Thomas moved with extreme speed. He raised his forearm-mounted shield, blocked the bullets coming his way, and shot the enemy with extreme precision. Clinging to Thomas was Miss Wendy Otto. With the assailants focused on the big, knight-like plate of armor armed to the teeth, they could only shoot, not noticing the Lady on his back.

Nonetheless, normal flesh could not handle the rifle rounds of what Thomas carried. Each shot was precise, practiced, and was disciplined. Thomas moved from cover to cover, and returned fire with deadly accuracy. His speed, his reflexes, and the utter explosive strength of his armor-clad figure made him a rather terrifying sight to see.

The enemy was taken in by surprise, but as the firefight ensued, the leaders took control, but was too late, with Thomas shooting down the leaders, he pulled the trigger on the captains, the bullet of his rifle, turning the torso of captain into a meat paste.

He broke through the first encirclement, hurried to one of their transportation vehicles, hopped in on the back, and told Miss Wendy Otto to drive. She took the driver seat, slammed her feet on the pedal, and drove the vehicle out of the encirclement.

“You handled it well, Miss.”

“Thank you.”

Thomas chucked the magazine out of his rifle, and loaded another. He traveled his gaze on the road, then slightly rested the back of his armor-clad rear on the vehicle. We somehow got out of that, quick, and fast. They’ll follow the trail before long, they always do.

He saw four vehicles approaching. He locked his arms into place, aimed, and pulled the trigger on his log-sized rifle. Each shot was on point, disabling the engine, the tires, and even the drivers. The rifle that was given to him, at least what the Exoskeleton Vulcan Unit he wore was able to guard against this kind of enemy.

That’s four, Thomas thought. He continued his gaze on the road while keeping an eye out on the engagements that were going on the streets, alleyways, and across the buildings. Even the skies were burning as every flying vessel had started engaging. It almost felt like a war, but yet there was something in Thomas that naturally accepted this.

The chaos engulfed Thomas, but it did not scare him. He was calmer here than when he was at the town of Lano. At the same time, he understood that he probably wouldn’t be able to go back to that town any longer. From the start, it was foolish of him to even think of settling down, and that he made a mistake of coming into this city. No, even if he did not come to this city, they would have come for him. One way or another, they knew that it was coming. That everything was going to be shit for him. He looked at the rifle, and then the armor-clad palm.

This was a death sentence. Yes, a death sentence from the start.

Thomas felt afraid for a moment, but then it was smothered. Like all the fear in his heart was just gone after a second of thought. He didn’t understand his heart was like this, but he did understand that at least, he had a choice.

Momentary it may be, even if no one cared, sometimes, the bits of happiness one could get during a  storm was what all Thomas needed. He had been walking this earth uncaring, like a solidified block of ice, doing what he was told to. He told himself that he wanted an out, a way out of servitude, but where did that cost him?

Back in the field of battle where his life was needed to protect one’s soul. Thomas was about to look down, and ball his fist when he heard a radio chatter. He tuned in to the radio chatter.

“This is Melia Lazni, please respond, there are antiwar forces coming to the street! Yes, please, there are people trapped in here! What do you mean that you can’t come? Please, for the love of Jove, help us!”

Thomas bitterly smiled hearing that. It felt like the world wasn’t going to make him rest so easily. Why did he have to hear that familiar voice?

 

This must be kismet…as they say.

“Miss Wendy, go the street,” he instructed Wendy. “Please, they are…friends…and if they meet any mishaps from this, I don’t think I will forgive myself. Besides, they are already part of this mess, one way or another. I just need to protect them.”

“I see.”

Thomas instructed the address to Miss Wendy. Melia had given him the address before he left. It was during the time where she helped him get processed that he was approached by Melia, given the address, just in case the processing takes longer than expected so they could go clean up the house. Thomas watched the streets pass by, once in a while, they would encounter chasers who he would shoot down with his log-sized rifle with ease.

When they arrived in the street where Melia should be. The street was already in utter chaos. Wendy drove the vehicle to the side, and clung to Thomas. Thomas went to the house, and caught a glimpse of Melia and Alden taking cover on the top of the house, avoiding the firefight on the ground. Thomas called out to them, and naturally, they were quite surprised by his appearance.

Alden slid off the roof, held on to the gutter of the roof, and landed. He caught Melia easily, and approached Thomas with quite a stare. Melia’s face was unsure what to think of his appearance, while Alden looked at him with not a single expression on his face.

“Let me explain my situation,” Thomas begged them to leave the area, leading them to where the vehicle was. Alden exchanged greetings with Miss Wendy Otto, took over the driver’s seat, and started the vehicle away from the street.

Thomas was compelled somewhat to explain. Melia suspected him, and that made things easier for him. Alden stayed quiet in the affair, not making a groan, just steadily driving around the area, avoiding the firefight, and heading to the quieter side. It was impossible for the antiwar forces to take the military bases, so the best bet that they could have was that.

“So this is Miss Wendy Otto,” Melia said, looking at the Miss with a tired expression. “Forgive me if I can’t offer a much more welcoming greeting, Milady.”

“It’s fine, just call me Wendy,” she said. She was seated right of the driver’s seat. “I am not an old noble, never was.”

