Jin came to an abrupt stop, bobbing in place as he rotated one way then another.
Kira stepped into the shadow of a tree, suddenly alert as she scanned the forest around them for signs of enemies.
"There you are, asshole," Jin declared, shooting off without an explanation to Kira.
She sprinted after him.
"I did not miss this part of our relationship," she grumbled to herself.
Would it kill him to give her a little warning?
A few minutes later, they left the forest behind and entered the outskirts of the city.
Kira slowed, taking in the cliff to her left, the curved building jutting out of its side, darkened windows making it difficult to know if someone was standing on the other side, watching them. To her right was an immense valley, the city she'd spotted from the air with its black streets and tall towers that seemed to devour the light nestled in it.
The sound of fighting came from up ahead, Jin arrowing straight toward it.
"Slow down," Kira hissed.
Reunited for five seconds and he was already testing her patience.
Kira jogged after him, rounding a corner to find a pulse rifle aimed at her face.
Jin headed straight toward the person holding it. "It's about fucking time, meat sack."
Raider lowered the rifle with a frown. "Jin?"
"The one and only. Were you expecting someone else?"
Raider pointed at the drone as he raised his eyebrows at Kira.
She nodded wearily. "Yeah."
Fierce satisfaction filled Raider's features. "Well done, Tin Man."
Kira regarded the bodies around him. It looked like someone had a little fun while she was busy trying to locate his position. "Taking your anger out on the enemy, I see."
Raider kicked away the Tsavitee reaching for his leg, drawing a knife from the sheath at his spine and embedding it in the Tsavitee's heart. "Just giving them a taste. Why? How many did you kill?"
"Zero. I killed zero."
Because she was more focused on stealth in order not to draw undue attention. Unlike a certain someone.
"To each their own, I guess." Raider wiped the blade on his leg before sticking it back in its sheath. "What about the others? Did you see where they landed?"
"No. You?"
Raider jutted his chin toward the south west. "Finn and Talon landed somewhere around there." He pointed to the north. "Graydon and the rest were in that direction."
She'd suspected they'd wind up pretty far apart, but Raider's words confirmed it.
Getting separated wasn't rare for the Curs. It had happened on many other missions. Although never ideal, she and Raider were trained to operate alone when things like this happened.
"What's the plan?" Raider checked the status of his weapons. "Are we rendezvousing with the others?"
"We don't have the luxury of time. Jin says Elena's situation is critical."
"How critical?"
"The kind where every second counts,” Jin answered, heading toward the cliff and away from the heart of the city.
"What does that mean?" Raider demanded, following. "Isn't your spawn with her?"
Kira brought up the rear, sending one last uneasy glance at the curved structure with its reflective windows.
"No," Jin answered, his voice grim.
Raider sucked in a breath, increasing his pace until he was beside the drone. "You were supposed to stay with her!"
He shoved Jin. Surprisingly, Jin let him.
"Raider," Kira warned.
His eyes were wild as he swung toward her. "He was supposed to protect her!"
"He did his best," Kira said.
Whatever else happened, she was sure of that much. Jin would never have willingly placed that little girl in danger.
At her rebuke, Raider turned away from them, scrubbing his hands over his face.
Kira relaxed a little, satisfied that he wasn't going to vent any further emotions on Jin.
"What happened?" Raider asked when he'd gotten control of himself. "Why weren't you with her?"
They started walking again as Jin led the way through some trees and around strange looking plants to the base of the cliff.
"I was with her. At least part of me was."
Kira held her silence, for once not upset at Jin’s tendency of replicating his spawn. He could have created an army and she would have been okay with that.
"Was?" Raider asked, latching onto the important part of that statement.
"There's something about the room she's in. I don't know what it was, but it severed my connection. Every spawn I've attempted to send in has met with a similar fate."