1. Officer Jones

Five years later

09.06.203 UI

Aaron shifted uncomfortably in a ragged, leather chair. An old grandfather clock that belonged in a museum ticked against the dreary, taupe-colored walls of his therapist’s office. It set Aaron’s teeth on edge while Doctor Shockley tapped away at a holo-pad across the coffee table. Only five minutes left of his session. He was bored of this song and dance. If it wasn’t for HQ’s insistence that his visits continue as a precautionary measure, he would have called it quits after the first year.

“Well, I’m content with everything as far as the job goes, Aaron,” Shockley said monotonously. He was a scrawny man with dark, slicked-back hair, pale skin, and glasses. “I’m relieved that homicide call last week didn’t affect you too harshly. I heard it was rather gruesome.”

“Yeah...” Aaron leaned forward with a solemn nod at the floor, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. “They were just kids; eighteen and nineteen. Took a wrong turn down an alley and ended up in Reaper territory. Hardly anything left of ’em when we arrived. I’ve seen it before, and I hope every time that I never will again, but-” He paused, meeting Doctor Shockley’s intense stare. “You can’t help anyone in this city if you don’t have skin like steel. Metaphorically speaking.”

Shockley hummed in response, making another note on the pad. “And what about outside of work? I know you visit with Miss Queen now and again. Is there, perhaps, anything more to that?”

“What, Lexi?” Aaron flushed. They had never discussed his love life before. “No... No, she’s just a friend. I’m meeting her for a drink after this, actually,” he said, making his need to get out of the stuffy office known.

“Mhm,” the doctor grunted, “Is she someone that you can discuss your work with? It wouldn’t be the worst idea to cultivate relationships that allow you to express anything you might feel unable to share here.”

“Uh. Yeah... I can talk to Lexi when I need to.” Aaron tallied the people in his life closest to him. It wasn’t an exhaustive list by any means, but that was how he preferred it. “And... I visit Ma when I can. She might not say much, but she’s a great listener.”

Shockley gave a grim smile at the attempted humor. “It’s important to have a support system, especially for someone in your line of work, Aaron.” He went back to tapping at his holo-pad before standing. “I’ve sent your scrips off, be sure to pick up your medication before you leave.”

Aaron groaned as he stood to take the doctor’s hand. “Still, doc?”

Shockley stared over his glasses. “This isn’t something that’s going to resolve itself, Mister Jones. If you stop taking your medications, even for a day, those dreams of yours will return to interrupt your life. Is that what you want?”

“No,” he lied with a huff.

Most people avoiding dreams do so because they’re the bad sort. But Aaron lived the nightmares, and the universe had rewarded him with marvelous visions. The kind he didn’t want to wake up from. When he started taking too much solace locked away in his own head, it began to affect his life. He had been arriving at work late at least once a week due to snoozing his alarm. And while he was reminded constantly that his mother’s condition wasn’t his fault, he never stopped blaming himself for sleeping in that day.

Did he want to keep his job? Yes. Did he want to be able to live in the present and focus on saving lives? Absolutely. Did he want a way to do all of that and still be able to drift off into the blissful place in his head where fantastic and miraculous things happened every single time he closed his eyes? More than anything. Like most dreams, he remembered little if anything of them. He remembered being happy, though.

He ducked out of Shockley’s office, greeting the squat woman at the counter. “All set, hon?” she cooed, flushing slightly.

Aaron nodded politely. “Yes, ma’am. Just need my prescription.”

She hopped from the stool that was too tall for her and waddled to the back room, snatching a bag with a crinkling sound from the counter and returning before the door shut. “Three thousand credits today, darlin’.”

“Three th-” Aaron grumbled, but quickly changed his tone, “That’s fine.” He held his palm downward for the reader on the counter to scan the personal chip embedded in his hand, waited for the two-tone sound of approval, and sulked toward the door.

“Have a good night, Aaron!” the woman called, and he waved without looking back. He didn’t blame her, of course. It was no surprise that the manufacturer had increased the price again, but three thousand credits for a medication he hated taking?

As he set foot onto Main Street, neon lights began flickering on around him, casting their magical tones over the cement and asphalt. The pulsing rhythms of Beat Street, the fashion-heavy and club-laden part of town, could be heard from blocks away. With the sun’s descent, Etna City was waking up.

