Captive

"How very interesting." Professor Omega sat at his desk with multiple holographic displays open. With a satisfied smile, he brightens the lights in his office. The office was an ample open space on the ground floor of his laboratory. Numerous machines and projected images were littered throughout the office. In the center of the room was a long bar connected to some chains hanging from the ceiling. Saying that it was out of place would be a given, but on the bar were three barely conscious girls slowly waking from the sedative forcefully injected into their system. Two men dressed in off-white lab coats finished hanging them up and turned toward the Professor. He smiled and waved at the men. They then nodded and promptly left. As the men left, a slender country man walked in with a large sniper strapped to his back and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Did ya find anything good, Professor?" The man asked. "That creepy grin on your face says so, mate."

"Hmmm?" Professor Omega turned to look at the door, "Oh, it's you, Jason. Good work today." Omega immediately turned his attention toward the girls in the center of the room.

"That didn't answer my question." Jason gave Professor Omega a bitter reply while tilting his hat towards Omega.

"You seem to be quite annoyed. Why is that, I wonder?"

"Yeah, of course." Jason stood next to the girls. "This plan of yours is going too far. What need is there to have innocent people die for the sake of chasing a myth?"

With those words spoken, Professor Omega sat at his desk with his head in his hands. "Ha...""What?" Creeped out by the sudden sound of laughter, Jason glared daggers at Omega with his hand resting on his sniper.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Omega shot up from his desk and walked towards Jason with a crazed smile. Behind him was a silver mist. As he walked, he reached into the mist and pulled out a silver mask.

"You and I are the same. Two men hired to kill. But the difference between you and me is that you failed to see that this 'myth' is real." Omega waved the mask in front of Jason. With eyes filled with hope and a face painted with rage, he stared at the mask. "This mask, gifted to me by an anonymous entity that runs this city, is all the proof I need. We are nothing more than pawns. But I plan to change that. I will chase this power they are after and beat them at their own game." Omega threw the mask onto the ground, called forth a silvery mist, and pulled out his weapon. Using it, he smashed the mask into pieces.

"So one lost to a boy caused you to go insane, I see," Jason said under his breath. "Anyway, what information did you find so interesting?"

As Omega told Jason about his findings, the three girls regained consciousness. Despite being bound in the center of the room, the three were calm in their current situation. Renne stared straight at Omega. Sensing her gaze, Omega greeted her with a warm smile. Jason gave the girls a pitiful look as he tilted his hat downwards.

"Good evening, my precious angels." Omega had a flirtatious tone that made the girls' skin crawl. He walked over to Renne and stroked her cheek. Renne growled through the gag in her mouth. Omega chuckled. "You guys woke up right before the main event. As you see, your knight will soon meet his end. Once he does-" Omega leaned over to Renne, "-you and your mother will be mine."

"So this is one of your goals, huh?" Jason spoke harshly. "Using the girl to lure out the mother.""While this girl is cute, Linda is more so my type. But I am less interested in wooing her than I am in killing her. She is a traitor who abandoned our research and her own daughter to save an unknown boy. While I must say, however, that this wouldn't be as fun if she did not save that boy." Omega turned around and opened a holographic console from his wrist.

"Isn't this the Ouroboros network?" Jason looked at the Professor with a hint of bewilderment.

"Yes, but not only that," he opened a map with a tracker of nearby members of Ouroboros. "This map shows the location of only a select few members of Ouroboros. Like us, that boy is being used as a pawn in a grand game, as the only ones that show up on this map are Renne, Alan, and all the dead members. But this ultimately proves that the kid is a time traveler."

Jason gave Omega an unamused look, followed by a deep sigh of disbelief. He threw himself into Omega's chair and looked at him. "This myth bullshit again? While I'll admit to witnessing ya pulling items out of the air, I will not believe that time travel exists. If it did, why would the boy lose so many battles and be so naïve? You would think with the ability to travel through time itself; he would prevent any of this from happening. No?"

Omega chuckled. He then walked over to Jason and showed him two identical trackers. One was stationary at the location in which the laboratory was located. The other was in the Eastern District, heading toward the Northern District. "Maybe his abilities to traverse through time have their limits. But nonetheless, this proves my theory. After all, two implants can't have the same ID."

"Busted, I see," an aqua-colored spirit appeared next to the three imprisoned girls and looked at them, "ah, but don't worry, they can't see nor hear me."Renne gave Chronos a look that read, "Why are you here?"

