A/N: Want some awful advice? Don't go to college. It's a waste of time and money. Become an artist then only be mildly good at it... Anyways, here's the new chapter. I'm sorry it took so long. I hope you enjoy it.
1/5/2017 Update: Hi everybody, I'm just dropping in to say thanks for reading. Whether you've been here from day one, or whether you've been here for one day I appreciate your readership. I've been loosing a lot of Followers as of late and, while I do wish they'd stay, there's nothing I can do except write this story. Thanks for reading, everyone.
Also, I forgot to mention, once this story concludes I will be polishing up all the posted chapters. I've already written up the "new" chapter 1 so expect to see that soon.
Peace out.
-CS
A few white seagulls drifted calmly on a salt-scented wind. Behind them the sun inched its way beneath the horizon whilst they sailed over the Vale dockyard. Gliding past the anxious sea and over large steel containers the birds headed inland.
Or at least that was the case until they got shot.
Peppered with lead the birds dropped from the sky and fell to the earth, dead. Back at the dockyard, which was rapidly slipping behind the veil of night, the avian assassin softly chuckled to himself. Standing between seemingly abandoned warehouses, a thug clad in black and gray camouflage lowered his rifle and stared up at the sky with pride.
"What the hell're ya' doing!" Another man with matching camo and a gun said, smacking his colleague on the shoulder.
An offended look slathered itself across the bird killer's face. "Chill out, man." He said. "It's just a few seagulls; fuck seagulls."
"Dumbass, that's not the point. We're-"
Nearby, a side-door to one of the warehouses flew open and a man wearing a balaclava and similar camouflage stormed out. In a single motion he pivoted towards the two gunmen and marched over to them. "What the fuck are you retards shooting at?" The contours of the man's furious expression barely visible through the fabric and fading light.
The two men went silent, averting their eyes to the ground or sky.
"Huh?!" The man in the balaclava snapped, shoving the innocent thug on the chest. "You gon' say something or should we take this to Rouge? I'm sure she'd love to hear all about this." The man said as he raised his hand to a speaker clipped onto his shoulder.
"Man," The bird killer said, the tension in his voice betraying him. "I was jus' shootin' some birds. It's no big deal."
"'Shootin' birds'? Are you being serious, dumbass?" The masked man said, riled further by the truth. "We're meetin' cops, and you're out here 'shootin birds'? Do you wanna go tell Rouge that you were just 'shootin some birds'?" The man's intensity reaching new levels as he dogged down the offender.
Looking at the ground the bird killer quietly replied with a weak: "No,"
His ego satiated the masked man leaned back and raised a hand to his shoulder speaker. Pushing a button on the small device he turned to it and said, "10-5, we're all clear out here. Patrol got trigger happy."
There was a brief pause before the speaker responded. "Green Leader, stand by… Green Leader, do me a favor and baby-sit those grunts until negotiations are settled. The General wants to speak to them personally. For now, cover the sides and the back of the storehouse; we don't want to see you out front."
"10-4, Lieutenant," The masked man said, staring at the two grunts with disdain. With his hand on his speaker and his eyes on the two somber grunts he patiently waited for further instructions. After a minute of waiting he released the electronic and pointed at the shooter. "You're a dumbass."
Illuminated solely by the pale moonlight coming through gaps in the clouds the three men slowly began to circle around the back of the building. With slouched shoulders the grunts shuffled along behind the masked man called Green Leader. And with nothing else to do, other than patrol, Green Leader decided to chastise his men.
"I worked for three years as a grunt and I never once saw someone fuck up on an Op as monumentally as you just did." Green Leader grumbled as the three rather noisily made their way down the alley. "Seriously, I hope ya' lived a good life, 'cause the General is going to cut your stupid heads off. And don't believe she won't do it, I've seen her execute people for less. This is just stupid, we pull you off the streets and-"
"Hey, what the-"
"FAck!"
Two voices looming behind Green Leader squawked.
Startled by the atypical sound of whooshing and metal clattering to the ground, Green Leader turned around to see a large shuriken had bound his men in a thick thread. And behind the restrained men, a short way down the alley, was a shadowed figure sprinting directly towards the trio. Green Leader, no doubt shocked by the ambush, gritted his teeth and darted his hands to a baseball bat hanging at his hip.
