Sometimes I write multiple chapters weeks in advance. Sometimes, I don't write until the afternoon I should be updating. Guess which one this is :|


Standard Procedures

"So, what are we doing here?" Kia asked, swinging her legs just hard enough that they bounced off of the low wall she sat on, only for their trajectory to bring them right back to the bricks. The park was pretty busy, as parks went, which she attributed to the quaint styling of the decorations that was so different from the usual image of the capital city and more like what one would find in the outer colonies.

"It's a mission," Hatter replied, her own legs completely still simply because they actually reached the ground.

"That's not an answer." Kia pouted slightly, yet quickly let the expression drop in happiness at having a change of scene. The blue of the Common was nice and all, but seeing nothing except the same colour day in and day out (especially when she knew other people were leaving as they pleased) got tiring pretty rapidly. It was almost exactly the same as when she'd been waiting for Hatter to wake, only with less worry and more space to explore. "You just randomly launched a day trip on me the moment I got up and I'd like to know what it is we're here to do, otherwise I will take this as just an opportunity to eat ice cream," she threatened, secretly hoping that Hatter wouldn't elaborate just so she had an excuse to get a treat and still maintain a moral high ground of sorts.

"Don't worry about it, I'm-" the mercenary began automatically before pausing, her eyes narrowed. "You're playing me, aren't you?"

"No."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "If you wanted to get ice cream so badly all you had to do was ask."

"I still want to know why we're here," Kia scowled, knowing from the smirk Hatter was wearing that there was very little chance she'd get dessert now. She might as well drop it in favour of pestering for answers.

Hatter chewed her lip in contemplation; there was no harm in explaining things if it meant no badgering from Kia. "We're here to catch this guy." She proffered her upturned palm, above which she quickly displayed an image of a crowd and zoomed in until it focussed on one man's face, his features obscured by tinted glasses and a hat covering the entirety of his hair. "We call him Cpnrlx, since that's the tag he leaves behind."

"What a mouthful. And there's not much to go on," Kia noted, concerned as to how they might recognise their quarry.

"He normally looks like that when on business," Hatter said, turning the holographic display off and folding her arms. "Cpnrlx deals in illegal goods acquisition and is due to come here in the next hour to complete a deal with Outcast."

Kia's face lit up in revelation. "Outcast? The world-famous artist who everyone knows has 'secret' connections with the underworld and bounty hunters for art theft and forgeries? That Outcast?"

Hatter blinked, slightly stunned, before smiling. "You've done your research."

"Not really 'research'," the girl shrugged. "Like I said, everyone knows. It's just that no one speaks out about it because they'll just get ignored by the police."

"It makes you wonder how none of the bounty hunters have noticed that fact yet," Hatter said, deliberately using a tone that made it obvious she knew something Kia didn't. The girl stared at her blankly as her mind raced through the possible meanings Hatter might be implying.

"You're kidding me," she said eventually. "Really? Outcast? She's one of you as well?"

"She works for Rage, yeah," the mercenary affirmed.

"So where is she?" Kia asked excitedly, eyes scanning the area in front of her but picking up no sign of the artist.

"I'm right here."

The voice came from behind them, causing Kia to nearly fall off of the wall in surprise and Hatter to snicker at this response. When the civilian had composed herself she twisted around to see an unassuming figure reading a book, sat on the bench that backed up to the wall. Outcast somehow managed to shoot the pair a quick grin without facing them. Hatter placed a hand on Kia's back and forced her to turn away and stop looking at the artist.

"Cpnrlx might be nearby, so let's try not to attract too much attention, okay?"

"Won't he be suspicious anyway? I mean, if two strangers are sitting by the person he wants to talk to."

"You make a good point," Hatter began.

"But he set the location, and can hardly blame me for two girls sitting close by in a busy public area," Outcast completed.

"Just act natural and you'll be fine. Well, act natural and then keep up with me if I have to give chase," Hatter instructed.

"Or, since he's coming over here now, you should both just shush."

The pair hastily fell silent at Outcast's scolding, all three of them carefully listening to the footsteps of their quarry as he approached. When he came within a few metres of Outcast Hatter took a deep breath and readied herself to slip into her Desync state if necessary, though she seriously doubted it. This was, compared to what she was used to, quite a routine job.

Outcast glanced up from the book she was reading and closed it calmly, maintaining the façade of a professional criminal as she made eye contact with Cpnrlx and nudged a bag out from under the bench with her foot. "You got it?" she asked, using a casual tone that anyone might when greeting a friend.

He stopped a little distance from her, shoulders slumped and his hands shoved inside the pockets of his hoodie. The silence persisted long enough that it began to get awkward, and that was when Hatter knew. The game was up.

"Duck," she muttered. Outcast obeyed and moved out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by feet as the mercenary vaulted over her in a last ditch attempt at a surprise attack. Needless to say, she was shocked when Cpnrlx dodged the incoming punch and dropped down, sweeping his leg in an impossibly fast arc that would've sent Hatter to the ground if she hadn't jumped just in time. The unplanned manoeuvre left her hanging in mid-air for a moment, and she took this opportunity to launch another attack, a quick flick that would send her foot straight into her quarry's perfectly placed face.

As she followed through with the movement Cpnrlx shifted his weight backwards, falling into a roll and catching her attack between his ankles and twisting so that her power went diagonally instead of directly forward. Hatter swore and hastily prepared to land, heavily so.

As the shock of impact ran through her the mercenary was left stunned for a mere millisecond, but it seemed that was all that was needed for the criminal to leap up onto the back of the bench and lash out at Outcast, who had barely been able to register any of the fight so far. Despite her lack of training she was able to throw herself off of the seat before the attack could hit, grazing her elbows as she instinctively protected her hands and wrists by tucking them close to her chest. The miss didn't bother Cpnrlx, since she wasn't his target.

Hatter had just gotten back into a solid stance when she found herself freezing. Everything was moving so slowly, the mod wondered if she'd unknowingly transitioned into Desync. It didn't feel like it, but she could see the tiniest of movements in the blade that was currently held to Kia's throat, the girl's neck forcefully exposed by a hand roughly grasping her hair and pulling back her head. Hatter could see every gleam of fear in Kia's eyes as they widened in realisation at what was happening.

"Let her go," Hatter warned, measuring her breathing so that she could keep her voice level. Kia watched the mod as she lowered her fists to show that she was willing to listen to whatever Cpnrlx had to say, and the girl automatically twitched away from the knife as his grip lapsed momentarily.

"Keep still," he hissed, winding his hands tighter into her hair as she hurriedly obeyed, only taking the time to notice how unusually feminine his voice was after the weapon had been repositioned closer to her carotid artery. Kia tried to make eye contact with Hatter to silently tell her to hurry up with whatever plan she had.

Hatter didn't have a plan. She couldn't think of one. She couldn't even force herself into Desync. Part of her was accusing the criminal of using technology or drugs to inhibit her gift but the rest of her knew full well that the real root of her incapability was that it was Kia who was in danger. The mercenary had brought her out into the line of fire: she knew the girl was going to get caught up in it at some point but hadn't truly faced the possibility of it actually happening. Sure, she'd been trapped in the Inducer, yet the cloying effect of the dreams had rendered the mod unable to view it as honestly life-threatening. But now, there she was - in actual, physical trouble.

And Hatter didn't know what to do.


Uh yeah this chapter did not go where I thought it would...

Please, feel free to tell me if there are any typos in here because I have no proofreader, so it's fairly easy to miss them. Please help me fix this chapter (preferably before a certain scrube appears and laughs at me for leaving in ONE EXTRA LETTER DAMMIT)