Chapter 5 [The Wreaked and The Worried]

Capricorn 15 / 2261 12:01

"So, your new partner..." Raven said.

"Shut it," I growled. I fixed my gloves, these ones Flex-wear instead of cotton. The thick fabric restricted my movements only slightly, and they helped me keep a grip on the knives.

"A Legend." she chuckled.

"Rave."

"You hate them. Hell, you hated when I dated Abby. What did you say? 'They are machines. They don't have emotions.' I believe those were your exact words."

"Rave!" I snapped. I hit the back of her chair. She yelped and spun to face me. "I really don't want to hear about it!"

"Sorry, I just and loving the fact that karma is a bitch to you!" Raven cheered.

"You're a piece of shit." I leaned on the doorway and glanced into the main room. The Legend sat on the bench, his head bowed. Part of me wondered if he was sleeping. "You're supposed to be my friend, you shouldn't be enjoying my pain."

"Nah, I love karma." Raven shrugged. "Seeing you squirming is funny."

"Shit head." I sighed. The Legend raised his head. Huh, I guess he was awake. Or he just woke up. How does he sleep sitting up? I turned back to Raven. "I hate Karma."

"Oh, but I love it," Raven answered. I glared at her. Her lips twisted into a pained smile. As much as she may pretend to be a badass, she cared way too much. "Suffer, princess."

"I'm not a princess." I rubbed my neck and sighed. I'm not a princess. I'm a soldier. I pulled a section of hair from my ponytail and pressed the locks to my lips as I thought.

"I wonder if he is one of the Legends we saw the other day..." Raven wondered. I shrugged. I thought that, too, but it seemed unlikely. He would have said something. Anything. But for the past five days, the Legend had been mute like a wall. He also wore that suit all the time, making it impossible to tell by his appearance.

"How am I supposed to know? He's short... for a Legend. Any of the ones we saw about his height?" I asked the pilot. She frowned at me.

"Most of them were his height." She pointed out. I thought back. Yeah, I guess he's about average height for them. I let go of my hair. "Although, compared to you, they're huge."

"I'm not short." I tried to bit my nails. Instead, I bit into the glove. I made a face and dropped my hand to my side. "Look up the average height of a Lexian. I'm taller than that. You, Sifs are just tall."

"It's adorable. You look like a child beside him." Raven ignored my comments. I rolled my eyes.

"Back to the original point, I'm not concerned about my own morals. I'm concerned that the idiot will get himself killed." I said. Raven spun her chair once before facing me. On her face was a smug grin.

"Aw, you care. Cute." Raven cooed. I rolled my eyes again. At this rate, I'll be blind. I spun the chair, so Raven was facing forward. I leaned on the back of her chair and sighed.

"Rave," I warned. This entire trip she's been making these comments. Telling me how cute it was that I was working with a Legend. Raven took a deep breath and sighed before clicking on auto-pilot. I stood and moved to lean on the wall. My eyes jumped back to the Legend. He was standing at the weapon's cage. I turned back as Raven spun her seat to face me.

"Okay, fine. Good friend mode. Promise." She said. She crossed her legs and tilted her head. "So what makes you think strong and silent will kill himself."

"Well... I'm sure he won't kill himself. But Jermia gave him orders to protect me. You know how Legends follow orders." I took a shaking breath. I glanced down and saw my right hand shaking. Damn it. I slowly curled my fingers into a fist, easing the shaking only slightly. I looked over Raven's head and stared out at the black and white space. The explosion rang in my mind. I took a shaky breath in. "I've had enough people die because of me."

"Quinntus was not you—"

"Heard it from Jermia and Nati, don't need to hear it from you." I cut her off. I crossed my arms over my stomach where a pit had formed. "All I want to hear is a plan to get gloomy off my team."

"Team... You have a team? Queen of solo." Raven turned back to the screen and switched off the auto-pilot. She checked a few screens. "You don't have a team."

"I have a team." I snapped. Raven scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe not one that goes on missions, but I have a team. You, Cleo, Vix... You guys are my team."

"A pilot, a hacker and an AI." Raven listed off. She shook her head. "Only me that leaves the base. That's not a team. A team goes on missions together."

"So, what are we?" I asked. "A party crew?"

"You are no fun. I would never invite you to a party." Raven shrugged. I rolled my eyes and glanced back at the Legend. He'd returned to sitting and was staring at the wall. Unmoving, like a statue. I hated how Legends could remain frozen for long periods. It was creepy. "It was a joke, laugh."

"It wasn't a joke." I turned back to Raven. She shrugged.

