Inhuman Instinct

INHUMAN 12: Alive

The search team wasn't able to find any signs of Aizel nor the enemies he encountered as the day ended. Another search team was dispatched to do a night search while the enforcers were dispatched to their routine patrol.

After the general was done with the matters that needed his attention, he left for the place where the attack happened. There was still no news and he was getting worried because even the private team he arranged to look for his son hasn't given him a call yet.

He looked around and saw the marks. He could already tell what happened. The encounter was obviously fierce as indicated by the marks and dents left on the vehicle and on the ground. Before he even went to the place of incident, he also went to the morgue where the bodies of Aizel's bodyguards were taken. The state of the bodies said it all, whoever or whatever attacked his son and his entourage were cruel.

There splatters of blood on the ground only added to his worries. He did not know if Aizel was fine or injured. One more thing that greatly concerned him was the letter. There was a big possibility that the person who attacked Aizel was that crazy man.

If Aizel really encountered that man, he was afraid that his emotional state would be unstable right now. He clenched his hands as the thought of the intention behind the attack invaded his mind. It was a blatant declaration of war.

He took several deep breathes to calm the embers of anger that was slowly igniting in his heart. He looked at the dark sky above him and silently vowed that he would not lose though, Leroy won in the past and he would remain the victor now. Aizel was his son, even if they were not related by blood and as a father, he would do everything in his power to protect Aizel.

He returned to the heavy armored vehicle he used to explore the scene and calmly dialed a number. It has been quite a long time since the last time that he contacted the man behind the unregistered number.

"Were you busy nowadays?" Leroy asked the other party without his usual greeting which after the mysterious man answered his call. This distant way of talking caused the man on the other line to frown. He could sense from the general's tone the seriousness and coldness he had long forgotten.

"What happened?" he immediately asked after that short silence between them.

"Cayn Calhoun."

After he heard that name, the anger inside the man on the other side of the phone was triggered.

"He's alive." Leroy dropped with a cold voice.

The news made the other person freeze. He even almost destroyed the phone he was holding as he involuntarily clenched his fist. He couldn't believe what he was hearing and had a difficult time accepting the words that came out from the general's mouth.

"Impossible," he muttered. He even repeated those words a couple of times while pacing the floor of his home.

Leroy waited for the other to calm down and gather his thoughts. He knew that this news would definitely have an impact to those people who were involved but he couldn't keep this from them. He was also well aware of why the other person was acting like that.

"He is alive. He attacked Aizel and sent me a letter. He's here for Aizel and I need your help to track him down." He spoke again once he sensed that the other person had already calmed down a bit.

He heard a curse from the other side but he remained silent. He wanted to give the other person time to process what he just said.

"I promise to find that bastard, he won't be able to lay a hand on Aizel again. I'll send members of the Optimum to you General." The man didn't hesitate to agree. If the general said that the man was alive then he was alive. If that mad person was indeed alive, he promised to find him and make sure to bury him permanently.

"Thank you, Gale," Leroy breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I would not be calling you anytime now or even in the future since you are already not in the military and that matter had been settled a long time ago..."

"I had hoped so too but with this crisis suddenly popping out, it is only right for you to call me and I am willing to help. We saw how crazy that man was and what he could do." Gale Krueger finally sat down and leaned on his chair as he looked at the ceiling. "Thank you for calling me, General."

"You should stop calling me General, you are not under my command anymore." Leroy looked out from the window of the car and with a solemn aura surrounding him.

"No matter what happens you are still the only General I would recognize no matter in the past or in the future." Gale firmly declared. He would always respect the general, nothing and no one would be able to change that fact.

A small smile appeared from the general's lips and the anxiousness he was feeling slightly abated. "You're still stubborn, well then I'll be waiting for a piece of good news."

General Leroy ended the call and proceeded to make another call. "Marcellus pass my message to the Hadron to form a party of five and do a search throughout the Matrix City's eastern forest. Tell them to be vigilant and do some scouting, I don't want anyone to be on that area without my knowledge."

Major Alfonse Marcellus Weiss was one of the general's trusted officials and was posted to head the Matrix City's Enforcer Station together with Chief Mitchell Andrews. Hearing the general's command, after the call he immediately dispatched a team from Hadron to do the task.

Not long after, General Leroy received messages informing him of the current situation around the eastern forest where Aizel disappeared. According to the reports, the team killed some Tenebrae lurking in the forest. They also reported that some of them were obviously looking for something. Leroy gritted his teeth and commanded the team to kill all Tenebrae they may encounter.

While all this was happening, Aliyah and the other enforcers continued on their usual patrol. They were about to do a round of patrol inside the eastern forest when they received a message from Chief Andrews. They were given orders not to enter the forest and that another group was already inside the area.

"Then we could go inside the forest as back-up just in case some Tenebrae attacks," Aliyah had a frown on her face while speaking to the chief.

"No need to go, Lieutenant, the people inside the forest won't need your help at the moment so please return to the station if you are done with your patrol." Chief Andrews explained even though he heard the clear displeasure in Aliyah's voice.

Aliyah didn't argue anymore. Her gaze swept through the dark and seemingly peaceful forest before she and her team returned to the station without encountering any Tenebrae which was unusual. She sat on her desk and started to write her report so that she could go home and rest. Her mind inadvertently returned to what happened during the day. She couldn't help but relate the incident to the reason why they were not allowed to enter the forest.

She shook her head and clicked her tongue. If you were really a rich person and had a position in the government or in the military you could do what you want. She was sure that the order must have come from the general and the chief couldn't say no because the other person was on a different level.

After doing her report, Aliyah left the station and her gaze couldn't help but look at the direction of the eastern forest. She forced herself to turn around and go home but the increasing curiosity and unease within her overtook her want for rest.

She looked back again at the forest and despite her initial hesitance, she made a detour and went straight towards the direction of the eastern forest. It was not in her character to be nosy but it was different this time, the urge to go and take a look was stronger. She wanted to know what was going on inside the forest.

Aliyah stealthily moved towards the eastern forest and silently entered the forest. She silently observed her surrounding while making her presence undetectable as much as possible. On her walk, she saw bodies of several Tenebrae scattered everywhere. Judging from how the Tenebrae lay on the ground without any signs of a fight shows that the people who killed them used stealth and were highly professional.

She continued to walk forward and saw another group of Tenebrae that were one by one falling to the ground. She also saw shadows appearing and disappearing behind each Tenebrae. Each shadow would kill one Tenebrae with swiftness that one couldn't even see their movements. Aliyah watched in silence not until a shadow appeared before her.