Commander of the 12 : Lion

Chapter Three
Part One
Tikno sat on the floor of the subway for a few moments.
His eyes remained fixed on the motionless bomb.
It had not exploded.
He was still alive.
He raised his head toward the old man's body.
"Thank God..."
"At least it won't hurt anyone."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he carefully lifted the bomb.
He tried to drag the old man's body out of the train.
"Maybe there's still hope."
"If I can get him to a hospital, I might find out who he is..."
"And maybe I'll find out who the members of the Twin Poles Moon are."
Tikno struggled as he carried the old man out of the subway.
But the station was almost empty.
No passengers.
No employees.
No one.
He placed the old man on one of the benches.
Then he looked at his hands, stained with blood.
He stopped for a moment.
He remembered what he had done to the old man before the timer reached zero.
How he had grabbed him.
How he had shaken him violently.
He didn't know whether the old man had already been dead at that moment.
But thinking about it made him feel sick.
"I need to wash this off first."
He headed toward the public bathrooms.
---
Five minutes later.
Tikno was washing his face.
He slowly raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror.
His face was pale.
His eyes were exhausted.
He turned the water on again.
And washed his hands.
Once.
Then again.
As if he were trying to wash away something much bigger than blood.
Suddenly...
He heard the sound of engines.
Several vehicles had stopped outside the station.
Then the voices of men began approaching.
Tikno quickly raised his head.
"What?"
He shut off the water.
Then rushed out of the bathroom.
When he reached the station entrance...
He saw several military vehicles.
They carried the emblem of the Soler Government.
"The 12th Squad..."
he muttered in surprise.
But before he could understand what was happening...
Another vehicle arrived.
It was completely white.
The vehicle belonged to the military forces of the Arab Union Government.
It stopped directly in front of the station.
The door opened.
One man stepped out.
He was wearing a white military uniform.
His body was slim and athletic.
The number 12 was written across the back of his uniform.
In his hand was a long metal staff.
Tikno froze.
Then he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God..."
"The army squad came to help me."
He raised his hand slightly.
But the man didn't respond.
He simply stared at him.
Then he began walking toward him.
"Brother..."
"Can you help me?"
The man didn't answer.
He continued approaching.
Tikno's expression changed.
"What?"
Suddenly...
The man charged at him with incredible speed.
Tikno's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
The man raised his staff.
He swung it directly toward Tikno's head.
But...
Something strange happened.
Just before the attack reached him...
Tikno felt something.
A strange sensation.
As if his body had sensed the danger before his mind did.
He suddenly lowered his head.
The staff passed directly over him.
THUD!
It struck the wall behind him.
The man froze.
"What...?"
Tikno raised his head.
He didn't understand how he had dodged the attack.
The man stared at him in disbelief.
"What the hell?"
"How did he dodge that?"
Tikno didn't think.
He rushed forward.
He threw a punch with all his strength.
But the man simply raised his hand.
And caught Tikno's fist with ease.
Tikno froze.
"What?"
He tried to pull his hand away.
The man didn't move.
Then...
He drove a powerful punch into Tikno's chest.
BOOM!
The air was knocked out of Tekno's lungs.
His eyes widened.
A sharp pain spread through his chest.
He staggered backward.
He fell to his knees.
His vision began to blur.
"No..."
He tried to stand.
But his legs wouldn't respond.
The man approached him.
"I didn't come here to fight you in the first place."
He raised the staff over his shoulder.
"My mission is to restrain you and bring you in for questioning."
He looked down at TIKNO.
"But because you resisted..."
"I had to hit you harder than I intended."
Tekno's eyes grew heavier.
He heard the man's voice fading into the distance.
"Don't worry..."
"You'll wake up."
Then...
Tikno lost consciousness.
---
19:42
Tikno slowly opened his eyes.
The smell of medicine filled the room.
A white ceiling.
Medical equipment.
He tried to move his head.
"A hospital...?"
He attempted to sit up.
But his head was pounding.
Then he heard a calm voice.
"Finally awake."
Tikno turned.
A large man was sitting near the window.
He was tall.
His body was powerful.
His hair was gray.
His eyes were sharp.
He wore a military jacket bearing the number 12.
But something else caught Tekno's attention.
One of the man's hands wasn't human.
It was completely metallic.
A mechanical prosthetic hand.
Leon slowly raised his metal hand.
"Don't worry."
"You're not the first person to stare at my hand."
Tikno looked at it.
"What happened to it?"
Leon gave a small smile.
"An old mission."
"I lost it during one of them."
Then he stood up.
"Before we talk..."
"Let me introduce myself."
He gave a faint smile.
"My name is Leon."
