Really sorry this is later than my usual update. It's midterm week up here so school is in the way (I know, ew lol) and I took a road trip to Boston. But the fire is back so let's keep this story going. (: You ready? Let's do it! Fair warning to readers who don't like blood and violence. This chapter's crawling with some of those moments. But hey, it's a spy thriller, lol so you're getting the good, the bad, and the ugly! And thanks to all you guys for helping me with the multi-lingo in the last chapter! You all get a free sky diving lesson with Jack.
Naples, time unknown
Take a second to breathe.
Really. Do it.
Did you?
Inhale. Exhale.
Yeah, that's right.
Do it!
Do it because you're trapped.
You're stuck, just like they are. Just like they were.
They were stuck, and there was darkness...
And shadows. There were shadows everywhere.
Then there'd be the CLICK! of someone's revolver ready to shoot, and–
BAM!
The ELF's roundhouse kick sent a Nightmare's head spinning while another swooped in to twist the gun out of his glove.
Then, the two shadows vanished, and before another Nightmare could turn–
CRICH!
A cough escaped someone's mouth and saliva dripped out.
Don't forget to breathe.
Inhale. Exhale.
Because that's what they were doing.
They're breathing and they're hiding in the dark, in the slaughterhouse that belonged to Pitch Black.
...
Sector 13 was a No Man's Land.
The screams echoed and the rage built, and as the Elves tagged and ambushed multiple backs, the Nightmares' frustrations moved down the darkly-lit corridor of Hallway 3.
Meanwhile over in Hallway 6, two other Elves were avoiding the brutality of several other Nightmares. They got a couple hits and misses in as they scattered and hid to the best of their ability; and when the Nightmares got too close, they retaliated with perfectly aimed assaults and dashed across each other to blur their identities. It was like a game of Tag but for every tap on the shoulder, was the slick swipe of a concealed blade, until Nightmare blood painted the floor as much as the shouts bounced off the concrete enforced walls.
Heart rates increased and bloodshot eyes peeking over their respirators were darting back and forth like wet eyeball sockets.
North's operatives and Jack's shadow tagged each other – one appeared, attacked, then vanished, another followed by example and did the same...then again and again, until they abruptly stopped and just moved as shadows to confuse the mercenaries.
One Nightmare growled viciously.
It was all a game of wits and calculations, figuring out their odds in the dark, and knowing what patches of light to slip past or move under to hinder their visibility.
The shadows kept darting and skirting around in the little light while Nightmares moved in a dizzying state, and it was only a matter of time before it looked like they were going to lose.
"Genug! (Enough!)" one yelled in German and he tossed the other the head of a machine gun.
When he assembled it with a loud SCHLIK! the Elves and Jack changed their patterns instantly and bolted. That barrel was too loud to carry only a couple bullets – and as the goon lifted the Ultimate 100 Mark 3, he let use more than 100 rounds at the open field, causing Jack and his team to scatter.
The bullets went flying from the assault barrel, banishing the Elves from the scene. Jack reacted immediately.
He noticed a concrete foundation beam with a good spot to zero on. Taking a sharp inhale, he ran low against the wall as the lightweight firearm tried to turn and hit him. Rapidly, he outsprinted the crossfire and used the wind to slide and push himself under it next to a column. Once he was hiding behind it, he caught eyes with a team member under his hood several feet away. The ELF looked apprehensive, holding a device in his hand and Jack nodded.
The ELF tossed the flare and when it exploded above the Nightmares, giving them a moment of distraction and invisibility, Jack sent the stealth operatives a signal to scatter – and as the light engulfed the room and died away, they did.
First, there'd be one hooded shadow dancing across the columns.
Then it looked like four.
Or one.
Or eight!
And as the numbers kept shifting, and muscles kept clenching, eventually the numbers were so random, the Nightmares had to assume there were ten shadows that even Pitch couldn't conjure up.
Ten shadows. Ten.
It made their palms sweaty and their energy flare up – they had to track ten shadows! It made their bullets fire off sporadically.
...But ten was really eight, and with one last flicker under the light, they permanently became seven.
Seven shadows on the hunt, on a mission...for distraction...because Jack's shadow was missing.
Of all the quick-moving Elves in their pointy hoods and lithe bodies, his shorter form was on the move, finally ahead of them.
"We've got your back, Jack," one ELF whispered quickly into the mic but Jack didn't answer. As their bodies flickered like a swarm of bats in the hallway, his agile shadow appeared for one second at the other end of the hall behind a column.
For a slight moment, fabric fluttered like bat wings and the light swish of hair and hood made every ear on edge and strain for more.
But like a true phantom of the night, he disappeared without a trace.
...
Sector 8
Three pairs of boots hit the concrete floor careful and controlled.
One set of lungs was short and gasping, another was deep and controlled, and the third was like it wasn't even there except for the occasional raspy hitches that floated.
But none of them slowed down their runs. They had to keep racing higher and higher up the slow incline from the basement facility to...whatever floor lay above them! As they moved swift and silent, Sandy's golden robes and Tooth's equally gold skin winked under the few lights brightening the dark blanket of the corridor. They moved close together.
"A-Are you sure my hair is fine?!" Tooth asked under her breath, still a little self-conscious about her split-second Mulan decision. It was weird not feeling her hair slap against her back and every time she thought she had to push it over her shoulder, it wasn't there.
Sandy gave her an honest smile while the ELF narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, princess."
Well, her priorities were definitely sorted out.
When Sanderson coughed slightly again, the princess looked down for the umpteenth time.
Her dark pink eyes were wide and alert.
"Are you alright!?" Toothiana whispered worriedly but her nanny shot her a stern look. He was all business and while she admired him for his focus, it also made Tooth a little out of place.
Mr. Sandy was dedicated to work, sure. But he always did it with a warm, collected gaze, so it was obvious that she still needed to get used to his cold, detached look that she saw on Jack, North and Aster's too.
She frowned a little in response but when he picked up his speed on his small feet, she turned to face the hallway with him, impressed at his speed when he always pretended to hobble around on the palace.
Leading the group was North's mole hiding under the Nightmare disguise. She narrowed her eyes and gripped her one of her guns tightly low at her side, two fingers over the cold steel of the barrel.
"You should've gotten a mask!" she said to Sandy in a hushed, low tone through her own. "Why don't you t–"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fingers lift up to chide her.
"He's already affected, your highness," the undercover ELF butt in, overhearing her question.
Tooth glared at the back of his hood, eyeing the pitch black (no pun intended) bulletproof vest over his bulky long sleeve suit and cargo pants. She paid close attention to his M16A assault rifle on his back and the rifle he was holding in one hand – and she didn't forget about the arsenal of weapon he probably had in that bulky weapons belt he wore around his waist. He suddenly hissed impatiently, "And keep your voice down! We're trying to stay unnoticed!"
When he bent his back, she rolled her eyes unladylike.
"You forgot about Mr. Sanderson?" she whispered back hotly, throwing a quick hand out to the short gold-clad GUARDIAN outrunning her on her left. "He's not waving his fingers around like a crazy person for fun, you know! He's using his gene to cut the wavelengths fifty feet around us!"
"That's not good enough."
