We Shadows

Chapter 12: buried secrets

Tyson's holo-rib had over a dozen messages and he tried to answer each, though wondering if it would have been better to wait until the morning before trying to sort his schedule. Alcott and he had planned to watch a film on her holo-rib.

"Sorry," he said again. Answering these messages was taking longer than he had expected.

"Tyson, you're fine," she laughed. "Unless you're apologizing for telling me about popcorn when we don't have any on the base. Then you should be sorry."

He laughed as she set her holo-rib down to rise from the couch. Alcott seemed more tired  lately, and he resolved to talk to Madison and see if there was anything he could do. He didn't want to hover, Alcott had made it clear that she didn't need that.

As he was replying to Wright, his holo-rib showed that Edison was calling him.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry I'm calling so late, Tyson. Um, Rivera tells me your appointments are confidential?"

"Yes, one moment," Tyson managed, glancing up at Alcott. He gave her an apologetic smile and moved to his bedroom, not wanting to put her in an awkward situation. "Go ahead."

"Can you meet me at my office in ten minutes?" Edison asked. "I know it's late, but it's an emergency."

"Of course," Tyson said, setting his holo-rib down to pull on his shoes. "I'll be there soon. Well, can you message me the location? I still get lost sometimes."

"Will do."

Edison hung up and Tyson came out of the bedroom.

"Something wrong?" Alcott worried.

"Hopefully not," he replied. "I'll message you on the way back; I'm sorry, Alcott."

"Don't be sorry," she said. "You apologize too much. I'll see you when you get back."

Tyson used the instructions to navigate the base and he found himself in an unfamiliar hallway. Edison was pacing up and down the hallway. Tyson didn't know him well, he had met him once before. He looked distraught, and Tyson didn't say anything until they were behind closed doors. He was a middle-aged man with a worried brow and receding hairline.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this," Edison sighed. "But you may have noticed that news travels too fast around here."

"What's wrong?" Tyson asked, growing increasingly worried about what he was about to learn.

"You asked me to check out Blair's berth," Edison said. "I just did. And I know how O'Keefe got into those berths to kill Victoria and the others. They moved the panels of the wall."

"What?" Tyson questioned.;

Edison rose from his seat and moved to the wall. He placed his palms against the wall and lifted up, showing the wiring and plumbing running through the base when he set the panel aside. Tyson rushed to help him; the panel was unwieldy.

"Oh."

"I know," Edison agreed. "This is a huge vulnerability. But there's another problem."

"It takes two people," Tyson realized, his mind whirling.

"Exactly. In fact, I couldn't put the panel back by myself. I need help putting Blair's base back together."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry to burden you with this knowledge," Edison said. "But the facts are these. O'Keefe couldn't have done this alone. Harper was shot and the story has always seemed flimsy, but Harper couldn't have shot anyone. He used to work for me; he is a good kid."