29 Chapter 29 [It's Not Over]

Pisces 16/ 2261 12:37

I stared down the target. My throwing knives in on hand. A small table sat beside me, holding another dozen different types of knives. I stood inside the throwing bay, glass surrounding me on all sides other than a half door behind me. Targets began to move in front of me.

Different sizes were worth different amounts of points. The smaller goals, three points, the larger ones one point. If you hit them in the dead center, you got another point on top of the original points. The timer counted down. Three. Two. I threw the first two as the timer hit one. By the time it changed to zero, the knives hit their targets. I scooped up another three blades, spinning on one foot. I threw two with my right and one with my left. I reached for the table without watching them. I knew by each weight, what type of knife I was holding. Sif. Diana. Lexi. I stepped to the left and threw two Sif Windbreaker blades.

"You look distracted." A voice said behind me. I grabbed four Lexi Casualties and threw them.

"Go away, Cleopatra. I don't want to hear it." I warned. I heard her lean on the half wall. I took a short breath in. My shoulder burned. I felt the skin break open again. I grabbed the last few and threw them. I dropped my hands to my side and watched the timer pause. Two minutes, one second. 'Slow.' I watched it change to show my score. [Twenty-seven.]

"Yesh, I don't think you've ever had such a bad score," Cleo noted. I bit my lip and glared at the numbers. "Come on. Let's try hand to hand."

I turned away from the lousy score and looked at her. Her hair was a bright pink and purple now. She wore matching leggings and a white crop top. She backed away from the half wall as I vaulted over it. We walked towards the wrestling mats before I stopped mid-stride. I stared at Cleo for a moment. She noticed and stopped walking, waiting for me to speak.

"What is wrong with me?" I asked her. She blinked in surprise at me. "I hate Legends. I hate people. I hate working with people… so why do I feel so shitty not working with Ethan?"

Cleo gave a sad smile. She threw her arm around my shoulders and led me to the benches. We sat down, and Cleo turned to face me. She tilted her head.

"I think… that you liked him. You liked working with him because he is a Legend. You know for a fact, Legends are hard to kill, so he felt… safe, I guess." She reasoned. Her words repeated in my mind. They made sense.

"But why do I not want to work alone? That would be the safest?" I asked. Cleo frowned at the ground. She sighed and shook her head.

"Maybe you're tired of being lonely," Cleo said softly. "You've known him for a few months, not long, but you've fought together. That creates a bond like nothing else."

"Lily already approved the request to change. We're not partners anymore." I bowed my head. I covered my face and moaned. Cleo put a hand on my back. I rubbed my face. "He doesn't talk… much. I've never seen him without his suit, I don't even know what he looks like. But… I don't want to go on any missions now."

"I noticed, about two months after you started working and training with him, you seemed happier," Cleo noted. She sighed and shook her head. "Well, not happier, but calmer. You weren't constantly going on missions, you ate more… You seemed better. I was glad when he came into your life. Were you?"

"No. Yes. I don't know." I ran my hands through my hair. "At first no."

"Now?"

"It was… comforting to have him around." I took a deep breath. Admitting that was... hard, but it was true. He was a constant that I desperately wanted. Something that didn't change. I glanced over the gym. A few people milled around. It was sad to see so few people here. When I first started, the gyms were packed all the time. Now people barely entered. Most of them were dead from the war, the rest just didn't see a reason to keep training.

I looked up and saw Lily enter through the main doors. I stiffened, my entire body going rigid. Cleo frowned at my sudden change. She glanced around before spotting Lily. Cleo sighed when Lily began approaching us. Cleo stood, her gaze returning to me.

"Want me to stay?" She asked. I shook my head. "Sure?"

"Positive," I answered. Cleo knew Lily was my sister. Other than Jermia and Nati, she was the only other person at the base that knew. I nodded at Cleo to go. Lily strode up, her head held high.

"You didn't answer your comms," Lily stated. I inclined my head and smiled. I'd muted it before starting my training.

"Sorry," I said with a shrug. "I'm busy."

"Misfire." Lily snapped. "Come on. We need to talk."

I stood and followed her to the lift. We took it to the roof. There we walked to the railing and sat down. When I was younger, we sat up here. At the time, I was so happy to find out I had a sister on Lexi. To find I wasn't so alone. Now we were always fighting.

"I hope you know I didn't ask you to work alone to be mean." Lily stared out over the base. I followed her gaze. "I've been trying to keep you safe. After how many times you got hurt on missions with him… I wasn't going to risk it."

