So I may have torn a ligament in my left wrist because I can't really lift things and it hurts to bend so I can't type as fast or it hurts. This does not mean I will stop coming out with chapters. Just that they may take a little longer then before. Also, school has started again so that will contribute to longer times between chapters. Buncha bullshit. Anyways, here we go.
Zack woke up and bent so he could stretch his back. He let out a grunt before settling down and looking up at the sky. Only a few clouds were visible, but they were white and small. He looked to his right to see the sleeping girl. She seemed to be at peace. Zack slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He yawned and looked off the roof and to the street. People were walking around peacefully.
Zack stood and walked to his little fridge and grabbed a bottled water. He quickly downed half of the plastic bottle's contents and sat on the edge with his legs dangling off the side. He sat for a few minutes before he heard a shuffle. He looked back to see the girl was awake. Still with a tired look in her eyes, but awake. Zack walked over to her and kneeled down next to her. He smiled but felt a pang of sadness when she flinched away from him.
"Here." He released his energy and the blood bindings around her lost their form and were reabsorbed by the blood man. She rubbed her wrists and arms before looking at Zack. He offered her the water and she stared at it with distrust. She slowly took it and took a sip. She seemed to be tasting it before drinking the rest of it. She put the bottle down and looked at Zack.
They stared at each other before the girl raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why?" Her voice was quiet but smooth. Zack turned his head to the side.
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you help me? I'm a filthy Conduit." Zack cracked a grin and pulled out his knife. She flinched away at this. Zack cut his arm without a care or any feeling. Some blood poured out and landed with little noise to the ground. It was then reabsorbed right back into him and the wound sealed.
"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm also a filthy Conduit." He added air quotes for the last part while chuckling.
"Kalahart only filled your head with those lies. I bet he didn't tell you that a Conduit saved New Marais and possibly the whole world did he?" She shook her head and looked down. She trembled a little and Zack was sure she was getting angry. Then she surprised him by hugging close to him with her head in his shoulder while silently crying.
Zack returned the hug and just remained quiet. He muttered the occasional, "It's ok now," and, "He can't hurt you now," to her. She started to mutter something but it wasn't audible to him.
"What?" She backed away and let out a sniffle. She held her gaze to the ground with tear stains on her cheeks.
"All my life he told me I was a freak. Him and that other man. Bertrand. Everyday they told me I was a scourge on the world and that I should be destroyed. I don't know why they kept me around though. Probably for protection seeing as Kalahart was weak from being sick."
The last part was new to Zack. He had no clue Kalahart was sick and possibly dying.
"You're not a freak. You are a person who just has powers. Speaking of which, what are yours?" The girl looked at Zack and her eyes started to glow with a faint purple mist coming off them. She had the same mist coming off her hands as well, though there was more coming from her eyes. It faded away and she seemed uncomfortable.
"I can warp short distances while leaving some mist that can make it a little harder to see. I can also see people's memories, though I feel the memory as if it were actually happening while giving the person a head ache. That's what I did to you yesterday." Zack was impressed, but what memory had she accessed yesterday?
"What caused you to writhe around in pain yesterday when you did that to me?" She shuddered and rubbed her arm.
"Right after the RFI blast. You were right next to it while I was further so it didn't hurt me that much. I didn't even endure the full memory but it was painful." Zack joined her in shuddering at the memory. Not something he enjoyed at all. He heard a noise and turned to see Sarah climbing up. She smiled at him and the girl.
"I see she's awake. How are you?" They looked at each other before the girl smiled at Sarah.
"Better. Thank you." Zack stood and pointed to Sarah.
"Proper introductions are in order. This is Sarah." He motioned to the girl in reference. "And, my name is Zack. I don't actually know yours." They waited before she spoke quietly. They motioned for her to speak up.
"Beatrice. Even though I hate that name." Zack chuckled and rubbed his chin.
"In that case, I'll call you Bee. How's that?" Beatrice seemed to think about it before smiling at him and giving a small nod. Zack clapped his hands together while looking at the people around him.
"Bee it is. Sarah, did you know Kalahart was sick, which is why he required little Bee here to watch over him?" He said in a playful tone. Sarah played along with the tone.
"I did not. And I thought only little birds gave information. Guess the old sayings were lies. What kind of sick?" They looked to Bee who grinned.
"I'll help you on one condition." The two people, wanting an answer, exchanged glances before nodding.
"What would that be?" Sarah asked with interest at what she would have to do for the Conduit.
"I get to be there when you go after Kalahart." Sarah nodded while looking at the smiling Zack.
"I think we can arrange for that to happen. Right our bloody champion?" Zack kept his smile and looked at the leader of the Militia.
"Oh yes. This is going to be a fine partnership. Now then, how is he sick?" Bee smiled a dark smile.
"Not sure of the name, but he needs medicine in the form of shots every month or so. He also takes pills to help keep the sickness back while alleviating the pain. He has coughing fits every now and then, while also getting brief moments where he zones out and even collapses. I'm not sure why this is caused but they do happen."
Zack thought about it while looking at Sarah. She looked back at him and shrugged.
