Two months hurtled by and the weather had gone beyond cold. No one ventured outside willingly. Not even the Night Walker who was cooped up in his office.

The pen clattered on the desk as my hand flopped to the side. Despite the hesitation and reluctance to purchase Pantiumite from Luna Services by the people dwelling in the Slums, Luna Services had stabilised and proved to be able to compete with many monoliths in the market. Red Rumble continued to elude Nash as they held their regular customers steadily. There was simply too much work to be done and I wanted out.

“I’m thinking of retiring.”

Ignacio paused what he was doing and looked up from the tall stack of folders on his desk. “I’m sorry, could you say that again?”

I raised an eyebrow at the utter confusion on Ignacio’s face. Despite the heavy eye bags beneath the brunet’s eyes, I could see the sparkle in them. The man was still as determined as ever and it was a good sign.

“You heard me. I’m going to declare you as the official Chairperson of Luna Services. I’ll step down to be an advisor should you require my help. Felix is happy with your performance and you’re doing everything fine without me now.”

Jaw dropping, he stared at me for about a minute. “Hold on a second here. You can’t just abandon me after all that we’ve been through! I know things are doing well and business is stabilising but this is only the beginning… We still have a long way to go!”

One, two then three seconds passed before I lost it.

“Will you stop laughing and take this seriously? Titus Crowley!”

Ignacio’s face was red with anger and something else but I struggled with breathing, my sides screaming in protest after the vicious laughing attack. It was unsightly to be seen sprawled across the carpet of a very posh office with drool trailing down my chin. Then again, what happened in the room stayed in the room.

“I’m,” another laughing fit threatened to escape me but I stifled it to only a few inconspicuous giggles. “I’m sorry.”

The glare Ignacio gave me certainly reminded me of how cross he was, pun intended. It was incredibly funny and I couldn’t stop the bubbling giggles. Screwing my expression to maintain a serious front, the mask crumbled away when Ignacio’s eyebrow twitched.

The dam of laughter broke and tears spilt from their ducts. It became funnier when my proxy slammed the documents down and walked out of the room. His exasperated eye roll had me curling up on the ground in a drunken state of hilarity.

When Ignacio returned to the office with a bag of something, I was still in a semi-dazed state, silly from the laughing fits when my vice-chairperson shoved something cold down the back of my shirt. Immediately I jumped and howled at the biting cold. Desperately trying to get rid of whatever he had put down my shirt, I glanced at what had been in the bag. From deduction, my not-so-innocent employee had collected some fresh snow and decided to snap me out from my possessed state of mind.

“Have mercy, will you? Are you trying to kill a man?”

Ignacio scoffed with his signature eye roll. “I don’t see a man anywhere, only a scruffy brat.”

“Is that how you talk to your boss?” I hissed while removing my top. The jacket shrugged off easily but the shirt clung to my skin uncomfortably. The snow had melted faster than I could get it out and now I have to deal with the aftermath of his generous ‘wake-up call’. There was a reason why I refused to go outside and my proxy had a wonderful idea to bring the outside to me.

Ignoring me in favour of getting back to his work while I cursed and swore, Ignacio waited patiently for me to button the shirt before getting back to where we left off. Luckily, I had some spare clothes in the office for unexpected overnights that happened more often than I liked.

“Why the sudden urge to retire. You know I won’t approve of it if you don’t give me a good reason.”

I groaned. “Why can’t you just leave it? Doesn’t the desire to sleep for a year count as a good reason?”

The smile he had on his face would have put the only hitman I knew to shame. It spelt no mercy and I knew there was no going around it.

“I’ll take that as a no then…”

Ignacio can be as harmless as a lamb but his darker side surfaces from time to time. These short episodes can cause severe mental trauma for those who lived a pampered life. The last time Dark Ignacio appeared was when I accidentally dropped his Orion dialler into the fountain in the main square. The poor device died and Ignacio snapped. It was also the first time I saw that spine-chilling smile of his. It was a world full of pain in the form of meetings and paperwork for the next week.

Days and nights of endless events, meetings with the media and the Parliament had conveniently been arranged on the days Ignacio had an important meeting with some company representative. My torture did not stop there. The man had kindly brought back ‘urgent’ documents to be signed when I was ready to drop dead in bed. The moment I tried to ditch the sky-high pile of documents, he sniffed me out instantly and brought me back to the work I tried to abandon. There was no freedom and no escaping Ignacio in his enraged mode.

It took three days off work and a free front row ticket to Sable’s concert to appease the evil inside of Ignacio. I told Nash about it and we made a silent pact to never wake the sleeping demon inside.

Gulping nervously, I met his eyes. “Luna Services isn’t my real motive.”

