.Hack//Relapse
A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters and concepts do not belong to me.
Notes: Happens during Outbreak. (These are thoughts), and [this is text or writing]. Stupid finals/last-minute essay work, suckin' up all my free time... *sigh* ah well. The lesson for today is that any and all of society's ills can be cured by looking at pictures of people's cats. Hell, I'm allergic to cats and I find them adorable. Irony, you are a cruel mistress.
Er... anyway, on with the story. Also, I'll be going over the earlier chapters over the next few days; finally have some free time to do some editing, and I'd like to finish up with that before posting chapter 23. Sorry for taking so long with all this, and thank you for being so patient with me; suffice it to say that there's something to be said for writing this stuff down ahead of time.
Chapter 22 - Disparity
----------------------
From: BlackRose@theworld.com
To: Kite@theworld.com
Subj: Have you seen this?
Hey, have you checked the boards lately? Someone reported seeing a strange white figure around Mac Anu. Could it be Aura? I'm going to check it out, let me know when you get in.
-
Had she mentioned anything else, he might have smiled at her presumtuous request.
The Heavy Blade was as good as her word; the post in question mentioned an apparition in the back alleys of the Aqua Capital, one that quickly ran off and vanished. Said post was followed up by several replies; comments from other players who had witnessed the strange phenomena. Curious, Hiroshi logged in and quickly changed servers, from Lambda to Delta.
Night became day, one cityscape traded for another; shadow was all but obliterated as the sun shone overhead, bathing the characters along the broadway in a false warmth. His transition complete, Kite stepped away from the Chaos Gate and started down the steps.
[To: BlackRose
Just got in. Where are you?]
Peak usage hours brought with it the expected surge in players, a fact which complicated the Twin Blade's search for his companion. He picked his way through the crowd, towards the bridge, and quickly assumed the high ground. With one hand on the railing and the other shielding his eyes, he scanned the crowd, looking for pink hair, a large sword, and heavily-tattooed skin with minimal armor; all fairly commonplace in 'The World', but it was the combination of the three he needed to find.
"Kite!" called a voice from behind, far behind. He instinctively whirled around, finding a small crowd with him on the bridge, but not a one who was paying him any attention; they parted briefly, just long enough for him to catch a glimpse of BlackRose, standing on the wharf by the weapons shop.
Kite broke into a dash to join her, scrambling off the bridge and down the stairs leading to the shop. When he arrived, he noticed the warrior standing next to a small wooden boat, bobbing serenely in the water and securely tied tof a mooring near her feet. Sitting at the bow was a short, blonde-haired man, covered in a blue-and-black jerkin, matching trousers and simple cloth shoes; his hands held the boat's oars firmly, and he had a permanent, if casual, smile etched on his lips.
He took brief stock of BlackRose's expression, finding it largely unreadable but without any visible cause for concern. His focus quickly shifted to the boat and its pilot, whom Kite quickly guessed was an NPC. "What's up, BlackRose?"
She nodded to the boatman in acknowledgement. "One of the players said they saw a streak of light go up this canal shortly after seeing that figure; he didn't get a good look at it, but he did point out a few spots we could check up ahead."
Kite tilted his head, his gaze following the waterway as it led away from the shopping district and out of sight. "I've never been that way before. What's up there?"
BlackRose turned slightly and threw a glance in the same direction. "Some kinda planned expansion for 'The World'. I think they were gonna add some stuff to each of the Root Towns before all this started happening." Facing Kite, she added, "I guess there's actual rooms there, just nothing in them. Or... something."
"I see. And he'll take us there?" he asked, indicating the boatman.
"Yeah, as soon as we're ready. Do you need to get anything else?"
He took a second to scroll through his inventory, and replied with a satisfied "No, I'm all set."
"All right, let's go!"
The Twin Blade gingely stepped into the boat, feeling it sink and sway under his weight. Confident that the craft was sturdy, he stepped back and gave BlackRose room to enter. On instinct, he held out a hand to assist her.
Her eyebrow twitched for just a moment, but before he could retract his hand, she clasped it and dropped into the boat, releasing his hand as she sat down with unintentional haste. The faint smile that graced her lips went unnoticed, but not the reluctance with which she parted from his touch; her fingers dragged with deliberate hesitation against his, bare skin against leather as fingertip and fingertip separated.
