The duo traversed building by building to reach the point they left off the day previously, which was the roof of a lonely, distant skyscraper. Before exiting the last door that led outside, Dealer paused, turning to see how her partner was holding up.
Not having noticed yet, Miko kept walking, apparently still working on the sundae. She was staring down at it, attempting to salvage out more scoops even though it was long finished. Finally sensing she was being observed, she paused and looked up, blankly staring back at Dealer.
"What do you want now?" she demanded, already sounding upset.
"I don't know about you, but it seems you enjoyed the sundae much more with my spoon this time around. How interesting.~"
Miko let out a long sigh. "It has nothing to do with the spoon. Did you ever consider that I was... oh, I don't know... HUNGRY?!"
"But are you certain my spoon didn't do anything to the flavor? Perhaps it wasn't just your hunger that drove you to eat it faster.~"
"Yes, I'm sure!" she said, throwing away the sundae and spoon in a waste bin as she passed it before stopping next to Dealer. "You and your damn theories are so annoying."
Smirking, she pinched one of Miko's cheeks, shaking it back and forth. "But you love them! Don't hurt my feelings!~"
"Agh!" she shouted, backing up and swatting her hand away. "You're right. I love them since they'll give me an excuse to tape your mouth shut sooner or later! That's the best thing to come out of your theories!"
"Consider my feelings hurt—"
"And consider mine satisfied," Miko interrupted, crossing her arms. A smirk painted her face as she stuck her tongue out.
Dealer pushed out her bottom lip playfully, but then she seemed to adapt a serious mindset. After a moment of silence, the two nodded to each other. Both turned to look at the door, grabbing their weapons and holding them at their sides.
"Intel from previous reconnaissance suggests every building beyond this one is significantly higher by at least a few stories. Until we cross a few bridges, we'll be vulnerable to ambushes," Miko said.
"Then I guess we'll have to resort to what we do best."
"Argue with each other?"
"We don't necessarily argue with each other," Dealer said with a chuckle. "That's more of a 'you' thing. Plus, that's not what we excel at." She set her rifle's switch from safety to fully automatic.
"Shut up," Miko grumbled, equipping her mask. "What do we excel at then, genius? Being polar opposites?"
"Nope. Teamwork. Also, why do you like wearing your mask so much? Hey, wait a minute, you let me finish this time! That's one step in the—"
"Because it's a part of my identity now." Miko raised her sniper to rest on her shoulder. She stared at Dealer with troubled eyes, something the other Guardian had never seen before. "If I don't, people see an identity that ceases to exist any longer. It's why I despise seeing my face in the mirror. It reflects the life I'll never get back in this damned realm."
Dealer listened with undivided attention, closing her eyes. She never really learned of Miko's shrouded past since she was so hesitant about elaborating on it. It had a veil that she strongly wished to keep on. While it was respectable, they had known each other for years upon years now. Sooner or later, it would have to come out.
Looking up, Dealer spoke softly. She acknowledged the sensitivity regarding the manner, resting a hand on Miko's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear. We'll speak about this later, okay? For now, it's for the best if we maintain a clear mind instead of a burdened spirit."
Miko stepped back, shrugging off her partner's hand, her voice sounding cold. "No need. I generally don't give a fuck anymore. I'm constantly burdened, regardless of what I'm doing, where I'm at, or who I'm with. What's done is done. Let's just go."
Dealer nodded, equipping her own mask with a quiet sigh. Although she appeared serene, her eyes and heart told a different story. She was hurting inside for Miko. The Guardian Angel painfully concluded that she just couldn't be helped right now, or at least not without heavy resistance. Dealer raised her assault rifle with hesitation. "Right then. Stack up."
Lowering her rifle, Miko inspected the door. "Same as always. Swing out. Left-hinged. You get left. I'll get right."
Getting in their positions on either side of the door, the two heard light taps resonating from the other side. It was lightly drizzling, thunder faintly ringing out as the hallway illuminated for a moment before fading back to a gloomy atmosphere. The high-speed winds produced whistles that briefly occupied the hallways.
"Same as usual. I clear low, you clear high. Neutralize unless we know a threat is clearly posed, and watch for civilians."
"It's the same every time. I think I get the idea," Miko mumbled.
"That's why I said it's the same as usual, Floor Four."
"I've told you where I stand on you addressing me by floor," she snapped back. Refusing to wait for a response, not that Dealer would've given one, Miko tapped once on the door, a queue to get ready. "At least she didn't mention that we go on three," Miko thought, her annoyance slightly quelled from this fact.
