Arsenal

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A young Sinclair, covered in blood and soot, walks with determined strides down a hallway adorned with portraits of prominent figures in the country. With each step, he sets fire to the pictures and the luxurious red carpet that lines the corridor. Smoke alarms blare loudly, and seven people, all dressed to match their powerful status, rush out of a room.

"You bastard!" Sinclair shouts.

"What are you doing, Sinclair?" one of them asks.

"How dare you use me like I'm some kind of tool?"

"What are you talking about?" another inquires, fear coloring her voice.

"The people you sent me to kill, they didn't do anything wrong."

They all burst into laughter.

"Do you think this is funny?" 

"That's what you were made for, Sinclair. You were created to take care of people we see as a threat to our country," the leader says. After understanding the situation, he stands up and dusts off his dark blue tuxedo.

"Now come on and stop this act. Don't tell me you feel sorry for them?" He giggles again. "Guess you're also a failure, just like the rest of the projects. Shut him down."

A man dressed in military attire pushes a button on his wrist, causing Sinclair to spasm violently before passing out.

"Lock him up with the other pieces of trash and get me more assets."

More military men drag Sinclair's unconscious body across the ground.

+

**CLANK! CLANK!! CLANK!!!**

Sinclair slowly opens his eyes, trying to adjust to the dim light coming from a small bulb. He places his hands on his head, attempting to piece together his fragmented memories.

"You okay?" a feminine voice says.

Sinclair turns to see Raven, and he gasps in shock.

"Raven, Raven, how... how are you alive?"

"It's a long story," she answers.

"But during the final tests, I saw you die. I mean, they killed you."

"Well, kind of." She shrugs 

"Kind of?"

"I was saved by Fauna."

"Fauna?" His eyes lit up before dimming deeply 

"Yes, Rodriguez, Fauna Rodriguez." She continued 

Sinclair throws his head back as his memories finally come together, tears rolling down his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I killed them."

"Huh?"

"I killed Fauna and Richard," he says, burying his face in his hands and sobbing uncontrollably.

Raven tries to process the news.

"What happened? Why did you do that?"

"After the final test, I became a mercenary for the government. My last mission was to eliminate traitors selling our information to foreigners and retrieve a document with the blueprint for a weapon that could spell doom for the country if it fell into the wrong hands. I accepted the mission, and I didn't believe they could do such a thing. They were very nice people, but it was too late. The chip implanted in my brain took over, and I... killed them in front of their son."

Raven, taken aback by the news, screams and punches the wall.

"Those people, I swear I'll kill them," Raven says.

"We can't even get out of this place. Those things implanted in our brains won't allow us to escape, let alone kill them," Sinclair explains.

Raven smiles.

"Don't tell me..."

"Fauna disabled my chip. I can use my psionics at will."

"Whoa."

Raven uses her technopathy to reprogram the electronic lock and releases Sinclair from his cell.

"If you can do that, why don't you leave by yourself?"

"My psionics aren't really combat-oriented; they're more of a support type. That's where you come in."

She confidently walks out of the cell, then unlocks Sinclair's cell and enters.

"This is going to hurt."

Raven reprograms Sinclair's chip, causing him to muffle a scream.

"Oh, that hurt."

"Now, let's go pay those bastards a visit, shall we?"

+

Arsenal stands in front of a house, its small gate ajar. The yard is adorned with blooming roses and tulips, and Arsenal's gaze fixes on the flowers.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the masked woman asks as she emerges from a small door. Her mask reveals her fair skin, and her big brown eyes match her short black hair.

"This is your psionic ability, right?"

"I can't keep my ability active all the time. Overuse of one's psionic abilities harms the brain, and the brain needs at least five minutes to recover."

