Chapter 11, a partner 3.
(Callie)
Callie's eyes fluttered and for a moment bright light blinded her. The ceiling light was positioned right in her view, only blocked partially by a tall figure. Dustin's sharp features and intelligent hazel eyes came into focus. He held out a callused hand to her. Her body screamed in pain, but Callie refused to show weakness.
She grinned up at him.
" You look horrible." Said Dustin, eying the hole her body made in the wall.
" You should see the other guy." Retorted Callie, coughing to get plaster dust from her throat.
" Oh good, you are alright. I was worried that blow to your head would take away your sense of humour." Said Dustin, cracking a grin.
Callie's head spun and spots filled her vision as she used her arms to try to stand. She felt gritty plaster underneath her fingers and forced her body to rise.
" I'm alright, give me a few minutes and I will heal myself." Said Callie. That was a lie. She would need at least an hour for her reservoir to fill enough to heal herself.
Dustin eyed her dubiously.
"Let me heal you." Said Dustin in a gentle tone.
Callie was about to refuse, but her vision began to fade again. The signs of a major concussion. Damn, she didn't know how hurt Villus was, but she had definitely lost that exchange even with surprise on her side.
She nodded her head, allowing his healing touch. She would have refused, but falling unconscious was a lot more difficult to defend herself. At least this way she could retaliate if he tried something fishy. Dustin leaned down, gently placing his warm fingers on her forehead. With a monumental force of will, Callie held back her instincts to retaliate.
Dustin's face scrunched up in focus and a tingling warmth spread through her skull. The drumming on her head cleared slowly and her spinning vision settled. Callie let out a small sigh of relief.
" Thank you. Did he get away?" asked Callie. Rising to her feet and taking a step back from Dustin. She felt gratitude to this member of the Devali. He must be extremely knowledgeable on head injuries to clear the concussion so quick she thought.
" Yeah. I was waiting outside, but he didn't leave the building. The man must have fled to the Undercity." said Dustin, waving to the elevator. Callie's vision was spotty when Villus ran. Had villus fled down the elevator or the stairs? She bent over, picking up several spent cartridges and putting them in her pants pocket for disposal later. She couldn't be too cautious. After checking her mostly empty magazine, Callie verified all the missing bullet casings were accounted for.
" I appreciate the help, but why didn't you pursue?" asked Callie, feeling frustrated that she had lost. She knew Villus was technically on her side and he needed to get away, but she still had a burning desire to win.
" I did, but lost him. There are fifty floors on that elevator and no telling which he stopped on." said Dustin with a scowl.
Callie's muscles ached, but the remnants of Dustin's positive art flowing through her body were incredibly refreshing. If there was one thing Callie liked about positive energy, it was the healing aspect. Negative energy lacked that aspect. She smiled to herself. Villus would need to find Warren for healing. Villus may be powerful with the negative art, but he wasn't even a one start artist while using the negative art. It was absurdly rare for someone to have an affinity for both the positive and negative art. Callie was rather unique in that sense, even though her positive art was lacking compared to Dustin's knowledge and skill, she had the potential.
" That was one hell of a fight, you fought him to a draw." said Dustin, sounding impressed.
She shook her head in disappointment.
" I only fought him to a draw. I had surprise, and he still got away." said Callie.
Dustin rested his hand on her shoulder consolingly. It must have been her fatigue as she allowed the gesture.
" You did great. Honestly, you kicked ass. That was one of the most feared assassins in the empire and you forced him to run away." said Dustin reassuringly, before taking a step back.
Callie's spirits rose. She hated how much she enjoyed that brief physical contact. Dustin was the enemy. She could never forget that. If he knew who she was, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her, or worse.
" Did the judge survive? My head was a little hazy at the end." said Callie, checking the slide of her pistol and changing the magazine with one of the four on her belt.
Dustin gestured to the blood-soaked couches, and the messy gunk spattered over the ceiling. A silver gilded knife caught her eye, surrounded by spattered grey matter. Well, that explained why the man wasn't crying in pain anymore.
