41/XLI. The Sky Is The Limit (Mastered)

“Come on!” Irene wanted to arrest the guys as soon as possible.

The gang just walked about a block from where Arthur teleported them, but-

SFX: Pant, pant, gasp, gasp

Arthur gasped for air, as they rushed into the hotel. He reduced his pace slowly as his heart cannot keep up.

He just had an attack about half an hour ago, and he’s been pushing his physical body into using his powers multiple times in that day, not to mention the EMF disruptions he produced to avoid human detections and recordings.

In the ten minutes that they’ve walked, Arthur cannot press forward any longer. He stopped and reached out his hand and leaned it flat to the wall beside him, and was looking grim.

He appeared like he was going to pass out any minute. His eyes half-dead, and mist and fog that came out of his mouth filled in the temperature that he has as he breathe warm air into the cold atmosphere outside.

“Irene, we should slow down.” Jackson turned around and got his brother’s arms onto his shoulder to lean on.

Arthur was too weak to even take a step forward.

The two collapsed on their weights, and each knelt on their one knee to the ground as to support their bodies.

“Art!” Eddie came running back to the two and he grabbed the other arm of Arthur and laid it on his shoulder, effectively carrying him all the way to the county hall.

Irene watched as Arthur lost consciousness at the busy street. She clenched her fist for not being able to notice Arthur’s ailments.

She gritted her teeth, being unable to at least support Arthur when he needed help the most.

“Is it always like this?” She’s waiting for Arthur’s explanation of the extraordinary things that he can do, but she was more invested on the effect of those abilities of his to his body.

“Yeah, when he uses his powers multiple times in a day, this happens.” Jackson denoted his experience in the hospital, especially his experience with his mother.

Eddie could not really speak from experience, since he just found out yesterday.

She can’t do anything. She frustratingly looked down at the pavement, curling her brows, and trying to reason what she can do for Arthur in his time of need.

“Come on. There’s nothing to be worried about, he just needs some rest.” Eddie and Jackson along with Arthur walked past her as she stood in silence.

She turned and looked at the trio, and decided to move forward as well.

-------------------- // --------------------

“Madam, welcome back!” The general manager welcomed Irene, and a band of two young men that carried an unconscious lad all the way up to the entrance.

“Who are…?” Before he could trail his question to a full on sentence, Irene simply answered.

“They’re my guests, and they may be staying tonight in my room.” She responded as she tried past the security.

“Understood.” Ivan and Harold that stood waiting for the princess, immediately ran towards their master, and upon seeing Arthur passed out, they both offered help.

Jackson and Eddie looked at each other as Harold offered to piggy back Arthur back to the room.

“You can trust them with Arthur, don’t worry.” Irene reassured the two and they laid Arthur at his back.

He carried Arthur to the room, and laid him out on the bed.

The two bowed their heads and went outside of the room.

“Are you sure about your bodyguards?” Jackson was still unsure about the two outside of the room.

“If Arthur didn’t return me that day when we ran to the train, they’ll go crazy on you here. That’s how devoted they are to me.” Irene reiterated how the two are faithful to her and not to Silvia.

“All the more reason I don’t trust them.” Jackson sighed.

“Said the guy who handed Arthur to the people he didn’t trust.” Eddie pointed out quickly the contrast in his actions and his words.

“Hmph.” Jackson let out a deep exhale.

“We need to wake Arthur up.” Irene insisted on this, and even convinced Jackson to do so.

Jackson hesitantly woke up Arthur, and as he slowly open his eyes to the room, assessing the situation he was in, and the elegant set-up of the room.

“How long did I pass out?” He held his chest, riffled his shirt into the process, and curled his brows, closed his eyes, and cupped his head in his hand.

“About ten to fifteen minutes.” Eddie estimated the time they walked the two blocks to the county hall.

“This place…” Arthur looked around as he opened his eyes.

What looked like a luxury room, with one queen-sized bed in the midst of the room, a 52-inch television atop the fireplace right next to the bed, and a reception and couch and coffee table near the foot of the bed.

At the left side of the room is the dining table, and dining chairs, a simple kitchen at the other side of the room and a separate room for the bathtub, and shower.

