A Study in Conjecture

A Study in Conjecture

by

Sophie M. Shoesmith

Copyright 2014 Sophie Shoesmith

Chapter 1

Between Boulders, Bears and Black Mountain

The mountain’s history was as black as the granite boulders that were its namesake. Not many that went into Black Mountain National Park came out again. Cattle were frequently ‘lost’. There were only three creatures native to the mountain; two were lizards and one was a snake and none could be found anywhere else in the world. It was as though the mountain were an alien planet unto itself. Even aircraft that flew overhead were not free from the treacherous and untimely wind currents. Previous pilots could only pin the danger to magnetic interference as heinous as that from the Bermuda Triangle. No human aircraft flew near the unusual black scar amongst the surrounding forest of fig trees. Everyone knew it was better not to test the hungry maw of fate. This made it the perfect place for Cato to spread her wings.

Cato had beautiful brown-yellow plumage across the enormous span of her wings. Her feathers shivered in the heat currents that jittered over the mountain. The currents pushed her further up into the sky at times and sucked her back down at others. She kept her talons carefully tucked into a fist to ensure the wild winds didn’t cause her an accidental injury. Her deep blue eyes scanned the rocks below. At 26 years old she had enough experience to know there would be nothing down there; she was simply here to enjoy the ride on the unpredictable winds. But Cato was not a bird. Her vast wingspan did not join onto a feathered back, but rather a smooth expanse of skin covered in a flannelette shirt made to fit around her wings. Her talons were curled into four fists, and each of these joined onto a thin and featherless wrist or ankle. And her deep blue eyes were set into a sharply angled human face framed by feathers matching the colour of her wings. And as the wind abruptly changed its course and sucked Cato down the face broke into an ecstatic scream.

Cato’s voice echoed around the plains for eons. The feathers around her ears twitched and adjusted themselves to allow the maximum amount of sound back in. There was no other noise but the roar of the wind and her own delighted cheer repeated hundreds of times as it bounced off the immeasurable faces of the rocks below. Cato’s eyes opened and focused on the mountain that was so familiar to her. Below she could see three brightly coloured specks amongst the black. Cato considered them for a minute; drifting on the air currents as she surveyed them. They were certainly humans because only humans could be responsible for such an unnatural clash of colours in a wild area like Black Mountain. They were very far up the mountain though; it was a wonder they hadn’t fallen down any of the crevices that the mountain infamously hid. Sighing with disappointment at a day of flying cut short Cato began to descend. It was her duty as a Cooktown psychicae to assist any humans that were in danger; and it looked like these humans were walking right into trouble.

Cato alighted quietly on a tall boulder behind the humans. On closer inspection Cato recognised them as three teenage boys from the town; Jim, Warren and Todd. They were arguing about whether to go left or right. Cato cleared her throat to announce her presence and the three boys swivelled around with yells of fright that sharply pierced the pressing silence of the rocky environment. At the sight of Cato they relaxed and laughed.

Oh it’s just you Cato! laughed the tallest, Jim, with relief, Man these guys have been telling me scary stories ‘bout this place all day!

You’re so weak man, laughed Todd, We haven’t said nothin’ to him, honest.

What are you all doing out here? queried Cato curiously, You know how dangerous it is.

The boys looked exasperated and one of them rolled their eyes.

Yeah we’ve all heard, the Warren said with obvious disbelief, But Jim’s cow’s gone missin’ and you know how all the cattle usually turn up around here. And that’s a prize cow, it’s gonna get Jim a lotta money! So we thought we’d all go lookin’.

Cato hummed and nodded, she knew how important cattle were to a lot of people in Cooktown. Personally she had never understood the obsession but a lot of people would never understand her obsession with flying over Black Mountain either.

What do you say I help you find your cow? offered Cato.

The boys looked surprised but very pleased.

Really you’d do that? exclaimed Jim, We’d find her so much easier if we had you!

Yeah it’s alright I’ll help, Cato smiled, What does the cow look like?

Uh well, she’s brown, said Jim shortly, And very big so she shouldn’t be too hard to find.

