Hindsight is always 20/20
But looking back, it's still a bit fuzzy.
Megadeth, "Sweating Bullets"
Seattle's skies had chosen to paint themselves a dingry gray that even the setting sun's light couldn't penetrate. It hadn't started to rain yet, which would make the alleyways start to stink of wet trash and worse. I wasn't fond of the portent that spoke of, but we had to move tonight. I didn't favor our chances if we had to take a plane ride to somewhere deep in South America.
Eyebite was as jumpy as any cat I'd ever seen. It was as if he couldn't stop fidgeting while the rest of us worked to get ready. Now that we knew where his sister was, all he wanted to do was break her out of the corp warehouse. He said as much while Sekhmet, the physical adept, and I were making our own mystical preparations. Before I could say a word, the dark-skinned woman gave a hiss at him, and made a minor swipe at him with the tiger claws she wore on the back of one hand. 'Bite let out a bark of surprise and took a lumbering step back in the van, which had the effect of making it shake roughly. The van swerved, making some swanky limo honk its horn, and then settled back into its own lane. A bitter curse sounded from the driver's seat.
Our rigger, an elf who went by the handle of "Firestorm", yanked open the peephole and blurted through it, "What the hell are you guys doing back there?"
"Sekhmet's got a problem with Eyebite's methods of waiting," I replied. "Cut it out, you two. If you had family on the line, Sekhmet, I suspect you'd be as bad."
"But I don't."
I gave the woman a level look, brows furrowing above my goggles. Her lip twitched in something close to a snarl, but I didn't move or flinch when she moved practically nose to nose to me. We sat there for a few long moments. 'Bite started to move, but I lifted a hand.
"You can walk," I said calmly. "But if you do, you won't get your revenge."
She gave a low growl behind her mask, but subsided. I knew very well she might not have, had she not been on the edge of the circle of power I'd drawn in chalk on the floor of the van. The one that even now flickered with light the same emerald color as my eyes. I bit back a sneer of my own, and released the power I'd gathered just in case. Physical adepts were fast, and most times, I was smart enough to not get on the wrong end of them.
Usually.
We all felt the van slow, and I rose from my seated position. Firestorm slid the peephole open again. "It's about go time, peeps. I've got my eyes on you, but I'm going to hold back."
"Makes sense," Eyebite grunted, though from the look on his face, he didn't seem happy about it. I placed a hand on the thick, warty elbow closest to me, and patted the troll there.
"Someone's got to stay behind, and this way he can do a little Matrix work as well. Besides. You know he's better suited for it than I am, we're not in my domain."
He gave another little grunt and pushed the rear doors of the van open, just as it rolled to a stop. Sekhmet slipped past with typical feline grace, while the street samurai let himself down with less. I held one of the bars attached to the roof inside, until the vehicle had stopped shaking, then hopped down myself.
"Might want to get the dump out of here. So long as you have drones in the sky we should be good. Should be a simple snatch and grab," I muttered into the microphone that ran down my jaw from my goggles. I heard an answering mutter. "Yeah, got it, Raven." With that, the van's lights flickered on again, and it moved on down the street.
Looking at the darkened building ahead of us, it wasn't the first time that I regretted accepting Eyebite's plea to help him rescue his sister, only the most recent. It still made me feel bad every time my thoughts twisted that way, but that uneasy feeling still twisted my gut.
I had long been in the habit of trusting my gut. It really had gotten me out of a number of bad situations.
I only wish I'd listened this time.
But looking back, it's still a bit fuzzy.
Megadeth, "Sweating Bullets"
Seattle's skies had chosen to paint themselves a dingry gray that even the setting sun's light couldn't penetrate. It hadn't started to rain yet, which would make the alleyways start to stink of wet trash and worse. I wasn't fond of the portent that spoke of, but we had to move tonight. I didn't favor our chances if we had to take a plane ride to somewhere deep in South America.
Eyebite was as jumpy as any cat I'd ever seen. It was as if he couldn't stop fidgeting while the rest of us worked to get ready. Now that we knew where his sister was, all he wanted to do was break her out of the corp warehouse. He said as much while Sekhmet, the physical adept, and I were making our own mystical preparations. Before I could say a word, the dark-skinned woman gave a hiss at him, and made a minor swipe at him with the tiger claws she wore on the back of one hand. 'Bite let out a bark of surprise and took a lumbering step back in the van, which had the effect of making it shake roughly. The van swerved, making some swanky limo honk its horn, and then settled back into its own lane. A bitter curse sounded from the driver's seat.
Our rigger, an elf who went by the handle of "Firestorm", yanked open the peephole and blurted through it, "What the hell are you guys doing back there?"
"Sekhmet's got a problem with Eyebite's methods of waiting," I replied. "Cut it out, you two. If you had family on the line, Sekhmet, I suspect you'd be as bad."
"But I don't."
I gave the woman a level look, brows furrowing above my goggles. Her lip twitched in something close to a snarl, but I didn't move or flinch when she moved practically nose to nose to me. We sat there for a few long moments. 'Bite started to move, but I lifted a hand.
"You can walk," I said calmly. "But if you do, you won't get your revenge."
She gave a low growl behind her mask, but subsided. I knew very well she might not have, had she not been on the edge of the circle of power I'd drawn in chalk on the floor of the van. The one that even now flickered with light the same emerald color as my eyes. I bit back a sneer of my own, and released the power I'd gathered just in case. Physical adepts were fast, and most times, I was smart enough to not get on the wrong end of them.
Usually.
We all felt the van slow, and I rose from my seated position. Firestorm slid the peephole open again. "It's about go time, peeps. I've got my eyes on you, but I'm going to hold back."
"Makes sense," Eyebite grunted, though from the look on his face, he didn't seem happy about it. I placed a hand on the thick, warty elbow closest to me, and patted the troll there.
"Someone's got to stay behind, and this way he can do a little Matrix work as well. Besides. You know he's better suited for it than I am, we're not in my domain."
He gave another little grunt and pushed the rear doors of the van open, just as it rolled to a stop. Sekhmet slipped past with typical feline grace, while the street samurai let himself down with less. I held one of the bars attached to the roof inside, until the vehicle had stopped shaking, then hopped down myself.
"Might want to get the dump out of here. So long as you have drones in the sky we should be good. Should be a simple snatch and grab," I muttered into the microphone that ran down my jaw from my goggles. I heard an answering mutter. "Yeah, got it, Raven." With that, the van's lights flickered on again, and it moved on down the street.
Looking at the darkened building ahead of us, it wasn't the first time that I regretted accepting Eyebite's plea to help him rescue his sister, only the most recent. It still made me feel bad every time my thoughts twisted that way, but that uneasy feeling still twisted my gut.
I had long been in the habit of trusting my gut. It really had gotten me out of a number of bad situations.
I only wish I'd listened this time.