The Spectre

Chapter Fifteen

Two days ago

"Sir, the last Spectre has gone and destroyed their Camp, along with the General," the soldier said, stepping into the tent and bowing his head as he spoke to Alex, who looked surprised. "Where is he?" Alex asked, and the soldier lowered his eyes, apparently looking distraught. "He disappeared in the explosion. We cannot find his body. We believe he is dead." Alex sighed and looked down, a conflicted expression on his face. "Well then. Do we know if anyone actually saw what happened to him?" Alex asked, and the soldier shook his head, but then a woman with short, brown hair stepped into the tent, looking serious. "Sir, someone was with the Spectre just before he destroyed the Camp." Now Alex leaned back in his seat, thinking, "Has he checked in?" The woman shook her head, and the Captain growled with frustration.

Another two people stepped into the tent, both of them with black hair and leering, mean faces. "Did you see how that stupid Spectre disobeyed orders and ran away?" one of them was saying to the other, and then they both abruptly stopped beside the woman. "You requested to see us?" asked the first, and Alex stood, "Yes, I want you both to pack your bags and get the hell out of my Army," Alex said, and the two men looked shocked. "We can go send a search party to find the person who saw him last," the woman interjected, and Alex looked down, thinking again. "Alright, I and these two will go," the Captain said, pointing at the two men who still looked dumbstruck. "No way, I'm not going," the first said, and the second nodded. Alex looked down, furious, and the woman sighed.

"I will go," she said, and Alex nodded, pulling keys from his draws and then hurrying around the desk and following the woman out, leaving the two men and the soldier inside. "Here we are," the Captain said, jumping into the silver jeep nearby and the woman quickly followed, settling in the back as Alex started the engine and began riding over the sand. "What's your name, soldier?" Alex asked as he spun the wheel, turning the jeep towards the deserted battlefield. "Jade," the woman replied, keeping her eyes forward, and then they drove past the several Zodiac bodies, the destroyed tanks, bloodied sand, and smashed concrete walls. There was, however, a single concrete wall remaining, where the woman saw a man laying, clearly knocked out. "Here! This must be him!" She exclaimed, and Alex slammed on the breaks, skidding to a stop beside the wall.

They both leaped out of the vehicle and knelt beside the body, and the first thing the Captain did was gasp and whisper, "Trae." Jade could tell he recognized the man but did not have time to think. A silver bullet, which had been pressed to the point it looked like a coin, lay beside the man, and she checked under his uniform, seeing he was wearing a bulletproof vest. "Is he alright?" Alex asked worriedly, and Jade nodded, checking him all over before finally finding his right leg, which was bent and swollen. "The bullet didn't harm him, but he must have broken his leg when he fell," Jade reported. Alex nodded, looking relieved, and then he motioned to the man. "Put him in the back of the jeep, I'm going to go and see if the Spectre is around." Jade nodded, fed her arms under the heavy body, and lifted him into her arms.

She began walking back to the jeep, set the man into the back, and waited near the driver's door as the Captain began approaching the battlefield. "Oh, and one last thing," Alex said, and Jade turned to look at him again as he stood staring at her. "This is valuable information I'm about to give you, just in case something happens before I can tell someone. You must only tell someone if I die, and it must be at the right moment." Jade nodded, excited, and then Alex smiled, quickly handing Jade a small piece of paper and then saying, "If you hand this to people, show them what is written on the back, they will understanding." Alex stepped backward, took a deep breath, and said, "The Spirit Fountain is –" before he could utter another word, a long, thin blade pierced through his chest, and Alex gasped loudly.