NumwaanS

[Section Zero]

Phone buzzes

After receiving great feedbacks from the company’s recent collaboration with the Special Task Force, many similar invites have been flowing in constantly. I was just busily handling the newest collaboration when my phone rang once more.

Letting go of the documents in my hands, I faced my screen when an unexpected name popped onto the screen.

MC: “Gavin? Why are you calling me?”

Perhaps my surprise had been too blatantly obvious, because Gavin’s voice carried a hint of laughter in it.

Gavin: “Is it surprising that I’m calling you?”

MC: “Haven’t you been very busy recently?”

Gavin: “Mm. But I have something to tell you. Will you be free in a while?”

I glanced towards the piles of files on my desk, and pondered for a few seconds.

MC: “Yeah.”

Gavin: “That’s great, I’ll be waiting for you in the cafe close to your office.”

He paused briefly,

Gavin: “Since it’s almost time for dinner, we can have it together too.”

Gavin: “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Hanging up the phone, I walked out of the office, and was suddenly held back by Kiki.

Kiki: “Boss, there’s a package waiting for you. It’s urgent.”

MC: “Just leave it there for a moment, I’ll have to go out now.”

I said that, but as I looked at the seemingly ordinary package, a strange feeling suddenly creeped into my heart.

MC: “Wait, can you bring it over for me to take a look?”

I ripped the package open, yet all there was inside was a simple black envelope. When opened, there was a handwritten line:

The sky-full of stars shall fall tonight. Please allow us to invite you to witness the annihilation of justice.

The handwriting subtly revealed an eerie sense of insanity, and I felt a shiver up my spine.

Kiki: “..Is this a prank? April Fool’s so long ago.”

Kiki tilted her head towards me, her eyes concerned, and a wave of uneasiness swept past my heart as I thought of Gavin’s call.

MC: “Who sent this?”

Kiki: “The address looks fake, and the sender’s name was written as fan of our programs, which was probably why it could be sent here without a problem.”

I lifted my head to check the time, and put the strange letter into my bag, wanting to go and meet Gavin. It’s a weird occurrence no matter how you think of it. Maybe it’s related to the thing Gavin’s mentioned.

[Section One]

As I pushed open the doors of the cafe’s entrance, a wind chime hung on top of the door rang lightly. The small café was quiet, and surprisingly, I couldn’t see Gavin.

MC: “Weird.. can’t be that something urgent has happened, has it?”

I picked a seat by the window, and was just about to call him when I saw a familiar car stopping on the opposite of the road.

A casually dressed Gavin walked out of the car, his steps light and quick as he crossed the road towards the other side. In the light of a warm sunset, Gavin’s posture was held straight, seemingly carrying along gusts of wind with him, his appearance striking compared to that of the people around him.

Maybe I was merely too fixated on him, but his eyes met mine from a short distance away, and nodded lightly towards me, his pace quickening a little more.

Gavin pushed the doors open, and sat on the seat across mine.

Gavin: “Have you waited long?”

I shook my head.

MC: “I have just arrived. Plus, there’s a lot of things happening around the task force, your time must be tighter than mine.”

Gavin’s brows loosened, yet his gaze was not fully relaxed.

Gavin: “Something suddenly came up, it’s actually related to the thing I want to tell you.”

MC: “Yeah, what’s happened?”

Gavin looked at me, and he must’ve noticed the exhaustion on my face, because he was a bit bewildered.

Gavin: “Let’s eat first, it’s getting late.”

Gavin: “They have a few nice dishes here, I think you’ll like it.”

Gavin said nothing much while we were eating, it was only until we’d finished the meal - after he’d seen me putting down my pair of chopsticks and confirmed that I was full – that he finally opened his mouth.

Gavin: “The task force has been tracking an EVOLVER down. Evidence showed that he had been somewhere close to your office.”

MC: “Are you saying that our company’s being held as suspects, or.. have we become the targets?”

“We’ve checked, you’re currently not a suspect, but we’ll have to look for clues from you.”

Gavin: “Has anything suspicious happened these past few days?”

MC: “There has been, but I’m not sure if it’s just a prank or something, so I’ve brought it over here for you to see.”

I took out the black envelope from my bag, and laid it onto the table.

MC: “I received this before I arrived here, the address on the delivery package was made up, and the name listed was one of the fans of our programs.”

