The Daltus Conspiracy

by Andrew Gates

  Cutter was already seated behind the desk. It was all second nature for him at this point.

  “Doing these questionings late at night now?” he asked.

  Lyla ignored him and sat down on the other side of the table. She tried to access the room’s live feed, but couldn’t. Good. That meant this room was secure. Not even her mother could see what was happening.

  “Dave,” she started. She leaned forward in the chair and held his free hands. “This is not a questioning. I’m meeting with you in secret.”

  “In secret?” he repeated. The tone in his voice suggested he was skeptical.

  “I’m serious,” she explained. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. I just wanted to meet with you, or with Milsen. I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?”

  “Sorry for putting you through this,” she replied. “I could hardly sleep tonight. The guilt is killing me. I’m sure by now you must know that we’re drawing out the investigation.”

  Cutter leaned forward. He stared at her, curiously.

  “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you? You really are meeting with me in secret.”

  “I am,” Lyla confirmed.

  “Why?”

  “It’s like I said, I feel sorry. The way I’ve been treating you… you don’t deserve it. You’re a nice man, a man I could see myself truly caring for.”

  “Then why are you doing this?”

  “Because I must,” Lyla explained. She sighed and placed her face into her sweaty palms.

  “You don’t have to do anything,” Cutter challenged.

  “You don’t understand,” Lyla said as she looked up again.

  “Yes, I do!” Cutter stood and knocked his chair onto the floor. He pointed right to her. “You’re spineless! You’re doing this to keep your job! You come here talking about guilt, but you can stop this anytime you want!”

  “It’s not that easy,” Lyla replied.

  “Oh no? It seems easy to me! You just don’t want to make the tough call to your boss.”

  “Captain Daltus is my mother,” Lyla finally said.

  Cutter paused and withdrew his hand. Lyla could tell he was ready to say something, but he remained silent.

  “That’s why I can’t stop,” she continued.

  “Oh,” he finally said. He let out a deep breath and nodded his head. “Yeah, I suppose that complicates things. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing for anything. It’ll all my fault,” Lyla replied.

  “True.”

  “My mother wants you and Milsen to be guilty. She’s begging for me to get you say anything remotely incriminating.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want to get into that.”

  “Fine, but at least tell me what you’re going to do. If you feel guilty, does that mean you’ll let us go?”

  “That’s not up to me.”

  “Well are you going to help us at all? From my perspective, saying sorry doesn’t really change our problem.”

  “I know, I know,” Lyla said, raising her hands to the air. “I’m… I’m not really sure what to do. I didn’t really think this through.”

  “I think, if you really care about my well-being like you say, you should find a way to release us,” Dave said, firmly.

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “Then why did you tell me all this, huh? What’s the point of this meeting? Do you really even care for my well-being or is this all a joke?”

  “I do care about your well-being!” Lyla replied without hesitation.

  “Then prove it!” Cutter’s voice was loud and powerful. He glared at her with an intense fire in his eyes.

  “Don’t lecture me on caring for other people, Dave. I care about my mother too. That’s what makes this so hard. I want you to understand that.”

  “Well now I understand it.” He continued to stare at her. “I understand you’re spineless.”

  “Stop calling me spineless.”

  “Then do something! Get us out of here! If it bothers you so much to do what your mother says, then don’t do what your mother says! It’s that easy. Don’t come preaching to me about it.”

  “She’s the captain. She has a lot of influence. If I disappoint her, she can bury me.”

  “So this is about your career, is it?” Dave asked.

  Lyla was ready to snap back, but paused. She did not reply. Instead, she slowly lowered her head and took a deep breath. She felt herself tear up.

  Dave sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself down. After a few seconds, he slowly walked to Lyla’s side of the table and held her hands.

  “It’s late at night, I’m being held prisoner and I’m pissed off. Honestly, Lyla, how did you expect this conversation to go?” Dave eventually asked.

  “I… I guess I didn’t really think this through,” Lyla admitted again. She met his gaze

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Dave, I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened to you. I realize now that this is all my fault.” She sniffled as she said the words.

  “Yeah, it kind of is.”

  “I’ve been thinking about you a lot. You don’t deserve this.”

  “Well, you know what I think. As much as I want to yell and scream at you, I’m done fighting with you. I don’t have the energy left,” Dave said.

  Lyla felt strangely drawn to Dave. Here he was, captive and afraid, yet forcing himself to stay calm. He could lash out at Lyla, attack her and try to escape. But he didn’t.

  “Dave, that’s big of you to say.”

  The prisoner took a deep breath and stared into her eyes. Lyla looked back at him, drawn to his gaze. She did not understand the strange feeling of attraction that came over her in that moment.

  Not saying a word, Dave placed his hands upon Lyla’s hips and pressed his body against hers. Lyla knew instantly that he felt the same unexplainable attraction. She quickly checked the ATG one more time, reconfirming that this room was completely dark. Her heart rate increased as she knew what was about to happen.

