Red + Red + Rose : Chpt. Ten : The Plan
Diary Entry: 0059 Date: 04-20-05
It's been a while since I felt normal, it feels nice I suppose. There's still a lot going on. I believe that Squall and Rinoa are surprised by my turnaround, I don't know what happened to me back there. When do you get to the point where you feel so utterly useless and your efforts feel so futile that you just have to become stronger? Perhaps that's what happened, perhaps not. We're just about to go over to plan. I saw Irvine yesterday, I visited him yesterday and he seemed pleased to see me back to my usual, sarcastic and interesting self. I can't help but wonder how people have been putting up with my attitude lately, I assume that they were just trying to be good mates. I told Irvine that when this was all over, I'd start working at the pub again, definitely not the Opium, but I guess in contrast to being trapped in a cage, the Honey-Bee Pub seems like heaven. As much as I miss Seifer's constant attention and interest in me, I've felt quite lonely lately, I'm longing to see him again…I wonder what he's doing…
"Are we going to go over the plan today or not?" Rinoa called to her from the living room. Quistis hopped out of the computer chair and signed off her journal, striding over to where Rinoa sat with Squall.
"Go on with it." The blonde told her.
"Alright, first of all, I want to make sure that everyone's okay with their roles. Quistis, you'll just have to stand around and act seductive, I know that Blake has quite a few questions that he wants to ask you, especially since Seifer hasn't told him anything. I overheard them chatting this morning. We're hoping and guessing that Blake will take you into his conference room, either alone or with Seifer but we're still not sure about that. What he has planned is…well…"
"I know." Quistis said.
"In the mean time, while your entertaining him, we'll be crawling through the vents and setting up an explosive device. I'll be on lookout and I'll have the codes at hand, Squall will activate the bomb while I relay him the codes."
"Wait, I thought that you wanted to put Blake in jail, not kill him?"
"That's how we're planning to trap him. Squall will have the detonator and will be watching from up above, in the vents. Meanwhile, I'll come in, armed of course, grab you & Seifer and then we'll lie about the bomb, stating that it will go off in five minutes. Then, we'll grab him and take him hostage so none of his men can shoot us, and make our way outside where multiple police cruisers will be waiting, using Seifer as our guide because I'm still not familiar with a few floors. Squall will have grabbed the device, assuming that everything goes smoothly, and he'll come out as well, sneaking out through the roof and then rappelling down the building."
"That's plan A." Squall concluded.
They took a moment to allow her mind to process the information and think the plan through.
"What if Seifer's not in the conference room with me?"
"Moving on to plan B, it will be basically the same but when I come into the room to grab you and Blake, if Seifer's not there I'll say there is a seven minute delay instead of five, that way we can take Blake hostage and find him."
"So let me get this straight, the explosion device is never going to actually be set, why are we bringing it in?"
"Moving on to plan C." Squall continued.
"If Blake buts up a resistance or for some reason, things get much too dangerous between you and him, Squall will be setting the device for a 10 minute delay, coming down the vents to grab you and I, Seifer also if he's there. He'll take us out through the vents and we'll have a helicopter waiting at the rooftop, after contacting the police squad with the bad news, and get shipped off in the air. Meanwhile, the doors will be jammed shut before anyone can leave and then the building will explode."
"So if something goes wrong while in the conference room, Squall will set the bomb, come and get us, we'll be taken off in a helicopter, and then the bomb will go off?"
Squall and Rinoa both nodded.
"What if Seifer's not in the room when something goes wrong?"
"Squall will then set the delay timer on the bomb to longer and we'll try to locate Seifer, however in a last minute and desperate action, we may have to evacuate." Rinoa forced a smile, "But the way that we have things set up, nothing will go wrong, trust me. It's practically fool-proof unless Blake decides that he wants to die."
Quistis was silent, wondering what she should tell them.
"You know…that if we can't get Seifer out of there…I won't be going either." She said finally, thinking the matter over carefully.
Rinoa lowered her eyes and nodded, almost sadly.
"I know, I thought that you'd say something like that. I'm not going to ask you to reconsider, or try to argue with you. I know you and Seifer…you care about him very much."
"Are you positive?" Squall confirmed, trying to stare her in the eyes, but she only looked away, still deep in thought. Taking a deep breath, she slowly raised her head to meet his gaze and nodded, her face betraying any emotion.
"Quistis, we don't want to lose you. I'm sure nothing will go wrong but tell me one thing. I have to hear it from you."
The blonde turned to face her and arched an eyebrow.
