Phthalo Blues

by Will Wallner

  “No way, it was someone else. They paid us a lot of money. He’s from a group. They call themselves ‘Nexus’. He said it was top secret. I promise, I don’t know what happened to the children.”

  “Where are they now?” He looked at Alex, who trembled in fear.

  “I don’t know. We packed them in the back of lorries and sent them over North Bridge. We met their contact out in the desert. They took the shipment somewhere else. I’m guessing it was back to Capitol City. That’s all I know, I swear.”

  Nakita watched Alex and an expression of remorse, and sadness, came over her face.

  “Look, I was just following orders. I didn’t do anything wrong. Killing me won’t bring them back or change anything. If you want to find them, you’ll need me. I’ll do anything you want, please!” Alex begged.

  “When is the next shipment?” Hunter was trying to devise a plan.

  “In two days. Hunter, listen, I can help you! You’ll need me to get them back!”

  “How many children have you taken so far?”

  “…About fifty.” Hunter let go of Alex. He looked at Taz, who had a cut above his eye.

  “Taz, let’s go. We’re going to Capitol City to find Max and the others.” Hunter walked away from Alex towards Taz.

  “Hunter Wait!” Nakita cried out. She ran over to them. “I didn’t know what he was doing. I didn’t know about any of this.” Hunter looked at her. He wasn’t sure if she could be trusted.

  “How dare you bitch, I own you!” Alex pulled out a gun and pointed it at Nakita. Hunter quickly shot a bolt of energy towards Alex. It exploded and the impact drove him back towards the edge of the roof. An image of Max’ picture flashed in Hunter's mind. Hunter narrowed his eyes, then with a slight thrust of his fist, the energy pushed Alex over the edge. Alex screamed, as he fell from the skyscraper all the way to the streets below.

  “Simon, tell all of Alex’s men that their reign of terror is over. If any other child goes missing, I’ll come back and kill every last one of them. I’ll kill you too Simon.”

  “Yes, yes whatever you say.” Simon was completely paralyzed with fear.

  “Taz, are you Ok?” Hunter put his arm around Taz.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Hunter that was amazing. How did you do that?” Taz was fascinated by the blue energy which surrounded Hunter.

  “I’ll explain everything back at the hotel. Let’s get out of here. Nakita, if you want, you can come with us.” Hunter, Taz, and Nakita left, as Simon stood on top of the building, looking at the bodies around him.

  “After I left the comic book store, I was headed back to the hotel, but…I wanted to help you. So I came here instead. When I arrived, some guy grabbed me. I wanted to use your knife, but I left it in the hotel room. Moja’s still there, I hope she’s ok. I’m sorry Hunter.” Taz explained his story, as they approached the car.

  Hunter thought about what Taz had said. He wanted to tell him how careless and naïve he was. He wanted to tell him how he could have gotten himself killed. But really, he was just happy Taz was safe.

  “We’re all ok, that’s what’s important. Taz, you should have listened to me.” He paused for a moment, noticing the tears in Taz’ eyes. “Let’s get back to the Dolphin Inn and check on Moja. Then we can figure out what to do next.”

  Before she entered the black sports car, Nakita had something she needed to say.

  “Taz, I’m sorry. I told Alex who you were after we met at the café. I didn’t know he would do this to you. I’ve seen him do terrible things, but never to children.” She spoke with a somber voice.

  Hunter drove through the streets of Tech City. Nakita sat in the front passenger seat, with Taz in the back. The three sat in silence, looking out at the city nightlife, as it passed by. Hunter looked at Taz in the rearview mirror, then glanced at Nakita. She looked back at him and smiled. She was wearing her red dress, with a small jacket. Nakita was unsure about what would come next for her, but whatever happened, she was happy to be away from Alex and his gang.

  Back at the Dolphin Inn, Hunter opened the door to their room and Moja ran out to greet them. She wagged her tail and jumped up with her paws on Taz, then started licking his face.

  “Moja stop it!” Taz tried to push her away. Then she did the same to Hunter.

  “Oh, that’s right. I remember from the café, you have a dog…” Nakita looked uncomfortable.

  “Don’t worry, she’s friendly, she won’t bite.” Hunter tried to reassure her.

  “If you say so.” Nakita stared uncomfortably at Moja.

  “You’re not scared are you?” Taz grinned.

  “No, I just didn’t think you guys would have a dog with a pink sparkly collar.”

  “I told you,” Taz said to Hunter.

  “Ok, let’s sit down quickly and figure out what happens next.” Hunter offered Nakita a chair. When she sat down, Moja shoved her head on Nakita’s lap and started sniffing her.

  “Oh ugh, down girl, good doggy, please stay down.” Nakita squirmed in her chair, trying to get Moja to leave her alone.

