Skye sank back against the wall, exhausted. “This is not good. We don't have time for this right now.” He turned to face Juliet. “How are you feeling?”
She sat nervously. “Fine,” she lied.
He thought of what he could say to comfort her, but decided against it. His mind was far too preoccupied with the following day's events to offer any solace. Skye was exhausted and eager to complete the mission and move on.
“Skye, it looks like the government has officially issued a lockdown of the district. Nobody is allowed in or out.”
Skye held a hand over his mouth and stifled a scream. He knew that Shangwu was already in the process of being locked down, but having the official mandate handed down made his escape all the more challenging. If the order did indeed come from the government, it would almost certainly have been from Archie, which therefore meant that Nikolai would've also had a say in the matter.
Clever, Skye thought, reluctantly complimenting Nikolai. The longer he keeps me trapped in the city, the less chance I have of finding them by tomorrow morning.
“Where's Tahlia?” Sierra asked as she dropped to the ground next to them. Skye gasped in fright.
“We don't know. She left.”
Sierra turned to Juliet. “Locate Tahlia.”
“Skye!” Ren almost shouted his name through the headset. Her voice was frantic. “They've just issued an order for Juliet's execution!”
Skye's heart skipped a beat as blood rushed to his head. He didn't know how to react to the sudden warning. “What? What do you mean?”
“The directive has come from the president. It states that Juliet killed a soldier and is now an enemy of the state. Orders are for police to shoot on sight.”
Skye let out a terrified moan. “That never happened. She never killed anyone,” he muttered. The already dire situation had just intensified dramatically. “What about me?” he asked, the panic in his voice evident.
Ren paused before explaining the obvious. “No, nothing. There's still a warrant for your arrest, but there's nothing beyond that.”
“What is it?” Juliet asked, unable to hear the small speaker in his ear.
His breathing became heavy. They were cornered in the alleyway, and the city was in lockdown. There were no clear options for escape.
“Nikolai, what have you done?” he whispered to himself.
“Skye, talk to me, please,” Juliet's distraught voice begged.
“We can't stay here,” he admitted. “We can't wait for Tango and Echo. We need to leave now.”
“Tahlia must be close. We need to find her,” Sierra said.
“No,” he dismissed, his eyes wide with terror. “The police are going to kill Juliet on sight. We need to get her back to base immediately.”
Juliet stared at Skye, her anxiety palpable. “What?” she asked innocently.
“This could be your only chance to find Black Dawn,” Sierra reminded.
“I said no.” Skye began to grow angry. “If we stay here, she'll be killed. My priority is protecting Juliet.”
“And my priority is finding Tahlia,” Sierra fired back. “I'm not letting her escape if she's nearby.”
“Why do they want to kill me?” Juliet's voice squeaked. Tears began to well in her alarmed eyes. “I didn't do anything.”
“Let's go,” Skye said to her. “I need to get you out of here.”
Sierra blocked his path. “No. I need her to find Tahlia for me. I'll keep her safe.”
“That's enough, Sierra! You won't be able to keep—”
Before he could say another word, Skye crashed hard into the large recycling container behind him. His reflexes were fast, but not as fast as Sierra's. He never even saw her move as she kicked him hard in the abdomen. The container moved an entire metre, loudly scraping the brick wall alongside it.
Skye coughed the remaining air from his lungs. The force would have almost knocked him unconscious were it not for his chest plate. When he came to his senses, he looked up to see that both Sierra and Juliet were gone. He quickly climbed to his feet, realising that the sound of the container would most likely draw unwanted attention to the alleyway.
“Skye, what's happening?” Ren asked, eager for answers.
He opened his mouth to answer just as three police officers walked into the alley, all with their guns aimed high. The only chance he had at survival was to run in between them. He was fast enough to do so, but feared they'd open fire at point-blank range. Knowing he didn't have a choice, he ran as fast as he could, skilfully flying through the middle of the group, knocking one of the officers over. Relief washed over him when he didn't hear the sound of gunfire. He landed at the mouth of the alley and turned right, sprinting back to Jalan Raya.
