Chapter 83 Chapter 83 You will never be free again...
"Yeah," John said. "He suspected you'd tamper with the bomb."
"You think I did it?" Elio asked.
"It doesn't matter what I think," John said.
He regained some strength, hid his hand holding the pistol behind the airbag, and slowly turned the gun towards Elio. The young man in the passenger seat just looked at him and blinked calmly.
"Is that how you convince yourself to follow Ryan's orders?" Elio said. "'It doesn't matter what I think'?"
"Yeah, I'd do it even if he told me to shoot a puppy." John sneered. "What's it to you? Do you like to humiliate them before you kill them?"
He fumbled quietly, his finger on the trigger. But it wasn't time to shoot yet, because Elio's gun was pointed at him, and any sound would make him shoot immediately. Only after something else distracted Elio, and when he was sure there was no chance of a mistake, would John shoot.
"No," Elio said. "I don't like humiliation or murder. I just want a boy to see his father again."
John didn't react at first, but as Elio looked at him, he suddenly realized something and was shocked.
"Is it a boy?" Elio said. "The troublemaker you were talking about. Or is it a girl?"
"...boy," John muttered.
They were silent for a moment. When John came to his senses, he realized that Elio could have taken action right then and there. He would have had a good chance of killing him, but he hadn't.
"I've never met either of my parents," Elio said. "Well, I should have, but I lost them when I was only two. So I have no memory of them. Sometimes I even think I'd trade everything I have now for them back, alive..."
He paused here. John's finger had been frozen on the trigger for a moment. In this strange atmosphere, they stood facing each other in silence.
"…Only one of us can make it back alive tonight," Elio came to his senses, "but it doesn't have to be just one person leaving this car alive, you understand? You said to me, 'Use your gifts carefully,' and now I say the same thing back to you. Use your abilities carefully, John. If you want to change the world, there are other ways to go. If you have nowhere else to go, I can introduce you to it."
John was stunned at first, then his eyes widened. "I thought you weren't an agent."
"I'm not."
"But there's obviously someone else behind you."
Elio didn't argue with the obvious. He just narrowed his eyes and said flatly, "Now I have to kill you, unless you want..."
"Bang!"
A gunshot interrupted their conversation, followed by another.
John's blood stained the white airbag red. Elio climbed to his feet, still holding the gun steady. The passenger airbag had exploded, but he himself was unharmed.
"You're old," Elio said softly.
John missed the target, not knowing if it was because his fingers had cramped from holding the gun for too long or because he hadn't aimed correctly. But Elio's hands didn't shake.
"And you're too weak," John hissed, slumped over the airbag. "This is a war, boy."
“Anyone who called me that is dead,” Elio replied.
The car was completely shut off. They could all hear the sirens of police cars circling the streets. Vienna's Danube River flowed silently in the darkness.
Elio sat in the passenger seat, not moving at all. He pushed the muzzle of his gun forward, pressing it against John's forehead.
"Any last words?" he asked.
"…You wield your sword like a warrior," John panted, "but you talk like a child. Do you really think there's any other way for me?"
Blood was gushing out of John's chest. Elio said nothing, just stared at him with his gun raised.
"Do you really think there's any other place that would accept me so readily?" John said. "Do you really think these organizations that train secret agents are charitable? 'Nowhere' is more than a description, kid. When you get to be my age... and I hope you do... you'll find out..."
Elio reached out a hand to support him. John groaned in pain, but he slowly slumped back onto the seat, blood streaming onto the floor mat.
"... Every organization is the same," John whispered. "Every one... is damned identical... You'll never be free again..."
His eyes jerked back to Elio. Elio continued to stare at him. But John stopped talking. His gaze on Elio grew calmer, more distant, as if he had penetrated the young man and gazed into the distance where he truly belonged.
Elio remained silent. After a moment's silence, he pressed John's carotid artery and then sheathed his gun. When Ethan and the others arrived, they saw the assassin crawling out from under the railing, slowly wiping his hands. There was something thoughtful in his expression, but when he noticed Ethan and the others coming, that distraction quickly disappeared.
"Who is this?" Elio asked.
"This is Benjy, my friend." Ethan stopped and looked at the car stuck on the railing, then looked at Elio. "This is Elio, a friend. Are you okay?"
"Still alive," Elio said humorously.
