{District 7, Neon City}

[Sofia’s point of view]

Hours had passed since Emond returned from his mission from Spider. Of course he’d not given her any information on what went down. Or even where he was. Just shrugged her questions off. Instead he’d taken up gardening.

Which he did out behind the house. To her annoyance of course, they’d been pretty much mobile for the few months they had become a duo. Sitting in this house, like a good old wife was killing her.

Sundown had come and gone. Midnight was slowly approaching. Then came a knock on the front door. Of course she’d changed from this morning. A long dress she had no business wearing.

Opening the door, Alzec’s eyes met hers. Before giving her a sly smile.

“Not a word” She scolded, throwing her hands up at him.

Until she realized there was a girl at his side. Drenched from the still falling rain.

“Come in girl. Why did you bring her out here in this mess?” Sofia scolded again running to grab a towel from the laundry room.

“Spider wanted her around you…. She had a really tough time getting here. Many of the girls do” Alzec rubbed the back of his neck as he followed her into the kitchen.

“What do you mean ruff?” She questioned and tears started to waterfall down the girls face.

“They were monsters….” She sobbed into the towel.”Every single night. Each of them would lay with me… Ten of them in all…. I had too”

“Where does Spider find theses girls? She can’t be more then twelve “ Sofia rubbed the girls back, glaring at Alzec.

“Not everyone who brings people here is noble, but those men earned their fates. I’m sorry we couldn’t have gotten to you sooner”

“What can I do with my new freedom?” She questioned.

“Spider wants me to train you both…. A secret female only line of warriors…. To help protect the females in the district and ones who are being oppressed…” Alzec sat at the table as Emond rushed in through the back door.

“A new female “ Alzec and Sofia said in unison.

“Spider is going forward with the warrior daughters?” Emond shook his head.

“Sofia will lead them” Alzec waved by to the girls and headed for the door. “Be up before dawn. I’ll be here”

Six months passed. Sofia and Alzec became insuperable, she learned nearly all he knew to teach. She’d bested him on many occasions. Noel was doing well also. Eventually coming out of her shell and fighting off a love struck Emond.

Now Spider was ready to send them on their first assignment. Alzec followed the girls out into the plantation, sitting just outside the doors.

“You ready for this” Alzec chuckled a bit to himself looking at Sofia in her new outfit. Black leggings hugged to her hips, a holster for knives sitting on her right hip. A long sleeve black leather jacket hung over a brown shirt, Noel wore almost the same outfit. A short sword hung in its sheath at her left hip, Noel’s hung behind her back. Yet it was nearly the size of her own body.

“Born ready” Noel held the hilt as she stepped into the meeting room.

“Let’s do it” Sofia pushed Alzec playfully into the room.

Each of them bowed as Spider stood up. His bald head and tattoo showed as he sat down. Motioning with his hand that they follow suit.

“Some of the trackers have found a large camp at the edge of the district. Twenty to thirty men in all, more then a dozen woman.” He shook his head a bit, gazing at Noel. “It’s the company of the men who brought you here”

Noel gasped, thinking back to all she had been put through in their camp. Her grip on the sword hilt loosened a bit, till Sofia’s hand met her back.

“We will avenge her!” Emond stepped into meeting room, decked out with his large steel spear and armored shields.

“You will all be sent out in an hour or so. The veil of night will help your mission. Save as many women as you can” Spider looked at each of them, stopping his gaze at Alzec. “If Spec Sec show up. You all flee, no exceptions or excuses. They do not take fights lightly”

“Spec Sec?” Sofia whispered looking at Noel a second then over to Alzec.

“Special Sector, is the police organization run by the Neon City police to deal with the districts” Emond added in, shuffling with his wrist armor.

“They take down on sight, fighting them will result in death” Alzec added in, turning for the door.

Hours passed without anything spoken between them. Sofia sat at the top of the metal makeshift walls, protecting the entrance to Spiders territory. The ash city bellowed in the distance.

“You ready?” Alzec called out from below the Spider side of the wall. Another warrior she’d not met at his side.

“He’s my replacement?” She leapt off the wall, rolling as her feet touched the ground.

“Show off” The other warrior mumbled as he started to climb the latter.

“It’s time to get those girls” Alzec didn’t even give her show a second thought.

He was used to it by now, anytime she had a chance to show off the training. It was bound to happen. It was a testimony to how good his teaching was.

Back at the Plantation everyone was packing into one of two black SUV’s. Spider wasn’t there to lead them off but they knew he’d be there when they arrived.

A chilling night breeze swept through the ash city. They passed people begging on the streets. They had nearly reached the point of interest when an ear splitting scream rang out in the streets. Sofia was first out, swinging up onto the roof of the suv.

