Cold. Much like death, was all around her. It splayed over her small
frame, as if trying to smother her with its icy presence. The question of
why it existed often came up, yet, like most other questions of such
nature, the answer was simple; it just did.
She exhaled once more, watching the breath coalesce into a fine mist before her face. The street lights cast eerie shadows around her. This night, it seemed, would be different than all others she ever experienced.
Her reverie releasing its grip, she resumed walking, her heavy boots resounding down the empty street and returning to her ears.
Now that her attention was free, she finally heard the sounds of the night. Simulated as they may have been. Crickets chirping song rose to a clamor then fell back to a dull roar, frogs randomly chimed in, and even more random were the calls of various nighttime birds. Simulated, yet beautiful at the same time.
Her objective was clear. She had to escape this false night at all costs.
"Ms. Benton." A voice as equally oppressive as the darkness around her interrupted the cricket symphony. A figure clothed in a flat black suit strode into the street light. The eerie shadows seemed to part for him, as if afraid to make contact with the man. "I thought I'd missed you."
"Damn..." Mist fired from her mouth as she cursed. Slowly, methodically, she turned to face him, her mind already racing, trying desperately to form a strategy. Unfortunately, she came up with nothing.
The awkward silence that had befell the two was shattered by a ring. The annoyingly piercing call of a cell phone working its way into their ears. When no one made a move, it continued persisting shrilly.
"Are you going to answer that?" The man in black cocked his head to the side. His expression, determinable only by the thin lines which passed for eyebrows, seemed nonplused by her lack of movement towards the shrill cell.
With movements as quick as a cat, her phone was by her ear. "This better be damn good," she hissed. Her voice a sharp retort to the most inopportune call of her life.
"I've got an exit for ya, captain." An adolescent voice on the other end tried hard to sound comforting. It failed, though, in the end. "Go six blocks to your right. When you reach the end of the alley, hang a left and it's the payphone on the corner."
"Fine." The captain began to lower the phone.
"Wait!" The young voice on the other end chimed back. "I'm sending backup." With that simple sentence, the conversation ended.
Moving her eyes up, the captain let the phone drop to the pavement.
"Good news, I trust? I would hate to make your day worse than it already is." The man in black smiled, an ever so trite expression, as the captain knew, for the man.
The captain inhaled, trying to calm her nerves. Then, without warning, sprinted off, her thin legs propelling her faster than any world class sprinter. The captain's speed to any onlooker would have seemed utterly amazing.
The man in black, however, simply smiled.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Sleep, in and of itself, was bliss. One of those times when the mind wasn't engaged. One of those times when worry was almost nonexistent.
Just when Reign was beginning to enjoy his sleep, he was torn from it. A firm hand, too firm for one as, for lack of a better word, sleepy as Reign was, ripped him from his bliss.
"Wha..." Reign stumbled over his words. Still trying to understand what was happening.
"Ohm's in trouble. She needs your help getting to an exit. Hurry!" Reign now recognized Teaux. The tinge of adolescence still prominent in his voice, though he was already a veteran of this war.
"Teaux...what the hell..." Before he could finish his sentence, Reign was shoved into a chair. The familiar padding of the loading chair conforming around his body.
"Sorry bout this." Teaux apologized as he shoved the interface into the back of Reign's neck. The painful jolt of electricity mixing with his own neural impulses forcing convulsions into Reigns body.
Before he could scream, a blinding light surrounded him, the construct surrounding him with it's nothingness. Reign tried futilely to blink sleep from his eyes. The white of the construct was too much for a sleepy person.
His phone rang. A simple ring that brought his attention down. As quick as he could, the phone was open and to his ear.
"What in the name of..." Reign was cut off.
"I'm loading you in. The captain's in a crunch. You need to help her get to the exit. I'm hacking you right to the spot. There's an agent..." Teaux would have gone on if Reign hadn't stopped him.
"Slow down kid...tell me what's going on."
"There's no time! You're in!"
Before he could blink, Reign stood on a street corner. The street light flickering overhead. No one was around, which was good.
"Ok, where is she?" Reign was looking around frantically.
"She'll be coming from the intersection to your right."
Reign snapped to the right. His eyes peering down the street. Trying to penetrate the darkness. Continuing to look around he took in his surroundings. He was on a unadorned street. The black high-rise building stretching up into the darkness of night. He could, however, see into the first floor.
