Post by blacknazgul on Aug 17, 2008 13:32:05 GMT -5
Author’s Note: Sorry for the long delay and for the shortness of this chapter, but I WILL finish this. There’s a small infamous scene in here, so read at your own discretion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shadows in the Dark
Chapter-06: Defection
Date: April 15, 2046
Time: 01:48:02
Location: Lith Harbor
~Kevin~
The footsteps grew exponentially louder, deafening in his pricked up ears. A cold draft blew through the alley in between the dilapidated harbor warehouses, chilling him to the bone. Kevin pulled his parka tightly around him, staring straight ahead.
When he first appeared, his body was silhouetted against the moonlight behind him, making him appear ominous and evil, making Kevin‘s pulse skyrocket. But as the figure got closer, Kevin’s heart beat calmed down. Kole’s face fell under a feeble streetlight behind them.
“Well, glad to see you all in one piece,” Kole’s deep voice reverberated through the dimly lit alley.
“Glad to see you too,” Mariah replied from behind Kevin, who stood at the forefront.
“What happened back there?” Kevin asked.
“This Vice guy is more than meets the eye,” Kole replied solemnly, “He has more connections than we anticipated.”
Kevin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was not like the Birds to miss information as crucial as this.
“Calm down, Frog,” Kole continued, eyeing Kevin’s expression, “There is no need to panic. We just need to be better prepared from now on and more vigilant than ever. As I always like to say, Constant Vigilance.”
Kevin heard Mariah sigh quietly and knew she was rolling her eyes.
“Where to we go now?” Dee chirped up from the back.
“Well, seeing as how The Vice escaped, we should be tracking him down shouldn’t we? Renault is parked on Oceanic Avenue due east of our position. We’ll set up a temporary mobile HQ with him and monitor your situations. I trust you still have all your weapons?”
Kevin reached behind him and pulled out his Desert Phoenix from the back of his pants and nodded, “The only one…”
“Very well,” Kole smiled warmly, “I will be keeping a constant eye on you.” Before he turned away, Kole’s eyes lingered on Mariah and Matt. Kevin snickered to himself.
“As for you,” Kole started again, looking directly at Mariah, “Do what you see fit.” With a nod, he disappeared.
The alley was empty save the four of them now. Another chilly breeze rustled the dust in between the decrepit walls. Kevin turned back to look at Mariah, “What do we do now?”
Mariah’s eyebrows furled in irritation, “There is no ‘we’,” she spat, “You are not coming with me. We’re to fan out and sweep the entire city for The Vice. Mission over mind.”
“I meant about Matt,” Kevin stated bluntly, slightly annoyed.
That stopped Mariah in her tracks. They all knew what Kole meant by doing what Mariah saw fit. There was a painstaking silence that muffled Kevin’s ears as he carefully watched Mariah’s sapphire eyes stare directly at the ground, pondering. Finally, she closed her eyelids and sighed deeply, “I’ll take care of it. You two go. Now.”
Kevin nodded to Dee and they both turned in opposite directions. As he rounded the corner of the warehouse and came into sight of the beach, he heard Dee disappear with a tiny pop. Not a second later, there was a silenced gunshot.
Date: April 15, 2046
Time: 01:53:56
Location: Lith Harbor
Matt
She pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the bullet burst out like a horse from the starting gate. The Desert Phoenix kicked back a few centimeters as a golden bullet cartridge clicked out of the chamber and clattered to the ground. The bullet seared through the freezing night air and imbedded itself into the concrete walls of the warehouse in front of her.
Matt opened his eyes, his breath ragged and shallow. His fear immediately transformed into an expression of confusion.
Mariah looked down, a cold fire burning in her eyes, “I… I can’t do it…”
“Oh thank God…” Matt sighed in relief, feeling the danger pass. He strode forwards and reached out when suddenly, Mariah’s hand shot forwards and grasped his wrist tightly.
“Don’t touch me…” Mariah threatened coldly, emphasizing each word clearly.
Matt looked down at her vice like grip and replied in a bemused voice, “Au contraire, you’re the one touching me.”
Mariah seemed to shake herself out of a daze and immediately dropped his hand and backed away. Her breathing was deep and painful, like something was lodged in her throat.
“So this is what it was all about?” Matt’s voice ringed in her ears, “You were going to kill me when you came to my apartment?”
Mariah didn’t answer, but simply stared at Matt’s face with glistening sapphire eyes.
