Finding out which businesses in Morth City came to be using Lady Dread's loans wasn’t a hard task. A quick search through the Nucleus yielded two results in the form of newspaper articles that told about two men who were murdered after failing to return their debts. The first one was an entrepreneur who used his loan to turn a large warehouse he owned into a storage facility. The other one was a man who wished to open his own bakery, but died before ever getting the chance to open it. APD found records of the deals they made with Lady Dread's men on their computers, following their murders.
Edrimer sat in the passenger's seat of the car while Elahysis sat behind the wheel. The two were wearing their white Elastics. The car was standing still, hidden in a small alley in one of the streets of Morth City, ready to head straight for the storage facility, given the word. It would have to be one of the two locations where the Tri-Surgeon might go to, after taking Soleina. Apex and Johnaren waited nearby as well, ready to charge for the now-abandoned bakery once the order came.
Initially, Apex suggested that they would wait at the locations themselves, but Edrimer was quick to decide that that would be too risky for them. If anyone were to spot them, it would endanger the entire mission. Therefore, he called that they would wait nearby, hidden, and wait for Samari to alert them as soon as the Tri-Surgeon would make his move.
Samari kept watch over Channel 2's studio, where Soleina and Sherwood's interview was to take place. Shortly earlier, she said that she spotted Soleina's vehicle entering Channel 2's studio, as well as Sherwood's. Now all they had to do was to wait for the interview to be over and for Soleina to head back. Hopefully, the killer would show himself at some point in an attempt to kidnap Soleina.
Edrimer summarized the day up to that point in his head. He had spoken to Serian over the phone that morning about their plan to capture the Tri-Surgeon. Serian wasn’t entirely confident of that plan, yet he wished him good luck with it and mentioned that he was keeping a close eye on Edrimer and his team's efforts. His voice remained monotonic and heavy during the entire conversation, which made Edrimer question just how seriously was Serian taking him and his team. When Edrimer tried asking Serian about the recent Justicars attack on Men of Midas' outpost in Ravenwey Burrows, he was met with the refusal to answer that he was expecting. Serian said that he wasn’t going to share any information regarding that attack with a tenderfoot and that he should just focus on the Tri-Surgeon. Shortly after that, the conversation ended. That grumpy old fuck isn’t going to answer anything I ask him until I prove myself.
As he tried going through the rest of the morning without looking too nervous, his uncle, Jeremy, could see through his pretense. When he asked him what was wrong, Edrimer dodged the question and hurried to leave the apartment as soon as he could. There's no way around it. Uncle Jeremy always knows when I'm going through something. It was the same way with Arkaneh back then as well. He simply knows us too well.
After taking his Elastics and his gun, Edrimer left the apartment and started setting things in motion. He contacted the rest of his team, as well as Edward, to let them know that the plan is about to be set in motion. By the time he had reached the warehouse, everyone was in position. Since SmartWrists couldn’t be used as means of communications, Edrimer had given Edward a radio device the day before, as well as ones for his teammates.
"That cop, Edward," Elahysis said. "Do you trust him?"
Edrimer put on a smile and chuckled. "Not really, but… he's all we got. He wants to catch this killer just as badly as we do and he's probably one of only a few cops on APD that isn’t dirty. It's a shame that he hates the Justicars."
"I don’t know… I have a hard time trusting him. I know what kinds of scum APD has to offer. I had to defend many dirty cops in court during my days as a lawyer."
"Really? You were that kind of a lawyer?"
"It's not as if I liked it. It was my job. I have a daughter to feed, you know."
"Actually, I didn’t know." He seemed surprised. Elahysis is around my age. That means she must have given birth at a very young age.
"She's 3 years old. I gave birth to her when I was 19 years old."
"Well, where's her father?"
"Gone. He left shortly before she was born, so he never met her. We never planned on getting pregnant, and as soon as he had some time to think about it, he realized we wouldn’t be able to afford to raise her, so… he split." Just like so many parents nowadays.
"I'm… sorry to hear that."