Before the man could draw his weapon though a broad surge of pain erupted in his lower back. Staggering forward the man turned and caught a glimpse of his assailant as they retracted the tail-end of their axe from his spine.
Choking on his tongue the man met the cold eyes of a blue and orange haired girl who was currently raising her axe into the air above her. The man coughed fearfully, and before he had the opportunity to consider his next move she had already rained down upon him with her blade, slashing his balaclava open like paper. Falling down and rolling to his back the man stared up at Petunia in terror for a fleeting second before she smashed the butt of her axe into his face, knocking him unconscious.
Meanwhile Ty was just beginning to finish beating the two grunts into bloody and bruised messes. Satisfied with how unconscious they were he began to remove his shuriken from around them. Panting slightly, he said, "We clear?"
"Yeah," Petunia replied, kneeling down to remove the speaker from her victim's shoulder. "This guy ain't getting up anytime soon. So, what's next, should we-"
"Look out!" Eve called to Petunia. Bursting from the shadows Eve sprang into the center of the alley, her white clothes glowing faintly in the dim light. Her face pale and serious, she raised her marionette handle high and aimed it towards the roof of the guarded warehouse. Hitting a tab she shot forth a flurry of strings out into the murk.
Ty and Petunia turned in shock to see Eve's strings attach to and paralyze a man. His outline was barely perceptible against the night sky, but it was clear to all that he was aiming a rather imposing rifle at them. Giving a firm tug to the handle Eve pulled the stunned man off balance, and with a short slide from his perch the sniper fell to the ground like an anvil weighted with more anvils.
Stark and absolute, silence followed as Ty, Petunia, and Eve stared at the sniper. He was more or less comatose at this point, but what really cooled their blood was just how loud the man smashed into the pavement. Uncertain if they had just screwed themselves with that one simple act the three gripped their weapons with excruciating intensity and they listened for trouble.
And they listened.
And listened.
And listened.
But, aside from the sounds of rats scurrying and the ocean churning in the distance, they heard nothing. Agonizing seconds stretched on and on, but no garrison of criminals came for them. In fact, nothing happened, and when they realized nothing was going to happen the three let loose long, shaky exhales.
The longest and most uneasy of the exhales came from Eve. Her joints buckled and her body trembled lightly as she struggled to maintain a firm grip on her weapon.
"Eve," Ty hissed, his voice low as he turned to her. "What the hell was that?"
"I-I'm sorry," Eve whispered, taken off guard by her leader. "I-I saw the sniper, and-and he was going to shoot-"
"It's not Eve's fault." Petunia snapped, turning to Ty with a scowl. "You were the one who scouted out the place and you said it was just the three guys, you didn't say anything about a sniper." Petunia pointed at the paralyzed body of the sniper. "Dude's got a radio, he could've ruined the whole plan."
"I didn't see the sniper, he must have been closer to the center of the roof." Ty said, deflecting the blame.
"You're the one who's supposed to keep an eye out for that sort of thing." Petunia said, closing the gap between her and her leader by shoving a finger into his breastplate. "I could've gotten shot all because you don't know how to do your job."
"Petunia, leave Ty alone." Eve interjected bravely, earning herself glares from both Petunia and Ty. She didn't meet their eyes though, instead she stared at her ensnared victim with a sorrowful look. Her flushed cheeks now a ghostly shade. "We can't blame him… Automne always did scout for us"
Petunia and Ty's expressions instantly took on a severe dourness. As it was, their hopes weren't exactly high, and the constant reminder that their team was horribly crippled didn't instill them with confidence. They were all rife with paranoia, and if they weren't so busy they'd probably break down; or at the very least Eve would.
With a small sigh Ty turned back to his unconscious grunts. Silently he detached his shuriken and lifted the guards by the wire. "Eve, take that thread and tie up the squad leader and the sniper. I'll move them behind that corner to keep them out of sight. Petunia, see if that radio still works. I wanna know if we can hear what's going on in there."
"Ay, ay, captain." Petunia scoffed.
"Drop the sass, the cops are going to be here soon and we need to get inside." Ty said, dragging the two goons behind the corner. "Let's get this done as quickly as possible."
Petunia simply responded by mumbling something incoherent and snarky to herself. Shifting the speaker into one hand she reached down, grabbed Green Leader by his collar, and hoisted him onto his rear. "Eve, here you go." Petunia grumbled as she dragged the man over to Eve.
