By Light of Day

Posted on 18 Feb 2024 @ 7:58am by Aiden Dhow

Mission: M4 - Falling Out
Location: Kalara City, Planet Obsidian
Timeline: MD05 - 0600
1185 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Previous:

Pain flared behind his brow, prompting Oly to knead the spot reflexively. He was thinking too hard on too little sleep. If he knew what was best for him, he’d go back down and try to reclaim what rest he had been gaining before the nightmare hit. Regardless of what Sharpton did or did not intend, Oly had a job to sort here and he’d be damned if he left it to chance just because he thought someone was out to get him. All the same, he knew he wasn’t going to get to sleep anytime soon in this state. Standing, he stretched and headed back down for a few more clothes and his boots before heading out once again, setting the lock behind him. A walk about the city would help settle the rest of his nerves and promise a better chance at rest. After that, he could get a plan in order for just how he was going to untangle this mess and still keep his head.

Continued:

Oly had forgotten how dawn crept in across a flat skyline, deceptively slow until you realized the sky had lit up hours before the sun itself finally appeared. He had finished his walkabout and was proceeding back to his temporary lodging when the first true rays of sunlight glimmered about the edges of the buildings across from him. In the process, he caught sight of a shadow low between two fo the structures; a form that moved subtly, but on its own power. Oly adverted his eyes, continuing his walk even as he sensed the figure tracking him.

It is probably nothing, his mind tried to tell him. He had come down to the planet the night before with suspicions, and had found nothing to allay them before crashing the night before. You’re wired to find trouble wherever you look at this stage. It was true; he’d slept poorly since arriving to the station, though Oly had written that off as normal for him. He seldom put more than four or five hours in at the most. And usually that with a good deal more physical activity than he’d partaken of late. The difference was, in the past he could drop into deep sleep on a whim while now … Oly shook his head. With a last surreptitious glance at the shadow - now barely visible - he turned and headed into the narrow alleyway that provided a short-cut to his dwelling.

=== === ===

“We’re making an early run to town today.” Shirin leaned on the open doorframe of Aidan’s dark room, observing the young man as he sorted through previously developed works, settting aside those approved by the council for commerce from the rest. The volume had increased since his trips into town and the surrounding area, the excursions providing new landscape and individuals who had no compunctions about hiding from the world around them. The result was providing a steadily growing income for the younger man that translated into more supplies as well as a few trinkets he had picked up around the city to decorate his personal space.

“I’m allowed to go?” Aidan looked up, eyes flashing the question with more volume than his words.

”You were never disallowed; Cyrus is just practicing concern.” He had also strongly suggested she not share his suspicions until they were more firmly grounded.

Aidan rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m not - going, that is. I have stuff I’m working on here, and Kitaan gained permission for me to observe a ceremony later.” As much as he wanted more freedom, the little chances of rebuilding trust were developing their own value in Aidan’s eyes. He saw it as opportunity to develop his own person, not what someone was trying to make him into on a whim. Still, he didn’t want to cut ties completely, so he added, “Maybe next time?”

Shirin shook her head, but the slight grin told him all he needed to know. “Do your Ceremony - personally I found it boring when I went, but that’s me. I’ll let Cyrus know it’s just us this time out.” With a short salute, she turned and headed out of the room.

=== === ===

Oly leaned back in the chair, running his thought through his mind and organizing the phrases before he began keying the information into the device. The greatest boon of stationing himself here in the city was an operating system with no connections to the Fleet in any fashion. No way of anyone hacking into his work and observing without his knowledge. Not that it would do them any good; Oly had frustrated many a superior with his seemingly chaotic note system, the language indecipherable to any who read it save for a few addends he submitted where the original system did not have a suitable translation. Over the years, as he had learned more, even those had grown fewer and further between.

Thoughts of the shadow figure continued to consume his thoughts, spilling into his notes before Oly realized the intrusion. Rather than retract the information, he took a moment to explore his suspicions, to postulate who he thought they might be and why. He had no hard evidence, other than a rough judgment of size and stature as seen from afar in poor lighting. It shouldn’t be enough to put a name to the being, but Oly found himself supplying one all the same. He almost pulled back, shaking himself against that possible reality; in the end, it remained as a testament either to the gravity of his situation, or a reflection of his growing paranoia. Most likely both, at this rate.

Finishing up his work, Oly withdrew the data slip and shut down the system. His eyes drifted over his set-up, noting the slim wooden case he usually tasked for securing his correspondences. If the person out there was who he thought it was, they were familiar with his usual methods and would look there first. Glancing around the small room, Oly realized there was precious little space to utilize as a hiding spot that wouldn’t be discovered. His eyes drifted over the low bed and paused - noting the gap that was barely discernible from where he stood.

Moving over, he crouched down and felt along the gap. The bed was a solid construction and disassembling it would be a feat of hours, not minutes. Still, as his fingers slipped through, he realized the value of the space. Holding the slip carefully, Oly eased it into the gap, seeking out a space where he could wedge it securely so it would not fall out should someone with blunter hands than him try to feel around. Confident the hiding space would suit, Oly headed over to the door and reset his security field, checking the connections to ensure he would be alerted should anyone attempt to enter without the proper codes. Once done, he headed out yet again.