Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Thank you for reading this far, and I'd like to personally thank all of my reviewers here. You guys are the best. Thanks sooooo very much to RenjiLuvah for all her lovely comments and her help! I'm in debted to you! :D And, Razer, Rayn and one other character (I don't want to give it away!) belong to Naughty Dog... Jyil and Bowie are mine. :) Happy reading! ~Hilts.
"Take a seat, Jyil. You should know the routine by now."
Rayn fixed her with a warm smile, folding her arms as she leaned over her polished desk. Jyil eased into one of the chairs opposite her, unconsciously twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Rayn watched her for a moment, still smiling.
"How is your sister?"
"Great," Jyil answered, "She's healthy; the baby's healthy- due date is some time this winter."
"Oh, how lovely! Just in time for those rare snow showers. I do love that time of year," Rayn replied with a wistful sigh.
Jyil smiled and nodded. "Yes, we're all excited."
"Good to hear. Well…let's get down to it, then."
Rayn reached into a nearby drawer, golden earrings quivering as she moved. Jyil held out her hands for the usual folder stuffed with the next target's information. She was surprised at the weight in her palms, deciding it must have been someone important.
"I'm afraid this one isn't like all the rest," Rayn said, her tone somewhat apologetic, "It should prove…difficult, to say the least."
Jyil opened the folder and her eyes widened at the pictures inside.
"-Razer?" she choked, "I have to…you mean…"
"It's high time someone got the jump on that smarmy bastard, if you'll excuse my language," the crime lord huffed, now fishing for an emery board in the drawer.
Jyil grimaced, tearing her gaze from the glossy photos inside. "I…you're sure about this?"
"Oh yes, I'm sure." Rayn ceased her filing to give the other woman an odd look. She frowned in concern. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about him."
Jyil avoided her eyes, letting out what she hoped was a normal laugh. She shouldn't have thought any different, but some kind of emotion was gnawing at her conscience. Her eyes traced the pictures once again, taken at various moments in the ex-racer's life. The oldest one she found was an image taken of him as a sixteen-year-old, standing with another boy in front of a stadium; even then he looked like a champion.
She knew Razer was a criminal, a blood-thirsty one at that. And yet…
"I'm just a little surprised," Jyil admitted, "He is the best, after all…"
Rayn snorted, back to filing her nails diligently. She blew some dust lightly from her fingers and Jyil wrinkled her nose disapprovingly.
"Was, dear. That's the key word: was the best," she told her, pointing the stick in her direction.
Jyil bit her lip. "Right. Silly me."
She rose to her feet, holding the thick folder limply in her arms. Rayn watched her, smiling that friendly smile once again.
"Happy hunting," she grinned.
Jyil raised her eyebrows. There was nothing happy about it.
*******
Bullets had riddled the end of her jacket with holes and she cursed at the burning pain in her leg, leaning her head back against the latest shipping crate she'd thrown herself behind. Her eyes settled on the somewhat lopsided buildings of the working class sector ahead as she shrugged the coat from her shoulders, hooking her fingers through one of the holes. She tore a strand of material from the jacket and wrapped it around her leg, tightening it over the wound to stop the bleeding. Jyil cried out in pain, her breathing ragged.
She should have killed the bastard- to hell with fact he'd been one of her heroes. Nothing like that had ever come up with one of the other idiots or pigs she'd had to rid the world of; why now? She should have learned by then to keep the personal shit out of things like this.
But it was Razer, the greatest combat racer Kras had ever seen. He deserved better than this…
Jyil clenched her teeth at the pain and felt tears sting her eyes, groping for her shotgun once again. Now, however, she was getting close to throwing that thought right out the window after what he'd done to her. Maybe she could have lived with the knife in the thigh, but he'd taken her keys- He was going to die for certain tonight.
A cold wind cooled some of the sweat on her body and she was thankful for it. Her hair snagged on the back-up weapon still strapped across her shoulder blades and she pulled the strands back into place hurriedly, moving to scramble to her feet. She'd seen no muzzle flash and whoever was aiming for her had let Razer go; the fact that Rayn could have ordered her death scared the living hell out of her.