"I'm the commander of the Twelfth Squad under the Soler Government."
Tekno's eyes widened.
"What happened?"
Leon answered:
"We found you beside the man with the straw hat."
Tekno froze.
"Is he dead?"
Leon nodded.
"Yes."
Silence filled the room.
Tikno lowered his eyes.
He didn't know what to say.
Leon continued.
"The doctors' results came in a short while ago."
Tikno raised his head.
"What did they say?"
Leon looked at him for a few moments.
"The gunshot wounds were not the direct cause of death."
Tikno's eyes widened.
"What?"
"The gunshot wounds were serious."
"But they weren't enough to kill him immediately."
Leon stepped closer.
"The doctors believe someone continued beating him violently after he was shot."
Tikno froze.
"Multiple blows..."
"To the face."
"The chest."
"And around the areas where he had been shot."
Tekno felt his heart stop.
He remembered what had happened.
His fear.
His hands.
The way he had grabbed the old man.
The way he had struck him.
The way he had screamed at him, demanding answers.
He lowered his head.
"No..."
But his mind screamed.
Was I the reason he died?
Was he still alive when I hit him?
Did I kill him without even knowing it?
Leon raised an eyebrow.
"Are you all right?"
Tikno quickly raised his head.
"Yes."
Leon continued watching him.
Then he said:
"And there's something even stranger..."
He paused.
"We couldn't find any clear fingerprints on the body."
Tikno froze inside.
What?
But I touched him.
I grabbed his clothes.
I hit him.
How did my fingerprints disappear?
Leon looked at him.
His expression remained unreadable.
As if he were waiting for something.
"You seem distracted."
Tikno shook his head.
"It's nothing."
Leon smiled.
"All right."
He turned toward the door.
"I won't keep you here any longer."
But he stopped.
Then turned back toward Tekno.
"I have one question."
Silence.
"Are you the killer?"
Tekno felt a chill run through his body.
But he answered immediately.
"No."
Leon stared at him for several long seconds.
Then...
He suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
"You don't look like a killer at all."
He stopped laughing.
Then added:
"In fact..."
"You saved dozens of civilians today."
"And that takes courage."
Leon stepped toward the bed.
Then he took out the straw hat.
It belonged to the old man.
He placed it on the bed.
Tekno stared at it silently.
"Why are you giving me this?"
Leon answered:
"I want you to take it to the old man's house."
"This hat belongs where he used to live."
Then he handed Tekno the coordinates of the house.
"Go to the Village of Lights."
"Take the hat with you."
"And return it to the man's home."
Tekno looked at the hat.
Then slowly picked it up.
"All right."
He stared at it for a moment.
It was only an old straw hat.
But it had become the last thing connecting him to the man who had died before him.
---
Tikno left the room.
His father was standing outside the door.
Handzer.
Tekno stopped for a moment.
"Father..."
Handzer didn't answer.
His face remained expressionless.
At that exact moment, Leon stepped out behind Tekno.
He looked at Handzer.
Then gave him a mocking smile.
"Well, well..."
"Look who we have here."
He took a step closer.
"The cowardly father."
Handzer's expression immediately changed.
"Leon..."
Leon continued.
"The man who let his poor son die."
The smile disappeared from Handzer's face.
"Don't talk about that."
Leon stopped.
Handzer's voice became angry.
"Do you understand?"
Silence.
This time, Leon didn't laugh.
His expression became serious.
He looked at Tikno.
Then back at Handzer.
"Do you know the difference between you and your sons?"
Handzer didn't answer.
Leon continued.
"Your first son..."
Then he looked at Tikno.
"And Tikno..."
"They were both brave."
He stepped closer.
"But you..."
He paused.
Then said:
"You were a coward when the children needed you, Handzer."
Handzer glared at him.
But Leon didn't back down.
"Your son saved dozens of civilians in the subway station."
"While everyone else was running away."
"What an irony..."
Leon gave a sad smile.
"A cowardly father..."
"And brave sons."
Handzer looked down.
He said nothing.
Leon walked past him.
Then stopped for a moment.
"Handzer..."
Handzer turned toward him.
"I hope I never find you at another crime scene."
Then Leon walked away.
Tekno remained standing beside his father.
He didn't fully understand what had happened between them.
But he realized one thing.
Leon didn't just know his father...
He knew something about his family's past.
Something no one had ever told him.
Tekno looked down at the straw hat in his hand.
Then at the coordinates Leon had given him.
He had to go to the Village of Lights.
To the dead man's home.
And return the last thing that belonged to him.
The straw hat.
Tekno raised his head.
"Father..."
But Handzer didn't look at him.
End of Chapter Three