Speaker 1: Hello, I'm welcomed stories all the time. Glad you are here.
Let's get into it. We get by. We honor our
ancestors way of life by living on the spaceband Arc.
But at what cost. Most of the natives on board
are wound up so tight, working themselves to death trying
to my great way to a planet. Some of them
save more money than they can afford, keeping themselves in poverty.
Misery is a way of life for sister Archians. So
that said, when a client doesn't very attack me or
boast into tears after I've told them what I've discovered,
I'm always drawn off guard. Take this lady Stokely sitting
across from me in my office, for example, when she
first came in to tire me to find her daughter, she
told me she didn't want to involve the polisher, for
she feared a drug habit formed in her daughter. Obviously,
she and I both knew going into this the drug
using teenagers put toward at an all time high decades ago. Hell,
she herself probably had a drug habit form in her
when she was her daughter's age. But you know how
mother worries. Anyways, Now, as I'm telling her that I've
her daughter in a hassa house in the lower decks.
She almost seems relieved that it's only hasse. Kids that
age often get involved with things far more nefarious and
hyper aware spended animation. Although no telling where she finds
the money for the stace line for habitual use, the
mother doesn't seem to even think about that part, though.
She just sits back with a blank look and expresses gratitude.
Thank you, mister Birdie, the mother states, I appreciate your
quick and diligent work. She pauses for a moment and
then reaches across my desk to gently place her hand
on my arm. She gazes into my eyes as if
she knows something about me that I don't. You're a
good man or I'm brody. Don't you forget that? The
mother says. My gut reaction is to protest, but I
don't say anything. As the lady stands up in eggis
my office, closing the door behind her. In my head,
I vision he stopping at the front desk of my
practice where Clarisa charges her for my service. This poor
lady just found out her daughter's stasising away her life,
and now we're billing her. I continue to imagine her
as she walks out of the practice, into the hallway
of the high rise and towards the elevator. Does she
lose composure at any point? And furious if I can
catch a glimpse of her exiting the building, I peer
down out of the window of my office, but she's
lost in the foot traffic below. I worry about the
mother more than the daughter. She has lived in the
safety of the upper Pomenau deck her whole life, so
I certainly hope she has the wits to not chase
after her daughter in the low decks. My eyes flick
from the crowd below to the artificial orange sunset on
the fictitious horizon. My office window faces a stern overlooking
one of the two beaches on the main deck on
each end of the Ark's main decks. Artificial beaches lead
to miles of bodies of water with fakes guys projected
overhead on the interior of the hull. From what I
can remember, Brother Ark assembles Sister Arc identically in their
deck layouts. Every day. Around this time, I pretend oceanic
sunset office FEUs obstructed as a projected sun hides behind
a massive mechanical wave generator in the far end of
the water. The phony fiery circle covers behind the metallic
bouncing bulb. The wave generator ecipsing the sun bounces out
its last few rolling waves of the evening. Every day,
this makes me think about my family's last beach day
on Brother Ark when I was a kid. I'm sure
it's because I was a child, but things seemed simpler
back then, back when my father was still around. Before
the first Cosmo transport exploded, intensions escalated between the collective
and the succeeded Brother Ark, forcing my family to seek
refuge on Sister Ark. I swear people actually seemed happy
back home here. The closest we gets complaisant, are simply
happy for other people for leaving the Ark. My office
door creaks open behind, but I continue stirring out the
window as a familiar so we four all sent Grace's
the room. I could see your brooding. Cloris's sultry voice
teases me, saw, I'm just going to leave these here.
I hear a thud of a steck of files on
my desk. One of those potential clients claims to know you,
says you go way back from your brother arc days.
I made showt but that file on top because I
don't want you to just choose the first moppy woman
you see. Would we charge the mother, I ask, not
acknowledging her comments our usual price orion Floris's siys behind me.
We can't give out a discount to every person who
doesn't hate you. By the end of the case, she scolds,
then we could probably just go non profit. If only
we'd see all the infidels that attack you, Luca suggested, No, no,
I cut in, Finally, turning away from the artificial reds
of the sunset, I look into Claris's deep blue eyes.
You were right to charge her. Thank you. I'll look
over the files before tomorrow. Our eye contact holds for
several heartbeats until my bone conducting radio vibrates against my
ear and breaks the spell. Oh sorry, I'm bidding a
call Clarissa. Have a good night, yea, She smirks and
turns towards the door. My eyes lose focus watching her
as she leaves. The buzzing continues on my ear until
the door closes and the fall scent slowly dissipates the ikes.
Why am I so awkward? With her. The radio buzz
is in a complex pattern, indicating a coaler's identification. My
mother ay, not feeling particularly interested in hearing her brag
about my older brother, like to let the vibration continue
until the coal attempt ceases. After the fake sunsets, the
whole above the main deck slides open to reveal count
the stars glistening through the door blast skylight. When the
waves die enough, the comat connects to the dome at
the horizon and reflects the bright stars from below, creating
the illusion that the beach leads directly into space. Rusty
wave generator acts as my brown full moon to night.
Like most nights, some night cycles, I do go home
to my duplex I bought with my mother after my
dad passed, but that's way down in the promenade decks.
These days, I prefer to fall asleep in my office
in the city. This way, I don't bother myself with
the commute or any questions from my mother. But when
I'll finally have some courage and ask out my assistant
to night, though I know I will be able to
sleep anyways, something about that has a house from earlier
haunts me, and it's not just a stench all the
kids and they'll look too young, although most of them
were probably older than me I know personally. The new kids, though,
will have regrets when there stays this age, Inevitably it
shrinks their biological age. That's a weird one to reconcile.
After a few hours of worrying and failing to sleep
on my office couch, I decide to distract myself by
looking over the Kleinfast Curse abroad. In moving to my desk,
I kick my feet up, lean back, and reach for
the Manilla folder on top of the stack. Before I
open it, Cloris's floor or sent rushes off the folder
and suddenly undistracted by something else, or rather some one else.