"I'm not sure what he has but it doesn't sound very good. I'm thinking if we track some of his militia grunts we can find out what medicine he's getting and then track the guy back to Kalahart. Not the most elaborate but it will do the trick."
They all nodded in agreement before Sarah left to inform her most trusted men to keep an eye on the clinics around New Marais and that if any Militia entered that they were to follow them as carefully as possible and find the location they went to. They weren't sure how long it would take but knew that Kalahart was like a snake. As long as he hid in his hole they wouldn't be able to find him. He wouldn't leave either which was the hard part, so the only way to find him would be to follow his little snakes back to the den.
In the meantime Bee would stay with Zack and he would train her in the art of being a Conduit, while also teaching her how to fight and transverse the city quickly, while utilizing her powers. This would be a very busy amount of time. How long this time period would be would remain unknown, but it would be very busy.
Two Weeks Later
Zack sprinted towards the edge and made a blood puddle at the edge. He stepped off and the blood propelled him through the air to the other roof. A purple puff of smoke appeared next to him and Bee came sprinting out of it. Zack jumped the short distance to the next rooftop which was very long. He made a trail of blood in front of him and coated the bottom of his feet in it. He speed up while moving like he had roller skates on.
Bee was losing ground on him but was determined to keep up for as long as possible. Zack reached the edge and jumped off, doing a front flip with a spin. He landed on the next rooftop and rolled while continuing with his sprinting. Bee was still coming but was clearly tiring. Zack turned and quickly slashed at her with his machete after drawing it. She ducked under and when Zack came for a second hit she disappeared in a puff of misty smoke. Despite being mist Zack still thought it looked like smoke. Just a little heavier then most smoke.
He jumped to the side and dodged the attack Bee launched at him. She turned and rushed the Blood Conduit with claws at the ready. Zack stopped the slashes with his machete and they pushed against each other. She was still very tired, seeing as she had a trail of sweat running down her face. Her breathing was faster then normal which caused Zack to smile.
He pushed up and cracked the handle of Bloody Verdict on her head. She fell down and held her head. Zack sheathed his machete and chuckled.
"Better." He held his hand out but was surprised when Bee shot a ball of purple smoke into his eyes which blinded his vision. He took a few steps back and felt a blow that knocked him to the ground. Something was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He didn't want to struggle seeing as he felt something sharp on his chest.
When he could see again, a panting Bee was on top of him, using her legs and one hand to pin him to the ground, while the other clawed hand was pressed to his chest, right where his heart was. She had a large smile and was starting to catch her breath.
"I won." She stood up and Zack did the same.
"Very underhanded, but in a fight for your life the only way to ensure you live is to fight like that. I approve. Nice new trick with the smoke ball. Only two weeks and you have already beat me and learned some new powers." The smoke and memory Conduit rubbed her arm slightly embarrassed at the praise but smiled.
"Thanks. You're the teacher though. I wouldn't have learned without your help. For that, I thank you." Zack nodded when his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered while putting it to speaker.
"What do you have, Sarah?" There was a laugh of triumph from the other side which caused Zack to chuckle.
"We just got word that one of the militia was seem buying some pills as well as some syringes and other medical supplies that matched what Bee told us Kalahart uses. We're tailing him now, if you would like to join us." Zack looked to Bee, who was no longer tired from their training. She always recovered quickly which was impressive to Zack. He was a little slow to recovering but was able to keep fighting for as long as needed.
"Where are you?" A rock landed next to them and they looked down to see Sarah waving at them. Her huge smiled was caught by the two Conduits. Zack hung up while putting his phone in his pocket. They jumped off the building without so much as a second thought. They casually walked up to Sarah who had a man with her.
"He's over there." She motioned with her head to a man in a shirt with the militia insignia on it. His back was turned to them ad he was walking away. Zack nodded and turned to the rooftops. Bee did the same and knew what they were going to do.
"Me and Bee will follow from the rooftops, seeing as we don't blend in very well. How do you plan to blend in?" Sarah wrapped an arm around the man.
"Say hello to my temporary husband, Rick." Rick chuckled while tipping his camo hat to the conduits.
"Pleasure's all mine, I swear." They shared a quickly laugh before splitting up to start the pursuit. Zack was on the left rooftops while Bee took the ones on the right. Sarah and Rick followed, hand in hand, seeming like a married couple out on a walk. The militia soldier had no clue he was being tailed.
He walked for a few more minutes before arriving at a warehouse in between the industrial district and the regular part of town. He knocked a few times before being let in by more men, fully donned in the militia uniforms, who were sporting some big guns. Sarah and Rick walked past while Zack and Bee followed them. The 'married couple' entered an alley and the Conduits hopped down and had grins on their faces.
"That's where he may be. I'll assemble the troops and tonight we attack. Midnight, and I trust you two will be there?"
"Absolutely."
"Yup." Sarah nodded and turned to leave with Rick.
