Always Something There to Remind Me (A Black Lightning Jen X Khalil Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Eight- Something to Prove

Chapter Twenty-Eight- Something to Prove

Khalil’s POV

True to her word, Maya didn’t have any Black Ops ready to take Khalil out the second he walked back outside. Despite this, Khalil took no chances and, gun at the ready, he skulked out of the room where, just moments ago, he’d witnessed the murder of an innocent girl.

He fancied he could still hear the sound of the gunshot reverberating through his skull, the echo of Angie’s body thudding to the floor, still slumped sideways in the chair she was strapped in. Maya’s expression of glee as he stared in horror. Khalil kept his back against the wall as he made his way out of the building, cognizant of every single sound.

Her eyes had been open, sightless, but Khalil imagined there had been reproachful, asking him why he hadn’t been able to save her.

Focus, bro. She’s gone, and you need to get our ass out of here.

It took an effort, and Khalil found himself utilizing all of his considerable willpower to push the image of Angie’s harrowing demise out of his mind, but he managed. The hairs on the nape of his neck prickled like there were unseen eyes on him, and he wondered if Maya was still watching him. The courtyard was still empty, the floodlights spilling over Khalil’s face while the horizon brightened with the onset of dawn. Khalil’s stomach twisted in unpleasant knots as he glanced up, his eyes searching for the drone that had followed him here. And he thought he was being so smart, taking the GPS and coming here to confront Maya and rescue Angie. All he had managed to do was provoke Maya to the point where she had-.

No. Better not to think about that. Getting home was his first priority.

Hopping onto his bike, Khalil heaved a sigh filled with relief as the building dropped out of sight behind him. He was dying to get back to civilization.

Why you ain’t give her up?

No need to ask Painkiller who ‘she' was.

“I didn’t see you stepping in to join forces with Maya,” Khalil pointed out reasonably, the wind tearing the words from his lips as he spoke. Didn’t matter, Painkiller could hear him whether he spoke out loud or not. “You think she has an innocent reason for askin me to bring her Jen?”

Silence for a few thoughtful moments. Khalil waited patiently.

I didn’t trust her. She looked like she hated you and was doin a shitty job hiding it.

Khalil nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

Also, she was lyin.

“Huh? Lying about what?”

While you was doing the ‘heavy lifting’ and talking to Maya, I was watchin her. She was lying about fixin us.

“How?” Khalil demanded. “She has the right tech, we know that. That’s how TC did his thing.”

You mean, how the nerd pushed me and that kill order he was talkin about to the unused part of your brain- there’s a lot of that, by the way, you need to get that shit checked-

“PK, focus, man.” It felt good to use his own words against him, and feel the ripple of antagonism coming from Painkiller. He needed the comeuppance sometimes. “And didn’t you tell me that you put yourself offline when TC isolated the order? You didn’t say shit about what TC did forcibly shutting you down.”

Look, I don’t need to tell you everything, man. All I’m sayin is that Maya may have the right tech, but she doesn’t know how to use it to fix us properly. TC tried and failed, the bozo. We need someone who can help us and Maya ain’t it.