Blackguard

Living Nightmares

 Screams and the sounds of war filled the night as I stared over the ledge of the scaffolding. Jake and Sherry were long gone, and I had no leads on Ada's whereabouts. That left me with only one option, and I dreaded every moment.

My eyes lifted from the helicopter's burning wreckage as Captain Redfield stormed over and paused in front of me. "You were in Edonia. Why're you here?" The glower in his eyes pinned me to my place.

Steadying myself, I crossed my arms across my chest. "I was, and I'm here to track down Ada Wong for her involvement in these attacks. I want to put a stop to her."

"And why should I trust anything you say?" He said while lowering his head to study my face.

"Because I've given you no reason not to."

"Marhawa Academy says otherwise." Nivans jumped in, his voice a low growl as his lip twitched.

I stepped towards him. "That wasn't my fault. I was aiming for Nanan...not my fault the helicopter jerked. You can believe what you want to about my involvement at Marhawa, but you can't deny I helped you and your team out in Edonia. I'll hold up my end of the bargain and answer any questions you have."

"How do you know Ada Wong is the cause for all this?" Nivans asked.

"I found a lab back in Tall Oaks directly connecting her to the attacks and creation of the C-virus. She's working with someone named Derek Simmons. She planned each attack for her gain, and I found information tracking her here."

Captain Redfield shifted his weight and pressed me further. "And how do you know all this about Ada? How did you figure out she was behind all this in the first place?"

My tongue darted out and wet my lips as I shifted in my spot. "Well, er, I found evidence from Marhawa."

"But how did you know who Ada was at the time? As far as we're aware, we only discovered her identity in Edonia, and you're telling us you knew who she was since the summer after the attack at Marhawa?" The Lieutenant pressed further.

A few tense moments ticked by as I argued with myself on how to answer that question. It came down to telling the truth...or part of it at least--gotta gain their trust somehow. "I was aware of her existence before any of the attacks took place. Our paths crossed before any of this C-virus crap even began. I recognized her as the cloaked figure at Marhawa."

"So you worked for her then?" The Captain hissed.

"No, only that I've seen her before. I haven't and currently don't work for Ada Wong. Do you have any other questions you'd like to ask me?"

Captain Redfield's stare lurked across my face as he studied me for a few more moments until he straightened up and started for the metal doors. "I don't have time for this. I'm going after that BOW. Ada's not getting away with this. We're moving out," he called over his shoulder.

"Captain?" Nivans' incredulous stare made me want to laugh, but I bit it down as he flung his attention back onto me. The look of shock melted and was quickly replaced with anger as he got up into my face. "You stay by my side at all times. Any wrong move, and I'll put you down myself, got it?"

I gave him a stiff smile, "Will do. After you, Lieutenant."

His jaw set, but it quickly turned into a smirk as he reached into his back pocket and yanked something shiney out. He moved with lightning speed and grabbed my wrist and slapped on the handcuffs in one swift movement.

"What the—"

"Don't worry," he tightened them before meeting my gaze, "it's just a precaution."