"No, it wasn't. Sorry."

"Are we almost there? I hate collection missions." I took another deep breath in and looked out the window. "They're painfully boring."

"And it's odd that he sent you. You're special ops. The best killer ali—"

"I hate when you call me a killer," I muttered. "I am one, doesn't mean I like it."

"Then why do it?" she asked. I bit my lip and shook my head. I scratched my hair for a moment. "Don't know?"

"Shut up." I turned and walked into the main room. The Legend looked at me, shaking off the stone-like state. I ignored him.

"You're a confusing piece of flesh," Raven called. I ignored her and walked to the weapons cage. "Three minutes 'till D.O."

I scanned the barcode on my left wrist the cage before yanking it open. I studied the weapons within the cage and swore.

"I hate the weapons on the Athene," I muttered. All big bulky weapons. Blunt force. K300, JT 1000 machine gun, some rocket launcher that I didn't know the name to. I sorted through the guns, swearing at how messy they left the cage. "Absolutely fucking useless."

"Be nice to the ship," Raven called.

"Tell the others to clean up their shit," I answered. I continued to dig through the mess. Where the hell was it? I straightened and glanced at the ceiling. "Did they take all the rifles off this ship?"

"Probably, Charlie team used this ship last," Raven said. Of course. I leaned on the edge of the cage and bowed my head. The Legend team was known for leaving the ships without checking anything. Often times they would take guns out of ships. Especially rifles.

"Bloody hell." I spun to storm to my bag. As I did and hit my head against the Legend's chest. The Legend stood inches behind me. I didn't hear him move. How the hell? I touched my throbbing forehead. "Ow. Bloody hell."

I stumbled back. I stopped when my back hit the weapon's cage. I raised my eyes and glared at the green mirrored visor. My own reflection glared back at me. My eyes were dark, and my mouth in a deep scowl.

"I said, stay out of my way." I snapped. He tilted his head and held up his hand. Within it was a blackened rifle. J04 rifle. My favourite one to use. My eyes jerked to the ground. I hate you. I thought stubbornly. I don't need your help. Ignoring the Legend, I walked to my bag. I dug out my obsidian knife and strapped it to my side. Next, I strapped my throwing knives to my thigh. I tied my hair back in a ponytail. I jumped when the rifle landed on the metal bench beside me. I shot a sharp look at the Legend, but he was already turning away. I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Bloody Legend."

"Adorable!" Raven yelled.

"Shut it, Rave!" I yelled back. I slung the rifle over my shoulder and scanned the room for extra magazines. I walked back to the cage where the Legend was and reached around him. I gabbed two clips and quickly backed away. Standing next to that wall sent unease through my stomach. Legends made me uneasy. Nothing should be that strong. That willingness to take orders. That broken.

"Thirty seconds," Raven called.

"Lovely." I grabbed the handcuffs out of my bag and clipped them to my belt. "The faster this is done, the faster I get to kill some Legion bastards."

I turned and walked to the ramp as it opened. I tapped open my bracelet and opened the file for this mission. I clicked open the map. The drop off point was only a few jumps from the base. Maybe a thirty-minute walk.

The ship hovered about ten feet from the ground. I took a breath before striding down the ramp. At the edge, I glanced back into the ship. The Legend stood at the top of the ramp. Even though the visor, I could feel his eyes on me. I turned away and stepped off the ramp. I dropped through the air like a rock. The minute my feet touched the ground, I dropped my shoulder and rolled to a stop. I quickly bounced back to standing and turned to watch the Legend. He dropped off the ship and landed without rolling. I flinched when I imagined the stress on his body from that kind of drop.

"Machine," I muttered. I turned and faced the charred forest. A lump formed in my throat when I saw what became of the once lush forest. Ash covered the ground, sending white flakes into the air every time I moved. Sneaking around would be hard here. Even harder with a mountain following me. "Bloody hell..."

I tugged my gloves higher on my arms and took a deep breath. Ash stuck in my throat and made my eyes burn. I dug a mask out of my pocket and pulled it over my face. It was similar to a surgeon mask but made of thick fabric and black. It silenced my already quiet breathing. It also helped me blend into the shadows by hiding my pale face. At least that was something that Legend could do with his dark armour.

"This way," I commanded, spinning to my left. I avoided looking at the Legend as I walked. What rank is he? Should I be giving orders? Yes? Yeah. Legends don't make orders, they take them. Besides, Jermia didn't say for me to listen to him. My internal confusion turned in anger. I should have read his file. Idiot. I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth. I hate these missions. Too much time to think. Way too much time.