Chapter 2: The little girl (2)

Barack boulevard was one of the busiest commercial street in the entire city dome. Commonly known as the Sleepless Boulevard, it possessed various shops with items ranging from simple furniture to exotic products from all over the world that seemed to never close. But still, despite its prosperity thanks to the constant stream of tourists, there were still many dark corners that one should remain careful before deciding to tread in.

“Wow, look at that, uncle! It is a talking bird.” Astora dashed to a shop hanging assorted small wooden cages. Inside, colorful species of birds could be seen chipping frightfully at the sudden appearance of the girl. The backpack she wore almost tipped over another cage if not for Kennedy’s quick reflex. The owner of the store, an old eastern man wearing thick glasses and reading a newspaper, did not seem however to be bothered by her appearance. He simply remained uninterested at a potential customer like he never really cared about sales in the first place.

“It is a parrot. It doesn’t actually talk but merely repeat what it hears.” Kennedy explained. “It has such a stupid face though.”

“You want a piece of this, mate?” the parrot suddenly talked while flapping its wings furiously. “I will beat you up.”

“What? You little…” Offended by a bird, Kennedy grabbed the cage and started to shake it forcefully.

“I will beat you up. I will beat you up. Stupid face!” the parrot continued to throw insults, making the man even more angrier.

“EHEM!”

As if waken up from his rage by the sound, Kennedy spotted the shop’s owner glaring at him. Even the bystanders were also taken back by the sight of a grown man committing such violent act to a mere bird. He was even with a child too.

“Oh…..Uh….I apologize.” Kennedy gently put down the cage as he quietly convinced the curious Astora to leave.

As for the girl, she was barely able to contain her excitement to jump around everywhere. After all, she rarely ventured outside the limits of her apartment. Even though she was already ten, the girl has never gone to school but home schooled by her mother and a few relatives including Kennedy. The girl knew it was strange. She might be terribly naïve about the world but she was not stupid. One time, when she finally gathered all her courage and asked her mother about why she had to stay indoor all the time, all her mother did was crying, apologizing to the stunned little girl who had no idea what was going on. That moment, she felt so guilty despite not knowing anything. So Astora decided to keep the question behind her. She loved her mother, her grandpa and her family. She also loved her missing father no one dared talk about for unknown reasons. If she wanted to keep this happiness, she had to keep quiet about this.

But maybe, one day, she would learn about it. And that day might not be that far as she thought it would be.

As the two continued down the boulevard, something caught Astora’s attention. For if there was light, so too did the darkness that followed it. On one side, you saw the luminous busy street filled with luxury and laughter. But in a tiny corner of that light, there was a dark small alley hidden among the flashes and glares. Men doing suspicious transactions, the poor and pitiful of society begging for money from passerby. There was never a lack of them. As society progressed, these kinds of thing would not disappear but simply existed out of sight.

Out of curiosity, the girl let go of her uncle’s hand and took a step into the deep dark alley. For a moment, time seemed to have slow down until it stopped completely. It was as if it was sucking her in, calling out for her. But what was it? At the end of that alley, a dark crimson door stood out of place against the wall. Like the work of a supernatural force, it invited the girl to come closer. That attraction was irresistible, even though she was scared to go in further. Step by step, she continued to walk towards the door and reached out her hand.

But then, suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and dragged her back to reality. As if awaken from a dream, Astora took a deep breath and tried to find her composure before looking at the strange man in front of her. Wearing a dirty green jacket and a cap, the man looked like one of those beggars she heard so much about. Even his face was difficult to see because of his hairy unkempt beard.

“That world is a bit too early for you, young lady.” The old man spoke with a gentle voice and let go of the girl’s hand. “You got to be more careful.”

“Uhm…uhm…thank you mister!” she clumsily bowed her head to thank the old man. Perhaps it was due to how she has been raised. Nevertheless, the girl never had much chance to speak with those outside of her family. It explained why she was so flustered when someone she never met suddenly spoke to her.

Giving out a bright smile to ease the tension, the old man quickly turned his back and sat down on a pile of dirty cloth he used as his bed. “If you know that then quickly get out of here. Or your uncle is going to be very worried.”

“Okay…I will be going now. Thank you again mister!” As the girl prepared to return to the light outside, she took another look at her supposed savior. The old man was so thin and looked weak. He must have not eaten anything decent for a long time. Thinking about how unfortunate he was while she always had all three meals every day, the girl felt pity for the old man.

