June
0431 Hours.
The Crescent Hotel, Sector Ruby
Thursday, the day before my date with Daniel.
66º Indoors
"Incoming call for June Iparis," says the female mechanical voice of the com machine. I stifle a groan and roll over on my side, the blankets rustling noisily. I'm ready to go back to sleep but the com machine repeats itself, this time even louder. "Incoming call for June Iparis." God, I hate that voice.
For a second, I'm tempted to sleep through the noise, but then I remember being alert at all times is part of a commander's duty. I throw the blanket off my body, sliding out of the bed and rubbing my sleepy eyes. The hardwood floors are freezing cold as I walk to the com machine with bare feet. I insert the com in my ear before whispering, "Hello?"
Dorian's voice responds back. "J-June," he stammers frantically.
I note the fear in his voice. "What's wrong?"
"The killer…he's after me," Dorian whispers.
"Stall him as long as you can. I'm sending backup. Do you copy?" I say. Dorian doesn't answer. At the end of the other line, all I can hear are sounds of struggle. I pale; I meant for Dorian to just lure the killer out, not attack him headfirst.
Before I can order him to run, I hear Dorian howl in pain, and he suddenly falls silent. "Dorian!" I scream into the com. He still doesn't answer.
I memorize the location the com machine flashes. Quickly, I change into my uniform and grab my gun before I run out of my hotel room. As I drive my military jeep towards Dorian's location, I order two squads of soldiers to surround the sector.
On my way to the Tanagashi Sector, I must've broken multiple traffic laws due to my speeding. Metias would've probably scolded me for such reckless driving if he were still here. Frustrated tears cloud my vision. Why is my life so ruined? I'm losing everyone I love and trust to this murderer.
I stop the car at Bracken St. I sprint down the street, running into an alley. I spot Dorian's limp body at the end of the alleyway, propped upright on the brick wall. "Dorian!" I scream, running to him. I skid to a stop, kneeling in front of him.
"No no no," I whisper frantically, my eyes widening at the knife buried deep into his chest. His eyes are closed, his head lolling to the side. My hand is hovering over his nose, seeing if he's breathing. I feel a small puff of air on my skin and let out a breath of relief. He must've gone unconscious from the pain and the loss of blood.
"Dorian, just hang on," I whisper. I pull his head onto my lap, brushing his matted blond hair away from his face. "Stay with me." I consider pulling out the knife in his chest, but fear that I might do more harm than good.
I wait until two soldiers come to help move Dorian. They grab him by the shoulders and ankles, carrying his unconscious body to a van. I am by his side the entire ride, praying for him to try clinging onto life.
The second we arrive at the hospital, he is whisked away by doctors. I end up pacing back and forth in the waiting room for hours due to worry and anxiety. I need Dorian to pull through the operation. I can't lose him; he's one of the few people I can trust these days.
"June!" Selene says from across the room, heading towards me. "I got your call and came here as soon as I could. Is Dorian going to be alright?" she asks.
"I don't know yet," I say quietly, the words constricting my throat. "He lost so much blood…"
Selene catches the sadness lingering in my eyes and puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "He'll be okay. I know he will be," she says. I look at her. This girl has lost everything. She was abandoned by her parents years ago. Her only sister was murdered and the killer is still on the loose. How can she find slivers of hope in a cruel world of darkness? How can she believe everything will be alright in the end?
Selene is so young, yet forced to mature and fend for herself. She's going through the same pain I went through twelve years ago, and I can barely help her cope with it. But the least I can do is fulfill Amy's wish to keep her safe. I will never let this sick murderer hurt Selene.
"June," says Tess, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"How is he?" I ask her as I turn to face her.
Tess tucks her hands in the pockets of her white doctor coat. "I managed to get the knife out- turns out that it didn't hit any vital organs. Luckily, the blade was lodged right between his heart and his lung, an inch away from his aorta. He should be waking up soon," she reports.
I sigh in relief. "Thank god. Tess, you're a miracle worker."
