[hr][i][h1][color=Blueviolet]Malik Jakane[/color] & [color=#ffe0bd]Rhea Harlow[/color].[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [@Mr Allen J][/sub][/i][hr]
[i][u]New Raygate, Prince Edfield.[/u][/i]

Soaring countless feet above the air and barreling through the city, Rhea could have shown more concern. At the moment, it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Since Malik did the daring deed of rescuing her, she found it unlikely he’d drop her from this height.

[i]Cat’s outta the bag… He’s a meta, like me.[/i] she thought, a half-delirious grin on her face.

After their daring escape, Malik managed to get far enough away that he felt comfortable landing on a rooftop, and thank [i]God[/i] because he was getting tired. Especially with this knife in his chest. Well, compared to forty bullets, that's nothing! Malik felt glad to be alive. Though, the man was hopping up and down.

"That was exciting, yeah." He said, high off the adrenaline. "But, think we lost them?"

“With the stunt you pulled?” Rhea looked back in the direction they fled. “I think we’re okay.”

Rhea appraised Malik, grimacing at the knife embedded in him. “If I wasn’t on the verge of passing out I’d heal you. Are you going to be okay?”

"Yeah... it's..." Malik looked at the knife protruding out of his body. "... Just [i]one[/i] knife."

He tried to brush it off... before a wave of realization hit Malik when he put two and two together.

"Wait, did you...?" Malik asked, "I [i]told[/i] you to stay out of it, now look at what happened!"

A pained expression crossed her face. “You’re right. And I’m sorry. Whatever reason you had for being at, presumably, the Founding Family’s base, it would have gone smoother if I wasn’t there."

“You saved me. We’re both wounded, but…” she gritted her teeth. “I did what I felt was right. No one should go through what’s happened to your friend.”

While Malik was still pretty angry that she had got involved... he couldn't stay angry when he realized that the two of them are in this together now. While it might have been easier to just leave Rhea, take the phone, and stay off their radar, he couldn't just stand by and let Rhea get killed - and from a pragmatic standpoint, he would have been exposed anyway (D'oh!).

"Me and my big mouth," Malik said underneath his breath. "I understand ya' fully, while I'm still a little annoyed ya' went behind my back - what we need to do is look forward and realize that the two of us are in this together."

Malik pulled out the cellphone that belonged to Marcelle and showed it to Rhea.

"I grabbed this phone out of their base... it's my friend's Marcelle's phone," Malik started off. "This is the clue that'll help me find her... but, the only problem is that I have no idea what her unlock code is!" Malik awkwardly laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

[i]Her name is Marcelle…[/i] Rhea tilted her head, staring at the bright purple device. [i]It’s not ideal, but Hallmark’s techies have programs for cracking phones.[/i]

“That could be a problem.” Rhea nodded. “You’ve checked that it’s code-locked? I have a [i]possible[/i] solution for you. It’s expensive, but I can get that phone cracked for you in 12 to 24 hours.”

"Money isn't a problem, but I'm not entirely sure, I'll have to charge it...." Malik answered before he put the phone back into his pocket. "But, I have another issue..."

He said as he crossed his arms.

"... What [i]exactly[/i] happened? Why did they kidnap you or something?"

Her eyes drifted to the knife still hanging off Malik. “If I tell you, will you let me fix this blade chillin’ in your ribs?”

Malik looked down.

"... Sure."

“Apparently, the Founding Family has ways of negating Tor, which is what I use for anonymous browsing. I ran a search, found an encrypted site with their name, and before I knew it, two masked ladies blasted in my door.” Rhea said, shaking her head. “You saw all the good parts. They cornered me and I eventually found myself in that garage.”

Her face brightened. "I discovered something, though. The Black Hound is working with the Founding Family."

"Well," Malik said scratching the back of his neck. "I feel a little responsible for this, so, I'm gonna lend ya' a hand."

He dramatically posed.

"I'm staying with a friend that's really nice... Come with me so we can lay low at her apartment. No one should know that we are even there." 

Rhea folded her arms, mulling over the opportunity. She was tired, sore, and sliced up good. Her safe-house, if Hallmark hadn’t sent someone to destroy it already, was no longer safe. Malik wanted her help, and she did owe him a great deal. 

After a moment, Rhea gave him a serious look. “This Family group is scary, and we’ve kicked the hornet’s nest. I think it’s fair to say whoever we associate with is being put at risk. Having said that, I’ll tag along. I’ll be able to treat us both, and get some rest…”

"Of course," Malik said, putting his arms behind his head. "It'll be just like the movies!"

Rhea laughed. "If so, we're not getting paid enough."

"Now, let's go!" Malik looked around, spotted the fire escape, and motioned for Rhea to follow. The duo made a slow descend down the building and walked through the yellow-lit streets.

Brand new friends.