5th Moon

24th Phase

2020

11:00am

It was a glorious morning in Golden Valley. With the turquoise ocean basking in the resplendent sunlight, the day presented itself perfect for one to enjoy and have fun in the sun.

Pertaining to our schedule, Ms. Kaguya had us today for an off day. I longed to have a second to slow down and relax together with John, so we had decided to pass the time on the beach. Those plans changed, however, as an unexpected visitor knocked on the door. With no one on the doorstep, a lonely letter was on the ground, on top of the welcome mat.

“Hello, what is this?” I said out loud.

“Is everything alright?”

“Something curious. A strange letter left at my doorstep. There is no sender to speak of, but judging by how it was left, it must have been personally left behind rather than the post.”

“Peculiar, though considering you're posing as an idol at the moment, I would not be surprised if it was some kind of fan mail.”

“I guess so. Well, let us see what the contents of this mail entails then.”

Cutting the sealing wax off, I took the note out of it and read it out loud for my companion to read. It read:

Young prodigy, meet me behind the downpour during the spectrical’s apex. All will be revealed.

From,

Your Observer

Ominous, the letter ended rather abruptly. Our mysterious sender wished to speak with me about something. It was obvious that this person must be someone I am familiar with. To call me a prodigy is an overstatement, but only a select few have called me that since working here.

Observing that I had begun to ponder over the matter, my Guardian flashed his display at me, sternly calling my attention.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Think of what?” I said, playing ignorant.

“Going to that meeting point. What else?”

“Ha-ha... am I that readable?”

“You tend to look down when you are thinking about a matter, so yeah.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“Ugh. What do you gain meeting with this anonymous source? You do not even know where the location is.”

“Not entirely. 'Spectrical's apex' must mean when the sun is at its highest, so they want to meet with us at twelve in the afternoon. As for this section, 'downpour' must be referring to the waterfall near here. So they're asking to meet them behind the waterfall.”

“A waterfall? Ah yes, I vaguely remember hearing that is where the Director meditates. Wait, what am I doing? No, you should not go. It is already bad enough already what happened the other night. We do not need another event. Hey are you listening?”

Finishing my preparations, I place John on my wrist, ready for another adventure. Sighing, his voice grows disappointed.

“You're going to be the death of us. What happened to relaxing by the beach?” he said concerned.

“An adventure a day keeps the stress away. We are off!”

If there is something that I can commend the locals here, is how serviceable and kind they are. For all my stay has been worth, they were able to come to my aid and give me the directions I needed to reach the local waterfall, ‘Heaven’s Gate’. Its position under the piercing light popularized the name in due part to outsiders. And, considering such a place is a tourist spot for people to enjoy the surrounding forest, they adopted it without a second thought.

Arriving at the destination, I carefully climbed the rocks, being mindful of the moss and holding on, for such altitude could prove to be dangerous if not done correctly. Reaching the ledge, I nudged across it until I arrived behind the waterfall, a well lit cavern where the sound of water droplets fell towards the surface. Scanning the environment, I caught a look at the mysterious sender. Slouched beside a rock, it was none other than the mad scientist himself, Dr. Quixote, sharing his familiar grin with me.

“Keh-heh! So good to see you here. You sure made quick work of the little riddle. I would be impressed, but considering you have your father’s gene in you, it was nothing you couldn’t do.”

“Dr. DoQuixote? You sent this letter?”

“But of course! No one in the agency writes as beautiful as I do, my dear, no one! I take pride in my writing skills, and it is for that reason that I...”

Dr. DoQuixote continued with a long rant, praising himself and his writing skills.

“My penmanship aside, at least you are sufficiently competent to follow instructions. Hey why the glare mija? I’m just pulling your leg!”

“May you cut to the chase? With all due respect, I have not the time to hear you talk nonsense.”

“Conceited and impatient are we? Keh, well I'm not surprised. With how much you've spent with them, I wouldn't be surprised if they've been feeding you ego.”

“They have not fed me anything. My confidence  has grown thanks to the experience I have garnered working with everyone. If you have an issue with the Director, then tell him yourself.”

“Well, look at you following the chain of command!”

Ire, I start to shake until I let out an outbursr.

“What is wrong with you!? I have not done a single thing to you since I started working here and yet you still treat me like an outsider.”

“Has Juri been feeding you lunacy as well? De que hablas? I have nothing-”

“You have a tendency to look away when you are uncomfortable.”

“Que?”

“When something is around you that makes you feel disgusted, you look away and do everything you can to conclude the issue. Topics, ideas or, in this case, people. Simply put, you simply can’t bear to see me. Despite my ‘inexperience’, I am rather proud of my abilities to deduce and induce the intentions from others. Even when said people try to hide it with a façade.”

Although his cheshire uncaring smile spread across his cheeks, he scoffed mockingly. However, that chuckle soon followed with silence. He was speechless, not because he had nothing to say, but rather he did not expect me to decipher his attitude and cause. He showed signs of respecting my observation skills.

