A/N: Hello everyone! And welcome to the very first chapter of Mirror's Edge: Aftermath. Ever since I first played the game back in 2008 I've been wondering what happened next (let's face it, the ending was more than a tad ambiguous...) so decided it was time to try and continue the story myself. I've got the whole thing planned out in some detail, but this chapter will initially serve as a trial, so let me know what you think! Positive and negative comments are both appreciated (though nice things are obviously preferred!). Anyway, on with the story!
Chapter One: What We Do Best
So this is what the end feels like...
As he fell from the heavens Jacknife silently pondered oblivion. He was no longer screaming in terror, but merely waiting for the moment when darkness would consume him forever.
Having lived on the edge all his life, it almost came as a relief to have a little certainty for once.
The adrenaline coursed through his body, and Jacknife knew he was beyond the world now, more alive than anyone in his final seconds on the earth.
As the wind roared in his ears and sent his jacket flapping wildly, Jacknife kept his gaze on the darkened sky above. Smoke and fire belched from the peak of the Shard, drawing further away as he continued in freefall.
Taking a final breath Jacknife closed his eyes and waited.
He hit the ground and never felt a thing.
With a weary groan Miller pushed himself up from the plush carpeted floor, grabbing the side of a desk to heave himself into a standing position. Looking around the room, he counted four corpses and all of them were PK officers.
Suddenly hit by a blinding pain Miller brought a hand to his temple and felt something warm and sticky. Pulling his hand away he saw it was covered with blood.
Still dazed and uncertain what was happening he collapsed into a nearby chair, inspecting his wound in the reflection of a computer monitor. Sure enough, there was a nasty looking gash along the side of his head, which meant one of the PK bastards must have squeezed off a shot less than a second before he could take them down. Oh well, he figured he should be thankful that it was only a graze.
A little more lucid now, Miller looked around for his twin pistols and spied them on the floor, next to the small pool of his own blood which was promptly seeping into the blue carpet. Picking up and holstering both pistols he also found his ear bud and slipped it back into place.
As recent memories continued to flood his weary mind, Miller's thoughts immediately focused on one person in particular.
"Kate!"
Faith had been heading up to the server room when he lost contact, and Miller hoped desperately that she'd been able to make it to her sister in time.
"Faith, are you there? It's Miller!" he shouted with a finger to the bud. No response.
Taking it out he checked the thing was still active before putting it back in his ear and trying again.
"Faith, do you read me?"
There was only static on the other end of the line, and Miller found himself beginning to tremble.
Swallowing thickly, he forced himself to continue.
"Come in, Faith!"
An orange glow from the window caught his attention and Miller hurried over to see what was happening. As he pressed himself against the cool glass and craned his neck upwards he saw billowing smoke and dancing flames high above.
Oh shit, Faith.
A jagged piece of metal tumbled down from the heavens and fell past the window, startling Miller and sending him tumbling backwards. He steadied himself once more on the table as he tried again to make contact.
"Faith!"
Taking her sister's sweating hand, Faith did what she'd always done best. She ran.
PK units could be heard nearby barking frantic orders, but no shots were ringing out which hopefully meant they were still trying to get a fix on the location of the fugitive sisters. The burning helicopter probably provided something of a distraction as well.
"-you hear me? Faith!"
Faith was startled by the familiar voice ringing out inside her head but did not falter in her movement as she replied.
"Miller, you're alive!" Faith replied breathlessly.
"Faith, thank God. Is Kate with you?"
"She's okay," Faith assured the lieutenant as she continued her sprint across the rooftop, eyes locked on a red door up ahead.
"Oh yes, I can see you now."
There must have been a CCTV camera nearby but Faith wasn't exactly going to waste time looking for it.
The pair reached the door and Faith swung a fist to knock it down, barely losing a shred of momentum as she did so.
What lay beyond was a dimly lit stairwell that seemed to wind all the way down to the base of the Shard.
"Head to the 97th floor and take the lift down to the car park," Miller instructed. "I've locked it down so no-one else will be able to call that lift. I've got to go now, Faith, but I'll meet you downstairs." With that the line fell silent again.
