After the incident that has occurred at the safe house, Lynn called the backup branch to help her clean the mess in the safe house.
"Good God, what a mess..."
"Who or what could've done this?"
"Not sure i wanna know."
The two bodies that were found is now wrapped in body bags as they were lifted and placed inside a truck.
Lynn approaches one of the Islander's guard and asks. "How's the boy?"
"Right now he's still in shock, but other than that, he's mostly fine." The guard said.
"I see..." Lynn turns back towards the safe house as she saw numerous people are now examining the place.
"This makes the 4th case this month..." Gregory voice boomed.
"...and it occurs only around Sargon too." Derick added before he took a sip of a bottled tea.
He spits it out the drink he just drank. "Motherfuker taste like shit!"
"I told you it wasn't taste good." Gregory snorted.
Ross leans his back against wall as he rested his one arm on his knee, feeling distraught at the moment.
"Hey there, kitten."
He looked up to see who called out to him, it was Lynn.
"Captain Lynn.."
"Mind if I sit here?"
Ross only nods as a response. Then, she sat beside Ross as she leans her back against the wall as well. She avert her gaze towards him.
"You okay, kitten?" She inquired.
"Captain, I'm not a kid anymore. Stop calling me that." The feline demanded.
"Sorry, Sorry. Ahahaha." She patted his head.
"Your first time seeing something gory?" She questioned again, only to get a nod from the blue feline.
"It's alright, kitten. It's quite the shock, I know." She run her fingers through his hair as she keeps ruffling it.
'But that's not what I'm distraught about...'
"Lynn!" Gregory called out to her.
"I'll be right back." She stood up and walks towards Gregory.
"What's up?"
"You might wanna talk with kid that we just found." Gregory suggests.
"Is he okay now?" Lynn inquired.
"Atleast he calmed down a bit. If you can get him talking, we might find something useful out of that boy." Gregory added, pointing towards the boy who was still sitting inside the truck.
"..." She paused a bit.
"You're great with children, aren't you?"
"...Yes, Yes, I know Gregory. That speaks from my past experiences..." Lynn sighed, glancing at Ross. "He used to be very childish..." She muttered.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Gregory raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing, I'll go speak with the boy."
Then, she makes her way towards the front of the truck and greets the boy with a smile, resting her elbow on the door of the truck.
"Hey there, kiddo." She greeted the boy.
The boy did not answer as he only give a short nod as a response, curling up in a blanket he's currently in. Apparently, he wanted to greet her as well but he was too shy to say anything.
"H-Hello... Ma'am." The boy stammered, averting his gaze.
"Hey. How are you holding up?" The Sankta asked.
"..." He only gave a short nod as a response.
"Good to hear. What is your name, boy?" She leans a little bit closer, now resting her head on the truck seat.
"J... Joffrey..." The boy said out his name.
"Heeeh.. That's a nice name." She puts a warm smile on her face.
"Thank you..."
"So, do you mind telling me what's happening?"
The boy hesitated a bit of what she was asking. As if he was too afraid to answer her question as bead of sweats dripping down from his cheeks.
Back with Ross and the others, he is currently still sitting there, trap in his thoughts.
'I thought it's just me...'
'Apart from the blood, I smell another scent... it was very distinct and very peculiar...'
Unlike other feline operators, Ross has a very strong sense of smell. As he able to scent at a very long-distance and able to tell them apart from whichever.
His thoughts didn't last long as something or someone overshadows him from the sunlight above him. He looked up towards the source of it and sees Gregory overlooking the feline.
"Something on your mind, boy?" The Archosauria asked, his long snout pointing towards him.
"Mr. Gregory..."
"You look troubled. Are you okay?" He asked.
"No, it's nothing... I'm just dozing off." The feline answer in a rather bleak tone.
"Is that so?" He leans down and sat beside Ross with his one hand resting against his knee.
"Where's the Captain?" Ross inquired.
"She's talking with the boy over there." Gregory replied, gazing towards the truck in the distance with Lynn leaning against the front seat, talking with the boy.
"By the way, how did you and Captain first met?" The feline inquired, curiosity beemed out of knowhere.
"Hm? What's the sudden interest?"
"Nothing in particular, I'm just curious..."
"Hmmm... Let's see..." He rubbed his chin as he trying to recall of the past meeting.
But that didn't last long as Lynn approaches them both.
"Ah, Lynn. How'd it go?"
"Well... honestly, it's a little bit hard to believe..." She let out a sigh, adjusting her hat in the process.
"What did the boy say?"
"Well, it's kinda take awhile to process..."
Lynn recalls every conversation events between her and the boy named Joffrey.
"So, do you think you can tell me what happened?" Lynn asked with a soft tone.
"..." The boy hesitated to speak as she can saw his hands trembling.
But he put up all of his energy as he begins to speak. "...a couple of days ago... Iwas traveling through this forest with my father to trade some goods with the Jungle Tribes.."
"Hooo, so your father is a Traveling Merchant?"
"Yes..."
"And then? What happens after?"
"...And then, after we manages to trade some good with the tribes... we thought we could use some rest nearby here... and we found this place..."
