Indigo (NaNoWriMo13)

Chapter 4 - Things Might Crack

 Dedicated to ELatimer. On the off chance you live under a rock and have never read one of her works, go do so. She's also insane and doing NaNo with 'Bright', although she's on fire with her words.

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Chapter 4 - Things Might Crack

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At the sound of her name, Athira’s arms unlocked and hovered at her side.

Her breath came faster. She blinked, examining his face closely for the first time.

She’d been too distracted inside the tower to realise, to make the connection between the familiar voice and put the thought down to the impact of her colour having free reign over her body. But now, looking at him closely...

“Raph?” she asked, her voice barely more than a squeak.

His reaction confirmed her suspicion. A kind of horror started spreading throughout her. He exhaled, half laughing, his hand lingering beside her shoulder as if he was suddenly unsure of her existence. “Oh my god, Athira, it’s you? It’s actually you?”

Shift stepped forward, saving her from having to reply. “Uh, care to explain how you know a notorious villain’s actual name, Raph?”

“I...” Raph’s words trailed off as he touched his ear, listening to something. “No, send them away! Tell them we didn’t--ah damn it all, fine!”

“What are you going to do?” asked the elemental suspiciously.

Raph clucked his tongue, glancing at the doors and nodding his head before looking back to Athira. “Just follow my lead. Trust me, okay?”

Athira started backing away, holding her hands out. Already, the guilt rising in her chest was sending her colour into a fresh wave of frenzy. She had to get to her amulet. Why the hell didn’t she put it on? Get the amulet and get out. “Raph, I don’t need--“

All at once, the semi-quiet of the warehouse exploded as people suited in Colour uniforms of varying ranks burst in through the doors and windows simultaneously. Athira immediately commanded her colour to cover her bare, runed arms. The colour wrapped around her skin, making it appear as though she wore long black sleeves with a white-lined design on it where the runes lay underneath. 

The joys of having instant fashion changes.

The inside of the building lit up like a rainbow as reds moulded their weapons, blues clutched their pre-runed objects and the rest drew their colour to the surface, ready to act.

A taller man dressed in yellow stepped through the doors. His suit was different from the rest, more extravagant, and Athira instantly knew he wasn’t a regular Colour. He was an Elite.

“Scan the area, pick up anything you deem important.”

Murmured replies of ‘Yes Discord’ came from several people. The man, Discord she assumed, gave the area a precursory glance before settling on Raph. “Team Indigo, report!”

Raph pushed Athira behind him. “We tracked Reader and the Owl to this warehouse sir, but they fled when we arrived.”

“From Starpoint tower?” asked Discord.

“Yes, sir. The tower collapsed but Shift got a tracker on the Owl, who pursued Reader.”

Athira was barely listening to their words, too disoriented to even be offended by Shift’s betrayal.

Her brain felt like it was trying to dig its way out of her skull via her eye sockets. She couldn’t handle this much at once, the revelation of finding Raph working as a Colour, the guilt that came with having to face him, having to explain what happened.