Fallen - Chapter 2 - The Game is Afoot.
#2 of Fallen
"What the hell happened in here?"
"Things got... heated."
"Heated? Half the city's imports have been burnt to a crisp!"
Julius stood to the side as the chief of police fumed. He watched as the balding man stood and rubbed his temples, trying to keep himself calm. Around them, scattered on the floor, were various pieces of charred wood and electronics that had been stored in the warehouse while waiting to be cleared by customs.
"I will compensate the city," Julius said flatly.
The chief of police sighed, "Alright, fine, you do that," he said. "But what exactly are we supposed to do with him?"
Julius turned to look in the direction that Police Chief Cross had indicated with a wave of his hand. Just inside the large, square entrance, several officers were clumsily loading the still unconscious, orange tiger into the back of a SWAT van.
"He broke your laws, should he not answer to your justice system?" Julius asked as he looked at the police chief once again.
Cross rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed again. "I guess you're right," he said. "But... why signal a red code just to bring in one guy?"
Julius' expression changed from its usual, seemingly perpetually serious one to an almost ominously seriousness one.
"His strength is diminished and he is now mortal, but that does not mean he isn't still a threat. I signalled for a full assault force because a handful of officers and a squad car are insufficient to restrain an Arkon, even one who has been weakened so."
"Alright, I'll go back to my original question, then," the police chief retorted, "What are we supposed to do with him?"
As the police chief asked the question for a second time, a loud, metallic thump rang out and a large, inverted dent appeared on the side of the SWAT van. Cross stared in astonishment at the protrusion jutting out from the side of the black van, words failing him as his mind began to slip from his grasp.
"It's alright, everything's fine!" a voice called from inside the back of the vehicle.
"What in God's name?!" Cross shouted as he strode over to see what was happening.
"He took a wild swing, sir. Must be fighting in his sleep or something 'cause he's still out cold," one of the police officers explained as he stepped out of the van.
"Diminished strength?!" Cross roared at Julius in a frantic voice. "You call that diminished strength?! I don't even want to imagine what kind of strength you people have at the best of times. I... I can't take this. I can't take this," Cross turned and walked out of the warehouse, muttering to himself as he waved his arms in the air.
Julius joined the officer by the back of the SWAT van and spoke to him calmly.
"Do not underestimate him. He is still a significant threat and may well recklessly test his new limitations the first chance he sees. It's late and I am tired. Do you believe you have things under control?"
"I think we can handle him from here out," the officer replied. He was a middle aged man with a wrinkled face but clearly had the look of an experienced law enforcement officer who knew how to approach a volatile situation. "We might have to put him into isolation to start with, but I'm sure we'll find some adequate accommodations for him. Uh, before you go... you don't plan to start dropping guys like him in our lap every other week, do you?"
Julius looked at the van's dented side and then back to the SWAT officer.
"I don't know."
"You haven't been down here in a long time," Harrison said as he walked down the dusty steps of the abandoned subway station. "Something on your mind?"
Julius didn't show any sign of noticing his friend's arrival. He stood just a couple of meters in front of the base of the steps and faced down the long, empty platform. At the far end, resting atop a slab of stone that had collapsed from the ceiling, was an empty, wooden crate, its edges covered in black scorch marks. With a quick flick of his wrist, Julius conjured and sent a small fireball hurtling through the air towards the crate over twenty meters away. The blazing ball of light brushed the edge of the crate and impacted on the rubble behind it, sending flames shooting off in all directions that quickly dissipated.
"I'm training," Julius simply replied without looking at his friend.
Harrison watched Julius for a few minutes as he sent another ball of fire across the platform. This time the fireball grazed the top of the crate, causing it to shift just an inch backwards.
"I thought lightning was your thing; you can throw fire as well?" the inspector asked with a confused look on his face.
Julius gave another flick of his wrist. But instead of fire, this time lightning leapt from his fingertips. The interior of the ruined subway station was bathed in blue light for a brief moment and a loud cracking sound was heard. A moment later and the crate at the end of the platform erupted into a shower of fragmented wood and splinters.
"These are not my wings," Julius said, turning his head away from his friend.
Harrison watched in awe as a mighty pair of wings slowly unfolded from the tiger's back. As though they were being drawn from beneath some kind of invisible veil, they appeared to manifest from nothing as they spread and stretched out. Like wings of an eagle, they were completely covered in large, long feathers, but they were as black as ink. From base to tip, each wing reached almost a meter and a half in length and the feathers reached all the way down Julius' back. But where they would have connected to the tiger's shoulder blades, they seemed to fade from existence, as if connected by a means other than physical.
