Chapter 18: Roland

We knocked on the raven glass that no image can form inside as you peek in.

Marina stretched her legs and bend her neck. She knocked again but no one yet answered beyond the glass entry.

    "You've been here before?" I asked while we wait. She nodded with her eyes doesn't seem to enjoy the case.

    

    Eventually, the door slid to the left and a woman with a night dress asked who we are. "WPD, we want to see Arnold Mckenzie," I said and she let us in without hesitation.

    "Don't touch anything, sir, he's right there playing games in his fantasy" She said while she fix herself up from looking like a drunk woman.

    "Hey asshole, someone is here for you" She knocked twice on the door frame and then close her other eyes on me suddenly before she left us for privacy.

    Roland turned around as he throws his virtual reality glasses out of his sight.

His face doesn't match his identification picture in the files I've read.

Roland's right eye was a bit swollen, his hair was blown up by a strong wind and I can barely see his cheekbone out of his complexion.

I see no slight difference in his body from the picture - He's yet muscular looking like he trained before.

    "Hello Roland Mckenzie," Marina said as she wave her hand hello.

    Roland jumped out saying "I didn't do anything wrong!"

    "Oh Roland, I'm not here to arrest you again but to beg for help from you"

    "What do you want?" He whimpered within his puffing and let his fears plunge.

    "We know you can hack the system, fetch the data away and be adequate at repairing damaged technologies," I said.

    "That's it? You're not here to hurt me, right?" His voice was quivering with uncertainty and nervousness. I nodded.

    "You have to pay after this, that's the rule here and I am only available every Saturday and Sunday" He let out.

    "It's Sunday, Roland" I checked my watch and it is Sunday today. He licked his smile to the side and then agreed that it is Sunday today.

    "What seems the problem? In today's era, I believe you guys have the technology to track the suspect and retain your footage again"

Ronald opened his computer, there exist four wide screens and then he turned on the light in the room.

It was blue this time instead of a color that contrast with the red hue.

    "We do not know to do that but only WCA can except for the deception kept happening in their system that is why it's hard to get their files or footage back from the cyberpunk" I explained.

    "Alright, I'll help but you guys do me a favor" We nodded once, and at the end, we sighed. 

    My device rang in my ear - why ranging in bad timing? "Give me a second," I asked permission before I left them in the room. I stepped out to answer the buzz.

    "Wayne, why now?" I asked because I saw Wayne's number beneath my sights.

    "We have to meet at the Winter Plaza tonight, I have information for you about that city as well as here"

    "Alright" I ended the call. 

    "What's the catch?" I asked as I walk into the room seeing Marina lay her hand on top of the chair where Ronald sat.

    "He's scanning the place and attempts to break in the camera near that apartment," Marina said.

Somehow he manage to guess the code and analyze it to avoid receiving the virus that the guard made from the gizmo.

    "Zoom that Ronald, there's a van running away and we need that plate" Marina added and bent over towards the screen to point out the several footages that Ronald receive from his expert action.

    "I copied that Ma'am, do you guys have any chip inside among you? I need to transport from what I downloaded for you guys" He said as he export the footage to downloaded documents. 

    I raised my hand saying "I have".

   

  "You need to trust me on this one sir" He warned me before he stands out of his seat.

    "I know where this is going Roland, you want me to suck the tube right in my skull am I right?" He nodded.

Marina was baffled, trying to puzzle out every word that Roland says and I'm glad she was still under my chin.

    "Here, Sir" Roland lead the way to set things up to transfer all the data that Marina needed into my head.

    Marina was so curious that she liked to observe everything Roland does.

Roland extended the long tube that was shaped like a pipe from this appliance but slightly feeble and there was this gap at the end to connect it at the back of my skull.

He will let the wires crawl into my flesh or nerves to bind it so the data will disseminate to the chip that is planted there.

It's quite hard to explain how this technology operates but I hope it won't slaughter me while in my slumber.

    I rest on the seat that bends around half of one eighty degrees and He let my neck rest on the buffer while my head wasn't.

He opens aside my hair that protects the back of my skull to insert the tube in but don't worry I have this spot since I was in Japan that allow him to stick in the tube.

    As I rest and now I can feel it after a few minutes that went away.

My head fumbles tingling vines encircling my nerves, my head was trapped in a void and the feeling made my lips keep seamed as well as my eyes.

I can hear fuzzy noises from side to side like I'm in a ten feet depth of a pool - making an effort to float my body still.

The chip obtains it, and at last, now I can witness the other cameras that catch a group of mob breaking James's apartment.

From the moment we dug deeper about his location, the apartment he lives in - it's his apartment all along which means he's the landlord but why he was involved in this case?

    I gasped as I woke up from the reality that slapped me to rouse up or else death will call upon me.

Marina raised her eyes to peer at me deeply and emotionlessly. Ronald quickly removed the tube from my head. 

    "You seen it now?" Marina asked. 

    "Yes," I simply answered while bouncing my chin with tiredness from the tube that barely suck my spirit.

    "I need your eyes to lead where the van went," She said and turned her eyes to the side where Ranold stands.

"Did you d******d all of it, like every footage near the exit of that district, shortcut, and neighborhood?" She asked him with her brow standing while the other's not. Ronald nodded.

    Marina throws three hundred bucks which is too much but I don't know if Ronald can accept such an offer. 

    "I need four so I need one more" Ronald begs on the ground as he refuses to kneel. Marina yet still kind so she provided him with another.

    "The favor, you were saying?" I asked before I step out but Marina left already before the time sets in the afternoon.

    "Oh nothing, forget about that" So I moved on without asking why but I left with goodbye. 

    The party still moves on, lights of lust and pleasure glare the whole area, smokes reaches the limits and drunken crackheads commence their feet to shake the dancefloor.

I glimpse some women in masks smoking pots in one of the nearest tents at the entrance.

Some are red, yellow, orange, and gloomy with a tint of gold and glitters around their seductive dress, choker, and thigh stockings.

I glimpse on the further side of the corridor which is straight ahead is the pleasure chambers and we can catch a peek of hookers or brothels standing near the entrance of it.