The Warden

{In the alleyway that Leo was last seen.}

"BAM! You idiots, letting the suspect escape when you practically had him cornered! Do you guys enjoy giving me more work to do?!" (Oliver said with anger after punching one of the men). I hope you morons give me a good answer for why this happened or all of you will be sent to Doomtown!" (Oliver threatened).

"We're terribly sorry detective, we let him escape because of our carelessness but please give us a chance, we'll redeem ourselves" (Said the tiny man with nervousness).

"And how exactly are you idiots going to redeem yourselves, huh?!"

"Well... we-" (the tiny man started saying before Oliver punched him too).

"I don't even have to hear your answer to know its bullshit! You idiots can't do anything to be able to do something such as "redeem yourselves", and y'all didn't let him escape because you're careless, but because you are all a bunch of idiots!"

"J-Just please forgive us and don't send us to Doomtown" (begged the tiny man from the ground before the rest of his group started doing the same thing).

"Tch... I'll let it slide this time since at least we got his last seen location, but I hope this situation doesn't repeat ever again you guys hear me?!" (Said Oliver with an annoyed tone).

"Yes! Thank you for forgiving us, sir!" (Said all the five men at the same time).

"Good... now, tell me about everything that happened in here with as much details as possible" (Oliver said in a commanding tone).

"Yes sir, we took a shortcut on one of the alleyways to arrive towards our destination and we found the guy on the wanted poster of Hope City taking shelter in a cardboard box. We knew that a dangerous criminal such as himself couldn't be left roaming around, so we confronted him. After he saw us, the guy ran away from us, and we followed him towards this dead end. Just as we were about to capture him, he escaped by following that crack over there towards the exit, afterwards, we lost him" (The tiny man told while showing a bunch of different emotions on his face through the whole story).

"These dudes think that I don't know they are just a bunch of liars and losers, I'm sure that they noticed Leo Bright was the guy from the wanted posters after trying to rob him; they are treating me like I'm an idiot that was born yesterday. God... now I really want to send them to Doomtown, but unfortunately, I don't have that power; not that they need to know this at all though. I'll let it slide this time since I don't want to have more work to do, but the moment they do something illegal I will have no mercy when handling them" (Oliver thought with exasperation).

"So.... are we free to leave now?" (James asked with a shaky tone in his voice).

"All of you are free to leave for now. I better not see or hear anything about your little group if they don't want to suffer the consequences, and that includes you" (Oliver said with a serious expression to the tiny man).

The group quickly nodded before leaving, and after they had done so Oliver started to give out orders to the guardians. "Search this whole alleyway, that also includes the crack that Leo Bright passed through" The guardians quickly obeyed and found something important in less than two minutes.

"Detective Oliver, there seems to be blood where Leo Bright passed through."

"Perfect, do what you need to do and send the blood sample to the lab, so they can analyze it... I just hope it doesn't belong to that hobbit or I'm going to send him to jail for wasting our time even more."

"Yes, sir" (the guardian replied).

"And the rest of you, spread out all the dogs to find Leo's trace."

"Yes, sir" (the rest of the guardians replied in the same way).

The guardians started doing their part of the job; however, shortly after they began doing it a couple of military trucks with the initials "D.T.E" inscribed on them arrived at the place, and some people with imponent armor came out of them.

"What? Who are these guys?" (Oliver wondered in his thoughts, but shortly after wondering this one of the people that looked like their leader introduced himself to him).

"Good afternoon, Detective Oliver. I'm the leader of the "Doomtown Enforcers", we came to catch the murder Leo Bright in order to send him to Doomtown" (the leader calmly explained).

"The Doomtown Enforcers? (Oliver asked out loud). I've never heard of a division called like that, the ones that I requested to come over and help us were the Doomtown Guardians, would you care to please explain this situation Mr.?"

"People call me "The Warden", but you can just call me Warden."

"Oh... I see" (Oliver replied in an odd way to his nickname).

"Leaving that aside, the Doomtown Enforcers is a new division created to reduce the workload of the Doomtown Guardians, now they will just keep watch over the prisoners of Doomtown while we take care of catching criminals instead of them having to do both of these things, and that's why we came over instead of them" (The Warden explained to Oliver with patience).

