The City of Forgotten Memories (Rated T, Accepting)

Samuel

Samuel nodded before allowing Joseph to lead. While he did admire the boy's sense of curiosity, in fact it was one of the reasons he had so much faith in Joseph, but the boy had to learn when to leave well enough alone. Especially when it came to something as important as this.
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Ashley

"Yeah, same here." Ashley replied before quickly turning around as she continued on her way to the Archive facility, even more disappointed and sad after her conversation with Hyu.

Catherine Bryan, Kandor Bryan

"What do you mean that the investigation into Klaus' death has been suspended?!" Catherine thundered, slamming her palm on her father's desk. Kandor sighed and tried to explain.

"Catherine, Thomas Maywater has been assassinated. What else are we suppose to do? All our resources are now being used to investigate and solve his murder. I'm sorry, but we can't investigate your friend's death for now. We just don't have the time."

Catherine opened her mouth to start the arguement again when her cell phone rang, interrupting her. She briefly opened it and talked with the other person on the line. Catherine hung it up a moment later.

"An emergency Council meeting has been called. I have to go. But this isn't over, Dad." Catherine scowled at her father before leaving his office. Kandor sighed again once she was gone.

?

A young woman walked into Samuel's office soon after Joseph left. By looking at her clothes, it was obvious to tell she wasn't an archive keeper. She closed the door without introducing herself and walked to his desk.

"Mr. Maywater was here yesterday, to have access to a certain file, no? I need to see that file, now." she said in a voice that was clear it was an order, rather than a request.

?

A man walking by accidentally bumped into Hyu. "Oh, sorry about that."

The man was gone before Hyu could reply. However, there was now a note in his pocket. Once he read it, it would simply say,

"Come to the old abandoned police station building on Fifth Street. There is more to your grandmother's death than you know."

Samuel

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met before. Who are you?" Samuel asked, a coy smile on his face as he leaned back in his chair. He was pretty sure that this girl meant trouble, but the fact was that he knew that she couldn't kill him. She would never get waht she wanted if she did, after all.
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Ashley

It took Ashley another half hour after meeting Hyu before she reached the Archives. "Ok then, I just have to find that guy and then....Well I'm sure I'll know what to do after that." She thought to herself as she walked into the main lobby.

"Hey! hey can you help me?" Ashley asked as she saw one of the Archive Keepers rushing by. "I'm looking for an Apprentice here. He's about this tall, long black hair, kind of cute. Have you seen him?"

Chei's phone rang and he sighed. It seemed that there was going to be much choas around here and other places after the mayor's death. The man wasn't sure if he could handle it all. But he had to deal. After all he worked hard to get where he was.
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Hyu was about to say something, but the guy was gone before he could get a word out. He took the note out of his pocket and read it. Blinking in confusion he shoved it in his pocket.

'Is this a trap or something? No, no one would target me. My death would mean little. Well except for who my grandfather is, but....'

Hyu shook his head and made his choice. He headed to where the note said hoping he was right that no one wanted him dead.

?

"I'm no one who you should be concerned with. Now, give me that file." the woman said in a commanding voice.

General Narrative

The Archive Keeper nodded. "Yeah, I know 'em."

Turning back behind him, the Keeper shouted, "Hey, Joseph! Your girlfriend's here."

?

Once Hyu entered the old abandoned police station, there was already a man waiting for him, setting at a broken down desk. The man motioned to a nearby chair in need of bad repair.

"Please, take a seat, Hyu. There is much you need to learn."

Hyu slowly walked forward unsure of how this man knew who he was. But he wasn't going to back down now. He had a knife on him, not that it would do him much good. But at least he wasn't completely defenseless.

Hyu took the seat and waited, staring at the man.

Samuel

"I'm very sorry, but I couldn't give you the file even if I wanted to. It's not here right now, you see." Samuel informed the girl as he sat in place, trying to appear calm and assured of himself.

?

"I am not playing games with you, Samuel. Give me that file. Now." the woman said. She pulled out a gun from her pocket and leveled it to his chest.

"Or do I have to make a demonstration of how far I'm willing to go to get that file?"

?

"I imagine you have many questions, Hyu. Please, go ahead and ask." the man said.

"Why did you ask me here," Hyu said slowly. He was feeling unsure about this but so far nothing bad had happened. So he might as well see what he could get out of this. "You said it had to do with my grandmother's death."

