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The Mercenary is the first arc of The Underground series

Chapter 28 of 32

Promise

Jenna just wanted them all to leave her alone. Her tormentors were not the interrogators now, but her own mind had turned against her. He would appear to her, and for a few brief seconds her heart would leap. But as her paws stretched out to him, he would vanish before her. When she thought she felt his touch on her face, she would open her eyes to find the bleakness of the interrogation room. Now she didn't even know whether to believe it or not. It scared her to hope that it was true and not an illusion. If indeed it was a fabrication her mind invented, Jenna was sure she couldn't handle that right now. Jenna shut her eyes, feeling the welled up tears flow down her cheeks. Her face hurt, her arms hurt; her whole body ached in a dull thud. Jenna could remember the familiar stinging pain that had erupted though her face from an abusive relationship that she had been in. But never in her whole life had she been beaten so savagely as she had by that rabbit. With every blow he landed on her body the only images she could bring to mind was that of the last time she saw him running after her. When she tried to block out the pain she could only imagine how he had caressed her face when she had been jumped. When paws began to explore her body she chose to think about the feeling of his warmth the next morning in that hotel. As it grew worse, and she felt blood erupting from her mouth, the vixen could almost feel his arms around her and hear his deep voice comforting her. Just like she thought she felt him now. Her tears ran down her face slowly. She begged silently for her torment to end. She couldn't take it anymore! It felt like his paw was running gently across her face, moving her hair back behind her ears.

"Alias..."

Her voice this time cried out in agony to the apparition surrounding her. Jenna didn't even realize she had the power of speech any longer.

"...please..."

Her words that she had just spoken were simply the manifestation of her thoughts, which had somehow materialized into that of spoken words. They seemed to roll slowly off her dry tongue without her even being conscious of their existence. She wanted him to be real. She wanted him here right now so bad. He was the only person she could think of. Her heart ached for his touch, her ears strained for his voice, and she dared not open her eyes because she wasn't ready to go back to reality.

"Open your eyes, Jenna." A voice called soothingly back to her.

Wanting to bask in her illusions just for a little while longer, Jenna hesitated before the slits of her eyes slowly opened. Tears clouded her vision as a blurry dark silhouette formed before her. The vixen blinked a few times, clearing her eyes, to see an emerald set of green eyes looking back down at her. She felt her heart leap at the sight of him. She wanted to throw her arms around him, she wanted to hop right up and leave with him.

But she had to know he was real.

Curled into the fetal position, Jenna reached a shaky paw out. Slowly and painfully her paw ascended to what she thought was his face. She paused for a moment, bracing herself for only reaching for air.

But she didn't feel the cold chill of the basement air, but rather the warm, silky feeling of a fox's fur.

Her paw fell to his shoulder as she pulled herself up, heart beating fast. She pulled herself onto her knees, paws following the outline of his face. Jenna held onto him as if he would disappear if she let go.

"You found me..." Her arms shook with fatigue as they wrapped around his neck. "You came back for me..."

"I owed you remember?" His deep voice lulled.

Her eyes burned with shame, and frustration. She felt the warm beads of salty tears begin to run down her face freely. "The things they did to me..." She managed to get out. "...I didn't think they'd stop." Even though she felt his warmth and touch, Jenna needed to know. "Please..." She begged him. "Please tell me you're real. Please don't leave me..."

"I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry about them." His voice soothed her. Jenna then felt warmth across her back and the grip tighten. It was almost like she was being held. "They can't hurt you anymore."

The young vixen let herself fall completely into Alias. Crying uncontrollably, Jenna gripped at her mercenary's back. It hardly seemed comprehendible that he was actually here. That this pain would end. It was almost as if she was waiting for another blow to her face or stomach to snap her back to reality. But he was here; Alias was here now.

Jenna slowly, and reluctantly loosened her grip on the fox and let herself fall away from him. Alias took her by her trembling paw, holding it up to the light.

"What did they do to you?" He asked her disgusted by her ring finger, contorted and dislocated. Jenna didn't reply, she wasn't ready to go into details just yet, not unless she was going to cry again. Jenna knew that now was not the time to be a sack of tears. "I've got to set it." Alias told her. "It will get worse if I don't"

Jenna nodded her consent, looking away from her paw.

"So, were you and Jason dating?" Alias asked point blank.

Jenna blinked. "What?"

"That's his name wasn't it? That guy you were with?" Alias asked.

"At Club Xero?" Jenna asked, brow furrowing. "I mean, no. I think he thought we were but we definitely were not-"

Jenna felt a disgusting crunch and felt the pop, as the bones in her paw grinded against each other. Alias twisted her finger and jerked it. A pain like no other shot though her hand. It felt like Alias had torn off her finger rather than fixed it. The young vixen cried out as a livid pain erupted through her paw. Jenna swore the bone had broken into two pieces, as the joint was set back into its proper place.