Alright I’ll have a look from the sky, nodded Cato, You all be careful down here though; it really is dangerous.

Cato jumped from the rock and ascended into the air; catching the rising heat currents deftly. She did not climb to the height she had been before. This time she was searching for a small brown figure amongst black giants; and she had to keep an eye on the boys lest they run into trouble.

Cato caught current after current and searched in widening circles over the mountain. She had helped in searches for cattle before in the mountains and she knew it was a gruelling and often fruitless task. Usually the cattle had fallen into a crevice or had been bitten by a snake. It was a rare occurrence to find an alive and well cow hidden in Black Mountain.

........

Cato had been circling for what seemed like hours to her. The sun was setting in the distance and throwing eerie shadows over the thousands of divergent paths of the mountain. The boys were still searching below but their pace had visibly slowed. Cato was entertaining the idea of eating a warm dinner cooked by her grandmother and crawling into her bed when a splash of red caught her eye. She quickly dropped a few hundred metres and shouted out to the three boys. They looked up, shielding their eyes from the glare of the sun and then began to move in the direction Cato was pointing. Cato circled lower and lower and eventually was close enough to see that there was no hope of rescuing this cow. It had been torn to shreds. As Cato landed the three boys ran around the corner. Jim swore.

This is kinda weird, said Cato her eyes fixated on the carcass of the cow.

At this distance to the corpse the stench of heated blood and meat was almost unbearable but the worst assault to Cato’s senses was the relentless whirr of the flies. It made her feel uneasy.

What do you reckon happened? whispered Warren as he approached the cow slowly.

I’d say it’s pretty obvious Warren, said Todd with a façade of brave sarcasm, Somethin’ ate Jim’s cow.

Nah it didn’t eat it, said Warren and inched a little closer to inspect the carcass, It just killed it; everythin’s still there. Just in different… places.

I dunno man; this is creepin’ me out, said Jim and cast his eyes up to the sky away from the cow, We should go.

The three boys were silent but none of them moved. The abrupt tension in the atmosphere made it seem almost as though movement would be dangerous. As though the dead cow knew some greater wisdom that they might discover should they choose to depart. Cato dragged her eyes away and stood up on the rock she had landed on. There were no shadows anymore; just the red darkness of sunset and the decreased visibility did nothing to calm Cato’s buzzing nerves.

Yeah Jim’s right, Cato forced out, We need to go. Something’s not right.

The three boys nodded dumbly and Cato jumped down from the rock, landing lightly on the dusty floor. It seemed she would have to lead the boys on foot as they appeared too dazed by the sight of the destroyed cow to be directed from above. Besides Cato doubted they would be able to see her against the mottled black and red of the sky.

This way, said Cato and the three boys followed her around the jagged corner of granite.

Not half a dozen steps had been taken when the group was brought to a halt. The already bewildered boys froze in place at the disturbing sight before them. Cato felt a shiver roll down her spine. They had found the creature that had killed the cow.

Most of its heaving figure was hidden in the shadow of the granite boulder it stood under but the gentle crunching echoing from its body and the brief flash of teeth gave no ambiguity about its purpose. It was indeed eating the cow; it had just dragged a piece away. Now that Cato could see the creature she realised the cow had had no chance of escape; it was an enormous beast even compared to Jim’s overfed bovine. It was too large and it certainly did not belong in Black Mountain National Park.

Dear God, breathed Jim, and then clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with terror.

The beast’s jaws clamped shut at the noise and Cato glared at Jim; motioning for the three boys to back away. Petrified into obedience the boys tentatively began an endless journey back towards the dead cow. Cato watched the oversized beast as it stood paused above its meal and hoped most of its enlarged head was skull and muscle. As Cato’s heart pounded faster than any human heart could ever hope to achieve the beast lowered its head to return to the meat. Weak relief flooded Cato’s limbs and she turned to see where the three boys were. They were still creeping away, their eyes fixed on the beast. Cato raised one foot to join them and the next second passed slower than any other in her life.

