Chapter 23: Standoff at Dawn.
The first light of dawn cast long shadows across Green Arbor as Ava and Talon entered the town, the weight of their recent battle hanging heavily on their shoulders. They moved in silence, sharing a quiet understanding that the fight wasn’t over—far from it. But before they could even reach the town’s center, a group of Arbor Defense Force soldiers approached, their weapons drawn and their faces tense.
At the front of the group, a young ADF soldier stepped forward. His hands shook slightly as he tried to maintain a firm grip on his rifle, his wide eyes flicking nervously between Talon and Ava. He took a deep breath, his voice barely steady. “Talon Holt,” he called out, his words tight with tension. “By order of the mayor, you are to be taken into custody.”
Talon’s body shifted, instinctively preparing for a fight. His hands hovered near his weapons, his stance ready. His gaze bore into the young soldier’s, sensing the hesitation in his voice and the trembling of his hands.
The young guard took another step forward, his voice pleading. “Please… please come with us. We’re not here to hurt you.”
Talon’s expression remained cold, a flicker of a smirk playing on his lips as he responded calmly, “Oh, I’m not worried about you hurting me, mate.”
The air between them was thick with tension, every soldier around them shifting uncomfortably, unsure of what would come next. Ava, sensing the imminent eruption, stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Talon’s arm, her voice steady but urgent. “Stand down, Talon. Not here. Not now.”
Talon glanced at her, then back at the trembling soldiers, his muscles still coiled, ready for action. But he didn’t move. He trusted Ava’s judgment, even when his instincts screamed for a fight.
Then, the mayor’s voice rang out like a knife through the tension. “Talon Holt! You are under arrest!” He strode into the square, his chest puffed up with false bravado, his eyes gleaming with triumph. His ADF soldiers formed up behind him, creating a barrier between the Sentinels and the town.
The mayor's grin was smug, certain that he now held all the power. "You think you can just walk back into Green Arbor after everything you’ve done? You think the Sentinels can do whatever they want? Not here. Not anymore."
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Talon’s jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists. Ava felt the shift in his stance and quickly stepped between him and the mayor, her voice calm but laced with a warning. "This isn’t about the law, is it? This is about power."
The mayor’s smirk faltered, but he covered it with a sneer. "Green Arbor is mine to protect. Talon is a threat to that safety, and I won’t have it."
Talon took a step forward, his voice low and dangerous. "The only threat to this town is you and the deals you’ve made."
The crowd that had gathered around them began to murmur, confused and curious. The mayor’s face twisted in frustration, the confidence in his voice wavering as the truth hovered at the edge of exposure. "This is nonsense. The people of Green Arbor trust me. You’re just a rogue Sentinel."
Ava's gaze never left the mayor as she spoke, her voice carrying a dangerous calm. "You know we can expose what you’ve been doing. And when we do, the people will see who the real threat is."
For a moment, the mayor’s eyes flashed with panic. He barked at the soldiers, “Take them into custody!”
The young ADF soldier hesitated, his eyes darting between the mayor and the Sentinels. His hands shook, his grip on the rifle faltering. The other soldiers shifted nervously, none of them willing to be the first to make a move.
Ava turned toward them, her eyes locking onto the young soldier’s. Her voice softened but remained firm. “We’re Sentinels. You know what we stand for. You know what we’ve done for Green Arbor. Stand down. You don’t want to do this.”
The young man’s resolve crumbled as he slowly lowered his rifle, his fellow soldiers following his lead. The mayor’s face reddened in fury, realizing he was losing control of the situation. “You idiots!” he screamed. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
Ava kept her gaze on the soldiers, giving them a small nod of acknowledgment. “You did the right thing.”
The young soldier, his face pale and tense, looked at Ava with a mix of gratitude and nerves. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and patted him gently. “Don’t worry, we understand orders—even the shit ones.”
The soldier smiled weakly, grateful for her understanding. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the murmuring crowd.
As Talon walked past the group of soldiers, he gave the young man a nod, a silent gesture of respect for standing down. The soldier returned the nod, still visibly shaken but relieved that the situation hadn’t escalated further.
Ava turned back to the mayor, her gaze cold and unflinching. “This isn’t over,” she said, her voice sharp with finality. “We’ll be at the Sentinel post. When we come for you, it’ll be your turn to answer for what you’ve done.”
The mayor glared at her, but the fear behind his eyes was undeniable. “You’ll regret this,” he spat, his voice shaky.
Ava smirked as she and Talon turned to walk away, the crowd parting to let them through. “We’ll see,” she said over her shoulder, leaving the mayor standing there, his control over Green Arbor slipping with every passing second.
As they made their way to the Sentinel post, Ava glanced at Talon. “Not bad, eh?” she said with a wry smile, though the tension still lingered in her voice.
Talon shrugged, the adrenaline of the moment still coursing through him. “Could have gone worse.”
The Sentinel post loomed ahead of them, its doors waiting. Whatever came next, they would face it together. But first, they had a corrupt mayor to deal with.