"Yo, Will!"
Looking over her shoulder as she pulled her hair from the ponytail it had been in, the woman raised an eyebrow as she spotted a familiar redhead waving at her as he leaned on a parked limo. Circling around, she pushed her way past the small crowd of students that had been staring at said ride.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as after managing to get him. "I wasn't expecting you to show up until tonight's event."
"Well, I finished early," he said before looking around. "Where's Calix?"
"I haven't seen him since lunch."
"Where was he?"
"The roof like usual."
"Where is he now?"
"I just said I haven't seen him since lunch," Will groused as she brushed aside her blue strands of hair. "Did you even call him?" She then glanced in his direction to see him ending a call. "Well?"
"I got his voicemail…"
"So…?"
"Let's go look for him," Renyx suggested, shoving his hands in his pockets before making his way down the sidewalk. He paused as he heard his companion clear her throat. "Wha?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
The redhead cocked his head before lighting a cigarette. "Nope, don't think I am."
Massaging the side of her head as she walked over, she grabbed the cigarette before flicking it away. "First, no smoking on school property, stupid. Second, you can't just leave that in front of the gates!"
Following her finger, the man stared at the limousine before lighting a cigarette. "Oh."
"Oh?" she questioned. "You ride up in a limo and all you can say is 'oh'?!"
"Um…want a ride?" He held up his hands as he noted the twitching eyebrow. "Ok, no ride then." Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he patted the top of the vehicle. "Hey, go home. I'll call if I need ya, 'kay?"
"But of course, sir."
Taking a step back as the vehicle pulled away, Renyx turned to have his cigarette snatched away again. "Oh c'mon!"
"No smoking!" Tawny eyes then caught movement before spotting the small robotic creature bobbing its head. "See, SHU agrees with me. No smoking on school property."
"Ok, ok! Can we just go find Calix then?"
"Fine," Will said as she walked away.
Sliding a hand in his back pocket as he followed behind the bossier of the two, he combed his fingers through his mohawk before noticing SHU watching him. Watching the thing crawl down her blazer to disappear in her school bag, he tilted his head before smiling as a cigarette poked out. When SHU appeared once more, cigarette in its grasp, Renyx watched as it crawled its way back up to the woman's shoulder. Reaching to grab the offered cigarette, however, proved to be rather difficult once Will glanced over her shoulder to see what had the man so quiet.
"Um…hey, Will…"
Looking down to see SHU looking up at her, cigarette held behind itself, dark eyes narrowed as she held up her hand. "Give it." When the robot didn't do as told, she plucked the object away before splitting it in two. "Naughty SHU," she scolded, earning an annoyed chirp. "As for you…" Her attention went back to her friend that had decided to make a call. "Anthony…"
"On the phone…"
"Anthony!"
"On the phone," he replied as he danced out of reach.
"Ren-!"
"Finally!" He stepped out of the woman's reach once more before holding up his hand. "Hey, Calix, where are you?"
"Leaving the hospital," the teen groused as he spared said place a final glance. He then heard the man go on about needing to take it easy or something of that nature. "You're not my dad so you can't tell me what to do." He clenched his jaw as something was mentioned about taking his medicine and resting properly. "Just shut up already!"
"Something wrong?"
"'m fine, Mal."
"You know they're only looking out for you. No need to be mad."
"I'm not mad; annoyed maybe but…not mad."
"Oh?"
"I'm pissed that he has the nerve to lecture me when he wasn't even here! He's not my dad!"
"Uh huh…try to relax a little, Cal," Mal said after glancing at the younger man sitting in his passenger seat. "If you stress yourself out, it's-"
"I know. You sound like the damn doctor," he muttered as he looked out the window. "This medicine won't make me sleepy, will they?"
"I would hope not," Malecai replied. "It's a bit tedious to have to leave work to come pick you up since they found you knocked out on the roof. Speaking of which, why were you on the roof during class?"
"I fell asleep there during lunch."
"The roof though?" Cal gave a stiff shrug as he continued to stare out the window. "Cal, look-"
"No, Mal, I get it." Combing a hand through his hair, he watched as a limo drove by. "I'm too old need you to come pick me up from school. I'm not a kid that should rely on you for every little thing anymore."
"Cal-"
"I don't want to be that kind of person, Malecai," Calix said jadedly.
"You should know by now that I don't mind helping you."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why don't you mind it? I'm not your son. You're not my real dad," he said. "You're only doing this because Evren asked you to. You have no obligations to take care of-" He grabbed the dash when the vehicle came to a sudden stop. "Mal-!"
