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Chapter 3

As DLO and lichter headed off towards section Elephant of TL headquarters, DLO couldn't help but notice that lichter had been acting strangely ever since DLO got back from the break room. Instead of being his usual cheery self, lichter seemed anxious and more reserved than DLO remembered. The closer and closer they got to section Elephant, the more focused lichter's expression became. lichter was no longer responding to any of DLO's comments or questions, and DLO felt more and more like he was walking with a stranger. By the time they had arrived in front of section Elephant, DLO could definitely tell that something was wrong but lichter wasn't giving him anything to worth with.

DARKLORDOLLI: Okay... So... Here we are. You good?
LICHTER: Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks DLO, I'll take it from here.
DARKLORDOLLI: lichter, are you okay? You seem really distracted.
LICHTER: (bluntly) I'm fine. Put your key card in.
DARKLORDOLLI: ...Are you sure you're okay? You're acting really strange.
LICHTER: DLO, I don't have much time. Just get me in there and I'll take care of the rest. I'm fine, okay?
DARKLORDOLLI: Alright. If you say so. (takes out key card and puts it in)

KEY CARD RECOGNIZED 
USER: DarLordOlli 
STATUS: Men in Red 
POSITION: SC2 Writers 
OFFICE LOCATION: Elephant

ACCESS GRANTED

LICHTER: Thanks DLO. I'll see you later (starts walking in)
DARKLORDOLLI: Err... Okay then. Do you want me to come in with you?
LICHTER: (abruptly turns around) No. I need to go in alone. Make sure no one knows about this, okay? As far as you and I are concerned, I was never here.
DARLORDOLLI: What? You want me to pretend like you were never here?
LICHTER: Yes. And I don't have time to explain why either. Bye DLO. (walks in)

Section Elephant looked exactly like section Horse so lichter knew exactly where to head to. He quickly scanned the list of names on the wall and found CPTSM's office number. Realizing he didn't have any time to lose, he quickly headed up the stairs and headed to E21 where CPTSM was. During the whole way, lichter's heart never stopped pounding. He knew exactly what would happen to him if he failed this mission. As soon as he saw CPTSM's office door he knocked without any hesitation, as every inch of his body just wanted to hurry up and get this over with.

CPTSM: Come in.
LICHTER: (opening the door) Hey, Chapa, it's me.
CPTSM: Hey. What's up?
LICHTER: I need to talk to you. Do you have time?
CPTSM: Sure. But only a little since I need to go see salle soon.
LICHTER: This won't take long (closing the door behind him)
CPTSM: (turns to face lichter) Alright. What do you need?
LICHTER: I need to know everything you know about Project HerO.

As soon as those words left lichter's mouth, CPTSM immediately froze in place. After staring at lichter silently for about five secondly, he quickly got up, opened the door, looked around to make sure no one had heard, and then closed the door quickly. He then turned to face lichter with a serious look on his face.

CPTSM: How do you know about Project HerO?
LICHTER: I have my sources. Just tell me, is it true that this project will be implemented in a couple of days?
CPTSM: Umm... Err... lichter, listen, I don't know what you've heard but you don't need to concern yourself with Project HerO. It's just a rumor.
LICHTER: A rumor? You reaction tells me that this is more than just a rumor Chapa.
CPTSM: (waves his hand and shakes his head) No, no, trust me, Project HerO was just something that TL was thinking about implementing. I know my response was strange as if I was hiding something, but you just caught me off guard that's all. (returns to his seat while putting a smile on his face) There's nothing to talk about. Want something to drink?
LICHTER: (slams his fist down on CPTSM's desk) Don't play dumb with me. I know this is an ongoing project. I also know that you were recently made project manager for this. I need to know, what is currently going on with Project HerO?
CPTSM: (puts on a stone cold expression) lichter, I know you mean well but I see no reason to tell you anything other than what I've just said. Even if the things you said were true, and believe me they're not, I don't think it's any of your business. If that's all you wanted to talk about, then we're done here.