As he spoke, the ELF tossed Sanderson a cloth from his belt for him to breathe in – but not before he reassured the royal private tutor that it wasn't laced with anything. Sandy took it respectfully, but all Tooth did was scowl.
"Oh, and THAT is?" she quipped.
The ELF shot her a quick look when he heard the sass in her tone before they finally reached the top of the incline. On heavy breaths and aching muscles from having been tense and locked up for hours, Sandy stumbled a little on some debris and kicked up stone. Tooth walked up behind him to place her hands on his shoulders for comfort and support.
But as Sandy patted one of her hands in reassurance, the ELF held a hand out behind them to signal for a full stop.
The two palace dwellers watched in heightened anxiety as he craned his neck around the edge confidently. In his cover, he looked like the very epitome of a Nightmare. Dark eyes and a tall, brutish posture - or maybe it was because he knew he was an arch-level ranking mercenary in Pitch's army so he didn't have to really take caution to anything or anyone.
The silence dropped like a pin and they each felt that violent tingle spread in their toes and fingers. The princess gave a sharp inhale to quell her tremors.
What was coming? What were they waiting for?
Sandy felt one of Toothiana's hands tighten on his collarbone. He felt the side of her gun squeeze into his shoulder. She was still wary of the triple agent with every reason to be. All her life, everyone around her had a double-face, a second identity she didn't know about – both good and bad. So god forbid every time she watched the green eyed mole squint his eyes, she thought he might need a bullet to the head. But that little good-angel-bad-devil-shoulder-routine didn't last long.
After a moment, he looked back at the two of them and nodded at Sandy.
"This hallway leads all the way up to Sector 13, the last major warehouse in Pitch's connected headquarters."
"How long will it take to get there?" Tooth asked.
"About an hour if we move as fast as we're going. Longer if we run into anyone."
"B-Better than nothing right?"
After he eyed her, he drifted his emerald irises back to the SANDMAN.
"Exactly."
The latter nodded firmly, naturally understanding the silent communication and looked up behind him to Tooth.
With a quick float of his fingers, he moved out of her hold and started ahead with the ELF.
Tooth scratched her head.
"'Watch my six'?" she whispered confusingly as she repeated his command to herself. The ELF overheard her and looked back.
"Six 'o'clock," he explained. "He means behind you, so watch your back. And he'll watch your nine."
"Okay," she nodded determinedly and kept her eyes sharp. "And I'll watch your...three?"
Then she started to move too, but not before eyeing the ELF in question and took in his profile...his back, his hood...his respirator over his face.
She made a frown as the cold wind from the hall blew against her cheeks where the gas mask didn't cover. It left goosebumps running all the way down her arms...and also made her think about a certain someone she hoped not to see down here, fighting a war he shouldn't.
"W-Why the masks?" the princess asked unsettlingly as she stroked the bottom of hers. She didn't want to think about how many other men might have worn it before her or what kinds of things were floating around that they were already exposed too.
"Because we're under Sector 8 and they handle most of the chemical science behind Pitch's inventions. Most of their fumes and airborne pathogens float through these vents but–son of a–"
They heard him grunt as he shook his head a little. When Sandy and Tooth looked, he pressed his Bluetooth at his ear and looked at the both of them wildly.
"They're telling us there's a disturbance."
Sandy widened his eyes and Tooth instantly froze.
"Wait, you mean us? You mean h–"
"That channel I switched back in the cage room!" the ELF growled and tightened his fists. "They must have figured it out by now!"
Sandy lifted his fingers but the ELF didn't need him to sign what was already on all their minds.
"He knows. He knows you're gone and that's probably why every Nightmare is running around more than they should be. So now, more than ever, keep those covers on! We can't take risks with what he's pumping through these grates to flush us out!"
"This is crazy," Tooth mumbled as they kept moving faster but her eyes narrowed angrily. "This is freaking crazy!"
Inhale. Exhale.
"Are you scared?" the ELF questioned but Toothiana shook her head.
"I am, Sherlock! But I'm not some damsel!"
Sanderson a quick nod as he tightened the bullwhip in his hands. The weapon was taut and ready to snap like a cobra from hell.
But the ELF rolled his eyes.
"I'm no Sherlock, but you definitely are a damsel."
"Sorry, I don't think my boot heard you! Can we just keep moving!?"
"Right," he grumbled as his air shifted. "Sorry."
After a moment of silence you, Tooth's mouth betrayed her.
"W-What's your name, anyway?!"
"Pleasantries later, princess!"
"Just because you give me a gun, claim to be North's ELF, and set us free doesn't mean I might not shoot you. I need more!"
"More?! Are you fr–"
"Look out!"
At the last available second, the triple agent ELF moved to the left and sent a strike on the imposing Nightmare who appeared on their right.
He caught a fist driving toward his face then bent his knees and twisted the arm back. The unsuspecting Nightmare let out a surprised gasp.
"S-Superior?!" the underling growled in pain. "What are y–"
The ELF then quickly moved in, stretching out the arm he was twisting and flipped the man over his shoulder. As the hitman hit the floor, he tried to reach quickly for his Bluetooth.
The ELF rolled his green eyes behind his gas mask and fired a shot into the guy's head.
When the ominous bang! from the rifle echoed, Tooth gulped loudly. The ELF he looked up at her again, but she fixed him with a cold look.
To hell with nice! Her fingers were shaking as she clenched them tightly.
"Name!" she ordered and made a show to reach for her gun holster even though she knew he was more than capable of pulling his trigger faster on her like a classic Clint Eastwood cowboy could.
And she watched his eyes squint and knew he was scowling behind his mask before he turned abruptly.
"Fine! It's Dean," he said curtly and Tooth nearly coughed. She suddenly saw herself back in her dorm room for no apparent reason, remembering how she'd eat junk food with her roommates and watch television.
"A–"
"Holy crap," she frowned. "You even act like him!"
He quirked an eyebrow.
"Like who?"
And Tooth paused. "What, you've never seen Supernatual?"
"Super-what? Ch-Lady, I've been here for a while and you're telling me that tv show is still on?"
"Yes! Y–"
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," he hissed. "Your life's in danger and you're–
"Oh, come on!"
"And I swear to god, if you're one of those nuts who calls me a Winchester, I'm gonna shoot you."
"But y–"
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Sandy lowered his fingers and tried to get their attention with a disapproving glare.
Tooth shot 'Dean' one more look before he kept moving. Suddenly he got a call on his Bluetooth that made him freeze.
Two clicks later–
"Into this hall!" his gruff voice ordered and he shoved Toothiana ungraciously.
"What are y–"
He lifted a hand to stop her.
"We have a problem!"
...
Sector 13
Pale fingertips stroked the ground for abrasive scratch marks, then blue eyes lifted up coldly tracing the faint foot marks left on the dirty concrete in the distance.
Two blinks later, his body melted into the shadows.
Jack was alone, becoming one with the darkness whose blues looked like blacks, and blacks looked like openings into hell.
Depth wasn't a factor. Time wasn't a thought.
The Elves did their job shadowing him as far and as best they could and for that he was grateful for their stealth. But now as they took the attention and brunt of the Nightmares' attention, he had to do his job. His real job. With their diminishing shadows and dwindling shouts, he could focus on the majesty of what Pitch Black had his life's work. As he did, his breath was barely there, carried away by the constant wind at his side. His staff was back in his belt.
