DIVISION 52 - BOOK III

CHAPTER XIII

Just seconds later, two chrome canisters smashed through the floor to ceiling windows and smoke poured into the cavernous dining space. I didn't bother to get out of my chair. I sat in an empty hall of dining tables and turned over chairs with a glass of wine in my hand.

It suddenly exploded in my grip as a fusion round sung through it. I sighed and raised my hands slowly behind my head. The smoke continued to fill the space and make everything a thick shroud of reality. I dropped the shattered remains of glass in my hand and felt my blood slicken my neck.

I heard the sirens blare in the area and knew the Imperial enforcers would soon be dead. When they sent the Deathless operators everyone would be dead. It was best to let this play out without a fight and maybe she would survive–

An explosion to my left sent me off my chair and into another table. I coughed hard into the smoke and debris. Not moments later a shadow emerged from the grey clouds masked with a chrome face. I coughed harder and shots rang outside of the restaurant engaging whatever threat loomed just for me.

A hand grabbed a fistful of my shirt and pulled me up with it. I finally cleared my throat and found my feet but I didn't go for my mystery assailant. I wasn't naive enough to guess why he wasn't showing off that beautiful face of his. Why his sister had made such a rapid disappearance. Why her words now made so much sense...

"You look good for a dead man." I noted over the chaos. The dark body of a man built to be a weapon didn't answer. 

A round shot in front of us both making us pause.

A woman in a crimson red cloak jumped through the glass at the other end of the building and took aim again. Proximo dragged us both through the hole in the wall without another hint. A rather enraged shout sounded at our backs. More rounds went off as Imperials swarmed the area.

"Great–you've pissed her off!" I shouted over the war zone.

"You killed me first!" He snapped, throwing open the door to a nondescript fusion craft. It was absolutely not built for combat. Or even speed. But that was the point.

I stared at his blacked out form, covered in more blades than his combat jacket had pockets. Not to mention a fairly lethal set of katanas across his back.

"Were you here to kill me or save me?" I drawled, as he input the autopilot and we started a rapid ascent between the glass buildings. He shot me what I assumed was a glare under that chrome mask.

"I hadn't fucking decided. Then I saw you just sitting there waiting for Scorpion to find you–"

"She wasn't going to kill me."

"No she was going to do much worse." He promised, as he finished with the computer system and sat back into his chair.

We stared at each other a moment. There was still the sound of Imperials engaging them heavily beneath us. They would soon overwhelm them by number and Scorpion would know as much–that snarl of rage before we went through told me enough.

Finally, he ripped off the mask.

Proximo Dartega stared at me with a lethal glint in those calculating grey eyes.

"Very good look, for a dead man." I stated.

He didn't smile.

I didn't break his gaze.

"You shot me." He deadpanned.

"I shot a spare." I answered.

"He still had my face."

"That was where the similarities ended. What was more curious, was that you didn't trust me enough to show up in person."

"And you wonder why after that?" Proximo snapped.