BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Aaahhh!" The hostages screamed. They had their heads down the whole time, so they didn't witness what came next.
Under the watching eyes of the doctor and medic, Ares narrowly dodged the bullets that flew past her and instantly closed the distance between her and Kyle.
"What the-"
Kyle didn't finish what he was about to say when he felt his heart drop and tried to take another shot at Ares. But he was too slow. Ares grabbed the gun from his grasp and lightly flicked his forehead. It wasn't just a normal flick because with Ares's inhuman strength it was enough to knock a grown man out cold.
Bah!
A faint striking sound was made from impact and Kyle's unconscious body dropped to the floor, leaving the gun in Ares's hand.
"What the f*ck?! Kyle!!!"
Thomas, on the other hand, started to panic and began shooting at her recklessly. More rounds of bullets flew in her way. Ares felt a rush course through her body. It traveled to her legs, enhancing, and strengthening them. At a monstrous speed, she nimbly sidestepped, steering clear of the bullets, and rushed forward.
"Sh*t." Thomas cursed.
He was frustrated and frightened when he saw that none of his shots hit the target. "Is he even human?" He blurted out. With a rough turn of his heels, he attempted to run away because this person wasn't someone he could take on even when he had a gun. He thought he could get away but when he turned around that person was already there, and his heart dropped in his chest.
At the sight of Thomas trying to run away, she rushed towards him and appeared right at the moment Thomas turned around. She witnessed his face drained of color that can be compared to snow and a horrific expression plastered on it. Like Kyle, with just a flick of her finger, Thomas was knocked out and his weapon confiscated before he could do or say anything. She easily took control of the situation.
The doctor and medic, who witnessed the whole thing, were flabbergasted. It didn't even take their savior more than fifteen seconds to take down each of the captors. And when that's not all, he defeated them with just a flick of a finger. Which was unbelievable.
"You saw that too, right?" The doctor asked the medic, looking for confirmation.
And the medic simply answered, dumbfounded, "Uh-huh."
Just how strong was he? They weren't able to see his countenance, but that strong dominating figure will forever be carved into their memory. Their bodies unknowingly started to relax at the sight of their unconscious captors.
The ringing sound of the gunshots settled, and the hostages slowly looked up to find the captors knocked out cold, and a figure that stood, towering over their unconscious bodies. Because they weren't able to see what he looked like, they all started to assume that their benefactor was a "he".
If they found out that he wasn't a "he" but a "she", and a nine-year-old at that, they would surely die from shock.
Ares felt their stares and chose to ignore them as she disassembled the gun like a professional. Parts and pieces of the firearm fell to the ground, creating a faint clink sound. Knowing that the lives of the people she saved changed, didn't make much of a difference to her. Because she felt neither proud nor happy, just emptiness.
She turned to look at the two men and said, "Save her."
For the first time since she was freed from that hellhole, Ares spoke. Her voice was monotonous, neither deep nor high but it had a sort of magnetic allure that can turn heads. It made it hard for listeners to tell her gender. So, they still believed that she was a "he".
Her voice even attracted the attention of the two men and other hostages, leaving all of them staring at her dazed. They stood there, looking astonished. They were utterly speechless as they watched their savior walk away. "Thank you!" The doctor spoke up in a hurry before turning his attention to save the captor's female companion.
Ares didn't say anything and left Quinn Myers in their capable hands because she knew better than anyone that due to her intervention Quinn Myers will live.
At the same time, the law enforcement prepared to move in with snipers on the rooftops, ready when needed. "First Squad, take the EMS entrance. Second squad, you're with me. Let's get moving," Special Agent Montreal ordered, taking his firearm from its holster.
Not a moment longer the law enforcement stormed in taking the door down in their way and in a split second Ares hid behind a curtain. When they were all occupied, trying to keep the situation under control, and when no one was looking, she slipped away unnoticed.
"Clear! Someone get a doctor over here!" Montreal shouted.
When they broke through those doors, they were astounded to find two of the captors unconscious and the other one on a hospital treatment bed being saved by a doctor and the medic they sent in. When Special Agent Montreal was busy instructing his men, Detective Cross scanned the ER for Ares and found no signs of her. He was relieved at first but felt frustrated afterward.
