Chapter 14: To be but just one moment near your heart

“Tell me everything that happened last night,” I said to William, my gun loaded and pointed at his head. Of course I wasn’t going to shoot him in any circumstance. I needed time to think. Kristen Marl definitely had her eyes on me right now. I needed time.

“Liahan…?” William said as he looked up at me with disbelief.

“Speak.”

“I… I was sitting in my room when I fainted all of a sudden. When I woke up, I found myself at the clinic.”

“What colour were the walls?”

“Huh?”

“What colour were the walls.”

“G… Grey…”

“Fuck. Of course! I should’ve known!”

“Liahan…?”

“Nevermind me. Continue. You were at the clinic, what next?”

“He told me… He told me… It was all… My Vitals it…”

“I see. He told you all about yourself.”

“He held it back for so long… And then…”

“Then?”

“He injected something in me. I desperately cried for help, I shouted out your name, before I passed out.”

“So that was you…” I said.

“What was…?”

No use telling him now. I could feel his Vitalis levels slowly spiraling out of control. Shit… Maybe Kristen was right… No I can’t, I won’t kill him. I need to think of something. I should try to calm him down first. Ugh my head hurts. I hate everything.

“Forget it. Let’s not dwell on unpleasant thoughts. It’ll only make things worse.” I put the gun away, as I said, “I’m not going to hurt you Will. Not as long as you tell me why you were selling us out. I trusted you. That’s why I let you in.”

“You’re lying! You brought me into Precipice to monitor me closer. I’m not dumb, Liahan. If anything, you didn’t trust me.”

“That’s not true. Okay, fine. I did want to monitor you closer, but that wasn’t as much distrust, as it was fear for your safety. Now tell me, William.”

“I… I was planning on publishing my journal through the reporters I had contacted. John Spark was the only one who agreed to go through with it.”

“Assure you, he would’ve said the same thing as the others in another few days.”

“Of course, they would. Because you people want to keep the people in the dark forever! Why wouldn’t you? It makes you feel powerful, playing heroes. Going off on your little power trips, toying with the lives of those like me. How can a journalist do anything in a world like this, damn it!”

“I’m nobody, Will. I might seem like some manipulative overlord to you, but I’m only a cog in a much larger wheel. I have no say. I only follow orders from the higher ups. They want me to kill you right now. But I promise, I won’t hurt you. I can’t.”

“What do I do…?” he said, weakly. “I have nowhere to go, nothing to do… My existence has been utterly pointless, no it’s probably a hindrance to those around me. I don’t mind dying. A failure like me deserves nothing else. I’ve failed as a son, as a lover, as a brother, as a journalist, everything…”

“No…” I said, “I don’t know about anything else, but you haven’t failed as a journalist. And you won’t fail as a friend. I’ll take care of everything, if you just let me. I swear.”

He sniffled his tears, he smiled. “I gave up on hope long ago. I don’t mind dying, Liahan. But promise me, regardless of what happens to me, you’ll publish my writings to the world…”

“I can’t… It’s too risky–” I began.

He cut me off, saying, “Promise me. I don’t care about anything else. I only need this.”

“But you have to understand…” I said.

He looked down at the ground, he didn’t say anything.

I felt uneasy. Whatever unfamiliar emotion I was feeling right now, I hated it.

“I’ll try. I can’t guarantee how successful I’ll be. But I can try.”

He looked at me, delighted. He smiled.

“Thank you, Liahan.”

And then it happened. The bang sound of a gun fired into the quiet air. I could only watch in horror as a bullet lodged itself into the back of his head.

William stumbled, I rushed to hold him, the blood flowed profusely out of his body. My shirt got stained red, as I cradled the dying guy in my arms.

My brain completely froze. A mixture of shock, anger, and panic came over me, as I felt his Vitalis presence seem to swell in him, before it fizzled out into nothingness. Like the broken fuse of a light bulb going out, he breathed his last.

I felt sick, I wanted to throw up. From the corner of my eye, I saw the silhouette of a person scrambling away. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t be bothered to.

Another few futile presses of my fingers around his neck and wrist later, I finally realised that William Korspole was now dead.

—

It was my first time at the Central HQ. Who could’ve known that it was operating on a restricted floor of the Crater City Bank building… Actually, that was one of the likelier locations for a secret base.

I wonder if Liahan’s been here before. I thought, before I was called to the meeting room. The Agency Wits were present in almost full strength, with the sole exception of Kristen Marl. Other than the Wits, several members of Division One — the Administrative Division were present as well. I recognised Lady Decherla, the administrator of the armory; Edward Bonx, the bald financial administrator; and Shree Amarnath, the Vice commander in chief of the agency.

Well bend me over and fuck me raw, this might be the most important meeting I’ll ever attend. What the hell, dude.

“Jacob Islodo, Second lieutenant, Division Four” I said, introducing myself, as I performed the Raven Salute — open palms crossed over each shoulder, followed by folded hands, then a bow forwards, and hands back to the side as you chant the agency’s motto, “Praeveni. Protege. Praevale.”

