"Pull it out!" I cried, as I winced in pain. I did not have a good leverage to put it out myself at the angle the bolt struck. "Pull it out with one quick tug!"
Jasom's face was white. His hands were shaking. He took a firm grip of the bloody iron bolt and took deep breaths.
"Quick and sure!" I reminded him. The pain was enough to paralyze my entire right arm.
Jasom gripped the bolt tighter and yanked it out of arm. I shrieked in pain and gritted my teeth almost immediately. Blood oozed out of the entry wound. Though it wasn't a mortal wound, Jasom was mortified. This was to his first real brush with a real enemy.
"Gods!" Mr. Marrow yelled out loud, as he stared at my bleeding arm in horror. He knew that the bolt was meant for him. "They're after me already!"
"Stay down!" I shouted. "Jasom, cover the window with something. Move that file cabinet!"
Jasom pushed the cabinet and tipped it over. It fell against the other cabinet with a heavy metallic thunk. It was enough to block most of the window space.
I applied pressure on my wounded arm, wincing in pain. Mr. Marrow stared at it. He began to hyperventilate. He started to crawl towards the door.
"Don't let him get away!" I yelled.
Jasom ran after the manager. The manager pushed him back with his left arm. Jasom staggered at the force. Mr. Marrow's survival instincts triggered a rush of adrenaline in him. Getting up on his feet, he shoved the door open. The door swung hard, slamming against the side wall, breaking the glass to pieces.
The sound of shattering glass alerted the peacekeepers in the building. They looked up in time to see the manager running towards the only flight of stairs. Jasom was on his tail, shouting, "Stop him!"
Two peacekeepers stationed inside ran to intercept the manager. They met him as they arrived at the top.
"Get out of my way!" Mr. Marrow roared. His face was marked with horror. The two peacekeepers braced themselves for the impact. The two of them should've been enough to bring the panicked man down. To Jasom's amazement, Mr. Marrow pushed them aside with a mighty shove. He broke through the human blockade like they weren't there. One of the peacekeepers almost fell off the walkway.
"Stop him!" Jasom shouted louder for the peacekeepers out in the front door to hear. Three entered the building, confused. "Stop him!" I heard him shout again."
"Heal!" I shouted. My right arm gave off a faint yellow aura. An icy chill covered the wounds, followed by surging warmth coming from the inside. My body mended itself from the inside out. I was able to move my fingers again. Soon, my whole arm. The wounds disappeared before my eyes, leaving only the trace of escaped blood.
I stood up quickly and exited the office. By the main exit, six people wrestled with Mr. Marrow, trying to pin him down on the ground.
"They're gonna kill me! Let me go!" he roared, biting, clutching and clawing at the peacekeepers. Jasom held down both of Mr. Marrow's legs to prevent him from kicking.
One of the peacekeepers fumbled for his stun stick while he kept the panicked man down.
I decided to give them a hand. I took the stunner from the peacekeeper and shouted, "On my signal, let go of him! Now!"
Jasom and the peacekeepers let go at the same time. They pulled away from the manager as fast as they could. They knew that once I prodded him with the stunner, they'd feel the jolt, too, if they weren't quick enough.
Mr. Marrow got up quickly. I struck him in his chest. An electrical sizzle escaped from the stunner, and the manager staggered back. His balance wavered for a second, but he did not go down. I prodded him again. His knees buckled and fell.
"Please!" he blubbered. "Don't let them get me!"
I prodded him one last time and the manager went down completely. I dropped the stunner and shouted my orders.
"Jasom, take our vehicle and drive straight back to H.Q. All of you go with him. Protect this man with your lives!"
"Yes, General!" Jasom said, picking up the stunner, just in case. When he saw me go up the flight of steps again, he shouted, "Wait! You'll need help!"
"Protect him! That's your order!" I replied, without looking back. I rushed for the second floor fire exit. The knob did not turn. I had to kick it twice before it opened.
I turned my attention to the rooftops. The assassin was on the next building when I had a glimpse of him. Now, he was nowhere to be seen. To my right was a ladder leading straight up to the factory's rooftop. I climbed it quickly and scanned the vicinity. I saw no one across. He must've gotten away already, I thought. My foot hit something heavy.
A crossbow! But why is it on this side of the--
It was then that I turned around and saw a dark figure on the other edge of the factory's rooftop. He must've jumped across! But why? The man was covered entirely in black. His mask revealed nothing but his eyes. His attention was turned towards the streets below. In his hand, he held a red stick of dynamite.
Marrow!
The peacekeepers helped Jasom carry the big man. They did it as fast as they could. Jasom went ahead of them and started the vehicle. The others lagged behind slightly encumbered. One peacekeeper opened a passenger door while Jasom instructed them on how to get the heavy man inside.
