Chapter Text
The door of his office slammed open, hitting against the wall, the loud sound of it vibrating through the room. Frankenstein did not have to lift the head to know, that the intruder was his sometimes (emphasis on “sometimes”) beloved co-worker. This particular time he was a pain in the ass.
“Oh, the almighty from the Floor 12 has requested his mere servant to bless him with his presence! ” Tao loudly exclaimed, while bowing deeply, his nose almost touching the cheap parquet.
“What does he want? ” Frankenstein asked, his voice full of disinterest, as he flipped through the pages, signing a document here and there.
“Dunno...I’m just the messenger, man ,” Tao replied while he got comfortable in his chair, propping his legs on desk, arms crossed behind his head, eyelids slowly closing shut.
Frankenstein kept on reading the files, he had seen many times before, only to make sure that everything was alright in these ones. He would not want to rush something, because fixing the mistakes always took much longer time than doing stuff right in the first place. Sadly, Tao was not one to use such an approach, but thanks to the nature of their job, they don’t have to work together. However, the office...he had to share the office with the younger man. While Frankenstein was a meticulous man by nature, Tao...well, he was the definition of chaos. Files were piling on his desk, pens scattered between them. Instead of using coat rack, he kept all his wardrobe on his chair, where he was sitting.
The blonde slowly leaned back to his chair, taking of the glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose. The very last manila folder of files was finished and it did not matter how desperately he searched for another - that was it...He even considered helping out Tao, but quickly rejected idea- it would be impossible to do any work, as his colleague would keep on interrupting him by singing all radio’s TOP 40 or occasionally showing a silly meme on his phone.
Frankenstein sighed heavily and finally rose from his seat, his legs a little bit numb.Huh, he must have been sitting for the whole afternoon, but when he checked the clock above the door, it only showed 3.44 PM. Blood rushed to his toes, giving out the tingling sensation. He did not even manage to make three steps, when something caught his feet, almost making him to kiss the ground.
“Oh, shit, mate, I’m sor- ”
“GOD DAMMIT, TAO! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT KEEPING THOSE WIRES AWAY FROM MY DESK?! ”
“Sorry, sorry, I forgot, sorry! ” Tao rushed to him, pushing the wires away with his foot, while Frankenstein regained his stability, brushing away non-existent dust from his clothes. He briefly glanced at Tao, who was hurringly trying to gather all the wires next to his side of the desk. The distressed look on the young man’s face immediately made Frankenstein to feel bad about his outburst.
“It’s okay. I...apologize about yelling...I...”
“No,no, it’s fine, I really should have secured them more! I really should invest in those cable holder thingies, ya know? ” Tao mused, his long fingers fidgeting with the connectors. He looked at his his co-worker and shot a smile. A smile that did not reach his eyes. A smile that morphed in on of those looks, the look , which Frankenstein saw so often, that it made him sick to his stomach. Before he could hear some variations of “Oh, you have been through so much!” or “Are you really okay? Maybe take some days off?” he turned all 180 degrees and almost ran out of the office,startling Tao, who was still sitting on the floor, clutching various kinds of cables between his slender fingers.
It was cold and quiet in the hallway, most of employees being out on duty, while some enjoyed a cup of steaming tea in the nearby cafe. The only light was coming from the late afternoon sun, which peeked through the window at the end of the hallway. A chuckle escaped his dry lips:
“~Hah, I escaped wolf in order to meet the bear...” he silently muttered under his nose and moved towards the elevator. As he got in, his fingers quickly pressed “12” button. A metallic door in front of him slid closed. He appreciated the fact that there was no annoying elevator music chiming into his ears. The floor beneath his feet vibrated-he was going upwards. Frankenstein mentally prepared himself for the meeting.
Floor 8.
Old man had left him alone for some time, not trying to force any kind of conversation.
Floor 9.
Of course, he could not escape condolences from him, not even talking about the father-like squeeze on his shoulder that one day.
Floor 10.