“Mr. Islodo,” Amarnath began, “Your report here would be the cornerstone to our plans for tomorrow. I hope you understand just how crucial of a player you are.”

“Sir, it is an honour,” I replied.

“Before we proceed,” Bonx said, “May I ask if anybody knows where Captain Marl is? I can’t help but notice her absence.”

“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to contact her either, sir. She’s been missing since yesternight. I believe we’ll have to proceed without her,” said Kyd.

“Very well,” replied Bonx.

“Mr. Islodo, please begin,” Decherla said.

“Certainly.” And, with that I presented my report on Faust. It was sometime during the briefing session that an AD Private burst through the door saying, “Surveillance traced a call made by Captain Marl from the Division Four HQ! She contacted Second Lieutenant Liahan Beiker.”

“Captain Marl contacted him…?” the words slipped out of my mouth, without a second thought regarding protocol. “What did she have to say?” I said, in succession, unable to control myself.

She’s been MIA for hours, and she makes first contact with Liahan…?

“She ordered him to kill William Korspole, claiming that it was an order from the top.”

The entire room yelled out a collection “WHAT?!”

Amidst the collective confusion in the room, people staring at each other, and asking panicked questions, another bombshell dropped within the span of five minutes, as the audio system played a call forwarded from none other than Liahan.

“This is Liahan Beiker… I’m at uhh I’m under the whatsitcalled overbridge… Agh, just have Surveillance trace my location. William Korspole was shot. In front of me. Just now. He’s dead. The shooter got away… It wasn’t Faust… It was probably some Division Four member who killed William… I’m not sure… But I think I saw the little ear rings they wear… I uhh he’s okay though. The corpse, I mean. The Vitalis stabilised… There was no deity… Crisis averted, yayy… The the backup squad should have apprehended the shooter by now… Maybe… I dunno… Fuck… Fuck, he’s dead… I couldn’t protect him…”

I could hear sobbing. I didn’t want others hearing the person most important to me in his moment of weakness. I turned to the guy at the computer and said, “That’s enough. You can turn it off now. We get it.”

He didn’t move. Liahan’s muffled sobs and sniffles were still audible.

My blood boiled, as I looked at the guy and yelled, “TURN IT THE FUCK OFF.”

He was surprised, turned it off, and then looked up at Amarnath.

The old man nodded, before he turned to me, “Please mind your tone, Second Lieutenant.”

“I’m sorry, sir. I lost my temper. It won’t happen again.”

“Good. I’ll count on it. So, what should we do now?” he asked, as he turned to Kyd.

“I trust and respect Captain Marl a lot. But this behaviour is nothing short of traitorous,” he replied.

“I concur,” said Amarnath, “she shall be dealt with accordingly. Have Special Division 15 raid the Division Four HQ. Capture Kristen Marl alive. As for the other matter…” He stopped, as he looked at me.

“I need to go, sir. May I?”

“Where to, Mr. Islodo?” he asked.

“Faust. He’s on the run right now. I need to catch him.”

“Very well.”

“Thank you sir,” with that I sprinted out of the room, through the long corridor, down the stairs, onto the road outside.

I have to find that son of a bitch. Now.

As I set out in my quest to catch Faust, I couldn’t help but wonder if Captain Marl was truly a traitor… Why?

Why would she do that?

Most of all I felt really bad for Liahan. He had become friends with William, I could tell. After all, no one knows Liahan as well as I do. But even I couldn’t imagine what he’d be feeling right now…

Hang in there, Han…

—

Before he’d been shot, the last emotions William Korspole had felt were of contentment. He had finally made a friend. One who would fulfil his wishes, even at the jeopardy of himself. He had felt satisfied, at Liahan’s words, making him believe that he truly hadn’t failed as a journalist. For that was the one failure, he wouldn’t have been able to accept.

He hoped that he had made Maria proud.

As the bullet pierced through his skin, welding itself into his flesh, William’s life flashed before his eyes. He knew he was about to die. He had always awaited death. And now that it had finally come for him, he accepted it with a smile on his lips. He had met an end that was far less pathetic than he could’ve imagined for himself.

He remembered a family dinner at Thanksgiving, from more than a decade ago. His mom smiling, his dad laughing, his brother stealing from his plate, the family dog barking. How he longed to see them again. He wondered if they’d accept him now. If it was still possible for them to move past apologies and amend their bonds, if they were to meet again.

He remembered Maria. He wished to hold her hand again.

And he imagined another world, where he could’ve worked as Liahan Beiker’s colleague for the rest of his life.

Then came oblivion. He remembered a quote from a book he’d read a long time ago.

He felt the life energy escape his body, with a prayer in his heart, and an unvocalised “thank you” on his lips.

Goodbye world. You weren’t so cruel, after all.

> To be continued

Author's Note:
I feel so bad for William. I had always planned for him to die. But he grew on me so much during the writing process that I almost hesitated when working on this chapter.