The Liberal Assassin

Instead of homing lasers, colourful party streamers exploded in my vision. Somewhere behind me, I heard a girlish shriek that could have been part of my imagination. Half stunned and half confused, I studied the cheerful man before me. It appears that our target was a night person too. Who would have guessed?

A man with algae coloured hair stood awkwardly in a room so narrow it made me mildly claustrophobic. He wore an oversized white lab coat and appeared haggard. Curly shaggy hair reached his shoulders and they shone with an unhealthy grease. His stubbly chin and dark circles beneath sunken eyes spoke volumes about all the late nights he probably spent hunched over a screen. Personal hygiene had to be at the bottom of this man's list because his secret room simply stank so badly, I felt like I could pass out from it if not for this gas mask.

"Do you have one more of those?" Rush asked, gagging as he spoke.

Taking pity on the poor gang leader I offered him my spare. This level of filth is incorrigible. I bet those white lab coats were disposable too. No amount of washing will make the lab coat he currently wore white again. What did he do to make a lab coat turn into such a sick shade of yellow?

"Welcome! You are the first people to make it through the security system alive. I must say I'm not too surprised to see you here but Rush Rhodes is another matter entirely."

"What do you mean? You've got some explaining to do. We had a deal remember?" The gang leader glared at the mysterious man whom I suspect was a scientist of sorts. Sadly the glare's effectiveness was halved with how he was clinging onto the gas mask.

"My deal with you is over. I have everything I need."

Furious, Rush dashed forward but before he could reach the scientist, he was immobilised. Of all the traps that he could have fallen for, he had to fall for some childish prank by the eccentric scientist. Who would have thought the quick-reflexed gang leader would fall prey to a stun mine?

"Now that we have calmed down, shall I begin introductions? I am Khronos Sinclair a scientist, an author, a system programmer among many things. My hobbies include human watching, taking things apart and putting them back together. My age is a secret but I was born even before the Great Explosion, being one of the few people experimenting on Plantiumite before it happened. I hate cleaning and exposure to bright lights but in a nutshell, it's nice to meet you both!"

That was a lengthy and exceptionally weird introduction so I won't be doing the same.

"Why did you stop the Pantiumite supply?" I started the interrogation. Any longer in this stinking pit will drive me insane.

Khronos tutted in disappointment. "Didn't anybody teach you manners? You should introduce yourself first, Titus. Not everybody in this room knows who you are."

For the countless time this week, my heart was close to stopping. My visor was clearly still in place so how did this man recognise me? Was I careless somewhere? As if sensing my unspoken worries, the scientist laughed with a weird combination of coughing.

"Don't be so uptight. I know everything about everybody on Luna. Isn't that right, Rush Rhodes?"

With the effect of the electric shock still rendering the maroon-haired man unable to move, Rush could only shoot me looks of disbelief and curiosity. When Khronos ruffled the hair on his head, the poor man looked as if he would bite his hand off the moment he had feelings in his limbs and I bet my old shitty apartment that's exactly what he would do.

That look told me he'd won. Of course, he would know, he has full control of the Inner City after all. It was only until recently that I discovered the mainframe, Khronos had the upper hand. As there was no longer any use hiding who I was, I removed the visor. Rush's eyes widened at the confirmation of my identity. There was a brief flash of betrayal reflected in those violet eyes and the message was clear as day... I thought we were friends.

"What do you want?" I asked, keeping my poker face on. Meeting Khronos was like having a wild card in my hand. If played well, the benefits greatly outweigh the losses. However, if negotiations fell through, I'll have to silence him.

The scientist giggled before coughing again after choking on what seemed to be his own spit. "No, it's not about what I want. I don't want anything from you but you have something you want from me, don't you? If it interests me I might just help you out. What are you planning, Night Walker? Starting a company and resigning after a staged murder isn't something a sane person would do."

I'll have to give him credit for that. Not many could tell that it was a staged murder and even till date, the Patrol Guards have not managed to identify the cause of Juma's death or how the Night Walker did it.

"I need you to agree to continue the Pantiumite supply."

"Now why would I do that? It's none of my concern what happens out there. People will die someday, just a matter of time really."

"Some deserve to die but there are others who should have the chance to live."

"Are you talking about the murder cases in the Slums?"

I didn't realise how hard I was biting my bottom lip until I tasted metal on my tongue. "Her name was Mia Elliot."

Khronos opted not to speak and observed as I struggled to remain impassive. "Do you know anything about it?"

For once I caught sight of the man becoming serious. "I wish I did. It was the only reason why I made a deal with the Red Rumble. I had sent spy-bots and drones to those areas but nothing suspicious appeared. They are somewhere in the Slums and wastelands but I can't locate them despite finding the bodies. I'm assuming we're on the same page?"

I nodded. "Why does this concern you?"

Khronos sighed and slumped over in his chair. "I was part of the Plantiumite research before the Great Explosion. I'm originally a human who was modified. Unlike the modifications all new-borns go through, I had no limiters set. My cells are kept at maximum regeneration rate at all times which means I can neither age nor die. However, my need for energy is so strong that normal manufactured Pantiumite can only last me only a few hours. Compared to your third generation body, mine consumes energy at least eight hundred times faster. What would last you two weeks won't last me half an hour."

You didn't need to be smart to know that was actually horrible news. "How do you survive?"

"I make my own Pantiumite. It is more efficient than anything Bluetonium can come up with. I've already perfected the formula for maximum efficiency."

"What's the rate?"

Khronos smiled weakly. "It's not good. Under the best conditions, the highest efficiency is still fixed at sixty-eight percent. Sixty-five is ideal but no more than sixty-eight. If I can drink a fully concentrated solution of it, I could last a few days, give or take."

"That's a terrible curse."

"For the name of science, for the name of science… Back to you, I think you found something as the Night Walker. Oh, don't look so constipated boy! I haven't forgotten about you. You're just going to be unable to move for about another twenty minutes or so, the electric shock administered had disrupted the nervous signals in your brain. It's nothing life-threatening or permanent so quit glaring at me!"

I chuckled at how Khronos chided the fearsome gang leader like he was a naughty child in need of a spanking. "I have some samples and a few theories after my investigation. There is some sort of human experimentation going on but I couldn't identify the substance. I have my guesses about what they are from the digging I did but I can't confirm it."

"What's your guess?" Khronos leaned forward to take the samples from me. I can't help but notice how short and clean his nails are despite his uncanny appearance.

"Evolution of Pantiumite."

That alone caused the man to freeze as if he knew something. I could almost hear the gears working overdrive while the man imitated the stillness of a statue. Before I could ask what was wrong Khronos did a one-eighty and snapped at us.

"Go home! I'll contact you when it's ready. Take that brat and go home!"

Before I could protest, thousands of lasers were threatening to fire at me. How he had hidden all the bots, I had no idea.

"I'll be back."

Without looking back I hefted Rush over my shoulder and made the slow ascent back to the Slums.