The fate of Boneclad was being orchestrated by the hands of many selfless men and women, and it was being poisoned by the cunning minds of the fanatics attached to shadows of the city.
The battles unfolding in different parts of Boneclad were all tied by a very tiny string. The dots were connected, but only few could see it.
Brando, Barack or Belal. Three names for the same entity, a man beyond saving. It was said he was older than the city, and it was rumored that he had died a hundred times, every time under a different name. Sometimes he was a Nazi soldier, other times he was a crusader. How was it possible for a technology this advanced to exist in times were humans didn't know how to use a toilet?
I. Tying the loose ends.
Carvo's heart pounded faster than the grand clock beating in his mind. In such situations, one must have their mind solely focused on the target discretely. The moment he commanded the soldiers, he knew he was responsible. If he were to tell any breathing soul in that room that the enemy was their friend, chaos would ensue and more lives would be reaped.
Carvo avoided looking too suspicious, it seemed that Brando was nervous and vulnerable. He had worn too coats, had trails of blood on the skin he tried to hide, he struggled to stir the ship he boarded. The smell of fresh blood reeked within the walls of this house along with the dreadful smell of Maria's rotten corpse. Carvo believed that there should be remains of that poor soldier anywhere within that house, and he had to make sure no one finds them.
"You, two! Scout the area." Carvo commanded. "And you over there, bring a shovel and start digging." He scattered the soldiers. "As for you two, oversee and protect your comrade as he digs." Carvo eyed Brando with the corner of his eyes as he inspected the strangeness of this creature. The skin latched on what he believed to be an entirely freshly generated bionic body. A very visible sign was the enlargement of the soldier's head. Brando wore a hood, but nothing could escape Carvo's sharp eye.
"He's scared." Carvo thought to himself. "He won't attack. It would go against his mission." Carvo believed. "Right now, I need to assure him that he's safe, delude him into believing he made it out." Carvo plotted his plan. "You!" Carvo called for Brando. "Oversee the digging." Carvo ordered him, strictly coating his shaky voice tone in a bossy demeanor. Brando's vessel was foreign to him, he struggled to walk normally and Carvo felt victorious at the sight of his scared eyes. Brando wouldn't to speak, those vocal cords were probably non existent. Carvo thought that for a shapeshifter to inhabit a body, they must consume all organic material inside it including the brain, then, like a suit, they would wear it and regenerate their own limps, inflate themselves inside it.
Carvo slowly disappeared into the corners of the house, following the smell, he found himself walking in circles. His eyes never left Brando who was standing still silently. "Where did you hide it?" Carvo wondered as he inspected the bookshelves and anywhere the remains could be found. Upon doing so, Carvo eye caught a glimmering option in the distance. It took seconds to click in his brain, "Oh lord!" He slowly walked towards that object, looking left and right. "Abby.." He knelt down and held Abigail's pendant that she dropped. Carvo's eye grew blurry from his suppressed tears yet he quickly put that pendant in his pocket, to make sure no evidence tying Abigail to that place exists.
"What are you doing?" The inspector surprised Carvo. Carvo paused as he looked at the inspector. "T-that? I dropped it." Carvo faltered as he rushed to mislead him. "I am pretty sure it was there." The inspector suspiciously eyed Carvo. "That's because I dropped it early on." Carvo removed his hand from his pocket, and wrapped his arm around the inspector.
"I see we have trust issues here." Carvo spoke calmly. "No, that's not the case!" The inspector stuttered as he shrunk between Carvo's heavy arms. "I believe you know my name, and what cases I have handled before." Carvo continued. The inspector shook his head nervously. "Then, we need more trust here, mister Jani, am I correct?" Carvo said. "Yes, don't worry, sir. I am just a bit curious!" The inspector fixed his attitude as he escaped Carvo's arm and went on his way out of the crowded house. The pendant was safe in Carvo's pocket.
The smell was too strong to be ignored, yet he couldn't pinpoint its location. The remains had already been transferred by the forensic team, the soldier couldn't have simply vanished without any trail. Carvo oversaw the digging, analyzing Brando's behavior. It seemed that he had grown more comfortable, just like Carvo planned.
"Someone must know." Carvo starred at Brando. "But if that happens, the soldier's will overpower him and eventually catch him for interrogation." Carvo thought. "Then, it will be the first time a shapeshifter has been caught." Carvo continued. "A great achievement!" He rubbed his chin. "But then, this idiot might actually tell the truth, he would mention Abby." Carvo frowned. Brando took on the shovel, and with his strange posture, he tried to dig normally but the soldiers begun to eye each other in suspicion, Carvo knew he needed to act immediately.
