“Good, that should be nice and easy. How long before the next thing on their calendar?”
“They seem to have a meeting in just under ninety minutes.”
“Fuck. I wish I had more time, but maybe I’ll get another twenty or so in the time they are looking for him. Having only about two hours to find and rescue the hostage is going to be tough if I’m trying to be sneaky. Any idea where they are being held?”
“Not yet. They are not particularly forthcoming about the details of such nefarious acts like kidnapping. It will take longer for me to figure out where this person is.”
“That’s fine, just keep me posted and be ready to move when I tell you. It looks like you will need to plant the charges.” Peter began to stammer, but was quickly cut off by Codi. “I’ll push the button you fucking baby. I just need it set up and that is in the opposite direction of where I am going.”
Codi closes the communication before Peter can say anything else and makes her way toward the nearest elevator. When she entered, she became painfully aware of another layer of security she did not know about. Peter said her target was on the eighth floor, but the elevator she was in only went up to the seventh floor. If she wanted to reach the office, she would need to find an elevator that could take her there. As she was about to step out of the elevator, it dawned on her that she could ride to the seventh floor, and then look for stairs to the eighth.
With her course set, Codi emerged onto the seventh floor, which was far busier than she imagined. With the number of expensive suits she saw, it was no surprise her disguise was getting far more attention than before. She could feel them all judging her, their eyes labeling her as garbage who should not be in their presence. Trying to think fast, she kept her head down and looked for something akin to a kitchen.
Though it was not a kitchen, it was exactly what she hoped for. It was a small area to obtain beverages such as coffee and tea. Grabbing two cups and filling them with the first liquid she came into contact with, she placed lids on them and walked out wearing the most confused and unsure expression she could muster. Given the situation, it was not difficult to achieve, and immediately she found the stares did not linger, as she was now behaving according to their expectations for someone who looked like her.
Much to her dismay, after all her effort, she had wasted fifteen precious minutes searching around the seventh floor to no avail. After checking with Peter, she found there was only one elevator that gave access to the eighth and nineth floors, and that it was only accessible from the second floor. According to his information, it did not even stop at the other floors.
Making the trek to the second floor, she was able to find the elevator in question with Peter’s guidance. When she arrived, the elevator chimed and let her enter freely. Despite him not being able to perform when it came to the harder situations, Codi could not deny Peter was proving himself to be quite useful. Given her reception on the seventh floor, Codi made a point to stay completely out of sight on the eighth floor, since there was no way she would be able to convince them she belonged there.
Creeping through, she came upon a large office with one side of it glass panes. This was something that always annoyed Codi about people in positions of power. For some reason they all thought it made them look more authoritative and in control if they had an office that allowed people to gaze upon them in awe of what they did not have. This made her work much more difficult, and she now had to make sure no one was ambling down the hall as she confronted the man.
Eyes darting around, she confirmed no one was en route to the office and dashed in. To make sure she could get close enough to confirm the kill, she paralyzed him just as raised his head to question who she was. What she did not expect was that he would still stand and confront her.
“Who in the hell are you?! How did you get in here?!”
Codi was not sure how the man resisted before, but she knew that if she did not silence him immediately, there would be trouble. She hit him with the heaviest attack she could utilize without preparation, and felt her stomach sink at the result. Though there were a few singe marks on his clothing, that man was completely unharmed and rather than looking hurt in any way, he looked invigorated.
“Oh shit.”
Codi immediately dove out of the office, running at full sprint toward the elevator. As she ran, there was a gunshot that rang out behind her, the delay only confirming what she already knew. Of all the people she could be tasked with killing, her target would be another Electrokinetic. He swallowed her blast like a shot of expresso and would have been ready to send a blast back if he had not already realized it would be ineffective.
Luckily for her, the elevator did not require identification for use from the eighth floor, but as she was headed down, she heard something that sounded like alarms. She panicked as she had not only blown her cover, but raised an alarm without accomplishing even one of her goals. She caught herself quickly and began trying to salvage the situation.
“Peter! Get the fuck out of there NOW! I’ve been made! This is totally fucked! You won’t be safe if you stay there. Try to get the bombs-”
From Peter’s side he found the system had gone into lockout mode and he could see the alarms going off even before he heard them. This prompted the man sitting in the room to become aware, and without thinking, Peter jumped from his position to run, but was tripped by the man. As he sprawled out on the floor, the man drew a gun, the sound of it cocking almost enough to cause Peter to wet himself. His survival instincts took over, and before he knew it, he had drawn his own gun and shot the man. Though it did not kill him, he was hit in the abdomen, which caused him to crumple to the ground, allowing Peter to escape.
Codi found herself completely swarmed by agents that did not appear to be the typical security staff for an office building. Though she had no problem fending off most of them, there were those that must have been high powered Titans amongst their midst, because she was having little effect with her powers. She tried to keep her head, but when faced with so many obstacles, she failed to notice she was being corralled in specific direction.