Gavin inspected the few words on the letter, his lips quirking up slightly.

Gavin: “It’s a threat letter. There’s been a few of them, but no one’s been hurt so far, even though they have caused quite a bit of damage.”

Gavin: “It all makes sense now, he had appeared near your office, most likely to send you this letter.”

Gavin: “This is the location it’d pointed to..”

MC: “Is it our office?”

Gavin: “No, right here it said 'sky-full of stars', and lately there have been lots of news of meteor showers appearing out of nowhere.. maybe it is the planetarium.”

MC: “It can be the planetarium!”

Gavin and I said in unison, and he looked towards me with a hint of shock, followed by a smile which reached his eyes. He nodded briefly.

MC: “But let’s say his location was in fact the planetarium, why would they send me the letter personally?”

MC: “It’s as if he wants to show his true intentions through me..”

My heart leaped, and when I looked into Gavin’s eyes, he nodded lightly.

Gavin: “If we follow his criminal patterns, he does seem to have his attention towards the STF.”

Gavin: “We have also found out from the criminal database that he was arrested with force by the task force because he had violently resisted arrest from the police.”

Gavin: “This person escaped as soon as his EVOL became stronger. He still hasn’t been arrested till this day. Looking at this envelope, I think I’ve suddenly realised something.”

MC: “Can it be he’s seeking revenge after his escape, and it just so happens that the program from the production company and the STF has been trending recently?”

MC: “And in reality, all of this is just an act too provoke the task force?”

Gavin nodded, and kept the letter away.

Gavin: “Since we have a lead, I’ll arrange tonight’s operation.”

And I immediately said,

MC: “I’ll be with you.”

Gavin: “I can handle this on my own.”

MC: “I am worried, and I can’t just sit and watch about idly.”

I looked at Gavin, determined. After a while, he nodded in agreement.

Gavin: “Okay. But you’ll have to listen to me throughout the entire operation.”

MC: “No problem!”

[Section Two]

The planetarium’s located on the outskirts of Loveland City, and to avoid any extra attention, Gavin and I were dressed as typical tourists. I pulled the door to the passenger seat open, and felt a bit nervous. But upon turning to see Gavin sitting right beside me, it all disappeared.

I reached for the seatbelt, trying to casual joke about with Gavin.

MC: “I was just having dinner with you, who knew it’ll end up like this?”

Gavin: “I still have time to send you back to your office if you want.”

Gavin’s voice was serious, and was just about to turn back when I immediately stopped him.

MC: “That’s not necessary! I really don’t want to go back face those reports.”

Seeing my struggling expression, Gavin couldn’t help but laugh as he turned back to the road and gripped tightly onto the steering wheel.

Perhaps it’s due to the recent news of those meteor showers, but there were more cars than usual on the road exiting the city. In a matter of moments, we were trapped in the middle of the road.

MC: “What’s going on?”

Gavin’s brows furrowed as he heard of the news coming from his phone, and turned to meet my eyes soon after.

Gavin: “There has been a car accident on the highway ahead, the road exiting the city is blocked.”

MC: “..This is too coincidental.”

Gavin: “Accident or not, this is beneficial for the both of us.”

Gavin looked out to the unmoving line of traffic, and parked the car to his side, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Gavin: “Let’s get down.”

MC: “But there’s still a long way left, how will we go there? If you use your EVOL, you’re going to expose your identity straight away..”

Gavin glanced towards me, smiling.

Gavin: “Don’t worry, leave it to me.”

He leaned towards me, and reached out to help me unbuckle my seatbelt. His side profile appeared right in front of my face, and I subconsciously held my breath.

It was only until the seatbelt fully unbuckled that I had came back to into reality. I quickly pulled the door open and got out of the car.

Gavin: “Wait for me here.”

Gavin walked towards a vehicle on the side of the road, its owner sitting by the side.

He spoke to the young man for a few moments, before the owner looked at him, his eyes wide open. He quickly dug out the keys to his motorcycle for Gavin.

Witnessing all of that, I couldn’t help but be tempted to find out what had just happened, and what was spoken between them.

But within a minute or two, Gavin was already driving the motorbike towards me, passing me a helmet.

Gavin: “Let’s go.”

