[Two Days Later]
"And that's pretty much how we do things in the Murphy family." Skylar said to Cyrus as the two agents casually made their way through the ground level of the mall.
"Wow…that's actually really cool." The 'tree magic' user replied with a look of genuine curiosity on his face.
To say that today was a significant switch-up from how Cyrus usually spent his lunch breaks would be putting it mildly. Right now, the junior agent and his colleague had just finished eating their food and were doing a bit of window shopping before it was time to head back to work.
Since the two of them were going to be partnered up for the upcoming raid, Skyar had decided that it would be best for the two of them to train and hang out together until the big day arrived. Mostly as a way for them to get properly familiar with each other's skills while also getting to know the other a little bit better. Needless to say, Skylar and Cyrus had next to no previous interaction with one another before they were given their assignment by the Chief. So, the two of them were doing their best to make sure that they were appropriately used to each other.
As it turns out, Cyrus and Skylar actually make a rather effective two-man team. And their magical attributes work very well in tandem with one another. On top of that, with Cyrus being more of a medium-range support type to balance out Skylar's close to medium-range combat style, they have quite a few ways that allow them to maximize their specific skillsets. And that went double for when they factored in the specially-made weapons that Skylar had at his disposal.
There was no doubt in their minds that the two of them were going to be very successful whenever the time to take down their target arrived. In all honesty, they doubted that the strawberry-blodne 'ice magic' user was going to be much of a challenge at all.
"Still, though, I had no clue that your family had their hands in so many areas. From what I remember Freddy telling me a while ago, your family is pretty famous for its military history." Cyrus then said as the two sorcerers rounded the corner.
"I mean, there's that too…" The 'earth magic' user shrugged. "But mining and construction are where my family really makes its money. It's a pretty lucrative business when you take our 'earth magic' into account. And anyone who doesn't enlist in the army pretty much has to go help out in the mines that we own. Or help out on a construction site."
"I see." Cyrus then nodded his head in understanding before another thought suddenly popped into his head. "Hey, now that I think about it…Elizabeth did say that she spent an entire summer with your family one year. Do you know her?"
"Not really. I only met her once, and that was a long time ago. She was doing her summer training with my uncle, and I had already joined the DPA by then and was living in Nevada. From what I heard, she's apparently really talented with her 'earth magic', so her parents sent her to us to get some proper training."
"Gotcha."
Suddenly, a mischievous look appeared on Skylar's face before he continued to speak. "I did hear that she had a bit of a summer fling with my cousin, Lewis, though. And that the two of them totally got caught having sex right before she left to go back home."
Okay, now that certainly got Cyrus's attention. The freckle-faced teen was never one who actively sought out drama. But he certainly never turned down an interesting story whenever it just happened to fall into his lap.
"Seriously?" The 'tree magic' user then raised an eyebrow at the 'earth magic' user's comment.
"Oh, yeah!" Skylar laughed. "From what my brother told me, my aunt, Deborah, caught them in the act. And she was totally pissed about it, too. So pissed, in fact, that Elizabeth had to spend the next few days in a hotel room until all the drama died down. You didn't hear any of this from me, though."
"Noted."
In all honesty, it was pretty hard for Cyrus to imagine the prim and proper Elizabeth MacNamara doing anything like that. Then again, she was your standard spoiled rich girl who could get whatever she wanted. And stuff like that was rather par for the course for people like that. Hell, even her brother apparently had a reputation for being a party boy back when he was still living in Miami, not too long ago.
Before Cyrus could get another word out, his mana-sensing ability activated. Both him and Skylar were then alerted to the fact that there was another sorcerer in the area. Someone on the second floor, if their senses were to be believed.
Running into another sorcerer while out and about like this wasn't exactly a rare occurrence, especially in a bigger city like Charlotte. But it was still a rather uncommon thing to experience. And although a slight part of them wanted to see who this new arrival was, the two agents instead decided to just leave them alone and go about their business.
Cyrus and Skylar spent the next few minutes checking out one of the local electronic stores before finally deciding that now was a good time to start making their way back to Station Nine. However, as they were steadily making their way through the mall to head back to their vehicle, they suddenly felt the same mana signature from before heading in their direction. And sure enough, just when they finally hit the food court, the person they had been sensing for the past few minutes turned the corner and revealed themselves.
And to say that Cyrus was shocked would be putting it mildly…
Almost immediately, the freckle-faced teen's body stiffened. His mind practically shut down. The world seemed to tilt slightly. And his vision tunneled.
