Chapter 16

"Come on, Icarus," Aries snapped, brimming with energy. He clenched a fist, "This should be easy. I have trained you many days and nights, with our elite focus this should be as easy as a Wortistan breeze."

Jersey looked at me and then to Aries, "With accuracy like his, I think he's got it in the bag. But if he doesn't miss, I've got something special for him."

My face lit up, burning hot. Now I had to do this.

"Ready?" Jersey waggled her eyebrows at me, "Set. Go!"

I took off sprinting, I began to think back on how heavy my armor used to seem. I took long strides with ease before drawing my handgun and hurdling a rock, popping a shot, and scoring a clean hit on a sandbag set up against a tree. The sandbag ripped itself free of Aries' knife. I shoved the pistol back in the holster before taking off again.

"Excellent shot," Aries praised.

I rolled over a log and scooped up Snowpiercer who was set there. Worked the bolt back, jammed a stripper clip of bullets in, and chambered a round looking up into the trees before slamming off five shots. Five sandbags fell to the dirt and I darted off to the last section, as I approached I spotted a quiver of arrows and a weapon I hadn't been familiar with since I was a child. I slung Snowpiercer over my shoulder and carefully picked up the bow that had been hung on a low branch, it resembled nothing like the ones I had seen. This one was solid black with a metal frame and metal strings, I snatched up one of the arrows, and just like the bow it was also made of metal. I twirled it through my claws before loading it in the bow and pulling back, I spotted my target out a good distance away. I released, and unlike my rifle, the arrow flew silent and hit the target nearly as quietly. With another flourish I wheeled around with another arrow loaded and pierced a target that Jersey had thrown into the air, from how high it was she must have just released it. She ducked for cover as sand rained down on her. I whipped around once more, nocking the last arrow, and spotting the last target. It was high up in a tree.

Aries' doing. Easy shot, only fourty meters-

Aries, who must have never left the tree and I don't understand how he got up there so fast, hopped down onto the branch and threw the sandbag.

"Your targets aren't going to stay still!" He shouted with amusement.

Jersey countered, "That's cheating, ya heathen!"

I took a deep breath and readjusted my grip.

Just like the snow dunes with mom.

I let the arrow fly, curving up and left before coming down hard to the ground to the right effectively pinning the bag to the ground. Its sandy innards spilled onto the ground while I raised the bow over my head.

I was uprooted from my victorious pose unceremoniously, and my face pressed into the chest plate of Jersey's armor, "Ah haha ha! I told you he wouldn't miss, Aries."

I scowled, my ten seconds of being somewhat cool were instantly ruined by the freelancer dangling me off the ground and spinning me around. She held me out from her body, her eyes glittered with amusement, while I glared at her until she put me down.

"Aw, you're no fun, Icarus."

"I think I liked it better when you thought I was just some dirty hick."

"Don't act like you don't love it, lying isn't a good fit for you."

I turned my head and flinched when Aries' form was right behind me, "Geezus, fuck-"

"I'm curious," Aries lowered himself to my level and his prior joy seemed to be shadowed over by something, "Where did you learn to handle a bow? I thought you were proficient with rifles only."

"Yeah, I kinda wanna know too." Jersey added, coming around to stand next to Aries. "I've never seen someone curve an arrow like that before, that was some action movie shit. Well, really, if I'm being honest, I'd never actually seen a bow and arrow before today- But that was some Sampi magic right there."

I ran a digit up the curves of the bow before plucking the string, "My mom and I used to do a lot of hunting. Aries already knows this. But before I could really handle Snowpiercer, we would hunt with bows. I know it's old-fashioned... But it's more silent than any subsonic ammunition, and it's deadly. No shell casings. Seen bears go down with just a single arrow. Mom used to let me call the curve for the shots..."

For a moment I swore I could feel a cold rush of Sampi air, bringing a smile to my face... and then it was gone.

Aries looked at his swords and patted his knife belt, "There's nothing wrong with using old ways to solve new problems."

"So what I'm gettin' is sniping is genetic for you, Icarus?"

