Life of a Street Fighter

Mission Impossible

Back in the car, she gave Gabe a small smile. "Ready?" he asked, starting the car's engine.
"Yup, let's go kill some bad guys" she replied.
"I honestly don't know how you're excited about this" he said, looking around a corner.
"...I've killed before so this isn't really anything new" she said after a moments pause, flipping down the visor in the front seat.
"Hmm" Gabe replied, not really paying attention as he yawned, leaning his head back against the headrest, while they waited at a red light.
"Are you not used to waking up early?" Scarlett questioned him.
"I think it's jet lag" he said.
"Sure" she said, shaking her head.
They rode in silence for about 10 more minutes, before Gabe turned a corner and drove into an underground parking lot.
Scarlett shuddered as she looked at the concrete floors, walls, and supporting pillars. "Ugh, it's so gloomy down here" she said, not voicing the way her heart began to beat faster with panic at the thought of being trapped down here.
"Yeah, but we'll only be done here a few minutes" he said, parking the car and hoping out.
Scarlett followed and stood off to the side as he unlocked the back and pulled it open.
The rifle that Scarlett had used previously, rested underneath the false bottom of the trunk, where only few people would notice the seam.
Gabe reached into the back and grabbed two cases that looked no bigger than a businessman's briefcase.
"What's that?" Scarlett asked curiously.
He flashed her a devilish smile and flipped the latches on one of them, pulling it open a few inches, enough to reveal the gleam of light off shiny metal.
"Oh" she said, understanding then that they would have to assemble the gun once on the rooftop.
"Shall we go now?" Gabe asked, handing her one of the cases.
"Lead the way" she said, gesturing with her hand.
"Impatient are we?" he said, closing the back and locking it before walking forwards.
After going through a metal door in the underground parking lot, which led to a smelly, dirty hallway, before making them go up a flight of metal stairs that echoed hollowly under their feet, they came out on the surface. Scarlett looked around warily, always on alert because she was in unknown territory.
Gabe continued to walk forwards, over the grass and up onto the sidewalk, while Scarlett followed more cautiously. He paused before darting across the street and waiting for Scarlett at the base if a tall building. "Once we get up onto that building" he said, pointing at the neighboring building. "We set up and wait. It might take awhile but you need to be patient. Can you do that?" he asked in a hushed tone, looking at her seriously.
"Are you kidding? I'm the most patient person in the world!"
45 minutes later, she was complaining. "Why are they taking so long?!" Scarlett asked in annoyance.
"Remember when you sais that you were the moat patient person in the world?" Gabe said dryly.
"That was sarcasm" she said, stretching her legs out behind her.
"Well, shut up. I can do without the constant whining" he said sharply.
Scarlett snorted but obediently began sweeping the area through her rifle scope. The building they were on was three storied high, and faced an abandoned four story covered parking area. The strip of land between the building they were on and the covered parking lot was what Gabe had called no-man's-land. If anyone walked through there is got shot there, no one was going to warn them or rescue them until one side had gone, or was dead.
According to Gabe, who had given her a few of the details about the gang, had told her that they did dangerous drug deals and then sold them in black market or on the streets. They were also the cause of some riots that has occurred between gangs.
It felt like three hours had passed to Scarlett but Gabe assured her that only one hour had passed.
An odd sound drew here attention away from her gun for a moment and she looked over to see Gabe passes out asleep with his face directly against the top of the building.
She gave a little laugh her wrinkled her nose at the uncomfortable looking position to sleep in. Scarlett reached over and pulled his finger off the trigger so of he woke up he didn't accidentally fire off a shot.
She sighed and went back to look out for the gang, feeling a weight of responsibility fall onto her shoulders. Occasionally Gabe started to snore really loudly, so she slapped a hand over his mouth, hoping he didn't alert anyone to their presence here.
