As I opened the door to room 1147, several young, inquisitive faces turned to greet me. The room was a small one, but it was by no means full. There were 8 young people, most only 18 or 19 years old. They had been identified from all over the area, and sent here, to the Canadian ubarae enclave, located just outside Toronto. The number was down from last time. It had been steadily decreasing over the years, and this was the smallest group I had seen yet. The 5 men and 3 women watched me with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. Their apprehension was only natural. They were just starting their training, and as such had only recently been informed that they were sharing their city with a species of highly evolved predators that specifically hunted humans. This information was a closely guarded secret, civilians knew nothing about the existence of the ubarae, as the Pact dictated. I still remembered how overwhelming it was to learn all of it for the first time, to learn that there was a secret side to the world that you thought you knew all your life. It took time to acclimate. These kids were here to learn all about the Pact, and how they would be enforcing it once their training was complete. Some of them looked like they wanted to start questioning me then and there about my work, but fortunately their teacher entered at that moment and began the class. The slender blond was neatly dressed in a well-tailored suit, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She hadn’t changed much since she had administered my entrance exam years ago, though there was more grey at her temples, these days.
“Claire,” we clasped hands in greeting.
“Ray,” Claire smiled. “How did they convince you to take this job? I know you prefer the field to the classroom.”
“Schumacher got called out of town. I was the only one around,” I shrugged.
“It is lucky for me that they found someone. The class has really been looking forward to this, I might have had a riot on my hands if we’d cancelled,” Claire chuckled.
“Well, you know me, I love keeping the peace.”
Claire checked her watch,
“It’s time to get started. Take a seat anywhere. After a brief lecture for introduction, I am sure they will have plenty to ask you about that very thing.”
“Yes ma’am,” I took the nearest seat and settled in for a lecture. It was a bit nostalgic.
“Alright class, I know you have many questions about exactly what we do here, and I have been less than forthcoming. We have spent the first several classes talking about secrecy and maintaining cover stories. It was important that you learn that first, because people are going to be asking questions about what you are doing and why, and you need to know how to keep the truth safe before we give you too much information. You have waited very patiently and today we will be having our first lesson on the Pact and its history. After the lecture, as promised, you will be allowed to ask any questions you wish of our special guest. This is Agent Rayna Clay,” Claire gestured to me, and I nodded.
Six hands went up immediately.
“Remember I said after the lecture.”
The hands went back down, but much more slowly.
“Good. I will give you a brief summary about how the Pact came to be and why, and tonight you will all be expected to read the first part in its entirety. You will be tested on your knowledge,” Claire ignored their groans and clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Let’s begin with a little bit of history. As I am sure you know, there was a time when humanity knew nothing of the existence of the ubarae. They lived among our distant ancestors in secret. A time eventually came when humans began to be more self-aware. With this new intelligence came the knowledge that there were predators in their midst. However, the ubarae were very adept at manipulating humans, so they were able to keep their true nature mostly hidden. Humans knew they were being hunted, but what the threat truly was, was unclear. Over time, legends arose of a variety of predators who used seduction and could drain the life from a person. Mythological descriptions of Succubae and Incubi address some of the truth, although they did imbue them with an absurd array of supernatural powers. Then there was the seductive mind control of old vampire legends, and the Salem witches who would lure a husband from his marital bed with her dark powers. Sometimes they were demons, sometimes human, sometimes animals. There were countless variations on the theme, some more accurate than others, but all at least partially fiction. The truth was much more prosaic. The ubarae are not even the only species that use aggressive mimicry, pheromones and other methods to get close to their prey. Has anyone here heard of myrmecomorphy?”
Confused faces looked back at her, I stifled a laugh. This was one of her favorite analogies, I should have known she would find a way to work it in.
“Myrmecomorphy is when other organisms mimic the form of ants. There are many variations, but aggressive mimics do this to approach their prey safely, to blend in with them for the purposes of hunting. It is believed that ubarae are something similar, a highly evolved human mimic.”
