Perfect School

"No it wasn't. For what it's worth and for the emptiness it means now, I enjoyed that night. I wanted more until you joined me on that boat. Perhaps even now we could have continued." I shrugged then continued, repeating the words I had said that night. "As much as I want it...it isn't something that will happen."

"How prophetic I was with only an assumption. But if I knew then what I know now, perhaps it would have turned out differently."

Jonah:

“What, that I would betray you? That I am loyal to myself and not Marie, unlike you? Knowing wouldn’t have made things any better for you. I would have done anything to accomplish what I did, Kira, you couldn’t have stopped me. I wish you would have been on my side, but you couldn’t have prevented me. I wish it had gone differently. I wish you had chosen me. But you didn’t,” I said. Her bringing up her the moment she rejected me, didn’t exactly fill me with affection.

A small smile curved my lips as he went over his rant. It wasn't a pleasant memory for us both, and yet while he felt displeasure at my rejection it was his actions afterwards that I didn't like. I waited for him to be done and simply watched him afterwards.

"You are half right. A part of me always figured you'd betray me in some fashion or another. Not this way, not immediately after I turned you down. I'm sure even if I'd agreed that part of me would be waiting still. With time to think about it I'm not all that surprised by your actions." I waved a hand and focused on the floor. "I think if I knew that you would do anything for power. To stand at the peak of power you would pay any price, perform any act, abandon anything that doesn't help you in your goals. I might have made a firmer answer that it wasn't going to happen, or I might have asked you to prove it. That things could be different."

Looking up at him that smile returned, "Both you and my family want me to use my heart and to not be a puppet and doll. And yet so often the results don't seem to be what you like." Waving towards the door behind him in a gesture of dismissal I continued, "If I might make a suggestion. If a girl tells you no, perhaps it is because she was scared that the fairytale you've weaved would turn out to be just that. Actions speak louder than words, and you are persistent enough to get what you want in the end. Shame that our choices led to this irreparable conclusion. I'll see you for the team briefing." I ended my words with a note of much clearer dismissal if my gesture wasn't enough.

Jonah:

“Kira,” I said, not leaving immediately like she clearly wanted me to, “Things will be different. I will still prove to you that I meant what I said. I can protect you. I can set you free. I will. And I will be in power. I just hope our choices don’t lead us in different directions then. Because it truly will be an irreparable conclusion then.” It wasn’t a threat, it was simply fact. I did care for her even still. That was what kept me from simply killing her to get her out of the way. Take down Marie’s queen.

I opened the door and walked out then. There was nothing more either of us wanted to say to each other. It had almost gone well. But whenever the matter of loyalties came up, specifically her relentless loyalty to Marie, it always went poorly.

I snorted at his words. Disbelief plain on my face though I didn't look at him. I didn't doubt he would make some kind of proof, put in the effort. Even with the threat that lay under his words I found I didn't care. He truly was no different than Marie. He was interested and he wanted me, but if I didn't serve his purpose he'd remove me.

I flopped backwards and rubbed my temples. "There is no winning..." And yet I couldn't help but wonder. Once Jonah was in control, and I knew it was only a matter of time for it to happen, where would I be then? What would become of me?

Jonah:

The assault on the compound was one of the more difficult for the team. Kira and I could have done it alone, but it would have been a blood bath. As it was, each of us had a number of kills each. Even Paublo on the outside of the building had some trouble and had to take out a group.

Kira and I went in on the opposite side of the building from Kyra and Andrew. We were working our way to the center where they kept the documents. We kept communication open constantly. It was important to know how many had been taken out and how many we knew to be on each side.

Our side was more protected than theirs was. I had planned it that way. Kira and I had more experience with this type of thing. With killing in general.

There was something therapeutic about firing various weapons and seeing the resulting damage done to the cultists bodies. The plan had a few hiccups here and there, but all within Jonah's expectations and nothing we couldn't have handled. Out of anyone in our team it was only paublo I worried about. He wasn't the best assassin, and it didn't help that he'd been assigned alone.

There was even a chance in the mission that threatened Jonah's life. A surprise rush caught us off guard and if I hadn't brought my gun up in time he would have taken a shotgun round to the stomach. Nothing better than cowards hiding in lockers to ruin your day.

During a brief reprieve I checked my ammo counts. Duel pistols each sitting at half magazines, and the assault rifle currently in my arms was close to empty. With a sigh I simply let the magazine fall, popped the bullet out of the chamber and pulled out a pilfered magazine. Eyeing the level I shrugged and slapped it in and racked the first shot. Leaning my head back against the wall I turned to glance at Jonah.

"Still think this was the best route or idea?"

