"This is it," Soho said, as we arrived to the intersection in the background of my target's photo. I looked down at the photo in my hand and made some notable observations. Rosemary had brown hair that stopped at her shoulders, and she wore a black business-formal dress.
"Do you know where she works?" I asked Soho, curious about Rosemary's attire.
"No. How should I know?"
I shrugged. "I thought you were going to assist me with this."
"Yeah, if any danger arises. All Ian told me to do was guide you against their HP Fractals if the case ever occurred. Besides, I don't think I'd be any better at finding your target than you might be."
I understood it now.
It's up to me to distinguish and find my targets alone, just like Ian had said.
I realized that Soho wasn't someone I was meant to rely on. It seemed as though she was merely there for an emergency. I took in a deep breath and exhaled. I was going to have to focus and pay attention to my surroundings, even with just a single eye. I really had to be attentive the same way I was at the Grand Cordial when I found the fictional book among the Talitems.
Business formal attire.
I looked back at the photo. She wore something someone in a corporate job would wear. I looked back and forth along the two roads that intersected at the point I stood, Lidsberg and Jarivs, and looked for any buildings that seemed likely to house employees like Rosemary. But it was difficult to determine which direction to look considering buildings of those sort were in every direction.
There must be a hint in this photo somehow.
I observed the image one more time, noticing the distinct color of an orange sign behind her. I looked for that sign in real life, and there it was, just across from me parallel to Jarvis street. It was that of a coffee shop found right at the corner of the intersection. When I aligned the photo the same way the photo had been taken, I could see that she had been crossing the street away from the shop, westward along Jarvis street.
If she was walking that way, it means she came from the east direction. But then it means she was either walking to work in the west direction, or from work in the east direction.
I'd come to a standstill with my mind. I could now assume that she worked in one of the buildings found along Jarvis street. But now I had to determine in which direction it was. I looked west, where more condos were situated, whereas the east direction was littered with bank buildings.
She must be working at one of those banks.
"East along Jarvis," I said to Soho.
"That was pretty quick. I'm impressed."
"Half a sense less heightens the others."
"You really believe in that?" She asked me.
"I can vouch for it."
She pointed at my eyepatch. "Well I can vouch that thing looks horribly outdated."
She took off skipping across the intersection, chuckling about what she'd said. I couldn't help but force back a smile. There was just something so unserious yet genuine about her. It made me all the more curious about her introduction as one of Ian's proxies.
"Do you even know where you're going?" I said aloud, catching up to her.
She shook her head. "Nope!"
I had to let out a chuckle of my own. "Then where are you trying to go?"
"East along Jarvis, I guess? That is what you said."
"You aren't wrong." I nodded along. "You know, for a proxy, you're awfully spontaneous. How are you under Ian's influence yet so aware of everything? It almost makes me doubt that you're a proxy."
"It's because I'm not influenced by Ian's Fractal the same way those other mindless freaks are. You could split up Ian's proxies into two types. Those zombie-like guys, I call 'em Absolutes. Proxies like me I call the Inspired."
"So, the Absolute proxies are the ones who have no control, right?"
"Mhm. Absolutely no thoughts run through their head. They're like shells, conscious only for Ian to command. He treats 'em like puppets, controlling their every movement and action."
"And what's the difference with an Inspired, like you?" I asked.
"I'm at least conscious in my own right, even if my will belongs to Ian."
"What do you mean?"
"An Inspired proxy like me isn't at all physically controlled like the Absolutes. We are rather mentally-influenced by Ian's Fractal."
I remembered Ian mentioning something like that.
"His Fractal can either physically control or mentally control. Is that what you're talking about?
Soho nodded. "Yeah, except we aren't constantly under Ian's control like the Absolutes. He uses his Fractal on us a single time to affect the way we think mentally, and our world-views change from there."
"In accordance with Heathen's values, I'm guessing?"
"Of course."
That's literal brainwashing.
"But if you're so aware of that, doesn't that make you feel wronged? Don't you want to return to the mindset you had before Ian took control?"
"Maybe it's a part of the process in Ian's Fractal, maybe it isn't, but I don't remember anything about my life before being in Heathen. I don't remember how I was or how my mind used to think. I only know a few details leading up to my recruitment into the organization, but that's because I've been told about it."
I was stunned. "You really don't remember anything about your past…?"
"Nope," Soho shook her head. "All I know now is the life of Heathen. Maybe that's what makes it so easy to go along with Ian's values."
I couldn't help but feel some sort of rage for what Ian had done, not only to Soho, but likely to hundreds more.
