Chapter 20: State of Grace

The front house didn't exactly look like how we had pictured it. We initially thought that we would only be invading and destroying one building that is being guarded by multiple soldiers.

What lies in front of us proves whatever we thought to be wrong.

From where we were standing we could make out a large tent set up in the middle of a large vacant area. There were a total of five buildings surrounding the tent. After a day of rerouting and making it here, we spent the whole day observing the whole place.

The whole area is as big as our school and maybe it was before they had built into what is known as the front house.

The two buildings behind the tent were prison cells, earlier they had dragged several prisoners out and made work at the farm that was just beside their buildings.

The building next to the farm was a three-story building and besides that is what seemed to be the soldier's quarters. The building itself seemed to be made of pure glass and is eight floors in height.

And then the largest and the easiest one to see of all the buildings. The one located to the far right from where we were hiding. That is the front house.

Earlier we had memorized that the soldiers line up in the middle by the tent at 0600H for what seems to be an inspection. After that routine, some go to the prison cells and take out the prisoners and some go to the front house.

Guards take turns every two hours roaming the whole area.

Thanks to that we were able to make sure that there were no landmines present in the vicinity of the buildings. The whole area was covered by forest and mountains on all three sides. The other side is this abandoned city.

"It doesn't make sense Damian, they're so relax. Too relax if you ask me."

I stared at Maki who was still observing the whole area through his telescope.

"Seen anything new?"

Aki, the man who had the Mohawk hairstyle, and Rui the one with a ponytail walked up to our position and crouched down in the tall grasses.

"Aside from the guards who were busy on pitting the prisoners with one another. There wasn't anything really"

I replied to the others who were now sighing. They patted our backs before presenting to observe for a while.

I nodded at them and quietly walked away from the two. We were stationed just a few meters away from the soldier's quarters. We made an extra effort to hide behind trees so that we wouldn't be noticed.

We then had set up camp just by a cave that we had found.

When we got back, almost everyone was out patrolling. There were only three of them and Commander Zeph left at the cave. They were preparing our weapons and counting the bombs that we would be using.

After giving a slight nod at our arrival, we hastily reported to Commander Zeph that we didn't find any new observations either.

"Good work, we move before the break of dawn so get ready"

Maki and I looked at each other before moving to where our things were.

"I really want this to get over with"

I chuckled slightly at his frustrated tone.

"You and me both buddy, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we could claim our freedom"

"It was a nice thing what the commander did though"

I smiled lightly and started rummaging through my things. I know what Maki was talking about.

Last night after arriving here, Commander Zeph did something unexpected.

He expressed grief and had named every last one of our comrades who had been gone and died. Then he called out all of our names for each one of us to know. That was how I knew Aki and Rui.

It was like a weight off of our shoulders. The guilt and despair we felt over not recognizing the fallen ones were alleviated even for just a little.

Now, when some of us go back, we would be able to honor their deaths and sing their names.

I knew everyone felt the same and because of that, we gathered ourselves once more to push past our limits for this mission to be successful.

A little while later, everybody else returned, Aki and Rui too. We ate what was left of our provisions while Commander Zeph was explaining the plan.

"From the reports, there's only ten guards guarding and roaming the prison cells before their morning assembly, this would make twenty guards for both buildings"

"The tent is completely unguarded as well as the quarters and the building next to it"

"The fronthouse only have four guards rounding up on every corners of the building outside"

I could feel that everyone was seriously listening to the people reporting. We were all already resolved to do this and there wasn't even a hint of hesitation from all of us.

"The plan, to create a disturbance by the prison cells by sending grenades in. We would need four people who will infiltrate the two buildings and throw the grenades to the prison cells."

The plan was to create a riot inside the prison cells and have everyone inside create a panic that would require every present soldier from the front house to instantly back up the prison guards. But that's quite a hard task.

And there were so many loopholes with our plans.

"Commander, as much as possible we want the prison bars to break so that there would be more panic but that's not the case isn't it?"

Maki was the one who had asked the question that I was sure was on everyone's minds.

However, Instead of having a stern face, Commander Zeph only flashed a grin.

"The intel we got from our spy included what kind of prison cells there was."

