Justice Among Criminals: Part 3 - Voo
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014 04:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcracklovePart 1
Part 2
Never had I dreaded entering the underground Salad base more than I did now. The feeling could have been equated to coming home after sneaking out of the house, knowing that your parents know what you’ve done. I knew that the reception was not going to be one of triumph, as we had hoped. The only word I could think to describe my vision of it was volcanic… perhaps with an undercurrent of anguish.
I stole a glance at the woman walking next to me. The deep frown on Ginge’s face was uncharacteristic of my usually bubbly, giggly partner. We had been walking in silence for quite some time now; first trudging through the thick undergrowth of the forest, then jogging through the streets of the inner city, now walking the deserted roads that would soon lead us to the Salad headquarters. At first the retreat had been exhilarating; the adrenaline coupled with the crisp, night air giving me a euphoric high. But then the bad news came pouring over the radio that was still clutched in my hands, now coated with sweat and even a few poorly hidden tears. Maybe it was silly to cry over something like this… after all, they were my co-workers. I didn’t even know their real names. But I’d grown to see everyone in the Salad as a part of my family, and could only hope that they saw me in a similar light.
Just then, a sickening thought occurred to me. What if no one cared? I imagined walking into hell as I entered the Salad HQ, but what if it was just business as usual? After all, we had technically succeeded at our mission… what if people were celebrating? My stomach turned at the thought. It could have very easily been me who was killed instead; in fact, it nearly was. There were more guards than we’d expected; if we hadn’t ducked into the cover of the trees when we did, they might have overwhelmed us. So what would have happened then? Surely Ginge would have grieved. We’d done so much together, she couldn’t possibly be indifferent toward my death. But everyone else… I wasn’t so sure.
I looked down at the communications device in my hand again, wondering for the hundredth time whether I should have said something, or if I should say something now. Once we’d gotten out of the woods (both literally and metaphorically), we were too far away to get a good signal on the radio. But now that we were close to the headquarters, maybe it would be polite to say something. Ask how everyone was doing, or something of that nature.
“I wouldn’t say anything… she might get mad. You know how she is.” I blinked, wondering how Ginge had known what I was thinking. My partner looked nervous, so I did as she suggested and didn’t say a word into the radio.
The first rays of light were just beginning to peek over the horizon when Ginge and I reached the unassuming warehouse that served as the front door for the Salad headquarters. The warehouse itself was long abandoned and was starting to fall into disrepair, but we didn’t use the actual building for much of anything anyway. The real meat of the Salad HQ was underneath, in a hidden, expansive basement. Much less conspicuous than a hotel, thankfully. Ginge and I picked our way through the rubble that littered the floor of the building with practiced ease, but took our sweet time getting to the metal door that guarded a downward spiralling staircase. The door was tucked into a corner, hidden from sight. In all my time here, I’d never known of anyone unwanted stumbling on this place.
Before I could even put my hand on the doorknob, I heard the pounding of angry feet stomping up the staircase beyond the door. Ginge and I barely had enough time to leap back before the door slammed open, hitting the wall with a sound that resonated loudly through the abandoned building. The woman who had opened the door looked frazzled for a moment at the sight of us, but she quickly recovered her anger.
“You two! Some distraction that was!” A soot-covered figure pushed past us, her loose ponytail nearly hitting me in the face. Ginge and I looked at each other grimly. It was a good thing neither of us were confrontational. Had it been anyone else in our place, we might have reamed Blue a new one for her own part in this failure. But, as it was, we both kept our mouths shut and let the sniper blow off some steam by kicking a plank of wood.
“Time to go face the music, I think.” Ginge muttered beside me in a voice low enough that only I could hear. “You coming?” She gestured toward the metal door. I hesitated, turning to look at Blue. Without anyone to fuel it, her anger seemed to have subsided quickly. She was now leaning against a support beam, watching the sun filter through the tattered ceiling of the warehouse with her back toward us. She looked so tired and forlorn, it made my heart ache.
“No, not yet. You go.” Ginge grunted, obviously displeased that she would have to face our mission leader’s wrath without me, but left me alone with Blue without further complaint. The noise that the heavy door made when it closed behind her had a sort of finality about it. Blue inclined her head toward the sound, but didn’t turn to look for the source of it. A feeling of uncertainty fluttered in my chest as I took a few steps toward her, shuffling my feet as I went.