She scowled at her p223, noting a slight grinding sound with the racking of the slide. She needed to clean and oil the weapon later. Callie walked to the center of the room and slid a leather-backed chair into place before grasping the knife imbedded in the ceiling. With a tug, the reinforced blade slid free. Its sleek blade practically radiated negative energy.
" I suppose you will want this for study?" asked Callie, hoping he said no.
She offered the blade hilt first, and Dustin grasped the handle, eying the blade with interest.
" I wish I knew how they make these. The Secaris' knives are a lot better than ours. The structure of the energy lines is so bizarre. I wonder if that is the secret. If I weave negative energy around positive energy and fold them, can I create the bridge?" Mumbled Dustin, lost in deep thought. He eyed the weapon like a boy receiving a present on his birthday. Callie listened to the mans mumbling intently, wondering what a bridge was?
" No, that won't work. I would need conducting elements for both. Maybe if I unravel the composition of this knife, I can uncover the conducting material?" said Dustin, his eyes sparking with excitement. Callie listened, but it was like overhearing someone on their comm. Only half of the information was proffered and that lacked context.
White lines spider-webbed the blade, used to conduct negative energy through the blade. Callie didn't have one, sadly. Hers was regular steel, not even the higher quality ceramic used by the empire. Trainees like her hadn't been given the nice weapons.
" Can you even use negative energy?" asked Callie, curious. She was willing to bet her pet spider that the Devali were hypocrites.
"Its frowned upon to practice the negative art in the empire." said Dustin evasively.
" That wasn't a no." said Callie. Dustin shook his head in bemusement. Just then, the door burst open and five soldiers rushed in. Callie reached for her gun but stopped herself from drawing.
The squad of navy soldiers was clad head to toe in light absorbing, black composite armour. In the center of their chest was a golden raven, a hallmark of the Empire. Each soldier carried pulse rifles that could fire five rounds a second and punch a hole through inch thick steel. They each had a bandolier slung across their chest containing various utility grenades like flash bang and even some of those nasty pulse grenades. As well as a belt containing spare magazines for their rifles..
Callie wanted to request a rifle in the future to disassemble the gun and bullets. Learning how the Zrixians applied the art to their weapons could increase her own firepower if she stole the secret. But she would need to get Callie points by doing her job before she did that. Surely Dustin could procure her one, right? Maybe she should bring up her new point system?
The soldier checked the entire hotel in under a minute before reporting to Dustin.
" All clear, sir!" said one soldier. The only part visible under that dark black armour was his face through the visor.
" Good, the target fled down the elevator. He was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Check every single floor on your way to the bottom. He was bleeding rather bad, there should be a trail." order Dustin' calmly.
" Yes, sir! What are our engagement orders?" said the soldier, saluting.
" Lethal force, he is extremely dangerous." said Dustin coldly.
" Yes, Sir!." said the soldier, saluting one of his armoured fists over his heart. The man waved the others forwards. The elevator beeped, and the doors opened. Callie cracked a smile. Blood covered the floor of the elevator. That will teach Villus to not strike her.
" Are we going to pursue as well?" asked Callie.
" No, I need to clean up this mess. The press is going to be very upset that one of the Secari murdered a judge," said Dustin.
" Is that how you are going to spin the story?" asked Callie, raising an eyebrow.
" Yes, i would prefer the truth. But with the tension with the Slax is putting the empire on edge. The betrayal of Lyle Jaden will cause an uproar, and then there will be protests." said Dustin, pacing as he pondered the ramifications..
" I agree with your spin on the story if that helps." said Callie.
THe strangest thing was that Callie could understand his rationale. Judge Lyle Jaden was dead. Telling the public the full truth at this point would only damage the empire. Callie nodded her head. He was making a cold calculation for the betterment of the empire, exactly what she expected from a member of the Devali.
"Would you like me to accompany you?" asked Callie as Dustin slipped the knife into his belt. When he turned, Callie's trained eye caught the faint outline of a knife tucked against his lower back right above the man's formfitting pants. Her eyes linger for a moment. His firm, round. Callie scowled, she must have been hit harder than she thought.
