Chapter 4: Operation Praha10
The skies darkened with rolling storm-clouds, morose and full of depressing attributes. Hei felt an ominous omen creeping around him since the start of the mission, so this sombre grace comforted Hei in heart. Bai followed her brother to a convenient store, alongside Kun. She held onto Kun's hand and said, "I know you are capable of looking after yourself but my brother is here to watch over you and as a backup communicator." Kun responded with a slight nod as she gazed upon Bai's delicate face with her usual emotionless eyes.
"Brother, you mustn't leave this place and keep her covered," Bai said with deepest concern. This shocked Hei for a moment since he conceived of a fully transformed and impassive sister since the catastrophe back in Guilin. This point added a bit of consolation to his heart. Bai left Hei and Kun and they waited for a signal from Wu. Hei and Kun walked to a nearby alley and rested on many crates situated there. Hei chose this spot because a tarp hung across the alley, shielding them from rain.
"Praha10, you will be searching for the following people in residence area VJ-3956: Andrej Novak, Radek Capek, Vaclav Masek, and Anastasia Kovar. Kun can tell who they are by her spectre and ability to identify contractors. If any others show up, capture them as well. We need to muster as many as possible," Wu contacted the team via an earpiece receiver.
"Understood," Hei, Qian, Dui and Bai responded simultaneously.
"Are you lonely?" Kun asked Hei.
"Huh?"
"Do you feel lonely from being stuck with a doll like me?"
"How can I be lonely if I have company?"
"You wish to be of more significance to the mission, do you?"
"Yes, but a human boy is incapable of confronting contractors."
"You are wrong," Kun said.
"How can I compare myself to them? Contractors are clearly superior!"
"That is true, but you have certain qualities that a contractor lacks."
"Wait, I thought dolls have no personalities," Hei noticed the drastic difference between Kun and Wu's definition.
"You are wrong again. The Syndicate have recently discovered our existence and in small specimens too insignificant for extrapolation. We are as diverse as our predecessors and you cannot tell the difference."
"The dolls are similar to humans?"
"In essence yes, but we usually conceal our mannerisms because we lost the need to express such things. You can say we lost all hope with passion."
"I see."
"Only the spectre differentiates humans with dolls, whereas a contract differentiates contractors with humans."
"Are you certain?"
"That is all the knowledge I can muster."
"Oh."
"I see a lot of potential in you because you can feel and that is more powerful than any faculty of any doll or contractor. Humans are not inferior; we all share common traits and hold different strengths."
Hei stood up and looked across the streets of inner city Prague from within the alley, wondering what will become of him. He then looked at Kun, kneeling beside old crates and asked, "What will become the three of us: humans, dolls and contractors? Where will fate lead us?"
"I cannot tell Hei. I cannot tell."
"Ah."
A signal was received by Hei's earphone, "Hei, Dui, Bai and Kan have reached their destinations. We have the four separate apartments and are waiting for Kun's spectre." It was Qian and he sounded like he was in a hurry.
"Kun is ready and she will tell you how to approach things," Hei responded.
"Roger that," Qian said.
Hei faced Kun and said, "Kun, the honours are yours."
Kun nodded slightly and began to tap into the network of contractors via a puddle of water on the ground.
"Dui, the man you are looking for lives in complex fifty one, building five, room one-three-four. Qian, complex twenty nine, building eight, room two-six-three. Kan, complex one, building six, room two-four-four. Bai, complex sixteen, building six, room two-eight-two." Her spectre ghost was probably in all four places before the mission's initiation.
"Thanks Kun, we cannot do this without you," Qian said.
Dui walked up to his assigned apartment and unlocked the door with his powers. He turned the knob slowly and opened it with great force, producing minimal creaking noises. Dui tiptoed his way into the entrance without touching the door any further. He could hear the sound of television in what was the living room of the house. A lone man sat on his comfortable sofa beside his pet dog and was watching some sort of Czech sitcom. The dog noticed Dui's figure through its sharp hound senses and started to bark. The man turned around and saw nobody in his vicinity and hushed at his dog. The dog barked even louder at the corner Dui stood. The man, now annoyed by his pet walked towards the point where his dog was barking at. At that moment, Dui struck the man with swift action at a pressure point, causing him to lose consciousness. The dog barked even louder but Dui ignored the ruckus. He pulled out his cellphone and dialled Wu's number, "Wei? A contractor form VJ-3956, complex fifty one, building five, room one-three-four is apprehended."
