Of Cages and Misery

[Cat]

Chapter 3: A Start-Off on a Bad Foot

Kyle 'Outcast' Cross, Aurora Moreau, and the intruders
The apartment of Remy Moreau on Boulogne

Kyle had just finished putting on his clothes and walked out of the bathroom, turning the lights off, when he heard some strange commotion at the entry door. A gut feeling told him that it was no coincidence, considering that Boulogne was a Gallic Brigand station, and the owner of the apartment had disappeared. That's why Kyle instinctively stepped backwards, farther into the corridor, and eventually his back ended up against another closed door. As the laser shot pierced the lock on the apartment's entry door, Kyle quickly slipped into the dark room and closed the door behind him silently. It was apparently a bedroom of some sorts, but it was too dark to distinguish what was inside.

For a painfully long while things were silent, until Kyle heard steps in the corridor and a female voice shouting something about the intruders not being alone (Kyle assumed that anyone but Kiara was an intruder). The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Kyle couldn't put it and didn't give it much thought. He remained focused on survival, until he heard yelling from the living room: "Leave me alone! I won't let you take me again!" It was Kiara, and she clearly knew those people. They just had to be Brigands.

Right, Kyle, think. You are unarmed. At least two armed guys took Kiara. They don't expect her Sirian boyfriend. To prove that theory Kyle had to take a risk and open the door, which he did. Lucky for him, the corridor was indeed empty. Goal: save Kiara. Need a gun for that. Separate those thugs first.

Kyle turned on the lights in the bedroom, closing the door behind him as he snuck into the corridor. There was the bathroom to the left of Kyle, another closed door to the right, and farther ahead on the right there was a passage to the living room, where all the action was going, apparently. Out of any other ideas, Kyle opened the door to the right of him, sneaking into another dark room. He then slammed the door shut and silently opened it again, hiding behind it and looking through the glimpse between the door and the corridor at whomever who'd try to check out what's going on. He then heard a woman shout "Show yourself!" in the corridor. The voice may have sounded familiar, but Kyle was in the middle of trying to hide his presence and figure out what to do, so he didn't pay attention to it. Please check out the light in the bedroom first.

Not long afterwards he saw a woman with her gun at the ready, walkng slowly down the corridor. Yes, keep going, nothing to see here, just two... more... steps. Kyle searched his pockets until he found his Cardamine inhaler with a metallic canister. He then proceeded to sneak behind the woman, and as she opened the door, Kyle made his move, placing the metallic canister against the back of the woman's neck, whispering: "Stand still. Not a single shout, or you're dead. Hands in the air, I'll be taking that gun of yours."

The woman complied, exhaling loudly, and remained silent. But then Kyle heard a laser shot in the living room. ****, no time The woman seemingly ignored it, but whispered back in a trembling voice, as her arms went up: "Let's not jump the gun... Want my gun? Pick it up."

**** that *****! Even Kyle's reflexes enhanced by Cardamine didn't allow him to catch the falling gun. With a silent curse escaping his mouth, Kyle did the only logical thing: he hit the woman on the back of her neck with a sharp of his hand, hoping that the hit would knock her out, at least for a while.

As the intruder collapsed on the floor, Kyle quickly leaned down to grab her gun from the floor, immediately turning around and aiming down the corridor where she had come from. Great, a slugthrower. Only one clip. Nobody followed, so Kyle hastily retreated back into the bedroom, taking cover behind a nearby wall. He then heard a shout: "Elena? Everything alright?" Too slow, I'm safe already. Try me now, *******!

Normally Kyle would've taken his time and wouldn't have announced his position, but he couldn't wait and let those thugs do something to Kiara in the meantime. Cursing at himself for the act of stupidity he was about to perform, Kyle shouted: "Hey, want to check up on your friend yet? Then come out in the corridor, and don't try anything funny!"