Gia's face was crinkled into a frown as she stood behind me to lock the clasp of my top together, smoothing the fabric and my wings almost reluctantly. She still wasn't particularly keen on the idea of throwing myself into an obvious trap, but at this point, there wasn't much else we could do.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with?" Geoff asked, "I could watch your back."
"Thanks, Geoff," I said, smiling at my friend, who could sense my refusal. "They asked for me alone, so me alone they'll get. Not counting the, uh, police standing by out of sight, though. They don't really want to involve any more civilians than necessary, and allowing us to be a part of this operation is already questionable."
"Fine," Geoff said glumly, giving me a tight hug, which Gia also joined, wrapping her arms as she stood by my other side. "Beat all of those assholes up for me, 'kay? And remember the things I taught you. Especially that punch, okay?"
Laughing, I lightly punched Geoff's arm as we all pulled back, before tugging on my mask and goggles, adjusting my gloves and flexing my wings.
Geoff and Gia opened the glass doors to the back yard, bodies taut as I launched myself into the air. It only took a few seconds for their images to appear in the corner of my goggles, the two of them sitting side-by-side to operate the computers that Milo usually manned alone.
It was just past 2:00am when I landed on the balcony of a seemingly abandoned apartment near the park , Olivia and the task force already waiting for me. They were geared up in dark bulletproof vests, guns tucked at their hips alongside others in locked cases. One of the policemen looked at my own suit up and down in appreciation, tugging at his now seemingly lacklustre outfit.
"I have a great stylist," I said, answering his silent question, the man barking out a laugh as he shook his head in amusement.
"You seem very calm, Black Dove. That's good," Olivia said, nudging me inside the apartment; most of the poorly cared for furniture had been pushed to the sides to make way for the computer equipment and weapons, the base of operations nestled amongst frayed couches and chipped wooden tables.
As I stepped inside, Olivia immediately pulled me into a second room - a bathroom, with a missing shower head, though the tap was splashed with water, signifying working plumbing.
"Culver," Olivia said, hand tight around my arm.
"Wow, moving straight to a first name basis now, Olivia?" I joked, the woman in front of me rolling her eyes.
"Is your wit a response to your nerves, or are you truly calm about this?"
Tugging down my mask and pulling the goggles to rest on the crown of my head, I levelled Olivia with a determined expression. Olivia sucked in a breath, the final piece of the puzzle seeming to click into place when she finally saw my face.
"I couldn't really believe it, not until I saw your face... Are Gia and Geoff listening in?" I answered Gia's question with a tap on my goggles, Olivia sighing, dropping my arm and pushing a few stray hairs from her forehead, eyes hard.
"I really should pull this whole operation," Olivia said, looking at me carefully. "Seeing you now, I'm really reminded that you're just children."
"Special children," I said, Gia and Geoff laughing in my ear as I whipped my wings up, the shower curtains snapping against the tiled walls. "And we've already been invited by these very impolite kidnappers. I never say no to a good party."
Olivia paced the bathroom, tossing my words around in her head, before sighing.
"Patch us in to your comms network," Olivia finally said, jerking her hand to my mask and goggles. After pulling them back over my face, Olivia lead me out of the bathroom, to the amusement of the other police officers. Olivia just sent them withering looks, all of them turning back to preparing their weapons or clacking their fingers on their keyboards.
"White Crane, Red Crane, how do you, uh, 'patch them in to our comms'?" I asked, watching as Gia and Geoff squinted at the computer screen in confusion. If only Milo was here.
I swallowed the thought down as Gia's nails clacked on the keyboard, the girl groaning.
"We weren't exactly left a 'Superhero Computer System for Dummies' booklet," Geoff said, Olivia giving me a look as I cursed under my breath.
Turning to one of the women at the computers, who looked up at me in surprise, I relayed our confusion to her.
"We need some tech support," I said, pointing to my goggles. "Connect our stuff to your stuff."
"I'll need to have a look at your equipment then, sir," the woman said, eyes sparkling with curiosity at my goggles, almost drooling at the idea of taking a peek at Milo's tech. I looked at Olivia, and she just nodded. I gave the woman my goggles, taking care not to look at her face directly, as well as the phone connected to it.
As she tried to figure out how to patch the police into our network, I felt a sense of pride swelling in my belly at her murmured "wow, so intricate", "amazing technology", "who the hell made this?". I wanted to brag about my boyfriend, but he wasn't here.
He would be soon, though.
It took a short while for the woman to figure out how to connect to our system, apparently struggling due to Milo's complex coding. She had apparently only been able to figure it out because she had the physical device at her fingertips, and she would have had no chance to figure it out remotely, courtesy of Milo's safeguards.
