Omen
Twelfth Sign
"I knew I should have visited Elka instead." Ross grumbled to himself soon as he found the place to be deserted.
A little earlier, Ross surveyed the area. Not later, he learned that the door was unlocked which led him to consider two things: one, he's going to get sniped in any second; two, he's already too late. He was leaning more on the former, making him put his combat knife to use. He opened the door slightly and through the small gap, the knife's blade peeked through, its stainless steel reflecting the other side.
There was nothing.
Ross cautiously peered through the gap and saw nothing striking from his own two eyes. He waited, but the gunshots he expected never came. Letting himself in, he observed his surroundings. The premises was quiet, too quiet it left the young lieutenant wondering if his initial thoughts were true. He remained vigilant, careful in each step he took. The place was spacious, and fairly empty but despite this, there were signs of life left within the building. There were tables and chairs, lamps, scattered papers, bottles of wine and water, glasses and rags - it seemed there were people using it not long ago.
"Man, I wonder when they left." Ross mumbled to himself as he picked up an empty bottle of vodka sitting over a pile of crumpled and torn papers. "They sure had some celebration." he thought aloud, looking at a torn newspaper with yesterday's bombing as its headlines.
Ross continued to look around, hoping to find some clues of their whereabouts, or hopefully, their future plans. Ross had always been thorough in such cases, believing any simple, tiny detail could guide him to their complete annihilation. He knew it was akin to what detectives do, and he did consider himself becoming one if he wasn't already married to war.
As the redhead was rummaging through the scattered papers over a table with a lamp left alight, he caught a small flash from the corner of his eye. He knew what that flash was, prompting him to crouch down and find shelter.
"Show yourself, intruder!" the man shouted, keeping his gun pointed to the direction Ross hid into.
Naturally, Ross was carrying a gun of his own, but he never had any intentions of using it. He liked using his own fists, and possibly a knife despite sucking at it. Another thing, he didn't want to alert the dark doctor who was watching outside. There was only one opponent, he knew he could take care of it himself.
"I said show yourself!" the man shouted again, firing his gun once to the edge of the upturned table as warning.
Ross whistled when he saw the mark that was left by the bullet inches away from where his hand was. The accuracy was almost on his level, and luckily, a silencer must be attached on that gun he's using. The noise of his shot wasn't as loud as one would expect from your typical hand pistol, no wonder the muzzle flash was small as well.
Receiving no response and seeing no movement, the man gingerly took a step forward, pausing for three seconds max before moving another foot forward. He was wary, and prepared, it was proof that he was used to these kinds of encounters - probably a veteran.
Ross had a plan, a bold one. He grabbed an empty bottle and took out his combat knife. He had noticed the opponent's caution evidence by the rate he was moving and Ross knew he could take a chance by throwing his opponent's rhythm off. It was risky, but he knew his own speed.
After the fourth footstep, Ross threw the bottle over, and the man quickly responded by shooting it down, glass shattering before him. Ross wasted no time and dashed towards his opponent but the man had fast reflexes, immediately pulling the trigger at the sight of the rushing redhead. Ross would run in a diagonal path, two bullets grazing him by the arm and his temple respectively until he closed their gap, forcing his enemy to step back.
Ross swung his right, aiming for the man's jaw only to be blocked by the small pistol. The man grunted, throwing a fist against Ross's face to which the lad easily dodged. He gripped the man's wrist and stomped over his foot, eliciting a wince of pain from his opponent, giving him the opening he needed to dig his blade to his side deep enough to pierce through his spleen. The redhead left his knife stuck on his enemy's side and forcefully removed the pistol from his hand.
The man fell down on his knees, blood trickling down beneath him. He was still awake, his breathing labored, his energy drained. He glared up at the redhead who immediately pointed the pistol he previously owned against his forehead.
"Listen pal, I don't do torture so it'd be great if you tell me where your leader is before drawing your last breath." Ross spoke, his voice smooth.
The man silently glowered at the young lad. Even with blood pooling on his mouth, he kept his lips pursed.
"Where is your leader?" Ross asked patiently.
"I'd rather die!" the man snarled, spitting into Ross's sleeve.
