Angels With Newfound Hope

Act 2 Chapter 16: Resistance

Portal hill - Day 7, 8:04AM

A completely exhausted Alex led an equally tired Sebastian up to the portal. The former called him with a report of strange noises coming from it. Needless to say, neither of them were exactly in good spirits.

"So why did you have me come over so early again? I'm not even on the clock yet." The capless runner groaned absently. He wasn't the only one either. His companion: the one who made that call shared his sentiments.

"I wanted to check up on the portal. With all that's going on, I haven't had time to make sure it still works. Who knows if someone did something to its guts." The ambassador lied. He already knew the portal would be broken, but still wanted evidence for later today.

"So we're just going to activate it, make sure it still works?" Sebastian tried to go through whatever mental gymnastics he believed his companion did to no avail. It just wasn't logical enough.

"Not exactly. That'll draw people's attention We'll just pop open the main panel and make sure everything's intact. Five minutes at m- oh no." Alex reported as they closed in on their target. Sure enough, the console panel was visibly pried open from that angle.

"What is it?" The officer leaned over to get a better look. Unfortunately, he only caught a glimpse of the console before his companion whipped around.

"The console. I called it! Someone broke in. Take my pistol and stand guard, I'm going to investigate." The human thrust his weapon into his escort's hands as he made for the portal. A closer inspection revealed exactly the same sight as last time. Cards and boards bent to shit, coolers missing, and the door itself completely torn off. Someone was in here to cause even more damage than last time.

"Oh damn. I don't think either you or Reza could've done that." Sebastian piped up from over the man's shoulder. He ran a claw along the door's edge as he spoke, tarnishing their shiny surface with scratches from the metal.

"Why did you even suspect me to begin with?" Alex shot back with a cocked brow. "I couldn't even try that without getting blood all over the scene. Besides, I work on computers for a living. I'd know how to get in and out without leaving evidence."

"That's an unsettling thing to say. We better go report this to the Chief regardless. He needs to know what happened here." The raptor tossed a claw behind him to signal their departure. His companion nodded, gathering a severely damaged card beforehand...

"There you are, Sebastian. Where the heck have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" Bryce called to the two as soon as they came into view. "You know what; Never mind that. We have a problem at the production facility. Get your ass dressed and meet me over there." And he cut them off before either could say a thing.

"You want me to come with you?" Alex tried offering to no avail. All the larger male did was shake his head.

"I'm sorry, but there's still things I have to do at the scene. Meet me there when Sebastian leaves that locker room." And with that, Bryce abandoned him yet again. The remaining male cursed himself up and down for nothing in particular. He was still in the middle of fuming silently when a hand clasped onto his shoulder. Whirling around, he nearly struck its owner down.

"Hey, friendly!" The anthro snapped. Her voice was the only thing that regrounded Alex back in reality.

"Apologies. You caught me off guard. You're Naomi, right?" The ambassador offered her a hand up, as she'd fallen anyway whilst dodging him.

"Yeah. Were you really so deep in your own head that I startled you? And why throw a punch?" Naomi questioned seriously, reserving her anger for the criminals.

"I'm a fighter whose worst enemy is his own mind. What can I say?" Alex stated a little more calmly than expected. That kind of thing happened way too often to be considered normal, and it concerned him.

"Well your 'worst enemy' nearly got you in huge trouble. Watch who's around you next time. I can only imagine what'd happen if you hit Maverick." The officer chastised as though he were a child. Not like he didn't deserve it. He did swing at her in plain view of everyone else.

"I hate to think about it." Was all the human said before claws clicking alerted them to a certain someone's arrival.

"Sorry I'm late, Naomi. Someone wanted to drag me to the portal. I hope the Chief wasn't too harsh this morning." Sebastian's ever charming voice filled the air as he drew close. His annoyed gaze ended up fully drawn on Alex during about half of his speech.

"Nah, he seemed pretty relaxed until the news made its way to him. So what made the ambassador drag you all the way out there?" Naomi pried, prompting Alex to interject.

