━━ CHAPTER TEN / summon the suit

Ronny had never had the privilege to visit Slovenia but Ljubljana was beautiful. Even in the drearier months, it was still gorgeous. She had found a hotel in the central area of the town and the few days she'd been here had been wonderful. Although most of the time, she had been hidden away in her hotel room, there was still something so peaceful about the city.

After the snap, everywhere had been so quiet. Ronny had been to so many places back then, it had been so easy to travel. So easy to make friends, know people. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to get to know others. Back then, everyone had one shared trauma. Everyone had lost someone. A partner, a friend, a family member, a child. There was a sense of community that Ronny knew they'd never get again because everyone was back and the world was teeming with problems and people.

The human race were like rats. They got everywhere, pushed themselves into every crevice of the world and thought they were indestructible. Everyone that had vanished still felt like that, everyone who had stayed felt like fractured glass, one knock away from shattering. Ronny would be lying if she tried to deny that she felt the same but it was easier to pretend that nothing had changed because she didn't really remember those five years.

All she'd known was Thoth and running after Marc every second of the day. Even when he got married, he was still everywhere at once with her, killing and stealing. It had been a blur and then everyone came back and it was busy and loud again.

But not here, Ljubljana had kept some of that peace. Somehow.

Not that it would last. She had to find the scarab and stop Marc from getting it too. He had bought a ticket and she had tracked his flight all the way to Slovenia. He was only a few roads over but he hadn't come to find her. There was nothing to suggest he even knew she was here. And she hoped to use that to her advantage.

She had spent a few hours the night before the deal, talking to the locals and finding out as much as she could around the area. Her Slovenian had been flawless and although many of the citizens were spotty with the language, she was able to switch to whatever language they were comfortable with just to have a conversation.

So many people weren't even originally from Slovenia. So many people had come to fill in positions within the country from all over the world during the snap. Although there had been redistribution of the population when the Snap was reversed, so many kept their jobs. The population had become so diverse so quickly and it hadn't changed all that much.

But Ronny didn't let herself indulge in alcohol and chatter that night. She got the information she wanted and left. Even being slightly hungover would ruin her plans and she couldn't let anything happen. The scarab was hers and nobody was going to stop her. Or that's what she told herself.

"Are you confident in this?" Thoth asked as they sat in the hotel room. Ronny was sitting on the bed, slipping her shoes off when she glanced up at the God. He was sitting on the armchair across the room, lounging with the staff between his legs, resting on his shoulder.

"They won't be willing to negotiate so I have no other choice. I don't have the money to outbid him and it's suspicious enough that I know about the deal. I don't have a choice," Ronny dismissed his words as she pulled her socks off and threw them in the side of her suitcase reserved for dirty clothes. Thoth watched as she collected a sweatshirt from her bag to sleep in, he was waiting for her real answer but she wasn't budging.

"I trust you to do the right thing but if you are not confiden-" Thoth began but Ronny cut him off. Her head snapped back to look at the God.

"I'm confident." Thoth nodded and then disappeared. Ronny was glad to be alone, brushing her teeth before she slipped into bed and tried to sleep. But, like every night, it wasn't a fitful sleep.

-

It was early and Ronny was tired. She had managed a few hours of sleep but at this point she was used to some sleep deprivation. She wasn't far from the site of the exchange and it took a minute or so to find the building where her sources claimed it was occurring.

In twenty minutes the exchange would take place so she started with the basics. She assessed the perimeter, mapping out all the entrances she could find without looking suspicious. But she knew that Thoth would come to her assistance if she needed it but she had to be smart about this. She didn't want to get shot again, especially not if Marc decided to show up.

There were four exits on each side of the building and she could jump across rooftops if she was desperate. Especially if she was in her suit, running away through the roof might be her best option. The windows had enough ledges that she could scale the side of the buildings in a pinch so there were options, a lot of them. But most of the options had inconspicuous guards with guns hidden beneath their jackets. The shady operations were clear.

So, Ronny took the safe route and made her way to the roof of the building next-door and dropped onto the roof of the target building. Nobody was posted on the roof and when she tested the door, it was locked but a window had been left open on the floor below the rooftop so she lowered herself to the ledge.

The tips of her toes hitting the stone before she pushed herself through the gap and landed carefully on the floor. She hadn't made a sound which made her smile. The building seemed abandoned and she moved quickly and quietly. The time was ticking and she needed to get the scarab before anyone else did.

She reached to her holster and pulled out the gun, checking how many bullets she had. Six. She should have refilled the cartridge. She bit her lip before she slid the gun away. Maybe the suit would be the better option after all. The pain would be worth it if she was finally able to get a hold of the scarab.

Ronny walked quietly down three flights of stairs before she began to hear voices - security. They were speaking Slovenian quickly but it translated into English before she really noticed that they weren't speaking one of her main languages.

"All this security for a stupid artefact."

"At least it pays well."

"I suppose it's easy work."

"Exactly so shut your mouth and keep watching."

Ronny waited for them to pass the stairs before she walked down the next flight. Abruptly stopping at the sound of a new set of voices. Their accents still came through despite the translation and they seemed to be Russian or Belarusian.

"Stop throwing it around. You will damage it!"

"They have already made the payment."

"And we must uphold our end of the bargain."

"We have the money. We could just leave."

