The Broken Soul | TFP

01 | Tea and Victim

It was in the middle of April. For four months, I was on the run with a bounty on my head because the government was accusing me for murdering my own family which I was angered by them. I would never killed my family even though my brother always annoyed me with his knowledge of knowing how to create a functional portal to travel around the globe.

Poor Allen. He didn't get a chance to create it but died by protecting Mom and Dad. He was a real hero and I was proud of his brave action.

Now, I was in a cafe and sat beside the window—my favourite spot—with a cup of tea placed on the table. I loved to drink my tea while watching people walking outside of the building. I shouldn't be here, knowing I might get caught but I didn't feel needed to worry about that because I already changed my appearance.

My usual brown hair turned into white and dyed a few strands into red. I wore a black mask, covering the lower part of my face and the outfits I got from the old house, which were black jacket with a red shirt underneath it and ripped jeans. Other than that, I tied my hair into a long ponytail with a red ribbon because it was easier to keep it by tying the ribbon around my wrist or neck.

Therefore, I wouldn't lose it and getting a new one would be a troublesome thing to do.

"I see you're still hanging around in this cafe." A young man spoke, taking a seat across my chair.

Daniel Middleton (picture above) , a friend of my brother and worked at the same company as my parents with an objective of creating a better world with his invention.

"Did you bring what I ask?" I asked, lowering my mask and took a sip from the tea. Daniel nodded and shoved a files across the table, directly in front of me. "Only a few workers who despised your Father for rejecting their ideas to create something that could bring destruction as what he believed in." Daniel stated.

My hand grabbed the files and opened it to find a list with pictures of every single one of them. "Only five?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, some of them forgive your Father because they started to believe his words of their technologies were not good for the company." Daniel explained.

Before we getting into this, my parents owned a company of inventing new technology that could change the world into a better one. Not like Anthony Stark from Marvel Cinematic Universe but had a few similarities between them. From the movies, he created weapons and we created Artificial Intelligence for a better security against the burglar or criminals.

The company runs through generation, starting from my grandfather and passed down to his sons before reaching my dad. He never told anything about the company or his invention including my mom. He kept a secret to himself and no one knew why. I didn't asked and waited for the perfect time for him to explain everything.

I sighed, closing the files after analyzing the details about each worker. "It would be easy if my Dad told me about his company." I said. "Even the workers who worked with him before, never know what he was working on. People say he have a secret lab and only him have an access to that lab." Daniel replied.

"Can you hack through the security and check on it?" He sighed and shook his head. "That security have a complicated firewall as if he created it for himself. Even for the professional hacker like me unable to hack through it." He answered. "Professional?" I asked, crossing my arms with a 'i-don't-believe-you' looks.

"Hey! I did hacked into Pentagon's system!"

"And get caught by them until my Dad took you out as an exchange for working under him?" I smirked, which he rolled his eyes at me. "Whatever. The point is the system is unbreakable and it might take a while until I able to get pass through the firewall. I can't say how long it is because it might take weeks, months or worst, years!" He said.

"Then, you have to try your best and report to me about the company's situation including the status of your work on hacking through the system." I said, which sound like an order to his ear. He sighed and nodded while standing up from his chair.

"Fine. I'll try but I didn't promise of this." He replied. "Good. Then, I'll take my leave. I have someone else to meet." I said, pulling the hood over my head. "And where are you going?" He asked, curiously.

I chuckled at his question. "Of course it will be my playground." I smirked, which he shook his head with disappointment. "You need to stop doing this, Irene." He whispered. "No. Only this method will force that man out from his hiding spot and I'll kill him slowly but painful." I growled.

"Just . . . be safe."

"I never get myself hurt and you should already know that." I said, then paying at the cashier for my drink and stepped out from the building. I lifted my mask and walking to the next destination, where I supposed to meet my newest victim for this week.

It was going to be a fun day.

※«~~~*****~~~»※

"This . . . isn't what I thought would happen." I whispered to myself.

Inside of the abandoned warehouse, where I was standing, there was dried blood stained on the cement floor as if someone was already here in few hours ago. I crouched onto one knee and rubbed my fingers against the dried blood, feeling the texture of it. It looked like someone stole my toy away from me or a better word, rescued him.

Then, I spotted a letter beside the pillar and picked it up into my hand. I teared the envelope and started to read the content. It was a card with two words on it.

Jasper, Nevada.

What? A location? Why would this person want me to be at that place? As far as I know, Jasper was a small town and located at the desert. Not too much place to hide unless someone built a secret base.

I sighed and tore the card into pieces before dropping it onto the dried blood. Well, it seem like I had to visit that small town and retrieved my victim for more answers to my unanswered questions.

Taking out my phone, I checked the contact list and scrolled through it, searching for a certain number. Then, I found it and dialled the number. I placed the phone against my ear while tapping the floor with my boot, waiting for the person to pick up.

Soon, it clicked.

"It's been a while, Agent Fowler."