Rescue (pt. 1)
Jul. 6th, 2020 08:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyanderenekoWord Count: 2,375
Summary: Chased down by an unknown assailant with no obvious means of escape, Nova starts to think this might actually be the end for her…that is, until a mysteriously benevolent third party decides to intervene.
Author’s Note: This is the first fic in a technically 3 part series that I plan on posting for this week! I don’t have too much to say about it other than I just love writing for this series/self insert and I don’t really plan on stopping any time soon lmao. Thank you for reading!
She’d managed to stay out of trouble for this long, but apparently her luck had finally run out. Taking every turn she saw, dashing down alleys and backstreets like her life depended on it, no doubt running herself in circles in this maze of a city. It was only a matter of time before she hit a dead end, or found herself right back where she’d started. It wasn’t like her navigation skills were all that terrible, but when you’re preoccupied with running for your life, you tend to get turned around whether you planned to or not.
Why did it have to be now? Why did it have to be something like this?
She wasn’t worth anything to anyone, so why was this Contractor hunting her down like this? Some complete stranger, who she got the sense was also a criminal, had started stalking her like she was the most wanted person on the planet. Aside from knowing that absolutely wasn’t the case, she didn’t understand what it was about her that’d provoked this kind of reaction in them. But she had to keep running, she couldn’t let them catch up to her, she couldn’t find out exactly what it was they had in store for her when they finally managed to overtake their prey.
She couldn’t go home, and she certainly wasn’t going to lead someone as dangerous as this right to her friend or anyone else she happened to care about…so what was she going to do? Ducking behind a pile of junk she noticed as she sprinted by, Nova covered her mouth and nose despite her lungs’ desperate pleas for air. She knew she was winded, that if she didn’t catch her breath she was probably going to pass out. But she couldn’t make any noise, either, she couldn’t take the chance of drawing even the smallest bit of attention to herself.
If she could just outrun this person, maybe she’d be able to make it home before they could pick up her trail again. If she could just get inside without being followed, she’d be safe for at least another night…she hoped. But she couldn’t go home knowing she was leading them directly to her house, no doubt bringing calamity and perhaps even death down on not only herself but the rest of her family. Even if she had a rough time with them every now and again, she didn’t want them to die, and she certainly didn’t want to live with the consequences of such an ordeal.
I don’t even know where I am anymore…how am I going to get out of this?
It was a valid question, but considering she was posing it to herself, the likelihood of receiving a useful answer was slim to none. If she knew how to get out of this mess she would have done it already instead of fumbling around in circles like a lost child. She was practically little more than that at the moment…maybe switching forms would make things easier? She’d certainly be more maneuverable, but also more vulnerable, and the truth was that switching forms probably wouldn’t do much to shake the assailant. The traits of hers that lured Contractors were clearly displayed no matter what form she took, unfortunately, and the conspicuous sight of a glittering cat was just as useless to her now.
“There you are.”
Her blood turned to ice. There was nothing she could do. They snatched her up before she even made a sound, digging their nails into her throat as they lifted her off the ground by nothing but her neck. Squirming and gasping, Nova dug her claws into the perpetrator’s arm, hissing and kicking as they jostled her in agitation. They simply laughed at her defiance, a mocking, malicious response that reinforced the fact that no matter how hard she fought, there was essentially nothing she could do.
“I don’t know what you are, but you’re certainly not human,” the stranger mused, tightening their grip until Nova started seeing stars. “That could be useful, and even more than that, quite lucrative depending on who I hand you over to. What’s wrong, kitten, not too fond of being handed over to some new owners?”
She would have fought harder, fiercer, but the lack of oxygen was slowly draining every ounce of her strength and resolve. She was going to black out, fall unconscious into the clutches of this cruel, selfish Contractor. Who knew where she’d end up, what would happen to her when she reached her destination…no matter what, she knew it couldn’t possibly be anything good. Nothing good ever came from getting mixed up with Contractors. Nova had never really interacted with one herself, but she knew that much from the countless rumors and news reports that failed to supply the whole truth of the wickedness that was playing out in the city just behind their thinly veiled curtain of coverups.
The existence of Contractors was classified, arguably dangerous information that the powers at be did their best to prevent the public from getting their hands on. It was for their own good, they’d say, for the good of the citizens’ general welfare. But that also meant that when some poor fool got tangled up in the schemes of some shady Contractor, there was no way that person could know the real stakes of the trouble they’d gotten themselves into. Maybe that was for the best, especially if the death they were delivered was swift and painless. But that kind, charitable fate clearly wasn’t what this particular individual had in mind for Nova. And she knew she wasn’t strong enough to endure the extent of the torment that was bound to befall her.