"That's only if you're a Natural esper, which my guess is that you are." He said 

"Nah, I'm an awakened esper like you, Arsenal. I wasn't born an esper; I became one, just like you. Why don't we continue our talk inside?" She signals at the door behind her 

She leads the way, and Arsenal follows closely. The house is adorned with pictures and flower vases, a small table in the middle of the room, three chairs arranged opposite each other. She directs Arsenal to his seat, pours him a cup of tea, and sits across from him.

"Where can I find them?" Arsenal went straight to the point 

"You can't take on Paradise by yourself." She said 

"I didn't come here for this."

"But I can tell you everything you need to know about Ignite and who he really is."

"Who is he?" He asked hastily 

"Your adopted father, Sinclair."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sinclair was the one who killed your parents. He was a private mercenary working for Paradise."

"Why? Why did he do that?" He asked suprised 

"Sinclair was a disabled orphan suffering from Huntington's disease. Paradise picked him up for human experimentation, not out of nobility but to further their goal of being at the forefront of psionic abilities worldwide. They've conducted numerous experiments up to this point, and Sinclair is a part of that project."

How could it be true? Then why did he take me in? Why did he train me? Was everything a lie?

Different thoughts flood Arsenal's mind, and he finally makes up his mind. He stands up and walks towards the door.

"So what are you going to do now?" She asked 

"I'm going to look for the truth."

"I don't have anything to gain or lose by lying to you, Arsenal."

"I want to hear it directly from him."

Arsenal walks out of the house, tears welling up in his eyes, and leaves the yard.

+

RING! RING!!

"Yes," Sinclair answers the call.

"You should probably be writing your last wish now because Arsenal is coming your way."

"Oh, thank you, Anastasia." He said lighting his cigar 

"Your account isn't frozen, right? I'll be depositing your payment." He continued 

She smiles widely.

"I'll miss you when you leave Ignite."

"Well, I have to atone for my sins. I can't live with that guilt."

"You and this sense of justice... I told you it would cost you your life, and it did."

"I don't need our discussion popping up in my head in my last moments," he says, hanging up on her.

His gaze catches Raven's as she leans against the door.

"Not you too..." he sighs 

"I didn't come to give an early funeral speech. I came to report that both Kael and Lana refused to come back with me and decided to side with Arsenal. So you have two more espers to worry about."

"I don't see that as a problem. It makes it all the more easier. I don't want Kyle to be alone. No one understands Kyle better than Lana, not even me. Kael is a good fit for Kyle; his competitive nature should drive Arsenal to become more powerful. He alone can't take down Paradise, not even I could. He'll need all the help he can get."

"Damn, the angels are going to rejoice when you meet up with them." Sarcasm filled Raven's words 

Sinclair chuckles.

+

Arsenal sits on the edge of a tall building, staring into the night sky. Footsteps are heard behind him, and he takes a deep breath.

"Why are you here? I told you we were done." He said 

"Kyle, we heard what happened. We didn't know you went through all that," Lana says.

"Okay," he responds absentmindedly.

"So, what are you going to do now, Arsenal?"

"I don't know," he screams, his eyes unable to hold back the tears. He lets them flow freely.

"Sinclair was the only person who trained me to become who I am. He gave me purpose, only to find out that he was the one who killed my parents."

"I suggest that you have a talk with Sinclair, let him explain the reason why he did what he did," Lana says.

"I'm afraid of what I might do to him if it's true. I can't bring myself to kill him."

"Whatever decision you take, we'll support you fully," Lana says.

"I don't need you to do that for me. I'm not worth your compassion."

"There you go again with your stubbornness. We're willingly laying down our lives to show you that we care, Kyle, and we're your friends." Kael screamed 

Kael's words echo in Arsenal's mind.

"You're willing to lay down your life for me when all I did was push you all away?, are you crazy?"

"Who can remain sane after what has been going on the past week" Lana smiles

"Thank you," he says, wiping his face. Lana and Kael smile warmly at Arsenal.

"So whats the plan?" Lana asks.

"First thing tomorrow. We're visiting the mansion..."