1.8– Still two days ago
He couldn't get the yellow post-it out of his mind. Only when he got to the door to the building where his team was supposed to aprehend Julius Brandt did Effow find a way to be alone and able to read what was on it. He sent the others through the stairs while he took the elevator. The ride would give him plenty of time to read the note and figure out what to do about it. Thirty six stories above him, Julius was readying a spam sandwich to take to work. He usually had his lunch in the cafeteria but he had learned not to trust that he could get off work before long hours have passed from his supposed lunchbreak. As he wrapped his bread in foil and put it in a bag, three sanitizers out of Central City Crime Squad, in civilian clothes, were starting to make their way up the stairs in his direction.
Effow waited for the doors to close before taking the yellow paper out of his pocket with one hand while pushing the button with the other. “Let Julius escape,” began the note, he rubbed his eyes and read again, thinking he might have misread it, while he had his eyes closed, he noticed there was music and the cabin smelled of jasmine. Looking back at the note, he realized it said exactly what he read. Major rules violation. He could see himself put out of the juice already. “Let Julius escape. You have to make him hurry out of Center City to the Hindu Community Center in Tinville. Tell him to find Anik. Find a way to muffle his chip, everybody will be looking for him. We'll talk later. Good luck.”- Crap!- Effow shouted – Crap! Crap! Crap! What now? - The led display over the door marked twenty one, his CO's name, he oggled at the number marveled by the synchronicity. The number jumped to twenty two, then twenty three and he had to make a decision. Follow the rules or follow the Chief. His backup team was climbing the stairs, whatever he decided, he'd have to do it in lightning time. And the first decision he took was to, first, find out who this Julius character was. “Mission in the black, my ass! This has to be a setup.” Effow thought as he exited into a narrow hall with three doors, starting to wonder what kind of authority was needed to order this kind of a mission. Above Twenty One, there was only the Council. This was way over his paygrade.
Ready for the day's work, Julius, opened the door. -Stop right there!- In front of him stood a boxy man, in his mid thirties, with a very short haircut. As the man reached for the inside of his coat, he could see a weapon hanging down on his chest. He immediately wondered if his neighbour Nathalie got herself into trouble, with her political meetings and all the going in and out of the building. He was glad he had nothing to do with that and just kept to himself and his work.- Crime Squad!- Effow dangled his shield in front of Julius eyes, -Julius Brandt? Get back inside. Hurry.- The paleness on his face got even paler when Julius realized the sanitizer was there for him.- What did I do?- He asked. - There's no time. Hurry back inside-, said Effow, as he squeezed in, grabbed his right arm and dragged him all the way into the middle of his Studio. Looking at him straight in the eyes, he asked, -you have no idea why I'm here, do you?- Julius's thin figure of a man seemed to loose even more of its volume as he looked at his feet, as if to think about an answer, and then back into Effows deep penetrating black eyes. -I'm an upstanding citizen, Sir, all I do is go to work and come back home to build my little models,- the sanitizer looked at the wall across the room with rows upon rows of shelfs stacked with miniature drone animals. In the center of the room a table with a microscope and a number of boxes he assumed to be parts. Effow breathed in deeply, while he made his decision.
-Listen! There's no time.- Effow dragged Julius to the kitchen counter, his eyes fixed on the roll of foil on top of it.- roll up your left sleeve. You have to hide, get out of this flat and hide, quickly. Do you have a neighbour you can trust?- Yes. Natty. Two floors up.- Your life is in danger,- Effow couldn't put a finger on it, but decided that would be enough of an incentive to get the other man to run. What probably waited for this sad figure was probably a worse fate that death anyway... He started to wrap Julius's left arm in more and more layers of foil.- More sanitizers are coming up the stairs, we're out of time .- Sticking the yellow paper inside the other's breast pocket.- When you're safe, read this, they were my orders,- and pulled Julius's shirt sleeve back.- Run. Run as fast as you can, or I'll have to take you with me. Go!- The look of panic in the thin pale face of the figure standing paralised in front of him, had him snap. Effow slapped Julius in the face as he shouted -run!- That got him moving. Then, he just stood there, watching as Julius made his haste into the elevator. A few seconds passed and Three Six Five, Effow's exact twin from the same clone batch jumped out of the stairwell door into the lobby. Effow looked at him: -He's not here. Probably left for work already. When the others get here, get in and scan the place for evidence. I'm going down to get further instructions. Leaving the studio door open, he made his way to the elevator and pushed the call button.
-To be continued -
10.02.25 - @hefestus
To find the other parts: https://steemit.com/created/justalittlebitofblue
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"Just a little bit of blue" is a work of fiction. Every event, character, planet, continent, country, city, street, building, corporation, institution and product mentioned in this work is totally fictitious and has absolutely no relation to reality or real events, persons, planets, continents, countries, cities, streets, buildings, corporations or institutions. Everything is derived from the author's own imagination and no AI products were involved in the planning, writing or revision of this work. Additionally, the story happens in the future, in a time that has not yet come, so, any considerations about the possibility of the occurrence of facts or release of products mentioned herein, in the years to come, are due to mere coincidence and in no way derive from the author's inside or 3rd party knowledge of any country, organization or person's plans to implement actions or release said products into the market.
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