9:12 am…

Explosions, debris, and flaming scraps fly through the air and the black smoke decorates the place while Phrixus contemplates his work.

“Another outpost, another paycheck…” Phrixus holds a storage device in the middle of his thumb, flings it upwards and catches it, taking the necessary information for the next convoy or something more important.

Phrixus goes to the hideout for debrief.

***

2 hours later…

Eve Grant says, “…10:00 am tomorrow, the guards will carry heavy weaponry. That is the data for the convoy and was only part of the information, we are still deciphering the rest. We will notify you of any update, over and out.”

Phrixus ends the transmission.

9 minutes later…

“…Alright, I’ll see what I can do.” Duncan says, cutting out the transmission.

“And what did you order this time?” Eve Grant calls back.

“Not only asked for a reloading bench, a complete gunsmithing kit, and everything to hand-load his ammunition but also some military-grade electronic components, he might be planning to assemble his own railgun…” He chuckles.

“That would be a commendable effort… as a self-sufficient soldier is good to have on our side…” Grant says with insight.

An unexpected transmission interrupts the conversation.

“Attention, Colonel Russel Waldon here, transmitting an emergency message for all VOA officers…”

***

11:25am…

Phrixus contacts Diana’s kidnappers.

“Who is this?” A stranger says, with an emotionless voice.

“I am a close family member of Diana, we can make an agreement to carry out the payment for her liberation.”

“Listen to my instructions very carefully, I’ll send some of my associates to pick up the money, for your own sake and the girl’s… NO BULLSHIT, this is the address where you have to go…”

“Fine, I’ll be there.” Phrixus hangs up the phone.

Phrixus takes his revolver and combat knife. He plans to extract the girl, as he discussed with her family. They agreed to his idea for rescue, praying everything will go according to his plan.

***

38 minutes later…

The agreed-to place was an alleyway of some district, Phrixus was carrying a black bag, arriving to the area there were three suspicious men.

“Where is the money?” The man in the middle spoke, while his buddies maintained a wary state, hands on their guns.

Phrixus hurls the bag to them, the leader checks the contents and finds only a sheet of paper with something written on it:

Sorry, there is no money inside (drawing of a smiley)

“You asked for it, you idiot, blast him!” says the thug, drawing his gun. His men follow through.

Phrixus speedily pulls his revolver and in an exchange of shots he kills one of them. He receives some impacts in the process but it is only minor damage, after emptying the cylinder he pulls out his knife skillfully and lunges against the second one sinking the blade on his collarbone, killing him in mere seconds. Then he batters down the last thug and puts him to the ground still conscious, Phrixus lifts him and places him to the wall.

“We can do this the hard way, or the hard way… Where is Diana?”

“Go to hell.” He coughs. “When the boss sees what you’ve done to us, he will kill the girl. That’s what you wanted, right? HAH,” says the beaten thug.

“No, if I change the odds,” says Phrixus, he grabs him by the neck and infiltrates his mind, probing his memories to locate Diana, then he proceeds to devour the brain’s electric energy, causing him an atrocious migraine and after ten seconds he expires. Phrixus removes the knife nailed into one of the bodies and goes to rescue the kidnapped girl.

***

Somewhere on the outskirts of the town…

“Half an hour has passed and they haven’t answered our calls, what do you think happened to them?” says one of the abductors.

The leader sighs. “Those fools can’t even do a simple job.” He reaches out for the phone. “Give me the phone, I will call that wretched family myself and make things clear.”

Before he makes a call, one of the crooks gets to the room, seriously agitated. “Boss, we have an attacker inside, he’s killing the others, we have t—” he falls to the floor, a gunshot wound to his back ends his life.

Those who were next to the boss went to the place to handle the situation, only to encounter their own demise. The leader, in the room with the hostage, observes a masked person entering the area.

“Now I see why those amateurs failed… if you think I am like them, you are dead wrong,” says the boss.