"... the people in this place kindly let us rest for awhile before moving onwards... and then..."
"And then?"
"... Things were fine when we stayed there for awhile. And then, after that scary man came..."
"Scary man..? Do you mind describe this scary man that you have encountered?"
"...I'm not very sure myself... I think he was wearing a white fedora hat and... I think he wore somekind of white tuxedo with a white necktie.."
'... Not kind of image I was imagining but okay...' She tries to imagined the person that the boy describes but the only person came to her mind is Micheal Jackson, The famous Columbia singer that died a few decades ago.
"And.. then... when the man greet us, everything went black all of the sudden..."
Lynn widened her eyes a bit.
"... but when I woke up... I was already in a locker.. but I re-called someone saying not to get out of the locker no matter what happens... and I did..."
"B-But... when I did... everyone there was killed... and i can't find my father anywhere..." He was in the verge of tears, his hands began to tremble as he gripped the blanked firmly around him.
Her one hand reached out to the boy, stroking his head gently between his animalistic ears.
"You sure holding up pretty long in there... You did a great. Don't worry, we will find your father. One way or another." Lynn said with a reassuring smile.
"Y-You will..?"
"Mhm. You can leave it to us, we'll find your father and bring him back safely. I promise."
"T-Thank you, Miss Lynn..." He wipes the tears from his eyes with his one hand.
"Now Now, don't cry. It'll be alright."
"Please, be safe out there..." His innocent looking eyes gazes towards the ladd
That's pretty the summary of the conversation between her and the boy named Joffrey.
"What do you think?" Lynn questioned.
"Hmmmm... This is only a little lead we had if I must say..." Gregory spoke.
"And some things just doesn't add up.." Ross added.
"Plus, we don't have an entrance yet..."
"..." They all paused for awhile before Lynn noticed something.
"By the way, where is Derick?"
"Ah, if him, he went out for a pee." Ross replied.
"Phoo... I shouldn't have drink that.." Derick muttered as he walks through the dense jungle a little bit far away from safe house, trying to get a good spot to take a leak.
He pushed off the bushes to the side, unzip his pants and takes a good leak as he let out a relief sigh.
As he taking a leak behind the bush, he heard a rustling behind him. He jumped a bit, looking back to see who it was. No one is there.
"Ross! Gregory! I swear if one of you pulling pranks on me you'll regret it!" He yelled out, no response were made.
After a brief moment of silence, he turns around and get back to his leaking.
As his leaking ordeal has ended, he heard a loud thud behind him, this time it's more close to him. It makes his hair jumped.
He turns around and yells.
"Hey! I told you you're gonna regre-"
What he saw got him completely off guard and makes his stomach twirling.
A head of a female lupo rolls around on the ground in circular motion and stops at the tip of his shoes.
He did not move an inch as he stares at it for a moment. His face turning pale and starts to darken, not one word coming out of his mouth.
"HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?!" He suddenly yells, with tears forming up in his eyes. Making the birds from the trees in the area fleeing into the air.
Now the confirmed remainings are being secured and brought back to the vehicle as evidence for later.
"You okay man?" Gregory inquired, looking at the terrified feline, with his pale complexion on his face.
"Damn right i don't! A fucking head just rolled down next to my foot!" Derick fired.
"Very unfortunate..." Lynn massage the bridge of her nose.
"What now, Captain?" Ross asked.
"Right now, we're heading back. Let the clean-up crew do their job for the time and being."
"Yes, ma'am!" The trio said in unison.
《3 days later, R.I.I.C Lab 12:34 p.m》
There sits a woman with green-hair on a desk chair while examining through the report papers in her hands.
"So, that includes all the casualties..?" The woman questioned.
"Yes, Miss Kal'tsit." Lynn simply nods.
The green haired who sit across Lynn is Kal'tsit. She's one of Rhodes Island's high-level administrative crew, and leader to Rhodes Island's medical projects. Profoundly learned in metallurgy, sociology, Originium Arts, archaeology, history and genealogy, economics, botany, geology, and other fields. In a portion of Rhodes Island operations, provides medical theory assistance and emergency aid apparatus as medical personnel.
Although it has been years passed, she's still looking young as she was back then.
"Unfortunate..." She put the reports down on her desk, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Should we inform the Doctor about this?" Lynn asked.
"We already informed him of what happened. But unfortunately, he's still out doing errands in Leithanien." Kal'tsit replied.
"I see..."
Silence filled the filled the lab as they both stare at each other for a moment.
"Is there anything else?" Kal'tsit voice boomed.
"No, not right now at the moment." Lynn shook her head.
"If there's no more. Then, you're free to go." Kal'tsit said.
Lynn responded her back with a nod before rising up from the chair and made her way towards the doorway.
"Wait, Lynn." Kal'tsit boomed, making Lynn stop in her tracks just at the doorway of the lab, turns around as she gazes towards the lynx.
"Yes? Is something the matter?"
"One more thing. Can you do me a favor and call one of your squadmates here?" The lynx demanded.
"Which one are you talking about..?"
"The one with blue hair."
《TO BE CONTINUED》