Target To Save

Chapter 13 - October 30, 2031

The diner was chilly, the cool weather had soaked itself into the restaurant, and Ivalin shifted in her seat. Kallen and Lyia were glaring at each other. Between the sniping comments, and the not exactly friendly glances, Ivalin was ready to snap.

"W-well it's nice that you're actually talking to us. I wasn't sure we were cool enough for you to know we even existed."

"You're not." Lyia sneered, she took a sip of her coffee, and tilted her head at Kallen. "I like to think of it as service hours."

Kallen's face turned bright red, and Ivalin sighed. She put another fry in her mouth and focused on one of the blinking lights from one of the signs in the building next door.

"At l-least I'm not a-" Kallen attempted, but Lyia snarled and he quickly stopped talking. Ivalin sighed, eating another fry, and they both turned to look at her.

Ivalin snorted, and raised an eyebrow, "I mean, if you're both having fun..."

Kallen turned bright red, Lyia scoffed.

The door opened, the bell rang, and Ivalin froze. The smell of a hospital over took her mind. Her tongue could only taste blood. The click of the uniformed heels caught in her chest. The vinyl stuck to her skin. He walked up to the table. Ivalin glanced up, and his red eyes narrowed in on her, and his lips twisted into a smile. "Youe've made this easy. Thank youe"

He reached down and pulled out a gun, and Ivalin moved. She jumped over Kallen, and threw her plate at thh assassin. It knocked into his hands, ruining his shot. Fries went flying, Lyia screamed. The blows blurred, one moment, Ivalin was on the ground, the next she was shoving a spoon in his eyes. She didn't have the strength or time to find a way to stop his brain from sending signals. She had no gun, no weapon that could reach that far, the diner had civilians, and this was not the place to execute someone. Even if that's how the Bleeding Hearts get rid of traitors.

Her head bashed into the booth. Someone yelled about getting help. He ripped out the spoon, and the eye healed in seconds. He snarled and Ivalin's head broke the table. She ducked, and rolled out of his grasp, and attacked

They exchanged blows, breaking furniture and bones. Ivalin's body started to shake. "Youe're failing, marionette," He mocked, and then caught her.

He threw her into the jukebox, the music crackling and turning to life. The diner was a mess, and Ivalin's vision wavered. Her chest burned, her legs ached. The man's grin grew. He turned his back to her, and Ivalin struggled to get back up on her feet.

He stalked their booth, and Ivalin dragged herself to the bar. She snached a bottle of hot sauce and threw it. It slammed into the back of his head, the burning smell masked the stench of blood. "I wasn't done with you yet."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Youe're not myi only target,"

"In the end, I'm the one that matters." She struggled to stand.

He growled a "Don't move" to Kallen and Lyia who had backed into the corner, pressed side to side, their harsh words long forgotten.

She glanced at the two of them and mouthed run. And they dashed across the broken booths, tripping over the carnage. He turned at the noise and growled, leveling the gun at their backs. Ivalin snarled and slammed a pepper shaker on his head. It shattered, the glass getting caught on his hair, he pivoted, and her mouth dried, knowing she would lose. She lashed out, tired, angry, knowing it had been eight hours since she spoke to Jaizya, knowing that no help was coming. She struck, hoping her friends would keep running, and do their best not to get caught.

He hit Ivalin and she rammed into the bar. She heaved over the counter, spitting out the metallic blood that had settled in her throat. She grasped onto whatever she could and then spun the chair she had managed to grab and slammed it into his body. He let her go, and she rolled out of the way.