Epiphany Of The Weak 78 Derrick Jones - Major Chapter - Discovery

16:00 P.M

Stockholm, Sweden

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_._

Not much could be said about Aya's room in Maltyie's house. The furniture was limited, with only a bed, a chair, and a wooden cupboard to fill the room. My eyes stared at Alexander.

He was sitting on Aya's bed with that stoic expression of his. 'How come this man can look like that in a girl's room?' I thought.

Alexander frowned at me. "Why are you just standing there? There's a chair you know."

"Well--"

"Don't tell me you're feeling uncomfortable entering a girl's room? Aya's about the same age as your daughter, Derrick. You're a full-grown adult now." Alexander narrowed his eyes at me.

He was right about that. However, I didn't really go inside Elle's room. Lately, I was out in the front line more often than not. Perhaps I was overreacting. "We're waiting for Aya, right?"

Alexander adjusted the collar of his dark blue military uniform. "Yeah. She requested me to wait at her room here. There's something she wants to talk about. When I arrived, there's no Maltyie and Eugene around the house. But you came first."

"Well, Eugene said he had some errands to take care of. As for Maltyie, I don't know. Aya asked me to come here too, and when I arrived at the doorstep, Maltyie darted out of the front door. Looks like she's in a hurry or something."

Alexander moved over to the wooden chair at the side of the bed. After settling himself, he looked at me with a serious expression. "I think . . . Maltyie's afraid of you, Derrick."

"W-What?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "You do know who you're talking about here, right? It's Maltyie. She's not afraid of anyone."

"You think? That might be true. But, most of the time, she avoids you. Can't you see that?"

"Avoids . . . Me?" I put my hand at my chin and pondered about it.

There were indeed a few occasions where she canceled meetings or go someplace else. She was at the top of the military rank, so her avoiding to interact with anyone of lower rank was common. To think that Maltyie, the General of The Army, was avoiding me was peculiar. I shook my head.

"Alexander, I've heard that you and the other Users managed to get out of Neo Africa because of Gheele Folami. Is that right?"

He sighed. "It's quite embarra.s.sing. Our enemy gave a chance for us to escape is unforgivable. At that time, we don't have any plan to die yet. I have to find the hideouts where Relly had hid the women he kidnapped."

"Speaking of which, didn't we just sniffed out three of those hideouts?" I said.

"There could be more, I'm not sure."

"Man, Gheele Folami must be quite powerful if even seven of you didn't manage to defeat him."

Alexander stood up and walked to the door. "I didn't partic.i.p.ate. However, the others managed to put him on his knees, when Ava interfered."

"Oh. Ava, huh."

I wondered what she was doing right then. She didn't come back to Maltyie's house after the sudden retreat called by Alicia. Eugene often said she was worried sick about Ava.

'I just hope Ava's alright,' I thought.

My ears picked up the sound of footsteps at the corridor.

Alexander already had his right hand on the doork.n.o.b. "It's Aya." He twisted the door open and two familiar figures rushed inside.

I gaped. "Alicia?!"

She wore her lab coat somehow on the way there. Aya wore a red jacket, as her left hand pulled at Alicia's coat.

"You don't get tired of that short bob, huh?" Alexander said. He closed the door and looked at me.

Alicia and Aya proceeded to sit on the bed.

"Wait, you knew she's going to come, Alex?"

He maintained his stiff expression as he replied. "I don't, Derrick. Although, it's to be expected anyway if Aya's going to come here. Alicia is always with her anywhere she goes."

I nodded slowly. "When you put it like that, it kind of makes sense." My eyes glanced at Alicia and realized she was staring at me all that time. "Er, Alicia. What do you want to talk about?"

Her hand brushed over Aya's shoulder-length hair. "I told Aya to bring you guys here. If I was the one who did it, there's no guarantee you two will show up."

Alexander cracked his neck. "You doubt us too much, Alicia. If your objective aligns with us, we'll do nothing against you."

She nodded. "Thanks, Alex."

He frowned. "For?"

"I should have trusted you from the start. You're not like the others. At least, your pride and chivalry are not tainted after all these years."

Alexander grinned. "Chivalry, you say? I don't have such grand thing, Alicia. I do what I think is right, for me, and the citizens of C.U."

"Um."

The three of us s.h.i.+fted our attention to Aya.

"Mommy, those four people . . ." she mumbled.

"Oh. Yeah, I got derailed." Alicia coughed and I proceeded to stand next to Alexander.

"Those four people?" I repeated.

Her eyes narrowed at me. "It's bad. Like, really bad."

"How so?" said Alexander.

"I'm guessing those four are . . . Aegis Users? If so, your research team had made quite a lot of progress in just a span of two months," I said.

"A year, Derrick," corrected Alicia. "Somewhere around there, I'm not sure myself. Those new Aegis Users are not like the both of us, Alex. After a.n.a.lyzing their data, my team has made quite a lot of adjustments to create them so quickly."

"So, they used downgraded versions of Aegis?" I asked.

"They've created a new generation of Aegis. The technology of it is based on Amathelia herself."

"Ama?" said Alexander.

"Multiple specialties in one Aegis. Just like Ama, where her blood has traces of every Aegis," replied Alicia.

"Wait, that's just like Ava then," said Alexander.