“It’s my hotel room, we’re in the fourth floor.” Irene explained as Arthur looked around her room.

Not a single cloth lying around, even her undergarments and towels are in their place in the bathroom.

“You’ve been living by your own here?” Arthur grew concerned, but proud, since Irene can take care of herself at a young age of twelve.

She glimpsed of a simple smile from Arthur’s face as soon as she opened her mouth to answer him.

She smirked upon seeing this and retorted, “Yeah. I can pretty much live by my own now.” She stopped.

He waited on her, he knew that there was some additional comments to that, but-

The silence enveloped the room with awkwardness.

“Art…” She broke the silence, and wanted him to know from her mouth.

“Yes?” He looked her in her eye.

“Your offer earlier, I don’t want to take it. I’ll just find another place to stay, but… not at your home, because…” I’m starting to have feelings for you, and I know that you already have someone in your heart. She didn’t continue, but Arthur can hear her thoughts.

“Then, once you find a home, I’ll make sure that you’re guarded besides Ivan and Harold.” He couldn’t have her continue that sentence anymore. He butted in saving her face from embarrassment.

“Hmm.” She nodded and smiled in agreement.

Arthur sprang up from his seat and knelt on one knee, laid his right hand flat on the ground, and used his power, Detection, to detect the spirit of Johnny, and confirmed it that they’re on the same building.

“Johnny’s here, at the tenth floor, unmoving, he’s still asleep.” Arthur continued.

“That’s weird, chloroform doesn’t last very long. He should have woken up by now.” Jackson rebutted the idea that Johnny has been asleep for about forty-five minutes now.

“One’s a surgeon, he has access to anesthesia. He could have just sneaked an injection to have him pass out for many hours.” Eddie’s deduction was spot on, that Arthur grew proud of the group that he has.

SFX: Ring, ring, ring!

“It’s Storm.” Arthur pulled out his flip-phone from his pocket, and checked out the caller ID.

He answered the phone immediately.

“Storm, where are you?” He heard splashing sounds at the other line.

“I’m near the Aquarium, and I just passed the Westminster bridge, and the hotel county hall.” Matthew answered back.

“Go back to the county hall, and park your car near the entrance. I’ll control the doll. Make sure to ask for an empty room nearest the top floor.” As soon as he detected Matthew’s spirit nearby and stopping, he used another power of his, Puppeteer, to control the lifeless doll at the rear seat of the car.

-------------------- // --------------------

“All right, all of the pieces are in place. We just need to wait for the MI-7 and Interpol guys.” Arthur set down his phone on the coffee table just as he finished his conversation with Matthew.

“Art, you’re following this lead. I believe you have a strong reason to do so. What is that?” Jackson felt that there was something that Arthur was holding on besides that the group had terrorist background.

Arthur couldn’t hide it any longer.

Even Eddie can feel there’s something that Arthur was hiding from them. The reason why Arthur followed this lead than any other – something that’s hidden under the radar of the MI-7, he wanted to keep it until the case was over, but it was inevitable, his brothers can feel it.

“Do you remember Greg Hughes?”

Their imagination went back to the blackboard yesterday, the three suspects that has the means, knowledge, and motive, but there was one on the board that was already deceased – Greg Hughes.

“What about him?” Eddie followed up.

While the boys were talking about the case, Irene ordered drinks and food for the team.

“The main motive of the mastermind was to erase the memories of the people who were involved in the case fifteen years ago.” Arthur deducted from the start what was happening, but was not sure about the motive until he talked to Greg’s soul about the case fifteen years ago.

“Involved?” Jackson curled his brows, and followed through Arthur’s statements. “Is the reason why the attacks were only concentrated on the media and production?” He continued asking.

Arthur only nodded in agreement.

As soon as the food and drinks arrived, Irene stepped in with, “The first attack, Chernobyl, a production company was near the area to shoot a historical documentary. The second one in the metros, a report was being made live that day. And the third one, involving the entertainment production team in that festival – everything are concentrated on television and its connections.” Irene can read Arthur’s mind, not real quick, but she can understand his actions and intentions.

“That’s right. The fourth one as well, it’ll be concentrated on a show, right?” Jackson pitched in.

Eddie couldn’t hold his hunger anymore, and he opened the box of pizzas that arrived.

