AN: Shortest chapter so far... Hmm. But more action!
Depending on feedback we get via reviews, we can keep chapters about this length or like the longer ones from before. Let us know! Reviews are really a great help and let us know how to make the story most enjoyable for readers. Thanks a bunch to everyone who has reviewed thus far!
It was the methodic beeping of the neighborhood garbage truck which finally forced Matt to grudgingly open his eyes and drag himself out of unconsciousness, though he cursed and shut them immediately when the glare of the sun caused them to begin to water. Groaning, and berating himself for forgetting to close the shutters of the window, he groped blindly about for the goggles that lay abandoned on the short nightstand.
He felt exhausted, but the fever had gone, and he was grateful for at least that reprieve. Hopefully it wouldn't be returning.
It was only when he reached for his phone to turn off the alarm, and realized that it wasn't ringing that a light bulb seemed to click on in his head.
His alarm hadn't gone off.
Shit.
And on that thought, the gamer leaped from his bed, hopping into a pair of jeans and an old sweater along the way, and dashed into the room already crowded with blinking screens and a tangle of multi colored wires.
No. No no no no no…
He rapidly punched in orders on the closest keyboard to get what he needed from his hacking system. Surveillance camera view points, security system codes, power system access, all the while heartbeat pumping rapidly. He'd planned on setting up the night before, but his fever had prevented him from doing so, though he hadn't planned on having to do everything so quickly. He cursed as his fingers fumbled a certain wire, and he had to reconnect it.
It was only when he had done everything that he could, and needed only to wait for his system to come through, that he actually took a minute to look at the clock. He hadn't been able to check the time before.
The thick black hands of the clock read at exactly 11:30, sending a wave of relief crashing over him, and causing the twisting of his stomach to subside.
He was going to kill Mello. There was no question about it. He was going to Fcking kill him.
That moronic bastard had turned off his alarm clock.
He grit his teeth in an attempt to keep from screaming his frustration aloud, but failed miserably.
"Idiot!" The shout echoed off of the walls and reverberated throughout the room.
A thousand curses filled his head, but he managed to keep them to himself.
How the hell was he supposed to watch Mello's back if he wasn't awake?
He silently thanked whatever deity it was that had decided to spare him the answer to that question. The blonde was lucky. Lucky that Matt had woken up before 1:00 PM, the time he would be needed to allow Mello unobserved entry to the facility, lucky his hacking programs were fast enough to get that information in time, but most of all lucky that at that moment he was far, far away from his extremely pissed off friend.
He counted to ten slowly, attempting to slow his haggard breath. His fists involuntarily clenching and unclenching at his side.
Damnit, Matt really needed an aspirin.
The mentally exhausted boy collapsed into the couch instead, not wanting the hassle of searching for the drug, but then remembered Mello had left them in the kitchen the night before and dragged himself off of the couch at some sad attempt to quell his pounding head.
This was definitely not the best way to wake up the day after having been temporarily sick, and trying to get better. He massaged his aching temples as he walked.
Filling a glass of cold water, he tried to allow the soft sound of the sink to overcome his angry thoughts, and popped the two capsules into his mouth.
He knew. He very well knew that Mello had probably only done such a thing to allow the gamer more rest, and that his intentions had most likely been well placed, but God, what could have happened...
Matt sunk into one of the kitchen chairs, sighing deeply.
Damn it. Sometimes he really wished his life was less stressful, but he knew that would never be possible with a best friend like Mello. Though really if he wanted to point any fingers, he was the one that stuck around.
He gave one last weary sigh before a sharp beep alerted him that his programs were ready for him to begin infiltrating the other system, and he made his way back to the computer desk, sliding neatly into the desk chair.
Eyes ablaze with the screen's haze reflected in his goggles, he scanned the programs running, searching for any loophole or mistake that might be hidden. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, and everything was running smoothly, he checked his time to see that he still had 40 minutes before his role would come into play.
In actuality he wasn't doing much. Messing with a few videos and tweaking the light system to keep Mello out of sight, and a little surveillance of his own just as a precaution in order to make sure the blonde wasn't walking into anything he couldn't handle. Really child's play for someone of his technical expertise, but potentially vital to Mello getting out unharmed.
Mello wouldn't be getting in touch until five or so minutes before the scheduled time and he decided that he had enough time for a shower before the blonde would be needing him, only hoping that the steamy water would help to clear his unusually occupied mind.
There were only three things he ever worried about. Making it to the next level in whichever game he happened to be playing at the time, his own sanity, and the well being of his best friend, the last two being very strongly intertwined.
But really, sometimes it was like the blonde went out of his way to make him worry.
His anger from earlier had faded for the most part, but there was still an edge of annoyance at the back of his mind, something he would deal with later, and when the blonde was around.
For now he relaxed in the shower, somewhat anxiously anticipating the long hours in front of the computer screen that awaited him. With luck, they would be tiresome and boring. Without luck, well, without luck he'd be off his seat and barreling down the streets in a matter of minutes.
Working on a case with Mello seemed to be the only time the gamer gladly invited boredom into his life, and he only hoped that the day would remain excitement-free.
