Author's Note:
This is it. It's time to bring some action into this arc. It's time to spice things up.
Chapter 80: The Choices That Binds Us.
With the day's activities done we moved on to a more relaxing pace as we started lunch together in the courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale. The grand ceremonial staircase, made out of what looked like exquisite, alternating bands of white and red limestone, stretched from the courtyard into the Palace itself. From where we sat, the two collossus statues, that of Mars and Neptune, watched over us as we ate.
Everyone was chatting up a storm, getting to know their partner better. Everyone except me and Zoe, it seems. I still can't believe she ripped up my works like that. Well, at least they didn't find out anything about her replacing my submission with her own sketches. Taking another bite into a chunk of chicken from the boxed lunch they had for us, I couldn't help but turn towards the girl that was my partner as the Prez started briefing us on what was gonna happen next.
"...bus would be arriving in an hours time...the time you have left to get to know each other better..."
Adele's words fade in and out of audibility as I observed the girl named Zoe, who was surprisingly smiling with glee as she played with Alessia. The frown she always had the entire morning was gone, and I even caught sight of her nodding and apologizing amidst her actions, despite the overwhelming pride she had before.
Is this the really the same girl with the objective views and genius intellect from before? She'd definitely make more friends if she smiled like that more...
"Ugh..."
The awkward silence between us was suffocating by now. We had passed from room to room without as much as a single word. Zoe really meant it when she said she only spoke to me because it was necessary. What started with me walking by her side ended up with me trailing behind the sight of her golden ponytail.
When she finally stopped by the balcony, the look on her face was one chock full of boredom. Grinding down on her teeth and constantly tapping the floor with her feet, she looked as though she was being tortured, twitching and wincing as her eyes desperately looked out into the streets.
Wow, she's really hating the fact that she has to spend the day here. I guess she was telling the truth when she said she'd seen all of which the museum has to offer.
"So..." I gave out the word as I parked myself beside her, making sure I wasn't too close or she might scream again.
Though after that, my mind went blank almost immediately. Zoe's starting to become kinda difficult for me to approach.
"Sigh...wish I had some candy with me right now." Zoe muttered, ignoring my attempt at trying to strike up a conversation with her.
"Come on, Zoe. This is probably the last time we'll be talking to each other." I reasoned, trying to get her to look my way and straight into my eyes. To my surprise, she did.
"Nope. You promised to do whatever I say." She reminded me, emphasizing on the word 'whatever'. "You live in the Zanna Mansion, right? I'll just head there whenever I need help with something. I never said how long you'll be helping...so..." She trailed off with a triumphant grin on her face as she turned away, apparently finishing the sentence with just that. She doesn't seem to be kidding. Before I could have said something to reply however, something pungent whisked against my nose, throwing me back flinching.
A faint, fleeting odor that was partly sour within a mix of grainy, earthy smell. If I had to describe it, it's a bit like chalk dust and burnt paper.
"What is that...?" Finding myself distracted by the smell, I wondered if Zoe noticed it as well. She wasn't giving off any form of reaction at all though if she did. Homing in on the scent brought me wandering close to this supply closet a few feet away from where we were. Without much thought my fingers wrapped themselves around the metal doorknob. Instinctively expecting something, I cautiously opened the door after a deep breath and a swallow of saliva.
Huh, nothing but a bunch of cleaning utensils. Some brooms, dustpans, mops and a bunch of shelves.
"What...are you doing?" Finally catching sight of me, Zoe plopped herself off the balcony and tossed out the question as she looked to me bewildered.
"I don't get it...I thought..." Mumbling out in confusion, I was just about to forget it when the smell came back again, even amidst the musty scent of the now opened supply closet. Making my way into that small square-shaped compartment, I finally realized where it came from. There, hidden in plain sight, a pot of some sort sat in the corner.
It's coming from inside this...cooking pot? What is... a cooking pot doing in a supply closet anyway...?
"I really don't think touching that is a good idea...even if it's just a pressure cooker." Zoe warned me as I tried to reach out for the thing, albeit growing slightly curious when her gaze fell on the object. I stopped, but nevertheless I couldn't shake off the feeling of how out of place the thing was.
"It's definitely suspicious." In the end all I could do was comment, even when my eyes caught sight of the bolts at certain corners of the lid. It's as if the whole things had been sealed tight. Remembering something Kiera mentioned this morning, my hands dug into my satchel before pulling out the stuff she gave me this morning. She instructed me to use it if I ever felt the need to tell or ask her anything, or to just contact her of something.
