TCOTRB: The Case of The Red Bubble

📍Chapter II: Conspiracy (?)

Chapter II: Conspiracy (?)
[September 9th, 2050 Friday]
Mariner Academy

The week felt like it went by so quickly.

At 4:30 p.m., Milo spotted Kaira and Irene amongst the crowds gathered to watch the news on the school's plasma TV. BREAKING NEWS: TWO LOCAL RESIDENTS FROM CIRCA VI. LAST SEEN ALONG BRIDGE EN ROUTE THE CAPITAL.
The residents were revealed to be a couple of university graduates who decide to film their trip to the island. They've been missing for a couple of days. "Oh dear! It's those armchair detectives again," Irene sighed.
Maybe these people happen to be lost or something inevitable prevented them from immediately returning home.
Another possible explanation is the huge gap on the glass surface. One wrong move and you fall straight into the waters underneath. There was not a single trace of the missing persons.
As Milo shared his thoughts on the case, his friends bore those befuddled looks and started laughing.

"Haha! You've watched too many crime documentaries, my friend. You should go out more," Kaira shook her head in a sarcastic manner.

She then asked him if he would like to watch the basketball match at Barat Street tomorrow.
He gulped upon hearing that place. Everybody knows that the neighborhood is rife with delinquents and drifters. Unlike anywhere else, they mostly come from middle-class families who are already fed up with society's expectations on them.
Of all the places they could have chosen, it had to be this rough part of town.
At the same time, she has a point. He shouldn't be afraid to step out of his comfort zone sometimes. He wants his friends to see that he can also have fun with them. They can't always play safe like engaging in online games and watching TV at someone's house.

"My brothers don't know about it so it's a secret between us," Kaira winked, "So what do you say?"

Milo thought for a moment and agreed to go with it.

***

Milo, Irene and Kaira all arrived at the pink apartment building.

Malik immediately spotted them. With both hands on his hips, he approached them and expressed how grateful he was to see that his sister came home safely.

"It's all thanks to our young bodyguard here!" He slapped Milo on the back.

The group all looked up at the grey skies touched by the bright red glow. Whether you're on another island or neighboring country, you can't escape the sight of it. It's even speculated that The Red Bubble can be viewed from space.

"Hey, whatcha lookin' at?" a cracked voice startled them, breaking the silence.

They awkwardly turned around and saw Chirag standing right behind them. Malik and Kaira were surprised to see him home early.

"Gah! Don't just pop up like that. It's creepy!" Malik whined.

"It's like looking at a giant caviar*! Marvelous!" Chirag exclaimed.

"Here he goes again ... " the other two siblings sighed.

They've always known their brother was fond of talking random nonsense, but that's been contributed as part of his creative side. He can make any random concept into a masterpiece, whether it's a cubist elephant sitting on a tiny toadstool or a druid vomiting curly fleece.

"So anyway, I better go! Better go charge my camera, hehe ... See 'ya!" Milo begins to move aside and runs off.

"Your camera?" Irene sounded confused.

"Uh - I mean, charge my camera and feed my cat Hades!"

"This day just couldn't get any weirder," Malik shook his head.

After dinner, Milo dashes upstairs to investigate the mysteries surrounding The Red Bubble.
He was somehow dragged into this rabbit hole. There are a lot of hidden things waiting to be unearthed, he thought. He checked the live virtual maps in hopes of finding what's on that island.
Now something caught his eye. He zoomed in and spotted what appeared to be a floating body in the waters, fifteen kilometers away from The Red Bubble.

* NOTE:
"Caviar" is actually unfertilized fish eggs from a sturgeon.