The Last Dainv-Chapter 87

The Last Dainv-Chapter 87

Disinfectant, coffee, and the smell of old people lingered around the hospital corridors. Lily walked faster than normal. A not so noticeable blue light enveloped her heels that seemed to only glow brighter when her speed increased.
Everything in downtown was busy. Gale can never get used to this much people in one place. This hospital they called "St Michael's" was much busier than any of the streets they walked through to get here. The coffee shop outside the hospital and inside the hospital both had long lineups that Coffee Labs in the learning centre couldn't compare to.
"Room 312," Lily checked her phone again. "Private wing."
"Figures," Jeanne muttered. "Ollie's gotta flash that cash."
They reached double doors marked "Private Care Unit," where a security guard pushed the door in as he saw Lily. The hallway beyond felt different in the most literal way possible. Instead of white walls, it had dark polished wood. Every unit inside had a table with a waiting bench. Even though the floors were still the same, somehow the whole hallway had no echo.
"He's got the place on retainer," Marine said, catching Gale's look. "Permanent suite for whenever something goes wrong for him or his connections."
"Which is often," Jeanne said.
They reached a concierge desk. Glass separated the desk from bottom to ceiling. Lily spoke into the metal grilled mic.
"We're here for Oliver Glory."
The nurse barely looked up, still typing on her keyboard. "Ms. Grace. He's in room 312."
"Thanks, Rita." Lily turned left down another corridor and everyone else followed.
Gale's nose wrinkled at the familiar scent of the antiseptic from behind the glass. Breath of the Void definitely does not come in handy with these modern stuff.
Guide, is there no way to turn off the skill?
he mouthed, silently uttering the words to not look like he was talking to himself that would probably make him even weirder to the people he saved in the encampment. But, that was assuming they actually didn't think he was weird. The low grunts he did to answer questions back then were completely
questionable.
[Negative. Cleaning agent scents are non primary targets. Threat level: minimal]
Goddammit. I'll make you threat level minimal in the future. Just you wait.
Room 312 had a small nameplate beside it: "O. Glory."
Lily knocked on the door once and then opened it immediately without waiting for a reply.
The room inside looked more like a hotel suite than a hospital. Large windows overlooked the streets below. Crowds walk through the streets dressed in their expensive looking coats probably made of some endangered animal that his dad told him he couldn't hunt because of something called the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Whatever it was, he was still annoyed he couldn't take a bite of a fish he once caught in the arctic.
A leather sofa sat against one wall, a flat-screen TV mounted opposite. In the centre, a hospital bed where Ollie laid motionless. An IV was attached to his arm. He looked much thinner than what felt like just hours ago. Nathan sat beside the bed, still in the same lab coat he wore from when he saw him in the lab.
"I was expecting you," he said, then pretended to smile as he noticed the others. "Not the entire cavalry, though."
"What happened?" Lily asked, moving to Ollie's side.
Nathan set his tablet down. "You know... the usual."
"Dumbass," Jeanne mumbled.
Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "He's been pushing himself for weeks since the situation out west began."
"What situation?" Gale asked.
The others exchanged looks.
"The Jiuling have been hitting our labs," Nathan said. "Two facilities in Vancouver and Calgary—legitimate research centres, nothing to do with the black market stuff. They destroyed equipment, stole data."
"And the east?" Marine asked, her eyes narrowed.
"The Knights have established a foothold in Oshawa," Nathan said. "They've been pressuring local officials to investigate all dust-related businesses. They're looking for Glory Industries connections."
"Well, that's some great news," Lily said.
"Ollie's been trying to handle it all himself," Nathan continued. "Board meetings during the day, lab work at night. Field operations in between. Last I saw him rest was maybe a couple of days ago."
Gale looked at Ollie. He knew how that felt. Even collapsed on his bed after a marathon of training that spanned weeks. He couldn't imagine doing that for months at a time.
"There's more," Nathan said, lowering his voice. "He's been using syringe guns on himself. He said it keeps the machine going."
"Looks like the machine needs maintenance," Jeanne said.
"I told him to stop, but..." Nathan said. "Yesterday was the first time he didn't take one. And his body crashed immediately."
Lily touched Ollie's hand. "Idiot."
"He didn't take it because he gave it away," Gale mumbled.
All eyes turned to him.
