Jude was eternally grateful for the silence of Helioborg at night. How the security team ever allowed him to stay so late, he'd never know. It was probably Bakur's doing, or some unspoken rule that allowed obsessed researchers to stay locked down in base after hours to continue their work.
It was nice, Jude thought, to be able to continue without any interruptions in the dead of night when his brain seemed to be the most productive. Even Alvin hadn't nagged him about it, so long as he went to sleep at some point. They had reached a bit of an understanding after their last spat about his sleeping habits, and for that he was grateful. Alvin really was only trying to help.
Alvin.
Jude leaned back in his chair and sought Alvin in the dim-lighting. He was exactly where he left him three hours ago: on the couch, GHS in hand, nodding in and out of sleep while texting. The scene brought a smile to Jude's face; when he didn't sleep, Alvin didn't either just so he could keep an eye on him. Another rule of being a bodyguard, he supposed, but it was appreciated. Sometimes Helioborg got to be a little creepy at night, and having someone else around to keep him company made things easier.
"Alvin, if you want to take a nap, I'll wake you." Jude offered to the tired man.
Alvin paused in his half-asleep texting to look his way, blinking rapidly before grinning. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that? You're going on twenty hours, aren't you?" And he was right, but once again, Jude was on a roll and didn't want to leave before finishing his current task.
Jude pushed back from his desk and stood, stretching with arms high above his head. "I know. I'm almost done scanning and cataloguing the files we got from Professor Haus's lab so we can find them easier." He walked over to the worktable and began shuffling through the mountain of paperwork Mary and he had sorted into piles based off their dates in hopes of making the process easier. So far it was still a mess, but they were making progress.
Alvin stood as well, arching his back with an audible pop from his spine. "How much longer do you think?"
"Four, maybe five hours."
"Jude." A tone of warning; he knew what was coming.
"I know, I know. I just don't want to leave it all for Mary to do, okay?" Jude sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was a battle he knew he couldn't win, and it was for the best that he conceded this one. He was tired after all.
Alvin shook his head with a hefty sigh of his own. "I'll give you two more hours, but after that you're sleeping for at least five, you got that?"
"Three and four." Jude countered.
"One and six." Alvin wasn't budging.
The battle was lost. Jude bowed his head. "Fine, two hours, then I'll sleep. But wake me, okay? I want to keep working on this."
Seemingly satisfied with their compromise, Alvin gave him a tired smile. "Deal. But if we're going another two hours, I need some coffee. Do you want any?"
"Please." The smile was returned in full. At least Alvin was trying to work with him on the whole sleep schedule nonsense.
Alvin pocketed his GHS and headed for the door, pausing at the entry to glance back at his charge. "Don't leave this room until I get back."
"I know, I know." It was the same warning as always, but a necessary one. Jude felt a little safer being left alone in the lab alone since the gates were locked and guards posted on the parameter, but the paranoia remained. Alvin never tried to disprove it, either, which was both comforting and not. Jude was never safe alone, but he was safe with Alvin, or at least it felt that way.
Perhaps he was becoming too dependent on the man. Alvin was, and remained, his hired bodyguard. Eventually, his contract would end and Jude would be left to fend for himself. When that would happen, he was unsure. It could be when his project was done or when Exodus was gone, or even when Bakur decided he was no longer needed. What would he do when he no longer had Alvin to watch his back? To make sure he ate and slept properly and kept him company in the lab on late nights?
But Alvin wasn't just his bodyguard now… Right?
Since their tiff at Alvin's apartment, things began to feel different. Not in a bad way, far from it. They just seemed closer somehow. Alvin would often come to check on him while he worked, his hands lingering on his shoulders long after their brief conversations had ended, as if he had more to say but did not know how to bring it up.
When they were alone it was much the same, prolonged touches, longing gazes aimed his way when Alvin thought Jude wouldn't notice. But he was, and what Alvin didn't know was that they were being returned, shyly, by Jude himself.
There was something there, but it felt like Alvin was unwilling to act. It was frustrating for Jude, but he could hardly blame him either. Even he was unsure where to start, or if he even should. Their relationship was a professional one, and he could call him a friend at best. And yet more than once he had caught himself staring, his heart hammering in his chest at the mere thought of having the man closer.
Leia had noticed it too.
In fact, they had met up with her earlier in the day, an impromptu lunch date between friends. With his schedule being so packed (by his own doing, he'd admit) they hardly had time to see each other. Leia demanded lunch for being ignored so long, saying it was unacceptable for Alvin to talk to her more than he did.
