by Ammar Habib
Getting the last confirmation, The Guardian latched the device back onto his belt. All of these officers were with the new guard. None of them served under the old regime or ever had any corruption charges brought against them.
Looking back at the second-floor, he saw her turn the corner. The princess was no more than sixteen-years-old. Wearing a navy fit and flare dress that ended at her forearms and knees, black leggings covered her legs all the way down to her ankles. Her long blonde locks were tied in a neat bun. Her posture hinted at her aristocratic background. Two guards walked in front of her and two more were behind her. But what caught The Guardian’s attention was her expression. She was always smiling for the cameras, always displaying the persona of the privileged girl who grew up in wealth. But here, as she walked without any cameras nearby, there was no happiness on her face. Instead, it was the opposite.
She quickly arrived at top of the escalator, twenty-five feet above the ground floor. Right as she stepped into the reporters’ views, she immediately brightened up and smiled. An immediate uproar followed. All the cameras aimed at her as their bright flashes continuously bombarded the princess.
She remained unfazed. She was immune to it by now and gave the reporters a dignified wave. The princess and her security detail moved past the two security officers standing at the top of the escalator. Stepping onto the top of the escalator, still in between the two pairs of guards, she began to head towards the ground floor.
But the journey was short-lived.
By the time The Guardian saw it, it was too late. Out of seemingly nowhere, Jaing appeared at the back of the reporters. It was as if he came out of thin air. He held a loaded revolver.
As soon as it happened half of the guards on the ground floor drew out their pistols almost simultaneously. But they did not take aim at Jaing. Instead, they did something else entirely: they killed their counterparts.
It all transpired in an instant. The quick and thunderous sound and bursts of gunfire consumed the terminal. Each of the turncoat guards fired at their unsuspecting comrades from point-blank-range. Their targets never received the chance to defend themselves. As the sound of their bullets faded, every guard on the ground floor who was there to serve and protect fell dead or dying. All but two were shot in the head. The remaining pair collapsed to the ground with a bullet wound in their guts.
As they realized what was happening, the reporters screamed in terror. Many of their cameras were flung onto the ground as they tried to escape the attack.
The two Crown City security officers at the top of the escalator took aim at the princess’ detail. But before they pulled their triggers, The Guardian suddenly dropped behind them.
The first guard at the top of the escalators turned to take down The Guardian. But with a quick strike to his head and another to his neck, The Guardian stunned him. Without hesitating, The Guardian powerfully kicked the guard right in the chest, flipping him over the railing and sending him crashing twenty-five feet below. Not losing a step, The Guardian sidestepped the second guard’s bullets that were fired from three feet away. By the time the gunman fired three shots, The Guardian expertly stripped the man’s firearm from him and mercilessly shot him with his own gun.
Jaing aimed his revolver at the princess’ security detail, ignoring the chaos surrounding him. The turncoat guards tackled and gunned down many of the reporters before they escaped. Only three reporters were able to make a run for the door. But before they could get very far, two were shot in cold blood.
The assassin pulled his revolver’s trigger. The first man surrounding the princess was killed instantly. The three remaining men fired at the assassin, but he dodged them effortlessly. Jaing fired three more times in quick succession. Each bullet mercilessly took down its target. The four corpses rolled down the escalator as the princess screamed in horror.
The assassin took aim at the princess, a slight smile on his face.
The Guardian appeared behind the princess. Grabbing her from behind, he fired his wrist cable up onto the second floor. The grapple shot upwards and latched onto a wall. Before anybody could fire a shot, The Guardian and the princess were whisked away.
As The Guardian and the girl flew through the air, Jaing did not pull his pistol’s trigger. However, several of his men let loose their fury. Their bullets came right at The Guardian and the princess, but they all missed their marks and buried themselves into the airport’s walls. Without giving the shooters a chance to even half empty their clips, The Guardian and the girl disappeared out of sight.
And for a moment, they were safe… but the fight was just beginning.
***
Thousands of miles away, Ethan followed the mystical woman along the banks of the stream. Ethan walked two steps behind Veila, not knowing why he was letting her treat him so nonchalantly. If anybody else ever withheld answers from him, Ethan possessed the habit of getting the answers with his fists. But with her, something was different.
The sun was now only minutes away from fully disappearing over the horizon. All manners of daytime creatures were preparing to go back into their burrows to be safe from the night and all its minions.
“How do you know about Daken?” Ethan asked.
“I have followed and watched him for a long time—longer than you can imagine.” Veila did not look back as she spoke. “And I know more about him than anyone. At least, anyone that you would ever come across.”
“What do you have against him?”
“Does it really matter?”
“I need to know why you would help me. And why now.”
“Because after today’s victories, you now have the strength to defeat him.”
Ethan arrived at a sudden stop. “Enough with the riddles.”
Sensing his halt, Veila turned around.
