I apologize for the VERY LONG wait you guys had to endure. I haven't had time to write lately but I think I finally have time now. I wrote this at like midnight to one in the morning, so I hope you guys like it. Please, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are welcome.

Chapter One

Shadows And Secrets

Chloe had long since ditched her car. After getting dropped to her house by Paul, she had taken her car and drove around for a while before parking her car near the amphitheater and choosing to travel by rooftop instead, her body strapped with various weapons and her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. The sun had long since set. She pressed herself against the alley wall. She breathed deeply in and out, focusing on calming down her rapid heartbeat. She tried to ignore the feeling of guilt that pressed down on her like a crashing wave. She shouldn't have done that to Alek. It wasn't fair.

You did what you had to, she reminded herself.

She glanced down across the street, watching the entrance of the Order. So far no sign of Brian's father or that evil bitch that shot her, the desire for revenge burned her tongue. She killed her in cold blood, fair was fair.

Chloe tightened her trench coat around her. She had several weapons strapped to her, looking like Alice from Resident Evil. She couldn't help but feel a blast of confidence. She was dangerous and sexy. If only Alek could see her now. Chloe extended her hearing range outward and heard the sound of running footsteps, but they weren't coming from the streets. They were coming from the rooftops.

Damn it. Paul must've cracked. Not that she blamed him.

Chloe hurried up the fire escape stairs. At the top, she opened the window and hopped inside, slamming the window shut and drawing the blinds shut. She had rented this place out, the best place she could hide out and keep an eye out on the Order waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. She extended her hearing for miles. She picked up the sound of a heartbeat, the familiar thumping motion causing her own heart to race. She slowed her breathing down, peeking out the curtain to stare out at the entrance again. She caught sight of Brain's dad entering the building. She cursed mentally. There was no way she could get inside without getting caught by the Mai. Chloe waited until the sound of footfalls began and then faded away. She slipped outside her window, hoisting herself up on the roof. Her eyes changing, sharping focus and outlining everything in the dark so they she wasn't completely blinded.

"Now or never," she muttered.

She traveled to the closest rooftop to the building of Brian's father's office and jumped down from the roof, using the window ledges to slow her fall, swinging down from them with the agility of a monkey. Someone emerged from the darkness, a member of the Order, charging at her with a gun. Chloe reached behind her, grabbing the whip that was strapped to her belt and let it fly, it wrapped around the gun and she pulled dragging the guy and his weapon toward her. She struck out her leg, her foot colliding with his stomach and Chloe used the whip to wrap around his neck, cutting off his oxygen until he lost conscious. She lowered him to the ground, dismantling his weapon and discarding the pieces.

Chloe glanced around. No one else had seen her descend. She was safe…for now. Chloe glanced inside; she counted five Guards on the first level. She needed to figure out where more Guards were stationed as well as a map of the building. She caught sight of security camera and grinned. Then in the middle of the entrance was a list of important people in the building and their offices. She wished she had her phone. She reached down to her left boot and pulled out a pen, scribbling the names and floor numbers on her palm. She was going to need to find a way to hack into the security system of the Rezza building.

Chloe pulled herself back onto the rooftops. There at the top of the Rezza building was an antenna. She jumped onto the building, swaying slightly back and forth as she nearly lost her balance. She leaned herself forward and landed safely on the concrete. She hurried over to the box attached to the antenna and crouched down beside it. She yanked one of the blades from its sheath and used it to pry open the box. She messed with the wires a little bit, trying to remember the text she read about while in the Mai Academy. Luckily she had the one thing she needed, a small chip that was she planning on using for the security codes inside the building. She slipped it in and put the wires back where they belonged, shutting the box and running toward the next roof because she must've cut off the power to the camera for a few seconds. Someone would be coming up to check. Chloe headed back into her temporary apartment, slipping inside the window and collapsing on the floor, yanking her duffel bag toward her in the process. She pulled out her laptop. As she waited for it to load up she reached into her bag for a snack, having packed some dried fruit. She nibbled on it as she hacked into the Rezza's internet system and finding her way around the firewall into the security system. It took a while but she managed to gain access.

For two days, Chloe just surveyed the security footage, learning all the exits and hallways, what doors lead to where and what dead ends to avoid. She counted the amount of Guards that appeared each day and when Brain's father came into the building for meetings with the other Order members. She tracked it all down in her head and in her spare time, Chloe practiced using her weapons. She found a chunk of wood that she used to throw her knives into; she briefly wondered if her neighbors heard it. Luckily no one ever complained or at least not to her face or the Landlord's.

One day she woke up with the sound of footsteps echoing outside her apartment and the door rattling. Chloe jumped up, grabbing all her bags, already packed for a quick get-away. She threw her weapons back downwards, behind some cardboard boxes and heaved herself to the roof just as the apartment door flew open and smacked into the wall with a loud bang. Chloe closed her eyes, her fingers curling around the knife in her belt as she waited.

To Be Continued.

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