Hezekiah focused on her, keeping his breath steady. Heated sweat plagued his face as he fought against the sudden fatigue.

  "I never inhaled the perfume, and if it was contact alone, the effects shouldn't be this drastic," he breathed.

  "The substance is quite special, much like that eye of yours."

  Great, another Huska Tool? Does everyone have one these days?

  "Originally, I wasn't going to use this, but—when Cevine and Jin didn't report back on their device, they investigated the audio recordings that automatically transmit to HQ, and weren't you quite the talent?"

  Hezekiah straightened himself up. "Not sure, lucky would be more accurate."

  "Really? Taking down two Black Flowers that possessed Huska Tools was a fluke?" She twirled the blade before darting it towards his head.

  He leaned just enough to let it whizz past him as it struck a light post. Damn! That burned a lot of energy. If it wasn't for the eye lens slowing the speed down, my weakened condition would've left me with a nasty cut.

  "Crap! Just die already!" she shouted, slamming her palm on the railing. "Do you have any idea how much I PREPARED just to make sure I didn't screw up!?"

  Hezekiah covertly dug his hand into his pocket, grabbing one of the cards from the deck. The other half remained untouched in his other pocket.

  She must have an antidote. Her method of assassination is risky without one, especially considering how close she was. The question is how should I obtain it?

  Turning the pen into flames and killing her wouldn't be difficult, and although that would probably destroy the antidote, he could cure himself with the Custom Boundary.

  But that's not necessary. Even though the Organization means nothing now, a certain pride ignited when he was caught off guard. Killing her isn't enough, he has to prove why he was one of the best.

  "You think you got it all figured out? Cockiness is usually our downfall." He stated.

  "It's caution, not arrogance."

  She whipped a gun from her bag, aiming at his head. "I know the metallic lens can't track a bullet, and in your condition, it's hopeless. In fact, I could walk away right now, and you'll still turn into a corpse."

  "Then why not walk off? Doing any more than this will definitely draw a crowd."

  "Your corpse is needed back at HQ, to prove to Dynas that you are indeed Hezekiah. Even he's clueless I'm one of the eight tasked to erase you."

  "So the Vice Head thinks I'm the imposter? Thought he was smarter than that, but I can guess what probably happened."

  His stomach suddenly knotted, the chemicals that seeped into his skin still swam through his bloodstream. It was like a bee stinging his organs, though he didn't show it.

  Her finger rubbed against the trigger, her gun twitching. "Gnats, you're such an inconvenience!!" Hezekiah watched the gun leave his head, now aimed in the air. "I mean, how am I supposed to carry you without being seen!? Screw it all, you're better off in the river!"

  She pulled the trigger, a screeching cry of a seagull followed, before falling by Hezekiah's feet. Blood filled the cracks of the concrete, its chest heaved, feathers still fluttering.

  Irva rummaged through her bag, popping a bottle full of pills with one hand. "It makes my blood boil just thinking about them, and then there's you, always pretending you're a step ahead. It's sickening!"

  Is she stupid? The gun may have a silencer, but you're still in the city! Is she going through an episode?

  "Are you done rambling? Either way, I'm not thrilled about visiting death again, but I must ask, how confident are you with that gun?"

  She aimed the gun at his head again after digesting the pills. "Make any sudden movements and you'll find out. At first I was going to put you out of your misery, but since you want to pretend you're still in control, it'll be a pleasure to watch The Tank die slowly."

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  No sudden movements? Hezekiah firmed his grip around the card. If I make it too obvious I might actually die, and more small talk will kill any time I have left.

  After watching his sweat drip against the ground, he launched the card.

  Irva shifted to the left, her lips arched as it flew past her. "You think I didn't see you playing in your pockets."

  Hezekiah's eyes widened as she pulled the trigger. He hastily raised his arms against his head as the gun fired.

  Blood flew through the air as Hezekiah collapsed to the ground. Blood smeared his forehead as droplets oozed down to his cheek.

  Irva reloaded the gun. "It's a shame, but the outcome was expected. It was your confidence that led you to your death."

  A compressed bullet lay beside Hezekiah. Excitement coursed through her.

