Shaking his tail was impossible. Max hadn't been able to follow up on Isaiah's whereabouts since he asked for help locating the wayward commander, and he was rapidly running out of time to find him.
Tousen hadn't ever been into the whole "relationship" stuff. They never seemed to appeal to him. There had undoubtedly been a connection with Isaiah, a bond that was still showing whenever the young doctor occasionally returned home and picked up that damaged book. But even that hadn't gone anywhere before the commander disappeared.
Now suddenly, Tousen has one of his assistants attached to him like glue? No. That wasn't the kid's doing. Max wasn't sure what the original wanted with Katia, but Tousen was slipping right into its grasp. It wouldn't be long now until the bastard had total control.
But, the tail wasn't the only problem Max was finding. As a matter of fact, it was the least concerning. Whenever he requested privacy anywhere but his room, the chip would always report, not one or two or even a few, but hundreds of audio and visual devices in the area.
At first, Max thought that they were the drones left by 309 for monitoring. However, those drones were already registered in his implant. They wouldn't show up as hostile devices. It was hard to believe that Tousen had set up so much surveillance in such a short amount of time, but Max couldn't figure out what else it could be.
Lost in thought, it was a miracle Max didn't run straight into the general headed his way.
"Max," General Yvis greeted, walking with his small squad of four. "Don't usually see you here this late."
Max looked outside the lobby windows. Rinlin was high in the sky, and the laboratory was still, vacant of warm bodies. Of course, Qinnella stood nearby, her eyes never deviating from him. He hadn't even realized how late it'd gotten as he perched on the more comfortable lobby couches.
"Probably because I'm not usually here this late," he responded, closing the documents he'd been correcting. Or rather, neglecting in lieu of his ponderous thoughts. "It seems time escaped me."
Yvis grunted, sitting across from Max on another of the more comfortable chairs. The furniture on this side didn't look good, fabric coming undone and old grime stains making them appear dingy. But they weren't the stiff, hard leather ones that were more decorative than functional. Max would take comfort over appearance any day.
"You four, continue your rounds," the general ordered, crossing his legs. His forest eyes shifted to Max's companion. "I'll take it from here, lieutenant."
Qinnella's gaze hesitantly moved to the general, almost as if she thought Max could disappear at the snap of his fingers. Of course, he couldn't, but….it'd sure come in handy right about now.
"Did Tousen clear this with you?" she asked.
Not more than a month ago, Qinnella was a loyal lieutenant to her general. The same general that had just given her a command. Yet, now, she argued against Yvis, her loyalty suddenly stronger for a Dome-Dweller.
It was clear that it irked the general, his posture stiffening and his eyes narrowing. "I am one of Dr. Poleski's advisers. I sit in on meetings you aren't even allowed near," he seethed, his tone frigid. "I direct the army that the doctor has assembled. It's my rotations that protect this rising city and ensure that you can play tag with another of his advisers without worrying about your safety."
After every word, Qinnella pales. General Yvis was always renowned for his switch-like personality. He could go from offering compassion to a wounded comrade to staring down another with a fury unknown to many. Even just observing the altercation was sending chills running down Max's spine.
Qinnella swallowed hard. "I understand, sir."
"Good. Now, leave here before I decide to inform the doctor of your insubordination."
Qinnella nodded before rapidly exiting the building, not once looking back.
"That was…something," Max stated, gathering his papers in a neat pile on his lap. "Your reputation precedes you."
Yvis grunted, his hands kneading his temples. "It only gets easier with age."
Max raised a brow with intrigue. "How so?"
"Older you get, the grouchier you are. The meaner you seem. The more terrifying young kids find you," he answered with a smirk, humor dancing in his words.
The tension left as Max's shoulders relaxed. He hadn't even realized how much of an effect Yvis had on him until the elder turned from frightening to humorous.…
"So, what brings you out to the lab this late?"
"Figured you'd be happy to see an old friend."
"Bullshit," Max retorted, watching Yvis with knowing eyes.
Tension filled the air once more. Yvis shifted his weight so that he was leaning forward, all his previous humor dissipating. His gaze sought out Max's, and he pointed to the base of the agent's skull.
"You're right," Yvis mused. "I decided to take a chip off of old man Brigsten's block. Get you out of these bright lab lights and the obnoxious chatter of this growing city. Enjoy the night a little bit."
Chip. Lights. Chatter.
Yvis knew about Max's embedded chip. He knew that Max wanted to stray away from prying eyes and listening ears.
"Oh?" Max responded. "And where is it that I can find this peace you seem so sure about?"
General Yvis gave him a look that read, "Really, that's the best you can do?"
"They're throwing up a new dome complex just before Capitol Crater. Tousen wanted to try using the other craters to his advantage. Don't know the specifics of how it works and such. But, maybe you'd like a peek?"
