Diamond_

February 1st 2005 - Crey Pharmaceuticals Lab, Undisclosed Location

From high above the stainless steel womb of the lab where the lone figure of Dr. Reynolds toiled over his daughter's files, behind the think clear Plexiglas of the darkened observation room window the Project Advisor clenched her fists. For several Minutes she had been listening to the captain's report.

"....with the deaths of their operatives and their claim of compensating for bad intelligence, the price of the contract has now gone up considerably." He sighed then continued "The Head of Crey Security is now clamouring for an full scale Project Audit and possible retraining reassignment for most of my operatives." his voice was firm but shaking slightly " The total from this project and that of the Wystan boy has placed both project over cost of material and personnel by.."

She silenced him with wave of her hand as she stared at his reflection in the darkened glass. So much damage from what she had claimed would be a routine pickup of a 20 year old ex-cheerleader. Who knew the resources she would have access to. She inwardly shuddered thinking of the fate that was sure to fall upon her and the Project Advisor of the Wystan project. Malta would have to be called off, it was Garrett she knew, now that she saw the initial report. Adding to this the Special Agent 'sniper' and her 'blocker" ...Corporate Intel still knew next to nothing about the last two, but that would change soon enough. The resourcefulness of the Reynolds girl's 'girlfriend'...this Rhuby Quartz...whose low tech escape and evade techniques fooled her entire staff.

This had become a financial nightmare...

"So what next Advisor?" the Captain tried in the uncomfortable silence..

"We stop for now Captain...we need a different approach" she sighed "our budget has been scaled back until i can muscle through this damned review this failure cost us...however..."

"Yes Ma'am?"

"See to it that the good doctor is shown all of the files and their 'relationships' to his daughter...that will keep him on our side for now"

"I don't understand...all of the files"

"The ones i have selected with 'our' take on them..I'm sure he will find Ms. Quartz 's file most interesting"

The Captian grinned "Yes Ma'am"

"the rift between father and daughter must continue...some of the good doctors ideas are radical but useful towards the study of the mutant genome...his amateur status will soon be fully professional when we are done funding him....and our Protectors will be stronger for that...carry out my orders"

"Yes Ma'am"

Looking down over Dr. Reynolds shoulder the Advisor grinned to herself as she locked her gaze on the image of the Doctor's daughter.

"Soon you little brat....soon I'll see you pay "

=================================

February 1st, 2005 - New Porter Institute, Galaxy City

Silently she moved the window aside and floated back inside Rhuby's room. Softly landing she closed the window. Turning she watched Rhuby sleep for a moment before slipping out of her costume the old fashioned way. She feared her flash of energy awakening Rhuby...she'd tell her tomorrow what she had done. Pulling on her night shirt she lay down beside Rhuby snuggling close. She dreaded sleep tonight knowing what awaited her, the images and laughter would be back tonight.

Looking over across at Rhuby's sleeping features, she drew no small degree of comfort knowing when the night terrors began...like in real life.

Her rose would be there with her.

January 30th, 2005 - 'Boomtown'

“So,” he offered quietly, his dry voice barely reflecting the light-heartedness in the words. “Miss me?”

The words came as if from far away as her thoughts crashed together in a dash of panicked pandimonium. The images of the fight and her desperate charge with Rhuby blurred horribly. At some level she was aware of her hand being held and of Rhuby's presence. Gently but firmly squeezing the other hand in hers she fought the fear and desperation from overwhelming her. The fatigue was leaving her body as the shaking began, she struggled to control it. She needed to be in control, they werent home yet..

Home...

She closed her eyes and tried not to feel the helplessness once more, the feeling of terror, frustration as someone else was to take something precious from her..it was all she could do not to scream out. She was afraid she might never stop.

"...so expend her"

So much like before , the memories blurred and swam together the cool tones of the Gunslinger merged with the callous laughter of the outcasts in the warehouse. The feeling of being pinned by the sapper danced and twisted to the feelings of her arms and legs being held. The pain of the tasers swirled to mixed withthe beatings she had recieved. The taking of Rhuby from her intertwined with ...

"No!" She hissed softly to herself bringing her knees up to her chest wrapping her free arm around them. She squeezed Rhuby's hand as if to hold on for dear life. Not since that night had she been so helpless pinned to the ground, unable to fight to defend what was hers to have to helplessly watch it destroyed and be able to do nothing...

She could hear a voice speaking to her but it became drowned out as she fought to control herself...to bury these feeling so she could fight....she had to fight right?

“So,” he offered quietly, his dry voice barely reflecting the light-heartedness in the words. “Miss me?”

Those words were still there...there was no threat in those words...nor the softer ones she had heard around her. Summoning all of her courage and remaining strength she opened her eyes to see Rhuby, still with her. Yes it was Rhuby's hand she held. Pressing it to her cheek she held it there still quaking a moment as if drawing strength from it..

Calmer she tried to tell her she was sorry, tried to find the words to the one she had grown to love for almost getting her murdered. But couldnt...all she could offer was a look filled with pained humilation and guilt before lowering her head so not to look her in the eyes. She stayed beside me, she thought and I almost got her killed. Her shoulders slumped a bit at the thought.

Her mind struggled to bury the swirling images as her breathing slowed a bit. Those words again,

“So,” he offered quietly, his dry voice barely reflecting the light-heartedness in the words. “Miss me?”

Miss me?, someone else had said that...she looked up to see the dusty form before them. It was a familiar form and she smiled softly as she began to recognize her friend.

Closing her eyes once more , just for a moment before looking over towards him. Still trembling she offered a weak smile.

"I knew you'd come..." she said softly..



Originally posted by NPI Student Rhuby Quartz

The silence was deafening as she stood there, holding Kara's hand tightly. Her eyes were locked on her, almost as if she had the nerve to blink, she would be gone.

"So expend her" those words still resounded in Rhuby's ears. She swore to Kara she would remain by her side, swore to her she'd die for her if that's what it took. How many others before her had uttered such words to their beloveds, and yet, how many of them were truely tested by such a statement. She could had died, she could have lost Kara... So much they had yet to share and never would have. Their life together ended before it even began.. everything she had hoped to help Kara solve would have disappeared if... if it hadn't been for...

" So...Did you miss me?"


"Jack..." Her words almost cracked as tried to pass them from her lips. Her eyes turned from Kara to look up.. It was Jack. Her Jack.. the Jack who swore he'd always be there. She was so mad at him for leaving, so hurt that he couldn't live up to his word, and yet, he was there... when she needed him the most, he was there. She tried to speak again but no sound came forth. Her face turned red as her eyes swelled with tears. This was the man she intended on [censored] out the next time she saw him. She wanted to slug the hell out of him mere moments ago and now... now he gave her a second chance at everything she ever wanted.

"...J..ack.." Her voice cracked again as she squeezed Kara's hand tightly.. looking from him to her again. Its a difficult thing, realization, when it begins to set in... and Rhuby was just now seeing things very clearly.

Rhuby pulled Kara into her arms. Her movements seemed almost slow-motion for her, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other coming up to cup her head, laying it against her shoulder, craddling her. She looked up at Jack, almost whimpering.

"..thank you.."



Originally posted by NPI Mentor/Security Expert Jack Garret


Jack smiled faintly, reassuringly, and just nodded a silent “You’re welcome” to the pair. Letting his gaze linger on them just a few moments longer, a look of light concern on his face, he turned back towards the opening in the wall, still half expecting to see Corr casually ‘port into the cavity. He absently flicked the shot-selector around; a faint clicking sound as his weapon readied itself anew.

It wasn’t long after that that the echo of a yell broke the silence, the voice reverberating through the ruined streets.

“Jack! If you’re still out there, buddy…”

All three of them glanced up as the words came. It was Corr, calling out from somewhere in the distance.

“…just couldn’t leave without saying goodbye, y’know? Wouldn’t want to be rude like that. So in the spirit of friendship, from all of us, I’d just like to say: [censored] you Jack. Oh, and give my regards to the ladies for this whole wonderful song & dance."

Rhuby swore, almost spitting the words.

"Anyway, I'm gone. Catch you later bud: it’s been a real slice.”

Jack shook his head and muttered something under his breath as the voice faded. He glanced back at Rhuby and Kara, pulled the mask back up around his face, and turned back to face the entrance, his thoughts turned inward - finger on the trigger.

======

Eventually, Kara’s strength returned – still a little shaky, but well enough with Rhuby supporting her. Jack swept the area as stealthily as he could manage. There was no sign of the Malta troops – not the living ones, anyway. With Kara and Rhuby flying high, and Jack matching their pace on the ground, the trio steadily made their way towards the hazard-gate.

The first step towards home.

