Psychic

51. Sibling Rivalry

 When they arrived at Jackie Linn's store, Reno pulled the door open. A young man walked out, pressing a hand against Reno's chest, pushing him back. He was slightly shorter than Reno and very pale. He had dark blond hair swept across his forehead, hanging just above his eyes. His eyes were small and blue, deep-set and inquisitive. He was wearing a mixture of leather and chainmail armor. There was a small smile on the corners of his mouth as he kept his eyes fixed on Reno, who did not bother retaliating. Rai noticed the silver Emperor's seal on his sleeve.

The General dropped his hand from Reno's chest and smiled dramatically. It was the exact same smile Reno had. "You know, I expected more," he said calmly to him before turning to Rai, wiping his hands on the front of his pants. "Is Raisha Wallis your actual name? Not the one you gave to the soldier at the dock?"

"That's none of your business," Reno told him flatly.

Rai stared at the General for a moment with no reaction or response. Faced with her silence, he repeated the question in her gyptian language. He added something else that surprised her and Reno understood as him saying he had her kids. Her expression changed from a wide-eyed uncertain one to an offended one. "That's what you're here for, isn't it?"

"Where?" she and Reno said at the same time.

The General cracked a crooked smile at Reno before turning back to her. "I'll show you if you come with me."

Reno told him in a threatening tone, "that is not going to happen."

"She kind of has to," he said shrugging his shoulders with a smile.

Rai's eyebrows went up slightly, "you going to make me?"

"Only if you're going to make me."

"I'd like to see you try."

The General sighed slowly, looking down at the floor briefly. "Dallas," Reno called him, "that is your name, isn't it?" The General gave him a single theatrical nod. "You touch her, you die."

Dallas smiled and pocketed his hands. He bent over slightly and took a step back. "Okay, I won't but that's not going to stop anyone else." Reno grabbed Rai's hand and started to pull her into the store. Reno heard a crunch followed instantly by a squish. Rai was pulled from his grip.

A small harpoon pierced her forearm and expanded when it came out on the other side. It wedged itself into her skin and was pulled back, pulling her down to the street. She fell on the floor at the bottom of the stairs to the store. Reno turned to her as she reached for the pain in her arm. Still uncertain what exactly had happened, she rolled onto her knees. She saw the harpoon in her arm and that it was attached to a chain. She felt Reno's hand on her back as he knelt by her. "Get it out. Now." She grabbed the chain and Reno was reaching for it just as it started to drag her forward on her stomach, pulling her down the street. Reno ran after her, beside bloodied path the pedestrians had cleared away from.

He saw Rai stop halfway down the street and could see a truck at the very end of it. The chain attached to the harpoon was being pulled by a winch at the top of it. He could see his sister, the Head General, standing on the roof of the truck. She was a slim, tall woman with long pastel purple hair. Reno saw her raise her hand and signal a command as Rai stood herself up. Darts fired from guns positioned on the rooftops. They froze in midair around Rai and fell to the street with soft clinks.

"You should've done that first," Rai told the Head General. The chain snapped at the end of the harpoon in her arm and Rai pulled it out through the other side.

Reno called her name quietly as he came to her side. "There's too many. Let's go."

"Since when are you concerned about a fight?"