"That's classified for the time being. Speaking of time; the Chief is waiting for us. Sorry to cut this short." With that, he and the runner left in a decided hurry...

The lab's halls remained as devoid of life as last night. Remains of Alex's path of destruction lay barely visible in the rooms Anna was led through. And just down a hall leading to her lab? None other than Bryce stood over a sheet-covered dragon.

"We're ready, Bryce." The human made their presence known. His new company ushered them over for their orders.

"Good. Sebastian, I need you to deal with the situation here while I talk to Alex." Bryce commanded. His employee gave a curt salute before leaving his presence.

"Who was it this time?" Alex played dumb. He knew good and well who was under that sheet, and was admittedly glad things changed. Maverick would've had his head on a spike if Anna died again. Scarier yet was that the dragon refused to inform him why he wanted her alive.

"You know Anna?" Was all the chief said in response.

"Enough to know she works here." The ambassador stated, staring intently at Damion's death bed.

"What about her assistant?" That was the statement that took it down again. Alex carefully pushed past in spite of his friend's protests. Kneeling by the sheet, he took a gloved hand and peeled it down to reveal a light blue and mauve striped head. Damion's salmon eyes were agape in horror of what happened last night. That was, until they were slid shut.

"Are you okay?" Bryce placed a paw on his companion's shoulder, catching his respectful action.

"Yeah. I take it this is Reza's third kill. From my knowledge of another serial killer case back home: I guess this makes him one." The ambassador pointed out. He knew full well where this would lead, just not how things would evolve from there.

"I don't want to worry you, but we're positive some action will be taken soon. I've been half-considering this since the first murder. You won't like it, but it's probably best you return to your world for now. We-"

"We can't do anything, I'm afraid. That was why I brought Sebastian in late this morning. I had him accompany me to the portal to check up on it. But when we got close, I noticed it was broken into with many key components nearly destroyed. Nothing's getting in or out." Alex pulled the damaged card out to emphasize his statement. Its presence certainly instilled shock and anger in the officer.

"Sebastian! Get over here, I need to talk with you both!" Bryce's voice exploded through the halls to his officer. More frantic footsteps scraped along until his tan and gold hide rounded the corner.

"Is something the matter, Chief?" A certain meekness was barely evident in the raptor's vocals at his boss' sternness.

"Alex here just informed me that the portal was damaged, and that you went with him to check on it. Is this true?" The stocky reptile held a deathly glare at both of them the whole time he spoke. Alex didn't blame him either. This was a serious issue that's happened twice already.

"Yes sir. I got a call from him around 6:30 this morning asking to meet him at his apartment. We went to the portal from there, where he noticed it was broken into. We gathered that broken part for evidence and rushed it over to you." Sebastian summarized everything from his end. Of course, not every detail was present, but what can one do then and there.

"As if this couldn't get any worse. You go get this evidence filed while we head to the portal. If anyone asks for me, give them my cell number." Bryce ordered further.

"Got it. I shouldn't be long." The runner affirmed before beginning his return. It seemed as though today would be a run-around kind of day...

Tatsu Park, Main Pavilion - 10:21AM

The duo's walk over was interrupted halfway through by a phone call. Picking it up, Alex caught a familiar voice greeting his friend.

"Hello Minister. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Bryce began. "Yeah, we're actually close by. We'll be there ASAP." Hanging up, he glanced back at his companion.

"I take it, she wants to meet up." Was all the human said to a confirming look.

"Yeah. Looks like we're going south. Be on your best around this one; she's the person responsible for your entire visit." The officer ordered coolly.

"I know. I've dealt with her before..."

The political district was shockingly quiet compared to Onyx's own municipal offices. A few dragons milled about, some with papers, and some on calls with important people. But one stood out the most. An older earth dragon decorated in jewelry awaited them on a park bench. Alex let himself fall behind to check his clip. One round remained, transferred from the Ruger. He would only use it under dire circumstances.

