[ The spot is near Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple. A park, quiet and lush, almost unnaturally green. And completely silent. The low grumblings of the city are muted by the threadbare trees and the stone statues, in various states of ruin and repair, which rise around the park's perimeter. Or the silence could somehow be the fault of the woman sitting on one of the benches, with her pretty white hand on the handle of her umbrella, presenting Hei with a pale, familiar profile and a perfect cascade of hair as green as summer grass. It seems possible. ]
[ The adrenaline -- or is it anticipation? -- that streaks through Hei is incongruously brittle and bright. With a slow exhale, he hangs back. Scans the perimeter again, because this is perfect, too fucking perfect. Left and right: clear. No problems behind him. But further ahead... ]
[ There. Four punch-permed, stocky men in jeans and nondescript jackets, their mouths twisted in permanent ugly sneers. They are half-turned away from him. But he flags them easily: some guys are built for stealth and skill, others, for intimidation. These four are obviously of the latter variety. Mob central casting -- not Syndicate. But not individuals Amber would hire, either. ]
[ They are the same types who ambushed Hei and Korra at the bar. ]
[ But why are they there? What is Amber doing with them? Had she bargained to lure Hei out, so they could kill him? That makes no sense. If she wanted, she could've disclosed the location of Korra's safehouse. So why...? ]
[ That's when he notices a small flock of pigeons that is crossing through, hanging in the air at eye-level. Blinking, Hei steps closer -- and then the air, except it isn't the air, it is the space that contains the air, the reality that contains the air -- shakes like a square of Jell-o, then freezes. ]
[ The whole park is frozen. Including those men. The realization flares parallel to a sick epiphany: She's called me here ... to kill them. Not the other way around. Incredulous, he glances toward Amber. But the bench is empty. The flapping of the pigeons overhead breaks the silence; the frozen moment is liquid again. ]
[ A beat later, a bullet caraams near Hei's feet, tossing up clods of grassy soil. Whirling, he logs a second group of men, same type as the first, concealed behind the hedgerow. ]
[ Shit. ]
[ Amber is gone. All that remains is the hit-team ordered to take him and Korra out. She's just assembled them -- like inanimate chesspieces -- in a venue where he can fight them. ]
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Date: 2015-03-22 12:01 am (UTC)[ The adrenaline -- or is it anticipation? -- that streaks through Hei is incongruously brittle and bright. With a slow exhale, he hangs back. Scans the perimeter again, because this is perfect, too fucking perfect. Left and right: clear. No problems behind him. But further ahead... ]
[ There. Four punch-permed, stocky men in jeans and nondescript jackets, their mouths twisted in permanent ugly sneers. They are half-turned away from him. But he flags them easily: some guys are built for stealth and skill, others, for intimidation. These four are obviously of the latter variety. Mob central casting -- not Syndicate. But not individuals Amber would hire, either. ]
[ They are the same types who ambushed Hei and Korra at the bar. ]
[ But why are they there? What is Amber doing with them? Had she bargained to lure Hei out, so they could kill him? That makes no sense. If she wanted, she could've disclosed the location of Korra's safehouse. So why...? ]
[ That's when he notices a small flock of pigeons that is crossing through, hanging in the air at eye-level. Blinking, Hei steps closer -- and then the air, except it isn't the air, it is the space that contains the air, the reality that contains the air -- shakes like a square of Jell-o, then freezes. ]
[ The whole park is frozen. Including those men. The realization flares parallel to a sick epiphany: She's called me here ... to kill them. Not the other way around. Incredulous, he glances toward Amber. But the bench is empty. The flapping of the pigeons overhead breaks the silence; the frozen moment is liquid again. ]
[ A beat later, a bullet caraams near Hei's feet, tossing up clods of grassy soil. Whirling, he logs a second group of men, same type as the first, concealed behind the hedgerow. ]
[ Shit. ]
[ Amber is gone. All that remains is the hit-team ordered to take him and Korra out. She's just assembled them -- like inanimate chesspieces -- in a venue where he can fight them. ]