The evening air was cool, courtesy of the towering climate generators lining the city wall. Life as he knew it here was only possible due to the combined power of technology and magic—or as they called it, rune-tech. The food they ate was grown under the care of rune-tech. The water they drank was made clean by rune-tech. The city walls kept out any waste-dwelling beasts with the help of rune-tech. Even the grass and foliage throughout the city only existed because of it. It was the only way that non-magic folk—commons—could harness magic. Other than the tattooed symbols issued to law enforcement and powered by the flowing abundance of magic beneath them known as the Well.

Aaron tugged at the right sleeve of his Henley, making certain his runes were hidden. Permanent runes were uncommon, seen only on those employed to combat threats with the help of Esotech’s access to the Well, and very rarely on commons that a witch deemed worth sharing their power with. There was nothing worse than running into one of the city gangs with your runes showing. Unless you were looking for a slow and painful death. That was a surefire way to manage it. Though it had led to the fateful meeting between him and his best friend on the one occasion he hadn’t taken caution.

Only three months after graduating from the academy, Aaron had found himself cornered in an alley by two Reapers. He’d gotten the shit kicked out of him and had nearly surrendered to his fate when Alexandra Queen jumped in. After fighting them off and a laugh at Lexi getting his name wrong in the thick of it, they had become instant companions.

Aaron heaved a sigh as he stopped at the crosswalk outside Shockley’s office, mulling over the doctor’s orders. He would continue his medication, as he didn’t need another incident simply because he missed the sweet respite of his dreams. The roaring of an engine pulled him back to the present, and he jumped away from the road, fearing the driver might fly onto the sidewalk.

It happened more and more frequently as the ECPD became stretched thin. Traffic violations were cast aside as efforts were waylaid by gang activity and the near-constant beck and call of Esotech; the corporate giant responsible for producing runological technology. If Aaron wasn’t such a by-the-book guy, he might have commiserated with some of the gangs and protestors that wanted to see them burn. The gangs hated the corporation on principle, the protestors knew that old organizations of the sort were responsible for the current state of their world, and Aaron didn’t appreciate being summoned away from his real job to protect their assets.

The biker that had startled him, however, gracefully skirted around a stopped vehicle, plowed through a red light with reckless abandon, and managed to do it all without leaving the road. That made several moving violations, no matter how elegantly performed. But Aaron was off duty, on foot, and far too stunned by the features of the man committing these crimes with unchallenged finesse to even consider doing a damn thing about it.

Jet-black hair that would make the models on Beat Street drool, faded high and carelessly fluttering in the wind. A jawline to cut glass, and cheekbones to complete the set. Flawless skin crawling with inked swirls along his neck that vanished underneath a black, leather jacket, cropped to his middle over a white V-neck that showed off a fine dusting of dark hair. And for a moment, the briefest sliver of a second, Aaron swore the man had locked eyes with him beneath a pair of sleek shades, making his heart run wild. He’d seen that face before. He’d lost himself in those glistening silver eyes before.

From the most wanted list at his office, that is. The man was a local mercenary, an occasional menace to the ECPD, a thorn in the side of Esotech, and one of the few witches with any real power in all of Etna. Aaron and Lexi harbored a bit of a fandom for him, and they were fairly certain he was responsible for the disappearance of several other wanted felons over the past few years. While he may be a do-gooder in secret, he was definitely someone a police officer had no business gawking at the way Aaron was as the motorcycle faded from view. Maybe the doc was right to bring up his love life. Maybe he needed to get laid.

A chirp from his communications implant jolted him out of his fever dream.

gt;gt;gt; Queen Alexandra: “Move it, Jones. I’m fightin’ off lowlifes with nothing but a broken bottle for our seats!”

Lexi’s face popped up in the top left corner of his vision along with her message and the nickname Aaron had assigned her. How humans had survived with only the handheld devices one might see the elderly or the implant averse with was beyond him. A receiver chip to superimpose a display over the vision receptors, a touchpad beneath the skin of the temple, and the whole world was right there at his discretion. Some opted for flashy chrome that was visible along their cheekbone, available with lighting effects in colors of their choosing. The city, however, required their people to appear clean-cut, and that had always been Aaron’s style.

