The hallway was dark and quiet, far more intimidating than Levy had anticipated. She gulped as she readjusted her glasses, nervously gripping her purse as she faced the darkness. Dusk had fallen long ago, illuminating the tops of the cubicles in a stark white contrast to the sharp shadows that stretched behind them by the street lamps below.
"C'mon Levy, you got this," she whispered, bracing her shoulders. Quietly as she could, she slipped out of her stilettos and fumbled in her purse, grasping for the keycard that she had managed to sneak from the front desk. The company had felt so secure in how huge they were that they left the most important of items in plain view. It was almost laughably easy to infiltrate this job, having forged the almost stellar records needed for the hiring agency. She had all the aspects of a perky young new intern down to a tee, and her bubbly attitude was as bouncy as the fluffy light blue locks of hair that she continually puffed out of her face.
Working the job itself was inane, but she hoped the payout was worth it as she spent the week after her joining staking out the place. Depending on what she found tonight, her client would hopefully pay a little extra for the time she spent here. Not that her hits didn't pay well, but going through the black market was becoming a little more than she could handle. Being a small time hacker had some benefits, such as working alone and off the leash, so to say. But with each successful job finished it seemed that the handle "Bluebird" was becoming more known, and she found bigger and more dangerous clients asking for her services. She wasn't one to refuse either, and despite the feeling of foreboding, her curiosity was more demanding than her common sense. She'd developed a bit of a bad habit of sneaking a peek at what her clients wanted, sometimes carrying an extra USB drive if she was greedy enough to take it. She usually never passed judgment on what her clients wanted, but sometimes she wondered if this line of work would one day pay for an unmarked grave. She was more than grateful on days she didn't have to face her clients face to face to deliver the goods. Her acting was atrocious, and she had to work to keep her voice steady whenever she lied.
It seemed to work, however. Her reputation was set as reliable and trustworthy, something she wished that normal, everyday companies knew as well. Hacking as a career was fine and dandy, and paid more than she'd ever expected, but she wanted none of the hazards that came with the more dangerous cases. Dodging the police was easy enough, she was innocent looking enough to get by with a cute wave, but she doubted that she could do the same with the goons from a potential angry client.
Going alone into buildings she didn't know for a file that couldn't be accessed anywhere else seemed just as dangerous, if not suicidal. However, her client had insisted, and her insatiable need for knowledge was begging to know what the file held. So for the few weeks that she had spent planning and investigating her hit, her imagination ran wild over the possibilities of what it held, and she had slipped the additional drive stick into her purse. Now, it hung off the key ring she used to keep her USBs together, clacking quietly as she pulled it out with the key card. One stiletto was gripped in her other hand, its purpose no longer for walking.
Glancing down the corridor, she slipped down the hall on stocking toes, ears alert for any strange noises. The janitor was just two floors below, aware of her presence but ignorant of her goal. She planned to keep it that way as she paused next to her target; the office where the file was said to be. She knew it was hidden away and encrypted, and she grinned in anticipation. 'It should be child's play once I get in there,' she thought, tapping the keypad quickly. There was a pause, almost an eternity in her mind, the cheerful chirp broke the stillness and caused her to jump slightly. She recovered immediately, and dove for the handle before the door could lock itself again. Once she had slipped in far enough, she placed the stiletto between the door and its metal frame, preventing the room from becoming a trap if she needed to run. She licked her lips as she faced the next step of the job, and hurried to the desk, nearly punching the power button as she slipped the drives into their ports.
After shaking the spots from her eyes from the initial shock from the sudden brightness of the screen, she settled into her familiar stance, quickly tapping away at the keys. She thanked her lucky stars that the owner of the computer didn't believe in loud bombastic noises from their speakers. Finally, she spotted the file that matched the name that her client was looking for, and quickly made the copies for the two drives. Once the window for the drives blinked at her, she smirked in quiet victory, almost disbelieving her luck. 'Too good to be true,' she thought, beginning the process of erasing any presence of her activities.
She paused when the file began blinking, slowly pulling the drives out of their ports while her mind deliberated clicking on the file, or waiting for the time she could comfortably delve into the file. She peeked over the monitor, pursing her lips before she ducked down again, clicking on the beckoning file before she could think about it anymore. 'Just a peek, shouldn't hurt too much,' she reasoned, hand hovering over the power button if she needed to.
The screen went black, then white, and finally blue as white text raced down the screen. She scanned the code as quickly as she could, holding her breath as the text began to overlap itself, turning the screen back into a white light. Her brow furrowed in confusion, her eyes fighting to keep up with the disappearing text. Black text began streaming intermediately with the white text, some pausing before reaching the bottom of the screen. Confusion turned to alarm as she read the code, and for once she cursed her curiosity.