Arthur sighed, and reached out for an iced tea.

“That’s right, but…” The next words that came out of Arthur’s mouth became as terrifying as the word “terror” in their hearts.

-------------------- // --------------------

“WHAT?!” Harold and Ivan ran towards the door and barged in unannounced as they clearly heard Irene shouted as it echoed in the hallways.

“Miss Irene…” The two were as surprised as the four inside the room when they only saw the four eating and drinking.

“I’m so sorry to alert you. I’m fine. We’re just talking.” She shooed them away. The two bowed their heads, apologized, and closed the doors as they went back to their room.

“This in—vol---ves na—ati---on--al se---cu--rity.” Eddie disrespectfully splurges on the pizza as he gives out his opinion.

“Damn, barbarian, close your mouth and don’t talk while you’re eating!” Irene slapped his arm as soon as he gulped the iced tea to gobble down what he just ate.

“They’re here.” Arthur can detect the several bodies near the entrance, Matthew and the lifeless doll going in the elevator to the ninth floor.

“Irene, evacuate with Harold and Ivan. Jackson, stand by on the lowest floor near the emergency exit. Eddie, wait at the parking lot, if they escape, dial father’s number and tell him what’s happening, we’ll escalate this to the Interpol if the MI-7 guys can’t handle them.” Arthur gave the orders, they’re ready for action.

The team nodded in agreement, but before they burst out the door, Jackson asked, “What are you going to do, Arthur?” He looked back at his brother, still in his weakened state.

“I’m going up. I’ll rescue Johnny with Matthew.” His eyes were as determined as the three barging out of the hall.

“I suppose I can’t stop you. You’re already weak.” Jackson appeared concerned. He was too anxious to leave Arthur to his plan.

“No. I’ll make sure to come back alive. I promise.” Arthur smiled, trying to reassure Jackson as he went out the door, but letting him go up was going to be one of the regrets Jackson will bring into the rest of his life.

As soon as the doors closed and the trio had taken their places, Arthur breathed in deeply, and walked straight out of the room, and met Matthew and the doll right in front of the elevator.

As the two entered in the hotel county hall, Arthur disabled all electronic devices, no cameras, no CCTVs, and no one can record and see how he absorbed the lifeless doll from the door of the elevator, and replaced it with his actual body.

“Young master, they’re at the second elevator.” Matthew pointed out the wall to the right.

Arthur only nodded. They followed Matthew on the ninth floor, but Matthew pushed the fourth floor only after he got in the elevator.

As Arthur quickly discarded of the doll, he went inside the elevator within seconds of it stopping, without having a window of witness from the other elevator.

“Chief, he stopped at the fourth floor, but we saw nothing there.” The four men team on the other elevator readied their guns and their ID cards.

-------------------- // --------------------

“Young master?” Arthur knelt down on one knee, and laid his right hands on the moving elevator.

“Hold on to something.” He told the butler.

He closed his eyes, and opened it and produced another EMF disruption. Since the hotel had a smart elevator, everything that involved electronics stopped, including the elevator.

“WOah!” Matthew shouted in shock as the elevator stopped right in between the eighth and ninth floor.

“We’re getting out of that shaft.” Arthur pointed out the closed shaft atop the elevator.

“Hm.” Matthew nodded in agreement, and hoisted Arthur atop of his shoulders to the shaft.

Arthur opened the shaft without any difficulty and climbed out of the elevator.

“Young master? ART!” Arthur immediately closed the shaft as soon as he was out of Matthew’s eyeshot, and climbed the railings besides the elevator.

His shout echoed out the elevators even the people in the next one heard it.

I’m sorry, Matthew, I can’t risk your life here. This case is too much for a normal, ordinary human to be involved.

“Stay right there.” He whispered as he went up to the air shaft of the tenth floor.

SFX: Clang, clang, clang

He pressed forward as he removed the shaft’s door, and as he has a slender figure, he fit right into it and he crawled into the air shaft into the largest room.

He huffed and huffed as the air became too stuffy inside the shaft.

There were several openings, and holes in the shaft that he utilized in checking the layout of the rooms.

