Hearing something knock against his windowpane, Calix slid out of bed and tiptoed over. Brushing the curtains aside, he watched as another small rock hit against the glass. Sliding the clear barrier aside, he scowled as the third rock hit him in the forehead. And glaring by this point, he leaned out the window to see the redhead standing on the otherwise empty sidewalk.
Rolling his eyes at the two-finger salute given, the raven grabbed his pack and dropped it down. Crossing his room, he opened the door quietly, looking both ways before stepping out. Treading lightly over to the spiral stairwell, he leaned over the banister to see all the lights out, meaning Malecai was already sleeping. Feeling a buzz coming from his pocket, he already knew it was Renyx telling him to get his ass in gear so he hurried back into his bedroom, closing the door silently. Putting the lock on it, he then went back to the window, throwing on his shoes before swinging one leg over the sill. Glancing back at his door, he bit his lower lip before steeling himself.
"C'mon," Renyx whispered loudly as he looked around, "don't want the damn PD catchin' us, do ya?"
Looking at the LED clock scrolling along his wall, the nineteen-year old swung his other leg over prior to dropping down onto the pavement below.
Once the shock in his legs wore off, he scooped up the bag he had dropped and pulled out the newer black jacket Will had given him as one of his birthday presents. It was almost as long as the redhead but just a bit sleeker, and with a few more pockets within. Checking the new holster he had received, he patted it down, feeling the knife before turning to give his associate the thumbs up.
"Set."
"Good, let's get going," Renyx said, sliding his glasses on before they took off down the street.
- † -
Walking into Tralli, Cal looked about, taking in the quieter, emptier, view of the otherwise uptight and righteous part dedicated in being Polaris' judicial district. Sneering at the idea that this part of the city could even call itself respectable, honest, Calix pulled out his sunglasses and slid them on his face as he looked at the police station up the street.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, his fingers curled along the hilt of his knife as he glanced over to see the redhead looking up towards the sky. Casting his own gaze to the view above, the younger male watched as clouds shrouded the full, pale yellow moon before searching the rest of the starless sky.
He never recalled seeing anymore of the twinkling lights after losing Evren.
Bringing his other hand up to touch the silvery chain, he curled his fingers to form a fist before spotting one of the hovering squad cars coming their way due to its usual patrol at that hour.
Will had informed them on officers' schedule though Calix was more than used to them, and how to evade them-fall off their radar sort of speak.
He had so in the past.
"Come on," he said, grabbing the redhead's sleeve and running down an adjacent alleyway.
Spotting a dumpster, he pushed the taller man down into a squat before pressing himself up against the opposite wall, doing the same thing. Neither moved, watching as the searchlight slowly stretched down the small lane prior to disappearing as the car went on its way. And as Renyx went to move, Calix signaled him to stay down for just a minute more before he took the initiative to check.
Once clear, he beckoned his friend forth before he looked left then right once more. Throwing his gaze up towards the sky, he held up his wrist to look at the time prior to crossing the street before the next patroller made its way around.
Hearing Renyx behind him, Cal skidded to a stop as he noticed their first obstacle; the cameras. Stepping back, he allowed the redhead to take his spot, observing the surveillance equipment. A smile then set across his face as he reached into the interior of his coat, pulling out the small pouch of something he wouldn't tell Calix.
Shaking out a small sphere, he let it roll in the palm of his hand before rubbing his index finger along the top. Knowing the raven had stepped up to see what he was doing, the redhead held it up for him just as three spindly legs protrude out from each side, two black beady eyes rolling into place before Renyx tossed the thing onto the wall.
"Will calls it SHU," Renyx said quietly as he watched the little metal creature scale the wall before swinging itself onto the camera ahead. Holding up a small pincher, it then snipped at the wires before scurrying across the wall to the next one. "Cute lil thing, ain't it?"
"Like I'm actually going to call that thing cute," Calix scoffed as he walked, pulling the redhead along so he wouldn't be caught by the patrol cars.
Pausing as the last camera was knocked out, the raven watched as the little robotic critter scuttled along the vertical surface, hopping off to land on his shoulder prior to it jumping and clinging to the redhead's trench coat. Once on, it climbed its way up before making itself comfortable beneath the lapels of Renyx's trench coat.
