Romeo sat and stared at the lifeless metropolitan streets. There were no other cars or pedestrians in sight. It was well known that few Athenians were brave enough to enter Shangwu after the sun had set nowadays. During the day, it was one of the world's busiest and most important commercial centres. But at night, the district became a standstill and shut itself down.
“I think the world has a right to know what happened here,” Romeo said, an annoyed tone in his voice. “I know you said before that you agree with it being kept from the news, but this country needs help. Maybe the Union can help?” It used to come as a relief that he could freely read the news without being reminded of the country's problems. But after learning about Athenia's recent history from Skye, he began to feel angered that the state-run media had turned a blind eye.
“Athenia plays a powerful role on the world stage,” Skye explained. “I agree that the people have a right to know, but I also believe that promoting peace is the first step to actually achieving peace.”
Romeo nodded, understanding his elder's point of view, but also far too fatigued to fight back. “Maybe you're right. It's just that I've never really stopped and questioned the state of Athenia until now, and it suddenly makes me sick to call myself a citizen of such a corrupt country.”
Skye laughed quietly. “Don't be surprised to find yourself questioning things a lot more. It's a trait of the evolved mind. But don't feel any hatred toward Athenia; it's a wonderful country with wonderful people, and corruption is something all world governments fight on a daily basis. Only Archie is to blame, and killing him might just be the beginning of change here. Alternatively, if he comes into power he'll finish what he started, and it might just destroy this country once and for all.”
Romeo cringed upon hearing the ultimatum, suddenly remembering the danger he was being placed in by accompanying them.
The van came to a stop.
“This is close enough,” Sierra said. “We walk from here.”
Thirty
“This gear is so light,” Romeo said to himself as he climbed out of the van. “Are you sure it's actually bulletproof?”
No one acknowledged him; they were far too invested in the mission ahead. They placed masks and vests over their faces and bodies.
Skye surveyed his surroundings. He prayed that Archibald Denning would be tonight's only victim. “Juliet, can you sense anyone nearby?”
She sat on the ground and closed her eyes. It helped her concentrate more when she was sitting. Her ability was helpful, but also far from fully developed, and it expended much of her energy. Skye assured her that with regular practise she would perfect it. “No. No one's here.”
“... yet,” Tango muttered.
“Link your comms,” Skye ordered. The group selected the appropriate settings on their wrist comms. Skye grabbed Romeo's and configured it for him. “Can you hear us, Ren?”
“Loud and clear. What's your location?” Much like their wrist comms, Ren had disabled the van's satellite system to prevent it from being remotely tracked by the authorities.
“We're on Huang Jie, not far from the tower.”
The van was parked idly in the shadows. They were on the southern edge of Shangwu, the bright glow from the skyscrapers illuminating the city before them. There was no one else in sight, but Romeo still peered around nervously, looking for any violent homeless civilians.
“So do we have a plan yet, boss?” Tango asked.
“We need to split up,” Sierra chimed in before Ren could even speak. “Tahlia will already know we're here.”
“Out of the question. You need to stay together.”
“Absolutely,” Skye agreed, not appreciating Sierra's bold suggestion. “Juliet just said Tahlia isn't here. It won't do us any good if you—” Before he finished his sentence, the woman had vanished into the night. Skye gritted his teeth underneath his mask.
“I think it's a good idea,” Tango said, wishing to pursue his own endeavours.
“No splitting up!” Ren shouted through their headsets. “Stay together and go to the tower.”
“Sierra's already gone.” Skye paused and waited while Ren cursed under her breath. “Let's move,” he ordered. He emerged from behind the trees and crossed the deserted street, walking north toward the tower. The others followed reluctantly.
Romeo's eyes darted left to right, frantically looking for any incoming threats. He wasn't sure if he was more afraid of other Athenians or Black Dawn.
“Relax,” Echo said, opening his mouth for the first time that evening.
