▃ ⓁⓄⒸⓀⒺ -- city in the skye -- Korr&Felix Only

[Korrye]

[S t o r y:] Korrye & [Bang Bang]
[G r a p h i c s:] deviantart
[C r e d i t s:] Fictional plot inspired by a variety of medias.


[ ⓁⓄⒸⓀⒺ ] is a scientific role-play that corals together myself and [Bang Bang]. Please do not post here. You are, however, free to read. Do not pm either of us asking to join. Intentionally this is a one on one. Thanks so much and have a nice day.

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Shallow. That was how many people described the Arian leader. But these were the people who saw him in the government, the one side of his face. In truth it was all an honest façade. Nathanial Loh was a hybrid who cared deeply for his race, cared for their very survival. So when he was attacked by a human, known to his coalition leader as a violent offender (yet he was not apprehended) Nathanial realized that his people were in danger. In the back of his mind had always lingered the idea that his position in government was merely a cover to get good with the people. Following his attack and blinded permanently in one eye Nathanial turned angrily to his government’s criminal investigation and protection agency (CIPAA – the latter for Arians alone) and demanded that they keep tabs on their fellow race. They were being tracked and attacked. Missing persons cases were popping up left right and center. The humans were slowly taking them out, This was what Nathanial Loh believed.

Misunderstanding. That was what lead to his fellow coalition leader’s angry surveillance. Gregory Wells knew better than to try and kill his fellow leader. After all, he was good with the people. Why would he risk his position? No, Greg was not a racist. What had happened was accidental, what ensued were strained relations. As a human leader Greg was highly intelligent, a genius in relative terms. However he was no faster than the average man and physically he appeared young. But he was smart and he knew how to rule a continent. At least that was what the city of Locke had become, divided as if it were a country instead of a floating colony above a post apocalyptic world. It had been a thousand years since any person had set foot on real ground. Since then they had been living above the clouds. Like any other being he was well rehearsed in the history of his world. But more than that he understood a deeply troubling fact. Science.

To ensure their survival in a level of atmosphere with low oxygen, had gingerly split the human race into two. Half remained humans, ably living on lower levels of oxygen while the others gave birth to the Arians, humans with wings and hollow bones. The compound had been used from various genetic ribbons taken from assorted birds. Unfortunately for those who took to the compounds extra ribbons they gave birth to human hybrids. More than that, five hundred years later and the Arians rivaled the humans in numbers demanding rights as if they had been oppressed. And in truth they had been but now Greg knew of something that jeopardized his society in the sky. The secret had been held too long. While Nathanial took the attack on his life personally Greg was left to wait for the backlash.

But it was not the leaders who were fighting with one another. And although they led two, now, very distinct races the war was brewing amongst the organizations. Nathanial’s CIPAA’s elite black ops were suddenly being shipped out to hunt those who posed a significant risk to the Arian race and their own secrets. Amongst them Aleks Connally, a contract assassin forced into the agencies grasp where she works at the top of the pack. The hunted is Gregory’s dirty little secret, a man whose condition could shake the very foundations of the Arian race.


[I N D E X]

1..................Preamble

[[Bang Bang]]

More and more events seemed to be swinging out of Cade's favor. First, there was the death of his mother a few months back, the only known family member he had left. Since as long as he could remember, it had just been them two. His mother was the reason he had gotten as far as he had and when she passed, everything else began to crumble along side it. Cade had already been enlisted with Locke's Militia. He spent five years, serving loyally for both Avians and Human's alike. Once all of civilization moved to the skies, wars seemed to die down. The human race was cut down to about the size of a single first world country. The army had no other purpose but to take up the job of what the planet would remember as, 'the police.' However, they turned the job more into a 'swat team' type of position. Crime was now handled with extreme consequences, almost cutting out the right to court, entirely. In fact, it was such a dramatic change that crime rates subsided to a little more then 9% of what it used to be. What could you expect when you assigned a soldier to do the job of an officer? Hand guns changed to rifles, knight sticks changed to daggers, and tasers were replaced with grenades. This was where Cade's life resided. He was trained just like any other soldier was, then released out into the world. He obeyed orders without question, understanding that what he was apart of was greater then himself. It all became monotonous after three years of working, though. Before he could even start to fantasize about a better life, the Locke Militia announced a way out. At least, that's what it seemed like to Cade. They called it 'studies on the post apocalyptic human evolution' which was just short for a few days out of every month to sit in a doctor's office, give blood here and there, go through some x-rays, maybe turn your head and cough, and in return, be paid double your salary for four years. All for some stupid x-rays.

Cade jumped on the wagon, immediately. And without a doubt, it was the worst mistake of his life. The only thing he remembered about the last year of his life was entering the doctor's office and waiting to be called on. When he woke up, he was laying in an alley, without any identification or idea of where he was. Out of instinct, he headed towards his mother's house to find it had been bought by a family of four. Cade tried to enter his apartment but noticed that he had no keys to get in. When he looked at the list of current tenants, his name was no where to be found. What shocked him most was that when he showed up at his station, no one knew who he was. No matter how many times he asked, the only response he would get was that they had no record of an 'evolutionary study' nor did they have any record of a Mr. Ronin Cade even enlisting in the army. Cade was dropped flat on his face, and had no idea where to even start. The more time that passed, the more he began to realize that he had no existence at all. There was no mail with his name on it, no four year pay checks running in, no birth certificate, and no proof he ever lived. As the truth began to pile up, the frustration got to his head and caused him to act out irrationally. Cade attempted robbing a food store, in order to eat that night. When the Locke Militia arrived with their Eye-dentity scanners, they were baffled speechless. Eye-dentity scanners, created almost sixty years ago, counting, were created to identify every last civilian of Locke, with a quick beam of light which scanned the iris. Cade's iris was the very first to never show an identity. You see, even secret society groups had an identity. Even if it was a fake name, it was still an identity. This new situation, made the Militia go berserk. Cade jumped from bottom of the food chain to most wanted man in Locke with one quick flash of light. If he wasn't trained in the same ways as the men chasing him, he wouldn't have been able to escape. That, and a strange ability that's seemed to develop with the more time that passes.

Today, Cade has learned to stay away from places too public or areas where he know's Militia like to roam. A man once bored with his life, would kill to get it back. What he's not aware of is that his name does in fact exist beyond his own mind. However, it's no where he wants it to be. The name, Ronin Cade can be found within the newest 'file' of the CIPAA. A society Cade doesn't even know about. As of now, his biggest concern is the night which has just dawned over the city. Raising up from the dirty floor he had been resting on, Cade dusted himself off. His clothes were all tattered and worn down, but it was what he had to manage with until he could steal himself some more clothes. Cade had just woken up from a dirty alley yet again. He had forgotten the feel of a bed, after so long of absence. This one, was behind a duel store and apartment, to the owner of both. The man was kind enough to let Cade take baths with actual warm water, about once a week. In return, Cade helped with loading and unloading the man's shipments when they came in. They never actually exchanged words; Cade had refrained from talking much since he went into hiding. However, it was the closest thing he had to a purpose that he could find. Without it, he'd have either been dead already or insane. For a couple weeks now. Food was another story. If he wanted to eat, Cade had to go find some or steal some. Both were very risky because food was always located somewhere populated. The search for nutrients wasn't a necessary one, just yet, though. Instead, Cade would try his luck at some solitaire. He found the deck of cards recently, and it had become his new obsession. It passed the time like nothing else he knew. Cade wandered towards the back door of the store that Oliver, the store owner, was working at. It was too early to go in and hope for a free ration. The young man took a seat on the wooden crate leaning against the wall of the building and laid eight different sized decks of cards on his lap. Already, he was losing focus of all else.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

The janitor of society. That was Aleks Connally. Karma was a b***h when you were a professional killer. Then again, you had to expect that the higher power of the world (whatever Its name was now) wouldn’t favor those who took lives. It wasn’t at all that she enjoyed it though. No, Aleks wasn’t a sociopath in any shape or form. Instead she was an Arian, have human half bird, hired by the Loh CIPAA to hunt and track down potential threats –a form of black operations if you will. But in dumbed down terms she was in a kill squad, the asset who did the dirty work. The bloodshed. The cleaning up and the shipping out. Unlike others she performed all of those tasks herself. In a way she despised teamwork but in simpler terms she just couldn’t trust anyone else to get the job done right. This was why she was at the top. After five years of training, desensitization and torture she had proven herself to be the one they wanted in the field, above the law, doing as they said. ******** democracy and political bullshit. Aleks did what they wanted and no one else had to know about it. At twenty five she was young. Very young. The people she competed against were older. Think it like this, the average age for a person to die now was around 130. She was young to them all. Contract assassins were usually in their thirties. To them she was the baby who followed orders. Sometimes it felt like they all thought her to a brainless object passed around from leader to leader like a personal shield. But she was no object. She was an Arian, a declared person, whose false identity was named Dahlia Lee, bartender at the Indigo and Blue hotel. Clean record and dating a network producer for live action news. That was it came up in the system. But of course she was nothing like that.

Instead she was twenty five, born into the slums where she got into trouble at sixteen for stealing a breadstick for a homeless man. No parents, no siblings. She had always been alone with her grandfather and when push came to shove he let her go into the system. Child care wasn’t exactly essential in life, it had been cut from the budget years ago. Aleks Connally didn’t get foster care, she got a government group home. There she would get an education and daily chores. No you may wonder how a government group home would spit out a professional assassin. It didn’t, what happened was coincidental. An agent was making rounds, profiling youngsters. Sent by Loh to all of the government group homes (which existed in large numbers because families couldn’t often support a child) he was searching for candidates for the CIPAA black ops programs. Teach ‘em young was the motto. Aleks fell into that candidacy as perfect as one could expect. She had few friends, no family, no connections and she was born into the bottom of society. To many she simply didn’t exist. So she was taken by the arm, given a general inspection and shipped off to boot camp. At eighteen she was in the Arian army, strong and tactical. A year later she was discharged for misconduct. A little bar fight with the lieutenant hadn’t gone over well. Long story short, he died because he was a pervert. So Aleks left the program, even though she wasn’t supposed to, and took up work in the slums. The crime rates there were low but even so there were crimes that were left to fester, the leaf left unturned. In any place where crime occurred it was the slums which more often than not weren’t patrolled. So Aleks took it upon herself to straighten many out. She had the training for it so why not dive into the life of vigilante? For awhile it worked, Aleks ‘took care of’ wife abusing men, rapists and thieves in a way that it looked to be suicide or accidental. Boot camp paid off but it was short lived. Eventually she’d attacked a leading architect for his parallel life of cheating people of their homes and money. That was when the CIPAA caught onto her and when they found her. Kidnapped in the late of night she was officially inducted into black ops. More like forced really because it took torture, drugs and the threat of an excruciating death for her to concede. We’ll skip those details for now.

So by then she was twenty. It was five years later now. It was funny to think that they’d lost track of her for awhile. The thoughts came back to her as she stood on the rooftop of the expansive Moire Flat building, an impressive collection of Locke’s elite which now included herself. Staring out over the horizon all she could see the network and mishmash of metal and false greenery, industry buildings and food producing greenhouses. Awhile ago she’d been shown pictures of the world below, on land and one that she had never known. A human girl had had it, saying that she’d found it buried in a library amongst other ancient stories. She’d been maybe, what, six? But it had still appealed to her although the sky was her home. Breaking her thought was the sight of a flock, maybe eight or nine Arian’s flying as back silhouettes in the sky. The sight of the feathers made her twitch her own. The twenty-five foot wingspan molded to her bone structure (she was sixth generation) were jet black, sleek and impeccable. Folded against her back she ached to stretch them, thus was she was outside. It only took her a few sections to shift herself away from any exhaust pipes and stretch out the feathered extensions, relaxing with a deep breath. At about 5’11 she was only one hundred and ten pounds due to the fact that her bones were hollow. Inside she was different but outside (aside from her monstrous wings) Aleks Connally was human. She had a spray of freckles across her nose, brown eyes and long wavy brown hair. Her skin was tanned from the endless hours in the sky and her clothing was often boyish yet styled. And although she focused on herself during these moments she had little time to enjoy a little wind blowing through her feathers. The door to the rooftop opened and an agent appeared wearing large aviator sunglasses and a formal suit of the time. His own wings were a mishmash of brown and tan but his frumpy mouth gave away that he was there to collect and deliver her to headquarters.

“You have a new assignment,” he muttered. Aleks folded her wings at the end of his sentence, the suddenly movement creating a gust of wind. Tucked into her back as tightly as she could they layered neatly overtop of her crimson trenchcoat which flared at her neck, open in the front with slits in the back for her wings. Underneath was her formal attire, long faring dress pants and a white collared (not to mention tight) shirt with the pro-Arian emblem over her heart. The coat just accented it all. On her feet were heeled black boots typical to a day at work. This was office attire after all. Never on earth would she fly in it. When she was tracking someone she was another person entirely. Following the grunt into the stairwell Aleks remained silent, the click of her footwear resonating through the metal walls. The treck led them to the elevator which they rode to the bottom where she was met with a town car. The sedan was Government Issue; few cars were permitted to exist. Climbing into the back she slipped into the seat and let the driver go while in the company of a babysitter just in case, quote, ‘she did anything funny’ end quote. According to them she could be volatile, not that she cared what anyone thought of her. It was just annoying to have someone with her when she wasn’t on the job. It was all just a ploy to make her want to work more and more often.

