Criminal Minds (Fox Meridian Book 4) (30 page)

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Authors: Niall Teasdale

Tags: #Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, #Mystery, #Police Procedurals, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #fox meridian, #robot, #Police Procedural, #cybernetics, #sci-fi, #Action, #Science Fiction, #serial killer, #artificial intelligence, #Detective, #AI

BOOK: Criminal Minds (Fox Meridian Book 4)

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Naomi paused and Fox imagined her shuffling notes which she did not have. ‘Marie Shaftsbury came to us as an untried actress given her big chance in vids and determined to make the most of it. But she decided that the best way to make the most of that chance was to play her part to the best of her ability, and she was willing to learn what being a Sister is all about. I know there were some who expected to meet a stuck-up prima donna when she arrived to spend a week with us, but she won everyone over with her willingness to join in as much as was possible. She did chores and attended lectures. More, she talked to us and learned why we do what we do, both professionally and aesthetically. Through her character, M. J. Kelly, she introduced people to the
whole
of being a Sister of Corruption, not simply the popular view of what we are. For her services to the Church of Saint Nicholas, we are pleased to award Marie Shaftsbury the title of Lay Sister.’

Beaming, Marie got to her feet and stepped up to the lectern with Naomi who gave her a quick, rather chaste, kiss on the lips before offering the microphone. Marie bit her lip and then said, ‘I didn’t prepare a speech or anything, so you’ll have to listen to me ramble. I’m being honoured for something
you
all did for me. Without you to teach me how to be one of you, M. J. would not have been the character she was. So, thank you for this, and thank you for giving me this chance.’ She grinned. ‘I guess this means that, when M. J. returns to the channel, the uniform will be officially worn by a Sister.’ She leaned forward and added in a conspiratorial tone, ‘But they do make me wear panties under it on set.’

There was applause and laughter and Naomi came forward again, smirking at Marie, as the latter backed off to her seat.

‘Your turn,’ Marie whispered.

‘Yeah,’ Fox whispered back. ‘I still don’t know why I’m in red.’

‘Soon find out…’

‘And on to our second honouree,’ Naomi said. ‘I met Tara Meridian when she came with Marie, primarily because she was curious and the company she works for handles our security. I met her again when I asked her to look into the recent murders. And then she came to us when our home was invaded to see that justice was done. I admit that, on that occasion, I wondered whether I had made a great mistake with Tara. But the cold dispassion I saw in her was there to let her do her job, and when she could afford to pause, I saw the compassionate woman beneath who would not rest until this… monster was no longer a threat. She is not a religious woman, but she gave
me
a light to look to in that time of darkness. And she
did
bring down the… man who brought us that darkness.’

Naomi looked back and grinned. ‘Tara has been wondering why we dressed her in red. We thought long and hard about this, though I admit that was mostly concerning costume design. Tara is never going to be a traditional lay sister. I see her more as one of the knights who came to the aid of monasteries in ages past. So we designed a new uniform, and we have created a new title. For
her
efforts to keep us safe from those who would harm us, we are awarding Tara Meridian the title of Sister Protector.’

Fox walked up to the lectern with a slightly bemused expression on her face. ‘Sister Protector?’

‘We think it’s appropriate,’ Naomi replied, leaning forward and pressing her lips lightly to Fox’s. Fox felt the light flick of Naomi’s tongue before they parted and Naomi waved her to the microphone. The Sister Superior had a smirk on her face as Fox’s bemusement continued.

‘Uh,’ Fox said, rallying, ‘I didn’t prepare a speech either, given that this is a total surprise. If I had a speech, I’d probably be throwing it away anyway… All I did was my job and I didn’t do it alone. My PA, Kit, and Helen Dillan helped crack the case. Teresa Martins provided invaluable assistance, as did Palladium and MarTech. Any detective who tells you they cracked a case single-handed is being an arrogant asshole. So I’m accepting this honour for all of them as well as me.’

Fox paused and frowned. ‘I’m the corporate exec and I’m supposed to have something meaningful to say… It’s not really me, though. I just put bad guys away.’ She looked down at her tunic. ‘At least this outfit covers the scratches. The last one
ruined
a perfectly good tan. Modern medicine means we don’t have to carry the scars of our battles around if we don’t want to. That’s the physical scars. The mental ones are another matter, and I hope that knowing the thing that came here to kill will never do it again brings you all some closure and lets the scars heal a little more. I know that putting him down gave me some satisfaction. So, thank you for this honour. I’m going to keep on doing my job, which is protecting anyone who needs my help. But now I can do it in real style!’

###

About the Author

I was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.

Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few miles to the north around Tywyn.

I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote science fiction when I was playing
Traveller.
I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing
Dungeons & Dragons
. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing
City of Heroes
. I still love the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.

Recently I took the big step of quitting my day job and taking up full-time writing. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, J.D. Robb, and Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.

For More Information

Take a look at the Witches and Ray-guns blog:
http://witchesandrayguns.wordpress.com

Other Books by this Author

US Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B006J6II9O

UK Author Page:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B006J6II9O

The
Thaumatology
Series

Thaumatology 101

Demon’s Moon

Legacy

Dragon’s Blood

Disturbia

Hammer of Witches