LINKAGE

CHAPTER 11: EMERGING EXPERTISE

"Mrs. Bethervan? Can I borrow your presence for just a second?" A rough and old voice called Angelina's name all of a sudden. She was in the State Union's main building, walking around the corridors on the way to her office. She just wasn't expecting such a sudden call.

She turned around slowly and put on the fakest smile she could ever do and faced the black-suited man. "What can I do for you, Mr. President?"

"Can we talk in the Dome Office? I believe we can have a proper conversation over there." The man held his hands together while smiling, waiting for a response.

Angelina knew the play very well. Since working as a Deputy and directing a scientific department provided by the government itself, she met with the president a lot of times, more than she could ever want actually. The hate towards Kyedoth comes from the day he ordered and signed a document stating and allowing the murder of Chemeris and Chaly. Angelina actually didn't get how Kyedoth won a fight against Chemeris over the country's presidency. Maybe Chemeris didn't want it, maybe he just lost... too many maybes that will never be answered.

"Sure. Please lead the way, sir." She let him take the lead, getting into a circled giant room, which a great amount of the ceiling was glass transparent, allowing a lot of sunlight to get inside. The rest of the room was white, very clean, with just the necessary furniture. Kyedoth liked clean designs.

He sat on his Mr. President chair behind a rectangular white table that had a big screen in the middle of it. Angelina sat on a chair in front of Kye, waiting for him to start talking. Her posture never changed. Her back was always on point and her nose was up. Not in a thousand years she would bow down to Kyedoth Malone.

"How are your kids doing, Angelina?" He asked smiling, having his legs crossed watching her reaction to the question.

"Oh, they're doing amazing. Della just started elementary, Oli insists on wanting to be called Dreeve but he started high school lately as well. Nikola is doing college right now in Versital Propek." She smiled widely at the end. Her children were really the love of her life and as a mother, she was certain she would die for them if necessary.

"I am glad to hear it! What about the second born? Isaac isn't it?" The forbidden Isaac matter was brought up. Angelina wasn't surprised by it, but she had an acting to do now.

"You know very well Isaac is missing for almost 5 years, Mr. President." Angelina had an emotive tone in her voice. Isaac was declared missing 4 years previously because Kyedoth was on the way to get the boy arrested and maybe sentenced to the Cube.

"And you stopped looking after him? Easy as this?"

"I kept looking for him since the first day, but I have to accept that... he's gone. I have three other children that need my support and now I'm directing a scientific department... it's a lot to administrate." She looked him straight in the eye while lying the most perfect way.

"Well, do not waste your time. You are doing the right thing. The Federal Opus still looks for him, so if he needs to be found, he will somehow." Kyedoth smiled again. "Anyway, I would be a fool to get you out of your busy schedule just to talk about your family." He started to touch the screen down the table for a holographic and three-dimensional representation to pop up. "This happened a few days ago. The ADV Institute for Scientific Activities located in southeast Qorjal was attacked, killing everyone who was there present." The holographic view showed how the place was after the attack. Destroyed, lifeless, only counting on darkness to follow through.

"Oh, my Gods..." She put a hand up to her mouth. Angelina was really shocked, knowing not a single bit of what happened there.

"You see... this Institute is under your direction, following the letter signed on the 54th day of Bermcede in 2998. So first an outlander appears out of nowhere, then the camp he was located in was attacked and he disappears, now a scientific institute gets slaughtered like animals in a farm house." All these words were said with such disdain. "I want the Outlander. I bet my life he's the one behind all of these deaths. Once I catch him, he will be sent right down to the Cube without a second thought. And you Angelina..." He paused to take a breath, bringing up a suspenseful mood.