Deducted pay… Because that man named Sebastian apparently took away the Annihilith corpses, and the cleaner couldn't retrieve them… Also, I was seen by a native of the planet, and not only that, I interacted with them… which led to even less pay… It's just one thing after another…
Donovan sighed heavily while sitting on the sofa. The whir of the washing machine served as background noise. It was 7:22 p.m.
Then, he stretched his right arm. Damn, it still hurts from the throw earlier. That Sebastian guy… He was pretty strong, managing to break my right shoulder… He put a hand on his right cheek that was slowly healing from Sebastian's punch, and he hissed.
Those two are making me not want to visit Arnica again, even though I have a deer to meet with… There was the sound of beeping producing a pleasant tune that came from the washing machine. Dressed in a white shirt with a green apron, Donovan stood up, and entered the bathroom.
His laundry robot was on charging mode because Donovan had made it wash the laundry last night.
Due to the beeping noises, Layla woke up with a groan. She sat up on Donovan's bed, and stretched her entire body. She then spoke with an annoyed tone, "Why'd you buy that model for the washing machine? It's known for being especially loud."
With the bathroom door open, Donovan heard Layla's remark. "Because it was the cheapest one available at that time."
"Wow…" Layla got out of bed, heading to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich. How is someone like him affiliated with Hana Isabelle? I just don't get it. What's your secret, Donovan Volgard? I want to know how and why someone like him is being protected by her…
After making herself a simple ham sandwich as well as a cup of coffee, Layla headed to the living room with the intention of opening the TV to play a video game.
The next day, at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon, inside Umbrellas HQ.
4th of February, Tuesday.
Tiero knocked on a metallic door. He waited, waited, and waited… He decided to knock again, a bit louder this time. He heard some rummaging from inside. After about eight seconds, the door opened.
There stood Michael, Tiero's cleaner, rubbing his eyes. His red hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt with black pants, and there was still that star tattoo on the right side of his neck. Overall, he had a very unkempt appearance.
Behind Michael were papers and folders scattered throughout the floor.
Upon seeing this, Tiero pushed the door open and forcefully stepped inside. This put Michael out of his half-asleep state.
"Goddamn it. You actually worked very hard for the small errand I gave you. And yet, you haven't found a single clue, I'm guessing? It's been… 14, 15 days since then?" said Tiero as he looked at the scattered files.
They were currently inside the Record Chamber. Here, files dating back to the very first beginning of Umbrellas were all stored here. Everything, every single event, incident, and this was where the Visitor Records were being kept, albeit at a connecting separate room. Of course, that room can only be accessed by Typhoon Ranks.
Michael revealed an expression of fury. "...Hey, you knew I wasn't Typhoon Rank, yet you gave me such an errand… If I were a Typhoon Rank, this would've been a lot easier! A highly technologically-advanced device that can put people in dreams?! Of course that's high level information that Storm Ranks don't have access to!"
His red eyes blazed with anger. Tiero cleared his throat, and said, "You could've… refused. A doubled pay isn't that serious to put this much effort into… And don't tell me, have you stayed here the entire time throughout those fifteen days…?"
Michael paused. "Tsk… I'm just a cleaner, yet I was given such an errand…! Ah, I hate working here! I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!" Shortly after shouting, he kicked the files and folders with his right leg.
"...Calm down—"
"You better double my pay as compensation for the hell you put me through! No, better yet, triple it! No, make it tenfold!!!" shouted Michael as he pointed a finger at Tiero. He was definitely having a mental breakdown.
"Alright, alright, I will, so will you calm—"
"Fourteen days! That's two weeks! Fourteen days I stayed here, scouring these damn shelves for that one file, yet I could never find it! My assistant had to come here repeatedly to feed me, but I knew that he was getting sick and tired of doing it! This room is dark as hell! Absolutely no sunlight passes through here! I haven't had a shower in two weeks! Don't come near me, damn it!"
Tiero was speechless. Oh, so that's where the smell was coming from. Wait, so he's the one that people are making rumors of? The really stinky man who never leaves the Record Chamber? No wonder people have stopped coming here. Can it even be called "rumors" at this point?
"Okay, I'm sorry. Forget about it, I think I have an idea of what it is that I sent you to find, so—"
"What?"
"Huh?"
