Chapter 15: New Faces.
Pain... it was the first thing to come back... a dull ache throbbing at the back of my skull. I began to hear my own breathing, steady and slow. I swallowed, trying to get rid of the bad taste that clung to the inside of my mouth. My Adam's Apple however, scraped past a scratchy cord like material that was fastened firmly around my neck. My eyes shot open, and adjusted to the darkness that surrounded me. I felt something that was akin to a hessian sack which was secured firmly around my head, obscuring my vision from my surroundings. Not that it mattered, it was too dark to see a damn thing.
From what I could tell I was sitting in a chair, my wrists shackled by some sort of chain. I struggled against them, shaking them violently, but served no purpose save from bruising my wrist. I sighed in frustration before slumping back into the cold metal chair. I wasn't able to leave anytime soon. Just then, a muffled familar voice called out from my left.
"Lawrence? Is that you?" It was Holo, apparently also confined with me.
"Holo!? You're alright..." I said with a modicum of relief, at least now I didn't have to worry what became of her. Although she and I would most likely share the same a grim fate.
"I'm unharmed, This bag is really itching my skin though… Just who were those villains anyway? Who are we up against right now?" Holo inquired in a strained voice. Apparently struggling with some restraints of her own.
"Pegasi Agents… they're a private task force working for the PH Corporation… You don't see a Pegasi Agent unless you've fucked with PH. It's also probably the last thing you see…" I muttered darkly. Holo continued to focus on her restraints. Trying to wrench herself free from whatever was binding her. They must have been sturdy, in order to resist her inhuman strength.
"So... that Pagasi Corporation… is behind this? Why… are they desperate to find us…" Holo contemplated between her strained grunts.
"They're desperate to find you… I'm just a loose end…" I stated grimly, my eyes narrowing beneath the bag. Both of us were shackled and blinded, at the mercy of our captors with no immediate escape. The situation was bleak to say the least. Holo gave up her pointless struggle, deciding it would be better to conserve her energy.
"I'm sorry about Norah… I knew you two were… close." She muttered somewhat nonchalantly.
I didn't answer her, steadily slowing my breaths. The two of us sat there in the darkness of the room for some time. I closed my eyes and pictured the young shepherdesses' face. Her smile, her kind brown eyes, her golden locks...
"We killed her… just like how we killed Jacob." I stated solemnly.
"That's not true, she decided to stay of her own accord. It was her fault." Holo retorted as if this was some kind of childlike argument.
"We got them involved!" I snapped back, angry now.
"They accepted the risks." Holo shot back.
"Don't you get it? Pegasus Horizons will stop at nothing to get to you… Because I ran to Nora and Jacob for help, they wound up dead. We're both to blame for that. Regardless of whether or not they accepted it, their deaths are on our head!" I griped, angered by the wolf's seemingly cold nature.
"They were… that important to you weren't they? Hmm..." Holo mumbled, trailing off in thought.
I was silent for some time before speaking.
"I hope to god PH will ignore my other contacts. I've got enough on my conscience." I grunted, pulling against my restraints once again. We sat in silence again, each unsure what to say to the other. Eventually it was Holo who broke the silence between us.
"So… what happens now?" She asked quietly, her voice seeming distant, as if she were contemplating something. I sighed softly before responding.
"I don't know… probably the end of the road." I admitted solemnly.
"I can't accept that!" Holo spat, angered by my defeated tone. "I've far too many questions to die out now, I refuse!"
I shook my head slowly. "You don't have any power over the situation. This is probably it Holo, like it or not." I explained bitterly.
"But that's not fair!" She whined, almost like a spoiled child.
"Life isn't fair!" I shouted through gritted teeth. "You just make do with what you've got, if you're dealt a bad hand, too bad. You play your cards as best you can… wherever that may lead you…" I trailed off. 'Mine lead me here... to be shot and forgotten in some dingy basement, or something. Just reported as another missing person, one among thousands.' I thought, a little disappointed how that would be my end... no blaze of glory or anything meaningful. Just left to bleed out of a shitty concrete floor.
"But you're not out of the game yet…" Said a voice, emanating from some kind of speaker.
