ACT 7

He helped Bose by freeing his hands and assisting him to stand. Using his card, he opened the door and allowed Bose to pass through. They were in underground examination cells located a bit beyond the police station. Exiting the room together, they proceeded down a long dark corridor towards an elevator. While going up in the elevator, Babka occasionally checked on Bose to see if he was alright. Despite having removed the bullets from his body and bandaged his wounds, Bose had lost a lot of blood. He was already swaying constantly, and his skin had become quite pale.After a long ascent, the elevator stopped. Bose was no longer able to stand on his own and needed rest. Babka supported him by linking arms and helped him walk. The elevator that descended to the special cells was in an alley. After passing through there, they headed towards Babka's car. Strangely, the car resembled Bose's car a lot, down to every detail. It was just a more technologically advanced version. Bose wanted to question the resemblance to his car, but he wasn't in a state to see or speak clearly. He was even walking with Babka's support.Babka laid Bose down on the back seat and took the driver's seat. Starting the car, he began driving towards the rooftop apartment that was a bit distant from the police station. By this time, Bose had already succumbed to darkness and lost consciousness. Babka turned on the radio for some background noise.The first thing that aired on the radio was a breaking news announcement:"Dear residents of Pericol City, this is a breaking news announcement. A highly dangerous terrorist has escaped from our facility and is at large. His face has been sent to all our citizens' chips. Please be cautious, and if you spot this terrorist, immediately call the Cotacs Line and evacuate the area. This is your host, Rozrywka, reporting. Now, back to our music broadcast."After the announcement, Babka understood that they had been identified. It was frustrating to have to move so quickly. He resolved to safely exit the city.And thus, they embarked on a long journey with an uncertain end.As they approached the city's outskirts, Babka spotted lights ahead and slowed down. Police units were conducting a search ahead. If they were ordinary police officers, he could have passed without concern, but they were likely Cotacs soldiers, supposedly appointed police. He briefly considered taking side streets to extend their route but abandoned the idea upon realizing they were among pedestrians on the sidewalk. They were slowly approaching the search area. He needed to think of something. If they noticed Bose injured in the back, they would likely insist they come with them, leading to both of them being taken away, possibly with fatal consequences for him while they pursued Bose for their own reasons. He called out to Bose to awaken him, but it seemed unlikely. Although he had bandaged his wounds, they were severe, and his body was weak. Despite his efforts to wake him, it seemed futile. He needed a solution, but at that moment, there didn't seem to be many options available outside of drastic measures.He checked the glove compartment to see if the gun was there. Despite the road being blocked by cars, maybe they could maneuver through them, or perhaps they could crush one of the Cotacs soldiers standing on the right or left, losing their trail somehow...As time was running out, someone suddenly opened the car door and quickly got in. Babka tried to understand what was happening when the stranger said,"You don't need to know who I am right now. Just listen. We have little time. I'm going to change Bose's face with a facial changer. It's a very rare item, but you're in danger right now."The stranger pulled a mask from his bag and placed it over Bose's face. The mask became transparent and suddenly transformed into someone else's face. The stranger nodded at Babka, instructing him to stay calm and proceed slowly. Babka proceeded slowly towards the checkpoint where the Cotacs soldiers were conducting a search. One of the Cotacs soldiers approached and tapped on the car's window."Hello, please look into the device for identity scanning."Babka turned his face towards the face scanner held out by the police officer. The device started scanning his face with a red laser scanner after a few seconds. Meanwhile, Babka attempted to engage in conversation."Of course, officer, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask why this type of search is being conducted, considering I'm a supervisor at the nearby station, and such searches aren't normally carried out because the state is doing a good job. Is there a problem?"The police officer looked at Babka's face and the scanner, then added,"We received a report that a fugitive has escaped, and we are searching for him. All exits from the city have been closed as a precaution."He then leaned over towards the stranger sitting next to Babka and asked,"We don't need to scan you. Are there people in the back?""Yes, my cousin is lying in the back. He was in an accident and just came out of a lengthy surgery. He's lying in the back right now.""We need to scan him too. What kind of accident did he have?""He suffered a major impact to his ribs in a car accident and has contusions in several parts of his body."The police officer nodded, leaned back, and scanned Bose's face. The mask was doing such a good job that there wasn't even a hint of a ripple in the fake face when the police officer touched Bose's face.After the scan, the police officer pulled back and added,"Thank you for cooperating. The fugitive is said to be dangerous and armed. If you see him, call us immediately. Contact numbers are available here. Good evening."Babka took the card, thanked him, and got back into the car.They began to move away slowly...After a while, when they were far from the search point, Babka told the stranger to pull over."Today's events never happened. You will not ask questions or conduct investigations about this. The mask will lose its effect in a few days, so make plans to leave the country and go home as soon as possible. And if someone comes, don't open the door. The Cotacs forces will be conducting searches. Time is running out, Babka. You need to hurry while Bose's face is different.""How do you know my name..?"As the stranger got out of the car, he added,"Sending greetings from Vril..."The stranger disappeared into the Asphodelus fields beside the highway. Babka didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't have time to question it now. They had narrowly escaped. He continued driving the car towards home. They were already very close...