The scene in front of me seemed to have merged wondrously with that of another similar memory, stored and kept somewhere deep in my mind. On the motorbike, he still held an aura of vigour and bravery – I couldn’t help but be slightly shaken, the words in my mind slipping out without anothet thought.

MC: “Gavin, have you possibly committed grand theft auto?”

Gavin was temporarily stunned.

Gavin: “Why do you think so?”

MC: “Uh, I..”

I looked back towards the now vehicle-less your man, abandoned by the side of the road. He waved towards me happily, his face showing not even a single hint of unwillingness.

MC: “Aren’t there scenes in movies where someone will say, “I’m a special agent, your vehicle will now be under the requisition of the task force.”

Gavin chuckled at my comical impression, and reached towards the helmet in my head, skillfully strapping it onto my head.

Gavin: “Those movie clichés should probably stay as they are. Now hop on.”

I sat behind Gavin, an awful familiarity clashing unto me once again, until I was brought back by Gavin’s words.

Gavin: “Hold on tight to me, the inertias of motorbikes like these tend to be quite powerful when you first start them.”

As soon as he’d said that, a violent inertia threw me back, and I quickly reached out to hold on tightly to his waist. On the back of the motorbike was an exhaust pipe, proudly facing up towards the sky, and I could do nothing but lean against Gavin’s back.

MC: “This method of transportation is not suitable for low-key stakeouts at all!”

Between sweeps of strong winds and gushes of air, I could hear Gavin laugh.

Gavin: “But we’ll be there faster than we thought we would.”

Gavin: “Hold me tight.”

The motorbike seamlessly drove through the traffic jam, subsequently leaving behind our immobile car as we dashed towards our destination.

The colours of the evening sky and the winding mountain roads seemed to not affect Gavin at all, and the street lights merely became fleeting, glowing lines.

MC: “You seem to be familiar with this road.”

Gavin: “I used to come here occasionally, and that’s how I met the owner of the bike.”

MC: “No wonder his expression was so.. He must’ve been pressured by you at some point then.”

Gavin: “Can’t remember. Maybe.”

MC: “Can’t believe you have these types of impulses.”

Gavin: “This doesn’t count as an impulsion.”

Gavin: “Plus, there aren’t many things that will make me impulsive.”

Gavin’s words were slowly swayed away by the winds, and as the stars in the sky grew closer and closer, a dark colour had already enveloped the whole of the sky. We drove through the night. It was silent, and we were far away from the city. It was as if the world was quiet if not for the sound of the bike’s engine, and for just a brief moment, I was hoping the road did not have an end.

But just as quickly, the white planetarium appeared in our lines of sight.

It seemed ages ago since I’ve last came here.

[Section Three]

The hill outside of the planetarium were filled by the recent news, with astronomy enthusiasts wanting to witness a meteor shower. As the planetarium was closed, they were crowded along the observation area outside of the building.

After Gavin showed a staff his police badge, he pulled me into the planetarium.

We walked towards the observation deck at the very top, and was met with a serene silence, with only the sounds of whirring machines.

We soundlessly observed our surroundings.

MC: “Isn’t it a little too quiet here-“

Before I’ve even finished my words, the sounds of rumbling was heard right behind me, and the ground shook lightly.

Gavin: “Don’t leave my side.”

Gavin turned his earpiece on, and gave immediate orders for his teams.

Gavin: “Group A evacuate the people outside the planetarium. Group B, guard and secure every entryway.”

There were responses from his teammates, and everything began going according to plan, albeit in a strange atmosphere.

In the silence, the doors behind us were met with a clicking sound, and suddenly, they were slammed shut. There weren’t any other movements after a couple of minutes, with only the moonlight spilling onto the deck.

I couldn’t help but say what was on my mind.

MC: “If he wants us to have a taste of our own medicine, then why didn’t he do anything? Is he waiting for a chance to strike?”

Gavin’s gaze swept across our surroundings, his lips slightly curling into a smile.

Gavin: “From the past few instances, he likes to take his own responsibility, and wants to rouse attention and fear. If he’s waiting for an opportunity, then it’ll be an opportunity that will cause the most harm.”

Gavin pondered for a brief moment, before immediately coming to a conclusion.

Gavin: “He wants to use the power of the meteor showers to change the gravitational force, and destroy this place.”

As if a confirmation that he was right, a brilliant shooting star suddenly flew across the night sky.

