#Chapter 10: Talk
Kai's POV
Gerda and I were 'The Administrators' of 'The Kingdom'. We worked at Arendelle Industries in the programming and software fields as extra jobs. We always went home late. Today was no different.
Before I could do anything, I was requested to meet Mr. Arendelle beforehand. He told me that he needed to discuss a few confidential matters. I arrived in his office and settled myself on one of his sofas to begin our conversation.
"May I ask why you called sir?" I said. He angled his sitting position to look down on me with sharp, overwhelming eyes. I swallowed. Had I done something wrong? Just keep it together.
"I suggest you are aware about the information of my missing daughters?" he asked in a cold, monotonic voice. I nodded in response.
"I only want you to search and find the lowdown about them, that's all," he said.
I sighed heavily. "May I ask, why me sir? Why would you ask me to find your daughters?" He released his own heavy, sad sigh. God, I shouldn't asked that question. He's already depressed losing his daughters.
"You are one of the smartest in the Programming division. I need someone I can undoubtedly trust, and matters like these can only be entrusted to the best. You're one of the best, and you have a decent work ethic. Therefore, I want you to search her through the connections and the web. Once you find it please report it to me."
"Any information about them, sir?"
He handed me a brown box and I took it with a raised brow. "All the information you need is in there, including photos and results of the investigation the police gave to me years ago." I nodded and put the box near my laptop bag, making sure it's safe.
"Right, then you may dismiss," he said. I obliged and stood up from my seat. Before I could reach the door, the man spoke once more.
"Oh yes, and one more thing. Do you know a certain hacker known as The Diamond Snowflake a.k.a T.D.S ? The fellow is wanted all around the world. If you have found her or his whereabouts somewhere, inform me that too," he said.
I obediently nodded, but Mr. Arendelle didn't seem to notice how slower it was this time.I then drove home with Gerda on the passenger seat, remembering what Elsa said if I found out where hear real parents are.
As I steered a turn, I thought of methods to search for Mr. Arendelle's lost daughter, and from where to start. Social media perhaps? If she had been gone a long time ago, she should be a teenager by now. She should have at least one social media account then, right? But what if she didn't have any devices her entire life? What if she was an introvert? What if she was kidnapped and now living in an area where internet could not reach? What if...
"Are you alright, Kai? Is there something that's bothering you?" Gerda asked gently as we almost arrived.
"Nah. There's a lot to think about recently. I'll just rest to clear my mind." I said. Slowly, I could make out the outline of our house. And in front was Elsa, seemingly talking to a boy with strange, silvery white hair and pale skin. He then sped away in his dark blue sports car and my daughter waved behind before quickly heading inside.
Well, this was rather questioning. Elsa was a simple girl who didn't communicate with boys other than her stepbrothers. She only cared for her work and ambition. As a father, I needed to know about her male encounter. But I'd ask her later. Right now, I needed some rest.
THREE HOURS LATER...
After I took a shower and change, Gerda and I went to our daughter's room and closed the door. Our eyes met Elsa whom was busy typing down her laptop.
"If you want to go in, why didn't you knock first?" she said, not bothering to turn to us. Her eyes still fixed on her laptop screen with her hands gliding easily on her keyboard.
"Sorry sweetie. We just want to ask if you want to join for dinner," Gerda said. Elsa turned her laptop off.
"Great! I'm in," she said as she headed out.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses, young lady. We have a question for you," I said, gripping her hand tightly to hold her in place. Beth sighed deeply and gave in, sitting down her bed.
"Okay..what's your question?" she asked softly.
"Who's that boy you talked to at the front door?"
"The guy with silver hair? Oh, that's Jackson Frost Overland. He's my computer lecturer in my university."
My eyebrows raised a whole inch. "The heir of Overland Industries? That Jackson Frost Overland?"
"Yep. Oh, and one more thing, don't jump into conclusions and think that he's my...boyfriend, or something like that. You know how uninterested I am with stuff like that," she said blankly.
"Why don't you have any interests in having...a significant other, anyway?"
My daughter groaned tiredly. "It's 'cause I really don't have time for that. I'm too busy sorting out my future. And besides, my professor said that any guy I would date will...you know..." She brushed a long finger against her neck. The lazy and impatient tone in her voice made evident that she was all too unpleased to answer the question. But she couldn't refuse us.
"Alright then! Now that we're done, time for dinner. Would you mind and call your brothers, Elsa?" Gerda said, breaking the silence. Elsa nodded silently before going out to do just that. Not long after, we were all at the table enjoying our meals. Today, we decided to go back to our roots and eat Japanese food.
