Chapter 7: Terrorista

'Good thing that girl is lost in thoughts'

Lon released a sigh of relief as he thought. One thing he is sure about that girl is that she is a person that could sense the supernatural. A contradiction in beliefs caused her to be stumped at that moment. And Lon is thankful for that because it enabled him to slip and flee.

'What to do?'

His rest time was cut short and Lon decided to wander the streets once again. He has roughly 1,000 Nins on hand and it would be a waste if he didn't spend it for relieving his tension today. The two of them hopped in the public train transit.

The charm of this thing is the safety it provided and the affordable tickets that can send you even into the other side of the planet. The inside is wide enough to have a decent social distance between two persons. Even on holiday peaks, the train carts wouldn't feel stuffed at all.

The tickets are even cheaper than if he hailed a hover taxi to bring him to the same destination.

The best journey is to have no plans for it.

That is what Lon has in mind.

...

"Mommy, mommy, look oh", a young child pointed at a magnificent building. He kneeled on the seat and looked through the window. The train was soon far from it.

"That's the Imperial Office, what, you want to be a soldier?", a woman beside her also pointed to the tower with her right hand.

"Yeah, I want to be the soldier that drives those giant robots!" It was a genuine smile that belonged to an innocent child.

"Then you better study in school to become a mech pilot in the future!"

When the part about education came, Lon lost his interest. It is not that he is against the notion of learning but he is a deep irrational personal reason regarding it.

His black eyes looked at the towering building from afar. His mind went blank for a second because he could see smoke rising from one of the upper floors of the building.

'What kind of joke is this?'

The Imperial Office on every planet is a heavily fortified and guarded facility. Each one is located in the very central part of the capital cities. The person the leads the office is called overseers that implements rules and regulations of their respective planets on their own discretion. They also have higher authority than specific government bodies on the planet except for some special divisions.

A civil branch of the government that employs the soldiers of the army as their security guards. Other restrictions they have are the memorandum orders sent from the Imperial Headquarters back in the imperial planet of the empire.

In those memos, there are strict instructions that they must obey, or else abolishment is the only punishment for them.

That alone says the might and prestige of this place. But today, September 15, three more explosions were witnessed by Lon. From his observations, it wasn't an outside attack made by terrorists because the detonations happened inside.

He could also be wrong. What if someone, an undercover agent, triggered this incident? Or what if the cause is a human bomb detonated by some aliens?

Booooommm!

Another one was set off. This time, a huge portion of the top section caved in, smoke coming from the ground and causing the train to shake a little. A testament on how powerful that blast is.

'Let's go home'

Lon changed his mind right then. Thick black smoke slowly rose up around the vicinity of the office. At that moment, the train is already inside the territory of the northern sector of the city. With such length of distance, he could still see the enormous blocks of black fumes.

It is best if no one suspects him and involve him in these tedious affairs. Being implicated in this case would be bad since he was still recovering. He would love if there wasn't any person that would be suspicious of him on his way back home. That person will then report him to the authorities and then his secret would be busted.

In a city where there are more than 678 million people, chances are, there might be someone that will exactly do that. That is why he is going back home.

...

"Eighty-three bombings are reported to happen inside the Imperial Office this afternoon at 17:01. Ninety-five are reportedly dead and four hundred and sixty-seven are injured. Due to the collapsing of the building, there is still forty-eight missing personnel, presumably trapped under the debris."

A blonde male is currently delivering his speech. The topic is none other than the incidents that transpired earlier this day. Lon ate a piece of meat with imported rice as he watched the newscaster.

"According to the investigation launched by the Imperial Office, initial findings are said to point out to a newly formed terrorist group. Their intentions are currently unknown."

"There are no further statements made by the Office but politician Peter Yugoslav has an official declaration an hour after the spectacle."

Then the background changed and a fat middle-aged man appeared on the television screen. It is obvious that it was a clip edited solely for this purpose.

"The residents of Olion shall not worry about this enemy. We assure you that we will soon bring to light the culprit who threatened the safety of every citizen of the empire!"

His voice and tone carried a certain conviction that he was able to do what he just said. Many will probably believe him but Lon was not impressed in any part of him.

The planetary overseer is this man, Peter Yugoslav. But Lon could not see any redeeming qualities about him. Moreover, he says bold claims when the security of the northern sector is close to nothing. The screen changed once more and the blond reporter was back.

"Overseer Peter has requested the cooperation of all departments and citizens to pinpoint any suspicious people and activities they possibly witnessed."