Suddenly a high pitch tone pierced the room, startling her back as the white screen snapped off. She fell back from the desk, clapping her hands over her ears as she blindly scuttled towards the door. Just as she reached for the handle, the tone died off, leaving her ears ringing painfully. She paused, her breath hitching as she tried to calm herself down before leaving. It wouldn't do if she appeared panicked if she bumped into the janitor now. She took a deep breath, ignoring the sudden goosebumps that raced up her arms.
She reached for the handle again when a rustling noise stopped her cold, and she held her breath, heart racing again. It was coming from the other side of the door, in the office space. She ducked down as quietly as she could, straining to listen as the rustling became a clattering noise, as though someone was looking for something. She peeked around the door, her eyes flitting back and forth as they scanned the darkness. It was too dark for her to see where the noise came from, and her hopes of it being the janitor were dashed when a deep guttural growl shook the air around her. The glass rattled gently, and she felt her throat freeze in sudden terror.
'That is definitely not good,' she thought, fighting the urge to scream as the shadows began to move, jerking and whipping about in the office as they collapsed into a single entity just on the other side of the door. Another growl shook the floor, and Levy bit her lip as the giant shadow stood still for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally it moved, and she jerked back, huddling behind the door as she held her breath. Her heartbeat roared in her ears, and she willed her eyes to stay open in the dark. She strained her ears, listening for anything as she slowly raised her eyes back to the crack. Goosebumps ran up her arms, and she fought the urge to shiver as she peeked out, terrified at what she might find.
The hallway was quiet, and no shadows jumped out on their own. Papers lay scattered around the area, evidence that what she saw wasn't a hallucination. Gingerly, she pushed the door open as quietly as she could, hoping to not attract whatever it was to the noise. She slipped out, not daring to breath as she crouched as low as she could to the floor, determined to leave as she set her sight on the reddish glow of the exit sign just at the end of the hallway.
Cold air brushed against her face when she passed the third door nearest to her escape. She paused, unable to stop the shudders that racked her body suddenly. She was being watched, and her instincts screamed at her to run. Her legs shook, frozen as her brain fought to move them forward. She refused to look behind her, and kept her eyes locked on the door ahead.
It was the low growl behind her that jolted her out of her senses, and she finally rushed forward, bursting through the door and into a dimly lit staircase. She gasped, temporarily stunned by the fluorescent lights that flickered, but fear overtook her as she raced down the stairs. A scream tore itself from her throat as the air was filled with a bloodcurdling howl. Something was chasing her as the door she had just ran through was ripped off it's hinges, the metallic screeching adding to the cacophony that echoed through the stairwell.
She sobbed for air as she continued to leap down the stairs, refusing to look up and instead focus on not tripping. Her stocking feet slid on the dirty tiles, and she ignored the minute stabs of pain in her toes as the material shredded on pebbles.
'Don't fall down here, don't fall here!' She couldn't tell if she was screaming or thinking the phrase, but it steadied her as she jumped the last flight of stairs to the first floor. She could hear it come closer, and the chill that nipped at her ankles spurred her faster as she raced for the lobby door. She skidded to a stop and yanked the door open, shrieking as a loud crash exploded around her. She stumbled into the dark lobby, tripping over her feet as she raced past the desks.
Something icy cold wrapped around her ankle just as she reached the front office door, yanking her foot from under her. She twisted, and air whooshed from her lungs as she landed hard. She let out a strangled scream as she was pulled back towards the stairwell. She reached out, hoping to catch anything solid enough to resist the creature, but it was too fast. It flipped her over onto her back when she neared the door, and she finally saw what it was that had her. Tendrils of darkness lashed out from what looked like a large cloud, and a face peeked out as it loomed over her. A horrid stench of rotting flesh wafted over her face, and reared back, opening its maw to swallow her whole. She screamed, throwing her arms over her face in a futile attempt to protect herself from the monster.
The next second was filled with chaos as heat exploded just above her arms, and she was nearly deafened by the howl of pain mixed with the blast that wounded the creature. Her legs were suddenly freed from the monster's grip, and she felt hands grab her arms and tug her in the opposite direction. The lobby was now filled with multiple voices shouting, and whoever was tugging her from the thing dropped her arms. Another set of hands settled on her shoulders, grasping her shirt as she was sat up none too gently.
"Come on, we need to get you out of here!" A feminine voice commanded, and Levy's eyes snapped open to find fire consuming the creature in front of them. Wildly looking around, she saw that not much of the lobby had escaped flames either, and a man was cackling madly as he threw something at the burning monster. It roared at him, dodging the object easily as it exploded behind it.