She put down her backpack and took out a lunchbox her mother has prepared for her. Inside, there was only a couple of sandwiches heavily packed with ham and vegetables but in a very clumsy way. “Mister, I don’t have much but would you like some sandwiches?” She asked.

“Oh, dear me.” The old man looked surprised. “No one ever treated me that well, not even my parents. Thank you, young lady!” He quickly grabbed the sandwich and devoured it in just a few seconds like he has never eaten before. “Since you are so kind, let me tell you a piece of wisdom I have gathered over my long life.” The man suddenly switched to a serious tone. “Life is filled with injustice. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people with no reasons at all. Such is the nature of our world. But if you truly resent this way of life, then become stronger and change it. After all, the world is shaped by the strong.”

Such a strange thing to say to a child the first time you met one. But the man was not joking at all nor teasing the girl. He spoke with conviction and a firm belief of the truth behind those words.

Still, Astora was too young and innocent to comprehend what the old man truly meant. She only thanked him out of consideration for his wisdom and went back to find her uncle. The old man waved back with a smile. But as soon as she was gone from his sight, the man’s eyes turned serious and looked at the ominous crimson door at the end of the dark alley. “You won’t have her this time either. Her story only begins now.”

Indeed, for long, Astora has managed to unconsciously escape the fate that was imposed upon her even before she was born. But now, that wretched fate has caught up to her.

“FREEZE! Put your hands up to where I can see you!” a loud voice rang across the alley along with the sounds of alarms. Something seemed to have happened in the main street. Then the sound of a gunshot came.

An ominous feeling took over as the little girl rushed towards outside. “UNCLE!”

In front of her, Kennedy was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by the police and a group of men in black suit and glasses. He was trying to cover the bloody hole on his stomach as he shouted at Astora. “Run, Astora!”

But before the girl could even act, she felt a pinch on her side. What followed was the most painful thing she ever endured in her life. An electric current went pass her and immobilized all her muscles in an instant, making her fall to the ground like a rag doll. But somehow, that was not enough to make her fall fully unconscious.

One of the men in black approached the half-conscious girl and pulled her hair up to his face. “So this is the hybrid in question. I am a bit disappointed. You seem weak compared to your father. Does she even have any power?” the man asked his subordinate.

“Nothing is mentioned in her report, sir. Perhaps she simply has not yet awaken.” The man in black replied.

“Oh well. We will have plenty of time experimenting these freaks.” The man said.

“Yes, dad.” The subordinate spoke before being hit by the director.

“Steven, you idiot, I told you too call me Director at work.” The Director angrily grunted at the apologizing man. “Useless piece of shit! Why did I even…Enough! Put them in custody! Send the guy with the others. As for the girl, bring her to the pen.”

“Y…yes Mr. Director. What should we tell the press?”

“Just tell them that we have caught an international terrorist wanted by all countries. In case there are any leak, deal with it!”

“Of course, sir!”

“Damn you Chris! She is just a child.” Kennedy shouted at the CIA director.

Angered by those words, Chris walked toward Kennedy and gave a heavy kick in the stomach. “Know your place, freak! Did I say that you can talk? Bring him in!” the director ordered the men before turning back to his son Steven. “You take care of things here. Don’t let any evidence left behind just in case!”

“Yes, sir. But where are you going?” Steven asked.

“Where else but to see an old friend?”

After finishing talking to a few of his subordinates, Chris took off inside a black armored vehicle, preparing for the final stage of his plan.

“And there he goes…*sigh*” Steven watched the car taking off. “Fucking old man ordering around me like that. It’s not like it was my fault he got away.” Steven remembered the humiliation he suffered ten years ago. Back then, he was the chief of the Admins, an organization tasked with the supervision of the Greymen. A while before the incident back then, Steven and his men managed to capture the Traveler but were forced to give him up to doctor Vincent. Since then, the guy held a deep grudge against the doctor as well as the Traveler who has shown rebellious attitudes against him. For someone from the family of the CIA’s director, it was hard to swallow that defeat. But everything was supposed to change today. Still, in the end, he ended up being ordered around by his own father like a common lackey.

