The Mariposa

Chapter 14

Maeve

I flew to the HQ on the wings of a butterfly, with butterflies in my stomach. Azriel thought me innocent. At least, mostly. But if anyone caught me grabbing supplies, it probably wouldn't help all the skepticism building against me. So, it was probably best if I didn't get caught.

That thought was what had me on nerves. Very few people sneak around assassins and succeed. I arrived far too soon. My nerves at an all-time high, I entered the headquarters. There were fellow Mariposa walking the halls and ignoring me. I made my way towards the medic room. It was at the very end of the left hall. I hovered over the ground, using my wings to travel, in hopes to curb any questions if they noticed me.

When I got to the end of the hallway, I looked around. There were a few Mariposa still wandering the halls. I waited until they were gone to peek inside the med room. One doctor sat at his desk, studying some paperwork. I sighed, swearing lightly under my breath. I threw the door open, immediately catching his attention. He looked at me, his eyes wide.

"Quick, Doctor! Nick just came back from a mission! He's paralyzed in his room and needs serious medical attention!"

The doctor jumped to his feet, flying out the door. He stopped when I didn't follow him, looking at me over his shoulder.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'm... hungry. But there's others there with him. Go!" I quickly blurted, my face flushing.

The doctor frowned, but went on his way. I went in the med room. After considering it a second, I locked the door behind me. I picked up some supplies, gathering them in the bag. The ordeal took a lot longer than I thought it would. I wasn't too sure what it was he would need so I kind of just grabbed everything.

In the middle of gathering items, the doorknob started rattling. My heart lurched and I looked to find two Mariposa at the door, a male and female. The male banged on the door.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"We got a call from the doctor! Turns out Nick has been at base all day! Open up so you can explain!" the female added.

Focusing back on the task at hand, I swiftly started gathering more items. Who knew how long I'd be gone at this point.

Loud thuds came at the door and I knew they were likely a moment away from kicking the door down.

"Screw it," the male said.

Immediately afterwards, a shot fired. I glanced back to see they had blasted the door down and were now starting towards me.

I swore again, closing my bag and swinging it over my shoulder. A net flew at me and I narrowly dodged it, starting towards the window. I aimed my wrist gun at the window. Before I could shoot, the male flew at me, tackling me to the ground.

Reacting instantly, I punched him in the jaw and rolled us over. The female flew at me, but I kicked her off me, getting back on my feet. Before either of them could stand, I fired rapidly all around me, making them halt. My last shot was at the window pane.

It shattered and I jumped.

Another net came at me, this time catching me. I flicked a switch on my wrist gun, cutting myself out.

Didn't have enough space to do that last time or I would've.

The net cut open, I spun through the air, propelling myself at breathtaking speeds. The two Mariposa were hot on my trail, now firing arrows at my retreating form. I narrowly dodged them a few times, before closing my wings. In the blink of an eye, I was falling through the clouds, faster than they could track me. I drew my wings back out at the lowest tier, ready to make the home stretch peacefully. I smiled, pretty proud of myself.