The Show Must Go On

[Connor Kent]

He felt stunned as the last sentence washed over him. "Maybe soon."
He laughed in his chest and his face split into a grin, his cheeks hurt it was so wide. He breathed deeply, feeling a contentedness wash over him. He looked at her through eyes brimming with love.

"Ahh Ayden. You cannot imagine how much I love you right now."
He would be a father again. Something deep inside him felt like it shifted, a need deeper than thought, than existence. As if this was his purpose, this was why he lived. To be a father, to be a husband. To raise a child, to teach him or her as they grew up into adulthood.

Life. It was painful and messy and hard. It was beautiful and joyous. The memory of Hayden was still strong. He would have a brother or sister. Or brothers or sisters, even! He remembered how proud he was of his son, of the man he had become even as his life was cut short. He remembered looking at his corpse, gazing down into his son’s face, finally at peace. His final words echoing in his mind as he wished his son relief. "Let go, son."
He did not wipe the tears from his eyes. You did well. My boy… you did so well.

Any new child would not, could not replace Hayden. But that didn't mean they wouldn't be loved.

He looked into Ayden's eyes, seeing beyond the contacts she wore. He saw his future.

And then for a moment, he looked away, letting himself imagine that future. And his eyes locked onto what seemed to be fiery blue icicles blazing from across the room.

His face hardened, eyes narrowing, jaw clenching with resolve, his own brown eyes angry and defiant. The future was here. He would fight for it.

[Ayden]

Connor looked distant like he was remembering things. Ayden drank her refilled cup of coffee and thought about their family - it was something that she hadn't wanted before, but now she was considering it. Meeting Connor had changed her life for the better. She still struggled with things, but it was worth it.

Ayden watched as Connor face changed from longing memory to anger and she turned around to see him staring at an older man with ice cold eyes staring at them. A sudden sense of dread overcame her. He wasn't her enemy at least not one of the assassin variety - no one she knew.

Ayden turned back to Connor and frowned. "What's wrong, Connor?"


She wanted to turn back around and look at the man more carefully but she didn't want to raise anymore suspicion, but the way the two men were staring at each other, she was afraid something bad was going to happen.

[Armande]

Armande saw the recognition and then defiance in Kent's eyes. Like a worm in the pit of his stomach, he felt the familiar anticipation of the hunt. A ghost of a smile nearly crossed his lips.

He put his coffee to his lips and sipped at it and then allowed himself to break off contact. They were alerted now. Perhaps it had been foolish, but that was alright. It had been a long time since he'd been on a real hunt, with real prey, one that could fight back. There was nothing satisfying about putting down a delirious sick boy.

But this woman, this reborn god, had killed Atharim, according to the report. That made all the difference, changed it from being a duty to a joy. He would enjoy this. He felt a connection with the original Atharii of old, those heroic men and women of long ago who had fought against fully powered gods, bought humanity's freedom with their own blood. Brave Paris killing the monster Achilles. Humans fighting gods, defiantly spitting in their eyes even as they died and woke from the dream.

He would track this abomination and would kill her- and the traitor who sat next to her and would knowingly unleash her spawn into the world! That anticipation grew in response to the churning he felt. But not here, not at this moment. The Atharim arsenal was at his disposal. He knew what weapons he wanted to take with him.

[Connor Kent]

Ayden's voice got his attention and he reluctantly broke eye contact with the man. His jaw clenched for a moment, determination a ball of fire in his chest. Not this time. He wouldn't fail. He spoke calmly, making sure to watch his words. "You remember that man who we met in the park in St. Petersberg?"
He raised his eyebrows, hoping she got his meaning. After a moment, he went on. "I think one of his friends is sitting over there. And we're on his radar."


He could be wrong. He could be overreacting. Despite everything that had been said- all oblique and veiled- at the bookstore, he didn't know anything for certain. The man's arrogance and self-righteousness had been enough to make Connor wary of him. And disgusted- the man reeked of pious zealotry. And now, sitting there, he seemed much more formidable with a coffee cup and plate of pastry in front him than the guy in the park had with his gun drawn. Still, he trusted his instincts. Care and long life go together he'd read once and he believed it.

