"ARGH!" One of the pursuer's cried out.

  'How many are there?' Aiko thought, looting the pursuer for some much needed ammunition.

  As another pursuer rounded the corner of the alleyway, she alerted the others with a shout, "Over here!"

  'Shit. Gotta get to grandpa. He's too far. I'll video call him.'

  *RING RING*

  "Hello, Ai. Did you send that SOS text on accident?"

  Quickly, Aiko made a shush gesture as she held the phone up, letting Grandpa survey the situation.

  "Get her! She's calling someone for help!"

  'Shit!'

  Gripping the phone, Aiko ran again. Hiding in a corner, she raised her gun.

  *TAP TAP TAP*

  *THUNK*

  As a pursuer ran past, Aiko put a bullet in their head before continuing her escape.

  "Hold on Aiko, I'll be there soon! Get to the east side of the slums!" Realizing the situation, Grandpa said urgently as he hung up to prepare.

  Aiko ran. Dodging and weaving, trying to throw off their aim.

  *THUNK THUNK THUNK*

  Bullets flew past, grazing her shoulder. One of the bullets, whizzing past her, hit a pipe, shooting out some mysterious gas right into Aiko's face.

  *COUGH COUGH COUGH*

  Aiko's throat burned as the gas invaded her lungs, her vision blurring. Clenching her teeth, she forced herself to keep moving despite the fire in her chest.

  Hartford Mansion (5 Years Ago) - Butler's PoV

  Pying with his cat, the Master suddenly spoke, "So, butler. Why has Aiko's body not been delivered to me yet? I need it to continue the experiment!"

  I started sweating. If those useless hounds fail, I'll be punished. Likely used for his next experiment...

  "I-I-I'm sorry sir. I will tell the hounds to hurry up."

  "Well, it's a little te for that. Considering the news of a shoot out is all over the fucking news!" The Master shouted, "I wanted this to be a hush-hush operation, not a fucking bang-bang operation! Forget it, just tell the hounds to hurry up. I don't care if she's dead or alive anymore, just present her to me."

  East Side of the Slums (5 Years Ago) - Aiko's PoV

  *HUFF HUFF*

  Finally, I can see Grandpa's red car. The adrenaline coursing through me started to wear away now that safety was within reach.

  "Hurry up! Get in!"

  You don't need to tell me that Grandpa. You think I don't want to escape?

  "GET HER! DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!"

  Shit. Pointing my Glock backwards, towards the voices, I pulled the trigger repeatedly, ying down suppressive fire for my escape.

  *CLICK*

  Huh? That's not from my gun? That's the sound of a car door opening...

  Stepping out from the driver's seat, Grandpa revealed his greying hair and wrinkled face. Wearing a vest full of magazines and wielding an assault rifle, he shouted, "STOP CHASING MY GRANDDAUGHTER YOU HOUNDS! UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE PUMPED FULL OF LEAD, STOP RIGHT THERE!"

  Seeing some of the pursuers bravely step forward, I raised my Glock at them again. Simirly, Grandpa raised his rifle, aiming at head level with steady hands.

  "I ain't afraid of you bastards. I don't know what Kiyoshi is paying you or threatening you with or whatever." Grandpa continued, his finger inching towards the trigger and flipping the firing mode to automatic, "But you should be afraid of me. Me, the Bishop of Fides, who sughtered a thousand heretics in a single day. Me, the Bishop of Fides who oversaw the peace treaty between Europe and North America and threatened to wipe them out if they broke the agreement. Me, the Bishop of Fides who's about to pump you so full of holes, your mother won't even recognize you anymore if you so much as take another step forward! So I suggest you think logically and fucking retreat!"

  "Oh shit." I hear one mumble to the colleague beside him, "He's the one who rejected becoming the Arch-Bishop, and by extension, Pope of the most fearsome religion on Terra. His nickname was the Bloody Judge. His reason for rejecting the position was some bat-shit insane reason like 'I'll give the religion an even more fearsome reputation' or something."

  "So what?" His colleague whispered back,

  "Point is, if he will make an already fearsome religion even more feared, what will he do to us? He, who has killed a thousand in a day? He who had the balls to even threaten two countries? What will he do to us? Knowing him and his reputation, he'll probably literally pump us with so many holes we are unrecognisable, before sending our corpses to our families. I don't know about you, but I'm out. I'll take the Master's punishment if I must." He continued in fear, feeling Grandpa's gaze on him. "With the Master, I might die in one piece, or maybe used in his next sick experiment, but with the Bloody Judge, I'll be tortured and killed, dying in pain possibly unimaginable to us. Then, he'll torment our families. I have a wife man. Even if I've been brainwashed by that bastard of a Master, I still love them enough to not want THE Bloody Judge to torment them."

  "You're... You're right man. Let's dip. Quickly, get out of here!"

  Hartford Mansion (Present Day) - Aiko's PoV

  And then he rolled over and died of old age a few days after my Father was searched for evidence connected him to those pursuers. What a fucking way to go out. As for Father, he was put under watch by the government, stopping him from sending any more of those hounds of his.

  Grandfather... Oh how much your broken granddaughter misses you. I wish you were here to reassure me.