"Is that how you really feel?"
Brown eyes slid to the left to see the older male gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary. "Mal-?"
"Is that how you really feel?" he asked once he looked over at the other passenger. The teen looked out the window. "Lefay."
"That's not my name. It's yours, Mal."
"That is your name."
Driving once more, it was a quiet ride back to their house. Watching Malecai withdraw and light a cigarette, Calix walked past the man and went upstairs to his room. Throwing his bag to the floor, he loosened his school tie when it began to feel too restricting. Passing by a mirror, he backpedaled to take a look at his reflection.
Everything appeared to be fine but something pissed him off.
Pounding his hand on the stand nearby, he turned away to go to the windows. Watching citizens pass by so casually, as if nothing was wrong, Cal finally went to his closet to change his clothes. Coming downstairs sometime later, he walked over to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Downing an aspirin soon after, he passed by the window to see Malecai still standing in his previous spot, smoke thinning steadily before dissipating in the air. When the man turned to look over his shoulder, Calix turned away.
"I'm going out." He heard the door close before catching the sound of footsteps coming closer. "Mal-"
"Do what you want," came the reply. "If you want to leave, fine. It's not like you listen to me anyway." Making his way past the raven and to the stairwell, he hardly graced the other with a glance as he said, "Do what you want. Stay outside if you- well, you do what you want regardless of what I say anyway. If you get caught…" He trailed off before chuckling dryly. "Oh wait, you don't get caught. You've been avoiding them for years, right? I mean, you were doing it before living with me." He continued up there the stairs. "I'm sure you would've been fine too if I hadn't taken you in."
"Well, I didn't ask for your charity!" Cal snapped. "I didn't ask for you to take me in! If anything, I would've-!"
"Been shot," Malecai finished as he glanced down at the fuming man, "or dead. Hell, I really don't know. You were so sick when I got you that you probably wouldn't have made it through the night- not with you being as shook up as you-"
"Fuck you." Grey eyes shot back down. "I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't ask for…for what happened all that time ago!" Holding his fists down at his side, Calix turned away in favor of walking towards the front door. "I didn't ask to be raised by you! I wasn't asked if I wanted to stay with you! I was ok staying with Evren! "
"Is that how you feel?"
"Yes!" Cal shouted before looking over his shoulder to be met by an unreadable pair. "Mal, lo-"
"Leave," he said. "I'm not keeping you here against your will."
"Malecai-"
"Calix Le…" Averting his gaze, Mal released a slow exhale. "No, you're just Calix. That is what you would prefer," he mused aloud before looking down at the man. "When you leave, you're not obligated to come back."
"You may enter." Stepping inside, Evren kept his gaze low to the ground as he walked a stack of forms to the desk. Bowing slightly at the waist, he then turned to take his leave. "You weren't dismissed. Take a seat." Hazel eyes drifted from the paperwork momentarily. "Well?"
"Sir, there's no other chair."
"Your point? I told you to take a seat." Taking a knee, Evren kept his head down before focusing on the front panel of the desk. "Evren."
"Sir?"
"What did you put on my desk?"
"Out-processing forms," he replied as he lowered his gaze again.
"Oh, didn't I mention it earlier?" The Director felt mismatched eyes shift to look up at him. "I had copies of the originally signed documents from the other day."
"I…I don't understand."
"Each signing official emailed me a copy after you left, dear Evren."
"Oh…I see…then why did-"
"I just needed something for you to do was all. It would be a shame if you were left wandering the place with nothing to do," the Director stated as he continued to work. "At any rate, since you finished a bit earlier than I had expected, why don't we have a little chat, hmm?" Evren remained silent. "I'll give you a prompt. How about telling me what you were up to that required you to be gone all night? I'm sure it'd be most interesting."
"Sir-"
"Be mindful that I will know if you're lying to me," the Director stated as he pushed aside one file for another. "Do begin when you're ready." The other remained silent, making the older male look at him after some time. "I'll even start you off. Sir, I was outside because…"
"With all due respect, whatever I say wouldn't really matter, now would it?"
"Excuse me?"
"Sir, whatever I say wouldn't matter and you know it."
"Enlighten me on your reasoning."
"Whatever I say won't be seen further than an excuse. You know this so you're just patronizing me."
Tilting his head somewhat to the left, the older male jotted something down. "Evren, what's paragraph 6, subsection 12.9, line 30 of the 10-403 state?"
"Paragraph 6, subsection 12.9, line 30 of 10-403 states that if given an order, an officer is obligated to fulfill said command in a quick and efficient manner without…question."