The young lieutenant wordlessly fired the pistol over the man's forehead in point blank range, blood sprayed over the weapon, his gloved hand up to his coat's arm sleeve. He watched the man slump against the hard floor lifeless. The whole scene made Ross sigh in dismay.
"This is why I can never work as a detective." Ross discarded the pistol and retrieved his knife from the man's corpse. He took his time examining the man's features, recognizing the foreign color of his eyes. It did cross him that the terrorists may be getting help from outside but he didn't expect the neighboring nation was backing them. Still, it was only one man so he couldn't rule it out yet, but he was confident in his assumption.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang from the direction the man he took down came from, a bullet scraping his shoulder.
Shoot, there was another one! Ross hurriedly picked up the pistol he just discarded and took shelter on the upturned table he previously hid in. He couldn't believe he got shot, cursing himself for letting his guard down. He carefully peeked from the side and saw the man standing quite a few ways from him, making him click his tongue in annoyance. Ross had to take him out in one shot or Law was going to get alerted.
=/=
Trafalgar Law was leaning against the motorcycle with his gaze fixed at the building's entrance. Ever since the redhead disappeared into it, he had been on edge. He could sense the presence of a handful men coming from the building's direction thanks to his observation haki but they had small energy signature, making it harder for him to pinpoint their exact number. In spite this, Law could sense Ross clearly as he emitted a much larger energy signature to his amusement. He almost wanted to enter the building in secret just to be able to watch the redhead fight, get outnumbered and fall to his knees in defeat.
Not later, he sensed hostility and figured a shot was fired. Once. And then followed by another one after a minute. Law could tell it wasn't the redhead who did the shooting but he was getting bored with just waiting.
Another whole minute or so past, there was another gunshot, and Law knew Ross was the one who fired. Sensing the other signature quickly vanish right after the shot, Law proceeded to move closer to the building to allow him for a clearer sense of their presence. He could count the dead and the living on the other side of the door right before him, and he could tell Ross's position as his 'aura' burned a bright red among all others.
Law stood by, awaiting the right moment to bust in. Initially, he didn't want to help out. He had planned to forsake the redhead even if he fired the signal, but upon realizing Ross could actually take care of the opponents lurking inside the building, he wanted to just throw him off by showing up in the most unexpected time and place.
Four minutes and the clock kept ticking. Law was already growing irritated. It wasn't about waiting anymore, it was about Ross effectively wiping out the enemies without firing his gun twice in a row. Technically, he did fire them a few times but it always took him one shot for each of them, making the dark doctor realize how the redhead never intended to call him for help.
"And he said there might be escapees." Law muttered to himself, putting both palms on the door contemplating whether it was fine to shove it open by then. Sure, Ross was handling things fairly well but he was taking his time. And although Law could be patient, he was not the type to miss out in such fun.
"Room."
A vivid light aura swiftly expanded around Law, engulfing the whole building in the process. He sensed Ross's heightened caution, making his lips curl into a smile. Ross began stepping back, how curious.
"Shambles."
And Law stood right in front of the redhead who immediately scowled at the Warlord, making him chuckle at the sight.
"What the fuck?!" one shouted, firing his gun towards the uninvited guest but the bullet never reached him.
Law snorted at the futile attempt. He turned around to face them but before he could even unsheathe his sword, Ross rushed upfront and began to take them down one by one, slashing their side, limb and every muscle he could as he ran past them. Law was frozen still, his eyes growing wide as he watched the redhead do the deed until the last man standing fell on his knees. Law retracted his room and found himself grinning at the performance.
"I did not call for you." Ross stated, slightly irritated.
"I was bored." Law smugly replied.
Ross only glared at Law but decided to let it go. He examined the last three men he felled, scolding himself at the back of his head when he found two of them slashed by their necks. He then counted in his head, leaving the tenth and last one as the unlucky winner.
"Where is your leader?" Ross asked, squatting by the dying man's side.
The man glowered at Ross, keeping his mouth shut.
This made Ross tiredly sigh. He grabbed the man by his hair and lifted his head, forcing him to look at Law's way. Ross then muttered to his ear, "Listen, I can't do torture. That guy though, he can do much worse, so just tell me where your leader is and your death shall come swift."
