The Royal Resistance

Chapter 17 - Blackbirds, Hawks and Juniors

His shirt was soaked in blood, which was dripping onto the ground, slowly forming a pool around him. She cradled his head in her lap as her eyes became turbulent. "NO!" She screamed, "NO, NO, NO, NO!" A violent sob raked her whole body, "James? James?! James?! Can you hear me?" The streams of tears poured down her face as she screamed, "Noooooooo! No, no, no, no, no! James, what the hell were you thinking? You're such an idiot! You arse! Why the hell would you- James!" She shook him harder as her chest exploded with the never-ending hiccups. "James. Please. I need you. You're the only one who believes in me. You-you're an idiot!"

"I don't think I've ever heard you curse that much," he whispered beneath her.

"Oh God, you're alive." Maria shouted as the General ran over to them. He removed the bloodied shirt of of the agent and ripped it, tying it tightly around his body.

"It stops the blood loss," the General explained.

"You bloody idiot," Maria said to him. James chuckled, wincing as the effort brought pain.

"I suppose I deserve that," he coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

"What's going on?" Maria asked the General as the bleeding gasped wildly. "He's lost a lot of blood! You need to apply pressure to the wound." Maria followed his instructions, pressing hard on his abdomen. "James, James stay with me. Stay alive, alright. Can you hear me?" His eyes started to close slowly, "James! Stay awake." She shook him again, "James don't do this." Her tears had dried up, leaving behind dried salt paths.

"Maria," he whispered.

"I'm here, I'm here!"

"Maria," he coughed again spitting out blood, "go get Blackbird."

"I'm not leaving without you," her voice was stern.

"Maria please... just tell him I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, this is my fault." His eyelids started closing again. She shook him, "James, awake remember? We're going to get out of here, but I need you to stay awake, I need you to-"

"Maria..." she leaned her ear closer to hear the barely audible words, "you don't... need me... need anyone... get out... go and save the wor..." his eyes closed and his head fell back.

"James? James. James! JAMES!" She shook him, harder and harder, "no! Stop this. You need to stay awake, you need to- dammit JAMES!"

"He's gone." The general said as he lifted his fingers from his neck. Maria's head swiveled to Atil, who was simpering. She walked to the gun and picked it up, her whole body shaking with fire.

"WHY?" She screamed as she pointed the silver barrel at the darkness in front of her. "Why?" Her voice became stone, cold and emotionless. Atil cackled. Maria clicked the bullet into place, "Why!"

"Because the new world order is coming and you were in my way. He wasn't supposed to get hurt... yet. I was going to let him downstairs with his best friend, but he didn't know how to stay put." The royal placed her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. Her arms were steady but her body quivering with rage. Atil laughed maniacally, "oh Maria, so much to learn. You want to know why? Because the world is not what you think it is. Not all of us are good, none of us are pure." The royal's finger slowly inched back, "but in the midst of chaos reigns beauty and so it is from that chaos that the mighty eagle will so-" She was cut of by silver bullet that permeated her chest. Her eyes widened as she looked from the wound to Maria. Maria followed her gaze to her finger, it had not pulled back yet. She turned around to face 004 lowering her weapon.

"The traitor was rambling," she said simply. Her eyes flashed to Maria's hands still wrapped around the gun and she pried it away from her. "Besides you don't have a license to kill and I couldn't let a new operative ruin their innocence." Maria let out an incredulous scoff, but she was smiling.