"Tell me that you know what your doing and that you're doing the right thing."
"It's not about right and wrong anymore. It's about how I feel, it's so difficult to see that separation between good and bad. The two contrasting colors – light and shadow – I see the gray."
"I understand." Rinoa replied, frowning a bit and taking a deep breath.
"When are we to proceed with the plan?" Quistis asked.
"Tomorrow night, we'll be sneaking in. Well, you'll be found wandering around the building, just give yourself up easily, fake some waterworks and moan to see Seifer. That way, if you try to refuse to talk to Blake unless you can see Seifer, you'll have a better chance of getting him into that conference room."
"You seem confident about this conference room, how do you know that he won't decide to just talk to me in the lunge or some other place in that penthouse?"
"Trust me, he always talks in the conference room. The idiot practically sleeps in there."
"What does he look like? Blake, that is."
"Hmm, well, he has long, rather odd hair. It's the strangest color of grayish-white that I've ever seen. Trust me, you'll know it's him when you see him."
There was silence for a while; none of them knew quite what to say until finally Quistis spoke up.
"I know that we're at the most critical point right now. We'll be going through with the plan tomorrow and it's certainly a bad time to be asking to do this. But…there are a few people I need to see, would you be able to escort me to the Opium?"
The two brunettes looked at each other, Rinoa nodded, Squall shook his head. Slowly acknowledging how Squall felt, she saw that the couple was now glaring at each other, she nodded and got up.
"I suppose that I'll see you both in the morning then?"
"No." Said Rinoa, who still had her eyes narrowed at Squall, I'll be escorting you to the Opium. Squall will stay here."
"I don't want to cause any problems."
"It's alright. Don't even give it a second thought. Rinoa reached her hand out for the keys to the motorcycle which were on the table, Squall placed his hand over hers, staring at her angrily.
"Squall, this is my decision."
"The FBI said that under no circumstances was she to be-"
"I don't care what the FBI said." Rinoa threw up her hands in protest, "All you ever do is take orders Squall, don't you ever get sick of it?" She stared at him, trying to figure out what he was feeling.
"You're endangering the mission."
"The hell I am. Fine, you can have it your way." She began raising her voice, "We'll walk, come on Quistis."
She tried to open her mouth to object but Rinoa had already grabbed her arm and passed her a jacket.
"Be sensible, Ri-"
"It's not fair. I don't understand how you can just stand there, not feeling anything, not caring about other people!" The female agent interrupted her, "You don't give a damn about anyone except yourself, I don't understand why and, frankly, I'm not sure that I want to."
"………" Was Squall's reply.
"Quistis has friends that she cares about, people she wants to see. Nobody wants to be alone in life. Only you and I hate you for it."
Tears began forming in Rinoa's eyes but she quickly turned away from Squall before he could see any of them fall, stomping out the threshold, she grabbed Quistis and dragged her outside the room as well, slamming the door behind herself. Only when she was outside did she start wiping her eyes. The older woman was unsure of what to say, how to comfort her, so instead of trying to say anything, she brought her close and hugged her, feeling the girl trembling as sobs racked her body.
"I'm sorry that you have to see me like this. Squall was right, it would be dangerous…it would be dangerous if you went out right now. The warning is for your own good, I just need some time alone right now to think." Rinoa pulled away from her, tears still lingering in her eyes, but slowly began backing away.
Quistis could only nod and force a smile.
"Rinoa, it's not so bad. Squall just doesn't know."
"That's the problem."
She turned around and walked into the elevator, giving a small wave goodbye as the doors closed, leaving Quistis standing outside of the apartment, contemplating whether or not she should go back in.
The door opened, Squall stood there silently, he took Quistis' hand and slowly led her back inside after staring into her eyes for a long moment. She tried to give him a look of understanding but did not know exactly how she should be feeling at the time. He was leading her somewhere now, in the living room? Why here?
He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit down beside him.
"Squall, I'm sorry. I never meant to start anything."
"It wasn't you. Don't bother. You're the only one who ever listened, anyway."
"What? Me? But Rinoa cares about you so much and she loves you. If only you'd open your heart and your eyes you would be able to see tha-"
Squall interrupted her quickly, moving forward and placing his mouth on hers. He kissed her, long and hard, exactly like Seifer used to kiss her. The pleasure of his soft lips against hers, his arms around her, the feeling of having someone love her again. Someone who wanted her. She slowly backed away from him, realizing what they had just done.
"I-I can't do this."
