The Children Of Thalia

Pursuit

Ansel's PoV

"Yes, I'll tell you. Thank you." Thank you." Rolfe van Hyden hung up from The Merlins' special line. His forehead shriveled, his sour face making his two friends speechless. From the intonation of his speech alone can already be known what information he got.

"Negative?" ansel asked as he lifted the coffee cup on the round table.

"negative. U-1 dead. There's no information we can squeeze."

Ansel took a long breath. "As we thought." He said before sipping the bitter black coffee he ordered earlier. "Four people, all of them are of the same fate."

"Well, that's what they get when it comes to dealing with LOST." Sahut Kuro Fuyuki, sipped her favorite light caffeinated latte.

Friday, 24 May 2043. It has been a month since Ansel Elias Clive lived in Argon City, away from Helder, where he attended school. Not without reason, he got information about five weeks ago from the secret investigation team, The Merlins. There's an Ulkafa rat infiltrating Argon, two people. Both are dangerous, one is suspected to be under the international extremist organization LOST—, while the other is Half-men, people with talents similar to receivers, the result of banned experiments during the war.

The first rat, named U-1, was successfully smelled in a densely populated area east of Argon. He recruited a new member of three people, but all of them were just thugs around. No need for Merlins, Wild Dogs managed to catch up and subdue them one by one. Unfortunately, before they said any information, they were suddenly killed with the contents of their heads crushed like they were blown up from the inside. Obviously it was the receiver. Either it was a seal to forbid them from speaking anything, or it was indeed killed at a certain time.

Wild Dogs initially thought U-1 was the perpetrator of the murder of three of his colleagues, but they were wrong. Just like the others, the head of U-1 was destroyed the moment he was caught. The Security Division had tried everything to be able to unplug the seal, but the result was nil. It makes the work even harder.

"They're just pawns. The original people joined LOST without knowing anything. U-1 may have intended to die from the start. His head was shattered the moment he reached the main headquarters, unlike the others who were crushed after giving out a bit of information. Maybe he did deliberately give us extra work." Ansel speculated as he stared at the reflection of his own face on the surface of his black coffee. 

"But..... for what? I know they're all crazy, but the U-1 goal from the start wasn't very clear. If he was after that thing, why would he gather amateurs from the surrounding thugs? He seems to have deliberately left clues to his whereabouts on us through those thugs." Grumpily Rolfe.

"Isn't that clear? To give us extra work." Answer Fuyuki. "The U-1 action began by attacking Helder's territory, then fled to Argon. If we speculate that he deliberately recruited ordinary thugs as a form of leaving traces, perhaps from the beginning he wanted us to pursue him to distract us even if only briefly."

"Fright." Ansel continued after finishing his black coffee. "U-1 is a disposable pawn. He knew that, and happily did his job. He wants us to focus on him, so he recruits members all of a sudden, gives them a little bit of information to then pass on to us after we catch them. That way, our attention will focus on summarizing the first U-1 whose traces are clearly visible. After the task is done, then just wait for his head to explode. I commend him for doing his job well. Our attention was distracted for three whole weeks."

Ansel grinned, making his two comrades goosebumps in horror. It was his habit to feel that the enemy had succeeded in pursuing the plan he had made. This time, not only the chase, but the enemy also managed to thwart Ansel's initial plan. At first he wanted the mission to be completed in two to three weeks, given that only the U-1 looked dangerous. However, the calculation is wrong. U-1 is just a distraction for the U-2 trail to be faint. They succeeded, which made Ansel quite upset.

"Merlins hasn't given anything else about U-2." Fuyuki said, trying to relieve the tension. "Just like U-1, U-2 takes some people to be a group. It was easy to find their tracks when the intrusion occurred, but because of the U-1, they seemed to disappear from the radar. If the number of members of their group is greater, doesn't it mean that they have a target to attack or to master?"

Rolfe recalled the information he had received about the previous U-2. "The last time the report about them said they were moving towards the city center. But they suddenly disappeared back. Wouldn't it be strange that they were preparing something big, but their whereabouts could be unknown? How could such a grand plan not be sniffed out by us or Merlins?"

"Well, it's actually not that complicated to rethink." Ansel immediately replied. "The U-2 movement is also simple. The information we received three days ago says that if two people from the U-2 group were found in Illikapa, it was headed for Argon city hall. Merlins may have thought that U-2 would be attacking downtown, but that's not the case. The advantage of attacking the city center for them was very little and very risky, with intruders like them probably having limited supplies. Especially since they were indirectly related to LOST, attacking the city center would only raise suspicion on the wider party. Because of this, the two men appear to be just bait for Wild Dogs and Merlins to focus on the path to the city center. Maybe U-2 will find a more hidden place. A large area, not too far from the city, but it would not attract much attention as well. If it's narrowed down again, because even Felice can't detect them downtown, then it's outside the area, maybe a little edge. In Argon, there are only a few places that meet that criterion."

Lightning struck, making the sky bright for a flash. Thunder followed less than a second later. Heavy rain stormed down as if to be a sign that something evil was about to start. In that tension, Ansel's smartphone rang making the entire attention distracted instantly. From Felice, Wild Dogs' long-range assault specialist. Ansel picked up the phone immediately.

"Ansel is here." He then silently listened, his expression unchanged, truly a poker face. Rolfe and Fuyuki were also silently waiting. They tried to calm down, but the atmosphere around them was so tense. After thirty seconds, Ansel spoke again. "All right, I get it. Go to the location immediately and keep surveillance."