Beyond her stunning appearance and demanding presents, Claris is also
the best assistant. After every close case, she'll present a
stack of potential client folders that she typed herself and
arranged from most urgent to least. Chlorisa somehow keeps better
track of everything without the help of her feedback display
device than I would with one. I'm not entirely convinced
I'm not her assistant. I catch myself smiling, and I
crack open the folder women smile drops, my focus tunneled
and the poor mother Earler so intently that I didn't
even process that Colos has said somebody from my brother
Arkie is called. After Dad was killed. My family and
I have kept our origins a secret outside of Claris
in my direct family members. There's only one man who
even knows I am from brother ark and I hadn't
seen him in several years. Yet here in this folder,
Gabriel Hunter, Dad's long time business partner, was seeking my
help regarding a missing person. I didn't even know he
had a son. I read over the file and it's
a pretty standard missing person case from what I can
tell here on Sister Ark, most missing persons have either
gotten involved with drugs and or hasse escaped to the
capital planet or to be crass off themselves. Mister Hunterson
is no special case. Ad Bet. Reading through the file more,
I note all the important details. Ferdinand Hunter, mister Hunter's son,
recently loped with his wife on the beach facing above
of the Ark. Apparently he and his new wife bought
property in the suppro neate decks, but neither have answered
When mister Hunters stopped by the son's not answering his
radio either. My I scan page after page. Eventually I
stop and withdraw, My head tilts back, my eyes close,
and my mind races Gabriel Hunter. Huh, mister Hunter as
I knew him growing up. See. Something interesting about mister
Hunter is that he actually entered hyper were suspended animation
in the pod next to mine when we were treated
from Brother Arc. More than that, though, mister Hunter paid
for stasis for my whole family at the time, Me, mom, dad,
and my brother Kip all hassied for three years across
the Pulsic system with mister Hunter on the same refugee vessel.
He remained a prominent member of my family's social unit
until one day he and my dad had a massive
argument and consequential falling out. I haven't seen him since
the day I caught my dad yelling at him, telling
him to leave the house and unit and to never
come back, although I still don't know what the argument
itself was about the fact that mister Hunter didn't show
up for my dad's funeral a few months after the
days and off for me to hesitate taking this case.
Why should I help this rich man who practically disowned
my father? He did help a whole family out dozens
of years ago. I guess that was worth something, right.
I opened my eyes and stare at the ceiling of
my office. We need the money. I need the money.
Beyond that, I don't think I can stop myself from
helping people. I really would go nonprofit, but Clarisa thinks
the only way to do that is to sue the
cheetahs that I beat up out of self defense. But
that just doesn't feel right to me. Anyways, I decide
to help. Of course, before the artificial sunrise, I tried
to cram in as much about this case as I can.
Ferdinand and his wife met volunteering at a community service
event sponsored by a brother arka preach organization. I'll have
to wait to visit the Outfreach administration office in the
lower deck, which opens in the afternoon. Until then, I'll
check out the missing person's housing unit. Unfortunately, the client
didn't disclose his son and daughter in law's exact address.
But I bet if I tell mister Hunter that I've
accepted his case, he'll provide the address up front. You
never know with geriatrics there, mister Hunter may not awake
until noon, or he may already be awake for the
day now, speaking of jeriatrics. Right as I'm finishing the
lost page, Clarissa typed up about the Hunter's I received
another call from my mother. I let my radio bus
a few times before letting out a sigh, heft it
than I intended, and answered the call. Hey, ma'am, I say,
after I press my radio, everything okay. I stand up
and immediately look out the window towards the beach or
I in baby my mom squeals out of the radio.
You didn't come home last night? Were you out with Marissa?
You do know how a mother worries, right, No, ma'am,
I wasn't out with Curissa. I stayed up at the office,
like how you should do on week days. Out the
the overhead hole begins to slide shut to begin the
new day's cycle. Well that's good too, mom of lies.
Oh my two hard working boys, speaking of which she says,
Kip finally woke up from his first house cycle and
reached out. After the past few years, he's about half
way to the capital planet. Are you proud of him
or what? That's a load of question. That's great, mom,
I snip, before changing the topic. Say do you remember
mister Hunter, silly question. Of course she remembers mister Hunter.
Of course, I remember mister Hunter, my mother says, dropping
her chip or tone before building back up to it.
He was a good friend of your father's for a
very long time. Notice she doesn't mention how their friendship ended. Well,
he reached out to me to help him find his son, Ferdinand.
I explain, I'm thinking of helping him out, but before
I do, I think it's time I know what happened
between them. My mother pauses for a long time, an
uncharacteristically long amount of time. Through my window, I watched
surface were out to catch the first waves of the day,
and I begin speculating all my thears on mister Hunter. Finally,
she replies Orian, she starts, I think if Gabriel Hunter
is reaching out to you, then maybe at a time
you know what happened. Perfect, But mister Hunt needs to
be to want to tell you. It's not my story
to tell, nor my forgiveness to give. That's perfect. I'm
not sure what that even means. Okay, Mom, I simply reply,
I'll give him a call, thank you, and make sure
you eat something healthy and organic to day. Okay. Not
just those chocolate protein packs. Sure, sure, oriin she says,
I'll see ye tonight. Maybe we can eat some healthy
organic dinner together. Sure Ma, I strain out, not knowing
if it's a lie or not yet, I'll be home
for dinner to night, provided I make some headway in
this case. See ye. Then I tap the radio to
hang up, and I get back to work. Reading over
the case fra ale again, I find mister Hunter didn't
provide a call back frequency, but he did provide an
address on the main deck. He must still have consider
er wealth if he can afford housing up here, which
always begs the question why not leave the arc forj
now or javendus? Even my mind drills for all of
the reasons a rich man would choose to live on
an arc. As I grab my firearm and head out
of my office, I stop at Choris's desk to scribble
a quick note to let her know where I was going.
She knows to try my radio if she needs me,
but she rarely does. I exit a practice, head down
the hall, and go down the elevator to find mister Hunter.
The address provided in his file leads me to up
a starboard a relatively less rich district in the main
deck is a half iro pasted on when I arrive
at mister Hunter's district on a public zero G shuttle.
