{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA | COORDINATES: X-1924 Y-3723 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 1:16AM }
There is a reason it's called "skyriding" and not "indoor-riding," Core found herself grousing.
Dodging the metal pipes and wires protruding from the ceiling pissed Core off to no extent, because the constant swerving and jerking was making her nauseous. The walls felt like they were closing in on her, and it was extremely difficult to manoeuvre an airborne maze with a passenger clutching you with a death grip, all the while keeping track of a fleeing cyborg. Core was still trying to catch up to Ace and his pursuers, but she couldn't accelerate with everything in her way. Plus, Ace was either being a pain in the ass or an annoying smart ass for choosing the most winding and narrow route.
Mars hadn't spoken much from behind her, but then he seemed to find his voice, pointing out off-handedly, "Hey, you're that vigilante Nightshade."
"No shit, Sherlock," Core bit out as she swerved a sharp corner.
"Who's Sherlock?" Mars demanded.
Core would have laughed, rolled her eyes, or snapped back in reply if she wasn't so busy trying not to get knocked off the hoverboard. She was this close to catching up with the tail end of the group chasing Ace, but every single time she managed to get close enough, something would get into her way and she'd slow down. She couldn't help Ace take the guards out either because she was too busy dodging. As much as she pained to do it, she was left with just one last alternative.
"Can you shoot?" she asked Mars.
All Mars did in reply was to draw one of the guns from Core's belt, aim it with an arm extended over Core's shoulder (the gun was even tilted horizontally, that show-off), and fire. The stun gun's shot was hidden in the mix of other shots being made by the guards, but it did hit someone at the back of his knee. The guard tumbled and sagged to the floor, followed by another one, and yet another one, as Mars shot and Core manoeuvred. The group of guards looked like domino pieces falling one after the other, and Core had to hand it to Mars: the man may have been an idiot with hand-to-hand combat, but he was pretty hefty with a gun.
Ace was obviously just randomly rounding corners, and at this point in time Core wasn't even sure where they were any longer. But luck had run out and Core just rounded a corner to a dead-end, with Ace backed up against the far wall. His hands were raised in a universal surrender sign, as the remaining guards trailed their guns on him from a few feet away. The corridor had grown silent, with only haggard breaths bouncing off the walls. Ace was expressionless as he stood cornered, and for a second Core thought he really had given up.
But then his eyes flickered in their direction.
Mars was preparing to shoot, but Core stopped him by pushing the gun away. A shot wasn't the answer to this situation; not when guns were trained on Ace and a startled soldier might accidentally trigger a shot. No, Core had to divert their attention more subtly. With a foot on a switch, the stealth guard deactivated itself. Core lowered the hoverboard until she could hop off with a flourish, Mars following in her footsteps right after. The sound of their feet slapping against the concrete made the guards turn towards them, and Core cockily leant on the wall beside her, like the perfect picture of peacefulness and calm.
"Missed me, boys?" she taunted.
"It's Nightshade!" one of the guards said. "Get him!"
As soon as the guns pointed in her direction, she pushed herself off the wall and used the momentum to jump on the hoverboard. Mars stayed on the ground, making expert use of the stun gun as shots started ringing in the air, and Ace was fighting his share of guards with a robotic-hand-turned-plasma-gun of his own. A series of footsteps and voices sounded off from around the corner, and Core immediately zoomed towards the sounds. The approaching group of soldiers hadn't expected her (no one ever expected Nightshade, really, which made it all the more fun), so she dove in with her hoverboard and knocked them all to the ground. Deciding that Mars and Ace could handle themselves, she led the back-up soldiers away from the two, switching altitudes and directions as fast she could to avoid shots being aimed at her.
That technique didn't last long, because a soldier got lucky and managed to hit the hoverboard's engine. It didn't splutter or slow down or give any other warning sign; it just stopped and threw her to the ground, her body rolling until it hit the wall with a loud smack. If she wasn't wearing a helmet she would probably have some sort of concussion, but her ears were ringing even as she scrambled to push herself up on her feet. She didn't even get half way up until something hit her shoulder, and a searing pain flared from the hit down to her fingers. A pained growl escaped her lips even as she gave up on trying to stand, moving to roll over instead while reaching for any weapon of defense. Plasma shots followed her as she moved, and she used the roll's momentum to get to a crouched position, uninjured arm aiming a gun at the guards before her.