The steady exhales of North's men echoed through his complink, giving him the assurance he wanted that they were all in hiding and avoiding Nightmare activity. They may have taken out the wave of Nightmares from Sector 13, but that didn't mean the inactivity wouldn't go unnoticed for long.
It made his adrenaline spike, and suddenly all he could smell was rusted metal...steel...dry dust...and wet stone.
He could almost taste the dirt on his tongue.
Lifting a quick arm, Jack promptly cut off his link until further notice to avoid distraction or detection. He was a lone operative and that meant every step had to be more careful and every sound, right down to the flap of his white bangs, had to be nonexistent. He prowled down two hallways, coiling in and out of the darkness like a demon until he reached another platform that connected the highway of corridors to what he guessed was another sector.
Jack raised his head, his silent breath filtering out through his dark respirator over his jaw.
The platform was large, with beams supporting the underground web everywhere. It had the perfect hideaways, nooks and crannies for him to use...but what about for anyone else?
He narrowed his eyes, watching the regulation of his heartbeat. He immediately picked up the pace and parkoured up to an awning.
The industrial terrorist's organization was complex and deep under the ground, yet Jack knew it probably went on for miles. He was only infiltrating Sector 13...but how many more were there? How long would it take for the other Elves to find the fiber optics of each sectors' walls so they could continue to help grow the blueprint of the headquarters for Aster and the TIs? And how far would he need to go to find the supercomputer generators and the communication hub?
As his mind worked overtime and his heart pounded like a steady drum inside his ribcage, Jack performed a wall jump and leapt to catch a ledge over one of the silent corridors. Catching it effortlessly, he pulled himself up silently with his upper body strength then pressed his back into the beam. Jack then studied his surroundings and tightened his muscles, trying to be as small as possible.
Two seconds later, an anxious Nightmare on foot patrol appeared with a gun.
The GUARDIAN craned his neck around to glare at the man's physicality and distance. Jack unsheathed a tiny throwing knife from a tiny slit in his black sleeve. Next, he dipped his head as he bent low on his knees. He waited...then let out an exhale.
The sound waves on the Nightmare's goggles, jumped up at the sound. He turned instantly, and looked up.
Nothing was there.
But...he could've sworn he saw something white out of the corner of his eye.
A second later, he double guessed himself and turned around to restart his walk.
But something zinged through the air with the sound of the wind from the vent – and somehow, Jack's knife lodged itself into the back of his neck. The Nightmare spun around and clawed for the unknown pain, but then a pop went off and a bullet shot him in the face.
Eyeing the blood art briefly, Jack moved the pistol barrel of his gun away from the light.
No more detachments, just focus.
He did or said nothing as he took the opportunity to flip over and grab the next shaft. He strode the length of the ceilings beam work creating a horizontal path over the corridor.
Then he kept going, pulling out four more knives as the platform ended, and he chose a new hallway; meanwhile, the Elves continued to fight.
...
North's men were in so many heated fights with the sector-assigned Nightmares that any hit meant fatality. The sky was the limit with their combat and since they'd just dropped from the sky, the adrenaline was still coursing through their bodies. They gave it their all in every careful step, block, and parry. And for every raised fist or grunt of breath, each ELF reacted the same – scattered, strong, and belligerent, making examples of their strengths.
Like a black whirlwind in combat boots, one ELF took on six guys at once. Surrounded from all sides, he said nothing, thought nothing, and instead used his two suppressor firearms to shoot at them in a constant circle. Their vests tried to absorb the bullets but he kept smashing their masks in with the back end of the guns the more they kept moving in.
Another ELF was zipping in and out of the throng of battles undetected, his retractable spear concealed at his side – it wasn't noticeable until he activated it and its sheen caught what little light there was in the corridor; then he used it to stab Pitch's hired help at close combat.
Their main objective (besides covering Jack's movements) was to increase Aster's map of Pitch's lair. As they scattered, their egg scanners were at their sides along with their fusion cutters, one of the few things they carried. Should Jack take down the sirens, they were ready to tap into each sector's fiberoptical network and give them further control. But for now, all they could was scout and destroy.
"Move, team!" one hissed in the mask complink. "Move!"
And like demons, they vanished into the darkness, giving the mercenaries a run for their money, and a problem they didn't yet understand they were dealing with.
...
Sector 8
"What problem?!" Tooth gasped.
She instantly shut up as the boots clunked down the concrete floor.
Dean walked back out into the hallway again, still visible down its corridor, just as another Nightmare appeared. Heavily built and packing a vest thick with arsenal, he sauntered over to his equally-ranked partner.
"Heard you were down here," the other arch-level Nightmare said as he approached the triple-agent ELF. He didn't notice the latter's fist tighten at his side.
"Did you check on the pr–"
Dean quickly unholstered his gun at his thigh and shot the other's leg. As the bullet broke skin and shattered the femur, Dean rushed forward, kicked out the other leg, and followed the Nightmare's fall with a left jab at his head.
Quick to recover, the Nightmare flashed a knife – Dean skillfully anticipated it. In a heartbeat, he ducked back before knocking it away with his forearm, and when another fist retaliated, Dean caught it.
Testosterone went off the charts.
As the two struggled in a fight for dominance, the Nightmare started to code in an emergency voice command behind his mask.
"S-S...S-car...s'v...sev–" He tried to choke out but Dean's eyebrows merely creased together on his sweating forehead.
"Go on," he rasped, "Try to finish." He threw another hook and at the man's jaw.
Meanwhile, Tooth waited...listened...She tightened her grip on her gun as she pressed herself into the wall.
She was willing to help him out if he needed it.
He didn't.
Getting the upper hand, the ELF quickly grabbed behind the man's gas mask and effortlessly unclipped it, exposing his mouth. He gasped for air...but then Dean grabbed his entire face with his large glove. A second later, a shiiick! was heard and when Tooth and Sandy peeked around to see why, the princess covered her mouth to silence her gas – a long, thin blade under Dean's wrist suddenly ejected and went right through the Nightmare's mouth and into the back of his head.
As he pulled back on the blade (wet with blood and shining dark red), the weapon quickly deactivated and slid back into his gauntlet. When he turned, Tooth swallowed down her shock bitterly and forced herself not to look at his wrist hanging nonchalant at his side again.
The blade looked like it had never been there.
In her silence, the two males reacted simultaneously.
Sandy signed something and the princess translated for the ELF.
"How many more of yours have those?" Tooth shivered. She moved her cautionary glare onto the dead Nightmare as he walked over the man's body like it was a coffee cup.
He rolled a shoulder and gestured for them to follow.
"Just the top dogs," he pointed at his ranking uniform and they kept moving.
"Only arch-levels close to Pitch get this but th–" He stopped as another Nightmare appeared on the side and reacted by grabbing Toothiana.
She yelled out in fear and the other two turned in time to watch him constrict her upper body by wrapping his arms tight around her. Behind his yellow shades, his eyes were manic and bloodshot like the others.
'No blood'. That was the deal with Pitch because if the princess died, then everyone was on the death clock.
Tooth gritted her teeth as she saw black in both the corners of her eyes.