"Alright, I understand. Now, to let you know about the current situation I'll tell you that a few guys saw Leo Bright at this place and tried to retain him until we came; in spite of this, he managed to escape and now we're using the dogs to try and find him."

"Hmmm, is there any trace of blood that could belong to Leo Bright in this place?" (The Warden asked).

"Actually, there is. However, we still need to send it over to the lab to find out if it belongs to Leo."

"There's no need to do that, order the men under your charge to stop using the dogs and to bring me the blood sample they found" (The Warden ordered).

"Huh? What do you mean?" (Oliver asked in a confused tone).

"Just do as I said, you'll understand once you see"

"Well... alright" (Oliver said before ordering the Hope City Guardians to stop their search and to bring the blood sample).

"Dammit, I hate being ordered to do something, but I have no choice but to willingly obey" (Oliver thought in an irritated way while doing what the Warden ordered him to do). All the guardians with dogs stopped their search, and the guardian with the blood sample came back and handed it to the Warden.

After receiving the blood sample, the Warden ordered one of his men to bring him a case, and when that person handed him the case, he placed it on the ground and opened it; hence, a transparent spherical device the size of an adult's palm could be seen. Even after seeing what was in the case, Oliver still couldn't understand why the Warden ordered him to stop their search. So, he proceeded to ask him in a polite way what that thing was.

"Excuse me, Warden. Could you explain to us what that device does?"

"No problem, you see... this is a new device created by the research team of Doomtown, and it was given to us in order to easily find criminals. When introducing blood inside this spherical device, it will be immediately analyzed, and it will show who it belongs to. Aside from this, its other function allows it to track the owner of the blood by using magnetic waves that feel attracted to the iron inside his/her blood. This will cause the blood to float around the sphere in the direction in which the criminal is currently at, or in the direction that he's heading to; this device is without a doubt a revolutionary piece of art created with the latest technology."

"Wha-, this... this is unbelievable!" (Oliver said with evident shock).

"It won't be when you witness it with your own eyes Detective Oliver" (The Warden assured him).

Immediately after telling this to Oliver, and without losing more time, the Warden quickly placed the blood sample inside the spherical device and turned it on. Firstly, he verified whose blood sample this was, and after a few seconds passed a hologram appeared at the top of the spherical device with Leo's birth information between other things.

"So, it does belong to Leo huh?" (Oliver said out loudly to himself)

"Indeed, Detective Oliver" (The Warden responded). "The only thing that's left now is to activate the tracking mode; for this reason, order your men to prepare themselves for the detention of Leo Bright... we're going after him right now" (The Warden ordered).

"Understood" (Oliver said, but he couldn't avoid making a tch sound with his tongue for being ordered to do something for the second time).

The Warden noticed this, but he didn't do anything about it for now. Instead, he focused on activating the track mode of the device; consequently, the device suddenly lightened up and made the blood float to the middle of it, only to move north afterwards.

Oliver, that had already ordered his men as the Warden ordered him to do, looked at the incredible show while laughing on the inside.

"If I'm able to obtain this device I'll be able to easily find all the criminals wherever they are with just a little bit of their blood, which will make my work a lot easier, hahahaha. I'll have to ask him to give me one when we catch Leo Bright" (Oliver thought with excitement and greed).

"You were right Warden; this device is indeed revolutionary" (Affirmed Oliver). "Let's catch Leo Bright, this investigation is already taking a long time" (Said Oliver with an exhausting tone).

"Told you, and yes... you're right, let's get this over with."

"Alright" (Oliver said).

"I want all the Doomtown Enforcers to follow my truck, I'll lead you to Leo's current location" (The Warden ordered to his men).

"Yes, sir!" (The D.T.E replied).

"Guardians, we'll follow the Doomtown Enforcers by car until they tell us what to do next!" (Oliver ordered to his men).

"Yes sir!" (The H.C.G replied before getting inside their cars and follow the D.T.E towards Leo's location).

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At the same time that the guardians were heading towards Leo, he was asleep in a destroyed building. When he first arrived at the north side of Hope City, he saw many destroyed structures, and this only got worse as he continued to walk. Occasionally, he would find people but stayed out of their sight to avoid getting involved in unnecessary danger; on the other hand, he started to look for shelter.

