1. Fraternising With Criminals

    The loud banging on the door made Jorrad drop his glass of water on the floor, the pool of purple water spread fluidly to his feet. He hadn't been expecting a caller, only one person ever came to his apartment and she was on shift. As Jorrad walked to the door he threw a towel onto the water and broken glass. With a stubby stick in one hand, Jorrad wrenched the door open to see a person he had not expected.
    'Chief Investigator?' he said to the tall grey haired man in the doorway.
    'Yes, hullo Jorrad. May I come in?' He asked politely, after walking into Jorrad's home. 'Well, i guess i should get to the point. We want you to find out who is murdering these people.' Jorrad was taken aback momentarily, why ask him?
    'Why would i want to help you? Or them? I think you know my decision,' he answered. No thought of the alternative had crossed his mind, there was no way he would help them. The Investigator stood nodding for a moment before walking to the door to leave. His shoes gave a regulation squeak.
    'Okay, i understand Jorrad. I didn't think you would accept,' he had begun. 'Although, i thought you would have wanted to protect your partner. She is, I believe, one of the mineral churners? The killer is only targeting the high level ones, like her. Did you know that?' Jorrad did know that, but he hadn't taken it as a pattern, 'and we would, of course, reward you with an extra ten years leave of duty.'
    Jorrad laughed, forgeting the new information temporarily. 'What? Give me what i'm owed? You people make me sick, i never wanted to not work. When i got back, after the 'mistake' i was told i can never hold the position i had, a position of authority and trust, i don't think there are many jobs i am good at that i can do.' His greviounce had built up for four years and with only one year left before he could work again(five years leave of duty was their idea of adequate compensation for their mistake), Jorrad had become increasingly concerned and disappointed that he would not be working in the office he missed so much.
    'Why would i want to return to Outland, which is where you plan to send me isn't it?' The Chief Investigator only nodded.
    'But you are our only hope,' the Investigator said, 'You know that land better than anyone else and you are the only person to be allowed back into Diigral.' He turned back to the door and with his hand on the  handle, finished by saying, 'I can see you will not do it for your woman, or for the leave of duty you deserved from the start of your return. But maybe you will do it for your old job?' he said. Without a reply, the Chief Investigator opened the door and stepped out.
    'Wait,' Jorrad said without his full consciousness. 'I will do it.' The Investigator gave a nod, the corners of his mouth upturned.
    'Good,' he said. 'Expect a memo with some information and list of items you will be allowed to and not allowed to take. Good-bye Jorrad, you are doing a service to your city.' Though this seemed like a pleasant statement to make, Jorrad knew his blank tone better than that.
Jorrad stood in his apartment, confused by his change of heart. Why could he not have brought the information with him, unless it was unexpected for Jorrad to actually accept, in which case it seemed that the promise of his old job was false. It doesn't matter, Jorrad thought, I must protect Marea, she is all i have.
    After cleaning up the water and glass Jorrad headed out to one of the drink halls on his level. He used the elevator just down the hall from him, as the doors closed he stood with both hands on the railings, steadying himself. A slight jostle and he would probably fall on his face.
Diigral was a circular structure that had many levels stretching down from the surface, with a huge reservoir in the centre to collect water during raining season(which had finished the month before. A large transparent dome was placed on top that let more water in, but stopped the vast pool from evaporating). Every level had a large street from the edge of the reservoir, with a huge glass pane to let in the light, to the outer edge of the city. This street comprised of all the food and clothing shops, drinking halls and food bars assigned to that particular level. Jorrad lived on the ninth level from the top and so had the bright midday sun shining down the street from the centre, the water coloured the beams even more purple than was natural.
    Jorrad reached a busy drinking hall, full of the workers who had morning shifts and were now finished for the day. He was noticed, as usual, quickly. The talking ceased as every man and woman stared at him, most with an angry look on their face. Almost everyone in Diigral knew him by sight, but it was only on the ninth level he ever experienced open hostility. Some still saw him as a murderer, some hated him because he did not have to work for five years(within two months of returning he had learnt that it was no use explaining that he WANTED to be at work instead of having to think about the Outland). But mainly they hated him because it was in-fashion, clever remarks were usually applauded and anyone who managed to hit him on the back of the head with a PoPol would become a hero.
The hall seemed too full, Jorrad made a face as if he had smelt something putrid and walked back into the street outside. Often he had been known to occupy the drink halls on the eighth or tenth floor, but today he wanted to stay close to his apartment. A few shops down was another, more dirty hall which was unpopular with most sober drinkers.
    Jorrad found no dirty looks, the only people inside the hall were to drunk to notice anything other than the drink maids' buttocks and their glass of Dimpy in front of them. A young maid came mincing toward him, the state of such a young girl reminded him to much of the state of the young girls in the Outland. 'Hi sweetie, what can i getcha?' She said in a seductive voice. 'Kiro and Nipt, separate glasses.' She nodded and pranced off to get the drinks. The Kiro glimmered in the artificial white light when she placed it on the table, and the Nipt was still bubbling over the rim of the glass. Her hand covered in the orange syrup. 'Whistle if you want anything else sweet,' she said winking at him and walking away.
    Jorrad put the Kiro to the side, always saving that drink for after the alcoholic one. He pulled out a box from a pocket in his shirt. It was crudely made from his days in Outland, but served its purpose well. He opened it up and broke off a small chunk of purple and green root that lay inside. The green was from the Chroyx powder used to cure it, a use that his own Marea had found for the mineral on her first month in the job. Jorrad put it away and took out his even worse made pipe, only two inches long and made of a tree he did not know by name only that the Outland people referred to it as 'Yellow Stone'. The smoke billowed out in purple and green stripes, it was fascinating to watch for most but Jorrad sat thinking about the Chroyx. They depended on it so much, and it was in such abundance that they were able to. Every inch of ground you looked at contained the mineral. Every handful of dirt and every rock. But the uses for it were what baffled him the most. Each day Marea would tell him some half-dozen new uses, 'but it will take ten, maybe fifteen years to perfect it Jorrad. Don't get too excited,' she would always say. The Nipt made him thirsty, not as much as the stronger alcoholic drinks, but enough to warrant draining half the Kiro in one gulp. The Mawn root finished burning in his pipe and with that he emptied it into an ashtray on the table and finished his Kiro as he stood to leave.

