12-05-2019, 12:30 AM
Unknown Location, Lauchenoiria
3rd December 2019
Gabriel Fleming leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands as he listened to Jae Chung's report. He did not face the woman as she spoke, instead staring at a painting on the wall of his office depicting a flock of butterflies.
"... and I think that these are very promising avenues of exploration. While we do not yet have any positive identifications of Auroras, we are making strong progress," finished Chung.
"Very well," Fleming said, turning to face her. "I propose you continue..."
He paused as the pair heard a sharp knock at the door.
"Enter!" He called.
A man entered the room, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses. “Good evening. We believe we have a lead on one of the Auroras in your country.”
"Oh?" Fleming asked, perking up and leaning forward, curious. "Do tell. And close the door, please."
The man shut the door and took the other seat next to Chung.
“We have reason to believe that the person responsible for the death of one of our… associates in Buttercity is an Aurora,” he said.
“What reason?” asked Chung, earning her a sharp look from Fleming. She shut up.
“Do elaborate,” he said to the man.
“Our associate discovered a discrepancy in the documents of this individual, which he then reported to us. It is a minor discrepancy, and there are possible explanations for it… however, shortly afterwards he was found dead in his apartment. We have camera footage showing this individual injecting him with an unknown substance in his bedroom while he slept.”
“Very damning indeed,” mused Fleming. “What is the name of this probable Aurora?”
“Maricela Tobin.”
“The journalist?” asked Chung.
“You know who she is?” Fleming raised an eyebrow, surprised.
“She works for the Lauchenoirian Guardian,” explained Chung. “When I was working with Alvarez, before she became Prime Minister, Tobin interviewed her about the war. It didn’t go very well, she asked about Hale and Alvarez got a little upset.”
“Do you believe she could be an Aurora?” Fleming asked.
“I do,” nodded Chung. “She seemed perfectly normal, which I would expect Auroras to appear, and not at all like a murderer… which, given that she is one, as our Shuellian friend here has evidence of, means she’s a liar. And a well trained one at that.”
Fleming nodded, then shuffled some papers together and turned to the Shuellian.
“Provide us with the information you have on her, please. We will organise a team to apprehend this individual as soon as possible. She will be turned over to your custody after that. And Ms Chung here will provide you with a summary of her team’s investigative work this week. Thank you both,” he said, then stood.
Both Chung and the Shuellian, the latter of whom seemed rather irritated to be given orders by a Lauchenoirian, stood also and exited the room. Chung frowned as she walked, hiding her facial expression. They were about to catch an Aurora… it was about to become real.
*
Maricela Tobin’s Residence, Buttercity, Lauchenoiria
4th December 2019
Maricela Tobin relaxed on her couch, watching the TV. It had been a long and stressful week for her, and she was looking forward to settling down with a single glass of wine (she never drank more than that) and watching a movie with her husband, Carson. The couple were snuggled together on the couch, watching a rom-com when it happened. When she first heard movement, she thought it was on the TV. Then the door to their apartment burst open.
“Everyone on the ground!” yelled a voice as men with guns burst into the room. Carson, shocked, screamed.
Maricela herself moved extremely quickly, reaching under the couch and grabbing a small pistol she kept stored there. She spun, and shot at the first man who had entered the room, and then leapt across to the kitchen, taking shelter behind the counters. From the grunt of pain, she had clearly hit someone.
In the kitchen, she pulled out a larger gun hidden underneath a cupboard. Using the reflections she could see in the oven, she judged where the men were positioning themselves. She could also see Carson, sobbing, and getting down on the ground, his arms held above his head. She ignored him. Only seconds had passed since they entered the room, but it was long enough for Maricela to note that they hadn’t fired on her. They wanted her alive.
Using that to her advantage, she poked her head out and fired. She was an excellent shot - she took one man down immediately, hitting him right in the face. He fell. Someone started yelling and there was a commotion. This time they shot back. She fought with them for a number of minutes, killing two others and managing to avoid wounds. It worked, until the gun ran out of ammunition. She had more, and quickly tried to reload, but one man had managed to get close enough that upon hearing the telltale signs, he leapt over the counter on top of her and wrestled the gun from her hands.
The two wrestled for a moment, and she managed to hit his head off the counter and get free… only to be overcome by two more men who grabbed her arms and forced her to the floor, face down. She struggled against them, but felt the prick of a needle and suddenly exhaustion washed over her. She looked up to see Carson, who was staring at her with a look of fear and horror on his face, before falling into unconsciousness.