Jude had to agree, but that did leave him to wonder what the two were chatting about constantly. He even made Alvin wait at the entrance, for safety, and so he could talk privately with his best friend.
"Are you doing okay, Jude?" She asked as soon as they were seated, the menus placed before them before the waitress scurried off to help another patron at the busy diner. "We haven't talked much since the break-in."
He may not always show it, but Jude was eternally grateful for her concern. When they were kids, he often shrugged it off as her being nosy, meddling. He was a boy and he should be able to take care of himself, that's what his father would say. But Leia had never tried to change him. She'd say that Jude didn't need to avoid things like cooking or reading just so the others would like him better, just like she wouldn't avoid training with her mother just to seem more like a girl. The unequivocal acceptance made Jude feel better, even when his own father would often belittle him for not living up to expectations.
As they grew older, Jude continued to appreciate the eternal ray of sunshine that was his best friend. Even when things were rough for her, she always offered all the support that Jude could ever ask for, even when she herself needed it more. Selfless was a good way to describe Leia, to the point that it hindered her own progress in life.
When they moved to Trigleph, they vowed to do their best, and in spite of all the insane things that had happened, Leia had already held up her end of the deal. She had made friends, got her own place, and truly grown independent.
Jude envied that of her. She had managed to keep things going for herself while Jude remained stagnant. He had to wonder if he'd always be this way, too afraid to move without someone pushing him.
But at least the people who pushed him remained, always willing to pick him up off the ground when he fell. Leia, Balan, Mary… Even Alvin. He didn't know where he'd be without them.
Well, he knew where, but he didn't want to think about that just then.
"Things are going better." Jude said with a small smile. "I feel like I'm making progress again at the lab, even if it's slower than normal."
Leia shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, I mean you personally. You've gone through a lot in just a couple of months, and…" She deflated slightly. "And I'm worried. I know how you get when you're stressed."
All too well, Jude reminded himself. Even when he was a kid he had a tendency to push himself past his limit, to the point that he'd end up sick from exhaustion. Even more recently, when his board exams were upon him and he had procrastinated to the point of cramming for four days straight, Leia was the one he called when he felt too tired to crawl from his desk to his bed. It was a wonder she didn't hop the first boat to Fennmont back then, but she did stay on the phone with Jude until he had gotten into bed and demanded he sleep until he was fully rested.
But this time… It wasn't Leia that dragged him to bed, but Alvin.
Jude grinned sheepishly, idly playing with a strand of hair. "Ah… I did go a little overboard right after, but Alvin's been keeping me in line. He makes sure I don't go too long without food or sleep."
"I'm glad for it! You need a good kick in the right direction sometimes. You end up stuck otherwise."
She had him pinned, Jude had to admit. Leia wasn't his best friend for nothing.
The waitress delivered their drinks, and Jude wondered if he should bring Alvin over so he could participate in the meal. It was only fair, but the next words out of Leia's mouth reminded him as to why he was left at the door.
"Speaking of, just what is up with you and Alvin?"
Jude almost choked on his tea. He really shouldn't try drinking when someone is talking to him.
"W-what do you mean?" Jude coughed and he was sure Alvin was staring at him from across the room.
"Oh, don't play dumb, Jude. You guys went on a date, right? I never got the details out of you from that."
Right, he had promised details. Jude felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. He couldn't tell her that he had gotten piss-drunk in Duval and didn't remember half the night; Leia would never let him live it down. But lying was just as bad.
Better to just come clean about it.
Jude idly stirred his drink, unable to meet her incredulous gaze. "I… Well it was nice, and Alvin is…" He never imagined putting it into words would be so difficult. "Alvin is very kind, and considerate, and supportive… And I… Well…"
"You have a thing for him." Leia added, grinning slyly.
And Jude was wholly unable to disagree. "Yeah… I think I do, but…"
"But you think he doesn't have a thing for you."
Leia was a mind reader, he was sure of it. That, or Jude was horribly obvious.
The drink was set down and Jude gave a heavy sigh. "He's my bodyguard. He's paid to be around me at all times. Dating me isn't in his job description." Jude continued to tell himself that, and yet it always left him feeling just a little more depressed than before.
Of course, Leia had a quip for that mindset as well.
"Have you asked him about it?"
"Why would I do that? It'd only make things awkward!"
"Jude, you're awkward." She wasn't wrong. "What if he has a thing for you too? Have you noticed any signs?"
