"We heading out now!" I marched back into the Pink Room in full gear.
"Oh?" Tulip was sitting on her on the roof of her house. Reading a very tiny book. "Alright then just let me put this away." She disappeared into her house.
I looked over to a lump lying on my bed. It was an illusion. Something to give the folks here some reassurance that I didn't run off and die in a ditch. I leaned over it and gave it a look over. Tulip did good work, very detailed.
"Alright where too?" Tulip asked, now done with her small chore.
"To where we spoke of earlier, my old life. I hope to correct a few things before it's too late. If it's not already."
Tulip took her place at my shoulder. "Lead the way."
Next thing I knew we were there, my office. Everything was still in its place. Although I imagine someone with a suit and government badge likely came in here at some point.
Tulip left my shoulder in favor of looking around. "Ow, it's all very rustic, isn't it."
"Just how I roll." It was true, my office looked more like a hunters lodge than an office. When I decorated this place the contractor I hired to do the job even made a joke about how it looked like it belonged to an old white dude. Dark wood floor, light wood wall panels, Oak desk, bookshelves lining the back wall behind said desk, brown leather chairs, and industrial looking chandelier complete with Edison light bulbs. All the room needed was a big stuffed deers head, and boom instant hunters lodge.
I went to my desk, opening up a draw that had the evidence I needed. Gone. I wasn't surprised by this, but that didn't stop me from kicking myself. I should have done this sooner, but I was under the false impression that taking out a bunch of scum would be a cakewalk.
From the criminals of the city going into hiding not long after I showed up because I showed up. To little distractions like sleepovers. One way to solve my problem would be to simply expand my territory.
Tulip must have noticed the scowl on my face as I looked into the empty draw. "What's wrong?"
"Somebody got to it first."
"The Feds?"
I shook my head. "No, then the investigation into my disappearance would be entirely different."
"I see, so someone else got here before them. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yep," I said closing the draw. "Any chance you can do your glowy eye thing to track it down."
"My Third Eye, you mean?"
"That's what its called?"
"Yes, and I'm afraid it isn't much of a tracking tool as much as it lets me have a look at my surrounding environment without actually needing to leave a location."
"I see, well." I thought about what to do from here. "Company records." I mumbled to myself."
"What?"
"Follow me." I opened the office door and headed out. I was not expecting what I saw, I should have been, but wasn't.
In front of my office were desks at least six of them, my employees would sit and spend all day taking orders from clients. What I was looking at might as well have been empty space. The desks were still there, so were the computers and phones. That was all, nothing else. Last I was here these desks were loaded up with all kinds of personal belongings. Their way of lighting up their little corner of the room.
They were gone all of them. I detoured into other rooms. The CAD room, the meeting, the break room. All evacuated, they all left the sinking ship. If any of them believed the news about me they likely hated my guts.
I should have expected this. Did I just keep it out of my mind? Thinking to myself that nothing would be different after reaching my goal?
"Um, are you ok?" I appreciated Tulip's concern.
"No, I'm not, but I will be. So don't worry." Tulip didn't look convinced.
Well now that I'm all depressed. Better go find out where the three witches that started all this lived. When submitting applications one usually put down their address. I kept every application for everyone I hired on. Now to find theirs.
Filing cabinets lined the walls. With a single computer and desk in the middle. What I wanted was available on both as per my policy, but being the old school analog kind of guy I am, I searched the filing cabinets. Nothing I couldn't find their applications anywhere.
"Ok," This was concerning. I went to the computer. I needed to boot up first, password typed in and what I'm looking for should be in the Applications folder.
All applications were present, except the three I was looking for. "Are you kidding me! Those Bitches got into my servers too!"
"Ah hm, what now?" Asked Tulip.
"Oh, I'll find out where they live even if I have to facebook stalk them!"
"Facebook stalk? What's that?"
"Nevermind," I said going back into my pocket dimension. I headed straight for my own computer.
"I know this might not be a good time. But what exactly did you do, at that place? You know before we met."
"Custom tooling. Sometime's you try to start a business of your own but then find, that the market doesn't have what you need to support your special needs. That's where custom shops like mine came in."
"I see, interesting."
"Yep, it was very interesting." She was right it wasn't a good time to ask, but I didn't mind answering.
Sitting at my desk, I fired up my laptop. Now to hunt.
What exactly is the celestial definition of a crime? So far Tulip has used her third eye to locate illegal activity, but the standard used to judge people guilty hasn't been explained.
From the looks of it doing anything with a malicious intent is enough to make it a crime
the fingerprints oh the fingerprints!
If it covered up a name drop in a video it probably covers up fingerprints
Is the new story going to affect your releases for this story?
Likey not.