  “She’s just excited to meet someone new.” Taz chuckled. He pulled her away from Nakita. “Hunter what the hell was that blue light coming from your body. Are you like a superhero or something?”

  “I don’t know what it is. It started the first night I went to the piano lounge. I got stabbed and thought I was going to die. Then this blue light started pouring out from my body. I don’t know what it is, but it’s incredibly powerful.”

  “This is so awesome,” Taz petted Moja, who had calmed down and lay under the table.

  “Hunter, are you really going to Capitol City?” Nakita asked softly.

  “I guess so. We came here looking for something. I believe we’ve found what we’re looking for. Now it’s time to leave.”

  “Did you come here looking for the missing children?” Nakita asked.

  “Not exactly, it’s a long story.” Hunter replied.

  “If you’re going, then I would like to come with you. I want to help find those children. I never knew Alex could have been so evil. There’s nothing for me here. I just want to leave.”

  “Are you sure? This is going to be a long journey and it’s going to be dangerous.” Hunter said.

  “I’m absolutely certain.” Although she wished her words were genuine. Secretly, she was deeply conflicted.

  “I guess I’ll call Steve and tell him I’m not coming into to work tomorrow. I’m going to miss Tech City.” Taz sighed.

  “Taz…never mind. Let’s get some sleep. Nakita, you can stay here at the hotel, they have plenty of rooms available. We’ll head out in the morning towards Berlin.”

  “Berlin? But Capitol City is to the north?” Nakita asked.

  “I know, I just want to take a day to recover and rest. I think it would be best to do that away from Tech City. Taz and I have been there before, it’s a nice town. With the car, we’ll be there in a few hours. Nakita, do you need to say goodbye to anybody or tell any family where you are going?”

  “I have no family…” Taz looked at her and thought about his Uncle. “Goodnight, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  That night, before going to bed, Hunter took a shower. He stood as the hot water cleaned the blood and dirt away from his fists. His body was aching. He looked at himself in the mirror, as the steam from the hot water clouded his view. His mind started to talk to himself.

  “Am I really supposed to go to Capitol City? What is Project Overlord? What is Nexus? What does it all mean? Every answer leads to new questions. Who am I? Will I ever find my memories?”

  The next morning, Hunter got up early and made some coffee. He looked at the clues from his investigation laying on the table and placed them inside the ‘Project Overlord’ file. As he opened his bag to place the file inside something fell out. It was the piece of metal, which Taz had given him back in the artist’s cabin. The gift from his Uncle. He held the circular piece of metal for a second and placed it back inside
the bag, along with the ‘Project Overlord’ file. He looked at Taz snoring and then signaled to Moja. He attached her leash, then left the room to take her on a walk. As he went past Nakita’s room, he saw the door was wide open and the room was empty. She’d gone. He wasn’t completely surprised. He thought she probably wasn’t genuine about what she had said the night before. He walked Moja along the water, to the docks where his investigation had begun, one month earlier. He looked at Tech City in the morning sunlight and said goodbye.

  Back at the hotel, Taz and Hunter loaded the car with their bags.

  "Can't believe you boys are finally leaving us. Here's your deposit back." The receptionist from the Dolphin Inn handed Hunter fifteen woolongs. "I had to deduct ten woolongs as a cleaning fee."

  "Thanks…" Hunter put the cash in his pocket, then returned to loading their luggage into the car.

  “Wait for me!” Nakita shouted, as she ran towards the car.

  “I thought you’d left,” Hunter was pleasantly surprised.

  “I just went back to my apartment to get some things. I couldn’t travel in just my dress.” Hunter rolled his eyes, as she wore a black miniskirt, boots, and a small black jacket over a white tank top. She carried a small bag and a book in her hand.

  “Damn, I guess this means I’m sitting in the back seat with Moja.” Taz sighed.

  “It’s alright, I’ll sit in the back. I need to get over my fear of dogs.” Nakita said.

  “Cool, thanks Nakita, I’ve got some comic books I took from the store if you wanna read something.”

  Hunter, Taz, Nakita, and Moja, sat in the car. They drove across South Bridge, out of Tech City, towards Berlin.

  4 BERLIN BLUEs

  Berlin, Middle Continent

  Day 10 Month 3 Year 2037

  The road to Berlin from Tech City was mostly empty. Hunter drove steadily, trying to hide the fact that his body was aching from exerting so much energy the night before. As he sat in the driver’s seat, he took deep breaths and tried to focus on the road ahead. The sky was overcast and there was a feeling of ambiguity in the air. The landscape was mostly flat, grassy areas, with shallow slopes. In the horizon, you could see the faint outline of the ocean far in the distance.

  “Nakita, did you make friends with Moja yet?” Taz looked at her in the rearview mirror.

