Wanderers in the Dark : Part 1

by Carlos Vergara

  She gazed around.

  The Academy was vast and had multiple areas for specific purposes. In the middle of the area was a large structure, known as the Great Hall.

  About 100 meters to the right of the hall were ten large buildings which stood five storeys high, with one holding approximately 350 students, and beside the buildings was another, known as the Common Area.

  Next to the student buildings was the library, which from above resembled a crescent moon.

  To the left of the Great Hall was the Command area with its large satellite dish and armoury. Further to their left were three-story buildings where students would have their classes.

  Past the middle section was a complex twice the size of the Great Hall, with solar panels and multiple circular holes. This was the Ventilation Complex.

  A crop field, stretching over several leagues was planted about 200 meters away from the Academy. Each crop field was encased in its own barrier as well.

  ‘Man, it seems like they have everything here for our training,’ someone said a few rows ahead. They sounded surprised by what they were seeing.

  ‘This is cool,’ another said.

  The pilot flew over to the barrier, arriving on the other side of the academy on the rooftop to the armoury, which wasn’t encased by the barrier. The entrances slid open and the ship descended inside followed by the other vessels. Personnel cleared away from the landing platform to create ample room to accommodate the ships.

  When the ships parked, everyone from inside were permitted to unbuckle their belts and exit the aircraft. One by one, each person collected their belongings.

  Alyssa collected her backpack, swung it over her shoulder and wandered around to look at the area, gazing over the spacious floor where other ships had parked.

  ‘I know it goes without saying, but this place is massive,’ Eikichi said, as he walked up to her, dropping his luggage by his feet.

  ‘I think that’s an understatement. How are you feeling?’ Alyssa asked.

  ‘Excited. Nervous. Tired. I think I went through the entire range of emotions during that flight.’

  ‘You’re better though, right?’

  ‘Yeah. If anything, I’m just glad we’re back on land.’

  Alyssa smiled.

  ‘We’re finally here, Alyssa. Let’s hope it was worth it.’

  ‘It will be.’

  ‘Well, we’re doing this together, so it should be alright.’

  ‘It’s different now. We’re not alone this time.’

  She glanced her peers who were still in process of grabbing their possessions from the storage compartment. Janice was having a scene with herself since most of her possessions in her bag appeared to have accidently opened during the fight.

  CHAPTER 10

  AFTER SPEAKING WITH the Mr. Khoury’s wife, Evelyn visited Mr. Khoury’s last place of employment, which was at a company, BIOFO, specialising in genetically modified food and agriculture practices to accelerate and increase crop development. He had held a managerial position, overseeing projects that appeared viable as survival endeavours.

  Many of his colleagues shared common remarks about his personality, attitude and beliefs, describing him who wanted to give back to the people and do whatever he could to help them all survive through this troubling period.

  The colleagues had footage of festive gatherings in the lunch room of the company, showing Mr. Khoury apart of it. Within seconds of watching the video, she came to understand what the widow had meant about her husband being different.

  These are hardly the traits of a religious extremist, Evelyn thought. She was expecting remarks that described someone who was quiet, temperamental, abiding by a strict regimen, and perhaps voicing their disapproval about certain practices. But she found the opposite.

  She left the company and sat quietly in her car as she pondered the Mr. Khoury’s actions. She’s found no explanation for the attack, so she called her colleagues to see what they’d found.

  It wasn’t long till Mark answered. ‘Evelyn, what’s up?’

  ‘I’m calling to see if you found anything with the police at Tert District.’

  ‘Well, I spoke with the police officer who was responsible for the search when the Mr. Khoury went missing.’

  ‘What did they say?’

  ‘The same thing the widow told us. She had called the police, voicing her concerns about her husband after not answering her calls and not coming home two days after the report. A search was conducted but he was never found.’

  ‘What was his last known position?’

  ‘Surprisingly enough, a restaurant.’

