Slezzy sped his steps out of the O.R.
— Where are you going? — confronted Jean.
— I need to go to that hospital! I need to see Agent Sanches! — replied the boy, with a worried tone.
— The Western Hospital is exactly twenty minutes away, not to mention the traffic and the crowd of the streets... if you go with a car. And before he gets there, Sanches will probably be in the operating room — Yuki refuted. — You could only visit him from here for long hours... or even days...
— I don't care! I'll go there! Even if it's on foot!
Slezzy returned to walking. Then Jean accompanied him. However, before he could reach him, Yuki asked him while speaking a little loudly:
— Who's that guy, Jean?
Without interrupting his steps, the boy replied:
— Don't you remember the NCC gossip? His name is Slezzy Kaliman.
— "Kaliman"!? I think I heard it somewhere... — Whispered.
Jean, in a hurry, decided not to extend the conversation, finally leaving the room.
*
— Hey, Slezzy! — said the Agent amorenado, responsible for the FMA ordinance — Where are you going in such a hurry?
The boy was no longer wearing the white clothes of training. He wore his old social clothes with simple blue pants. In addition to carrying your backpack.
— I need to go to Western Hospital! — he answered, panting.
— You're not planning on walking, are you?
— Are you willing to help me, Agent Henegan? I think that would be a great parting gift!
— What? Don't tell me you failed the final exam!
Slezzy noticed, from the sound of noisy footsteps, that Jean was running towards him, just behind him, from the main door of the building.
— Han? What are you doing here!? — asked Slezzy, turning around.
— Better stay here, Slezzy! — he warned, sighing. — The city is in chaos! There are protesters everywhere!
— I'm sorry, but I think I'm gonna have to ignore you.
— What is so important about this agent!?
The climate was intended from the question.
Slezzy took a few steps forward, approaching the blond boy.
— Um... Thanks to that man... I was able to experience all these last days, right here, in this institution, escaping my old extremely boring and tedious routine. He was the only one who matched my attitude... that day I "stood up" to my superiors, as the gossip goes. But on the other hand, now I can finally see...
— Um? — Henegan frowned.
— ... THAT NONE OF THIS WAS WORTH IT! The FMA and all other higher institutions will always despise what comes from below, but... until when? How long will they leave the hard work to the inexperienced? Is this fair to you?
— And let the bandits of this city dominate all the streets? — refuted the blonde boy. — Have you seen the size of Maple? All sectors of the NCC must have, together, four times the number of FMA soldiers! Isn't that fair enough?
— Funny... you talk as if the streets were not already dominated by mafias! — concluded Slezzy, with an ironic smile.
A strongcar approached the gatehouse while the two were still staring.
Two military men in greenish clothes got out of the car and walked to Agent Henegan. One of them was Saith, and he was holding a heavy rifle.
— I think it's best to leave the gate open, Henegan. All the other cars are returning — said the shooter.
— What happened? — Slezzy asked the strong man who had just arrived.
— As dusk approaches, we lose all remaining assailants.
— So, since you're unoccupied, you could help this young man get to Western Hospital, Agent Saith! — suggested the amorphous Agent.
— Han?
— It's a long story, sir, but I really need to go! — added Slezzy. — I need to see Agent Sanches!
— Ah, yes! How could I forget? Old Sanches' new cub! But of course, boy! Get in the car! The only thing I have left to do is fill out the paperwork, but it barely matters now.
Saith and Slezzy walked together to the doors of the same armored car.
— You know that this will resonate all over the world, don't you? — commented Henegan, before Saith left the place.
— Yes. Unfortunately. Everyone will throw the FMA against the wall! — he replied, scratching a part of his face with his right hand.
— Hey... Slezzy... — Jean used to say as Slezzy pulled the vehicle door. —
We're not done with that conversation!
— Han? — Slezzy fixed his gaze on the boy, through the glass window of the door.
— So don't die until I prove you wrong!
— Don't worry, Jean! — replied with great conviction. — I will prove that the military inequality of this city will not stop me from ending all those bastards!
Soon, Saith started the engine of the vehicle. Then they headed to the hospital.
Jean and Henegan faced each other briefly, while the armored car was leaving.
*
After twenty minutes, Slezzy was inside the Western Hospital, on the first floor, accompanied by Saith.
They approached an employee of the reception.
Saith pulled a card out of one of his pockets and showed it to her, saying:
— I need to know which room Agent Sanches is in.
The employee looked at the card at first sight and then replied briefly:
— Room number eighty—two on the top floor!
— Thank you very much, miss! — the sniper headed towards the nearby elevator, accompanied by Slezzy.
Inside the elevator, Slezzy questioned the military:
— Since when do you know Agent Sanches?
— Um... it's been a few years... actually, long years. We even got to train together once. However, Sanches did not have his due recognition, since there is not much to do against the decisions of the "guys up there". It's an endless supremacy.
— Wow! You're the first military man I've seen with that kind of idea.
— Many have this thought, but prefer to hide in small cases and live with their considerable wages, without any kind of attitude. It's enough for them. Simple as that.
Slezzy was impressed with it.
The elevator doors opened and soon the two left, watching the corridor as they unlocked it. At the same time, the young man taunted the shooter with more questions:
— Saith... since you think so, why don't you take action?
The shooter laughed instantly.
— Do you think it's that easy, boy? Do you happen to have any ideas?
— Um... how about... unite all the military institutions? You know!? Forming a single... that received the same conditions... the same training! I mean, why the hell do we have so much diversity in one city? Sometimes I think we're treated like a state... or a country... I don't know!
