Luna continued to console Marcus, holding his cheeks in her small, cold hands. "It'll be ok Marcus, well go back to the dorms soon, doesn't that sound nice?" She asked, her voice cracking,
Marcus stared back at Luna with a hallowed gaze, his lips were moving, whispering the same thing over and over. "She's crazy, she's gonna kill me, she's gonna kill me, she'll kill me, I'm going to die."
Luna's tears continued to well up, silver streaks streaming down her porcelain cheeks. "No, don't say that Marcus, it's not true, I won't let it happen, I promise." Luna grabbed Marcus's hand and placed it on her head, "See, I'm here aren't I?"
Marcus continued muttering the Same things about his death. Marcus wasn't there, though his body physically was, his heart beating, his eye blinking, and his tears falling, the person who made up Marcus, his consciousness, was hidden.
Locked in a chamber of his own fear and self-doubt.
"I've had enough of this." Sang-hee sighed as she rose up from her seat. She approached Marcus and Luna with a frown and heavy footsteps.
Upon reaching Marcus, she yanked him up, grabbed his shoulder, and pinned him to the wall. "You want sympathy, boss?" She asked as she pressed Marcus against the wall with her elbow and forearm, "then that's too damn bad, because there's no one to give it, you're nothing but useless. worthless sack of shit, so the least you can do is stand on your two feet before I do something worse than killing you." Sang-hee threatened, mere inches separated her from his face.
"Please just leave him alone." Luna asked weakly, her voice breaking, "why are you doing this?"
"You know exactly why, what do you think I didn't hear you back at the complex?" Sang-hee asked as she turned to look at Luna with a glare. "You know I'm right, If he didn't want this, then he should've stayed outta my way."
Sang-hee then turned her attention to Marcus. "Now stop playing the fool, and stand on your own." She commanded before releasing Marcus with a shove.
She took a few steps back after releasing him, and there Marcus stood, just as she had asked. "See?" Sang-hee said with a grin, "Just like I said."
Just then, Volkov returned from the basement with a grim expression. "Come on." He commanded Sang-hee and Marcus. "We don't have much time."
Volkov began walking towards the front door. His strides are small and his pace quick. Sang-hee groaned as she followed up behind him, before glaring back at Marcus.
Marcus began walking forward without a word, his eyes still hazed, and his expression emotionless. Luna grabbed his hand tightly, yet Marcus didn't return the gesture.
Stepping outside Volkov was already near the car, slipping inside. Sang-hee took the front passenger seat, leaving Marcus and Luna to sit on the back.
Once everyone was inside, Volkov put the key in the ignition, starting up the silent electric car. Placing his foot down on the accelerator, Volkov began zooming down the narrow street.
"What's the rush for?" Sang-hee asked, crossing her arms after lowering her seat back.
"They're moving the generators through a plane at a private airstrip. We need to get there before we lose track of that equipment." Volkov said with determination, "It might not be usual anomaly hunting, but this is valuable tech they're stealing."
The car sped through the city streets, heading towards the outskirts. Inside the car, there was a silence that grew palpable, Marcus sat looking out the window. Wordlessly watched as the passing buildings blended into a blur.
Luna held his hand, not as tightly as before, but enough to let Marcus know she was there.
"So why didn't Boris come with us?" Sang-hee asked, tapping a finger on her bicep.
Volkov sighed. "Believe it or not he's blind, not exactly what you need when you're searching for something, and as for Xavier, he's busy cleaning up a corpse," Volkov said coldly.
"Ahh," Sang-hee said as she nodded her head. "So then who stole the generators?" She asked.
"Twins, from the Kiba mercenary company." Volkov answered, "Apparently they've been offered a contract for stealing them, the buyer should be showing up in an hour or two."
"Then what's with the rush?" Sang-hee asked.
Volkov sighed as he gave her a side-eye "The organization wants to set up a trap for the buyer, but for that to happen I need to clear out that airstrip."
Sang-hee's eyes illuminated with glee. "You mean we gonna kill?" She asked curiously, it was obvious she attempting to conceal her excitement.
Volkov nodded. "Yes, but you aren't going to be doing anything, you or Marcus, I refuse to let cadets face off with a threat like this."
"That's bullshit," Sang-hee said in disapproval as she leaned forward. "What's the point in bringing us if we can't do shit?"
