The Devil you know

[Travis Kroells 0]

“The Devil you know”…Kroells’s logs (log 69)

Session 3.

 

Boy shrugged, walked away. The man stood and watched as he was leaving. Boy just walked away. The man stood alone thinking.

 

One hand is bleeding and the other hand holds a gun. While every thing is open, every thing is shut down…

 

 

The sun shown through the glass doors as Lt. Travis Kroells walked into the building. Travis walked up to a desk a small ways into the building, a woman sat at a desk, busily typing things on a console. Travis stood before her for several seconds, before giving a low grunt to signal the presence of another being. Startled, she looked up at Travis, to surprised to say anything. So, Travis decided to start the conversation.

 

“I’m here to see Admiral Kroells.”

 

The woman stumbled through a large collection of padds, obviously looking for something. “Ah yes. You must be…umm…ah…”

 

“Lt Jg. Kroells….”

 

“Ah yes, Lieutenant Junior Grade Kroells.” She said with a certain dignification as she handed him one of her numerous padds. “The admiral is in his office on the fifth floor, he’s expecting you.”

 

Travis merely nodded and began to walk away when the woman called him out again. “Have a nice day!”

 

Travis slowly sighed as he continued to walk, and responded without turning around. “Unlikely.”

 

Travis sighed again, as he pushed a button on the side of the wall, causing the door to open. He slowly stepped into the elevator, and sent it up towards the fifth floor. Travis cringed at the music that hummed from the slow moving device. Several more seconds past, and a door finally opened on the fifth floor, Travis stumbling out of it, his head throbbing from being submitted to that doppelganger that posed as music.

 

He walked along the hallways, most of the doors empty, or locked. Glass walls peered into empty offices; most of the floor was deserted. No doubt there were more offices here somewhere, but, if Travis knew one thing of the Admiral, he liked solitude. He walked the corridors for sometime, half heartedly trying to find the office.

 

He rounded several more corridors, finally brining him to his destination. Unlike most of the offices on the floor, this one was closed off, no glass to peer in on. His stomach suddenly lurched as he walked closer to the door. As much as he didn’t want to do this, he had to. This dysfunctional family ends now.

 

Travis swiftly brought his hand up, and punched the buzzer on the door. A swift “Enter” brought him through the door.

 

A man sat behind his desk, late forties in appearance. Brown and thinning hair adorned his head. A good sized mustache hid a small bit of his face, unlike Travis’s five day growth.

 

“Lieutenant Junior Grade…” Travis sighed, and muttered a “Damnit” under his breath. The grape vine was fast, to fast. Maybe if he hadn’t spent the first five days drunk of his --”

 

“I’m surprised you’d come here. I’m quite obviously the last person you would want to see on you little outing here.”

 

Travis crossed his arms across his chest. “Oh trust me; these family outings literally hurt my soul. I’m here to tell you that it’s over.”

 

Admiral Kroells chuckled. “Oh it is now is it? What’s over my boy?”

 

“Us. After today, I never plan to see you again.”

 

He chuckled again. “Oh, finally come out and said it eh? I wouldn’t blame you. You’ve hardly been the son that I’d grown to be proud of. But, that might not matter.”

 

Travis gave a scrutinizing look, trying to read him. “How’s that?”

 

The elder Kroells gave an odd sigh. “You’re not the only one.”

 

Travis’s face grew very grim, realizing what he was saying. “How.”

 

“Oh, about twenty-two years ago, give or take. A fun night on a Starbase out in the beta quadrant.” Travis was about to voice something when the elder Kroells interrupted him. “Don’t worry, your mother never knew, I made sure of that.”

 

Travis said nothing as he slowly clenched his fists.

 

The Admiral chuckled. “Oh, I do have the tendency to drop cliff hangers don’t I?”

 

Travis completely ignored him. “Where is he?”

 

“Some where on this level. He’s actually coming to see me for some odd reason…”

 

Travis said nothing as he abruptly turned and headed to the door, and walked through. The elder Kroells yelled out.

 

“I suppose your not coming back then?!”

 

The door closed.

 

The man just stood there twisting.