67

They ran to where Regan was leading, to the direction that the pull seemed to weaken and be as far away from wherever he was. Iris was right for one thing, Regan wasn't going to let him find her without a fight. 

"Cornelia, where...are...we going?" Iris asked, her breath coming in short pants.

"I don't know, Iris. But I know we have to separate."

"We're not going to separate!"

They rounded a building's corner and Regan noticed a small green light on the ground that she dodged to avoid stomping on. She stopped running and knelt down, seeing that it was a device similar to a radio, "What are you doing?" Iris hissed.

"It can help us," Regan whispered back. The static got clearer as she tuned it and they could hear voices that sent a chill down their spines. 

"This is Beta team, can you confirm the target's appearance?" a gruff man's voice was heard.

Iris gasped, her hands covering her mouth, "What's the hell?! But you destroyed the communication towers!"

"This is Alpha," the radio crackled again. "5'3, red hair, black cloak, scar on left cheek. The target might be accompanied. Last spotted near the ruins. Do you read?"

"Roger that, Alpha," the first voice responded sharply.

Regan's heart sank. But it was Iris was was being even more frantic, "They're hunting us!" she exclaimed, her body shaking with fear.

"No, they're looking for me," Regan muttered under her breath. She began to ran once more, Iris catching behind quickly, "Iris, get out of here," Regan hissed at her. Suddenly, the sky lit up with a red light and the blaring of sirens pierced the air.

"Oh my God, they're sending drones," Iris said, her breath catching in her throat as she followed Regan by. They passed through the alleyways, through unclear and uncertain directions. The thud of the boots made Regan's heart race even faster. She didn't know why Iris was still following her.

The radio crackled again, the voice of their pursuers authoritative and stern, "This is Alpha. Sirius wants visual confirmation on the target. He wants her alive. Proceed with caution. Over."

"Will you just throw away that thing?" Iris hissed, her eyes looking up at the drones, the red light mixing with the smoke, creating a hellish scene above them The heat grew, maybe from panic or maybe from the air, but Regan felt like she was inside a volcano about to erupt.

"No," Regan shot back, "How the hell will I know where they are if I throw it? We have to split up!"

But Iris was stubborn, "Well, I don't want to die alone," she snapped, her eyes welling up with tears. "We can just hide!"

A tall, fortified ruin came in view and Iris grabbed Regan's arm to drift her off there. Regan cursed under her breath, "Iris, stop it." But Iris didn't, she dragged her towards the ruin, who seemed to have a better structure and provide better hiding. Iris led them down the stairs to an underground basement. Regan's grip on the radio was strong, her heart pounding like a drum.

"Target spotted," the radio crackled again, the voice cold and emotionless. "I repeat, visual confirmed. How do we proceed with the other one?"

"Hold your fire for both of them," the other voice barked, "Use non-lethal force only. Over."

"See Iris?" Regan snapped at her friend, who was already crying now, "They saw you with me and now you're in this mess too. Get out of here! You're not their target."

But Iris was too terrified to move. "No, I'll stay with you," she choked out between sobs.

"Iris, don't be stupid," Regan said with a softer voice, trying to hide the tremor in her own, "You can still get away. They're not here for you." They could hear the men's footsteps growing closer like a death march.

But Iris refused, instead slid down the wall of the basement. "Fine then, stay here!" Regan whispered furiously. But she couldn't help the guilt for shouting at her. "Iris, stay here, okay?" she said, patting her shoulder slightly. "Get out only when....when you feel it'll be safe. And don't search for me."

Regan turned to leave the building without waiting for Iris's response. She wasn't going to make it so easy for them. Her eyes scanned what was outside the entrance, the alarms and drones roaming the skies, as if staged for a dramatic entry.

She ran to a complex of dark alleyways and brought the radio to her mouth, "Don't play hide and seek with me, Sirius," she spat into the device, the pull in her chest never faltering, "You don't have to make such a big show for it."

The radio fell silent and Regan felt a small victory. They hadn't expected her hearing them. For a moment, she thought she had the upper hand, but the silence was shattered by the deep, resonating voice that belonged to none other than him, "I've missed you," it was just that, these simple words that sent a shiver down her spine and made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't believe it. He had actually responded to her.

Suddenly, the sound of a crate falling was heard and Regan immediately looked up. But it weren't soldiers, it was Raven, her eyes scanning the area until they landed on Regan.

The radio crackled again, but this time with not his voice, "We'll discuss further with HQ. Stand by for updates. Over."

"Raven, no," Regan whispered urgently, but Raven was already walking casually to her side, "Raven, get away from here or you're going to get yourself killed."

