How Dare They?
The seventh day's early morning left quickly, with a rather wide area recognizing a shooting around their homes, even outside the business district Fox has his boutique, all reported. The civilians were afraid, thinking they'd have to stay in their houses for days nonstop. But it ended before even half an hour.
By the time the first morning lights came down, everything was peaceful again. Furthermore, excellent news reached everywhere, further placing the NG’s mobilization and army’s efforts to deal with organized crime to a brand-new level. The direct elimination of the organized crime in a district in the capital city!
Just as the opposition, and virtually all known media, had been pointing virtual fingers to the president and his government for letting such horror and slaughter for days; this happened.
Hundreds of criminals were apprehended, with more than 200 bandits falling in the early morning. This wasn’t a simple matter, as it happened in just a few hours. When the dispute between OCs in Chtsté occurred, it went for days and all day operations to settle the matter.
Now? Just a few hours and a similar, if not better, result occurred. Naturally, some pointed fingers at lagjs, and then at the president, but then didn’t know what to think out loud. Who was the responsible?
Yet, it didn’t take long, merely the afternoon of that last day of the 10th month, for some people to remember something, and quite easily.
The president’s announcement to combat organized crime, and anyone who puts Lýmoca, the Lys, in danger. Connecting a few, small dots, nobody doubted as some social media content creators started formulating news and revelations that anyone could confirm, helping others not waste their times and doing it for them.
The day went on with peacefulness in the district, although there was uncertainty there and in the rest of the capital. Regardless, it was nothing a few soldiers driving by to tell the people to join the medical stands to report their issues and to raise their voice for any complaints they’d like to make; couldn’t help. It was still ‘unsafe’ to go out, but the civilians would have to slowly get used to it.
While the day passed, and the news of this ‘enormous’ victory spread through Lýmoca, making all opposition silent, and their presence in all social media a ghost, Fox walked back to his boutique. He returned at night, tired to hell and glad to see the boutique was closed with lights on.
Business should have been tough this last week, but it did open in this afternoon, as a few other businesses had. He walked to his boutique, feeling tired and extenuated as he coughed a few times. He felt something stuck in his throat each time, and not as a matter of speech.
Fox didn’t feel like cleaning his clothes or something, having folded the bloodied hood, with disgusting dry blood smeared all over; with some fresh blood, so he forced the feeling in his throat it to stay in his body. However, this made him cough more and deeper every few minutes.
Walking into the door, Fox saw only a few attendants around, with most keeping Pamela company upstairs. He looked at the clerk downstairs and nudged his chin upwards before walking to the backrooms. Fox felt like he would need a rest real soon. And get checked again.
Just as he sat on a chair and was leaning his back backwards, the door to his side closed. Fox opened his eyes and looked at Nala Loba wearing the PSD inner uniform below some flexible-resistant thin body armor. It was usually good for training… or stealth.
“Na- Captain, what is it? How come you’ve come?” Fox asked neutrally, almost impassive. He was practically emotionless, and she could see that. After staring at him for several seconds, unmoved, she crossed her arms.
“You seem tired,” her cold and indifferent voice sounded, as it was her nature. It also spread to the rest of her image, as always, with a touch of aloofness. Fox blinked. What would he say? It didn’t matter, irrespective of how he tried.
Nala Loba tilted her head before walking behind his chair, releasing her arms. “I was tailing you just atop this ‘nice’ building, but you didn’t even notice. No, you didn’t even notice I was running on rooftops as you walked here, nor when I rushed into your boutique.”
“Don’t you get the danger of such a state?” Nala Loba’s eyelids harshly narrowed a bit, looking down at him. Fox tilted his head a bit, pressing his lips a little, and offering only his tired polycoria eyes. She crossed her arms again, “You were lucky I was around, and that if there was someone, anyone, they didn’t dare come too close.”