  “I think so…she’s quite feminine actually. Compared to other dogs I’ve seen.” Moja lay on the back seat with her head resting on her front paws. In the car she could never fully relax enough to sleep and always had her eyes wide open. Every once in a while, Nakita would nervously stroke her head. Hunter would occasionally glance in the mirror to watch how Nakita acted sitting next to Moja.

  “You didn’t have pets growing up?” Taz asked.

  “No. Well actually, I remember there were a lot of stray cats in one of the places we used to live. Sometimes we would leave our back door open so they could come into our house. But I never had a dog.”

  “Where was that?”

  “Kunsthof, but we moved around a lot when I was young. I never really had a place I would call home. It was always changing.” She looked out of the window at the moving scenery.

  “What happened to your parents?”

  “I’d rather not talk about it…so you guys have stayed in Berlin before?”

  “Yeah, it’s a pretty sleepy place. We spent a few nights there before coming to Tech City.” Taz leaned back in his seat. “It’s a small town. Doesn’t seem like much ever really happens there. We met a jeweler who was pretty cool and stayed in the local tavern. Hunter, are we going to stay there again?” Hunter was silent, staring at the road. “Hunter?!”

  “Sorry Taz, I was distracted. Yes, if they have space. It’s small but cozy. Is that ok with you Nakita?” Hunter asked.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. Hunter, I took some money from Alex’s safe before I left. The piano bar was swarming with cops, but I managed to sneak in. I can help pay our expenses on the way to Capitol City.” A big smile came over Taz’s face.

  “That’s kind of you, but we actually have plenty of money.”

  “That’s my money.” Taz insisted. Hunter looked briefly at Taz and grinned.

  “Let’s just get to Berlin and then we can plan everything out.” They drove in the black sports car formerly owned by detective Michael Paris. A few hours later, they arrived at the port town of Berlin.

  When they entered the town they had to park the car slightly out from the center. The streets were very narrow and not really designed for cars. Berlin is located on the southern coast of Middle Continent. It’s a small town, most known for its port. The buildings are old, country-style structures, and the port is full of rusty constructions. The only ships docked are small wooden fishing boats and medium-sized transport vessels. The town survived from fishing and a small amount of tourism. Seagulls calmly flew around the port, as fishermen unloaded their catch of the day. A large tavern in the town center served as a meeting point for the locals. Hunter, Taz, Nakita, and Moja walked through the town and entered the tavern, which was mostly empty.

  “Hi, nice to see you again? Do you have any rooms available for tonight?” Hunter asked.

  “I remember you from some weeks ago, how was Tech City?” The owner of the tavern was a middle-aged woman, who also acted as both waitress and cook. She looked at Nakita’s miniskirt and raised an eyebrow.

  “It was…interesting,” Hunter replied.

  “Good, well just like the last time you were here, we have plenty of rooms available. Did you want single or double rooms?” Taz looked at Nakita and Hunter with a smirk on his face.

  “We’ll take three single rooms, thank you.” Hunter turned to face his friends. “Listen, I think I need to get some rest.” He knelt down and kissed Moja on the snout, then went up to his room and passed out on the bed. Nakita and Taz decided to eat some lunch. They sat at a wooden table in the tavern, while Moja lay in front of the open fireplace.

  “I see your dog got a new collar. She looks fancy. On the menu today is fish stew, fresh from the ocean.” The hostess placed two bowls on the table. She looked at Nakita, who had removed her jacket, exposing a tattoo on her shoulder. The woman raised her eyebrow again. “…And this is for you.” She placed a third bowl on the floor next to Moja, who immediately jumped up and started eating the scraps of fish. Nakita looked down at her bowl and grinned at Taz. He was equally unimpressed with the dish.

  “I hate fish.” He said, as he stirred the bowl with his spoon.

  “Yeah…I guess it smells ok.” Nakita took a small amount of stew and tasted it. “Taz, how do you know Hunter?”

  “We’re from Valley Village, I’m his best friend.” Taz took his first taste of the fish. To his surprise, it was pretty good.

  “Valley Village, I’ve never heard of it. Is it on Middle Continent?” She took another spoonful of the dish, which she was beginning to enjoy.

  “Yeah, it’s on the western side. Hunter’s not actually from there. Neither am I actually, I'm from Tiberia. We found him washed up on the shores, close to the village, about a year ago. He was in pretty bad shape. We managed to heal his injuries, but he lost all of his memories.”

  “He lost his memories?”

  “Yeah, he couldn’t remember who he was or where he came from. He still can’t. He spent some time in the village trying to remember. Then we started this journey together.”

  After finishing her meal, Moja returned to the warm flames of the fire and rolled on her back with her legs in the air. Now she could sleep peacefully, as the fire kept her warm. Taz and Nakita slowly ate their stew and got to know each other. Nakita was trying her best to seem genuine and forget her previous life in Tech City. Taz was trying his best to impress her.