"That's awful."
"It's whatever. Don't be such a downie about it." Soho completely brushed it off. "Anything's better than having my entire life controlled, movement-for-movement, by the big sloth himself. Plus, I don't mind this kind of life! From what I've been told, my previous life wasn't any better than this. If anything, Ian's at least given me some purpose to live out."
I sighed, conflicted on whether or not that was Soho's genuine beliefs, or if that segment of thinking was a part of the brainwashing. "I guess there's no point in me being dramatic about it. You must be far from the only case of an Inspired."
"Exactly." Soho laughed. "It's ironic because you've met two others just like me before."
"I have?"
"Do the names Russo and Iyonna ring a bell?"
My eyes widened.
Henry's caretaker, and the receptionist from the apartment?
"How do you know about them?" I asked.
"Because they were a part of Heathen too, of course."
My suspicions have finally been confirmed, not that it's of any use anymore.
"But I mean, how do you know I've met them?"
"Ian told me that it was your squad from A.X.A. that brought about their deaths, right?"
I nodded, hesitantly. "Yeah…" But there was something else that bugged me.
Has Ian been keeping tabs for that long?
"They were Inspired proxies, just like me. A little mental twist on the mind from Ian's Fractal and then they acted out their roles. Russo was tasked with keeping Henry's mouth shut about Heathen. The old man was a deeply-involved member of Heathen from the Filtering, apparently. Ian knew that Henry knew too much, but spared his life for being such a dedicated individual, until he were to say anything that could expose Heathen."
I recalled the moment. It was so sudden. The moment the name 'Heathen' left Henry's mouth, Russo was quick to end his life.
Ian must have wired a trigger-word into Russo's mind that would activate the function to kill Henry to prevent any leaked information about Heathen.
"Then there was Iyonna. She was tasked with keeping hold and watch of one of Ian's proxy colonies of Absolutes. I'm sure you're familiar with the place."
"That apartment…" I shuddered at the memories.
"I heard that you and your squad wiped that entire place clean. Impressive!"
My hand had clenched into a fist unknowingly. "Then Darius must have been an Inspired too?"
"Oh, right! I almost forgot about him. That guy was really annoying. I heard you—"
"—I killed him myself." I cut her off.
Soho went quiet, realizing the sudden serious tone I undertook. "According to Ian, that was likely the moment you achieved your Activation."
That moment steered me in the direction of where I stood right now. It truly was the event that changed everything, inevitably placing my life on a path that would lead to who I was today. I went quiet, with no desire left to recall that past anymore. With how much I've changed since then, I refused to reminisce.
"Sorry, did we go too deep?" Soho was unsure.
I realized I hadn't mentally gotten past what had happened just yet. But it didn't feel fair to dump that on someone I'd just met. I decided to try lightening the mood again.
"I'm good. Maybe I just need a bit of Ian's Fractal to forget about my past too."
Soho let out a faint laugh, but did not reply. We were soon approaching the bank buildings we assumed one of which Rosemary worked at. There was no more time for jokes with what we were about to do.
"Shoulder-length brown hair, black business-formal dress, and black heels, I assume."
Soho grabbed the photo from my hand and looked at it. "You can't even see her feet in this photo. How do you know that she has black heels?"
"Black heels for women, and black dress shoes for men. It's part of the mandatory-wear when working a corporate job here in downtown Melysia."
"You know that? You don't look like you've worked corporate before."
I looked at Soho. "I used to work in the military. I know a lot of things about Melysia."
She suddenly pointed in a direction past my face. I looked and saw she was pointing at a group of workers coming out of one of the bank buildings. There were men in formal black suits, and women in formal black dresses. I looked around the block and saw that many other groups of workers in formal attire were also leaving their respective bank buildings. I checked the time and saw that it was just past 5 PM.
"Everyone around here has just gotten off work," I said.
"Then she must be coming out of one of these buildings right now."
I looked back at the photo, and looked back around. There were an assortment of dress-code colors that the different companies followed. Some were navy blue, others were a dark maroon, one was even beige, but only one building had employees in all-black attire pouring out. I observed and saw that the women coming out wore very similar clothing to what Rosemary had in the picture.
That must be it. She's from that bank over there.
"That group with black clothing over there, let me know if you see any females with brown hair," I told Soho.
She nodded, before pointing once again. "There."
I looked over, and sure enough, was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair dawning a formal black dress. She walked with what looked like two other coworkers: a blonde female and a male with short black hair. I looked back and forth between her and the photo in hand, and I couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance. Even the shade of lipstick was the same.
