Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    Everything hurt, to put it simply. Laying there without movement and a pool of blood beneath him, the Savior laid. He took a moment to process what had just happened. At the last second- when everything seemed to finally be over- when it seemed like he could finally rest - Wimbleton had other plans and decided to blast him off of the highest floor in the Science Tower- using one of the weapons that he had supplied him and the others with to take down Project Gestalt when it was flying.

    How.. annoying. And quite ironic. Being shot down by the same weapon you gave your used-to-be-but-now-current-enemy to take down another. He wished that he decided to not give the others that type of weaponry. He knew it was a bad idea previously- but in the heat of the moment, he decided it was the best idea. Any other weapon would’ve prolonged the battle even more than it needed to be. 

    Before he could finish his thought- a new one came by. He felt strangely weakened and exhausted- two feelings that had long been dead or not as prominent due to the power of the halo that used to shine over his head. He looked up- realizing it was gone. He had no idea how he survived the fall from the Science Tower and came out mostly unscathed. He did not know where the blood came from, considering his back seemed perfectly fine- but he decided to shrug off that detail and focus on the bigger issue at hand.

    His halo must’ve not fallen from the Science Tower- as he can sense it’s familiar energy even from such a distance. It was still up there. He didn’t know if someone had it in their possession- and he hoped no one did, because if Wimbleton had decided to betray him at the last second, who’s to say he didn’t do the same to his fellow allies? Then a second thought hit him, attached to his current.

    His allies could not kill him on their own. At least- that’s what he thought. They did not show off their talents that much. All he knew is that the one that reeked of smoke- Deimos- was a hacker, and the more muscular one that tended to carry around a hook that resembled a larger version of a fish hook- Sanford- was a demolitions expert. However, while Sanford showed off that his strength was almost reminiscent of Hank’s, Deimos’s strength was not like the others. He often relied on long-ranged weaponry and found it slightly difficult to keep up in hand to hand. So- if Hank were smart, he could easily engage in hand to hand combat with Deimos, keep Sanford away and at bay with a gun, and easily take down the two if he thought out his moves. 

    But Hank wasn’t one who thought a lot about his movement. He usually did things based on instinct. He had zero care for the ones around him, aside from having the ever-so-slight care for Doc, considering Doc had sown him back together and pulled him out of Purgatory so many damn times by now. Regardless, those two most likely have a chance if Hank is currently not in the most intelligent mindset. 

    That thought was more.. comforting than the first. But now was not the time to focus on the past actions, now was the time to ponder his next action. With a huff, the Savior sat up and looked around, hearing the familiar sound of footsteps approaching him. He recognized the footsteps all too well. They were slow but had underlying timidness to them alongside concern. What a strange skill to have- the ability to know exactly whose footsteps are whose. 

          “So... no dice?”

    There was that familiar voice. That southern accent, that tone, that everything. Christoff looked towards the other- who wore his typical attire. His cowboy hat, his jacket, his bulletproof vest, his spurred boots. Christoff quickly analyzed him, being all too used to his familiar appearance. He looked away, looking around once more as a sense of deja vu began to fill his very soul. He felt a headache starting to come on, moving his hand up to grip his head for a moment. He took a moment to gather his strength and quickly got up, jumping up to do so. He got straight to the point,

          “WE NEED TO ASSEMBLE EVERYONE- ANYONE YOU HAVE LEFT AT YOUR DISPOSAL.”

    Christoff looked ahead, seeing the Science Tower quite a.. distance away. He paused, wondering how he managed to get so far away from the Science Tower. It didn’t make much sense but- he didn’t have time to care about those details right now. He continued,

          “WE MUST TAKE BACK THE TOWER, PROTECT THE PROJECT FROM HANK AND HIS COHORTS. WE’RE OUT OF TIME- IT MUST BE NOW! ”

    Christoff opened his mouth, about to say something else. He looked around and paused. He felt something.. moving within the earth. Underneath the ground. His eyes followed the energy, feeling it pass him. He stared off in the distance. Sheriff quirked his eyebrow, looking at Christoff was a tinge of concern,

          “Uhh, Christoff, what’s- you alright?”

