Saving the World - Awakening

A Bitter Victory

The hilt smacked Jessica directly on the temple, precisely where Ciara wanted it to.  Jessica crumpled to the ground, falling off of the arm of the couch with a thump!  The monster in the kitchen didn't seem to notice, but Ciara noticed that the blender wasn't running anymore.

She rushed over to Eliot, hoping that Jessica hadn't taken his life with her delusions. He was out cold, a needle taking blood from his arm.  Ciara pulled it out and patted him on the cheek, hoping she wouldn't have to carry him out of Czar alone.  After a few seconds of Ciara being as loud as she could without alerting Pharaoh, Eliot's eyes snapped open.

Instantly Ciara felt something was off. Eliot looked hungry, but not for one of Pharaohs fresh fruit smoothies. He looked like he needed to kill.   He looked dangerous.

Ciara frantically backed away, tripping on the glass table behind her and and falling into it. The shattering of glass around her was sure to catch the attention of the strange-skinned monster.  Trying her best to escape the wreckage of the table, Ciara writhed around, the broken glass digging into her elbows. She finally grabbed for the arm of a chair that had been across from the couch and hoisted herself to her feet, prepared to take the creature on.

She didn't need to worry about Pharaoh.

Her glass table stunt gave crazy-Eliot the time to become acquainted with his surroundings. As Ciara got up, Eliot attacked.  Ciara noticed his eyes had become bloodshot, not focusing on anything. He seemed to be blind to detail.

Eliot lunged forward, an animal-like stance attacking her legs rather than her head. Ciara tried kicking him into the glass table's remains, but he was too quick. He dodged the shoe, grabbed a piece of glass from the ground and jabbed it at Ciara's chest. She backed up quickly, out of stabbing range, but Eliot adjusted and cut upwards, slashing her right cheek, from her chin towards her ear. With a cry of pain, she staggered further backwards, clutching her bleeding face in her hands.

"Chief?!" The monstrous voice boomed from the doorway, obviously concerned for his master.

Eliot turned quickly towards the hulking figure, arms out, as if challenging it to a duel.  The shard of glass cut into his hand, but somehow he didn't feel it.  His eyes kept becoming more and more bloodshot, the white in them almost completely dispelled by red. Ciara had never seen anything like it.

Pharaoh advanced almost casually, no fear of failure in his mind.  Ciara took the time to recover, standing somewhat shakily.  She watched, mesmerized, as Eliot crouched ready to strike at his foe, not a trace of fear in those blood red eyes.

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to watch.  Jessica had woken, a massive bruise on her temple where Ciara had struck her. As Eliot moved to strike on his enemy, so Jessica charged forward.  She made a feint, as if to attack Ciara's weak right side, and Ciara fell for it.  Jessica's fist connected with Ciara's cheek bone, an explosion of pain in Ciara's eyes contributing to her many injuries.

But this was Jessica. She couldn't let her walk away with a little bruise on her temple. She needed to see that Ciara meant business.

Jessica took a moment to smile, and that was a mistake.  Feigning injury, Ciara bent down slightly, her hands grabbing at her face.  Kicking glass at Jessica, Ciara swung her right fist as hard as she could at whatever she could hit.

She hit, alright.

Jessica fell to the ground for the second time that day, this time to a fist to the left temple rather than a knife hilt to the right. As she fell, her eyes rolled into her head, completely unconscious before she hit the ground. Ciara didn't have any time to gloat, as to the right of her Eliot was being pinned to the ground.

Pharaoh was clutching his left eye, a glint of glass protruding from the socket. The other hand was holding Eliot down, his massive hand as large as Eliot's ribs.

"You will pay, Taja," he growled.  "You...will...pay."

With each word, he pushed harder on Eliot's ribs.  Eliot was gasping for air, clawing at the impenetrable skin for any chance he could get.

Jessica hit the ground and Pharaoh looked up, loyal to his chief.  Eliot took the opportunity and managed to grab hold of the glass in Pharaoh's eye socket and pulled it free.  In a disgusting display, blood followed the shard of glass, spraying all over Eliot and giving him the escape he needed. Pharaoh cried out in pain, both hands now clutching his eye.

Ciara wasted no time.  Rushing forward, she grabbed the broken knife hilt she had used earlier and grabbed Eliot by the collar.  Her right hand ached, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.  She expertly roped Eliot to her, took a deep breath, and struck the glass window before her.

The glass shattered after a few hits, thankfully.  She quickly took the grappling hook from her belt, attaching it to the rope, and tossing it above them to the roof, which was only a few floors above. With one last glance at the wreckage before her, she grabbed Eliot and jumped out of the window.

The rope held.  She dragged Eliot and herself up the roof, her right hand screaming with pain and her muscles protesting with the weight.  After five agonizing minutes, they reached the top.  Her cheek had almost completely scabbed over by now, cracking slightly with every movement she made. Eliot wasn't much help, whatever feral state of mind he had was beginning to wear off and he looked to be going unconscious.

Before them, a helicopter whirred, ready for the getaway. In the pilot's seat sat Germaine, one of the agents sent from the Maples to infiltrate Czar.  She had called in a favor, and now they could escape.  At what cost, though?  She had the entire trip to Ireland to think.  As the helicopter lifted off she slowly drifted away, the methodical hum of the blades lulling her asleep as she recalled at the events that just took place.