He hates man’s long speeches. Straightforwardness was not in his toolbox.Oh, no, instead he had to beat around the bush.
Floor 11.
What could he want now? All the files have already been completed, nothing particularly important was happening in his work life.
Floor 12.
The door opened, revealing the white walls of Floor 12, which made him squint a little bit. Frankenstein was not used to such brightness, after coming from his rathole floor, where some of the detectives were developing a habit of smoking inside, substances from their cheap cigarettes tainting the walls greyish.
Frankenstein stepped out of the elevator and was met by a beautiful young woman, sitting behind the desk. He has not seen her before, he thinks, but it’s not like he was a regular on this floor. He noted that she could not be older than twenty. Another intern, he guessed. As she saw him, she rose and bowed slightly:
“Good afternoon, Mr.Lee! Mr.Landegre currently is not at his office, but he wished for you to wait inside. ” Frankenstein suppressed sigh and instead flashed a quick, polite smile at the woman. It was not her fault after all. He followed her, as she led him toward the massive oak doors, her long silver hair swaying from side to side. She opened the door, letting him into the office.
“Would you like coffee? Maybe tea or water? ”
“No, thank you, I will be fine! ” he smiled. She took it as a cue to leave, silently closing the door behind her.
And he was left alone in a bear’s cave. Great.
The whole wall in front of him was made of pure glass, undoubtedly much clearer than one floors below. From here one could see over the land of Lukedonia, large parts of it hidden by the woods, where only those in power resided, while men like him were left in the city. It was not so bad in here, but it was not a candyland either. Especially the high crime rate here bothered him and he was not talking about small thieves.
A TV was loudly playing from his left. Something about a certain senator’s corruption case, nothing new. He took the seat at the large table half-heartedly watching the news special. All he picked out was that it was one of the case his organization was working on, as always with successful results. It’s hard to fail , when you can get inside the culprits’ heads.
He rested his cheek on his palm, eyelids slowly dropping shut. He.Was.So.Tired. Frankenstein was sure, that he was just about to slip in some light sleep, when his nirvana was mercilessly interrupted by the door, loudly closing behind him.
“You are late, Frankenstein, ” A deep voice accused him.
“You can’t be late, if you actually do not know when the meeting takes place! ” Frankenstein quickly retorted, not turning around. Still, he could hear a sigh and almost feel rolling of the eyes.
The man moved across the office, towards the window, his hands clasped behind his broad back. The beams of setting sun tinted his white suit orange, making usually cold man to radiate warmth, which weirdly contrasted with the worn out look on the man’s face, which reflected in glass. There were shadows under his eyes and the direct sunlight was not flattering him, making his wrinkles more noticeable than usual. Only then Frankenstein’s keen eye caught stray hairs on his head, which always were smoothed down with the help of a pomade, probably more worth than the shoes he was wearing.
“Your resignation letter has been looked through. The government had accepted your request. ” Oh, it was a lot sooner than Frankenstein had expected. He was sure that they would drag his case for months, just to keep him at this place. And yet, Frankenstein was convinced that there was more to it.
“I only need to sign it. ” ~Aha, there it is!
“Where is the problem? Should I lend you my pen or you would like to sign it with my blood? ” Frankenstein asked, not bothering to hide the cheek. Landegre finally turned his head and for the first time really looked at him:
“You are such a valued part of Central Order. If you had asked for promotion, you would have gotten it immediately. No doubt- ”
“Gejutel, stop! Nostalgia is not your colour.” Frankenstein quickly interrupted older man, before he entered into his “inspirational speech” mode, which he then could escape only via suicide or homicide.
Gejutel really went silent, his gaze focused on one of his bookshelves, a frown forming on his face. He drew a sharp breath, his deep red eyes sharp once again:
“I need a favour. ” He simply said, but Frankenstein felt, that it came out after a long internal struggle, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.
