Fugitive's Rescue
The waitress brings drinks to Zane and Roselyn's table. As she keeps the cold drinks, she smiles at Zane and then takes a glance at Roselyn before walking away.
"I hate whatever she's thinking" Roselyn says while sipping her drink.
Zane sips his drink ignoring Roselyn's statement.
"What is this place anyway?" Roselyn asks.
"Well, me and my friend used to frequent this place often. They sell good pizzas here." Zane replies.
"Giorno's a weird name sounds like its like from some manga" Roselyn criticizes.
"what's a manga?" Zane asks.
Roselyn looks at Zane with a disappointed face. She wonders how a boy like this has grown up and sighs as she takes a sip of her drink. All the while Zane watches her expressions.
"Anyways, what are you gonna do? Mr. fugitive" Roselyn asks.
"I don't really know" Zane replies.
"Well for starters they are following you" Roselyn says.
"Is there anything on the news?" Zane asks.
"Obviously not, you really think USAEC is going to go public?" Roselyn says.
"Well, I have no idea then. I can't keep running from them" Zane says.
"What are you going to do then?" Roselyn asks.
Zane looks out of the window. The bright day obscures the sad landscape of the city. The few cars running along the roads of the shattered yet resilient neighborhood reflected off Zane's eyes. He keeps looking at the stores on the other side of the road and the rattling sound of the soon-to-be decommissioned elevated metro running above.
"I want to go meet my sister" Zane says.
"What?" Roselyn asks in confusion.
Zane looks at her with his sullen eyes.
"I want to meet my sister" He repeats.
#
The duo walk down the pedestrian road towards the downtown hospital where Zane's sister is admitted.
"Zane this is absolutely stupid. They know you are going to visit this place and they already might have someone in there waiting for you" Roselyn warns Zane.
"I know" Zane says as he keeps walking ahead of Roselyn.
"Zane do you even understand what I'm saying?" Roselyn says.
"I know" Zane says again, stubbornly walking ahead.
Roselyn stops in her tracks, as Zane puts distance between them. Zane turns around to see her mean expressions as if she were judging him to even exist. Zane keeps looking at her.
"I don't even know why the hell I have helped you. You are going to ruin me and i am definitely not going to be heard from again because of you" Roselyn says crossing her arms.
Zane doesn't mind her cruel words. Its not his first time at it and his pale, depressed face say it all.
"I'm sorry" Zane says.
"thanks that's definitely going to help me out." Roselyn says in a rude tone.
Zane walks up to her, and looks her eye to eye.
"I'm sorry that I put you through this but you won't have to go through anything. Just wait out here and let me meet my sister one last time. I will signal you from the third window on the side of the third floor. Once you see it call USAEC and report them that you found me. I know you can make up a good excuse and they will let you go. Just.....please let me meet my sister" Zane finishes his sentence with difficulty.
Roselyn's expressions vanish. She is taken aback by what Zane has said.
"I don't know if you helping me was some instinct of yours but whatever it was....thank you." Zane says.
"No, wait there has to be some other way" Roselyn says.
"There is no other way and we don't have a choice and you can't do anything about it. You have my thanks. I'll signal you from the window" Zane says.
Zane walks towards the hospital entrance and enters the hospital, leaving Roselyn behind. Roselyn stands and keeps waiting as she looks above at the window Zane spotted for her.
#
The crew ride down to the city. The bumps and jolts make for a bit of an uncomfortable ride to the city.
"Where do you think we might find him?" Archie asks.
"He lives down in the city. He might be in his apartment" Robert replies.
"why would he do that when he knows we might come after him" Archie asks.
"I think he is smart enough to know we will find him no matter where he runs. So running is pointless" Pierre replies.
"Also, there is a report that around the time he escaped a private from the 50th women's group also went missing" Pierre says.
"Oh? You think she's following him?" Robert asks.
"She better be or she is in trouble for harboring a deserter" Pierre says.
"Zane is not a deserter" Archie says.
"I don't know Archie but not being back at the base at your post kind of sounds like a deserter" Pierre replies.
