by Eric S Kim
Lionel already did. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working. Besides, I’m already willing to stay on the good side.”
Quintana chuckled. “Let us see if it stays true.”
Lionel’s earpiece suddenly rang. “Excuse me.”
He turned around and answered the call. He heard Arnold Murdock’s voice from the other end.
“Listen, this is an emergency. We need all of you to come back to headquarters. A grizzly bear has been spotted in the building. It’s most likely a Nevinoth Dragon. The evacuation’s already begun. I need you and your squad to be here as quick as possible.”
“We’ll be there.”
Both men hung up. Lionel told his son and his Chairman about the abrupt announcement from the Blackjack Commissioner.
Quintana replied, “So this is the one I talked about.”
He followed both Lionel and Jerome as they departed from the meeting room. They left the dead peregrine falcon on the table as it had become more of an afterthought during a serious situation. Jerome had informed his father that Charlie the dispatcher had been released from his bonds and would return to his office after checking his oral injury. That was one good news that brought Lionel back to a more positive state of mind.
Lionel, Jerome, and Quintana left the building and were already on their way to their parked vehicles. Preston, who had stayed outside to presumably observe the conclusion of the airborne battle, joined his two teammates as they got inside the SUV.
But Quintana didn’t leave just yet. He reminded Lionel of what might transpire in Santa Ana. “Remember. This is the moment of truth. I will be watching.”
Lionel nodded. “I won’t let you down.”
“I’m sure you won’t.”
Quintana and the Blackjacks left the parking lot. Preston had asked Lionel about what Quintana had just told him. Lionel decided not to repeat it and told his young teammate to forget the concern attached to the previous question.
THIRTY-THREE
7:42 PM
The Blackjack Troopers had made it in time to fully comprehend the situation at Mystic Lightning Headquarters. Pandemonium had been avoided by the employees. Everyone who worked in the building had been evacuated. Most of them either stayed on the sidewalk or had left the scene altogether. Traffic on the street had been brought to a halt. The press had made it to the building first. Men and women with microphones and video cameras surrounded Virgil Hamilton. They harassed him, practically begging him to respond to their trivial questions. Hamilton would be the type of CEO who would do everything he could to fulfill the appetites of the media, even if he stated facts that were deemed unusable for the viewers.
Among the crowd, Arnold Murdock and Richard Hatchett had a private discussion with a group of Hammerheads. Brandon Young was also present: he spent his time photographing the building with several other photojournalists. Milton Han had parked his cargo van on the curb. He would be fully unaware of the Blackjacks’ arrival since he was busy opening the back doors and rummaging through various items.
Lionel and his teammates parked their vehicles in front of the main building. All fourteen troopers showed themselves to the public, which led to half of the cameramen giving them the spotlight for a live broadcast. But A-X-9 never gave them the satisfaction. They never said a word as the reporters waved their microphones at them and tried to ask them certain questions. The Blackjacks did nothing. They followed their captain and never stared at the cameras.
Meanwhile, Salvador Quintana had already joined the Blackjacks. He was in front of the line with Lionel and mimicked the cold shoulder when the reporters tried to follow him. Fortunately, the Hammerheads had appeared and pushed the press away from the Blackjacks. Even then, the reporters still shouted their questions for a possible response from those they targeted.
Virgil Hamilton had already finished his time with the press and joined his senior staff, namely Murdock and Hatchett. He had waited for Quintana and the Blackjacks to come forward on the sidewalk. And when they did, Hamilton whispered something to Quintana that Lionel couldn’t hear.
Murdock provided more information to the A-X-9 captain. “There are Nevinoth Dragons in the main building. We counted six or seven, though there could be more. They must be looking for something. Something that’s very important to them.”
Lionel already realized the situation. “What kind of animals are they?”
“Most of them are mammals. A kangaroo was spotted on the fifth floor a few minutes ago. And the Hammerheads had confirmed that a grizzly bear is in there as well.”
Lionel looked up. None of the windows on the building revealed an animal behind the glass.
“Are there employees stuck in the building?”
Murdock replied, “So far, everyone has been accounted for. Only the Nevinoth are staying behind.”
Hamilton had joined them. Despite the loud voices in the distant background, Lionel could hear everything from the higherups.
The CEO remarked, “These bastards are going to give us a bad image if we don’t kick their asses soon. Lionel, I want everyone from your squad to get in there and clean them out. Two other squads will be in there as well. They’ll search the first six floors, and you’ll do the same for the upper ones.”
From behind, Kurt shouted from a distance, “So are we going in there or not?!”
Lionel turned around and replied, “Of course, we are.”
He didn’t have time to catch Kurt’s reaction. He said to Hamilton, “The Nevinoth might transform and damage the building, so we’ll use our Denial Darts when we have to.”
Hamilton would have said something else, but a loud swooping noise echoed across the street. Everyone had their attentions shifted from Mystic Lightning Headquarters to the Silver Skin Dragon making a safe landing on the street. Neither of Sorivo’s feet or hands had touched a car on the asphalt. The drivers had to stop and wait until Sorivo would step out of the way completely. He managed to step closer to the group that he wanted to meet.
