Last Chapter:
“Bang!”
“Ah!” Lynn fell on her knees…………
-break-
Chapter 4:
As the sound of the gunshot echoed through the air, a loud explosion emitted from the back of Lynn. She turned around as she was crouching down on the ground; her air-engine was exploded into pieces. “Oh, please tell me I’m hallucinating,” she murmured under her breath.
“Lucky for you Ms. Guardian, we could have sent you to hell for good,” said the assailant as a smirk hangs on his mouth. The other was nowhere to be found.
The said Guardian, stood up while she firmly placed her hand above the area of her right kidney, “Name’s Parker. Now stop talking and bring it on. I would not let you get away with this.” She took off her obi belt and coat. The coat was left stranded on the ground as she wrapped her wound with the belt.
“A brave one indeed; very well then. If death is what you want, then death is what you get.”
Therefore, begin a The Battle on the Damp Field.
-break-
Everyone is on position; anytime now General Frost will give instruction for the ambush. Pin-drop silence surrounded them to ensure they are not detected by the suspects.
“Position check,” General Frost initiated.
“Check.”
“Check.”
“Check.”
“Very well then, do your work.”
As General Frost ended the word ‘work’ with his pronunciation of ‘k’, the squad barge in the house as ordered; at the same time, activating their host (weapon as a medium to use their Gailion). Soldiers broke in the house from windows of the room the suspects are in and some break the front and back door. Two suspects guarding the entrance was arrested in an instance.
The surprised suspects in the room fled upon the intrusion. “Back down!” ordered one them. They put up a fight in order to get out of the trap. With skills, both of them were also arrested with ease. General Frost came in the house after the arrests, “Four in total, okay then, bring them out. Sir, madams-” he said as he turn to the victims “you have no worries about your daughter, she’ll be brought back soon. Meanwhile then, we need your assistance in the investigation. If you may, please follow my officers.”
The victims and suspects were brought out. The soldiers have left the house. General Frost stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds after the soldiers departed before slowly heading downstairs. When he was walking towards the living room, he made a sudden move on unsheathing his host as he turned to his back. It seemed that there is a fifth suspect in the room. His host first transform to a metal cudgel. As it expands, General Frost aimed it at the head of the ambusher; giving it a dizzy head start. In a flash, the host trans-quip (transform equipment) to a karabela (dark curse) saber. The saber slashed through the ambusher’s thigh rendered him paralyzed. When the ambusher falls, General Frost send him one more of his ‘gift’; a hard kick that sending him flying back, thus hitting a cabinet.
He walked over to the all-bashed-up ambusher, squat beside him and said, “So there IS a fifth person in hiding. A vey good strategy, but not when you encounter me.”
General Frost went nearer to the ambusher, grabbed his collar single-handed and warned him, “Let me tell you something. I know what you are searching for. It is not for you to own; so, don’t you and your culprits ever dare to put your hands on it or the consequence shall not be good. It is destined to come back to my people.” He stood up, gave instruction for two soldiers to pick the fifth suspect up.
-break-
General Frost rode on his air engine and connected his communicator to the one of Lt. Bones, “Lt. Bones, please update me on Ms. Parker.”
“Yes, sir.”
A while later, Lt. Bones update General Frost on the progress, “General, we are able to locate Ms. Parker’s air-engine. It was last detected at North Edge 1. I’ve forwarded the location to you.”
“What do you mean ‘last detected’?” asked General Frost.
“We could not locate her about 30 minutes ago, sir. The backup team is on the way there.”
“Lt. Bones, I’ll leave the rest to Lt. Zenile and you. I’m off to get her.”
“Yes, sir.”
-break-
They were far away from where they begin the fight. At that point of time, Lynn was fighting a lance with a sword. Her coat was abandoned, blood slowly seeping through her obi belt and she had already lost her hair band in the midst of the battle.
“Give it up or you’ll lose your life for sure!” said the assailant as he continuously blocked her attack.
“I rather return to the soil than to ever let you off. Take this!!” she said as she launched another attack towards her enemy’s head. “Clang!!” the assailant blocked another of her attack.
“I have to finish this up now. My body can’t stand any longer with this amount of blood loss”
When Lynn was distracted by her own thought, the assailant kicked right on her abdomen sending her flying backward. “Swishh!” she landed into the pond. Angered by her carelessness, she stood up and yelled, “That’s it! Let’s end this once and for all!”
-To Be Continue-
Last Chapter:
“Ms. Parker, I’ll take D.6 and you’ll take D.7. Do not deactivate your communicator,” instructed General Frost. Upon receiving the instruction, they both split at the junction of District 5.
