Jacket Knight: Old Wrongs Done Right

Prologue September 3rd, 2009

 Thanh Nguyen was checking the chemical levels in the reactor. Nothing was off.

Her partner, Alex Smith, was off in his lab, experimenting with some of the things they had access to there. Most of it was from the government, but some of it Alex and Thanh jointly owned, like this reactor. Of course, the government could revoke their access to it, given the right circumstances, but Thanh was very sure she and Alex would keep everything safe, and accident-free. A beeping noise came from her tablet. She glanced at it.

There was a leak in the reactor.

She dismissed it. The safety systems would be kicking in by now, and the leak would be patched in a few minutes.

The tablet beeped a few minutes later. The leak was still draining.

Thanh glanced at it, dumbfounded. The leak should have been plugged by now.

Then the horns sounded. An explosion quickly followed.

Thanh shoved her tablet into her bag and rushed toward the exit. If she didn't get out of there, she would be incinerated along with the reactor.

She was a few rooms away from the exit when the fire started.

It was only a lone spark when she passed by, but it was now a raging inferno.

She stared at the fire, entranced by its deadly visage, but Alex's voice rang out, "THANH! Come on!"

She snapped out of her trance and raced toward the exit.

But then she tripped.

She hit the ground hard. She tried to get up, but her arms failed her. Alex raced by, and opened the exit door. Thanh cried after him, "I'm still here!" He glanced back. The look on his face made her blood run cold.

Then she noticed Alex was holding something.

A briefcase.

"YOU BASTARD!!"

He waved, smirked, and closed the door.

He was gone.

The fire consumed the building.

Thanh's hands reached and grasped desperately...

The next morning...

"Nobel Prize Researcher Thanh Nguyen disappeared in a flash fire last night, and due to circumstantial evidence found by the police, she has been declared dead-"

Huy Nguyen stared at the TV screen, wondering if it was true.

His phone rang, and he picked it up.

"What is it, goddammit?" He asked.

"Well, I suppose that you're watching the news, and we sent out a squad to investigate. I hate to say it, boss, but forensics said so, and I trust them with every cell of my body, so...she's gone."

Huy let out a sigh.

"I can act in your place if you need to grieve."

Huy couldn't help but smile. Jason knew him so well...and so did Thanh. But he would do his job, death, or no death.

"I'll be there by lunchtime."