“You look like you could use a shower.” As far as conversations starters went, that was perhaps not my best choice. It was true, though; Blue was covered in ash and smelled like burning wood. She must have been standing close to the explosion. The other woman just grunted noncommittally, which sparked a stubborn streak in me. “No, you don’t get to be all distant with me… I won’t allow it!” With that, I plopped down on the dusty floor next to her, patting the ground beside me invitingly before crossing my arms tightly around my chest and staring off at some point in the distance. Blue sighed and sank slowly to the ground, clearly too tired to fight my stubbornness.
“If you could have just distracted them for another couple of minutes, they could have gotten out before everything went to shit.” She ran a hand through her dirty hair, pulling out her ponytail as she went. I’d never seen her hair down before, and thought it might have been pretty if it wasn’t so covered in soot. I brushed a strand of loose, blonde hair out of my own face self-consciously, but decided against taking out the braid that sat neatly between my shoulderblades.
“Well, Ginge and I did our best. There were more of them then we thought there’d be, and they were starting to flank us. So we had to retreat. We didn’t know…” I let the rest of my sentence trail off into nothingness, my defensive energy quickly evaporating. Blue drew her knees up to her chest, making herself look smaller than ever.
“It’s not really your fault.” She pressed her palm to her forehead and closed her eyes. I half-expected tears to roll down her cheeks; almost wished it to happen, just so that I wouldn’t be the only one to cry over this. But her face remained resolutely dry. I nudged her shoulder with mine in a way that I hoped was reassuring.
“She must be pretty mad at you, huh?” Blue barked a quick, humorless laugh at that.
“‘Mad’ doesn’t begin to describe it. She’s livid! She doesn’t understand though… I couldn’t have possibly made that shot. A miracle worker couldn’t have possibly made that shot. I knew right from the start that it wasn’t a good position, but everyone was rushing me and they made it seem like I wouldn’t have to shoot, anyway. That, on top of the hideous amount of wind… she has no right to blame me for this.” Like the good friend I was, I listened attentively and nodded sympathetically. I was as surprised as anyone to hear that Blue missed a shot, but if she said that it was impossible then I believed her.
“Well, you should tell them that! Just say you’re sorry, I’m sure she’ll come around.” Blue looked at me as though I had sprouted another head, then laughed dryly again, tipping her head back as she did so.
“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past two hours? I’ve apologized a million times, but you should know by now that she doesn’t forgive easily.” I fidgeted uncomfortably where I sat, upset at my friend’s resolute pessimism. I wanted nothing more than to help her out of this rut, but didn’t know how to go about it.
“It’s not your fault, though. I don’t blame you.” The comment was meant to be factual, not sentimental, but Blue seemed to take it that way. Her expression softened and she lost a little bit of the tension in her shoulders, which somehow only served to make her look more exhausted and defeated. I wondered if I looked the same way.
“Thanks. Doesn’t stop me from blaming myself, though.” Blue stood up stiffly, leaning heavily on the support beam behind her. She took a step forward before looking back at me, her figure silhouetted against the light of the rising sun. “I’m going to try to get some sleep… I got the impression I’m not wanted down there. You should go talk to them.” She jerked her head toward the metal door behind me. I looked at it wistfully, now dreading the post-mission meeting even more.
“I’ll try to calm her down.” The only help I could offer was to attempt to get our mission leader to simmer down, but by the way Blue snorted at me she obviously didn’t think it would work. She seemed to reevaluate her reaction, though, and her expression turned apologetic.
“Thank you.” I waved my hand dismissively and stood up as well. As Blue walked away, I felt a strong and unexpected urge to hug her. I may not have been well-versed in how criminals conducted themselves, but I certainly knew that they didn’t hug each other on a regular basis. Nevertheless, I ran up to Blue and threw my arms around her. She stiffened, surprised by my embrace, but thankfully didn’t question it. Her hand patted my shoulder awkwardly, nearly making me giggle. Eventually she pried herself away, shot me a quick smile, and continued on her way. I watched her until she disappeared around the corner before walking back to the metal door, squaring my shoulders in an effort to brace myself, and stepping through the threshold of the Salad headquarters.