And in one of the shafts directly above the reception room, Johnny became visible, laying asleep on the couch, and the two of the members of Abaddon arguing whether to keep the child hostage, alive, or just toss him in the list of the dead people they’ve killed so far.

“We’ve already decided not to kill ten years ago, remember?” The doctor pleaded against killing the child.

Hugh was one of the members at that table that called for the disbandment of the group as they formed families and love interests in the course of time ten years ago.

“You were only voting for that cause because you already found a reason not to pursue the main goal of our group.” Jamison Pauls rebutted.

He angrily pointed out that one of the founding members, Hugh Urkle, vowed not to involve himself to the society romantically to upheld the mission of the group, but he was the first one to do so.

“Look, whether or not I did not uphold that vow is out of the question. The main mission of Abaddon is not to terrorize people, but to help the government realize their mistakes and improve governance.” The doctor once again debated his cause.

“They were the ones who started this. William, he already promised that the group would be disbanded, but in the end, what? He’s been pursued unto the ends of the world, without peace and serenity.” He marched towards the doctor, stomping on his way to him, and huffed as he retorted his reasoning.

“You’re going to use Jonathan’s formula, is that it? What if it does more harm than just memory loss? We’re going to be hunted down, is that what you want?” The doctor won’t back down either. He faced him head on and berated him for the wicked idea that he had.

Those words struck a memory of Jamison, it was those times that Andy was hunted down by the Interpol, and due to this extreme stress being on the run 24-7, Andy couldn’t really live quietly with William’s family.

“Look, even if you erase their memories, it wouldn’t get William back his ten years with his family.” Hugh spoke the truth.

Even if Jamison planted doubts in the memories of the people, it wouldn’t get William the ten years he lost running away from the problem.

“I don’t care! I DON’T CARE ANYMORE! We’ve been plagued by the government for doing vigilante… righteous things from the start, don’t you think they’re being unreasonable for disrupting our everyday lives?” Jamison had a point.

The two didn’t want to admit it, but it’s true.

Everything changed when they threw in William as their representative. The government promised a compromise with the terrorist group but all they received were animosity, and continued monitoring from both the SIS and the Interpol.

Jamison couldn’t accept this, but William pulled the reins. He was the mediator in between the government and their group, so what he says, goes.

But Jamison kept the group intact. He knew something would come up sooner or later, and he wasn’t wrong at that.

“We won’t kill him, but we won’t release him until all of this is over. Besides, we need to also erase his memory.” Jamison looked particularly menacing as he darted his sharp gazes to the unconscious child.

“Pauls, you’re not even a doctor, you won’t be so sure at the effects of Jonathan’s formula.” The doctor held Jamison’s arm, trying to get him back to the reality that he wanted to escape from.

Jamison pushed the doctor back, making Hugh lose his balance and fell down on the couch. As soon as he did, Pauls pulled out his forty-five pistol from his waist, gripped it tightly in his hands, clicked the safety lock, and flicked the hammer of the gun, and pointed it directly at the doctor.

“Haven’t you heard me the first time?” He loaded the cartridge gesturing his seriousness in his plans, and that no one can step in and convince him to stop at any time.

“JP, this isn’t what we do.” The doctor appealed again, but it was too late, he was too far gone.

“You won’t change my mind.”

JP’s finger flinched, and as soon as the trigger pulled back, the hammer of the gun ignited the firing pin, and the gunpowder scattered like dust in the air, as if slowing down, but as soon as the spark left the firing pin, a screeching howl can be heard all over the floor and into the ninth floor, even the elevator shafts contained the echo.

SFX: BANG!

JP shot the doctor’s lower leg, hitting his shinbone, and shattering it to pieces. The screeching shout came from Hugh, who felt the stinging pain as soon as the bullet hit his leg.

The muzzle of the gun, still hot and smoking from the first shot, sizzled as the surrounding metal were in contact with the plastic bottle left sitting in the coffee table as soon as JP let down his hand.

That gunshot alerted the officers inside the elevator, and they decided to go through the elevator shaft as well to check out the commotion instead of waiting for the power to come back.

“JP… Y- you’ve… ch- changed.” The doctor tried not to pass out from the pain. He struggled to even get a word out.

“Blame it on them, they’ve changed a sheep into a wolf.” He curled his brows, squinted his eyes, and pointed the gun to the glass rooftop, and-

SFX: BANG!

