This wasn't what Alice had expected to happen. It was decided before she could have a say in things, not ignored, but because she didn't have what it took to say. Sure she had her own questions answered, the thing that she didn't agree with was the person that became leader. It was Max (obviously) and she didn't like it. She hated his guts, his smooth-talking character. Making the Alice's position thrown into the agreeing side. It was like a mockery and that's how she sees it, feeling every bit of it, the anger, the boiling in her blood. She should have been made leader, not him, she thought.
Regardless of what position Alice stood at, even she herself had to admit defeat, one she was wittingly outclassed against an opponent she thought to be small fry. At least, for the most part agreeing to enter the group, she was on the side where she was NOT fully consumed of hate and envy. Partly because of her partner. Ben. The literal Ben from the ARCC organisation. He sat opposite to her on the front seat while she pressed her hands on the van's stirring wheel as she drove and thought mildly.
Her feelings of emotions reached the other pairs. The thought of having Max as her partner was made her head heated. Alice doesn't know how it happened-it just happened! As Max was doing much of the talking with the Director, he was all of a sudden appointed the leader of the group. Anything for votes was obsolete. The decision came from the Director, mostly due in favor of how he presented himself firmly; greatly evident; and discussed thoroughly his views which to a certain extent is valid more than a hundred points out, give or take. He showed how an exemplary model should be while on the other hand, Alice, was just finding ways of bickering with his conviction. She stood no chance at winning. Though the same cannot be said for Luna.
It was only days ago when they were sent to jail and nor did Alice ever receive an apology from her. Alice knew where she was coming from: making a name for themselves with the footage they caught.....or what she caught. But still. There was another reason for her to also think about before release the footage to the world, and that was the injured miners that survived the death nearing incident that they also were in. Miners died and yet she wanted to do with it anyways. That was very low of her. And for that, they ended in a prison. Luna skipped her views towards Alice, not wanting, but ignoring on purpose, thinking it'll just slip past her head. Now. She awaits an appropriate apology.
As Alice steered the van, she turned her head from time to time - slightly not fully - to observe a gleaming shot at Ben. Ben looked out of the van, the door window wind down, and his right arm resting on the side as his hand shouldered his side face. The breezy wind that followed as the vehicle moved steadily on the road was smooth and nice on the skin. He's breath slow and steady. His gradient black hair which was an overgrown mess had transformed, replaced with a neat and tidy, short and maintained, clean cut. He looked like a completely different person when she first saw him with his former hairstyle, his eyes see from at far range and sharp gliding nose. But that's all she knew from him (a physical description) as she is still yet to decipher why she was put into a pair with him in the first place.
"So, ahh, Ben---That is your name, right?" Alice broke the silence.
Ben turned around as he heard his name being called. "Huh," he gasped.
She continued, "What are we looking for again? What is our objective?"
When asked about this question in particular, it did not take Ben to response as he had his mind set straight and uninterruptedly answered. "The Mysterious Man....." He finally said with an echo in his voice that faded just as he ended.
It was quiet. Alice didn't get what he implied.
"...According to the country's laws, there are a certain number of people protected by the government. These regulations and policies are only acquired by a handful and thus, clear investigations among these people are rarely accounted for as the government deems it private and isolated."
"Which means?" Alice asked.
"That our own investigation trip is futile," he stated.
There was more.
Although that may be true for the elites that enjoy everlasting benefits, not to the ones that aren't in the same place as they should be subjected to be in. If conditions aren't met certain , the ule doesn't apply. This is what Ben has to say.
"But," he said, an emphasis on the but with an unchanged face as he looked at the front of the glass panel. "There is one person that is exempted."
"And that special guy, as you call him mysterious man, is the one!" Alice said.
He nodded thoroughly.
"That IS if can find him," calmly he added but carried weight.
"Find!" Curiously asked Alice. "What do you mean we have to find?!"
The memories from which they had last met, announcing locations to look at and go their separate ways returned to flooded her brain. It was all coming back to her. The secondary decision was that it was to be Search Team A---Max and Luna---to go to Nidin province and Search Team B---Ben and Alice---to go to Aggem forest located near Aggem State. These were the two major locations aka the mysterious man had been last seen. This plan was better as they'd cover more ground and have someone who can navigate the terrain and geography of the country, and along the lines of strange and stranger, they may get to know each other better and socialise frequently; seeing as how they treat their instantous partnership all but bluffs and discomfort. Building trust and communication between each other has serious impact on their success rate. The faster, the better.
"It's also that these laws that protect these elites have limited movement," He said with a straight face.
"What do you mean?" Asked the curious Alice, again.
"It was said that the government would only protect them if they didn't move outside their territory but only around was allowed. Not every territories share the same treatment. A handful make it on the list---and if you're not on there---"
Alice finished off the sentence, "Then your not protected by any body of laws."
"Yes," Ben agreed to what she said, knowing full well the context.
Alice was now putting together the pieces in line. Objective: Find the mysterious man in the Aggem forest near the Aggem state. But thinking on it again, she thought back to when Ben said 'That is if we can find him' which to her current deduction skills, there has to probably a skill factor at play to succeed. If the mysterious man's location isn't specifically mentioned, then it comes to raw power and strength in figuring out a way to find this exact person in question. She wants to know who is this person. Why is he important? And what is the deal for his hiding? There were so many questions that Alice wanted the mysterious man to answer, and maybe, if perhaps maybe, he could tell her what the actual origin of the country is about.