"See you then. Make sure you bring your A game ok." She waved and left. Zack launched himself to the roof and Bee teleported next to him. They began a jog back to their home. It wasn't too far from the warehouse and the buildings were close together so they didn't have to jump long distances from house to house. When they returned, Zack sat on one end of the couch and Bee grabbed two waters and sat on the other. She threw Zack a water and he happily drank it.
"You ready for tonight?" Zack looked at her and nodded.
"As ready as I'll ever be. It will be interesting for sure. The better question in are you ready?" Bee pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and resting her chin on the top.
"Not sure yet. Seeing him will bring back bad memories for sure, but this something I need to do." They sat in silence before Zack grabbed a pillow and threw it to her.
"Get some rest. Don't want to be tired before the attack. I'll set an alarm for eleven." Bee nodded and laid down while grabbing a spare blanket and putting it over herself. Zack set the alarm on his phone while grabbing another pillow and blanket. He set them down on the couch while walking to his guitar. He picked it up and sat on the edge and started to quietly strum. Bee said playing it had helped her fall asleep so he always played it before he went to bed.
He hummed along with it and looked up at the moon. A half moon. It didn't light everything up, but did give off some light thankfully. It would only get darker as night continued to fall. It was seven thirteen and he knew every ounce of sleep would help them. After a few minutes of quietly strumming he set down the guitar and grabbed the blanket and pillow. He flopped down on the opposite end of the couch and let out a tired sigh.
'Good thing the couch is long or these sleeping arrangements would suck.' He thought, even tired in his thoughts. He soon lost his grip on being awake and fell into sleep.
Zack woke up to the alarm on his phone. He turned it off and sat up. He stood up and stretched quietly letting out little grunts and pops from his joints. He walked over and knelt next to the sleeping Bee. He shook her while whispering her name. She groaned and threw the blanket over her head.
"Five more minutes." Zack grinned and knew exactly how to wake her up.
"Beatrice." He said in a taunting voice. Her blanket lowered and she glared at him. She threw the blanket over his head and scowled.
"Remember when I said not to call me that?" Zack tapped his chin in mock thought.
"Not exactly. Remind me." Bee glared at him and her eyes glowed. Zack had the memory of her telling him not to call her Beatrice run through her head. One of her new found powers was to send or reawaken memories in people. It was rather useful if Zack needed to remember something but had forgotten. It could also bring up bad memories as well.
"I was being sarcastic." Bee laughed and stood up.
"I wasn't though. Let's get moving." Zack nodded and made sure his machete was ready. He looked at Bee who nodded. Both of them took off into the warm night together.
When they arrived it was a quarter after eleven. They had time to kill.
"What should we do?" Zack shrugged and dangled off the cliff, using just his legs to hold on so he hung upside down. A few seconds later, Bee joined him.
"This really does help. I thought you were crazy when you did this." Zack looked at her and pretended to be offended.
"You, think I'm insane? The audacity." They shared a laugh before looking out in silence.
"Why didn't you kill me or just throw me in a cell that night?" Zack looked at the purple haired girl. She wasn't as young as she looked, being eighteen in age in truth. She didn't have the best life so she wasn't very well fed or taken care of, which in turn caused her to look younger. After getting real food and care she looked her age. Color returned to her skin and she was much more active and cheerful.
"I saw someone who had just been dealt a bad hand. You couldn't control that. All you could do was just roll with the punches and try to survive. It would have been wrong to punish you for something you had no control over. Worse even more not to help you. I made a promise to a women when I first discovered my powers that I would keep people safe and fight for those who couldn't defend themselves, or those who were in need. When I saw you I knew you were in need. That's why."
Bee smiled and looked back out to the city.
"Thank you." She took his hand with hers and Zack didn't object. They sat/dangled for the rest of the time before they heard a voice behind them.
"Am I interrupting something?" They looked towards the voice and saw Sarah looking down at them with a smile on her face. Zack shook his head.
"Nope. Just hanging out." Bee groaned at the bad pun and warped back up. Zack used blood strings to haul himself back up to the rooftops. He stood and brushed himself off. He stood next to Sarah and crossed his arms while glaring at the warehouse.
"What's the plan?" Sarah pointed to the roof and more importantly, the skylight.
"We'll pound the front and get them to wake up. Then you and Bee can smash through the roof and get 'em from behind." Zack nodded and turned to Bee.
"Sound good?" She gave a nod back before grinning.
"Let's do it." Zack nodded back to her and looked at Sarah.
"See you on the other side." He and Bee jumped down and made their way towards the warehouse. Zack couldn't help but feel like more then just Kalahart was in that warehouse. He couldn't turn back now though. He would take Kalahart down and then, finally, the militia would cease to exist.
Cliffhangers much. Get over it. Life is one big cliffhanger. I found the coolest song while working on this might I say. It's called All the Right Moves, Danger Remix. It is awesome, since I like dubstep and that song. It sounds awesome. I was also listening to You're Gonna Go Far Kid, by...I forgot who. Dammit Jim! Whatever. Anyways, Keep calm and may the Aura be with you all. Pray that my wrist isn't hurt like we think it is. Cuz if it is then I will have to have surgery and that will definitely keep me from typing more chapters. Which is no Bueno. Alright then, peace all y'alls!