"Signs?" What did she mean signs? Knowing himself, the only sign he'd readily notice would have been a neon banner over Alvin's head saying "I like you".
But… Thinking back, hadn't there been hints that Alvin might be interested? The lingering touches, the longing looks, the way he paused during conversations as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Fixing him meals, checking on him throughout the day, inviting him to watch his favorite TV programs with Alvin's arm around his shoulder just so Jude would do something other than work and study, and carrying him to his room when he inevitably fell asleep.
Protecting him, holding him when things got to be too much, not shaming him for crying, telling him things would be okay, that he was safe, that he'd protect him.
Were those things really in the job description of a bodyguard?
And then there was Duval, their "date", the words muttered into Alvin's glass when he thought Jude couldn't hear them. "Maybe I have a chance."
His face was lit a brilliant red.
Leia grinned smugly, as if she just witnessed the pieces coming together first hand with her help. "You should talk to him about it sometime. Who knows how much longer you two will be working together. You don't want to miss your chance!"
"You're right, but… How do I even ask Alvin about it?"
"Ask me about what, Jude?"
Jude almost ejected from his chair when he heard the older man's voice. Whirling around his eyes lay upon Alvin, who could only grin and offer him a nonchalant wave. "Hey, didn't your mom tell you it's impolite to talk about someone behind their back?" He winked playfully and Jude's face turned a spectacular shade of pink. Just how much had he heard?
Thankfully, Leia was there to bail him out.
"Alvin, come sit with us! We're about to order our food!" She patted the seat between herself and Jude, which Alvin took graciously.
The conversation seemed to recover from there, Leia leading the topic away from Jude's obvious crush on his bodyguard and more towards safe waters. Her work, the latest fashion, what they intended to do that weekend. Once again Jude was grateful to have her around; Maxwell knew he'd never survive in social situations without her.
The flutter of papers and folders broke him from his reverie, one of the files having toppled over onto the lab floor. Jude muttered a soft curse before kneeling to pick them up, hoping they hadn't gotten mixed together. It was one of the newer stacks, one filled with handwritten documents and incoherent diagrams left by his late mentor.
His eyes fell to one page in particular. A white sheet of paper with row after row of black boxes, arranged in no particular fashion, creating a strange design that covered the entire page. It was printed, that much Jude knew, but its purpose was completely foreign to him. But if it is part of the files that Professor Haus kept, then it must have some sort of importance.
Jude carried the pile to the scanner and began feeding pages through, watching as they came up on the monitor one after another. One of the many benefits of Elympion technology; items could be transcribed into searchable indexes within minutes, making the search for materials in the lab much quicker than digging through endless piles of paper. That, and there was a shortage of trees in Elympios, so any technology that could be used instead of traditional pen on paper was greatly desired.
One after another, the pages appeared on the screen, a dialogue box transcribing them and saving into a file. The words would appear in a separate file, leaving the scanned image attached just in case there was a mistake in transcription. With how messy Haus's notes could get, having the originals intact was essential.
The computer suddenly played a horrid buzzing through the tinny speakers, several beeps following immediately after. It was enough to startle Jude into dropping the remaining files as several dialogue boxes appeared on the computer screen in rapid succession. Jude stood at the keyboard, trying to get the computer to respond, only for it to continue flickering through pages and displays until finally going black.
"Oh, great." Jude grumbled. "I broke it."
Jude glanced to the scanner, noting the most recent page to be sent through; the bizarre, black squared paper. It must have freaked the software out, Jude mused with a sigh. He reached behind the tower to turn off the system, only to pause as another beep echoed through the empty lab. A new dialogue box appeared against the blank screen.
REQUIRES PASSWORD_
"Password…?" Jude's eyes drifted from the screen to the scanner. The last page to filter through was the one covered in strange boxes. Did that have something to do with it?
Curious, Jude sat down before the keyboard, wondering what password the machine was prompting for. Judging by the file name, it must have been something to do with Haus, or else created by the man himself.
Jude tried to think back to the passwords that Professor Haus used often, coming up with only a handful. The man wasn't entirely fond of the computers he was given to use, and often called on Jude to help with the work.
The only thing he could do was try.