— We are no state or country..., but we have criminal rates higher than some. And, even if your idea is within the "ethical parameters", none of this would apply stably in practice in the face of the type of government we currently live... completely corrupted and flattered.
— Man...! How can you settle for that so quietly?
Saith did not respond by viewing room number eighty—two.
The door had a type of glass display. Soon, the two began to observe Agent Sanches, who was on a large bed, with some wires connected along his bloody body.
Some doctors with special clothes surrounded the bed.
A nurse who was inside approached the door and opened it.
— Nurse... how is he? — asked the shooter.
Slezzy, sad, watched the state in which Sanches was, remembering all the little moments he had spent by his side.
— He is in an extremely serious state! — he replied, frightened by Saith's clothes. — We're going to need urgent surgery to remove the two internal projectiles that are causing blood loss.
Suddenly, one of the devices connected to the Agent's body began to beep, causing a squeeze in Slezzy's heart.
Sanches' heart rate fell rapidly.
— WE NEED TO START SURGERY... NOW! CLOSE THAT DAMN DOOR! — one of the doctors shouted.
The nurse obeyed him, closing and locking the door, blocking the glass display with a curtain.
Outside, it was only possible to hear the slightest noises of conversations between doctors and nurses, as well as the sound of appliances.
— Satisfied? — asked Saith, with a tone of anger and concern, taking steps out of there.
— Where are you going? — asked the boy, misunderstanding.
— There's nothing else to do here, asshole.
— And the talk of taking action? Will you really settle for all this shit... WHILE AN OLD FRIEND DIES RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU?
Saith turned. He realized that Slezzy was overwhelmed by the strong emotions, amid the tears running down his chin. He answered quietly:
— Ah, it is!? Why don't you take some action yourself?
Those words silenced the boy, stopping him completely.
All that remained was to observe the exit of Saith through the poorly lit corridor.
Finally, his mind was taken by some memories:
The images of the first day he had taken to the streets of Maple on behalf of the NCC; his conversations with Sanches; the dialogue with Emmeline about the police career; the time he was appointed to FMA training; the conversation with Shane and Helena; the moment he failed the final examination by Roy; the images of the assailants fleeing; the bloody body of Sanches.
Finally, the boy remembered the visit of those demons.
Slezzy was filled with anger. He was no longer content with that situation.
Outraged, he really wanted to change everything after Saith's words.
Soon, he also remembered the black contract he had hidden in his backpack for weeks.
Assimilating all the events, Slezzy finally concluded that he had a great reason to consider the agreement of the demons.
Surrounding that floor, the boy found a way to access the top of the hospital, through some private access stairs.
With no staff in sight, Slezzy rose quickly.
Upon reaching the top, the young man removed the contract from his backpack, throwing it away in the sequence.
After observing and even re—reading that piece of black paper, kneeling on the cold ground, Slezzy stared at the darkened sky full of thundering clouds.
A few drops of water began to fall.
He watched much of the city and even the thunderstorms that dominated a distant sky miles away.
Looking closer at that paper, Slezzy noticed some signatures written in blood, on the back, hardly visible. Curious, he removed a flashlight from his backpack, pointing it against the black sheet.
From there, he could clearly identify several names:
"Daheon, Mabil, Houl, Von, Falgar, Tarko, Falvo, Esel, Parim."
"What the hell is that? Um... maybe it's previous signatures..."
Then the boy pulled a small knife from the waist, placing it on top of the other hand, slowly, still thinking about such an idea.
Due to the shaking of his hands, the young man crashed, cutting himself, dropping some blood on the black contract.
At the fall of the first drop of blood, which collided with the contract by sudden lightning, the creatures emerged before Slezzy.
It was the Sam Brothers.
The appearance of those demons had not had any change, because they still had the same black clothing. In addition to necklaces and silver accessories.
The lights of nearby buildings caused a great highlight to its wings.
— Well... well... Look, Haram! Who reconsidered his will! — Hiram exclaimed, laughing maleficently.
— Answer me one thing... — Said Slezzy, ignoring the comment of that demon, although he was totally shivered. — Can you assure me... that I will change the course of this city... after my signature...?
The brothers stared at him for some time, curious. Until Hiram crouched down, answering him with a smile:
— Honestly!? We can't guarantee that, Slezzy, but I'm sure things will get a lot more interesting from now on!
Boldly, Slezzy cut his hand superficially with his knife.
The amount of water drops from the oncoming rain grew as Slezzy approached his right hand from the black contract.
By supporting the knife on the contract, the young man traced his first name, making the blood that flowed from the other hand as "paint".
Slezzy paused his signature in the middle of his name, suddenly provoking the demons, sharply anxious.
— How can I sign a contract without knowing what I'm agreeing to? Like for example... "Gankkai" or "Heart of Shadows"!?
— You'll never know if you don't sign it! — Haram said.
Slezzy was filled with fury and determination, again signing the rest of the name.
After writing the last letter, Slezzy realized the smile of the Sam Brothers.
A kind of golden orange came out of the piece of paper, surrounding the three in sequence. It was flaming, but mysteriously burned nothing.
After a few seconds, the aura dissipated over the air amid heavy rain.
Slezzy felt a sudden puncture in his heart, which almost caused his fall completely on the ground. Soon, Hiram drew a type of black tunic of matte tone, composed of an unusual fabric, handing it to the young man later.
— Han? — replied the boy, confused. — What is it?
— I bet you will love to know the World of Demons! — said the creature.