  Dave’s hands explored her body. He caressed her side, her back, her neck, up to her hair. Then he found the soft skin of her face. Lyla closed her eyes and smiled, leaning into his warm palms. She could feel his oily fingers against her cheek, his other hand sliding back to grip the nape of her neck. Lyla had no idea what was getting into her, but there was a warmth growing inside her, a ravenous need that had to be filled.

  With her eyes still closed, Lyla felt his lips press onto hers. His breath was awful, but easy to put out of mind. The rough scruff around his chin brushed gently against her skin. Her own hands rose to hold his face against hers, to keep their lips together. He forced his body even tighter against hers now, pulling her closer into him. His bulge pressed against her.

  “Dave,” Lyla muttered, not even intending to say anything at all.

  “Are we really about to do this?” Dave asked, pulling back.

  Lyla could not deny she wanted him. Her body craved him like a predator ready to feast.

  “I want you, yes.”

  “Are we alone? You could get into trouble.”

  “The room is secure.”

  “Good.”

  Dave pressed his lips against hers once again. She gave into to his kiss and pulled herself into his embrace. This was it. They were really going through with this.

  Lyla backed up until she found the table. Dave pushed her down onto it, forcefully. Lyla ignored the pain and waited for him to climb atop the table with her.

  Dave wasted no time undoing the buttons on her white shirt. There was a fiery passion inside of him which exploded with every undone button. Lyla sat up and pulled off her blazer, casting it onto the floor. Before she knew it, her chest was exposed. Dave’s hands found her breasts in to time at all.

  Dave tugged at her nipples, smiling like a wild predator before a kill. Lyla leaned back again and let out
a deep exhale as he worked his magic. His fingertips were like sparks sending waves of ecstasy coursing through her veins.

  After a few more seconds, Lyla slid up again, propping herself up on her hands.

  “Dave, I want you. I want you now,” she cried out. She could not believe those words had come from her lips.

  Upon hearing those words, Dave stood atop the table and stripped down. His naked chest now gleamed in the dim lighting from above. His erection stood firmly, as hard as a board. His body, thousands of years old, looked as young as ever. He cast his clothes aside faster than Lyla even knew possible.

  Lyla pulled off her pants, but before she had a chance to toss them aside, Dave stole them from her grasp and threw them against the far wall. He reached for her underwear now, wasting no time pulling it down her legs.

  “Dave,” she said, shutting her eyes and leaning back against the table.

  Lyla rested her head against the cold, flat surface. She heard Dave lean down over her and felt the heat from his breath. Her legs slipped open as his hands split them apart.

  This was it.

  Before she knew it, Dave found his way inside of her. He pressed into her once, deeply and slowly. Lyla gasped at the feeling. Then Dave thrusted again, then again. The more he thrusted, the more Dave seemed to lose control of himself. He moved faster and faster, pounding into her like an animal. He gasped for air and firmly gripped her body. His hands felt huge around her waist.

  Dave bellowed uncontrollably as his body moved forward and back, forward and back.

  A rush of ecstasy poured through her in that moment, more powerful than Lyla had ever felt before.

  “Aah!” she exclaimed.

  Dave thrusted faster and deeper. He closed his eyes and fell on top of her. His warm body trembled. His hands grabbed onto her wrists. Dave started to spasm and moan as he finished.

  Then everything stopped. The room grew quiet.

  Dave sat still on top of Lyla for a few seconds, then pushed himself up. He let out a deep sigh and hopped off the table. Then he slowly collected his clothes.

  “Dave, I… I can’t believe we just did that,” Lyla said aloud as she sat up and surveyed the room.

  “Neither can I.”

  “Nobody can know about this… about us,” she warned.

  “I understand.” Dave handed Lyla her pants and shirt. “But what’s to stop me from telling anyone?”

  “Because,” she said, accepting the clothes. She gulped. She could not believe what she was about to say. “I’ve decided I want to help you.”

  “Help me?” Dave repeated. “Help me what?”

  Lyla pulled her arms through the holes of her shirt and began buttoning it back up. She sighed and closed her eyes.

  “Dave, I feel for you. I care about you,” Lyla started. She reopened her eyes now. “I don’t care what my mother thinks anymore. I’m going to help you get out of here if it’s the last thing I do.”

  A Source Willing to Talk

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 04.28.5673

  Location: Prisoner Hold, Section 4, VSC Patriot, Outer edge of Thrace System, Vexa Corp Controlled Space

  Natalie stepped off the train and studied this section of the Patriot. As a videographer with the TCP, there were few places in the ship she had not visited, but this was one of them. It felt strange being somewhere new. The feeling was almost unnerving.

  Few people aboard the Patriot were out of their beds at this time of night. The long halls and maglev trains felt oddly empty. It was the perfect time to go digging for suspicious activity.

  Natalie studied the ship’s map on her retinal displays and located the prisoner hold. It was not far. She followed the map for a few minutes and stopped before a large locked door.

  “Access denied,” stated a soft female voice as Natalie pressed her hand against the door’s metal surface.

  Natalie took a few steps back and looked around, hoping to find some other way inside.

  “Hey, what are you up to?” asked a nearby guard. He briskly walked up to her. Natalie had not even noticed him until now.