"Not quite. The Aegis that those new Aegis Users had in them is a combination of multiple specialties into one. In other words, a unique specialty that can only be obtained by combining different traits into one. A mixed specialty, Alex." explained Alicia.

"They all have the same type and specialties?" I asked.

"Same type, but different specialties. That's all I know about them. Klaus once said that those four can affect the world."

I snorted. "He's just exaggerating, Alicia. An Aegis User can only handle about a hundred foot soldiers. A few more won't make that much of a difference."

Alicia glanced at Aya, her mouth curved downwards. "I don't know, Derrick. It's just--"

"You have a bad feeling about it, right?" Alexander said.

"Yes . . . So, I need your help. Both of you."

Aya hugged her and she smiled. Then, she looked at me and Alexander with a serious expression. "I want to destroy those new Aegis Users."

My eyes widened. "Destroy?"

"It can be done. I can see why you're worried so much about those four," said Alexander as he drew his eyebrows together. "His Supremacy will not like this, even if he doesn't know what's going on," said Alexander.

"It's for the sake of the Great Corporate United. We'll sort it out somehow after we're done with it," said Alicia.

"It's weird hearing that from you," remarked Alexander. "You're a person who only does things that has your best interests."

Alicia nodded. "I'm selfish, yes. However. . ." She looked at Aya with slanted eyes. "I'm doing this for Aya. She's my daughter, Alex."

"I'm not doubting your intention. In fact, I'll partic.i.p.ate in this for the sake of our country. That's all."

She smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate your help." She turned to me, waiting for my reply.

"You have my support, Alicia. But wow. I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

"What do you mean, Derrick?" She asked.

"I'm just glad to see you've changed somehow. Please be like this from now on, Alicia."

She chuckled. "I'll try. Thank you."

"So, when do we move out?" I asked.

"Tomorrow night. I want it to be done today, but I heard you two have snuffed out another hideout that Relly used for his human trafficking activities. So--"

"How about security? I'm sure Miranda's there," said Alexander.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about her. Ever since Hughes's . . . Death, she locked herself in her room."

I nodded. "Then, let's prepare for tomorrow."

_._

_._

My hand trailed over the black tiles on the floor. I pressed at each tile, hoping for a reaction of some sort, but nothing happened.

That night, I managed to sneak into a villa of a wealthy businessman. From there, my legs took me to the bas.e.m.e.nt. Black tiles covered every inch of it with nothing else to behold. A small bulb hung loose illuminated the room.

Carefully, I tried to unlock a hidden door somewhere inside that bas.e.m.e.nt.

"Where is it?"

Ten minutes had pa.s.sed, and I still couldn't find any switch to open that hidden door.

A static voice snapped me out of focus. "Derrick?--Is there anythi--ng there?"

I pressed the coms at my right ear. "No, Alexander. Maybe it's upstairs. Have you checked the shed?"

"Y--Yes--I found two--girls--taking them to--poli--"

"d.a.m.n. Is the signal always this bad?" I called his name a few times, but he didn't reply. "Guess I'm by myself for now."

I continued my search for a few more minutes. However, it appeared I'd wasted precious time by just doing that. After I pressed at the last black tile, I cussed. Pulling my black jacket tighter, I set to move out of there.

"Hmm?"

When I looked up at the staircase, the wooden door was closed. My heart gave an uncomfortable thump. My feet moved swiftly across the steps and I pushed at the door. "d.a.m.n."

It was locked. I kept pus.h.i.+ng at it but it won't budge.

"Guess I have to find another way out."

I could kick the door right then, however, my presence would be exposed to the residents of that villa. When I sneaked in, there were a few maids and butlers roaming around, so it was not an option.

Going back down at the bas.e.m.e.nt, I kicked at the walls of black tiles. If nothing happened, I repeated it at the different sections of the walls. Eventually, my effort that time also resulted in nothing.

"Dammit." I stomped the floor. My eyes scanned the bas.e.m.e.nt once again, trying to plan an escape route somehow.

An idea flashed through my mind. "Wait . . . What if I needed to press harder? It could be made that way so no one would notice anything odd."

Conforming myself with such notion, I did that one thing. My feet stomped at the tiles as my hands pushed the ones on the walls.

Four minutes had pa.s.sed when I reached the middle section of the left wall. I pressed at that one tile with both hands.

Gritting my teeth, my body leaned closer to the wall as I kept pus.h.i.+ng.

CLICK

My hands slid into an empty square that was once a black tile. "Woah." The tile fell far below as I waited for something to happen.

A rectangle section of the wall slid open slowly, revealing a stone staircase that led to somewhere down into the darkness.

"I hope Alex is not mad I'm taking my time."

I walked toward the staircase when a voice caught my attention. It sounded like a whisper coming from behind, so I turned around.

A blade swung at me and I rolled to the side, barely dodging it.

"What?" I mumbled.

Standing a few feet in front of me was a girl in a white wedding dress. Her face was covered with a white shawl that wrapped her head in its entirety.

The first thing that came to my mind was, 'Is she cosplaying?!'

My daughter loved cosplayers so I knew about it. Elle always asked me to take her to events where cosplayers would show up.

She faced me and raised her peach-colored blade.

"It's too early . . ." she said with a soft voice.