Outlaws and Origins

by Eric S Kim

  Preston suddenly remembered what happened last week. “You don’t have to hope for it. We already got it.”

  Joseph and Sepulveda walked away. Preston and Elliot continued on with their jobs, revamping their concentration for today’s task. But observing the civilians around the concession stands didn’t stop Elliott from saying, “Ms. Sepulveda seems like a smart woman.”

  Preston folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall. “Well, Sharp Claw Incorporated would be lost without her. All of us have her to thank for her wild animals.”

  “Still, isn’t it a little strange that her animals are being tamed by other humans? I thought we already learned our lesson with the dragon and the riders.”

  Preston slowly shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, at least her animals are just that. Animals. We wouldn’t want to go back to the old days, do we?”

  Elliott’s silence must have equaled an agreement. Both Blackjacks would spend the next hour keeping a close watch on the wide hall in front of them.

  Elliott said something, but this time Preston didn’t listen. Something about the other end of the long hall put his attentive state into its hardest mode. A woman who had just exited the restroom was now heading back into the arena. She seemed harmless enough with her blue jeans and black t-shirt. But it was the brown leather satchel hanging from her shoulder that automatically jumpstarted Preston’s adrenaline. He no longer yearned for a long pause from this particular routine.

  He said to Elliott, “I think she’s here.”

  Elliott asked, “Who? Paulina?”

  Preston couldn’t be too sure. “I don’t know, but maybe.”

  He left his spot and moved through the growing crowd of hungry hockey fans. Elliott followed him from behind. Both Blackjacks found a new assignment in the building. Preston activated his earpiece and informed his captain of his reason to leave his temporary position.

  THREE

  2:04 PM

  The hockey game continued. The spectators enjoyed themselves as the Anaheim Stingrays scored three goals, just two more than the Sacramento Sabers’. Everyone who wasn’t a part of law enforcement remained focused on the competition ensuing in the center.

  Jerome Tyler, on the other hand, still had to do his job. The twenty-year-old Blackjack had no interest in hockey, which made it easier for him to protect the CEO of Mystic Lightning. He stood near one of the narrow entryways and kept to himself. To the public, he would appear to be a complete stranger in a gray trench coat made of wool. He stayed silent as he examined the enormous crowd that expressed their passion through cheers and boos.

  Jerome didn’t mind the high volume. He just leaned against the wall and used his binoculars. So far, nobody in the audience matched the features on Gordon Steele and Paulina Delgado. Jerome had already begun to doubt the possibilities. There would be no way for these two Failures to be stupid enough to try an assault in a public place like this.

  Every time that a spectator passed him by, they either didn’t say anything or smiled at him as gratitude. Jerome did tip his black beret hat a few times, but he said nothing. And when his earpiece started to ring, he listened to what one of his teammates had to say. He could hear Preston’s voice from the other end.

  “We might have a suspect. Paulina Delgado. Look for a Latino woman with a brown leather satchel.”

  When Preston finished, Jerome grew more alert to the surrounding area. He ignored his current attitude toward his objective and sharpened his focus on the crowd. He kept his gaze on any spectator who either left their seat or entered from the entryway. So far, only a few middle-aged men and a teenage Asian girl took the flight of stairs between the seats, moving in both directions. Jerome looked from left to right, resulting in an empty outcome. He could not spot any woman who looked like Paulina Delgado anymore. According to the information sent by Mystic Lightning Headquarters, she was a thirty-year-old woman with long black hair. If the woman carried a brown satchel in public, then it wouldn’t be too hard to find her amidst the enthusiastic horde.

  And then, it appeared in front of him. In the distance, a woman had her back turned as she appeared from one of the open entryways. The brown satchel that she carried on her shoulders made Jerome leave his spot and begin to follow her intended route. He walked down the flight of stairs and calmly moved past several spectators.

