Unexpected Visitors

Archer walked swiftly and silently around the floor after leaving Sabrina at the stairs to go to her floor. He held his switchblade tightly in his right hand, eyes searching every inch of the different rooms. He made no noise, ducking behind walls and jumping around corners to catch any threats (if there was) off-guard.

There was none.

There were around twenty rooms on this floor. Fifteen of them were patient rooms, one was a lobby joined to a reception desk, probably the nurses station. Another one was a kitchen, one was a bathroom. The last one was a room filled with various supplies. Blankets, IV machines, medical kits etcetera. Archer started to search the room, very thoroughly. He moved medical kits, rolled the machines out of the room, pulled blankets and sheets off the shelves and-

Bingo.

A safe sat innocently on the shelf, where it was previously hidden behind the linen.

Where can I get the combination? The receptionist desk should be a good place.

He ran quickly, but quietly out of the room into the main lobby. He looked around the desk, shoving things onto the floor, opening and closing drawers with more force than intended. He was making a lot of noise, but he didn't care. He needed that combination.

He found nothing.

He sat on the floor, looking under the desk, but gave up when he didn't find anything. Resigned, he laid flat on his back,closed his eyes and sighed in disappointment. When he opened his eyes, something caught his attention. A bright white strip of paper was visible on the underside of the mahogany desk, taped up. He went closer to inspect it.

It's the code!

He read it over three times and memorized it. Darting back to the supply closet with a victorious grin.

I hope this gun is in here, because if it's not... I will stab the closest thing to me.

He pressed a button on the lock and a keypad was projected onto the front of it. He typed in the code and the button popped out and became a handle. He gently tugged it open. It was cold on the inside with blue fluorescent lights shining on a reflective object.

The med gun.

He picked it up carefully and kept it in his hand. It was kind of heavy. It looked like a revolver, but instead of the metal cylinder where the bullets were kept, there was a glass canister filled with a green substance. It wasn't really a fluid but it also wasn't a gas. It sloshed around inside as he moved it around.

The glass looked fairly thick and felt strong when he knocked on it with his knuckles. He kept it in his hand just in case. He didn't want it to accidentally break in his bag if his conclusion was wrong.

He was about to use his walkie-talkie to tell his team about his finding, but was unable too when he heard footsteps enter the room. He put the med gun into his gun holster and held his own revolver in his hand. They were too heavy to belong to his friends and there were too many. Archer crept out of the room and planted himself against the wall, listening to the footsteps, trying to figure out how many people were there and which direction they were going in.

"You two, head that way. Secure the rooms," a rough voice spoke. "You, check the bathrooms. You, the kitchen. The three of us will check the halls and the lobby. You stand guard here," the man ordered and steps were heard going in different directions. "Find those kids and bring them in. Try not to kill them, unless absolutely necessary."

This is bad. I can't even warn the others because these idiots might hear me. I'm gonna have to take 'em out.

Archer crouched and plotted a path to go behind these guys. He had an advantage since he already searched the area and knew the layout. Also, he had the element of surprise.

He caught a glimpse of the guys patrolling the halls. His eyes widened. They looked like soldiers. What was worse is that they had a 'V' symbol on their uniforms. These weren't just random guys looking for loot. These were Vision's guys.

I should take out the guy guarding the door force in case I need an escape route.

He found the guy he was looking for. Luck was on Archer's side, because the soldier was looking out the window, his back towards him.

Archer snuck up behind him and hit him on a sensitive spot on his neck that knocked him out immediately. He caught the soldier before he fell and dragged him to a corner - where he wouldn't be found so easily - and set him down slowly.

The next target was the guy in the bathroom. He was easy to take out and then Archer hid him inside one of the stalls. The young brunette then traveled to the kitchen. He frowned when he saw the man digging through the fridge. He walked up to the fridge door, the soldier didn't even notice him.

Are these guys even trained?

He slammed the door on the guys head and then decked him in the jaw. Archer caught his elbow and bent his arm unnaturally, until he heard a crack and then lowered him to the floor.

Three down. Five more to go...

He went to the hallway where the rooms were, taking cover behind the couches and other furniture in the room to minimize his chances of getting caught. The two soldiers were searching the rooms separately. He snuck past them slipped into a room that they hadn't checked yet and hid behind the door.

One of them entered and Archer lunged at him, hitting him with the butt of his gun. Unfortunately, he couldn't catch him before he fell to the floor, unconscious, with a loud thump. The other guy rushed into the room. The brunette grabbed the closest thing to him, which was a vase, and threw it with a lot of force at the soldier. It shattered on impact and he stumbled back. Archer took this opportunity to knock him out too.

That made a lot of noise.

Archer fled the scene and into another room as he heard rapid footsteps approaching.

"Dammit! They've got to be around here somewhere. Call the others!", the voice from before roared.

Archer drowned out their voices and concentrated on tracking them without risking a look.

"They're not responding. The guys on this floor," another voice spoke, less deep than the first.

"Search the floor and stick together. They can't be that much trouble," the man in charge commanded.

