This is a noir which takes place in the retro futuristic city of Libertopolis. In this world, there are robots and grit and mysteries to be solved by our main character, the private eye Rex Malone. The full story is available to our paid subscribers. If you want to become a subscriber, you can sign up right now for a 14-day free trial.
Without further ado, here is Chapter 8: Too Close to the Truth
I had to return to my office. This conspiracy was much larger than I ever thought, than I ever wanted. I was outmatched. Outmaneuvered. City hall had been compromised. Replaced. The takeover had already happened under our noses. I need someplace quiet to think. To drink. No doubt I was already on somebody's list. Finding a plan for that was paramount.
Rex Malone slumped down in his chair, letting out a loud, sudden creak that raised his heart rate. The room was dark aside from the neon lights glaring through his half-drawn blinds. He pulled out the whiskey from his desk drawer and poured a double into his chipped coffee mug. Tonight, the sobering powder would stay in his pocket. Tonight, he needed to dull the sharp worries he had now.
What was the endgame? He wondered as he took a sip of the burning liquid. Why replace people just to control this city? He was just a private eye, a relic in a city hurtling towards an unclear future.
He took another long sip, the alcohol doing little calm the tremor in his hands.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
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