Volkov sighed, tightening his grip on the wheel. "I brought you because I thought we were dealing with petty thieves, not an organized mercenary group."
Sang-hee scoffed, "So what? You think I can't fight?" She asked angrily, "Even before all this organization shit, I was able to fend for myself."
"This is different." Volkov said with reserved frustration, "Even with all your training I doubt even you could fight thirty grown men with guns."
"Tch, that's what you think." Sang-hee scoffed.
"It's what I know," Volkov replied.
The drive continued, and Volkov's focus remained on the road, narrowly dodging cars and pedestrians alike. The interior of the car was filled with an intense silence, Volkov's speed remained constant, a measure of how dire the situation was.
Time ticked by, the cityscape gradually gave way to more open terrain, and buildings became less constant, as they exited the high-tech metropolis of the city center, homes began to appear run-down and old.
As Volkov continued speeding, the roads began turning into dirt paths. The large open terrain began filling with forest trees and deep nature.
"Are you sure there's an airstrip out here?" Sang-hee asked with a hint of sarcasm, "I think your lead might've gone cold."
Volkov glanced at Sang-hee briefly before sighing. "I'm assuming you expect a large open field with a massive airship?" He asked coldly. "Yeah, I bet law enforcement would completely ignore unregistered aircraft landing in plain sight."
Sang-hee glared at Volkov, her lips twitching as her eyes narrowed, and the already thick tension in the car began rising.
Unexpectedly though, she simply sighed and rolled her eyes as she turned her attention towards the window.
It was around then that the forest began to clear away, receding away just enough to reveal what looked to be rusted, wire fencing.
"Bingo," Volkov commented with a brief smirk before slowing his car to a crawl.
He stopped just before the gate, where he then began to reverse, he backed into the forest with skill and precision, like a surgeon operating on a patient.
He parked deep into the woods, before turning off the car and breathing deeply. "You guys stay here, if I'm not back in thirty minutes, take off without me, understand?" He asked Sang-hee, glancing over at her with a serious expression.
"Hell no, I'm coming with you," Sang-hee demanded as she reached for her door handle.
"You exit this car and I might as well kill you myself." Volkov said with a frustrated expression, "This isn't a joke, I need to complete this mission without the distraction of an overconfident child."
Sang-hee clenched her jaw tightly as she turned to stare Volkov down. "The fuck you just call me?" She asked in a threatening tone, "I don't need all those fancy ether skills to know how to fight, so why are you acting like I'm a helpless child?"
Volkov narrowed his eyes, his scowl filled with frustration and impatience. After a tense exchange of glares, he finally sighed as he opened his door. "You leave this car, and I'll make you regret it." He answered coldly before exiting the car, slamming the door shut behind himself.
Sang-hee watched Volkov disappear into the forest with clenched fists visibly restraining herself. A minute of silence passed before she finally huffed and crossed her arms in frustration. "This is bullshit, I didn't agree to become a fucking paperweight."
Luna glanced at Sang-hee, her expression unreadable.
Sang-hee quickly noticed her and glared through the rear-view mirror. "What are you looking at, I ain't done shot to you, so don't start bothering me, boss."
"I have never met a human like you." Luna began with a passionless tone. "Everyone I've met had levels of intensity, yet you're different," Luna said coldly, narrowing her eyes. "You're either detached or deranged, there is no normalcy to you, is there?"
Sang-hee smirked. "You clearly haven't been around humans long enough then."
"That may be true, but even I can tell something is wrong with you," Luna replied. "Marcus hasn't done anything to seriously hurt or damage you, yet you throw your anger at him like moths to a flame."
"Your point?" Sang-hee asked impatiently.
"What has he done to deserve such intense hatred from you," Luna asked.
Sang-hee grinned as she glanced at the mumbling Marcus through the rear-view mirror. "It's fun." She said with a chuckle. "To see him suffer like that, to watch as his world crumbles around him, to see him go from a 'hard ass' to a bumbling baby."
Sang-hee then turned around to look at Luna directly. Her smile filled with malicious glee. "Something about it just gets me riled up." She whispered, tilting her head slightly, her long blonde hair falling to one side.
"You're disgusting," Luna said with a frown.
"My family said the same," Sang-hee said with a soft laugh. "Told me I was too boyish, complained about my looks and behavior, beat me for being who I truly was," she said with a reminiscent smile.
