The Liberal Assassin

After panicking and a lot of hyperventilating, I finally got all the loose ends tied. Khronos had the foresight and for the first time since I met him, I felt a kind of respect for the eccentric scientist. Knowing that he was in charge of the construction itineraries and the search for Arvin's blackmail took a load off my shoulders. With no time to test the 'new and improved' gadgets, I grabbed what I could and started the hunt for Berriwott Emmerich.

Mirage was the name of a very fancy hotel that offered overpriced entertainment with their famous theatres. Almost everyone in the Inner City had watched a movie or two at Mirage's Theatres and I distinctly recall being dragged by Alastair to watch some movie about an alien invasion? What wasn't so widely known was that the hotel doubled as an illegal gambling den for the rich and corrupted. Berriwott was a regular there and had a private room inaccessible to people who didn't have an invitation.

Getting into the building with the help of improved camouflage technology was literally a stroll. The Night Walker's suit remained invisible to not only human eyes but also cameras and motion sensors. The issue of visible shadow had been resolved along with the upgrade. Kudos to Khronos!

Once inside, I noticed how huge the reception area was. They must have renovated it since the last time I was here. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling as people mingled and chatted while waiting for the show to start. Some guards stood in front of a cordoned off entrance that led to the theatres and I took that as my hint to look elsewhere.

Ten minutes of weaving through the crowd, I finally made it to a corner. Khronos' voice crackled over the repaired visor and the map was updated.

"Berriwott is approaching your location. Keep your eyes peeled."

The red dot blinking on the holographic map made it easy to locate the Parliament member despite the crowd and I made my way over, careful to avoid touching anyone.

Berriwott waddled in the reception area in his scruffy looking three-piece suit. I cringed at his fashion sense but refrained from making comments. The standoffish receptionist greeted with the enthusiasm of a doorknob when he rapped the desk twice.

"I haven't seen Roger in a while, did he come by?"

The receptionist stiffened and glanced around discreetly before nodding. "He's in the private showroom. If you would follow me, sir…"

I shadowed them when Berriwott trotted after the receptionist. Looks like I didn't have to search for anything now.

Efficiently, Khronos ran a scan of the whole level and update my map, giving me ample time to study the blueprint. At the bottom left corner of the map displayed the private gambling rooms. Two rooms from Berriwott's reservation was a private resting room that Khronos had hacked to enter a false reservation two hours prior.

The door opened and I did a quick count of Berriwott's companions. Four is a decent sized party but with all the hostesses they were calling in, it was becoming quite the crowd. Stepping to a side to let the receptionist pass, I stayed close to the sides of the corridor. Berriwott entered the room and I checked the time.

Everything was in place and all that's left was to wait for the prey to appear.

***

Two hours later, the door opened and a slightly flushed Berriwott stumbled along the corridor using the walls as support. After having one too many Pantiumite drinks, the man ambled for the washroom. I tapped the visor once to alert Khronos of the movement. It's action time.

The scientist quickly enabled the false screen for the cameras present in the corridor and updated the map to check for anyone who could be nearby. I had to admit, with his help watching my back I could move a lot easier. Kevin could never do them spontaneously no matter how good his program was.

"The coast is clear, get into position," Khronos reported and I readied the sleeping gas from where I was. As the unsuspecting Parliament member tottered my way, I prayed to Sirius for the untested gas to be as effective as Khronos claimed. With a gas mask covering my face, I counted down.

The moment Berriwott came within arm's reach I sprayed the gas in front of the man who g.r.o.a.n.e.d when some came into contact with his eyes. I mentally prepared to resort to force but as Berriwott's eyes closed, I thanked Khronos.

I caught the man before he hit the ground and felt my back strain. No, I wasn't out of shape. It's just that dragging an obese man about three times my weight without any warning pulled a muscle somewhere. Fortunately, it's nothing that my regeneration abilities won't fix. All preparations were done in advance which made my job a lot easier.

Dumping the deadweight on a chair and restraining him, I checked the knots. Rope tying wasn't my expertise but Nash pounded everything I needed to know at the very last moment so I wouldn't have to deal with an escaped captive. I never knew there were over two hundred ways to tie a bunch of ropes and I was certain more than half weren't even related to the mission at hand. Just to be on the cautious side, the ropes were made of special fibre strong enough to haul metal and cut into skin specially chosen by my mentor. He mentioned that even he would have some difficulty breaking out of it and if used on Berriwott the man wouldn't be getting anywhere. It's slightly overdone but I thanked my team for being so efficient. Khronos announced that the sound barriers were in place and that I could start when I was ready.