Although yes, they are the fastest way to get from
one end of the Oark to another, syero G shuttles
make me sick launching you at super speed from one
end to the next to in zero gravity corridors. That
type of force creates its own gravity that doesn't ever
agree with my stupid stomach. Anyways, after I vomit myself straight,
my trek through upper Starboard begins. The entire district is
really just rows and rows of near identical housing units,
leaving the numerical grid layout to provide the only means
of navigation. The sprawling suburban nightmare almost makes me sick again,
but I pass on. I walk for about twenty minutes
through the streets, breeding the remarkably stale air. When I
finally approach mister Hunter's housing unit. Walking up, I noticed
his nosy neighbor watching my every step. I wave to
her and she quickly ducks out of sight. Odd probably
just another miserable sister arcy in looking for drama. Anyways,
I continue on and knock on the front door. When
a housekeeper answers, he welcomes me with a traditional brother
art greeting, grasp in my right hand with both of
his enbowing while bringing my hand to his forehead. The
housekeeper brings me inside and tells me to wait in
common language. As he awakes, Mister Hunter left on my
own in the hosting room. I survey the decorps scattered
throughout the room, a photos of mister Hunter looking around
the same age as I remember him. Mister Hunter's thirty
something year old face gleamed with joy in every photo.
In one one, he held his newborn son. In another,
he held his toddler son on his shoulders. In another,
mister Hunter's thirty something year old arms wrap around his
newly college graduated son's shoulders. The housekeeper interrupts my snoopy
by announcing the arrival of the host. Mister Hunter walks
down the staircase towards the hosting room with a glass
of something brown and presumably expensive in his hand. He's
no geriatric at all. I swear he looks the same
age as he does in the photos. Or I am Brodie,
mister Hunter exclaimed a little too happy to see me
ar ner sight for sore eyes. He walks into the
room and ride up to my face. I can still
smell the specific stench of staysign a cryogenic necessity on him. Well,
look at you, all grown up, he continues, I see
your BOSSENTI m cray for help. Yes, I've read up
on Ferdinand my condolences, I remark, not bothering to correct
him about Cliss's occupation. Do you mind if I ask
you a few questions regarding his disappearance? He gestures to
the cushioned heats by all means anything I can do
to help. I follow his lead and sit down myself.
Pulling out a recording device, I make a gesture to
ensure mister Hunter doesn't mind. He encourages me as I
pressed the record button for Clarissa to transpose later. She
really is the best. Aldo Brodie is in an issue
interview with mister Hunter. Mister Hunter, when did you last
see your son? Months ago? And this was at the wedding,
This was before the elopement. Ferdin Nan was over for
dinner one night. He found time in his busy volunteering
schedule for me. He didn't even mention Eliza at the time,
and this Eliza. You haven't met her? Then? Correct, I've
never met the girl? Breaks my heart. Had you been
in contact with your son since the elopement, any radio calls,
her letters, even what exactly makes you think he's missing?
We used to radio each other every week or so,
just to check in. No conversation ever lasted longer than
five minutes. But in one of our radio chats he
gave me his current address a few weeks ago. He
told me to visit any time. Well, last week I
tried to radio him several times, but it was like
his radio didn't even exist. After a few days of trying,
I eventually went to check out the address he gave me,
but it didn't look like anybody lived there. I've tried
the house in unit several times since, and each time
nobody answers. Interesting, mister Hunter, do you know anything about
your son using stasis recreationally? Maybe using your pot a
few times growing up? Oh, I an, I don't appreciate
what you're implying here. I use hasset, yes, but that
doesn't make me in an attentive father. I always locked
up my pot when Ferdinand was Yon if he's gotten
into it, it's not because of me. But Ferdinand's a
good kid. He wouldn't do anything like that. He cares
about this outreach organization and his wife too much for that. Look,
I didn't mean to offend mister Hunter. I'm simply trying
to narrow my focus. I'll find you Son, I promise,
thank you, or Ryan. If there's anything else I can
do to help, please let me know. Here's my radio
frequency if you need me. Appreciate it, mister Hunter. I'll
see myself out. But before I go, would you mind
giving me Ferdinand in Eliza's address as well? Of course,
here you are, Thank you again. I listened to the
recorded interview several times in the way to the newly
Wits housing unit, analyzing intently. While I've no reason to
believe he's lying to me, mister Hunter hasn't earned my
trust in his sleigh as yet. Admittedly, asking him about
my father would have provided a chance for him to
own said trust, but I choked in the question. I
can't believe. I'll let my nose weary in that. For me.
I'll have to follow up on that tomorrow as I
ride another zero G shuttle. This time vertically done towards
the promenade deck. The interview plays on loop on my radio.
Just as my focus turns to avoiding more sickness, the
shuttle arrives on the deck that houses Ferdinand an Eliza's estate.
The shuttle drops me off several miles from their address,
so I signal for a personal rover cab. The cab
ride is peaceful enough, although the driver won't stop talking
about their husband's gambling obsession, saying he never shows up
with any money nor debt after he returns from his
gambling trips. They ramble on. As we approach the young
Hunter's housing unit, I ask the driver to stand by
while I inspect the unit. If what mister Hunter said
is true, this will be quick. On approach, the exterior
reminds me of the housing unit we grew up and
back on Brother Arch. The colors don't match, but the
general structure appears identical to the one in my memories.
Maybe I just have brother Ark on my mind. Before
I attempt the front door, I sneak around back to
look for any windows to look inside. Before any potential
residence realize I'm here. What people do in the santity
of their own home divines them anyways. I found a
window with the privacy cutains fully unveiled to show a
completely burned hosting room, no furniture, no trash, no signs
of life in any capacity, art for sure. Circling back
to the front, I first see if the front door
is unlocked, having made the mistake of breaking and entering
when I could have just entered. I always check. However,
at this time the action bears fruitless. Thinking of my
best ways in, I run thro all of the usual spots.
People hide their house keys under the rock, Nope, electrical
box in the back, no key. I check for more
common locations and almost lose faith in myself yet again,
before or to pilot. Powered by my childhood memories and
induition takes over. When I return to the front of
the house, my right hand glosses over the bricks close
to the door. Suddenly my mind catches up to my
body when I recall where our family used to keep
our house key behind a loose brick. Surely this vaguely
similar house doesn't the same secrets as my childhood won there,
my intuition proves my logic roung Immediately as I pull out.
