The Aftermath
Thick smoke still hung in the air, making her eyes water and her lungs burn with every breath.
The scene was chaotic. Firefighters shouted orders, and robotic cleanup units swarmed to contain the damage.
She stepped over a charred piece of metal, careful not to disturb any evidence.
Vega had always found The Library to be a curious place. It had been an enigma, much like its previous owner, The Librarian.
Now, it was a smoldering wreck.
Her heart sank as she thought about the knowledge lost in the fire, and the man who had once been its keeper. The man who had saved her sister.
Vega's instincts told her nothing about this scene was ordinary.
Her eyes scanned the remains, searching for any clues.
In the center of the destruction, she saw scorched debris that had once been intricate machinery.
Among the wreckage, she noticed something that caught her eye—a partially melted mask.
Her heart skipped a beat. It was the metallic mask The Librarian always wore.
Vega sighed, feeling a wave of sadness wash over her. Despite her suspicions about him, she had never wanted this end for The Librarian.
She knelt down and carefully retrieved the mask, observing the damage.
It was almost unrecognizable.
But it confirmed her worst suspicions.
The Librarian was dead.
Her fingers brushed against another object—a small, scorched circuit board. She picked it up and slipped it into an evidence bag.
Everything mattered now.
She needed answers.
"Detective," a firefighter approached, his voice muffled by his breathing mask, "we found a body over here."
Vega's heart clenched again. She nodded and followed him to the other side of the room.
She found the remains of a charred body burnt to a crisp, hardly anything left beyond blackened boned. It rested at an odd angle upon a pile of melted scrap bots, the roombas the Librarian kept.
It was contorted, evidently it had experienced a painful death.
Detective Vega shuddered at the image, a lingering aura of hate filled this space.
She left to go report to her boss.
-------------------------------------------------
Brick arrived at the scene just as the last firefighter trucks were pulling away.The air still smelled of smoke and burnt electronics.
The warehouse called The Library was now a pile of charred wreckage, nothing more than an ash heap.
Brick stood at the edge of the destruction, his towering frame casting a long shadow over the debris.
Curiosity gnawed at him. He had come to find out what happened.
His eyes scanned the scene, taking in every detail.
He could see the remains of intricate machinery, burnt to a crisp.
There were twisted metal pieces and melted plastic—once advanced technology, now useless scrap.
Stepping carefully, Brick moved deeper into the wreckage. He could feel the crunch of debris under his boots.
He noticed a partially melted mask lying among the ruins. He picked it up, turning it over in his large hands.
Brick smirked. The mask was a signature of The Librarian.
"So, the old coward finally bit the dust," Brick muttered to himself.
He felt a pang of disappointment. They'd no longer get any more of the Librarian's advanced bots for the mines.
But that was balanced by a sense of relief.
No more payments to the weasel.
Brick's eyes caught sight of something else. It was a charred body, lying twisted among the debris.
He moved closer, examining the scene with a practiced eye.
The body was burnt beyond recognition, but he could tell from the remnants of clothing and the surroundings that it wasn't an easy death.
"Hmmm, looks like there was a fight here," Brick mused, his deep voice rumbling in the quiet.
He noticed the remains of several small robots, the Roombas that used to scurry around the place.
There was a metal arm among the debris. Brick bent down to pick it up. He knew it must have been part of an advanced bot, probably of a project. The Librarian's doing, no doubt.
Brick's eyes narrowed. So, the Librarian had had some protection. But whatever happened, it wasn't enough.
He found himself wondering who might have done this. Was it a rival? A debtor? The Librarian likes to play all sides and he had done it well.
Until now.
What mattered was that they didn't have to pay The Librarian anymore.
Brick stood up, dusting ash off his hands. He took one last look around, then turned to leave.
"Boss will be happy to hear this," he said to himself, a crooked smile forming on his face.
The Librarian was gone. That meant one less problem for them to deal with.
Brick's mind shifted back to other pressing matters. There were always more jobs to be done, more people to deal with.
But for now, this chapter was closed.
He walked away from the ruins of The Library, leaving the scene behind him.
The past burned away, leaving only a smoky haze over the future.
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Mr. Black sat in his dimly lit office, the only source of light being the flickering terminal on his desk.The report had just come in through secure channels.
He leaned back in his leather chair and scanned the message.
"The Librarian is dead. The Library destroyed."
Mr. Black's lips formed a thin, satisfied smile.
Finally, that bothersome element was eliminated.
He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of one less complication.
However, something nagged at his mind.
Why hadn't Dagger reported directly?
Mr. Black frowned, his thoughts darkening. Dagger was his most reliable enforcer. The assassin never failed to check in after a mission.
Could something have gone wrong?
Mr. Black shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Dagger was likely licking his wounds in the sewers, avoiding attention.
A minor inconvenience.
He would get his report soon enough.
His fingers drummed rhythmically on the desk, contemplating the future now devoid of the Librarian's meddling.
No more secrets leaking to law enforcement or competitors. No more balancing debts.
Mr. Black stood up, smoothing his expensive suit. He walked to the large window, overlooking the city below.
With the Librarian gone, new opportunities awaited. He allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction.
Then, with renewed determination, he turned back to his desk, his mind already plotting the next move.
The game continued. And Mr. Black intended to win.