“Then, Wendy,” said Melia. “It’s strange that you don’t have any more security details.”

 “I usually have a group with me. But...the situation is complicated.”

“So they have Thomas to protect you here. It’s a quite reckless plan,” she studied Thomas. “Your shot, and pretty there’s shrapnel stuck in your armor.”

Thomas nodded. He leaned the log-sized rifle. “I wish I could tell you more, but this is something that I needed to do.”

“I understand your circumstances, I know that there are things that you must do...but I’m afraid that I cannot welcome you as much as I did. Still, I thank you for coming to us.”

“It's a coincidence,” Thomas said. “If I didn’t hear the radio chatter, I wouldn’t have known, and I wouldn’t have even thought of coming.”

“But you did come, so that’s what counts,” Thomas lifted his face plate, showing his newly regenerated skin. He looked at Melia and said, “Thank you, although I can’t say much other than we need to go now.”

“Alden should take us to that military base, but I doubt it’s much safer than it is,” Melia then explained that there was a broadcast, along with the summit leaders and their demands.

“It’s a full rebellion, there’s an army in the city that’s willing to burn this city to the ground. It could take five months, no, even more than if they decided to hold this city forcibly. Not to mention that they are keeping people locked up all over the city.”

Thomas said nothing. Keeping hostages, taking the summit leaders, what are they thinking? For a bargaining chip, they’ll surely think that they can get away with this?

“They’ll try to persuade the city, but I doubt that with the capital taken, they wouldn’t be met with extreme refusal. Besides, they only call this the Capital, but we know that this isn’t what the Holmian states call their true capital.”

Knia was without a doubt, nothing more than a former. How things could have gotten this bad in this old capital, no one knew, and how the summit leaders were taken, nobody had an idea either.

It felt like there was something going on behind the scenes. But Thomas does know that they were like pawns on a game of chess, moving according to whatever the players desired.

As they approached the military base. Thomas raised his head a little, blinded by the spotlight. The guard that was seated on top of the watchtower demanded their identification.

“Don’t shoot!” Melia shouted, showing her hands up. “Civilians! Don’t shoot!”

Thomas turned on the lights around his shoulder and slowly lifted his armor-clad body. “There is an important VIP that MUST be secured.”

Thomas moved in front of the vehicle. Miss Wendy Otto got out of the vehicle, and hid behind Thomas, before peeking her head out.

“I am Wendy Otto!” She announced her name. “I need shelter!”

“Wendy Otto? Do you have any identification to prove that!? And let me see everyone!”

Miss Wendy took out her papers and threw it lightly to the soldier with a rifle pointed at them. Alden got out of the driver’s seat, while Melia stayed not far from the driver’s seat.

The soldier took the papers from Miss Wendy. He studied the papers before radioing it in. “Command, there is a Miss Wendy Otto in the gates, over. How should we proceed?”

“Stay there, don’t move a muscle, especially you, magiborne,” the soldier said. Thomas kept his arms lifted, but still wary.

He brought his face plate down, and observed the movements on the base. He noticed that there were soldiers gathering, while the soldier handed the papers to what seemed to be an official.

One of the soldiers cocked their rifle.

All instinct that was on Thomas Strongarm rang madly. Before he could tell his suspicion, a shot rang out from nowhere, and when he looked to the side, he saw Alden pushing Melia to the driver’s seat.

Alden opened fire immediately. “Run! Fucking run! They want us fucking dead! Fuck-”

Alden was shot in the shoulder, and staggered. Thomas smashed his shields up and shielded them from gunfire.

“Go!” Alden shouted, his shirt covered his blood. There was a deathly calm about his face. 

“We need to get out!” Thomas said.

“No, I’m fucking bleeding, I ain’t got time! Melia, drive them out of here! Thomas, defend them you fuck! These fucks are after that woman!”

“But--”

“No fucking way,” he drew the fire from them with his bolt-action rifle, each shot somewhat taking a life. “I ain’t clad in steel, at least you can protect them...fuck!”

He kept on shooting the soldiers with deadly accuracy. Melia, who saw Alden bleeding, wanted to get out, but there were stray bullets keeping her from getting out.

“Melia! Just go! Save yourself! Fuck! Fuck!”

He slid to one of the barricades, and returned fire. Melia threw her rifle at Alden, and shouted. “Run now! We need to go, Alden!”

“Fuck! I can’t! Just go! Let Thomas cover you! They ain’t going to just stay! Let me buy you some time, please!”

“No!”

Thomas promptly lifted the vehicle, and turned it around, letting the bullets rain down on his back. “We need to go…”

“No! No fucking way!”

“We need to go now,  or we'd be all dead!”

“You led us here! So why does it have to be him who had to stay!”

Thomas didn’t answer. He told Wendy to take over the wheel while she pulled Melia out of the driver’s seat. Melia scratched and slapped Miss Wendy, while she started to drive away.

Thomas raised his shoulder-mounted shield, and then watched, at the corner of his eyes, Alden exchanging fire, and finally, a bullet finding its way on his head, followed by more rounds shredding him until he was riddled by it.

Unmoving, blooded, and laying on the pool of his own blood, dying for a bit of time.

Thomas felt his heart grow cold by the sight of it.

Instead of helping them, he led one of them to death.