The Song of a Little Ghost, page 16
part #6 of The Silent Assassin Series
Matthew frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It’s unproductive to put so much guards inside. You can’t beat the Ghost Girl with firepower,” he replied. “I’ll coordinate the guards inside to specifically counter her.”
“You sure?” Matthew asked. “Can’t hurt to have more people.”
“In this case it can,” Audi replied. “It’s easier to trick the masses than an individual, and the Ghost Girl is expert at playing tricks,” he said. “I won’t have her shape the battlefield to her liking. Not anymore.”
Bryant and Matthew glanced at each other.
“Anyway, minimise the number of guards within the building. Petit Fantome’s attacking after dusk,” the boy stepped through the entrance door. “I’m gonna take a nap for a bit.”
“A nap this early?” Bryant chuckled. “It’s been only minutes since the sun rose.”
Audi stopped and sighed.
“You’ve no idea what I just went through.”
Halfway through a deep sleep, the ground shook. Audi jumped out of the couch and grabbed his pistol on a coffee table nearby. He kneeled on the floor. “Goggle-man and big guy, are we under attack?” he spoke to his communicator.
“Negative, not Petit Fantome,” Matthew replied. “That’s from inside the building.”
“What is it?”
“No idea,” he replied. “Why don’t you check? The alarm didn’t ring, so it can’t be an attack.”
Audi grumbled. He shut his communicator down and walked out of the employee break room. Guards stood by in the corridors and the boy asked them, but nobody knew what happened. He dashed through the floor for minutes and reached the security room, slamming the door open, revealing a group of guards clustering in front of a tile of surveillance screens. “Somebody tell me what that was.”
“Ah, Mr. Prabian,” a guard pointed at a screen. “It was an experiment in the laboratory.”
“What experiment?”
“Not sure,” the guard shrugged his shoulders. “Looks like they’re making a storm inside an isolated chamber.”
Audi paused. “Storm?” he marched towards the screen.
A group of scientists in white coat stood in front of a window. Behind the glass panel was a dark cloud spitting out thunders. Constantine walked out of the crowd and pointed at the window before he clapped his hands, followed by the rest.
“The company’s trying to manipulate the weather, eh?” a guard laughed. “This is news.”
“You’re right,” another guard said. “Could’ve told my girlfriend I’m working for such a fancy company. Maybe she wouldn’t have left me.”
Audi frowned. “So nobody actually knew about this?”
“Hell no, Mr. Prabian,” the guard laughed. “Boss CEO and his cadres of scientists kept their projects secret. Afraid competitors would gain insight through planted spies.”
“And today’s the first time he openly shows this project? The day that Petit Fantome is about to attack?”
The guards turned to each other.
“I have so many questions,” he glanced at the earlier screen.
Princess Victoria stood amidst the scientists.
Especially with her, the boy turned to the guards. “How do I get into the lab?”
“That lab?” a guard replied. “That’s upper tier clearance zone. You can’t go in unless you’re a top scientist, the CEO, or a Board of Director member.”
“I guessed that much,” he grumbled. “I meant where the entrance is.”
“Lower ground.”
Audi turned and marched towards the entrance.
“Wait, wait!” the guard cried. “I told you nobody can go in except them! You can’t even get to lower ground without proper clearance—”
The boy slammed the door open and exited. He sprinted towards the lift and pressed the down button, tapping his feet continuously until the car arrived. The door slid open and he stepped in.
Lower ground. He pressed the button ‘LG’ and pushed his thumb on a square panel next to it. A green light blinked. The door closed, and the car hummed as it descended.
He arrived several seconds after. The boy exited the lift and entered a pristine white empty corridor. The cold breeze of air conditioning blew from above as he traversed through the floor. Electronic signs on the walls displayed bulletins, warning non-essential employees to skip work today, but for all security staffs to be on high alert.
So why are those scientists in here?
A metallic blast door beckoned on the far side of the corridor. Dina and Ayu stood in front it, chatting with each other before they noticed him approaching.