Tess slightly blushes at that. "Just another day of work," she says modestly. Tess leads me into a room where Dorian is resting peacefully on a hospital bed. When she sees that no one else is around, she faces me.
"June, I'm concerned about Day," she tells me. "He came to my apartment a few weeks ago saying that he murdered Metias."
"But he didn't," I say, confused. "Thomas did."
"I know. But Day thinks he did and he keeps tormenting himself over it. I think something's wrong with his memories. I told him he never murdered a person, but he doesn't seem to believe me," says Tess. "I think it's time we tell him everything to help fill in the gaps."
"But…but then he'll remember that I'm the reason his family is dead. I don't want to lose him."
"Day already forgave you for that," Tess points out.
"But what about this time? What if he changes his mind?" I ask. "I spent so many years without him, wishing he'd come back. And he finally did. So if he finds out, I'm scared he'll leave again."
"He'll forgive you if you tell him the truth. Do it before it's too late. And if he gets angry, Pascao and I will convince him that it wasn't your fault," says Tess.
"Thanks Tess," I say. "Thank you for everything."
She nods. Behind me, Dorian lets out a groan. I look to him, a soft smile on my face. "You're awake," I say.
Tess checks his vitals and heartbeat before declaring everything was in order and alright. She leaves the room for us to talk. "How are you feeling?" I ask him.
"Like I've been dragged to hell and back," he says, grunting. He sits up from the bed.
"I was so worried…I thought you were going to die," I whisper. "What happened?"
"I was on patrol when I heard a scream. I ran over to the sound, but no one was there. And then I saw him- the killer was dressed completely in black and was exactly like you described him," he says.
"How do you know it's a he?"
"It's most likely a man. The killer's shoulders were too broad. We were wrong; the killer can't be Jameson," says Dorian. "And besides, even if Jameson somehow survived the fall at that last battle, she would be in her late sixties by now. She can't be the one killing everyone."
"What if it's someone avenging her?" I press. "Could Selene's theory be right?"
"I'm starting to doubt that theory," he says. "Selene thought that all the victims would be people who were at the last battle. But I wasn't there; I was still a cadet at the time and so was Liam Stryder.
"So Liam wasn't at that battle either?"
"No. I'm starting to remember some stuff. Liam and I were training together when we heard that there was a battle over at the Bank Tower."
"Great. We're back to where we started. So this killer has nothing to do with avenging Jameson. What does he want then?"
Dorian shrugs and painfully winces. He frowns before lifting the left sleeve of his hospital gown. Dorian rips off the bandage, revealing a carved number on his shoulder. "Son of a bitch," he mutters under his breath. "Looks like he left another clue."
I examine the wound. It seems to be a swift clean cut of the number 9. "What is with this killer and numbers? What is he, part-time mathematician, fulltime psychopath?" complains Dorian. Anger seethes in his eyes. "June, give me your knife."
I grip the hilt of my knife that hangs on my belt. "Why?" I ask.
"So I can cut this stupid number off my skin. I'm not living my entire life with this branded on me," he says.
"Later, when you're all healed," I say firmly. "Tess would freak out if I let one of her patients deliberately hurt themselves."
Dorian relents. "Fine," he says, although he doesn't sound too pleased.
I'm about to leave the room when the lights above begin to flicker and suddenly turns off completely. The room is dark and for a moment, completely silent. The lights come back on. It repeats, the lights turning off and on as if a toddler was playing with the light switch.
I look down the hallway to see if other rooms are experiencing the same effect. Each room is blinking at its own pace, exchanging light and darkness every few seconds.
Tess rushes back. "Something's wrong," she gasps out. "This hospital has several backup generators- this shouldn't be happening."
"So what's going on?" I ask.
"Someone's hacking into the system," Dorian realizes.
"Who'd want to do that?" asks Tess.
"The killer," I whisper. "He's back to finish his job."
Dorian tries to stand up, one hand gripping the knife wound. His face is dangerously pale as he struggles to walk. I help support him, leading him back to the hospital bed. "You have to stay here," I say. "You can barely walk."