Raven chuckled, wiping the dust off her already torn uniform. For someone with a goth vibe, she looked too amused now. "You're not the only one with a radio, red," she flashed her the same device, "You actually did good, giving them the slip."

"They're everywhere," Regan said with a sigh, her fear now momentarily replaced with a strange mix of anticipation and anger. "How do they still communicate without the towers?"

Raven's smirk grew as she leaned against the alleyways wall, "They can get signals from their satellites, remember?"

Regan wanted to speak, but she knew Raven had a point. "Damn it," she cursed under her breath, "So are we just going to wait here for them to find us?"

"Well, I've led them on quite the chase till now," Raven said, crossing her arms.

"They weren't talking about you on the radio," Regan replied, her eyes narrowing. "They were talking about me. You're not their target."

"You give yourself too much credit, Skye," Raven retorted, her smirk not faltering, but sharper now, "But I'm not one to back down. I lead the rebellion too, remember?"

Regan nodded, knowing that she had become too irritating, even to her own self. "Okay, okay, I get it. We're both in this together."

While they were talking about that, all calm and composed, the men's voices on the radio hadn't stopped. Nor had the footsteps. But they had chosen to ignore it, at least until a blinding light flashed in front of the alleyway, momentarily blinding them.

The booted footsteps were like a fast countdown and Regan barely could make out their figures with her squinting eyes, "Hands up!" a man's voice barked.

Regan didn't comply, just dropped the radio, while Raven gave them a bratty smile. "Well, well, the boys want to play," she said, raising her hands up slightly.

The light became brighter until someone lowered it, and they were cornered. Men, with heavy armor and weapons pointed at them, their expression lethal. "Drop your knife, woman," a soldier ordered, nodding his rifle at Raven. Raven's smirk was now gone into a grit of her teeth but she obeyed, dropping her knife.

The mass of the soldiers separated, revealing a figure that Regan remembered was general Vlad. His expression was tight and she knew he wasn't here to negotiate. "You're both coming with us," he announced, his voice stern.

"We never said we wouldn't," Raven quipped, not backing down.

"Get your weapon out of my face," Regan spat to a soldier that had moved too close. The soldier took a step back, his eyes flickering to the general for instructions. General Vlad wasn't alone, behind him was a blue-haired woman, and Regan felt a surge of anger recognizing Vesper.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Vesper sneered, walking past Vlad with a dramatic flair. Her eyes glinted with malice, the red light from the drones making her look even more infuriating, "Two wretched rebels, I see.

Regan gritted her teeth, her fists clenched at her sides. But Raven's expression had become even more fierce, "Don't well well well me, you bitch," she snarled, the other men flinching slightly at her words, "What do you think you're doing here, dressed up like a doll in battle gear?"

Regan's eyes widened with a mix of shock and satisfaction as she watched Vesper's face turn red with anger, and her eyes flickered from her to Raven, "How dare you, you filthy peasant!"

"What are you doing here?" Regan interrupted, trying to drop it before Raven turned it to a full blown cat fight.

Vesper's eyes turned to her, a venomous smirk coming back to her lips, "I came with my boyfriend, darling," she said with with a sugary sweet voice, barely able to keep it. 

"Your....boyfriend?" Regan asked, her voice neutral, not angry, not shaky. She knew who Vesper meant, but she wanted to ask.

Vesper narrowed her eyes, "Sirius, of course, the most powerful sorcerer. And I'm here because he's tired of you, he wants you to die. So, are you gonna come with us, or do we have to drag you?"

Regan's mouth sealed. She didn't have what to say, she didn't want to think, she didn't want to do anything. Raven on the other hand, couldn't hold back her sneer, "What a shame. The emperor sending his puppet to do his dirty work."

Vesper's eyes turned to her again, her teeth gritting, but Vlad stepped forward, "Enough of this. Take them," he barked to his soldiers.

"Hands stretched," an armed man ordered. He was holding handcuffs, but handcuffs that covered their whole fists to her wrists. They were made of heavy metal. She didn't struggle, didn't resist, didn't say anything as the man put them in. Raven on the other hand, was cursing in hail.

Maybe Regan was too careless to think about their impact on her skin or maybe they didn't really hurt. They were forced to walk out of the alleyway, with Vesper laughing behind.

"You're all going to pay for that!" Regan snapped at them, her voice shaking with anger. Raven was struggling, and a soldier dragged her forward, much further ahead than where Regan was, until she lost the black haired woman totally from her sight.

Vesper caught up with her, walking beside with a vicious smile. "Look at you. Vulnerable and covered in mud. It's such a pity," she spat, "You're so.... worthless. You have no friends, no family, no one. No one even throws eyes on you. I don't blame them. You're so skinny, flat and ugly. And you're so pale. I don't even know how you want to live. If I was you, I'd have committed suicide."

