Snippet #1207599

...It was true: in their little gang of outlaws, Alex was never the one giving orders, always the one following them dutifully. It wasn't as though they had appointed Elia as their leader; she just sort of fell snugly into the role. Elia was a born commander. It was in her blood. Alex could see the desire to fight back in the blonde sniper's icy eyes, and the sense of defeat that followed when she gave in. The truth of the matter was that, after their scuffle with FIRST out here, Elia and Kai were in no condition to back up Starlit, and even though Alex wouldn't take no for an answer this time, she allowed Elia a short empathetic glance.
...As Elia and Kai slunk off, Alex crouched behind a nearby dumpster, keeping view of the Timber TV Station's front doors. There was still no word from Starlit, and unless she was busy tying a shoelace, it likely meant trouble. Alex decided to give her a little longer before checking in again. She did not relish the thought of going back into the building to look for the missing SeeDs with Balian still inside. She had to rely on him taking the bait and leaving them alone for the time being. He would likely come after the team when he found out Alex had played him, but they could cross that bridge when it came along.
...Still no answer. Alex activated her communicator again. "Starlit, are you there?" Silence.
...Alex hung her head with a heavy sigh, then pushed to her feet and rounded the dumpster, moving back out into the open. She had no choice; the others could be in trouble. But if all the FIRST agents were incapacitated, what could be holding them up? Certainly a few patrolmen were no match for Wolf and his crew. What if Balian had found them?
...Alex threw her gaze left and right, checking in all directions as she jogged towards the station entrance. She bounded up the few shallow steps and reached out to push the door inward, but before her hands made contact the door retracted. She lost her balance and went sprawling onto the floor, expelling a short, startled squeal before landing at Wolf's feet.
...The brutish man stumbled back in suprise, causing the trailing Wolf Pack to nearly barrel right into him. "Alex? What--never mind. Here." He reached down an arm, which Alex gratefully grabbed. He hauled the small girl straight up to her feet as though she were nothing.
..."Thanks," Alex murmured quickly, trying to mask the overwhelming feeling of foolishness. She moved around Wolf and gazed over the faces of his followers. They were all children, or close enough, yet there was no fright in their eyes. They all bore the same hardened expression that Wolf had perfected a long time ago. There was one face missing which Alex expected to see, however.
..."What're you waiting for? We better move," Wolf suggested.
..."Where's Starlit?" Alex replied immediately, turning to face him again.
..."What?" Wolf scanned the collection of individuals waiting patiently in the vestibule. "Oh... shit."
..."You mean she's still somewhere inside? How did you lose her?" Alex flapped her arms in frustration.
..."I don't know!" Wolf looked genuinely concerned.
...Alex sighed, resting a hand on her hip. She looked genuinely irritated. "Alright, let's go look for her."
...Wolf shook his head. "No, I'll go. You get these guys outta here."
..."But--"
..."Don't argue; just go. I'm taking responsibility for this one."
...Alex was quiet for a moment. Then she addressed Wolf's small unit. "Come on, we're getting out of here." She turned and strode back outside with Kale, Yukiko, and the rest close behind.
...Wolf gave their retreating forms one last look before heading back into the Timber broadcasting station.

---

...A slender man in a white coat walked silently into the conference room. He looked around briefly before locating one of the suited men sitting around the table. The other man stood and accepted from the first a brightly-lit, letter-sized screen filled with various data. The white-coated man turned on a heel and left while the suited one, dubbed the head of Research and Development, scanned the screen.
...After a time, he looked up and gave a reassuring smile to Declan Nyx. "The experiment was a success. The reagent functioned even better than anticipated." He handed Nyx the small computer screen.
...Nyx's cold, black eyes scanned the information through his tinted lenses. Everything seemed perfect. A small video screen in one corner showed a pair of FIRST soldiers writhing in agony as the reagent took effect in their bodies. The corner of Nyx's lip curled into a half-grin as he watched them die.
..."Well, what's next?" asked Nyx.
..."We're beginning work on a counteragent immediately," replied SCORPIA's head of Research and Development. "We suspect it will be ready for testing in about a week."
..."Good. Keep me updated on your progress." Nyx set down the data pad and pushed away from the table. His business was concluded, and he left the conference room. The smile stuck as he paced through the brightly lit halls outside. Tick, tock, SeeD. Tick, tock.