"What's going on?" Stromsburg yelled from across the street.
From above Celes' voice rang loud, "Look out below!"
Everybody looked up in time to see the stunned assassin, shocked at Celes' unexpected presence on the rooftop, his back towards everybody. He had a lit stick of dynamite in his hand with an old-fashioned fuse enough for a ten-second delay.
The assassin faced the people below again and threw the explosive down. The stick landed on the roof of the vehicle. The peacekeepers saw the dynamite and a few ran away, abandoning their burden.
Jasom shouted, "No! Get him away from here!" Seconds later, the door swung open and he was yanked bodily out of the vehicle. Stromsburg dragged him away from the vehicle. Jasom still shouted orders to protect the manager. The rest of the peacekeepers who did not run away, dragged the heavy man more quickly than before, but carelessly. They reached the entrance of the factory. Where the other peacekeepers took cover.
The stick of dynamite did not settle on top of the roof of the vehicle. It rolled to the side closest to the sidewalk and as it touched the ground, it exploded. The force knocked the peacekeepers off their feet. Stromsburg fell back into the alley across the street. Jasom was closest to her. A fire hydrant in front of the building burst, sending a strong fountain of water up, propelling the fire hydrant high up into the air. It landed on the roof of the factory.
At the same time, the vehicle leaped into the air and away from the blast radius, on a small trajectory towards Stromsburg and Jasom. Jasom saw the burning wreckage as if in slow motion. He kicked his legs hard for a final attempt to move out of the way. Stromsburg helped him again, reaching for his hands and pulling him to the safety of the alley.
The wreckage landed five feet in front of them, effectively blocking the alley. They would have to go around the block to reach the manager. Stromsburg wasted no time and ran. Jasom stared at the ruined vehicle and thanked his lucky stars. He imagined himself inside the wreckage. Chill crept up his spine while the heat from the flames scorched his face. He moved away quickly, ignoring the pain on his leg. They didn't seem to be broken. He diverted his concern back to the manager. He hoped that he was still alive.
I drew my blade with my left hand and charged at the assassin. I saw his eyes widen in my quick approach. Turning, he took a quick but measured aim, then, tossed the dynamite down below.
My sword swung down. The man blocked it with his arm. It was a metal bracer, thick and sturdy enough to stop my sharp blade. He pushed my sword aside and sent a fist my way. I leaned back quickly. His fist arced harmlessly in front of me. He turned away from me at the chance and started to run. I could've impaled him then with my blade, but at a moment's change of mind, I dropped my blade and tackled him on the legs instead. I figured that we could get more information out of the assassin than the manager.
I caught the man at his right ankle. We both fell forward. He kicked away my hand with his other foot. The pain made me let go, though, I did not give up. I lunged forward, placing me on top of him, my hands desperate to unmask the assassin. It was then that I realized a flaw. Since I wanted him alive, I had no way to subdue him.
I shouldn't have dropped my sword! I thought regrettably, though I knew that it could not be helped. The man grabbed me by my wrists and rolled me to his side. He pinned me, our situations reversed. I saw his eyes. They had a look of fear as they stared into mine. I sensed it; it was strong. It was fear of me.
The explosion both came us a surprise for the both of us. We knew it was coming, but the loudness unnerved us for a bit. I thought that the momentary distraction would provide me with the chance to escape him. But I was wrong. He held me tighter still when a figure coming from the street below shot straight up into the air and started to fall towards us. The assassin saw it, too. He had no choice but to let me go and move out of the way. I only had a split second to roll to my side before the object hit the roof where my head was with a heavy thud mixed with a clang.
I felt water spray on my face for a brief second. Sitting up, I noticed that the object that nearly killed me was a fire hydrant. From below, I heard the rushing of water, a faint roar of flames, and Jasom's shouts of commands to the peacekeepers. To my left, I saw the assassin running away at top speed. He was headed back to the fire escape ladders.
I groaned. I had to see if the people below were alive and well. Running to the edge, I saw smoke rising up from across the street. Directly below me, I saw a couple of wounded peacekeepers, moaning in pain, reaching out for help from their comrades who managed to jump out of the way. Mr. Marrow's body lay face down on the sidewalk. Jasom was out of sight.
"Heal!" I yelled from above them, with my left arm extended over the edge. I was not sure if the magic would work at that distance. If it did, I was not sure whether it would be enough. I just had to try.
The magic flowed through my veins in a strange mixture of warmth and chill. My outstretched arm glowed a familiar aura of golden sunbeam. Below, the three followed suit. The two peacekeepers stopped their groans, though their movement did not change. Mr. Marrow showed no sign of recovery from where I was. The other peacekeepers now gathered around the injured. Jasom was still out of sight.
"General!"
