The killer detective

2 - The system

I quickly ran towards the side darker alley with the old motorcycle and rusty bicycle, where I left the case. I packed the rifle into a cloth, sat it inside the case well, locked it, and put it on my back. No one will suspect a guitar case. Not here, not at the airport, and not even at home. Moreover, Isaac already knew I had my own job to do here. Even though I was here for the army, I had my job as well. Just because of the stupid army regulations I wasn't allowed to keep my working rifle with our equipment and had to keep it at a separate place, my ass! Sometimes these things weren't thought-through at all!

But at least our education was fair and free. Our school exercises were first focused on building physical strength and routine. Then, after we got used to waking up at 6 am and even earlier, they started slowly drilling us to use the guns, masking, and many other things needed for our future, according to the group we got selected into. My results always placed me into groups, which were allowed to use the newest models of rifles. I didn't make it to the explosives group, though. Those people had to be sitting high in offices, just using their brains for research and development... I looked up at the sky. It was beautiful, not a single cloud. But this was making the heat seriously unbearable!

Sometimes I think that those lower-ranked are quite lucky. They work in factories with AC. Look at yourself, girl! You got your name starting with A according to your group's ranking, and you're here in this desert without any AC at all! The lower-ranked groups' education was mostly focused on civil things as they were designated as civilian workers. Everything was done fairly, according to how much your brain was able to learn and use later on. Based on results, science. Not feelings.

And even though I listed my job preference as a detective, I was still sometimes called to help with a few army missions. Same as anyone else from my group, who had decided to not stay in the stern institution as me. I wonder how Isaac and Basil are able to stand even serving there, eating their food with others in the huge canteen, and sleeping in the same room with who knows how many other guys? I'm happy to have my own apartment! My education years were enough to teach me that my own space is an important part of my life!

I was stomping back on the stairs to the main room. I hit the door open with my boot as it was a bit too lazy to listen.

"You back?" Isaac turned to me from his apparently favorite window view and raised his brows. He was completely calm, not minding me kicking the door a while ago.

"And I got the vegetable flat cakes."

I handed a few flat cakes to both Isaac and Basil, while they started slowly packing a smaller van with our things, going up and down the stairs in combat boots.

"All done?" Basil asked after the whole trunk was fully loaded.

"And this. I won't go anywhere without my second self." I handed him the case. He looked at me as if I was the most annoying, currently buzzing blood-thirsty mosquito on the planet. He started thinking, where he should put the case inside the trunk. The tiny space was already quite full just with our equipment but he managed to put the case in and slam the trunk shut. He checked it a couple of times, so we wouldn't lose any belongings on the bumpy road ahead towards the airport.

"All right, we're going home. It's departing in an hour." Isaac looked at his watch and tapped it with a finger. All of us sat inside the car and we headed towards the airport.

"We're finally going away from this awful deadly heat and tons of sands somewhere with ordinary civilization. Does this car have AC? Or should I just open the window..." I felt so relieved! Isaac was sitting in the front seat right in front of me. Basil was sitting next to me. His nose was stuck in the phone reading some things, while I had nothing to do.

"It's the same everywhere." Isaac just sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the seat.

"Yeah, but at least we have AC back home," I answered and stretched, preparing my body for all the slams it will have to go through until we reach the airport. 

Basil started silently and slowly rolling the window down because apparently the AC was either broken or the car was so old it had no air conditioning at all. Watching him put all his strength to turn the window lever, was quite comical. He had to tense all his muscles under the khaki T-shirt just to move it a few centimeters. Apparently, it was a very old car.

"And a proper refrigerator," I added, turning my gaze to the front. The wheels started rolling.

"Why did you two even decide to do this job if you were such spoiled comfort-seeking brats?" Isaac didn't open his eyes and his relaxed expression didn't change. Yet, I could feel that his voice wanted to kill me and Basil for being so loud! Isaac was known for his non-changing facial expression even when he was angry. That was really scary about him. You could never guess if he was joking or serious or you were about to be killed.

"Not at all, sir!" I answered quickly.

"Heat is my best friend out of my bestest friends!" Basil added in a rush. He was done with rolling the window and nearly saluted Isaac in the car. He would have hit his hand hard though, the roof was quite low. Making Isaac mad at this point was the last thing we would want to do. We had a long flight ahead of us!

"Sand is the best natural peeling for your skin! I will dip my whole body in it!" I blurted out loud and gasped to get oxygen. This wasn't good.

"We'll talk about that after we get home." Great. What is he gonna tell us to do now? Clean the bathrooms with toothbrushes? Oh hell, hope not! That's such an outdated thing to tell your subordinates to do! And anyway, I wasn't officially employed by the army anymore! I only had to come to special missions if they called me! I was assuring myself everything was completely fine. There was nothing to worry about at all! But they call me to missions quite often... I got myself thinking about how many missions I had been to this year alone. Quite many.

____________

"If we at least could get economy plus..." Basil was rested and was stretching while we were walking towards the exit of the airport. He looked like he had the best sleep in his life, while I was a walking zombie. All the Basil's snoring was just unbearable to sleep with on the plane! Isaac had the same expression as always.

As I was walking behind them, I was just reminded of how much those two were different. Isaac was over 190 cm tall, had a big build, and was really muscular. He always had a short haircut and loved wearing his combat boots even during his days off. Maybe because they gave him a bit more height, so he would look even more majestic. Whereas Basil was quite tiny, his body build was nothing to write home about, let alone his attitude. But he was smart, wore glasses, and was the one, who planned things. One of the smart peas in the pod. He was roughly a head smaller from Isaac, but if you put the two next to each other, you'd see a big difference. Like they were from two completely diverse worlds. Even though they were working in the same company for years.

"At least we're finally home," I said in a tired voice.

"Got an umbrella? Any of you?" Isaac asked and looked at us. He was the only one wearing army clothes and boots. Giving us away.

"No, what would I do with it here?" I looked at him. I mean, why would someone even ask for such a thing at the airport?

"Well, maybe because it's pouring outside," Isaac answered, as we approached the sliding door.

Damn.

We got out of the arrivals hall and were standing under the extended roof. We were staring at the downpour the city was having at the exact moment we had to come back.

- Central Point Register - 

Welcome home. Stop by the headquarters for the documentation.

"Basil, get a taxi and stop by the headquarters. Papers are waiting."

"But... The least experienced should be dealing with them." Basil looked at me. I opened my eyes wide and invisibly started shaking my head in no directions.

"Three laps." Isaac's standard response.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Calm it," Basil answered and left us to get his taxi. I smiled happily. I didn't have to deal with the hoards of papers, that were waiting at the headquarters. Every time a mission didn't become a success, there were many papers to go through, sign, write and submit to the Register. It was seriously annoying and everyone hated it! But it had to be done. After all, people working at the Register were like gods. Never to be harmed, they were highly respected, and abiding by the rules. No matter how absurd they would be. No mistakes. Everything was to be regulated by the rules.

Sometimes I was even doubting if the people working for Register were serious people. Putting robots up for the job would work completely the same. If not even better and more efficiently. The big glass entrance you had to go through in order to enter the huge, awfully huge tall building with no greens around it...

"What's so funny, Alth? Let me on. I want to laugh as well!" I closed my mouth and packed a poker face on my face.

"Nothing!" I tensed my body, ready to salute him. Isaac was all about formalities most of the time. Respecting the rules, he said.

"We're going to put these junks back. Get a taxi." Isaac woke me from my thoughts. I swiftly waved at one of the cars waiting in the line. We were heading for the biggest army camp on this continent.