Foxtrot-5 watched closely as the Alieya's aura turned from dominance to being scared. She took a small step back, seemingly unsure what to do next.
"Y-You will not dare to do that. I am armed." The she declared.
Alieya reached for the bag on her shoulder and pulled a small cube-like object, the size smaller than her fist. Foxtrot-5 doesn't know what its called but he had seen the object before. The cube can be thrown after pressing a button in its surface and it will activate itself upon impact. Some cubes could explode. Some could deploy strong threads and bind a target tightly or it could release painful electricity that could render anyone immobile for a while. He was sure that there are also other kinds of cubes that he may have not seen yet before. He had personally experienced the electric type cubes back on the prison. He doesn't know what kind of cube the she was holding, and he doesn't want to find out.
Foxtrot-5 doesn't really want to harm her. He just can't believe how naive she act. Ordering him to do things when they just barely met.
He took a step forward, intending to negotiate when Alieya suddenly screamed and posed to throw the cube she was holding.
He quickly dashed forward and grabbed her closed fist, trapping the cube inside her own fingers.
"Hey, stop! You are getting the wrong idea." He said in a bothered voice.
" You are going to defile me! After I freed you!"
Alieya was struggling wildly that Foxtrot-5 had no choice but to pin her to the wall, grabbing both her hands.
He was surprised to himself how he easily overpowered her, almost effortlessly.
"You-You bast--"
"We are going to stay like this unless you calm down. I was just saying that we could talk this through. Let's negotiate." He said.
After a whole minute of fruitless struggle, Alieya finally stopped resisting. Her body was still tense and her knees shaking a bit.
"There, I will take your cube for now and let's take a seat and talk, Okey." Foxtrot-5 took the cube from her hand and then offered her the seat beside them.
Alieya was still shaking when she took small steps and sat down. Why was everything happening against her plans. She mourned internally.
"Tell me again your offer. Surely you are aware of how dangerous your plan is. You know about the beast. Can you guarantee my safety if ever I accept your terms?" Foxtrot-5 said, tapping the table softly.
"I know that you tracked the beast, I believe that you were once a beast-hunter before you got imprisoned. I know you have the skill. With the right equipment and tools, I'm sure we can capture it together. I will provide all the thing you are going to need." Alieya said, meeting his eyes.
"Are you from the government? or from a certain private sector? If you have all this money and resources, why did you choose me? You could just hire some other hunters or mercenaries." He said, raising his eyebrows.
"The beast was claimed to be a new discovery, and you were able to track it in a single day. I think that you had encountered it before. You know more about the beast than anyone else. You are the right person for this. I had done my research about you." She said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"What made you think that there are other beast like it in the wild? It could be the only one of it's kind." He challenged.
"I don't think so. We will explore the mountains. I'm sure you would be able to track the same kind of beast." She said, not breaking eye contact.
"This is nonsense. What you're asking will just get me killed. I will rather go back to the prison than chase my own death. You can come with me and get your money refunded." Foxtrot-5 stood up from his seat, ending the conversation.
"What? I am offering you your freedom. Your sentence in prison is 25 years, and you just have been there for more than two years. Are you really going to waste this chance?" Alieya also stood up.
"That's the point, I'd rather spend 25 years on the prison. I have no plan of dying early." He said, not bothering to look at her.
Alieya helplessly watched as the man in front of her reached for the front door.
'This can't be happening. I am already too committed to turn back now.' She moaned to herself in frustration as she grabbed her bag and run to follow the man.
"I really need your help in this." She said as she walked closely behind him.
"Of course, You want the fame that will come with it if you managed to capture the beast alive. And I'm telling you it's too dangerous and it could get us killed." Foxtrot-5 said with a sigh.
"Not if we make proper plans and preparations." She countered.
"Are you that eager to die? If you are tired of living, how about you spend the night with me first. Then we can talk about some more in the morning." Foxtrot-5 stopped walking and faced the woman following him.
"Damn you! I'd rather go and hunt the beast alone." She answered loudly. Her cheeks turned red in humiliation at the idea of giving up her purity to some stranger.
She clenched her fist, wanting to punch the man in front of her.
"Okey, then this must be a goodbye. Best of luck to you. I hope you can catch a big, healthy beast." He said, waving his hand as he turned away.
Foxtrot-5 almost choke on himself as he swallowed his laughter. He did not expect that making the her angry would actually work on his favor. He was thinking all this time on how could he stop this woman from trying to involve him from her suicide mission. Now she just said it herself. She would do it alone.
He walked a little faster now, trying to gain more distance before she figured that she had been played.
"Wait! Stop."
Foxtrot-5 chuckled to himself when he heard the woman shouted at him.
'I thought so.' He mocked himself in his mind. It would not be easy to get rid of this woman after all.
"It's getting dark, let's get back to the room." Alieya suggested.
"What?" It was time for Foxtrot-5 to be speechless. 'Is she agreeing to my suggestion already?' He was confused.
"Let's get back inside. We will grab some food and I will explain to you what I know and my theories. The reason I require your help." Alieya said calmly.
"Ohhh. Right." He was only able to say, almost smacking himself in the head for letting his thoughts run wild.