Eve didn't respond though. Instead she just absentmindedly propped up the sniper. At a glance she appeared to be focusing on her orders, but upon further inspection she was awkwardly fumbling trough her duties. Her movements were slow and thoughtless; revealing that her mind was wandering somewhere distant.
"Eve," Petunia said, hoping to stir her from her daze. Her call garnered no response. "Hey," she said with growing concern as she reached out to touch Eve's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Eve jumped slightly at Petunia's touch. Startled, she turned to her and immediately settled into a less obvious state of anxiety. "Oh," Eve's voice soft as she looked at Petunia for a moment before turning back to the sniper. "I'm sorry, I was… distracted."
"You alright?" Petunia reiterated, the words clearly didn't register the first time.
"Mhmm," Eve hummed. Wordlessly she took the patrol leader from Petunia and tried to busy herself.
Petunia glanced Eve up and down, unassured. Hesitant to say anything Petunia gave a small sigh. "Eve, I… We understand."
Eve stopped mindlessly tying the two thugs together. Petunia had reached her, she stirred something within her restless mind. Eve's eyes darted around skeptically before she slowly went back to her assignment.
"I wouldn't blame you if you left; neither would Ty." Petunia whispered, as she began tinkering with the guard's radio. She occasionally stopped to gauge Eve's reaction before continuing. "Listen, Ty and I were the ones pushing this whole investigation from the beginning. We never meant to drag you into something like… this, and we don't need your help to clean up what we started. Ty and I can handle this on our own."
"I'm staying." Eve's reply solemn.
Petunia, gave pause. Her concern for her friend began to mount. Drawing back her gentleness she continued. "Eve, your head's not in this. If we get attacked and you're distracted, or if you make a wrong move, it's over. You should go."
"Do you really think I'm that fragile?" Eve said softly. "I've spent years training for moments like these. I'm not going to run away. I'm the medic. It's my responsibility to take care of this team, no matter the cost… I'm not going anywhere."
Petunia glared at Eve. Shaking her head she turned back to the speaker. "You can spout little lines like that all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you're not cut out for this. And I don't know what I need to do to convince you, but if you want to march right on to your death I'm not going to stop-ah UNNGHHHH!" Petunia groaned in agony, dropping the speaker to the ground and shoving her hands against her ears.
"Petunia?" Eve gasped, concern driving away her distractions.
"Shit, what's wrong?" Ty said as he rushed to the girl's side.
"I don't know she-"
"Nnnnhhhh, it's my hearing aids!" Petunia growled as she quickly ripped out her hearing aids. "Dust damn it, not again!"
"Shit," Ty mumbled as Petunia turned to him and grabbed him by the collar.
"My hearing aids just went insane again." A mixture of fury and pain etched across her face. "I don't know why, but this keeps happening whenever I'm near their stupid bases."
Ty gave a quick sigh a pulled out his Scroll. Holding it under his chin for illumination he began to speak. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. I think they have some kind of jammer that fucks up the frequency on my hearing aids. Last time it only lasted for a few minutes."
"We can't risk this happening inside." Stress was clearly thrashing Ty as he racked his mind for solutions. After a good ten seconds of grimacing at the warehouse and tapping his foot violently he turned back to Eve and Petunia with a stern look. "All right, here's what we're going to do." His mouth accentuating every vowel for Petunia. "Petunia: Stay. Behind. Me. Got it?"
"Yeah," Her voice coated with uncertainty and frustration.
"Eve," Ty continued, turning to the dark haired girl. "You'll take up the rear. We stick together, unless I say otherwise."
"Wouldn't it be safer for one of us to just scout the inside and come out?" Eve suggested, her eyes now dancing around the landscape fearfully.
"No, we can't run the risk of going in alone and getting caught. And we can't leave Petunia alone since she can't use comms."
"Well, if we're going in there, I think Petunia should stick with me."
"No," Ty stated. "I can't trust you to watch over her. If I didn't need an extra set of eyes here I wouldn't have let you come. You're an emotional wreck set to breakdown at the very mention of your stupid boyfriend and you've already endangered us once tonight. I, on the other hand, am actually prepared to go in there and fight like hell. She's safer with me."