Sure enough, I'll loose brick. However, my bewilderment meets disappointment
immediately when I look inside the secret spot, only to
see dust and spider webs. I turn my head back
to check on the rover cab driver. They wave at
me and point to their wrist, indicating I should probably hurry.
I wave back before leaning down to pick up the brick.
Losing patient to myself, I walk around the side once
more and toss the brick through the window. The moment
I enter the housing unit, it instantly occurs to me
why I'm thinking about my childhood home. This unit must
have used the same common blueprint as the housing unit
I grew up in. Suddenly I'm transported to the night
we left, when my family and I did off final
walk through of our old house. This place is as
empty as is was on that day. The bedroom doesn't
have a bed, the library doesn't have any books. I
walk all through the unit, looking for any signs of
anybody ever staying here, to no avail. Maybe the reminiscing
distracts me from discovering anything, or may be truly nobody
ever lived here. Then I remember the secret compartment my
dad and I would use to get of each other
messages back in our old house or brother ark in
a kitchen, A specific drawer hit a false bottom that
my dad and I would left to leave messages to
each other. The messages themselves were never anything noteworthy, but
I still remember loving the idea when I was young.
While I always assumed my dad build it. Then I
figure it wouldn't hurt to check Ferdinand identical drawer for
a similar false bottom. When I walk into the kitchen
staring at the drawer, my mind goes blank. Sweat beads
build up on my forehead. My face feels hot as
I pull up in the drawer to see it looks
completely empty. But that's the idea. I reach in towards
the back of the open drawer, where my forefinger slips
through a small hole. My eyes widened as I cut
my finger and lift it up. The kitchen drawer has
a false bottom. The front of the house is a
loose brick. What is going on here? These can be
designed features for this model of housing unit. Right. I
stop speculating as soon as I see the contents of
the secret compartment. A small rectangular device not just any device,
A device with a feedback display, a computing system with
the screen something outlawd in the collective long ago. Inspecting
the device all around, I accidentally press a button on
the side, igniting the screen, which practically illuminates the entire house.
Without looking at the feedback display, I pressed the button
again and the screen dies out. I'll have to wade
through the contents of this device personally. Back at the office,
Florisa would love to see the display herself, but I
don't want to risk her going blind. Being brother Ark
and myself, I should be fine. Satisfied with this fascinating
new piece of evidence. I exit the house and start
the journey back to my building on main deck, cautious
to keep the feedback display device hidden along the way.
On the return trip, I think about mister Hunter and
my dad as I knew them back home. Their heads
were always buried in their screens unless they were together.
When they were together, they only talked in private and
laughed often. But around the family, my dad was always
serious and working hard, staring at his feedback displays. He'd
occasionally tell me the tale of our superpower. The legends
go that during the Odyssey era, a virus broke out
on Sister Ark, causing the entire populace to all go blind.
While they overcame the challenge to re medadic advancements, the
citizen's new eyes went up to PA They retrofitted their
entire ox technological systems to avoid blue light or any
artificial that deemed dangerous, including screens. Also, the tale goes,
I'll never forget the day when my dad told me
his justification for working so hard using our superpower as leverage.
He said, Son, as citizens of Brother Ark have the
gift of site, we must use it to help the
rest of the collective as much as possible, since they
do not share our abilities. This was, of course, when
Brother Arks still consider themselves a part of the collective,
Before my dad lost faith in the unity of the
pulsic system, before mister Hunter and my dad fell out,
long before a random Sister Arkin shot my dad and
left him for did solely because he was from Brother Ark.
When I arrived back at my private practice, Clariss is
out for lunch. On the same note I left for
her this morning, she wrote back, I will be back
soon with lunch for both of us. Do not eat
another chocolate protein pack a smirk. Continue into my office
and immediately pull out the device I found of Ferdinand's
kitchen drawer, shading the windows. I begin inspecting. Although I
have seen my dad and his friends use a similar
to vice countless times, I admittedly have never actually used
one myself. I start by pressing the button on the side.
The light immediately consumes the office for radiating from the device.
Brother Archy in text reads out, swipe up, So I
swipe upwards on the Phoebeck display and my heart sinks.
The device now illuminates an image of mister Hunter and
my dad, with the text saying Mission Briefing. Under the image,
smaller text reveals details regarding Ferdinand's involvement with Brother Arco Reach.
I swipe up again and more text shows up at
the bottom. Mission Briefing Ferdinand Hunter, Gabriel Hunter, Classified intel
for Hunter Eyes Only CBI off books Infiltration and Retaliation
f Hunter to infiltrate the Terrors group disguised as thout
Preach organization known as Brothers of Odyssey retaliation for the
assassination of doctor Emmetbrody deemed Nessery, discover possible weak spots
and members of leadership. Mission contingencies. I drop the device.
The Polish told me my father died in a senseless
act of violence. What the hell is this about? An
assassination Gabriel Hunter. I need to call mister Hunter immediately.
My hand flies towards my radio on my ear. I
rapidly tap in the sequence to call the frequency mister
Hunter provided. After pressing the binary language frantically on the radio,
I wait for an answer. Eventually his housekeeper picks up. Hullo,
you've reached Gabriel Hunter's radio. He's currently indisposed. May I
take a message? She chimes out, This is ore Ian
wakess ass up and get to my practice. I have
vergent news, I reply, unsuccessfully, trying to hide my anger.
I really should have asked him about my dad when
I had a chance. After ending the call, I pick
up the device to see it didn't survive the fall.