The sun rose up more and more into the sky and Scarlett was starting to sweat under the sun, while the gang still hadn't shown up and while Gabe continued to sleep. Drool had started to come out of his mouth and she made a race at the puddle of it starting to pool under his mouth.
Scarlett rested her chin in her arms, keeping one eye trained on the covered parking lot through the scope, allowing herself to relax, that the gang hadn't shown up yet.
Soon she was starting to feel drowsy but she remained awake, still feeling the weight of responsibility.
Suddenly a tiny movement made her straighten and look more closely through the scope. Zooming in with her scope, she saw a dark red van drive up onto the third floor of the covered parking lot, slow and then stop. 8 men stepped out, one holding a canvas bag. All of them had tattoos and a cruel look on their faces.
Sucking in a breath, she drove her elbow into Gabe's side. He woke up ans gave a little yelp of pain, to which she responded with a glare.
"Shut up, I think the gang has arrived" she hissed, feeling a little twinge of guilt at yelling at him when he had an innocent expression on his face. It quickly vanished however and she looked back through the scope of the men.
She heard Gabe give a low curse at himself for falling asleep as he quickly regained his senses and looked through the scope.
"So do we just start shooting or what?" Scarlett asked, becoming slightly nervous.
"Wait a few minutes see what happens then I'll tell you when to start firing" he said in a cool, calm tone of voice.
"Ok" she replied and does in a bit more, studying the men's expressions and how they acted. Most of the men wore blue or black but two men wore white t-shirts, drawing her attention. The one's in white seemed to be younger with less scars and less extravagant tattoos. Two of the men we're watching over the open side, as if waiting for someone or something.
"I think they're doing a drug deal" she whispered without moving from her position. "The canvas bag might have the drugs"
"Yeah that's what I was thinking to" he replied.
Scarlett suddenly felt a cooler breeze and noticed that there was suddenly a dark gray overcast. "Gabe....did you check the weather?" she asked.
"Uh, no. Why?- Oh...that is not good" he said.
"You think" she snapped growing more anxious.
"Guess we'll have to start firing soon" he said, clicking a bullet into the chamber.
"Uh, ok" she said, doing the same thing with her gun.
"I've got the man holding the canvas bag" he whispered.
"I got the man on the dark navy shirt, leaning against the driver door of the van" she said, feeling the gun more clearly against her body and what she was about to do.
"Ready? On my count. Just remember, try to get as many as you can" he said.
"I know. Just start the count off already" she said, become.irritated with her nervousness.
"Ok, Ok. 3...2...1...now!" he said and pulled the trigger, Scarlett doing the same, feeling the gun buck against her shoulder.
Immediately, she cocked another one into the chamber, aiming at one of the white shirted ones and pulled the trigger, watching a red stain blossom almost immediately after on his shirt.
She quickly reloaded and aimed at another, even though they were starting to run. She dropped another and saw the one next to him drop as well. Gabe.
All of the men were in the van by now, so she aimed at one of the back tires, hoping to make them get out again. She pulled the trigger and watched the van swerve and almost roll over. Direct hit! she thought in excitement.
A few moments later after she'd reloaded again, the remaining men came out of the van armed with rifles. She shot one in the head, causing him to spin around and drop, before aiming at another and dropping him as well. The rest got to the cement wall and hid behind it, making it more difficult for them to shoot.
By the time Scarlett had reloaded, Gabe had gotten another one. She saw the end of a rifle with a scope on it poke up above the wall and she shot reflexively, the bullet shattering its way through the scope until it embedded into the man's head.
"Damn!" Gabe said whistling.
"Shut up and shoot" she replied through gritted teeth as she took aim at a man leg that was unknowingly sticking out into the open. She pulled the trigger and watched him jump while Gabe shot him through the head in the few seconds that his head had been showing.
"Now that's what I call teamwork" he said enthusiastically.
"Do you ever shut up? How many are left?" she asked.
"No, I never shut up. You should know that. And I think there's only one guy left. He's hiding behind the cement wall. Don't worry though, I've got a special bullet for him" he said, reaching to grab a bullet off the ground and popping it into his gun.