He tried the most common one; HOWE1
INVALID PASSWORD_
Jude frowned, making another attempt. MAXWELL
INVALID PASSWORD_
Still nothing. Another. EGGPRINCIPLE
INVALID PASSWORD_
"Damn it!" Jude growled, frustrated. Why did Professor Haus wait until he got to this file to get creative with his passwords? He leaned back in the chair, scrubbing his hands across his face. Password, password… What was the password… Jude racked his brain for any sort of clue, any idea of what his mentor would have used to lock this particular file.
He leaned over the keyboard again, typing in another shot at the required word.
SPIRITARTES
INVALID PASSWORD_
RASHUGAL
INVALID PASSWORD_
FENNMONT
INVALID PASSWORD_
Nothing. None of the obvious passwords were working. Jude stared at the screen, as if waiting for the answer to pop out at him. What would be easy for Haus to remember, but difficult for anyone else to guess?
An idea occurred to him, one that felt conceited, and yet it might be simple enough to work.
Carefully he typed the new attempt, hoping for the best.
JUDEMATHIS
PASSWORD ACCEPTED_
The screen flickered to black again before a dozen new windows appeared, filled with documents and scanned notes. They didn't appear to be anything of Haus's, why would they be in the archive?
The foremost article caught his eye, the bold print reading "Otherworld Reactor Plan", the date from ten years back. Jude began scanning over the lines, trying to ascertain the purpose of the document
He immediately wished he hadn't.
'We the citizens of Elympios recognize that our continued survival as a civilization depends on the energy harnessed from spirits. With the recently acknowledged shortage of spirits, we recognize that we must harness more mana from other means in order to assure the livelihood of our country. We of Exodus… Exodus, Jude paused at the name, his heart skipping a beat. …propose the reinstatement of the Otherworld Reactor Plan in order to harness the spirits residing in other lands.'
The spirits in other lands… It didn't take a genius to figure out which land the document was referring to. While that alone instilled a sense of panic in the pit of his stomach, Jude forced himself to continue.
'The recently proposed mana-siphoning device, EX-02-A (informally known as the Lance of Kresnik, see article 193) would allow the necessary mana to be drawn from sources outside of Elympios in order to power the technology needed to sustain our way of life.'
Jude clicked over to the aforementioned article, a diagram showing a strange looking canon. The Lance of Kresnik, Jude realized. Large red print at the top stating, quite plainly, that the information was confidential and not for public release. His eyes glanced between the diagrams and the article as it went into more detail of the cannon's mechanisms. How it was powered, how the energy was to be stored. From what he could gather, it seemed the plan had been deemed a failure due to the team's inability to properly power the equipment. The spyrix just couldn't handle it without melting down and the article cited several accidents that resulted in loss of life.
In the end, the plan was dropped completely. 'Any further development of EX-02-A was formally ceased as of 10/02/2279. Any and all documents pertaining to EX-02-A are to be taken out of circulation.'
And yet, these documents remained. Exodus, the Otherworld Reactor Plan, the Lance of Kresnik… Jude realized that these were the plans set in motion long before Haus and he were brought into the picture. But why did Professor Haus have all these? Where did they come from?
There must have been a reason, Jude thought.
Jude plucked the sheet of paper from the scanner. Whatever it was, it must have been what brought up the archive, with the file itself being on the hard drive hidden away. I better get these together to show Balan. It looks like these were circulated publically at one point. Maybe he'll know why Haus had them saved?
He clicked the file menu, selecting the export option. It was better to have these on a disc than buried in the hard drive and only accessible with a coded sheet. The dialogue prompted for a disc, and Jude grabbed on from the pile atop the tower and inserted it into the slot. The countdown began, 1%... 2%... It wouldn't take too long.
While he waited, Jude continued to browse through the documents. More schematics, the proposals from Exodus, and rejections from the Elympion government. All of them seemed to prolong the inevitable instead of solving the problem. He moused over to another article, and the color drained from his face as he took in the words. It appeared to be an internal memo of sorts, circulated via electronic mail. And the crowd it was addressing only served to make Jude feel ill.
'With the opening of the border, we of Exodus feel we can no longer stand aside and watch our own kind live in squalor in order to appease the government of Rieze Maxia. As we have established private support and have invited outside researchers for the task of resolving issues that previous halted our progress, I, Gilandor Yul Svent, formally reinstate the Otherworld Reactor Plan under privatized development.'
That name.
Gilandor Yul Svent.
Svent.
Svent.
Alvin Svent.
Before Jude had even a second to process this thought, he heard a distinctive metallic click. He froze, breath hitching in his throat, before slowly turning around. He found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Alvin's gun.
"Alvin, what is this…?" Jude's voice was small, frightened, looking to the man for answers.
