"So... What's the plan now? If you do find the traitors, do you like, execute them?
Ji turned to Niko, letting off a puff of smoke before talking again. "No, that would be stupid. Whoever it is, is clearly in a high position among the administration."
"Wait, why not check the people who dealt with him in the ward instead? They would also have to be cultists since they treat him, then during the treatment, they'd cover up the tattoo as well."
"Hmm, a simple explanation is often the best, yes? Perhaps, in a time where logic held dominion over Gods and Goddesses, Occam's razor would still be a valid construct." Ji's eyes unfocused, perhaps remembering something.
Niko scowled in confusion. "Whose razor?"
"Nothing, just an old coot's musings. What I meant was, there is something beyond simple explanations involved, it often is." Just as Ji completed, a quick blur, a paper was deposited in Ji's pocket.
Niko focused his eyes on the blur, intent on catching anything. Within the blur, a matte of dark hair and cold, black eyes peered at him before disappearing.
Niko immediately sat straight, erupting in a cheer, "I saw it! Some... kid, the one who tazed me, the one you instructed, how is he so fast??"
Ji did not lift his eyes off the page, scanning its contents, and muttered. "That's a homunculus."
"Homo-cules?" Niko squinted his eyes; his confusion was mounting. That was a person, definitely, why call it that? Is it a job?
Ji turned towards Niko, ire moulding his visage. "How does one bastardize such an easy name! It's not even tough Latin!"
"Latin? What-"
"Shush! Now, onto the letter, your friend is alive and well in the ward, and his tattoo isn't there."
Niko wasn't surprised; disappearing or killing him would be suspicious, simply erasing the tattoo was easier. "I was right after all, it's the nurses who erased it."
Ji wasn't convinced, not one bit. There was a part of the letter that stuck him as odd.
"When the nurses were carrying Xiao to the infirmary, there was a 4-second blackout in the recording, apparently."
Niko pitied the old man, to be outwitted by a guy probably centuries younger than him. "Give it up oldie, you're wrong, you're grasping for straws."
"No, it isn't even half as clear-cut as that, I know this from experience." Ji let off another puff of smoke, he thinks it's this simple, it's not, it never is.
The old man suddenly turned away, his eye aimed at a spot in the corner, Niko peered where his eyes were at and sure enough, he saw the homunculus.
Now not moving, the kid appeared to be around 10, dark unkempt hair that reached till the eyebrows, thin but not quite underweight body covered by a black tracksuit. The most striking feature, his eyes, black, soulless, they seemed to eat Niko's soul the longer he looked, the boy looked nowhere yet everywhere at the same time.
Niko wondered why Ji was staring at the boy until realization struck.
"He's... not the only homunculus, is he?"
"The best there is, but not the only one." Ji chuckled as it turned into a racking cough as the smoke and his ancient lungs caught up to him, ending after half a minute of intense sputtering.
"My apologies, now then, we've established that a homunculus was involved, this can mean only one thing."
"An overseer did this... In hindsight, I should have expected this." Niko spoke, thinking. "You have any suspicions on your fellow crew members?"
"If anyone were to be called suspicious in our organization, it would be me, I'm quite liberal in dealings. If it were anyone else, they would have split your friend in half by now." Ji confirmed.
Before Niko could say anything, Ji spoke again, this time in an authoritarian tone. "Niko, I thank you for your information, it was quite helpful, unfortunately, there's nothing more to be said or extracted."
A shiver ran up Niko's spine, surely he wouldn't...
"I told you what you asked for! You can't do this to me! It's not my fault!" Niko was panting, he got off the bed, his eyes on Ji and the boy.
"Calm down, boy! I'm not going to kill you, I meant you can return to your duties, nothing else." Ji stared at Niko, annoyed.
"Oh... I see." Niko awkwardly shuffled in his place before speaking again. "Can I stay here for a while? Under your excuse, I can sleep here for a good while without worry."
"Absolutely not, the squad will not suffer because of a lazy soldier, I am having you shipped back to the ward right now." Ji took a step closer, his tone dangerously low, "I don't know you, and you don't know me, yes?"
Niko nodded. "Who are you?" Before anything more could happen, the taser once more struck his side. Why?! I could just go back normally!!! Niko cursed internally before once more, darkness took him.
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"You moron!! I thought you would be killed!!" Aina hammered Niko's chest with her fist, his bedridden body crumbling under the force, blood flying from his mouth with each strike.
"They didn't kill me, but you will." Niko weakly spoke out. "I'm fine, it wasn't that bad."
Aina calmed down, relaxing in the chair. " Do you remember anything? Why were you even confined?"
"I don't remember anything, who or what happened. Only thing I remember was that someone came to talk about the fight between me and Xiao. I got angry and boom, I'm there." Niko quickly spoke, eager to cover up the truth.
"I see, at least you're not hurt much, except the 2 taser shots. I'm sure you deserved it, though." Aina smirked.
"No I did not, I'm sure I was a... Good boy." A shit-eating grin spread across Niko's face.
"You will one day die alone, miserable, a pauper, regretting how you wasted your life in worthless pursuits."
Niko's smile dropped instantly. "Relax... I didn't kill your mom, y'know?"
"She would probably kill herself if she heard your pathetic flirting attempts."
"You're over it at least, I'm glad." Niko smiled, minus the shit-eating part.
"Nobody can get over this stuff. I just realized I can't be moping all day. I wasted my 18s and 19s being a depressed... mopper." Aina let out a breath.
Niko turned serious, looking around a bit before talking again. "Have you noticed anything or anyone suspicious recently? Since my fight."
"Not really, but a few people did ask me about you." Aina squinted, getting close to Niko menacingly. "Why? You did do something wrong, didn't you? It wasn't just a disagreement that got you guys fighting, was it?!"
Aina now held Niko by the neck of his tee. "Tell me what happened, let's deal with it rather than putting it off."
Oh how he wished to dump all this on her head! She was the ever responsible one, and had been for 2 decades. Whenever any problem arose, he would turn to her.
"I said that because Xiao isn't the type of guy to let things go after losing, he's a vindictive one, and that means you're not off the table," Niko spoke slowly, all lies, of course.
Immediately, Aina stood, grabbing Niko's arm. "Get up, let's talk to him and set things straight."
"Wha- No! No! Don't get involved, it's fine, I'll deal with it." No! I absolutely cannot do that, stay away!
Before Aina could insist, a shrill scream from outside pierced the ward, alerting both. Without hesitation, both ran towards the hall, where the noise originated.
On the arch of the hall was a noose hanging, and it looped around Xiao's neck, his hands nailed to his chest, the symbol for cultists carved on his stomach.
He was executed.