“Not even you maids are allowed in?”
Ayu shook her head. “Extreme security, but the lab seems safe,” she pointed at the rectangular window behind her. “Petit Fantome won’t be able to go in if we fortify Her Imperial Highness inside.”
Audi leaned towards the window and placed his palms on it. On a lower floor, the Princess toured around and chatted with the scientists as she pointed at different items displayed. “She looks…excited.”
“Of course,” Dina approached him. “The Climate Restoration Technology is the first materialisation of her hope. Her first milestone in ensuring cheaper cost for food, shelter, and energy,” she paused. “Her ultimate goal is to make sure that basic needs are free.”
The boy chuckled. “Imagine the horror if the Prime Minister and his Public Prosperity Party goons caught the wind of that.”
“Yeah,” Dina grumbled. “Them yammering about welfare discouraging hard work and all those craps. If they really love working hard, then they shouldn’t have bought their meat and vegetables readily cut in the groceries; they should’ve farmed them on their own instead.”
Audi turned to Dina. “So you’re a National Consciousness Party supporter.”
“I don’t affiliate myself with parties, all that conservative versus liberal labels nonsense,” Dina replied. “But the Princess’s vision is just common sense. We evolve society every day over the past few thousand years to gradually ease our lives; not so that we can live lazy, but so we can soar through the stars,” she paused. “Adapt to the environment if you want to survive, but change the world if you truly wish to thrive.”
“Survival, huh?” Audi put two fingers on his lower lip and massaged it. “Why…do you think we exist in this world?”
Ayu and Dina turned to Audi.
“I met someone who told me something similar,” he said. “That survival is not the reason why we live, that humans would readily suffer and sacrifice themselves in order to realise their meaning. Their raison d'être, reason for existence,” he paused. “I grew up in my childhood thinking otherwise, that everyone needs to do everything they can to survive: lie, cheat, kill, torture. Was I wrong?”
Dina shook her head. She stepped towards the window and looked at Victoria on the distance. “Have you ever fallen in love, boy?”
Audi sighed. “Why does everyone keep asking me that question? All this years, no matter the subject of the topic.”
“Maybe because of that clueless look on your face,” Dina smirked. “You look like the kind of person who would chase after someone unattainable, while ignoring everyone who tried expressing their feelings on your face.”
“And why are you so sure?”
“Just a feeling,” Ayu and Dina said simultaneously.
Audi frowned his eyebrows at Ayu.
“Let’s put it this way,” Dina stiffened her tone. “If a human’s purpose of existence is truly to survive, then extreme sports makes no sense. You know, all those orbital bungee jumps and asteroid race?”
The boy nodded.
“Those things kill. Ever since their inception, thousands have died due to accidents. It’s not a secret, but do people stop doing it? Is it banned? No,” Dina shook her head. “More people became interested. They seek the adrenaline. The thrill. The drive to conquer fate. The will to power.”
“Fate…power,” the boy muttered.
“Humans thrived over other species not because they seek to survive better, but because they seek power. Not physical domination, but a metaphysical one. An abstract strength over their own fate, the desire to defy natural selection,” she continued. “The scientific knowledge and technology of our present time are thousand times more than enough to make us survive. Medical advances eliminated diseases from STDs to early-life cancers. Genetic treatments prevented abnormal births. Civil engineering technologies allowed families to live through extreme weathers. We can survive the worst kind of lives!” she paused. “So why haven’t we stopped our effort at scientific discoveries?”
Audi kept silent.
“Because we want to know more. We search for wisdom. We search for an abstract power to assert over nature,” she said. “Not necessarily out of ill-will, but so that one day we can live a greater life without having to destroy nature; one cannot do that without understanding how nature works at its every depth.”
“So, are you saying that I was wrong?” Audi asked. “That we shouldn’t live to survive?”
“Everyone must live and survive, but that’s a mean to a greater end,” Dina replied. “When you find someone you truly love, you will be willing to sacrifice yourself for her sake. You will be willing to take a bullet to save her life. Her livelihood. Your own survival will cease to matter.”