Holo and I went very quiet, realizing we were not alone. I felt myself forcibly stiffen at the voice, It belonged to a female, and sounded oddly familiar…
"W-who's there!?" I shouted, into the darkness around me. Holo was quiet, listening in to her surroundings no doubt.
"Despite how it would seem, I mean you no harm honestly. I couldn't risk you jeopardizing everything I've accomplished so far…" The woman said in an indifferent, yet formal tone. I remained quiet for a moment longer before it clicked.
"You… you're that woman who sent me that message! Who are you exactly?!" I exclaimed, rather curious how she even knew about my possession of Zheren's palmtop…
"Correct, I am. I was the one who guided you away from the Agents. You could at least show me some gratitude." She griped, dodging my question.
"You still haven't answered me..." I retorted, holding my ground against her. She was quiet for a moment longer.
"It matters not who I am… all that matters is our goal." She replied curtly.
"Which are?" Holo asked, growing tired of beating round the bush with this woman.
"Uncovering information on Project Romulus… I take it you know about it?" She responded, quicker than I had expected. I froze at the mentioning of the project, she was after the same thing we were. And I started to line up the pieces.
"'E'… You're 'E' aren't you…" I muttered and the female suddenly went quiet. A moment of silence passed before she spoke once again.
"Very good Lawrence… you were a good candidate after all." She said, almost seeming amused by my deduction.
"Shit…" I cursed under my breath, realizing that I was now dealing with Zheren's mysterious and powerful benefactor…
"So then Lawrence, now that you know this… and knowing that we share a same goal… I would like to offer a proposal to you and your… recent companion." She offered, as if this were a business deal.
"What do you want from us?" Holo inquired with an intrigued tone.
"I require your help in finding the truth. The truth that Pegasus Horizons has hidden away from the good people of America. The truth must be exposed, no matter the cost." she said a ring of conviction in her voice.
"What truth?" I asked, pondering what on earth she could be talking about.
"A truth buried under thousands of innocent bodies. If you want to know more… about the truth behind Project Romulus… you'll have to work with me." She stated curtly.
"And why should we trust you?" I grunted, thus far unimpressed by 'E's proposal.
"You of all people shouldn't ask such questions Lawrence, you lack loyalty… You're something of a lone dog… And that makes me very skeptical of your intentions." I visibly flinched at her words, she knew about my betrayal of Zheren and the others.
"However, I do know this… I need what's on your Ink circuit… I know you have a fondness for credits and harbor no love to Pegasus Horizons. Mutual cooperation would be beneficial for the both of us." She offered whilst I began weighing my options, calculating the risks.
"And if we refuse?" Holo asked from somewhere to the left of me.
"You remain here. Either you voluntarily work with us… or you will simply remain." The woman elaborated smoothly, maintaining a professional front.
"So… we're obliged to cooperate then…" I murmured in a somewhat bitter tone.
"You do realize I'm being very generous with my offer here. I believe you will be a useful assets for a good cause… And you'd be of more use if you cooperated willingly."
I silently contemplated this for a moment before sighing softly. There wasn't much of a choice.
"Alright… however, I do make a point to only do business with people I can put a face to… so… if you want our cooperation, why don't we start with that."
The woman was very quiet for quite some time before responding.
"This notion is acceptable, however, in exchange I want you to tell me everything you know about Project Romulus and what exactly happened during the raid at Wheaten. And I want you to speak truthfully, as a sign of our new found trust of each other… agreed?"
I pursed my lips at these conditions and found them reasonable. I was in no real position to propose any sort of counter terms, yet even so… I still managed to carry weight… This 'E' must've wanted my cooperation rather badly…
"Deal." I said firmly.
The speakers went quiet, as the line was cut on the opposite end. Nothing but silence remained, and I began to suspect I'd been toyed with. Suddenly, the sound of whining iron echoed off the walls and dazzling white light flooded into the room. Light poked through the small gaps of my heshen bag.
