Disclaimer: I do not own Burst Angel or any of the characters.
Chapter 1 – Back in Business
The warehouse loomed ahead just 2 blocks away. The mark was inside; that much Amy had been able to tell her. But Meg was still not sure how many enemies awaited her within the drafty building. "Amy, you have infrared, yet?"
"You realize who you're talk to right, Meg?" The sound of the cocky young tech crackled through the speakers inside Meg's metal companion, DJango, and armored mecha she used in almost all her fights. "It took me less than 60 seconds to hack into one of the CIA's satellites. Do you really think I would have any problem getting a few infrared scans?"
"Just hurry up and get me those scans, will ya?!" The red headed cowgirl yelled back at her young friend. "I'm already starting to get hungry!"
She could hear the child sigh heavily into the mic. "All you ever think about is your stomach, you know that? I'm uploading the images to your interface now." Instantly screens with blotches of red began to appear on the screen in front of Meg's eyes. Her heart jumped in her chest at seeing all the red in front of her.
"Ok, Meg, this is what you're facing." Sei's voice came clearly over the speakers now, causing Meg to turn her eyes to the view screen to her left. There she could see Sei and her cool eyes staring back at her. Instantly Meg felt her pulse calm slightly. There was something about the older woman's voice and demeanor that always managed to put her at ease, even in tense situations like this. "That warehouse is two stories tall. The only schematics we could pull are at least a decade old so we aren't sure exactly what you'll be facing inside, and as you can tell, we are registering twenty heat signatures, but we don't know what level they are at. Amy will continue to work and see if she can get you any video feeds to give you more information on their layout, but you'll have to get moving. If our intel is accurate they'll be moving the package at 2200 hours. It's already 2100 hours. We have to move now."
"No problem! Moving in!" Meg replied, giving them a thumbs up in the view screen.
"Amy, have you got anything yet?" Sei asked the girl with pigtails as the young cowgirl raced skillfully down the street in the armored mecha.
"No, it seems like these guys are pretty thorough. They must have taken an EM sweep of the surrounding area to knockout any surveillance devices. So, I'm afraid she's gonna have to fly this one blind."
A look of worry flashed in Sei's eyes then. "I don't like the sound of that."
With a huff, Amy crossed her arms. "Well, it's not my fault! If Jo were here"
"Amy!" Sei cut her off sharply. After a moment she turned her eyes back to the screen to see the lost look in Meg's eyes. It had been nearly eight months since Jo had died in the attack on RAPT HQ. Sei herself had only survived because Jo had shoved her into the armored mech Meg now drove. The loss of their friend, their angel of death, had hit them all hard, but none as hard as Meg. The redhead had been with Jo since they both had met in New York, almost six years ago to the day. It had taken Meg two months to fight off a deep depression from which she nearly killed herself of starvation. And anyone who knew Meg knew that she had to truly be upset to not eat. But for those two months they all, Kyo included, had to force the young woman to eat anything. She had turned to nothing but skin and bones when finally she was struck with the realization that Jo would not have wanted this for her. How she came to the realization no one knew, but it didn't take the girl long after that to pull a complete 180 on the group. She began to slowly eat again, exercise to build up her strength, and after a while smile and laugh and in general get on with her life. It had taken another four months of begging for Sei to agree to let Meg learn how to pilot and fight with DJango. She had gone through a month of intense training with Leo until finally Sei signed off on her reentering the field, fully certified to fight. She had even, in her spare time, taught herself how to shoot Jo's Dessert Eagles, her spare set that had been left in the trailer they all lived in.
Seeing the lost look appear once again in the eyes of the young girl, Sei's heart ached for her and she got even more worried. "Meg? Meg do you"
"I'm alright, Sei." Meg interrupted, giving her a weak, and all too clearly, fake smile. "I can't avoid the memories forever." Before the other woman could say anymore she added, "I'm at the warehouse. Wish me luck! I'm goin in!"
"Meg" But there was no use, Meg was no longer listening to the older woman. Muting the com system, Sei turned to glare at the younger girl. "You know better than to mention Jo with Meg listening in!"
"Gezz! I'm sorry, alright?" Amy replied, lifting her hands in defense. "I didn't even think about it. I mean after"
"No, that's enough! We talked about this! It is not our place to say anything, so until she makes a move to come to us we say nothing to Meg about what happened to Jo. Understood?" Sei wasn't usually this firm with the young girl, but this was no time to be careless with their words. What Sei saw was hope, but they could easily drive that hope away if they were not careful.
Hanging her head in shame, Amy nodded. "You're right… I'm sorry, Sei, honest I am. I just want her to be happy again… and I don't understand what is going on."
Patting the girl on her head, Sei couldn't help but smile at her. She had been like a mother to them all and she loved them like a sister. "I know. And to tell you the truth, I don't either. But, Amy, we simply need to accept the situation." Looking back at the image of the redhead she added, "It's up to her."