Feeling his ears redden, Kite sat down beside her as she nodded to the pilot, who released the oars and promptly untied the boat's moorings. The capital moved around them as he began to row, dragging the boat through the crystal-clear water, leaving ripples in its wake that sparkled in the sunlight.
The boatman rowed with a machine-like efficiency, free of any obvious delay or imperfection of movement that would indicate a human player behind the cheerful, if silent, character. Kite quickly grew uninterested with the uncommon NPC or his conveyance, opting instead to focus on the character to his right, whom he knew was human.
As the broadway disappeared behind them, Kite heard a small swishing sound alongside the continuous splashing of oars; he followed the sound and watched as BlackRose idly reached over the side and touched her fingers to the water, skimming the surface. She lifted her hand, watching as tiny droplets sprinkled away from her fingertips, falling back to their rightful place.
He heard her sigh; a contented, relaxed exhalation. She reclined against the side of the boat, resting her gauntleted forearm on the side.
He smiled. (She looks so peaceful,) he thought. (Like there's nothing bothering her at all.)
A synapse in the back of his brain fired, triggering a recent memory, one of an event that never happened. He recalled his dream, the look in her eyes, the desperation in her hushed voice, and shivered as if cold. He caught a fleeting glimpse of her face as she turned her head once more, and noticed a distinct crook to the corner of her lips, the beginnings of an ill-restrained frown.
The facade was only skin deep, her reverie shallow and easily broken by the twin specters of responsibility and concern. He knew all too well that not seeing them didn't mean they weren't still there, hanging overhead like vultures, waiting to destroy whatever relief or pleasure 'The World' could offer. No escape.
He had learned his lesson while asleep, and needed no further incentive to apply it. He closed his eyes and recited a small prayer in his mind, then carefully let his hand wander across the small space between them and pat her reassuringly on the shoulder. After the third pat he lingered, unwilling to let go unless she gave some indication that the contact was not wanted.
She gave no such indication, facing forward again. He couldn't catch her eyes, but he noticed the frown had vanished; not yet a smile, but an improvement nonetheless. His heart beat faster, the redness in his ears returning.
For a while, he said nothing, only the sounds of wooden planks cutting into the water's crystalline surface. Emboldened by her lack of protest, he finally spoke. "I know how you feel."
To his surprise, she answered. "I know."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, almost automatically, wondering if there was anything else that could be said, that hadn't been already or wasn't painfully obvious.
She voiced his thoughts. "There's not much to say, really," she murmured. "It... still doesn't make any sense."
He shook his head. "No, it doesn't." After a beat, he amended his statement. "Well... it does, kind of... I mean, we do know what we're up against, and what's happening, but..."
"Yeah. That still leaves 'why'..."
Kite silently agreed. (Not that it changes anything... but I still want to know.)
The boat continued down the canal, passing tall buildings and sailing beneath arching bridges, with not a suitable landing spot in sight. As they passed a large, broken statue - a human figure in armor, missing arms and a head - BlackRose shifted around, scooting a little closer to the Twin Blade.
She slipped out of his grasp as she neared, and before he could adjust to her movement his hand slid along the back of her neck. He drew in a small gasp, holding perfectly still; when she didn't object, he grew bolder and draped his arm around her back, taking hold of her opposite shoulder. She reacted accordingly, sliding in even closer. A bright splotch of pink filled his view as leaned against him, putting her head to his shoulder.
By now, he was sure his cheeks were beet red, and his heart felt like it was pumping with the speed and power of five. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel comfortable, albeit nervously so. In time, anxiety faded away, and all he could think of was how right this felt.
His shyness came back with reinforcements when she spoke again. "Thank you, Kite," she mumbled softly, as if tired, though he could see that her eyes were wide open. He detected a hint of a tremble, her body quivering for a fraction of a second.
Hiroshi gulped, clearing his throat long enough to reply. "Thank you too."
The moment was shattered all too soon, the remaining minute of the boat ride feeling a quarter of its actual length. The pilot skillfully steered to the nearest mooring, and anchored the boat securely to the dock, which was deserted. Reluctantly, Kite and BlackRose stood up and climbed onto the stone platform, solid and sturdy in contrast to their waterborne ride.
"I'll wait here until you're ready to return," said the NPC, a canned response to cover for the fact that, right now, a duplicate NPC was occupying his spot back along the broadway, ready to service another party.
