The Phoenix Awakens (Book One) (#Wattys2016)

Archer

Two Hours Earlier

Archer looks down at his phone once more. He should have been back by today, he promised Fieria and she was not someone's trust you break. He gazes around, agents walk around the building their guns clasped in their hands. He sighs, his surveillance was getting nowhere. He's been here for two days, searching for anyway to gain access to Collette. Fieria would be safe once Collette was out of the picture. He checks the ammunition in his pistol once more before slowly standing up. Archer presses his back against the brick wall he was cowering behind. Holding the gun to his side, he slinks across the shadows and watches the guards. Voices carry out from the left of him. He raises his gun and waits. The two guards walk around the corner, their bodies relaxed.

"Who are you?" One of the guards blurts out. Archer smashes the butt of the gun against their skulls and watches them collapse to the floor. He bends down and wraps his hands around their legs, dragging them out of sight. He creeps across the wall again and crouches behind a group of crates. He gazes across the base, guards line up next to all of the entrances, their guns pointed outward unlike their patrolling companions. There is a gap between this line of crates he hides next to and the ones closer to the entrance. The patrols pass through it every five minutes, if he made a run for it he'd have a chance of making it inside. Archer stands up and positions himself in a running position when a gun clicks behind him.

"You move and you die. Now turn around," a gravelly voiced man grunts.

"But if I turn around I'll be moving and then I'll die," Archer answers snarkily. "Do you really want that?" Archer turns around slowly his hands up.

"Drop the gun," the guard answers.

Archer drops the gun and clatters to the ground. "Now let's be civilized." The guard smashes the gun into Archer's head like he had just done to the other two guards. Archer groans and falls backwards. "Ow."

~~~

A hand slaps across Archer's face and he jolts awake. Collette's face hovers an inch from his, a smile stretched from ear to ear. "Hello Archer it's been a long time since I last saw you. I believe you were two years old," she laughs, her eyes fogging over with the memory. "You probably don't remember."

He snarls at her and lurches forward but the bindings on his wrists stop him in place. "I remember you stole Fieria out of her crib."

She chuckles, "Yes I did. How is Fieria anyway?"

He opens his mouth, "We haven't seen her since you kidnapped her!" Archer lies easily.

She grins, "Yes Fieria and I had a lot of fun before I killed her." He screams and lunges at her again. The thought of Collette hurting Fieria sent fire searing through him. He clenches his hands into tight fists and tries to break free of the chains, his eyes catching on the sleek metal bracelets. "I believe you know what those are."

Archer growls, "Yes, I do."

She twists a small, rectangular box between her hands, "I activated them while you were out," she sighs sorrowly. "It wasn't as enjoyable but I wanted to have as much time to talk to you as I could."

"Talk about what?" He questions suspiciously.

She steps back and brushes her hand down her silk, black dress. "Where is Fieria?"

Archer breathes in softly and narrows his eyes, "Wherever you left her."

She stalks around the chair and runs her hand down his jawline. "Well you see I wasn't the one that disposed of her body," she pats his cheek. "Some of my operatives did and I don't really trust their judgement on alive or dead."