"Good morning Chief, Ambassador. That was a bit quicker than I expected. I wouldn't have minded waiting out here a little longer." The minister greeted in her expected tone. It brought nothing but spite upon the brunette next to his dragon.

"Greetings, Minister. Shall we head inside for our business?" Bryce welcomed back with his company remaining unresponsive.

"No need. I've got everything needed right here. It gets so stuffy on hot days like this. My-"

"With some due respect, Minister, I'd like to get straight to business. The Chief and I were on our way to an important investigation before you called." Alex interjected a bit rudely. Emera returned a little herself in posture.

"Very well, Ambassador. So I know I haven't exactly been kept up to date regarding Reza. But to suddenly get the news that he's a confirmed serial killer was quite a shocker. I'm frankly curious as to why these details have been withheld from me for so long." Her once confident aura was doubly soured by Alex's behavior along with disappointment. Not like the vigilante cared all that much. She wanted to steal Bryce from him, after all.

"It's simply because they weren't within your jurisdiction. The murders were a strict police matter. Only with the amount of new evidence, namely blood and DNA and these murders being linked together and to him, did your ministry have to get involved." The officer explainned with infinitely more respect than his companion. Even a side-eye from him didn't seem to pass the hint to his human.

"So Reza's involvement is undeniable now?" The middle-aged female cocked a brow. A silent nod from both confirmed her suspicions.

"It seems even your friend agrees. Then in light of all this, I'm starting to worry for my personal safety. Wouldn't you think someone of my standing needs protection of some sort?" And there was her manipulation tactic. Alex didn't quite catch it the first time around, but now...

"I could offer you my gun. It's easy even for an earth dragon to use." He offered, drawing his beloved Five Seven.

"That looks far too small for me, not to mention that I don't know anything about whatever 'guns' are. I do appreciate your offer nonetheless." Emera rejected outright. Another thought came to mind as she turned back to the Chief.

"What about an escort?"

"Now we're on the same page. Long days are endemic in my line of work, so I'll need one on a nightly basis. But enough about myself. We now face the question of what should be done with Reza and Alex here." The minister held a less satisfied look this time: a beautiful sight for her adversary.

"We continue our hunt for Reza day and night. As a matter of fact; this one has been helping us do so for the last week." Bryce gave his companion a congratulatory pat on the back. And just in time as well. Any longer and he'd have probably pissed both of them off with his interrupting.

"Is that so? One human a murderer, and the other a detective... interesting. And how do we know Alex isn't following a plan similar to Reza's? Whatever that may be, that is." The minister shot a glare specifically at Alex as she spoke. This angered him enough to step forth.

"I believe I should answer that one. Part of my job here was to make sure this kind of thing didn't happen. Reza's highly prone to overreacting, as I'm sure those reports have evidenced. Both me and Maverick were shot after he jumped to conclusions. He thought we were going to be arrested and opened fire, striking both of us in the leg. I was struck in the head as well with Maverick being hit in the wing." Alex spoke up with great restraint. He wanted nothing else than to put a bullet in her skull and be done with it. But...

"I've read that report, Ambassador. It also says you walked away with no problem after a few minutes. Do you know what that says about your account just now?" The jeweled dragon called out what wasn't there. She didn't give a damn what he said.

"You think I'm lying?" A hurricane brewed in the man's stormy eyes as he drew nearer. "Why don't me and Bryce recount what happened just a few days ago, and let you tell me then? Or maybe I should shoot myself to prove it?" He awaited any kind of response from his rival. A solid minute went by with nothing but silence before she dared acknowledge him.

"Don't injure yourself. Tell me of the second murder. If both of you are accurate to reports, then fine, I'll let it go. Just let the chief say something every once in a while. I want to hear his side as well." Emera finally conceded. Both the Chief and Ambassador gave a nod before beginning.

"So during the second murder investigation, we went to check what caused a power outage in the area. We went into the basement where the generators are kept." Bryce began.

"I noticed a figure standing at the back of the room we were in. Proceeding cautiously, I nearly ended up dead when they shot a light down on me." Alex followed up.