Her words, filled with so much spite, coiled around Regan's thoughts, spitting their poison at the most self-conscious parts of her. Yes, she was slim and flat but she never thought it was bad. She had been insulted, called ugly and useless before, but hearing it now, made her blood burn.

"Well, you're not me. And you'll never be. Your words are empty just as you are," she retorted, her voice shaky. "Throw yourself at him as much as you want, it won't change anything."

She didn't know why she said that last thing but she said it. Vesper's expression shifted darkly, her fists clenching. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Regan retorted, "you do everything for attention."

Vesper masked her face with a smile, "Oh, but you see, it's Sirius who always comes to me. Because I'm the only one he wants. Not you. Why would he ever want you?" she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a snake's hiss, "He's been fucking me for years. And you know the best part, he tells me about you, about how much he hates you, how much he wants to see you suffer. While you're out there playing the hero, I'm in his bed, feeling his hands all over me. And it's not his fault, you don't even know how to please a man."

Regan felt a sting to her heart, a sharp sting of anger and hurt. To hear about him sleeping with someone else wasn't something she hadn't heard. But the thought of him talking behind her back, with such malice, and to Vesper of all people, made her blood boil.

"Shut up," she spat, her voice strained with hurt.

Vesper smirked, enjoying the reaction she had drawn out of Regan. "Why, Regan? Because you love him? Is that why?"

Love? How could she love a man like him? She didn't love him. Or so she thought.

"I don't love him," she bit back, her heart pounding in her chest.

Vesper's chuckle was full of spite, drawing the attention of the soldiers who were oblivious of their exchange. They just tightened the grip on Regan's handcuffs. "You remember that time when I asked you about your type? You said you'd like someone nice who'd like cuddling instead of sex. And yet here you are, pining for a man who's the epitome of the opposite."

Regan's handcuffed hands fisted and burned with an urge to wrap around Vesper's throat and squeeze until she choked on her own spiteful words. But her hands were bound, and she was surrounded by armed men. She remembered telling Vesper about her type, but back then they had been friends, or at least she had thought so.

"Enough of bickering," general Vlad snapped, appearing from the back, his face as hard as stone. He grabbed Vesper's arm and squeezed it tightly, "Shut your mouth, Vesper," he said through his teeth.

Vesper's smirk faded and she was dragged away, disappearing in the mass of soldiers. Regan's hands clenched so tight and the flame of anger within her was so strong. How could Vesper say such things to her? She didn't want to think about it. Her eyes scanned around for any sight of Raven, but she saw only the red glow of the light illuminating the soldier's helmets.

They arrived to an area where the soil was orange, and large wide canyons lay out in the distance. The military trucks were spread out in the field, like dark beasts out of a horror game. The smell of ash and gunpowder was everywhere. Regan felt sick. She glanced back, meeting with the blank faces of soldiers. She had always hated crowds and people near her. 

They started to drag her forward more forcefully, the handcuffs with chains, making her stumble. She didn't know why she thought it, but she remembered when Sirius had saved her from drowning. If he had genuinely cared, he wouldn't have let these men drag her, he'd come and drag her himself. "You're all going to regret this!" she yelled, struggling against them. "I'm going to kill you all and make you pay!"

"You should look at yourself, witch," one of the soldiers sneered, "you're about to die, and you're still babbling. You think anyone will care?"

"Son of a bitch," Regan muttered under her breath. They dragged her past the rows of soldiers, their eyes dark and empty. The wind blew strong, as if getting revenge of their harsh treatments. But it just made the sand hit Regan's face, and she felt even more disgusted.

Finally, they reached the front of the line, where a tall, imposing figure stood waiting. His back was to her, but she knew who he was. She loathed him, she hated him with every fiber of her being. Yes, he had saved her life there at the North, she didn't forget that, but she was very mad at this moment. When the soldiers pushed her forward, Regan didn't speak, just stood there, her heart racing 

The figure turned slowly and fixed his blue gaze on her. His dark hair were messy, his attire was simple but elegant. The fact that she found him handsome as always, angered her even more.

"Regan," he said, voice not angry, not spiteful, not anything. She thought he was going to smirk, but he didn't do that either. "Seems like you haven't forgotten who you belong to."

Regan swallowed hard, not with fear, but with anger rising through her. Sirius stepped closer, his voice lowering to a menacing tone, but she held his gaze, "And this time, I won't spare you. I'll make you pay for your actions," he growled, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"I'm not afraid," Regan shot back, her voice coming steady despite her fear chilling at her core. "If I was afraid, I wouldn't have done all that. I wouldn't have thrown this place out of balance. And if I had wanted, I could've snatched it from your hands and made it my own."

