"COMMANDER," A MAN'S VOICE boomed. The one figure in the middle — clearly the leader of the small band of Uptowners — lifted his hands and grinned.
White looked at Sophie for a second and she caught his eye. She didn't return any gesture or words of encouragement, but simply trained her eyes back forward. Their group walked forward until there was a good twenty feet in between the two groups, leaving space in case of a brawl.
"Such formalities," Sophie teased in her masked voice, some light ring to the tone. However, even though there was some playful quirk to it, it was still dripping with sarcasm. "You should just call me Solon."
"My Commander. . . It sounds as if you doubt my respect towards you," the man returned carefully, one eyebrow lifted on his forehead.
Sophie hummed in thought, soaking in the reply. "If you truly respected me, you and your daycare would keep to the boundaries we'd agreed on," she countered, letting the accusation hang in the air for a few seconds.
Electricity shot up Sophie's friend's spines. They hadn't assummed she'd jump straight to accusing them. Not in this setting, and not so early on.
She could practically feel the waves of some twisted, anxious feeling rolling off their forms from behind her.
The man's eyebrows crunched together, eyes narrowing dangerously as his cheek sunk in in the slightest, as if he was biting on it. Finally, he replied, "I'm not sure I understand, sir—"
"If you want to negotiate with me, at least stick to the boundaries we set, sir. You don't think I didn't notice that slip a few weeks ago? You broke into my city. The downtown, in case you forgot where you came from."
Sophie was a force to be reckoned with all in her own, but pair that with the cloaked and hooded disguise along with her deep, threatening voice she was absolutely menacing. The snappy way she'd pronounced every word sent shivers up more than a few spines.
The man pulled a tight smile. "Some people in our district aren't aware of the new boundaries yet and—"
"Bullshit," Sophie growled, stepping forward for the first time. She strode forward, ignoring the way White tried to advise her otherwise. She got a few steps away from the man, finally stopping, glaring headily at him and the elves standing in formation a few feet behind him. "Do not lie to me, or you will find I can turn this meeting very unpleasant very quickly."
It was abundantly clear that Sophie was the one running it, no matter who had set up the place and time. It didn't matter that they wanted or needed something from her — she was going to make it very clear that she was the dominant force.
For once, the man's face twinged with annoyance. "If you want to hear what I'm proposing, I'd advise—"
"You don't advise me!" Sophie barked. "You stay away from my people! One of your people were spotted in the common area and I will not have any of my people hurt! They are under my protection and if you cross the borders again, your men are dead."
Behind her, a few of her friends swallowed. Biana took a few cautious steps forward, leaning in to whisper to White. "Are you sure she should be talking to them so. . . boldly? She hasn't even heard what they have to say and she's threatening them," she whispered.
"Miss Foster is wise and open-minded, but she tends not to hold her tongue when it comes to the people. She takes their safety very seriously." He moved his head in a vague gesture directed towards her. "Besides that, she has good reason to give her terms before they begin. They violated the boundaries that were set up. In truth, whoever they sent over here should have been punished and put in a holding cell."
Biana looked behind her, sharing a look with the others. She hadn't been aware they'd set up borders, but even more than that. . . "She let them go? Why?"
"She ordered everyone and I to let them go back."
Biana looked over at Sophie quizzically, finding she was arguing with the man. But he was losing. Sorely. "To use it as leverage?" she guessed.
White nodded. "They didn't take anything, so she assumed it was to scout the area. We've had it under heavy watch ever since. She believed this was a diversion to get us away from the area, so she's subtly letting them know right now she's aware of the breach from a few weeks ago."
"Does she think it will make them stop before the even start?"
"It may make them nervous," White agreed, their voices barely even recognizable. They could just distinguish the words from breaths. "That is also why we have very little members with us. The rest are overlooking the site of the breach, as we speak."
Biana and White's attention lasered entirely back on Sophie as the man held up his hands innocently. He took three steps forward which was just enough to meet directly in front of Sophie.
Holding her blue gaze, he slowly bent down on one knee, dramatically dropping his head in a flourish. "Mandatory rules will be announced upon our arrival. Forgive me, Commander."
He looked back up, lips twitching in the slightest.
Sophie held back a growl, knowing he wasn't taking any of it seriously. "Forgiveness will be given when I see you fulfill your promise," she shot back, a light hiss to the edges of her words.
He rose, dusting off his knees before giving her another charming smile. "As you wish." He turned around for a brief second, glancing at his colleagues before returning to the eye contact he'd had going with Sophie. "May I now explain the importance of our meeting?"
"I wasn't aware you needed permission to speak."
He held up his hands again. "Just trying to make sure I don't offend the Commander."
"And I already told you, formalities are bullshit in this situation and you have already offended me weeks ago by allowing someone to cross the border. So, please; continue and try not to drive my patience."
He smirked as wide as he could, but his mock peaceful demeanor was easily seen through by the light sheen of sweat building on his forehead.
"Nervous?" Sophie asked with a click of her tongue.
He cleared his throat, sharp eyes shooting a look down at her folded hands before nervously meeting her eyes again. Then, there was that smile again. "Hardly."
She barely had time to raise an eyebrow before he swooped forward, crushing the distance between them. The toes of their boots crashed together as he wrenched her wrist into his grasp, squeezing in a painful, vise-like grip.