"Why? There is no bad and good. You said it yourself, Quistis. You can only see the gray. It's harder to determine the light from the shadow."
"But I love Seifer, you must understand that my heart is for him."
"I don't care. Tonight. I need this tonight."
He pressed his mouth against hers again, even harder this time, teasing her tongue and running his hands through her hair.
"It's wrong." She managed to whisper, pulling back once again.
He had already embraced her though, and they were lying down on the couch. He tried kissing her one more time, she attempted to resist…but there was something there. That one surge of emotion, that feeling that kept her going. The love…the tenderness of his skin. She found herself unable to pull away, slowly responding to his desperate kisses and sliding back further on the couch as he placed his hands over her wrist and began trailing kisses down her neck.
Seifer…Seifer used to do that.
His lips met with hers again and he kept going down, unbuttoning her shirt and kissing her down her entire abdomen, then he began working his way up. Then she felt his tongue, caressing her own, reminding her of what it was like to bond with someone like this. The sudden urge hit her and she slipped off his white shirt, pulling it over his head and throwing it to the side, on the floor. She sat up a bit, staring at him, wondering what to do. She had just come one step closer to what seemed inevitable at the moment.
"You have to stop…" She whispered, and yet allowed him to gently leave kisses up and down her chest.
"Quistis…" He said her name, placing his hand on her bra, waiting for her approval to any further, this time actually stopping.
Seifer…
That one word pained her as she knew what was going to happen very shortly. Closing her eyes and biting her lip she called upon all the strength she had…and shook her head, pushing him off of her before jumping off of the couch, running into Rinoa's room, half-naked, and slamming the door behind herself.
She prayed that he wouldn't knock as she lay there, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say. Spread out on the bed, under the covers, she realized that it was only the early evening hours. She would have to come out sometime but she did not want to face him. His accusing stare, that thin, firm line that formed his lips, the hurt expression that she knew he would only display on the inside, not allowing her to see it.
"I'm sorry."
What would Rinoa think if I tell her? Should I tell her? Does she really need to know? What about Squall, would he really want Rinoa to know? What would he do if I told her?
It didn't matter. They hadn't done anything too serious so why even bother tell Rinoa? No, she decided the brunette already had enough on her mind and they had to start concentrating more on the mission. If Rinoa found out that Squall had done that she would be broken. Quistis didn't know what she would do.
She knew that there would be dangers involved, although she was prepared to do anything necessary, even if it meant going into the Lion's Den, which was exactly what she was supposed to do.
What will Blake be like? Will he try to hurt me? What if something goes wrong and Rinoa or Squall are taken hostage?
There was no plan D and they were just 'assuming', as Rinoa had said, that Blake would take her into the conference room. What if he was planning to kill her on the spot?
She heard the front door open and slam, the locks jangled. Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she forced herself to stand up and get out of bed, wondering if Rinoa had got back already. Taking a deep breath, she strode through the bedroom door, expecting to see either Squall or Rinoa, however there was no sign of either in the apartment. Though his door was closed, she doubted that he was inside.
So after preaching about endangering the mission, forbidding me to go out, and even arguing with Rinoa, he decides to leave me here by myself? Hypocrite.
Quistis thought about how upset Rinoa had been and how Squall had acted. Would they get back together? Of course they worked as a team but she also knew that they were involved romantically. Did they usually fight like that? Would they abort the mission?
She decided not to think about those things since she had no answers to the questions and it was pointless to worry about it if they would only eat at her. It wasn't as though Rinoa had threatened to leave Squall permanently. Squall hadn't even raised his voice or tried to physically block her from going out. Rinoa would be back soon, she guessed, and perhaps she would explain a few things.
Like why Squall is so silent and emotionless? What caused him to be like that? Did he get hurt when he was younger? Why did he kiss me?
Since she was alone, there was no point in staying there in the apartment and sitting around. At least if she was with Irvine and Selphie or Zell, she would have some company. What could possibly go wrong? Rinoa had given her a gun to use for protection and she could just wear some kind of disguise so Blake's men couldn't possibly recognize her. It wouldn't be hard to slip on her glasses, a hat, and perhaps a pair of baggy pants, which she would never normally wear.
Walking back into Rinoa's room, she searched through her closet and found a baseball cap and a pair of bulky cargo pants. Although she found them repulsive to wear, especially the cap, she knew that she would be safer that way and wasn't prepared to compromise anything for her well being. Grabbing her glasses off of Rinoa's dresser, she slipped them on and adjusted her hair so that the hat hid most of it, save a few golden strands that fell around her face. Carefully, she picked up the gun, wondering whether it would be best just to leave it there, however she shook her head and forced herself to grab the holster as well and clip it on her belt, using a bulky sweater to cover it up.
