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Catching her breath, Kate hugged her gun close to her chest as she pressed her back against a fallen pillar, the spattering of bullets by her head making her wince. Why did mercenaries feel like they had to destroy everything when going after the same thing she was?

When Kate heard that the fabled 'Declaration of Independance' was still in the abandoned city of DC, you couldn't help yourself. These things belonged somewhere safe where history could be kept and recounted.

Like a freaking museum.

The "Smithsonian" that you had been trying to track down had already been picked clean of anything worth value. So you knew you had to at least try to grab the document that started this poor country. Maybe someday soon the District Leaders will turn to it to start the country a new.

Of course the District Leaders didn't allow it and forbade her from even thinking about going after it. They even thought assigning her search crew to other groups would deter her from trying. But it only made her even more set on going.
Kate peeked over the pillar and scowled. Three armored trucks and at least two dozen armed men.

Lame.

With careful movements, Kate shifted her gun to her back and crawled along the length of the pillar using it as a shield as made her way to the other side. Ivy grew over everything. Water filled the streets. Beat up and old husks of cars littered the area. The old buildings still stood though looked as if they could fall any second. It was something straight out of one of the old Story Teller's tales of fallen cities and the earth claiming what was hers.

It was funny really, learning that the people of 'America' back in 2017 thought of the future as something mysterious and technology driven. Maybe even reaching up to the stars. But years of wars fought over the dumbest things lead to an all out nuclear apocalypse.

Well, so far as Kate and her great grandparents knew. It was 2109 now and nothing had progressed. Not much any way. Kate was just glad guns were still primitive because it would suck to go against the Easterners and their energy laser guns. Until she got her own.

More gunshots went off as a grenade exploded right where kate was hunkered down just moments before. Rolling to safety behind the sturdy looking wall of what may have been a treasury, Kate let herself a moment to shoot back at them and catch her breath. She really needed to get out of here and just grab that stupid but important piece of paper.

Checking her bag, Kate knew she only had three grenades left and a couple more magazines to tide her over until the next cache in spot. Having been the smart one of the whole District, Kate had taken several weeks to plant goods caches around the perimeter of where she was planning to ransack DC, having supposed that she wouldn't be the only one looking for the Declaration since it's finding was broadcasted through the 'hunter's' radio. And what mercenary group didn't have one of those?

Reloading her gun, Kate peeked around the corner, got her bearings then turned back to her gun. But something caught her eye on the other end of the pillar, making her nearly screamed. At the foot of the fallen pillar crouched a man Kate had thought she lost on her way here.

Adam Connelly seemed unphased by the mercenaries and their shootings as he made his way over to where kate was, his all confident smile making her head hurt as he stood to greet her in the safety of the building side.

"Kate Raider." His blue eyes flashing as he smirked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. He had nothing more than traveling clothes, a small pack on his hip and a thing of rope over his shoulder as he stared at her. What idiot doesn't bring a gun to a gunfight?

"Don't act like you don't know me."

"Living up to your name I see."

Kate did everything to keep her from punching his face against the wall. "If keeping history safe is called 'raiding' now then you might as well call it destiny."
Adam let out a single laugh, pushing off the wall and peeking around the corner only to be shot at, making him turn back to Kate. He thumbed back at them, his brow raised.

"Your fans?"

"Like you aren't one, considering how often you follow me."

He placed his hands on his hips, letting out a breath. "Ooh, touchy. Someone didn't get their barriers this morning."

Kate rolled her eyes and set her gun, ready to fire back. "Go find someone else to bother. I'm kind of busy at the moment."

Adam reached out, lowering her gun. "Save it Raider, I have a better idea."

Man she hated when he did that. He had a knack of joining her on what he would call 'raids' as she would go collecting old historical artifacts for the District Leaders to store and hopefully learn from. It wasn't until the last two raids she started noticing a pattern; Mercenaries from another colony/district wanting the same thing and Adam saving her from them all while letting her getting the artifact she was after.

Irritated but intrigued Kate raised her brows. "Go on."

He looked up the building and pointed to various rivets, perfect for foot and hand holds. "I say we climb and use the rooftops as a vantage point not only for taking out your trigger happy fans but also get the lay of the land." He turned back to her, shrugging. "Considering you have no idea where you are at the moment."

Kate opened her mouth to protest but there was another explosion, louder and closer this time. She let out a growl.

"Fine. But I'm not as fast as you so don't get too far ahead oh weaponless-one."

Adam took a step back and motioned for her to go first with a deep bow. "By all means, ladies first." He looked up at her and winked. "Always the gentleman."

Kate scoffed and started to climb. Thankfully the building wasn't too terribly tall. But it wasn't tall enough to help them reach the roof of the next building over, shattered glass and dark, ivied halls greeting them with nothing short of cold mockery. The shooting had stopped just as Adam appeared next to Kate as she looked over the side, down at the alleyway between the two buildings. It was too far to jump.