The car took her to the CIPAA headquarters where she was permitted entrance, scanned and pocked and prodded to prove her identity. It was a process that mirrored a very old movie, Ultra Violet? Painful as it was it kept out anyone they didn’t want. So she proceeded, rubbing her wrists from the needle incisions, until she was brought into the debating room where a flurry of people was running around concerned. Rarely did this happen. The entire area was like a mad office floor and the United Nations combined. Cubicles, desks and filing cabinets where established in circles which slowly declined to the very center where Nathanial Loh himself and the leader of the squad were debating. Surrounding them on exactly half of the available wall space were projection and holographic screens displaying live camera feeds, old ones, a photo of one human and the information that they had on him. This was the latest target and as Aleks stared it over she saw little. And there was never minimal information on a target. The government knew everything.

That was a week ago.

For once in her life Aleks Connally was frustrated with her job. Flustered because they didn’t have a clue where their target was and pissed off that someone like him could exist. The system was in place because it worked. Something was wrong and her gut made a rolling motion as she patrolled an area on foot, milling in the crowds and scanning faces. Dressed in street clothes, nothing but tight jeans and a body tight white shirt, she fit in. The district cameras had caught sight of his face three days ago unloading boxes for a local. The local had already been detained while his facilities ran on as was usual. Now it was only a matter of waiting for him to possibly show up. Maybe he would? All the while she was starving. Requiring an enormous amount of calories a day she sat herself down at a noodle bar ordering the regular. The district had been created by the former human Asian race yet their food was still popular. Aleks didn’t mind it herself.

White hair, approximately 5’11 and well built he was a dodger. That was his description. So the plan was for him to dodge into her and take him in. Not out, no. They wanted this one alive because they had no idea how he wasn’t in the system. Aleks was just doing her job that way. Though rarely was she ever assigned to tracking and capturing. This was an exception, Loh had stressed this to her. If a human is not in the system than something was wrong within the opposing party. “They’re cheating,” he claimed. And the words came back to her as her order went through and cook threw together ingredients and fresh soup.

“Just one moment,” the cook stressed and Aleks stepped aside with her cunning face, plastering on a false smile while he took the next customers order despite the fact that hers had not been fulfilled.

“Not at all,” she responded, stepping out for a moment with a sigh. A morning rush, figures. Leaning against the wall of the noodle bar she scanned the people milling about the man’s apartment complex and bar. What caught her sight was a flash of white hair, hidden behind the constant flow of people. How had she missed that! Tensing she stood up straight and began cutting through people, trying to get closer. It was him! Checking herself she flowed with the crowd of people again, walking past him and pausing a few steps away. Huddled over a desk of cards she recognized the popular game. It wasn’t for two though which forced her to alter her approach.

Turning to face him Aleks stared first at his cards looking at the numbers and then the suits.

“Solitaire, right?” she said calmly. Her voice was soothing and gentle. A kind face amongst a harsh world. All just for him. “Try putting the jack of diamonds on the queen of hearts. Then the slot opens and you can put the king there.”

Play him. Push him to believe that she was a good person. Her face told him everything she wanted him to believe. Bored she was stopping him help him with his game. All the while she took in his state. Tired, worn clothes. Probably a lack of food because his figure seemed thinner already than what she had seen in the photos. So who was he? Aleks smiled and waited for a response. Maybe he would take her genuinely but he could also be startled. It was all a waiting game.


• • • • • • • • • • •

[[Bang Bang]]

The game went well. From the start, Cade had felt lucky about his movements. He put down cards where ever he saw the chance, slightly anxious to get a victory. He usually tried his hardest to not cheat himself out of a win, simply because it ended up frustrating himself. When he was playing a game against himself, it was hard to get any satisfaction, knowing you didn't play by the rules. Six of spades over the seven of hearts. The young man coughed hoarsely. He could feel in his chest, a long fit of coughs, trying to break free for air, but he held it back. For a while now, Cade had obtained a very bad cold. It gave him headaches, made him grow weak for days at a time, and sometimes even made him cough up blood. It got better and worse, all the time. Sometimes, Cade just had to hope for a good day. This cold of his brought on something that was worse then all the symptoms combined, though. Just the thought made Cade grab at the straps wrapped over his arms. The straps which held the backpack he always wore, no matter where he went. Next card, a four of clubs. Cade's cards were all worn and used, just like him. The corners were bent and some cards had thick white crease lines running straight through them. He was missing an ace of spades, which he had replaced with a white piece of paper he tore out to fit the shape. This area wasn't too populated, most of the time, which allowed Cade to relax a little bit more. One particular area he had over looked were the district cameras. He knew they were around the city but never took them seriously enough to search around the shop, and try to find one. A sad mistake. Searching through the deck, Cade found a deuce of clubs. In another game still played, the deuce of clubs was the lowest card of use and was considered bad luck. Although this wasn't poker, it still made Cade stop for a moment and think about it. He placed the card over one of his aces, to get it out of the way. He drew another card, but before he could scan his eyes over it, someone had read it for him.

“Solitaire, right?” The voice was that of a woman's. It was gentle, like a breeze against your skin or a soothing smell. Cade, whose head was still down, tilted a little to his left, where the voice came from. His eyes stared at her feet, for a moment. “Try putting the jack of diamonds on the queen of hearts. Then the slot opens and you can put the king there.” Cade's head raised, but instead of meeting with the speaker, he started glancing out at the street. His eyes looked for any faces looking in his direction. Anyone who was idly standing around, or glancing over for even a brief moment. If this was a different approach from the Locke Militia, then this girl would have come with back up, in disguise. No one seemed particular suspicious though, causing Cade's guard to shoot through the roof. He finally stripped his eyes from his surroundings and looked the girl in the eyes. She had been looking at him the entire time. Her ears were in no way covered so she wasn't hiding a wire or link from headquarters and she didn't seem like she was heavily equipped. She smelled like noodles. Food. Just the thought got his stomach to start up, cutting the time he had until hunger overwhelmed him in half. She was a fast thinker, that much was true. With one glance at his game, she had jumped three steps ahead. And she was also quiet, because he hadn't noticed her presence until she chose to make it known. She may not have given any signs of suspicion but Cade didn't feel safe enough to take a chance. Her strongest feature was the pair of wings on her back. Cade almost wanted to reach out and grab at them. What he'd do if he actually could, he didn't even know. Cade hadn't seen a pair of wings in such a long time. This was a human district. If an avian made their way here, they were just passing. Her wings, in particular, were black and folded up which didn't give him any help in deciding their approximate size. The idea of wings made Cade uncomfortable.

One hand lifted up to his backpack strap and tugged at it, securing it. He didn't really remember what she had said earlier, but he nodded as if he did. Then, with both hands, he started to pick his cards up and stack them all together. Unfortunately, he was too much in a rush to grab all of them. Six or seven cards fell to the floor when he rose up to his feet. Cade gave the girl one last glance before he started to head deeper into the alleyway. While he walked, he coughed once more, this time bringing his hands up over his face. Raspy gasps for air hollowed through his throat. He was curious to see what her reaction then, would be. Any signs of clinging would give him enough of a reason to take off into the night and reposition himself despite the fact that he didn't want to leave the man's store.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

The sounds of life seemed to peel through her ears while she waited for any form of response. Outwardly she still smiled, waiting to see if he would follow through on her move. He was close to winning, that was true, but he seemed to stop clinging to a two of spades like it was an omen. In a sense it was because she was lurking over her shoulder pretending to a kind girl when really she was killer. At first he didn’t seem to look at Aleks, instead glancing out at the crowds. So, he was as smart as they said. But if she had a team he would have been cornered already. Instead she was bonding with him. In a sense she was a different form of hunter. Befriend the prey then take them out. The method seemed to be working but when Cade finally looked up at her the first thing he saw was over her shoulder, the massive dark curve of her wings. ********. Had she had white wings then things may well have played out differently. Instead she felt his sudden tension and the ideal serenity of another place. Her method was blown. Aleks watched as he gingerly touched the strap of a backpack, one that was worn. When his stomach gargled she heard it and when he rose the first thing she followed were the seven cards that fell to the ground. For a bum he was in a hurry. While he nodded and left she bent down to retrieve the worn papers, bent and dirty but suitable to any good game. Holding them in her hand she looked back at him, watching him before lowering her gaze solemnly to the cards. In a world as small as theirs they would meet again. Aleks stood there the lone still figure amongst a moving crowd. Watching the back of his head she waited to see if he would turn to see if he was being followed. What she saw was different; he doubled over to cough into his arm.

Illness was like the plague in their world. Harsh as the common cold could be she noticed something different in him. Honest pain. Slowly she bent down to the wooden crate where he was sitting and rubbed her fingers along the wood before placing six of the seven cards inside. The seventh, that infallible deuce, she pocketed and returned to the noodle bar where her bowl was prepared and steaming on an overhead tray.

“Chi,” she smiled. “I’m back. What was that, fifty gold?”

The currency, although named gold, was a new form of money. While she sat herself at a stool and dug into the meal history lessons played over in her mind. In the original continent, when they were still protected by a plastic bubble and raw oxygen, currencies in play had been any form of honest money from the previous world below. They were all declared equal. It wasn’t until five years afterwards that the government decided to introduce a new form of currency so as to get rid of the old worn bills. The thought came to her partly because of what she had said but partly because of the worn appearance of her target.

“Yes, ma’am,” the cook responded startled that she knew him by name.

Aleks didn’t seem to care that he became uneasy; instead she dug into her food. Unfortunately one bowl of noodles wasn’t going to do her any good. When she finished it was only ten minutes later, pushing the empty bowl to back to the cook and paying her tip, pulling out bills from her back pocket. It was at that point that she turned and looked back at the crate, unhappy about the circumstances. Loh wouldn’t be happy that she was playing this one slow. Neither would the chief. But this guy was smart and Aleks had to push him in a way she didn’t for any other. Taking the deuce with her she walked herself into a relatively open alleyway before taking off, expanding her wings and flapping them hard so that she was above most rooftops in a few sweeps. Catching a mild wind she glided, carrying herself level so that she could look below. It was then that she flicked a hand up into her right ear pushing her pinky up into the cartridge and pressing on a communicator toned to her skin.

“Code in,” came the electronic voice.

“This is Aleks Connally, asset 0-0-9-3-5-2 coding in Everest.”

“Status obliged. Transfer pending.”

“Good news I hope?”

“I’ve talk to a positive match. I’m sending you something he’s touched for finger print analysis. Match it and get back to me as to whether or not it’s him. Otherwise I’ll need it back.”

"You let him off? Corner of eleventh and fifth in Aurae. Conrad will be pick and delivery.”

“I won’t be leaving here. Tell your agent he can pick up the evidence. So far as I can tell Ronin won’t be leaving his slums. My wings intimidated him. I can’t follow a man who knows what the book says.”

The line went dead which was frustrating knowing that they had no desire to acknowledge her intentions. They were messed up people interfering with a job that wouldn’t go right unless she had it her way. And even then Aleks was forced to keep herself in check. Instead of returning to the district she landed at a distinct shopping and gaming center, entering the Arian business and purchasing what she required.

Half an hour later she took her pit-stop at the drop. Entering a lonely bar with a tall, black, bald Arian with reddish brown wings Aleks conducted the political part of her assignment. You can’t track unless you have confirmation that it’s the right person. They sat at the very back in the low lit restaurant. While the air reeked of expensive cigars and liquor she passed him the card. Conrad examined it in the dim light before taking out a slim hand held device from his pocket and pressed the card against it letting it be scanned. The device read which prints were present on the surface coming up with two faces. Dahlia Lee was first to appear but underneath it was the minimal profile of Cade Ronin.

“You have your man,” Conrad grunted, returning the card to her.

“Thank you for the obvious,” she rose to stand, rubbing her bare arms. Although in the sky the temperature was volatile, changing often. At least they didn’t have to deal with weather, whatever that meant. She’d heard the term somewhere before, not that she was concerned with it. Nodding to Conrad she turned to leave only to have the bulky babysitter grab a hold of her forearm.

“I have distinct instructions to make a delivery,” he grunted. Aleks stood still for a moment feeling the pressure of his grip against her muscle. Sizing him up she judged him to have bulk on her. But he was an Arian and one could only be so heavy.

“Can we deal with this outside, please?” she smiled, turning to meet the other patrons amongst the dark as if they were having a mild civil dispute.

And of course Conrad half dragged her to the doorway. But she was no child. To hell with them, she would not let CIPAA take her back in when the game had just begun. When they exited the business Conrad pushed her out the door in front of him. The moment it closed she turned and sailed a solid fist into his jaw. Catching him off guard she made contact with the base of his neck sending his head in a sickening twist while an amount of spit, snot and blood shot through his nose and mouth. The punch sent the man staggering and within the split second it took for him to regain himself she had bolted. Gaining ferocious speed Aleks leapt into the air. The agent wouldn't follow her. No need for the public to see violence. She'd already pushed their buttons with a punch. Expanding her wings into the air she couldn't help but smile. It felt good to fly hard and fast.

