M A K A Y L A



My lungs burned through the sub zero air. I threw up heavy boots of snow and ice as I crashed through the snowy terrain. Blood coated the palms of my hands and my pursuers closed in ever closer. Ever faster. But I too had improved.

I ducked between rocky shards and skidded sharply to the right of a sheer face of tall rock. I tried to control my ragged breathing–tried to focus my mind just right–

When a black hooded figure lunged around the corner I stepped low, locking his arm and using his momentum against him. He sailed over into the rock with a grunt. Another was upon me then with a wild swing. I dodged and kicked a leg out at his knee making him drop. I then snapped a foot into his chest sending him back in a puff of white.

I couldn't stop the third. He lunged at my waist and took us off our feet. When he had me on the ground his weight worked against me. He struck me in the face sharply and my head whipped back. I tried to block the next jabs that hit me relentlessly. Then the others began getting to their feet. Two grabbed my arms and shoved me onto my knees before the dark eyed mercenary.

He drew his hand back and whipped it into my stomach. The air left me and I gasped in more icy air. He repeated this three more times before they stopped. Blood leaked from my lips. I could feel the salt in my eyes threatening to leave me. I bit back the emotion.

My head dipped to the white snow below. I watched the drops of my blood hit it in stark contrast.

Then something just as stark appeared in the snow. The mercenaries held me firmly as a dark figure in a red cloak approached me. A black mask covered all but a burning pair of golden eyes. There was no remorse in them.

Her strides were quick. A lethal efficiency in everything she did.

She dropped into a crouch as they held me by the arms. Those burning eyes gave nothing away. I had asked for this after all. Asked her to make me into something as lethal as the men and women walking the streets of the outer sectors. Turn me into a member of her Division.

She drew a hidden blade and pressed it into my thigh slowly. I grit my teeth, never taking my eyes off her. Even when the metal sunk lower and my pain starting sounding out through my teeth over the cold winds.

"The poison will make you hallucinate." She told me calmly, holding my gaze as if experiencing this pain with me. When I looked back at her I saw a part of her recognising what I felt and living it by my side. "Your will and drive shall determine how long before you start losing the fight against it."

The hired men at arms dropped me and she rose to a stand. The wind ripped strands of blonde hair away from my braid. I had no hood or mask against the elements. My nose had long ago grown numb to it.

"Get up." She ordered.

I took a deep breath and rose to my feet. She dropped a nod and an armoured man front kicked me off my own. I hit the ground quickly, the snow only slightly breaking the feel of sudden force smashing into your back. I used it to fuel my anger. I threw a leg between one of them and twisted sharply, pulling him to the ground. Another moved to engage but I was already on my feet. Trying to forget and not calculate how many more seconds I would have before the poisoned wound on my leg started taking a toll.

The heavy set man threw two quick jabs before I locked his arm and elbowed his lungs. He coughed and staggered back as another engaged me. But now the white snow started tinting purple. My breaths felt wet and my arms heavy.

I shook my head trying to clear it. Scorpion watched me under a crimson hood. Pacing before the dogged fight like an entirely different predator.

The final man engaged me with a round kick, I stumbled clear. Everything felt heavy. I grit my teeth and lunged at him. If I was running out of time I had to buy myself some. That was surely the point of this. It took him by surprise when I closed the space quickly and feigned a punch to his nose before going for his throat.

It found its mark and left him breathless and clutching at it desperately. I kicked him off his feet whilst wobbling on my own. I glanced down and noted the red flowing down my trousers and onto the purple snow.

"Where is your mind now?" She called from afar. But sounded so close.

I rubbed my eyes of the ice and tried to focus on the red cloak that rippled and vanished. Then she was close enough to touch. Close enough to whisper.

"You think I bring death where ever I go but it is you." She chuckled near my ear. I staggered backwards and tried to bring in more clear breaths. But the red cloak of the crime lord found me again. Her burning golden eyes now more catlike than human.

"You will be the death of everyone close to you. You just can't see it yet."

"You're nothing but the worst part of my mind." I retorted coldly. I tried to turn away but was confronted my Proximo. Then scores of Division 52 members falling to their knees before me. Lifeless like drained puppets. Proximo's tattoos rippled in dark swirls down the side of his face.

"You are nothing but a distraction to her. One that will cost her, her life." He murmured over the winds. I growled before lashing out at him and watching him disappear in plumes of purple smoke.

"This is the best you can do?" I called into the purple snow that rushed past me. I didn't feel the cold.

"No, Makayla!" Alex called from behind me. I turned to see her in all her natural glory. Without the cloak. In simple close fitted trousers and a black top that hugged her like a second skin. Her hair half braided on one side and piled loose down the other.

"This is the best I can do." She smiled as she drew a long dagger and placed it over her heart.

"Wait–this isn't–"

She plunged it into her chest sharply and I screamed. Rushing to her as she dropped to her knees and the red just kept flowing past her fingers.

