Fannec Records - Book 1: Outlaw - Chapter 10
Robert paced the communication room, his lanky frame casting shifting shadows on the cold metal walls as he made sarcastic comments under his breath. Ace floated in his peripheral vision, a small orb emitting a soft glow that did nothing to ease Robert’s growing restlessness.
“Okay, Ace,” Robert said, his impatience clear in his voice. “What are our next steps for investigating my case? We’ve got to sort this out.”
“Indeed,” Ace said in a soothing tone that grated on Robert’s nerves despite its calming intent. “We must be thorough in our approach. Gather all the necessary information to complete the picture.”
“Ugh, don’t call me ‘Mr. Fannec.’” Robert rubbed his neck, frustration rising. “What do we need to do first?”
“Apologies. We need to investigate the individuals and organizations connected to your case. This will require accessing various databases and records, which may take some time.”
“Fine, let’s get started then.” Robert cracked his knuckles, eager to dive into the investigation.
Ace hesitated, the gentle hum of his systems faltering for a moment. “While we agree we should begin our investigation, we believe it would be wise for you to rest for the night. After all, we have completed an extensive repair session on the communication equipment.”
“Rest?” Robert scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You’re kidding, right? I can’t sit around doing nothing!”
“Your eagerness is admirable, but your body requires sleep to function,” Ace countered. “We cannot afford mistakes due to fatigue.”
Robert clenched his fists, wanting to continue battling his body’s undeniable need for rest. He sighed, conceding. “Fine, I’ll take a break. But first thing tomorrow, we’re hitting this investigation hard.”
“Sure. We shall resume our efforts with renewed focus tomorrow morning.”
Robert limped to the galley, his stomach rumbling like a misfiring engine. The sterile room was a testament to futuristic minimalism, all gleaming surfaces and sleek, built-in appliances. It screamed efficiency, but the starkness left him feeling cold.
“Guess I better find something to eat.” he scanned the sparse shelves for any semblance of a meal. “Cold rations it is. Where are those magical food preparation robots?” He tore open the package and plopped down at the small table, shoveling forkfuls of unappetizing mush into his mouth, while staring at the opposite wall.
With a heavy sigh, he rose from the table and headed toward the showers, hoping the warm water would wash away his mounting frustration. As the hot spray pelted his skin, time seemed to lose meaning, his thoughts swirling in a torrent of memories and fears.
Robert emerged from the shower in his quarters and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stared at his reflection in the steamed-up mirror, the droplets tracing paths down the glass like tiny rivers. He wiped away the condensation, revealing his tired eyes beneath the mop of unruly hair.
As Robert prepared for a night of fitful sleep, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that time was running out. The weight of the unknown bore down on him, settling into his bones like a heavy fog. But at least he wasn’t facing it alone.
“Get a grip, Fannec.” Robert talked to himself, trying to muster a wan smile. “You’ve been through worse.”
He donned his clothes and collapsed onto the narrow bed, exhaustion claiming him as sleep’s tendrils dragged him into its depths. But rest proved elusive, his dreams plagued by the ghosts of his past.
The men he had killed glared at him, their faces contorted in pain and fear. Pete’s gaunt visage flickered in and out of focus, his voice a distant echo as he cried for help.
“Robert…help?” Pete’s tortured voice clawed at Robert’s heart, the words branding themselves into his soul.
Robert shouted in his dream, the words catching in his throat as he jolted awake. His breath caught in his throat, and he sat momentarily, struggling with the sheets, trying to calm down. He was soaked with sweat. The dream blurred away from him, leaving only a lingering sense of unease.
“We detected elevated stress levels,” Ace’s disembodied voice floated through the darkness, concern lacing his words. “Would you like us to provide calming audio stimulation?”
“No,” Robert’s fists clenched. “Give me a minute.”
He stared up at the ceiling, watching in trepidation as the shadows seemed to take on their own life. The weight of guilt and regret was almost too much to bear, crushing him like a boulder from which there was no escape. But somewhere deep inside, beyond the guilt and fear, a flame of courage began to spark, slowly growing brighter with each passing moment.