  ‘He wasn’t there to meet anyone?’

  ‘Nope. He treated himself to a quiet meal. But here’s the thing. Surveillance footage captured him leaving his table at one point to use the toilet, but he never came out.’

  Never came out? Evelyn went quiet. She was curious about this development. ‘Have you searched the place?’

  ‘Luther and I have, but there was nothing out of place.’

  ‘How can that be?’

  ‘That’s what we were wondering. We looked at the footage for the whole day to see if there was anyone who went to the toilet, waited for Mr. Khoury to arrive and hadn’t come out.’

  ‘Did you find anyone?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Someone was there though.’

  ‘Get all the footage you can from that day from all the surveillance feeds inside and outside the restaurant and returned to HQ. I want to see it.’

  ‘Alright.’

  She ended the call and thought about this development, thinking over it a for a while before having a desire to see how Martha was doing. She called her colleague, but there was no answer. Huh… let’s try one more time. The second call came with the same result. Hmm…

  She shrugged and drove back to HQ. Once back at work, she regrouped with Mark and Luther and began to view the footage of the day Mr. Khoury disappeared. She started by watching the moment him go to the toilet, paying attention to the activity of every other person in the room. She repeated this several times.

  Somebody took him.

  Evelyn examined every action, then closely examined the surrounding areas before and after Mr. Khoury went to the toilet, searching for suspicious activity and observing everyone who’d been in the restaurant with him.

  Ten minutes passed, then thirty passed, then an hour. It wasn’t long before she lost track of the time.

  ‘Evelyn, let’s call it day,’ Mark said. ‘We’ve been searching through the footage for over three hours now and we haven’t found anything.’

  ‘You can go,’ she said, ‘I’m going to stay.’

  ‘Evelyn, I think it’s safe to say that we’re not going to find anything. We’ve been ridiculously thorough with our search. I don’t think another hour of this is going to change anything.’

  ‘I agree, sir,’ Luther said. ‘We need to rest.’

  Evelyn leaned against her chair, sighing.

  ‘Come on, let’s go eat,’ Mark said, passing her coat.

  Moments later, the detectives were inside the restaurant where the man had disappeared and went inside to a cubicle located at the back of a restaurant, as they were in need for a place for quietness and reflection.

  For a short time, none of them spoke. They kept quiet and relaxed after what had been an arduous week, while waiting for their ordered meals.

  Mark flicked through his newsfeed disinterestedly before spotting an article about their high-speed car chase posted by News United. He scoffed.

  ‘What is it?’ Evelyn asked.

  ‘Take a look, yourself,’ he said, sliding his phone to her.

  Evelyn read: ‘LAW ENFORCEMENT INCOMPETENCY LEADS TO A DISASTER’, with a picture of her and her colleagues. She handed back the phone. ‘This bothers you?’

  ‘Yeah, doesn’t it bother you?’

  ‘You would do well to put it out of your mind.’

  ‘You know
I’m trying. But whenever I see another article with nothing but criticism about us, it really does bug me. It’s a lot easier to report a story than it is to face the barrel’s end of a gun.’ Mark skolled his shot. ‘I’d like to see them do better.’

  ‘It’s understandable for them to be like this. After all, we haven’t dealt with anything this serious in a long time and no one has witnessed something like this in the past 20 years. This guy is the first, and hopefully the last. The last time there was a bombing, it involved a terrorist group seeking to escalate tensions between countries to elicit war.’

  ‘War is the result of a difference in opinion. I’ve read up on my history. It might be understandable, but it’s hardly acceptable.’

  ‘Yeah, but war isn’t just the result of differing opinions.’ Evelyn replied calmly, despite Mark’s curt responses. ‘It can be a conflict of egos, battle for resources, or fight for freedom. Though, no such thing has occurred for a long time. Only the opinion of one person has compelled them to act upon it now. Thankfully, that was averted.’