"Aww." Calix just rolled his eyes before focusing on the roof. Checking his watch to see they had not even ten minutes before the carrier came in, the raven then looked at the fence before looking down at his shoes. Seeing how his treading was in good condition, he took a deep breath. Jumping up onto the dumpster quietly, he then jumped over to the fence, being careful not to rattle it before crouching down on the top railing. Spotting a nearby ledge, he leapt over with just a bit too much grace before pausing as he spotted a camera.
Watching its rotation, he eased beneath it before pressing himself along the wall as he continued on his way. He stopped when he spotted an escort coming to port and grimaced as he looked at his watch. Remembering that he had come with another, he looked down quickly to see that the redhead was gone, presumably hiding to get out of the searchlight.
And once it had passed, Calix continued on his way.
Seeing a power line nearby, he slipped on a pair of black gloves before taking a deep breath. He had done this before so it wasn't that hard; he just had to get his nerves in check.
Taking another deep breath, he watched out for anymore squad cars then cameras before jumping out and grasping the cable. He hung there for a few moments, letting the wire go still before he finally started to swing to and fro, gaining momentum. Swinging a few seconds more, he swung himself up and over to the ledge just beneath the roof.
He heard chatter and waited until it sounded distant enough. Looking down to see Renyx giving him the signal to go, Calix pulled himself up quickly as he caught sight of a carrier being escorted by one of its escorts.
Gritting his teeth, he stared at the green-lit vehicle coming closer and closer. Feeling his fingers curl along the hilt of his knife, he then had to remember where he was before he hurried over to the doors leading to the stairs.
Keeping watch of the sky, his gaze dropped to see the redhead coming up with a gun in his hand. Brown eyes widened then narrowed on the thing. He knew the other knew he did not approve of such a weapon; not after what happened, but the man just lowered his hand slowly before pointing the weapon up and at the squad car leading the larger vehicle.
Dark eyes peered up at the smaller car the moment Renyx pulled the trigger. He had caught sight of the small dart-like projectile that shot out, and took its place along the bottom hull of the craft. Four smaller pins then welded themselves down and into the metal before the device shorted out the controls.
As the charge spread throughout the car, Cal lifted his shades to watch as the vehicle lost altitude prior to dropping out of the sky altogether. Listening to it crash, followed by the hurried footsteps, he crept out the shadows before reaching into his pocket to pull out a metal rod. Swinging it out before him, he watched as the thing extended to be twice, three times its original size before circling around to spot the two men that were supposed to be waiting on the roof.
Stepping closer to them, he froze when one of the men looking over the edge straightened to reach for his radio. Guessing his presence was picked up as the man then reached back to grab the gun holstered on his waist, Calix ran forward, swinging the staff and taking the man off his feet. When the other turned, the younger male butted the end of the pole in the square of his chest before swinging up then over, taking him off his feet as well.
Turning in a complete circle to see if anyone else was around, Cal then looked down at the radios that had clattered to the floor. Walking over, he slammed the metal pole down onto each one, watching the sparks before nothing was left the small devices. Next, he picked up the guns before tossing them off the side of the building prior to watching the guideless carrier as it started to back away.
"Renyx," he whispered harshly, watching as the large vehicle kept getting further and further away.
"Yeah, yeah," the man said as he scooted the small crab-like robot off his shoulder and into his hand. "Hey, SHU, do ya think ya can bring that in?"
The small, metal creature just stared at him blankly before looking up at the carrier.
"Like that thing can take down the carrier," Calix stated crossly.
Looking back at the redhead, the little bot raised one of its legs in a salute fashion before scurrying to the end of the man's hand and hopping off. It then scurried past the raven that was eyeing it critically prior to perching itself on the ledge.
There it stayed for a few moments before hopping off.
Walking up the edge, Calix crouched down to see if he could spot the thing before he spotted a thin cable shooting up and finally past him. Raising his sunglasses, he watched as SHU pulled itself up before turning his attention to the carrier.
Sliding his glasses back down, he awaited the 'I told you so' slap to his back as Renyx stared up at the robotic crab as it hoisted itself up, making its way up to the hull of the ship. And once attached, the little metal wonder began drilling a hole into the out layer prior to climbing its way inside.
