Chapter 38

“Valentina Fe is still MIA?”

‘You gotta control your pawns a little bit better Lando we can’t have this stuff lingering on while we’re sitting on top tier evidence here.’ Bert said as he and Miles are going over the data they’ve retrieved from the Carbine Automobile that they’ve confiscated a week prior.

So far the past week has been hectic as the three of them would travel back and forth from the “palace” to the abandoned warehouse that Val acquired through Mr. Asia. Though since Miles had not set a residence on the palace headquarters, her commute was a bit easier than the two who had to pack and unpack their equipment every time they travel whilst keeping a low profile to avoid any “eyes” from latching on to their activities.

It was an arduous journey requiring them to travel from the easternmost point of the metro, up to its northernmost point to reach the warehouse but since the area is strategically secure from eavesdroppers, their choice was limited.

Immediately after “borrowing” the vehicle from the mayor’s henchmen, Miles had drove the car towards the predetermined point that Val had offered for them and left it there parked under the watchful eyes of Mr. Asia’s personnel. With that said, the woman herself, Valentina Fe, had yet to make herself seen since that night as she seemed to vanish without a trace in the aftermath.

‘Whadya mean pawn? She just happens to be my contact’s contact… Who, happens to have direct connections with Mr. Asia. She’s not required to follow my orders… Besides, we should thank our lucky stars that she decided to cooperate with us with this thing.’ Lando rebutts Bert’s claim.

‘Well she has a good reason to cooperate, Lando, Carbine screwed up her scene remember?’ Bert responds.

‘Shut it you two!’ Miles interjects , briefly lifting her fingers from the keyboard to adjust her glasses. ‘Lando just... find her and get her back… We can’t get this operation going without her, and Bert…’

‘Yea?’

‘Refill the snack jar…’

‘Goddammit….’ Bert sulks as Lando bursts into laughter.

‘I can’t believe it! Oh how the mighty have fallen. The once great duo of Road Kill and Night Hunter, reduced to being slaves by a--’

‘Careful…’ Miles interjects.

‘--Beautiful headhuntress! Oh my lord…’

‘Simp…’ Bert whispered.

The three of them had been locked inside the basement for a couple of days now after getting some interesting data out of the car. Miles had been compiling all of the said data into an easily understandable file so that the rest of her “team” could digest it as most of it were hardcoded base 64 which, unlike Miles’, would be impossible to read with base human eyes. Both Lando and Bert have been waiting for the past few days to finally get the report and as Miles makes her final save, she prints out the document and neatly compiles it in a folder for the two of them to review.

‘Here, tell me what you think of it..’ She said after handing them each of their own copies.

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Carbine Auto Project 12

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Serial no. 177013-774

Model series. Prototype

Model code. Gamma

Predecessor. Beta

Manufacturer. Carbine Automotive corp. EU

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Vehicle data

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Engine: CaNE112 Nuclear Electric generator

Power: 1050 BHP @ 8500 rpm

Torque: 700 - 750 Nm @ 1000 rpm

Transmission: Direct drive transmission

Suspension: Bio-Mech geometry linkage (Bio-Link) Carbon Fiber assembly

Brakes: Carbine Stoptech ventilated Carbon Composite discs

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Test Log

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Prototype History

71555> On field test- Prototype sent to field of operation to conduct real road testing against un controlled environments and opponents. End goal- observe how future proto would fare against current tech. Side goal- prove to potential investors the effectiveness of future proto “Gamma”.

70455> Delivery of future proto “Gamma” confirmed awaiting procurement.

62055> Future Proto “Gamma” sNum: 177013-774 factory approval as test mule # 08. Ship out to PH thru seaking lines. Delivery no, 887-9572-RR. E.T.A 14 days.

60755> Marriage confirmed safe. No Nucleic shock present in Pow Unit. Pow Unit stable and is scheduled for tests. If testing fails, please observe protocol no. 137. Also test operators must wear haz-suit at all times.

