"Karasuma, take him on the left, I've got him on the right!" Sakaki says
excitedly into his earpiece, gun out and trigger finger past itchy.
"Haruto!" Karasuma yells, half as a warning, half as a sounding out. No reply. "Dammit." She runs around the left side of the building, "Kate, any sign of Haruto or the target?"
"None," Kate says, still debating whether she should protect her source or turn him over now that his usefulness is almost done. She's standing on top of the building, and with the X-ray view her Craft gives her, the sight is almost dizzying. "Haruto should be coming around the right side, right?"
"Right," Karasuma says, her eyes narrowed.
"I don't see any movement from the right side," the long-haired woman reports, "no, wait a minute. There are two figures, I'm guessing the one in front is our target, and the other's Sakaki." She narrows her eyes, but it doesn't get any clearer. "I'm going to the elevator, I want a better view."
"Okay," Karasuma says, "but be careful."
"Don't worry," Kate smiles, "both of them are too far to even come close to hitting me. You'd have better luck catching Takeda than I would."
"Hurry," Karasuma says, and there's an urgency in her voice that seems more concerned about her partner than about catching the prey.
Kate watches as the numbers go backwards, tapping her foot impatiently. A few times, she tries to use her Craft to see if the vision is any clearer, but the figures, both male, are still too indistinguishable to tell who's who. And there's no word from her mysterious partner Amon, so she's hoping at least one of the figures might be him. That way, if Amon gets Takeda first, there's no way the weasel would spill the beans. If Karasuma got Takeda, Takeda may escape, but Miho's got some skills or she wouldn't be an S-class Hunter. And Sakaki? By his radio silence, she's guessing he's down for the count, being his usual heedless and impetuous self. Takeda's Craft is bad enough on a Craft user, but if he touches a normal human, it would be like a truck hit that person.
"Come on, come on," she mutters, hitting the button several times as if that would make the elevator go faster. A movement catches her eye, and she shouts into her earpiece, "They've left the building! Karasuma, they're heading down the street into a dead end!" Kate jabs her thumb against the floor button, wishing her Craft enabled things to move faster.
"Oh, no," she mutters, as one of the figures grabs Karasuma, and she knows it's not Amon. "Michael, get the Factory down here, we might need reinforcements."
"Gotcha," the hacker replies, typing away.
"Miho, I'm coming," Kate mutters as she finally bursts out into the night, trenchcoat practically flying behind her as she races to the scene.
"No!" she yells, as Karasuma's slumped body and glassy eyes make the woman look like a doll rather than a person. Checking her pulse, she's somewhat relieved that her fellow Craft user is alive. Standing, she points her gun, not sure where Takeda's alliances lie. Or her own, for that matter.
"For someone with the Sight, you don't see very well," a familiar voice says into her ear, grabbing her from behind.
"Oh," Kate breathes as Takeda kisses her hard, and her gray eyes go glassy.
"Liked that, didn't you?" Takeda grins.
Kate can't speak, this is the first time he hasn't held his Craft back, and she can barely stand, much less breathe. Her eyes wide, her mouth still gasping, she shoots him in the chest with her orbo-loaded gun. Together, they slump to the ground, as if life-sized marionettes released from their strings. The last thing she sees is Amon standing over her.
"Haruto!" Karasuma yells, half as a warning, half as a sounding out. No reply. "Dammit." She runs around the left side of the building, "Kate, any sign of Haruto or the target?"
"None," Kate says, still debating whether she should protect her source or turn him over now that his usefulness is almost done. She's standing on top of the building, and with the X-ray view her Craft gives her, the sight is almost dizzying. "Haruto should be coming around the right side, right?"
"Right," Karasuma says, her eyes narrowed.
"I don't see any movement from the right side," the long-haired woman reports, "no, wait a minute. There are two figures, I'm guessing the one in front is our target, and the other's Sakaki." She narrows her eyes, but it doesn't get any clearer. "I'm going to the elevator, I want a better view."
"Okay," Karasuma says, "but be careful."
"Don't worry," Kate smiles, "both of them are too far to even come close to hitting me. You'd have better luck catching Takeda than I would."
"Hurry," Karasuma says, and there's an urgency in her voice that seems more concerned about her partner than about catching the prey.
Kate watches as the numbers go backwards, tapping her foot impatiently. A few times, she tries to use her Craft to see if the vision is any clearer, but the figures, both male, are still too indistinguishable to tell who's who. And there's no word from her mysterious partner Amon, so she's hoping at least one of the figures might be him. That way, if Amon gets Takeda first, there's no way the weasel would spill the beans. If Karasuma got Takeda, Takeda may escape, but Miho's got some skills or she wouldn't be an S-class Hunter. And Sakaki? By his radio silence, she's guessing he's down for the count, being his usual heedless and impetuous self. Takeda's Craft is bad enough on a Craft user, but if he touches a normal human, it would be like a truck hit that person.
"Come on, come on," she mutters, hitting the button several times as if that would make the elevator go faster. A movement catches her eye, and she shouts into her earpiece, "They've left the building! Karasuma, they're heading down the street into a dead end!" Kate jabs her thumb against the floor button, wishing her Craft enabled things to move faster.
"Oh, no," she mutters, as one of the figures grabs Karasuma, and she knows it's not Amon. "Michael, get the Factory down here, we might need reinforcements."
"Gotcha," the hacker replies, typing away.
"Miho, I'm coming," Kate mutters as she finally bursts out into the night, trenchcoat practically flying behind her as she races to the scene.
"No!" she yells, as Karasuma's slumped body and glassy eyes make the woman look like a doll rather than a person. Checking her pulse, she's somewhat relieved that her fellow Craft user is alive. Standing, she points her gun, not sure where Takeda's alliances lie. Or her own, for that matter.
"For someone with the Sight, you don't see very well," a familiar voice says into her ear, grabbing her from behind.
"Oh," Kate breathes as Takeda kisses her hard, and her gray eyes go glassy.
"Liked that, didn't you?" Takeda grins.
Kate can't speak, this is the first time he hasn't held his Craft back, and she can barely stand, much less breathe. Her eyes wide, her mouth still gasping, she shoots him in the chest with her orbo-loaded gun. Together, they slump to the ground, as if life-sized marionettes released from their strings. The last thing she sees is Amon standing over her.