She continued blasting her was through any foe she could, while dodging those she could not. She feared taking an elevator would be a deathtrap, and she had yet to find a flight of stairs. If only she had been on the first floor, there would have been a much better chance to escape. Directly ahead of her, she ran into a sea of agents, guns at the ready. Closely behind her were the ones she had been attempting to flee. All at once they opened fire, there being no indication she had ever been wanted alive.
With the utmost haste she formed a dome of arcing electricity around her, the hail of bullets being caught in its web. Unfortunately for Codi, the difference between what she could do, and the barriers of a Defender were apparent. The only reason her trick worked was because the bullets were metal and the field was strong enough to cause a magnetic reaction with the potency to draw them in, effectively stopping them. The field was in no way solid however, and three bullets managed to slip through small gaps in the field. Even though they were slowed, they still were enough to cause her to fall to the ground.
Codi stared in defiance at her assailants as they readied their shots. For some reason they were hesitating, and then Codi noticed one woman appeared to be communicating with someone. It seemed there was still a possibility she would make it out alive. She found it ironic that she was on a rescue mission, but would end up the one in captivity. The three wounds on her body ached, but because they were distorted by the field she created, they were little more than scratches.
Thoughts came flooding back of how insane the mission’s parameters were, but she was confident she would be successful with the right preparation. Everything was going fairly well, which caused Codi to agonize over why things went so horribly wrong all of a sudden. Even the response to her presence felt unusually fast. To assemble such a massive team in an instant seemed strange. The only solace she took was her being the target w
ould allow Peter the time he needed to escape. Though she would never admit it to him, he had grown on her considerably, and she would be devastated if anything happened to him because of her.
Codi knew this was her last chance. Even though there was not much she could do about the force behind her that was resistant to her powers, she might have slightly higher chances if she could thin the pack in front of her. Doing her best to be as discreet as she could, she began charging energy for one giant burst that might allow her to flee. Before she had the opportunity to finish however, with no warning, the storm of bullets rained upon her.
Being quicker at the draw was something Codi prided herself upon, but such talent meant nothing if the draw had occurred before she had a chance to process what was happening. People often said their lives flashed before their eyes right before dying, but Codi found that to not be the case. Perhaps it was due to her having few regrets in life. Instead, what was on a hyperspeed loop in her head was all the warning signs she ignored that lead to her death.
She hated herself for refusing to ask Phavian for help because she was too proud. She hated her cold behavior toward Pryshka before she had left, now knowing it was the last time she would been able to see her. She wanted to cry for leading Peter into a mess she knew he was not prepared for, but encouraged him anyway. In a life of few regrets, that was now the only thing that existed in her mind as it felt time slowed to a crawl, taunting her before she died.
She never knew death would be so silent. She expected light everywhere, or at least in the distance since everyone said go to it. The light would be so blinding that closing your eyes did nothing to block it, but at the same time it was inviting rather than oppressive. There would be trumpets and fanfare, and all the alcohol and women any person could ask for. Instead, there was nothing. Just a void. She realized her eyes were closed, which could be the reason for the lack of environmental stimulus. Upon opening them, she realized she might not be dead, but she was certainly in hell.
Everything seemed to be engulfed in flame, but for whatever reason, the flames had no qualms with her. They did not burn her. They did not even make it warm. They just danced vibrantly of their own accord. Then she recognized the devil standing before her. It took her a few moments, but she was finally able to make out what he was saying.
“How did you manage to get overwhelmed by a group of Titans strong enough to resist your powers?”
Even though she was happy to be alive, no one could be worse to see her in such a state than the ever calm Anaar that for some inexplicable reason lacked even the slightest hint of smugness. For a moment she thought she must be dreaming, as it was impossible for him to know where she was, nevertheless be present, but she remembered he still had all the mission parameters, and in a new development, was apparently a Transporter, along with a million other things.
“Why in the fuck are you here?!”
Anaar’s face falls flat as he responds. “Should I leave?”
“Okay, what I really meant was how the fuck are you here?”
“Portal. Quite simple. Do you really think this is the time to be leisurely asking questions? It seems things are not going very well.”
“No fucking shit!” She looks around for the first time and realizes the barely visible red energy surrounding them. “Oh, a shield. No wonder I’m not dead. Good shit. Guess it’s time to fuck them up. I don’t suppose you are going to leave me to do that alone are you?”
“So now you want my help?”
“I asked for your help from the beginning asshole! Are you going to do it or what?!”
“You seem to still be having trouble understanding the situation.”
Codi looked around again and realized there was no one to be found. “Where did they all go?” Anaar points to the ground, and her eyes went round like saucers. “How in the fuck are they nothing but little piles of ash on the floor?! What kind of sick fuck does that?! …I like your style.”
Codi stands from the floor, straightening herself before looking around more. Her mind turns back to the mission, particularly the man she failed to kill. Given the response, she found it unlikely for him to feel he was still in danger, so it was possible he was still in the office. After what she had been through, it was now personal for her.
