This has nothing to do with Proven (I got stuck with the final part :P). It's closer to the present.
Never Alone-Preporations
SilverWings very rarely ever acted her age. In the eight months Thirteen had known her, he had rarely witnessed his partner act like a teenage girl, and defiantly not the young thirteen that she was.
For the majority of the time, particularly when Silver knew others were watching her, she acted much older. Always putting on a brave face, never backing down from a challenge. It was only in her nature, especially when the well-being of others was at stake.
It was one of her values that made her a good fighter, Thirteen thought, to be so willing to defend another. It was also her greatest weakness. Silver always managed to get into trouble, taking on fights that were well above her level. Getting in the middle of situations were she had no business, except for the urge to do for others, to protect them from the evils of the world, even when they desired no protection. To be their Guardian Angel.
As Thirteen watched Silver from the roof he was crouched on, he thought of obstacles that would keep her from fighting for her team. Her friends. Her family.
He could not think of a single one.
SilverWings paced back and forth in the alley, twirling a throwing knife in her right hand. She was growing impatient, her eyes scanning the darkness. Thirteen decided the area was secure and leapt over the ledge, landing on the balls of his feet like he had been trained.
Silver whirled around, her knife gripped in her hand.
"It's me, Silver," Thirteen said, holding his hands in the air, before she mistakenly chucked the blade at him. Thankfully she slid the throwing knife into her belt.
"Where have you been?" SilverWings asked incrediously. "It's nearly midnight."
"I had to get past Blade," Thirteen explained defensively. "Had to sneak through alleys and over rooftops the whole way. It's not as easy to do when you haven't been trained by assassins and cons."
"Ex-assassins and ex-cons," Silver corrected him, as if they weren't exchanging an old joke. She checked her watch and cringed. "Do you have the intel," she asked hopefully.
"Of course," Thirteen assured, reaching into his coat, a slick black that allowed him to travel at night, using the shadows as an alley. He pulled out a thick beige envelope and handed it to his eager companion. "Maps, pictures, data, it's all there."
Silver opened the envelope and leafed through the documents inside. She sighed with relief, as if she had half expected to find the papers inside blank. "These are perfect. Thank you, Thirteen," she said.
Thirteen shivered in the chilly air and put his hands in his warm pockets. "I need at least two weeks to get ready," he declared.
"One week," SilverWings responded, sealing the envelope and tucking into her jacket.
"That's not enough time," he argued. "Preporations need to be made; people need to be put in place."
"We don't have two weeks, Alek!" Silver said, using Thirteen's real name in her distress. "The longer they have Daemian, the harder it will be to get him back." She bit her lip and looked at the ground, her shoulders hunching.
Thirteen laid a hand on his friends shoulder and tipped up her chin, forcing her to meet his serious eyes. He sighed.
"One week," he agreed. "But we have to be careful, Ary. One mistake and your brother won't be the only one in need of a rescue."
Thirteen's younger friend nodded, perking up slightly. "Thank you, Aleksander," SilverWings said, "Now get home before Blaze find out you snuck out."
"Yes, ma'am," Thirteen said, saluting her. He took a running start, jumped atop a closed dumpster, and scurried up the brick wall. Once he reached the top, he perched on the ledge and watched as his 'sister' diss appear into the shadows. Thirteen shook his head, "Nice going, Aleksander," he said to himself. "Now we have less time to prepare." He looked to the full moon, begging for his luck to change, then scurried back across the rooftops.