“I’ll take your life then!” He threatened, attempting to pull the trigger.
“With what? An unloaded gun?” I disarmed him, emptying five blank shots into the ground before jamming it in my pocket. “See, psychological terror doesn’t always work. Now, a short sixteen month stint should do for you” I declared, stabbing through both his hands with my Wakizashi as I turned him around.
“ARGHHH! NO PLEASE! PLEASE!” Goddamit another damned wailer. “My niece is ill! I need the money to support her medications!”
“Unfortunately you can’t get the funds for that by robbing the middle class enjoying their meals at local pizzerias with an empty gun” I nodded at Yuri, who opened the car door.
“The gun belonged to my brother. I’m the only family his daughter has left!” Mhm.
“Noted. Look, just admit you’re a bad crook. The nearest station is past yonder”-
“PLEASE!” I’m so tempted to kick him in the stomach and knock him out with his own gun. Hope Sutner’s in today to deal with this. I stuffed him in between Youri and Jeremy before driving off.
Sutner and Carver both awaited us. “Eden, what brings- oh. Who is that?” General Carver enquired.
“A pathetic excuse for a criminal. Tried to rob me with this. Have Dimanche trace it and listen to his sob story as well” I explained, handing over the failure.
“I assume you, never mind. Don’t want to know” Sutner sighed.
“You guys will handle it from here right?” My supervisors nodded, cuffing the robber. Oh shit, I haven’t even looked at the autopsy report yet. I’ll definitely do that once we get home. NAV had indeed proven itse-HERself useful.
Reggie awaited us by the front door by the time we returned home, as usual. “Good to see the car is back. Monsieur Youri, your room is available for use. Also Eden, Monsieur Maxi would like to speak to you”
“Franz is here?!”
“On call I mean. He would much rather call you over landline”
“Oh, right” I picked up the home phone, dialing his number. I should probably call Christine after this…
“HALLO TERIYAKI-SAN! Finally you’re home. Many interesting things have been occurring as of late. Any progress vith zhe burglar?”
“Nope. I’ll get to it straight away” Or should I just delegate it to someone else?
“Fret not mein freund. You’ve done vell. Especially vith your latest exploits. No small feats. I also appreciate you getting me zhe car back”
“Thanks for paying beforehand”
“HUH? I NEVER PAID! You were supposed to!”
“I, I was going to. But the engineer said it was already paid for. I assumed it was you” Franz took a deep breath.
“Vell, it vasn’t. Somevone else clearly did. BUT, not vith my finances” Could it be Velec and his Acolytes? “Either vay, glad everything is coming along nicely. Weiter so!” The call ended. Alright, time to get to work.
I finally picked up the autopsy report, checking it out in detail downstairs. The guy’s basically a lowlife but with associates in very high places. I checked my phone quickly, to find a message from an unknown number. ‘Activate the Hologram switch’ Was all it said. Most definitely Velec. I went out over to the machine, flicking the switch. Wait, who got it repaired? I never sent it to get fixed…
“Always a pleasure to see you, Torakirri-San” The Senator smiled.
“We never finished our previous conversation”
“AH don’t worry over that. We’ll be in touch more often. In truth, I had another mission for you” I shouldn’t be blindly trusting anyone but asking this guy questions is pointless. Also his association with Franz is reassuring enough. And his position as a Squad commander…
“Ugh” I sighed. “What would you have me do?”
“Go to Oakholden. Talk with your, Christine Ziegler”
“You, know her?” This guy better not be forcing her to cooperate. Then again, I was the one that got her involved in the first place…
“I know everything. Fear not, she’s under no harm. It’s just, I would recommend going there sooner rather than later” He smiled again, turning around as the hologram began to fade.
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“EDEN! WHERE ARE YOU!?” Roxy yelled from upstairs.
“In the basement, what’s up?”
“COME UPSTAIRS ASAP! Its Jeremy, something’s” She informed in a shaky voice.
“I can’t hear you. What are you saying?” I questioned, heading up.
“I, I, I don’t know. I, he”
“ROXY! Take a deep breath, what’s wrong?” Telling her to calm down won’t do anythi- Oh….
“I, he- I, I don’t, how, it. He was just, he, we, were, and then”-
“BREATHE! Let air in, let it out. Just like you’ve been doing your entire life” I sighed, crouching down next to Jeremy’s paralyzed body.
“He, I don’t know what happened. He, entered this trance!” She exclaimed. Goddamit... Youri joined up with us as well.
“The ambulance is already here Eden” Reggie informed as two doctors came in with a stretcher.
“What happened?” I demanded. The answer was right there. On the ground lay a tray of brownies, with a single piece missing…. I completely forgot that bastard thief planted something here… This was bound to happen. Why’d I get so lax and careless?
“What do we do?” The Butler wondered. Roxy covered her mouth with her sweater, trying to control her tears. I put my hand on her, choosing to say nothing. Telling her “He’ll be ok” or “It isn’t that serious” won’t do anything.
“I” Hmm, what can we do? There’s not much we can do for Jeremy himself. We have to look into the matter and analyze what’s in these brownies. So, “I’ll go to HQ and have them check the contents. You three, hold the fort” I ordered, going to get a glass of water.