52955> XChassis successfully printed and ready for marriage. Printer usability test success. Carbine “zero theory” proved.

52755> Restoration of 177013-774 was greenlit for immediate on field testing. Chassis printing ongoing in factory C. Secondary goal - to test faster printer prototypes for mass production.

52655> Nucleic Engine completed. Official code: Package 15 after crash testing punctured Power Unit Nuclei. New package contains reworked block for safer use.

52355> Crash testing for Future Proto test mule # 08. Chassis/ Engine survived Front and Rear head on tests with no issues. Engine integrity failed on Test #10. Whole facility lockdown. Protocol no. 137 enacted. Haz control within expectations. Facility decommissioned for 120 days.

51055> Gamma concept slated for production. Unofficial total of planned mules slated to be “15” as of log date. Gamma concept greelit to counteract failure of Alpha and Beta Future Prototypes.

42555> Beta Concept on field test - success. Power and Economy against current products are on par. Consumer interest percentage is high average and on target. Performance evaluation - Failed. Current products still outpace future proto. Board Suggests to greenlight Gamma stage.

---------------------------------------------------Page 01--------------------------------------------------------

…

‘Wait there’s fifteen of them?!’ Bert reacts after reading through the test log.

‘Yes. Fifteen nuclear bombs masquerading as cars are scattered god knows where.’ She replied as Bert fell back on the sofa’s backrest.

‘Well at least we know where one of em’ is parked. Though if there’s one thing I’m curious about is the amount of security they have.’ Lando replied as he set the folder down the table in front of them. ‘Miles aren’t you bothered that Carbine showed no signs of searching for their lost merch?’ He adds as Miles sat with them with a sigh.

‘I was… It’s been a week and there’s been radio silence on their side of the pond. But even if they started the hunt now I have parameters in place, so if they’re not attacking then it’s good I say.’

‘Kill ‘em while they’re sleeping. I like that.’ Lando responds with a cheeky smile as Miles repays the gesture by rolling her eyes at the comment.

‘Anywho about the rest of the data… There's this something here called “zero theory”. You got an insight on that, Miles?’

‘As a matter of fact, yes.’ Miles enthusiastically replied. ‘Zero theory is Carbine’s delusion. His aim is to achieve an operation devoid of any impact on the environment. So when he means Zero carbon footprint, he means actual “Zero”.’

‘How the fuck is he gonna do that?’ Lando reacts, his brows scrumpled up, annoyed and confused.

‘Well just based on the reports. The cars are recyclable.’

There is an air of confused silence as the two detectives were dumbfounded with what Miles had said. Followed by a quick scramble of pages to re-read the data she provided them, trying to analyze what she meant.

‘Wait… so that car we have sitting in the warehouse… That’s been in a crash before?’ Bert asked.

‘Even worse…’ Said Miles.

‘No way… they reused the same car they used for crash testing.’ Lando spoke with disbelief. ‘So we have 15 cars out there with nuclear engines with a crash history worse than a second hand jalopy..’

‘Not exactly but yes…’ Miles responds while pouring herself a glass of whiskey. ‘Technically it is a new car, new printed chassis, new engine. But the rest, if still operational, remain in the car.’

‘Well yeah but based on the data they didn’t replace the engine until it had obvious perceivable damage!’ Bert exclaimed. ‘You don’t know what kind of hairline fractures it has after a crash. The chassis is one major thing but the engine… That would be catastrophic!.’

‘True… Which is why our next mission is to find and decommission the other cars they plan to bring.’ Miles said.

‘Plan to bring?’

‘Yes.

I figured since they’ve been silent all this time that they’re not planning on retrieving their merch anytime soon.

If you think about it we’re actually on the losing end.’

‘Cuz we have ticking time bombs in our hands.’ Bert cuts in.

Lando stands up from his seat on the sofa and heads to a nook in the room that they made into a pantry. Getting himself a bag of chips. ‘So what does our next mission have to do with this?’ He asked, opening the bag.