Jonah:

"Would you rather your cousins have gone this way instead?" I replied.  From the reports Kyra and Andrew gave every few minutes, they were having an easier time that Kira and I were.  They were near to the center of the building while Kira and I were only two thirds through.  

I rubbed a spot of blood from my arm.  It was bad luck, that was all.  It had nothing to do with tactics.  But today I had been unlucky a few too many times for comfort.  I didn't want to admit it, but Kira had likely saved my life by taking out the man with the shotgun.  And shortly after that, a ricocheting bullet had nicked my arm.  

"If our information is correct, there should only be twenty-one people left in the building," I said, both to Kira and through the mic.  "seventeen of which are confirmed to be trained in the use of weapons."

"Make that sixteen to go, we just got five," Kyra chimed in.

Snorting I locked eyes with Jonah, keying the mic as I spoke. "Even a child can pull a trigger. Trained or not be careful." Releasing the button I shrugged the rifle sling over my shoulder and dug in a pouch at my hip. Drawing out a patch and a plastic vial of liquid and powder I walked over to him. Shaking the vial to mix the two things inside I dumped most of it into the patch, shook it out then peeled off the protective film covering the adhesive.

Grabbing his arm I inspected the blood and wound, wiped it clean as best I could then slapped the bandage into place. Circling my thumb around the edge to make sure it adhered properly. "No, I don't think it would have been better for them to come this way. Just curious."

Stepping back I raised the weapon once more and peeked down the hallway.

Jonah:

"Thanks." My eyes lingered on her a moment too long for the situation. It wasn't often now that she did something to surprise me. Was it out of caring or annoyance that she had tended to me? She didn't show emotions one way or the other. I would have expected her to be colder toward me after our last failed mission. I had nearly left her to die after all. But perhaps she enjoyed working with me as much as I enjoyed working with her.

"We're in the center. Going into the office. No sign of anyone on this side for the past couple of minutes," Kyra said. We were nearly through now too. There could only be a few more lurking around the building. Likely hiding at this point.


Kyra:

Andrew and I were both on guard as we entered the office area where they kept the documents. It was empty. We carefully swept it room by room.

"Stop!" I shrill voice screamed as small body popped up from behind a desk. If she had been full grown, she would have been shot in the head by the bullet I immediately fired. I gasped lowered my weapon even before I saw that she had one in her hands. The gun was too big for her. Far too big, even if she pulled the trigger she wouldn't be able to aim. Then again, we were very close.

"Hey, hey!" I said quickly both to her and Andrew who was aiming at her. He would follow my lead. He always did.

The girl looked terrified. There were tears rolling down her face. "Drop your weapons or I'll kill you!" She screamed again.


"Okay, okay. It's alright," I said, trying to be calming. I didn't think she would shoot us, but I set my gun down on the desk more to make her less afraid than anything else. "We don't want to hurt you. If you put your gun down too, we can get you out of here. We won't hurt you," I said, holding my hands up so she could see them.

"No! Both of you! You, drop it!" She aimed her gun at Andrew who had yet to move his gun from her. I shifted so I was more or less between them. She was too young for this. I knew I could talk her down.

Raising my weapon slowly I kept just inside the doorway while the rifle poked out and down the hallway. Letting out a slow breath I waited. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. A shift and then an eye peeked around the corner. The eye didn't even show for a full second before the rifle coughed as I pulled the trigger. The man collapsed, grey matter splattering the wall behind him.

Leaning back into the room I looked to Jonah, "Best to keep moving and clearing. If the maps we found are accurate then Kyra and Andrew aren't too far away but there are still a lot of rooms to clear before we meet up."

Kyra:

I was talking her down. She was breathing heavily but she seemed to be coming around to the idea of coming with us. And then there were soft footsteps coming from the doorway Andrew started to turn when the gunshot rang out.

“Don’t!”I yelled but the girl had already crumpled to the floor. I gasped in horror and whirled on Jonah. “You bastard! You didn’t have to kill her!”

“She had a gun on you, Kyra,” He said dismissively, walking closer. His reaction set me off further. I had been so close to saving her and he just killed her without a single thought about it.

“She was just a child, you fucking asshole!” I shouted at him. My blood was was a rolling boil in my ears. I didn’t think about the fact that I was facing the most dangerous person I knew. I stepped up and shoved him hard. “You heartless bastard!”

The moment I felt the pain in my chest, I knew I had messed up. Jonah has struck me in the chest and grabbed my arms to restrain me from lashing out again.

“Let her go!” Andrew, who never yelled, screamed at Jonah. I was released. For a moment I couldn’t breath, then I coughed and straightened to see Andrew with his gun aimed right at Joana’s head.

