As Maple turned to face her attacker, she was greeted with a pleasant surprise. She came face to face with none other than Alyssa, bearing the grin on her face that one has when a prank has turned out to be successful. Jumping back while chuckling, Alyssa held her hands up in a surrendering position. Maple let a sigh drift from her lungs before letting herself relax.

"Ha, you'd think after all this time I wouldn't be able to sneak up on you anymore." Alyssa's tone was that of a younger sibling mocking the older one. While it hurt Maple's ego that she had snuck up on her, she was glad to see her friend. It had been a rough day and there was no better way to unwind than sitting around with a friend.

Within a moments notice, Alyssa's expression had switched from friendly to one of scorn. Maple felt puzzled until she realized what was sitting behind her. Her gloves. The ones that were still stained. Alyssa had taken special care in crafting the plates onto them so that they still fit comfortably. She was also always onto Maple about keeping them clean so the metal plates wouldn't rust off. 

Despite her short stature and carefree attitude, Maple was not one who wanted to favor Alyssa's scorn. Anytime she became serious about something, she could make any person cower, Maple included.

"Alyssa, I'm sorry. I just got back and I was getting ready to clean them I swear." In hearing Maple's excuse, Alyssa cocked her head to the side, judging whether or not to let her off the hook. 

"Alright, fine. I believe you. Just try to keep them clean. I get you have to hit people, but do you really have to hit them that hard?" Alyssa did have a point after all. Maple did have problems at times holding back her own power. It wasn't that she was a fan of overkill, she just wanted to make sure she got the job done. One slipup, and it could cost everything.

"Yeah, I know. I just want to make sure my target's dead so I don't end up being the dead one. You'd think you'd have more sympathy for me considering that I have to kill people."

"Pfft. The Maple I know? Needing sympathy because she fights on the frontlines?"

They both let out a giggle at the thought. Maple had always been a fighter since Marcus had taught her how to fight. She was never one to run away from a battle. It's not the she enjoyed killing the Helix soldiers, but that it just needed to be done. 

"Hey, if you got some free time you wanna go above ground and see if we can salvage some scrap metal and parts? I'm sure this place could use some of it around here." Alyssa had that gleam in her eye like a child that spotted a toy they desperately needed. Not only was she one of the most relaxed people around, Alyssa was also highly intelligent in most things and was a tinkerer of sorts. The people of Marlow wouldn't have half the luxuries they did if she didn't provide upkeep to the place.

"Yeah sure, I've got nothing better to do anyways until Dad comes up with a new plan."

Maple turned and finished cleaning her gloves off, removing the red tint from them but not quite putting the shine back in them. She slipped her gloves back on and quickly tied her bandana back up, letting her hair hang through the back. Her clothes could be washed later.

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Back above ground, Alysssa and Maple had drifted towards an old car center that still had some things that were left untouched. It wasn't far from the underground either, so they knew they could quickly make it back if it started becoming dark. Being cautious of their surroundings, they moved from shadow to shadow, making sure to avoid the eyes of any Helix scouts that may be nearby.

It wasn't always the wisest idea to go snooping around the city with so few people, but scouts were never spotted in the sector of the city they were in. It was so far in that it was easier for the Helix soldiers to bypass around the side and save time. This also made it convenient for the refugees to go out and get some fresh air. Well, if one would call it fresh air that is.

After going through a back alley and across an old and worn street, they arrived at the back of the vehicle care center. All the windows had been broken out of it, despite them being covered with metal shutters, and most of the vehicles sitting out front of the building were rusted down and ransacked. Still, it was worth the adventure to Maple and Alyssa to check it out.

Alyssa cautiously stepped out in front of Maple and approached what they assumed was a backdoor into the complex. Stepping up onto the concrete walkway, Alyssa reach down and tried turning the rustic handle. The handle itself shook, but the door itself offered no entry.

"Agh, it's locked. How did they even have time to lock it before?" It was surprising to find a locked door in the city, considering that Marlow had been struck without warning during the previous wars. Most people had fled the city to avoid the fighting, but whoever was at this building during this time had done otherwise.

"Stand back, I got this." Maple quickly stepped forward to the door and slammed her fist into the door just above where the handle was positioned. The door caved in, but still refused to give up. Once more, Maple drew her fist back and slammed it into the door with even more force. A loud, metallic tearing noise ripped through the air and Maple paused for a moment. Her hand was now protruding through the door.

"Um, I guess my plan kind of worked."

