In Misbury Town, a small enclave to the east of Slateville:
Amidst the relentless storm, the anguished shouts of the search party reverberated along the riverside. Their voices, whipped by the howling wind, carried a palpable sense of urgency and desperation. Each call struggled to be heard above the raging tempest that enveloped the night.
The eerie glow of the lightning briefly illuminated the most frantic figure in the search party—Mrs. Kagiso. Her long hair was plastered to her forehead and face by the relentless rain, her red-rimmed eyes flitting frantically, and her trembling lips calling out for her son's name.
"Batho!"
"Batho!"
The shouting echoed, each call accompanied by the haunting melody of the storm. The search had been ongoing since one in the afternoon, the passage of time marked by the relentless downpour and the thunderous backdrop of the tempest. The riverside, usually a serene landscape, had transformed into a turbulent, foreboding scene as the searchers persevered through the treacherous weather in their desperate quest for Batho.
Mr. Kagiso's tall and lanky silhouette was framed against the backdrop of rainwater, his expression darkening as Mrs. Kagiso's desperate squeal reverberated in the storm. The umbrella in his tight grip barely sheltered him or the hysterical wife next to him.
His extravagant clothes clung to him, and rivulets of rainwater streamed down his face.
A group of police in uniform gathered behind the husband and wife, trying to whisper in a voice that could be heard over the rumbles of thunder.
After a long moment, one of them approached them, clearing his throat to catch their attention.
"What is it? Inspector Jaquan," asked Mr. Kagiso, a slight irk lacing his deep voice.
Inspector Jaquan was evidently taken aback by the irritation on Mr. Kagiso's face, adjusting the belt around his round belly to calm himself. "It's late now. With the weather condition as such, it's difficult for us to continue searching for Batho."
Mr. Kagiso shifted his cold glance at the inspector, who flinched. Despite the Pastolium that he proudly displayed at his wrist, Inspector Jaquan hated his cowardice before Mr. Kagiso, who was a mere human.
"No, you have to continue to search," exclaimed Mrs. Kagiso without waiting for her husband to reply. As if to reinforce her point, her next call for Batho was louder than before.
"The humans are useless on a stormy night like this," Inspector Jaquan pointed in the direction of people squinting against the faint torchlight and rainwater.
They were the town folks hired by the inspector to help with the search.
Mr. Kagiso came from a renowned family in Misbury Town, his grandfather and father having a long working history with the government. None of their family had surrendered their bodies to be transformed into SynthHumans, but they held important positions in the government.
Inspector Jaquan, who had no idea about the Kagiso family's government project, resented that his superior had given him clear instructions to help Kagiso.
"What about the SynthWatch?" Mr. Kagiso asked, jutting his chin in the direction of the people systematically scanning the riverside.
It was not difficult to tell SynthWatch, who were low-tech Synthetiks, from the ordinary humans even on a dark night like this. The SynthWatch walked in a steady pace along the riverside with their torch in hand, searching every corner that their eyes would allow. The humans, though, had the same job but could only struggle to clear their blurred vision as the storm continued.
"The SynthWatch would not last long," Inspector Jaquan stole a glance at his watch—an unnecessary move as he knew exactly what time it was from the repeated times he had looked at his watch, "they need to be sent back for charging. And I hope you understand, a malfunctioning SynthWatch is worse than a human."
After a prolonged moment of locking eyes with Inspector Jaquan, Mr. Kagiso softened his gaze and shifted his attention to his wife.
However, Mrs. Kagiso pointed a leveled finger before his eyes, her bloodshot gaze evidence of exposure to rain and likely shedding tears. "Don't you dare! I am not leaving until I find Batho!"
Inspector Jaquan clasped his hands behind his back, awaiting instructions from Mr. Kagiso. He had been directed to take orders from the husband and not the wife.
The last thing he desired on this tumultuous night was to draft a lengthy report on why fifty SynthWatch police malfunctioned after searching on a rainy day.
Mr. Kagiso swallowed hard before giving a subtle nod to Inspector Jaquan.
Inspector Jaquan signaled for a few SynthWatch police to prevent Mrs. Kagiso from heading towards the riverside once again. Mrs. Kagiso, dressed in a simple white long dress on this stormy night, was a petite lady.
As three SynthWatch received the order, they closed the distance with Mrs. Kagiso, who turned her enraged eyes at her husband. Mr. Kagiso averted his gaze, allowing the Synthetik police to apprehend his wife.
With minimal effort, the SynthWatch police dragged the distraught lady away from the crime scene. Mrs. Kagiso found herself in a booth with Mr. Kagiso and Inspector Jaquan when the police finally released their grasp.
"Koketso, let me go back! I need to find Batho!" Mrs. Kagiso shouted, her rain-messed hair reflecting her desperation.
Inspector Jaquan averted his gaze from the couple. Hearing someone openly address Mr. Kagiso in such a desperate tone was a first for him.
"It's getting late and pouring," said Mr. Kagiso, redirecting his forced calm demeanor towards his wife.
Realizing her husband was adamant about not letting her return, Mrs. Kagiso gave up on reasoning or begging. She attempted to leave the booth but found herself blocked by the same three SynthWatch.
"Is the car coming?" Mr. Kagiso asked with a hint of impatience. His pride and reputation in Misbury Town wouldn't permit him to be outside with his wife in such a hysterical state.
Inspector Jaquan pulled his AD out of his pocket and checked on the status of the car he had called for the couple earlier.