" That depends if you can refrain from stabbing the reporter?" asked Dustin, eying her dubiously.
Callie smiled innocently.
" As long as the reporter refrains from stuffing their microphone in my face, is won't stab them." said Callie.
" I dont know, I swear you are far too tense sometimes. Thanks for not hitting me when I placed my hand on your shoulder. I will refrain from that in the future.." said Dustin apologetically.
" Well, I figured I would give you a pass this time because you healed me." said Callie, smiling cheekily.
" Anyway, let's collect the cameras and leave this mess to the disposal team. We will meet with our media rep before deciding our next course of action." said Dustin.
Callie wasn't sure about meeting with the media, but she wasn't all that worried. They collected the cameras and looked over the room one last time for anything important. Aside from the monitor in Judge Lyles' office, which was heavily encrypted, nothing stood out. Dustin assured Callie the clean up team would gather the device and bring it back to navy headquarters for a more thorough inspection. Callie could swear Villus dropped his pistol during their fight, but she couldn't find it anywhere.
She shrugged to herself. Oh well. Maybe that head wound was worse than she had thought? Villus could really pack a punch with his art. She was lucky she hit the wall and not the window. They took the stairs to the surface floor and were greeted by a man with a million-crown smile, a full head of dark wavy hair and a perfectly tailored suit. Just outside the sky scraper several news shuttles lined the street. They were held back by the soldiers in dark black composite armour with stern faces, long batons and reporter proof shields. If that wasn't enough, the men and women behind them carried full auto pulse rifles.
" Good afternoon Terry." said Dustin.
" Greeting Dave. What information do you have for me." asked Terry, his smile practically blinding Callie.
" Dave, Really? I think Dustin suites you much better." said Callie genuinely.
" Its Dustin today." said Dustin, waving away Callies comment.
" Very well Dustin. You better give me a good story. Those news shuttles are ready to rush the building to learn what happened to the good Judge." said Terry, in a deep voice.
" How did they already learn of this? I swear the media is faster at responding than our own personnel?" asked Dustin with a scowl.
" Someone heard gunshots and called the police. I guess a news crew was nearby and heard about it." said Terry, straitening his immaculate suit.
" Alright, Terry, my comrade here will give you a rundown of what happened." said Dustin, throwing Callie to the wolves.
" Ooh, well now isn't she stunning." Said Terry, holding out a hand to shake. Callie, feeling mischievous, smiled to match the man and took his hand in a firm shake.
" Well met Terry. I am Doris Hufnagel." said Callie, keeping her face straight.
" Hufnagel?" asked Terry, glancing to Dustin, whose face was scrunched up.
" Of course, the Hufnagel house has been around for ten generations." said Callie, grinning and patting Terry on the back jovially.
" Just tell him what happened." said Dustin, pinching his nose and shaking his head at her actions.
" Alright, Now Terry, get this. Judge Lyle called us because he was concerned about assassins. I thought he was just pulling my leg until One of the Secari busted in and started attacking me." said Callie, avoiding Dustin's glare.
Callie strongly disliked the media, but she couldn't help messing with Dustin. She felt no one would ever suspect someone acting in such a way to be a ruthless assassin. That was the aim. If he thought she was a big weirdo, all the better. To be fair, she wasn't actually acting. She was just exaggerating her personality more than usual.
" Really, one of the Secari?" asked Terry, his dashing face brightening.
" You should have seen him fight. He was like a cat. If not for Dustin's skill in healing, I might have died." said Callie, waving her hands animatedly.
" Did you capture the assassin?" asked Terry, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. She slumped her shoulders and scrunched up her face in shame.
" Sadly no. At the end of our life-threatening battle. He used his vile art to escape." said Callie.
" And what about judge Lyle?" asked Terry.
" The Secari killed him in the fight. I did my best to stop the assassin, but sadly, I was too slow." said Callie.
Terry flashed his million crown smile and cocked an eyebrow.
" I'm sure you will get him next time. Did you end up injuring him?" asked Terry.
" I shot him right in the shoulder. You should have seen him flee with his tail between his legs. "said Callie.
