Raven's Will

48. I'm Standing Here

A/N: I don't like how this turned out. It fought me every step of the way, but rather stay stuck on it, I'm going to post it as is. I'll be reworking it anyway in the rewrite. For now though, I'm determined to bring this story to a conclusion, one way or another. ^^"

***

The city lay quiet, as if holding its breath. Nothing stirred. Even the pigeons and crows that often frequented the skies had all gone to ground, hiding themselves away without a sound. It was like they sensed the oncoming storm.

Jett wanted to hide somewhere, too. He felt far too exposed, since he essentially was a shining beacon in his white flyer suit. Anyone would be able to spot him on the rooftop. Which was the whole point of him being here.

He shivered, though the air was dry and hot and the concrete beneath him still radiated warmth. Dusk inched ever closer, the western horizon just starting to darken as the sun fled. It too, had no desire to hang around.

Each passing minute dragged into unbearable lengths. How much longer did they have to wait? How long before-

His throat tightened. He pressed his folded arms against his chest, trying to not look like he was hugging himself. That was not how a flyer stood. Nor was that how a Talon faced their enemy. Jett straighted his back and did his best to look like he wasn't terrified.

The only good thing about this situation was that he wasn't alone. Raven stood beside him; a shadow of tattered coat and shrouding hood. He appeared outwardly calm, but Jett did not miss how that ragged hood constantly swiveled back and forth.

A flash of movement caught both of their attention. As one, their heads swivelled to watch as two flyers swooped in, wings flaring and their boosters briefly whining before being cut. They dropped to the rooftop across the street, their landing light and effortless.

Something about them seemed familiar, though with their helmets covering their heads, Jett could only distinguish them as a Medic and a Smoke flyer. He watched them warily. All of the strange flyers that had come to help Raven had already left the city, or so he thought.

"Friends of yours?" he asked.

Raven observed them for a long second before responding.

"No."

Jett frowned. Across the street, the two flyers simply stood, watching them right back. It made his skin prickle.

"Do you think they're here with Gray, then?"

"Probably. Unless they came here to sightsee."

Jett scoffed. Who in their right mind would go sightseeing in a ruined city? It made more sense if they were here to fight. Though he wasn't sure who exactly they'd be fighting.

Suddenly concerned, he carefully touched the hilt of the short blade at his hip. It was the only weapon Raven had given him on their way out of the tunnels, but it was enough. Or it should be.

With Jett's speed, there wasn't much that could touch him. He knew that, yet he couldn't shake the growing sense of dread. Strange flyers or not, something was coming. Something bad. And he wasn't so sure his skill was enough to escape it.

"Hey."

Jett looked up at his brother, his thoughts a tangled mess of worry and fear and nerves.

Raven's voice was firm. "It'll be okay. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

But something happened to you the last time, Jett wanted to say. He didn't care where he ended up. His brother, however, was a completely different matter. Jett couldn't bear to see Raven die a second time.