The glass on the display is shattered and the metallic
casing puffs out like a bloated pig. Cursing myself for
dropping the device in the first place, I pace round
the room. Did the device hold any more secrets? The
sound of my footsteps against the copper keeps a mew
to temple. My tre of thoughts werves and turns on
the beat as I speculate and reach for answers. Gabriel
Hunter sent his son on and supposed CIBI mission to
retaliate against a charity organization, one which he believes is
responsible for the death no assassination of my dad. I
love my dad, but as far as I know, he
was not an important figure in either Ark's community, not
enough to use the word assassinate. Why would a brother
art group even allegedly do such a thing. His murder
was a hate crime, a senseless, idiotic attack just for
being from his homemark. But if that is true, why
is the Collective's Bureau for Intelligence interested in the circumstances
of my father's death? On that note, is Gabriel actually
a member of the c br is ferdin end? Was
my dad? My dancing train of thought de rails. When
I hear the front door of the practice open, my
heart sinks, but I am ready to confront this lying
son of a bitch with purpose. I burst through the door. Florisa,
who had just entered the practice, yelts, drops her bags
of takeout orion. She says, shocked and annoyed, now, why
to how would you do that? She lean down to
collect the bags. Luckily they land it upright, so at
least nothing spilled. Oh I'm sorry, I blush. I thought
you were somebody else. I pull an ultra collapsible chair
from a cabinet drawer and flick it open to sit
at Cloris's desk with her. As she starts jump back
and plait our lunch, I explain the recent developments and
our impending guests, comforting Savory at roams full the room
as I show her the now broken device I found.
More importantly, I tell her about the information and the device.
Gabriel Hunter is a CBI agent. My dad was, according
to young Hunter's device, sassinated by this terrorist group disguised
as a charity organization. Ferdinand Hunter was recruited by his
father to go undercover at the organization, and so on.
After I explain everything I know off Colorissa raises her fork,
points it at me, and, after goving a full mouth,
says ye keeps saying, supposedly and allegedly, like you some
kind of lawyer, how much of this do you even believe?
As shrugg as I take my first bite of some
kind of needle dish. The salty, warm first bite sends
me spiraling back to my childhood. This must be from
the Ni brother Ar couisine joint. Well, while I'm saying,
is Colorissa continues after taking another bite. How do we
know miss Hunter isn't just a conspiracy nott who roped
his son into spying on an ordinary a freach organization.
What a Ferdinand actually found love and just couldn't tell
his kookie dad. Great questions, beginning to speculate all the possibilities.
I ready another bite on my fork when a knock
in the front door and dropts our meal preceding the knock,
the visitor walks right in. Oh terribly sorry, Gabrielle Hunter says,
upon entering the practice. I didn't mean to interrupt anything.
I was told to come right away. I put my
fork down and wipe my face. No trouble at all.
I'm glad you're here. I reply and gesture towards my office.
Please comment. Sit. Gabrielle Hunter walks in and I follow him,
closing the doors. I do once Gabrielle sitting down across
from my desk, I ready my recording device for the interview.
You I didn't slamm the brook and screen device in
front of him. Is there anything you'd like to tell me,
I grillham. I don't know, maybe something you left out.
My heart races. I'm not great at confrontations, but I'm
good at acting like I'm great at confrontations. Gabrielle looks
at the device. He looks up at me as I
stand next to him. Where was it who broke it?
Gabriel asks? The device was under a false bottom in
your son's kitchen drawer. I respond, then I broke it
out of shock from the contents and the device. Now
you answer my question, ha, Gabriel chuckles out the kids
using our old tray. Well, my boy, if you read
the mission briefing, you already know, Gabriel says, as he
breaks eye contact and looks straight ahead. Your father was
an the central case officer working for the CBI and
my handler. This brother ur group found out and didn't
like that your father was a collective apologist, so they
had him killed. I can't process what I'm hearing. Too
many secrets and turn at once, and now I don't
know what to believe. Maybe I'm in shark, maybe denial.
Keep talking. I want to hear the full story, I
managed to blurt out as I walked to the window,
looking out at the horizon and away from Gabrielle. I
tried to focus what happened between you two? And why
bring your son into this all these years later, I asked,
confused as ever, Well, her father and I were given
the opportunity to retire here on Sister Ark, and we
took it, knowing the works never finished, he tells me.
When I approached him about entering the espionage game again,
I mentioned we needed some young agents to go under cover,
and you suggested me and my brother. I whisper. The
falling out starts to make more sense, and I suggest
you and your brother, which, of course your father hates,
to the point of him banishing me from contacting your
entire family ever. Again, his voice breaks. I love your father,
I loved your whole family, and now that I know
after all these he who's responsible for his death, Why
don't you want some type of closure? My mind races,
failing to land on a single coherent thought. Suddenly I
am startled by Clarissa. She knocks on the door, cracking
open the door. She says, I'm sorry to dr out,
but you have another visitor, seems urgent. I turn to
face the door, and as I do, I hear the
glass of the window behind me shutter. By the time
I even process I heard a gun shot, I hear another.
Something zips by my head and into Gabrielle. Clarissa screams
she'd exists the doorway, and the office door slams open further.
Gabrielle's nosy neighbor from before slams through the door with
a handgun ready, shots fired, Shots fired, everybody down. The
neighbor screams as she rushes to take cover behind my desk.