There were three. She could have sworn there were more, but either these were the only ones who managed to catch up with her, or the others went to Mars and Ace instead. She could handle two, but not three, especially with an injured arm and a possible sprain somewhere on her leg. This was bad.
Very bad.
"Drop your weapon, Nightshade," one of the guards warned, trailing his own gun at Core. She was edging closer to panic with every staggered breath she took. She can't be caught now, not after everything she'd accomplished. Not when Knox was still with the rebels, and there was something big with the intergalactic exploration, and she'd die for sure — for holding a gun, for shooting a gun, for going against authority, for meddling with the army, for busting out prisoners...
For being a girl.
Something moved from the edge of her vision, and Core had to keep herself from breathing out a sigh of relief. She slowly lowered her gun, inch by agonising inch, until it laid flat on the ground with a resounding click. The guards stepped towards her cautiously, and one of them opened his mouth to say something. A metallic elbow roughly slammed on the side of his face, effectively silencing him and sending him flying against the wall. The other two moved to react, but couldn't get very far as one got a plasma shot to the stomach while the other got a series of punches and kicks that sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Not bad," Core said through gritted teeth as she moved to stand. Her arm was throbbing and her leg was sending spikes of pain up her spine, but she managed to stand and prop herself up on the wall. The effort took the breath out of her, and she could feel the cold sweat gathering on her forehead. "I'd give it a B minus."
"That was an A plus for saving your ass, and you know it," Ace said calmly. He stepped towards the guard on the floor nearest to him, prodding the man with a foot. Satisfied when the guard didn't move, Ace sidestepped over bodies until he got to Core. His eyes swept over her, robotic eye focusing and un-focusing repeatedly. "How injured are you?"
Core tried to move off the wall, but the pain that shot up her leg made her collapse back onto it. Ace reflexively moved to catch her, one hand cradling her head away from the wall while the other snaked around her waist. The touch disconcerted her but she was in too much pain to care. "Injured enough to admit that I need your help."
Ace smiled teasingly at her as he shifted, and that was the only warning she got. In the blink of an eye, she was hoisted up off her feet. The cold metal of Ace's robotic arm was wrapped firmly around her upper back, while the warmth from his other arm secured around her knees seeped through even the flightsuit.
"What the fuck are you doing," Core snapped. She struggled against him even as he started walking briskly, and there was spark of heat that begun to crawl its way to her cheeks. "Put me down," she demanded. She looked up to glare at him, but all she saw was his chiseled jaw and non-plussed look.
"You'd be 'getting in my way' if I put you down," he quoted her from earlier this evening, and Core was either amused or irritated.
She wasn't so sure; the pain was getting to her head.
"I despise you," she grumbled.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that."
Her vision was starting to tinge black on the edges, but she fought to stay awake; she had to see this mission through, had to get Mars back to --
"Where's Mars?" she managed to get out, even as her tongue started to feel like jelly in her mouth.
"I sent him to the roof."
"Vuh woof?" she repeated, her words slurring and her vision narrowing.
"I called Sky to bring us the ship. She's meeting us there."
As Core's eyes heavily snapped themselves shut, her consciousness drifting away, she managed to think that Ace wasn't so bad after all.
But he's still fucking shady.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," his voice echoed in her thoughts.
Damn right I will.
★ ★ ★
{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION BETA | COORDINATES: X-3734 Y-1837 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 3:46AM }
Core woke up to shouting, and it was kind of making her already-present headache much worse.
"I want a medic, and I want one now!"
"He's on his way, calm —"
"He should have been here fucking yesterday —"
"It's the middle of the night —"
"I don't fucking care what time it is, you did this to he-him, so you will damn well fix him!"
"We can't check the injuries unless the suit —"
"The suit stays on!"
