Dray and Amirah soon arrive at the dingy apartment complex. True to the man they were visiting, the building they entered was old and decrepit with dust and rats everywhere. Amirah drew some attention due to her being in full uniform but Dray blended in perfectly in his old hoodie, sweatpants, and mask getup. Dray took a second to pet a stray cat before Amirah needed to pull him away. She checked her surroundings and eventually found what she was looking for in the form of a large letter 'x' that overflowed the corners of a box that was drawn on the side of a mailbox. A symbol to prepare for a dead drop. We're just in time.

"What are you looking at?" Dray asked inquisitively, curiously peeking his head over Amirah's shoulder. Amirah quickly, but gently, covered his eyes with a hand. "Nope. Nothing you need to know about," she replied playfully to mask her urgency. Technus intercepting HA dead drops? That would be disastrous. I need to try and keep this under wraps-

"It's an association dead drop, right? Is it full or just pending?"

...I should've expected that. "It's...just pending. According to the records, this guy gives out info on a tight schedule. He's supposed to sell his info tomorrow which means, he just came back from another run. Now would be the perfect time to ask him directly without interference," she explained.

"Without interference? You don't want your buddies in on this?" questioned Dray. Amirah turned to him with creased eyebrows. "Hey, you wanted to work this out between the two of us right? Besides, if I'm going to use your help, I'd rather not have a bunch of other heroes investigate where I get my information from." Dray nodded his head thoughtfully. Amirah huffed, grabbing Dray's hand and pulling him forward. "Come on. Let's not get too distracted," she instructed. Dray quietly complied. Amirah felt a little grip back and smiled to herself.

They eventually reached the apartment complex without any issues. However, from the outside, they could already hear a commotion coming from Yuri's apartment. It sounded like a lot of arguing with a shrill voice trying his best to dismiss everything. Amirah assumed the voice was Yuri himself. She looked over at Dray but he simply shrugged in indifference. Sounds like they're going through something right now...I'm not having a good feeling about this. Amirah knocked on the door nonetheless.

The commotion from the inside quietened down. Amirah carefully positioned himself in full view of the peephole while Dray hid slightly behind her, still holding on to her hand. As expected, a bodyguard opened the door instead of Yuri himself. Yuri had two of them with him from morning to night whereby they would change shifts with a different set of guards who will stick around his apartment from night to the next morning.

"Who is it?!" an old voice shouted from behind. The bodyguard glanced behind him before refocusing his attention on the couple. "It's...It's Talon, Sir. She's here with a nameless from the looks of things" A hurried shuffling could be heard from inside the apartment. "What? You guys are a day too early! Can't a guy get some sleep?"

"I'm just here to talk, Yuri. Just...something on the side," shouted Amirah back into the apartment. Yuri scoffed. "I don't do any extras. Just close the door, Bobby." Just as the bodyguard was about to close the door, Amirah quickly held her foot out to stop it. Both bodyguards reflexively took out their pistols and pointed them at her but she kept her cool. Dray's grip on her, however, had tightened. "I'll pay extra, Yuri. It won't even go back to the Hero Association. Just a friendly deal between the two of us." The two bodyguards looked back at what Amirah could only assume to be a newly reinvigorated Yuri.

"Oh? Well...I'll see about that. Let her in," Yuri exclaimed. Before either bodyguard could protest, Yuri himself walked up to the door and opened it, sneering at his two protectors. Dray let go of Amirah as they both slowly walked in. However, before they could go in any further, both bodyguards stopped them at the door. "Put your hands up," a taller one instructed. They were both dressed in plain clothing but one of them was taller and more burly while the other was a bit shorter. They both still towered over both Dray and Amirah. The couple raised their hands as they were pat down. Amirah was given the clear while the shorter guard pulled two extendable tasers from Dray's holsters. The guard furrowed his brows and glared at Dray.

"Hey, can you blame me? This place is dangerous," replied Dray, looking extra offended. The guard snorted, dropping the tasers on the table behind him. Both guards soon move out of the way, finally letting the couple through. They were all in Yuri's living room from the looks of things. They both sat on big, comfy armchairs across from Yuri who sat on a long leather couch. In between the two of them was a big oval table with a laptop and a floral vase with some wilting flowers in them. Yuri was evidently an older man, wrinkles clearly visible on his forehead and sporting a balding head of white hair.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of the Talon walking into my house? Even more, you're asking for an under-the-table deal? Hehe...I knew you were the type." Yuri grinned to himself, eyeing Amirah from top to bottom. Amirah held back her usual venom with great difficulty. "Calm down Losen, no need to cream yourself," Dray spat out. Amirah's eyes widened but before she could say anything, Yuri snapped his attention to Dray. "Oh? Mr, Nameless thinks he's tough? You must be new here. I can do whatever I want so-"

