Chapter 2: The Attack

Something feels off... Dr. Avaline tells himself.

He knows not to disregard your instinct. The subconscious has so much more analysing power than the conscious mind. If your gut is on edge, it's a clear sign that something is wrong. Something that your conscious mind has not pieced together yet.

Dr. Avaline squints his eyes lightly and discreetly scans the hall. He carries on with his speech as if nothing is amiss.

The hall spans over five thousand square meters, measuring eighty-one meters in length and sixty-two meters in width. Within this vast space, Dr. Avaline calculates the most likely position for an assassin to target him.

Amongst the audience? An unknown face blends in within a crowd of people from every class and background. Hiding in plain sight is effortless here, but concealing a weapon poses a challenge. They can disguise it as an ordinary object or tucked beneath layers of clothing. Either way, a critical flaw remains. This is no place for the precision of an assassination.

"The global population has surged twenty billion. Our resources are stretched thinner than ever before..." Dr. Avaline continues his speech like nothing happened. He has learnt these sentences by heart and can recite them instinctively. This clears up spaces for his mind to carry on analysing and dissecting the situation.

The public audience seat is out of the question. A professional will steer clear of such exposure. Instead, the ideal position should lie in the hall's more secluded sections. Flanking the stage, private boxes cling to the upper part of the walls. These remnants of the past reflect the building history. Once, it was a theater. Then, it was repurposed decades ago for conferences and auctions. Time long passed and the space still bears traits of its pasts. Ornate moldings linger beneath layers of paint, and those elevated boxes, now mere spectators to corporate pageantry, hover unsettlingly close to the podium.

The boxes host the world's most elites, visionary leaders, billionaires, and geniuses that can change the world. They always have at least four or five extremely capable bodyguards by their side. To take them all out and infiltrate into one of those rooms is extremely difficult. Of course, everything has a possibility. However, would a killer, hired to kill the most important scientist on Earth at this moment, make a beginner's mistake such as that? Drawing attention here is suicide. A professional will not dare to proceed like so.

Unless... they can guarantee to finish the job silently. Poison, sleep gas, tranquilizer dart, high-tech devices... All of them are possible, but too elaborate. The bodyguards are trained killers as well. They know how an assassin would strike. I will not be surprised if they have all the corresponding contingency plans for each and every possible scenario.

The assassin will not choose the boxes.

"Out there is our new world! Out there..." Dr. Avaline's voice fills the hall like thunder.

The weakest link in the entire structure of this event is the crew. The sound team, the logistics... Opposite to the elite's guards, they are nothing but normal people. Most of them have worked here for a long time. Many were recruited hastily to fill in spots for this grand event. It is so easy to infiltrate the crew.

I am standing right in the middle of the stage. Across all the crew, the team with the most advantageous viewpoint to shoot me is the light team.

They have access to the catwalk, directly above the audience and me.

Dr. Avaline knows there are many other possibilities. There was a twenty-minute gap this morning when this hall was emptied out for preparation. A bomb could have been placed at that time. The Assimilator could have been sabotaged. One of his colleagues could have been bought, either by money or by force.

Dr. Avaline throws all of those theories out of his head. He has no other choice but to believe the most possible outcome of this assassination.

A bit cliché, don't you think? Dr. Avaline suddenly thinks. A gunner on the catwalk. Too obvious, even if it's the most efficient. Many eyes are looking at this event. The politicians that hope for this event to go well have already provided all the necessary protection to the Louvre.

Abruptly the realisation strikes Dr. Avaline.

My death doesn't need to be discreet. They do not need to kill me with the most efficient method.

The theory is false! They are everywhere.

Dr. Avaline looks down at his microphone. It is a little different than how he remembers it should be. Under the black semi-transparent windscreen, a tiny circular hole points directly at him that is extremely hard to notice.

"The Quantum Super Imposition Assimilator..." Half of the sentence goes out and Curio immediately swings his head to the side. The microphone lights up and a deafening sound pierces the entire hall.

The bullet flies past Dr. Avaline's head and grazes his right ear, creating an arc of blood behind his back.

Aaron shouts: "Watch out!"

The audience immediately breaks into chaos. On one of the front row seats, a man stands up and points his palm toward Dr. Avaline. Time slows down to a million inside Curio's head. Adrenaline pumps his awareness and sense of time to the maximum.

Dr. Avaline tries to move his body as quickly as possible to take cover behind the podium. The wood won't block the bullet but it can conceal his body, increasing the chance of the assassin missing his vital organs.

He slips and immediately falls onto his back.

The palm of the assassin glows up and Bang. The bullet bursts out under the skin and pierces through Dr. Avaline's left shoulder.

Aaron jumps out from behind the stage, pivoting sideways to lock onto the assassin in a single, precise motion. Mid-leap, he smoothly draws out a gun, which was tucked beneath the careless drape of his shirt.

The crowd scatters away from the assassin, leaving him isolated and clear for Aaron to fire. The barrel aims at the assailant's head like a serpent opening its mouth to devour its prey.

One clean shot right in the middle of the forehead. His neck snaps back due to the excessive force, blood spats out on the red seat behind. He falls down to his knees.

