Oriehn

Chapter 7- Alice

Chapter 7- Alice

"I need you to go out there." Sin said calmly, preparing the capsule for the maneuver he had planned. "You'll be tethered, of course."

"What?!" I gasped, clutching the armrest. "I will surely die! High above land covered in sharp, pointy, trees! And weapons are surrounding us." I raised an eyebrow. "Are you really planning on turning me in for your own skin? What will I stand on?" My breath came in panicked gasps.

"The wings." He said in a bored tone. I blushed slightly, and nodded. My white-knuckled grip on the console softened. Taliesin nodded, and continued, "Tell them over the radio that you will comply with their wishes if they comply to one of yours; Tell them you need all weapons powered down for you to come out."

"Okay." I agreed. "Is that all?"

Sin nodded. "All we have to do is hope that everything goes well."

"H-Hello, Captain? I just want you know that I'm coming out. In order for me to do so, I have one request," I said, allowing the tremor in my voice to show through—I didn't have to work hard to convince them I was afraid of their weapons. I was terrified.

"W-what is it-t-t?" The radio crackled.

"Lower your weapons. I'm nervous enough. I just need the assurance that I won't die at the hands of a foreigner's gun. Then I will come without even dragging my heels. That is all I request." I spoke into the radio.

"We w-w-ill still have our-r weapons out." The captain warned.

"Yes, of course. I understand, after all, I would do the same if I were you," I assured. Sin fell forward in shock, looking at me with wide eyes.

I glared at him, covering the receiver with my hand so the Captain wouldn't be able to overhear our conversation and whispered, "Lies. He needs to trust me, think that I am compliant."

He relaxed, sitting back. "It is unsettling at times, how easily you can deceive people."

With a whining hum, we watched as the guns on the other pod slid down into an inactive state. I was not fooled at their façade of innocence however; I knew that in seconds, they could be activated and fired.

Both capsules hovered over the clearing in a perpetual state of silent conflict. I stood and strapped the tether  around my wrist twice, tugging it to test it's hold, steeling my mind. Before I ventured out the lowering door, Sin grabbed my hand.

"Alice," he whispered, handing me a small gun. "Take this. Use it at the right time. And..."

"And?" I whispered back.

He trailed the pad of his thumb over the back of my hand, tracing invisible patterns into my skin, before abruptly releasing it with a sigh, speaking softly as though stuck within his own thoughts, "Be careful."

I nodded grimly, set my jaw, and stepped out onto the wings of the hovering capsule. Wind whipped my hair about me, the ends trailing across my face even though I had tied it back earlier. I leaned heavily on the tether, not quite as confident in the wrapped tether as I had been before I stepped out into the open.

I tried to swallow, to release the tightness that choked my breath and my words tighter with every step. I looked up, watching as the captain from the other pod stepped out, tethered and secured, with a haughty look on his face.

"Prepared to be boarded, dear?" The captain brought the radio to his mouth, instead of shouting across the way. His voice crackled with static from the inside of the cabin, like knuckles cracking in rapid succession, his words threatening to be taken by the wind, but still decipherable from where I stood.