They pressed onwards, walking down the dimly lit road. The buildings on either side of them stretched upwards for hundreds of metres. Romeo gasped aloud as they walked past a man sitting in the dark, watching their every move.
“Don't worry about him,” Skye said, not feeling threatened by the deranged derelict.
“Can we go down a brighter street?” Romeo asked, an edge of fear in his voice.
“We'll be fine. And this is the most direct route to the tower without being seen.”
“It might also be the most direct route to the deaths of these two,” Tango remarked, pointing to Juliet and Romeo.
“That's enough, Tango,” Ren hissed. Skye bit his tongue, saying nothing. Romeo began to shake uncontrollably, as did Juliet.
“There's no sign of her,” Sierra said, reappearing out of nowhere. “Ask the girl to find Tahlia.”
“No!” Skye said, trying to keep his voice low. “We're not here to find Tahlia! And she already told you that she couldn't sense anyone nearby.” He'd grown tired of the pointless debate, and was beginning to accept that the mission might fail before it even began. Their team was on the verge of a meltdown. “This is ridiculous.”
They continued walking again, crossing several blocks and passing the occasional homeless civilian. With every step, they edged closer to East Tower. Skye looked up at the glowing skyscraper, wondering if the president was already inside. It was closing in on 8:00.
Juliet gasped loudly and almost fell back in fright, interrupting the silent march.
“What is it?” Skye asked. “Are they here?”
Juliet nodded. “They've just arrived. Nikolai and Tahlia must have transported them all at once.”
“How many? All of them?”
She nodded again. “Most of them. I can sense six.”
“Are the three Tianzu here?” he asked.
“I can sense Kai and Hana. I can't sense Daye.”
“Daye will be here,” Skye said. He knew that Daye was able to project his mind elsewhere, meaning he could be present without his physical self. Night could also be present, but was unable to be tracked.
“What about the other Tianzu?” Tango asked. “The one you sensed today. Is he here?”
Juliet paused. “No. I can't sense him.”
Tango looked to Echo. “The others are here though. We need to find them.”
“No,” Ren ordered. “You need to find the president.”
“Where are they?” Skye asked Juliet. “Are they in the tower?”
She lowered herself back down to the ground and focussed her mind outwards. “No. They're splitting up,” she said weakly.
Skye shut his eyes. If Black Dawn were splitting up, it almost certainly meant they were forming a trap.
“What do we do?” Romeo asked, his teeth chattering loudly.
Sierra grabbed Juliet. “Where's Tahlia?”
Juliet pointed northeast. “She's heading away from the tower.”
“Sierra, don't!” Skye screamed, but it was too late. A gust of wind blew his hair as the short woman vanished once again.
“Where are the Tianzu?” Tango demanded. “Tell me.”
Skye stepped in front of him and grabbed his vest. “That's enough! You're not leaving us.”
Tango wriggled free from Skye's grasp. “You have your priorities, Skye, and we have ours.” Without saying another word, he turned and ran north, with Echo alongside him.
Skye briefly contemplated chasing after them, as their speed was no match for his own, but he suddenly realised that Juliet and Romeo were now alone. If he left their side, he had no doubt they'd be killed.
“Don't leave me,” Romeo cried, grabbing Skye's arm.
Skye shook off the terrified boy and stared into the distance, dumbfounded. His team had abandoned him. He looked down at Juliet and Romeo, studying the fear in their eyes. They knew as well as he did that they were Black Dawn's highest priority.
“Tango, please don't do anything stupid,” Skye growled into his headset, unable to hide his frustration. It was more of a plea than an order.
“We'll be fine,” Tango said. “Go after your president.”
Skye began to shake with rage. “My president?”
“Tango, if you do anything to harm the Tianzu, it will be the death of us all,” Ren warned. He offered no reply.
Skye let out a loud and furious moan. “Ren, what am I going to do? I can't kill the president and protect these two at the same time.”
The trio stood in silence while they waited for their leader's response.