An uncontainable grin spread slowly across the young man's face, twisting it with malicious excitement, teeth bared in something between a grimace and a grin. Mello pressed his back closer to the cool metal door, enjoying the sensation of cold slowly seeping past the thick material of his leather jacket. Carefully, he slid the cartridge back into the bright silver .45 in his right hand, clicking it into place, balancing the new weapon in his palm expertly.
On a whim, he suddenly tilted it up to his face, running his tongue along the cool, smooth silver surface of the side of the gun with an odd gleam in his blazing blue eyes.
Finally, he was going to redeem himself of the shame he had suffered a few days ago and repay these insignificant, pretentious little insects with a little dose of good, old-fashioned violence. And he meant to have as much fun as possible while at it.
He could already feel the adrenaline bubbling and brimming inside his chest, making him grin like a madman, gun in one hand and a half-eaten Hershey's in the other. Mello licked his lips in anticipation, sticking the bar in his mouth for a second while he fished his cell phone out of his pocket to check the time again before dropping it back into his jacket with a satisfied nod. He reached up to touch one gloved finger to a small device in his left ear.
"All set," he murmured around the sweet substance, checking his cartridge again. He waited for the affirmative from the other side.
Everything was in place, his unsuspecting enemies just beyond this sheet of metal It was practically a few thousand already in the bag, the blonde thought in satisfaction. That kind of bounty could buy a hell of a lot of chocolate. And maybe a video game or two, he added in a burst of generosity. After all, he thought approvingly, Matt had made him invisible with flawless precision thus far. Only a little more, just a few more tweaked camera footages and unsuspected light failures and he'd be out of there with a few months' living expenses guaranteed and, most importantly, his pride fully intact once more.
Taking a bite out of the melting chocolate only to stick the corner back in his mouth, the blonde pulled another silver weapon from inside his coat, balancing the familiar weights in each hand, and faced the steel door with self-satisfied determination in his fiery blue gaze.
"Ready?" he whispered with barely subdued sadistic glee.
If it wouldn't have caused him to drop the chocolate, Mello would have laughed aloud, anticipating his own dramatic entrance as he waited for Matt to open the door.
"3..2..1..."
Perfectly on cue, the thick metal entrance slid open with surprising silence, revealing the next chamber and about half a dozen startled and suddenly loudly cursing men dressed in black.
There was about a split second in which they stared blankly, groping for weapons as the dark-clad premonition of death swept in with a rustle of leather and the soft click of heels against concrete, letting loose a volley of bullets with both hands stretched before him and half of a foil-wrapped Hershey's bar dangling from his lightly smirking mouth.
And then the lights flickered and the only things left were the deadly silver gleam and the sounds of chaos.
By the time the police got there, there was little left of what had once been a nationally highly-wanted terrorist group.
Officer Jeffreys, head of the NYPD, stared in mild shock at the broken bodies sprawled in the middle of the room. Some were emitting nauseating gurgling or groaning noises. There were seven in all, as far as he could tell, most of whom were certainly in their final death throes, two already having passed the threshold to the other world.
As he watched his team begin to clean up the dreadful mess, the power plant's alarm system still belatedly ringing dully in the background, the graying man frowned deeply, faintly bothered by the sight despite his years of experience. He had gotten the call only a few minutes earlier, but had never expected this.
A deep and slightly rasping voice issued from a dark corner, making him start despite the fact he had known there was someone there.
"You said 'wanted, dead or alive.'" A faint gleam of teeth showed in the darkness.
The officer almost cringed. The bastard was smiling, after doing this!
But he said nothing, merely nodding, frowning suspiciously.
A dark laugh echoed suddenly in the chamber and a leather-clad youth strolled out of the shadows, hands in the pockets of a quite ripped and bloodied jacket, shoulder-length golden hair in wild disarray around his pallid features, generally attractive but marred on the left side by a dark scar. "What's wrong, officer?" the youth inquired, pulling a Hershey's bar out of his pocket and laughing as the policeman tensed, no doubt assuming it should have been a gun.
"I need to ascertain you're--"
The blonde's laugh cut him off and he shoved a folded leather badge-holder into the officer's hands.
The graying man's plain brown eyes widened momentarily when he flipped it open, gaping at the scarred young man. "You're…"
"Right," the youth grinned. "I see you've heard of the organization we work with, then, Chief," he noted, watching in mixed satisfaction and resentment as the stupid old man mouthed a single syllable in confusion, still staring at him. "L…"
Finally losing his patience, the blonde stepped forward and snatched his 'proof' back with a growl. "Now that that's taken care of, I'll be expecting the reward money," he stated coldly, handing the police chief a small piece of lined paper with a PO Box number on it and a name.
Jeffreys stared at the paper incredulously for a moment. What? This was it? He couldn't possibly send such a sum to some mailbox God knew where to a single first name which didn't even look like a name at all.
"Mello?" he read skeptically, looking up, but the youth was gone.
NYPD Chief Jeffreys glanced back down nervously. He decided he would send the money and let the other deal with anything that might happen afterwards.
Hell, he'd send whatever sum it took to goddam Antarctica if that's what it said, just as long as he never had to have those piercing blue eyes meet his again.