Archer peeped through the space between the door and the door frame and saw their retreating figures. He should have just maneuvered around them and got out. That's what he should have done. But, he didn't. He followed them quietly.

He hid behind a wall in the lobby while they waited in the hallway nearby. He looked at them, deciding the best strategy to take in order to take them out. He was interrupted when his walkie-talkie buzzed and Cody's voice was heard.

"Guys, we've got company."

"I'm coming down."

The soldiers heard it and snapped their heads in his direction and spotted him peeking from behind the wall. They raised their guns. Archer grit his teeth and ran out. He knew they weren't going to shoot, only as a last resort.

He dashed between them, dodging their blows and dealing some of his own. He swiftly kicked one of the three, and he fell to the floor. Archer barely dodged a hit aimed for his head and elbowed the other guy in his stomach. He doubled over in pain. Archer flicked his eyes to the tallest guy in the room. He was huge.

He charged for the smaller boy, slamming him onto the wall with a loud thump. The med gun fell out of the holster and slid across the room. Archer's vision blurred as his head connected with the wall. He shoved the soldier off of him and pulled out his switchblade and readied himself to attack when a gunshot echoed through the air.

Searing pain shot through him, originating from his middle. Archer cried out, and stood shakily, his body tilting as he tried to maintain his balance. He looked down and saw his black shirt beginning to shine while taking on an even darker shade. It soaked through his shirt and his legs gave out, and he fell back onto the wall, sliding down.

His eyelids felt heavy, and he couldn't move, his vision fading in and out. From what he could see, the commander and the other two soldiers were getting up.

xxx

Sabrina heard a gunshot accompanied by Archer's scream. She paused, panic going through her and then her adrenaline kicked in, and she bolted down the stairs.

She ran into Archer's prescribed floor, and into the main lobby. Her eyes locked on three soldiers converging on something by the wall. Her eyes traveled down and she gasped at what she saw. She pulled her bag off her shoulders.

Archer...

It was as if Sabrina was a bull and the soldiers were the flag. All she saw was red. She should have thought before she jumped straight into battle, but she didn't. She had to rely on her instincts now. Her blood boiled with anger as she thought about what those monsters did to Archer.

She charged at the one with the gun. He was bigger than Archer, so to Sabrina, he was a titan. She knew she wouldn't do much damage to him, if she relied on her own strength. She pulled out her pocket knife with the intention of leaving sizable gashes in the places where their armour was thin.

The soldiers became aware of her presence and turned their attention away from the injured boy that lay crumpled on the floor. They barely had time to react before she lunged and the commander barreled down with her. They wrestled on the floor for a bit before the commander's eyes lit up with recognition.

One of the other soldiers aimed their gun at her.

"Don't shoot!", the commander yelled. The soldier's grip on the gun didn't waver. "We need her alive! Vision's orders!", he screamed again. Sabrina began to choke him. Her chain hung out.

The soldier's eyes flashed with fear before he dropped the gun and tackled her off him. In his daze from hitting the floor too hard, Sabrina used that opportunity to use her pocket knife and slash down on his arm.

The soldier screamed in pain and grabbed her knife with the other hand. He pushed it towards her neck and Sabrina wasn't as strong enough to resist. She turned away and the knife slashed through something which landed on the floor with a thud and nicked her on the shoulder, tearing through her sleeve. She didn't notice anything, though. Sabrina kicked the soldier off her.

She stood up quickly and went for the other smaller soldier who didn't really put up much of a fight before he was down on the ground and unconscious.

She turned her attention to the commander who had just managed to catch his breath.

His armour is too thick to penetrate with a knife.

Her eyes found the discarded gun on the floor and picked it up. She aimed at the commander.

This is for Archer.

She shot him in both his legs, and he fell to the floor, screaming. She looked at the other soldier she had sliced, and just knocked him out.

For the commander, she crouched down.

"This is for my friend, you piece of garbage," she snarled and then punched him in the jaw. The commander's body went slack.

She looked at Archer who was still partially awake. She ran to his side.

"Oh my God," she whispered. She applied pressure on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding but it wasn't much help. She looked around the room for something. Anything. Her eyes found a fancy gun laying on the floor.

A med gun. Archer found it!

She ran to grab it and was about to shoot when she realised that the bullet was still in him. She had to take it out before she closed the wound.

Sabrina was frantic now. She couldn't just let him die. She tore a part of her sleeve and wrapped it tightly around his middle while she looked for something to remove the bullet. She ran around the floor, looking for a med kit or other equipment.

She found the ransacked supply room and dug through everything until she found what she was looking for. She found a tray of needles and equipment. Her eyes drifted across everything.

Scalpel, stethoscope, syringe, forceps.... Forceps!

She grabbed it with too much of force, knocking everything else onto the floor.

Archer was almost completely out of it now. His eyes slowly drifting shut.

"Hey," she whispered shakily. "You gotta stay awake for me, okay? Don't go to sleep." She lightly tapped his face. In his half unconscious state, he managed to nod weakly. He had lost a lot of blood. The floor and his and Sabrina's clothes were enough proof of that.

Now, here's the thing. Sabrina had no clue what she was doing. She was definitely not a trained doctor or even a nurse. But dammit, she wasn't just going to let him die.

