𝐄𝐤𝐤𝐨 | 𝐃𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕪 𝐋𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝐀𝕟𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕤

2. Ire

I leaned over the Firelight, holding him down in a tight grip.
A smirk curled slowly across my face as I recognised the intricate, owl-like features of the mask.
It was him.

The one Firelight who had been a thorn in my side for weeks now— always a step ahead, always slipping through my fingers at the last second.
He was infamous in the Under-city, a ghost in our operations, and now, finally, here he was beneath me.
"Well, well," I said, my tone teasing.
"Look who decided to come out and play."

He didn't speak, nor did he struggle. Just plainly staring up at me through the dark eyes of the mask. Silent. Unmoving. It almost made me pause, but my curiosity itched.
My smirk instinctively deepened, and I reached out slowly, my fingers brushing the edge of his mask.
"Gotta catch a glimpse of my next victim first, right?" I said mockingly.
My hand barely had time to graze the edge of the mask before he shot up, gripping my wrist in a vice-like hold.

Before I could react, he twisted sharply, using my own momentum against me. I gasped as the world spun and the weight of his body pinned me down against the deck. He had rolled us over.
My dagger slipped from my grasp in the struggle, skittering out of reach.
I growled under breath, struggling to free myself from beneath him.
"Not bad," I said, annoyed. My voice tight with irritation.
My arm strained against his hold as I stretched out my free hand toward the dagger, almost touching the hilt— but he obviously noticed.

His boot came down, swift and deliberate, kicking the blade out of reach.
It clattered away before stopping far beyond my grasp.
I was pissed off, and my eyes flicked up to his white mask. The smirk returning despite the awful position I was in.
"Alright, you've got me," I drawled, though my muscles coiled under me like a spring.
"Now what, owl boy? You just gonna keep looking down at me, or are you gonna tell me what it's like being a pest?"

Even if there wasn't much I could do, I still carried that usual mocking lilt in my way of speaking, defiant as ever.
I was testing his strength as he held my arms down on each side of my head, firm and unyielding. His grip on my wrists so tight it was beginning to hurt.
He still didn't say a word.
My firstly amused smirk faltered for a split second. No gloating, no snide remarks, no threats. It wasn't like anything I had expected.
More like he was... analysing me.

His stillness was unnerving, and for once, I found myself at a loss.
"What's the matter?" I quipped, sharper than had intended to.
"Got nothing to say? Or is the mask doing all the talking for you?"
He didn't react. Didn't flinch. Just kept staring at me, as though he was trying to unearth something from under my exterior.
The lack of a fight somehow became more infuriating than any scuffle could have been.

Before I could think of another taunt to break the tension, the heavy thud of boots approached.
"Shark, stop playing with your food," Sevika sounded impatient, clearly having reached her limit.
In the next instant, her mechanical arm slammed into the boy's side, sending him flying off me and sliding across the deck. He rolled and managed to catch himself on one knee, his breath fast but controlled.
I quickly sat up, rubbing my wrists with a light scowl as I glared at him.
"Took your sweet time," I muttered, shooting a glance at my partner in crime.
She scoffed, flexing her mechanical fingers.
"You looked like you were handling it, until you weren't."

I ignored the jab, my attention snapping back to the only Firelight left standing. His mates were down, some still alive, others not so much. But so were our men, and Silco didn't like losing men.
He stood back up, his gaze seeming to be fixed on both of us in front of him.
I couldn't tell if it was anger or calculation in his stance, but there was no mistaking the resolve in the way he held himself, like he wasn't done yet.
I huffed, so very much amused by him, and cracking my neck I rose to my own feet.
"Guess the fun isn't over."

Yet, it very much was as he suddenly jumped off the boat, his hoverboard right where he needed as he landed on it.
"What-" Sevika was as stunned as me, and a series of soft, whistling sounds followed as we observed the other living Firelights following after him.
She didn't like an unresolved job, and in the rush of the moment grabbed one of our dead worker's gun before pointing it at the last Firelight still in sight.
I stepped forward and placed my hand over the gun. "Stop," my voice precise, lowering it as she looked at me like she wanted to rip my face off that instant.

I was agreeing with her, wanting to rid myself of those annoyingly buzzing mosquitos on hoverboards that wouldn't let us be, but now was not the time.
Not when they placed a ticking bomb on our merch and the survivors' from our side were forced to jump in the water before the ship blew up.
More of a Jinx thing, but this was way more serious than I let it seem.
Silco will kill us.

~

"Explain to me," Silco's voice sliced through me like a cold blade.
He was pacing in front of us like a predator circling its prey, "how five of my people managed to lose an entire shipment to Firelight scum and an explosion you didn't see coming?"

I kept my head down, arms crossed over my chest as I focused on the dim light of the office.
My body ached from the fight, bruises definitely would be formed under my skin, but that wasn't the worst part.
It was the humiliation curling in my stomach like a coiled snake. Silco's words weren't just cutting, they scarred.

Sevika stood to my right, her mechanical arm hanging at her side, tension radiating off her in waves. She didn't even blink as our boss' anger rolled over us, but I knew her well enough to see the tightness in her jaw.
The others— two bruisers and a wiry runner who'd barely made it back— looked like they wanted the floor to swallow them whole.
"An explosion," Silco repeated, his tone dripping with disregard.
"You're telling me you didn't anticipate a trap? Didn't think, perhaps, that the Firelights might come prepared?"

I clenched my teeth, biting back the urge to snap something snarky. It wouldn't do anything good. He wasn't looking for excuses; he was looking for blood.
One of the bruisers, a guy named Gary, cleared his throat, his voice trembling as he tried to speak.
"We... we couldn't have known—"

"Silence." Silco's voice was a whip, and Gary shut up immediately, his face pale.
I finally raised my head, meeting the boss' piercing gaze. His mismatched eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, the room felt colder.
"You were there," he said, his tone quieter now, but no less dangerous.
"What happened?"

I straightened, shrugging off the hesitation.
"They definitely knew we were there. We took down most of them, but one of the Firelights planted a bomb on the cargo. I didn't see it until it was too late."
I spoke steadily, even as I felt the suffocation his glare was inducing me.
"By the time we run off the ship, it was already gone."
"Gone?" Silco said after me, his lips curling into a mockery of a smile.
"That shipment was worth more than all of your lives put together. And you let that happen because you didn't see it? A fucking bomb?"

His words stung, but I refused to look away.
"We fought. We survived," I added, my tone clear despite myself.
"A few of us, anyway."
Sevika's head snapped toward me, her eyes narrowing in warning. I ignored her.
Silco stepped closer, his presence making me feel like I was choking on air.
"Survival means nothing if you lose what matters," he hissed.
"Do you understand that, Shark?"
I swallowed hard, but I didn't back down.
"I understand."

He stared at me for a long moment, his gaze drilling into mine before he turned away, addressing the room again.
"Failure isn't tolerated here," he told us.
"Not from any of you. If this happens again, there won't be a next time. For you and your precious survival."
The room was quiet, his words settling over us like a heavy fog.

"Get out of my sight," he finally ordered, and we didn't need to be told twice.
I followed the others out of the office, my fists clenched tightly.
Silco's anger still clung to me, but truly, I couldn't help but think of that damned Firelight with the owl mask.

Next time, I wouldn't just let him get away.