“Skye, talk to me!”
“I'm fine, but the police have found me. Sierra took Juliet.”
He turned his head and saw the police chasing him, but they disappeared into the distance with every stride he took. Few rivalled his speed.
Within seconds, he was back at the main road intersecting Athenia. Hundreds of vacant cars littered the streets, their occupants ordered to leave and take refuge inside the surrounding buildings, or in safe locations away from Shangwu Qu. A small crowd of medics had gathered at the overturned cruiser. He crossed the road and ran straight for the southern end of the city. No less than a dozen armed officers stood firm, scattered at different locations on Jalan Raya. They slowly turned their heads toward him as he raced past like a blur. Before they could even react, he was gone.
Sixteen
“Locate Tahlia,” Sierra ordered.
“Why did you bring me up here?” Juliet asked, her head spinning. Sierra had grabbed her and managed to jump onto the rooftop in one seamless leap.
“Juliet, locate Tahlia,” she said again. “You're safe here.”
Juliet wasn't listening. Her eyes were glued to the two helicopters fast approaching. She was high on the rooftop, but hidden from the view of the flying crafts. She stared upwards, terrified. “They want me dead.”
“I need you to find Tahlia, please,” Sierra repeated yet again.
“I can't,” was the frightened response. “You can't leave me. You need to keep me safe.”
“I am keeping you safe. I'll protect you by killing Tahlia.”
Juliet stared into Sierra's blank eyes, not knowing whether her offer was genuine or not. She suddenly felt uneasy around Sierra, after she was snatched from Skye's care only moments ago, but obeyed nonetheless. Juliet closed her eyes and blocked out the loud noise from the nearby rotating copter blades.
It only took her seconds to locate Black Dawn. They were closer than she feared.
“They're coming,” she said, her voice trembling. “Tahlia's in that direction. Less than a kilometre away.”
Sierra looked to where Juliet's hand pointed. She walked over to the edge of the roof of the building and stared into the distance. Below her were countless cruisers and armed officers roaming the streets. The two helicopters were nearby, hovering dangerously. Beyond them, a familiar shadow emerged from a small street.
Tahlia suddenly stopped. She looked up and saw Sierra staring straight at her from the high roof. To the average naked eye, seeing such things was impossible, but with their evolved vision, they could almost see each other's faces clearly. The two stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
“I see her,” Sierra said to Juliet. “Stay here.”
Juliet's face fell. Before she could request that her supposed comrade stay and protect her, Sierra had flung herself over the edge of the building.
“You need to stay back,” the police officer stated firmly, not appreciating the defiant Tahlia trying to break into the business district.
“Please let me through,” she begged, trying to reason with them. “My friend's inside and she might be in danger.” She considered transporting herself to the roof of the nearby building, but Nikolai's foreboding voice echoed in her mind,
warning her not to display her abilities publicly.
“Stay back!” he ordered, not allowing her to worm her way into the lockdown.
A gust of wind knocked the policeman over. He hit the ground with a soft thud.
Sierra swung her curved blade at Tahlia's throat wildly, taking no risks in having her foe escape once again. Tahlia was not as fast as the short woman, but managed to take several steps backwards and evade the attack. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Sierra knew the familiar trick, and spun around in time to see the black ball fly toward her. She dropped to her knees; the energy crashed into the entrance of a small shop behind them, melting the glass instantly.
Sierra lifted her left arm, ready to utilise her deadly crossbow. She fired the bolt, but not before Tahlia vanished once again. The steel bolt flew through the rear window of a nearby parked car. Sierra wheeled around to see that her enemy was not there this time. She instead looked up and saw the woman in black dangling from a fire escape.
Sierra fell forward as a bullet drove itself into the back of her chest plate. She twisted her head and saw three officers walking cautiously in her direction. Her first instinct was to attack, but she remembered how Skye constantly warned against harming the authorities.
