Colin's posts

After a few seconds, she received a response.

You're saying all the right words, while giving no info. the text read.

There was then silence, before she received another one.

I'm in. it read.

Call me when you get that chance. the last one told her.

"......." he was silent for a moment, and sighed once more.

"You know what? You're right." he said.

"Your mother's been talking about wanting to take a vacation, anyway." he told her.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any." he reasoned.

"...granted, this is still going to take SOME time to arrange." he then muttered.

"But I think we can be ready and gone in a week or so." he muttered, before taking his phone and sending a text to Hollie, asking her to swing by his home when she had the time.

"Thank you, Lunet." he told her.

Again, he sighed, accepting the water bottle.

"It's just that, no matter who I hire, or how they work, or the breakthroughs they make, or how brilliant they are, somehow, a computer virus manages to make its way into the system." he told her.

"Now, granted, we've not had a serious breach yet." he then admitted.

"We've been able to stop any really serious information from being compromised, but the fact that it's getting harder and harder to spot them is getting to be stressful." he went on.

"The people that I hire are just that... people. And they can only work as efficiently as their bodies and minds allow them." he continued.

"Feels like a losing war at times." he lamented.

"And Australia, huh?" he then asked, taking a drink.

"Haven't been there in decades. Might be worth another visit." he admitted.

"A drink? Sure." he replied.

"A bottle of water, if you please." he told her.

He then relaxed a bit, sinking more into the couch, and sighed heavily.

"I need a vacation." he mumbled.

"I'll have to see what my schedule looks like, then get Ty to fill in for me... relatively soon." he told himself.

"Maybe see Hollie about some teas in the meantime." he went on, shaking his head slightly.

"Ugh. Sometimes I just want to up and quit." he added half-jokingly, with a mild laugh.

The man paused for a moment, and looked over towards her.

"Oh, hi sweetie." he greeted her.

"Didn't realise you were back already." he said.

"And what's going on? Work problems." he told her, shaking his head.

"My tech team has some of the best that money can hire, but it seems like they're STILL always playing catch-up with those that have too much time on their hands, intelligence out the whazoo, but no wisdom to go with it." he sighed.

"Cyber-security is a real pain in the ass sometimes." he lamented.

"But don't you worry about it." he then assured her.

"How was the movie?" he asked, changing the subject.

The young female just smiled as her and her 'date' stopped at the front door of her home.

"Glad you enjoyed the movie." he said. "I admit, it was better than I had anticipated, and it seemed you enjoyed it as well." he told her.

"I'd like to come inside and continue this, but I DID promise my Mom I'd be back sooner, rather than later." he then said further. "After all, I'm helping her decode some really ancient journals with a lot of ruined and partial equations in them." he went on.

"Anyway, glad you had fun, and I'll see you later." he finished.

The two of them then parted ways, and she stepped through her front door. However, before she could announce her arrival, she could hear muttering close by... in the den, to be specific.

And it sounded like her father... mostly because it WAS her father. She was adopted by him, but he was her father, and a better father figure for her, one could not find.

However, he sounded... rather irate and unimpressed.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." he cursed quietly, seemingly preoccupied with his own thoughts.

"I employ some of the best in the business, but how is it these internet rogues keep managing to stay one step ahead of us?" he growled, shaking his head and letting his phone drop from his hand, onto the sofa cushion beside him.

Ryker helped him back on his feet, and made sure he was steady.

"Lotta trip hazards here." he muttered.

"Tricky, to say the least." he said.

"You all right?" he then asked Eke.

"Didn't roll your ankle or nothing?"

Adym just sighed.

"It is." he said.

"We're going to the edge of the continent." he told her.

"And the ferry we need to catch will literally take us to another continent." he continued.

"We'll be travelling for quite a bit. You heard what the Prefect told us." he went on.

"However, I would estimate we'll get there with at least a couple of days to spare." he then added.

"Regardless, looks like we're on a bit of a grand journey." he commented with a light chuckle. "Buckle up, Callie... it's gonna be a wild ride." he added.

---

Part Two

Adym shook his head.

"Everyone in my home respects others." he said.

"It's a very well-protected place from outsiders that would do it harm, and we all get along in here." he continued.

"My home had not been entered since I left. Everything was as I left it." he assured her.

"...though it might be wise to grab some supplies from there." he then admitted.

"Get a few things before we go."

"Good." Adym responded.

"Let's hope it stays that way, and you don't need it for long." he said.

"And head back to my place?" he asked.

"You sure?" he asked her.

"We don't have much time to waste." he said.

"What would there be to check on there, anyway?"

"Kyr'avna." Adym said.

"Nah'desero." the Prefect responded.

"Come on, Callie." Adym then said to Callie.

The two of them then left, and he sighed.

"Guess we should go." he commented.

"Got a long journey ahead of us." he told her.

"......................." Adym was silent.

He felt like an idiot.

A genuine, complete, utter idiot.

And he'd embarrassed himself in front of the Prefect, too.

"Yes." he said.

"She did. I didn't." he said further.

"Callie, we should go." he told Calysta.

"Thank you ever so much once again." he repeated to the Prefect, burning up with shame on the inside.

"....I know." Adym responded.

"It's... very daunting." he said.

"But we have no choice but to persevere." he commented.

He was then about to suggest to Callie that they leave, before pausing.

"...ah!" he exclaimed lightly.

"You said you had TWO things for us?" he asked the Prefect.

"...tickets?" Adym mumbled.

"The ship at Fygra..." he went on.

"If we are to catch it in 18 moons, we have little time to waste." he then muttered.

He then peeked inside the envelope, and indeed found the funds needed to purchase the tickets.

"Thank you." he said.

"We will leave post-haste."