Shouting in the Silence by Malcolm Rhodes Page A

yourself.”
     
                  As the gate closed behind her, Olivia looked around but saw no one.  Whoever had opened that gate had to be in the central office facility room.  She headed directly for it.  She had never been in this facility, but all official buildings were designed and built using the same plan.  As she stepped through the main doorway into the facility room a cloaked figure was just disappearing though a doorway on the other side of the room.
     
                  “Stop!”  Olivia called out as she rushed forward.
     
                  “I had to do it.”  The cloaked figure responded before disappearing from view.
     
                  Olivia reached the doorway, but it was locked.  She tried her override code, but it would not work.  She tried it again, but still nothing.  How could it be?  Her override code worked on every door in every government facility.  Something was very wrong.  She turned and that is when she saw a horrific sight.  She walked to the corner of the room and bent down to get a closer look at a young child; probably no more than three years old.  She pulled out her medical assessment device, but she knew it was pointless; the child was clearly dead.  Indentations and bruising around the neck region indicated that the child, a boy, had been strangled to death.  The cloaked figure was the murderer, but there was no way for her to get to him or her.  Olivia needed help.  She couldn’t handle this on her own. 
     
                  “Central, come in.”  She spoke into her mobile communicator.  “Central, come in.”  Her voice was beginning to shake.  It seemed all the world had disappeared as she slept. 
     
                  In desperation, Olivia began to gather evidence.  Her training kicked in and she went through the motions as she went around the body, focusing on the area of bruising, but not missing anything.  If there was anything that could identify the murderer then she would find it.  The deceased boy was a different thing altogether.  Individuals were not put in the central population database until that person was ready to leave this facility.  Truth be told, she wasn’t completely sure whether or not the cloaked figure could be charged with murder of an unlicensed human being.  She had never even considered that it could be possible for someone to murder a small child.  As she finished up her work, she shook at the evil of what had been done.
     
                  “Who are you?”  An officious-looking man demanded as he entered.
     
                  “Officer Olivia Hernandez.”  Olivia said crisply in response.
     
                  The man approached and kept one eye on Olivia as he looked at the body of the dead young boy.  She noticed that he didn’t seem shocked at what he saw.
     
                  “Why are you here, Officer?”
     
                  Olivia struggled to control her emotions.  “I should think that would be obvious.”  Olivia said with disdain in her voice.
     
                  “This is a private matter.”  The man declared.
     
                  “May I ask who you are?”  Olivia wondered.
     
                  The man stood erect as he responded, “I am Reginald Cleveland.  I am in charge of this facility.  Now please answer my question.”
     
                  “I came in response to an emergency alert.”
     
                  “I sent out no such alert.”
     
                  “Well, someone did.”
     
                  “Who?”
     
                  As I entered this area, a cloaked figure was just leaving through that door.  I was unable to make a clear identification.”
     
                  “Why didn’t you follow?”
     
                  “My