‘Ah that!’ Miles reacts, leaning back on her seat to look back at where Lando stood. ‘ Aren’t you curious about the data that the car has been gathering?’

‘Ahh..’

‘Good point.’ Bert responds. ‘Could be the reason Miss Fe is missing. Perhaps she had the same intuition.’

Miles nods, affirming his guess. ‘Maybe… though she doesn’t know that that car has been data mining the police HQ… or does she? Lando?’

‘Uhh… I dunno… We never shared any documents with her or my contacts.’ He replies with certainty in his tone. ‘It’s a don’t ask, don't tell kinda deal.’

‘Heh… I’m assuming the don’t ask part applies to you as well?’

‘Y-yeah… why?’

Miles gives up a teasing chuckle towards Lando as if she had seen a child fumble their first steps. ‘You idiot! Don’t you think the reason she planted that car in the first place is cuz she was instructed to? And maaayybe… just maybe she knows a little bit of what was going on?’

‘Oh…’

‘Oh god how the mighty have fallen…’ Bert responds to a dumbstruck Lando. ‘Well… If she ever finds out. It’d be best to get a hang of her to spill the beans to us. Eh Lando?’

‘Y-yeah… damn it…’

Miles takes another sip from her glass, putting her feet up on the table, giving herself a full body stretch. ‘Anywho if she’s out to get what we think she’s getting, then I’m guessing she won’t be here for a while.’

‘Got an idea where she might be?’ Bert asked.

‘Keep an eye on the airports for me, would ya?’ She replies. As the two old men stare at each other, shrugging their shoulders in sync.

In their minds, they thought it would just be better to follow the old lady’s orders than to probe further questions.

…

…

‘If you didn’t like Neil in the first place… Then why did you kiss him?’

--

---

‘It wasn’t him that I kissed, Pai… you wouldn’t understand…

But at that moment…

He looked like someone else.’

The memory of that encounter had sprung up from the depths of his unconscious mind the moment his eyes had pulled the trigger.

The reason.

The sight of Aida’s peaceful expression, laying casually on Denzo’s shoulders on the ride home from Champworld.

The group had been preoccupied with driving around senselessly out on the track that the concept of time had ceased to exist. The next thing they knew, it was already late in the evening and J2 had to close shop. Thankfully J2 was kind enough to offer them a ride home and with a few sly moves from Aida, Pai ended up in the front seat where Denzo originally wanted to be, as Pai stared at the rearview, witnessing their closeness.

‘Don’t worry kid. Your time will come.’ J2 said, breaking the silence as they stopped at a red light.

‘Oh… no… it’s noth- not that really…’ Pai replies flustered, jumbling his words as J2 sighs whilst smiling faintly.

Pai sneaks another peek at the two behind him as he finally settles on his seat, his face now away from the rearview and is now staring at the nightscape outside, deep in thought.

‘Is that all it takes?’

‘Neil doesn’t even look like him…’

‘And still…’

Pai ponders on the words Aida had told him during that time. Making him wonder if all it took for people to find him attractive was to act like someone everyone thinks is cool.

‘Denzo is cool…

Is that why?’

His hands had curled up into fists as his mind tried to rationalize Aida’s thoughts when she spoke those words. To him it was incomprehensible.

How can someone project what they feel for someone else? How can a fleeting moment flip someone’s feelings towards another? Is this true for all girls?

Are all girls like this?

And if so…

‘Will it work for me?’

…

…

Without Pai noticing he arrived at school, and it was already friday.

A full week had gone by and it was only at this moment when he finally gained his senses back.

