EPISODE 9: THE JUDGEMENT
738 Words
The aftermath of the gala was a nightmare. Diana didn't go back to the mansion with Dante; she vanished into the night before the police arrived, knowing her life had just changed forever. She had saved the target. She had betrayed the Night Owl.
Two hours later, she stood in the center of a cold, underground bunker. This was the Night Owl’s "Court of Shadows." The room was dimly lit, and the air smelled like damp concrete. Seven high-ranking members sat behind a long stone table, their faces hidden by the darkness. Antonio stood to the side, looking at her with a mix of anger and disappointment.
"Diana Willson," Lucien’s voice boomed through the room. "Or should we say... the woman who turned her back on her own family?"
"I didn't turn my back," Diana said, her voice echoing. She was still wearing the red silk dress, now torn and stained with blood. "I saved the mission. If I hadn't moved, the Dark Dragon would have killed the hit squad and tracked it back to us immediately. I was protecting our cover."
"Lies!" Rufus screamed, slamming his fist on the table. "You had a clear shot! Our snipers saw you. You didn't kill him you protected him. You’ve been compromised. The 'Kitten' has fallen in love with her owner."
The room went silent. The word 'love' felt like a death sentence.
"We are here to vote," Antonio said solemnly. "The rules of the Night Owl are simple. Betrayal is paid for in blood. All those in favor of execution, raise your hands."
Diana watched as one by one, the hands went up. Rufus, Johnathan, and five others. 70% of the council voted for her death. Only Antonio and Lucien kept their hands down, but they couldn't stop the majority.
"The vote is cast," Rufus sneered, pulling a heavy silver pistol from his belt. "Goodbye, Goddess."
But Diana was already moving.
Before Rufus could level the gun, she grabbed a heavy metal chair and swung it with all her strength. It smashed into the guards standing by the door. She didn't use a gun; she used her hands, her feet, and the sharp silver hairpin she had recovered from the ballroom floor.
She moved like a whirlwind. She dived under the table as bullets ripped through the air, splintering the wood. She grabbed a smoke grenade from a nearby equipment rack, pulled the pin, and slammed it onto the floor.
Hiss.
Thick grey smoke filled the room in seconds. The council members started coughing and firing blindly.
"Find her! Don't let her leave this building!" Rufus yelled.
Diana didn't fight them all. She knew she couldn't. She ran for the ventilation shafts, climbing with the speed of a cat. She could hear the heavy boots of the guards chasing her through the hallways below. Her heart was hammering against her ribs not just from the escape, but from the realization that she was now truly alone.
She burst through an exit on the roof, the cold night air hitting her face. She was covered in soot, her dress was ruined, and she had no shoes. She looked down at the city of Oakhaven below. She had no home, no family, and the most dangerous organization in the country wanted her head.
She pulled a small burner phone from her hidden thigh pocket. She had only one number saved. She hesitated for a second, then pressed dial.
"Hello?" a deep, calm voice answered on the first ring. It was Dante.
"You said you'd rather keep me," Diana whispered, her voice shaking as she heard the dogs barking in the distance behind her. "Does that offer still stand?"
There was a long pause on the other end. "Where are you?" Dante asked.
"The old shipyard. I have five minutes before they find me."
"Stay alive for ten," Dante said, and the line went dead.
Diana looked back at the door she just exited. The guards were already breaking through. She gripped the edge of the roof and prepared for the fight of her life. She was no longer a Goddess, and she was no longer a secretary. She was a hunted animal, and her only hope was the man she was born to kill.
TBC...
- Writer