Ahhh, I had forgotten about it. We did have inside information about the front house. But, if we did have that information does that mean our intel was still inside?

"The prison bars are mechanical and can be opened and closed with a panel that is located near the entrance of the building. We destroy that panel, and the bars would remain open. That's how we create a riot"

So the plan was to destroy the prison system first.

"Once the riot starts, we secure our way in the fronthouse through the back door facing the forest. We then plant the bombs on different corners of the building. The intel had also delivered that there were a total of four storage rooms inside. Each one is filled with gunpowder of an unmeasurable amount. We plant the bombs there and we're sure to destroy that front house completely."

It won't be easy, that much we all knew. But if we could accomplish this without losing anyone of us then we could call this a win.

"Once inside the fronthouse, we split up into four pairs, each pair tasked with planting bombs on one storage room. After activating the bombs, we'll have a five-minute window. That's our cue to meet back here. The pairs in the prison cells also need to make a run for it once the riot starts. Don't let yourselves get caught up on the crossfires"

After summarizing where exactly the storage rooms were located, we split up in pairs and made sure that our communication devices were connected.

Once I was done with my gears and weapons, I went out of the cave. I closed my eyes and breathed in the air. Maybe it's because we were surrounded by the forest and mountains but the air smelled fresher than when we were in the abandoned town.

Surprisingly, it made my hazy memory remember some vivid memories. A girl… sitting under a tree holding a pen and what seems like a sketchpad.

I couldn't make her face but I somehow knew that it must have been Maia. Call it instinct but I was so sure that it was her.

They said that we would have no way of remembering anymore but our memories were slowly unlatching and that much is evident.

Once I get back, I'll ask if there was a way to get back the memories aside from the keywords. I want to know. I want to remember Maia.

I don't know why but I'm sure of how I felt.

And I'm sure that I still want to remember her. That I would still want to hold on to our memories together.

Lights out.

From every corner of the other buildings, there was no light anymore.

And there was no noise too that it made us extremely careful not to make one.

"Commander we're in position"

Through the comms device, we could make out Rui, Aki, and two other soldiers' voices. They were the ones tasked to infiltrate the prison cells.

"Get ready to look for an opportunity to get inside"

"Copy that"

I breathed once more as I fiddled with the gun that I have on hand. Maki must have somehow felt my discomfort.

"If it helps, I'm nervous too"

He then laced a weak smile on his face. I chucked at the thought of this young one possibly consoling me.

"Thanks"

Somehow, all the words seemed to have died down from everyone's throats. We watch through the tablet what was happening inside the prison cells.

Commander Zeph had installed a mini camera from their gears to have clear surveillance of what was happening inside.

It took them a whole five minutes before they could enter the back doors of the prison cells. Rui was the first to sneak up behind a guard roaming outside. He had hit the guard on the back of its neck with the hilt of his gun. Being tall sure had its advantages.

The other team had followed suit and also made it safely inside. Since there were two separate buildings, we realized that they wouldn't be able to start a riot at the same time, but, they did say that they would try.

"What the hell"

Our attention shifted when we heard Aki mutter in the device. On the tablet, we could make out that the hall they had turned to had prison cells. The lights inside were dimmed but we could make out the scenery and it only made us angrier.

Inside these cells were children. Thin and in ragged clothes. Rui went near one cell while making sure that no guards were present. Inside we could make out a dozen figures huddled up inside the cramped cells.

The other team had found the same scenario inside and everywhere they turned, they could only see children lying on the cold grounds of their prison cells.

"They're too young to even be inside these cells, what the hell"

Maki muttered beside me, I balled my fist and gritted my teeth as I stare at the children that they were passing by.

No one was heeding their attention.

"Get going, we need to finish this fast"

"But Commander…"

Rui stopped in his tracks and it looked like he was ready to argue with the Commander but when I looked at the Commander, I could tell that he too was conflicted.

"Don't forget our mission. If you really want to save them, then do so when this mission is done. Focus on your priorities"

That's right, no matter how humanitarian you are, we were still soldiers. And we do this for the greater good.

Rui must have been feeling frustrated but he continued walking. They reached the center hall where most of the guards were roaming. They were about to run ahead when two guards walked by. Instead of running head-on, Rui grabbed Aki's back as they hid behind a stone pillar.

