Second Skin

7:Intimidation

What was I thinking allowing myself to linger here? What was I thinking allowing myself to get close to them knowing that all people I get close to get either hurt or even worst, killed. I obviously wasn't thinking. I was letting my emotions interfere with my actions. That stops now. My second skin covered me and prepared myself for an attack.

My auto aim system came into view as I put my arm up, small guns came up from my arm and I began firing.The surrounding buildings stood tall in the night, each one crawling with hostiles and attackers that were not there minutes ago.

"No, No, No, No..." Valentine repeated to herself apparently broken.

"Get ready, Tohru," I yelled while still firing at incoming hostiles.

"Yes ma'am," She yelled, evading enemy fire and returning it with her gold plated dual pistols.

"Call for reinforcements."

"Already done." She stops to reload and resumes shooting. A body falls from the heights of the building in front of us. He and his exo-armour disintegrate upon contact with the sidewalk. Harsh.

Restaurant-goers and those that were walking about were now running for their lives away from the conflict. The air was filled with screams and gunfire that was anything but celebratory. I need to end this before another person dies. I need to draw this conflict elsewhere.

Gunfire lit up the rooftop of the building ahead of us. They had barricaded the area and were well reinforced.

Black Guard vans rolled in. Valentine stuck by her fiance's injured body as they put him into a medical vehicle.

"Valentine," I said while continuously shooting. "It's time to fight so that what happened to Isaac won't happen to anyone else."

She stood up with eyes closed. Hands balled up. Mouth shut tight. Her second skin jumped into position at unrivaled speed.Pink metal covered her body and she was suited up.

She ran and jumped towards the building housing our attackers yelling like a wild person all the way. This was not her. I followed her lead launching myself at the building to attack up close. I flew through a window and landed rolling and firing at any enemy target I could see. The building's interior was lined with desks, cubicles, and computers. This office was closed.

An android swung at me with a blade forcing me to duck. One strike to the knee and I destroyed it causing it to stumble. The android went down. I produce a blade of my own from my forearm and cut its head clean off and stomped its skull.

Bullets rang off my suit and Black Guard personnel rushed up to my floor. I will leave my attackers to them. My mission is giving Valentine the support she needed. I can't help but feel a guilty for all this. I proceeded to the stairs and went to the roof. There I saw Valentine in the middle of unconscious hostiles. Valentine bent over one man and began punching the man's face. Her fists were soon bloodied by the man's face.

"Valentine, you need to stop!" She brought her violent outbreak to an end and looked up towards me."You are better than this."

She ran towards me with hands outstretched and second skin fading away. She hugged me and just cried.

Black Guard soldiers flooded us yelling"clear" and various other commands. They began taking the attackers and putting them on medical stretchers. Mostly saving them so they can have vital information extracted from them.

Valentine stepped back. No longer sobbing. A strong silence gripped her. We stood there letting the warm evening breeze blow over us. We could not truly grasp the beauty of that evening but for a while we could enjoy the relative peace.