Ignacio didn’t relent and held his gaze steady as if demanding for more. “I’m the Night Walker. I hope you haven’t forgotten.”

A slight nod had me relaxing a little. “Are aware of the murder of Mia Elliot?”

This got the genius' interest. “The one they found in the wastelands?”

Nodding twice I continued. “I’m going to find out the truth about it. She was a victim of human experimentation. I’m going to find out the ones responsible for it and make it right. The Parliament is not being fair. Luna Services is the first step in my plan to close the distance between the Inner City and the Slums.”

“What do you intend to do about it?”

I bit my bottom lip. Not even Nash knew what I wanted to do. “Nash doesn’t know about it yet. Can you help me keep it a secret?”

Ignacio’s eyes softened. A small smile broke the icy glare from earlier. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

I exhaled, unsure of when I had started holding my breath. “I want to right the wrongs of Luna. There is still a lot going on that I don’t know about. Mia’s death is merely the tip of the iceberg. Luna Services is a bridge for me to slip in and out of the Inner City as the Night Walker. It is also easier to transport Pantiumite to the Slums. My true motive is to find the ones responsible for the human experimentation project and while I have my suspicions that the Parliament is responsible, I have no solid evidence. My only lead was from Raoul before he died.”

Ignacio nodded as he listened. “What will you do after you’ve killed all the ones involved with Mia’s murder?”

I did not answer. I had no answer.

The brunet shook his head. “It won’t change anything even if you did find out the truth and kill the ones responsible. This city is sick. Luna is poisoned. You can’t save the people with such a weak resolve.”

A yawn escaped Ignacio’s stern features and I sighed. He was right. I can’t do anything as I am right now. However, he’s wrong if he thought I would sit back and twiddle my thumbs while I let everything fall to ruins.

I looked up when I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder. When had he made his way over?

“Don’t fret too much for now. You’ll be able to find the answers you seek. Just remember that you’re not alone.”

With that, he left and I sank down in my swivel chair. A bath sounded good right now.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

“...and we will bring in a new business partner from the Slums. Nash Skinner is a very capable man with great influence in the Slums. He will work alongside Ignacio who will be taking over the position of Chief Executive Officer of Luna Services.”

Gasps and murmurs at the announcement of my stepping down could be heard. Felix frowned but opted to remain silent about it until the meeting was adjourned.

One by one, the board directors and major shareholder representatives left. I tidied the table with the help of Ignacio once the majority had left. Felix remained and I knew he had questions.

“Why? Luna Services is doing so well, why resign now?”

I smiled and exchanged looks with Ignacio. The brunet nodded and took the cue to give us some privacy. The moment the door clicked shut, I turned back to Felix. “Sorry, Felix. This isn’t good enough for me. I want to do more for the people in the Slums and I can’t do that while I’m tied down by obligations as the figurehead of the company.”

The pompadour loving man frowned. “You’ve done a lot for the people in the Slums. I’ve heard that Pantiumite sales increased and it has become a lot more affordable for people living in the Slums. What is it that you can’t do?”

Turning away, I found reshuffling the folders more interesting. How am I to explain to Felix that people were dying in the Slums because of some illegal human experimentation?

“It isn’t something Pantiumite or credits can solve. Luna is sick and I need to find out what’s wrong with it.”

Felix gave me a puzzled look. A certain genius came to mind. “Ignacio pointed out to me the other day there was something wrong in the way we live. I want to level the differences between the Inner City and the Slums. The system is wrong and I want to find out why.”

The shrewd businessman paused for a while. “Are you referring to the citizenship rights in the Inner City?”

It wasn’t exactly about citizenship rights but that was a side effect from the root cause. I was going to have to eventually deal with that issue too so I nodded and Felix sighed in relief.

“I understand. I feel the same way too. We are the survivors of the Great Explosion and while our forefathers worked together to make living better for one another, here we are tearing at each other’s throats over credits.”

He waited for a reaction of some sort from my end but I never gave it. Resigned, Felix left the subject as it was. “It’s fine if you don’t want to disclose your plans but do know that I’ll always be here to help. You’re a really fine young man, accomplishing so much at your age.”

The ruffling of my hair felt nice. Felix’s hands were always so warm that it melted away my worries. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your support.”

The investor grinned. “Anything for you, just don’t forget to call me often. I would like to think that stepping down would give us more time to meet in private but I’m already beginning to think otherwise. That sparkle in your eye tells me it is wishful thinking.”