Eve fell silent. Ty's words made her heart cringe with sorrow. What he said, at least in Eve's mind, was entirely true. "Fine," Eve whispered, turning back to the two guard's she was tying up. Brooding, Eve finished her task, then with a calmness that genuinely unsettled her teammates she disappeared behind a corner and reemerged a moment later with her full naginata in hand. "I'm ready when you are."
Ty gave a deep breath. Without pause he took the two guards and dragged them around the corner. After he disposed of the guards he pulled his Scroll out once more, and held it beneath his chin. Turning to his teammates he whispered, "Let's move up to the entrance on the left side of the warehouse. Petunia behind me; Eve, the rear; remember, follow my lead." Ty quickly stowed his Scroll and the two fell in line behind him as he began to creep down the alley.
Slowly they all worked their way through the darkness towards a pair of double doors. As they approached, without warning, Ty shot a hand into the air signaling them to stop.
Eve, with eyes sharpened by frustration, watched as Ty crept up to the door and pulled it open. He raised his hand again, signaling them to remain, before he entered. Eve took in a breath of air and stared at the doorframe. Her chest achy and her hands sore from holding her weapon too tightly she kept her sights on the door. Once or twice she threw a glance back down the alley, just to be certain she wasn't about to be ambushed. And, just as a cold sweat began to break across her forehead, Ty came back through the door.
He brought some company with him though.
Ty, shuffling backwards, was dragging with him a guard who was struggling to remove Ty's shuriken wire from around his neck. The guard was completely out of luck however. Because as soon as he had passed out into the shadow of the warehouse Petunia delivered unto him a solid uppercut, which immediately turned him into a ragdoll.
Everyone let loose a breath of relief before jumping back to their senses. Ty, quickly unraveled his wire from around the guard's neck and tossed the guy aside into the shadows. He then turned to his teammates and gestured for them to follow.
Eve watched as Petunia followed Ty in, and after closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she entered along with her. Cautious of her speed and sound Eve crept onto the floor of a large, cold, mostly dark warehouse. From her left to her right the inside of the building was packed end-to-end with steel-framed shelves, all stocked with large crates. Some aisles were even blocked by excess crates, making the place resemble a labyrinth in some areas.
"Over there," Ty said, gesturing to the far left; the only side of the warehouse that was fully illuminated. "That's the front side of the warehouse. They must be having the meeting there." Ty's eyes scanning the environment around him as he spoke.
"What's the plan?" Eve asked, her own eyes shifting around the building.
"Hold on," Ty said, looking up towards the rafters. "Hey," A bit of optimism in his call. "Eve, look up there."
Following Ty's pointed finger it only took Eve a moment before she noticed the shadowy catwalks hanging above the shelves. Intrigued by the steel walkways Eve followed the paths across the perimeter of the building.
"Looks like nobody's up there… and they seem sturdy." A look of genuine confidence appearing on Ty's face as he turned to Eve. "Eve, I want you to get up on those catwalks. Petunia and I will move up to the meeting on this left side of the building."
"What do you want me to do up there?"
"Just be our lookout. You'll have a better view of the meeting so you can alert us if there's a problem." Ty, still throwing cautious glances around the room, took out his Scroll and quickly dialed Eve. "Stay on the line and let us know if you see anything important." Ty looked back down to the far end of the warehouse where soft gold light clashed with shadows. "It looks like there's a lot of crates down towards the meeting area, so we'll take cover there."
"Ty," Concern audible in Eve's soft voice. "Are you sure-"
"That's an order, Eve. Go find a way to get up to that far catwalk. I'll contact you when we're in position." Ty's terse response left Eve silent.
Without saying another word Eve rose from her crouch and rushed towards the darker side of the warehouse. Moving as quickly and quietly as possible she disappeared behind into the Phantom Clan's store. In a matter of seconds she had broken sight with her friends and now she was skating through the darkness by herself. Scanning the black aisles as she went, Eve made her way further into the warehouse until she finally found a ladder leading up to the walkway.
Connecting Starlight Marionette to her back, Eve grabbed the ladder and began pulling herself up. Air passed swiftly through her lungs as she ascended and sweat trickled down her pale skin. But, just as her gloved fingers hit the top rung a feeling, cold and unpleasant, coursed through her entire body.