"Yeah, sure it did. Now how are you gonna solve the new problem? You gonna punch it again?" Maple could hear the mocking tone of sarcasm in Alyssa's voice. 

"Stand back even more." Hearing Maple's warning, Alyssa took a few more steps backwards.

With a sudden burst of strength, Maple ripped her arm back towards herself, taking the door, hinges and all with her. Catching her balance, Maple squeezed her fist tight, with it still protruding through the door, and gave it a powerful kick. The door went shot off of Maple's hand and crashed into the wall of the center. Taking a moment to favor her hand, Maple then turned and pointed the way through the now open doorway.

Stepping through the doorway, Alyssa and Maple found themselves in a short corridor. It was dark inside, as there was no electricity being supplied to the building nor did the corridor have lights. Letting Maple take the lead, the two slowly crept forward through the darkness.

Feeling their way down the corridor, the two soon stumbled across another door. While a distinct bend in the corridor could be seen further down, the two decided to check this door first. Maple felt around for the handle of the door, and upon finding it, gave it a gentle twist. The door slowly creaked open and revealed a a large room that looked like it was used for storage of spare parts for vehicles.

Maple clenched her fists and eased through the doorway, Alyssa in tow. The two looked from corner to corner of the room. It appeared that the room had been untouched since the building had been abandoned. It was strange considering that the back door had been locked. The hair on the back of Maple's neck suddenly began to stand on end. If the front of the building was secured with the steel shutters, how did the people leave if the back entry was locked?

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Almost as if to answer Maple's question, she heard a clattering come from outside in corridor. She quickly grabbed Alyssa and placed her behind, ready to attack if needed. A few moments passed in eerie silence, but silence was all that seemed present. Maple slowly began to creep towards the doorway, fists at the ready. As she drew close, she flattened herself out against the wall, and peeped around the corner.

For a split second she thought she saw something retreat around the coner of the corridor in the darkness. She knew she couldn't be seeing things, but also didn't know what she could have seen. Was it a person? A refugee? Helix? She knew there was only one way to find out. Not wanting to endanger Alyssa, Maple motioned for her to follow behind. The two slowly began advancing towards the turn in the corridor, suspense breathing down their necks.

As they rounded the corridor, they came out into the front lobby area of the store. A large front desk was situated against the wall just to their left, and various shelves were lined up along the storefront, most empty and others tipped over. A dim and hazy light shone through the steel shutters that were lined along where the windows would have been. The two couldn't see any signs that anyone had been here in a long time.

Not wanting to relax her guard, Maple instructed Alyssa to stay by the corridor entrance and began to sweep each and every aisle. If there was someone there, they would be flushed out. Maple was sure her reaction time would be sharp enough as well to get the jump on them. She wasn't your average human being after all.

After reaching the second to last isle, Maple suddenly paused. Somebody was close, she could feel it. Bringing her fists up and bracing to strike, she slowly inched forward and peeked around the corner of the aisle. A figure suddenly darted out and came at her.

Maple threw a right handed punch at the target, aiming directly for what she assumed was it's head. The figure quickly dodged to the right and slipped past Maple in the blink of an eye. Why didn't it counterattack?

Maple quickly launched herself over the aisles and aimed to cut the figure off. Despite it being able to slip by her at first, she was definitely the faster of the two. The figure suddenly changed direction again and headed towards the large counter desk that was mounted against the wall. Maple launched a flying kick towards it, catching the figure in its midsection. The figure let loose a quick shout of pain and bounced across the floor, coming to a stop against the counter.

Maple braced herself again as the figure struggled to bring itself to it's feet. Raising one arm, it grasped the lip of the desk and pulled itself up. A long cloak spilled out around it, a hood hiding the back of its head. It slowly turned to face Maple, not seeming to take a particularly aggressive stance. Maple felt a bit of a shock run through her body.

From behind a tattered cloak and hood, lavender hair gleamed in the dusty light that filled the room. The face was hidden behind a mask, cutting off just as it covered the nose. Two dark eyes stared back at Maple. It slowly held its hand out in a stop position. It seemed to be wanting to offer a moment of peace, however Maple didn't let her guard down just yet.

"Please, stop. I mean you no harm." A quiet and quaint voice broke the standoff. It was feminine, at least Maple thought it did. The cloak had slowly slid aside, revealing the small silouhette and figure of a woman. This person was defintely human, but Maple had no idea what their intentions were. Maple gave a glance to where Alyssa was standing, but she was just as much in shock as Maple was. Encountering somebody in this part of the city was unheard of. What this person was doing here they had no idea.