    His lips thinned into a line as he realized exactly whose energy that was. He tilted his head downwards ever so slightly, gritting his teeth- which was not visible due to his closed lips. With a deep inhale, he spoke- his voice slightly muttered,

          “IMPOSSIBLE..”

    In the area that Christoff was staring at, a strange, stringy black substance started to arise from the ground. As if it were a phoenix rising from the ashes. Within the strange substance, 4 pairs of eyes could be seen- all with distinct colors to them. First, the pink ones were visible, then the white ones, then the blue ones, and finally- 

    The red ones.

          “NO, SHERIFF, I AM AFRAID WE ARE NOT OKAY.”

    Christoff clenched one of his hands at his sides, curling it into a fist as he scowled at the forming figures. Sheriff looked at Christoff for a moment, before looking back at the beings forming. He shuffled slightly towards Christoff, his hand moving to grip his revolver which was safely within his holster. Christoff noticed Sheriff’s movement and moved his other hand at his side, signaling Sheriff to stand down. He didn’t want to get on their bad sides.

          “THE EMPLOYERS..”

    The black substance formed The Employers. One of them was a familiar face. The Auditor, however- the others were complete strangers or almost complete strangers to both Christoff and Sheriff. The Auditor stood tall, his back straight, the others stood in their own unique ways. The white eyed one stood behind the group, their eyes curious and not squinting like the rest. The pink eyed one stood at the Auditor’s left, Christoff’s right, something about their stance conveying a sense of cockiness and sassiness. The blue eyed one stood at the opposite side, their arms crossed and their stance holding one of confidence and annoyance. 

          “.. THEY HAVE COME.”

    Sheriff gulped upon seeing the 4 beings in front of him. He broke a sweat and looked at Christoff, fear riddled in his eyes. He didn’t like this situation at all. He didn’t like that Auditor was there- he didn’t like that there was more of him to begin with. Sheriff’s hand itched towards his revolver again.

          { “Stand down, mortal.” }

    Sheriff’s eyes widened as he looked at the pink eyed one. He moved his hand away quickly, realizing that they were looking at him. The sassy one looked away from Sheriff and looked at Christoff as he spoke,

          “YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN NEVADA. STATE YOUR BUSINESS AND GO.”

    Christoff’s clenched hand tightened and shook ever so slightly. He eyed them all behind his glasses, watching their every movement. The Employers merely stood there, not taking a step towards him just yet. Secretly, Christoff was uncomfortable with the situation in front of him. He wanted to yell so badly at Sheriff for his inconsiderate gestures and actions in front of The Employers- as he didn’t want to be thrown into a situation where his life could be at stake. Not again. Sheriff seemed to get the memo though, staying silent and a distance away from Christoff and the rest.

          [ “The self proclaimed “ Savior of Nevada” . We don’t have time or the patience for your ego. ” ]

    The blue eyed one now spoke, gesturing their hand towards Christoff out of frustration and eagerness to get a move on from their position. They did not understand the importance of speaking to a man with such inconsideration to the ones in front of him. Especially with his friend around who is acting even worse.

    The sassy one spoke once more,

          { “Know your place, worm, and be silent for once.” }

    Christoff couldn’t help but feel a pang of annoyance for the pink eyed one. It was obvious that they were trying to get under his skin, considering the “nickname” they decided to call him. He turned his attention towards the Auditor for a moment, thinking that he was going to say something. He usually was reasonable, after all.

    That was until the white-eyed one moved their hand slightly and began to speak,

          || “You have earned your rest, doctor. Don’t you see that your part in this drama has reached an end?” ||

    He paused at that, looking at the white-eyed one. Their tone was neutral but had care laced within it. Christoff eyed them carefully, not trusting the tone. He has met too many people who showed a strange sense of care- causing him to trust them- before his trust was exploited. He analyzed what they had said before coming to a conclusion- realizing how strange and badly worded that statement was due to the situation at hand,

          “ABSURD! AS WE SPEAK, HANK THREATENS TO MERGE NEVADA WITH THE OTHER PLACE! IF YOU HAVE THE LITTLEST BIT OF LOYALTY TO THIS WORLD, YOU WILL STOP HIM AT ONCE!”

