Gone

30.

Running Up That Hill by Placebo

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Jural finds Stone on the rooftop reading, "come on we have a job." She nods and sets the book down, he hands her a gun with a silencer, "home job?" She asks as she takes it. "Yes."

"Who is it this time?" Stone walks a few steps behind him, "General Wingly," Jural holds the door open for her, "what he do?" Stone asks as they walk to the conference rooms, "does it matter?" Jural counters.

"Guess not. Dead is dead." They walk into the conference room where General Wingly is to meet them there. "I'll be right back General Alzack needs something." She nods as he tosses the files on the table, she walks over to the water and takes a cup full, the metallic taste that does down with the water tells her the water is spiked.

"General Wingly come in I have the files you ordered from General Alzack." Amoura points to the file on the table, "Would you like something to drink? General Alzack keeps a healthy selection of liquor." General Wingly turns down the drink.

Amoura gulps down the glass of water as he sits down and opens the file, "what is this? These are all of me," Stone sits down across the table, "yes you and all the deeds General Alzack disapproves of." Stone checks the gun under the table, "why do you have this? And what does Alzack think I've done?"

"Well if you read the papers you can see exactly what you did." The clicking of the bullet going into the chamber snaps General Windly's head up, "what are you doing? Show me your hands?" Stone raises her hands, showing the gun on her left hand.

"I'm following orders." She turns the gun to him, "No Stop!" He yells in vain she pulls the trigger and his head falls back against the chair

"Stone don't!" Stone looks up to see Granger at the door with two men who have lasers pointed at her chest. "You're too late," She watches Granger as his eyes fall from her to the dead General. Stone gets up and two bullets go through her chest, she stumbles back a few steps, "is that suppose to hurt?" She asks them, "stop!" General Granger blocks their view of Stone as the bullets holes close.

She was already finished healing, "fs of this morning, all of General Alzacks orders have been terminated." Stone stares at the dead General, "you were a few seconds too late." Stone mutters as the geared up men growl, "you're going to shoot me again? Go ahead you can't kill me."

"Want to bet?" The man on his knees raises his gun to her forehead, "go ahead, but when I heal I'm ripping your throat out." General Granger stops him and tells Stone to wait outside. She doesn't move, "why? What's happening to this unit?"

"It's being disbanded, you're going home." He raises a plane ticket, "and the others?" He takes in a deep breath, "I'm not sure yet."

She stares at him, "don't lie. Just say it." Stone stares him down, "they don't know how to be apart of a proper team." General Granger stares right back, "and I do?" She looks at the dead General and Granger follows her eyes.

"Why? Because I have a General to vouch for me I pass. But because the only General who can vouch for them is a homicidal maniac they fail?" He looks away.

"They're too aggressive-" she cuts the General who walked in off, "you're standing behind a man I killed point blank, so am I so why am I being allowed to go home, but not them?" The General looks at Granger, "so what do I have to do get them to live?" Stone asks him, "I don't think you have anything to offer us."

"You're going to need someone to run this unit again once the whole Alzack situation is dealt with," Stone speaks before her brain can process, "are you offering to run it?" The General who was waiting in the hall till now asks as he steps into the room.

"If it means they all go free then yes." Stone makes direct eye contact, "and how do we know you won't go rogue like him?" The General asks her, "because unlike him I don't see living being as blocks of marble to chip away into a sculpture I like." He looks at General Granger before nodding, "alright, when the time comes you'll take over and in exchange, your unit goes free."

Stone looks to Granger as the General walks out, she walks up to Granger, "I know you think saving me was a good thing, but you were better off letting me die with them." A gun going off makes Stone bolt out the room.

Stone quickly grabs the gun and breaks the owner's neck. "Don't shoot! Stone stop! That is an order." Stone looks at the man who gave her an order, "You are not anyone to give me an order." She steps away from the dead S.I.D.O members and walks over to Jural who was on the floor bleeding.

"I'm going to pull out the bullet." Jural nods and Stone fishes it out, she extends her arm so he can drink from her, "its the only way you'll heal now." He nods and bites into her wrist.

He coughs as they heal, "I'd forgotten how much your blood burns." She helps him up, "everything comes with a price." He grabs Stone's arm after the comment she made rubs him the wrong way.

"They're to be executed," The geared men standing at the ready speaks up, "no, they're not, from this moment on you all don't exist, you all have been discharged from the S.I.D.O." Luna pulls Stone into a hug.

"We're free." Stone shoves the Sterling heirloom ring Alphonse gave her a few months back into Luna's hand, "yes you are. Now get to a man named Alphonse, show him that ring and tell him I sent you, he'll help you. He lives in a small town near the Oklahoma and Forth Worth Texas border. Take a card from my wallet and go."

"What about you?" Lee asks from the back and Stone ignores the question, "tell the others, Levy, Rai, and Henry and their squads they all must go too," Jural repeats Lee's question, she looks at him, "I'm staying behind."

"No!" She stops their complaints, "the Shadow Unit is being disbanded." She looks at Luna, "I'm fine, you all must go." Stone pushes them towards the door, "why? Why can't you come with us?" Luna asks, "I'm reenlisting."

"No, I'm not going without you," Stone looks at Jural, "this is what you get for wanting me back," He looks at her with such sorrow, he hugs her, "you're wrong Stone, even you don't deserve hell, no matter what he said or made you do, you're good." Jural whispers into her ear.

Luna walks up to her and hands her a small box wrapped in gift paper. "It was meant for your birthday. We'll see you again right?" She nods and breaks Jural's neck for he refuses to leave her behind. "Go."

"I'll be outside," Stone walks out the room and stops at the hallway, she climbs the stairs and walks into the small room where Rai gave her the cigarettes. On the small nightstand, she finds a full pack of cigarettes with a sticker attached to the back, 'for your 25th birthday' was scratched out and underneath in red sharpie are the words 'thank you.' She stuffs the pack in her back pocket before heading to the housing complex.

She walks in and heads to her room, this place really is hollow, she grabs her bag full of things before taking the photo they took on the roof from its frame and taking it with her.

"Stone!" She turns towards General Granger, "what's this?"

"A ticket home. Enjoy two weeks with your family. You'll rejoin my unit in Tuscany. Happy birthday, Stone."

"There's nothing happy about it sir." She hands him the enlistment papers and walks off to the waiting car.