Reborn Heart of Steel

The impossibly bright-colored lights of the police station conference room began to fade, and I wondered how long Zoe and I had been arguing over the finer details of anything we could remember about Mr. Finch or anyone else who might be connected to The Raven. My vocal cords were sore from holding conversations for several hours nonstop and my head ached with anxiety all the time. Hello Brianne,” Detective Reeves said, as he entered the room with all the calmness of a seasoned detective. Behind him attended Evelyn, and her eyes looked slightly triumphant. “Ms. Zoe, Ms. Brianne,” Reeves said, his voice sounded rough but not harsh in any way.

“It seems we may owe you an apology. ” My heart leaped. “You believe us?” Reeves stopped her using a hand gesture. “I don’t want to get too excited just yet though. ” I hesitated. “But the details you gave me about this Mr Finch man were legit. We ran a check on him and discovered some. . . Peculiar associations. ” Evelyn moved to the front of the group, her tone business like. ‘What Detective Reeves wanted to convey was that Mr. Finch, or should I say Samuel Finch, is not entirely on a clean slate of his own, of course, but has indefinitely used numerous allies’ connections to various criminal fraternities and uses skills that perfectly match whatever the Phoenix Organization have in plans. Zoe asked, “So you’re letting us go?” her hope was the most apparent thing in her tone. Reeves shook his head. “No, you are still considered suspects in the current case,” he explained, gesturing to Zoe, “but we are broadening that case. If just some of the things you have claimed here are accurate, then we are dealing with a risk to security. ” I sighed, and quickly remembered how we are not out of the woods yet, as it were. “What about Chase?” I said. “He is still outside being detained by The Raven’s people. ” Central Command continued to monitor the feed. Reeves said, ‘we have initiated an APB on Mr. Chase, every officer in the city is on alert” He paused and the only thing that tightened my stomach was the fact that I didn’t know what he was going to say. It was fast becoming apparent that time was running thin. At that particular time, a young officer who looked aggressive entered the room, full of excitement. ‘The traffic cam has spotted a van that resembles one involved in the observatory attack,’ the officer said, ‘The van is heading towards the old industrial area. ‘ Reeves promptly rose to his feet as soon as those words were said. ‘Okay, gather a team of five people, we will advance in five. ‘ When everyone in the room started boiling, I followed and stood up. “We’re coming with you. ” Sign of the suit The detective turned; his face clouded with suspicion. ‘No you are not. This is a police operation and, as you know, you are still detained. ‘ “I don’t think you’ve had any experience with dealing with my clients, Detective, but I can assure you that they know the ins and outs of this case probably far better than any of us currently on this team”, Evelyn said calmly, “Moreover, I do believe that the nature of information we are dealing with is much better protected if said clients are by our side”. The man hesitated for a few seconds and glared at Reeves before the officer could say something in protest, he simply said yes. “Okay. ” But you remain in the command vehicle at all times. Do you understand that”? We nodded vigorously, hopeful and anxious at the same time. Finally, we ‘are’ doing something. The following one became a series of events. Wearing bulletproof vests, Zoe and I were briefed on the work of police radio. Soon we were rocketing through the streets of the city, in an entourage formation of police cars with blinking lights but with no howling of sirens. When we were closer to the industrial district, silence fell all over the place. The streets were empty of people, the factory buildings outside and tall, like prison watchtowers from what was left of the night. “There,” Zoe indicated at an old damaged building which was a warehouse at the extreme end of the stretch. There was an old-fashioned van outside, which was consistent with the APB. Rawlings was startled and turning to Reeves, whose voice came over the radio, crackled. “Move in everybody, we have a situation similar to a hostage-taking; let us be careful out there. ” In a flash, Reeves was on his feet. ‘Organize a team now. We’re moving in five. ‘ As the room stood up in a flurry, many forming into groups to discuss or argue about some issues, I also joined the mob. All of it was said with clear determination and Zoe blurred the words as she said to him, “We’re coming with you. The detective looked at the stranger, his face turning into a scowl. “Not at all. This is a police action, and you are still under arrest. ” “If I may, Detective,” Evelyn spoke politely, “my clients have unique insight into this case which they gained first hand and might be useful in the field. ” She shook her head. “There is a lot of sensitive knowledge going around and if my clients are to act as the eyes and ears for whoever supports them they should be right next to it. ”