"Oh, boy" she said with a sigh.
There was a shot from his gun and as she watched through the scope she saw a spray of blood appear from behind the wall where the man was hiding.
"Is that it?" Scarlett asked.
"Yup" he said, sitting up.
"Um, maybe you should double check just in case" she said as little drops of rain began to fall onto her skin.
"Nah, I'm positive we got them all" he said smiling at her. "Nice shooting"
"Thanks" she said, taking one last look through the scope before she sat up. There seemed to be a brief flash of movement but before she could make sure, everything was still again.
"Gabe, lie down again just in case" she said, looking through narrowed eyes at the discarded van with its doors flung open. Was that a glint off a rifle scope? Should she call it out just in case? Better safe than sorry.
"Gabe, I think you should come back down for a few moments just in case-" she started.
"What? I can't hear you" he said, looking back at her in confusion.
A shot rang out and she gasped in horror as a bullet ripped into Gabe's midsection, spraying blood onto the cement. He looked at her in shock then down at the bullet hole in his stomach which was continuing to pour out blood. Then he slowly keeled over backwards, straight off the building. "Gabe!" Scarlett screamed, rushing to the edge and looking over, even though she knew it was dangerous.
Gabe lay, eagle spread on the cracked pavement below and she knew with a sinking heart that he was dead. Either from the bullet wound or the fall, it didn't matter.
She turned around and slid back down, tears pooling in her eyes. Why?! You stupid, ignorant bastard! Why didn't you listen to me?!
Her heart in her throat, she scrambled to get behind her gun again, overcome with shots of revenge. She quickly spotted the same glint as before and then lurking in the shadows, a man. She lined up with the man's midsection, and, taking a deep breath, pulled the trigger.
She could still hear the man's agonized cries in her ears as she began to pack up both her gun and Gabe's trying not to think about anything that had happened in the last half hour. Not Gabe sleeping, or his innocent expression when he woke up. Not the satisfaction of revenge either....although it did satisfy a little of the burning anger that had settled in the pit of her stomach.
Before Scarlett stood up and walked away, she noticed something shiny lying on the ground. She bent over and.picked it up, realizing that it was a set of keys. Gabe's. He must dropped it before he... she couldn't finish the thought. Then, with both cases in her hands and walked away, not looking back once. Walking back down the streets, she did get a few strange looks but she glared back until the other people looked away.
Reaching the underground parking lot, she jammed the key into the lock, hoping it would fit, as her eyes began to blur again with tears.
She finally succeeded in opening the door and she slid in, tossing the cases into the seat next to her, and slamming the door shut. Wiping away her tears, she looked around the car for a few minutes, not comprehending anything she saw.
Eventually, she put the key into the ignition and started the engine, familiarizing herself with the car again. She eased out of the parking lot and quickly drove up onto the surface, trying to remember the way that they'd gotten here.
After driving around aimlessly for about half an hour, she finally recognized a familiar looking building and oriented herself enough to drive back to the apartment.
She quickly ran up the stairs and unlocked the door to their-no, her room and slammed the door shut behind her. She slid down the door, not crying anymore, just feeling numb to everything.
Her eyes scanned over the room, finding the rumpled sheets on both of their beds, and the films curtain billowing in the breeze through the small crack in the window.
A loud sound broke through her thoughts, startling her. 'Eye of the Tiger' began playing loudly, coming from somewhere in the middle of the room. She quickly jumped up and saw Gabe's cell phone vibrating in the dresser drawer.
She hesitated for a moment then grabbed it and pressed the green bottom and raised it up to her ear. "Hello?" she said.
"Hey, is Gabe there?" a male voice asked.
"Luke? Is that you?" she asked,thinking that she recognized his voice.
"Yeah. Scarlett right?" he replied.
"Yeah...I guess you woke up huh?" she said, staring out the window.