The two found themselves on a wide cul-de-sac, surrounded on all sides by water with a single path leading west into a mazelike alley of buildings, barely wide enough for two men to walk side-by-side. The 'room' itself was split in half by the canal, with another semi-circular mooring point on the east side of the sunken enclosure, just barely far enough away to be inaccessible without getting one's feet wet.
Kite peered cautiously down the path, and then at BlackRose. "Do you know the way?" he asked, taking a moment to glimpse at the updated map on his heads-up display, which surprisingly displayed a detailed layout of the unfinished streets and alleys before him.
"I've got the instructions written down," she said. "One sec." With that, her character froze, then started up again mere seconds later. "It's right this way."
The Heavy Blade strode purposefully into the winding corridor, followed closely by Kite. Within three turns he found himself disoriented, each street looking more or less like the one before it; he was sure he would never be able to find his way back without the minimap, and even so he was skeptical. Regardless, he tailed his partner as surely as her own shadow, trusting in her sense of direction, if not the directions she happened to be using.
Building after building loomed high overhead, partly blocking out the sun and sheathing the labrynthine streets in shade; the structures themselves sported numerous windows and at least one door per side, all closed and locked. The occasional storefront broke up the monotany, but they were all unmanned. A low whistle filled the air as a gust of wind brushed past them, ruffling their clothes and hair. Every now and then, footsteps could be heard in the distance, setting both players' nerves on edge.
"Kinda spooky here," mused Kite.
"Uh?!" grunted BlackRose in surprise, looking back at Kite. She let out a small sigh, seemingly in relief. "Oh, uh, yeah... yeah, it is," she replied with no small amount of uncertainty.
The two entered a small bazaar - or what appeared to be one, with multiple shops along the north and south buildings, and colorful banners stretched out over awnings that marked them as weapon, item and magic vendors. As before, the stalls were vacant.
"This place is huge," said BlackRose. "Were they really going to add all this?"
"They probably haven't finished designing the other rooms," Kite pondered aloud. "Maybe that's why all the streets here are so narrow; they just wanted to get the layout, or something."
"Yeah, looks that way."
A terrified scream pierced the air, prompting both to frantically scan the area and reach for their weapons.
"What the hell?" Kite narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the direction of the noise.
"Go, go, go!"
Both turned to the west, and watched in confusion as a Long Arm scampered into view, followed by a Heavy Blade and an Axeman. The leader - a tall, shapely woman with sea-green, shoulder-length hair and garbed in white - tore into the bazaar, panting heavily. "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"
They seemed to take no heed of either Kite or BlackRose as they ran by, in single-file. "What the hell was that?!" shouted the middle man, dressed in the ornate trappings of a samurai warrior that vaguely reminded Kite of Sanjuro.
"Who cares, just GO!" the Axeman screamed at him; his armor was solid blue, with silver runes etched along the edges of each plate.
"Um... w-what's going on?" asked Kite, confused and increasingly worried.
Without breaking pace, the Long Arm yelled back to him. "You two get out of here! There's some kind of... thing! It's like a man with a gun!"
The trio quickly vanished from sight, their footsteps gradually becoming inaudible. Kite turned to face BlackRose, who bore a similarly perplexed look on her face.
"That can't be Aura," she said. "What's going on here?"
"A man with a gun," Kite whispered. "There was a white figure here..."
"Something else." BlackRose threw a fleeting look at the western exit. "Another being like her... or could it be a phase?"
"HALT!"
The harsh cry caught both off-guard; with a brief exchange of looks, the two dashed down the alley, following the voice to its source. Rounding a corner, they spotted someone further down; a humanoid figure surrounded by a white haze, dressed in gray clothes and standing with its right arm extended, pointed straight at them.
"Kommen Sie naher nicht!" it shouted, waving its hand in a threatening manner; through the haze, Kite spotted what looked like a pistol in its hand.
His eyes widened in recognition. "It's you..."
"Look out!"
He felt his companion charge into him and push him aside; before he could finish falling away, a gunshot rang out, reverberating throughout the alleyway. As he collapsed to the ground, he heard a gentle plink of metal against stone, a single bullet shell bouncing off the ground and ringing gently as it came to rest.
