Siala: Part 1 - 7

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We eventually made our way into the backstreets of the less-fashionable end of Region 15, where we were able to see the Great Arch Monument not far in the distance through the blocks. It wasn't raining but the chill was starting to come down, and as we parked up in a side-alley next to piles of rubbish bags and got out of the kar we could feel it in our bones and our breath was turned to plumes of white. Dragons' breath, they used to call it. I was pumped up on adrenaline enough to slay a few dragons right then.

'What now?' Siala asked me, Rena perched on her shoulder once more.

'Also,' Rena said, 'do you want the gun back?'

I smiled. 'Thanks.' Siala handed it back to me. The canister was around half empty, but there were still a good few shots left in there. I looked at it, checking it over.

'Oh, hang on,' Siala said, ducking her head back inside the kar. She reached down under her seat and began rooting around for something. 'I wonder if he still keeps...'

I watched for a second with mild fascination before she emerged with two red canisters in her hand. She handed them over with a knowing smile.

'Just remembered now that he might have still had them there,' she said, looking away sheepishly. I laughed.

'Thank heavens we didn't need them back there, or we'd be dead with them still sat under us. Oh, the irony.'

'Also lets be thankful that nothing hit them,' Rena said. 'You don't want one of those going off accidentally; it isn't pleasant.'

'We've had that before now, haven't we?' Siala said. Rena nodded enthusiastically.

A man entered the alleyway from the other side, black coat wrapped around him against the cold. He was too tall to be anything but sinister. I kept the gun by my side, thumb on the safety as a precaution, but as he got closer I could see the wrinkles on his forehead and the lines in his cheeks, the puffiness under his eyes. An elderly gentleman going for a walk in the night. No threat, but being seen at all was a bad idea. Anyone could be bought out for the right price.

'Come on,' I said. 'Let's move it.'

We left the kar parked there, keys taken with us for recollection at an appropriate time. We walked through the glow of Region 15's rising complexes, thousands of apartment windows gazing down at us like the eyes of flies; it felt like we were constantly being watched. Halo's main headquarters were in Region 15 after all, and it wasn't just the large advertising boards or posters or graffitied logos on the walls that made their presence known. We could feel Halo watching us, gazing at us through glass eyes mounted high.

After five minutes walking, fairly certain we had lost the guys from the highway, we ducked into a run-down rendezvous-point and messaged the boss. He came back to us, his face haggard and worn. Blood dripped from his left cheek.

'Boss!' I cried. 'The hell is happening down there?'

'Xayne,' he said, looking over his left shoulder. 'Take the tunnels to 22 and shack up at Chorus' place. They've made a move.'

I held my breath. 'Vayn?'

'Yeah. Red Rose,' he said. 'We've escaped, but just barely. Police are here now, holding everything up. All safe and secure, and thankfully I know one or two on the force so we're able to keep things under control. Just about.

'The important thing is to keep Siala safe. That's all that matters. You're expendable, I'm sorry to say.'

I looked across at her, seeing that she had gone white, which is hard to do when your skin is red. I glanced up at Rena to see if she would offer an explanation, but she held her tongue.

'There's going to be some explanations when all of this is over, boss,' I said. 'I'm not sure how much more of this I can do in the dark.'

The boss nodded slowly. 'Understood. Just get her safe and out of the way. In fact, no. Don't take her to Chorus. Where are you right now?'

'Region 15,' I replied. 'Not far from the Great Arch Monument.'

'Then don't take her to 22. Go to 1765D, Garrison Road. It's in the HeadCore Area where Halo's main offices are. Tell Harly you're from me and need to hole up. I'll send more info later.' The boss turned around again and waved someone else off with a loud 'I'm busy!'

'1765D, Garrison Road, HeadCore Area, ask for Harly. Gocha.'

'Oh and Xayne?'

'Yes, boss?'

He smiled. 'Nice driving.'

I didn't have a chance to ask him how he knew how we had escaped before his head vanished into a burst of light. The darkness came and almost swallowed us there, sat under the falling roof of the little shelter. I didn't know what to say at that point, if anything needed to be said. Red Rose had made a direct attack against us, and there was no mercy for those that went straight for the kill. I wanted blood.

Its strange, how quickly one grows close to those they work with, and how easily one is ready to push morality aside, and the fear of being able to execute someone at point blank, staring them in the eye as you commit your act of godliness. At that moment, I didn't care about Siala or Rena, or what they had to do with it all. I wanted to look Vayn in the face as I shot him through the heart. I wanted his blood on my coat, on my hands. I was going to do it if it killed me.

'Let's go,' I said, stepping out from under the shelter. 'We've got quite a bit of walking to do.'

Siala and Rena were silent, Rena the most subdued I had ever known her to be. Region 15 slumbered on for the most part, and in the distance we could hear the sirens wailing to the Highway where a barrier was smashed and twisted metal lay across the road. I ignored their cries, and even though I had companions as I walked, I felt isolation steal down upon me and wrap its blanketing cold around me. My mission was now set, no matter how long it took me.

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