The sound of calmly paced footsteps could be heard before I felt the cord loosen and the bag was ripped off my head. There was a small flash of white and my eyes adjusted. Right before I was now staring down the barrel of a military grade Pulse Rifle. My eyes widened and my heart raced, before getting a good look at the several balaclava wearing gunmen that hovered around the room. They were all dressed in thick urban camo-gear that covered most of their bodies, complete with black combat boots and black tactical gloves. Most of them were paying close attention to Holo, keeping their weapons steady on her as one timidly removed the bag around her head, her wolf like ears standing up on ends. She was heavily bound by large silvery metal chains of some kind, which were wrapped tightly around thick metal pipes that ran deep into the earth.
'No wonder she couldn't escape, these guys aren't fucking around here…' I thought, now staring at the gunman in front of me.
"So… where's 'E'?" I asked cautiously, fearing that they were just fucking around with us and prepping our execution.
"I'll apologize for the rough treatment from earlier… violence is a rather uncouth method to solving issues…" I heard the familiar female voice speak, as a slender figure stepped into the room, the sound of sleek high heels clacking against the room's concrete floor. My mouth went a little slack as I now got a look at her. She had a neat blonde bob haircut as well as the most piercing blue eyes I'd seen on a woman. When she walked, she held an air of confidence in her stride, scanning the room with her cool gaze as she assessed the situation, until her eyes rested upon the chained Holo. The woman was dressed in a sleek black blazer, and matching business skirt with neat black stockings. However, once I saw the woman's slender, noble face. It all clicked together on her identity.
"But… it is necessary from time to time…" She said, now staring at Holo. The wolf in questions returned a rather aggravated glare, I suspected she loathed being bound once again.
"You… y-you're Eve Boland… You're 'E'? Why would the Cabinet ranking official take up such a role?" I stammered, my mind racing as the pieces began to fit together. The funding, the equipment, the vast pool of information and data. All could be obtained with the right connections and the right backing… backing that the Administrator of the EPA would have. Eva now fixed her blue eyes upon me before giving me a small amused smile.
"Why? Because, I have a duty to the people of this nation to cease the endless exploitation of the common workingman and our planet, ultimately by uprooting the vast corruption within the PH Corporation. With your help and knowledge of Project Romulus, we could very well tear the whole thing down around their heads." She explained curtly.
"Lawrence, just who is this woman?!" Holo interrupted with a growl, her gaze flicking between Eva and I. Her outburst caused the men guarding her to prime their weapons.
The woman in question turned her blue gaze towards the wolf before waving off her gunmen. "I understand that you'd have some questions, however in return I expect answers of my own. To circumvent your lingering mistrust, I am Eve Boland, current Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency." She answered with a reserved smile.
"You mean a public figurehead?" Holo shot back. An amused smirk tugged at one end of Eve's smile.
"More like a trusted official, for what it's worth these days... one who strongly opposes the deceitful and reckless actions of the PH Corporation. Which is why, I have a strong interest with Project Romulus…" Eve answered, shifting to a semi-formal attitude.
"…Speaking of which." She uttered, now returning her attention back to me.
"Our little deal Lawrence?" She stated, her tone developing an edge to it. I furrowed my brow, unsatisfied with the way this conversation was headed.
"Hold on a minute! Why did you hire Zheren's crew for the raid on Wheaten? Why and… how did you gather so much information on me?" I exclaimed, rattling my restraints slightly. Eve's face fell, clearly my persistence wasn't going to work with her.
But right now, I need you to tell me what you know about the project, what you've seen and what you've done." She ordered flatly, faintly glancing over to Holo for a second. I grimaced at her words, images of Zheren, Trevino, Jacob and Nora resurfacing in my mind… her smile still lingering in my head for a moment longer. It was Eva's voice that snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I've upheld my end of the bargain Lawrence, now show me you can be trusted and uphold yours." She said, her now stern voice like a jab in my side. I grimaced, my eyes darting over to Holo for the briefest moment. I started talking, if I needed her trust to break free from these bonds, I'd do my best to earn it.
I told her how Zheren got in contact with me… my reluctance and Zheren's forceful cooperation… the raid on Wheaten… Holo… Yoitsu's experiment files and my failed decryption of my grid… The police and finally the Agents. Eve would ask questions every so often, and avoid any questions I asked. She wasn't going to give anything away. After I finished spilling my guts out to her, she finally made a small pondering hum before she opened her mouth.
"I see… So PH really did it…" Eve muttered, her hand against her chin.
