25 March 2016
Berlin, Germany
Wren
I don't know when I fell asleep, but I was shaken into wakefulness. I blinked, staring up at Howl. Whose face was exceedingly too close. I threw my hands up to push him out of the way, but Howl refused to budge. His eyes crackled with fury. I felt a touch of fear in my gut. I touched his arm, "What's wrong?"
"What the hell happened last night with Echo?" Howl asked. "When did she return? And what did you two talk about?"
"I don't understand...? She just, she came in last night and we talk about the fact that she eliminated Thorn." I shrugged. "That's all. Why? What's got you so freaked out?"
Howl leaned in close, studying me for a few moments. He must not have seen anything because he leaned away. He motioned for the kitchen. "She's waiting for us in there. She wants to talk to us, but she warned me to let you sleep for a bit."
"Alright," I nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."
Howl nodded and walked away. After a moment, I swung my feet over the side and let my feet touch the soft carpet. I ran my hands through my hair. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my thoughts. After a few minutes of trying, I decided to say fuck it and throw on some shoes and a shirt. And then it was time to head out to the kitchen to hear what Echo had planned.
Aurora was nibbling on a piece of bread as I walked past her. Howl was leaning against the counter, barely acknowledging me as I came to stand next to him. Echo was leaning against the counter opposite of them. Paiute was lazing across her shoulders. She arched a brow at me, "You get enough sleep?"
"Um, sure?" I stared at her curiously.
"Good because you need all of the rest and strength," Echo said. "We're going to London."
"London?" I frowned. Even Howl looked confused. "But isn't ALDAR here?"
"Echo, ALDAR's base has always been here. In Berlin." Howl shook his head.
"She moved it," Echo replied. "Berlin was too obvious, and too small. Viper needed to expand, but she also needed to be somewhere that wasn't in Germany. ALDAR had been here too long and despite her best efforts, it had garnered too much attention. And so, a few years ago she began to make a move. Discreetly, so that agents such as myself wouldn't notice. And then all at once, she moved ALDAR, and started over."
"Where?" It wasn't totally unbelievable. In order to remain discreet, to keep an organization growing in the shadows, it had to be moved. Someone – such as Echo – would come back for revenge to find a place filled with dust and spiders.
"There's a tiny place near Canterbury, London that might have a few clues," Echo smiled at us.
I shrugged, "I guess if there was ever a time for me to travel, it would be now, right?"
Howl shook his head, ignoring me. "It'll take us ten to twelve hours to get there by car."
"We have enough time," Echo said, her eyes sparkling. "Thorn made sure that we'd at least have three days before Viper realizes his betrayal. We have already wasted half of one. We have one day to get there, and during that time we will prepare. That is all we have. And it is time to move."
26 March 2016
Between New Forest and Canterbury, England
Wren
"All I see is a cottage," I muttered.
"Aren't you the startling genius," Howl snapped. "It's such an amazing thing that you became a detective."
I glared at him, "And it's a wonder why you had to revert to cannibalism just to spend longer than a minute with a person."
"Genug." Echo snapped. There was a pause, and then she said. "While it may be just a cottage externally and internally, underneath it holds an entire world full of child assassins."
I rubbed my temples in annoyance, "So, we are just gonna waltz in there?"
"Basically, yeah," Echo smiled.
"That's great. I am with a pair of assassins that think wingin' is a good plan," I looked up at the cloudy sky. "Alright, let's get this over with."
We stood up and began to walk towards the small cabin. There was a soft breeze that had a slight bite to it that slid under the clothes. I wouldn't admit it but I was nervous. This was it, after all this time and all these steps, now we were finally here. And in all honesty, we didn't really know what we were doing or what we were up against. Maybe Echo and Howl had an idea, but neither of them had actually gone against Viper before. And if her own brother had been afraid of her, what did that mean for us? And unlike the two assassins in front of me, I wasn't trained for this kind of shit.
