Fated Retribution

19 [Target Gamma]

16th September, Tuesday, 7:09 am, 2028

"What the fuck is going on and why are we here?"

I tapped my foot against the marble floors of Sharon Petrova's house, to whom my question was directed as the woman seemed completely unbothered by my hysteria and prepared a drink for each of us.

After getting in Leo's car outside ATPD, we were practically kidnapped by Sharon at gunpoint who was already in the car, as if she knew we would be there. Aurelia was present there too, taken in by the same method. Sharon had driven us back to her house while Bridget was left behind, as if disappeared in thin air.

"Patience is a virtue, Clark." She sang, bringing the drinks to us and keeping them on the table. None of us picked the drink up, our gazes all looking at her in suspicion. She sighed deeply as she glanced at her watch and looked up at us, "Look, she told me not to tell you guys anything or else we might lose the element of surprise."

"She? Daphne?" Leo asked, I had filled him in that she was her step-sister but last I checked they were not even on talking terms. The whole situation was so confusing it made my head spin into a spiral down a void of confusing misery.

"Right you are, officer. Smart and hot, huh? Rare combo." She winked flirtatiously, making me roll my eyes. "Don't you have a husband." I remarked which made the dirty blonde smirk as she leaned against the kitchen counter, "Jealousy doesn't suit you."

Leo looked at me in confusion while Aurelia let out a snort at my flushed cheeks. "Answer him, is Daphne with you?"

"You'll find out in like," She paused, glancing at her watch again and shrugged, "5 seconds."

"What's going to happen in 5 seconds-"

I cut myself when a huge bang was followed by two bodies crashing into the small kitchen-bar we were seated in through the door. I yelped and felt someone grab my hand, I looked to my left to see Leo's hand gripping mine tightly as his face scrunched in part fear and part shock.

He let go almost as soon as he held it, "Sorry." He muttered quietly and I gave him a small smile, unbothered by the scene in front of me till I heard Aurelia exclaim, "Bridget?! Daphne?!"

My head snapped to the scene where I saw the familiar women. Daphne looked nothing like the last time I saw her, adorning a black tank top with a leather jacket of the same colour over it along with matching black cargo pants with combat boots.

There was a holster with a gun inside on each side of her waist and her short hair was all ruffled up from the small stunt she had just pulled. I could see streaks of colour dyed on them and she wasn't wearing her glasses as well. Her outfit looked similar to Sharon's, except the latter's was in a shade of dark red, both of them looking like makeshift stealth suits.

"About time, bitch." Sharon said, helping Bridget up who was coughing violently.

"Yeah well, if you unlocked the door on time we would be here on time, asshole." Daphne retorted before her attention went to us. Leo, Aurelia and I watched the scene play out with our jaws on the floor at the woman's sudden entry.

"Hi." She said, waving awkwardly.

"Where have you been?" I exclaimed in question.

"What she said." Leo and Aurelia chorused.

Daphne sighed as she looked towards Sharon who was now tending to Bridget's wound which had opened up due to the fall her Daphne had endured. I winced at the sight as Daphne spoke, "You telling them or should I?" She asked and Sharon raised her hands in surrender which made Bridget let out a cry of pain, "Shit, sorry. I'm not narrating shit Daph, your story, you're the narrator."

Daphne rolled her eyes as she began, "So, what do you want to know?"

"Everything. From your escape till this moment." Aurelia voiced all our thoughts as I noticed Bridget straighten up in interest too when Daphne started to narrate the events, "After escaping the station, I wanted to go back home and see Brenda, Ivan and Ivy so bad-"

"Brenda, Ivan, Ivy...?" Leo trailed off in confusion.

"Her kids." Sharon answered, her eyes still on the task she was performing.

Leo nodded in understanding and gestured for Daphne to continue, "But I decided to check on Ivory and McPhinnon first, because the last time I had seen them they were almost dead. So, I drove over to the hospital and that's when I saw you and Aurelia there." She said, jerking her head in my direction.

"That means I did hear you that night!" I said. Daphne nodded as she continued to speak, "I tried talking to you but then the nurse came and took you with her. I never got a chance. I went over back to my place-"

"That's impossible, we were patrolling all your properties." Leo interrupted.

"I'm getting there, Walsh." She said, "I almost got there before I saw this horde of police cars in front and- do you want to continue?" She stopped midway to question Sharon who rolled her eyes but took on the story after that.

"I had gone to check on Amelia and the kids after hearing about the whole fiasco on the news, when I saw her highness out there herself. I pulled her into my car and smuggled her back here, trying to keep her out of sight. Daphne explained the whole situation to me and after convincing her that I don't have any ulterior motives-"

"You tried to poison me once-"

"-And that I am actually trying to help, we finally came up with a plan." Sharon ignored Daphne's jab as she finished dramatically.

"What plan?" Aurelia asked sceptically, looking between the pair in amusement.

"Look, if we want to prove my innocence- wait it's "we" right?" Daphne asked with a laugh but I sensed a sense of nervousness behind her words. I gave her a smile and a firm nod and Aurelia matched my actions while Leo shrugged, "I'm literally here instead of my job." My smile grew wider and we all looked at Bridget who was now listening to Daphne with a bored look on her face, "Yeah, whatever, I'll help in saving your dumbass."

Daphne's smile became genuine at our words, "Splendid."

"What's the plan?" I asked, getting more interested.

Daphne and Sharon gave each other a look before the latter kept a photo on the table and the rest of us leaned forward to get a clear look at it.

"Heard of Acheron Welfner?"