I rose up into the night sky, and my drones came and helped me keep going up. There was no way for me to even let go now, but I didn't expect to survive this. The biggest problem was that I couldn't create boosters to get me farther away, but my drones were working their asses off to get me higher.
'Caleb?! What are you doing?! Kilna said you are still holding the Fireball!?' Fawna called on the comms.
'Yeah, I am not going to be able to let it go, but I should be high enough to keep the damage from the city,' I replied plainly as a calm took over my body. The Fireball was getting closer to critical, but I couldn't believe how long this Fireball was lasting. If I had dodged it, the fire would have torn through the city, and Orion did this without a second thought.
'Why are you protecting everyone?! Shouldn't you be worried about... really?! They are that important?!' Fawna said, pausing to get my answer.
'They are my sheep, and they don't produce if they are dead. My fight is with the bastards that don't understand this, like Ned and the rest of the Order,' I said as my last moment counted down. 'Are all the Mindless contained? I placed cameras in their cells, so you should be able to watch them for now, but I want everyone to stay out of the warehouse.'
'Why is this important?! I only see you getting blown to bits right now! What is the point in you telling us this if you are just going to die?!' Fawna demanded, but it was at that moment that the Fireball went critical.
I was already stepping out of my change area in my skeleton and sent drones off to go retrieve the rest of me that just got sprayed all over the city.
'...You're not dead, are you…?'
'I don't have time to be dead,' I said as I looked at the cages with the tranquilized Mindless, walking over to the one that held the girl. 'Miles, I am taking control of your black knight and sending the rest of mine back. Everyone else is relieved from duty, but I suggest you stay inside for tonight.'
'Huh? That is it? What about Alizra? You have to know that she was the one that sold you out, right?' Kilna piped up.
'Yes, I knew from the beginning this would happen, even before she was asked. Ned was clear that he was going to take any chance that he could get. I am sure he knows that I am not dead, but I am in no position to be moving around in the open yet. I will be sending guards to go and kidnap her right now, and then I will decide how to deal with things,' I said, and then walked over to a place to create a table, but nothing happened other than a warning that too many Nanobots were out of range for me.
'Kidnap her? You know what you are talking about, right? Kidnapping one of the most powerful women in the city? Do you honestly think that she will, or the others of the Manta Clan will just let you do it?' Kilna asked in disbelief as I started for my office, where they all were.
'She is either going to come with me, or something bad is going to happen to her, and she owes me payment,' I said, and then opened the door to the office.
"Ned is not going to try taking down Alizra. She is too good at keeping her records clean," Kilna said as I walked over to my desk.
"That doesn't seem to be the case. According to Thomas, they have something on her, and she is the next one to go down," I replied as I started to pull up the map of the city so I could track all my bugs.
I might have made this skeleton too minimalistically because I had lost most of my functions, and I have basically no use of my Nanobot. Next time I would have to make sure I left enough to function, just in case I needed to go back out. According to my drones, it was going to take well into the afternoon before they were able to retrieve the rest of my body.
"Okay, and this is nothing against Alizra, but wouldn't it be better to just let her get caught? What does it matter to you?" Kilna asked, and I turned my head from my computer.
"If Ned wants her gone, then I want her to stay. She is in a bad position currently, and I am going to save her so that she owes me. Pretty simple," I said, and then turned back to the screen to decide what to do next, but Kilna wasn't done.
"Do you really think that she will keep her word?" Kilna almost demanded, and I looked back with narrowed eyes.
"Spit it out, or shut the fuck up. If there is a reason that I shouldn't save her, then tell me; if not, get back to work," I said in a cold voice, but Kilna kept her eyes locked with mine.
"She will just use you and then toss you. Alizra's kindness is only on the surface, and she has no qualms about torturing people and blackmailing. Consider that before you jump to save her," Kilna said and then put her headset down.
I was about to grill her about it, but I caught a look from Fawna. She was shaking her head no to me.
That was frustrating, but I could see now that Kilna was shaking. Whatever was going to transpire between us was not going to be helpful, it seemed, but I wanted answers. I already had two of the five knights heading to her. The other three were doing the best that they could repair the damages that had been caused, also putting out any fires.
"Everyone but Fawna is dismissed, and I will see you all at 8am in this office. Do not make me wake any of you," I ordered, and Kilna was the first to get up and nearly slam the headset down as she left the room.