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Chapter 47: Family History

"You've got to be out of your mind!" Enidri barked. She was seated on one of the benches in the hauler. Even though the cuffs kept her restrained, Ringa opted to leave the door open to show that she wasn’t a typical prisoner. "I know my brother. I'm telling you. He has nothing to do with all the missing people. Donva wouldn't even hurt a Lurker. What makes you think he's behind all of the vanished Exterminators?"

"Because he 'vanished' too," Ringa said as she brought up the same recording that she had shown the others earlier. "Here he is in his lab, after his 'disappearance.' He grabs that compound that prevents Essencima from decaying and heads out as quickly as he came in." The detective let the footage run as Enidri leaned forward to examine the video closely. She blinked thrice once she saw her half-brother come into view.

"Pause it for me," Enidri said. Ringa obliged and froze the footage. "That can't be him," Enidri said. "Something's up with his arms. Why are they as dark as… Essencima flesh?"

"Maybe you could answer that for us," Ringa said.

"Beats me," Enidri leaned back against the wall of the hauler. "He works with Essencima for a living. Maybe he got some on his arms? I don't know. Donva and I aren't that close anymore, so I have no clue what he does in that lab."

"Anymore?" Ringa said with emphasis.

"Yeah. Anymore. Let's just say he didn't like my career choice."

"He wasn't keen on you being an Exterminator?" Ringa asked.

"Nope. He insisted that there was more to Essencima than them being mindless beasts that caused nothing but chaos. But I needed Tokens. I wasn't too concerned with what he thought, though." Enidri let out a long sigh before making eye contact with the detective. "Are you going to make me tell you whole the story?" she asked with an annoyed look.

"The more information we have, the better," Ringa replied.

"But make it quick!" Brielle added.

"Fine. If it means getting me out of these cuffs sooner." Enidri rolled her neck before starting her explanation. "He's my half-brother. We both had the same dad growing up. But I was stuck living in Labrisson with our dad while Donva got to live it up in Scholburn with his well-to-do family. But our dad loved us both, so we got to visit each other all the time. We were close when we were kids. But everything went downhill once our father died."

Enidri turned her head away. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves and faced the detective once more. "He was killed on the way back from a shift at the Refinery Sector by an Essencima. You want to know what kind?"

"Tell me," Ringa replied.

"A Jagmaw," Enidri said bluntly. She looked over towards Itzel and Gurk. They both watched her with stern stares but remained silent. "Long snout. Sharp teeth. Shaped kind of like an overgrown crocodile. They're vicious." Enidri placed her gaze back on the detective. Despite Enidri's attention jumping around, Ringa remained focused on every word that the captive said. "I remember what the Rescue Crew member said to me. Said his body was so mangled, they'd need a special operative to handle the pieces of his remains. After it killed our father, there were reports that the Jagmaw fled towards Rilcoe."

The sinking of Itzel's heart was visible by the way she stood with her arms at her side. She tilted her head to the side as she listened to Enidri's words. With the corner of his eye, Janus caught a glimpse of Itzel's face. He could see a shred of empathy in her eyes as she listened to what the woman in the hauler was saying.

"That's why I became an Exterminator," Enidri continued. "During an... incident... with what I believed to be the Essencima that killed our father, I lost my eye. Donva hated the idea of me hunting Essencima after that. Not to mention that he was always fascinated with them ever since he was a kid. I guess it's because he never had to deal with them growing up in the upper-middle class homes of Scholburn. Maybe they caught his interest because Essencima were just so foreign to him. He'd always ask about what kind of Essencima we’ve seen whenever our dad would take us to visit each other."

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"And that's also part of the reason why he didn't like the idea of you becoming an Exterminator I assume? Because of his fascination?"

Enidri nodded. "Yeah. Kept saying that there was 'something more' to them. But I didn't listen to anything he said. He still had his own family to take care of him back in Scholburn while I was stuck in Labrisson alone to fend for myself. Without our father to facilitate our meetings, we just drifted apart. Haven't talked to him in years. All I know is that he studies Essecnima for a living now."

"You believe her, Ringa?" Brielle asked curtly.

"I'd say so," Ringa said with a nod.

"What if she's not telling the truth?" Brielle replied. "I'm not saying she's lying, but she has incentives to collude with her brother if he is the one behind all of people going missing."

"Like what?" Enidri snapped. "What could I possibly gain by making up everything I just said?"

"Less Exterminators means less competition," Brielle replied. "We'll have to be careful with the information we've been given."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's not like I couldn't make a decent living for a Labrissoner back before all the Exterminators went missing. And if I really wanted to cut down on the competition, why would I have rescued those three?" Enidri pointed towards Janus, Itzel and Gurk. "The guy with glasses isn't a threat, but the other two have been Exterminating for a while. If it weren't for me, those three would be suffocating in Spittler vomit!"

Ringa turned around to look at Itzel. "Is this true?"

Itzel scratched her head. "Kinda."

"Not 'kinda,' Enidri interjected. "Yes."

"She's right, detective," Janus said to Ringa. "Four of them had us pinned down in an alley. If Enidri didn't show up, things could have gotten really messy."

Ringa put one her thumb and pointer finger on her chin while her other hand rested on her hip. "I'm inclined to believe you, Enidri. But I've got another important question for you."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any idea of where your brother would be if he were responsible for the disappearances?"

Enidri sat up straight. She stared at the wall in front of her as her mind raced through the possibilities. "Seeing as how the Refinery Sector is flooded with Essencima, I wouldn't be surprised if he's hiding out in one of the abandoned or destroyed buildings here."

"That's what we always thought," Brielle said. "But that doesn't narrow it down enough."

"I told you that I haven't talked to Donva in years. You probably know more about what he's done in the past decade than I do. The only thing that I can think of would be the one where our father worked at. Refinery 72."

Ringa and Brielle looked at each other. Then they looked at Itzel. "Think that's a start?" Ringa asked.

"It's better than going through them one by one," Itzel replied. "We're heading over there?"

"Might as well," Brielle said.

"Am I coming with you?" Enidri asked.

"Yes. You know more about the suspect than anyone else, so you'll be coming along," Brielle replied.

"He can't be responsible for the disappearances though! Donva's a pacifist! He wouldn't hurt anything, even if his life was on the line."

"The evidence says otherwise. You're coming along, but since you have ties with him, we'll have to keep you restrained in case you're leading us into a trap."

"Come on!" Enidri stared at the detective. "You can't be serious!"

Ringa paused, contemplating whether to free Enidri from her cuffs.

"I don't think she's colluding with Donva," Itzel said. "I've butt heads with Enidri more than I'd like. I can tell you that she's not the type to come up with some elaborate plan like this."

"That's not what you said earlier," Brielle remarked.

"I know, I know. But part of that was some bitterness left over from losing a Ranked Challenge. With a clear head, I think I can say with confidence that Enidri's telling the truth."

"I don't need your help defending myself," Enidri retorted. She addressed the two law enforcement members while lifting her bound hands. "Those three aren't going to be enough. Nobody in Labrisson can take out Essencima like I can. And if you're going to go after my brother, I want to be there."

Ringa pressed a series of keys on Enidri's cuffs, deactivating the electric tether and opening them. "Hand me her Ion Blade," the detective said, reaching back with open hand. Janus placed the weapon in her palm and Ringa then handed it over to its rightful owner. "Unfortunately, there's no room in the back seat for you. And I don't trust you and Itzel to be sitting side by side without tearing each other's throats out. That means you'll have to ride in the hauler with Gurk. Are you fine with that?"

Enidri took a quick glance at the crocodile. He gave her a small wave. She then turned back to the detective. "Yeah. I guess."