    He won’t be falling for any derails of the conversation. Didn’t The Employers know how serious everything was by now? Why were they not going to deal with Hank? Why were they talking with him instead?! His mind was plagued with thoughts full of second guesses and lack of trust for the others. Sheriff looked at Christoff slightly, noting how his stance had become more full of emotion. This wasn’t good.

          [ “Hank Wimbleton will be dealt with. Neither he nor Nevada are your concern any longer.” ]

    The blue eyed one spoke once again, their stance shifting into one more formal and contained. They stared down Christoff, disappointment and disregardance of Christoff’s emotions prominent in their stare. They did not care for Christoff. Not like the Auditor or Deliberator did. They were not like their presumed siblings.

    The blue eyed looked towards the pink eyed one. Their posture was still full of sassiness, but their cockiness was placed with impatience. 

          { “Nor is it your concern to meddle in affairs far above your primitive understanding. Something you already have done far, far too much of.” }

    Their tone was demeaning, taunting. They were very obviously annoyed by how much Christoff got involved with Project Nexus and the entirety of Nexus City. For a moment, the temptation to simply terminate Christoff flooded their mind- but they recalled the plan that the Auditor and Deliberator had, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

    Christoff was full of confusion, however. He did not understand the point of The Employers being there. He did not understand why they were all interacting with him. Typically, he would run into the Auditor every now and then and speak with him- considering the two had quite the.. strange relationship with one another. The concept of the Auditor and his lackeys being alongside him was interesting to him but slightly terrifying. He did his best to keep his composure, however, not wanting to expose his weaknesses to the four of them. He did verbalize his confusion, though,

          “I DON’T- THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE? WHY HAVE YOU COME?”

    He looked among the four with confusion splattered across his face. You could tell he was confused even with his shades on.

    The pink eyed one put their hands behind their back, puffing up their chest ever so slightly. They had that cocky sort of stare to them again. A quiet chuckle came from them as they spoke again,

          { “Project Nexus is of no more use to us. Its purpose has been served. Consider its charter.. revoked.” }

    Christoff opened his mouth slightly, about to ask something else before the white-eyed expanded upon what the pink-eyed one said,

          || “The next threat to this realm approaches. Rapidly. The time has come to draft a new charter.” ||

    Christoff was hoping that they were not alluding to what he thought they were alluding towards. He clenched his teeth, chewing on the inside of his lip slightly. He was starting to lose his composure. He was really doing his best to keep it together- but everything was too confusing. Too hard to comprehend in the current moment.

          “CEASE YOUR MEANDERING AND TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT.”

    He swiped his hands in front of him, expressing his emotion freely and without constraint. Sheriff nervously looked at him, knowing that he was about to lose it. The both of them hoped that this interaction would end soon. 

    A step was taken forwards, 

        “We have a project for you, Jebediah Christoff.”

    A red glow coming from above, black flames wisped into the air. He puffed his chest out slightly, raising his hand towards Christoff and pointing at him, staggering his feet and further adding emotion and intensity to his stance. His eyes were silted- ever so full of judgement and analysis. His point was ever so powerful, ever so full of emotion. 

          “And when the time comes, you will fall in line.”

    The Auditor spoke, not wanting to waste his time any longer with this pointless, seemingly endless conversation. The white-eyed one behind him had a sudden spark come off of him before a bright light followed with a loud boom filled the area, the last words from the Auditor being,

        “DO NOT FAIL US.”

    Christoff instinctively blocked his eyes with his hand, Sheriff doing the same. He looked back after the light faded away and stared hard. He unclenched his hands and looked back at Sheriff.

          “So.. now what?”

    He didn’t have an answer.

Chapter Text

    But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do anything.

    Christoff rushed down the sidewalk, having his broken Binary Sword sheathed on his back. He didn’t bother to look back to see if Sheriff was following him, he could hear the spurs of his boots clinking behind him. His focus was on getting to the Science Tower as quickly as possible, no matter his current condition. If the Employers had something planned for him, he needed to be prepared. To be prepared, he needed his halo back as soon as possible. 