Phrixus responds with a mocking gesture with his hand, inviting him to attack. The boss moves with surprising swiftness, showing he is also a superhuman, and armed with a machete attacks Phrixus. The room is large enough to maneuver around, and Phrixus barely manages to dodges some attacks, receiving considerable hits.

“What’s the matter, already giving up?” says the boss.

“Not bad, you have prowess… but it’s not enough.” Phrixus says. Phrixus fortifies himself with psychic power and charges against the boss, grabs him and smashes him against the wall with enough force to shatter it, making a broad hole that leads them outside. Phrixus throws the boss forward, weakly getting up he suddenly receives a stab to the back of his neck, it takes a few seconds for the man to die.

After clearing the area, Phrixus goes to rescue the hostage. He removes the binds from her wrists, ankles and the blindfold. “Only a bit late, the negotiations suffered an unexpected turn…”

She gets up. “Yeah, yeah… thanks for saving me I suppose… now I have to think about how to go back home…” says the girl with a gloomy voice.

Phrixus is surprised by her tone. “Is there something wrong?”

“Look, don’t bother but I’m not in the mood to give thanks, those idiots didn’t touch me or anything if that’s the answer you want, I just… I don’t want to return home.”

Phrixus has a hunch about her mood, and he responds. “Don’t you like your parents or family anymore? Do you really wanted to die here? That will only devastate the people who love you if they get that kind of news.” he says with careful consideration.

The last sentence suddenly triggers animosity in her. “Th-that’s none of your business! And what if I return? My schoolmates pick on me, that’ll only get worse. I heard I was on the news. Nobody will be my friend now. My parents are always fighting. They won’t want me back. I would be better off dead.”

Phrixus has heard enough. “This will only last for a moment,” says Phrixus. Before she can answer, she sees him moving quickly toward her and, putting his hands on her head, stares into her eyes while she feels as if her brains are being “scrambled”, after some seconds he stops.

“What have you done? I don’t… feel depressed anymore.” Diana smiles.

“I gave you the opportunity to begin a new life, you decide what to do now.”

“I… I don’t know what to say… I just want to return home. Will you take me there?”

Phrixus gestures for her to follow him and shows her a car previously owned by the kidnappers, takes the key hanging on the wall and both of them get inside.

“Time to go, where do you live?”

She tells him the address. “By the way, my name is Diana.”

“Phrixus, nice to meet you.”

“The same guy that the government wants dead? You are making a reputation out there.”

Phrixus discreetly exits the neighborhood as residents of the suburb slowly become curious about the place.

***

Diana gets out of the car, running to her house with family and friends waiting. They all hug her, overjoyed and crying happy tears. Diana exchanges some words with her parents and they approach the car.

“We want to give you our deepest thanks for saving my daughter, I have never seen her so elated, I don’t know how to properly reward you but I hope this will be enough,” says Diana’s father, offering him a stack of cash.

“No, it won’t be necessary, it will be more useful for you, I just dedicate myself to community service.” Phrixus shakes the man’s hand through the car window. He wanted to stay long enough to make sure the family took her in safely, and they seem more than happy to have her back after her ordeal.

Diana’s father nods and the mother speaks to Phrixus.

“God bless you one thousand times, I will always pray for you, thank you so much.”

“No problem, take care, speaking of which,” he gets out and gives the car keys to the father. “Keep the machine, the police don’t know anything and you can have it without problems, goodbye.” Phrixus sprints away, already thinking about what else he could do to help his community.

During his trip to the hideout, Phrixus receives a radio call.

“Field Operative Phrixus, this is Eve Grant, do you copy? Over.”

“Loud and clear.”

“We need you to communicate with us in your base, this is an emergency, come ASAP, over and out.”

Phrixus accelerates the pace, the officer sounded upset so it must be something important.

***

35 minutes later…

Phrixus arrives at his hideout and makes a call. “Phrixus here, do you copy Officer Eve?”

