A New Enemy

Jason thought as he stared at Thomas. "So, he'll deal with these guys?" He smirked as he thought. "Fine then. Let's see how many he can take down."

Thomas charged toward an armored figure. The figure aimed their gun at Thomas and fired. The bullet penetrated Thomas's right shoulder.

Thomas staggered backwards. He looked angrily at the armored figure that had shot him. 

One of the armored figure's in the center raised up their hand midway into the air. 

All the armored figures pointed their guns at Jason, Thomas, and Jack. 

Jack smirked and mumbled. "This is getting interesting." 

Jason thought as he looked at Jack. "He's enjoying this." 

Jason looked back at Thomas.

Thomas charged toward the armored figure that shot him as he yelled out with the sword in his mouth. "Get out of my way!" 

The leader of the armored figures said. "Kill them all!" They brought a hand down swiftly. 

All the armored figures fired at Jason's group. Bullets flew towards Jason, Thomas, and Jack. 

Jason and Jack both stood unscathed. Behind them newly formed holes had formed in the wall. 

The leader of the armored figures said. "What?!"

Jason looked back at Thomas. Thomas had tore through an armored figure's armor. But, he was not unscathed. Thomas had several newly created bullet hole wounds in his body. 

After Thomas finished cutting the first armored figure down he charged toward the next one. His movements had slowed though and his body began to sway. 

Jason thought. "Thomas, won't last at this rate." He stared at the armor the armored figures wore as he thought. "I need some kind of weapon." He looked around the room as he thought. "A gun? No that won't work." His eyes eventually found it. A sword up against the wall that was still in its scabbard. He thought as he looked at the sword. "A sword?! That will work!"

Jack looked over at the sword Jason was looking at and then back at Jason. They both made eye contact and nodded. 

Jack reached into his jacket with his right hand. He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the leader of the armored figures. 

All the armored figures immediately fired at Jason and Jack again. 

Jason and Jack both stood unscathed again. The wall was covered with even more bullet holes than it had been before. 

Jack fired his pistol at the leader of the armored figures. Nothing happened. The leader of the armored figures remained standing. 

Jack mumbled. "Intercepted, huh? I didn't see anyone fire though. A Transparent?" 

Jason thought. "A Transparent? But, only Maxidus soldiers have transparency."

Jason looked back at Thomas. 

Thomas was panting heavily. Blood dripped from his various wounds onto the ground. Five armored figures lay on the ground behind him. 

Jason looked at the remaining armored figures and thought. "There's eight left." He looked at Thomas then at the sword next to the wall. He ran toward the sword as bullets flew by him. 

Jason picked up the sword and looked back at Jack. 

Jack said. "Alright I'm bored of this." He dropped two balls onto the ground. As soon as the two balls hit the ground blinding white light immediately blocked out Jason's vision. He then heard six gunshots.

The blinding white light disappeared. There were six armored figures on the ground and three remaining. Out of the six armored figures on the ground five were black and one was white. All six armored figures had a hole in the center of their helmet. 

Jason thought as he looked at the white armored figure. "That must have been the Transparent." He looked back at Jack and thought. "How did he get six perfect shots?"

The three remaining armored figures looked at their fallen comrades and then at Jason, Thomas, and Jack. The one in front said. "Fall back! Fall back!" 

All three of the armored figures bolted out of the door. 

Thomas said with the sword in his mouth. "You're not getting away!" He charged toward the armored figure that was closest to him and sliced through their armor.

The armored figure fell to the ground. Blood pooled around its body.

Thomas continued to chase after the last two armored figures. He bolted out of the door as he tried to catch up to them. 

Jack looked at the door then at Jason as he said. "Should we go after him?"

Jason said. "No. He can deal with them." He walked over to the body of the leader of the armored figures and kneeled next to it.  

Jack said. "What are you doing?" 

Jason searched the satchel along the armored figure's waist. He grabbed an object out of the satchel and then lifted it up towards the light. The object was a vial filled with silver liquid. He twisted the vial around in his hand as he closely analyzed the silver liquid. He thought. "Yeah. This looks genuine." He turned his head and said to Jack. "I was searching for this." 

Jack said. "Ah I see so you're a grave robber." 

Jason got up off the ground as he said. "It's not grave robbing if they aren't in a grave." 

Jack said. "Oh so you don't disagree about it being robbery though, right?"

Jason said. "It's not robbery if they are already dead." 

Jack replied. "Ah yes you're right. It's called looting my bad." 

Jason agreed and said. "Yeah." He then had a sudden outburst and said. "Wait no!" 

Jack replied. "I agree." 