"I never had one of these before..." I muttered out as I held out the thing in my hand, admiring the sleek piece of technology. It doesn't have any buttons, and the screen seemed too big. but apparently they're all designed this way nowadays.
"A smartphone? You're kidding me, right?" Zoe asked out with a baffled look as she saw the thing, before pulling out her own.
In any case, after a bit of fumbling I managed to dial in Kiera's number. The ever present dribbling of tone played, and it wasn't long before Kiera's voice answered.
"Lord Amato? Of what do I owe the pleasure of you calling?" As polite as ever, Kiera answered in a pleasant tone from over the other end of the line. I started telling her of what I found, starting with the unusual smell I picked up. Only at the end did I realize how strange I sounded, asking about how if finding a pressure cooker in a supply closet here in the Doge's Palace was dangerous or not. "Hm, you'll have to be a little bit more specific. Can you describe the object?" Kiera requested, sounding more and more intrigued.
"Well, it's a large cylindrical object made of metal, about half a meter in length, height and width. Seems tightly shut, with its lid sealed down with tiny bolts on the top and the sides." I replied as my eyes fell on the thing, trying to look out for anything significant. A marking or a logo or something.
Nothing.
"Cylindrical? -Dante! Dante, you're quite learned in technology and the likes. What do you think?" Still somewhat uncertain, Kiera's immediately perked up as she shouted out Dante's name. The guy must have walked into the room or something. After a few moments of muffled dialogue that kept me waiting in suspense, Dante's voice spoke through the phone.
"Boss, you might not like what you're about to hear." Dante stated calmly, a serious note in the tone of his voice. It got me all tensed up as I gulped down a huge drop of saliva. After a few moments of silence, Dante took it as consent as started speaking again. "I'm not entirely certain, but you could be looking at an improvised explosive device."
"Improvised explosive device?" I repeated the term, not really sure what it meant.
"I'm talking about a bomb!" Dante rephrased himself with a new sense of urgency to his words.
"A bomb?!" Shocked by hearing the one word, I couldn't help screaming it out as my eyes threw themselves open.
"What? N-No way...!" Having overheard me Zoe ended up looking really disturbed as she started focusing her attention around the pressure cooker.
Almost immediately my mind jumped into conclusions, and the sight of the rest of my class caught in the blast or hurt in the aftermath of the bombing started playing! Some part of me even started deciding it was nothing more than an exaggeration. Worst of all, a part of me even believed it.
"...who were you talking to? How exactly is this thing a bomb?" Before I could sort out my thoughts, Zoe started bombarding me with her questions, still somewhat skeptical of the idea. Still, her eyes were trying their best to look away from the pressure cooker, maybe out of avoidance or even fear. It made it seemed like she was in denial. Backed by her suspicions, my thoughts converged, convincing me that it might really just be Dante's guess amidst the escalating rhythm thumping in my ears and the cold sweat.
Badump.
I mean, Dante didn't lay eyes on this. He might be wrong, right? It could just an item belonging to one of the staff here, nothing more!
"His name's Dante, he's on the other end of the line. He's a friend of mine, and he's good with all the tech stuff." Finally answering Zoe's questioning looks, I tried to focus and answer as calmly as I could before getting back to the phone. Of course, I left out the fact that Dante's actually one of the Zanna Famiglia's weapon and munitions advisorss. "Dante, are you sure it's a bomb? What if it's nothing more than a plain old pressure cooker?"
"A plain old pressure cooker in the faculty room of a museum? I don't think the Doge's Palace is any place for a cook-off, do you?" Dante gave out his points with a rather convincing analogy, sounding somewhat annoyed. "The scent your keen sense of smell picked up was from a low explosive, most likely gunpowder. This isn't a joke, Boss. Doing anything but leaving the Palace is ill-advised. If there is a slim chance my deductions are wrong, then there's nothing to worry about; nobody will get hurt. But, are you willing to take that chance?" He asked with a stern tone, offering me a choice that seemed little more than an ultimatum.
Badump.
As I looked upon the elementary school girl by my side, her brown eyes turned to me in her panic, the thought of everyone else in the Doge's Palace came into mind.
"No...I can't." That was my answer, muttering not just to Dante but to my own ears as well. It calmed me down enough to make me realize the next course of action I should take. "Zoe, Dante's sure of it. The smell I picked up was gunpowder. It's inside the cooker. Which means this thing is being used as a bomb. I need you to get out there, get everyone away from this area of the museum and start evacuation!" I barked out the commands which seemed to come from nowhere, popping into mind right at that very moment. The bomb was all I could think of, how much danger we were in, how to get everyone away from the blast.