As soon as she stepped from the shadows of the adjacent building, bullets rained down around her. Diving to the side and rolling back up into a crouched position, Meg shot up toward the roof and second floor windows, and in a rain of lead managed to take out four of the heat signatures. Two more steps and she was inside, hidden in the shadows, the light from the moon shining through the windows being her only guide in the massive warehouse. Looking around, Meg saw no one, so she double checked her scans. She registered there was a large group of men, eight to be exact, in the far left hand corner of the room. Taking a firm stance, she aimed at the far corner and opened fire. She knew she had aimed well when cries of pain filled the air. Unleashing two full clips in that direction, she quickly reloaded her weapons and dove out into the middle of the warehouse. Coming back up into a wide stance she started shooting high and low in the direction of all the heat signatures.
She had watched Jo do this so many times, but had never thought she could do it herself. Any moment she expected someone to jump her and take her captive like they always used to. But no, Meg shook her head defiantly. She couldn't let that happen, not again. Jo had always been the one to save her and now Jo was gone. And Meg didn't trust anyone else to ever come to her rescue the way her Genocide Angel always had. From now on, Meg would be her own protector.
One by one, Meg noticed the heat signatures beginning to fade, meaning she had hit her targets. Seeing a group of three still glowing strong she aimed in that direction and fired. All she heard was the loud clang of bullets bouncing off metal.
"Crap!" Meg gritted her teeth as she growled.
"What is it, Meg?" Sei asked anxiously. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, but our last three guys are hiding behind a bulletproof wall of steel. I tell ya, Sei, men just don't know how to treat a lady anymore; how rude." She smirked down at the screen knowing Sei would be smiling back.
She was. "Well, if they are behind reinforced walls than your target is inside there."
"Gotcha! Leaving DJango here and going ahead on foot!"
"Meg, do you think that's wise?" Sei asked, once again anxious. "I know you are learning to control those guns, and you are getting better, but should you take that chance yet?"
"Well Sei, I have to some time, right? Might as well try it out while I only have to face three of them." Meg winked enthusiastically at the screen. "Don't worry, mama, your warrior will be back before you know it!"
Before Sei could object further, Meg popped DJango's top hatch and climbing out quickly sealed it behind her. "Leo would kill me if I left his baby open and vulnerable to impure hands working her controls." Meg laughed to herself quietly as she thought of the odd mechanic that worked with the team. He acted like DJango was a work of art, something to be treasured and kept safe, while in reality it was a weapon designed for a rough time.
As she landed at the monstrous machine's feet, Meg quickly unzipped her long red gun jacket, the one Jo had left her and that she never took off, and quickly drew both Dessert Eagles from their holsters. Holding them at the ready, she ran swiftly toward the opposite end of the open warehouse. Other than the coat, Meg wore her trademark cowgirl outfit, flashing a bright yellow in the dim light. She had attempted Jo's entire look, but could never get used to looking in the mirror and always seeing Jo's face. It had been too painful, but at the same time she couldn't give up the one thing Jo had left for her, the jacket, and the scarf she had found flying in the breeze amid the rubble of RAPT HQ. She kept these because she never wanted to forget the warrior angel that had touched her life and heart.
It didn't take the girl long to figure out where the door was to the steel reinforced room. Taking a deep breath, she quickly shot the handle and kicked the door in. Before she could even get off another shot she heard the grinding of gears and instantly knew something was wrong. Moments later she understood; yes the three men she had expected stood around a table in the middle of the small room, but one thing she had not expected were the two automated sentry guns at either corner of the room.
Letting off two shots, Meg easily took two of the men down before she let her left leg collapse underneath her, allowing her to quickly roll to the side and back to her feet. In a low position, she took aim and fired at the third man. As she did the sentry guns began to fire as well. Falling forward onto her stomach as the third man's body fell, shielding her from the sentry on her left, Meg let off three rounds toward the one on the right and smiled with satisfaction as it answered her by exploding. Her celebration was cut short by a piercing pain in her left side, and another in her shoulder. Turning quickly she let off another round hitting the final sentry in its optical center, but not before it sent another volley of bullets in her direction. Some grazed her while others tore through her flesh. She couldn't help but scream in pain as she felt her blood begin to pour from her numerous wounds.
Static filled her ear as Sei tried to talk to her, but something was jamming the signal. Knowing she had to get out, and get up quickly, Meg forced herself to her feet, though the pain felt like it would make her pass out before she could get anywhere. Standing she turned toward the table to find the package waiting for her. With unsteady hands she lifted the briefcase and stumbled back out into the warehouse toward DJango.
As soon as she distanced herself from the room, Sei's voice rang clearly in her ear. "Meg! Meg can you hear me?!"
Gritting her teeth from the pain in her body and now in her ear, Meg softly replied, "Gezz! Yes, Sei, I hear you."
"Thank God! Are you ok?!"
"I've been hit, but I'm making my way back to DJango." With a weak chuckle, she added, "I'll be out of here in no time!"
"The hell you will!" Sei replied quickly. "Stay where you are! Leo is coming for you!"
"No, Sei!" Meg replied sharply, remembering the promise she had made herself. "No one is going to save me but myself. I'll make it on my own."
Hey everyone, this is my first submission for a story I have been thinking about. Any reviews, comments, criticism would be appreciated! I hope you enjoy the first chapter! The second is soon to follow!
