Threads of the Soul

Chapter 493 - 493: Quoth the Eagle

"How did I get here before you? I had to drop my family off. Did you stop to see the sights or something?"Alfie laughed softly as he greeted Director Zero once more. The portal into the facility whirring down behind the Director before cutting out entirely. Zero laughed himself, shrugging and shaking Alfie's hand once again.

"Did you think I would rush over here and wait for you like a good pup? No boy. I had better things to do. But since you asked, yes the sights were lovely, although they have changed quite a lot since I last saw them." Zero added with another hearty laugh, patting Alfie on the shoulder as they started to walk down the corridor together.

"Yeah, I expect they would have. You haven't been out since before everything fell, so it will all be new buildings to an old man like you. Well, except for a few things as old as yourself."

"Ha! You don't know the half of it boy. But I think anything that's as old as me is long gone in this new world.

But such is the way of the past. Instead, we are here to look towards the future. So, tell me about some of the ideas you've had."

They walked and talked, talked and walked, and as they did so they were not walking through an entirely empty facility. Some workers had already returned, finished with their vacations after the disappointing results of their bets, while others had returned well before the competitions had ended.

Not everyone was interested in them, after all.

"Where's the Fox, by the way? I assume you two are friends, old men get along after all." Alfie asked as they stopped outside the old prison turned training room, but it was not occupied by its usual people, instead just a few random workers were using it for their own exercise and training.

"Ah, Well you wouldn't be wrong in that assumption. We do have some things in common to talk about, although we aren't as close in age as you think." Zero answered with a laugh, before continuing,

"I believe that he was sent out a few weeks ago, on some kind of special assignment. Although where it was, I have no idea. It was all kept very hush hush, like this place used to be."

Zero let out a wistful sigh, his mind drifting back to his old days in the field. Those had certainly been the days, all those moons ago. But responsibility was too much of a burden to bear.

A true leader couldn't simply go gallivanting around on random adventures, now could he?

Sighing again, Zero led to Alfie to the lab of the man who he would be working with. A man that happened to be dead. But this didn't exactly come as a shock, as he had been dead for well over a year.

He was a spirit controlling an artificial body made by Seth, which allowed him to finally continue his love of discovery. Because of his particular circumstances, this scientist known as Edgar, was proficient in the study of spiritual energy and had been working hard on improving their previously rudimentary crystalline powered weapons.

But before Alfie could even introduce himself, never mind start discussing his idea on a Soul Suppressing gas, Edgar frowned deeply as he looked over Alfie's shoulder.

"Tis some visitor, tapping at my chamber door..." Edgar muttered to himself.

Alfie raised his eyebrows in confusion, glancing over his shoulder at the blank area above the door, before laughing softly and turning back towards Edgar.

"Is everything okay Professor?"

"Ah, yes... I was just curious about the bird." Edgar answered in a slight daze, before shaking his head and focusing on the men in front of him with a warm smile. However Alfie's face had already turned serious as his eyes narrowed.

"Bird? What kind of bird? A raven? What is it doing?" Alfie asked softly, keeping his voice low.

"No, It's too big. I'd say an eagle of some kind. It's not doing much, it's just watching and-" Edgar shifted his eyes upwards to get another look at it, but Alfie quickly stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder and gesturing to the equipment on the table.

"So which one of these will be mine?" Alfie interrupted Edgar as he asked, randomly and rather loudly, before speaking in a lower voice under his breath.

"Don't look at it, look at me. Pretend to talk to me and watch from the corner of your eyes. When I give you the signal I need you to tell me, calmly, Where is it? Tell me exactly."

Edgar frowned in a slight shock, glancing towards Zero who merely nodded before crossing his arms and walking around the table like it was nothing. Keeping his eyes forwards and pretending to be listening to the idle, meaningless chatter that the scientist was spouting out, Alfie slowly and subtly moved his hand across the table.

Only when his hand had closed around a specific crystal powered device, did Alfie finally give him the signal as Edgar quickly relayed its position with his eyes.

Before the Eagle could react, Alfie whipped around and activated the weapon. The crystal flared to light and pale white lightning cracked across the gun shaped object, before launching across the room.

For a second, everyone in the room could see the Eagle as it spasmed above the door, its body writhing as a cry of soul ripping agony escaped its beak.

Then, the next moment, the sparks across the lightning gun grew out of control before it exploded in Alfie's hand. He let out a cry of pain, clutching at his hand as it was charred black and covered in twisted red flesh from where the lightning had burned him.

But Alfie didn't care about that, he immediately turned to Edgar and grabbed his collar with his other hand.

"Where is it? Is it still there?"

"N-no sir... It's gone. What was that thing?"

Alfie let Edgar go and quickly stormed out of the room, clutching his injured hand to his chest with Director Zero close on his heels.

"Was that what I thought it was young man?" Zero called after Alfie as he looked up and down the corridor, searching for something, only to curse under his breath.

"Yes... We were being watched, and for god knows how long. There is a fucking spy around here."