"It's almost time," Olivia suddenly snapped, snapping the ammo into her gun and tucking it into its holster by her waist. "Are you ready?"
"I have to be," I replied, pulling my goggles back on. Olivia nodded, face cool and collected, though flames of resolve flickered in her eyes that looked like Lark's.
"Our units are in position. We've got your back, Black Dove," Olivia said as I stepped out onto the balcony, wings ruffling in the wind. One of the policemen whistled as I took flight, wings beating strongly with the breeze.
"Okay, it's time, Black Dove," Gia said, voice appearing calm, though her eyes were narrowed as she nervously eyed the screens. "The park seems empty, satellite images don't show any movement, from neither our friends or foes. Be careful."
"Did you guys hack into the satellite imaging system?" Olivia's voice interrupted, the image flicking from Gia to the police commissioner, whose frown deepened.
'We didn't,' Gia sent me via written message so the police couldn't overhear her, the girl smirking. 'Milo did.'
"I'm going to the meeting point now," I said through a hidden grin, Olivia ignoring our (or Milo's) hacking and confirming that the snipers she had posted on distant rooftops saw me.
I dove down and landed in a crouch beside a bronze statue - The Court Favourite - depicting a lithe young man and a lion cub. The lion cub was biting down tightly, seemingly delighted as it snagged the bronze man's cloak, smooth surface gleaming under the moonlight. The feline's eyes seemed to stare at me as I slowly stood straight, just as that tell-tale headache began prodding at the base of my skull.
"White Crane, any movement?" I asked quietly, using my enhanced bird vision to scope the area. I picked up on all of the noises; the individual leaves rustling in the chill winter winds, the slight rattling of the metal fencing behind me, the individual thumps of my heart beating in my chest.
"Yes," Gia said, sending me the satellite video feed.
"Black van, East side," Olivia added, confirming the image Gia was sending to me.
"Milo? Lark?" I asked, body rigid as both Gia and the police tried to gather more intel, and my heart beat only grew louder when I saw some people being pushed out of the back of the van with what looked like pillow cases over their faces. Their hands were bound behind their back with zip-ties, their clothes smeared with what I hoped was only dirt. The two bound figures stumbled forwards when their backs were pushed roughly by the butt of a gun held by men clad in all black.
"We can't confirm their identities," Olivia said, voice cold.
"They have to be them, right?" I said, beginning to move forward, Olivia quickly stopping me with a curt 'no!'
"We don't know. Do not move until we confirm their identities, and until they move into a position we can cover. Our snipers don't have clean shots from where they are. Wait until they join you in the clearing."
It took everything in me to not fly over to the the group and just grab my supposed friends and fly off. Yes, I could get shot. Yes, I could die, but like Hell I'd die before getting Lark and Milo out of the clutches of those bastards.
"Steady, Black Dove," Olivia warned, obviously keeping a keen eye on me, taking in my clenched fists and wings splayed out ready to launch.
It was 0300 hours on the dot that the masked men and their bound captives slowly approached me in the middle of the gardens. The men were hideous amongst the serenity of the gardens, harsh black and steel juxtaposed with soft greens and moonlit blues.
"You're alone?" a gruff voice said slowly, and anger flared inside me as I recognised it, clear as day. My healed shoulder smarted with phantom pain, a memory of how his bullet had hit me months ago, stopped only because of the fine mesh of kevlar covering my flesh. I remembered the taste of iron in my mouth when he punched me, the bruising feeling of his hands around my trachea, his knee crushing my stomach.
Now, I could see his gun pressed sharply against one of the hostage's backs, a hostage wearing Lark's clothes, with Lark's strawberry blonde hair peeking out in limp, matted clumps from beneath the pillow case.
My eyes turned to the other hostage, and I knew it was Milo. I knew that body, that smell, that posture. They could've thrown him in a sea of people wearing the same clothes as him, but I would be able to pluck him out with my eyes closed.
"Just me and the statue," I said, both of the hostages jerking in the arms of their captors.
"No-" Milo began, voice cut short as the man standing behind him slammed his leg down at the fold of Milo's knees, sending the tall boy falling to the ground onto his knees. He couldn't catch himself with his hands bound, and Milo let out a groan of pain that made me see red, the pillow case soon pulled from his head.
Oh, baby. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Milo's face was pale, with the beginnings of a deep purple bruise around his left eye where he had clearly been punched. His lip was split and crusted over with a rough scab, chin speckled with dried blood. His hair was streaked with sweat and dirt, clinging to his crinkled forehead.
Milo's brown eyes blinked as he took in his surroundings, before he lifted his head, eyes piercing into mine. I willed my own eyes to dry, since I wouldn't be able to wipe away my tears inside my mask.
