Mismatched Eyes part 5

The reinforced gates opened with a thick, metal hum. Uncomfortable thoughts started clouding his vision, but he couldn’t let them linger. It wouldn’t take too for the rest of the guards to notice them being gone for too long.

The two agents walked through the main entrance, their bodies flickering in the cameras.

Inside appeared to be a wide, half-finished construction site circling the building.

A cold sweat dripped down Felix’s face as he scanned every guard from behind his dark lenses. Eight in total, standing close to the entrance.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced over to Maria. Her expression remained calm, confident, even. No, that wasn’t the right word. To him, it almost looked like she was excited.

Unpleasant thoughts intruded into his head with every step forward. It was impossible to make his movements look natural with the trench coat underneath the guard’s uniform.

Did the discomfort come from the hot and humid air, or was it the guard’s uniform worn over his gear?

Several layers of fabric must have been suffocating him and stifling his movements. The closer they got, the tighter it felt.

Bright lights caused him to blink rapidly. The sound of fireworks felt like explosives drawing close, like gunfire.

They made it a third of the way. There was less than ten meters left towards the entrance, there was a security camera mounted on the wall, watching their every move. Ahead of them was a glass door. The first hurdle was almost cleared, and yet…

“You there!” A guard shouted, cutting through Felix’s cluttered thoughts.

He approached the two operatives, squinting at them and inspecting their appearance and uniforms.

“Y-yes?” Maria replied, feigning meekness.

“You both…” The guard shifted his attention to the agent with sunglasses, who tensed up in response.

Not wanting to make eye contact, Felix’s eyes darted to the other guards patrolling the construction site. His heart raced, feeling the weight of their attention on his shoulders.

He tried to keep his breathing steady. But as the guard looked him in the eyes, he saw the blue glow hiding behind the sunglasses.

A bead of sweat rolled across his cheek as his heart pounded. His hands curled it into a fist, crackled with little blue sparks, ready to strike.

The guard reached for his firearm, “Who are—?”

Time suddenly slowed down as a red streak flowed through the air. Maria’s knife had been drawn, and the guard’s question died in his throat.

Red droplets sprayed all over the two operatives as his neck came loose, staining their stolen uniforms.

Time resumed as the blood splattered over the agent’s face, snapping him out of his daze. Before the dying guard could fall to the ground, Felix swiped the pistol from his belt.

All of the other guards came rushing forward, and the two operatives were surrounded by eight men.

He lined up his shot, instinctively aiming at the closest guard in front of him.

It was perfectly centered at the guard’s forehead. But as he saw the panic and fright on the man’s face, he froze, unable to pull the trigger.

The guard’s expression hardened in response, taking advantage of his reluctance to kill.

With a loud crack, the first shot was fired, signaling to the rest of the guards to pull out their weapons.

“Grhk!” A hole tore through the stolen uniform as Felix got shot in the shoulder.

“Felix?!” Maria glanced at him worriedly, before quickly avoiding a bullet coming her way.

“I’m fine!” He yanked out the bullet lodged in his black coat and retaliated, immediately taking out the guard who shot him.

His tune changed after getting shot, emptying the pistol at the guards closest to him, his shoulder throbbing with each recoil.

Men fell down one after the other.

She gave an understanding nod and crouched down. Her arms slipped behind her stolen uniform and she pulled out several more knives clasped between her fingers, launching them in a dozen different directions.

All of her knives perfectly shot into the guards’ throats.

There was no room for mercy. Here, it was kill or be killed.

The klaxons rang loud. The glass door locked, and the industrial shutter of the rolling grille began descending, sealing the entrance.

With an excited grin, Maria rushed towards the crowd of uniformed men, slicing every one she came across. A black silhouette slithering through the sentinels.

Felix took a slower, more standard approach, sliding behind guards and grabbing them by their necks. Forcing his human shields to move quickly, dropping them as they died, and rushing to grab another. All while swapping pistols with every new hostage he took.

As the two of them carved a path of blood forward, a new group of sentinels rushed from the facility.

All firearms were aimed at the intruders’ heads. Dozens of rounds flashed from every direction, and the scent of gunpowder filled the air, turning this frenzy into a deafening blur. But the two pushed through, avoiding the gunfire as much as they could while mowing down the men standing in their way.

Sparks flew as a stray bullet struck the pistol out of Felix’s hand.

The shock ran down his fingers, but he whipped out his cobalt gun and continued to fight.

He swung his ornate gun like a baseball bat, striking away the hot lead aimed at his head, all while he orbited around Maria, keeping her from getting shot. His mission was to protect her — he did not forget that.

“Back up, we need back up at the front gate!” One of the sentries called out through the radio. “It’s the intruder! We caught the intruder! There’s two of—!”

The radio shattered as Maria threw her knife at it, yelling, “Get inside before the other guards get here!”

They were pinned halfway and could not afford more trouble.

“You’re the one who has to get there first!” Felix suddenly recoiled as a stray round struck the sunglasses. Its shards scraping across his face as it fell to the ground.