There was one other thing left before I started the interrogation. As expected, I found Rion's device worn around Berriwott's neck.

"The truth serum was improved. You'll be able to set conditions for the first five minutes once you inject it. It will put the person in a trance-like state, unable to defy you if you set your conditions right. Do you still remember what they are?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course, I did. "I got this. If I forget any, just whisper it in my ear like what you're doing. Can I wake him up and start the interrogation now?"

Khronos sighed but gave me the green light. Placing the vial of revolting chemicals under Berriwott's nose, the man spluttered to the land of the awake. Without waiting for him to collect his senses, I injected the truth serum quickly. Almost instantly the man fell into a trance-like state and I remembered to tune my voice using the vocal altering device Khronos prepared.

"Berriwott Emmerich." It sounded strange to my ears but I can understand why Khronos insisted on using such a voice. It was hypnotising.

The Parliament member looked around for the source of the voice. "Who are you?" He croaked and I smiled, glad for the camouflage.

"I am the Night Walker. You will answer every question I ask truthfully and spare no details."

He struggled against his restraints a little but I quickly set the second condition before he could come out of the trance.

"You will obey everything I say from this moment forth. You will cease struggling."

Immediately the struggling stopped and the glazed look returned.

"When you hear the word 'crimson' you will feel agonising pain from your head to your toes until you hear the word 'emerald'."

Khronos hummed in approval as I finished up the hypnosis. Normally, there would be an extra condition but seeing how rotten the man was, the extra condition wouldn't matter. After all, dead men tell no tales.

Once the glazed look cleared, panic began to set in. Berriwott started to struggle again when he noticed the ropes binding him.

"Help! Somebody help!"

"No one will help you, Berriwott Emmerich."

Spooked by the voice coming from nowhere, the roly-poly man glanced around to see if there was another person present. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed harshly when he found no one.

"Wh-who's there?"

"Nobody is here. I am inside your head. You will listen to what I say and answer my questions."

"And what if I don't?"

"I will hurt you."

The Parliament member chuckled nervously. "You can't do that if you're not here. I'm not afraid of you."

"Crimson."

There was an agonising scream as I watched the man spasm in pain, tearing at the ropes that cut into his arms, drawing ruby droplets. It was a good thing Khronos gave my normal sense of hearing back. I counted down from five and decided to spare the man.

"Emerald."

The pain ceased and the screams stopped while I let the frightened man catch his breath while still feeling clueless about what had transpired. The serum was working better than I expected. Khronos really outdid himself this time.

"Do you know about the human experimentation project in the Slums?"

Berriwott snorted but was stunned when the words flew out of his mouth.

"Yes."

He gaped like a fish and tried to correct it by denying vehemently.

"What is the human experimentation project all about?"

Again Berriwott tried to lie but his body betrayed him.

"Immortality."

Now that was unexpected.

"Explain."

Berriwott was looked more and more frightened as his mouth continued to divulge secrets without his consent.

"They are looking for an evolution or substitute of Pantiumite in order to provide energy for New-Man that can last forever."

"Who are the 'they' you speak of?"

Berriwott bit his bottom lip and the answer came out muffled.

"You will not attempt to keep silent when asked questions. Who are the 'they' you speak of?"

This time, Berriwott had tears streaming down his cheeks as he gave away the names of his accomplices.

"Janon Trueman, Lilith Malfoy, Vox Madero and Kalifa Zeidner."

Khronos hummed and I was honestly surprised. Janon struck me odd when he didn't bother to increase his security after the Night Walker's killing spree so I imagined he was innocent. Now that I had names, there was only one thing left to do.

"You will count to hundred after your ropes are undone before triggering the device Rion handed you. You will remain seated where you are and tell no one about what happened in this room."

With a quick twist of the blade, the ropes came undone and Berriwott looked absolutely traumatised. Almost instantly he started counting quickly and I started moving. The truth serum was something that I had mixed feelings about. On one hand, it was very convenient for the Night Walker but on the other hand, it would be terrible if others got hold of it.

Ignoring my internal debate, I informed Khronos there would be a change of plans. "I need to hit Janon up first before Kalifa. Let Team Night Walker know of the changes, I'll meet everyone at the base. We need a new plan."