'Eyes!' Eve gasped. 'I'm being watched!' Pulling herself onto the catwalk Eve began to throw her head around in a panic. She could feel them, a pair of eyes pressing against her skin like ice, but she was alone. There was no one to be seen, on the catwalks or on the ground below. 'It feels…'
Eve tensed to stop at the top of the ladder. Fixating on a cross-section between two catwalks, she could've sworn there was a person there. But there was nothing, just darkness and what felt like eyes, familiar eyes.
Eve's body shuddered as she struggled to look away, but suddenly a sound stirred her from what felt like a haunting leer.
"Eve," Ty's faint, static stricken voice piercing the silence. "We're in position. How copy?"
Eve did not respond. Subtly twitching she stood in place, staring at nothing. Her chest rising and dropping as she tried to see the invisible eyes.
"Eve, how copy?"
Eve swiftly turned away. Metal pattering under her feet she moved towards the criminal's meeting place, eyes still pressing against her. As she approached the bright side of the warehouse, Eve pulled out her Scroll and eased her pace. "I'm almost in position." Eve breathed into her Scroll, ignoring the eyes softly prodding the back of her head.
"Hurry up, I think the meeting is about to start." Ty hissed as Eve began to near the end of the aisle-ways.
Slowing down until she was practically inching her way along the catwalk, Eve got down onto her hands and knees. Placing her weapon down on the walkway beside her she snuck over to the edge of the platform and peered over. Casting her eyes around the warehouse she examined what was very clearly a hostile criminal meeting-place.
Standing towards the interior of the warehouse was The Phantom Clan. With rifles and bladed weapons at the ready roughly a dozen of the criminals stood against the shelves in a large, scattered crescent shape.
"Are you going to keep us waiting all night?" A police officer wearing aviators and a duster barked to The Phantom Clan as he sat himself on the hood of one of the three SUV's parked at the warehouse entrance. With a grimace he cast his eyes around to the nine officers who accompanied him. A couple of the officers were still dressed in their full uniforms while the rest were dressed in casual clothes, all of them however were carrying rifles and sporting thick body armor.
"What, you got a date with Torchwick after this?" A Phantom Clan member, standing at the head of the gang replied.
"We didn't come here to stand around with a bunch of shit-stain degenerates." The officer shouted. "Are we going to negotiate or what?"
"Alright," The Phantom Clan member started calmly. "How's this for negotiation? After I kill ya' and put you on a spit, do you want me to fuck your fat wife; or the decrepit, worn-out, bone-bag you call ya' mother?"
"Is that a threat?" The officer snapped, pulling a compact rifle from inside his duster. This naturally caused all the Phantom Clan members to spring to life and take up their weapons.
"Yes, old man, it is." The officers and the criminals preparing to gun each other down, as the head of the Clan drew a sword. "And we all know where this is going anyways, so how about-"
"A gracious host, you are not, Lieutenant." Rouge chimed in a soft, cold voice as she leisurely stepped out onto the warehouse floor. With her battle axe propped against her shoulder she made her way to the center of the conflict oval. Sienaerde accompanied the woman, following at her left.
Eve gave a soft gasp and pulled her Scroll to her mouth. In a whisper she said, "Ty, Sienaerde is here."
"We see her." Ty whispered back. "If she's here there's a good chance Automne is here as well."
Eve's chest clenched with an unpleasant throb. Remembering the strange encounter she had experienced minutes ago she mindlessly whispered, "Copy that," into her Scroll before falling silent once more.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Rouge stated boisterously, her voice echoing off the metal walls. "I had other matters to attend to before this and, to be blunt, I have things to attend to after this. So, please, in as few words as possible, what is the purpose of this meeting?"
"Okay," The head of the police slurred, glaring at Rouge. "To be short: your rates are goin' up."
Rouge's hand twisted tightly around the handle of her axe. The goons behind her shifted threateningly as Rouge stated, "Elaborate,"
"Eve," Ty mumbled through the Scroll, the words scraping at the girl's ear. "Prepare for a shootout."
"We've been turning a blind-eye to your little operations for years. It ain't easy to cover-up your drug dens and let your gang-bangers off the hook every time they decide to shoot up someone else's neighborhood. And lately you've just been pressing our patience. As of right now our rates are doubling, and if you got a problem with that you can go ahead and kiss all your privileges and your assets goodbye."