The three boys’ eyes widened and their mouths opened; releasing screams of warning and panic. Their arms pointed behind Cato to the impending danger while their feet scuffled back from it at the same time. A bellow ripped through Cato’s ears and she was crushed into the ground. The impact of the solid granite rock against her head blocked any thought other than pain and then adrenaline surged through as a replacement for her damaged neurons.

Run, screamed Cato from under the beast claws, Run!

The three boys were only human and were only young. They took no second glances at the terrible sight before them. They turned and fled.

We’ll get help! Todd shouted as they ran, We’ll send help for you; hold on Cato!

The beast growled behind Cato’s back; Cato felt the pressure of its claws increase and its weight shift. Using the slight movement Cato rolled out from under the tonne of flesh before it brought down its other fist of claws on her head. She hit a wall of granite with a thud as she rolled away and she jumped to her feet.

Now that the creature was in the red light of the recently set sun it only looked more the part of a monstrosity. It was a bear of some description but it had obviously been driven mad. As it turned to face Cato she saw its eyes were unfocussed and bleeding, its gums and teeth in a similar state of decay and even the bear’s fur was matted and greying. This bear was somehow managing to eat enough to sustain such an enormous size but it was still incredibly unhealthy. Cato felt a twinge of pity for the creature before it again barrelled towards her with a furious moan.

Cato launched herself into the air; her face directed towards the few tiny stars starting to shine through the haze of the atmosphere. The beast jumped after her entangling its claws in her wing and around her thigh and dragging her back to the ground. Cato cried out in pain as she felt muscles and bones bending in her wing and ripping through her skin but she had no time for self-pity and yanked her limbs back from the beast; stumbling backwards as she did so. The beast came lunging forwards yet again with its four massive paws pounding the granite ground. Cato ducked beneath the beast and used all her strength to shove up into its blood stained chest. The incredible momentum the beast had conjured sent it flying into a granite wall; its head receiving a satisfying strike. The beast’s heavy form crumpled to the ground for only a moment and Cato was already sprinting away, unable to fly with her broken wing.

Cato’s lungs had adapted for flying; they were adapted for gathering air at high speeds in the open plains of the sky. Here in the enclosed caverns of Black Mountain she gasped for oxygen to fuel her already burning legs. But as she heard the enraged beast howl behind her and felt its feet pounding the granite once again she needed no further motivation to continue running. Besides, she reasoned, at least it was all downhill from here.

Cato ran and ran for at least an hour. The granite boulders flitted past with Cato barely keeping track of where she was going. The darkness had fully enclosed the mountain by the time the roars of the beast could no longer be heard. Cato did not stop to rest however; the thought that the beast might find her again was enough to keep her walking.

Cato was starting to wonder if perhaps she was lost when she stumbled into the tourist car park. Cato let out a relieved laugh and fell to the gravel road in partial happiness and partial exhaustion. She was so exhausted now that even the idea of the monstrous bear bursting through the trees couldn’t raise her. She gasped for breath as she lay on the cold rocks. Eventually her breathing returned to a normal pace and Cato pushed herself up to sit on the gravel. She was now beginning to realise exactly how much her wing hurt and how trapped she was out here. Cato wondered if anyone had realised she was missing when a pair of lights blinded her and a car door slammed.

Oh wow what happened to you dude?

The headlights were blotted out by a lanky figure and someone dragged her up off the ground. Cato found herself peering into the familiar face of Alexis, her best friend and one of only three other psychicaes in a two-hundred kilometre radius.

There’s a bear Alexis, exclaimed Cato and she pointed at the mountain, A bear up in the mountain!

"A bear?" repeated Alexis slowly.

Alexis was fairly slow. To be honest both Cato and Alexis were fairly slow. Everything around Cooktown was fairly slow. Even now his sharply angled face, strangely shaped by his dolphin morph, moved slowly through its expressions. One of his heavy-set eyes closed a little in a half-frown and his wide mouth opened a little in disbelief. At first glance Alexis might actually have been a generally attractive guy; but then people noticed the fins on his legs and back, the blowhole between his shoulders that whistled as he breathed and finally people noticed that he wasn’t sharp. A lot of people became confused when Alexis didn’t fit their stereotype.

