The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 49: Truth

Part 2/2

Loki looked at the water jar that was on his desk. Then Loki looked up at the desk that contained narcotics. With haste, Loki grabbed the narcotics, then rushed over to the water jar, unscrewed the cap, and poured the whole thing inside. He shook the jar around, screwed the cap back on, and retreated to his hiding spot.

Dr. Aston locked the door, went back to his station, and took a sip of the water.

“Mmm, that has a kick to it. Say, this water does look a little green.”

Dr. Aston’s eyelids began to droop, and he let out a yawn.

“Oh no…”

Dr. Aston collapsed, his head falling to the table. Loki smirked and got out of his hiding spot, making his way to Mr. Ma’s office.

“No interruptions,” Loki thought. He peeked into the window on the door, and as expected, Mr. Ma wasn’t in his office. He opened the door up and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

“Time to take a thorough investigation.”

Loki first noticed the knife on Mr. Ma’s desk. He had remembered Mr. Ma putting it in his drawer… So why was it out on his desk?

Loki walked forward and picked the knife up, inspecting it. It seemed like an ordinary hunting knife. Loki looked at his reflection on the blade, and then pocketed the knife.

Loki then eyed the crates scattered around the room. That would be a good place to look for anything unordinary. He rushed over and began to rummage through each one.

But alas, there was nothing but basic resources that were used to build many of the homes. Nothing but junk.

Loki let out a grunt of frustration and slammed his fist into one of the crates. It toppled over and its contents spilled onto the ground. And inside the pile of materials was an implant.

Loki’s eyes widened at his discovery. He gingerly picked the device up and stared at it. No glow came from it, and the glass was dim, dull, and had no life. Was this Mr. Ma’s implant?

Loki felt something soft and wet at the back. He turned it over and nearly barfed at the sight. It was soft, human tissue. The implant had been ripped right off of its owner’s skin.

“No way… NO WAY,” Loki thought as his green eyes wilted. He dropped the implant and it clattered on the wooden floor. What was that thing doing there?!

It didn’t make sense for someone to remove their implant. It was the source of their abilities. The source of their strength. It was the only way you could access a beacon, something vital for survival on this cursed island.

The question came to Loki again. Was it Mr. Ma’s? Mr. Ma didn’t seem to have an implant ability. Perhaps he had grown weary of his father’s “freak project”, so he chose to remove the implant on his own accord.

But that wouldn’t make sense. The skin color of this implant’s flesh was much more pale in comparison to Mr. Ma’s dark tan.

Memories of him and Mr. Ma the past few days in the tundra replayed in his mind. Mr. Ma’s eyes, his confrontation with Brad after he had accidentally lit a house on fire…

There was no doubt about it now;

Mr. Ma had murdered someone, and had taken their implant.

Loki’s thoughts began to race, and his heart began to beat faster, as his eyes darted around the room. Finally, his eyes lay on a long, obsidian pedestal that carried Mr. Ma’s prized red pike.

It was missing.

A haunting thought crossed his mind, as he recalled what Mr. Ma had told Loki before night fell.

“Great. Okay, thanks,” Mr. Ma had said, “Um. And one more thing. Get some good sleep, okay? The living quarters are pretty much done with construction. You won’t have to deal with the bad smell anymore.”

Mr. Ma didn’t want Loki to wake up.

And Mr. Ma didn’t want Loki to know he was going to take more lives tonight.

A cry for help suddenly shattered the air, and Loki’s ears perked up.

“Maddox?”