They're only protecting their country, she reminded herself.
She leapt upwards instead, landing on the catwalk in front of Tahlia. The curved blade protruded from her poncho, and swung at Tahlia's head again. Before it sliced through her neck, Tahlia grabbed the arm of the shorter woman and blocked the attack.
Sierra released her grip on the knife, then brought her left arm across, grabbing the blade in one clean motion. She twisted her body in a final attempt to drive the weapon deep into her nemesis. Tahlia let go, and jumped backwards before she could be impaled. Her eyes darted right for a fleeting moment, in the direction of Juliet's nearby location. She looked back at Sierra and, before another attack came her way, disappeared, disregarding Nikolai's command.
Sierra knew immediately that Tahlia was trying to locate Juliet. Down below, the police officers were within shooting range again. Sierra jumped out from the fire escape and landed cat-like on the ground, then raced across the road and back the way she came. Before the officers could open fire, the bogeys had completely disappeared.
Seventeen
Tahlia appeared on the rooftop. She only had mere seconds before Sierra would arrive, and had to eliminate Juliet immediately.
She walked forward and saw the young girl slouched against the vent. She was lifeless, covered in blood. Tahlia gasped and stepped back in surprise. Someone had already beaten her to it.
“I don't know why you insist on killing the girl,” Daye said from behind. “She's hardly guilty of anything.”
“She can locate us,” Tahlia growled, not feeling the need to justify herself to the Tianzu warrior. She turned her head back to Juliet. She could still sense the young girl, despite being dead. In an instant, she realised that Daye had implanted the illusion in her mind. She raised her hand high and summoned her dark energy.
“Is this what you want?” he asked.
She didn't answer him. She sensed that Sierra was about to arrive. Tahlia was too late. She closed her eyes and disappeared from the scene in a cowardly manner. Killing Juliet would have to wait.
A second later, Sierra flew over the roof with her blade in hand. She spun around, quickly realising that she had missed her opportunity yet again. She threw her blade down in rage. The game of cat and mouse seemed to be never-ending.
“She's not here,” Daye said coolly. He turned his attention to Juliet. “Are you alright?”
Juliet nodded her head, terrified from having Tahlia staring her dead in the eye. She had no idea that Daye just saved her life.
“Where did Tahlia go?” Sierra asked, not bothering to enquire as to Juliet's well-being.
“I don't know,” Juliet whimpered, shaking uncontrollably. She had been terrified since Nikolai's warning the day before, and only seconds ago she was mere metres from death.
Sierra turned her attention to the colleague of her nemesis. “Where's Tahlia?” she asked Daye.
“I can't allow you to kill her,” he said.
Sierra leapt in front of him and brandished her blade in his face without a second thought. “If you stand in my way, I'll kill you too.”
He showed no sign of fear. “I doubt that. I'm familiar with your history, and I can't imagine you'd harm a Kaipuran.”
He had successfully called her bluff. She dropped her knife. “Why are you helping her? If you know my history, then you'll know why I want her dead.”
“I hold Tahlia in no regard whatsoever—she's as reckless as you are. Nor do I have any affiliation with Nikolai and his murderous faction. Yet I can't allow you to kill her. I'm a man of peace,” he smiled.
“Do you condone her past actions?” Sierra asked.
“No,” he said, shaking his head, “of course I don't. What she did was horrible. However, it doesn't mean that she isn't deserving of a second chance.”
“A second chance?” Sierra echoed, bewildered by the man's kindness. “Do you honestly believe she regrets what she did?”
Daye nodded. “I do.”
“Then you're a fool,” she hissed. “She knew exactly what she was doing, and she has no regrets. She betrayed her country. And yours. How can you forgive her for what she did?”
Daye paused, his short hair blowing in the wind. “Because I must. Hearing of her past actions certainly caused me a great deal of pain, but we must learn forgiveness, lest we spend an eternity murdering one another in the names of questionable causes.”
