The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 851: [BLIND JUSTICE] MOVIE (I)

AFTER a short Q&A with the cast of Blind Justice, the theater lights finally dimmed and the movie began. Since it was the 5D version, no one needed to wear a VR helmet. The screen came to life, filling the entire front wall with the opening scene.

***

The movie opened in the middle of a heist. The scene showed a private auction house, filled with wealthy guests who had no idea there were three guests among them who didnʼt belong. Callieʼs voice came through the comms first, guiding Remi through the layout as he made his way toward the vault. Hunter was stationed near the main hall, blending in as a bored investor with a glass of champagne he wasnʼt actually drinking.

The audience watched the team move like they had done this a hundred times before, each member handling their part without a single pause. Remi cracked the vault in a comedic way that earned a few laughs from the theater. For a moment, the whole thing felt light, almost fun, like the start of any other episode of the [Blind Justice].

Then the comms went silent.

It happened fast. One second Hunter was talking, the next there was only static, and then nothing. Remi called out for both of them, his voice calm at first, then growing tighter. He abandoned the vault and ran for the main hall. But when he got there, Hunter was gone. There were no signs of a struggle, just an empty space where the other was supposed to be standing. Callie didnʼt answer either. The camera focused on Rem. People moved around him like nothing had happened, like he hadnʼt just lost his two friends in a matter of seconds.

~~~

The next scene was of Remi walking fast through a parking structure, his Terminal in hand. He was checking through every channel he had. He wasnʼt searching for backup. He didnʼt have anyon he trusted enough to call. Watching him, the audience could immediately sense that this wasnʼt a man used to being in this position.

He was so focused on what heʼs doing, he didnʼt sense what happened next. A beat of silence passed, then a sharp prick at his neck made him flinch. His hand shot up instinctively to his neck as his legs buckled. The camera followed him falling down on the ground. Then the screen cut to black.

~~~

Remiʼs eyes slowly opened. He was in a gray, windowless room with a bright light overhead. It was clearly an interrogation room. He sat on a cold metal chair, his wrists cuffed to the arms. A plain rectangular table stood in front of him.

A deep sense of confusion filled his mind. His last clear memory was of standing in a parking structure, looking for a way to search for his missing friends. Then he felt a sharp prick on the side of his neck, followed by a sudden dizziness, and everything fading to black. So, waking up here llike this was a complete shock.

Remi took a slow, deep breath and tried himself to calm down. He focused on his surroundings. He tested the handcuffs to see how much he could move his hands. Then he looked at the single door and noticed the lack of windows. His mind shifted into a cold, analytical assessment of everything around him.

That assessment stopped when the door suddenly opened. The person who walked in made his brain freeze. He stopped breathing for several long seconds as he gaped at the man standing in front of him.

The other was dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit that showed his slender frame. His hair was jet black, slicked back neatly from his forehead. His pair of dark eyes studied Remi with quiet calculation.

The other started speaking, but Remi couldnʼt hear what heʼs saying. All he could do at that moment was to stare at the man.

It was Noa.

They had met again six months ago, after fifteen years of separation. Then Noa disappeared again without a trace, as if everything was just an illusion. Remi had tried to find him, using every bit of his skills. But despite his best efforts, he found nothing. Every lead he found ended up going nowhere, like something was systematically keeping him from getting any closer.

But now Noa was here now, actually here.

Remiʼs first thought was to get up, to close the distance between them, and to pull him into his arms. But the sharp rattle of metal against the chair stopped him. The sound brought him back to reality, reminding him exactly where he was and what kind of situation he was in.

”Please donʼt try to stand up,” Noa said, sitting down in the chair across the table. ”You could hurt your wrists.”

Taking in Noaʼs calm composure, the sterile room around them, everything became clear in Remiʼs mind. ”Are you the one who brought me here?”

”Not exactly. The people who brought you and your friends are working for me though,” Noa said lighty, almost casually, like he was talking about the weather.

The mention of his friends brought Hunter and Callie back to the front of his mind. Seeing Noa had made him forget about them entirely. He cursed himself for it, then forced his thoughts to catch up with what Noa had just said.

”Why did you bring us here?”