"Come on, bitch!" He was yelling, and Levy could hear a huff of impatience next to her ear. Dazed and confused, she turned to find a red haired woman scowling. A whoop of joy sounded from the man, and the woman sighed as she lifted Levy easily off the floor now. She turned to the door, nearly running into another man who was racing through the double doors. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a sound, Levy was thrusted into his arms. She squeaked as he nearly dropped her, clearly surprised to have a sudden burden in his arms.
"Take her back to the van and keep an eye on her there, we don't know what else is in this building," the red haired woman ordered, turning back to the growing inferno. The man sputtered, and his pierced brow furrowed as he glared at the woman.
"Like hell I will," he growled, and Levy could feel the his voice reverberate in his chest. It was deep, and she could hear a slight accent as he spoke. "You seriously think that salamander can handle that thing without destroying the whole building?"
"Gajeel, I don't need you to add to the mess this thing has already made, so get going!" She snapped, turning back to give him possibly the most chilling look Levy had ever seen anyone give. The man stopped short, tightening his grip on the smaller girl. He scoffed, turning on his heel as he stomped the other way, muttering under his breath. Levy gasped when the colder air hit her skin, shivering in the sudden change in environment. She curled against the man's chest, burying her face in his jacket as tremors shook her limbs.
"Cold, are we?" His gruff voice rumbled. It sounded irritated, and she felt a hot flash of embarrassment surge through her till it lit up her cheeks. It had been almost instinctive that she reacted that way, and he was warm, despite his cold demeanor. She risked a glance up from his jacket, and was startled to find rust colored eyes glaring down at her. Piercings dotted his face, starting from his chin to the bridge of his nose, then finally his brows. His face was framed by wild locks of ebony hair, looking almost as dark as the creature they had just rescued her from. He scoffed when he noticed her staring at him, rolling his eyes as he made his way to the van parked nearby. She blushed, even more embarrassed that he'd caught her staring, and whipped her head away.
'Dammit, he's cute,' she thought, nervously looking everywhere but back at his face. Every now and again her eyes betrayed her and glanced back at him, then darted away before he could glare back at her. She couldn't help but feel goosebumps tingle up her spine; this time it had nothing to do with the cold.
"I-I can walk," she started, wiggling a little in hopes that he'd drop her and she could regain some composure. Her hopes were dashed yet her heart stuttered when he tugged her closer to him.
"Don't doubt it, but I got orders to make sure you're safe," he growled, and Levy stilled her squirming. The way he had merely stated it caused her hair to stand on end, and she shot him a worried look.
"Is... is something after me?" She asked, tension causing her voice to raise in pitch. He only grunted, then shifted her again as they finally reached the van. Reaching for the door, he dropped her legs down none too gently, and barely moved as she gasped in pain as her feet hit the pavement. 'I take it back that he's cute,' she thought grumpily, grasping his jacket securely as she fought against the sting.
"In you get," he grumbled, pointing at the ragged chair of the passenger side. She hesitated slightly, then crawled in before he would assumingly push her in. As she finally settled into the seat, hissing as her heels scraped over the rough material of the floor, he slammed the door, startling her. He then turned and leaned against the door, effectively insuring that she wasn't leaving on that side.
'Jerk,' she thought, and huffed as she sat back, arms crossed over her chest. What was his deal? She wondered. 'He hadn't been chased through the building by god knows what, and here he was acting like he had a chip off his shoulder!' She sighed, stretching her legs out in front of her. Belatedly she realized that her bag was gone, as well as her spoils for the night. A sudden dread filled her as she looked out of the window and past the jerk's wild mane of hair. The building behind them was smoking, and an orange glow was flickering through the blackness.
"Oh noooooooo..." She whimpered lightly, bumping her head against the glass pane repeatedly. If the jerk noticed the slight noise behind him, he gave no indication that he was paying attention, and rather stared back in the same direction. She puffed her cheeks in frustration. She had spent weeks trying to get her job done, and now it was up in smoke if she was lucky. But knowing her luck, whoever these people were had come from her client in order to snuff her. She'd heard it happen to other hackers that failed, and she'd be lucky if she was ever able to curl up in her own bed again after tonight.
"Rough night?"
Levy's heart nearly jumped out of her chest, and she shrieked as she whirled around to face the new voice. A blonde had poked her head over the seat to investigate the bumping noise, and grinned as Levy pressed her back up to the door, her hand over her heart. She giggled, then crawled over the seat to join Levy, waving her hand in order to calm her.