The atmosphere had shifted immediately. Chapa was on the defense now and lichter knew that Chapa was definitely hiding something. lichter stared into Chapa's eyes for a long time but he could tell that he wasn't going to budge. After giving out a small sigh, lichter leaned back in his chair and gave a small chuckle.

LICHTER: You're right, it's none of my business. I think I got a little carried away there. Sorry about that Chapa. (smiles) I'll take that drink now.
CPTSM: You got it. Sorry I was so harsh with you. Let's just move past it, shall we? (gets up from his chair)
LICHTER: Sounds good.
CPTSM: (opens his fridge and starts looking around for a drink) Let's see... I've still got some Pocari Sweat left. Or maybe you want some Hot6? I've still got a ton left over from that time we watched the GSL fin-MMMPPHHHH GGGRRRPPHHHH MMRRPPHGPPPGHHHH.

Before he could tell what was going on, CPTSM immediately found his mouth being covered by something and found himself being choked all of a sudden.. He quickly turned around to see lichter trying to choke him with a rope in his right hand and covering his mouth with a cloth in his left. CPTSM tried to fight back against lichter and tried to swing at him but he missed. The struggle wore on and CPTSM lost his balance, causing both of them to crash down and knock over the contents of CPTSM's desk. lichter rigorously kept a solid grip on both the cloth and the rope as CPTSM helplessly tried to fight him off. Eventually however, the lack of oxygen weakened CPTSM, and his body slumped to the ground as he lost consciousness. Breathing heavily, lichter quickly got up and began to rummage around CPTSM's clothes. After he found CPTSM's key card in the front left pocket, he then got up and straightened himself out. After opening the window, he swiftly grabbed both the cloth and the rope, and threw them outside and into the river down below in order to dispose of the evidence. He then took out a needle and syringe and bent down to inject CPTSM with a form of liquid through his neck veins. After he was done, he threw the needle and syringe out the window as well, hid CPTSM's body in a nearby closet, and exited CPTSM's office as quickly as he could.
As soon as he left section Elephant, lichter sprinted as fast as he could down the hallway. With the key card gripped in his left hand, he quickly began to dial numbers on his cell with his right hand. As he waited for the other party to pick up, he continuously kept on checking his left and right to make sure no one had seen him or was following him. His heart was pounding like never before and he was sweating bullets, but lichter knew he had to finish this mission no matter what. By the time the other party had finally picked up, lichter was out of breath while feeling impatient and ecstatic.


A3: Hello?
LICHTER: Where the hell have you been?! Why didn't you pick up sooner?!
A3: I had to get away from salle first. Where are you?
LICHTER: On my way. I should be there in less than thirty seconds.
A3: How did it go?
LICHTER: I can't talk about it over the phone. I'll be there soon.
A3: Hurry. We're behind schedule as it is.
LICHTER: I know that. Just be ready.


Once he ended the call, lichter continued to run the last couple of seconds necessary to reach his destination point. When he finally got to where he needed to go, lichter realized that all the nervousness and fear he had been feeling just a little while ago had completely subsided. They were now replaced with adrenaline and determination. He knew that there was no going back. Phase two was well under way and this next part would be crucial. After taking a deep breath, he looked up towards the giant sign that was placed in front of him that read:



Without a moment to lose, lichter quickly took out CPTSM's key card and inserted it in.

KEY CARD RECOGNIZED 
USER: ChapatiyaqPTSM 
STATUS: Men in Blue 
POSITION: Liquipedia Project Manager 
OFFICE LOCATION: Elephant

ACCESS GRANTED

As the giant doors allowing the entry way into Liquipedia station opened up, lichter smiled as he began to walk in. The sight of A3 standing in front of him gave him a moment of relief since it meant that the plan was going along swiftly. After acknowledging one another, they both quickly started walking down the grand hallway towards the other doors.

