Vigilante: Adventures Of An African Hero [COMPLETED]

[Twenty-Three] A Debt Paid

The car's speed increased, trying to go as far from the destruction as possible. When it arrived somewhere safe, it stopped. What the hell is going on? Romeo removed his mask, trying to catch his breath. It all happened so fast. One minute he was on the roof talking to Gomez and Gideon, the next he was watching half of Morocco explode.

All those lives lost. Mayors and civilians. Was this a planned attack? It was still dark out, only the moon acting as a source of light. The rescue teams would have to wait until morning before they could save the survivors and find the bodies of the dead. This has to be the biggest attack ever. Who construed it? Surely King Abdul and Father James getting out of there minutes before to meet up with Josef isn't a coincidence, right? 

Josef got out only to see Romeo on the roof of the car, staring at him. "I see Hans finally gave you the suit," he said. "Why are you here?"

Romeo was silent.

"Ah, I see. You must have figured out I was the one who killed him. Or maybe Gideon told you. Doesn't matter. I presume you're here to get revenge?"

Romeo said nothing. He dropped to the ground, hands clenched, glaring at him. This is my chance to kill him. After he dies, Father James is next. I made a promise to Mercy and Nipp.

"Josef, who are you talking to?" Father James asked as he got out. King Abdul followed. "Who is he?" asked Father James.

"He's the kid Hans was taking care of."

"Romeo?" Father James said.

"Yes."

"Romeo, what are you doing here?" King Abdul asked with a smile. When he realized he wasn't going to get an answer, he turned to Josef. "What does he know about us?"

"Nothing," Josef said. "You two need to get out of here. Get out of the country, wait for the death toll to be reported, then proceed with the plans."

"What about him?" King Abdul pointed at Romeo.

Josef 's body roared to life as the mechanical side was activated. Half his face opened up and turned around, being replaced by silver skin. His once human eye glowed red, pointing its beam at him, scanning the young man. Then Josef's arms, torso and legs were next to turn. The only thing that remained human about him was the right side of his face. Other than that he was completely a machine.

"I'll deal with him. Now go!"

He must have gotten new upgrades, Romeo thought.

King Abdul and Father James got back in the car and drove off. Romeo and Josef stood there, staring at each other, waiting for the other to attack first. 

"I felt bad killing Hans, he was my best friend. But you?" Josef chuckled, then charged at Romeo.

<+>

Nipp, Mary and Robert tried their hardest to open the door. But no matter how hard they pushed, it didn't bulge. "The rubble must be blocking it," Mary said. "We are stuck in here."

"On the bright side, we don't have to worry about those chips killing us anymore," Nipp said, staring at the chip that was once connected to his heart on the ground. The moment the explosion happened, they all went off. And with Mary's help, they were able to remove them with ease. Nipp rubbed his chest. "Feels good knowing my life is in my own hands again."

"There's no bright side here," Robert said. "There's no difference being enslaved in those cages and in this... bomb shelter. We will run out of food soon and we would have to eat each other." Disgust filled his face. "I don't want to eat human meat. It tastes horrible."