"Where did he go now?" It was a moment of desperation as it dawned on them that one of them was missing.
What was more disturbing was the fact that they could not tell whether he was in danger or was just avoiding them purposefully. Regarding the manner in which he had behaved with them since they met up as a team, he could be doing that on purpose. But they could not be so sure.
"What do we do now?" Claire lamented. Hopelessness was evident in her voice.
"We can only go back and look for him because he has the eggs!" Frank said.
"No! We can't! I am not going back in there!" Joel said.
"Then We all lose this task!" Frank reminded him.
"Yes! We can't complete the mission, not without the other eggs. We shall lose 1 reform Quarters each. Let us go look for him!" Linda who had been silent all along said and began leading the way back.
Frank followed. The other two resignedly followed for they had no other choice. Frank tried to contact Zu Shi on this one but she refused to reply. He pushed his disappointment away and caught up with Linda.
"Hey Linda, I meant to ask you earlier about that spray which you used in the morning!"
"Oh that one! What about it?"
"Am..uh.. it was so powerful! Where did you get it?"
"It is a common spray used by many beginner evolvers. It is sold in all the pharmacies around!" The way she said it Frank felt like he had been slapped on the face! It was something that he was expected to know yet he didn't!
Damn it!
"Muro!"
"Muro!"
"Muro!"
They walked back into the forest shouting his name trying to find him. But nothing whatsoever indicated his presence.
Ding!
All their communication devices vibrated at the same time.
[One hour remaining to the end of task duration. Hurry up!]
It was like an arrow had pierced their hearts! The task was to end at exactly 5 that evening. It was now exactly 4.00 pm.
Linda looked at Frank. He understood her unspoken question.
"No we can't get any farther. We have to go back now so that at least in 20 minutes or so we shall be out of the forest!" he said.
Still Linda looked at him. He didn't know what she expected more because he thought from there their next line of action was obvious. Seeing their blank stares he gaped also.
"I mean what then do we do? Do we proceed to the centre without the eggs?"
"Yes! At least we shall get to explain what happened. Luckily I have one extra egg here. So we shall have 21 out of 25. That won't be so bad!"
"But the time! We can't reach the centre on foot within this remaining time! We shall still lose this mission!" Joel had understood the problem. That is when Frank realized their worry but still he didn't see why it was a problem.
"Guys! We can summon the Falcon8 and it will fly us to the centre within a couple of minutes!" he answered matter- of – factly.
"Falcon8?"
"Summon?"
"What is That?"
Ding!
[50 minutes to the end of task duration]
At that point Frank realized none of them had ever summoned a falcon8. Neither did they have knowledge of its existence. He had secretly asked Zu Shi about the distance from where he could summon the vehicle. The PDA had told him that it would cost him 225 credit points from their point of entry into the forest.
"Look! Do all of us have more than 225 credit points?" he asked. They nodded but still looked confused!
"Great! Let us dash for the open space outside the forest. Do not be left behind and if you hear anything suspicious raise an alarm!"
They all rushed back and in 20 minutes time they had reached their entry point. Meanwhile Frank had asked Zu Shi if there was a falcon8 vehicle for five people and the answer was a positive one.
Just seconds after arriving at the place and all their eyes had turned to Frank, their gazes shifted to an aircraft like vehicle that descended before them!
Within six minutes they were at the centre. With their hearts palpitating and minds pondering on what they would say, they timidly made their way towards the main hall. Many teams had similarly reported and others were even leaving, happily. They seemed to be the only team with somber appearances.
But just before they entered the hall various sounds of amazement from people outside captured their attention. They turned and looked towards the people. They were looking up in the sky!
"Wow!" They exclaimed in wonder as an eagle majestically descended and upon it sat none other than Muro!
They were stupefied!
"Zu Shi, is that another ride available to us?" Frank immediately enquired.
[No! That is N.U.R.O rescue vehicle only used in higher emergencies. It seems your friend got himself into a big trouble]
"What is it? Where did he GO?"
[Insufficient Authority to state]
"Damn!" Frank cursed. He needed to know what Muro was up to.
{Ladies and gentlemen, give priority to members of AAA5 TEAM to access the hall. Members of AAA5 TEAM please proceed to inner chamber 002 for a detailed analysis}
"What the hell is going on!"
"Oh oh! This is not good!"