The man smirked at the statement. "Is that a threat? Ha! That's too kind for a dog such as yourself!"
Ross gave him a patient smile and punched the man's wounded side, earning him a groan of pain from his victim. "Where is your leader?" he asked again.
"Die!" the man instantly pointed a gun against Ross's face and pulled the trigger.
Ross flinched, certain he was dead by then. He fell back on his bottom, blinking in confusion. The shot never happened, a blade of otherworldly beauty was between him and the gun, the muzzle fell off - Law cut the barrel even before the man could pull the trigger.
"You owe me one, Ross-ya." Law proceeded to dig his sword over the man's shoulder, to which the man responded with a scream as he attempted to remove the blade causing him excruciating pain.
Ross was frozen still. He gaped at the blade as if it was alien to him. Not even the grunts and moans of the man in pain could pull him out of his shock until it finally sunk in that he was still alive.
Law spared Ross a sideways glance before pulling his blade out of the man's shoulder and swinging it, flecks of blood sprayed over the floor. "Are we done here?" he asked, looking at his victim.
Taking a deep breath, Ross regained his composure and approached the man once more asking for the third time, "Where is your leader?"
The man was gritting his teeth, probably both in fear and frustration. "Heartless bastard!" he growled, glaring menacingly at the redhead.
Ross raised his eyebrows for a moment, but his surprise was quickly replaced by amusement. "Well, you're not wrong." he pulled out his own gun and shot the man in the head, instantly killing him. "But I'm getting it back soon."
Ross puffed a breath as he stood up. He stretched for a bit, commenting how his back felt stiff for a moment there before crouching down again to wipe his weapon clean using the dead man's shirt. Meanwhile, Law observed their surroundings for a moment. He detected several energy signatures coming from outside and he decided to alert the young lad.
"Ross-ya-"
As if on cue, when Law called Ross, the door opened revealing five men clad in army combat uniform, complete with helmet and ballistic goggles, with guns in hand, all of which pointed their weapons against Law and Law alone.
"The man with the katana! Stand down!" one demanded, gesturing to Law's weapon. "Throw your weapon and put your hands up! Now!"
Law frowned at the greeting. He decided to demonstrate his power instead, but a gloved hand appeared against his face, stopping him.
"It's okay. He's with me." Ross announced, gesturing at the men. He placed his hand over Law's blade and guided it towards his neck. "See? Now put away your weapons. He's not an enemy."
Immediately, all men stood down without further delay. Ross smiled at their unquestioned obedience. He glanced up at a stunned Law before flicking the blade away from his neck and proceeded to move towards his men.
"I'm already done here. I'll leave the rest to you." Ross stated as he began removing his bloodied gloves, shoving them to one of the many pockets on his coat. They all saluted to him, simultaneously responding positively in perfect sync.
"Also, a report sir!" the man closest to the approaching redhead spoke up. "The government decided that the special forces take part with eliminating the terrorists. Just now, we received word that terrorists hijacked the City Wings Airlines this afternoon containing multiple hostages."
Ross was shocked with the news. "City Wings?"
"Luke city governor Ryan Tielmon and his family is scheduled to fly with City Wings Airlines today."
Ross hummed. "Have our forces arrived at the scene?"
"Yes sir! The police were there first but it seems the terrorists are not interested with negotiations."
"They're not demanding anything?" Ross looked confused.
"No sir. They haven't even made any statements yet."
"Then at least make sure they don't fly any of the planes."
Swiftly, a sixth person came in running with a radio in his hands. He gave his lieutenant a brief salute before speaking. "Excuse me, sir, but Raven wishes to speak with you." he quickly handed over the radio.
"It's Ross. Something happened?" Ross began, glancing back at the Warlord who only quietly moved closer as he unsheathed his sword.
"Captain, it's bad! They flew the plane!" it was a female's voice.
And to think I just mentioned that. Ross thought as he glanced over his watch. "Just now?" he asked.
"Ten minutes past! I've been trying to reach you since!" she answered. "I had sir Jack track the plane's route, and according to him it's headed to En city."
Ross stiffened at the mention of the city. He knew the buildings standing there too well and one of them just happened to be a 'certain' hospital.