Someone…anyone…please…
Much to her surprise, her silent plea actually managed to yield results. She hadn’t truly summoned the individual that just so happened to show up and rescue her, of course, but that didn’t matter. She didn’t care how they’d arrived, or even who they were…all she knew was that someone was here to throw a wrench in the works of this diabolical Contractor’s plans. Her mysterious savior didn’t issue any warning, the sound of what she perceived to be a thin metal wire cutting through the air in lieu of words. Her assailant loosened their choking grip and stumbled back, involuntarily releasing their hold. As Nova collapsed to the ground she noticed that they must have been tugged backwards, off balance by that same object she’d presumed she’d heard winding around their throat.
She rubbed her sore, raw neck as she struggled to raise her head, taking in the scene before her with a blurry, flickering gaze. Her vision was still dancing with dizzy stars, but she managed to see just well enough to finally make out the form of her cryptic protector. The moment she came to terms with the identity of the figure she was staring at, she realized the calm and relieved feelings that’d stirred in her chest were regrettably premature.
That mask, that coat, the wire he’d swiftly and silently wound around her assailant’s neck…there was no mistaking him. She watched, paralyzed with fear as the sparks of an electrical current followed the flow of the conductor and fried her assailant’s body to morbid stillness. There was only one Contractor that was known for having these powers, for donning this attire, fading in and out of the shadows as if he were the personification of darkness itself.
The infamous Black Reaper, the seasoned and ruthless assassin whose existence was even starting to seep into mainstream society, plaguing the general masses with apprehension and dread. He was the type of urban legend parents told their children about to keep them from staying out too late, a boogeyman who’s most terrifying trait was that he existed at all; in fact, he was very real, so real that Nova couldn’t tear her eyes away for fear that she’d lose sight of him. And now she was cornered, disoriented and exhausted, a mere few steps away from him and the corpse he’d just created. Sure, he’d inadvertently ended up saving her, but if he decided he still hadn’t had his fill of killing…? Well, she was no better off than she had been before he’d arrived.
She scuttled backwards until her back hit a wall, her mind desperately searching for some compelling appeal that would convince him to spare her life, as worthless as it may be. “Please, please don’t hurt me. Don’t…don’t kill me. Please. I know I look weird but I’m not a Contractor, I swear I’m not one of them…one of you. I don’t have anything worth taking on me, I’m telling the truth, and I don’t have any kind of powers or knowledge worth exploiting. I barely know anything about Contractors other than the fact that they exist, I don’t try to get involved with this stuff, I don’t want to. That other Contractor just started chasing me out of nowhere, I don’t know what they saw or what I did to get their attention, but I swear, please, just don’t…”
Her voice was trembling with tears, and she shielded her face as the foreboding man approached, her whole body quivering with panicked, helpless tremors. Something leathery seized her wrist and she yelped, curling in on herself as much as her aching limbs would permit. It didn’t yank at her arm with any sense of animosity or hostility, though…instead, it gently tugged at her, silently encouraging her to allow it reposition her arm however it pleased. She couldn’t seem to rein in her weak, muffled cries as she acquiesced to its influence, searching around with one eye to see exactly what it was the Reaper was trying to do with her.
“Let me see it.”
That voice was…unsettlingly, hauntingly familiar, but Nova’s brain wasn’t operating on enough cylinders to pay the observation any mind. She finally faced the stark, eerie white mask that’d crouched down to her level headon, still too frazzled to properly process his request. He laid her arm at her side, taking the other one just as gently and repeating the action in kind. He reached for her throat and she yelped, scrambling to push herself into a space that simply didn’t exist.
“Calm down,” he instructed sternly, and she was just coherent and terrified enough to comply. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Well, that was the last thing she’d expected to hear coming from someone like him. Doing her best to obey his previous request, she didn’t have anything to stare at but the lifeless mask that was hovering much too close for comfort. Was he misleading her, lying so she’d let her guard down and allow him to get in close and take her out without having to do any real dirty work himself? She whimpered as his fingers brushed her skin, inspecting the angry red marks, the lingering evidence of her unlucky, unpleasant encounter.
“Can you breathe alright?”
“Can I…?” He really was throwing her for a loop here. “Y--Yes…I can breathe fine. Probably even better once I’m not in the middle of an anxiety attack.”