"It's fine. It was a long time ago. Anyway, I refused to give up on my baby. My mom is helping me raise her."
"Well, if you ever need any help—"
"Oh, please," she put on a sour face. "I don’t need your help, or anyone else's for that matter. I've seen what people are capable of. After that jerk had left me I graduated from law school and became a lawyer, and that was when I discovered how many of his kind were out there. All those dirty cops I had to defend… all those murderers I had to claim as innocent…" She'd lost all trust in people. I can't blame her if I'm honest. "That's why I left my job and joined the Justicars. I'm done defending those people."
"I see. You know, my brother left my uncle and me just like that jerk of yours did. He just… gave up on everything. He didn’t even say anything to us. He just packed his things one day and said goodbye."
"Why did he leave?"
"He and his girlfriend were attacked by some gangsters. She didn’t make it. In a way, he didn’t make it either. Arkaneh changed from that day on. I couldn’t recognize my brother anymore every time I looked at his face. He was… gone."
"Do you know where he is now?"
"I…" he thought about it for a second. I wish I didn’t. "I don’t," he finally chose to say. "And I don’t know if I even want to. Whoever he is now… I don’t know if I wish to know that person."
"It sounds like you guys were close."
"We were. My uncle rarely mentions him now, because he knows that makes me sad, but I know Arkaneh is on his mind all the time. Arkaneh and I lost our parents when we were young, so growing up, we only had each other. My uncle raised us for most of our lives."
"Edrimer," she looked at him. "People come and people go. There are no constants in life. None at all."
"Well, that's a sad thought," Edrimer chuckled, despite knowing that there was truth to that.
Silence lingered in the car for a few minutes, during which Edrimer wondered if he would ever run into Arkaneh again. The following thought that occurred to him was whether or not he even wished for that to happen. That night… he aimed a gun at me and threatened to kill me the next time he would see me. Something in his eyes was different. Something in his expression was unfamiliar. He was never this cold and vicious. What happened to you, Arkaneh?
"Forseti!" Edward's voice came through the radio device, making Edrimer jump. "Forseti, come in!"
"I'm here," Edrimer said.
"Soleina Dillard was just kidnapped!" Edward said. At first, Edrimer thought he had heard wrong. He looked over at Elahysis, who seemed just as confused as he was.
"Say again."
"I said Soleina Dillard was just fucking kidnapped! I was just informed that she's missing. The fucking Tri-Surgeon took her right under our noses!" That can't be. Samari is watching over that studio. She saw Soleina go in, but she's yet to come out. "That fucker disguised himself as an employee of Channel 2!" Edward continued. "He ran off with her without anyone noticing a while ago!"
Edrimer never anticipated this. He thought the killer would make his move only after Soleina would leave the set. Knowing that he wasn’t going to have much time, he quickly sprang into action. "Apex, Johnaren, get ready. There's a good chance that the killer is going to head to either our location or yours, so get moving," Edrimer said into the radio device.
"Copy that. We're heading there now." Apex said.
Elahysis stepped further on the gas pedal, making the car howl as the engine burned hot inside. She drove faster and faster, never letting her eyes off the road.
"Edward," Edrimer said. "Let us know as soon as you hear anything."
"I swear to God, Forseti, if anything happens to her…" Edward sounded furious. Great, this is the last thing we needed.
Edrimer and Elahysis soared to the warehouse. Signs and scenery were barely comprehensible as they flew by them. Edrimer pulled his gun out and checked his magazine. The bullets shined in it, ready for a kill. He loaded it back and readied himself, as he finally saw the warehouse in the distance. Nothing like a speed rush and a dead serial killer to make my day.
As soon as they pulled the car over, Edrimer lowered the volume on his radio device to a minimal level to maintain a stealthy position. As they inched closer to the warehouse, they noticed a lone black car parked outside. The car had no license plates and looked rather old, with dents and scratches all over. No license plates… he's already here. As the two crept inside in silence, Edrimer felt his anxiety building up. I just hope he didn’t hurt her yet. Elahysis seemed nervous as well. As strong of a woman as she appeared to be, even she couldn’t handle her fear from such a brutal murderer.
