Three weeks later
Nate opened his eyes, and he was in darkness. He looked around in all directions but couldn't see a single thing. His eyes widened slightly when he heard shuffling behind him. He turned around and saw his favorite sight in the world. He saw Nyx. She was standing in front of him, about three feet away. He stared for a moment with misted eyes.
"My love." She spoked finally, her voice sending a warm sensation through Nate's body. "I would die for you." Her sapphire eyes sparkled slightly and Nate swore he saw heaven in that moment.
"No." Nate uttered softly as a tear fell from his eye. "I would die for you, and I would give anything for it to be me instead."
"No." Nyx spoke again as she stepped closer to him. "I would die for you, but instead, I died because of you." Her voice turned darker and Nate's heart felt like it had been gripped with icy hands.
"No-"
"I died...because of you." Nyx repeated again as she stepped forward once more. Her eyes turned red as Nate stared with fear and heartbreak plastered on his face. "I died because of you..." Her voice started to echo in his ears, seemingly coming from all around him.
"Stop..." Nate uttered as he planted his hands on his ears and dropped to his knees. Nyx's voice kept repeating those same haunting words over and over as Nate begged it to stop. "Please...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...I didn't know...I didn't mean to...." He pleaded for this horrid nightmare to just end. Just as the overlapping voices began to become too loud for him to bare, Nate jolted awake and his eyes snapped open. He stared at the ceiling as he breathed heavily. His skin felt cold and crawled, he was craving her touch, even though he knew he could never feel it again. There were panicked tears streaming down his face when he sat up in his bed in the infirmary. Those tears shifted to contempt as he recalled the night with a bit more clarity. He recalled Z, and the cocky look on his face. He recalled Nerissa's pained scream of horror, but she just...stood there. Until, Danny was hurt that is, then she immediately ran to his aid. Of course it would make sense for Nerissa to help him, he's her brother. Although, Nyx was supposedly her best friend, why wouldn't Nerissa help her? Nate raised his head slightly and saw Mia, who was standing at the end of his bed. He quickly buried down his anger and focused on her.
"Are you alright?" She asked him with a sincere tone. "You were talking in your sleep. Another nightmare?"
Nate took a while to calm his breathing with his hand on his chest, his other hand wiped away his tears. His heart rate slowed down after a few minutes and he finally gathered himself enough to speak. "Yeah...another nightmare." He said, silently refusing to elaborate more on the subject. Mia's eyes softened on him and she took a moment to respond back to him.
"Well, on the bright side, you are finally cleared for discharge. You're free to go." Mia said slightly warmly as she smiled at him.
"Really?" He asked hopefully.
"Yes, The Chairman wishes to see you in her office immediately." Mia's tone dropped and Nate sighed. He didn't want to see Elizabeth, she looked so much like Nyx that just seeing her reminded him of what he lost. Nate nodded and got out of bed, he winced slightly when his bare feet touched the cold tile floor. He sucked it up and got to his feet, his legs shook slightly from lack of use. Mia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small granola bar. "Please, eat something." She said as she looked into Nate's eyes. He held her gaze for a moment before he took the granola bar and opened it as he walked out of the infirmary and to Elizabeth's office.
He had already finished the granola bar when he entered the room, he already saw Danny, Rhys and Orion standing at Elizabeth's desk. They all turned around to face him as he entered, he lifted his head to look at them all. His face was devoid of any emotion and his eyes were empty. He walked into the office and approached the desk.
"Thank you for being here, Nathan." Elizabeth started before Nate heard Rhys let out a soft sigh through his nose. Nate moved his eyes towards Rhys for a moment before he looked back at the Chairman. Rhys hadn't said much since he found Nate in his room that night. Nate didn't know why, but he had plenty of guesses. Maybe Rhys was mad at him because he still thought Nate tried to take his own life. Maybe he felt guilty like Danny, even though neither of them had any right to feel guilty. Nate knew that he was the one who should feel guilty, it was his fault that Z got a shot on Nyx.
"Why exactly am I here?" Nate said in an even tone that lacked any emotion. Danny looked at Nate out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Nate's hair had grown longer and was slightly messy. He hadn't been taking care of himself.
"You're here because I've been made aware of your plan to go after Z." Elizabeth spoke rather coldly. Nate exhaled as his eyes closed, when he opened them again he was already looking towards Danny, the only one he had told about his plan. Danny stiffened, feeling Nate's gaze.
"So what if that is my plan?" Nate asked directly with his tone unchanging as he looked back at Elizabeth.
