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"I don't know; the truck's a dead giveaway too..." Za'Fia said sarcastically while stifling a laugh.
"The truck wasn't here earlier. It looks like he's being picked up," Tymon responded. "Come on, let's follow them."
While concealing their spirit energies, Tymon and Za'Fia covertly followed the two Holders to an isolated and unnaturally dark area. Further ahead, in the distance, was a large silhouette of a foothold of some sort. After getting closer, Tymon saw that the base was dimly lit with lower-powered lights that allowed just enough light for visibility. He noticed a shimmering in the sky as he realized they were using technology to make the base even darker than it should be.
"Where are we?" Za'Fia asked as they perched within a nearby tall tree.
"Somewhere in Virginia," Tymon answered as he caught a slight lavender and earthy scent. The unsuspectedly pleasant scent filled his head with bad memories as it reminded him of the base he'd been experimented on, but this wasn't the same base....
"What now," Za'Fia asked.
"This is definitely one of their bases of operation. We take out everyone here – without alerting the others – then try to see if we can find anything that'd lead us to the other bases."
Below them, an opportunity displayed itself as a lone Holder walked down an unpaved path heading toward the base.
"But first..." Tymon leaped to perch on a light pole behind the Holder, casting a shadow over him. When the Holder turned to look up, he saw a dark silhouette outlined by the full moon as Tymon unfurled his enormous wings. The Holder turned to run back to base in terror, but just as a scream began to leave his lips, Tymon's hand suddenly appeared over his mouth before whooshing them both high into the night sky.
While hovering several hundred feet in the air, Tymon held the Holder by the throat at arm's length as he inquired about something on his conscience.
"Are any of the people down there civilian?"
"Wha-Jesus Christ! Whoa man! What the hell?!" The Holder kicked the air desperately as he clutched onto Tymon's wrist.
"Shut up and answer the question," Tymon ordered him callously.
"N-No. No, there are no civilians. Unauthorized personnel aren't allowed near these footholds. Sub Deities manage them, and only Holders like me work at them."
"Good," Tymon said, looking down at the base before looking back at the Holder. "Thanks, you've been helpful," he said as he rushed back toward the ground in a blur.
****
While in the surveillance room, the Sub Deity at the base was in the middle of a conversation with one of the present Holders.
"...and the women! We'll have any woman we want. They'll see us as their heroes and do anything we say so long as they believe it'll keep them and their families safe," The SD and Holder laughed amusingly at the thought.
"I just want all of those bitches who ridiculed and rejected me to pay," the Holder spat, practically salivating at the dream.
The SD placed a reassuring hand on the Holder's shoulder.
"Hey Tim, don't let any of that get to you. You're bigger than that. You've got money and more power than any of them can imagine. When they see the world around them on fire, and you show up to 'save' them, their tunes will change...then you can get your revenge. Just be patient as Lord Avarice's vision unfolds."
As the two began laughing again, the SD noticed something through a window. He swore it looked as if something had fallen from the sky. Putting on a pair of scope shades, he peered out the window, and to his horror, he saw a tall, dark figure walking toward the base while dragging a Holder's limp body by the collar.
The figure dropped the Holder and picked up a jagged reinforced bar from an open barrel near the entrance.
The SD stared in disbelief as he muttered, "That's..."
"Sir! What is it?" Tim asked.
The SD was still too shocked to respond.
"Sir!" Tim yelled as he shook the SD's shoulder, snapping him out of his daze.
The SD quickly used his comms to order the watcher tower to activate the suppression lights promptly. Watching the watch tower Holder through the cameras, he saw the Holder successfully turn on the suppression lights. Then the Holder turned to sound the alarm, but a beautiful woman in a flame-colored cloak stood before him. The Holder began to slowly back away to a wall.
"Please don't kill me. Just tell me what you want," he pleaded, clearly feeling like a mouse trapped by a lion.
"Were you about to sound the alarm? You wouldn't tell on me, would you?" The woman asked, toying with him.
"N-No, of course not, you can trust me. I'll act like I didn't see anything."
Yes, play along, Chris. Survive. You have a family to get back home to. The SD thought as he watched the surveillance. He turned and ordered Tim to go help Chris.
"Take a few others, grab some weapons from the armory. The suppression lights are on, so she can't use her powers. Go cause a distraction, get Chris out of there, and for Christ's sake, sound that alarm!"
Turning his attention back to the screen, he continued observing the situation.
"Uh-huh. Yet you're still reaching for that gun behind you," she responded to Chris. Chris suddenly pulled a gun from behind him and pointed it at the invader.
The SD used his comms to speak to Chris through their c-chips.
"Don't do anything rash. Stall her," he ordered him. "I have a team coming to get you out of there."
Chris began to sweat profusely, his breath shaky with nervousness as he thought of what to do next.
"You clearly don't want anyone to know you're here. One shot from this gun will alert everyone. They'll come swarming this office."
The woman tilted her head in slight confusion as a jagged pole thrown from outside pierced Chris' chest.
"Wha..." Chris said in shock as he spat blood.
Unfazed, the woman walked closer to him.
"You should've shot. We don't care about the others here learning whether or not we're here. Not wanting the alarm sounded is for a different reason." She said softly as Chris' head lolled to the side.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdrQf885y1
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