Even though Sophie barely flinched, there were a few sharp breaths from behind and then White shouting out orders as people shuffled into different positions. The man leaned in close to Sophie's face, hot breath tickling her cheeks.
"You're coming with me," he growled. "Or your daughter doesn't make it through the night."
Sophie looked at the plethora of melders pointed towards her. Skipping right to it, then, Sophiethought. Alright. Play dumb.
Sophie leaned back from him lightly, so she could meet his eyes. She rose an eyebrow, airy surprise lacing her breathy whisper. "Would you like to repeat that?"
In one swift motion he ripped off her glove, eyes wide as he gripped her wrists and gazed down at the Cognate ring on her thumb, and the star-shaped scar blazoned on the back of her palm.
He ran a thumb over her skin as several Uptowners moved into position, surrounding Sophie and the group. His thumb meandered over her ring, eyeing the S.E.F engraved in the material.
"Well by golly, it is her."
He wickedly smiled up to her.
Sophie elegantly arched an eyebrow, not even a pinch of anxiety wafting off her lithe form. She barely even flinched or moved her eyes as he reached up and threw back her hood, her blonde hair cascading around her shoulders after a rather harsh tug ripped out her ponytail.
He wanted me. He wants me.
"You really thought that would do it, didn't you?" he sneered proudly, smiling. "A hood and some eyedrops?"
He wants Sophie Foster. Why does he want Sophie Foster?
Sophie leaned in closer towards his face, leaving mere centimeters between their skin. Something about the cool, calculated way she was moving was unnerving. "If you know who I truly am. . ."
She peered out of the corners of her eyes, looking at the Uptowners surrounding the group. She settled her eyes back with the man's, narrowing hers dangerously.
"Then I'd advise you not to do this," she finished, a low, warning hiss evident in her voice.
He barked out a laugh. "You can't scare me off that easily. You're surrounded."
"And perhaps that's all I needed you to do," Sophie countered, whispering huskily in his ear, "was to get closer."
Their eyes locked for a brief moment as the tiniest whiff of a smirk grazed over Sophie's lips for a second. Then it was gone, gaze growing hard as stone. "This meeting is over."
A teasing glint shone in her eyes as the blue began to fade slowly, her eye drops finally waring off and melting away to reveal the glowing amber underneath. "Goodbye."
The soldiers barely had time to even register the word before Sophie had jerked her neck to the right in a swift-yet-faulty motion. A sickening crack of bones echoed throughout the area as ten bodies dropped to the ground, limp.
Sophie merely sighed in an exhausted but bored manner, bending down and taking her glove and hair tie out of the man's numb hand.
After tugging the glove over her hand yet again and tying her hair up in a quick ponytail, she nonchalantly turned back to the three Uptowners left standing. Their melders, shaky in their raised hands, slowly began to drop.
Sophie nodded as they threw them to the ground. "Wise choice. I can't say as much for your friends."
Further observation of the dead revealed their necks were all twisted sharply at an odd and sickening angle.
"Now that I've demonstrated what happens if you so choose to threaten me and my family, I'd appreciate it if you'd send a message back to your leader." Sophie waited until they all nodded, complying with her terms. She smiled gratefully. "Wonderful."
Her smile dropped to the ground in an instant, eyes glaring daggers. "Fuck off — or I kill all of you."
She made a quick motion with her head, jabbing her chin in a vague direction, signaling for them to get lost. At first they all winced, hands instinctually shooting up in some weak attempt to protect their necks. When it dawned on them that she hadn't done what they'd assumed, they turned, scurrying away.
With a modest hum in her throat, Sophie whirled back around, her eyes meeting the wide ones of her friends. Light humiliation stung her — she'd forgotten they'd been there to witness all of it. And the way their eyes were filled with terror as they looked at her. . .
Mouth agape, Keefe tried to form words. "You. . ."
Sophie followed Dex's periwinkle eyes to the snapped necks of the bodies.
"Telekinesis," Sophie agreed, bobbing her head. She swallowed, folding her hands over herself as they dangled. She was unsure of how to handle this.
But this. . . This was her now.
And they just would have to get used to it.
She turned to White, mind already moving to her bigger problems. She squared her shoulders. "I'll need eyes on the Uptown. I'd like you to send a group up there in less than five minutes. Make it quick — carry light ammo and try to follow those three survivors back if you can. No matter what you end up finding, however, do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Have the group back to me an hour after sundown at the latest.
And before that I need some assistance in, well, cleanup."
She gestured to the graveyard she'd made.
White dipped his chin, barking orders at the surrounding soldiers. Her segregated them off into different sections, telling them where and what to do, all according to how Sophie had outlined it.
When White turned back to her in the flurry of elves moving about, carrying away the bodies, she continued, "And if it isn't any trouble. . . I'd like you stationed around Iris and Ed tonight."
White caught the nervous glint in her eye, making it clear her mind was on her family more than anything. "Of course," White assured softly, nodding.
"Be safe," she said.
"I always am."
And Sophie smiled, finally gathering up some courage in her guts to face her friends again. Thankfully, the fear had almost all but vanished from their eyes. "Let's get back to the hotel."