[Fiction] As yet untitled Shadowrun work, Part 1

[Wildfire]

Most of you have read parts of this, but been working on it as of late, so here it is again, future parts will be shorter I promise.

_

Ping.
The sound the casing falling on cold cement echoed through the dead air. She watched herself brace the AK, and followed the empty clip as it bounced in slow motion into the inky void.
Ping.
A flash of light glinted off of Mask's claws, shining briefly against the stark walls before being extinguished. She stepped backwards as his form melted into the pervasive darkness, her hand seeking the ladder behind her and ecountering a sticky warmth.
Ping.
She twisted, the air too thick, and watched her hand slip on the bloody rungs. The metal deep in her flesh burned like ice, her muscles quivered, yearning for the pale light above. A scream pierced the utter silence.
No, don't look
She watched herself start to look over her shoulder.
No, not again...
She turned around, her manufactured green eyes focusing perfectly behind her...


Click.
Parker stood in the doorway, her hand still on the knob, staring wide-eyed down the barrel of the pistol. "Angel? You okay?"
The bead of cold sweat dripped off her nose into the damp sheets. She let out a ragged breath as reality came back into focus. Blinking slowly at Parker, she noticed the gun in her hand and quickly lowered it, sliding the safety back on. "Yeah, I'm fine."

The young girl nodded slowly as she relaxed. "Sabre sent me to check on ya, said you took a pretty hard hit last night."

Dark Angel nodded absently, the cobwebs of the dream still clinging to her mind, the wires in her twitching in overdrive mode. "I'm okay, just a little bruised and tired." She put a hand to her head and mentally went through a few relaxation techniques, breathing slowly and forcing the trigger off. This time had been way too close. "Tell him I'll be down in a moment."

"Right. I got shopping detail this week. Need anything while I'm out?"

She slipped out of the cheap barrack bunk, the tangle of sheets falling towards the cement floor and catching on the uneven edges of the sawed off posts. The cool air against her skin made her shiver as she padded wearily towards the shower. "A bottle of asprin and a good night's sleep." Parker shook her head and left, closing the remarkably solid, if warped, door with a clunk.

As Dark Angel leaned against the small bathroom's counter, she caught her reflection in the cracked mirror and sighed. She was whiter than the tile she was standing on. That wasn't saying much, but it still bothered her to think that a memory so old could still affect her that much. She cranked the wrench soldered to the hot water pipe, ignoring the high-pitched whistle that accompanied the scalding water. Letting it flow over her, she idly noticed that the grating was starting to rust again. "Damn."

A flake of rust spiralled down into the pit below her, the water sluicing along the cinderblock echoed back into the room and combined with the noise overhead to drown out the outside world. As the tiny speck faded from sight, she closed her eyes and blindly reached for the bar of soap balanced on the makeshift shelf. Its splintered surface gave way under her fingers, dumping the soap into her hand.

Ignoring the shelf, Dark Angel instead found some small confort in running the bar over her body, imagining the grit scouring not just body, but also mind. Reaching over to ease the rush of water some, a sharp pain caused her to drop the soap, and reminded her why they were still here in this forsaken place. Wincing, she poked the patch just above her left hip and hissed as it was confirmed that the novacane had worn off sometime during the night. She carefully cranked the wrench back a little, and mentally tried to calculate how many miles they still had to go before they hit the border. Leaning over to pick up the soap, she grimaced as wet hair fell into her eyes, the tiny tips of green on blonde serving as another reminder that this had gone on far too long.

Carefully finishing her shower, she shut off the water. The rhythemless sound of drops of water falling off the grate into the pit below her cleared the last of the sleep fog, leaving her mind free to focus on the task she knew she would face today. She entertained the idea of staying right where she was, but soon cold tendrils of air invaded the corner, slipping straight through the threadbare towel. Steeling herself, she stepped back into the small room, looking for the rumpled clothes she had shed last night on the verge of collapse. In their place, she found a clean pair of patched black pants and a bright blue blouse.

The pants were like second skin, hugging every curve of her body, and the blouse was quite snug with a most revealing cut. The heady perfume that seemed to permeate the very fibers of the outfit gave away its owner's indentity. It had been a long time since she'd worn anything like this, and just the thought of Brick's reaction was enough to bring a slight smile to her face. She chuckled softly as she snagged the belt from the bed post, and the pistol off the tangle of sheets on the floor. Checking the safety again, she slid the slim weapon into its holder, keying the security system on, and slipping the belt around her waist. Gripping the door knob firmly, she grunted as she opened the door with a solid jerk. It protested the movement with a squeal and a spray of sawdust. Coughing and blinking, Dark Angel made her way down the precarious staircase.

The sound of conversation met her halfway down, the booming laugh and rueful chuckle giving away the fact that Sabre and Carlos were both awake, probably swapping bad jokes from the sound of things. Her eyes auto-corrected for the bright sunlight as she emerged from the shadowed stairwell, and the smell of real bacon diverted her from the living room to the kitchen. Sticking her head in, she found Rosa humming a bright tune and cooking up enough breakfast for an army.

"Ah, Rosa?"