"What do you mean really did it?" Holo snapped, her fierce gaze never leaving Eve. The senator smiled to herself at the wolf's outburst.
"Release them both." She said with a wave of her hand, as her masked gunmen, immediately began releasing mine and Holo's restraints. However, they made sure as to keep a close eye on Holo, as they seemed weary of her inhuman like strength. As soon as the metal shackles fell, I began rubbing my wrists like a madman. The silvery chains fell from Holo and the wolf shook herself down, glaring at the armed men that surrounded her. Watching… waiting… slowly but surely, she made her way over to me.
'Perhaps she felt safer in a pack.' I mused in my head, before Holo addressed Eve
"What did you mean…? What have these Pegasi done?" She asked with a growl. Eve deliberated on whether or not to say anything, before deciding to answer. She took a few steps closer to us and waving the gunmen out.
"Please leave, I wish to talk to these two in private." Eve stated and the gunmen obeyed without question, moving calmly out of the room, without uttering a single word. They closed the door behind them. Leaving the three of us in the dark. Light flickered on as Eve hit a switch somewhere. The light revealed a dingy warehouse storage room, it looked like it hadn't been used for years.
"You really haven't caught onto it have you?" Eve muttered sourly. Holo and I stayed silent, waiting for Eve to continue and she sighed.
"In March, twenty-fifty-three… A um… virus appeared. From what I understand it was an advanced form of canine rabies." Eve explained and it started to resurface in my mind.
"Wait, are you talking about the Lo strain? The one that killed nearly a sixth of the US population?" I asked, wondering where Eve was going with this.
"Exactly. That virus was a virtual epidemic and to prevent human to human contagion, many dogs were culled. However, the virus continued to spread. At the same time the PH Corporation had been buying off congressmen, senators and cabinet board members through bribes, blackmail or worse. They wanted to try and loosen several human and environmental rights to suit their own needs. Because of this, they drew attention away from the issue at hand. We lacked the power and the resources to properly contain and treat the virus. And so… we eventually had to turn to those rats for help… At least they did their job I guess. But at the cost of abolishing several bills that were vital for workers rights and environmental sustainability." Eve explained wearily, as she lazily paced up and down the storage room.
"But what does any of this have to do with Project Romulus?!" Holo demanded, impatient.
"Well, you see… The PH corp never successfully eliminated the virus. They only swept it under the rug. Buried it all, so that people wouldn't know the truth." Eve explained flatly, as if she was saying this for the hundredth time.
I swallowed uncomfortably, uneasy of where this was headed.
"What truth?" Holo asked defensively.
Eve was silent for quite some time, still unsure about sharing whatever big revelation she had. Before an amused smile flashed across her face.
"Trust is a hard thing to come by… so I'll tell you this… I know how you can remove the decryption set upon those PH files you stole…"
Holo and I exchanged the briefest glances before addressing her, and I furrowed my brow. "So… you've been keeping close tabs on me for all this time then…" I muttered with resentment.
Eve gave a small chuckle "Indeed, so… shall you cooperate with me now that you know I hold the answers you seek?"
"I find it hard to believe you have the cyphers necessary to crack this level of encryption." I retorted skeptically.
Eve snorted at my statement. "You are correct yes, I do not have the necessary tools you seek… But I know where you can acquire them."
"Not very reassuring." I mumbled.
Eve ignored my comment and continued. "From what I've gathered those files have been effected by an ACS encryption code."
My eyes widened "Access Controlled System encryption? I've seen them before, but… nothing of this caliber… To rewrite your entire encryption protocols and still keep them valid would take an unbelievably complex algorithm writing… So… I take it you know where to decrypt it correct?"
"That's what I've been saying" Eve mused, whilst Holo's gaze dashed between the two of us looking fairly lost. She leaned over to me before tugging my still bloodied coat.
"Lawrence, what is this encryption nonsense?" she asked, her voice nearly a whisper.
"ACS encryption means that you can only decipher the ingrained protocols through certain types of cyphers at specific locations… I guess the Lab at Wheaten had one of those cyphers…" I muttered.
Eve nodded. "That's correct, yes. Pegasus Horizons wanted to keep their secrets safe at all costs." She added frankly, causing Holo to stir.
