"Are you telling me that more than 15 experienced soldiers have been killed by a kid who got his ass kicked in the martial arts championship?" Zabi said, his African accent vivid. Even at night, his eyes showed complete underestimation, paired with a sarcastic tone rare for him.
The idea didn't make sense at all. A boy they researched and found had no bone of violence in his body was able to completely obliterate the elderly home into smoldering ruin.
"We think he has a hand in it, since he is the only one we didn't find. Besides, we are still waiting for the satellite imagery, so it won't be long until we know what really happened!" Roy replied comfortably, sounding like a man who wasn't shaken that much.
He was a physicist, by the way. Seeing unnatural phenomena was something he was used to. It was just another block he needed to smash through—another situation he needed to solve.
"Aah!"
Zabi gasped, tension dripping from his forehead. Even though he was one of the crucial members of the Turtle Companies, he wasn't used to receiving news that went south from what he expected.
He lifted his eyes, looking at the broken structure. The bricks looked burnt out, but with no smell or clear trace directing it to fire. The cosmic energy around it never made it easier, only portraying an extraordinary power. But within it all, concern rose.
"If Ross Mutt really did this, there was no doubt about it—the Turtle Companies are his next target!" he thought.
He turned around, heading back to the black car that had dropped him off.
"I got everything I need!" he started.
"Assemble 10 Eliminator Suits and send the footage once it comes out!"
"Consider it done, but where will you be?" Roy inquired. It wasn't like him to spring off a case like that. The strange case made him act strange.
"Have to report this to Veteran. He knows a lot about weird stuff; he might want to hear this!"
"Ha!"
Roy laughed mockingly in a single shout.
"Good luck getting his attention. Ever since he got that weird device from Elod Mutt, he's been silent!" He recalled Ross's memory, a truth not invisible to any of them.
In most cases, Veteran—the co-founder of the Turtle Companies—would get 60 percent of the wealth they stole, leaving the rest to be shared between the other three: Zabi, Roy, and the fat man who brought them news about their victory over Elod Mutt in the Axis Building.
But the Mutts' case was different. He left all the money to them in exchange for getting a device that neither they nor any of his employees had an idea of.
They were even surprised how Veteran knew of the device in the first place, and since it came into his custody, he went off the radar.
Zabi looked at Roy sarcastically, then said,
"Don't worry, he's going to answer me. I don't call him for any useless reason!"
He walked toward the car, eyes twitching between the vehicle and Roy.
Roy gestured like someone trying to advise a stubborn person who refuses to listen.
"OK then, but don't come back crying to me if he doesn't listen to you!"
Zabi entered the car, his voice compressed by the vehicle's walls.
"Don't worry about that, just correct the weapons!" he said, as the car started driving away into the night. Roy stood still, his eyes escorting Zabi out of sight.
...
INSIDE THE CAR
The car was luxurious, just like its exterior. The design alone showed the time its creators wasted perfecting it. Its cleanliness proved how well the owner took care of it.
The lighting was bright, but none of it passed the tinted windows.
Surprisingly, the car was self-driven, with Zabi in the backseat and a holographic screen floating in midair in front of him like something out of a movie.
"Hello, Veteran!"
Zabi greeted the mysterious being on the screen.
"Yes, Zabi. Why are you calling at this hour?" the man replied, sitting down with his hands in white lab gloves, fingers crossed, giving the feeling of a mastermind.
Even with his muscular physique, his voice didn't match—rough, cryptic, like a robber calling the police to make demands.
On his head he wore a blue motorbike helmet, but with a few tweaks that made it adaptable to the size of his head. Below, he wore a grey tracksuit—same color throughout—cotton-made and with no label.
"Sorry if I disturbed you in any way, but I have information you might be interested in!"
"Alright, go on," he said unemotionally.
"Elod Mutt's son destroyed one of the army centers. Roy found a significant amount of cosmic energy at the site!"
Veteran stayed quiet for some seconds, just like Zabi had when he heard about the cosmic energy.
"Dispose of the ant immediately!"
The call ended instantly. Tension still high.
But somewhere in his soul he felt it—the proud feeling you get when you're pumped up.
"Finally, some interesting opposition!" he thought, a smirk covering his face.
"Ross Mutt… just don't die quick on me!"
The car stopped at a large, fancy house on an urban street.
...
Beep!
Beep!
Click.
The door to the house opened. Zabi entered. Lights automatically turned on.
It was a spacious house filled with paintings and objects reflecting African culture. Masquerades, wooden animals, and traditional clothing dominated the space.
Unlike many who would relax on a couch after work, he rushed straight to an opening in the sitting room that led to a corridor. He stopped only at an electric door deep inside.
1988
He input a password on the miniature screen.
Click!!
It opened the way bank doors usually open, a surge of fog diffusing outward like it was being kidnapped from inside.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
He walked into the room with spotless white walls and floors.
In the center stood a vertical glass capsule, countless cables connecting it to the house's power network.
Inside, loud breathing echoed. Someone was in the capsule, asleep.
Zabi walked toward it, but with a difference—sympathy. He knew whoever was inside.
"I'm home from work!" Zabi said with a sad but cheerful tone, looking at the man through the transparent glass.
The man was naked,no hair, his body full of sores and holes like he had just come out of a half-complete surgery.
A condition many would die in, but surprisingly, he was alive—sleeping, but alive.
"Had a very very long day, but at least something good came out of it. For some days, I'll enjoy going to work, just like I prayed for… Dad."