“So, myrmecomorphic, then?” one student ventured.
“No,” Claire shook her head. “Myrmeco comes from myrmex, which means ant. The human equivalent would be anthropomorphic, resembling a human.”
The class exchanged uneasy glances. Claire resumed.
“At the time, this was beyond our understanding, so these were the incomplete attempts of humans to put a name to their predators. The ubarae mostly stayed to the shadows, relying on their natural camouflage to keep them safe and hidden. But things continued to grow more dangerous for them. Humans came to live in densely packed cities, getting larger all the time. While this made it easier to go unnoticed and find prey, it also raised the stakes for failure. An ubarae could control a small group, easily, but a frightened mob was another matter. When humans hunted monsters with pitchforks and torches, even the most skilled ubarae couldn’t turn them away. For the first time in their history, they were being killed. Of course, plenty of humans died too, as these mobs were very poor at actually identifying the predators that they feared. People hunting demons and vampires and witches did as much damage to other humans as they did to actual ubarae. The troubles in Salem in the late 1600s is a very famous example of the violence. Panic and paranoia did little to actually protect people and took the lives of many innocents. It would only have continued to escalate, but for the fact that a small group of scientists and scholars, studying the legends and the aftermath of the carnage, pieced together some of the truth about what the ubarae really were, and they came to an interesting solution. They made careful overtures of diplomacy to the ubarae ruling body, the Council, and were met with tentative interest. You see, despite being predators, their similarities to humans and close association with them over millennia had had an unintended side effect. The Ubarae had begun to empathize with the humans. They lived among them, participated in their culture, formed real friendships and relationships with them. Can someone really be treated like nothing more than food, when you can relate to them on every level? Not to mention that the ubarae had long ago learned that they didn’t need to actually harm people to feed, their relationship to humans could easily be symbiotic, or at least benign. They could take the energy they needed without killing or significantly harming the other person. We could co-exist peacefully. This was what most were hoping for. So, the groups talked of peace and of a way to prevent more senseless death and loss. Of a compromise that could work for both sides. But, of course the humans feared that they would be taken advantage of in the negotiations, as subtle manipulations by the ubarae were sure to happen, intended or otherwise. The scholars sought an answer, and that was when the first Immune was identified. It started with one man among the scholars, who was found to be unaffected by the ubarae. His eyes did not follow them as others did, nor did he seem to respond to their overtures of affection. Once others noticed his unique ability, they worked hard to seek out more like him. It was difficult back then, it wasn’t like they could just look up their Facebook pages, after all. But eventually, they gathered a small group of men and women who were Immune to the charms of the ubarae, who could negotiate on equal footing with their Council. This was the birth of the Organization. The Pactus Ubarae was negotiated between those two groups. The central agreement was that the group of humans who now knew the truth would protect the ubarae and keep secret their existence, so that they would be safe from persecution, and the ubarae would never again intentionally kill humans. To facilitate this, the Pact required that all ubarae live only in specified areas, called enclaves, and that they subject themselves to monitoring by the newly formed Organization. The Organization was, and is, charged both with protecting the secrets of the ubarae and enforcing the Pact. The terms of the Pact, which I expect you all to memorize, were thereafter enforced by the Council, who ruled the ubarae, and the Organization, the only humans, aside from several world leaders, who were ever to know of the Ubarae. This compromise has kept the peace between our people for hundreds of years. It has allowed us to share this world with the ubarae with a minimum of fear, on both sides. But the most important part of this equilibrium is the Organization. We enforce the Pact, and in so doing, maintain the balance. That is why you are all here, and why what we do is so crucial.”
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I watched as Claire surveyed the students in front of her, looking to see if what she was saying was sinking in. Their faces were full of questions, so I was betting that they had at least been paying attention. I was also betting that they weren’t going to be letting me leave this room any time soon.