Displaying her superiority wasn’t something she indulged in often and the moment was short lived. Getting to the district, the same one as earlier, didn’t take long. It was now two hours later. Landing was a bit of an issue but Aleks folded her wings tight to her back a safe distance above ground before letting herself fall into a dark alleyway. Tumbling to break her fall she landed as smoothly like a practice academy soldier would. Never had she actually socked out the babysitter. But ever since Loh had taken control of black ops she’d been tailed. The chief respected her. And although Aleks had respect for her race’s leader he thought her to be a waste of effort. Why hadn’t they killed her by now, then? The thought lingered in her mind. Actions like hers weren’t tolerated often. While she walked back out onto the street level she walked herself into the bar owned by the local helping Cade. In fact the local had been returned; she caught his face the moment she entered. But so far as he was concerned she was an Arian passing through. After all she hadn’t been there when the capture had gone down. Noticeable were the bruises and cuts on his face. They really weren’t gentle these days. Sitting herself at a stool she smiled when he came over.

"Have you seen the guy who hangs out on the side of your building lately, he dropped this,” Aleks retrieved the card from her pocket. The bartender, however, shook his head and walked away. Damn him if the trail went cold.

• • • • • • • • • • •

[[Bang Bang]]

He had to be careful. When Cade ventured into the alley, he turned the first corner he found and pressed his body against the wall after leaving the girl's sight. If she followed, he was in big trouble. Not only would he have to break into the fastest run he had ever conjured, but he'd also have to find away to go somewhere she couldn't reach. With her beautiful wings, she'd be able to cover both land and air while Cade's efficiency was only half as good. Being trained in a world that openly realized both races however, he wasn't entirely defenseless if push came to shove. Cade had still been coughing when he turned the corner, leaving him at a disadvantage. Anyone would be able to hear him from afar, especially a spy. To solve this problem, Cade placed both hands on his mouth and tried to hold his breath. His chest was heaving out bursts of air into his throat but Cade still persisted. After a few minutes, he finally released his breath and let the coughing fit go. Within seconds, the young man was on his knees, staring at concrete and still heaving out thick coughs. Saliva slid from the tip of his lips, onto the floor. Just like always, however, it eventually died down and Cade was able to function again. The ex soldier returned to the beginning of the alleyway to find the girl was now gone. The cards he had dropped were missing as well. He didn't notice them until he was standing beside the crate he had been sitting on, where he counted six and returned them to the rest of the deck, then shoved them in the pocket of his backpack. Who this girl was, he had no clue but he didn't like the thought of her. His gut told him that the long list of bad luck he had been getting wasn't over yet. It was time to do a bit of preparation. Cade exited the alleyway and began to move away from the alleyway he had been in. He recognized the scent she had on her, and was sure it had to have been coming from somewhere near to have stuck to her clothes long enough for him to breathe it off of her.

The man was shocked to find the raven haired girl still sitting at the stand, chowing down, and minding her own business. Her back was against him but he knew it was her by her clothes and giant black wings. He was almost happy to see her. This meant that he would have at least some sort of information to go off on. Cade kept his distance, and waited in public spaces so nothing about him would give his position away. He watched as she paid with the money in her back pocket, which he made note of in case he decided to attempt pick-pocketing her, and then saw as she got up and walked away. The avian moved into an alleyway and before Cade could even begin to follow, he saw a figure shoot up into the air and soon soared off. Cade stared until she disappeared into the dark sky, to be sure she wouldn't come back around. Then, he turned his attention to the noodle stand. Cade took in a deep breath and sighed before shaking his hands. It was time to try his hand at some old tricks he learned years ago. The young man ran to the noodle stand, appearing both winded and worried. He stopped himself by putting his hands out on the counter of the stand and letting his feet scuff against the concrete. He was breathing deeply, even though the run was only a few yards distance.

"Did I miss her?" He huffed. His voice sounded almost foreign to him. The shock in how long it had been since he heard himself forced him to clear his voice, wondering if it was raspy. The cook looked confused. "Excuse me?" He asked. Cade was still out of breath, or so he seemed. He took a few seconds to catch his breath before picking his next words. "Did a young avian girl stop by here? Black hair, black wings, about yay-high." He lifted up his hand to a general height. He didn't get to catch her actual size because he had been too busy focusing on other things. Even if he was wrong though, he was positive the man would know who he was talking about. The chef, as expected, nodded and replied, "You just missed her. She ate her meal and left." Cade swore under his breath. He looked frustrated and deep in thought. "Does she come here often? We were supposed to meet here, it's kind of important." The chef shook his head. Cade was a bit disappointed that she wasn't a frequent eater at the noodle stand. If she was, there was a chance she had a tab. And if she did, then there was an even smaller chance that he could convince the chef to give him a bowl and charge the money to her. It was a slim chance, but still an existent one, none the less. Cade sighed to himself and nodded. He turned from the stand and decided that it was time to eat. His first choice was the shop keeper's store. Cade wandered into the store to find, someone else was working behind the counter. Cade froze a few steps after entering. No one else worked here. The old man had been working at this place, since Cade first saw him. Out of fear, he turned the other way around and quickly fled. Wild thoughts were running through his head. He had to leave the area, but he didn't want to abandon the closest thing he had to a home. He got showers weekly, free food, work, and company. If he left, he'd be back on his own with no chance of any of the previous. Damn the militia.

Cade wandered the streets for an hour or so, trying to find the food court of their district. He wasn't very scared of getting his face caught on camera, this time. They were already onto him so revealing himself now would hardly change a thing. Plus, it was the easiest place to steal from. Long rows of food stands were all bunched together, each with food laying out on display. People came and went as they pleased. Money was thrown around wildly. As usual, Cade had none, but he found ways around it. Within the span of half of an hour, he had managed to grab himself a full head of cabbage and three dumplings. And thanks to the nice shop keeper at a steamed vegetable stand, he got to drink a pot full of water she was planning on throwing out. The water tasted like vegetables and was sort of warm, but it was water, none the less. He couldn't be picky. Cade walked back towards his alleyway, leisurely while still chewing into a cabbage leaf. It wasn't a steak dinner or anything, but it filled his stomach which was more then enough to be grateful for. He caught sight of the inside of the store he lived beside to see the shop keeper, Oliver, had returned to his post. However, he was bruised up and looked like he was in pain. He had been taken. They took him, roughed him up a bit, and dropped him back off when they were through with him. Cade knew it was because of him. The only question was whether or not the shop keeper knew. Cade didn't wait to find out, though. He began to move through the crowd, in the direction of the store. If Oliver had been taken for questioning, then Cade would be able to ask him what it was they wanted. This would help him piece together some questions, he himself had about his past. When he was making his way over, he missed sight of the raven haired girl who entered before he got there. She headed straight in and started exchanging words with the only worker in the room. When Cade finally got to the store, he entered and took three steps in before pausing once more. He mentally swore. Oliver had moved for the back room, leaving Cade to face the raven haired girl from before.

He stood, frozen in his place for a few moments. His eyes stayed glued to her own. This time, he didn't need to scan her to get any information out of her appearance. The remaining piece of cabbage in his hand went into his mouth. Despite the situation, he wasn't going to waste food, no matter what. For all he knew, it could be his last meal. "You're a spy." He said, blatantly. If he got straight to the point, it'd be easier for the girl to shed her disguise and give him an idea of what he was up against. "I won't be returning." Cade took one slow step backwards. His eyes remained hooked onto the girl. Then, without looking back, he turned around and broke out into a run. He began to head towards the alleyway she first met him at. He wasn't going to stop there, though. Cade made as many turns as he could. He knew with her large wings that sharp turns were going to be harder for her to make then him. Her hollow bones allowed her to reach good speeds, yes, but her wings carried weight too and when she turned her body, they'd tilt her body to one side, leaving her to have to regain her footing before she picked up running again. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if she was chasing him or not, but he wasn't going to stop to find out. All of his twists and turns lead him straight to a narrow dead end with a dumpster against the back wall. Just then, Cade started to feel a pressure in his chest. 'No, not now.' He told himself. Here it came. Cade let out a small cough. He took in a small breath before feeling more coughs start to rise. After the first, he began to cough harder. Longer. Louder. If he continued this new fit of coughing, he'd give away both his spot and give the spy a chance to catch up to him. All he was left to do now was wait out the illness. Cade turned towards the entrance of the dead end, waiting.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

Standing there in front of the bartender she watched as the man’s bloodied eyes suddenly shot away from her to somewhere else in the room. Following his gazer she turned to look over her shoulder. What followed was a complete swivel of his body as the man she was hunting for came right up to her. If only things had remained that easy. The gaze that she gave him wasn’t exactly the one that she, now looking back, would have wanted to give him. Instead of the smiling helpful Arian of earlier her gaze seemed a lot more pitiful, eying him over like he was somewhat below her. At first they just eyeballed each other and while she looked Ronin up and down. Instead of taking her in for what she was he mouthed a handful of what looked like lettuce into his mouth like a starved dog.

“You’re a spy.”

The term made her scrunch up her nose and look away. That was a low blow for her kind, like calling a colored person derogatory terms or any form of agent an officer or secret police. Aleks knew that she had been giving him all the right reasons to befriend her. Now it seemed that he was able to read her anyways. For that she had to give him some credit because not many could. Emotions were something that Aleks had a handle over. They made up her reputation more than she would ever let on. At that point she held up the two that she had kept for analysis, the playing card still as dirty as it was when she met him.

“You left this; I only wished to give it back to you. No biggie. And I have a gift…”

Aleks was going to hold out on him as long as she could. No hints, no clues as to how strong and bold she could be. No, he was expecting this. So instead she had to flip it on him. Give him what he didn’t expect: a kind gesture. While she turned to grab something from her pocket he responded.

“I won’t be returning.”

Making eye contact and a saddened expression she watched him step back and break their lock, swiftly shoving his way through the crowds. Damn him! This one was more precautious than they had noted. Watching him go out the door she didn’t rush after him. It was all just another thing that he would expect. Instead she grabbed a couple of napkins off the counter holding her purchase and the older card that had yet to be returned and walked out of the crowded bar, excusing herself along the way. The people seemed to oblige though others looked down on her others looked with awe. The attention was something that she was accustomed to, whether negative or positive. It was just unusual to see both in a scene where she had just made a human run off in a mad panic. At least that’s what she judged to be the expression on his face when he left. Hers was calm. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Exiting onto the road she leapt into the sky following the parted sea of people. Flapping her wings like earlier, with three rapid bursts, she got herself airborne. Aleks then continued gliding so as to remain quiet. Keeping low to the roof tops she half ran the distance, landing on the flat buildings and pacing on her feet to keep out of sight. He was expecting a black blob in the sky. Looking at where he had ran before she followed the same direction going with a hunch that he probably had a comfort zone. On the other hand he could have followed a random pattern. Keeping her eyes peeled for his trademark white hair she flew simply glancing at the crowds. At one point she thought that she had him but instead what she saw was an elderly Asian. Veering she grunted but continued to remind herself that if she wasn’t kind then this would only end badly. Giving into the frustration would lead to problems. Go with him, be kind. Be kind.

Landing on the flat room of a slum apartment she rubbed her fingers over the napkins tearing the tissue. All she could do was stare at them and think of what it might mean to him. And so she kept staring, watching as her thumb ripped through it until there was a gaping hole revealing a new deck of cards and a meal voucher. Then she heard it, a startling grunt followed by shuddering coughs. The sound stood out because it was so wet and coarse, the same one that she had heard earlier. The memory flashed before her of when he had first taken off, coughing hard into his arm. Taking flight she followed the sound, quickly locating the alley. Landing outside the entrance she nodded at crowds with a curt smile, interrupting their business for a moment before she took to going on foot. The dead end came after a few turns, following the reverberations of the noise he was not hard to find. Holding the gift in her hand she approached slowly with small steps.

“I’m not a spy,” she started. Her eyes were brimmed with concern, glossy almost like she was sad for him. Her wings drooped a little and she kept chewing on her lower lip like she was younger, inexperienced. Her long wavy deep brown locks caught their color in the sun shimmering. To him she must of looked like an innocent teenaged Arian. At least that was what she was going for all the while thinking fall for it!

“I just wanted to return this to you, that’s why I was at that place. You seemed to be enjoying your game, I’m sorry if I ruined your fun,” she paused, looking at the ground and then at him.

“I have a peace offering,” she motioned to extend the bunch of napkins with the hole on top. If she were lucky it would work to his advantage because he would see that the token of charity was nothing more than what it was.

“If you need help, a doctor or something then maybe I can help. I don’t mind it, my parents are hardasses about the whole race division but I’d rather help. Anyways, I’m just going to slide this over to you,” and she knelt down seeing that he wouldn’t openly approach her. This was his last chance though. If he tried to run past her she would give in. The desire for a take down was brewing.

Readjusting the napkins she slid the small parcel across the false asphalt and it had no problems getting to him. Along the way the napkins slid off or tore so when it reached his feet it was simply a new deck of cards, a meal voucher and his previous card. What more could she do? It was now up to him, running or violence. Because she wouldn't give him any more chances. That much was settled in her mind.

