Searching for Andromeda 35 Denmark's Conspiracy

"It seems he's the president's father." Samuel answers.

"Wait, the Denmark from earlier from the hologram . . . are they the same person?"

"Beats me, but this just made me more confused," says Samuel. "So the president's dad is the part of the crew?"

Ephraim narrows his eyes. "Oswald . . . are you talking about my former professor?"

Hiroaki stares blankly, and then closed his eyes, leaving Ephraim's question unanswered.

"I've said enough," Hiroaki exclaims. "I don't think my job is to let all of you delve deeper."

Ephraim still pointed his gun to Hiroaki, his deep-blue eyes staring at the former sergeant with a measured gaze. Ephraim knew Hiroaki would tell a piece of valuable information that may ease bemusement. Ephraim however, remained the gun intact and barbed to Hiroaki's forehead. He knew this was an ineffective way to get a person talking—and he was considered an exemplary leader by his colleagues. But here he is.

He should be showing a good example. Ephraim thought to himself, 'handle this as calmly as possible'. He was their leader, and he was trying to be as kind as possible. It shouldn't be hard for him.

It shouldn't be.

He was a former student council president. He was the epitome of equanimity. He was established, dignified, and dexterous. Ephraim knew how to control his emotions to people, and everything else. He would turn things he liked or dislike to his advantage. He was an individual who studied pasts and presents, after all. He knew the cycle the world had revolved to.

But this mission—this task—he had lost everything he had built for over the course of years; he lost his composure, his professionalism, and now, his patience.

Lucian described him perfectly.

Behind his kind smiles,

He was conniving.

"I don't think you answered my queries, Hiroaki-san," Ephraim exclaims, adding the Japanese honorific to at least be polite. But how would one display courtesy by pointing a gun straight to a person's face?

Hiroaki stared at Ephraim with equal intensity, but Ephraim could tell Hiroaki wasn't intimidated one bit. He was calm, with his dark eyes still and looking at Ephraim with a blank stare. Unlike Ephraim—whose hand was trembling up-close. His gaze was also a bit shaking as his palms sweat. He was pointing the gun, yet he was the one intimidated.

Ephraim tightened his grip to the gun, overcoming the trembles.

He breathed.

"Answer our queries first," Ephraim exclaims. "I don't think changing your mind would be a good move right now, Hiroaki-san."

"Your queries," Hiroaki repeats, and then stares at the gun, then glances back to Ephraim. "I will answer them . . . however," before Ephraim could even decide to withdraw the pistol, Hiroaki swiftly moved in directions Ephraim didn't even muster to see. His moves were swift, and in a moment's notice, Hiroaki had the gun and had already fastened it to his own holster where it actually belonged (Berthold borrowed the gun from him, after all).

"Your sides are all opened, Ephraim Hughes," Hiroaki says with a lifeless tone. "If I was your enemy, I would have already snatched he gun and you would have died before you could even speak."

Ephraim then turned to all of them and flashed his usual smile. He headed to where Esmeralda and the others are, being his usual self again. Esmeralda looked at him with worry written across her face.

"L-leader . . .?"

Ephraim smiles at Esmeralda, and then shifted his gaze back to Hiroaki. Through his spectacles, he narrowed his eyes as he eyed him keenly and sharply. Ephraim was still dazed with Hiroaki snatching the gun from him in the blink of an eye—but he ought to snap out from it. He reassured himself that he was an archeologist, not a combatant.

Ephraim shook his head internally. What was important is that Hiroaki wanted to talk again. But Ephraim doubts that he would mention anything beyond Roy Denmark. Ephraim knew his former professor, Oswald, had been involved with the president by referring Ephraim to be the one in charge of a task force.

But it seems like his connections to the whole enchilada were further than that.

"Your queries . . . will be answered by the story of Roy Denmark," Hiroaki says. "The man who drew out Anna's chips. The man who built UHE."

"Hold on, if he was that well-known, I should've had at least a background on him," Samuel exclaims. "I know people as much as I know information. Trust me, I know LOTS."

Hiroaki looks at the team blankly, as he sighs.

"Roy Denmark is his alias," says Hiroaki. "I am talking about the man they referred to as 'Brilliant Mind,' Roscosmos Yshmael Denmark."

"Roscosmos Yshmael . . . now I remember. That's indeed the name of the founder," Ephraim utters, as he remembers the statue built to the main campus of UHE. But he didn't recognize the founder so easily in the hologram—his statues in school were his face when he got older. He looked way younger in Anna's memory.

"Brilliant Mind—Roscosmos Yshmael—now that triggers some memory," Samuel says. "He's one of the scientists that revolutionized the use of Artificial Intelligence."

"I've heard of him too . . . he's a brilliant scientist engineer who also developed AIs for easier recognition of genus and species of certain organisms," Esmeralda says. "But I didn't really get the news about him being the founder of UHE,"

"Well, it's because he established UHE when he was almost dying," says Hiroaki. "He founded UHE with the help of my father."

"Hiroaki-san's father . . .?" Esmeralda exclaims.

"My father is one of the biggest sharks in the conglomerate," Hiroaki exclaims with a hint of bitter pang in his tone. It was very light, and almost unnoticeable. But Ephraim managed to do so.

"I wouldn't reveal any more than that," Hiroaki exclaims. "But my father and Roy Denmark established UHE for shared reasons that benefited them. Roy founded UHE to mask the association. The association my father inaugurated. An organization tasked to find ANDROMEDA's research."

"I still don't understand," Samuel blurts. "Roy Denmark is a part of ANDROMEDA. He definitely knew what the research is, right? He knew ANDROMEDA better than anyone else as well. When it's abandoned he could've simply retrieved the research."

"Roy Denmark is a part of the Messier 33." Hiroaki answers. "They were researching a different thing . . . that's all I know."

Ephraim then remembers the head scientist ordering the M31 be slaughtered by the test subjects, and the M33 to be spared. He remembers how Roy Denmark just passed dying people as he gets to Anna.

"Roy Denmark and UHE are conspiring something," Hiroaki exclaims. "I am one of their agents. I am both the outside and inside information,"

"If they are conspiring something, then we're pawns to their plans." Says Samuel, clenching his fist, and then glares at Hiroaki. ". . . and you are with them. How can we tell you can be trusted?"

"Sam . . .!" Esmeralda scolds.

"No, he's right. How do we know you can be trusted?" Ephraim says. "You said you are the inside and outside information . . . wait . . . no, is that why you've broken the beeper?" Ephraim asks, his eyes gleaming as something enlightens in the back of his mind.

"What do you mean, Raim?" Berthold asks, equally confused as Samuel and Esmeralda.

"That beeper," says Ephraim, clearly realizing something. "it's different from ours, wasn't it?"

Hiroaki smiles. "What a wonder you are, Ephraim Hughes." Hiroaki then nods. "That's right. That beeper is meant to track all of you . . . and let the HR know your whereabouts."

"Then . . ." Esmeralda exclaims.

"I threw it before they discover that the task force is now on its way down to divulge ANDROMEDA's secrets."

"Huh?" Esmeralda tilts her head.

"But isn't that what they want us to do?" Samuel asks. "Damn it, this is making my head hurt! Aren't we tasked to find something important here? isn't that our job?"

"This is all I could tell. This is all the extent of my knowledge," Hiroaki says, not answering Samuel's question. "This is all of I know of UHE—the organization's—plan. I am a provider of information, not the receiver of one."

"But I do know of this." Hiroaki silently utters. "The Denmarks . . . have a conspiracy at hand."

Chapter end