Chapter 49:
The Hunt Begins
Name: Derek, last name irrelevant and unknown.
Mission: Find and Capture
Known Alias: D. Tonic (Note: Tacky)
Profession: Drug Dealer.
Last Seen: Twin Cities District 7, Minnesota, Free Nations
Appearance: 5ft 10in tall, 135lbs, Wiry, Hazel Eyes, White Skin, Brown Hair. Face may be disfigured. Be on the lookout for anyone with facial reconstruction scars.
Wanted For: Sexual Assault, Rape, Forced Drug Use, Forced Alcohol Consumption, Aggravated Assault, Kidnapping, Drug Trafficking, Sex Trafficking, and various other accounts of violent crimes.
Priority: Immediate. All Hands On Deck.
Alert Level: Manhunt.
The report sent to all precincts hovered on the screen before me. Cecelia went over the steps in finding Derek and those involved. Cecelia had the entire police at her fingertips. They certainly wouldn't make a move on their own. Not only that, but her own private security force was called to action.
The Ishikawa-Alden Military. On par with most countries. The amount of resources Cecelia had at her disposal always surprised me. This notice went out to every single division. The Police would flush them out with a manhunt while our private military did things a bit quieter.
They ingratiated themselves with the locals. Spies, essentially. Cecelia sat next to me, cradling my head against her shoulder as I watched the live feeds before me. The darkened room held many screens that showed me what each agent saw. Parties, walking down the street, in drug dens. The way they moved so quickly astounded me.
It was no wonder Cecelia was able to keep an eye on me all this time. It was a shame a war had happened. I remembered hearing a small bit about it on the news, but as I never paid much attention it never registered with me. At the time, all I cared about was Alana.
Now, these resources were free and working for me. Cecelia's fingers running through my hair soothed me as I looked out for Derek. That was my job. They didn't have much to go on in terms of what he looked like, but I knew.
I could never forget that sleazy smile, that slightly hooked nose, or beady hazel eyes. It was possible he got reconstruction surgery. Back then, I had hit him repeatedly until both his face and my fist were bloody. It took a while for my hand to heal. Probably longer for his face.
I don't know how long I watched those screens for. It had been at least a couple days now. I wasn't always in this room, however. Alana needed to settle in, and she was still hesitant about all of this. Everything was so new to her. I was grateful to Yuriko who spent a lot of time with her.
We had yet to get her any new clothes, but for now she was content with using whatever Yuriko was able to provide. It was curious, how she seemed to prefer the baggier clothes. It reminded me a lot of myself.
As I began to wonder on Alana, I was interrupted by an alert on one of the screens. Immediately, I jolted up, becoming more alert. Cecelia's hand falling from my hair to my lower back as we adjusted the screen the alert came from.
The alert signaled us to put on sound. With a few simple motions, Cecelia enlarged the screen and turned the volume up. Immediately we were hit by sounds of partying. Music, dancing, and talking. Yet, our interest was in what was being said by the agent.
"D. Tonic? Really?" A young male voice asked.
The agent sat in a booth at a club. Two men sitting with him. They looked to be in about their mid-twenties. Short dark hair, pale skin. They weren't well-built, seeming rather skinny under their clothing. Their eyes shifted about as if paranoid.
The one on the left had brown eyes, while the one on the right looked to have green. Neither of them were Derek, but he had gone by the name D. Tonic. A nickname he had on the streets. If these men knew who he was, then they might just lead us to him.
"That's right," The brown-eyed man spoke, a wry smile to his lips, "If you're looking for the good stuff, you see D. Tonic."
"You know where I can find them?" The agent casually asked, seeming to lounge back as his eyes scanned the club.
We could see many people dancing, though it didn't look like the best place to be. From the looks of it, it seemed like a rundown factory that was transformed into a nightclub. The agents gaze passed back to the two men he was sitting with.
"We never said that," The green-eyed man smirked, downing his drink, "My memory ain't so great, you know? And I don't know you."
"Fair enough," The agent laughed, picking his drink up from the table.
The screen turned red as the agent scanned his drink. He was cautious, knowing who and what he was dealing with.
"He turned away to test them," Cecelia whispered in my ear, "It gave them the chance to spike his drink."
Just as she explained, the scan on the agent's drink verified something was indeed put into it. Glancing up at the two men, they both held cool, smug looks. They were waiting for him to drink.
