I hit the pedal and sprint down the road on a bike. I stole—no, I'm borrowing it from old Polly's house. I must move between different locations fast if I want to earn all the points. But I also just realized that there is one thing I've missed when I left the neighborhood. It's not really important, but I can't just get it out now that it exists. Or more like, I can't get out of it.
"Can't you go faster?" Natalie asked from behind. She asked me that question and yet she's gripping my sides tightly.
"Well, I'm bringing a beautiful princess over here. I 'have' to be delicate."
I don't actually go slow, I'm riding just a little bit faster than average and that's only because I have cargo. If only she's not here, I would've already been the Flash.
I can hear her tongue clicks in annoyance. "Don't mind me and just hit it! We have to check the surroundings!"
"I'm trying. Why do you insist on coming anyway? You can just check via everybody's Arrow." I said.
I was unfortunately caught by her when I brought the bike out of Polly's garage. I told her that I was going to check the surrounding for safety measure, and I don't know if this is plot-wise, but she said she's coming with me to check the rest of the places…for the same device—which is exactly what I was planning on doing from the start.
"That device you shot earlier is not a bomb. It's a type of Terra Gemma. I think they're trying to cut communication around the North Tower."
I knew about that. But I have to pretend I don't. "Okay… That's not okay. But I just destroyed it, so it means we're good, right?"
"No! A Crystal Tower can cover a large area. One small device like that can't cut the wave from a single area."
I sweatdrop. I know she's a genius, but I can't believe she's this bright. And it made me realize something I've missed. That there's a high chance of me being suspected if I just check the surroundings by myself. So I guess it's not a bad thing that she comes along. My actions of separating with the others won't be suspected later if I just say that I'm following her orders.
"So you're saying that there couldn't be only one device?" I pretend to ask.
"Exactly! You catch up quick."
I don't remember if this thing happens in the game. I was playing as Rean's team in this mission, and Natalie's not in it, so I wouldn't know. But it doesn't matter now.
"I learnt from the best." I told her.
We enter the semi-downtown area, just after the suburbs. There are still people walking around here, so it seems that the barricade is not in this block.
"Why haven't they evacuated yet…?" She wonders out loud.
"They must've thought since the terrorist attack is in the tower, this place is safe from them. Terrorists have never attacked a residential area before." I said.
The police's barricades are far down the road, and many people are seen to be crowding over there. The tower is just around that corner after all, and the police wouldn't want any more casualties.
"Oh, good. The police are there. We can—Eh?! Where are you going?!" Natalie squeaked when I made a turn.
"Staying away from them." I said.
"What? Why?" She grabs my hip and the pull made me stop the bike. "We could've reported the situation and ask them for help."
I look at her sourly. "No! I want to finish this and quickly go to the tower. Our team is shorthanded without us!" –also because I want to get my points before Rean could.
"Our Go Team has the best students of both of our classes. Why are you worried?"
"Because if we're right… Then they would obviously avoid crowds to plant the device. SO, the police couldn't have known about that. If they know, they would tell us, right? Or at least, you, as the captain. If not, we're not gonna be having this conversation."
"You're not wrong, and yes, they did not tell me. It must've been overlooked. But where would they put it then? It should be nearby, but still within a certain distance to serve as anchors."
"If my memory serves me right, there's a small field nearby. It's no longer used, so there's not much people there. Do you want to check there?" I ask.
"Yes, and quick. If they're there, we can stop them from cutting the communication. Or, we can report the situation quick and ask for backup if situation goes dire."
"Aye aye, cap'n." I pedal again.
In the game, there are three different screens to confuse the players in pinpointing the right location. It's hard to get it right if you don't understand the mind of a criminal. I'm not saying I'm one. It's just that if you're a criminal, you would avoid crowds, that's all. You just have to look at the streets with lesser people.
We made a turn before we arrive in that familiar, quiet downtown road in my memory. There's a closed Chinese restaurant on the right side of the road and a fire hydrant on the left. The small field should be on the left side, in an alley just past that fire hydrant. But that's not the one assuring me that we're in the right location. Instead, it is the grey van parked near that fire hydrant.
I park the bike in front of the restaurant and we stand facing the van at the same time. It doesn't need to be said, that van is already suspicious with its back door slightly open like that.
"That should be it." I hear clacking from her and when I turn to look, she is already holding a baton.
"Where the hell did you pull that out of?" I asked.
"Focus, cadet!" She slaps it on her hand and looks at me sternly.
"Yes, mam!" I instinctively saluted.
"Let's go." She walks across the street menacingly.
'I wonder what happens if she dies now? Will the game end because one of the core characters is dead?' I wonder.
I hear a soft ding from Ozzie and its pop-up appear a little bit on the side now. What's on it surprised me and it made me regret thinking what I just thought of.
***
New mission!
Protect Natalie.
Rewards: ?
***
My jaw drops.
"What the hell, Ozzie?!"
Natalie turns around. "What is it?"
"A-Ah nothing. That's my battle cry." I lied.
"Don't be too loud! They'll hear us!" She scolds me.
"Y-Yes, mam." She turns around and continue.
What's with this sudden mission? Protect her? Are you joking? I should be the one protected by her! She's stronger than me! Why would she need protection from me?!
Besides, there are only two enemies after this. She can easily take them down while I watch in earnest.
I sigh inwardly. "This is gonna be troublesome."
I take my gun and follow her.
There is no one in the car, but I must pretend to be alert to avoid suspicion. So I take position behind the van and point it forward while she prepares to open the door. I nod at her the second she looks at me and she opens it. Like I remember, there's no one inside, so I lower my gun. "Clear."
I spot the wide alley leading to the field and tell her to follow me. "This way."
We enter the alley and follow the path carefully until we reach a slightly wider area that looks like a range of garages. There's a small field with basketball ring on the right side, and surely, like in the game, the enemies are there.
I immediately hide behind the wall, prompting her to do the same.
"How many enemies are there?" She asks behind me.
I count the men. "Three. All rabbit masked and gloomy jumpsuited."
"It's them. What are they doing?" She asks.
"Two are fiddling with the device and one is guarding. A bat, a spear, and a gun."
She pauses for two seconds and then she says. "Alright, here's the plan. I'll distract them while you shoot the device."
"Naa… I got a better idea. I'll be the distraction, and when they follow me, you will make sure the device is destroyed. Savvy?" I smile.
She looks at me. "You are not to kill."
"Oh yeah, I won't. Just a shot to the hand. Then I can run around like a chicken for a while. Just make sure that device is destroyed." I assure her.
I thought it would be hard to convince her like Jake, but she actually agrees. "Alright. I'll come help you when it's destroyed."
"Goochy. And on the off chance I take them down, I'll come back for you, milady." I pretend to bow.
Say it's weird, but fun is how I cope with the harsh reality of my life stories. In the previous world, I wouldn't even want to hold a gun. But it's different here because it's for my survival. I've got no choice.
I aim my gun to the group of enemies. The distance is around 15 meters, but I can't make a clear shot because of the broken fences. Suddenly, I feel strange with the mission the system just gave me. Natalie's not someone weak, so why—
I step forward to close the gap for my shot. But I feel goosebumps so very suddenly and I can also see a silhouette appear on my right. I instinctively roll to my left and I hear a swish coming down. I heard a small clink, and when look to where I was before, I see another terrorist. Not only one, but three more.
"Uh-oh."
I just realized we've just entered an ambush.