Yeah and it got one of the cow’s from- Cato’s eyes widened as she remembered the three boys, Did you pass Jim, Warren and Tod on the way here?

Yeah I did, frowned Alexis, There was already a call out on the radar for their cow so that’s why I came out here. They were going back to town pretty fast when I passed them, so I thought they’d messed up the park. Maybe we should get you back to town too? I mean you’re pretty beat up.

Cato glanced down at herself and found that Alexis was right. Her leg was already swelling into vibrant shades of purple, streaked with the blood running from the slashes, and her back muscles would not allow her to turn to see her wing.

Yeah I suppose we should, grimaced Cato and let Alexis help her into the car.

........

The ride back to Cooktown was relatively uneventful compared to Cato’s afternoon. The calm seemed surreal and foreboding to the near shell-shocked psychicae. She had explained everything that had happened from her flying over the mountain to her staggering into the car park as they drove back to Cooktown. Now Cato was sitting on a gurney at Cooktown Hospital with a nurse behind her back rubbing antiseptic into the tears and gashes in her wing. The pain had been excruciating at first but now it had died to a dull ache. The other psychicaes were waiting outside in the reception and Constables Sarah and Charlie were asking her some questions.

So I’m thinking we should get some rangers up there, said Constable Sarah, Maybe they can tranquilise the bear? It probably needs to be shot though.

Actually we were going to deal with it, said Cato firmly, We don’t think it’s safe for, uh, humans to be up there. Not even rangers.

The police officers raised their eyebrows. Cato could even feel the mixture of irritation and amusement from the nurse behind her. The telekinetic network usually relayed human emotions to her of a night; it was only with the rise of the sun that she could no longer feel what the humans felt.

I don’t really think it’s a matter of choice here Cato, said Constable Charlie, his jaw set somewhat more firmly now, We can’t allow a load of civilians to run about the mountain with a crazed bear on the loose.

Yes but we’re not your average civilians, said Cato, We’re employed by Psychicae United to make your job a bit easier; especially when it comes to things like this.

Yeah I’ve heard, nodded Constable Charlie, I’m still not sure about this whole psychicae thing you have going. It’s not like you don’t exist I mean-

He gestured to the nurse fixing Cato’s wing with a scoff.

But I don’t have any protocol around you, shrugged the Constable, It’s like the government just denies you’re here. Are there more of you; or maybe you four are just a bunch of loony mutants telling me you’re employed by some big secret agency.

Are you listening to yourself? Cato couldn’t help but laugh, Sure the government doesn’t do much for us and the news doesn’t report on us; but you can see signs that we’re here right? What about Singapore? They wouldn’t have lasted half as long against China if it wasn’t for psychicaes.

Charlie shuffled uncomfortably for a second.

Yeah alright I get it, he agreed, That still doesn’t mean I’m going to let you and your buddies go up in the mountain by yourselves. There are rules I have to follow.

Cato sighed with disappointment, Can you just keep the rangers out of there for a week?

The police officers stared at Cato; their eyes narrowed. Sarah leant over and murmured in Charlie’s ear. Though the sound would have been inaudible to the nurse Cato caught every word.

It doesn’t have to be official, she whispered, They’ll take care of it; and the rangers don’t have to risk their lives.

Charlie exhaled heavily and rubbed his brow.

Alright, the mountain’s off-limits to everyone for the week, said Constable Charlie, That bear better be gone when it’s reopened.

Chapter 2

We Seek Asylum

The ocean extended forever on every side; even the sky mirrored the water and turned the world into an endless void of blue. No clouds dared to interrupt and spoil the beauty of the scene. The only relief from the continuous colour was the white sun that lanced the ocean and was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Traversing the water was a tiny boat; a small vessel that begged forgiveness for disturbing the harmonious scene with its conflicting brown and red.