I stand motionless, as if in hassa. I watch the
neighbor pull gabriel out of his seat and on too
the ground next to her. Eventually, I turned towards a
window and examine the SHOT's origin. In the farthest distance
possible in the ark, a quick reflective light shines from
on top of a rusty wave generator. I blink and
almost miss the assailants leap from the Brown's Erco machinery,
disappearing into the water below. Call a doctor. I hear
the neighbor cry, still in silent shock, I turn back
just in time to see her jab a needle into Gabriel,
whose bloodspread on my office floor. Call the police. She
cries again as she feels for our pulse. The next
few moments blur together. Claris rushes me out of the
office and down to the building lobby. Within an instance,
polisher and archaean medical officers or amos arrive and rorush
up stairs. While the polisher presumably get a statement from
the neighbor. The amos drag mister Hunter out of the
building on a gurney with all sorts of medical tubes
and wires. Paris encourages me to follow them onto their
emergency roovers so I can ride with them to the
Arcian medical facility. We sit in the rover and wait
for a brief moment until the neighbor joins us. The
next thing I know, I'm sitting in the A MF
cafe with a cup of coffee across from Gabriel, Hunter's
neighbor who potentially save this life. I take a long
gulp of the shitty Lukwon coffee. The caffein laborously helps
me collect my composure. Setting the mug down, I look
at the neighbor with about a million different questions competing
to leave my mouth before I can speak, though she
goes first, so prior to getting into this, the neighbor says,
with the full condicts lost on me, let me properly
introduce myself. My name is special Agent Carlo Roscoe. I
work for the CBI. She pulls out a badge and
an idea, confirms it, and then snaps them back into
her pockets. Now straight to business. Tell me everything gabriel
Hunter told you, She demands. What is his involvement with
the Brother Art Group. I look into her eyes. Something's
not right. I mean, in addition to all the other
not right. Shouldn't you know? I'll reply, considering Gabrielle's one
of yours. Agent Roscoe pauses her eyebrust grunch and her
lips purse. Agent Hunter was fired from the CBI a
long time ago. He aggressively pursued a Brother Ark refugee
camp that he accused of bombing that OCTI from a
while back. Agent Roscoe states, with calm confidence, in the
midst of this case, your father was arbitrarily gone down
and Hunter went off the rails. Then, when our intel
came in that the accused organization was clean. He refused
to believe it. Hunter unable to be reasoned with when
on a one mamoraid after he critically injured innocent owner
of the camp, Mister Injuries, and his poor young daughter, Lizzie,
The CBI cut Ties texts Agent Hunter entirely. Agent Rosco
pulls out a cigarette and lights it without hesitation. The
smell of tobacco and minfill the cafe. In between drawers
and SIPs of her coffee, she continues, explaining Gabriel Hunter's
paranoid delusions and extreme actions. He'd been quietly in and
out of hasssance, but when Hunter recently reached out to
hire you to find his son, it raised red flags
for our guys, she says, taking another drag before continuing.
She then speaks, with the utmost authority, you have to
tell me everything Extant Hunter said to you. I take
her story in sitting in silence for a moment. I
chug my coffee further until I can feel lit in
my teeth. Kaffinja to shoot up and down my body
while my brain works in overtime to process every bit
of information revealed to me today. I don't know whose
story to trust. As much as I want to believe
my dad was assassinated for his apparently important work, I
struggle to picture it. The thought of my dad dying
for something and not for nothing gives me a vague,
profound feeling that a senseless death simply couldn't. However, believing
that would mean trusting Gabriel Hunter, a higher awareness junkie
who betrayed the trust of an entire branch of the government,
not to mention my dad himself. On the flip side,
the CBI is notorious for its secrets. My dad evidently
kept secrets from his children his entire life. Perhaps if
I didn't break the device, I'd have more to go
off of. Maybe Chlorisa could REPAIRTIVE. Yet the device, my
idiot self left it in the office amidst the commotion.
Could Agent Roscoe have taken it? If the CBI analyzes
the data, they'd know what's really going on. But would
they even share the truth with me? Sweat forums on
my warm face while I internally screen This was all avoidable.
I should have just come back to Gabriel Hunter's house
to interrogate him again. I shouldn't have dropped the device
that could have potentially revealed everything. I'm a moron. Maybe
I would have found Ferdinand by now if I want
such a mess up. Agent Roscoe stares at me as
I high perfix it on all of the mistakes I
made in the past day like some hittimontoch. Her impatience
starts to show as my mind finally mourns the last
moments in my office with Gabrielle. I can't help but
feel partially responsible since mister Hunter was shot in my office.
The shooter used my window. In my introgation, is an
opportunity to take him out. But wait, why who was
the shooter? Sick of all the puzzles and games, I
give a quick summary of the case so far to
Agent Roscoe. I run through the important information without mentioning
the device, optimistic that the CBI doesn't already have it. Eventually,
I get to the part of the story where Gabriel's shot,
and that's where you came in, I explain, wrapping up
the recap of events, speaking of which, do we have
any infawn the shooter Using the lid end of her
previous one, Agent Roscoe lights another cigarette. It's her turn
to process information, but she continues smoking with a blank expression, unfazed.
After exhaling a smoke puff that dances in the space
above our table, she replies, we're looking into it. The
agent responds she makes no attempt at I contact, As
she says, ex Agent Hunter made a lot of venems
over the years, all across the Pulsix system. It could
have been anybody. Really, she still doesn't trust me. I
still don't trust her. We sit intense awkward silence until
I finally ask how ferdin unfits into all of this. Well,
we figured he found love of Agent Roscoe comments, I'm
assuming he'll visit his father once he hears what's happened.
From there, I excuse myself. My new top priority is
finding an exit in the fastest way to the Administration
office for the Outpreach program. The only way to know
for sure what to believe is to discover the truth
of myself. I've made mistakes during this case, but I
was hired to find Ferdinand and that's exactly what I
intended to do. Remembering the admin Offices address from Gabrielle's file,
I sprint to the nearest vertical zero G lift. Unfortunately,
the fastest way to the star Beard Low Decks is
by two different zero G lifts. Fortunately, though I'm too
determined to let some narsa and light vomiting slow me down.
It's a fast journey into the neglected underbelly of the
ark where the facility is located. The dirty lower decks
don't see the same attention or maintenance that the upper
and middx to you. The second zero G shuttle drops
me off the grimy, long, stretching corridor. Every few meters
labeled dark always branch off in opposite directions, leading to
who knows what, turning down my destination's hallway. As slowly
creep into the darkness, I walk past several doors with
all types of labels. The iwareness of the low Decks
fuels all types of conspiracies, un understandably so for all
the doubt I have in Gabrielle's story, in this moment,
my gut tells me to remain vigilant in this environment.
For the first time since I holsted it this morning,
I think about my firearm. Eventually I find a door
that says Brothers of Odyssey at Tree Chadmund. I knock
on the door. After a while the door is answered
by some kid, a teenager. He greets me in a
formal brother arkin fashion and welcomes me into the admined building.
Upon entering, I see the front room, a small office
represents the entirety of the building. The admin teenager sits
behind the desk in the office and asks how he
can help with some urgency, and without all of the details,
explain to the teenage of the situation how Ferdinand's dad
is in surgery right now as we speak, and that
I am looking to deliver the news to Ferdinand. I
ask the administrator if he knows where I can find
him with a forced smile. The teenager quickly explains that
he needs to make a radio call. He excuses and
elf and rushes out of the room through the front door.
