AftermathZone.com Chapter 3 Boris thrust the filthy tuft of hair into his nostrils. Aethelia grimaced slightly in disgust and was certain Boris didn't have a high sense of scent, if any at all... "Do you... Do you recognize the smell?" inquired Aethelia. Boris withdrew the hairs which left traces of dirt and dried blood on his nose, "No, I'm afraid not..." Aethelia felt a pang of expected dismay and concluded this tuft of hair was a more or less useless piece of evidence. She let out a long heavy sigh. "Maybe if I taste it..." mumbled Boris. "No, I really don't think that's necessary, Boris," Aethelia snatched the tuft and stuck it in one of her pockets. "I was thinking maybe we should take a look around town, ask anyone if they've seen or heard anything. We'll have to be careful, of course..." Boris looked a little dazed so Aethelia poked him in the belly, "Are you listening?" "Oh, yeah, sorry gurl... I think I'm just a bit hungry, I've hardly eaten since all this craziness started..." muttered Boris rubbing his stomach, still pretty distracted. "That sounds like a good idea, but we'll have to be extra careful, what with that whole special task force on the lookout now." Aethelia nodded, "How about we split up and meet back here around noon?" "Yeah, sure," replied Boris looking the window at a restaurant across the street. Aethelia was becoming mildly frustrated with Boris' lack of attention, but decided to let it slide... He had been the one who saved her when this began after all. "Okay! I'll see you in a couple hours, Boris! We're going to get to the bottom of this!" The final heap of dirt was piled at the base of the gravestone. A light rain fell from the sky, sending tears of water streaming down the sides of the cement. Inscribed in the center was a name that would never be forgotten, "Imp." Delicately, a bouquet of red roses was placed in front and Matilda stepped back and offered yet another moment of silence for her beloved friend. Matilda felt proud to honor her companion in such a way. She finally had mustered up the courage to send off Imp's memory in a proper manner, even if it had strained her physically. Still catching up on her breath, Matlida wiped her face of rain and sweat. Her clothes were soaked, but she didn't care. Carefully moving forward so as not to step on the flowers, Matilda extended her hand and ran her fingers over the letters of his name, "I'll never forget all the good times we had together, Imp..." Lightning and thunder crackled in the sky, sending a rumble through the earth, and from behind Matilda came the voice of a woman, "I think it's best you had, Matilda." The mysterious cloaked figure with glowing orange eyes stepped out from the shadows of a dying tree. Matilda spun around, fists at the ready, "You!" "Who were you expecting?" giggled the figure. "Did you think I was... A ghost?" Matilda's voice quickly rose to a viciously angry shriek, "I--You, YOU DID THIS!! I knew you sick freaks were behind this. How could you do this to one of your own?!" "Now now, my dear sweet Matilda... Please calm down. It was a necessary measure, you see," cooed the woman. "And anyway, it wasn't me per se..." "I don't CARE," screamed Matilda at the top of her lungs, "YOU WENT TOO FAR!" With that, Matilda charged towards the woman at full speed, fists flailing in front of her. But her opponent was too fast. She vanished in a blur, leaving Matilda to punch at thin air. Too slow to react, Matilda took a blow to the back as the robed woman kicked her from behind with a powerful force that sent Matilda flying face first into wet mud and dirt. "Matilda," spoke the woman once more, all traces of mocking and laughter gone. "I bring you a message from inside the Organization." She knelt down and grabbed Matilda by the hair with no regard to the pain she was causing her, "Get yourself together. You're a wreck and an increasing liability. More so than we're willing to put up with." The woman let go of Matilda and her face fell back into the mud. She went over to the grave and crushed the bouquet of flowers with her foot. "If you don't smarten up, your fate will be no better than Imp's was." Matilda felt as worthless as the mud she lie in. "And yes, my sweetness, that is a threat. You have three days to report to headquarters. Three days to get over your stupid loss. Let me warn you, hun, 'cause if you don't... In three days you'll be six feet under too." Matilda didn't know what to expect next... After a few moments of silence, she slowly pushed herself up and cautiously turned to face behind her. But the woman was gone, nowhere to be seen. She noticed the trampled bouquet and felt her heart ache in pain. "W...Where do I go from here...?" she whispered as tears escaped her eyes. Imp would know... They had always got through everything together. But Imp was no longer here... He was forever gone... She was beginning to wonder if she'd be better off forever gone as well. Matilda looked up to the gray sky, rain stung as it fell into her eyes. "What... What else do I have to live for...?" Immediately after their seperation, Aethelia