Much to our delight, we were nodding our heads enthusiastically, and that relief and anticipation gushed through me. Finally, we were acting something. The following one was quite a ride of sorts. Bulletproof vests were placed on Zoe and me while we were explaining how the police radios worked. Soon we were roaring through the streets of the city with police cars leading the way, but there was no loud wailing of sirens. I noticed that as we got closer to the industrial district of the city there was a rather creepy silence. The streets were empty, the factories seemed to be abandoned as they stood like ghosts during a shoot-out before the sibilant darkness of the morning. “There,” Zoe whispered with her finger on the map positioned at the entrance of an old and abandoned warehouse. There was a plain vanilla colored van in the parking lot of the said building, which matched the information given out by the police. Using the radio, Reeves said, ” “Everyone, let’s get inside, bear in mind, we kinda have a hostage situation on our hands here, be careful. ” This left me heaving as I observed the movement of the SWAT team, which moved like a well-oiled machine. From all sides, they moved to the warehouse with their weapons drawn. For a long time, nothing happened. With All Deliberate Speed: Then, as it were, the night threw to hurry up, recognizing that something terrible was beginning. Bursts of shots erupted from the windows of the warehouse: the gleam of the muzzles. The SWAT team fired back, while seeking shelter behind cars and several objects. Brianne, look! There was one so common she recognized. ” Zoe pointed at the figure which was moving from one obscure corner at the side of the building to another. A feeling of fear gripped me to the core as I stopped breathing for a second. It seemed to be the familiar face of a man of lean and athletic build, though I could never forget his name. “Chase,” I whispered. I paused but gave reasons a second chance before my body could do the thinking for me, by stepping out of the command vehicle into the dark. “Brianne, no!” Zoe whispered to her back, but I was already on the move, my legs were taking me quickly across the broken paths. I know how to bend and move around and use all kinds of distractions and smoke that the gun fight brought to me. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt like I was being pulled in some kind of direction that told me to stop. But I couldn’t. Not when Chase was so close. ‘ I turned the corner of the warehouse and could barely see in front of me with my hands clenched in fists. There that is, some thirty paces further on some signs of life flickered into existence. I started jogging and within a very short time I was within reach of him. “Chase!” I exclaimed as my voice was drowned in the clarity and persistence of gun shots. He swung around to face me, his face adorned with shock. ‘Bri? What the f… are you doing here?’ I would have answered him, but before I knew it, a shadowy figure appeared from behind Chase. I was about to scream a warning, but I couldn’t do it the moment had passed already. The figure raised an object and smashed it on to Chase’s head, and he fell to the ground. I came to an abrupt halt, gulping down terror that I could easily identify the man leaning over Chase with a menacing look. It was from Mr. Finch, our resident cleaner from our dorms. But missing were the hunch and the shuffle into which we had transformed him when treatment was discontinued. He was the epitome of a villain; tall; dark, and dangerous; his lips curled in a half smile. “Well, well,” he said, and his words, each one, was a growl. They had better be careful lest they run out of animals to study for experiments, as it was stated: ‘Looks like we’ve caught another little bird. ‘ He grabbed me from behind the neck as I attempted to turn and run and, just like the other times, I had nowhere to go. The smell of syrupy sweetness was in my nose, and I knew that a black-out was coming. As consciousness slipped away, I heard Finch’s voice, as if from a great distance: “Both of them,” The Raven decided, “The Raven wants to talk to these pests personally. ” The last thing which opened my eyes was Chase lying still, which was being pulled away, and the worst thought was that I just messed up everything.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

* * * In a concrete fantasy of a distant city, there was a moment when, in the obscure basement, a man was sitting and spending his time before the numerous lines of computer screens. Code numbers on the screens slipped and those were the tunes that were for destruction. The Raven smiled under the mask when the last phases of his plan was in full implementation. Soon the city would catch fire and from the ashes would emerge another regime different from the previous one. It became quieter in the room, a soft ring interrupting his thoughts on the medium-sized screen in front of him. His smile widened as he read the incoming message. ”Package accomplished. Both targets were captured. Waiting for the next order. ” The Raven looked at Zoe and then leaned back, placing his fingers together in front of him. It was an imagination of his desires that could not be seen, but all was going on as he had planned it. Once again, the foolish girl and her friends believed that they could try and restrain him, but they had only served him right. To open a new window he typed a few keys. There was a count-down timer that came alive with some numbers blinking on it. 00:59:59 00:59:58 00:59:57 The Ravens’ laughter resonated within the walls of the bunker a high-pitched croaking sound that held no joy or compassion. “Let the game begin,” he whispered loudly as the city lay sleeping above, unaware of the danger which was slowly counting down.