“So let’s see, your plan got foiled when the mobsters crashed our little party right? Then you took me on a wild goose chase for this Vice guy, and yet he got away. Another plan foiled. And you call yourself an assassin…” Matt started forwards again, but this time, did not flinch when Mariah whipped her pistol up at his face.
“Stay back,” Mariah warned in a shaky voice.
“I’ve only hear rumors about a guild of assassins in Lith Harbor,” Matt continued, still advancing, “But I never believed it. Then I saw one of your men perched atop a mobster meeting, and I knew immediately there was more to Lith than meets the eye.”
“I’m warning you…” Mariah continued to back away, her weapon still raised.
“I don’t know much about you people, but I can tell, despite your many blunders,” he added scathingly, “that you’re too deadly for the city. I should arrest you right now and take you away for life. I mean, look at all the collateral damage from the warehouse explosion. You obviously have no care for innocent bystanders.”
“Matt…” Mariah said, almost pleading.
“But for some reason, you cannot kill me. This I find interesting. Only a few hours. I wonder…” Matt finished, now only a foot away from Mariah’s shaking body.
He took the last remaining step in less than a second and before she knew it, Matt’s lips were pressed firmly against hers. Bracing himself for the hit, Matt was surprised when Mariah allowed him to kiss her like this. He even heard the astonishing clack of the Desert Phoenix as it dropped from her hand to the concrete ground below. Matt smiled to himself and let himself go further.
He slid his lips down to Mariah’s neck, and a soft moan reached her throat. Matt pressed Mariah’s back to the wall and she hitched her legs around his waist. His hands slid up her black low-cut sweater to the small of her back and pulled her close to him. He kissed her furiously, not even thinking of the consequences that would follow.
Suddenly, she pushed away, unable to look Matt in the eye. He stepped back and smiled triumphantly.
“This… this never happened…” Mariah gasped, trying to catch her breath.
“Oh yes it did,” Matt replied gleefully.
“NO!” Mariah shouted uncontrollably, but then she caught herself, “No, it did not.” Without another word, she bent down to pick up her fallen weapon and stuffed it into the back of her black jeans and walked away.
“Where are you going?” Matt called out, surprised that she did not pull him along.
“To look for The Vice,” Mariah replied, not turning to look at him.
“What about me?” Matt asked incredulously.
“F*** you.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shadows in the Dark
Chapter-06: Defection
Date: April 15, 2046
Time: 01:48:02
Location: Lith Harbor
~Kevin~
The footsteps grew exponentially louder, deafening in his pricked up ears. A cold draft blew through the alley in between the dilapidated harbor warehouses, chilling him to the bone. Kevin pulled his parka tightly around him, staring straight ahead.
When he first appeared, his body was silhouetted against the moonlight behind him, making him appear ominous and evil, making Kevin‘s pulse skyrocket. But as the figure got closer, Kevin’s heart beat calmed down. Kole’s face fell under a feeble streetlight behind them.
“Well, glad to see you all in one piece,” Kole’s deep voice reverberated through the dimly lit alley.
“Glad to see you too,” Mariah replied from behind Kevin, who stood at the forefront.
“What happened back there?” Kevin asked.
“This Vice guy is more than meets the eye,” Kole replied solemnly, “He has more connections than we anticipated.”
Kevin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was not like the Birds to miss information as crucial as this.
“Calm down, Frog,” Kole continued, eyeing Kevin’s expression, “There is no need to panic. We just need to be better prepared from now on and more vigilant than ever. As I always like to say, Constant Vigilance.”
Kevin heard Mariah sigh quietly and knew she was rolling her eyes.
“Where to we go now?” Dee chirped up from the back.
“Well, seeing as how The Vice escaped, we should be tracking him down shouldn’t we? Renault is parked on Oceanic Avenue due east of our position. We’ll set up a temporary mobile HQ with him and monitor your situations. I trust you still have all your weapons?”
Kevin reached behind him and pulled out his Desert Phoenix from the back of his pants and nodded, “The only one…”
“Very well,” Kole smiled warmly, “I will be keeping a constant eye on you.” Before he turned away, Kole’s eyes lingered on Mariah and Matt. Kevin snickered to himself.
“As for you,” Kole started again, looking directly at Mariah, “Do what you see fit.” With a nod, he disappeared.
The alley was empty save the four of them now. Another chilly breeze rustled the dust in between the decrepit walls. Kevin turned back to look at Mariah, “What do we do now?”
