Pirate Assassin

Page 20

For a moment, Zack had lost his stoic composure. Mikaella had given him a tough decision to make but he knew that he would continue on his path. It just made it all the more harder. Zack shook his head wildly and willed his thoughts back to the matter at hand. How was he going to find the beggar in the first place? Then, he realised the most obvious flaw in his plan: he didn't even know his name! He needed some kind of lead! And he sat there, staring at the wall.

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"Do you feel that?" "Indeed I do. If Tucker meant for this to happen, then I think this is finally his undoing," Every prisoner stared at the two men as they passed by, dressed in some kind of uniform. It wasn't their smart vests and formal pants they wore, it was what was draped over their shoulders. Bulky overcoats. A fashion long dead, and yet the medals pinned on their chests suggested a superiority about them. "Yes, his Presence, his Ki is strong. I can feel it. Even from here," the left one said to his partner. "You say this boy is a murderer?" the right one addresed the guard. "....Oh, er, yes sir," the guard said nervously as they walked towards a certain cell, "There was something fishy about the case and the boy was genuinely, erm, sad but he didn't say anything in his defense," the left man raised an eyebrow, "Good decision making under pressure. Admirable. Has he caused any trouble here?" The guard scratched his chin, "No he....well, only on the first day. He stabbed another inmate's hand with a fork. Since then, nothing. But sometimes, other people provoke him," and he shook his head sadly, "He gets crazy. I've never seen such brutal fighting. He breaks bones! And I never thought I'd see the day when he first walked in the prison. Skinny as a bone...." The two men looked at each other and each saw confirmation in the others eyes. This will be the one, the unspoken message said. Soon, they stopped, "Here he is," the guard said and tapped on the bars of the cell.

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A guard tapped the bars of the cell, "Ying, you're mighty popular today. You've got some more prisoners," and he opened the cell and two men walked in. He raised an eyebrow at the uniforms and overcoats, but shrugged it aside and examined the two men more carefully. One had his black hair cut short, military style, and was clean shaven. He had grey pupils, which Zavk took in curiously, and a straight nose. His mouth was set in a permanent scowl. He seemed middle aged and powerfully built. All in all, he embodied a soldier, stern and precise. There wasn't a single crease on his clothes, Zack noticed. The other was more or less the same, the only difference being the lazy grin on his face and heavy-lidded eyes, though Zack noticed an unsettling amount of cunning in those otherwise lazy eyes. "You may return to the guard station now," the stern one said, dismissing the guard. The guard hesitated. "Don't worry, if he acts up, we can handle 'im," the other one said. The guard nodded and walked away. He left the cell door open. Zack stared at the open cell door as the grinning man leaned on the wall opposite him and the stern one did the same on the bars of his cell. "You wanna escape? You can run out anytime," the grinning man said. Zack arched an eyebrow, "What's the catch?" The grinning man now began to chuckle and the stern man spoke up, "The catch is that you'll miss the chance to get some info on the guy who killed your friend," Zack clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back against the wall as he sat on his bed, "Well," he said nonchalantly, "looks like I'm staying then," but his eyes burned with curiosity. The stern man nodded, "I expected no less. First off, we'll introduce ourselves. I am Commodore Tetrad and that is Vice-Admiral Yohkin," "Hey," Yohkin said lazily to which Tetrad gave a withering look. "If you didn't know already, I'm Zack Ying," Tetrad nodded again, "From what I've heard, you aren't a very patient man, so I'll get straight to the matter. We are soldiers of the Untied Galactic Government and simply put, there is another galaxy where people are living with far greater technology, which is how we're here today. The man you are hunting is a top priority felon called Tucker Wicky. He is responsible for countless murders of high ranking officials and random civilians alike and," he paused, "I find it strange how easily you're taking all this," Zack shrugged, "Well I already had time stopped right in front of my face which shattered all my beliefs in the laws of normalcy," Yohkin chuckled softly. "Oooooh burnnnn,man," Tetrad sighed, "and this is why you'll never become an admiral, Yohkin, but anyway," he returned his gaze to Zack, "the point is that he is probably wat beyond your league to catch him," and he stopped though he continued to stare at Zack. Zack turned and saw that Yohkin was looking expectantly at him too, with no trace of his usual grin. "So, how can I catch him? Report it to the head office or something?" Yohkin's expression became scornful, "Um, hello? They already know, that's why we're here you idiot," Zack mentally kicked himself, then realised what they wanted to hear, "So, how can I hunt him down?" he asked, his face set and Yohkin eased into his lazy grin, "Now you're talkin! See here, kid. We see potential in you, potential to become one of the greatest in the UGG and so we're asking tou whether you want to join us," Zack looked at Tetrad, "If it means getting Tucker, you don't even need to ask," and Tetrad grinned. It was like a stone wall cracking, "We knew you'd agree. All your papers are set. You'll be on something like a scholarship, so all your things will be provided for you. We leave now," Zack didn't hesitate. He jumped off the bed and followed Tetrad out the door. For the first time since the incident, Zack felt happy; happy that he could finally avenge Theo and himself. He strode behind the two men confidently and walked out the cell block and into the sunlight a free man. However, as the two officers gave the papers in at the main counter he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was officer Harty and he smiled, "Look here Ying, I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I feel its very important," he glanced at the two men, "Ying, I've seen a lot of young men in and out of this place and I've never seen one as angry as you, who dares beat up cops and prisoners! But I also know that deep down, Ying," but paused as he saw the two men coming for Zack and ushered him to the door before he continued, "Deep down, Ying, you aren't killer. So don't ever fall to that level. You aren't a murderer," and with that Harty slapped him on the back and gently pushed him out to the taxi where the two men waited. Zack looked back. Just once.