On this vessel were two hundred psychicae refugees fleeing from a soon to be invaded and hostile Indonesia. Their saviours were two Australian psychicaes; one was currently in the bridge with the captain of the lifeboat.

This psychicae’s name was Avalon. As far as human beauty was concerned she was beautiful. Her perfectly muscled figure was enclosed in a crisp suit that did appear out of place in the dinghy environment of the lifeboat. Her golden skin shone in the light sent from the rejoicing sun and was dotted with faded black splodges that were only visible at some angles. Her delicate hands were tipped with small black claws; each one sharpened to deadly precision. Her golden hair was drawn back from her face revealing two furred ears gifted from her spotted hyena morph. Her beauty only made it obvious that she was young, she was only twenty-five; but this was where any expression of youth stopped. Her face was narrow and her eyes dark; light make-up only served to further her intimidating persona and conceal any emotion. Everything from her expression to her body language gave no hint to the inner workings of her mind. This was a person who prized meticulous planning and control very highly. This was not a youthful person.

As much as her expression had not changed in the past hour she had been in the bridge; Avalon had to admit to herself that she was growing steadily more bored. After fighting on the frontline in Jakarta for weeks this task was quite dull. She had ferried four other boats and two planes from the small village of Merauke in Indonesia to Weipa in Australia without any resistance. The only relief for her boredom was the occasional conversation with her partner Faustus, which was a rare occurrence given how busy the both of them were.

Um excuse me Antistitor? mumbled the Captain.

Yes Captain? acknowledged Avalon wearily.

I see something on the horizon, answered the Captain.

Avalon’s eyes jolted to the water and she inwardly cursed her inattention. Indeed there was another vessel on the horizon and this one was far larger than their tiny lifeboat.

The door to the bridge opened and Faustus stepped in. Avalon’s partner was just as immaculately preened, although he did not possess any of the physical splendour that Avalon did. While he was only a decade older than Avalon he looked far older. The skin of his cane toad morph wrinkled over him like that of an ancient reptile and was always yellow as though he had been waiting for a liver transplant his whole life. Permanent boils and lesions covered him, especially over his bald head and his webbed hands. Unfortunately the boils left his too small ears alone, which only seemed to emphasise exactly how too small they were. And to finish the ugly piece of work off his irises were yellow and the pupils were dark squares. Avalon had never really needed to go to a lot of effort to hide her morphs in public, a pair of gloves was really all she ever needed, but every day in human society was a struggle for Faustus.

It’s an Australian navy ship, said Faustus shortly, And it’s priming its weapons.

Avalon almost sighed with relief. Finally something interesting to do.

Get the children below deck, ordered Avalon, Then the amphibians in the water, the avian in the air and everyone else on front deck.

Faustus nodded and was gone.

What are we going to do? asked the Captain apprehensively.

Captain I need you to get this boat as close to the navy ship as possible, said Avalon calmly, We’re going to board their ship.

........

Avalon stood at the bow of the boat, a hundred or so psychicaes shuffling nervously behind her. Below her she could see the glimmer of dozens of psychicaes in the water; Faustus would be down there somewhere leading them. Circling the boat above were yet more psychicaes. And looming in front of them was the grey shadow of the navy ship HMAS Glenelg; its guns pointed at the small lifeboat. It seemed like an insult to her; for this ship to represent a country of freedom and prosperity and for them to be aiming weapons at these people like everyone else had been for the past decade. But Avalon understood none of the humans on the navy ship were at fault. They had been raised like this, taught that they should only like and accept their own; indeed it was hardwired into human evolution. This rule was as strict and unbending as the metal ship those humans stood on. They would kill to defend it.

Avalon could see details on the humans’ faces as they scurried about the deck now. She could see half a dozen people in the metallic bridge of their ship. An unshaven man brought a speaker to his mouth.

Surrender yourselves beasties or we will open fire, his voice echoed across the water.

Avalon glanced up at the Captain of the lifeboat who was staring at her uncertainly. She shook her head and turned back to the navy ship; her cold façade never flickering.

This is your last warning! the man shouted hoarsely, Surrender now!

