The Zetta Sonic
Trip

The day that Alex and his friends were waiting for came. They were in school early in the morning. This time not directly to the class, but to the front field. There each student reports to their homeroom teacher. They are divided into small groups. There were also brief instructions Tiger gave before they boarded the bus.

Tiger had to admit that he was surprised. The students carried a lot of luggage. It's like they're going to the moon, not camping. Though the guidance that the school gave and its instructions from class to class yesterday should be quite clear. Apparently, the school did have a good reason to make this kind of event. The students are more fluent in traveling abroad than camping in the nearby mountains.

The bus leaves at eight. Tiger one bus with Alex. The children sat two by two behind him. They're noisy. Most chat with their friends, only a few can enjoy music through earphones or sleep.

Tiger glanced back, once. Alex sits next to a girl. He remembered the girl's name was Leta, a sweet girl with a sweet voice. That girl is the same as the other kids. Carrying more things than needed. Alex talked to him. His eyes never left the girl. He was smiling the whole time. Tiger recognized such a reaction, something that made him almost forget what it was like.

For a moment, Tiger felt sorry for Alex. The boy clearly does not know to what extent the ICPA could change his life. Then, he remembered Alex's father. Mark Hill should have known that the ICPA changed the lives of their families. It feels strange considering that the man is leaving his family now. Except, if he's watching Alex from afar in a way they didn't expect.

[Are you dreaming of sitting with a girl like Alex, Tiger?] Jayden's voice interfered in the middle of his thinking.

Because the maish bus was noisy, Tiger was wearing a headset but did not turn on any songs. Jayden called from there. That is indeed their way in order to continue to communicate in a little way ‘young’. According to Tiger, it was strange.

“You contacted me just for this?” Tiger replied in a low voice.

He sat alone. There was no one beside him. Across his chair, there was only another teacher sleeping since the bus left. Students are busy with their friends. Nobody's watching Tiger. Even so, it never hurts to remain vigilant. Tiger doesn't want to be seen talking to himself. He sagged slightly so that his mouth was covered by another empty chair in front of him.

[Yes and no. You know that Alex brought his uniform, ‘ right?]

Tiger nodded, realizing that Jayden could see him. Jayden hacked the security cameras on the bus.

[I found a match among the missing people.]

“They are all beautiful young girls?”

[Some are even young stars, newcomer actresses, or budding models. Some have been found dead. The news is always the same. Police did not state all their findings, even seem to cover up this news. The result was suicide.]

“Police involved?”

[Also the bigwigs. I found two cases. One girl last met a famous politician. Another one was recorded by surveillance cameras meeting a famous businessman the day before his death.]

“Camera supervisor? No one reported it?”

[This surveillance camera comes from the businessman's hotel. Of course the news never came out. When the girl was there, she was with two big body guards. He himself was wearing all-covered clothes. I recognized her face when the businessman pulled the hood of his jacket and kissed her forcibly. In front of the presidential suite, on the top floor. I can guess what happened.

“Someone sells them.”

[I've uploaded the latest details of the case to your phone and to Zet-Arm.]

“The child is underage.”

“Nadira once said. Sometimes to save the world, you have to break other rules. Even if until he is real, it will be very silly and embarrassing.”

[I don't like Nadira's thinking.]

Jayden was serious about his words. He prefers to pick up Alex at his house every day and deliver her to the location of the case, branded as a private driver, called pampering the child or other. He doesn't want Alex to save the world by breaking into the rules of the country. That's not how it works.

Tiger had no interest in commenting on the matter.

Jayden continued. [Nadira says we really can't do anything about this case. This case does not belong to the ICPA.]

“I agree. We can't step over the police.”

[But, Gavin took the case personally outside the authority of the ICPA.]

“I don't like where our talk is going.”

[Nadira says we can help Gavin secretly. Either way, we're dealing with a killer robot case. From there, we find that Filip was the mastermind of human trafficking. If all goes well, we'll solve two cases together, save the poor women, and make Gavin indebted.]

“If all goes smoothly.” Tiger pressed down on every word.

[By the way, Alex is on his way to your place. Give my regards to him.]

Connection interrupted. Tiger glanced at the rearview mirror of the bus, finding a child wearing a blue jumper coming at him. Taking the headset off his head, Tiger asked. “Need something, young man?”

“Some colleagues asked if they could exchange groups.” Alex asked a question of friends he already knew the answer to. The group is determined by the school. The leader of the group alone should not choose its members let alone group members choose their own friends.

“It's a little weird. Can you explain what their problem is?” Tiger shifted, giving Alex a place to sit next to him.

As soon as he sat down, Alex immediately changed the topic. “I saw a barrage of new data on Zet-Arm. A kidnapping? Human Trafficking? I thought we were handling a killer robot case. Then, now there's the possibility of the killer robot appearing at the town hall this weekend? How many cases do we have to deal with at one time?” All the protests were thrown with half a voice so that no one else could hear.

“You'll be snuck, Alex. Look on the bright side, at least the field agent can only be in one place at a time. But Jayden and Emil don't. They can be anywhere, anytime. One case at a time is really a luxury for them.”

“Who is Emil?”

“Jayden quiet version. Another strange person. You will meet him soon.”

Alex frowning. Then, he shook his head, returning to the original topic. “If I had to leave the camp site because of the killer robots in the city hall, I would hate you.”

Tiger knew Alex's threat was just an outpouring of resentment. It amused him, he smiled, remembering Alex's real age. “Do not worry, boy. I hated you first.”