"I must kill him here." Carvo decided. "He should never make it out for interrogation." He walked towards the soldiers with only one thought in his mind, cornering Brando.
II. The traitors.
Andrew had just received word from Dunken, a fingerprint had been scanned off the twilight reverie and it had matched a new identity beside Nelly.
The name was Henry.
Andrew's blood was boiling as he was on his way to his brother's solitary cell. He was in disbelief, the facts didn't add up. How could he have aided Nelly in stealing the chip while being in the tightest prison in the entire city? The guards confirmed that Henry never left his prison cell during the period were the chip was stolen, and the fingerprint test had been done more than once and it always led them straight to Henry's identity. How was that even possible?
Andrew starred at his brother through the bars of the window of his cell. A terrifying room, it could send anyone crazy. It had white walls and ground, there was nothing in there to avoid a prisoner's suicide. Through the bars, Andrew could see Henry sleeping in the corner. Andrew gathered his thoughts, but the grand clock distorted the speck of peace he had within him.
"Get up!" He barged into the cell, Henry woke up frightened. "A-andrew?" He stuttered. "Sit up straight." Andrew ordered him as he was given a glass of water from the guard. As Henry fixed his posture, Andrew threw the water at his face. "God damn it!" Henry cursed as Andrew brought a chair and sat down while Henry rested his back against the wall.
"Spit it out." Andrew ordered him. "Everything, all that you know, this time, don't hold anything back." Andrew continued, Henry became nervous. "Why now? what happened?" Henry inquired. "Just tell me! Don't waste more time." Andrew replied. Henry seemed concerned. "For you to come here, something big must have had happened." Henry laid back as he calmly spoke. "Would it matter if you knew?" Andrew glared at Henry. "Is it breaking your ego, that perhaps I am right?" Henry observed Andrew's red face. Andrew paused, he felt repelled by his brother's breath yet he had no choice but to believe him, for once.
"What do you want to know?" Henry spoke. "Everything." Andrew replied, Henry sighed and looked away from Andrew's piercing glare to gather his thoughts. "I said everything I know." Henry looked back. "But, my theories are coming to life!" He moved closer to Andrew. "All along, I believed these beasts were just mindless, little did I know they've built a civilization beyond those walls!" He continued, Andrew moved back. "What are you saying?" Andrew frowned. "All along, we have been fighting the pawns, the low ranking pieces! That's why their numbers never go down yet they can't reproduce, they fix! They don't a heart, they have figured out how humans function and mimicked it perfectly." Henry explained. "We will never win if we keep fighting their toys, we need to go in, kill their leaders or we will never get out of this hell." Henry continued.
"I am sure you knew that, but here's the new part." Henry gestured Andrew to come closer. "In the council, someone sends every move we make to their higher-ups, the ones we heard about in the books! They exist, for real. I am sure whoever betrays us the council is in the white sect, find the dots and connect them." Henry whispered. "If I were to believe you, who am I fighting? A human or a mooncaller?" Andrew asked. "A mooncaller with a living human heart." Henry whispered into Andrew's ear and then laid back again as Andrew took his time to process what he had been told.
"What evidence do you have?" Andrew asked. "Speculations." Henry replied. "It all makes sense. My men were attacked right after the council gave me the duty of leading Jensen's league." Henry looked left and right. "Cut that crap. You still can't handle the responsibility you had!" Andrew shouted at him. "See? You never trust anything I say, yet, you are here!" Henry replied. "Take it with a grain of salt. I am not guilty. The snake in the council is, and they will kill me right here. You know I am right, don't cry over my corpse." Henry shouted back. Andrew's eyes were raging yet he maintained his posture. He decided to listen to whatever his brother said, till the end.
"The news I have for you aren't good." Andrew laid back on his chair. "Your fingerprints had been found on Ivanka's destroyed weapon." Andrew said, Henry didn't seem to be surprised a bit. He smirked as if he was victorious.
"Just like the books." Henry sighed, and Andrew frowned at his calmness. "Explain." Andrew asked.
"They copied us already." Henry said. "They are replacing us, just like I thought." He continued. "Read the books, Andrew. Believe in these prophecies." He whispered into Andrew's ears.
"They will replace us one by one to fulfill their goal, to roam the world beyond that city! Human kind must end for their specie to develop, no man with pure blood and flesh shall live!" Henry uttered.
"There's another Henry in this city, there might be another Andrew as well."