"If you look outside, a large truck saying Wing Tong Freight Delivery is parked around where you are. You are certain the person you caught is a contractor?"
"I doubt Kun made a mistake."
"Take him in anyways and drive to whoever is finished with theirs," Wu instructed and hung up.
"Now I have to punch something," Dui stated. He looked at the dog, still barking for its master. Dui grabbed the hound by its neck and punched a compressed blast of air to constrict the trachea. After the brutal but bloodless slaughter, Dui punched the poor beast until bruises darkened its coat of fur.
"Well, that was easy," Dui said to himself.
"This is Dui, I have completed my assignment," Dui contacted the rest while driving the truck.
"Look, I have to find a way to open the door," Qian replied.
"I have finished my share," Bai said.
"Good to hear that, I will stop at Bai's place and pick up the contractor before she regains consciousness. After that, I will open the door for you," Dui informed the group.
Hei and Kun were still stationed at their post and tapped into the network.
"What do you think the Syndicate's true motives are?" Hei asked Kun.
"I don't know."
"I just hope whatever my sister is doing isn't wrong," Hei said.
"The doer works blindly without a third eye for justice. She cannot tell what is right or wrong," Kun concluded with her maxim.
Dui drove the truck to a vacant parking space just outside of complex sixteen, building six, room two-eight-two. He got out of the truck with the car keys in his pocket and slammed the door. He ran up the stairs until he reached room two-eight-two and opened the apartment door. Dui noticed Bai lying on the ground and a prisoner tied to a chair.
"Bai wake up, don't sleep on the job!" Dui yelled. He turned to face a young, unconscious Czech woman and untied her. He lifted the woman's body and carried it downstairs to the back of the truck. After locking up two contractors, Dui ran back up the stairs and carried Bai to the front seat of the truck. She rested there and Dui contacted Hei, "Hei, why is your sister suddenly asleep?"
"That is her remuneration."
"What?"
"Her punishment, you have one too, right?"
"Yeah and I hate it!"
"Is she alright? No injuries?"
"She is fine. I will stop by Qian's building."
Hei turned to Kun and asked, "Did you see my sister with your spectre?"
"No, I only gave directions."
Hei cocked his head and gave out a sigh of relief.
"And I have to wait here with you instead of helping them," Hei retorted.
Dui was just around the corner where Qian was and received a signal from him, "Dui, did you get any messages from Kan?"
"That mute farmer probably does not know what he is doing!"
"Are you anywhere near?"
"I'm here and I will help you in."
Dui got out of the truck and ran up the stairs to room two-six-three.
"Good, now open this door," Qian begged.
"You will have to owe me one," Dui snapped.
"Sorry my pyro-kinesis is the problem."
"It's opened."
Qian slowly turned the knob and found nobody in his line of sight.
"Maybe they are upstairs?" Dui stated.
"Perhaps they are or maybe they are anticipating us. You never know."
Qian and Dui approached the kitchen and found nobody there. "Who's there!" an alarmed voice trailed from behind.
"Whoa an Anglophone Czech!" Dui commented almost instantaneously.
"Why are you here? How did you get in," the man questioned. He was around his mid-forties with grey hair on the sides and a dark brown crown.
"We are from the BIS and the Czech government is looking for Vaclav Masek," Dui explained.
"Liar you are not Czech!" the man said.
"We work for the BIS, turn Vaclav now!" Dui demanded.
"I am Vaclav Masek, take me," the man insisted.
"Liar, you must show exceptional physical powers and personality disorders. Are you hiding a family member?" Dui asked.
"No."
"You are lying," Dui walked to a closet behind the kitchen and pulled a boy out of there. The boy looked into Qian's eyes. His eyes glowed red and a blue aura emanated around him. The boy screamed loudly and strong lasers shot into Qian's eyes, out the other side of his head! Dui quickly reacted by striking the boy at a pressure point, halting the laser eyes. Qian lost balance and fell to the floor with his eyes and brains fried from radiation.