- End of Chapter 22
A .Hack fanfiction by Renfro Calhoun
Disclaimer: Project .Hack and attached characters and concepts do not belong to me.
Notes: Happens during Outbreak. (These are thoughts), and [this is text or writing]. Stupid finals/last-minute essay work, suckin' up all my free time... *sigh* ah well. The lesson for today is that any and all of society's ills can be cured by looking at pictures of people's cats. Hell, I'm allergic to cats and I find them adorable. Irony, you are a cruel mistress.
Er... anyway, on with the story. Also, I'll be going over the earlier chapters over the next few days; finally have some free time to do some editing, and I'd like to finish up with that before posting chapter 23. Sorry for taking so long with all this, and thank you for being so patient with me; suffice it to say that there's something to be said for writing this stuff down ahead of time.
Chapter 22 - Disparity
----------------------
From: BlackRose@theworld.com
To: Kite@theworld.com
Subj: Have you seen this?
Hey, have you checked the boards lately? Someone reported seeing a strange white figure around Mac Anu. Could it be Aura? I'm going to check it out, let me know when you get in.
-
Had she mentioned anything else, he might have smiled at her presumtuous request.
The Heavy Blade was as good as her word; the post in question mentioned an apparition in the back alleys of the Aqua Capital, one that quickly ran off and vanished. Said post was followed up by several replies; comments from other players who had witnessed the strange phenomena. Curious, Hiroshi logged in and quickly changed servers, from Lambda to Delta.
Night became day, one cityscape traded for another; shadow was all but obliterated as the sun shone overhead, bathing the characters along the broadway in a false warmth. His transition complete, Kite stepped away from the Chaos Gate and started down the steps.
[To: BlackRose
Just got in. Where are you?]
Peak usage hours brought with it the expected surge in players, a fact which complicated the Twin Blade's search for his companion. He picked his way through the crowd, towards the bridge, and quickly assumed the high ground. With one hand on the railing and the other shielding his eyes, he scanned the crowd, looking for pink hair, a large sword, and heavily-tattooed skin with minimal armor; all fairly commonplace in 'The World', but it was the combination of the three he needed to find.
"Kite!" called a voice from behind, far behind. He instinctively whirled around, finding a small crowd with him on the bridge, but not a one who was paying him any attention; they parted briefly, just long enough for him to catch a glimpse of BlackRose, standing on the wharf by the weapons shop.
Kite broke into a dash to join her, scrambling off the bridge and down the stairs leading to the shop. When he arrived, he noticed the warrior standing next to a small wooden boat, bobbing serenely in the water and securely tied tof a mooring near her feet. Sitting at the bow was a short, blonde-haired man, covered in a blue-and-black jerkin, matching trousers and simple cloth shoes; his hands held the boat's oars firmly, and he had a permanent, if casual, smile etched on his lips.
He took brief stock of BlackRose's expression, finding it largely unreadable but without any visible cause for concern. His focus quickly shifted to the boat and its pilot, whom Kite quickly guessed was an NPC. "What's up, BlackRose?"
She nodded to the boatman in acknowledgement. "One of the players said they saw a streak of light go up this canal shortly after seeing that figure; he didn't get a good look at it, but he did point out a few spots we could check up ahead."
Kite tilted his head, his gaze following the waterway as it led away from the shopping district and out of sight. "I've never been that way before. What's up there?"
BlackRose turned slightly and threw a glance in the same direction. "Some kinda planned expansion for 'The World'. I think they were gonna add some stuff to each of the Root Towns before all this started happening." Facing Kite, she added, "I guess there's actual rooms there, just nothing in them. Or... something."
"I see. And he'll take us there?" he asked, indicating the boatman.
"Yeah, as soon as we're ready. Do you need to get anything else?"
He took a second to scroll through his inventory, and replied with a satisfied "No, I'm all set."
"All right, let's go!"
The Twin Blade gingely stepped into the boat, feeling it sink and sway under his weight. Confident that the craft was sturdy, he stepped back and gave BlackRose room to enter. On instinct, he held out a hand to assist her.
Her eyebrow twitched for just a moment, but before he could retract his hand, she clasped it and dropped into the boat, releasing his hand as she sat down with unintentional haste. The faint smile that graced her lips went unnoticed, but not the reluctance with which she parted from his touch; her fingers dragged with deliberate hesitation against his, bare skin against leather as fingertip and fingertip separated.