  ‘Yet, people don’t see that.’

  ‘Let them see what they want to see. People will always look for something to blame regardless. I’m sure you learnt that as well. Just be content with what you’ve done.’

  Mark didn’t respond.

  ‘Perhaps a change in topic would be ideal to change the mood,’ Luther suggested.

  Mark looked at them and swung his hands into the air. ‘Alright, alright. Change topic. I don’t want to feel like shit before I eat.’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘Here. This might do.’

  Luther showed them the article: ‘FIRST BATCH OF STUDENTS INTO THE SPACE ACADEMY’

  ‘Okay, this is much better! Way better,’ Mark said enthusiastically. ‘This is what news broadcast corporations should be talking about. It’s uplifting and exciting.’ He appeared rejuvenated.

  Moments later their meals were brought to their table. They discussed the prospects the Space Academy would bring, and the weight of expectations these students would carry once they commence their jobs after graduating from the Academy. It wasn’t long before the topic of conversation shifted to the aftermath of the bomber.

  ‘Look, I don’t know about you,’ Mark said, ‘but I found that cool and disturbing at the same time. Heck, for a person to disintegrate into a pile of dirt. That’s mind boggling.’

  Luther looked at Evelyn. ‘Tell us again, what did Mr. Khoury say to you?’

  ‘I’m one of the many vessels employed to carry out my task,’ she said.

  ‘What do you think it means?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Let’s just start from the beginning when he addressed himself as ‘one of the many’. We could infer this as him not being alone.’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘What’s curious to me is how he ends it… my task. Why does he say that?’

  ‘To give us an idea on what he’s planning,’ Mark suggested.

  ‘Maybe. Why does he say ‘my’ instead of ‘the’? All extremists believe their actions are righteous and just for a greater cause, so, they would recognise their plans as necessities rather than personal desires. They would speak objectively and be impartial as they spoke.’

  ‘If it is his task or objective he set, why is he in the front lines of doing the work?’ Mark asked. ‘The main person behind all major crimes are sitting quietly in the back making the big decisions, while lower ranked personnel execute the mission. It’s always like that. There’s always someone in the dark pulling the strings.’

  ‘But we don’t know if he has others to help him.’ Luther added. ‘He may be acting on his own.’

  ‘But it is a thought we’re considering.’ Mark glanced at Evelyn. ‘Did you pick up something unusual about Mr. Khoury when you saw him? His demeanour, look, or anything that could have made you curious?’

  Evelyn recalled the moment on the road when she was within a close range of Mr. Khoury as they spoke to one another. She couldn’t recall anything distinctive.

  ‘The only observation I made was the fact that he didn’t make a remark or complaint about the state he was in. He was in a critical state. He rammed himself into a car door, which most likely resulted in fractures and broken bones. Also, he was shot in the chest by Luther and that didn’t faze him. So, when I was looking at him, he simply smiled at me, completely oblivious to what had happened or to the fact his body was mangled.’

  ‘He might have been using some sort of drug – a powerful one – to block out the pain.’

  ‘That’s what I thought after. He might have used ketamine to negate pain receptors. It’s a powerful analgesic and proven to be effective in the treatment of soldiers after combat duty. That’s one place we could start looking.’

  ‘He could have obtained a similar drug elsewhere if he wanted to avoid having the attention of everyone on him. There’s methoxetamine which is stronger than ketamine. He could have gotten that from somewhere other than the army.’

  ‘It’s possible. Although, it’d be difficult to obtain it as there isn’t much of a market when it comes to drugs and narcotics in outside markets. The government has been cracking down on drug businesses harder than ever since Oblivion.’

  ‘Yet, people are still finding ways to get drugs.’

  She nodded. ‘Unfortunately.’

  Evelyn continued to listen to her colleagues while she ate. When they had finished their meals, Mark and Luther left to drink at the pub on the other side of the restaurant, giving her time to reflect on the case.

