In Speckle We Sparked

Chapter 3

A trail of smoke snaked around a lightly stubbled chin. Deep set lines creased across thin skin, as his eyebrows lowered in concentration. Kai stood a fair distance away from him. The suit he wore was one Tully gifted him for their 3rd anniversary. After spotting that spunky receptionist last night at the local bar, he woke up this morning needing to remind himself, he had a wife. Thick fingers continued to shuffle through the pictures, until they pulled the cigarette out an aging mouth.

'Who took these?'

Kai walked around the room, and poured himself some more tea, 'A few of my guys arrived here before I did,' he felt the cup was cold.

Gavin looked through the pictures again. The air-force base seemed to be situated around what looked like the Speckle Woods Forest. But if there was a base here then he would have known about it. In fact, he was certain none of the townsfolk even had a clue. He shuffled through them again, focusing on one.

'Why does it look abandoned,' he lifted the picture.

'That's because it is,' Kai sat down and sipped on the tea. Gavin shook his head in confusion, 'They abandoned it about a month ago. Due to reasons my team and I are still unsure of.'

Gavin rubbed his chin, not understanding, 'So you're saying the national government set up a secret airforce base in our town's forest and then just abandoned it?'

'Exactly,' said Kai, 'You're aware of all the odd,' he looked outside at the pouring rain, 'weather that's been occurring in the surrounding region,' Gavin nodded, 'Well, my client, has it in good standing that none of it is a coincidence.'

'And who is this client?'

'That I do not need to disclose to you?'

'But they're interested in Speckle?'

'Mmm, something of the sort,' he grinned. Gavin's mouth turned in distaste as Kai crossed his legs on his desk table.

'Why'd you come to me?'

'Cause I heard you're the man to talk to if I want to know the inner workings of this' he waved his hand around '...quaint little place. Me and my team are new here. But you. Oh, you appear to be an old hand,' he finished his tea, 'I need your assistance in trying to locate certain information. And in exchange, you may be given the biggest story of your entire life.'

He stood up, dusting off his pants, 'You scratch my back, and I will most certainly scratch yours.'

Gavin puffed the last of the cigarette and threw the pictures on his desk, 'I still don't get it. What's in it for you?' he took a moment to reflect, 'What's in it for your client?'

Kai placed his hands in his pockets, smile coy. He underestimated how this was going to go. He looked over the rugged white button up and blue slacks the old man wore. There was a clear yellow stain on the shoulder of the shirt and the colour of the slacks were fading.

The man's back was crooked, yet despite the frail appearance he seemed to have some sense. Kai decided to give him what he wanted. It's not as if he or the others cared over what these people did or did not know about what they were doing here. That wasn't the point of this operation.

'My client was a rising military officer. He had a hand in the deliberations of whether covert Air-force base 08PG3 should be placed either in the Alpine or Spesic region. They chose Spesic. Care to take a guess as to why that it is?' Gavin remained quiet and Kai smirked, 'It's closer to the sea,' he said, 'For quite some time, the government has been aware of...strange activities occurring not only within the airs of this region but the seas as well.