"That is why I brought all of you in here. I'm telling you that you have my full permission to go after him." Elizabeth said sternly, causing everyone but Nate to look at her with great surprise.
"Really?" Orion said with surprise, "why?"
"Because he has been a problem for any Gifted as long as I can remember. He has killed Sanctuary agents before, and he has now killed my daughter. He needs to die." Elizabeth said slightly angrily as her eyes hardened on Nate. "As luck would have it, I already have a lead for you."
"Really." Nate uttered with a slight downward inflection, almost like he didn't believe it.
"That's right." Elizabeth said as she typed for a moment on her keyboard. A screen of light appeared in front of them all, it was a map of the city. It quickly zoomed in to a small section of the city's slums. "Security camera footage from the lower south side of the city has caught him." She said before a separate screen appeared above the map revealing a frame of him. A black mask over the lower half of his face, one milky white eye and one dark brown eye. This time he had no hood over his head, he had medium length dark green hair that was pin straight and parted to the side. Nate clenched his fists so tightly that his hands began shaking.
"That's him..." Nate uttered softly as he glared at the frame of Z. Rage burrowed into his system, the first shred of real emotion he had felt, other than the heartbreak, of course.
"As I suspected. This isn't the first time he was seen on camera in that area either. So I would start there. This ward is a hub for the cities underground, there are many smugglers, human traffickers, and other evil and horrid people. It will be dangerous, so you must be careful." Elizabeth warned them with sincerity in her tone. "And make sure you keep your eye out for any Gifted." She added before she slid a key across the desk towards Nate. "You have full use of my personal armory. Please, go prepared."
Nate took the key and slid it into his pocket before he wordlessly left the room. Elizabeth looked to the rest of the boys, "Keep a close eye on him, a man who isn't afraid of death is dangerous, to himself....and to others." Danny nodded before he led the rest of his friends out of the office.
Outside the office, the group halted when they saw Kyle. He was standing down the hall a bit, facing Nate, who was standing in between Kyle and the rest of his friends with a blank stare. Kyle had a duffel bag hanging on his shoulder, he had been out of state for a recovery mission, then he decided to stay longer than expected...he needed some vacation time to process Oliver's death. He had just gotten back from his trip, he likely hadn't even gotten to his room yet. His eyes looked slightly wide and shocked. Danny realized that Nate had just told him that Nyx was dead. "Kyle..." Danny uttered softly before Kyle stepped forward.
"You're telling me...that Oliver and Nyx are dead now?" He asked with a tone that seemed to shake with anger. "What happened?"
"She was shot by the same sniper that tried to kill me on Halloween night." Nate uttered in an even and cold tone, his eyes lazily staring at Kyle. "We have just been given permission to go after the sniper that killed her, we even have full use of Elizabeth's armory." Nate said as he held up the key in between his thumb and forefinger. Kyle's face hardened slightly.
"Well, count me in." Kyle said, not giving them much of a choice.
Nate lifted an eyebrow in intrigue. "Why?" He asked in an empty tone.
Kyle sighed as he closed his eyes. "Because, when Oliver was killed, Nyx became my responsibility. She was my partner, which meant I had an obligation to keep her safe." Kyle looked away for a moment before looking back. "I failed, so no one is going on a vengeance quest without me." He said sternly, not giving the rest of them any room to argue.
"Are you sure, Kyle? This guy is seriously dangerous, he's a Gifted killer. There's a good chance that we'll all be killed." Danny asked him in a calm voice, not wanting to make him angry. Kyle looked over at him and sneered.
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have said anything. You dweebs don't have Gifts that are capable of countering a sniper. I do. You won't be able to even get close without me." Kyle said as he looked at the group before finally ending with a gaze at Nate, who was noticeably silent. He looked at Kyle with an empty gaze.
"Alright, you're in." Nate responded quietly before he walked past Kyle and down the hall towards the armory. Kyle watched him leave before he looked back to the rest of the group.
"So, he's...not doin' too well, is he?" Kyle said quietly as he looked in between them all. Danny closed his eyes as he let out a long sigh.
"No, he isn't." Danny started after he opened his eyes. "Originally, he wanted to do this alone, I think he has officially stopped valuing his own life." Kyle tensed slightly, he hadn't really realized how this had affected Nate. However, Kyle knew that he could lift some of the weight off, relieving some of the gravity pushing on the back of Nate's neck. So he would gladly lend his power.
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Nate approached the armory alone and turned the key in the lock of the heavy metal door. He opened it and looked inside, seeing swords, knives, blunt weapons, firearms, and various types of grenades. He walked inside and looked around. He grabbed a handgun and a good amount of extra clips. He still had his own knife so he didn't really opt for any of the other blades. After a few minutes, his friends walked in, including Kyle.
