The Oracle Gene: Prelude

by ~Creatorsoul

The Oracle Gene
Prelude
Tulio sat in his gloomy office, flipping through the files as his eyes scanned the numerous photos in front of him. Heaving a sigh, he scooped up his bitter drink as he swiveled around to walk to the window behind him. Leaning on the window and pulling the blinds open just a snitch, he could make out the bluish-white glares of the search lights in the neighboring sector.
“No doubt another rebel search,” he whispered to himself, and turned to look at his desk, cluttered with files of cases unsolved and people unfound. Don’t start being a perfectionist now, Tulio, he thought to himself, Sometimes, you just can’t find them. He gently put his mug down, and started to gather the files and returning them to their respective cabinets. As he finished, he looked up to the clock by the door of his apartment. It glared a red 2:30 at him. He sighed again, running his hand through his hair as he went over to the sink to wash his mug. As he put away the now glistening mug, he noticed his reflection in the mirror. Despite his irregular sleeping schedules, he did not show any signs of unhealthiness. Standing at roughly one seventy, Tulio was not a young man to die for, even though he is pleasant looking. Medium build with the slightest tan and with black hair and eyes, Tulio is certainly not of Setali descent, but of Prulia. He vaguely remembers his childhood and of the glories of Prulia’s highland before it was deemed the Fallen continent due to the Plague of 1029. Fifteen years have passed since, and Tulio still wonders how he managed to survive. He concluded quickly as usual that the virus must have caused his semi-amnesiac state.
With his concentration back on the mirror, Tulio stared at the young man wearing a skintight and sleeveless undershirt with loose grey denim pants, tied with a large and bulky belt. Okay at home, but not for others to see. Tulio stroke a few poses to emphasize his semi-muscular form, before heading over to the couch. Life in the Second Ring has made him accustomed to being content with just a place to sleep. Yet just as he flopped down and made himself comfortable, his phone rang. Who the heck calls in the middle of the night? Someone desperate for help no doubt.
“Accept call,” he is glad he set his phone to voice control, and also that the image projector is pointed at the ceiling. Gods praise biosensors.
“Hey Tulio? You there pal?” The face of his former colleague Stalide Burns appeared on the projected image on the ceiling.
“Awfully late to be calling. What do you want?”
“Hey man, sit up will you? Unless of course, you are in your birthday suit.”
“Haha…still got that dry humor, I see,” Tulio motioned the image projector to move to him, “All better?”
“Well well, someone’s been training to buff up a little.”
“Thanks for the compliment and back to business please. I have dream weavers waiting for me,” Tulio reminded. Burns coughed softly, before commencing to speak.
“Tulio, you mind taking something from the Corp?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have left three years ago. I recommend—”
“No, no. No one else, please. They ask specifically for you.”
That’s new. Geomiracle demanding for me specifically.
“What ever they want, I won’t do it.”
“…Tulio Havenspher, I think don’t think you know the gravity of the situation here,” Burns pronounced each syllable with force, “I would really take the job, if I were you.”
“Let me guess…is it the we-saved-you-now-you-save-us deal again?”
“More than that. They’ve got Draito.”
“What?” Tulio sat up sharply.
“…You’re old pop’s in hospital. The rebels blew up his block this evening.”
“Which hospi—“
“Take it easy. Other than a scratch here and there, he’s fine. They insisted him to stay, just in case one of the bombs was tainted with something. And it’s free of charge and top notch too. In my opinion, you own them big deal.”
Tulio had his hand over his face. His father avoided Geomiracle as much as possible, but with all the recent rebel attacks, there was no other way to guarantee a full recovery.
“What do they want then?”
“You’ve changed your mind? Man, that’s just wa—“’
“Just tell me what they want!” Tulio shouted at Burns, who jumped slightly.
“A meeting, just go anytime ASAP, and they’ll start you off. That’s all.”
“End call,” Tulio sighed his command, and the projector returned to its spot on the phone, emitting a soft click as it plug itself into the charger outlet. Turning to his right side, Tulio stared at the blinded window, until sleep creped in and closed his eyelids for him.

I’ve been here before. Tulio observed the field around him. Light green splattered with white, orange, and yellow, the sky bright azure with the peppermint clouds. The sweet, yet soft fragrance of the field washed over him as the wind danced gracefully on his face. Is this the plateau? The shifting sound of cloth made him turn, but the sun was in his eyes, blinding him…

They were blinding him. Sunlight poured through the slits of the blinds, depicting bright orange-yellow lines on the dark floor and walls. Tulio held his arm up against the intruding light. Stupid handyman, I’m fixing that myself next time. Having no more notions of sleep in his body, Tulio went over to the sink. He sneaked a peak at the clock, which blurted 9:52 am at him. Over seven and a half, should be more than enough. A cold dash of water on his face cleared him of that thought, and he noticed himself in the mirror, hair disheveled, and a small purge of sweat lingered on him. Grabbing the towel on the rack next to the mirror, Tulio pressed the small grey button next to the mirror. The mirror and sink retracted into the wall, and a shower stall formed itself around Tulio. He wobbled a little as the floor rose up to seal off the stall. Instructions say do not stand on floor while transformation is occurring, but heck, I can’t be bothered…Throwing the towel over the stall walls, and attempting to aim his clothes to the basket somewhere outside, Tulio started to hum with his eyes closed as the chilly water washed over him.
Careful Ting, the rocks are slippery!
What rocks? Tulio opened his eyes sharply, and my name’s Tulio, not Ting. Well, it was Ting, wasn’t it? The water turned warm. It was before he came here, a memory too long ago to matter. Ting…Ting what? Couldn’t have been Havenspher, that’s Setalian, not Prulian. The water stopped running, and Tulio reached for his towel. Hitting the switch with a back hand slap, he stepped out, hair sticking to his face and droplets of water hanging off the ends. Steam floated around him, evaporating from his body into the chilly autumn air. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Tulio picked up the undershirt that missed his laundry basket with his toes, and tossed it to its respective place. He continued to the clothes rack, where his customary attire lined in orderly fashion. Even as a private investigator, Tulio still could not rid the habit of keeping a uniform, adopted from his time in the Governmental Investigation Department. He slipped on his usual black turtle neck, and tucked it into the grey trousers. The synthetic belt hissed as he adjusted its length, making sure that the trousers would stay up around his mid-section. He then reached for the indigo sleeveless jacket, which he kept from his training years. It had once been several sizes too big, but yet now, it fit like a glove. Ironic how they didn’t fit until I left.
The phone blurted out of the blue. The projector did not fly up though; someone’s deliberately not using the image option.
“This is Havenspher speaking.”
“Mr. Havenspher, I am speaking on behalf of Geomiracle Corporation—”
“If this is about inquiring for my assistance, surely Burns has replied for me yesterday.”
“Uh…yes. Mr. Burns has informed us of your decision –”
“What else is there you want?” Tulio cut the call boy short. He did not want to make it sound personal, but the contempt he has for Geomiracles is too great to be removed. As Tulio zipped up his boots, there was a short silence before the call boy spoke again.
“Would you like us to arrange a ride?”
“I prefer to walk.” Tulio pressed the end transmission button on the screen of his phone. Swinging his long coat on, he proceeded for the door.
Let the long day begin…Tulio thought to himself as he proceeded down the skeletal stairways.