Side Effects

31 - Allies or Enemies

Gunfire began earlier than anticipated, particularly in the Northern region. The morning was plagued with bodies already deceased from the previous day, unjustly lying in streets, being ignored by the living.

Things were no different inside a large, echoing building where peace was given no mercy. The marble floors were walked upon by the immoral, the taps of their feet bouncing off the walls to create a daunting symphony of dread. The citizens and refugees crouching in a circle, waiting for a hand of death or recreation. The only bank in New Orbis was untouched by warfare, though it was still standing in a broken city, under immense dangers of crime. Every bank account had already been breached throughout the past two days - but there was nothing that the police could have done about it.

Tyche was unsure. Unsure of whether he was still alive or if so, then how. Unsure of which side he was fighting on. Unsure of where he was, lost in unfamiliar areas far far away from where he used to be. Unsure of where his guardian parents were, where his friends were, where Chief Kirralain and Deputy Barnabus were. All of these confusions crowded every inch of his brain, making it feel as if it was about to burst. Unsure of what would become of him, he contemplated what to do next.

The space in his mind couldn't take it anymore - his thoughts had to be released through his eyes to keep him sane. Clenching his headache, Tyche stayed curled in a ball, hiding underneath a teller desk, crying out the built up sadness and fear he had trapped inside himself. His body shook with the power of the tears, his mouth forcing itself together so that his cries would go unnoticed. What would happen if the citizens who depended on his force were to know about him being there?

Tyche attacked himself with words that built up in his mind. Naive. Weak. Coward. Childish. Reliant. Disappointing. It only made him cry worse. The sobbing only made him dislike himself more. Pessimistic. Unworthy. Pitiful. His mind continued racing in this circle of self-hatred and upset.

Shakily, he took the uncomfortable bulletproof vest from around his waist and unclasped himself from it, setting himself free of it's constraints. This vest was given to him by Barnabus as protection. Tyche remembered that he had yet to thank Barnabus, and it made him wonder where the deputy was.

Next, he removed his hoodie, exposing his arms to the bitter cold. He put his bulletproof vest back on, and returned the hoodie back over his body to cover the vest and its police force logo. This way, no one could see which side he was on. Even he himself was questioning it through droplets of water. He wanted to stay there, wrapped in a ball until safety was assured. Though simultaneously, he wished not to take this backseat in fear of future regret. The only thing that had to be confirmed was the choice he made.

He grew goosebumps at the sign of a chilling presence approaching him, their tattered shoes patting sternly on the floor. Squeezing himself tighter together, Tyche hoped to go unnoticed, but when the tapping of feet stopped on his right, it was obvious that he had been uncovered. Turning his head, he met a pair of broad black-trousered legs above two ripped and waterlogged shoes the colour of mud. This person began to crouch to his level, and immediately Tyche wiped his eyes dry, smearing his tears on the sides of his face. He dared to look. There was no use in trying to hide now.

A tough, thick-skinned man lowered and met his bloodshot eyes, piercing through them as if they didn't exist. Tyche tucked his nose into his comfortable jumper. This man smelt like a dog soaked in rainwater. Rims of his hat were torn and damp, but he continued wearing it on top of his oval-shaped head. In fact, every inch of clothing was dark with chilling rainwater that mercilessly showered the blood and carnage on the streets. With only few seconds of silence betwixt them, Tyche had already observed all of these features, and was sure that this man's face, though shaded and staring with glowing beady eyes, was familiar. It clicked. Subject AU7 - the notorious escape artist - Gadolin.