Turning her head back and fourth as it rang out again. A female for sure, in trouble. Sofia leapt from the roof before Alzec even had told the drive to stop. Down a side alley Sofia disappeared.

“After her Noel!” Alzec shouted, jumping out the car. Noel was faster, slipping out the window just as Sofia did.

Down the alley Sofia raced, a hand on the hilt of her sword. The alley opened up to a fenced in area. A handful of men stood up against the fence. A few stood in a pile around someone on the ground, rustling until another scream left the pile.

All the attention went to Sofia. Each of the men turned, revealing a dirty looking woman beneath the pile. She was laughing uncontrollably. Until her eyes met Sofia’s.

“What a shit day to be you” She laughed as the men pulled her to her feet.

“You were just crying for help to hurt innocents” Sofia started to pull her blade as Noel halted to a stop at her left.

“Oh, a party. Guess my invite got lost” She chuckled as Alzec sighed.

“Exactly as I thought”He huffed, pulling his black steel blade from its sheath. “You only get one warning, we are warriors of Spider.”

“Spiders men don’t come here” One of the big ugly men spat.

“Since when does he have female warriors?” She questioned, sizing up the team before her.

“We are his first try at warrior daughters. We won’t let him down” Sofia gave the woman a quick smirk.

“You know how many people say that, once they get caught up here?” Another of the men spoke.

“What they say and what we prove is another” Alzec pulled a black scroll from his pocket.

“Let them go” The woman hissed, moving away from them all entirely.

“What?” A few of her men grumbled.

“They have a declaration from Spider. We can’t afford a skirmish. Let them be” She had already started back towards a break in the fence, motioning for her men to follow.

“This is bullshit” One man huffed and Sofia sheathed her blade.

“Guess that’s it” She smiled turning back to her group.

“Figured that would happen. These other crews get rowdy sometimes.” Alzec grumbled, putting the scroll back. “Sometimes they even need pruning “

It took another half an hour through rough dirt roads along side many large steel warehouses. Many housing men and women who watched as they passed. Night was kind, but the Ash city was on high alert.

“Something doesn’t seem right” Alzec watched the rooftops of the last few warehouses bare. “We were watched this whole time. Why stop now?”

“Scouts, more likely.” Emond added in over the radio, Noel and him had joined the other car.

“I don’t like this” Alzec added in as a blast rocked both vehicles, tossing Emond’s up onto its side into a nearby warehouse.

The air hung thin, a continuous metallic screeching filled what had been silence. Alzec and the drivers had already started toward the first vehicle. Weapons drawn, a handful of rounds already silenced by the screech. Slowly she grabbed her blade, moving wobbly out into a fire fight. Bullets wizzed past, hitting the vehicle, walls, and near missing the second driver.

She stumbled around the flipped suv, Alzec was cutting a hole into the roof. No noise came from inside, the front of the truck decimated by whatever bomb had been used. Everything was a blur, Emond and Noel crawled from the wreckage as a group descend on them. Twelve people, each of them brandishing a different weapon. The two drivers had already fallen dead.

This was it. Emond struggled to his feet. Slapping his armor back onto his chest. Grabbing Noel’s spear, without a word from anyone. Standing between the group and this new threat. They had somehow gotten played.

“Spider shouldn’t let a small group move so far away from his palace” A familiar female voice hung in the air.

Behind the twelfth man, stood two woman. One from the earlier skirmish. A smile baked deep as the other laughed.

“Is that who I think it is?” The second woman stepped up closer to the men, peering in between at Noel.

“I told you it was her” The earlier woman hissed. “Her sister has just come of womb age. Thought she’d be able to get them both out” The second laughed.

Emond held the spear at the ready, Alzec at his flank. Sofia standing closer to Noel.

“Give up. We will find room for you in our ranks” The second woman stepped up to nearly a arms length ahead of Emond. “Your a big boy”

“Maybe we even make sure the girls first is small” The earlier woman laughed, standing behind the line.

“You will all fall to Spider” Alzec stood closer to Emond, shoulder to shoulder. “We are ready to die if we have to”

“How noble?” She snickered, pointing past him to the girls. “You we will kill. Those two will be beaten and used till they die”

“I could strike you down right here” Emond bellowed, slipping the spear into a more defensive position.

“Enough!” A male voice shook the two women and all the men turned.

The man walked with a cane, yet he didn’t look that old. A mask hung to his face, some sort of breathing apparatus. Yet a tattoo of a wasp hung at the center of his throat. Everyone else bowed, even the two women.

“Spiders men” One of the women whispered.

“I know” He shook his head looking at the group. “I grew up with him you know. We were pals, till one day he turns on the lot of us. Nearly killed me then”

He struggled forward standing next to the women. Taking a long stride to cough uncontrollably. Both kept to his aid but he quickly swatted their hands away.

