PROJECT: Incarnation

A meeting with the past | 29

Tired. Riven was tired. 

She always was, but at that time she was exhausted. It wasn't just the case that was weary, it was also Caitlyn's constant arguments. Riven was sick of it. They might have talked it out but the sniper hadn't changed her attitude much. After the incident at the storage, Caitlyn had snapped, telling them how they were just wasting time searching in the least possible places. She wasn't exactly mistaken if Riven wanted to be honest with herself, but the way she expressed her disappointment wasn't ideal. Caitlyn lacked a serious amount of social skills, which were replaced by her hunting abilities, although Riven wasn't obligated to deal with her attitude every single time they fell behind. So she proposed something that they probably should have done a long time ago in order to avoid conflict; split up. 

Despite what everyone thought, Riven was much more intelligent than she let on. All her childish attitude was merely a façade, a mask to protect her not only for others but mostly herself. The demons of her past still haunted her even though her past self was long gone, left dead in that chemical factory. Being the silly one among the group always helped her lift her spirits up a little but not this time. This time she wanted to be left completely alone. Not even the company of Shen, who had been her best friend for the past couple of years, was enough to soothe her at the moment. 

They weren't going anywhere with the case. Anyone who was clever enough to see it, they knew it was a dead end. Riven knew it too well. The most sensible scenario was that they were being sabotaged. It was simply impossible that they bumped into more and more trouble as their investigation proceeded. One of those days one of them would end up killed. Maybe splitting up wasn't exactly the wisest or the safest idea they had, however Riven wouldn't have it any other way. She was tired of it all and she needed a couple of moments with herself. 

She was convinced that Caitlyn knew deep inside that they weren't getting anywhere. But at the same time, the sniper had been hunting Ezreal for many years now and the possibility of failing was appalling. Plus, she was under a lot of pressure from the border, Riven knew that. Caitlyn was just as stressed as they were, possibly more. To an extent, her attitude was understandable but Riven wasn't in the mood of being comprehensive. After all, she needed to look after herself first and foremost because no one else would. 

Thought working wasn't exactly considered self care but this was her only way of distracting herself. The voices were louder these days and they wouldn't shut up. The screams and the shouts of her old companions as they died a painful death, having their bodies deformed in a cloud of chemicals, herself being unable to do anything but watch in horror under the shield of her blade. She wasn't supposed to live. If it wasn't for her blade, she would have been long gone now. The Timeline Protection Agency somehow found out about her miraculous escape and offered her a job. Riven accepted because she needed an objective, a goal, to distract herself and keep the voices at minimum. 
As long as she had a purpose, they kept quiet and she lived her life. It gave her and her blade a purpose to protect the timeline from getting manipulated by heretics. Now, she could only find true solace in eliminating all who would disturb the natural order. It was her only way for making up for all the wrongs she did in her past. 

The darkness of the building that stood before Riven only reminded her of that fateful night but she tried to shake that thought off. It wouldn't be helpful reminiscing about the past at that moment. An old building at the north that belonged to PROJECT Inc. It used to be their headquarters back in the day but it had been shut down the moment they transferred to the west and had been abandoned since then. Riven doubted she'd find anything there, it was way too obvious a location for the deviants to use as a hiding place. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't proceed with caution. 

Riven had learned her lesson from the previous time. No bursting through the front door unless it was absolutely necessary, and at the situation at hand it really wasn't. She went inside using an old janitor door that led her to the back side of the building, right next to a broom cupboard. She didn't have trouble opening it as there wasn't a safety lock, not even a padlock. It felt like the previous residents didn't care enough for this place anymore, they didn't give a damn if it got robbed or anything, which in Riven's case only proved convenient.