Faith and Kate hurried down the stairs, the younger sibling able to keep pace with her Runner sister. Even cops had to run, Faith supposed.
As they arrived at the 98th floor the steel fire door burst open and a PK officer charged at them, assault rifle primed to fire.
Faith seized the barrel of the weapon with her left hand and shoved it aside, throwing a punch with her right that connected with the side of the man's head and fractured his visor.
He staggered back and Faith leapt at the side wall, springing off and swinging her leg around in a vicious kick that connected once more with his head, shattering the visor completely and sending the guy to the ground. Hard.
"Faith," Kate said quietly upon seeing that display of brutality, and the Runner met her sister with a determined stare.
"Let's go, Kate," Faith said, reaching once more to take her sister's hand.
Kate pulled her hand away and shook her head.
"It's okay, Faith. Lead the way."
With a curt, respectful nod, Faith broke into a sprint once more, heading down to the 97th floor and bursting through into a desolate office. It was the middle of the night so aside from guards, cleaners and PK there wasn't going to be anyone around.
A cursory glance around was all Faith needed to spy the lifts at the far left end of the room. She kept moving towards them, vaulting over a red sofa to save time and preserve precious momentum.
Arriving at the lifts she pressed the call button and turned to see Kate arriving just behind her. The younger girl was looking a bit worse for wear but her eyes flashed with determination and she had so far managed to keep pace. Even so, Kate didn't know how to evade the authorities like Faith did, and the Runner knew she'd have to get her little sister trained fast if there was any hope she'd survive.
The lift doors opened with a ping and the duo stepped inside, Faith hitting the button for Lower Ground.
The doors casually slid shut as though they failed to understand the urgency of the situation, and the lift began its descent.
"Faith..." Kate began, her eyes fixed on the metal floor of the lift. "Thank you for coming."
"Always," Faith vowed, surprising her sister with a tight hug which Kate slowly reciprocated.
They remained in the comfortable embrace a few seconds longer before Faith pulled away as she sensed the lift beginning to slow.
The doors pinged open and they came face to face with a man in a dazzling white three-piece suit with combed white hair, his twin pistols pointed right at them.
"You made it," Miller sighed with relief as he lowered both pistols. "My car is over here."
Letting the lieutenant lead the way, the trio wound around support pillars and parked cars, keeping a low profile in case any PKs were nearby.
Faith spied a security van on the left, riddled with bullets from her previous escapade, and couldn't help but smirk outwardly. A dead PK also lay nearby and the smirk dropped, Faith recalling clearly the moment she'd pumped half a dozen rounds into him.
He had it coming, she tried to tell herself.
Coming up to a brick wall Miller pressed himself against it and peered around the corner.
"Shit!" he said in a harsh whsiper. "There's two of them guarding my car." Pulling back from the corner he scratched his chin in thought before his eyes settled on Kate and he handed her a pistol.
"Kate, I don't think I can get them both by myself. I'll head around the other way and take the one on the right. When you hear the shot, take the one on the left."
"Yes, sir," Kate obliged with a stern nod, pulling back the hammer. In a sense Faith was relieved to see her sister in control after Jacknife had left her so powerless, but at the same time, the cold efficiency with which she handled the pistol left Faith with a lump in her throat.
Maybe I don't want you to be more like a Runner, after all, she thought.
Miller disappeared around the other side of the brick structure, almost vanishing against its brilliant white surface.
Kate peered out and saw the two officers talking to each other next to the car, shotguns pointed down at the ground in a relaxed manner.
Moments passed and Kate's grip on the gun tightened as anticipation blossomed in her chest.
Eventually the gunshot rang out and the officer on the right slumped with a spray of blood. Before the second officer could even respond Kate squeezed off a shot and hit him right in the head.
Hurrying over to the car, all the while checking to make sure their gunfire hadn't attracted any unwanted attention, the two sisters were quickly reunited with Miller.
"Good work, Kate," he praised, before fishing about for his key fob in his front jacket pocket. Pulling it out he unlocked the car with a soft click.
