Kabal walked throughout the crowd. His mask was hanging off his belt. He didn't need to wear it yet. True, in a city this big, it wouldn't be too hard to be lost into the crowd even when you wear a mask. His hook sword handles, however, still showed loudly and proudly. Yet the people still didn't notice it. That was fine with Kabal. It made his job easier. His gloved hands were still planted firmly in his pockets, messing around with some loose change. It kept the hands busy while waiting for something to come up. Plus, he liked messing with change. He was standing in the hub of activity. Numerous screens were on the buildings, the largest showing a random news channel.
The one thing he was thankful to this masked hacker for was getting the cops off his back. It's been a quiet week. At least, for Kabal. For the cops both on his back and searching for the bombs, it was chaos. They let out the message that they had found the bomb, and were now stopping the searches. At least, that was what they told the public to keep a mass riot at bay. It was smart, but Kabal doubted that it was the truth. The little peons in the crowd right now were probably none the wiser that the cops had not found a damn thing in any of the banks.
Two cops that were searching for him were getting to be a real pain in the ass. Kabal wasn't sure about their names as of yet, but he narrowed down a few choices. He'd have one close call yesterday when he was taking down a mugger. The man wasn't even worth killing, Kabal was simply scaring him at that point. But two flashlights shown on him, forcing him to run. He didn't get a name or a face. But he knew there were two. Now, though, Kabal didn't worry. The crowd was too big for the cops to find him before he was able to run away. That thought made a small smile form on his lips.
But that masked hacker got him thinking. It claimed that it wanted Kabal to join him. But join him for what? Ruling Deacon City? That was a fool's errand, at best. But clearly this person knew what they were doing with the mass hack. This was not someone to be underestimated. And they were smart enough to realize that if they used their own voice they would be found almost immediately. So, they used a voice changer. That much was evident.
The crowd had gotten louder since he walked into it. Kabal figured it was because a week ago, the hacker had made a threat. It sounded more like a promise, but the cops didn't think so. They treated it as a threat, and only did the searches because, if they didn't, they'd be accused of inaction even if the bombs weren't real. The vigilante stopped when he notice a flicker on the largest of the screens. It was brief, not even a second long, but he saw it turn to black with an A on the screen. It seems a couple other people spotted it too, as they all turned their attention towards it. Soon enough, the entire center had turned to the black screen. But this time, standing there with his arms folded behind his back, was the masked man.
"Hello, Citizens of Deacon. I hope you are having a nice day. You see, that's all I want." He then stopped to breathe in deeply. "But some people just want to ruin a good mood. I'm looking at the scum known as Commissioner Gor Roh, who claims that he has found one of my bombs. And it is true. I've lost contact with the big one, but that was never meant to go off anyway. It was decoy." That got the crowd stirring. "What do I look like, Gor Roh? An idiot? I knew that if I put my bombs in the banks when I sent my message, that you would find them. I always think six steps ahead of my competition, after all."
He pulled out a small device with a single, blue button. "What I hold in my hands is the detonator. It will activate each and every bomb that is currently still online. Now, you might be asking yourself, commissioner," he said with disgust, "'How are there any bombs left?' Well, that's the genius of it. Just this morning, ten of my followers have volunteered to make the ultimate sacrifice, one of body, but not soul. They will give their lives in pursuit of our goal. Do not think I forced this on them. In fact, I tried to tell them 'No.' But they didn't listen. They claimed that this was the best way, the only way, they would be able to make a difference. And now that I think about it, I agree. Their sacrifice will not be in vain. From my hideout, I can see many people running for the doors. It's useless, of course, I've already locked them. So, I bid you farewell."
He pressed the button.
The ground beneath Kabal shook. The first thought, out of common sense, was that it was an earthquake. But then the explosions came. There were nine in total, all sending debris everywhere. Kabal and several others looked to their left. The Deacon City Bank. A few people in the crowd dropped to the ground, but most of them didn't notice the nearby bank. When the explosion hit, about half the standing crowd were thrown into the opposite building. Those that weren't were battered by debris. Shards of glass, wood, and cement hurled itself. Not even those that hit the floor were safe. A man, who was near Kabal, got his head crushed. Kabal's eyes had widened, and he rolled out of the way. A large block of cement and glass slammed into the spot he once was. When the explosion stopped and the debris was no longer flying, the survivors stood up.