Just where could she be?
After Ares got away unseen, the ER was quickly overrun by news reporters and law enforcement. Soon, news of a mysterious hero, who single-handedly took down two armed men and saved 19 hostages in the process, was shown on every news broadcast across the United States.
With the whole situation being handled by the police, Ares immediately went to find Alexandra and her mother.
Before she parted with them, she was able to see where she decided to hide, so she had no problem finding them. Along the way she found Alexandra's mother, Bridgette, just where she expected her to be, running around searching for something. Or someone.
Ares didn't want to waste time, so she went ahead to get Alexandra. She walked down the same corridor that led to her room but stopped at a supply closet that's three doors down.
The hospital was so hectic that nobody took notice of Ares, slipping into an employee-only supply closet. When inside the closet, she removed her disguise and the mask on her face without delay, tossing it to the side. There were rows and rows of shelves with hospital supplies, neatly shelved and stored away. She walked straight down toward the back of the room till she came to the last aisle of supplies. The room was slightly lit, but it was bright enough for her to take notice of a small figure just in the corner. That small figure was Alexandra.
Alexandra had her back against the wall with her arms, hugging her legs to her chest. She was shaking from fear and kept her head down, not wanting to see whatever was going to happen that she wasn't even able to hear.
Ares looked at her and she somehow saw herself in her. For unknown reasons, this scene made her want to protect her more. She came forward and went on her knees, slowly reached out to gently stroke Alexandra by the arm.
Alexandra jumped at the feeling of someone's touch. It took everything in her to raise her head, but she still did. Little by little, she lifted her head, and when she looked up to find Ares, she almost immediately leaped at Ares, wrapping her arms around her neck. They didn't speak a word, but Ares could hear her whimpering, so she patted her on the back, soothing her.
It was only when Alexandra calmed down did Ares remove her and signed, "I found you. Now let's go find your mom, okay?"
Alexandra simply nodded her head, beaming at the idea of finding her mom. Although she couldn't wait to see her mother, she was still rattled by the recent event, so she held Ares's hand as they looked for her mother.
While Ares and Alexandra were on their way back to the garden, Special Agent Montreal had just finished wrapping up the scene and approached Detective Cross who just got off the phone with the hospital's security team, "I hope you found your girl after that whole thing you pulled?"
Before Detective Cross could answer, he saw his wife walking in his direction with a hopeful look, "James! Did you find her?"
Again, he was cut off, "Maya! Maya! Help me please! You have to help me!" Alexandra's mother came running, begging.
Maya, who was still overwhelmed with Ares's disappearance, became more distressed at the sight of Bridgette.
"What happened?"
"Ma'am, what's wrong?"
Detective Cross and Maya asked at the same time.
"My daughter, Alexandra, I lost her. We were supposed to hide for a game you know. But then shots were fired. An-And I-I lost her. I lost her," Bridgette started breaking down.
When Bridgette left with her daughter to hide for a game she promised to join, everything was calm and peaceful. But then all hell broke loose. A swarm of people ran in their direction. She tried to escape with her daughter, but they got caught in a violent stampede of people panicking. The collision felt like a wave had crashed into them. She lost hold of her daughter and vanished into the crowd which is why she's currently running around looking for her, terrified.
Special Agent Montreal, who was standing on the side heard everything and radioed for his men to be on the lookout for anyone that fits Ares's and Alexandra's description. All he knew was that they were two little girls - one who is nine and the other who is eleven. He was able to give a full description of Alexandra but not Ares.
"I have my men on the lookout for both of them. Don't worry. I'm sure they're fine," Montreal interjected.
He had the whole S.W.A.T unit and his team on the lookout and still hasn't found signs of any of the two.
Bridgette was on the phone, calling her husband and Detective Cross was comforting his wife, trying to persuade her that what happened to Ares wasn't her fault.
While they, the concerned party, were trying not to lose their heads, Montreal stood there, keeping an eye out till someone grabbed his attention.
From the direction of the garden, he saw a girl with long silver hair and electric blue topaz eyes, walking towards them with a kid by her side. There were no words that could describe how beautiful the girl was. Her uniquely tall stature made her look like a professional model. Her slender figure was a wicked temptation, but she doesn't even know it.