“Things happen, I would’ve understood.” Fox uncaringly spouted, leaning his neck atop the chair backrest. Nala Loba looked at him before suddenly kicking the chair beside his lower side, rotating it to make him face her. The noise of the chair screeching sounded, attracting the attendants’ attention, but they didn’t want to bother the district’s hero, as only they knew.
“You have a team for something just like this. If it’s something as big as this, what you do is tell them, tell me, your Captain, and then do this.” Nala Loba stepped up and walked forth, staring down at Fox with her knees just before the chair’s seat. Fox was unfazed when his chair was kicked, and he sobered up a bit, still hella tired. He blinked, “It was personal, all on me. But it was indeed tiring, I’ll ask my team, and my Captain, if it happens again.”
Nala Loba stepped backwards after giving Fox the ‘you are my responsibility, my team’ face for a long period of time. Then, she dropped her shoulders and tilted her neck to the left, “The president has called you.”
“…” Fox narrowed his eyes for a moment. He nodded and stood up, feeling a bit wobbly, not having rested for 7 days, maybe a couple of hours before 7 days were met. As for the things surrounding him that nobody else could see, hear, or feel; they were barely noticed, used to it since his childhood.
“Let’s go, then.” Fox muttered. Nala Loba unceremoniously walked to him and put her hand on his back, slowly lowering her body to support his arm with her shoulders. She harshly pressed the weight from her wrist on his forearm against her shoulders and helped him onwards. Fox opened the door with his other hand and revealed his ‘state’ to the attendants.
Of course, there was also that beauty, which was seen with him from the endless short videos and countless images of them being together, and a little gossip drama, last week. With knowing glances they thought Fox and ‘his lady’ didn’t notice, they lowered their faces and gossiped nonstop in their group chats.
“I brought my car,” Nala Loba’s voice sounded like soft bells in Fox’s tired ears. He looked at the street, only to see a well armored, silver car with 2 front seats and a spacious, wide seat in the back. Fox nodded a bit, “Who would’ve thought you’d drive one like this. I miss my baby…”
Nala Loba dropped Fox on the back, hearing his stupid comments, with her hair messed up by his arm when she placed him on the seat, and looked at him for some seconds. Afterwards, she picked his legs up and closed the door, going into the driver’s seat.
She drove to the precinct, having no qualms of bringing attention to herself as she went through the sea of news reporters wanting to take photos of anything. After the early morning’s operation, there was no way these people wouldn’t have come here and knocked a few bars if they could.
After driving through the gap, with the news reporters not trying to stupidly enter between the gaps as the gate opened, Nala Loba drove into one of the parking lots. The windows showed only the outside, not allowing any of them to see her or Fox. Even those with ‘sneaky’ bion mods in their cameras would find only a big flash reflected on the windows in their storage.
Nala Loba helped Fox out of the car, to which he had a bit of strength and could stand on his own. But he still needed her thin yet formidable shoulders to rely on walking. Fox entered the president’s office afterwards with Nala Loba behind him.
At first, he thought she’d stay outside or just leave, with more possibilities to the latter, but she walked in as well. Fox frowned further when he saw not just Luis, Roam, and Lesly here… but his entire cabinet. What was happening here?
“Come on in, Fox,” Luis said with a rather… calm and understanding, or maybe comprehensive tone. Fox frowned for a moment, walking forth to stand before the desk. He looked at Roam, who smiled like a gentleman at him for a bit, before facing Luis. Naturally, Sona was here.
Just as Fox darted his eyes to his right, meeting Sona’s with a light nod of his head, Nala Loba skipped twice and stood on his right. Almost twisting his lips, Fox’s attention was brought to the president as the latter coughed.
“Fox, this is in a good record.” Luis commenced. At once, Fox felt there was something wrong. His senses went off as he could ‘read’ Luis’s cabinet’s faces all around him without looking. Some looked a bit nervous, and others had hidden smiles on their politician faces. Luis went on, “You have shown, within good reason and ability, your balance as a special agent and a common person of the ‘ordinary’ world. I, we, have seen ample reintegration to civilization after Preut.”
