Folorunsho held his breath for several more seconds after cutting the wire. He waited anxiously to be met by a baptism of shrapnel and fire, ripping his flesh off his bone and turning what remained into dust. Instead, he was met with a call. Folorunsho felt his heart jump as his ringtone suddenly filled the room. He pulled his phone out and saw it was Diane who was calling. A sigh of disbelief left his body. By some miracle, he had managed to disarm the bomb. He had lived.
"Ahoy," He said as he answered the call.
"Have you found the bomb?" Diane asked.
"Yeah. And by some miracle, I managed to disarm it. Any luck on your end?"
"I was able to 'persuade' someone to do it for me," Diane explained. "As of now, the police are in the building and are making their way to you as we speak,"
"The police are here? Sweet!" The freelancer exclaimed. "This job was worth way more effort than you're paying me, and I plan to be properly compensated,"
While Folorunsho talked away, he was oblivious to Umbra. The hooded figure gritted his teeth as he struggled to get to his feet. Folorunsho's Revel was still working strong in his body. However, its effects paled in comparison to the growing pit of incompetence. The fact that several months of planning, preparation and organisation were all washed down the drain by mere chance. Was this the extent of the change he could make? A simple ripple in the unending sea of Pedtro?
Umbra's bloodshot eyes glared up at Folorunsho as he approached him. Regrettably, he had underestimated him. He believed back in Meiden when he let him rescue Lola, he was helping himself tie up a loose end. Instead, this man had become the blade that unravelled his entire weave.
"You hear that?" Folorunsho smiled. "The police are on their way right now. I guess the only thing you ended up changing was where you're spending the night,"
"You're going to regret this..." Umbra growled.
"Regret what exactly? Saving hundreds of lives in your terroristic attempt at change? Yeah, my pillow's going to feel real hard tonight,"
"Like you care," Umbra spat. "Mr. 'Money-and-Myself'. It's people like you who happen to have power over the planet that are the root of the problem. Someone like you can never understand it because you never cared in the first place. You're blind to everything but yourself because you only care for yourself,"
The smile on Folorunsho's face faded away into a dark grimace. Just like before, the air around him changed but to something more malicious. Umbra felt a shiver go down his spine from the sudden bloodlust he was being subjected to.
"You don't know me,"
Umbra was under the impression that Folorunsho was going to do something to him. Whether or not his intuition was right, he was unable to find out, as a squad of police officers burst into the room. The officers immediately descended on the hooded man and put him in cuffs.
"You have the right to remain silent," One of the officers said. "You have the right to an attorney, and if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. If you waive these rights and talk to us, anything you say may be used against you in court,"
"Hey," Another said to Folorunsho. "Good work with what you did here,"
"Thanks," Folorunsho replied with an empty smile.
As they put restraints on him, the last vestiges of hope Umbra had were gone. After all the crimes and atrocities he had committed for the sake of the people and the planet were all for nought. Though there were still Ebon Shroud members outside of the Helix Centre, their numbers were so small they could not make any impact. Eventually, the police would narrow them down and apprehend them. It was the curtain call for the Ebon Shroud.
"Let's get a look at who it is under the hood anyways," An officer said.
"Yeah. The schmuck probably looks like shit anyways,"
As a hand reached over his head to pull off his hood, a small glint caught Umbra's eye. Suddenly a large hover vehicle came barreling in through the window. Everyone was sent flying as glass rained to the ground. Umbra groaned loudly as he tried to regain his composure. The door of the vehicle swung open and a hooded figure stepped out, and though he was dressed like one of the Ebon Shroud, he was not someone Umbra recognised.
Folorunsho was too fatigued to get back on his feet quickly enough. All he could do was watch as the police stood up to confront the new arrival.
"Put your hands in the air!"
The hooded man turned to face the officers. He slowly raised one hand and brought it close to his eyes. As soon as his fingers touched his eyes, the sight of everyone was taken away. Folorunsho heard as the police yelled and fired their guns frantically hoping to shoot the hooded man. One by one, he heard as their voices died down until the room fell back into silence. Just as swiftly it had been taken away, Folorunsho's sight was returned.
The hooded man had taken up Umbra and dragged him into the hover vehicle. Folorunsho forced himself to his feet and approached the pair, but he was too slow to get there on time. The hooded man looked at the freelancer and simply placed a finger over his mouth. Folorunsho turned to face the leader of the Ebon Shroud, his brown eyes meeting his hazel ones.
"I make be making my departure now but beware, we will meet again," Umbra said.
The two hooded figures vanished into the vehicle. The engine roared to life and pulled out of the 75th floor. As it continued off into the sky, the sheen of the vehicle glittered before it became completely invisible. Folorunsho could only approach the broken window and look out to the skyline of Shandel. A dilemma had been avoided but they were not out of the woodworks, Umbra had escaped, and the Ebon Shroud was still active.