Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 19 - Alex

It had been hours since we'd started reviewing footage and files, and we were no closer to an answer. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially with my limited access. Whoever the inside man or woman was, they were exceptionally skilled at covering their tracks. As soon as I unravelled one thread, it led to another, making it feel like I was being driven around in circles. Finding this person had quickly become maddening.

Abigail had come and gone over the last couple of days, which only deepened my suspicion that something wasn't right. She had kept me tied up with this task instead of focusing on hunting down the resistance. Perhaps she knew I'd let Terra go and this was my punishment—being confined to a desk for the rest of my natural life. There was something seriously wrong with all of this, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle.

Suddenly, my mobile phone rang, which in itself was odd. The fact that it was from an unidentified number made me even more curious. I flipped the phone open and answered.

"Alex?" My heart froze as I quickly glanced around, my eyes scanning the area for anyone who might be watching.

"Terra?" I whispered in reply.

"I want to see you. You know where," she said before the line went dead. I was left baffled. Less than 30 seconds had passed—nowhere near long enough to trace the call. Terra knew what she was doing, but my phone was government-issued, and there was a chance the call might have been flagged as suspicious.

I sat in thought for a few minutes before moving on to the next file, my eyes scanning the contents. It was just an overview of an employee who'd been here for over a decade, and he was clean. Glancing back at my phone, I stood up, grabbed my jacket, and left the building. I climbed into my car and drove toward an old train yard on the outskirts of the London District. Terra and I had searched every inch of that place; it had been one of our first joint projects.

As I pulled onto the gravel track, the crunch of asphalt gave way to nothing but gravel and dirt on a long-disintegrated road. When I pulled up and turned off the engine, it felt eerily quiet. I climbed out of the car and moved to the back, retrieving the semi-auto rifle that was part of Sara's package. It contained enough weapons and ammunition to mount a small war. Sara really did ensure that Hunters were well-equipped and as safe as possible in our line of work.

I walked slowly through the yard, where rusted rails snaked in every direction, covered in vegetation and moss. The buildings were in a state of disrepair, with long-broken windows giving a strange sense of being watched. Carriages, long abandoned, sat on the rails alongside several trains that had been forgotten and were no longer operational. Some carriages had fallen apart, leaving only their frames behind. The smell of diesel and oil mixed with mould and stagnant water made the air difficult to stomach. The only sounds were the crunch of my feet on gravel and dead vegetation and the wind as it whipped through the carriages in a low, mournful grumble. At the far side was an old maintenance shed—that's where Terra and I had started our little adventure through here.

Even now, the train yard was more dilapidated and broken down than it had been fifty years ago. I made my way through, half-expecting the militia to storm out at any moment. That's why I'd opted for the rifle rather than my handgun. I scrambled over couplings and between carriages before shifting back to the right path and cutting across the yard, my eyes constantly scanning for any threat. This was a side effect of my training and the nature of the work.

The air was bitter cold. I pulled my jacket tighter and climbed through an old, abandoned carriage. The smell of mould and faeces was vile as I dropped back into the train yard from the other side. I figured that once upon a time, some of these carriages had been used by the homeless—a place to sleep and keep warm. Now, there was barely enough left to keep them warm; you'd probably die a lot faster inside one than from the cold of the yard itself. It was a stark reminder of how our world had changed.

As I continued through the yard, I noted the broken frames and skeletal remains of AI droids—likely security guards long dead. Although some of these droids had attacked in the last century, their systems often malfunctioned or went offline. Those with damaged communication arrays sometimes failed to recognize that we were no longer at war. These droids were swiftly deactivated with a well-placed EMP round. I checked my rifle and continued through the yard, my mind remaining alert. Every shadow seemed to hold a potential threat; I wasn't afraid, but I wasn't exactly comfortable either.

By the time I reached the shed, it was growing dark. The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the lights were sparse at best. The entire yard had very little power now. I hesitated for a moment before sliding into the old building. My trusty penlight was my only source of illumination, though I could at least attach it to the top of my rifle to make things a bit less clumsy. The massive diesel train inside greeted me, dark and foreboding, as if it were watching me. I quickly shook off those thoughts and proceeded through the building, taking my time to ensure I was alone. I finally headed to the office at the rear, climbed the small set of old iron stairs, and scanned the shed as thoroughly as I could. Once inside the office, there was nothing to do but wait.