Danny chose a katana and a small sidearm. He had hoped to use his marksman training, but he hadn't had enough to feel confident. He would settle for the speed and accuracy of a katana.
Rhys decided to grab a handgun, for emergencies. It seemed safer than potentially using his Gift in public.
Orion went for a small and thin blade, only for him to use if he loses all his dragons. He had no problem using his Gift in public.
Kyle had his own knife, but he did pick up a handgun as well. As confident as he was, he wasn't stupid.
As the group started to leave the armory, Nate placed his hand lightly on Rhys' arm to stop him. Rhys halted and turned to look at Nate with a slightly pained look. "Rhys," Nate started quietly. "Is there a reason you're avoiding me?" He asked directly once he was sure that his other friends were out of ear shot. Rhys tensed, he didn't want to avoid Nate but...after finding him in his room, bleeding to death...it gave him some perspective.
Rhys sighed, "Man, I didn't want to avoid you but..." Rhys hesitated and gritted his teeth. "Why the hell would you just...give up like that?" Rhys spoke directly and caused Nate to tense slightly and his eyelids subtly dropped.
"Rhys...I didn't try to kill myself." Nate said as he looked up into Rhys' eyes, his face changed to concern. "It was an accident that I kinda... decided to not deal with."
"And that makes it better?" Rhys started raising his voice before he cut himself off and took a deep breath. "Nate, buddy, I get what you're going through-"
"No, you don't." Nate interrupted him as he lowered his head. Rhys tensed again and inhaled sharply through his nose, holding back from exploding. "Nyx is dead because of me, no one can understand the unbearable weight on my chest." Nate said with an empty tone, his blank gaze unwavering. Rhys clenched his fists, something was building.
"Nate, I killed my girlfriend." Rhys admitted after another sigh. Nate's eyes widened as he looked up into Rhys' eyes again. His face was serious. "It was because of my Gift, I lost control after some guy tried to mug us. I killed the guy, and then...I killed her. I was arrested after I turned myself in, then Zachariah paid my ridiculous bail and took me into the compound." Rhys was looking down by the time he finished his story. Nate was still staring at him with a shocked impression.
"You-" Nate uttered softly, his shock held him back from speaking further.
"Yeah." Rhys affirmed as he lifted his head and looked at Nate. "When I found you in your room like that...it was like I was brought back to that day." Rhys averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I never really..." He trailed off for a moment. "Nate, I want you to know that I know how you feel, probably better than most...just please tell me I won't find you like that again." Rhys' tone was stern. He was acting quite... different than he usually does and Nate noticed. The shock from Nate's face faded and he sighed.
"You won't." Nate said in a blank tone and Rhys closed his eyes with another sigh. He hated seeing his friend going through this horrible pain, but he would gladly help lift the weight while he could.
Rhys nodded subtly, "Good. Now let's go find this fucker." He said with a subtle smile on his face.
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Nate, Rhys, Kyle, Danny and Orion got out of the large black SUV a few blocks away from the address that Elizabeth gave. They all had jackets or hoodies with the hoods up and masks on their faces. Nate led the group towards the entrance to the criminal district, Rhys and Danny's eyes kept darting around and intently observing their surroundings. Rhys' hands were stuffed in his pockets with his head slightly bent down. Danny had his katana strapped to his back and his hands were hanging at his sides. Orion was standing in between Kyle and Nate, he was looking around nervously. Orion felt safe with these guys, but he equally never felt more in danger.
The group turned down an alley that led to a labyrinth of narrow passes and tall buildings. The moment they entered, they felt a gauntlet of uneasy stares stabbing them from all sides. Kyle looked around and gave a few glares right back at those who sent them first. Nate kept his eyes forward with a blank gaze until he saw the area he had seen in the image of Z. You all better keep your eyes open. Nate spoke inside of his friends heads as they turned a corner deeper into the maze of alleys. It wasn't long after that turn that someone stopped them, more specifically, they stopped Nate.
Nate halted when a wooden bat swung down from his left and was held in front of him, blocking his path. The rest of his friends stopped with him and lifted their heads to see a man giving Nate malicious eyes. There were two other men behind him. Danny tensed and his fingers twitched slightly, ready to draw his katana at a moment's notice. Orion glared at the men with a blank stare, he had reverted back into who he was trained to be in the Mafia. After a moment, Nate turned his head slightly and looked at the men who had stopped them, his eyes looked calm but there was a hint of...excitement.