"My wings permit me to take another Arkon's wings. The Arkon at the docks could conjure fire and in order to prevent him from causing more damage, as well as enable your police force to be capable of handling him alone, I was forced to take his wings," Julius explained. As Harrison listened, he thought he heard a hint of shame in his friend's voice.
"This is not something I did lightly," Julius continued. "Our wings were a gift from the Creator who made us. Our wings grant us our immortality and unique abilities. To an Arkon, his wings are like any of his limbs, organs or even his mind; they are a part of him. To take an Arkon's wings would be like taking away your ability to walk or speak; it changes who you are."
Julius finally turned to face Harrison, his wings vanishing from sight once more as they quickly folded behind him. The inspector could see clearly in the tiger's serious eyes a sadness that could only come from being forced to do a very bad thing for the greater good.
"What about the lightning?" Harrison asked.
Julius didn't answer.
"Look, the reason I came to find you is because Lechester has called a press conference," the detective said, changing the subject. "There's something you need to know."
"It is my deepest regret that my first official act as the new mayor of this fine city is to issue a warrant for the arrest of the one known only as Julius."
Gasps of shock and murmurs of confusion quickly spread through the room filled with reporters and news crews. Amidst the stunned crowd, a single hand rose like a sprout from a barren wasteland.
"After forty years, why now is a warrant for Julius' arrest being issued?" the journalist asked. A silence fell over the gathered citizens as they all looked towards the new mayor and awaited his response. Confident in posture and voice, Lechester answered.
"Times are changing. We have made many advances in technology, medicine; even our social standards have changed greatly over the past forty years. While this city can thank him for helping it to grow and prosper, Julius is a relic from an age now in its twilight. Crime is all but nonexistent and the city's 'guardian' is no longer needed. Yes, we should praise him for the hard work he has put into protecting us, but while doing so, he himself has committed many, many crimes. While most of his crimes are trivial, over forty years they have stacked to quite the tower of felonies. Even a hero is not above the law and if that hero does not answer for the crimes he has committed, how is he any better than the criminals he has helped put behind bars?"
A low, rumbling growl could be heard growing inside Julius' throat as he stood in front of the TV and listened to the mobster's words. His fists clenched beside him and his eyes would have burned Lechester's face from his head if they could.
"Easy, friend," Harrison said, gently placing a hand on Julius' arm. "This wasn't exactly an unexpected move."
As he pointed the remote at the TV and turned the offensive man into a blank, black screen, the aged detective explained the situation to Julius. "The warrant was issued first thing this morning and Cross and I have been discussing it ever since. Of course, we have no intention of even attempting to arrest you. Aside from the fact that it'd be a pointless endeavour, we feel that it is not right. Pretty much everyone on the force does."
Julius' growl subsided as he looked at his friend.
Placing the TV remote down, Harrison sat on the three-seater couch and made himself comfortable. In the small kitchen section of the nightclub's back room, Julius' home, stood a youthful man of 29 with shaved short hair and a thin, black goatee.
"Lechester has to know that," the man said. "What would he gain from issuing a warrant for Julius' arrest?"
"This warrant has a more subtle purpose, Rick," Harrison began. "Lechester more than likely knows that no-one would want to follow through with it; that is why he made it public knowledge. By announcing the warrant's issuance to the city, Lechester puts the police force directly in the public eye, forcing us to comply with our obligations to serve and protect the city's citizens."
"By making the warrant public knowledge, you're obliged to act on it because if you didn't..." Rick's sentence trailed off as he began to see the true purpose behind the new mayor's actions.
"We'd be neglecting our duty to the city and its people leaving us prone to investigation and, potentially, termination," Harrison concluded.
"And how would getting half the police force fired serve Lechester?" Julius asked in a gruff tone.
"Remember that Carrick has been planning this for a long time, Julius," Harrison said. "It's a safe bet that Lechester is just one of many pieces Carrick has on his side of the table. If we make any wrong moves that could give Lechester enough reason to have us removed from the picture entirely, it'll open a position of tactical advantage for Carrick to have his own pieces put into play. And I assure you, they'd more than likely be a lot more willing to see to it that this warrant is followed through with."
Julius sighed as he sat on the couch.
"The warrant's purpose is to force the police force into a position where they are obligated to cease and desist collaborations with you and begin hunting you," Harrison explained. "By publicly announcing it, Lechester ensures that we can't simply ignore it because it's now known to everyone that we have been officially ordered to do so."
Silence fell over the room for several moments. Harrison said nothing while Julius just sat, his mind absorbing the dastardly plan put into play by the city's number one mobster. Rick stood in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of coffee he'd made himself during the conversation.
"What are we going to do?" the nightclub's bartender finally asked.
"I'm afraid there is only one course of action we can take at this time," Harrison said to Rick. "We have to raid Euphoria."