She untied the fabric that was stopping the blood flow. It was soaked and that was not a good sign. She gripped the forceps. Her hands were shaking.

You can do this. Just put it in, grab the bullet and pull it out.

She steeled herself and took in a calming breath. The forceps went in the bullet wound. Archer grunted in pain, his body flinching involuntarily.

"I'm sorry," Sabrina apologised frantically. "I'm sorry," she repeated like a mantra.

She searched with the instrument for the bullet. Thankfully she found it. The bullet didn't make it very far to cause permanent damage. She gripped it with the forceps and pulled it out. Archer gasped, moving slightly. The girl exhaled shakily.

She quickly moved to get the med gun, she aimed and shot. Archer shivered still barely responsive.

"Guys?", Sabrina called out to her walkie-talkie. "We're here," Riley replied out of breath. Cody could be heard fighting in the background. "Just clearing up a few of them."

The fighting stopped and rapid footsteps were heard.

"We heard gunshots. Are you okay? Are you with Archer?" Cody questioned worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But Archer got shot," Sabrina told them. Shocked gasps were heard from the other end.

"I think he's okay. He found a med gun. I, uh, used it on him," she admitted.

"That's okay, Cody and I found two. We're coming up," Riley said, sounding relieved.

"Okay," Sabrina said and put the device away.

She sat by Archer until they arrived.

He was slowly coming to.

She heard them come in.

"Where is he?", Riley called with Cody following close behind. They both looked beat up. Cody had a split lip and a swollen eye. Riley had a few cuts on her face and hands, bruises littered her skin.

Her eyes softened when she saw the two sitting against the floor, but widened again when she saw the blood everywhere.

"You guys okay?", Sabrina asked.

"Yeah," Riley replied.

"You should see the other guys," Cody tried weakly.

Sabrina smiled.

"I'm just going to check around to see if there are any stragglers. Keep an eye on him," she ordered.

Riley nodded and she went to search.

Riley's worried face was all Archer saw when he came to. "Sup?", he asked. Riley scoffed and hit him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't scare us like that you idiot," she said, but her words held no venom. He just nodded dumbly as she stood up.

He saw all the blood on the floor.

Is that mine?

He tried to stand up. Mission accomplished. He was leaning against the wall now. He took one step forward and he stumbled. Riley and Cody caught him before he fell.

"Hey, take it easy. You lost a lot of blood. The gun heals but it doesn't replace that," Cody said gently. "The gun?", Archer asked.

"Explanations will have to wait. We've got to get out of here before back up comes. There were a few guys guarding the entrance, so we're gonna have to be careful," Sabrina said as she joined the group.

They all nodded.

"Can you walk on your own?", Cody asked Archer.

"Yeah."

They let him go gently. Archer closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness went over him. He opened his eyes when it passed. Riley passed him a bottle of water from her bag, which he gratefully accepted.

They began to move once he was steady on his feet. The brunette boy was about to follow them when he saw something glinting on the floor. He picked it up and quickly pocketed it and then went after his friends.

Sabrina descended the stairs in front of her friends. Her gun was readied, and she was the least injured from all of them. Plus, they wouldn't shoot her on sight.

She opened the entrance door slowly and pointed her gun out. It was empty. Until she looked down.

The guards were on the floor, unmoving.

What?

"You guys took them out already?", Sabrina asked Riley and Cody.

"No," Riley said completely baffled.

Sabrina's eyes widened, and she turned just in time to see a black amoured vehicle drive in and park several meters away.

She picked up her gun again and grit her teeth.

Soldiers filed out of the van. Heavily amoured and armed with bigger guns.

"Put the weapon down!", one of them screamed, aiming at them.

They couldn't fight this many. Even if they couldn't kill her, they'd probably still shoot her. She lowered the gun and raised her hands, her comrades did the same.

"Walk forward!", the soldier yelled again.

They took one step forward before tiny cylinders fell around the truck.

"Get down!", another soldier screamed.

A blue light erupted from the cylinders and soon there was a glowing translucent barrier around the squad.

The rebels were shocked and confused. And this day got even more surprising when someone with a black cloak came in on a hover bike in front of them.

A hover bike .

Sabrina and Archer both recognised him as the stranger who had been following them from before.

"What are you guys waiting for? Come on!", the cloaked guy screamed at them.

Riley and Cody were about to go, but stopped when Sabrina and Archer didn't follow.

"What are you guys doing?", Cody asked panicked.

"That barrier is not gonna hold for long!", the cloaked guy screamed again.

Archer looked back at the vehicle. The soldiers were hitting against it and it was cracking. He shook his head.

We don't have a choice.

He grabbed Sabrina's hand and ran forward with the other two.

"What are you doing?", Sabrina screamed at him, but let herself be pulled anyway.

"It's either them or him!", he replied.

She grumbled something but didn't resist.

They all climbed onto the stranger's hover bike. It dipped a little. It clearly wasn't meant for this many people, but it pulled through.

"Hang on," the stranger said as he revved the bike.

In a few seconds, they were gone.