Adam tapped Kate's shoulder then nodded to a piece of metal frame sticking out of the side of a half blown building just behind the dark, ivied halls building.

"Kate, look," Adam lifted his rope over his head and started attaching it to a grappling hook, "This baby's good for one go but I think this will help us get past this building and past the barricade of bullets."

Kate looked around, not seeing much of anything else to go on. "Sure, but I have never done this before."

Adam sent her a smile. "Easy, just like a tire swing, just without the tire."

"Oh yes, so easy," Kate mumbled under her breath.
She watched in near mesmerization as Adam swung the rope and hook like it was nothing, successfully hooking it over the outstretched piece of metal frame. With a satisfied tug, Adam turned to Kate and extended his hand.

"Come on Raider, let's get your special piece of paper."

Kate reached out but right before she took his hand she paused, giving Adam a skeptical glare.

"Why do you keep helping me?"

Adam took a step closer, looking around like someone was going to hear them atop a foliage covered skeleton of a building surrounded by gun toting mercenaries.

"If you haven't noticed you're not so good with the navigating half as well as you are at your head shots. I just so happen to hate guns and have quite the knack for getting from place to place without being seen."

Kate gave him a once over. "How you never get caught is what keeps me up at night."

Adam took her hand and pulled her to his chest as he wrapped the rope around his hand once and took hold of it. "Hold onto me and don't let go until I say."

Kate didn't say anything as she wrapped her arms around his solid frame, doing her best to ignore the intoxicating aroma around you. Biting her lip, Kate then wrapped her legs around his waist. He was never going to let her live this down.

Coming right up to the edge of the building, Adam moved Kate's gun to a better position then adjusted his hold. Kate closed her eyes tight, holding her breath ready for the drop.

"So," Adam's voice was breathy in her ear as she clung to him, "you think about me at night?"

Kate's eyes snapped open but before she could yell at him he jumped off the building. She may not have yelled at him but she made sure her scream of surprise and fear was right in his ear. The two of them swung through the air, the crisp wind tugging at their hair and clothes. Kate couldn't see where Adam was going to land but she could see the convoy of mercenaries and she did not like what she saw.

"ROCKET LAUNCHER!" Kate screamed.

She could feel Adam's growl. "Maybe if you hadn't screamed like a witch they wouldn't have found us."

"You didn't warn me!"

Adam shifted his hold and the rope turned making it easy for Kate to see where they were headed. This building was roughly the same size as the others but there was a balcony she figured he was shooting for.
He grunted as he got a good look at the rocket launcher. "Excuse me. Didn't know you needed a play by play."

"I don't need a play by-"

The rocket launcher went off and it hit the building they were aiming for. Kate didn't scream but tucked her face in Adam's neck. He grunted again and the swinging turned into more of a circular motion slowing down their movement.

"The rocket was launched."

Kate pulled her head back and glared at him. "Shut up."

Adam winked then looked around. "They are setting up another one. Start climbing."

Kate looked at him like he told her to lick his face. "We are still moving."

"We will never move again if you don't start moving that butt of yours."

"Don't talk about my butt," Kate scoffed, "No wondering eyes, cowboy."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

As quickly as one could while wearing a gun and pressured by a rocket launcher, Kate detached herself from Adam and used him to start climbing up the rope.

"Climb to the metal frame then work your way inside. I'm sure we can find some stairs to the roof," Adam called up to her.

Kate didn't say anything as she focused on climbing. It would have been beautiful looking around the fallen, ivy covered buildings and wonder what kind of life people lead here had their lives not been in danger. Small birds chirped nearby, the sound of bugs coming to life as the sun started to set, slowly turning the world golden.

Suddenly the building shook as another rocket was launched, hitting the building just below them. Adam yelled at her too hurry up to which she readily obeyed. The building was hit two more times but nothing too damaging. Whoever was shooting that thing needed to be fired.

Soon enough the two of them were in the building now. Adam stood from detaching the rope, giving it a once over for any cuts or tares. He waved it around, smiling.

"Looks like this baby get's to live to see another day."
Kate looked around the building. "Want me to leave you and your baby alone as I look for our way to the roof?"

Adam laughed. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Raider."

Kate rolled her eyes but before she could reply the building shook, this time it was a solid hit. Adam reached forward and took Kate's hand, the two of them running around, finding the stars and taking them two at a time to the top.

"I can run on my own, thank you,' Kate huffed as she tried to tug her hand out of his while they jumped over fines and fallen ceiling up to the roof.

"Don't flatter yourself, the building is falling and I don't want your death on my conscious."

