Kabanata V

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I have no insights of the future. No glimpse of vision shit and most definitely I'm not a psychic. Nada heads up for warnings other than the nameless terror worming around my empty guts.

Speaking of which I haven't eaten since after the Devil pestered me.

A wolverine caught in a trap he says.

I stared transfixed into the metal door. Chaos is on the other side of it with guns singing in coral.

"New recruit?" He gave me a look that automatically tighten my air bags.

"Liangren is in Old Nick's hierarchy. I sent him after her." And the thought I'm out of this loony ville. "Caesar Hyungkyo is our latest recruit"

"And I just walk in on his killing spree night."

"Exactly."

Fuck, he is briefing me already.

This is not good.

The smug look on his face already answered my silent questions.

For a year I've tried to maintain my distance from them but they are always one step ahead of me.

No matter if I escape the cops, two nature's freaky club are after my sorry ass.

Bottom line: I'm fucked up.

The words hit me enough to make an impact as the thick slap of frozen slab of buffalo's meat might make whenever it slipped off it's hook in a moving refrigeration truck. Someone just rolled over the SUV with bombs. Pulled me back out from the memory earlier.

A second later a shrill scream pierced coming from outside. The backdoor widely opened by none other than an old company. Rogue.

"How's school champ?" Blood saturated his trench coat. As always.

"Way better than your sense of fashion mutt."

"Brat." He growled, squishing the oxygen out of my wind pipe. Thankfully it didn't last longer than I expected.

"Freeze. The bullet has no eyes." I could hear Jewel chuckling on the other line.

"You know warnings goes first." Huskie dropped cold on the ground with a tranquilizer dart sticking from his bare chest.

"Nah Shoot first, questions later plus it would be such a disgrace if I get killed by a half naked huskie in a trench coat." I crack back my thumb back in place after throwing away the cuffs. Ow.

Looking at the body I smirked cocking my head to the right showing the scar I received after that explosion two years ago. A shard of glass hit my eye when I fell from the window. Lucky enough it didn't damaged my sight. I think.

Smoke from burnt rubbers and corpses filled the air. What a mess. Looks like everything went smoothly from here. Please note the heavy sarcasm there.

"And I just walk in on his killing spree night..." Triton slip something from my cuffs.

"You didn't tell me it's my birthday." Too bad sarcasm won't help you change people's mind.

"You people really don't take no for an answer huh." What is he up to now?

"Exactly." He hunched and I panicked but didn't show it on the surface.

Old man, you better not toy me no more or I'll head butt that nose of your and— something cold pressed in my ears that almost made me gasp. Getting the reaction he wanted he smiled and lean back heading to the door. I almost had it and rip the cuffs apart, hearing the devil's voice from the earpiece Triton put.

"Miss me Kyongno~?" Sneaky darn bitch.

───────•••───────

It would be easier dragging a snoring elephant if my wrists weren't in bad shape. The piece of fabric I used to stop the bleeding on them is caked with crusty brown mess. But that's the least of my problem now that the heat is getting sizzling. I looked back at the fat huskie again in glum. Why isn't he waking up yet? The chemicals are supposed to worn off by now.

"Aaand lastly a left turn after passing that clearing." Jewel finished, dragging the 'a'.

Lucky mutt. If it wasn't for the gate pass he have I won't think twice to leave Rogue there to haul himself up.

After teetering along directions given by the devil himself I expect to see an entrance.

Yet instead standing under the shade of  trees, a converted jeep awaits for me to operate. I buckled up the sack of meat before inspecting the ride. Just in case they planted it with bombs I can ran away in ease and let that mutt burn in hell.

All good.

Nothing suspicious.

What's this?

"Present from yours truly btw."

Arrogant lark. I almost rolled my eyes. Jewel is still on the line.

Carefully I opened the lilac duffel bag

With a satisfied grin I exhaled.

"Nice."

Gleaming back in front of me is a brand new play set that awaits for some test drive.

"Now... to get back with that white crow."

"Are you sure about this?"

Am I?

"Lazulith, I want you to think this through. Are you sure about this?"

"Her brain had received an intense strike."

"There's no turning back once you agreed to the contract, Trust me, She's better blank as an empty canvas."

"She might not recall some parts of her memory yet but once she starts to remember things—." I shook my head to keep the voices out. I need to concentrate.

I mustered all strength had left inside me to gain courage just to spell the right words to say "You want me in or not?"

Either way I can't back out now. Once you're involved in this kind of shit these twisted fucks will follow you, even six feet under.

