The Mission

Ruby Phoenix lifted her head from her pillow. Her body was tired and sated, and her eyes were clouded with fatigue. There were no windows to let in the sun, but the clock on the bedside tabled indicated it was exactly 9:24 am. Ruby closed her tired eyes halfway and smiled contentedly. She squeezed Reinhold’s arm around her naked form and pulled the sheet over her goosebumped flesh.

9:25 am. Ruby brought Reinhold’s hand to her lips and gently kissed his knuckles. The last time she had seen the clock, it told her the time was 3:47 am. She had only seen it from the corner of her eye before their bodies collapsed in a heap of tired but satisfied flesh and covers.

When the clock turned 9:26, Ruby pulled Reinhold’s arm from around her midsection and gently laid it on the bed where she had lain. She raked her hands through her striking white hair and smiled at him for an extra moment before pulling on one of his starched button up shirts and a pair of her boy-shorts, then padding barefoot into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

Cecily Fay sat at the dining room table in her fuzzy bunny jammies. She couldn’t help but grin at Ruby as she rolled her eyes and fished through the drawers for a coffee filter. Despite her morning pleasantries, and the previous night’s exertions, Ruby was hardly in the mood to talk.

The only thing on her mind right now was the upcoming sacrifice.

The council had been after them for far too long. What had started with Lou’s hitman had escalated to a series of questionings and break-ins. Then, they took Andie. Beat her to a pulp. What was left? They did their digging. They searched for weeks, but it felt like years. Who was behind it? What do they want? No. They knew what they wanted.

Ruby Phoenix.

But she kept asking herself, “Why?” Who had she pissed off this much? Why would anyone want her dead? Maybe the gangs, but Outcasts had no links to Council. It didn’t make sense.

With no other leads, Ruby had formulated a plan of action. She hated sitting around and doing nothing. She hated being hunted. She hated the ambushes. She hated living in fear. She hated the fact that her friends were endangered. Why had she let them get close? Andie: already beaten. Cecily: so vulnerable by nature. Reinhold… Rein… well, Rein could take care of herself, she mused. How many times had he pulled her out of trouble, now? Far too many times to possibly keep track of.

Ruby scooped the coffee into the filter and filled the pot, then poured herself a glass of orange juice. She gazed vacantly over at the living area where Cecily was saying something to her, but she couldn’t make out the words. She felt as though she was a million miles away. She simply nodded absently to the younger woman’s words and drank her orange juice. What was she thinking about, again?

Oh, right. The plan.

Ruby thought of it in the shower, of all places. As the steaming water scourged the filth from her body, her mind often tended to race. She was struck with the thought as she was twisting the tap into the off position.

What if the council captured her?

Andie and Cecily were immediately against the idea. Rein wasn’t particularly fond of it, either, but after a night’s thought, he warmed up to it. With the four of them working together, the risk was minimal. The only problem would be giving them the impression that Ruby Phoenix, of legendary anger-fame, was unable to activate her powers should they implement a power suppression device or technique.

Rein had done a bit of digging, bless his soul. Ruby smiled down into her glass of orange juice and took a long draw from the glass. It turns out the Crey had developed a pharmaceutical for such a purpose. It was how they infiltrated their competitors with their Paragon Protectors. It was the easiest way for them to break their tights-clad soldiers out of the Zigg.

Ruby came to her senses as the coffee maker chattered its completion. She slammed the rest of her orange juice and brought 3 coffee mugs to the counter. Rein must have realized the bed was cold, for he had woken up and pulled on his daytime clothes. He walked over to the countertop, greeting Cecily on the way out, and adjusted his mask with a smile.

“Good morning, Red. How did you sleep?” He took his cup from her and added way too much sugar. Ruby wrinkled her nose and poured her own coffee, quickly adding a small amount of cream and sugar. She only winked in response to his greeting, but stepped on her tip toes to return the favour as he leaned over to kiss her good morning.

The Crey facility raid was only days away. She both anticipated and dreaded the mission she would have to carry out. She forced a smile at Rein, than turned to Cecily with a nod.

As far as she wanted them to know, today was all about friendship and coffee.