"Crap!" Dui swore.
The man was terrified by this atrocity and was too shocked to move an inch. The boy collapsed to the ground and was unable to pay his remuneration.
"Your son is fine, but my partner there is killed!" Dui said, "The government take over from here."
Dui called Wu by phone, "Wu, its Dui speaking. We have a little predicament with Vaclav Masek. You see, Qian is dead and the boy's father is probably in shell shock."
"Understood, bring the man to the Syndicate as well. We will deal with him ourselves," Wu hung up on the phone.
"Wait!" Dui tried to get Wu to respond but it was futile.
"Do you have a wife or any other family members," Dui asked the man who was experiencing a post-shock panic.
"No, I only have my son," the man responded.
"I see," Dui said. He walked to the man and attacked at a pressure point.
Dui transported the boy into the truck and went for the man. "Damn this man is heavier than I am!" Dui complained.
Dui got on the truck and left Qian's body in the apartment building. He let out a deep sigh and said, "This day is the most messed up day of my life." He noticed that his remuneration was paid when he stuck the boy and his father at pressure points.
Dui started up the truck with Bai sitting beside him and four hostages stored in the back. Bai woke up and looked around.
"Dui, where is everybody else?" she asked Dui.
"They are in the back, we only have Kan's left," he said.
"Kan, are you there?" Dui called Kan through his communicator.
There was no response.
"Answer me dammit!"
"It's done. I will be waiting," Kan said.
"Good! When I ask a question, you must answer!"
Dui and Bai got to complex one and Kan carried the body down to truck.
"Stay in here, the seats taken," Dui instructed.
"Wait, what happened to Qian?" Kan asked.
"He is dead," Dui replied.
Kan stepped into the truck without further questions and closed the door. Dui called Wu on his cellphone, "Mission complete with one man down."
"Good work. Deliver them to 158 00 Praha 5," Wu instructed and the instructions stopped there.
Dui contacted Hei and said, "Hei, you can leave now, the mission is complete."
"That is good news," Hei responded.
"I will fill in the details later at the motel. You can find your way back right?"
"Yes I can."
Hei, Kun, Dui, Kan and Bai were debriefing in Dui's quarters.
"So Qian is seriously dead?" Hei asked.
"It is unfortunate," Dui said.
"This contractor business must be dangerous work," Hei said.
"We have to be extra cautious from now on," said Dui.
"Then why are you doing this?" Hei questioned.
"We do this because our lives depend on the Syndicate," Bai answered.
"You let others exploit you just because your identities will be in jeopardy?" Hei was puzzled by their way of thought.
"Look kid, you have nothing to lose in a society of humans because you are a human. If we let the existence of contractors loose, then the public will hunt us down."
"I don't think you and I are that different. We look similar, made with two eyes, arms and legs. We wear clothes because we show signs of self-awareness and humility. The only difference between you and I is that power of yours. I am related to Bai and that power changes her birth?"
"My kind, Kun's kind and your kind do not mix! That difference should be kept a secret or else you humans will start killing innocent lives!"
"But a lot of humans know of our existence. They are responsible for forging the Syndicate. I think you contractors are not being protected, but being used."
"Shut your mouth kid! We want to survive and the Syndicate promises such."
"Dui is right Hei; the Syndicate is keeping the identity of every contractor away from the public to decrease mass hysteria. We joined this pact for our own safety," Kun said.
Hei looked at Kun with a troubled look, confused from everything she said before regarding the similarities of the three species. Hei stood up from his seat and said, "Goodnight. Tomorrow will be a whole new day. I hope everyone will be safe." He left the room, Kan followed. "What the heck, goodnight everybody," Dui said. The meeting was adjourned and the girls left as well. "Qian, I am sorry for all this: I salute you," Dui remarked on behalf Qian's premature death.
That night Hei had difficulty sleeping. He looked at the ceiling as a silhouette of the windowpane casted on his bed from the windows, from street lights. Hei thought to himself, "Contractors, dolls and humans: we are all the same, right? Why all this trouble to gather and separate? Why do we have to struggle to such measures to live in peace?"
