The Future Diary 2: Blood Of The Past

Mr. Mayor

Mayor Strat Becker looked up from his desk, his head reeling. He looked around the room, at all of the bookcases lining the walls, the foggy glaze that resided on the window, and the pile of paperwork in front of him. He sat back, sighed, and wondered what he was going to do.

"Mr. Mayor," a voice said. "Or should I say... Number 10!"

Strat shook his head. "Not in the mood, David. I've got a lot of work to do."

David Maxfield smiled. "Come on, you know me. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. You're always so dark and serious."

"Well the mood isn't exactly light right now, you know that. I'm in a game about remaining anonymous, and I'm the most well-known person in the city."

"Aw come on, it's almost Christmas!" David exclaimed. He looked out the window. "If only it would snow..."

"Okay, you've got me. I just need a little holiday spirit in me, then everything will be okay!"

"Yay!" David said. His face dropped. "You were joking."

"Yeah. I was."

"You're no fun."

"Whatever."

David took a seat in one of the chairs, flaunting his security badge and placing his feet on the table. Strat eyed him, then went back to thinking.

"Justin should be back soon," David said. "The girl is definitely one of them."

Strat looked up at him. "Say, David. If you had gotten a letter for the game, you would tell me right."

David blinked. "Of course."

"Alright. I trust you."

"Were you really about to not? Come on man, we've been friends for almost thirty years, not once have I ever lied to you."

"You're right. I shouldn't. But people do bad things in situations like this. In all the years I've been mayor, I've seen the most rotten, corrupt people sneak their way through the cracks of the system saying things exactly like that. It's connections that get you far in this world, and it's the same thing that can bring you down."

"Sorry, got caught in traffic," Justin said walking into the room, brushing his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Did you get anything out of the girl?" Strat asked.

"Unfortunately not, there were too many other reporters there. She wasn't up for answering anything."

"Trial and error," Strat said. "Get back out there."

"Not now," Justin said. "I have to wait until she's alone. Besides, her moneybags boyfriend is there, and he's like a hawk."

"Who's her boyfriend?"

"Dawson Ashton."

Strat clapped his hands. "See, that's a start!"

"Yeah, I heard he shot the Calico Killer with a handgun."

"I was aware. The police are all over it."

"Oh, and there's some guy in the lobby waiting for you."

Strat nodded. "Can you excuse yourself from my office, please? And send him in when you're on the way out."

Justin saluted. "You got it." He shut the door, and the room fell silent.

"What a nerd," David commented.

"Don't talk about people behind their backs," said Strat as the door opened.

In the doorway stood a man with a leather jacket and a red shirt, his hair slicked back and his hands in his pockets. "You called?"

"Yes, Mr. Aiphram, I was in need of your services."

Dan Aiphram looked puzzled. "Why would the mayor need to hire a private contractor?"

Strat sighed. "Mr. Aiphram-"

"Call me Dan."

"Fine. Dan, I'm in a difficult situation. I need somebody killed."

Dan's face dropped. "I'm a contractor, not an assassin, and you're the mayor."

"Yes, but you're the best at your job. And since I can't act out of the parameters of mine, I need other people to do my work."

"What about him," said Dan, pointing to David. "He's a security officer."

"I'd lose my job, too," David commented.

Dan nodded. "Alright. So you want to use a freelancer. Who do you want killed?"

"Dalton Hess. The girl on the news."

"The one who was attacked? Why?"

"It's complicated. But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that if you do this job, you'll have two-hundred grand sitting on your desk the next day."

"That's a lot."

"Yeah, yeah it is."

"I'll think about it."
"There's no time to think about it. You either take the job, or you walk away. It's that simple."

Dan looked at Strat, directly in the eye. He bit his lip. "Consider it done."

The door slammed shut again, and David and Strat were alone. Justin opened the door shortly after, and walked in, arms filled with notebooks.

"Why would you need to hire a freelancer to kill her?" Justin asked.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"Maybe. It's not like you didn't tell me about the game already."

"I should stop doing that."

"Yeah, you should, but what's the good in hiring a contractor?"

Strat cleared his throat. "We now know that the Calico killer is somebody in the game."

"We also know that they are targeting Mrs. Hess," David chimed in.

"If I hired a contractor to kill this girl, then the killer would also be drawn into the web. Two birds with one stone."

"Clever," Justin remarked. "What about the rest of them."

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes."

The day carried on as the rain battered the windows, not yet cold enough to turn into snow.