Opus Veda

"Here we are then. For old time's sake."

Curtis tucked into the shingle car park - a rare and welcome private spot - and offered a brave face. The old team sat in silence. Sermon checked for external threats, and turned to Kasia.

"You weren't answerin' your phone Kash."

"I lost it."

"Were you followed?"

"They let us go."

"They? You mean our side or Viji's? Bloody 'ell..." Sermon rubbed his face, "Kash… Imany was there, she went down fightin' she… she didn't make it…"

Kasia said nothing. More emergency vehicles drove by - a growing fleet headed south. Sermon waited for the noise to die down.

"Look Kash, we'll take you home but you and Eva gotta get out of here. Get the train to Newhaven and try blaggin' a ferry, 'ere..." he held out a stack of notes.

"No."

"Kasia I-"

"No I don't want it," she reeled from the money like a child rejecting food, "take me to Little Kendi I'll sleep there. I'll get Eva out tomorrow."

They pulled into the old petrol station alongside its boarded shop. The squadmates prised open its door with an uncomfortably loud crash.

Kasia kept watch nearby, clasping her frozen arms. Curtis held his hand out to shake hers but she was unable to offer one. Zenia said something supportive, but Kasia didn't catch it.

"Oi..." Sermon waved in front of her face, "take care yea? Get a new phone and add me. I'm goin' back to Kensington it'll be safer for me there."

Kasia's head lifted; her senses briefly recovering.

"You're going back after all this?"

A police siren came within earshot, closing in on them. Sermon shuffled away.

"I can't leave now Kash, with Blacks on our tail too? It wouldn't be any use I'm too deep in it sista…" he again tried giving Kasia money, but could only catch the back of her vanishing into the shop.

Curtis barked at him, easing off the accelerator. Sermon waved faintly in Kasia's direction and dived into the car before his squad abandoned him.

* * *

"Now would be a good time to be available! Where are you!?"

"I've been called elsewhere Luis you have to trust me."

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"Are you mad!? What on earth could be more important than this!?"

"Making good on a promise. Whatever just happened, my lead is connected."

"Fine. Get it done and get straight back to the station Gemma. Fuck knows what O-V are planning but the city's drowning in them. There must be over a thousand."

Gemma looked up at the orange sky. The air smelt burnt. The city rang with alarms.

"A thousand? In one place?'

"There is no way Veda hit that base with less; they're bigger than we realised. You should see the fight club… they trapped the audience in the pit and fucking lit them up. Have you ever heard the sound a thousand people make dying in a fire together!? I have."

Gemma covered her mouth with her collar, queasy now the burnt air had a human origin. Whenever she thought Opus Veda could do no worse, they jumped from the shadows to prove her wrong.

"Luis get out of there and wait for me at the station, I'll be back soon."

She hung up and returned indoors.

Eva backed against the wall, holding a motley rabbit. Her mother had gone dark, and if the anonymous caller was right, Gemma had to deliver news that would ruin this girl's life.

She removed her hat and held it to her chest.

"Can we sit down Eva?"

"Yes Sir."

"Just 'Gemma' is fine."

Eva gulped, "I'll stick with Sir in case."

"That's very professional of you," Gemma smiled, "can I hold him?"

Eva sat at the table and reluctantly handed Yorkie over. Gemma rested her trilby on his head.

"I guess you're not an admirer of the police, but I think the detective look suits him no?"

Eva shrugged, but a smirk crept over her face when the hat fell over Yorkie's face.

Gemma let him run free.

"Eva I have to tell you something. This isn't going to be an easy conversation but you are in control okay? When you need time out you tell me," Gemma replaced her hat, "it's about your mother."

Eva's chest rose. She went pale. Things had to be bad to be spoken to like this. Opus Veda's siren, the police that followed, the videos of a fire raging, the screaming crown she could hear from Kendi Estate.

Her eyes flooded, her head shook. She mouthed 'no' but only air escaped. Gemma sat forward.

"Eva we have to go sweetheart. There are lots of dangerous people out tonight so I'm going to keep you with me alright? I've got a couple of black belts, and I've got a gun! Kind of… We'll be safer together."

She reached for Eva's hand. Eva slid away from her, crawling into the corner, curling into herself to hide.

Gemma squatted down with her.

"Eva I'd like your permission to take you somewhere safe. We aren't going to a police station I promise, but my priority - my only priority - is looking after you. Will you help me pack your stuff?"

* * *

Street lights criss-crossed yellow beams through collapsing blinds. Dust buried empty shelves. The cashier screen lay shattered on the floor. Wires dangled from a polystyrene tile ceiling.

Kasia scuttled along the wall and tucked under a taped window - somewhere she could see Detective Alderton's squad car. They approached. Kasia had a chance to run outside, join them, face court and do time. Try exchanging data for a new life elsewhere.

Too much had gone wrong. Enough to convince Kasia she was cursed whatever choice she made. She had worked and trained, saved lives by risking hers, become confident and useful. All futile in the end. Whatever she tried, however she pushed, society would just not let her win. It told her to be strong and work harder, without giving her incentives. It demanded she rely on herself, without healing the loneliness it caused. It had her worship individualism, in a world too dangerous for individualism to work. Society's inhuman dogma held on, harking back to some fictitious golden age where it supposedly worked.

And Eva had suffered the fallout of Kasia's choices long enough. And Eva would have to suffer the fallout of this final one. Jobless, poor, disfigured, guilty of picking the wrong side of a civil war. Kasia had one card left: to do right for her daughter's life, she had to leave it.

She saw Gemma walk around the car, pulling her collar up to fight the cold, scoping the estate with her all-seeing shades. Kasia hid until she heard a door open. She peeked back and caught Eva climbing inside, carrying her possessions her school rucksack and a bin bag. Gemma leant in and fastened Eva's seatbelt, denying Kasia the chance to see her child's face.

Kasia turned away and hid behind her hands. Tears ran free. The car clicked online; an electric engine whinnied; tires rolled away.

London traffic spilled out, putting behind it the slaughter it hid from hours before.