30 Minutes Later
The atmosphere was thick with tension. Syd held Sally's hand as he stepped out to check the scene outside the bakery. Nothing had changed. If anything, it looked like the undulating ground had expanded even further. Still no phone signal either.
"You look worried."
Syd didn't respond.
The one who spoke to him was a young Asian man with short brown hair, dressed in a black suit.
Syd didn't bother to acknowledge him. He didn't see this man as anyone worth his attention, and simply led Sally back to their seat.
True to form, Syd let his annoyance with the situation out on a couple of nearby chairs, kicking them over. A waitress hurried over to pick them up.
"...Syd… take it easy," Jody whispered.
"In case you haven't noticed, the cops have their eyes on you. Chill out a little. And for god's sake, don't start a fight with anyone."
Syd glanced toward the officers across the room—and sure enough, Jody was right. They were watching him like he had a bomb strapped to his chest.
And that only pissed him off more.
"What the hell are you looking at, pigs? I look like a junkie to you?"
"Not really, boss," the mustached officer replied. "You just look like a guy begging to start a fight. I get it—you want to go home. Go ahead and kick all the chairs you want. But the moment you kick a person..."
He patted the handcuffs on his belt. The message was clear.
Syd shot up from his seat, glaring daggers at the cop. A ripple of fear spread through the shop as people subtly backed away.
Jody immediately stood up and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.
"Syd! I get it. I know how you're feeling. And yeah, none of these guys could lay a hand on you. Even if they brought in twice as many, you'd wipe the floor with them. But do you really want to escalate things right now?"
"Honestly? Might be a good idea. Get the enemy to show themselves—and I'll get to beat the crap out of these losers while I'm at it."
"You're not wrong. But we still don't know what else that warped ground outside can do. The smart move right now—the one someone mature would make—is to sit tight and think."
Syd exhaled, cooling off, and sat back down.
"That's more like it, big guy. Just sit back and wait for help to come," the officer added smugly.
Syd clenched his fists, biting down on the urge to punch the guy in the face. Jody squeezed his hand gently, silently telling him to let it go.
Just then, the brown-haired man in the suit walked up to their table, standing confidently before Syd.
"Whatever's happening out there… it's not normal," he said politely.
Here he comes again. What the hell does this guy want? Syd thought.
"Out with your girlfriend today?" the man asked casually, glancing at Jody with a faint smile.
Syd didn't like that. Not one bit.
He raised a boot and slammed it down on the table between them.
"Get lost. I'm not looking for trouble."
But the man remained calm, his eyes now drifting to Sally behind her dark glasses.
"Why are you two tethered together like that?"
"And what business is that of yours?"
While the two men were talking, Jody bent down—pretending to fix her shoes—but whispered near Sally's ear:
"Sally… can you scan him? See if he's carrying a weapon."
Syd heard it too. Smooth as always, he kept the conversation going to give Sally time to activate her power.
Seconds later, Sally's ability kicked in. She peered through her glasses at the man.
And what she saw was…
A sleek black handgun hidden on his person.
Sally gave a quick, frightened nod. Jody met Syd's eyes, and his expression instantly turned cold.
Syd slipped a hand inside his jacket, gripping the concealed gun—ready to draw.
This guy's the one behind all of this… he's dead.
But just before he could make a move, Jody placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"...!?"
"Syd... let me talk to him first. You hold your gun, just in case he makes a move—we take him down together."
"...What??? Why even talk?!"
"I don't know… something's weird. If he was the enemy, why didn't he just shoot you from behind already? Just trust me."
"...Fine."
Jody returned to her seat and faced the man.
But just as she opened her mouth to speak—
A brown aura burst forth from the man's body.
"!!!"
All three of them froze. Syd instinctively reached for his weapon again—but the man spoke before he could fire.
"You, the one in red... you've trained in it too, haven't you?"
"..."
"The art of substitution… you've learned it, haven't you?"
How did he know about that…?
"...Syd…" Jody turned toward him.
Syd was speechless, stunned silent.
"...This is insane…"
Jody glanced back at the suited man. He looked just as shocked—though perhaps slightly less so.
This wasn't staged. Jody could tell.
"Who taught you?" the man asked Syd.
"More importantly, how the hell do you know it?"
"Why wouldn't I? I practice the Martial Art too."
"!!!"
Jody: "Then… that brown aura was—?!"
"Yes. I use the same technique as your friend here," he replied.
Jody wasn't sure at first—but when she looked back at Syd and saw him frozen, not retaliating—it meant he believed the man. If the guy was lying, Syd would've blown his head off by now.
"This technique… there's only one place in the world you can learn it from," Syd finally said.
"You trained there too, didn't you?"
"...I did."
Syd wanted to be sure, so he tested him.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
The man sighed and glanced around before saying:
"Know the art like roots—"
"..."