"So…"
"Again, with all due respect, I don't believe that applies to me."
"Is that so?"
"I'm no longer an officer," Evren answered. "I'm…incapable of performing duties…according to you."
Setting the pen down, the older man steepled his hands before resting them on the desk. "According to me, huh? Well, from what you said, I take it that you no longer have the desire to be a task officer. It sounds like you quit."
"Sir, I don't quit; I just know when it's futile to keep trying when I won't obtain what I want."
"So, you… quit?"
"I didn't q-it doesn't matter," he said with mild irritation as he rose to his feet. "If you do not require anything else, I'll be leaving."
Bowing at the waist, the white-haired walked out the office before heading back to his room. Reaching his door, he wasn't expecting to be pulled inside so suddenly. Stumbling over his own feet, Evren picked himself up slowly before looking over his shoulder to see Tyson standing there with a hand in his pocket.
"Prin-"
"Don't you even start with that crap," Evren groused as he got to his feet, "and why are you in my room without permission?"
"What did the Director want?"
"Why the hell are you asking me? Go find out yourself if you want to know." Walking to his closet, he rifled through it, no longer seeing any of his uniforms, before pulling out a pair of jeans and t-shirt. He then looked over his shoulder as he felt the other's presence. "You can leave now."
"Where are you going?"
"Out."
"Where?"
"None of your business," Evren said.
"Where-"
"Get out!"
"Not until you tell-"
"I still have five hours until curfew so leave me the hell alone."
"Tyson…"
Mismatched eyes focused on the radio attached to the other's s shoulder. "You're being summoned."
"It can wait.
"Tyson…"
"It's not an option on when to go," Evren said. "If he has to send someone or comes himself, it's just going to be troublesome."
"Tyson."
"Coming, sir," he replied as he watched the other change his shirt. "Don't go anywhere." Evren spared him a glance. "Seriously." A short walk soon brought Ty to their employer's door. Knocking once before entering, he was met by an impassive stare. "Sir-"
"You took your time getting here."
"Sor-"
"Evren was rather punctual," he said. "You should aspire to be more like him." Red eyes lowered, "Anyway, I have a little training exercise for you and your team. Scarlet and Alexis are already out in the city and are awaiting further instruction. I expect a report once curfew has been implemented."
"What's the training?"
"Hide and seek."
"Hide…and seek?"
"Yes, and your target is Evren."
"Sir…"
"Evren's hiding something from me," he said as he continued to work at his desk. The Director then turned his direction towards a nearby screen to see Evren heading out the front door. He turned his attention to the officer by the door afterwards. "I want you to go find what he's been up to. Is that understood?"
Dammit, what have you done this time, Ren?
"Tyson."
Said person bowed at the waist. "I understand, sir."
Combing his hair back and out of his face, Evren stared up at the cloudless sky before heaving a sigh. Turning his attention to the sky-high structures, he studied them momentarily before watching some of the vehicles that flitted by. Passing through the chattering crowds, giving brief greetings to those that spoke to him first, Evren veered off the main road until he came across one of the modern parks the city had.
There was a large fountain with a plaque on the bottom for who knew what. There was playground for some of the smaller children just beyond the fields. Trees dotted the area but when he went to touch one, Evren pulled his hand back as he stared at the taller object. Spotting a bench nearby, he took a seat yet he couldn't stop staring at the tree he had touched.
The bark felt different; it felt cold. Light didn't shine through the canopy like it should've on a cloudless day. The area beneath it felt much too cool, despite the intended shade.
"It's…not real," he muttered to himself. It's not a real tree…
"Not many people have seen this tree before…"
Holding the side of his head for a moment, Evren looked up at the tree again before hearing the sound of someone sitting on the opposite end of the bench. "E…excuse me," he said as he watched the leaves rustle, hardly giving off any sound, "but this…isn't a real tree, is it?"
"Of course not," came the reply. "There aren't many places here that have real trees."
"Why?"
"Why?" The man turned to see grey eyes studying him curiously. "Evren?"
Said person blinked before turning to focus on the man entirely. "Y-You're... M…Mal, right?" The other nodded once before continuing to smoke. "Why aren't there any trees?"
"Hmm, thought you'd know the answer to that," he replied after he snuffed out his cigarette. "There haven't been many trees here in several decades. You know, resources and such. Not many people thought they'd need to replenish what they took," Malecai explained as he watched the younger man continue to stare up at the treetop. "Eventually, with all the technology, I guess it'd be fair to say that people got lazy, stop caring. I suppose it's easier to build than to grow, faster too."