"Yeah, hurts like a bitch but, what can you do? Is Gabe in the shower or something?" he asked, probably wondering why she hadn't given the phone to Gabe yet.
"Uh, no"
"Oh, is he sleeping?"
"No" she said in a quiet voice.
"Is he outside?" Luke asked, confusion etching into his voice.
"No" she replied.
"Well then, where is he?" he asked.
Scarlett remained silent, wondering if she should tell him straight out or not.
"Scarlett?" Luke asked.
"He's dead" she said bluntly, flopping down on her bed.
There was silence on the other end. "I swear Scarlett, you had better not be serious-"
"I am. He got shot and then fell off the building we were on" she said, tonelessly.
"What the fuck?!" Luke said, screaming at her.
"I'm sorry. I tried to warn him that there was still one man alive but he couldn't hear me" she said, her voice finally catching.
Luke must've heard it because when he spoke again, he wad quieter. "Are you sure he's dead?"
"You don't get shot with a .50 caliber rifle, fall off a three story building and live to tell about it" she said, leaning back against the pillow.
"Damn it!" Luke said, starting to curse loudly.
"If it makes you feel any better, I shot the man who shot Gabe. I made sure it wasn't a quick death either" she said, interrupting him.
"Good. I hope you made him suffer" he snapped, and she knew that he was having an even more difficult time handling his death than she was; and she had witnessed it.
"I...just don't know what to do now" she said quietly, hoping he would understand that she had no one to turn to in an unfamiliar territory.
"I'll tell some guys to pick you up and get you on an airport back home" he said abruptly.
"Thanks" she said quietly.
"Hang in there" he said.
"I'll try. Bye" she said.
"Bye" he said and soon, she heard the dial tone in her ear.
She slowly put the phone down and placed it back onto the nightstand. She sighed then hopped off the bed and began to throw the disgusting clothes that Paige had packed her into the trash barrel.
She paused when she picked up a pair of skinny jeans, remembering that this was one of the articles of clothing that Gabe had picked out. She scoured the room until she found the black tank top and grabbed it. She pulled off the clothes she was wearing and pulled on the other ones, shivering as the wind cut across her bare arms. She grabbed one of the plaid buttoned shirts that Gabe had brought and tossed it over the shirt, inhaling his scent, even if it was weird.
After disposing all of the clothes that she'd brought, she looked around at all of Gabe's clothes scattered haphazardly around the room, but she didn't make any move to touch them or try to clean it up, figuring someone else closer to Gabe would want to do it.
Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door and she lifted her head from the pillow where she had been lying." Who is it?" Scarlett asked, standing by the door, her hand a few inches off the doorknob.
"Michael Reynolds, CIA agent. Luke sent me here to pick you up and drive you to the airport" a male voice outside the door said.
"Oh, ok" she said, pulling open the door and stepping out, realizing that when she closed the door, it would be like shutting out the last reminder of Gabe. She did it anyways, pulling the shirt She took a little closer around her body.
"You ok?" the man asked, looking at her.
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with seeing my friend get shot and then fall off the building" she said sarcastically, while glaring at him.
"Hey, I know it's hard. I lost two of my buddies to a crazed serial killer" he said, giving her a look of sympathy.
Scarlett found that she didn't want this man's sympathy and she gave a short nod before gesturing down the hallway. "Are we going?" she asked, trying not to sound to impatient.
"Yeah" he replied, leading her down the hallway and out into a different car.
She gazed at the car, she'd come here in, just a few spots down before getting in. All the way to the airport, The man beside her kept up a steady stream of chatter, talking about anything and everything, his crazy missions, his family, their stupid dog, and he didn't expect her to answer or make any comments to his stories. For that she was glad.
"Good luck" he said, letting her out.
"Yeah, thanks. Have fun trying to train your dog to fetch" she said, closing the door. His surprised expression on her face made her smile a little. He obviously hadn't been expecting her to be paying attention while he rambled on.