First tap.
Second tap.
Third tap.
The door swung open. Dealer swiftly positioned herself against the door. Kneeling, she scanned the roof and those beyond for any moving figures in the drizzling environment. Meanwhile, Miko weaved her Barrett through the opening to sharply check their right, gradually sweeping left before pausing. Both utilizing the door as cover from the left, they cleared it together. No one was there.
"We're clear," Dealer stated, slowly standing up and lowering her rifle.
"It would appear so," Miko said, lowering hers as well. "No use in waiting when we can use this to our advantage. Let's go."
"I never planned on it," Dealer replied, watching Miko decide to take point by being the first step out onto the roof. Shortly after, the sensation of the rain tapping on their uniforms began settling in. Thunder banged in the distance, their clothes dancing with the wind in an upbeat tango that seemed to never let up.
Miko nodded as they proceeded toward a bridge connecting their roof to one with a parking lot on top of it. While doing so, they gazed at the skyscrapers around them, each one as lonely as the last. Each looked the same, yet just like humans, they were all different on the inside. In a matter of seconds, the bridge was in front of them. With the wind intensifying, their crossing began to sway a bit. Both halted in front of the bridge, studying it while also remaining vigilant.
"Think it's sturdy?" Miko questioned, putting weight on a board.
"Until we try it, there's no way to be sure."
"I mean, we could just dash across it in one-quarter of a second."
"Not exactly," Dealer replied, aiming down her sights to scan the end-point of the bridge for hostiles before lowering her rifle. "Let's not forget that civilians may be crossing back with us if we happen to find any."
Miko let out a long sigh. "Why do you always have to make things so difficult? We can just carry them with us, can't we? They're so slow."
"I hate to say this, hun, but we both know that you're the one who makes things difficult. Besides, it'll make things easier for the future. We won't have to expend energy if we know it's safe and not in a hurry. Plus, it's not that simple. Some aren't adjusted to that speed. Things could go wrong," Dealer replied, taking point on the bridge while carefully testing each plank. Miko followed shortly behind.
"Who said I liked to make things difficult in the first place? Maybe that's what you think, Gambler," she murmured, her fist tightening.
After around thirty seconds of crossing the bridge, the two made it to the other side, but relaxation didn't follow them. Even if the crossing was peaceful to a degree, that wasn't a reason for them to ease their guard, so they didn't. Stopping in the center, both studied the buildings surrounding them to get an idea of the layout. The roof they stood on, which was, essentially, the top of a parking structure with some parked cars, had three other bridges, uniting yet another diverse network of skyscrapers.
Dealer, solidifying a mental picture of their surroundings, turned her attention to a light-blue car since it was closest. Attaching her rifle to her waist and letting it dangle, she circled the vehicle before stopping beside the driver-side window. Leaning forward to gaze through it for a moment, she stepped back. The windows were tinted, making it near impossible to see inside.
"Miko, do you ever wonder if the cars in this reality have the same owners as they would in the real world, or any at all?"
As her partner examined the car, Miko moved to sit on the hood of one a few cars down. Laying her sniper across her legs before crossing her arms, she idly swayed one leg back and forth, shaking her head. "No. I wouldn't want to own one. It's one thing to have lost in the previous world, but it's another to have lost in two. Plus, it's not like you can drive across bridges that narrow unless you're an idiot with a death wish."
Nodding from the input, Dealer attempted to open the car door, not really expecting it to be open. Surprisingly, it was. The faint smell of a car air freshener whisked out, though it wasn't strong. Right as she opened it, the rain adopted a moderate intensity. Deciding a break was in order, she raised her voice to combat the increasing volume. "Let's take a break," the woman said before relaxing in the seat, closing her eyes.
"Make it quick," Miko replied as the rain continued its endless assault on her frame. She wasn't bothered by it in the slightest.
A few minutes passed before Dealer reopened her eyes, having almost dozed off from how comfortable the seat was, combined with the beautiful ambiance of rainfall. Leaning up, they instantly widened upon seeing Miko, who was still sitting on the hood, aiming her sniper rifle straight at her. Her finger was resting on the trigger, seeming like she had no hesitation in killing her partner right here, right now. Dealer was staring down the barrel of one of the most devastating rifles known to mankind.
