Mark deduced through the photo that the culprit was not his grandfather. The man would not resort to these underhanded methods. It was clear that the culprits only sought to extort benefits from him. The only other group that came to mind was The Blazing Hand. He wondered how they had discovered the fact that he was Specter.
The young man knew that if he gave in to their demands, he would never see his mother or Melly. Something had to be done, but he could not do it alone. His First choice was his grandfather; he dialed the number, but it went straight to voicemail. With a frustrated expression, he dialed his second choice.
Jack answers his comm-pad without delay. "Mark, we have been trying to reach you for a while now. Are you OK?"
Mark answered, his tone was grave. Both anger and worry were present in his voice."I am OK, Jack. By your tone, I guess you already know what happened. Do you know where Grandpa Bart is? His comm-pad appears to be off."
Jack noticed his dark mood. It was understandable under the circumstances. The burly man answered Mark's question. "Your grandfather was headed to the Ravens' Nest. Bart left his comm-pad here at my shop. He went to look for backup to rescue your Mom and Melly."
Mark told Jack the contents of the message, and the young man also shared his suspicions. "The Blazing Hand took them, I'm sure of it. They sent me a message addressed to Specter... I don't know how they know about me. Maybe I should have been more careful, but they know who I am."
Jack confirmed his suspicions. Given their connections, both he and Mark's grandfather had acquired more information. "We knew it was them. After what happened, we contacted our friend at the security company, who let us watch the attack recordings. We recognize some of the men from the ambush at the alleyway."
Mark spoke to Jack about his situation. "We have a problem on my end. Due to the System repairs, I don't have access to my inventory. At the moment, I am stuck at the Institute, and they won't let me go until a family member comes to get me."
After hearing about Mark's situation, Jack got worried. The young man sounded desperate, and desperate people make awful mistakes. Worried about the young man, the burly man asks about his plans. "How do you plan to face these creeps if you don't have your armor?"
While Mark was desperate to save both his mother and Melly, he had not yet lost all reason. The young man was counting on the repairs to be done soon. "I know, Jack, but what can I do? I'm not willing to let Melly and Mom suffer for my actions. Besides, it's not like I have lost access to the system forever; I just need to hold on until I get the system back."
Jack sought to calm the young man. If he were like his grandfather, nothing good would come if he lost patience. "Mark, I will use an old method I know to call Bart at the Ravens' Nest. In the meantime, please don't do anything stupid. It is best if you wait for your system to finish the repairs. Right now, we all need you to be patient."
Mark shared his frustrations; he needed an outlet. His voice trembled as the words left his mouth. "Jack, this happened because of me. If we had taken these men out instead of just knocking them out, this would have never happened. Also, I was too naive and got careless. It was stupid to think that the conflict with the Blazing Hand would never touch my family."
The burly man heard Mark speak. It was clear that he blamed himself. While he might be right, it was not the time for regrets. To shake him from the mental state he was in, Jack shared a possibility with him. "Look, Mark, nothing good ever comes from second-guessing your choices. Killing them then would have escalated the conflict. Your mother and sister could have been killed instead of kidnapped. At least now, they can be saved."
Jack's words gave Mark a small comfort. The burly man was right; it was not time for regrets. The young man needed to act. His first step was getting out of the Institute. While this could mean expulsion, it was a necessary risk to save his loved ones. He thanked Jack for helping him set matters into focus. "You are right, Uncle Jack, thank you for giving me some clarity. Tell my grandfather about the Kramer industrial complex. I will be heading there."
The burly man worried about him. After all, they planned to trap Mark, and with his mother and sister as hostages, they would try to make him work for them. "Are you sure? You will be falling into the enemies hand."
Mark understood Jack's concerns. However, he was confident in Bart and the Ravens that his grandfather had been training. "I need to buy time for Grandpa and the rest of the Ravens to arrive. Tell them to bring some of the Claws. It's time these goons understand the difference in our strength."
The call ended soon after. Mark's mind was set, and he walked to the window of the Director's office. As he opened the window, the young man saw that he was on the fourth floor. The distance down could seriously hurt or even kill normal people, but he was not normal. Even without the system, his enhanced body could tolerate a fall like this without issue.
Mark carefully watched his surroundings. By now, the lunch break had ended, and students were in class. Making sure no one was around, he jumped off and landed on the first floor. He then moved to the back fence of the complex. The 3-meter-tall wall was less of an issue than the fall from the fourth floor.
At the Blazing Hand compound, Rachel woke up. Her head hurt, and as she tried to get up, she found that her hands were tied behind her back. Looking around, she saw various things lying about, but Melly was nowhere to be found. She appears to be in some sort of warehouse. There was an assortment of broken machines, crates, and other parts and equipment strewn about the poorly lit space. She even saw a group of broken droids on one of the corners.
From behind, the woman heard the voices of unknown men. "It was about time she woke up. Maybe now we can have some fun with her."
Another voice came from behind the woman. "I swear, the lower members we have now are no better than mongrels. You will do no such thing. If I caught you doing something without orders, I will skin you myself."
The woman felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the first man's voice. She did not know who these men were, nor did she have any idea what they wanted. At the moment, she was desperate to know what had happened to Melly. She spoke, forcing her voice out of her mouth. "Where is my daughter!? What have you done to her!?"
The first voice answered her. Don't worry, Doll, your girl is just sleeping. For some reason, the top dogs don't want her to wake up. After what happened at the house, I don't blame them. If it were up to me, I would send the little freak to a permanent dirt nap.
