50 Posts. Will he ever Shut up?

Welcome to the Agglomeration

This is it. Post Number 50. I promised something big. I lied. Now here it is. Enjoy.

Origin

Episode 1

The two policemen sprinted toward the sound of the gunshots that they had heard coming from the Hyacinth Theatre. The footage of the Axiom Award Ceremony that they were following in their squad car had been cut a few minutes before the shots were heard, and they feared that something terrible had happened during the course of the ceremony. As Douglas Friedman and Vance McNamara approached the lavishly ornate entrance to the theatre, they could not help but shudder at the silence of the place. Balancing between a quick but possibly hasty entrance against a slow methodical survey of the premises that could jeopardize the lives of any survivors, they quickly shot the bolt of the door with their silenced guns, and the doors slid open to reveal a scene of grotesque carnage. Bodies were strewn across the floor, abdomens and heads ripped apart and the stench of rotting flesh had already permeated the entire space. Recovering from the initial shock first, Vance reached for his walkie:

“This is Unit Six. Requesting backup and a forensics Unit at the Hyacinth Theatre, stat.”

Silence.

Vance tried again.

“This is Unit Six. Do you read me?”

No signal.

“Dammit, we’ll have to go back outside to contact HQ.”

“Wait, Vance, that guy’s moving.”

Sure enough, one of the sprawled figures on the carpet had regained consciousness and was trying, and failing, to get up. Friedman and McNamara went to assist him, and on closer inspection it turned out that he had a relatively minor injury, having been lucky enough to sustain only a bullet to the thigh. The man groaned in pain.

“A doctor. I need…a doctor.”

“Sir, we’re going to take you to get medical assistance soon, but first we need you to tell us what happened here.”

*

Agent Jim Bronson hated waiting. It was one of the many things in the world that simply irritated him to his wit’s end. Impatient, fiery-tempered and active, that’s how his friends described him. That was in the era when he still had friends. The division between family and career had never been something he managed well, and in the end the commitments of his duty caused him to endure a lengthy and messy divorce. These days, he never thought about those things as he was preoccupied with a case that many people had considered to be a dead end. A year ago he was leading a search for an infamous criminal known only as Goethe. While most people were convinced he was either dead or vanished into another life by now, Bronson had dedicated his life to finding Goethe, and as he said himself ‘bring justice to that son of a bitch’. But unfortunately for him, the trail had gone cold.

The receptionist tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mr. Bronson. Mr. Haxon will see you now.”

Jim followed the receptionist, who led him into the spacious penthouse office of Eduardo Haxon, the South American CEO of Haxcorp. She closed the door on the way out, leaving the two men alone.

“Mr. Bronson. How can I help you?”

“Eduardo. I can call you Eduardo, right? I’ll call you Eduardo. I believe that both you and I are fully aware of the reason for my visit, so if it’s all right with you, I’d like to skip all the pleasantries and get straight on with business.”

“As you wish, Mr. Bronson.”

“Jim.”

“Yes. Jim. If you would just clarify what you’re here for anyway? To refresh my ailing mind? I’m afraid my memory wasn’t quite what it used to be.”

“Clarissa Newton. Jessica Roselin. Franklin Hughes. Baxter Farrall. Four of the smartest students across the country. All disappeared within the last two weeks.”

“I can’t say their names ring a bell. I realise that is an issue that must be investigated, but what the hell does it have to do with me, Jim?”

“We believe they were abducted. The first abduction happened about two days after your company solidified a landmark research deal with Loqox Labs, the same Loqox Labs that had offered scholarships to the Top 5 Students in the country. Can you guess who they were? Oh come on, take a guess. Yeah that’s right. Clarissa Newton, Jessica Roselin, Franklin Hughes, Baxter Farrall and a Lara Geldam. Now maybe you’re right, and you’re just an innocent pawn in all of this, but I’m willing to bet that this is much more than just a freaky coincidence.”

“Wait, did you say Lara Geldam?”

“Yeah, what about her?

“She’s my step-daughter. Now if you’re right, and this is a pattern, then it means that Lara is next and she could be in danger from the people that have abducted the four other kids. Tell me you’ve reached out to her and put her in protective custody.”

“I had a colleague take her to a safehouse 2 days ago when I realised the connection between the four abductions while I took the first flight here to visit you.”

“Then you must realise that I have absolutely nothing to do with this.”

“Maybe not. But there could be someone in your organisation who could be responsible for these abductions. It’s simply too early to tell.”

“Jim, I want you to take me to my step-daughter.”

“You know I can’t do that. She’s under protective custody. No one can know where she is for her safety.”

“I’m her step-father, for god’s sakes. Can’t you bend the rules just a little bit?”

“You haven’t given me anything to work with here. If you really want to see your step-daughter again, then give me information that can help me find out who’s behind this.”

“There is one thing you should know.”

*

Stephanie and Lucas broke away from their passionate kiss. It was twilight and the dying rays of the setting sun illuminated their close embrace, with the soothing sounds of the waves crashing upon the shore. They had been in a strong relationship for 3 years now, and both smiled at each other, staring into each other’s eyes, silently.

“Lucas, I need to tell you something.”

“Oh yeah? Funny that, so do I. Well you first, I guess.”

“I don’t really know how to say this, but we’ve had a lot of great times, haven’t we?”

”Of course.”

“And I’ve loved every single moment we’ve been together. But I’ve been feeling recently that it’s time I moved on.”

“What are you saying? That you want to break up with me?”

“No, Lucas, it’s not about you. Not exactly. It’s just that I’ve decided to move overseas. Permanently. And that means we can’t be together. It’s for the best.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“You know that’s not possible. You have to stay home, and take care of your dad. Ever since your mum died, you’re all he’s got left. Look, I’m really sorry, but it has to be this way.”

Silence. Then Lucas stood up and turned to walk away.

“Wait, Lucas. What were you going to tell me?”

“Nothing.”

Lucas ran all the way home without looking back once. Before he entered the front door, he pulled out a ring from his right pocket and threw it into the bin.

*

Stephanie stayed at the beach for another 45 minutes, crying and hurting inside. The tears flowed continually until her phone beeped. She looked at her phone's small display screen.

1 New Message

She pressed a button to open it.

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER. WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. YOU WILL HEAR FROM ME AGAIN SOON. BE READY.

*
Trevor Thornley finished recounting the tragic and shocking events that had occurred at the Hyacinth Theatre. At the end of it both Douglas and Vance were shocked.

“Vance, you realise what this means, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s happening again. We have to let Stanton know. We have to warn... ”

Before Vance could finish, he was shot point-blank in the chest.

Three minutes later, the entire theatre was rocked by an explosion and burst into flames.

*
The black van carrying the three assailants and Warren Cole stopped in front of a house. Warren was dragged inside and locked in a bedroom.

Outside, the leader of the masked men took out a mobile phone and dialed a number. The call connected.

“It’s Jefferson. We have Cole. How would you like us to proceed?”

A cold and calculated voice responded. “Stay at your current location. I’ll be there within the hour.”

Puzzle #2 Hint 2 - http://www.historycentral.com/dates/

Till next time, may you agglomerate all your unpremeditated contemplations.