Dean reacted instantly.
"Stand down, fearling," he ordered, addressing the lower-rank Nightmare by his appropriate title.
"But superi–" he stopped when Tooth tried to jerk away.
"Not so fast!" the Nightmare yelled gutturally...just as Sandy let go of the end of his weapon and let its length pile onto the floor. Seconds later–
CRACK!
The tip of Sanderson's long weapon shot forward and got the Nightmare right in the eye of his yellow visor, splitting the plastic and sending a deep scratch across his face. He instantly screamed as his left eye turned red.
That's when Tooth dug her foot into ground; and as he went to reach for his gun at his waistbelt, she twisted her ankle slightly to the left until she felt a click! move in place.
The sharp spike shot out from the boot she stole and she poised it ready.
Sandy didn't when he lifted his arm ready to strike the man again, she sucked in a sharp breath and threw her entire right leg back.
Tooth kicked the Nightmare in the balls from behind!...and drove the spike into him too.
"Gyraah!"
The moment he doubled over and released her, Tooth spun and threw her forearms out to knock his hands away. With another kick at his shin, she dove out of his touch. Dean suddenly appeared out of nowhere and drove a concealed blade into the hitman's throat. He then took the Bluetooth out of the man's ear and crushed it while Tooth ended the assault by lobbing a random stone at the Nightmare's head.
Dean looked at Toothiana.
"Holy shit."
He then pointed at the spike ejecting from Tooth's boot; she twisted her ankle again so it would slide back in. When she looked at Sandy almost guiltily, he shook his head and gave her a tiny thumbs up. She tossed him back an equally tiny smile.
Then the three ran, leaving the corpses and the dark eerie hallways behind. As they gained speed up the twisting hallways and upward incline, their skin started to crawl. They didn't know exactly what...but they knew something was happening.
The air around Sector 8 seemed restless and the images of two sides fighting were plaguing their thoughts–
...
North's ELF appeared down Jack's corridor and made an example of his mixed martial arts. With a mighty snap kick, he sent one underling charging flying back back and crashed into another.
As the two Nightmares stumbled, Jack jumped on their backs one after the other like stairs and caught a high ledge looking over them.
Then the ELF with the spear suddenly arrived. Seeing Jack's shadow vanish, he moved forward quickly on the Nightmare Jack just used as a vault. The man was still trying to look up and see where the white-haired creep had gone but the ELF surprised him and came down hard on him – just as he was lifting his gun to shoot.
When Jack was safely on the ledge, he spun to face the Elves for a brief moment of time...but then he sensed something flying toward him.
Taking out his staff in one tight motion, Jack gripped it and swung it like a bat – and on pure skill, he hit the grenade coming for him!
It tossed back into a service elevator opening at the other of the room where a wave of mercenaries just came.
A second later–
BOOM!
Blazing orange and blinding white lit up the entire area.
The explosion made the floor shake and as the Elves twisted up to catch a glance at Jack, the GUARDIAN had already vanished.
...
The floor shook under Dean, Sandy, and Tooth's boots a little and despite herself, the princess panicked.
"What's happening?!"
"Stay close!" Dean barked...just as three new underlings appeared. They were momentarily confused by one of their Superiors leading Pitch's most guarded prisoners away from their holding facility – and why they hadn't heard them come up. But the thought didn't last in their minds for long and with suspicious glares, the hive rushed at the three.
Tooth narrowed her eyes and as one rushed for her, she bent low on her knees and moved in a quick three-step circle to his left, trusting her feet as she managed to dodge him. When another tried to pounce on her she dropped to the ground with a short gasp.
Somersaulting away to safety, Dean moved in with a powerful punch-kick combo and Sandy recoiled his weapon back and cracked it at the first Nightmare before catching the third around the wrist. He looked at the princess.
As Tooth came to a complete stop, she sensed the third one's advance on her and gritted her teeth.
In one quick turn, she angled her butt on the concrete and twisted up her body to face him – she had her Taurus rifle in both hands.
Sandy held him back with the whip and stopped him from moving fast enough.
Then with a quick exhale and steady eyes, the princess fired.
She shot him in the face.
Inhale. Exhale.
And the battle kept raging.
Not just in that hall, not just in Tooth's heart, but soon across many areas throughout Pitch's lair, growing less covert and more adamant...more ruthless.
...
Sector 7, Hallway 4. Or wait, was it Hallway 2?
Argh, did it really even matter? The Elves were trickling down and throughout Pitch's lair, encountering many obstacles along the way.
Debris was everywhere and bodies were hitting the ground more times than the gas masks could count.
The ELF was pinned on the ground by a low-ranked (but quick thinking) Nightmare, threatening to twist his head around from behind. In a last attempt to claw away, North's stealth agent saw a piece of wood that used to be a part of a crate lying beside him – it still had five nails attached to the end. Reaching for it blindly, he picked it up and threw the end with the steel nails up behind him–
Just as the bone-splintering crsk! went off, another stealth agent and a Nightmare were rushing at each other with their fists raised.
They both jumped at each other just before they str–
...
Sector 8
Tooth quickly moved to get up to safety and check her rounds.
Meanwhile, Sanderson and Dean rushed to opposite ends of the adjacent hall, sensing another Nightmare who hadn't yet arrived. Sandy continued to warp and twist the soundwaves of the corridor around them until the sounds of boots and sirens didn't grate on their nerves. He bent his short form into an even shorter position as the Nightmare kept prowling closer – Dean pressed themselves tighter against the walls.
The green-eyed undercover ELF set his eyes on the golden GUARDIAN, watching how his thumb tapped against his whip to indicate the distance of the Nightmare approaching.
Dean nodded.
Five metres...
Three metres...
One metre–
Then a flash of black appeared.
And like two snakes, they ambushed him; Sandy with his spinning elbow strike, and Dean with his taser.
...
Sector 13
Blanched skin...profuse sweat on the neck...weakening heartbeat.
And a muffled scream.
Jack didn't blink.
"Shh!...shhhhh..." he whispered as he covered the man's mouth from behind. Then Pitch's mercenary fell slump against him as he pulled the blade from his chest.
He didn't give a shit about the blood on his sleeve as he lowered the corpse quick and idly. The floor underneath was wet from a leak and heavy condensation.
His hands curled tight into dirty fists. The seconds ticked by.
The 24-yr-old scowled down at the corpse.
What he wouldn't give for a full contact strike-grapple combat – but stealth was his specialty and right now, it mattered more.
He couldn't very well steal the assassin's Bluetooth and listen in on Pitch's feeds in his other ear. Every feed was tracked by the boys upstairs...he couldn't risk them watching his movements and patterning his destination.
He'd have to blow the wind onto the parts where he fingers touched...any heat signature would–
Jack shot his head up suddenly.
His muscles tensed and his blood pressure rose.
A mercenary spotted him.
Adrenaline surged.
...
Meanwhile, Sandy unwound his whip from the Nightmare's neck while Dean retracted his gauntlet's blade from the criminal's back, where it pierced his back silently.
When the man clutched his chest, his body fell at Sandy's feet and under his unforgiving glare.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Tooth tightened her fist around the gun – there was something about his eyes that made him look restless, like he'd just gotten up and had a shot of caffeine.