"Last night in Oshawa." Gale shifted uncomfortably under their stares. "Ollie gave his gun to a knight. And there were guys in suits that shot him."
"What guys in suits?" Lily asked sharply.
"Path agents, I think," Gale said. "One with a big gun and one with a small machine gun. They also shot at the knights that were fighting Ollie."
"That seems too sus to me. Those knights that jumped me knew exactly where I'd be. Like someone tipped them off," Jeanne grumbled.
Marine turned to Jeanne. "You think it's connected?"
"Has to be." Jeanne tapped her bandaged arm. "I was checking one of Ollie's..."
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please the violation.
"And Path agents shooting a knight? Something's fishy. Probably some other group moving, but why against Ollie?" Lily said.
"Wait," Nathan raised a hand. "You're saying Path agents tried to kill Ollie? Glory Industries is their biggest cash cow. That makes zero sense. Even Lennard wouldn't openly harm him like that."
Gale crossed his arms. "I don't know. Apart from that, I just saw a huge muscle guy and a shifty scrawny man with a red jacket. It looked like a B-movie drug deal."
"Red Jacket?" Lily's eyes narrowed. "Tall guy, scar across his cheek?"
Gale nodded.
"I got intel on him just a couple of days ago too," Lily said. "He's connected to someone called Spotlight or whatever."
"You think someone inside the Path is targeting Ollie and us?" Marine asked.
"It would explain the knights showing up at exactly the right places," Jeanne said. "And Path agents taking shots at their own men."
Nathan's face paled. "This is bad. If there's internal sabotage, what if the researchers are in danger too?!"
"We need proof. Solid proof before we point fingers. I've got suspicions, but..." Lily said.
"Could be anyone high up enough with security access details," Marine said. "That's a short list, but still too many names."
"Whoever hit me knew exactly where I would be. That wasn't just a random hit. They waited. Fuckin' eh," Jeanne cursed.
"A setup," Marine said.
Lost. That was the only thing Gale could think of. How does someone even get all this much knowledge about the world in just under 5 years? He wasn't part of these people who talked about backstabbings and the what-not. The most experience he got was reading about a genius detective with a sidekick.
Nathan cleared his throat. "Ollie should be good for now. The doctors say he'll regain consciousness in a few hours, but he needs rest. Real rest, not just those 3 hour power naps he takes."
"Like that's gonna happen," Jeanne snorted.
The door to the room swung open without warning. A man in a worn out suit and an unlit cigarette in his mouth was flanked by two younger men in kempt black suits. His silver hair was cut short. Stubble grew all around his mouth. His eyes swept the room, landing on each person in turn.
"Jonathan," Lily said. "What a surprise."
"Lily," Jonathan nodded, then his gaze fixed on Gale. "And the one and only, Mr. Hathie. Didn't expect to find you here."
Lily stepped forward, positioning herself between Jonathan and the hospital bed. "What do you want, Jonathan?"
Jonathan reached for something in his jacket and held up a lighter in front of his unlit cigarette. Before he could light it, the man to his right whispered something in his ear, making him put the lighter back.
"Listen, I'm just doing my job here. The Path has investments in Glory's operations. His condition is... concerning to those upstairs."
"Bullshit," Jeanne almost shouted. "You vultures only care about your profit margins. Where were your concerns when he was working himself to death these past months?"
Marine moved an arm under her own jacket but did not take out what was underneath. "Convenient timing, showing up right after attacks on both Glory facilities and personnel."
"Attacks that happened on your watch," Lily said. "You're Division 16, Jonathan. Security is literally your job. Yet somehow Knights knew exactly where Jeanne would be, and Path agents are shooting at UK members in Ollie's warehouse."
"Look, the Path is too big for micromanagement." Jonathan's face remained impassive. "I can't keep tabs on every agent out there, no matter what the Arcanes expect."
"Funny how all these 'unmonitored activities' hurt Ollie's operations specifically," Marine said.
"Now let's be clear. There are other raids that happened, not just in Ollie's operations." Jonathan looked over towards Gale. "How is your adjustment going, Gale? Path's arrangement working out for you?"
Gale took a step back. "You mean the arrangements to force me to sign a contract? Did you think I wouldn't figure that out?"