“I swear if you make one move, I won’t hesitate. I couldn’t care less about you life, Jonah,” He said, more stradily now.


Jonah:

I was very still. Andrew wasn’t bluffing. He was fast enough that he wouldn’t miss if I tried to make a move. My only option was to talk them down.

“You both need to calm down. This isn’t worth getting hysterical over. I only shot someone I saw as a threat to my teammate. I wasn’t going to risk her life,” I said calmly, looking right in Andrew’s eyes. I had never seen him so determined.

“Shut up, Jonah,” Kyra hissed glancing at Kira. “She was just a kid.”

“Even a kid can pull a trigger,” I replied.

Kira:

The corridors had been more or less clear and the few stragglers we had seen were easily dealt with. I let Jonah advance then, keeping an eye on our rear. Especially when we could hear Kyra and Andrew's voices.

I whirled around when I heard a shot ring out, weapon at the ready. But all I saw was Jonah's back and no one seemed to be in any danger. But it was Andrew's voice that made me abandon my lookout and enter the room though as I took in the scene my weapon lowered.

A frown curled my lips as I looked from person to person slowly coming to understand the events that had transpired while I was keeping watch. "Damn it..." On one hand this was the worst possible time. On the other? Well this needed to be sorted immediately.

"This is the worst time for this. Jonah's a bastard. But lets deal with this later. Mission first, while there are probably still targets remaining wanting to kill us."

Andrew:

I didn’t take my eyes off of Jonah for even a second. I had never trusted him, especially now that my sister had attacked him. “Then go deal with it Kira. This doesn’t concern you,” I said coolly. “As far as I’m concerned, the biggest danger in the building is right in front of me. I don’t doubt that he would kill us in an instant if it served him.”

Kyra:

“He wouldn’t,” I said, but I was on edge. I had my hand on the knife in my belt in case something went wrong. I also watched Kira for any sign that she would interfere in the situation. I couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t attempt to help Jonah is things went wrong.

“He killed Emily when she became troublesome to him,” Andrew said, and for a moment I thought I saw a flash of annoyance in Jonah’s eyes, but he didn’t make any movement. Would he kill us? He had saved my life when it put him at a disadvantage to do so. But Andrew was right to be careful. And I had been stupid to get us into this situation.

Kira:

I sighed in frustration. Andrew and Kyra weren't exactly wrong in this situation. Jonah was dangerous. Andrew was right, Jonah had no qualms about killing us just because it suited him. The worst part was I couldn't predict how Jonah was going to react to this. The second Andrew lowered his weapon he could be attacked.

I searched his face. Noting the annoyance that crossed it. It was anyone's guess as to what he would do. Tapping my trigger finger along the side of the rifle I looked over Andrew, then Kyra. My finger itched to return to the trigger, but none of the people in this room felt like a target.

"Guys? It got quiet...please tell me you are okay." Paublo's voice echoed through the comms and I keyed my mic to respond to him.

"We hit a small snag. Keep an eye on the perimeter, and stay focused."

Cutting the mic after that I looked at every face in the room. "A decision needs to be made. Either you are going to shoot him, or we are wasting time."

Andrew:

“I should shoot him. It would be better for everyone if I did,” I said, seriously considering it. For once Jonah was quiet. Kyra drew in a small breath. And that was my reason for not following through. Kyra would be devastated. Likely Kira would be too, but she wouldn’t show it. I hoped i wouldn’t come to regret not doing it when I had the chance.

Kyra:

My throat grew tight with Andrew’s words. Was he about to kill Jonah? Our relationship was rocky, but we had known him for nearly half our lives. It couldn’t just end this way.

“Are you done, Kyra?” My brother asked. “Yes,” I answered with more strain in my voice than I would have liked. HE didn’t mean with this situation. He meant with everything. We had talked about it before, and now it was time. My heart beat sped up.

“Back up against the wall, Jonah. We’re leaving. If I see any sign of you, I won’t hesitate to shoot. In fact, if I see anyone, I will shoot. So, Kira, you best stay back too until we are out. It would be a great help if you would watch him for us until we’re safe, but I won’t count on it.” He said.

I looked at Kira. If we were leaving this life, would we see her again? Would she want to see us? Would it be safe for any of us? My eyes watered as my mind raced, trying to catch up with all of the changes.

I raised an eyebrow. So this was how it was going to be then. A surprising choice, but probably the best outcome here. I met Kyra's gaze and motioned with my head for her to leave. She didn't need to worry about me, she needed to get out of here first.

