Meta Wars / Season One /

/ The World Keeps Turning /

We walked from one skybridge to the other, from one avenue to the next street. It wasn't much trouble getting around in The Mids. People knew their place and we knew ours.

I felt my hip; there were 6 more rounds in the chamber, and I had 8 more on hand. I didn't want KC to know how low I was. We passed the burn-ward, then the hospital, then the Starco University. It wasn't much longer until we would come to that secluded portion of the wall, the secluded portion of the city. Oh, how little we knew that it would matter.

"How far?" KC shot the statement sharp.

"About four blocks east, and two more north," I answered back. I had already memorized this portion of the city. It was underneath the city that now had my attention. "If we cross through 11-minute Lane and hit the alley through Tomco Street we can be there. Right. On. Time."

"You seem happy." Where was he taking this?

"'Course I am, we might blow open this whole case, today."

"Aulus. Let me tell you. It isn't always about the case." I felt more from that statement than I think was intended.

"Yeah, I know. Come on, Killer, you and me both are sleep-deprived. You got that lack of rest talkin'."

"That isn't what I mean. I don't think we should give up- what I mean is that we're here to serve the people. Not get them temp-banned, permabanned, or code-yellowed." He stopped walking, but we needed to get the elevator. "We are here to make sure these people don't hurt one another. Not the other way around."

"KC, look at all we've done in the last 2 months. We've thrown out spammers, toxic commenters, non-related content abusers. It has been for a greater good. This time here with you, KC, it's been irreplaceable! Indispensable. Now we need to get it done, in a hurry, Killer. You're a talented guy that helps this place out as much as he humanly can. Don't you ever get down to yourself that way again!" I yelled because I liked him and because it was the truth. "Now we need to get the f$&@ out there and do our f!$&ing job!"

He looked at me desperate for a moment, groaned, and realized where his head needed to be. "It's time to retire," he said after a long pause.

------

Just what I needed. A wise guy playing wise guy at me. Isn't that a quote of the century? I'll put it past us, though. No need to cause friction when we're so close to getting this over and done with. I can finally move on. Maybe the boss was right, I might need a little bit of a break.

I looked down at the murky alleyway we were wandering along. Took a look at the ground where a small something caught my eye. I called for Aulus to stop and he came over, hands in his pockets.

I knelt and picked up the piece of whatever it was, half of it was in the puddle and a half was out. The half that was out was still dry. Whoever dropped it dropped it just moments before we got into the alley.

[The color, the material is all strictly Jarco... all strictly Jarco. The moment I looked up was the moment I heard the feet splash. An ambush](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXrdYwG17PE) from a handful of masked Jarco conspirators. They were armed, heavily. Several daggers and a couple shortswords. Eight of them in all, and none of them hesitated to attack immediately. The obvious leader ordered two to attack Aulus; he jumped towards the first and his other buddy got in my line of sight.

I grabbed the water from off the ground and covered the lead's mouth, where he attempted to pull it off. The other six were mine, and I heard the first gunshot accompanied by a few grunts of struggle.

I received a lunge from the first with a dagger and his buddy was right there on me as well. I gave the lad a swift knee to the ribs, pulling his dagger down from his hand whereupon his partner ran immediately into the knife. I grabbed the dagger from the one who was just stabbed and made the same wound upon his partner. Both of these assailants fell to the ground and began to eradicate into dust.