I just thought of this and I thought to myself. You know I could use a short break from my other story and write this short story. Don't worry, my other story will continue on schedule as normal. Enjoy some angst and some sad moments. Tell me what you thought of this story and if you want to see more shorts like this.
Bullets and rockets flew at each other left and right. They were the only ones left in this fight and it was just getting started. Reaper took cover from the rockets flying over his head in a alleyway. Bodies of both Helix members and Talon soldiers littered the sandy stone slabs under his feet. Sand was stained red with blood that surrounded their corpses.
"JUSTICE RAINS FROM ABOVE!" the female voice yelled over the barrage of rockets flying toward the wall where Reaper took cover.
He quickly dispersed himself into smoke and swiftly moved out of range and further into the ally he has been taking cover in. Blasts rocked the area and soon ally around him began to cave in. Walls crumbled around him, dust and sand clouded his vision but he kept moving forward. The open area that led to another abandoned street was just in his reach. He emerged from the smoke that consumed himself and into his solid state. He leaped for the street before him and rolled on the ground just as the ally way behind him became a pile of dust and stone. He looked back for a moment and shifted again into a cloud of smoke. His plan was to flank the Helix soldier and get the jump on her.
He glided swiftly across the sandy ground and up to another ruined building. He slipped up the side of a crumbling wall and began to map out his route to a good spot where he could get a clear barrage of rockets ended and he caught a glimpse of the blue armored soldier hovering above their battle had ragged on. She was looking around for him, her bird like helmet shielding her from the harsh rays of light from the desert sun. He managed to get to a level building which was as close as he could get to her without being seen. He emerged from cloud of smoke and aimed for her metallic wings on her back.
He pulled the trigger, feeling the kick of his pistol and watched as the bullet tore through the metal of one of her wings. The wing gave out on impact and soon the soldier was falling. She screamed and managed to twist herself so she was facing toward the sky, with her back toward the ground. She grasped at thin air as she plummeted toward the ground. Reaper didn't see her hit the ground but he knew the fall wouldn't kill her. He let the smoke engulf himself again and he descended from the buildings. When he reached the ground he let his boots touch the sand covered stone of the street below him. The smoke dispersed as he moved through the main street. He stepped over bodies of soldiers but made sure to step in their pools of blood. He left bloody footprints behind him as he scanned the battlefield of the long forgotten Arabic town they had fought in.
He spotted shiny blue Armour at the far end of the street. A large, metal wing, broken and dismantled was sticking up in the air. Almost like a flag for death to come to. Reaper gripped his pistols in his hands as he moved forward to finish what he had started. As he took one step forward he suddenly heard a child laughing. He paused for a moment and looked around. The laughing got louder but there weren't any child around. He scanned the area for any signs of remaining life but there was none. He shook his head. Must be hearing things, maybe the heat was getting the best of him. He took another step and the laughter got louder, a little girl's laughter. Each step he took seemed to slow down time.
"Gabe!" a little girl's voice called his name, making him feel like he was going insane. He shook his head, trying to block out the voice. He was getting closer to his victim, her helmet and gun laid a few feet away from her. The soldier's back was turned toward him, her black hair covering her head.
Reaper now stood over the last remaining Helix soldier, her hair was covering her eyes and some of her face. Short, jet black hair. Golden beads were braided in her hair and for some reason he felt like she was familiar. He shook his head, no, he didn't know her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and rolled the soldier on her back, her wings sprawled beside her so she could lay on her back. Reaper froze. He stood in silence and shock at the sight of a familiar face. A face that belonged to the girl he had watched grow up. A face he had seen so many times.
Fareeha.
"Gabe! Come on you're going to miss it!" her voice was far and distance but there. Flashes of the small girl clinging to his leg. Giggling as he tried to move with what seem like a metal ball and chain on his leg.
Reaper shook his face and growled before aiming his pistol at Fareeha's head. He gripped the trigger with his clawed finger. His gun began to shake violently as he fought with himself. Kill or save? Which one, she was his enemy now. Right? The tattoo under her eye, the Eye of Horus, reminded him of her mother. Flashes of memories of a happy, cheery, smiling girl with missing teeth and a mess of black hair flashed in his mind.
"Gabe...Gabe...Gabe!" Reaper growled and let out a irritated scream before tossing his guns to the side. He couldn't do it. He staggered back a few steps, gripping at his hooded head. This wasn't real.
"Hurry Gabe!"
Her face stayed in his mind as he desperately tried to push her back to the back of his head. He finally couldn't take it anymore. He removed his hands from his head and went to Fareeha's side. He knelt down beside her and reached for her face. He used the back of his hand to stroke her cheek once, careful not to scratch her delicate face with his clawed hands. She didn't disappear like a mirage. No. She was there. It was really her.
"Gabe pick me up!" Her little, squeaky, excited voice spoke to him, begging him to do this one thing for her.
"Just this once…"
"Just this once…"
He carefully lifted her in his arms and stood up.
"Jeez kid, your getting heavy…" he murmured, he then noticed the sky was beginning to darken on the horizon. The sun was setting. A display of orange,and a shade of light purple with some blue thrown into it began to color the sky.
"Oh, oh, oh, it's happening Gabe look!"
Reaper looked around and finally spotted a high tower overlooking the whole desert. Perfect. He began to walk slowly toward it, spotting a small road that led to the tower. As he walked slowly through the deserted streets he stepped over bodies and rubble as smoothly as possible. Not wanting to disturb the unconscious girl...er, woman now.
"Gabe your taking forever! Move it! We're going to miss it!"
"Slow down kid, I'm getting old you know."
"Your just making excuses!"
He came to a flight of stairs at the base of the tower and began to climb them. He imagined he saw a small girl run up the stairs and around the corner in front of him. For the first time in a long while he felt...peaceful. Like he really was with her back at Zurich. He was his normal self again. Not the monster he had become. He was getting closer to the top of the flight of stairs, rays of fading sunlight were chasing away the shadows they were emerging from. He slowly stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the sun again. Instead of intense, harsh light, the sun had gentle, fading lights. Finally he reached the top of the stairs and looked at the setting sun. He hadn't seen a sunset in so long he had almost forgotten what they looked like. He stood there for a moment, studying the desert sunset carefully before going to the far wall facing the east. He carefully set Fareeha down and had her upper body leaning against the wall. When he eased her head down gently against the stone he heard her voice again.
"It's beautiful isn't it?"
"Yes...it is Fareeha…" he murmured softly before looking a small device on her arm. A distress mechanism. He pressed it and it flashed blue, sending a message to Helix to come and pick her up. Reaper sighed before reaching over and gently, carefully, took a braid of golden beads and tucked it behind Fareeha's ear.
"This is our last sunset kid…" he whispered before standing and heading for the stairs. Before he began to descend the stairs he gave one final look at Fareeha's unconscious form. He could see her breathing just fine. He was satisfied. Truly.
"Do you have to go?"
"Yeah but don't worry...I'll be back."
"Promise?"
"Promise…"