"That should be her. Rosemary Peria."
"How are we going to do this?" Soho asked.
"Somewhere hidden. It can't be out in the open."
"But she's with two others."
I observed her coworkers. "We're going to have to divert them somehow. We need to isolate Rosemary."
Soho peered down the street in the direction that they walked. "What are the chances that she lives in one of those condos down there?"
"Plausible. If that's the case, this could be easy."
We both stood aside in the shade of a building, out of the way from the people who walked on the sidewalk, but in a position where we could still watch where they went. They had already walked past the majority of the condos. It no longer seemed likely that she lived in that area. Suddenly, they turned the corner of a block, so me and Soho quickly followed in pursuit without looking suspicious and continued to watch where they went. Considering they'd just gotten off work, it was safe to assume where they were headed once they walked into a mall.
"Food court. They must be getting food."
"At this mall?" Soho immediately recognized the place. "My favorite bar is in this mall!"
"Now's not the time for that, Soho."
Upon entering the mall, we both quickly realized that this was not the right place for what we planned to do. It was packed. People were everywhere.
"Too many witnesses."
Soho agreed. "Way too many! How are we gonna do this now?"
"We might have to wait until they're finished."
She suddenly brightened with excitement. "Then can I show you my favorite bar in the meantime?"
I rolled my eyes. "I already told you Soho, it's not the time for that right now."
"Fine!" She threw a quick fit, and began to storm off. "I'll go on my own then!"
In utter disbelief, I watched as she genuinely walked off and away from me.
"Are you being serious…?"
This accomplice assigned to assist me with my target had just thrown a tantrum and disbanded her role entirely, all in a single instant. I stood there and watched her leave, too stunned to even say anything.
I guess I'm on my own again.
I continued down the path that Rosemary and her coworkers had gone. To my surprise, it was not in the direction of the food court.
Where are they going?
I wasn't too familiar with the layout of the mall besides where the food court was. If Soho, who seemed to frequent this place, had been with me, maybe I would have had an idea of what I was being led to. At first, they window shopped at some designer stores. Rosemary took interest in one that sold clothing, dresses in particular. The blonde one was eager to look at a store that sold expensive handbags and purses. The male stopped by a watch store and began to discuss with its salesman.
"Is this real gold?" He asked, to which the seller nodded. He bought the watch on the spot.
Wow, he's got a lot of money.
To prove my assumption, he then went and bought a handbag the blonde had been so eager to get.
"Richard, you spoil me too much!" She playfully told him. He was smiling from ear-to-ear. After they finished their shopping, they turned the corner and went straight towards a place that was lit with a mirage of colorful neon lights. As I followed them and got closer, I could finally read the sign that labeled the place.
[ The Waving Kitty ]
As they entered, and I followed inside minutes after, I realized that the place was a bar after smelling the heavy scent of booze in the air. Compared to the bright daylight shining through the mall outside, the interior of this bar was dark. To compensate for the darkness, nearly everything was lined with strips of neon lights of pink, purple, and turquoise colors. I could tell the theme of the place was 80's inspired, with pictures of retro vehicles hung up on the walls, accompanied by imitation palm trees situated in every corner, as remixed versions of songs from the era played throughout the scene. Littering nearly every stand and table were hand-sized cat decorations that had a single arm waving back and forth, just like the kinds you'd see at restaurants in Asia. Except rather than the conventional gold and red colors, these cats were white and pink, accommodating the theme of the bar.
Ahead of me, I saw the three sit down at the bar where a bartender took their order. There were booths and tables from which you could sit and order food, but I wasn't there for that. I had to isolate my target, Rosemary. So I sat down a few stools from them, far enough that I wouldn't look suspicious, but close enough that I could listen-in on their conversation. The bartender immediately greeted me.
"New here?" He said, twirling a short glass onto the surface in front of me. "What would you like, sir?"
I was about to wave off the offer before realizing how weird it would be to reject a drink while seated at the bar itself.
"What would you recommend?"
"Ah, so you are new after all. I knew I'd never served a patron with an eyepatch before." He pulled back the glass into his hands. "What's the story behind that?"
"Got into a little brawl with someone who had an electrical Fractal. He zapped the eye."
"Ouch! Is it healing?" He dropped a piece of ice shaped like a sphere into my glass.
"It's blind now."
"Ah… Hence the eyepatch. Sorry about that, brother." He pointed his pinky finger into my glass, and to my surprise, a purple-colored liquid began to pour out.
