The newcomers were the representative delegates of the committee led by Ashley.
They were definitely determined to prevent the war from happening after hearing Alys’ story about the recent events.
Ashley went down her motorbike and walked to Sen Maa Kloud:
- Step out of this for now. Let us talk a bit with them.
On the opposite side the squad officer chuckled:
- Know of your place it’s too late for talking.
Ashley shot glance at him:
- Hellmet Pitsbulk is responsible for everything, right? If so he has to be bring to justice to pay for his crimes.
- It’s none of your business. We’re in state of war you know.
- I know so well. Why do you think we’ve come all the way here for? Now that we’ve get a chance to arrest Hellmet Pitsbulk before he could follow through his ambition of taking control over the world we won’t step back so easily.
- Who do you think you are to threaten the regime?
- Who do you think you are to have shattered democracy by killing the Prime minister?
- You insolent… !
Ashley lifted a hand:
- Calm down and stop it. You do admit you’re acting as irresponsible children, don’t you?
You know you’re guilty but you will never surrender.
The man blushed of anger and turned to his soldiers:
- What are you waiting for to open fire?
- Yes sir!
Ten rifles took aim at Ashley. Sen Maa Kloud couldn’t help to intervene:
- You shouldn’t have meddled in this war. Provoking them recklessly means to be dead meat even before the real fight has begun.
Ashley smirked slightly:
- Choose your side. I’m only telling the truth but apparently it is too difficult to admit and too heavy to bear. That’s why I’ll make things clear.
She looked back at the boulevard behind the battlefield. All the looks turned to the direction of her gaze. A Jeep was crossing the distance fast in the horizon lifting a huge dust cloud from the ground.
When the military car stopped abruptly everyone could recognize Isha as the conductor.
- Wh- wha- what the heck? the Official officer stammered.
Isha slammed violently the car door and stood next to Ashley:
- Are you surprised? I have demissionned from my job of mandated healer.
- Who gave you the right to do that? The medical squad belongs to the army so until I’d grant you this favour you’re still under the government’s orders.
- Do you think I’ll submit to whatever I’m asked to manage? I was considering so right after I’ve got out jail not to make trouble but lately I’ve changed my mind.
- Have you ever thought it could be considered as an act of treachery? The consequences will be even worse for you and your family than you can ever imagine.
- I won’t surrender because you’re using blackmail on me.
The Official gave the green light to his men to fire the vehicle like that they would make sure the other side was out of supplies.
Isha gritted her teeth. At any cost the car and its passengers had to be protected.
She took off her medical white coat revealing a gun hanging at her belt.
She unchained the holster and pointed the weapon at the military:
- One bullet into this vehicle, you’re a dead man!
- You threaten me, don’t you? Why are you making such mess? Can’t you admit your helplessness? Because armed with this toy you won’t harm anyone you know.
Isha gulped but didn’t loose her countenance:
- I’m responding to my own will and my inner voice told me your men would attack the Lonesome basement sooner or later. What did I do in that case? What I was supposed to do as a responsible healer during war, protecting and healing the civilians no matter they are political opponents or simply citizens.
- Hmph it’s ridiculous. Willing to save everyone is wishful a war is often won by doing a few sacrifices.
Isha ignored that hint of sarcasm, her finger put on the trigger.
Ashley grabbed her wrist with conciliation to force her to let hold of the gun:
- It’s not that way we’ll get the chance to win by stiring up their anger. All you’ll gain is to be the first to die.
Isha trembled. She remembered the vision of Hitori lied in his own blood. Him several years before bowed on bended knee to her feet for being helpless what was not a crime.
Her foolhardiness gave out. The gun slipped off her hands and fell on the ground.
The officer looked condescendingly at her. He knew in what consisted her main weakness.
She loved deeply that man named Hitori, so deeply that she was ready to endure the worst torment to save his life.
He ordered the Official military unit to launch the first assault.
Knowing Hitori in mortal danger because of Hellmet Pitsbulk’s selfishness stirred up the anger and the resentment of Isha.
On the Lonesome side she was the first to open fire.
Hellmet Pitsbulk watched the scene with satisfaction from the roof of the Pitsbulk Estate Building. Everything was going according to his plan.
On the exchequer almost all the expected pieces were set in place. The rest depended on the battle’s outcome but he wasn’t worrying too much. If everything went well as planified his henchmen were sure to win.
The adversay side should better surrender. The white king was missing ever since the game has begun. The other pieces were playing a mere puppet show.
Ever since he was a child Hitori was considered as an impossible boywonder.
He was rebellious and refused to submit to any kind of authority.
He was a little genius but also a great slacker. Nothing annoyed more his mother than his average school results: if he had worked harder he would have attend a great politics institute but Hitori was an effortless student highly bored by school.
Or else…
The death of his father must have traumatized him. It happened the day of his twenties birthday on July 14th, 2030.
July 14th, 2030:
It happened in the middle of the day during a press conference at the presidential palace.
It had been so sudden, the matter of a few minutes that shattered the last foundations of the so fragile and peaceful world mankind used to live in.
The Prime minister was such a dedicate person for the sake of the citizens, always concerned about spreading the good around him. His benevolence was definitely selfless.
So why did he got killed in the end?
That was the question that still lingered on everyone’s lips over the time.
No matter ideas or political standings most people loved him because of his caring personality. Thanks to his great sense of diplomacy now the country had stopped going on war at every opportunity to seek for new ressources and therefore regained peace and prosperity for long, in another way.
That’s why it provoked a true shock when the gunshot blew. A single hit yet precise and neat. There were so many people that it was impossible to determine where it came from.
