CHAPTER 3 - The Ambush
It was a calm and relaxing walk out of Star City. The cool evening breeze slowly warmed as the night faded away. The early sunlight and the calm it gave were contrasted with the tension felt inside. The mission so far has been smooth sailing with no huge hiccup on the way.
He would soon be reaching the harbour, but it was more than ever that Kael had to be very vigilant. Kael walked into the harbor, ranging from ships to yachts and small boats, parked by the sea. Kael, with a quick observation of the dock, quickly reminded himself of what was top priority.
He walked in the direction of where the containers were placed in the harbor. Their colors, ranging from red to white to black and more in between, were neatly stacked against each other and arranged on the pier.
Walking through the pathway between boxes of containers stacked together, Kale felt an eerie and dangerous disturbance all around. After working such a dangerous job, one of the things a courier must trust is his instinct, and it's screaming at him to get away.
"I've come too far to give up here. I've faced my fair share of danger." It was more of selfishness than it was bravery. The little voices inside him fueled his drive, whispering sweet promises, clouding his reasoning.
Soon, he found the container that the box should be transported to. Before he could take another step, the sound of a gunshot and a searing jolt of white, hot fire with the warm liquid that flowed down his hands made him realise how deep in danger he was. "Arghhh.."
An agonising scream emerged from his mouth as he quickly clutched his hand that was shot and ran for cover, while he tried to scan the barely lit pier for where the shooter was. In a container far away, a man knelt on the top of the container, a sniper rifle within his grip.
"I missed that shot. But I still have a visual on the target. Prepare for physical confrontation." His walkie-talkie, which was strapped to the chest of his combat suit, relayed to the rest of his team hidden in the darkness of the pier. It was a total ambush.
Hidden away from open space, Kael removed his bag and, with the medical kits within, he performed clumsy first aid on his bleeding hand. He took hold of the box, his bloodied hand resting against the black frame of the box.
With shortened breaths and a rasped voice, he questioned sarcastically. "Are you the reason? Such irony. You were supposed to be my chance to fulfill my promise, but I guess you'll be the one taking me away from this world."
"If I'm going to die, I should see what the huge deal is about this box," Kael opened the box, and within the cushioned inner lay three identical-looking green gens that periodically emitted a soft green glow. "Really?" Kael questioned himself with a bitter laugh. He was going to lose his life for some rocks.
"With how the shot was taken, they were already stationed here in waiting, so there'll probably be more. Hahhh..I'm not one to die so easily after all." Kael sucked in the pain from his hand as he stood up from the floor, taking from his bag a pocket knife, the only tool he carried for protection.
"Taking one for this problem you caused," Kael picked one of the gems from the crate, and as it entered his embrace, the gem's glow began to flicker more periodically.
"My Anchor." The same voice, timely and ancient once again, echoed through Kael's head. "All the bad things, all at once." "Take your team and check there, James," a gruff voice sounded as it confirmed Kael's suspicion.
"I guess, it's kill or be killed." Kael grimaced, a smile forming on his face as he walked behind one of the attackers. With his knife positioned, he made for the element of surprise, his knife puncturing through Jame's artillery with precise accuracy.
James quickly held his neck that gushed out with blood in an empty attempt to stop the blood loss, but soon he collapsed as she choked on his own blood, his eyes opened as he fell to the floor of the pier.
He took the gun that once belonged to James as his means of attack. Kael had no clue how to use a gun except from the gun games he had played. They couldn't be that much different, Kael thought to himself, taking hold of the gun.
Today was the first time he had ever killed someone since he started this path. Kael wasn't naive. He knew what the dark side of society meant, so he tried to stay as clear of it as he could. That's why he isn't a mercenary but only a courier who always completes the given mission.
He swallowed back his discomfort that rose within him. "Cmon, Kael. You aren't that weak," The boy said, trying to take his mind off what he had just done. Only someone alive can grieve and regret.
In the team ahead, the leader radioed James that he had asked to scan a bit ahead, but there was no response from him. "He's dead. Everyone, be on guard. The target isn't a rookie, and since he's taken down James without any gunshot noise, it means that it was a sneak attack and he used a melee weapon."
His expertise quickly revealed itself in his composed manner of speech and his concise deductions. "Keep your ears peeled for any gunshot. It'll lead back to him or the other recon members."
The tension that diffused throughout the whole atmosphere of the pier was palpable. Kael had learnt a few skills required to survive the slums. Quick spaces to hide, how to find your attackers, and make use of your environment to gain any advantage against the opponent .
Today, these skills are what will help him gain an advantage, no matter how little that may be. Kael quickly located another of the scouts who were sent out. Silence is very vital to his survival at this point, so Kael disregarded making use of the gun. He sneaked behind him, hidden by the veil of darkness and his skills on how to hide.
His knife was positioned as it aimed for his neck, hoping to take him out just as he did the former, but the scout, with his senses, was able to narrowly avoid the stabbing and he quickly turned around, his gun aimed straight at Kael before letting out some rounds of gunshots.
Kael quickly jumped behind one of the containers as the bullet implanted into the metal boxes that formed the pier. He quickly clutched down, picking the gun and placing it in his hands. There was another reason he didn't want to use the gun.
He had no training on how to use it nor how it functions. The only clues he had were from the mobile games and the movies he had seen. 'couldn't be that different from reality' he thought to himself, aiming the gun, with beads of sweat rolling down his face.
Kael jumped out from his hiding location, aimed the gun barrel at the opponent and let the shots fly, hoping that it would at least fly right. Five of the stray bullets managed to land on the scout, effectively bringing him down for the count.
"Ha…ha..ah" Kael breathed deeply and loudly, his heart beating gradually calming down the pump of adrenaline he received just now. Kael dropped the gun with the finished magazine and picked up the one that belonged to the scout, which now was covered in blood.
Before he could fasten it around himself, a loud gunshot rang out and the intense pain made Kael look down. There was a gaping hole in his chest. He was shot, with blood running down from the hole like a pump. "No…" he couldn't complete his sentence as he choked on his blood, falling on his back.
The leader of the team, followed by the rest stood above his dying body, his hardened face staring over him as his life began to flicker away. Kael with his last strength reached for his trousers, grabbing it for help.
"Blame your luck, kid. You died for something you don't understand or know about." The leader said, then walked away, with the rest of his team following behind him.