    Despite there being a gateway that led to the Commercial District a couple of feet away from where Christoff initially landed, Sheriff advised against going through that gate, as there would most likely be a lot of Nexus Core agents waiting on the other end. This meant that they would have to go to the other gateway that led into the “Downtown District”. From there- they got easy access to the Commercial District. 

    Sheriff trailed behind him, occasionally letting out a huff. He needed to jog after Christoff to keep up with him, considering how fast the man was going and how quickly he took off. He adjusted his hat and quickly spoke up, 

          “Yer goin’ a bit quick there, pardner, dontcha think?”

    Christoff slowed down slightly so that Sheriff could catch up with him. He looked over his shoulder, his expression hidden behind his glasses. However, he was feeling extremely exhausted and irritated. Things just seem to keep on piling onto him. He can’t catch a break.

          “We must post haste. We need to return to the Science Tower and obtain the halo immediately.”

    Christoff’s voice was more toned down than it was previously during the interaction with the Employers.

    Sheriff sighed, managing to finally keep up with Christoff, nodding to him slightly as a thanks for slowing down. The southerner locked eyes with the savior, the two staring at each other for a moment before Sheriff broke the silence,

          “Look, ah know ya gotta get back to the Science Tower ASAP, but it’ll take us at least 2 days to get there. Ya know we have ta loop around to the damn Downtown District in order ta get any sorta access to tha Commercial District. We can’t jus’ go straight there from ‘ere. Besides, with them goons walkin’ about, ah’m sure it’ll be hard fer us ta even get into the Science Tower.”

    Christoff looked away from Sheriff, continuing to walk down the sidewalk regardless of what he said. He was heading towards the Downtown District anyways. A frown came from him, as being told of how long it would most likely take to get to the Science Tower caused more stress for him. By the time they would even get up there- it would be likely that his halo would’ve been taken. How could the Employers expect him to do anything without it? They knew he lacked it, and it seemed like they showed no intention of giving back that artifact to him. 

    He picked up the pace again, ignoring the calls from Sheriff. He needed to get there quicker, more efficiently. All effective methods of getting there were thwarted by the three aforementioned men, considering they had to trek all the way to the Science Tower with Project Gestalt chasing them. Gestalt always brought chaos with it no matter where it went. Those methods of transportation were most likely long destroyed or impossible to take by now.

    The Transit Station was not an option. Going on foot was not plausible- as not only would it be exhausting- but a lot of the agents from both the AAHW and Nexus Core were still lurking, and, in spite of the Auditor being in control of the AAHW- they were still hunting him down. He grit his teeth, clenching his hands once more, as the chance of getting to the Science Tower in less than 2 days was becoming more and more impossible the more he thought about it. 

    The clink from Sheriff’s boots became rapid, causing Christoff to pause and look back at him. He was suddenly tackled to the ground by Sheriff- which made him slam his back into the sidewalk, hard. He grunted and looked up at Sheriff- about to yell at him when Sheriff put a finger over his mouth and signaled for him to quiet down.

    Christoff huffed and looked around, seeing a drone flying around. The same drones from the Nexus Core. He cursed, standing up and quickly grabbing Sheriff, dragging him to an alleyway and hiding within the shadows. He eyed the drone carefully. Sheriff, in the meantime, was holding his breath and trying to stay as quiet as possible. He was not a fan of the Nexus- and being spotted by one of those drones was like a death sentence. MERC and Nexus didn’t have the best ally-ship anymore. They were more like frenemies. 

    After what felt like hours, the drone finally left the area and flew off to report back to its superior, presumably. Sheriff let out a loud huff and Christoff sighed. 

          “Sorry ‘bout tacklin’ ya to tha ground. I couldn’t exactly yell at ya ta hide, considerin’ that drone can hear all types of audio-”

          “You are forgiven, Sheriff.”

