Decoy

I ran. My legs numb, threatening to give in. I scrambled through the corridors, searching for anywhere I could hide. The enraged shouting of Viktor Keller's lackeys echoed from the floor below. Beads of perspiration cascaded down my face, ears burning. I searched desperately for an open door, anywhere I could possibly hide. Finally, my fingers grasped an unlocked handle. A feeling of relief filled my chest. I slipped inside, swiftly shutting the door behind me. My eyes scanned the room– dark, silent, the soft scent of musk lingering in the air. Portraits of a plump woman next to a wealthy man with a large scar running down the right side of his face stared back at me from the shadows, coated with a fresh layer of dust.

Play decoy, retrieve the gem, get out. That was the plan. Getting in was hard enough – getting out was going to be a nightmare. A million thoughts raced through my mind, thoughts of regret and confusion. Our boss never told us how heavily armed the target was, just said he was in possession of a priceless gem. The reality: a ruthless man who would tear down his entire property to find a single intruder.

Bip. Bip. Bip.

The familiar sound lured me away from my thoughts. I kicked the desk over, a string of profanities slipping out of my scarred lips as the timer began accelerating. The beeping halted, followed by the cruel macabre devastation. I bolted swiftly behind the desk - watching the short strands of my black hair singe and sear in front of my face, shrapnel flying in every direction. Then, I felt it. The scorching heat sear my face, my skin curling, blisters forming like a triggered minefield. Holding in screams as the flames licked and penetrated my skin, I reached out through the flood of flames, tapping a few digits into the display. It flashed a brilliant blue through the crimson embers. 'N O E L - 20 metres'. Only one thought ran through my mind: I hate my job.

Water showered the whole apartment, the smoke and flames slowly subsiding. I inhaled sharply, clutching the wounds in attempts to numb the pain as they sealed. Regenerative healing factor - handy, but damn did it hurt. My attention diverted towards the door, now blasted into splinters. Gruff voices mumbled to each other resounding off the crumbling walls.

"Even if anyone was in here, they should be dead by now, sir." A raucous voice spoke, followed by a low responding hum.

The clunking of steel tipped shoes treaded towards the charred portrait. I watched from the side as Viktor punched in the codes into the safe, inspecting the green stone gently in his palms.

Target acquired. Initiate – Noel Rowley. A female automated voice rung through my earpiece.

"Woohoo!" An excited cheer screeched through my earpiece, then the window.

Noel landed on the blackened marble, a small chuckle from his thin candy stained lips as the shattered panes crunched beneath his boots. The lackeys swung around, shooting at the intruder. Noel danced through the flurry of bullets towards the portrait, slicing down the lackeys with a flick of his wrist. He plucked the gem from Viktor's hands, tucking it into his shoulder pocket.

His attention diverted to the faint sirens wailing outside - our queue. He sprinted over to the burnt desk, swooped my scorched body over his shoulder and leaped over to the window sill.

"Adios!" He saluted to the lackeys with a wink, falling back. Viktor's face plastered with a look of astonishment. We dived straight for the ground. My stomach churned at the sight of the distance between us and the ground. Falling from the top floor of a six hundred metre tall building was the last thing I would do. For Noel, maybe the first.

"Wow, that must've been one helluva bomb, you look like crap!" Noel exclaimed over the rushing of the wind. "Good thing I didn't miss your call." The ground inched closer every second - every second I was closer to hurling out this morning's breakfast.

We kept falling. I wasn't sure how long this would continue. I could see the ground clearly now. I couldn't help but think of what it would be like to fall to the bottom. Just how painful would it be? I watched our silhouettes hit the ground. I flinched instinctively. Noel playfully tapped my back, reassuring me that we hadn't plunged to our doom. The howling stopped, the force of wind vanishing into a small breeze rushing through the wilting leaves. He hovered a few inches above the ground before landing. I didn't realize how tightly I had been holding onto him. I shoved him away, my face a bright tomato.

"We are never doing that again." I snarled. Adjusting the burnt pieces of fabric on my holster.

"C'mon, we had a bonding moment!" He laughed, hovering to my side. "We jumped off a building together!"

We sprinted towards an isolated street, entering a labyrinth of alleyways. I turned on my watch, flicking through the various display holograms into the GPS system.

Beep! Location acquired. Head 32 metres north. The automated voice rang through our earpieces.

We strode through the narrow paths in silence, our boots scraping against wet asphalt. The moist bricks reeked of rotting cat carcasses and faeces. Noel slowly trailed behind on foot, his face scrunching up in disgust. I could tell he wanted to fly out of there quicker than a bullet train. We passed by multiple homeless children hidden behind dumpsters on the way; tossed them a few coins - the most we could spare without making them greedy for more. The sun had begun to set, the last of the sun's vermillion rays danced through broken shards of beer bottles scattered on the ground, illuminating the darkening paths.