Chapter 3:
Following the command, Lynn sped up to District 7. She lowered her air-engine so that she will be able to take a closer inspection at the street. Both on the left and right side of her are rows of shops. Above the shops are three-storey apartments. Most are asleep by now; only the street lights are left illuminating the street. While she slowly drove through the street, she caught a glimpse of a dark figure running into an alley at the corner of her eye. Lynn drove near to the alley and came down from her air-engine.
She kept her hand on her revolver that was hanging behind her long obi-belt. Taking her steps forward cautiously, she went into the alley. It was dark and crowded with large, empty baskets and discarded furniture. It was then she realized she reached a dead-end. Therefore, there are only two solutions to the dark figure she saw. It is either she was imagining it or ‘it’ is hiding somewhere in here.
There was no moment for her to ponder on the answer as she felt someone is approaching her. Lynn took a swift 180ยบ turn and launched a high-kick. Her attack sent the assailant down. Before she could do anything further, another assailant kicked her from the back causing her to hit on the wall. While she tried to regain her position, both the assailant headed towards the dead-end. They stopped in front of an object covered with a black cloth. It dawned to Lynn that it is actually an air-engine when the two strangers threw the cloth away and boarded the said vehicle.
Without wasting time, she connected her communicator to General Frost, “General, the suspect…” A high-pitched frequency from the communicator rang through her ear causing her to throw the communicator on the ground thus damaging it.
“Not so easy woman, we won’t let you destroy our plan,” said one of the stranger who was holding a mechanical device on his hand. They then activated their air-engine and fled from the scene. Lynn, not wanting to let them meet freedom ran to her air-engine and chased after them.
-break-
After departing, General Frost headed as fast as possible to District 6. While on his way, he felt the whole incident was out of logic. “The fact that it takes five kidnappers to break in the house and kidnap a child doesn’t make sense. If one wants to kidnap a child, suppose they will do it quietly to avoid big commotion but why…” he thought. A sudden realization came to him. He activated the communicator and directed it to the lieutenants.
“Attention to Lieutenants of Squad Point-Blank! Lt. Zenile and section will depart to the victim’s house compound immediately. Lt. Bones and section shall continue to pursue the suspects.”
“Understood,” replied both lieutenants.
-break-
It was the general who arrived first at the scene followed by Lt. Zenile and his section. The neighborhood in District 8 of 1st Precinct is mainly populated by middle-class men. Unlike any other districts in 1st Precinct, majority of the houses are double-storey terrace house. At this time of the hour, most have already retreated to their beds long time ago.
They are now gathering in the house opposite the victim’s resident. And as the question to how they get in, the authority always have their way to accomplish task, especially the elite unit of the Guardian clan, the Point-Blank. Currently, they had dispatched two of the Guardian to survey on the situation in the house while the rest planned on the next move.
Laid out on the dining table is the map of the house. “According to research, there is a ….” said Lt. Zenile before he was interrupted by the communicator.
“General, the suspect…” the channel was broke off after a high-pitched frequency rang through. Both the lieutenants and general who received the call had the look of confusion and surprise on their faces.
“Lt. Bones, trace down Ms. Parker and send out backup to assist her,” instructed General Frost. It wasn’t long until the guardians dispatched to survey on the surrounding came back.
“Report General. The house is guarded by at least four suspects. Two of them are interrogating the victims of three in the room with the lights on, while the other two is guarding the front and back doors downstairs. All of them are armed with hand guns.”
“Sir, are you suspecting this incident is somewhat related to the previous break in we have lately?” asked Lt. Zenile out of curiosity.
“I’ve received an order this evening from the Chief of Staff. The higher ups received reliable information that a secret association was formed and are out to hunt for an object believed to be able to surpass the authority. We’re ordered to hunt down these guys and finish them for once and for all,” explained General Frost. Silence broke through the tensed atmosphere as the sign of understanding.
“Well then. I want all entrance to be secured, and the rest shall break in. Casualties are only allowed to happen when necessary. All suspects are wanted preferably alive for further interrogation. Lt. Zenile, you will lead a group to break in while the rest secure the entrance. Let me repeat; NO.ONE.IS.ALLOWED.TO.ESCAPE.” ordered General Frost.
-break-
Two air-engines was seen flying mid-air in full speed toward the border of Precinct 1.
“This is the Guardian patrol engine, to the air-engine without a plate and two hooded men, please pull over and land for inspection,” warned Lynn over and over again as she chased the suspicious strangers. Her warnings fell into deaf ears as the air-engine sped even faster. Unwilling to lose the suspects, she took out her revolver and aim single-handed at the energy-house of the vehicle. “Bang!” the shot hit right on the target. Both the men on the failing air-engine jump out of the vehicle and miraculously transformed their hooded-cloak to a parachute.