"So you kick in a door that's keeping somebody safe and then you go and attack them?" The figure was obviously addressing Maple, showing frustration at the door they came through being destroyed.

"So I take it you were the one that locked the door?" 

"Well duh, who else could have locked it?" The sassiness of the woman's response stung Maple. Sure, they may have appeared to be the trespassers, but the woman could have shown herself first instead of fleeing.

"Why are you even here?" Maple was determined to find out everything this person knew. They didn't appear to be a simple looter, the store was untouched and the door was kept locked.

"I could ask you the same question. What's two kids doing out in this part of the city? You must be with those refugees."

Maple brought her guard back up once again. How did she know about the refugees? They didn't have any newcomers in a long time, and they never let rumors of the refugees circulate outside of the city. It's not like Marlow was the only city that housed refugees, but it was kept under tabs since Generation was also set up there.

"No, that's not right. There's no way you could've gotten that door open if you two were refugees. One of you must be what they call an Alpha. Judging from how hard you kicked me and your speed, it must be you." The woman was staring directly at Maple. She hadn't thought about the consequences of displaying such a force of power to give them access to the building.

"So what if I am? What does that matter to you?" Maple let her voice slightly rise, trying to intimidate the figure before her. She knew she could easily kill her if she needed to, but it would be better to get as much information as possible out of her.

"It means I've found what I've been looking for. You've got to realize, when you start ambushing Helix around this city as much as you guys have, it's bound to draw attention." The woman's words were chilling to the bone. Had Helix finally figured it out? Sure, it didn't take a genius, but they were dispersed across the globe. It would be hard to monitor everything at once.

"Well, I think I've heard enough now. Since you're working for them, I have to kill you." The woman simply chuckled at Maple's words. Despite kicking her clear across the room, the woman showed no fear of Maple. It made her question if the woman had something up her sleeve. There was no way she could win in a straight up fight, so the woman had to have something planned.

"Oh, I don't think I'm quite ready to die just yet. Not just that, I never said I worked for Helix anyways. I'm sure you've heard the saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

Maple became puzzled at the woman's question. What did she mean by that? The only reason she could think that the woman was looking for the refugees was due to Helix hunter squads. Yet, this woman was alone, and barricaded in a store at that. 

"Well, I think it's time I make my departure. I was hoping to keep this store as a little hideout, but it seems you and your friend have ruined that haven't you, Maple?"

Maple suddenly felt a chill run up her spine. The woman knew her name. A million red flags was going off in Maple's mind at once, and she glanced back to check on Alyssa. She suddenly felt alarmed as Alyssa had disappeared from where she had been standing. Seeing Maple's sudden distraction, the woman tossed a small capsule at Maple's feet. She glanced down at the capsule but it was too late, a bright flash suddenly erupted into the room.

Maple turned away from the light. It felt as if her retinas had just been burned away by a hundred fireballs. Her eyes stung, and she couldn't see anythin in front of her. She froze for a moment, anticipating a strike from the woman who had addressed her by name. However, no strike came. Within minutes, Maple's vision slowly started to come back to her. She took a quick glance around the room, the woman had disappeared. She quickly turned her thoughts to Alyssa.

Rushing out of the front room, Maple darted down the corridor. As she passed the door that harbored the storeroom, a hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder. Maple turned to face the woman. However, she was greeted with the feeling of deja vu. Alyssa once again appeared in her vision.

"Maple, it's me! Stop!" Alyssa was obviously afraid that Maple would attack out of pure instinct, but she held her attack. 

"Jesus Alyssa, where did you go to during all that?" 

"I knew that woman was up to something so I ran back here in case I would be in the way."

Maple quickly let her anger simmer. Alyssa had a point. It would've been hard to tell what the mysterious woman would have done if Alyssa had still been in close proximity as she had. 

"I hid back here until everything was clear. There was a light that came from the corridor and that woman came running past right after. I tried to get a closer look at her but it was too dark for me to see."

Maple was frustrated that she was unable to find out anything about the woman, but that could wait. They needed to report to Marcus everything that had happened. If their location had been found out, everyone could be in danger. Maple felt a rush of fear swell up in her heart. What if what happened to Mom happens again? With that worry clutched firmly in her mind, she grabbed Alyssa and the two headed back to the Underground...