"B-But-!" Zoe retorted, taken aback by my sudden assertiveness and stunted by the shock of realizing the truth.
"Now, Zoe!" I yelled back at her without looking, eyes already on the pressure cooker.
I hope she doesn't hate me for this.
Within the seconds, Zoe's footsteps littered down the second floor corridor. Turning back for one final check, I started slowly making my way towards the bomb, until it was right before my feet. Pulling the phone back to my ear, I calmed my nerves and cleared my throat before following through this crazy idea I had.
Badump.
"Dante, give me the instructions. Tell me what I should do to disarm the bom-!"
Before I could finish, my instincts went off! Hair stood up on the back of my neck as my eyes widened! Somebody's behind me!
"Crack."
But I turned a second too late as something hard pierced into the back of my neck! The next thing I knew the world before my eyes was spinning. My hearing faded in and out as a pair of voices started speaking, the words muffled out. It took me a while, but I finally realized I was already headed for the ground! With a thud, everything went black.
"Sir, what are we gonna do with him?"
In the darkness, the voice woke me up, pulling me out of a daze. Immediately, the sore, swollen lump on the back of my neck jabbed at me. It stung every time I tried to move my head. My arms and legs were tied up, the thick rope cutting into my flesh with every tiny movement. Getting a hold of the situation at hand, I tried to open my eyes slightly and maintain the act that I was still knocked out. I can't have them doing anything drastic like putting me out of my misery in a hostage situation like this, not until I free myself.
"Nosy kid ruined everything. How did he find the bomb anyway?" Another one of them asked out, looking really frustrated. Behind them, in the chair, with his glasses shining in the dark, another stood up in response.
"Hm, that's the question, isn't it? It should have been hidden well enough." He answered, before stepping out of the shadows and into the light, revealing long black hair tied in a ponytail in a checkered shirt as opposed to the rest. The others looked like professional thieves, dressed in dark outfits and armed to the teeth.
A second was all I had to survey the surroundings before they closed in around me. From what I gathered, we were in boxed room with a console of sorts in the corner and a whole lot of monitors atop said console.
Is this the security office or something? It doesn't look like the same place I was in this morning...
"Enough." A third person from the gang of armed thugs declared calmly, scaring the others in line. "The unwarranted bombing in the morning caused enough heat from the police already! We can't have let this kid run free, alerting the police of our plans." He continued, maintaining a unfazed look in his eyes, hidden amidst his bushy brows and a grizzled face. Scars ran down along the side of his face, though they showed no incompetency, only the experience of his many jobs before.
"Kill'im, and go finish off that girl who was with him in the room." The boss of the thugs demanded. There was no signs of mercy anywhere in his tone of voice.
"Wait, you said no one's gonna get hurt if I let you do this! You can't go back on your word!" Out of nowhere, the grand curator appeared in the same purple suit from before, objecting to the guy's decision as he pushed himself in front of me. Unfortunately, that didn't do much to help, as the thugs just shoved him aside!
No way, the curator's in it with these guys? Is that why he stopped the police from closing down the Palace in the first place?
"Shut up! It doesn't matter, you're still gonna get paid so don't worry!" One of the thugs gave out before pulling out a pistol and aiming it right at me!
Luckily, Luigi's little objection did buy me enough time to get myself up on my feet!
"Snap!" With a swing, I brought my tied hands on the pistol barrel, knocking it away from me. At that very moment, adrenaline all but pushed by body into reckless abandon, leaving it to nothing but instinct and reflex! Hopping close to the guy stunned by my action, I grit down on my teeth as I raised my head, before slamming it down on the thug with a roaring headbutt!
"Crack!"
"Fugh!" The man roared in pain, flooding my ears even as the thumping from the impact shook my head.
"Restrain him!" By now, the others had jumped into action. The really were professionals, as they surrounded me without as much as a reaction to the first fellow who dropped to his knees, moving completely in tune. One of the huge, burly guys had his arms clamped down on my shoulders, and the next thing I knew I was thrown against the wall!
"Thud!"
Crack.
"Gugh!" Shaking away the daze, a kick into my solar plexus sent my face to the floor crying out in pain! When my sight returned, another guy came charging at me with a combat knife looking to pierce into my neck! The blade gave me an idea! Betting on the chance, my legs were raised as soon as he got close, bringing my tied ankles to edge of his knife!
"Shikt!'
"Bang!" Just in time, my legs stretched themselves enough for me to kick the ground, scraping away from the gunshot by mere inches! As the ringing in my ear died off and the bullet reduced to nothing more than a mark smoking on the ground, I crawled back up to my feet, taking on a stance.