---

...Starlit huddled in a shadowed corner of a large room of cubicles. Her knees were pulled up tightly under her chin, and her clasped hands held them in place. Her breathing was steady and quiet, but her mind was far from at ease. It was here that Wolf and his gang had fought and killed an entire unit of FIRST soldiers. Her ears still rang from the hundreds of shots fired. Her nose stung with the heavy stench of blood. Never would she have imagined combat like this. She was just a medic. She was not cut out for this kind of action. Is this really what she had signed up for?
...Starlit's eyes were fixated on one of the bodies that lay a few feet from her. None of Wolf's men had taken him down; he had suffered some kind of seizure before falling face-first right there.
...She gasped, and pulled her knees in more tightly. Had the body just moved? She could have sworn he was dead. He was dead. He was definitely dead. She had seen him die. The trooper's back arched as his lungs sucked in a ragged breath. He exhaled a terrible moan of agony. Starlit was shaking, not knowing what to do, paralyzed.
...The trooper turned his head towards her and moaned again. Slowly, he reached forward and pried loose his helmet. The sight of his face made Starlit gasp again: thick blood oozed from the man's eyes, ears, nostrils, and the corners of his lips. His expression was pure anguish, and Starlit couldn't bear to look into his eyes, but at the same time she could not look away.
...Slowly, with quivering, protracted movements that emphasized his pain, the man began crawling towards Starlit. He used his hands to drag his otherwise motionless body across the floor. He gazed at her with those tormented eyes. "Help... me...." he groaned. "Heeeehlp........meeee...!"
...Starlit tried to back away, but she was up against the wall already. She inhaled sharp, frantic breaths as she fumbled at her belt for her revolver. Her fingers wouldn't cooperate.
...The bleeding soldier slid another few inches closer. "Please...!" he wheezed.
...A massive boot stomped down onto the trooper's back, slamming him down hard and holding him in place. A wad of blood spurted through his parted lips. He tried turning his head, but before he could get a good look at his assailant the heavy butt of a FIRST rifle smashed into the side of his skull with a sickening crack, knocking any semblence of consciousness far from his body.
...Starlit meekly looked up at her savior. "Wolf?"
...Wolf held out a hand. "Come on. We've gotta go."
...His expression was soft, but she could tell he meant business. She took hold of his fingers and pulled herself up to her feet. "Wolf, I, uh...."
..."You can thank me later, 'kay? They're waiting for us."

---

...Alex hurried across the courtyard in the direction of the designated rendezvous point. Hopefully Eva had made it there by now.
...She came to an unfamiliar intersection and halted the group, hugging the wall. She peered around the corner and saw a FIRST APC parked a short distance away. She couldn't see any of the SCOPRIA soldiers, but she couldn't risk the team. Leaving them behind, Alex walked out into the open and approached the APC. Better they see her than the entire procession; at least she could provide a distraction while the others found another way around.
...There was still no movement as Alex drew closer to the truck. She was about to head back and give the all-clear when a muffled voice from behind stopped her cold in her tracks.
..."Are you alright, miss?"
...Alex looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened at the sight. She instantly spun and raised her stolen pistol, leveling it at the soldier's forehead. Her instant thought was FIRST, but something stopped her from pulling the trigger. While this one sported roughly the same body armor, his shoulder plates lacked the scorpion emblem, or unit designation, or any other form of identification. Things didn't quite add up, and that's all that kept her trigger-finger steady.
..."On your knees," Alex commanded shakily. Fishy or not, she wasn't taking any chances with this one.