"R–"
SNAP!
Suddenly his whip shot out and flew over Tooth's shoulder.
When she spun, she and Dean noticed a throwing knife fly off course.
"Move now! NOW!" he barked and she sprinted toward the Nightmare...because he was in the way!
...
Jack gritted his teeth.
Cold eyes and steady heart rate, he broke into a run heading directly for the Nightmare. His fingers twitched at his sides and the wind chilled the water vapour in the hall, turning the wet floor to ice.
...
Tooth didn't stop running, trusting her caretaker and temporary bodyguard. She sensed the both of them prepare to do something as the black-clad hitman drew near.
She also tasted blood in her mouth even though there wasn't.
...
Jack didn't stop running, even as it looked like the two were going to collide head-on.
In power, speed was everything.
...
Sandy quickly performed a jump off the wall and let loose his whip over Tooth again. She dropped just before the weapon sailed over her short locks.
(And Jack dropped at the exact time, using the ice to slide under the Nightmare.)
And Tooth fearlessly dove between the Nightmare's legs in his static shock from the whip and managed to rise up and keep running.
(Jack then slowed his tract with his fingertips and turned to face the Nightmare ruthlessly, dark and lethal. Then he flipped forward with a growl, his staff poised dangerously–)
BANG!
Dean set off a bullet just as she made it on the other side.
The Nightmare dropped on his knees.
"We're almost there!" he huffed under his hood. "One more set of corridors and we break the eight level!"
"Good!" Tooth narrowed her eyes, her heart beating like a jackhammer under her turtleneck.
She felt hot and provoked...but she wasn't about to stop until she stomped every Nightmare under her boot.
...
Jack pivoted on the ball of his foot and twisted his hips, letting loose a side kick straight from the power of his core muscles. The impact was enough to crack ribs but with a protective vest on, the Nightmare only grunted in pain and stepped back. In his moment of weakness, Jack rushed forward and grabbed his head. He lifted his knee to land a round strike and used his staff to smack the man down the rest of the way. As he fell, the spy performed a guillotine submission and whipped out a short blade from his bodysuit.
In a thundering smackdown, Jack followed the Nightmare's body to the floor and impaled him with his left hand. His other held the staff defensively across his back.
Was his heart racing?
Inhale. Exhale.
Jack lifted his head to look forward, his complink buzzed to life.
"Sector 9 is now visible. Repeat, we've planted the egg and Sector 9 is now visible."
With his body still bent over the Nightmare, Jack let go a heavy exhale.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
After two clicks, Jack pulled up his back, lining the bones in his spine one on top the other until he stood to his full height.
His blue eyes glared down the hall. He chucked the blade out of sight; the warm blood on it would give away his body signature.
The GUARDIAN lifted his boot over the Nightmare's corpse and started moving forward. His steps were silent but powerful, and his shoulders moved with a preparatory bend as he sauntered forward. Diagnostics started showing in the top corner of his E-lens and as he read their statuses quickly, the area flickered behind the electronic glasses for a second. Then...
Like a ghost in the distance, the outlines of new hallways, stairs, and floors started to appear. An array of corridors which had to be Sector 9, flourished out like a grid thanks to the egg's seismic vibrations and Jack followed the corridor to where it continued on.
As he lengthened his stride, his complink buzzed with life again, making his gene tingle and his eyes narrow.
"Sector 10!" another male ELF chimed in aggressively quiet. "We got Sector 10!"
Another dim outline of hallways appeared on the lens, attaching to Sector 9 in the distance.
"You mates find my optical fiber cables?"
"We can confirm one visible bundle on Sector 7!" another whispered. "But we can't touch it until Jack–"
"He knows, mate. He knows. Just tag it for now."
"Right...oka–"
"S...Sector 5's...v'sbl!" another said slightly winded. "Repeat, Sector se–"
He cut off suddenly as it sounded like something knocked into him...like he'd been ambushed. Then when the sounds of several men started to choke and grunt, they cut off instantly.
Chzzk!
Aster's voice came on low and steady, but Jack knew better – he could hear the apprehensive tension in his accent.
"Mates, masks on in Sector 5! I'm getting high levels of chlorine gas, 64 ppm! Blokes, cover your eyes and get out of there!"
"No, but we need to know wh...G–H-Huhh-Wh-chzzzzz!"
The last sounds of someone vomiting or collapsing in their own saliva filled Jack's ears.
He hissed under his breath.
"Shit."
He surveyed the lens, reading out the grid lines, and the levels of particulates in the air in the corner of the status box. Jack then touched a button on the side of the glasses and brought up the fiber optics of the floor around him. Instantly, the network of wires running through the walls and down into the deep floors of the levels in and around him lot up his screen. Now he could follow the wires directly to the main generators of each section!
His fingers flexed sporadically.
The wires were plentiful on size and color and enough to confuse anyone. But with Jack's basic training in electrical engineering (not to mention the earful he got from Aster about it) he knew ones that would lead to the supercomputers...wherever they were.
Yet as Jack felt his energy surge at his center, he knew it'd be a run for his life.
He'd have to trace them back to the generator in the sub-level and follow its wires back to the main to–argh, but Pitch could be anywhere! Tooth could be anywhere! And her sisters were still in dang–
"Sector 13 dispatching secondary stealth team," one of North's high-ranking ELFs suddenly said and not a second later, a gasp drifted into the complink.
"Chzzck! MG ELF division gaining entry," a new female voice crackled through the complink. "Team of four moving in. Scout and surveillance are a go."
But how'd they'd gain access without him? Without a wind to support their fall? Maybe the other stealth Elves had wiped Sector 13 virtually clean of Nightmares for them to safely drop in.
It made Jack's eyes widened slightly; more sectors opening meant that more Elves would appear...even the ones from the other posts around the world.
He began freerunning up the wall and moved into the shadows...just as new faces emerged from hiding.
Breathe in. Breathe–
...
"We're in Sector 13!" Dean coughed. "You can take off your–"
CRASH!
Instantly, the three all turned and saw a flash of green and bright red. A second later–
"Argh!" another crash followed.
That's when they caught sight of a woman in a green bodysuit caught in a violent fight down another hall...with a Nightmare gaining hits on her. Her bright, red hair was braided to one side.
Tooth's eyebrows instantly flew up. She suddenly felt her energy spike and her heart bleed with adrenaline. She'd recognise that bodysuit anywhere.
"Wait, that's a female E–"
"I'm on it!"
Dean tore off to help the redhead out.
A second later, a loud snap! was heard and when Sandy and Tooth moved in (ready for anything), they both gasped. Or, Tooth gasped and Sandy impersonated a piece of sandpaper.
The Nightmare was dead, but the female ELF had Dean pinned against the wall.
And when they both stopped moving, Tooth's mouth fell open.
"Hit the br–Y-You're the female ELF were from the hotel!"
The redhead pulled her firearm back at Dean's forehead and glared. She almost didn't recognize Toothiana from her hair.
"Princess!" Agent Sparks breathed through her own respirator, almost grateful under her serious tone; yet she didn't let up on her fixed gaze on the undercover ELF.
"Yeah, b-but you're okay?"
"I'm fine now, your highness."
Dean scowled behind his gas mask.