Another shot fragmented the glass above them. The rooftop shattered into a million pieces. The doctor had to shield his face with his arms as soon as the glasses rained down on them.

The second shot woken up Johnny, but he did it subtly as he knew that there were dangerous individuals still around.

JP left the building in a hurry. He went directly to the door that leads to the rooftop that faces the other side of the building.

A fire escape was prepared in order for him to escape any time necessary.

And as soon as Arthur knew there were no one around with a dangerous weapon, he kicked the opening of the air shaft located directly above the living room where the two had been arguing with Johnny asleep on the couch.

SFX: Cling! Cling! CLANG! CLANG! The metal opening fell directly at the tiled floor.

The doctor was still conscious, but was getting out of breathe, he panted and gasped for air, his blood was spilling all over the carpeted floor, he couldn’t reach his bleeding wound as to put pressure on the gunshot.

“Kid?” He turned his head at the shat atop them, and glimpsed a slender teenager, coming out of the shaft.

Just as soon as JP escaped, the four men in the elevator were able to reach the tenth floor with much effort.

They wanted to storm the main room, but decided not too, since they heard Arthur’s voice.

The EMF disruption that Arthur produced about half an hour ago, almost dissipated and the communications between the MI-7 agents and the main building resumed.

The Chief ordered them to listen in first since they confirmed from Arthur’s statement that the gunman was no longer in the vicinity.

“John, wake up, the gunman is no longer here.” As soon as he jumped out of the shaft into the coffee table underneath him, he turned to his twin, and signaled him that the gunman is no longer in the room.

“Art!” Johnny opened his eyes, but he was still weak from the anesthesia shot.

“You still can’t move?” Arthur tried to raise Johnny’s hands, they’re still floppy.

“Noope.” Johnny tried to regain his strength and stand up, but even his back is not cooperating, he slapped his body right back on the couch.

“Child, I need your help.” The doctor tried to get the attention of Arthur before he could pass out.

“It’s about JP?” Arthur approached and knelt on one knee and reached out both of his hands to put pressure on Hugh’s gunshot wound.

“Argh!” He was pulled back to full consciousness as pain rushed from his leg to his nerves to his brain.

“Jonathan was the one who did the Chernobyl, the metros, and the festival chemical attacks – those were to have the people directly involved in Greg Hughes case forget what happened fifteen years ago, is that it?” Upon hearing Arthur’s deductions, the doctor can only nod in agreement.

“H-how d-did y-you know a-about this, a-about u-us?” Urkle stuttered in pain. Still maintaining the pressure on the wound, Arthur continued to confirm his deductions.

“JP wanted to do the same for William, who has been your mediator between the government and Abaddon, and he’ll do it at the London Eye, where it can be seen, and heard at the Parliament?” Arthur began dropping the bombs to the case.

His statements became too controversial that the Chief sent several men to the Parliament just across the Thames River to secure the MP.

“Y-yes.” The doctor confirmed.

As soon as the doctor confirmed it, the MI-7 agents barged in the door and-

“Police! This is a raid, raise your hands in the air.” Arthur sprang up to his feet, and released his hands from the gunshot wound of the doctor.

“Kid, you’ve done your part. Go home and rest.” He gave the order to Arthur.

But Arthur only looked down, and blinked, blinked, as if not taking in what he heard, and as soon as they got their attention to the bloodied and wounded doctor, he looked around for that door to the rooftop.

“Please call an ambulance for my brother as well.” He pointed out his brother that still cannot move due to the anesthetics.

The four men got too preoccupied with their own agendas.

One of them assumed responsibility for putting pressure on the wound of the doctor. The other one contacted 999 for another ambulance.

The two went around the luxury apartment to check out clues on how to stop the guy from causing more chaos.

But Arthur knew what he wanted to do.

As soon as he noticed that all of them are preoccupied by one thing, he dashed into the door to the roof top and followed the steps of JP going towards the London Eye.

“Hey!” HEY!” The one that put pressure on the wound called out the agent that requested an ambulance.

“What is it?”

“The kid went to the rooftop. Go after him!”

“What?”

“Damn! Kid, what are you thinking?!”