I went to the local market today to grab some fruits. My diet has gotten increasingly worse and I found that I should do something about it. But I felt something staring at me. I couldn’t explain it, but I think the visions from using Prophecy might be having an adverse effect.

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 29th Entry

“Just a few more minutes and I will,” OkIx replied.

“How about now instead?” Nook demanded.

“Now? I do it now and the whole purpose is defeated.”

Unfortunately, Nook’s phone rang in the same moment. He let go of OkIx and pulled it out, struggling to hit the answer button with the water that came pouring down from the faucets above.

“Yeah?” he shouted over the noise of the fire alarm.

“Nook, the elevators are closed! What’s happening?” AxEl asked. OkIx snatched the phone before Nook could respond.

“Sorry, sir! It seems some idiot was smoking Firewire in the halls and triggered the sprinklers!” he shouted. Nook swiped his phone back and OkIx gave him smirk.

Nook ran over to AxEl after that. He and the other managers were soaking wet by the time Nook reached them. To his chagrin, OkIx had followed behind him.

“How are we supposed to go out like this?” LokIn asked, annoyed. The sprinklers had long gone dormant by now and so had the alarms conveniently enough, so OkIx spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I apologize for that. I know who caused the alarms to go off and I’ll have him scolded for this. But I can’t let you all go out like that,” OkIx said.

“You might get hypothermia in this weather. I think it’d be best for AxEl to take you into one of the rooms which have a working fire place. While you’re doing that, me and Nook will get your coats and pants dry cleaned as fast as we can,” he added. Nook glared at the man for including him, but the look in his eyes made him reconsider.

He looks serious. Agh, can’t believe I’m doing this.

“He’s right. It’s too cold,” Nook added. “We’ll try to be quick about it.”

All the managers except AxEl grumbled at the inconvenience, but eventually gave in. They took off their coats and pants, leaving them a bit underdressed for the weather. Nook and OkIx folded those clothes and took them to a lower level, where OkIx had them taken to some random room.

There was a fireplace in the room and some drying racks as well, which prompted a question from Nook.

“Why did you plan this out?” he asked. OkIx looked back towards him.

“I’ve some suspicion towards some of our managers. The dealers being attacked? the Company putting pressure on us? It smells of a rat,” OkIx explained.

Nook’s blood turned cold as he looked at the clothes in his hands.

“You think one of the managers is in on it,” Nook said. OkIx shrugged as he switched the electric fireplace on.

“Bring the clothes over here. We won’t have much time to take a look at them,” he said as he began to separate them out. Nook helped, turning the coats, pants and shirts inside and out to look for any clues.

One of the pairs of suits that he came upon, the ones that were in the same colour as a dozen others, looked to have some modifications done on the inside. Nook accidentally found a slit in the fabric, small enough to be mistakable as a sign of wear and tear, but just big enough…

“Come take a look at this one,” Nook said as he held out the piece towards OkIx. The blonde man squinted his eyes and shoved his fingers into hole in the fabric.

“Just big enough to fit a recorder inside,” he noted.

“Good job finding this,” he added as he took the coat and hung it with the rest.

“Size large. We’re going to have to keep an eye on this one,” OkIx said as he continued moving the other clothes.

“We need to tell AxEl about this, quick. The longer we wait to the more dangerous this could become,” Nook said.

OkIx shook his head. “I haven’t reported this for that exact reason. There’s not enough evidence, not even this, that could prove that one of the managers is working against him. AxEl might start being paranoid far quicker than he needs to be, and that can lead to a total internal collapse.”

“What are you on about? The sooner he knows, the safer he’ll be,” Nook argued.

“No, he wouldn’t. He’s the head of this entire operation. If he’s compromised in his thinking, or his acting, do you know what kind of weakness that would show? We do this quietly, to not arouse suspicion and so we have a better chance at getting the mole,” OkIx replied, shutting down all arguments.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“And what if I tell him anyway?” Nook asked.

“Then be my guest. Go turn yourself into an even bigger thorn in his side than you already are.”

Nook wanted to rush to the room right then and there and tell AxEl, but he held off on it in fear of what OkIx said.

I’m not a thorn. And I’m not a leech. He didn’t know as much as the other man, and he wasn’t as confident as AxEl was in making decisions that he could throw such an important piece of information at him. So, in the end, all that happened was that Nook dried and cleaned up the clothes, then brought them back to the room with OkIx.

They placed it on the table and waited behind it to help them put it on. They both watched the managers each take their clothes away until only a few pairs were left. When the coat they’d been tracking was taken, they were appalled to see Lex wearing it. Nook had always considered the man to be one of the more trustworthy managers, so it surprised him to see that Lex would do such a thing.

When he glanced over at OkIx, he saw the man’s gaze was still fixed firmly on Lex. He followed that gaze and waited until something curious happened.

Lex patted at his pockets, extended his sleeves and readjusted his coat, but still wore an expression of annoyance.

“Hey, I think someone accidently got my coat,” he shouted to everyone in the room and again Nook’s gaze was fixed. He tried not to let the tension show in his appearance, but he wasn’t as trained as OkIx. Lex moved around the room at the few other managers who wore the same colour as him, before coming upto LokIn and chuckling.

