Chapter 12
Aki shuddered as she looked around the darkness of Seattle, looking over the skeletons, much like in Old New York. She lifted the gun to the air and shot, the sparks falling over the streets.
Hein growled, "Could you at least warn me when you do that?"
She looked down at her watch, "This place is riddled with phantoms."
"Please, tell me something that I do not know..." He snapped, but slowly took the gun off his chest and looking around cautiously; "Are you sure it's here?"
"No, not exactly." She said distractedly, shooting another blast into the air.
Hein shuddered at the sound, "Did you hear what I said earlier or not?"
"Aren't we jumpy?" Aki asked mockingly, smirking at him.
He glared, "So, is your watch picking up anything?"
"Well, yeah," She pointed to the old park, with a dead tree and dry, brown grass, "But knowing my luck there's a phantom over there."
"I see..."
She fired the gun towards the entrance to the park, and 'Major' Hein jumped in surprise. She just sent him an annoying smile and started towards the gate, jumping over the partially broken fence. Hein followed her, looking around cautiously.
"Oh god..."
Hein looked up, "What now?"
"Do you have any idea how to catch a squirrel?"
"No, it's... not one of my specialties." He slowly looked over, seeing at small, little squirrel sitting on it's haunches, "How did that survive out here?"
"No clue. Come on. Um..." She cautiously took a step forward. The small squirrel looked up at her with black eyes, then fled into the tree, "Well, great." She looked up the dead tree.
"Well, go get it." Hein said with a very, very smug smile.
"After you."
He gave her a sharp look, "You're better at climbing."
"How do you know that?"
"Everyone's better at climbing then me, trust me. Anyway, I'm, or was a general. Generals don't use their free time to climb trees."
"And I do?"
He grinned, "You're a scientist. Sometimes it's necessary. Now go up there, and get the damn squirrel."
She looked up at the branch, which was a few inches above her arm's length, "A little help, please?"
"Jump."
"I'm not going to give you that amusement. Get over here and lift me up to grab the branch."
Shaking his head with amusement, he walked over, grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up the few inches she needed to grab the branch.
"You have upper body strength, right?"
"Shut up before I kick you."
"Kick me? Well, that would mean you have lower body strength." Hein smiled obnoxiously.
"Another word and I will hurt you." Aki warned, hoisting herself up onto the branch.
"Ah, so your hilarious excuse for upper body strength prevails." He felt something bonk onto the side of his head, and when he looked down he realized that she had just pegged him out with an acorn; "Was that supposed to do something?"
"You could shut up."
"You might need a contained of some sort to hold the squirrel. They bite rather hard."
Aki looked down at him, "How would you know that?"
"I was a kid once, you know."
"I'd of never known..." She said in fake awe.
Hein scowled, "Oh well, go get bit. I'm not going to go get you anything to hold it in now. Hm... I doubt you could catch him anyway."
Aki narrowed her eyes at the squirrel sitting at the edge of the branch, giving her a small squirrel smile as if to say 'I dare you. Try to get me'. Aki suddenly jumped at the Squirrel, but only felt a slight weight as it jumped on her back and scampered off, higher in the tree. Aki slipped when she tried to get up, and again was hanging off the branch by her arms. On the ground she heard Hein laugh.
"This isn't funny." She muttered, swinging herself back onto the branch.
"On the contrary. I think this is quite hilarious." Suddenly he looked serious. He quickly took the gun she had laid in the ground, and shot it off in the air, the golden sparks falling.
As she watched, the faint outline of a phantom appeared. Hein quickly grabbed his own gun, cocked it and shot at the phantom. The phantom screeched, and he had to dodge the long tentacles that shot out at him, and for a moment Aki could have sworn one hit him. He fired several more times before the phantom finally fell to the ground, still alive. He fired until he was out of ammo.
"Damn," He said, "His screech will attract other phantoms."
Aki quickly stood, looking up at the squirrel, which was very concentrated on the screech. She snatched it quickly, the small animal struggling and biting her hand several times. She forced it into her pocket and zipped it shut.
She quickly jumped out of the tree, stumbling to the ground. Hein grabbed her shoulder to steady her, looking around with wide eyes. He fired the gun into the air, the sparks coming down. The outlines of several phantoms appeared.
"And now is the time we run." He said calmly, turned on heel and bolted.
Aki sent a last look at the approaching phantoms before following after him towards the ship. She stumbled up the ramp, which quickly closed behind her. Hein was already at the cockpit, muttering to himself. He was rubbing his left collarbone through his suit as he worked.
Suddenly the ship lifted off the ground and blasted into the air. Hein was still rubbing his collarbone.
Then the realization hit Aki.
He had been touched by a phantom.
And she didn't have the tools to save him.
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Chapter solo by Severus
A/N: MWAHAHAHA!!! THE FIRST OF SEVERAL CLIFFHANGERS! See, this is why Raine wanted payback. Because I gave her this cliffhanger. Heehee.