"Oh, don't worry about me, princess," he joined in sarcastically. "I'm fine too."
The woman pinned him harder with her smaller body, a wild look on her face. Tooth raised her hands.
"Wait, don't hurt him! He's an ELF!"
"ELF, my ass!"
Dean quirked a brow.
"I'm into that."
"Oh, and how about this?" the female ELF pushed her barrel into his head. "You into that, you f–"
"Quit with the dramatics," Dean rolled his eyes and Linae scowled, looking like she was ready to bash his face in.
"I'm a redhead dressed in a green bodysuit fighting a battle on Christmas. And I'm called an ELF. So don't you tell me to–"
Tooth rubbed her head. She moved a little closer into the redhead's view (but not so much that if the woman actually did shoot Dean, then his brains wouldn't splatter all over her).
'Wow, whose being dramatic now?' she whined stressfully in her head.
Sandy watched them all anxiously while he rubbed his thumb against the black braided leather of his whip. He coiled it tighter around his left hand impatiently.
"Guys!" she said hotly but the two didn't hear her.
"Be reasonable," Dean rolled his eyes. "If I was, you think she'd still be here? She would've been sent up minutes ago with my authority."
Tooth didn't comment as the redhead continued in her tirade, stressed out and unforgiving.
"Cut the sass, ass man, and I won't redecorate this hallway with your face!"
"Wh-Seriously?!" Tooth grabbed her head. "Oh that's charming!"
"Yeah, seriously." And before Linae could say or do anything, Dean expertly twisted out of her grip and took the gun as her fire missed. He then pressed the back of his elbow into her throat and shoved the rifle's head into her stomach.
She growled in protest but he lifted his gas mask, green eyes piercing through the darkened hall, and handsome lips moving a mile a minute.
"I'm ELF 709, in North's Kansas division from Wichita, but I'm under cover. So you have three seconds to think about what you're gonna do because I'm pretty sure your gunshot just sent a party invite upwards."
And something in the girl's expression suddenly changed. Her mouth faltered for a moment.
"Wait, 709?...I'm 706...Y–"
Dean blinked down at her.
"Can we just talk about this later?!" he said impatiently. "Because next thing, some idiot's gonna show up an–"
Boom...Boom!
The sound of boots dropping like thunder on the concrete sounded, and Dean narrowed his eyes ahead to the hallway.
"Son of a bitch."
Tooth watched in trepidation as the two pulled out their guns and clenched their fists – for extra measure, Linae produced a knife and held the curved handle downwards. Then before the shadows could appear, she and Dean both went after the Nightmares. Their black and green bodysuits vanished down the hall while Linae's fiery red hair trailed behind.
Sandy looked up at Tooth as she shook her head and abruptly channeled Aster for a quick moment.
"Bloody hell."
...
(French) "You can't get away from me, you little shit!"
And the ELF breathed in ruthlessly as he continued to drag back his prey by the leg.
The Nightmare, bleeding from both legs and an arm, cried out savagely as his gloves clawed up gravel from the concrete. He couldn't get away and as his assailant pulled him into the dark corner, a heavy SCHLISS! was heard before blood splattered the floor in the silence.
The assaults went on, the chaos was evident, but as the scouting Nightmares continued to dwindle, so did the stealth movements of the Elves.
Pitch's men were trained to make Plan A's, then Plan B's...and C's and D's and even if those tactics didn't work, they had the resources at their disposal to give them a one-second advantage. They were messy, but what they lacked in strategy, they made up for in brutish takedown.
The Elves continued to run in the darkness, throwing off senses and striking just when they had the upperhand.
But the Nightmares were just as tactful.
In a moment of patience, when two Elves finally emerged on an unsuspecting Nightmare, he turned instantly with an aerosol can and a small torch lit a fire in their faces. Intense heat and scorching flame made North's men back away instantly from the flames and the eerie glow of the mercenary's respirator. Yet in one of the ELF's moment of shock, the others watched in horror as he got shot by a grapple to his torso.
He yelled out in pain and tried to move away but the grapple dragged him back to the Nightmares. Ripping off his respirator, they pinned his chest to the floor and held his head back.
All he saw were blacks and blue whirring around...then yellow.
They shoved a cyanide pill into his mouth.
The ELF tasted something sharp.
Tick tock. Poison bubbled up from his throat and dripped down his chin. His eyes lost their light instantly.
"Memorize his uniform," one Nightmare growled as he looked out into the shadows where he knew the dying man's comrades had all vanished, cutting their links with the dead ELFs complink to avoid connection.
"They can't hide for long."
...
Sector 13
"Oh yeah? You want me?" Jack seethed.
He revealed a short machete he had stolen off another Nightmare and gripped it callously. "Well, come and get it."
And the three (arch-level) heavyweights rushed at the skinny, hooded spy.
When the first tried to ambush him with his own blade, Jack parried the blow and snapped his wrist out to call on the wind from the air vents. In its tremendous surge, the momentum of his shove sent the first Nightmare back several feet. Jack couldn't celebrate for long though as he had to pull back and duck to avoid the second Nightmare's swing.
It was now or never.
Grinding his teeth, he kept his body low to the ground then spun in a quick, inward circle with the blade tip pointed up – getting the poor sucker deep in the torso.
As the second Nightmare's heavy blood loss made him stumble off to the side and collapse, Jack didn't waste time and uncoiled back up. Channeling everything he knew about eskrima and aikido, Jack turned as the first again.
A fist came to strike him on one side of his head, the GUARDIAN single-grabbed the wrist and dropped him into a hip throw to topple him over. And when the Nightmare was on the ground, Jack thrust his machete straight into his neck viciously. He yanked the blade back out as the first Nightmare dropped dead a second later.
Jack exhaled through the respirator around his jaw. He flexed his fingers, feeling the wind curl around his pale digits. It created a tiny layer of frost on his skin that trickled over his knife's handle.
Two to go.
His mind went in three different directions. He thought about the supercomputers, he thought about his golden rule to stay hidden...and he thought about how was best to kill as he twirled his machete in his right hand.
The second struggled to get up from Jack's assault, but the third and last Nightmare was the largest of the three; he was moving in...and was also the only Nightmare Jack had ever seen until now, wielding a chainsaw.
A freakin' chainsaw.
But Jack smirked behind his mask. He then wiggled his finger in a 'come here' gesture.
The Nightmare breathed heavily through the bandanna around his mouth and a second later–
Vrrrrrrrrmmm!
Pitch's arch-level Nightmare rushed at him with the heavy, grinding blade raised. It's whirling teeth looked fatal in the angular lights bouncing off the walls, but before he could bring it down on Jack and slice him in two, Jack reacted.
Subconscious kicking in, his machete knocked the chainsaw away at the right angle, and because the weapon was so large and heavy, both of the Nightmare's hands flew up with it – giving Jack the perfect opening.
"Don't test me," he breathed, lividly under his breath.
As he took a swing though, Jack missed his stomach and the bulky Nightmare took the opportune moment to quickly grip the blade and bring it back down in a diagonal swipe.
Jack's heart raced for a millisecond before he narrowed his eyes. He jumped away, narrowly avoiding getting the tips of his white bangs (and his nose) chopped off!
His side ached slightly, but he was ready.