Audi stared at his own arm.
Ayu approached Audi. “Her Imperial Highness lives by this principle, and believes that the Crowned Confederacy should too,” she said. “She wants the Royal Family to assert their power over the Civilian Sector and the economy in order to guide them into the right direction. To help the people realise their reason for existence, instead having them compete with each other to fight for survival.”
Dina nodded. “That’s why she hated Public Prosperity Party’s argument about hard work,” she said. “The ruling party designed the economy, the way careers work, in order to encourage people to be productive and work hard. But what are they working hard for? Survival? The Princess disagrees, saying that people should work hard not to feed or house themselves, but to realise their own potential; what their own self desires, not what the market wants,” she paused. “If a person wants to be an artist, then the state’s purpose is to help that person become one. If a person wants to be a scientist, then the state should support it. Reverse the purpose of commerce—it is the economy that should help a person grow, not the other way around.”
Audi’s sight followed the Princess wherever she went. Victoria strayed away from the scientist crowd and watched a machine created clouds out of thin air. Constantine approached her and begun explaining the machine while the rest of the scientists waited. “So she was thinking about this all.”
“Better image of Her Imperial Highness?” Ayu slid to his sight. “If only you treated her better.”
“How? I told her I’m willing to protect her with all my life, but then she got mad,” Audi replied. “What did I do?”
Ayu and Dina sighed. “You’re right, this guy is hopeless,” the former said.
The boy scratched his head. “Can you tell the princess that I want to talk to her? It’s hours away before Petit Fantome attacks, so—“
The ground shook.
Audi flinched and turned. “Is that another experiment?”
“I don’t think so,” Ayu glanced at the scientists below. “Those people looked like they’re panicking too.”
The boy’s communicator beeped. “Hey Audi!” Bryant shouted. “I thought you said they’re attacking at night!”
“What?” Audi snatched his communicator from his belt. “Is this Petit Fantome?”
“Yeah…oh crap!” Bryant’s voice became distant and a loud thump echoed. Sounds of blunt impact thundered out of the speaker continuously.
Dina gritted his teeth. “What do we do? We’re not even ready for a fight!”
“This is worse than I thought,” Audi frowned. “The power members of Petit Fantome will never attack unless—“
The public announcement jingle rung.
And a girl’s giggle echoed.
Shit! Audi shivered.
The lights shut in abrupt.
“Damn it!” Audi grabbed his pistol and turned its flashlight on. “Royal maids! Where are you?”
“Here, here!” Ayu raised his hand and took out a knife. She ripped her frilly maid skirt and threw it to the floor, unveiling a pantyhose with holstered pistol and daggers. She detached a pair of kneecap guards and wore it. “Dina, are you ready for a fight?”
“Always,” Dina’s voice came from the side. Audi turned his light to her, unveiling her Victorian maid uniform laid on the floor. She now wore an armoured chestpad and fortified combat leggings. “Let’s give that bitch a taste of GIB spirit.”
Audi nodded his head. “I’m going to jump down.”
The three took out their pistol and aimed at the window.
“Fire!”
They shot the window simultaneously, shattering the glass toward the inside.
“Secure the entrance ways to this lab,” the boy said. “I’ll be guarding the princess, while you deter The Ghost Girl’s advance.”
“Is it wise to fight in the lab? It’s such a wide open space,” Dina asked.
“She can walk on walls and ceilings, but she must traverse the floor if we’re in wide open space,” Audi replied. “You can’t see her in stealth,”
“But you can always hear her footsteps.”
Chapter 4 / Part 4
Audi jumped towards a wall and activated his ioniser glove mid-air. As he planted his palms on the surface, a magnetic force from the fingertips latched him tight. He reduced its strength and gradually descended towards the laboratory’s lower floor. He landed. The boy turned back and shone his flashlight towards a scientist crowd. Victoria stood next to Constantine. She flashed a smile of relief, but then paused, and stepped back.