“…” Fox noncommittally looked at Luis, who remained seated, before the latter stood up. This surprised Fox, but it was even more surprising when Luis extended his right hand. Looking at it, he heard Luis speak again, “With Butler’s recommendation, I validate this project completed and successful.”
“…?” Fox slowly moved his polycoria eyes, frame by frame, up Luis’s hand to his face. When his eyes landed on the handsome man’s visage, the latter had a slightly surprised face, eyebrows jumping a bit and that jolt of one’s neck. “Oh? What? Did he not tell you? This is a good surprise then, not just a ceremony.”
Fox felt the need to jump out of the window. It was no joke, he just wanted to leave the place, not even leaving through the lavish doors. That’s when Luis smiled even more, forming a more ravishing smile, and said, “You have been promoted from citizen to a qualified representative, president of my political party.”
“!!!” Fox’s eyes widened to untold levels. His neck extended forth for a second before he retracted it. While Luis’s smile was more than victorious, and petty, Fox looked at Nala Loba, wanting to see that this was real, and all about it.
Fox, however, only saw a serious Nala Loba, acting like a representative of PSD’s upper echelons in this, as Luis called it, ceremony.
Returning his eyes to the president, Fox was just as flabbergasted. “You will see with Sona and Lesly to bring about the necessary knowledge and procedures you are to become aware of. I trust you know about the reform to change the elections’ voting day to a much later day next year. As my political party’s representative, and as I am the president, you will have to run the campaign for me.”
“…” Each new set of words coming out of the president’s mouth turned Fox’s brains into a new upheaval. Couldn’t this petty president just try to kill him? He could leave and protect himself within PSD, or maybe escape, if he was lucky enough. Why did this man have to be like this and ruin any possible route and situation he thought of? Fox was a little mad.
“I… uh… am not qualified for any of this, president-” Fox placed his left hand’s fingers on the table, at a loss for words. He could feel but didn’t have the mood to see Nala Loba’s eyes mock him a bit. Yet, Luis struck, kicking, hitting, and throwing scalding water while Fox was down. “You will work in a week, but not after a little job. Roam?”
Looking at his presidential secretary, a ‘serious’ Luis gestured to Fox before Roam stepped in with a smile, not so gentlemanly anymore. He brought a case and opened it on Luis’s desk, smiling all the way. Inside were documents, and Fox wasn’t contented to use his senses out of instinct like this was a threat. There were at least 57 pages, and who knew how many he had to sign… if he wanted to sign them.
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“I’m not considerate enough to acce-” Fox looked up at Luis’s face before the petty man interrupted him with ease, “Leaving… ‘the District’ to attend personal matters was fine. But you had to clear out an entire organized crime’s influence in a district? I’m not carrying that, and you are capable.”
Luis sat up a little, his eyes hardening towards Fox, although they weren’t as bad as before, “If I say you are, then you are. I can choose anyone here, and they are all as capable as one another. Lesly would be an easy win, and I won’t let my sister suffer humiliation by sending her out with all the media in this country waiting for a drop of blood to fill the air.”
“And you, you take matters into your hands,” Luis pointed at him, casually and briefly, but it felt like half a mountain on Fox. “As you said before, people look up to you. Regardless of the reason. Furthermore, your previous ‘appearance’ with your ‘partner’ had costed this government many questions from all parties.”
Luis glanced at Nala Loba for a moment, to which she didn’t even move her eyes. Fox might have lowered his eyebrows a tiny iota, but it did bother him. Nonetheless, Luis continued. “They ask: ‘what are they’, ‘who are they’, ‘where do they come from’, and many other questions that I cannot answer unless I have a firm foothold in a country that still does not believe in me.”
