The Hidden Evil 2

Chapter VII: The End

    

     Ronnie raced along the rooftops, her eyes examining the crowd below her. Rueben was on her tail, also scanning the people below. Ronnie spotted three kids in Trance City uniforms, one with white hair, one with dark green hair, and one with brown hair. She pointed down to them, not taking her eyes off of her target.
"There," she called back to Rueben. "They're heading for Faux and Boris," she added. Rueben nodded. They both picked up their pace until they were ahead of the Trance City soldiers. They dropped down off of the roof, only to land right in front of the three teens. The three soldiers skidded to a halt, their eyes wide at the sight of Ronnie and Rueben.
     "Surrender or face the consequences," commanded Ronnie. Killroy smirked, unsheathing his sword.
     "Same goes to you princess," Killroy smiled. Ronnie growled, but her growl turned into a gasp when Killroy fell face-first into the ground. Karma stood behind Killroy, Boo behind Karma. Rhys and Keiko looked at Karma in shock, their mouths half-open.
     "Captain," Ronnie gasped. She noticed the gash in his leg and the blood on his sword, also the blood that soaked Boo's face. She didn't have time to ask, Rhys and Keiko attacked. Rhys and Keiko worked together, Rhys held up his fists in front of Karma and Keiko stood behind him. Karma also held up his fists, one of them stained with blood. Rhys sent his fist towards Karma, but Karma ducked under in a dodge. He quickly stood up back and nailed Rhys in the side of the face. Karma had punched him with his injured hand, which made him scrunch his face in pain. Rueben tapped Ronnie's shoulder, and when she look over to him he pointed at their captain.
     "Ronnie, where's Captain's pinky finger," he asked in concern. She looked closely, only to see it was missing.
     "It's.. gone," she uttered.
     "It's been cut off—Where's Dana?"
     "Did—he killed Dana, didn't he?"
     "I'd bet he did."
     Karma grabbed Rhys' shoulder and thrusted his fist into his stomach, making Rhys curl up and go stiff. Keiko was kneeling down next to Killroy, tears in her eyes.
     "Is he dead," she cried. Karma walked over and crouched down next to her.
     "Not yet," Karma said. She looked over to Karma with tears streaming down her face.
     "Please don't kill him, please," she begged.
     "Fine," Karma told her. He grabbed Keiko's wrists and held her hands behind her back. "All of you are under arrest," he said. Ronnie grabbed Killroy's hands and held them tightly behind Killroy's back. The guards would soon come and take all three of them away.

     The battle between the two sides of the Alekhin family was like a fire, and it wasn't burning out anytime soon. But, without Dana, it sure did grow a lot smaller. Not many people may understand why Dana wanted to kill his own family, but it was something that was on Dana's mind twenty-four-seven. The Alekhin family stretches on across the land, you can find one in every city. The family is huge, and it keeps growing. The newer members don't know what it's like to be an assassin, since the family has given up its days as assassins. Karma Alekhin is one of the many members of that family, and he is one of the few living members who still remains an assassin. Though he has grown out of his assassin ways, he knows deep down that he was trained by an assassin the ways of an assassin, therefore he is an assassin. He has killed many in his lifetime, not thinking twice about how he is ruining a whole life. He was immune to pity, he was immune to shame, and he was immune to many of the things that make an average human. And as the rivers that pass through Shippendale flow, so do the assassins slowly disappear. Many are shamed about being an assassin, including Karma himself, but he grew to be shameless, letting his true self show even if it meant death for him. The others at HQ were exposed to Karma's past when he finally admitted it. Some were shocked, some were in disbelief, and some weren't very surprised, which would be Commander Asker. This led to many protests. Some people say Karma should be killed for his past, some say he should he stripped of his captain rank, and some say he should be forgiven and left to be where he is now. There was only one way to decide: court.
     Ronnie sat down on a bench next to Rueben and the others. They were all dressed nicely, bow ties, dresses, and fancy shoes. She looked over to a lectern that stood in front of the judge. Karma walked up to it. He seemed confident as he tapped his papers against the surface of the lectern. She noticed how nice he made himself look for the judge. He had on a clean black suit, dress shoes, and he wore his hair swept back neatly. This was also the first time she had seen him without his signature white gloves on. He had long skinny fingers, and his pinky finger was missing from his right hand. It had been about a month and a half since the attack, and she could see Karma healed up well. His yellow eyes peered up to the judge. The judge decided to start the court meeting with the bang of a gavel.
     "Karma Alekhin," said the judge.
     "Your Honor," Karma replied.
     "As you confessed, you are the son of famous Russian assassin Creed Alekhin?"
     "Yes, Your Honor."
     "And you've been keeping the fact that you're a Russian assassin a secret, correct?"
     "Yes, Your Homor."
     "Why?"
     "When I migrated from Russia, they weren't allowing Russians into Shippendale, so my father taught us how to use a fake French accent. We were able to get into the city that way, saying we were from France. That's why everyone thought I was French, because of my accent and because of what I told them. I knew that assassins, especially Russian ones, weren't welcome in Shippendale, so that's why I lied," explained Karma. The judge nodded, seemingly understanding the captain.
     "Does anyone want to defend his case," asked the judge. Ronnie rose from her seat and walked over next to Karma behind the lectern.
     "I would like to say a few words in Karma's defense, Your Honor," Ronnie said. The judge nodded his approval. "Captain Karma Alekhin is one of the best men I know. When you first meet him, he comes off as cold and annoyed, but when you get to know him he's actually very sensitive and smart," she said. "His dad died nine years ago. I, myself, know what its like to lose a parent. My mother died last year, and my father left when I was a baby, taking my brother with him. I recently got engaged to the love of my life, and Captain Karma here is already married with three step children. I know his wife personally and I know it'd break her heart to see her husband get killed just because of where he came from and his past," she stated. "Those children need a father, Your Honor. I know what it's like to grow up without a father, and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy," she added. The judge nodded as she retreated back to her seat.
     "Anyone else?"
     Arran stepped up.
     "Your Honor, I never really liked Captain Karma, neither as my captain nor a person. He was sort of a jerk, and he always resorted to violence when we did something wrong," Arran said. The judge looked at him in confusion. "But since the last couple months, I was able to look into Captain Karma's past and see where he came from and what he went through. We visited his uncles and cousins on Civil Island, and each one of them had something different to say about my captain. Captain Karma has done nothing against Shippendale, but he has done many uncountable things against our enemies. What does that tell you? He's genuine. He's committed to this city and he will protect it with his life. I think it'd be wrong to kill him when all he's ever done is be a delight to have in the Solider Committee," Arran explained. The judge nodded. Arran sat back down in the bench. The judge moved his head over to the lectern next to Karma's, which Commander Asker stood behind.
     "Now, Commander Asker will share his reasons why Captain Karma should be executed," the judge announced. Asker cleared his throat. He stood straight behind his lectern.
     "Your honor, Karma Alekhin is a danger to have in this city. He may be genuinely committed to this city, but that does nothing about the danger he puts us all in. Just like last month, another attack could happen again, all in Karma's hands. I say we either execute him or drive him out of the city," Asker sneered. Some people nodded in agreement, and others shook their heads. The judge nodded, looking back over to Karma.
     Karma Alekhin was found not guilty, and he got to stay as the captain of Team Karma. Many people stood behind Karma in his fight for justice, including his teammates and Captain Augustine.