He leaned forward and said to Hamilton, “I hear that there are Nevinoth Dragons hiding in that building.”
Hamilton pointed at the building. “There trying to scare us when they’re just about finished. They’re not doing their jobs well. We’ll get them out of there in body bags. You’ll see.”
Sorivo moved his head away from Hamilton and turned his attention to the Blackjacks. “So you’re going in there to deal with those cowards?”
Sabrina blurted, “Yeah, what about it?”
“Give me a chance to feel confident. What will be your preferred weapon of choice?”
Sorivo didn’t have to shout for the humans to hear, but the latter did.
Lionel showed the Silver Skin the gauntlet on his hand. “We have the weapons built by Milton Han. So far, we never failed with these.”
“But are they enough?”
Lionel noticed a mild sardonic tone in the dragon’s voice. “We can’t give you a demonstration right now.”
Preston had to step in. “Hey, we already showed you that we could fuck shit up with these things. Remember when we were at that golf course in Fountain Valley? We can do it again.”
Sorivo disregarded the young Blackjack’s comment and said to the captain, “That may be. But I wouldn’t want any unwanted difficulties from this group. More specifically, the type of backstabber that has been easily persuaded by the other side. I have heard a few stories about betrayals from civilians. Theodore Westbrook, Cheryl Chung, and several others.
Sorivo narrowed his eyes and brought his voice to a whisper. “How can I be sure that I can trust you?”
He seemed to have fixed his eyes particularly on Lionel, who suspected himself as the target for Sorivo’s primary suspicion. He remembered what the Silver Skin had said to him after rescuing him from the clutches of the Nevinoth leader. Sorivo’s tone of voice made him grow wary of a fixed system that pinned the blame on him.
But someone had intervened and stood besi
de Lionel. Quintana had begun to use his charisma as the main attraction for his words.
“Do not be lured in by an unfair bias. None of these Blackjacks would dare to make a fatal mistake.”
Sorivo asked, “And how can you be so sure?”
“Because they have already proved themselves. In case you have forgotten, Gorvex is considering their nominations for the Zadith. Their duties at Fireside Air Base has saved the entire world. Kin-Kelin is now an afterthought thanks to Lionel and his team. They are in the high ranks, and they are regarded as some of the best in the service. The civilians trust and respect them. They are making history with their fierce determination. That is why I am sure of their positive results.”
The press had already grown silent in the distance. The cameras were pointed at the Chairman as he described the Blackjack Troopers in his own way.
Sorivo gave a faint growl, but it didn’t demonstrate his skeptical nature. The dragon brought himself away from the group. “Show me that you can do it. Kill the Nevinoth, and I will congratulate you for your service. I’ll be waiting.”
Quintana nodded his head before he turned to the Blackjacks and said, “Get in there and do your jobs.”
Lionel replied, “Yes, sir.”
Quintana leaned in and whispered in Lionel’s ear. “Remember my words.”
Lionel took a deep breath. He whispered back, “I will.”
He ordered his teammates to enter the building through the front entrance. The news reporters returned to their vocal announcements while the photojournalists, including Brandon, took pictures of Sorivo standing patiently on the other side of the street. The flashes from their camera reflected off of the dragon’s metal skin.
Lionel whispered to Jerome that he wanted him away from the building so he could justify his duties. Jerome had no complaints as he turned away and headed for the parked Blackjack SUVs. The rest of the Blackjacks ran for the front entrance with their weapons. They had their Devious EELs ready, their assault rifles and shotguns held firmly.
Before he could join them, Lionel gave one last look at Sorivo, who apparently kept his eyes on him. The dragon’s overall solemn expression had become a familiar feature to those who reminded Lionel of his past. He couldn’t handle the recurring patterns. It almost made him feel weak inside. He was able to repress Sorivo’s stare as he joined his squad. The Kingsnake Officers who guarded the front entrance had stepped aside to let the Blackjacks make their way inside the building.
Lionel had realized something just as he entered the building. He didn’t have his black cap on his head. He had left it back in the station when Vilroz threw him around.
“Oh, well.”
THIRTY-FOUR
7:51 PM
For this particular emergency, a sniper would need something other than a marksman rifle. As soon as he returned to his SUV, Jerome opened the back door and brought out an aluminum briefcase from the corner. He opened it and checked the contents inside. The M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle was a piece of art to Jerome. It held five rounds in a single magazine and gave him the opportunity to hit a target from one-thousand yards away. With a kangaroo and a grizzly bear in the building, a weapon like this would be absolutely necessary for the fight. Jerome brought it out of the briefcase and collected the magazines for future use. He closed the back door and brought his sniper rifle to his new destination.
Despite the news reporters trying to follow him from behind, Jerome ignored their questions and ran for the office building located on the other side of the street. The cars had already stopped in front of him as he sped across the asphalt. The voices of the press had faded from behind. It was easy for him to enter the office building through the front entrance. He needed the perfect spot on the roof for the action. With the five-round magazines resting safely in his coat pockets, he ran up the stairs. He still had enough energy to tolerate a continuous climb to the top.