“Does it hurt?”
She cocked her head to the side, sincerely confused by the nature of his questions. “Well, yeah…it’s not exactly the greatest feeling in the world, being dangled by your neck while someone’s also trying to choke you out.”
Why were these words coming to her so easily, like she was having a simple chat with a friend? What was it about this man that had already managed to gain her trust, instilling her with a sense of comfort and safety that should have been the last thing she experienced in his presence?
He stood up in one swift, fluid movement, an action so seamless it was almost beautiful to behold. “Go straight home. No one will follow you. You won’t be attacked again tonight.”
Was that a promise…he was making? A vow to keep protecting her? He turned on his heel and she reached out, snagging his sleeve before he could fade back into the void of the night. “Wait!”
The Black Reaper paused, glancing over his shoulder just enough that she perceived the movement. His hair, his height, his build…everything about this man reminded her of the last person she wanted to think about right now. The last person she wanted to associate with any of this. And yet, he was the one person she couldn’t get out of her mind. His voice, his smile, his mannerisms…the ache in her heart was almost as strong as the ache in her hand as she clung to him, tugging on his sleeve like her life depended on it.
“D--Don’t…” she stuttered, tears returning to her eyes. “Don’t go. Not until…” She bit her lip. Did it matter who he was? Of course it did, but was she really prepared to face that truth if she pushed for it, forcing it out without considering the consequences, the implications?
“Show me your face.” His arm stiffened unmistakably, almost as if her words shook him to his core. “Show me who you are, please. I just…I need to know.”
He fled without another word, effortlessly breaking free of her hold and vanishing without a trace. She wanted to cry again, to sit here and stew in her confusion and doubt and dismay. Her legs were so weak, so shaky. She didn’t even know if she could stand, if she could get herself home in this state. But she knew he knew she could…otherwise he wouldn’t have left her stranded like this. Because that man…the man she knew as Li…wasn’t the type to leave a broken, traumatized person abandoned in the streets. No, she’d find the strength to make it home. And she’d do so safely, with the understanding that he was watching her back, whether she was aware of his presence or not. But the strength to confront him about his true identity, his murderous double life the next time she managed to get him alone…she didn’t know the first thing about where to find something like that.
Summary: Chased down by an unknown assailant with no obvious means of escape, Nova starts to think this might actually be the end for her…that is, until a mysteriously benevolent third party decides to intervene.
Author’s Note: This is the first fic in a technically 3 part series that I plan on posting for this week! I don’t have too much to say about it other than I just love writing for this series/self insert and I don’t really plan on stopping any time soon lmao. Thank you for reading!
_____
She’d managed to stay out of trouble for this long, but apparently her luck had finally run out. Taking every turn she saw, dashing down alleys and backstreets like her life depended on it, no doubt running herself in circles in this maze of a city. It was only a matter of time before she hit a dead end, or found herself right back where she’d started. It wasn’t like her navigation skills were all that terrible, but when you’re preoccupied with running for your life, you tend to get turned around whether you planned to or not.
Why did it have to be now? Why did it have to be something like this?
She wasn’t worth anything to anyone, so why was this Contractor hunting her down like this? Some complete stranger, who she got the sense was also a criminal, had started stalking her like she was the most wanted person on the planet. Aside from knowing that absolutely wasn’t the case, she didn’t understand what it was about her that’d provoked this kind of reaction in them. But she had to keep running, she couldn’t let them catch up to her, she couldn’t find out exactly what it was they had in store for her when they finally managed to overtake their prey.
She couldn’t go home, and she certainly wasn’t going to lead someone as dangerous as this right to her friend or anyone else she happened to care about…so what was she going to do? Ducking behind a pile of junk she noticed as she sprinted by, Nova covered her mouth and nose despite her lungs’ desperate pleas for air. She knew she was winded, that if she didn’t catch her breath she was probably going to pass out. But she couldn’t make any noise, either, she couldn’t take the chance of drawing even the smallest bit of attention to herself.
If she could just outrun this person, maybe she’d be able to make it home before they could pick up her trail again. If she could just get inside without being followed, she’d be safe for at least another night…she hoped. But she couldn’t go home knowing she was leading them directly to her house, no doubt bringing calamity and perhaps even death down on not only herself but the rest of her family. Even if she had a rough time with them every now and again, she didn’t want them to die, and she certainly didn’t want to live with the consequences of such an ordeal.
