Arc 1 - Chapter 24: Hear no Evil ... Speak no Evil ...

(Quintiles 22, 59 / 4:32PM)

“Latter-day saints…”

A huge metal box displayed the afternoon program, along with black and white static circulating throughout the screen. In that same room, three men and one woman gasped in shock at the world breaking news.

“Is that the Zirardge Bank?!” Exclaimed Jenny.

“So they're now calling Lagefor home?” Questioned Jerry.

“No, they’re just returning to their roots…” Said Boris.

While the news displayed the aftermath of the bank robbery, Jerry had his hand placed on his chin, looking down as his eyes took in the wooden floor. Unable to see the officers injured and shot, he let the words direct themselves to David, despite being unwilling to look at him.

“Hey David. Do you think we’re going to have to clean up the Blood Eagles once again?”

“Gwen and the others were always hot on their trail right when they all got their blessings, but…”

David had his eye glued to the TV, as testimonies and interviews began to showcase on the small screen. Having an ice cream cone in his right hand, he rubbed his jawline with his left.

“Why did they return here? To Lagefor of all places?”

The sounds of a phone rang through the room. Coming from the back, Boris got up from his seat and slowly walked toward the cellular phone. His limp becoming more noticeable, it even raised David and Jerry’s eyebrows.

Fortunately for him, he made it to the phone, attached to a wall.

“Are you seeing the news?”

“Indeed.”

“Then you know what to do.”

“sighs … I’ll let them know…”

Static creasing from the metallic device, he hung up the phone on the wall. Turning his attention to his employees, all three of them had their eyes pinned on him.

“Someone called, they want the Blood Eagles captured.”

“You know how much of a weasel their boss is. No matter what city we go to, we always have bad luck trying to get him.”

“But here in Lagefor, we have a home-field advantage.”

Walking toward the center of the living room, he let his right foot slightly drag alongst the wooden floor. Once he stopped, he saw the screen continue to display the testimonies, with gray lining in his eyes.

“After The Array, it took many months for them to slightly forgive me … I could still remember their faces …”

His fingers wanted to curl into his palms, but he let them rest against his pants. Continuing to glue his eyes on the screen, and seeing the sorrow of policemen and soldiers alike, he felt his face wrinkle.

"They all wanted to kill me ... but I'm glad they didn't talk to me for a week straight ... but there is one thing..."

He slowly raised both of his hands, raising them high enough to see strains of sweat mingling his palms. His skin sticky and clammy, he let his eyes wander deep into his palm lines.

—“If they did want to kill me, I know they wouldn’t, because they never experienced having blood on their hands.”—

Both of his fists balled tight.

Turning his body toward David, he walked toward him with a slight limp, as his breathing became rampant. Despite sweat drenching his body, he reached in front of the cowboy, and looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

“I’m done letting Gwen act like every raid is a game. I’m authorizing the required use of lethal force.”

“You know Gwen isn’t going—”

“Then I’ll just put Luke and Luna to do it alone. Luke’s safety alone would be enough to—”

David placed both his hands on Boris’ shoulders, glaring at him with sharpened pupils. His legs quivered, yet Boris remained stable, leaving David to feel like he was pinning his weight on him.

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”

“Oh it’s quite obvious. Gwen sees this as a game, and if she tried, she would’ve captured the entire group by now.”

He let go of Boris’ shoulders, and turned around to sit himself back onto the couch. Feeling drained, he placed his hands onto his face. Boris let out a sigh, leaving him to walk slowly as the edge of his sole grazed the wood. Towering over the sulking cowboy, his black fedora made him cold, emotionless even.

“Don’t get all hippie with me. You fought in the Beast-Human skirmishes when you were Luke’s age. Heard you didn’t seem to take Beast-Humans as prisoners, no?”

“Why the hell are you bringing that up?”

“So you do kill people.”

“But the people I killed were killers themselves.”

David leaned back, his upper back resting on the couch cushion. As he slouched, Boris noticed daggers drawing from Jerry and Jenny.

“Don’t look at me like that. Both of you aren’t that innocent.”