Alieya nodded and walked ahead. She had a bunch theories long before this incident. Mutated beasts have been known to attack humans for a long time. What bothers her was that these beasts socialize with each other and rarely attack other wild animals. It's as if attacking humans was hardwired to their brains. She even thought that some beasts are programmed to specifically attack human. She doesn't have any concrete evidence to back up her claims but the beast incident the other day just reinforced her theories.
Alieya was pondering to herself while they were eating inside their room. Her instincts tell her that the man across the table knows about the specific beast she was after.
"You might not know this, but the two soldiers that survived with you, they died yesterday. Just hours after they get back to the city." She said calmly, looking closely if the man across her would make any reaction.
"Are you certain? But they only got shallow wounds and some scratches. They were all good when we separated on the woods." Foxtrot-5 exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
"I think they were killed." She answered flatly.
"Why? Was it their punishment for accidentally killing the beast?" He asked.
"I don't think so. I believe they were murdered by a certain group. I was studying some blood samples that I got, then my laboratory was burned down."
Alieya watched as the man before her dropped his spoon involuntarily. He seemed quiet shocked by what she was telling him.
"I think that the beast you encountered was genetically engineered. That's the only reason I can think of as to why they are silencing people up. They already killed the two soldiers you were with. There's a big change that they will come for you next." Alieya said in a serious tone, looking at him eye to eye.
"Uhmm. That's some crazy, believable ideas you have there." Foxtrot-5 finally said after a moment of silence.
"I am relieved that you believe me." She said solemnly.
"I said that you have crazy believable ideas, I didn't say I believe you." He said.
"What do you--"
" I don't buy anything you just said. You said the two soldiers were killed, but how did you get that information? Did the military publicly announced it? You're lab was burned down? No, I think you're just making things up."
"It's true that my lab was burned. I swear. I heard the news about the soldiers elsewhere. But if it was true, then both of our lives are in grave danger." She said, raising her voice.
She stood up from her seat and pulled the camera from her bag. She showed him her last recorded log the night before. Then she showed him the footage of her burned house.
"That's me in my lab last night. Now that's my house this morning. I'm sure that whoever did this could have easily killed me if they wanted to. And I'm not going to give them that chance again." She declared. Her eyes full of determination.
----------
Back on the prison, loud scream and cries could be heard across the hall. Only this time, the sound was not coming from the prisoners being tortured. It was coming from the prison chief tied on his office chair.
"Let's try it one more time. Who came in to release the prisoner with identity tag of Foxtrot-5." A all man sitting across the table said calmly.
"I already told you, It was his wife. She just came in earlier and paid all the charges. You have already seen the papers. I'm telling you the truth." The prison chief wailed.
His uniform was already ripped, exposing his fat blood-stained belly. He had already soiled the carpet on his own office with all the pain he received from this strangers.
Only an hour ago, everything was running normally as it should be. He just received a large amount of money as a release payment for the prisoner. Of course he intentionally raised the price by a few percent as the woman looked rich. She claimed to be the wife, and he didn't really care. Few things only fancy his attention. Money, good food, and the entertainment of watching the routines of the prisoners.
He was counting his share of the money when this group of men arrived and asked for the same prisoner he just released. When he told them the the man was released, all hell broke lose. Now, the lifeless bodies of the prison guards are everywhere and he's bound to his own chair. Stripped of all dignity like the prisoners underground.
"Prisoner Foxtrot-5 doesn't have a wife. He doesn't have a family. Are you telling me that your prisoner got married while he was imprisoned here? Under your watch?" The masked man in front of him said and slammed the table between them.
"I'm telling the tru--"
The prison chief's answer was cut off short with the violent lash of whip across his face.
"You're lying! You corrupt dog!" The masked man across him shouted back.
"This trash of a man is useless. You can dispose of him." Another masked man standing by the door suddenly said.
The stinging pain on his face was the last thing the prison chief felt before a bullet went through his head.
The masked group of men did not bother to clean up the mess or even hide the dead bodies. They just ransacked the whole room, looking for any clues that would lead them to Foxtrot-5.
"This marriage certificate is fake. Also this other supporting documents. I am certain that the name of the woman is also fake." One of the masked men said, holding out a folder filled with papers.
"Yes, If this prison chief just wasn't so greedy for money, he would have easily saw through this fraud." Another one seconded.
"Just keep looking. How about the surveillance tape, can't we still identify the woman?" The man who seemed to be the leader spoke calmly. There was no rush in his voice. Everything was still under his control. His name was Jagen. He was the commander of this group of mercenaries.
Their employer has just asked to bring the body of the prisoner Foxtrot-5, at all cost. They could bring him alive or dead. Their employer doesn't care much.
Jagen's group was just one of the rouge and unregistered mercenary groups. They do things like sabotage, assassination and kidnapping. Anyone could have their service if the price was just met. The job was simple enough, extract a single prisoner out. Half of the payment has already been paid and the other half will be upon the completion of the job.
"Boss, I cross referenced all the surveillance footage from the prison entrance and was able to trace their location. I know where they are." A man declared as he entered the room.
That's the kind of words he wanted to hear. Jagen nodded. He ordered his men to clear out. They made the place look like it had been robbed before they left.
'Two villages away from here, huh. I would still have a lot of time to enjoy myself later.' Jagen said, already thinking about the brothel he frequently visit. A sadistic smile formed in his lips.