Avalon looked up to the psychicaes flying above and flicked her hand in the direction of the ship. Three of the psychicaes separated from the flock and dove towards the ship. Within seconds all three guns on the ship were dismantled by the impact of the psychicaes; one tumbling into ocean and sending a jet of water dozens of metres up into the air. The three flying psychicaes shot up away from the ship before any of the humans could react.

Avalon returned her calm gaze to the men in the bridge who were staring with bewilderment and outrage at their ruined weapons. Their faces were blotted out by the wall of steel of the navy ship as the lifeboat halted with a small thud against the navy vessel.

Half of you stay here and guard the boat, shouted Avalon, Everyone else distract the human soldiers, do not kill them.

The ten metre wall of metal was easily scaled by the psychicaes and the deck was revealed. The metal floor was warped and torn where one of the guns had been torn out. Engineers were already swarming around its remains but at the sight of the psychicaes they bolted. They were replaced by more soldiers who ran forward brandishing long assault rifles, some diving into defensive positions with their machine guns behind walls or metal containers.

Havoc broke out on the deck. The humans immediately began firing at the psychicaes who could do nothing more than dodge their shots and try to destroy their weapons. As Avalon sprinted for the bridge she heard the first cries as psychicaes began to fall. These psychicaes were civilians, not soldiers; they would not last very long.

As Avalon ran towards the aft of the ship and towards the bridge a soaked Faustus joined her.

The Captain? he queried.

In the bridge I’m going to assume, said Avalon as she leapt up onto a long, curved ledge that led straight into the small window of the bridge.

From here Avalon could see clearly inside the bridge and she could clearly see it was deserted.

They ran for it, stated Faustus, This could take a while.

No point waiting any longer then, Avalon said, shattering the bulletproof glass to the bridge as she leapt through.

A quick survey of the dark innards of the bridge and Avalon located a ladder in the centre of the room.

Down here, said Avalon quietly.

Avalon crept close to the ladder and deftly checked to see if anyone had posted a guard. Reasonably assured that most of the armed crew were busy on the deck Avalon dropped down to the lower floor and was quickly followed by Faustus. This new corridor was lit with a yellow light that did nothing to create a warm or welcoming atmosphere. Instead it only highlighted the unnatural contours of the ship’s framework and the strict rules that the crew were held under to keep the place clean. It also highlighted how empty the corridor was.

This way? suggested Faustus pointing towards the bow of the ship.

Avalon had to agree, there was no way of knowing where the captain was hidden. She took a step forward and heard clicks from both her left and right.

Freeze beastie.

Avalon looked to the left in the direction of the voice and found two men in one of the cabins pointing guns at her. One was the unshaven man who had spoken over the loud speaker. The other was an older man with a square face. He was dressed flawlessly and more importantly bore the insignia of a circle and four lines on his shoulders that identified him as the Captain of the ship. Avalon checked her right as well and found three men in the opposite cabin. They were also from the bridge and also all pointing guns at her. Avalon quickly identified all of the weapons as Heckler and Koch USP’s. Their primary range was 30 metres minimum so they would not be very useful in such close combat. It seemed the men knew this as well or they would not have positioned themselves opposite one another in their own line of fire. They were trying to scare her.

Avalon took a step back out of their view and heard them swear. She glanced at Faustus who had a small smile on his face.

5 Heckler and Koch USP’s, said Avalon bluntly, Don’t look so happy.

Faustus chuckled quietly and pointed to the left door. Avalon nodded. Faustus ran to the left door as Avalon ran to the right. The men yelled in fright and gunshots fired. None of them came close to harming Avalon. She yanked the first man’s gun away, kicked the second’s head into the steel pole of the bed, sent her fist and the gun back into the first man’s skull and finished the third man who was whimpering and backing away with a roundhouse kick. With the three men unconscious she turned to check on Faustus.

Ready to go? he had the unconscious Captain over his shoulder.

Avalon smiled and nodded and the pair ascended the ladder to end the fighting on the deck.

........