"They had every right to." Luna hissed, "a demon like you shouldn't even walk this realm."
Sang-hee laughed as she settled back into her seat. "Maybe you're right." She said thoughtfully, leaning an arm on the door, "but my family weren't exactly angels either, I guess it takes evil to raise it."
"I couldn't care less about your backstory," Luna replied angrily. "You hurt Marcus again and I won't miss a second time."
"That a threat?" Sang-hee said with a growing grin.
"It's a promise," Luna responded coldly.
The tension that built up during the hostile conversation became almost suffocating.
Every single word exchanged, added another layer of palpable tension.
Marcus remained a vacant shell, dazed by his earlier confrontation with Sang-hee.
However, deep within the confines of his consciousness, Marcus found peace.
The kind he had rarely felt these days.
The tranquil existence of being alone, hidden away from the world and all its complications.
Inside that place, he was having a deep conversation with his subconscious.
"Marcus this isn't healthy, hiding away from the world is only delaying the inevitable."
Marcus scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere." He answered. "Ever since I joined this stupid organization my life has been a shit show."
Marcus's subconscious nodded in understanding. "You say that, but if you had stayed in your room like you had wanted, would you have met Luna, Felix, or even Kinsley for that matter?"
Marcus rolled his eyes. "That's a good point, but for every good thing that's happened, I have to pay ten times as much with my sanity."
Marcus then sighed as laid back in the grass plain of his mind. "It's almost funny how bad things have gotten."
"Life itself is a comedy if you think about it." His subconscious replied.
"It has so many contradictions, yet somehow it works like a well-oiled machine."
"Then someone needs to put this machine out of its misery because it's been running too long." Marcus quipped.
His subconscious laughed. "You have a point." His subconscious replied with a nod. "Yet I wonder, if life is funny to you, then why not laugh in the face of its contradictions, show the world that you hold the reigns."
"I'd rather hide away like the coward I am," Marcus answered.
"But even a coward has to bluff, I'd rather you hide behind laughter than hide within yourself." His subconscious said as it sat beside him.
"I see," Marcus replied sitting up, he placed his arms around his legs and held them to his chest. "But wouldn't that make me look crazy?"
"Well, you aren't exactly sane anymore, talking to yourself and all."
Marcus chuckled. "I guess you're right."
Outside in the real world, Luna was gently rubbing Marcus's cheek. Her expression was one of sympathy and frustration. "Please snap out of this." She asked softly, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.
Sang-hee smirked. "Stil–"
Suddenly a faint tremble shook through the ground, cutting Sang-hee off, the air fell eerily quiet for a split second before a massive explosion rocked the surrounding area.
Both Sang-hee and Luna turned to look in the direction from where it came, and that's when they realized that it was in the very same direction Volkov had gone.
"Holy hell," Sang-hee said in disbelief as she watched a flock of birds rise in the distance.
Luna was speechless her hands momentarily pulling away from Marcus.
As the two girls looked in the distance, a faint chuckle could be heard coming from Marcus. Luna immediately turned around to face him, her eyes widened with shock as she noticed the wide grin on Marcus's face.
"Marcus?" She asked worriedly.
"Now this is funny," Marcus said as he opened his door, he stepped out of the car with an almost maniacal expression, his grin becoming almost sinister.
"Well shit, look who rose from the grave," Sang-hee replied sarcastically, folding her arms as she glared at him.
Marcus ignored her completely. His gaze fixated on the now-rising plumes of smoke in the distance. Gunshots rang loudly throughout the forest, like a mating call for him.
"So this is your way of calling me back!" Marcus shouted loudly as he spread his arms wide, looking up to the blue sky with a fiendish expression. "I guess I've been looking at your gifts all wrong!"
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Sang-hee asked, stepping out of the car to get a better look at Marcus.
Marcus began laughing uncontrollably.
It felt good, to laugh instead of cry, to look forward to a challenge instead of running away.
This was what it felt like to truly feel alive.
Without another word, Marcus began dashing into the forest without a care in the world.
Laughing to himself as he grew closer to the chaos.
Sang-hee raised an eyebrow as Marcus disappeared beyond the forest, his manic laughter blending with the chaos in the distance.
She then smirked. "This just got interesting."