ventured to Acitius City's central square. It was sure to be crowded and full of people who may potentially have more information, or so she hoped. Shortly after her arrival, however, she suddenly felt as though she was being watched. She spun around and looked for any suspicious individuals, but it was hard to make out anyone in particular with so many other people and characters walking around so near to her. It was especially crowded today, she noted. The sound of the City's famous fountain could be heard not too far off, but amidst this mass, she couldn't even see it. Her vision was suddenly blurred by a ray of sunlight she thought reflected off someone's eyeglass. Momentarily, she was entirely blind as her eyes refocused and readjusted. "Boris...?" She could have sworn she saw him, but now the crowd had shifted and she couldn't be sure. Aethelia abruptly became very self-conscious. She couldn't actually see anyone watching her directly, but she felt as though everyone was. She turned from left to right, front to back, but everyone had an agenda of their own. She bumped into a Ferro who seemed to be in a rush. He gave her a dirty look and continued on his way. Aethelia tried to maintain a steady pace, but she was suddenly so disoriented that she just kept bumping into more people. "What's wrong with me...? Get a grip, Aethelia," she thought to herself. She came to a bench and sat down beside an inquisitive Junivi. Aethelia was breathing heavily and rested her head in her hands, closing her eyes... "Get a grip," she kept repeating over and over in her mind. She took a deep breathe and slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head. The Junivi was staring at her. "What?" she snapped. "What are you staring at?!" The Junivi didn't speak a word but just continued his piercing glare. Aethelia stood up in frenzy and screamed, "Stop staring at me!" She broke into a frantic run, pushing people out of the way. As she ran she noticed more and more people staring. Watching. She spotted a shady looking Paw peering at her from above a newspaper he was pretending to read... She spotted a Zael watching her from a patch of flowers and bushes he was trying to blend in with... They were all after her! Aethelia began to cry as she ran, all the while screaming gibberish that really was causing quite a scene. She barely had any time to react at all as she ran barrelling into Bok himself at full speed. Aethelia's rebound sent her violently to the ground with yet another yelp. "What in the hell are you doing, Aethelia?" Bok demanded angrily, having been nearly knocked off balance himself. He reached down and pulled Aethelia up by her arm. "I've had at least ten people come to me about some delirious girl screaming and running through city square." Aethelia grabbed hold of Bok's shoulders, her eyes wildly darting all over the place, "They're after me, Bok. They're right behind me. Oh my Kenko, they're going to kill me too." Bok looked around but nothing was out of the ordinary. "Aethelia, you need to calm down, right now." Aethelia spotted a Stryk standing behind a statue, trying to conceal himself. It was clear he was trying to observe the encounter between Bok and her. She emitted a screech and pointed in the Stryk's direction. Bok looked once again but saw nothing suspicious. "I'm sorry, Aethelia, I have no choice," stated Bok withdrawing a pair of handcuffs. He grabbed Aethelia's pointing paw and attached them to her wrist and then lowered her arm and cuffed her other wrist. "You're under arrest." "What?!" wailed Aethelia. Nearly everyone in the vicinity had gathered around to watch this outrageous spectacle. "You can't do this to me!! I did nothing wrong! Oh my Kenko, please don't arrest me!!" Meanwhile, Boris had decided to grab a bite to eat before interrogating any unexpecting citizens. He really was hungry. He sat down at a table in Cafe de Petaline and before he knew it was munching on a bit of everything from the entire menu (yes, she serves meals too!). Petaline had to join several other tables with his to make enough room for all of his dishes. She nodded her head in disapproval, but a customer was a customer. With no regard for the humongous bill he was racking up, Boris continued to devour everything in sight. It was nearly two hours later when he finally decided he was bloated enough and called for the bill. Petaline withdrew a long list that touched the floor, "Your total... Your total is 252,788 AP..." Boris absentmindedly wrote a check for that precise amount, and a generous tip to boot. It was clear money was not an issue for him. Stretching his arms and yawning as he stepped out onto the street, he realized it was well past noon and that Aethelia was surely waiting for him back at his shop. He dismissed any remorse for his lack of action towards the investigation. Sometimes eating was just more important. As Boris approached his shop door, he instantly noticed it was slightly ajar... He assumed Aethelia may have been a bit careless, but he proceeded with caution. "Aethelia?" Boris said loud enough for anyone in