Everglow: Friend From Far Away

26 - Twenty Hours

The man in the chair was still in his office, pondering about the recent news. His emotionless face betrayed the absolute joy he was feeling. A discovery like this was the most important thing in the history of the company. This was not an opportunity he was going to let slip away.

A set of footsteps suddenly became audible, and the agent from before appeared in the entrance to the room one again, this time instead of a tablet, he held a clipboard.

"Sir? That report on the kid you wanted has come back."

The man looked up from his work towards the agent, his eyes filled with a malicious sense of curiosity.

"Good. What are we working with here?"

The agent coughed slightly, clearing his throat before beginning to read out the report.

"Well, the guy's name is Fischer Emerald. Twenty two years old, lives in Munich, Germany. Grew up around the same area, attended the Isar Mittelschule and graduated there. Says here that he's a railroad technician and works most nights. Main hobbies include stargazing and studying different planets, yadda yadda, that isn't important. Growing up he lost his father at the age of five, says here that he was an officer who was shot in the line of duty. After which apparently his mother turned to alcohol and an abusive relationship between the two started to form, it appears that he's not very close with his family at all so there's no leverage there."

"Are there any friends or relatives we can take advantage of?"

"Yes, there is one. According to multiple reports, he never had many friends, growing up with severe anxiety and suffering from some pretty serious depression. However we've been able to locate what we believe to be our best chance at 'encouraging' him to co-operate. His only real childhood friend, named Mira Kertz."

"How does she play into this?" the man sternly asked, twiddling his pen in his fingers.

"Well it appears Fischer is quite close to her. In fact I wouldn't call it a stretch to say she's the closest person he has in his life. If we can grab her, it means we're in business. Reports indicate she has had some limited contact with the asset, the two are calling it 'Ko'. If we can acquire her, she can lead us to Fischer. Or even better, she can bring him to us. We get him, we get the asset. However I must say that the two were reported having an argument on the same night of the discovery, although I doubt it severed any ties between them. Our real issue is going to be getting the asset contained," the agent explained, biting his lip as he spoke.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because after deeper investigation, we've discovered that there is indeed some sort of relationship going on between the kid and the asset. It hasn't gone too far as of yet, but we can confirm a strong bond between the two. If reports of the Everglow are correct, they've known each other for a little over two weeks now. That's a good amount of time to start developing bonds. Basically, the kid loves the alien."

"I will never understand some people," the man huffed, shaking his head. He turned towards the agent and lifted his hand up slightly.

"How do you propose we go about this containment?"

The agent smiled at the question.

"I'm glad you asked, sir. I believe our best course of action is to conduct a non violent approach. While we don't know how deadly this creature is yet, the wounds sustained by the police officer seem to indicate it's not something to be trifled with. After some thinking I believe I've come up with a solid plan of approach. If we can obtain the girl, Mira, then we can contact the kid and explain the situation. Chances are he won't be too eager to leave her in our control so we can come up with a trade offer. The alien for Mira. We should allow some wiggle room for negotiation however. We can't come across as some evil tyrants, we need to play good cop for this to work. I've already informed agents of Mira's address and we have several operatives in Munich right now, ready for the signal."

The man sat silently for a moment, contemplating what the agent had proposed. It sounded good. Get to Mira, Mira gets them to Fischer, Fischer gets them to the asset.

"Simple. Good work. Give the order. I want the girl in my room within forty eight hours. Can you make that happen?"

The agent grinned a devilish smile and lifted his glasses to his nose.

"I'll have it done in twenty."