As soon as entered the warehouse, they heard a rattle. Looking around, the two didn’t spot anything around them. It was only another minute later when another rattle was heard and Edrimer realized where it came from. It was coming from a closed room on the other side of the hall. Edrimer pointed at that room to let Elahysis know. She nodded and drew her weapon. "Edward," Edrimer whispered into the radio device. "The killer is at our location."
"Copy that," Edward responded. The two immediately paced towards the room. As Edrimer drew closer and closer to the room, he could hear mumbles coming from behind its door. "T-T-There we go," the voice said. "D-D-Don't worry. I-I-It won't hurt for long." Edrimer and Elahysis placed themselves on each side of the room's door, with guns ready. With an approving nod from Edrimer, Elahysis opened the door and aimed her weapon. Edrimer tailed after her but quickly stopped in place at the sight of the grizzly image before him. Soleina Dillard lay on the floor, still and unresponsive, her arms stretched like a cross figure while a man was crouching above her. The man had black Elastics, which seemed odd to Edrimer, as he knew no gang associated with such a color. Elahysis went ahead without saying anything, and before Edrimer could stop her, she stood right behind the man and let the barrel of her gun kiss his head.
"Get up," she ordered him.
"W-W-Who are you?" the man asked. That stutter… it doesn’t sound like the usual kind of stutter. "Y-Y-You're not supposed to be h-h-here." It's almost as if… it's not a speech defect, but rather a result of overexcitement.
"I said get up!" she yelled. The man did as he was told and turned around to face her. That was when Edrimer saw the frightening red skull that was painted on his mask. The bizarre image took Elahysis by surprise as well, as she seemed speechless and shocked at first.
"J-J-Justicars? W-W-What the hell are YOU d-d-doing here?" the killer asked. Edrimer looked down at Soleina's body. He looked away almost immediately once he noticed what had been done to her. The Tri-Surgeon always cut off his victims' eyes, arms, and heart, and it seemed that he had only begun his traditional methods with Soleina. Her black flowing hair was now painted crimson red, as two bloody, gaping holes stood where her eye sockets were. It looked as if he struggled to pull her eyes out, mangling her eye sockets in the result. Oh, my God… we're too late… how could we let this happen?
"Take off your fucking mask!" Elahysis ordered him.
"Y-Y-You are disrupting F-F-Father Blood's orders. He won't be p-p-pleased. H-H-He will punish you," the man said. Father Blood? What is he talking about?
"Do it!" Elahysis raised her voice to new levels. The killer finally unmasked himself, revealing a horridly-looking face. The killer had a very pale skin, almost like the one of a cadaver and big black rings were painted around his dark eyes. His appearance was intentional, as clearly this was the work of make-up, yet something else seemed off about his face. His eyes seemed wide open and his teeth were visibly grinding as if he was excited. Whoever that man was, Edrimer could already tell that he was insane to some level.
"S-S-Stop talking!" the killer suddenly said and looked to his right, as if someone was standing there. "This is all y-y-your fault! I shouldn’t have listened to y-y-you!" Edrimer looked at him, baffled. Who the fuck is he talking to? "You're always getting me in trouble. You're always getting me in trouble." The killer grabbed his head and shook it tirelessly. "I hate you!" he yelled. Edrimer looked at Elahysis and noticed that she seemed just as perplexed as he was.
Suddenly, a weak gasp emerged from Soleina. Edrimer looked down at her and noticed that she was still alive. Unfortunately for him, Elahysis looked down at her as well, which gave the killer the opportunity he was waiting for. Before she could notice what was happening, the killer pushed Elahysis's weapon away from him and rammed his head into hers. She dropped her gun and fell on the floor in agony, and by the time Edrimer realized what was happening, the killer was already pushing Edrimer back, making him fall as well.