“What is Daken trying to accomplish. What’s his endgame?”
“For me to answer that, you have to know who Daken is.”
His hands came onto his belt. “So tell.”
“He’s… not from around here.”
“I got that already.”
“But what you don’t know is why he came here. You don’t know who he was before he became the monster you know.” As Veila spoke, her eyes relived the days long gone. “Once, he was a soldier. At his height, he was the bravest soldier to ever walk under the stars. And with every victory, with every adversary he bested, he grew stronger. That is his nature. The more he fights, the stronger he gets. But… but as he grew more powerful, so did his arrogance. His arrogance led to his demise. It blinded him and led him down the path of darkness. The same path you were once on. Except, you had a love who was your light. He too once had a love that tried to guide him… but he gave it up for power. Now Daken’s lost love tries to protect others from his darkness, so they won’t suffer as others have.”
Seeing the look in her eyes as she spoke those words, Ethan listened on in silence.
“He was cast out and sent far away. He came down here when mankind was young. But the anger and darkness in him did not end. He was consumed by it. Just like all of his soldiers, just like you once were, he was and still is consumed by revenge.”
“Revenge on who?”
“The ones he once fought alongside.”
As Ethan looked into Veila’s eyes, he sensed that everything she uttered was true. It was written in her eyes. He tried to soak it all in, tried to make sense of it all. Ludicrous as it sounded, somehow it all perfectly fit with everything Ethan already knew.
“He wants nothing more than to destroy those who cast him out.”
“How’s he going to do it?”
“With an army.”
“He already has that.”
“Yes, but an army is not all he needs.” Veila paused. “He needs to be even stronger than he is right now if he hopes to carry out his bloodlust. Much stronger.”
“What’s his plan?”
“It’s simple: to annihilate the entire human race.”
&n
bsp; She said those words so plainly that it took Ethan a long moment to digest them. “…what?”
“Daken has an ability. A special ability that none other of his kind has. He can suck the strength of those who are killed through his actions. For every being that’s killed because of him, he grows stronger. It’s what made him such an invincible warrior.”
Ethan stared at Veila in disbelief.
“And that’s an ability that has been passed onto you. That’s what makes you so special and that’s why Daken has taken such a keen interest in you. Just like Daken, your strength grows with every victory.”
The only thing Ethan could do was stare at the woman as he hung onto each and every word that came out of her mouth.
“That’s why, in only a matter of a few years, you went from hardly being able to take on Anthony Griffin to holding your own against Vixen’s entire force.”
Ethan remained silent. He glanced down as he thought of what she just said. As he looked back at his past battles, he realized the truth in her words. With these seemingly fresh pair of eyes, he finally understood how he had grown more powerful with each and every battle he had won.
The sun now completely hid over the horizon. As darkness overtook the jungle, a cold breeze suddenly blew past Ethan and Veila.
With a deep breath, he looked back up at Veila. “So why is he making his move now?”
“Because now, there are more than 7 billion humans on this earth. If he was to kill them all, he would gain all the strength he needs.”
Kill them all in one swoop? Ethan was almost afraid to ask the next question. “…how’s he going to do it?”
“Daken has another ability that makes him so… special. There are certain people that he can control.”
“…control?”
Veila slightly nodded. “Without their knowledge, he can take over their mind and make them do his bidding. They don’t even realize what’s happening. I don’t know what determines whether or not somebody is a viable entity for him to control. But what I do know is that all he needs is for one of his soldiers to be near them at all times. This is the ability that will allow him to end mankind in one quick stroke.”
“…what has he done?”
“Many of the most powerful nations’ leaders, the nations with devastating military capabilities, are unknowingly his agents. They don’t know it, but they are. As long as one of his soldiers is near them at all times, he can control them.”
“He’s… he’s going to create a nuclear holocaust?” As Ethan said those words, he already knew the answer to the question; he just needed to hear it from her.
Veila’s eyes gave him his response.
This entire conversation seemed to be coming straight out of a nightmare. With every word uttered, Ethan’s heart grew heavier and darker. “Prime Minister Torres… he was killed because he needed to be replaced by somebody under Daken’s control, wasn’t he?”
“All the assassinations have been done to put Daken’s agents in their required positions.”
“And… Villanueva?” Ethan was almost too afraid to ask this question. “Is he under Daken’s control?”
Slowly, Veila nodded. “Your friend was a free man while he was working with you in the revolution. The Villanueva you know is still a good man. But two days before your battle with Vixen, he was put under Daken’s spell. He does not know it. He thinks that he is acting in his own free will. His thoughts are his own. But his actions are not.”
Ethan’s hand formed into a fist. “How… how could I never sense it?”
“Nobody can. Even Villanueva does not know what is happening.” Veila paused. “Daken is setting the stage. Only three more assassinations are needed for everything to be ready. The princess of Northshire and the President of China are the first two.”
“And the third?”