"I'd argue my mother could put my shooting to shame."

Aries opened his mouth to retort, but the radio blipped and the three of us stared at one another. There was only one person who actually pinged our frequency.

Aries reached to his jacket collar under his scarf, "Rogue leader, talk to me, Wash."

Jersey picked up her helmet and held it next to my head, so I could hear.

"I- Well, Andee needs to borrow Icarus for a light op," Wash started, I could hear the faint shuffle of papers. "Is it possible you three can get back here? I can share the details on the way back."

"We'll be back soon."

Aries killed the transmission and Jersey put a hand on her hip staring at us judgmentally, "Another operation on Andee's watch. Can't wait to see how he nearly fucking kills us this time."

"The two of us still owe him," Aries' arm wrapped around me and pressed me to his side, "But you're more than welcome to sit out, Astrid."

The Freelancer scoffed, "Were you not listening when I told York that I wasn't gonna let you two get yourselves killed?"

---

By the time we returned it was late afternoon, unlike before when we would come back from being out, CT and Wash weren't waiting for us outside. The three of us did our usual walk-up to Wash's office but about halfway there a chupa with a crimson mane walked out from a door ahead of us, the scary charcoal-furred one with two handguns. I glanced over at Jersey next to me, there was a boiling hatred in her eyes before she looked away from the redhead toward the ceiling. Aries, who was on my other flank, looked... Worried. I shifted in front of Aries and stood tall as I walked with my head up and shoulders back, which only seemed to amuse the redhead when I began to stare her down. My repositioning mattered very little as the moment I passed her she grabbed Aries by the shoulder, checking me forward with her hip.

"You were just going to pass me by without saying anything, Hope?" She chuckled. I whirled around, ready to separate the two, but I felt Jersey grip my sniper veil and yank me forward. Aries silently shook his head and she smiled. "You should introduce me to your guys sometime."

"Icarus. Let it go," Jersey hissed from behind me. I wanted to fight until I saw Aries mouth 'Go'. "He'll be fine."

I allowed Jersey to drag me away down the hall while I watched my partner be led the opposite way, I didn't even know this woman and yet the image of her being near him made me inexplicably angry.

"I don't trust her."

Jersey sighed, "Join the club, you wouldn't be the first. I still haven't forgiven that bitch. I don't care if she's-"

"That's Tex," I near shouted and Jersey flinched before slamming her fist against the top of my head, I rubbed my head gingerly while the blue chupa scowled at me.

"You fuckin' loudmouth- you want the whole base to hear you? Yes, that is- You ain't know what she looked like?"

"I'm sorry I can't identify every ass on the base like you can, Inspector Astrid."

"I- You- fuckin' redneck."

"Creative."

"Fuck off."

Jersey covered her muzzle with a hand and looked away from me. Either she was coming up with a comeback or she was trying not to think too hard about what I said, but either way, silence washed up between us.

"Jersey, you don't actually think Tex would-"

"No, Grease, I was saying that stuff just to mess with you. If I'm honest..." We turned a corner and Jersey rested her hands on her hips. "They're too much alike, and she's too friendly with him. She seems to only like people who hate her or don't really know her... except for him."

I frowned at that, it didn't seem true. Although I didn't know this 'Tex' personally, she seemed to at the very least get along fine with everyone. Although, getting along fine really is, just nobody is actively trying to kill one another.

What's Astrid's beef?

"You seem to hate her, she ain't even look at ya. What'd she do to ya?"

There was a conflicted look in Jersey's eyes, "Let's just see what Wash wants, alright?"

Jersey was silent the rest of the walk. I led the way into Wash's office, pushing open the door, and was greeted with an interesting sight and sound. Washington sat behind his desk, elbows on the top with hands propping his head up as he massaged his temples. On top of his desk and his papers stood a bat, talking quite loudly that surprisingly wasn't Andee. Golden-framed glasses sat on his snout, and his eyes lit up when he turned his head to look at me. His backpack seemed less full now, maybe he'd dumped some of his papers into Andee's possession? Even though I still found bats really odd looking, I wasn't scared of them. Milo was too dorky and Andee was, well, Andee. I figured the rest of them were somewhere between those two in personality, seeing how different he and Andee were.

