The Vanguard Vixen

37 (Two)

Vivian exhaled deeply as the Raven-class helicopter reverberated off the towering buildings that loomed above her. She gazed skyward to catch a glimpse of the shadowy form of the chopper as it weaved its way across the street, the glint of a long rifle in the open doorway catching her eye.

She tapped her earpiece in. "I thought I told you to be subtle."

"I can't watch your back while on the ground," Jasper replied from the other end of the line. "Up here I can see everything!"

"You're also a big target hovering above a city full of criminals."

There was a short pause while Jasper digested what Vivian had said. "Are you sure this is possible?" he asked.

"I'm sure it's not," Vivian said. "Otherwise it wouldn't be any fun. They've installed new barriers using thick concrete walls and heavy steel doors, complete with a secondary layer of defence featuring fortified windows and high-security locks. Impenetrable."

"Really?"

"No."

The sky above was a dull and lifeless grey, with a misty rain that seemed to coat everything in a dreary haze. Vivian turned down the street and veered right onto 7th Avenue, expertly avoiding the throngs of protesters that had taken up residence on Main Street. She continued on toward the bustling Starlight Plaza, where towering holographic displays flickered and flashed at irregular intervals. The "Starlight" sign still worked, despite the blank spots that now marred its surface.

 It had been a while since she had last walked these streets, but nothing much had changed. The city still had the same drab stone buildings, greyed with smoke and covered in graffiti on every visible side. The streets were littered with trash overflowing from bins that hadn't been emptied in ages. The place was fairly deserted, abandoned during one of the biggest Vanguard-Prussian civilian clashes in recent history. Vanguard had further declared that the entire division was off limits to Vanguard civilians, and it was not responsible for anyone who got caught trespassing by the Prussians.

Said Prussians had slunk back into the dilapidated buildings as soon as they had caught wind of Vivian and her aerial escort. The buildings that stood here were little more than charred, skeletal remains, their walls blackened by fire and their windows shattered. She was well into the deeper parts of the sector, and the people here were much more confident.

 Vivian kept her eyes straight ahead but could almost feel the burning gazes boring holes through her. Some jeered, spat, or cursed at her as she passed them, but none dared to touch her. She would have liked to think that they thought better of it because of her, but she knew it was more due to the Raven hovering with silent eeriness above them. It was just far enough out of range for an attack from the average Molotov, but bullets from above could cross the gap in a fraction of a second. Each building was full, despite some of them being nothing more than four walls on either side with massive chunks of concrete missing.

As she approached the building The Bastion, the people only grew in number, having settled in tents that covered the entire semicircle of space around the front of the massive temple. It was easily the biggest refugee stronghold within this corner of the country. When she reached the foot of the dark stairs that rose to the entrance of the obsidian-walled building, her way was blocked by two men. They were both armed, holding semi-automatic rifles to their chests.

"What brings you here?"

Vivian stood her ground, sizing up the two men before her, and took out a sheet of paper from her jacket. "I've got an arrest warrant from The Harbor for one Leon Colt"

One of the men grabbed the warrant. He glared at it for a whole minute while murmuring as he read the words.

"I'll have to verify the validity of this," he said as he turned to go up the stairs, still staring at the paper. "Make sure she goes nowhere."