'Frost.'
It was her.
It was actually her.
Right here, in the flesh.
The woman who had haunted his nightmares for weeks. The woman who had orchestrated his abduction, along with the death of his best friend. The same woman who kept him bound and drugged in her little warehouse playroom for three harrowing weeks, only to discard him like a piece of trash when she was finally done with him.
Here she was, standing right in front of him.
And somehow, she was just wandering around the mall, dressed in designer slacks and a tailored blazer, as if she belonged here. Almost as if she wasn't a mid-level Iznana boss and Elaine's little puppet that handled her dirty work. Or some deranged psycho who got off on making other people suffer for her own amusement.
"Cyrus?" Hannah said smoothly, with a faux-shocked tone that made his muscles freeze. Even the sound of her voice made his skin crawl. "Cyrus, is that you- Oh my God, that- that is you, right?"
Cyrus instantly knew the game that she was trying to play here. And to be honest, it made his blood boil. His body remembered more than his mind could articulate in that moment. The freezing cold of the warehouse, the cuffs, the calculated tilt of her head as she asked him questions with venom wrapped in silk. Even the feeling of her fist colliding with his face after every time he made her angry.
Hannah then took a couple of steps forward before stopping only a few feet away from him. Her icy blue eyes seemed to inspect him for a moment, displaying some kind of emotion that he couldn't identify. And for a split second, Cyrus could swear that he saw a ghost of a smile appear on the 'ice magic' user's lips. The moment, however, passed just as quickly as it came. And Hannah decided to open her mouth before the young DPA agent could figure out what to do.
"I heard what happened on the news. Are you okay?" She asked him with mock pity in her voice.
Cyrus didn't answer right away. Despite himself, his throat temporarily seized up. Every instinct in his body was telling him to blast her with a mana burst as hard as he could. Or to pierce her heart with one of his creations and be done with it. Unfortunately for him, they were in public. And even though he had the perfect opportunity to get his revenge, Cyrus somehow managed to contain himself. If only barely.
"Y-yeah…I'm fine." The young 'tree magic' user replied to her question. "I've been better, though."
"Yeah, I can tell." Hannah then said while looking him up and down.
The last time she had seen him, he was as thin as a twig. And now, only a little over a month after releasing him back into society, he was already back to normal. No, scratch that, he looked even better than he did before. From what she could tell, Cyrus had managed to regain all the weight that he had lost while under her care, and then some. How'd he manage something like that in such a short amount of time?
'The perks of having DPA resources at your disposal, I guess.' The 'ice magic' user mentally shrugged. 'Damn, he looks good, though. Fuck…he even has more muscle on him too.'
The Iznana operative suddenly shook her head before regaining her train of thought. Now wasn't the time to gawk at her most recent conquest. That being said, the woman did appreciate how well the scars she had put on him healed. Now, no matter where he went, everyone would know that Cyrus Moore was hers and hers alone. And she just couldn't wait to have her property back.
"Well, it's nice to see that you're back in one piece." Hannah then said while still feigning ignorance.
"Yeah…" The young man nodded.
"So…" Skylar suddenly interjected. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, u-uh…this is Hannah Donovan. We met each other when all of us escorted the twins to the beach a few months back." Cyrus nervously explained while doing his best to stay calm.
"Is that right?" Skylar then turned his attention toward the strawberry-blonde sorcerer.
The 'earth magic' user was almost certain that his eyes were playing tricks on him when he saw Hannah suddenly appear before them. But as it turns out, his assumption was right on the money. This was the very same woman that he and Cyrus were tasked with taking care of when the upcoming operation was officially announced. And here she is, standing right in front of them. Just within his reach.
Skylar wanted nothing more than to form a sinkhole under the Iznana operative's feet right then and there; such a thing would save them a lot of trouble in the near future. But alas, they were all currently standing in a public palace filled with dozens of people walking around them with each passing second. Which meant that trying to capture the woman was going to be impossible without causing a bunch of extra chaos.
"Nice to meet you, name's Skylar Murphy!"
"A Murphy, huh?" Hannah said with a grin while shaking the APS agent's hand. "Don't see a lot of you guys around this part of the country."
"Can't argue with you there."
"So, what are you guys up to?" Hannah then asked Cyrus. "I sensed your mana signatures earlier, and curiosity just got the better of me."
"Lunch break." The freckle-faced teen replied briskly.