Being a SynthHuman and a detective at the same time, Inspector Jaquan enjoyed the benefit of using the latest transport system: Quantum Transit Network (QTN). The Quantum Transit Network utilizes advanced artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and real-time data analysis to provide seamless and efficient transportation for passengers.
It calculated all the routes to Mr. Kagiso's home address, taking the distance of a route, the traffic lights, the number of vehicles on the road, the weather, and the road conditions into account.
His AD said one more minute and the Quantum Ride X should be here.
Just before Inspector Jaquan managed to answer the question, the blue car with a Synthetik chauffeur arrived before them.
The Synthetik chauffeur was a young man, taking out his SynthiCode and tapped onto Inspector's AD to confirm the correct passengers.
With more coaxing, Mr. Kagiso had finally gotten into the Quantum Ride X, which had a sleek and aerodynamic design. Plush, handcrafted leather upholstery embraced them as they settled in the car, while meticulously detailed wood and metal accents adorned the cabin.
The chauffeur did not speak another word with the passengers before focusing on his AD mounted in the car and started driving.
Mr. Kagiso glanced at the rhythmic percussion of the raindrops against the glass, averting the accusatory gaze from his wife sitting next to him.
The pregnant silence between them did not last long before Mr. Kagiso felt heart-wrenched from his wife's disappointing eyes. "You know it would be fruitless if we continued to search without a strategy."
"Is that all you can think about when it comes to finding your own son? Strategy?" snapped Mrs. Kagiso.
"Yes, we need a plan to find him, not in the blind like this," refuted Mr. Kagiso as he tried to suppress the frustration of failing to find his son and dealing with his irrational wife.
With that, the car once again fell into a tense silence.
"Would you like me to play 'Sergei Rachmaninoff - "Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2"'?" the chauffeur asked when the conversation in the back seats came to a sudden halt. A Synthetik chauffeur was programmed to ask this when the interior of the car sank into a long silence.
Smart, but not too smart. As it seemed now.
Mr. Kagiso just muttered a shut up, and the whole ride to their house was again another long silence.
Their house, located at 304 Apollo Avenue, stood as a sentinel on the border between Slateville and AHC, perched majestically atop a lush hill. The imposing silhouette of the mansion dominated the landscape, gradually revealing itself as the car neared its destination.
This grand estate had been the residence of many generations of the Kagiso family—Mr. Kagiso's great-grandfather, grandfather, his father, and now him. There was an ineffable connection to this mansion, a familial tie that seemed to anchor them to this very place, a force so strong that even a man as powerful as Mr. Kagiso could not escape its pull.
The rain, persistent and unyielding, showed no signs of abating, having accompanied them for more than half an hour.
As the Quantum Ride X came to a halt before the entrance, the sweeping staircase beckoned them towards intricately carved double doors. These doors, opened by a Synthetik servant within, welcomed the returning occupants.
Within the walls of this mansion, secrets echoed through time, with each generation adding its own chapter. Mr. Kagiso's reign over the estate was no exception. The mansion harbored perhaps fifty house servants, nearly as many as the search party scouring the city for his missing son. The majority of these servants were Synthetiks, efficient and discreet, ensuring the mansion's seamless operation. The exception was the butler—a SynthHuman, uniquely capable of navigating the realm of human emotions.
In a house filled with so many secrets, Mr. Kagiso could not afford the risk of human employees privy to his confidential matters. Only government-programmed AIs could be trusted to safeguard his closely guarded secrets. The butler, though artificial, was a necessary compromise, offering a touch of humanity to the mansion that was still, at its core, a home.
The servant greeted the wet owners with a polite smile, "Sir and madam, welcome home."
The Synthetik, unable to read the irked expression on their faces, maintained its neutral demeanor.
"Alkis!" Mr. Kagiso called out for his butler, unable to tolerate the Synthetik servant who had offered a smile at the wrong timing.
A formally dressed elderly man emerged from the kitchen and strode to his master, "Yes? Mr. Kagiso?" The baffled expression upon seeing the state of them flashed for less than a second on his face, quickly returning to his impassive countenance.
"Please bring madam for a quick shower and see her to her bed," said Mr. Kagiso with a tinge of exhaustion in his voice, "we haven't found Batho."
A flicker of rage flashed through Mrs. Kagiso's eyes at the mention of her son's name, but Alkis quickly took the hint that his master had dropped, grabbed Mrs. Kagiso's elbow, and escorted her to her bedroom.
As soon as Mrs. Kagiso was out of sight, the long-awaited silence shrouded the living room like gentle snowfall. Heaving a sigh, Mr. Kagiso sauntered to his leather sofa by the windows.
After pouring himself a glass of whiskey, Mr. Kagiso sank into the sofa and had his gaze fixed on the rhythmic tap-tap-tapping of the rainwater on the windows. A sip of whiskey to calm his chaotic mind.
Something about the missing of his son did not make sense; the whole thing did not.
He was in his house when his butler, Alkis, stumbled his way to his home office with the news of his missing son. He had spent the entire afternoon and evening searching for Batho but to no avail.
Something was amiss.
It was now his AD that he had put on his coffee table beeped.
Mr. Kagiso tilted his head to check on the incoming message: I am on my way.
The sender was Inspector Jaquan. Mr. Kagiso had instructed him to give a detailed report on the whole incident. Ever since the incident, he had only had time to focus on the search. His wife was too distraught to tell him the whole incident.
After a moment of losing in his thought, his Synthetik servant walked to him, "Sir, Inspector Jaquan is here."