DEADLOCK [On Hold]

Chapter VI

THE FOUNTAIN
Chapter VI.

What's the matter with her? Hindi ko alam, but Jinx had definitely acted out of character—at least, based on what I'd seen of her over the past few hours. As I stepped out of the elevator, my eyes followed her retreating figure.

"Napakamisteryoso," I muttered under my breath.

"Ace!" A familiar voice cut through my thoughts. Achilles. "Over here!" He called out, waving me over. I turned, spotting him and Claire by the ground-floor pillars, laughing and pointing at every little detail they found amusing. Hans and Shiloh seemed to be deep in conversation with Poker. So, they're warming up to him already, huh?

"Why didn't you guys call me?" I asked in mock exasperation as I approached them.

"They actually did call you," Poker chimed in, gesturing toward Hans and Shiloh with a playful grin. "Especially Raven and Spades over there."

Shiloh glanced over, catching my eye. "Correction, hahanapin ka pa lang namin. We got called off, though." She nodded pointedly toward Poker, a hint of amusement in her tone.

Hans chuckled softly, nodding his head. "Yeah, sorry, Ace. Thought you needed some time alone." There was a note of guilt in his voice.

I just nodded. Yeah, time alone. Maybe that's what I needed, but my thoughts wouldn't let me have it.

"Where's Red?" I asked as I stopped in front of the circular table where they gathered. Achilles and Claire stopped their playful banter at the mention of Marcus.

"Uhm..." Achilles scratched the back of his head, casting a quick glance outside.

Shiloh picked up where he left off, casually pointing toward the dimly lit area outside the Panopticon. "He's by the fountain outside. Kanina pa siya nandoon."

Hans moved closer, sliding down the long chair as he tugged me aside, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper, though we both knew that despite whispering the words, it's not entirely impossible for others not to hear it.

"He's been quiet since we left the building earlier. He's been out there for almost an hour," he said, his gaze drifting toward the shadows beyond the glass walls. "I think you should go talk to him."

A heavy feeling settled in my chest. This was all about the decisions I made during Dustfall, wasn't it?

Hans squeezed my shoulder, his tone turning somber. "You know him better than the rest of us, Ace. And we both know how... you know... he can be."

Of course. I knew that better than anyone. Whatever guilt I'd managed to push down, Marcus carried twice, even thrice, as much.

With a sigh, I nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, I'll go talk to him," I replied, patting Hans's shoulder before turning toward the exit. If anyone was going to reach Marcus, it had to be me. After all, it was my decision that put him in this position.

Hans shot me a faint, supportive smile before heading back to the others. As I walked away, Poker's voice drifted after me, mocking but laced with a hint of sincerity. "Good luck, Ace. Deadlock isn't really for the soft ones."

No need to state the obvious, Captain Obvious, I thought, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. It was painfully clear.

Guess I can't be Ace without fixing this first. You can't start an engine with damaged parts, after all.