In a post-apocalyptic world, gangs have arisen to maintain a sense of order in each of their respective areas. Years past, and several gangs banded together, and formed the current Government. Within this Government, a woman, Levy McGarden, a contracted code cypher and genius, has discovered the location of a cure clinic held secret by the Government. However, her knowledge of the clinic has cost her dearly. Now, while on the run, she stumbles across a mercenary, Gajeel Redfox, in an attempt to escape the forces on her tail and return to her home and gang, Fairy Tail. What secrets is this Government holding? And will Gajeel's past influence Levy's trust in the mercenary?
The Chase (1)
The downpour of rain was intense, washing out the sound of the loud splashes made by the footsteps from the figure within the darkness of night. The blue haired woman ran through the puddles of water and mud of the ruined world, with a crescent moon lighting her way. "I… need to find a… place to hide," she panted, hearing the yells of soldiers several yards behind her. Blood dripped from her chin, a small cut above her eyebrow from slipping on a root earlier. She kept an eye on her footing, ignoring the small branches that were cutting up her arms as she swiped them away.
"DO NOT LET HER ESCAPE MEN! SHE MUST BE RETURNED AT ALL COSTS!" a man yelled towards the military squadron, conviction burning in his eyes. The squadron replied in unison with a 'Yes, sir!'. They followed their CO's lead, as he followed the path left by their fugitive. "This will be easy, the rain will continue to give her location away, keep on these tracks, men!" he continued, brushing his wet, blue hair out of his field of vision, revealing a tattooed design around his right eye.
"Lt. Colonel, she's continuing North-East, are there any patrols we can contact to cut her off?" one of the squad members spoke out, curious as to how to handle the escapee.
"And let this mishap reach other squadrons? No, we can handle one little fugitive, we WILL get this situation under control, or there will be hell to pay, understand Gunnery Sergeant Mikazuchi?" he replied, an irritation in his voice at the thought of other squadrons hearing about the incident.
"Yes, sir," Mikazuchi replied, returning his focus to the chase.
The blue haired woman kept up her pace, looking for anywhere to hide out or something that could provide less evidence of her path. 'There's gotta be somewhere or something around here!' she yelled to herself, slowly losing attention to what lay ahead as she scouted around her. When she continued her gaze forward, however, it was too late. A small cliff lay ahead, and she quickly began to stop herself, slipping on the wet ground, catching herself on the ledge of the drop, heart pumping loudly in her chest. 'Shit...' she looked down at the drop, a river flowing with decent speed.
"We're closing in on her men! Do not let her escape!" she overheard, figuring that they were less than 100 yards away. "It's now or never, Levy. Deal with the squad chasing you, or chance the river, oh damn it all," she spoke to herself, weighing her odds. Before she could make a decision, the ground that was held on to crumbled under her hands, and slipped down into the raging waters 20 feet below. Levy blacked out as surprise overtook her, and the air left her lungs.
"Lt. Colonel, there's no sign of her! The trail ends cold at this ledge!" Mikazuchi announced, the CO approaching his position.
"Hmmm, either she has hidden in the surrounding foliage, or she took a dive," he looked around, surveying the area. "and judging from the lack of evidence suggesting the former, I'll bet on the latter. You four, find a way down there, see if she has held to the cliffside, or landed near the bank. Gunney, I shall accompany you and the rest of the men downstream. She's sure to resurface somewhere, and we will be sure to be there when she does."
"But, sir! If she's in the river, she'll be flowing with the current. How will we be able to catch her?!" a Private yelled, confused at the orders given.
"Well, that's a pretty shallow river there, Private, but you may be right. She may have had a chance to live," irritation clouded his voice again, grabbing the man by his uniform. "but I'm sure if you'd like to dive in after her yourself, you'd catch up no problem," he pulled him towards the edge, ready to let go at the slightest of disobedience.
"N-n-no… No, Sir!" the Private screamed out.
"What was that?"
"No, sir, Lt. Colonel Fernandes, sir!"
"Exactly, now get your asses moving down there and find me that woman!" he commanded, turning his attention back to Mikazuchi.
"Jellal, was that necessary?" Mikazuchi spoke as the remaining men scurried off to their destination.
"Simon, I'll say this once, while we are in the field, never use my name so informal. It's Lt. Colonel or sir, to you at this time. Secondly, I will not tolerate any questioning of my authority," Jellal strictly spoke, walking off in the direction of the others.
"Yes, sir," Simon quietly responded, following closely behind his CO.
Levy awoke, coughing out water, drenched and throbbing in pain. "Well, I'm obviously not dead, too much pain," she grunted out, sitting herself up and took a deep breath. "but, where am I? I need to… get to Fairy Tail…" She stood herself up, dizzy, and search around for something to lean against. She propped herself up against a large boulder, and searched for something to walk with, finding a decent sized branch to use as a makeshift crutch.
Looking to the sky, she noted the stars to ascertain her position. "It seems that river drifted to the South, I had better head North, follow the river, maybe I'll come across a town so I can figure out where I am," she began to head North, hiding herself in the forest, to avoid any military detection.
"Here we go…"
Meanwhile
"Damn… it's gonna be another long day... " a gruffy voice spoke. The man leaned back in his chair, boots lay resting on his desk, letting out a deep sigh as he finished up a meal and used a nail to clean his teeth like a toothpick. After finishing, he twirled the nail in his teeth, looking up at the ceiling. "It's been two damn weeks since a decent job came in that's worth my time, my shop may make some cash, but it sure as hell ain't enough," he grunted, spitting the nail out of his mouth, landing it right in the ceiling, alongside various other holes from previous nails.
The rain pattered against the metal roofing of his shop. There was a sign reading 'SCRAP YARD' with the 'D' slightly slanted due to lack of maintenance, part of the attachment had come undone. "I should probably get around to fixing that," he spoke to himself as it came to his mind, leaning back further, tossing his previously used utensils backwards, hoping to land them in the sink. He smirked as he heard the clatter of metal chime against each other, signaling his success. He stood up and opened up one of the countless tool drawers, picking out a work belt and strapping it on, sliding various tool in their appropriate holsters. "Well, now or never, if I get a job anytime soon I'll probably lay it off another damn month," he groaned, boredom taking over his attitude, and walked out into the pouring weather.
"Here we go…"
Author's Note
Hey everyone! hope you enjoyed the first chapter! and hope it reeled in your attention. it's been several years since my last fan fiction that I've written, and I figured where best to start off than a middle of a chase! but don't worry, things will clear up! Hope you all enjoy, and I'd love some feedback on what you all think. Thank You for taking the time to read! and Share with your friends!