“I am not the man I once was Eden. I doubt my frail old self could do much”
“No offense Reggie, but I don’t think the enemy cares about you much anyway. You won’t have to do anything. These brownies were most definitely meant for me. Frankly, I’m not a gluttonous hog like our Rauxian friend. They’ll be after me, so I have to be on the move, outside of this Manor, as much as possible” I explained, handing the glass to Roxy. “Rox, drink this” I ordered. “I can’t afford others getting hurt because of my stupidity” Wait… Velec that sly bastard…
“What’s your plan?” Youri questioned.
“I won’t be back for a few days actually. I just got an excellent idea” Why would I give these brownies to the police when I can easily get them checked by the best medical not-so-professional I know? Someone in, Oakholden, perhaps? And no I’m not biased. She is just very skilled in her field. If anyone can break it down completely, it’s her. Oakholden isn’t even that far from Imperius either. Just a two hour drive. Should I take Youri or Roxy with me? No, it’s best if I go solo. I turned to Roxy, who had pretty much wiped all the tears from her eyes. I hugged her tightly, not saying a word as she rested her head against my shoulder.
“Don’t be gone too long” She sighed.
“Relaxx girl, I’m right here” I smiled, kissing her on the head. It’s doubtful that Jeremy will be recovered by the time I’m back. It depends entirely on just what he’s consumed. “Keep me updated on Jeremy. I need to know what exactly happened to him” They nodded as I grabbed the keys for the car, driving off towards the HQ.
“Back already?” Sutner questioned upon my arrival.
“I know what the burglar planted in my house that day” Well, technically he’s not a burglar. He broke in, but not to steal anything. And we discovered what it was 0n the day it happened.
“Go on”
“A box of brownies laced with some paralysis toxin. Jeremy Hughes, your part-time officer, and also a student at Monarch had one just now and entered a comatose state. He’s been taken to the hospital but I need you guys to analyze this for me and let me know what you can find” I explained.
“We’ll look into it. Give them to Dimanche” I took the box out of my bag, handing them over. I kept two aside for Christine to examine when I visit. I’m convinced she’ll do a much better job than these guys. “Is there anything else?”
“Just keep me updated on what you find. Oh and give the old man my regards” Where did Carver go off to in such little time? Either way my job here was done. I’ll be staying with Christine for about two days bef- I’ve ignored her and barely been in touch with her lately, and have given the bare minimum amount of time and attention. How the hell am I expecting her to be nice enough to just let me? Because she’s a better person than me… If I surprise her, will that make up for all my faults this past week. She said she doesn’t mind and understands why I’ve been like this. Of course she’d understand. Roxy and her know me best. I finally decided to swallow my pride and call her.
“Hallo, Eden?” God I missed the sound of her voice.
“Hiii, are you free right now?” Should have asked that before calling…
“Mhm. Just doing some revision. Is everything alright though? You usually don’t call” Oh…
“I, well, uh”-
“I’M KIDDINGGG!!!!” She laughed. Yet a trace of true self exists in false self. Or whatever the saying is.
“Oh, hahaha, I see. Honestly, I need a small favor from you. Of course I miss the crap out of you and owe you a call, so I was hoping we’d catch up as well” The fact that I’m expecting her to say yes albeit me being so distant is… Concerning, to say the least. God what is wrong with me? Part of me hoped she’d tell me off or criticize me, but that never happened.
“Oh of course! I’d love to catch up! And what do you need help with?” She exclaimed. I love her enthusiasm. “Is it related to your, you know, other life?” Christine was the first person who found out about my vigilante antics (or, vigilantics). I was visiting Oakholden and tried to interrupt an arm’s deal, but ended up getting my ass kicked by this one Bane enforcer. He had elemental powers, being able to control air, fire, water, and earth at will. Christine found me on the way back to her apartment, lying broken and bruised in a dark alley. She tended my wounds and I revealed everything to her. Since then she’s been my main healer and supporting me on the side. But I’ve barely been in touch with her since August…
“Mhm” For the past two and a half year’s she’s been the only reason I’m still alive. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without her. “There’s a lot that’s been going on lately. Sorry to keep you out of the loop. But since I’m involving you, I guess you deserve to know” I stated, briefing her on everything that’s happened these last couple months.
“Oh my, that sure is a lot” She remarked as I finished.
“And I don’t know what’s in these brownies. I gave a sample over to the police but I’m bringing some over to you. I feel you’d do a better job analyzing them”
“All this in just three months... I, don’t really know what to say. Wait, bringing?”
“Yeahhh I’m kinda on my way to Oakholden right now. Since it’s the Weekend, I was wondering if I could crash at your place for a few days. If that’s ok with you of course” I don’t wanna stay in one place too long as that’ll put her in danger.
“Oh, I wish you told me sooner! I would’ve prepared something for you!”
