We are the Cleaners. We do what cleaners are supposed to. We clean things.
But not just anything.
What we clean are infested places of little things we would like to call as 'Toxins'. Yes, it is a very original name. Maybe the person who came up with this name was working a little too late into the night and ran out of brain juice.
I'm not one to judge though.
Climbing down the hold, Yale and I reached the sewers at the very bottom of the city. A city that should be asleep but we can hear the sounds of people in the homes from the pipes alone.
"This place smells," Yale remarked, fanning herself.
"Well, it is the sewers." I retorted, getting an annoyed look from her. "Sorry. What do you make of tonight?"
"They are trying to get rid of us." She said with no hesitation.
"Not something new."
"Well, it is not like they can get rid of us without arising many suspicions." She grinned at me. "We are at the very top. So, they will just have to give an extremely hard job for us to do and when we 'fail', they will destroy everything. Us included."
"Right." I nodded as we made our way down the passageway in the sewers, keeping an ear out.
"Ah!"
"What's wrong?"
"The water is splashing." She said, pointing to a spot in the murky waters. "Do you think one of them is there?"
The waters splashed again, little droplets hitting Yale, "Zion~. DO something! I'm going to get dirty!"
"Hm. Should I put up a barrier?" I mumbled to myself, thinking of what to do.
"Does it matter?" She asked, standing behind me. "They want us dead, so anything they gave us will most likely send the creatures our way."
"Are you sure? It could make you a lot dirtier."
"I would rather be a lot dirtier than a little." She fanned herself again. "At least I will know to take a bath or not then."
"Fine. Fine." I chuckled, pulling out a flashlight from my pocket.
The man at the top, Mr. Helbid gave these to us to help us navigate our way down here. But I can tell by the smell alone that this is just going to attract those creatures.
Those creatures we keep talking of are … special. In some ways. They are rodents that have been mutated by the pollutions around them, some even radioactive.
They live all around the city and are normally harmless and will die within a week. Though there is a group, we are still trying to find out why, that only grew stronger with the more radioactive things they consume.
We say radioactive because that is the only explanation the government could come up with in explaining hundreds of fifty-pound rats suddenly having an ability to grow or shrink in size. They also have the strength of a large bull so they are quite destructive.
"Are you ready?" I asked, holding the flash up.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Yale said, staring straight ahead as the light lit up the entire tunnel.
We waited a second before the ground started rumbling and shaking.
I whistled, "This is going to be a big catch."
Yale didn't answer, she was too busy preparing herself as we watched hundreds of those rats running towards us.
"Darling?"
"Already on it." She took my hand in hers, turning into a bow with the same patterns on it as her dress.
"Aren't you quick?" I teased, holding the bow in front of me. With a deep breath, I pulled at the strings, an ice shard forming as I shot it to the creatures.
As soon as the ice shard left the bow, it broke into hundreds of little pieces, piercing the creatures to the ground.
Some it killed instantly, but we are not always lucky. Unfortunately.
"We are going to have to be a little bit hands-on." I said, the bow turning into a long sword. "Is that alright with you?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Hurry up. I want to go back and take a long bath." A familiar voice came from the weapon. "Just breathing in this air is making me feel dirty."
"Will we bathe together?" I asked as more creatures ran to us.
"… do whatever you want."
"Alright," I said, excitement dancing through me as I swung the sword in my hands. "Let's get this over with quickly then."
The most beautiful in the world are the weapons she turns into.
_____________________
"It's been ten minutes. That's the time I gave them." Mr. Helbid said to the three people in front of him. "You will have to destroy everything."
"But sir, the kids are still in there." One of the men said, furrowing his brows at him.
"Would you rather we let those creatures roam free?" Mr. Helbid hissed at the man. "When we worked so hard to gather them all in one place? Will you compensate for the damage the people face??"
"I … I …"
"There is no need for that, Mr. Helbid," I said, helping Yale out of the hole, checking on her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." She said, straightening herself up. "I just need a long bath. I am so tired."
"We'll go back immediately then," I said, smiling at her. It is better I do not touch her for now as I am filthy from the sewer water having been splashed on me multiple times. "First. Mr. Helbid."
"Y-yes?" The man stuttered, trying to keep a smile on his face as I approached him. "Well done you two. As promised, here are fifty-seven thousand dollars."
He handed the check to me, shaking.
But I couldn't help smiling at the poor man, "Mister Helbid. I think you are down by a few hundred more dollars."
"P-pardon?"
I took out my phone and showed him the message I received of the mission, "See here? It says that if we clear everything in less than twenty minutes, we get a bonus of three hundred dollars."
"I-I, well, y-y-"
"What was the company you work for again, Mr. Halbid?" I asked, scrolling through my phone. "Is it L.N. Enterprise?"
"H-how did you know??"
"It is not very hard, sir." I showed him the phone screen. "I have the boss on speed dial. Should I make a call to him and tell him about all the money you have been stealing?"
Everyone watched as they saw that man visibly tremble with fear.
"Y-you wouldn't. I needed that money for my family!"
"I know you do," I said sympathetically. "I completely understand you, sir. And I know you understand us as well. We are just kids trying to make it in this cruel world. So we have to play a few tricks too.
"What do you say, sir?"
______________________
"That was dirty," Rumant remarked, watching me closely. We were both in the bathtub, soaking as the steaming hot water penetrated our exhausted skin and muscles.
"What was?" I asked, running my hands through my hair while I watched him play with the foam.
"That man … you made it sound like you only knew about his embezzlement." He said, pocking at the foam, one by one. "But I know you have an entire file of dirt on him."
I raised my hands in surrender, "You caught me. How did you find out?"
"Please." He splashed water in my face. "I am dating you in school and I am your partner outside of it. I know everything about you. You always have some kind of backup plan."
"You have to play their game if you want to even have a chance of winning," I said, shrugging. "Besides, you can't reveal all your cards at once. Where's the fun in that?"
Rumant looked at me closely, almost like he was trying to study me before sighing, "You are so different in school compared to here."
"Aren't you honoured? You get to see a different side of me." I teased, just to end up getting soap in my eyes as he splashed water at me again.
"Dream on." He huffed, slightly pouting as I waved the water away from my face. "You should be honoured to even be with me."
Taking his hands in mine, I gave the elegant, long fingers a peck, "Oh I am. I really am."
"You don't show it at all in school."
"You want me to be more affectionate towards you?" I raised my eyebrows at him. Is he finally going to say it? That he wants my attention?
"I am your girlfriend in school! I should be treated better than anyone else!" He fumed, splashing water everywhere.
"Alright. Alright." I said, grabbing him by the arms to keep him still as water continually dripped from our hairs, down to the tub. "What do you want me to do?"
Instead of replying, Rumant turned away from me, trying to look everywhere else.
"Come on. If you don't tell me I won't know." I insisted, trying to get him to be a little bit honest.
Rumant stared at me for a second before giving up, "Fine! Say yes to my request sometimes."
"Ok," I said, nodding as I drew closer. "What else?"
"Sometimes take me out."
"Alright." I got even closer.
"And … and … look at me like I am the most precious thing in the world to you." He said so quickly I almost missed it.
"You mean, like this?" I asked, stopping only a breath from him, my eyes only on this beautiful person in front of me.
As soon as our eyes locked, Rumant cupped my face, "Yeah. Like that. Only look at me like that."