"Jesus!" She screamed at the top of her lungs though girded teeth.

The pain began to subside as moments wore on. Jenna looked down at her paw. It still hurt like hell to move her finger, but it looked normal again, apart from the swelling.

After a moment, Alias finally spoke. "How about we get the Hell out of here?"

Jenna nodded, head pressed to his chest. Then slowly and wearily rose to her feet.

"Can you walk?" Alias asked her, arm around Jenna's shoulder keeping her steady.

The pain and stiffness surged though her legs. Her knees almost buckled under her own weight as she tried to take her first steps, but biting her lips, Jenna forced herself to keep moving. She did not want to stay here, and any price she should have to pay would be worth it to secure the promise of escape.

Alias helped the young vixen stay on her feet, making sure she was fine to walk. Poking his head out the door, Alias checked the hallway making sure they were clear. Jenna guessed that she must be in some kind of basemen, but she had no idea where.

"Where is this?" She asked, turning to Alias.

"You're on the sublevel of the Lazarus Institute." Alias explained. "Under the parking garage."

"I'm still in Palamont?" Jenna asked confused. "Wait... I'm at a corporate high-rise, in Palamont?"

Alias nodded. "I'll explain everything later, right now, we've got to get you out of here."

Jenna stopped dead in her tracks. "What do you mean me?" She asked him. "You're coming with me, right?"

Alias looked back to her, then dropped his eyes to the floor. "I've got a contract, and I need to see it through."

"Hets," Jenna replied folding her arms, her head shaking in disapproval, "you're going after Hets tonight." She sighed in exasperation. "Why, Alias?"

"I had to!" Alias shot back hotly, becoming defensive. "It was the only way!"

"The only way for what?"

Alias started walking again.

Jenna then realized, and nodded solemnly. "It was the only way you could come back for me. Mick couldn't get you what you needed in time, so you went to someone who would want Hets killed, and you agreed." She shook her head in disbelief. "And if you go back on the contract they'll come after you..."

Alias spun around on his heels. "As much as I would love to go into the politics of my job with you, now is really not a good time!" He hissed at her. "He's had it coming, alright? He won't stop coming after me until I put a bullet though his fucking skull! I have to take a stand somewhere, Jenna! I'm sure living in your world where everything is wonderful, you couldn't even understand what living in fear is like, but that's where I am! Don't think for one second that I'm just going to sit on my tail and wait to be hunted down like an animal."

Alias nodded. "Yes, I came back for you, and yes, I did accept the hit on Hets because I knew I could extract you in the process, but that was because you don't deserve to live in my world of darkness! I will not have your blood on my paws too!" The mercenary stopped for a second and took a deep breath. "I've had to live with a lot of shit. But I don't know if I can handle you being six feet under because of me."

Jenna digested all of this, then nodded slowly.

"Alright," she replied, "you're here because of me. I'll see this one through with you."

"Are you fucking out of your mind?" Alias questioned, looking at her as if she was stupid.

"Look, we can sit here and argue a little more," Jenna shot back at him, "or you can give me one of those things." She pointed at one of his many extra pistols. Alias stared right back at her. "Yes," Jenna confirmed, "I know I'm a royal pain in the ass! I get it all the time! But if you think for one second that I'm going to leave you again, then you're about as bright as your fur color!"

They both stood there in a stalemate, facing the other. She watched as Alias's paw moved to his belt and pulled out a shiny metallic pistol from behind his trenchcoat. He then walked over to her.

"If things get crazy, you find cover, you stay down, you don't come out for anything, understand?" Alias asked her, taking her gently by the paw. Jenna nodded her consent, wrapping her fingers around the weapon. "Now, when your aiming, look straight down the barrel," Alias instructed her as he gave her a crash course lesson on shooting in a hurry, "line up your target by placing him between these bumps on the end, put your target in the middle, and-"

Jenna pulled back the slide to the pistol and raised it up level with her shoulder. Alias jumped back in shock as a round exploded from the chamber.

"Jesus! What the fuck?" He cried out in anger. Then looked in the direction of where she had shot. Stepping out of a doorway, one of Hets's guards fell backwards to the ground in a pool of his own blood; a single bullet hole through the middle of his forehead. Alias stared in disbelief at the fallen guard.

"Like that?" She asked innocently sincere.

He turned to the blue vixen. "Where the hell did that come from?" Jenna simply shrugged as she lowered her weapon. "Beginner's luck..." Alias grumbled, stepping past her.