“Daken’s plan needs to happen perfectly if it is to work. He’s waited thousands of years for this moment and he won’t leave anything up to chance. He is now set on putting down anybody with the potential to cause a mishap in his endgame. And his biggest threat is William.”
***
Adam rushed into the restaurant’s bathroom, abruptly leaving his date upon hearing the rapid beeping emitting from his customized pager. The red light was blinking and he knew what it meant: emergency.
Pulling out his Smartphone, he quickly looked up the breaking news. The first headline that appeared on his screen was just what he feared: “Terrorists Attack Crown City Airport”.
The headline was not even two minutes old. Adam looked through the hastily written article. It was unclear as to all that was happening. However, the airport had been seized by a terrorist only minutes ago. Moments before the attack, all security cameras blacked out, making it impossible to know what was happening inside. Nobody knew who was behind the attacks or if the princess was alive. The only fact known for certain was that the terrorists possessed countless hostages, making it impossible for the police or military to move in.
His heart raced. This was the first time William had ever sent this emergency signal to Adam. He was never one to call for help. Adam did not know if it was because William did not trust him or if William had really never needed help before. But if William was in trouble, it could only mean one thing:
Jaing was here.
Chapter 9
Dangerous Maze
“I… I c—can’t believe you’re real.” Princess Amelia astonishingly stared at The Guardian with wide eyes, unable to fathom that she stood before the legendary figure. Her gaze trembled with disbelief and her face grew white; she looked ready to pass out at any moment.
The two of them remained crouched down behind a row of chairs only a few yards away from one of the airport’s closed gates. In a matter of minutes, William had whisked Amelia away from the war zone and brought her here. The entire airport was fully illuminated like it was during peak business hours, but there was not a soul anywhere in sight. Nor could a single sound be heard echoing through the airport’s empty corridors. For now, this place was a graveyard.
William peered over the chairs and at their surroundings. Only ten minutes ago, the attack occurred on the floor below them. The ambush replayed in his mind over and over again. In one instant, the situation had taken a nosedive. He was still trying to figure it all out. How could Jaing have turned all those secret service agents into his lackeys? They all boasted clean records after serving this new government honorably. What could explain all this?
Amelia’s voice was soft, as if she was speaking to a ghost. “Are all… are all of the stories about you true?”
“Depends on which stories you’re talking about.” William looked back at the wide-eyed princess and quickly realized what kind of a state she was in.
She was still in complete shock. Her breathing was rapid, eyes filled with confusion and disbelief. Adrenaline rushed through her bloodstream as sweat streamed down her face. Chances were that this was the first time she witnessed a killing up close and personal. She had stood no more than inches from all her bodyguards when they were gunned down by Jaing. Some of their blood remained splattered on her clothes.
William turned to fully face her. “You’re in shock. You need to take a deep breath and register what is happening. Otherwise neither of us are going to make it out of here alive.”
Amelia wordlessly stared at him. Her face still held no color.
“Take a deep breath, Amelia.”
Slowly, she inhaled a deep breath and let it out. A little color returned to her face. She kept her eyes glued on him.
“One more.”
She did it again. Her face slowly returned back to its normal shade—at least as normal as it would get for now.
“Good. Now whatever you do, focus on the situation—”
Her eyes suddenly changed, filling with fear, as the attack flashed through her mind. Reality hit her. She suddenly began breathing uncontrollably as she relived the deaths of her bodyguards. “They’re
all dead! Paul—George—Earl—Greg! They’re all dead! He killed them!”
William put his powerful hand on her shoulder. “Amelia! Focus. I need you to focus on the situation!”
“They—”
“Focus!”
She slowly stopped her hysterics as her gaze came back onto her savior. After a few long moments, her breathing leveled out and her eyes returned to the present. She continued sweating, but at least she was back with William.
“You’re doing good. I need you to stay with me. I am going to get you out of here. Do you understand?”
She did not say anything, but her expression gave the answer.
“Your friends died to save you. Honor them by making it out. Are you with me?”
Amelia slowly nodded.
“Good. Now our priority is to get you out of here.” William removed his hand from her shoulder and looked down at a device resting at his feet. Picking up the handheld apparatus, he stared at the screen. It was a special mechanism that was attempting to hack into the security cameras. If he was going to get out of here with the princess, he needed to know where his enemies were. No doubt, they’d be looking for them.
But it seemed like Jaing was one step ahead of him. The device’s mission was unfruitful. The security cameras were shut off for good, making it impossible for William or Jaing to use them. It would be a game of instincts.
The Guardian looked back at the princess as he put the device back onto his belt. “I know the layout of this place. I’ll take you to the best exit. It’s not far from here.”
“Why—why can’t we just go through the window?”
“It’s too out in the open. There’s no cover anywhere near them. A well placed sniper could take us out. I could outmaneuver a sniper, but not while carrying you.”