"Is he going to drink it?" I asked, concerned, "I don't want him to be at risk..."
"Yes," Cecelia nodded, unconcerned, "He will be fine."
I watched on as the agent down the drink, letting out a satisfied sound as it went down. The two men immediately seemed pleased with themselves.
"How's your drink?" The Brown-Eyed man asked, taking a sip of his own.
"Like horse piss," The agent joked, laughing along with the other two.
"Yeah, the drinks certainly have a kick, don't they?" They responded, watching the agent carefully.
"You alright?" The Green-Eyes man spoke up, leaning towards the agent, "You don't look so well."
"Yeah, I'm as good as ever," The agent cleared his throat, his vision going red again, "Never better, honestly. Just looking for some fun."
Words flashed over the screen: Booting System Purge. Drugs Found. Purging. Clearing in 5%....20%....47%....73%....100%. Drugs Purged. System Fully Functional.
"Ah..." I realized now why he would be fine, "But, won't they know?"
"Just watch," Cecelia smile, amused, "You're adorable, but just keep watching."
Blushing and embarrassed, I returned my attention to the screen.
"I gotta piss," The agent spoke, standing up, "When I'm back, next rounds on me."
With an acknowledging grunt, the men nodded as the agent stood up. Just as he did, they stumbled forward, accidentally falling into the green-eyed man.
"Shit man!" They exclaimed, spilling their drink all over them.
"Ah, sorry 'bout that man," The agent's words became slightly slurred.
The agent began to attempt to clean the man up. Taking some napkins from the table and patting him down. Curious, I began to connect the dots. I never thought I'd see something like this outside of movies.
"Did you see it?" Cecelia asked quietly.
"No," I shook my head, glancing over at her, "But...I can guess."
Giving me a knowing smile, she nodded. Running her hand along the back of my head gently, we returned our attention back to the screen.
"Just...go, man," The Green-Eyed man told him, exasperated, "It's fine. I got this. Go."
"Alright, alright," The agent slurred their words, stumbling back, "Next rounds on me."
"Yeah, yeah..." They dismissed as the agent began to make their way away from them.
We watched as the Agent made their way towards the bathroom, stumbling slightly on his way. He was really good at it. Even I was slightly convinced, even though I knew he purged his system. Before he reached the bathrooms, a modulated voice sounded from the screen. All other audio becoming muted.
"Switching audio, bug planted," It was the agents voice, just slightly digital, "I await further instruction."
"Evac," Cecelia spoke up coolly, "You've done your job. Watch from a distance."
"Acknowledged," The digital voice responded before cutting out.
The sounds of the club came back full blast as the visual was replaced with an audio line.
"Damn man, how much you give him?" It was the Brown-Eyed man speaking, "You shouldn't of risked it."
"Oh please," The Green-Eyed man responded, dismissive, "It was just a test. See how he can handle it."
"Yeah, he handled it alright..." The other responded, sighing, "Should we bring him?"
"Nah," I could almost hear him shake his head, "We have to be careful. You saw the news, right?"
"I heard," They acknowledged, lowering their voices a bit, "You think it has to do with that?"
"Shut up!" The Green-Eye man's words were tense, as if through clenched teeth, "You think they give a shit about a two-bit whore? No...They had to of found out about the drug."
"Shit, you're right," They seemed nervous now, "But...they were a great piece of ass, for what they were."
"Ha! I'll give you that," My blood began to boil as I heard them speak more, "What was her name again?"
"Fuck if I know," The other seemed to think for a minute, "Starts with a D, I think? Debby?"
"Nah..." My face grew colder as I heard the Green-Eyed man speak, and even more when I heard what he said next, "Dolores, I think."
"That's it!" The Brown-Eyed man exclaimed, laughing, "Such an old ass name too. Shame she was drugged to hell, but man could she suc-"
The audio cut out as it became muted. I felt Cecelia's hand on my shoulder, holding it firmly, comfortingly.
"Alex..." Her words were soft, concerned.
I could only wonder what I looked like then. My fists were like rocks, clenched tightly at my sides. The anger rising inside of me tensed my entire body. "Those two..." I burned their faces into my memory. My face stone-cold as Cecelia brought my head to her chest.
"We'll get them, my love," She soothed, caressing me lovingly.
"I have no doubt," I responded, my tone icy, "I want them all."
"You will have it," Cecelia held me tightly, the rage inside of me burning silently.
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