• • • • • • • • • • •

[[Bang Bang]]

The spy gave him a look he hadn't predicted. She looked almost sympathizing, like she wished there was something she could do for him. He questioned her looks simply because that was the exact opposite of what she was supposed to be doing. She was sent to detain him and possibly kill him. If it weren't for all the people around, she may have pulled out a gun and just shot him down, right there. That was the only thing that Cade couldn't wrap his finger around. Why did she insist on this front of hers? Why didn't she just catch him when she had the chance and put him down, like a dog? Why didn't she use any aggressive force or even a slight give away in attitudes? Instead, she kept up the perfect disguise and always looked kind when he was faced by her. Then again, what could you expect with a spy? They were paid to be someone else. It was what they did for a living, so it only made sense that a good spy would be able to do that. It was hard to be certain with deciding what exactly he thought of the girl, but he knew he couldn't let his mind play tricks on him. If he showed uncertainty, and she actually did end up being a spy, then she would pry her teeth straight into the weak spot and use it to her advantage. There was evidence, standing only meters away. Oliver, the store owner, was bruised all over his face. Things like that didn't just happen out of the blue. He had never hired someone else to work his job before, and he had never given any signs of wanting to, now. It was more the coincidence that he both, hire a new employee and get badly bruised, all on the same day that a stranger chose to talk to him. Those little hints were like screams to his ears. He didn't over look the minor details easily, especially because his life depended on it. At the word of a spy, she made a face of dissatisfaction and looked away. Cade tried to analyze what that meant but got nothing. A facial expression like that was hard to understand.

“You left this; I only wished to give it back to you. No biggie. And I have a gift…” The words were just trying to stall him. She wanted to keep him close while she tried to persuade him more, even he knew that. He couldn't let her get used to her grounds though. He couldn't let her feel comfortable in his territory. So instead, Cade turned around and shot for the streets. When he ran, he wasn't sure if what he heard was the sound of footsteps or his own imagination. He didn't want to waste any time guessing though, so he only continued to run. The alleys were his best bet at getting lost, which was why he lived so close to them. If he lived in wide areas, it gave him less to work with and less obstacles to throw at his enemies. He had managed to come to a dead end when his coughing hit him. It felt as if he had swallowed small particles of glass when he didn't notice. Every flex of his lungs felt as if they were being stabbed at with sharp points. No matter how much slept he got, every day made him more and more exhausted from the pain. It also brought on much worse symptoms that Cade couldn't even begin to understand. When he began to cough, he fell to one knee and held his position to catch his breath. This didn't feel like one of his worser coughs, which made him feel a little better, but it was bad enough that he was giving away his position. Just as expected, he soon saw the same black figure turn the corner and face him. Cade soon stood back on both feet, and calmed his coughing down. Her general appearance was beginning to naturally harbor ill-feelings towards her. She was like a beacon of bad luck. Whatever she brought with her, he wanted no part of but had no choice but to participate with. “I’m not a spy,” Was her first words. Cade couldn't bring himself to trust them, but he let her speak none the less. The more she stalled, the more time he had to catch his breath and recover. He watched her expressions, all of which fit perfectly with the person she had come to show him. She looked generally honest. Cade began to feel his head spin. He had no idea what he should believe anymore.

“I just wanted to return this to you, that’s why I was at that place. You seemed to be enjoying your game, I’m sorry if I ruined your fun. I have a peace offering,” Those words brought the hairs on the back of Cade's neck up to rise. She could show him anything, and he'd be unprepared. If it was a gun, he had no way of dodging it now, and was definitely doomed. Especially now that they were alone, where people couldn't pose this as murder. What she held in her hands, looked nothing like a gun, though. It was wrapped up in napkins which kept his tensions high. Maybe a hidden sleeping gas? “If you need help, a doctor or something then maybe I can help. I don’t mind it, my parents are hardasses about the whole race division but I’d rather help. Anyways, I’m just going to slide this over to you,” Cade thought hard about that one. God, what he wouldn't do for a doctor. If someone, anyone, could make this better, he would befriend that girl in a heartbeat. But it was such a risk, that he was scared to jump at the opportunity, like he would have liked. Then again, the chances of them being able to help him were low. He was no doctor, but a thing like this would have made some sort of bang in the press, right? After all, he had never once seen this occur somewhere else. "Like they can even find me." He said, lowly. Cade didn't mean hiding-wise. A doctor would be able to hear that cough a mile away. What he meant, was systematically, he was a no one. If he even tried to go into the office, he'd be found. Nowadays, eye-dentities were everywhere. Once again, his voice sounded odd to him. It was the first time the girl had ever heard his voice, so she had that to go off of. When she slid the package over, Cade took a step back. He glanced from the girl back down to the 'gift' for a while, until he felt safe enough to check it out. Very slowly, he crept down and pulled at pieces of the napkin. What he saw, all three, appeared harmless. One was a mean voucher which might have been a trap. If he tried to scan it, then it might have alerted the Locke Militia and triggered some sort of ambush. The second was his old card.

The third, and more important to him, was a new deck of cards. They looked gorgeous compared to his dirty one. Cade didn't want to touch it, for fear of what it may bring though. So instead, he left all three alone and stood back up. "I don't understand why you're doing this. This act." Cade was really just thinking outloud by now. Having no one to talk to in over a year, he was basically just talking to hear his own voice. "That," He started, while pointing to the little parcel she had slid over, "could be bugged. Paper trails." His eyes raised up to the sky of the alleyway. "No patrols. No squad. Everything's so out of context. You can't be working for...But then, who else..." Cade thought heavily in and out of his head. If she was a spy, she'd have kept up with him. If not, then it wouldn't matter anyways. "No, I can't. You've got to be armed. A gun, a tranq, a neutralizer..." He started to nod his head and take steps backwards. With that, he made up his mind. He had to keep going. Cade turned around and stared up at the wall. He took only two steps forward and leaped into the air. His body shot up, like a spring and touched the side wall to his left. Cade kicked off the wall and sprung once more, this time, meeting his feet with the top of the roof. Then he turned around to stare down at the girl below him, before jogging off. He didn't know where he was headed, but he didn't want to remain on the rooftops. The narrow alleyway he left her in would make it extremely hard to take flight with those wings, which would buy him time to find somewhere else to go. He had shown her just a glimpse of his strange gift which he mysteriously acquired, but it was more then enough to leave her curious, he was sure.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

Watching him Aleks felt the tension rise, like a mounting crescendo in a musical composition. Up and down all the while her heart raced in her chest with it. He looked at the gift, he looked at her in a way that told her that she was convincing. If he were any other person her act would have been sold. What was killing her chances was his intuition. Whoever had trained him was good. He knew what she was, he knew what to expect and how to dodge her. Never before in her life had she met this kind of a person outside of the CIPAA. Physically she knew that she may well have been stronger but mentally he was on the same plain. “Damn him,” she watched as he stared at the cards. There was a glint in his eyes, a hint of desire. Just like she had thought, the cards were meaningful to him. But it was not enough. And it was at that point that Aleks realized that nothing would ever let him get to know her. Nothing would ever be enough to get to lose his guard. Letting him take the wall down, also known as option a, had just been vetoed. Now it was time to try and climb over. “Hopefully,” she thought. “He wouldn’t go for option three like all the others.”

“Like they can even find me,” he grunted.

Aleks recognized what he meant with his words. Not finding him physically but finding him in the system like any other citizen of Locke. The file was too slim. There was nothing like him, the data was so scattered. All of it came from some lose police report otherwise he hadn’t talked. It was like he had realized something was wrong with him. “Or maybe he was just that well hidden,” she angrily wondered. This aggravated her because she had no way out of the system. When any child was born they were literally scanned and all of their information was tagged. Blood type, genetic codes, heritage, race, address, possible health issues. Everything! Yet with him all they had was a name, race and blood type. Just a name, the very one he’d given them. Was it even real? Aleks let the assignment’s facts fade from thought, focusing on him while he continued to speak. The thoughts hit her, listening to his voice and memorizing its various tones and lulls. At first she tried to place the accent but it was like nothing she had ever heard. Knowing various native tongues and even the slangs his was different. Impossible!

"I don't understand why you're doing this. This act. That, could be bugged. Paper trails."

When his gaze changed she still continued to look into his face directly.

"No patrols. No squad. Everything's so out of context. You can't be working for...But then, who else...No, I can't. You've got to be armed. A gun, a tranq, a neutralizer..."

Armed? Well yes, technically she was. It was a very well concealed weapon. At first she was tempted to raise her arms in the air and let him search her down. “Look at me damnit! Do I look like a threat,” stormed through her mind. The thought was tempting but her mind was made up. He was dawdling now. Acceptance wasn’t there. His face said so even before he had actually decided. Watching him nod and step back from her, just like before, Aleks stepped forward listening to the grind of the sand against the rubber soles of her runners. Why the sound caught her attention she didn’t know. Watching him leap into the air her hands clenched into fists. ******** him! ******** his intuition. Damn the person who was doing this. Now there was going to be a mess to clean up and her name in the news. Trouble trouble trouble. That was all he was causing! Biting her tongue the smile faded, her brows furrowed and her head turned ever so slightly up. Bouncing off the walls he managed to recoil his way up to the rooftops before taking off.

“You’re in for it now,” she muttered before suddenly leaping out on her own. This take off was so different than the others. Instead of calming flapping her wings shot out and pulsed with a beat so swift that the lids of the trash bins were slammed shut with such a force that they were almost bent. Anger was what fueled her, it always had. Yet today it was more that she was going to give into her true self, a personality that she was prohibited from using because it displayed a level of violence that got the human race where it was. Skill made her able to tame it.

Catching up to him was no issue. Beating her wings she flew up and then dove but like her ancestral bird the raven. Grabbing him hard by the shoulders she tug her hands into his arms lifting him with ease and then tossing him up some so as to readjust her grip in a sweat spot underneath is armpits but tight enough that her arms wrapped up his shoulders forcing his arms to jut out like he was stretching instead of straight up.

“First things first,” Aleks shouted, forcing her way up through the air, higher and higher until she was sure that it was just them and the distance underneath them was threatening enough. The speed of her ascent was quick and enough to make his ears pop several times over. When she stopped to tred air she flapped her wings gently. The hiss of the air travelling through their ears was suddenly replaced with a dead silence. Taking advantage of it she spoke.

“I’m not a spy. I’m a government bounty hunter. Normally I kill the people I hunt, you they want alive. Now several times,” she readjusted her grip as her shoulders ached mildly from the sudden exertion. “I’ve lied about what really happened. Let me explain it for you. We’re currently about two hundred feet above the roof of the building that you jumped onto. You drop, like any other human, you die. I drop you if you put up any sort of fuss. Understand my rules or I simply get to lie to them about what really happened, comprend?”

• • • • • • • • • • •

[[Bang Bang]]

So, it was true. He knew it, the moment he turned his back. It didn't feel right, just leaving like he did. She wasn't going to let him go off that easy and just turn away like any other stranger would. Why a stranger would make so much of an effort for someone who was homeless and ignoring their help, was beyond him. In his predicament, he knew better then to just fall for the first person to lend him a hand. While Cade had gone through all the possibilities out loud, she kept quiet and allowed him to think. He was only getting closer and closer to denying her access to his trust, which they both sort of knew but had to wait until it was official to believe. At the mention of her being armed, he even considered the thought of asking her to let him search her, but that would require him having to let her get near to him, which was the last thing he wanted. Even with her back turned, she was still dangerous. If he was in the middle of patting her down, all she had to do was swoop her wings upwards and throw his body backwards a bit for her to pull out her weapon and aim it straight at his heart. When he worked with the Locke Militia, it was protocol to restrain all avians and have a gun at the ready when they searched them. They had many more advantages then humans did, which meant they needed more force. Not saying they didn't have their own avians on the force. The Locke Militia served under both leaders, but seemed to be assumed on the side of Gregory Wells. It was true, most of their orders came from the humans side, but they weren't racist against any particular person. Their job was to stop crime. Where ever it came from was where they needed to be. Anything beyond that, wasn't their problem. But Cade wasn't in the Militia anymore. Crime to him was necessary for survival and race mattered a lot. He usually tried to steal from humans more then avians. It was harder for them to keep up with him and defend themselves when he pick pocketed. Strategy was the key to his actions.