The low, rumbling growl quickly returned in Julius' throat as he looked his old friend in the eye.
"It's not something we considered lightly," Harrison quickly said, putting a dominant tone to his words. "While it's not exactly common knowledge, Euphoria is a well known link to you and the most solid lead anyone has to finding you. If we are going to play by Lechester's rules, to keep him from inserting his own men, we need to at least appear to be doing our job and that means we are going to need to raid the nightclub."
Julius' growls slowly subsided once more as he resigned to his friend's logic. This was not something Julius could simply meet head-on and it was beginning to make the tiger feel powerless and frustrated.
"Look, if you move your little 'base of operations' you have here," Harrison waved his hand around the room, "to someplace else, somewhere unknown, it'll leave the police force without any leads to follow. Fortunately, as Rick, here, is listed as the nightclub's owner, once he is cleared by police, the nightclub will be able to resume business as usual. However, you won't be able to return. You're going to need to drop off the radar entirely."
"That's easier said than done," Rick pointed out. "He can't live on air and is going to need a place to stay; and that would mean paying bills."
"You'll have to find yourself some kind of middle-man to help you stay off the radar," Harrison said to Julius. "A butler, of sorts; someone to take care of things like grocery shopping and bill paying."
"I have a sister who has always wanted to live closer to me," Rick suggested. "If you're willing to donate a small sum to her, I'm sure she'd be more than willing to keep you out of sight."
"I have more than enough money," Julius said. "Take whatever you feel will satisfy her."
"In the meantime, you'll need to get packed up, here. I have a small apartment in the CBD where you can stay until my sister arrives," Rick offered.
"That's good," Harrison said as she stood up. "We can tie this raid up in red tape for about four days, maximum. But the sooner we get it done the better. If it's left hanging for too long, Lechester could find grounds to point a finger at the police force and start laying off much needed allies. I'm sorry, Julius."
The Arkon breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. For forty years he had protected the city's citizens from having their lives ravaged by crooks. Now, those very same crooks were forcing the city's citizens to turn on their saviour and drive him into hiding.
Two weeks later.
Julius stood behind an air duct that snaked its way across the roof of an eight story office block. From there, he could look out over the street below without being spotted by the numerous police officers that were down there. The building across from Julius was the city's bank, a four story structure that occupied the corner of two major, four lane streets. Much of its lower level was openly visible as both frontal walls were nothing but glass. On a typical day, the city's bank would be packed with various people taking out deposits, applying for loans or just following along with someone else who had business there. But today was different; today the bank appeared deserted. Not a soul could be seen within the large interior of the ground floor and even the streets themselves were barren, the citizens of the city kept back by patrol cars and police officers.
The Arkon watched patiently, like a vulture waiting for its next meal to finally let go of its last ounce of life. With the warrant out for his arrest, he did not want to be seen by the officers and add complications to the situation. As he looked down, he saw Harrison rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. He was clearly growing frustrated.
Eventually, Julius made a move. While everyone below him seemed preoccupied, the tiger took his chance to enter the bank without being seen. Stepping out from behind the air duct quickly, Julius firmly placed his foot on the ledge of the office block's roof and launched himself over the four lane street below. In the time it took to take a breath, the Arkon had emerged from his hiding spot and sent himself sailing through the air with ease. Landing near the centre of the bank's roof, Julius quickly made his way to a small shed-like structure that housed the circuit breakers for the bank's less important electrical systems like lights, heating and air conditioning. As he glanced back from his new hiding spot, Julius frowned at the cracks he'd left in the cement roof that had appeared with the dull thump of his landing. Now it was time to get inside.
A few feet from where Julius now stood was a hatch with a padlock on it. A quick look around showed that there was no other means to enter the bank from the roof so Julius approached the hatch. Giving the padlock a simple twist, Julius broke it off, and climbed down the ladder beneath the hatch.
The ladder led down into a supply room that had a work bench and janitor's supplies in one corner. After letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, Julius made his way to the door and carefully opened it. From the moment his foot touched the floor, Julius' ears began to swivel periodically atop his head, listening for signs of life around him. As he left the room, they continued their vigilant search for any noise that would indicate someone's presence. But nothing was heard. The top level of the bank was as deserted as the ground floor and once Julius had made his way through the maze of hallways, he started towards the stairs to move down to the next floor.
At first, there was as much indication of life on the 2nd floor as there had been on the 3rd. But after a couple of minutes, Julius' ears picked up on the faint sound of breathing coming from a large conference room situated roughly in the middle of the building. Stopping, Julius turned both his ears to the room and listened carefully. Inside, he could determine that there was a sizeable group of people with heightened breathing rates. But the group was too large to establish an exact number so Julius couldn't tell if all the hostages were present or not.
