In the next moment, pop music was playing on the second floor of the building, courtesy of Simon, who had taken over the speaker system with his phone.
Jack and Lucy, now dressed in cleaning attire, were hard at work alongside the others. David carefully stacked piles of folders on the table, while Jack wrung a wet rag and Lucy wiped down the window frames with surprising speed and enthusiasm, so much so that everyone had to pause and stare, making Jack chuckle.
Simon sighed as he swept dust from the floor, glancing at the division captain's desk, where their captain lounged idly, clearly doing nothing.
"Hey, newbies! Move faster! We're not planning to clean all day!" Simon called out.
Jack scowled and wrung the rag a little too hard, nearly splashing himself in the face.
Don't they have cleaning staff for this? he thought bitterly. Can't the Association hire someone to do this instead of us? Why are we cleaning like janitors?
Simon, sweeping near him, glanced at Jack now and then — his thoughts drifting to the conversation in the car after they dropped them off.
***
"So what really happened out there for the Ice Emperor himself to investigate?" the captain had asked, peering over at Chris, who was driving.
Chris turned a corner, smiling faintly. "Riot." Chris then starts, blurting the Captain's name, "Have you ever heard of this organization…the Grave Ash Syndicate?"
'???' – Captain Riot.
Instantly, Riot then looked toward Simon for clarification as he clearly has no idea. Hence, Simon began to explain without hesitation.
"GraveAsh Syndicate, more known as Grave Ash is an awakened organization who operates as a non-profit, non-stock social welfare institution in the lower districts mostly in the slums. In the Awakened Institutions' list, the Association lists them as unfriendly, but they've managed a decent reputation compared to others."
"So just another one of those small-time gangs," the captain concluded turning to Chris. "What about them?"
"We got a credible tip that GraveAsh has ties to Cry."
Simon's face immediately froze. Even the captain's face stiffened.
Cry was a powerful and hostile international organization infamous for its ideology that God has a role for everyone, and awakeners shall ultimately rule over the ordinary public.
"Joe Carlos," Chris continued, "is a member of GraveAsh, but he's been on the run from them for the past two years. The Association's tried tracking him too and lost two agents in the process, maybe even more."
Chris turned to another corner in the City.
"So this is a big one," the captain said quietly.
"Yeah," Chris nodded. "And after seeing that underground facility, Joe Carlos isn't just a simple unregistered awakened runaway." He paused, and began to open his mouth with some hesitation, "A year ago, Cry was rumored to be conducting experiments trying to force multiple awakening genes into one person to create hybrid awakeners. But…"
"...they failed," captain Riot interrupted grimly. "We all know that story."
His fists clenched hard enough to creak the seat.
Simon stayed silent, haunted by the memory of two comrades now lying in mental prisons, their bodies warped beyond recognition.
Chris drove in silence.
'What a coincidence,' he had thought quietly. 'If Joe Carlos is really connected to those experiments… then Division 12's fate is tangled with that rookie's already.'
***
Simon blinked back to the present and glanced again at Jack.
'Unlucky kid,' he thought. 'First mission, first day, and he's already crossed paths with someone that dangerous.'
Shaking his head, he then sighed and looked at the broom in his hands.
'Seriously, what has gotten to the Captain, why are we even cleaning?'
Then he remembered yesterday too: the surprise visit from Executive Colminer.
The image was still clear in his head. The Executive suddenly arrived unannounced in their office and sat across from the captain.
And before he knew it, the Executive's companion was blocking his vision and asked him to step outside.
'I didn't hear a single word of that conversation,' he recalled, remembering how he'd tried to eavesdrop through the door, only to fail. The meeting ended quickly, but the air afterward felt… different.
Even when he asked the captain, the man refused to say a thing.
'I'm the vice-captain now,' Simon thought wryly, 'and I still don't know what's going on in my own division. Not that much ever happens anyway.'
By the time he finished that thought, the office was spotless, mostly thanks to the female rookie.
Since it was already afternoon, they ordered lunch from the restaurant across the street and thankfully, the captain paid.
Jack could only sigh in relief.
'At least he paid,' Both Simon and Jack thought at the same time. After all, the captain didn't lift a finger the whole time.
Before eating, everyone changed back into their normal clothes.
The lunch was good and honestly tasty. Even Jack couldn't believe it.
When the break was over though…
the captain stretched out lazily on the sofa again.
"If you clean, you need to let the room rest for it to be truly clean," he suddenly told them solemnly before promptly closing his eyes.
Jack just stared at him. 'Isn't lying down right after eating bad for your health?'
But he wasn't about to complain.
"Go out for now," the captain continued without opening his eyes. "You have the whole afternoon off. Just be back here tomorrow morning."
As if it was a normal occurrence, David and Simon then started to leave. Jack blinked. What only followed from the Captain, who was supposed to be their highest superior in the Division, was the sound of him snoring.
Jack stepped outside and let out a long sigh.
"Then we see you tomorrow, older brother, older sister." David said, as he ran off somewhere with a big bag. Simon and Captain Riot stayed in the office. It was hard to not believe they live there.
As for Jack, He had no idea what to do with the rest of his day at first.
Normally, he'd nap or laze around at this hour, maybe study a bit for his evening classes. But now…
He pulled up his system interface and realized his unfinished tasks.
His credits from the missing cat mission were still pending. He needed to buy a new phone and return to his law school classes tonight. And then there was Lucy who still needed normal clothes.
A short while later, the two of them stood before the mall's glass doors, the noise and bustle of the crowd washing over them.
***
Hi everyone! I apologize for not updating recently. Our finals just ended, and it's been a busy few weeks. I really appreciate your understanding and support! Anyways, finally free again!!!