Rolling my ankles never felt so good.
"What's with this kid?!" A blond thug cried out in annoyance and disbelief, as the group of five surrounded me once more. Before I could follow the signals they gave off to each other, they resumed their assault! One of them drew out another gun, drawing my attention and earning him a bone-crunching kick to the sides! Another came at me with a baton in hand, looking to bludgeon my head in! Pulling back and getting into balance, a kick to the ground with the ball of my feet sent my knee right into the guy's neck!
Skletch.
"Argh!" What the heck?! Immediately after I kicked, a wave of fire chewed into my flesh from my shoulder! Ramming myself free from my assailant, I turned only to see my overshirt torn and the area darkening rapidly. It seems I weren't able to to defend against the rest of the attacks as well as I thought. In an attempt to shake off the pain, the boss of the thugs came into sights. Throwing me a slug, the sheer weight of his punch had me crashing down once more, only this time it felt a lot more permanent.
Crack. Thud. Snap.
As the pelting of blows rained down me from all sides, I realized I was more injured than I thought. In addition to the knife wound on my shoulder, my stomach was cut and bleeding, and my left leg grew heavy. My hamstring might have been messed up. I guess I got pretty lucky not getting shot. After a kick to the face I did my best to ignore the pain and cling on to consciousness with the weight of every blow!
"Hey, hey! Enough, Bulldog! There's no need for this violence!" To my surprise, the guy with the glasses jumped in between me and the thugs, raising his arms as he got them to stop. "You know what? How about you let me handle this kid? You guys can just be on your way to the designated locations." He reasoned as he shooed them away with his hand, even when faced with the glare from the head honcho named Bulldog.
"Are you sure?" He replied, staring back with skeptic eyes which were met with an out-of-place smile and a nod. After a few seconds of what seemed like contemplation, Bulldog called off his men with a wave of his arm. "Stick to the plan, Flint. Keep your paws off the trigger!" He commanded, before turning back to the thugs. Still armed with guns and the like, they vanished out the door in formation, leaving me with the guy named Flint and Luigi. When my eyes found themselves glaring at the grand curator, he stumbled his way out as well, with a downtrodden look on his face.
"Hah...hah..hah..." Despite the heavy breathing, I had my eyes pinned on the guy, ready to pull myself off the ground as soon as he tried something. Instead he only shook his head before pulling out a bunch of medical supplies from a cabinet nearby. All the while he had this sympathetic look on his face, and a smile that garnered no threat at all.
"All this blood, what a mess..." Flint commented as he reached out to my wounds, cleaning them and bandaging them up in a spiffy. His baffling actions only left me at a loss of words, as well as not knowing how exactly I should react.
Didn't he just said that he would take care of me? I assumed that meant he'd finish me off, so what the heck is he doing dressing my injuries?
"Y-You're not one of them, aren't you? Are you a hostage?" The conclusion of my thoughts brought out those unbelievable words as Flint removed the rope around my wrists. He didn't exactly deny what I said, however.
"You could say that, I guess my clothes were a dead giveaway on that aspect, huh?" Flint replied, pulling me up to my feet after he was done. It felt as though he was in no way threatening my life. His mannerisms, his presence, his body language, they didn't set off my senses at the slightest. A pair of soft eyes behind the glasses, he fiddled with the pistol he brought out of his pockets before placing it down on the tabletop. "I just don't believe in torture. They pulled me off the streets for a job. Now I'm not even sure if I wanna do it." He confessed, looking genuinely uncertain.
"What's the job?" The confusion of what was happening got to me good, but nevertheless I did my best to play along. Perhaps the conversation can get me some inkling as to what this group are planning to do to the museum, with bombs and all.
"To bomb the place. It's supposed to happen after closing hours. It'll burn the place down after they finished stealing everything. Would've made the prices of those works skyrocket." Flint casually tossed out what seemed like the entire plan the thugs had. "But seeing you struggle gave me a new idea." He declared excitedly, before pulling out and tinkering on something that looked a lot like a belt lined with tubes from one end to the other.
This guy's the one responsible for the bombs?! I never would've guessed!
In my shock, he had the thing tied around my torso after removing my black overshirt, before replacing it back on. It wasn't heavy, but I can't help but feel wary about why he's doing this. Just as I was about to ask, the guy got close and whispered into my ears...
"Now you've got a bomb around tied around your body, what are you gonna do?"
Badump.
"Wh-What?" In an instant I lose myself to shock, and my arms reached towards the thing in an effort to rip it off. However, he gestured disapprovingly by wagging his finger as soon as my hands touched the thing he called a bomb, pulling out a tiny, black object of sorts. It had a button, and the man, with the same, unchanging smile from before, were hesitant to press it.
