XII
"What...what happened!?"
Merrick blinked curiously at Eve's reaction as he walked through the door the next morning,
"Huh? Happen? What do you mean?"
Maybe she was referring to the slits in his bloodied sleeves... or maybe the black eye? She hurried to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit. Running back to him, she grabbed him and dragged him to the couch. Shoving him down, she sat next to him, pulling up his left sleeve first,
"Are those... knife cuts?"
The boy laughed a little, scratching his neck,
"Uh-huh...Well, you see...what happened was I...I kinda got..."
She looked up at him. That gleam was in her eye again. But was it genuine worry? He chuckled through his teeth,
"I kinda got mugged last night."
"You were mugged!? By who! And when!?"
"W-When I took out the trash...some guy and his buddies thought I looked like I had a lot of money on me, so they took a shot at it. They roughed me up a little, but when they realised they had nothing to gain they ran off."
"So...you were out there all alone? Wounded?"
He swallowed hard. The look in her eyes was changing. Her worry was turning into...
"If we see them today...let me know."
The boy straightened; blinking down at her,
"Wh-Why would you want me to do that?"
Her face was dark as she continued; bandaging his arms,
"Because...I want to make them pay for what they did to you."
A bead of sweat ran down his face and he gulped. If she ever found out that the truth...about this attack or the last one... he feared he might be on the receiving end of Eve's wrath. No. He knew he would....
~ø~
Train sighed as he sat down on a bench in the park, the wind gently catching his hair. He mindlessly fiddled with his phone, letting out a sigh as he clicked over to the GPS screen. Still no signal. How was he ever going to find them if neither one of them gave him a place to start? He still had a few contacts, but none but Annette were ever that reliable. And Annette was as much in the dark as he was. He clapped it shut one final time, straightening as he heard a voice come from beside him,
"Well, did you find anything?"
He glanced up to see Rinslet standing there. He snorted. Her curly blonde wig looked absolutely ridiculous. Unable to suppress it, he fell over, roaring with laughter. The woman scowled, chucking a rock a his head,
"Shut up!"
Done with his fit soon after, Train sat up again, tears at the corners of his eyes,
"Man, Rins...the humiliation you endure just for a job--!"
"I could say the same for you, Mr. I-Haven't-Caught-A-Bounty-In-Five-Years-Even-When-Dressed-In-Drag--"
He scowled, glaring up at her angrily,
"I told you not to repeat that..."
She sat down beside him, looking up as the trees began to rustle softly in the breeze,
"It just isn't the same without Sven...is it? That's why you stopped."
The chestnut-haired man lowered his head, sighing deeply,
"No. The reason I stopped was because I swore to Eve that I'd find him. I've been too busy searching to bother with sweeping anymore."
"Such a shame..."
"I know, isn't it!? Just as I finally hit my prime, he has to go and get himself kidnapped! I'm tellin' ya! As soon as I find him, I'm kicking his ass--"
"Train."
He silenced at the tone in her voice, lowering his head,
"Don't say it, Rins."
"But Train... it's been four years. How could he possibly be--"
"He's alive."
She turned to him, her blue eyes shimmering in concern,
"How can you be so sure?"
At that, Train smirked, placing his hand behind his head,
"Simple. He's my partner."
~ø~
He grunted as he staggered down the hallway, glancing around cautiously. He couldn't believe how weak he felt. Nearly falling onto the marble flooring, he latched onto the wall, using it to keep his balance. He had to stop from time to time to catch his breath. He knew he'd probably be in better shape right now if it wasn't for the nicotine coating his lungs. Karma could be an ugly bitch sometimes. Reaching another hall, he stopped, edging to the corner carefully. If anyone were to find him now...he'd be as good as dead. Taking a deep breath, he peered around it. Good. The coast was clear. His eyes narrowed as he stumbled down the corridor, his breathing laboured. He bit his lip,
'I have to find it...fast!'
~ø~
"Stop!"
Eve huffed as she ran after the man, her black-and-grey-striped sweater battering violently in the breeze. The man glanced back, swallowing hard as spotted her,
'Shit! She's gaining on me!'
His eyes widened as he turned around, his foot snagging on what appeared to be,
'A jump rope!?'