“I want to know why your here?”

“My sister….” Noel dropped to the floor, letting it all go. Tears streamed from her eyes.

“Really??” The man questioned.

“Would you like to read the scroll?” Sofia added in, moving to grab it from Alzec. Instead of letting her take it, he pulled it to the other side. Glaring at her.

“He’s right. We are here to kill you and take your territory “ Alzec didn’t look back at the others, feeling the heat of their eyes at his back.

“That’s surely a shitty situation.” The man huffed. “I will give you one chance to live.”

The man turned to a man to his right. Whispered something and then the man ran off. Heading from where the Wasp had come.

“It’s terrible that it’s come to this. Especially after having so many years of peace. I’ve long forgiven him for his trespasses.” The man came to rest on a pile of nearby stones. “I wonder why after all these years”

“Can we kill them and be on with this” The woman from earlier spat in a whiny tone.

“Jess this is a most important moment. The Spider and the Wasp are once again on opposing sides. A long headache this will surely be” He rubbed his temples as the man returned, a small girl with long black hair at his side.

She looked hardly even twelve or thirteen, Noel gasped. Which only further seemed to add to the man’s distressed demeanor. Yet he stood up, using his cane to step all the way over in front of Emond.

“It is most honorable of you not to strike an old man down. When he is ahead of you with no weapon.” The man looked up at Emond, a grimace look on his face. “I have a feeling that you might be the one to speak too. If you face this young woman in deadly combat, I’ll will let you all leave. One of you must die.”

Emond’s face dropped a bit, but only for a second. Then he let out a breath as Sofia started forward, stopped by Alzec’s extended arm.

“No!” She shouted, Emond didn’t even turn to her. Nor did he even acknowledge her words.

“Let it be” Alzec whispered.

“I will not!” She continued to fight him, lashing out with her bare hands.

“Is that your mate… I’m sorry” Wasp spoke sincerely looking past him at a very pissed off, fist fighting Sofia.

“I’m his sister. I owe him my life”

“It’s your choice big man” Wasp turned as the man pushed the girl forward without a weapon.

“I’ll do it, but one condition”

“What could you want except not to die?” Wasp turned his head, quite puzzled. While Sofia got shoved back.

“I’ll kill you to save him” She growled, grabbing at her sword hilt.

“You pull that sword and Spider will see to it that your head rolls” Alzec didn’t even look back at her, just turned to Emond.

“Olivia!” Noel cried out, Emond turned to them at her outburst.

“I figured as much” Emond shook his head a bit. “She leaves with them”

“Just when I thought this couldn’t be interesting “ The other woman scoffed.

“One thing, you must harm her in some way” Wasp let a sly grin form on his lips.

Emond took all of his metal plated armors and set them to the floor. Not meeting Sofia’s tear filled gaze. Noel just stared in disbelief, frozen by fear.

“Keep her safe. Won’t cha” Emond gave a quick smile to Alzec slapping him on the chest playfully.

“Start” Wasp yelled to the heavens, Emond watched the guards throwing her weapons.

Yet she dropped to her knees, tossing her hair away from her neck.

“Your sisters kind of a bitch” Emond chuckled a bit, falling onto his own spear. Sofia howled out in agony as it pierced his chest.

Olivia looked up to the smiling face as the life started to drain from his eyes.

“No, why” She started.

“I saved another life” He whispered, the spear giving way as his body collapsed onto the ground. A smile on his face.

“Thank you” She whispered as the guards started to collect their weapons.

Wasp walked over to the Emond’s side. “This man didn’t deserve to die in any other way. May you always remember his sacrifice young one” Without another word he started to walk away, parting the guards.

“Your responsible for his death” Sofia shouted out, running to Emond’s side. “With his blood, I vow to kill you”

Sofia stuck her fingers onto the blood pooling on the ground. Wiping it onto the right side of her face.

“I promise he will die at my hand” She whispered, kneeling down to her brothers ear.

“You can try bitch” One of the woman spat as their convoy started to move out.

Leaving the rest of them standing with their fallen Emond. Noel kept passed the body, grabbing her sister in a tight embrace.

“He paid for her with his life” Sofia gave Noel a soft pat on her back.

“He sacrificed his life to save hers, after all I did” She sobbed, not letting go of the young girl.

“Emond will be remembered as a hero” Sofia grabbed her sword hilt, pulling it free an inch or two. “If you ever utter his name again, I’ll kill you.”

She slammed the sword closed and started to struggle moving him into the back of the only surviving suv. Noel let go of her sister to help, Alzec fell in behind her. Olivia just watched.