The Nightmare tried to bring his weapon back up in one more diagonal swipe, Jack twirled his blade and rushed in fearlessly. He parried the slash and made the chainsaw knock to the side.
Then Jack landed a powerful left hook at the man's skull and–
...
"You damn low ranks!"
Dean rushed on his longer legs and ducked under the first Nightmare leading the group.
When he swiftly dodged the oncoming strike, he spun back around and wrapped his arm around the goon's throat, putting his victim in a choke hold from behind. As the other two lunged at him, thinking they had the advantage, Dean did not disappoint his arch-level status – he shot out a reverse back kick and got them both in the stomachs. While the one he was holding still struggled against him, he took out his pistol and shot them both through the masks.
Meanwhile, a fourth Nightmare carrying a steel pipe rushed at Linae with a jumping swipe.
She bent out of the way just as he swung with a definite thwoomp! Not wasting a second, she snapped her fingers and blinded him with a flash from her gloves before she used her crouched form to sail back close to him. The redhead then tripped his leg with her blade. And as he started falling, ready to hit the floor again with his back, Linae skilfully spun with a high crescent kick over him and brought her heel down hard on his face. When both his body and her boot made impact, the ominous boom echoed down the hall to where Tooth and Sandy couldn't see.
...
Jack spun around instinctively.
He almost didn't sense it until his mind told him to bend his elbows up and turn the sword out on his left. As he pushed it up, the chainsaw-wielding Nightmare's blade knocked away and a second later–
Killing instinct kicked in.
The blue-eyed hellion twisted sideways to stab the second (dying) Nightmare in the gut.
He then threw the blade up immediately above his head to block another downward swipe from the chainsaw. No wind in that hallway was powerful enough to veer off a weapon that heavy.
In a heat of rage, Jack was a merciless tornado and spun so quick he sliced a deep gash into the Nightmare's side just like the first one.
As the heavyweight stumbled back, Jack moved in to throw his machete down on the Nightmare's shoulder – but the mercenary surprised him. He let one hand go off the chainsaw and reached up to grab Jack's forearm despite his heavy bleeding. The Nightmare let loose a hoarse, icy breath behind his mouth cover but all Jack did was frown.
"I'm not here for you," he breathed as he struggled against the grip, pushing his inhuman strength against the brute force of the chainsaw-wielding animal. But as the two fought for dominance, the Nightmare headbutted Jack and he was knocked back. Gaining the time and distance, the Nightmare pulled back on the chain to give it more power.
The teeth spun faster and started moving toward the injured operative.
Jack still kept seeing stars in his eyes and as he tried to refocus, the giant heavy blur of a shadow was rushing toward him – he ground his feet. But just as the Nightmare, held both hands on the chainsaw and swung it up in a clockwise circle to slice Jack in the head–
He copycatted the Nightmare. And swinging the machete up in a counter-clockwise motion faster than the Nightmare's, Jack raised his machete and–
SLICH!
–sliced off his left arm.
In the two seconds that followed, Jack swooped, spun inwards and drove his blade into the Nightmare's stomach.
And as he faced Hallway 7 with a cold glare, the chainsaw and the limb fell behind him like a thud – and the Nightmare followed.
Jack exhaled angrily and his muscles trembled with excess energy.
He then walked over the three corpses, teeth grinding under his respirator. The hallway was empty and he had to keep going.
He had so many levels to descend, so many hallways to take...
...but not before he pulled out his staff and drove the back end of it into a fire alarm.
Riiiiiiiuuuu...
Then Jack moved and disappeared.
...
Sector 8
BEEEP! BEEEP!
Tooth spun her head around and her hair smacked her cheeks.
Water she suddenly wasn't prepared for started to fall down on her.
"Oh no!"
The fluorescents turned red as the fire alarm went off and as corridors darkened, a male voice (unemotional and modulated) sounded over the blaring sirens.
Fire detected. Fire alarm engaged. Fire detected. Fire alarm engaged.
"Sparks!"
Linae froze.
"Where are you?! We ne–"
Her team member's voice cut out on the complink as something shoved itself into her – then the line went dead and all the female ELF heard was the heavy pitter-patter of the sprinklers showering cold drops onto the hallway.
"Isra?! Mako?!...Shit!" the redhead growled under her breath.
She spun to look at Dean and he caught her wet, conflicted expression. He knew by confident loyalty and rationale that she was still unsure of whether she could trust him or not. She couldn't leave the princess! But her original mission was still in play: protect the south corridor while her three other sister Elves moved west and took down security gate blocking the electrical wires. But they needed help too, and now the corridor was losing visibility thanks to the curtain of water pouring down and–
Suddenly, a recovering Nightmare appeared on her left before she could react. Her eyebrows rose angrily but Dean swooped in and shoved down the assassin's Uzi submachine gun before it fired bullets into the redhead's stomach. Then with a violent yank, he pulled it to his side and when the Nightmare was dragged along with it, he quickly jammed it forward, smashing the back of the gun into the guy's own head.
Linae skirted out of the way and watched as the Nightmare pressed the trigger, even though Dean knew it was coming.
With an unyielding grip, he grabbed the head of the weapon and twisted it above the three of them – the bullets went flying into the ceiling and down on the ground as Dean expertly twisted the gun all the way around and under them. And when the Nightmare flipped onto the floor with it, Dean used the firearm to shoot him in the back of the neck.
He snapped his head up at Linae under his soaking hood.
"Go!" Dean yelled and she blinked out of her train of thought. She glared at him as her red hair clung to her face and her braid started to soak against her green uniform.
His face split with impatience, already guessing why she was in such a state.
"GO!"
After she cast a glance down the hall where she knew the princess and the golden-clad gentleman was, she glared at the green-eyed mole one more time before she took several steps back–
–but not before tossing him a gun from her holster.
When he caught it, she frowned seriously.
"For the princess!" she explained and Dean noticed the impressive amount of rounds it carried before he looked at her.
"I'll tell her, Red, I'll tell her!" he said gruffly and Linae spared his mask (where his green eyes were )one more glance before she tore down the corridor for her team, water kicking up at her boots' heels.
...
As the sprinkler system continued to rain down cold water on all of them, Dean reappeared with a heated gaze. He moved up to Tooth's wet form.
Her leather spy pants were glistening and her hair clung to her face. He didn't stare at her long as he handed her Linae's gun.
Before she could ask about it though, he quickly reached around the back of her neck.
"Hey! What are you–"
Chzsss...
A moment later, Toothiana's gas mask fell off. She gasped in the frigid air as her body went rigid in automatic fear.
"But what about the airborn–"
"This sector's clear!" Dean pushed and that's when she finally realized that his was gone too so his wet face and straight teeth was all she could see between the sprinklers shower. "Can't wear Pitch's inventions for too long or it'll work against you."
Then he turned, and Tooth moved with him and Sanderson.
"What about Age–"
"That ELF chick? Red's going on ahead to help her sisters–"
Tooth's eyes grew wide and angry.
"Sisters! We have to–"
"I know, your high–"
SNAP!
The two turned just in the nick of time to dodge a Nightmare tumbling sideways. When Sandy rolled in his whip again, he gave them a scornful look and waved a couple of hand signs around madly.
