Chapter Twenty One
They spent the short flight in relative silence. There was no need for her to explain what she could do, and she'd heard enough of Darwyn to know enough to be reactive to his plays. Barker seemed straightforward too. As he handed them both a pair of goggles similar to his own, he gave a brief and professional rundown of his kit.
Flashbangs. High-grade, damage-your-eyes flashbangs. The filter coating on their goggles would do just that; filter out much of the light spectrum he used, and reduce the effects to a mere bright light without affecting their regular vision too much, according to the curt man.
Besides that interaction and a brief exchange of trash talk with Octane - the man was hopped up and bouncing around like a loose spring talking shit to everyone the entire journey - the three sat on a bench and watched the others, anticipation slowly building.
Finally, when the siren blared, Wraith took her place at their door, breathing in the fresh gust of hot air as the entry points of the ship all slid open. They were over Thunderdome, looking to cross directly over Artillery at the end. Wraith cast her gaze across the large expanse of the Canyon the ship would stay clear of, and plotted their path.
"Swamps." she decided, flicking each a glance to check agreement.
No arguments. Good.
They passed over Skull Town. The ship was half empty already, and Wraith grew more sure of her chosen destination. Market approached on their right. She'd dive when the path drew level with Bridges, and they'd glide.
"Any advice?" Darwyn asked, looking at her sideways with the first fresh touch of nerves she'd seen in his face.
She considered it as they poised themselves over the drop, waiting for her signal.
"Listen." she said, pushing up onto her toes to fall, "And fight."
~.~
Wraith held up a hand, the sudden movement catching the eye of both her squadmates, who immediately froze. She lifted her head, gaze fixed in the middle distance as she focused on the sound.
Definitely feet, heavy by the sounds of it, passing outside the building further down. They'd cleared Swamps quick, laden with loot and uncontested, and had already cleared the closest compound in the Wetlands. She'd planned to hit Relay, if they had the time, and pass back through Wetlands to wherever the next ring was to fall. That plan would likely change now, with another team so close.
She listened to the path, eyes flickering to Darwyn, whose doorway they were headed for. A soft murmur. She recognised the low, even tone, and shook her head as the archer tipped his head.
They didn't want to start this fight from in here. Not when there had been enough time for the man's ability to be allowed online. She raised one hand over her mouth, mimicking a gas mask as she looked deliberately between the two.
Two nods, and Darwyn eased from the doorway. They listened. When the feet passed that same doorway, Wraith was moving. Swift, she'd exited the opposite door, rounded the building, and levelled her Flatline.
Dr. Caustic's shield glinted purple as her clip emptied into his back, and she figured she'd weakened them good as she scrambled for cover as all three opponents turned with a yell. The air was shattered by the barrage of gunfire just a second later.
"Caustic shields!" she yelled as she took hit just before cover, the stray pellet of a Peacekeeper out of range.
"On it."
Tread on the roof, and then the whistle-whoosh she recognised from his banner move. Fire erupted in the centre of the squad as Darwyn's arrow brushed their shields and hit its mark in the dirt, whatever was inside reacting viciously with the air upon impact.
"The Archer!"
"Shit-"
Wraith grinned as she swung herself over the railing to the second storey balcony, and flicked an arcstar against the arm of a retreating figure.
The green cloud exploded on the ground underneath her, and the noxious poison rose into the air. She fell back, climbing the roof proper, balancing carefully on the open lattice of metal as she rained fire into the thick fog, listening as well as she could for the sound of any round landing, watching for any glinting shield-lights.
Darwyn came from the doorway below her, following her lead while Barker held the lower level. A lot of gunfire was traded, but neither side was hitting hard as the gas continued to hiss and rise. The ring timer chimed. They had two minutes before it started moving.
They had the higher ground, but blinded by the green the enemy were encased in, she knew the Doctor could see her.
Move.
And there he was, taking aim at her and clipping her shoulder as she leapt left to the ground.
"Get down, he's got sight advantage!" she hollered.
A shadow behind her caught her eye and she whirled, but she recognised the retreating figure in the same second a spat curse answered her as a small red light flashed on her wrist.
"Barker?" as he hunkered down to tug out a shield cell.
"My shields are down." came Barker's voice, but she was already turning back towards the building as her feet started moving, "Falling back."