Hmm, I don't even recognize myself in this, I doubt that any of his men will.
Quistis hesitantly walked out of the room and grabbed her bag from the floor near the door. Slowly opening the door and peeking out the hallway, making sure that nobody suspicious was sneaking around. Then, stepping outside cautiously, she made her way over to the elevator and waited for it to come up, all the while trying to act normal, less nervous then she seemed. It came within a few moments, there was only one older man in it and she doubted that he could work for Blake so she stepped in. The ride down seemed slow, her eyes kept wandering over to where to man was standing, frowning slightly, she bit her lip, attentive to the fact that he wasn't as old as he seemed.
Just let this ride down be alright, after I get outside, I can run and I won't have to be trapped in such a small space.
The man seemed to be paying no attention to her, staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look on his face. She found herself glancing at his waistline to make sure that there was no bulk where a holster could be located, and blushed as she looked up and he was making eye contact with her. He tried to force a smile but gave her odd looks for the rest of the ride down, probably a bit frightened by her apparent curiosity in his lower regions.
Finally, the bell dinged and they arrived at the lobby, the doors opened and she rushed out, quickly walking towards the door and not looking back, taking a deep breath in order to perhaps calm herself down a bit.
Quistis practically raced through the front doors, welcoming the cool air of the night as it hit her. She inhaled the scent of spring and began walking towards the curb, where several cabs were located. Peering into one, she noticed the driver was middle-aged male, looking boredly out the window. Quickly, she opened the door and got in, not allowing herself to backtrack and worry about the danger of doing this.
"Take me to the opium."
She made her voice sound deep, butchy, and gruff, hiding her English accent.
"Opium? Vat iz zis Opium you spek about?"
"It's a night club."
"Vhere is zis night club?"
"107 Trabia St."
"Von oh zeven Trabia Zt.?"
She nodded quickly and glanced at his name take.
What a peculiar accent… Dr. Odine… Dr? If he's a doctor then why is he working in a cab?
"Zhis night club, vhy are you going zhere?"
"Meeting friends."
"Ah, I zee."
The streets seemed quiet, not as busy as usual. They passed the elementary school and the alley and she shivered as she remembered what happened earlier. The car was a relatively quiet one and the silence was awkward, though she had no clue what to say to the odd doctor.
"My name iz Odine. Dr. Odine. Vhat iz yours?"
"Uh," She pretended to clear her throat, "Kora. Kora Travesura."
"Ah! Zat iz Zpanish, no?" He took his eyes off the road for a moment, looking back at her.
She saw a traffic light coming up, a red one, and panicked, wondering how this man had managed to get this job, much less a license.
"Yes, yes it's Spanish. The road!" She nearly shouted as they got closer and closer.
"Vhat?"
The light was getting closer and closer, they were practically driving in the middle of the street now.
"The road; there's an intersection coming up!"
"Ah yez, I zee zhat." He turned around, just as they came up to it and pushed his foot down, as hard as possible, on the brake, making Quistis nearly fly forward, had it not been for the seatbelt.
"I apologize for zhat." He mumbled, letting out a strange noise like a crazy cackle, which she assumed was a laugh.
She guessed that he had decided to keep his eyes on the road from now on, obviously a bit embarrassed because he was forcing a smile while small beads of sweat trickled down his face. The silence came once again as they kept on driving, getting closer and closer while she got more and more anxious and apprehensive.
"Vhe are almost zhere, you look nervouz, vhy?" He turned around once more, this time tilting his head to the side and giving her a curious look.
"Date."
"Ah, young love beeerdz. Zo nice to zee." He took his hands off the steering wheel and scratched his head, still facing her. Her eyes widened in surprise and horror, wishing that they were there.
"I'll get off here." She offered, they were now driving on the other lane on the road and there were oncoming cars swerving and honking.
"No, no. Ztay a vhile." He turned around, just as a car was about to hit him and Quistis had prepared for impact. Quickly steering the car to the right, they narrowly avoided the head-on collision as the blonde gripped onto the door handle. They were right outside the opium now and the insane driver came to a quick stop, nearly causing the car behind them to crash.
She passed him a five-dollar bill, giving him a one dollar as a tip.
"Ah, keep eet, in exchange zhat you don't tell anyvon zhat I drive so recklessly."
