❝People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to all of us who do.❞ ㅡ Johan
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Chapter two:
AN UNLIKELY ALLIANCE
Galene Magnolia gave a relieved sigh as the door shut behind her, locking out the curious eyes of those who had witnessed her arrival. Dropping the stolen equipment on her unmade bed, she kicked off her worn-out shoes and stretched, eliciting grunts from her knotted back. After her encounter with Levi and his gang, she felt a wave of exhaustion coursing through her body. Nevertheless, a satisfied smirk curled on her lips as her eyes fell upon her new toy.
She could already imagine herself flying through the city, and that glimpse of freedom was enough to drive her sour mood away.
Her eyebrows drew together for a fleeting moment as irksome realization washed over her; she would need to study the device before being able to use it, not to mention, find a place to train without having to worry about the Military Police.
Or worse: a powerful enemy who was always watchful, eager to get their numerous hands on her.
Galene was certain they would not hesitate to chase after her were she to stumble upon them, and while getting roughed up was nothing she wasn't used to, she knew there were worse things than death waiting for her if she was caught. It was a hell she wouldn't walk through again.
With a click of her tongue, the woman stalked over to the small fridge standing by the foot of the bed. Reaching inside, she pulled out a bottle of whiskey and sat at the round, wooden table she had recently placed in a corner. Her eyes shifted to give a quick glance around her room, once again noticing the oppressive absence of space, light and fresh air.
Then again, that was the Underground City itself.
A knock on the door gained her attention, pulling her gaze away from the flickering lamp by the table.
"Get lost," she voiced, loud enough to cut through the wood. Much to her disappointment and annoyance, another knock echoed in the air. The chair whined as she stood abruptly. "Give me a break, damn it. I just got back."
A young man with curly, brown hair smirked at her when she opened the door, causing her to give an exasperated sigh.
"Not excited to see me, G?" he asked as she rolled her eyes and let him in. Flopping down on the chair she had been sitting on, he eyed the bottle and hummed. "I see you don't waste time."
Sitting down in front of him, Galene shrugged and took a swig from it. "You never know when you're going to drop dead. May as well enjoy yourself while you're alive, Johan."
With a shake of his head, Johan let out a breathy laugh. "Always the optimistic one. What happened today that got you in such a good mood?"
There was a rare tone in her voice; a hesitant glint in her brown gaze. "I ran into my sister."
A baffled expression crossed his features.
"I thought she was dead."
Her lips pursed into a thoughtful frown, and she ran a hand through her messy hair while leaning back. Her encounter with her younger sister had surprised her, and she still had trouble wrapping her head around the fact that Isabel was alive.
"I assumed she was," she rebuked in a low voice. "She was a kid when I was taken; she got sick very easily and couldn't defend herself without my aid. But I guess being alone forces you to overcome your limits, which says a lot about her willpower."
"Well, it's good news nonetheless," Johan granted, frowning at her apathetic expression as he spoke. "Why didn't she come with you?"
Sending him a look, Galene shook her head. "She's living her life; I'm living mine — it's as simple as that. Plus, you know I can't afford having a soft spot; not with those assholes after my ass. If word goes out that I took someone under my wing, they will use her against me. And I can't let Isabel go through that hell."
His blue eyes observed her closely as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it; she could feel his worry, his care — all unnecessary, in her opinion. But she didn't comment on it; instead, she offered him a cigarette.
Johan waved a hand in the air, not taking the deathly item from her, and stood. "Who knows? Some new allies may be what you need — what we need." She responded with an exagerated roll of eyes, which made him shrug. "Or you can keep ignoring my advice."
"Allies aren't easy to find down here," she started, only to frown. She took a long drag of her cigarette and clicked her tongue, looking away from the quiet man. "You make a deal with someone, and the next second that someone is selling you out. Before you can react, you're six feet under. Sadly, that's the fucked-up world we live in."
There was a long pause as her words drew an irked expression on her face; seconds ticked by, seemingly dragging in forever.
"Well, I'm glad I'm an exception to that rule," Johan commented eventually. "Even if I'm the only one."
Galene scoffed. "We go way back, idiot." Upon seeing the smile growing on his face, she lifted a hand. "No chick-flick moments, J. Now, I'm sure you didn't come all the way from your room to talk about this shit."
Sighing, the young man crossed his arms over his chest. "Someone wants to hire you."
His words made her raise an eyebrow.
"What's the job?"
But Johan shrugged in response. "He just mentioned it was urgent. He's some rich man looking for someone to avoid getting his hands dirty."
"Sounds like the typical pig," she commented with a roll of her eyes before putting the remains of her cigarette away and putting her worn-out shoes back on. "I need to find an empty place; do you know of one?"
Taken aback by the sudden change of topic, Johan mulled over before replying, "There's an old house with a broken ceiling some streets to the right. Heard the old man who lived there died from starvation not long ago, so it should still be empty. Why?"
Her lips crooked into a smirk as she pointed towards her new equipment, and Johan whistled. "I'm impressed, G. Wait, did you really steal it from Levi's gang?"
"No way. They just left it there for me to take. Pretty sure that Levi dude was cleaning it when I sneaked inside," she explained.
Giving him a playful slap on the upper arm, she picked up the device and walked out — into the rocky hallway.
"Are you going to meet that man?" Johan was curious; she could hear it in his voice as he followed her out. "He said you wouldn't find a better recompense, if you accepted the job."
Galene paused for a second of hesitation, before her form disappeared from sight.