He glanced at the time, noting that he still had five minutes. Lexi was just impatient. He jogged across the street as he replied.

lt;lt;lt; Officer Jones: “On my way! Grab one of the pool cues if you need to, it’ll reach farther! At least to help with the smell!”

gt;gt;gt; Queen Alexandra: “They totally reek too. Hurry up!”

lt;lt;lt; Officer Jones: “I believe in you!”

Aaron grinned at his message as he turned the corner, walking directly into a massive, solid figure and stumbling backward. He looked up to see a huge person with dark eyes staring down at him. They didn’t seem angry, but they were still intimidating as all hells. In fact, they didn’t seem to be feeling anything. Their eyes were vacant and dark, making the hairs on the back of Aaron’s neck stand on end.

“Sorry! Turned that corner too fast!” Aaron laughed nervously. When the hulking figure stared blankly in response, he wasn’t sure if he should turn around or call a med tran. “Are you... okay?”

Nothing. After almost a minute had passed, Aaron decided to sidestep the giant and continue forward. Their eyes stayed on him the entire time. He looked back as he reached the end of the street to see them still standing there, now turned in his direction, staring.

“What the fuck?” he whispered under his breath as he broke into a slight jog, both to make up for lost time and to get far away from whatever that was.

Zola’s Pub, his and Lexi’s preferred venue for debauchery, was only a few blocks away. After several minutes of jogging, cheap, red fluorescent lights flashed at him in welcome with several letters gone dark. As he approached, he noticed that new posters had been taped to the window among older, browning ones—a sea of missing faces.

Aaron pulled a small notebook from his back pocket and scribbled down the names. Missing persons wasn’t his department, but he made a point to investigate every single one. The force seldom, if ever, had the officers to spare, and all of these people deserved his attention. Though his attempts rarely paid off, the times they did were worth the effort.

Through the windows, Lexi waved him inside with a huff from their usual booth. Aaron rolled his eyes at her dramatically and pulled the door open. The smell of spilled beer and dirty carpet hit him in the face as he trotted toward their seats, giving a wave to the familiar bartender, Josie.

“Usual, handsome?” She shot him a wink from beneath dark curls.

“Please, Jo.” He smiled. “You’re the best.”

Lexi scoffed as he clambered into the booth. “Stop flirting with anything that moves,” she hissed, taking a sip of her cocktail. Her rose gold hair was pulled into a messy bun, which usually meant she had a rough day.

“What?” Aaron asked indignantly, “I do not flirt! She flirted with me!”

“Sure. You bat those baby blues of yours, toss your perfect, blond hair aside, flash those dimples, and turn people into puddles, Aaron. I could fill a swimming pool with the people puddles left in your wake.”

“You’re insane, Alexandra,” he whispered as Josie brought a tall beer over and set it in front of him with a smile. He took note of her as she walked back to the bar. She was very attractive, and almost always had someone swooning at her from over the counter; male, female, or otherwise. Aaron had been with women before, though it had been years. Of course, it had been a while since he’d been with anyone at all.

“My gods, Jones, are you actually checking her out?” Lexi scowled from over her glass.

“I- no!” Aaron protested, “I mean... maybe a little, but it’s not like that!”

“Okay, then what’s it like?”

Aaron took a swig of his beer, choosing his words. He knew if he gave Lexi anything, she would run with it and never let it go. “I just-” He wiped his upper lip. “I was just thinking about the last time I tried to date.”

“Ugh. Connor. Fucking dit.” Lexi picked at one of her nails; electric yellow today and sharpened to a point. “You know he still nags Dani about you?”

Aaron snorted into his drink. Connor, his last boyfriend, had been nothing but a mistake. Lexi’s coworker, Danielle, had set them up after Connor noticed a picture of the three of them together at the salon where they worked.

Connor was cute, sweet, and romantic, something Aaron hadn’t experienced before. Aaron had worked long hours, and he had his therapy appointments to make, which at the time were far more often. The fights had started with Connor expressing that he felt like he wasn’t a priority to him and had ended with batshit accusations of cheating.