“Alright. I think that is enough to start with. Obviously, there is a great deal more to it, and we will be going into that tomorrow after you have read the Pact, but I suspect that everyone has questions. So, who would like to begin?”
Every hand went up this time. Claire looked at me expectantly, apparently this part was up to me. I gestured vaguely in the direction of a petite blonde girl across the room, she was waving her arm like it was on fire.
“How do you identify yourself as a member of the Organization in the field? Do you carry a badge or something?” she spoke very quickly. I hoped that I was never that eager.
“No. The Organization is a carefully guarded secret. We don’t carry badges or anything that could directly link us to the Organization in the eyes of civilians, in case of capture,” I turned my wrist over to reveal the tattoo, the sword and the eye. “This tattoo means nothing to civilians, but everyone who is subject to the Pact knows that it is the symbol of the Organization: vigilance and duty. The people who bare this mark, done in a special ink that only we have access too, are identified as having the authority to act on behalf of the Organization.”
The girl raised her hand again, but I looked past her and selected a dark-haired boy sitting at the back.
“What happens if they don’t recognize your authority?” he asked quietly. “If they resist?”
“Then we bring them in by force.”
“And if you can’t? If they fight back, or are about to escape?”
“Then we are authorized to use deadly force, if necessary.”
“Even if they are running away?” the blonde blurted out.
“If I have been sent to apprehend someone, it is because they are a killer. They have violated the Pact, using their talents to lure and murder humans. If we let them escape, they would likely do so again before we could find them. Since their existence is a secret, other humans are entirely defenceless against them. They also risk exposing their own people to the mundane authorities. As such, killers cannot be allowed to elude capture. The consequences for attempting it are clearly laid out in the Pact, they know what will happen if they run. It is their choice to make. Though, we do attempt to wound and not kill, where possible.”
The class nodded solemnly. It was one of the more difficult parts of the job. No one really wanted to make that call, to end a life or risk doing so. But someone had to, and the rules were very clear. That made it easier.
“Why do we restrict them to living in enclaves?” another student asked.
“Because there are more ubarae than there are Immune. In order to effectively monitor them, they need to be located in specific areas, where we have headquarters like these, to observe and enforce. If they were spread out all over the world, it would be impossible.”
“How many enclaves are there?”
“10 at the moment. One in Canada, the U.S., France, England, Romania, Nepal, Egypt, Russia, Japan, and Australia. They get moved around, on occasion, if people in the area get suspicious or other problems arise. Other countries have had them in the past and more may be added in the future. It is always in a state of flux, depending on population, resources, and which countries are willing to take them in.”
“Wait, so the countries know? I thought it was a secret?”
“It is kept secret from most people. But high-ranking members of hosting governments are aware of the Pact and what it means. Someone needs to represent the interests of their people, after all.”
“Why would any government tolerate them at all? I mean, who would want a community of predators and killers anywhere near their people?”
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all ubarae are killers. Most are peaceful, productive members of society. The dangerous individuals and killers are rare.”
“But don’t they force themselves on humans, manipulate their minds and emotions?”
“They are capable of that, yes, but most do not, nor would they ever want to. Most ubarae are more empathetic than humans, owing to how attuned they are to human emotion. Most not only do not want to harm or manipulate people, but will in fact go out of their ways to help and protect them. Only a few aberrant individuals seek to hurt or use people. And no one wants to murder an entire species just because some of them are violent. Humans murder other humans, and we don’t wipe them all out. That’s why it is our job to keep the rogue ubarae from threatening both humanity, and their peaceful brethren. We enforce the Pact, and that is as much about protecting the ubarae as it is about protecting humans.”
The class paused to consider this.
“How do you protect ubarae?”
“I personally deal with tracking killers, which helps indirectly by preventing exposure and backlash. Others help more directly by providing support and services, such as relocation assistance if people around them become suspicious. When ubarae are relocated, they help them acclimatize to their new surroundings, help them blend in, get jobs, go unnoticed. Many of you here will probably be involved in this side of the operation.”
