Chapter 6: Escape

Nul'Ija

Chapter 6: Escape

            I teleported down to the museum shortly after my troops did, ensuring that we had complete control over the museum. The announcement over the speaker was most likely sufficient to send the pathetic terrans into a state of submission, and all we had left to do was to liberate the Artifact piece from this wretched place, which I predict would be a rather menial task provided that none of these spineless humans do anything heroic. Fortunately, we had more than enough weaponry to take care of any unnecessary complications that may occur while redeeming our well-earned reward.

            “You can't do this!” a human in a black-and white suit (I believe terrans call this crude article of clothing a “tuxedo”. Why do humans create such specific attire for various situations? Choose one and stick to it, for Helvia's sake) shouted at us, obviously unaware of his position in this situation. “This Artifact piece belongs to the Museum of Interplanetary History! The fact that you're a technologically superior race doesn't mean that-”

“Actually, it does, you naive little primate. The Foris have been tasked with securing the Tempus Artifact so that it may fulfill its true purpose, which is beyond the comprehension of your puny human minds,” I countered. These ingrates had no idea what the Artifact meant to our race, did they? Of course not. These bipedal creatures were once monkeys, which would explain their primitive intelligence.

“The Artifact is not for you aliens to ogle at freely,” the suit-wearing human insisted. “Furthermore, you aren't even SUPPOSED to be here! This area is-”

“Debate unnecessary. Suggest target destruction within five seconds for maximum efficiency,” my comrade Har'Sit interjected. Har'Sit preferred speaking in clear, short sentences, because she deemed this method of speech “efficient”. I decided to heed Har'Sit's suggestion, remembering that there was a reason behind her being our tactician.

            I took out my vaporizer handgun and aimed it at the incessant human. “Die, insect.” I said as I aimed the gun at the babbling idiot. As I pulled the trigger, my gun shot out a brilliant blue bolt of electricity which exposed its victim's innards for about half a second before turning said victim into dust, along with his ridiculous suit. “Threat exterminated.” Har'Sit remarked.

“Anyone else?” I exclaimed, just to make sure that everyone had an idea of what was in store for them if they tried to take a stand. Obedience is a highly valued trait, especially during a hostage situation.

            Suddenly, a figure in dark blue armor jumped from out of the crowd and onto a spot near the Artifact's pedestal. “I'm gonna need this.” the figure spoke in a deep, artificial voice as he quickly snatched the box containing the Artifact piece. The whole room went silent afterward, for even we Foris do not normally expect this dumbfounding behavior in a hostage situation, let alone from a cowardly creature like the common man. But then again, this armor-wearing being was no common man; he was something more. He was Elmer Tascot Abraham, and he was one of the Foris' greatest enemies. News of Elmer's deeds have been spread throughout the universe, and I'm certain that even mindless lifeforms (like yourself) know of his amazing actions throughout the recent years. Some maybe not so honorable, but amazing nonetheless; breaking into a treasure vault owned by a race as advanced as the Caelestis isn't a skill owned by many humans. Some say that Elmer is gifted by the Gods themselves, but I'm willing to bet that deep down, that human can easily be broken.

            Har'Sit was the first to speak after the Artifact piece was taken. “Elmer Tascot Abraham. Extremely dangerous. Heavily experienced mercenary. Suggest captu-”

“Save your breath, sister. Soldiers, take back that Artifact piece, and capture the thief. Whoever succeeds in both tasks will be richly rewarded. Fail, and you shall be punished greatly. Go,” I interrupted. My instructions, although vague, were direct enough to send my troops running towards Elmer's last known position. Mark my words: we shall capture this adventurous fool and put an end to both his escape and his life.

            The search team was split up and searched different parts of the museum. Within twenty-four seconds, I received a transmission from one of the teams. “Target spotted in the west wing.” a voice in my helmet said. Hearing this, my team and I began sprinting towards Elmer's last known position. Within two minutes, we reached the west wing and spotted the running robber with a glass box in his hand. After chasing Elmer for approximately another minute, the path ahead had reached a dead end, and he froze. He's done for; the only way this mercenary can escape now is by going through us, a feat that seems rather improbable to achieve despite Elmer's mythical reputation in daring escapes. Goodbye, Elmer Tascot Abraham. So much for “legendary”.

            “Hold your fire. This one's mine.” I ordered my team. With our guns still trained on the defeated human, I slowly walked toward Elmer, retracted my helmet visor and stared him in the eye. Elmer didn't flinch, a trait which I had definitely expected from a hired gun. I threw a right hook at the mercenary's face, but the second my fist made contact with his face, Elmer suddenly exploded into a cloud of multi-colored mist. The mist quickly dissipated, and we were left aiming our guns at a wall. I had been misinformed.