"Get in the back," he instructed, and Faith and Kate were quick to comply. Miller drove a luxury saloon with heavily tinted windows so hopefully he could smuggle the sisters out unnoticed.
Turning on the engine, Miller reversed out of the bay and shot forward towards the exit ramp, his tyres squealing and belching up smoke.
"Stay quiet," he instructed as he slowed for the security barrier, flashing his ID to the bored-looking guard with the unshaven jowels and dire comb-over.
Upon seeing Miller the guard's eyes widened with alarm and he shook his head furiously, jowels quivering as he did so.
"I'm under strict orders not to let you leave, lieutenant," he insisted. To be honest, Faith was sure he sounded just a little bit apologetic.
"Very well," Miller sighed, calmly raising his window before turning to the guests in the back seat.
"Hang on."
With that he sped forward and smashed the barrier, racing out onto the street beyond.
The Central Business District was always desolate at night so there were no witnesses to their dramatic exit. Of course, journalists and news crews would be flooding the streets soon enough, what with the entire top of the Shard having been set ablaze.
Miller swerved from the main road into a poorly-lit side street where they could be masked by shadow.
"Where to now?" he enquired from the front, casting a brief glance at Faith in the rear-view mirror while his hands held tightly to the wheel.
"I know you Runners have safe houses everywhere."
Faith only had to think for a moment before she spoke up.
"Take us to Lombardy Avenue station; we'll meet up with Kreeg."
"And am I to assume we can trust this Kreeg?" Miller scrutinised.
"If you're willing to trust me, then you can trust him," Faith replied in a slightly aggressive tone. Miller gave a light grunt of approval before falling silent.
They came to another junction and he took a sharp right onto another main road. A few people could be seen walking past, and Faith recognised that they were now on the edge of what could be considered the entertainment district, with a few pubs and bars buzzing with activity. Most of the people were going about their business- that businesses being to stagger drunkenly towards their destinations- but some were hurrying towards the Shard. Probably to gawk and take pictures, Faith pondered bitterly.
Another left and they soon arrived at the station, Miller parking his car in a tight alleyway at the side of the main building.
"I'm not going to be seeing this again, am I?" he said despondently as they exited.
"Afraid not," Faith snapped as she led the way to a side door in the alley marked AuthorisedPersonnel Only.
We'll see about that, Faith thought as she knocked down the door with a firm kick.
"Stay close," she ordered, meeting Kate and Miller with stern gazes. They'd both done their jobs, and now it was Faith's turn to get them to Kreeg safe and sound.
The maintenance hallway was thankfully deserted, save for the neon lights buzzing overhead and the red pipes rattling in the walls. A rat scurried out in front of them and Kate suppressed a squeal, Faith only shaking her head.
They came to a stop next to a set of shelves filled with disused paint cans and a single rusted power drill, and Faith nodded pointedly.
"So what now?" Miller grumbled, casting a glance behind them to make sure no-one was following.
"Into the rafters," she explained, before gracefully scaling the shelves and pushing up an acoustic ceiling tile. She then disappeared into the darkness and called for her allies to follow. Kate moved lithely and managed the climb on her own, but Miller was a tad more cumbersome and Faith had to pull him up the last few feet.
"Thank you," he said quietly as he dusted down his suit. The ceiling space was wide enough for them to all stand abreast of each other, and high enough for Kate and Faith to stand. The considerably taller Miller could almost stand, walking with only the slightest stoop.
The tiles sagged underfoot and Faith kept the trio moving swiftly, not wanting anyone to fall through unceremoniously.
The ceiling space wound around to the left where they came face to face with a concrete wall, its surface obscured only by a small vent in the bottom left corner.
"This'll take us to the maintenance corridor," Faith explained as she knelt to enter the tight space. "Be careful."
With that she dropped down and a metallic thump could be heard less than a second later. Miller nodded for Kate to move next and he took up the rear, struggling to fit his frame through the square vent entrance.
Eventually he succeeded and dropped straight down about ten feet, landing with a heavy thud at the darkened base of the shaft.
Lowering himself into a crouch, Miller continued to press forward along the narrow space– thank goodness he wasn't claustrophobic– as he caught a vague glimpse of Kate's slender form up ahead.