Jonathan held both hands up. "Don't blame me for that one. Those decisions come from above my pay grade. The Arcanes have their rules for people like you. I just implement what they tell me."
Gale turned away from Jonathan to look back at Ollie's face. "I think you should leave."
Jonathan blinked, then laughed. "Let's be real here for a minute. I'm not taking orders from a 17 year old that just came into the scene a couple of months ago."
Gale held back his clenched fist, trying to keep himself from punching the man's face.
"Well, this 17 year old seems to be important to your organization," he said, stepping closer to Jonathan. "So if you want to keep a relationship with me, you should probably do what I ask."
"Now I would, if it wasn't for the fact that your age matters here, Gale," Jonathan said. "Quite the attitude, making demands in a game you have yet to play."
The two guards beside Jonathan stepped closer to his side and stood up straighter than before. Nathan stepped forward, inching closer to the bed.
Standing up against a man who clearly knows 'the game' was a stupid idea. It's stupid, Gale, and now your mouth's drying up at not knowing what to say. Everyone was playing at something, even Lily, Marine, and Jeanne. But if they were playing at something and they're Mr. Saviour to him…
A lie took shape in his mind.
"I know exactly how valuable the people who came out of Red Hollows are," Gale said. "Every single Awakened that survived that incident is a combatant according to Aur. And combat assets are the most valuable resource in Aur."
He gestured to Lily, Jeanne, and Marine in the room. "The Blue Witches are loyal to me. They've made that clear." Taking a step forward, he continued, "You push me, you push them. They might just decide that doing jobs for the Path isn't worth their time anymore."
Lily's mouth gaped. Marine didn't look fazed at the provocation, but her stance eased up even with her hand in her jacket. Jeanne, on the other hand, had the same big smirk she had back at the hospital.
Jonathan's expression finally faltered. A slight frown formed on his lips. "Bold claims, but what about Glory?" His eyes turned to the hospital bed. "His labs, money, connections. All of it keeps your 'Blue Witches' operational."
Lily flinched at the name.
"You think that'll continue if… I don't know," Jonathan continued. "Your witches break away from contracts?"
A drop of sweat beaded on Gale's forehead in the air conditioned room. He didn't think he'd get this far in that lie. He didn't even think at all. The dark knight that taught him how to fight told him to always keep on the offensive. And this was Ollie they were talking about.
He had to double down.
It was then Gale locked eyes with Jonathan and spoke the single most audacious lie yet.
"Ollie will follow me."
Jonathan stared at him, trying to gauge if he actually believed in what he was saying or if it was all a bluff.
Marine shifted closer to Gale's side. Jeanne moved to flank him on the other. Both were now mirrored against the men on Jonathan's side.
Nathan, who had been trying to stay out of the confrontation, had edged away from Jonathan and closer to Ollie's bed.
"I see," Jonathan said finally, loosening his tie and taking off the cigarette on his lips. He casually flicked it backwards, and it landed directly in the trash bin. "We'll continue this when Glory's up. His input might change the picture considerably."
He turned to go but paused at the door. "The Path doesn't take well to threats, Gale Hathie. Not even from someone with your... unique background. Remember that before you make promises involving other people."
With that, Jonathan and his guards slipped out, the door clicking shut behind them.
The moment the door closed, Gale felt himself collapse onto the chair beside him. His arms hung loosely on the armrests as he dropped his head back to the headrest. The adrenaline from saying so much bullshit felt almost as much as the first time he'd slain his first forest beast in the Eclipsed.
"Holy shit," Marine whispered. "You just stood up to Carl-I mean Jonathan."
Nathan sighed in relief. "That was either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."
"Possibly both," Lily glanced to her side at Gale. "But effective."
He sank into the chair, the adrenaline draining from his system. What was he even thinking? Playing games that he wasn't involved in. All he wanted to do was give that asshole number 1 a piece of his mind.
He glanced at Ollie, imagining what he would say when he woke up. It could only go two ways. Him getting mad at Gale for saying something stupid. Or Ollie cutting him off for making more trouble. The worst of the worst scenarios.
"I don't know what I'm doing," he said.
Lily rested a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to Aur, Gale. None of us do."
A small groan from the bed drew everyone's attention. Ollie's fingers twitched against the white hospital sheets.
"He's waking up," Nathan said, moving quickly to check the monitors.

Chapter 87