Eyes widening slightly at how accurate Felix was, I never thought there would come a day I would feel so vulnerable in front of anyone. The way he saw me like an open book scared me in a way that felt strangely tingly. I didn’t exactly lie but the knot in my stomach insisted otherwise. The impulse to blurt out the plans was strong but I kept my head down as he walked out the door, killing the emotions threatening to boil over.

There was no way I could drag Felix into my blood-stained world. I simply couldn’t.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

“Why are you here again? Don’t you have better things to do? Unlike you, I have work!”

The disinterest in Nash’s voice made the inner child in me pout. “Fine! I’m leaving anyway!”

Nash huffed. While it was true I have been coming over a little more often, he didn’t have to be so cold about it!

“You’ve been coming over every single day since the official handover. Now that Ignacio is handling the paperwork and I’m stuck with the logistics thanks to your hare-brained plan of putting me on the official employee list, you can find someone else to bother.”

Every valid point made by Nash felt like laser gunshots. While it was true my whimsical resignation had been tough on both men, I did my part to help by easing the events and media attention with my hard-core partying.

“Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work, Mr Party Boy.” Nash left the room promptly and I stared at the ceiling blankly. Might as well get on to doing what I had no time to do before. Mia’s cell samples won’t analyse themselves.

With the new income, I was able to afford a better apartment and Ignacio found a place of his own somewhere in the Slums. I don’t know where he goes every night but I wasn’t going to pry my nose into where it doesn’t belong.

My new apartment definitely gave me an advantage. It was near the Academy and I could easily bypass the security to utilise their facilities. Although Centurion and Bluetonium are top research facilities, the equipment in the Academy was as cutting edge if not more.

Calling for a wheeler that travelled to and fro the Inner City and the Slums, I took a short nap before reaching the apartment.

The wheeler had come to a halt faster than I thought and I made my way to the apartment to hit the showers at once. Allen might be a little lonely with only a naked boy for company over the years so I decided to get him a pal yesterday. She was a lime green whale that could squirt water from the rubbery top, imitating the mammal while it existed. Her name was Marie and she was a beauty.

Bath time was cut short as I became woozy quicker than usual. The exhaustion I wasn’t aware of caught up on me quickly. My lids felt heavy as I settled into a more comfortable position in the tub but snapped out of my zoned-out state sputtering soap and water, the bitter aftertaste still lingering.

Not even bothering to dry or dress up, I headed to bed wearing a towel on my waist with dripping hair. The pillow had to be soaked but I couldn’t care less, it felt heavenly and Pyros knows I needed this beauty nap.

By the time I woke up, the stars were greeting me. What a nostalgic feeling. The only time this happened was when I was still in the Academy. Mrs Peterman and Alastair often chided me for having unhealthy sleeping habits and now it felt a little too quiet without their nagging. Trying to go back to sleep would be futile as I tossed about in bed. Finally relenting, I got up and set to work.

“Lilith Malfoy…” a glance over at Cain 2.0 and the gears in my head started turning.

Thanks to Luna Services, I had a lead to the internal system the Inner City used. The Night Walker was an expert at hacking devices and systems but hacking the Inner City’s mainframe system would be a different ball game. No one had attempted to alter the mainframe system for as long as it existed. All devices and programs were dependant on it since nobody remembered the man who made the mainframe system or how he did it. Everyone simply built upon what he had created.

Then again, there is a first time for everything. What could possibly go wrong

“Cain, can you find me the mainframe system’s code? Kevin, help me search for anything regarding human experimentation.”

A beeping sound was heard and Cain set to work. Kevin buzzed away, running scans through the massive database. I studied the extracted codes and tried to analyse how the inventor of Luna’s mainframe designed the system.

There was a saying ‘set a creep to a creep’. To hack a mainframe system I needed to think like the creator. Obviously, the first thing I would do is to create a special route for myself to access it whenever I wanted to. This would enable absolute control over the city and free reign of any information. Then again, that route might not exist. I needed to know what kind of person the inventor was...

“All mainframe system programs extracted.”

The clacking of my nails on the table surface echoed in the empty apartment. A new window showing a long list of numerals appeared.

“Oh my Pantiumite…”

The gibberish stared back at me and no amount of refreshing will change it.

“What sort of code is this? It makes utterly no sense!” There aren’t any programming languages on Luna that resembled what I was looking at. The code was written in nothing but numbers from zero to four.

“You can’t be serious! Where is the linguistics in this code? Is the creator an alien or something? Why would he do this?”

Being one of the best System Administrators, I knew every programming language used in the Inner City. However, nothing had been remotely close to this impossible puzzle. This wasn’t a programming language, it was a cryptic code.

Kevin’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Sir, the list of all matters relating to human experimentation is ready. Is there anything else you would like me to do?”