My eyes tore themselves from Milo's when Lark's head covering was thrown to the ground beside her. Her green eyes were rimmed heavily with red, and despite not sporting any bruises nor cuts on her face, she was deathly pale and sweating profusely. Her lips were chapped, and she licked at the stinging skin as she looked around, a swirling mess of fear and defiance in her eyes.
"Two armed aggressors. Hostage identities confirmed," Olivia said, voice steady but climbing in urgency, the thrum of adrenaline underlying her words. "Snipers, do you have clean shots?"
"Negative," an unfamiliar voice said, voice crackling through the receiver. "I don't know how, but they made sure to stand in our blind spots, using the trees."
"Shit," Olivia cursed, voice so loud I winced a little. "Black Dove, we need to separate them from those assholes. You're good at talking. Our ground troops will move in once the hostages are clear."
"I was not convinced that you would, ah, 'leave your nest', so to speak. You have been in hibernation for a long time," the man behind Lark spoke, voice slow, dangerous. He wound another fistful of Lark's hair around his hand, tugging harshly. Lark hissed, biting her lip to keep from making any other noises.
She's the most stubborn girl I know.
"But, I guess even chickens will leave their nests to find their little chicks," the man continued, chuckling lowly, a grating, menacing noise. I gritted my teeth when the man pulled Lark's hair again, the movement so rough my close friend couldn't help but grit out a pained gasp.
"You bast- ack!" Milo started, moving to rise from his knees at the sound of Lark's pain, only to be kicked at the back. With his hands bound, Milo's body just fell forwards, face buried in the dirt.
I'm gonna fucking kill you, rip you to pieces, claw your eyes out, fucking drop you from the sky and pick up your broken bones and do it all again you fucking-
My wings flexed, willing themselves into action, but stilled when the man behind Milo clicked his gun, the sound deafening.
'Not yet, not yet,' screamed my senses.
"Now, violence is super unnecessary," I said, attempting to adopt a blasé tone as I toed some uneven tufts of grass in front of me. It felt like there was a boulder lodged deep in my throat, making my voice sound thin as the air struggled to squeeze around it. "I did as you asked, it's only proper business if you let those two go. A two-for-one deal, you could say. It's really quite flattering that you think I'm worth two whole people. You've got my ego blushing."
Milo's eyes narrowed as he picked himself up from the ground, while Lark's pale and cracked lips managed to pull themselves into a smirk that looked a little more rabid than normal.
"You are awfully demanding for someone whose friends are this close to having bullets in their heads," the man said, and though he was masked, I could hear the curl of a smile wrapping around his words. As he spoke, he pressed his gun against the back of Lark's head, the girl stiffening as her eyes squeezed shut.
Oh, shit. Shit. I am not qualified for this. I'm just studying zoology for fuck's sake!
"Wow, you are rude," I said, stepping forwards, eyeing my enemy's guns carefully. The boulder in my throat seemed to be swelling, pressure building up in my chest as it struggled to stay contained in my fear.
Holding my wrists out in front of me and tucking my wings back in obedience, I stopped about two metres away from the group in front of me.
"Now, you've already got me. Let them go, and I'll offer myself up freely. You can even tie me up, and I might even enjoy it," I said, Milo opening his mouth to say something, but the words dying in his mouth. Lark opened her eyes, a green forest fire, her mouth pressed tightly together.
The man holding Lark, clearly holding more sway over the duo, pondered for a moment, before speaking.
"Let the boy go," he told his companion, Milo's eyes widening, my heart clenching in hope. "We'll keep the bird's pretty little girlfriend for a little longer, though."
I watched everyone carefully as Milo was pulled up to his feet. They did not untie his arms, simply pushed his back with the back of the gun, urging him to walk forward, away from here. Milo did not move, though, and stood there staring at me with terror in his eyes.
"Move, boy, before we change our mind," one of the kidnappers growled, shoving his back with the gun again, Milo's wobbly legs stuttering forwards.
"Go," I said, voice even but eyes pleading, hidden behind my reflective lenses. Please, please.
Milo, you know my voice. Please hear my plea. Please listen to me, please, please, please.
Milo gave me a tormented look, before stumbling his way around the fencing of the park, disappearing amongst the green wall of trees.
"I'm watching him," Gia said, sending me video feeds from street cameras that tracked Milo's movements. I watched him stumble with tears running down his face, every now and then turning back as if he were about to run back, until he was finally grabbed by some police officers and ushered into a safe house.
"We've got him," Olivia said, breathing out tightly. "We've got one. Now... Now Lark. Black Dove, do what you have to do to get her safe. We'll move in the moment she's clear." Olivia's voice was losing its edge, the shakiness in her words unmistakeable as the exchange wore on.
