I N P U L S A (Loba/You)

• C H A P T E R N I N E•

Over the last few months, things had simmered down. My return to the blood sport was something that the crowd loved, cheering me on. A couple more legends had entered the mix too; a sweet lady who reminded me of my mother, Horizon, a pyromaniac and explosion enthusiast, Fuse and a young woman who reminded me of myself when I was in the military; eager to please the people, Valkyrie.

They all brought something to this little family we had going and I was glad that they brought the attention to them instead of myself and my situation. Alexander hadn't really made any move to expose me in my past but I still felt on edge. It maybe due to us finding out about his illness and with each passing day, it was getting more and more obvious that it was taking a toll on him. A part of me did feel sorry for the scientist.

"Inpulsa, you and Caustic push up and I'll cover you!" Here we were in our usual situation, stuck in a sticky situation. Sending a nod towards Valkyrie, I checked the ammo left in my magazine.

'Shit...only a clip left...' This wasn't ideal at all but I had to trust the pilot. As long as she had our back, I know we'd be alright.

Looking to Caustic, he nodded as to let me know he was ready to push. With one large breath, the sound of bullets whooshing over our heads dull down, my heart beat being the only sound to overwhelm my senses. I could already fed the electric surge through me, the crackle in my jacket bringing me back into the moment of battle.

"Go."

Pushing through. Legs burning, laboured breath. Bullets flying over head.

This was something I was slowly getting accustom to. It was like I was meant to be here. Time slowed as we approached the enemy team, my arms moving to bring the sights of my gun closer to my eye. Every shot had to count.

With one blast, there was a satisfying crack of Bangalore's shields and with Caustic's assistance to my left, we made easy work of the soldier.

"One down."

Rustling caught my attention from behind me as I caught glimpse of Mirage trying to get an angle on me. A snarl took over my features as I reacted, turning around to send a flurry of bullets in his direction; to my disappointment they were met with his decoy. Bastard.

"You still can't learn that trick..." That voice was close. Too close. As I turned to see where it had come from, the stock of a gun met my temple shaking me off balance. A groan left my lips as my head ricocheted off the ground from the fall and when my vision finally cleared, Mirage stood proud above me and I was ready for his victory speech that came with it.

To my luck, a bullet hit his helmet making him stagger. That was all I needed as I tackled him to the ground. It was muddy, messy and brutal. With each punch I threw, I could feel the bruises start to form on my knuckles. With each struggle from Elliot beneath me, the more I realised I needed to finish this quickly. As I pinned him down, I reached to my back pocket to only pullout my wingman that I was thankful hadn't fallen out of my pocket during the fall.

With the cold steel of the barrel placed against his temple, I saw the fear in his eyes swell. Panic is what consumed him and it was clear.

"Your dirty tricks won't work on me..." The crack from the gun was deafening and made my ears ring for awhile. However, it was peaceful.

"Always one to play with their...experiments..." Caustic's staggered breath pulled me from my thoughts, my laboured breathing was taking a hold of me. With a helping had from the scientist, I wiped the mud that had seemed to smear across my cheek, taking a moment to wipe the remaining mud on my ripped jeans.

"He always gets on my nerves...since day one..." As I straightened out my jacket, Valkyrie flew towards us, a look of caution still lingering.

"Enough with the chit-chat. We're not safe out here." She had a point. Out in the open just after a fight wasn't the best location to be in. Picking up my weapon, I made quick work to ascend up the hill.

Valkyrie was confident, cocky and spending more time with Loba then I was these days. After the encounter with the scientist, I became distant. I just didn't know how she'd react if she knew I was the reason for an entire loss of my platoon; let alone what everyone would think about that. So in toll, she spent more time with Valkyrie and there constant flirting was something that made me was so seethe in anger.

But that girl will never be mine.

—————
'We have our champions!' The crack from my barrel echoed throughout my ears. Everything from that point was history. Valkyrie jumped, ecstatic from the victory whilst Caustic had that usual smug look in his eye.

Me? I just stood there, waiting for the dropship to pick us up.

The journey back was a blur as we soared through the sky and once we were back, we were congratulated by the rest of the gang.

"Another good win for you (Y/N)." Anita greeted me with a smile and a hardy pat on the back as we made our was to the seating area. The organisers over the games suggested that we should live closer to the outlands in order to compete in more games. So here we are, in a spaceship-like home. Just a couple of minutes away from our destination.

A small smile made its way to my lips as I took off my jacket, laying it across the back of the love seat. "Thanks Anita. Kairi is really starting to prove her place here." My eyes wondered to the pilots' location and as usual, Loba was there with her as usual.

The slight tingle in my fingertips pulled me from my thoughts, gripping my fist in order to make it stop. Ever since I overused my ultimate, I could feel the trails of electricity flow within me and I didn't know what was going on with me. Deep down I knew that I would have to get Ajay or Natalie to have a look over me.

"Hey, what ever happened between you and Loba?" Anita questioned, her brows furrowed as she looked at the young couple. I took a deep breath as I shook my head slowly.

"I don't know...just drifted I guess..."

All in order to protect myself.