Even if the terrorists fought back with all they had and a little bit more, their raw will power still wasn't enough to beat the Connector police force. Marcus examined his surroundings... They were losing, well, why wouldn't they? They're against super humans here, mopping the floor with them, normal humans, was a s easy as killing a fly. Many of his friends were impaled, others were thrown into the air, only to crush their head after impacting against the ground. It was a gruesome massacre, and what was even more horrible, an utterly one-sided massacre. They managed to retaliate a bit after Marcus' speech, but that was over, and the slaughter would continue. He hesitated. He didn't pull the trigger instantly due to his hesitation. He was unsure of why he should pull the trigger, after all, this girl is around the age his own daughter would have by now if she was still alive. Oh, yeah, his daughter. He tightened his hold on the pistol and when he was about to pull the trigger, another boy appeared, also acting as an smart ass, but this one seemed to be insane. He entered a psychotic fit, one that didn't last long after he was shot in the tight. [I]'Hmph. Good Riddance...'[/I] He glanced in the boy's direction, but quickly turned his eyes again to his hostage. But even so, people seemed to be dead set on stopping him from pulling the trigger. A big ice mirror appeared behind him and he knew something like that wouldn't be good, still, if he was going down, then this little saint would go down with him. He only pondered for a moment, was she a bigwig? Maybe that's why everyone was so dead set on rescuing her. Well, it matters not. His finger goes back to pull the trigger and... *BANG* Not the sound of the actual shot of the gun, it was most to represent the thing he felt in his head. Marcus quickly loses conciousness and falls down and, strangely enough, the girl she was holding by the neck a while earlier, embraces his head. Maybe she was really a saint? All the hatred that Marcus had quickly faded away and he let himself be lost on this warm sensation of having his head close to another human being. His other sense completely detached from the world, he could only feel that heat, a heat that felt nostalgic. One of his first dates with who would later become his wife, yes, he fell asleep just like that, and the only thing he felt was her heat... It set his heart at ease. He slowly regained conciousness, opening his eyes as slowly as he did. The first thing he did after waking up again after quite a short dream was to lift up his arm... detonator in hand. [B]"I can finally join you, Sophie..."[/B] He presses the button. ....Nothing. The detonator didn't set the bombs off, Merthus' exchange was successful, even now, that he was out cold, his efforts helped save the day. Or so it would seem. --- Zodiac watches through his scope in the distance. His orders were really specific, everyone was expendable but Marcus, even him. [B]"Damn, I ought to stop taking this jobs. But it gives some excitement to the life so I won't be bitching about it too much."[/B] He shoots a Tsurara officer who was approaching Marcus with a killing intent on mind. It was crucial right now not to make any mistakes, or he would have to break Marcus out of jail. With a mirror in his back and many other Connectors with his sights on him, his only chance of surviving was using the hostage as a meat shield, but Marcus seemed to be hesitating. [B]"Dammit!"[/B] An unknown force makes Marcus' lights go out. He falls in the arms of the girl that was previously his hostage. [B]"Now what? A bad move and Marcus dies. We cannot afford that!"[/B] It seems the attack wasn't strong enough as to leave Marcus out for a good amount of time, since Zodiac sees him lift his arm with the detonator in hand. [B]"YES! SUCK ON THAT, TSURARAS!"[/B] He excitedly said, but when Marcus presses the button and nothing happens, he gets nervous, even more because someone had not only infiltrated the building he was in, but was also already behind him. [B]"Shit, then, plan B."[/B] Unknown to everyone, Zodiac gets out from his pocket a detonator of his own. [B]"Always think ahead, that's what my mother used to say."[/B] He presses the detonator and a loud... *BOOM* Is heard far away. He closes his eyes and enjoys the sound of the explosion as if it was a symphonic piece of orchestra. He stands up from the crouching position he was in and faces the intruder. [B]"Sorry, but you're too late. Bye-bye."[/B] Zodiac was shooting from the edge of the roof, so he climbs the little edge and throws himself from there. A certain death, weren't it for his spirit. [B]"Sylph!"[/B] A little whirlwind builds up in his back when he is a few meters from the ground. With the force of it, his fall slows down and he lands safe and sound at the foot of the building. [B]"Suckers."[/B] --- Marcus was at a loss. His triumph card wasn't working. He pressed it desperately, still half asleep. Tears falling down his cheek. All of this, all of his now dead friends and their sacrifices, all of them, useless. His vendetta unachieved, he was about to burst down in tears at the girl's lap, but just then. *BOOM* The bombs activated. The fools who thought just de-attaching them from the bodies of his comrades and then throwing them would be safe were proved wrong as the explosions were even more violent than one could have predicted. The Tsuraras, however, were quick to act. They rushed into building an ice dome surrounding the people who hadn't entered the fight, and many others who did entered the fight covered themselves with their own spirits. Sayaka was rather near from Marcus, and it was obvious he also had bombs in his body, him exploding was just a matter of time and, once again, Alexander sprung out of nowhere to rescue Sayaka. [B]"Sayaka!"[/B] Alexander embraced her and acted as a shield for her, his Tamazoku was activated, so he hoped he could at least protect Sayaka from the blast, even if it costed him his life. However, Marcus didn't explode. Eyes shut down tightly, awaiting his end, he suddenly opened them to find himself still alive... And he though that this was the perfect chance to make a run for it. He pushed the girl away and ran while everyone was confused. This was truly the choice of God, his part on the plan wasn't over yet and he was given another chance to finish what he came to do, here at Lyranias. He pulls up his hood again and hides himself once again. [I]'I should return to his place, he might help me.'[/I] He disappears into the shadows. --- Zodiac Shutter was feeling victorious for yet another job accomplished. He was supposed to return to the base, but... [B]"Freeze! Tsurara Police Force![/B] He was stopped by a pair of cops, well, what can be done. [B]"Tsk. Fine, fine. I'll surrender quietly."[/B] He presents his arms, so that the cops can apprehend him. Poor, poor fools, who don't know what is about to happen to them. --- Back to the little plaza, the police officers were inspecting to see if there were any losses. The final countdown: 54 humans and 0 Connectors. It was a miracle that after such a large explosion no one was injured, well, Connectors were known for achieving the impossible. Many were helping treating others, while others just cared about themselves. The little plaza soon got devoid of people, none other than the injured and unconscious, and a handful of people who were helping them, were left. What had just happened was a mystery, even more was it what their real intentions were, but now that they were dead, it didn't matter. The only concern on everyone's minds was what could have happened to Marcus, but even so, what can a single human do against them? He was now alone. Many of the unconscious who looked young enough were to be treated at Kaimei Gakuen, as well as those hurt in the previous battle, but this was mostly just Kaimei recruiting some possible talents, at the order of the vice-president. Now, time was their own again. Their non-hectic lives could now return to normal now that this crisis was averted.