2 Weeks Later. August 16th, 2267. 14:45 Rose Building – New Xenuvian Headquarters
Elias was on the ground level going through one of their storage rooms looking for a new notebook. He found one and leaned on the metal racking after grabbing one. A wave of exhaustion fell over him, he had been working nineteen to twenty hours a day for the last two weeks.
The ship had been righted but at what cost? Obviously, his exhaustion, but fractures within the team became evident. Without Kaius, who was the better people person, to smooth over the orders the team began to chafe under Elias’ direct leadership.
Even Castor, the young protégé who held Elias in very high regard, was visibly feeling the strain. What Elias found strange was that the likes of Castor and Alberic were openly dissatisfied with the recent status quo and yet Daphne had been utterly silent on the matter. Perhaps she was turning a new leaf? Maybe the threat of going to a re-education camp upon their return to Nu Prime caused her to turn a new leaf.
“I need to get some sleep,” Elias said to himself.
He shook his head and stretched briefly before leaving the closet. His office on the third floor was the current destination. When he got to the top of the steps, he could hear his team from their office. Unfortunately, the voices weren’t being loud and jovial. A heated argument had started.
Marion and Draco were nearly at one another’s throats when Elias reached the room. The argument stopped immediately when the two noticed Elias had returned. Everyone’s eyes looked weary.
“There’s no need for shouting or coming to blows. After all, we are all on the same team,” Elias said softly, “I know the close quarters have been grating for a number of you and I apologize for that. I also know no one has been allowed to grieve properly for the losses of our colleagues and friends.”
“It was my fault,” Draco said, “Things just got heated.”
“I know I’m asking a lot out of all of you. And in such cramped quarters no less. Viviana, please break this team up into thirds. Starting tomorrow we’ll have less on duty at a time, with a maximum working schedule of eight hours.”
“Will do,” Viviana said smiling.
“We will be ending the day at 17:00. None of us has had a good night’s sleep in a fortnight,” Elias then walked to his office.
He set the notebook down on his desk, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes was a mistake, he found it incredibly hard to reopen them. Somehow, he managed to do it, but all he could do was blankly stare at some industrial output figures on the screen.
The slip gate construction had just started. It was being placed just outside the L2 LaGrange point. Its skeleton structure was about twenty percent complete. By the end of the month, they expected the skeleton to be half done. The electrical subsystems, which were being constructed as Elias sat in his chair, would be the first to be installed.
November 23rd was the date the construction team forecasted to attach the final cover plate. One major hurdle to that date was the election next month. If the new administration comes in and reviews this project questions could be asked. Of course, the current administration should be asking those questions now but have thus far remained blissfully ignorant of the project.
William was without question concerned about the completion of this project. He was an impressive businessman and Elias thought he wouldn’t be surprised if a full review of all projects was done. Elias picked up a pen and wrote a single word on the page, assassination. If he won, they may need to do the unthinkable. Elias began to jot down several notes. Questions and ideas sprang to life on the page.
Writing on paper seemed to free up Elias’ mind more so than using a data slate. It was an enjoyable experience. And he could see where he made mistakes instead of the precious accuracy of re-reading something from a data slate. His work on this topic continued unabated for three hours. He had received a second wind of sorts.
When Elias finally took a break, it was eerily quiet in the office. He stepped up and walked outside and looked around. His first question was why his team wasn’t working, but when he looked at the clock, he just grinned.
“Oh, right…” Elias said as he turned to close his office.
Instead of going downstairs to get a bite to eat, Elias headed to his and Daphne’s quarters on the other side of the floor. The moment he sat down on the bed he fell into a deep sleep. A deep sleep that he would not awake from for nearly fourteen hours.
August 17th, 2267. 08:13 Rose Building – Kitchen
Elias felt like he was still half asleep as he was pouring himself a bowl of cereal. It hadn’t yet dawned on him that it was unusually quiet this morning. Their new headquarters was considerably smaller than the previous one, and as a result, it was hard not to bump into people.
Yet there Elias was, pouring milk onto his cereal without a care in the world. As if he was on cruise control, Elias picked up his bowl and walked over to the dinner table. There he ate in silence. Five minutes later he was back in the kitchen washing the bowl.