Archie stares at him with anger before Robert places his hand on his back firmly to signal him to not escalate anything. Archie reluctantly obeys.
The group enters the city and rides towards the downtown area where Zane is said to live. The truck then pulls over the side of the road as Captain William says he was ordered to.
Several minutes pass. Then the PA system comes online in the truck for all the members to hear.
"We have located Private Zane Raphael's location. He is at the local hospital just down the street from your location. Private Roselyn Blumemann has reported his location as she was following him. 40th group you are authorized to engage and arrest him" The cold, course voice of Colonel Obadiah rigs loudly in the heads of the group members.
"I wish Captain was here" Archie mumbles.
The truck begins moving towards the hospital. A few minutes later they reach the hospital and park the truck a block away. The crew pour out of the truck and begin moving towards the hospital.
The area is oddly quiet with only a few people noticing them. The crew quickly enter the hospital with their guns pointed rather than their Talum. The reception lobby along with all the doctors and patients suddenly gasp and panic as the armored men enter through the gate. Then Sergeant Pierre shouts.
"THIS IS A USAEC OPERATION EVERYONE CALM DOWN AND STAY WHERE YOU ARE DO NOT MOVE" he yells as the crew move towards the elevator and stairwell.
Robert goes up to the terrified receptionist.
"I need you to tell me if there is a visitor here with the name Zane Raphael" Robert says calmly.
"y-yes there, is he is on the 3rd floor in room 307" says the receptionist as she raises her hands in utter fear.
Robert reports his findings to Rodney and they make teams. Pierre, Yousaf and Greg are to remain in the lobby and Rodney, Ben, Robert, Harold and Archie are to confront Zane in the room.
The team of five make their way up the 3rd floor and walk the short distance to the room they are directed to. They stand outside room 307 and put up a defensive position, but not towards Zane, they stand defensive to not let anyone towards the room. Then Rodney knocks on the door.
"Zane, open the door, its us the 40th" he says
There is silence for a long moment and just as Rodney raises his hand to knock again, the door creaks open. Zane stands in the doorway. The members put their guns down slowly realizing he poses no threat.
"Your going to take me in?" Zane asks.
"We might have too" Rodney says.
"Most of the team is against your incarceration but we can't do anything about it" Rodney says.
Zane looks behind, at his sleeping sister, his worried eyes laying over her wired up body. He looks at Rodney.
"all I want that after I'm gone, I want her treatment to go on…..please" Zane says in a sorry tone.
The group look at each other's faces.
"she will be looked after, I swear" Archie says as the group turn to look at him.
"yeah….don't worry she will continue her treatment" Rodney says.
Zane walks out of doorway, his hands behind his back. They then hear a whirring sound coming from the corridor window behind Archie. Rodney looks at Archie.
"GET DOWN" Rodney yells.
Just as everyone hears and gets down, the strafing lead from the helicopter outside the window penetrates the window and shatters the concrete around them, riddling the walls with bullet holes blasting up dust and debris everywhere, letting all hell loose.
For a few minutes the firing continues before stopping momentarily. Then a single, giant blast of fireball erupts and hurtles straight through the corridor, slamming into the helicopter and destroying it in an awesome explosion.
The group stand up to defensive formations.
"These guys have done it now" Robert says.
Rodney's phone goes off. It is a message from Captain William.
"What does it say?" Archie asks.
Rodney lifts his walkie-talkie to command the group downstairs.
"40th group you are ordered to engage any forces coming to get Zane, order by Captain William" Rodney says on the walkie-talkie.
The group take defensive positions as they hear the elevator opening up to reveal SWAT teams and military police pouring out into the corridor to get Zane. Ben activates his shield to hold off the bullets flying through as Robert punches out shots at the opponents.
Harold removes from his bag Zane's spear and hands it to Zane.
"Captain told me you might need it" Harold says to Zane.
Zane grabs his spear, feeling it up and down and then points it to the SWAT teams. His spear starts to glow and then lets out a strong beam of light, bashing the column of soldiers towards the wall.