  The hockey game was just a distraction to him, and he chose not to give in to the core of the arena. The woman with the satchel moved closer to the luxury suites, one of which included Hamilton enjoying the view while Lionel sat beside him. Jerome took quicker steps as the woman, who most likely would be the female Failure at this point, moved swiftly past pedestrians. The young Blackjack kept her as his primary target and no one else.

  Another goal for the Stingrays meant another loud reaction from the crowd. Almost every civilian stood up and cheered. The screams weren’t loud enough for Jerome to break his concentration. The suspect suddenly brought her satchel off of her shoulder just as she crouched down on the stairs. Hamilton’s suite would be near enough for her to strike.

  Jerome had enough time to see what the suspect pulled from out of her satchel. Everything else that happened after made him respond even faster. Just one look at the glowing sphere in the woman’s hand prompted him to pull out one of his pistols from its holster. He remembered the sphere that contained a half-full whitish-blue liquid glowing from within. The same one thrown by the enemy in the desert.

  A Jenejoro Sphere.

  Jerome raised his pistol and locked on to his target. Just as she was about to throw the glowing sphere at Hamilton’s window, Jerome pulled the trigger twice. The two bullets did not hit a single civilian. Instead, one strayed away from the suspect while the second hit her directly on the arm. The sudden attack made her scream in pain and drop the sphere, which landed on the stairs still in one piece.

  The civilians that surrounded Jerome and the suspect had heard the gunshots. Several of them screamed and ducked, while others quickly looked around with confusion. The sphere rolled down the stairs. But in an instant, Victoria Hernandez moved past frightened onlookers and reached down for the fallen object. Just two seconds, and her hand was on the surface. She grabbed the sphere in time before it had a chance to break apart at the very bottom.

  Jerome still had his pistol pointed at the primary suspect. But the woman had started to flee the scene. Lionel already brought Hamilton away from the window, and now both men disappeared from the suite altogether. The entire arena had grown aware of the current situation. Everyone who concentrated on the game had now checked to see where the gunfire had come from. Even the hockey players stopped playing, appearing perplexed at the audience’s reaction.

  Jerome had to move past frightened spectators who still ducked down on the floor. Paulina had now disappeared into an open entryway. Jerome thought of nothing else as he started his pursuit. With the crowd changing their moods in just a few seconds, the Blackjack Troopers finally found their rightful niche in the building.

  2:08 PM

  The pandemonium didn’t reach a maximum limit, but it was enough for people to continue a frenetic pace in terms of noise and movement. Jerome left the audience and chased after Paulina. No matter where he would go, there would be several spectators stepping aside, either confused or startled by his pistol and his abrupt actions. He checked the floor a few times to see if he could detect a few blood stains from the woman’s injury.

  From his left side, he heard a familiar voice at a high volume.

  “Jerome, where’s she going?!”

  Preston had appeared from amongst the frightened crowd in a long and wide corridor outside of the ice rink. Elliott had also surfaced from the mayhem and followed Preston from behind.

  Jerome replied, “Follow me!”

  The three young Blackjacks had automatically found the right path. Several civilians shouted as they pointed their fingers to the direction that Paulina had fled to. Despite so many voices convinc
ing him the exact location, Jerome didn’t hesitate. He ran as fast as they could. He could, for a fraction of a second, see a door in the corner open and close. Everyone pointed at it, but Jerome didn’t have to be reminded. He pushed the door open and hurried into a narrow hallway with white concrete walls and dark blue carpeting.

  He could hear footsteps from behind him, and he knew that his two teammates would be following him into the hallway. The narrow passageway appeared to be empty. Doors on both walls remained closed. Jerome wouldn’t be able to check every room if the other end of the hallway included a safer way for the Failure to escape.

  And he didn’t have to, anyway. The door on the other end of the hallway was slowly closing by itself. Jerome, Preston, and Elliott made a dash for it. Jerome pushed the door open and brought out his second pistol. With both pistols in each hand, he only had one second to survey the new hallway, which had metal pipes hanging on the walls.