"M-Miko, what're y-you do—"
At that moment, Dealer heard the tiniest of sounds behind her, but it was too late. Simultaneously, a loud bang erupted. Having incredible speed, she instantly ducked under the wheel, but that wouldn't stop her from hearing the air split beside her. The windshield and back window shattered entirely. As the glass fell into place, and as the car shook by the tiniest amounts, every single car alarm activated. Sitting up and adopting a slightly terrified look under her mask, Dealer turned to see if her partner actually missed a shot for once.
She hadn't.
There, slumped in the back seat, was a body of an Angel Mask with a machete at its side, presumably having dropped it when being shot. They wore black shoes, blue jeans, and a white shirt, but they all could've been considered red now. The mask and face were pierced through completely like bread and butter, exposing the mask coding and insides of the head. Blood trickled onto their knees until populating the floor. The mask's A.I. voice repeated, "You must now end your own life," before fading, seeming to finally realize that it wasn't the only thing to lose a part of it.
With that, Miko lowered her rifle a bit, her eyes narrowed. She felt nothing for the person she had just exterminated. The blood coursing through her veins felt like it heated up. All she felt was irritation. No one would harm her partner if she had anything to say about it. While Dealer may not had realized yet, under all of her resistance and tendency to be stubborn, Miko cared more than she let on.
As car alarms continued to blare around them from how loud of a discharge her rifle had, a sharp pain suddenly resonated in her shoulder. "S-Son of a b-bitch!" Miko cried. Gritting her teeth and standing, she ran to take cover on the side of the car before laying her rifle down. Rapidly moving a hand to grasp whatever caused the agony, it was lodged deep. Without any hesitation, she ripped it out, wailing in anguish as crimson began clouding her white kosode. Holding it up to see it, it was a freshly dripping barbed arrow. Throwing it to the floor, she pushed against the wound to stifle the bleeding.
About to thank Miko for saving her, Dealer felt a chill claim her spine after a scream rang out. Quickly getting out of the vehicle, she laid her eyes on a small blood trail. Fearing the worst, she bolted for Miko's last known position, or at least tried to before being met with resistance. The vehicles seemed to suddenly come alive as a car door swung open in front of her. Another Angel Mask stepped out, dressed in business attire and holding a tire iron dripping blood, boasting recent use.
But Dealer did not stop.
With her closing the distance alarmingly quick, the mask swung for her head but didn't even come close. The Guardian Angel slid under the reckless swing, stood up, and quickly kicked out their knee, forcing the attacker to kneel. However, giving up was something few masks didn't know in the name of murder. And so, the assailant attempted another swing by pivoting on their kneecap with every fiber of their being. This was in vain as Dealer saw it coming a mile away, grabbing the iron mid-swing. Squeezing it with such force that it bent the weapon, she ripped it from their hands before dropping it and quickly snapping their neck.
Not even taking the time to watch the body fall to the floor, she continued towards Miko. Due to her improved senses as a Guardian Angel, she could feel another presence watching them from the north, the thirty-third floor. Right now, though, only her partner's safety was the priority. It would be hard to injure them from such a high vantage point as the storm further ascended in intensity.
Reaching the side that the trail led to, Dealer slid to a stop next to the car, kneeling beside Miko. She wasted no time in virtually prying away her partner's hold to examine the wound. It was deep, no doubt with that, but it also wasn't life-threatening. Looking at her in the eyes, she held her hand, gulping uncharacteristically hard. If it weren't for the rain, it would be possible to tell that Dealer was sweating below. The two shouted over the car alarms since there was no remedy to shutting them off.
"Miko, are you alright? Y-You're bleeding a lot!"
"I'm fine. It's just a fucking scratch," Miko responded, seeming to retain her stubborn persona while toughing out the pain on the outside.
"You didn't sound fine when you screamed! Don't lie to me!"
"I assure you that I am fine," was returned through grit teeth. "Why don't you worry about the guy shooting at us?!"
"Because I don't want to lose something in both worlds!"
Silence. Miko didn't respond, seeming to have trouble processing the words that came out of her partner's mouth. "What have she to lose other than someone to ta— is she referring to me differently? No... she can't be. Something can be anything in terms of people. A friend, partner, enemy... If only she could realize she's more than 'something' to me..." she thought to herself. But then, at that moment, something awoke. Her heart burned in newfound determination after gazing at Dealer.
Both locked eyes, wordlessly staring into each other's gaze despite the situation at hand. At that moment, it felt like they weren't wearing masks at all; this time felt different from the rest. Dealer felt her heartbeat speed up a bit, and her legs feel somewhat weak. "What is this feeling... this feeling of fragility I'm experiencing? Why does it feel... so refreshing?"