Crashing and mumbling was on the other line. Something between 'Bloody Maria that's cold.' and 'And they say I'm the crazy one.'

"I don't have all day ya know." I sighed. Gobbling while working.

That's him all right.

"Wag kang atat. Matuto kang mag hintay!" His intimate Tagalog accent never fails to allure me.

I can already imagine him gritting his teeth, shirt half drench, hand with half empty black can of Monster. And lastly face complimented with tons of irk marks.

Ahhh. Another day, another drink bursted open and drench the sloth. Well someone is on the bad mood. Keyboard tappings from the background tells me that he is working with the virus upload.

"Done. All good to go, Command." He replied. Signaling the red curtains to open.

Hehe. Now let catastrophe commence!

───────•••───────

"Control, how much will you bet those windows are all bullet proof?" I asked from the communication link before jumping out the water after placing some dynamites to cover my tracks.

"Be careful command. Those are gun turrets." Well bloody fuck.

I paused eyeing on the roof of other three buildings. Shit.

Their set up is pretty good I tell you.

"Okay... I don't like this." He mirrored my reaction.

Good but not the best.

"Let's keep the radio silence." I ordered.

I need to secure the last exists. Dumb fucking windows. The line grew silent for hours. The silence made the suspense worse. I set the signal jammer on spot before sliding down the snow covered roof. Soft crunching underneath my sneakers I landed just in time for hell to break in just right about..."chigum."

Ringing senselessly the fire alarm goes. Nothing's more refreshing than a walk under the rain... inside a building of course. It only takes a smoke to trigger the sprinkler system and boom!

Ya got your very own indoor cloudburst.

Although I'm not here for barbeque party but for the free light show so I left the fire sprinkler inside the manor deactivated.

Now... where was that wire?

Wild blazing flash of white-blue light sparks giving the platform life and menacing zap of electricity dance through out the building perimeter.

Like a force field about the sprinkler's water coverage to be specific.

The metallic smell mix with the echoing shouts of personnels on their useless radios and army of boots slapping the tiles in the atmosphere makes me breath out heavenly. They weren't that loud, really. The place was just that isolated and peaceful that even by a tiny disturbance turn audible or just my hearing is very sensitive.

"What a sight."

To bad Control can't hear me now for the signal jammers are activated few minutes ago.

Camera? In places.

Signal? Check.

Exists? Check.

Commotion? Double check.

Present? All ready wrapped up.

Explosion? On it.

With a press of a button the blow ripped the left wing of the building's facade where their armory room's main entrance is located. That should trigger the lock down sequence. Now. Which door was it again? I tried to look around for something familiar but heck!

The place itself scream for the word LABYRINTH in capitals. Preach for the architect of this building. Genius but dude, more house less maze kay?

It took me longer than necessary to figure out where his study is. For the love of all things damned beyond redemption I expected to see an extravagant office with the whole S.W.A.T team, British intelligence and even the C.I.A ready to mark a bullet in my awesome skull. To my surprise I was welcomed with cozy atmosphere. Charcoal puff of smoke hit my face while a skewer is pointed at my direction.

"Your fifteen seconds late." I gaped in horror as I slip. Shit!

Thud! I fell five meters drop, back first. No big deal. Just notice the sarcasm.

"Sorry doc, made a wrong turn in Albuquerque—are you... grilling?"

The man in slick three piece suit just nod, turning the barbeque. Damn that smells good but seriously, at times like this?

He motioned me to take a seat.

So much for my fabulous entrance.

"What'evz." I shrugged and did what I was told. I gave him a sceptical look, legs are crossed propped on the table with both hands rested gently in the arm rest. He may look layed back but don't let his age fool you.

When he checked on me he deadpanned uttering something about manners and disrespectful before back facing and payed more attention on the kebab than the real threat.

"Be glad I'm hungry so I'm not gonna kick ya out of the room."

"This is my office and secondly I'm still in my early thirties." He say giving a bone chilling stare. People calls me freak but this guy is a whole package of monstrosity.

"Yeah.. keep telling that to your self old man." I gain composure by breaking the eye contact.

Everything about him just creeps me out.

Our mini staring contest was rudely interrupted by a flying door and a growling Gavinn with a killer... duster.

Geeze, people this days and their preference of weapon. Wait. How did he even knew I was here?

He laid eyes on me, pointing the now open air vent then the table and I followed the silent order.

Footprints.

Oh.. my bad.