Cade was jogging down the rooftops, leaping with ease over the gaps, and crossing over any shortcuts he could find. He didn't get very far when he suddenly heard a loud clashing sound against the trash bins in the alley below. He paused and turned the other way, wondering what the sound was. From the crack of the alley, he saw a black shadow shoot out from below and spread it's wings. His eyes connected with those of the young girl from before. The spy was finally showing her face, her true one, that is. Cade had figured out her plan, earlier, but wasn't one - hundred percent sure until he saw the anger in her eyes which glared back at him when he made eye contact. She didn't waste any time, though. When her body met the sky, she immediately began flapping her wings and aiming straight for her body. Cade cursed and turned the other way. He had spent too much time on the roofs already. He shouldn't have kept going on top of the buildings, like he had. What he should have done was jumped down into the first spy-less alley he saw and brought the battle to the narrow corridors. That way her wings counted for nothing and would leave them in a foot on foot, contest. He was kicking himself hard as he turned his body the other way and took off as fast as he could. A little ways away from where he stood, he could see a gap between the building he was standing on and the next. If he ran fast enough, he could jump inside and dodge her oncoming figure. If only he hadn't stopped and stared at what emerged from the alleyway. He would have been able to simply speed up from a jog to a quick sprint instead of having to go from a standing position to a running one. He didn't know if he had enough time to get his footing just right but he had nothing left but to try. Cade kicked his feet off the ground as if he were trying to spin the world faster by pushing it with his feet. He lifted up his knees as high as they would go before pushing back down on the concrete and once again lifting them up again. He was just inches away from dropping into the alleyway when...

Something that reminded him of talons grabbed at his shoulders. Her grip was hard and cold, with no remorse at all. He could feel her fingers digging into his skin, just to get a hold of it. 'Damn it.' He thought. He was caught. Cade could feel his feet lift up off the ground, as they flew straight over the gap he had been trying to jump down into. For a few brief moments, his entire body weight was being supported by the flesh of his shoulders, causing him great pain. But soon, the girl readjusted her grip, which he was thankful for, in a way. Before he knew it, she had her arms underneath his own, gripping his arms and forcing him to leave his elbows pertruding outwards while his feet dangled below. Cade kicked back and forth a few times, wondering if maybe she didn't have a secure grip on him, but she definitely did. When he tried to resist, he felt her grip tighten and only complicate his situation. Eventually, he had to stop for two reasons. The first being that he realized he was only wasting energy. The second one being that he started to see the city below him look smaller and smaller. He no longer wanted to fall, but to survive which was a whole different ballgame. His eyes widened slightly. Was he... flying? Were they actually flying? His eyes gazed over the city nastolgically. He almost didn't mind being in this girl's grip. Everything was peaceful here. How dearly, he wished he could just hide in the clouds, where the city below could let him live in peace. “First things first,” She hissed. The words brought Cade out of his dreaming and back into reality. After she spoke, her wings began to flap magestically, showing their strength like it was an everyday thing. The way their bodies moved in the air, the way her wings batted against the sky; it made him feel as if it were him who was actually flying. His ears popped just then, giving him a strange head rush which he didn't like.

It happened once more, making him feel close to dizzy. Then it happened once more, this time hurting. He cringed at the feeling and shuffled around uncomfortably, trying to bring his arms to his ears but to no avail. When everything got quiet, she spoke again. “I’m not a spy. I’m a government bounty hunter. Normally I kill the people I hunt, you they want alive.” Cade listened closely and processed her words. A bounty hunter? For the government? How come he didn't know about this program? Maybe it was relatively new. Maybe it started up when he was already out of the Militia. That would explain why her choices and plots were so sloppy. “Now several times I’ve lied about what really happened. Let me explain it for you. We’re currently about two hundred feet above the roof of the building that you jumped onto. You drop, like any other human, you die. I drop you if you put up any sort of fuss. Understand my rules or I simply get to lie to them about what really happened, comprend?” Cade paused. He let his eyes roll to the back of his head, where he started to think heavily. In the militia, your last and final lesson before going out into action was the extremities lesson. 'Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.' If you were ever faced in an extreme situation, you needed to calm your mind, and the rest would follow. You needed to think logically to act logically. 'Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.' Your life was owned by the government. You needed to serve them until your point of death. And when faced with that final moment, you needed to die a soldier. 'Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.' Not a father, not a son, not a brother, but a rule obiding, command following soldier. And if things got to hard, you needed to repeat the phrase... 'Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.'

Cade repeated the phrase back and forth. He needed to die. He couldn't let himself be taken in by the enemy just to become a tool. She had told him that they wanted him alive which meant he was of worth to someone out there. As much as he wanted to believe his value was a positive one, he knew it would lead to endless sessions of torture or experiments which he wanted none of. This was his only chance to escape if she planned to take him to them, now. 'Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.' Cade finally took in one solid breath of air and released it. "No, I don't actually. You see, I've got a question." Cade lifted both feet upwards. He tried his best to bring his knees up as high up to his chest as he could. "Where does this fit in your rule book?" Just then, Cade brought both hands upwards, so his arms would slide straight through the spies grip. He wriggled around as much as he could, trying to break free. When he finally felt that he was loose enough, he kicked both feet outwards, giving his body momentum. He used the force to begin to drop, head first. Within that quick moment, he looked upwards to see the spy who was watching her prey begin to fall. He needed just a little bit more speed though. With one foot, he kicked outwards and felt as his shoe met the face of the spy. And just like that, his body shot downwards. 'Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.' He repeated the phrase, and closed his eyes. His head was going to be first to make contact, hopefully meaning he would have a quick death. He kept both arms to his sides so he'd be less air resistant. Taking in a deep breath of air, he held it this time and waited for whatever was going to happen next.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

Test one: check for suicidal tendencies. When Ronin tore through her grip using simple exertion she did two things. The first was emitting a fake grunt at his comment and the second was letting him go entirely. There was an explanation to both of her actions. And of course he didn’t seem to realize this because instead of clawing at her for dear life he shot his foot up straight into her chin before tucking his arms into his side to create a human bullet. When his foot connected with her, Aleks’ head whipped back and to the right with a spastic reaction, making a cracking sound while a large amount of spit shot through her nose. Her lip snagged itself of her front teeth effectively being slashed on the inside and starting to bleed a little bit. Wiping what was on her chin, including the dirt from his ******** shoe, Aleks hovered for a moment watching him fall. Answer to test one: he wanted to die. In fact he would rather die than be caught. “Smarty-pants,” she smirked, shaking her head before swooping down herself, tucking her wings in tight while forcing her head and arms first. Like a superhero she kept her arms straight out in front of her, tucking in her chin as if she were preparing to dive into water. The result of this action was a drastic speed increase. While he was heavier she forced herself ahead with small flicks of her wings. Catching up to him wasn’t as easy as it sounded. They were twenty feet from crashing into the ground when she caught him. And of course this time she wasn’t so nice about out.

About five feet before she met up with him she whipped out her weapon, having been concealed in a black pouch between her wings. The object was small and heavily resembled a gun. Flicking off the safety she swooped down on him grabbing the closest thing to her on him – his backpack. The fabric gave way as gravity continued to pull him but the force she used to yank him up towards her was more than enough to break his fall. While the straps ripped she forced him upright while pushing out her wings to form a large parachute. Settling onto the rooftop kindly she tossed him in front of her to let him fall. However he did fall she didn’t care. They said alive, not healthy without a broken bone in his body. Handling her weapon with two hands she waited until he hit the ground before firing off five shots at assorted places. Whether they hit him or not it was all about proximity with this weapon.

The rounds weren’t bullets, more like small blue gel packs that once they hit the subject splattered onto the body, reacting with the air and causing shocks to be sent through the skin. The more of them on the subject, or even near to him, the more voltage the shocks created. It took about eight rounds either splattered or close together to immobilize even the strongest of Arians but five was for good measure.

“I don’t have any rules now, punk,” she spat the words at him, approaching him with her weapon still loaded, ten rounds left to shoot. Unfortunately she knew what it was like to be at the opposite end of the gun, feeling the stinging sensation grow into a faint numbness as the rounds accumulated; the nausea that followed then the hurling and the bittersweet unconsciousness that concluded the attack. That was how she had been brought him after her escapades as the vigilante, at the hands of Nathanial Loh's personal 00 bounty hunter. Like him she'd put up such a fuss and even tried throwing herself down an elevator shaft. Anything to avoid what couldn't be avoided though, just like now. The government always seemed to win now though Aleks didn't personally enjoy working for them.

But as she stood there, her heart racing in her ears while she panted for breath (and yes, his capture was more of a work out than she had expected) she caught sight of his bare back. The backpack was half on him, one of the straps having been ripped completed when she’d grabbed him mid air. What she saw make her body erupt into chills. It looked…painful.

“What the hell?” she said with a whimsical tone. Just the sight of it made her uneasy and now the sight of him, worn and dirty. Now his entire being made her feel gross and twitchy. Was this what they were trying to hide? What did this mean? What was Gregory trying to do? Why….why?!

Down in the alley to their left a couple of children were watching, holding the abandoned meal voucher and now opened deck of cards. They'd been playing but now the sight of a Aleks' monstrous shadow caught their attention. The noise of the battle between herself and Ronin was more than enough to make them look up. But Aleks was frozen, what hell could she do? She was horrified...

• • • • • • • • • • •

[[Bang Bang]]

The cold breeze pushing at Cade's skin was welcoming, under this situation. He had strived to find any article of clothing he could get his hands on to wrap around his body, to save himself from the harsh nights in the unforgiving city. Yet, now, he could care less about the temperature or the massive amount of concrete floor headed straight for his body. He wasn't sure how much momentum he had given himself after kicking off from the huntress' face, but from the feel of things, he was getting pretty close to success with his plan without any interruptions. While he fell, Cade refrained from any thoughts regarding his recent life. He didn't want to think about so many negative things, all at once in his last few moments of living. Instead, he wanted to pass with calm thoughts and serenity. The sad part was that he didn't have very much to be happy about. His life wasn't exactly one people would die for, nor did wonderful events occasionally pop out at him. Cade began to strain for a single happy memory that he could deem worthy enough to be the last thought on his mind. For the first time, he realized that he had just been droning through his life, waiting for something that was never going to come. He expected some sort of epiphany to hit him square in the forehead and change his life forever, but in reality, all of his chances had already passed. His eyes were closed as he spiraled downwards towards the ground, but he could feel tears begin to form at his eyes. He wasted his life away, and only ever realized it moments before it was too late. Well, at least the epiphany finally came. While his head was stirring with self realization, he had forgotten all about the huntress. Due to her well hidden qualities, Cade had underestimated her persistence, yet again. While he remained perfectly still, she was closing in on their distance apart, working up a sweat in the process.

It was funny how things turned around like that. Suddenly, remaining alive became so hard as opposed to dying which was now so easy and simple. Usually, it took a lot of guts and sometimes money to be able to take your own life while living was as easy as breathing. Cade had never actually wanted to die before. He wasn't suicidal or some what dysfunctional in the head. And usually, this woman's job was the kill people. It was all opposite now. There was a sudden tug at Cade's shoulders. He didn't process the feeling immediately because he had been focused on other things but when the pull grew tighter, he was forced to pull out of his mind. The pressure which was now growing against his shoulders, arm pits, and collar bone, were the straps to his backpack. His hands carefully began to rise up to the straps of his bag, all while fighting the air resistance. His body started to fight the gravity which was forcing him down, confusing him in his attempt. Cade opened his eyes and tried to look around. As much as it should have been expected, he was shocked to find his personal omen, the huntress, grabbing him by his backpack, and trying to break his fall. Before he could break out a single word, he felt the fabric begin to give way. There was a rip in the left strap. His balance was shifted immediately sideways. Cade looked down to see the ground was only yards below him, but he wasn't going at the same speed as before. Death didn't seem as likely anymore. There was no denying the omen was good at what she did. The only problem was that she was still just a pawn in someone else's planning which made things frustrating. Cade couldn't negotiate any sort of sense into her because none of this was her own idea. Cade's body was pulled upwards, even further, causing the fabric to rip more. It had to be hanging by just a strand, now. The young man couldn't really resist what she was doing from his position. All he could do was wait to see the outcome.

His legs flailed so he was now in an upright position, once more. The back pack's left strap was completely ripped, but he had little time to give it any attention, because as they started to decend onto the floor of the roof, the omen released her grip on him. Cade spread both arms out in surprise. He didn't expect anything near to that. With nothing to break his fall, he quickly crashed into the floor. His feet were the first to hit, but he let his knees give in so that they didn't take all of the force. After touching the floor, he fell to the ground and rolled over once or twice. A small groan escaped from his lips, in exhaustion. With all the sudden surprises, the bursts of energy he had to feed his body in short amounts of time, and the adrenaline passing through his veins, it was safe to say he was more then just a little fatigued. If that wasn't enough, he could see the omen start to approach him from the corner of his eye. She just wouldn't give up. Was money really that important to her? Her figure began to raise something up, which was directed at him. He had been lying on his stomach which his head close to buried in his arms, but he could still get a good idea of what she was doing. 'A gun!' He grunted and pushed his body sideways, trying to carry his body over again to avoid the oncoming bullets. He began to roll away from the woman who had fired off five different shots. The first hit his backpack. The second hit a little below his shoulder. The third hit concrete. The fourth his his chest directly, and the fifth hit his abs. When she stopped firing, he immediately jumped to his feet. The time it took to move from a laying position to a standing one was all that it took to activate the gel which clung to his clothes. The sound of static clicked once. Twice. Cade looked down to see blue goo-looking stains on his body. The static clicks quickened until...

