Red War

Part Seven

-Athena's POV-

I was, once again, being chased by a hoard of assassins. My feet just blindly ran through the halls of Ra's modern Temple. It was smaller than the real thing and not as grand, but it did look similar. Although, not similar enough for me to know where I was going.

I turned a corner and found an elevator. I dove in, pounding in to go to the bottom level. The elevator zoomed down.

When I arrived, I leaped out and began running again. The bottom level looked like Ra's Lazarus Pit. It was all cavernous, black rock that had been hollowed out. I stopped and wedged myself between two rocks.

I crouched, waiting. I closed my eyes and focused on listening. I heard the sound of water dripping off of the stalactites and that was it. I had lost the assassins.

I unfolded myself and continued to wander deeper into the cave. There had to be a way out. As I wandered, I came upon a platform. It was a helicopter landing pad. I looked up, seeing that there was an opening about fifty feet up.

"Traitor," a squeaky voice caught my attention. I jerked around. Standing on the platform was a little boy, about ten, dressed in high assassin garb with a sword at his hip. His little face was glaring at me as hard as he could.

"Wow," I said, crossing my arms, "they got you too, huh kid?"

"Shut it!" He demanded, stomping his little foot. I could understand his pain. I was overcome with an urge to free him before it was too late. I didn't want this kid to turn out like me.

I stepped closer to him. "Come on kid. You don't have to follow Ra's. I know he seems like he is your friend or you leader or--"

The kid sliced at my nose with his sword. I gasped quietly, backing up. He continued to sneer. "What the hell?" The kid continued to slice at me. I dodged him, but he was fast. I didn't want to fight the kid!

When he jumped in the air and prepared to come down hard, I grabbed my sword and stopped him. I kicked him away from me harshly. Who was this kid? Had Ra's already started training my replacement?

The kid recoiled swiftly. He ran forward and sliced high, then tried to go low. I blocked his attacks, but it wasn't easy. I never went on the offensive and I think he noticed. He started to get agitated, making moves that normally would force me to attack. Anytime those moments came up, I would pause and wait for him to attack.

"Ugh!" The boy groaned, "Fight me, traitor!" He drove his sword towards me, but I flipped out of the way. "Grandfather said you were once the Nightingale! The best fighter to ever walk the Temple halls other than himself! All I see is a scared girl."

My eyebrows scrunched up. Wait, what did he say? "Grandfather?"

The kid smirked. "Now I've got your attention." The boy flipped towards me, slicing just above my hip. I locked around his waist and blocked our swords above his head. I forced him to stop fighting for a moment.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking into his face. Something about him was eerily familiar. He had bright green eyes and dark black hair. His skin was tanned and light brown. His smirk was what threw me off the most. Where had I seen it before?

"That is above your clearance level," he hissed, breaking our lock and tossing my sword. He sliced again, cutting my collarbone.

Now I was just getting annoyed. When he ran at me again with his sword raised, I ran forward like a bull and grabbed him by the waist, tackling him to the ground. His sword left his hand. I pinned him down. Now, he couldn't wiggle out.

"What did you mean when you said Grandfather?" I interrogated, holding his arms and legs down with my body. He tried to get out from under me, but it was to no avail. I was bigger and stronger than him and there was no way I was letting him go. He tried to maneuver himself slyly ---- like Ra's had taught me and all the other assassins -- to get out of my grapple, but I knew his tricks. I countered all of them, locking him in place.