—
Her footsteps were silent as she walked towards the long staircase made of stone that led up and away. Two guards, dressed in clothes no soul in the Underground City could ever dream of owning, stood before the rocky steps. Narrowing her brown eyes upon their stoic features, Galene huffed and waited in the languid shadow of a broken lamppost. She pulled her black, shredded cloak close to her body and made sure to hide her identity under its thin hood.
A mirthless smile curled on her chapped lips as memories of another time flashed before her half-lidded eyes.
Back when she was a starving kid, she had tried to push past them to catch a glimpse of that glowing sphere that swept the outside world with warm light.
But her amusement faded into something darker as she remembered her failed attempts. Those had been different times, and she was not the same scrawny girl who didn't know the meaning of victory. Her eyes flickered to the tempting staircase as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Would she be able to reach the end of that tunnel if she tried now?
Galene looked away; she wasn't that naïve. It was a funny idea, but she knew that — even with her improved skills — she wouldn't make it out alive. Too many soldiers were eager to get their hands on her pretty ass now, as she had a reputation that preceded her.
Maybe another time, she thought before the conversation between the two guards broke her out of her contemplation.
"I just can't wait to get out of this fucking hole," the taller of them said with a gruff voice. "I swear this shithole stinks more than it did yesterday."
The other one laughed dryly. "Must be one of those days. You know, with more corpses on the streets."
"If only they killed each other... I wouldn't have to stand here for hours, surrounded by trash."
Her jaw locked as a wave of fury set her blood ablaze.
"Nah, the problem starts with the brothels," argued the shorter man. "Those whores won't stop getting pregnant and giving birth to more rats."
Galene stomped on the half-used cigarette, imagining it was their skulls being crushed beneath her foot. Fortunately for them, her indignation never met their faces, for another man made his presence known by loudly walking down the long staircase. Out of the corner of her eye, she observed his slim form draw near to the two guards.
His gloved hand lifted a scroll, handing it to one of them. A few words were exchanged, but a name seemed to hang in the dry air — hers. Taking it as her cue to intervene, she silently made her way over.
She lifted her head, meeting their expectant silence with an emotionless face.
"Are you Galene?" asked the outsider with an arched brow, giving away the impression he was expecting someone different — better. Mimicking his expression, she crossed her arms over her chest. "My boss is waiting outside."
That surprised her.
"Outside?"
His smile was sardonic, mocking even. But he didn't make another comment, which was the reason her fist ended up shoved into her pocket and not into his face.
"Are you taking me to him, or do you plan on making me waste my time in the presence of this scum?" She tilted her head towards the two guards, narrowing her eyes upon them and wishing nothing more than to unleash her anger upon them.
They didn't look happy with her words, and she quirked an eyebrow. The taller one took a step forward, but he was stopped by his peer, who shook his head at him. Galene simply ignored their silent conversation and sent the outsider an unamused stare.
"There's someone else my boss called for," he explained without glancing in her direction, yet his annoyance was thick in his voice when he added in a low mutter, "How dare that worm make him wait? Who does he think he is?"
But he wasn't the only one growing irritated. Galene's frown deepened by the second, drawing a dark expression on her face as time ticked by without a change in her situation. Not only did she feel like her time was being wasted, but she herself felt like a pawn in a game of chess — dispensable, at the orders of an incompetent king who couldn't be bothered to take action and would rather keep sitting in his big throne.
By the time the missing person showed up, Galene was just about to murder someone. However, as her eyes flickered to glare at them, her body became rigid. His grey gaze was like steel upon her, masking his initial shock as she quickly looked away.
"Levi?" the man asked, with the same edge in his voice — that blatant superiority. "You've made my boss waste some precious time."
Galene scoffed and rolled her eyes, yet the robber merely drawled, "That's a shame."
Biting back a smirk, she finally snapped. "Get to the damn point already, for crying out loud."
She felt his grey eyes on her, but her attention was solely on the man who'd brought her there — the reason her heart was starting to beat with another emotion: uneasiness. She peered at her empty surroundings; her muscles tensed.
"Everything you need to know is written here..." He paused, looking unsure. "Can you read?"
"Can you run?" she shot back. "Because you won't be able to anymore if you keep pushing my buttons. My patience is running very thin, bastard."
He paled visibly, and all traces of superiority dissipated. Handing her a piece of paper, he straightened and made a failed attempt at hiding his trepidation. "My boss wants the job done before the end of the month — no mistakes."
Realization washed over her suddenly.
"Wait, surely you're not implying I have to work with this jerk." She pointed at Levi, who said nothing. "You must be new here, so I'll fill you in very quickly. I work alone — I don't, under any fucking circumstance, do teamwork."
"What if I refuse to do it?" Levi sounded as irked as she was feeling.
Being ordered around wasn't something Galene saw with good eyes, and by the unamused frown on his pale face, she knew Levi was the same.
But the man chuckled in response. "After knowing the recompense, I'm sure you'll change your mind."
Galene scoffed. "There's no amount of money that will make me work with him."
"That's a surprise," remarked Levi instantly, earning himself a death glare.
"I'm not talking about money," the man retorted, stepping between the fight that was brewing in front of him.
Galene quirked an eyebrow. "Stop beating around the bush, then. The sooner you finish talking, the sooner you can tell your boss I said no."
The man showed his teeth, some of which were golden. "A place out of the underground, where you can start over. He'll give you something you haven't known in your entire lives: freedom."