“I’ve killed people who needed to be killed, same as David.”

“Monsters don’t count as people.”

“I’ve never killed a person Boris…” Said Jenny.

“Yet.”

Beginning his track toward the door, his limping only caused Jerry and Jenny to push down their cheeks. Seeing his right leg swell evermore, it felt like watching an old person develop Alzheimer's.

Grabbing the handle, he slowly opened the door, and turned his head to see David still slouched on the couch.

‘Sometimes, to defeat your enemies, you must become like your enemy.’

Closing the door behind him, he walked through the hallway, different than it was six to two years ago.

________________________________________________________________________

(Quintiles 22, 59 / 10:01PM)

In the south central part of Lagefor, lies a large building.

Homelessness, gangs, and prostitutes scattered the area around the rundown suburbs, creating a common ghetto. Loud music blaring inaudibly, it was a common sight to see horse and shark people smoke and walk the sidewalks with baggy clothes.

And in that same building surrounded by poverty, it stuck out like a sore thumb, as the three-story hotel looked more like an office. No, it was an apartment complex, but with no balconies. All of this seen from a helicopter above, the blades rippled through the air as it stalled many blocks away.

“How’s the helicopter holding up?” Said Boris, his voice coming through the transmission.

“Going smoothly. At least I could handle the helicopter…” Said Diego, while sitting in the cockpit.

“Oh please, it was one time.”

“Still, you had to buy a new helicopter because of it. Anyways, I can’t see the brown van anywhere.” Said Gary, who sat in the passenger seat.

Both men laughed raspingly as they remembered Boris’ failure. Their ears occupied with headphones, they had Boris on the other line, while two other men were on the sides of the leading skids. It wasn’t a normal helicopter…

Because both sides of the flying aviation had mounted turrets.

“This turret is pretty big for flying aviation,” Said Fred.

“Not as big as that gatling gun two years ago.” Said Stan.

Fred was seated on the right side, followed by Stan on the left. Having the building in full view, Fred looked down, his face sulked while remembering that hellish night. But with a little sway with his head, he pushed air from his nostrils as he confirmed the presence of a brown van.

“Hey, tell Gary that he has poor eyesight because I see the van.”

“Hey Gary, Fred says you have shit eyesight!” Yelled Stan.

“What! Tell Fred that he could suck my fat—”

“Hey, quiet man.”

Smacking his head, Gary looked over toward Diego, his eyes sharpened at him while growing one or two veins from his right temple. Even though he kept his eyes peeled at the building, he used his peripheral vision to take note of Gary’s balled fists.

“Don’t tell me you’re angry. Look, I just want you to focus.”

“You and Fred could just suck it!”

“Can you guys shut up, your chat can be heard publicly…” Said David, speaking through the transmission.

Both men sealed their lips shut, their eyes wide-eyed as their faces grew a dreaded pale. Slouching, Gary covered his eyes with the butt of his palms.

“Who was listening to our conversation?”

““““““““““““Me.””””””””””””

“Damn, that was pretty much everyone… except for Luke and Luna.” Uttered Diego.

Slouching even more, Gary looked toward the skyline of the city, his eyes focusing on the busy lights that shone all the way from downtown. Remembering the economic depression the city and country suffered, Gary sighed, as the city can be considered to be in a regular recession.

Diego decided to speak to David, his voice filled with concern.

“Just a question. How do you know this plan might work?”

In the brown van, David sat on the driver’s seat with his feet on the dashboard. His body slouched, and his cowboy hat limiting anyone from seeing his face, he had a mic close to his mouth.

“Trust Luna, I know she’s durable enough for the job.”

“Hey, don’t forget Luke. You’ve seen him in action before, I mean, he’s the one who thought of this plan.” Said Jerry.

Similar to David, he had his feet up on the dashboard as well, his hands wielded together over his stomach. Turning his head to Jerry, David raised his right eyebrow, as he slouched more into his seat.

“You know out of all of us, he is the weakest in terms of offense. He could handle himself, but it’s way too risky to put a lion in a raptor den.”