It wasn’t until he made it to the third floor that he realized how quiet it had been. He rubbed his eyes and stood still at the top of the steps. That was the first time he could hear voices, but he only heard two voices.
As he walked closer to the office he recognized the two voices, but he heard no others. Then he realized that Daphne was not in the bedroom when he woke up and he wasn’t hearing her voice. What was happening?
Elias walked into the office where he saw Ellie and Castor flirting like awkward teenagers. They both awkwardly stopped and looked at Elias. Also, they act like teenagers who were caught doing something they weren’t doing.
“Where is everyone?”
“Well… uhm…” Ellie said without looking at Elias.
“Yeah, that is…” Castor also tried to answer.
“I’m not in the mood to hear any lies or bullshit,” Elias said firmly.”
“Constantine and his team arrived late last night. He and Linus are running an errand now,” Ellie said.
Elias nodded but didn’t look happy, “Where is everyone else?”
“I’d rather not answer that question,” Castor said politely.
“You’re presuming that you have a choice in the matter. Where are they?”
“Technically we don’t know exactly where they were going. We only planned to have lunch or dinner together,” Ellie said.
“They are out on the town. Everyone is burned out and after you went to bed last night, they agreed to have fun,” Castor shrunk as he spoke, “It’s not their fault, everyone is burned out and overworked. Look what you did.”
“I slept…”
“For fourteen hours. That isn’t normal, nor is it normal to work twelve-plus hour days and not have any free time,” Ellie said, “With respect sir, it’s neither normal nor healthy to be stuck in the same home with so many people.”
“Did they forget how our peers have passed away? That we aren’t citizens of this world?” Elias placed his hands on his hips as he shook his head, “We’re the enemy.”
“No one frankly gave a damn, they needed to get out of here,” Castor said, “Sounded like some would be back for their shifts tonight, though I don’t doubt a fair few of them won’t show up until tomorrow.”
Elias pinched the bridge of his nose. The telltale sound of footsteps could be heard outside the office. He had hoped his team would just go out for breakfast together. He turned around but disappointment was all he felt. Not necessarily at Constantine or Linus, but for the eleven others who decided to avoid their duties today.
Linus, with all the tact, timeliness, and awareness of a toddler then spoke up, “Where the hell is everyone?”
Constantine shook his head, “I was wondering when, or if, this was going to happen. It seems like we managed to overwork them.”
“I slept through my alarm,” Linus shrugged.
“One day isn’t going to hurt. Ellie, send a message to everyone using the health channel. I expect everyone to be home by 21:00. Punishments will be dealt out for anyone coming home late,” Elias sighed, “After you do that you are free to come and go as you please. That applies to you two as well.”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I’d like to have a chat with you before I get a well-earned nap,” Constantine said.
“Well, my office is just over yonder,” Elias gestured to his office as he walked over to it.
“Hey, do you know where everyone went?” Linus asked Castor and Ellie.
Constantine shook his head as he followed Elias into his office. The two took their respective seats and an uncomfortable silence permeated the room. Constantine closed his eyes before he spoke.
“Whatever leads Kaius was working on have led us to dead ends. My team was investigating the three follow-ups he had written down in the data slate that we recovered from his body. The theory made sense, but he was looking in the wrong direction.”
“Do you have any ideas of what you should be looking at or where to start?”
Constantine looked down at the floor, “I’m afraid he was wasting his time. And technically my team’s as well, though I must be clear I don’t begrudge the man one bit for that. It was a viable lead that we were duty-bound to follow up on.”
“Shit, then our work is all for naught. His last mission was for nothing,” Elias said as he slammed his hand into the desk, “Do you have any news to report on.”
“A curious murder occurred the same night in one of the suburbs. They were an unmarried couple gunned down by a man clad in black driving a motorcycle.”
Elias squinted at Constantine, “How are they connected?”
“We’re not sure they are, only that there was an unusual murder that night.”
“In what way was it unusual?”
“The cops have already shifted the case to their cold case files,” Constantine said, “After only two weeks. Now we haven’t been able to get a reason on this, but the rumors at the precinct we went to were the total and complete lack of leads.”
“Who was murdered?”