He was baiting Syd to finish the phrase—a subtle code among practitioners of the technique. A smart move.
"...Let it flow deep into the soil…"
Sally and Jody didn't understand the deeper meaning, but the tension instantly dissipated.
Syd's killer aura faded.
"What year were you?"
Syd: "4577."
"...I was 4554."
"Tch… of all the places to run into you…" Syd muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"...I never thought I'd run into a junior disciple here, of all places..."
"...Syd, so is he friend or foe?"
Jody whispered, and the boy replied—
"...This guy's like a senior who graduated from the same school as me."
Then the man introduced himself.
"...Call me Autumn."
He addressed the three of them.
"Autumn? Really?"
"Yes... Autumn."
He replied to Jody.
"...I practice the same martial art as your friend here."
"And how did you know that he uses the same technique?"
Jody still didn't trust Autumn—and understandably so. As long as Syd's hand hadn't moved away from his forehead, neither would she.
"...Only someone trained can tell. Ever since you guys walked in, I saw faint 'aura particles' evaporating from your bodies. It's not something you notice instantly—you have to get up close to see it."
"...You can see it?"
"...Not exactly... Jody, it's more like feeling a light mist sprayed on you. That's why this asshole sat so close—so he could feel it."
Syd answered for him.
"Year 4554 and 4577... Autumn's 23 generations ahead of you, boss."
Sally spoke up. She hadn't just been standing there silently—she'd been following everything.
"...How long can you hold it?" Autumn asked Syd.
"Ten minutes," he replied.
"And you, Autumn?" Jody asked.
"Five hours."
"!!!"
Jody's eyes widened in awe.
"...Not really impressive. I'm 40. Five hours is average for someone my age. Your friend here, though—he's 17 now, mastered the art at 14, and he's already lasting 10 minutes. That's... impressive."
"!?!"
Jody frowned.
"And how do you know he mastered it at 14?"
"...Hmph."
Autumn's face shifted strangely, and he turned to Jody.
"...You're not a practitioner, are you?"
"...I'm currently training."
"...Huh?"
It was as if her answer rubbed him the wrong way. His discomfort was plain.
"I'm learning from him," she said, pointing at Syd.
"!!!"
Syd immediately slapped his hand over her mouth—but it was too late. Autumn had already learned something Syd didn't want him to know.
"...He's training you?"
"..."
"...He's actually your teacher?"
"...Yes. Why?"
Autumn didn't respond. He turned back to Syd.
"Junior... What the hell are you doing?"
Syd's expression hardened. Jody was also waiting for an answer.
"...You broke the sect's code. You're teaching our martial art to an outsider?"
"!!!"
Jody froze and stared at Syd.
"...Syd, is that true? What he said?"
Syd Barrett snapped.
"I never told her! Okay?!"
He lowered his hand and slammed it on the table, glaring at Autumn, then turned to Jody.
"Jody... we'll talk about this later. When we get out of here."
Then back to Autumn.
"Don't push this, senior. I'm glad to meet another graduate, but I don't know you personally. So if you've got nothing useful to help us deal with what's going on outside—stay out of our business."
"...No, junior... I'm afraid I can't."
"Why not?"
Autumn pulled something from his coat pocket and unfolded it for the three of them to see.
A bald eagle emblem.
CIA.
Just one glance was enough to know it was authentic.
"...Out of respect for a fellow disciple, I approached politely. So I'll be blunt now. I'm here... for that child."
"!?"
"...Damn it... I told Sally to scan him... so he must've figured it out from her aura!"
Jody said nervously.
"Judging by your reactions... I'm guessing you don't work for the government."
"You came for the kid. So why didn't you just take her? Why even tell us? Not the brightest tactic."
"True. But since your friend is a fellow disciple, I didn't want to resort to violence."
Autumn explained calmly.
"And besides... even if I backstabbed you and took her, I wouldn't be able to get out of here anyway."
He glanced outside the bakery.
"Heh. You really expect me to buy that act? You think I can't see through this setup? You're trying to stage this entire thing. And one more thing..."
Syd held up the zip tie linking him to Sally.
"If you want to take the kid, you'll have to kill me first, senior."
"...That part we can settle after this situation is over. But I can tell you this much—the mess outside isn't our doing. You know that."
Syd was ready to argue—but Jody stepped in.
"Syd... come talk with me for a second."
The three of them walked off to a corner of the shop where their voices couldn't be overheard.
"What is it, Jody?"
"This doesn't sit right with me. Why did he just come clean like that just because he ran into a fellow disciple?"
"...It's the sect's code."
"...Code?"
"...Practitioners of the same art are forbidden to harm each other. That's what they drilled into us back there. That guy's over 40—probably takes it seriously. That's why he showed himself."
"So... if I'd come here with Sally without you..."
