Defend the city
They sat on a bench and looked in the void.
«So, who is going to win?» Ethan asked.
«Win what?» Vera replied, surprised.
«The tournament.»
«What tournament?»
«I don't know, Vera. I don't speak that language.»
«How could you understand tournament, then?» she said.
«You used the English word championship. I guess there's no word for it in your native language.»
«Not in the ancient version...»
«Which sport?»
«Football.»
«And there exists as a word for football? Are you kidding me?»
«People play football since longer than you think, Ethan. Let's go home, now...»
«Wait, I'll first call the office.»
She nodded, shivering in the light shirt. No one had told her she was going towards a storm, so she hadn't brought any jacket. It was summer, and the temperatures in Paris had been hot for weeks. So much that people couldn't sleep without air conditioning.
If they had warned that Gamayun was flying towards the west, she would have worn better clothes. But she wouldn't be one of their agents if they could find out the cause of the disasters without her.
Ethan tapped on the screen a couple of times before bringing the device to his ear. He waited a few moments before they answered the call.
«Hello, we met a huge bird with a beautiful face.»
He waited while the voice on the other side replied.
«No... Ehm, she flew over us and continued on her way. Vera says she brings storms.»
He scratched his head.
«No, I don't think that sending missiles would help. She's flying over France now... I don't know.»
He passed the phone to Vera, and she accepted it, rolling her eyes.
«I can't, it's late,» she said before they could even give the orders. «There is no way to stop the storm now. It's already happening; we just don't see the signs yet. Let the central places know about it and send reinforcements to your strategical units. And to hospitals; they might need it.»
«Stay there and defend the city!» said the voice.
«Defend how?» she scoffed. «I am not a magic golden fish. I don't make miracles.»
«You're not allowed to abandon Paris until the end of the storm. Period.»
She sighed again.
She threw the phone to Ethan and got up from the bench, walking towards the centre without turning back.
She hated it when they gave meaningless orders. Yet, she had signed a contract with blood when she was twelve. She had accepted to serve them for a hundred missions and ten years, all to protect a person.
It was almost over, but she would have been free only from the end of that mission. Which, apparently, was not over yet.
The first drops of water hit her face a few minutes later. Ethan was following her, and she turned to him with a frown.
«I need to be alone now,» she exclaimed. «Go look for shelter, Ethan. Oh, you can leave Paris, actually. It's the best option. Take a train in whatever direction. It's late for a flight.»
«Vera,» he called her. «Is there nothing we can do? For real?»
«Nothing,» she said, spreading her arms. «This is as far as I go. Mission accomplished! Ah, forgot to tell you Gamayun left me a prophecy. Darkness is returning. So, you and your colleagues will be working to prevent an apocalypse. Without me.»
«Wait, you can't just run away now! There's a storm incoming, and it could be dangerous.»
«Guess what? I do not care. Do not follow me, Ethan. I genuinely advise you to mind your business.»
She left him there and ran away, getting lost in the crowd and reaching the underground, the Métro.
She hated going under the ground, but it was the fastest way to move in Paris. And, either way, there was not much ground on top of her. Most of it was concrete, not mud.
She got off in the centre and wandered, noticing how the rain had reached there too. She had gained a few minutes by commuting with the Métro, but that time was already over.
She sighed, moving her amber eyes to the sky. She didn't see any danger incoming except for the storm a few kilometres away. She couldn't stop it, and she couldn't escape the city.
She read the sign with the name of the street.
«Rue de Barres,» she murmured. It didn't tingle any alarm in her mind, so she took a stroll there.
It was a short street with cream-coloured old buildings, some covered by ivy, and the few bars open didn't cover too much of the public area with their tables. Differently from the very centre, it felt calm and completely out of the world. As if she had been carried back in time.
The rain fell fluently, soaking her hair and shirt. Her straight locks were glued to her head by the water, and the light shirt felt like nothing. Luckily, the backpack was waterproof.
Vera continued walking, observing the place. At least, she had seen a famous city. She would usually deal with savage or abandoned places... A capital? It wasn't the first time she visited one, but they had always been in a hurry when they went there.
The drops increased in intensity and size, almost like under a shower. The feelings were the same, except that the water was cold.
She continued to walk, paying no attention to the weather. She had a few minutes more, and then she would need to seek refuge.
It was then, when she had almost considered going back or looking for a motel, that she heard the music.
She followed it in the short and narrow alleys, reaching the building where lived the most fascinating man she had ever seen.
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