Episode Forty Nine - Cat and Mouse

Chapter Song Suggestion "Nakatomi Plaza by NOGYMX"

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THE PAST | Regis

It was that time of year.

Venetia Rubart's death anniversary meant he would be left alone for Father would drown his sorrows behind closed doors until he was soused. It was the only time Father 'let loose' and he didn't wish for Regis to witness his miserable state.

Nevertheless, frustration burned deep inside Regis's heart. This helplessness reminded him of the time he was cast out onto the streets — orphaned and alone. Even if Father adopted him out of self-interest, the fact that Regis now had a place to call home would never change. Selfishly he wanted to put the smile back on Father's face — because of him or something else — he cared not but the outcome.

He owed it to the man who saved his life, regardless of what it meant.

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PRESENT DAY

"I'm curious. What's your story?" Eira stole a side glance at Regis's profile. "I assume you're in your late teens?"

"Age is but a number," he replied coolly.

Eira pegged Regis as a methodical individual — a master of his emotions. Anger wasn't a sentiment easily associated with his character and he never looked out of place, whether it was his attire, mannerisms, or emotions. She pursed her lips. "Does nothing ever get under your skin? You're always calm and unflappable" — a snicker escaped her — "like a robot."

Regis glanced at her askance. "On the contrary, I feel emotions everyday. I just find it a waste of energy to act on every single one of them. To be frank, watching you is exhausting." He caught a flicker of hurt and anger in her eyes and came to a stop. "I don't mean it in a bad way. I've always been a quiet boy and I enjoy the silence. When I observe you, it amazes me how many emotions you're capable of feeling at a time. It's not something I can ever do."

Was he admitting a weakness? Somehow his confession made her sad. "Letting out your emotions should be as natural as breathing. I think you just haven't had the chance to experience them all."

Regis absorbed her words, quietly reflecting on his past. "I'm not sure if I want to experience them all. I am devoted to father but, to witness the pain he suffered…it would be wise to learn from his mistakes."

His naivete was unexpected. Eira hadn't a clue about his past, but his mind reminded her of a young boy trapped in a man's body. "Falling in love, and receiving love is never a mistake, Regis. I think if Veres had the chance to do it all over again, he would do so willingly." Her grin widened at his perplexity. "Don't worry. One day, if you meet the right person, you'll understand what I mean."

"I thank you for your concern, but I am content to be alone. This life of mine belongs to father."

The surety of his words made her frown. "Why are you so devoted to him?"

"I was dying when father found me on the streets. Yes, I was an orphan." He confirmed her suspicion. "Barely ten years old, he took me in and gave me a home. I vowed then that I would repay his kindness with my life. It doesn't matter what I have to do, as long as father wills it, then I shall fulfil his wishes."

An irrepressible shudder gripped her. Her heart ached for the boy he was. She wanted to claim his loyalty was misplaced but Veres wasn't unkind to Regis. She would have assumed they were truly father and son given their comfortable interaction. Veres was the kind of antagonist who made it hard for people to hate him. It was easier to dislike him when she was oblivious to his tragic past. But now that she knew how he had been wronged, and the unfortunate events he endured, it was...natural for her to waver.

Truthfully, she didn't have to protect the government from Veres. It wasn't like she supported Ataxia — far from it. In this dangerous world they lived in, she couldn't afford to think of others. And with a baby on the way, it was inevitable to be selfish and protect her loved ones first. Nothing else mattered.

She looked Regis squarely in the eye. "I don't care if Veres's intention is to destroy the Lieutenant General or Ataxia. I never intended to stay. All I want is to go back to where I belong, with the man I love and people who care for me. I'm only helping you this once, and I hope that after everything ends, we'll never have to meet again."

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"Captain! You're going to want to see this!" Anaelle shouted at the top of her lungs.

Lars hastened into the communications room. "What is it?"

Anaelle tapped at the beeping red mark on the holographic screen. "Eira's tracker is back online. She's here in Ataxia."

"Find her," he ordered stiffly. "Something's wrong if she hasn't contacted us. I'm going down to the hub to search for her. Update me on my earpiece once you locate her."

"Yes, Captain."

Grabbing his coat and reaper, he rushed out of the dispatch building and made his way to central Ataxia. Eira would have come to find him the moment she was back. The fact that she didn't — His jaw hardened. She had to know how worried he was. If he lost her again…

He shook his head, dispelling the unwelcome negativity. Shoving his way through the crowd, he searched the sea of faces. A surge of static crackled in his ear, followed by Anaelle's voice. "Captain, I'm following your tracker's signal and it says that you're close. Eira's there with you."