"Alex–wh–why would you–what have you done?!" I clutched her hands and she only smiled at me. She placed a bloody hand over my cheek slowly.

"Shhh. It's only a matter of time..."

I tried desperately to stop the life that was draining out of her. The lifelessness that would find her eyes so soon and make my own meaningless. "Just hold on–wait please let me try–"

She pulled me down close to whisper near my ear. "You caused it all." She grinned through bloody teeth before becoming purple smoke all together.

I stared at the patch of snow where she was for seconds longer. As long as my arms and wounds could manage before I sunk into it and let a calm blackness wash over me.



* * * * *



I slowly came to. Feeling hot steam on my skin.

I took in a slow and broken breath. I opened my eyes to see the space lit by glowing coals. The steam was thick and it soothed my throat and skin that had been so cold...

My vision still seemed blurred–not entirely in focus.

The coals hissed and more steam rose into the low lit wood and stone room. Movement caught my eye but I didn't have the energy to raise my head and find out. I closed my eyes again before I became aware of small pinching sensations on my skin.

I opened my eyes and managed a slight head tilt to make out my bare arm pinned with multiple thin needles. They glowed blue on top–a vague indicator that they were actively working.

"Don't move." A familiar voice murmured nearby.

When I tried to roll my head again a firm hand drew my head back into place on the wood.

"Alex." I mumbled.

"I've got you." Was the only response.

I felt more pin pricks across my body. Scarcely aware of small cloth coverings but the rest of me was bare to the blue glowing needles. I swallowed my dry throat before trying again.

"I saw you."

Her hands paused on my leg. I felt her eyes on my face even without opening my eyes.

"It brings out the worst of your mind. The point is to make you resilient to your darkness if someone were to try and use it against you." She said quietly, resuming her work on healing my body.

"That would explain why it was so... unbearable." I answered in a slight rasp.

She placed a palm on my neck. The warmth of it and the intimacy was enough to stop my thoughts from darkening. I opened my eyes finally and found her gazing at me through the steam wearing only a black tank top and her laced underwear.

She leant over me again and caught my eyes trailing her bare legs. "If you're able to gawk at me like that then you don't need me doing this." She drawled, pinning another needle into place.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked with a small head tilt.

She threw me a flat look before picking up two more pins and holding them in her mouth, leaning over me again. Now a part of me suspiciously realised that the laced underwear was a deliberate move.

"You're unbelievable."

"I know. But what–in particular?" She said around the pins.

"I tell you how much I like those–" I said eyeing her deliberately, "–and you happen to be in them the one time I cannot do anything about it?"

She chuckled, pinning the last of the needles into my thigh before pulling up and looking down at me. There was a deeper pain in them that lingered and I knew the reason why. She took my hand careful not to disturb any needles.

"You think I would pin you with over one hundred acupuncture needles, create an optimum temperature room and wear inappropriate clothing just to tease you in the process?" She said watching every inch of my face.

I scanned every part of her beautiful face. From those high cheek bones to her full lips that caught in a small smile as I remained silent.

"That's exactly what I think." I answered honestly.

Instead of responding she moved to the other side of the cushioned, wooden block and laid along side me with her head propped on her elbow. It made me uneasy not being able to face her fully and move but I think that's what she enjoyed about the situation. If it moved the pain from her face I had seen before then I'd gladly take it.

"Makayla. I could hardly wear a full suit of vanguard armour in a steam room."

I glanced down at her partially exposed chest. "You're right. Why bother with anything at all?"

She laughed lightly and I smiled, loving the sound.

"You are unbelievable, Miss Xavier. Not me." She smirked, tracing a finger along the tip of my shoulder.

I sighed, enjoying the feel of it. These moments were all the more precious now that we spent a lot of our time trying to kill each other in the name of training. Her fingers trailed up to graze my jawline slowly.

"It kills me to hurt you." She said suddenly. I tried to tilt my head but she held me in place.

"We've been over this–" I started.

"Sure. I understand the reason for it. That doesn't shake the hate for myself I have every time-"

"Alex." I levelled. "You can't bare to see me hurt just as I cannot bare to see you throwing yourself in front of every enemy I create. I'm not doing this to hurt you. I'm doing this so that you aren't always hurting yourself to protect me." I finished with a wince when too many needles pinched.

She sighed long and hard, continuing to watch the side of my face.

"No matter what we do one of us always seems to be getting hurt."

"Okay. You're going to need to take these things out of me." I stated quickly.

"Why? They need at least three–"

"Because I'm getting this close to hugging you regardless of becoming a human pin cushion or not."

She smiled shaking her head and carefully moving to kiss my neck. I closed my eyes and groaned. "This is worse than the training."

"I'll do you a deal. We lie here for the next hour then I'll take them out and we can embrace safely. Nothing more than that Miss Xavier." She warned with a darker look.

I tilted my head slightly and caught her eyes. "You have a deal."