Edrimer quickly got up to his feet and ran after the man. He ran as fast as he could, yet he still had some trouble catching up to him. He tried firing twice at the killer but missed him. Only when the killer met with the exit door of the warehouse, could Edrimer finally catch him. The killer swiftly reached for Edrimer's gun and knocked it out of his hand. Edrimer grabbed the killer by the shoulders and threw him onto the floor in response. Then, he quickly positioned himself on top of him and started punching his face. He hit the man only three times before he was punched by him as well and lost his balance. The killer kicked Edrimer in the stomach and then kicked him once more in the knee, making Edrimer fall on all fours. Before the killer could kick Edrimer once more, Edrimer rolled aside the got back up on his feet. Staring right at the killer's pale face, Edrimer saw nothing but a lunatic in front of him. "From ash and fire the strong will rise." The man said in a weak voice as if he wanted only himself to hear it. "From ash and fire the strong will rise," he muttered it again. What is he on about? What the hell is wrong with this guy? Before he could say anything else, Edrimer charged at him, tackling him into the wall. The man cried in pain, but then quickly punched Edrimer in the face. As he tried overcoming the dizziness and regaining his balance, Edrimer noticed the pale man's twitchiness. His fingers jerked and quivered and his lips kept curving randomly. None of the two seemed to be willing to give up. Blood ran from the killer's nose, dripping down on the floor. He was panting and clearly in pain. Edrimer's face was swollen and bruised, and his stomach was still hurting from the kick he received. And still, none of the two would give up. In a hope to end the fight, Edrimer tried ramming his elbow into the man's chest, but the killer hastily dodged the blow and landed his own on Edrimer, knocking him out.
By the time Edrimer woke up to Elahysis's voice, it was already too late. The killer had escaped, and the two of them had to do the same. "The cops are already on their way here, Edrimer," she told him. "Edward told them that an anonymous tip called and said that he saw the killer get here. They're going to be here at any moment. Come on, let's go."
While helping him up, Elahysis told Edrimer that she had contacted Edward and informed him of Soleina's state. Edrimer feared to know what his response was, so he didn’t ask. I promised him… his heart felt as heavy as a boulder. I promised him…
The two ran together far away from the warehouse. Edrimer was limping due to his injuries, so Elahysis had to help him walk. As they ran, they contacted Samari, Apex, and Johnaren and told them to go back and leave their position. As they drew near to their car, two men appeared before them. Edrimer hadn’t noticed them coming. They wore purple Elastics and had submachine guns strapped to their backs. Lady Dread's men… they've come for the Tri-Surgeon. But… how did they know he was here? That can only mean…
The two men reached for their weapons, but Elahysis was quicker than them. She pulled her pistol and fired one round at each person. One of them required another round for a sure kill. Edrimer was too weak to even have the instinct to pull his own weapon. Thank God for Elahysis's quick reflexes. "Let's go," she wasted no time and carried Edrimer to the car. She got into the driver's seat and drove off the scene in haste.
Edrimer's white Elastics had been tamed with his own blood. He felt like almost every part of his body was hurting and every movement that he was making only amplified the pain.
"I can't believe it," Elahysis said as she was catching her breath. "I can't believe that fucker ran away. How the fuck are we going to get him now?"
"Much more easily," Edrimer smiled. "We now know who he is exactly."
"No, we don’t. We saw his face, but we still don’t know his identity."
"Yeah, we do." Edrimer seemed cheerful. "Contact Edward. Let him know that in that warehouse he's going to find drops of blood on the floor near the exit door of that warehouse. That blood dripped from the Tri-Surgeon's nose. He can run his DNA and find out who our guy is." While he rested on the passenger's seat, wounded and beaten up, Edrimer ran the pictures of the killer in his mind. He had never met such an odd and peculiar character before. The image of the red skull on a haunting black mask, the sight of Soleina Dillard's mangled eye holes and the horrid appearance of the killer's pale skin and thick, black painted rings around his eyes. All those pictures burned into Edrimer's memory. He knew that he wouldn’t forget them easily, nor did he truly want to, as they only motivated him further to catch the Tri-Surgeon.