The bat took a flying leap off the desk, scattering the stack of papers as he fluttered and crashed into my shoulder. "Icarus! You didn't shoot at me this time. Wonderful, I'll make a note. Shooting... is not... a... customary greeting." The bat quickly climbed around and sat on my shoulders, but the front flap of his pink shawl fell over my right eye. He spoke while I could hear the scratching of something on paper.

Wash looked relieved, "Thanks for coming on short notice."

"So what's the mission, Wash," I pushed the cloth out of my face. "I'm thinkin' you had your hands full 'ere."

"Andee says Milo wants to go out again, make sure he gets back in one piece and don't let him wander off." Wash got up from his desk and began to usher us out. "I'm certain you two can manage that."

"Wait, Wash, we just got here-"

"Well, all the more reason to get going. You don't want to keep the bat waiting, do you?"

"I'd say it sounds like you're trying to rush us out, don't you love having us around Wash," Jersey smirked and chuckled.

"Stop stalling, J. I'll see you three when you get back."

The door closed behind us, I looked up at Jersey, and she still had a grin plastered on her face before she looked down at me. She must have picked up on my confusion because pat me on the shoulder and her smile somehow grew wider.

"Snowy, if I didn't know any better I'd think Wash was making time to bang or something, he's never happy to see us. Shoot, that stress ball is never happy."

I felt Milo hug himself down against my head like a fur hat, "What does that mean?"

"What? Bang?"

I glared at Jersey and mouthed, 'Don't you dare.'

She smiled the biggest I had ever seen since I met her, "Milo, I feel like you're going to learn a lot with us."

---

Jersey hit a sharp turn, warthog fishtailing as she was careful not to bump Milo, who sat in her lap. He flipped pages in his tiny journal, writing in characters that even when he had explained them, I couldn't decipher. I didn't know bats had a written language, or that they could even write for that matter. I was still working out how Milo managed to hold a pencil properly. The sun was past set and the purple glow of twilight rushed to fill the glittering canvas above our heads.

"So let me see if I understand," Milo began while I ran a claw along the frame of the bow I brought. "Bang is a multi-use word. As a sound effect, but also to describe or express-"

The bat paused, then squinted at his own notes.

"-A want to spend time with people. But can also be used interchangeably with the word 'fuck.' But 'fuck' depending on context is another word with a plethora of different meanings depending on context and inflection. Your language is quite complicated, a lot of linguistic fluff. Or as you called it... A 'sentence enhancer'. Would it not be better to say what you mean?"

"Depends on the person you're speaking to. Aren't you glad you've got us to learn from, who better than the locals? Hey, when you get back, you should impress Andee with your new vocabulary."

"You think he'll be impressed?"

"Think so?" Jersey looked over at me with a devious grin before throwing her head back, cackling, "I know so. In fact, I'll be there when you present him with your new findings."

"You'd do that?"

I cut in, "Milo, where are we going? Wash said you needed us to take you somewhere."

The bat looked at me puzzled, his confused face illuminated by the dashboard light and the dim moonlight. "I- Oh! Right. I wanted to... See..."

The bat buried his nose in his journal and began flipping pages.

"Here!" He turned the journal toward me and I could make out the page, at least while squinting. It was a large building, with glass front doors on and a sign out front that was scribbled with something illegible. It looked as if there were mountains behind it. For a bat, it was a really nice drawing, but I didn't know what it was. "I want to go here. What is this place?"

"I couldn't tell ya," I muttered.

"Show me," Jersey glanced down at the paper and then drifted a hard left, "Oh, I can get us there no problem. Library on the border of Omegrad and Wortistan, been there loads of times. Still have overdue books there."

"A library, what an interesting n-"

"What?" I cut Milo off, staring at Jersey.

"I know, I know. I should've returned them ages ago, but the librarians stare at you real judgmental, then the overdue fees- Ech, it's a whole thing."

