Chapter 8: The Emerging Shadows

Dust and smoke filled the air as Lt. Campos tried to figure out what had just transpired. The aftermath of the battle left the cityscape in disarray, with flames and ice clashing in a chaotic dance. But Lt. Campos had little time to process it all as she locked her gaze on Riley, who began to cheer in an eery way. "Well that was definitely worth the trip.""You're talking as if you knew this was going to happen," Lt. Campos said, her eyes narrowing as she eyed Riley suspiciously.Riley smirked, his smile taking on a disturbing quality. The lieutenant's guard went up, and she instinctively drew her gun. However, something else caught her attention. Lt. Campos, being an expert marksman, had an acute awareness of her ammunition. And in that moment, she realized something was off. It felt like she was missing one bullet.Before she could dwell on this revelation, the doors holding Riley in the vehicle were suddenly blown off their hinges. Riley calmly stepped out, still wearing his handcuffs, and stretched casually. Lt. Campos pointed her gun at him, her expression serious."How did you get out? Those handcuffs were supposed to nullify your ability," she demanded, her voice laced with a mix of anger and confusion.Riley's smile widened, and he decided to enlighten her for his own amusement. "Back in my day, I was always good with cards. One useful technique in every card game is mastering the sleight of hand." He chuckled and produced a couple of cards seemingly out of thin air. "You see, Lieutenant, while you were busy arresting me for my heinous crimes, I managed to snag one of your bullets. And as you're well aware of my ability, you might be wondering how I used the bullet with the handcuffs on. Well, my dear, that was simple. Something you may not have known is that I can set a timer for things to explode. I just picked the best time to let the bullet explode and waited until it happened. TADA! Genius, right?"Lt. Campos was taken aback by Riley's explanation, her mind swirling with questions. "How did he know what time to set the bullet for? Did he plan for this fight to happen? Were we just playing into his hands the whole time? Also, I thought his trigger to activate the explosive ability was that he had to pray with both hands. Was that a lie?"Riley interrupted her thoughts with a dismissive wave. "Well, I'll be going now."But Lt. Campos snapped out of her daze and prepared to shoot Riley. "You're not going anywhere. I'm not going to just let you escape."Riley burst into laughter, his laughter filled with a mix of amusement and mockery. "Of course, I don't expect you to let me go, sweetheart." As he said this, he nonchalantly removed his handcuffs.Lt. Campos was shocked. These were special dampening handcuffs meant to nullify his ability. "How the hell did he..."Instead of dwelling on what happened, she takes action as she fires her gun at Riley without hesitation. As she fires at Riley, he maneuvers behind her in an instant, but that doesn't affect Lt. Campos as she reacts just as quickly. While still facing forward, she points her gun backwards toward him and fires again.Riley was surprised, but he managed to catch the bullet before it could hit him. "How scary," he commented with a twisted grin.Lt. Campos, determined not to let him escape, front-flipped forward, shooting several more times at different points of his body. However, Riley turned the bullet in his hand into a bomb, setting off an explosion that created chaos in the surroundings. Taking advantage of the confusion, Riley effortlessly slipped away.As the smoke cleared from Riley's explosion, Lt. Campos emerged unharmed but couldn't locate him anywhere. Frustration washed over her for letting him escape, but her concern shifted toward Colonel Johnston. She sprinted toward the battlefield, where fire and ice had transformed the area. Through the settling dust, she spotted two shadowy figures.Those figures turned out to be Colonel Johnston and Koga. Lt. Campos saw Colonel Johnston lying on the ground, his right arm completely frozen, and covered in injuries. Lt. Campos couldn't believe her eyes. "No way, did the Colonel lose?"Koga smiles and says something as he is covered in injuries, "Not bad Colonel, not bad... You have my respect..." He says as he falls straight down defeated.Colonel Johnston, still on the ground, began to speak. "You said your name was Koga, huh? You have my respect as well..."Lt. Campos hurriedly approached Colonel Johnston. "It looks like you won, Colonel."Colonel Johnston replied with a mix of pain and determination in his voice, "No, I didn't win. My arm is completely useless, and I don't know how long it will take for me to recover enough heat to thaw out of this. But he was strong. If anything, this fight was a draw."Lt. Campos listened attentively, her heart heavy with concern. But then she remembered Riley's escape. "Colonel, Riley got away. He managed to manipulate those special handcuffs. I'm unsure how."Colonel Johnston's frustration was evident. "It feels like he planned this entire thing to happen... Damn him. Well, this isn't over. For now, apprehend Koga. We can question him about the rebellion. Also, inform Captain Jackson about what happened here."As Lt. Campos approached Koga with the special dampening handcuffs, an unexpected figure emerged from Koga's shadow, appearing out of nowhere. Lt. Campos was taken aback and immediately raised her gun at the stranger. "WHO ARE YOU?"The person paid no attention to the lieutenant and kneeled beside Koga's body. "Man, Koga, you have really outdone yourself this time."Lt. Campos persisted, her voice filled with urgency, "I SAID, WHO ARE YOU!"The person finally glanced at the lieutenant, their expression unreadable. "Nobody special." A smile crept across their face as they snapped their fingers, enveloping both themselves and Koga in a massive shadow. In an instant, they vanished into thin air.Lt. Campos gritted her teeth, frustration consuming her. "Damn it!"Colonel Johnston walked up to Lt. Campos, his voice calm but firm. "Don't worry about it, lieutenant."Lt. Campos, still frustrated, voiced her concerns. "But Colonel..."Colonel Johnston interrupted her, instructing her to call Captain Jackson and inform HQ about the events that unfolded. Though Lt. Campos remained unsure, she couldn't ignore the mixed emotions she saw in the Colonel's eyes—a sense of relief amid the chaos.*Prologue Arc Ends*