Samuel

Samuel paused as he had an epiphany, realizing just who he might be dealing with. "No, I am entirely serious. I gave the file to Thomas Maywater yesterday, why didn't you take it from him after you were done murdering him?"

"What are you talking about, Edmund, I have no girlfriend," Joseph grumbled as he staggered out from one of the nearby chambers containing some old books. He raised an eyebrow at the girl before him, "You're the girl from the diner."

Ashley

"And you're the boy who wasn't lying about being an Archive Keeper." Ashley replied, slightly offput by the boy's declaration.

"Sorry," Joseph told her, realizing he had offended her. He grinned awkwardly, "I just... didn't expect to you again after the... incident."

Ashley

"Me neither, but.... I guess the other incident overshadowed what happened in Cafe yesterday." Ashley explained.

Joseph nodded before sighing a little glancing around. He spoke, "I suppose you want information. Everybody does."

Ashley

".....You don't know anything about it either, do you?" Ashley stated after studying the boy's face for a second.

Joseph paused, thinking back to the night before before shaking his head. He said truthfully, "Well, I don't know anything."

Ashley

Ashley bit her lip, frustrated with herself that she had wasted all that time walking down here. "Even if he did know anything, it's not like he would tell you. He doesn't even know your name." Ashley pointed out to herself as she began to realize just how naive her plan had been.

"Well then....I guess I should leave....."

?

"Smart man, you are, Samuel." the assassin commented with a smirk. "Clever little man you are. But I know you're lying. I searched every square inch of Maywater's room. It wasn't there, so it has to be here. And now you've gone and dried up my patience. Whatever happens now, just remember: it's your fault."

Several armed thugs burst into the archive chambers then, each brandishing a machine gun. One of them fired a round into the roof, yelling at everyone to get down on the floor. The female assassin smiled again.

"Now, are you willing to re-negotiate?"

?

"Yes, your grandmother's death. There's no real easy way to tell you this Hyu, but..." the man trailed off for a moment.

"She did not die of old age. She was murdered."

Samuel

Samuel glared at the girl, finally showing some emotion besides amusement. "You think you can just threaten me and I'll give the file to you? Don't be ridiculous. I know who you work for, and I know that I would never give such information like what Thomas Maywater left here, to a woman like her." Samuel stated as he stood up.
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Ashley

"Holy ****!" Ashley shouted as she ducked to the ground. "Great, another shooting." She muttered under her breath.

Hyu just sat there for a second. He wasn't sure he heard the man right. Then he felt a surge of angry overwhelm him, but he managed to fight it back down.

"Murder? But why? Who would murder her?"

?

The killer laughed at Samuel.

"Please, you think I work for that hag Cromwell? No, this is much bigger than her. I'm afraid I cannot state the name of my employer, but let us just say he or she is very well connected, even moreso than Maria Cromwell. Now, will you hand me that file or will I have to start killing some hostages?"

The woman made a motion to the men outside. Two of them forced Ashley and an archive apprentice, who Samuel would recognize as Jospeh, back up and dragged them into the office.

"Give me that file, or I'll shoot the girl int he kneecap." the vicious woman threatened, aiming her gun at Ashley's leg.

?

"Those who are afraid of the past, young Hyu. Your grandmother was very close to having all her memories restored to her, though this kept this a secret to all but a select few." the man said.

"Samuel's not the type to give in to threats, especially if you're only hurting a stranger," Joseph stated, strangely calm in this situation. It was like one of the books he read when he was a child. The hero had to steer the danger away from the love interest, which would be the foul-mouthed girl beside him. Now, they will threaten him, making a mistake in the process. He smirked. That's how it always went in the stories.

Samuel/Ashley

"You're that bitch from the cafe yesterday, aren't you!" Ashley shouted at the girl with the gun, not taking kindly to being held in a hostage situation. Plus if she got shot, her insurance would totally pay for that. She wouldn't even have to worry about paying her bills for the next three months, she reckoned.

"And then what? You shoot the boy next, then another person, then another? Lets be honest here, Miss. You only have about seven minutes maximum before the police arrive here. I'm not going to open the vault for you, so you have two options: You kill everyone here and run, or you simply run." Samuel informed the girl, accidentally giving away where the file was in the process.

Hyu nodded, though he wasn't sure what he was hearing. His grandmother was going to regain her memory? Was it actually possible? He could guess if something bad happened before that certain people would want what happened before the amnesia to remain a mystery.

"I see. I can't believe someone would do that. But I don't think you're lying. Is anyone else in my family in danger?"