“Tomorrow,” he gritted his teeth. “I’ll make this right.”
The sun peeked over the horizon of the asteroid, its rays piercing through the grimy windows of the communication room. A doorway to a balcony covered in dead vegetation loomed on one side of the room. Robert sat hunched over a desk in the corner. His fingers tapped against the cold metal surface. Ace glided into view, his omnipresent voice cutting through the silence.
“Morning, Mr. Fannec. We trust you got some rest?”
“Define ‘rest,’” Robert muttered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’m ready to dig into this sentient-trafficking mess.”
Ace shifted into business mode. “We suggest dividing our efforts. While we delve into any connections, using government databases and resources, you focus on the missing people angle.”
“Sounds good,” Robert said, scrolling through digital files on the desk’s built-in screen. “But how do you plan to access these databases?”
Robert was well aware of the carefully guarded secrets held within the computer systems of planetary governments, lunar colonies, and megacorporations. He knew breaking into these networks would be a challenging feat.
“Ah, there are always ways to tap into certain… channels,” Ace said in a cryptic tone, a hint of smugness in his voice. “We have our methods.”
“Whatever you say, Ace,” Robert conceded, not wanting to press the issue further. “Try to find something useful.”
With that, they began their separate investigations. Robert pored over countless reports of missing individuals, his stomach sinking as he realized the sheer magnitude of the problem. The names blurred together, but the faces haunted him, their expressions pleading for answers.
His fingers shook as he clicked through the files. “There are so many of them.”
“Indeed.” Ace’s response came from across the room, his words tinged with sadness. “And unfortunately, we fear there may be many more that go unreported.”
“Focus on finding anything related to the trafficking ring,” Robert’s voice was strained. “I don’t care how deep the rabbit hole goes. I need to expose this.”
“Understood.”
The communication room became a cocoon of muted determination and grim resolve as the hours passed. The tension in the air was palpable, like a taut string ready to snap at any moment.
Robert’s gaze narrowed as he sifted through the digital archives, his fingers flying across the screen with calculated precision. Ace hovered by his side, a stream of government data pouring onto the display in response to their inquiries.
“Any luck on your end, Ace?” Robert asked, not bothering to look up from his search.
“It appears there is substantial evidence linking you to sentient-trafficking operations. They’re linking you to the operation through the ‘acquisition of vans’ seen at certain crime scenes. Somehow, they are saying you bought the vans and failed to cover it properly.”
“Damn it!” Robert slapped a hand against the table, his frustration boiling over. “I didn’t do any of that! Why would they frame me like this?”
“Perhaps we should focus on gathering more information before jumping to conclusions.”
“Right… right.” Robert took a deep breath to regain his composure. “What about Pete? Anything on him?”
Robert had told Ace about his friend and how Pete had gone missing the day before their ‘great escape.’ Robert had suspected something happened to him, but didn’t know if it was connected to the sentient trafficking.
“Ah, yes. We have located a missing person report filed on Peterson Pennywick, your friend ‘Pete.’ It seems that someone filed a report yesterday. Did you know he was quite a successful small business owner before he became homeless?”
“Really?” Robert’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Pete mentioned nothing about that. What happened to him?”
“The details are sparse. However, his life worsened after some unspecified personal tragedies.”
His heart aching for his friend, Robert wished he could do more. “I wish I knew more about him when he was still around.”
As Robert delved deeper into the missing person’s reports, his thoughts whirled with anger and disbelief. How could Pete have gone from a successful business owner to a homeless man scribbling stories on scraps of paper? And how many more like him were out there, lost and forgotten amidst the shadows of society?
Robert leaned back in his chair, the cold metal frame creaking as he chewed on the end of a pen. The stark walls of the communication room seemed to close in on him with each passing moment. Lights above cast shadows that danced across the floor, mirroring Robert’s growing unease.
“Hey, Ace,” his voice was hesitant. “What could have happened to Pete? One day, he’s a successful business owner, and the next… he’s living on the streets, writing novels on garbage.”