"That's…actually kinda sad," Evren muttered.
"You like trees that much?" Seeing how the other was still studying the artificial tree, Mal got to his feet. "If it's alright, mind if I show you something?"
"What is it?"
"Would you trust me if I said that it was a surprise?"
Narrowing his eyes for a moment, Evren got to his feet. "I suppose you can show me."
Smiling at the reply, Mal went on his way. Following along behind him at a reasonable pace, Evren studied the high buildings once more before slowing his pace a bit. Glancing over his shoulder on occasion, he shook off his uncomfortable feeling once he and Malecai entered a different park.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Evren looked about once more before coming to a halt as one particular tree caught his attention. Making his way over to it, he circled once then twice prior to resting his hand along the bark.
It felt a bit different from the one in the previous park but it actually felt alive.
Looking up at the leaves, the light seemed to filter through more, giving off a richer green than it had at the other place.
Reaching up to grab the lowest branch, Evren lowered his hand in favor of touching the side of his head.
"Something wrong?"
He looked to see Malecai watching him curiously. "Um, no. It's…just a headache," he said. "Could…I have a moment?"
"Uh…sure."
Watching the man walk over to a bench for another smoke, Evren took a seat beneath the tree before looking up at the leaves. Watching the boughs sway in the breeze, Evren closed his eyes momentarily. When they opened, he tilted his head when he caught what appeared to be a small child sitting on the lowest branch. Looking around to see if anyone else noticed the boy, Evren stretched out his hand to see if he could get his attention.
"Hey."
A set of mismatched eyes dropped down for a moment before focusing on something else. When the boy looked down then up again, Evren followed the gaze to see someone else sitting on the bench some distance away. Tilting his head when the individual looked rather familiar, Evren looked up in time to see the fair-haired child hopping down from the branch, staggering somewhat, before walking over rather confidently. Walking after the child, Evren reached out to touch his shoulder though his hand merely fell through. Seeing it for what it was, the white-haired man followed for a time before stopping alongside the child when he had come to a halt.
"Hello." Looking towards the source of the greeting, Evren stared at a man sitting there with a sandwich. "I think this is the fourth I've seen you here." The boy said nothing but slowly dragged his gaze towards the sandwich the other was holding. "So, you want my sandwich again, is it?" The blonde stared back up at the man. "Here. You can have this one," he said with a smile. "I figured you show up today," he added as the boy took a seat next to him. "Are you going to tell me your name today?" The younger male continued to stare at the man. "My name is Malecai."
The child went back to looking at the sandwich in his hands. "Evren." The man hummed in question. "My name is Evren," he replied as he got to his feet.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you."
"I have to go now."
"Wait a min-"
"Thank you for the sandwich," the child said before hurrying away.
Watching the boy run off, Evren turned quickly when he heard the sound of fingers snapping.
"Evren."
"Mal…" he murmured, "…you…"
Getting to his feet as the other held his head, Mal flicked the cigarette away. "Are you ok?" Seeing the man furrow his brow, he placed a hand on the head of white hair before jerking his hand back after receiving a shock. "Ev-"
"Don't touch me."
Glancing at his hand, Malecai noted the small sparks of what appeared to be electricity crackling around the younger man. "Evr-"
"I have to go."
"Wait-"
"Thanks for the sandwich," he muttered before running off.
"Evren!" Losing sight of him once he past the fountain, the grey-haired man ran a hand through his hair after recalling the last thing the other had said. "Sandwich…?" A small smile then crossed his face. "You remembered," he thought aloud.
Feeling his smile broaden, the expression faltered when he got the sneaking suspicion that someone was watching him.
Regaining a bit of nerve, he straightened before taking a casual look around. Grey eyes then locked onto a pair of sharp, green ones. When the owner of said pair didn't blink, only continuing to stare with a small head tilt, Malecai took that as his cue to head home for the day.
Stumbling to a halt as tried to catch his breath, Evren pulled himself into an alleyway. Feeling a throb in his head, he took a knee, gritting his teeth. Wishing for one of his aspirins, he fisted a handful of hair before climbing to his feet when he felt eyes watching him.
He didn't dare to look up or around.
It would've been too obvious.
Taking a deep breath, he began down the path, steadily picking up the pace. Picking up his head as he reached the city limits, he eyed the old sign before finally looking over his shoulder to see no one there but he knew better.