            I re-closed my visor and turned to face my troops. “Which one of you imbeciles claimed that you saw the target?” I interrogated the team.

“I did, commander,” I heard a female voice say. Shortly after hearing the voice, a soldier stepped out of the crowd. I knew this soldier; I've served as her personal trainer during her time as a soldier. Alas, as much as I valued her honesty and our past, rules were rules.

“Private Tam'Pu, what's the third rule of being a member of the Foris Fighting Syndicate (FFS)?” I tested the incompotent fighter.

“'Incompotence will not be tolerated by the Syndicate and is punishable by death, regardless of severity',” the private recited. “Forgive me, commander. I promise you I can redeem myself. All I ask is one chance. Please, it won't happen ever again,”

            Tam'Pu had much to learn. I've known her for a long time, and I had some trouble deciding what to do. Putting her down would be the right thing to do, but I felt like there was another alternative. On the other hand, I thought about the tens of fine soldiers I've executed due to miniscule errors they've committed under my command. As a commander, I couldn't let emotional attachment get in my way; that is a core trait of all FFS members. Maybe there was another way.

“Target escaping. Immediate solution to current issue inconclusive.” Har'Sit said in a nonchalantly. I had only mere seconds to make my choice; Elmer was getting away.

            “My sincerest apologies, private. We shall discuss the matter of your execution once we return to base. Move out,” I said.

“Commander, with all due respect, I fail to see the point behind delaying her execution,” a soldier from within the group complained. His argument was reasonable; I had killed nearly all of the incompotent soldiers on the spot seconds after they made their mistakes, and yet I held back with this one. Was there a reason for it? I did not know, nor did I care.

“Brother Ar'Wi, I assure that this useless ingrate will receive the treatment she deserves once we return. Now, move out.” I replied to the questioning soldier. “Unless you would be willing to replace Private Tam'Pu on the chopping block under the grounds of breaking the sixth rule of the FFS decree.” (since Nul'Ija is too much of a proud dick to explain what the sixth rule is, let me just put it in a nutshell for you: “Foris dudes who ask too many questions are subject to being fucking killed”) I said gruffly, moving my head closer to the Ar'Wi's. After I was done with threatening my colleague, we continued pursuing Elmer.

            We finally caught up to Elmer at one of the museum's emergency exits, and the chase reached a fever pitch once we reached the city's red light district. Elmer had somehow dispatched the vast majority of my strike team, leaving only four soldiers assisting me in the pursuit. “ELMER TASCOT ABRAHAM,” I said in a microphone-altered voice. “DESIST AND WE WILL SHOW YOU MERCY,”

“GO SUCK AN ALIEN DICK!” Elmer shouted back. I was offended by the crass comeback; we Foris regard derogatory language as taboo, and I became even more determined to hunt the potty-mouthed pilferer down. Enraged, I switched the lethality setting on my vaporizer pistol from “incapacitate” to “paralyze” (the gun's manufacturers decided to make the gun's features a little more “specific”. Of course, this also means that illiterate motherfuckers can't properly use a gun, but then again, how often do you meet a retarded Foris? By the way, the name of this certain firearm is “Zeus's Bolt”. Keep this name in mind).

            We weaved in and out of crowds, firing bolts of debilitating electricity while doing so. Elmer dodged every shot, despite our flawless accuracy. Cursing his physical finesse, we chased Elmer until we reached a strip club. Without questioning Elmer's motive behind seeking refuge in such a disreputable place, the remainder of my team swung the entrance door open and were instantly hit by a red flash of light which was so blinding that it temporarily disrupted our visors. Thankfully, our keen eyes quickly adapted to the epileptic nature of the club's lighting. Shortly after alleviating ourselves of the light's effects, we activated the facial scanners within our helmets to pinpoint the burglar's location.

            Some aspects of human life disgust me, namely their affinity for sexual pleasure; we Foris regarded sexual affairs as a despicable deed that should be done only when necessary. There is no joy to be found in sexual activities; we Foris prioritize efficiency over all else, and consider entertainment useless to our lives. The human race, on the other hand, seems to be full of lethargic hedonists who rely on their primitive machines (among many other means of entertainment) to do as little work as possible. As a matter of fact, this might be the reason why these creatures are so much more technologically and physically inferior than we Foris. This facility was just one of the many examples of humanity's darker side.

            We didn't spend much time in the strip club, and ceased the pursuit after our scan of the club yielded no results. “Authorities alerted. Suggest immediate extraction,” Har'Sit said. Realizing that the search was fruitless and the police were on our tails, we decided to continue looking for Elmer in other nearby locations. “He's not here. Continue searching nearby areas within the red light district.” I ordered. Besides, I was getting sick of this place anyway, and I was relieved to proceed our investigation in less promiscuous locations. And with that, we deactivated our facial scanners and walked out the building's main entrance.