In an instant I knew what message he was trying to convey.
"That's right, don't even think about it. That's high explosives. One touch of this button, or if you try tearing it off all willy-nilly, you're gonna find yourself blown into a thousand pieces! Blood, organs and all!" Flint exclaimed excitedly, almost as if he doesn't realize how twisted his actions are. "Tell you what, thirty minutes." He announced, going back to his seat, his eyes glazing upon the monitors that seemed to show every corner of the Doge's Palace.
"Th-Thirty minutes? What's that supposed to mean?" Stammering at my words, the feeling of cold metal pressing against my shirt was horrible. The fact that I now know it was a bomb made it that much more uncomfortable.
Badump.
"The time now is three-forty-five. You have thirty minutes to disarm that bomb in the supply closet. After that, I'm setting it off! It's placed in such a position that it'll shatter the foundation of the very building, probably crushing everyone inside the palace." Flint continued, again casually tossing out the threat without the slightest intent in his voice, his tone or anything! "Oh boy is this exciting! Can't wait to see what you're gonna end up doing first, disarming the big one or removing the bomb I tied around your body." Flint wondered excitedly, tossing into my hands the satchel I had before, and with it, Fenris.
I hadn't even noticed they took it!
"Why are you doing this?" I couldn't comprehend his logic no matter how much I tried, so I ended up asking him outright. The answer I got back from Flint gnawed at my mind the very moment I heard it.
"Why not? The very moment a person realizes he's in danger, in the presence of a bomb, he'll show the truest expression of freedom. He'll struggle, guided only by instinct, none of that logic and reasoning our society imposed upon us to get in the way. Apart from that, the blast of a bomb is akin to the big bang. It happens for but an instant, but nothing ever remains the same. I always wanna know who's gonna end up surviving, and who will have their lives robbed in that instant." He slipped into a monologue as his eyes grew brighter.
If I didn't know better, I'd say he looked more determined than before.
"Besides, I'm done waiting until closing time to blow something up. Just blowing things up when everyone's gone? Boring. It'll more exciting watching someone struggle against the odds. Good luck!" He finishes with a wave of his hand before turning away, as if he was already bored of me, having said all he needed. By then my legs had already brought me to the other end of the room, my back was pressed against the wall by my body out of sheer horror.
I definitely would have been better off not knowing.
In the face of the choice before me, my arms threw the door open as my staggering legs broke into a dash out the room! Even as my haggled breaths littered the corridor, I could still hear the mad man's singing faint in the distance.
"...I just want to set the world on fire...I just want to start...the fire in our hearts..."
I couldn't remember how long it's been since I stumbled out of the room, running down the second floor trying to get back to the room where that bomb was. Looking down underneath my overshirt, the sleek bomb still tied around me was grazing against my skin. Every few seconds the cold metal surface filled my sense of touch, and my instincts would scream and panic for me to get away. Before long my hands grew twitchy as I resisted the urge to go into my awakening and just tear the darn thing off of me!
Badump.
But I can't. My eyes scanned my surroundings, the many corners of the corridors. There were no cameras in sight, but they might just be hidden. He might still be watching.
To try to free myself from this thing, or to prevent a horrible catastrophe that might take the lives of everyone here in the Doge's palace today. The responsibility of choice feels like a burden fit for the title of 'Boss'. Even without planning for it, I ended up the one saddled with the choice anyway.
"Darn it..." As my emotions and my thoughts overwhelmed me, I ended up pushing my steps faster, breaking into a sprint. Kiera said the role of the Famiglia is more than just a struggle for resources and control over the black market, the vices and the such. The represent hope for those shunned by society as dictated by the norms, such as those in poverty or those beyond the law's reach.
Does that mean I should put the safety of others above my own right now? It seemed easy enough a choice before, but It's different when you have a bomb tied around your chest...
In a blink of an eye, my feet brought me to the same door of the supply closet from before.
In any case, I need some way contact the Famiglia again, as well as a way to monitor how much time I have left. All of this means I'll need to find the phone I lost when I was knocked out. It wasn't in the satchel Flint returned to me.
Clinging on to that one thought alone, my fingers hastily turned on the knob and threw open the door into the closet.
"...shoot."
Badump.
After that one word I sorta ended up staring at the mess that was my phone for a few seconds, listening to the loud beating of my heart. The sleek casing has been smashed apart, with tiny pieces scattered all around. The screen was cracked with a large section of it tossed to the side, which probably meant I'll not be able to use it for anything anymore. The guy that knocked me out must have wrecked it afterward. Stomped on it, probably.