~~~
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 2
Never had I dreaded entering the underground Salad base more than I did now. The feeling could have been equated to coming home after sneaking out of the house, knowing that your parents know what you’ve done. I knew that the reception was not going to be one of triumph, as we had hoped. The only word I could think to describe my vision of it was volcanic… perhaps with an undercurrent of anguish.
I stole a glance at the woman walking next to me. The deep frown on Ginge’s face was uncharacteristic of my usually bubbly, giggly partner. We had been walking in silence for quite some time now; first trudging through the thick undergrowth of the forest, then jogging through the streets of the inner city, now walking the deserted roads that would soon lead us to the Salad headquarters. At first the retreat had been exhilarating; the adrenaline coupled with the crisp, night air giving me a euphoric high. But then the bad news came pouring over the radio that was still clutched in my hands, now coated with sweat and even a few poorly hidden tears. Maybe it was silly to cry over something like this… after all, they were my co-workers. I didn’t even know their real names. But I’d grown to see everyone in the Salad as a part of my family, and could only hope that they saw me in a similar light.
Just then, a sickening thought occurred to me. What if no one cared? I imagined walking into hell as I entered the Salad HQ, but what if it was just business as usual? After all, we had technically succeeded at our mission… what if people were celebrating? My stomach turned at the thought. It could have very easily been me who was killed instead; in fact, it nearly was. There were more guards than we’d expected; if we hadn’t ducked into the cover of the trees when we did, they might have overwhelmed us. So what would have happened then? Surely Ginge would have grieved. We’d done so much together, she couldn’t possibly be indifferent toward my death. But everyone else… I wasn’t so sure.
I looked down at the communications device in my hand again, wondering for the hundredth time whether I should have said something, or if I should say something now. Once we’d gotten out of the woods (both literally and metaphorically), we were too far away to get a good signal on the radio. But now that we were close to the headquarters, maybe it would be polite to say something. Ask how everyone was doing, or something of that nature.
“I wouldn’t say anything… she might get mad. You know how she is.” I blinked, wondering how Ginge had known what I was thinking. My partner looked nervous, so I did as she suggested and didn’t say a word into the radio.
The first rays of light were just beginning to peek over the horizon when Ginge and I reached the unassuming warehouse that served as the front door for the Salad headquarters. The warehouse itself was long abandoned and was starting to fall into disrepair, but we didn’t use the actual building for much of anything anyway. The real meat of the Salad HQ was underneath, in a hidden, expansive basement. Much less conspicuous than a hotel, thankfully. Ginge and I picked our way through the rubble that littered the floor of the building with practiced ease, but took our sweet time getting to the metal door that guarded a downward spiralling staircase. The door was tucked into a corner, hidden from sight. In all my time here, I’d never known of anyone unwanted stumbling on this place.
Before I could even put my hand on the doorknob, I heard the pounding of angry feet stomping up the staircase beyond the door. Ginge and I barely had enough time to leap back before the door slammed open, hitting the wall with a sound that resonated loudly through the abandoned building. The woman who had opened the door looked frazzled for a moment at the sight of us, but she quickly recovered her anger.
“You two! Some distraction that was!” A soot-covered figure pushed past us, her loose ponytail nearly hitting me in the face. Ginge and I looked at each other grimly. It was a good thing neither of us were confrontational. Had it been anyone else in our place, we might have reamed Blue a new one for her own part in this failure. But, as it was, we both kept our mouths shut and let the sniper blow off some steam by kicking a plank of wood.
“Time to go face the music, I think.” Ginge muttered beside me in a voice low enough that only I could hear. “You coming?” She gestured toward the metal door. I hesitated, turning to look at Blue. Without anyone to fuel it, her anger seemed to have subsided quickly. She was now leaning against a support beam, watching the sun filter through the tattered ceiling of the warehouse with her back toward us. She looked so tired and forlorn, it made my heart ache.
“No, not yet. You go.” Ginge grunted, obviously displeased that she would have to face our mission leader’s wrath without me, but left me alone with Blue without further complaint. The noise that the heavy door made when it closed behind her had a sort of finality about it. Blue inclined her head toward the sound, but didn’t turn to look for the source of it. A feeling of uncertainty fluttered in my chest as I took a few steps toward her, shuffling my feet as I went.