The officer stopped to pull a cigarette from his jacket, his men smirking with pride. "If I wanted to I could have this place raided in an hour. All I have to do is send in an 'anonymous tip' to the higher ups and every one of your facilities, and every other hole you own will be raided. And as for you and your gang, I'm content with just letting the regular guys pick you off the streets day-by-day until you don't got enough people to even run that rinky-dink strip-club." Satisfied with himself the man looked between Rouge and Sienaerde with a smug grin.
There was then a long hard pause as Rouge stared down the officer. Slowly she began to tap the heel of her shoe into the ground, sending a small piercing echo through the building. Even Eve began to grow goosebumps as Rouge, dressed in her fine scarlet fabrics attempted to dog the man into submission.
"Tell me," Rouge started. "Did you think this through? I'm left to assume you didn't, because if you had you wouldn't be here puffing your chest and acting as if you could hold a candle to me."
Rouge casually removed her axe from her shoulder to let the blade rest on the floor. "I'm going to make two things abundantly clear right now. First, you are utterly incapable of harming The Phantom Clan. We have always been, and we shall remain, ten steps ahead of you and your broken justice system. So don't waste my time with your delusions of some grand crackdown. Second, I want you to realize that you, are not in a position of power.
"You may not have realized this, but you and your allies along with everyone you answer to, you belong to me. And ever since you fell into my possession I have taken the time to educate myself about everything there is to know about you. I took your weaknesses and what few skills you had, and I used those to appraise you. The funniest part is, you think you're some vital part of my operation, when in fact you're all disposable at this point." Rouge drew her axe across the floor letting out a sharp metallic screech. "If I felt compelled to, I'd slaughter all of you right here, on the spot, just to set an example to everyone else beneath me. That said, I am feeling very forgiving right now. So, I am willing to let you go home tonight with no repercussions, if you get on your knees, apologize for wasting my time, and acknowledge the fact that I own you."
Eve stared at Rouge with bated breath. Her tone alone ensured Eve that she truly had no reservations about killing the officers, but that didn't stop the police from bursting into hysterical laughter.
"Oh no," Eve muttered. Fearing an all-out battle she slid her hand to her weapon. Eve quickly tensed her muscles, expecting the woman to lash out at any moment, but Rouge didn't make a move. Sienaerde did; suddenly the rifle-girl who had been standing still beside Rouge through her entire speech, slinked closer to her and whispered something.
That's when Eve noticed a dramatic shift in Rouge's countenance. In a blink the once calm, austere woman raised her battle axe, transformed it into a gun, and blew the head officer away with a scarlet plume, before turning to a group of crates and firing a second volley.
"Shit!" Ty screamed through the Scroll as debris and bullets began flying through the air.
"Kill the police! Capture the children!" Rouge demanded, her voice rising over the mayhem as she advanced towards Ty and Petunia's exposed hiding spot.
Eve let out a terrified gasp. "No!" She said, jolting to her knees and raising her weapon. Gunfire had filled the warehouse as the Phantom Clan and the crooked cops went to war. And off to the side of that battle was a small barricade of blue shields that Petunia and Ty were huddled behind. Readying their weapons they prepped to fight Sienaerde and Rouge who were now laying down a hail of bullets upon their shield. "I've got to help them." Eve said dashing towards the guardrail.
"Eve!"
Eve stopped.
Somewhere between the gunshots and screams she heard a voice. Her hand still fastened to the railing she turned away from the carnage and set her eyes on the deepest most shrouded part of the warehouse. There, on the farthest end of the catwalk, was the silhouette of a person. Arms hanging at their side the shadowed figure stood still, staring straight at Eve.
Her eyes didn't leave the figure. Even after it suddenly faded from existence she held her gaze upon where it once stood. Her hand slipping from the guardrail, Eve began moving down the catwalk. As she moved further away from the cacophony of battle and deeper into the shadows, a hatch in the roof burst open sending a cascade of moonlight raining down unto a silver ladder.
Her breathing unsteady Eve glided towards the moonlight like a moth. Her feet fell heavily upon the metal walkway as she sprinted towards the light. Her eyes, shining behind her glasses, were fixated upon the glittering ladder as she leapt forward onto it. Still holding her weapon in one hand she struggled to ascend, her heart relentlessly pounding against her.
Throwing her weapon up through the hatch she was able to pull herself out onto the frigid roof. Working her way onto the slicked surface, she had a hard time finding her footing. The sound of her heart in her ears she stumbled over to her weapon and snatched it up. Cheeks burning like fire she whipped her head around, her glasses barely clinging to her face. When she saw no one she swiftly made her way to the center of the roof. She kept throwing her eyes around, looking for him. Her glasses and hair shimmering gently beneath the moonlight, her body trembling violently.