"Sorry, Yuri. I think it's best if we don't get too distracted. He won't cause trouble," interrupted Amirah. She faced a Dray that had his fists clenched, the guard behind him inching closer. Dray shifted his attention to Amirah who pleaded with her eyes for him to calm down. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, mouthing 'sorry' to his partner. Yuri smirked and put his feet up on the table in front of him. "Hmph. Fine. Please enlighten me then, Ms. Talon. What information would be so important you would want to do this in secret?"

"I need your help to find the location of 'Skelter'."

"....oh."

Yuri bit his lip. He glanced over to his bodyguards behind Dray and Amirah who gave...unfavorable responses back. "That kind of information doesn't come cheap. How much are you willing to pay for it?" he asked. "Double what you usually get for an entire info haul," was Amirah's reply.

"You're telling me you have over a million dollars that's completely untraceable? With your hero income? I know it pays well but not that well," asked an obviously suspicious Yuri. Amirah looked over to Dray who simply nodded. "I can give you two-hundred and fifty thousand right now. Don't worry, I'll use the account you gave to the HA," she enticed. She turned to Dray yet again. He pulled out a phone that Amirah didn't recognize before tapping on the screen several times. Yuri raised an eyebrow, pulling out a laptop from underneath the table and pressing a few keys.

Soon enough, his eyes widened as he mustered a big, toothy grin. "Okay...you're a little bit dirty aren't you, Talon." Yuri laughed heartily as he pressed more keys on his laptop. "Well, since you're telling your truth, I'll tell you mine. I don't have much. Mainly got the location of a warehouse they occupy. I only got this info very recently so I hope you don't mind me asking for a little extra." Amirah rolled her eyes. "You'll get as much as you want, just give me the info." Yuri laughed yet again before pulling out a thumb drive from his back pocket and plugging it in. "There...just how you guys like it."

Suddenly, Yuri's taller bodyguard took a step forward. "Sir, I don't think this is a good idea." Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you on about? I'm supposed to be helping you guys right?"

"Yes sir but Skelter is an exceptionally dangerous group. Giving that information away would jeopardize your safety," the bodyguard explained as he took a step forward.

"I'm not 'giving it away' you dunce. I'm selling it. We just had this discussion. Why are you trying to stop me from giving this info away-"

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

BANG!

The loud noise of a gunshot rang in Amirah's ears. Yuri lay dead on the couch in front of her, a bullet shot clean through his skull. She heard another gunshot and a loud thud on the ground behind her. She quickly spun back in her chair, only to be staring down the barrel of a pistol. Before she could react, a hard tug pulled her out of the way of the gun which allowed her to punch the bodyguard square in the face. The guard barely flinched, her hand hurting from the impact. It felt like punching a steel wall. The guard quickly refocused his aim, his sights set squarely on Amirah. She quickly jumped out of the way, the shot just barely missing Dray. The guard's aim was laser-accurate. Amirah knew she wasn't fast enough to dodge another one.

I'm going to have to take this next hit...!

However, an active taser found its way to the guard's neck making the guard wince in pain. Unfortunately for Dray, the guard did not drop the gun. He quickly shifted his focus to Dray, firing three quick shots to his chest.

"No!" shouted a distressed Amirah.

Dray staggered backward and fell, as the room fell silent for a split second.

Dray...dead? No. I...I have time.