The other man spoke next. "Stop your useless japing; there is no need to talk to the hostage." It was clear that these two men were at odds with one another.
Rachel did not give in to desperation; that was not the kind of woman she was. If there were a way out of this, she would find it. Looking around once more, she steered her eyes to the group of broken droids. The woman could also feel the tool belt still at her waist; the goons had not taken it off. Apparently, these were not a threat to them. Rachel decided to take advantage of their oversight; a plan was brewing in her mind.
At the Ravens Nest, Bart had been gathering a force to mount a rescue. He explained to them that the Blazing Hand had attacked and kidnapped the family of one of Specter's associates. After hearing this, the Ravens started to gear up for war. Bart decided to take six Raven Claws and a contingent of their best men. The rest would remain and defend the facility.
During the day, these men collected scrap and junk so the machines at the Nest could produce raw materials. At night, they trained until exhaustion. This routine broke many of them; the intensity was overwhelming. However, the ones who prevailed became the best group the Ravens could offer. While only a few weeks had passed since the formation of the Ravens, they had transformed into a competent group.
The men Bart chose armed themselves with weapons made from recycled materials and the blueprints Mark had saved. These were the designs from the old owner of Rachel's Droid Boutique; however, the young man used his skills to improve upon them. The Ravens' elite were all eager to put their recent training and new gear to the test.
They used three of the trucks to load the demi-mechs. These trucks had been recently repaired and refurbished; their shabby looks were a thing of the past. The Ravens' logo, which was a Ravens claw grabbing a star, was painted with pride on either side of the containers. Each truck carried two Claws, their pilots, and 12 armed men.
Bart was at the forefront of everything. Barking orders, setting up groups, and sorting the equipment of the small force. From inside his Spartan MK1, he directed the whole affair. The man acted with confidence, as if he had done this hundreds of times.
Suddenly, the comm system embedded in the helmet of Bart's armor flared. His old friend Jack contacted him using an old, untraceable method they had learned during their years of service. The burly man relayed the information Mark gave. With a location now in mind, the Ravens start to mobilize. Their destination is the Kramer Industrial Complex, south of the City.
In a mansion on the outskirts of Berant City, a middle-aged woman walked with hasty steps. She opens an ostentatious door and enters a dark room. Inside, the woman walks beside a luxurious bed and speaks in a trembling voice. "Miss Athena, something terrible has happened; you need to wake up."
A form started to move from beneath the fancy covers, and a female voice complained. "It's not even one in the afternoon yet, can't this wait until three at least?"
The middle-aged woman spoke. urging the woman in bed to wake from her slumber. "Miss Athena, it's the girl you have been talking about. Something terrible has happened."
Athena rose quickly upon hearing the middle-aged woman's words. Her golden eyes glowed in the dimly lit room, while her disheveled white hair bounced in every direction. The woman spoke with a commanding tone. "Nora, tell me what happened!"
Nora wasted no time and related what she knew. "The people from the Velvet Room called. They said that the girl is in danger. She has been kidnapped along with the woman who has been taking care of her."
Her eyes filled with anger. For a moment, she asked herself why. She had met with the girl for only a few days, but her feelings defy her reasoning. Deep down, instincts she had forgotten stirred and urged her to act. Athena tossed a command to her servant. "Prepare the isolation pod, and be quick about it."
Nora answered without delay. "Yes, ma'am." Then the middle-aged woman quickly leaves the room.
As her attendant exits the bed chamber, Athena puts on a silk bathrobe and fixes her hair. She exits her room and walks down a hallway, turning onto a metal door. The woman enters the space, where Nora and two other women are pouring water and other unknown substances onto a circular pod-like device. As the chemicals mixed with the water, the liquid inside turned black while one of the women stirred the mixture.
Once the vat was fully mixed, Athena walked up to the pod-like device. With a practiced motion, she takes off her clothes, letting them fall to her feet. One of her attendants supported the woman as she stepped onto the pod and lay in the vat. Only her face showed above the level of the liquid.
Athena moves her eyes and looks at Nora, the middle-aged woman, who was awaiting her next command. "Seal the pod. I will let you know when I'm done."
Nora answered as she moved to fulfill her mistress's request. "Yes, Ma'am, please be careful." After the attendant followed her order, the lid started to slide. A metallic screech drowned all other noise.
Once sealed, the inside of the chamber became isolated from the outside world; there was no noise or distractions. The only things Athena could hear were the sound of her beating heart and the blood flowing through her veins. She began breathing in the same way she had instructed Melly. The woman started to concentrate, trying to feel the golden-eyed girl's presence.
While Athena felt the girl's beating heart, her mind was not present. This lack of response meant that she was unconscious. She could not aid Melly this way. Looking for a solution, she turned to the person the golden-eyed girl admires the most, her big brother.
Mark was inside a sky-cab moving towards the Kramer Industrial Complex. He was thinking of ways to distract the members of the blazing hand. All of a sudden, A shadow materializes in front of him. The dark contours of the shadow were accentuated by the two golden eyes that shone inside the outline of the shadow's face.
The dark figure spoke without sound; the voice was being projected into his mind. "Don't be Afraid, I'm a friend of Melly's."
Although Mark was taken by surprise, he knew what lay before him. The figure felt the same way as Aurora's projection. He uttered the words without thinking. "This is a Psychic projection."