"Everyone okay?" Faith whispered through the darkness, her voice carrying ever so slightly.
"Yeah," Kate assured her, and Miller only grunted in mild annoyance.
As they pressed ahead, moving on hands and knees, a faint light began to reveal itself at the end of the duct, shining upwards from the base.
"We'll have to drop again," Faith announced as she fell into the light, promptly followed by a rattling sound. Kate was next to disappear through the vent exit, and Miller was last, landing on a blue metal gantry directly beneath, his legs buckling slightly under the impact. As he straightened himself Miller looked around the utilitarian hallway in which they had found themselves, noting closed doors at either end.
"Not far now," Faith informed the others as she began to straddle the railing. The gantry was suspended an indeterminate distance above the floor, running next to the steeply sloping wall with reflective metal plating. "There's another vent at the bottom; that'll take us right to them."
Faith climbed over the railing and jumped, landing on the wall and sliding smoothly into the darkness below.
Kate was next, moving quickly as though eager to prove she could keep up with her sister. That left Miller alone on the gantry, and after another weary sigh he followed, not enjoying the slide down the wall. However, he was relieved when his feet met sturdy concrete in the shadow-covered valley at the bottom, as it gave him a sense of mild reassurance.
Reorienting himself, Miller caught sight of Kate vanishing into another vent at ground level.
Mercifully, this vent was only a few feet long and led the trio into a small, warmly lit room. As Miller crawled out onto the dusty concrete floor, Kate helped him to his feet and he smiled appreciatively. Looking around, he was suddenly met by a tall, muscular man with a hard expression on his angular face, a gun firmly levelled at Miller's head from across the room.
"Drake! No!" Faith shouted, stepping between the cop and the Runner with her hands held up in a gesture of appeasement. "He helped us back at the Shard; he's a friend. Okay?"
"He's CPF," the man named Drake growled. "He couldn't be less of a friend, Faith, so get out of the way."
"I can't do that, Drake," Faith retorted with a shake of her head. "If you shoot him does that mean you'll shoot Kate too?"
"Kate's your family," Drake asserted, lowering the gun ever so slightly. "I'm willing to make that exception for your sake, but this guy is a step too far."
Miller had remained silent the entire time, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He'd initially debated drawing his own weapons, but in an enclosed space surrounded by innocents that wouldn't end well for anyone. Instead, he forced himself to be patient and put his trust in Faith to defend his case.
"Drake, I think you should take it easy." A dark-skinned man in a bright orange sports top spoke up, having been standing quietly in the corner of the room as the drama unfolded. "We're not getting anywhere here," he told his friend, stepping forward to place a gentle hand on the other man's gun. "If we all drop the guns then we can work this out with words, and I'd say that's a damn sight better."
"He's right," Faith agreed, meeting the dark man with a respectful nod.
Drake turned to silently address his friend, the tension still etched onto his face, and slowly he forced himself to relax.
"Fine," he conceded, handing over the gun.
"Miller, give me the pistols," Faith spoke up, returning her attention to the lieutenant. With a single, almost imperceptible nod, Miller slowly removed both weapons from their holsters and passed them to the Runner, grips first. Faith took them and along with the dark man, set them down on a steel table pressed up against the far wall.
"Don't think you're in the clear yet," Drake added, jabbing a muscular finger towards Miller.
"I wouldn't expect to be," Miller shrugged.
"Alright then," Drake nodded. "We may as well get straight down to business." He looked directly at Faith, the tiniest glimpse of vulnerability breaking through his tough exterior.
"I'm glad you're both okay," he said. "PK are on a rampage, and we haven't been able to make contact with Merc yet."
At the mention of that name Faith's chest tightened like a vice and tears immediately started to burn her eyes. Ever since Merc's death she'd been running on adrenaline, racing against time to save her sister and evade capture. But now there was a dreaded respite, and she couldn't run from the truth any more. Her whole body started to tremble as she prepared to utter the words she'd never even wanted to contemplate. Looking up at the man across the room, Faith swallowed thickly as she readied herself.
"Drake," she began. "Merc's dead."