He didn’t know when his little timeskip episode had started but for some reason it ended quite abruptly at this moment, and now that it is free from whatever had binded it, he was now actively trying to reflect on what had happened. He never saw Denzo again after that day at Champworld but then again, his mind wasn’t really focused on hanging out with him. Instead he remembers being deep in thought about what he saw that day and the contents of the words Aida had told him. He remembers how much it impeded his waking mind in the everyday things that he did at home and in school, which made him worry as he recalled being unusually unresponsive during the times he was with the duo of Casper and Julian. Which he mentally notes to make it up to them after the cold shoulder he had given the two whilst being occupied. He also remembered Neil not being present in those times but he was sure he had seen him somehow this week but couldn’t point out when and where in his hazy memories.

There were other things that he tried to remember but had somehow blurred itself in the depths of his mind, probably because his brain was preoccupied decoding the female psyche, but after all the work he had inflicted upon himself, he had proved it pointless to decode.

To him simply thinking about such a thing or even rationalizing it had proved fruitless and so he remembers the main reason why he woke up from his stupor in the first place.

He was going to try.

He knew quite well that he was not like Denzo in the slightest but for some reason a fire in his heart grew after he had that inkling of a thought. The thought of being someone cool, someone anyone else can look up to. Someone--

Someone he knows nothing about.

What is “cool?”

His first thought was Denzo. His wide silhouette, his straight stance that by default looks like he is always anticipating a fight to happen. His unshaken will to do what he wants as he saw fit and the subtle warmth underneath his intimidating presence that even ‘Pete’, a boy that Pai felt the most intimidated of, recognized. All the while as he thought about who Denzo was to him the more he felt that it was impossible to mimic him as most of his traits were opposite of his, and even a measly attempt to imitate his action had him shaking in his shoes.

Once again he was left with no answers.

Or rather…

He has an answer, but he isn;t sure if he could apply it to himself.

Because his immediate thought after knowing who Denzo is, was fear.

-

He remembers the day when he saved him from those thugs after they cornered him at the mall. Just the thought of him seeing some stranger getting pulled over by dangerous people scared him, and certainly his first reaction was to pay no heed to the obvious abuse and turn a blind eye.

He simply couldn't picture himself reacting in the same way Denzo had as even thinking about it made him tremble. It was hopeless.

Once more was succumbing to his deep thoughts that he didn;t notice he had already arrived at the door of his classroom. Quickly he woke himself up by slapping both his cheeks before entering the room, he was getting carried away once again and if he kept his inner thoughts running wild then he would be breaking the promise he had told himself about making up with the duo.

Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long as he shared his first class of the day with them. He sees the two sitting behind his seat, already waving at him as he arrives.

At that moment he cast away his thoughts and focused on what was in front of him.

‘That’s right… the girls can wait…’ He thought.

And thus he smiled and waved back.

…

…

‘Keeno!’

The shrill shout of Aida rang through the hallways as Yukino turned around to face her. As gets a full glimpse of a mob chasing Aida with Nica in tow. She takes a deep breath and crosses her arms, looking troubled at the sight that was approaching her. Everyone in the group thought that Nica’s popularity would’ve died down by now but for some reason the amount of people recognizing her had doubled in the past week and has now gotten to a point where Nica couldn’t function around school anymore without getting bothered.

‘EXCUSE ME!’

Yukino commands as the pair run past her, forcing the chasing crowd to stop at their tracks.

‘You are disturbing the order in the hallways. Have you no respect?!’

The chasing crowd went silent as they apologized to the President reprimanding them.

‘Sorry Prez we just wanted to talk with Nica and stuff…’ One of the students spoke.

Yukino takes a short pause to look at the group who was chasing Nica. Only “some” of them were male. She wasn’t surprised by this but it seemed that the number had increased in the past week. A fact that had troubled her since they never anticipated such a rapid growth in support despite putting Nica on a social media blackout.

‘You wanted to talk? You mean you and this army?’ Yukino replied. As the students look at each other, seemingly only noticing their numbers after Yukino had pointed it out for them. Everyone looked troubled at how big the group had gotten, possibly because some of the other students had bandwagoned during the chase, wanting to get an opportunity to meet Nica.