"...Yeah... he probably wouldn't have hesitated to shoot you and take the kid. Might've even killed you without you ever realizing it."
Jody froze.
"...Why are you guys so extreme about that code?"
"...Not me. People are different, Jody. Some are strict, some aren't. But the odds of meeting like this... they're insanely low. And yet it happened."
"But most are strict, right?"
"...Well..."
"Okay then... You're sure he's your senior?"
"Yeah. I'm sure."
"...So it's possible that... he revealed himself because of the disciple code + his respect for it."
"...Yeah... I don't want to admit it, but I think he genuinely approached with good intentions. Still… I can't fully trust him just yet."
"Syd, think about it... If Autumn really was working with whoever's behind that thing outside... he'd have tried to finish this quickly. You know how airport chaos draws attention."
Syd leaned in and whispered to her,
"...So what do you suggest, Jody?"
"...I think... both Autumn and us are caught in a trap set by the same enemy. To put it simply—there are three sides right now... at the very least."
"...You're not wrong."
"I propose we cooperate with Autumn to find a way out of here first. Since communications are cut off, I'm sure he's just as blind as we are. He found the girl. He found us. But he can't contact his team. Right now, we're all stranded."
"...That's true..."
"And I don't think interrogating him about how he got here or what the CIA knows about Sally will do any good. He won't talk—unless we beat it out of him."
"—Which won't be easy, Jody. CIA agents are way tougher than people like Bett or Candy."
"...Either way, for now—just for now—we're all facing the same obstacle: that rippling floor outside. We should work with him. We can use Sally as leverage."
"You wanna negotiate with him?! Seriously?"
"Just bluffing. It's not like Autumn has a choice, right? Besides, with how boldly he revealed himself—he must be pretty confident in his skills. Didn't you see that?"
"..."
Jody continued,
"Once we eliminate the enemy... we'll betray Autumn. There's no way we're letting him get anything from us. So—what? Do you actually respect him because he's your senior?"
"Just because we trained at the same place doesn't mean I'm in love with the guy, okay? Yeah, I feel bad about having to fight a senior from the same school... but if it's a job, then I'll do it."
"Good. Then maybe we beat him half to death until he forgets our faces. I'll help. He's already seen us—he might've even taken secret photos. We'll destroy his phone, torch his clothes in case he's wired. As for the security cameras—I know all the angles in this shop."
"...Damn, Jody... you're a snake."
"Thanks. But don't forget—we still have our own unfinished business to talk about."
"Yeah, yeah, I know..."
"So... at least on the way back, I'll try to dig a little info from him."
.
.
.
While the three were still huddled and whispering in the corner, Autumn stood off to the side, visibly deep in thought. His mind churned with questions—many of the same ones the trio was asking.
In his head, he replayed everything that led up to this moment...
He recalled the briefing from his three fellow operatives—also part of the intelligence community.
He had seen the "news" reports that claimed there was a terrorist attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Naturally, if it had truly been terrorism, agencies around the world—his included—would be compelled to act. But that wasn't what caught his attention.
It wasn't terrorism.
It was a clash between two groups of powered individuals... fighting over the custody of a young girl.
And that girl... there was no mistaking it—
She was the subject of their report: one of the first successful test subjects of a power-enhancement experiment.
The girl who had "escaped" during the strike his team carried out at the dock.
Autumn now glanced at Sally, standing next to Syd, visibly confused.
"....."
His mind played back further—to the moment he sat in that briefing room with the other three.
A woman's voice came to mind.
"We're one step behind them... They know the girl is in Paris. One of their teams has her—but it's not too late. We can intercept and extract her. They definitely used a private jet to cross borders. We'll spread out—Spain... Switzerland... I'll go to Germany... My subordinates are already posted in Belgium and Italy..."
Then she turned to him.
"Autumn—you go to the United Kingdom. Hit the chokepoint airport: London."
Yes. His mission had been clear—identify and retrieve the girl from the unknown group.
He had simply stopped by this bakery for a coffee before beginning his task... but then—they walked right up to him.
It was more than hitting the jackpot. But the real question was—
How could a fellow disciple—someone from the same martial school—end up with the girl? Who was he working for?
The very person holding the girl turned out to be someone trained at the same sect... even though Autumn was 23 years older. He couldn't stomach the idea of fighting someone from his own school.
"....."
To make matters worse, his phone had no signal. He couldn't notify his team that he'd located the girl, nor that he'd seen the faces of those harboring her.
In fact, they couldn't contact their team either—he realized they were just as cornered as he was.
He knew one thing for sure: once things returned to normal, he'd have to fight Syd and the girl's protectors. It would be a tough pill to swallow—but duty was duty.
They weren't going to tell him who they were or where they were from. And he wasn't going to tell them either.
One way or another... someone wouldn't make it out alive.
That was the worst-case scenario.