Equilibrium Fan Fiction by David W. Huang The Cleric 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Author's Notes They were almost all kids. Teens and twenty somethings. Dead in the prime of their lives. Nathan tried to ignore the senselessness of all the death and make sense of the crime. It didn't help that many of the bodies had been looted and the scene contaminated by the looters. What happened here? The same precise kills with no casings on the ground. What was the motive? What were these kids doing and why did the Cleric slaughter a bunch of unarmed innocents? Nathan walked out of the building to find Tatiana finishing up an interview. "She came up to thank us for shutting down all the noise that was coming from here but didn't know anything about the murders. Find anything?" "It's a Cleric but I don't know why he's doing this. Noise?" "Loud and like nothing she's ever heard." "Could she describe it?" "No, the best she could do was say that it was loud. Nate, I think I know what those kids were doing." "What?" "Dancing." "Huh?" "Dancing.", Tia repeated as if frustrated. "Oh sure, dancing... right. Why do you think that?" "I'm thinking the woman was hearing music for the first time... probably a lot of the kids too, only they were there enjoying it. You know, dancing and enjoying themselves. After our Cleric killed them, for whatever reason, looters came and along with making a mess of our crime scene they took the stereo system and the music with them." "Oh, dancing!" The word connected in his mind, he remembered the undulations and choreographed jumping he had seen when he had first infiltrated the Underground and heard music for the first time ever. From what he saw, dancing was not unlike Gun Kata yet with... he didn't know how to put it... yet with soul, if that was the right word. "Huh, what?" "Nothing." He hadn't meant to reveal his mild excitement at his revelation. What was he thinking? Nathan cursed himself for getting sloppy with his responses around Minister Cassidy. They were hunting a Cleric and it wouldn't do for her to discover one right under her nose, awkward with emotions and unfamiliar with being a complete human. Wait. That was it! "Cassidy, I think I know why our Cleric killed them." "Well, they don't have ammo... he wanted their music..." Nate shook his head. "In a way, the opposite. He's a Cleric, Cassidy. These people were sense offenders to him." "Geez, of course. Music, dancing, partying, drugs, and sex... they were capital criminals to the highest degree to this Cleric. Even though there are sense offenders all over the place now, these kids would seem particularly heinous to him." She paused, bit her lip and mused. "The motive doesn't make sense, Nate. It doesn't match up with our first scene... unless we're dealing with two Clerics." "Lord, I hope not. Let's keep this to just one for now. Assuming this massacre was premeditated, the first one makes sense... he was storing up supplies for these murders." "Just this time... Nate, this monster is not going to stop. And if he knows it, he would have taken all the T30 ammo from the first scene." "Okay, I see what you're saying. Then let's assume both are crimes of passion. He came by this building, heard the loud music and passes sentence on everyone inside. Why would he kill Prescott and his friends?" "Well, you said they were planning a coup d'etat' so they were revolutionaries." "Hm, elitist revolutionaries." "Right, the type that like propaganda, hate everybody, and love big idealistic speeches." "Putting it all together, let's pretend our Cleric is wandering in the Nether and hears a dull roar." "What?" "Tia, let me finish. He hears the sound and investigates. Then sees a rowdy bunch of revolutionaries with their leader giving a rousing speech. When he pauses they applause and yell and shout. The level of passion they're exhibiting is enough to enrage this Cleric. But even worse, he hears a couple lines of their leader's speech and finds them guilty of hate crime. So he carries out termination of these blatant sense offenders." "Wow." "I admit it's very speculative but the pieces fit." "Yeah, I agree. That's not why I'm surprised." "Huh? What is it?" "The first time you've used my first name. You're getting excited Minister Loric... detective work suits you." Nate would have shifted uncomfortably under his skin if he wasn't concentrating on suppressing any possible blushing. Tia's soft laughter cut suddenly short and Nathan panicked, wondering if somehow he was discovered. He looked up and realized they were being approached by a group of rough looking young men. Damn, he was getting sloppy, how could be so distracted that he missed an incoming threat? The men made no effort to put the Ministers at ease, in fact one threateningly played with a chain while another tapped a length of steel pipe against his leg. They didn't acknowledge the Ministers and circled around them even as Nate and Tia backed up. A scarred one, nearly behind them headed for the door of the once nightclub. Nathan took a step and held the door close just as the guy started to pull on the handle. "Hey, what's your problem!?", demanded Scarface angrily. Nathan stared the boy down silently with such a steady calm that the boy chickened out and directed his anger towards Tia. "Bitch, get this guy out of my way!" The circle around the Ministers closed a little tighter. Tia put her hands up as if to tell them to wait and spoke calmly. "We're from the Ministry of Special Investigations and Mediation... we're currently in the middle of investigating a massacre." "Hell, woman, we know that. We're here to take whatever's left.", retorted Scarface. "Shit Jules, are we going to score some hits of Pro or what?", complained one guy. "Shut your face, I'm handling it." "Please, the Ministry would appreciate if you'd let us work." "The freaking Ministry? Hey, I fought for the Resistance and what the fuck has the Ministry done for me? I ain't doing jack for them no more. Now I fight for myself. So, I'd freaking appreciate it if you'd get out of my way." Tia nodded to Nate and they stepped away from the door. "Fine, it's all yours." "Nothing left anyways.", Nate blurted out as he walked off. The complainer stood in their way. Tia had to keep herself from shooting Nate a dirty look. Scarface- or Jules- was almost in and they where almost on