Wait, what am I doing standing here thinking about all this? The bomb's on its way to blowing up this section of the museum!
When realization came to me, I could only grit down on my teeth in annoyance as my mind raced for an alternative, before my legs broke out into a dash at the speed of the wind!
I have to find Sergio and the others!
Scrambling down the stairs, I found my way back into the main reception area, hoping to see the place cleared out except for perhaps Sergio and the others. Instead people were clamoring here and there in utter confusion, separated into small groups made up of those here on a field trip and a number of the public visiting the museum for the day. Amidst the chatter that went from a joke about a bomb here in the museum to the whining about an annoying blond girl, my eyes caught sight of Zoe and the others running around here and there.
"Please, you have to listen to me! We have to get out of the palace! Please!" Zoe cried out relentlessly, only to have her words fell on deaf ears. As I made my way towards them, I noticed that even Mister Russo wasn't taking the news as seriously as I had hoped. Also, Zoe met up with my friends along the way.
"She's being serious here, people! There's a bomb planted in one of the upper rooms that's primed to go off!" Sergio added, as Johann, Yoko, Gina and even their partners followed suite, spreading out to the many groups and reiterating the urgency of the situation. As the crowd remained unamused, they were nonetheless catching on with what was happening. At least, in their own perspective. As eyes fell on all of them, they looked as though they were tired of this little 'prank'.
"Enough, little girl!" Mister Russo reprimanded, having reached Zoe and the others before I did. "And Sergio! I can't believe you of all people are in it on this little joke, calling not just the students here but the public patrons of the museum as well!" Mister Russo flared on, his face growing redder by the second. Never have I seen him so angry.
I supposed from an onlooker's eyes, Sergio and the others seemed little more than just a bunch of kids making a ruckus.
As Mister Russo turned away from the Sergio's group in disappointment and the crowd dispersed back into the many corners of the museum, I finally caught up to them.
"Amato!" Sergio exclaimed as a wild look brought me into his sights, calming him down from the fruitlessness of what he was doing. Before long, everyone huddled close as they gathered around me. Some of them looked extremely worried, some of them close to tears and a number of them, particularly those of Zoe's age, were looking really confused.
"As you have probably seen, we couldn't get anyone to listen." Zoe muttered with her eyes having fallen to the floor.
"I'm so glad! The fact that you're here means the bomb problem is gone, right Amato?" Gina cried out in relief, wiping away the tears that were about to fall from her reddened eyes. Don't tell me she's been like this ever since she spoke to Zoe about all that's happening.
I wanted to reply immediately, but as soon as I tried to reach out to them, a certain thought robbed me of my words. Not to mention with the thought that strangling feeling of weakness returned.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
The damned metal thing is still hanging tight around my chest! That means anyone close shares the risk of being blown to bits! Gina, my friends, Zoe and her classmates as well!
Sweat began pouring out again. At that very moment I started to regret finding my friends for help, to the point where I started backing away in steps. I could have asked for a phone from anyone. I knew Kiera's number, I could have-!
"Amato!" Suddenly, Gina called out my name in a loud tone of voice, snapping me away from my thoughts and back into the situation at hand. With worried eyes she got close only to catch sight of the rips in my clothes and the bandages all over my body. "You got hurt?!" She cried out in concern. With the clock still ticking down I made a silent apology to Gina before ignoring her and turning towards my best friend.
"Sergio! I need your phone, now!" I ordered, overtaken by the urgency of it all. Before he was even done fishing it out of his pocket, I snatched it off of his hand!
"Hey! What was that for?! I was gonna pass it to you, you know!" He cried out in annoyance, looking really baffled at my overall behavior.
"No time! The bomb's gonna go off in...ten minutes or so!" I replied hastily, switching between the clock on the phone and the grandfather clock ticking in the main hall. "Stay here, I'm gonna go and disarm the darn thing!" I threw out the words sternly as I started running. After all, they didn't need to follow, I don't want to put them at risk. They should just get out of here and get as far away from the museum as they possibly could!
Clack.
Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed the moment someone grabbed hold of my wrist, stopping me in my steps. I was so pumped with adrenaline that I nearly kicked whoever it was out of reflex. Shooting back a glance, Johann surprised me with a serious look on his face. His usual laid back smile was nowhere to be seen.
"Why do you always try to do things alone, Amato? We're coming with you, whether you like it or not." He declared, his eyebrows furrowing for the first time since he lost his memory. At his words, Gina and the others only nodded in agreement.
