Ironically, I find myself trapped in the same lifestyle. I can see my future and yet I do not change it, not even out of a notion of rebellion. Would anyone want to? If they saw what could happen to them, what they could affect or who they could become?

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 26th Entry

A crowd gathered near the Minahret police station. News of AnIn’s arrest had spread to every corner of the town over the following days. The Questor who had suddenly appeared in their town didn’t draw any especially positive opinions either.

AxEl walked among that same crowd, though he kept his hood up in the chilly morning. His height was distracting enough, by his estimate. He shifted around like the rest of them, letting himself be immersed in the whispers and mumbling they were engaging in.

Anagen and Nook were beside him, though the former opted for a hat to cover her head.

“When is he going to come out,” AxEl asked.

“He said he’d give a public announcement today. The entire town is waiting for him to,” Anagen replied. Her frame was so short he’d almost lost sight of her.

“Maybe all that Firewire melted his brain,” Nook jabbed.

“Yeah…” AxEl replied.

As if on cue, someone came out of the doors of the station and greeted the population of Minahret. It was Questor Ohlas, wearing an overcoat, but without a hat. His eyes were covered by sunglasses, though most could see a slight glow behind them. He cleared his throat and the murmuring from the crowd stopped instantly.

“Morning to you all. I did not assume so many would be here who weren’t from a news outlet,” he said. AxEl noticed a slight tinge to his words, almost as if he had meant it as a joke.

What muddled it further was that, looking around, AxEl did find several news reporters that were holding microphones ahead of them. No one approached the Questor, keeping a respectful distance out of fear, but they were eager to be allowed to.

“You can begin the questions, but please, one at a time,” Questor Ohlas told the crowd. Immediately, several reporters bombarded him with questions, shoving a microphone in his face for his answer.

“Is it true that you got into an altercation with AnIn and injured him grievously?”

“It was suspicious timing that you captured the chief during one of the police’s most important investigations. Is there any reason behind that?”

“Why does the government allow you to carry around such large doses of Magic Bullets when the use of them for the regular populace is so limited?”

Questor Ohlas clapped his hand and the crowd silenced once more.

“I did get into an altercation with the former police chief. I captured him because of evidence linking him to the trade and the longevity of the investigation without bearing any fruit. And I’m allowed to use Magic Bullets because of the needs that arise with my position,” Ohlas answered one by one.

AxEl didn’t care for the answers, however. He was here for one thing only.

“AnIn will be taken to the nearest city for sentencing. We will try to gleam as much information from him as we can in order to bring down the other dubious businesses that have reared their heads in our country. I assure you that justice will be served to both AnIn and those who chose to work with him in his criminal activities,”

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AxEl backed away to Anagen. His heart felt light, but something was wrong with the feeling in it. This is good, isn’t it? He thought to himself. AnIn imprisoned, the route open for his own expansion. It should have felt good, though the only thing AxEl felt was incompleteness. Like he’d forgotten something or something had been left unfinished.

“We’ve heard enough, AxEl,” Nook said. He waved him back and away from the crowd.

“There’s much work to be done now that AnIn’s operation is gone. Preparations need to be put in place for own forces to expand out towards Minahret,” Anagen said. She and Nook led the way while AxEl stayed at the back.

What am I missing? He thought as he felt up his pockets. There was his phone, his wallet, his Firewire and his Prophe…. AxEl stopped. He turned his head back to the distant crowd and the Questor who was still busy in his questions.

He knows who I am. He knows I use Prophecy. And…. He’s going to confess.

“Hm? AxEl, hurry up,” Anagen told him.

If I could get him incriminated with that little evidence… what does he have on me? AxEl thought as the thumping in his chest doubled in speed. What if he knows where I’m from? What if he knows about my mother? He might have people working under him.

They’d caught many of the harvesters of the Tonguewisp, but that didn’t mean that the Silvertongues didn’t have other workers. They’d have chemists, pushers, dealers… even enforcers of his own. And how loyal were they truly to their leader?

If he tells them about me….I…. I won’t be able to do it. He looked back to Anagen and Nook, who had impatient looks on their faces. AxEl controlled his emotions, put on a façade, just like Anagen had been teaching him with his workers.

“I’ll be there with you. I still haven’t found my car yet. Maybe now that AnIn is locked up, I could find it,” AxEl told them. Nook shrugged.

“Just be there tonight. All this Minahret business has me homesick,” he noted. Anagen held his gaze for a moment longer, but she walked forward as well.

****

Nook didn’t want to have to wake up so early in the morning, He was asleep soundly in another hotel. Now that AnIn was out of the picture they wouldn’t have any trouble in renting one without being caught. But when he did wake up, it was to the noise of outrage.

He stepped outside of his room and went down to the hotel lounge, finding several people gathered around a single television in the middle.

“Witnesses report having heard explosions deep into the night. One of them, a Miner, claims that the sounds were similar to the ones made by explosives used to clear mines.”

Nook walked to the front of the telivison, rubbing his eyes and looking at the horrifying images on the screen.

“The back of the police station had been blown open and the crime had been committed quickly. The walls of the station are now in disrepair and rubble litters the right half of it.

“Former police chief AnIn’s corpse was said to have been found hanging onto the bars of the cell. Forensic scientists theorize that the chief held onto the bars as explosives were thrown behind him.”

The screen showed pictures of a bruised wrist. But the most distinguishing feature about it was the horrible state it was in. It was unrecognizable, purple and swollen.

“It’s hard to see now, but these stress marks appear when you’re pulling strongly on something. You can see the callouses on the palm, even,” one of the scientists said.

It was only up that close that Nook noticed that he was near Anagen. She and he glanced at each other, a single question in their mind. Where’s AxEl.

Nook tried to dial him, but he didn’t pick up. Anagen tried next, but that also proved fruitless. When they both walked outside to get some air, that’s when they saw him. He looked nervous, scared and worried all in one. He sat on the curb without meeting their eyes.

“I didn’t kill him,” AxEl stated outright. Anagen walked towards him.

“You’re not lying about that?” she asked.

“I swear to you, I didn’t,” AxEl replied. Anagen eyed him up and down for one more moment, then grabbed him in a hug. She then waved over Nook and he joined in.

“This might be bad, but there are some silver linings. AnIn knew too much as it was,” Anagen said.

“Someone else might have had it out for him. Lots of people don’t want to be exposed just because AnIn got captured,” Anagen explained. Is she… trying to rationalize this? Nook thought, but he pushed it down. AxEl hadn’t done it. If he said so, Nook could believe it.

“We need to leave today,” Anagen said. She pulled away from the both of them.

“I’ll get our baggage in order. Nook, you bring one of the cars around,” she ordered him. They both regrouped near AxEl once they’d done their tasks. And finally, they left. AxEl sat at the passenger side, so Nook could only get a good glimpse of him through the mirror.

But when he did get that glimpse, his mind began to wonder. AxEl was his friend, a good soul in a bad situation. What he was doing wasn’t hurting good people….right?