Jyil blew out a calming breath, continuing onward, her thoughts struggling to come up with a way to give herself some cover as she made break for the sector ahead. Her leg was bothering her too much to make a full sprint, and any hesitation she had would make her an easy target. She puffed a lock of hair from her face and quickly studied her surroundings, the ruby light still quivering around behind.
"Aha!"
She became aware of the long cord dangling just above her, a rectangular device on the end, clacking slightly against the crate in the breeze. Her fingers gripped it tight, and she followed the cord to where it connected to one of the machines sitting like monoliths throughout the Marina. A large navy blue shipping crate hung above from one of the cranes. Jyil smiled.
She readied herself to run, sucking in a gulp of air before pressing the green button hard with her thumb. The crane groaned; the box fell with a great rush of air before clanging to the ground with a resounding crash. Jyil winced from the sound but ran forward, limping only slightly as she ran along her cover in a crouch, managing to make it safely into the sector ahead without another glimpse of the ruby light. She straightened up and continued on at a brisk pace.
"Now to find that bastard…."
***
The vehicle was a Javelin X- a very expensive one, at that. He circled around to the back end, fingers pressed against his chin as he examined every detail critically. The metal was cool beneath his fingers as he leaned in to inspect the turbo engine, nodding in approval. It certainly had the potential to be one of the fastest out there, aside from his Havoc V12. There didn't appear to be any 'add-ons' either, things that were illegally equipped to give the car a head start against the other racers. The girl was winning on pure determination and speed; he had to give her some sort of respect for that.
Razer twirled the car keys once again around his finger as he watched his distorted reflection swipe across the side panels of the car, moving to slide behind the wheel. At once he felt cramped, his knees too close to the underside of the dash. Muttering 'woman's car' under his breath, he quickly adjusted the seat, clicking it back into place nearly as far as it would go. Once settled, he swept his gaze across the dashboard in front of him, studying the now blank gauges and screens. For the first time in awhile, he realized just how much he actually missed being on the track. His fingers tightened instinctively around the wheel and he stared ahead at the empty stretch of road, trying to remember what it all felt like. With a small sigh, he moved to turn the keys in the ignition but paused, something having caught his attention. A small laugh came to him as he reached up to flick the pair of pink fuzzy dice hanging above from part of the roll cage.
"I might've known…"
He went to turn the keys again, but a sudden gunshot startled him. It took him a moment to realize that the blast had been directed to the sky.
"Don't you dare!" shrieked a now-recognizable voice, "Get your ass out of my car right now!"
Razer laughed, leaning out through the window, resting his arm on the door panel as he did so. Jyil stalked into view, pumping yet another round into her shotgun, a brilliant red eco chip popping from the chamber and falling to the ground as she walked. Her breathing was hurried, her chest heaving, eyes wild with fury and adrenaline. Razer almost laughed at the sight of her flyaway hair and smeared mascara; she seemed like something out of a horror movie.
"We should really stop trying to kill each other - Just look at what it's done to you."
"GET OUT!!"
Razer bit his lower lip, raising his eyebrows. The Javelin shuddered to life and Jyil gasped softly, marching right up to him. He was soon staring down the barrel of the shotgun, able to smell the sharp odor of gunpowder.
"Last chance," she whispered, harshly.
Razer dared to smile at her. "If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done so at the bar."
Jyil's fingers tensed threateningly around the trigger as she scowled at his smug expression. She opened her mouth to say something, only to be cut off by a sudden explosion. Glass shattered, spiraling down to the street. Jyil and Razer jumped, eyes widening as they watched the plume of yellow-orange float to the sky, able to feel the heat of the flames.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Jyil screeched.
A second combat racer was coming toward them, having just fired a long-range missile into the building off to their right. Jyil whirled to face Razer, hoisting herself on top of the Javelin, nearly crushing his arm as she climbed. She fell through the roll cage and into his lap. He cursed, trying to push her away. Tires screeched to their left, signaling the opposing vehicle was advancing.
"Are you insane, woman?!" Razer bellowed.
"Just drive!" she screamed.
The staccato chattering of machine guns was all the incentive he needed. The Javelin lurched forward, throwing both of them back in the seat. Jyil's elbow dug into Razer's chest and he growled, shoving her out of his way. Her head bumped hard against something and she rubbed the spot roughly, glaring at him. She scrambled off to the right in order for him to see clearer, though strands of her hair continued to whip at his face.
