The pain ripped through the edge of Chloe's jaw, a dark metallic taste overwhelming against her taste buds as her deep cobalt eyes met the edge of a training mat. She hadn't expected the hit to be that hard, to be that fast and agile. Beca was strong enough to make a lasting impression, one that echoed on the side of her mind.
Her fingers met the aching splotch that was throbbing with her heartbeat. She was breathing heavy, stare raising to meet the chocolate gaze. It was cocky, the smaller girl having a smirk engraved on pink lips. She was in fighting stance; shoulders squared as her gloved hands raised in point with her collarbone.
"you told me to give it my all," She panted, trying to make up for the punch she just threw.
"I know what I said." Chloe spits to her side, the blood trickling from a small cut that was stinging on the side of her mouth. She was tempted to drag her arm against her chin but knew it would just smear the crimson even more.
"Do you need a minute?" Beca asked.
Instead of giving a plausible answer, Chloe sprung forward, moving with the current as she attempted to hit Beca where it hurt. The brunette ducked quickly, forcing her knuckles into Chloe's ribs as the girl pushed back against her touch, not quite fond on giving up yet.
"Come on Chlo," her opponent taunted "You're better than this."
"You're right," The red-head straightened up, dropping her hands to the side. Her fingertips were cold against the gym air. She was breathing heavy as she slumped her shoulders not fully in the fight. "I know you're right, something just seems off lately. Like I'm not good enough."
"Oh," Beca dropped her own stance, sniffing a bit as her lungs got used to the normal pace she usually kept. She stepped closer to her friend, not intending for the game talk to really hit the girl as had as it did. "That was a joke. We just spar for fun, right? You know you're capable of anything."
The two of them were about a nose distance apart now, sweat glistening under the light that the facility gym had to offer. It was a small and private room in the middle of a large company. Its surrounding windows were frosted, a few weight machines off in the corners. There was mostly empty flooring, though.
"I know," Chloe gave a menacing smile, sweeping one foot under Beca, the smaller girl lost her balance quickly, landing on her back as all the breath escaped her lungs. She grunted, her hands landing in a mess above her as Chloe quickly straddled her sparring partner.
"That was dirty, Beale." The brunette growled under her friend's touch.
"Play dirty to win big, Mitchell." Her knees were on either side of the girl's waist, fingers lightly pressing down on top of her wrists as she smirked in triumph. Beca was panting, staring up at Chloe as deep red hair fell into crystalline eyes.
The clearing of someone's throat was enough to make the girls peel their limbs apart, Chloe veering to the side as Beca sat up on her elbow- their focus on the tall blonde woman who stood by the door. They didn't hear it slide open, the one drawback of the facilities advances in technology.
"If you two are done," She spoke gravely. Aubrey's hands were crossed over her chest, the company logo on the black t-shirt she wore was quickly covered by her arm. They had grown used to the disapproving looks and snide comments they got from the group leader. She never went further than that, though. "We have things to discuss."
"Of course," Chloe raised herself up from the ground, wiping her hands on her equally as pitch pants before reaching a hand down and pulling her partner up from the floor. Beca let out a small grunt as she nodded towards Aubrey.
The girl grunted before walking away, expecting to be followed. She didn't' have to wait long. The corridor that stretched in front of them was lined in metal walls, the floor a dark grey. It was lit by bright fluorescents that would emit different powders if dropped. Just like any lightbulb. They were too careful around here to let that happen, though.
"I'm sure both of you are aware of the rise in crime rates in sector seven."
"Mm," Beca spoke up, "It's all over the news, but I don't see how that's our problem."
"Local law enforcement usually handles that type of thing, don't they?" Chloe cocked a brow, feeling Aubrey's shoulder make contact with her chest as she let out a small breath. The blonde had stopped suddenly, turning to face the two girls that stood in front of her. They looked scrappy, dried blood still on the base of Chloe's chin.
"You're right." She stated "Usually, but it's gotten too out of hand for them to fight anymore."
"They've given up?"
"They've deserted." Aubrey snarled, clearly angered by the situation that was thrust into the teams responsibility. She turned quickly on her heels, shoes still echoing as they headed to the large room office that was at the end of such a lengthy hallway. "Barden has to clean up their mess now. One that's shrouded in barbed wire, apparently."
Beca gave a wary glance to her partner as the two took the hint that Aubrey would blow a gasket on the subject if they asked any more questions. Chloe's mouth was dry and tasted like cotton. She always used to cringe when she would see someone dig their teeth into the collar of their shirt, soaking it with saliva. It was never a habit she kept as a child.
The trio came upon a large glass door. It was smoked out, just like the walls of the gym. There was a stillness in the air as Aubrey touched the black screen that lit up to the slightest interaction. It illuminated a small patch of the hallway in a deep blue color. She typed in a code, each number flashing gold at the possibility of being pushed. The normal cards wouldn't work here. They couldn't swipe their way into a high-level office.