Turning my attention away from Kyra and raised my weapon to my shoulder, aiming it casually at Jonah. "Fine. I'll keep an eye on him Andrew. Keep each other safe." There was no time for goodbyes, no time for anything. The mission was going to be all that remained now. While my weapon remained trained on Jonah my finger wasn't on the trigger. I wasn't going to hesitate should he move, but I was sure he wouldn't.

Jonah:

I watched them leave without moving or saying a word. I could tell from the look of both of them that nothing I could say would make them come around. And I believed Andrew when he said he would kill me.

“You don’t want to join your family?” I asked Kira flatly, lowering my hands once the twins had been gone for a minute. I waited by the wall still, giving them time. I had enough bad luck today that I wasn’t going to test Kira’s will to protect.

My mouth tasted bitter. I certainly had not expected Kira and Andrew to leave like that. I didn’t think that Kyra would have attacked me either. Kira’s family had surprised me and come closer to killing me than anything else ever had.

"It has never been about what I want Jonah. We could have yet another of our round about arguments. Instead I'll just point this out. I have three days of medicine left. Five before I end up in a hospital. I'd rather not join them just to force them to bury me." I shrugged. "Either way this has been an enlightening mission."

Jonah:

My eyes narrowed. “Is Marie limiting your supply?” I asked. The information sent my mood even darker. I supposed it was in part my fault for messing up the mission. Marie was punishing her. Just like it had been my fault when Marie had forced Kira to go off to be ‘pleasured’. Perhaps she was trying to show Kira that my actions harmed her as well. Perhaps she was trying to turn Kira against me. But then, I did that all on my own. Apparently, the act of just doing my job turned some people against me

Maybe I should just scrap my current team and start over. Take out Marie's prizefighter and take over right now. Kira certainly wasn't staying for me. If I were prone to impulsivity I might have acted on the thoughts just to let out my agitation over what had just happened.

I arched a brow for a moment. He hadn't noticed or suspected? "Yes. Used to be I'd be given a month or so at a time. Plus when we were enrolled at the school I was sent some and the school was sent some. Now I get a week or two at a time."

While I briefly glanced towards one of the doors a shift in his expression and body language had my eyes dart back to him and my finger inched from laying flat above the trigger to laying across the trigger guard.

Jonah:

One look from her had me check my thoughts and my expression. This wasn’t the time or place to be chasing such thoughts. There was never a time to let my thoughts run wild. Kyra and Andrew’s betrayal was simply weighing on me.

“Maybe we should split up to search the rest of the building for remainders seeing as we’ve lost the other half of our team.” I said flatly.

Kyra:

“We’re leaving, Paublo. We’re done with the school,” I said through the closed communication system. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to say goodbye. If you ever need help or need to talk to us, Zero will connect us.” My voice was strained with too many emotions. I leaned my head against the car window as the trees zoomed by outside. I didn't know where Andrew was taking us. For once I was letting him take complete control.

Kira:

I cocked my head a moment, finger slowly easing away from the trigger. By this time several minutes had passed. It was a solid plan for us to split up and even with his skill he'd be hard pressed to catch up. I eased my weapon away. "Fine. It would be safer together but we've lingered far too long as it is."

Paublo:

"W-what? But I never...o-okay Kyra. Please be safe okay? I'll miss you..." I sat heavily on a log, staring into space. What had happened? What could go so wrong that Kyra and Andrew were quitting? I fought a wave of tears. Was I going to be alone? With Kyra and Andrew around I felt useful. Wanted even. But if our team was now three? Who was I in tandem with the likes of Jonah and Kira?

Was it worth it to remain? Just to be only useful as a luggage carrier?

Jonah:

"Right," I said. I was annoyed with Kira and didn't especially feel like sticking by her side at the moment. The fact that it was more dangerous on our own was insignificant. There were only a few people left anyway. Not much of a threat unless they blew up the place, and then being together wouldn't mean much. "I'll meet you back at the van with Paublo."

Kyra:

"I'll miss you too," I said. When we had been leaving the building I had wanted to ask Paublo to come with us. Andrew had said no. He said that Paublo was too close to Jonah. He said we needed to look out for ourselves for now. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "If you ever leave the school, let me know, okay?" I said.

Paublo:

"Y-yeah." I stood up slowly, peering a bit further along the ridgeline and some movement I thought I saw. "I thought I saw something and I should go check it out but um...before I go. I just want you to know I really really like you. S-so you take care of yourself okay? I'd be sad if I heard something bad happened."

I began marching, raising my rifle up as I walked. "Goodbye Kyra. Good luck out there." I thought about tugging the headset off my head, but instead I just turned off the mic struggling with my large fingers.