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"Let her go, Cordis," demanded Nu.
"Now, now," cooed the blonde, "what's the life of a traitor to you?"
"Just let her go," added Van as he aimed for Cordis's shifting eyes.
Damnit, thought Van as he gritted his teeth, is it true that whatever harm comes to Cordis comes to Jayden? Van never had the time to get acquainted with the benevolent blonde yet he did not want him dead, too. Neither Senshi. Though he was just as familiar, perhaps there was a sort of damsel in distress type feeling. What am I saying? Have we not fought alongside and slept in the same places? When this was over, he hoped the five of them and that Moryuu would have some time together as friends from far away realms, where death and pain didn't season every waking moment.
Magpie had joined them, slowly stepping towards Cordis and his captive.
"I'm sure she had her reasons," said Magpie, "just as sure as you had something to do with it!"
"Pointing fingers now, are we?" Cordis tutted. "Listen, Maggie-bird, I —"
The ground shifted beneath them and a roar came from beneath their feet.
"What—" Van started to say.
The ground's giving out, thought Van quickly.
"Nu!" he shouted as he reached out to her.
The hole widened and swallowed Senshi, Cordis, and Van. Magpie thought fast, and grabbed the edge of the sinking sidewalk. The piece of floor crumbled, however, and she fell in. Nu grabbed Van's outstretched hand. Though he meant to push her away from the pit, she, at that moment, thought she was strong enough to hold and pull him up. Van wasn't light and carrying two guns and an axe didn't help the elementalist pull off her rescue. She fell, but Van pulled her close, cradling her, hoping it provided some protection.
They fell in the darkness for a moment and landed in cold waters.
Van broke through the surface, gasping for air. Nu clung onto him and they both swam to the shore of this underground chasm.
Van looked left and right; the others did not seem to be around.
"Nu," Van asked as he brushed a wet lock of black hair from his face, "are you alright?"
Before Nu could respond, they heard someone was splashing in the waters.
"Who's there?" Van asked, Leonette in his grasp, but keeping his forefinger straight and off the trigger in case it was a friend.
"Van?" the swimmer said between gasps, "It's me, Senshi!"
"Senshi ... " Van said as he went back to the part of the shore closest to her.
He reached out and the faery took his hand. She was coughing the filthy water out of her throat when he pulled her out.
"Doesn't taste like sewer water, at least," she said with relief.
"Thank the gods," sighed Vandal.
Nu went to them raising her hands to ready a spell, it would seem.
"You must be freezing," she said softly, "let me dry you all off."
It was a strange feeling, having the water be pulled from your skin and clothes. It was like the drops were living, like slugs and worms, yet when Van brushed his hands over his tunic, it was dry as a bone.
"Uhm ... " Senshi murmured shyly, rubbing the back of her neck, "thanks ... I can't believe you guys would ... you know ... try to save me, after everything."
"It's alright, Senshi," said Nu, "I forgive you."
Senshi smiled, stood up, and walked a little farther away to inspect their surroundings.
Vandal leaned into Nu.
"She betrayed us?" Vandal whispered, "When?"
"I heard Cordis talking about it, back in the penthouse," said Nu, "you might have to ask Magpie about it."
Van remembered the time they split up before the shift. Could she have made that floor collapse? To be alone with Magpie ... what was she planning to do? Vandal watched her wearily but knew her apology was genuine. Cordis would even turn them against each other, Van mused.
Something red, in contrast to the surroundings, stood out and hung on a piece of crooked rebar. What is that? Van slipped it off the metal and inspected it. This is Ladnavia's hat. He could tell by its wide brim and the hole his bullet had made. Why would this be here?
They wandered through the underground corridors, the occasional hole in the structure walls, providing some light, along with emergency lights left on and powered by whatever force kept the refrigerators and lamps on in the safehouse running.
They couldn't have been too far from each other when they fell. For all they knew, only a few walls separated them from Jayden, Magpie, and Cordis. Van hoped the latter was alone and drowning.
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