Cade cried out in pain, and fell to one knee. Electrical surges began to pulse through his body. “I don’t have any rules now, punk,” She barked. Cade was far too concerned with the way his body was now reacting to acknowledge her words. Cade brought his hand up to grab at one of the areas where the source of electricity was strongest; his chest. When his fingers touched the gel, his hand immediately flew backwards with another cry. He had burned his skin and now the gel was on his palm as well, conducting more electricity. His thoughts were all scattered and unable to be processed. He saw things like a movie played backwards or like lights of different colors, different sizes, different places, all flashed in his face at once, blinking at different paces. He knew his body was close to shutting down, and had to figure out a way to stop the electrical charges before it got to that point. One way, was to get the gun and put the safety back on it. That deactivated the chemicals in the gel. Considering he was a mess and she was much more controlled then he was, that option seemed impossible. The second was to get the gel off of his body. Cade leaped into the air, frantically, and tried to run. He had no sense of direction and his sight was all blurs and undefined movement. He ended up jumping down into an opening in the alley. It was a square area, with walls on every side. Two entry ways were positioned across from each other. While he slowly limped and dragged himself into the square, the omen followed with grace. Cade leaped upwards once more. His body soared into the air, as if he had extreme strength in his legs. No human was capable of reaching his heights, even with hallowed out bones. And the only way Avians could match him was if they used their wings. Cade's body made contact with one of the walls. He shoulder, however, felt that he was on the ledge of the roof. With the opposite arm, he clung to the ledge and hung, for several seconds. The static clicking sounded once more, before another electrical surge pulsed through his body.

Cade's muscles all gave in, causing him to crash into the floor. He rolled over on his back, huffing deeply. He saw as the omen once more started to close in on her target. Cade began to lift himself up, once again. If she had it in her to be persistent, he would have to find the strength within himself to do the same. She got closer and closer, until something stopped her in her tracks. “What the hell?” She asked. As the words escaped her lips, another electrical pulse struck him. Cade had enough. He slowly ripped the remains of his backpack off of him, ridding himself of one pack. There was another shock which struck him right as he was throwing off his grimy coat. He wanted to be completely free from the gel though, so he also took off the next shirt he had on which was a thick green sweater. Underneath, he had on a skin tight thermo. As perfect as a fit as the shirt was, it dramatically enhanced the sight of his ribs from a lack of food for a measured amount of time. The entire back of his shirt was permanently stained with a burgundy sort of color. There was no secret as to what it was or where it came from because if you were to see the stain, you'd also be able to see his wings right beside it. Or at least, what was left of them. Among Cade's shoulder blades were two slits where wings were supposed to be. Coming out of the slits weren't wings at all, though. Instead, two thick, white bones which were semi covered with skin and blood stuck out in between the fabric of his shirt. The ends of the bones were jagged and beginning to split at the sides, as if his wings had just been snapped off. Small white feathers stuck to the bones, using the blood as a glue. The crimson liquid no longer dripped from his back, unlike a few weeks ago, where he couldn't get it to stop. The skin that was left had holes in it and seemed to be eating away at it self, like a bad recluse spider bite would do. All in all, the remnants on his back all seemed dead, and just waiting to decay.

After Cade had thrown the burdening clothes onto the floor, he only felt one volt still shooting into his body, which was the one she had aimed at his chest. His hand still carried a small amount of gel but it was far less painful compared to what he had been previously going through. He was worn out now, and after succeeding in his most recent escape, felt like throwing up. His insides were all twitching as the electricity continued to run through him, causing him to fall to one knee yet again. Sweat trickled from his forehead while he panted for air. In his small attempt to catch his breath, he looked up at the omen to try and read her next moves. What he saw, left him in awe. She was paralyzed in fear. Her eyes were glued to his back, where he was sure she put two and two together. He wasn't human. No, at least not always. He was born an avian, as was his mother and hers, before her. He was once capable of flying and knew how to handle himself well in the air. The feeling of wind rushing past him was something that nothing else could replace. Cade lowered his head, and breathed in slowly. His eyes tried to force their way to the back of his head. All that exertion was too much for him to handle, he was beginning to realize. The electricity was visible on his skin, when it shocked. Small, quick bolts of light scattered over his skin and disappeared just as fast as it showed. Cade was gasping for breath now. He wasn't going to last much longer. In one last attempt for salvation, he wheezed out what little words he had left. “Please...” His voice was cracking. “Just let me die.” With that, he leaned over so his forehead laid against the concrete. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his mind went blank. Like dead weight, his body rolled over, leaving him passed out on the concrete.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

Watching him sump over in pain, flinching with every click that led to a gradual shock Aleks stood over him. Following him as he tried to flee, jumping despite the debilitating pain, stripping down his clothes so that at any cost he could escape it. Yes, she’d done that. In fact she’d more or less torn her shirt to shreds in front of the 00. That had shocked him but she remembered it clearly. More or less, she guessed, he would too. Following him across the alley, slowly waiting with whatever patience she could reclaim he fell down. That was when she started to see it, the rotting bones and flesh, the blood and the stains. It shocked her, rocking her down to her very core. What was happening to him? Fear rippled through her skin forming goose bumps while her heart raced in a panic. Was he sick? Was it some manufactured virus to get rid of them all? Gregory Wells…was he behind this? Ideas, a million of them, were flying through her head as she saw it before her, the affects of something so wretched that as her imagination tried to recreate the pain she ground her teeth together and looked up at the sky. It was only when he tried to stand but fell onto one knee in front of her that she looked back down at him, into his eyes while her own burned with tears. Hissing as she fought through the very idea of going through what she saw she watched him mutter, hearing his every word.

“Please, just let me die.”

It didn’t take much else for him to pass out. Watching his eyes and his body go limp she tucked the weapon back into its pouch and exchanged it for a small capped syringe with a clear liquid inside. Biting off the black plastic with her mouth she knelt down beside him and flicked the small needle before squirting out a little bit. Pushing back his limp head she pushed it into his jugular, right under neck watching as the shocks disappeared from on the surface of his skin. At the same time it acted as an anesthetic. Replacing the empty shot in her pouch she bent down and picked up Ronin like a superhero would the damsel in distressed, under the neck and knees. Although a dead weight there wasn’t much to him. Taking to the air she returned to where his backpack had fallen, retrieved it and stuffed whatever clothes he had managed to tear off inside. Climbing into the sky then, she carried him and his bag with ease.

Keeping high in altitude she took her time all the while radioing in to headquarters that she had acquired her target. He wasn’t dead just in poor condition, he was ill was all that she could explain. Deep down inside her heart continued to tremor, ensuring that her heads stayed clear of the wounds. Had they rotted away themselves? Or was it some disease? Or maybe someone had snapped them off? Was anything capable of that? Arian’s were normally so protective of their wings. Nothing made sense. Cradling his head she paused occasionally to look at his face, worn and dirty but peaceful now. No longer suffering the anxiety of being on the run. There was a sense of pity that welled up inside of her, along with the fears that what had happened to him might affect her. It was something she dreaded. Humans seemed so useless, unable to fly.

Reaching the massive pyramid like building that was the Arian headquarters she detoured away from it knowing full well that he was not to go to the regular faculties. All of her captures, or rather deliveries, had gone through the main building. Landing at the regular entrance where she had gone just one week ago they were prepared and waiting. Entering the building she didn’t take to the main entrance instead she landed near a secret entrance on an elevated balcony some fifty feet off of the main ground. Swiftly she entered the door which opened upon confirming her retina scan. Inside was a group of Arian’s, aging healers and medicine dealers with a stretcher. Placing him gently on the backboard and gurney they belted him in and bolted off. Aleks was left to stand there and watch was they rushed off, his eyes still closed with an unknown fate before him.

Nathanial Loh received word of her success the moment they rushed Ronin into their elite medical facilities. At first he had thought the damage was inflicted by his bounty hunter alone which made him grumble with frustration and finger the white bandage that still covered his left eye. Yet word reached him quickly of something horrifying that made his think twice and catch his breath before replacing the phone on the receiver. The boys wings were literally rotting away and his body seemed to be infected with something. In a way the doctor described it best as simply “his own body is just tearing itself apart.” The hunter was sent in for debriefing, grappled by the very same watcher that he’d sent after her earlier, to bring her in for further information. They didn’t know much and were working fast with what they had to get more on him so that at least they could build a profile with as much information as any other person. Sighing as he leaned back into his chair the Arian leader had no idea why his fellow leader would commit such an atrocious act. Nathanial Loh firmly believed that this was intentional, a disease manufactured to wipe them all out. Pursing his lips Loh dialed a number he rarely used, reclining in his chair to wait for the other end to pick up.

Aleks was surprised to see Conrad patched up and already back to dealing with her. The babysitter half dragged her down the halls of the elite CIPAA headquarters. Although she had been through them all many times their white placid nature reminded her so much of a hospital. And yet an entire one had been set up two floors up, just for Ronin. In fact she herself would have to get up there. Standard protocol demanded a check up after each mission. Besides, she had a fat lip they would want to look at, not that it bothered her at all. Keeping her wings in tight to her back she walked alongside the larger Arian, counting the steps until she was tossed into the small room. There was no two way mirror, just a steel table and two chairs under dim lighting in a concrete building. They’d built this place up quick with little money, no need to be fancy. In came the head honcho of her department, the one who’d demanded her capture in the first place and Loh’s right hand man: Neo. Rare in breed he looked like what they would call a real angel due to his pure white dove wings that were split into two sets. In person he was very impressive and more so Aleks was taken aback to see him right in front of her, here to talk to her. Normally he wouldn’t associate with her, just sign the paperwork. Much like they golden days of the human race thousands of years ago. Or so they say.

“Do you have any reason why you’re here?” He questioned her, his tone mild and fluid. The words rolled off his tongue in what felt like harmony to her ears.

“Not at all, care to enlighten me?” Aleks responded swiftly, not giving in to the admiration she felt in her thought. He was legend. What was there not to love?

“Did you find your most recent target in his current condition?”

“He didn’t let on that anything was wrong exactly, not until he started ripping his clothes off because of the elec----”

“Run through your latest assignment,” he cut her off, clicking a pen in his right hand and keeping his gaze locked with hers. Aleks was caught off guard. They’d said he was normally kinder. What she’d seen on television was more than enough to think of him as a saint. But appearances were deceiving so she went with it, blinking twice before running through it. The week of tracking followed by the first encounter this morning, the character she’d tried to become and then later when she met back up with him and how he blatantly labeled her a spy. Then the chase to the alley where’d she’d given him one more chance but as he fled she’d caught him, shot up into the sky and threatened death. How he didn’t care about dying but how she’d caught him by his bag, let him fall and then shot him with five rounds from her gun, following him to where he collapsed and then journeying here where he was collected at the door.

“Did anyone see you throughout the more violent parts?”

“Well, no. Erm, wait. Yes, there was a group of kids who found the cards.”

“How much did they see?”

“Probably just me but they heard him, you know, grunting in pain.”

Aleks watched his eyebrows flicker while he sighed with somewhat…disgust? Was that what she read on his face. The interview led on leading Aleks to give over her weapon and used syringe. When she exited the room she felt as if her skills had been torn apart and laughed at. Was she really…that bad? They kept her around for a reason, for efficiency she’d always thought. But now it seemed like luck because she’d never really messed up before. Now they thought this was her fault. Was it really? Leaving her with a gut wrenching feeling of, maybe guilt? Had she done something wrong? Quietly she left the interviewing room, tired and somewhat anxious to get on with whatever was coming next. They were giving her down time though, which she appreciated. She had three days to herself before a medical examination and clearance for the next assignment. Retiring from the headquarters she rode the elevator upstairs to a small on call quarters. They weren't letting her go home just yet but three days within the building was more than enough time to think things over, train and eat as much as she needed.

Three Days Later

Silently she walked herself to the elevator which she then rode up to the improvised medical center. When the doors opened she was stunned at what the small clinic had become. Behind clear panels of glass was a full scale operation room with everything you could think of for equipment. Inside was a bloody mess but he was there on the table with one nurse checking vitals. They’d really flipped hadn’t they? But her reverie was broken when one of the regular doctors approached her dressed in pale blue scrubs with a mask still dangling on his neck.

“I’ll take you over here,” he told her, touched her wrist and pointing over to a small countered area that normally served as a closed space. With her mouth hanging half open she followed, unhappy to have to oblige and be taken away from him, from Ronin. There was something that made her want to know if he was okay which was weird. Normally Aleks had no sense of emotion at all. Zero attachment, no desire for anything at all from a person. Yet as the Arian doctor pushed at her fat lip, took her blood pressure and checked very other cut and bruise she didn’t dwell on what he was doing merely the boy behind the glass walls.

“He’s comatose, you know,” he finally broke in. Shaking her head for a moment Aleks blinked a couple of times before focusing on the man in front of her. He held his fingers against her wrist for a heart rate finally catching on why she was so quiet.

“They think that I did it, downstairs.”

“That’s probably why there’s a standing order for your head now. Though Loh will get his reports and Neo will stand corrected. This may have happened quickly to him but it wasn’t overnight.”

“Pardon?”

“After all the times I’ve seen you Aleks not once have you come in this battered or even hit. You’re as clean as they come. One job gone wrong, well. My conscious is telling me to demand that you stay here for observation.”