Sirius's eyes narrowed and he sighed heavily. Why the hell did she have to be so stubborn. Why couldn't she just....just think of him differently once? His hand found his coat's pocket, revealing a syringe filled with a clear liquid, "Well, my dear," he leaned closer, grabbing her chin firmly but not enough to hurt, "I have other plans for you."

Regan's eyes widened at the syringe, "What are you going to do with that?"

"If you would've sided with me," Sirius retorted, not to her question, "it'd have been different. You'd have been my one and only. But you don't want to and we have to turn things a little forceful."

"This little drug is gonna make you sleep for a while. So, you won't feel the traveling or the pain. You won't feel anything. Don't worry, Princess."

Regan stared at the syringe, feeling a chill down her spine at what he was insuating. She tried to struggle by squirming, but the soldiers had their rifles on her head. "Get this away from me!" she growled.

"Oh, don't worry. I don't like needles either. But I have light shots. They never hurt," he assured, his voice smooth as silk.

"Why....why don't you use magic instead?" Regan said, trying to buy herself some time. She had to find a way out of this, "Or have you gone weak from hunting me like a psychopath?"

"But it seems you've been waiting for me to come and find you," Sirius replied, a smirk playing on his lips. "And as for magic, well, I wanted a different approach this time."

"Go to hell, Sirius," Regan spat, her eyes burning with defiance.

Sirius's smirk widened, his grip tightening on her chin. "Oh, with you I'd go to paradise," he whispered, leaning closer to her.

Regan tried to shift as far as she could. But she couldn't do anything, really. "I'll get out of this," she hissed through gritted teeth, "You're not going to win."

"I don't think so. You see, once you wake up, you'll be in my palace again. You'll be my prisoner again. And then, you'll want to side with me." 

"No! Never!" she retorted, struggling harder, her eyes ablaze with flame.

But Sirius was unfazed. He pressed the needle against her neck and injected the drug into her veins. She didn't feel the shot, but she felt something cold running in her blood.

"Just relax, my dear. You're going to sleep now." He let go of her chin and held her arms until the drug took effect. Her eyes grew heavy, her breathing slowed and she slowly fell unconscious in his arms. 

He looked down at her and tenderly caressed her face with the back of his hand, "I'm sorry you're freaked out by me," he whispered, the soldiers watching with a mix of confusion and anticipation. "But you don't understand. You believe what you want to believe. You don't know how you haunt me. You're clueless....you really are...."

He scooped her up in his arms effortlessly, like she was a feather, like she was a subtle glass that was going to break at any second passing.

Vesper, who was left a bit behind, stepped into the scene. As soon as she saw what he was doing, her eyes seethed with fury and jealousy, "Why are you holding her like that?" she shouted.

"Vesper, don't make a scene. She fainted," the general said, trying to cover up Sirius's actions.

"I'm no fool, Vlad. I saw he caressed her face!" she retorted through gritted teeth.

"You don't know what you saw," Vlad sternly said. Vesper continued to throw her outbursts, but Vlad guided her inside a trunk, disappearing her from Sirius's sight.

Meanwhile, Sirius carried Regan to the truck and placed her on a seat. He covered her with a blanket and sat beside her, stroking her hair. He paused, thinking as if he was doing something forbidden.

"You're my threat. You're my sworn enemy. And yet I-I....", he trailed off, not finishing. He walked out of the truck and stood beside the vehicle, watching the red sky, deep in thought. He hated himself. One moment, he was about to end her, the next he was....caressing her face? His heart was racing and his mind was troubled as always.

He walked around the truck, trying to clear his mind, but the image of her face, her eyes, her voice, wouldn't leave him. He had to focus.

The general looked at him, noticing the disheveled expression on his face. He wasn't going to ask about that because he knew it'd be bad if he brought Regan up again. "What are we going to do with the other rebels? And the guy named Jack?"

Sirius's expression darkened at the mention of Jack, "Where's he?"

The general signaled one of the soldiers who went to check. "He's in the B truck, my lord."

"I'll deal with him back to the palace," Sirius said, his voice stern and cold. "Make sure the army stays here. I won't tolerate more rebels and rebellions. Make sure this place stays colonized. You understand?" 

The general nodded.

"And give that Vesper punishment. She thinks she's smart but she's a fool. I'm not in the mood for her games. As for the other women, whatever their names were, keep an eye on them as well. If they wake up, make sure they doesn't cause any trouble. We don't need any more problems," Sirius instructed,

his voice hard.

The general nodded and turned to give orders to his men.