Dark Steel Chapter One: Darkness Returns

Finally, Steel has returned to the darkness where he belongs.

     The sun was rising, coating the city in an orange glow that made Steel cover his eyes. He hadn't slept all that night, sitting on a vent looking down. He thought that he was used to them, the screams, he was so wrong about that. It was hard to look at that ledge, where he knocked the man off. Other than that, all he remembered about last night was blood, and a lot of it. Zero was never going to take full control again, Steel wouldn't let him. 
     Killing used to be so easy till he met Evelyn, now it made his stomach churn. It was so long ago since something like last night had happened that he forgot the feeling of being powerless to a true monster. Thoughts raced through his mind "You're the monster here. It's your fault Evelyn is gone. Zero is just a tool that you use for slaughter.". He felt sickened again.
     Zero was being awfully quiet, probably used all his energy last night. Back in the day he hardly spoke, was just a tool that spoke when he needed to, now he was cocky. Demons took any edge they could from men, knowing what had happened the day prior was enough. Steel would do anything to know who had Evelyn, and he had. Now he knows where to start, The Ravens. One of the newer gangs, but they knew the game well, and played it like gentlemen. Calling them a gang felt wrong, they were more like mafia, proper criminals.
     He hopped off the vent he was sitting on, staggering from exhaustion. Zero suddenly chimed in, "Go back to the warehouse , you'll need your old tools for this job." Steel cringed, the guns he had were one thing, but even remembering what he had preferred for killing before hurt. Two daggers and a short sword, he was quicker with them, more accurate, they felt good in his hands.
     Part of him wanted to just finish the job with what he had, two guns and four clips. He knew it was impossible with just that, he either needed more ammo, which was made originally by an old friend, or his blades. Getting the bullets would take to long, he didn't have much time as it was. Evelyn was gone somewhere, possibly by the Ravens, but if she wasn't there he would have to continue searching. All this could take another day at most, Evelyn could be dead in only seconds.
      He looked towards the sea, the warehouse was visible from here. The gaps between the buildings were short, easy jumping distance, especially if he used Zero. it had been so long since he used Zero to enhance his normal abilities, so he was nervous to try with a life threatening jump that he would only survive by letting Zero take over again. Not going to happen. He backed up, running to the ledge as fast as his legs would allow. His foot slammed against the ledge as he jumped. "I'm coming Evelyn, just hold on."

    
    Sunlight shimmered through the skylight of the warehouse, Steel avoided them instinctively. The place was torn to nearly pieces, it's a miracle it still could support itself. Shattered glass, rusty beams, holes in the wall, Steel remembered why he had picked this place to hide his old gear.
     There was nothing here anymore, just a big empty room and a door locked eight times, one lock being the door's. His eye twitched as he looked at the combination locks, they too were rusty, and he couldn't remember the codes. After a few times of trying he got impatient, he drew pulse and blew the locks off. That kickback. These guns were modified for a higher caliber, one just shy of being anti-air.
     The door flew backwards, and his arm ached. He didn't use Zero for the shot and it caused his arm to jerk backwards and his wrist to twist in a way it shouldn't. "Damnit.."
The inside of the room was clean, unlike the rest of the factory, lot of dust but still held together.
      There was no light in the room,  but that didn't matter, Steel could see in the dark. A single chest sits in the corner, he steps up to it, looking down with a pained face. "I never wanted to see this again...Leave it to someone else who came across it." There was a silence as he knelt down. "If that was the case then why make it so hard to get in here?" Zero said. He was right, when he put this stuff here, he was still with the darkness, he was the darkness then. It was hard to give up his nature, but he loved Evelyn too much and sealed it in this chest.
       
     He remembered that night all too well... He came into the warehouse, Zero thought it was another job. The warehouse was rusty, broken glass, but the walls were strong still. He came here cause it was unused and old, some hoods still hung around sometimes, other than that it was abandoned. The room in the back corner was an obviously perfect place to hide anything. Strong steel door and walls.
      The room was empty when he walked in, Steel was calm, a little nervous. Zero felt it, if Steel was tipped off a wrong location he'd be more angry and vocal. That's when he knew what he was really doing here. The fights with Evelyn, the thoughts of quitting, it all led to this, and Zero didn't like it. He tried to take him over but couldn't, so he forced himself away from Steel's body.
       Steel cried out in pain, it requires a whole ritual to put a demon in, it took more to get it out without harming the host. Zero ignored it, Steel gasped for air as he left him, trembling. Zero sucked shadows up like a sponge, they pushed towards him, seeping into a body of shadows. Without a host, Zero couldn't stop it. He took all the shadows could give him and turned to steel, his shadowy face giving a hateful grimace.
       Steel drew his guns, Blackout and Pulse, and tried shooting. It only took one shot to remember that without Zero, he couldn't wield them. He coughed blood as he drew his sword, Judgement. He was weak, and getting weaker, he knew where Zero's weakness was while he was like this, but if he didn't act quick he wouldn't have the strength to swing or even stand.

       
       Steel couldn't remember more, his mind went blank after that, as far as he knew, Zero was dead, but he wasn't. He shook his head quickly, laying his hands on the chest. The chest flung open as soon as it was cracked a little. Darkness puffed out of it like smoke, entering Steel's body any way it could, through his mouth, nose, ears, eyes. It hurt like hell, maybe worse. This was the darkness that made Steel strong without Zero, the darkness that no doubt was the reason he survived Zero leaving his body. The darkness that felt good as it coated his body.
       It felt good, damn it felt good! Damn Steel for loving it, damn Zero for resonating with it, damn anything that fell from it's power. Steel fell on both knees, head down, panting hard. He was breathless, this feeling, the same as when he first got it. It was good, it was evil, and in Steel's hands it caused both to collide together, good and evil in one, at the same time.
        Good or evil or both, it was power that Steel so desperately needed. Zero was just evil when used, Steel was just good, and that had no true power, just made people feel better. But with the shadows, they could both live in the same body, Good and Evil, Steel and Zero. All in one.
        His breath returned, he stood straight and plunged into the chest. It was all still here, dusty, but here. Judgement, his sword, the blade was black and the edge could cut through trees, after all, it was legendary. In a small box were his old clothes, they still fit. The clothes were grey, as they needed to be. It might be hard to believe, especially after last night, but Steel preferred the sneaky way to do things, he's unknown for being practically invisible at night.
        He quickly geared up, clothes on, sword on his back, daggers to his side. It all clung to his skin, showing off muscle on his chest and arms. The dark suit felt good on him, it was custom tailored to be comfortable, easy to move in, and of course, hard to see. Judgement hang from his lower back, easy to pull out into a horizontal slash. The daggers clang tightly to his waist, he could get them out in a blink and slash anything he wanted in a heartbeat.
        Though everything was custom made and fit perfectly on Steel, it felt strange to be wearing it. It hadn't worn it in a long time. They felt wrong, but right, this conflict inside Steel tried pulling him apart. Zero tugged at his consciousness to bring his sanity back to place, to show him where his mind belonged.
        And just like that, he did. He saw the chest through the darkness, the rusted walls, the only thing he could not see was himself. Shrouded in the blackness, his suit kept him hidden, even from his own eyes. It took time to get used to, he did it once he can do it again.
        
~At last, you've come back to me~
"What the hell was that?"