    Sheriff only huffed in response. He trailed behind Christoff once more as he began to fast-walk down it once more. He eyed Christoff, looking at his posture, how he walked, and looking over how he acted previously.

    Christoff was tired, and Sheriff didn’t know how to tell him to take a break. He looked off to the side, flicking out a cigar and lighting it with his lighter, shielding the flame as he lit it. He slowed down in order to do so, considering the movement was making it hard to properly light it. He stopped walking for a moment and watched Christoff. 

    He was walking as if he were in pain. Not physical. Psychological. Sheriff knew that type of walking all too well, having been one who practically mastered it at one point. A puff of smoke escaped his lips while he stuffed his lighter into his pocket. 

    Christoff was dealing with too much. 

    And he didn’t know how to help. 

    He took a moment to himself, thinking and standing there. It didn’t seem like Christoff noticed that he was no longer following him. He was too focused on other manners. Sheriff frowned, knowing that Christoff gained back that habit where he lacked notice of certain things. He was distracted- he was preoccupied- he was so many things.

    More smoke exited his mouth. He looked back towards the area they just came from- but paused when he noticed a familiar street corner. The same one where he first met up with Christoff to discuss the original plans to take down Nexus. To take down Phobos. They were successful- but he managed to come back and now everything is-

    There’s too much going on at once.

    Sheriff then realized something. Christoff was taking all of the responsibility. 

    Christoff was stressing himself out by taking charge on his own and taking care of all of the problems. From taking care of Project Nexus for good- to taking care of what The Employers wanted from him- to deciding to most likely take care of the civilians of Nexus later on. His eyes widened. 

    He thought he couldn’t get help from anyone else because nobody else understood. That’s why he was acting so.. strange and reserved about the entire situation. Because everything was confusing. Because everything would be too much for Sheriff- at least that’s what he most likely thought. 

    And just as suddenly as that thought entered his brain, his body decided to move on its own. He sprinted after Christoff with full intention to tackle him to the ground again if he didn't slow down. Christoff turned towards Sheriff once again upon hearing him approaching and stopped walking. Sheriff yelled,

          “Why are ya takin’ all of tha responsibility?! Fer god sakes- yer gonna just burn yourself out doin’ that!”

    Christoff paused, confusion swept onto his face. Sheriff huffed a couple of times and stopped running, being about 4 feet away from Christoff. Sheriff was out of breath and Christoff was trying to make sense of what Sheriff just said.

          “What are you talking about, Sheriff?”

         “Yer doin’ that thing where you take care of everythin’ on yer own! Y’know, when we took down Phobos the first time? You took care of everythin’ on yer own for the most part- aside from tha “taking care of the city” part- but the point is- yer doin’ it again! But this time it’s just- it’s worse. Huff. Hold on- lemme get myself together-”

    Sheriff started to gather himself, getting his breath under control. Christoff stood there, adjusting his shades in the meantime and still trying to make sense of what Sheriff was trying to say.

    A moment passed and Sheriff spoke once more,

         “Dontcha remember a while back, when we were takin’ down Nexus fer the first time. You took the charge. Ya got me and Hofnarr together and told us about the plan you had made a while back. Then things sorta.. went south.. when Phobos found out about your “lack of loyalty” or whatever.”

         “Look! Point is- yer doin’ it again. Yer stressin’ yourself out by lookin’ at all of tha little details and trying ta come up with an even more complicated plan than the one ya made before!”

         “That isn’t your concern-”

    Before Christoff could finish his sentence, Sheriff interrupted him,

         “You know DAMN WELL that that is mah concern!”

    The two stood there, staring at one another. Sheriff tilted his head down slightly, adjusting his hat before deciding to just take it off. He held his cowboy hat in both of his hands and looked up at Christoff.

         “Jebediah. Ya know that it’s mah concern. We’ve been together for, god, how long? Years now. Ya always cared ‘bout me. Ain’t it mah turn, now? You’ve been hoggin’ it.”

    Jebediah looked off to the side, his shoulders tense, his hands clenched. 

         “None of it is yer fault, Jebbie-”

         “How can you be so sure.”