the entire store to hear. There was no response. He stepped through and closed the door behind him. It became immediately apparent someone had been in the shop or still was. The furniture was a mess, drawers were open, and inventory was scattered all over the floor. Boris quietly moved forward, carefully peering beyond the counter... Nobody was hiding on the other side. A noise could suddenly be heard from a closet not too far from where Boris stood. It sounded as though someone had unintentionally knocked something over... Boris silently crept to the door and put his ear to the wood. He couldn't hear anything. It came to his attention that he noticed he could smell something fishy, like salmon. With a surge of adrenaline, he grabbed the doorknob and threw it open. It was empty. He was completely unawares as the plank of wood came pummeling into his skull at full-force from behind. Boris let out a meager yelp before he fell to the floor, completely unconscious. Around the roundtable sat only two members now. As usual, there was no form of lighting, only blackness. "I feel as though our trust is running thin these days..." came the husky voice of Number I. "You're the only one left that I have full and complete confidence in, Number V." Number V didn't speak a word, but simply nodded. Despite there being no light, the nod was received and Number I continued, "I've begun to question Number III's motives, I fear she may have an agenda of her own. And as for Number VI... She will never return to us..." Number I stood from his throne and approached the only other member in the room. It was as though he could see perfectly, as though the room was as bright as day. He placed his paw on the head of Number V. "I have one final task for you." Number I handed V a parcel that was taken and carefully stored. "Everything will make sense so very soon, but I fear this may be our last meeting for a while. Now, go. We each have our part to play in this game of chess." V vanished in a swirl of dark mist, leaving Number I on his own. "I think it's time I paid Number II another visit." A single ray of sunlight shone through the jail cell's barred window. Aethelia sat slouched over in a shaded corner. Her clothes were covered in stains and her hair was even messier than usual. She was all cried out and had been sitting perfectly still for hours, but she was not asleep. Aethelia felt paralyzed, like she had no right to even move. She had been so so weak ever since this whole mess had befallen her. She was letting everyone down, especially Boris. He was probably back at his shop this very instant, worrying terribly about where she could be. "If only you knew..." thought Aethelia sadly. She eyed the cell's bars that trapped her, confined her. She was helpless, and it was nobody's fault but her own. She'd be blamed for Imp's death and she'd be behind these bars forever. Maybe she deserved it... She barely noticed the fiery orange eyes watching her from the shadows... Moving once again out of darkness, the familiar cloaked figure presented herself to Aethelia line of vision. She barely reacted. "Oh, poor Aethelia..." taunted the woman. "All trapped behind bars now, are we?" Aethelia found it hard to even speak. "Have we gone completely mute now too?" laughed the woman. "Who the hell are you?" replied Aethelia coldly, in a barely audible whisper. "You could call me Number III..." she sneered, "But I think you'll find me more to be a messenger of grim news than a number, ahahaha..." Aethelia's body remained perfectly still, only her eyes glanced up from underneath her dangling hair to get a view of Number III. "Do you remember Matilda, dear Aethelia? The one who promised to be by your side?" Aethelia nodded ever so slightly. "Where is she now? You're all alone..." Number III pretended to look around as if expecting to find someone else in this cold, dark place. "Not even Boris is here, anymore..." Aethelia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out Number III's harsh words. "Well, I'm going to tell you where Matilda is. After all, I think you should know, since soon she'll be nothing but a fading memory." "What do you mean?" asked Aethelia. "I had a nice little discussion with that basket case, and let's just say she's not holding up to well... Your poor friend Matilda can't handle the weight of her sins, you see. Poor Matilda has nowhere left to go, she's even more alone than you are. Poor Matilda..." Number III approached the cell's bars and lowered herself to Aethelia's height and whispered something that only Aethelia could hear. Her eyes opened wide in horror, "That can't be true!!" Number III stepped back a few paces and let out a piercing cackle, "Oh yes, Aethelia, it is. And now you will suffer knowing there was nothing you could do to save her. I will break you into pieces, and then I will break your pieces into pieces. He could never love me, Aethelia. Not with someone as special as you in his life." With that, Number III vanished in a swirl of dark shadows, smoke, and laughter, leaving a whimpering Aethelia behind in her lonely jail cell.