“That fucker is going to die for real now. And I still have to find this dude and get the fuck out of here before I blow it sky high.”
“Are you still trying to finish this mission?! The first thing you should be doing is leaving.”
“I have to do this. After how bad it has gone, I would be spitting in the face of Lady Luck if I squandered this one in a million chance she has given me. I may be spitting on something else if she wants it, but never the face.”
“Do you know how absu-” Anaar stops short, his face showing extreme displeasure and what looked to be concern. “I have to go right now. Here, if you are going to go anyway, take him. I’ll catch up to you.”
A portal opens and he dives through, it snapping shut immediately. Codi is left standing there confused, only to be startled by the baby dragon floating nearby, looking at her expectantly.
“What the fuck am I supposed to do with this thing?!”
Though she might have imagined it, Codi felt positive the creature flapped its wings angrily as if it did not appreciate her comment. Not sure what to do with it, Codi took off back toward the way she had come, making a mad dash for the elevator. The dragonling kept pace right alongside her until she stopped in front of the elevator. In her rush she had forgotten something critical.
“Fuck my life… It’s locked again!”
Codi stomped her foot angrily, looking around for another option. She tried raising Peter on the coms, but given that she had told him to run, he was surely not in a position to help open the elevator again. As she looked around, she noticed the dragonling and then decided to poke it. She was not sure what she was expecting, but a solid monster of fire was not it. As dumb as she felt, she did not know what else to do, so she leaned forward, squinting into the space where the eyes should have been.
“Can you like… carry me?”
The dragonling flaps a few times, and to her surprise, floats down to her shoulders, and latches on with its claws. She could feel herself lift off the ground and move around. She was unsure why it could understand her, and utterly perplexed as to how a creature made of chemical reactions was corporeal enough, and strong enough to carry her. Leaving the logistics of it all behind for the time being, she directed the dragonling down the hall, a smirk on her face.
Anaar burst through the portal, a shield erecting around him immediately upon exit. This shocked all the agents that were there, causing them to unload their clips, but Anaar completely ignored them. Peter lay on the floor in a puddle of blood, his neck gushing and his lifeforce almost depleted. Anaar ripped the bullet from his neck while simultaneously healing the grievous wound. Peter’s breathing immediately stabilized, and his pulse quickened, which gave Anaar immense relief. If he had arrived seconds later, he might have come across a corpse instead.
Anaar surveyed the area, finding one woman on the floor, wounded, but her life not in danger. Anaar was proud Peter was able to score a hit on at least one person before he fell. He was also happy that the woman was still alive. He was not sure Peter could live with the weight of taking a life, so this made things easier. Anaar stood, dropping the barrier so that he was completely exposed. The agents could not believe he did something so reckless, but before they had the opportunity to punish him for it, they were instead the ones dealt swift retribution.
The knives slid from his bandolier in a silky smooth motion, only the slightest whisper being uttered as they emerged. From there they rocketed silently into each of the nine agents’ heads, landing perfectly in the center of their foreheads, the sharpness of the blades, and the power behind them allowing for a clean exit from the back of their skulls without even a single spurt of blood. They fell to the ground, dead before t
heir fingers had the chance to apply any pressure to the triggers of their guns.
Anaar dropped back down to Peter so that he could rouse the small man now that the threats had been eliminated. Slowly his eyes opened, and he came to realize he was being held. Anaar had been cleansing the blood with a water construct when he awoke. Overjoyed to simply be alive, he flung his arms around Anaar as he began to weep.
“I was terrified! I have been fleeing for so long and yet somehow they always manage to head me off! I was in so much pain-” He reaches up to grab his neck, feeling all over for the gunshot he had received. “I’m not dead! I’m not even injured! How is this possible?!”
Anaar found himself grateful Peter had only been shot in the neck, as it would have been difficult to twist the truth if his clothing had been riddled with bullet holes and blood. “I think you must have been so shocked in your ordeal you began hallucinating. Either way it is fine now. You are safe.”
Peter’s eyes began to gush again when he suddenly remembered what had occurred just as he fell. “That woman! I… I killed her…” His hands covered his mouth as the stream of tears increased in intensity.
“No you didn’t! See, look there. She is still moving.”
Anaar had purposely left the woman alive, just in case Peter remembered shooting her. He was positive there would be no way to convince Peter he had not killed her if he woke up to see her corpse. He seemed relieved to have not caused the woman’s death, but he then noticed all the other bodies around.
“What happened to them? Are they alive too?”
There was no softness to Anaar’s voice, only cold truth. “No. I made sure of that.”
Peter swooned for a moment, but after weighing what would have been without Anaar’s timely intervention, he was able to come to terms with it as a necessary evil. Despite his concern for the woman he had shot, Peter was far from being ready to continue, even though the area was fraught with danger. He continued to take all the time he needed, knowing one thing to be true even if everything else proved to be false: With Anaar around, there was nothing in the world he had to fear.
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 38