Moving with the utmost care, Julius placed his ear against the wall and focused his attention to pick up the slightest of sounds. It wasn't long before Julius determined that the group of hostages were all gathered in one corner of the conference room. Near the centre of the room was a more steady sounding breath and closer to the group was a second.
Then there was a creak, like wood bending, followed by a loud belch.
"Idiot!" a female voice shouted. She was just by the wall where Julius was standing and the moment he heard her speak he pushed his way through the wall.
Like a barrier made of paper, the wooden wall gave way to the Arkon's immense strength. Hands stretched out, Julius lunged for the female voice but felt pain slice through his fingers. Roaring, Julius pulled back as he spotted a cheetah dart through another wall before turning down the hallway. Balling his hands into fists, Julius gave chase as the group of hostages suddenly swarmed their remaining, stunned captor, the one in the chair now lying on the floor with a dagger embedded in the side of his head.
Julius moved swiftly, but the cheetah he pursued was faster. It was no surprise to the tiger as all the cheetah's he'd raced against, in his childhood, were always more nimble than himself. But Julius had learned many things since those days, and one of those things was that speed accounts for nothing in close quarters. The cheetah was fast, but the interior of the bank was too confined to allow her to manoeuvre effectively.
"Come and get me, stripes!" the cheetah's taunting voice called out. Bad idea.
A slight grin curled the corner of Julius' mouth as he pinpointed the cheetah's location and began moving. The inner walls of the building were made mostly of wood and plaster, which, to most any Arkon, was like cardboard to a tank. But, though Julius could easily smash through the walls, they still hindered his vision, so the chase continued through the empty corridors.
"What's the matter? Too slow?"
Julius growled as he forced himself to ignore the cheetah's taunts.
Finally, Julius reached the end of a hallway and turned into another. A moment later and Julius was smashing through another wall as a dagger flew past his head. Dusting himself off, the tiger peeked out of the hole in the wall and then pulled his head back as another dagger flew by.
Julius hadn't counted on this. The cheetah used the chase to strategically position herself where she could fling daggers at him through a bottle neck. Forced to stop, Julius took a moment to think and assess the situation. She would have to run out of daggers at some point and when she did, her advantage would be gone. Looking out of the once more, Julius stole a glance at the cheetah's attire before a third dagger caused him to retreat into the room again. A black shirt and denim jeans were about all the tiger had time to make out. But the second attempt was more revealing. With a smile, Julius felt confident in his theory as the female cheetah wore no kind of belt to hold extra daggers in. The Arkon looked out the hole once more.
Pulling his head back yet again, Julius frowned as yet another dagger sailed by. Where was she hiding them all?
"I can do this all day, stripes," the cheetah boasted.
Growing frustrated, Julius decided it was time to take an aggressive stance. Looking out into the hallway once more, the tiger took notice of the distance and how many doors there were, as well as how far apart they were spaced. After the next dagger flew past, Julius leapt across the hallway and through the opposite wall before beginning to charge towards the cheetah.
Wall after wall fell apart in the tiger's path. Chairs, tables, even a whole bench and coffee machine were sent flying as Julius charged through the bank's structure. Taken aback by the tiger's change in tactics, the cheetah was caught off guard and stumbled back to run once more. But Julius closed the ground between them quickly and as the cheetah stuck to the hallways where she could see, Julius took a more direct root. Finally, he burst through a wall and the two of them fell to the floor. Blinded by the debris in his face, Julius could not get a proper hold on the cheetah and she managed to struggle free of his grip. As Julius quickly got to his feet and locked his gaze on his target, he saw the reason she had no belt for holding daggers.
In mere moments, a longsword formed from thin air in the cheetah's hand. A second later and Julius was ducking to keep his head from being severed from his shoulders. Acting quickly, Julius grabbed a chunk of wood that he'd knocked out of the wall and swung it at the cheetah's waist. Catching her as she readied another swing, the cheetah cried out in pain and fell to one knee. As she swung the blade wildly, Julius caught it and snapped the blade in half. Demoralized by Julius' actions, the cheetah stumbled back. Taking her wrist in his, Julius once more called upon his gift and stripped another Arkon of their wings.
"You are now mortal and will answer for the crimes you have committed upon this world," Julius said firmly. As he raised his fist to knock the cheetah out, a second, male cheetah appeared from nowhere. In the briefest of moments, he had appeared behind the female, placed his hand on her shoulder and then vanished once more, taking her with him.
Stunned, Julius just stared at the debris strewn floor, his fist hovering in the air above his head. In mere fractions of a second, the cheetah he'd been chasing had become two, and then none.