"The plane barely gained an altitude! They're planning to ruin the city!" the woman added.
Ross waved a hand to his men and moved out of the building. "How long do we have before impact?"
"Sixteen minutes!"
Shit, that's too soon! Ross cursed, his steps getting faster by the second. "Listen Raven, help with the emergency evacuation. I'm assuming the police already initiated it. Make sure all buildings are vacated. We have to minimize the casualties. I'll be there under ten minutes."
"Yes sir!"
"And one more thing," Ross's voice slightly shook. "Supervise the evacuation at En hospital. I need you to make sure everyone gets out of there alive, be they hospital staff or patient. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Ross looked at his watch again after ending the conversation. He returned the radio back to his soldier and gestured at Law to wait by the motorcycle as he ran towards the two armored vehicles parked by the side street. He gave out orders and instructions, with which they were all fully prepared to obey even before he announced them. He wore a wireless radio on one ear and immediately after, he hopped onto his bike, wore on the helmet and tossed the other one towards Law who was just about to ride on the back as well.
"What's the rush?" Law inquired.
Ross started the engine. "I'll explain on the way."
Law hummed. "This has to be the first time I see you panic like this." he wore the helmet and finally hopped on, to which the engine immediately roared.
"It's Elka. She's in danger." Ross shouted as soon as they reached the main road.
"In danger?"
Ross clenched his teeth in both anger and frustration. "It's a fucking plane, practically a huge missile aimed at her."
Law seemed surprised. "A missile aimed at her? Why would anyone go all the trouble?" he wasn't sure whether he'd be worried or amused. It felt like it's been years since he had encountered the New World's crazy and it was refreshing, to say the least.
Ross was not amused though. "That's beside the point! A plane could destroy a tower head-on and the surrounding buildings with its wings! You have no idea how huge a passenger aircraft can be."
Law remained quiet. He could only imagine the whole scene in his head.
Ross, on the other hand, felt very angry and frustrated. He couldn't fathom how he'd be able to get around it and save Elka. If he had the information in advance, he could have made a plan or something to counter the terrorists' attack.
"Mister Law, you value Elka, right? I'm really going to need your help this time and by 'help' I mean your devil fruit ability." The young lieutenant felt so humiliated, so mortified upon genuinely asking Law for help. Law's powers were supernatural - Law was a supernatural being himself, but with the predicament at hand, Ross knew only Law's power can stand against Elka's tragic fate. If the Warlord was able to lift a marine battleship in the One Piece world, he should be able to stop a plane. At least that's what Ross wanted to believe. He couldn't accept it in himself, that in the end, he couldn't truly protect Elka. He was powerless compared to the dark doctor; he could never hope to protect the woman he cherishes the most to a certain scale. He was human. Very ordinary. And it made him curse the restrictions to his abilities as a normal human being.
Law seemed contemplating over the statement. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
"All right, question! Can you lift a marine battleship? You know, the huge ones."
Law huffed. "Of course I can."
"Then it's settled!" Ross quickly replied. "Lift the aircraft! That's all I can think of as of now."
"I hope you're aware that I can't hold it up for very long."
"Then do you think you can just, well, I don't know, slow it down and land it somewhere else?" Ross seemed indecisive. "Or after lifting it just slowly put it down?"
Law thought for a while. "That's a lot of options. Unfortunately, I have no idea what an aircraft is. I'll think about it once I see it."
=/=
Meanwhile, at the hospital where Elka was recuperating, an emergency evacuation commenced. The government declared a 'state of emergency' to En city and wasted no time to evacuate the residents.
Elka's room was at the fifth floor - private suites were on the upper floors of any establishments in their city. When she heard the announcement, she calmly got up and went for the window to see what was happening below. People were lined up in an orderly fashion and were guided by police officers towards each side of the streets and cars were cleared off the roads. She gazed ahead and could make out a barricade far off. She was confused of what the problem was, but she knew it was best to just obey.
Not later, a knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Excuse me, Ms. Ardela." a nurse entered. "We'll have to vacate this building immediately. Please follow me, ma'am."
