He was scared. The noises behind that almost soundproof door made his heart race faster, the tears pouring down his face at an astonishing rate. His cries were silent. The sound of a gunfire was barely audible. The employees in the kitchen seemed to not hear the crying kid. The sizzling of pans, the chopping of vegetables, the boiling of pots, all of that covered the sound of his cries. His ears were ringing. His eyes began to dry out. His throat, parched, like the desert. His hands clasped over his ears. He wanted to scream for help, but he had already done that. He wanted to run but his legs wouldn't move. At this moment, he kept wondering why he didn't move as the wall behind him could have broken and killed him. His answer was clear, fear.
Only ten seconds remained until help arrived. Nine. Kevin just left the staff bathroom to find Drew in his pitiful position. Eight. Kevin noticed the intercom and realized something was happening in that office but he didn't dare to open that door. Seven. Kevin began to panic. Six. The sound of a pot dropping on the tile floor could be heard from the kitchen right around the corner. Five. Drew felt his body being lifted by the burly middle-aged cook. At the same time, Rika popped her head around the corner. Feeling the sudden vibration coming from the other side of the wall, Rika scrambled to pick up Drew's things off the floor. Nothing was left behind. Three. The fire alarm went off and Rika and Kevin began to rush out of the building. Two. The other cooks in the kitchen began to panic. One. The door behind the trio was knocked down. A bloodied body came flying out along with it. Kevin and Rika kept looking forward but Drew took a glance back. From the corner of his eye, he saw a bloodied body fly out of the room like a sandbag. The figure's eyes were open but he did not move a limb. He couldn't believe it. A black figure remained standing through the doorway. His black hood was ripped and the red, translucent mask that covered his eyes was broken revealing the figure's amber eyes. Blood trickled down his pale skin, dripping from his chin, staining the wood floor. A gun was held loosely in his left hand. His face quickly contorted from one of exhaustion to one of pleasure and victory, revealing his sharp canines. Zero. The black figure vanished into thin air. Drew, Rika, and Kevin made it out of the kitchen. Five men wearing white bodysuits entered from the broken window, the glass shards crunching under their feet. A drone hovered behind them and scanned the surroundings but there was no trace of the killer except for the silver bullet. They were too late. Winter was dead.
>>>
It's been two minutes since help arrived and Drew was sitting on a chair out in the lunch area. Rika and Kevin stared at him with concern. Drew was overwhelmed.
"It can't be," Drew trembled, his breathing staggering, "Uncle Winter is not dead. He can't be dead!"
"What exactly happened in there Li?" Kevin asked placing down a water bottle from the closest vending machine.
Drew couldn't answer. His ears began to ring even more.
"Hic..." He sniffled, "I don't know?"
Rika pat Kevin on the back, "We should give him some space. Let him process the events that just happened."
"Alright." Kevin sighed scratching the horn on his head.
Rika dragged Kevin to the other side of the lounge leaving Drew to comprehend the events that just happened in the past few minutes. On the wooden coffee table beside him, the Buddha Box, the outdated supercomputer cube, and the bracelet communication device were sitting in a neatly stacked pile. His head was throbbing as fragmented scenes flew through his mind. Uncle Winter's bloodied body. The assassin with the gun. The broken glass. The door bursting open. The monotone voice of the operator. The sound of the gunshot. Everything was a mess. His green hair ruffled, his amber eyes have lost some of their color, his uniform slightly torn in some places, dried snot stuck to the roof of his nostrils, and the communication device on his wrist was broken.
Drew took a swig of the cool water. It felt refreshing, calming his nerves, and his senses started to come back. Drew took off his broken communication device and removed the chip. Luckily, it was still intact. He tossed his broken one into the garbage can behind the chair and inserted the chip into an open slot in Uncle Winter's and slipped on the wristband. At the same time, Rika and Kevin came back. Drew looked down at the wristband, only fifteen minutes have passed.
"You okay now?" Rika asked ruffling Drew's hair.
Drew nodded.
"Yeah, for now at the least. I think I've gotten a grasp of what happened."
"Well, there are some Security officers who want to have a word with you," Kevin said pointing to a man wearing a white suit with Star's famous logo embroidered in blue. The man was around 180 centimeters tall and had strawberry blond hair that was neatly brushed back to reveal his forehead and his aqua blue eyes. His tan athletic build enhanced his features making him look like a fashion model rather than a regular security officer. The man slowly approached Drew with a solemn look on his face.
"You are Drew Li I presume?" he spoke with an accent.
"Yes, sir," Drew replied with a stuffy voice.
"John Krishman, Mid-B Rank Genetic Warrior, and Captain of Star Academy's Security Team. Nice to meet you, Drew."
Drew nodded with a weak smile on his face. Meanwhile, Kevin and Rika moved away quietly once again and left Drew and John on their own.
"As you know," John continued holding up his wristband which projected an image of Uncle Winter, "we are going to ask you some questions regarding Linus Winter and the events that occurred in the last thirty minutes."
"Alright," Drew responded, "I'll tell you everything."
Drew told John as much as he could recall but omitted some parts related to the Buddha box and the supercomputer despite them being right in front of John's face. Fifteen minutes passed and John was sitting in the chair next to Drew's.
"So you're saying that an Assassin from the Scorpion Horde started shooting Linus Winter and you don't know the reason why?"
"No," Drew said with a crestfallen look.
"Alright," John sighed pressing the off button on his wristband, "Thank you for your help. Quick thinkin' of you to immediately call us or else this may have ended a lot worse."
But to Drew, those were empty words. It was already 'worse'. They came too late and someone died because of that. That 'someone' was Uncle Winter.
"Thank you."
"Also," John said while standing up, "I've looked at your records. It says you have fifty Krasos of Otrio in your body and your ability is Aegis. Are you trying to become a student here?"
"Yes," Drew nodded, "I still need fifty more Krasos before I can apply as a student."
"Well, just your luck." John smiled at Drew.
"We plan to reward you with a high-rank gene regiment and some basic Combat Arts manuals."
"What?" Drew was stunned.
"Because you provided us with some valuable information regarding the Scorpion Horde, Star plans to reward you with a high-ranking gene regiment that can help you raise the amount of Otrio in your body as well as some basic Combat Arts manuals."
"That's too generous!" Drew waved his hands, "I can't accept this."
>>>
Despite Drew's desperation to become a Genetic Warrior, he at least had some sense of restraint when it came to tempting offers like this. A high ranking gene regiment is not something one could easily purchase from the regular or black market and Combat Arts manuals are even harder to obtain as only specialized dojos and military academies have the right to sell the public. Moreover, the demand outweighed the supply for both of these making them quite pricy.
>>>
John chuckled, "You're young and have a lot of potential. This is a small gift from Star, the Academy that believes in potential. Now take it. You have a bright future ahead of you."
Drew, didn't know what to say.
"One more thing," John continued, "Star will cover all the funeral expenses. We're sorry for your loss."
Again, those words felt empty to Drew but he did not know that those words would become his motivation to become powerful. August 5th, 0473 of the Interstellar Era, 1:10 PM, the day Drew Li's life would change forever.
Thanks for the chapter!
Why does this guy update so slowly