"Tsk, fine!" With much reluctance I gave my reply, breaking free from his grasp before heading towards the bomb once more. I didn't have the luxury of time to argue.
From behind me, Johann loosened his stance and started smiling again as he turned back towards Sergio and the others with relief. Together they started chasing after me and my steps. Deep down I was happy when I caught a glimpse of that, but I couldn't bring myself to show it.
I still wished they'd vacate the museum. It's dangerous to be near me right now.
"Hm, based on those specifications, the explosion radius will likely decimate that supply closet. The outlying supporting pillars of the Doge's palace might get ruined by the tremor in the process. The entire second floor will literally come caving down! Here's what you have to do." Dante began his instructions after a rather long assessment of the situation over the phone.
After yelling at Kiera through the phone at my own risk, Kiera surprised me when she understood the sped-up gibberish that was my explanation of the bomb threat and the presence of the dangerous individual lurking within the Doge's Palace. Once I was done, she immediately followed-up by relaying it to the rest of the Famiglia before passing the phone over to Dante. His voice through the phone's speaker had everyone of us cramped within that tiny closet all tensed while listening. Sergio, Johann and I were the closest in proximity to the bomb itself, while Gina and Yoko stood by the door together with the kids we were supposed to look after.
"The first thing you have to look out for is an out-of-place attachment to the bomb. It'll be where the bomber implemented the trigger mechanism." Dante calmly gave out word for word, giving enough time between them for us to fully pick up on what he said.
Badump.
Unfortunately there wasn't any compartment of any kind anywhere around the bomb sitting before my eyes!
"I don't see anything like that, Dante!" I screamed out in a panic after kneeling down as clawing away at the top of the metal thing.
"Could it be that the trigger device is concealed within?" Sergio asked out loudly, trying his best to maintain his composure despite everyone else getting worked up from the tension.
"Possible. If that is indeed the case, you have no choice but to try and pry open the sealed container." Dante continued with his instructions, taking care with every word. "Be extra cautious, the large concentration of gunpowder can still cause severe burns if they were to ignite in close proximity. Once it's open you'll be looking to remove the blasting cap as well as the firing circuit. Without those, the bomb won't have anything attached to set it off." Dante described, bombarding us with terms that sounded a lot like a bunch of jargon he made up.
"Five minutes left!" Johann warned as he looked to his wristwatch, being the one we assigned to keep track of the time.
"What?! Shouldn't we be trying to avoid opening up the bomb and keeping its explosive contents in?!" Zoe cried out her rhetorical question as soon as Dante finished.
"On the contrary, gunpowder is considered low explosives. With no pressure it won't be able to build up energy and can do little but burn itself out. It's actually safer for everyone if the lid was open." Dante rebutted the question with a reasonable explanation. Zoe seemed to immediately understand, calming down and looking away embarrassed. "Just don't do it if it's already building up." He finished with a warning.
Badump.
"Wait, wait, wait, just hold on a minute! Can we get back to disarming this stupid thing?! What the heck should I be doing right now?!" Annoyed by how we're only wasting what time we had left, I couldn't help yelling out as I brought my fists down on the pressure cooker on reflex!
"Clang!"
"Ow!" That was my reaction as a small cut split opened on the edge of my hand, blood trickling out. When I realized how stupid it was to do that however, I couldn't help looking up to the eyes of my friends and company expecting heavy stares. However, everyone had their eyes on one thing and one thing only. The pressure cooker.
The top of the pressure cooker to be exact.
"N-No way..." I could only mutter at the sight, contemplating whether it was fate or dumb luck that got that to show itself.
"What is it?" Dante's grainy voice wondered through the speakers in a curious tone.
"The top convex protrusion of the pressure cooker is...dented!" Sergio exclaimed in an attempt to reply, being the first one to break out of the surprise. "It wasn't part of the pressure cooker by design, it was welded on!" He continued, overtaken by what seemed like adrenaline mixed with joy.
"Seriously?!"
"That's it then!"
"The trigger thingamajig must be inside!"
The exclamations was probably shared by everyone in the room, including myself. Zoe and her classmates in particular, were exchanging looks that went from confusion to slight smiles of relief. The lot of them were the ones who were most surprised.
"Two minutes!" Johann suddenly roared out, restarting the panic! "Rip it out, rip it out, rip it out!" He screamed the phrase over and over, probably overreacting way more than any of us were. He was jumping from where he stood, fingers pointing down at the dented piece of metal and his voice screaming into my ears.
Badump.