Elka turned to the nurse and nodded, and then a large shadow engulfed her room. Elka could already guess after seeing the mix of panic and horror from the nurse's face. She had enough courage to look back and felt her eyes grow larger as she gazed at the huge nose of an aircraft that was threatening to crash against her head-on. The young doctor couldn't fathom how it was truly happening in real time. She always thought such outrageous things only happened in movies, mangas, or in the news. But thinking about it, the news were real life too.
Is this it? Will I die? Elka was frozen in panic. The plane was flying towards her and she could see the flight deck and a fourth of its body. It was gigantic, she knew she would get crushed under it if it tumbles right after the crash. There was no escape.
Seconds past and Elka realized that the plane was frozen on the spot as well. It stopped moving just as its nose was about to kiss her window. She was confused but stopped herself from mulling over it.
"L-Let's go now!" Elka yelled, not only for the nurse but also for herself. She finally felt her legs, and without further ado, Elka turned to her heels and followed the nurse out of the room.
Just thinking about how planes crash made her shiver in fear. Even if she did manage to get out of the hospital, the explosion might catch up to her. Elka knew accidents happen, of course they do. They may happen to anyone, anytime and in any form and she couldn't help but complain of how extreme it was. It gave her the impression of death stubbornly chasing after her, and with its continued failure, it had to resort to extreme means.
But she didn't want to die. She had dreams, she had so many things she wanted to do and wanted to experience. And above all, she was afraid of death. She didn't understand the concept and she doubted the belief of an afterlife existing. And she didn't want her puny existence to end just like that. That's why she cannot die - she didn't want to die. And so, she ran. She ran to escape her doom.
=/=
Ross and Law successfully arrived at the scene at the most critical moment. They were caught in a huge traffic jam because of the roadblock. Fortunately, Ross knew a shortcut, and although it was a bit hard to traverse those tiny alleys, they somehow managed.
By the time they got past through the barricades, they witnessed the plane went into a nosedive towards the hospital in which Elka was in. Its wings grazed the adjacent buildings, shattering windows and making it rain shards of glasses on each sides. With Ross screaming in alarm, Law quickly created his 'room' and performed a lifting motion with his index finger. The effect was subtle and slow that Ross abruptly stopped the vehicle and hopped off.
"How long can you hold it?!" Ross shouted as he began running.
"Five minutes!" was Law's immediate reply, holding the stance as he got off the bike as well.
"That's too short! Make it longer!" Ross argued but picked up his speed anyway.
Law didn't bother to reply. The redhead was already too far off from him, he doubted he would hear him even if he screamed at the top of his lungs. Besides, he had to concentrate if he wanted to keep the aircraft in place. For a moment, he admired the airborne vehicle. He took in the whole view of such foreign form of destruction, a refreshing design of chaos. Somehow, he was feeling euphoric from the crazy turn of events despite the knowledge of his only key getting decimated under all of the airplane's glory.
So this is an airplane. He thought as he observed his surroundings next and decided to just place it down on the spot. Still, he had to wait for the remaining people, the military and police officers to move out of the way. The dark doctor knew Elka would see it somehow and he didn't want to get a scolding from her.
Ross made his way towards the hospital and found both military and police officers continuing the evacuation process despite the looming crisis. Keeping the people moving in spite of themselves was valiant enough.
But majority of the civilians were frozen stiff, blankly staring at the impending doom above them. This irked Ross, as he didn't want the efforts of his men go to waste.
"Everyone! That plane isn't going to stay up there for long! The pilots are doing their best to stall time so please keep moving!" Ross boldly announced despite the outright lie. Of course it wasn't the pilots, it was someone with supernatural powers stalling time. Still, it managed to shake them up and encouraged them to flee the area. Although Ross was unsure of what Law plans to do with the aircraft next, his head was only filled with keeping Elka safe.
Ross ran inside the hospital and found Raven, one of his men, leading the hospital staffs. He quickly ran up to her and asked, "Is this everyone?"
"Captain!" Raven quickly saluted. "People from the private floors are already going down through the stairs as we speak, sir!"
Ross almost gasped in astonishment. He thought the upper floors always took priority. "All right. Keep them moving." he then proceeded to go upstairs, keeping his eyes sharp for any signs of Elka. As he moved up a floor, he hoped he'd see her running down the stairs. Otherwise, he'd probably go crazy finding her in her room still.