I took a last look at the abomination and told Kevin to search for information regarding numeral code writing. The search had been quick and returned negative. My last bet was the physical archive that Mrs Peterman prided herself over.

“Thank you, Kevin. Could you pull out all the security patrol routes for the Academy?”

While Kevin worked on it I went back to the list extracted, opting to ignore the mountain-sized workload cut out for me over the next few days.

Human experimentation had been a much talked about debate but nothing interested me. Most of them were theories about human evolution and the history of New-Man. My search came to a dead end when all the sources proved to be duds. Nothing mentioned the recent happenings about Mia and the wastelands, not even the tabloid.

I glanced back at the creepy screen of numerals. Nothing made sense. Why would it be written in numbers? I stared hard at the numbers and went through them line by line. The numbers were becoming a blur but somewhere along the two thousandth line I noticed something.

Some number patterns were repetitive.

“Kevin. Find me everything you can find about cypher and hidden messages.”

“Yes, sir.”

The numbers were repeated in a systematic fashion and I finally managed to understand how it was read. I guess I didn’t need to visit the library tonight. Thank the stars for my brilliant brain!

The numbers may have been strung together in a line but the repeated chunk of number repeated in groups of fives. I deduced that every five numbers represented a certain data that was used to create similar effects to the programming languages used.

Even after hitting eureka, this was going to take a while. The mountain load of work had just become several mountain loads of work.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Five days and four nights later, my eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep. However, it was a small price to pay. I don’t think there will be another moment happier than now.

“Cain, run this code that I have written on all the mainframe programs you have extracted. Compile them when you’re done. Kevin, where is that patrol route for the Academy again?”

While Cain started number crunching, Kevin pulled up the patrol route. Studying the map, I planned the route. Even if I could sleep for three days to make-up the last four nights of sacrifice, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

“Wake me up at three past midnight. We’re going to visit the Academy labs.”

“Rest well, sir.”

Writing the deciphered code had sapped even my last recesses of my soul and the bed was my only salvation. Fluffy duvets were the embodiment of bliss.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

It was four in the morning and no patrol-bots in sight. The Academy was becoming laxer in their security after my graduation.

The laboratory I was headed for used to be Raoul’s personal research facility. If there was one thing the dead researcher was good for, it would be his ability to convince the budget stingy Academy to purchase some really high-end research equipment.

Steeling my resolve, I broke into the lab. Raoul would have minded but it wasn’t like he could do anything at this point. It was the privilege of the living to create change and the duty of the dead to remain silent.

Placing the small vials on the lab bench, I started with one test sample and ran it through the analyser. The equipment was idiot proof and simple enough to use with the only downside being how long it took to generate a report for the studied samples.

An hour and a short nap later, I downloaded the report for all the analysed samples. Deleting the user history before I headed back, I glanced through the report summary. There was a substance never seen before and from what I knew, that had to be the drug or the new Pantiumite the Parliament was testing.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

“No way…”

The results on the screen remained silent as I blinked. There was no way I just breached top-level security. Lilith Malfoy had been one of the names in a list for a top-secret project about Pantiumite evolution. Ignacio’s theory of Pantiumite being unable to provide a hundred per cent efficiency was spot on. The researchers had proven it from the report. New-Man bodies were not compatible with Pantiumite like it was with Plantiumite.

Pantiumite is a very stable compound that doesn’t react as much as Plantiumite did. However, due to Plantiumite’s volatile reaction to the environment, the substance was considered unsafe for production.

The Great Explosion had been triggered by a large amount of Plantiumite escaping into the atmosphere. As a result, Pantiumite was created as a substitute. That was basic history that everyone knew.

Basic science stated that for a substance to be reactive, it cannot be a stable compound. Plantiumite was an element and had natural reactive properties. Pantiumite was a compound found in the atmosphere and extracted. It is said that deep underneath the ocean there are bio organisms producing the Pantiumite that escaped to the surface which we harvest from.

Pantiumite in the air is purified and with a more refined process, the better the Pantiumite grade. The more concentrated Pantiumite had longer lasting effects. However, there was a limit to how efficient it would be due to the composition of a human body, most Pantiumite cannot be absorbed to be converted to energy and would escape back to the atmosphere through respiration.

To think that these crazy scientists would try to artificially create a mutation of the Pantiumite mimicking Plantiumite properties to seek a substance most compatible with the human body is insane. Over fifty participants were roped in this crazy experiment and the project had been going on for a good twenty years. This had to be a recent thing.

The underground place off the main island had been built by the Parliament and apparently, Area Forty-One was involved. The Parliament had initially used the people from Area Forty-One, kidnapping them for testing. However, when they ran out of test subjects, they moved to the Slums.