Not even three minutes in and both Renyx and Calix watched as the row of green parallel lights flickered in before going out completely. The carrier soon began to hover towards the building before the older man pulled the younger male out of the way once he realized it was headed towards them on a crash course.
Taking cover on the other side of a ventilation shaft, the redhead watched as a small group of armed men filtered out through the damaged carrier. As they looked about, talking into their radios on their shoulders, tawny eyes picked up on the small little bot climbing out its hole before scurrying over to him. Hiding in the shadows himself, Renyx knelt down, extending his hand to let SHU crawl right back up. He then looked back to see Cal walking around the corner with his staff at the ready.
Putting the bot beneath is lapel, the older man hurried over quickly, yet quietly, and snagged the back of the raven's jacket. Though he couldn't see it, he knew that Cal was glaring daggers at him through his sunglasses. Gesturing to the gun in his hand, Renyx then signaled him to look out.
Clenching his jaw, Calix looked out to see each of the men had one, and each was loaded quite excessively. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he looked back to see his associate pointing over at a ventilation shaft. Hurrying over, Cal began to undo the screws while Renyx watched as the other men began to head back into the ship.
Ducking into the shadows as the door leading to the station opened, the man removed his glasses to watch as the first came out wheeling a large container. Another guard followed then another until four of the circular containers were resting upright on the roof. Hearing something clang to the ground, he looked over his shoulder quickly to see the raven looking over at him.
"It came from over here!"
"Shit," the redhead whispered before running towards the younger male. "Go!"
Not needing to be told twice, Calix jumped in while Renyx scooped up the covering as he got in himself. Positioning the grate back into place, he slipped down through the vents before widening his legs to slow down.
The vent was much too long.
"Cal?" he whispered.
Not receiving an answer, he straightened to drop down the rest of the way prior to hitting the bottom. From there, he crawled a few meters before groaning mentally as he looked up the second half of the shaft. Scowling as he made his way up, he looked at all the side vents and little passages before catching the end of the raven's shoe as he maneuvered down a skinnier shaft.
"Dammit, kid," he groused as he hurried up to catch up.
Coming into the vent he watched the other disappear into, Renyx found the raven looking down through a vent cover. Crawling over, he fanned away some of the dust before looking in to see what Calix was staring at.
The men from the roof, roughly eight of them, came were coming into the room. The six that actually had weapons were standing before the four containers that had been brought in before two turned their attention to the two once unconscious men they dragged in.
"What do you mean you were ambushed?" one asked.
"And by a group of thugs?" the other added as he cocked his weapon. "Do you know how valuable this shipment is?"
"I'm not getting my ass discharge because you can't do your damn job!" the first scolded. "Hell, do you even know what the hell the shipment is?"
"XYZ series," Calix uttered under his breath as he touched the side of his sunglasses, trying to get a look inside. He growled under his breath when he couldn't get the proper reading. "Leave already," he hissed quietly, watching as the other two men looked down while their chastising continued. "Dammit…"
"Now, get your asses up and help the squad car that crashed before meeting us in the debriefing room.
"Yes, sir," the pair said in unison before hurrying out of the room with their tails tucked between their legs- figuratively of course.
After the others left, door slamming shut to announce their departure, Calix undid the screws and slid the covering aside. Looking around the darkened room, he tapped the other side of his frames, activating the small light hidden there.
He'd have to thank Will again for gifts.
Dropping down from his perch, he landed in a crouch before he walked over to the first capsule.
First he spotted the keypad. Running his fingers over the numbers, he watched as they lit up. 'Access denied' flashed along the small screen, making the man roll his eyes before he focused on the small window covered with frost. Bringing his hand up, he rubbed away the light layer of ice before having a look inside.
"So, what's in there?" Renyx asked as he climbed out the hole in the wall. "Don't keep me waitin'."
"It's…it's a…girl," Cal said as he removed his glasses to get a better look.
"What?"
The raven merely pointed at the container before taking a step back to let the other have a look.
Leaning in, the redhead stared at the female. He looked at the faint blue tint to her skin though that could've been due to the pale blue lighting. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, giving her the look of sleep more so than being frozen. A bit of eye clung to her hair though faint puffs inside assured the man that she was indeed alive.
"Hey, here's another one," Calix said as he wiped the fog from the glass.