Jason had a blank look on his face as he said. "Huh? You agree to what? What is there to agree to?" 

Jack replied. "Yes." 

Jason said with slight irritation. "Alright you're just being annoying at this point!"

Jack put his right hand on his chin as he said. "Annoying?" He smirked. "I prefer the term amusing." 

Jason thought as he looked at Jack. "Amusing? No. But, he's definitely strange." He said to Jack. "I have a question for you." 

Jack replied. "A question? If I have to answer your question then you have to answer mine first." 

Jason said. "What is it? What is your question?" 

Jack pointed at the vial in Jason's hand and said. "That vial." He narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" 

Jason replied. "It's the item I requested from Shadow Corp." 

Jack said. "Requested?" He looked at all the armored figures strewn across the ground and then looked back at Jason. "What were you going to trade in exchange?" 

Jason smirked. "That doesn't concern you." He turned his back to Jack and began to walk away. 

Jack said from behind Jason. "It was a forbidden item, wasn't it?" 

Jason suddenly stopped walking but his back remained faced toward Jack. Jason had a look of shock on his face as he thought. "What?! How did he-?"

Jack said from behind Jason. "You know, that thing is probably poisoned." 

Jason looked at the vial in his hand as he thought. "Poisoned?" He turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Jack as he said. "What do you mean?" 

Jack said. "That's an important item, right? If you really had to trade a forbidden item for it then it's probably poisoned." 

Jason looked back at the vial in his hand and gritted his teeth as he thought. "What a cowardly tactic." 

Jack said. "But I could be wrong." 

Jason turned his body around to face Jack again and said. "Huh? What do you mean?" 

Jack pointed at the vial as he said. "Well it could be poisoned or it could be safe. There's no way to know for sure." 

Jason said while irritated. "What am I supposed to do then?" 

Jack said. "How about you give it to me?" 

Jason said with shock. "What?!" 

Jack replied. "Well if it's poisoned I'll die in your place." 

Jason narrowed his eyes. "But what if it's not?" 

Jack smirked. "Then I'll survive." 

Jason said angrily. "No. This thing belongs to me. I won't let you have it." 

Jack laughed. "What are you getting all serious for? It was merely a suggestion." 

Jason thought as he looked at Jack's smiling face. "What's your true intention?" 

Jack said. "It's interesting though how you didn't even check the Transparent for a vial."

Jason replied. "Why would it have one?" 

Jack said. "Because it would be the person best suited to carry an important item, don't you agree? Since no one can see it no one would find it, right? That way if the trading partner betrays them the trading partner would only end up with a fake vial because the real vial was hidden with the Transparent."

Jason replied. "By that logic couldn't any of them have a vial?" 

Jack shook his head. "No. If there was a vial with all of them the trading partner wouldn't drink the vials because it would be obvious all the vials are fakes except one. A ninety two percent chance of dying is terrible odds."

Jason put his left hand on his chin as he thought. "This is more complicated than I originally thought." He suddenly said. "Wait what if one of the soldiers that ran away has a vial!" 

Jack replied. "That's a possibility but if that is the case then it is highly likely it would be a fake." 

Jason sighed. "Well I suppose if one of the escapees does have it Thomas will find it." 

Jack looked at the door of the building and said. "Wait! Where is Thomas?!" 

Jason looked at the door of the building and then back at Jack. He said, "It's strange. He should already be back by now." 

Jack looked back at Jason. He had a frantic expression plastered on his face as he said. "I'll go find Thomas! You go search the Transparent." He turned and ran toward the door of the building.

Jason looked at the door of the building and thought. "What happened to Thomas?" He shook his head and thought. "Who cares about Thomas? Whatever happened to him he deserved." He turned to look at the Transparent and thought. "I've got more important matters to attend to." 

He walked over to the Transparent and then kneeled down. He thought as he looked at the Transparent's satchel. "Time to see if his hypothesis is correct." He searched through the Transparent's satchel and then found it. He felt the vial with his left hand. The vial had the same structure as the vial in his right hand. He pulled the vial out of the satchel and then brought it up to the light. 

Jason compared both of the vials in the light. He twisted one in his right hand and one in his left hand. They both looked the exact same. 

Jason thought as he looked at the two vials. "Jack was right." He gritted his teeth as he thought. "Shadow Corp!" He switched the new vial over to his right hand with the other vial. He clenched his left fist and thought. "Those cowards! They really did poison one!" 

Jason heard a voice that broke him from his thoughts. The voice said. "Jason!" 

Jason looked up. He saw Jack standing in the doorway of the building. Jason said. "What is it?" 

Jack called out. "Jason, you need to see this!"