you a happy boy” I quipped before I could stop myself.

I could hear him growl quietly in his throat. Then he abruptly pushed past me.

“Follow.” He barked at me while rushing past the bar.

He nodded to the bartender real quick before exiting, expecting me to be hot on his heels (which I was). I turned around and walked backwards and blew the bartender a kiss, I saw his amused smile before I turned back around and hurried after grumpyboy.

Outside I saw Chian sitting in our car. We walked around the corner of the building and as soon as we were out of sight he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me hard against the building.

“Ouff! Wha..” I started before I truly felt sharp claws around my throat, prickling my skin. I Froze.

“I know we put you up to this but I. DO. NOT. trust you” he growled in my ear.

I didn't dare move, I knew I had no chance against him being pressed this close to me against the wall with almost no space to move my arms, also his chokehold let me breathe but just barely, as if in warning.

In reflex I grabbed his hand and tried to jank free but his hand was hard as steel and unmovable.

He looked me straight in my eye for a moment then his other hand held up a piece of paper in front of my face.

“This is a number, name and address to our scientist, take alexandra with you.

You or your group of murderers touch one hair on that scientist and you´re minced meat.

I will make sure of it.” I grabbed the paper.

Then he abruptly let me go and was gone before I could blink.

...Well.. that went well...ish?

I walked back to the car where Chian sat on shaky legs. The paper tucked into my breast pocket.

Chian took one quick look at my frazzled self and started the car. He didn't say much, but kept me in his peripheral sight.

Back at my workstation we parted ways without saying much.

I quickly finished off my paperwork and then got ready to go home early.

When I got back home I went for a long run and then took an even longer shower.

I opened the door and startled with a girlish scream when a shadow moved right next to me.

David stood leaning on the wall right next to the bathroom door.

He smiled at me and lifted his eyebrow. “Eek? I did´t know you could sound like that”.

I blushed and slapped his chest. “You damn fat bearbutt scared the bejeebies outof me! Hulking in the darkness by a girls bathroom you damn pervert” Mumbling and grumbling that last part while I went to the bedroom to find clothes.

In the bedroom his hand on my shoulder stopped me, he stepped in front of me and looked at me from top to toe, then examined the bruises that had started to form around my throat.

His look darkened a bit then to my surprise he leaned in, grabbed the back of my hair in a careful grip and pulled me into him, he buried his face in my neck and inhaled slowly.

First I stood frozen, shocked at the intimacy.

Then I slowly brought up my hands to hug him back. We stood there for a while, I don't know how long but it was comforting, warm and made me feel loved.

Cutting off those thoughts really fast I wiggled and he let me go, a slight sting of panic from the slight claustrophobia still lingering since my attack caught me but I managed to tamper it down with a few breaths.

“Be careful, It will take time to build trust between us after all the bloodshed.

I don't think I can keep you safe if you poke them without me or boss right there to warn them off, to remind them what is at stake”.

I smiled mischievously “Don't you worry your pretty little bearbutt about me, I´m not as easy to bring down anymore and strong as they may be my speed is not that bad, courtesy of your training remember?” I backed up a step and turned around to walk to my closet. I Gave him a last glance over my shoulder and said “If they kill me now they are the ones that are going to lose their loved ones and they are all aware of that. I can handle myself.”

With that I turned to grab clothes and ignored him until I heard him leave.

I was certainly going to be a bit shaky for a few days but things needed to happen for trust to be built, there's no easy peasy way to make this pancake.

He could not protect me all the time anyway.

To be continued ..