"You have to let me help!" he says stubbornly. "I doubt the killer is here for just me. This psycho is toying with us. Every time the power shuts off, there's a huge chance that a patient depending on life support and machines will die. I'm your best chance of blocking the hacker and setting the power in the hospital back to normal."
The lights flicker and go out again.
I realize he's right. He's a better hacker than me and can probably fix this in a few minutes. Tess brings over a wheelchair from across the room. "Don't strain yourself," she warns as we help him into it. "Your stitches might snap and the wound will reopen."
I wheel him out of the room, heading towards the main computers in the lobby. There's chaos in the entire hallway. The power constantly shuts down and restarts in different rooms at different times, making it unpredictable to know which poor patients will fall victim to it. Anyone connected to something mechanical that helps them survive is vulnerable to death now.
Tess leaves my side to go back to the surgery wing. We push our way past frantic nurses. I flash my I.D. to one of the nurses, who grants me access to the computers. Dorian wheels himself to the computers, his fingers beginning to fly expertly over the keyboard.
The computers here in the lobby don't seem to be affect by the constant power outages. Strangely, they continue to work despite it.
Selene rushes to me. "What can I do?" she asks.
"Just go around and help anyone who needs assistance," I tell her.
"Okay."
"And Selene?" I say after a sudden impulse. "Stay safe." She nods before she disappears into the tide of frantic hospital staff.
After she's gone, I look over Dorian's shoulder to see the computer. The screen is filled with green letters and numbers. I try following along, but realize it's futile- Metias was the one who could understand computers, not me. Dorian catches my confusion and begins to explain each step as he completes it.
"It's a virus that entered through one of the computer systems," he says. "Most likely in the form of an external drive, like a flash drive. The killer must've plugged it into a computer somewhere in the hospital."
I turn and stop a running nurse by grabbing her arm. "Where else are the computers located at?" I ask.
"The control room in the basement," she answers quickly. "That's where all the data and hard drives for the computers are." I thank her and let go of her arm, turning my attention back to Dorian.
"June, I called in my squad to surround the hospital. That way no suspects can get out until we fix this," says Dorian as he types more commands into the computer. "As for this, if we can't find where the virus originated, there's no way to stop it."
"I'll head to the control room then. We need to end this before more people die."
"I wish I could go but I doubt I can go down the stairs in a wheelchair," says Dorian apologetically. "But when you find the flash drive, open it on a computer and type in a few commands." He begins to scribble down a list of commands on a notepad and hands it to me.
"Got it," I say. "Keep contact with coms, okay?"
"Okay. I'll start creating security barriers in the system so the hacker can't get back in," he says.
I nod before I go down the stairs, entering the long hallway. I quickly walk around until I find the right door.
The control room is filled with several large machines, all connected to three main computers. And just like the computers at the lobby, they are unaffected by the virus because it is where the virus operates.
A realization crosses my mind. Every hospital machine is connected to a computer, so the only way to stop this virus is to either pull the plug on everything electronic, or find the flash drive. Too many people will lose their lives if I choose the former, but the latter will still manage to take innocent lives. I hate the odds of both choices.
I search for the flash drive, looking through every possible place where it could be plugged into. I find it almost immediately, noticing its pathetic attempt to camouflage to the black machine.
After checking to see which of the three computers it's plugged into, I log on as the administrator and override the computer, just like Dorian said to. I open the single file on the flash drive.
When I click on it, a new window pops up, demanding for the password to shut down the virus. I groan in frustration.
I try turning on my com, but it doesn't seem to work now. Suddenly, a static sound crackles to life in my ear. "Hello June," says a voice I don't recognize. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"Who is this?" I demand my heart beginning to race.
The voice on the other end chuckles darkly. "I'm quite disappointed. I thought you'd be clever enough to at least figure out who I am."
"You're the killer," I realize. "What the hell do you want?"
"Well, I just thought you needed some assistance with that computer. You may be smart when taking written exams but when it comes to the field, you're absolutely useless," he says. "It's a shame; your brother always wanted to teach you computers but you were too stubborn to learn."