“About time, we have bad news, I have been informed that the Korean Demilitarized Zone has turned into a war zone, according to the reports the North has mobilized a vast volume of infantry and armored forces, the reason is plain and obvious; the beginning of an invasion.”

“So what is my objective?”

“You’ll have to wipe out any confederate presence in your vicinity, our intel says the Confederacy will demand all the Bellusaxum and Omicron Stars of every nation. You must clear the remaining outposts in the area to expand our operations, you better prepare yourself, World War III has begun, over and out.”

“Someday it had to happen,” Phrixus thought.

There’s a moment of silence before two people show up.

“I couldn’t avoid hearing that North Korea already launched an attack on their southern neighbors.” Valeria says. “We had to come talk to you.”

“If that happens, other countries will intervene, it is a domino effect,” Roberth says.

Phrixus remains silent without turning around. “I guess as species we are beasts of habit; since ancient times, war and conflict solves everything it seems…” He shakes his head. “Well there’s nothing we can do about it.” Getting up, he says, “I’m gonna update my arsenal. Roberth, you coming?”

“Yes, are you not coming Valeria?” says Roberth.

“Later, I have to watch the news about the incidents in both countries.”

Phrixus and Roberth go to the forge, which is cold. Phrixus ignites the braziers that illuminate the area, after checking a container he draws a weapon. “I have a proper weapon for you, I present you the ‘Goedendag’, a combination of spear and club, unlike its ancient counterpart this one is made of hardened steel with a special Bellusaxum coating which amplifies the kinetic energy, giving more impact to the blows. The minerals were ‘kindly’ provided by the government and forged by me.” He tosses the weapon to Roberth. “What do you think?”

Roberth examines it. “Nice... I feels easy to handle and almost weightless. When are we going to test it for the first time?”

“We are lucky, there are two remaining Red outposts at the city outskirts but the rest are in other parts of the country,” Phrixus says.

“Then let’s go to the nearest one.”

“Now we have to talk with Valeria about this—” Phrixus says.

She enters the room and interrupts him. “I’ll go too.”

Phrixus is concerned. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I think you need more combat experience.”

“Put me to the test.” Valeria spoke with a defiant tone.

Phrixus thought about the incident with those militiamen. His previously innocent friend Valeria had become a killer, and she had already proven she could hold her own in a fight. “Very well, in this case, we have two Red outposts. If the battlefield is too much for you, we’ll try to protect you if we can. We leave in half an hour,” says Phrixus.

“Fair enough.” She replied.

***

In a barren area…

“Thirty-six soldiers with heavy weaponry, easy as pie,” Phrixus says. “I’ll stay here watching you perform.”

“Not a problem for me,” says Roberth.

“I have some tricks for them,” says Valeria.

Roberth and Valeria go to the outpost while Phrixus observes them with a pair of binoculars, the guards notice their presence and trigger the alarm, Roberth armed with his new weapon launches a frontal assault, despite receiving a vast quantity of firepower, his proficiency in becoming an invulnerable rusher enables him to breach the defensive perimeter without trouble. Valeria takes advantage of Roberth’s attack to sneak in behind the enemy lines, climb up the watchtower and dispatch the sentry man, then jump and fall upon two soldiers shooting Roberth, killing them in five seconds. Phrixus noticed how Valeria’s fingernails changed to intimidating claws but still retained a bit of their normal appearance. One by one she slays every soldier until she is surrounded by four of them aiming at her with their rifles, as they open fire Valeria dodges the bullets gracefully while she quickly rends each one of them. After a fierce combat the outpost is finally cleared, they approach to Phrixus, both of them bloody.

“Hardly a challenge,” says Valeria, cleaning her hands.

“They are tough,” Roberth says, “but these were only simple humans, it’s only a matter of time before they send soldiers with powers.”

“Yes,” Phrixus says. “Better be prepared to be on top of the food chain, the next outpost is…” He pulls out a map. “Here.”