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Aki shuddered as she looked around the darkness of Seattle, looking over the skeletons, much like in Old New York. She lifted the gun to the air and shot, the sparks falling over the streets.
Hein growled, "Could you at least warn me when you do that?"
She looked down at her watch, "This place is riddled with phantoms."
"Please, tell me something that I do not know..." He snapped, but slowly took the gun off his chest and looking around cautiously; "Are you sure it's here?"
"No, not exactly." She said distractedly, shooting another blast into the air.
Hein shuddered at the sound, "Did you hear what I said earlier or not?"
"Aren't we jumpy?" Aki asked mockingly, smirking at him.
He glared, "So, is your watch picking up anything?"
"Well, yeah," She pointed to the old park, with a dead tree and dry, brown grass, "But knowing my luck there's a phantom over there."
"I see..."
She fired the gun towards the entrance to the park, and 'Major' Hein jumped in surprise. She just sent him an annoying smile and started towards the gate, jumping over the partially broken fence. Hein followed her, looking around cautiously.
"Oh god..."
Hein looked up, "What now?"
"Do you have any idea how to catch a squirrel?"
"No, it's... not one of my specialties." He slowly looked over, seeing at small, little squirrel sitting on it's haunches, "How did that survive out here?"
"No clue. Come on. Um..." She cautiously took a step forward. The small squirrel looked up at her with black eyes, then fled into the tree, "Well, great." She looked up the dead tree.
"Well, go get it." Hein said with a very, very smug smile.
"After you."
He gave her a sharp look, "You're better at climbing."
"How do you know that?"
"Everyone's better at climbing then me, trust me. Anyway, I'm, or was a general. Generals don't use their free time to climb trees."
"And I do?"
He grinned, "You're a scientist. Sometimes it's necessary. Now go up there, and get the damn squirrel."
She looked up at the branch, which was a few inches above her arm's length, "A little help, please?"
"Jump."
"I'm not going to give you that amusement. Get over here and lift me up to grab the branch."
Shaking his head with amusement, he walked over, grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up the few inches she needed to grab the branch.
"You have upper body strength, right?"
"Shut up before I kick you."
"Kick me? Well, that would mean you have lower body strength." Hein smiled obnoxiously.
"Another word and I will hurt you." Aki warned, hoisting herself up onto the branch.
"Ah, so your hilarious excuse for upper body strength prevails." He felt something bonk onto the side of his head, and when he looked down he realized that she had just pegged him out with an acorn; "Was that supposed to do something?"
"You could shut up."
"You might need a contained of some sort to hold the squirrel. They bite rather hard."
Aki looked down at him, "How would you know that?"
"I was a kid once, you know."
"I'd of never known..." She said in fake awe.
Hein scowled, "Oh well, go get bit. I'm not going to go get you anything to hold it in now. Hm... I doubt you could catch him anyway."
Aki narrowed her eyes at the squirrel sitting at the edge of the branch, giving her a small squirrel smile as if to say 'I dare you. Try to get me'. Aki suddenly jumped at the Squirrel, but only felt a slight weight as it jumped on her back and scampered off, higher in the tree. Aki slipped when she tried to get up, and again was hanging off the branch by her arms. On the ground she heard Hein laugh.
"This isn't funny." She muttered, swinging herself back onto the branch.
"On the contrary. I think this is quite hilarious." Suddenly he looked serious. He quickly took the gun she had laid in the ground, and shot it off in the air, the golden sparks falling.
As she watched, the faint outline of a phantom appeared. Hein quickly grabbed his own gun, cocked it and shot at the phantom. The phantom screeched, and he had to dodge the long tentacles that shot out at him, and for a moment Aki could have sworn one hit him. He fired several more times before the phantom finally fell to the ground, still alive. He fired until he was out of ammo.
"Damn," He said, "His screech will attract other phantoms."
Aki quickly stood, looking up at the squirrel, which was very concentrated on the screech. She snatched it quickly, the small animal struggling and biting her hand several times. She forced it into her pocket and zipped it shut.
She quickly jumped out of the tree, stumbling to the ground. Hein grabbed her shoulder to steady her, looking around with wide eyes. He fired the gun into the air, the sparks coming down. The outlines of several phantoms appeared.
"And now is the time we run." He said calmly, turned on heel and bolted.
Aki sent a last look at the approaching phantoms before following after him towards the ship. She stumbled up the ramp, which quickly closed behind her. Hein was already at the cockpit, muttering to himself. He was rubbing his left collarbone through his suit as he worked.
Suddenly the ship lifted off the ground and blasted into the air. Hein was still rubbing his collarbone.
Then the realization hit Aki.
He had been touched by a phantom.
And she didn't have the tools to save him.
------------
Chapter solo by Severus
A/N: MWAHAHAHA!!! THE FIRST OF SEVERAL CLIFFHANGERS! See, this is why Raine wanted payback. Because I gave her this cliffhanger. Heehee.
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