Feeling his ears redden, Kite sat down beside her as she nodded to the pilot, who released the oars and promptly untied the boat's moorings. The capital moved around them as he began to row, dragging the boat through the crystal-clear water, leaving ripples in its wake that sparkled in the sunlight.
The boatman rowed with a machine-like efficiency, free of any obvious delay or imperfection of movement that would indicate a human player behind the cheerful, if silent, character. Kite quickly grew uninterested with the uncommon NPC or his conveyance, opting instead to focus on the character to his right, whom he knew was human.
As the broadway disappeared behind them, Kite heard a small swishing sound alongside the continuous splashing of oars; he followed the sound and watched as BlackRose idly reached over the side and touched her fingers to the water, skimming the surface. She lifted her hand, watching as tiny droplets sprinkled away from her fingertips, falling back to their rightful place.
He heard her sigh; a contented, relaxed exhalation. She reclined against the side of the boat, resting her gauntleted forearm on the side.
He smiled. (She looks so peaceful,) he thought. (Like there's nothing bothering her at all.)
A synapse in the back of his brain fired, triggering a recent memory, one of an event that never happened. He recalled his dream, the look in her eyes, the desperation in her hushed voice, and shivered as if cold. He caught a fleeting glimpse of her face as she turned her head once more, and noticed a distinct crook to the corner of her lips, the beginnings of an ill-restrained frown.
The facade was only skin deep, her reverie shallow and easily broken by the twin specters of responsibility and concern. He knew all too well that not seeing them didn't mean they weren't still there, hanging overhead like vultures, waiting to destroy whatever relief or pleasure 'The World' could offer. No escape.
He had learned his lesson while asleep, and needed no further incentive to apply it. He closed his eyes and recited a small prayer in his mind, then carefully let his hand wander across the small space between them and pat her reassuringly on the shoulder. After the third pat he lingered, unwilling to let go unless she gave some indication that the contact was not wanted.
She gave no such indication, facing forward again. He couldn't catch her eyes, but he noticed the frown had vanished; not yet a smile, but an improvement nonetheless. His heart beat faster, the redness in his ears returning.
For a while, he said nothing, only the sounds of wooden planks cutting into the water's crystalline surface. Emboldened by her lack of protest, he finally spoke. "I know how you feel."
To his surprise, she answered. "I know."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, almost automatically, wondering if there was anything else that could be said, that hadn't been already or wasn't painfully obvious.
She voiced his thoughts. "There's not much to say, really," she murmured. "It... still doesn't make any sense."
He shook his head. "No, it doesn't." After a beat, he amended his statement. "Well... it does, kind of... I mean, we do know what we're up against, and what's happening, but..."
"Yeah. That still leaves 'why'..."
Kite silently agreed. (Not that it changes anything... but I still want to know.)
The boat continued down the canal, passing tall buildings and sailing beneath arching bridges, with not a suitable landing spot in sight. As they passed a large, broken statue - a human figure in armor, missing arms and a head - BlackRose shifted around, scooting a little closer to the Twin Blade.
She slipped out of his grasp as she neared, and before he could adjust to her movement his hand slid along the back of her neck. He drew in a small gasp, holding perfectly still; when she didn't object, he grew bolder and draped his arm around her back, taking hold of her opposite shoulder. She reacted accordingly, sliding in even closer. A bright splotch of pink filled his view as leaned against him, putting her head to his shoulder.
By now, he was sure his cheeks were beet red, and his heart felt like it was pumping with the speed and power of five. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel comfortable, albeit nervously so. In time, anxiety faded away, and all he could think of was how right this felt.
His shyness came back with reinforcements when she spoke again. "Thank you, Kite," she mumbled softly, as if tired, though he could see that her eyes were wide open. He detected a hint of a tremble, her body quivering for a fraction of a second.
Hiroshi gulped, clearing his throat long enough to reply. "Thank you too."
The moment was shattered all too soon, the remaining minute of the boat ride feeling a quarter of its actual length. The pilot skillfully steered to the nearest mooring, and anchored the boat securely to the dock, which was deserted. Reluctantly, Kite and BlackRose stood up and climbed onto the stone platform, solid and sturdy in contrast to their waterborne ride.