"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you," she giggled. She stuck her hand out to shake, and Levy warily took it. "I'm Lucy Heartfillia, I'm presuming that you're Bluebird?" She asked, smiling at her. Levy was instantly on her guard, eyeing Lucy suspiciously. If she wasn't sent by her current client, then she was from someone else with a lot more power behind their name. But who would that be? She racked her brain for the list of big names that were known to hire hackers for big jobs, but was unable to place "Heartfillia" anywhere.
"Ah, there's no need to be worried, we're not affiliated with anyone from your past," Lucy said reassuringly. "We've heard a lot about you, and been looking for you for a long time. We were wondering if we could offer you a better deal than what you got here." She grinned toothily, squeezing Levy's hand gently. Levy only considered her silently, unsure if she could be trusted or not. It was difficult to tell if she was lying, but the sincerity in Lucy's face made her relax a little. After all, they did save her from that... thing. And what did she mean, a better deal?
She opened her mouth to ask her, but jumped when suddenly there was a pounding noise on the back of the van, and out of the corner of her eye, Levy could see the jerk grimace and yell something before rushing to the back of the van. Taking a fearful breath, she turned back to the blonde, and nearly screamed. To her utter shock, a man had rushed to Lucy's side of the van, his head ablaze with fire. He seemed nonplussed as he banged on the door, laughing maniacally.
"Yo Luce! We're done here, let's go get something to eat!" Came his muffled yelling. Lucy sighed as he ran back to the end of the van, his voice mixing in with several others as they began yelling at each other. She was pinching the bridge of her nose as she reached forward and pressed a button, and Levy could hear a click from the back.
"That was Natsu, or Salamander in most agent circles. He's the one who rescued you from the creature," she explained after she noticed Levy's face. She chuckled wryly, her eyes filled with warmth. "He's usually like that, but tonight must've been a good one for him if he's that happy."
"He's on fire. IS THAT NORMAL!?" Levy gasped, disbelief coloring her voice. There was no way that she was dreaming anymore, not tonight at least. So much had happened, yet it all felt surreal, like the lines of reality had been skewed. She wasn't sure anymore, and she could feel a headache creep through her brain as she tried to process it all.
"He's pretty much always like that," Lucy replied, sighing in exasperation. "At least Erza's here to rein him in since he gets quite exuberant. Poor Gajeel though, he must've been itching to fight tonight." Levy blinked, recognizing the name of the man who carried her to the van. She glowered, huffing slightly. Lucy laughed as the back of the van swung open, and the van shifted as the two men entered the van, bickering loudly.
"I see you got a little taste of the Iron Grump, right?" Lucy asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. Levy only nodded, looking away as a light blush warmed her cheeks. She jumped again when the door to the driver's side swung open, and the red haired girl from earlier climbed in, scooting Lucy over. She turned to reach for something over the chair, giving the two men in the back the evil glare that Levy had seen her use earlier. Instantly both of them were quiet, and the woman sighed, twisting back to the two girls and plopped something into Levy's lap. Levy gasped, surprised. It was her purse! It was slightly singed, but mostly unharmed from the fire.
"I thought you might need that, seeing as how it carries something important?" The red haired woman said, grinning lightly. Levy only nodded, grasping it closer. It did indeed as she peeked inside, silently relieved that the drives were still where she had placed them.
"I'm Erza, by the way," the red haired woman added. "Seventh Master of the Mavis Agency. I'm sure Lucy's told you a bit about us?" Levy blinked, then slowly shook her head.
"I've only mentioned that you had a proposition for her, but was interrupted," Lucy said, shooting a scowl over her shoulder to the men in the back of the van. Levy gulped, then turned to peek over her shoulder, sighing in relief as there was no fire engulfing Natsu's head. 'Wait, that's still not normal?' She thought, then shook her head mentally, her curiosity beginning to bubble about these people.
"Anyways," Erza continued, ignoring the sudden groans emanating from the back as she turned on the ignition. "We've heard a lot of good about you, and we're in need of a hacker." She turned to the blue haired girl, chuckling at her gaping face. "We can definitely offer you better benefits than what you're earning now, if that's any incentive. Plus, most of the group is eager to meet you." She slammed her foot down on the gas pedal, and Levy's stomach began to flip as she was slammed against the seat as they shot forward. As they sped down the empty streets, Levy held on for dear life, helpless as Erza giggled and the others began to scream.
"So, how about it then?" She asked as she took the closest turn a little too sharply. The van tilted, and Levy breathed a silent prayer as the moans intensified, even Lucy was gripping the seat with white knuckle strength. "Wanna join us?"