A3: So, how did it go?
LICHTER: Not good. We were wrong about Chapa. He wasn't cooperative at all. So I had no choice but to initiate plan B.
A3: Did you cover up your tracks?
LICHTER: I did. They shouldn't be able to find anything there.
A3: (nodding his head) Good. It's a shame that he wasn't willing to help us out. He could have avoided all that.
LICHTER: What's done is done. Where do I need to go?
A3: (pointing right) Down here. Go straight down this hallway and take the last door on your right. That room is the main coordination room. Once you're in there, input Chapa's key card in and then put in this code: Liquipedia NOT Liquidpedia.
LICHER: ...Seriously?
A3: I didn't make the codes...
LICHTER: Got it. What about you?
A3: I'm still working on things with salle. I'll be in the security room to make sure none of the cameras catch you, but remember that you don't have a lot of time. Find out everything you possibly can about Project HerO and then get out of there ASAP. After that, leave the rest to me.
LICHTER: Alright. I won't run into anyone, will I?
A3: You shouldn't. The only people scheduled to work at this hour are me and salle. As long as you are out before the hour strikes, you should be fine.
LICHTER: Thanks A3. Good luck on your part.
A3: Same to you. Don't screw this up. You know what will happen to us if anything goes wrong. (quickly heads off into the other direction)
LICHTER: I know.







Over in the SC2 Writers' office, DLO was getting ready to settle down in one of the work stations. As he sat down in his chair and turned on his computer, he noticed a strange blinking light coming off of his monitor. The light was an indication that someone had entered the office without checking in with the main computer. Curious as to what was going on, DLO decided to follow up on this and headed over to the very back of the closets where the blinking light was indicating to go to. As he got closer and closer to the last closet that no one had used in over a year, he overheard whispering going on inside. Cautiously, DLO slowly crept up to the closet door and pressed his ear up against it.

ZEALOUSLY: ...-Yeah, I know. I wasn't able to change Nazgul's mind. lichter now has Men in Red powers over the writers' division.
????: Damn it. Then the plan is proceeding as scheduled. We may have to intervene much sooner than expected.
ZEALOUSLY: If your information is accurate, then we may be able to stop this thing before it goes on any further. Since this thing is still in the early stages, we may have a chance to prevent it from happening before it's too late.
????: It's going to be risky though. Remember, you can't draw any suspicions to yourself.
ZEALOUSLY: I know. I got to warn you though, I may have been overly aggressive during the writers' meeting. There is a good chance that someone noticed my odd behaviors and may be suspecting me of something.
????: Then there's no time to lose. Figure out what's going on now. Just remember to be extra cautious about everything. We're in trouble if you're taken out.
ZEALOUSLY: I understand. I'll head over to CPTSM's office as soon as this conversation is over. I don't know how much he's willing to say though. If it comes down to it, I may have to coerce him to talk.
????: Alright. Good luck Zeal. Let me know how it goes.

As soon as Zealously hung up, DLO quickly dashed out of the back room closets hallway and sprinted out of the writers' office as fast as he could. Once he was back out in the main hallways, he quickly took out his phone and called Plexa.


PLEXA: Hello?
DARKLORDOLLI: It's me. I need to talk to you. It's urgent. Where are you right now?
PLEXA: In my office. What's going on?
DARKLORDOLLI: I don't think it's wise to talk about this over the phone. I'm heading over now. I'll be there in less than five minutes.
PLEXA: Alright. I'll be here. Is everything okay?
DARKLORDOLLI: ...No... No, I don't think so. Plexa... I think someone on staff may be plotting something against us.
PLEXA: What?
DARKLORDOLLI: I'll explain everything when I get there.
PLEXA: Okay. See you soon.


After he hung up and put his phone away, all kinds of thoughts were going through DLO's mind. He didn't know what to make of the conversation that he had just overheard. He knew that something was up with Zealously, but to think that something like this was going on... "Could it be possible?... Zealously... A traitor?" Knowing that he had not a second to waste, DLO ran as fast he could towards Plexa's office; unaware of the disaster that was about to unfold later that day.

End of Chapter

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