3rd December 2019
Gabriel Fleming leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands as he listened to Jae Chung's report. He did not face the woman as she spoke, instead staring at a painting on the wall of his office depicting a flock of butterflies.
"... and I think that these are very promising avenues of exploration. While we do not yet have any positive identifications of Auroras, we are making strong progress," finished Chung.
"Very well," Fleming said, turning to face her. "I propose you continue..."
He paused as the pair heard a sharp knock at the door.
"Enter!" He called.
A man entered the room, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses. “Good evening. We believe we have a lead on one of the Auroras in your country.”
"Oh?" Fleming asked, perking up and leaning forward, curious. "Do tell. And close the door, please."
The man shut the door and took the other seat next to Chung.
“We have reason to believe that the person responsible for the death of one of our… associates in Buttercity is an Aurora,” he said.
“What reason?” asked Chung, earning her a sharp look from Fleming. She shut up.
“Do elaborate,” he said to the man.
“Our associate discovered a discrepancy in the documents of this individual, which he then reported to us. It is a minor discrepancy, and there are possible explanations for it… however, shortly afterwards he was found dead in his apartment. We have camera footage showing this individual injecting him with an unknown substance in his bedroom while he slept.”
“Very damning indeed,” mused Fleming. “What is the name of this probable Aurora?”
“Maricela Tobin.”
“The journalist?” asked Chung.
“You know who she is?” Fleming raised an eyebrow, surprised.
“She works for the Lauchenoirian Guardian,” explained Chung. “When I was working with Alvarez, before she became Prime Minister, Tobin interviewed her about the war. It didn’t go very well, she asked about Hale and Alvarez got a little upset.”
“Do you believe she could be an Aurora?” Fleming asked.
“I do,” nodded Chung. “She seemed perfectly normal, which I would expect Auroras to appear, and not at all like a murderer… which, given that she is one, as our Shuellian friend here has evidence of, means she’s a liar. And a well trained one at that.”
Fleming nodded, then shuffled some papers together and turned to the Shuellian.
“Provide us with the information you have on her, please. We will organise a team to apprehend this individual as soon as possible. She will be turned over to your custody after that. And Ms Chung here will provide you with a summary of her team’s investigative work this week. Thank you both,” he said, then stood.
Both Chung and the Shuellian, the latter of whom seemed rather irritated to be given orders by a Lauchenoirian, stood also and exited the room. Chung frowned as she walked, hiding her facial expression. They were about to catch an Aurora… it was about to become real.
*
Maricela Tobin’s Residence, Buttercity, Lauchenoiria
4th December 2019
Maricela Tobin relaxed on her couch, watching the TV. It had been a long and stressful week for her, and she was looking forward to settling down with a single glass of wine (she never drank more than that) and watching a movie with her husband, Carson. The couple were snuggled together on the couch, watching a rom-com when it happened. When she first heard movement, she thought it was on the TV. Then the door to their apartment burst open.
“Everyone on the ground!” yelled a voice as men with guns burst into the room. Carson, shocked, screamed.
Maricela herself moved extremely quickly, reaching under the couch and grabbing a small pistol she kept stored there. She spun, and shot at the first man who had entered the room, and then leapt across to the kitchen, taking shelter behind the counters. From the grunt of pain, she had clearly hit someone.
In the kitchen, she pulled out a larger gun hidden underneath a cupboard. Using the reflections she could see in the oven, she judged where the men were positioning themselves. She could also see Carson, sobbing, and getting down on the ground, his arms held above his head. She ignored him. Only seconds had passed since they entered the room, but it was long enough for Maricela to note that they hadn’t fired on her. They wanted her alive.
Using that to her advantage, she poked her head out and fired. She was an excellent shot - she took one man down immediately, hitting him right in the face. He fell. Someone started yelling and there was a commotion. This time they shot back. She fought with them for a number of minutes, killing two others and managing to avoid wounds. It worked, until the gun ran out of ammunition. She had more, and quickly tried to reload, but one man had managed to get close enough that upon hearing the telltale signs, he leapt over the counter on top of her and wrestled the gun from her hands.
The two wrestled for a moment, and she managed to hit his head off the counter and get free… only to be overcome by two more men who grabbed her arms and forced her to the floor, face down. She struggled against them, but felt the prick of a needle and suddenly exhaustion washed over her. She looked up to see Carson, who was staring at her with a look of fear and horror on his face, before falling into unconsciousness.
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