The Industrialist

"Yes. No. I mean, not really. I have heard of them but I never seen one," Lance said, glancing at the woman beside him, her face still obscured by the black hood.

The way she moved was as if she held a lot of secrets. She had more than what Lance knew and on that age, the secrets could be used as leverage. As Lance did with his dealings and his inventions.

"Well. You’re in luck. You have met one, already." The woman said.

Surprised, Lance furrowed his eyebrows and darted an inspecting look. He could not just believe what she had said. It held no bearing for him. However, if one had knowledge about the Lost Engineers, it would provide him with usable information to find them.

"Tell me who you are?" Lance insisted.

The thrill built up every waking second. Her words seemed to disconnect his belief that the Lost Engineers were old people, with long experience driven to protest against the current Government and flee. Not a girl like her and her age could be one of the Lost Engineers.

"I saved you, Lance. I saved you when you were in Asphodel boundaries."

Suddenly, it hit him. The familiar face and the familiar stance supported her claims.

"What?" Lance said, close to a whisper. He did not want his bodyguards to tinge their suspicion upon the girl.

"Cool yourself, Lance. I am not here to chitchat. I am here to help you. I have been spying on you ever since. And the moment had arrived that you somehow finished the Ultragenerator. We needed the Ultragenerator and only you can build it." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Why me? You have enough brains in the Lost Engineers that can assemble the generator. I spent my money on this one and this is for the rebels."

"Rebels? Why?"

Lance glanced at his bodyguards. Seemingly, their conversation did not reach the guards’ prying ears. Unsure if she was a legitimate member of the Lost Engineers, he calculated his words preventing further disclosure. She had not given her name, even her face. However, Lance trod carefully. If she knew about the Ultragenerator, then she was spying on Lance. And there was no way around it.

"Before I answer that. Tell me what kind of weapon did you use when you subdue that monster?"

He had to be sure.

"The accelerated plant growth that I used for restraining the Abominants?"

"Yes."

"Nightfall. Your father’s project, Lance."

Project Nightfall was erased in Axe Central City’s history, creating a traitor out of his father’s name. Nobody knew the details of Nightfall, even its project objective other than the Axiom Trench Seer.

"How do you know about it?" He asked.

"It was a success, Lance. And we need you to make the Ultragenerator for this project."

"I am going to make one for Bay City. I want to revive my hometown." Lance sneered.

"Why Bay City?" The girl asked.

"My father said that I can find the project details of Nightfall in our house."

"Mister Berkley!" His bodyguard called out. "We have to head back. For your safety."

They stopped walking and turned around to the bodyguards.

"I will find you, Lance. We will talk again. You give the Ultragenerator to the rebels and make another one with a larger capacity," she said.

"I can only find another Energy Accelerator in Terrabitha. There is no more available in the Trench."

"I can help you with that. I have been traveling for miles and Terrabitha is just a few miles from where I live. We have a lot to talk about. I will visit you then. Tell your goons that I am just your friend. If they ask about my identity, just lie. I am erased in the records of the Government and the Corporation."

"Before you go, can you deliver a message to the rebels?"

"Sure."

"Tell them that the Ultragenerator for the prison is finished. They can get it in my condominium. I will hide the manual key beneath the Floor mat before the door.

The Security guard started to saunter closer and the woman receded her steps and towards the dark corner between the buildings.

"Who was that?" One bodyguard said, they were looming near the kid.

"She’s just a friend. Well, you know me. I have been in the news lately, about the savior of Steelpoint. She just wanted to know more about me. That’s all." Discover stories with empire

He hoped that his shaking was concealed by the SHF bodyguards. He could not lie that blatantly without manifesting it in his expression.

"Don’t stray far, Lance. You are still in danger. That monster is still hunting you."

"I believe the SHF already captured them."

"We have but they escaped. The casualties are building up, Lance. We are doing everything we can to keep you safe."

"How can you fight those monsters if they come?"

"This!"

He pulled out a black and shiny rifle hidden beneath his long tuxedo. It had a long barrel, with laser cube batteries. They seemed high-powered. Masterwork-level weapons.

"State-of-the-art rifles. They don’t have a name for these yet. But the initial name is Blaster. It can blast through concrete. If those bastards come, they won’t stand a chance against these bad boys." The bodyguard smiled. Lance had never seen the two smile for days of surveillance.

He clicked buttons on the weapon and the battery charged, a blue light emitted from the gaps of its casing. There was a small warbling that came from the rifle’s core.

"I am sure they are," Lance said.

The bodyguard then clicked the same button again and the whirring sound disappeared.

"They can fire five laser beams per second. This is not your ordinary weapon issued to the police. No. These weapons are just designed for SHF."

’Bravo for the maker of this weapon,’ Lance thought.

They headed back to the condominium and Lance slammed himself against his bed. His meeting with the mystery woman had stayed in his memories. The need to find the Lost Engineers should be his priority. If the project Nightfall holds the key to Menks’ fall, and the Lost Engineers know the schematics of Nightfall, then his new quest would be to look for the Lost Engineers.

Still, the girl’s appearance could not solidify the existence of the Lost Engineers. Probably, she could be a spy from the CBD to spill secrets to them. They were probably protecting and spying on him at the same time.

The question was, how could they spy on him? Are the Lost Engineers using spy cameras now?