    Sheriff was taken aback slightly. He looked at Christoff, his eyes filled with concern and turmoil.

         “Whaddya-”

         “HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE.”

   Sheriff’s eyes widened as he took a careful step back, watching as Christoff took a step forward. His voice was laced with venom and anger. His hands were opened up at his sides, though his fingers were curled in and his hands were tense will rage. His stance was slightly slouched- and his glasses- god, his glasses-

   They were so slightly tilted down, just barely showing his dull red eyes behind them. 

         “YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS NOT MY FAULT. I HAVE CAUSED THE END AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA. I HAVE DEALT WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF REBELLING AGAINST PHOBOS. WHILE THE OUTCOME WAS INTENDED- THE AFTERMATH WAS NOTHING BUT KISMET AND TORMENT.”

          “YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS NOT MY FAULT.”

   Christoff yelled, his voice shaking. He pointed at Sheriff and continued on,

          “YOU WEREN’T THERE. YOU WEREN’T THERE TO SEE THE AFTERMATH FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.”

   Sheriff suddenly took a couple of steps forward, letting go of his hat after having almost ripped it to shreds. He looked at Christoff, his stare piercing into his very soul.

          “JUS’ BECAUSE AH WASN’T THERE DON’T MEAN AH DIDN’T FEEL LIKE SHIT TOO! I GET IT. YER STILL CLINGING ONTO THE PAST. BUT FOR GOD SAKES- YOU HAVE TO LET GO.”

    Sheriff took a moment to collect himself, calming himself down.

          “What happened was a tragedy. WE can agree on that, but yer clinging onto that tragedy too fuckin’ much. It’s wearing ya down.”

    He looked down, huffing. He rubbed a hand through his hair, flicking away any strands in his face. He looked up at the sky- watching it for a moment. 

          “Hofnarr’s death wasn’t yer faul-”

          “DO NOT, DAMIEN.”

          “You’re overstepping boundaries, Christoff. ”

    Christoff paused. He looked at Sheriff, rage prominent in his expression- until it faltered and his face sunk into a neutral and somewhat terrified looking expression. Sheriff was staring him down- with a stare that he had always feared. A stare that showed Sheriff was serious. One that showed that Christoff made yet another mistake. 

    Sheriff leaned down and grabbed his hat, picking it up from off of the ground. He patted off some of the dirt and set it back on his head, covering up his man bun. 

          “You blame yerself for so much shit. Shit ya couldn’t prevent. You wanted ta save tha world, so ya went and started ta do so. Ya trusted me with keeping an eye on Hof, and ah did! But even you couldn’t stop what was goin’ ta happen. You told me that you couldn’t in the past, remember? The Improb drive in his head had already activated and.. Well..”

          “We couldn’t do anything.”

          “That’s right! We couldn’t do anythin’ ‘bout it. Point is, Jebediah, there ain’t no reason for ya to be blamin’ yourself for all of this.. Ergh.. whatever. These problems, these things you and ah can’t solve.”

    Sheriff started to walk up to Christoff, closing the distance between the two. He fiddled with his hat at the same time.

          “So fer Christ sake. Stop blamin’ yerself. Ah thought we got over that problem years ago. Seems like ya got that habit back.”

          “Sheriff-”

          “Nuh-uh. It’s mah turn ta talk.”

    Christoff looked down. Sheriff stepped up to him and set a careful and comforting hand on his shoulder, causing Christoff to look at his hand.

    He felt a hand being placed onto his cheek. He looked at it, confirming that it was Sheriff’s. His eyes raced back up to Sheriff. His glasses hid his eyes for the most part, but Sheriff could still see them. They were full of a dying rage and a rising sorrow. Sheriff took the initiative, 

          “This ain’t yer fault- an’ it never will be.”

    Sheriff leaned in ever so slightly, Christoff allowed him to get closer. 

    But of course, everything just had to go to shit at that very moment. 

    A loud siren could be heard echoing out behind Sheriff, causing the two to look over in a panic. There, a drone was flying. The alarm was sending out a signal to the rest of the Nexus Core about the presence of Christoff.