Records about the victims’ progress were tracked and there were no survivors. The new substance was a mutated form of Pantiumite and it was called Vivamite. The more mutated it was, the more unstable the reaction with the human body.

Finding Mia’s personal folder, I read. Mia had been used to test versions one to three with all the results recorded. It was version four that killed her when it exploded from within. Versions one to three were proving more efficient than the ordinary Pantiumite. However, terrible side effects like nausea, hallucination and extremely sensitive nerves were present throughout the testing.

From all the records the scientists have created up to seven mutations with each one becoming more dangerous than the last despite the increased efficiency. The compounds were so unstable that success rates were close to none despite what the theories proposed. The furthest a test subject had survived was on the fifth version but the man died from internal bleeding. The Vivamite got absorbed into his blood and reacted violently causing all sorts of damage that not even the scientist could classify.

Reading the reports had been the last piece to the puzzle. I knew what I had to do. These people won’t pay with just their lives. It isn’t enough to do justice to the fifty over victims of this cruel experiment. Luna has the right to know what is happening and the Parliament must fall.

The identities of Parliament members were kept secret and there were twelve seats. Five seats were fixed and the rest were nominated by the top one percent living in the Inner City. The final decision will lie in the decisions of the five members in the fixed seats. Lilith was a nominated member ten years ago. The members of the Parliament can be changed without notice as long as the five members in the fixed seats agree.

The only issue I had now was identifying the mastermind behind the project. I have no doubts it was one of those in the five fixed seats.

The list had twelve names and I would have to start with Lilith. I needed any information I could get and show the Parliament that the hunt was on. There will be no mercy given to those who showed no mercy.

Blood will be paid in full with blood.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

“You’ve been really quiet for a while.”

“It is for good reasons. I trust that you are doing well under Ignacio’s leadership?”

Nash sighed and sank into his new fluffy couch. “Not really. There are still shareholders who disapprove of someone from the Slums and someone who had been a Special Pass worker running the company. The Parliament is also giving us pressure and some monoliths formed alliances to cut off trades with us. However, the kid had dealt with them well. He’s asking the Slums for trades and expanding the logistics department, giving employment to the people in the Slums and the ones struggling in the Inner City. Many rich folks see this as a golden opportunity and share prices are still rising.”

Chuckling to myself, I have to say Ignacio wasn’t a genius only in title. Luna Services will be in good hands.

“I’m more curious as to what you’re planning,” Nash grunted as he shot me a half-hearted look.

Shrugging twice, I tinkered with my Orion dialler. “I just sent you what I’ve been up to. This is what I discovered. It took me a long while to get through the mainframe. Whoever created the mainframe had to be a genius.”

Nash’s eyes widened at the report. “This is unexpected. I knew those money grabbers were crazy over Pantiumite but to want to create something even better than that at the expense of human lives? Did you inform Ignacio?”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t find the time to tell him. The meetings he has to attend are crazy enough. I don’t need to add to his troubles. I’ll see to it myself that the Parliament will be brought down. This ends with Mia, I won’t allow another victim. With Luna Services I hope to be able to extend our protection of the people in the Slums in whatever way we can.”

Nash nodded. “You know, for someone who is still registered as the chairperson of Luna Services, you seem very relaxed.”

I flashed him my thousand watt smile. “Don’t be jealous! I’ll hand over the company officially soon enough. For now, I’m just letting them know what that man is capable of. So far it was always Titus Crowley the boy genius in the stock market and then there was always the unknown man behind the late genius researcher Raoul Harper running the show. Now that I step down they need to see Ignacio as the man who leads Luna Services to ground-breaking territories and lead the market as the leader of a monolith. I can’t throw everything to him and pull my name out when they don’t know what Ignacio is capable of, Luna Services will collapse.”

Nash sighed. “You planned this even before you incorporated Luna Services, didn’t you?”

I got up and collected my things, ready to leave for the night. “My motive has never changed since the day I met you. I still want to be stronger and cooler. I still want to set things right, to rid Luna of this poison as Ignacio had mentioned. The only difference is how I now have people who will fight alongside me and people who have my back.”

Giving Nash a gentle smile, I left. The door shut behind me as the icy wind greeted me. The warm feeling in my chest, however, never left throughout the freezing walk back to my new apartment.

>>Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX<<

Author’s Note:

Hi all

Thank you for reading. If you liked it, please consider supporting the author on Amazon or [email protected] This book can also be found on the author's personal website.

I also write other works such as Godfather World and TIme Cross Academy so do check those out if you like my writing style!

Thank you and hope to see you join the Tiny Army!

Signing off

Destiny Aitsuji