“Princess,” Audi spoke softly.
Constantine stepped forward. “Your defences better be ready.”
Audi nodded. “Everyone evacuate,” he said. “This lab is about to become a battlefield. Run if you don’t want stray bullets to hit you.”
“Wait, here?” Constantine frowned. “Don’t you know how many sensitive equipment is stored around? I won’t have you damage my company any further—“
Audi’s communicator bleeped.
“Mister Prabian! We are under attack!” a guard said. “She…she’s tearing my squadmate apart—aaaah!” the voice shut down in abrupt.
The boy pocketed his communicator. “The Ghost Girl is inside the building, and she knows that we’re here,” he said. “I won’t risk bringing the princess through the snaky corridors of this building; the enemy has too much advantage in narrow spaces.”
Constantine grumbled.
“You should run away now, Petit Fantome doesn’t know that you’re still alive,” Audi pointed away. “I will defend the princess here.”
“Minimise damage in this laboratory, they cost a fortune to build and maintain,” Constantine turned towards the scientists. “Alright, let’s go.”
The CEO and his subordinates marched away and vanished in the darkness.
Only Audi and Victoria left standing. They kept silent for a few seconds, then the boy walked towards her. “Princess—“
“No,” she threw her sight away. “Protect me and keep quiet. I don’t care.”
The boy scratched his hair and sighed. “Your two maids are keeping guard near the entrances to this lab; I have time until they sound the warning,” Audi replied. “Can you at least tell me why you’re so mad? What have I done?”
Victoria kept silent.
“The Ghost Girl is unlike any other mercenaries; she loves to play tricks, and we won’t survive unless we trust each other,” he walked closer. “I won’t expect you to forgive me instantly, but at least tell me what I’ve done wrong,” he tapped her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!” she slapped his hand away.
Audi flinched back.
“You’re the same as everyone else,” she glared at him with tears welling on her eyes. “I’m just a princess, a part of the royal family institution, whose breath matters only when it concerns the Crowned Confederacy,” she gritted her teeth. “You’ve never seen me as a person.”
“What are you talking about?” Audi frowned. “If I don’t see you as a person, then I would never bother wanting to protect you—“
“You don’t want to protect me; you want to protect The Crowned Confederacy,” she replied. “It won’t make a difference if it’s me or some secret document, you’ll protect it the same.”
Audi kept silent.
“I thought…you’ll be different,” her voice softened. “I was so happy that you listened to my speech I thought no one bothered to listen. I was so happy when you’re willing to throw formality aside and treat me like everyone else. I was so happy when I thought someone finally treats me as a regular person…but I was wrong. Again.”
The boy took a deep breath and heaved it out slowly. “How can I see you as anything but a princess?”
“What?” Victoria flinched.
“No matter how much you’re trying to escape the label, it is impossible for anyone to treat you like a commoner. Victoria Scythe Tanuya. A direct descendant of The First Monarch, Raditya Tanuya,” Audi straightened his posture and kneeled in abrupt. “You are far too important to be treated like a commoner.”
“Does that justify dehumanising me? To treat my existence like a small cog in the state machinery? To assume that my interest, my agenda should always be part of a state policy?”
“I don’t know about anyone else,” the boy stared downwards. “But never once I thought of blaspheming against your humanity. A personality. A vision more humane than I’ve encountered in the mindless masses of today.”
Victoria paused. “Eh?”
Audi looked up to her. “Ever since I’ve heard your speech on the importance of stories, the importance of tragedies, I’ve always looked up to you,” he said. “You are willing to attack the very notion of happiness that people hold dear. The idea of positive thinking that many hold sacred for centuries without a forethought,” he paused. “Instead of encouraging people to veil themselves in ignorance for the sake of happiness amidst their harsh lives, you declared a war against thoughtlessness; that facing our problems head-on is the only way to make the world a better place—even if it means destroying the fairy tales we’ve been lullabied with since childhood.”
