Luna stood above the scene, her eyes surveying the surroundings as she considered the next course of action. A soldier, Theo, approached her, his voice low and respectful.
"Should we engage the interrogation with the survivor?" Theo asked, his eyes fixed on Luna's face.
Luna's gaze turned to Theo, her expression thoughtful. "What is his name, the survivor?" she asked, her voice calm.
Theo hesitated for a moment before responding. "Eddy Samuel Mam," he said, his voice steady.
Luna nodded, her eyes narrowing as she considered the request. After a moment, she made her decision. "Not today," she said, her voice firm. "Give him time to recover."
With that, Luna turned and walked away from the scene, her movements swift and purposeful. Theo watched her go, his expression neutral, but his eyes betraying a hint of curiosity.
As Luna disappeared from view, Theo turned to the other soldiers, his voice low. "It seems we're not to interrogate the survivor just yet," he said, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The other soldiers nodded, their faces expressionless, but their eyes revealing a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. They knew that Luna's decision was not to be questioned, and they would wait for further instructions before proceeding.
On the other side of the human realm:
"Man, you don't look good," Elio said, his voice laced with concern as he struggled to support Jason's weight, dragging him out of the alley. Jason's eyes were sunken, his skin pale and clammy, and his movements labored.
"Yeah, no shit," Jason muttered, his voice barely audible, his words slurred from pain and exhaustion.
"We need to take you to the hospital," Elio said, his grip on Jason's arm tightening as he reached for his phone to dial the emergency service.
But before he could make the call, Jason's hand shot out, swiftly knocking the phone out of Elio's hand. The phone clattered to the ground, and Elio's eyes widened in surprise.
"You don't want to do that," Jason growled, his breathing heavy and ragged in the cold night air. He leaned against Elio, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination as he tried to stand upright.
Despite Jason's weakened state, there was something in his eyes that made Elio hesitate. He knew Jason was hurt badly, but he also knew that Jason wouldn't want to go to the hospital.
"You clearly need to be in the hospital," Elio insisted, his voice firm but laced with worry. "You're not thinking straight, Jason. You need medical attention."
But Jason's expression remained resolute, his jaw clenched in. "You don't understand," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can handle this."
"Let's go home, I'll be fine," Jason said, his voice weak but determined. But Elio was clearly not listening. He picked up his phone and proceeded to call the emergency service.
"Calling from the California emergency service, what is the emergency?" a voice from the other line of Elio's phone spoke out, calm and professional.
Before Elio could respond, a car came speeding around the corner, tires screeching as it rushed towards them. Elio's eyes widened in surprise, and he fell silent, curiosity getting the better of him.
"What is the emergency?" the voice from the phone repeated, but Elio didn't answer. He was too focused on the car, which was now pulling up beside them. The tension was palpable as the car came to a stop, and Lee and Sol emerged from the vehicle.
Lee quickly opened the door and rushed towards Jason and Elio, his movements swift and purposeful. Sol, on the other hand, stood by the car, his eyes scanning the surroundings, his expression watchful.
"Where's Jason?" Lee asked, his eyes scanning the area until they landed on Jason, who was slumped against Elio's leg. Jason's chest rose and fell with each labored breath.
Lee quickly squatted down beside Jason, his expression concerned. "Is he okay?" he asked, gently patting Jason's shoulder.
Elio nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I think so," he replied, still looking shaken by the events that had just transpired. Jason had single-handedly taken down the thugs, but not without getting hurt himself.
As Elio spoke, he glanced back at the alley, where the thugs lay unconscious on the ground. Lee followed his gaze.
Lee's eyes widened as he took in the scene, his gaze fixed on the two thugs lying unconscious on the ground. "What happened?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Elio's eyes darted nervously between Lee and the thugs, his face pale. "They...I...I can't right now," he stammered, still holding the phone to his ear. The emergency call was still ongoing, and the voice on the other end was growing impatient.
"Calling from the emergency service once again, can you identify the problem?" the voice asked, its tone firm and insistent.
Lee, still squatting beside Jason, waved his hand urgently at Elio, trying to get his attention. "Cut it," he mouthed silently, making a cutting motion with his hand across his throat.
Elio looked at Lee, confusion etched on his face. He mouthed back, "Why?" Lee quickly stood up and strode over to Elio, gently prying the phone from his hand. With a swift motion, Lee ended the call, silencing the voice on the other end.
The sudden silence was a relief, but Elio's eyes remained fixed on Lee, his expression questioning and then quickly turning stern. "Why did you do that?" Elio demanded, his voice rising in anger. "There's a bullet in him, shot by those thugs, and I need to call for help!"
Elio's words were laced with desperation and frustration, and he took a step closer to Lee. "You can't just cut off the call like that! What if he dies?" Elio's anger boiled over into yelling. "There's a fucking bullet in him, shot by those fuck heads, so I have to fucking call for help!"