"Gotcha."
What followed was a few seconds of painfully awkward silence before Hannah decided that it was probably best to let the two agents get on with their day. Besides, she didn't have that much time left until she had to be back at work. And she really wanted to pick up those headphones she had been wanting for the past week. However, since she was already here, she might as well take advantage of the wonderful opportunity that the universe had given her.
"Well, sorry for holding you guys up. I know you DPA guys are always busy."
"It's cool." Skylar shrugged.
"Actually, this is perfect!" The 'ice magic' user then pulled her phone out of her purse before handing it over to Cyrus. "Me and Mikayla wanted to hang out with you guys again. We had so much fun together at the beach, and it'd seem like a waste not to do it again sometime soon. Let me get your number so we can plan something soon. Uh…if you're up for it, that is…"
Cyrus was genuinely shocked at the pure audacity that this woman possessed to act like this right to his face. She really was insane. How could she pretend to be so casual with him as if she wasn't the one who was responsible for him going missing in the first place? And to ask for his number like she was his friend was just too crazy to rationalize in his mind.
However, despite every fiber of his being telling him to drop a tree on the woman's head right then and there, Cyrus somehow managed to keep his composure long enough to play along. Bugging out on her right now wouldn't do him any good. He would have his chance soon.
"Sure, no problem." Was all that he said while plugging his new number into the device.
Skylar simply chose to stay quiet as he observed this interaction. He had no clue as to what might've been going through his newly assigned partner's head at the moment. However, he needed to be ready just in case things went south.
A few seconds later, Cyrus was done giving the woman his number. And after a quick text, he now had hers as well. The fact that he had willingly given this deranged creature his contact information made his skin crawl. But, he needed to make sure that she didn't get suspicious of him.
"Sweet!" Hannah then said with another casual grin, the kind that made Cyrus want to knock all of her teeth out right there on the spot. "I can't wait to tell the others about this! Mikayla was so worried when she heard that you had been taken. Oh…and sorry about what happened to your friend. Freddy was a cool dude. It's sad that he's gone now."
It took everything in Cyrus's power not to let loose on her right there. How dare she say his name after what they had done to him?
"Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment." The young 'tree magic' user said with a fake smile.
Suddenly, Hannah stepped forward and placed her hand on Cyrus's shoulder. The moment she did so, Cyrus could feel the chill take over his body. Three weeks of pain and suffering suddenly flashed back into his mind. And the blurry images of what this foul woman had done to him came rushing back like an autumn flood.
"I'm glad that you're okay. Really." The woman said as she pushed a lock of her hair back and fluttered her lashes at him. "And I definitely look forward to seeing you again soon. It's been far too long…."
'This crazy bitch!' Skylar thought with a slight frown.
"Well, I'll let you two get back to your afternoon. Nice to see you… alive, Cyrus. Don't be a stranger!"
And just like that, she turned and walked away. No rush. No backward glance. Just a woman out for a stroll in the mall, vanishing into the crowd like a puff of smoke.
Cyrus didn't breathe until she was completely out of sight.
"We need to follow her." Skylar muttered, already moving in the direction of the connecting corridor.
"No…." Cyrus then said, his voice strained. "No. Let her go."
Skylar hesitated, watching him.
Cyrus then put his back up against a nearby wall next to the restroom, his hands starting to tremble as the chilling feeling of the woman's touch permeated his body. His vision blurred at the edges, and noise was beginning to crowd in. The buzz of lights, the chatter of shoppers, the distant beep of a register. It all pressed in at once.
His chest tightened. His scars ached. His mind was now a freezing haze.
"Cyrus?" Skylar's voice was closer now, softer.
The young man gasped while trying to breathe, but the air wouldn't come. He slid down the wall, knees folding beneath him as the first wave hit. Cold sweat, racing heart, nausea twisting in his gut.
Skylar dropped to a knee beside him, blocking him from view with his body. "Hey, hey! Look at me. You're good. You hear me?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. "I can't— I can't— Fuck…she was right there!"
"Yes, you can." the senior agent said firmly. "You've been through worse. Breathe in with me."
Skylar guided him through it, hand on his shoulder, voice a steady anchor in the crashing storm of his panic. Slowly, agonizingly, the weight on his chest lifted. His breaths came easier.
But the fear didn't fade. It lodged itself deep behind his ribs, coiled and waiting.
That sealed it.
There were no more doubts.
Hannah had to go.
And she was going to suffer.