"And Tousen's okay with this?"
General Yvis tilted his head in contemplation. "Kid said he was gonna show you next week. Wants your opinion on how we can properly utilize the space. I don't see why it would matter that it's earlier than he planned. After all, doctor's got his hands full."
Damn. For someone born on Colony 782, Yvis was good at weaving lies with truth. Almost as good as those from 309.
"Well," Max started, huffing a sigh, "I suppose an evening stroll would do me some good." He stood to his feet. "Shall we?"
Yvis nodded, joining Max and stretching. "Probably a good thing to move these old bones anyways."
As the duo moved towards the exit, Max's nerves began to burn. He was having trouble not bolting for the door, and his paranoia had jumped to a degree he wasn't entirely prepared for. Every shadow was someone ready to arrest him. Every shift in light was a camera watching him. Every second, a long, drawn-out hour that had his chest constricting. It was hard to believe he was the same person as the one that arrived on 782 twenty-seven years ago.
"This way."
General Yvis didn't wait for Max as he started up the cobblestone path, the gentle orange glows from each light post dancing on the rosy stone. The soft luminescence felt like bright lights, tracking every move the duo made, shining down upon criminals that Tousen would inevitably seal behind bolted doors. Every corner was hiding a guard or something of the sort. The phantom sound of boots on the ground behind him echoed in his ears as if it were reality.
But none of it actually was. Nothing more than Max's paranoia, and before too much longer, the two came to the leveled peak of Arkasia. Dirt had been brought in to fill the majority of the craters, leaving the largest of them all for Capitol Crater untouched. The materials that once lined the great hole in the earth were now gone, presumably for the construction of more carrier pyro drones.
Out here, the stars were bright against the dark hazy canvas of the night sky. The shadow of Proxy 18 cut off a small portion of Rinlin's silver light as the asteroid's orbit around Colony 782 brought it in front of the small moon.
Out here, there was silence. Only the chirping of the nocturnal insects and the cooing of predatory birds disrupted the serenity—or perhaps, added to it. Hardly anyone from New Arkasia ventured out this far. After all, it was the site of so much death and destruction.…
"Whoever it is that you want to contact," Yvis started, spooking Max as the quiet was broken, "you better do so now." He stuck a cigar between his lips, lighting it as if he didn't just know Max's intentions.
"How do you—"
"No," he interrupted, taking a puff. "Questions later. Contact her before someone finds out somethin's not right."
Max's training warned that this was a trap. However, Yvis was right. This might be the only shot Max had at reaching her before Tousen's guard dogs were on him once more.
"Arial, do you copy?"
"….Agent Maximus, good evening. I am ready for your use. What may I do for you?"
Max eyed Yvis and his surroundings warily. He didn't have time for a proximity check. "Connect me to AI: 7982. Please hurry."
"I will do my best to be swift, Agent Maximus…."
The soft ping rang clearly at the base of Max's scalp.
"Connection successful."
"Where the hell have you been?!"
Max grimaced at the loud shout ringing through his skull. "Calm down."
"Do not tell me to calm down!" the other voice hissed. "Where have you—"
"Tousen has guards on me twenty-four seven. I can't just contact you whenever the hell I want to. Unless, of course, you want your cover blown?"
There was a pause, slowly followed by a sigh. "No… you're right. I apologize," she stated over the line, though her voice was still taut with aggravation. "I found him."
The sudden change of conversation jolted Max, but he shook off the surprise quickly. He didn't have time for hesitation. "Where?"
"Bunker B-7."
"That's…an older one."
"Yeah, but listen, we aren't the only ones looking for him." Her voice was urgent, presumably the cause of her earlier outburst. "There's an unidentifiable team of at least seventy en route to their location."
"What do you mean 'unidentifiable'?"
"I mean exactly that," the woman replied irritably. "There are no records of their existence. Not from the Wings registry nor from the Capitol. On paper, they don't exist."
"That's not possible.…"
There was a shuffling sound, Yvis covering the few feet between the two and tapping Max's shoulder. Lights in the distance indicated that they wouldn't be alone for long.
"It shouldn't be, but it is. And these people don't look like they're going there to have a picnic. If we need Velenquez as much as you say we do, then I'm going to have to make a move. Now."
Max bit his lip, watching the lights grow nearer. "We need him. Otherwise, this mission is toast."
"Are you sure about this? It'll be giving up one of our few advantages."
Max nodded. "I'm sure. Secure Velenquez and whoever else is with him. He's the only one that can get close enough to Tousen to deliver the antidote."
"Alright. Moving out."
As the lights breached the top of the hill, undoubtedly searching for Max and General Yvis, he parted with, "Apologies for being so reliant on your capabilities. Good luck, Horiko."
Comments (3)
See all