"Automne!" She screamed, his ceaseless stare burning her skin. Hot air fled from Eve's mouth as the calm winds gradually began to cool her. The wind tossed her hair about carelessly. She took her weapon in both hands and pulled it tightly to her chest.
Standing still now, Eve stared into the city of Vale the sparkling lights shining warmly in the cold night. Her hands eased upon her weapon as she lowered her eyes to the matte roof beneath her. The sound of her breathing slowly began to fall behind the sound of her heartbeat. She wanted to say his name again.
"Why are you here?" Automne's voice piercing the silence.
Air flooded Eve's lungs as she spun around to see Automne standing a few feet behind her. Losing her balance Eve fell backwards onto her rear. Quickly she got to her feet and pointed the blade of her weapon at Automne. Shivering she staggered further backwards, her face twisted by fear and surprise. "Automne," She whispered.
"Why are you here?" Automne repeated, glaring at Eve with, his pistol at his side.
Eve gripped her weapon tightly. "I-I" She stammered, "I don't- what do you-"
"Why are you here?! Why did you come back?!" Automne shouted, stomping on the roof. "I gave you a way out. I gave all of you a way out!" His shouts desolate. "You were supposed to run away; leave Vale. Why did you come back?!"
A pleasant warmth echoed through Eve's chest. The revelation that he didn't intend to harm her that night soothed Eve. But the agony that came with his words greatly softened the impact upon her heart.
"Automne," Eve uncertain if her gentle voice was rising over the wind. "We can't leave." His expression, that of a distraught and tortured person remained unchanged. Eve steadied her chest; she could feel confidence within her. "We can't leave, Automne! We need to stop Baula!"
Automne's mouth twisted with a miserable frown. "Eve, n-NO! You-you don't understand! Baula's a good person!"
"He's a terrorist!" Eve's voice reaching painful heights.
"We're trying to help people!" Automne practically pleading.
"He works with criminals! He wants to overthrow the Council!"
"The Council is run by a bunch of bureaucrats who only care about themselves!" Automne's voice cracking as he furiously waved his gun around. "Thousands of people outside of Vale need help, but the Council doesn't give a damn about them! Baula is going to change that. The Phantom Clan isn't perfect, but with Baula in charge we can use them to protect the villages and push back the Grimm! Don't you understand?!"
"Automne, Baula's lying to you!" Anger rising in her chest. "He's been manipulating you, he'll tell you anything to get his way!"
Pain hit Eve hard as she watched him shake his head in denial.
"You're wrong about him!"
"He wanted you to kill us! He wanted you to kill me!" Eve advanced at Automne, opening her arms in a sign of frustration.
"That was my fault." Automne whimpered, taking a step backwards. The tears in his eyes glistened in the moonlight. "I got too close to all of you, when I was supposed to be there on a mission. I shouldn't have gotten as close to you as I did. If I did my job and kept all of you at a distance none of this would have happened. I wasn't supposed to let you get anywhere near what you saw."
"Automne, I won't blame you for being my friend. And I don't blame you for what you did that night." Eve advancing further. "The only reason you did what you did was because Baula made you do it. He's using you. Why can't you see that?!"
"Stop!" Automne demanded, raising his gun at Eve. "You-you're trying to turn me against Baula, but this isn't just about him. This is about the people outside of Vale. The people that need help. What about them Eve?!"
Eve paused. She took a few moments to think of what she felt was true, staring at Automne all the while. Her throat sore and her head throbbing she carefully prepared her thoughts. "Automne," She started gently. "I'm sorry for what happened to your mother, but you can't save everyone."
Automne froze in shock. Standing stiff he stared through Eve.
"The people outside of Vale choose to live beyond the Kingdom's protection. They're the people brave enough to venture out into the wild despite the Grimm. We do what we can for them, but at the end of the day it's their choice to live free from us, and we have to accept that." Eve quivering as she tried to make Automne understand. "People like your mom chose to live outside of Vale. She chose to live somewhere dangerous, because she wasn't afraid, and I know she wouldn't have wanted you to be afraid. She-"
"Shut up!" Automne yelled. His eyes shut and his body tensed he fired a round over Eve's shoulder.