Mariah’s eyebrows furled in irritation, “There is no ‘we’,” she spat, “You are not coming with me. We’re to fan out and sweep the entire city for The Vice. Mission over mind.”
“I meant about Matt,” Kevin stated bluntly, slightly annoyed.
That stopped Mariah in her tracks. They all knew what Kole meant by doing what Mariah saw fit. There was a painstaking silence that muffled Kevin’s ears as he carefully watched Mariah’s sapphire eyes stare directly at the ground, pondering. Finally, she closed her eyelids and sighed deeply, “I’ll take care of it. You two go. Now.”
Kevin nodded to Dee and they both turned in opposite directions. As he rounded the corner of the warehouse and came into sight of the beach, he heard Dee disappear with a tiny pop. Not a second later, there was a silenced gunshot.
Date: April 15, 2046
Time: 01:53:56
Location: Lith Harbor
Matt
She pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the bullet burst out like a horse from the starting gate. The Desert Phoenix kicked back a few centimeters as a golden bullet cartridge clicked out of the chamber and clattered to the ground. The bullet seared through the freezing night air and imbedded itself into the concrete walls of the warehouse in front of her.
Matt opened his eyes, his breath ragged and shallow. His fear immediately transformed into an expression of confusion.
Mariah looked down, a cold fire burning in her eyes, “I… I can’t do it…”
“Oh thank God…” Matt sighed in relief, feeling the danger pass. He strode forwards and reached out when suddenly, Mariah’s hand shot forwards and grasped his wrist tightly.
“Don’t touch me…” Mariah threatened coldly, emphasizing each word clearly.
Matt looked down at her vice like grip and replied in a bemused voice, “Au contraire, you’re the one touching me.”
Mariah seemed to shake herself out of a daze and immediately dropped his hand and backed away. Her breathing was deep and painful, like something was lodged in her throat.
“So this is what it was all about?” Matt’s voice ringed in her ears, “You were going to kill me when you came to my apartment?”
Mariah didn’t answer, but simply stared at Matt’s face with glistening sapphire eyes.
“So let’s see, your plan got foiled when the mobsters crashed our little party right? Then you took me on a wild goose chase for this Vice guy, and yet he got away. Another plan foiled. And you call yourself an assassin…” Matt started forwards again, but this time, did not flinch when Mariah whipped her pistol up at his face.
“Stay back,” Mariah warned in a shaky voice.
“I’ve only hear rumors about a guild of assassins in Lith Harbor,” Matt continued, still advancing, “But I never believed it. Then I saw one of your men perched atop a mobster meeting, and I knew immediately there was more to Lith than meets the eye.”
“I’m warning you…” Mariah continued to back away, her weapon still raised.
“I don’t know much about you people, but I can tell, despite your many blunders,” he added scathingly, “that you’re too deadly for the city. I should arrest you right now and take you away for life. I mean, look at all the collateral damage from the warehouse explosion. You obviously have no care for innocent bystanders.”
“Matt…” Mariah said, almost pleading.
“But for some reason, you cannot kill me. This I find interesting. Only a few hours. I wonder…” Matt finished, now only a foot away from Mariah’s shaking body.
He took the last remaining step in less than a second and before she knew it, Matt’s lips were pressed firmly against hers. Bracing himself for the hit, Matt was surprised when Mariah allowed him to kiss her like this. He even heard the astonishing clack of the Desert Phoenix as it dropped from her hand to the concrete ground below. Matt smiled to himself and let himself go further.
He slid his lips down to Mariah’s neck, and a soft moan reached her throat. Matt pressed Mariah’s back to the wall and she hitched her legs around his waist. His hands slid up her black low-cut sweater to the small of her back and pulled her close to him. He kissed her furiously, not even thinking of the consequences that would follow.
Suddenly, she pushed away, unable to look Matt in the eye. He stepped back and smiled triumphantly.
“This… this never happened…” Mariah gasped, trying to catch her breath.
“Oh yes it did,” Matt replied gleefully.
“NO!” Mariah shouted uncontrollably, but then she caught herself, “No, it did not.” Without another word, she bent down to pick up her fallen weapon and stuffed it into the back of her black jeans and walked away.
“Where are you going?” Matt called out, surprised that she did not pull him along.
“To look for The Vice,” Mariah replied, not turning to look at him.
“What about me?” Matt asked incredulously.
“F*** you.”