He landed flat on his face, growling as he heard the sounds of laughter. He glanced up to see a young girl nearby, giggling. There was another on his other side. She, too, was in stitches. Cursing, he went to grab one of the children, his eyes widening as a tanned boot suddenly set itself down on his hand,
"I don't think so, Mr. Radcliffe."
He growled, his eyes meeting the image of a boy in black jeans and a brown t-shirt that read 'Monkey Placenta' in bright yellow block-lettering. A black back pack hung from his left shoulder. A black beanie with a cat emblem embroidered on it topped the outfit off. The boy had muddy-brown hair, and one smug, bluish-grey eye gleamed down at him,
"It's not nice to pick on the little ones. They're the future of our country and we oughta protect them...am I right?"
He growled, pulling away from the boy and pulling out his pistol. He aimed it straight for the girl, and cursing, Merrick quickly grabbed her, using his own body as to shield her,
"No!"
The girl screamed, burying her face in his chest as she heard the bullet sound. Nothing happened. The girl peeked open an eye, gasping softly at the sight of a giant, winged-shield sitting between them and Radcliffe. Merrick smiled as he glanced over at Eve, the shield suddenly morphing into a hand that wrapped itself around the criminal.
Radcliffe let out a cry as he was lifted into the air, Merrick turning back to the girl,
"See, I told you everything would be all right."
She smiled, nodding shortly.
"So, that was your plan?"
The muddy-haired boy turned to Eve, blinking innocently,
"Oh, what ever do you mean?"
The blonde was scowling,
"I heard you whispering when you ran off earlier. 'I think I've got an idea on how we can nab this Radcliffe guy'."
He swallowed hard, scratching his neck nervously,
"O-Oh...did you now?"
Eve let out an aggravated sigh, clenching her fists at her sides,
"I can't believe you would stoop so low as to using a child to help us catch a bounty!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?! And I didn't see any of your plans following through Little Miss Sweeper!"
"How many people did you trip with that rope waiting for Radcliffe to show?"
He gulped, he and the little girl exchanging glances. A sudden shout came from behind him and they both gasped, swivelling around in surprise.
"There they are! Over there!! Those are the kids that tripped me!"
Merrick's eyebrow twitched as he spotted quite a few angry pedestrians standing across the road...with a police officer. Swallowing hard, he turned back to Eve, grabbing her by the hand as he took off,
"I think it's time that we ran!!"
"Come back here!!"
"You won't get away with this, you little punk!"
~ø~
They both gasped for air as they rounded the corner and entered City Hall, Merrick slamming his back against the glass door as it clamped shut behind them,
"Phew....that was close."
He glanced over at the blonde, laughing a little,
"Was it good for you?"
She glared at him silently. His laughter ceased. Quickly. She headed up to the clerk's desk, sighing deeply as a teller approached her, smiling,
"Hello, and welcome to Fector Town Hall. How may I help you today?"
"We're here to collect the bounty for Edward Radcliffe."
The woman laughed, sighing as she shook her head,
"I'm afraid we can't just give you the bounty, young lady. You need to hand us proof that you caught him."
Groaning, Eve swung her hair-fist around to the front, an unconscious and drooling Radcliffe in it's grasp,
"Will this do?"
The teller swallowed hard, her eye twitching as a bead of sweat trailed down her cheek,
"Wh-Why...I..."
Both Merrick and Eve glared at her silently. She gulped, taking a deep breath as she straightened,
"I...guess?"
~ø~
"Man, oh, man! Nine-hundred grand! Now, THAT'S a sweet pay check."
Eve lowered her head as they walked, sighing deeply,
"I'm glad you like it."
Merrick glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow quietly. She seemed...upset about something. Sighing, he smiled, patting her shoulder as they reached the crosswalk,
"Hey."
She turned to him, and he could see the worry in her eyes. Offering her a smile, he placed the money in his bag, slinging it over his shoulder,
"How about we go look around town a little? See if we can dig up anything on Sven?"
Her eyes brightened as he spoke, and she nodded, both of them heading across as the street cleared.
~ø~
"Are they in sight?"
"Yes, sir. I can see them heading down the road. They're headed your way."
