Chapter 12: For Naimee.

Halire flipped through the dossier he received from Ydoc. He memorized the somewhat brief but sufficient contents and began to head southwest, towards Kerning City.

Dissidents clustered discreetly in the alleys behind the Internet Cafe. The last of the workers bringing in material for the NYP were leaving as the workday ended, and some of the security personnel were leaving too with only a skeleton crew staying behind.

Albatross left the balcony and took up position on the roof of the Cafe, her dark piettra armour a sharp silhouette against the bright orange Kerning sunset sky. Then the sun dipped below the horizon, and she became an invisible shadow fading into the violet twilight. She pulled the brim of her black maro low, hiding her pale flesh from sight.

The dissidents, unsatisfied commoners from the throng of the masses, began to approach the fabled building. They shared a common grudge against the powerful and the rich, and this night they were here to vent that anger. Despite their best efforts, their approach was not unnoticed by the archer on the rooftop who whispered their presence into her communicator, then readied her bow at the people below.

At least they had to be given credit for acting on their convictions, the humourless thought flashed through Albatross's mind. She fitted an arrow to her Red Viper and loosened the others still in the quiver; the arrow she had chosen had the words "credit" scratched onto the shaft.

The lead dissenter, whose name was Jin - not that Albatross cared the least bit about his name - drew forth his weapon of choice, a can of spray paint. He popped the seal and lifted it, ready to leave a message for the hated members of society's top tier...

At that moment Albatross gave Jin credit for doing something about his grievance. The arrow flew true and struck the can, causing it to explode in a pressurized gush of red ink. Immediately most the dissidents panicked and scattered, reforming a safer distance away. But several of them remained, and a thief called Bauldersgate pointed up and said "up there".

A trigger-happy mage, Pingyao, released a few bursts of magic up at the roof, but they flew wide. Albatross whispered "they're shooting" into her communincator, then after the reply she responded "yes I can take care of them myself". Holding onto a piece of piping with her gloved hands she slid soundlessly down to the ground, the silver lining of her dark brace gloves matching the metallic hue of the pipe perfectly under the stars.

From the shadows, her voice called out. "You are under arrest for vandalism and assaulting police." Her fingers were already reaching for the dull rubber-tipped arrows used for riot control.

Pingyao realized that the latter reason for arrest was directed at her - she turned tail and ran, only to be knocked down senseless by the blunt trauma of Albatross's arrow striking but not piercing her back. When she woke up the bruise would cause considerable pain, but that would not be for a few hours.

Aroused by the fall of his comrade, Bauldersgate drew his dagger and rushed forward. Before he had moved three paces, Albatross had drawn another arrow, fitted it to her bow, aimed, and fired again. In target practice her record was ten bullseyes in a mere twelve seconds, and Bauldersgate stood no chance. The square impact on his forehead knocked him out without causing permenant damage.

The rest of the dissidents disappeared into the night before they could be shot. All except Jin, who made the fatal error of hesitating for a split second before deciding to make a run for it. In that time, Albatross had her third arrow, this one metal-tipped, trained on him. Given the choice now between running and risking death, or surrendering, he chose to play it safe and opted for the latter.

Meanwhile, Halire visited an old friend who specialized in toxins and antidotes. "What can I do for you?" he was asked.

"Do you have any paralytic poisons? The weak kind," Halire requested.

"I have some expired toxin that only numbs now, if that's what you mean. Keeps the victim conscious but renders them unable to move - before it expired, that is. Now, it slows down muscle coordination but doesn't fully paralyze."

"That'll be fine. I know milk expires, but this?" Halire raised an eyebrow. "I suppose you know better than I do though."

"True enough, except for date r-"

"No comment now." Halire took the vial of toxin and left quickly.

As he walked he dipped the tip of a crossbow bolt into the liquid, then loaded it with extra care. The Internet Cafe was not far away, for mansions and slums rubbed shoulders in the metropolis of Kerning. It was approaching the darkest part of the twenty-four hour cycle, for the sun had set but the streetlights were not yet on in order to conserve electricity. Muggings were most common at this time but the sight of a Golden Crow intimidated the resident theives into settling for easier targets.

There was a disturbance and Halire arrived just in time to see his target, Albatross, down two people and arrested a third. As she frisked the suspect expertly for hidden weapons, all the while keeping the edge of a small dagger posed near his neck to ensure his cooperation, Halire realized that this was the perfect opportunity to shoot while Albatross was distracted.

"For Naimee," he whispered into the night as he centred the black-clothed figure in his sights and applied three pounds of pressure on the crossbow trigger.

Just then the streetlights came on in an electric flash.

If the Rower was still in use, perhaps the wooden frame would have been dull enough to not attract attention... but the sleek Golden Crow that Halire kept polished with care gleamed like a sun against the ambient light. Albatross grabbed the person she had finished frisking as a human shield, and as a human shield Jin died.

The toxic bolt pierced through Jin's corpse completely, and the protruding tip had enough remaining momentum to part Albatross's armour and contaminate her blood with the poison. The feeling began as a slight numbness where the arrowpoint had pricked into her flesh, and as it began to circulate throughout her body the weakness expanded in wider and wider circles. She collapsed to the ground dropping her weapons.

Halire walked up, loading another bolt. His face was contorted with emotion now as he moved ever closer to avenging his comrade, his friend, his... had Naimee been closer than just a friend?

Albatross accepted her fate with no trace of fear; she made not a movement as Halire brought his foot down on her Red Viper, snapping it in two, and rested the Golden Crow over her heart. Even had she attempted to resist the paralysis would have ensured that the effort would be in vain.

"I will look in your face as you die," Halire snarled, pulling the black maro off her head, exposing her face to sight. "For Nai-"

In mid-sentence and mid-trigger he stopped in shock, not believing what he saw. He staggered backwards. His face caught the light, and she too saw his face.

Something foreign was trying to escape from the recesses of her mind, trying to take over her, and this time the pain was too intense - she blacked out into a merciful void.

"You! Stop!" A new voice broke the enchantment of the moment.

Halire's body kicked into motion as he raised his crossbow high and released the bolt wildly, covering his escape as his legs pounded against the red-stained pavement from paint and blood, pushing him away from the cursed land.

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because I want you to leave, now," Albatross replied.

"And why should I?"

"Because I, not you, am in charge of me," Albatross explained.

"You just won't quit, won't you?"

"To quit would be to give in to you... my enemy," Albatross resolved.

"There is no enemy."

"The enemy is within me! And I shall get rid of it!" Albatross screamed.

"There is no enemy."

"Lying to me is pointless," Albatross countered.

"There is no enemy."

"Lies," Albatross spat.

"All too prevalent. Like... you."

"What?" Albatross demanded.

"You are heartless. Unlike me."

"So says the assassin," Albatross muttered.

"..."

"What's the matter? Too ashamed to speak?" Albatross scoffed.

"...how many of those I have killed did I know betray? And how many of those you have killed did you know betray?"

"..." Albatross was silent.

"Four of them you once swore comradery with. Four of them you attemped to slay. Three of them you succeeded."

"No..." Albatros tried to deny.

"Yes. You are a traitor. The judgement of the Grosjager shall be executed unto you."

Albatross drew her Red Viper, but there was one not-so-minor problem: it was not there.

"I'll remember to thank Halire for that." A loaded crossbow was raised. "Any last words?"

"Not for you, Naimee."