Suddenly sensing a projectile attempting to hit her, Dealer leaned back to avoid it, causing the feeling of weakness to abruptly vanish. She was kind of upset that it sabotaged the feeling she hadn't experienced before; she had wished to delve deeper to decipher why it washed over her body. However, Dealer found that it wasn't necessary to lean back. Focusing her vision, she saw an outstretched hand grasping an arrow.
It was Miko's hand. She had intercepted the arrow mid-flight.
Breathing heavily under her mask, Miko stood up, turning to face where it would've come from, toughing out the pain as blood continued to spread along her kosode and fall to the floor. Looking at the location, she took off her mask, throwing it to the floor before snapping the arrow in two without struggle. Her eyes were cold, filled with rage. Despite the ringing of the alarms, her voice seemed to overpower them.
"Enough! You dare challenge a Guardian Angel?! I'LL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT!"
Kneeling, Miko moved a hand to the bottom of the car bumper in front of her. Grasping it, she flipped it with all of her might, causing the car to effortlessly fly into the air, rotating furiously. Dealer stumbled back, not wishing to get caught in Miko's near uncontrollable rage, watching as the car came barreling back down. As it flew down, Miko lifted her foot all the way. Dealer seemed to know what was coming, quickly collecting her partner's rifle and mask before bracing herself.
Slamming her foot down, Miko spawned an incredible shockwave that caused every single vehicle around them to fly in separate directions. Some collided with windows of skyscrapers while others soundlessly flew down into the streets below, ridding them of the car alarms. Dealer didn't seem affected majorly, but she did stumble, almost losing her balance, dropping Miko's rifle and mask in the process.
As the free-falling car came back down, Miko grasped it by the bumper again before stepping a foot back, preparing to throw it. With all of her might, and a yell of exertion, she stepped forward, hurtling it straight at the location their attacker should've been. What followed was a loud crash of the vehicle making contact with the window, shattering it.
From what the two could see, it was inside of the skyscraper itself. However, it teetered like a seesaw, seemingly choosing whether to fall or stay in place. Eventually, though, with a groan, it tilted backward, plummeting towards the streets below. A powerful, yet distant sound of something hitting the ground sounded. Silence was once again the result as no more arrows followed.
"Idiot," was Miko's only response as she stayed watching the window a bit longer to ensure their attacker had retreated. After a few moments, she walked to pick up her mask and rifle but appeared to have difficulty doing so. Dealer was quick to try and help, expecting to be shrugged off.
But she wasn't.
Miko allowed her to pick up her Barrett, so she did. Dealer, holding it in her hands, lightly chuckled. She was going to comment on this amazing accomplishment but preferred to leave it be. "It amazes me how you can operate this with a singular hand whenever you require to with pinpoint accuracy, Miko. How do you do it?"
"Practice," she replied, wrapping her mask around her shoulder wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding by using the straps of the mask as a tourniquet. It wasn't life-threatening, but it was to be safe.
"How is your wound holding up?" Dealer said with a tint of worry.
"It's fine."
"But it's not fine."
"You're not gonna be fine if you keep up with not believing me."
"You're right. I won't. I'll worry more."
"I wasn't implying that — never mind. What do I have to do?" Miko grumbled, knowing she lost yet another argument.
"Let me properly tend to it. It'll help both of us."
"Fine. Let's get this over with."
"Right here, right now?"
"No, in about a day or so — yes, right now!"
"Out here? Heavens no. I'd prefer we have shelter. Besides, the chances of being ambushed again will lower. At least we'll be safe."
"I suppose that's true. Lead the way then."
Nodding, Dealer turned but then turned back around, offering Miko her sniper. "I'd prefer you have this in case it's needed."
Miko took it with her uninjured hand. "Thank you."
"I should be thanking you. You saved my life," Dealer said gently, slowly taking off her own mask to fasten it around her shoulder.
Miko shined a small smile, causing her partner's heart to flutter. "You don't need to thank me, Gambler. Just keep being you, and we'll be fine."
"Consider it done," Dealer responded, offering her own smile. With both high in spirits, they walked side-by-side towards the bridge before crossing it together. Another building lay ahead, leading to shelter from the elements. The rain continued to wash away the telltale signs of a run-in, but it wouldn't rid of the damage done to the roof and building. But something was off about the bridge that they hadn't realized.
The North Bridge.