"Knox," Core groaned. "Shut up for a sec." Her throat was extremely dry and she felt a bit suffocated. Everything throbbed, but most notably her right arm and leg. As she peeled her eyes open she took stock of where she was, and thankfully she was still wearing the helmet. One by one she tried moving her limbs, and once she determined that her injuries were isolated to her arm and leg, she moved to sit up.
Only to get knocked back again as Knox threw himself at her, arms wrapping around her as he pulled her close. "I thought I fucking lost you, you asshole."
Core hugged him back with one arm, because for a second back there in The Blackhole, she thought she'd lose herself, too.
But then Ace...
Core spotted him leaning by the lift, with no signs of injury or even tiredness on his features. He was staring at his robotic arm, the glow on a small screen there illuminating his face. The outlines of his jaw, curvature of his nose, lines of his mouth --
Nightshade.
Core snapped to attention at Eclipse's monotonic drawl. The rebel leader stood behind Knox, mask eerily peering down at her with its sharp, pointed beak.
Thank you for bringing Mars back home.
They were back in the rebel main base, and Core was sitting on a make-shift cot. The rebels were never big on hospitality, but it was about time she got back to her own home anyway. As soon as she moved, a throbbing pain pierced at her, and the reminder of her injuries made her curse. She couldn't go home; not like this. What excuse could she possible give for her injuries? People don't break an arm and a leg shagging.
...or did they?
You have risked your life for one of our own, and with that we are back to equal ground.
"Save me the speech for when I actually care enough to listen to it," Core said abruptly, as she peeled Knox off of her. "I just want my promised answers so that I can go home and get some much deserved sleep."
"Eclipse," a woman standing on Core's other side (that she had just noticed now, whoops) piped. "Let me."
With a firm nod, Eclipse turned to stalk out of the room, his black coat billowing behind him. Core almost shouted at the fucker to stay and do the explaining himself, but she was too damn tired to waste any more energy making demands. She didn't care anymore he answered her questions, as long as someone fucking answered them.
"Nightshade, It's nice to finally meet you, despite the unfortunate circumstance," the woman said. She had short-cropped black hair and equally dark eyes that watched Core sharply. While her features were delicate, the black markings that adored her collarbones suggested she was anything but. They looked like fire. Or flowers. Or fire devouring flowers. "My name is Jupiter, and I am in-charge of all intelligence and research that support the rebellion."
"I'd introduce myself but I think you know about me already," Core replied.
Jupiter grinned sharply, and for a second Core felt a trickle of nervousness. "Not as much as I'd like to know."
Core shifted in the cot, trying to find an angle where she can face Jupiter and not feel so...vulnerable. "You've got your secrets, and I've got mine."
"Let's not prolong this any longer so you can hurry and rest," Jupiter said, eyeing Core's shifting around. "Our sources tell us that the next intergalactic exploration will be a failure."
"That might just be good," Core commented. "Kick the Galactic Army's ego down a few notches."
Jupiter shook her head. "The failure will lead to the doom of the Confederate."
Core scoffed, and the burst of static from the distorter grated even her own ears. "I doubt one failed exploration will affect the entire Confederate."
"It will," Jupiter pressed. "The Faction plans to hijack the entire exploration."
Things were just getting more and more confusing, and the pain was not helping Core process things at all. "What does the Faction have to do with any of this?" she asked. "They're already under the rule of the Confederate since the exploration three years ago..."
Jupiter's chuckling made Core drift off, confusing her even further. What the hell is going on?
"The Galactic Army is horribly mistaken if they think that the Faction will continue to happily submit to its rule."
"So that's why they want to hijack the next exploration? Revenge?"
Jupiter's hand rubbed at the nape of her neck. "Their motives are unclear. But their plan is certain." Core took a few seconds to ponder on the entire thing. She had the pieces, but couldn't really fit the entire puzzle. It didn't matter though, because the exploration was going to set off in two days and if they were going to try and stop it, the how's were much more important than the why's right now.
"You won't tell me if I ask you how you knew, huh?" Core tried.
Jupiter smiled and shook her head.
"Nightshade," Knox called, butting in the conversation with a tap on Core's helmet. It irritated Core whenever he did that, so she swatted his arm away as she turned to face him. "I realise this is highly important, but the time right now is also highly important, and so are your injuries. We have a lot of things on our bloody plate, and we have to start tackling them in order."