I don’t even know where I am anymore…how am I going to get out of this?
It was a valid question, but considering she was posing it to herself, the likelihood of receiving a useful answer was slim to none. If she knew how to get out of this mess she would have done it already instead of fumbling around in circles like a lost child. She was practically little more than that at the moment…maybe switching forms would make things easier? She’d certainly be more maneuverable, but also more vulnerable, and the truth was that switching forms probably wouldn’t do much to shake the assailant. The traits of hers that lured Contractors were clearly displayed no matter what form she took, unfortunately, and the conspicuous sight of a glittering cat was just as useless to her now.
“There you are.”
Her blood turned to ice. There was nothing she could do. They snatched her up before she even made a sound, digging their nails into her throat as they lifted her off the ground by nothing but her neck. Squirming and gasping, Nova dug her claws into the perpetrator’s arm, hissing and kicking as they jostled her in agitation. They simply laughed at her defiance, a mocking, malicious response that reinforced the fact that no matter how hard she fought, there was essentially nothing she could do.
“I don’t know what you are, but you’re certainly not human,” the stranger mused, tightening their grip until Nova started seeing stars. “That could be useful, and even more than that, quite lucrative depending on who I hand you over to. What’s wrong, kitten, not too fond of being handed over to some new owners?”
She would have fought harder, fiercer, but the lack of oxygen was slowly draining every ounce of her strength and resolve. She was going to black out, fall unconscious into the clutches of this cruel, selfish Contractor. Who knew where she’d end up, what would happen to her when she reached her destination…no matter what, she knew it couldn’t possibly be anything good. Nothing good ever came from getting mixed up with Contractors. Nova had never really interacted with one herself, but she knew that much from the countless rumors and news reports that failed to supply the whole truth of the wickedness that was playing out in the city just behind their thinly veiled curtain of coverups.
The existence of Contractors was classified, arguably dangerous information that the powers at be did their best to prevent the public from getting their hands on. It was for their own good, they’d say, for the good of the citizens’ general welfare. But that also meant that when some poor fool got tangled up in the schemes of some shady Contractor, there was no way that person could know the real stakes of the trouble they’d gotten themselves into. Maybe that was for the best, especially if the death they were delivered was swift and painless. But that kind, charitable fate clearly wasn’t what this particular individual had in mind for Nova. And she knew she wasn’t strong enough to endure the extent of the torment that was bound to befall her.
Someone…anyone…please…
Much to her surprise, her silent plea actually managed to yield results. She hadn’t truly summoned the individual that just so happened to show up and rescue her, of course, but that didn’t matter. She didn’t care how they’d arrived, or even who they were…all she knew was that someone was here to throw a wrench in the works of this diabolical Contractor’s plans. Her mysterious savior didn’t issue any warning, the sound of what she perceived to be a thin metal wire cutting through the air in lieu of words. Her assailant loosened their choking grip and stumbled back, involuntarily releasing their hold. As Nova collapsed to the ground she noticed that they must have been tugged backwards, off balance by that same object she’d presumed she’d heard winding around their throat.
She rubbed her sore, raw neck as she struggled to raise her head, taking in the scene before her with a blurry, flickering gaze. Her vision was still dancing with dizzy stars, but she managed to see just well enough to finally make out the form of her cryptic protector. The moment she came to terms with the identity of the figure she was staring at, she realized the calm and relieved feelings that’d stirred in her chest were regrettably premature.
That mask, that coat, the wire he’d swiftly and silently wound around her assailant’s neck…there was no mistaking him. She watched, paralyzed with fear as the sparks of an electrical current followed the flow of the conductor and fried her assailant’s body to morbid stillness. There was only one Contractor that was known for having these powers, for donning this attire, fading in and out of the shadows as if he were the personification of darkness itself.
The infamous Black Reaper, the seasoned and ruthless assassin whose existence was even starting to seep into mainstream society, plaguing the general masses with apprehension and dread. He was the type of urban legend parents told their children about to keep them from staying out too late, a boogeyman who’s most terrifying trait was that he existed at all; in fact, he was very real, so real that Nova couldn’t tear her eyes away for fear that she’d lose sight of him. And now she was cornered, disoriented and exhausted, a mere few steps away from him and the corpse he’d just created. Sure, he’d inadvertently ended up saving her, but if he decided he still hadn’t had his fill of killing…? Well, she was no better off than she had been before he’d arrived.
