emotion, Tarris knew her warrior didn’t like change and she could only agree with it. If not for Corman, they would have been in and out of the house before anyone knew something had happened. Now the compound was wide-awake. At least they were in darkness for now.
The warrior oozed down the stairwell wall like dark oil, until she reconstituted herself at the bottom of the stairs. She could be any shape she wanted to be, but she took comfort in the shape of her friend, her home…Tarris. It seemed a practical shape, one that moved her swiftly and silently, one that connected her to her unit.
Her blank eyes searched the darkness room by room for her original targets. The bedrooms on the top floor appeared empty, the beds not slept in. The occasional guard rushed by her as beams of light tried to find the intruder, but she paid them no mind. Too many had already died this night.
But her search couldn’t find her quarry. Tarris instructed her to return without completing their mission. It was a disaster, and they would all have to face the consequences at the meeting tomorrow. Rya dodged in and out of the shifting shadows to seek solace in the blackness that was her friend. It was only by the width of a finger that she escaped the compound before light was restored. She glanced down at one of Gareth’s victims, his flesh torn apart and scattered haphazardly across the ground. This was no subtle killing, but one to demonstrate what they were capable of.
Pretty, isn’t it?
Rya stared at the aura that had crept up next to her. Gareth.
Are you mad, Corman? Tarris asked. When he was like this, trying to speak with him rationally was useless. The power he possessed was like a drug, and he was addicted to it.
Maybe you should watch your back, freak.
And what was the point of all this?
This is who I am. Unlike you, I say kill them all.
Rya shifted away, intent on returning home.
Too much for you, Tarris? Then maybe you should leave the unit to those who can do the job.
This had been their first failure, and the mixture of emotions roiling around in Tarris made her twitchy. She had to get Rya home immediately, so any care she might have led her to take through the streets was forgotten. She needed Rya, and Rya needed her as well.
Tarris lay in her bed and cursed at the ceiling. This particular mission had taken a lot out of her, as much from Corman’s insubordination as from the mission itself. The man was an arrogant shit hole. Man? Corman himself denied such a label. He thought himself God’s gift to the masses. Maybe that was his game. But it raised an interesting question. Could one member of the Special Black Shadow Corps overthrow a government? She doubted it. While each shadow warrior was virtually indestructible, the same could not be said for its host. And that’s where Corman’s plan would let him down. Kill the man to kill the shadow…
Rya slid effortlessly into Tarris’s apartment and settled like a well-worn blanket over the top of her. The familiar rush filled Tarris as the shadow melted away through skin and muscle to find her home deep within Tarris’s body.
Tarris blew out a breath slowly and allowed the sensations to die down to normal. How many more times would she let Rya roam the streets? Automatically, she reached for her wrist and briskly rubbed the patch, ready to seek respite from the worries flooding her brain. Tomorrow was going to be stressful enough without lack of sleep on top of it.
* * *
Tarris opted to walk to the meeting the next morning, so she had to tolerate the escalating discomfort from walking so far. Maybe it was a way to prolong the inevitable. The cloudy sky seemed to reflect her current life perfectly. Slowly building storm clouds gathered around her, and she was helpless to stop them.
She leaned against a wall outside the nondescript building and contemplated what was about to take place. She knew she would be dealt some sort of punishment.
The warrior oozed down the stairwell wall like dark oil, until she reconstituted herself at the bottom of the stairs. She could be any shape she wanted to be, but she took comfort in the shape of her friend, her home…Tarris. It seemed a practical shape, one that moved her swiftly and silently, one that connected her to her unit.
Her blank eyes searched the darkness room by room for her original targets. The bedrooms on the top floor appeared empty, the beds not slept in. The occasional guard rushed by her as beams of light tried to find the intruder, but she paid them no mind. Too many had already died this night.
But her search couldn’t find her quarry. Tarris instructed her to return without completing their mission. It was a disaster, and they would all have to face the consequences at the meeting tomorrow. Rya dodged in and out of the shifting shadows to seek solace in the blackness that was her friend. It was only by the width of a finger that she escaped the compound before light was restored. She glanced down at one of Gareth’s victims, his flesh torn apart and scattered haphazardly across the ground. This was no subtle killing, but one to demonstrate what they were capable of.
Pretty, isn’t it?
Rya stared at the aura that had crept up next to her. Gareth.
Are you mad, Corman? Tarris asked. When he was like this, trying to speak with him rationally was useless. The power he possessed was like a drug, and he was addicted to it.
Maybe you should watch your back, freak.
And what was the point of all this?
This is who I am. Unlike you, I say kill them all.
Rya shifted away, intent on returning home.
Too much for you, Tarris? Then maybe you should leave the unit to those who can do the job.
This had been their first failure, and the mixture of emotions roiling around in Tarris made her twitchy. She had to get Rya home immediately, so any care she might have led her to take through the streets was forgotten. She needed Rya, and Rya needed her as well.
Tarris lay in her bed and cursed at the ceiling. This particular mission had taken a lot out of her, as much from Corman’s insubordination as from the mission itself. The man was an arrogant shit hole. Man? Corman himself denied such a label. He thought himself God’s gift to the masses. Maybe that was his game. But it raised an interesting question. Could one member of the Special Black Shadow Corps overthrow a government? She doubted it. While each shadow warrior was virtually indestructible, the same could not be said for its host. And that’s where Corman’s plan would let him down. Kill the man to kill the shadow…
Rya slid effortlessly into Tarris’s apartment and settled like a well-worn blanket over the top of her. The familiar rush filled Tarris as the shadow melted away through skin and muscle to find her home deep within Tarris’s body.
Tarris blew out a breath slowly and allowed the sensations to die down to normal. How many more times would she let Rya roam the streets? Automatically, she reached for her wrist and briskly rubbed the patch, ready to seek respite from the worries flooding her brain. Tomorrow was going to be stressful enough without lack of sleep on top of it.
* * *
Tarris opted to walk to the meeting the next morning, so she had to tolerate the escalating discomfort from walking so far. Maybe it was a way to prolong the inevitable. The cloudy sky seemed to reflect her current life perfectly. Slowly building storm clouds gathered around her, and she was helpless to stop them.
She leaned against a wall outside the nondescript building and contemplated what was about to take place. She knew she would be dealt some sort of punishment.
Similar Books