Kabal looked around and surveyed the damage. Out of the crowd of one hundred, only ten people still stood, Kabal included. He looked back up at the screen to view the man shaking his head. He proclaimed, "I am not happy killing all of these people, Gor Roh. It is a senseless loss of life, one that could have been avoided had you just played nicely, instead of using your power for your own personal gain instead of serving and protecting, like your oath says. Now, in a week's time, another bomb will go off, but where you may be asking? Well, you will have to answer that question yourself. What is the one place people cannot go without being shot dead on arrival by those who swear to protect you? Solve the question, or live under the democracy… of Anarky." With that final statement, the screen flicked off the reveal the shocked look of the anchor.
Kabal narrowed his eyes. This was a problem. One that he couldn't fix alone.
Police Commissioner Gor Roh slammed his fist onto his desk, splintering the wood. He was glaring daggers at Captain Briggs. Gor Roh was a rather large man, of Asian descent, and his eyes showed an anger unrivaled by any. He shouted, "You said you found the bomb, Briggs!"
"We did," Jackson replied. "But, as he said, they were smart enough to plan ahead." Briggs was rather calm, all things considered about today. He was terrified inside. Although that was mainly because ten banks had blown up.
"You're complimenting them?" Gor Roh shouted. "The criminals who blew up ten banks is being complimented by the captain of the police force that failed to protect his city? Honestly, Briggs, I know you're not a fan of me, but to compliment him—!"
"I'm not 'complimenting them,' sir," Briggs replied. "I'm merely stating the obvious. Don't worry, we'll find the next one."
Gor Roh scoffed loudly. "He didn't exactly give a clear question, now did he? No, he didn't! There are plenty of places in this city you can get shot dead in!"
"But he said, 'By those who swear to protect us,'" Briggs replied. "He's talking about the police. Any place you know, sir?"
"No. But that's not my job." Gor Roh pointed at Briggs and hissed, "That your job as police captain. Now get the hell out of my office and find the bombs."
Briggs narrowed his eyes at his superior, but did as he was told nonetheless. When he got to his own office, he once again found Kenshi and Stryker waiting for him. Briggs asked, "How is it you two know when I'm coming in here before I do?"
Kenshi shrugged. He was leaning against the wall like last time, but in his hands was a folder. Stryker was sitting in the chair with his feet propped up on the desk, but quickly dropped them when Briggs walked in. The swordsman claimed, "We found out a bit about our mysterious vigilante. I know with the bombs this might not be that big of a deal, but me and Kurtis figured that it was still noteworthy."
The captain took a seat and motioned for the folder. He flipped through the contents quickly. It contained a name. 'Kabal'. Briggs looked up at the both of them and asked, "Is this it?"
Stryker nodded and said, "You want us to go out looking for him?"
"No. The riots are bound to start soon, and we don't even have a clue as to how large the body count is," Briggs replied. He rubbed his temples furiously. "Honestly, I doubt he's going to want to go outside either. Probably get killed quicker than cops anyway."
"We could go outside undercover," Kenshi offered. "Granted a blindfold and a sword might tip a few people off."
"Exactly." The captain shook his head. "Just make yourselves comfortable here. We've got our best tech guys working on locating this terrorist. Anarchy, or something."
"That's actually a pretty fitting name, actually," Stryker commented. "'Anarky. With a 'K'."
Briggs looked at Stryker. "How do you know it's spelt with a 'k?'"
"I dunno, it just sounds cooler."
Kenshi rolled his eyes under his blindfold. "I'm going outside." When Briggs rose up, Kenshi placated him with a raised hand. "Don't worry. I'm keeping my badge here and I'll wear a pair of sunglasses."
Briggs sighed, but relented. "Just don't draw too much attention." Kenshi turned the door handle and walked out.
Stryker looked back at the door, then back at Briggs. "Do you got any coffee?"
Briggs glared at his officer, but pointed towards the coffee machine. A large smile lit up Stryker's face and he jumped towards the pot of caffeine filled goodness.