Little by little, their stolen uniforms were ripped apart, revealing parts of their true outfits underneath.

Trapped in a monochromatic barrage of bright flashes and black bullets, the only color left was the pale yellow from the muzzles, and the blue light radiating from Felix’s eyes.

Another stray round grazed her cheek, which she clutched as it bled.

Noticing this, Felix wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the storm of lead. Each round tore the stolen fabric apart.

Pinned halfway down the path, Maria’s eyes widened as bullets ricocheted off his black coat. She saw the strain on his face, expression squeezing with every hit — bulletproof or not, it hurt.

He lifted his cobalt gun, whipping away several stray bullets headed towards her, ignoring non-lethal hits, until — crack.

Blood scattered on the ground.

“You alright?” His voice strained.

“You’re…” Her voice trembled.

“It’s just a graze…” The red droplet fell on her wounded cheek, “I’m supposed to protect you…”

Another bullet —

Crack. He whipped it away.

Still in the center of gunfire, he continued to parry the blows coming too close.

Maria scowled, wiping his blood off as she got up and grabbed him by the arm.

“Venom?”

Then tossed his towards the entrance, shouting, “Get your ass in there!”

Beads of blood and sweat were swept of Felix’s face as he soared through the air.

He bent his body, stretching his legs forward and instinctively hopped on the heads of guards standing in his path. As soon as he got close, he relentlessly fired a pistol against the glass door, shattering it, then leapt off the last guard’s head, bracing for impact as he crashed head-first through the broken doorway.

His body rolled across the scattered shards as he squeezed underneath the descending rolling grille, his outfit hissing against the ground as he continued to roll, before slamming to a halt against a decorative fountain, causing it to flicker on.

Still outside, another wave of knives soared across the area, forcing the men to duck and providing Maria a path to run through. But as she jumped across their heads, one of them caught her by the ankle and threw her to the ground.

The fountain’s water splashed over Felix’s face, and his eyes shot open, the left one glowing in the dark.

Inside, his limited light source shrank as the shutter descended. He quickly rushed back towards the sound of gunfire.

“V.V.!” Felix shouted, sliding across the cold tile floor.

With his face pressed against the ground, he watched with his blue eye as she fought just to get back up, rolling as some men shot at the ground, while another tried to stomp on her head. She rolled back, slicing legs with her knife. But just as she crawled back on her feet, one of them struck her back down with the butt of his gun, a trickle of blood leaking down her forehead.

A pack of guards swarmed around her, carrying rifles, ready to fire.

She persevered, slicing through each enemy, injuring most and dispatching a handful. But every bullet that struck her took its toll. Her movements quickly grew dull and stiff, each slash slower than the last.

“Venom!” Felix called out, pushing the rolling grille back up, “Venom, come on! Hurry!”

His left arm trembled as he pushed back the rolling grille, struggling to keep it open. Elbow dug into the ground as the weight of the iron wall pressed down on him, barely fitting under his palm.

One of the guards noticed and fired his pistol at him.

The bullet landed on the ground inches shy away from his face, causing Felix to reflexively let go and let the metal hatch descend.

Maria, still in the middle of combat, noticed from the corner of her eye. She snarled, and with a sharp grunt, sliced down the guard standing in front of her, before immediately hurling her combat knife towards the man that shot Felix.

Gunfire died down as the other guards watched the body in front of her, still standing, open up in the middle. A red line traced across the man’s face, followed by the sound of squelching flesh and splattering blood. The grotesque sight causing them to cease fire.

A silence caught all of their throats, giving way to a squelch and a thud, as two bodies fell. One sliced in half, the other with a knife to the back of his head.

Petrified by the vertically bisected body, all the other guards lowered their firearms, processing what she just did.

“V.V… I can’t… keep it… open…!” Felix grunted, his arm bent, his elbow unable to push back the iron wall.

Despite all of the sentries having a clear, point-blank shot directly at her head, they were all hesitant to pull the trigger.

Until she staggered.

Realizing she was unarmed and surrounded, one of them nervously aimed, and so did the others.

Fireworks lit up the night sky, outlining her blood-stained face in its radiant colors. Orange, red, blue, and yellow all flashed behind her as she shot Felix a serene smile.

With a dozen clicks, all of the guards opened fire as the industrial shutter closed.

A solid metal shutter blocked his view completely, keeping him in darkness with only dim green lamps illuminating his view.

Unable to see the outside, he swung his fist into the metal, only to recoil in pain, “Bollocks!”

Biting his lip, he took a few steps back and lunged forward, hammering his heel against it. Yet it remained immovable.

Crouching, he tried a different approach, digging his fingers under it, “Come on… work!” Only for him to stagger back, unable to pull it up.

Frustrated, he began combing through the walls, “There has to be a switch or something.”

The symphony of gunfire persisted outside.

“She’s still fighting.”

He pulled out a silver pistol from under his coat, firing twice, to no effect, “What is this wall made of?”