Pushed by his words and the fact that every second second I spent meant greater danger for my friends, my hands reached the edge of the now protruding piece of metal amidst the thumping sound of my heart and bullets of cold sweat. "Eyargh!" With a scream, I tore open the tiny compartment grabbing the trigger mechanism as soon as it appeared. "Now it's over!" I declared, as I ripped off the phone from the bomb, tearing away at the cluster of wires just as a message popped into the screen.
It showed, in blood red letters, the word 'Game Over'. I could almost imagine it being repeated in Flint's voice.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
"Hah..hah..hah..." Standing up from the now-disarmed bomb, the rush of heat and the ringing in my ears started to fade away. The phone that was the trigger had gone dead in my grasp. I looked to Johann for a confirmation as soon as I could. The guy stood beside me, staring at the face of his watch with widened eyes.
"Time's up." He declared, looking really uncertain of what's what.
"And nothing's burning." I added with a sniff, feeling just as surprised, before a silly smile stretched across my face. As the voices of everyone came back stronger than ever, their frowns disappeared as they saw my reaction. Before we knew it, joy and relief washed over us like a tidal wave, breaking away at the silence!
"He did it!" Gina and Yoko cried out as they threw themselves into each others' arms, hopping around where they stood.
"Hooray!"
"I can't believe it's over!"
The kids started cheering as well, looking as though they were gonna break out into tears. Even Zoe couldn't help but give out a long sigh of relief as she exchanged hugs with Alessia, not to mention almost doing the same for Ezio. The two looked away almost immediately when they realized what was about to happen.
"Can't say I'm looking forward to these sort of things with the Famiglia, Amato. If another Op happens that's gonna involve bombs it'll be too soon!" Sergio gave out between breaths as he turned towards Johann, who had fallen down on the floor on his rump in relief.
"Boss? From the sound of the cheering can I assume the bomb has been successfully disarmed?" Dante's voice once again spoke out from the speakers, asking for a status report. He was still as calm as ever, but anyone else in that room could have told you how there was this slight nuance of relief in his voice.
"Yeah, the bomb's disarmed!" I replied, shouting through the storm everyone was chatting up.
"All right. Stay put, Boss. Kiera said we're heading there right now, and she's ordering a contingent of our finest over as well." Dante exclaimed, but I was too winded to hear any of it, passing the phone back to Sergio. Back-stepping out of the room after sharing a hug with my girl, the cool air brushing against my skin was most pleasing. Reaching for the darn thing around my chest still brought a tremble to my touch, but...
I made the right choice, yeah? It has to be. Now everyone's gonna be safe. Everyone's-
Just as I was about to convince myself of it, I caught sight the darn thing blinking again! The phone that was torn out of that bomb has came back to life! The screen showed the same message, and it was blinking more rapidly than it ever did!
"Doom!"
"Crash!"
"Kaboom!"
The roaring sound of the explosions came from multiple areas, and the tremors got us all moving almost immediately. One of them felt extremely close by. The smiles of relief quickly changed into crushing despair as color all but vanished from everyone's cheeks. Following the faint trail of smoke that appeared, we made our way back towards the reception area. Rushing our way down the stairs, we caught sight of a commotion near the main doors as we moved.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
Everyone scrambled forward, but my steps were sluggish. I watched as everyone went ahead, leaving behind, the only one still trembling. All the heat and the pounding came rushing back. From where I stood, a crowd of people were standing around the entrance. From the murmuring fear and chaos could be heard. Though my arms wrapped themselves around my body hoping to calm myself, it only made things worse when I'm reminded of the bomb I was still carrying.
Nevertheless, inch by inch I was moving forward, pushing my steps through the seas of people. A part of me wasn't going to let it rest, forbidding me from running away.
I need to know what happened. See it with my own eyes.
Thud.
However, someone from the crowd had turned and knocked shoulders against me, distracting me and putting my steps to a temporary halt. The guy had a baseball cap on, and the rest of his body hidden behind a long trench coat.
"Surprising. The needs of the many, huh? How refreshing." The familiar voice snaked its way around my heart, the claw of fear wiping my mind of any thoughts. "At least we know the fail-safe worked." The guy ended, giving off a slight chuckle as he disappeared back into the museum.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
Fail-safe?
Immediately the bomb from the supply closet flooded back into mind. Turning back and resuming my steps, I finally made my way past the many heads blocking the view of the doors.
"...no...Adele..."
The image I saw would from then on be forever etched into my memory, leaving me scarred for the rest of my life. A haunting reminder of my folly, and the burden of choice.
Sigh. This is affecting me a lot more than I thought it would. As usual, give me your thoughts and reviews below. I'd love to hear how you feel after reading through this chapter. Keep you eyes out for the next update.