"Everything is destroyed, this is the most dangerous part of the city, but it is a lot safer compared to Doomtown. For now, I need to find somewhere safe to sleep and I'll think of what to do next when I wake up tomorrow, I'm simply too tired from running away and from not sleeping properly to be thinking of this today" (Leo said to himself with extreme exhaustion).

He walked until finding a destroyed building that didn't look like it was being used at the time, so he went inside. As he silently walked inside the building, he kept eyeing the place to make sure there really were no people inside; and having found nothing that signaled there had been people staying at this place recently, he made it his shelter for the night. It was late in the day, the moon could be seen, his body and mind were tired from all the chases, so Leo found a good spot upstairs and laid there to rest.

{Some hours later}

It was late at night when Leo woke up due to the sound of a door opening downstairs. He peeked his head down a railing and found some guardians moving slowly while inspecting the whole place. Fear creeped up his whole body; furthermore, he felt the adrenaline increase throughout all his body, so he stood up immediately and went in search of an exit. The guardians were now making their way upstairs and Leo still hadn't found an exit, only a window.

"Damn it all! Why can't I rest from all this bullshit?! And how did they even find me? It's impossible that they were able to find me in such a short time period even with their dogs" (Leo cursed and wondered about his current situation). "Anyway, I don't have time to be thinking about those things, I have to focus on trying to escape. I'll do anything in order to not end up in Doomtown."

Leo made up his mind and opened the window of the second floor while immediately looking down. He was so high up that the thought of "Was it worth it?" ended up on his mind, a fall from that height would surely injure him. Yet, Leo stopped thinking when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and jumped to the ledge of the building while instantly closing the window and moving to the right with careful steps.

"I'm taking a big risk by doing this, for all I know there could be guardians outside and they could see me at a moment's notice. It seems that the guardians already arrived at the place I was sleeping at judging by the sound. They will surely know that I was there based on the tracks that I left."

After moving for some time on the ledge, Leo arrived at the end of the building; then, he made a turn and looked down while trying to find a way out of his predicament.

"I can't stay here forever, I can hang on the ledge and drop down, better than being caught up here and not being able to do anything" (Leo decided).

He hanged on the ledge and after pondering for a second he released his grip and fell down. Since he fell from that height his legs felt a lot of pain, but at least his mobility wasn't hindered because he rolled when his feet touched the ground.

"I did it! Now it's just a matter of leaving this place and finding another one that's more secure" (Celebrated a joyful Leo before running away quietly, unaware that the H.C.G and the D.T.E could follow him whenever he went).

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At the same time that Leo had jumped off of the building the device in the Warden's hands began moving. "It seems that he's trying to escape, but unfortunately for you... you'll never be able to do so" (The Warden said before he took out a communication device that looked like a walkie-talkie and began to give detailed information with orders).

"Attention, Leo Bright has escaped the building and is now heading east of everyone's location. Begin moving immediately and capture him" (The Warden transmitted the message in a commanding voice to the H.C.G and the D.T.E).

"Everyone! Quickly, get on your vehicles and intercept Leo Bright in the east, and Warden... stay in contact with us and inform if Leo's location changes at any time" (Oliver said).

"Will do" (The Warden said as calmed as ever).

After Oliver finished speaking the D.T.E and the H.C.G quickly got into action and went inside their vehicles heading towards the east to intercept Leo. Oliver just leaned against his car and started smoking while thinking of his future promotion.

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"Man, I've gotten almost no sleep whatsoever, this headache is killing me. Haaaa, it seems as if God hated me for some reason and wanted me at Doomtown at all costs. (Said a tired Leo with a sigh while jogging away from his last location).

Everything was going well until some sounds were heard behind Leo. "Umm, what's that thing I hear behind me" (Leo thought before looking behind him). "Oh, shit!" (Shouted a surprised Leo).

Leo ran as fast as he could in a desperate attempt to escape from the cars, but they eventually caught up to him. "Leo Bright, stop running immediately and surrender, failure to do as asked will result in great consequences" (Warden said).

Seeing that Leo didn't utter a word and just kept on running at a building ahead. The Warden realized what he wanted to do and quickly gave the order to shoot. "Permission to shoot granted, neutralize Leo Bright!"

The D.T.E wasted no time and shot at him; the bullets impacted straight in his chest. "Ahh, Damn it!" (Screamed Leo before falling headfirst into the ground). The D.T.E and H.C.G got out of their vehicles and surrounded Leo before taking out a pair of handcuffs and to cuff Leo.