Sure enough the building shook again with another blast and Kate could feel it swaying. One more hit and they will be going down. But not too soon they burst out into the golden evening, their vantage point but better from up here. The building swayed but Kate smiled, pointing just a couple buildings over.

"There! The brown one, with the dome."

"I see it."

"How do we get to it?"

Adam looked around then his eyes widened with an idea. Kate almost regretted asking.

"What is it?"

Adam turned to her and took her shoulders, the two of them swaying with the building in the slight wind.

"Do you trust me?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

Adam smiled, squeezing her shoulders kindly. "Great, woulda' said no if you didn't. Follow me. We want them to hit the building again but right where we want them to."

Kate shook her head as she followed her inconveniently handsome partner. "And how do we do that."

They came to the edge of the roof, the convoy having now moved to be stationed a block away from them. Adam reached into his little tote bag and pulled out a mirror. Kate raised her brows in disbelief.

"You are going to direct the rocket like a cat to a light?"

Adam barked a laugh. "Almost, Raider, almost. More like blind the cat."

Looking down Kate watched as Adam maneuvered a beam of light over to the mercenaries, the light passing over some of the men making them cry out in surprise or pain, Kate hoped the later. With the light beam positioned just under the rocket launcher as the men prepared another rocket, Adam turned to Kate.

"Shoot the two men manning the launcher when I say."

Kate pulled out her gun with no questions asked and aimed at the two men, the loader first. "Got it."

Adam then waited until the launcher was about to shoot it before he shined the light in his eyes. The launcher let out a cry and Adam told her now. Kate shot the loader first seeing just in time the launcher tip the rocket down lower on the building right before she shot him too. As his body fell the rocket shot and then Adam screamed.

"RUN!"

Kate gripped her gun as she turned and followed Adam. But they hadn't made it five steps when the building shook and started to teter. Adam reached over and took Kate's arm pulling her down.

"Looks like we'll be sliding into home base for this one."

Kate plopped on her butt right next to Adam and started to slide down the roof of the building as it seemed to fall in slow motion to the smaller building beside it. But there was one problem, there were many little obstacles the way of their slide to the domed building. With her gun still out, Kate pulled it up to her eye and started to shoot, beginning with the lip of the very roof they were on.

The path cleared right as their building clashed with the second one. Then that one started to lean and fall as Kate and Adam slid right onto the roof. Kate kept shooting odd things in their paths off the roofs as the buildings played dominos. Adam whooped and hollered as if he was actually enjoying this.
Kate was doing pretty good with clearing the area and was ready to shoot a hole in the dome when her gun ran out of ammo. Adam reached over, tugging her arm.

"Uh kate? Kaaate? The dome..."

"I know! Maybe help and throw something at it,"
Kate shoved him off her as she stumbled for her other bullets. But she couldn't seem to reach one. Instead she heard a huge crash above her. Looking up, it was then Kate's turn to shake Adam's arm.

"ADAM..."

The blond looked up and gasped then, without warning to Kate, rolled over her and shielded her as a huge section of building came tumbling down and right where Adam was sliding. Adam moved off of Kate and watched as they landed on the last building to the dome of which was now broken open from the falling piece of building that nearly flattened Adam.
Both of them let out cries as they neared the dome, their hands interlocked and their eyes wide. Kate squeezed Adam's hand and he pulled her to him as they flew off the last roof and landed in a wet mossy pit in the middle of the broken in domed building. Kate landed atop Adam, his groaning body somewhat of a comfortable landing.

Butt and legs burning from the all the sliding, Kate rolled off him and just laid there, her heart hammering as she gripped her gun to her chest.

"Whew!" Adam chuckled, regaining his breath. "That was fun."

Kate let out a laugh, her emotions strung out as it was. "Adam Connelly you are by far the worst judge when it comes to what is fun."

Adam shifted, looking over at her. "Well we aren't dead or gravely hurt and we had quite the rush. You'd be lying to say that wasn't at least a tiny bit fun." He held up his fingers just centimeters apart.

Kate turned her head to him and smirked. "Fine. Just a tiny bit. But we aren't here for fun. We have a mission."

"Too bad the District Leaders will just kick you out for disobeying them and drawing the mercenaries out."

"All the more reason to get it. Better us have it than them."

Adam sighed. "It's weird when you are right sometimes."

Kate relaxed, smiling softly. "Imagine that."

Neither of them moved as they both just laid there on the ground staring up at the hole in the ceiling, water and vines entering the dome. The ground was cold and the air was stale. It seemed like they were the first ones in that building in a long time. There was a clink of a rock falling inside then splashing the mossy puddled floor.

"Soooo...." Adam's voice echoed. "Are we going to make out or..."

Kate reached over and smacked his chest that echoing too along with her laugh. "Shut up."