BULLETPROOF

xxii. heartbeat

I spent a week trying to perfect this long chapter despite my busy college sched, but wattpad bitched on me and deleted it! Sorry for the delay. I'm fucking pissed myself.
-

Michael didn't know what he's supposed to do the moment Luke answered him that the bomb was "In calum's side." He was thinking, should he scream, should he tell the other agents, should he stop the event happening in the place? Lots of people's lives are at steak, and he has five minutes to prevent the catastrophe from taking place. Five freaking minutes. He's not even knowledgeable about detonating bombs. And, guess what?

Alex is.

"Also ashton irwin was the one who dressed up as Gaskarth and hurt calum and his band mates. Don't hold a grudge on him, he's a real comrade, michael." Luke added, gritting his teeth at the memory of ashton confessing this to him in the drug lord's place.

Oh, michael thinks. Now he knows the real truth. But that doesn't really change their problem at the moment. Maybe he feels relieved that alex, his good mate, didn't betray him, but there's still a bomb ticking somewhere under the stage and he has to do something about it.

"What the fuck are you doing, michael? Start moving!" Luke screamed at the phone when all he heard from michael in return was his irregular breathing. "You don't have much time left! Focus!"

"But i-" he hesitated, what if Luke was just manipulating him? He can't have doubts at a crucial time like this. "I don't know-"

"Please, just trust me on this! I want you to save yourself and save the people in there!" Luke pleaded. He's not even gonna benefit from fooling his very own best friend when he knows himself that he's not an enemy. Maybe michael will even thank him later, when things start to go out of hand (which he planned, thinking that it needs to happen).

"Tsk, okay, thank you Luke! I owe you big time." Michael said before ending the phone call to focus on the current situation.

Michael finds himself looking at the screen installed on the wall he's leaning at, which shows the band interacting with the fans in the front row. There were happy smiles on each of the fan's faces that makes Michael so proud of Helena Skies. But at the same time, upset because all these people are innocent. Even calum. Why are they the one forced to sacrifice their lives just because of a revenge from a tragic event and a boy's bitter past? Life is so cruel and unfair. This shouldn't be happening to them. They don't deserve any of this.

"What's happening, clifford?" Pete asks through the earpiece worriedly. They have all been listening to Michael's responses to the person in the other line. "Who were you talking to? Was it Luke Hemmings?"

"Yes. He's not the one Halsey shot. The guy just looks like him, and I think that maybe that's originally a part of their plan. To divert our attention to that guy while main suspect irwin plants the bomb under the stage."

"What?!" The agents shouted in unison.

"There's a fucking bomb?!"

"Yes, and it's in Calum's side!" Michael nodded, his lips in a thin line. He started to run down the backstage with a group of policemen trailing behind him. He takes out two of his flashlights from his bag, as they go on with their search and proceed to their mission.

"Take out your flashlights and please help me search for the bomb! It's been planted somewhere here so please disperse to different sides of the stage. The faster the better because we're on a clock here!" He ordered with authority in his voice. It might offend the other officers but he couldn't care less.