“You look like you could use a shower.” As far as conversations starters went, that was perhaps not my best choice. It was true, though; Blue was covered in ash and smelled like burning wood. She must have been standing close to the explosion. The other woman just grunted noncommittally, which sparked a stubborn streak in me. “No, you don’t get to be all distant with me… I won’t allow it!” With that, I plopped down on the dusty floor next to her, patting the ground beside me invitingly before crossing my arms tightly around my chest and staring off at some point in the distance. Blue sighed and sank slowly to the ground, clearly too tired to fight my stubbornness.
“If you could have just distracted them for another couple of minutes, they could have gotten out before everything went to shit.” She ran a hand through her dirty hair, pulling out her ponytail as she went. I’d never seen her hair down before, and thought it might have been pretty if it wasn’t so covered in soot. I brushed a strand of loose, blonde hair out of my own face self-consciously, but decided against taking out the braid that sat neatly between my shoulderblades.
“Well, Ginge and I did our best. There were more of them then we thought there’d be, and they were starting to flank us. So we had to retreat. We didn’t know…” I let the rest of my sentence trail off into nothingness, my defensive energy quickly evaporating. Blue drew her knees up to her chest, making herself look smaller than ever.
“It’s not really your fault.” She pressed her palm to her forehead and closed her eyes. I half-expected tears to roll down her cheeks; almost wished it to happen, just so that I wouldn’t be the only one to cry over this. But her face remained resolutely dry. I nudged her shoulder with mine in a way that I hoped was reassuring.
“She must be pretty mad at you, huh?” Blue barked a quick, humorless laugh at that.
“‘Mad’ doesn’t begin to describe it. She’s livid! She doesn’t understand though… I couldn’t have possibly made that shot. A miracle worker couldn’t have possibly made that shot. I knew right from the start that it wasn’t a good position, but everyone was rushing me and they made it seem like I wouldn’t have to shoot, anyway. That, on top of the hideous amount of wind… she has no right to blame me for this.” Like the good friend I was, I listened attentively and nodded sympathetically. I was as surprised as anyone to hear that Blue missed a shot, but if she said that it was impossible then I believed her.
“Well, you should tell them that! Just say you’re sorry, I’m sure she’ll come around.” Blue looked at me as though I had sprouted another head, then laughed dryly again, tipping her head back as she did so.
“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past two hours? I’ve apologized a million times, but you should know by now that she doesn’t forgive easily.” I fidgeted uncomfortably where I sat, upset at my friend’s resolute pessimism. I wanted nothing more than to help her out of this rut, but didn’t know how to go about it.
“It’s not your fault, though. I don’t blame you.” The comment was meant to be factual, not sentimental, but Blue seemed to take it that way. Her expression softened and she lost a little bit of the tension in her shoulders, which somehow only served to make her look more exhausted and defeated. I wondered if I looked the same way.
“Thanks. Doesn’t stop me from blaming myself, though.” Blue stood up stiffly, leaning heavily on the support beam behind her. She took a step forward before looking back at me, her figure silhouetted against the light of the rising sun. “I’m going to try to get some sleep… I got the impression I’m not wanted down there. You should go talk to them.” She jerked her head toward the metal door behind me. I looked at it wistfully, now dreading the post-mission meeting even more.
“I’ll try to calm her down.” The only help I could offer was to attempt to get our mission leader to simmer down, but by the way Blue snorted at me she obviously didn’t think it would work. She seemed to reevaluate her reaction, though, and her expression turned apologetic.
“Thank you.” I waved my hand dismissively and stood up as well. As Blue walked away, I felt a strong and unexpected urge to hug her. I may not have been well-versed in how criminals conducted themselves, but I certainly knew that they didn’t hug each other on a regular basis. Nevertheless, I ran up to Blue and threw my arms around her. She stiffened, surprised by my embrace, but thankfully didn’t question it. Her hand patted my shoulder awkwardly, nearly making me giggle. Eventually she pried herself away, shot me a quick smile, and continued on her way. I watched her until she disappeared around the corner before walking back to the metal door, squaring my shoulders in an effort to brace myself, and stepping through the threshold of the Salad headquarters.
~~~
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
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Date: Thursday, February 6th, 2014 07:49 pm (UTC)