Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Narrow Escape
The stone zipped and hit the streetlight breaking the light bulb-- leaving the whole alley in a momentary darkness.
It was a plan I did not have much time to concuct but I was clear the masked man was much more stronger than I was since I was weaker so attacking him would prove inefficient. The most likely course of action would be to get past him and save Talos but how would I do that in my weakened state? Simple.... I just had to move in an unpredictable way that would aid my judgement.
I doubted it would be the right course of action but I closed the gap between us as fast as I could and ducked his sharp blow that came at me in the dark. My sixth sense gave me another layer of eyes to predict his attack just barely, for him to react this quickly he must have been strong but I was stronger.
I amplified my power to twenty percent only for a second but by then my body was at its limit but the blow connected with his face and I heard his body fly through the air. I buckled my knees and sprinted for where I saw Talos body last, I had no time to waste before the effects of my power would kick in once more.
I reached out and scooped up Talos, if I did not have the sixth sense perhaps it would have taken me longer to locate her body. I had no way to tell if she still had the book on her I raced out of the alley before the masked man would get back up, my blow might have not been enough to knock him out. I had never been in such a thrill in my life and now my life was on the life, it was desperate.
I came out unto the street filled with people, Talos must have been aiming to mix in the crowd before she was taken out. I was relived to find her still breathing, but why? She was not a main character from the Greek myths so why was I so concerned for her safety even more than the book?
"Dammit!" No time to think, move—! I screamed in my head as I crossed into the crowded street with an unconcious Talos resting in my arms, she felt heavy even with her small body frame, her hands fell by her sides and her dress bearing a line running down her stomach-- blood seeped out of her and coat her dress in a sticky fluid.
My fingertips tingled from her unusually warm body, her face was dirty and bleeding slightly like her head had been smashed into something. Just how badly was she hurt. "Hey Talos, are you hearing me?!" What kind of stupid question was that? I could see that she was clearly not fine but deep down I was feeling a mixture of emotions.
All of a sudden I lost my footing and my body was failing me again. "No, not now!" I gnashed my teeth and stumbled into the right, barely avoiding tumbling to the ground. I sensed a powerful energy approaching me from behind and looked over my shoulder to see the masked man already emerging from the alleyway and gaining on me at an insane speed. So much for my strategy.
I swear if there was an award for stupidity I would have one, taking my eyes off the road was the worst decision I could make at the time as I collided with a trash can and went tumbling down.
"Acck!" I groaned as I met with the floor, it was hard to even keep my thoughts together at this moment. People around were starting to take notice of us, I thought maybe this would stop the man in red but— no!
He was already before me towering like a villian from those movies of the 1900s, I don\'t think he noticed but a part of his mask was broken perhaps from where I hit him and his face was revealed, he reached out his hand maybe to strangle me or throw his blow. I hoped he would just face slap me as a warning and pass by, his face became more clearer now— WHAM!!
The steel drone came from the rear and rammed into the man\'s head, his body staggered over to the main road and a truck came by before he could react and ran him over.
"WE HAVE TO LEAVE THE AREA THIS INSTANT!" I swear that guy has no shred of sanity in him, I could barely carry my body as it was and I had to carry Talos too. I also did not want to be on the front page of the news tomorrow. "DID YOU SEE HIS FACE?"
I put my arms under Talos and scooped her up with whatever reserve of energy I had left. I could hardly move as it was and the people around were starting to take out their phones, "If you are going to do something do it now!" I screamed at the drone.
A taxi pulled up by my side and a familiar voice came from within. "I HACKED THIS AUTOMOBILE, GET IN I\'LL TAKE YOU BACK TO YOUR HOTEL." I was not gentlemanly enough to decline the offer. "No one I knows uses that word." I groaned as I shut the door behind me. "Do you think he\'s dead?"
"HIGHLY UNLIKELY"— VROOM.
"Thought so." I muttered to myself as I tried to catch my failing breath, my vision blured momentarily and my head swayed without control. "If you really want me to trust you have to tell me what relationship you had with Hades and how you let him." I was always dangling on the ropes, left without an edge when things got tough. I barely made it through today.
"VERY WELL THEN.... HADES CAUGHT WIND OF A SECRET ORGANIZATION OPERATING IN THE DARK, OUR MEETING WAS INEVITABLE. AT THE TIME I COULD NOT ENTER THE FIELD AS EFFICIENTLY AS HE COULD SO I HAD TO RELY ON HIM. THE REAL HADES IS LESS TALKATIVE AND MORE DOUBTING THAN YOU ARE, THAT WAS HOW I COULD TELL WHO YOU WERE...."
"WE WERE ABLE TO UNCOVER A FEW LEADS BUT NONE SUBSTANTIAL BEFORE HADES WAS POISONED, IN THE MOMENT OF HIS PASSING HE TOLD ME TO ERASE HIS PHONE MEMORY— NOTHING MORE. WHEN I HEARD NEWS OF HADES WALKING AROUND ON OLYMPUS I WAS CAUGHT OFF GUARD. FROM OUR FIRST CONVERSATION I WAS ABLE TO TELL YOU WERE SOMEONE ELSE ENTIRELY BUT I WAS STILL UNSURE IF YOU WERE AN ALLY OR AN ENEMY."
If what he said was true then he was just as cautious of me as I was of him but why still trust me anyway? Was it a test?
"Why Talos.... Was she your private detective too?" I breathed out the words under deep difficulty. Talos seemed like someone dragged into this without a warning on the dangers.
"DETECTIVE TALOS WAS SOMEONE I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK WITH, FORGIVE ME IF I HAVE PUT YOU IN A STATE OF UNEASE....!"
I gritted his teeth. Whoever he really was heust have thought I was a fool not to notice the obvious truth that he was lying to me, Mr Anonymous would never apologize and if he had always wanted to work with Talos he could have gotten it with ease but why would he give such an obvious lie? Is he underestimating me or perhaps he wants me to find out truth myself?
Why did he pair me together the lead detective on Hermes\' murder case....?
Experience more on m|vl-em,py-r
"YOU STILL DOUBT ME...?"
The car slowed down as it drove into the parking lot of the hotel where I stayed and came to a stop. I did not respond to the question my unknown acquaintance had thrown at me, I had already figured out his game. Mr Anonymous was the enemy here or at least one of them, he also wanted the book and whatever secrets if had within.
I had regained some of my strength enough to move, I looked over at Talos who was lying down next to me and reached out to her. "Mr Anonymous, whoever you are you made one mistake...." I once asked the black book why Hades\' phone was wiped clean and it could only say that the phone was hacked.
"Hades was never your partner or acquaintance, you only allied yourself with him so you could extract something from his phone."
This guy has been playing a con game with me from the start....!