There's still a lot I needed to think about, but right now all I want was to enjoy a meal with my family
Third Person's POV
Not far from Arendelle Industries, a woman sat at a cafe that bustled with customers ordering coffees and nibbling muffins. The lady sat solo as she sipped her cup of tea. Her mature features equal to that of a forty five year old. Her dark brown hair had a sweep of white. She fidgeted her black heels that pinched her toes and pulled her cream-colored coat closer, surrendering to the cold night wind.
"Good to see you, Mrs. Amy Arendelle." A tall brunette raised his hand, waiting for Amy to shake it. The woman gave a welcoming smile and took his hand.
"Rooney Fitzherbert and Dean Anderson, you two! We're best friends. No need to act so formally, gentlemen! I'm not wearing a crown!" she said.
Rooney Fitzherbert and Dean Anderson were quite influential leaders in the I.S.D agency (International Spy Disguise) in New York. After working for so many years, they finally achieved what they deserve
"Oh, but you're like one, Amy," Dean said, sipping his tea.
"Alright, enough is enough. Now let's get down to business." Amy said.
She pulled out a biography out of her handbag. It was about a certain person. Everything about her or his life and work was in there. The two men read it down carefully.
"I want you to help me locate this person's whereabouts," she said.
The two men were taken aback of her request. "T.D.S? Are you sure about this?" Dean asked.
Amy nodded in response. "I heard that some prestigious industries worldwide were beginning to crumble due to someone stealing away important data and information. The mystery was the fact that none of the security cameras caught anyone sneaking inside the building to snoop into anything."
"It could be someone from the industry," Rooney suggested, resting his back a little more to take another sip.
"That's what I thought too. Until I saw this." Amy tapped open her smartphone and opened a video. She leaned the smartphone as carefully as possible so only Rooney and Dean could see.
"I took it out from one of the CCTVs." The video was played in a computer room. All the important data was saved and secured. For a minute, nothing was happening. Until something caught their attention. One by one, the computers started to turn on by their own. Quickly, streams of data were on the screens. The computers then died altogether moments later.
"Next morning, one of the workers complained that all data was lost and the computer was attacked by a powerful virus. One said that it's a virus that only T.D.S could program."
"This is pretty complicated," Dean said, running fingers through his hair.
"Tell me again, what do you want us to do?" Rooney said.
"I want you to spread the news on the internet and search for her secretly," Amy said. The two nodded in response.
"May we ask why you want us to find this person?" Rooney said.
"First of all, almost every spy agency is tracking the person down because the virus is damaging a number of computers from vital industries and took it down. And second, it's because of this." Amy handed out a sheet of paper. The two took and examined it. They silently whispered to each other before returning the paper to her. The three stood up.
"We will invite our sons to aid in our request. We will help you as best we can. Now if you'll excuse us, Amy. We have plenty of work ahead of us." The two men bid farewells, leaving the lady alone again to sigh and took another sip of tea. She already lost both her daughters, and now the Heavens had given her this? Where was the justice in her life?
She still remembered that unforgettable night. After going home from the Dunbroch's, she and her husband arrived at home, staring at the scene in horror. The main gates opened wide, with each guard on the side laying on the ground, pooled with blood. The main door was wide with a floor full of bloody bodies of dead maids, guards, and butlers. Blood was splattered to the floor, walls, furnitures, and photos on the wall. Amy fainted in her husband's arms once they found out their daughter's were gone
The police conducted hours of investigation, and even hired the best detectives in town. But it was fruitless. No weapons to track fingerprints. Nothing was left behind. The search always ended with empty hands. In the middle of the snafu, the couple could only run their lives like how they usually would, and hoped for the best, hoped that their daughters would be back one day
Amy remembered the time when Elsa last asked her to sleep together because she was afraid of thunder, and heavily regretted rejecting her. Her lips shivered with misery as she sipped her tea again.
"I hope that this will all end soon..." Holding the tears that almost pour out, she drawled as she folded her paper and tucked it back in her brown handbag. Though the warmth of milk tea, the woman could still feel her stomach tremble as she thought of the words written inside the parchment.
Hello Mr and Mrs. Arendelle.
I hope you fare well
Now, you might not know about me
But I know you
I graciously wrote this to you to kindly inform you of my warnings
Beware of your industries
Because I will come
.
.
.
.
.
And destroy it.
Yours sincerely
T.N