"Why is it still— " He shot to his feet, a sharp pain came from the gash in his arm, "— Why can't I make it stop?!"
As he frantically waved his arms up and down, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, "Calm down, just calm down!"
He turned around, and saw the black-haired woman holding him, "Huh? What?! Marie?!"
"Don't worry. It's healing you. Your powers are healing you." Her voice calmed him down.
He paused, gulping as he looked at his own reconstructing flesh.
"Regeneration…" He shook his head, sweat pouring from his face, "Never mind that. You're alive… how… how are you alive?"
"Alive and kicking, no thanks to you." She released him and took a step back.
"But you're… you were shot in the… how did you…" A flurry of questions escaped his lips, only to stop himself and breathe in, "Sorry, I'm exhausted."
"I know. I saw everything. Your eyes, your speed, and your look just needs some oomph to it." She suddenly covered her mouth, letting out a giddy squeal.
His eyebrows furrowed, "I just tore a man's arm off, why do you sound so… excited?"
"I just sliced a man in half a few hours ago. But your eyes, now that's a rare sight." She watched with a proud smile, before coughing.
"Eyes? You mean… both?" He echoed back as he slowly placed his hand under his right eye, which was shimmering with the same azure glow as the left.
His attention shifted to the blue haze emanating from the torn flaps of his black coat.
Professor Tetsuya's words echoed in his head:
The other one will also turn blue in due time. And when that happens, your gifts will finally… oh my, I can hardly wait.
"Wait, no, we don't have time for this. We still need to escape. Can you still move?" His voice raised with urgency.
"It'll take more than a bullet to..." The dark-haired woman placed her hand on the back of her head, clawing something out. "Hngg…"
But as she forcefully pulled out her arm, she nearly toppled over.
Felix caught her, holding her upright with his wounded arm, "Don't worry, I'll keep you steady."
Looking into his glowing blue eyes, her expression changed to a wistful smile.
"Of course, you will." Her grip tightened, causing him to hiss in pain.
"Ahk…" He winced.
"Hold on to this, okay?" She placed a metal shard between in his hand.
"This is…" the bullet Harbinger had shot her with, "We need to get you to the Golden Lion…"
"Like I said, nothing leaves a scar on us." She pointed to his arm, flesh and muscles in slowly weaving back together.
Felix stared blankly at his own arm blankly, muttering, "We still need to get out of here."
"Before that…" She wobbled over to where Harbinger was, and got the drive back from his vest pocket, "I'll be taking this."
Her gaze shifted to Harbinger's gun, "So, should we eliminate him?"
"He's unconscious. Just let him die from blood loss." He leaned on one of the servers that were still standing.
"He might survive long enough for the guards to interrogate him."
"I'd rather not kill…" He lowered his gaze, "Not when it's unnecessary…"
"Eh, even after he shot me?" Her eyes narrowed with a cold smirk, watching him from the corner of her eye.
His lips parted, looking at the bloodstained bullet in his hand.
Harbinger's final scream.
That power… the Fallen Sun… The Child of Stars… It's you! You're the one he's afraid of!
"…Fine. Make it quick." He conceded, pocketing the bullet.
"Right." She kneeled down to Harbinger's level.
He looked away, opposite her direction, and stared out the window wall.
Maria picked up Harbinger's gun.
Felix watched the fireworks pop from the skyline, hearing the distant thud and crackle that came after.
From beneath his feet, he heard the distant sound of footsteps and doors opening from the lower floors. His face grew increasingly impatient.
The dark-haired woman coldly whispered, "A bulletproof vest gonna save you now."
"Marie, they're almost—"
He turned around and saw her kneeling down, the barrel of a gun placed inside Harbinger's mouth.
"Don't use a—"
Crack.
Harbinger's blood painted the servers. But the sound of her gun echoed to the lower floors, drawing the attention of the guards below.
"I heard gunshot!", "Gunfire!", "It came from up there!"
Chinese shouts could be heard just beneath their feat, rushing to their location.
"Oops…" She smiled.
"Honestly took them long enough…" Felix pinched his nose, almost resigned, before raising his voice again, "Why didn't you use your knife? I thought they were your specialty!" He shouted under his breath, trying his best to keep himself not signal their location.
"I ran out!" She argued.
"And you didn't think to use a silencer?!"
"It was his gun!"
"You're pinning the blame on the dead man?!"
While the two of them bickered, Felix could hear footsteps rushing to their direction.
He lifted his pistol towards the door, hands barely steady. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was fading fast. He could barely stay awake, much less continue to fight.
"Did we get what we came here for?"
"Yeah, everything's in this drive." She nodded.
"Then we have to go."
"Right!" She turned towards the exit.
But he grabbed her by the arm, "We can't go through that door, they're on their way."
"Then what if we jumped through the hole?" She pointed to the blast mark left by the explosion.
"No, there are still guards climbing up. We'll be surrounded."
Felix scanned the room, looking for an exit. But there were no doors, nor vents. They were trapped.
He then lifted his pistol, aiming at the entrance, but his arm quivered too much, dropping.
"I'm all out of fight…" His hands pressed against his knees.
"I'll handle it." Maria replied, picking up Harbinger's gun.
He then noticed his own blue eyes glowing in the reflection, shifting his gaze to the window wall, where a hole was whistling straight down the middle.
Beyond the window, something long and golden flew across — another dragon drone. He glanced down and saw the rooftop of a nearby building. He pulled out his pistol, shooting the window several times, "Grappling hook! Now!"
"It blew up!" Maria shouted back.
Just outside the door, the remaining guards stood in horror. Frozen and sickened at the corpses Harbinger left in the hall just outside the server room.
"Men, get ready!" The head guard ordered, and the men lined their rifles towards the door. With a nervous expression, the head guard slowly moved towards the door with an ID card.
Felix's heart pounded, the heavy sound beating against his ears. He holstered his gun and picked up Maria in his arms.
"Wh-what are you—?" Her expression was flushed with a mix of both shock and fright.
"How high could the top floor be?" He nervously laughed, taking a few steps back.
"No, no you aren't!" She protested.
With Maria in his arms, he bolted towards the broken window, blue energy bursting beneath his feet.
The door opened, and the head guard immediately spotted them, "There they are!"
Bullets started flying in the two agent's direction, destroying what remained of server room.
"After them!" They charged, only for the onyx table to block their path.
"No time!" Felix shouted, Maria clung tightly to him.
His iron-clad heel struck.
— Crash.
Other guards climbed over the onyx table, others pushed it out of the way. As they ran through the ruins of the server room, the head guard nearly fell into the hole into the center.
"Whoa— Stop!" He signaled.
Glass shards grabbed their attention, and they all looked forward. All that was left to greet them was a blue firework popped in the center of the shattered window.