"Ross!" a female's voice called from below.
Ross turned back to see the owner of such a familiar voice and was relieved to find Elka. He broke into a smile despite the panic and tension enveloping the place. "Elka. It's good to see you."
"Ross, what's happening? Why is a plane-"
Ross decisively grabbed Elka's hand and dragged her downstairs. "Please forgive me for this. I'll explain later."
Elka caught a glimpse of the deep furrows that formed over the lad's forehead. It was the first time she actually saw him that worried it made her feel guilty. She gently squeezed his hand as a form of reassurance to which the redhead squeezed back as they found their way out of the building.
"That's mister Law's doing." Ross stated as they got out, gazing up at the levitating aircraft. "We owe him a lot." he added as he led Elka to where he left the Warlord.
Elka looked at the plane and then at the visible light blue aura that surrounded the area, her lips threatening to break into a smile as she thought about Law helping her people. Despite being a criminal himself, there was still some good in him. And although she already knew that from the manga he came from, she felt better seeing and experiencing it firsthand.
Not later, Law could see the redhead and Elka coming his way. Seeing the woman running behind Ross made him release a sigh of relief. Although it seemed he was calm about the crisis at hand, he was at least worried of Elka's well-being. Her death might as well mean his death too so keeping her alive was a top priority.
As soon as Ross sighted Law, he shouted at the man, "Cut its wings!"
Ross's voice cut through the scattered noises even from afar. Law smirked at the idea and proceeded to do as he suggested, quickly unsheathing his sword and performed two swift slices into the air. In that instant, both wings were torn from the main body and fell off on each side, leaning against the tall buildings it previously scraped. The damage done to said buildings were minimal as the descent of both wings seemed slowed and guided, helping it endure the wing weight.
Soon, the three of them were finally reunited.
"Doctor! I'm so glad you're helping out! Thank you very much!" Elka quickly bowed her head to the Warlord. She was happy, although her mind dictated it wasn't really the time for celebration as the crisis wasn't completely averted yet.
Law only nodded. "I'm planning to put it down soon." he stated, throwing Ross a meaningful glance.
Ross got the message. "Just change the angle slightly to our direction, and then you can put it down. I'll arrange my men to surround the aircraft." he told Law as he pulled out a radio under his coat and channeled his troops to their position. When he was done, he looked at Elka and told her to remain there. Due to his responsibilities as one of the officials in the army, Ross explained he had to be closer to the scene leading his platoon to which Elka readily agreed. With that out of the way, he looked pointedly at Law before finally leaving the two of them.
Elka silently watched Ross shrink from her sight. She solemnly stared at the descending aircraft and its surroundings. She felt her heart sinking from each crashing sounds, metal clanks and then the noises of engines of armored cars and police vehicles that swiftly surrounded the plane. She couldn't understand why terrorists exist. She thought they could all live properly if they just obey the rules, if they just communicate properly, if they just wait.
But then again, waiting was horrible. You never know if what you're waiting for will ever come, so they had to act. They had to take it into their own hands to get what they want. And it pained her. The concept of contentment was subjective, and it varied to each man. If only they could understand each other better, there would be no need for killings and destruction.
"Ross is a soldier, and I know he killed, kills and will keep killing in the future." Elka suddenly spoke, taking Law's attention. "And I think that's sad."
Law remained quiet. He wasn't surprised, in fact, he expected as much from Elka.
"It seems to me that soldiers and criminals aren't any different from each other. Both parties kill people for what they believe in, for their own gain." Elka's gaze seemed far off as the aircraft safely met the ground. "But you know, I can't bring myself to completely hate them."
Quirking an eyebrow, Law merely listened to her verbose speech.
"I can't hate the people who do it nor the action because I know they do it for a reason. All of us has something to protect, be it beliefs, loved ones or even mere belongings. Regardless of titles and labels, we are all the same, just humans, and we're bound to die someday so we might as well do whatever we think is right and don't regret later on."
After a short pause, Elka drew up a small smile. "Did you know? I wanted to become an army doctor."
"You don't belong in the battlefield." Law immediately scoffed.