Obviously the meeting had been immediately suspended, the crowd evacuated as fast as possible. Panic had spread what made it hard to solve the case rationally.
In the following days a national mourning period has been settled until the murderer had been found.
Politicians and esteemed private detectives were clueless since any terrorist activism has claimed the murder. During that period all flights and trains going abroad were cancelled.
In that special circumstances, border checkings were carried out more regularly than usual.
It was in that tensed, delicate political context that Hellmet Pitsbulk made a comeback.
He had set a subtle stageplay to win the trust and the sympathy of the high sphere of politics once again.
He used to be a mediatized personality. He was an ambitious would-be minister in his early thirties young, go ahead and seductive.
It was said he was so far the most capable person to take the title of Prime minister.
Yet he has been put aside the political stage because of his controversal positions he symbolized the changing being the figurehead of the new political generation.
Ten years older than Hitori he was sure to have no troublesome competitor to get across the way.
In any case according to appearances Hitori didn’t seem to show an interest in becoming the next Prime minister for the time being.
He was rumoured to be a lazy student that would never get the chance to attend any political institute and things were convenient that way. Hellmet Pitsbulk would get enough time to carry out his plan.
However it appeared witnessing helplessly the murder had changed Hitori to the deep.
Him who used to be a shy slacker revealed his true self.
Instead of becoming a real serious competitor he chose civil disobedience.
He was well aware he could never overcome Hellmet Pitsbulk but was not blind about the would-be minister’s ambition. Everything was false in his gentle smile, his concerned words.
His only aim was to sit down behind the presidential desk one day.
Hitori couldn’t state why but already had a very bad feeling about that guy who was seeking greedily for more power than just being the future Prime minister.
A lack of resolve was of no good too much ambition could twist a man’s heart.
In the case of Hellmet Pitsbulk crawling fast and successfully through political ladders to indulge his consuming thirst for acknowledgement had perverted him.
At first it didn’t appear clear, politically nothing much happened within the following months.
That’s what remained before Hitori met Isha.
Should they have met?
They met quite awkwardly in the middle of December sat on a bench.
He was drinking a glass of hot wine.
She was sat on the other side reading a medicine book.
He checked his phone.
She looked eagerly at her watch
Both were waiting for something or else someone.
- Who do we have here? a shifty voice chuckled.
Hitori startled. He didn’t turn around though just in case one could recognize him.
- Aren’t you Isha?
Hitori gulped. Surely it was a policeman from the political police speaking
- Be careful a price may have been put on your head.
- Leave me in peace I have no interest in making trouble regarding the government.
- Ow why are you suddenly so strong headed? Why don’t you just come with us to talk a bit?
- I did say I’m not intending to cause trouble.
- Fast said. Come on.
Hitori gritted his teeth. By dint of squeezing his fists the glass he held exploded.
- You dare bothering an innocent woman? He mumbled. What sense of justice is this?
- Huh?
- What?
Hitori turned around to face his interlocutor.
The policeman looked with a quizzical eye at that young man dressed in dark clothes wearing sunglasses at the beginning of winter. He smirked:
- Know of your place little brat, I am the law. Strange that I feel like your face is familiar, who are you?
- Does it matter to know who I am? Think of me as a casual university student going out after class, that’s all.
- Is that so?
- Geez it can’t be helped then I’ll introduce myself to make things clear between us. If you’re the law I’m the power.
- What nonsense is that?
Hitori took off his sunglasses to reveal his olive green eyes.
- Your higher ups will be pleased to know how lucky you are to have bumped into me by hazard. I have to tell them something really important.
- What are you talking about?
- Name: Hitori Kokuboheki. Age: 20. Reward? 100 000$ dead or alive. That is what the research notice says. The one said to be a lazy, careless student son of the late Prime minister Kokuboheki stands before you and won’t surrender so easily.
- Stop kidding me!
Hitori held his breath to remain calm but lost his countenance:
- Do you think I’m kidding? Do you think I would have been enough selfish not to raise my voice when I witness abusive arrestations? My answer is a twice no I’m not a coward nor an opportunist.
- Well then the young lady can make her way. But you Hitori Kokuboheki you’re under arrest for being a bothersome troublemaker.
What seemed another casual day turned out for Hitori to be the right time to make a choice that was going to turn his life upside down for the better.
He absolutely shall make himself the attorney of the citizens, using his name and his fame to fight for their sake and their cause.
It was a hard and heavy task to handle but whatever given he had to raise his voice just in time before Hellmet Pitsbulk had achieved his Machiavellian plan for obtaining the full leadership of the country.
After thinking hard he came to the conclusion he couldn’t fight alone. He had to find followers who shared his will for change and his moral standings to be credible.
That was how on what purpose he brought to life the Lonesome revolutionary later on.
July 15th, 2040:
Thinking about it twice, how could things came to the point of nearly provoking a civil war?
That was not what he was looking for nor he was fighting for.
He turned to look at Alys and winced because of the pain. She startled and laced an arm around his neck to let him rest against her shoulder.
- How are you feeling? She inquired gently.
He didn’t answer right away. Obviously he was in pain. Fortunately he has been entrusted between the hands of benevolence.
Yet guiltiness still consumed him. Why was he not fighting at the side of his comrades? Why was he starting to feel truly helpless?
- Calm down you may start overreacting. It’s okay for every human being not to be always strong and confident.
How much she tried to she couldn’t really understand what his heavy cross felt like.
Slowly his eyesight turned blurry.
Words came from far away. He couldn’t understand what she was saying but it seemed like she was calling him out loud.
His body gave up. His consciousness faded away.