White Flag

((Next post comes as soon as I get at least one comment telling me someone read this. :)

Here's hoping everyone had a good Halloween!))

“You should realize I don’t trust you,” Shan said, watching Leon carefully. If he saw any kind of trap even appear to try to capture him…

“That’s alright,” Leon said ruefully, his mental software already scanning for building Gifted energy in any direction- a sign of an attack about to happen. “I don’t really trust you either.”

“So we agree that we don’t agree on a lot,” Shan replied. “We might as well start with whatever else we do agree on. Why do you think we have a traitor in our group?”

As Leon started to collect his thoughts to answer the question, he mused that Shan probably was convinced of this himself, or at least suspicious. Why else would he be out here?

“Back when I was… a little younger than you are now,” he said, looking at the seventeen-year-old. “Fifteen, I think. I met this girl….”

~~~

The Cat Lady hummed to herself happily as she straightened the blankets on the different beds in the sick room, gently shooing felines out of the way. They responded by either rubbing against her ankles affectionately, or moving with annoyed looks and sounds. Either way, it was wonderful, simply wonderful how quickly the others had healed. Even if they weren’t completely healed just yet, to have all but one up and moving around…

She paused for a moment to cuddle some of the kittehs out of gratitude, then turned, looking curiously at the one patient who had not yet healed. The thin, pale woman must have been very tired, to be sleeping so soundly, that she hadn’t been woken up yet by any of the chores the Cat Lady had been doing in the room. She was breathing deeply, lost in the sea of pillows and blankets, a vaguely worried expression on her exhausted sleep. How strange…

~~~

“She was beautiful,” Leon said, eyes far away for a moment. “And sweet. And for some reason, she was interested in me. I didn’t question it that much, even at first, because really, how often was a really pretty girl going to pursue me? That was my teenage logic. And I felt so happy, whenever I was around her, that I really thought I liked her back.”

He exhaled, shaking his head. “I was wrong. I did like her, loved her in fact- but only because she made me. She was an emotion-manipulating Gifted, it turned out. Even had a nickname among all the agencies trying to capture her- the Venus Flytrap.” He laughed dryly. “Because she could draw her prey in by making them love her, and then, when they were in her clutches…” He clapped his hands together, hard, simulating the closing of a trap.

“…She’d suck them dry.”

Shan watched him, frowning. “Is that what happened to you?”

As Leon’s hands fell back to his sides, they clenched slowly into fists, while the former agent struggled to keep the anger from overwhelming him just from remembering it. “She took… everything from me. Right now, my only goal is to see her destroyed- not just captured, this time, but completely obliterated. After that…” It didn’t really matter, anymore.

“I see,” Shan said. “And you think that she’s among our group now, and a threat to us.” He shook his head. “I appreciate the concern, but you’re wrong. We already know Null’s power- it isn’t that.”

“Null?” He frowned. “Who’s…?”

“Tall, thin woman, kind of pale. Brown hair, brown eyes. You fought her, once.” That time at the waterfall, that Shan had completely lost it…

“…Oh…” Something unrecognizable flickered in Leon’s eyes for a moment, before he lowered his head and obscured it. “No. No, that’s not who I’m talking about.”

Shan stared at him in confusion.

~~~

Aden shivered, watching, from his hiding spot as Konki moved past, slowly, eyes searching with trained skill to find him. This was… really bad. She was going to find him, to capture him, and with that dead look in her eyes… No, it couldn’t happen! It just couldn’t-

He was close to hyperventilating when Konki finally gave up and moved past. He exhaled slowly, fighting to steady his breath while he waited for her to get a safe distance away, forcing himself to count to fifteen.

Then, he ran. He ran, as fast as he could, trying to be quiet, but unable to stop himself from stumbling, or making little, terrified squeaks every time a shadow moved. Elora. Elora was… bad, and…

He ran for the front door, knowing, just knowing that he had to get outside. Inside of here was too dangerous, too full of places that Konki would be hiding! Where should he go? The path leading down the hill was too exposed- anyone could see him from the house if he took that. But the cliff…

…If only…his wings could actually fly…

Tori. She would know what to do, could come up with a plan to deal with this. She was their leader, after all. Or…had been, before... And he couldn’t leave her! He had to go back, get the key from where he’d left it, and find her-

He wheeled around a corner to find Konki waiting for him, crouched, ready to spring. He gave a dismayed squeak as he turned back and ran for his life, the huntress running after him.