Core shot a glance at the large computer screens spanning one end of the room, and the digital numbers glowed 3:52AM. Knox was right; she had to figure out how to hide her injuries and get back home before anything else. It's not like they'd think of a plan right here and now either. She needed time to think, and she couldn't do it here — not when her arm and leg were bothering her.
"A medic —" Jupiter began, only to be cut off with a wave of Core's hand. "It's alright, I'll handle my injuries. I need to get back to Alpha. We'll regroup tomorrow evening, and I promise I'll have a plan by then."
Jupiter's thin brows shot up. "You're helping us?"
Core was moving to get up, and Knox helped her. "As much as the people in the Confederate — Alpha and Beta alike — treat me like crap, the Confederate is my home."
"The rebellion feels the same," Jupiter commented. "We are loyal to the land."
Core was finally able to stand up, but she was leaning heavily on Knox. They started hobbling towards the exit just to try it out, and when they didn't fall over, they kept going. When they stood in front of the lift, Ace opened it for them as he kept his gaze on Core.
"You owe me," he reminded, lips quirked in a haughty grin. "Double, even, for getting you this." He tossed her something that she managed to catch with her good hand: it was the hoverboard, back in its sphere. "Its engine got fried, but Sky fixed it up."
Core ignored him and just made her way to the lift, pocketing the sphere. As the doors started to close, Ace's voice squeezed through the gap.
"A plus!"
When the metallic doors shut, the lift jerked to life and made its way down.
"Please tell me he isn't rating sex," Knox drawled.
Core scoffed, but smiled all the same, nudging Knox lightly with an elbow as thanks for cheering her up.
"It was more like a B minus."
"Gross."
★ ★ ★
{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA | COORDINATES: X-4741 Y-2399 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 4:02AM }
It was stuffy in the hovercar that Knox managed to borrow from the rebels, but Core didn't complain anymore; she was in no condition to skyride, and at least this hovercar had a stealth feature that could bring them to Alpha undetected. If it wasn't so cramped and didn't smell like mold, Core could have closed her eyes and gotten some rest. But seeing as this was the best alternative they had gotten, she busied herself with filling in the blanks that her unconsciousness had brought as Knox drove them home.
"So you just sat there with Eclipse staring off into space?" Core asked, bewildered that Knox managed to sit still that entire time.
Knox shrugged as he turned the wheel casually with one hand, the hovercar turning a corner along with it. It was dark in the car, and the soft glow of the control panels and floating street lights outside highlighted the weariness in his features. Even his tone was tired and drawn when he replied, "Would you feel better if I said we had a tea party instead of just sitting idly?"
"I thought he'd at least grill you with questions or something," Core mumbled, sinking further in the leather seat. She cradled her injured arm gingerly, as every movement on her part made currents of pain crawl all over it.
"We sat in complete silence until Sky came in to ask permission."
Core nodded, knowing where this was going. "Ace called her."
Humming in assent, Knox leaned forward in his seat to stretch his back. "Apparently so. Eclipse sent her and Jupiter to you with a spacecraft. According to what I heard, the Blackhole was pretty much in chaos already when they arrived, and they didn't even have the opportunity to land. Ace and Mars had to hop on."
Core would just have to ask Ace for more details later on. There was something else that concerned her more than a blow-by-blow recount of their escape. "How'd Sky know where I was?"
Knox shot her an exasperated look. "Tracker, remember? On your suit? We asked Sky to put it on in case something happened during your patrols?"
"Right," Core clipped. Then after a beat, she continued, "Do you think we should take the tracker out and...bench Sky for now?" Even thought she hated the idea herself, having picked Sky off the streets a few years back and seeing her grow, Core knew the little girl was devoted to the rebellion's cause -- and in extension, to anything Eclipse would order her to do. She probably didn't fully understand the repercussions of her actions, but still.
When Knox didn't reply, Core dislodged the badge from her chest. The shiny metal glinted under the streetlights, a golden sun surrounded by stars staring back at her. It was ironic that the same badge freeing her to roam the Confederate was the same one that almost trapped her. "I know she gave Eclipse the data on the badge so they could somehow recreate their own version to get them into Alpha. Probably got the data when she put the tracker in, too."