"We need to get out of here."
He thought about messaging Nox but then thought better of it. Nox might have been the one to give them away, despite everything. He didn't really believe it. Not really. But given Nox and Aria's last encounter with Ayden...No. They had to do this on their own.

His one overriding thought was to protect Ayden. Get her somewhere safe. She had the power, he knew, to do something about it, but with the terrorist attacks and increasing scrutiny, anything she did in public would put her more firmly in the cross-hairs- of more than just the Atharim. If they were in private, Ayden would be in a much better and safer position to act.

He didn't believe the man would act openly. He seemed much too cool and collected to risk a public encounter that would out him and what he was. If he wasn't just some harmless self-righteous douchebag as opposed to the harmful kind. Still, he couldn't take that chance.

"I think if we calmly and unhurriedly get up and leave, we shouldn't have any problems."
He paused, looking into her beautiful eyes. He wasn't going to fail her.

[Ayden]

The Atharim were here? Ayden tried not to panic. This could be worse. They'd come across another Atharim since then, well two. But those two, Ayden didn't want to think about, no not really they hadn't been like that other man. Annoying little shits, who would probably still kill them in the long run but they hadn't tried straight off. Ayden didn't know what was worse.

Connor suggested leaving and he was probably right. She smiled at her fiance and took his hand. There was a way to make their getaway more believable, they had been talking about kids. This was not something she wanted to bring kids into, maybe she should rethink that thought. Kids while she was being hunted.

Ayden's fingers started rubbing small circles along Connor's hand as Ayden pushed those thoughts away. She put all her effort into making it look believable that she wanted only one thing. It wasn't hard really. She loved Connor, he made her life better - most of the time. This particular moment made her think ignorance was bliss. If they hadn't know about them, they could be having their coffee in ease, but such was not their life.

Ayden stood up and stepped around the table to whisper softly into his ear, "Let's go home."
Her fingers traced small circles on the back of his neck with one hand, and her other caressed his arms through his coat. Ayden wondered why they stayed in Moscow maybe they should go someplace where it's sunny to live out the end of their days.


Edited by Ayden, Jun 13 2016, 12:29 PM.

[Connor Kent]

Ayden's sudden shift from concern to fiery heat was so startling that for a moment he wondered what was going on. It wasn't exactly the time for them to get all horny, after all. And he'd not ever gotten the sense that danger revved her engines. Then again, they'd only been together for a few months.

But then he understood. Dummy, he thought irritably. She was a smart one. He smiled at her, trying to mimic her. His anger and determination made it more difficult. Still, they had to get away.

He forced a chuckle in his chest. "Yeah? Heh. I won't argue with that."
He took her hand and they walked slowly out the door, just another couple in love.

They kept up the act until they got down the street and turned a corner. He looked around and then said quietly, "I think we should leave Moscow. They're not going to stop coming after us now."
He did not for a moment regret the idea of leaving. Ayden was his home now.

[Ayden]

Turning the corner had almost been like a switch. Their passions cooled a little, but not completely. It never really did when they were close to each other. But Connor's words mimicked very near to her own thoughts. Ayden smiled. "Someplace warm and sunny."
Not cold and dreary like her in Moscow.

Ayden embraced her gift and could feel the world brighten. She wasn't about to let some hunter get the best of her. She carried a gun of course, but this was no place to be shooting at random people. That was when Ayden heard the advertisement on the billboard they passed. "These individuals are always young men and women; approximately thirty years or younger. They may be your neighbors, your friends, or your family. They are linked to the Sickness, and the Sickness linked to their genetics. Thus, it is believed the infection is not an infection at all, but rather a manifestation of these powers poisoning their system until it acclimates. Some individuals survive this process; others succumb."


"And I am one of them."


Ayden recognized Ascendancy and she completely stopped staring at the sign that was replaying the announcement he'd made only moments ago. He had just outed every single person out there, and incriminated himself. Before it had all be speculation, but now, the leader of most of the world was claiming to one of these so-called gods as Nox had called her. A fucking god! And now they were no longer a secret.