~~~

“You said she was around your age when you met her,” Shan said. “Right?”

“Right,” Leon said, frowning.

“Which would mean that she’d be about your age now.”

“…I guess.”

“There’s the problem,” Shan said, folding his arms. “Null is the only one in our group that’s that old. The rest of us are still kids. If it’s anyone, it has to be her.” He frowned. “Although I don’t know how that works, since she’s already a nullifier. I didn’t think people ever had dual gifts, but… maybe-“

“It’s not her. No- …Null isn’t the Venus Flytrap.”

Shan glanced at him suspiciously. “You don’t know that. You don’t have any evidence to support that.”

“I do.” Leon’s fists tightened even more at his sides. “Just trust me… It isn’t her. It has to be someone else in your group. Maybe she’s in disguise or something.”

Shan let his mind flicker over the other members of the group, trying to think. Maybe…

“…If that’s the case, it could be any one of us. It could be me.”

“It’s not you,” Leon said, voice irritated. “She escaped when you idiots destroyed the Munia Agent base. Heh, thought you were only liberating good Gifteds, didn’t you? As if there is such a thing.”

“If that’s the case, then she’s someone recent,” Shan said, frowning as he narrowed the list down. “Someone who only joined our group recently. Someone like…”

…

Oh, this was bogus.

“…Konki?”

~~~

Tori exhaled, clearing her mind. No thoughts, no thoughts at all. Just exist. That was what her sensei had taught her, so many years ago. When you meditate, get rid of all the extra, all the unnecessary, and just be, yourself, without anything else. A controlled state. If she could get a hold of the monster within at all, separate it from her inner self in any way, this was it.

The candles flickered around her as she wrestled to relax, trying to do it without triggering the berserker state. She didn’t know if that would trigger it or not, but right now, she didn’t really want to take any chances. The shadows played on the wall around her, held by the candlelight, and seemed to flicker behind her eyelids as well, within her mind.

After a few moment, she thought she might have it, a good control over her self. Slowly, tentatively, she reached out, trying to find the berserker, the wild side that had taken over when she’d gotten angry. Anger… or fear…

Whatever it was, she was going to find it now. Behind her eyelids, black slowly began to spread.

~~~

“That may be it,” Leon consented, while realizing that he had no idea who Konki even was. “Whatever the case, I should be able to find her. I just need to take a look at your group, and then I should-“

“No way,” Shan said. “It’s risky enough, meeting you here like this. There’s no way you’re getting close to the others.” Not with so many of them hurt.

Leon snorted with impatience. “You think you’re going to find her on your own? You haven’t found anything so far! And trust me, if she stays with you long enough, sooner or later she’s going to start trying to feed off of one of you.”

We found something, Shan thought bitterly. We know something’s up with Null. We’re not completely blind. And if Null really wasn’t the same as this Venus Flytrap person… Enemies all around.

“Why should we trust you?” Shan said accusingly. “You’ve done nothing but try to hurt us or capture us so far.” He fought to keep his eyes from flickering to the sonic gun in Leon’s hand. “How do we know that we won’t end up in cages at the end of this, huh?”

“Believe me, once the Venus Flytrap is dead, all bets and alliances are off,” Leon said darkly. “But I gave you my word- this’ll be a truce until that happens!”

“Your word isn’t good enough.”

“What do you want me to do, sign a contract? Stop being an idiot! Nng…” Leon suddenly stumbled back a half-step, holding his head.

…Drat it… this anger…

Shan watched him, then spoke slowly. “…You promise you won’t try to hurt any of them?”

Leon struggled for a moment to wrestle control, enough to speak. “I… promise…” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m on… your side. It doesn’t make sense to hurt you right now.”

Shan was quiet for a minute. He couldn’t really explain it. But there was something tortured about Leon right now, something… He was suffering. He was really suffering because of this, whatever it was. And for the moment, at least, for some reason, Shan was certain that he was telling the truth.

He slowly nodded. “Okay. Then it’s a deal. Temporary truce, just as long as it takes to get rid of the Venus Flytrap.”

Leon slowly straightened, shaking his head to clear it. “Right.” He slowly held forth a hand, gaze piercing Shan.

It was a risk, to bring Leon that close to the others.

…But then, it was a risk just letting this flytrap thing go unwatched for much longer. Or, for that matter, Null.

Shan slowly reached forward and took Leon’s hand, sealing the truce.