Special researcher Charles Hill introduced 3 other people, each time the person approached from backstage. None of them had actually worked on the project.
"Thank you team. Let's start the banquet." Special researcher Charles Hill did not even look in the direction of Frederick Behrman.
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Frederick Behrman was livid. If Hill did not want him to have any credit, he could have just said so. But to involve him in the testing process, and have him come to the banquet, and sit at the special table… It was fine to not give him credit. Expected even. But to give the credit for all his hard work to someone else in public, right in front of him?! What was Hill thinking!?
Special researcher Charles Hill finally came and sat at the banquet table. He still did not look at Frederick.
Gritting his teeth Frederick watched on as Hill and his "team" accepted congratulations. He wanted to bring Hill out to question him. Why did you do this to me? But he could not find time between the people coming to give their honored greeting.
Finally Special Researcher Charles Hill had had enough to eat and drink. Mother nature was calling. He had to answer the call of nature, and went to the bathroom. On his way out, he saw a very disgruntled Frederick Behrman waiting for him.
"Let's not talk here," Hill led him to an unpopulated area.
"Why?" Frederick asked. "Why did you do this? I would have been fine with you not giving me credit. But who are those people!? I've only ever seen one of them at the Lab."
"You changed my hypothesis without my permission. You conducted experiments on an unfounded hypothesis without my authorization. What if something bad had happened in the lab? It would have been my name on everything! Would you have been held responsible? No! I would have to bear responsibility! This is the only way to make you realize your mistake."
Frederick was seeing red. How could it be that he hadn't notified Hill of the change in Hypothesis!? He had changed it a total of 5 times, and had notified him each and every time. Hill never came to check on him at all! And he had only come in at the end when he notified Hill of his success! What kind of p*ss poor excuse was this!?
"I sent you an email each time the hypothesis changed," Frederick gritted out, unable to think clearly due to anger.
"I don't have a record of this." Hill said smugly.
"I have proof!!"
"Do you?" Hill raised his eyebrow questioningly. "If you have proof, then show me now."
Frederick brought out his communicator and began to scroll through the hologram. He knew each date and time he sent the messages by heart. But as he scrolled he came to a startling realization. The messages were no longer there. They had been deleted. All of his messages regarding this project had been deleted. He had been hacked and never knew it. Now he had no proof he had ever even worked on the project.
"That's what I thought," Hill said as he walked away leaving in his wake a very shocked and defeated assistant researcher.
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Frederick began his walk home in despair. The factory he had always passed by was looming up directly ahead of him. He always passed by it on his way home. He had now made half of this factory obsolete. This was due to his hard work. All of this would change and it was because of him. But now... All his hard work had gone down the drain. He didn't know what he had done to offend Hill. His career was gone now. Normally, even if he was not given official credit, he would have been given credit within the lab. He could have been promoted from assistant researcher to researcher.
As he walked closer to the factory, he saw Special Researcher Hill and Rina standish getting off a car at the factory. He instinctively hid close to the side of the building. The other three of their team were there as well. This just looked so fishy.
He got closer to see if he could hear what was going on.
"Let go inside then," one of the three men had said.
"Alright," said Hill. "Sorry to drag you into this Rina."
"It's okay," she said, "I did the research on my own after all."
These people… They were still pretending in private? He decided to follow them.
He managed to catch the door of the factory before it closed. And made his way in to follow them.
"This is a great success Mr. Hill," one of the three men said. "You should look happier. The work you and Miss Rina have accomplished here has helped the extraction process incredibly."
"That's right," said another of the three. "You saw the process yourself."
"What do you do with the bodies?" Special researcher Hill asked.
"Bodies?" said the first one who had spoken. "Oh, you mean the fertilizer!"
Rina shuddered and held onto Special researcher Hill's arm for support. How did all of this happen to her. She didn't ask for this. She was just in the right place at the wrong time. She had only wanted to ask her crush for a date, and happened upon this whole conspiracy.
"Don't worry," said the second man "We can show you the process again. This liquid is also a good preserver." He opened a barrel, and spilled out all the content. The viscous liquid poured out slowly, and then tiny clumps began to come out.
The first man picked up a clump and separated it out. "Haha, come! Take a closer look. You will never have this chance again."
He put his sticky liquid covered hands closer to them. "See, you didn't get to see it clearly before. I mean… How often do you get to see a lightning sprite? Hahah."
"Enough," The third man spoke with authority. He was in charge. "It's time. Get someone to clean this up later. We're going to be late for their accident."
"You don't have to kill us," Rina said.
"You're an elf," the man in charge said. "Do you really think we will trust you not to try and save them? Pah. Get real" He looked at the other 2. "Bring them."
They dragged Charles Hill and Rina further into the factory.
Frederick stayed in his hiding spot unsure of the startling information he had just heard.
Lightning sprites? Weren't they a myth? And they were going to kill Charles? He didn't like the guy, in fact he hated him right now. But that didn't mean he wanted him dead.
Frederick realized if he followed them he would get caught, he was not a sneaky person, and he was lucky he had not gotten caught so far. He was alone and unsure of what to do. He also had no misunderstandings of the type of person he was. He was a coward and he knew it.
But he remembered how Rina was lying to those men. Rina was an Elf, to lie was a great crime… unless it was done to protect someone else. If his name had been called instead of Rina at the banquet, wouldn't it be him here about to be killed? This thought woke him from his horrified and shocked stupor.
He had to save them!? He had to try right?
He found his way to where they were. Charles and Rina stood at the precipice of one of the machines. They had dumped several of the lightning sprites bodies into the machine.
"There should be enough to run it now boss."
If Frederick could find a way to sabotage the machine, he could save them! right?
"Great." The boss took out his gun and shot the pair in the head, before Frederick could move an inch. Their bodies fell into the machine.
The boss nodded his head, and the machine turned on, crunching and popping noises could be heard as the machine turned the fertilizer, and mixed it with the flesh from the dead.
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Frederick had stayed there for hours in shock at what he had just witnessed. The men had long gone, and the machine no longer ran. It would be dawn soon. The factory workers were off today, but those men said someone would be coming to 'clean up.'
Frederick made his way out of the building, and as he walked he caught a glimpse of something shiny. He put it in his pocket and went home. He had finally gotten home and turned on the news. There was a high speed crash. Special Researcher Hill, and his assistant Rina had both died in the crash.