Malik
Malik's reaction [or over reaction] towards the orderlies was over. He wrapped Max up in his arms for a brief moment while their lips touched. He was once again content and expressionless. He nodded as Max commented on his rage. It was an instinct he had developed while living with the hawks. At the institute, Max was the spark plug. She jumped into action and was a natural leader. Malik had always just followed along and that had served him well while they were together. Being on his own had left a void in Malik's decision making paradigm. The hawks were patient and graceful creatures but when a situation rose; their ferocity met the challenge be it for food or survival. Malik had come to admire this trait and emulated it to suit his own life.
When Max broke their embrace, Malik leapt into action behind her. They took out the guards and as Max freed and calmed Damiel, Malik went to work on Varen's restraints. He made quick work of them and hoisted the elf into his arms. He was looking for an exit when the crashing window caught his attention. Good ole Max! The left corner of his lip curled to show his amusement. With a couple long strides, Malik and his passenger went sailing through the window. Malik used his core muscles to straighten his body and kept his wings tucked. This allowed the pair to glide straight out the window. Malik unfurled his wings and caught an updraft. He soared into the open sky. That strange sound they had heard on the beach to indicate the firing of their weapons began to fill the air. Malik went into evasive maneuvers [or as best that he could manage with a passenger]. He pitched and rolled and zigged and zagged until he stopped hearing projectiles whizzing past him. His eyes scanned the area and then went to Max who was carting the female elf. He sailed over to be closer to her.
"Where you headed, beautiful?"
Azmere
After several hours of riding, Azmere was beginning to realize he would have to find a better way to travel. He had seen several different things that seemed to carry people and all of them were moving exponentially faster than his horse. His brow furrowed behind the mask. The lack of progress would be most displeasing to Zelena. The elf would have to improvise.
Only a few minutes into his thoughts, a loud ruckus stirred the scout. He drew his firearm and turned his horse in the direction of the noise. A group of people on dirt bikes came riding into the trail area. Upon seeing the horse and rider, they stopped. Once stopped, the automatic rifle became apparent and that's when the trouble started. Two threw their hands up and yelled behind the helmets
"Don't shoot, man! Don't shoot!" Another took his helmet off and threw it on the ground.
"You gotta be fucking kiddin' me!" The he reluctantly put his hands up. One passed out and fell to the ground with the bike falling on top of him. The last one removed his helmet revealing it wasn't a he at all. Long blonde hair fell around a pretty face with green eyes that seemed to be on fire.
"Well, hey there, cowboy." She studied Azmere's arsenal, physique and overall bearing and nodded in approval.
"Looks like you could show a girl a good time." She winked at Azmere and was going to say something to her friends when she noticed his ears. Her words caught in her throat and nothing more was said.
Azmere watched all of the reactions and cocked his head to one side. The female had thrown him off a bit. Yet, it seems that fate was being kind to him. Here he was trying to find a faster mode of transportation and Boom! Enter a troop of dirt bikes. He smiled a twisted grin behind the mask. Today was going to be a good day.
"You." He pointed his gun at the young woman.
"You stay. The rest of you, take your unconscious friend and go but leave his vehicle." Truly, Azmere would sound foreign. His pronunciation and lack of colloquialisms would probably come across as something regal.
The guy who had cursed before did not seem to like this command. He stood up off his bike and started to dismount.
"Fuck you, asshole! I ain't goin' nowhere without my-." Bang! Azmere shot him in the leg he was standing on and crumpled the chump to the ground. One of the other guys who hadn't removed his helmet screamed. The guy who got shot screamed too but it sounded very different. Azmere chuckled. The girl did not seem quite so enthusiastic but also didn't show too much regard for the wounded man.
"You better head off, boys. I don't think the Lone Ranger is playing games." She turned off her bike and got off of it. The young woman then went to the fallen bike and kicked the unconscious fellow's leg off of it. She stood it up and walked it over next to hers and propped it on the kickstand.
The two intact BMXers got off to help their friend onto his bike and then jumped on their own.
"C'mon, dude! I ain't getting' shot today. Not over Krys, that's for damn sure!" He fired up his ride and peeled off. The other two did the same but the wounded man took a few seconds to stare with heartbroken eyes at the woman. She gave him a nod of her head and he was gone. The girl leaned on the bike and looked back towards Azmere.
"Well?" She smiled coyly.
"You gonna shoot me or did you have something else in mind?" She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips and winked again.
Azmere was puzzled by all of her words and behavior but knew he was well on his way to achieving his goal. He lowered his weapon and slung it back over his shoudler. He dismounted the horse and strode over towards her. He studied her a moment before shoving the map against her clavicle.
"I need to get here. Teach me to use this…thing." He motioned first to the destination marked on his map and then to the bike. The woman was put off by his cold demeanor. Here she was; sexy and flirting and this guy was all business. Krys shrugged. He did shoot her boy toy for being mouthy. What did she expect? She took the map and her eyes went big and then she laughed some.
"Honey, I could teach you how to ride this bike but uh…" she pointed at the destination on Az's map.
"That's a looooooong trip." She folded the map up and delicately began tucking it into the front of Az's pants. He had growled softly when she laughed at him but he would field no advances that could distract from accomplishing his tasks. He snatched the woman by her hair with his left hand and yanked back pulling her head to the sky. At the same time his right hand drew his sword [as a single blade] and put it to her neck. The pressure was creating a single drop of blood on the edge. Az's voice was gruff abrupt.