It must have been a solid ten seconds before Jersey looked at me and got a good look at my face.

"Why do you look like I told you to sprout wings and fly?"

"What the fuck is a library?"

Jersey slammed her foot on the brakes, sending Milo tumbling into the air, barely catching his notebook as he took flight. The bat circled around and landed on my shoulder, resting on me like a pillow.

"Astrid."

"Icarus, please tell me you're yankin' my chain. You know what a fucking library is. I buy it from four-eyes here, I don't from you."

I glared at her, "No, I really don't."

"Can you read?"

I slammed a hand on the gearshift.

"Yes! I'm not illiterate! I'm sorry I ain't a gaht-damn city-girl like you- All we had were caves, hunter's markets and log cabins if we were lucky!"

The blue freelancer poked a digit into my chest through my brown cloak, "I knew I could get the accent outta you. You wind up easy. Why ain't you wearing your armor?"

"You riled me up just to hear the way I talk?" I huffed for a few seconds before taking a breath, "I didn't wear it because I figured we were going somewhere potentially where there would be other people, and wearing power armor is a fantastic way to draw bad attention."

"So... You wore a hunting cloak?"

I looked down at my cloak, covered in camo print.

"What's wrong with it?

"Are you serious?"

"It was the best I could do on short notice- Don't you dare-"

"You couldn't look more- you know what? Nevermind. Fuckin' adorable."

Milo, who had been fairly quiet that entire time, spoke up while moving to sit in my lap. "I don't understand the way you two talk. Your words and tones are angry, but you don't look angry, Icarus I thought you told me you-"

I quickly pinched his muzzle shut and Jersey began to drive again, I just needed both of them to be quiet. I needed to think, we just need a plan and once we get there I'll have to improvise. Though, Wash hates it when we improvise.

What would Aries do?

We pulled up on a backstreet, headlights out and hidden from the fronts of any buildings from a thin treeline. It was our luck the 'library' was on the edge of this town, and our luck we were doing this at night. Fortunate timing, that's what Aries would call it. I reached into the bed of the warthog and pulled out what I needed. A large backpack, the bow, quiver of arrows, and a walkie-talkie. Jersey threw on her helmet and kicked a foot up on the dash, laying one of her SMGs across her lap.

I slipped on the bag and Milo climbed into it, bow in hand and quiver around my waist like a sword sheath I made my way across the street passing under one of the streetlights. Then I brought the walkie-talkie up to my mouth, hitting the large button on the side. "Astrid, am I comin' through clear?"

"Sorta, getting some static. Say something else."

"Goin' spearfishin' in Sampi can mean two very different things depending on what town you're in."

"Fuckin' what?" I could hear Jersey fumble around with her SMG, probably catching it as it fell out of her lap.

"Comms are clear then, I take it?"

"Cheeky fuck. Crystal, Grease. Maybe warn me before you throw that haymaker-ass Sampi humor."

I chuckled and clipped the walkie-talkie to the strap of my bag, I looked over my shoulder. "Milo, I think this probably goes without sayin', but keep it quiet once we're in. 'Aight? What book am I lookin' for?"

Milo poked his nose out of the bag, "A bestiary- compendiums of beasts."

"A cum-what now?" I scrunched up my muzzle, trying to repeat the word back.

"It's a big book full of all the wildlife."

"Oh! Like a book with all the local game in it? My mom used to have one of those, though she made that herself... Why ain't you said so? That makes this a million times easier. Let's hope this place is open, head down, Milo."

I walked up to the glass door and gave it some force, it opened without issue, which meant we wouldn't have to break in or do this under pressure. Before me, inside the door, stood rows upon rows of books and shelves. The ones bordering the walls touched the ceiling, but I couldn't see over the ones immediately in front of me. Suddenly this task of finding this book seemed way less of a cakewalk, either way it's gonna get done.

Shit, that's gotta be a lotta fuckin' books.

A throat cleared on my right, "Excuse me."

I whipped my head around and there sat a misty blue with a darker ponytail librarian looking rather annoyed at me behind her desk.