Lee stood his ground, his expression firm. "Okay, I understand you're panicking, but calling the emergency services would only cause more trouble than help. Plus, you might never get to see your brother again," Lee yelled back, trying to reason with Elio.
Elio's face twisted in confusion and anger. "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't I be able to see my brother again?" he demanded, his voice still raised.
Lee's eyes locked onto Elio's, his gaze intense. "You see those guys out there? I'm sure the person who took them down is the one who's been hurt. And I'm sure a 17-year-old kid wouldn't have been able to take down two grown adults like that. How did I know? You start by getting your ass in the car," Lee said, his voice firm.
Elio's anger seemed to morph into confusion, and he raked his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "Okay, okay... what are you insinuating? That he's going to be taken away by who?" Elio's voice was laced with desperation and uncertainty.
As Elio paced, Lee's eyes followed him, his expression unreadable. It was clear that Lee knew something that Elio didn't, and Elio's frustration and fear were growing by the minute.
As Elio paced, Lee's eyes followed him, his expression unreadable. It was clear that Lee knew something that Elio didn't, and Elio's frustration and fear were growing by the minute.
"Your brother, as you know him, isn't the same person," Lee said in a calm voice. "Get in the car, and I'll explain. I mean, who takes two bullets to the chest 10 minutes ago and still keeps breathing?" Lee's words hung in the air, and Elio stopped pacing, his face reflecting his desperation.
Elio's eyes locked onto Jason, who was leaning against Lee's leg. "You agree with this?" Elio asked, his voice low and tense, his teeth clenched.
Jason forced a smile onto his face, trying to reassure Elio. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, despite the pain and weakness he was feeling. Deep down, Jason sensed a connection between himself and Lee, as if they shared a common destiny. However, he felt that Lee's destiny was much older and more complex.
Elio looked at Jason, searching for reassurance, before finally nodding in agreement. "Okay, let's do this," he said, his voice firm.
Lee nodded, his expression calm. "He won't die. Now, let's get him in the car, fast," he assured Elio. The cold air seemed to grow even chillier as Elio hesitated, looking scared for Jason's safety. However, he eventually helped Jason up, with Lee's assistance.
Sol, who had been waiting by the car, opened the back door. "Take it easy," he said, gesturing for them to get in. As they helped Jason into the car, Sol quickly moved to the driver's seat. "I'll drive," he offered, starting the engine and buckling his seatbelt. With a smooth motion, he pulled the car away from the alley and onto the road.
The man who had slammed Jason with his truck on the highway sat in a dimly lit room filled with rows of computers and monitors, the glow of the screens casting an eerie light on his face. He was accompanied by the security man, who was frantically typing away on his keyboard, trying to zoom in on the footage.
"Yeah, could you zoom in a little closer?" the truck man asked, his voice laced with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
The security man's fingers flew across the keyboard, and the image on the screen began to zoom in. As the footage became clearer, the security man's eyes widened in shock. "Jesus!!!" he exclaimed, his face pale.
The truck man's eyes were fixed on the screen, and he could feel his heart racing as he saw himself hit someone with his truck. "Darn it, I shouldn't have... I was too caught up in catching the person who smashed my car. I forgot I actually smashed someone," he thought to himself, regret and panic setting in.
The security man turned to him, his face filled with disbelief. "Is that your truck... is that you?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
The truck man hesitated before answering, "Y-yes, that's me."
The security man nodded, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Keep looking at the footage. I went to look for him, but he was gone, nowhere to be found. So, I assumed he's still alive," the truck man added, trying to defend his actions.
The security man raised an eyebrow. "How are you sure of that?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
The truck man thought for a moment before responding. "My best guess is that he flew over 10 to 20 meters away from the camera, maybe. Let me check if there are other footages that captured the scene," the security man muttered to himself as he continued to click through the footage.
"You still haven't seen who slammed the face of my truck yet" the truck man said as
As he watched the security man scroll through the videos, his eyes widened in shock once again. "You mean the truck used to... murder... something?" he trailed off, his voice barely above a whisper.
The truck man leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the screen. "You haven't even looked into who damaged my truck yet," he said, his voice softened.
The security man's eyes were glued to the screen as he played the footage of Jason getting hit by the truck. But what happened next defied all logic - Jason stood up, brushed himself off, and proceeded to jump up and down like nothing had happened.
"The F is going on here? With that impact, his body shouldn't be intact," the security man exclaimed, replaying the video over and over again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
The truck man's face was filled with a mix of shock and awe. "Are you seeing this?" the security man turned to him, and the truck man nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
The room fell silent, with only the sound of the computers humming in the background. The two men sat there, staring at the screen in stunned silence, trying to process what they had just witnessed.