〚FEATURED + WATTYS SHORTLIST 2021〛
Someone tried to kill him. Someone nearly succeeded.
A traitor walks among them.
The question is, who?
⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒
"A sky full of stars and he was looking at her."
He was a man with a deep and profound love for the stars...
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A COLD HAND GRIPS HIS WRIST BEFORE HE CAN ENTER THE ROOM.
"Wh-" Axel turns around with a glare, his other hand instantly twitching towards his gun, but he pauses when he sees Stella.
"Listen," she murmurs hastily before he can question it, "When we enter that room and they tell us what the new lead is, do not bring up what we're suspicious of."
"What?" the scowl returns to Axel's face, "Why not?"
"You said it yourself," Stella's narrowed-eyed gaze held his, "We do not know who to trust. The less the traitor knows of what we think, the better it is for everybody."
"But-"
"Listen, Axel," she says sternly again, dropping her voice to a lower whisper, "Do not let emotions cloud your judgment, and do not hurl accusations yet. It will only make them warier than they already are, and we cannot let that happen. Okay?"
Axel stares defiantly into her eyes, but the fierce warning in them doesn't die down.
"I still have her burner phone," she reminds him softly, throwing a cautious glance to the door, "If it's her, we can look into it by ourselves before bringing it up, alright?"
Finally, he looks down at his feet with a glare. "Fine."
He can't see her face, but as she lingers in front of him, he knows that she's hesitating to do something. Before he can think too much into it, however, she brushes past him into the room.
Stay calm, he tries to tell himself, despite the burning anger and betrayal that weighs down his mind and chest. Don't lash out.
With a deep breath and a few more seconds of still, contemplative silence, he follows after her.
"Sleeping?" is the first thing he hears Corban say, as he enters, plonking himself down into the chair next to Stella, "That's where you've been? You've been sleeping this whole time?"
Gale tugs at the sleeves of his oversized hoodie, a grumpy look on his face. "I did just say that, Boss."
"So, Elijah figured this out by himself then?" Corban raises an eyebrow, turning to Elijah, who swallows.
"Uh, yes sir," he mumbles, "It wasn't exactly his fault though, considering that there's a problem with all our systems."
"What?" Corban's eyes widen a millimeter, before he turns his glare to Elijah, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Elijah moves to click on a button, and the projector lights up.
"Something's messing with all the data," he elaborates nervously, "and it isn't allowing us to access some databases. The signal is coming from a source outside the unit, but I-we would need access to certain-um classified databases to be able to determine where the signal is coming from."