"Good...and you have the item?"
"Yes. I managed to grab it from the room, just as you asked."
"Excellent. Wait until I give the signal...then carry out your instructions."
"Yes, sir. Will do."
His sapphire eyes narrowed as he snapped his phone shut, heading around the corner. He headed north. If those imbeciles were right, his prey was heading straight for him.
~ø~
Merrick shivered as a strong breeze blew past, rubbing his arms with gloved hands,
"Man, is it cold out today!!"
"I told you to put on something warmer," Eve stated bluntly,
"It is November, after all."
He glared down at the petite blonde, scowling,
"You never hesitate to rub it in my face, do you?"
"Nope."
The boy groaned slouching as he walked. His eye widened suddenly, and he gasped, clamping a hand to his head. Another one, though this one was not as bad as the one he'd had the other day. This one was just a dull ache in the back of his head, rather than a stinging pain that pierced every thought in his--
"Gaah!"
He fell to his knees, hand clamped to his head,
'Spoke too soon....I guess...'
Eve spun on her heel, quickly kneeling at his side,
"Merrick!"
She placed a hand on his arm, her eyes wide in concern,
"Are you okay? Should we go back to the room?"
Groaning, he shook his head, the pain easing a little as he stood,
"N-No. If we're ever going to find Sven, we have to keep looking. And that's what you want right?"
She nodded, lowering her head,
"Yes, but...if you're in pain--"
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
He started down the sidewalk, taking a few steps ahead of her. The girl sighed, starting after him slowly,
'But...if you're in pain....I don't want you to get any worse.'
Merrick shoved his hands in his pockets as they continued down the street. His head pounded slightly, but that minor pain wasn't what had him preoccupied,
'She's...she's starting to worry about me. Whether or not it's because she really cares doesn't matter now...'
He scowled, turning his one-eyed gaze to the sky,
'I can't let this go on...If I get too close to her then she'll...'
Stopping in his tracks suddenly, he straightened, spotting a man in a long, dark coat a little ways ahead of them. The man's raven hair was slicked back behind his ears with a few greying stripes here and there. His coat battered freely as he walked, as did the tan scarf around his neck.
He smirked at Merrick, bringing a hand up to remove the sunglasses hiding his eyes. Merrick straightened at the intensity of the man's steely, sapphire glare, and he quickly whipped around on his heel, eye wide,
"Eve, run! Get out of here!"
The blonde straightened, gasping as someone behind her grabbed hold of her arm. She glanced back to see a dusty-haired man, in a knee-length coat and suit beneath. He too wore sunglasses. Looking down at her, his grip on her arm tightened,
"I strongly advise against that...Miss Eve."
Eve frowned, tensing wearily,
"How...how do you know my name?"
"Why, we know all there is to know about you, Miss Eve."
She and Merrick turned to the raven-haired man coming up the road. The man smiled, stopping a few feet away from the muddy-haired boy,
"For instance...as of five years ago, you were entrusted to the care of a one Annette Pierce by your guardian...an ex-assassin by the name of Train Heartnet, I believe?"
The girl narrowed her eyes, clenching her teeth tightly together as he continued,
"Not to mention the devastation you faced over the tragic loss of your other guardian...Sven Vollfied."
He pulled a sheet of paper from his coat and snapped it open, placing a pair of reading glasses on his face,
"Was last seen in the city of Cannes on July 6th, 2003. Witness reports tracked him to an alleyway, in which a crime scene was discovered. Trash bins tossed about, chunks of brick wall gutted, considerable amounts of blood, a discarded pack of cigarettes...and a hat. A hat which you happen to carry on your person at all times...isn't that so?"
Merrick's eye widened and he glanced back at the girl. She had her head bowed, and though her eyes were shadowed, he could see the glimmer of tears racing down her cheeks,
"What do you want?"
Her voice crackled as she spoke. The man folded the paper back up, and placed it, along with his glasses, back into his coat,
"Forgive us. We haven't been introduced. Agent Jonas Warren of the IBI. The man behind you is my partner, Emilio Lowe. We are here on a matter that concerns your safety, Miss Eve. The apprehension and arrest of the fugitive 'Merrick Satcher'."