Scarlett waited in the waiting area after being directed there by another man who said that everything was all set for her and that her plane would be leaving in about one hour.
To pass time, she gazed out the window, watching planes land and planes take off, watching family members greet each other enthusiastically. Her eyes occasionally drifted to clock and finally, her plane was called.
She joined the rush of people that were carrying bags and yelling into phones and they made their way to the plane.
Once she had settled into the window seat, she let her mind drift off until everyone was told to buckle up. Now that she was actually awake to witness the plane taking off, she was nervous even though she had to do it, coming here. She rubbed her sweaty plans on her jeans and tried to relax as the plane rose higher and higher into the sky. A few minutes later, the plane leveled off and she buckled herself, gazing down at the land, through a thin layer of clouds.
I don't belong here, she thought. I belong in the streets fighting people I know who they will react. She sighed at reclined in her seat, wishing the plane would travel faster so she could get to New York City quicker.
Eventually she fell asleep and dreamed of Gabe. His face was everywhere in her dream. In the clouds, on the sidewalk, on the buildings, and on the head of everyone that she passed.
She woke up, biting her tounge so she wouldn't scream. A passing flight attendant asked, "Do you need anything?"
Scarlett shook her head. "No, I'm fine"
"Alright, let me know if you do you need something" she said smiling before walking away.
Scarlett crossed her legs and jiggled her foot, as it had fallen asleep, and soon her leg and foot were filled with pins and needles. She tried not to imagine any horrible scenarios in which the plane crashed as she asked down at the ocean which seemed never ending. I'm never flying again, she thought, as her stomach lurched.
Once she thought she'd seen a glimpse of land once but it hadn't turned out to be anything. When her eyes were getting heavy again, and she was struggling not to go to sleep, out of fear of seeing Gabe again in her dreams, a flight attendent's voice came over the speakers. "We are now descending over New York City. Please strap on and remain seated until we fully land. Than my out and we hope you enjoyed your flight"
Scarlett sat upright and gazed out the window excitedly. Shiny buildings greeted her and she smiles at the thought of being home.
"Please strap in miss" someone said beside her.
Scarlett turned to see the same flights attendant as before and briefly considered flipping her off, but conceded and strapped herself in.
A few minutes later, they were disembarking off the plane and she scanned the lobby area for a familiar face, wondering briefly if she was expected to walk back to the CIA building, when she spotted Ben's familiar face.
"Hi" he said as she walked up to him.
"Hey" she said in reply.
"So how was Paris? Did you see the Effiel Tower?" he asked excitedly as he led her outside.
"Yeah" she said, deciding not to down his mood by telling him that she'd also seen a man die. She needed his ignorance right now.
"I went there a few years ago. To see my grandmother. I wanted to climb to the top but she said it wasn't worth it" he said with a laugh.
"It probably would've been more worth it if you'd climbed to the top during the night time though" she said.
"True. I mean it was raining and all so, that probably wasn't smart of me either" he said, getting into the car.
Scarlett climbed in the other side and shut the door, while Ben started the car and music started blasting out of the speakers. "Uh, sorry. Should I turn it down?" he asked, looking guilty for some odd reason.
"No, it's fine. I like my music loud" she said, not voicing a pound the fact that it allowed her not to talk as well.
"Great! I like this song anyways" he said enthusiastically.
It feels so normal to be back here, she thought, looking at everyone they were passing on the sidewalk. I hadn't realized how much I missed this place.
Suddenly a different song began to play on the station that was playing. 'See you again' by Wiz Khalifa.
"...its been a long day without you my friend, but I'll tell you all about it when I see you again..."
She noticed Ben wince at the lyrics so she figured that he'd heard the news about Gabe's death.
"...we've come a long way from where we began, oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again, when I see you again..."
Scarlett reached over and turned off the radio.

Hello, sorry for the slow update, but I was feeling lazy, so...enjoy! Listen to the music!