"I know." her tone resigned. "Because I know that be it an enemy or not, I will heal them. I am a doctor, and doctors are supposed to heal people without discrimination."
Law tipped his head up a bit. "You're going to get yourself killed with that line of thinking."
"Like I didn't know that already."
=/=
Ross was ahead of soldiers and police officers alike. He stood approximately five feet away from the plane's nose. The flight deck was already shattered and he could make out a few shadows moving inside.
As he pulled out his weapon and pointed it towards the cockpit's direction, the men behind him followed suit. One officer who had a megaphone called out to the terrorists and gave them the option to surrender peacefully but even after waiting for minutes, they did not get any response. Worse, there was no sign of people leaving the plane's cabin. Even its door remained shut.
Ross gestured at the same officer to give out another warning to which they finally received a reaction from the terrorists. A person emerged from the broken cockpit who immediately put both hands up. She wore a black helmet and her face was obscured by a dark eye shield built in with the helmet she's wearing. Her clothes were covered in dirt and dust but what stood out was her combat shoes, knee and elbow pads, gun holsters on her body and a hand grenade she held up in her gloved hand.
This bitch is suicidal. Ross thought when he spotted her finger hovering over the safety clip. Still, he was prepared. Pointing his own gun against her, he tried to persuade her into surrendering peacefully and putting down her grenade.
But she didn't. Instead, she waved her free hand and gestured for her helmet until she finally removed it, revealing scarlet wavy hair blown by the soft breeze across her face. It shone vermilion under the sunset's gleam, her deep blue eyes locked onto Ross's own pair.
She breathed. "I missed you, Roswell." she kept her voice as soft as the breeze. It was doubtful that anyone heard her gentle whisper.
But someone did hear, and it was the person addressed who heard. Ross's eyes grew larger as he stared onto those deep blue eyes. Hearing the name he had long forgotten and buried into the last fray on a cold winter overcame him with acute nostalgia for his days in his homeland. He felt his breath caught in his throat. He was unable to speak out, and it seemed they could stare at each other forever, taking in the image of one another.
That eternity was quickly shattered by the crack of a gun from Ross's earphone.
"Heart shot. Hit."
Ross's daze was over immediately after hearing a static voice on one ear. When he realized it, the woman before him was already shot.
"Target falls down to her knees."
The spotter continued to report through the wireless radio. Ross was left speechless. He couldn't give the order to stop nor could he give the order to keep shooting.
"Head shot. Aim."
Ross gasped. As he recalled the first shot, judging from the gap between reported impact indicated that the shot was fired from roughly nine hundred meters away. He had to halt the firing now.
"Hold. Target leans forward."
Ross looked up and saw the woman was about to fall down. He figured it was his chance. "Cease fire. Good work, Sniper one." he muttered over his tiny mic.
"Roger that."
The woman let go of her hand grenade without removing the safety pin. It seemed she wasn't interested to blow herself up anymore. She let her body fall forward until she tumbled over and landed on the hard ground with her bottom first, her upper body leaning back onto the plane's nose.
Ross gestured at the men behind him to stay back. He then carefully approached the woman and pointed his own gun against her face, also switching off the radio over his one ear.
"Are you their leader?" he asked. Despite getting shaken up by her identity, he retained his composure and had a firm hold of his duty.
The woman in question slowly stared up at him, and then she smiled. "Roswell... Since when did you start..wearing gloves?"
Ross remained quiet. Memories of his childhood suddenly came crashing on him. He already had his index finger fixed at the gun's trigger but he couldn't bring himself to pull it. He had killed countless people - men, women, children - yet the woman before him was one person he couldn't bring himself to kill by his own hands.
Ross glanced down at her bleeding chest, and he knew she was going to die either way so he decided to at least answer the last question she was able to ask.
"That was when..." he paused and looked at his gun. He then pulled it back and let his arm hang on his side. "When you died, big sister."
The woman let out a short chuckle before finally closing her eyes. At that instant, Ross turned around and ordered his men to seize the remaining terrorists inside the plane, but it seemed they were outsmarted by the scarlet. She served as the distraction to which her fellow men escaped through the tail. Still, they managed to rescue the passengers and the Luke city governor together with his family so the police still treated it as a success.