Stop talking! was the basic gist Dean got from it–
"Gah!"
Tooth angrily dove out of the way on pure instinct as something dark swooped in for her on her right; but by then her arm got a cut and the thin red line started to appear in her sweater's rip.
Sandy rushed in, but the Nightmare spun to face him and low-kicked him. The SANDMAN fell back a little and tried tucked himself to the side just as Tooth lifted her head and clumsily produced a knife in her other hand.
The Nightmare twirled his blade and tried to smack the handle down hard on Tooth.
"Stand down!"
And Dean kicked into action and shoved him back into the hall with brute force–
...
Sector 13
Jack's boots splashed the water on the concrete and leapt over the debris left by earlier Nightmares. He narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his staff as a shadow appeared at the end of the corridor.
He kept running and running, drawing mental maps, and loosening his muscles for another fight to come. Almost instantly–
SNAP!
He activated the Sheppard's crook at the end of his staff – just as a new shadow rushed for him silently.
With a predatory glare, Jack expertly did a wall jump, making a long leap with the wind at his heels. He then lunged back down at the Nightmare with a 540 roundhouse and ensnared the criminal by the leg.
Jack then dragged him back. Then in a violent twist, Jack pulled the hook up, making the Nightmare fly into the air – he spun at the exact same time and pulled out another concealed blade.
When the man came back down to the floor, Jack brought his blade down onto his stomach and yanked it out quickly before dashing ahead again.
No more blood. No more.
He couldn't leave a blood trail anymore. Good thing the water would wash away his trail, but he really needed to disappear and Sector 13 came to an end, Jack looked up.
A glass platform (the one overlooking the sector's ground floor) welcomed him at the end of the corridor.
Jack tore ahead, making a splash under his boot and his bodysuit look like a phantom in the shower of water.
...
"GO ON WITHOUT ME!" Dean roared over the splashing water as he continued pushing the Nightmare who almost grabbed Tooth, back down another hallway. Dean was larger, but the Nightmare was stronger or somehow just more enraged that the ELF couldn't do anything but hold him back.
With a guttural yell, he shoved him back and lunged for him with his gloves raised.
Tooth and Sandy heard the sounds of a fist fight going on under the sound of the water sprinklers. She chewed her lip again in deep thought and flexed her fingers at her gun holster.
Was her conscience finally showing?
Tooth took a step forward–
–Sanderson grabbed her hand. When she paused to see why, his face was still facing forward down the hall.
His eyes flickered gold and his pupils were shrinking in and out.
And she knew.
Toothiana narrowed her own.
The two said nothing then skirted past him to continue moving down the hall.
Sandy twisted the soundwaves and cut the noise around them, so no Nightmare could hear them...but that also meant–
...
CRASH!
Jack broke the glass floor under him and welcomed himself into Sector 8.
Shards of glass and water droplets rained down like no tomorrow and the new set of Nightmares turned in shock.
His fingers twitched violently and with a sharp inhale, Jack bent down and caught the edge of the ledge. He then flipped down with a tight twist and followed the pieces of glass underneath his feet. One of his fingers started to bleed.
As gravity pulled him under, Jack guided the shards on the current of the wind. Like sharp needles invisible in the rain, they came hard and fast on the Nightmares and the ones not wearing a fully concealed gas mask got cut badly. The rest bounced off like rubber bullets at their padded vests and armour while the glass scratched their goggles and lenses.
Jack exhaled deeply and jumped to smack a vent in the ceiling violently. As it smashed open, he made the air surge with such a powerful gust toward them that they could barely hear the sirens, alarms, or each other through their Bluetooths.
The arch-level Nightmares tried to collect themselves and raise their guns, but Jack swooped in and threw a violent punch combo backed by the force of the wind. One Nightmare caught Jack's last punch and tried to twist him out of it but Jack leapt back a little. And in the tight grip, he performed a powerful side kick that knocked Pitch's hired hitman to the side.
When there was enough space, the Nightmare let go of Jack, the GUARDIAN used the opportunity to twist out of the grip and bent to the side.
Jack touched his fingers to the ground. A moment later–
His gene made his skin slither with the same cold he touched Tooth with and as the fire alarm sprinklers continued to rain down on him, he used the cold wind to freeze the concrete. A flourish of water vapor thick enough to make ice turned the floor slick around him and as he jumped away to avoid the smack from one of the hitmen's weapons, he glided his boots on the ice and slid away under two of them.
By the time they finished fighting against a sudden wind and looked up, he was gone, too fast and too dark to pursue.
And so was one of their gauntlets.
...
Tooth coughed out a violently as the cold rattled her lungs and gripped her throat.
The water kept coming down, soaking her dark turtleneck to the bone, but she didn't stop running. She couldn't!
Her heart was angry, her muscles were quaking, and every shiver running through her made her itching to smack something.
Tooth glared down at Mr. Sanderson as the two of them continued to leave Dean behind and hurry the rest of the way down the hall, down Pitch's playground.
She imagined tiny hands and purple eyes, she imagined ashen skin...She recounted how many bullets she had left in her gun and how each one equated one year of her own life being taken away.
Sandy cracked his whip against the wet concrete floor, making the water droplets bounce up like terrified rubber balls. When nothing made a sound, he clenched his jaw readily.
His gene was crackling.
They started to pick up speed.
Toothiana narrowed her eyes to slits.
"Never submit," she mumbled to herself. "Never submit!"
...
Jack didn't wait. He entered Sector 8 without a thought and tightened his new gauntlet on at his forearm.
The blood was rushing through his ears. He narrowed his eyes and started to walk.
Jack suddenly sensed something coming. A lot of somethings.
...
Tooth felt her adrenaline rise.
She started to pick the pace.
Her gun twitched at her side as she immediately outran her guardian.
...
Jack's strides grew longer, more impatient, and his boots made little to no sound as the fire alarm continued to pound him hard with water droplets.
Not a second later, he lifted his right hand slightly and–
SHIK! The blade attached to the Nightmare gauntlet suddenly shot out from a concealed brace slot, under his wrist.
To hell with the tracker inside. Anything coming for him was going to get run right through.
...
Tooth kept her eyes dead on the end of the hallway, with her gun in both hands. It was pointed down while her fingers stroked the barrel anxiously.
She didn't know why but she suddenly felt her instincts go on alert. Something deadly was coming around the corner. She pulled back on the decocker with a confident CLINCH!
And not giving a second thought, she activated the spike on her boot, making a splash as she stomped the cold concrete faster and faster.
The fire alarm kept going off.
Inhale. Exhale.
Jack's breathing grew rapid. His fast walk turned into a sudden jog, making his hood slip off his head.
Tooth's heart pulsated wildly. She gained speed, her short hair wasn't holding her back.
Inhale. Exhale.
He broke into a sprint.
She felt like she was flying.
Inhale! Exhale!
He narrowed his eyes.
She gritted her teeth.
And as corner of the hallway finally came and the shadows appeared–
Jack violently swung his arm out–
–Tooth lifted her gun at the sight of a blade shining under the water and–
Chapter's soundtrack: "Valse Hot" (Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic) – Shiro Sagisu There are A LOT of kickass, violent, and creepy songs I listen to, but this song shared by bente36 pretty much summed it all up. Thanks!