Chapter 11

Song for a Stranger

After watching Felix slam into the brightly lit sign, the sniper ran into the building.

Felix picked himself back up and saw that he was left with nothing more than the rifle that had been used to shoot him with. In a fit of rage, he lifted up the giant character and slammed it against the concrete roof. Alabaster sparks sprayed out behind him.

As his breathing calmed, he pulled out his gun and entered the building.

Walking, he kept to the walls of the corridors. There was only the sound of his gentle steps as he opened each room on the floor one by one.

When he reached for the knob of the room, he heard a faint metallic click. Bullets suddenly fired off through the door from the closed room behind him. Felix pressed his back against the wall beside the door, his shocked expression was hidden behind a pale white mask, and his arm extended forward.

The door suddenly slammed open, and his target had sprinted away.

Before he could chase after him, he noticed a small metal cylinder clink under from his foot.

He looked down and saw it spray out a thick, pale gas that quickly spread. Felix hurriedly kicked it to the other side of the corridor, then quickly made his way through the gas, and though he had already inhaled some of it already, he was still able to move his body.

Felix let out harsh coughs.

He crouched down with both his palms on the ground and he looked forward with a focused glare. Like a cat on all four limbs and bolted, chasing his target and found himself at an empty hall. His legs started to radiate with a thin blue light.

In a moment’s breath, he crossed the hall and closed the distance and left behind an empty line that divided the gas around him.

Every door through it opened with a loud boom.

Felix stopped by slamming into the other end of the hall. But he quickly returned to form, and walked slowly by each of them as he waited for the gas to subside.

His head turned as he heard a rustle come from a room next to him.

He stopped and cautiously entered a wide, dimly lit apartment, with violet, velvet floors and flickering lights. The glow in his eyes left a ghostly trail through the dark room with every step while his target waited from above.

He turned his head to every corner of the room, then kneeled down to look under tables and the sofa. With the slightest creak, his target dropped from the ceiling.

Felix rolled out of the way on the velvet floor and caught the combat knife between his target’s arms, kicking him away.

With quick, successive slashes, his target closed the distance between them, and the two found themselves in a struggle too close for comfort. With their arms clutching against each other, the target pulled back his head and struck it against his enemy.

Felix stepped back, disoriented. He pulled out his gun as his target made a break for the door, but before he could aim, he noticed a small round object rapidly blinking below his feet.

His eyes widen and runs for cover, the bomb quickly turning into a bright fiery explosion.

The window wall shattered, the various cracks forming from the bomb.

Felix convulsed as a stream of blue electricity began to move around his body. But he forced himself to get back up.

“I… have to…” He grumbled out as blood poured from his head and nose.

As he got up, his target was carried back into the door.

“Fwhat vhe fuck!” His target cried out, his voice, muffled by the sleeved hand that lifted him up by the mouth.

Felix’s eyes sharpened with anticipation as his target rose up higher from the floor, to the point where his feet could no longer reach the floor. As he was pulled up, he was quickly swung back down, his head quickly slammed to the ground.

A deep, hoarse voice spoke, praising Felix’s efforts, “Well done, Felix.”

A man stepped forward slightly from the doorway, his face still hidden in the shadows, yet his eyes pierced through the darkness with an orange, ember glow. His silhouette stood a clear foot taller than Felix, with a well-built physique that showed even through the black tuxedo he wore.

Felix pulled out his gun and fired without hesitation towards the silhouette by the door. But each bullet had no impact as it reached the shadows, having no effect on the man.

He kept firing up until there was nothing but a hollow click.

The man reached his right hand out from the darkness, revealing a metal fist. And as he opened his palm, the bullets all clattered to the floor.

Felix discarded the gun and pulled out the other one, and with it, blasted concentric waves of energy.

With his right arm forward still forward, the large figure withstood the full brunt of Felix’s relentless barrage while the blasts tore away the sleeves of his arms, “Are you really going to waste all of your weapon’s energy on me?”

The tall figure walked forward into the moonlight, with pale orange hair and a chiseled jawline. On his face was a horizontal scar that ran across the bridge of his nose.

The most striking aspect of this man was revealed — While his left arm, which carried a tied-up man, was clearly flesh and bone, the other was composed of wires and circuitry encased in a chrome shell that shined in the moonlight and wrapped in a torn sleeve from Felix’s barrage.