Ayden stole a glance behind her wondering if that Atharim prick caught this too...

[Armande]

Armande watched the couple. His stomach turned and red seemed to film his eyes, rage such as he rarely let himself feel. As if flaunting their disgusting and unnatural union to his very face, the 'woman' began amorously flirting with Kent, implications of what they would do clear in her words and body language.

He wanted to vomit. So angry was he, that he was surprised to feel that his jaw was clenched until it felt of iron. His blue eyes blazed with fire that should consume them where they were. He longed to rise up and strike down the creature and that traitor. They taunted him. But he breathed slowly instead, letting is heartbeat slow as he watched them leave. Patience. Little by little, he got possession of himself, of his emotions. Patience would bring them to him. And then they would die, fully aware of why they had been put down. There was anticipation at the thought.


He brought up his wallet and began to look up the address in the woman's file. He had only begun to plan his assault when his wallet beeped and he looked at it. His news aggregator had been programmed to alert him when there was news concerning any number of interests, from archaeological discoveries and cases of the sickness to freak accidents and those enhanced individuals that were appearing more and more in news reports.

In this case, though, the keyword that had triggered the alert was the most important one of all. Ascendancy. A news conference. Armande began the playback, headphones in his ear switch to receive audio from his wallet rather than his listening device.

As he listened his face darkened.

The world had changed.

[Connor Kent]

"Warm and sunny. I like that."
He was going to ask her a question when they passed a billboard. The normal ads were not showing now. Instead there was the face of Nikolai Brandon, the guy everyone here called the Ascendancy. It wasn't something he figured he'd ever be able to do. Not out of disrespect. He just had never been political. And presidents didn't impress him much. Add to that that for half of his life, this guy had been the person many back home feared and hated. It had been hard on America to lose the standing and prestige it had had back when he was a kid. A combination of bad decisions and natural disasters during a string of presidencies had led to the loss. The belief in American exceptionalism was still alive and strong, for all the loss. It made for interesting tension with the CCD, to say the least.

The important thing, though, was the what he was saying. And then Connor felt a moment of triumph. His face broke into a grin and he looked at Ayden. "Got the bastards!!"
He didn't care about Brandon being a reborn god or whatever. No. The Atharim were outed. At last. And that list he'd discovered was in the hand of Vellas. It would only be a matter of time before it would be used, if it wasn't already. In fact, the announcement probably indicated that it was. You don't show your hand unless there's little the other person can do about it.

"You know what this means? We can go. They are going to be far to busy to try to find us. We can slip off somewhere and disappear. Be happy."
He hugged her to him, feeling a sense of relief. "Anywhere you want,"
he said into her hair.

[Ayden]

Anywhere she wanted. Ayden wondered if Connor would mind if she used old contacts, old money and means to get away from the Atharim. "Anywhere could cost more than you can afford."
Ayden grinned playfully. "However I have the means to do exactly what you ask if you let me."


He looked at her for a moment and finally understanding dawned in his eyes. He nodded without hesitation. "It's what we have to do. I want us to be safe."


Ayden smiled happily - probably a bit too much. It wasn't her old life. But it was the closest thing she was going to get being with Connor. Ayden took Connor's hand and started walking in a new direction. The locker with her old contacts, old phone and her old life was nearby. It was time to pick up a new life completely - disappear into the sunset - leave all this behind. Ayden didn't care where they went, not really, as long she was with Connor.

They didn't even have to settle in one place, stay on the move, go wherever they wanted. She still had the money to do that. There were still ways she could make money without killing someone..... Maybe this would be better?

It was a conversation for later - now priority number one was to leave Moscow asap. And that was exactly what Ayden was going to do. New passports - they could get married without all the hoopla that came with it. That made Ayden smile - no longer future Mrs. Kent - it wouldn't be Kent but the idea appealed to her greatly.

They were going to do this - well and truly!


Edited by Ayden, Jul 11 2016, 11:17 AM.