It was like she was a kid again, happy that she had a doctor’s note to escape class. Was she really this juvenile? Aleks watched him leave, scratching notes on a clipboard. Leaning against the cupboards she peered inside. The nurse watching him left leaving him to stay restrained to the gurney. Comatose? He had more fight in him than that…didn’t he? Standing tall she watched the nurse leave the floor completely. Sneaking in she slipped through the scrub station and through the doors, curiosity eating at her. Aleks was like a child now, wondering why the mouse she’d brought home was creating such hoopla. Leaning against the glass she let out a deep breath.

“Explain to me please why you’re worth my job.”

• • • • • • • • • • •

[[Bang Bang]]

The methodical sound of his heart rate monitor was the first thing he heard. It had been there for a while, he knew that, but his conscience couldn't break down simple problems like dreams and reality. As his eyes peeled open, he was instantly greeted with an ambient light which felt blinding. Cade tightened his eyelids together, trying to escape the sting. He waited a few seconds before trying his hand at it again. This time, his eyes were more adjusted. Still sore, but able to gain focus without as much trouble. His vision was blurred, to start with. Everything was simply colors and shapes with no definite details. Even without 100% vision, he could tell this room was dominated by white. The ceiling was white, the walls were white, the floor was white, and his body was covered with white. He began to lift himself upwards, feeling dryly sore. His body wasn't in pain, but it was weak from atrophy. He'd have one hell of a stretch after being immobile for however long it had been. He brought his hand over the blankets he was wrapped in, to try and remove them before sprawling his legs out over the bed. Before he could get his arm to even make contact with the blanket, he heard a small clinking sound followed by pressure against his wrist which held him back. Cade lowered his gaze down to his hand. With his other arm, he motioned to feel what was restraining him on the right. His left hand immediately felt the exact same feeling. Cade looked to his left hand and blinked a few times, trying to regain vision. It took a bit of straining but soon, the blurs started to shrink and replace themselves with small details he couldn't see beforehand. Around both wrists were leather straps lined with nylon. Cade tugged with his right arm, hearing the clanking again. He lowered his hand down then pulled once again, using a fair amount of strength. He pulled one more time, in attempt to see if it might budge in the slightest. The leather did nothing but tighten over his wrist, making him grow mentally frustrated. After giving up on the restraints, he lowered both hands down and started to look around the room.

Glass walls separated him from other rooms which were allotted around the large sector. Plastic strip curtains were covering every entrance, like a warehouse would have for their docking area. His room didn't give him much of a view, because it felt so closed off from everywhere else. In the corner of his eye, he knew someone was hovering over him. The pit of his stomach told him who it was from the churning feeling he got. The feeling that made him want to throw up. The feeling that made him want to cry. The feeling that he hated. He slowly turned his attention towards the woman in the room. It was the Omen. As if him knowing he was caught wasn't painful enough, she had to be here to shove it in his face. She just had to torture him. Cade knew that he hated her, with all the animosity his tiny frame could conjure. If he could throw her into everything he had gone through, he would have done it in a heartbeat. Speaking of which, that little monitor began to return to his attention. After he had taken in the sight of her, his heart rate began to rise. The monitor changed from a steady tone to a quickening beat. Cade's eyes slowly raised up until they connected with that of the avian's. This time, his facial expression wasn't that of a lost man or a hopeless ghost or an innocent fighter. This time, he was glaring. His eyebrows were furrowed and his grey blue eyes seemed duller then ever. The machine had more then doubled it's pace since he first woke up, now. One of the nurses who were stationed to watch over him rushed over only to gasp with shock and what Cade felt he detected as minor delight. “He's awake!” She cried. The nurse quickly turned tail and disappeared. Cade's hands balled up into fists. He shook the bed in his attempt to rip his left hand from the leather restraint. Within seconds, a whole team of medical workers began to move into the room. As they all started to talk to each other about checking vitals, taking temperatures, settling the patient, taking blood, and all others, he heard a mans voice say, “I'm sorry, but you need to leave now. Doctors and nurses only.” They were kicking the huntress out of the room.

Cade felt both relieved and even further agitated. He wanted to be free from her but at the same time, he wanted to rip her wings off. He couldn't do either when she was in the room with him. The nurses and doctors all spoke to each other like he wasn't in the room. They told each other how he was responding to treatment, what was happening to his blood pressure, what they were injecting him with, and what his current condition was, but no one looked him in the eyes. Cade felt like he was invisible. He tried his best not to seem confused or scared but truth was, he was both. Another nurse stepped into the room, this one with a clipboard. “Doctor, they'll take him now.” She said in a low tone. One man in a hospital overcoat nodded and said, “Let's roll him out of here. Get him to the OI room.” OI, even Cade knew. Open Interrogation. He was going to in front of an audience they were going to pretend wasn't there. He didn't know who was going to be watching but there was no denying that he'd be treated like an alien. Three nurses rolled his gurney out of the room and down an elevator. He was soon escorted to a room with concrete walls and a table in the middle. The nurses unlocked his leather restraints, only to place him in handcuffs. Cade was ushered into a chair by one of the nurses before they tilted his head sideways and injected something into his jugular. Then they took their gurney and left the room. His eyes immediately read the room, taking note of where the two way mirror was and the second door. As he did this, his head began to spin, distorting everything he was looking at. After a few moments, a man stepped in who he'd never seen before. His wings were a honey brown color which got darker as they got closer to his back. He took a seat across the table and pulled out a pen from the breast pocket of his suit. The man smiled at Cade, but it didn't feel genuine. His smile was smug and let Cade assume that he was going to try and pose that he knew more then Cade which made him better. “Ronin, right?” He asked first. Ronin was his first name, but he never really responded to it. Cade didn't respond. “Sorry, if I'm wrong. We just don't have much information on you. In fact, nobody does. You're not in the system, buddy. Do you know why?” Cade gazed to the left of the table. His head was spinning but he wasn't about to lose conscious. He focused on the floor, to ignore the man's questions. “Hmm?” He pushed. Only silence replied. Sighing, the man clicked the side of his pen which caused the bottom of the pen to glow red. Then he brought the top to his mouth and breathed in. After pulling away, he released smoke from his mouth and nostrils. He was using an e - cigarette. “Alright, well, then why don't you tell me where you've been for the past few months.” The interview went on the same until the man got fed up with asking questions to the walls. He stepped out of the room for a while before returning again with two other men. They stood against the walls of the room while the man placed a red cup down on the table. He pushed it towards Cade slowly and said, “Drink all of this down.” Cade knew it was useless to try and fight it with two extra people in the room, so he grabbed the cup with both hands and brought it to his lips. Before he could even let the liquid slide to the back of his throat, he spit it out on the floor, and began to back up in his seat. The men immediately rushed to his side, placing one hand on each of his shoulders. “Drink it.” The man said again. Cade tried to get out of his seat but was forced back down. One of the other men took the cup from his hands while the other started to c**k Cade's head backwards and open his mouth.

Cade kicked and tried to pull their hands away but was held down. The men eventually started to pour the liquid down his throat, causing him to gurgle and cough and choke. They didn't stop until the liquid was either down his throat or on his clothes. After they were done, they let him go and took a few steps back. Cade was gagging now, and lurching forward as the liquid reached other parts of his body. He immediately broke into coughing. Endless coughing. His chest burned and his ribs all ached. Cade brought his handcuffed hands up to his throat, where the pain felt strongest. It took him almost forty five minutes to stop vomiting and coughing. He had been escorted to his 'room' by the time he was finally able to take in a single breath of air without choking. About an hour later, he was escorted back into an OI room, and asked more questions. Once again, he was drugged up, this time with a higher dosage. The questions had to do with the bounty hunter. They asked what she had done to him, if she hurt him which was a really stupid question, and if she had made any threats towards his wings. Cade refused to answer or even listen. He just stared off at nothing or stared into their eyes with a glazed over look while his body felt like it was spinning. The interrogator as well, got frustrated and sent him into a different room. This time, they placed a black hood over his face and restrained him on his back. Water began to rush over his face and air passages, but never really broke through. Waterboarding. Used to make the victim psychologically feel like they were drowning. He was dragged back to his holding chambers after a few hours of torture. Every day was the same. He was drugged then interviewed twice a day, and each time he chose not to comply, he was forced int some type of torture. They tried millions of approaches. Good cop, bad cop, promises he knew they couldn't keep, threats, bribes, fake secrets they were going to 'let him in on', so on and so forth.

“He can speak Native, right?” A doctor asked Alecks one day, after wondering why he made no acknowledgment whatsoever towards the people asking him questions. “Did he talk to you? Does he even know how to talk?”

The worse torture of all was when they brought power tools to the protruding bones on his back. They split the bones into small splinters, then peeled them apart slowly. Cade's eyes rolled to the back of his head several times in attempt to pass out from the pain. Before he had the chance, a nurse would shoot him with adrenaline to keep him awake. It would numb the pain but not even a fraction of enough to help. This was the torture he had gone through just hours ago. As he sat in the floor of his holding chambers, he knew they were going to pick him up soon and take him to an OI room. And just as predicted, he was. He sat down in the chair with plastic wire for handcuffs and waited. He felt like a regular now. They were going to ask him the usual, then send him off to endure more pain because he wasn't going to comply. Cade figured they'd be smart enough to just skip to the torture but apparently not. Another man in a suit stepped into the room just as the drugs began to kick in. This one was familiar. He was famous in the avian world. A speaker for the people and second in line next to Nathanial. His wings were oddities to humans and yet special to Avians. He took a seat across from Cade and cleared his throat. He carried no files or pens or clipboards like the others. Cade was a bit caught off guard by their new approach, but still prepared to ignore everything he asked. “Good afternoon, Ronin.” His trademark kindness. “I will cut straight to the point to avoid wasting anymore of your time.” That was actually sort of funny. As if Cade had somewhere else to be. 'I'm late to my next torture session.' “We need to know if the woman who brought you in did anything to you.” Cade mentally rolled his eyes. Not this one again. “Did she take any extreme actions against you?” The prisoner stared down at his handcuffs. He looked to his right hand where he was now missing half of his ring finger. They had cut it off entirely in one of their attempts to get him to say uncle. Now, the remains of his finger was bandaged up just like the rest of the wounds they inflicted on him, including his wing stubs. “You know, she's watching, right now. I made sure she attended this interrogation, specifically. She's right behind that glass.” Cade's interest immediately perked. She was watching him. He could tell her own team lies about her and turn them all against her. He could bring her world crashing down on her. “All you have to do is tell us, exactly, what she did, and we'll pull the plug.”

Cade brought his eyes up to Neo's and stared back at him. It was the first time he actually looked at the interrogator. Then his eyes turned towards the two way mirror. Whether it was the drugs or his own mistake, he felt as if he was looking at the Omen, straight in the eyes. He sighed and then returned his gaze to the floor. “I think we're done here.” He said lowly with a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. The interrogator didn't seem happy. “Connor,” He said. An intercom over the mirror soon reported. “Sir?” A voice asked. “Get this man some more thiopental sodium. Double his dosage and escort him to his holding cell. Continue the medicine every hour until we're ready for him again.” It was obvious he was saying this just so that Cade could hear. He must have been a master of intimidation. A man entered the room with a syringe in his hand. He slowly injected it into Cade's arm before picking him up and forcing him out of the room. As he was dragged out, his vision remained on the mirror. If what Neo said was true, then the huntress would see where her choices had lead him to and why he had begged for death.

[Korrye]

• • • • • • • • • • •

Although there was a desire within her for any sort of reaction, maybe a sign from some holy figure, Aleks was shocked when she monitors started to read an elevated heart rate. What?! Instead of hovering over his figure she watched from her spot on the wall. There she kept her eyes on his, watching his lids blink three times and close before he tried again. Then he tugged at his arms, his heart rate climbing yet still. It jumped while he realized something: she was there with him. Tilting her head to one side Aleks kept looking at him, reading his expression, taking in his glare like it was a good meal. In fact she would have remained there but the nurse rushed in the moment his rate bumped up high enough for a little buzzer on her wrist to notice.

A different doctor arrived soon afterwards (different than the regular or the one who had treated her earlier), one with mixed tan wings, olive skin and dark hair. Tearing past her he pressed a couple of buttons on the machines while the nurses prepared to move him to open interrogation. How had their methods improved? Aleks couldn’t help but wonder. When she’d been in his position years ago she’d been brought to the brink of death, just on the edge, waiting to be pushed until they’d shot her up with that damn drug. Neo had been behind it and she didn’t doubt that he would pull it out again after every other method had been exhausted. The doctor turned to her, while she was in thought, grunting and shoving her square in the shoulders, out of the room.

“I'm sorry, but you need to leave now. Doctors and nurses only,” he muttered. Aleks tried to push back at first but watched as her feet were guided out the door. No need to push it though she was somewhat bothered by the appearance the man. He was off and where he had touched had a residual burn even after he turned and left her alone. Unlike the other MD this one set off a million bells and whistles in her head. Something wasn’t right about him. Something was wrong, very very wrong. Watching him stand rigid looking at the nurses as they pushed the gurney towards the elevator, Aleks followed every twitch, taking in his posture and facial reactions. When the gurney turned away he shook his head and scrunched up his latex gloves. It wasn’t until he turned to look at her for a split second that she saw it. A very faint movement above his left lip and right eye, something only certain people were born to see. There was something there, he was lying about his position or he was uneasy that she was there. Trying to cover something up, maybe?