May 12th, 2008 - King's Row

A lone figure stood in before the wide glowing screen of the Templars' main computer. Stored in the back, behind the club's bar, the machine kept the heroes that protected the meta human only bar up to date. Data streams poured by with crime statistics, Hero Corps and Most Wanted updates, every bit of data that the Templars might need to continue their enforcement of the laws of the land. Information from Washington, The Department of Defense and Homeland Security merged with that of Longbow and Interpol.

Yet it was the one report from Vanguard the figure had fixed on. With a gloved hand he keyed in the necessary codes to bring up and highlight the coming date. The newest predictions on the upcoming wave of the recent Rikti offensive. His eyes narrowed as he drew a breath, realizing it was sooner than he thought.

He wasn’t much a soldier, but then he didn’t pretend to be.

He was something different and yet very much the same these days.

He didn’t join the military like many of his friends, but was drafted in a way. Gifted with powers he once spent most of his life denying. It had taken him sometime and the help of a friend's example to get him to come to grips with what he was. To come to terms with the powers he possessed and how to use them to help others. What choice did he have now.

Now that he was here, in Paragon he was discovering that he wouldn’t change places with anyone for the world.

Back home he’d been a jock, a lacrosse player destined for a career after college as some middle management clerk or accountant. Perhaps even a little league coach or simply alone with his secret, a mutant in hiding.

Hiding from his responsibilities. Back home he had been a coward, afraid even to attempt to take the very stand that his friend Kara had been forced to make four years ago. He had not only been denying himself but he had also been denying others the very help his powers offered.


A hard lesson earned, when he discovered what she had gone through after he had joined the others in decrying her as a monster.

Here however in Paragon City, he was becoming almost indispensable. She was helping him now, helping him become a hero. Working to safeguard the lives of those who could not protect themselves.

He had no real name any longer. In fact, he doubted most of the other heroes of the city spared a thought as to what his given name might be at all. To the heroes and heroines he worked with each day he was known now only as Guardian Star.

He didn’t take lives, he saved them. In the war against the Rikti, he was an anachronism.

He was proud to be so, though he’d be the first to admit that wasn’t always the case. In many ways he thought he walked alone in this man’s war. Being a defender made a man a loner of sorts. Not really at the forefront of the fighting, blasting a Chief Soldier nor smashing the wreck of a tank down across the fallen body of a Rikti Communication's Officer to prevent the opening of a portal. His job was much different, his force fields, his 'bubbles' extended to any and all within the held perimeter of any given stand on the streets, while his fellow heroes fended off the invading hordes.

Bill smirked as he soon came to realize walking alone and being alone are nothing of the same. With the flip of his finger he reset the main board and turned to head out of the quiet and dark of the Abbey.

He paused and looked up into the night sky above the sleeping city and found his thoughts looking beyond the coming fight.

When this war ends, as it must, he knew deep inside, he would never be alone again.

All those he had helped, all those with whom he served and fought, walked beside him now and always.

And he was be proud to stand beside them.

A coward no more, now something more important...

He was a defender.

June 12th, 2007 - Skyway


The noise and chatter of the busy precinct wafted in through the open door of the temporary office. Kara sat atop the old worn desk, legs crossed as she typed away at her laptop. A stack of arrest files lay next to her half in and half out of several manila folders. Her friend and fellow hero sat across from her at an adjacent desk, leaning back in his creaky old office chair. Kara grinned to herself, it had been good to be back in Skyway with Bill and the others tonight, her first time since she had been rescued.

Bill's chair creaked and he sighed. She smirked to herself, she had been half listening to him sigh and procrastinate for more than a half an hour now. She knew what was coming, she just didn't know what form it would take this time. He looked up from the magazine he'd been reading in an attempt to distract himself from his usual writer's block. “Well how about that...We're part of the liberal media.”

Kara made a face but otherwise didn't take her attention off her computer screen. “We're like what now?” she winced to herself, she had answered before she could stop herself.

“We're part of the liberal media.”

“Says who?” Kara clicked her tongue as she tried to remain focused on her arrest report.

“Bill O'Reilly.”

Kara rolled her eyes and groaned softly “That man would so accuse his mother of being part of the liberal media if she said she didn't like his haircut.”

“How does criticizing a haircut make you part of the liberal media?” Wondered Bill.

“The same way being a superhero makes us part of the liberal media?”

“Bill O'Reilly's obvious insanity?” Tried Bill.

“There you go.” his friend smirked as she tried to concentrate on her arrest report, hoping in vain that this would settle it.

“Listen to this...” Bill grinned playfully at her.

“I don't want to, Bill; I'm trying to like actually work /here/... you see we so once again have these arrest reports to fill out...the police kinda appreciate when we do this, soooo helps them in court and it's like why they so let us hang out with them...”

“That's not just because we're fun people?”

“Evidently not.” Kara clicked her tongue in mild annoyance to Bill's usual procrastination. He was going full steam now, she realized.

“Just listen to this." He read from the article. " ‘It's alarming, how far this insipid liberalism has spread...’ ”

“Does O'Reilly even know what the word insipid means?” Kara smirked as she checked some facts from her stack of papers.

“My guess is no. I mean he is still struggling with the definition of liberalism...But I'm not done." Bill added before he began to read aloud once more. " ‘Even once-trustworthy, fair-minded heroes are bending to the pressures of their bosses' ideologies.’...”

“Is he like accidentally talking about himself?” Kara looked up at that last part though, her brow quirked. "and like what bosses?"

“Maybe. The jury's still out. ” Bill held up a gloved finger. "and he doesn't say but wait...There's more..."

“Of course there's more.” She shook her head. "Bill....your reports?"

“‘Sadly, it's not restricted to the mainstream media or politics anymore." Bill continued to read her the article " ' Even superheroes have decided to take sides, something noteworthy with the Freedom Phalanx, The Vindicators and more recently, Paragon City's host of spandex clad heroes and heroines...’”

“Statesman and Ms. Liberty are Liberals?" Kara half mused as she struggled to continue her typing.

Bill smiled and read "‘It's disappointing, of course, but not surprising, given that some of their most respected 'rising stars' are notorious liberal Democrats...’” Bill stopped quoting, blinking. “Being a Democrat makes you notorious now?”

“Like didn't you know?” She sighed shaking her head, He wasn't going to let this go.

“Indeed I did not.” Bill tried to sound all innocent.

“Good of O'Reilly to like set you straight, then.”

“I'm almost done. ‘...and one such example herself has been linked to certain leftist organizations.’” Bill smirked. “Do you think he means you?"

“I so have almost no doubt,” Kara said, semi-absently as she continued typing. "Though who knows what someone like O'Rielly thinks what a leftist organization might be?"

Bill continued “ ‘I had just hoped that maybe the other heroes she works with would stay fair...’ ”

“And balanced?” Kara added dryly.

“That's Fox New's thing." Bill quipped " We can't take their thing. Then not only would we be part of the liberal crowd and the leftist media but we'd be plagiarists.”

“Wouldn’t we like just be violating their copyright?” Kara sounded somewhat amused now.

“Well, yeah, but ‘copyright violator’ doesn’t have the same ring to it as ‘plagiarist.’” Bill chuckled.

“Right." Kara giggled a little, amused now "Why does Fox get that slogan, anyway? It's /so/ not even accurate.”

“Who needs accuracy? They're fair and balanced.” Bill smiled as he placed his boots up on the desk stretching out some.

“When compared to whom? Fidel Castro? Tyrant? Lord Recluse?” She said she she returned to her lap top screen to try and pick up where she had left off. Darn him, she thought to herself. He is like way too distracting tonight.

“Stop distracting me. I’m almost finished." Bill said as he smirked wryly as if he could read her thoughts> Kara just looked over at him with an incredulous look on her face as he continued. ‘...but those that often work beside of her have succumbed to the pressure her beliefs generate that surround them. It's unfortunate.’ ”

“Are you done?” Kara sighed and gave him the 'look', trying not to smile.

“Yes.” He said sheepishly.

“I drew two conclusions from O'Rielly's article." Bill looked up and canted his head as he listened to her "One, you fixate on random, meaningless pieces of information...”

“Everyone loves me because of that quality.” Bill added quickly.

“Everyone loves you in spite of that quality.” Kara corrected just as quickly.

Bill smirked as he raised a glove finger “But you concede that everyone loves me.”

Kara rolled her eyes and then continued. “And two, O'Reilly like talks a lot, but really says so little.”

“It's a certain talent, I feel.” Bill nodded.

From the half opened door Sapphire Rose poked her head in just then. “Hey, guys...”

“Guess what, Nancy. We're part of the liberal media now because /she/ is pressuring us” Bill told her as he pointed a half accusing finger towards Kara.

Nancy looked to Kara and as Bill watched. It was as if the two women communicated without saying a word. She then gave Kara a knowing smile and nodded as she entered the office with a file. “That's just fine, Bill. Benson needs you to look at this.” She handed him the file the Lead Agent had given her and shook her head to Kara before leaving.

“She didn't seem enthused or even the least bit concerned.” Bill said as he glanced at the coversheet of the file he had been handed.

“Probably like because no one cares but you,” Kara answered with a dismissive shrug. “That's so just a guess, though.”

“I happen to find this pretty exciting.” Bill mused further as he opened his new file.

“I noticed.” Kara smirked as she moved on to her next report.

“It means we've finally arrived.” Bill nodded.

“We're being called liberals, so...this means we've arrived?" Kara blinked and looked over to him "What would we be if we were being called conservative?”

“Hopefully dead and buried. Possibly insane. At the very least, incredibly sad. I know I would be. I just haven't had a good day unless I've corrupted a minimum of two people with my insipid liberalism.” He grinned at his friend. "I cave to all this pressure you are putting on me with your /certain/ beliefs you see"

“William?”

Bill winced a little as he heard her 'teacher' tone softly creep into her voice. "Yes?"

“Stop talking. SO start writing.”

“Hey, I think I can. Mocking O'Reilly has helped. Do you think he realizes he's a cure for my procrastination?” Bill asked innocently.

“Maybe that's why he’s like crazy all the time." Kara rolled her eyes and shook her head before adding dryly "Maybe it's really just all an act so he can help out people like you, Bill.”

“Nah...” Bill said as he opened his laptop, before adding with a definitive nod. "...He is just crazy"

Kara smirked to herself as her friend /finally/ began to fill out his arrest reports. She shook her head as she returned to her own work. Somehow it felt all right again, like she was truly letting herself come home.

Originally posted by the Nemesis Council Villianess Dark Thorn, Kara's Praetorian mirror

April 19th, 2007 - Firebase Zulu, Point Foxtrot

I'm going to die...

He could see that now as they approached..

It had been more than a half an hour since the last shots had been heard, since the....screaming... had stopped. The few remaining who had reached the forgotten tiny bunker, thought it was over. After the chaos, and the vicious struggle was it possible the rest of the company had rallied? Had the base been re-secured? Were the surviving Longbow Agents outside able to overcome them and drive the dead away?

The assault had been unbelievably fast, horrifically savage. It had come from behind, through the portal connecting their newly established base network to Earth. Such an attack was never planned for, no contingencies has been prepared. Nothing in their training has prepared the gate guards for an assault of unstoppable ravenous undead. Patrols that had been fanned out securing the perimeter from the native threats, the Rularuu stopped collectively in shock as they heard the horrible screams and panic fire over the comms.

Officers, used to receiving orders and rallying commands were soon left to their own devices as the voices from the command and control bunker were cut off. The survivors now sat huddled together checking and rechecking half empty clips and power cells. Sweat and fear filled the small compartment as ears strained desperately for the eerie never ending hiss of static to yield that comforting all clear signal...

He remembers thinking about rescue as he looked into the wild stares crouched around him.

We thought maybe we had won.

............We were wrong.

The southern patrols fell first. The teams of agents that had just set out to sweep the area clear of Rularuu just stopped broadcasting. It was as if they had been erased after announcing they were falling back to the command bunker. After that ....silence. Then it spread northward across the floating jungle towards the rest of the company. It was like a virus tearing through the body of a healthy host. Manchester's squad fell next and then Livingston's, They listened in horror as the Warden screamed out just who they were facing as he struggled for his life.

The Dead had come to the shard...

Soon the whole of the Midsection of the rock was silent. Agents fought valiantly to rally and coordinate, firing hundreds and hundreds of blazing rounds into the rampaging creatures. All of the fire seemed unbelievably ineffective, barely harming the creatures, missing them or just bouncing off. Frightening report of their unearthly green glow were yelled as if a warning to the dwindling numbers of their fellow agents. Each engagement yielded more garbled screams and silence as death swept her hand across the surface of the isolated island.

I am the last....

Me, Special Operations Agent Hanrahan. I was one of those who dealt death to the dead and had managed to flee the horror until now, all I could think about was my wife and son.

The survivors around me fired questions to each other, we could not, it seemed even tell how many of them there were. Several panicked reports came across the net confirming kills, yet the force of more than half a dozen always seemed to return shredding and devouring anything in their path. Some reports were even more outlandish. They spoke of ghosts and even and image of death in black following the dead in their wake as they reigned their judgement down on the hapless Agents.

We thought it was over...

I had been sent out on patrol, to scout. The silence and hiss of the static had ground everyone in that bunker's nerve raw. We had expected an attack right away but it hadn't come. The silence could mean the dead had left, or were overcome but the net was not yet reestablished. I was the best choice to go, the only special ops agent left. It was natural for me to scout out for the enemy. The Comm tower was an ideal position, It was safe, being off the ground and secure with an expansive view of the island. I maneuvered around the mass carnage silently, each sound causing my heart to beat faster. Bodies of one time friends and comrades lay tore and rended around me...

It had been a massacre...

If necessary I could hold out for days. I looked out across the terrain, a perfectly clear view of the island of blood that now hung silently in the sea of Orange. Almost as soon as I arrived I heard the fearful scream over the radio.

They had attacked.

While I was gone. While I could do nothing. As sat their in my hidden perch while they pleaded for help...for mercy..

The far off echos from the bunker's last defence accented the terrified survivor's broadcasts as they became became fewer and fewer. The last one was a frantic plea for help by Maria Jenner, He cringed helplessly as he listened to her hideous screams of terror and pain followed by a merciful gunshot.

Then static.

There was no one left....

There was no one left anywhere up here, I was the last...

The last human alive.....

How had we been beaten so soundly, highly trained and well seasoned Agents, we had been overrun so easily. Torn to pieces and eaten as if gazelle for a pride of hungry lions. It would've been funny had it not been so real...

I watched as they came for me. I saw them exit the bunker and rally to her, Their dark mother. They say death is never what you expect, I always thought that to be an old folk saying. Her physique was almost statuesque in its beauty. She moved with the grace of a panther on the prowl, elegant almost gliding as she approached her loyal guard. She looked up as if she had sensed one had escaped her eternal grasp. Our gazes meet, her warm smile send a shiver down my spine as if a flow of ice water had just cascaded over my skin.

She smiled at me and pointed. Her dead turned without hesitation and attacked the Comm tower. Their sheer strength threatened to tip the tower over as they tore and clawed at it. I watched her stride calmly behind them waving her hand casting her eerie glow around them to prevent my final rounds for doing any harm to her beloved dead. Their stench rose to overwhelm me as my fate became clear.

I was to be eaten alive. I could not conceive of a worse fate..

I sat calmly as their terrifying hissing and moans filled the air around me from below as the metal of the tower groaned and complained. I watched in horror as they lept up at me snarling viciously. I blinked and marveled at each unrelenting attempt, saved only by the fact there was little room for me, much less one of them to land beside me. My hands close around the grenades on my tac-vest.

I do not tremble. I was to commit one last valiant act. So that these [censored] bastards would not forget the prey that they had hunted to extinction up here. I wanted her to see, if she was to come for me, she would have to work for it still...

I stood up, grasping an HE to my chest in both hands tightly as I stepped to walked to the ledge. I saw Death nod her approval to me, her look full of mute respect as I pulled the pins.

I jumped to meet their raised, decaying outstretched claws below.

Her wondrous almost lovely laugh was the last thing I heard before the roar...

...then blissful darkness...

Originally posted by NPI Student Mega Juice

January 30th, 2005 - King's Row

Tyler stepped through the doorway of the small hotel, surveying the scene. Looking for any sign they may bave been there. He found one allright. In the form of a huge hole in the ceiling and burn marks everywhere. Some kinda fire had been started. Must've been one of the Crey or something. In any case, something big had happened. There were no bodies, but there were splotches of blood here and there. Not to mention the skull fragments he had found outside in the alleyway. Making his way up the stairs, he cautiously moved down the hallway when some sort of scent caught him by surprise. Following his nose, per se, he stepped into one of the rooms. The bed was mussed and there were footprints in the dust, everywhere. Except for the bathroom. The tub was spotless, as if recently used. Huddled in the corner was a small bottle of shampoo. Picking up the bottle he gently inhaled the contents.

Yup. It was hers allright.

He'd recognize that scent anywhere. Pouring a small amount into his hand he must've only missed them by a few hours. The shampoo hadn't begun to grow dry yet. This was the best sign so far, considering the comm he found in the trashcan was a useless lead. Tapping his chin in thought, he was suddenly alerted to the sound of a car pulling up outside. Slowly walking to the window, he spotted 2 black SUV's with several suited men and women stepping out of them. "Crey." he thought to himself. Must've came back for a second sweep. With a small grunt of frustration, he rushed to the back side of the building and climbed out of one of the windows, leaping about a block's worth in a Southernly direction. Landing with a small thud, he turned back to make sure he wasn't spotted. Seeing no one, he turned his head West.

"They couldn't have gotten far...I hope you're okay, Kara..." he muttered under his breath and leaped off of the roof.

===========

Originally posted by NPI Mentor/Security Expert Jack Garret

January 30th, 2005 - 'Boomtown'


The gunslinger rolled his eyes behind his shades as the girls made their valiant affirmations. “How… heroic,” he remarked, apathetically. “Naïve, and kinda pointless, but you definitely score for the heroism, I’ll give you that.”

He felt the slight tingle in the air as the Reynolds girl began to build. He gave a quick glance sideways at his sapper, who nodded in understanding and hefted his weapon. The ‘slinger turned back to face the girls – the Reynolds girl hovering just above the ground, the other a mass of dark stone; the girl’s body mostly hidden beneath the armor. ‘Pretty, both of them,’ he mused to himself. ‘Shame.’

He stood casually and addressed the pair, a light smirk on his face hidden behind the mask, his body not reflecting the honed readiness about him. “You have the right to remain silent. Should you choose to waive this right…” The girls had heard enough. They steeled themselves, let out a wild cry in unison, and leapt into action, charging for the smug [censored] in blue. Behind them, the Malta operatives began to move.

But the girls were beyond caring.

======

The Outcast slammed against the wall hard enough to bruise – and stayed there, pinned up against the crumbling plaster by the man’s fists balled up in his shirt.

“Where?!”
The Outcast’s voice came high-pitched and shaky, squirming under the man’s dreadful gaze. “I dunno man! I didn’t see [censored]!”
“Wrong answer!”

The masked man let go of the Outcast with one hand, reaching to his side and drawing a desert eagle from its holster almost faster than the eye could follow. He pinned it against the ganger’s thigh and squeezed the trigger, no hesitation. The Outcast cried out in pain, and the man relaxed his grip, letting the punk fall to the floor. A few of the other Outcasts tried seeing to their injured brother, but didn’t dare move, lest they be singled out.

The gunman turned to the next nearest Outcast, who took a few steps backwards as the man approached, handgun still held tightly in his fist. “Where. Did. The cowboy. Go?”

The brick shook his head frantically. “I-I can’t! If they find out, they’ll kill me!”

The ferocious intensity in the man’s eyes burrowed holes in the youth as he moved closer. He’d managed to follow them this far – he wasn’t going to let some uncooperative ganger stop him now. “You stupid sack of [censored] -- if you don’t tell me, I’ll [censored] kill you!” Without taking his eyes off the brick’s, he lifted the handgun to his side and squeezed on the trigger again, a bullet lodging itself in the already-wounded Outcast’s shoulder. The downed ganger cried out again.

“Okay okay! I saw ‘em!”

The man cocked his head to the side and smiled darkly behind the mask. “Better.”

======

20 feet.

Energy rippled waves in the air around Kara’s fists as she flew at him. A small cloud of dust billowed behind her as she hurtled on through the air, pushing herself hard. A singular thought raced through her mind: ’Not her, not because of me…’ The energy around her fists flared brighter as she bore harder towards the gunslinger. ‘Whatever happens… I won’t – CAN’T let them get her too.’

10 feet.

The stone gauntlets Rhuby wore steadily expanded as she closed in – veritable wrecking balls at the ends of her arms. She thundered cumbrously towards the gunslinger, matching Kara’s pace, her eyes fierce and locked on the ‘slinger’s shades; trying to bury through to the eyes beneath. She had to get Kara out of there. To do that, she’d have to go through him.

And she swore she’d knock that cocky smirk off the [censored]’s face as she went.

5 feet.

The gunslinger stood his ground, unflinching, his body beginning to faintly shimmer in blue. Almost casually, he reached to his side and drew his revolver; heavily customized, it was almost more a work of art than a weapon. Kara and Rhuby finally closed the distance. Drawing their arms back together, mirroring eachother, and with a simultaneous cry of effort, they slammed their fists into the ‘slinger’s body.

Or they would have, had he been there.

Overbalancing a little at the unexpected lack of resistance to their blows, Kara and Rhuby tumbled forward, passing through nothing more than a blue shimmering of the air. A familiar voice echoed from somewhere behind them. “…you will be shot, and stabbed with nasty things that just really don’t feel nice.”

Kara barely had time to spin around before the hum of the sapper’s equipment tore through the air. The beam hit her square in the chest. The flesh directly beneath the blast went numb almost instantly, as a feeling like fierce pins and needles raced through her body. The exhaustion set in quickly as the sapper’s rig did its job, fatigue flooding over her, rolling in waves from her chest. The energy she’d wrapped around herself dissipated. The cushion of air beneath her faded, dropping her to the ground. Her legs lost the will to keep her standing, and with a groan half born of the sickly sensation, half of sheer frustration, she sunk to her knees.

As the beam hit home, Rhuby pivoted on one foot and spun around, coming face-to-face with a Malta tac-op. Growling through clenched teeth as Kara dropped to the ground beside her, Rhuby launched a stone-covered right hook at the man in blue. "Bastards!" she spat the word as her fist made its arc. “Get AWAY from her!”

But her attack was no match for the tac-op’s skill. Deftly dodging sideways of the cumbrous blow, he brought his arm up in a vicious back-hand, jabbing the tazer in his fist into Rhuby’s neck. Crying out in pain and staggering back a step, Rhuby’s concentration on her stone-control slipped, and the armor fell to dust around her. Anger welling inside of her, she clenched her fist hard.

But the barrel of a gun pressed against her temple drew her attention.

The words came as an order. “Stay down.” She glanced up along the revolver’s arm only to meet the masked face of the gunslinger, before the tazer jabbed into her side again, dropping her beside Kara with a stifled cry. The tac-squad moved up to form a close ring around the girls. Two guns trained on Rhuby. One on Kara. And the sapper’s draining prod never left Kara’s back – maintaining the grip of fatigue on her.

The gunslinger gave a quiet nod of approval. “Clean. Alright, we’re homeward bound, boys. Get the dampeners set up on the Reynolds girl, and make her… travel-safe.”

One of the tac-ops spoke up. “What about this one?”

The ‘slinger regarded Rhuby a moment, absently waving his revolver side-to-side as he weighed things up, then finally just shrugged. “The briefing said she’s expendable. So… expend her.”

Rhuby’s eyes snapped open as the gunslinger spoke, ordering her execution, the words sending a bolt of dread through her. Cold, primal fear gripped at her heart as the realization sank in. Beside her, Kara shuddered against the sapper’s rig, drawing upon the last vestiges of her strength to let out a slurred, pitiful mockery of a scream. Rhuby glanced sideways at her as the sound rattled out: the look on Kara’s face made Rhuby’s pale.

“NO!” she cried out, desperation wracking her voice. She tried to lash out, adrenaline fuelling her. “You can’t t--AHH!” The now-all-too-familiar feel of the tazer in her spine jolted her body, cutting her protest short. The gunslinger lined his revolver up to Rhuby’s face and drew back the hammer in a meaningful way.

“Sweetie, it’s the same old deal: there’s the easy way, and the hard way. You either sit still, accept this, and I’ll make it quick. Or you can struggle and play up, and we’ll tazer you into oblivion and then cut you into, literally, bite-size pieces for your friend there. Which is the kinda thing that scars a girl for life.”

The gunslinger drew a field knife from its place at his belt and twirled it in his free hand, looking down at Rhuby. “Don’t make us do this the hard way. ‘cause that’s freaking disgusting. So sit quiet, alright?”

She clenched her jaw tightly, gritting her teeth and inwardly cursing through the pain. Tears leaked out of her eyes. She didn't want to die, but stronger than that came the need to know Kara would be safe, regardless of her own fate. "Just… let her go.. she hasn't done anything wrong. She doesn't deserve this…" Her words whimpered out, her nerves still shaking from the tazer's attack. Her heart raced, tears flowed, and her head sagged as the dreaded realization of it washed over her: in moments, she’d be little more than blood and matter on the pavement.

The gunslinger gave a sympathetic shrug as one of the tac-ops moved behind Kara to begin rigging up the dampening field. "Ours is a dirty business." He slipped the knife back into its sheath at his side, pinned the revolver against the top of her head, and traced the sign of the cross on his chest.

For Rhuby, time slowed to a crawl. Her life flashed before her eyes... and she came to realize how unfair it all was: she barely remembered her life. A few short months before the present, mixed with confusing pockets of the past… and now, ended, pointlessly. Expendable. The word echoed through her thoughts as reality began to fade away. She shook her head – mentally, at least – and forced the mind’s eye towards better times.

She thought back to happier times. She thought of Kara. And she thought of…

“Jack Garrett!” The gunslinger’s voice snapped her back to reality. The revolver was no longer pressed against her skull. She lifted her head and blinked furiously, trying to clear the tears from her eyes. The gunslinger’s pistol still wavered before her eyes, but his attention was drawn away from her. Through the haze of her vision, in the distance, she made out the outline of a man; alone.

From here, he looked like Malta, though his outfit was brown. The desperate hope rising in her knew better.

======

“Jack Garrett!” the gunslinger called. His voice kept its same confidence, but on the inside, his nerve was under attack. The operation had been so clean up to now. It wouldn’t – couldn’t be for much longer. A tac-op behind him radioed the newcomer’s intervention back to HQ. “Well, what a pleasant surprise.”

Jack slowly marched towards the group, across the rubble-strewn streets of Boomtown. His eyes blazed a cold anger as he scanned the group; assessing the situation. Kara, barely conscious. Rhuby, on her knees with a gun to her head. A sapper, three tac-ops, and their cowboy squad leader. His grip on the desert eagles in each hand tightened.

His voice was cold, dry and level, and he called out simply. “Let ‘em go, Corr.”

“Sorry Jack, no can-do. See, as unwanted as your arrival might be, we are so close to being done here that turning back now just seems… wasteful, y’know?”

Jack wasn’t impressed. “So just how do you plan to carry on with it?”

“Well,” the gunslinger called. “since I don’t really see you leaving us alone right now, we’ll probably have a bit of rough and tumble. Bullets, smoke, blood… usual mess. A bit of witty, scathing banter to start us off before the fighting starts, and we’ll toss in a moral crisis involving these two,” he waved the revolver over the downed forms of Kara and Rhuby “just for good show.”

Jack gave no reply. His march became a jog, which became a run, which became a kinetically-enhanced charge. A mental command initiated his cloaker, leaving him as little more than a rapidly-approaching shimmering of the air to the Malta operatives.

“Or, we could just skip the banter…” the gunslinger muttered under his breath, twirling the revolver in his hand. “A [censored] medal to the man that drops him! Check your crossfire!”

Two of the tac-ops quickly pulled their helmet-mounted thermals down and opened fire on the approaching heat signature. Jack weaved and twisted as he ran, side-stepping when he could, and constantly shifting his speed up and down; throwing off their ability to accurately compensate for the movement. The third tac-op didn’t bother with aiming, just laying down suppression fire, sweeping the area. Jack returned suppression of his own, unloading his clips as fast as he could towards the Malta operatives.

With a nod from the gunslinger, the sapper hauled Kara over his shoulder and hovered off the ground, backing off away from the group. The ‘slinger gave one glance towards the incoming… nothingness that was drawing the gunfire, before turning back to Rhuby and leveling his revolver once again at her head, his calm demeanor fragmenting with the action. “Before we were so rudely interrupted, I believe we were… here.”

“NO!” With a cry and a surge of desperate effort, the girl threw herself upwards.

He squeezed on the trigger. Rhuby screamed sharply. The bullet imbedded itself in…

‘…dirt?!’

Jack’s invisible form hurtled past the gunslinger, the blonde swept up in his arms as he ran – her body seemingly floating away from the Malta squad at speed. The tac-ops continued to rip bursts of lead towards him.

Marcus Corr, the gunslinger, let out a soft, frustrated growl. “You’re good, I’ll give you tha—“
“GRENADE!”

Corr swung his vision back from the fleeing shimmer just in time to see all three tac-ops hit the deck as the gifts Jack had left behind exploded. Instinctively, he covered his face and spun away from the explosion. But the force of the blast never came. Turning back quickly, he realized why.

The area began to fill with a sickly green cloud – a burning vapor intermingling with a thick black smoke. Before the smoke entirely obscured his sight, Corr saw his three-man tac-ops team scrambling away, coughing, wheezing and rubbing at their faces. Behind his airtight shades and respirator-covering mask, the gunslinger shook his head and ran from the cloud, following Jack’s path, revolver in hand.

======

Jack bolted away from the squad, kicking up furious amounts of dust and debris as he went. Rhuby looked more confused than anything, but held tight, not saying a word as the crumbled terrain of Boomtown whistled past. Jack’s back hurt like hell as he pounded on through the ruins, but he knew it could’ve been worse. He gave a silent thank-you to the creator of flak armor. Reaching the back corner of a derelict skyscraper, Jack made a quick turn, ducking behind the building – out of sight of the Malta squad. Wasting no time, he pumped his kinetics, gave a “Hold on” to Rhuby, then leapt upwards, climbing the skyscraper two storeys at a time.

Eventually, he reached a small cavity in the side, some twelve storeys up, and ducked inside. The building was apparently the rotten remains of an office block. It was damp, and mostly dark, and the smell of the place was less than pleasant. But it’d serve its purpose. Dashing a little deeper inside, Jack eventually set Rhuby down inside the ruined shell of a kitchen. Still cloaked, he gave a forceful “Stay here”, and then dashed back outside, not waiting for her response.

Clambering around the outside of the skyscraper, he took in the view. Hustling in from the distance came two of the tac-ops, the third a short ways behind, still rubbing at his eyes. A wink of blue light directly below him marked the passage of the gunslinger; apparently – hopefully – unaware of both his whereabouts, and Rhuby’s. To his left, Jack spotted the sapper slowly making his way over the rubble, hovering a foot off the ground with Kara over his shoulder. Jack narrowed his eyes and dropped silently from the side of the building, his kinetics rig dampening the fall. Quickly, but quietly, he made his way towards the sapper.

======

Fraser Johnson hovered as quickly as his rig would let him through the ruined streets of Boomtown. The Reynolds girl weighed heavily on his shoulder, her body little more than dead weight with the sapping gear doing its job. The op had gotten messy. The sound of the tac-squad’s firing had died away not long ago, somewhere back behind the ruins. He wasn’t sure if they were dead, or if they were just busy trying to find something to shoot at. One way or the other, he didn’t like it. He felt alone. Tentatively, he used his free hand to touch his comm piece, speaking quietly as he floated on, hugging the terrain.

“Uh… this is Johnson, just looking for a sit-rep, boys.”
There was silence for a moment, then a soft click. “Redmond here. Lost visual on the target. Proceeding to—“ a wheezing cough “to last known location, about, uh… 300 yards nor-easter of interception point. Nothin’ on your end?”

Johnson cast his gaze around warily, back pressed up against the outer wall of a skyscraper as he surveyed the 180.

“Nah, no sign. Thermal’s got nothing. Making my way to extraction with the booty on my shoulder. Could do with an escort here.”
“Roger that, we’ll move in on your position. Reynolds is our primary here. Keep movin’ – we’ll meet up.”
A new voice piped up. “Oh, and as for the booty?”
“Yeah?”
”Don’t ye be plunderin’ it, matey!” One or two more voices joined in with their own pirate quips, until the full squad was chuckling a little – tension still very-much evident in their voices.
“Yeah, yeah, [censored]… just shut up and get over here, ay-sap. Johnson out.”

The comm clicked off and he shook his head, smirking a little.

He died smiling.

======

Jack sent the rifle away in a shimmer of blue as the round tore through the sapper’s skull. The silenced shot meant the only real sound besides the wind, the hum of equipment, and the occasional Clockwork chattering, was the soft thud as the sapper fell to the ground and slumped forward, Kara falling heavily on top of the body. Jack vaulted the edge of the rooftop and landed with little noise as the dampeners kicked in. Moving quickly, he closed in on the body and lifted Kara up onto his own shoulder, offering a quiet “Shhh” as she groaned – her body still mightily wracked from the sapper’s gear, but slowly regaining its strength.

He spent a few short moments at work on the sapper’s body, and then took off again, back towards his makeshift safehouse. Hopefully, Rhuby would be the only one there to greet him.

======

“Mother [censored]…”

Two of the tac-ops moved up on Johnson’s fallen body, the third hanging back, eyes constantly scanning the surroundings; thermals pulled down. The second touched his comm.

“Sir, Johnson’s down. The girl’s nowhere in sight. Needless to say, neither’s Garrett.” He leaned over and craned his neck to inspect the body as the first operative lifted Johnson’s head a little. “Sniper round, straight through the head. Jeez… this thing must’ve torn right through the other side.”

The first tac-op rolled Johnson over, onto his back. And froze.

“Oh [censored]!”

As Johnson’s body rolled to the side, a string attached to the inside of his jacket pulled with him. The two men nearest barely had time to move before the mine exploded, blasting them yards away. The third operative hit the ground with a thud as fiery debris landed beside him. He frantically hit his comm.

“Sir, he rigged the [censored]’ body! Mother [censored]!” He glanced backwards. “Redmond and Harley are wasted. I’m… shook up, but I don’t think I’m hurt bad.” The comm was silent.

“…sir?”
A sigh through the comm, frustrated – almost a growl. “…let’s go home.”
“Sir?”
”The op’s [censored], Jimmy. We’re three men down outta five, we’ve lost both girls, and at the moment, it’s just us two waiting around to see who gets sniped in the head first by Captain Guerilla Warfare. We were working on bad intel, and three of our boys are dead for it. Someone’s got hell to pay, so right now, I feel like a word with that someone. And I’d prefer not to be shot in the face while I’m trying to do it. Move to extraction. And for [censored]’s sake, keep your eyes open.”
“Yessir.”

The boss was pissed. He didn’t argue.

======

Jack propped Kara up to sit with her back against the wall of the kitchen. She was steadily recovering from the sapping, but that numb feeling through the muscles always took a long time to fade. Rhuby knelt beside her, concern evident on her face as the girls’ fingers intertwined. At the moment, there was little to do but wait things out, here in the dim light.

“Rest up. We’re not movin’ until you’ve both got your strength back to somethin’ resembling normal. When we’re ready, you’re gonna fly outta here, and get to the Canyon. I’ll run escort as well as I can.”

A boom echoed through the empty streets as the sapper’s surprise made itself known.

“…and hopefully, that duty shouldn’t be too rough.”

Moving out a little, closer to the hole in the side of the building, Jack settled in against the remnants of a partitioning wall and shut the cloaker down, his gun resting in his hands – finger firmly wrapped around the trigger. He casually scanned what part of the terrain he could see for any sign of movement, but found none, and heard little. Pulling the cloth mask down around his neck and taking what seemed like his first real breath in days, he glanced sideways, back at the girls.

“So,” he offered quietly, his dry voice barely reflecting the light-heartedness in the words. “Miss me?”

January 29th, 2005 - King's Row

As the sun rose gently in the cold air od the morning The girls rose an began to move about the room. The chillng wind whipped around the old stone faces of the buildings around.

Below in the street, several forms moved out of the alley, their shimmerig white armor moved silently as the closed in on the ent to the flohouse.

A professional small 5 man containment team of 2 Cryo agents and 3 Crisis units of Crey Industries, began to close on the flophouse. Taking up positions their leader glaced back to the alley.

Within the Darkened Alley not yet privy to the raising warmth or shedding light of the sun, The Vigelante Agent placed his weapon to the back of the neck of a young man kneeling in the snow. The boy a paid informant for various criminal and hero sources in the area, the virtual eyes and ears for many a capo or cape now found himself facing the truest hazard of his choice in life.

In a quiet yet cold tone" If you are lying....if this Girl and her friend are not present.." he softly charged his pistol touching the comm to ear "Hit em hard and fast remember there are two of them...the tank is not a priority and is expendable. The Reynolds girl is to be taken intact...but defend yourselves....

Steeling himself "all go?" Pressing the gun to the informants head he listened as he heard five 'go's '

"we go in 3.....2......"

==================

Originally posted by the NPI Student Tomoya about the Character 'Rico Chavez'

He stepped out of the apartment and closed the door quietly behind him, a wide smile on his face. He turned to go down the stairs when he caught what he thought was a familiar scent. He looked up and down the hall and couldn't place where the scent actually came from. He shrugged and headed down the hallway to the stairs.

He heard them before he saw them, heavy footsteps were coming up the stairs towards him, sounded like at least three men to him. He peered down the stairwell, and caught a glimpse of a what was unmistakenly a Crey power tank. He frowned deeply and steeled himself for what was to come next. He summoned the fire he held within himself and launched himself over the railing.

He took the first walking tin can by surprise, and drove his hammer right through his faceplate, dropping him to the floor. The other two reacted faster then Rico expected and put him on the defensive. He hadn't fought against this configuration of Crey power armor yet and he was a little surprised at the speed augmentation.

Setting himself into a corner so he couldn't be flanked he began exchanging blows with the Crey, he was getting his [censored] kicked and he knew it, good thing he still had some tricks up his sleeve, a few choice words were enough to enrage both of the Crey and they pressed their attack. Rico took the oppurtunity to start the floor around them on fire. Seconds later the floor gave out and the three of them fell down a floor.

Rico landed hard on one of them and he heard a sickening yet satisfying crack as they made contact with the floor. He quickly got back to his feet and looked around for the other tin soldier. He found him quite quickly, or more aptly the goon found him. A sharp pain in his shoulder announced the return of the man, a burst of gunfire had come from above him. He looked up to see the man hanging from the ceiling by one hand with an automatic weapon in the other.

Rico tossed his hammer at the man and missed. He then reached behind him and pulled out a shotgun he'd been given to slay the undead on Striga. With a slight smile, and then another grunt of pain as the metalhead shot again, he returned fire with the holy shotgun, knocking the Crey from the roof and sending his weapon scattering away. Rico stepped up to the man and started pumping round after round into the armor, untill it finally buckled and the man went limp.

Rico slumped against the wall and let out what felt to be his first breath in eons. That fight was damn hard, much harder then what he had expected it to be when he went over the railing. He was shot, bleeding and had at least three cracked ribs. He hobbled over to his hammer picked it up and walked down the stairs. Water began pouring over him as the sprinklers went off to put out the fire he started, but he didn't seem to notice.

He exited onto the street only to see the bodies of two men dressed all in black, their head almost completly blown off. He glanced around looking to see what had happened to them, thinking better then to stick around and find out for sure, he hurried off down the street to the parkade, grabbed his bike, and rode off heading towards the institute.

====================

Originally posted by NPI Faculty memeber Natasha

Natasha smiled with glee as she watched the Crey team make for the door of the complex. She calmly lined up the cross hairs of her scope and squeezed the trigger. The Crey agent lurched foreward and dropped to his knees. followed by his head smacking against the concrete.

She took great satisfaction in knowing that it would take dental records to identify him. Years worth of practice allowed the Russian to gently swing the rifle around to the second agent, another gentle squeeze of the trigger sent the agent to the ground. "mmm... to easy." She began to move the crosshairs towards one of the armored men, just in time to see them scramble inside.

"Damnit..." She rolled away from the chimney and scrambled across the rooftop. The sniper rifle finding itself slung across her back. Natasha lept off the three story building landing with a thud on the ground behind the vigilante and his contact. She immediatly pulled out her TAC-9 pistol, delivering two shots to the back of their heads. "Damnable informants..."

She glanced up seeing Rico zip past on his bike and chuckled, "Hmmm... poor bastards probably didn't know what hit them." She calmly stepped over the bodies of the vigilante and his informant and slipped onto her own motorcycle. The engine hummed to life and she too zipped out into traffic leaving the carnage behind.

Natasha activated her personal comm unit, dialing up one of her own contacts, "What have you got Joey? -- no... what do you mean you don't know?! FIND THEM!"

She clicked off the unit, and continued to scream through traffic...

==============

"WHAT!" The Advisor nearly roared. Her waspish voice sharp and shrill making both the captian and Dr. Reyonlds flinch. "How? Thermals showed the girls in the room and unaware"

The Captian cleared his throat. "Our team apparently ran head first into a well orchastrated ambush....the tactics are not unknown to us. Clearly the girls had reached out to one of the security teams at the school. We do not know this new agents name, However the brief images we have from our encounters with her lead me to believe she was protecting the girls...."

The Advisor turned sharp eyes on the captian that seem to bore into his soul "And?"

"This agent...used a blocker who expertly eliminated our team as she removed the rear command structure. It was surgical in it's planning and preparation. " the Captian sighed "it is clear to me this woman and her partner are highly trained prehaps ex government...ours or the Russians...though i would not rule out the Chinese for the blocker." he sighed "They hit our team so fast they barely had time to respond as per their training....but Ma'am..." he began...

"Yes?" she hissed

"Perhaps we have under estimated the girls' resourcefulness...our back up team has found evidence that they used their teleporter friend again...and have dissapeared again. However one ....um..special agent may have a lead...but it is gonna cost us.."

"Pay it ...i want these two little bit..." She bit off her words with a brief sidelong glance to Dr. Reynolds then softer " Young ladies...our Kara and her 'friend' to get the treatment they so desperately deserve..." with a curt smile to Dr. Reynolds she began to walk off..."Hire them Captian!" and send some one out to find that Agent, this one who ambushed our team, the one you spoke off and have her killed for this atrocity!"

"Ma'am..you dont..." the captian began

"Kill her!"

"Yes Ma'am" as he moved to set things in motion, to set the agents required for this agent' death..he sighed. He had to admire her, pity she had to be killed and not recruited. The way she pulled off that ambush. She should be instructing his troops not being made a target.

As he picked the phone he glanced over at the good doctor once more hard at work going over his child's records and scans. Shaking his head the captian wondered how clueless this mans hatred had made him. Still though, he mused intersting tool for the hunt.

"Yes we would like to purchase your team for the hunt" he spoke into the phone"...usual rate plus 25 percent per operative...as discussed. Target live...secondary target expendable...what? ..how expendable? " He glanced over to the doctor who had not yet figured out what this Rhuby was to his daughter. Hell, he thought he would be doing her father a favor, softer so though the doctor couldnt hear him "The one named Rhuby is deemed a hazard to the mission and is deemed very expendable...terminated with extreme prejudice. 10 percent bonus to operative who pulls the trigger...no ..no thank /you/. " with that he hung up...

now to this sniper agent...why he may have to led that team himself...

===============================================

January 30th, 2005 - 'Boomtown'

She awoke shivering under the blankets that covered them, her clothes chilled to her skin, the fire in the drum beside where they had made their bed last night had burned down to embers. Gently she disentagled herself from Rhuby's arms eliciting the smallest of sleepy protests from her as she stood. The wind ripped through the open frames of the twisted skyscrapper they had taken refuge in high above the streets of the forgotten zone. The chill blew through her, causing her to increase the flow of energy with in her to raise the tolerace to the cold. Finally warm she scavanged up some lose wood and restocked the fire drum and with a brief burst of her energy she rekindled the fire to give Rhuby some warmth.

She watched her newfound love gently struggle with awakening, still amazed she had not abandoned her through all of this. Walking over to the edge of the jagged hole in the side of their building, she knelt looking over the ruined landscape.

It is like this is the place old skyscrappers had come to die, she mused opening Luci's old cell phone. Briefly leaving a voicemail to Tomoya that she was allright, she decided to call Caya or Cassie to let them know as well and stopped.

It was tough to explain she would later describe it as having someone walk over her grave....

Something was wrong, she could feel it. With a look she shared this with Rhuby, the pair quickly broke camp. Hastley but with an efficiency only learned by experience when on the run they were again on the move. Electng not to fly other wise givng off a clear target they made their way down the ruined stairwell cautiously and without sound.

Slowly and with as much expertise as the could muster the exited the ruined building as the air around them was fill with the smell of ozone as a spark gun was fired. Rhuby duck and swung to the side as a charred spot appeared along the wall where her head had been. Kara swung dropping her pack to free her arms.

As one the girls reacted, stone armor wraped with speed around Rhuby's form as she stood back to back with Kara who generated a protective air current around herself to hover off the ground. only to freeze as their targets stood in a pentagon shaped formation around the pair.

"Omigosh!..../No/" Kara breathed...she recognized the Armor having had faced them once before whil training with Jack Garrett, one of the security experts at the school. She had quickly learned then the lethality of these highly trained mercenaries.

"What? Who are these bastards?" Rhuby hissed ready for battle.

"Malta" Kara breathed, her blood running cool, knowing these highly trained mercenaries were way out of the girls league.

"Kara Reynolds...you are coming with us " annouced the Gunslinger before them "No questions...obey!"

To their right the Sapper prepared himself as the 3 man tac ops team settled into a cross fire on the girls with practiced ease.

Steeling herself she could see Rhuby had guesed the danger level now merely by the look on Kara's face.

Swallowing Kara turned to her and asked one word knowing it was a request only Rhuby could answer.."Together?" looking back at the Malta operatives..waiting for Rhuby's response.

Smirking Rhuby sized up the situation and answered merely but firmly..

"always"

Stealing herself, afraid but knowing there was no way to run...

"Then ....here we go"

When they moved, they moved as one towards the killers dressed black.

The battle had begun...

June 9th, 2007 -Talos

The moon hung low over the sleeping city, it's pale light graced across the dark sands of a lonely beach. It's grains reflecting a crystal white glow that illuminated the soft dark silhouette of a woman that moved across its gentle surface. Her form twisted and flowed with an almost supernatural grace to an unheard melody. Her arms swept through the night air in elegant arcs about her body, as her mane of soft black hair danced in the evening's breeze. Her grace battled with a hidden dark for control of her thoughts as she performed beneath the silent stars...

Dance...

Dance to forget.

Dance to remember.

She just wanted to dance...and dance.

She never wanted to do anything but dance.

To merge her soul so into the rhythm,

To so allow her body to /be/ the music

That everything became nothing.

Dance to get rid of the pain.

Dance to get rid of the fear.

Dance just to dance.

To soar...to Fly

She wishes she could dance like she use to.

She wishes she could just dance without the memories becoming her thoughts.

She wishes she could dance and see her father smile.

Dance for the past.

Dance for the future.

Dance for the now.

So much had changed, and she wishes she could just forget.

Not to be broken.

Not to remember breaking.

She wanted to dance to keep herself from fading away.

Dance for the now.

Dance for the future.

Dance for the past.

Dance just to dance.

Dance to get rid of the fear.

Dance to get rid of the pain.

Dance to remember.

Dance to forget.

Dance...

All she ever wanted was to dance...

And she did.

She danced by the bay, her body gliding across the sand.

She danced for her father, and she danced for her family,

She stretched high into the night sky,

Reaching for a dream,

as she danced for /her/.

Her eyes drew closed as she became her dance...

It was all she ever wanted...

...A soft electronic chirp, the most delicate of electronic sounds interrupted her dance. With a sigh she paused and held herself en pointe high in the sand as she listened, knowing her interlude had come to an end. The resignation and acceptance that gently filled her voice was soon replaced with determination and resolve.

Her response was immediate.

She took to the night sky with the simple grace of a falcon taking flight. Turning towards the distant cry of the sirens that now tore through the peace of the night, she knew one dance had just ended for Kara Reynolds...

...another dance, a more important one was soon to begin as The Valiant Dazzling Diamond.

Called yet again to give a command performance.

December 5th, 2006 - Firebase Zulu

It was late, the warm but oddly chilled wind whipped about just outside. Its oddly shifting bursts carressing and rattling the metal walls of the bunker that served as the expeditionary force's officers club. The young heroine recrossed her legs as she shifted on her barstool, the last page of her rather long report sat before her as she listened to the howl of the wind.

Kara sighed she loathed the so called 'after action' reports that Lieutenant Cutler insisted she write up by hand. The arrogant turnip had never lost his over indulgent martinette style of leadership. The other 'Outlaws', the Ranger platoon he led that she patroled with could not stand the brash young man.

Kara chuckled softly at the many jokes she had heard the men say about him. She sighed he was a good officer in the field just a jerk of a human being out of it. She had been struggling for over and hour or so now to complete this report so that she could return home. It had been a long week, very busy she missed talking with Rhu, and her friends, spending time with Phil, everything. To make matters worse, though she had come to the 'O Club' to quietly work on her paperwork, it had been anything but quiet here.

Three loud officers had come in just before her and had been 'relaxing' and chatting up a storm. Older men all, a Colonel and two Majors she knew by name and reputation as loud and opinionanted at least politely greeted her as she entered. The one Major had made her skin crawl a little as she felt his eyes 'admire' her in her costume as they 'gracisously' allowed her to join them in the club. She had gone right to work on her paperwork and soon she was forgotten as the bragging and 'guy' discussions continued.

Try as she might she had a hard time tuning out most of their talk. She grinned amused at times and shocked as they lamented and shared tales and jokes on many subjects. Wives, Mother in laws, current politics, gays and women serving in the militaries. The last stunned her how openly prejudiced they were when they thought no one was around to challenge them.

She sighed and inwardly rolled her eyes as the one major who had been checking her out ammended their talk about women in the military by adding a wink in her direction saying 'Present very lovely company excluded ofcourse'

Kara had looked up from her paperwork and smiled her ever sweet smile and merely added "Why Thank you" which apparently became and endorsement for them to continue on as if she was not even there.
Eventually as they droned on, she completed her work and smiled as she watched 'Top' enter the bar.

Unusual for an Non Commisioned officer to be here unless he or she were looking for someone. Kara smirked Captian Davis had to have sent him, it meant Lt. Cutler was in a hurry to get his paperwork. Top spotted the young heroine and made his way over only to stop as the oldier officer's discussion switched to the subject of their own sons.

Uneen by the trio of officers Top merely crossed his arms and waited to be acknowledged before continuing on to her. Kara quirked a curious brow and sipped her Sprite as she waited.

“My son, Kenneth is working for Dell Computers. He’s developing all this software and helping them get so rich, they’re basically about to monopolizing the market! I haven’t heard from him in awhile but he must be doing well ‘cuz last time the wife told me, he just got a new computer with DSL for a friend of his,” said Major Iverson, her lecherous admirer as he took a sip of his drink. Kara shook her head and thought poor woman.

Colonel Jurgens the leader of the pack smirked and announced “That’s nothing! My son, Joe, is researching for Crey Pharmecuticels. He’s made all sorts of scientific breakthroughs and found cures for diseases and such." the barrel chested officer proudly thumped his own chest "Why He’s really bringing in the money. Of course I haven’t heard from him in awhile, but my wife said, he must be doing well because last time he said he got an expensive big-screen TV for a friend of his just the other night!” his grin was enormous as he slurped down some of his beer.

“Well my son," chuckled Major Shepard, " Conner, is this big time song writer now. Everyone loves his work and his songs are topping the charts! He’s got to be making tons of money off of the artist's CD's because last time I called him, why he told me he brought a brand new luxury car for a friend of his,”

Just as all of the proud poppas were laughing and began to order another round Top, apparently growing tired of waiting to be seen, stepped up to the bar beside of Kara, she was grateful to see the grisled top sergant. "Colonel, Majors" he nodded formerally then turned to her, his tone softer "Arty...the captian needs to see you".