"So what? We have to storm back into Wheaten?" She asked with a growl, flexing her wrists and fingers. As if she were prepping herself for a fight.
I saw a faint glint in Eve's eye before she answered Holo's inquiry. "No, unfortunately for us, the cypher held within Wheaten's lab was destroyed once those unidentified assailants took over the facility…" She explained, her expression becoming unreadable.
"So, you know about the mechs as well huh? Who were they?" I asked, wondering just how much she knew.
Eve gave a frustrated sigh. "I do not know… Pegasus Horizons has a lot of enemies, far too many. All I know is that they were smuggled into the facility somehow. Had I known of them, I would have ordered Zheren to abandon the operation." She said, before shaking her head.
"Regardless, I know of a second cypher… one that lays in an old Lab… abandoned and forgotten by the PH Corporation." Eve continued.
I grimaced at her words. "So, what's the catch?" I muttered sourly.
Eve made another amused smile at my words before talking. "The catch is, this lab is confined within the quarantined walls of Sector Ten."
I furrowed my brow at the thought. "Ah…" I muttered softly.
"Sector Ten? What's wrong with it?" Holo questioned, unknown of the recent events that occurred there. Before Eve answered Holo's query.
"Sector Ten was put under strict quarantine and all its residents were evacuated to a remote medical facility by Pegasus Horizons, after what they claimed to be a 'chemical leak'. Getting in could prove… well…" She trailed off.
"Impossible." I grunted.
Eve shot me a look. "Not exactly, difficult to be sure… but not impossible." She said with a sense of knowing confidence.
I remained silent for a moment longer, hoping she'd fill us in.
"So what do you need us to do?" Holo inquired cautiously, obviously she was done with waiting.
Eve recollected her professional front before answering.
"There are gaps within their security. There are several points along their quarantine wall where a small group can infiltrate the quarantined area. I know where these points are… however they require a certain access code… Something that I do not have… But I know where it can be acquired." Eve explained with a cool level headed tone.
'This just keeps getting better and better…' I thought, realizing how much of a mess I was getting myself into.
"Richten Marlheit…. You two are acquainted no?" Eve mused, directing a sideways glance towards me. I swallowed, recognizing the name all too well.
"We've had…dealings… in the past." I admitted, although Eve probably knew this already.
"Well, Marlheit has what we need. And he owes me a few favors… I believe we could enlist his aid." Eve explained, nonchalantly.
"And you want us to act as your representative?" Holo stated, seemingly following the conversation.
Eve nodded. "Indeed, I cannot publicly appear to conduct my business. Imagine the scandal. I'd be out of office in a heartbeat." Eve noted towards Holo, seemingly intrigued by the Wolf's intuition.
"Richten Marlheit… He's not an easy man to get hold of… Any idea where we could find him?" I mused, hoping Eve could make our job easier.
Eve sighed. "No… but I know where you could start looking. Hans Remario, he used to be a low ranking detective for the LAPD, and kept close tabs on Marlheit until he could gather enough incriminating evidence to crack down on him. He never got the chance however, he was recently Black Listed for 'negligence of duty'. Rather suspicious that his last action was to oversee your capture, don't you think?" She mused with a level of mirth... almost as if she were telling a joke. She cleared her throat before continuing.
"At any rate, Remario is the best place to start and fortunately we know where to find him... So how about it? Will you assist me in taking down Pegasus Horizons and in return, I shall grant the truth you seek?" Eve proposed, in a business like manner.
I exchanged the slightest glance with Holo, who looked like she was completely sold on the prospect of answers. I exhaled sharply, before extending out my right hand.
"I guess we have a deal then..." I muttered, as Eve went to meet my handshake. She grasped my hand tightly, issuing a stern warning through her grip.
"Indeed." She replied curtly before releasing my hand.
"I do have a few requests however..." I stated, trying to match her professional front.
"Oh?" Eve mused, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
"Any chance we could get a car?" I inquired.
Eve merely smiled at me...
Author's Note:
So sorry for the delay on this chapter, I had to attend to a few more IRL matters.
I apologize in advance if I miss any future updates. But I shall try my best in order to meet them.
Thanks for your continued support.
-RRR