Crossing the border, he ran several blocks before taking a sharp left. Squeezing his way into the nearest boarded up buildings, he took a seat beneath a windowsill. Staring off ahead, he focused solely on his hearing before something told him to pull his knees to his chest. Footsteps walking by just outside the window had him stiffening before he saw a shadow pass by in front of him. As they circled back, Evren scooted from beneath the sill in favor of sneaking through a side door. When steps echoed in the building, Evren hurried down the next alley before looking around as he was met with a new path.
Again, the sound of someone else walking made the man look over his shoulder once he came to a dead end. Coming to a fire escape, he climbed up rather quickly before entering through a busted window. Brushing the glass from him person, Evren spared the room a brief look before hurrying out to stand in the hall. A door opening from on the first floor had him gritting his teeth before he heard through another door which led to the roof. Going to the edge, he got a view of the abandoned city, taking in everything from the dilapidated buildings to the few trees dotting several areas of a far-off land before catching a glimpse of what looked like water.
Steps on stairs had him glancing at the door he had come through before he stepped off the edge to land on the ledge of the next building. Dropping through a hole in the roof, exited the room and hurried to the first floor. Exiting through a window, he ran down another alley before reaching high walls. Looking about, he lifted his foot as he heard a manhole cover shift. Looking down the way he had come, he pried the metal disk away before slipping out of sight. Heading on his way once he covered his exit, he lit the way as he walked for several minutes.
He studied etchings in the walls before veering corners and cutting through tunnels.
Stopping on occasion when he heard what sounded like someone else, he waited before deducing they were his own steps.
When he began to question even that, he put out the light he was supplying before sitting alongside a ladder. Pulling his knees up to his chest when all this started to become oddly familiar, he lowered his head as a shiver traveled down his back.
After nothing but quiet surrounded him, Evren held up a hand to illuminate the sewer he was in. Studying his surroundings, he found the area relatively clear for something that was once used to hold and carry away waste. Looking to one of the walls, he ran his hand along an etching that looked similar to a car. Seeing several others, he got to his feet, not straying too far from the ladder during his observations. Climbing back to the surface just after he was done, he looked around carefully before pulling himself out. By that time, several dozen stars were already dotting the sky.
Admiration didn't last long, however, since the sound of footsteps walking down the road had the man cringing.
Ducking into a nearby apartment, Evren pressed his back against the door as the steps got louder. Hearing an additional set in the place he had run into, he clenched his jaw as he took a step forward, ready to tackle whoever dared to try anything.
His posture relaxed involuntarily when vaguely familiar eyes landed on him. "…what are you-" The other gestured for him to be quiet and to follow. As the set of footsteps outside grew louder, Evren hurried after the other, slipping through a hole in the wall just as the front door opened. "Wait," he groused, only to have a hand clamp over his mouth.
Being pulled away into the next building, Evren stumbled over the loose floorboard before being shoved out a window and into the street. Catching sight of the shier member of the task force, he backpedaled before bumping into the one helping him. Looking in the direction he had seen Scarlet, he pointed before being pulled in a new direction.
It continued like that for at least thirty more minutes before the person finally let them go in favor of scaling a fence. Watching them hop over, Evren followed suit before following until they reached the end of a field.
"Why are you being followed?"
"Why are you out here?" Evren countered before watching the other shift somewhat uncomfortably. "Cal."
"I'm always here," Calix replied before grabbing the man's hand to lead him further away from the buildings and into the park they were just the other night. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I was trying to get away."
Cal slowed his pace to look back at the other. "You're... running from them?"
Pulling his hand back, Evren came to a halt. "You don't need to sound so happy about it."
"Sorry, just…just…well, why? Aren't you an officer?" Mismatched eyes averted themselves. "Ren?"
"Don't call me that…just… I needed to get out of the HQ for a while."
"What about work?" Calix asked.
"What about it?" Evren countered. "There's nothing for me there…not anymore."
"Want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Ren-"
"What did I just say?!"
"Ok, ok." Holding up his hands, Cal looked in the direction they had come from. "Why were you being followed?"
"Hell if I know," Evren replied as he looked over his shoulder. "It's really annoying though."
"You don't say." Brown eyes then went skyward. "You know, curfew starts in about an hour."
"So?"
"Well, you have no intention of going back and you say being followed is annoying."
"So is restating the obvious…"
"Ok, well, what if I said I knew where you could go without being found, would you come with me?" Cal asked.
"I don't know…"
"It'll be like old times. So, what do you say?"
Sparing the edge of the city another glance, Evren shrugged as he set his sight on a tree in not too far off. "I don't see why not." He then focused on the teen that was grinning almost ear to ear. "Lead the way."
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