Prey No More

Adagio stepped out of the shower, rejuvenated from the warm water and various cleaning products. It felt as if she was taking her first step on a path of self renewal, shedding the sins and misfortunes of her past before taking her first tentative steps down a new path. As she gathered up her clothes to change, she looked out the window looking over Shade City. She had to admit, through the filthy high rises and rusted out cars, the overhanging sun had a certain beauty to it. It was like the neon sign over the doors of a seedy hotel, a warm and inviting presence luring hapless fools into its dark corridors. She gave a chuckle, seeing a lot of the siren nature in the city in that moment.

She carefully laid out the clothes that were provided for her on the bed, comprised of a dark fuchsia tee and black skinny jeans. After looking over her outfit, she looked at her reflection in the window. She was the cleanest she had ever been, her orange hair now clinging close to her head as the water dripped off it and down her now immaculate skin. She smiled at her reflection, proud that she and her sisters kept their beauty through all their hardships. Truly, it was the only thing they believed they had left, aside from each other.

When their pendants were shattered, and their voices lost to them, they discovered quickly that they didn’t just lose their conduit for their power. After their time surviving on the streets, their powers mattered less and less to them. What TRULY cut them deep was losing that part of what could be considered their identities. They are three sirens, and not one of them could so much as hold pitch anymore. A siren who can’t sing…in Adagio’s mind, what good was that worth? What good was SHE worth? It was good they had each other and their beauty, for if they did not…Adagio shuddered at the thought of what could have been.

In the middle of her pondering, she was pulled from it with an almost boisterous voice behind her. “Morning, Miss Dazzle! Good to see you up bright and early for another night of murder, stealth, and other such fuckery.”, the voice said. Adagio’s head immediately snapped to the source of the voice, quickly realizing that Red Room was back in his seat on the other end of the feed, twirling a spoon in his right hand as he held a bowl of cereal in his left. He was wrapped in a bath robe and was clearly wet, as if fresh out of the shower as well. Red Room gave a small greeting salute with his spoon before eating some of his breakfast, smiling as he seemed to be waiting for a response.

Adagio, not a modest sort by any means, gave a little smirk and said coyly to the director, “Trying to watch a young lady get dressed, huh? Shouldn’t be surprised, given your…profession.” She then gave a small giggle and sat down on the bed, letting the air dry her out slowly as she relaxed, crossing her legs in an almost goading gesture.

Red Room chuckled and leaned back, eating another spoonful of cereal before saying, “As wonderful as that show’d be, honestly, that shit’s up to you. Change on camera or not, all the same to me. Besides, can’t have myself distracted on a work night.” He quickly finished off his bowl and chugged the milk that was in it before setting it aside and tapping away at a keyboard just out of shot, saying as he stared at the screen, “Speaking of work, I got some info for ya about where to look next. Good news: you won’t have to deal with the Jury much longer. Gang took a MASSIVE hit with that little show we put on at the high rise. Foot soldiers, lieutenants, even the leader of the gang got pinched in that raid.”

With a sigh of relief, Adagio smiled widely and said, “Fantastic. Narrows the field with finding my sisters, I’m guessing.” She began to fidget, thinking about how she’d react to seeing them again. Even after just that one night, it felt like an eternity since she saw their faces. She went through hell, fighting her way to freedom…with a massive amount of blood shed. She paused for thought at the idea of revealing that to her sisters. Despite their…history, both in Equestria and here, they had never directly killed anyone. Sonata never had the stomach for it, so they avoided it for her sake...

…Well, perhaps more accurately for them at the time, they couldn’t stand her whining about how “icky” it made her feel. Adagio could feel herself wince at the thought that they would treat her so coldly.

Red Room noticed her expression but thought it best to not say anything at that time. Best thing for her right now would be to learn how to get her sisters back. Leave playing psychiatrist until they’re all safe and together. He continued his previous line of thinking as he said, “Bad news: the gang seems to have gone to ground. I’ve checked damn near every camera I’ve got set up in their territory and it’s like I’m looking at stills here.” He then clicked on something on another monitor and said, “Wait a sec…ok, I got movement in the old courthouse. If I can guess from his mask, I…I think that’s the gang’s information broker.” Red Room nodded his head vigorously and said, “Yeah, that’s DEFINITELY him. I’ve seen him skulking around some crime scenes during the day. Ones that the gang hit up the following night. He’s inside the courthouse, doubt he’s alone.”

Adagio listened closely, her mind running through every hypothetical way this next little “scene” could play out. If there were others with him, they were obviously staying out of sight, if they were there at all. A straight shot through the front door would be suicide in the best case scenario, so that was completely out of the question.

Adagio thought for a moment more before saying, “I’ll sneak around the building. A former public building of that size HAS to have more than just one entrance, regardless of age.”

Red Room smirked at her analytical tone. “Well, well, look at you killer!”, he said in a teasing tone. He continued with, “Barely a full day of killing and already you’re planning out your next job like a pro. I didn’t…awaken anything in you, did I?” He added a wink on that last statement.

Adagio quickly strapped on her boots as she stated bluntly, “My sisters are in danger. You learn to adapt rather quick in that situation, Mr. Director.” Her head was on a swivel as she looked around the room, lips moving in a silent mental inventory as she placed a hand on her jean pocket, feeling the bump the knife made in it.

Red Room, with that same smirk on his face, reached down and pressed a few keys before turning around and pressing a button on a massive switchboard behind him. This caused another makeshift drawbridge to drop just outside the window. He then gave a deep breath and said, “Showtime, pretty mama.”

Adagio gave a nod and opened the window, turning around and giving him a nod and smile before walking on the bridge into the shadow cast by the setting sun. This caused Red Room to chuckle and crack his neck as he brought all of the cameras up. He said into his mic, and therefore into Adagio’s ear, “Cameras on, quiet on set…speed…and…ACTION!”