In a blind fury, Amirah lunged at the guard, tackling him against the wall. His gun dropped to the ground. The disorientated guard couldn't raise his hands fast enough to defend against Talon's barrage of punches against his chin. The skin on Amirah's knuckles split and tore apart, splatters of blood flying everywhere. However, the guard stayed conscious the whole time, Talon's punches barely making a dent. Amirah gritted her teeth as she tried her best to continue her onslaught. Just...fall...down! I need to get Dray to safety. As if confirming the futility of her actions, the guard grabbed her by the torso and threw her to the side. A loud shatter woke the rest of the building as Amirah crashed through the fourth-floor window and fell.

~~~

Dray winced as he raised his hand up to his chest. He touched the area where he was shot and felt the bullets embedded in his chest armor. With trembling hands, he pulled the bullets out individually while Amirah pummelled the guard. Ow...I'm not dead but I hope I didn't break any ribs. The sound of the shattering window made him jump slightly. Amirah! Dray looked to the table on his right and grabbed his other taser. He stood back up, using the armchair for balance as the guard rubbed his chin. Dray took an opportunity to survey the scene.

The gun is on the ground, the guard is still here and Mirah...Mirah went out the window...Crap! Please be safe Mirah. I'll get you. The guard snapped his attention to Dray and then the gun on the ground. He reached out for the gun but Dray was just slightly faster, shoving an active taser straight into the guard's eyes. The guard screamed in pain, bringing his hands to his eyes and stumbling back. The guard revealed his bloodshot eyes and growled in anger, glaring at Dray. Ironically, this time the guard was met with the end of his own gun.

Dray aimed carefully at the guard's head and emptied the rest of the clip.

Six shots rang out, all hitting the guard. The guard's head sprang back before returning, all six bullets falling to the ground. Dray huffed in annoyance. At least it bruised at least! The guard stumbled forward and ran into Dray, his head squarely at Dray's chest. Dray hit the wall behind him but his armor triggered, the guard's head getting launched back. The guard crashed into the table, splintering it into a million pieces. Dray grabbed his taser off the ground and tried to bring it down on the guard's chest. The guard reflectively grabbed him by the wrist, twisting it. Dray dropped his taser as the guard put another hand on Dray's throat, pinning him against the wall.

The guard's grip tightened as he choked the life out of Dray. Yet for all his aggression, there wasn't much power in his grasp. He's getting sluggish. I...need some space! Dray reached into his pocket and pulled out five small white balls. He closed his eyes and brought it up, smashing it against the side of the guard's head.

A blinding white flash filled the apartment as the white balls combust. The side of the guard's face rapidly heated up. Little flecks of the white balls landed on Dray's mask, burning through it. Dray opened his eyes slightly to see the damage of his attack. It had no effect. A fire was burning brightly on the side of the guard's face and yet his grip on Dray's neck stayed strong. Damn...this...is not good.

Suddenly, a loud thump came from the side of the building. The thumping became louder and louder as whatever made the sound came closer. Dray hid a toothy grin underneath his mask. The guard's grip on him loosened ever so slightly which allowed him to kick against the guard.

He didn't budge.

Argh, why couldn't I get an actual power?... Anytime now Mirah! Amirah's head popped up from the window, climbing into the apartment. She quickly rolled and rose into a standing position, panting heavily. Streaks of blood came from under her wig as the metallic talons on her feet were deployed. Bits of brick have scattered on the ground beneath her. She gritted her teeth as her eyes were filled with anger and bloodlust. Dray could feel the hesitation in the guard's hands.

His grip on Dray suddenly tightened. He screamed in pain as Dray noticed the fire finally doing damage to his skin. Argh! He's gonna crush my windpipe...! Dray didn't have time to choke though as Amirah ran up to them and kicked the guard's arms. The guard let go of Dray as a loud crack could be heard, him tumbling to the side. Dray dropped to the ground, clutching his neck while trying his hardest to catch a breath. He and Amirah looked at each other for a short moment, both confirming the other's aliveness. Amirah then preemptively took a step forward, making sure she was between their attacker and him.

The guard's focus shifted between the two of them before he stood up and ran toward Amirah. She successfully stopped him in his tracks, grabbing him by his shoulders and spinning him around. She brought his knee up and landed a hard blow to his stomach. The guard spit out some blood and clutched his stomach, dropping to the ground while groaning in pain. Amirah launched another kick but the guard rolled out of the way.

He turned to the window. Before either Amirah or Dray could do anything, the guard ran to the window and jumped out. Amirah rushed to the window as he fell. Once he hit the ground, he quickly stood up and limped away. Amirah put a foot on the windowsill and almost climbed out before Dray pulled her back in.

"D-Dray, what are you doing? I need to go after him." Dray ignored her, however, cupping her face in his hands. ...She's got a concussion. Her eyes can't focus on anything. "Mi-Talon, we need to bring you to a medical center. There's one nearby here. Come on." Dray grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her away but was held back. "No... get the laptop."

"Huh?"

"Grab the laptop and go. I'll deal with the police."

"Talon, you need the hospital. We need to go-"

"Dray." Amirah got close and rested her forehead on his. "Grab the laptop. Go. You can't be seen here. I'll be fine, trust me. I'm Talon. I've been through worse."

"...Okay. You're going to the hospital right?"

Amirah nodded. Dray gave Amirah's hands one last squeeze before turning around and swiping the laptop. He holstered his tasers and ran out of the building.