Eve staggering backwards shot a hand to her shoulder. Shaky breaths parted Eve's mouth as she stared at Automne who looked back at her with only a half-guilty expression. The other half was anger.
Irate in the wake of his outburst Automne glared at Eve. "I gave you your opportunity to leave. Whatever happens after tonight is your fault." Turning away, Automne faded from visibility.
'NO!' Eve screamed internally. 'I can't let him do this!'
"Automne!" Eve screamed into the night. "He'll kill you! I know he will!"
There was no response.
Tears beginning to rush from her eyes. Panic began to fall upon her. Thinking quickly she shouted again.
"Your mom wouldn't have wanted this!" Eve's fists balled in fury as tears poured down her face. "She would have wanted any of this!"
The sound of metal pounding underfoot filled the air.
In a flash Automne stormed into sight, sprinting right towards Eve. Eve flinched as he grabbed her by the collar and pushed the barrel of his gun into her cheek.
"Shut up!" Tears running down his face, he shouted at Eve; their eyes locked. "SHUT UP!"
'Don't give up!' Taking Automne by the scarf she shouted painfully.
"She would have wanted you to be happy! She wouldn't have wanted this!"
"How would you know?! You never even got to meet her!" Sobs breaking Automne's voice as he clung to Eve's jacket.
The soft sound of Automne's sobs filled Eve's ears. Staring into his pained face her tears trickled to a stop. Slowly she spoke. "I know you. I know I do. And I know your mom loved you."
The pressure from Automne's pistol weakened upon Eve's cheek. Shaking wildly Automne pulled the gun away and lowered it to his side. A deep sadness clouded his eyes as he broke them away from Eve. Staring at the ground he gripped Eve's coat so tightly that the seams creaked. Softly he whimpered. "It was my fault. It's my fault she died. I said I could get the basket by myself. I left her alone when we both should've went back. It's my fault."
Eve stopped. She thought to herself for a moment and then, she placed her arms around him. Sporadic tremors coursing through her she squeezed him and said. "It wasn't your fault Automne, but even if it was, she's gone now. And none of this is going to bring her back." He trembled against her for a moment before she went on. "Do you think she would want this? Do you think she would want any of this?"
"What about everyone else?" Automne croaked, his soul rising above his misery. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I need to try and help end this."
Staring off into the stars, Eve allowed tears to seep from her eyes. Her lips shaking she spoke. "I used to think about killing myself. When I didn't have any friends and when it seemed like my parents were the only ones who liked me, I would think about killing myself all the time. I don't anymore, because I don't think I wanted to die. I wanted to be happy, and as bad as it would get I didn't want to die feeling miserable."
Eve placed her chin on Automne's shoulder as she stared off into the cosmos. "If you died today, would you be happy with everything that's happened? With everything you've done?"
The two stood slumped against each other.
Both reflecting on everything that brought them there.
Eve's white eyes seeped cold tears that stained her bright pink cheeks. Her throat was sore, but that didn't matter because she was out of things to say. Pressed against Automne all she could do was hope that her heart reached his.
Automne's warmth began to intoxicate Eve when her mind flared to life. 'On your right!' Eve quickly removed her arms from around Automne and shoved him away.
A moment later a rifle round slammed into her abdomen and tossed her to her back. Disoriented she slowly began to slide down the rounded metal roof and into the alley. Her head slammed against the cold black pavement with a thunk, turning her vision to a kaleidoscope of faint colors and images.
Writhing she managed to get to her knees, and by some miracle her feet. The world was still a blurred mess. For what felt like a moments she teetered about in the shadow of what appeared to be a burning warehouse before trying to escape.
Shuffling down the alleyway she tried to make sense of her mostly dark surroundings, but all too suddenly her escape attempt was cut short. Appearing from nowhere Automne stood in front of her. With his scarf pulled up over his mouth and his goggles over his eyes, he slowly approached her with his pistol in hand.
"Automne," Eve mumbled, misery overtaking her heart.
Pain surged through the back of Eve's head.
Falling forward to her knees Eve glanced back and saw Sienaerde looming over her. The pain overwhelming her Eve began to cry. Sniffling she turned back to Automne just in time to glimpse his depressed form one more time before her eyes failed her.
Drooping shut, she fell unconscious.
To be continued