Resigned, he pressed his back to the wall and slid down, breath shaking.

On the floor, Felix plucked out a slug from his shoulder, “Tss…”

Blue electricity crackled from his head.

Above him, he noticed a security camera in the center of the ceiling stared intently at him with a glowing red dot.

Scowling, he flicked it towards the camera, shattering the only other light source besides the faint blue glow of his left eye.

Agitated and alone, he closed his eyes and pressed his head against the wall, taking a moment to catch his breath.

“There might be another way to let her in.” He muttered, looking at the fountain, glistening unevenly under moonlight.

But as he got back on his feet, explosion erupted outside — shockwaves rippling against the iron wall, forcing him back on his feet.

“A bomb?” A bead of sweat rolled across his cheek, lifting his gun he waited in anticipation.

It took a few seconds for him to realize that all he could hear was the uneven sputter of the fountain.

Silence hit him. The gunfire was gone.

His eyes widened as he placed his ear against the iron wall, “No…”

The chief’s words echoed in his head;

‘Before you say anything, it’s not simply your incompetence to work with technology. Maria is a professional cracker, her skills are top notch. Your job is to protect her. Keep her alive and safe.’

The sound of gunfire rang through the entrance as he rhythmically fired twelve times. But even after unloading every last round, the bullets did not leave a dent.

“No, no, no…”

Shaking his head, his expression shifted from shock to anger.

Fabric stretched into lines and threads as Felix ripped off the torn uniform. Before repeatedly smashing his fists against the wall.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. The knuckles of his glove scraped off with every hit.

“I’m not a… I don’t know how to do this…” He said, huffing.

Maria’s words suddenly rang in his head.

‘As long as you’re around, what do I have to worry about?’

His gun slipped to from his hand and clattered to the floor. His expression grew deeper, clenching his hands.

Blue sparks radiated from his body, forming a faint blue sphere around his fist.

Frustration boiled over, both of his eyes shined bright, “MARIA!”

With a flash of blue, a loud bang echoed. Azure particles scattered, briefly lighting up the darkness.

Felix staggered back, every heartbeat pounding in his palm. Each breath sliding between his teeth, filling up his lungs. The sound of his own heaving drowned out any other sound.

A sliver of light seeped in from the outside.

Steel stretched into a spherical crater, bending outwardly while the entire wall cracked.

Alone, he picked up his pistol and turned around, and marched toward the facility. Just a few steps beyond the entrance, he saw a silhouette of the interior, cascading floors illuminated through the glass ceiling.

“… I can’t do this. Not without you.” Clenching his fists, he continued forward, into enemy territory, “But…”

Only for a loud rumble to stop him in his tracks.

Another explosion rippled through the entrance, quivering above his head and beneath his feet.

“... What?” He turned around.

Followed by another explosion, causing the crater to cave in.

“V.V?” Felix cautiously raised his pistol with a scowl filled with uncertainty.

Until —

Iridescent particles came bursting through, blasting the dented iron inside. From behind the golden sparks stood a black-haired woman, with a sweet, cheerful smile on her face.

He lowered his firearm, and his expression filled to the brim with disbelief. “Maria?”

She crawled through the hole, wiping her face with a freshly stolen uniform, “Yes?”

“How… did you survive?” He asked, helping her get through the stretched steel.

“Let’s just say a rogue firework came to my rescue. Or a couple…” She beamed, taking his hand.

“I don’t think fireworks can…” He sighed and conceded, “Right, sometimes things just don’t make sense. At least, when it comes to you.”

She got up and patted his shoulder, “I’m glad you finally get it.”

“Argh!”

“My bad, sorry…”

“It’s fine…I’m just..” Still in disbelief, he shook his head, “…You nearly gave me a heart-attack.”

“I doubt the fireworks would’ve broken through, so thanks for making it easy.” She picked a bullet off his forearm, “Bullet-proof coat, huh?”

“Ah, yeah… it protects more than just a vest.” He stammered,

“Now to hide it again.” She threw another uniform over his face.

“... Again?” He grabbed it.

“Useful, right?” She put on another stolen uniform.

“Right…” He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, his chest filled with a cold numbness, “... I was afraid I was gonna have to do this alone.”

“You don’t have my mad hacker skills.”

“Right. Exactly. I still need your expertise.” His gaze dipping with a faint smile.

As she buttoned it up, she smiled, “Don’t worry. I won’t ever leave you, partner.”

“Yeah… I’m glad.” He scratched his cheek. He then ran his arm through the blood-stained uniform, and started marching forward.

“Then, let’s go, partner.” He smiled confidently.

She nodded and walked beside him.

The two operatives made their way into the building alive. Behind them, the camera buzzed silently, its fractured lens still fixed on their figures.

Inside a dimly lit surveillance room, a man in a top hat stood over three corpses.

His face illuminated by the flicker of broken screens, watching the two of them. He held up a damaged data storage against the screen, and grinned.

~