   Sheriff was the first to spring into action, grabbing Christoff’s hand and running down the street and looking for an area to hide. Christoff did his best to keep up with Sheriff, stumbling at first- but he got his footing together after a quick recovery. He looked back at the drone, noticing that it was following them. He cursed under his breath and looked back at Sheriff, noticing that they were running down to another alleyway. Quickly, the duo hid within another alleyway once more. Christoff heard the sounds of helicopters flying ahead and saw some spotlights shining down on the abandoned streets. He looked at Sheriff, knowing that the two would be spotted soon if they didn’t move. 

   It was his turn to act. He grabbed Sheriff’s wrist and dragged him along, rushing down the alleyway and cutting into another one. He spotted an exit to the alleyway and ran towards it, seeing some abandoned buildings across the street. He skid to a stop upon seeing a spotlight gliding across the streets. He turned on his heel and ran back down the alleyway- still dragging Sheriff behind him. 

          “Jebediah- slow down! Ah got a way outta this!”

    Christoff looked back at Sheriff. He carefully let go of his wrist and let Sheriff lead the way, watching as he ran ahead, soon following him after looking around and making sure that there weren’t any Nexus agents around. They both turned down another alleyway, then another, until they came to the end of an alleyway. Sheriff peaked out, making sure that there were no Nexus Core agents nearby. He signaled Christoff to follow him, quickly rushing out and taking a right. He peaked around another building and signaled Christoff to pause. He then ran across the street, Christoff following close by. They came up to the gateway that led into the Downtown District. 

    Quickly, the gateway opened up. Sheriff ushered Christoff through it and looked back at the Abandoned Sector, watching as a spotlight got closer and closer to them. He ran behind Christoff and took the lead once more, Christoff needing to slow down yet again for him to catch up. The two were out of breath and exhausted but- they weren’t out of this ordeal just yet. 

          “We gotta lay low somewhere fer a bit, I don’t know how long but- at least long enough ‘til these damn agents are gone. C’mon! I know where ta go.”

    Christoff nodded in response, following Sheriff once more as they broke away from the streets and started to run along the walls that split off the Downtown District from the other sectors. Looking back, he saw some Nexus Core agents pulling into the streets. Before the agents spotted the two, Sheriff pulled Christoff behind a building. The two hid there for a moment, the sounds of helicopters flying overhead began to fade off as the footsteps coming from the Nexus Core agents became distant. 

    Collectively, the two huffed out a sigh. They looked at one another.

          “C’mon, ah got a place we can stay at. Jus’.. don’t say anythin’ weird, alright?”

          “What do you mean by that?”

          “You’ll see.”

    Before Christoff could question him further, he was dragged away by Sheriff once again. They walked down another alleyway, approaching a darker area that didn’t give off the best feeling. Christoff couldn’t help but feel a tinge of nervousness as they approached a backdoor. Sheriff cleared his throat and knocked on the door in a strange way, pausing for 2 seconds after the first knock, then 5, and then 7. He waited, standing with his shoulders square. Christoff stood slightly behind him. Sheriff rolled his eyes after a minute of waiting and spoke up,

          “Ah don’t care if yer suckin’ dick in there, Deputy. Open the damn door.”

    Another moment passed. A click came from the door, the sound of a lock being unlocked. The door slid up and a man stood there. He was taller than Sheriff, sporting a long brimmed hat, purple lensed glasses, a black, long jacket, and combat boots. His eyes couldn’t be seen well behind his glasses due to the lighting. It was clear that he was looking at the two- and staring at Christoff for a moment. With a scoff, he stepped aside and allowed the two inside. Sheriff looked back at Christoff with a look that assured him that the area was safe. Christoff didn’t feel any better, but he decided to trust Sheriff. 

    Upon entering the building, Christoff immediately looked around. The only light that was coming into the building was from the boarded up windows- which wasn’t much, but it was at least enough to somewhat see where he was going. He immediately looked at the one who most likely owned the place. Deputy, was it? Quite a strange name but- well, he couldn’t say much. 

         “I give less of a damn about why you’re ‘ere, tell me how ya managed to get Nexus ta flood the streets.”