His sharp eyes radiated with a burning, fiery glow that contrasted Felix’s eerie cold azure light.

“Just come out already.” Felix put his pale white mask to the side, showing his rage, “David.”

“You know it’s customary to refer to me as Black Hound during missions, right?”

“And yet you called me by my name.” He said as his body continued to let out blue sparks.

“It’s not like you have anything to hide. You don’t exactly have a double life, Blue Phantom.”

“Why are you here?”

“Would you like some pie?” David asked.

“No, I don’t want any apple pie.” Felix sighed, already aware of what he was going to offer.

David frowned and replied, “I was in the area and heard your voice, and thought I’d provide assistance.”

“You intercepted our communications and interfered with my mission.”

“I got rid of a drone that almost killed you and caught one of the assassins. You’re welcome.” He responded as he dropped the man that was over his shoulder.

“H-hngg…” The tied-up man groaned.

“Who’s that?” Felix asked.

“He was the one you saw on the rooftop running away. The man you almost had. But your vision narrowed in on your target, and failed to see the full picture, that’s why you slammed into the billboard.” David scolded Felix as he put down the tied-up man in his arms.

Felix walked up to him and pulled the man’s mask off, “What the…Asahi?”

“H-Huh? Haruki…” the tanned bodyguard said before he took in a deep, calming breath, “I’m not surprised. The heiress’ personal bodyguard.”

“I see… so then, you’re with the Jackal.”

“I… he forced me to do it.” Asahi admitted with desperate eyes.

“When was it? How?”

“I’ll tell you the details later... Right now, you need to go back.”

“What?”

“Jackal told me that if I failed, he’ll kill the people I love and showed me pictures of her… So please… save Ayame. Please… save her, bro.” He said with one last breath before losing consciousness.

Felix’s expression turned to worry, “…I will, bro...”

“What did he...?” Felix mumbled out as he put his hand on his chin, wondering what Asahi meant.

David then sighed, “Do you really think they hired only two assassins?”

“Then this was…” His expression became anxious as he turned his focus back to the stadium, looking through the shattered window. “…a distraction?”

“He was stalling for time, and you’re in no condition to continue. I’ll take it from—”

Disregarding David’s words, Felix pressed on his earpiece to the other agents; “Robin’s one, two— Arghk!” An intense static noise surged through the wire.

“I wouldn’t recommend doing that while you’re near me.” The man pointed out as he raised his glowing, mechanical arm.

“That damn arm of yours... tsk, I’ll leave them to you.” Felix snarled.

“Before you go. I’ve heard that your power has finally awakened, have you learned how to control your power yet?”

Felix glanced over to the tall man with a distraught expression.

“The power, the haze, the aura. You’ve taken one step forward, but I can see that you’re still using it instinctively.” David explained. “Like the robins said, you should be able to block ten, twenty, thirty, even dozens of bullets. But you don’t know how to. I will have to train you, Felix.”

“No… you won’t.” Felix ran out of the room.

Left there with the two unconscious bodies, David sat down on the table in the wide room and opened up a small pastry box.

“Bollocks, huh? He really is becoming more and more like Luna…” Alone, David Soldier muttered to himself before taking a bite from his apple pie as he read Felix’s file on a holographic projection from his metal arm.

In the darkness, he sat and slouched, watching Felix shoot up into the air from the shattered windows, “Both of his eyes finally glow now… but his hair’s still black.”

Though the cold wind pushed against Felix, his face began to sweat as he glided through the buildings once again, headed to return to the stadium with one of the suspects in his arms.

As he rushed to get back to the stadium, a voice suddenly came through the earpiece; “Boss, you there?”

“Three, status report?” Felix asked with anxiety behind his voice.

“The performance is halfway through. Nothing to report.”

“Keep vigilant.” He instructed as he landed on the next roof, his eyes widening as his body stuttered over and fell to the dry concrete rooftop.

All of those people… but who could possibly?

His thoughts had turned into a frantic mess as he remembered the sight of the crowd.

“Boss? Are you okay?” Asked one of the robins.

“I…” ‘The smoke’ Felix thought as he pushed himself back up. ‘It still taking effect?’

“It’s nothing… I might take a while to get back.” He replied.

“Understood.”

Felix ran out and fired his grappling hook once again, but as he was on his way back to the stadium, his grappling hook snapped.

“Aghk!” He yelled as he plopped straight down on bags of garbage between the alley.