* * *

Location: City outskirts, Vincent’s mansion

A moment later, in the outskirts of the city where a lone mansion stood, an army of military soldiers has begun swarming the place, arresting everyone they encountered. These people of course were not normal. They all wielded special powers but with great costs. For all of them, living a normal life was simply too unbearable until they were found by the owner of this mansion: doctor Vincent. He has dedicated his entire life and fortune to make this a place they could call home. Despite not participating in any political game of the government, he used his influence to bring equality and human rights to those deemed as freaks by society. But in the end, it seemed that his efforts were not enough. Else, why would this happen to them?

“Grandpa, you need to get out of here.” A brown haired woman stormed into the innermost room of the mansion and shut the door behind her.

“…..” In front of her, an elderly man stuck on a floating wheelchair stared blankly at the virtual screen, displaying multiples intruders moving toward where he was.

“GRANDPA!” the woman shouted.

“It is too late for me. You should just leave me behind and go.” The old man said.

“No I refuse.” The woman insisted.

“Listen to me, Fiora! They are looking for me and me alone. One or two missing Greymen won’t mean anything to them. What matters now is that you find Astora and hide. I tried to call Kennedy and your home but I was unable to reach them. Something must have happened. That is why you need to save yourself from here and find your daughter.” Vincent cried out. “We cannot let them have her. You hear me? We cannot.”

“But…” Fiora hesitated. She understood what he meant. It was the logical course of action. Getting out of here instead of getting caught along with everyone else. There was simply no other choice. Unfortunately, her power was not suited for combat so the only thing she could do now was to follow her grandpa’s advice: run. Still, it hurt to do so.

“No but! We don’t much time. Go!” Vincent used his frail body and pushed the woman towards the door. “GO!”

“….Sorry grandpa! I am sorry!” she ran without looking back. Her eyes, blurred by tears, yet showed conviction and the determination to get out of her alive. There was a way out of this place. Using the underground sewers system that few knew about, Fiora would be able to escape this mansion without being detected. “I am sorry.”

“I am sorry too, for letting this happen to all of you.” Vincent spoke sadly. “I have to erase all files about Astora and him. I cannot let them have these files.” He quickly input some commands into the virtual keyboard and ordered a complete hard drive clean. A bar appeared on the screen and showed the progress of completion. “Twenty percent…Thirty percent….”

Loud noises echoed from the other side of the door behind him. By now, Fiora should have already reached the tunnels. At least, she would be spared from all this. Something seemed to be hitting hard against the locked door.

“Eighty…Ninety!”

*BANG*

“FREEZE! Get away from the keyboard NOW!” the soldiers screamed at Vincent upon storming into the room.

After setting up a safe perimeter and confirming the safety of the surroundings, the soldiers reported via radio to their supervisor. “It is clear, sir.”

A moment later, a bald man in black suit walked in pompously, as if he owned the place.

“Well well well, I never thought that I would take another step in this hell hole again.” The CIA director mocked. “It is good to see you, Vincent.”

“I am afraid I don’t share your sentiment, Chris. I never want to see your ass face again.” The old doctor groaned after taking a quick peek at the screen. He made it in time.

“Still foul mouthed as ever I see.”

“Only to you idiot. What are you doing here?” Vincent shouted.

“Dear friend, I am afraid your little family game is over. It lasted for a while but it is well past the expiration date, don’t you agree?” Chris grinned. “The Monochromes are no more. Thus, the freaks have run out of their uses. It is time for humanity to retake control.”

“They are humans too. Just like you and me.” Vincent argued.

“Surely you jest. They are beasts and beasts need to be put in a cage. Sure, they have their uses. But only when we need them. Else, we need them sit quietly in jail.”

“I won’t let you use them in such a way.” Vincent said.

“And what are you going to do about it? Why not worry about yourself first? Or perhaps your dear grand-daughter’s little girl? I hope she enjoyed her trip to Barack Boulevard.” Chris said with a contempt voice.

“What? How do you know about that?” Vincent uttered.

“This is why you never get in politics, Vincent. You are far too naïve for that kind of thing. I knew about your little secret with the Traveller. That girl Astora, she is his daughter, isn’t she? To think you would use your own grand-daughter for your experiment….you have really fallen, Vincent.”

“I….I…..”

“What? Nothing to say for yourself?” Chris spoke.

“How…how did you know about that?”

“You hide it so well from your enemies, but not your friends. Come in!” Chris turned toward the entrance. A long haired man walked in, his hands cuffed while his body was tied up by a heavy metal lock around his arms to his chest which seemed to neutralise his power.

“Edmur?” Vincent uttered in shock upon recognizing the man. He was after all one of his most trusted confidant and a member of the Greymen.

