DEMON HUNT

Chapter 72: The unforgiving.

        Five years after the great push.

   An electronic billboard on a major road shows a well dressed female news presenter anchoring a news programme, as the sounds of moving vehicles, horns, and other signs of a busy environment plague the background. The news presenter speaks in a damp tone, capturing the depressed mood of the entire country.

News presenter: Ladies and gentlemen, it is the week of the fifth anniversary of the coup event. Almost exactly five years ago, members of the RCSS marched to Crownstone and ousted the royal family, citing gross mismanagement and a deteriorating security situation as the main motivator for the move. Members of the royal family have been detained ever since, with no trials being held. The RCSS promised to put a new system of government in place, one involving periodic and regular elections. It has really been an astonishing past few years of revelations. Law enforcement agents are expected to flood all major cities, as a clash between royalists and democrats seems inevitable. The people of Malvay are determined to make their voices heard this week, but will anyone listen?

      In the darkness of the night, a group of RCSS agents, characterized by their black military attire, walk down a narrow alley. The attire is modern and intimidating; a black helmet with a tinted visor being worn over their heads, alongside a black leather jacket with paddings on the elbows and shoulders, black trousers with paddings on the knee and shin guards underneath, black gloves with reinforced gloves and fingers, and a pair of black combat boots. The helmets are modified to grant the users night vision, their attire meant to offer protection and permit easy mobility.

    The agents stop their advance in front of a smooth wooden door. They stand in formation, two further back, watching the surroundings. One of the agents steps forward, knocking the door. A soft male voice answers from within the building, taking loud footsteps towards the door. Opening the door halfway, Jim Jim sticks out his head, a part of his night robe visible. Meret, one of the agents, addresses him politely, whilst looking at a hologram being projected from her watch.

Meret: Good evening to you. We are RCSS agents. We are looking for a young man. He tries to keep a low profile and change aspects of his physical appearance regularly, just to stay under the radar, but we think you can help us. You wouldn't happen to know anyone going by the name Jimmy, would you?

    Jim smiles warmly, opening the door completely.

Jim: Let me have a quick think.

      In the blink of an eye, a sharp metal rod swooshes past the agents, ending up in Jim's chest. Jim places both of his hands on the rod, groaning weakly as he drops to his knees. Meret  turns around, angrily palming a fellow agent's chest.

Meret: This was not the mission. We were supposed to bring him in.

     The agent takes a step back as her hand makes impact. Gaining steadiness, a male voice comes from beneath his mask, soft but firm.

Einar: He was planning to use his gaseous transmutation technique to escape. We are to eliminate at the slightest sign of resistance, and so I've done. Next time, do your homework on the subject.

     Meret lets out a frustrated groan, turning to the door again.

Meret: This is our mess, we clean it up. Who's the next target?

      Einar pulls up a hologram from his wristwatch, giving himself to studiously examining it. He gives a reply soon enough.

Einar: This should be exciting.

Meret: Grade?

Einar: S, possibly higher? Special performance needed to succeed with minimum casualty.