Their Solitary Way by JN Chaney

moment later, she answered. “Hey, Seth. How can I help you?”
    “Where is he, Lilith?” asked Seth.
    “Who?”
    “Cain,” he answered. “Where’s he gone?”
    “Checking the com systems now. One mom—”
    “I’ve already done that,” interrupted Seth. “Tell me where he is.”
    “I apologize, Lieutenant, but I honestly have no idea. I haven’t spoken to him since yesterday, right before Abel went to see him.”
    “So you’re aware of their meeting,” said Seth.
    “Only that it happened. I’m afraid I have no idea what they discussed. After the accident this morning, I tried to call him to see how he was handling the news, but he didn’t answer.”
    “Why didn’t you report this?”
    “People deal with grief in their own way,” she said. “Cain prefers his solitude. He doesn’t like sharing his feelings.”
    “I need to find him now , Lilith.”
    “Is something wrong? Why are you looking for him?”
    “I have to question him about last night. He was the last person to see Abel alive.”
    Lilith frowned. “But Abel died in an accident, didn’t he?”
    “Sure, probably,” said Seth. There was no need to go into detail. The less she knew, the better. “I just have to ask him some simple questions so we can put this incident behind us. It’s the only way to move forward.”
    “I see. So, it’s protocol,” she said.
    “Exactly.”
    “Alright. I understand. What can I do?”
    “Feed the surveillance footage from this hallway into my communicator. Start a few seconds before he disabled his com. He was inside his quarters, so let’s see when he left and where he headed.”
    “Certainly,” said Lilith.
    Seth watched as the screen flashed to an image of the hall—the same one he stood in now. “Focus on Cain’s door.”
    The video magnified and centered. “How’s that?” asked Lilith.
    “Yeah,” he said, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Nearly a full two minutes passed before the door finally slid open. Seth watched as his brother emerged from his quarters. “There we go.”
    Cain wore a bag around his shoulder—his favorite satchel, which he’d brought from Fiore, years ago. He began walking through the hall, heading in the opposite direction Seth had arrived from. “Follow him,” ordered Seth.
    The screen switched to another camera, focusing on Cain as he traveled the corridors. They followed him until he entered an elevator where the doors closed.
    The camera switched again. When the lift arrived on deck sixteen, a largely uninhabited area, Cain continued his walk.
    Several minutes later, and after a few more jumps between cameras, Cain entered bay twelve. He went to the far left wall and found a hatch, which he unhooked and climbed into. The camera froze, focusing on the hatch. “Based on the recordings I have here, he still hasn’t left,” said Lilith.
    “What connects to that compartment he’s in?” asked Seth.
    “There’s one other entrance, but he hasn’t used it.”
    “Keep monitoring him until I arrive. Let me know if anything changes.”
    “Understood,” said Lilith. The screen turned off and she disappeared.
    “Okay, guys,” said Seth, calling to the others. “I’ve got our next destination. Get ready.”
    Michael raised his hand. “Wait, sir. There’s something you should see.”
    “What is it?” asked Seth.
    Michael showed him a plastic bag with a metal object inside. It was covered in blood. “I found it in the bathroom, lodged right inside the waste dispenser. I’m no doctor, but what do you make of this?”
    Seth took the bag and held it in the air, staring at the object inside. “It’s one of his tools. I’ve seen it before,” he said.
    “Sir, do you think it’s the murder weapon?” asked Michael.
    “We need to get the blood analyzed,” said Seth. “First thing’s first, though. We’re heading to population bay three. We still have a job to do.”

Twelve
     
     
    Seth’s team arrived at the bay within fifteen