“…” Fox looked down at the president, serious this time. Luis repeatedly nodded when he saw the change in Fox’s eyes, at least in the way the ‘boy’ looked at him. “I can give all of these questions a concise answer, but only one. One that will reveal hoogs to the world as a whole, safely, and putting this country into a development that should have been leading since hundreds of years ago.”
The president finally looked at Nala Loba, showing respect, “The Piya Sanctum District will emerge to the light, bearing the shield, sword, dagger, and arrow of the Lys. Dragging its shadow.”
He stood back up again, “The country, regardless of how they hate me, will have abandoned the old teachings from the past in my last term.”
“And all I ask of you, Fox, Phesx Caolia…” Luis stared into the polycoria eyes, unique in the world. His voice wasn’t silly or faulty anymore; it carried a heaviness behind him, not belonging to him, but to a country. “Is that you lead half of it for me.”
“…” Fox stared straight into the president’s face. It almost looked like a glitch, where the world slowed and the office halted. After feeling his consciousness almost wave, Fox sobered up and licked his dried lips with his head hung low, looking at the documents and ordinary pen at the side.
“What about-” Fox lifted his chin, but Luis semi-interrupted his words, completing them with a light smile. “What about your earnings from the secret world?”
“Roam,” Luis called out, still looking at Fox. Roam brought a small, ultramodern folder made out of Courusel machinery’s fabrics. “This will be your payment for the position as my political party’s president, and this will be a contract to grant you 1,000,000 credits worth of bion parts, tools, and products to fabricate bions every 2 weeks.”
Fox looked at the document to sell his soul and saw a whopping 10,000,000 credits in it. It reminded him of the numbers Selena was gaining now with some movies and a few other contracts, all made under the government’s brand-new entertainment management branch.
Fox fell silent. He looked at Nala Loba again. This time, after he stared at her for 3 seconds, she gave him a look before staring ahead, calm and with her natural disposition. Fox blinked, returning his attention to the desk, and grabbed the pen.
Roam brought a chair for him to sit, which Fox comfortably adjusted with his right foot hooking one of its legs. As he read and signed nonstop, the cabinet wearing smiles everywhere, Luis commented, “Now, there is an event coming soon. I need you to bring about a great show to the world to show our shores are safe, and we have as many pirates as we did in our times of the Lýlaco Empire.”
“What is it about? Can I take a break to visit my doctor?” Fox looked up and frowned. He was quite a bit more serious now, making Luis blink. It was a distinction Luis didn’t expect. But, without looking at his cabinet, he nodded to Fox. Then, he smiled again, looking so handsome.
***
Piya Sanctum District’s HQ, the Plastics Recycler Factory. Medical section.
Fox sat before the doctor, who has always shown him a bit of care and lots for his ‘evolved’ body. After a series of intensive test-sampling, Fox looked at the doctor, who casually took some of his blood to study. It was the last step… which they forgot at the beginning.
Fox asked the doctor after long, silent hours of taking countless tests from his body. “Will this be enough to check?”
“Mhm, don’t worry. But although I know where to look now, these procedures take a long time, especially as I am getting entangled with something else.” The doctor said with an excited smile. Fox nodded, narrowing his eyes before looking at his nameplate, reading ‘E. Valle’.
“What is it you’re so busy with?” Fox asked. The doctor smiled further and looked at Fox, seemingly waiting for this. “It’s something I’ve been working for— my whole life, Fox. Ever since I came across colorful medicine, saving me from not being able to reproduce from an incident in my childhood, I have wanted to put my foot in the records of the 4th SO’s medicine.”
Fox listened attentively. The doctor’s smile remained big as he grabbed a small box at the rear of his chair. He seemed prepared for this moment, putting Fox in a good mood. “See… it is something I have been trying to ask you to help me. I was worried you would feel invaded, so I refrained, but I have reached a bottleneck.”
“But with your evolved body, Fox, but more than anything, your sheer willpower and mental fortitude, I believe I can make it! That’s why I will take some more time with your tests. I am sorry, but I must.” The doctor said, putting his hands at the sides of the box after unlocking its latch.