“Poor Dani,” Aaron said, still chuckling, “I’m still hearing about new people he was fucking while we were together.”

“Oh, I know.” Lexi rolled her eyes, snatching a lighter from her clutch to puff a cigarette. “You know they’re not all Connors, though, right?”

Aaron groaned as Lexi reached across the table to pat his hand. It wasn’t that he wanted to be alone. He certainly wasn’t using his ex as an excuse. It was simply that part of him felt like he didn’t belong with anyone—like he’d already missed his chance somehow. Which was ridiculous because he could count his relationships on one hand. Certainly, none of them had been his one and only.

Hair black as night and eyes like a storm crossed his mind.

“Oh, my gods, I forgot!” he almost shouted, making Lexi jump and the ash at the end of her cigarette fall to the table, “I saw Fell on my way here.”

Lexi barked out a laugh. “You did not. That guy is a damned shadow.”

“Did so! He almost ran me over on his bike!”

She cocked her head in disbelief. “Delubrexa PT400?”

“Ye- how do you know what he drives?” Aaron stared, a little concerned.

“Godlike bone structure and eyes that see right into your soul?” she continued, ignoring the question.

“Yep. Well, he was wearing sunglasses, but I swear he looked right at me.”

Lexi sighed deeply and her eyes glassed over. “That is so luxe... He could run me over any day.”

“Hey! I saw him first!” Aaron swatted at her playfully across the table.

“Did not! You didn’t even know who he was until I told you!” She laughed. Lexi had made it apparent that she had no interest in dating anyone. She simply enjoyed tormenting him. “Besides, you get mixed up with a guy like that and you can kiss your job goodbye.”

Aaron chugged the rest of his beer, letting the glass drop to the table with a thud as he chuckled. “Oh, in a heartbeat.”

Fell had received more violations, infractions, fines, and even warrants than anyone in Etna. But every single time someone thought they had something on him, his record was suddenly squeaky clean, and all evidence erased. Esotech had engineered spell-proof equipment years ago, yet somehow, not one camera had ever managed to catch the man. The Chief still screamed about the abuse of magic, ranting about how someone needs to keep witches in check. The man loathed witches, as did many commonfolk these days. The world’s history between magickind and commons loomed like a storm ready to break at any second.

Aaron had met only two witches in his lifetime that he was aware of, and both occasions had been in the line of duty. They were helpful and polite, even if a little mistrusting. They seemed no different than any other person in need to him, despite the glow of their eyes when they used their power.

“Not like you would need the money if you had that kinda sugar, though.” Lexi smirked.

Aaron laughed through his nose. “Please. Fell is so out of my league.”

“As far as money, magic, and the fact that everyone in the city only knows his name because he’s a crème de la crème criminal, maybe.“ Lexi pointed at Aaron, circling his face with her finger. “As for everything else... I mean, sure the authorities hate the guy, and most people are afraid to even say his name, but I think you might be perfect for each other in a way. He does the sort of good here that you do, even if only we know it.”

Aaron could feel himself blushing. “You’re biased.”

Lexi giggled. “Only a little. No one is too good for you, honey.”

He opened his mouth to tell her that wasn’t just “a little” but the screens in the bar lit to flashing warning indicators as an alert came over his comm.

WARNING. ALL CIVILIANS ARE TO SHELTER IN PLACE FROM SOUTH HAVEN AVE. TO LONDON BLVD. RIFT ACTIVITY IN PROGRESS. WARNING.

“Shit!” Aaron hissed, pulling at his shirt sleeve for quick access to his runes, “That’s a couple of blocks from here, Lex! I gotta go!”

“Fuck that! I’m going with you!” she said, pulling a 9mm from the holster around her ankle and slamming it on the table.

“Lex!” Aaron popped his eyes at her. “I cannot take a civilian with me to an active rift! You know that!”

Lexi shrugged, following him out of the bar. “I’m going on my own as an upstanding citizen! You’re the one following me!” She cackled madly as she broke into a run, passing him by in the direction the warning had indicated.

“Oh, I swear to all the gods, you and your ridiculous obsession!” Aaron darted after her, grinning.