“So, as I said, let us cut to the chase. I do not care what your reasons are, but I most certainly will not spend my time dealing with your disrespect. I suggest you tell me before I leave,” I said sternly.

With the roaring waterfall sharing its breeze with us, a cold front overtook us. Dr. DoQuixote, once sharp and snarky, began to mellow down, a cathartic fresh air piercing across the waters. Sighing softly, he gets comfortable sitting on a boulder.

“Golden Sight huh?” he said. “I guess some things really are hereditary.”

Reaching inside his backpack, he picks up a thick folder, filled to the brim with undisclosed documents.

“Inside here are important files that I brought from the agency. But before that, I want to confer something with you.”

“And that is?”

“Some info regarding operation Catfish.”

“Why me though?”

“Because I like you, you’re welcome.”

//This man really is trying to push my buttons.//

“Sigh. Okay, what information?”

“Everything. Floor plans, schedule and profiles, all of these pertain to the Idol Festival, where you girls will be going to in a few months. Although there’s nothing linked to the Magician’s identity, the Conductor was kind enough to share what one of his agents found out during their infiltration.”

“Hold on, one of his proxies got inside? How?” I said, shocked.

“Can’t say I know. All I know is that they must have been very skillful, slipping by surveillance without a problem. I hypothesize that perhaps it could be that woman you and Lucio met a year ago.”

“The hooded rose... Ah.”

Realizing I said that out loud, Dr Quixote started cackling, reacting to my dorkish nickname. Embarrassed, I groan and glanced away.

“Keh-heh-heh! 'The Hooded Rose', huh? Sounds like something straight out of a chivalric romance novel. I like it!”

//Then why are you laughing?!//

“Heh, Hooded Rose or not, she was able to get us to the where of one of their bases is.”

“R-really? So does that mean we can rescue them?!”

“Naturally. However…”

“However?”

“If we do that, then the Magician will be alarmed, and he might hide away. Cancelling the Festival in the process, they would just move other remaining kidnappers to somewhere else. Which would make things harder for everyone else altogether. Including the Conductor, who is, as we speak, cracking out the other spots.”

“So we just do nothing?! What of these other people? What if they get shipped out? Or worse?”

“Calmate mija, calmate. They won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Um, the Conductor? Hello? For someone as smart as you, you can sometimes really spin the wheel.”

//Ugh, this guy. Still...//

“Hm? I know that look, you want to learn what we talked about, don’t you?”

“H-huh? N-no, I-”

“Well, that’s classified! Other than what I said, I can’t share anything else. I’m already putting myself in a difficult position, just leaking what Kaguya is going to be briefing everyone about!”

“Then why? Why say anything in the first place?”

“Why? Because it's fun! A little controlled chaos never hurt anyone, right?”

//Just because you add control doesn’t make it a positive connotation.//

“If you want to get more info then just ask the Director, not me. Now, onto the folder!”

Staring right into my eyes, he commands all his strength to expose its content.

“Inside is the identity of the Conductor.”

Shocked, I flinch at the unexpected reveal.

“What! How did you?!”

“Keh, didn’t expect that now, did you? I may be a mad scientist… But I’m a mad scientist who relies on eventuality to gain any method that would further my goal.”

//His goal?//

If you recall, when you started operation Catfish, the case was handed to Lucio to continue in your stead. Although it was slow at first to him, his investigations lead him to a key detail that the mastermind might have looked over. If you want the details, just ask him when you get the chance. Anyway, he followed the trail and was rewarded with encountering the Hooded Rose, a brute-like figure and the Conductor himself. Well, long story short, he was able to perceive his identity, to which Kaguya, Aether and I were able to confirm upon meeting him yesterday.”

Slowly, he pointed at me.

“We share the common goal. You want to capture him as much as I do and learn the truth. His identity, his motives, everything. Well, the truth is right in front of you. If you would like to chase after him, then you can take this folder, abandon this quest and come with me. Neither Kaguya nor Aether knows about this, and I on the other hand, would lend my support seeing your resolve see through.”

Glancing at me, he shrugs off my dubious look.

“Let me make myself clear, I don’t have anything against you. If I did, I wouldn’t be talking with you right now. It’s just that looking at you is reminding me a lot of him, and it makes it hard to look at you in the eye without being reminded.”

“Whatever issues you had with him are of no concern to me.”

“Keh-heh, you're right. And that's mostly my fault.”

Surprised, I continue.

Even so, I can recognize that even though you still had your issues with him you still cared for him. For you to have stayed with him for so long or continue talking about him, suggests that something deep down in your heart lies there. Same goes with Mr. Aether. The bouts you two have remind of those that teenagers have in highschool.”

Once more left without words, he scoffed the notion I had shared and simply laughed.

“Well now, someone’s being nosy,” he said playfully.