“Surprise! Little Edmur here gave us all the evidences we need for this day. You can thank him for all of his comrades’ arrest.” Chris said.

“I am sorry, doctor.” Edmur apologized in tears. “But they were threatening my family….I…I…”

“Edmur….” The old doctor could say nothing. He could not blame him. What if he was in the same place? What if something threatened him with Fiora? Could he truly say that he would not resort to the same act? He could not.

*BANG (gunshot sound)*

“EDMUR!” the doctor screamed in despair. “CHRIS you bastard!!!! Why did you kill him?”

“He was acting strangely so I have to do it.” Chris spoke coldly.

“He was just crying.”

“Beasts don’t cry doctor. And no one would cry over the death of one either. Bring him in custody!” Chris ordered the soldiers as they pushed the frozen doctor in his wheelchair away.

As he passed by Chris, the doctor muttered. “Are you so hung up about the past? It was an accident. Your wife would not want you to….”

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER?” Chris lashed out against the doctor and put the gun on his head. “It was MURDER! MURDER!”. For the first time in many years, the CIA director finally let out his emotions so visually. He was a person who never spoke of personal affair at work nor did he show any sign of emotion in every subject. That same man was now transforming into a bundle of hatred and it has pointed its weapon at the Greymen.

“Chris….I pity you.” Vincent spoke as he was dragged away into the darkness.

“I don’t need your pity.” Chris grinned his teeth in anger.

* * *

Location: Barack Boulevard

“What is there even here to search for?” Steven grunted as he looked a quick look around. Since this was just a street the suspects passed by and the ambush was quite sudden, it would be unlikely for them to leave behind any evidence. Thinking back, the police was lucky to be able to snipe Kennedy before he could use his troublesome esper power.

As Steven contemplated around, a figure approached him from behind. “Excuse me, mister policeman….”

“What?” Steven turned around to see who it was. But it turned out to be an old man in ragged cloth. It was the beggar who has been sitting in the dark alley from earlier. “What do you want?” Steven pinched his nose to avoid the heavy smell coming from the old man.

“Oh, I heard you arrested a couple of terrorists. Is this true?” the beggar asked.

“Why are you asking?” Steven questioned. If it was a civilian who saw something out of ordinary, the matter had to be silenced.

“Uhm…it is just that I saw them walking in the alley over there exchanging something with a suspicious man.” The beggar spoke.

“What? Where?” This was big news for Steven. If there was another accomplice, in other words a Greyman still wandering free around, then they must be arrested immediately.

“Right this way, sir.” The beggar signaled Steven to follow him back to the dead end of the valley.

Perhaps it was the police that alarmed them. Either way, the alley was now void of people who did not want any attention upon them. And since it was quite a long way from the entrance of the alley, it would be difficult for anyone to see what would happen inside. The perfect place for some illegal matter.

“So where is this man you spoke of?” Steven turned his head left and right. Even if the person in question was already gone, if he was lucky then there should be some clues left behind.

“Right over here, sir.” The beggar pointed toward himself. “It is me.”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“I mean that I am that suspicious man. Hehehe!” the beggar started laughing like a maniac.

“Just my luck…bumping into a drunkard.” Steven, disappointed greatly, turned his back and walked away.

“Wait….are you not arresting me?” the beggar insisted.

“Don’t fuck with me, you drunkard! I don’t have time to deal with trash like you.” Steven shouted.

“Alright then. Let’s get to business!”

Without warning, the son of the CIA director felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down, only to see his suit tainting in blood as he felt down to his knees. “Wh…what?”

The beggar was holding a peculiar sword-like weapon but resembled a giant needle in his hand. But just a moment ago, his hands were empty. Where did he hide such a thing? Whatever the case, one thing could be said: it was over for Steven.

“I hope you won’t mind me borrowing your skin.”

“ARGGG!!!”

…..

Upon hearing the screams, the police rushed into the alley, only to find their boss stretching around.

“Sir, we heard a scream coming from here. Are you okay?” asked a policewoman.

The man in black suit finished his exercises with a final jump. “Oh it is nothing. Let’s go back shall we?” Steven smiled brightly, something his subordinates found weird, even creepy since they were so used to see him angry at something.

“But…”

Steven hanged his arms around the policewoman and dragged her away. “Now now. We still have a lot of things to do. Let’s finish this and I will buy you a beer, okay darling?”

“Sir???”