“You need to proceed with the mission,” she ordered.
“Did you not hear me? The others have left. I can't do this mission alone. Someone will be killed.”
“I know it's risky, but this might be our only chance to stop Archie. Try your best to protect Juliet and Romeo. Tango and Echo have deactivated their comms.”
Skye stood silent, betrayed. After everything he had endured with Tango and Echo in their time together, they'd now left to pursue their own selfish and meaningless endeavour, oblivious to the danger they all faced.
“Once I've killed Tahlia, I'll help you kill the president,” Sierra offered. Her comm was still on.
“If you kill Tahlia,” Skye pointed out.
He tried to think of his next move. Ren had ordered for the mission to proceed, but he was far too concerned for the safety of Juliet and Romeo. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if they were killed. He hoped that Nikolai would find the president first and complete the mission for him.
“Juliet, if you sense any of them coming toward us, tell me immediately.”
She nodded, then stood back up.
“Let's keep moving,” he instructed, and began walking north to the tower again. Juliet and Romeo cautiously followed, both praying they would escape the city unscathed.
Thirty-one
Tango and Echo ran through Shangwu, looking for the three Tianzu warriors. They were now on the opposite side of East Tower, far from where they left the others.
“When we find them, we can't kill them,” Tango said as he ran. “We need at least one of them alive for information.”
“Agreed,” Echo said.
They turned right and ran down a narrow and deserted street, trying to cover as much ground as they could.
“They must be here somewhere,” Tango said.
Echo dropped to the ground instinctively, narrowly avoiding a sword fly toward his neck. He dove forward and rolled out of the way. Tango saw the attack too and stepped back, away from the danger.
They both snapped their heads right to see Aurelius emerge from the shadows. He held a long chain with a sword attached to the end, and swung it like a flail. It flew forward again and headed straight for Echo.
“Look out!” Tango screamed as he leapt forward. He quickly grabbed hold of the chain and flung the sword back at Aurelius. The bulky man jumped out of the way of his weapon.
Tango wasted no time. He ran at Aurelius and kicked him hard in the torso, knocking him through the window of a small supermarket behind him.
Echo felt something crash into his back. He looked down to see a small knife fall to the ground. His vest had saved his life. He turned his head just in time to see another knife fly toward him. It smacked him hard in the face. Once again his armour saved his life, but the force from the throw knocked him back down to the ground.
Sabina crept forward and revealed half a dozen throwing knives in her palm. She threw one at the distracted Tango across the road.
“Tango!” Echo screamed, warning his teammate.
Tango inched to the side, the small knife narrowly missing his unprotected leg. The knife continued forward into the supermarket, embedding itself in Aurelius' bulky forearm. The large man let out a painful grunt as the blade ripped through his skin.
Tango spun around and saw the sinister Sabina march toward Echo, who still lay on the ground. He rushed over to protect his friend, just as Sabina threw another of her weapons. Tango's reflexes were better than hers; he grabbed the handle of the projectile while it was mid-flight.
He rotated the knife and was ready to throw it back at Sabina, but his eyes widened as he saw a ball of black matter soar through the air, heading straight for him. His armour would be ineffective against an attack from Tahlia.
Sierra landed in front of him and sliced the ball in half with her short sword, saving his and Echo's lives. She ripped the knife from Tango's hand and threw it at Sabina, who managed to avoid it by a mere inch. Sierra turned right and fired several crossbow bolts at Tahlia. The woman in black skilfully evaded all of them. Sierra gave chase as Tahlia ran down the street, away from the altercation.
Echo jumped to his feet, only to feel his chest crushed by a powerful weight. He looked down and saw Aurelius' bloody arm wrapped around him, squeezing the air from his lungs.
Tango leapt forward and swung his fist at Sabina. He hit her in the jaw, delivering a sharp crack and knocking her down to the ground. He snatched a knife from her hand, then turned to assist Echo. Tango stabbed the knife into Aurelius' other forearm. The man grunted loudly again, releasing his grip on Echo.