Upon the catwalk, a mechanical sound emits. A long black barrel aims downward at Dr. Avaline. He is hidden behind the podium. It is difficult to determine his upper body position but his leg is completely exposed.

Another thunderous gunshot. The bullet penetrates Dr. Avaline's right thigh causing him to scream out in pain.

Aaron reacts quickly, shooting through the assailant's chest. They lose their balance and fall straight down to the stage. His body smacks heavily on the floor, becoming a mess of flesh and blood.

Aaron darts toward Dr. Avaline in a low crawl. Dalamore's private security floods in from every direction, guns in each of their hands. Special agents of the government also react and start cooperating with the security team. Aaron drags Dr. Avaline to the backstage under their help. Red blood paints Dr. Avaline's already dark in color overcoat, making it almost black.

"Secure the backstage!" Dr. Avaline shouts toward the security team. "Shoot anyone who comes close!"

The head of security nods solemnly and orders his men.

"Where are the medics?" Dr. Avaline asks Aaron. He refers to Dalamore's private medical sector.

"They are stationed right outside the museum. It won't take more than five minutes for them to be present." Aaron says.

"Good. As soon as the place is cleared, summon them immediately."

Dr. Avaline groans in pain.

"Hang in there, Doctor!" Aaron says.

"God damn, Aaron! Those were some nice shots." Dr. Avaline's remarks draw out a chuckle from his assistant.

Aaron sighs. "I told you not to give a speech. It is too dangerous."

Aaron examines Dr. Avaline's injury. The top part of his right ear is completely messed up. His shoulder is bleeding heavily. Mr. Jones immediately tears out his shirt and, against Dr. Avaline's protest, stuffs the cloths into the bullet wounds.

Dr. Avaline clenches his teeth. His whole body is shaking due to the pain. He knows he needs to stop the blood flow for maximum survivability, but still, the feeling is far from pleasant.

Gunshots start screaming out in the hall. Of those two thousand participants, almost fifty were armed with bad intentions. Many more are flooding in. The Louvre has become a battlefield.

A bullet smashes the side of the backstage wall, inches away Dr. Avaline and Aaron cover. The security head immediately crouches down and holds out his handgun. It was a stray bullet, they are trying to kill each other out there, no longer paying attention to Dr. Avaline.

"That was a heavy calibre bullet." John speaks. He knows his guns and a handgun is not capable of leaving such a dent on the wall.

"The attackers got support from the board." Aaron breathes in heavily, his face fills with anger.

The board of United Earth. Its official name is United Earth Congress. They are the people who have enough power to decide the future of this planet.

Handguns are easily accessible. But heavier types of weapons and bullets are controlled strictly. Only people at the board or major crime syndicate are able to get their hand on them. Obviously, someone does not want to see the Assimilator being brought forward to the public.

"Calm down, Aaron. What's important right now is that we survived this." Dr. Avaline speaks.

"You are correct, Doctor. Let's just hope that we will be able to hold them off until the military comes."

Dr. Avaline chuckles in response. "Oh, my dear Mr. Jones. Whoever wants me dead. They are powerful. I'm afraid the military won't come soon enough."

"Are they able to do that? There are more than two thousand civilians in the proximity." Aaron says angrily.

"They won't bat an eye." Dr. Avaline sighs deeply. "But do not worry. Our company is not that useless. Our own reinforcement will be here soon."

The rain of fire is coming closer. The security team and present special agents were unable to hold off the attack from the assassins. Aaron carries Dr. Avaline on his back while John and his men cover their backs.

"Let's find a better place to hide." Dr. Avaline suggests. "To the Assimilator."

John gathers his men. Only around twelve people left, all are loyal members of Dalamore. The huge machine on stage was only a facade for the camera and audience. The actual Assimilator is held deep underground.

It is not a small machine and any attempt of transportation would require disassembling it. Thus, creating an opportunity for anyone to steal it.

To avoid any issues, Dr. Avaline transported the machine parts by parts via abandoned underground subways. It is stored inside a high-security room below the Louvre. Half a meter thick wall with an extreme locking mechanism. It must take the best thief in the world in order to break in.

A few of John's men got killed on their way to the vault. But no one hesitates or mourns for their dead comrades. There will be time for it later. Right now, it is crucial for them to live another day.

However, the group freezes at place when they come to the location. The gigantic circular door is wide open. All of its thirty-six bolts scatter on the floor.

Dr. Avaline taps Aaron's shoulder and signals to put him down. Despite Aaron's objection, Dr. Avaline limps forward to the door, standing right in front of it.

"Alice... Long time no see." Dr. Avaline says.

In the darkness of the vault, a slender figure slowly walks out. A woman in her thirties with hair of pink and a very, very alluring visage. Just by looking at that face, Aaron knows there will be a lot of men willing to die for her. On her neck, a spherical silver pendant the size of a finger is dangling. Aaron knows that emblem, she is one of those lunatics.

She is also a very famous, or rather infamous, ex-lover that Aaron has always heard about. The international wanted criminal, the best thief in the world, Alice Pearce.