A/N: Okay so that's three chapters in, what, a week? Okay sorry I'm feeling really good about this XD. Thanks so much to everyone everywhere who's supporting this story (you guys are the best!) and to the sweet Guest who reviewed the last chapter! This one's a bit short but I'm sure that my streak will continue ;)
-xo ShadowJay
She appeared around a corner, hood pulled over her head, eyes moving around the space cautiously. She blew her bubblegum into a big green bubble and popped it mercilessly with her teeth. A man carrying a briefcase bustled past her. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, daring him to cross her. She adjusted one of the earbuds that stuck out of her ears, anxious and waiting for a call.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered it without looking at the screen. "You done being paranoid yet?"
He sighed, "Skye, we have to be careful."
She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. She rolled her eyes, knowing he was right, "Fine."
He walked into the center of Union Station, and looked around. He pulled the brim of his baseball cap further down over his face.
"Can you see me?" he asked.
She popped the bubble she'd just blown, "Yeah, I got your six," she said softly, eyeing him warily from above, "you're clear."
He nodded and began to move towards the lockers, walking under the balcony she stood on. She looked around her and then turned, following him from above.
"Where did you hide it?" she asked, "I hope you didn't forget."
He laughed, "No, I remember where I put it." he jogged down a set of steps and she stopped to watch him above. "Hard to forget when it's something this important."
She nodded, "Yeah that's for sure."
She pulled out her phone as he went out of her eyesight. She'd hacked into the security feeds before they left the hotel.
"How're my eyes in the sky?" He said good-naturedly.
"Haha." she said sarcastically, "The sky puns never get old."
He laughed, walking quickly and discreetly looking back at where he came from.
"But for real," she continued, "you're fine, there's still no one tailing you."
He walked over to the lockers and looked over his shoulder once again.
"Lincoln, don't do that," she said, "it makes you look really sus."
"Sus?" he frowned, fumbling a key out of his pocket.
"Yeah, sus." She said, "It's short for suspicious—you've seriously never heard that before?"
"Nope," he frowned, opening one of the lockers.
"What, they didn't teach you the new lingo at your super-secret government conspiracy job where they trained you in espionage and combat?" She asked venomously.
He opened the locker, "I deserved that." he sighed, reaching inside.
"Yeah, no. You deserve much, much worse," she said, biting the inside of her cheek, "you're lucky that my life is on the line, otherwise we'd be having a long, drawn-out, proper, argument about this—and you'd feel it."
"Like in seventh grade?" he asked, pulling out the package and stuffing it in the duffel bag he'd been carrying.
"No, not like in seventh grade," she said, "in seventh grade I tried my damndest to not talk to you for two days and failed. Miserably."
He laughed and began to walk back, "Yeah, but you had a valid reason to be mad then too."
"Ugh!" she growled into the microphone, "Why do you have to be so good about this?!"
"What do you mean?" he frowned incredulously, walking up the steps he'd come down before.
"Why can't you just—I don't know—defend yourself?!" she said exasperatedly.
"Because you're right," he said simply, "I can't deny it."
"You could just try!" she said and he furrowed his eyebrows,
"Do you really want me to fight you about this?" he asked, stopping and pressing the blutooth further into his ear.
"Yes—I don't know!" she said, "I'm just having a—oh my god, Lincoln," she said urgently.
"What—what is it?" he asked with the same fear.
"Two guys and a redhead, you're 3 o'clock," she said, "they're walking right towards you—"
"—Lincoln!" A familiar voice called.
He closed his eyes out of exasperation. He turned slowly around, facing the woman who'd addressed him. "Hi Alicia."
She stopped about ten feet away from him, "You've been a busy little bee."
He looked at her uncertainly. Skye's heart beat faster and faster by the second.
"Lincoln…" she whispered warningly in his ear.
"Who're you talking to?" Alicia asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Telemarketers," Lincoln answered, voice montone, "one of them called me randomly, I'm not talking to them anymore."
"What are you doing?" she hissed, "Let them know I'm here—that you have backup!"
Alicia smiled but moved on to a new line of questions. She nodded her head to the duffel bag he clutched in his left hand, "What'cha got there, partner?"
"She's your partner?" Skye said incredulously.
"Nothing that concerns you." He said calmly.
"Well, actually, I think it does." She took a bold step forward, "I've been tasked with bringing you in," she rubbed her hands slowly in front of her, "Jiaying said any means necessary."
"That psycho!" Skye cursed, "Lincoln, they're clearing the building, you need to get out of there."
"I see you're clearing the building," he said, "you really want to do that? It's still pretty public."
"How so?" Alicia said, "There's no one here to see, our techs are already wiping the video from this evening—"
"—Never underestimate the determination of an angry commuter," Lincoln said, "they're going to ask questions, and those questions will lead to more publicity—I sincerely doubt Jiaying will want that."
Alicia smirked, "Jiaying doesn't care anymore" she said darkly, "all she wants is your head," she took another step closer, "and I'm happy to comply."
"Alicia, please," he said softly, "you don't have to do this—"
"—Actually," she interrupted, "I do. It's personal now."
Two copies stepped out of her, flanking her on either side, the men behind her unholstering their guns.
"You're filth—a traitor to your own kind!" Alicia spat.
"Alicia I had to!" He said, "I had to—they took my friend—"
"—Why would Jiaying do that?" Alicia said, looking down her nose at him and judging his words like they were a desperate lie, "What would be the purpose of that?"
Lincoln shrugged, "I don't know—but she forced my friend through terrigenesis—"
"—Stop it!" Alicia said, "Stop lying!"
She and her copies took a step forward. Then, out of nowhere, the whole world began to shake.
He turned and looked over his shoulder. Skye stood at the top of the staircase behind him. He turned fully around and called out to her,
"Skye!" he yelled, "Skye, what are you doing?"
She didn't look at him though, she just stared at Alicia. The ground began to shake with more intensity. Alicia and her copies began to stumble around, the men behind her just barely able to keep their balance.
"Skye, stop!" Lincoln called, running towards her, "Skye you have absolutely no control over your gift yet!"
She clenched her fists and he fell forward onto the bottom step.
"Skye!" He cried desperately.
She turned to him, eyes wide with fear, "I—I can't—I can't stop!"
"Just breathe," he said in his normal voice, somehow making it carry to her.
She took a deep breath and kept eye-contact with him. One of the men regained his balance. He got down low. He lifted his gun and fired a shot. The earthquake stopped suddenly.
It echoed around Lincoln's head and he flinched back, eyes closing for a millisecond. Skye's eyes slipped closed. Her left shoulder led her as she fell down the stairs. Her hands trailed lazily after the rest of her body. Lincoln let out a cry of distress, standing and going up three of the steps.
He caught her before her head hit the ground. He lowered his knee and held her close. He took her pulse. Alicia straightened, her copies following suit.
He looked up at her darkly.
"Lincoln, just come quietly and we—"
He threw a hand up into the air and shot a bolt of lightning at one of the huge light fixtures above her head. He overloaded the power grid, turning all the lights off. Sparks fell down from the ceiling and she flinched back, putting her hands above her head to protect her face.
He grabbed the duffel bag and then scooped her up. He ran up the stairs and through the empty, dark train station. He moved towards a door and heard police sirens. He skidded to a halt and ran the opposite way.
He burst out through another pair of double doors and ran into the night.
