The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 51: Ghost of the Past, Ghost of the Future

Wraith stumbled backwards and raised his hand to cover his eyes as a bright light blinded him. To be exact, several bright lights assaulted his senses at the same time. Causing him to feel disorientated. While he was struggling to figure out what had happened, a dreaded sound entered his ears.

Jason cursed as Wraith sidestepped from his original position before letting out a yell as a bolt pierced his right shoulder. It created a clean wound that went straight through the more fleshy part and made an exit wound on the other side.

'That was a quick reaction! At least the bolt came out cleanly. Now nothing is plugging the wound, so he'll bleed out if he's not careful.' Jason smiled as he congratulated himself for taking Wraith by surprise.

Jason had pressed a button sewn into his sleeve that turned on the bright torches he had implanted into his clothing. Now, there was torchlight emanating from him that covered a three hundred and sixty-degree radius. Leaving Wraith nowhere to hide in close proximity to Jason.

'I'll need to take another trip to the market after this. I had no idea those lightbulbs I had gathered could be used like this!' Jason was excited when he discovered the new way to use electricity. It made many new ideas possible, and there were older projects that could now be considered thanks to this knowledge.

"What have you done!" Wraith yelled furiously as his eyes went wide in horror. His eyesight had just recovered, and now he could see why his power had failed him!

"Nothing much" Jason sneered as he fired a second bolt at his opponent.

Wraith yelped as his thigh was pierced by the shot. The bolts travelled too fast for him to entirely dodge them at this distance! Shouting could soon be heard echoing through the streets. Jason frowned as he realised that he did not have much time left before the gang members converged on his position.

Wraith barely managed to limp behind a collapsed bus stop shelter before Jason cocked the Viper again. 'Damn it. I can't get a good shot from here. I don't have the time to play hide and seek with him.' The sound of shouting was getting closer. Jason frowned before making his decision.

Wraith leaned against the metal of the shelter and took deep breaths as he drew his machete. He just had to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive, and then he would be safe. Tension built up in his mind as his breathing became faster. Blood spurted from his shoulder as the bolt stuck in his thigh gave him a fresh wave of pain every time he moved.

'What's he doing?' Wraith's eyebrows knitted together in a frown. Jason had not made a move on him since he had taken cover, and the shouting was even closer than before!

That was when Wraith realised that something had changed. He was so focused on preparing for Jason, trying to finish him off he failed to notice that the torchlight had disappeared! 'Don't tell me he fled!'

Wraith felt a moment of panic rush through his mind at that thought. His head peered out from his cover to discover that he was indeed all alone.

The tension that he had been holding onto fled his mind at that point. He slumped into a sitting position on the ground as his adrenaline began to subside. However, his relief was short-lived. Without the adrenaline flowing through his body, he could tell that something was wrong with the wound in his leg.

He frantically ripped apart the clothing around the bolt to get a better look. A fire-like pain was spreading outwards through his body with that bolt as its epicentre. What he saw made his expression turn grave. 'Poison!'

Jason grinned as he fled further along the wall. By this point, he had left Wraith, and the gang members attempted encirclement far behind. 'Did he really think I wouldn't set up more than one escape route this time?'

A soft chuckle escaped Jason's throat as the backup rope he had set up for this trap came into view. 'I can forget about attacking them again anytime soon. It'll take at least a day or two until that poison kills Wraith. I doubt anyone has the antidote for it. Except me anyway.'

"Do you think they'll come to the store to buy the Basic Antidote?" Syssie asked through a broad grin.

"Probably but that won't help them. They can buy as much as they want, which makes no difference to me. Without the antidote that specifically targets that poison, Wraith's completely screwed." Jason was ecstatic as he climbed the rope.

As far as he was concerned, he had already taken care of the most significant threat. Once he was sure that enough time had passed for Wraith to die, only then would he make another attempt on Sam's life. 'Let's just wait and see how it goes for now.'

Jason was in no rush right now to clear out the gang. He estimated that Sam would pull her people back for a while after losing who was most likely her greatest asset. 'She should feel insecure for some time. It would make sense for her to surround herself with all of her people. She can't afford to continue the blockade on Star Gear while being pressured by an outside force.

Jason could only laugh at the misfortune that the Red Steel Gang had brought upon themselves. 'Still, I should keep a low profile for a few days. I need to start thinking of somewhere to set up a hidden base to keep my best inventions safe.'

If this brush with the Red Steel Gang had taught him anything, it was that he could not expect to completely conceal his abilities in Highrise. He needed a second workshop, away from prying eyes, as soon as possible. 'That's right. I still need to sort out Dani for the Guardians Tournament.'

Jason's mind rapidly went through a few ideas as he considered how he could help her out more than just loaning her the Riot. 'Perhaps I should take another look at that Giant Ant burial ground'