“How long would the tests take?” Fox asked, a bit intrigued. The doctor quickly said, “About 2 months, at least. Will you reconsider and then-”
“I agree, just don’t put my name anywhere,” Fox said, tilting his head left and right nonstop, looking at the small box. The doctor was gladdened, before smiling at Fox’s words. Then, he humored the young man, opening the box’s lid…
“…” Fox widened his eyes. They darted left and right before focusing on a few things, his eyes reflecting some powerful color from inside the box.
***
Somewhere in Lýmoca.
“How is it?” A bald, light brown man, past his middle ages, walked into a dark room with black, light-absorbing material. He looked at a capsule 3 meters long, 1 meter wide, with half a meter of diameter in the center, located against the wall opposite to the entrance.
A few old men and women in striking but obscured white coats turned around. A short old man with complete baldness at only the center turned and walked to the bald, light brown man. Being very tall, and bulky, the old man was like a child beside the bald man, trying to catch up to an adult.
“It’s stable. There are obvious complications, but it will be operated awake to reduce the issues. Its joints at the elbows, knees, and limbs connecting to its torso are very powerful. It will wake up in a few days. Its learning capacities…” The old man turned fanatic, “They are as expected, Head Hound.”
The bald man looked around, set his gaze on the capsule for a while, and nodded. “Get it to training amidst everyone else. If it cannot behave, kill it and start again.”
“We will not fail!” The old man’s eyes hardened, saluting before the bald man nodded at him. Giving the capsule one last look, the bald man expressionlessly stepped out of the room.
***
Lýmoca, late morning, with the first lights of the day long fallen into the Moonblue supercontinent. The first day of the 11th month.
In a lavish, well-known, and historical location at the center of the capital city of Proteros, the well-known and ‘self-dedicated’ government’s opposition drank hot drinks and ate to their heart’s content. They had delicious snacks, all especially brought from overseas, or from the north.
“Munch, munch. How do you think they are doing?” - “Ah, the little cabrón has already flown from the Lyclan Ocean to the Ly Ocean.” - “Aaah, that’s something.” - “Mhm. Gulp, did you see his girl’s photos. An angel.” - “Yeaaah… maybe we can bring her to us. That’d be perfect. She didn’t even seem contented around him.” - “He doesn’t deserve her.”
At this moment, a person entered the large, lavish living room, with many sofas and a gigantic TV situated on a wide wall. He brought his hot drink and some more snacks, warm and smelling great. Many turned their heads before widening their eyes. “President Muñoz!” - “Mr. Estandarte, welcome!” - “Ah, Muñoz. You came. Look, they are checking the waters already, to show there’s nothing to fear. You missed 2 boring hours of nothing, no te da pena (aren’t you ashamed)?.”
“Hah, thank you for making me feel bad.” The tanned-skinned middle-aged man with balding black hair, more than nearly a decade ago, and small black eyes contorted in sarcasm. He was slightly chubby and of regular height. Muñoz Estandarte, the president of the political party of Lýmoca’s Vanguard.
“Where is Galan? He wasn’t answering when I called in the parking lot.” Muñoz Estandarte looked at a few people before staring at one in particular, Loma Jenta, a senator from the NSH political party. She was just cleaning her hands from eating some snacks. She looked up at him and said with dropped eyelids. “Oh, I don’t know. He suddenly went into the offices-”
“Bad! Muñoz? You’re here! Bad!” The gates behind Loma Jenta slammed open. A more or less handsome, white man stepped into the enormous living room. He had unserious black eyes and long hair for a man’s style. And currently, those eyes showed dead worry and a hint of seriousness.
“What is it?” Muñoz asked, frowning, feeling worried upon seeing Galan like this, but composed. He didn’t feel the need to be so agitated, until Galan started speaking with his ear on the phone. “Yeah, yeah, no. We’ll see what. I hang up. Muñoz, do you remember the movement of resources? The thing we did with the group?”
“Yeah…” Muñoz had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t figure out what. The president of the National Scholars of Honor was sweating without moving a bit right in front of him.
“They are… at the fucking Ly Ocean!” Galan slowly uttered, word by word. Muñoz’s eyes widened as he inadvertently rotated his head, glancing at the costly TV. Everyone did the same, feeling their jaws numb and grow restless under their butt.
***
Ly Ocean, within a ‘bullet ship’, traveling the Ly Ocean just a few tens of kilometers from the nearest shore.
Fox felt so damn incredible in this thing. It was small enough to accommodate half a dozen people, with enough sits for such, and had a Courusel machinery products that lightened the force as it reached amazing speeds.
Currently, he’s spent 5 hours since the early morning navigating the Lyclan Ocean before flying to the Lyclan Ocean. He started from the north to the south of Lýmoca in the Lyclan Ocean, and would do the same in the Ly Ocean. Thus, he traveled down south.
The Ly Ocean was the largest near-inland ocean in the planet, making quite the trip. But he had food and drinks, and the bullet ship had a feature for going to the bathroom… Moreover, it had ultramodern cameras to adjust images after a few seconds, converting the blurry quality from ‘okay’ to ‘perfect’. The latter was only used to take pictures of greater scopes.
“??” Fox suddenly frowned as he looked at the monitor in the bullet ship. It couldn’t be called a yacht, since this was practically military technology. Similarly, it had recognition systems only the highest positions in Lýmoca knew about.
“Fox to communications,” Fox stood up from his seat, keeping his back bent, and pushed a button. A small island showed irregularities, detected by the system. A voice came from the panels, echoing in everyone’s livestreaming platform across the world. “What is the situation, Fox?”
… In the presidential office, Luis tilted his head after blinking. In ANS, an old man slightly frowned. In Dawn supercontinent, the watching ‘overlords’ of the KAA and the presidents of the ‘land of warriors’ paid more attention as they went on to attend their paperwork duties. In Twilight supercontinent, the largest country watched, their parliament wearing serious expressions.
“There seems to be changes to an island. There is more… ‘density’. I will check.” Fox’s voice could be heard from the livestream before the bullet ship slowed down and gradually turned. Fox arrived near an island, no more than 50 meters long, and about 20 meters wide.
The moment he arrived, he could feel the tension of the world fall around him. There were… containers everywhere, with countless food supplies, mostly products processed through chemicals and spices. There were some fabrics, too, all with a few brand names etched onto the containers, which were broken open and oxidized.
“!” Fox was flabbergasted, before his chest boiled. He expanded the detection radar before tying his belt around his torso and moving his seat to the front. “I’ll check other… other islands, gulp; Fox out.”
“Wait, Fox. This is the president, it’s-” The president tried to speak into the communications, but Fox accelerated as logically possible to not crash by accident and arrived at another island.
Fox found the same, there was food, some fabrics, and even medicine. A lot of medicine. So much he could swear all of that would have been enough in Preut to avoid at least 2-3 million deaths by the time the war ended. Not all were islands, some were platforms floating in the water, with improvised anchors that are used for rescuing people in aquatic tragedies.
Fox looked at each of these islands with… disbelief.
‘Is this done by someone? What could make one do this? Why would anyone do this? How could there be people like this?! How… how dare they…’
…
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This is the end of Volume 3 — Door Ajar.
Let It Rain's note: It took me 2 extra chapters to finish the volume, and much more than I thought it would take me to write the entire volume. I'm only scared, because I start getting crazier and crazier from hereon. These 3 volumes are all papi Fox getting to be known, now I'm just unfolding everything. Political intrigue starts here, although it's all vanilla and soft. Don't expect too much 'watefac' here, at least not until the end of the volume ;). Thanks for reading.