The rifts had become a part of everyday life in the world. The few other cities scattered across the globe had to deal with them on occasion, but rift activity was far worse in Etna. No one knew why.

It started about fifty years ago. The air would suddenly charge, a few crackles of energy, and then bam—a gaping hole in the world. Sometimes they were just there, doing nothing. A few people had disappeared into them never to be seen again. More often than not, inhabitants from the other side would come through. Nasty ones. Aaron had fought off everything from rabid dogs to giant serpents. If whatever came through was killed, the bodies would disintegrate into black dust and drift right back through to wherever they came from, closing the rift.

Then there were the stories, the ones Lexi was obsessed with. Obsessed enough that she had submitted several freelance articles to a local newspaper, asking for firsthand accounts—of the wailing rifts.

Though few people had ever seen them, several claimed to have heard them. A normal rift would only create an output of energy, one that systems all over the city were designed to detect before they opened, but the wailing rifts supposedly sounded like a cry straight out of the hells. Some believed it was the god of the underworld himself. Others said it spoke to them, and a few even claimed to see a different world through them.

Lexi, however, had seen one, up close and personal. She said the sound that came from them wasn’t angry or evil, but sad; a deep despair, drowning, stripping the one who hears it of everything good in their life.

Aaron wanted to believe her, but he’d been dealing with the rifts all twenty-four years of his life. Since joining the ECPD, it was always as simple as arrive, kill, and close. No spooky stories, visions of other worlds, cries of sadness, or any emotion whatsoever.

He rounded a few corners, dodging those fleeing the scene as he trotted behind Lexi. They knew immediately when they were close. It was like stepping into a space before lightning struck, literally making the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand on end.

One more corner and there it was—a pulsing, black streak in the middle of the road, starting at their feet and towering above the nearby storefronts. A snarl filled the air, and Aaron tapped at his runes just in time to throw up a faint, white shield as a large wolf came charging out of an alleyway. It bounced off the barrier with a yelp as two more of the creatures stalked out of the shadows.

“As soon as I have an opening, I’ll drop the shield and throw them back!” he called to Lexi.

She nodded, taking aim. The wolves were right up against Aaron’s shield, snapping ferociously. They were massive, matted with patchy fur and eyes flecked with glowing red. Aaron took a few paces back as one of them snapped at the other with a snarl, and he saw his chance. “Now!”

He dropped the shield. The wolves lunged. He moved up his arm to another rune, and with a thrust of his hand, the hulking creatures flew backward, smacking the brick wall with a nasty crunch. Lexi’s first shot struck one right between the eyes. It dropped to the ground, burst into a black cloud, and whisked away back through the rift. The largest of the wolves was back on its feet. It leapt, fangs bared and ready to clamp down on Aaron’s throat. His shot hit the beast in the roof of its mouth, and it burst. The last of the wolves realized it was outnumbered, and it growled, taking off down the street.

“Fuck!” Aaron yelled, darting after it and firing at its legs. They were closing in when Lexi let out a cry from behind. He whirled around to find her on the pavement, clutching her ankle.

“I think I twisted it. I’ll be fine. Go get that thing!” she ordered with a wince.

With a nod, he gave chase. The wolf had a commanding lead as it bolted around a corner. He growled in frustration, pushing himself after it. He skidded around the bend and came to a halt. The creature paced back and forth along a blocked path, trapped between him and a large fence that sealed off the alley. It whipped around with a snarl at his approach, frothing at the mouth.

“Sorry, buddy.” Aaron threw out another rune, one that only worked on smaller, single targets, and the beast froze in place. “Back to your kennel.”

A single shot sent the wolf swirling away, and he huffed a breath in relief, reaching for his comm. “Officer Aaron Jones. Active rift on Fairmont is sealed. Repeat. Active rift on Fairmont is sealed.”

His comm crackled in response, “Ackno- Jones. -ood work.”

Suddenly the whole block was plunged into darkness.

“What... the hells?” he whispered to himself.

Lexi called out from the adjoined street, “Aaron! You okay?”

“Yeah!” he shouted, still catching his breath as he turned back, “Yeah, I’m-”

He walked right into someone very large. A sharp pain lanced his neck. His surroundings started spinning, words failed on his tongue, and his eyes fell shut.