  The detective was aware this wasn't an ordinary case. There was already so much mystery around it, and it had only just begun. She thought about leads, though there was little evidence, and realised that none were suggestive enough to be useful.

  Her mind returned to the discussion, recalling Mark’s comments about the news broadcast networks, and pondered. She agreed with Mark’s position toward the public shaming. The activity surrounding the attack at Ascent University brought scrutiny, and high-speed pursuit throughout the city amplified that scrutiny.

  The publicity about the success of the first applicants making it into the Space Academy was necessary. The public needed to hear something positive and have something to look forward to.

  Evelyn rested her head against the wall, while she drifted away into her mind as she often did for clarity and composure.

  A highly skilled person like you here all this time just to detonate a bomb the moment registrations for the Space Academy occur. What is it all for? Why risked the pursuit?

  She put aside her questions to call Martha. She wanted to hear from her to see everything was alright. There was no success in getting through. Concerned by the result, she called someone with her team, Heidi Laides, to see if she could get into contact with her.

  ‘Heidi, have you seen or heard from Martha?’ she asked.

  ‘No, ma’am,’ Heidi answered.

  ‘When was the last time you heard from her?’

  ‘Two days ago, in the afternoon when she left to speak with the potential manufacturers of the materials used to create the disintegrating device.’

  ‘Hmm… I want you to try and get into contact with her. I’m worried about her. She’s not picking up her phone, and it’s been over a day since I heard or seen her. I’ve trying to get into contact with her several times, but I’ve had no luck.’

  ‘I’ll do what I can.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  The call ended, but Evelyn’s concerns didn’t.

  What’s happened to you, Martha?

  CHAPTER 11

  THE STUDENTS WERE taken through underground passages, which had transparent ceilings where everyone could see the scarlet sky of Mars beyond the barrier.

  Alyssa watched clouds float by, recalling her research on the red planet. After Oblivion, Mars underwent changes of its own, as well as every other planet in the solar system. Weather and temperatures changes were clearly apparent. Changes were visible o
n Mars, as a result of frozen water melted from the closer proximity between the planet and sun, compared to before when Mars had colder temperatures and zero areas of liquid water.

  She continued to look around until the student buildings came into sight. There was excitement amongst the students about the design of the rooms and the Common Area.

  The guides made mention that men and women would be separated, with students having assigned rooms.

  Alyssa and the group were handed a key-pass for their rooms. She went to her building, accompanied by Janice and Clara.

  Room assignments were in accordance with this order. Level 5: A – F, Level 4: G – K, Level 3: L – P, Level 2: Q – U, Level 1: V – Z.

  ‘Well, that stinks,’ Janice admonished.

  ‘It’s too bad,’ Clara said, disappointed. ‘I was hoping we would be on the same level. We could cosy up with one another with sleepovers. But we’ll be in the same building, so that’s okay.’

  ‘I’m envious of you, Alyssa. You’re on the fourth level. I’m on second, which won’t really offer much of a view at all.’

  ‘I think Eikichi and Ali will be the ones enjoying the view,’ Alyssa said.

  ‘They’re going to be loving it.’

  ‘I like that I’m on the first level. Don’t have to do much walking as opposed to them,’ Clara said.

  ‘I guess so. Hey, are any of you feeling something strange with your body?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I don’t know. It’s just for some reason, I feel a little bit heavier. It’s not bothering me or anything. I just feel something.’

  Clara shook her head. ‘No, I don’t feel anything. Alyssa?’

  ‘I don’t feel anything, either. Maybe it’s the after-effects of the flight,’ Alyssa said.

  ‘Hmm… probably,’ Janice said. ‘I’ll ask one of the supervisors just in case. They might know something.’

  They entered the building with Clara the first to head to their room, while Alyssa and Janice continued walking up.

  ‘Good thing I packed light. Otherwise, walking up these stairs would have been a lot harder,’ Janice said.