It’s what gave people away no matter how swell the actor. Those slight movements. Ronin could see it in her. And though she did everything she could to avoid it, now she was seeing it in this doctor. Turning rapidly to exit the floor she was met with the large body of none other than Neo, standing graciously behind her with his long red hair swung back into a knot. His masculine features, a strong jaw and wide eyes, stood out to her but above all his mouth for it looked pursed and tight.

“Come with me, please,” he kindly asked. Aleks felt her heart race on, why was he here? She’d spent the three days doing paperwork for him aside from brief moments of leisure. Although there was a burning desire to question his authority she went, walking beside him and tall so that she wouldn’t look like some dog following its master. Although he pulled rank on her, Neo was more than just her boss. He was a hunter all the same. In fact he was the one who’d brought her in, all those years ago, playing her the same way she’d tried to Ronin with a little more success. Aleks felt the tension between them, whether it was raw and new because of the past few days or maybe residual from their brief encounter. Years ago he’d demanded that she be brought in but also that he do it himself. What a smuck, if you can't trust someone else to do the work, do it yourself. That seemed to be his motto.

Following him she found herself in another elevator heading downstairs. As the door opened to a floor she caught sight of Ronin as he was shuffled into a room.

Open Interrogation, but why? At first she thought that it was to watch. These rooms were different than the one she’d been in upon arrival with Neo. They had a watch mirror and behind it analysts. Ducking through a separate door she followed Neo to stand amongst of crowd of maybe four others.

“Read their faces,” Neo commanded. Aleks didn’t show her dislike for the order. Sure he knew about her skill but was the doctor just a test then? After all he had been watching her as she watched him, feeling her panic and tension. Neo was good. Aleks knew that he knew what she was thinking. By nevertheless the instinct in her arose and she stood off to the side while the others chattered, curious interns or just witnesses they seemed excited. Their banter didn’t last long for Neo hushed them. The party was starting in the room. Watching Ronin in particular Aleks looked into his eyes and watched his lips, tracing his jaw and hairline while memorizing other features of his face. When the interrogator came in she recognized him from some previous encounter. There wasn’t too much to remark about him. As he sat and started throwing out questions her brow furrowed.

“He doesn’t talk much,” she echoed her thoughts for Neo to hear. The interns, upon realizing who she was (after all, how else would she know so much about him?) shut their mouths intrigued with what she was saying. One even thought to write it down.

“There’s something about him, he knows how to read people too. Ronin read me; he knew what I was and called me out on it. Either he’s got one heck of an intuition or he’s been trained. It’s evident in his face, the way his eyes dilate. His mouth never moves. He’s honestly got no clue about how he’s evaded the system either…”

The thoughts rolled off her tongue while she watched. The questions didn't go over well and it didn’t long before they brought out the acid. Instead of watching she turned away from the mirror listening to the sounds through the speakers undisturbed. She’d heard it before, experienced it herself as the occupant of the room but in training as well. It was horrible and she was somewhat moved that they would instantly start working with it. As she thought through her earlier motions with him Aleks recognized a high pain tolerance within Ronin, all of his actions pointed to it. But also how it didn’t seem to faze him, none of it did. Instead he just dealt with concealing his panic like a master. That she told Neo too before they exited the room. The four others were brought somewhere else while Ronin was taken down into holding. Neo brought her into a separate open interrogation room and left the two way mirror clear so as to prove to her that no one else was watching. Seating her in a chair he took out the every growing dossier from within his suit jacket and flicked through several pages. Instead of Ronin’s face, the one she expected to see, she saw the mugshots of her own.

“I feel it important to stress that you tell us everything Aleks.”

“After all my successes as a bounty hunter I’m assigned to be a kidnapper. Explain that to me first and maybe I'll talk.”

The snide remark escaped her mouth before she could even think of the repercussions. Watching Neo’s eye’s squeeze shut Aleks looked intently at him waiting for an answer. She would not back down, not this time. Instead he did something she wouldn’t expect, he rose and grabbed her by the roots of her hair at the back of her neck and slammed her face into the table. The recoil sent her head back up leaving her to gasp for air. Yanking her head back up to his lips he spoke,

“You have no right to such information. You think you’re above the law? We’re all under it. Now the repercussions for your actions are being planned out. Listen closely Aleks or I won’t hesitate to bring everything I have down on you.”

The words were chilling, coming slowly and with aggravation. Fear knotted in her stomach but she didn’t show it. She couldn’t. Weakness wasn’t an option so all she did was cringe as he yanked at her hair and let out a hiss when he released her and she plopped back into her seat. Rubbing at her cheek she eyed him, read him like she would any other but there was nothing to see. So she talked.

“He was playing solitaire. It was coincidence that I caught him there. I was on recon, they’d had a sighting and I tracked him to the building. Grabbing lunch at the noodle bar was good cover but then I saw him, sitting on this damn crate minding his own business. I got up to him and pretended to be a friendly passerby. So I offered a tip for his game. Then he just froze. I’m telling you Neo, I can’t make this up. The moment the words came out of my mouth, no matter how nice, he knew at that moment. The same thing that I knew when you delivered my mail all those years ago, he felt it. He knew what I was. I just didn’t give him the truth until I’d exhausted all my options.”

“So breaking off his wings was an option?”

“I did not hurt him!” Aleks yelled, slamming her fists on the table to prove it. “Just look at the medical notes Neo, that was weeks of progressive disease and rotting. I used the gun, five rounds discharged followed by the Pecid drug to keep him out until he got here and to calm the shock.”

Neo scribbled down her statement, displeased with her sudden burst of emotion. All the while Aleks reclined in her chair tapping her nails along the metal surface while her face stung was the hit against table. Standing abruptly she watched him rise and then circle her in a few steps.

Grabbing her by the wrists he slapped on regular plastic bindings and pulled a shot from his breast pocket. There was no time for her to react, his motions were so quick. Aleks felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise as he moved. She cringed.

“I’m sorry about this,” he muttered before stabbing it into the base of her right wing. The drug tore through her muscles causing everything to go limp. Aleks watched her awareness fade and her body seemed to melt into the floor. At least that's what it felt like to her although she merely collapsed into his arms. Neo grabbed her under the shoulders and hoisted her up in front of him. Closing her lids by hand he forced her out of the interrogation and into the hall, by then she was unconscious.

--------------------

They thought she was lying? They truly believed that she was lying to them about it all? Was it what she’d said to Ronin in the sky, about covering up all of her previous missions? Come to think of it she never had lied about anything. What went into the system was the truth.

Waking up on a mattress Aleks gagged on a tube shoved down her throat. Something had happened…something that she couldn’t remember. Squeezing her eye shut she felt this panic in her stomach. It was like a million butterflies were suddenly dancing around. The urge to vomit was too great. Heaving against the breathing machine she felt her lungs shrinking in her chest. She couldn't breathe. The nurses jumped at the sight of her blinking eyes. They demanded that the doctor attend to her immediately and fortunate for her it was the same one who had done her examination. Not el creepo. Ridding herself of the tube took merely a deep inhale and exhale on her part but involuntarily her body heaved and gagged while he pulled it out. The inside of her throat felt raw but she was instantly given water. They were being kind, something she didn't expect. Feeling bruised and battered she looked at her hands only to see that they were purple and slashed. Funny thing, they can give her water but they can't bandage her wrists?

As she fought to understand what was going on an immense amount of pain crashed through her temples, like her brain was trying to burst through her skull. Sucking back air she tossed her back and cringed, it all made sense now. Deep down she knew what he had done and suddenly it felt like all privacy had been invaded. The memories were still there, of what had happened with Ronin. They’d just wanted to see it for themselves. They’d damn near killed her. But the process itself wasn't there, in fact that was blank. How long had it been? Aleks remained silent. Although in her mind she was freaking out she was calm towards the medical personnel attending to her.

The doctor flicked a pen light through her eyes and nodded, stepping back to place the small object in the pocket of his coat and finishing by folding his arms across his chest. She’d been filtering his voice out until now; all the medical lingo was too much to handle along with the pain. What came next came in clear though.

“It’s been three days; I’m surprised that it didn’t take her longer to recuperate from it. It took a lot for them to break through.”

“Doc,” she moaned. The doctor turned to look at her. “Where’s that ******** b*****d?”

“Which one?” he smiled but it wasn’t enough to rid her of the rage she felt about what had happened.

It didn’t take much for them to track Neo down nor to get Aleks on her feet and dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. Tying back her brown hair in a messy bun she left the hospital area groggy and unhappy that her heartbeat was still echoing in her head. Leaving against doctor's orders she tried to get herself caught up on Ronin's case. They were trying to force the truth out of him today. It was day three of torture for him yet they’d skipped the process for her. They’d know she wouldn’t give in that way. But she’d been saved no pain. Something inside told her that. Neo met her outside of the hospital wing, his arms folded across his chest. All she could do was glare. There was no need to comment on what had happened just what was going to.

“Where is he?”
“Same as before.”
“What have they tried?”
“Handbook options one through seven.”
“I told you he’s trained to withstand.”
“That’s a hunch of yours that had yet to be proved. Follow me.”

This time she was left to watch behind the glass on her own while Neo entered the room. There was a sudden shock when she saw him and his state, more so what they’d done to damage his wings (or what was left of them). They were physically pushing him near death but in ways that she hadn’t experienced. Pushing on the two large bandaged pages on either side of her temple she watched and listened, surprised that Neo brought her up in the conversation. They were still doubting her. They demanded his side of the story. There seemed little hope to get anything out of him. So when Neo mentioned the drugs her heart stopped. They were going to kill him. By using the same damned thing they had on her they would surely kill him. She had to stop this. When Neo left he didn’t come back for her, instead he just left. The guards that came in to reprimand him were nobodies. Aleks bit on her lower lip thinking over in her mind trying to bring back the memories of that horrid room. The stress of it all felt like a weight on her chest. While her head continued to thud she felt a warm patch grow on her cheek. Wiping her fingers across her skin she brought her hand in front of her eyes. Her eyes widened when she saw the crimson on her fingers, thick and growing dirty as she rubbed her tips together. Instead she brought up her shirt and wiped what was there, praying that it would just stop on its own.

They had erased the past three days, it was like they decided it was important that she not know. That was more than enough. They’d gone too far, now it was her turn to push their limits. Forcing her way into the hall she walked ahead, knowing where they would go. Snaking through the halls she waited, standing rigid and brushing her hair over her forehead so that they wouldn’t see. When Ronin rounded the corner she pulled her ID badge in front of the bulkier man.

“Agent Connally, here to escort him to the bird cage the final length.”

The Arian’s eyebrows raised but they bit their tongues. The rank of her ID was higher than their own so they couldn’t say anything. They wouldn’t risk it, not the way that Aleks did. So Ronin was forced into her hands and she tucked her right around the plastic and nudged him forward with her knee.

“I’m beginning to think that you’re a mute,” she muttered, forcing him onwards and taking the first detour possible. The rest of their journey she made every turn possible, not so much to evade any others but to disorient Ronin himself. Leading him from behind they walked for an addition five minutes before she locked them both into janitorial closet. Now was her turn, brushing her hair from her face. It was beginning to cling to her skin which was turning sweaty from the anxiety but also exertion. Dead tired Aleks grabbed and bucket and flipped it over in front of the door and sat on it.

“So, were to start? Let’s start with an introduction. I’m Aleks Connally and I am officially ******** because of you.” Leaning forward she expanded her wings somewhat, ensuring that they still worked. They were as sore as her body though so the small space didn’t help much.

“They’ve already seen my side of the story though they don’t believe me when I tell them that you’re trained. So before I die I’d like to know that I’m right. Were you, in some shape or form, a member of the government? Were you trained to read people, to avoid capture and tolerate torture? If you’re…skilled than we may have a chance at something. Because honestly, if I can barely handle the strain of…well. You won’t so that’s why they've put it off. Just answer my questions, please. You have to understand that what they're going to do, it'll torture you in way that you can't imagine.” The words came out of her mouth though she barely remembered the process. There was a feeling that she felt just then, this warmth as she recalled being in Neo's arms like a child, her legs around his stomach and her hands over his shoulders while she was half conscious.But it quickly faded away.

It will be worse than what you've gone through, worse than the pain you endured with your...wings. Please, if you talk to me than I can help yo-"

The warm trickle returned and she grunted, bringing her hand up to the patch which had turned crimson. The headache continued, growing to the point where her eyes began to water. The lights seemed so bright, just now.

It seemed like a long shot, to get him to talk. For a while she looked him in the eyes before turning her gaze to her purple wrists, scabbed over in many spots. The ring around them was very clear and she’d seen it on her ankles too. Restraints and she’d fought hard. Which was something that she couldn’t understand. If she wanted them to know the truth about her operations, like she’d told them, why would her mind create more of a barrier against them? This man was bringing out a side in her that she hated, one that was going to get her killed, murdered and tortured by Neo. In her mind a thought appeared of him, a distant memory that was no lie. Aleks didn’t know why it came to her then it just did but she forced it out of her mind in order to focus on Ronin.

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