Installment #1

He walked across the city checking the GPS device every now and then, not caring that he wasn’t making any progress towards headquarters. His anger had cooled to a smoldering warmth inside his chest, ready to ignite at any given moment. He had been going in circles the last hour, completely ignoring the coordinates the woman on the phone had given him. He knew they knew where he was thanks to the little tracking device they had fitted him with right before his assignment. He figured if he didn’t turn up, sooner or later they would come looking for him. He had just turned the corner on his fourth lap when he noticed a dark, unmarked sedan driving deliberately towards him.

Well, here they are. He thought. They took longer than expected, but here they are.

The sedan pulled up along side him and an oily voice issued from the open backseat window. “Get in the car Mr. Rhybrook.”

The door opened and he wondered if they would shoot him if he ran. Not that it would do him any good to try and disappear. If he tried to remove the tracking device, it would release a biological agent that would cause his body to start shutting down, until he was completely incapacitated. They had demonstrated the effects of a disrupted tracking device on an unfortunate stray they had picked up on their way to the lab. There were too many strays in the city anyhow, and he wasn’t too put out to see one put to such use. He slid into the back seat and closed the door.

“Mr. Rhybrook,” a man in dark glasses addressed him from the passenger side of the vehicle.

“Call me Aaron. My dad is Mr. Rhybrook.” He chuckled to himself, thinking that line sounded just as idiotic saying it, as hearing it.

The man in the glasses cleared his throat and started again, “Mr. Rhybrook, you have failed to accomplish your assignment. As per our agreement dated the tenth of March, you are hereby the sole property of Middlegamut Industries. Your home, and all personal effects therein have been moved to headquarters, with an addendum stating your dog be cared for by a Mrs. Lotty Abrams, neighbor. Furthermore, Middlegamut Industries reserves the right to catalog and confiscate any and all items in your home that could compromise your service to us. This includes, but is not limited to all electronic devices, books, photographs...”

Aaron tried looking out the window, but found it to be impenetrable. He couldn’t remember if it was day or night, and glanced at the GPS device for help, but it had stopped working once he entered the car, as did his watch. He closed his eyes as the man droned on and on about policies, punishments, and in short, the reaping of his soul. He could feel the hum of the car engine and wondered how long before they arrived at headquarters.

“Mr. Rhybrook.” A distant voice echoed inside Aaron’s head.
”Sir,” the voice was now clear and very near his ear, “we have arrived. You must exit the vehicle.”