"Do not toy with me! Your life is only worth the help you can offer." He withdrew his blade and flung her to her back. She landed on her butt and used her hands to brace herself. She whimpered some because he had pulled her hair hard enough to tweak her neck and then threw her down hard. However, this particular woman was a bit of a masochist. She smiled and spun around on her hands and knees and crawled up to Az. She curled around his leg and looked up at him with an innocent expression as she could muster.
"Yes master. I will help you."
It was only a whisper but her meaning was lost. Azmere smiled behind his mask. A rush of power pulsed through his body. Having spent years in the service of Zelena had taught Az quite a lot about how to treat your pets. He reached down with his left hand and traced her jawline with his index finger. Once he reached her chin he took a firm hold with his index finger and thumb then lifted her face towards him.
"Show me the fastest way to my destination." He stared from behind his mask into her eyes and then released her face abruptly. It was a hard enough motion to send the girl off his leg entirely.
Krys nodded and crawled a little closer but did not touch Azmere. When she spoke, it was again in the soft defeated tone.
"We can ride the bikes to my uncle's farm. He has a plane and we can fly there. We could be there before sundown." She looked up searching for approval. Z mere studied her reaction and considered her words. He turned and walked to his horse. He removed the saddle and all bridling gear. He then smacked the horse on his haunch. It galloped away into the trees. He turned and walked back towards Krys.
"Get up. I'll ride with you."
She smiled and jumped to her feet. She swung her leg over the bike and started it with a roar. There was something about this man and the entire situation that was fueling her. Azmere secured his pack and stepped over the seat behind her. She turned her head back towards him and used her right hand to pull his arm around her waist.
"You will want to hang on, master. I do not want you to get hurt." Azmere was hesitant but did not know what to expect from the vibrating and rumbling contraption he was astride. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled his torso against her back. He found foot pegs for his boots and told her to go.
* * * * *
The ride was not long and at first, Az was stunned. He was moving so fast and he felt several times that he might bounce right off. Krys was an excellent driver and he soon found himself clinging to her. When they arrived, Az was relieved and disappointed. He had watched enough of Krys's movements that he felt comfortable to drive one if he ever had the chance. When he got off the bike, his butt and legs were tingling. Krys hopped off and came right up to him, pressing her body against him.
"Did I do good, master?" Az shoved her back.
"You did well. Now where is this…plane you mentioned?"
* * * * *
Azmere was watching the world beneath him. It all seemed so small and it was passing by so quickly. He was smiling from ear to pointed ear. Krys could not see it however; his mask concealed all of his expressions. Intuitive girl, she could feel it radiating from him. She decided to break the three hours of silence.
"Master…" she began with that innocent tone.
"we're almost to your spot. Will you tell me what this is all about?" At several points, Krys had wondered how far she was going to take this. Also, if she was helping a terrorist or something. It was like the movies she always watched and here she was flying some mystery man behind a mask with guns and knives and crazy ears to God knows where to do God knows what. The realization of the magnitude of her day was beginning to make her excited. She put the plane on auto pilot and unbuckled her seat beat. She waited until she was sure Az, since he had ignored her question, was not looking and she leapt into his lap and threw her arms around him. She began biting at his neck but didn't get very far. Az caught firm hold of her throat and held her an inch from his face. The girl was clawing at his hands but his grip was too strong.
"I warned you about your frivolities!" He threw her against the floor and she landed in a heap. Coughing and spitting, Krys crawled to her seat and sat down.
"I just wanted to show you how you make me feel." Her words were like sandpaper. Az had probably damaged her larynx.
Az suddenly felt terrible. He was treating her as Zelena always treated him. While he worshipped Zelena and would never betray her or say anything to upset her, she did on occasion make him feel miserable. The elf unbuckled his seatbelt and went over to Krys's side of the plane he sat down next to her and took off his mask. His face was crisscrossed with scars from a long time ago. His skin was slightly discolored from years of wearing a mask. Az put his hand on Krys's leg.
"I am sorry, pet. I…" he looked away for a moment.
"I do not know what is appropriate. I must complete my mission and your help has been invaluable." Krys looked at his face and traced his scars with her soft fingers. She traced his ears and while she did so she looked into his eyes and realized he was broken and lost. She smiled and touched the hand he left on her leg.
"It's ok, baby. I'll take care of you."
* * * * *
Krys landed the plane as close to the destination as she could. Az was still reeling from his bout of consciousness and she took full advantage. This strange, powerful and surprisingly vulnerable man was putty in her hands. She led him into the cabin of the plane and made love to Azmere. He had never had sex and had never thought about it. He felt a million different things but guilt was the heaviest. They lay in each other's embrace for some time and Azmere looked up to see the sun going down. He panicked. He had to do his work. He got dressed and gathered his gear.
"We have to go. Now!"
* * * * *
Krys drove him to the compound marked on his map. They were greeted by guards at the gate. These men were mercenaries and very good ones. Zelena had done well to hire them. They questioned the riders and upon discovering Azmere's identity they began to confer on how to best facilitate his goal. One came up to Az as he stood next to Krys and the dirt bike.
"We can get you to Darvian but you have to get rid of her. Zelena will not be pleased." Azmere nodded and turned to his companion. He lifted his mask to the top of his head and took Krys's face in his hands. He kissed her and smiled.
"You have been a great help and I shall never forget you or what we did together." He gave her just enough time to open her eyes and smile and then he broke her neck and dropped her lifeless body to the ground. He pulled his mask back down and turned to the mercs.
"Deal with her. Let's go."