"You kids lost?" The man with the bat spoke as he glared into Nate's eyes with a cocky gaze. He knew what this was, this was a shakedown. Nate knew that he was trying to scare them because they're younger. Follow my lead. Nate spoke in his friends heads again before he turned towards the stranger again.
"Do we look like we're lost?" Nate asked the man with a subtle attitude in his voice. The man's brow furrowed slightly.
"You look like you're gunna make me richer." The man grumbled with a cocky smile as he moved the bat and used the tip to lift Nate's chin. Nate allowed it and lifted his chin as he didn't break eye contact with the man trying to mug him. "Empty your pockets." The man ordered directly at Nate as his friends tensed.
Nate lowered his head slightly as a sly smile peeked onto his lips. His friends saw the smile and knew what was coming. This was the first smile they had seen from Nate since Nyx's death. He was about to start a fight. "Tell you what, instead of us giving you our money, why don't you give us information?" Nate said cockily as he raised his head again, his eyes breaking through the man's hardened gaze. Nate wasn't showing an ounce of fear.
"Who do you think you are, giving me orders?" The man responded as his grip on the bat tightened slightly. His lip curled in anger, and Nate's lip curled in delight.
"Nathan Oliveira-" The man tensed slightly when Nate said his last name. "-and you are?" The man's face changed to anger again before he lifted his hand with the bat and swung his arm to send the bat into the side of Nate's head. Nate didn't even flinch when the bat stopped dead in its tracks an inch away from his head. The wind from the swing caused the hair in Nate's face to swing slightly. Shock spread across the attacker's face when he saw that Rhys had stopped the bat with his hand. Rhys quickly jerked the bat out of his hand with little effort before he brought it in front of him and snapped it over his knee.
Nate breathed out a small laugh and another smile spread across his lips. "As I was saying..." He said as he raised his clenched fist and sent it into the man's face. He was sent backwards until he hit the wall in between his other goons. The one on the left quickly lifted a metal pipe and tried to slam it down onto Nate's head as he was bent forward. There was a loud clang and the pipe never found its mark, because Danny had blocked it with his katana. A look of calm determination on his face before he lifted his blade and sent the pipe into the air. He swung his foot around and kicked the man in the side of the head too fast for him to react. These fools were like snails compared to Damien.
Kyle, who was closest to the third guy, quickly reacted and sent his own fist into the man's face. In his few seconds of recovery, Kyle grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him to the ground. He then slammed his heel into the side of the man's head and knocked him out. When Danny and Kyle focused their attention back to Nate they halted. He was standing still, and the first man who had the bat, was now holding a revolver three inches away from Nate's face. "Back away." The man said with a stern voice as he looked at the rest of Nate's friends. When they didn't move right away, the man pulled the hammer back. Everyone tensed, except for Nate, and they backed away... except for Nate. The man's eyes flicked to Danny. "Drop the blade." He ordered, Danny's eyes glanced to the back of Nate's head for a moment before he heard Nate's voice in his head.
Do what he says, trust me.
Danny gulped and dropped the blade with a clattering sound. The man holding the revolver looked back at Nate. "You're Gabriel's son." The man spoke with a stern tone, but Nate noticed that the barrel in his face was shaking subtly.
Nate smirked slyly as he raised his hands next to his head. "You got me." He said in a smooth tone before the man started chuckling cockily. Exactly what Nate expected.
"Oh, this is too perfect." The man's shaking stopped, he was dropping his guard. "Do you have any idea what he would pay for his son's safety?" Nate slightly interrupted the end of his sentence with a snicker before it evolved into a full laugh as he dropped his hands. The first laugh any of his friends had heard from him since Nyx's death, since Oliver's death actually.
"Please, my father doesn't love me...he doesn't give two shits if I live or die." Nate lowered his head slightly, "and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to pay you a single cent, he's dead." Nate said quietly as he took a step closer to the gun with a small smile.
The man looked confused, "Gabriel Oliveira is dead?"
"Damn straight he's dead, I'm the one who killed him." Nate said as he lifted his head and his eyes flashed red. The man tensed as his eyes turned red to match Nate's. He still held the revolver in Nate's face as his smile grew wider. "That's better, now give me the gun." Nate ordered and the man followed his directions swiftly. Nate took the gun from him and the rest of his friends let out a soft sigh of relief. Nate then used his finger to push the cylinder to the side and tilted the gun, letting the bullets clatter to the ground before he dropped the gun itself. "Now, like I said before, you're going to give me information." Nate said in a slightly menacing tone as he stepped forward and glared at the man with a weaponized gaze.
"Tell me everything you know about the Gifted killer known as Z."