The pistol remained pointed at his head, Alvin's finger on the trigger, his expression flat, emotionless. "Just give me the disc, Jude, and I'll forget I saw anything."
"Alvin, what's happening?" Jude asked, taking a step back, trying to put some distance between himself and the gun aimed his way. "What are all these documents? Does Exodus… Do they have something to do with Haus? Is that why…?"
"Stop talking, Jude." Alvin demanded, voice stern, angry. This wasn't the Alvin he knew. "This is not for you to know."
Jude braved a glance at the monitor, noting the export dialogue in the corner. 95%... 96%... "Alvin… Please tell me you're not part of Exodus." He needed answers, but he also needed to stall. Just a minute more, and then he could take the disc and run. "Please tell me you're not working with these murderers!"
A shot rang out, ricocheting off the metal casing of the computer just inches from his head. Jude stifled a scream, eyes locking with the man he had trusted to protect him, now the one after his life. "Alvin, what are you doing?!" He shouted, hand inching towards the eject button. Just a couple more seconds...
"I don't want to do this, Jude, but you leave me no choice." Alvin pulled the hammer back again, another bullet entering the chamber, ready to fire again.
Jude knew he had to do something, anything, to save himself, and something told him just complying with Alvin's order wasn't going to spare him Exodus's wrath. And Alvin… Alvin wasn't going to protect him this time.
The electronic beep from behind him was his cue. Jude shot forward, using one arm to knock Alvin's gun away, the other to connect fully with the man's jaw. While the man was staggered Jude grabbed the disc and made a break for the door, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He could hear Alvin shouting for him to stop, the sound of footsteps close behind, but Jude kept running, taking every corner he could just to keep himself out of the line of sight.
Jude took the steps two at a time, trying put as much distance as possible between him and his assailant. He stopped at the ground floor, pushing against the main entry door, only to find it locked. Jude cursed under his breath, quickly looking for the emergency signs. If he ran out one of those doors, the alarms would go off and the guards would come. That may be just what he needed.
Before he could take another step, another shot hit the door near his face, causing him to jump back. "Stop running, Jude!" Alvin shouted from the stairwell. How had he caught up so fast?! "You're only making this harder on yourself!"
Why?
Why was this happening?
Jude took off again, bolting for the nearest exit, praying it lead to freedom. But Alvin was always right behind, through every twist and turn, even as Jude began to lose his breath, his steps becoming haggard, labored. Just a bit further, just a little more…!
Alvin caught him around the shoulders as soon as his hands hit the emergency door, the two of them falling through the exit as alarms sounded throughout the base. Jude screamed, lashing out with fists and feet, anything to get Alvin off of him. A hard right to the side of the head dizzied his opponent, his grip loosening just enough to let Jude up. But it was short-lived, Alvin was on his feet again and ready to take him down.
Fists couldn't outdo a gun, but that didn't mean Jude wasn't going to try. But he was matched hit-for-hit, Alvin backing Jude into a corner of the yard. Jude went in for another blow to the head, needing a distraction so he could make a break for the gate, but Alvin seemed to anticipate this, bringing one hand up to block the hit while smacking the grip of the gun against Jude's temple with the other.
Jude staggered back, bracing one hand against the concrete wall to get his bearings. Before he could come to his senses, he was knocked to the ground once again, Alvin straddling his hips, pinning him firmly to the ground.
Another punch was thrown, connecting squarely with Alvin's jaw, splitting his lip. He growled almost ferally and gripped Jude's neck, the muzzle of his gun pressed against the boy's forehead. "I warned you, but you didn't listen." Alvin scathed, glaring down as he clawed at his arm, trying to get more air. "You could have backed down and gone home, but you had to play the damn meddling do-gooder. Now it's come to this."
Pinned down, gun to his head, Jude felt completely helpless. Alvin was too heavy to push off, and the hand around his neck only served to make him feel weaker and weaker. "A… Al… Don't…" He pleaded, tears brimming at the edges of his vision as he stared up at the man he had grown so close to. "Pl…ease… A-Al…vin…!"
The hand was pulled back from his neck, only to press painfully against his mouth. There was something different in Alvin's eyes. It wasn't just anger or rage, but sorrow, regret. But as soon as it came, it left, leaving nothing but coldness in his gaze to match the metal of the gun digging into the flesh of his forehead.
"I'm sorry, Jude." Alvin said softly, almost an apology, before pulling the trigger.