"Chiquita!" Rosa turned to face her visitor. "Ay, bonita, bonita!" Rosa smiled broadly at Dark Angel, setting the mixing bowl and spoon down on the nearest counter. She tsked and hmmed as she circled like a mother, a critical eye going over the outfit. Dark Angel stood in the middle of the tiny kitchen, perplexed. I'm probably 30 years her senior... Apparently satisfied with her looks, Rosa shooed at her. Waving her hands in front of her, Dark Angel smiled and backed out, leaving the woman to her cooking.

Sighing, she walked to the living room just as Brick backed in from outside, a stack of wood in his arms. The sound of it crashing to the floor caused the room's occupants to stare at Brick, who was in turn staring at Dark Angel and turning a very bright shade of red. "Um, er, how 'bout I just pick this up?" Eyes immediatly on the floor, he swallowed nervously and began picking up the scattered fuel, as Sabre looked her up and down with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "I could pretend I don't know how it would end, ya know. How 'bout you?" Dark Angel, a self-satisfied smirk still on her face from Brick's reaction, looked thoughful for a moment. She laughed as surprise registered across Sabre's handsome face. "For some things, third time's not a charm, no matter how hard ya try." she said wistfully.

She sat down on the padded chair as Carlos made a valiant effort to not look at her bust line, and Brick returned to the couch only to stare at the glass in his hands, his cheeks still red. "My apologies, Angel, but Rosa insisted that she be allowed to wash your things, and Isabelle's clothes are the same size if a little short, and er, revealing...."

"It's okay, Carlos, I haven't heard anyone objecting about the view yet."

Sabre shook his head as Brick almost choked on his drink. "Isabelle 'outfitted' Parker to go grab supplies. They left a few minutes ago and should be back withtin the hour. How's the hip holding up?"

"Still hurts, if that's what you mean, but if we've got a clear window we should go. We weren't exactly quiet last night. They could be here in three days if someone reports it, and I don't want to get you two involved" she nodded to Carlos. "The quicker we leave, they quicker they can clean up the traces."

Sabre shook his head. "I'd rather wait another day to be sure you're okay, and that our info is correct."

"Please, rest, Rosa enjoys the company even if she doesn't say so, and we can cover your tracks quickly enough. We are not amateurs at this anymore," Carlos smiled. "Besides, I owe you and Raine far more than I can ever repay. Any little help I can give I will do so gladly."

Dark Angel looked at Carlos with respect. "By the way, Carlos, did you even explain to Rosa who we are? It was like she was inspecting me as she would Isabelle when I stuck my head in the kitchen earlier."

Carlos blinked as he listened and then laughed heartily, tears coming out of his eyes. "Ah, my friends, Rosa's a simple girl, she's lived in Alejandras all her life. She knows nothing of cities, and mercenaries, and metahumans. In her mind, Brick is the senior member, he looks the oldest to her. The two of you are just as young as Parker, and must have foreign blood that accounts for your pointy ears. Trying to explain would only confuse her. It is hard enough for me to believe that you are the same Angel and Sabre I met 40 years ago, and you are sitting right in front of me."

Dark Angel looked at Sabre and they both laughed. "My god, to be only 20 again...wonder how my life would have turned out if I had any of the common sense I have now..."

“Probably much less interesting. Just because I live this far out doesn’t mean I don’t listen to the news. You are quite famous. Maybe too famous.” Carlos’s expression clouded over as he looked to her with concern in his eyes. “You have been doing this a long time, Angel. No one person is meant handle what you have for so long. Brick here, and Parker, they seem like solid soldiers and you say they are but a few you have, perhaps it is time to think about letting go, finding someone new to take on your responsibilities?”

Angel sighed and sent Brick for drinks with a look and a nod. As the kitchen door shut, she turned to Carlos. “I can’t do that now. I am so very tired of it all but I can’t. All of them rely on me, depend on me. I fought it for so long but it was just too hard, the Renegades and me are one and the same these days, one can’t exsist without the other. If I leave everything will come down like a house of cards."

"And Parker…Carlos, I was in basic with her father. I saw pictures of her mother pregnant with her, pictures he was sent of her at school and at birthdays. I heard all the things he was going to do with her, all the stories he was going to tell her when he got home but when it came down to it, he chose to stay with me, with all of us, when he had a family waiting for him.”

“Who?” Carlos furrowed his brow, trying to recall.

“Glitch.” Sabre replied. “I can see him everytime I talk to her, she’s so like him when she’s not working. She’s been with us for only 6 months if you can believe it. Trial by fire, this is only her second combat mission.”

“She came to Seattle to find him.” Dark Angel interrupted. “She came knowing what he did and why and he wasn’t there for her. I know I could never have changed his choices, but I need to be there for her if nothing else. She needs someone and I’m the only one there is.”

Carlos smiled softly. “Angel… I understand now. Always with the logic and never with the heart. All the years I have known you and never could you admit this path you chose is one of forced solitude.”

“You should have children and grandchildren to take care of by now.” Sabre smiled ruefully across the room as Carlos continued. “Instead, you have made us all your family. I guess you could no more retire than I could leave Isabelle and Miguel on their own.”

Dark Angel opened her mouth to protest but there was nothing to say. The awkward silence was shattered by the sound of the kitchen door opening, admitting Brick and Rosa with much more food than anyone needed. Parker and Isabelle returned as they sat down to eat, a handful of supplies between them. Angel shook her head and smiled as Parker grinned and produced a sealed bottle of real asprin.

“Where in god’s name you managed to find this in Alejandras I won’t ask. I wasn’t aware they knew what real medicine was here.”