He redoubled his efforts to find her, bordering on desperation. He held this woman every night, knew her body better than she did. If anyone could recognize her in a crowd — he could. His gaze bounced off similar heights and hair colour before landing on two hooded figures headed for the administration building. It was the way they moved that alerted him – purposeful strides that boasted of a mission they had to accomplish and the stealth in which they avoided being touched. From a distance, it seemed as if there were an invisible force that compelled the crowd to part like water. Lars was right on their tails. "Anaelle, I have visual on Eira. There's someone with her and they're headed to administrative."

"What should we do, Captain?"

His mind raced. He was willing to concede on the probability that he might be wrong but, Lars always trusted his gut. "Alert administrative security and seal off all exits. I think we're under attack."

By the time he caught up with them, it was too late. The doors to the capsule pod slid shut at the same time their eyes met. Eira appeared shocked but soon, guilt darkened the green of her eyes. Lars had never been more confused. His body felt disjointed, as though it no longer belonged to him – confusion laced with betrayal. A deadly combination.

No, he didn't believe it. Eira couldn't be helping Falconer. There had to be a reason. Was she being coerced? Had Falconer threatened her? He got into the next capsule pod and pursued them. He wouldn't believe it until he heard the truth from her own lips. When he reached the administrative hallway, he found bodies slumped over the counters and on the ground. Checking their pulses, he was relieved they were alive.

Lowering his reaper pressure to minimal damage, he started hunting. All the administrative workers had been effortlessly knocked out, and the place was a mess from frantic escape attempts.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the entire floor and he lunged to take cover from a storm cloud of raging debris and smoke. He coughed violently, staggering to his feet. What the fuck was that! The alarm sounded off, triggering Ataxia's emergency lockdown procedure.

"Red alert! Red alert!" the system blared. "All personnel to evacuation stations. Lockdown will commence in less than three minutes."

Lars couldn't care less about the lockdown. He needed to find Eira. Was she alright? Meandering through the smoke, he noticed a gaping hole had replaced the main control room, displaying a view of the Ataxian wasteland. There was no chance of survival for those unfortunate souls.

"Captain, do you copy?" Anaelle demanded frantically.

"I'm listening."

"Eira's tracker is moving in the opposite direction. She's headed for the archive rooms."

Lars's brows slanted. What was she up to? "I'm on my way."

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Eira's heart was a hunted prey in her chest but, she didn't have the energy to be startled or stopped, her body flushed with adrenaline. She couldn't believe she had gotten away with locking Regis in the main control room. He would survive the blast — he was too resilient not to. She had fulfilled her part of the bargain and time was running out if she wanted to retrieve Venetia Rubart's final logs.

The emergency lockdown sequence was initiated, and people ran amok to evacuate or risk getting annihilated by the kill force. Neither Regis nor Veres clued her in on their plans but, she assumed they wanted a way into Ataxia. Her answer appeared in the form of a colossal Thrydran bursting through the ground and throwing Ataxia into chaos. Several portals rifted the space and predators poured into the hub like a scene out of a nightmare.

Fear was a living creature in her body but, she refused to be deterred. Now she understood why Regis wanted to destroy the main control room. It likely thwarted the portals from working and he needed to eliminate it. Discarding her cumbersome robe, Eira dashed towards the underground archive rooms. She caught one of the evacuating personnel by the arm. "Wait a minute! I need access to the records room!"

"Lady, are you crazy?" the man yelled. "We're going to die if we don't get out of here!"

"Please, this is important!"

"I'll help you," someone called from behind. "Let him go."

Releasing the frightened man, Eira turned to see a bespectacled youth. "What are you looking for?" he asked, conveniently helpful.

"I need access to Venetia Rubart's log records. She was a marine biologist who died in the submarine expedition ten years ago."

The youth's demeanour changed, and he motioned her into a room. "Shut the doors." His fingers danced away on the holographic screen. "These are the only records left from Venetia Rubart."

"Do they include her final video logs?"

A few more taps. "Yes, they're all here."

"Good. Transfer the files into my communicator." She thrusted her device to him.

"How do you know Venetia Rubart?" the youth asked softly.

"I don't," she answered honestly. "But someone else does, and I'm doing this for his sake."

"Is it Falconer?"

She paused. "How do you know?"

