BANG

  …

  BANG

  Jasmine launched upright, accidentally knocking Calliope off of her, and onto the mattress, the woman having been laying on her chest for some amount of time. She cursed.

  “Sorry,” Jasmine hushed.

  “S’fine,” Calli mumbled back.

  BANG

  Calliope shot up as well.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “Someone’s trying to break in…” Jasmine dashed out from umder the covers and began rapidly pulling her sleep clothes back on.

  Calliope followed in suit, throwing the sheets off her and scrambling for her old shirt, but Jasmine kicked it out of her radius. She nodded toward the closet. Calliope grumbled as she swiftly strode over to it, threw the sliding door open, and slipped on the first tee she found.

  BANG

  CRACK

  SLAM

  Heavy armored feet and deep voices echoed from downstairs.

  Calliope’s heart dropped.

  “The Peace Army…”

  Jasmine stared to Calli, baffled, her chest holster hanging loosely from her hand. “I—why would they be here?”

  Calli looked down pensively. “I don't… know.”

  The heavy steps were coming up the stairs, now.

  Calliope took in a harsh breath clambering for her gun, only to find it not at her side. Jasmine came to her, shoving the still-holstered weapon into her chest. Calli took it, clipping the holster on over her shirt. Jasmine had done the same, drawing her small firearm and pointing it at the door.

  Then, something struck for Calliope.

  And her heart sank.

  “Calliope. Window. Now.”

  She hardly processed Jasmine’s words. It took a moment and a double-take before she had.

  She darted across the bedroom, and pried the window open. It made a harsh screech louder than she would have preferred. She heard a voice from the hall call, ‘Left!’

  There was a police vehicle outside, sitting atop a couple inches of snow that had already stuck to the ground. The snowfall was heavy now, and the wind harshly blustered.

  Calli blanched. There was hardly a space beneath her: just a small ledge on the edge of the apartment wall. She wasn't scared for her sake; she'd done maneuvers on such little space before. But she couldn't imagine a universe where Jasmine would fit on it. Not comfortably, at least.

  “Go!” Jasmine barked.

  She yelped, and did, then slid enough to the side to give Jasmine safe clearance to come out. The woman struggled squeezing into the space Calli had left her. She grunted, and pulled herself out the last inch of the window, getting stuck around her hips, but still managing to stumble her way out onto the ledge. She almost fell, but Calli reached an arm to brace her back against the wall.

  Jazz pushed her hand off, and pointed for her to keep moving. She was struggling with the ledge, but Calliope was impressed by her managing to stay on it at all. She was very much pressed against the wall behind her, but she kept her perch.

  Calli led her to the corner of the building, sliding around the edge. Jasmine made a strangled sort of sound, and Calli peered back round at her.

  Jasmine winced. “I don't think I can make that…”

  Calliope gave a thoughtful frown before. Then she smiled, reaching her arm around the corner.

  “Take my hand.”

  Jasmine narrowed her eyes. “I think it's well established you can't hold me up, Calliope.”

  She groaned. “Just grab it.”

  Jasmine tisked. But she did.

  Calli scooted more along the edge, tugging the other woman slightly with her until her foremost foot was flirting right with the edge.

  “Place your first foot around the corner.”

  Jasmine slid her foot around the angle and placed it down, making another uncomfortable sound in the process.

  “Now,” Calli said, “swing yourself, to land your next foot on the edge. I’ll spin you with my arm to guide you.” She nodded to their entwined fingers. “You’ll end up stomach first on the wall, but that'll prolly be easier for you, anyway.”

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  “Easier?”

  Calliope snirked. “You’re a little back heavy, Jazz.”

  Jasmine gave a haughty look. “I will take that as a compliment.”

  Calli chuckled after her. “Good. Because it was.”

  Without further hesitation, they executed the movement. Calliope spun Jasmine like they were dancing, and the woman followed through, landing her foot firmly on the ledge and squishing herself right against the wall. Calli’s hand slipped out of hers, gliding down to the soft small of her back to brace her from potentially slipping.

  And Jasmine looked through her with wide eyes and red cheeks—though the latter might have just been because of the cold.

  Calli removed her hand, and pressed on.

  “Your building has fire stairs outside on the rear, right?”

  Jasmine nodded, sliding after her.

  “Alright. We can use those to get to the roof.”

  Jasmine squinted, and frowned. “I’m sorry: ‘Get to the roof?’”

  Calliope gave an affirmative noise.

  “Aren't we trying to get down from here?” Jasmine balked.

  “No: we’re trying to get out of here. They’ll have a much harder time following us on the roof than the streets—and they will start following us once they see that open window. In fact, I'm sure they already have,” Jasmine explained, as they reached the end of the wall. “Their armour is bulky; limits their mobility a lot. They use it for safety and for intimidation, but they can't move like we can.”

  “You can.” Jasmine sputtered in an unhumorous chuckle. “Calliope, I’m a dancer—I don't do parkour on the side.”

  “That's why I'm gonna help you,” Calliope answered back, swinging off the wall to jump off it, snatching a hold of the fire platform above her head to swing her body onto the one just a flight below it. She landed with a deft silence. Jasmine glared at her.

  “Okay. There's no way in Hell.”

  “This,” Calli sighed, “is the hard part. The roof will be easier, once we're there—most of the buildings here are a similar height.”

  “Calliope,” Jasmine said with a sarcastic sweetness, “Sweetheart: I will fall and break my entire body if I try to jump that.”

  “You just need to jump, grab, and swing,” Calliope urged. Jasmine groaned. “It’s not as hard as it looks. I promise. You just have to commit.”