“Great!” she remarked sarcastically to herself as she dived down. They are now somewhere out of town where grass grew as high as human on a damp field. The only source of lighting was the crescent moon floating on the dark-blue sky. As they landed, Lynn climbed down her air-engine and went to search for the suspects. When she arrived to the landing site, she found nothing but two black cloaks.
“Bang!”
“Ah!” Lynn fell on her knees…………
-TO BE CONTINUED-
Hey peep! This is the second chapter continuing from the previous post! Enjoy! Oh yes, read and review kay!
Guardian; one of the clans in Elpida. The Guardians are those who carry the responsibility to protect the land and to maintain the safety of its occupants. The clans of Elpida possess a type of power which they call ‘Gailion’. Each clan possesses Gailion of different nature. In this case, the Guardians possess the attack and defence type. There are some offsprings who possess no power in their Gailion (Zero Gailion). Depending on the clan of their fathers, they will be posted to a suitable post in the governing body of the clan.
-break-
The early autumn morning was greeted by the windy weather. Outside on the front porch of No.12, Whiney Road, there stood Lynn, Garner, two women, one man and one old lady. They came to bid their farewells to Lynn.
“Lynn, take care when you are at the city alright. Never trust people so easily,” advised the old lady, Mrs. Oliver.
“Especially men. They’re one of the hybrids of sly foxes,” added Mdm. Slant. Lynn gave a smile as a sign of ‘okay-I-get-it’.
“Don’t listen to her, Lynn. Not all men are like that. However, keep your eyes open for the bad lot. Better to be safe than sorry,” said Mr. Johnson protecting the men’s pride.
“Honey’s right, dear. People are more complicated in the city. Unlike us town folks, always straight to the point, never do we play the I-backstab-you-you-backstab-me game,” said Mrs. Johnson supporting her husband.
“I will remember these wise words. I won’t be far for long. I’ll come back once in a while for a visit. Then I shall prepare dinner for all of you. Mrs. Oliver, please take care of your health when I’m gone. Remember to go for your monthly check up at the clinic,” said Lynn holding Mrs. Oliver’s hand.
“I will dear. Now go off, before you miss the train,” replied Mrs. Oliver.
“Lynn, we have to go,” said Garner who was keeping quiet behind Lynn all this while.
There, Garner gave Lynn a ride to the train station. In the car, the silent atmosphere has gotten more awkward then never. It was Garner who broke the silence, “Lynn…”
“Yes… Severus,” said Lynn turning to look at Garner. Upon hearing his name being called, he looked back at Lynn for a second before turning his attention back on the road.
“It has been a long time since you called my first name but that’s not what I wanted to say.”
“Certainly, you wouldn’t go around asking people to call you by your name, would you? That would be too queer,” said Lynn with a slight tease. They both chuckled at the statement.
“What I’m trying to say is… err… how should I put it?”
“You can always go straight to the point.”
“Alright. Let me think for a minute.” The reason for this difficulty of Severus Garner is because he is the type of man who does not speak his mind. He might be smart and all that in his work but he can never manage to convey his emotions accurately. Garner’s one minute turned into 10. They are both at the station now. The train is about to leave in 5 minutes.
“Severus, if you still can’t think of proper words to spill, I’ll board the train now,” said Lynn as she glared at Garner.
Garner, feeling the threat, gave a sigh and spoke in high speed, “Okay, okay. Don’t worry about your house and the town’s people here. I’ll take good care of them (that’s what I’m here for anyway). As for the same, take good care of yourself and remember that I’ll always be there when you need me like I’ve always been.”
At that very moment, Lynn gave Garner an embrace and said “Thank you Sev.., brother for all these years. If it weren’t for you…”
Garner who has hugged her in return interrupted, “That’s what a brother’s for.”
-break-
In the Guardian HQ, a certain General is getting some lecture from his superior, “Frost, This is going to be the last secretary we’re giving you. If in any case she leaves, the blame is on you, you’re on your own sonny.”
“It isn’t my fault they’re not up to expectation, sir,” Frost retorted back.
“What expectation do you have? What is it that you can ask so much from a secretary?!”
“General, sir,” he paused, stared right into the other’s eyes and continued “It’s…,”
That is when the firing between the Chief of Staff and the General began.
-break-
At the corridors of the HQ, Lynn is being led by another young lady, perhaps a little older than her, to the Head of Generals room.
“Thank you again Ms. Dubreil or else I would have still been wondering around the HQ, clueless,” said Lynn
“Ms. Parker, I’m going to abandon you if you keep on thanking me. Oh! Here we are. Wait here for a moment,” said Ms. Dubreil as she knocked and entered the office.