Jersey had mentioned something about librarians, hadn't she?

"Kid, where are your parents, it's late. And you shouldn't bring your toys in here."

I actively chose to ignore that last comment.

"Sorry, I'm not a kid, ma'am, just vertically challenged." She stood up to get a better look at me and grimaced. "I'm here lookin' for one of them, uh, hunting books."

"A hunting book?"

I didn't like her tone, as if she was talking down to me. "Book of all the local wildlife-"

"We have encyclopedias, if that's what you mean."

"That's exactly what I'm looking for. Me 'n a friend of mine been hired to catch us some game for a client, and I just wanna make sure we're baggin' the right animal." I hit the radio button, "Ain't that right?"

"Look, you better hurry up Grease, I'm gettin' antsy."

"If you could so kindly point me in the right direction?"

She crossed her arms, but whatever she came at me with, I had a plan. "Well, I can't let you check out a book at this hour of night."

"Won't be no problem," I reassured her, "I'm readin' it here."

"You better keep it quiet."

"Ma'am I believe we're the only ones here, but sure."

She stared at me with disgust before pointing me off in hopefully the correct direction, I didn't understand what I did to deserve that look, but I had a job to do. I quickly put distance between us and began searching for the book, scanning shelves in the low nighttime lights. I passed through fiction and passed a wooden table that sat under a spotlight, looking closer as the nonfiction tab stuck out with a government logo on it.

You never really are out of their reach, are ya?

I tapped a digit against the book spines until I found one that's spelling looked pretty close to how 'encyclopedia' sounded, sliding it out of the shelf and holding it out toward the backpack.

"Milo, this seem about right," I hissed in a low voice.

I heard the cloth move and an excited gasp.

"Take that as a yes. I'm gonna sit us down and whatever you plan to do, just make it quick, okay?"

I rushed over to the table I'd passed prior, pulled a chair out, and sat down. Pulled the backpack straps off my shoulders and sitting it in my lap, Milo poked his head out, and I leaned forward with my hunting cloak to cover him before opening up the book. The silence of the library, only occasionally broken by the sound of Milo's scribbling, was like a mausoleum. Quiet and lonely. It didn't sit right with me. Not that I enjoyed being shot at or anything, but it just wasn't the same. After nearly dying, silence is uncomfortable.

"Got a question for you," I started, attempting to fill the silence. "Is... Is Andee really like that?"

Milo didn't look up at me and reached out to turn the page, "Like what?"

"Mean. An asshole. It's fine if he's just that way by default- but it seems like he doesn't do that for Aries."

"Andee isn't mean, he's just... direct. And Aries is scary, his smile is like a row of sharp knives."

Maybe he isn't mean to you... And scary checks out.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious is all," It fell silent once more, and I felt obligated to speak. "You ever thought it was weird that Jersey and Andee have similar accents?"

Milo 'hmm'd and turned another page, "I never really noticed until now. Could be a product of... Local dialects? I could ask-"

My radio hissed and Jersey could be heard shuffling around in the hog, "Hey, Grease, hide. Now. Squad of HADES soldiers just walked up in the library."

I hit the button, "Thanks for the heads-up, Milo- grab the book."

The bat scooped up his belongings before squeezing the book in with him in the backpack. I slipped on the bag, drew the bow and nocked an arrow before making my way back toward the entrance and peeking out. Five HADES soldiers stood at the entrance, a sixth behind the desk, putting the librarian in handcuffs.

Fuck.

I turned and made my way further into the book maze, my tail caught the edge of a book, and it slammed to the floor.

"The hell was that?"

"There someone else here?"

"A short guy came in to read something."

Fucking snitch.

"Jayson, Adrian. Find 'em."

I picked a corner and peeked it with the bow drawn, this situation was fucked.

No shoot-outs. I can't risk Milo getting shot and I can't get shot. If they find him, they'll kill him. Or worse.

The light cone of a dim flashlight shone down the corridor I was aiming down, there was no shadow, meaning the two sent to look for me had split up.

