The Partner

Chapter 14

Kyra changes into her black leather uniform and gets her weapons together. She and Deck have been assigned a mission involving some puca, and she can't say she's as excited as she is with other missions. The last time she went on a mission with puca, it didn't go well. She was abandoned, accused of being a lepicta, and attacked by a pack of puca wolves. Not her best night.

They get the coordinates of the factory in Long Bush and teleport there. Kyra remembers when she first was on the job she needed Deck's help to teleport. It took her weeks of practice to perfect it, but now she's good. They find themselves in the middle of nowhere facing an abandoned looking factory with nothing else anywhere in sight and no sounds. Since the call was a noise complaint, that's suspicious.

Deck looks over at her. "Smell that?"

Kyra sniffs the air. "Yeah, rotten fish. We knew there were shifters here."

He frowns. "Yes, but no hint of burnt wood. That means no vampires and none have been here in a while. Which means..."

She sighs, not liking that. "The complaint was a lie."

He narrows his eyes and scowls. "I don't like this. I'm gonna disguise myself as you to confuse them, alright? We'll split up. You take the back, I'll take the front and meet inside. Got some bronze bullets and blades?" Deck asks.

Kyra nods, watching as her partner shifts from his pale, white haired, blue eyed, true appearance to hers; his white hair turns blonde, his muscular body turns feminine, he grows fangs, and his eyes change from light blue to emerald green. Deck's a banshee, a strong and scary shape shifter that can change into anything, including her vampire self. When he's settled, Kyra smirks at him. "Looking good, buddy."

Deck shakes his head with a knowing look. "Ha ha, see you inside. Be careful, huh?"

He heads towards the front doors of the factory while Kyra doubles checks her gun and makes her way to the back. If the whole situation wasn't sketchy enough, the back doors are unlocked and there's no guard or any security whatsoever. That's a great sign. The factory is deserted with no sign of life anywhere. If it wasn't for the strong smell of shifters she would say the building is empty. When she reaches an abandoned assembly line surrounded by broken machines, Kyra hears the first sound since Deck left her. Footsteps and the sound of an object falling fill the air in the room next to her. She takes off after it, sprinting towards the sound and its source. The footsteps take off in a dead run, causing a sound of sneakers on concrete. The shifter runs out of the room and into another one towards the corner of the factory, but she keeps up with him. When she turns a corner, Kyra catches sight of him; it's a guy maybe in his late teens or early twenties with long, dark hair and he's pretty short. She can easily take him.

He ducks into a small office and when she runs in behind him, she sees he's trapped; they entered through the only exit from the room. The guy turns around frantically, realizing his mistake. Kyra draws her weapon and aims it at his chest. "Shield Guild! Hands where I can see them!" When she raises the gun, Kyra notices something; the shifter looks familiar. Where has she seen him before? On another case maybe?

She starts to think it through, but then the smell of puca becomes much stronger. Before Kyra can turn around to see who has joined them, something hard hits her in the back of the head and she goes down. Then everything goes black.

Deck sweeps the front of the factory and heads upstairs. There's no sign of shifters or Kyra, but he can smell them and her burnt wood scent. One of the rotten fish scents grows stronger as he continues down a long hallway of offices, so he follows it. When Deck reaches the restrooms, he sees feet under a stall. Without a second thought, he breaks down the door and finds himself face to face with a scrawny looking teenager. The kid is scared stiff and shakes in fear.
"Shield Guild! Hands where I can see them!" The kid doesn't budge at all; he just continues to stare fearfully. He swoops out and grabs the shifter by the neck, holding him above the toilet intimidatingly. "Got you. Where are the others?"