Phone Call

"Marcus Bellinge, Officer of Avalio Law Enforcement. How may I be of assistance?"

"Hey, Mark, how you doin'?"

Nathan frowned slightly at the familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"Nathan?"

"That's my name."

"How do you have my number and why are you calling me?"

Nathan was the last person Marcus thought would call him. He was also far down on the list of people Marcus wanted to call him. He didn't forget their last conversation when he had tried to interrogate Nathan about the incident in front of his parents' restaurant.

"I saw it, memorized it, and entered it into my phone. As for why I'm calling you…I think you can guess. How did it go with putting pressure on the rats you picked up?"

Marcus was silent for a moment before letting out a deep, audible sigh.

"...I was too slow."

Marcus didn't wait for Nathan to ask for clarification before he continued.

"They were cleared of all suspicions and charges and dismissed before I got to them."

"Wow. It's like they're not even trying to hide the corruption."

"Yeah. I looked around, and the problem is that the order came from high up."

Marcus didn't even know how high up the chain the corruption had spread. He wasn't a beat cop. But he handled more mundane cases like break-ins and assaults. He was nowhere near the level necessary to find out how much of the city's order had been infected by the city's chaos.

"But it's not like you don't have any leads, right?"

"What makes you think I will tell you, even if I do?"

Marcus felt like he could see Nathan's calm smile on the other side of the call.

"I think you know why you should tell me, Marcus."

"I do not."

'You're stubborn, huh?'

"When the law and the ones supposed to act on it no longer fulfill their purposes, do you know what happens?"

Marcus was silent. He didn't have an answer. No, he did. But he didn't want to answer Nathan's question.

Marcus had still been pretty young in the days following Pandora's Opening. He didn't have many memories of the incident itself. But he had grown up quickly in the days, months, and years of total chaos that followed Pandora.

It was a lawless time during which no one could guarantee their safety, much less anyone else's. Society crumbled when its pillars, the people, ignored or attacked each other.

Even now, thirty-six years later, many places on Earth had yet to recover a sense of stability and humanity. And even more than that had completely succumbed to destruction.

Nathan smiled. He could tell from Marcu's silence that he had struck a chord.

"You're just a brat, though. What can you do, even if you know where to find them?"

"Do you want to find out?"

Marcus hesitated. For whatever reason, Nathan was very interested in getting to the bottom of and clearing out the thugs and those who supported them from within the system.

No, he could probably guess the reason. It was because Nathan wanted revenge for what had happened. Neither incident had been big, but Marcus could only say that because he was a third party.

But knowing Nathan's reason for his eagerness to chase the seeds of disruption someone had planted in the city didn't comfort Marcus. It only made him more worried. He was against vigilantes, to begin with. But Nathan wasn't even that. He was acting out of personal vendetta, not a sense of justice that was simply a little stricter than society's laws.

However, Marcus could already feel the pressure from his superiors after he poked around. He wouldn't have many opportunities to bring anyone to justice. In fact, considering how far and quickly they covered up the incidents he was aware of, Marcus started worrying for his own safety.

Marcus didn't have a choice.

His righteous sense of justice triumphed over his responsibility and vow to uphold law and order.

Marcus sighed, feeling like he had aged several years in the span of one conversation.

"We do this together, and we do it on my terms."

Marcus gave in. But he wasn't going to let a young man take charge. He was going to take responsibility for his actions, regardless of what they might be or where they might lead him.

"Sure thing."

Nathan hung up the phone with a smile on his face as he started heading toward the place Marcus' informant had told him was suspicious. It was closer to the suburbs.

Even if Marcus had a car, Nathan would arrive first.

Fifteen minutes later, Marcus pulled up a block away from the construction site hidden behind a plank fence. The fence was almost twice as tall as him. He understood why his informant first found the place suspicious.

The construction site was supposed to be for a communal sports hall. It was part of some initiative for the future. It represented a dream where they could return to normalcy.

So, why was the construction hidden like the company was building a secret lair in the middle of the city?

Marcus looked around to see if Nathan had arrived yet, but Nathan was already right next to him.

The details of Nathan's first incident flashed through Marcus' mind.

'Right. Most likely a combat-focused skill.'

Still, Marcus was an officer, and he had received commendations during training. But he hadn't noticed a thing when Nathan crept up next to him.

"So, what's the plan?"

Nathan looked at Marcus with an expectant smile.

Marcus didn't return it as he glanced at Nathan.

"We investigate this place. Our priority is to gather evidence. With enough, we can expose everything to the people."

Nathan sighed lightly and shook his head. But Marcus had already started looking for a way into the construction site and didn't notice or care.

"I saw the entrance over there."

Nathan pointed to the side before Marcus could begin trying to climb the fence. Marcus awkwardly brushed some nonexistent dust off his pants before taking the lead while sneaking close to the wooden planks.

After less than a minute, they arrived at the large gate.