Elemorts

Chapter II - Zablaron

Planet Metallon

"Zablaron Inrazax!" the police deputy cried out. "We know you are in there! Show yourself out in sixty seconds, or we will force entry to detain you!"

The deputy raced toward the façade of Cantohuo Estate with two agents at his heels. Equipped with light-salmon and steel-blue crossbows, their silver armor and helmets glinted in the sunlight.

Metalloy Police MagneCars were lined up in the magnetic, stainless steel driveway of the estate. It was a sprawling mansion with an upturned, gabled roof and curtain walls of colorful, metal alloy frames inset with lustrous silver so much so that it shimmered under the bright sun like a mirage. A vast expanse of gardens sat on either side of the driveway, the plants gleaming with the silvery coating of mercury - the soil on planet Metallon was so enriched with metals that, not infrequently, they found their way onto the surface of the local flora.

It was a typical day on Metallon where days were hot and the nights just as cold.

The Metalloy Security Department had received an anonymous tip that the owner of Point Blank, a defense contractor organization, Zablaron Inrazax, was seeking asylum in this mansion. Zablaron had been accused of accepting contracts from King Riplartz of planet Wystalline for manufacturing and supplying arms to the Wystal army. Metallon and Wystalline had harbored severe enmity for decades, each vying to be wealthier and more powerful than the other by tapping into their metal and crystal resources, respectively.

The deputy, perspiring under his armor, tightened his grip on his crossbow as he heard footsteps coming toward the main door from inside the mansion. He was here to make sure that justice was served today.

The door opened, and two guards in black suits strode out. The police officers trained their weapons.

"There has been a misunderstanding," one of the guards declared in a deep voice, his arms folded. "Zablaron Inrazax has never been seen on these premises. Why would Ms. Tielin ever harbor the very traitor she helped expose?"

The owner of the mansion, Senator Ferrina Tielin, had been one of the staunchest advocates for outlawing Point Blank. Her crusade against the company and Zablaron had culminated in this final allegation for which she seemed to possess substantial evidence - many said she finally had Zablaron in a chokehold. Therefore, it had come as no small surprise when the police learned that she was now providing asylum to the same person she had just triumphed over.

The deputy shrugged. "We mean to ask Ms. Tielin that once we arrest her. Now, if you would be so kind as to-"

"Arrest her?" The guard sounded incredulous. "Do you even have an arrest warrant?"

"No, but we do have a search warrant - and if we find Zablaron Inrazax lurking in there, you know... we won't be needing an arrest warrant for Ms. Tielin." The deputy motioned to one of the agents who produced the warrant and handed it to the guards - but they barely bothered to read it.

The deputy was rankled. The police officers were going in one way or the other, and his patience was wearing thin.

The other guard, with a pug nose, clasped his hands and clicked his tongue. "Listen. We are not Ms. Tielin's personal guards. We are the Titan Guard appointed by the Metalloy government due to threats against her person. And we do not authorize you-"

"You are still not the ones to authorize us. Officers of more than one department of the Metalloy Police are waiting outside. And our sixty-second time limit is almost at an end," the deputy said, placidly. "We'll use force if you don't step aside now."