“You don’t need to. You’re already doing a lot for me. Sorry I didn’t let you know beforehand”
“Nooooo don’t worry! It’s perfectly okay! Of course I’m ecstatic that you’re visiting after some time. Give me some time to process everything you’ve told me though. Message me when you arrive. My doorbell’s broken. I’ll text you my room number!” I don’t deserve her…
“Mhm will dooo. Sorry for suddenly dumping this all on you. I know you’re”-
“Shhh, you can always dump whatever you’d like on me!” Uhhhhhh… It took her a second too. “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT! Ahem. Unless you’re into that of course” She giggled. “But you know what I mean. I’m always here for you”
“I know. I love you so much. Sorry I haven’t been in touch”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. Please don’t worry about it”
“By the way, um, are you still, seeing that guy?” Truth be told I completely forgot his name…
“Oh” It seems even she had forgotten she was already in a relationship. Would we really be able to continue things? Could we? It’s just, wrong. “But, he’s out of town right now”
“CHRISTINE! That’s not the point! WHAT?”
“But, I want to be with you. The only reason I got with him was because you told me to” HUH? NO?
“We couldn’t be together when I turned eighteen cause you were still sixteen. And when I was nineteen you were seventeen. We couldn’t have gotten together again until last year. I didn’t want you waiting two years for me and told you to move onto someone else” I reminded. “And you’ve been with him for three years now. That’s longer than when we were together”
“You don’t need to put it like that” She mumbled.
“Are you like, unhappy with him? I thought everything was going just fine between y’all?”
“It VAS but lately our relationship seems to have feterred out. It just doesn’t feel the same. It’s just, he’s going through a very rough time in life and the last thing he needs is me breaking up with him. I vant to be vith you, but I can’t leave him yet. I don’t vant him to do anything stupid or drastic” She exhausted her pseudo-accent and was now speaking in her usual one.
“Aaaanddd you think cheating on him with your ex won’t make him do something stupid or drastic? Christine, look. I love you, and I want to be with you too. But this, just isn’t right. Like, I never liked your boyfriend in the first place, but as long as you were happy, I was ok with it. Well, I wasn’t ok but I tolerated it. He’s super annoying and he pisses me off, but he hasn’t done anything NEARLY as bad to deserve getting cheated on. Very few people deserve that kind of pain. And I refuse to let you become a cheater”
“Have, have you hooked up vith anyone else during our time avay from each other?”
“No” How could I? “I don’t want to be with anyone else but you. I was waiting on you because I couldn’t move on. We were just on a temporary break”
“How, how is zhat fair? You can vait for me but I couldn’t vait for you? You convinced me to get into anohzer relationship and to see other people because ‘now vasn’t zhe right time for us to be together’. And it’s been three years since then. You stayed single, vaiting for me to be of age while I vas in a relationship vith someone else. This, is just a rebound until we get back together again”
“Christine, as much as I dislike your boyfriend, it’s not right to think or talk about him like that”-
“BUT you yourself just said ve vere on a temporary break. I von’t be vith him forever. It’s been three years already. I’m going to end things, but not yet. He’s not in zhe right state”
“Yeah and until then, nothing can happen between us. I refuse to let you fall so low” She’s right. I was being a hypocrite and had double standards. One thing could apply to me but couldn’t to her. That was just unfair.
“Zhat’s fine. I’m still a virgin anyvay. I’ve been saving myself for you. Although ve aren’t physically together, my heart and body still belong to you”
“Looks like that’s about to change” I smiled, only to realize how that sounded. “I meant about the ‘us not being physically together’, you know, since, I’m coming to visit you! Of course our hearts still belong to each other!” I corrected at a pace the world’s best rapper would be envious of.
“Very smooth. Anyvay I should change and get zhe room ready. Sorry if I came across as rude or argumentative but, you understood vhat I vas trying to say, right?”
“Ooh change into what?” I grinned. “And yeah, don’t worry. I get it. And I know you got what I was trying to say too”
“Mhm. I’m going to put on something normal. Just came back from a party”
“Oh nice! How was it?”
“It vas fun! Some of my seniors hosted it. Zhey had an outdoor pool and hired some local DJ. Also, zhe food vas quite, ‘extravagant’ to say zhe least. Zhe whole event itself must have cost a fortune” How much is a fortune exactly?
“I see, what did you wear?”
“Remember zhat dress you got me on my seventeenth birthday? Zhe black vone?”
“Oh yeahh. How does that still fit? Are you still the same height after two years?”
“I’M ONLY FIVE INCHES SHORTER ZHAN YOU! And as you should know, five inches isn’t a lot”….. OUCH. “I’M KIDDINGGGG!! But yes, I stopped growing at seventeen” She confessed. 5’6 at 17 isn’t a bad height though…
“Screw you” I laughed.
“But you said to wait”….
“CHRISTINE! Besides you’ve never actually seen it, so you can’t judge its size”
“Oh it’s bigger zhan five inches? Vant me to measure it properly vhen you get here?”
“Jokes like these aren’t usually your thing. You’ve been spending too much time with Roxy” I noticed. Then again they’ve met up during every break of theirs.
“I’m sure she’ll be proud of me. Tell her I miss her and send my regards. I’m going to change now, see you in a bit! I love you”
“I love you too” It was nice being able to talk to her like that again. Missed it a lot. Hell, I miss everything about her. Hopefully I can rectify my mistakes and make things work with her…
