This is a work of (science) fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, business establishments, or locales is entirely coincidental.
VISION: A Cautionary Tale
Chapter 11
A mere minutes after watching the news, Levi had requested to be brought to Galant. The guards were initially extremely hesitant, but Levi had already decided to go with or without them. After they were not able to stop him, they went with him to ground zero.
The police had quarantined the location. As Levi approached the entrance, a police officer apprehended him.
"Hold up, you can't go inside right now." The officer said Levi as he pushed him back slightly.
"I gotta get up there, step aside!" Levi responded furiously, trying to walk passed the officer.
"Forensics is still investigating the area of detonation." The officer reasoned. "I don't have any permission to let you in." The officer wasn't going to let him past, but from inside the building, Smart shouted towards him.
"Let him get inside." He shouted as he walked towards the officer. He put his hand on the shoulder casually.
"I cannot let every employee back inside the building, mister Smart." The officer replied while sighing.
"His name is doctor Cross. He worked with doctor Rubin and is here to collect vital research material inside the room of detonation, now let him come." Smart told the officer calmly. The officer hesitated for a second, eye-balling Levi who looked at the officer with the attitude of a VIP.
The officer nodded his head and stepped aside, waving his hand for Levi to follow Smart. Smart turned around and walked away, so Levi picked up the pace to reach him.
"Thanks for getting me inside." Levi whispered to Smart once he caught up with him.
"Well, I didn't lie." Smart started. "There's something you have to know." Levi raised a frown, wondering what Smart meant.
They continued to Rubin's office. All what was left were remains of what once were walls, the desk and something that resembled the exocortex. The rest had turned into piles of ash. The smoking charcoal beneath their feet crunched loudly. Multiple forensic officers were scattered around the room, investigating the scene.
"Do they know what caused the explosion?" Levi asked. Smart nodded and hesitated for a second.
"They believe it originated from the exocortex." Smart paused for a second, biting his lip while continuing to shake his head. "I don't see how that's possible, but they say so." Levi frowned.
"How did the protestors plant a bomb upstairs?" Levi wondered aloud. "Maybe they entered the building after the security cleared it."
"Maybe, but there's no indication of that." Smart responded sour. "This was a carefully planned attack, don't believe what these forensics say. Someone coordinated this."
One forensic investigator walked towards the pair. He took off his gloves to shake hands with Levi.
"I assume you were another colleague. I think we've found something very interesting, but I need you to confirm if what we believe is right." He said. Smart looked surprised and walked towards the exocortex. Levi followed in his trail. There was little left of the device, with only remains of the bench and the computer still standing. One man was analyzing the hard drive of the computer.
"What is it?" Smart asked.
"Well look at this data." The analyzer said as he turned around his computer screen to show Smart and Levi. The screen showed a model of brain activity. "I'll play the recording."
The analyzer presses a play button. The screen shows multiple areas of the brain lighting up, displaying the activity of the brain. Suddenly, all light dims until there's no time left.
"All right, you see Rubin die." Smart said curtly. "Thanks for the info." Through the sarcasm, you could hear the bitterness as he swallowed the end of the sentence.
"But look at the time stamp." The analyzer pointed at the moment of the brain deactivating. Levi and Smart bowed forward to see it.
"15:32..." Smart whispered. "That's 3 minutes before the explosion." The finding astonished Smart and Levi, who both didn't have a clue what that meant.
"Did Rubin commit suicide before letting the building explode?" Levi suggested calmly. It sounded weird to him, but it was the first thing that came up to him.
"Why would he do that?" Smart responded agitated.
"Creating backlash perhaps?" Levi's suggestion wasn't that odd if put into this perspective. They all didn't know what to say, so the analyst turned around to go back to work.
The rest of the day, they stayed in the room to see what else was found in the search, but nothing interesting came up. The analyst couldn't find any clue of the exocortex exploding, like a circuit crash or overload, so that meant something else had to be triggering the explosion, something Smart and Levi both firmly believed.
The day was exhausting. Levi joined Smart on the way out of the Galant. It was the next day already, as the 2 left in the pitch black night.
"So what are we going to do now?" Levi asked Smart.
"I don't know." Smart responded. "Going back to work is not an option." Levi nodded. They walked to the metro line. During the night, an automated system allowed to metros to keep going twenty-four seven.
"I guess we gotta wait what comes from the investigation." Levi said as they waited for the metro to arrive. "Take on the bastards responsible for this."
"Maybe we should make sure none of this happens again." Levi looked confused at Smart, as he bend forward, rubbing his hands. It seemed like he was brewing a masterplan.
"What are you thinking off?" Levi wondered, trying to get what Smart was thinking out of him.
"It's a stretch..." Smart started slowly. "But, just maybe... What Rubin would've done if he was still here." Levi remained silent, as if he was waiting for the rest of the sentence. Smart turned his head to Levi, a sinister but excited grim filled his face.
"Get the hell out of this hellhole."
Once Smart got at his stop, their ways departed. Levi sat alone in the metro the rest of the way. Thoughts ran rampant in his mind, especially what could've happened.
He never got to know what was in the briefcase. Maybe it held the answer to everything. Why Rubin would've committed suicide or what he was doing with the exocortex. Levi started chuckling. He just thought that it would be extremely sour if Rubin had finally found the missing link, the crown on his lifework.
And then it hit him.
He didn't get off the usual stop near his home. Rather he continued to tour around the city until the morning lights. He didn't move, he was stunned.
As the first wave of work-goers entered the metro and took a dim view of Levi, he snapped out of the trance and got of at the Park lane. He entered the park and sat down on bench, scouting the surroundings. Finally, he saw what he was waiting for. Hailey walked towards the asylum.
He waited the rest of the day. He had taken a quick stroll to get something to eat, but he had quickly got back to the park bench. As Hailey stepped back, Levi jumped up. He followed her back home from a distance, catching up when she got home. Before she could open the door, Levi shouted.
"Who are your friends?" Hailey froze.
"What are you doing here, Levi?" She asked softly, not facing him.
"Why?" Levi asked, slowly tearing up.
"What are you talking about-"
"Don't lie to me..." Levi cut her off. "Why did you do it?" No response came from Hailey. "Who made you do it?!" Levi yelled.
"Nobody made me do it." She said coldly. "They enabled me..." She seemed psychopathic almost. "Call the cops on me, but you carried the bomb."
"I'm your brother... and you used me as a pawn." Levi shook his head. "Do you think that's enough, getting you locked up. For a person so faithful, to commit such a sin." He laughed very quietly. "I- I'm going to kill your God. And I'm going to make sure the world will know that I did."
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