"I'm sure she didn't know --"
"I know," Core interrupted firmly, knowing full well what Knox meant. "But we still have to be careful, Knox. We can't trust the rebellion right now. We probably shouldn't have trusted them in the first place," she said bitterly.
"You trusted them enough to leave Dawn and Sky in their care after saving them," Knox pointed out. "I know. I think I regret it."
Knox laughed then, a sad, tired laugh that worried Core. "Never thought I'd hear you admitting you regretted something."
"I regret a lot of things," Core began gingerly, keeping her eyes on the blurring buildings and lights outside the hovercar. "Including today. I was careless, and --"
Knox slammed on the breaks, and the hovercar jerked to an immediate stop. They were in the middle of the road, but there was no one up and about anyway. All they had to keep them company was the soft vibration of the hovercar's engine, and the yellow-orange glow of the streetlights.
Core didn't dare to look in Knox's direction.
She might just crack, too.
"Do you know how hard it is," Knox began, tone dangerously soft and low, "to wait, and wait, and wait for you to get back safely every single fucking time?"
Core held her breath, shooting him a glance. His forehead rested on the wheel as his fingers gripped its edges, hair falling over his shoulders to shield his expression.
"It's like I'm just waiting for the time to come when I eventually lose you too." His carefully controlled voice then cracked at the last three words, and Core had to swallow heavily to keep her own emotions at bay.
She almost died today, and that scared the fuck out of her now that all the adrenaline had died down. But Knox had to deal with that fear every single time Nightshade emerged, and Core understood how painful that was.
They had waited together, lost together, and mourned together, after all, the day they had both lost Pollux -- one as a brother and the other as something more. But that death had also spurred the birth of an unspoken promise between the two left behind: they would either stay alive forever, or leave the world together.
"Knox," Core said softly, her throat feeling extremely dry. She was at a loss for words, and the only thing she could scramble together was a delicate "I'm sorry."
Her hand was already stretched out to reach for his when a loud beeping ripped apart the solemn moment. Core fished out Knox's cellphone with her good hand, wincing when her injured one knocked on the hovercar's door in the process. Aurora's name was flashing from within the transparent glass, so Core tapped on it twice to answer the call.
A hologram of Aurora's face lit up the entire hovercar, with Core placing the phone right-side up on the dashboard.
"Where are you two?" Aurora asked. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the unidentified background Core and Knox were in.
Knox had leaned back on his seat, and was now rubbing the exhaustion off his face with the palm of his hand. "Borrowed the rebels' hovercar. Long story," he said tersely.
The Aurora hologram shifted her gaze to Core, scanning her with a critical eye. "You're injured aren't you."
It wasn't a question.
"Can you sneak out or tell me what to do or something?" Core said. "I need to either get better fast or cover these up. Seb is gonna freak when he sees and the people at the Conservatoire would have a field day." Core was already groaning at the thought — she was going to have to endure tomorrow with a lot of painkillers that made her drowsy.
Aurora didn't speak for a moment, looking thoughtful, as if she were picking her next words carefully. Core swore. "What now? A girl just can't catch a break, damn it."
"I don't think you'll need to worry about Seb seeing your injuries," Aurora offered.
Core just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Aurora's eyes darted off screen for a second, before returning. Her gaze softened like she was regretful that whatever it was would have to come from her, but then she steeled herself just as quickly. "The List was updated a few moment ago. Father got a call. He's going on the exploration."
Core's eyes widened in disbelief. What was so different with this mission, that they were even bringing the best medics like Borealis? "I'm so —"
Aurora cut off Core's attempt at comfort. "That isn't the problem right now."
Now Core was just confused. "What?"
"Sebastian," Aurora answered. "He's on the list."
Core's blood ran cold.
★ ★ ★
Author's Note:
And the plot thickens. We're actually near the main plot now (finally!). I extremely underestimated this little plot bunny of mine; looks like this'll exceed 50k worth of words oops.
Let me know what you think, as always!