  “I swear to God, courier, if I fall and snap my spine, you will be paying the medical bill.”

  “We both no I can't do that,” Calli cooed back. Jasmine gave a final grumble, before she leapt.

  Her small fingers managed to hook the edge of the platform above her. But when her body swung forward, they slipped away far too soon.

  She landed side-first in the platform with a bang. Calliope gasped.

  “Holy shit, are you okay!?”

  “I told you that was fucking stupid!” She hissed, prying herself to sit-up, rubbing her hip. Calli reached a hand to help stand her, and she took it with some reservation.

  “Hey,” Calliope chuckled, “You made it. Landing could’a used some work.”

  “Oh, ha, ha,” Jasmine grumbled, pulling her hand back. Calli shot a sheepish look. Then it flickered into a frowned. She moved in close to Jasmine—who made no effort to back away—and gently ran a hand up her side where she had hit the ground, as if gauging for a reaction.

  “Seriously, though,” she hushed, “you didn't hurt yourself, did you?”

  Jasmine felt hot as the hand came to rest on the curve of her hip. It stung, a little. But it didn't stop the warmth that flickered in her stomach.

  “I–no. Just a bruise, maybe…”

  Calliope nodded. “...Good.” Then she pulled away, and cleared her throat. “Okay… Next—uh… Next is just… stairs.”

  Jasmine nodded. “Okay… Okay, I can do stairs.”

  Calliope just nodded; turned, slowly; and shot up the first flight. Jasmine sighed, and followed her, finding the twinging in her side worse than she thought, albeit manageable.

  She finally reached the complex roof a few minutes after Calliope did, who stood there waiting for her.

  She chuckled. “There you are. I was getting worried.”

  “Lord,” Jasmine sputtered, coming to stop just in front of the taller woman, “How are you so fast?”

  She shrugged. “Practice.”

  Jasmine scoffed, panted, then rolled her shoulders. “M’kay... Now what?”

  Calliope gestured loosely to the edge of the roof. Then gave Jasmine a wink. She jogged over toward it, and hopped the foot of space to the next building.

  All the apartments in Jasmine’s neighborhood were of similar height, luckily, making this easier than some others that Calliope had been to before. Jasmine jogged after her and skipped clumsily to join her in the next roof. She stumbled into the other woman.

  Calli chuckled. “Graceful.”

  Jasmine laughed in spite of her words. “Oh, fuck you.”

  “That better be a promise,” Calli shot, before hopping toward the next rooftop.

  Jasmine blushed. Then, she chuckled, tucking some hair behind her ear, and running on after her courier.

  . . . .

  “You think they're after us?” Jasmine broached, huffing as she propped herself against a wall. The floor was covered in heightening snow, and it was too cold to dare laying down. Her legs were starting to numb as is. She didn't mean to expedite the process.

  Calli shrugged. “P-probably not…” She chattered, though she tried to make it sound like she hadn't. “It'll take them a while to figure out where we went…” Calliope glanced back at the trail they'd left in the snow. It was faded. A large portion was already entirely erased.

  Jasmine frowned. The thin woman was trembling. She, at least, had some layering between the cold with her hoodie, shirt, and softness. Calliope was skin and bones in a pale-white t-shirt.

  And she was shaking like a leaf.

  “... We need to get you inside,” Jasmine hushed.

  “W-where?” Calliope stuttered.

  “We’ll go to Lucas.”

  Calliope nodded. Jasmine slid up behind her. Her eyes widened as Jasmine slipped off her hoodie and put it around the skinny woman.

  “W-what are you doing?” she meekly protested, “You need that...”

  “Hey,” she chuckled, with a peck on the cheek that silenced the other woman, “I’ve got blubber to protect me.” She squeezed the taller woman’s bicep. “You’re a toothpick: you look like you might freeze right here…”

  “L-like you're not into me...” Calliope chattered back, chortling.

  “Oh, now,” Jasmine cooed, “I never said that.”

  She took her gracile hand and tugged her along. Calliope trailed after.

  “Brightside,” she said, trembling a bit herself, “Only idiots would be out in weather like this; so, the walk should be a bit safer.”

  Calliope sputtered a weak laugh. “I agree: we are idiots.”

  Jasmine smirked, and would've stopped to smack her shoulder if she wasn't busy power walking the other woman to safety. There was a quiet. Eventually, Calliope came to break it.

  “This is all my fault…”

  Jasmine wanted to stop and face her, but, again: busy. “What are you talking about?”

  “They found you because of me...”

  “How? You got our files.”

  “Which,” Calliope spoke harshly, “Are now in the hands of the police: neither of us is carrying the satchel.”

  Jasmine winced, reminded. “Oh…”

  “But,” Calliope continued, interrupted by a shiver, “It doesn't matter, anyway. I left my route behind. I never went to Imogen's office: they must have found it, and are rounding up our clients…”

  Jasmine’s brow furrowed. “Shit…”

  “Yeah,” Calliope frowned. “... I’m sorry… I really fucked things up.”

  “Calliope,” Jasmine hushed behind her as they rounded a corner, “You didn't. You did your best—you did more than probably anyone else I know would have done in that situation. Don’t beat yourself up because you didn't get yourself killed while trying to save me…” She gave a pathetic chuckle. “Besides: I’m not exactly worth it.”

  “Bullshit,” Calliope sneered, “You’re worth everything…”

  Jasmine’s brow furrowed.

  “Was I worth Kit?”

  Calliope's mouth snapped shut.

  Other than the crushing of snow, and the chatters of teeth, the rest of the walk was silent.