21 – Squirming in the Night
Riverside was like a symbol of the capitol at night.
The neon lights shone, and people gathered around like moths to a lantern.
On the other hand…
One step away would plunge you into a deep darkness.
It was like a large hole, the shadows that officer Drake Ramleue walked in.
A dangerous district. Graffiti covered the walls, and trash was littered everywhere.
There were occasional sounds of gunfire here… But luckily…or not, such people were not present today.
The reason that the detective had come to such a place was not to make any arrests.
Taking down people that just worked in between would not make the city a safer place. He understood reality well. Besides, it wasn’t really his territory anyway.
After kicking a few beer cans, he finally arrived at the door that was his destination. He opened the door, which had been defaced with paint, and slipped inside.
It was dim. With just a faint blue light illuminating the room.
Not from lamps or magic lanterns. It was electric light from a monitor.
“Hey, Vipor. I know you’re here. Answer.”
“Ehhh?”
He called while wading through the garbage. An eerie voice echoed back.
“Ahhh… Mr. Drake.”
And then a man with tattoos covering his face poked his head out. He was thin, like a stray animal, and his irises were abnormally narrow.
Drake saw the syringes at his feet and clicked his tongue.
“I…told you that I would be coming today. You. Have you been taking those again”?
“Don’t be so angry. It’s just how I work…”
Clearly, he was someone who lived on the other side. He was called Viper, or simply Snake. He sold information.
“Well, get to work then.”
Drake said as he threw an envelope.
Viper lunged towards it, and after counting the contents, smiled and spread out his arms.
“Uhh… It’s not what I’d call a lot…”
“Hey… Don’t kid yourself, Viper. The only reason I haven’t ratted you out, was because you can be useful to me. Once you stop being useful, you will find yourself in the slammer.”
“Gah! No, no, no. Of course, I will do it. It’s a job.”
Viper shrugged his shoulders and rotated in his chair. And his fingers slid over the keyboard.
Not only did he sell information, but he was likely the only one who used the cybernet.
The technology had only started to be used ten years ago. But it had spread explosively, allowing for instant connections and accumulation of data. Nothing could be more useful for information.
However, neither the military nor the police department had reached the point of being able to use it effectively. And that was why people like the Viper were useful.
“There, there it is.”
A single image appeared on the monitor.
An old photograph. A group of officers from somewhere.
“This is the important part.”
He pointed.
“…A flag?”
It was a very distinct flag.
White cloth, and a symbol that looked like a letter made more complex.
“Ah ‘A’?”
Yes. The serial murders of nobles during the Twin Moons Festival. The message that was left.
Something that no one outside of the police department should be aware of. However, things were tense. Headquarters believed it was not over, and the next one could happen at any time.
The press had been kept out for now. They agreed that it would ruin the festive mood. But if there was another one, then it would make it difficult to hide.
And so in spite of the risks, he had asked this man to investigate.
Of course, if this came out, it would not just be Drake’s head that would fly.
“So? These men… No, wait. That arm band…”
Hehe. As you can see. This guy is…”
In the shadows of the city.
As the man laughed eerily, the deep shadows were exposed.
◆ ◇ ◆
Midnight.
While the city was filled with excitement for the festival—a single airship landed in the airport, where citizens were banned from entering.
Lieutenant Ada Evereen saluted as the man in white descended while surrounded by guards in black uniform.
“Welcome, Chairman Fiezeman.”
Said the man who stood next to Ada. While he was over fifty years old, he looked younger, and had a refined air about him.
“I’ve been entrusted with the honor of guiding you. My name is Mark Oswald, from the Upper Senate Parliament.”
“Thank you, Mr. Oswald.”
He shook hands with the chairman, as well as the secretary.
The Upper Senate Parliament was the formal legislative body of the empire, paired with the lower house parliament, which was also known as the House of Commons. With such a position, obviously, he was a nobleman.
Marquis Oswald was one of the most prominent figures in the empire, hailing from a line that could trace its ancestry back to the ancient imperial family.
“Now, please come this way. We have prepared to receive you. Lieutenant Ada, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes.”
She bowed, and watched them leave. And then she turned her eyes to the airship.
It was very different compared to the ones used in the empire.
Different technology and different ideas. A foreign ship.
Suddenly, she recalled the conversation she had earlier that day.
About there being a war over the skies instead of land.
Not speculation, just a fact. Everyone could make the airships now, and they competed to advance that technology.
This ship was the same.
A ship that might one day kill people.
Soldiers in uniform surrounded the ship. They were all looking at her. With an intensity that seemed to verge on hate.
“Well, I will now guide you all to the inside dock.”
Ada said, ignoring their glares.
“As agreed in advance, none of us will go inside.”
The technology was a military secret. Everywhere. Even in this moment, if someone were to take a single photograph, it could lead to a battle.
Amidst this tense atmosphere, the soldiers saluted her with a ‘thank you.’