Chapter 773: Finally, A lead.
Garrison didn’t hear him. He clutched his head. "Too hot...too loud...too dark." Then he screamed, as if he was drowning in his own mind, as fire continued to seep out of his pores in ways the pyrokinetics had never seen before.
"Garrison," Vexi screamed.
The answer was an explosion.
A wave of flames that erupted, blasting in every direction with the fury of a dying star. Garrison’s body became a furnace, every hole, a vent for destruction. The screams of the men closest to him were swallowed by the inferno. Their belongings vaporized in an instant. The dry grass turned to ash. The fire consumed everything it touched.
Garrison laughed.... or to those that were escaping, the fire was laughing through Garrison. The man was gone, consumed by the blaze. What remained was only hunger, only heat.
And above, hundreds of Watchers circled, screeching in joy as they bathed in the glow of the flames.
****
The hunt for Cobra was still ongoing, days after it started, and quite frankly, it was starting to feel like chasing a ghost through a fog machine.
Vortan had scorched every contact in his encrypted ledger. Nine had asked the right questions to his connections. Sunshine had tapped into back-channels she didn’t even know she had. The results? A whole lot of nothing. Every "Cobra" they found turned out to be an impersonator looking for a quick buck or a decoy by Cobra himself designed to lead them into a dead-end.
It was no wonder people called the man a shadow. Grasping at him like was like grasping at one.
Sunshine was beyond exhausted. It wasn’t the physical kind of tired; it was the mental drain. She felt like a coiled spring with nowhere to bounce.
To make matters worse, Vortan had put his foot down about her attempt to close the final rift. Which was a gamble, considering she lacked the ability to do so. According to him, the watchers thought she was dead and so did the Noxians. He wanted to keep it that way for a while.
Meanwhile, around the base, she used an illusion mask to go around as someone else. In fact, Father Nicodemus had conducted a funeral for her and Hades had declared two days of mourning. Most of the residents that were not in the inner circle were not aware of the fact that she was alive and well.
Meanwhile, Sunshine was stuck in her training space, failing a simulation of a giant rift for the fifth time in an hour.
[Concentration levels at 44%]" the system chirped unhelpfully.
"Shut up," Sunshine snapped, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I mean, I know system...I am just too worried to focus."
She was about to go for a sixth attempt when a red icon flashed in her vision.
[Incoming call: Bjorn.]
Sunshine sighed, deactivated the simulation, and sat on the floor. Bjorn had been very occupied and unavailable. "Patch her through."
Bjorn’s face appeared. They spent the first ten minutes doing business. It was mundane, normal and boring. The task had become something like brushing her teeth every day or taking a nap. There was no excitement that once existed when she was just starting out.
As they were wrapping up, Sunshine took a deep breath. "Hey, Bjorn. Random question. You ever heard of a sketchy guy named Cobra?"
Bjorn’s expression didn’t just change; it fell off a cliff. She frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "The information merchant?"
"That’s the one," Sunshine said, her heart skipping a beat.
Bjorn went quiet. Sunshine could hear what sounded like tapping on a wall or desk for a long, agonizing minute.
"Why would you be looking for the shadow of the galaxy? What kind of confidential information are you searching for or selling?" Bjorn finally asked.
Sunshine looked her dead in the eye. "My life and the safety of Earth depend on me finding out who’s pulling his strings."
Bjorn blew out a long breath, looking suddenly older. "If it’s that serious... I have no option but to arrange a meeting. I can’t have my favorite grain merchant losing her life."
Sunshine’s brows almost launched off her face. She sat bolt upright. "Wait, are you serious? You actually know how to reach him?"
"I know him," Bjorn said grimly. "I can arrange the meeting right now. Of course, I have to make some guarantees. Are you sure you are willing and ready to meet him?"
"I was ready yesterday!" Sunshine exclaimed. "I have two people I want to bring as backup. I hope that you understand."
Bjorn shook her head. "No. One. At most. Cobra is a paranoid, twitchy creature. If you show up with many people, he’ll vanish into the shadows before you even get a chance to talk. One person."
Sunshine nodded, her brain already sorting between Nine and Vortan. Nine was talkative and useless in awkward moments. Vortan was a cold-blooded professional, there was no choosing needed at all, she was safer with Vortan.
"One it is," Sunshine said.
"Good. Meet at this address," Bjorn said, uploading a set of coordinates to her system. "5:00 PM, Acacia time. Don’t be early, and definitely don’t be late. Cobra hates people who waste his time so you have to be fast. He never stays in one place for more than two minutes."
"I’ll be there," Sunshine promised.
The call ended, and Sunshine felt a sudden surge of adrenaline that made the previous hours of exhaustion vanish. She didn’t waste a second.
"System, get me Vortan on a secure line. Now."
[Connecting...]
"Vortan," Sunshine said as soon as his face appeared on her screen. "Cancel your plans for dinner. We finally have a date with the shadow of the galaxy."
Vortan’s eyes narrowed. "You found a lead?"
"Better," Sunshine smirked. "My acquaintance Bjorn is setting up a meeting with Cobra right now. It will happen tonight. He said I can only bring one person and you won the jackpot."
Vortan let out a dry, clicking sound that passed for a laugh. "Nine would indeed be a liability."
"Vortan?" Sunshine said before he could hang up.
"Yes?"
"If this is a trap..."
"Sunshine," Vortan said, his voice dropping to a low, cold rasp. "It could be. But it better not, for the sake of your acquaintance. Cobra is quick when it comes to escaping but I am quicker when it comes to killing. I won’t spare your friend too if he double crosses us."
Sunshine nodded and cut the call and went to prepare herself. The first thing she put in her pocket was a doom wand pro max. "Thank you Ala." She whispered.
She did pause for a moment, frightened by the rate at which she was becoming too comfortable with using a weapon of mass destruction.
But, when she considered what was at stake, she kicked morality out of the door. This was a fight for her life. Who needed morals?