Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

Central City was busy as always. The morning sun shone brightly, reflecting light on every smooth and shiny surface. And there were a lot of them, at every corner and every turn.

Which made the city look like a glowing masterpiece.

Arrow’s car wove through the traffic with ease. Smoothly overtaking, switching lanes, obeying traffic signs.

A disorderly car up ahead had swerved from the opposite lane into theirs and was dangerously speeding through incoming vehicles.

Several vehicles desperately turned left or right in alarm. Trying to avoid an outright collision.

Blaring horns followed in complaint.

Pedestrians stopped to look.

The car was relentless, moving forward with increasing speed.

Yesu heard the car’s engine before she saw it almost run over a small green coloured car ahead.

The small green car skidded dangerously to the left, brushing the metal barrier that segregated the two lanes before zooming forward.

The breaching car continued wreaking havoc on the lane.

Yesu watched the spectacle and concluded it was either the driver was badly drunk or had woken up that morning with an intense bloodthirst.

And it was coming for them next.

She glanced at Arrow.

His attention was on the incoming vehicle but he didn’t seem the least alarmed.

Even though the vehicle was tearing in their direction at a terrifying speed.

Arrow kept driving straight.

Yesu looked forward at the vehicle, then back at him.

She could already feel her blood pumping, her body activating.

She didn’t know how or when she had started sensing her ’survival instincts’ but she wasn’t particularly bothered about it.

She forced herself to stay still. Arrow would handle it. He was a Rank, wasn’t he?

She frowned at the thought.

Wasn’t he?

Yesu snapped her head to him.

Arrow continued driving straight like there was no death labelled car practically flying towards them.

Yesu was having a hard time staying still now. She wasn’t alarmed or anything, just needed to do something.

Her hands were shaking slightly, even her legs. She didn’t know how much she could hold back longer.

The vehicle was now only a few meters away.

Arrow still wasn’t doing anything.

The vehicle was already closing in.

Instinct took over.

Yesu’s hand shot toward the steering wheel.

As usual she didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. She only knew one thing.

Move.

Her fingers were inches away when another hand caught her wrist. Firm and steady.

Arrow.

He didn’t even look at her.

"Sit back."

His voice remained level.

The speeding vehicle was almost upon them now.

Yesu couldn’t.

Every nerve in her body screamed. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.

Her muscles tightened, ready to force herself free. But then came Arrow’s voice.

"Trust me."

Two words, nothing more.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she abandoned every instinct to intervene.

The distance disappeared.

Ten metres.

Five.

Three.

The other driver yanked the wheel at the very last second.

Tyres shrieked against the asphalt.

The vehicle shot past their right side so closely that the rush of air rocked Arrow’s car.

A loud bang echoed as the rogue vehicle clipped the side mirror before spinning back across two lanes.

More horns erupted.

Several cars braked violently.

The rogue car smashed through a roadside barricade, mounted the pavement, and finally slammed into a metal divider.

Silence.

Then shouting.

People began running toward the wreck.

Arrow eased off the accelerator. He switched on the indicator and calmly guided the car.

Only after stopping did he release Yesu’s wrist.

She stared at him.

Then at the wreck.

Then back at him again.

"You were actually waiting for him to take a swerve?"

Arrow adjusted his cuff as though nothing unusual had happened.

"I was."

Yesu blinked.

"And what if he hadn’t?"

"I calculated the probability." He reached for the hazard-light switch. "The driver wanted to survive more than he wanted to hit us."

Yesu looked back at the twisted wreck.

"That’s insane."

"No." Arrow unfastened his seat belt. "It’s human."

Yesu went quiet.

"Human." She muttered strangely, tasting the word.

Arrow glanced at her.

***

The car parked in front of the skyscraper where Doctor Heckman’s penthouse was located.

Yesu gave one long look at the towering black glass and steel, then sighed.

"Out." Arrow said.

She faced him, puzzled.

"Aren’t you taking me to the door like last time?"

"It is no longer necessary."

Yesu glanced at the building again and back at him.

"Aren’t you worried I’m going to skip sessions or something?"

Arrow glanced at her, poker faced.

"Like the way you skip lessons at school? Extracurricular activities?"

Yesu pressed her lips together, then forced a polite smile.

"I’m going now."

She opened the door and stepped out.

"I shall be back here at six." He said.

Yesu nodded slowly, already conjuring up different possibilities.

"Okay." She said finally and closed the door shut. She turned to go.

"And don’t think about it."

Yesu looked back.

Arrow was staring at her, not threatening but unsettling nonetheless. At least it would have been, if he was addressing someone else.

"Don’t think of going elsewhere. My decision stands."

Yesu stared at him blankly and left without a word.

Arrow watched as she entered the building before driving away.

***

Yesu strode into the lobby.

The first thing she noticed was a line of people.

The elevator display showed an orange arrow going up, up, up.

This reminded her of the dorm at Echelon. There was always a line every morning, no one wanted to be late.

Which was why she hardly ever bothered taking the elevator, she was already used to stairs anyway.

But this was a building with over forty floors.

Yesu glanced around.

There was another elevator to the left.

Three hefty body guards were at the entrance, it seemed like they were about to go in.

Yesu looked back at the line. Couldn’t they see the other elevator was vacant?

She shrugged and went over to it.

The men had already gone in. The elevator doors were closing.

Yesu broke into a sprint.

A worker was pushing a cleaning cart across the lobby.

She shifted to the side to avoid crashing into it.

A metal mop handle halfway out of the cart was broken.

Yesu didn’t see it in time. The edge sliced her right cheek.

The worker noticed. "Goodness—"

"I’m okay." Yesu hollered without stopping.

She got to the elevator at the last second, slipped in and watched the door shut.

The elevator began moving.

Like her last visit, Yeu stared at the display. The climbing numbers.

0ne.

Five.

Eight.

A cough came from behind.

Yesu looked back.

The three bodyguards she had noticed were right behind her along with two other people.

The first was an elegant man who looked like he was made for the suit he wore.

The second was a schoolmate.

Apollo.

Yesu frowned.

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