Ace’s mechanical hum filled the air as he processed the question. “It is difficult for us to find out the exact events that led to Pete’s downfall, Mr. Fannec. However, we can surmise it may have been a mix of poor decisions, unfortunate circumstances, and the cruel hand of fate that conspired against him.”
Robert’s brow furrowed in confusion as the AI addressed Pete by name, the AI’s voice friendly like it knew the homeless man. His mouth tightened with indignation as he realized that the AI had never referred to Robert like that. How could the AI be so warm towards someone it had never met yet remain so coldly indifferent towards him?
“Sounds like one hell of a cocktail. I wish there were more I could do to help him. Maybe if I’d known sooner…”
“Regret is a natural human emotion. However, dwelling on the past will not aid our current investigation. Perhaps it would be best to focus your efforts elsewhere.”
Robert sighed heavily and sank into his chair, feeling a million emotions. He scanned the missing persons’ reports, the blank eyes looking up at him like an accusation. He desperately wanted to do something productive, but felt emotionally exhausted. His restless spirit had been replaced with a feeling of helplessness.
Frustration bubbling over, Robert paced the room, grumbling nearly inaudibly. “There’s so much information here, but none of it’s helping. I feel like I’m drowning in this sea of lost souls, and I can’t even throw them a damn life preserver!”
“Perhaps it would be prudent to take a break. Allow us to continue our research while you clear your mind.” The orb floated to Robert, spinning in a lazy pattern.
Robert agreed, pushing himself away from the table. He rose to his feet and paced the room, his footfalls echoing off the cold, unforgiving walls. He could feel the tug of each missing person’s story pulling on him from every direction.
“Hey, Ace,” his voice cracked. “Promise me something?”
“What?”
“Promise me we’ll find Pete,” his words were laden with desperation. “And that we’ll bring these bastards down.”
“Mr. Fannec, we will exhaust all efforts to achieve justice. We promise.”
“Thanks, Ace,”
Droplets of salty tears forced their way out from between his tightly shut eyelids and cascading down his face. His gaze was filled with grief for Pete and all the others who had been dragged, broken, into the abyss of sentient trafficking.
Although no direct evidence was found connecting Pete to the trafficking, Robert made the connection. All the people missing had similar reports, and circumstances presented a clear pattern. Homeless or otherwise unwanted individuals disappear overnight without a trace or logical reason. Those popular white vans were often mentioned.
A dull pain seeped into Robert’s temple as he watched the screen, his eyes flickering back and forth with growing impatience. The digital clock on the wall ticked away each second, marking the passage of hours. He drummed his fingers, each tap pinging sharply off cold metal and buzzing in his ears alongside the electronic hum saturating the room.
“Any news, Ace?” Unable to contain his mounting frustration, he had stopped looking at the reports, not needing more evidence that the pattern existed. The human stared at the ceiling as the AI continued to work.
“Please remain patient,” Ace’s voice was a soothing balm amidst the tension in the room. “We are still processing the information.”
Robert muttered under his breath, his restless energy simmering beneath the surface. He leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out before him, and let out a deep, ragged sigh.
After what felt like an entire span of forever, Ace broke the silence. “Mr. Fannec,” his tone was measured. “Our investigation has yielded some troubling results. You are being rightfully charged with manslaughter for the agents you killed. And based on multiple criminal testimonies, you are also wanted for sentient trafficking. It’s claimed that you are the head of the trafficking ring.”
“Ringleader?” Robert scoffed, incredulous. “That’s complete bullshit! I’ve never been a part of anything like that!”
As a boy, Robert had broken the minor laws. He would take little things that he knew didn’t belong to anyone and that no one would miss: spoons, light bulbs, binoculars, bottles of nail polish. His mother had always made sure he followed the law in public places, so he did. Later in life, he didn’t care about breaking these less important laws, even in public, things like jaywalking, pirating videos, and disrespecting public officials.
His willingness to skirt the law was limited when it came to rules that could cause harm to others, as he drew a prominent line in those cases. Sentient trafficking was definitely in that category.
“It is rather perplexing. However, the accounts are consistent and appear to be well-documented.”
“Then they’ve set me up. They’re trying to make me look like some monster!”
