Never Heroes: Act I

Chapter 17

Never Heroes

Act I

XVII: Decisions

Emily had officially reached the point of wanting to knock herself out. First, she arrived back in her hometown for her best friend's funeral; then, she was forced to flee thanks to Walter pissing off the government; afterward they were pulled into another dimension or something; then they were forced between times and places so quick she forget what the hell started the entire thing. Now, she found herself back in her hometown, this time with two more tag-alongs, Tahere and Saeed.

A pack of cigarettes was pulled from her back pocket. Unfortunately, it was empty. Her sigh caught Doug's attention and he handed her one of his own smokes. There was no exchange of words between the two of them as she took the cigarette from his fingers and had it lit before he could offer her his lighter. After the first puff she finally said, "Thanks."

"Yeah," he said with a nod. The two of them felt separated from the group. Walter had Tahere and now Chip had Saeed. With confidants that had the powers of gods, it made sense that they stuck close. Emily and Doug were really just getting in the way. There was something else that was bothering Doug, though. He asked, "So, what do you think happened?"

Emily said nothing. After exhaling a puff of smoke she just snorted. When Doug shifted uncomfortably due to her silence, she decided to say something. "We got pulled around by magical powers or we drugged. Take your pick."

"No. I mean, with Sarah," Doug clarified.

That made her stop. He could sense the sudden change in her aura. The next drag on her cigarette was a bit more drawn out as she contemplated an answer. She said, "f**k if I know, Doug. I don't trust this Prince guy. Tahere is just Walter's personal slave so hell if I trust her, too. Just me and you, buddy. We gotta stick together."

Her fist struck him right near his heart where a deep scar beneath his shirt marred his body. A jump in his heart beat from the impact caused him to freeze. All he could do was watch her walk away from him as she decided to join the others. It would be quite a few minutes until he dared to do the same.

Emily had no real desire to keep playing Chip's dumb fantasy but it was obvious she had little choice. Between Doug shooting the deputy a few days ago and Chip nearly sawing a man in half, they were in a tight spot. Chip refused to give up his sword or his armor, so it wasn't like he could hide in plain sight. To make it worse, Tahere practically demanded that Walter wear some as well. He didn't carry a sword, as his hand couldn't probably grip one anymore, but he did have a small dagger and shield.

The cigarette she'd had was flicked to the ground. She snuffed it out with her sneakers. Positioned close enough to hear Walter and Chip speak but far enough way they didn't greet her, she stood back and took in the view. They were back in the park, as it was big enough and had enough hiding spots they were difficult to find. Somewhere in the brush between the playground and the dangerous riverbed is where they'd gathered. A few raindrops fell on her head, but she ignored them.

Apparently, the rain did little to bother Chip and Walter, too. Watching them converse, she felt as though a special bond had formed between the two of them over the past day. That wasn't entirely accurate and she knew that. No matter how close Chip or Walter got to other people, there was something deep within each of them that couldn't be broken no matter time or distance. It was like witnessing two brothers share a special moment every time they spoke to each other.

Sprinkling rain turned into a downpour. Walter involuntarily ran a hand atop his head to free some droplets, only for more to appear. Battle strategies and conspiracy theories were hard to process when weather made thought difficult. To Tahere he said, "Can I speak to you? Alone." Tahere nodded and raised a hand. Walter stopped her and said, "No. None of this jumping around. We can just move to another part of the park."

Emily was ignored as they pushed past her. She watched them retreat from view, down a path that led deeper into the brush. Doug joined her and said, "What are they off to do?"

"Let's follow them," she said.

"What about..." Doug said, throwing a quick thumb in Chip and Saeed's direction. Emily didn't answer. Her hand grabbed Doug's bicep and yanked him away. Protest was about to escape his lips but he prevented it just in time. For whatever reason, it was clear she didn't think either one of them should be away from each other.

Together they left the beaten path and dodged prickly vines and tree branches as they rediscovered an old path from their childhood. Parallel to the trial they traveled until the sound of Walter's voice grew louder. Eventually, they were close enough they could make out every twitch of Tahere's face and they rested there to listen in.

" - before King and Church, right? So you'll be honest with me, even if it means to betray them?" Walter asked. They may have caught the tail end of what he said, but they understood the gist of it.

Before Tahere said a word, her eyes darted toward Doug and Emily. Chills ran up their spines as they were certain they'd been caught. Not a word was said from her about it. Instead, she answered Walter's question evenly, "You are above all, Grand Master." Not one to settle for a mere bow she dropped to her knees and kowtowed. Any doubt of devotion was gone from Walter.

He urged her back to her feet. "Then, tell me: is the Prince lying?"

"He is not," she said.

"Then why do I feel like I can't trust him?" he asked. It was done to voice his frustrations and he didn't expect an answer. Thus, he wasn't disappointed when she never gave one. He said, "There has to be a reason why he has yet to be given the title of King and there has to be a reason why all this is happening."

Tahere gave a faint smile. "Of course, Grand Master. Prince Saeed cannot be granted title of King because his family no longer holds power. King Parviz betrayed the Church and they revoked his authority. I and other members of the Church were imprisoned and that is why we could not reach Sister Sarah in time."

