The Tardigrade / The Talons

Chapter 1.2: Feathers / Talons

The moon shined down on a complex of ruined concrete buildings and industrial looking metal structures. Various bushes, mosses, and lichen seemed to cover every inch of the surroundings. Small nocturnal birds with black and purple coats of feathers flew away from the roof of a building in a cluster as a car approached and stopped. The car looked old; most parts of the car looked like they were about to fall off and bullet holes littered the sides. It had stopped on the driveway to a three story building made of pure concrete with windows and doors that were just holes in the structure. However, signs of life were obvious. There was a thin sheet of fabric hung over the main entrance with colorful yellow and orange stripe patterns, and there were potted plants in one of the window sills although half of them looked to be on the verge of death or dead.

The doors to the car opened one by one as masked figures got up and took their things out of the car. They had several pieces of heavy, complicated looking equipment and cases of ammunition. One of the figures went around to the trunk and opened it to reveal a makeshift pet cage. There was a pink towel laid out across the bottom of the trunk and a water dispenser with a pedal for the creature inside the trunk: A large bird-like animal with blue and white striped feathers. It had bright red eyes and a long tail that was curled around its body as it slept. Its head looked more like a feathered dragon's head than that of a true bird. There were small fluffy ear-like appendages protruding from its head that twitched slightly every so often. The masked figure reached in and gently roused it from its slumber. It gave a yawn and stood up, flapping its wings. It climbed up the figure's arm and wrapped around their neck like a scarf.

A woman codenamed "Siren" walked up to the figure carrying the bird. Her pale skin seemed to be covered in small scratches, yet she wasn't bleeding from any of them. She wore a red bomber jacket and had short black hair. She asked the figure with the bird, "how is she doing?"

"I think she's alright. Albeit a bit sleepy." The figure took off their mask to reveal the face of a man that appeared to be in his mid fifties. He had countless scars on his face and almost entirely gray hair that went all the way down to his shoulders. The others knew the man as "Jester." He stroked the head of the creature delicately.

"How's the police chatter? Have they noticed anything yet?" He asked. Siren simply stood still for a second before responding.

"No. They aren't talking about anything pertaining to the Lásändrü building."

"Very good." Jester answered. Siren and him followed the other two that exited the car into the concrete building. They walked over the frayed welcome mat at the door and through the thin fabric sheet that separated the outside and the inside. Inside the building, there was an unusual combination of racks of guns and normal household furniture like rugs and sofas. There was a wooden table in the center of the room with a missing leg, but it was instead supported by a large speaker. The guns in the racks appeared to be heavily modified or handmade. Some of them had big tanks of gas attached to them. The two other members were sitting on a sofa together. They both looked like teens. One was a girl named Moon by the others. She had large branching antlers and furry brown deer-like legs. A dark blue cloak covered in star patterns concealed most of her body. The boy next to her wore a white hoodie with sleeves covered in blood. He had short snow colored hair and a neutral expression that made him look constantly irritated. Ironically his name was Sun. Jester and Siren had entered the room by now and finished placing their things down. Siren sat at the table, and Jester walked to the center of the room to address them all.

"How is everyone feeling?" he asked.

"Rough mission. They had pretty advanced security," Moon answered.

Sun's expression soured further as he looked up. "I don't understand why you made such a big deal out of me killing that dude. He was gonna shoot you."