“Possibly, but we must remain focused on gathering more evidence and uncovering who is behind these allegations.”
“Fine,” his eyes blazed with fury. “But I swear, Ace, when I find the bastards who did this to me…”
“Mr. Fannec. We will not rest until we have unraveled this web of deceit.”
“Good. Because I won’t stop until I clear my name and end this nightmare.”
“Understood.”
The exaggerated descriptions of Robert as a ringleader loomed before him like cruel caricatures. He couldn’t help but recall his childhood when he was a shy, awkward boy mercilessly teased by his peers. The bullies would invent unflattering nicknames and spread rumors about him—the memories stung like salt on an open wound.
Robert’s hands clenched into fists, knuckles white with tension. “Alright, Ace,” he said through gritted teeth. “Tell me everything you’ve found.”
“Very well,” his voice contrasted with Robert’s raw emotion. “We have discovered that there is indeed a trafficking ring in operation. The information we obtained through financial records and tracking shipments from dummy corporations indicates that some powerful entities are involved—entities with ties to the criminal underground and the United Confederation government.”
“Government?” Robert spat out, his eyes narrowing in anger. “You’re telling me those bastards are in on this, too?”
“It does appear so. This operation has been ongoing for quite some time.”
Robert stalked back and forth, his mind racing as he processed the implications. His gaze flickered to the cold metal walls of the communication room, and he felt trapped, like an animal cornered by predators. “What about the missing homeless people? Where are they going? What is happening to them?”
“Ah, yes. Our investigation suggests that these individuals are trafficked to various locations, presumably used as cheap labor or worse.”
He imagined Pete, his friend, caught up in this cruel web of deceit and exploitation. A wave of revulsion and fury flooded through him.
“Indeed,” Ace concurred, sensing Robert’s fury. “It is a most reprehensible situation. However, we must proceed with caution.”
“Right.” Robert took a deep breath. “So, what do we do next?”
“First, we must gather more information about the individuals involved in this operation and identify any potential weaknesses. Then we can devise a plan to dismantle this vile organization from within.”
“Sounds like a hell of a mission,” Robert’s eyes gleamed. “But if that’s what it takes to save Pete and the others, I’m in.”
“Your bravery and commitment are admirable. We shall navigate the treacherous waters of conspiracy and corruption and emerge victorious on the other side.”
“A little grandiose in the language, but yeah, let’s do this,” Robert said, smirking despite the gravity of the situation. “Because if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s the thought of some suit-wearing bastard getting away with exploiting innocent people.”
Robert’s disgust and anger radiated from him like heat from a supernova. His chest heaved with each breath, his heart pounding in rhythm with the thoughts racing through his mind. He had been so focused on clearing his name, but everything changed.
“Damn it, Ace,” Robert growled, eyes narrowing. “This is bigger than me being framed, isn’t it? We need to stop this trafficking ring. Forget about my reputation for now.”
“Indeed. Your priorities are commendable. However, we must not rush headlong into danger without a plan.”
Robert paced back and forth in the dry communication room, shadows flickering across the cold metal walls. His slight frame cast an eerie reflection on the smooth surfaces, making it feel like a spectral doppelgänger is watching him. The air hung heavy with tension, and the hum of the machinery served as a sinister soundtrack to their conversation.
“Alright, Ace,” Robert stopped in his tracks. “What do you suggest we do? I’m not about to let these bastards keep getting away with this.”
“First, we must identify the key players in this operation and gather more intelligence on their movements. Once we better understand the enemy, we can devise a strategy to dismantle their organization.”
“Sounds like a solid plan,” Robert rubbed his chin. “But where do we start?”
“Given the intricate web of connections we have already uncovered, it will be necessary to delve deeper into the underbelly of the criminal world. We must intercept their communications or get a more detailed view of the organization.” The AI sounded more concerned than usual.
“Excellent, what I always wanted, a front-row seat to the scum of the universe.”
“Your sarcasm notwithstanding, this is a serious matter. We must approach this task with utmost caution and vigilance. Are you prepared for such a challenge?”
“Let’s get to work.”