"I'll wait here until you're ready to return," said the NPC, a canned response to cover for the fact that, right now, a duplicate NPC was occupying his spot back along the broadway, ready to service another party.
The two found themselves on a wide cul-de-sac, surrounded on all sides by water with a single path leading west into a mazelike alley of buildings, barely wide enough for two men to walk side-by-side. The 'room' itself was split in half by the canal, with another semi-circular mooring point on the east side of the sunken enclosure, just barely far enough away to be inaccessible without getting one's feet wet.
Kite peered cautiously down the path, and then at BlackRose. "Do you know the way?" he asked, taking a moment to glimpse at the updated map on his heads-up display, which surprisingly displayed a detailed layout of the unfinished streets and alleys before him.
"I've got the instructions written down," she said. "One sec." With that, her character froze, then started up again mere seconds later. "It's right this way."
The Heavy Blade strode purposefully into the winding corridor, followed closely by Kite. Within three turns he found himself disoriented, each street looking more or less like the one before it; he was sure he would never be able to find his way back without the minimap, and even so he was skeptical. Regardless, he tailed his partner as surely as her own shadow, trusting in her sense of direction, if not the directions she happened to be using.
Building after building loomed high overhead, partly blocking out the sun and sheathing the labrynthine streets in shade; the structures themselves sported numerous windows and at least one door per side, all closed and locked. The occasional storefront broke up the monotany, but they were all unmanned. A low whistle filled the air as a gust of wind brushed past them, ruffling their clothes and hair. Every now and then, footsteps could be heard in the distance, setting both players' nerves on edge.
"Kinda spooky here," mused Kite.
"Uh?!" grunted BlackRose in surprise, looking back at Kite. She let out a small sigh, seemingly in relief. "Oh, uh, yeah... yeah, it is," she replied with no small amount of uncertainty.
The two entered a small bazaar - or what appeared to be one, with multiple shops along the north and south buildings, and colorful banners stretched out over awnings that marked them as weapon, item and magic vendors. As before, the stalls were vacant.
"This place is huge," said BlackRose. "Were they really going to add all this?"
"They probably haven't finished designing the other rooms," Kite pondered aloud. "Maybe that's why all the streets here are so narrow; they just wanted to get the layout, or something."
"Yeah, looks that way."
A terrified scream pierced the air, prompting both to frantically scan the area and reach for their weapons.
"What the hell?" Kite narrowed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the direction of the noise.
"Go, go, go!"
Both turned to the west, and watched in confusion as a Long Arm scampered into view, followed by a Heavy Blade and an Axeman. The leader - a tall, shapely woman with sea-green, shoulder-length hair and garbed in white - tore into the bazaar, panting heavily. "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"
They seemed to take no heed of either Kite or BlackRose as they ran by, in single-file. "What the hell was that?!" shouted the middle man, dressed in the ornate trappings of a samurai warrior that vaguely reminded Kite of Sanjuro.
"Who cares, just GO!" the Axeman screamed at him; his armor was solid blue, with silver runes etched along the edges of each plate.
"Um... w-what's going on?" asked Kite, confused and increasingly worried.
Without breaking pace, the Long Arm yelled back to him. "You two get out of here! There's some kind of... thing! It's like a man with a gun!"
The trio quickly vanished from sight, their footsteps gradually becoming inaudible. Kite turned to face BlackRose, who bore a similarly perplexed look on her face.
"That can't be Aura," she said. "What's going on here?"
"A man with a gun," Kite whispered. "There was a white figure here..."
"Something else." BlackRose threw a fleeting look at the western exit. "Another being like her... or could it be a phase?"
"HALT!"
The harsh cry caught both off-guard; with a brief exchange of looks, the two dashed down the alley, following the voice to its source. Rounding a corner, they spotted someone further down; a humanoid figure surrounded by a white haze, dressed in gray clothes and standing with its right arm extended, pointed straight at them.
"Kommen Sie naher nicht!" it shouted, waving its hand in a threatening manner; through the haze, Kite spotted what looked like a pistol in its hand.
His eyes widened in recognition. "It's you..."
"Look out!"
He felt his companion charge into him and push him aside; before he could finish falling away, a gunshot rang out, reverberating throughout the alleyway. As he collapsed to the ground, he heard a gentle plink of metal against stone, a single bullet shell bouncing off the ground and ringing gently as it came to rest.
- End of Chapter 22