With cold determination, Reign pulled the gun from his belt-line. The black metal settling into his grip like an old friend's handshake. He raised it up to eye-level, pointing it at the janitor within the office building. His mopping was about to be ended.
"Wait!" Teaux voice cut in. "He's deaf...he won't hear a thing..."
"Ok...fine..." There was no need for senseless killing.
Around the corner she came. Ohm sprinted as fast as she could. Her black hair whipping behind her as she ran. Sweat beading on her forehead. Spinning around, she drew her gun. The silver metal glinting in the streetlight.
"Come on, cap." Reign moved in. Low with his gun ready. Ohm didn't respond. "Cap..." Reign put his hand out lightly making contact with her shoulder.
She whipped around. Her face white with fear. When she saw who it was, her color instantly returned.
"Get out..." Reign motioned towards the phone, which was now ringing off the hook. He took his eyes off of her to guard the street she had just come from.
He absently heard her move towards the phone. Absently heard her holster the gun. Then, absently heard the gunshot. The impact is what really got his attention. The soft thud as the bullet drove into flesh. Though, strangely, it wasn't him.
Turning, Reign's eyes widened in horror. Ohm fell to her knees. Hissing a gasp in pain. She reached her hand up to the middle of her chest. Blood starting to ooze through her dark coat.
"No..." Reign ran to her side in time to catch her. Her mass already turning into dead weight.
"Get out..." She hissed. Blood staining the side of her mouth. Her hand traveled up to Reign's pocket. Depositing something within. "Get out..." She exhaled her last words and fell limp.
Looking up Reign saw the face of Ohm's killer. The agent stood there, a smug grin on his face. The black barrel of his gun still smoking in one hand. The dark wood of a mop in the other.
"Damn you..." Reign stood. His gun flashing up. His finger pulling the trigger as fast as he could. Bullets racing out at the agent of death. Faster than his eyes could follow. The agent avoided them. Not even one of the bullets found its target. Before Reign realized it, the gun was empty. The trigger clicking uselessly in its guard. Still, the phone kept ringing.
The agent finished his movements and was now upright. A look of annoyance now replaced the smirk. Raising his gun, the agent began firing as Reign spun towards the payphone. If one of the bullets would have found its mark, Reign wouldn't have known. As soon as the phone was up to his ear, he was gone. Leaving Ohm's body and the agent. The mop still in his hand.
She exhaled once more, watching the breath coalesce into a fine mist before her face. The street lights cast eerie shadows around her. This night, it seemed, would be different than all others she ever experienced.
Her reverie releasing its grip, she resumed walking, her heavy boots resounding down the empty street and returning to her ears.
Now that her attention was free, she finally heard the sounds of the night. Simulated as they may have been. Crickets chirping song rose to a clamor then fell back to a dull roar, frogs randomly chimed in, and even more random were the calls of various nighttime birds. Simulated, yet beautiful at the same time.
Her objective was clear. She had to escape this false night at all costs.
"Ms. Benton." A voice as equally oppressive as the darkness around her interrupted the cricket symphony. A figure clothed in a flat black suit strode into the street light. The eerie shadows seemed to part for him, as if afraid to make contact with the man. "I thought I'd missed you."
"Damn..." Mist fired from her mouth as she cursed. Slowly, methodically, she turned to face him, her mind already racing, trying desperately to form a strategy. Unfortunately, she came up with nothing.
The awkward silence that had befell the two was shattered by a ring. The annoyingly piercing call of a cell phone working its way into their ears. When no one made a move, it continued persisting shrilly.
"Are you going to answer that?" The man in black cocked his head to the side. His expression, determinable only by the thin lines which passed for eyebrows, seemed nonplused by her lack of movement towards the shrill cell.
With movements as quick as a cat, her phone was by her ear. "This better be damn good," she hissed. Her voice a sharp retort to the most inopportune call of her life.
"I've got an exit for ya, captain." An adolescent voice on the other end tried hard to sound comforting. It failed, though, in the end. "Go six blocks to your right. When you reach the end of the alley, hang a left and it's the payphone on the corner."
"Fine." The captain began to lower the phone.
"Wait!" The young voice on the other end chimed back. "I'm sending backup." With that simple sentence, the conversation ended.
Moving her eyes up, the captain let the phone drop to the pavement.
"Good news, I trust? I would hate to make your day worse than it already is." The man in black smiled, an ever so trite expression, as the captain knew, for the man.