    Jorrad had rushed out of the drinking hall and got a lift to the opposite side of the circular structure. Apart from the strip, every other inch of the structure held housing and manufacturing departments. He ran down the corridor to his apartment, he had taken to long smoking his pipe and would be late for Marea. When he finally walked through the door he was out of breath, he bent down with hands on knees. The years in Outland had given Jorrad a strong body. His stamina was reasonable and he could handle weapons well, but since returning to Diigral his body had weakened, the muscle a little less defined, but his stamina was the problem. Jorrad knew he had not been at the height of physical fitness before being sentenced to Outland, he had been an office worker. At the age of fifteen Jorrad began to work up the political ranks, a hard job path, but his determination, intelligence and personality types had suggested to the careers placement officer that it was where he could be most productive with high efficiency. That career had been cut short. Within three years he had been falsely convicted for murder of a young girl. They had a strong case against him, the memory Jorrad had of the night did not exist, everything from the moment he left his private office at the end of his shift, until waking up in bed the next morning with a bloody knife in his hand, had disappeared. His accusers had convinced the Chief Investigator(who's names were removed, for safety), but thankfully the Punishment Administrator, Mr Fundt, had asked for more evidence. He questioned Jorrad personally and when he discovered the lack of memory, Mr Fundt made arrangements for memory extraction to find out what had happened.
    Jorrad remembered how he had been treated clearly and although Mr Fundt was stern and horrified by the murder(he thought of his young daughter, Marea, throughout the investigation and trial), he was kind compared to the police and investigating team. It was no use, however, even as Jorrad cleaned his apartment and began to cook a romantic meal of Rigu, he had no recollection of what happened during the missing hours. When Jorrad had returned four years ago, Mr Fundt took it upon himself to correct the mistake. Jorrad remembered the look on the mans face(and the quiver of his daughters beautiful lip as she watched her fathers face) when he answered the questions about what it was like. 'Most days most days i was either hunting animals, gathering fruit or building green mud huts and and the rest of the time i hunted those who had stolen money from the leader of the Outland clans, sort of hired help,' Jorrad had said with a polite smile and wink to Marea. more seriously he continued,  'The irony of it all, Mr Fundt, is that when I lived in Diigral i never had thoughts of murder. But once in Outland, the action became a natural instinct.'

    When there was a knock, this time, Jorrad did not start and drop the glass on the floor. Although he almost let go of it a foot from the kitchen counter in his rush to answer the door. It was Marea, his darling woman. They kissed in the doorway, any moment separated from her was a moment he hated.
    'How was work today?' Jorrad asked her as he closed the door.
    'It was fine,' she said it without enthusiasm. Jorrad knew there was something wrong, he held her tightly in an embrace as he asked, 'What is wrong Marea? You aren't yourself.'
    She sniffed and pushed her head into his shoulder. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours. When her tears slowed and she could talk again, Marea explained, 'Martyn and Claris are dead. They didn't turn up for their shift today so one of the assistants went to their apartment. They were killed, it's the same person who killed the others. I just know it is Jorrad.' She could not compose herself any longer, so he made comforting sounds and gripped her tightly until she could say more. 'What if they get me?' After a few failed attempts she managed to finish, '...what if they take you as well.' They moved to the other half of the cramped room that was meant to be the living space. Jorrad sat down with Marea lying against his chest, looking at his face. She fell asleep whimpering.
    'Don't worry,' Jorrad whispered to her, 'they won't kill me and I will protect you, I always will.' She had a smile creep onto her face, as if she had heard his words.
    Once Marea was awake they talked properly. Jorrad listened to her concerns and upsets. When he finally told Marea about the visit he had earlier that day and what he had chosen to do, she hurridly said; 'How do they get in?', 'How do they know who we are? And why are they killing us?', 'You can't go back there Jorrad, i don't want you to be killed.' Only when she said; 'They will know why you are there and stop you, they will hate you for being back in Diigral.' Did Jorrad stop her.
    'No, Marea, stop.' he began, 'Regardless of whether they hate me or not because of their jealousy, they will be expecting someone to go out and put an end to it. It would be better to have me as I have the experience and i have favours owed to me.' It didn't stop her worrying, but she agreed to him going. Jorrad said, 'Really, if you think about it, I am still protecting you. It's just I'm doing it out there, not in Diigral.'
    Jorrad served up the meal. They were ravenous and finished it quickly. After consuming the food, the couple entered the bedroom to consume each other.