their way but he had to open is big testosterone fueled mouth. That idiot. "Jules, these guys got here first... any Prozium left is probably on them." "Prozium?", asked Nate out of genuine curiosity but Scarface took it as a weak act. "Quit fronting and hand if over." "We've got nothing to hand over.", Tia said trying to stop a quickly spiraling situation. Scarface grinned and licked his lips. "Just as well, I'd rather search for it anyways.", he said has he looked Tia up and down. "Heh, strip search. Yeah, Jules, hell yeah.", encouraged the complainer. The others seemed glad to go along with this and began to close in. "You don't want to do this." Nate put himself between them and Tia. "Man, dinner and a show. I get to beat this guy's face in and some honey on the side!" Without further discourse they rushed in. All in one heartbeat, the brutally efficient fury of the Cleric was unleashed upon them. Nathan Loric split open one man's nose with the heel of his palm, twisted two attackers... arms together breaking them, then spun and kicked another guy in the throat. The remaining men stood shocked. For a moment, only the wracking sobs of excruciating pain and guttural raspings of a crushed larynx could be heard. It seemed that rational fear and self preservation had a chance of prevailing but pride got the better of them... they resumed their attack. Loric kick blocked an attacker's pipe with his foot as he swayed backwards to duck the swinging chain of another assailant. In the next motion, Loric gracefully disarmed the pipe wielder and dislocated his shoulder while flipping him into the pavement face first. Now armed with a makeshift baton, Loric allowed the chain to catch around it to jerk its user forward- off balance- then club him unconscious with the pipe. From there, he shattered kneecaps and broke shins until not a man was left standing. Loric dropped the pipe, its metallic clang signaling the end of any resistance. He walked over to the one with the bloody face and the dislocated shoulder. Loric stepped on the back of his head, grinding his face into the ground, while leveraging the limp arm. With cold indifference he applied some torque eliciting a blood curdling cry from his victim. "Nathan!", Tia gasped in horror but Loric ignored her. "What did you come here for?" "P-p-prozium!! P-please! Oh g-god!", he begged, lips to the asphalt. "Why?" "J-j-jesus, why?" A little twist. "AAAAGGGH!!! O-k-kay, I'm sorry. We sell it and we use it." "Use it? For what?" "We dope up on Prozium until we're n-numb to everything. T-then when you come off of it you get a rush or h-high. Colors seem brighter, sex is better, it's like experiencing everything for the first time again." "Why isn't there any Prozium in there?" "Shit, I don't know. I swear! Didn't you take it?" "No." He pressed down with his foot one last time then let the man go, pacing away in disgust. Tia stood there mouth agape. Suddenly, Nate remembered himself and started to tremble all over. What was that?! Yes, that was the ruthless ability of the Cleric, but he was familiar with that. The frightening part was the surge of emotion before and after. The rush of rage that overwhelmed him before he fell into the icy calm of Gun Kata and then the cruel delight that claimed him afterwards. What kind of monster had he become?! He thought he was going to be sick. He fell to his knees and started puking up his guts. When the heaves stopped, his partner was by his side and put her arms around his shoulders. Then all at once he started to cry uncontrollably. He knew he was going insane now. He was a Cleric. He was created to be without emotions. Combined, the mix was dangerous and unstable. There was no way he could continue on after this. In his state, the thought only brought more tears disturbing him further. Every attempt at suppression was futile. "Sorry. I'm sorry. S-sorry. I couldn't... I didn't... C-Cass-... I'm... I'm a-" "It's okay, Nathan... it's okay.", Tia said soothingly. "Nate, really. You managed to keep your combat skills in check, but I know revisiting that place can't be easy for you. Extreme post traumatic stress is common for lone survivors of violent conflicts but you didn't let it interfere with your job. You were alone then but you aren't now." She held him closely and rocked his head. Nathan found himself strangely comforted even though it was all lies. Inside himself was a hollow and bitter laugh. He wasn't some shell-shocked veteran of the Resistance! He was one of the very monsters they were trying to stop? unleashed! How did they deal with such a range of emotion?! Or were they more pure inside so that there was no struggle with the darkness? Some empath he turned out to be! He made a fourth attempt to steel and compose himself and this time it took. He climbed off the ground, wiped his mouth and roughly wiped his face. Twisting away from Tia he tried to act as if he hadn't just broke down. "I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry." "Nate, if you-" "It won't happen again. Let's go." His tone made it clear further discussion was unwelcome. Eventually, Nate realized how silly it was to keep this stone-like visage up and softened up a bit, if they could both just pretend it never happened he might be okay. Staring over his steering wheel, he turned the discussion back to work in an effort to keep things professional. "Our Cleric's motivation for the latest crime may not have been purely punishment. I think he was after the Prozium too." "So everything he's done so far has two motives? Slaying sense offenders and getting supplies for himself?" "It seems reasonable. He wouldn't have connections with the Resistance and his needs wouldn't be taken care of by Libria anymore. Naturally, he'd acquire what he needs through the only skill he has... killing. What we're left with will be even more unstable than before." "Right. Remember when the Resistance toyed with using outside infiltrators? We tried using temporary dosages of Prozium to allow them to pass the polygraph. The problem was that all dosages are customized for every individual's brain chemistry. You only get homeostasis- equilibrium- with a continually tweaked dosage." "So he'll always be either feeling or suffering from withdrawal after overdose. Either way, he's not reacting like a strictly stoic Cleric." Next >>> more Equilibrium Fan Fiction