7:55 PM
With two other Blackjack squads on the first five floors, Squad A-X-9 had followed Hamilton’s instructions by infiltrating the higher floors. They separated into smaller groups without a delay. Preston had joined Woodrow, Cliff, Nick, and Sabrina as they made it to the seventh floor. They stayed close to avoid any surprise attacks intended for a sole victim. They crept up the stairs in a single-file line. Preston and Sabrina stayed in the back. Woodrow led the group as they reached the eighth floor.
They took their time examining the surroundings just as they entered the premises. It was a large room with three rows of cubicles standing parallel to each other. The Blackjacks didn’t find any dead bodies, but they did find damaged items all around. The office had become a complete mess. Entire cubicles had computers and chairs torn apart. Paper lay scattered all over the tables and the ground. A copy machine had its black ink spilling onto the carpeted floor.
The five Blackjacks stayed quiet as they crept across the office. Preston looked in all directions for a potential predator seeking its next meal. The floor lacked any particular pawprints of any sort. There would be no easy way for the Blackjacks to follow a treaded path.
Sabrina whispered, “These guys just don’t give a shit about manners, do they?”
Nick sniffed loudly. “They’re just a bunch of smartasses that want to give us a really bad time.”
Preston sighed. “Why here? Why do they want us to suffer? I wish they went to Oregon or something. At least they’d leave us alone. But no, they want us to suffer for having a good life. They’re jealous of our success.”
Sabrina kept her voice at a low volume. “When we get some more of Mr. Han’s weapons, we’ll be the ones giving them hell.”
Woodrow brought his finger to his lips. “All we need is the patience of a lone wolf. This territory is a killing ground. We can’t let the dragons celebrate their forced freedom.”
The other Blackjacks followed him to a different room on the same floor. They made their movements slow and calculated. They snuck across a hallway with doors on both walls. Woodrow opened all of them and didn’t respond to a sudden attack. He led the others to the other end of the hallway without a dragon in the midst. Their ears found no progress as only their footsteps made any noise.
7:58 PM
Jerome had made it safely on the rooftop. With several air conditioning vents situated at the top, he still gained an open access to the building across the street. He stood in front of the small concrete railing that would have kept him from falling off. He got down on one knee and set his sniper rifle on the railing. The people from down below never distracted him as he viewed Mystic Lightning Headquarters in silence. The main building was a wide and massive structure, with five smaller buildings either attached to it from the bottom or standing next to it. An enormous water fountain and a manmade pond was situated in the space between two buildings.
Jerome peered through his scope to zoom in on random windows. So far, Blackjack Troopers from different squads had already begun their search on the first five floors. No Nevinoth animals had been spotted yet. Jerome raised his rifle up to view the top floors. His teammates had entered the premises and rummaged through certain rooms and hallways. They didn’t have time to relax. Embracing a watchful eye was the only appropriate decision when dealing with enemies that returned from obscurity.
Jerome kept his finger away from the trigger. The images that he received from the scope lacked any development in the Blackjacks’ findings. Jerome finally pulled himself away from the scope. He took a deep breath, hoping for a victory on his side.
His earpiece beeped and he responded. His father’s voice was heard on the other end.
“Can you find anything?”
“So far, the Nevinoth are still hiding. At least that’s what I think.”
“Just stay there and wait for it. I’m sure they’ll pop up when we least expect it.”
“Got it.”
He turned off his earpiece and peered through the scope again. Several of his teammates wandered the eighth floor. Woodrow, Cl
iff, Nick, Sabrina, and Preston had just entered a large room with cubicles and desks. Everything had been left untouched. The room gave no indication of a break-in.
He whispered to himself, “Let’s see what you got.”
He waited for the attack. He never let go of his sniper rifle. He didn’t pull himself away from the scope. His expectation was raised when his trigger finger had another opportunity to kill the enemy.
8:01 PM
A small vent in the corner of the room was the only thing that caught the Blackjacks’ attention. Preston, Nick, Cliff, and Sabrina stayed back as Woodrow stepped closer to the opening. The steel grate had been detached and lay on the floor.
Woodrow whispered, “It’s dark on the inside, but it’s waiting for a cure.”
He grabbed his flashlight and pressed the button. The clicking noise preceded the flash of light that flooded the vent. It took only a second for Preston to catch the image of a mouse waiting in the vent. It made its charge and sped out of the vent. It ran past Woodrow and made a flying leap for the cubicles.
Preston and Sabrina opened fire before Woodrow ordered them to cease fire. The cubicles now had newly made bullet holes. Woodrow ran after the mouse, as did the rest of his teammates. Preston hurried after them.
Nick cried out, “Come back here, you fuckin’ rat!”
Preston almost bumped into a copy machine standing near the cubicles. He kept his balance in a steady position as he chased after the mouse with his friends. The Blackjacks scurried across various cubicles that acted as walls between compact corridors.
The mouse had mistakenly brought itself to a dead end. A small lounge had been set up on the other side of the room alongside the cubicles. It had a sofa, a few chairs, and a coffee table. There were no windows to be found. The mouse had already been trapped by its unwise decision.
The Blackjacks blocked the paths behind them and pointed their weapons at the mouse.