And I trust my gup feeling more. As soon as
the teenager leaves the office, A stand up to start
sneaping looking around the office. Nothing incriminating comes up. In fact,
nothing comes up at all. Throughout my search in the office,
I don't find a single document file, a foder. There
aren't even any knick knacks on the desk. What kind
of teenager doesn't have nick knacks? Suddenly, my radio vibrates. Clarissa,
I immediately answer, where are you? Are you okay, yes, yes,
I'm fine, she replied softly. I'm probably blind in one eye,
but that can wait. Listen, I fix the device with
the feedback display. Are you still at the medical facility?
You did what? I retort, flabbergasted, before I pieced together
her first comment with her second, and I plead, please
tell me you didn't look at the screen just with
my left eye. She nonchalantly replies. It's a one off trick,
but it costs the information we needed. Damn it, Clarissa,
too good for your own good, I thought, before or
she proceeded to ask where I was I met the
Brothers of Odyssey or treachy admin office. I reply, I'm
still trying to find Ferdinand. I place my hands on
my hips as I scan the office. Hey, I think
he might have been right. I tell her maybe this
is just an outreach program and Elyssa and Ferdinand are
just in love. No, that's why I called. The mission.
Briefing also contained mission updates from Ferdinand himself. Panocrises in
her voice. Owen, she cries, Eliza is a past victim
of Gabrielle. They've each program is a front for some
type of institutionalization scheme. Elizabeth Andreas is recruiting young Ochaeans
and radicalizing them against the collective. I think she kidnapped
Ferdinand to draw out gabriel You need to get out
of that office or Ian now. Instead A run to
the front door and lock it from the inside calvers.
I say, I can't do that until I find what
I'm looking for, which is what exactly I don't know,
but I'll know it when I see it. I hang up.
As soon as I hang up, the teenage administrator returns.
He wiggles the locked door handle and denial and starts
calling out to me, using my name, which I never gave.
I continue scanning the room, looking for something, anything that
could help me find Ferdinand. Maybe the teenager would lead
me to e Liza. Suddenly, three miles of booms and
the entire room shakes as something more aggressive than knuckle
slams against the office door. Are eyeing Brodie, somebody else
snarls from the other side. You are trespassing. If you
don't open the door, we will take extreme measures. Although
I draw my gun, I ignore the continued slams against
the door to mind my investigation. Scanning the room top
to bottom, I make my way to the end of
the office and no descrapes against the hard floor in
front of the far wall. Whip my free hand, I
knock against the back wall, and the sand of roberrates
through the hollow other side, and there it is. I
found what I didn't know I was seeking. I set
my gun down on the desk behind me and examine
the wolf for where it might open. Meanwhile, the slums
and the door grow more and more violent, increasing my
sense of urgency. The metallic doors intigrity holds, but the
lock or hinges will break eventually. Then they kill me
the way they try to kill Gabrielle, unless I find
a way through this wall. Desperate, I pick up the
desk chair and throw it towards the closed hid an
entry away. The wall rejects the chair, bouncing it back
towards me. After catching the chair, I arrange it in
my hand to start mimicking the invaders outside the office.
Chaer thuds against the wall as I ram it repeatedly,
battering over and over about twice the pace as the
actual battering ram against the office door. After a while,
the chair legs start to degrade and crumble against the wall.
Tit now what? The door starts to rattle in its
frame more and more with each boom. I grab my
gun and shoot multiple shots at the back wall of
the office. No ricochet, so I assume the bullets fly
straight through. After empting a full clip, I reload my
gun and examine the bullet holes. Although the battering chare
wasn't successful, the back wall seems thin basein the holes.
I have to try again with something else. I look
around the office for anything sturdy enough to ram against
a wall, and suddenly I am out of time. The
door flies off its frame, making a dramatic loud noise
against the floor. Two men enter the office, one with
the shotgun, one with the battering ram. Ryan Brody. The
man with the shotgun scolds you are trespassing on brother
Arc territory. He raises his goune towards me and states,
put the webbon down and we can resolve this peacefully.
Where's Ferdinand Hunter? I reply, guns still in hand. The
two men share a quick glance before the one holding
a battering ram says there's nobody by that name. In
the volunteer registry. But if you come with us, maybe
we can help you find him. My grip tightens as
I stare at the men for what feels like an eternity,
while the men glare back at me. My face flashes
and my heart pounds. Looking down the barrel of the
shotgun end at my chest, I calculate every option atension
brings time to a crawling halt, and a few moments
last a lifetime. My entire day leading up to now
displays in my head like its on a vivid brother
ox green. Then I drop to the ground. The man
with the shotgun blast the spread fire above my head.
Meanwhile I take my shop. It's a hit right in
his shoulder. He falls to the ground immediately. I jump
back to my feet and take a shot at the
man with the battering ram, but he's already down and
reaching for his companion's whippon. The paper thin wall behind me,
now presenting a gaping hole from the shotgun spread fire
my exit. With all my might, I leaped towards the
hole in the wolf's shoulder first to break through. As
I passed through the barrier, the sound of shotgun fire
follows after landing on the ground Somehown's gate. I immediately
smell a familiar stench Stayslein, the reaking component that makes
hyper aware suspended animission possible. I look up and see
a Dame Brown warehouse of rose and rosa Stace's pods.
I'm in a Hasse house, rolling over on my back,
I look towards the hole leading to the administration office.
The second man takes a step through, and I shoot
him in the leg. He yells and drops to the ground,
releasing the shotgun on the way down. As I stand up,
commotion materializes. Passive attendants round the corners of various Stace's pods.
A dozen attendants, one for each dozen pods, stand defenseless
before me. I raise my gun towards the closest one,
where is Ferdinand Hunter. I spit out. The scared attendant
silently knod his head in a general direction show me.
He then ushers me in the direction he nodded, trudging
with my gun at his back. Every pot I inspect
all the way contains a subject my age or younger.
Many have brother arcan symbols tattooed or even branded. Eventually,
the attendant stops and points He points directly at a
pod that contains a face I only recognize from pictures,
but a face I recognize all the same. Ferdinand Hunter
there he is in stasays right in front of me, smiling.