"My Fractal may not be as strong as something like electricity, but it is perfect for this job." He then pointed his index finger into my cup, and a different liquid began to pour out.
"What is your Fractal?" I asked, fascinated by what I was seeing.
"Liquid Dispensary. But I think the name 'Bartender' just makes so much more sense for it." He slid the glass forward towards me. The drink was a light purple color, matching the tones of the place itself. "I call it the Enigma. A lot of newcomers like the taste. It's approachable in my opinion."
I took a sip. The notes were fruity, yet herbaceous and almost woody. "What's in this?"
"Butterfly pea-infused gin, lychee liquor, lemon juice, white cranberry juice, and sage-flavored syrup."
I took another sip, surprised that not a single drop of the liquid I drank came from a bottle. "How does your Fractal work? How do you just produce different kinds of liquid like that…?"
"My Fractal came with an organ that produces water, an organ that can produce alcohol, or carbon dioxide for carbonation, and another organ that can hold flavors."
"An organ that can hold flavors?"
"Every morning before a shift I drink all kinds of syrups and flavorings that get contained in that organ. While I'm working, depending on which finger I use, it extracts both water and flavoring from the separate organs to combine it together into one, like juice. If I want to make soda, it'll pull carbon dioxide from the third organ. If I want to make booze, it'll pull alcohol from that organ as well. I can create hundreds of different combinations."
"That is fascinating."
"How about you?" He suddenly asked. "What's your Fractal?"
I scoffed a little. "I'm Fractless, actually."
"Wow! And you held your own against someone with a Fractal too?" He slapped the table with amusement. "For that, the drink's on the house, brother."
He began walking away to greet another customer that'd just sat at the bar. Now that the essential interaction was out of the way, I had to stop drinking and zone back into my objective. I peered left and saw that while I was occupied, Rosemary's coworkers had vanished. She sat alone at the bar.
Perfect. She's finally isolated now.
But the place was still too public. I couldn't pull-off the elimination out here in the open with dozens of witnesses. I waited for some time, pretending to take little sips here and there. I made sure not to impair myself with the effect of alcohol, as it was guaranteed to worsen my Flow State. I was waiting for a moment in which she would isolate herself even more. Though, what surprised me the most was that in the 30 minutes that'd passed, her coworkers had not returned.
Did they leave while I was speaking to the bartender?
It looked as if Rosemary had been waiting for them too. She seemed to realize at the same time as I did that they were not in fact going to return. I saw her place some cash on the table by her drink, and finally, she got out of her seat and headed for the exit.
This is my chance.
I did the same, placing the $20 in cash Ian had left me by my unfinished drink.
"Heading out already?" The bartender said.
"Early start tomorrow. I'll finish your drink next time."
"But tomorrow's Saturday?"
I smiled awkwardly, realizing my view of time was skewed.
"I work weekends too."
He smiled back and waved. "Busy man! Thanks for stopping by the Waving Kitty, brother."
I acknowledged him and soon made my way out of the bar. The cat decorations, too, were waving back at me as I left. The sky by now had dimmed a darker tone, as nightfall soon approached. I kept up to pace with Rosemary, while maintaining a distance. When we exited the mall, I noticed that the streets had become empty. As we descended some stairs towards the underground subway station, I understood that the opportunity for my mission had become more available than ever.
I'll do it once we get on a subway.
When we got to the underground level, the hall split into two, the north or south direction. I followed Rosemary towards the south, where we finally arrived to the platform. There were a few people waiting there, witnesses, present. But it was better than having a completely crowded subway. I just had to minimize the number of eyes watching.
Screech!
The subway had arrived.
The majority of people were heading down the leftmost side of the platform to board the cart, and unfortunately, Rosemary was following the crowd. But just as they were about to board, people began to slip, one-by-one.
"Agh!"
"Ow!"
It started with one, who knocked into the rest resulting in a domino effect. People were slipping off their feet and falling into one another, causing a pileup of fallen and injured individuals. It seemed as though there was a slippery surface that people failed to notice. Being farther away, Rosemary and I noticed this before getting close enough to be a part of it. She immediately turned around and went towards the rightmost side of the platform to board the carts there instead. Still maintaining my distance, I boarded soon after, while everyone else further down the other end continued to struggle to stand.
"Please stand clear of the doors." The subway speaker played its chime, indicating that the doors were now closing. Once they had shut, the quietness in the cart was serene.
It was just the two of us in the cart. Me and my target, Rosemary Peria, isolated and alone.