"Even though no one asked me," Benji, who had just been holding his knees, straightened up while panting, "I'm fine."
"Glad to know that, Benjy." Elio glanced behind them. "Where's Ilsa?"
Ethan didn't say anything, just gave him a look. Elio, understanding, frowned. "Seriously? In this situation?"
"Yeah, she insisted on returning to the Syndicate." Benjy finally caught his breath. "Is this car drivable?"
He was referring to the car stuck in the railing. As he asked this question, Benjy had already turned around and tried to open the door. The key was still in the door, and the light automatically came on as soon as it opened, illuminating the pool of blood covering the driver's seat.
"…Wow." Benjy smacked his lips.
“I doubt it’ll work,” Elio said. “The brakes are probably broken, and the shifter’s broken.”
"So this is a car that can be driven but can't be parked?" Benjy asked. He glanced at Ethan, as if asking for his opinion. Elio noticed the eye contact between them, but was a little skeptical that they really wanted to drive the car. "Wait, where's your car?"
Somehow, the wailing of police sirens echoing through the street grew closer. Elio could even see red and blue lights flashing, illuminating the wall across the street.
"Our car is a totaled car." Ethan opened the passenger door and gestured to Elio, "Hurry up and get in. I'll explain it to you later."
Elio climbed into the back seat, full of doubt. Benji, who was in the driver's seat, raised his head from under the steering wheel, holding a dagger in his hand. He frantically tied it to the broken half of the shift lever in the shift slot and tried to start the battle-hardened car.
"Lian sent another car to chase the Austrian Chancellor," Ethan leaned over the seat and looked back. "I guess he expected you to tamper with the bomb, just like he expected Ilsa wouldn't actually kill the Austrian Chancellor!"
"Well, I knew he didn't buy our excuses," Elio muttered. "So the Prime Minister is still alive?"
"Still alive," Ethan said. "We wrecked the Syndicate's car."
"So what are you guys busy with?" Elio wondered.
Under the approaching red and blue lights, Ethan, who was drawing his gun, gave the assassin an awkward smile. Benjy turned the key several times, but the car didn't start. It wasn't until Benjy stepped hard on the accelerator that the battle-hardened car finally let out a long chime and started to move.
The sirens were getting closer. Elio looked back at the police car circling the street, and suddenly a headlight shone into his eyes, and he instinctively lay down.
“…Are you guys hiding from that thing?” he asked in disbelief as he frantically pulled out his gun.
"Yeah," Ethan said. "They probably thought we were in cahoots with the Syndicate."
Benji stepped on the accelerator, but the car was stuck firmly in the railing. Seeing that the police car was about to catch up, Benji was sweating profusely.
"Uh," Elio said, "I forgot to mention that we just ran headfirst into the guardrail. The car might be damaged."
"Thanks," Benji cried out in despair, "this really helps!"
The police car had already caught up with them. Ethan turned his head and frowned, and found that the "makeshift gear lever" that Benji had tied with a dagger was still stuck in the forward gear. He said nothing, but immediately pulled it into the reverse gear.
"Uh." Benji also realized his mistake. After all, he was rushing into the river.
He glanced at Ethan awkwardly, then slammed the accelerator. With a clang, the car that was backing out suddenly knocked the police car behind them sideways, throwing it aside; Benjy drove the car, backed out a neat arc along the river bank, then changed gears and rushed forward quickly.
The police car skidded to a stop and quickly caught up. Bullets whizzed and swished against the weathered black car. But fate favored the unfortunate assassins and the IMF team. Moments later, the police car chasing them was shot through the tires, completely obliterating their tracks.
To be cautious, they didn't drive the car directly to the temporary base, but instead left it in a deserted alley. Only then did Ethan lead them into a small house by the river.
"So you're an undercover agent lurking inside the Syndicate?" Benjy figured out Elio's identity. "That's great, Ethan! Isn't that what we're looking for? Just introduce him to Director Henry, and he'll tell him what happened, and then he'll know the Syndicate is real!"
"Wait," Elio asked, "Who's Chief Henry?"
"He's a nasty guy," Benjy said, "but he's the director of the CIA. We can try to convince him to re-establish the IMF and assign you to us..."
"Wait." Elio turned his head sharply to look at Ethan. "Ethan, what does he mean by 'rebuilding the IMF'?"
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