Echo paused in front of the door, glancing at the two of us and arching a brow. I held my tongue to my objection because there wasn't actually any solid ground for me to speak. Her eyes lingered on me, and I knew what she was asking. She wanted to know that if I really wanted to follow through with what I said about getting revenge for my sister.
I nodded. She blinked in response. And then turned the knob on the door. But despite resistance, like I expected, it simply swung in. Howl nodded, "Well, that isn't peculiar at all and doesn't mean that Viper is expecting us."
The inside of the cabin was plain. It had just a touch as though someone had been living there. Shoes by the door, a crumpled blanket on the cushions of the couch, a box of cereal on the counter. But I walked over to the box, and saw that it had expired nearly three months ago. It was a stage, one to throw off anyone who didn't pay attention to detail. Echo's boots clicked as she walked to the other side of the cabin, her hand whispering against the polished wood. I followed her slowly, glancing around to see if there was any obvious doors or nicks that revealed a way underground.
Echo paused, her hand lingering on a certain spot. She chuckled, "Aren't you just a walking fucking cliché."
I frowned and walked closer to see that there was an etching of a hydra in the pattern of the wood. She traced the pattern with her finger, when she stopped. She seemed to have felt something because her finger curled and she pressed against it. There was a snap, and a section of the wall pushed away from us. I took a step forward when I stopped and looked at Echo. She wasn't moving. I frowned at her, "What's wrong?"
"Despite the fact that Viper is a walking fucking cliché, this is almost too easy," Echo ran her hands through her hair. Her brows furrowed together, her eyes betraying her racing thoughts. She must've decided it was worth the risk because she pushed through the door. I exchanged a look with Howl before following.
And it was like falling off a cliff.
I couldn't help the startled yell that escaped me as I twisted through air. Colors and stars and nightmares flashed by me, fear clawing and ripping open my skin. I saw something gold flash by. Was it Echo? I reached for her, but she was already gone. Things with red eyes full of malice glared at me, stars that shone too bright blinded me, and it there was an endless hissing noise that paralyzed me with terror. What was happening? Where was I?
And just as suddenly as it happened, it stopped. I was standing in an empty warehouse. Echo and Howl along with their familiars were on either side of me. Everyone was panting and trying to catch their breath, but no words were exchanged. I looked at them, but despite the sweat on their brows and the haunted look in their eyes, no words were said. I frowned and viewed the room that we were in. It was entirely empty and dimly lit with florescent lights high in the sky. There was nothing, no sign that anyone but us were here.
I opened my mouth to say something when the sound of heels clicking on the concrete floor. It echoed all around us, and with each step, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the assassins next to me seemed to grow more tense. And then out of the shadows, the figure of a woman appeared. She towered with her height. She stopped, and despite the distance, I could see the smile that curved her lips. So eerily similar to Echo's own. And that's when it clicked, that was why Thorn thought that Echo could defeat this woman. Because in a way, they were incredibly similar. But there was a drastic difference, Echo was human. Whatever Viper was, it was different, even from Claw. Her energy, dark and twisted, seemed to fill the room.
The hissing that had been in the background grew closer and I watched in horror as snakes emerged from the shadows. Dozens upon dozens that surrounded Viper and bared their fangs at us. Echo took a slight step forward, enough to separate her from the rest of us. Not only that, but she angled her body slightly so that she was slightly in front of me. Despite the fact that Howl and I were here to help her, she was making it silently but obviously clear that this was her fight. And that she would protect us. Or at least try to. But the dark energy seemed to intensify, vibrating the air, and causing my ears to ring.
Viper was smiling now, "Welcome home, Echo."
"This isn't my home," Echo snapped.
"Mm," Viper cocked her head. "No, it isn't. But this is the last string attached to the home that you treasured. I find it quite interesting that you were able to kill your lover and my brother. I have never really understood what Thorn saw in you, but now I do. And I admire it."
"I don't want your admiration." Echo growled.
"You want my head," Viper chuckled.
"Yes," Echo whispered.
"Then try and get it," Viper hissed, her voice blending in with the snakes that surrounded her. And then she reached up and ripped off her mask.
And the world exploded.