"Fine idea," he snapped, "We're being chased by a combat racer and you're sitting in my lap. I can already see the headlines."
"You're the one who stole my car," Jyil countered. She slung her legs horizontally across him, bracing herself against the right side door.
"None of this would have happened if you had killed me in the first place!"
The shotgun cracked against his head as she moved to look behind them for the enemy vehicle and he grimaced at the sharp pain.
"I still can if you really want me to," she returned, a wry smile curving her lips.
Razer rolled his eyes and yanked the stick back to throw the car into a higher gear, his foot heavy on the gas pedal. Jyil gripped the back of the seat as hard as she could, trying not to stomp all over him as she heaved herself upright to catch a glimpse of who was following them. Her eyes widened at the all-too-familiar red and white paint job.
"It's UR-86!" she howled.
"What?!"
Another missile arched over their heads; Razer swerved to avoid it, and Jyil went flying, nearly falling out of the car. Her shotgun fell from her hand and over the door on to the street. She shrieked after it, growling once she realized she wouldn't get it back. Jyil was half-expecting some snide remark from Razer, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"You said 86 was following us?!" he shouted.
Jyil nodded, the wind blowing her thick hair around her, hiding her face. Razer shook his head, the muscles tightening in his arms as he gripped the steering wheel fiercely. He gnashed his teeth.
"How can that be possible?!"
Jyil ignored his anger and leaned forward, clicking a few switches on the dashboard. Turrets snapped out from the back end of the car with a mechanical whir; she punched a final button and the car pitched ahead slightly after several missiles launched. Explosions sounded behind them. Jyil leaned out the window to watch them strike, chewing on her lip in anticipation.
"You have rear-firing missiles?" Razer asked.
Jyil looked back at him with a smirk. "Yup."
She leaned back out the window, watching as the missiles wavered on their course and struck the ground, just missing the enemy car by inches. Jyil muttered a swear; Razer joined her for a quick look of his own as they continued to speed back through the waterfront to head downtown. His eyes widened only slightly as he came to the realization that it truly was UR-86 on their tail. He quickly turned back to face the road, only to meet frustration; Jyil's hair was in his sight once again and he shoved her head out of his way. She yelped, moving to sit beside him on the sliver of free seat, but not before her heel dug into his leg. Razer gritted his teeth and glared at her.
"Give me your gun," she told him.
"No one has killed 86 with a normal weapon, so why not let you have you try?" Razer replied, sarcasm dripping from his words.
Jyil sneered at him as he dropped the pistol into her waiting palm.
"Shut up and keep driving."
At her words, machine gun fire rattled against the back end of the Javelin. Jyil felt a lash of anger at the fact it was her car getting destroyed and moved to stand, firmly planting both of her feet on either side of the seat. She cocked the pistol as she went, squinting from the sudden blast of air. Razer clearly wasn't expecting her to do such a thing, trying his best to focus on the road in spite of the fact his eyes were level with both of her knees.
Jyil leaned over the back of the car, the wind stinging at her face. She leveled the pistol and fired several shots at the approaching car, feeling chills travel down her spine as the robot fixed its lifeless gaze on her. A few bullets punched through the hood of 86's car, causing thin coils of smoke to float into the air. Jyil gripped the pistol tighter and fired again.
The car suddenly swerved and she was thrown sideways, nearly losing her balance. Razer cried out, prompting Jyil to look back down at him. He was massaging his jaw where her knee had jerked into it, glaring up at her yet again.
"Sorry," she laughed.
He shook his head, pressing his foot down harder on the gas. Jyil watched as the turbo engine on 86's car flared a brilliant blue, propelling him forward to match their speed. The pistol cracked several times; slugs thudded into the side panels and sparks flashed like miniature strobe lights before the combat racer pulled up beside them. The robot's yellow-orange eyes glowed ominously as it turned to face them. Jyil could feel the dread weighing down her shoulders.
"Razer!"
He was already very much aware of the danger they now faced. The Javelin put on a burst of speed; Jyil shrieked, falling back through the roof into his lap once more. Razer grimaced and shoved her away, cramming her back on to the tiny free space of seat. he didn't care if she went flying out of the car; all that mattered then was getting the hell away from 86.