  If he was listening, the audio recordings of Cevine and Jin were transmitted to HQ. His clothing potentially being Huska Tools isn't a secret. Still, the fact they were strong enough to stop a bullet is impressive, but why is there so much blood on him? The bullet didn't penetrate, so he's obviously playing dead, and his sleeves don't look damaged either.

  The last thing she was going to do was step closer to him and be ambushed. She aimed at his head one last time.

  "You overestimated your—aughh!!" The purse dropped. A sharp burning sting erupted from her ear, warm liquid rushed out as she clasped her wound.

  She gently opened her eyes, seeing half her ear severed on the sidewalk. "How...?"

  Hezekiah pushed off the ground with immense speed. Irva clenched her teeth, gaining distance a moment too late—he was too close. She swiveled the gun and fired, grazing his shoulder.

  He grabbed the gun, jabbing another red-edged card into her stomach.

  She groaned and grabbed his wrist, fighting to pull it out. Blood slithered from the cut. "Curse you!!" She pulled the trigger repeatedly, deafening their ears as bullets fired in the air.

  Hezekiah winced, already resisting the urge not to pass out. The antidote has to be in her purse!

  Irva, noticing his strength waning, dug her nails into his wrist, drawing blood.

  "F*ck." He head-butted her with full force, scattering her mind, soon followed by a kick to the gut. The gun glided onto the street as she rolled against the concrete. She coughed saliva.

  Her wounded ear continued to drip beside her. She saw him digging through her bag, finally noticing another card by his feet, stained in red.

  It's about where I was standing when my ear was cut... He put a spin on a card to make it come back!?

  Her knuckles curled. It wasn't supposed to go like this. There was a reason why she was selected for this without the Vice Head's knowledge, and dying here would be the last message she sent.

  Hezekiah emptied out the contents of the bag. The purse held many miniature containers, none hinting at what they contained.

  His strength dwindled at a rapid rate. But he had to make each second count.

  None of them have labels except for the one she sprayed with, but it has to be one of them.

  Recklessly consuming them is risky, but at this rate he might not have a choice. But picking the wrong one could mean instant death. It also doesn't help that they all come in a myriad of colors.

  Is the pen the only choice!? No! I refuse to—

  "You'd rather remain silent and gamble your life? What about your sister? Don't you have to save her? But yet here you are, fighting to protect your bruised ego."

  The words of the Nurse briefly echoed through his memory. Why am I thinking about this now!?

  His sight locked onto Irva. She had yet to move, only watching him search.

  Why isn't she doing anything?

  "If you don't tell me where the antidote is, I'll take you with me."

  "As if you have time to do that! Why don't you come here and try!"

  Hezekiah cursed inwardly. Even if he tried to, she wouldn't just sit there, and I might risk getting overpowered myself at this point.

  What haven't I tried yet? I need information, but she won't talk. Wait...

  He remembered why he wanted to follow her to begin with, and it was to learn as much as he could about her, especially using the eye lens.

  Perform External Analysis

  —Type: Human—

  —Physical Conditions: Alive—Severely Injured—Extensive Bleeding—

  —Mental Conditions: Anxious, Uncertain, Afraid, Hopeful—

  That's it!? I'll have to make the most of it and quick.

  He looked down at the bag. A cluttered mess of liquids danced within. Usually, one antidote and one bottle of poison are carried. If not labeled, you would be able to tell by the colors which one is which. But she didn't have that here. And there's no need to have this many poison or antidote bottles.

  What the hell was she planning on doing if she got caught in the toxic gas? You can't find the antidote like this!? Hell, I can only see clearly because of the eye lens!

  He scanned the containers in confusion until it finally clicked. It was never her intention to search through this bag for the antidote—it was to waste his time. It was likely not even in here.

  "Still trying to resist? Face it, you never had a chance."

  "I'll admit, you were a bigger pain in the ass than I thought you'd be, but you overlooked one thing."

  He picked up two random bottles before making his way toward her.

  Her face soured. She attempted to raise herself, but the card in her gut dug deeper. If I pull it out now, I'll bleed out.

  Hezekiah chuckled. "It's been a long time since I had to do something like this. I wonder how much you can take before coughing up the real one."