She walked down the street, hood up and head down, trying not to be noticed. Trying to blend in.
The S.T.A.R.S. had been under surveillance and suspended for almost a year by now, and the members had all agreed that they should all part ways and not contact each other without good reason. If it was a dire situation, then they would contact one of them.
But after parting, many things had happened. Most of the Bravo team were already dead and buried due to the Arklay Mountains failed mission. The Alpha team had all separated, but nothing had been heard of Chris or Jill, and Barry fled somewhere as soon as they escaped the mansion, probably playing dead somewhere in Mexico or Canada.
The rain continued to pour as Rebecca Chambers continued walking down the dark and cold high street, aware that she is around too many people. She felt exposed. Watched. She was aware of people looking at her, trying to figure out whether she was just a typical 19-year-old or not.
Maybe she was just being paranoid…
She started to walk faster, the rain coming down heavier, in sheets, as the wind picked up. She held onto her hood as the wind tried to take it away. She quickly turned down an alley, which was dark in shadows from the early evening clouds and rain. She sped up again, wanting to get to her apartment (which she rented under a fake name and date of birth, of course), before she got sick from the cold. It might have been June, but the Indiana weather didn't seem to know it, causing it to be surprisingly cool. The wind and rain didn't help.
Rebecca gasped as she crashed into someone, mumbling her apologises and trying to continue. She never spoke to people, not even a single word, scared that they would recognise her distinctive voice – no other teenager sounded like her, at least not around here. They all sounded different.
At that point, Rebecca realised what she had done wrong. Even the slight mumble had given her away, and to somebody who obviously knew what they were doing.
The tall man pushed her hood from her face, causing her hair to instantly get wet and cling to her forehead. The man aggressively pushed her against the nearest wall, forcing her hands behind her back. A blinding pain shot through her right shoulder as she heard a cracking sound.
'You're coming with me, miss,' the man said, and Rebecca felt the cold hardness of a nine-millimetre against her temple. 'Miss, you have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism and breaking and entering private property.'
Normally, Rebecca would deny everything, but she felt defeat fill her and couldn't think of a reason to fight anymore. She had been running for so long, trying to hide. But so many people had already been taken, so why shouldn't she? Maybe she could even find out where they went. She knew she wasn't guilty, though she didn't say anything. She just let the cool summer rain drench her further.
'Hey, buddy! Leave her alone,' a voice called from the shadows of the alleyway. The tall guy behind Rebecca froze, and she felt his muscles tensing as he saw who it was. 'Just step back. I'm not gonna do anything to ya!' The voice was sort of gruff and definitely a man's. Rebecca listened as the man walked over, his footsteps obvious in the flooded street, the sound echoing off of the walls.
The man holding Rebecca paused, then backed away from her slightly, but kept the gun pointed directly at her head.
Rebecca stayed still.
'You know as well as I do that I just can't let her go,' the tall man said.
Someone you know? Rebecca thought.
'I know that.' Rebecca listens closely, sure that she recognises the voice. 'But you can just report back that you didn't see her.
'Oh, c'mon. You know I can't even do that. And that I will be needing to take you in too.'
There was a low chuckle to Rebecca's left. Her breath hitched.
'Lieutenant…'
Rebecca Chambers couldn't hear another word after that. She had recognised that voice all along. She has no idea what to do. She thought she would never see him again. The person who she didn't trust at first, but couldn't seem to get the guts to arrest; the person who she started to love as a brother as they went through the mansion; the one who saved her life more than once; the one who she saved a few times too; the one she started love near dawn.
She never thought she'd see him again.
I wonder if he's still as cocky as he was then, Rebecca thought, causing her to smile slightly. The fact that he hadn't been caught yet filled her with joy.
'I've already called for back-up. There's no getting out of the Coen,' the tall man said, his gun wavering slightly.
'We'll just be leaving then,' Billy said. Rebecca didn't realise that he had moved to stand right next to her. Rebecca turned from the wall, facing the man who had the gun to her head. She still couldn't make out the features of his face, as the clouds were still blocking out all light and there were no streetlamps.
'Don't do it Coen.'
Billy gently held Rebecca's hand, a real bracelet shining on his left wrist this time. Rebecca smiled again and looked up at him, still really short next to him. 'You okay, little girl?' He gave her a slight smile, and Rebecca couldn't help but smile back.
'I will shoot her Coen,' the tall man said, his features still invisible to the pair. 'And they want her in alive.'
Billy looked down at Rebecca, a certain gleam in his eyes that she only saw once – true happiness, like the time she let him go and when she finally found him in the sewage plant. Her smile widened as she gave a slight nod.
They both knew what to do.
With hair and eyes wet, Rebecca stumbled behind Billy as they ran down the alley way. There was the sound of a gun firing, and a searing pain went through her right calf. She cries out, but only briefly: they start running again instantly. Another bullet is shot, and there's a loud clank as it hits a nearby dumpster.
They run round the corner, and Rebecca leads them through a metal door with a small light just above it. They ran inside, and Billy leant against the door. If the man saw the door and tried to get in, he would hopefully think it was locked.
Rebecca flinched as she heard footsteps. They were loud, close and fast. But too fast to stop, and they started to fade. Once she could no longer hear the footsteps, Rebecca flipped two switches next to Billy near the door. The claustrophobic hallway with no windows was lit up by a single bulb hanging from the ceiling near the doorway.
Billy sighed and relaxed slightly. Rebecca sat on the floor, her leg hurting.
'I thought I'd told you,' Rebecca said, a smile tugging at her lips.
'What?' Billy asked, bolting the door.
'Don't call me "little girl".'
They started to laugh, getting a brief release from the tension that still lingered in the air from the events and chase outside.
They silently stared at each other for a moment, noticing that neither of them had changed in any way in the past eleven months. Both were slightly puzzled by this fact, considering that they were both on the run from authority, and couldn't really believe it.
'Crap!' Rebecca suddenly said. Billy looked up, a quizzical look on his face. 'I owe you, again.'
'What for, doll face?'
'For saving my life?'
'But we don't –'
'I don't want to remember that night, but that truce we had still stands. It has to. We're still on the run Billy…' She looked down.
And saw the wound in her leg.