"I don't need you to watch over me." I leaned on the railing. Below us, I saw people walking along the paths between the buildings. I saw Raven leaning on the statue, speaking with an even taller girl. A Legend.

"Too bad." Lily rolled her eyes. "I risked my career for you. You can at least act grateful."

"Don't risk anything for me," I warned. I glared at her. "I'm a Virus, remember?"

"I… I shouldn't have said that. I was scared. I knew you wouldn't listen to reason. You're too selfless."

"Yeah, sure…" I muttered. I glared at the ground below us. The grass had turned dark green from lack of rain. Selfless was not something people described me as. Reckless, stubborn and talented, yes. Selfless, no. Silence fell between us.

"I sent three teams after Jefferson. He can't hide forever." Lily said. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"How did you swing that?" I asked. She couldn't touch him without a proper reason. Him being an assassin trainer wasn't enough.

"He corrupted a team leader and caused the death of two teams. That makes him a threat to the military. That is enough to send search teams and a military arrest warrant." Lily explained. She glanced at me and shrugged. "You came in handy after all."

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes. Lily sighed and bowed her head. Her black hair fell from its loose bun. She ran her fingers through it and pulled the pin free.

"One of these days, you will have to tell me what happened those eight months." She looked at the red and black pin. I closed my eyes.

{Crying makes it worse. You can't show any emotion. No matter the pain.

Four more died this week.

How many are left in your group? Twenty-one.

Pugna Mortem is tomorrow.

Welcome, assassins, to the Inferis. Last three standing, lives.

Now, prove yourself, Shadow. Kill them.}

"Not much to tell." I lied. "It was four years ago."

"But something happened. You changed when you got back." Lily pointed out. I looked down at my hands. My scars burned under my clothes. "You… changed."

"Doesn't matter." I straightened. "You shouldn't have sent those teams. He'll kill them."

"Not three teams." Lily narrowed her eyes at the sky.

"You underestimate him," I warned. She looked at me with cold eyes. "The council will get mad. You'll lose your job. Don't risk it for me. I'm not worth it."

"Don't say that." Lily sighed. I looked down at the path again and saw Ethan. My throat constricted. {Jay!} His panicked voice rang through my mind. Then my own selfish ones. {If he trusted me, he wouldn't be hiding behind his armour.} 'Idiot. I shouldn't have said that. Bakae.' Lily noticed Ethan down there. She made a clicking sound with her tongue. "I saw the video. You shouldn't have risked your life for him. He's just a Legend. Everything special about him can be duplicated in a lab."

Anger flickered to life in my stomach. I narrowed my eyes, turning to glare at my older sister. She didn't notice. Her eyes were locked on him.

"Damn Machine. Hurting you." Lily continued to rant. I found myself realizing that was what I thought. I thought he was a machine at first, but when I think about it... Though he acted like emotionless, he still jumped off a cliff to save me. He watched my back. Made sure I ate and carried me back to my room when I fell asleep in my lab. 'He chose me. So… do I want him? Stupid question.' Lily didn't care about Legends like she had said before. Another lie to get to me. How many has she told now? 'I hate lies.'

"Ethan," I growled. Lily glanced at me in confusion. "He has a name."

My eyes burned. Anger and shame welling in my body.

"His name is Ethan," I stated. I stood and shook my head at her. "And I will risk everything for him. He is more than a Legend."

"Jade—"

"Don't!" I snapped. She reached a hand out to me before pulling it back. "Don't."

"The minute he gets another order, he will leave you behind without another look. They were made to follow orders." Lily warned. I saw the pain in her eyes. She truly believed she was helping me. I realized why she called me a virus. Why she said those things. I would never do anything for my own safety, but for someone else. For someone, I cared about… "You're just going to get hurt."

"Then let me!" I snapped. Her eyes widened. "I am not a damn child! Stop trying to protect me! I have seen the absolute pits of hell, I've seen humans at their lowest. There is nothing I need to be protected from."

We stared at each other for a moment. Once again, I couldn't help but notice our differences. When threatened, I stood on my toes, my hands loose and ready. Lily planted her feet and met my gaze fully. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

"Just focus on your job, Lily Selene. That's what you've always cared about." I hissed. Lily clenched her teeth, her eyes narrowing at me. Her fists curled tighter.

"Fine." Lily spat. I gave her a final glare before spinning on my heel. I took the lift down to my lab.