Chapter 5: Welcome to Grachland

Felix organizes a meeting after learning about the S.E.U.’s hideout and mastermind. He creates a special task force and then proceeds to discuss their operation of infiltrating the S.E.U. headquarters. Stephen and Nate are also present in the room.

“The entrance is here, surrounded by guards… and here’s a checkpoint. It’s obviously bad to waltz through the main entrance. However, there’s a blind spot here where we could enter without too much risk…” Felix explains as he points at the map of the S.E.U. HQ that the recon team gave him.

After a while of tactics and strategies, Felix Kirk heads to Stephen

“Stephen, you’ve already done a huge part in this case. I give you my thanks, and… I would like you to listen to me Stephen. Listen, Stephen. I know that you’re thinking of going to Grachland” Stephen was clearly shocked of Felix’s sudden approach, so he didn’t interrupt him and went silent.

“Just please do not go anywhere near the operation. Stay here in our headquarters, and you too Nate. Don’t even try to step your foot there. Am I clear?”

“Yes, chief.” Stephen answered sarcastically. Everyone became busy and worked hard, preparing for the plan. Unlike Stephen and Nate, they stayed in one of the rooms doing nothing.

“I hate this.” Nate says annoyingly.

“Hate which one, Nate? The smoke of my pipe? The restrictions? Staying here doing nothing? The ma -.”

“The mask Stephen… The mask…”

“It bugs me. I want to know what’s with it. It piques my interest.”

Both of them were annoyed by Felix’s decision but they know it was for their safety. The detectives are bored inside the room. Stephen looks at the ceiling and smokes his pipe, while the other begins to walk back and forth while doing pen tricks with his hand

Later, Nate breaks the ice and started to swear. “AAGGHH!!! We’re detectives, not some children to be locked up in a stupid room. We should be out there doing something helpful.”

“We’ll go there.” Stephen spoke eagerly, which Nate agrees to. “Bet you’re right. We’ll sneak out when everything’s clear.”

It’s time for the show. The special task force equips their best gears and weapons. Every single officer involved is trained and experienced, to make sure the infiltration mission will be successful. Stephen and Nate patiently wait in their room, waiting for Felix and his men to leave. As the task force heads out, the detectives sneak out of the headquarters, and makes sure that nobody sees them.

The boys travels and reaches Grachland, then proceeds to talk about their own plan.

“So, we will find and arrest Walter Müller whilst avoiding much conflict?” Nate reaffirms.

“Pretty much.” Stephen replied.

The moment they reached the S.E.U headquarters, bodies of the S.I.E.F. police and the S.E.U. faction are all over the ground. Gunshots echoes in the building, blood from the dead bodies continues to paint the ground, the place is a battle zone.

“Let’s go.” Said Stephen while crouching. Nate followed him but stopped for a moment. He picks up something on one of the dead S.E.U guard.

“Come on Nate! What are you doing?!” Stephen exclaims in a hurry voice. Nate did not answer and immediately followed him. They ready their handguns and went further inside the building where they heard the gunshots.

“Stephen?! And Nate?! What are you doing here?!?” Felix was standing far behind them while aiming his gun at someone. “No time to chat! See you later pal!” Stephen shouts as he smiled feebly.

“Sons of a gun!” Felix shouted back, but both of the detectives already left.

Advancing through a corridor, Stephen and Nate immediately heads to a doorway for cover, after seeing a group of S.E.U. guards heading towards their way. Both of them hid behind a doorway. Bullets whizzes through the hallway, creating new patterns on the wall. They got pinned by the enemies.

Stephen opens the nearby door and tells Nate to fend them off while he finds a way to counterattack or escape the situation. Stephen enters the door and finds himself in a room full of research and lab equipment. He scans the room and sees a door through the end of the sea of prototypes and one panicking S.E.U. agent. “I could use that door to appear behind those bastards at the hallway” Stephen thought as he evades a sharp slash from the guard. Stephen successfully subdued the guard with a few punches, and then hurries to the door as the gunshots are getting annoying now.

“What’s taking him so long?” Nate exclaims while he is defending his position when suddenly, someone calls out to him.

“All clear Nate!”

“Took you so long, where’d you get that?” Stephen notices Nate’s Submachine gun.

Nate replies with a slight grin, “Oh, I just found it lying on the ground and borrowed it”.

They proceed deeply further in the building, and finds themselves lost. “Where are we?” Nate asked calmly.

“Well, I’m pretty sure that we’re in an underground hallway.” Stephen says while looking around. They went silent for a moment, thinking where Walter Müller could be. They head straight forward in the hallway not knowing where it leads. At the end of the hallway there is a massive but hallow door. It requires an identification card to enter. Three dead bodies of S.I.E.F police were lying outside the door.

“The bodies laid on their back, they were shot in the front. They might be following someone who entered inside the door and caught them off guard. So, someone was already inside.” Stephen explained.

“Let’s go.” Nate spoke as he scanned the I.D that he picked up earlier on one of the dead bodies of an S.E.U guard. “So that’s what you did.” Stephen said in a surprised voice. “Yeah. Guns and I.D.s are always essential.” Nate answered in a proud voice.

It was a long and narrow passageway. They were walking cautiously when Nate suddenly flung out an arm to hold Stephen back. “What?” Stephen furrowed his brows and gave him a curious look.

“See right there? In front of you? That’s a string. Step on it and we’re dead.” Nate pointed out the white clear string that makes it look invisible. They carefully avoid the trap and proceeds to look out for more.

They venture deep down the narrow passageway. There were traps here and there, but both of the detectives successfully surpassed it. Moments later, the passageway is divided into two paths. The detectives take a minute to decide until they heard an echoing noise through the left path. The detectives rushed to the left path. “There! There he is!” Nate exclaimed at Stephen when he saw Walter Müller running at a different direction, avoiding the conflict.

“Come on!” Stephen shouted and immediately sprints.

Nate was running behind Stephen while trying hard to aim his gun at Walter’s legs- because of a narrow hallway, Stephen decides to switch with Nate, and let Nate take the lead so that he could fire the gun properly.

Stephen is now running behind, and Nate successfully hits Walter’s leg to disable him from running. A Mask slips from Walter’s hand and drops hardly on the floor with a screeching sound. “Get it!” Nate shouted and Stephen rushed trying to grab the Mask.

Walter Müller got injured by Nate’s shot, but as he fell, he fires a shot at them.

“Look out!” Stephen shouted. Nate tries to avoid the shot, but the bullet hit his shoulder, and he hardly fell to the ground.

Stephen got the Mask and rushed back at Nate. “Nate talk to me.” He said.

Nate gave him the look - that he should chase Walter while he has the chance. “It's fine, go already.”

Stephen understood Nate and immediately ran to Walter. He asks Walter about the important details but, Walter wouldn't answer.

“Tell me what you’re up to!” Stephen interrogates Walter

“What is my plan you ask? Talk to the wall.” Walter sarcastically answered and laughed.

Stephen looks at the mask that he picked up and proceeds to examine it. “Why would he bring this mask while escaping?” Stephen says to himself. “It also looks eerie and ominous”.

“Fine, I’ll use this Mask against you. How about that?” Stephen talked back and he noticed that Walter was somewhat scared.

Is the Mask too dangerous that even the leader is afraid of it? Even without knowing the ability of the Mask, Stephen will use it against Walter.

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