"I'm playing my part as an overseer, and I'm here to 'view' how things turn out. Alan, let us see if you can carry my burden." Chronos turned to look at the two men conversing.

Omega opened a holographic display with a static screen that read: Audio Only. "Alright, let us start the preparation to ensure that tonight will be unforgettable. Hey secretary~" He called out in a playful tone. "Set the laboratory's defenses at max, contact the Northern District Police Department, and tell them to kindly FUCK OFF. Thank you! Afterward, tell the EDPD to launch an attack on the boy's location."

"Yes, sir!"

"Wow," Jason turned to look at the Professor, "So ya really intend to play the role of the bad guy? You know the boy is not coming alone, right?"Omega cracked a smug grin. "And if all goes well, I'll lure out Professor Norn." Upon hearing that, Renne's ears perked up. "There is no way she would stay on the back lines while her foster child is fighting to save her actual child."

As the two men continued their discussion, a panicked-looking secretary barged into the room. As the woman tried to catch her breath, a very annoyed Professor walked up to him and gave her a bottle of water that he laced with an unknown powder.

"Drink this first before speaking."

"!?" Jason looked at Professor disappointingly, "Why go so far?"

Professor Omega walked to Jason and whispered, "Simple, you should know that what you see in the center of the room is nothing but bad news. Three girls, minors at that, chained with their arms up, is just asking for trouble."

"Then why do it?"

"It makes it more dramatic. A boy fighting through the Demon's Lord's Castle to save the princesses inside. This would motivate him to fight harder." He replied in a serious tone. Jason rolled his eyes.

"SIR!" After finishing the water bottle, the secretary shouted, "We cannot contact the EDPD."

"That's...strange...." Professor Omega scratched his head, "Why not?"

"Well... that's-"

"They have mobilized against you." A powerful voice came from the entrance of the room. As everyone turned to see where the voice came from, Omega had an unpleasant face as he saw a well-dressed, blonde-haired man walk into the room. "Good day, Professor." The man glanced at Evangela, who adverted her eyes. With a slight chuckle, he turned towards Omega. "I see you have taken care of my insubordinate daughter. But unfortunately for you, that was a mistake on your part."

"Seamon...." The Professor muttered his name in an angry tone. "Just what the hell do you mean?"

"A mole from the EDPD had just informed me that the Commander of the EDPD had just issued the command to claim your head based on reports of domestic terrorism. With a claim like that, all your support has been lost." A twisted look of despair grew on Omega's face. Seamon looked at the Professor and laughed, "Ha, I like that face of yours. Next time, don't let your pride come between you and our plans. Also, our deal is over. You don't know me, and I don't know you. If you win this battle, then we can resume our interactions." Seamon waved goodbye as he left the room.

"So what's the plan, sir?" Jason gave the Professor a serious look.

"We kill the EDPD and capture that boy alive."

"I thought you wanted him dead?"

"I want to torture him now. Linda Norn is my next target. If I want to expose the truth, I need to reach her."

~~0~~

"I want to die….." Alan said to himself as he sat in the back of an armored vehicle heading towards the location of Renne's icon on his map. "But to think I'll end up in a convoy of war-ready police officers." Alan looked at the armed men around him. Each of them had a serious expression as they held energy-based rifles at their side. Beside Alan was Isabelle, donning a bullet-proof vest, fidgeting with her camera. She bore a nervous look.

"There there, Alan. We understand you are useless and didn't realize you could have tracked Renne's whereabouts whenever last time." Alice said in a mocking tone as she was making fun of Alan's inability to investigate the obvious. "But to think the peacekeeping force could readily turn on their own city on the whim of a boy's claims." Alan perked up a little. "Maybe history is doomed to repeat itself."

"Get ready. We are approaching the target destination." Tony shouted to the men in the back of the armored vehicle. He stood tall with his eyes fixed on his men. The others looked at him with the same uneasy expression. "Our mission is simple. We march in and rescue the captives. Professor Omega has been officially declared a terrorist by the city's leaders, and they will not provide him with any support. The chief wants him alive, but I would much rather prefer him dead. If by perchance anyone kills him, I will tell the chief that he was a coward who took his life. We are the light to these people. We must prevent further corruption by those who wish to use us further. Today's battle will begin a new chapter in the City of New Providence. A chapter where we expose the lies they have hand feed us one by one."

"SIR!" Everyone in the vehicle, excluding two, shouted.

"If only it were that easy," Alice muttered. While Alan could not see her expression, he could tell she was angry. "These people are fools to believe a rebellion would be simple. In the game where God places the pieces, there is no winning. Alan, if you try to defy God, you are no different from the fool who started this war." With those words, she parted from his mind.