  Paulina didn’t go very far in the new hallway. She quickly turned around and raised her arm up to her shoulder. Jerome, as a result of basic training, stopped and pointed his pistols directly at her. Preston and Elliott did the same.

  Paulina had blood dripping down her arm, but that didn’t keep her from defending herself. She held another item in her other hand. Jerome could only decipher it as another sphere. But this time, instead of a glowing liquid from within, the sphere was completely white on the surface. It looked like a shiny white marble in her hand, almost the same size as the one with the glowing liquid. It must have also been in her satchel as she took it with her after the gunshots.

  Paulina raised it up high and said, “You wouldn’t want me to throw this at you.”

  Jerome kept calm. “Set it down safely on the ground or I’ll open fire.”

  “You really don’t know what’ll happen if it breaks, do you?”

  “Trust me. I don’t need to be curious right now.”

  “When this ball breaks, you’ll be sucked straight into a world of suffering. You’ve heard of Jenejoro, haven’t you?”

  “Unfortunately, I do.”

  “That place will be your new home.”

  Elliott whispered to Jerome, “That’s not true, is it?”

  Jerome ignored him and said to Paulina, “You’re so damn persistent. You could have just lived the rest of your life in the Dead Zone, but instead, you risk everything by trying to be a complete bitch in front of our boss.”

  Paulina narrowed her eyes. “We have our reasons. Gorvex shouldn’t keep you as his own herd of sheep. You don’t even realize what he’s been doing for the last eighteen years. Your ignorance will be your downfall.”

  “What makes you think that he’s leading us astray?”

  “Maybe it’s best that you ask your father.”

  Jerome held his breath for a moment before he immediately regained his concentration.

  “If you throw that at us, we’ll make sure that you’ll never see your friends again.”

  “Go ahead. Give it a try.”

  What Paulina didn’t realize was that another Blackjack Trooper had appeared in the hallway. Only this time, the Blackjack was behind her. Victoria crept toward the Failure with a pistol in her hand. Jerome already knew the protocol. He kept Paulina busy, completely unaware of her inevitable capture.

  He asked, “Don’t you think it’s a good idea to just forget about our boss and leave?”

  “Why would I do that? You don’t even the realize damage done by his Mystic Knights.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen the news. I’m very impressed by it.”

  Paulina seemed amused when she said, “I’m sure your father feels the same way.”

  Jerome slowly breathed through his nostrils. “You keep mentioning my dad. Why is that?”

  Victoria raised her pistol and aimed it at Paulina’s back.

  Paulina was still oblivious to her fate. “You should have seen the things that he has done.”

  Victoria was about ready to pull the trigger. But she didn’t carry an ordinary pistol with bullets. She opened fire once and Paulina’s back took a hit. A miniature dart made of metal clung to the Failure’s shirt and skin.

  Paulina suddenly screamed as her body started to tremble. She squeezed her eyes shut and fell to her knees. But she didn’t give in to her defeat. Despite the electric shock caused by the dart, she used up her remaining strength to throw the white marble ball at the three young Blackjacks.

  Jerome was about to jump away from it, until Preston rushed forward and took a giant leap. He grabbed the sphere with his hand and made an unsteady landing on the floor. He took a tumble and almost hit his head against the wall. The sphere remained intact in his grip.

  Victoria stepped closer to Paulina, who still twitched on the floor. The Blackjack turned a small knob on her pistol, which stopped the electric shock overwhelming the Failure’s body. Paulina was still conscious but still shaken by the projectile that brought her down. Victoria put her in handcuffs while Preston examined the white marble sphere in a careful fashion.

  Jerome asked Preston, “Involved in sports?”

  Preston smiled. “I dabbled.”

  Victoria brought Paulina up on her feet again. “You will be an instant favorite as soon as we take you to Alaska.”

  Paulina, while still shaken by the electric dart, replied, “Good. I’d rather be there than here.”

  Jerome took off his beret and flattened his hair with his hand. “Maybe we should tell you about this little thing called karma.”

