Chapter 43 [Height]

"I can't believe you got me to agree to this," I said as the cold freezing night breeze hug my body sending a shiver through my body.

"Well what can I say, I am hard to say no to," Cindy said, as her voice come out from the earpiece I'm wearing.

Looking down; I can see the car and people passing by on the sidewalk down below me, my whole body right now is dangling on the side of the Ivory tower. The only keeping me from falling is the grappling gauntlet that I'm wearing.

"Oooh damn, I look down," I said.

"That your fault, not mine, just focus on climbing," Cindy said.

I grunt, as I grab one of the protruding rock design of the building and climb up.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Yep, what is it?"  Cindy said.

"What did Kusagi said to you?" I ask.

"Nice try I won't tell you," Cindy said.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because I promise her not to tell you," Cindy said.

I grunt; suddenly a strong gust of wind causes the hook to detach; I start to fall and quickly roll back the rope into the gauntlet; shooting the hook back to the wall. 

The hook plant itself into the wall and swing me toward the wall; my body hit the wall and I grab the edge of the concrete very tightly hoping it doesn't detach again.

"What happens? Are you dead?!" Cindy ask.

"What kind of question is that? the hook just freaking detach itself and I almost fall," I said.

"You can climb again, right?" Cindy asks; my eyebrow raised.

"Thank you for worrying about me" I sassed.

"You'll be fine, besides you can heal right back," Cindy said.

"I can't! if my head explodes from the impact of hitting the sidewalk," I said.

"You getting close to the skylight, Ganbatte!," Cindy cheer.

I sighed and started climbing again, this time very carefully. 

After 12 minutes of climbing the damn tower, I finally reach the skylight; I place my feet against a concrete slab and position myself, I look down the skylight; I saw some kind of satanic symbol in the middle of the room on the floor with burning candle around it but no living person in sight.

"Cindy, where is everybody? you said he will be here, don't tell me that I climb this freaking tower for nothing" I said.

"Just wait, he will be there," Cindy said; as she said the double door open, out five people in dark red robes, circling around the symbol and only one wearing a pendant.

I bring L115A3 a bolt action sniper rifle to the front of my chest and begins checking the magazine for ammo; satisfied I pull the bolt and loaded one bullet into the chamber. I stand near the edge of the skylight.

"Which one is Lorenzo?" I ask.

"The one with an evil ponytail, and wearing the pendant," Cindy said.

"I used to have a ponytail," I said.

"What you? you would look horrible in it, I can't imagine it" Cindy said.

"Geez, thank for the compliment," I said flatly.

Using the telescopic sight, I aim toward one of the people wearing robes, I took a long breath of cold air.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Ready" Cindy answers.

I squeeze the trigger and the bullet escaped the chamber, passing through the suppressor, breaking through the window, flew through the person's head leaving a trail of blood behind. They all look at the person who just falls down for no reason.

Before the can start panicking, I quickly jump into the skylight feet first, breaking the glass, and landed on my feet then turn into a roll, I stand back up and take another shot with the rifle.

The bullet hit one of the people wearing the robe on the chest; that immediately triggers the scream, and panic in the room.

"Ok everyone stays where you are or all of you will be shot" I yelled; my own voice is mute by the scream of the people inside of the room.

two of the people left except for Lorenzo, run towards the door while they are screaming.

"Well you guys make my job way easier than it supposed too," I said; I shot both of them in the back with the rifle.

"I did warn you guys," I said, reloading the next magazine.

I turn toward Lorenzo; he slowly moves backward while his hand up in the air.

"I will give you what you want just let me go!" Lorenzo pleads.

I look at the pendant; it has very intricate carving around it and a large red ball glass embedded in the middle of it.

"You got 5 minutes left" Cindy warned.

I quickly aim the rifle and pull back the bolt reloading the next bullet into the chamber.

"Wait! wait!!!" Lorenzo yell.

As I was about to squeeze the trigger; a sudden shift of wind from my left side cause me to recoil my head backward as a large dark misty blade cut my rifle into two half.

"Shit!" I cursed.

I let go of my broken rifle and proceed to unholster my CZ- 75b 9mm semi-automatic pistol; I flip backward getting some distance between me and the attacker.

"What happens?" Cindy ask.

"There someone else here!"  I said.

"The masked woman?!" Cindy exclaim.

"No, it not, the masked woman wield a sword, the one who attacked me is wielding a very large scythe," I said.

"What woman?, she not appearing on any of my screens, no thermal, no X-ray, not even a speck of her is showing up," Cindy said.

"But here she is standing in front me," I said as I look her up and down.

She is wearing a tattered cloak with a hood on, every part of her body is cover by it except for her mouth but that just normal, the weird part is the black mist coming out from the bottom of her cloak and out from the dark blade of the scythe.

"Who are you, people?!" Lorenzo ask.

"Even Lorenzo see her, that's means I'm not crazy," I said.

"Could it be another powered?" Cindy ask.

"It could," I said; clicking my tongue.

"3 minutes left, the window is closing, I can't keep stalling the guard," Cindy said.

I quickly aim my CZ- 75b at her and squeeze the trigger, the sound small explosion inside the gun can be heard, a bullet flies through the chamber and toward the woman.

The woman easily twirls her large scythe, like it weighs nothing and stops the bullet by blocking herself with the blade.

I keep on firing and she keeps twirling her scythe; blocking the bullet path.

The guns make a clicking sound as the magazine finally emptied and not one bullet hit her, I take out the magazine out of the CZ- 75b and load another.

I take a shot toward Lorenzo but the woman blocks it with her large scythe.

"2 minutes left!" Cindy warned.

I quickly launch myself to a run heading toward the woman; I unsheath my kunai, holding it in my left hand.

I keep taking a shot at her using my CZ- 75b while dashing toward her and she keeps on twirling her scythe blocking the incoming bullet.

The moment I got close to her, I launch a horizontal slash aiming for her chest area, she blocks it with the staff of the scythe.

I let out a smile inside my helmet.

I bring it CZ-75b close to her and I shot her point blank, the bullet casing to the floor and it dings off the floor.

I was surprised to see a smirk form on her mouth.

My eyes widen as the bullet passes through her like she was nothing and hit the wall behind her, she raised her scythe up in the air and in a moment of panic, I roll backward moving away from her as she brings the blade down to the floor.

"1 minutes left" Cindy warned again.

"You're not helping,"I said.

"Well do something before the guard breaks down the door!" Cindy said.

"I got an idea," I said.

I slowly took a couple step left and the woman took a couple step right; circling each other almost like a Mexican standoff.

I check the ammo in my CZ-75b handgun; one bullet left. I dash forward toward her, causing the woman to raise her guards up while waiting for me to strike. 

I bring the kunai closer to my handgun, the moment I step into her range; I quickly launch an attack with my kunai; I slash vertical and keep on slashing, the woman block every slash.

Spark fly as my kunai blade hit her scythe, I duck my body lower and try to roundhouse her legs but she jumps before my leg hit hers.

I raise my gun and squeeze the trigger, the bullet escaped the handgun, I could see her smirk under the hood but this time I will be the one that smiling.

The bullet passes through like I predict but what she was not expected was the bullet hitting directly at Lorenzo's head and leaving a hole in his skull. Lorenzo body falls back to the floor.

"Got him!" I said.

"Now go get the fingerprints," Cindy said.

I stop as I saw the woman backing away and clicking her tongue in annoyance.

Suddenly the whole room starts to shake causing the remaining glass beginning to fall to the floor, candle stands fall to its side, cracks beginning to form on the wall and ceiling.

I was shocked to see...