"Who does she think she is?"

"I know right, appearing out of nowhere and suddenly standing up to us like that. Who does she think is the superior between us?"

"I just don't get why the higher ups let that bitch in here"

"Right, she was useless on that arena, I doubt that she would be of any use now here"

"For all we know, she could've been a spy. Did you see how she defended most of the prisoners against the soldiers?"

"Yeah, she got herself inside the penitentiary because of that. She might as well be as good as dead"

Arena? Were they talking about the Herculean Tournament?

I saw everyone looking as confused as I was. If it was an arena then could it have been a champion? Does that mean the winners of the Herculean Tournament were sent here?

"Soldiers, we need to get going, use any means to destroy that panel ASAP"

Commander Zeph who was usually patient when it comes to operations like this one suddenly ordered. The usually composed look of his was replaced with a rather agitated one.

What was happening?

"Commander?"

Maki must have noticed the sudden change in Commander's behavior as he asked the older male what was happening.

"Our spy was said to be from a Herculean Tournament, she must have been the one that the soldiers were talking about, if she was still here then we need to bring her along with us"

A woman? On top of that someone who had survived a Herculean Tournament? If our spy was a capable one like that then it wouldn't make sense for the commander to worry like this. My only guess is that she must have been a great asset to the rebels.

"Our plan remains the same, all of you are to get out of there once the bombs are planted. I'll find our spy and bring her to our meeting point."

No one had the guts to go against what the commander wanted. Our attention went back to the ones in the prisons when we heard Rui talk.

"Panel in sight, we're ready to bomb it"

At the same time, the other two had also reached the panel and are now awaiting orders to throw the grenades.

"Do it"

Without any hesitation, as soon as commander Zeph released his orders, we heard two loud sounds from the prison cells. We didn't need to watch on the tablet to know what was happening now.

We immediately see smoke above the buildings and sirens ringing as the guards roaming the front house quickly ran to the prisons. We also hear lots of cheering, screaming, and gunshots from Rui's and the others' communication devices.

"Let's move"

We quietly run up to the back door of the front house and bust it open. There was no need for further instructions as each pair went separate ways.

The front house had a total of four floors and a rooftop. Each floor contains one storage room which you could easily locate as it is always stationed near the center stairwell.

All we have to do is search for the center stairwell. Maki and I were in charge of the fourth floor. Once we got to the upper floor and had successfully planted the bombs, we were to run up the rooftop and climb down from there by using the grappling hooks that we had.

Each pair ran as fast as they could, we used the right side stairs and went up. On the comms devices, we could make out gunshots and screams. Some of those were injured, others were screams full of anger.

We were somehow lucky enough to not meet a single soldier on the right-wing of the building. Since the prison holdings needed extra hands to contain the riots, all the stationed ones were directly going down from the center stairwell.

Maki and I were about to climb up the last stairs going to the fourth floor when Commander Zeph grabbed my shoulder.

With an intent stare and his mouth forming in a thin line, he emphasized the words that I knew I should and will remember all the time.

"Do it for Maia"

A simple nod was all he need as a response before he lightly pushed me towards the stairs. Looking up, Maki who was almost halfway through only nodded at me.

He heard. And like me, he too was surely doing it for Maia.

We rushed up ahead where we were greeted with a deafening silence. Maki and I stared at each other. One look and we both know what was on the other's mind.

Something is wrong.

Although we did wish that we wouldn't encounter anyone and finish the job quickly, we certainly did not see this outcome.

"Maybe it's a good omen"

I shook my head at Maki's light joke.

"I do wish it is. Let's go"

We both readied our guns as a safety precaution. It didn't take us that long to find the center stairwell.

Maybe because we were on the fourth floor but there were no guards nor other signs of life present across the hallway. Our predicament was seriously giving me goosebumps.

Maki and I ran to the farthest room to the left. Once near the door, we heard gunshots being fired inside the building. Some of our comrades must have been seen.

We hurriedly opened the door and what stood before us left us in awe. We knew that the storage rooms hold gunpowder but these are more than just gunpowder.

Inside were weapons that could arm an entire battalion. We immediately notice the sacks and pile of gunpowder. Maki wasted no time in getting near it and setting up the bombs.