"With your powers, how could you not escape?" he questioned.

"Because there is one more powerful than I. That is Prince Saeed."

"I f*****g knew it," Emily muttered.

Walter heard her voice and glanced over his shoulder. Doug slammed a hand over her mouth and shushed her, but their cover was already blown. Walter said, "You can come out, you two." As they slinked out into the clearing, Walter turned back to Tahere. "Is he really the protector of Chip?"

"Yes. He did not lie. Sister Sarah gave her power to him after the final battle. You must not remember. She believed he would be King one day, and wished that her powers could protect him should another Kingdom invade. No one believed his father would try to rid the Kingdom of the power of the Church. For that, he suffered God's wrath and perished," Tahere explained.

"So what is Saeed's goal now?" Walter asked.

Tahere shook her head. "I must apologize, as I do not know, Grand Master. The people support him, yet the land is scarce on resources and he cannot wage war without the Church's approval. He has no troops under his name."

"Welp, there you go. He recruited you losers," Doug said.

"What do you mean?" Walter demanded, his tone suddenly very harsh.

"Come on, Walt, don't play dumb. If he needs to wage a war for resources or take out a Church even, who better to go to then the legendary heroes of his youth? Who easier to manipulate than a sap like Chip and his lovely lackeys like us?" Doug said.

Emily and Walter both abruptly made eye contact. Each held the intense gaze as they tried to decipher what the other was thinking. Regardless of what was happening or who was around, they both wanted to gauge the opinion and feelings of the other. That was their special bond; they knew full well that they were completely different people and thus any compromise they made would be the best decision for the group as a whole. Still, neither could come to a conclusion.

Fear and immense irritation were all that Emily's eyes emitted. Compared to Chip and Walter she was powerless, without a powerful ally, weapon, or shield. In a battle, she'd be an easy target. Yet the run around of the past week had eaten up a lifetime's worth of patience. Saeed royally pissed her off and watching Sarah essentially get assassinated had burned her bad. All she wanted to do was go back to her shitty life and pay bills like a normal adult. Playing sword and shields like a ten year old wasn't exactly what she had written down for "life goals" in her graduating essay.

Confusion was all that burned inside Walter's eyes. Perhaps, there was a bit of hurt somewhere in those hazel depths as well. Never had she seen him so unsure. It was unsettling how he practically wordlessly begged her to do something - anything - to fix the weird predicament they were in. His rational mind couldn't comprehend what he was willingly partaking in. Everything was so insanely out of control in their lives and this time, it wasn't just because they were f**k ups in one way or another. No, this time, it was because they needed to rise above those mistakes; they needed to step up and make a difference, else some else get murdered.

"What do we do, Em?" Walter finally asked, his voice quiet and pleading.

"Kick ass, I guess," she said, her voice the same low volume. She sighed and said a bit louder, "You're the plan guy, Walt. I'm already f****d regardless, so I'll do whatever it takes to keep us all alive."

"Even Doug?" Walter teased, a small smirk threatening to show.

"Maybe," she said, mimicking the half grin.

"Maybe I should leave," Doug suggested. He turned and got about half a step before Emily dragged him back.

"Nope. Stay," she ordered.

"Let's get back to Chip," Walter said, interrupting them.

All agreed, and wordlessly followed him back along the path until they returned to their previous location. It was a bit of a surprise to Saeed to see Emily and Doug return with Walter when he hadn't seen them leave, but Chip was oblivious to it. Instead, he had more important things to discuss.

"Guys, Saeed showed me the life of the man that killed Sarah. He is from the government, just like I thought," Chip declared, happy to be vindicated. His three friends looked between each other, not quite believing it. Yet they said nothing about their misgivings. There was no chance.

"Look out," Tahere calmly ordered. Within a fraction of a second after the last word left her lips, a barrage of bullets rang out. Everyone aside from Saeed and Tahere immediately fell to the Earth, determined to drop away from any gunshots that might hit them. Of course, none did, as both expertly halted all the deadly objects before they reached their targets.

When the sound finally stopped, they looked to find themselves surrounded by an array of federal agents and local police. Emily shouted without thought, "The f**k is the matter with you, assholes?! At least give us the option to give up!"

One person took a single step forward. Dressed in a flak vest and a ball cap with the U.S. Marshal seal on the front, the man seemed unimpressed with the group before him. "Drop your weapons, shed your armor, and tell your little magicians to stand down," he ordered.

"How the f**k were we going to talk if you shoot us, dickbags?" Emily asked.

"You must be Emily Shay. I heard you were a b***h," the man said. Doug's howling laughter managed to cover up her curse. To Doug, the man said, "I know you well, Douglas Yates. And I know Walter Sebastian Ray and his good friend Chip Cooper. So before you try to do anything stupid - like, I don't know, slaughter any more of my Marshals? - I suggest you do what I ask and save all of us the trouble of dealing with another Interfector situation."

Doug looked to Emily, who turned to Walter; Walter then defaulted to Chip for orders. That was why Chip was so important to them. Even if others were more qualified to lead, somehow, they always lent their fate to Chip.

"Fine," he declared as he dropped his sword and removed his helmet. "Let's talk."