Code Lyoko: Revolutions and Evolutions

Chapter 71

AN: This chapter came after a fair bit of rest, a prayer, and I'm happy with how it came out.

As always, read, review, enjoy. I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving for those of you in America, especially so in these times. See you next chapter.

Pagliacci-11.

The gentle whirring of the fan overhead was like the resounding whoosh of helicopter blades directly overhead. The air that was meant to cool was nauseating, almost horrifyingly dizzying. Anthea's vision was immensely blurred. The only sight she had of the outside was the shafts of pale blue light of the sky through the blade of the fan far, far overhead.

"This is an unprecedented disaster, Williamson." A man's voice above her somewhere in the room said. His voice muffled at first, but as Anthea's ears adjusted, he sounded more like he spoke in muffled slow motion.

"I couldn't agree more, sir." A man replied at her right side, His voice greatly muffled as the first man, but his voice and way of speaking were of an English variety, but not the Queen's English.

"Tell me, the agent who'd secured her, what was her background? Because when the team searched the spot where Jacobs had hidden the body, there was no sign of it."

"Well, with respect, this group of people is clearly professionals. They must have moved the body very easily, and considering the speed with which they'd moved the body, they must have had an inside man or woman either as an EMT or Doctor proper. Someone with access to the necessary tools and speed to escape unnoticed."

"Did they look through any footage?"

"Nothing was recovered, Sir. Even the cameras across the street in the neighboring businesses had their cameras conveniently moved to overlook another direction at the time of the supposed removal."

"So, they were extra thorough. They anticipated to move our friend here out the same way they moved their former agent. But we acted before them, and so, they were forced to improvise. Damn it, Williamson, I told Jacobs not to use lethal action on their plant until we had a sure shot at things."

"With respect, sir, Jacobs did his best given the circumstances. I don't think anyone could have noticed the guard was missing unless someone was keeping regular tabs on her to notice she was not present for an irregular time." The man sighed, "You know what this means, sir?" He asked as Anthea saw him put a cigarette in his mouth.

A voice not a foot from her said, "Do not smoke in here, thank you very much!"

Williamson sighed and put the cigarette back in his pack, and placed the pack in his breast-pocket. He looked at the unseen man above Anthea's head, "Sir, we're working as we can to figure out who this new enemy is. We don't know the whys and wherefores of the recent attacks. Only that they were hinged, at least in motive, on major investments under the Nomenclature Directive launched by Germany and Poland a few years back. This woman is their only common link, the link that unites the attacks. Well, there was another woman who was her co-worker for a time. But, she's been confirmed both by N.D. and our boys as a primary if not, the major active component timing these attacks."

"Then why in hell, Williamson, did you insist on bringing this pink-haired bimbo to us?"

"Because, Sir," Williamson replied, his voice a great deal tenser out of annoyance, "the pink-haired bimbo is all that remains of the original Carthage project. N.D. cannibalized Carthage after many of the principal operations were forced into hibernation. However, as it stands, all other operatives linked to the Carthage program have been systematically eliminated. At least those who didn't die of old age or health complications. But since she's resurfaced, the attacks have escalated. As we've noticed and the boys at the lab can confirm, the attacks had increased all within her general vicinity or in areas that at one point were crucial to her career when she officially joined Samuel Moore and his motley crew."