Project Starfall (Completed)

Chapter 8

"What? But I look pretty normal," Knox complained.

"You have gills," Pierce said pointedly. When he opened his mouth to argue more, Pierce quickly added, "You're in charge until I get back."

"Aye, Aye, Cap'n." He grinned, turning to look at Madigan and Elliot. "Okay. Now that I'm in charge there are going to be some serious changes around here."

Pierce sighed and gestured for Grey to follow, then remembered he was wearing a jumpsuit. "Wait, you can't be seen like that." She frowned. "I'll have to go alone."

"Don't worry," Grey said. "Remember when I told you there were supplies on the helicopter? Well, there were also clothes. Darius must've put them there."

"Any weapons?" she asked.

"Some guns and a few knives," he answered.

"Good. Bring me one of each."

Pierce waited outside the helicopter until Grey emerged wearing jeans and a t-shirt, then the two of them began walking. He handed her a pistol, which she concealed in her trench coat, and a knife, which she tucked into one of her boots. "Any idea where we can get some cash?" Pierce asked, hoping he had a better option than pick-pocketing. Pick-pocketing was easy enough, but Pierce wanted to avoid drawing any attention, even if it was as small as the report of a stolen wallet.

"I happen to have some money stored away." Grey smiled. "The money has been in my family for a long time, and they went to extreme measures to protect it from our many relatives, so it will definitely be there. Also, since everyone in my immediate family is .... dead, no one will miss it." At the mention of his family Grey frowned, then quickly covered it with a smile.

"How much money are we talking about?" Pierce asked, ignoring the bit about his family. At the moment there wasn't time to discuss something so personal, nor did Pierce want to. Grey smiled at her question, but didn't offer an answer.

From where Knox had landed the plane, they had around a three-mile trek to the nearest shopping district. As she walked, Pierce carefully adjusted her trench coat to keep her wings from showing. Her side hurt, but the pain was bearable.

"Are you sure you should come along?" Grey asked. "I mean, you got shot. Twice."

"I'll be fine." Pierce shrugged. "Hybrids heal fast."

"It's probably best that I go alone, anyway," he added. "You stand out as easily as any of the others, you know?" When she didn't dignify his comment with a response, Grey went on. "You have yellow eyes, not to mention the white hair. And you're wearing a trench coat over camouflage pants...."

Pierce slowed and took a stride toward Grey, forcing him to move a step back. "I hope you understand that just because you saved me doesn't mean you're going to call the shots from now on," she leveled. "I'm still the one in charge and I won't sit around while there are important things to be done."

For the first time since they'd met, Grey became angry. It wasn't the loud, fist-clenched, red-faced kind of anger. It was the quieter type of anger that could be shown only by the slight narrowing of eyebrows, and intensity of the eyes themselves. The more controlled type of anger that delivered messages better than the louder kind. "Why do you want to lead?" Grey asked. "Do you really care about them? Because to me it seems like you just need to be in control."

Pierce felt her anger rising up, even though what he'd said was partially true. She did need to be in control. Because she didn't trust anyone else to do the job. "The woman who oversaw my experiment could've stopped the other scientists from making a mistake, but she didn't. She left my friends' lives in the hands of people besides her own, and that's why they are dead. I watched the guards drag away their lifeless bodies." Pierce started walking again, keeping her gaze pointed straight ahead. "I won't let you or the other hybrids make a mistake I might have prevented."