  “Oh, I was hoping to get inside. I’m a reporter,” she explained.

  “A reporter, huh? I wasn’t told to expect you,” the guard replied. His tone was stern.

  “I don’t have a meeting. I was just hoping to speak to someone,” Natalie explained. “You see, I’m putting together a piece about the Milsen/Cutter case and I-”

  “I’m sorry ma’am, but I’m afraid we can’t just allow reporters in on a whim like this. That’s not how this works. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  The guard grabbed her by the shoulders.

  “But I was just hoping to talk to somebody!” she said.

  The guard pulled her away.

  “Fine, fine! I’ll go!” she shrugged him off and walked on her own, back to the train station.

  Natalie sighed out of frustration. Another dead end.

  Something was not right about this case. Natalie could sense it. After all these days, Corporal Ellen Milsen and David Cutter were still being held for interrogation. It had been far too long and still, no developments.

  “Psst,” a voice said, coming from somewhere to the right. Natalie quickly turned to face the source of the noise. She discovered a woman leaning against a wall, dressed in a long jacket.

  Natalie glanced back to the guard. The man was looking the other way, paying her no mind anymore. Seizing the opportunity, Natalie promptly walked over to the woman.

  “Hello,” Natalie said, joining her by the wall.

  “I hear you’re working on the Milsen/Cutter case,” the woman repeated, making sure to keep her voice quiet.

  “I am.”

  The woman leaned in close and said, “I may have something for you.”

  Natalie felt her heart race. This was almost too good to be true.

  “What do you have?” she asked. She felt like a giddy kid ready to receive a birthday present.

  The woman glanced around to make sure the area was clear, then held out her wrist. Natalie grabbed ahold of her wrist as nano transferred from the woman’s hand to Natalie’s.

  “Who are you? What’s going on?” Natalie asked.

  “My name is Dorris,” the woman explained, though Natalie could tell from the ATG that her name was actually Stella. “I’m a guard in the prisoner hold. For the past few days, I’ve felt like there’s been something strange going on with this case. Only a few hours ago, we had a visit from the interrogator, the captain’s daughter, Lyla.”

  “Strange time of night for an interrogation.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Stella continued. “She met with the one named David Cutter and had me shut down all surveillance in the interrogation room.”

  “She didn’t hurt him, did she?”

  “No,” the woman shook her head. “Trust me, quite the opposite. I got curious to know what was going on. I knew something was up, so I went to the other side of the room, past the holo-wall we use for interrogations.”

  “You were beyond the holo-wall while they were in the interrogation room together?” Natalie repeated.

  “I was.” Stella nodded. “But they don’t know that.”

  “And what happened?”

  “That’s what I sent you. I captured it all and recorded it on this nano,” the woman explained. She gulped. “Please, I hope you can do something with this information. The case, the interrogation, it’s all a lie. Someone needs to know the truth.”

  “Thank you for sharing this with me, Dorris,” Natalie said, choosing to use her fake name.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied. “I want you to know, I can’t have this traced back to me in any form. My identity must remain private. If the captain finds out what I’ve done-”

  “I understand,” Natalie interrupted. “Say no more.” She placed her hand on Stella’s shoulders.

  The woman calmly nodded her head, then turned and walked away without saying ano
ther word. Her footsteps echoed in the empty hall.

  Natalie stared down at her wrist, wondering what secrets the nano inside may have held. She smiled.

  “Finally, a story,” she said aloud.

  Interlude

  Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 04.29.5673

  Location: Prisoner Hold, Section 4, VSC Patriot, Outer edge of Thrace System, Vexa Corp Controlled Space

  “You did what?” shouted Ellen. She could hardly contain herself. She jumped off the metal slab in disbelief and threw her hands into the air.

  “I… I had sex with Lyla.”

  It’s true, Gloria confirmed. I can attest to all of it in more detail than I care to know.

  “How? Why? What?” Ellen could not even find the words to say. She paced around the cell as best she could in these confines.

  “Look, Ellen, I don’t see this as a negative. Lyla is clearly sympathetic to us now. Maybe she can help us get out of here!” Dave said.

  “Oh, I’m not mad. I’m far from mad. I just can’t believe you did that!” Ellen said. “I can’t believe it was really that easy.”

  “I guess it was,” Dave admitted with a chuckle.

  What did she say to you? Yuri asked.

  “She said, ‘I’m going to help you get out of here if it’s the last thing I do’. Those were her exact words.”

  Well that’s good! Yuri said, optimistically.

  I believe her. She sounded genuine, added Gloria.

  “So we finally have an ally on the outside. Now we just need her to follow through on her promise,” Ellen said. “And who knows how long that will take.”

  Dave sat down on the metal slab and sighed.

  “She still has some loyalty to her mother, despite her feelings for me. She’ll have to contend with that.”

  “So you think it might take a while?”

  “Probably,” Dave admitted.

  “That’s unfortunate, but at least this is progress. This is the first good news we’ve had since getting locked in here.”

  “What do we do in the meantime?” Dave asked.

  “What else can we do? More of the same,” Ellen responded.