CHAPTER 6 - Human
The sun that shone ahead signified the start of another day for Justine. In an apartment in Star City, we find our favourite reporter dazed on top of her bed, her hands thrown over her hair in her sleep, with her hair scattered on her face. Her pillows were on the floor as they told the tales of how this reporter sleeps every night.
The sunlight reflected from the open window glass, cascading warmly on her bedsheet. The alarm that was placed on the small table next to the bed rang aloud, singing its daily hymn.
It took about three more rings of the alarm before Justine arose from her sleep. Her hands located the top of the alarm and stopped it. She stretched and twisted in her bed a few more times before she fully awoke.
She stood up from her bed, her eyes taking in the morning's glow. Her legs wobbled over to where she placed her phone to charge for the night and opened it. Her messages and emails were filled with chats from her boss and Jane about a mysterious and unexplainable incident that occurred in Axion Corp's pier.
She quickly informed herself by glancing through the chats she had received, and as she read the summary of the message, she instantly became energetic. She promptly dropped her phone and went to her bathroom to get ready. "Finally! I don't have to keep doing those shitty promo interviews!"
Location - Outskirts of Star City
An old man with graying hair and beard, wearing a straw hat, walked out of the tractor he was driving. In front of him was the body of Kael, unconscious, and the trail he left during his "landing".
With his stick, he poked Kael's body, but with no movement from him, the man decided to walk closer, and he bent down to confirm what it was. "What ye doing, boy?" He asked, but Kael couldn't answer.
He took out his talkie and dialed a contact, and after a few beeps, it connected. "Maria, we got someone sleeping on the farm. I think ye caused the huge sound we heard."
"Alright, Mike! Bring the boy!" The voice sounded at the other end of the phone, gruff and old, but had warmth in it nonetheless. "What ye wanna do again, Maria?" The old man who squatted in the farm field asked.
"Just bring the boy!" Maria stressed once again, and after a short sigh, Mike carried Kael's unconscious body from the crater and placed him into his tractor, and began driving back to his house.
Location - Axion Corp Upper Floors
"So, Rhea?" Jude questioned, his hands crossed behind him as he stared through the huge mirror in his office at the bustling street below. "Someone got there earlier. There's no video of what happened at the pier," Rhea commented as she walked next to Jude.
"Are you angry, Jude?" Rhea asked, staring at his neutral face that quickly turned into a smile. "Why would I be? This is what I've wanted. The chaos is so much better than I imagined. A being who can burn through humans and metals, and strength that could punch through my reinforced containers."
"Of course. It's you of all people. That was such a stupid question to have," Rhea commented, a sigh escaping her, and her once lightly furrowed brows smoothed back down. Jude turned to Rhea, a smirk on his face.
"Were you afraid, Little Rhea?" It was a shocking question to Rhea, who suddenly turned her head to Jude, and after a few seconds of tense stare, she gave him a light punch to his chest before turning away from the window.
"You have other important matters to attend to. What do you want to say about that incident and about the missing footage?" Rhea regained her professionalism as she redirected their attention to more important matters at hand.
"Ah…way to sour the mood, Little Rhea. Your strictness is the reason why you still haven't dated despite your numerous advantages," Jude sarcastically commented as he retook his chair and turned it back to face the table in his office.
"I told you not to call me that. I'm older than you! And as your secretary, it's my job to ensure you're not slacking off." Rhea picked up a cup of tea and took a seat on the sofa in the office.
"You're the last person in this world to give me dating advice. If I wanted to, I could easily find people willing to date me. I just haven't found someone that interests me, unlike a certain someone who's going to die alone," Rhea chipped back as she took a sip from her tea, which was mildly hot.
"Ahaha. You should know I'm not gonna stop calling you that. I think you've forgotten, but I'm the genius scientist and CEO of Axion Corp, so I can also find someone willing to date if I wanted to, but it's just a waste of my time. I guess we're not much different in that aspect, Rhea."
"You and your ego. I don't think anyone would be willing to stay with someone with such an ego and pride. And, Mister CEO, please take care of your responsibilities." Rhea quickly and swiftly stirred the talk back to the urgent matters Jude needs to complete.
"For the missing footage, get some of the guys to investigate it, as well as for my new super friend. For the news, they say it's better to hide something right under someone's nose. If I block them, they'll come in more forcefully, and if I don't, they won't believe anything they get and they'll snoop in further…"
"What do you wanna do about them?" Rhea questioned. "Then…we'll strike that balance. We'll let them snoop around. They can publish the news of this mysterious accident, but let all the clues they have be intentional breadcrumbs, and with this, we can stall for time and lead them on a wild goose chase with them not knowing any better."
"And to ensure this works, we'll make it a bit hard for them in the beginning so they'll believe that they have a loose end to follow and bam…that's when they get caught in he trap. A perfect plan."
"Sometimes, your brain is scary. But with this, we can wipe out our existence and play the victim card, and to ensure that no one will suspect us, we'll give them something they can sniff after. But the plan was a failure, and it cost five gems. How would we tackle this? It'll also shorten the plans we had, too." Rhea questioned as she dropped her teacup back into the basin and picked up her pad.
"It's fine. I've got it all under control, Little Rhea." Jude replied, his tone confident, the same confidence that puts to rest any worry that Rhea has. "Sigh…Alright. I'll order them to do that." Rhea commented as she walked to the door that led out of Jude's office.
She opened the door but took a pause, and with a slight turn of her face, Rhea asked. "This is all for humanity's benefit, right?"
"Of course, Rhea. If we can improve and upgrade humanity, we'll be heroes. Hunger, Wars, Crimes, and all the rest. Imagine a future where they are no longer as dire as they are now. A better world, a safer world. That's what you and I are building. That's the goal we're pursuing, Rhea." Jude answered back, his tone soft and more personal.
"I see. Thanks, and sorry I doubted you." Rhea commented, a smile brushing through her stoic face.
"It's fine. I trust you, Rhea. You've always been there for me and have been the only person who understood me. I know that I'm not the best of people, but you've endured me and stayed by my side all this time. And…and for that, I'm thankful"
"Haha. You're still not good at thanking people, Jude. I guess even geniuses have something that they're not good at. I'll see you later. Don't slack off!!" Rhea chuckled, walked out the door, and shut it behind her.
In the corridor, she gripped the end of her book as she murmured to herself. "Jude's right. It's all for humanity's sake." She furrowed her brows, her face tensed as she mused to herself. 'But how far counts as humanity's sake? I want to still stand by your side, and I hope that you don't make it hard for me to and push me away, Jude.'
'You may be a genius and a philanthropist, but in the end, you're still human and well,... humans make mistakes and terrible decisions. I hope I'll be there when you need someone to stop you from going somewhere you won't be able ever to come back from.'
She dialed a number on her phone that connected as she spoke to it. "I have a task for you. I need you to…" Her voice echoed and faded as she walked away.