The Devil's Crown

LVIII Cheap & Efficient.

Samael’s golden eyes shone so brightly even from the screen. Even when it was here, his determination was vibrant to Helios’s eyes. The will to fight, he saw the will to fight in that one eye staring at the fou. It was the same look that Helios had when he first got here, he fought back. He roared in the metallic chamber till his throat was sore, little did that gain him. However, part of him was satisfied by seeing the look in their eyes…that fear.

Then the dozes started to double, he started feeling weak. Whatever they were injecting him with was sucking the life out of him. He felt dry inside both emotionally and physically. That glow...

Brought him back that determination. That man on the screen… was able to c***k Shaw. It was only logical to think that he is capable of so much more than just that. Helios felt something inside him seek that man on the other side of the screen.

But the reality was hard. It was harsh just like those chains pulling him to the ground. He needed to end this…

Shaw was still staring blankly. None of what happened after on-screen mattered, not even that now the terrace was empty. His mind was still stuck in registering what his old eyes witnessed.

“You are saying that this is a commoner?” Shaw narrowed his eyes.

“I…I think so, my lord,” said the man. “He is one of those terrorists.”

Something just didn’t add up. The puzzle was missing a piece. Even if Shaw were to believe that another family was able to go that far with their mutation…they did that to make the subject what…a terrorist?!

“Is there in any rumors in the field about something like this?” Shaw asked. “A family reaching this kind of power?” his head hurt just from imagining how was it even possible.

“N-No sir, none that I have heard off,” he replied. “It’s the complete opposite sir. The same confusion is the talk in the field. They all want to know how that’s possible.”

“So it wasn’t one of the tycoon companies…” Shaw mumbled under his breath. “Keep on watching them, someone might be lying.”

The man nodded in approval before he retrieved the tablet and left. Since he came in a hurry he didn’t notice where his feet have taken him. Once his eyes fell on the Elf in chains he shuddered in fear, those violet eyes looked venomous as they glared at him to death.

Helios however didn’t care less about that man. His expression was dark and his eyes were blank as they roamed through the different possibilities. He was now certain that this man will be able to help him…but how could even dream to get to him when he couldn’t even lift up his head?

He barely had power in his legs. Even if by some miracle was he able to make it out of those chains, he will not be able to make it past those walls. He needed to recover after getting rid of this venom burning his insides.

Shaw seems to have lost all interest in him. He turned on his heels and headed towards the door, but before he left he glanced over at the researchers. “Is there a way to enhance the treatment?” he asked. “To make it stronger.”

The researchers shared a look before one stood forward. “The cells we take for…him, is drugged, they are intoxicated from all the sedatives that are injected into the subject. Normally, the effects would subside by time after extraction but…”  he paused and pointed at the IV’s entering Helio’s body…he almost looked sorry.

“But with this amount of it, it takes awhile…” he finished.

“Is there a way to increase the process?”

“Well, we can store the cells for about…a week max. I mean the amount that he is taking could knock down a herd of leopards,” he sighed. “And there is also the option of decreasing the dose.”

“That’s out of the question!” another researcher stepped forward. “You saw what that thing could do when it was half the dose!”

“I get to choose what happens…” Shaw hissed sending the man back to his place. “Are you sure it will work then?”

The man was quiet as he fixed his glasses on his nose. “Yes, we can use it immediately. It will change the results since the cells are better, we can even store it for 3 days to get the best of it…but we will have to see how the subject would react first.”

“Do it,” Shaw simply said before he left. “You do whatever it takes to deliver a successful subject.”

~~~~

“Are you sure this is working?” Julian asked, moving the last piece of luggage to the tunnel that they have agreed to leave through. “We don’t have David and Mathew yet!”

“I don’t know but Samael insisted to get everything ready by the time he and West deal with it,” Allen groaned as he stretched his back. “Margret and the others are still in the banquet hall. Let’s go there is nothing left to move.”

“A-Are you sure we won’t be ambushed again?” Julian hesitated to move.

“Not if they treasure their lives,” Allen simply said. “The order came from the Crown Prince, they have no option but to obey.”

And he turned on his heels and returned to the hall, Julian a step behind him. West and Samael were still there, there was still some time before the time of exchange. Just as Allen came to a stop in front of the entrance, it swung open.

Inside the nobles were a ruin. Their once fancy attires were now wrinkled and lost their charm from the emotional roller-coaster that they have been on. Makeup and mascaras were smudged on the faces of women. Except for one woman with bright red hair…

Roxana was wide-eyed, surprisingly she found herself calm in the situation where everyone was panicking and crying over the mess that they have gotten involved with. She, however, found herself curious as to why all of this was happening. Why were the Rebels so angry at them? Why are they risking their lives? She wanted those answers and asking her father was useless.

The man in black caught her attention. ‘He wasn’t there before she thought while narrowing her golden eyes. She felt a little too excited at the fact that she shared the same eye color with a terrorist. A relatively…useless piece of information.

“Roxana come here!” Her nanny yelled out for her, gesturing to return to her place. She complied smoothly eyes fixed on that man, she barely made out that he had black hair…part of her was disappointed.

“Just as we promised you,” Samael raised his voice, catching people’s attention. “We are going to release you after we get our comrades back. Remain calm until we open the doors for you. We have caused you trouble for our own gains…”

Samael was quiet, he glanced back sharing a nod with the rest as they already knew what comes next.

“We aren’t savages who kill without reason,” Samael began. “We aren’t terrorists, we don’t fancy the art of ruin. All we want is a chance to live the life that we choose. To get care when we are sick. To lead our own work not the work of others. A chance to be who we want to be. To get out of the slums and chance to reach the whole world. Such things are trivial for you but for us…it’s the essence of life that we lack. However, crepping fear into your hearts isn’t the answer, but it was the only choice we had. We offer you our apologies for all your troubles.”

And with the end of that, the rifles and guns were thrown to the ground with a rattle. It wasn’t all genuine gesture but there was no way Samael or West were going to approve of being disarmed amidst a crowd of furious nobles. If everything went smoothly, there would be no need to show the cheap trick Allen came up with.

“We bow our heads, not as commoners, terrorists, or Nobles….We bow our heads a human who harmed another human and such acts are nothing less than a sin…”

“WE APOLOGIZE!” They yelled out in unison with their heads held low.

The faces before Samael were nothing less than thunderstruck by the act. Samael smirked…this was the beginning. The beginning of recurving their name in the people’s mind. He thanked every God that the Rebels didn’t go through the trouble of taking their phones away since they made sure that it remains nothing but a chunk of metal…but that chunk of metal could record. That was what Elfric sought. By tomorrow the videos that were shot here will be released everywhere…it meant exposure.

Allen raised his head first and the other joined. He tugged at the invisible string wrapped around his thumb. Of course, they wouldn’t just hand over their guns to crazed-dazed Nobles. If everything went south, they could easily pull back their weapons to their hand. Cheap trick but it came in handy.

“Cheap but efficient,” that’s what Samael stated.