Bruised, burned and battered, he limped onward to the streets and hid his mask into the back of his coat, and raised his hand for a taxi.

“Stadium, floor it.” He said to the driver in labored breathing.

“Aye, sir.” The driver replied and drove at a high speed, cruising through the traffic.

Felix’s eyes furrowed as he screamed internally, “Why does this driver speak English?!” Was added to his already cluttered thoughts.

“Robins, report.”

“Nothing so far, sir.”

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue in response.

“Did something happen on your end?”

“They had a back-up plan. Guard the heiress.”

“Guard the—” She gulped, “Sir, I probably don’t need to remind you that robins are non-combatants.”

“I know, I just… keep me updated and watch over her, okay?”

“Roger that. It looks like she’s about to dedicate a song just for you.”

“Right. I’m almost there.”

A figure sat backstage. It was a woman with black hair and glasses, loading a pistol with gloved hands. As she did, there was a sudden knock on the door before it was opened. A young woman with peach hair with a red pin on her chest, a red bird crossed out with an x. It was the third robin.

“Huh?” The figure muttered out as a sweat dripped on their face.

“Hello, I’m sorry to disturb you, but—” Said the third robin.

“Please leave immediately.”

“I would, but I’m kind of lost and don’t know where the bathroom is…”

“It’s not here. Now get out before I call security.” The figure grew increasingly irritated and threatened the robin.

“What’s that?” Asked the robin as she eyed down what the black-haired woman tried to hide.

“It’s—”

“A pistol…” The robin pressed into her earpiece and spoke, “Boss, I’m in the backstage, I think I found their “back-up plan”

“What?” The woman replied.

“So glad I bought backstage passes.” The robin jested to herself, dreading for what’s to come.

When the song had ended, the Starry Sweethearts had taken a bow, and left the stage. Cheers ran wild, voices of excitement rang loud. Felix sat and shook his leg as he was stuck in traffic, while the stadium stood straight ahead of him. He gave the driver his black card, and waited for it to be returned.

As he ran out to the back of the stadium, the guards stopped him from entering.

“Hey you, stop!” The guards yelled out in Japanese.

Felix, who was struggling to stand, showed his ID.

“Please wait here while we get this verified.” The guard requested as he walked into the building, pinching his nose.

“I can’t wait!” Felix growled as he knocked one of the guards out of the way. One by one, he fired his energy gun at them, knocking them all down.

As the small-time pop idol group returned to the backstage, they were shocked to see their financial manager tussling with an unknown woman on the pale tile floor, scrambling to reach for the pistol on the ground.

Felix rushed to the backstage despite his exhaustion, taking out one guard after the other until his energy gun had nothing left to shoot out.

As the two struggled, the idol group all took a step back in fright, except for Natsumi.

“Miss Yoko?” Natsumi asked.

“H-help me!” Yoko replied.

“No, wait—!” The third robin pleaded.

Natsumi rushed to her manager’s aid and pulled away the unknown woman.

“I’m with the Blue Phantom! Wait, she’s—!”

“Blue—?”

Natsumi’s eyes widened as she looked back at Yoko, the gun aiming at her face. But as the financial manager was about to pull the trigger, she was pushed out of the way by the woman whom she had hindered.

Felix, who had just made it to the door, watched one of the assistants he had just hired fall to the ground. Robin Three had been shot.

A puddle of blood formed around her.

Yoko aimed once more. This time, at the heiress for sure. Exhausted and out of options, all Felix could do was reach out his arm and shout, “NO!”

The gun had fired once again. A loud ring echoed.

“Huh?” Natsumi turned her head downwards, taking notice of the red mark that stained her white dress. “Black… Cat?”

The young pop idol, Natsumi Sakurai, took a step back before her legs began to slip down onto the floor.

Natsumi’s face was a mix of shock and fear. Her eyes gazed at the bullet that would have taken her life, hanging above her own head.

Felix’s his face gradually became hollow, as his focus shifted as he looked at his hand.

A glowing blue shroud formed around it, shining with a crystal-like pattern. The same blue glow that halted the bullet mid-air. As he gulped, the fire gradually faded.

As the light that held the bullet in place dimmed and dissipated, it dropped and clattered on the floor, and rolled on the ground, drawing a blood-stained circle, and letting out a soft, metallic chime before falling into an unsettling silence.