Sierra took a step closer to him. “She murdered your people, Daye. Help me find her. Please.”
The man shook his head. “The fact that they're my compatriots makes no difference. We must stop limiting our perception of who 'our' people are. Humans need to learn to live among one another, regardless of our nationalities, ethnicities, beliefs. We need to respect one another as equals, instead of finding irrelevant reasons to divide our society. We're all in this together, and the day we accept this is the day true peace will be achieved.”
Sierra stared at him, unconvinced by his speech. “I agree. But I can't let Tahlia live—not after what she did to me.” She turned and threw herself off the roof, continuing her search without the aid of Daye or Juliet.
“Your friend is dangerous,” Daye observed, walking across the roof to Juliet. “You would do well to avoid her.”
She stared at him suspiciously. He was far less intimidating than Tahlia, but Juliet had been convinced by Tango and Echo that the Tianzu were as much the enemy as Black Dawn.
“You should also avoid the rest of your friends,” he continued, having been earlier attacked by Skye, Tango, and Echo, and further justifying his lack of trust in White Shadow. He lowered himself and crossed his legs, sitting opposite her.
“Why would I do that?” Juliet asked defiantly, trying to hide her trembling lip. She glanced up at the helicopters and shifted her position so that she remained out of their line of sight.
“Can they really be trusted?” he asked with a warming smile. “Is their credo not to kill your new president? Or kill Black Dawn? Are their intentions really pure?”
Juliet frowned with confusion. She wasn't calm enough to process the philosophical poetry. “They're trying to do what's right for Athenia.” She carefully placed her right hand on her communicator to call Ren for help.
“It's okay,” he said, noticing her wandering hand. “I'm not here to harm you. I only want to warn you to exercise caution.”
Juliet froze and placed her hand back on her leg. A part of her was petrified by the unfamiliar man in front of her, but she couldn't help but sense a peaceful energy emanating from his illusion, despite not being able to sense Daye's actual presence. She started to think that he wasn't the man she had previously assumed he was, which only led to her feeling all the more perplexed.
&nbs
p; “If you won't hurt me,” she began, “why do you work with Nikolai?”
He smiled at the question. “For the sake of peace.” His answer was oddly cryptic and ambiguous.
“But the Tianzu are murderers.”
“Far from it,” he said, shaking his head. “I'm trying to find a way to convince your clansmen otherwise. The Tianzu are not necessarily murderers. I don't, in any way, condone what they did to your fallen friend, but that's also not to suggest the Tianzu are a malicious sect. Unfortunately, it's easy to assume as such, which is why the actions of one person can have an incredibly profound effect.”
Juliet glared back at him. “I don't understand.”
“Everyone holds their own ideals of what a peaceful world is. My view on peace is different to Nikolai's, and to your friend Skye's.” He stood up and slowly walked across to the edge of the building, gazing down at the chaotic world below. “You can live a long and peaceful life. If you truly want to help others, you should remove yourself from these rival groups and walk your own path.” He had to raise his voice in order to be heard over the rotating copter blades nearby.
Juliet shook her head. “I still don't understand. We're good people,” she said, referring to White Shadow.
“Your friend Marion is walking a dangerous path,” he spoke as he turned back to her. “She's fixated only on killing Tahlia. She's a danger to all of you.”
Juliet didn't believe his thoughts. “I agree that she's a little odd, but she's not dangerous to us. She wouldn't hurt us.”
Daye's smile faded. “You have much to learn, young one. Those whose minds have evolved live extraordinary lives. But unfortunately it can also be overwhelming. The mere prospect of living for an eternity can be suffocating. Humans may fear death, but deep in their minds they take comfort in the finality that is the end of one's life. To take that away can lead to a traumatic shift in one's understanding of reality. The end result is a hollow shell of a person who had once reached a higher plane of human comprehension.”
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 26