She tried to protest but he began yelling out foreign curses, frightening her and so she quickly just hopped outside the vehicle and gave him a smile before running off and not stopping until she was at the entrance.
Thank God that I made it out alive. I thought that we'd never arrive.
She nodded to the bouncer who recognized her as Irvine's friend, stepping aside and allowing her in. The floor was practically alive with flashing lights and the music blared loudly, meanwhile the bass practically shook the very foundation. There were dancers crowding the stage but she noticed that there were no more cages, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Slowly, she made her way across the floor, turning down anyone who asked her for a dance but smiling weakly. Selphie was at the bar, chatting to Raine, with her back turned to her. The petite brunette was chatting away a storm and giggling. She came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Immediately, she turned around in surprise, when she saw Quistis her jaw dropped.
"Quisty!" She practically yelled louder then the music, squeezing her friend in a tight hug and jumping up and down ecstatically, "I can't believe you're here! I've got to call Irvy over!" She grabbed Quistis' hand and waved to Raine, promising they would be back in a few moments, she dragged her across the dance floor once again, winking at a few guys that whistled at her.
"I've missed you. You haven't been on the bus lately or at school."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"Well, at least you were there a few days ago. So whatcha been up to?"
"Nothing really." She lied, biting her lip.
"Jeez! I practically didn't recognize you in those clothes. Why the heck are you dressed like that? Trying to ward off any male attention?"
"Heh, no."
"Whatever. Booyaka! There's Irvine." She pointed to him, smiling, but her expression suddenly changed to fury when she saw that he was dancing with one of the people on stage, they were grinding.
"It looks like he's just-"
"Ooh I can't believe him! He has some nerve! Tonight's our anniversary too so I don't have to work!"
She dropped Quistis' hand and stomped over to him angrily, he turned around, his ear-to-ear smile turning into an expression of shock and then fear as he saw how pissed off Selphie was.
"I can't believe you Irvine Kinneas! You have some nerve!" She raised her hand to slap him but he stopped her, gently grasping it, pulling her close, and kissing her.
"Well, you two seem to be having fun, I'm just going to-"
Irvine pulled away from Selphie and stared at her, not recognizing the dancer at all, even with her accent.
"Who is this fag? Selph, are you on a date with someone?" He sounded slightly angry now, but more surprised. The hyper girl laughed and Quistis joined her.
"Unless you call Quistis a male, nope!" She replied.
"Quistis?! Woah, never thought I'd see you here!" He practically yelled, bringing her close with one arm and giving all three of them a hug.
"So, babe, how's it going?"
Selphie stuck her tongue out at him but grinned at Quistis.
"Lonesome." She teased him, winking at Selphie, "That's why I came here."
"Ah, honey, I can fix that. Come on, I bet there's lots of guys here that want to dance."
She laughed as he led her out to the floor, one hand in hers and one hand in Selphie's. He seemed to be heading over to someone who was sitting at a table. The man was alone; he was dressed in a casual baggy tee shirt and khakis. His hair was blonde and spiked up, his expression was sullen. It was Zell and he looked incredibly depressed. His gaze rested on the floor, eyebrows narrowed and blue irises dull, lifeless it seemed. Her expression suddenly changed to worry.
Zell? What's wrong with you? What have you done to yourself?
As they walked over, she saw him rise to leave, figuring that he was getting kicked out for just sitting there, she assumed. He dragged his feet on the ground and sighed.
"Zell!" She called out, forgetting about her different voice.
He turned to face her, his eyebrows arched in surprise for a moment, and then his expression turned to utter despair.
"Zell, what's wrong?" She asked.
"Quistis…" He stared into her eyes, then grabbed her hands and took them in his own. She noticed that he had a several dark purple bruises on his face. He opened his mouth to tell her something but did not speak a word.
"I've never seen you like this?"
"He didn't tell me or Selphie anything. I figured he might open up to you." Irvine told her, then slowly backed away with Selphie.
"Tell me." She ordered, softly but firmly.
"It's you…Quistis you've gotta get out of here. You have to leave before they find you." His voice shook as he spoke, not able to hold back his concern anymore, "They saw me hanging around with you at school, everyone ran out that day, they came after me and beat me up. I-I tried to use Karate but they had guns."
She frowned at this, gently pulling her hand away to place it on his cheek, near one of the bruises.
"What did they want?"
"They wanted to know where you were. Your locker combo…Where you lived…" He recalled.
"What? When did they do this to you?"
"Quistis, that's the thing. They were outside. Waiting outside the club, near the alley."
