Indigo's Owl [Indigo Rewrite]

Chapter 39 - Taken

Shift didn't get the chance to reply before Athira flew off, quickly disappearing around the side of a building.

"Where's she going?" Raph called from his position beside Kione and Talia, who was now on her feet.

"To distract the Wardens or... something," said Shift, though he suspected that was just an excuse to leave.

Raph swore. "We don't have time to waste chasing her. She'll have to fend for herself until we get Zoe. Talia says they were trying to get her strapped to a chair for these rune tattoos not long ago."

Shift glanced after Athira. "I should—"

"Shift," said Raph firmly. "Athira can handle a Warden or two by herself. I can't."

Raph jerked his head towards Kione and Talia.

Talia wasn't in good shape. Her Keeper suit was torn in several places, blood seeping through the fabric. She leaned heavily on Kione for support, and Kione — while he could handle himself — wasn't an Orange with a strength for close combat fighting. With planning and his usual resources, Kione was invaluable, but right now he had nothing except a makeshift Frame and his glasses.

With a mental curse, Shift nodded at Raph. "I'm with you. What's the plan?"

"They had Zoe in that building," Talia said in a hoarse voice, pointing to one of the taller buildings a block or two away.

They started down the street as fast as Talia could manage, hugging the shadows against the walls. Raph took the lead, his shaped Red shield covering their front as Shift's protected the rear, keeping Talia and Kione sandwiched between them.

"What happened with Athira before?" asked Shift.

"She thought I'd sold you all out to the Elites and attacked me," muttered Talia. "She didn't exactly give me the chance to explain, but I can't say I'd have reacted differently in her place. I wasn't in binders when she found me."

"They didn't arrest you?"

"I broke in through the old tunnels after I checked Kione's hidden security system and realised the Elites had taken everyone," said Talia. She scowled. "I was part-way through busting out Zoe when Magda and Elias caught me. I knew I couldn't take them in a fight, so I played along when they tried to 'reason' with me. I was hoping for a chance to surprise them."

Shift recognised the names — two Elites that Talia was particularly close to. "How'd you know where this place was?"

Talia shot him a look over her shoulder and immediately winced, grabbing her side. "Every elemental knows about this place. It's a massive void in the ground. The whole reason they tile it off is to hide what they're doing from us."

"'Us'?" said Shift, to which Talia's mouth pressed into a thin line in reply. "Seems a bit of a jump to go from 'big hole in the ground' to 'secret Warden base'."

Talia huffed. "I have a... friend that had suspicions about what this place was. Can we leave it at that?"

"I'm only asking because the Wardens have a source that knew Athira and I were headed to their facility last night, along with other things Indigo's been doing," said Shift.

"What," snapped Talia. "You think I'm a traitor too?"

"No," said Shift quickly. "But if you've told this friend things—"

"This is a problem to solve when we aren't in enemy territory," said Raph. His tone left no room for argument. "Right now, I want everyone focused on getting all of us out of here together. Talia, how—"

Raph cut off, holding up a hand for a silence as he scanned the wide, open space of the last street between them and the building Talia had indicated. A trio of Elites — one Orange and two Purples — were crossing the street not far from where Indigo now stood, and judging from the slightly iridescent shimmer to one of the Purple's suits, Shift was willing to bet they'd found a Warden.