"What's up?", Nana asked seeing a funny look on the man sitting opposite her. It was a weird, knowing smile he unconsciously shows when something is fishy.

"It's nothing", he casually said to her. His mind is already formulating plans for tomorrow despite the remaining stinging sensation.

"Really? Then why do you look like you're thinking about something?"

Lon shrugged and pointed at the screen.

"That man is an idiotic pig. And one day I want to dissect such a person."

Nana wasn't particular about his words and claims but she was rather curious about what he said.

"Pig? If his followers hear you, they will surely put you behind the bars.", she snickered at the thought of it.

"Plus, they would surely catch the people who did this, right?", Nana nodded to herself as she looked at the rows of emergency numbers on the screen.

"You really don't understand, do you?", Lon asked as he put his spoon on the plate. His right hand then opened then began counting.

"First, an explosion is probably caused by an enemy the planetary overseer had in the past. Second, a retired specialist soldier attacked the office because of injustice. Third, all of that happened because of chemical leakage. Fourth, an alien spacecraft coincidentally crash-landed on the building. And fifth, there is a hidden research facility below the Imperial Office and a test subject could have rampaged and escaped, causing destruction along the way."

Nana listened carefully before stating her argument.

"So, what's your point?" Those words triggered Lon and almost made him slap this girl. Blood veins surfaced in his skin, evident that he is furious.

"The point is why do you believe what they just said?", he pointed again in the screen than to his head.

"They said it was an attack of a terrorist group but have you ever thought of an important question?"

This hooked her and she answered by shaking her head. This man didn't like explaining stuff, so it is a bonus if he started clarifying some muddled truths.

"Where's the evidence?", this startled Nana as Lon scooped another mouthful of food.

"They are saying the deed was enacted by terrorists but where is the proof?"

"Surveillance footage? Identification cards? Unknown bodies recovered? There's none at all! They didn't even properly state the cause of the loud commotion."

"Then they just outright blamed an unknown terrorist group that can be also nonexistent!"

"Are they a coalition movement fighting for rights, an interspecies rebellion group that wanted to change how the empire works, or a cult of fanatic alien believers that wanted to gain popularity?"

The more Nana heard, the more she is flabbergasted. She considers herself smart but in front of Lon, she looked incredibly stupid. Those ideas never crossed in her mind.

"Look, Nana, think critically. Think for yourself. Don't be a gullible, naive girl that follows the thoughts of the populace."

Lon finally finished talking as he let out a relief of sigh. Explaining it to someone is draining his energy. Yet, it was worth it. The spoon scooped the delicious rice and ate it with relish.

Their dinner continued until something interesting came into his mind.

"By the way, it is past 33 o'clock, aren't you supposed working?", Lon asked her then drank a glass of water.

"Oh about that, the restaurant has a special guest and all lower employees didn't need to come. Even the other services of the restaurant are closed.", beaming with happiness.

"Feels like the whole establishment is solely reserved for that person."

The two of them cleaned the table before Lon started sorting out the eating utensils.

"You bet! They even told us not to come in the next ten days." Five consecutive workdays that turned into holidays are lucrative for her.

"Won't your salary reduced then?", Lon expressed his doubt and stood up, ready to wash the dishes. Although he already paid his debt, it would be troublesome if he has to cut his budget for experiment materials to pay several expenditures. It would be awful if he goes back on his words.

"On the contrary, they even give us fifty thousand Nins for no reason!", at her remark, Lon almost tripped himself. That amount of money is more than the amount of money he gave a few days ago. While Nana is happy that such a gracious gift fell on her lap out of nowhere. There would be even ten thousand left after the monthly bills, school fees, and Nila's allowance is deducted.

"So, I was thinking to visit my sister.", she loudly said in order for Lon to hear it.

"You wouldn't mind, right?"

Lon became silent in that instant. The running water echoed inside the house as he tidies up before exiting the kitchen. There wasn't that many silverware that two people used for a meal and thus his speed. He sat opposite her and raised his forefinger.

"In one condition, I want you to borrow your Jirhen."

This confused Nana. What's so intriguing in her notebook that he would be interested in it? Then a realization struck her.

"Is this because you wanted to know about that magic thingy, thing?"

Another nonchalant shrug that agreed to her question. She became happy as she also raised her forefinger.

"Then help me fix my body. I don't want my sister to find out what happened to me.", there was a shadow of sadness in her voice that was quickly wiped away.

"You've got yourself a deal."

"Yessss!"

....