Her blood ran cold, she could feel her heart thudding in her chest as the music seemed to go silent and the bass only stood out more.
"Damnit. They're waiting for me."
"I ran in here, t-they shot at me but I made it in before it hit."
"I'm sorry, Zell." She bit her lip, wondering what she could tell him.
"You've got to get out of here. I don't know-"
"No, promise me that you'll get out of here. You have to go now, if you run through the front doors, there are taxis waiting, hop into one and get away. They won't see you."
"But, they're waiting! They know what I look like!" He was frantic.
"They won't see you," She lowered her gaze, "Because they'll be busy chasing me."
"What are you saying? That's insane!"
She shook her head and looked around before grabbing on to his hand and pulling him over to a less crowded area.
"Listen to me, I have a gun. I know how to deal with this. Remember when I told you I didn't know Karate?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? How did you get a gun? Are you…?" A look of fear crossed his face.
"I'm a Special Forces agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I know what I'm doing. I-" She stopped for a moment, knowing that it was all one big lie, "I know Karate. I'm trained."
"Are you serious? YOU"RE FROM THE-"
"Shh! I'm undercover. You can't let anyone know about this, okay?"
"Holy Shit! Woah, that's major! I can't believe it! T-Thank you Quistis!"
She forced a weak smile, praying that she would survive the chase. Hoping that they wouldn't find her bloodied remains somewhere in the gutter, and praying, above all, that Zell would not get hurt, that she would be able to protect him. They had taken too much away from her; it was time to get even. Time for them to be taught what it felt like to be in pain.
Just because they have guns doesn't mean that I can't knock them down. I only wish that I honestly did know Karate. Zell needs to get away though, I can't afford to get caught tonight. It will throw off the entire plan. Where can I run?
She found herself pulling Zell over to the door, a rapid plan forming in her mind as she pushed past people and increased her pace. They were almost there now, every step brought her closer and closer to the danger that awaited.
"Zell…" She started, remembering her ride down.
"Yeah?" He asked, becoming nervous as he saw they had finally arrived at the front.
"Whatever you do, don't get in a cab with a man named Odine." She smiled again, but this one was genuine and her eyes sparkled with laughter, for a moment she forgot about the situation at hand.
"Odine? Huh? Why not?"
"He's just a really, really horrid driver." She paused for a moment, realizing that this was it, she would have to start running as fast as possible in the next few moments.
"Oh, heh, well I'll make sure I don't." He looked at her, biting his lip, unsure of what to say.
"Don't worry about me." She said, her voice becoming soft before she leaned towards him, her lips meeting the soft skin of his cheek, "Make sure you get home safely."
His eyes widened and his mouth became agape as he realized that she had just kissed him.
"Q-Quistis…I-" She silenced him by putting her finger to his lips and gently pushing him towards the door, "T-Take care of yourself!"
She nodded to him before following him outside while removing the gun from it's holster, she turned around and waved to Irvine and Selphie who were on the stage, and made sure to guard him as she saw the four men waiting, leaning up against a car, directly to her right, near the alley. He got into the cab, just as they started to walk over to her, and waved goodbye to her before she slammed the door shut and watched the taxi pull away. They weren't too far away now and she turned around, squeezed the gun for reassurance, and began racing down the street.
This is the last time that I am going to be chased. This time it's them who'll want to run.
Her feet felt light and her body felt weightless as she sprinted down the sidewalk, aware that they weren't too far behind.
Alright, which one is going to go down first? Shit, only six bullets, I can only afford to miss twice. I've got to wait till they're closer or they stop moving.
Her breathing hastened, her heart began to thud loud enough for it to drone out most other noises, even her rapid breathing.
There's an old, abandoned motel down the road, I can get some cover there.
She knew it wouldn't be long before they were at her ankles, they would try to grab her then, or shoot at her if they were too far away. Quistis dashed around people and practically shoved them out of the way as she continued to run.
Why does Blake want me so bad? What could Seifer done that would anger him so much? I don't know anything about him or just what he plans to do with me in that conference room.
…And that was precisely what scared her the most.
[ *Author's Notes* : I know everyone is probably getting tired of the chases. But don't worry, this one definitely will not be long. However, there will be a lot of fighting and violence in the next chapters, it will get quite heated and there may even be a bit of sexual stuff, nothing over the rating of PG, don't worry. I'm just cautioning anyone who does not enjoy reading about violence or those kinds of things. Thank you everyone for encouraging me to write more and you can expect that the next few chapters will be full of suspense, action, and surprises. ]