“Sorry about that, LokIn, think I grabbed yours by accident,” Lex said.

“No problem,” the other man replied and took off his coat to offer to Lex. The coats fit much better once they were on the people they were supposed to be, and Nook finally found who the real mole was.

OkIx and Nook looked over to each other, and they both nodded.

****

AxEl was annoyed at having to spend a second longer with his managers, but the sprinklers really had damped his clothes. When he finally took his coat from the pile in front of Nook and OkIx, he gave the both of them a smile and took off from the room.

Where is Anagen, anyway? She’s the one who ordered the meeting in the first place.

His questions were answered when he left the elevator and found her standing in front of it. Unblemished, dry and with that stern expression she carried everywhere.

She smirked a little upon seeing him and moved aside to let him out.

“You arrived a bit late, by the way,” he told her.

“We were having a territorial dispute with the Company. I had to give some impromptu orders to some of the drivers,” she explained.

“The Company, huh?” AxEl said as he began to walk. Anagen followed behind, wearing the perfect poise of an Archivist.

“It’s more aggressive than usual, but we can handle it. Now, finalizing your move to Lupan…” Anagen trailed off.

“Ana, I want to take them on,” he said, stopping her in her speech. They stood in the entrance way of the building, AxEl outside and Ana in.

“Not yet,” she answered back and moved past him. AxEl stumbled a bit catching up to her.

“I’m serious. It’s been years. We’re ready,” AxEl told her. Anagen weaved between the crowds on the street while AxEl had to try not to bump into them with his massive frame.

“And what do you hope to accomplish by doing that? Adding another Bullet that we have to maintain the production, shipment and distribution of?” Anagen asked.

AxEl scratched at the back of his ear. “We can manage that. We’ll need more managers but we could do it,” he told her.

She scoffed and stopped near a sleek looking car. Snow had matted the top of it and AxEl stood there while Anagen fumbled around for keys in her purse.

“You’ve had an odd fixation with that group for a while now, AxEl.”

AxEl clamped up and moved backwards a bit. Do I…

“It’s something I’m passionate about,” he answered. He was looking to the side, so he didn’t see the hand that came to rest upon his shoulders.

“You’ve got your own responsibilities. Why not… let your underlings handle it instead?” Anagen asked. AxEl shoved the hand away.

“No! It’s… it’s a personal thing. I have to do it,” he replied, though Anagen seemed transfixed with her hand.

“You’re warm,” she said.

“Weird way of saying I look good,” AxEl chuckled nervously. Anagen shook her head.

“Too warm. You’re Firewire practice. You haven’t been overdoing it?” she asked.

“Doesn’t matter. We can talk about it later. I need to go there myself,” he said.

“T-to make sure we don’t fail. The Company’s dangerous after all,” he added, though Anagen didn’t seem the bit convinced.

“Fine. But before you can do that, you might want to hear what’s been happening in Barksight,” Anagen told him. She clicked a button on her key and the car chimed open.

What does she mean ‘in Barksight’? AxEl rushed over to the other side of the vehicle and took his seat as fast as he could. He bumped into some parts on his way in on account of how small the vehicle was, but Anagen didn’t seem bothered by it.

The car began to beep as Anagen pulled it out of the parking spot. They took to the roads where she began to explain.

“The Company’s gotten some of their workers into the town. But I haven’t heard about any reports of them meddling with our workers or sabotaging them, so I grew curious,” Anagen said.

“Is my mother okay?” AxEl asked.

“Far as we know, yes. We haven’t gotten close enough to check if she’s being blackmailed someway, however,” Anagen replied.

“Then they have to know that’s where the Prophecy trade started,” AxEl said. Anagen nodded, though her eyes were on the road. AxEl watched her eye twitch a bit as someone took her over, but she continued to talk despite it.

“They’re sending expeditions into the AnaHon Mountain range. I don’t know for what reason, but they might be trying to explore more about the Eihkand that lived there,” Anagen explained.

They’d avoided doom many times, the voice of Professor Inn said in his mind. Almost as if… they could see doom approaching them.

“The Eihkand had access to Prophecy!” AxEl blurted out. Anagen turned to him in amazement, but snapped her head back to the road.

“You’re sure of this? Those were your ancestors you’re talking about. If they had access to the Magic Bullet, wouldn’t they have spread it around?”

“No. Our professor told us that the Eihkand died to a tragedy. Some kind of explosion. And that’s how the professo-“ he began to say but cut himself off.

“A professor? Which professor?” Anagen asked.

“Maybe some other time. I’ll need to talk to Nook about it,” AxEl said. Anagen let out a breath.

“I…thought you would have more trust in me, especially after so long…”

AxEl felt a pang of guilt pass him by. Reaper take me, this is so difficult.

“It’s not that I don’t. It’s just…. Me and Nook started this together. Making a decision like this without him around? That wouldn't feel right.”

“Fine, then. Tell me when you’re ready,” Anagen replied in a forced tone. He could see himself apologizing, explaining his reasoning, but instead he just stayed silent. In that silence a voice came.

Keep your mother safe, that small voice said in his mind. For once, he was in agreement. He wouldn’t stand for any harm to come to her, even if it cost him his goal.