Hand-to-hand combat training brought a great deal of anxiety, especially for the three individuals with no fighting experience: Anderson, Castro, and Vaughn. They were all worried about how they would survive the upcoming battles. Meanwhile, I fretted over how to conceal my strength during training, so as not to hurt anyone. As everyone was lost in thought in the barracks, Zack suddenly suggested a wild idea.
“Hey! Let’s go out for drinks!” he exclaimed. I suspected his suggestion was merely a product of fear.
Ever cautious, Loid Anderson—the lawyer—didn’t hesitate to scold the unruly kid.
“Are you insane? We’re not allowed to leave the base without permission.”
“We’re sneaking out!” Zack replied.
Loid pointed out, “It’s impossible to sneak out—not with the guards watching us. You’ll get caught, and then we’ll all be in trouble!”
“Don’t worry. Nothing is impossible with the right amount of money! I paid off the guards on duty tonight. Besides, my father is one of the major sponsors of this project. I’m practically allowed to do whatever I want,” Zack boasted.
But Loid Anderson remained focused on the practical realities of our situation.
“Isn’t that amazing? We’re not like you! Don’t let others suffer because you’re too bored to behave yourself. I’m not coming with you!”
“Alright..." Zack retorted, "So none of you want to come? What? Are you too scared to break a few rules?”
“I’m not scared of anything!" Billie, one of the twins, stepped forward. "Let’s go party!”
“That’s the spirit, Billie! Anyone else? Come on, guys, we’ve been training nonstop! Let’s go have some fun! The drinks are on me!” Zack continued.
At the mention of beer, William’s ears perked up. “Drinks!” he said, rising from his bed. Then he cleared his throat and added, “Life is all about balancing between good and bad. With the right quantity, even poison can save your life.”
It was evident that the big guy just wanted to drink.
“Awesome! This party is going to rock! Cipher, what about you?” Zack turned to me. Although I wasn’t particularly interested in partying, I was curious to see life outside the base. I had come to the USA and barely knew anything about the people or the culture.
“I guess I don’t mind checking out the city,” I decided, joining them.
“Nice! Let’s go!” Zack cheered.
Loid Anderson and Drake Wilson outright refused. Dmitry wasn’t interested, Yukio was busy with his training, and Castro was preoccupied with his equations. Not even Sane or Abdu—the two individuals who had said not a word since our training began—made an effort to participate. In the end, it was only the five of us: myself, William, the twins, and Zack.
We successfully sneaked past the guards and headed to the nearby town to find a boat that could take us to Miami. That’s when Sane appeared in front of us, out of nowhere.
Everyone jumped back, nearly suffering a heart attack. Even with my enhanced senses, I hadn’t noticed him following us at all. As intimidating as ever with his hands just an inch from his two swords, we all had one thought; he had come to kill us!
“Sane! What are... what are you doing here?” Zack asked, his voice shaky.
However, William saw another side to the situation. “Sane! You little..." And then he stared at Sane for a moment, "You want to party too, don’t you? Come with us!”
“What!” Zack was surprised and did all of us. “Alright then! The more the merrier i guess—let’s go!” Zack declared.
And so the perpetually silent, dark figure—with only his eyes visible—joined us.
Upon reaching the city, I was mesmerized by its glowing beauty lighting up the night. It was my first time witnessing such a spectacle, and in that moment I realized how different my upbringing in a village had been. I was reminded of the time we used to live in London.
Zack led us to a nightclub. It was large and impressive. But before we could enter, he suddenly signaled us to get down.
“What’s going on?” I asked him. Then he led us to the back of the building, where two burly men guarded the door.
“We’re breaking in!” he announced, catching us all off guard.
“What do you mean we’re breaking in? You don’t have money to pay them?” William questioned.
Zack replied, “Not everything can be solved with money!”
“You just said nothing is impossible with money!” I pointed out.
Zack responded, “This is different! The owner of this club is a top-notch, ingenious businessman.”
“Genius, top-notch? I don’t understand. What does that have to do with us getting inside?” I asked.
“Shhh! I’m a VIP at this club. I’ll distract those two. Come in after three minutes. Once inside, go straight to the second floor and enter the room at the far end. That’s where we’ll meet,” he instructed.
Then he suddenly left to approach the two men and led them inside. With the entrance momentarily unguarded, we sneaked in and reached the designated room. The lights were off, and several figures waited for us. Using my enhanced vision, I could see their expressions and movements clearly.
When they finally turned on the lights, we found ourselves surrounded—guns pointed directly at us. At the center stood Zack, aiming his gun at William.
“I am a deep undercover military cop! You’re all under arrest for sneaking out of the base!” he declared in a threatening tone.
“Military cop? What is that? Zack, what’s going on here?” William asked in disbelief.
Zack ordered, “Kneel down or I’ll shoot you, criminal! On your knees, now!”
“Easy now! I’m kneeling down.” Before William could get his other knee on the ground, Zack advanced and shouted, “Too slow. Shoot ‘em!”
“No!” William screamed. I was right behind him, uncertain if I could protect him before the bullet struck. Before I could react, Zack fired his gun.