“If you do it, then my signature is yours, I promise.” Hmm, old man was trying to bargain with him? Let’s see…
“What do you need me to do? ” Gejutel turned his whole body away from the window and came to sit at the opposite of Frankenstein, his elbows on the desk, fingers clasped together. He slightly leaned forward, towards the blonde, like those conspiracy theorists, who were about to drop some juicy fact.
“There is a case, which requires a viewer...” Really, this man…
“And? We have dozens of them.”
“I sent them all, but they could not see anything...”
“How is that possible? Is equipment broken?”
“What? Ah, no, no, the Device is fine, ” Gejutel said, shaking his head, while his hand took out a whiskey bottle from his drawer. Well, that was unexpected- Landegre was not the type of guy, who would drink at the work, so it must be nerves, Frankenstein guessed. What had shook him so much?
“Would you like some? ” the old man asked, snapping him out of his musings.
“Ah, no, thank you, I’m fine! ” Besides he was driving, so it was a hard pass to that.
“Good for you. ” Gejutel said, while he proceeded pouring the golden liquid into his glass and then downing it all in one gulp. Holy shit. Frankenstein hated to say that, but he actually would love to have a drinking contest between them, since no one here was able to hold the alcohol like he did.
“Look, the main problem here is that no one could access the memories here. It’s only a white fog. Some claimed that they were able to hear something, but it is not enough for us! ”
“ That really is an exceptional case here, but what makes you so sure that I would be the right one for it? ”
Gejutel did not respond, only looked at the bottom of his glass, like trying to fish out a proper reply here:
“As an inventor of the Device, I’m sure you would be able to find the truth, Frankenstein,” man said, twirling the glass, remaining drops of whiskey dancing in it.
“Can I ask you something? ” Gejutel lifted his gaze, mildly interested:
“Of course...”
“Is it personal? ” The gaze dropped back to the glass and once again he was trying to see the answer in the whiskey:
“Yes, but it does not affect me directly...”
“And who does it affect? ” Frankenstein did not relent.
“A good friend of mine... You actually know him...” Gejutel briefly glance at Frankenstein, who only lifted an eyebrow at that.
“It’s Lord...”
“OH, FUCK NO, I AM NOT HAVING A SESSION WITH THAT LUNATIC! OH, HELL-”
“FRANKENSTEIN, CALM YOURSELF, IT’S NOT HIM! ” Gejutel yelled back, jumping from his seat, veins bulging on his neck. He breathed in and out for some moments and then continued, much quietly:
“ You will have to interview him, yes, but the session is for his nephew...”
“A nephew? Wait, was not he dead? ” A sadness flashed across Gejutel’s eyes and he quickly took out the bottle and filled the glass.
“There is other one, the deceased’s brother. Only the closest ones now about him, since he was not into politics and didn’t show up in the newspapers headlines.”
“So, he is the culprit? ” And, there goes the glass, empty again. Gejutel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, not caring about etiquette:
“Not guilty till proven,” he whispered, more to himself than Frankenstein. The silence that followed afterwards did not lessen the overall awkwardness, so Frankenstein just clenched his teeth and:
“Where is the file? ” That startled Gejutel, the haze of booze already slowing down neurons in his brain:
“I’m sorry?”
“I need the full information of the subject. Medical files, criminal records, of course, the list of people I should interview. You know the drill, old man. ”
“Y-you agree?” Gejutel looked at him wide eyed, still not believing in him. Frankenstein laughed:
“Do I have a choice? And beside that, the case seems interesting...” Frankenstein admitted. He couldn’t care less about the rich people problems, but he needed that damned signature. So be it…
“I will make my secretary to send all the papers to your office! ”
“Alright, so I will go back to the work! ” Frankenstein rose from his seat, relieved that the conversation was coming to an end.
“...Thank you...”
“Don’t mention it! ” Frankenstein quickly dismissed him with a wave of his hand. When he hand reached the doorknob, barely a whisper, distressed came out of his employer:
“I have known him all my life. He must be innocent! He is!”
“I will do my best to rest your mind, but...I can’t promise anything...”. The door opened and closed and he was gone.