Chapitre 6: Contact
It was late in the night and a snowstorm had started to pick up. London streets were as deserted as they can be and amidst all this, a convoy of black SUVs was moving through the streets.
Kent sat in the shotgun of the first SUV, and Emma sat in the back. She was still dealing with the aftereffects of the machine, and sitting in a speeding car was doing nothing to help her nausea.
"We are here.", Driver said, stopping the car. The technician sitting at the last seat checked on his laptop confirmed it, "We are here, the location you marked is just across the street."
Kent pulled up his binoculars but frowned when he could barely make out anything in the snowstorm. He turned to and ordered, "Is target still there?"
Emma gave a pained grown but did as was asked. Closing her eyes, she focused on sensing the mental presence of people in the building.
"Yes, the target is still there along with another presence, but it is shielded from me.", Emma frowned, "Whoever is with the target has mental blockers or some kind of psychic shield. I can't get any read on it beyond its location."
"Hm, the other person may be a threat." Kent mused, before activating his earpiece, "Team 4, 5, and 6, at my signal, find and break through the back door."
He turned to the technician, "And disable any camera."
"Already done."
Kent nodded in before turning to the earpiece, "Teams 1, 2, and 3, with me." and turned to Emma, "And you too."
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Harry was looking down at his notes, excited. The research papers were quite thorough, and with them, he was confident enough to attempt transfiguring Hedwig's wing back to its healthy state.
Just then he heard some heavy noises in the storeroom.
Frowning, Harry got up from his seat and made his way to the back door, but not before informing Kyle, "I will be in the storeroom in a bit. I think some books fell down again."
Kyle absentmindedly hummed in affirmative, too engrossed in reading.
Harry opened the door to the storeroom behind the reception desk and entered the large room. Switching on the lights, he looked around.
The storeroom was a small warehouse where extra volumes of on-shelf books were kept. Because of lack of space, the whole room was filled with stacks of books reaching up to the ceiling.
"I hope it is not some rat. Basilisk I can handle but rats,... ugh, damn rats."
Feeling the cold, moved to the back of the storeroom and frowned upon seeing the door open. He moved closer and noticed the lock on the door was broken.
But before he could do anything he felt something heavy pressing at the back of his head,
"If you want to keep your life, don't move and don't shout.", Harry heard a rugged voice and froze.
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At the front of the store, the bell tinkled, indicating the opening of the door.
Kyle to up and went to the front of the store and saw many men entering dressed in black entering with a blonde woman decked in white. He raised his brows at the unusual company but greeted them nevertheless.
"Welcome to Night Owl Bookstore, how may I help you.", he politely greeted everyone.
Kent did not even look at him, instead turning to Emma, "Is this him?"
"No, but he is one whose mind is shielded from me."
Alarmed, Kyle immediately put his hand in his pocket and tried to retrieve something but the men were much faster, tackling him to the ground. Soon he was laying facefirst to the floor and his hands being held against his hand.
Kent motioned Emma to look around, and see too to the back of the store towards the second mental presence.
Getting closer to the mental presence, she frowned. Now that she was so close, she could feel that whoever she was, her mind felt quite different from any mind she felt to this date. It felt feminine, old, caring, wise, and also a little arrogant.
She crossed the maze of bookshelves, following the presence only to come face to face with Hedwig.
"Huh", she watched the owl and the snowy owl watched her back. Emma felt herself being judged, her wide eyes going ever her purple bruises, and from her mental presence, Emma felt something akin to sympathy.
"Where is the target?", the man behind her asked impatiently.
"I don't know, the signature just vanished", Emma replied back, not giving anything away about the owl.
Hedwig hopped towards Emma and deftly jumped on her arm, simultaneously sending a message to Harry through her familiar bond.
Emma wanted to shake her off but noticing the crooked winges close up, she decided against it.
The men following her turned around, disgruntled when Emma did not pay him any attention and turned back to report Kent.
Emma did not notice, her attention trying to dissuade the bird, "Please get off, you will be hurt", she pleaded telepathically, but Hedwig did not bulge.
Just then her earpiece buzzed, "Get here."
Resigned Emma turned around and went to the front of the store. There Kent stood along with his half a dozen men, interrogating Kyle.
"No sight of Target?", Kent questioned her, looking visibly agitated. It usually did not bode well for his victims or her.
"No, the mental presence just vanished."
"Are you lying to me!", Kent bellowed, moving closer to her, "What is...."
Just then the door behind the reception desk opened and a boy with black, no dark red hair entered, only to come face to face with half a dozen guns aimed at him.
"Ahhh, what whoo", he immediately raised his hands in surrender.
Emma eyed the boy, feeling his face familiar. Suddenly her eyes widened, that was Harry Potter.
Beside her, Kent too reached a similar conclusion and laughed, "Harry Potter, glad to see you. The whole of Britain is searching for you, never thought we will find you so easily. I must say I am glad to meet you you", He extended his hand.
Emma watched Harry Potter eye his hand before turning his gaze to Kyle and then to her and the Snowy owl in her arms. Emma felt some silent conversation happening between them.
"And you must be?", Harry's voice was no longer filled with panic as he turned his eyes back towards Kent.
"Oh, I am Kent Smith, representative of Frost Industries and I am here on behalf of White King to bring you to negotiate on a deal in your family's venture.", Kent said calmly, not at all bothered by conducting negotiations at a gunpoint.
Emma watched Harry look Kent straight in the eye and ask, "And if I refuse?"
Kent smiled and pointed his gun at Harry Potter's forehead, "Sorry dear, you don't have that option."
Harry Potter looked calm, too calm for some with seven guns pointed at him. And it all became clear the next moment why.
In a split second, Kent's body turned into stone. For a moment no one reacted and everyone looked in horror at the lifelike statue of Kent, a malicious smile still on his face. The moment someone fired and then the next.
But not a single one hit Harry. He just raised his hand and a transparent barrier sprang up from it, bouncing off any bullets hitting it. Those who shoot at the barrier had also joined Kent as statues.
Just then a man had the presence of mind to contact the other team, only to get no response. In fright, he tried shooting Harry only to turn into stone.
Emma watched all this, the men turning to stone right before her eyes, and decided to run. Looking around for an exit, her eyes fell on Harry whose eyes were glowing a soft poison yellow, and then she knew no more.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone