Post by skyeknight on Jun 29, 2016 13:55:41 GMT
The sirens were blaring. People were running away from the warehouse as quickly as possible. Screams of terror echoed in the streets. If the fire wasn’t put out soon, it would spread to the surrounding buildings. The police had been called in for a mandatory evacuation of the buildings nearby. Luckily the warehouse had been abandoned and non-functional. An arson team would be called in later to examine the causes but since this was the shadier part of town, Terra didn’t put it past faulty wiring by cost cutting CEOs who didn’t care about safety as long as products were pouring out.
Aqua and Terra were in the building one right across the street from the warehouse, also the closest building to the raging inferno. The fire department had their hands full, trying to put out the blaze. He ushered a teenager down the stairs before turning back to his partner. She helped a woman readjust her hold on a bundle of blankets – a baby and hurried the woman down the stairs. Both victims fled without thanking either officer.
"I’ve got this floor cleared," Terra called. "Aqua!"
"This one is-"
"Help me!"
The fey stopped. She could already feel smoke pouring into the building. Heat was starting to accumulate against the walls. This building had caught a blaze, but the voice she heard – small and childish. Aqua moved to go up the staircase to get to them, but Terra grabbed her arm. The look in his eyes was deadly serious, solemn and almost like he had already given up on the small voice pleading for their help. Aqua felt her breath catch. They weren’t too late. Not yet! They hadn’t even tried yet. Worst comes to worse, she take a window exit.
"Someone’s trapped on the upper level!" she protested.
"Aqua we have to go!"
"We have to help them!" she cried, "Terra, please!"
Terra took a deep breath, like he was debating just lifting her up over his shoulder and carrying her out himself. Aqua took his hesitance and yanked her arm back before running up the staircase. She could hear Terra call out her name as she took the stairs, three steps at a time. She had to be quick. She found the door where the soft cries were coming from. Without even trying the doorknob, she kicked in the door. She hissed as licks of fire tried to kiss her skin. She threw up her arms to shield her face, a soft cry of pain issued from her lips as her sleeves went up in smoke and she pat down the flames that touched her arms. Sure, she would be burned but the child!
She kept her arms up, peering through them to try and find the last tenant. A few things were already burning brilliantly. They wouldn’t have much time before it spread to the lower levels. She held her breath, trying to breath in as little of the smoke as possible but the dark plume of smoke was making it hard to see. She was starting to get frantic. She only hoped that her partner saw himself out. She was definitely going to have to take a window option on this one.
"Where are you?" she called. "I’m here to help!"
"Here."
Aqua turned. There was a small boy, dressed in an oversized t-shirt, sniffling miserably and hiding in the closet. Aqua smiled in relief. She opened her arms wide. The boy wasted no time and rushed over to her. She picked him up, holding him tightly, the way his parents should have when they saw themselves out but left him behind. The child couldn’t have been any older than three or four. She smoothed a hand through his hair and turned, trying to find her way back out. Her eyes widened when she heard a loud crack. A beam had fallen over the doorway.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Aqua stiffened. Collect a debt? He was in the building casually during a fire? Had this man started it? Aqua opened her mouth as if to call out for her partner, but there was no sound. She could move, though. She had expected to be paralyzed as well as insensible, but she could move. She could get away. This the man was different, a touch insane if she had to guess but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out. She didn’t like it but she couldn’t exactly confront him about it either.
Something was wrong. That voice was far too calm for someone trapped in a burning building. Was it a Willow O Wisp behind her? A demon with pyromania? A teen dragon going through fire breath? This felt like she had walked straight into a trap. The boy was bait to lure someone in and it had worked. She cradled the child close, as if to hide them away from this sudden revelation of hers. She had fallen for this hook, line and sinker. She slowly reached for her gun.
"I came to collect on a debt and I find you instead."
Aqua turned away, finding a strange man with dark hair and frightening yellow eyes. The eerie thing about him was that he didn't seem to blink. He had such a hard, intense stare that it made Aqua feel as though he knew something she didn't. It was even more unnerving up this close. Swearing under her breath, Aqua took a step back. The room was getting much hotter. She coughed violently. The kid was probably in worse shape than she was. He had been up there longer.
The man's face was angular, harsh, and obviously cruel. His hair never laid flat; always a wild mess that made it look as if he had gone skydiving or something. His eyes were his most frightening characteristic that Aqua noticed. They seemed to change colors in the light, flashing from a neutral yellow, though his eyes were anything but, to a bright acidic yellow, which made Aqua wonder if it was a sign as a murderer. The one word he came up with to describe his features overall, was ‘sharp.’ There was this hidden dark power that seemed to emanate from him and Aqua could feel the power now.
"I’m sure you don’t exactly intend to spend the rest of your short life here…" The man taunted.
She swallowed. He was right. She lingered much longer and she would die. She took a step back, away from the man. They stared at each other for a long moment. Aqua had been expecting something much more soul-searchingly-deep after that contemplative gaze. She felt her face heat up again. She scowled darkly, more than a little flustered. Never once did her eyes stray from contact with the man’s until she she dashed off, ducking behind a wall, holding the small boy close. Her heart was pounding in her chest. ‘If this isn’t a game of hide and seek from Hell then I don’t know what is…’ she thought.
"What are you doing?" Aqua asked.
"I’m just imagining a rope… Around that neck of yours…" The man said, "I wonder how long it would take to choke the life out of you…"
Aqua stiffened. He really was a sadistic sociopath. She shivered. His eyes were something terrible and terrifying at the same time. Never before had she wanted to flee from just one look that someone gave her. Aqua didn't like the gleam in the man's eyes. Though she had never seen such a window to oblivion she knew that he bore her no good intentions. She didn’t dare step into the light unless he found her, but things were getting dire. The room was smoldering hot and she was even starting to have some troubles breathing. There wouldn’t be anywhere to hide if the room went up in smoke. She didn’t even know why the man was in the room in the first place.
"There are just so many ways to kill a faery… Flesh that burns with iron. Bones that break. Cuts that bleed." The man listed, "But to break a fey’s spirit is to truly destroy them… Or maybe your partner would volunteer to 'protect' you…"
Although the man said it mockingly there was a sadistic iciness to it that made Aqua shiver. He would do something to make her regret it if she tried to fight back. She shook her head, not wanting to imagine half of the things he was telling her. Something about the situation had shaken her nerves. She took a deep breath, looking down to see the blue eyes of the small boy peering up at her. He was depending on her. She had to recollect her courage.
"Leave him out of this!" Aqua shouted.
"So protective, aren't we?"
Then she realized he was goading her, trying to get her to talk so he could find her easier. His little plan worked. The very threat against her father’s life made her blood boil. She slipped out from behind the wall she was hiding, trying to get closer to the window on the opposite side of the apartment. She couldn’t fight back, not when she would risk the safety of the trembling child in her arms.
She had done stupid things before. There were things that made her wince and inwardly cringe. But each of those cases was always easily remedied. An apology was given and she worked to be given a chance to fix what happened. If the man had her way she would die there. She wouldn’t be able to tell Terra she was sorry for rushing in foolheartedly.
Aqua pulled out her gun. She was wrong to rush in without backup. Wrong about everything but she was going to make it right. Thinking back she could see all the mistakes she had made and all the flaws. Her actions were flawed in every single possible way and as unjustified as they came. She gripped the young boy even tighter in her free hand, pressing him close. She could feel the man sneaking up on the wall she was hiding behind. As he rounded the corner she swung the gun, striking him easily in the forehead. He fell backwards almost instantly, not expecting her to have tried to attack him.
He raised a hand to his still-throbbing head, but aside from the soft hiss from between his teeth, he gave no indication that the blow had actually hurt. When he thought of Aqua’s demeanor – so utterly opposed to the gentle, calm nature – and the pure, raw anger and hate in those previously soft doe eyes. The demon smirked up at her. As she watched him she got an almost nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. That feeling only grew worse as the man started to laugh.
"Is that how it's going to be?" The man asked.
She took a step back. She thought he would have at least have been knocked out. Her plan had been to stun him and get out, but the ‘stunning’ hadn’t worked. Her sapphire eyes and face showed no fear whatsoever despite right in front of the ‘sadistic sociopath’. He could at least admire her for facing him so bravely. A window. She had to get to the window. She took a few steps towards the glassy exit door when she heard a groan of wood. She barely had time to look up to see another beam coming down. The breath was knocked out of her completely when she was struck in the back, pinned to the ground by the beam that had fallen. She cradled the boy so that she took the blow, but he was pinned as well, trapped in her arms.
She couldn’t get up.
Try as she might, she had no leverage to push the beam up, not without her hands and those were effectively pinned under the child. They were only a few steps from freedom if she could just get back to her feet and get the beam off of them. She wiggled the best she could, hissing in pain as the heat started to eat at her back. Her wings roared in agony glamour to protect them or not. Aqua didn’t stop trying to get up. She had to save herself. She had to save the boy. The child was crying hard now, whimpering and sobbing, begging her to do something. She was trying. Worst yet, she couldn’t see the strange yellow eyed man.
"Aqua!"
She couldn’t turn her head to see who had called her name. But she knew the voice. A relief swept over her when she heard her partner. She had hoped he left, but knowing he was there, backing her up even if he didn’t approve of her choices made her feel much better. She was starting to feel dizzy. Did she hit her head? Her line of vision blurred slightly. Were the heat and the fire finally getting to her? Her head felt wet. That wasn’t usual. She didn’t have any water on her. Realization dawned on her. Blood. She had hit her head. She was bleeding.
"Terra! We’re trapped!"
"Damn it! I told you we had to go!" he shouted.
Terra pushed at the beam that had covered the door way. It easily fell out of the way since he had pushed it from the outside. The beam fell inward, into what used to be the kitchen area but it hadn’t even hit the ground by the time Terra had crossed the room to get to Aqua and the boy. Aqua gave a faint smile when he got over to them. He knelt down, quickly assessing the situation at hand. The fey smiled up at her human partner. She had gotten herself into quite a jam without his help. He looked quite frustrated. She was bound to get a lecture for this one later, when they were back at the precinct so he could give her a piece of his mind for rushing in so fool-heartedly.
"This is what you get for not listening to me!" he scolded.
Aqua nodded blearily. Terra had gripped the beam but when he saw the distant look on her face he grabbed her by the chin and made her look up at him, squeezing nearly hard enough to leave bruises. Aqua dimly noted that he looked scared. She winced, since he had craned her neck to an uncomfortable position. She noticed the little boy had stopped crying. He was still terrified but he hadn’t given up hope. Terra’s appearance seemed to have rekindled some form of bravery in the child.
"Stay awake!" he snapped.
Terra grimaced when her eyes started drifting shut anyways. He let go of her to grab the beam again. He braced himself the best he could and with all his strength tried to lift it up but he couldn’t. He readjusted his grip and tried again. It barely budged. Aqua’s head thumped against the floorboards. She had passed out. The heat of the fire was getting hotter. The floor below them was next and if they didn’t get out of here, the floor would collapse, taking them with it. Or worse, the entire ceiling would cave in and they would all burn with it.
"No," he uttered, "No! I can't lose you too!"
Terra could feel every muscle in his body straining as he struggled to lift the beam. A furious cry left his lips when he realized his efforts were fruitless. If he were anything other than human, lifting the beam would be a piece of cake, even Aqua had stronger than human strength, even if she wasn’t particularly strong enough to bench press the beam that had her trapped. He was left panting and the beam didn’t move. He swore, loudly, startling the wide eyed child. Terra looked around. There was nothing he could use to help free his partner. They were trapped.
"It’s getting a little hot in here, don’t you think?"
Terra turned quickly. There was a teenager standing across the room, arms folded across his chest, a smirk playing on his lips, amusement dancing in golden yellow eyes. He shrugged nonchalantly, as if the room wasn’t going up in flames. Terra’s brain reeled as he tried to process this. Aqua wouldn’t have missed someone like this teenager when she was checking the room for victims. He must have come in after she was pinned, but before Terra? Terra hadn’t exactly checked to see who was where when he rushed in to get to his partner.
"Help me save them," Terra demanded.
"So bossy," the teen said. "I suppose I could lend a hand, but where’s the fun in that? Don’t you think the papers would appreciate a tragic hero cop story?"
"Help me save them," Terra repeated.
The teen sighed, as if he were really being forced into assistance against his will. He got off the wall he was leaning on. He waltzed over as if they had all the time in the world. The flames were growing higher. The room was so hot that even Terra was beginning to feel the heat. He couldn’t imagine how bad it was for Aqua and the little boy. The small child watched the exchange with wide eyes. Terra glared at the teen. Aqua could die and this brat didn’t seem to care that she would either bleed out or burn in front of him. The teen gripped the beam with one hand.
"Fine. But on one condition…"
Terra paused. A condition? This idiot was really setting up a condition for his help? Aqua could die! The other little boy could die! Terra gripped the beam again, trying to lift it but the other man didn’t make any effort to help lift his end. He looked up frantically at the other being, realizing now that he was probably not as human as he appeared. It, unfortunately, seemed there was no other way around this acclaimed deal the demon was proposing.
"What do you want?"
"You," he replied. "I want you."
Terra frantically looked down at Aqua, who was growing paler by the second from blood loss. He had already lost one partner. His last partner bled out in front of him – a werewolf who took a silver bullet to the throat. It was one of the worst experiences of the young officer’s life. He couldn’t watch as a second partner slipped out of his hands again.
"Deal!" Terra cried.
And that was the last time Terra had control over his own body.
Aqua and Terra were in the building one right across the street from the warehouse, also the closest building to the raging inferno. The fire department had their hands full, trying to put out the blaze. He ushered a teenager down the stairs before turning back to his partner. She helped a woman readjust her hold on a bundle of blankets – a baby and hurried the woman down the stairs. Both victims fled without thanking either officer.
"I’ve got this floor cleared," Terra called. "Aqua!"
"This one is-"
"Help me!"
The fey stopped. She could already feel smoke pouring into the building. Heat was starting to accumulate against the walls. This building had caught a blaze, but the voice she heard – small and childish. Aqua moved to go up the staircase to get to them, but Terra grabbed her arm. The look in his eyes was deadly serious, solemn and almost like he had already given up on the small voice pleading for their help. Aqua felt her breath catch. They weren’t too late. Not yet! They hadn’t even tried yet. Worst comes to worse, she take a window exit.
"Someone’s trapped on the upper level!" she protested.
"Aqua we have to go!"
"We have to help them!" she cried, "Terra, please!"
Terra took a deep breath, like he was debating just lifting her up over his shoulder and carrying her out himself. Aqua took his hesitance and yanked her arm back before running up the staircase. She could hear Terra call out her name as she took the stairs, three steps at a time. She had to be quick. She found the door where the soft cries were coming from. Without even trying the doorknob, she kicked in the door. She hissed as licks of fire tried to kiss her skin. She threw up her arms to shield her face, a soft cry of pain issued from her lips as her sleeves went up in smoke and she pat down the flames that touched her arms. Sure, she would be burned but the child!
She kept her arms up, peering through them to try and find the last tenant. A few things were already burning brilliantly. They wouldn’t have much time before it spread to the lower levels. She held her breath, trying to breath in as little of the smoke as possible but the dark plume of smoke was making it hard to see. She was starting to get frantic. She only hoped that her partner saw himself out. She was definitely going to have to take a window option on this one.
"Where are you?" she called. "I’m here to help!"
"Here."
Aqua turned. There was a small boy, dressed in an oversized t-shirt, sniffling miserably and hiding in the closet. Aqua smiled in relief. She opened her arms wide. The boy wasted no time and rushed over to her. She picked him up, holding him tightly, the way his parents should have when they saw themselves out but left him behind. The child couldn’t have been any older than three or four. She smoothed a hand through his hair and turned, trying to find her way back out. Her eyes widened when she heard a loud crack. A beam had fallen over the doorway.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Aqua stiffened. Collect a debt? He was in the building casually during a fire? Had this man started it? Aqua opened her mouth as if to call out for her partner, but there was no sound. She could move, though. She had expected to be paralyzed as well as insensible, but she could move. She could get away. This the man was different, a touch insane if she had to guess but she wasn’t going to stick around to find out. She didn’t like it but she couldn’t exactly confront him about it either.
Something was wrong. That voice was far too calm for someone trapped in a burning building. Was it a Willow O Wisp behind her? A demon with pyromania? A teen dragon going through fire breath? This felt like she had walked straight into a trap. The boy was bait to lure someone in and it had worked. She cradled the child close, as if to hide them away from this sudden revelation of hers. She had fallen for this hook, line and sinker. She slowly reached for her gun.
"I came to collect on a debt and I find you instead."
Aqua turned away, finding a strange man with dark hair and frightening yellow eyes. The eerie thing about him was that he didn't seem to blink. He had such a hard, intense stare that it made Aqua feel as though he knew something she didn't. It was even more unnerving up this close. Swearing under her breath, Aqua took a step back. The room was getting much hotter. She coughed violently. The kid was probably in worse shape than she was. He had been up there longer.
The man's face was angular, harsh, and obviously cruel. His hair never laid flat; always a wild mess that made it look as if he had gone skydiving or something. His eyes were his most frightening characteristic that Aqua noticed. They seemed to change colors in the light, flashing from a neutral yellow, though his eyes were anything but, to a bright acidic yellow, which made Aqua wonder if it was a sign as a murderer. The one word he came up with to describe his features overall, was ‘sharp.’ There was this hidden dark power that seemed to emanate from him and Aqua could feel the power now.
"I’m sure you don’t exactly intend to spend the rest of your short life here…" The man taunted.
She swallowed. He was right. She lingered much longer and she would die. She took a step back, away from the man. They stared at each other for a long moment. Aqua had been expecting something much more soul-searchingly-deep after that contemplative gaze. She felt her face heat up again. She scowled darkly, more than a little flustered. Never once did her eyes stray from contact with the man’s until she she dashed off, ducking behind a wall, holding the small boy close. Her heart was pounding in her chest. ‘If this isn’t a game of hide and seek from Hell then I don’t know what is…’ she thought.
"What are you doing?" Aqua asked.
"I’m just imagining a rope… Around that neck of yours…" The man said, "I wonder how long it would take to choke the life out of you…"
Aqua stiffened. He really was a sadistic sociopath. She shivered. His eyes were something terrible and terrifying at the same time. Never before had she wanted to flee from just one look that someone gave her. Aqua didn't like the gleam in the man's eyes. Though she had never seen such a window to oblivion she knew that he bore her no good intentions. She didn’t dare step into the light unless he found her, but things were getting dire. The room was smoldering hot and she was even starting to have some troubles breathing. There wouldn’t be anywhere to hide if the room went up in smoke. She didn’t even know why the man was in the room in the first place.
"There are just so many ways to kill a faery… Flesh that burns with iron. Bones that break. Cuts that bleed." The man listed, "But to break a fey’s spirit is to truly destroy them… Or maybe your partner would volunteer to 'protect' you…"
Although the man said it mockingly there was a sadistic iciness to it that made Aqua shiver. He would do something to make her regret it if she tried to fight back. She shook her head, not wanting to imagine half of the things he was telling her. Something about the situation had shaken her nerves. She took a deep breath, looking down to see the blue eyes of the small boy peering up at her. He was depending on her. She had to recollect her courage.
"Leave him out of this!" Aqua shouted.
"So protective, aren't we?"
Then she realized he was goading her, trying to get her to talk so he could find her easier. His little plan worked. The very threat against her father’s life made her blood boil. She slipped out from behind the wall she was hiding, trying to get closer to the window on the opposite side of the apartment. She couldn’t fight back, not when she would risk the safety of the trembling child in her arms.
She had done stupid things before. There were things that made her wince and inwardly cringe. But each of those cases was always easily remedied. An apology was given and she worked to be given a chance to fix what happened. If the man had her way she would die there. She wouldn’t be able to tell Terra she was sorry for rushing in foolheartedly.
Aqua pulled out her gun. She was wrong to rush in without backup. Wrong about everything but she was going to make it right. Thinking back she could see all the mistakes she had made and all the flaws. Her actions were flawed in every single possible way and as unjustified as they came. She gripped the young boy even tighter in her free hand, pressing him close. She could feel the man sneaking up on the wall she was hiding behind. As he rounded the corner she swung the gun, striking him easily in the forehead. He fell backwards almost instantly, not expecting her to have tried to attack him.
He raised a hand to his still-throbbing head, but aside from the soft hiss from between his teeth, he gave no indication that the blow had actually hurt. When he thought of Aqua’s demeanor – so utterly opposed to the gentle, calm nature – and the pure, raw anger and hate in those previously soft doe eyes. The demon smirked up at her. As she watched him she got an almost nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. That feeling only grew worse as the man started to laugh.
"Is that how it's going to be?" The man asked.
She took a step back. She thought he would have at least have been knocked out. Her plan had been to stun him and get out, but the ‘stunning’ hadn’t worked. Her sapphire eyes and face showed no fear whatsoever despite right in front of the ‘sadistic sociopath’. He could at least admire her for facing him so bravely. A window. She had to get to the window. She took a few steps towards the glassy exit door when she heard a groan of wood. She barely had time to look up to see another beam coming down. The breath was knocked out of her completely when she was struck in the back, pinned to the ground by the beam that had fallen. She cradled the boy so that she took the blow, but he was pinned as well, trapped in her arms.
She couldn’t get up.
Try as she might, she had no leverage to push the beam up, not without her hands and those were effectively pinned under the child. They were only a few steps from freedom if she could just get back to her feet and get the beam off of them. She wiggled the best she could, hissing in pain as the heat started to eat at her back. Her wings roared in agony glamour to protect them or not. Aqua didn’t stop trying to get up. She had to save herself. She had to save the boy. The child was crying hard now, whimpering and sobbing, begging her to do something. She was trying. Worst yet, she couldn’t see the strange yellow eyed man.
"Aqua!"
She couldn’t turn her head to see who had called her name. But she knew the voice. A relief swept over her when she heard her partner. She had hoped he left, but knowing he was there, backing her up even if he didn’t approve of her choices made her feel much better. She was starting to feel dizzy. Did she hit her head? Her line of vision blurred slightly. Were the heat and the fire finally getting to her? Her head felt wet. That wasn’t usual. She didn’t have any water on her. Realization dawned on her. Blood. She had hit her head. She was bleeding.
"Terra! We’re trapped!"
"Damn it! I told you we had to go!" he shouted.