-break-
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Come in,” answered General Hartsburg, Chief of Staff who is flushed from the heated argument.
“General Hartsburg, Ms. Parker, the new secretary is here,” informed Ms. Dubreil.
“Thank you Ms. Dubreil. Give us five more minutes. Then bring her in,” instructed General Hartsburg. When his secretary left the room, General Hartsburg passed a file to General Frost.
“Lynn Parker. Citizen of the 8th Precinct lives in a small town in the northern region. Excellent skills in driving, sword-fighting, handling firearms and self-defence. A very good fighter indeed. Unfortunately, she possesses Zero Gailion or else she would have been a very useful asset. Her resume from Lt. Garner is also up to standards. Most probably the best secretary to date, compared to the previous ones you had,” explained General Hartsburg.
“Tch, ‘most probably’ aren’t convincing enough,” smirked the other general upon the statement.
Another three knocks on the door and the secretaries were given permission to come in.
-break-
“Tch, ‘most probably’ aren’t convincing enough,” I smirked upon my statement. Indeed, this Parker here has a good record but one can’t believe in everything one hears until you have confirmed it for yourself and this is exactly what I’m going to do.
The three knocks came ramming on the door again. The door creaked open. Seriously, they should do something about the creaking doors in this whole HQ. Such an irritating noise.
A young girl came in, behind that old man’s secretary. A short pitch dark black hair with a white hair band pushing her fringe back, round and clear black eyes, sensitively cut nose, thin pink lips and a determined chin. My estimation of her height would be about 1.7m. There are some areas that seemed too obvious to ignore; her lacking in certain areas and artificial colours (in other words, cosmetics) that are absent from her face (something which I greatly appreciate). There’s a type of alertness and shrewdness shown on her face. Anyway, I’m not very much good in judging someone by his or her first look. Somehow, I feel that I have met her somewhere before.
-break-
“Ms. Parker, I’m going to abandon you if you keep on thanking me. Oh! Here we are. Wait here for a moment,” said Ms. Dubreil as she knocked and went in the office. Oh how dreadful, that butterflies to fly in my stomach. Ms. Dubreil came out from the office and signaled me in. Well, let’s just be natural. I brace myself and went in.
In the office, there are two men. One has grey hair covering his head, sitting behind the desk which is three times bigger than Severus’ desk. He looked irritated indicated by that deep frown of his. I am guessing that he is General Hartsburg whom I am supposed to report to. Sitting opposite General Hartsburg, sat a younger man, from estimation about thirty years old. From his uniform, it is obvious that he is a general too. Although he is in a sitting position, I am pretty sure he is about half a head taller than me and has exceptionally broad shoulders. I mentally described him; platinum blonde hair, thick-fierce eyebrows, a deep-set emerald eyes, long nose, thin lips and a firm jaw line. With the combination of all these features, no doubt, he is a good-looking man. No wonder Severus said that secretaries all over Elpida want this job. However, he emits a certain vibe that gives me a chilly feeling. Maybe I’m being over-sensitive.
-break-
It has been a month since Lynn set foot on the Guardian HQ. She managed to get along well with her colleagues. It is most probably the way she always appeared in; warm, friendly, efficient and always smiling. In the context of her relationship with her superior, it has been kept only within their job scope. No more, no less.
Other than the extra paperwork, she has been patrolling around the city at night with General Frost and his platoon. Under him there are two lieutenants; Lt. Bones and Lt. Zenile. Every night, they each will lead a section of the platoon to patrol the city while General Frost and Lynn will go to each city gate to pick up daily reports from the security check points.
It is a windy night - as expected of an autumn night. Soon, winter will come. The Holy Day is two months away. This particular day marks the beginning of a new year. It is also a day to remind every occupant of Elpida to preserve and protect the peace that was claimed by their ancestors through years of hardship.
General Frost and Lynn took their usual route back to the HQ after stopping by at the five city gates. Usually, when the lieutenants finish reporting their progress, they are dismissed to head home. Unfortunately, things are not going that smoothly tonight. When both of them were heading back, they received a call from Lt. Zenile. Activating his communicator hanging on his ear, an urgent voice spoke “Attention to Guardian of Platoon 8, a group of five suspicious intruders have broken into a citizen’s house and kidnapped a ten-year-old girl. They were last seen heading towards District 6 and 7. All suspects are in a hooded black and white cloak.” Both of them who were in District 5 sped to the area mentioned.
“Ms. Parker, I’ll take D.6 and you’ll take D.7. Do not deactivate your communicator,” instructed General Frost. Upon receiving the instruction, they both split at the junction of District 5.
-TBC-