It was Jasom's voice emanating from the burning wreckage. No--from behind the wreckage! The smoke cleared a bit in a gust of wind revealing him to me. He was waving his arms in the air, trying to get my attention.
Jasom, are you alright?! I fought to say. Instead, I yelled back, "Jasom, protect the manager!"
With that I turned, picked up my sword, and ran after the assassin. I brushed a twinge of guilt off my shoulder. Logic was in charge of my actions now. Necessity numbed my emotions for the time being.
When I reached the opposite edge, I looked down into the alley below. He had just touched the ground and was already running towards the only way out. I knew that I would lose him once he made it out into the crowd. I had to do something. I wished that I had not passed on the chance to be infused with the Bolt magic. I would've stunned him from where I was. I would've slowed him down with Ice magic, too. Or I would've ignited his clothes with magical Fire and healed him afterwards. Instead, I had Heal and Vanish.
I needed something. I considered throwing my sword at him. It was most likely to miss, though that was not the reason that I hadn't. If I didn't miss, I was very likely to kill him. I remembered the last time I threw a sword in the training hall. The sword stuck onto concrete wall--and it was blunt!
No. I needed something smaller. At my feet, the crossbow still lay with five metal bolts stuck along the body to its tiller. I picked it up, removed one of the bolts and loaded it. I did it as I ran to the corner, nearest the exit to the alley. I aimed. My hands were uncannily steady. The world seemed to move slowly. My target was an easy mark. He was directly below me. At this angle, I could've hit his head and killed him. I knew that I had to wait. I had to risk letting him run a certain distance from me so the angle was less steep. Only then would I have a better chance of a non-fatal hit.
When I really thought about it, it was not a risk at all. My heart did not race. I was focused. I was confident. My breathing was calm and measured.
My arm moved as I followed my target with the crossbows crosshair mounted at the tip. I noticed that it was slightly crooked. It must've happened when he dropped it. Nobody would've noticed it quite as easily. And yet, I did. I compensated for the crooked crosshair. To me, it was a minor adjustment. The thought that I only had one shot at this did not bother me.
The assassin made a sharp right to the open street. He had abandoned care. His only thought was to escape, accepting failure. The light of sight slanted up gradually to a comfortable angle. I picked a limb, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
The bowstring snapped. It was so tight that it made a clack sound instead of a twang. The running target gave out a short cry of pain and fell roughly on the sidewalk. The bolt had struck him on his upper left thigh. A few civilians were stunned at the sight of a fallen masked man. They moved away from him, ignoring his pleas for help. I relaxed my firing stance and hurried over to the fire escape.
Jasom looked behind him and saw another exit out of the alley. It was long. It meant for him to go around an entire block. It was simply too long.
Jasom, instead, kicked open a metal backdoor of one of the buildings, breaking a deadbolt from the inside. The door led him inside a tight corridor that opened up to a kind of a warehouse for finished furniture products. Several people were in attendance, all looking at the commotion outside, through the south windows. Nobody noticed his arrival until he started yelling, "Out of the way! Military here!"
The startled people obligingly followed. Jasom picked up on of the furniture--an ornately designed chair with leather padding. The smell of varnish was still fresh. A look of horror filled the eyes of the people in the building as Jasom raised the chair over his head and smashed one of the glass windows in his way. A woman screamed from behind him while a few others cursed at him.
Must've been expensive, Jasom thought. Felt good, though.
He jumped out of the window and landed nimbly on his feet. The burning vehicle was several feet away to his right. Water from the main pipe rained down on him. He hurriedly crossed the street to assist the peacekeepers regroup. Two were injured, though they looked like they would make it. Mr. Marrow was wet from the fountain of city water. He did not move when the others started to get him up his feet.
"You! Find me a vehicle fast! The rest of you, help me get him inside quickly!"
I jumped off the ladder when I had a safe distance from the ground. I reloaded another iron bolt as I landed nimbly on my feet. I didn't think I'd need it again, but this was one fish I didn't want to let go. From the main street, I heard the screeching of a vehicle as it came to a halt.
No!
I ran as fast as I could. My fear was confirmed when I saw the wounded assassin limping his way towards the open vehicle door that had just pulled over. It was his escape vehicle. It looked civilian. The wounded man made his final effort of escape by jumping inside. The vehicle darted away with the assassin's feet still dangling out. The people on the streets scrambled out of the way. My fish had gotten away.
I took a deep sigh of resignation. If Mr. Marrow was still alive, it'd be a stalemate. I gripped the crossbow tightly in my hand. It wasn't a total loss after all. I could probably find something useful about its make.
I wasted no more time. I thought it best to look after Jasom and Mr. Marrow.