"Now that your hands are free, cuff him," the man behind Lark ordered, his companion nodding and pulling out a set of sturdy cuffs. I let him slap the cuffs around my wrists, and I groaned in pain when he pushed me to the ground. "Restrain his wings, too."
"What are you doing?" I snarled, the man grabbing onto my wings. Instinctively, I bat them, pushing the man's arms off me.
If I can't use my wings, what am I but a normal boy? No, no, not my wings.
"Ah, ah, ah," Lark's captor tsked, finger flexing around the trigger in his hand as I struggled. I growled, Lark whimpering as she felt the cold front of the gun dig into her skull, and I screamed inside my head.
The man's hands wrapped around my wings again, and I had to try and keep them contained, to not lash out even though I wanted to. The image of Lark's brains spraying out onto the grass, red and white amongst the green, made my wings tremble as I felt chains wrapping around my appendages. They fit tightly around the scarred base of my wings, and extended out to their end feathers. They were clearly made to subdue my wings, a cage of grounding metal, and I felt panic beginning to build.
My wings were now in a cage, and that's not where they were meant to be. I tried to stretch them out, but they could not move, straining against the rigid metal. It was not only the newfound lack of mobility that made me beginning to sweat, but the weight dragging them down. Wings were meant to soar, not succumb to the heavy hands of gravity. My wings had been clipped, and I didn't know what to do,
This is wrong, wrong, wrong.
"Good bird," the man chuckled, amused. "Now that you're, ah, incapacitated, I guess we no longer have a need for your girlfriend."
"All units, move in! Move in!" Olivia yelled in my ear, as Gia and Geoff cried out in terror.
"No," I choked, as hands pushed me down onto the ground, the chains caging my wings rattling as I tried to break from my restraints, but failing miserably. Lark loosed a sob, and the boulder in my throat swelled and swelled and swelled as I watched the man's finger begin to move, to squeeze on the trigger and-
The boulder in my throat crumbled to pieces in my rage, my lungs screaming.
"NOOOOO!" I screeched, the sound shrill and deafening. My eyes squeezed shut as I screamed on, my prolonged cry mixing with the sound of trees trembling and cracking, branches falling to the ground, cries of surprise and followed by heavy thumps of bodies hitting the ground.
"Oh my God!" Gia yelped, the sound of her snapping my eyes open, revealing what made her so shell-shocked.
The ground in front of me looked razed, diverging outwards. The grass had been torn up in the direction of my scream, the trees in its way split and now mere logs on the ground. Leaves were torn and scattered all over the ground. The man holding Lark lay amongst the shed leaves, spluttering as he struggled to push himself up, having tumbled away with the blast of my voice, holding his ears as if they were ringing.
The only thing in my line of fire that wasn't rattled was Lark, who stared at me, unaffected and shocked. Her ears were not ringing, though she had definitely been closer than most people to the deafening sound. Strange, but a good kind of strange.
"There's the opening!" Olivia screamed into the comms, "Move in! Move in!"
"Lark, run!" I yelled, voice rough after my explosive scream. Lark seemed to wake up from her daze, pulling herself to her feet unsteadily, but not hesitating to run. The sound of sirens penetrated the night, and I almost sobbed in relief when I saw Lark disappearing behind a wall of police officers.
"Fuck!" the man behind me cried out, pushing me against the ground, my body still bound and suppressed. But Lark and Milo were safe. That's all I wanted.
"Release them!" the man that had been holding Lark roared, getting up from the ground. Pulling his gloved hand away from his ears, I noticed that they shone damply, the moisture on them far too thick to be water.
"R-Release them?" the man behind me stammered, his fear inciting my own fear.
Why would he be scared? Release what?
"Do it!" his partner ordered, picking up his gun.
"Hands up! You're surrounded!" a policeman yelled, approaching us with their guns drawn. Despite their presence, I only felt dread, a headache beginning to brew.
It was only a second after I realised something was not right that a chorus of shrill shrieks descended from the air.
The policemen's heads all cracked upwards, and their eyes widened as they saw what descended.
Though they were winged, though their bodies largely resembled that of man, they were no angels.
No, far from it.
They were monsters.
Like the dead man in the river, the beasts that flew down from the sky were like a horror movie come to life. With beaks, clawed feet and ratty wings, they caught the policemen by surprise, swooping and clawing at them. The policemen, not trained for such an onslaught at all, panicked and began shooting up into the sky at the Franken-birds.
In the chaos, the attackers grabbed me by my arms, and with my arms and wings bound, I had no chance of fighting back against the two trained men.
It seems they overestimated my abilities, though, and it wasn't long before I felt a sting in my neck, eyes seeing a needle in my periphery before my vision turned to black.
A/N: Putting my boys in so much pain, I guess I'm the real villain in this story - sorry folks :')