“The man was an employee of William Marven, a middling mid-tier manager for one of his corporations,” Constantine said shaking his head, “And before you ask, this gentleman did not have access to William’s systems, nor did he have a personal connection to William.”
“I presume the second murder was, as they say it here, ‘wrong place, wrong time?’” Elias winced at that saying.
“It appears so. What’s so unusual about it is the speed with which the police shunted the case to their cold cases. It usually takes ten to twelve months, not less than two weeks.”
Elias nodded, “What’s your gut tell you?”
“To also steal a phrase from the locals, it’s a ‘nothing burger.’ If he was an executive who was in William’s presence or had his eye, then it stands to reason that Kaius could have used him as an internal source. Or if he had direct access to his internal messages, that would also be useful. I’m not sure what, if anything, could be gleaned from this person.”
“Wonderful, the last mission that he died for appears to be for naught,” Elias said, “I just received a message from the homeworld this morning. I’ve left out some of the personnel issues, for obvious reasons, but they are pleased with the progress while lamenting the loss of life.”
“What did they say about Ellie’s autopsy?”
Elias coughed and looked like he was holding in his emotions by a thread, “Their determination is also heart failure, but despite his family lines weakness in that area they were surprised that it failed. They believe something induced a heart attack, likely innocuous for the locals but something that could metabolize differently for us. Though they didn’t have anything they believed could cause such a case.”
Constantine leaned back in his chair, “Could their food be poisoning us?”
“A Doctor Pictor was quoted in this message it seems,” Elias smiled, “The danger appears limited to Kaius and his family line. It is unlikely that this will affect anyone else. As a result, they are recommending updating gene sequencing for his family’s future members to eliminate this mild defect.”
“I presume Ellie is going to be testing foods and compounds?” Constantine said with a worried tone, “To ensure our safety.”
Elias nodded, “She already started to do some of that work. She’ll be digging into that more starting tomorrow when everyone shows back up. And on that note, I may need your team to retrieve those that have gone absent without leave.”
“This evening, you think…”
“I’m afraid the cancer wasn’t removed, it only festered. To make matters worse, we have a substantial amount of work before Wednesday for the next debate,” Elias shook his head, “I needed them here today.”
“While you may have needed them, I can’t help but agree with the need for a break. A traumatic death, a sudden move, then wave after wave of work. My team will be shut down tomorrow as well.”
Elias turned his chair sideways so he could look out the window. The morning sun shone on him warmly as he closed his eyes. Constantine was right, he was overworking the team and he had driven them to this, though he had wished they had asked for permission first.
“Things will be alright. We’ll chat more on Monday, enjoy the time off, it’s well deserved.”
“I think we ought to bury Kaius on Monday. Assuming of course that you still intend on doing that.”
“Yes, that is what we should do. It’ll be the two of us plus Draco, Alberic, and Mirabella that will see him interred. They were closest to him.”
Constantine stood up and bowed slightly. Then he left the room leaving Elias alone to his thoughts. Two days weren’t going to ruin this mission. But if Daphne were in fact behind it, conversations would need to be had with her. He couldn’t help but worry about their future. Kaius’ untimely death, the double murder, and their abrupt move to their new location, he couldn’t help but think it was connected. But like so many damned things on this mission, his gut was left with an absolute lack of evidence to tie them together.
23:30 Red Light District – Silver Spaniel’s Nightclub
The nightclub was dark, loud, and absolutely filled to the brim with people. The electronic music’s beats shook the floor. Feeling music like this was a new sensory pleasure experienced by the Xenuians. Nine of them had ignored the curfew and continued to drink, party, and dance to their heart’s content.
Draco and Katherina left earlier in the evening. The group all knew that the two wanted to fornicate in peace and quiet without the very real possibility of being caught back home. They were to be married when they got home so it was neither surprising nor shocking that the two wanted some intimate time with one another by themselves.
Daphne was all smiles when she got back to their table on the second floor, “I come bearing drinks!”
Alberic laughed, “My buzz was going away. Perfect timing.”
“What?” Mirabella shouted from the other side of the table.
Talking was all but impossible unless you were sitting next to someone in this club. The aliens in the room were enjoying the sensory overload. The drinks weren’t necessarily required for them to get a high. Everything about this club was pegged to the max.
