Angels with Newfound Hope

Act 2 Chapter 10: Lesson

Nothing. The bedroom was empty as it should've been. But one thing was strange to Reza. The closet door was slightly more ajar than he remembered. He pulled out his revolver and crept over...

Nothing again! He yanked that door open faster than anything, and still found nothing. Maybe he was just getting paranoid. That had to have been it. The man pushed some shaggy hair out of his eyes and made for the window. This world was getting to him. He had to leave immediately, and those generators would be the key he needed...

Alex watched as the murderer slipped out to do his bidding once again. He may not have been able to stop him, but the lack of equipment would most likely hinder him greatly. He'd have stolen and killed even more with it.

"What the hell was that? He was right there, Alex! Why didn't you shoot him?!" Maverick yelled after a whole, tense minute of silence. His posture and flared wings signaled pure anger toward his companion. Not to mention the urgent snarl adorning his muzzle.

"You really are insane, aren't you? Do you even remotely realize what that could've done?" The man trailed off as memories came flooding back. Spending time with Bryce certainly helped, but only so much.

"Yeah, it could've stopped this whole thing. That guy needs to pay for his crimes! I'm just the only one actually willing to do it." The dragon made for the window until a soft sliding sound made him turn around again.

"Don't tell me you're already resorting to bloodlust, Maverick. You've exhibited shocking restraint over the last few days. Would you kindly do that a little longer?" Alex's stormy eyes locked with his companion as he stuffed the Ruger in his pocket. He really didn't want to have to incapacitate the officer and lose what little trust he'd build up.

"What do you care if I end this early? You know what happens. I just want to stop it before it gets out of hand again, unlike you." Maverick fired back coldly. He tried for the window again until the ambassador stepped in front of him.

"For the love of god, Maverick, this gear will help that!" The brunette tried to reason again. It at least stopped his adversary for the moment as he cocked a brow.

"Then humor me. What do you think a pair of sunglasses and another gun will do?" Was all he said.

"They provide cover for future victims to escape." Alex began.

"Then prove it. You should know who's to die next. Stop that from happening, and maybe I'll actually listen to whatever plan you have."

"Fair enough. I may need some help getting the rest of my stuff anyway. I've got two pieces, but there's still more. My augments enhance my own abilities or add new ones. I have a spare clip for my pistol as well, but it's not as important as anything else. Then there's my rifle: an F2000 Zoe gave me before she went to war." The brunette shook a lock of hair away during his listing.

"Why are you so heavily armed? What are you even afraid of?" The reptile's blood eyes cast down a judgemental glare on his company. An aura of discomfort filled the room as quickly as it exposed itself.

"I don't know if you ever heard this, but my first time going through that portal wasn't at all pleasant. Just about all civilized life I came across was deathly hostile for no good reason. I barely escaped with my life back then. So I had to take an extra weapon or two here in case that happened again." Alex stressed, trying to get it into his company's rather thick skull.

"So you killed them? That's what I assume you'd do." Maverick brushed him off with a little huff.

"No. In fact, I helped them fight against their enemies. And I still ended up with most everyone wanting me to leave. I guess they got their wish." The vigilante looked down at his left hand. The palm sported a small scar from one of his battles back then. He found it hard to believe all that transpired nearly two months ago...

"I'll believe that when I see evidence. For now, I'm going. Who knows how long Reza will take out there." The officer urged, his eyes glued to the window. Alex nodded in agreement and made for the front door again. He made sure to inconspicuously tie the twine back how Reza had it to avoid suspicion. The last thing they needed was, again, for things to change and mess things up...

The moment Alex came back, he disarmed himself before taking the loveseat. He stared at those weapons for what felt like several minutes. Each feature of them grew more and more intimidating as time passed by.

"That was surprisingly easy. But how do I present this to Bryce?" The vigilante asked himself after a long pause. "Maybe I should focus on making him understand that I'll want it back."

"And if he says no?" Mongoose stepped out from the hall just barely covered with a towel. At least, that was the case for her lower half.

"Never a moment without you topless, eh?" Alex stated blankly.

"You know me too well. So what if Bryce says no?" The hispanic took a seat next to him, toying with his favorite pistol.

"Then I may have to steal it back. But what's worse is that Maverick wants me to prevent a murder." The brunette watched as his company accidentally ejected the magazine from his gun. It slammed down right on her toes, causing a string of expletives.

"God that hurt. So you said he wanted you to stop someone from dying? Who was it again?" She plucked the accident from its resting place, slipping it back home.

"I forgot myself. Not like I have a clue how to do this, though. Looks like I'll just have to ask again." Alex ejected the clip from his Ruger and took out a bullet. As he expected; the round type was exactly what he used just a couple years ago. What times those were...

"Perhaps I could interest you in something to assist?" His company pointed to something lying on the bookshelf: his dart launcher.

"I figured you'd keep this." The poor ambassador admitted, an amused grin pasting itself onto his features.

"One of our most vital tools. Definitely best if you keep it on the Ruger. The last thing we need is people asking questions." Mongoose stated with utter disappointment. A hardened glower met her own.

"So I knock the potential victim out. What if someone else dies while I'm doing that?" Alex pressed.

"If it is to be. The police still need a trail to follow." The female explained grimly. Nothing was ever simple in their lives...

"So nobody must know there's an intruder, especially not me." The man leaned back. His arms folded together for a more intimidating facade.

"It'd probably be too late anyway. I've seen their response times during your first round." The hispanic mimicked him, unintentionally getting a rise.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear today. It's not like I haven't been through one titanic shitstorm already!" Alex vented a small fraction of his pent-up anger. It, and his mourning was visible in every part of him.

"Well I wish I could help, but you know well that this whole thing will be screwed if we're found out. Maverick already knows too much." Mongoose fired back with... something surprising adorning her features: grief.

"Wait a second. Did something happen? You look like you've seen a ghost." Alex pressed once again. Concern had vastly overwritten anything else he felt in that moment.

"I'll have to tell you later. I can't say I'm over it either..." With that, Mongoose retired to the bedroom, leaving her friend back with his own thoughts for the night...