I freeze. "How did you know that? How did you know about my brother?"
The killer chuckles again. "Oh Little Iparis, haven't you learned? I know everything. And I'm always watching your every move."
Hesitating, I turn to the corner, seeing the security camera perched on the wall. The killer must be watching me from that camera.
"What do you really want?" I ask, not bothering to hide the rage in my voice.
"Closure," he answers after a moment of pausing. "And the only way to get closure is to get revenge."
"What have I ever done to you? I don't even know who you are!"
"One day, Little Iparis, you'll know. You'll know everything. But let's focus on this day for now, shall we? How many people will die today because of you? How much blood will you have on your hands? All of that depends on you," he says.
"Shut it down!" I yell at him. "Shut it down or I swear-"
"Or what? You'll kill me?" He begins to laugh humorously. "That's if you can catch me. I'm found only when I want to be found."
"Then you made a dumb mistake by calling me. Every call I get is automatically recorded, and once I get back to my office, I can voice scan this and find out who you are," I say.
"So predictable," he sneers. My smugness fades away. "There are thousands of apps that allow you to change your voice when calling someone. You thought I'd be foolish enough to talk to you in my regular voice? You have so much to learn, Little Iparis."
As we talk, I begin typing in several different passwords, hoping I'd be lucky enough to crack it.
"That's going to take all day," the killer sneers. He pauses. "But today, I'm feeling generous. I'll give you a hint on the password."
My instincts are screaming to not fall for it, but I'm desperate- I need to save as many people as I can. "Name your price," I say.
"Take it as a gift. Besides, you already gave me what I needed today," he says triumphantly. "But as promised, a hint to your password: it's the day when it all started. And I'll be very disappointed if you can't figure this easy password out."
"I can't wait for the day we can finally meet face to face," says the killer. Just the sound of his voice sends chills down my spine. The com begins to grow static, the connection fading away.
I turn to the computer, my fingers hovering over the keyboard as I try remembering notable dates he might be referring to. The day when it all started. I take a deep breath, coming up with day I'll remember forever. The day Metias was murdered.
That was the day my life was changed completely. I lost my brother; I graduated early out of Drake and became an agent. I began my search for his murderer, only to fall in love with the supposed suspect. It was that day that changed my future and brought me to where I am today, setting off a chain reaction of event after event.
Slowly, I begin to type in the password. November29th2132. I press enter.
Red letters flash across the dull gray background, declaring "Access Granted." From then on, the rest of it is easy. I follow Dorian's list of commands, effectively destroying the virus. Once I'm done, I pull the flash drive out of the machine.
As I return to the lobby, I am greeted with Dorian's relieved smile. "You did it," he says. "I knew you could."
The power has returned back to normal, the lights settling back down. I should feel happy but all I can feel is the guilt and shame gnawing at my stomach. I took advice from the killer and despite what he said, I know there's a hidden price to pay. There is always a price.
This was all too easy. The flash drive was in plain sight, the killer practically gave me the password. I get it now- his goal wasn't to kill people by messing around with the power. That was only a distraction for his real objective- one I've yet to figure out.
"How many?" I ask hoarsely when Tess returns.
Her face is grave. "Three," she says. "But it could've been more if you hadn't found a way to stop it."
"June?" Dorian calls over my attention. "I think you should see this." He leads me back to his hospital room. There's a number painted right above his bed in red; the number 74. "It's another clue."
"But three people died today. Why is there only one number?" I ask.
"I don't know," Dorian replies distantly as he studies the spray-painted number. A million different thoughts seem to be running in his dark blue eyes.
I look back at the number, finding the message clear. This killer wants revenge, and will take as many lives as he can. This is all just a big game to him. He finds it entertaining to murder the innocent. And I realize this- the game is nowhere near over. It's only just begun.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far!
Also, please forgive me if I used any incorrect info on computers/ hacking. I'm no tech expert and I ended up making a lot of it up without researching...