She scuttled backwards until her back hit a wall, her mind desperately searching for some compelling appeal that would convince him to spare her life, as worthless as it may be. “Please, please don’t hurt me. Don’t…don’t kill me. Please. I know I look weird but I’m not a Contractor, I swear I’m not one of them…one of you. I don’t have anything worth taking on me, I’m telling the truth, and I don’t have any kind of powers or knowledge worth exploiting. I barely know anything about Contractors other than the fact that they exist, I don’t try to get involved with this stuff, I don’t want to. That other Contractor just started chasing me out of nowhere, I don’t know what they saw or what I did to get their attention, but I swear, please, just don’t…”
Her voice was trembling with tears, and she shielded her face as the foreboding man approached, her whole body quivering with panicked, helpless tremors. Something leathery seized her wrist and she yelped, curling in on herself as much as her aching limbs would permit. It didn’t yank at her arm with any sense of animosity or hostility, though…instead, it gently tugged at her, silently encouraging her to allow it reposition her arm however it pleased. She couldn’t seem to rein in her weak, muffled cries as she acquiesced to its influence, searching around with one eye to see exactly what it was the Reaper was trying to do with her.
“Let me see it.”
That voice was…unsettlingly, hauntingly familiar, but Nova’s brain wasn’t operating on enough cylinders to pay the observation any mind. She finally faced the stark, eerie white mask that’d crouched down to her level headon, still too frazzled to properly process his request. He laid her arm at her side, taking the other one just as gently and repeating the action in kind. He reached for her throat and she yelped, scrambling to push herself into a space that simply didn’t exist.
“Calm down,” he instructed sternly, and she was just coherent and terrified enough to comply. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Well, that was the last thing she’d expected to hear coming from someone like him. Doing her best to obey his previous request, she didn’t have anything to stare at but the lifeless mask that was hovering much too close for comfort. Was he misleading her, lying so she’d let her guard down and allow him to get in close and take her out without having to do any real dirty work himself? She whimpered as his fingers brushed her skin, inspecting the angry red marks, the lingering evidence of her unlucky, unpleasant encounter.
“Can you breathe alright?”
“Can I…?” He really was throwing her for a loop here. “Y--Yes…I can breathe fine. Probably even better once I’m not in the middle of an anxiety attack.”
“Does it hurt?”
She cocked her head to the side, sincerely confused by the nature of his questions. “Well, yeah…it’s not exactly the greatest feeling in the world, being dangled by your neck while someone’s also trying to choke you out.”
Why were these words coming to her so easily, like she was having a simple chat with a friend? What was it about this man that had already managed to gain her trust, instilling her with a sense of comfort and safety that should have been the last thing she experienced in his presence?
He stood up in one swift, fluid movement, an action so seamless it was almost beautiful to behold. “Go straight home. No one will follow you. You won’t be attacked again tonight.”
Was that a promise…he was making? A vow to keep protecting her? He turned on his heel and she reached out, snagging his sleeve before he could fade back into the void of the night. “Wait!”
The Black Reaper paused, glancing over his shoulder just enough that she perceived the movement. His hair, his height, his build…everything about this man reminded her of the last person she wanted to think about right now. The last person she wanted to associate with any of this. And yet, he was the one person she couldn’t get out of her mind. His voice, his smile, his mannerisms…the ache in her heart was almost as strong as the ache in her hand as she clung to him, tugging on his sleeve like her life depended on it.
“D--Don’t…” she stuttered, tears returning to her eyes. “Don’t go. Not until…” She bit her lip. Did it matter who he was? Of course it did, but was she really prepared to face that truth if she pushed for it, forcing it out without considering the consequences, the implications?
“Show me your face.” His arm stiffened unmistakably, almost as if her words shook him to his core. “Show me who you are, please. I just…I need to know.”
He fled without another word, effortlessly breaking free of her hold and vanishing without a trace. She wanted to cry again, to sit here and stew in her confusion and doubt and dismay. Her legs were so weak, so shaky. She didn’t even know if she could stand, if she could get herself home in this state. But she knew he knew she could…otherwise he wouldn’t have left her stranded like this. Because that man…the man she knew as Li…wasn’t the type to leave a broken, traumatized person abandoned in the streets. No, she’d find the strength to make it home. And she’d do so safely, with the understanding that he was watching her back, whether she was aware of his presence or not. But the strength to confront him about his true identity, his murderous double life the next time she managed to get him alone…she didn’t know the first thing about where to find something like that.