Tango suddenly felt his life drain from his body. He struggled to breathe. His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees. Tango knew that Hana must be nearby—it was a trait of hers to absorb the energy of anyone nearby.
Echo saw a glow to his right. He tilted his head to see a golden ball of energy fly toward him. He dropped to the ground again, avoiding certain death as it sped past him.
Kai landed in front of them. Tango and Echo stared up at him, staring into the relentless eyes of the Tianzu warrior. The sight of the short-haired man brought back a wave of excruciating memories for the pair. They hadn't seen him since the day Foxtrot was killed.
Tango summoned strength he didn't know he had and launched himself upwards. He tried to tackle Kai to the ground, but the man stepped around him effortlessly.
Echo swung his leg in an attempt to kick Kai in the face, only to have Hana appear in front of him. She was much faster than he was—she raised her knee and delivered a sharp blow to his jaw, lifting him from the ground momentarily. The mask offered little protection as he slumped back down to the concrete, unconscious.
Tango spun around, ready to attack, but was stopped by an invisible force. Once again, he felt his energy being ripped from his cells. He looked at Hana, who held one arm toward him, and held Kai's hand in the other, transmitting the energy to him.
Tango started choking on blood as his body began to wither on the inside. His terrified eyes watched on as Kai summoned another glowing ball of golden energy. Sabina and the bloodied Aurelius stood by the side of Kai and Hana, eager to see them take the lives of Tango and Echo.
Tango knew there was nothing he could do. He was paralysed, his muscles too fatigued to escape the clutches of Hana. The glowing ball grew in size, lighting up the street around them. His life would be taken from him within seconds.
In his final moments of living, he thought about Foxtrot and the fear that he must have felt as his mind left this realm.
“That will be all,” Nikolai said, appearing before them. He held a hand up to Kai and Hana, signalling them to stop the attack. Sabina and Aurelius stared at their leader, confused.
Kai did not release the energy. Instead, he held it high, ready to finish Tango off. “What's the meaning of this?” he asked.
Kai and Hana exchanged angered glances.
“No, we won't,” Hana said.
Nikolai frowned. “Excuse me?”
“We're not letting them live. We have our orders.”
“Correct—and your order is to let them live.”
Hana clenched her jaw. “Don't interfere with our business,” she warned.
This pleased Nikolai. “I admire your determination. But I can't allow the four of you to kill these two when they're unarmed and outnumbered. It's hardly fair. Furthermore, letting them live will prolong the game.”
Kai shot him a defiant glance. “But the Tianzu want them dead. They're a threat to civilians.” He tried to throw the energy down, but Nikolai had already grabbed his wrist.
The eyeless man glared down at him. “Let it go, I said. Release the energy.”
Kai stared into Nikolai's eye sockets for several seconds before finally releasing the energy into the air. It evaporated, casting darkness in the street once again. Hana lowered her arm and stopped draining Tango's energy.
“You would be wise not to become an enemy of the Tianzu,” Kai cautioned.
“Don't threaten me,” Nikolai spat. “I want them dead too, but I've decided against it for the time being.
“We don't want them dead, Nikolai,” Hana said. “Unlike Black Dawn, we don't kill for pleasure. The only reason we intend to kill these two is because we believe they're a threat to civilians.”
Tango stared up at his captors. “You're the threat!” he screamed, his voice weak. “You killed Foxtrot!”
Kai stood tall. “Only because your group is an enemy to civilians. We're not a threat to anyone. The Tianzu serve the people of the world. We need to protect them from rogue shengxian.”
“Oh, please,” Nikolai scoffed. “The Tianzu serve themselves; not the people of the world. Don't act so righteous.”
Kai turned his attention to Nikolai. “If you believe that, then you know nothing of our clan.”
“Of course I don't,” the great man laughed. “You tend not to divulge much information.”
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 16