The captain inhaled, trying to calm her nerves. Then, without warning, sprinted off, her thin legs propelling her faster than any world class sprinter. The captain's speed to any onlooker would have seemed utterly amazing.
The man in black, however, simply smiled.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
Sleep, in and of itself, was bliss. One of those times when the mind wasn't engaged. One of those times when worry was almost nonexistent.
Just when Reign was beginning to enjoy his sleep, he was torn from it. A firm hand, too firm for one as, for lack of a better word, sleepy as Reign was, ripped him from his bliss.
"Wha..." Reign stumbled over his words. Still trying to understand what was happening.
"Ohm's in trouble. She needs your help getting to an exit. Hurry!" Reign now recognized Teaux. The tinge of adolescence still prominent in his voice, though he was already a veteran of this war.
"Teaux...what the hell..." Before he could finish his sentence, Reign was shoved into a chair. The familiar padding of the loading chair conforming around his body.
"Sorry bout this." Teaux apologized as he shoved the interface into the back of Reign's neck. The painful jolt of electricity mixing with his own neural impulses forcing convulsions into Reigns body.
Before he could scream, a blinding light surrounded him, the construct surrounding him with it's nothingness. Reign tried futilely to blink sleep from his eyes. The white of the construct was too much for a sleepy person.
His phone rang. A simple ring that brought his attention down. As quick as he could, the phone was open and to his ear.
"What in the name of..." Reign was cut off.
"I'm loading you in. The captain's in a crunch. You need to help her get to the exit. I'm hacking you right to the spot. There's an agent..." Teaux would have gone on if Reign hadn't stopped him.
"Slow down kid...tell me what's going on."
"There's no time! You're in!"
Before he could blink, Reign stood on a street corner. The street light flickering overhead. No one was around, which was good.
"Ok, where is she?" Reign was looking around frantically.
"She'll be coming from the intersection to your right."
Reign snapped to the right. His eyes peering down the street. Trying to penetrate the darkness. Continuing to look around he took in his surroundings. He was on a unadorned street. The black high-rise building stretching up into the darkness of night. He could, however, see into the first floor.
With cold determination, Reign pulled the gun from his belt-line. The black metal settling into his grip like an old friend's handshake. He raised it up to eye-level, pointing it at the janitor within the office building. His mopping was about to be ended.
"Wait!" Teaux voice cut in. "He's deaf...he won't hear a thing..."
"Ok...fine..." There was no need for senseless killing.
Around the corner she came. Ohm sprinted as fast as she could. Her black hair whipping behind her as she ran. Sweat beading on her forehead. Spinning around, she drew her gun. The silver metal glinting in the streetlight.
"Come on, cap." Reign moved in. Low with his gun ready. Ohm didn't respond. "Cap..." Reign put his hand out lightly making contact with her shoulder.
She whipped around. Her face white with fear. When she saw who it was, her color instantly returned.
"Get out..." Reign motioned towards the phone, which was now ringing off the hook. He took his eyes off of her to guard the street she had just come from.
He absently heard her move towards the phone. Absently heard her holster the gun. Then, absently heard the gunshot. The impact is what really got his attention. The soft thud as the bullet drove into flesh. Though, strangely, it wasn't him.
Turning, Reign's eyes widened in horror. Ohm fell to her knees. Hissing a gasp in pain. She reached her hand up to the middle of her chest. Blood starting to ooze through her dark coat.
"No..." Reign ran to her side in time to catch her. Her mass already turning into dead weight.
"Get out..." She hissed. Blood staining the side of her mouth. Her hand traveled up to Reign's pocket. Depositing something within. "Get out..." She exhaled her last words and fell limp.
Looking up Reign saw the face of Ohm's killer. The agent stood there, a smug grin on his face. The black barrel of his gun still smoking in one hand. The dark wood of a mop in the other.
"Damn you..." Reign stood. His gun flashing up. His finger pulling the trigger as fast as he could. Bullets racing out at the agent of death. Faster than his eyes could follow. The agent avoided them. Not even one of the bullets found its target. Before Reign realized it, the gun was empty. The trigger clicking uselessly in its guard. Still, the phone kept ringing.
The agent finished his movements and was now upright. A look of annoyance now replaced the smirk. Raising his gun, the agent began firing as Reign spun towards the payphone. If one of the bullets would have found its mark, Reign wouldn't have known. As soon as the phone was up to his ear, he was gone. Leaving Ohm's body and the agent. The mop still in his hand.