“Same risk as putting a tiger in a mouse den.”

David turned his attention back to the entrance of the building, along with Jerry as well. Their eyes calm and neutral, they didn’t mean anything behind their words, and they knew arguing would only waste time.

But Jerry let a thought run through his mind.

“Hey David…”

“Yeah?”

“Do you still miss your wife and two daughters?”

He continued to stare at the entrance, his face maintained while his hands shook gently. With his right hand, he grabbed a small bottle of water from the cupholder, bringing it up to his lips before swishing it around his mouth. Gulping it down forcingly, he exhaled softly.

The silence was so loud, it felt like it bled heavily against their eardrums. Lowering his head, he let his eyes scour his pants, his voice on the verge of breaking apart like glass.

“I still miss them … but.”

He lifted his head once again, allowing Jerry to see the right side of David’s face. Remembering the debris, the panic, the blood, he couldn’t erase it from his mind. Until he cracked his fingers, his hands softly balled but not tighten.

“At least I have a brat I can raise again.”

Jerry looked at David with gentle eyes, despite having an eyepatch covering one of them. Making a small frown, he pulled his feet off from the dashboard, and hunched his back while putting both of his elbows onto his knees.

“I lost people I loved … I used to have a girlfriend six years ago …”

David finally turned to look at Jerry, his eyes calm yet infatuated at the sentence he uttered. Silent, he lifted both of his feet from the dashboard, and placed them flat on the floor of the van.

“She went missing during the attack on Ticia … and she was going to visit her parents in Clastine of all places …”

His voice shaking, Jerry felt like his vocals tried to clutter like cogs in a machine. His hands quivering, he clutched an empty water bottle with his left, having it wrap around his palm and fingers.

“She was all I could’ve asked for, and she was as free as a newborn seagull… yet …”

He looked down at the floor; and crushed the bottle.

“The world didn’t let her be free…”

________________________________________________________________________

(Quintiles 22, 59 / 10:34PM)

“Why did those two decide to get busy at a time like this?”

“Let them. If they get in big trouble by the boss, then it’ll be a big wake up call for them. Besides, the woman is in her early 20s.”

“But he’s in his late 30s…”

Two knocks were heard from behind them.

All of them turning toward the door, they let their lips seal shut, before trailing their eyes toward the shortest member of the group. Sighing, he stood up from his seat, and walked slowly toward the door.

Reaching the dark oak wood, he opened a little metal hole from the center, allowing his eyes to take in two blood eagle members waiting on the other side of the door. Both of them being much taller than him, he took a tiny step back and gulped down softly.

“Whoever hears evil.”

“Speak no evil.”

Closing the little metal hole, he began unlocking the door, causing it to sway open for the two members to enter. Placing his body near the wall, the two members walked into the room, their heads scouring the place like hawks. Seeing the room have two TV sets, three radio sets, and two massive couches and coffee tables; they looked rich for a terrorist group.

But why? Why the abundance of more than one thing?

One of the members was tall and skinny, while the other was a few inches short. Looking to be female, because of her feminine figure and curves, a couple of men ogled at her.

Even though she was masked fully from head to chin, along with the other member. The eight soldiers stared at the two members of the group, all tilting their heads with their hands on their chin.

“You two were unusually fast. Blew your lid off that quick?”

The two remained silent, once their eyes caught a whiff of stashes of gold hiding behind a fake house plant. Keeping note of the robbed gold, both looked at one another, and gave each other a nod.

Until a voice uttered from a hallway shaded in shadows.

“Sorry if I’m late, but shall we begin?”

Out of the dark hallway, came out a man who was a few inches taller than everybody. As well as being skinny, he had medium wavy hair, the color being shaded in a dark oakwood brown. He wore the same attire like the rest of the blood eagles, his clothes malnourished in black and red. But he wore no mask, leaving his freckles, brown eyes, and button nose to showcase to the world.

As the two blood eagle members stood near the door, the skinny member leaned his head close to the curvy one.

“Are you ready Luna?”

“Don’t you worry about me Luke, I’ll be fine.”