    Sheriff offered a nervous chuckle. Christoff quickly came to the conclusion that these two had.. a possible friendship. It was a bit too early to come up with a conclusion like that, however.

          “Ah’m sure ya know by now that ah don’t have tha best reputation with those bastards, heh-”

    Deputy approached Sheriff, pulling out a lighter and igniting it. He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He leaned down slightly, the flame from the lighter providing enough light to make it easier for them to see the expression on his face. He didn’t look impressed.

         “I don’t care about your reputation. Ah have folks here who ain’t big fans of ‘em. Get to the point before I kick your ass out of my house.”

    Sheriff gulped,

          “Look, Lock, buddy- we ain’t lookin’ for any trouble with ya right now. Ah thought we were on good terms-”

    Deputy’s eyes became slitted. He grabbed Sheriff by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. Christoff reacted by pulling out his broken Binary Sword, keeping it at his side, but showing that he was not afraid to start a fight. Deputy seemed to show a sense of respect for such. He let go of Sheriff and stood up at his full height, being 6’2. Sheriff stumbled back, sweating. Christoff sheathed his sword. 

         “Yer causin’ a lotta problems for my people. Give me an explanation. Now. ”

          “A-alright, alright. Look. Ah’m sure ya know ‘bout Christoff by now, I told ya ‘bout him. Uh- we- er, he- I think he took down Nexus for good. The project at least. Phobos is gone fer good. You already know that by now, I’d assume, since ya told me where he was. Regardless, the Nexus Core is still around- an’ they were lookin’ fer us. We couldn’t go to tha Commercial District from where we were since those idiots were most likely waitin’ for us on tha other side of the damn door. So, since we didn’t have any options left, we went to ‘ere instead. Nexus spotted us before we got here and we.. accidentally led ‘em here.”

    Deputy furrowed his brow, taking in Sheriff's explanation. He already knew about the first half of it. He lit his cigarette in the meantime and blew out some smoke, articulating a response at the same time.

         “And I’m assumin’ you need a place to stay. You’re lucky I’m preoccupied with other manners.”

     Sheriff let out a heavy sigh in response. Deputy cleared his throat and continued, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and letting it burn in his hand.

         “Here’s the deal. You take care of the Nexus Core ‘ere and ya get to come out of this District with your head still on your shoulders. The two of ya are allowed to stay in my house- under the conditions that you don’t eat my damn food or drink any of my beverages. Get yer own. You aren’t allowed in my room under any circumstances. Stay in the living room. Marc ‘ill come ‘ere sometime to drop off some papers while I’m out.”

          “Where’ll you be goin’?”

         “That ain’t your damn business. Just do what I told ya to do. Clean up your fuckin’ mess. If ya don’t mind, I need to go. I trust that your friend won’t pull any stunts with my boys. If he lays a finger on ‘em, don’t complain when he’s missin’ his entire hand.”

         “Now, get outta my way."

    Sheriff quickly moved aside. Deputy walked past him and looked at Christoff for a moment, tilting his hat at him. He opened the backdoor and closed it behind him, the sounds of it locking being heard. 

    A loud heave came from Sheriff. Christoff looked at him questionably, wanting some answers on who the person they just interacted with was. Sheriff took notice and scratched the back of his head. 

          “Don’t be mad- but he’s a good person.”

          “I’m not mad. I’m just questioning your allies.”

    Christoff walked forwards and took in the area. There was a kitchen on their right and the door to a room on their left. He assumed it was Deputy- or was it Lock? He’ll go with Deputy. He assumed it was Deputy’s room. He walked ahead and looked around. The next room down was a bathroom, the door was slightly open. In the empty space, there was a dining room area. In front of the kitchen, there was a somewhat larger area that was dedicated to being the living room. Then, there was the front door. There were some heavy locks on it. He sat down on the couch in the living room and watched as Sheriff sat down on the other couch present there.

          “I would like an explanation on your ally-ship with Deputy.”

    Sheriff whistled in response, leaning back against the couch.

          “Sit tight, then. It’ll be a long story.”