The threat that Gary had imposed on Neville hadn't worked for a second. Spreading rumours about what the director and producer were doing? This wasn't the first time they had done things like this and word had never gotten out.
AJ Entertainment had a pretty good hold on the news and media outlets, and this was because they had to, due to the nature of their business. There would be time after time where one of their stars would be involved in a scandal.
Sometimes it was small, others large, but whether AJ Entertainment would try to keep hush about it was based on how much it affected the business. At times, the group being run by a gang, it meant that they weren’t so shy about getting physical either.
For the final two days, the group were told that there would mostly be one on one interviews, where they would ask them questions about their experience, what they had learned from the programme and more.
They would even ask some of them to do some voice overs here and there for the programme at certain times. It was pretty standard stuff and it was made clear that the group were done with moving to locations, and there was no need for them to travel together anymore.
Which was why Gary hadn't met up with the others either. When the next day arrived, Elanor had come into his room to talk to Gary.
“Gary, I was told by the producer that you have to do some reshoots. Don't worry they should be small, they want you in studio five, which is based on floor one on the outside. After you're done with this, they said you could finally head back to the AFA as well.” Elanor explained.
When speaking, she sounded as if she was relieved of this fact and she was. During the last two days, she was worried that something would come up. Maybe even fake articles of Gary in an attempt to ruin his outside life.
After visiting his hometown she knew he was a good person, and perhaps too good, which was why he needed to get away from the producer as soon as possible.
“I have to go and inform the girls of something as well. It's a shame that we won’t all be able to say goodbye to each other, but I think it's for the best if you just head back.” Elanor said with a smile, as she mouthed the word 'sorry' and left.
There were no hard feelings on Gary’s mind. Elanor was just doing her job, she and neither did he have any idea that things were going to work out this way.
Gary was heading to the studio which he had been to before so he knew the way. It was one where stages would be made and were rolled in and out. A live crowd was also able to watch.
When they were here before they were using it as a set, to record some of the scenes for the programme. When Gary entered, he could see the normal workers wearing black and a beret type hat on their head.
‘There seems to be a lot of workers here today.’ Gary thought.
“Elanor told me… that I was to come here to wrap up some filming, is there somewhere I need to be?” Gary asked out loud, not shy at all.
“Sure, just head to the set, and stand there until further instructions.” One of the men behind the camera shouted.
Gary did as he was told, the set behind him was currently a restaurant. There were tables, chairs and a dinner of sorts. He grazed his hand over the table, when he could hear the sound of footsteps, multiple footsteps.
“Ah, what a surprise for my last day.” Gary smiled at himself, as he looked in front of him, all of the men were wearing baggy black clothes, dressed like workers on the studio set. However, it was quite clear that they weren’t workers at all.
They had weapons held in their hands, and there were around thirty of them as well. All of them were different shapes and sizes.
“We know about you.” A female voice said, walking to the front, and behind her she had a tail swinging. It was clear she was an Altered. “The Ashen gang has been ordered to get rid of you. It looks like you have upset someone.”
It was easy to figure out who was behind this, but what Gary was even more excited about, was the fact that there was an Altered here.
[New Quest received]
[The Ashen Gang have underestimated you. Sending a bunch of crooks and a single Altered]
[Challenge yourself: Finish them in less than 30 minutes.]
-------
At the same time, Elanor had entered the room where the rest of the stars of the programme had been placed. The truth was, only Gary had been split up, as even Tyson was in the same dressing room as the girls.
“Hi there everyone, as it is your final day, it seems like the director would like to meet with you all.” Elanor stated.
-------
Somewhere else in AJ Entertainment, Neville was smirking to himself happily, already imagining the trouble that Gary had to be going through right now. He was in the editing room, and was looking at the programme as a whole, and deciding what to cut and what not to cut.
“I guess, when the news of what happened to the AFA Star comes out, we are going to have to cut a lot of him out, to be respectful to him.” Neville smirked at himself.
Looking through the videos, and the documents attached to him, it was then that Neville noticed something.
“The group went to Slough…”
The town’s name was familiar and for more reasons than one. Neville quickly remembered why he had been sent there, because of the gang that now had a part in AJ Entertainment, and the horrible feeling that left his mouth when leaving there.
“But, why would they head to Slough?”
Reading the side notes, he soon realised that it was due to a certain member coming from Slough… Gary.
“Gary is from Slough, and he’s an Altered as well, is this a coincidence?”
Neville’s heart started to beat slightly faster. He tried to ignore it and started to watch the footage that had been captured carefully, and that's when he was seeing certain things. The group, they were all being treated overly nicely.
While at the same time, in the background, those that were wearing Black and Gold coloured clothing, they were spotted everywhere almost as if they were looking over the group.
Neville’s hand was starting to shake, as he continued to go through the clips.
“Why would the gang be looking over such a person?”
Looking into it more, there were certain things that he had found. For one, Gary’s sponsor in the AFA, where the Howlers gang themselves, but on top of that it was the name, Gary Dem.
‘The memo I got this morning about the public shareholders...’
Naville's entire body started to shake, as he fell out of his seat and onto the ground.
*****
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