  2:20 PM

  When the Blackjacks reached the front lobby of Stansbridge Arena, civilians were already leaving the building. They had been informed of criminal activity and had to be removed from the arena to avoid any unexpected casualties. Now, they had the chance to see who brought today’s hockey game to a halt.

  Victoria, Jerome, Preston, and Elliott kept their pistols out of their holsters as they brought Paulina out for the public to see. Victoria kept a firm grip on Paulina’s arm while pushing her toward the front entrance. The spectators had to step aside and let the Blackjacks come through. Several of them used their smartphones to either take pictures or record a short video before sending them to their social media pages. Others sneered at Paulina for ruining tonight’s game. A young woman gave her the middle finger and cursed at her until two other civilians tried to silence her.

  The Blackjacks continued their simple objective. They brought Paulina, who had now been fully conscious, outside and moved away from the crowd. Two other Blackjacks, Hector and Nick, spent their time observing the people that exited the building. They most likely had to check and see if they could spot the other Failure that tried to assassinate the CEO of Mystic Lightning. In the meantime, Jerome and the others caught up to the higher ranks, who stood far from the front entrance.

  Lionel had been conversing with both Virgil Hamilton and Maribelle Sepulveda for quite some time. They immediately ceased when they caught sight of the criminal.

  Hamilton’s look of disgust said it all. “This is the one?”

  Victoria replied, “You’re correct. We searched for anything else that she possessed. So far, she only had the two spheres. Including that one.”

  She pointed at the white marble sphere that Jerome had just handed to Hamilton.

  Hamilton groaned as he examined it for several seconds.

  He asked, “Did any of you see the other one? Gordon Steele?”

  Victoria kept her hand on Paulina’s arm as she said, “We’re checking the entire building. So far, he’s nowhere to be found. It’s highly possible that he escaped in time and is on the run.”

  “Well, at least you got her.”

  Paulina refused to look at both Hamilton and Sepulveda. She kept her eyes on the ground.

  Sepulveda used a single finger to push Paulina’s chin upward, forcing her to look into Sepulveda’s eyes.

  “It’s too bad that you’ve wasted your entire life.”

  Paulina narrowed her eyes. “And it’s to
o bad that you’ve done the same thing with your own.”

  Sepulveda chuckled. “I am the exact opposite of you, and there’s no way of denying it.”

  To avoid an assault on the Sharp Claw CEO, Victoria pulled Paulina away.

  Hamilton started to shake the hands of those who saved his life.

  “Congratulations to the four of you. You’ve done extremely well. I’m lucky to have you all working for me. Makes my job a lot easier.”

  When Hamilton got to Jerome, the boss added, “Your father is very proud of you.”

  Jerome shot a glance at Lionel, who had been standing beside the two CEO’s the entire time. His father gave him a little smile.

  Jerome smiled back. “Of course, he is. Why wouldn’t he?”

  Hamilton gave a hearty laugh. “You’re lucky that we’re the ones who hired you. The other companies are already desperate for people like you. Just imagine their teardrops.”

  “I think I will.”

  Jerome forced himself to say that to give Hamilton’s ego a bigger inflation.

  Sepulveda checked the time on her smartphone. “I’ll leave you to your business. Now that the game’s over, I have new things to do.”

  Hamilton didn’t let her leave just yet. “Well, before you go, I’d like to give you a little gift.”

  Sepulveda raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

  Hamilton tilted his head toward the handcuffed Failure. “I’m granting you the power to punish her in a way that you’d see fit.”

  Sepulveda seemed pleased. “Oh, you’re being too much of a gentleman.”

  “There’s a good reason why she’d be better off here instead of Alaska. That place doesn’t have an animal kingdom.”

  Hamilton’s wink at Sepulveda made Jerome aware of Paulina’s new fate.

  Sepulveda gave the Failure a crafty stare as she said, “The good news is that you won’t be sent to Alaska. The better news is that I’ll decide which one of my creatures will suit you perfectly.”