Obsidian (2022)

19.Honor

Chapter 19

Honor

"Time can be taken away, but not old dreams"

Rin and Kieran drove on motorbikes to the informational building. Once they reached the giant marble tower, they ran through the halls, past the employees and security, reached the glass elevator, and jumped in. Rin politely smiled at the employees watching him and he hit the button for the file storage floor a few times. The doors opened at the level and they went out in a flash, speed walking through the sections of large wooden shelves with filed paper documents.

"Here!" Rin stopped and his eyes scanned the shelf. "Take out everything from this year."

"You work fast," Kieran said, helping him take out the documents.

"A few years ago I decided it will be easier to keep track of everything that is happening in my districts so built this place just for that." He slammed the documents on the table. "Look through these for unauthorized dig-up sites or anything that doesn't have a specific contract. I'm going to go over all that's left."

"But if she did it in secret..." Kieran trailed off. "It won't be in these."

Rin shook his head. "I had it in mind that some illegal activities might not be recorded so I made it that people can report whatever seems strange to them or anything they feel unsure about. So if there was one time where there was a dig-up and someone noticed, it will be the same report in other places as well. I know my people."

Kieran laughed. "This is so well organized. If Isiah sees this, he'll make me reorganize everything in the office." Kieran brushed through the numerous of papers.

"I don't mean to brag, but we do have the best filing system in the world," Rin said.

"And if we don't find anything?" Kieran asked.

Rin shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have a plan B if we don't."

Kieran grabbed a document. "Searching."

An hour later they were still reading through the papers.

"What about this one?" Kieran started reading out loud. "Unauthorized group was investigated at a dig up sight in the Science district. They had the proper paperwork to legally be on the dig up grounds, however, they had no means to be at a dig up sight which was to be a new park in the District. Upon consulting with the Head of State's advocates we were instructed to let the people visit the grounds regular due to their experience with how the park was to be built and part of the bigger part of the project." Kieran cleared this throat. "This report seems a bit off. I think it's a bit farfetched."

"No, no! It's what we're looking for." Rin reached for the documents. "Look at what I have found." He exchanged documents with Kieran. "All of the suspicious things I found in all of the districts are around parks and enormous gardens. It could be why the Garden District was the first district that had such a large reaction to the phenomenon and we happened to see it."

"And the people?"

"It's mostly houses for the weekend there now. If anyone reported anything I think it would just be assumed they moved."

"So there's no way to prove that."

"We have to go with our guts on this one. The Central District, on the other hand, had abandoned few park projects because of the "bad soil" and all these other districts have at least one suspicious action around their green projects. Amethyst told me, when they measured how the phenomenon moves on the western island, it only moved at a fast paced where there was trees and soil. Water slowed it down. That's why it had to be spread in the Garden district. And that explains the abandoned projects in this district. Water and concrete stops it from moving, but all living things get sucked up in it and dissolve."