The sound of a door swinging open was followed instantly by the heavy tread of feet on stairs, and Wraith knew what was happening, and knew she had no way to help in time even as she raced along the back of the building for the doorway Barker has just left through.
"No, wait-" Darwyn was cut off by the gunfire, a Peacekeeper blast knocking him from the balcony from the sounds of the blunt thump above Wraith's head.
A beat of silence as the shotgun was levelled again, and he cried out. Wraith flew up the stairs, rounding on the enemy as he drew back his hand for a finishing move. It took only a short burst to knock him to the floor, but she had no time to aid Darwyn as the second figure kicked open the door from the balcony.
The Doctor's heavy tread was on the stairs, and Wraith drew a breath. She dropped her last arcstar at her feet as something cracked her shield. She shot out one hand to yank her fallen squadmate towards her and flexed the other to drag them both into the Void as the throwable crackled to life.
~.~
The silence was tense as she dropped Darwyn behind a loot bin, throwing open the lid for better cover as she drew the syringe from her side pocket.
"Keep look out." she bit out as she twist off the cap and slid the needle carefully into the skin of Darwyn's arm.
If Barker made and reply she didn't hear it, for the archer was coughing as she dealt with him.
"Knocked- shit- the wind." he hacked out, and Wraith blew out a short breath.
"Peacekeeper'll do that." she said, and the man gave a sharp bark of laughter through his grimace.
"Ain't that the truth."
"When you're finished, there's a sizeable distance between us and the ring." came the curt sound of their third, and Wraith felt Darwyn tense under her hands as she knotted the bandage at his chest.
She bit down a warning, for she knew the worst thing she could do in what might be a volatile situation was take sides, but she knew which was right as Darwyn spoke.
"Wouldn't be anything to finish if we'd not been gotten in that room."
His voice was calm, but there was a steel under it that made Wraith's nerves light with adrenaline as he finished. She said nothing, handing him another syringe as she dragged out a shield cell of her own, but the air was thick and the accusation palpable.
Barker had backed off from that fight without communicating first, and Darwyn's fight had swiftly doubled from one front to two. She cursed that she'd chosen to dive from the rooftop right at that moment, or she'd have been better placed to prevent him being wounded so badly.
Barker's response was further silence, and Wraith did her best not meet Darwyn's eye either, eager not to encourage him as she got back on her feet.
The ring was moving, and would be on their heels shortly, and Barker was right about one thing. They had the entire Cascades to cross for the safety by Bunker, or the Pit. She reloaded her Flatline, and pocketed the grenades in the bin, handing the light magazine down to Darwyn for his R-99.
"Thanks."
Wraith dipped her chin in a nod, and shouldered her backpack.
"We better get moving."
~.~
People were staying alive. Nearly half the squads were out by the time Wraith was hunkered down in the corner of a beam of the high ledge in the Pit. The whole place shadowed by the gathering dusk, only the soft orange that rose from the huge underground fans lit the enclosed area. Just inside the next ring, it was as good a place to catch some sleep as anywhere else, with the additional advantage of heavy shadows in the corners where they were, due to the towering walls.
Anyone not looking closely could pass right through and never even see them. Her turn on lookout, her Flatline rested across her raised knees, but the area had been blessedly quiet. There had been far-off gunfire earlier, but it seemed everyone had had the same idea. A few hours sleep, and a refreshed start. The ring waited, the GameMakers watching for the squad who'd fall to set in motion the next movement.
At least when it did, she wouldn't be racing to get in it. To keep her hands busy Wraith had opened a protein bar, slitting the wrapper open methodically in all corners so that it lay as a perfect flat section for her to pick at its contents.
A rustle from her far left signalled Barker had woken, and he too was replenishing his strength. Wraith sipped from her water bottle, more to wash down the dry bar than anything else. Since their failed attempt to take down Dr. Caustic and his squad, they'd skirted danger and had only met a lone legend, whom they'd swiftly dispatched.
Beyond the brief communications for that short fight, there had been barely a handful of words spoken between them, and all of them by herself when she'd chosen Pit to wait out the night.
"Second watch?" she whispered, and the rustling stopped.
"Agreed." came the reply, and Wraith set the bottle aside.
She wouldn't sleep, she never really could in the Arena, but she might doze a little if she were lucky. Perhaps being a little better rested would help with their mood. Wraith certainly hoped so, because things were only going to get worse as the Game moved on, and she needed them both working like a team in the fights ahead.