The two hundred psychicaes had attracted many stares from the few hundred residents of sleepy Seisia as they disembarked from the lifeboat and boarded the half a dozen buses that Psychicae United had arranged to take them to the airport. They had been forced to change their destination as after partially destroying a navy ship there would be an army waiting in Weipa. Avalon and Faustus had taken a taxi and dropped the irritable Captain off out the front of Bamaga Police Station on the way to the airport.

Now they entered the piercing cold of the tiny air-conditioned terminal of the airport where the hundreds of psychicaes were being ushered onto the Boeing-747 outside. The few airport staff were watching with bafflement. Avalon could see through the long panel of glass that a far smaller Jetstream 31 was already on the runway. The two psychicaes had not been inside the airport terminal for half a minute when another psychicae approached them.

This psychicae bore the same cool confidence as both Avalon and Faustus. Her black heels clicked on the floor as she approached and a long, vibrant tail of feathers trailed behind her. This was another Antistitor, Annabella.

Good afternoon Avalon, Faustus, smiled Annabella as she came to a sharp halt in front of the pair, I’ll be handling the refugees from here.

Avalon raised an eyebrow, I believe this was our assignment Annabella.

Yes you’ve been reassigned, nodded Annabella and her expression grew serious, Indonesia has fallen to the Eastern Alliance forces. You got these psychicaes out just in time.

A glimmer of surprise flashed across Avalon’s face and she glanced at Faustus who was frowning. Both knew that Captain Perrin would be on his way back to Indonesia as they spoke. He would not know of the invasion until he arrived and was captured.

And what is our reassignment? asked Faustus.

Well the Imperator believes it is in our interests to form bases of defence on the mainland, said Annabella, It really is only a matter of time until Papua New Guinea falls and after that the Eastern Alliance forces have a clear run to Australia. So the Imperator is sending you to assess a small town not far from here as a possible psychicae base.

Isn’t this something an Auctor would usually take care of? queried Avalon, It seems rather like a desk job to me.

Well yes, but it is important to have someone experienced in warfare assess the area, answered Annabella with a grimace, An Auctor is suitable for assessment true; but they hardly possess an eye for defence.

And the area is? asked Avalon.

Annabella flicked through the papers on her clipboard, I believe it’s called Cooktown.

Chapter 3

Playing with Wild Animals

Cato’s grandmother’s house was filled with thousands of trinkets crowded onto lopsided shelves. When Cato had first arrived when she was seven she had broken dozens of the items with her newly formed wings. Though she barely remembered her parents she had liked to tell herself that this was probably the reason they had sent her away; she must have broken a lot of their possessions. Although that fanciful tale was starting to grow thin. She knew that a lot of people in Cooktown thought she looked a little odd but it was hard to imagine that any of them might not want a kid who had sprouted wings. Maybe the people were just meaner in Port Douglas where her grandma said her parents still lived. Cato didn’t know if her parents were mean. They never called grandma when Cato was in and had never visited Cooktown.

Grandma I’m going now! sung Cato as she ran down wooden steps of the front door, each one creaking loudly, I’ll be back before sundown!

Cato’s grandmother appeared at the door. She was a frail old lady who was only kept standing by a polished cane that was clutched tightly in her bony hand. Her nose hooked dramatically over her face almost making her look more like an eagle than Cato.

Wait a minute Cato! she said and like always her voice had the strange clarity of a woman fifty years younger, A man’s on the phone for you!

Cato turned and walked back up the stairs. Her grandmother handed the cordless phone to her and then stared expectantly as Cato spoke. Cato’s grandmother was always fascinated by the occasional calls Cato received. This was because if the number was private, as it was right now, then it was almost certainly someone from Psychicae United in Sydney. Cato didn’t get many calls from them. They only called once or twice a year, usually only to confirm something she had written in a progress report about Cooktown or to say if she was getting a pay rise.

Hello? said Cato uncertainly.

Good morning Cato, came a man’s voice, I am Auctor Corbin. How are you today?

I’m good thanks, said Cato politely.

As she had suspected it was someone from Psychicae United, but she had thought Auctors were rather high up. She didn’t