I turned to the attendant and send him away, and
he runs, and I focus back in the hassepot to
wake Ferdinand up. When the sound of a high caliber
gunshot explodes through the air. I look around, confused. My
scam brings me back to the attendant, who help me.
He's now no longer running, He's face down on the ground.
Several yards away. A woman turns the corner and walks
towards me, obstructing my view of the attendant, as couldn't
to see her in it, delighting only to notice that
she carries the high caliber gun in her hands. By
the time I recognize she's aiming the gun in my direction,
it's too late. Another shot rings at She lowers her
weapon and continues to advance towards me. When I feel
my shirt dampen around my stomach, I inspect the wet
spot with my free hand. I'm bleeding. Only then does
the pain hit and I collatse to my knees, trying
to hold myself up with Ferdinand's pod. The woman draws
closer and I don't have the strength to raise my weapon. Thelyssa,
I cry up, you don't have to do this, Please,
don't do this. She silently aims her weapon at me
again as she approaches. When I notice she's crying, Lizzie,
I whisper please. Her voice breaks as she snaps, this
is for brother orke from my father. Oh loud crack.
I open my eyes and Elizabeth looks confused. Her weapon
drops to the ground and she follows. Standing behind her,
Clarissa in an eye patch, points a fire arm in
our direction. Smoke still floats from the end of the
gun that shakes rapidly in her hand. She drops the
weapon and rushes towards me. Owin. Clarisa shouts, don't you
ever hang up on me again. I could have helped chit.
She blurts out, you've been shot. Oh that's what that is,
I respond, mind unintentionally sounding sarcastic, you know, or somehow
even more beautiful with an eye patch, she reaches down
to help me, applying pressure on the gunshot wound with
one hand. She radius for an emergency responds team with
the other. The side of her face goes blurry. While
I babble on about the Hunters, the Yandreas and my dad.
I know Oriyan. She says, we're going to get you
in Ferdinand out of here, don't emojing sirens from the
Palisher and Amos Blair's chorus continues to comfort me. A
few day cycles later, the whole above the main deck
slide shut and receives a projiction of a dun sky.
Fictitious clouds pretend to reflect a golden pink back to
the fakes on the display. From my office, I breathe
in a new date when my radio buzz is in
an unexpected pattern. Kip, my groggy voice, croaks for Ion.
My brother replies in a mocking tone, what's up? Man?
Heard ye save the day and gut shot and mister
Hunter's dead. You gotta tell me everything. I chuckle and
then cringe. It hurts to laugh as saw a wave
washes of a mere as at Helkip the recap of
that day and in all of the conspiracy surrounding mister
unto his life that led to his death. Surprisingly, Kip
digests the news of our father being a CBI agent
with these. Eventually I tell the whole tale to my
brother that led to the Hassa house. So yeah, more
like Larriss saved me in Ferdinand after I got shot.
I finished my story. Hey, speaking of Hassa, I thought
you were supposed to be in stasis to yourself right
now a comment, sounding ungrateful for the radio call, Well,
he says after a pause, I told them to wake
me up for to day. Well in advance, you know why, right?
I start to think about all the significant dates in
our lives. Today. Isn't anybody's special birthday? Is it some
anniversary of when we left our home? Ark? Not any
anniversary of when our dad died? I know that today.
My brother Kip states, thanks to Hassa, you're officially my
older brother, the eldest Brodie. As such, you should know
our family history, he continues, joking dryly, our family secrets.
Kit goes on to tell me that he's actually known
about our dad's occupation. In fact, he knew more details
about his job and even mister Hunter's conspiracies than I did.
At the end of his monologue, he reveals one more
truth something he much to my outrage, with help from
me since he left Kip's reasonfully orion. I'm joining the
Collector's Bureau of Intelligence. Kit says, I'm going to be
a part of a negotiation committee arranged by the Corey Daniels.
The young speaker from the promenade decks she wants to
arrange a peace conference between brother Ark and a collective.
I mean, maybe we'll even go home some day. All
I hear is kIPS joining the c B I my
older brother. No younger brother will be a ceb I agent.
I bite my tongue withdrawing my opinion and simply congratulate him.
Who knows, Maybe I'll learn to trust the Bureau With
Kip on the inside. My brother and I speak on
the radio for another hour. After hanging up, I think
how my father would be proud of him for joining
a greater cause. Then I surprise myself by thinking about
how my father would be proud of me too. My
eyes swell, my mind wonders, but I snap back when
I hear a gentle knock on my office door. Hey, Oriyan,
I know you said to hold off on new cases
while we transferred ownership of the practice to me, So
I at least typed up what was on your recording
device for now. You've listened to this, right, because well,
I look up and stare into her beaming blue eye,
missing the one hidden by the patch. I've listened to it,
but I'll still read over what you typed. Thanks, I reply, Hey, Claressa,
I ask, yes, would you like to go on a
date with me? I'd love to visit that Brother Ark
restaurant we got takeout from the other day. Plorisa stares
at me and smirks. Oh, I'd love to, she replies,
but that'd be tricky since your mother made his lunches.
Maybe we should just go visit her. I chuckle, which hurts,
but I don't mind here. That'll probably make us all happy, honestly,
A comment, and we exit the office together. Keep talking.
I want to hear the full story. What happened between
you two and why bring your son into this all
these years later? Well, your father and I were given
the opportunity to retire here on Sister Ark, and we
took it, knowing the works never finished. When I approached
him about entering the espionage game again, I mention we
needed some young agents to go under cover, and I
suggest you and your brother, which, of course your father
hates to the point of him banishing me from contacting
your entire family ever again. I loved your father, I
love your whole family. And now that I know, after
all these years, who's responsible for his death, Well, don't
you want some type of closure. I'm sorry to interrupt,
but you have another visitor. It seems urgent. Shots fired,
shots fired, everybody down, Call the polisher, Call a doctor,
Call the polisher. At this point there is some dead
air followed by commotion as mister Bertie leaves the office
and almost dragged mister Hunter's body out. And that is
the end. Thank you for listening, and I will see
you in the next one.