‘Y-yeah, sorry prez we didn't notice… We really just wanted to hang out with her, I didn’t know we’d become a crowd…’ Said another girl in the group.

‘Well it’s good that you’re aware now, but you’re also harassing the person you all admire. Are you people aware of that?’ Yukino replied with a stern voice.

‘I… oh…’ The girl replies as the group suddenly becomes aware of their actions.

‘Hey no fair! I just wanted to say hi and these assholes started crowding the group! Why do I have to stop when I was the one who approached her first?!’ One of the boys in the group shouts which triggered an outcry from the other ‘more disagreeable’ members of the group. As a result, half of the crowd ignored the warnings of the President and started marching past her to continue chasing after Nica.

But before they could even run past her, they were stopped on their tracks.

‘You dare disrespect your President?’

An ominous voice from behind her, echoed through the hall.

Upon seeing the figure behind Yukino, some of the students who were about to charge, retreated and left the area altogether. Amusing Yukino as she suddenly learned something new about the students she governed over.

‘I’m guessing the rest of you here are either sophies or freshies?’

Yukino asked as she smiled seeing what remains of the group.

‘Y-yes… how did you--’

‘Cuz you don’t know her reputation here.... Yet…’ She adds as Tisha takes her stand beside her.

‘Oh hi Miss secretary…’ One of the boys who opted to ignore Yukino said as Tisha darted her killing intent as he spoke. His legs, trembling, willingly stepping back into the group.

`We really don’t mind you students admiring someone like Nica. But please, practice common decency and refrain from swarming her like bees.’

‘Or else.’

Tisha added atop of Yukino’s reminder.

‘Cuz you don’t know her reputation here.... Yet…’

The phrase had rang once more into the minds of those who had remained after hearing Tisha’s threatening tone. And as the cold sweat started to drip from their brow, they all came to their senses and yielded their chase, as the groups nodded in compliance and dispersed.

‘Thanks Tish…’ Yukino whispered.

Tisha smiles and raises her a high five, which she took as they both went back down the hall, away from the dispersing crowd. As they turn the corner towards the Science Labs they both saw Aida and Nica crouched, leaning against the corner looking to see if the mob was gone.

‘And I thought you two sprinted to Little Edgar’s?’

Both of the girls coyly bowed before Aida replied: ‘We kinda… left our lunches back in class…’

‘Ehh?’ Yukino responds, confused. ‘We have food in the office. Just eat that.’

‘Well y-yeah…’ Nica answers nervously. ‘B-but we’ve been running to the office quite frequently ever since ‘that’ day… and we both haven't been eating our lunches that our moms prepared for us… so…’

‘Afraid of them being upset?’ Tisha interjects.

‘Then why not just ask them to stop making it? Just tell them you’re being taken care of by the SC.’ Yukino adds.

‘Well I can do that but…’ Aida cuts off as she looks at Nica’s troubled face.

‘My mom’s too inquisitive… I don’t think I can keep the scandal under wraps if I started acting any differently.’ Nica replies.

‘Hmm… No wonder she and your dad got together. They’re both annoying detectives.’ Yukino said as she sighs. ‘Well I think this might be a good time to test whether Tisha’s scary face pummeled them into obedience. Go.’ Yukino continues as she allows the two to return to their rooms to retrieve their lunches., as they watch from behind, ready to jump out once another outbreak of admirers starts to crowd them again.

Thankfully the students were more restrained now as they only waved and smiled at Nica from a distance, careful not to rush forward to surround her and gave her some space as the pair of them walked back to their room.

‘Well that’s annoying…’ A voice from behind the two echoed as they looked back to see the source of the comment.

‘Hey Neil, how’s the detective work going?’ Yukino asked.

‘It’s fine but nevermind that. I saw the commotion earlier, that mob was blocking the whole hallway and nobody could get through. So I, along with other kids in the hallway, had to take the scenic route to the Labs.’ Neil answered.