"Hey, Isabelle," Alan whispered. The woman turned her head while keeping her eyes on her camera. "So you believe in a God?"

"Who could say?" Isabelle replied. "But you are asking for proof of his existence. I have no answer for you. But if you ask whether people actually believe in one, then I recommend you travel to the underground."

"The underground?" Alan's eyes widened a little.

"Yeah, a large underground building was recently unearthed within the Eastern District. Rumors about the place have hit it big on the net. But from what they observed, some records depict a long battle against God himself."

"Let me guess, humanity waged war against God and won, claiming the rights of the world?"

"Wrong…"

"Nope!"

Both Alice and Isabelle replied at the same time.

"They lost, a horrible loss at that." Isabelle turned towards Alan, grabbing a pistol from her pocket. "Since I confidently believe that you don't believe in that, I'll ask you this." She held the pistol by the barrel and handed it to Alan. "Where do you think that power of yours comes from?"

"Alan…be careful," Alice called out to him. "She knows something."

With a loving smile, she held the gun to Alan's chest. With his eyes locked with hers. He grabbed the pistol.

"Trust the three of them. They are vital to ending her plans." After Alan put the gun into the vest he was given, he gave her a confused look. The words the woman before him spoke made no sense to him. He tried to ask for Alice's input but received no answer. "What's wrong, Alan?" Without warning, Isabelle wrapped her arms around Alan. "You never let me get this close." She pulled back and gave him a lustful look. "Or maybe you really wanted this to happen-"

"Okay, that's enough flirting, you two." Tony's vehement voice stopped Isabelle in her tracks.

"Read the room, will ya?" The others in the vehicle snickered at the two despite what Tony was saying. Their grave, battle-ready eyes were now filled with life. Tony rested his hand on Alan's shoulder and looked at the gun he had just tucked away. "You know it's not too late."

While Alan had never directly killed anyone before, he was more than ready to kill. He touched the gun and stared Tony in the eyes. With his determination showing, Tony backed down and sighed.

"I suppose that was a foolish thing to say. After all, you helped us get this far."

After surviving Alice's forced method of having Alan confront his actions, Alan grabbed Isabelle's attention on the train. Together, they dug deep into the information stored within the implant that was forced into him. To their surprise, they found a locator app that showed the location of a few Ouroboros members. Afterward, they made haste toward NaviCafe and met with Tony and Maverick.

"Boy!" Tony shouted at Alan, startling him a bit. "How long have you known Linda?" Hearing this from Tony's mouth made him annoyed. With a face twisted in pain, Alan tried to speak.

"Are you suggesting that Alan is working with the government?" Isabelle spoke in his place. Alan looked at her in shock. "Or maybe you suggest that Linda is working hand in hand with the men who stole our futures." Tony's ears perked up.

"I take it as you know something?"

"Yeah. Linda would not have abandoned her own family for no reason." Isabelle pulled out a small photo. She smiled at it and placed it back in her pocket. "She would never continue to work with them after what had happened."

"Continue, huh?" Tony sat down. With a confused look on his face, he took a deep breath. "Girl, if what you say is true, then we will be on her side. However, we will not hesitate to eliminate her if she is caught working with them."

Isabelle smiled and wrapped her arms around Alan. Alan tried to push her off. Soon the vehicle came to a halt, and everyone inside stiffened. Tony and the others grabbed their rifles.

"Tonight is the night where everything changes," Tony spoke. He walked over to the back doors and kicked them open dramatically. The armored convoy had stopped on the outskirts of the research lab they had planned to raid. Off in the distance was a swarm of drones en route to their position. Tony took his rifle and charged it up. "Tonight is the night we fight back against those damn traitors one by one!" A blinding blue flash of light left his gun, followed by a suppressed humming noise. In response, the officers around shot as well, filling the sky with lasers. The swarm before them exploded, and Tony looked Alan in the eyes. "Go boy. We'll catch up with you. You better not be all talk." Alan nodded, summoned his blade, and began his pursuit towards the laboratory.

"You know, I getting some serious Déjà vu from this," Alice said with a chippy tone. "This is like the day right after I died."

"You seem happy, though." Alan froze time and avoided the gunfire. As time unfroze, he swung his blade against a giant robot holding a rifle.

"But of course, that was the day we waged war against God himself to reclaim our planet. And the day I saw Chronos truly mourn." Alice's voice trailed off. Alan smiled and continued to fight.