None of these kids were Partials, they wouldn’t be hunting rogues, unless they were supporting someone else. A quieter student in the back raised his hand tentatively,
“I don’t understand why only the Immune can do this job.”
“It’s because we can’t be manipulated by the ubarae, obviously,” the blond jumped in, a little too eager to prove how smart she was. There was one of those every year, somehow. I would have to tell Tom how much the girl was like him at that age. He would hate that.
“I know that,” the boy huffed. “I mean, couldn’t we just send women to hunt succubae and men to hunt incubi and not worry about finding Immune?”
“That isn’t exactly how it works,” I tried to deal with this delicately. Many people had strongly held beliefs about human sexuality and the rules it should follow. Many of those beliefs also weren’t true, but challenging them too much so early in their education was ill-advised. “For one thing, people tend not to be so clearly divided. In fact, research and empirical evidence has shown that plenty of people are at least a little attracted to other genders, even if they skew heavily one way or another. People can fall on various places on a sliding scale. And even if they are exclusively attracted to a specific gender, many are still susceptible to both succubae and incubi anyway, for reasons we don’t yet fully understand. In practice, it isn’t safe to assume that someone is not susceptible to an ubarae just because they are not typically attracted to their gender. It is why we have to do assessments and testing.”
“I don’t think that can be true,” the boy looked a little offended.
His discomfort at the idea was written on his face. That was a bad sign for him. This place may be full of people who didn’t desire sex themselves, but it wasn’t a nunnery. We had to deal intimately with many aspects of human sexuality, and shyness, judgements or preconceptions only got in the way of doing our jobs and narrowed our focus. And bigotry was not tolerated, from anyone. Sex had to just be an activity to you, like tennis or basket weaving. He probably wouldn’t last, with an attitude like that. Claire broke in before I could think of a response,
“We will be discussing the complexities of human sexuality, attraction and ubarae influence in a later class, Raymond. A full discussion now would take more time than Agent Clay has. So, for now, let’s move on to other questions.”
Raymond, mercifully, nodded and returned to sitting in silence.
“How do you defend yourself against them?” another student broke the uncomfortable silence. “Like, do you need special weapons or…”
I didn’t laugh. It would have been rude. They didn’t know any better yet.
“Well, nothing special is really needed. They don’t have super human strength or speed or anything like that. If you are Immune it is basically like arresting any other person. Although, you do have to watch out for civilians. Some rogues will have their victims or bystanders attack you, so it is important to try and catch them alone whenever possible, and to carry non-lethal weapons to disable any bystanders in case that doesn’t work out. Typically, I carry mace and an electroshock weapon of some kind. I also usually have a gun on me. But, of course there are some places where you can’t carry a gun. Since we are a covert agency, we don’t have any special powers or permissions in that regard. So, you also need to be adept with more… improvisational weapons. You will get training on that, in time. They key is to be flexible.”
I fielded a few more questions, mostly about my most interesting cases, and how many I had killed. Standard stuff. Finally, Claire broke in,
“That is all the time we have today, class. Please join me in thanking agent Clay for her time.”
The students clapped dutifully.
“Tomorrow, we will be continuing our study of the Pact in more depth. I want all of you to read the first section tonight and we will be discussing the meaning and enforcement of all of those clauses.”
The class groaned and filed out of the room.
“You did very well, Ray,” Claire observed. “A pity you don’t come by more often.”
“Too busy.”
“I imagine. It has been some time since a new Partial passed through here.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So, you really don’t know how many you’ve killed?”
“No, I don’t keep track of that. I try to focus on the people I’ve saved. Better for the soul.”
“I suppose it would be,” Claire nodded her understanding.
“But, speaking of being busy, I should get back to it. Hope the class got something out of this.”
“I am sure that they did. Good Hunting, Ray.”
I smiled at Claire and left the classroom. I still had a lot of work to do before tonight.