This had to be a joke, Jamal watched the temporary wall of fire start to dissipate and be greeted by a row of tarrs and troops. When he was with the group at least, they hadn't noticed any troops or military weaponry in this part of the city. And even still, Jamal should have known that the city was going to be different regardless of what was or wasn't there. But I mean on all his powers, was he really lost in this jumble of concrete and brick.
"You." Jamal heard a voice boom from one of the tarrs as the man took a quick scan.
He finally caught sight of a person pulling themselves out of a tarr near the front as they leaped onto the ground. Although the person looked somewhat familiar, Jamal couldn't exactly pinpoint as to who they were, although this person did have a significant role within the city, that he was sure of.
"It appears that you might have caught me at last." Jamal chuckled, as the troops aimed their rifles toward the man's chest. "Took y'all long enough."
"Just like how it took you about three years to come back?" the man finally made his way to the front. "Yeah, that surely was long enough there."
Jamal was able to take a good look at the man asserting himself among the rest. He didn't have too impressive of a build, although he did appear to make it up with an aura of authority among the forces here. The fact Jamal really had lost the group when he told them to split up once he heard the roars of the engines was already bad enough, but it wasn't going to be a problem if he had found them again. That surely wasn't happening in the current situation at hand, but keeping that thought in the back of his head was going to be vital in escaping the military force.
"I don't have any recollection of you." Jamal finally proclaimed.
"I know you don't. We were pawns in your entire mission, just as you left us right before the siege happened. You know how many people we lost?"
"I keep hearing about this siege, it must have been devastating. Despite that, whoever you are we must have clearly fought for Namo, so surely that must mean something?"
"Ah, the coward that left us just before Youden's forces re-started the battle you stopped. You really don't remember any of us on the gate that night?"
Jamal was a bit perplexed. This man was there that fateful attack was launched against them and throughout the entire ideal decided to side with the man that caused it. Was he being slow or were things not what they appeared to be? It was maddening that after everything he had done for them, there would still be some that were against his work.
"You know, Swern and Tren actually died only a few weeks after you left, bet you never thought about them once you were gone?" Zim helped refocus his mind on the situation.
"Wait." Jamal took a second to remember everything since that day occurred. "You must be-, wait, no. No, no, no, no. Zim?"
With that, Jamal could only watch the commander start to laugh with approval, clutching his stomach. He was still alive after all this time, Jamal had to question, as the other men watched the spectacle. Zim himself continued to chuckle before he slowly collected himself and straightened up.
"Took you long enough, I mean, on my powers, was that sad. I should of know you never cared about us. Go ahead men." Zim shook his head as he moved behind his men. "Kill him and don't let him escape."
As the rifles trained on Jamal, the man himself had already taken in his surroundings. He realized that he was positioned right in an intersection with two of the ways blocked by troops. That only left him with escaping with speed and power if needed. Which he really was going to have to use.
Just as the weapons started firing, Jamal had already disappeared from sight within a few seconds. Zim had only just heaved himself back into the commander hatch of the tarr, when the soldiers under his command shouted at the man's disappearance. Looking around, he quickly forgot that Jamal was so fast, especially with those powers of his. Well damn, he had to give credit where due.
"Hey!" he and the troops heard a loud noise from above.
Turning in the direction, they could see a burning man staring down at him on top of a townhouse roof, completely engulfed in flames. At least that form wasn't a one-time thing, Zim took into account, as the forces took aim.
"You got to be quicker than that." Jamal laughed back at them, "Anyway, I'm not going to fight y'all just yet. Just beware that the time will come, and everything with it in order."
With more bullets spraying into the air, Zim could only watch as his men fired into an afterimage of Jamal, as the remaining flames died down and into nothing. There was no way Youden expected them to kill this monstrosity without any difficulty or repercussions. He would have to hunt this man down before anything further developed and all they worked for would be in vain. And that would definitely not happen under his command.
"Alright men, let's make sure we get this city under lockdown. No one's coming in or out of this place alive. It's time to use our authority once and for all." Zim told the soldiers, before finding a few of the other nearby officers. "We're going to cut off the tumor while we still can. Jamal and any of his companions will die under our names!"
.....
Making his way through the dark alleys, Jamal finally reached the street with the building they'd purchased. Making his way down, he could make out the shape of the building thanks to the lights inside compared to the dusk sky. Due to last-minute planning, he recalled telling the remaining group to meet him back at their city home and not wait or help him, despite their rejections. That decision appeared to pay off in their safety, as Jamal finally reached the building's door.
Knocking rapidly, he stared back into the dark and mostly empty street as he could hear distant shouting within. Perhaps even though he got out with speed, it appeared as if the search for him and the others would be catching up with it.
"Well then, welcome back!" Jamal heard someone say and turned, only for it to be Hops.
"Glad to see you're awake." he simply patted his shoulder as he left himself in.
Inside, there was no one in the lobby considering the eventful day and that was fine with him. At least he wanted to see his family, just as Hops closed the door abruptly. What was that about?
"Oh, sorry for trying to force you to come earlier?" Jamal glanced back at the man, before moving towards the stairs.
"That's alright, I got to continue my training journey more effectively is all. But I'm sure you missed the news, right?"
"What news?" Jamal returned around, as Hops approached him closer.
"When I woke back up and did my training for the day at a local gym, I overheard something over the radio just when I was about to leave. It's not something exactly we want to hear right now, but it's important."
"I mean, it can't be tha-"
"Not only do they truly know about us, thanks to your actions, but they also have the entire city now officially on martial law and lockdown due to it. So good work there." Hops returned the pat on the back from earlier, with Jamal's mouth wide open from all the information. "This is what we're risking, so I know we'll figure out something, right?"