Seira fingered the necklace tentatively as Fiora slipped it over her neck. She brought the pendant up to her eyes to inspect it carefully before she was ushered along. The youngest of the three raised the mounted photoluminescent rock above her head. The chain was just long enough. Still the light was barely enough to illuminate the path for Aiden. Not that it matters. The man was plowing ahead with even steps. He totally ignored the two women behind him.
“You know it wouldn’t hurt if you were a tad friendlier.”
Silence lapsed once more. Aiden refused to reply, and Fiora was humming a sappy little tune. Seira sighed and continued walking between the older two. This was like walking through a haunted house, but without, the fun and the jump scares.
What a bunch of kill joys! The female newbie hummed along with Fiora. It was the least she could do was pretend they were engaged in some sort of camaraderie.
Aiden stumbled slightly. Before long he found himself plunging downwards. The tiny source of light was rapidly fading like a dimming star. Despite the nasty shock he managed to remain silent. Soon he tumbled a little as he slid downwards. He heard clicking as the heels of his leather shoes knocked against something metallic. Tentatively he stretched out his hands and let them brushed against the cool surface. Judging by the feel the metal was new. This means that they were close to their enemies. Trust the Chrono to land right in the center of danger zone.
Seira called out as she heard something soft thud followed by a series of clicking and scrapping. She clutched the edge of the hole as she shone the light futilely down the shaft. “Are you there?”
“Yes Alice. Why don’t you jump after the white rabbit?” answered a muffled voice.
“What?” She yelled in response. She could barely make out the word ‘jump’. Aiden sounded like he was really far below. She hoped he wasn’t more battered than he already was. The rookie stood up.
“Jump!”
Seira nearly jumped out of her skin. She stepped back at the last moment thus preventing herself from falling headlong after Aiden. Gosh! She had forgotten Fiora was standing beside her.
When did Fiora stop humming? Seira watched as the older Asian female walked confidently towards the edge. She wanted to yell for the woman to stop. She leaned forward to grab Fiora’s arm when the woman reached out and grab her wrist. The medic didn’t get the chance to protest before she felt the sniper grab her hand. Seira gasped as she was pulled along. Soon she and Fiora were plunging down the gaping hole.
__________________________________________
???
__________________________________________Aiden tsked loudly as both women fell in a heap at his feet. He didn’t even bother to help them up. Instead he shushed them even before they had the chance to say anything. He shook his head and clicked his tongue as the two tried to untangle themselves.
“I hear footsteps,” he said softly.
“No shit, genius.”
“Being a medic doesn’t mean other Asylums will protect you.”
Seira bit back her next few words. Her anger was boiling over. This guy is worse than a pmsing woman. Geez. Why can’t he cut them some slack? She stood up and shone the light overhead. She swung slowly from left to right. The cavern was huge. No matter how far to the left or right she swung the pendant she couldn’t find the walls. She began bringing the light back to the center when Aiden grabbed her wrist and pulled it down. Within those few split seconds she noticed a group stopped barely thirty feet away from where they are.
“Idiot! You are giving our position away.”
“Addy, I saw something,” she protested.
“Fine.” He breathed out loudly. He gripped her wrist tightly before letting go. "Stop calling me Addy or you will be sorry."
Seira shone the light in the direction of the group once more. It was hard to make out the person in front. He seemed to be swathed in black all over. The only thing visible was the whites of his eyes. The newbie focused the light on the person standing immediately behind. She gasped as she took in the ruffled blonde hair, the deep blue eyes and the boyish face. Camron!
Camron said
“Hey! Seira!”
The Japanese woman was about to yell for her partner to pipe down when an explosion shook the whole cavern. She gasped as she felt two arms grab her and pull her down. The necklace flew out of her hand. The young woman lay on the rough stone ground pinned between the other two Asylums in her group. Her shadow disappeared under her and then stretched off to the left merging perfectly with Aiden’s. Bright reds and oranges bathed the entire area. The light caused her eyes to water. When the heat dissipated she jerked her head up and quickly pressed a finger to her lips. Knowing her partner he would be blurting something unnecessary. The light died and the whole cavern was plunged into darkness again.
One by one different colored lights began to light up the room with their soft glow. Seira twisted to her side till she could get a good view of the mass pushing into the cavern. There was no mistaking the claymores. It was the same group they fought earlier. She squinted as she tried to count how many enemies there were. From what she could make out, they were easily outnumbered one is to two. Damn! Where were the other teams?
“Don’t just sleep there, idiots! Fight!” Aiden yelled as he got his feet.
The man in the suit whipped out his Walter p22, and fired several shots in succession. The two kings leading the charge fell to the ground as the bullets caught them between the eyes. Their comrades staggered back a step or two. An angry bellow rang from the king brandishing a whitish blue claymore. He swung his claymore in Aiden’s direction and icicles flew towards the Asylum. The frozen tips glinted as the icy bolts raced towards their mark. Aiden promptly dropped to the ground, and rolled aside. Several of the projectiles vanished into the darkness. The gentleman Asylum raised his gun once more and returned fire. Blood burst forth the jugular side man’s throat. The king gurgled before crumbling to the ground on top of his claymore.
Seira held onto her gun as well as she dashed towards her partner. She remained as low as possible. The young woman threw herself on top of him as a bolt of lightning crashed overhead. White spots danced across her eyes from where she lay. She scrunched her eyes closed and shook her head. By the time she looked up, her assailant lay in a pool of blood. The king had been shot once in the chest and another time in the neck.
“Thanks.” The Japanese woman said with a smile.
Turning back to the group at hand she held her gun straight. Seira waited for hand to steady itself before she fired. The bullet hit the man in the ankle and he dropped to the ground. His claymore lay a good distance away. She bit her lower lip as she kept her gun aimed at the injured King. Somehow she cannot bring herself to take the final shot.
“You’re weak,” the hooded girl taunted the shaking medic.
Jax grinned as she kicked the man in the head. She giggled with delight as the king groaned and fell to his back. His eyes brimmed with fear as her blade gleamed in the flashing light. The French teen grinned like a Cheshire cat and stabbed him repeatedly in the throat. She licked her lips as blood splashed all over her.
“More! More, more!” She yelled deliriously as she spun on the spot. Her eyes held a maniacal gleam as she eyed the rest of her prey. A couple of the kings stared in confusion.
“Jax! Focus!” Aiden commanded as he shot the king rushing towards his partner. Pieces of broken ice showered the floor as the claymore clattered on the ground. The man dug deep into his pocket. Where was his Advil when he needed it? The whole mess is making his migraine worse.