A small compression of air released in to fill the quiet, Aubrey squaring her shoulders as she stepped into the large room. It was simple, a white desk pushed against the back wall with a large computer screen made of transparent material. There were equally as stark bookshelves to the right, filled with different law books that would highlight in gold the moment you laid a finger on them.
"This is who you came up with?" Gail sat behind the large desk, shutting the screen off as she raised her eyebrows. She looked stunning, her hair in a tight bun as she lifted her chin slightly. A dark collar was popped on her shirt, mouth slightly agape as she stared at her apprentice for an explanation. Neither girls had ever seen Aubrey quake with much intimidation before- yet this one woman had enough power in just her gaze to still the entire room.
"I-uh," She cleared her throat quickly "Well, yes ma'am. Chloe and Beca are two of Barden's most promising agents. Just young enough to pass, just pretty enough to do so with flying colors."
Beca drew in a breath, ready to push words past her lips, but Chloe's hand on the small of her back stopped her. It was better to stay silent in this situation, even if she had to bite her tongue the point of tears forming in her eyes.
"Sector seven needs fighters," Gail stood up from behind the desk, her dark heels reflecting against crystal floors. "Not trainee's."
Chloe averted her gaze to the floor. The woman in front of them had only spoken a few words to her, maybe once or twice while passing in the hallway. There was a mutual understanding between everyone here. You don't question your leadership, especially when she looks that intimidating in a pair of 6-inch heels. Her hands were behind her back, one wrapped around the opposite wrist as she stayed at attention. Beca was a little more slumped, her chin lifted slightly as she listened to the exchange.
"They've trained well, Ma'am." Aubrey stood her ground, a bit more anger pressing it's way through her tone. She had faith in the girls that she had stuck with from day one. The two people she pulled from poverty and gave a purpose. They were hard to break, at first. But she got through. She taught them everything that she knew. "They know Sector Seven."
Gail let out a small sigh as she sat on the edge of her desk. She had a pensive look on her face, biting her lip as she stared down at the floor. It was something to consider. The rest of the unit were more than capable of finding some order in an unsalvageable piece of land. But the two woman who stood in front of her had a better chance of doing it without detection.
"I could feed you some bullshit line about this being the hardest thing you'll ever have to do in your career." The blonde spoke, stepping closer to the three smaller girls. Aubrey held her breath, her chest starting to burn as the sanitized air ate away at her throat. "The hardest thing in your lives."
Beca nodded quickly, not sure how to respond to the intimidation tactic that was being applied by someone on her own side. She hadn't been back home in years- her own mind running crazy with what it could possibly look like now. A city that she knew like the back of her hand at one point would have morphed and crumbled.
"What exactly do you need us to do, ma'am?" Chloe asked, knitting her eyebrows together as she found her voice.
"RACE." Gail responded matter-of-factly, her gaze whipping to face the red-head. "Reassess, announce, contain, and extract."
"Extract what?" Aubrey asked, lips slightly parted.
"Anyone you can," Gail let out a small breath "Sector Seven will crumble, and I can't have half a population fall under false pretenses, now can I?"
The fabric was soft under her touch, corners folded nicely under meticulous scrutiny. She had tried to get as many wrinkles out as possible, the scent of powdered detergent fresh in her lungs as the girl plunged herself into the prospect of packing instead of facing the inevitable.
"How do you think she'll do it?" Beca asked from the top bunk.
It was a small room, a little cubby that was marked with some obscure number. It reminded Chloe of a submarine the first time she slept here- the creaks of the metal bunker against the wind sounded more like the track they played in every Titanic exhibit across the country. Instead, it was a simple holding room for them to sleep.
There was a set of bunk beds pushed against one corner of the wall, a desk adjacent to that. A small police scanner rested in the corner next to a little lamp. One that usually remained off when the girls weren't reading through the assigned material.
"What?" Chloe glanced up at her counterpart, lost in her own thoughts.
"The city," Beca stared down, knitting her eyebrows "Gail is going to level it. How?"
Chloe shrugged, shoving another shirt into the duffel bag. They were all the same- all dark in some way or another. They weren't given much options here. A few sets of training clothes and of course their standard uniforms.
"There are only so many ways to get rid of a population."
"We can get them out."
"I suppose you want to start with our families, then."
"No." Chloe said gruffly, letting out a small sigh. "We start with anyone who will listen."
Beca simply nodded, swallowing roughly as she lowered her back onto the wall like she had done a million times. Her hands were resting in her lap as the breathed carefully. Silently. The girl glanced up as her mattress dipped slightly, the springs groaning and creaking. Chloe leaned into the duvet where the ladder is, her body draped across the length of the area.
"We'll be okay," She spoke, playing with a bit of fabric that came loose from the rest of the stitching.
"It's not us I'm worried about," Beca admitted, tucking her legs under her chin as she wrapped her arms around them. She was curled up into a little ball, both girls listening to their breath in the otherwise quiet room.