Walking over, Renyx peered in as the raven went over to the next to see another female in the same condition. Her eyes were closed, lips parted. Dark, wavy hair draped over her shoulder while small puffs landed gently along the glass window.
"Here's a guy," he said as he stepped back to let the other see.
True enough, there was a male inside the third container. He appeared to be asleep though there was no evidence of frost within his capsule. If anything, it felt a bit warmer than the previous two the pair had come in contact with.
"So, this is the XYZ series?" Renyx commented as he walked over to get look in the last container. He stopped short when Cal made no attempts in moving. "What is it, a girl?" With no indication, he rolled his eyes as he nudged the other aside to take a look inside. "It's a guy."
Being pushed aside, Renyx grunted as he almost stumbled back. He then jumped when SHU shifted, holding tighter to his collar before he walked back over to shove the raven.
He expected a quip, a glare. Hell, he expected to get hit or something but Calix just stepped back in front of the container. Removing his glasses, he didn't bother putting them away as his arm dropped back to his side. His free hand then touched the cool glass, wiping away the thin film of frost before it jerked away to grasp the silvery chain hanging around his neck.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" the redhead asked, watching as the raven touched the glass again.
"I…I just…" Pulling his hand away again, Calix then went to work at the small keypad, trying to get it open. "I…I have to see something."
"Like what?" Renyx asked as he swatted the other's hand away. "You can't go pushing buttons. What if you set off an alarm?!" he added with a quiet his.
"I…need to see something," he replied heatedly, almost desperately as he tried to get the container open. 'Access denied' flashed in front of him before he hit his fist against the glass. "Damn, I…just need to know." Trying the keys again, he hit his fist against the glass again. "Shit…"
"Cal…"
"I just want to know!" he said a bit louder hitting his hand against the glass again as he hung his head. "If only he was awake!"
"Would you shut the hell up?" Renyx hissed as he clamped a hand over the man's mouth, pulling him back. "Are ya tryin' ta get us caught?" he added as he looked towards the door. He then focused on the nineteen-year old that had hung his head, fists clenched at his side, before looking back at the container. "If you're wishing he was awake, think your shoutin' and bangin' did the trick."
Looking back up, Cal shoved the other away before stepping up to the larger holding cell. Ignoring the curse the red-haired man uttered under his breath, Calix wiped away the condensation accumulating on the glass to see that the other male's eyelids had begun to shift.
"Open your eyes," Calix whispered as he leaned in closer, grasping the thin chain at his neck. "C'mon…"
After ten years, after ten long years, he only wished for this to be true. He wouldn't be able to handle reality if he was to wake up in his bed right now, this whole incident only being a dream.
He'd die.
You're exaggerating- his mind chided.
Perhaps he was but he knew he'd go insane.
"Open your eyes, please?" he begged.
His knuckles were starting to turn white from how tight he was holding the necklace and Renyx took note of that as he stepped closer to stare at the male that was still in the process of waking.
"Calix," he said, placing a hand on said person's shoulder, "hey, what's up? Do you know this person?"
The dark-haired male simply stepped closer to the container, his hand falling back to his side the moment the contained man's eyes cracked open slowly. Abated breath then gave way to the smallest of gasps as brown eyes stared up at the mismatched pair of unfocused eyes. One was of jade, flecks of gold darting the iris while the other resembled a darkened turquoise.
Cal had only every known, ever encountered, one person with such eyes and that person was taken away from him nearly a decade ago.
Ten long years, he hadn't seen another pair of eyes that were of that color. Even if their gaze was deadened, it looked so knowing, intelligent, as the raven pressed his hand against the cool glass, his free hand reaching up to hold the necklace once again.
"Calix?"
Aforementioned person didn't even bother to acknowledge the other as he continued to stare at the one behind the thick glass.
Go on and say it- his mind whispered. It's been ten years. Say it confidently…
"Cal, what's with you?" Renyx asked as he turned the shorter, dark-eyed male away from the other. "Do you know who that is or something?"
"I…think…" Cal replied, turning himself around to stare at the man with the oddly colored eyes, his voice almost warm but shaky. "…I know him. I do."
"Who is it then?"
"That's…" He couldn't believe it himself but he was positive it was him, even after not seeing him for ten whole years. It had to be. "That's…that's Evren."