Eye candy was everywhere, for both men and women. Most women were barely wearing any clothing, and what little they did left nothing to the imagination. The way their bodies moved while dancing was mesmerizing, all synced up to the music that shook their bodies. The pungent odor of sweaty bodies permeated the room. Yet that just drove more and more people to dance and grind on one another.
They were drowning in ecstasy, and the Xenuians loved every second of it. Daphne especially, perhaps she drank in it too much because she was doing some questionable things. None assembled would say anything, but Katherina and Viviana both swore they saw her sucking another man’s face. Renata thought she was being groped on the dance floor, a fairly common thing here apparently, but unlike her reaction to it, Daphne seemed to encourage it.
However, the combination of this sensory overload and drinking entirely too much caused the group to question their recollection of this evening’s events. And also because of that, and the simple fact they weren’t from this world, they didn’t see the newest group of people that entered the club. They didn’t feel the tenseness in the air. They were blind to the danger that they now found themselves in a powder keg.
“LETS FUCKING GO DANCING!” Daphne shouted after slamming her shots.
The group followed her lead and pounded their drinks. Then they left their coveted table and headed down to the dance floor. A new song started, and the energy in the club ramped up, but so did the danger. The two gangs locked eyes at one another and followed each other’s every move.
No one paid any attention to the dark figure at the bar. One person in the group, had they paid more attention to him, should have recognized him. But alas, they did not. The danger wasn’t from the gangs, no it was from this seemingly dark figure of a man.
As the music grew louder and its beats struck a chord in every soul in the club, the shadowy figure stood up from the bar and moved through the crowd. They did so by looking like a regular raver, their movement synched with the music. But then they accidentally bumped one gang member into another. Setting off a frenzy of accusations.
Renata then bumped into the shadowy figure causing his hood to fall off. She looked up at the burly man who bumped into her, and her heart stopped as her eyes bulged at the sudden realization. But as soon as that realization flared in her mind two gunshots echoed in the room.
Three more gunshots were fired, this time at the gang members. John was at the center of this chaotic mass of people. No one, not even the gang members, knew what was going on. At that moment the mass of people moved and dashed towards the exits. It was every man or woman for themselves.
The gang members began brawling. More gunshots rang out, with two more gang members falling dead where they stood. Renata’s corpse was being trampled on, and her body on the floor caused a great number of people to fall down and be injured, or even killed by the trampling hoard above them.
John hid in the mass and found himself behind Marion. A surprise to be this close to a target but one he happily accepted. He fired the gun three times killing the poor bastard just as they got to one of the emergency exits. Once outside he vanished down the alleyway, not to be seen again that evening.
Daphne was the first to exit the club. Her sheer dress was barely hanging on when she saw Quintinus walking in the street toward the club. He stopped and stared her down. Viviana was next to exit and stood next to her as she saw Daphne point at their colleague.
Squealing tires could be heard in the distance. A car was racing down the street not paying any attention to what, or who, was in the road. Quintinus was struck by the car from behind and driven under the car. The man sent to extract the guilty crew was now dead.
Alberic was next to exit the club and saw Daphne scream out in shock. He grabbed their hands and led them away from the exit and safely away from this club of death. They waited near their car, but their missing friends didn’t show up at the car. Alberic found out that the ambulance on the street was likely dealing with Quintinus, but Marion, Mirabella, and Renata remained missing.
“What the hell happened?” Alberic as he leaned on the car.
“We need to…” Viviana said before her voice was lost to the incoming sirens.
Police and paramedics arrived at the scene. No remaining survivors were allowed to leave. All had to be questioned. Two police officers came over to the trio, they said they were at the club with their friends, but they didn’t know where they were.
It became readily apparent to Alberic that they were the only ones that survived that night. An assumption proved true by the time the sun began shining the next morning. A sobering reminder that in one night of having fun, a full quarter of their remaining forces were dead. All because of the supposed beef between the two gangs.
No one, not the police nor the Xenuians, ever suspected that a certain ex-Naval Intelligence agent had painted a chaotic masterpiece that night. Twenty-three people lay dead along with a night club very likely to be sued into bankruptcy as a result of John’s magnum opus. As for John, he slipped away into the dark of the night and escaped, just barely, the police quarantine of the area.