Her looks were aesthetically beautiful. Unearthly to a point. Montreal has never seen anyone this beautiful, and she caught his attention.
He wanted to approach her, to strike up a conversation. He contemplated whether he should ask for her number or to ask her out to dinner. But he was instead shoved to the side by Maya, who moved the moment she caught she saw Ares.
"Ares!" She ran towards her, embracing her.
The height difference between the two of them was slightly significant, that Maya's head barely reached her chin, and she could only wrap her arms around Ares's waist.
When Ares was finally in her sight and arms she unconsciously started to relax and was relieved. At some point, she let go of her and her eyes traveled along Ares's body, checking to see if she was injured. Thankfully, she wasn't and Maya's heart at long last settled down.
Ares, on the other hand, was frozen stiff the moment Maya embraced her. Because she changed a lot of things that were supposed to happen, she didn't see this coming. She wasn't sure what to do so the only thing she could do was nothing and just stood still.
But for reasons, even she can't come to understand, she felt a warmth spread from the pit of her stomach and traveled to the core of her heart. It was a different kind of warmth compared to when she felt the heat of the sun on her skin.
It was like a flame had been set ablaze in the dark place where she buried the 9-year-old 'her'. The 'her', who was confined in a 50 square feet room and was cut, torn apart, burned, squashed, drugged, and used as an experiment subject. The 'her' who would've gone crazy if it wasn't for her ability to see a person's [life]. For the first time in her life, she felt at peace and she didn't want to stop feeling it.
"Alexandra!!!" Someone shouted in surprise.
It was Bridgette, who instantly ran to Alexandra and took her in her arms, crying with joy.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She rushed to sign.
Alexandra shook her head with a weak smile, "I couldn't find you, so I hid in a room. But then Ares found me. I was really scared, Mommy." Alexandra started to cry again, and Bridgette could only hold her to calm her.
"I'm sorry. Mommy is sorry," she cried out as she signed.
At the same time, Montreal, who was watching from the side, as usual, didn't fully understand what was happening but he had a bad feeling.
"That girl, who is she?" He asked Detective Cross.
"She's the one I was looking for."
'The one that he was looking for?' Montreal internally asked and his stomach churned. "Didn't you say you were looking for a 'child'?"
"I did. She's the child I was looking for. Why?" Detective Cross answered, looking at Montreal with a confused look.
"Why do you call her a 'child'? She looks at least 20 years old."
"She looks 20 but she's 9."
"Nine-TEEN?" Special Agent Montreal thought he had heard him wrong.
"No. She's NINE. YEARS. OLD. N-I-N-E." Detective Cross spelled out slowly then walked to his wife, calling out to him, with a weird look directed at Montreal, leaving him by himself.
Bah! Montreal slapped himself then turned to look at Ares and slapped himself again. He bowed his head in shame.
To think that he almost approached a 9-year-old girl for inappropriate reasons. He almost robbed the cradle. Was he a pedophile?
'I'm not! How was I supposed to know that she was nine years old when she looked like THAT?!' He shouted internally.
"Sir!"
One of his team members called out, causing him to cease his thoughts. He rushed over with a phone in his hand, handing it to Special Agent Montreal. When he saw the caller ID, he said, "What is it, Penelope?"
"So long story short, I monitored all the 9-1-1 calls that were made in the hospital's proximity because you know I'm very thorough and all. But then I came across a tip call that was flagged as a prank call. The call came in five hours before the shooting, reporting a potential shooting. Coincidence? I think not," a female voice spoke from the other end of the phone.
"A tipped call? Play it," Montreal said.
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
Click! With the sound of a push of a button the recording of the call played.
[9-1-1. What's your emergency?] The sound of the dispatcher's voice answered.
[There's going to be a shooting in the Emergency Room at St. Andrews Hospital on Petersburg Street at 14:38 military time. There will be hostages. The three suspects go by the names Quinn Myers, Thomas Grainger, and Kyle Boone. They are armed and dangerous.] A woman's voice said.
[I'm sorry Ma'am can you repeat-] The call ended.