"Venetia Rubart was my mentor," he said, bitterness shadowing his voice. "She was also my mother's good friend. They both died in the expedition."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Eira was starting to grasp the reality of how deeply that fatal expedition had affected not only the victims but, their families and friends. She wondered if this man would support Veres or condemn his cause for revenge.

"Here you go." He handed the communicator back to her. "I hope you know what you're doing."

She flashed a brief but fierce smile. "Don't worry. I got this. You better leave before it's too late. Be careful out there. Predators have swarmed the place."

He nodded curtly and headed for the exit. The moment the door swung open, a large and angry shadow loomed over them. "What the fuck is going on?" the angry shadow barked.

"Lars?" Eira urged the youth aside.

"I hope to God you have a good explanation for this, Eira." Lars crowded her into the wall.

Peeking over his shoulder, Eira shouted at the youth. "Go! I will be fine."

"Eira, what the hell is going on? Are you helping Falconer?" Lars distraught was evident, a hint of his whittling composure.

"I had no choice. He's dangling three lives above my head." She grabbed his wrist urgently. "We need to find him. I think there's a way to stop him."

"What are you talking about?"

"Veres plans to destroy this entire place and kill Levente."

Lars noticed she was using Falconer's first name. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

"I can't explain it now but let's just say I have no sympathy for Levente's impending death, and I don't blame Veres for wanting his revenge." Eira didn't expect Lars to understand her change of heart. "I know I'm not making any sense but I'm not fighting for the enemy. What Levente had done, the deaths of those people in the submarine expedition…it wasn't just Veres who suffered. He has too much blood on his hands and it's only fair that he pays for his sins. I'm fighting in what I believe in, and that's all you need to know."

The intensity of his gaze didn't reveal his thoughts but, he spoke quietly. "No, I understand. Mickael filled me in on what happened ten years ago, and you're right…it's time for Levente to pay for his evilness."

Eira smiled. It was a smile of confidence and unforetold mysteries. "For a moment there did you doubt me?"

"I was more worried and shocked than anything," he admitted sheepishly. "I honestly don't give a fuck if Levente and Falconer drops dead right now."

"My sentiments exactly," she returned. "But we can't let the people of Ataxia suffer for it. I had no choice but to lead Regis here in order to get these video logs. They belonged to Veres's wife and I'm hoping to use them against him."

"I assume you have a plan in mind?"

"In order to take down a predator, we must think like one," she quipped. "A pack is led by a head, and all we need to do — "

"— is take down the leader," he finished for her.

She beamed. "Exactly."

Lars felt himself trembling with relief. It had been a long time since he felt fear on behalf of another's life. "You'll be the death of me, woman." Hauling her into his arms, his heart calmed at the solid feel of her body. "As soon as Levente's dead, we're leaving Ataxia for good."

She squeezed him for emphasis.

"Captain, is everything alright?" Anaelle demanded through his earpiece.

"I found Eira." Lars put her on speaker. "Locate Lieutenant General Levente for me and contact Florian. Back-up is needed at the central hub. We're being attacked by a horde of predators."

"I'm on it. It seems the Lieutenant General is in the lower levels of Ataxia, most likely in the research labs." Anaelle paused. "How strange…,"

"What's wrong?"

"It says here that the level he's on doesn't exist in the government's database." Anaelle's quiet unease howled at Lars. "I think we both know what's down there, Captain."

Eira tugged Lars to the exit. "Come on. I think I know the way in."

The catastrophe that greeted them above ground was nothing short of horrendous. Predators overran the compound and kill hunters were engaged in all forms of battle, both on ground and mid-air. A cacophony of screams, firing weapons and animal noises overwhelmed the place. Fear and death saturated the air and spilled on the ground. This insanity was enough to drive even the fiercest warriors to question their reason for living.

Eira and Lars were stopped by a pokerfaced Regis. "I was right not to trust you, Eira. I'm a little disappointed in you."

"My, my, isn't this the little peculiar you're fixated on, Regis?" Matahari drawled, appearing behind him. She draped a friendly arm over his shoulder. "Have you decided to join us, peculiar? I heard you were at the master's home."

"You are needed elsewhere, Matahari." Regis spared her not a glance.

"Uptight prick," she muttered, gaze slithering over Lars's form. She licked her lips, the mole on her upper lip lifting with her smile. "Care to go for another round, Captain?"

Suddenly, two bullets grazed and bounced off the space between them, forcing Matahari to jump away to save her toes.

"Sorry, we're late, Captain!" Florian trained his modified sharpshooter at Regis and Matahari. Blood splatters painted his face and coat. "We had some pests to get rid of. And it seems there are two more over here."