Chronicle of Nautilus

Chapter 3: The First Encounter

One of the journalists working at ‘The Walker,’ the local newspaper was Glen Usher. Few people knew that his loyalties lay with the security. Most of the time Landau gave Usher to do the dirty work no one else could. His main specialty was gathering of information. Landau did not mind that Glen used violence as his main tool. Glen pushed some people here, paid some money there and information always found ways to reveal itself.

Everyone in the office knew his interest in secrets. He was kind to those who shared stories and gossip with him. Sometimes he would even reward the better ‘story-tellers’ with a symbolic amount of money or a favor. No hidden fact or secret escaped his ears. Even if some dirty stories did not make it to the daylight, they found a way to Glen’s memory for sure.

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Today he took a half-day off to visit the wealthiest man in the city, named Cho Juan.

Glen left the city center and walked a wide street towards the farther districts. Two skyscrapers stood far in the distance behind him, words ‘The Walker’ was shining in transparent red on the top of the lower one. He passed a couple of intersecting paths and turned to an alley. There, on both sides, one after another, stood a series of buildings that gave entertainment to the folk with no ‘special’ needs. If one had a wish to relax, this was the place to go to. Bars of many different themes, ranging from Wild West saloon to an alien tropical world, offered all kinds of alcohol and table games. Casinos provided gamblers with tons of slot machines and playing tables. Earns and loses in the city was much smaller from the casinos back home, but still, one could get relief from daily routine and dive into a world of greed and competition. Water spas, massage salons and much more entertainment followed casinos in a line at the never ending alley. After passing the lousy section of the alley, Glen stopped in front of a tight, tall, door-less house squeezed between a competitive card games club and a locked building titled “Sunrise Expeditions". He had no clue what went on in the last one. Glen knew, this was Cho’s house. It had no signboards or advertisement projections, only a tall white wall made from glittering white material, a picture of a warrior fighting a  giant python carved into it.  

Glen got closer to the picture and a voice, coming from the wall, whispered, “Come on in, Mister Usher.”

The wall shifted. Now, the victorious warrior held the python by its head, his free hand pointed at a rectangular passageway that opened up during the shift. Glen walked into the darkness and after a few steps he came into a white room. The light inside was too bright for his taste. An elderly man, in white suit stood in front of him, smiling, his bald head reflected a small part of light. He said, “Now, would you explain me why were you so urgent to visit me?” He walked further into the light and sat on a chair. Glen was left standing.

He saw nothing more than four white glittering walls and Cho on his chair in the room. Cho’s arrogance tingled Glen’s nerves. He replied, “Sir, I know everything about you, and by saying this, I mean everything. So please save my time and trouble. Just give me the names of individuals that came to ask you for a financial support in the recent years. I had to put a lot of effort to make this meeting happen and I want to get the most results out of it.”

“Not a journalist, are you?”

“Not your business.”

“What would happen if told my friends of the Walker about your insolence?”

“Nothing,” Glen replied, no muscle moved on his face.

“What would happen if I lied?”

“I would get the information the hard way.”

“One of the security scum, I see. Have met many of you during my long years; have tried the hard way as well. Let’s not toy with the old head of mine. I am too old for that. I will talk,” Cho sighed, “I think I know who you are looking for. You see. I’m a great supporter of liberal rights, I think it's a mistake to consider people equal and—“