A crowd had gathered around the scene. Our wrecked vehicle still burned. The pressure on the water main was lower now. The water rushed down a sidewalk drain and into the sewers. From a distance, I heard the sirens of local emergency vehicles. I ignored them all as I walked with a strange calmness. It was an eerie feeling. A sense of imperviousness and disinterestedness. It felt dissonantly disturbing, but oddly satisfying. It was a feeling of absolute control over one's mind and body, if not over the situation.
Whatever it was, I was glad it took over me completely. What I saw next might have been utterly shocking to the unprepared soul entering the explosives factory.
Jasom and all of the peacekeepers in the building lay unconscious on the floor, evidently still breathing. Mr. Marrow's body leaned limply against a wall, his head, no where to be found.
I was back on the roof of the building again, overlooking the activity below. The firefighters had conquered the burning vehicle without much trouble. The ambulances tended to the injured while the local police asked questions. Several street witnesses obligingly recounted all that they saw.
I, on the other hand, was deep in thought, vividly recounting the chain of events in my head. The big picture was deceptive, as I concluded. Things did not make sense. There was a failed assassination attempt and a successful one. Somehow, I knew that the two were not directly connected.
"General?" Jasom called from behind.
My eyes did not leave the crime scene. I searched for familiar faces or suspicious observers below. "Not bad for your first day, huh, Jasom? Are you all right?"
"Seems like it," he said, rubbing the side of his temple. He must've hurt it when he hit the floor.
"So what was it like?" I asked.
"What was what like?" Jasom asked, confused.
"To be brought under by a Sleep spell," I finished.
Jasom blinked. "Was that what happened?" he asked, uneasily.
"Certainly," I replied confidently.
"But how do you know that?"
"I've been listening," I replied, beckoning him to come closer and look at the local police share with each other what they knew down below. "None of you knew what took you out. None of you recall having a violent encounter with anyone. You all just woke up from a dreamless spell, wondering what you were doing on the cold floor."
"You mean... the assassin was a magic-user?"
"Yes and no. There were two of them, at least. The one I was chasing was no magic-user. He was no professional, either. The one that killed Mr. Marrow was a different story."
"We saw nobody in that building. We were waiting for another vehicle to take the witness with us," Jasom said.
"The second assassin was invisible. He was probably waiting for the opportunity for quite a while. And when it finally arrived, he struck."
"Two assassins. You think there were no connections?"
"Not anymore. Their only connection is dead."
Jasom winced in pain. He must've hurt his head worse than I thought. With a word of command, I drove away the lingering pain.
"Thank you," he said in awe.
"Look down there," I said. "Do you see what's missing?"
Jasom looked at the people below. He saw the ambulances, fire trucks and local police. He saw the crowd that had gathered, taking secret pleasure in the commotion that had just broken the monotony of their lives. He saw a city maintenance crew installing a new fire hydrant, and preparing to clear away the ruined vehicle. He even saw the coroner with his own team of inspectors.
"Besides us, there is no other Military presence," Jasom said. It was an accurate observation and a good guess.
"This incident is not going to be a Military affair. Remember that we did not report our presence here to the H.Q. Therefore, the lack of Military presence here is normal. But something else isn't here. Or someone," I hinted.
"Where's the Chief of Police?" he said, suddenly realizing Stromsburg's absence. He had yet to thank her for saving his life. But she was nowhere to be seen. In a major urban disturbance such as this, she should've been in charge of the inspection, interrogation, and cleanup--especially, since she was partly involved.
"That's a very good question." I motioned for him to follow me. It was time for us to leave. "I'm issuing an order to all local hospitals, clinics, trauma centers, medical institutions in all of Vector, to detain and report a male suspect, around my height, with brown eyes, and a wounded left leg who have checked in starting thirty minutes ago." Jasom jotted down the description quickly on his clipboard. "Then, I would like to have this crossbow examined by my team back in H.Q. I want to know the origin based on its design. It doesn't look Vectorian."
"Um... General?" Jasom said with a lowered voice. I turned around in time to see his concerned expression. "Who were we just dealing with back there?"
"Kefka's cultists. They're the only ones who know the secret of the Sleep spell."
"Secret?"
"There are certain magicks that are not yet available for magical infusion. Sleep, Silence, and Flight, are just three of a long list. One of Cid's job is to discover how to decode the magical signatures that can be emulated by machines. This is the heart of the Magitek technology. So far, they've had no luck. Certain magicks are too unpredictable. But Cid's team is making great advancements. The Revive magic, for example, may not yet work perfectly, but they're getting there."
"So you're saying that the Fanatics have perfected the Magi-technology?"
"No. Kefka's Cult does not rely on Magitek. They rely on another source that came before the fusion of magic and machine. It's a process unknown to most people. It is the cult's secret."
"If it's a secret, then how come you know about it?"
I smiled. "Guardian told me. I think it's time for the two of you to meet."