Rivers of Orion

tugged here and there at the leads and the power cell. “It must be malfunctioning.” After a moment of further investigation, she stepped back, eyes wide. “But it’s not. How are you not screaming?”
“I did scream.”
She frowned. “You should’ve been screaming this whole time. You should be screaming right now!” Shaking her head, she stated, “I’ll be right back. Wait here.”
“Only because you asked so nicely,” said Orin.
Casey stepped out of the room and joined her crew in the hall. “The prisoner’s screamer is set to eighty, but he’s weathering it like it’s a day at the beach. Why?”
“Maybe he has nerve damage,” said Malmoradan.
“That’s possible,” said Casey. “Shona, thoughts?”
Shona shrugged.
Casey looked to her first mate. “April, do you have any ideas?”
“Yes, but I don’t think you’ll like them.”
Casey gestured toward her expectantly.
“If he’s unprecedented like I believe he is, it’s possible the screamers can’t work on him,” said April. “It’s possible his binary state exists on a level so powerful that counter-frequencies are impossible to generate from a wearable device.”
“You’re right. I hate that.” Casey shuddered. “In fact, it’s terrifying. Can you do a deep dive? The prisoner’s screamer is set to fifty, so take the necessary precautions.”
“Are you sure about that? You remember what happened at the club,” said April.
“I remember you couldn’t pick up surface thoughts, but now I’m authorizing more aggressive measures.”
April nodded. “Copy that. One deep dive coming right up. Stay tuned for my report.”
“Thank you,” said Casey, and she returned to the interrogation room, closing the door behind her. She found Orin asleep, his head resting upon the table. Sweat pasted his blonde hair to his scalp. He was covered in bruises, his mouth caked with dried blood. Exhaling quietly, she muttered, “Man, they really worked you over, kid.” Closing her eyes, she summoned her resolve and barked, “Wake up!”
Orin groaned into his hands. “I am awake.” Slowly, he sat up.
“You learned how to ignore pain, didn’t you? Mind over body.”
“You got me,” said Orin. “I mean, it couldn’t possibly be because you guys are using the collar wrong.” His head tickled for a moment, but he shook it off. “Maybe you should try turning it all the way up, just to make sure.”
Captain, April mentally intruded, I’m not getting anything, no matter how deep I go. I could try a few other approaches, but not with that screamer in place. How bad do you want it?
Casey’s attention shifted only for a moment before it returned to Orin. Not that bad. This can be a MABAS problem. They’ll dig it out.
April lingered. Whatever you say.
Casey’s mind felt quiet again, and her expression hardened. She retrieved a set of heavy wrist restraints from a belt clip. “All right, it’s really time to go.” She freed Orin from one set of cuffs and transferred him to another. Opening the door, she showed him into the hallway. Casey’s crew fell in behind them.
As they all stepped foot in the lobby, Detective Mazza glared at her. “Hey, bounty hunter,” he spat as he advanced. “Hey scumbag, I’m talking to you!”
Casey ignored him, urging Orin along. Malmoradan exchanged nods with her and stepped between Casey and the detective. Shona collected the transport fee from the finance clerk and grabbed a handful of fun-sized chocolate bars from a small plastic pumpkin.
They exited the police station, with Malmoradan at their back.
◆◆◆
Dressed once more in his own clothes, Mike collected the rest of his belongings from the property clerk. The police station was beige, vaulted, and dingy, sparsely decorated with paper ghosts and skeletons. Purple and orange string lights adorned some of the desks.
Behind him, Torsha sat on a hard, plastic chair between two ocelini officers as they chatted casually with her. The one on the right passed her his business card as he leaned in close. Intercepting it, Mike ripped it in two. “Where are they holding Orin Webb?”
The officer narrowed his eyes. Looming over Mike, he produced another business card. “Maybe Torsha can call me up and ask me real nice-like.”
Gritting his teeth, Mike snatched the card from his hand and destroyed it. “You don’t know.” He faced the other officer and studied his name tag. “Officer Buteo, do you know where they’re holding Orin Webb?”
“If you’re talking about that rogue binary, I saw him leave with a BICOM crew about an hour ago.” He shrugged. “Bounty hunters, I think, but your friend’s UBA. Probably got himself a one-way trip to a United Planets chop shop.”
Mike nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re… welcome?” Officer Buteo looked at his partner with upturned hands.
Torsha got to her feet, straightened her clothes, and followed Mike as he hurried out the door. “What’s the rush?” she asked as they reached the base of the stairs. Cars zipped by in front of and above them.
“We don’t have much time.” He walked quickly.
“It’s almost six at night,” said Torsha. “You already missed your classes.”
He stopped in his tracks, and she nearly ran into him. “Orin’s on his way to a government lab,” Said Mike. “When he gets there, they’ll process him bit by bit, until there’s nothing left but genetic slime.”
She flung out her arms. “Surprise! He’s a binary. He’ll be fine.”
“No, he won’t. Like Officer Buteo said, he’s UBA—an unregistered binary-actual. They’ll deconstruct him.”
“I bet they’ll try,” said Torsha.
“The United Planets doesn’t deal in ‘try,’” said Mike.
She crossed her arms. “Maybe it’s for the best. You saw what he can do.”
“Orin is our friend!”
Torsha shook her head. “He lied to us! This whole time, he’s been lying to us, ever since we were kids!”
“Maybe, but maybe he never realized what he was,” said Mike. “Plenty of binaries have trigger events.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, in training rooms, where it’s safe.”
“Orin needs our help,” said Mike.
“He could’ve killed us,” said Torsha.
“But he didn’t!”
Torsha stood firm. “But he could have!”
Mike forced a calming breath. “Orin will die, if we don’t rescue him.”
Tension simmered between them.
“You’re ridiculous,” said Torsha. Her shoulders sagged, and her arms dropped to her sides. “How do you propose