louisehourcade Chapter 163: Maria's Message
Chapter 163: Maria's Message
A week had passed since Jacob dealt with the wyrm. Now he was in Serendell, in the garden, after having breakfast. The morning sun cast a warm golden glow over the manicured hedges and blooming flowers. He was playing with Saphira, who had grown and was now a little bigger than a horse. Her scales shimmered in the sunlight, and her wings stretched wide as she bounded around him like an overgrown puppy.
As he played, tossing a large rubber ball for her to chase, Cogman suddenly appeared in front of him and handed him a phone. "Sir, the Director of the S.D.E.S., Maria, sent you a message."
Jacob took the phone and read the message from Maria:
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[Your gold is ready. You can come and pick it up, but there are some things you need to deal with.
I sent the footage of your fight with the wyrm to the President. After watching it with some of his people, they want to meet you. Some of them are on my ship right now—the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the General of the Army. They brought their people with them. I can tell you that first they want to recruit you, and if you don't agree, they are ready to force you or capture you. You should be prepared. They brought high-tech sonic weapons with them.
Teach these stupid politicians a lesson so they will understand that there are creatures they shouldn't mess with.
I have no part in this. I advised against it. They didn't listen.
I'm telling you this because I really want to make friends with you.]
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Jacob smirked and looked at Cogman. "Did you read the message?"
Cogman nodded. "Yes, sir." His lips curled into an evil smile. "Do you need me to go with you? I could kill anyone who dares to attack you."
Jacob shook his head. "No. I'll go alone."
With that, Jacob put on his mask—the smooth white skull—and teleported out of Serendell. He appeared high above the Pacific Ocean near Alaska, the cold wind whipping around him. Then he teleported again, this time landing on the deck of the S.D.E.S. naval ship.
The moment he appeared on deck, several men in military uniforms and others in black suits raised their guns at him.
Jacob didn't care. He raised his voice, deep and commanding through the mask's modulator. "Maria, I'm here for my gold."
Maria and Agent Frank emerged from inside the ship. Maria glanced at the men pointing guns at Jacob and said sharply, "Put your guns away. They won't work against him."
She walked to Jacob. "Your gold is ready, but first, some people want to meet you in the conference room."
Jacob crossed his arms. "I'm busy. Just give me my gold. If someone wants to meet me, tell them to come out here."
Maria nodded. "Give me a minute." She went back inside. Frank followed her.
Jacob walked to the railing, leaned against it, and gazed out at the endless grey ocean while he waited. The waves lapped against the hull. Gulls circled overhead.
Soon, Maria returned with two men in expensive suits and another in an army general's uniform, followed by several soldiers and black-suited agents.
Jacob turned to face them, leaning back against the railing. He said nothing, just watched them with an unreadable expression behind his mask.
The Secretary of Defense stepped forward. He was a stout man with a florid face and cold eyes. "I am Secretary of Defense Williams. This is Secretary of Homeland Security Brennan, and General Corwin."
Jacob said flatly, "What do you want from me?"
Secretary Brennan, a thinner man with wire-rimmed glasses and a nervous twitch, asked, "Are you an American?"
Jacob nodded. "Yes. And before you ask more questions—I have no malice toward my own country." He looked at General Corwin, a broad-shouldered man with a crew cut and a chest full of medals. "And I will not participate in attacking another country or in politics. I only care about fighting strong monsters."
Secretary Williams's voice hardened. "As an American, it is your duty to use your powers to defend this nation. To serve your country—"
Jacob cut him off. "The only duty I have is to protect myself and my loved ones. I owe nothing else to anyone."
Secretary Williams tried another angle. "We can pay you generously. Give you a high rank in the military."
Jacob shook his head. "Not interested."
Secretary Williams's jaw tightened. "Then at least reveal your true identity to us. And tell us what kind of supernatural creature you are."
Jacob's voice was cold. "That's not happening." He looked at Maria. "It's time for me to leave. Where's my gold?"
General Corwin gestured toward the back of the ship. "It's on the helo deck. Fifty-six tons of gold. You can get it yourself."
Maria mouthed silently, without the others noticing: 'Be careful.'
Jacob smirked behind his mask and walked to the back of the ship. There it was—a massive pile of gold bars stacked on the helo deck, gleaming dully in the overcast light. He also noticed an open mountain ash circle hidden nearby, the dark powder forming an incomplete ring on the deck. He didn't care. He walked to the gold, placed a hand on it, and stored it all in his pocket dimension in a single heartbeat.
The moment he did, someone slid the final segment of mountain ash into place, completing the circle and creating a barrier to trap him.
Jacob turned around slowly. He looked at Secretary Williams and the others. "Are you sure you want to attack me? Because it will not end well for you."