‘Yeah, It was annoying but at least that’s done… for now…’ Yukino replies as Neil quickly waves farewell and darts back down the hall. She was about to express her annoyance until she found her answer after hearing Aida and Nica’s voices approaching them.

And by the time the two had reached the hallway to the Science Labs, He was nowhere to be found.

‘Should we plan an intervention?’ Tisha whispered to Yukino as they walked down the hall, careful not to let Aida hear.

‘No… I have something special planned. For now just let them be.’ She replies.

‘By the way I have reason to believe that Nica’s popularity might’ve been instigated.’ Tisha whispers.

Yukino darts her gaze to Tisha as she pulls out her phone to show her something. An account created for the sole purpose of establishing a fan club for Nica. The intent seems to be targeted towards those who seek female empowerment, rallying the girls inside the campus to gather under Nica’s banner and spread awareness of her strength as an example to those who are weak. While it may look harmless at first, as Yukino dug further into the contents of the posts, she discovered that the aim was cleverly worded to mean one thing and one thing only:

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Let us learn from our idol on how to be a strong example to women everywhere!

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Nica Robbie is such an inspiration. To be close to her is something to be proud of!

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This is a new group created by her faithful admirers. Spread the word! She needs to know of our existence!

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I dunno about everyone here but I’d give my all just to be friends with her. XOXO

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To disturb her as much as possible.

Yukino’s eyes immediately fixated on Nica as she watches her and Aida share a laugh and feels scared for her well being after seeing what Tisha had shown her. She doesn't know why the other students would want to do such a thing to make her suffer to that extent, but it just gave her the fuel to burn fiercer that she had before as she swore to herself to get to the root of the cause to end this farce as soon as possible.

She has many ideas and theories inside her mind about what was happening but there was one she was willing to immediately explore.

‘What if this is connected to the scandals?’ She whispers to Tisha as she stops on her tracks to let the two go on further ahead of them.

‘What do you mean?’ Tisha asked.

‘The investigations are coming to a close and we have some suspects running around the campus at the moment. What if they’re trying to steer attention away to keep people from anticipating the results?’

Tisha’s eyes widened at the realization that Yukino might be on to something. After all if the suspect was being cautious of being caught, of course they’ll find ways to do damage limitation to lessen the impact just in case they failed to escape charges.

‘Yeah… that makes a lot of sense…’ She replies and Yukino nods. ‘Then what should we do?’

‘For now we just observe and keep people off of Nica’s back.’ She said as she peeks behind Tisha to check where the two have gone ahead. ‘Also I have another hypothesis I want to clear out.’

‘What is it?’

‘I think Nica is not the main target here…’

‘What?!’ Tisha’s voice momentarily arose, catching it mid reaction but it was too late as the ripples of her echo reverberated through the halls. ‘Then who???’

‘Guys?’

A sudden response peeks out from the end of the hall as Aida stuck her head out around the corner, possibly reacting to Tisha’s reaction.

‘Nothing we just saw Neil…’ Yukino quickly responds as Aida makes a disgusted face and slinks back behind the wall.

‘I’m not sure yet. Which is why we continue observing for afar and see where this goes.’ She said, looking back at Tisha after checking if the coast was clear.

Tisha nods as they continue on walking down the hall, eventually catching up to the two ahead as they make their way towards Little Edgar’s.

The four of them kept on talking about the past week and all of the funny escapades Nica and Aida had been through just to escape her ever increasing mob and amidst it all, Yukino and Tisha kept their concern at bay as they deemed it best to keep their spirits up despite what they both knew.

This was especially hard on Tisha, since besides her concern about Nica’s well being she has another concern gnawing at her in the back of her mind.

Even though they had kissed and made up their grievances, it still didn’t change the fact that the person she loves was on the hit list of possible suspects. And although he has no reason to target her and make her suffer at Nica’s expense, the idea of it makes her think.

-For if Pete was indeed the major suspect.

Then for whom is he doing this for?-

A thought that would haunt her over and over until this ends.