Phone's closed. The red-haired youth looked at his two comrades who were silently waiting for news. "The movement on Haggins Street, U-2 was confirmed along with nine other Ulkafans."

"Haggins..... Jirca Orphanage!" fuyuki exclaimed, finally understanding what Ansel meant.

"Jircan..... Also true. The place fits the criteria you call."

"Yes, too bad it's true." Ansel got up from his chair, took out some money and put it on the table. Two others followed. "Rolfe, call the others. We'll gather for a maximum of ten minutes in Jirca. Kuro, call the main headquarters. All the attackers carried firearms. We need a little help in case something unwanted happens."

"Understand!"

"Do it."

The two of them nodded and replied to the order with a stern answer. While following Ansel out of the cafe, they contacted people they needed to contact via special frequency radio.

After putting on the helmet, they turned on the motor parked in front of the cafe. Fuyuki and Rolfe were wearing raincoats, but Ansel was not. Rainwater didn't hit his body, he used a gift for it. The gas is pulled, bringing them quickly to the place in question.

The cafe where the three of them had gathered was in the center of the city. Ansel was waiting for information there because he was sure the U-2 would not be there. From the time of the ambush, he had suspected that U-1 was just a distraction. He also knew that the city center was not the main target of U-2. The U-2 is looking for an easy-to-master place to base. Therefore from the beginning Ansel told Wild Dogs to patrol several places.

Six minutes of travel is quite stressful because the road is slippery due to rainstorms. But they can get there quickly. The motorbike was parked some distance away from the parlour to avoid detection by the extremists. The rest walked to the meeting place.

The phone rings again. Without stopping his steps, Ansel took the phone from the pocket of the blazer behind his jacket. It's from Felice again.

"What's up???"

Ansel only stopped his steps after hearing a report from Felice. He listened silently, then hung up after giving further instructions.

"Change the plan" Ansel said as he turned to Rolfe and Fuyuki at the back. "We work right away. There were four guards outside the parlour; two at the front gate and two at the back. Rolfe, you and I will barge in from the front. Kuro, help Claus clear the rear guard. Secure the evacuation route from the back door. Notify V once the line is secure. Rolfe, let Mei know after we get in. He and Magz were on standby outside. We're gathered on the second floor, where Felice will be told."

The two men initially seemed confused, but they did not question anything about Ansel's decision. They know that the situation has worsened. Finally, they have to agree.

"Understand!" Rolfe.

"I understand." Fuyuki replied as she pulled out an empty sword hilt from behind her raincoat.

"good. Go quickly!"

Fuyuki ran round. He was so fast that for a moment Rolfe turned his eyes, his figure was gone in the rain.

"Rolfe, use micro limited radio. Call everyone!"

"Good!" Rolfe put some kind of earbuds in his right ear, then contacted the whole member.

Ansel hastened the pace. The surrounding wind was different, even the surrounding vibrations were different. His eyes focused on looking straight ahead, his face showing anger and agitation. The information from Felice was definitely not good information.

Ansel and Rolfe stopped running about fifty meters away from the front gate. It turned out to be true, two strong-bodied men stood guard outside the gate. Each one is a submachine gun unit of MP5 type with a built-in reducer. I don't know how much ammo they have, but judging by their large appearance, there's probably quite a lot behind that raincoat.

"I've called Felice. There are only two of them here, the rest have already entered the parlour." Said Rolfe, knowing that Ansel would order that.

"Basic sloppy." Comment Ansel.

"They just don't know." Rolfe picked up two pebbles on the ground, then prepared to throw them at the guards. The arm that grasped the pebble was enveloped in a strange steam that dispelled the rainwater. Rolfe aimed at one of the guards. After locking onto the target, he swung his hands firmly. The torrential rain was suddenly thrown down by a wave that exploded in the air right after Rolfe released the stone from his grasp. The stone shot as fast as a sound towards the guard on the right, piercing through the thick leg to make the person fall.

"O... OI!!!!!"

The other guard looked surprised because his friend suddenly acted strangely. But he shouldn't have loosened the guard. Another stone was glued, piercing through the shoulder which made him drop the weapon. When they let their guard down, Ansel came suddenly like a ghost. Both hands were directed at the two guard heads. He used a gift before the two people had time to react.

"Door."

Silent shock waves created explosions in the air, throwing down rain, muddy ground, and the two guards themselves. They fell after hitting a tree, unconscious until their eyeballs spun inward.

That's Ansel Elias Clive's gift, the power that earned him the nickname "Strength in his Force". He named the gift «Howler», a gift for manipulating vibrations. Rolfe stone throw was so quiet because Ansel pressed the waves that have a frequency range that can be heard by humans. As a result, Rolfe was able to use the burst of waves without having to draw attention.

"It's always interesting to see you do that." Praise Rolfe as he approaches Ansel. "May I called. Let's secure these two guys first, all looking for a little information."

"Good idea. Their wounds are also tolerable, don't let them die before providing information." The young man looked back at the parlor. His steps were wide and silent, camouflaged by the torrential rain. "Who else is inside?"

"Three people fell down near the staircase of the living room, one person with a heavy weapon stood guard in front of the entrance." Rolfe said, relaying information from Felice who was observing from afar. "Oh, wait, drugging. One person on the second floor, in front of the children's room"

Not yet had Rolfe finished his sentence, the sound of the explosion of a large-caliber pistol breaking apart the torrent of rain, resounding over the sound of thunder in the sky. Ansel and Rolfe gasped, but swiftly moved quickly regardless of moving silently again.

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