He still couldnʼt fully wrap his head around everything. He wasnʼt sure if he should believe Noaʼs claim that his people had taken Hunter and Callie. He couldnʼt make sense of how Noa was even here in the first place. But one thing was clear. Noa knew exactly where his friends were, and he knew exactly why the three of them had been taken.

Noa didnʼt answer the question. Instead, he started listing every crime Remi and his friends had committed as Themis. Each crime hit Remi hard solely because of the way the voice were delivering them. The man speaking didnʼt sound anything like the Noa he remembered.

When he finished, Noa smiled.

”Youʼve certainly lived a very... colorful life,” Noa said, his voice flat and matter of fact. ”I can help you erase all of your criminal records. Yours and your friendsʼ.” He looked completely serious, his dark eyes locked on Remiʼs without a trace of emotion.

Remi stared at him, his brain struggling to catch up. ”How?” he finally said. ”How could you possibly do that?”

Noa leaned back slightly in his chair. ”Because Iʼm a member of the Imperial Central Intelligence,” he said. ”And Iʼm fairly high up in the organization.”

The words hit Remi like a punch to the chest. The Imperial Central Intelligence, ICI for short. The militaryʼs premier intelligence division, handling the Empireʼs most sensitive behind-the-scenes operations. Remiʼs head spun, trying to make sense of this. The Noa he knew and the cold, untouchable power of the ICI didnʼt fit together. The man in front of him belonged to the very system his team had been trying to fight for years. His confusion, already overwhelming, deepened even further.

Seeing his stunned silence, Noa continued. ”The offer is simple. You and your friends agree to work with us on a specific mission. If you do, I give you my word, all your records will be wiped clean upon its successful completion.”

He laid out the terms like it was nothing more than a business transaction.

Then he stood in smooth, unhurried movements, and walked toward the door.

A sudden panic gripped Remi. He watched Noaʼs back, the same view he had seen half a year ago right before the man disappeared from his life again like an illusion. He couldnʼt bear the thought of Noa leaving, and with him being left with nothing but questions and the fear of not seeing him again.

”Noa!” Remi blurted without thinking.

He half expected Noa to keep walking, to ignore his call. But for a second, Noaʼs steps faltered. His back was still turned, but heʼd stopped moving. A fragile hope flared in Remiʼs chest.

Then it died just as quickly.

Noa didnʼt turn around. He didnʼt even glance back. He simply continued walking, leaving Remi alone in the silent room.

~~~

The next scene opened in a different room, smaller and less sterile than the last, more of a holding area than an interrogation space. Hunter and Callie were already inside when Remi walked in. Both of them stood the moment they saw him, relief flooding their faces, though it didnʼt completely erase the tension that had clearly built up while they waited.

The three of them looked each other over, checking for any injuries. Callie held onto Remiʼs arm a beat longer than necessary, like she needed to feel that he was really there with them. Hunterʼs eyes quickly scanned him, the way they always did when sizing up a situation.

It didnʼt take long for the questions to start. Hunter wanted to know who had taken them and why, and Callie wanted to know if Remi had seen anything that could explain the six hours they had lost. The audience watched Remi hesitate before answering.

He told them what he knew. That the people holding them worked for someone claiming to be from the Imperial Central Intelligence, and that this person had an offer. Wipe their records clean in exchange for one mission. He left out the details of who that someone was at first, and focused more on getting the basic information across. But Callie caught the way he laid out everything, and pressed him on what he wasnʼt telling them.

That was when he told them the rest. That the man he met in the interrogation room, the one working for ICI, was Noa. The same Noa Remi had been looking for all these years. The same Noa who had disappeared without a trace and set everything in motion.

Callieʼs confusion shifted into concern as she studied Remiʼs face. Hunter went quiet. Neither of them pushed for more right then. Instead, they moved to the more practical questions. What did ICI actually want from them? What kind of job would be worth wiping their records clean? And whether they had any real choice in the matter at all.

While they were still weighing their options, debating whether ICIʼs offer was real or just a trap, the door opened without warning. Two men in black suits stepped inside. One of the two told them to follow, his tone leaving no room for argument, before turning and walking out with his companion. Remi exchanged a quick look with Hunter and Callie, and then all three of them followed.