"Get away from me, don't come any closer, put that thing away from me" (Shouted Leo frantically while resisting the arrest even when he had been recently shot).

"No point in wasting time like this, Jeremy, put him down" (The Warden said in a relaxed tone). The D.T.E named Jeremy got close to Leo and hit him in the head with the back of his steel boots. He got knocked out cold instantly, making the action of cuffing him more feasible.

"Now we need to send this guy to Doomtown, he's obviously too dangerous to be walking around Hope City. Jeremy, place Leo Bright at the back of your D.T.E truck, we'll be leaving shortly" (The Warden ordered). Jeremy, without uttering a word, picked Leo up and placed him inside his truck, and just as they were about to leave, Oliver arrived.

Hello there, leaving so soon, Warden? It seems that Leo Bright was successfully caught. (Oliver said with a friendly voice).

"Indeed, Detective Oliver. Leo Bright's detention has been a complete success, and because we used some special bullets that cauterize the wounds as they enter and leave the body of a human, he's not going to bleed out."

"I'm truly surprised, Warden. It seems that Doomtown's research team comes up with many useful inventions, for example, that spherical device you have in your hand" (Oliver said while pointing out the device with his finger).

"Hmmmm, for what reason are you telling me this Detective Oliver?" (The Warden asked with indifference as he pretty much had guessed Oliver's motives).

"Well... you see... I was just wondering if it would be possible that you mention some of the work that I did to my superior, it would be a shame if all the work that I did went to waste. In addition, I have another favor to ask you, could you get me one of those spherical devices? It would truly make my job a lot easier" (A nervous Oliver said, after all, the Warden was still superior to him in all ways). He was sweating at this point, doing such a risky thing and trying to hide his nervousness was starting to take a toll on his mind. But all efforts proved to be rewarded when the Warden spoke.

"So that was it, don't worry about something so trivial Detective Oliver. Just make sure to do your job and don't get in any trouble, things will fall in place soon after. Also, I'm sorry but this spherical device is only available to the D.T.E at the moment, it's just too expensive to make like to be giving it to everyone" (The Warden said).

"Oh... it's a shame... Well, thanks for your time and in advance for helping me out with my superior" (Oliver said half-satisfied with the outcome of his requests).

"No problem, see you later Detective Oliver" (The Warden said before ordering his men to take Leo away).

The D.T.E didn't delay any longer and started to take Leo towards Doomtown.

"See you, Warden" (Oliver said before telling his men something).

"Let's get out of here, we have more criminals to catch" (Said Oliver before he got on his car and drove towards his house). "Haha, it seems that the God of luck is on my side. Now it's just a matter of waiting till I get my promotion" (A delighted Oliver thought).

When Oliver arrived at his house, he sat down on the couch and started smoking tobacco while playing some music from the 80's. It really was a nice house, it seemed that Oliver was living in luxury and comfort. "Haaaa, damn, life is incredible" (Oliver said while closing his eyes after exhaling some smoke).

Oliver, that was relaxing, felt something cold touch the back of his head and immediately opened his eyes, he was about to turn around when somebody spoke. "If you turn your head around there will be nothing left of you" (The threatening voice of a man could be heard along with a gun click). "Click!"

"I don't know who you are, but it is in your best interest to let me live. I can give you all you want, just please don't kill me" (Oliver said with desperation in his voice). However, he was lying in some way, the voice did sound familiar to him, but he just couldn't figure out who was the guy that was pointing a gun to his head.

"There is nothing to talk about, today you disrespected me, and I won't tolerate it" (The man said calmly).

Oliver tried to remember who he disrespected but he didn't have a clue, that was until he remembered that he did some things that could be considered an "insult" to the leader of the D.T.E today, such as those requests he gave him. Oliver freaked out and looked behind him accidentally. "Hey, I'm so sorr- BAM!" Oliver's head was turn into mush by a gunshot.

"I warned that if you turned your head, there wouldn't be much left of you. Well, it doesn't really matter, I was going to kill you anyway... asides from disrespecting me, people like you are one of the many parasites this world needs to get rid of to become a better place" (Said the Warden while walking out of Oliver's house, leaving the grotesque scene of a bloody mess behind him).