The voices came closer and then the door to the staircase swung open and Ronny came face-to-face with the men who now possessed the Scarab. She grabbed her gun quicker than they could call for security and their brains were blown out. Two perfect bullet holes in each of their foreheads. Her aim was improving and with the assistance of Thoth, she certainly got an advantage. It almost felt unfair on the poor men.

But she didn't have time to ponder. She ran straight for the bodies, snatched up the scarab and sprinted up the stairs. The security would have heard the gunshots so now she had to leave before someone realised she was there and came after her.

It seemed she was too slow because the second she was past the floor of Slovenians, they were on her tail. The sound of armoured boots thundered beneath her as she sprinted up the concrete stairs. She knew that there had to be a way onto the roof. There was a door, so she just had to find it.

The possibilities ran through her head as she sprinted through the corridor on the top floor. She could escape out the window she came in through but the likelihood of security watching the buildings walls and ready to shoot was high. It was too risky and then she came across the stairs that led to the roof and she sprinted.

She took two steps at a time, knocking over anything she could to try and slow the men behind her. Her hands fiddled with the handle, trying to open it but it was locked from the inside, She sighed and glanced around before she shoved her shoulder into the door. The thunder of footsteps continued and she could hear the muffled shouts of panicked men. She needed to leave, right now but the door wasn't budging and stronger than she expected. Her shoulder barged into the door again but it didn't move.

"Thoth, now would be a great time for some help," She mumbled as she threw her shoulder into the door again. But then it suddenly was yanked open from the other side and Marc - in his suit - pulled her out of the room and threw her across the roof. Her body tumbled and skidded across the concrete roof but the scarab was still somehow in her pocket.

She jumped to her feet and then the suit appeared. Marc watched as her eyes glowed pale yellow before her body became wrapped in papyrus paper bandages. A few strips had hieroglyphs scrawled across them and glyphs of protection, spells to heal her. An emerald cape and hood covered her face, a vibranium mask covered her mouth as she stared at him with golden eyes.

The scarab was now hidden beneath layers of papyrus bandages and Ronny smirked beneath the mask. Marc came straight for her and she threw a punch. The force of it sent him flying backwards. The wind knocked out of him briefly before he got up and came to her. He threw a kick towards her but she managed to duck under it before she charged forward, catching him around his waist. She knocked them both to the floor, tackling him downs as she glanced at the door.

"What will they think when they find us like this?" Ronny teased, smirking underneath her mask but Marc ignored her. Throwing a punch knocking her under the jaw. Her teeth knocked together harshly and her eyes squeezed shut on instinct just long enough for him to knock her off him. He threw a kick at her stomach but she rolled over and pushed herself to her feet.

She glanced at the door before she looked past him to the roof. It was a jump but she could make it. She just had to get past Marc. Ronny reached for her gun beneath her suit but quickly discovered it was gone. She dropped it and her eyes widened. It seemed Marc had realised at the same moment because he came at her, punching her across the face. Half of his hand merely punched the vibranium mask but she felt his fist collide with the bridge of her nose. She kicked out but he caught her foot and knocked her over onto her back. His foot collided with her spine and she cried out but twisted and kicked up.

Her foot landed somewhere between his knees and his stomach and it gave her just enough time to stand up, rushing towards where the gun was glinting in the sunlight. She scrambled to pick it up before she lifted it up, pointing it at Marc before the security guards came out in swathes. She stared at the security guards and then at Marc before turning and running.

Thoth's power boosted her slightly and she jumped onto the roof with ease, sprinting away. But somehow, Marc was on her tail. The sound of guns behind her was continuous and she could hear the bullets pinging off the stone of the building beneath her feet as she sprinted across to the next building.

It was as she jumped for the next building that Marc caught her around the waist. They plunged onto the roof together in a tussle and she kicked for his stomach. Her cape surrounded her but also disorientated her as she tried to keep Marc off.

They collided with the roof but it barely phased them as she kicked at his stomach. Throwing a punch at his face that wouldn't do much to damage him. His suit healed much quicker and better than hers did. The bridge of her nose ached from his punch but she ignored it as she stumbled back away from him.

"Give me the scarab, Veronica, and I won't have to shoot you again," Marc threatened. His voice was cold and confident. His American accent was back. He was nothing like Steven, there was no way this would be him.

"If you wanted the scarab so bad, you would have shot me dead in Italy. Do you have a soft spot for me?" Ronny asked as she stepped back from him. Partly to fully recover and partly because she could see Thoth stood on the other side of the roof. He seemed to have something waiting for her.

"If you don't give me the scarab, I won't be so lenient this time," Marc spat. Ronny rolled her eyes and continued to step back. She could feel the scarab beneath the layers of papyrus. It was safe. He'd have to tear her suit to get to it.

"I knew you'd be trouble. I should have killed you the first time I met you. You remember that?" She asked, biding her time. Marc was getting closer. The security guards' gunfire was getting closer and the roof edge was getting closer. Everything would work out if she just timed it right.

"Give it to me." Marc demanded as he lunged at her but Ronny jumped back, off the roof edge. The portal opened up beneath her and she landed on the floor of her hotel room, Marc on top of her.

-

NOTE
chapter ten!! but my exams are literally in a week (from monday) so updates are probably gonna be super patchy until like the end of june but im gonna still try and get things out! thank you for all the support <3