Maria stepped forward. "Don't do it."
Secretary Williams ignored her. He looked at Jacob with cold determination. "Since you won't work for your country, you are a threat. A creature as powerful as you needs a leash—or to be put down." He raised his hand. "Do it."
Maria sighed and stepped back, moving to stand with Cassian, Rachel, and Frank, far away from Secretary Williams and his group.
The soldiers and agents opened fire—not with bullets, but with tranquilizer darts. The darts struck Jacob's skin and simply fell away, unable to penetrate his enhanced flesh.
Secretary Williams shouted, "Use the gas!"
Thick clouds of sleeping gas billowed from canisters, enveloping Jacob in a dense fog. He stood there, completely unaffected, his immunity to all poisons rendering the attack useless.
General Corwin muttered, "What a monster." Then he ordered loudly, "Use the sonic weapons!"
Soldiers aimed acoustic cannons and sonic emitters—weapons designed specifically to disable supernatural creatures with enhanced hearing. The first wave of sound struck, vibrating the air.
Jacob raised a hand and activated his Quen shield. A shimmering white energy barrier snapped into place around him. The sonic waves crashed against it and dissipated harmlessly, the shield holding firm.
General Corwin's face reddened. "Heavy machine guns! Now!"
Two heavy machine guns opened fire from the upper deck. Bullets slammed into the Quen shield and stopped dead, flattening against the barrier and falling to the deck in a hail of lead.
Cassian shook his head. "What a bunch of idiots."
Frank looked at Maria. "Do you think he'll attack them? And what should we do if he does, ma'am?"
Maria's voice was calm. "I don't know if he'll attack them. And we will not help them—even if he kills them all. I already spoke to the President. I told him the S.D.E.S. will not interfere, no matter what. I also advised him not to attack. He and his politician friends didn't want to listen." She nodded toward the masked Jacob. "Now let them deal with the consequences. That guy is about to make his move."
Jacob raised a hand and made a choking gesture with his telekinesis. Secretary Williams's eyes bulged. He gagged, clawed at his throat, and rose into the air, his feet kicking uselessly.
Then Jacob teleported him.
In an instant, Secretary Williams appeared directly in front of Jacob—but outside the Quen shield. The machine guns were still firing. The bullets tore into Williams before anyone could react, shredding his expensive suit and the flesh beneath.
By the time the guns stopped, it was too late. Secretary Williams was dead, his body crumpled on the deck.
Jacob used his telekinesis and threw all the men who had been attacking him into the ocean—soldiers, agents, everyone who had raised a weapon against him. He didn't kill them. He just sent them splashing into the cold water, their shouts and splashes echoing across the waves.
Then he walked to the edge of the mountain ash barrier. He didn't burn it. Instead, he drew back his fist and punched it. The barrier shattered like glass, the mountain ash scattering across the deck.
He teleported directly in front of Secretary Brennan and General Corwin. His voice was low and deadly. "This is a warning. Attack me again, and I will kill you—and your entire families."
He paused. Then he looked at Secretary Brennan and noticed the dark stain spreading down the man's leg, pooling at his shoes.
Jacob wrinkled his nose in disgust behind the mask. "Gross." He waved his hand, and Secretary Brennan flew into the ocean with the others, screaming until he hit the water.
He turned to General Corwin. "I'm not your enemy. Don't make me one." His eyes glowed red through the eyeholes of the skull mask. "I don't have the habit of sparing my enemies. This is your only warning, General."
Then Jacob teleported to Maria.
He said, "You can call me if you need my help in the future. Friend."
Maria smiled, genuine warmth in her expression. "Thank you. And I added an extra twenty kilos of gold to your payment. We used the yeti you killed to create some very powerful and expensive potions. I can give you some of them if you'd like."
Jacob shook his head. "I appreciate that, but no. I don't need them." He turned to leave. "Alright. Time for me to go."
Maria nodded. "Goodbye, friend. And thank you for not killing all of those idiots."
Jacob nodded once, then disappeared.
Maria sighed and turned to Frank. "Go fish those idiots out of the ocean."
Frank nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He hurried off to order the S.D.E.S. agents to retrieve Secretary Brennan and the others from the frigid water.
Maria walked to General Corwin, who was still trembling, his face pale, his hands shaking at his sides. "I warned you not to mess with him. You didn't want to listen. And just so you know—he didn't even use a fraction of his power just now." Her voice hardened. "Stop provoking him. He seems like one of the good ones."
General Corwin let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He forced his shaking body to still, clenching his fists. "Are you sure he's a good guy?"
Maria snorted. "If he wasn't, all of you would be dead right now." She turned away. "Now take your people and get off my ship."
She walked back inside with Cassian and Rachel behind her.
To be continued… 😊
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