He stomped on the clutch and pulled up the handbrake, wrenching the wheel hard to the right. Jyil seized his arm to keep from flying out of the seat; her grip was tight as the Javelin's tires screamed. Colors and lights blurred into one as they spun, kicking up a thick cloud of smoke as they went. The car finally came to a brief stop before Razer gunned the engine once again and they tore up the street back the way they'd come.
Jyil was still squeezed by his side, her arms finally beginning to loosen around him. Her eyes searched wildly behind them as she heaved herself to a less cramped position. With fingers trembling, she gripped the pistol in her hand once again, panting from the adrenaline.
"He's still back there," Razer said, "But at least now I can see where the hell I'm going."
Jyil scowled. "Excuse me for trying to stop the damn thing from killing both of us!"
"Please. You didn't do much."
"Yes, I did! You know what-" Jyil thrashed around, but Razer kept her where she was with is arm.
"Dammit, let GO!"
"I'd rather not have you block the view again."
"Are you implying what I think you are?!"
Razer almost laughed. "No; for God's sake-"
An explosion rocked the back end of the car and they were both thrown forward. Jyil wrenched herself free from Razer's grasp and strained for the dashboard again to punch a few more buttons.
"Wreck my car will, ya?" she hissed, "I'll give you somethin' cry about."
With a strange popping sound, several mines fell to the concrete behind them, each marked with a 'hazard' symbol. Jyil continued to work at the dashboard until Razer grew irritated with trying to see over her head and attempted to push her away. After she resisted, he threw an elbow into her side and she screeched, her legs flying over the side of the car. His vision was now clear. She let out string of swears as they turned around another corner, rolling to the other side of the car. Behind them, a few of the mines exploded, leaving small clouds of purple-tinged smoke in their wake. Jyil heaved herself upright, feeling Razer's knee digging uncomfortably into the back of her leg.
"I think that slowed him down," she said, trying to see out the window.
She suddenly felt Razer's hand grip her knee and she nearly leapt right out of the car at his touch.
"Just what the hell do you think you're-?!"
"I need to shift! Move!"
Jyil gritted her teeth and jumped to sit on his left leg, allowing him to grasp the stick and pull it back. Her cheeks reddened at his knowing smile. They continued driving for awhile, Jyil still squirming uncomfortably in Razer's lap. She could still see UR-86 behind them, his car belching smoke, tires peeling. Jyil shook her head in disbelief.
"I thought for sure the mines would get him- they were dark eco infused!"
"The damn robot is practically death-proof," Razer said grimly, "You'd have to get in close."
"I'd rather not…"
The Javelin was smoking slightly at the back, and it pained her to see it in this condition. They were still traveling at a fairly fast speed; obviously Razer didn't want to take any chances. 86 seemed to be gaining on them once again, and Jyil felt the sting of desperate tears. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a familiar engine and the color drained from her face.
A second combat racer had appeared in front of them, painted a striking lime green. I was barreling toward them, engine screaming; a large missile turret stood at the ready, along with twin .30 caliber machine guns. Razer felt Jyil's fingers dig into his arm.
"That's Bowie," she cried, "He's the second best on our team! Oh my god-she knows!"
Razer revved the engine before shifting to the highest gear. He narrowed his eyes in determination, scanning their surroundings. 86 was behind them, and Rayn's thug was in front; between them was a mere viaduct. Jyil was nearing hysterics.
"She knows! She knows what I did! Rayn is trying to kill me!!" she shrieked, "Oh, I'm going to die sitting in your lap!!"
Razer raised his eyebrows, tilting his head slightly.
"There are worst places to be, aren't there?"
The Javelin was practically flying, now. The lime green vehicle was almost upon them. Razer's fingers tightened around the steering wheel and he clenched his jaw. The Javelin bounced over a small bump on to the viaduct.
"What are you doing?!"
"Brace yourself."
Razer pulled the car into a tight swerve, tires chirping horribly, leaving great skid marks across the steel. Jyil watched in terror as he pulled back the turbo release and they went rocketing toward the small guardrail. She bellowed,
"You stupid sonofabiiiiiiitch!!!"
The Javelin soared cleanly over the guardrail and into the empty air. Jyil let out a high-pitched scream as they went; Razer pressed his boot to the floor. The engine roared in the strange silence and they fell with a great splash into the river below.