Jack inhaled once, deep and slow. His boots spaced apart, sliding until the stance held firm—one foot angled forward, the other bracing behind like a root in the ground. Shoulders rolled back as his weight dropped low.
His right hand came forward, arm slightly curved, fist steady at head level—ready to strike or block. The left hovered lower near his hip, palm relaxed.
It doesn't matter who starts it, all that matters is who delivers the finishing blow, and according to Kratian values, don't hold back when it's payback.
The commander lunged, twin daggers slicing toward Jack's neck—one from the left, the other a mirrored follow-up from the right. Jack stepped back, avoiding the first by a hair, then ducked low as the second whistled past, close enough to shave skin.
Swish!
As the blade swept by, Jack surged up and caught the commander's arm mid-motion. He twisted hard and slammed his elbow into the crook of the other's arm with a sickening crack.
The dagger slipped from numb fingers—but Jack caught it before it hit the ground and drove it into the commander's other bicep without missing a beat.
"ARGGGHHH" The commander groaned in pain.
A cry of pain emerged from the commander. The wounded arm dropped, still clutching the remaining dagger. Jack's knee came up fast, smashing into the clenched fist, forcing the blade down into the commander's own thigh with a brutal thunk.
The commander reeled, staggered—but Jack pressed forward. A palm to the right shoulder. Another to the left. A third slammed into the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Jack shifted and threw a sharp uppercut that snapped the commander's head back.
Then came the kick—low and merciless—driven straight into his gut.
The commander flew back and crashed into the opposite wall with a solid thud. He slumped to the floor, groaning, still conscious but barely hanging on.
Jack didn't say a word. He walked over, grabbed a fistful of the commander's hair, and began dragging him across the floor. Boots scraped. Blood smeared behind. Jack hauled him toward the staircase, cold and methodical.
The officers that ran away weren't seen, but Jack was sure they were still in the building.
Crash!
At the first floor, Jack yanked him up and slammed him on the glass pane lining the corridor wall. The glass shattered on impact—shards raining down as the commander crashed through, revealing a wide-open drop into the city below.
Jack turned, stepped into the room behind, grabbed some more medicines, and walked back to the opening. He stepped out, onto the floating Kana slabs that spiraled downward into open space. Each step rang hollow.
Halfway down, he looked back.
The commander hadn't fallen. Not yet. One arm, bloodied and shaking, reached through the broken glass, fingers gripping the sill like a lifeline, refusing to let go.
"You said the prey walked into the predator's den or something? Well, too bad for you, the predators were just lousy kids playing gangster. Be happy that I am cremating you along with my dead kin, I would have thrown you into the gutter or something and let you rot in there." Jack smirked as he pulled out his handgun.
The commander's eyes were wide open with terror.
"Here is to a grand cremation," he said, shooting into the siren speaker inside the building through the broken glass. There was a spark, and the heat was more than enough to set ablaze the explosive mixture of hydrogen and air that was waiting to show its powers for five hours as it distributed throughout the building.
Jack protected himself with a Kana barrier, knowing this would be a big explosion. He was wrong—it was massive.
BOOM!
The moment the hydrogen ignited, the hospital was engulfed in a cataclysmic explosion. A blinding flash of white light erupted, followed by a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the building. The blast sent off a massive shockwave through the air, scattering debris and flames for hundreds of feet. The entire structure was obliterated in a violent, fiery burst, leaving nothing but smoldering wreckage and a cloud of dust and ash. The destruction was total—a testament to the volatile power of hydrogen.
Diana was still laying low in the car but completely dressed up in her battle armour. She had put it on the instant Jack was surrounded by the commander's men. She almost got out, and then she remembered Jack's instructions.
She didn't want to be a liability or a distraction to Jack during a fight, but her heart and mind were full of worries. What if he got injured? So she put on the suit and was on the ready to get into action the moment things took a turn for the worse.
When Jack came out of the building, only then did she avert her eyes from the screen a bit, resting her head on the seat. The explosion made her jump, and she quickly looked into the screen. All she saw was flames and flash.
Her heart jumped at the sight, and she opened the door and got out without even looking at the screen again, pieces of rubble from the explosion falling randomly around her.
"That was so intense. If I hadn't protected myself with the Kana barriers, then I wouldn't have survived! I am sure Diana also felt this explosion," Jack said, exhausted and turning back to the parking area as the smoke and dust subsided.
He was feeling satisfied. He wasn't able to burn the bodies of his kin earlier when they lay on the street, but he was happy he was able to do so now and even kick some terrorist ass.
As he was walking, something struck the back of his head hard. It took him by surprise and almost threw his balance off. He quickly turned, ready to strike the opponent. But he saw nothing.
He looked below. He saw something shine. It was an arm. No. It was his arm. Jack hurried up to it. It was definitely the commander's arm, as he was the only one who was wearing a ring. The ring was made of gold and had a beautiful ruby on its top.
"I hope the explosion didn't worry her too much," he said grimly.
Jack knew better than to just bend down and loot the arm he just found out in the open right after the ruckus he caused. He protected himself with a Kana barrier and distributed his energy around him in a radius of about fifteen metres, allowing him to sense any movement in the area where his Kana energy was in.
He bent down and picked up the arm. He slid off the ring from the hand and put it in the pouch after cleaning it. Then he proceeded to take out the wristband, which still was deploying the Ortho Sapien suit around the arm.
Jack took it off, and the suit shrunk away, revealing an arm covered with scars, a testament of the practice of the commander.
He dropped the arm, took out the Trojan USB and connected it to the wristband. As he waited for the virus to do its work, the progress visible on a small holographic projection screen, Jack began to refill some of his Kana energy in the meantime. He had been fighting for about an hour now, and his reserves had fallen below half.
The progress reached 90%, and Jack was getting ready to disconnect it in about a second when he sensed something tread into his energy field. He looked behind— a few Ortho Sapiens were marching on him, following the doctor who was in an automaton suit.
Jack shook his head. He had his barrier around him, which could easily block assault rifle bullets. Will deal with them after this gets finished, he thought, looking at the screen which was at 98% now. He grabbed the USB, ready to pull it out.
The officers assumed formation. Jack could feel it all too well. 99%, the screen showed.
Was it arrogance? Or overconfidence in his Ikanami? Whatever it was, it made him make a mistake of underestimating his enemy, a mistake that can make one pay dearly for.
The USB finished its work, and as Jack disconnected it from the band, he felt a sudden rise and fall of Kana energy behind him. The energy was being concentrated at an alarming rate. Assault rifles don't absorb Kana energy—Jack felt a sense of urgency when the Kana concentration surpassed his Kana barrier.
Whatever it is, it will break through the barrier! Jack sensed the impending danger and, without turning back, he jumped to his side to avoid it—but he was too late.
Bang!