Hey. It's Vexx. Bash is here too. Say hi, Bash. Ah, nevermind. He's just literally gonna say "Hi Bash."
You know all of those "gun runs" we've been telling Raina that we're going on? Yeah, about that. We've actually been tracking Wren. They're slippery, but we finally got a good lead. While I'd love to be doing this by myself, I'm grateful to have Bash with me. Moral support, and an extra gun, couldn't ask for any more than that.
We descended onto the planet's surface, our footsteps echoing through the barren landscape, another K'Merii wasteland. We set up our small hideout. Hours pass by with no sign of them. "Uno!" Bash whispers. I don't see how he's so good at this game. I spot a flicker of moment — Wren's signature cloak.
"After them," I motion to Bash, who's already moving. As we stalked our prey, my mind stays constant on Raina. She's still recovering, fully unaware of our little vendetta. She'd kill me if she knew what we're up to, risking everything to eliminate Wren. I can't let it slide. Wren has to die.
We track Wren into a shithole town. losing their exact location as we close in. Only bright spot here is a seedy cantina. I recognized the owner. Old acquaintance of mine from those days, has a talent for information.
"Well well, there's a face I haven't seen in a while. What can I do ya for?" she says from behind the bar. I hate that saying. You can't do me for anything. I'm taken, lady, and my fee is too high.
"Just passin' through," I reply, flashing my most charming smile. "Looking for someone."
She rubs her hands together. "I might know something, what's the price, handsome?"
Always the flirt. I lean in, lower my voice to a hushed growl. "Wren's location. And, your life."
Her eyes dart between us, sensing trouble. She's nervous. She always cleans the glassware when she feels threatened. "You're talking about a ghost. Nobody finds Wren unless they want to be found."
"Mar," I warn, "don't fuck with me. I know Wren's been spotted around here. They've betrayed the K'Merii, and you know what that means."
She sighs, pouring herself a shot. "That's not what I've heard," she says with a lilt in her tone. Fuck. I'm losing my touch. I sneer at her and slam my fist down onto her shot glass, shattering it against the counter.
"You really don't want to test me right now." My eyes go cold as I feel myself slipping away. Darkness beckons me as ice creeps into my veins.
"Fine! They're at the old wind farm on the outskirts, past Ca'ina. But Vexx? Be careful. They aren't one to be messed with."
I smile, a cold, calculated smirk. "Neither am I."
Bash and I approach the abandoned wind farm, scanning for signs of life. The turbines stood like skeletal sentinels, their blades creaking in the wind.
"Take point," Bash commands, his gun at the ready. I nod, leading the way through the rusty machinery. Wren's cloak fluttered in the distance, catching on a jagged edge.
"Wren!" I call out, my voice echoing off the turbines. Their figure emerges from the shadows, features illuminated by the fading light. They scan for me, but I'm still hidden. I could have just picked them off easily, but I want them to know, without a shadow of a doubt, who it was who killed them.
"Vexxyyyyy," their voice hisses. Fuck, I hate when they call me that. I advance, my eyes locking on Wren's. I skip the monologue. They know why I'm doing this.
"You shouldn't have come here," Wren spits, their finger fast on the trigger, but I'm faster. My gun fires, the sound rips through the wind farm. Wren's gun flies back, clattering to the ground. A crimson bloom spreads across their palm. "No…" Wren's eyes widen, shock and pain mixing into a moment I've dreamt of for weeks now. My second shot strikes true, hitting Wren exactly where they hit Raina in the abdomen. They stumble back, collapsing against a forklift. The sound of their labored breathing fills the air like a hymn on Sunday.
I kneel beside Wren. "You should have left her out of it."
"She's never going to forgive you for Nerissa." I shoot them in the fucking chest until my magazine is empty. Not the smartest choice, but one I'm not upset with, either. It felt good. Bash and I make quick work of collecting Wren's things. Bash steps forward, ready to do his part. With a swift motion, he unsheathes his combat knife, grasping Wren's ponytail. One swift cut. He's done this before, hasn't he? I watch, detached, as Bash carefully places the head into the cryo-container. The lid closes with a gastric burst, sealing that pretty little head into cryogenic stasis.
I go to take a picture of the head, but Bash holds it up next to his face, then turns to give the container a little kiss. "Oh come on, ew," I groan in protest.
"Take the picture," he moans. I fight to contain a laugh, my hands shaky as I take a blurry photo.
"Ah, that one didn't turn out. Again?"
He licks the container. I shake my head and get the shot this time, probably saving myself from seeing Bash's dick against it in the next frame. I type out "It's done." and text the picture to Calderon. "Come get us."