"Come on out, kid. We got some questions for ya," The soldier called out, coming closer.

I took a deep breath and held it. A shadowy figure walked into my line of sight and I released the tension, the arrow struck him, and he dropped instantly with it sticking out of his neck. I ran over and stomped the flashlight, retrieved my arrow, then dragged the body away behind a bookshelf.

The dead soldier's radio went off, "Jayson? Ja-a-yson? Hell did you go?"

I moved away, staying in a low crouch as I prowled in the shadows avoiding the overhead lights when possible, I turned a corner and was right behind who I assumed was Adrian. She turned her head to look at me and received an arrow in the forehead, falling like a sack of bricks. I repeated the process, but the moment I ripped my arrow from her skull, a flashlight shone on me. I pulled it and bolted, gunfire obliterated the shelf of books above me, and once again I was thankful for my short stature.

"Squad leader? I think Jayson and Adrian are dead."

"No way."

Just my fucking luck, an encounter like this.

"Stay on alert, find him!"

I crawled across the carpet, trying to control my breathing as I found concealment under the shadow of a table. I laid on my side, drawing the bow, and kept an eye on the way I came in. Light shone on the corner, but I could see a shadow cast on the shelf. That meant two were coming. I picked out two more arrows, kicked over the table and got some distance behind another shelf. Now I had space to work with. The first soldier swung around the corner and instantly looked down at the overturned table, I let the arrow loose, and it burrowed its way into the soldier's chest. It took a moment for him to fall, as if his body hadn't quite caught up to the lethal blow dealt to him. The second stepped over his gun up, I dove out and fired an arrow midair. I hit the ground, and it pierced his bicep and he fired a burst into the ceiling, crying out in pain. From my position on the floor, I fired another into his knee, dropping him to a kneeling position. I pushed myself up and charged him, batting the rifle out of his hand and getting behind him. Before he could resist, I put the bow over his head and pressed the metal string to their throat. He reached for the gun, and I leaned back, pressing harder before kicking it away. The body went limp, and I tossed him aside before shooting an arrow into in the head. I pulled it out and made my way towards the exit. In front of the glass entrance doors stood only one guy, who seemed oblivious to my presence. I lifted the bow and a cold barrel pressed up against my skull.

Fuck!

"Drop it," The voice who the gun belonged to commanded. I complied, tossing the bow to the floor and lifting my hands up. "Got a live one. Think I know what happened to the others."

I heard the sound of an engine rev and a vehicle approaching, no doubt that was their reinforcements.

"Grease, hit the dirt," My own radio surprised me and I dropped to the floor, curled up to protect the bad.

The hissing gunfire of silenced SMGs filled the air, riddling the remaining two soldiers with holes and shattering the glass doors. The two dropped before they could even fire a single round.

I looked up and spotted-

"Jersey," I looked at her as she casually discarded her empty magazines.

"Let's go before reinforcements show up to figure out why this squad isn't responding."

"Right."

I ran over and picked up my bow, then made my way behind the desk to the librarian, who was now sat upright. I cocked back a fist.

"Sorry, it's nothing personal."

Before she could open her mouth to protest, I hit her with a right hook that knocked her out. Jersey grabbed the two rifles near the door and we both ran out to the warthog, throwing the stuff in the bed before we both hopped in and sped off.

"So, Grease. How'd you like the library?"

"It's a goddamn death trap."

"I figured you weren't a big reader."

I shifted the bag back to my lap, allowing Milo out.

"Did you get what you came for?"

Milo pushed up his glasses, "Well, yes and no. I didn't get to copy down all the information-"

"You can finish it at base. Right now we need to put some distance between us and that town as a whole."

"I guess so..."

There was a lull before Jersey spoke up again, "Did you really have to punch that librarian?"

I crossed my arms, "Listen, she couldn't know which way we went or how we got here."

"She pissed you off, didn't she?"

"So what if she did?"

Red vs Blue © Rooster Teeth. Halo © 343 Industries. Concept by Myshu, assisted by The Department of Chupapology.