"Right, I remember you whipping out some weird shield thing before screaming at us to take cover. Then Reza started shooting at us." Bryce agreed to some degree in the least. It'd probably be a while before he found out the truth behind who shot at them.

"He had my rifle up to that point, and I wasn't about to let anyone get shot. I tried to follow him up the stairs, but got perforated when he fired over the railing." Alex decided not to correct his dragon for the time being.

"I almost thought you were dead until you stopped me and Sebastian's argument."

"What were you even arguing about?" Emera had heard enough for the time being, harboring a few questions of her own.

"He couldn't see past me is all. I was more concerned for Alex at the time. He was potentially bleeding out from those wounds." Bryce stated further, sparing no ounce of concern for his friend.

"That was very sweet of you to say. I was fine nonetheless. Although, I'm not sure where we'd be if I died that day." Alex patted his friend on the shoulder. They both finished up in light of that statement.

"Probably sending your body back to your world." The minister pointed out nonchalantly. As much as the ambassador hated to admit it, she was right. He couldn't resurrect. It was permanent if he died without that augment.

"You honestly couldn't even do that. The portal's broken, Minister. Me and Bryce were on our way to investigate further when you called." The brunette exposed, much to the shock of his rival.

"Tell me you're joking. We need that to contact humanity." Emera clawed for any kind of response that said otherwise, yet all she got back was dead air. "You'd better get on this. Come back here when you get done. I need some time to think."

"Understood." Was all Bryce said in return. With that, he and Alex parted for the portal once more...

With Each step taken, Alex thought. He thought of the dragons he met and how he screwed up every encounter. He thought of Maverick and what could be done to help him forgive. More importantly, he thought of how everything turned out, treating the portal's sabotage as a silent blessing. Whoever did that could be looking out for him.

'Sure. Keep dreaming. Maybe it'll come true when Bryce flies.' He silently chuckled at the idea of the chief somehow taking off, with his tiny 'wings' fluttering like those of a bee.

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice played parrot and tore him from his own head once again. Not like it was surprising anymore. This whole week was playing out like some sort of messed up Groundhog Day.

"Nothing of your concern. Don't mind us." The officer stonewalled Adine with less force than his cohort, who had borderline commanded her to leave last time around.

"Hey Bryce, any chance I can get a couple minutes?" Alex requested. An innocent shimmer appeared within his stormy eyes with the hopes it'd help sway his dragon.

"I don't think so. We need to be quick on dealing with the current issue." Bryce countered simply. It seemed he was unfazed by that little trick.

"If I recall correctly, didn't the old hag who wants your babies say she needed time to think? Ergo: we don't have to report back ASAP?" The ambassador's little comment stunned his companion. He thought he could put two and two together much easier than that.

"Wha-?" Bryce fumbled to get anything out in response to that nasty quip. His friend, however, just patted him on the cheek.

"I'll let you pick your jaw up off the ground real quick. There's actually a few things I need to talk to madame waitress about anyway. I promise I won't be long." And with that: Alex gave his dragon some room.

"What was that all about?" Adine pressed as soon as they were several meters away.

"Something I noticed with Minister Emera. But anyway, that's not what I'm here for." The human coolly stated.

"Then why are you here? Is this another thing you're not supposed to talk about?" The waitress drilled him even harder, growing in suspicion once more.

"Let's just say there's an announcement to be made later today. It involves me and Reza." Alex revealed as much as possible without compromising everything.

"This has to do with those murders, doesn't it." The resulting silence was all she needed. He turned back to Bryce, who was screwing his jaw back on with one hell of a look.

"All I can say is yes. I've only been helping you guys though." And with that, the male made his way back whilst she processed everything he told her. Whether or not she'd believe him would be something he may never know.

"Have fun spreading rumors about Emera?" Bryce asked more playfully than before. It seemed to Alex that he simply brushed it off during his time with Adine.

"They're not rumors if she oozes it." Was all the smaller male said as they got back on to their destination...