Fara sighed heavily and turned to give instructions to her subordinates.
"Doris, Myra, keep a close eye on him. If anything unusual happens, or if he wakes up, tell me immediately, understand?"
"Understood," the two girls replied firmly.
Fara walked away to her private room. She slumped into a chair, exhausted, before picking up her phone… her heart filled with worry for her son who was far away.
She called Jacob...
…..
Inside the dimly lit room, Jacob sat on the sofa in the middle of the room, staring at the vibrating communication device on the table. A moment later, a bright orange ball of light floated up.
Joanie, the mysterious girl he rescued from the woods, was sleeping on the bed in Uncle Breeze's bedroom, while his best friend Hal sat beside her, hugging his knees and looking anxious.
"Who's calling...? Aren't you going to answer?" Hal whispered.
Jacob took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice as normal as possible before answering the call. A red ball of light appeared.
"Yes, Mom..."
"Jacob… where are you?" Fara's voice trembled slightly. "I just heard about Uncle Breeze… I'm so sorry, son."
"Yes, Mom… I… I've taken care of Uncle's matters. The funeral home has already collected his body," Jacob said.
He answered softly, a wave of guilt washing over him. He hadn't just lost his uncle; he was hiding a huge secret from his mother.
"I'm sorry I can't come back to you right now. I have a very urgent matter to attend to… It's about that meteorite fall. Actually, it wasn't a meteorite, it was a spaceship… You should have seen it," Fara continued, her voice becoming serious. "Jacob… you were there when that spaceship crashed, weren't you? Did you see anything…?"
Jacob glanced at the closed bedroom door, cold sweat beading on his palms. "No... I didn't see anything. After the explosion, I... I ran away from Nims, and then I called Hal to pick me up." Jacob told a big lie.
"Are you sure, dear...?" Fara's voice sounded apprehensive. "The accident site of your uncle isn't far from where the spacecraft crashed... Are you sure you didn't see anything...?"
"Yes, Mom, I was too busy running away from Nims," Jacob emphasized.
Fara sighed deeply.
"Okay then, take care of yourself, dear. Lock the door securely. Don't go anywhere for now. I'll be back as soon as I can."
The call ended. Jacob slumped back against the sofa, exhausted. Hal looked at his friend knowingly.
"Your mother is asking about her, isn't she?" Hal asked.
Jacob nodded slowly. "I'm not sure. The authorities have probably recovered the entire crashed spacecraft and already know that some items are missing... I think Mom might be looking for her..."
Jacob got up and walked to the bedroom door, peeking at the young woman with her short, cropped hair sleeping soundly on the bed. The moonlight shone on her face; she looked harmless... but he knew well that her presence now...
A ticking time bomb that could destroy his peaceful life at any moment.
Jacob got up and walked to the bedroom door, peeking in at the young woman with her short, cropped hair sleeping soundly on the bed. The light from the two bedside lamps illuminated her calm, harmless face...
"We can't back down now, Jacob," Hal warned.
"I know…" Jacob replied with a determined look in his eyes. "We helped her… now we have to protect her."
In the dead of night, the red light from the keycard scanner outside the room flashed rapidly before the security system was hacked, unlocking the automatic door. The door slid open with a loud "whoosh," catching the occupant completely off guard! Flashlights illuminated the area as dozens of officers in white uniforms stormed into the hallway silently and swiftly. They spread out, heading straight for Jacob's bedroom. The simple bedroom door, with only a doorknob and no lock, was violently kicked open!
"We found him!"
Jacob woke up with a start, his voice laced with panic. Before he could even sit up, a large officer lunged forward, forcefully pinning him face down on the ground. Heavy knees pressed down on his back, making it difficult for Jacob to breathe, before another officer pressed a scanning device against his neck.
"Confirmation code… Jacobbella Fallunet, pilot of the Sector 8 Nim Hunter. No mistake," the officer read the flashing information.
"Wait! What the hell is going on?!" Jacob struggled and yelled loudly.
"You're being arrested for the murder of Fabreeze Fallunette and for posing a threat to the tower's security!" the team leader roared back.
"I didn't kill my uncle! I didn't kill anyone!" Jacob yelled, shocked and furious at being suddenly framed with such a serious charge.
Meanwhile, another officer who had gone inside to search ran back to report.
"Chief! We found another woman sleeping in the inner room... Scanning didn't reveal any ID!"
The leader glanced indifferently towards the bedroom, his eyes filled with contempt. "Oh... probably just clones of prostitutes from an underground brothel... Whatever. We only need these boys... Let's go!"
Before he could finish speaking, the radio mounted on the team leader's shoulder interrupted.
"The beta team has reported to center... We've raided another house and apprehended another blond-haired young man."
The squad leader smirked before nodding as a signal.
"We can go now…!!"
At the command's command, Jacob's body was roughly dragged out of the room by a burly officer, leaving darkness and chaos to engulf what had once been his safe haven...
Along the long hallway leading to the central elevator, the heavy footsteps of boots and the struggling of a young man startled the neighbors. Several automatic doors slowly slid open, revealing the faces of people peeking out, watching the scene with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Every pair of eyes stared at the dark-skinned young man in white pajamas being escorted past as if he were a serious criminal.
"What are you looking at! There's nothing to see! Go back to your room!"
One of the officers in white uniform roared, brandishing his gun threateningly. His harsh voice and fierce gaze swept through the crowd in anger, causing onlookers to flinch and quickly retreat inside.Dozens of automatic sliding doors slid shut and locked using their loud security system.*Whoosh... Thump!*Almost simultaneously.
The hallway became silent and cold once again.
Only the sound of the elevator doors sliding open engulfed Jacob's freedom, dragging him down into the cramped prison cell of the town hall tower. He was brought along with his best friend, Hal, who had been arrested as well.
"The court hearing will be held tomorrow morning. You guys spend the night in jail!"
The officer in the white coat's voice boomed as the iron bars slammed shut with a loud bang. The lights in the cell flickered out, leaving only a dim, hazy glow from the hallway filtering through the bars. The two young men were forced to sit huddled, facing the cold and fear, awaiting their trial that morning for a heinous crime they hadn't committed.
The next morning, officials brought the standard attire for the Tower residents to change into: a black turtleneck t-shirt, three-quarter length trousers, and sturdy leather boots. The two young men quietly changed their clothes, preparing to go to court.
Jacob and Hal were escorted through the hallway to the town hall in the tower, one by one, to the interrogation room. Outside the room, they found that they weren't the only ones there; other Nyms Hunters who had been present at the crash that night were also being summoned for questioning. The atmosphere was tense. Hal was called in first, leaving Jacob waiting anxiously.
About ten minutes passed, feeling like an eternity. Then the interrogation room door swung open, and Hal stepped out, his face as pale as paper, sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes looking haggard.
"Suspect Jacobella Fallunette, please come to the interrogation room," a harsh voice announced.
Hal walked past and sat down. He reached out and patted Jacob's shoulder gently to offer encouragement, then leaned closer and whispered so softly it was almost inaudible.
"Just tell me about the crash..." Hal reminded them of the 'secret' they were hiding.
Jacob nodded, winked at his best friend in acknowledgment, then took a deep breath and stepped into the interrogation room.
The moment he stepped through the door, the young man's heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest. But Jacob knew he had to suppress his panic. He tried to control his breathing, keeping it steady and regular, knowing that the lie detector and the officers' eyes were waiting to catch him in a lie...
Otherwise, any secret will surely be revealed.