//Nosy but aware.//

“Dale vamos, decide ya. I have things to do. You want in or not?”

Flashbacks of last night resurfaced, going through a similar question by Alexandra and John. If I did end up accepting the Conductor, then that would solve his identity, making tracking him easier than it has ever been. But if I proceeded with the Magician, then the operation would exponentially draw to its conclusion quicker. And then there is the third factor... my selfish desire to solve it both with my wits and will. What I ask is wrong, I know that. But then what? What satisfaction would I achieve using the easy road? Nothing, that is what. And if my resolve is what has helped me get this far, then who am I to stop following it?

"So, which will you choose?" asked Dr. Quixote with curiosity.

“I... I appreciate the offer. Not only would that bring closure to the victims, but it could end the crime spree that the crime lord has been doing for the past years. However…”

"However?"

"Would that really bring satisfaction? Just handed down the answers? I want to save everyone, more than anything. But I also want to solve the mysteries. If I took one of those folders, then I would be cheating on the process. I want to do both. That is my will."

Like a flowing river, the researcher pondered cautiously over my answer, his noticeable tic taking a hold of him.

“Welp! So much for these! Ha-yah!”

With force, he threw all those papers to the waterfall. Astonished, facepalm in disbelief:

"You could have waited after we got out of here you know. You gain nothing by littering doctor, aren't you a scientist?"

"I may be a scientist, but by no means an ecologist, keh-he-heh! Although I guess you do have a point.”

“Still,” he paused. “You stuck with the same answer you gave to Alex and John.”

"My answer? W-wait, how did you-"

"Come on, you expect me to be the father of Guardian technology and not know what happens on the Collective Conscious? In truth, this was but a test! I wanted to know if you would stick with your initial response."

"So then, those documents were fake then?"

"No, no, they're most certainly real. But it’s all but a copy, so they meant nothing to me. I like the answer you gave me. I thought of you as some girl following in his father's footsteps for the kick of it. But, I guess there's more to you than meets the eyes. You do resemble John quite well."

Despondent, he stares into the everlasting void. Truthfully, trying to fully understand him was more of a puzzle than understanding a simple cypher puzzle. But at the small moment, I could perceive the man was in pain.

"Sir?" I interjected.

"Hm? Ah, nevermind. We’re done here, so you can just go back.”

//He's a special case. But I guess he’s more sensible than I thought. Wait, now that he is here, maybe I can ask him about…//

"There's something I want to ask you," I said.

"If you have any other questions regarding the operation, just ask Juri or Kaguya."

"It's something regarding the Archives."

Raising an eyebrow, he listens, mustering interest.

"What of the Archives?"

"Alexandra mentioned how someone must have hacked through the system despite being guarded thoroughly. I know it is not my place, but I wanted to ask what that was about."

“Ah, so you learned about that? Yes, well, we had a break in a few days ago. Some of my boys are checking it out, but we haven’t found anything yet. They didn’t take anything, nor corrupt any file on the cloud, though.”

“Might they have written down something? Like a code, or file perhaps?”

“Not that I know of. I’m sure they’ll figure it out, though. After they comb through it, though, I’ll take the necessary actions.”

“I see.”

“Anyhow, that’s not something for you to worry about. Just focus on your own work. You can leave.”

Excusing myself, I carefully proceed to descend the mossy rocks. From a far, Dr. Quixote watches me.

“You know, you could be a bit nicer to her,” said a hidden voice.

“Heh, but then where’s the fun in that? I’m not the type to coddle new people. Besides, you’re as indifferent as I am, Alex.”

Out of nowhere, a small hologram manifested from the badge Dr. Quixote wore.

“I’m indifferent because I don’t care about anything. You’re indifferent because you still want to hold a grudge against her father. Besides, she’s not a newbie anymore. I thought you would have gotten it by now.”

“A pues bien. Now you’re starting to hang with Juri now aren't you?”

“It’s called common sense, you ignoramus.”

“Hah, remind me to dial your snark when I get back to the lab.”

Tucking his hands in his pockets, he grows despondent, his faithful guardian taking notice once more.

“Juan.”

“Yes, yes, I know what I have to do.”

“Even if she doesn’t want to know?”

“She’s going to figure it out, eventually. Juri doesn’t have the heart and Kaguya hasn’t had the will. Which is why I’m going to look out for her. Until that moment comes.”

“Has that not what you’ve been doing since she arrived? It’s not like you didn’t know her. You're not that much of an idiot.”

“You’re right. But she’s going to be getting into uncharted territories. And, while I have no doubt Kaguya will protect her, all of them, I have to cover the invisible variables. In the meantime,” he yawned.

“Contact the CDA to continue investigating that break-in. Make sure you notify me via the Collective Conscious when you have the results.”

“Understood.”

The man, finishing his dialogue, walks towards the edge of the ledge. Soaked by the incoming water from above, he says:

“This is what you predicted, wasn’t it, Sancha?”