"...Then what the f*ck have I been busting my ass for, then? No. No, no, no, no, you can't be serious." At that moment, Michael took a step towards Tiero.
Tiero instinctively took a step back. He wasn't scared of getting a beating from his cleaner, no, he was scared of the foul-smelling stench coming from Michael. No wonder even Vi was "getting sick and tired" of coming here.
"You…! You damn… bastard…!"
Not wanting to be "infected" by Michael's foul stench, Tiero decided to drop a nuclear bomb. "I'll give you a PS15."
That stopped Michael in his tracks. Made him think, even. Two weeks of searching the Record Chamber for one single, specific file (that he couldn't even find in the end)... Could all that be forgiven by receiving the newest release of the high-performing gaming console?
Well, of course, the answer's obvious!
Absolutely!!!
***
Tiero sat on a metal bench. He was still inside Umbrellas HQ. Although he managed to contain Michael's wrath and fury, being told to put every scattered file and folder in their respective spots made him snap again. But Tiero decided to help this time.
He popped open a can of beer, and drank leisurely. My wallet's already running dry as it is, and the fact that I have to get him a PS15 might make me homeless. Never should've sent him on that errand.
Truth be told, Tiero actually felt quite remorseful for sending his reliable and trustworthy cleaner, Michael, to embark on a fruitless search.
Tiero actually already had a few guesses of the item that he sent Michael to search for. I asked Ms. Isabelle about it last time, but she only gave me a vague answer. A "box" that can put people in dreams… Unfortunately, I don't have the time nor the energy to go search for it in the Record Chamber. Michael couldn't find it because he was only at Storm Rank, when such an item was probably at Typhoon Rank level of classified information. That was pretty evil of me to make him do that, but he forgave me for the PS15.
Moreover, I need to find out who was in possession of such an item. Once I know who it is, I could report this to the higher-ups to receive double the salary.
As scientists and Visitors passed him by, Tiero finished his can of beer. Eventually, his thoughts went to Donovan.
To let himself be seen, and even interact with the planet's natives… This is the fourth time this has happened in his entire career as a Visitor. Hmm, that reminds me, Ben had a record of being seen and interacting with a planet's natives twelve times… How did he even manage to reach Category 5, I wonder…?
What is Ms. Isabelle doing with Donovan now? If only I could report her, but that might put a blemish on my rep.
With a sigh, Tiero leaned back in his seat. Closing his eyes, he so badly yearned for another can of beer.
But then, something cold touched his right cheek. Surprised, he jumped in fright and got out of the metal bench. At the sight of the figure who had done such a thing, a smile immediately crept up on Tiero's face.
"Dan! It's been so long!" Tiero was clearly overjoyed.
The man in front of him had black hair, and he was dressed in a black quarter zip with black pants. He also seemed to be wearing a black dress shirt and a white necktie underneath. On the man's face was a pair of glasses and a faint smile. His dark eyes stared at Tiero. He was holding a can of beer.
This was Dan Gurto, a Shade of Umbrellas, with his title being "Unstoppable."
"A year and a half, to be exact." He had a pleasant voice, and even had a youthful appearance despite being the same age as Tiero.
Tiero received the can of beer from him. They both sat down.
"Perfect timing, Dan. Could I maybe ask a favor from you?" said Tiero as he chugged on the can of beer.
"This is our first time meeting in such a long time, and the first thing you do is ask for a favor from me? You never change, do you?" said Dan with a soft chuckle.
At that moment, the sound of Dan's chuckle brought forth memories of the old days flowing into Tiero's mind. "Guess you could say that."
Dan smiled, and said, "So, what do you need?"
A minute later…
"I see… Isabelle, huh? So she's apparently harassing a hard-working Visitor of Umbrellas, and you want me to put a stop to it…"
"Exactly." Tiero nodded.
"Hm…" Dan sighed, and continued, "This is the one thing I can't do for you."
Tiero sighed as well. "Well, I kinda saw that coming."
"I'm sorry, Tiero. Sure, I may be a Shade, but that doesn't mean that I get along well with my colleagues. Isabelle is one of the few people I just can't get along with. Even if I requested to have a chat with her, she'll surely ignore me."
"Well, you can just report her, no?"
