Hours later...
In the evening, the sun hovered just above the horizon, casting an orange hue upon the capital. People moved through the streets, their elongated shadows mimicking their every movement.
On the front balcony of the Augustus manor, Missio sat in a sturdy wooden chair with a rather simple design. Swirling a cup of hot milk in his hands, he gazed at the sunset before him and took in its beauty.
The Bereft took a sip of hot milk from the cup he held and felt it glide down his throat. Exhaling, he leaned back in his chair and simply enjoyed the view before him.
His Music Box was set on a table not too far away from him, singing a silent tune through his Headphones. A small breeze swept past him, rustling the leaves of the garden.
However, this peace of his was suddenly disturbed by Mythos's mechanical voice.
[Incoming call from 'Henry'.]
Missio raised a brow, swirling the hot milk in his hands.
"Accept."
Hearing Missio's command, Mythos picked up the call and the next moment, a familiar voice spoke into Missio's ears.
"Missio?"
"I'm here." Missio replied, smacking his lips.
"Great! I just wanted to ask you about something..."
The Bereft took another sip of his drink and asked in a curious tone:
"Oh? what is it?"
Henry took in a deep breath, then sighed and said in a solemn tone:
"It's nothing. I just wanted a bit more information about the Drug lord we're supposed to capture. Sending a one-liner with no extra information doesn't really help, Missio"
Missio chuckled awkwardly.
"Ah, well, I didn't really think of that..."
Henry sighed from the other side of the call.
"It's fine. Just tell me the details and I'll handle it from there."
Listening to his friend's words, The Bereft placed the porcelain cup onto the nearby table and then replied in an even tone:
"Our target is abroad."
"What?" Henry blurted.
Missio shook his head, leaning back in his chair as the sun began to dip past the horizon.
"A Drug lord by the name of Sun Daishen is the one who supplied former Assemblyman, Dick Quartel with a ton of marijuana that the deputy chief found in Dick's house and... he's been quite the trouble for Ashland."
Henry frowned.
"If our target is in Ashland then this should be handled by them not us!"
Missio tilted his head and replied in a solemn tone:
"Well, you see, Henry, the AEOC Black Ops rejected our request to arrest Sun Daishen. There have been numerous attempts at capturing him. However, all of them have failed and that's why we are being sent..."
Henry remained silent for a while. Missio didn't pay his friend's silence any attention and instead stared at the setting sun. The last rays of the star mellowed out before the bright sky was enveloped in darkness.
And from the opposite side of where the sun had set, the moon rose in all its heavenly glory. As it did, Henry spoke once again, his voice now more serious and colder than before.
"So, what you're telling me is that everyone who's been sent after him has failed to arrest him. When you mean everyone, do you mean everyone? Like the Police, Juggernauts and the Black Ops."
Missio clicked his tongue.
"...Yes."
"Oh, Pangea..."
Missio heaved sigh and stood. Picking his Music Box and the porcelain cup, he moved towards the exit. Pushing the balcony door open with his foot, he stepped into the manor – barely avoiding being struck by the door.
As the Bereft walked down the stairs, Henry called out to him once again.
"So, what's the plan?"
Missio shrugged.
"Don't have one... yet."
Henry chuckled.
"Well, I guess it's my time to shine."
Missio stepped into the living room, his lips curling slightly.
"Yes, it is, my dear friend."
"Great, so I'll relay this all to the unit. By the way, do we have any extra information about the guy?"
Missio sat down on the couch with a grunt.
"Ah, well, I don't really know. Dick told me his name and his visual description but I wasn't able to get more out of him. He only answered my questions about the drugs and didn't even speak about his fraud. That especially makes me think he's leading us into a trap of some sort. so, we'll have to really careful."
Henry took in a deep breath.
"That does seem really suspicious, what kind of trap could it even be? I feel there are some things missing from this. Some very important factors that might crack this equation."
Missio nodded.
"I believe so too. However, I haven't found anything else. I questioned the General, the Prime Minister and even Dick's colleagues. Every last one of them, except for Kedith and the General, said that they didn't know anything about Dick's schemes. I had the Police run a check on every last one of them and even had the cyber bureau scan their internet history. They're innocent, all the evidence says so."
Henry narrowed his eyes.
"...That's even more shady. He's surely got an insider whose helping him and they're... pretty good at covering their tracks if even the Police and cyber bureau didn't find them."
Missio lowered his head.
"That's why I'm not too sure about this one... The General has greenlit the mission. We've gotten clearance from Ashland and now... it's your turn, Henry."
Henry let out a small chuckle.
"I guess it is... I'll have everything done in a few days or so."
Missio adjusted his headphones.
"Great! Just send the details to the Unit's group chat. We can discuss the more important details in person. Meet me at my office tomorrow."
"Will do, Lieutenant General."
With that, Missio cut the call. The Bereft sighed, feeling his nerves calm down as his Music Box sang a nostalgic melody into his ears. A few minutes passed as Missio rested on the sofa with his eyes closed.
Lilla approached the Bereft and shook him awake. Missio's eyes flew open. He straightened and locked eyes with Lilla who was smiling at him.
"My lord, what do you wish to have for dinner?"
Missio tilted his head and responded:
"Anything will do."