" His tail?" asked Terry. Dustin, who was shaking his head at her descriptions, stepped in to take over.
" She is from Saleia, don't mind her." said Dustin.
" Of course. That must be the reason for the unique name." said Terry, confusion crossing the mans to beautiful face.
From that point, Dustin wrapped up the interview.
Callie trailed behind Dustin as they were led to a completely plain shuttle out of sight of the cameras. By the time they finished the interview with the Devalis spokesperson, several more news crews already arrived and were videoing the entrance waiting for victims the depart the building.
Only once they were inside the Shuttle did Dustin confront her.
" What was that interview about?" asked Dustin. Callie shrugged as the shuttle driver changed lanes.
" What do you mean? Doris Hufnagel is a completely legitimate name," asked Callie innocently.
" Never mind. I just thought it was rather odd how chummy you were with Terry." said Dustin, cocking his head curiously.
" He was a nice guy. And miss Hufnagel is a proud socialite. Ten generations of history, don't you know?" said Callie, unable to hide her grin.
" That is a made-up name Callie," asked Dustin, seemingly unable to let the name slide.
" How do you know it's not my real name?" said Callie, raising her eyebrows at him.
" Because I have your file." drawled Dustin.
" No fair, what can't you let a girl have her fun?" asked Callie.
" The point of an alias is to make the name forgettable. I don't see what is forgettable about your alias." asked Dustin.
"Well, some of us have a good sense of humour. Didn't you see Terry? He was eating up my story." said Callie.
" That is only because you were being overly dramatic." said Dustin.
The shuttle jostled, and a tune came on over the radio. It was soft and had a pleasant beat. Callie leaned back into the none to comfortable seat on one side of the back seat while Dustin sat on the other side, leaving a three-foot space between them. Callie's comm vibrated against her wrist, but she pretended not to notice. Subtly, she pulled up her hologram and checked the sender. Selecting privately so only she could see the hologram, she opened the message. Warren had responded to her warning and already changed his number. She input his name for the new contact. And then he sent her the message she had been waiting for.
Warren had found where Peyton was being held. Callie turned off her comm, smiling at Dustin to hide her excitement. She completely ignored the second message from Villus, not wanting to spoil her cheerful mood. The third message from Ferra was more agreeable.
Ferra," Drinks tonight at nine?"
Callie," Not sure, waiting on the boss."
Her comm stated it was seven in the evening. It was hard to tell by the constant unchanging green over the city, but on Etria it would get dark in several hours.
Callie's eyes focused on Dustin, who was watching her inquisitively.
" What are you thinking about?" asked Callie.
" I'm just pondering all the reports we need to fill out to explain this disaster." said Dustin, seriously.
"So, how did I do on our first mission? I messed up, right? Arent you afraid I will mess up the paperwork too?" asked Callie, hopefully.
"Oh no! You won't get out of work that easily. I have reports to fill out and I'm not doing them alone. You can hang out with your friend after we are done." said Dustin. Callie's heart sank. Damn, she hated filling out tedious, repetitive reports.
Once in the navy administrative building, Callie sat in a cubicle with her back to a wall. She fidgeted, spinning in her chair until Dustin returned. Her jaw dropped as he placed a stack of honest to god paper reports on her desk. With an audible whomp, the stack settled into place. Who used paper these days?
" This is your stack. Once they are all filled out, you are free to go for the day." said Dustin before he left her.
Callie" Sorry Ferra, I have after-action reports to fill out. Let's make it Eleven. I tried my best to get fired but sadly I still have a job."
Ferra" Ouch, good luck. :)"
Callie dismissed the message and sent one to Warren.
" Hey, I got your message. Give me some time and I will contact you when I can come help. I think I should have time to escape my babysitter tomorrow evening. Until then, gather what information you can. I want to free Peyton before they take him from the city in three days. And Warren, please be careful." said Callie.
" Villus is really mad at you. I can't believe you actually shot him. You are such a badass. So far I have been careful. There are five guards at the site and one other. I think the other is a Devali interrogator. And Callie, Villus is planning something soon. We will need to act quick if we want to save Peyton. Chat more later!" said Warren.