MC: “A comet did appear!”

MC: “No wonder the letter had said to witness the “annihilation of justice”, if it was just a regular officer here instead, this should be very difficult to hold back.”

MC: “Thank goodness for your team. We came prepared.”

Gavin looked up towards the sky, the meteor sweeping past him. Then, a few lit up one at a time, and the sky was morphed into a curtain of light. The big groups of meteors were as if droplets of rain, falling from the sky, rushing towards the surface.

Gavin: “They will fall onto the planetarium.”

Gavin pressed into the earpiece on his left ear, and calmly gave his order:

Gavin: “The target’s in action. Currently expecting him to be within a kilometre’s radius within the planetarium. Start tracking the source of the EVOL.”

Seeing Gavin efficiently explaining his plans for the task force, I felt a mix of emotions as I asked:

MC: “You’re making yourself the bait to draw the snake out. You’re currently shouldering all of the dangers. You..”

It was apparent that Gavin did not understand me, as he answered:

Gavin: “Don’t worried. I’ve promised to come with you, and I’m confident that I can protect you.”

Gavin: “I won’t let you be harmed in any way.”

Before I could say anything, the meteor which was being controlled was falling vertically, crashing straight onto the surface. It was as if I could also hear the deafening, ringing sound of its collision against the atmosphere.

Gavin: “Give me your hand.”

Gavin reached out his hand, and I gazed deeply into his eyes, without an ounce of worry or doubt, only with the courage he’d given me.

MC: “Alright, then I’ll trust my safety onto you and your team.”

MC: “I won’t let you be hurt either.”

Gavin looked at me, dazed, but I laid my hand into the warmth of his palm, determined.

MC: “We’ve always been walking together since the very beginning, haven’t we?”

Gavin nodded lightly, his grip on my hand tightening a little more.

Gavin: “Always have been.”

Countless shapes of wind surrounded us, and Gavin pulled me to his side, leaving the planetarium as a sky full of white dashing lights clashed onto the ground. Within a short period of time, they have all inched closer towards the surface.

The meteors were constantly brushing past us, yet they were carried away before it’d ever crash onto the ground. Instead they were wrapped by the winds, and dropped into a valley a distance away.

It was as if a firework exploding a arm’s reach away, as if we were in the midst of a brilliant display.

Gavin: “If you’re scared, close your eyes.”

Gavin’s breaths were right against my ear, his voice carrying a gentleness in which I could detect.

With him, the current moment’s dangers transformed into a beautiful splendour, shining brightly in against an inky dark sky. It’s like the same scenes have rewinded back into my sight, those meteors, just as grand and bright.

I closed my eyes lightly, and opened them once more, the reality mirroring right into my eyes. The warmth of holding one another, his steadfastly strength, they have all pushed away any fear left in my heart.

MC: “You’re here, of course I’ll not be scared.”

Surrounding us were the falling stars, shielded by the gusts of winds, swallowed by its strength - its light burning brightly at the very ends of its life before burning out completely.

It was a show, and we were the only audience.

MC: “Even though we’ve avoided the destruction, we still haven’t caught the guy yet. What if we’ve let him escape?”

Gavin: “Don’t worry. Him controlling such a vast area in such a short time makes it easier for me to secure his location. The task force members have also sealed every surrounding area, he can’t escape.”

I felt relieved, and the “meteor shower” was coming to its end.

The gorgeous display of light came and went, only leaving a quiet darkness. My heart was slightly moved, thinking of the possible objectives of such a daunting crime.

He was desperate to prove his own meaning of his existence, desperate to show that his powers could destroy the lives of others.

But it all went to waste at the very end. He couldn’t understand that faith and justice can never be wiped away so easily.

I looked at Gavin, finding that he was sharing the same gaze, the same thoughts.

But fortunately, we were under a sky full of glimmering stars, and a long, long time ago we’ve already found our very own eternity.

No matter the twists of memories, no matter the turns of time, once a person walks with you, you’ll never walk alone.

A distant star carried a light millions of light-years away, and this memory shall be stored in its glow forevermore.

[END]

Thank you for your patience and support. Have a safe day!

Also a shoutout to Cheri for sending me a link to the date on Bili-Bili. Wouldn't have found the video without her.

And a happy belated Vesak Day / Buddha Day if you celebrate it :)