"That's also an impossibility. I'm guessing that the reason you haven't reported her is because it'll ruin your reputation. The same goes for me. Not only that, if I report her, I'll gain an enemy…"
"Hmm…" Tiero was at a dead end.
"Anyway, let's stop talking about her. Who knows, maybe she's listening to us right now," said Dan as he looked up at the white ceiling.
Tiero was confused by that, but he ignored it. Instead, he decided to ask an important question. "I actually visited Ben the other day. Turns out not a single one from our group even attended his wedding. Did you at least—"
"...Huh?" Dan interrupted, "Wait, Benedict got married? Why am I only hearing about this now? I don't remember receiving an invite…"
"Damn. Do you not check your emails?"
"Who the heck checks their emails?"
"..."
"I prefer receiving an invite by letter. By letter! A physical paper that I can hold with my hands."
Tiero finished his second can of beer, throwing it towards the trash can, and landed perfectly inside. "You were never quite good with technology, huh…?"
Dan chuckled, but then he paused with a hum. "Hm, so not a single one from the good old days attended his wedding…? Some 'friends' we are."
"...Anyway, what have you been doing recently? Last I heard, you were on a vacation on the planet Plor, correct? So why return?" asked Tiero.
Dan's smile slowly faded, and he leaned into his seat. "Apparently, there have been multiple incidents in Umbrellas where people would go on a sudden, unexplainable rampage where they would destroy anything and kill anyone in their path."
Hearing this, Tiero's eyes widened. "Yes, I remember those. An apartment building even burned down because of it."
"Right. And these incidents are unprecedented. This city has always been a safe and secure location in the cosmos. So these incidents are triggering concerns for the higher-ups, and even citizens."
"Hah. 'Safe and secure,' my ass. The Blot incident shattered all of that," said Tiero.
"...Huh? Blot incident?" Dan had genuine confusion etched into his face.
Sigh… You're really far behind… Tiero felt great pity for his friend who was quite slow with recent events. I'm surprised he's even informed of the rampage incidents…
"Anyway, the reason I'm here is to investigate further into these incidents. It saddens me that my fellow Shades refuses to act. Lazy bastards, they all are. Except for George, that workaholic is still on that mission."
"George… That reminds me, how is he?" Tiero asked with a melancholic expression.
"...Heh. He's doing fine, that bastard."
"I see… Do you have any leads on the investigation?" asked Tiero.
"You probably haven't heard, since they might've kept this hidden to the public, but the people that were responsible for the incidents and were taken into custody… all mysteriously died."
"...Huh?"
"And one more thing, they all died when they were about to answer the detective's question. 'Where did you get these drugs?' was the question that they were all asked with."
"Drugs?" asked Tiero once again.
"That's right," said Dan with a nod, "some type of drug was the main factor for their mindless rampaging. We figured that some type of… 'organization' was supplying them with these drugs."
"No, that's impossible. If there really were some sort of crime organization inside Umbrellas, we'd hear about it immediately, and remove it in an instant!"
"...Right, but unfortunately, the organization is so well-hidden that we don't know where to start. It was a serious mistake on the authorities' part. But then, we also figured that some of these cops are being bribed by the very same organization. It wouldn't be a surprise if the organization already knows that we're starting to investigate them."
"...I see. Do we have the organization's name and leader?"
"No, unfortunately not. Anyone who's associated with the organization seems to die the moment they answer a question about 'what made them do it,' the drugs, and the organization. This… reminded me of a spell. A pre-emptive curse-type spell."
"...Let me guess, a spell that kills anyone on the spot when they say something that they shouldn't?"
"Mhm," Dan hummed. "Except, it doesn't kill them when they say it… to be more precise, it kills them the 'moment' they are about to speak. A dangerous spell, a spell that's not even in the Visitor Canopy System."
Tiero was speechless. Still, Dan continued, "Whoever their leader is, they must be a powerful individual that we need to apprehend immediately. Which is why I, a Shade, am now actively participating in this search."
Tiero hummed, closing his eyes. But then, he came to an epiphany. "Why don't we use the MCE, then?" he asked.
Dan chuckled, and said, "I knew you'd say that, but the problem is, the brain must be intact so that the memories can be extracted… and when the suspects died, they didn't die of a heart attack or any other natural cause of death."
"Oh. Don't tell me…"
"Their heads exploded. It was a mess to clean up every time."