While Maki was doing that, I closed the door behind me in case someone might come. It was then that something caught my eye. Inside a glass cabinet, dozens of vials with blue liquid were lined up. Was this one of the possible weapons that the government wanted to use?

"Maki"

I quietly called up to him the moment I heard him say that he was done setting the bomb up.

He then walked towards me and eyed the vials that had caught my intention.

"They must be important"

Maki looked and I and I knew that we had the same idea. Every movie we saw beforehand told us of medical practices that could lead to our doom. This may be one of them.

"No time to ponder whether to bring it with us or not"

And he was right, the gunshots were getting louder even though we were inside the storage room. The soldiers must have been on the floor below us. We hurriedly put the vials in our bags.

I tightened my grip around the doorknob as I eye Maki who only nodded at me. The moment I opened the door that was our go signal to run out.

For a moment the whole floor was dead silent with no sign of life besides us. It was like how we entered earlier. It was only moments later when we ran to the center stairwell when we saw a figure sitting by the wall. His hands were lightly pressed on his side, his Mohawk hair was no longer in its original appearance and there was blood trickling down from his forehead down to his one good eye.

"COMMANDER!"

Maki and I both rushed towards his side but were stopped midway when he raised his eye to meet ours and shouted

"RUN YOU TWO!! NOW!!"

That was the moment that I knew that something was indeed wrong. It was the soft grunt of Maki that made me turn around. Maki was knocked unconscious by a single entity that neither of us saw.

I don't know when she came up here. If she was here before we got inside the storage room or if she was someone who followed the commander up here, I do not know.

All I know is that the woman standing before me was bad news.

She made no sound or noise nor did she talk but the aura she gave out was enough to send shivers down my spine.

That was when I realized that I was scared. Unlike the soldiers what she wore was more casual. Black leather jacket, knee-high boots, pants, and a face mask that covered half of her face. Her blood-like eyes and snow-white hair were enough to tell me that she was no ordinary human.

Maybe a genetically mutated one like the ones we fought down the subway.

As she tightened the grip around her gun, I knew that she had no interest in keeping prisoners, so I did what I had to do.

I aimed my gun at her. I know what I had to do. Our time was running out. Any moment now and the bombs would explode. Aside from the dying commander, I also need to carry Maki out too.

I pulled the trigger and what I thought was a clear shot by the head was easily dodged by her.

I kept on shooting and as if by miracle none of my bullets had hit her.

"Impossible"

"YOU IDIOT!! RUN!!"

It was then that the woman charged at me, using her gun she unarmed me and kicked me in my stomach. I lost my balance and fell, my back flat on the floor.

I struggled to breathe as her right foot landed on my neck. It was as if she was trying to crush my neck to kill me. I gripped her leg hard to take it off above me but it wouldn't budge. Like an answer to my struggle, she aimed the gun that she was holding straight at my head.

"NO DON'T… STOP"

In the corner of my eye, I could see Commander Zeph struggling to stand up but it was only then that the woman aimed her gun at him and shot him dead.

"NO!!!"

He was dead. The commander was now dead. I gathered all my strength to lift the woman's foot but it was my sheer luck that Maki came to his senses and is now strangling the woman.

Maki pulled her back so that she would have no choice but to lift her feet.

I coughed hard and took the gun that was taken from me earlier. Maki was now fighting with the woman by fist.

But it was as if she could read Maki's every move, every punch and kick she countered them all. At that moment, I made the decisive shot, and this time I was able to shoot her.

She groaned as the bullet went through her left shoulder. But even this was not enough for Maki to overpower her. Within moments, she lifted Maki and threw him across the corridor.

"MAKI!!"

I aimed the gun again at her but then she turned around. Her face was bare as Maki was able to grab the face mask that was covering half of her face.

I don't believe in ghosts, and I'd rather believe in luck than believe in miracles. But what stood before me was someone who seemed to make me think twice about miracles.

This was neither a ghost nor a hallucination, that much was a fact.

And this seething pain inside my chest and head told me everything I needed to know. Her jet black hair and brown eyes were certainly changed but her features are the same. The face that I could remember clearly now. The face that I picked as my keyword.

It's the face that's standing in front of me now.

"Maia"