Arson

Chapter Sixteen

Small Author's note:I haven't been using a lot of accurate dialogue from the show, because I've been making it original dialogue and such...

Enjoy ^^

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Alexandria's P.O.V

RAVEN! THIS IS BLACKBIRD!

The radio cried out. The same message had been looping every hour, on the hour.

I stayed stationary by the tiny mechanical box, fingers tracing the intricate details of the speaker.

"Raven?" Micro asked me as he rolled up to me in his favorite chair.

"I don't know...does someone know what we're doing here?"

"I hope not. You tell anyone?"

"No, Styx only knows some of the details. And you're stupid but not that stupid, so that leaves..."

Our eyes met.

"Frank!? Can you come here for a moment?"

The sound of broken guitar notes ceased, and the bed creaking refilled its place. At least he was keeping his promise, because that second kiss was definitely a good bargain...

He slinked out of the shadows, looking up at the two of us with a suspicious glare.

"What's goin' on here?"

RAVEN!? THIS IS BLACKBIRD!

Perfect timing.

The voice was becoming more desperate. We'd get more to the story as long as it kept sounding off.

"Who's Raven and Blackbird...?" I began stalking down to The Punisher, matching his glare. Only this time, mine was the threat.

He sighed, caving in after a few moments of intense stare.

"I'm Raven. The guy that's on the radio is my other best friend, Billy Russo. Aka, 'Blackbird'."

"Does he know you're alive?" Micro hooked the radio up to some fancy wires, and began a scan on the frequency.

"No. No one except Curtis and you two know that I'm alive."

"...And that reporter..." I grumbled.

"I cut 'er out. She doesn't fit into my world...not anymore. Ms.Page helped, but, I wasn't 'bout to drag 'er down with me. Or else all of that work she did would've been for nothing."

"Yeah, sure..." Now I was uneasy...did he like another woman? Was I just something to pass the time with!?

He saw the uneasiness in my being, and opened his mouth to say something...but Micro cut him off.

"Can we trust him?"

"What do you mean 'can we trust him'!? He's not just my best friend, he's my brother. Billy and I had each other's backs back in Afghanistan...there's no one on earth I trust more than him."

That kinda hurt a little bit, not gonna lie.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Frank," Micro zipped over to another monitor, his fingertips abusing the keys on the board. "From what I've been getting, Billy Russo runs a Security Agency...THAT, works for Homeland Security!"

"So?"

"SO, if they find out I'm here, I'll be a dead man! My family will be in serious trouble, too!"

"Micro's right, Castle," I touched the center of his bicep, a silent plea from him to change his mind. However, I left when he cried out for me to stay...I wouldn't be surprised if he left. "Please, don't trust this. For our, and your safety."

Shaking me off, he quickly started for the radio. Before I even realized what was happening, it was too late.

Castle had seized the radiohead, and clicked broadcast.

"Blackbird, this is Raven."

"...Castle..." The man on the other side said, the air sucked out of him.

"Yeah, it's me."

It was dead air for a few moments. Crackles and pops, the silence that followed made me think this Billy guy left.

"Frank, I - this - ...where do I begin? You could've come to me, I would've done everything to help you through it!"

"Don't," He snarled. "I didn't want anyone's help. It wasn't personal-"

"Maria and the kids were murdered. It was personal."

Another mention of this...Maria, person. She must've been really important to Frank.

More than I could imagine.

"Please, don't shut me out. Let's talk, like old times...catch up and stuff! I'd really like to see you again, man. Maybe...even help you."

He gave me a glance. It wasn't my place to give him any sort of permission...I already warned him anyway.

So I just shrugged.

"Alrigh'...there's a food truck near the Eastern Seaport in Hell's Kitchen. I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"I'll get there earlier." Billy chuckled.

"You do that, Blackbird. Raven, signing out."

The radio was shut off after that.

"...Raven?" I giggled slightly.

"Just a code name."

"I like Rough-Road better."

"So do I," He smiled down at me. Keeping it a fleet moment, Castle passed a glance to Micro. "You got nothin' to worry 'bout, Lieberman. I'm not gonna tell him a thing."

"...Just be careful, Frank."

Frank nodded, and walked back into the darkness. It consumed him...almost like it yearned for him to be a piece of its shrouded cover.

However...questions were still unanswered.

Who was Maria? And who were these...kids?

Was it my place to ask? Definitely not.

Perhaps another time.

I had to do some research on Rawlins and Agent Orange anyway...and hey...

Maybe I'll look into this Billy Russo guy.

Frank tugged on his hood, zipping up the jacket as he began to venture over to the Garage. It wasn't a far walk.

"Castle..."

He stopped, and barely glanced over his shoulder.

"Come back to us after you're finished. We still need you..."

"We...? Or you?"

"...I need you back here."

He smirked, and walked away.