Terra pushed at the beam that had covered the door way. It easily fell out of the way since he had pushed it from the outside. The beam fell inward, into what used to be the kitchen area but it hadn’t even hit the ground by the time Terra had crossed the room to get to Aqua and the boy. Aqua gave a faint smile when he got over to them. He knelt down, quickly assessing the situation at hand. The fey smiled up at her human partner. She had gotten herself into quite a jam without his help. He looked quite frustrated. She was bound to get a lecture for this one later, when they were back at the precinct so he could give her a piece of his mind for rushing in so fool-heartedly.
"This is what you get for not listening to me!" he scolded.
Aqua nodded blearily. Terra had gripped the beam but when he saw the distant look on her face he grabbed her by the chin and made her look up at him, squeezing nearly hard enough to leave bruises. Aqua dimly noted that he looked scared. She winced, since he had craned her neck to an uncomfortable position. She noticed the little boy had stopped crying. He was still terrified but he hadn’t given up hope. Terra’s appearance seemed to have rekindled some form of bravery in the child.
"Stay awake!" he snapped.
Terra grimaced when her eyes started drifting shut anyways. He let go of her to grab the beam again. He braced himself the best he could and with all his strength tried to lift it up but he couldn’t. He readjusted his grip and tried again. It barely budged. Aqua’s head thumped against the floorboards. She had passed out. The heat of the fire was getting hotter. The floor below them was next and if they didn’t get out of here, the floor would collapse, taking them with it. Or worse, the entire ceiling would cave in and they would all burn with it.
"No," he uttered, "No! I can't lose you too!"
Terra could feel every muscle in his body straining as he struggled to lift the beam. A furious cry left his lips when he realized his efforts were fruitless. If he were anything other than human, lifting the beam would be a piece of cake, even Aqua had stronger than human strength, even if she wasn’t particularly strong enough to bench press the beam that had her trapped. He was left panting and the beam didn’t move. He swore, loudly, startling the wide eyed child. Terra looked around. There was nothing he could use to help free his partner. They were trapped.
"It’s getting a little hot in here, don’t you think?"
Terra turned quickly. There was a teenager standing across the room, arms folded across his chest, a smirk playing on his lips, amusement dancing in golden yellow eyes. He shrugged nonchalantly, as if the room wasn’t going up in flames. Terra’s brain reeled as he tried to process this. Aqua wouldn’t have missed someone like this teenager when she was checking the room for victims. He must have come in after she was pinned, but before Terra? Terra hadn’t exactly checked to see who was where when he rushed in to get to his partner.
"Help me save them," Terra demanded.
"So bossy," the teen said. "I suppose I could lend a hand, but where’s the fun in that? Don’t you think the papers would appreciate a tragic hero cop story?"
"Help me save them," Terra repeated.
The teen sighed, as if he were really being forced into assistance against his will. He got off the wall he was leaning on. He waltzed over as if they had all the time in the world. The flames were growing higher. The room was so hot that even Terra was beginning to feel the heat. He couldn’t imagine how bad it was for Aqua and the little boy. The small child watched the exchange with wide eyes. Terra glared at the teen. Aqua could die and this brat didn’t seem to care that she would either bleed out or burn in front of him. The teen gripped the beam with one hand.
"Fine. But on one condition…"
Terra paused. A condition? This idiot was really setting up a condition for his help? Aqua could die! The other little boy could die! Terra gripped the beam again, trying to lift it but the other man didn’t make any effort to help lift his end. He looked up frantically at the other being, realizing now that he was probably not as human as he appeared. It, unfortunately, seemed there was no other way around this acclaimed deal the demon was proposing.
"What do you want?"
"You," he replied. "I want you."
Terra frantically looked down at Aqua, who was growing paler by the second from blood loss. He had already lost one partner. His last partner bled out in front of him – a werewolf who took a silver bullet to the throat. It was one of the worst experiences of the young officer’s life. He couldn’t watch as a second partner slipped out of his hands again.
"Deal!" Terra cried.
And that was the last time Terra had control over his own body.