“First Sergant” the Colonel bellowed still in proud spirits. "What brings you to the more 'civilized' neck of officer country this eve?"

"Come to take away our lovely heroine, Top" Major Iverson added his eyes once more traveling along the outlines of her white costume. Ugh!, Kara thought as she shifted uncomfortably. Yick!

Top smirked and Kara could swear he had swallowed his usual muttering about 'slumming it' whenever a jerk of an officer said something like that to the old veteran.

"Evening sir, and yes I am afraid so, " He smiled thinly "Having a good night sirs?"

The three nodded as the Colonel asked. “Why yes!, We were just talking about our successful sons. You have a boy about our sons ages dont you Top?" He motioned grandly to the young private tending bar. "Here Top join us in a drink to our sons"

" Oh? What’s your son been up to lately?” asked Major Iverson as Top ordered a whiskey.

“Well sir, my son, Tommy...is gay,” smirked Top as he accepted his drink. Kara paused as she cleaned up casting a glance to the older sergant.

“Oh, Sweet Jesus” said Major Iverson "Christ Top ...I'm sorry" The other two officers glanced uncomfortably into their drinks.

“No, no! There’s nothing wrong with it." Top said as he swirled his drink " It’s actually pretty good that he is gay.”

”Why would you say that?” asked Major Shepard. The other two officers mutely stared at the old sergant.

“Well sir...[censored] the boy sure knows how to [censored] pick the right boyfriends." Top took a small sip of his whiskey and chuckled a small chuckle " Yep the boy's last few boyfriends gave him a brand new computer with DSL, an [censored] huge expensive big-screen TV, and a brand new luxury car.”

The other dads jaws droped and they stood there in pale shock as still as a photograph. Kara could barely contain her growing giggles.

“Yep,” Top said slamming down his whiskey all at once and tossing the glass to the young private who was also now grinning like an idiot, “Everything seems to be outstanding sirs.”

Top then turned to Kara with an even face yet an amused predatory glint in his eye "Ready Arty?"

Kara bit her bottom lip tightly as her shoulders shook a bit, she found her could only nod and follow him out as he turned to go.

"Evening sirs" Top said over his shoulder as he walked out into the wind. Kara turned to secure the club's door and turned to face him speechless.

Top eyed her a moment and a small grin quirked across his grizzled features "Let's go Arty! Captian Davis is awatin' "

Top turned to walk down the metal grating towards the barracks, he allowed himself a small inward chuckle as the young girl followed him trying to cover her giggles....

....."Officers"

January 28th,2005 - King's Row

The musty stale air of the flophouse room contrasted heavily with the sweet smell of the shampoo as she dried her hair off. Her second shower of the day. Her ill fitting clothes were atleast clean, her second pair of the day, the first having been trashed in the sewer when she and Rhuby had left the hotel in Skyway. Jason, a mutant she had once rescued from the 5th Column had been more than happy to teleport the pair straight to the sewer beneath the hotel then to a cab stand.

Once Saftly away The girls left Jason in the cab and walked through the forgotten neighborhoods of Kings Row. Rhuby knew of an old flopshouse and soon they were inside again as the sun began to set. Trading off on the showers, Rhuby had just gone out for food and something for the pounding headache Kara could feel ripping through her. Her bruises though starting to heal were still sore and her body ached.

Flicking on the television she watched through the shaky screen a brief news blurb of her and Rhuby freeing a suburb last night from some Rikti attempting to poison them or something. It was a risk but Steve , her contact was desperate. She began to brush her hair wondering how Maz was and if he was allright. She wonder how her friends at the school were and if they too were safe....

"Well no Crey today so far..." she grinned slightly .."Rhuby has tossed them for loop at this low tech dodge..." she glanced out at the lights of the Row as they began to light up, and waited for Rhuby to return.

==============================

Hours earlier and moments after their unseen departure a single black minivan arrived in front of the Hotel in Skyway. From the passenger side stepped a sharp dressed woman in an over coat, intense in her stance as she glanced up along the front of the hotel. She was extremely irritated. Her containment teams had been sent to another project in dire need and her budget cut for this search. This mutant brat had already been a difficult capture in the beginning when she had the firepower. She had complained the risk of her men to her captian, yet all he would say is that the advisor had been clear, most of their assets were being reassigned yet the Reynolds brat was to be brought in. She shook her hea dnad checked her faux PCPD ID card, grinning how easier it would be to collect info if her interviewees thought she was a mere detective.

"Sheep" she muttered..

The side door disgourge three more men in black suits and overcoats. One took a position int he front of the van another the rear , as the third and the woman entered the hotel to walk tot he desk....

Holding his hand to his earpiece the driver began to relay their status to their unseen overseers. Glancing to and fro across the street andits crowd searching , while awaiting the pair to come back outside...

He smirked, they had to be close this time...it was just two young girls. Only a matter of time now.

==========================

originally posted by NPI falculty member Natasha

Natasha snapped off her thermal vision and slipped out of the ventelation shaft. She then proceeded to glide down the fire escape. As she came to the second story, she flipped over the railing, landing on the concrete with a slight thump. The woman quickly wrapped her rifle up into the blanket, and then hopped on her bike.

She glances up and down the street one last time, and then zips out into traffic, "Where would they have gone..." She slips her comm over to the cellular frequency and makes a call. "Joey... Natasha. No, I'm not calling about the money. Have your boys been doing their job? Good." She zips between two cars, the speedometer pushing seventy five miles per hour. "Really? I'm already there."

The Ducatti engine began to protest as Natasha screamed through the tunnels of Paragon. She glanced down at the tacometer, and backed the engine off slightly. The machine ripped through traffic pushing close to one hundred and ten miles per hour. The woman emerged from the tunnel with a roar, and gained air as she sailed down the Kings Row off-ramp. A few quick turns through back alleys brought her to the flop-house.

Quickly the Russian stashes her motorcycle, then scrambles up the heavy drainpipe of the building across the way. Natasha glances around again, then activates her cloaking device. "Too easy... but if I can do it, they can do it." She quickly unrolled her weapon, and took up a position in the shadows of a chimney. "Just a matter of time," she thought to herself...

Originally posted by NPI Student Rhuby Quartz

Janurary 27, 2005 - Atlas Park


She felt so funny in that stupid red wig, but the point was to try and look as unlike herself as possible. Rhuby landed in Atlas Plaza...She was here only to see Antonio Nash. Luci would have left her old cell phone and comm with him for Rhuby to collect now that Kara's cell and comm were dangerous to her and Rhuby knew, her own would soon be as well. Rhuby moved through the building as casual as a paranoid person possibly could. Any single one of these people could be working for crey. She spoke briefly with Mr. Nash, collecting what she came for and left just as casually. Her eyes were alert, half-expecting to be jumped or arrested on the spot for some [censored] crime the crey would have fabricated. She was lucky this time though.

On her way out of Altas Park, she picked up food for her and kara, dropping off her comm device in a trash can not far from the Atlas Hotel. If they would try and track her, it would lead them far away from where they were actually staying. Flying high and avoiding trams and tunnels, she was able to make her way back to Skyway, hopefully unseen. She slipped back into their hotel room through the window, their exit for choice for now to find Kara still asleep. Rhuby smiled, setting down their food and laying Luci's old cell and comm on the nightstand before turning off her own cell. She would keep it merely for an emergency... She was taking no chances with this, not with Kara.

Rhuby pulled off the short, red wig and fluffed out her long, blonde hair.. sliding onto the bed beside Kara. Her fingers delicated traced the dark bruise across the apple of Kara's cheek.. causing her to stir in discomfort. Rhuby sighed and laid down beside her.. pushing her unrulely bed hair aside and smiled as her eyes met Kara's.

"I brought you a Sprite.. and some Chinese. We should eat and shower.. and get out of here soon..We can't stay anywhere for too long.."

============
============

Originally posted by NPI Faculty Member Natasha

Natasha leaned against the side of the building, across the street from the hotel. She lit a cigarette and stood there, letting the smoke billow out into the cold air. Her Ducatti was stowed next to a dumpster out of sight.

"You shouldn't be doing this. You've retired," she thought to herself. "You're a kindergarten teacher for crying out loud." She waved the though aside. The TAC-9 automatic pistol strapped to her thigh didn't seem to bother her one bit, infact, it was rather comforting. Almost a part of her.

Natasha flicked the butt into a small drift of snow, and continued to watch the building. "I hate stake outs, so dull." A quick glance up and down the street revealed nothing. Apparently Crey wasn't quite up to par on tracking their targets. "Oh well, might as well find a better observation point."

The Russian walked back to her bike, picking up a rolled blanket. She began her way up the fire escape glancing back at the doors of the hotel. As she crested the roof line, she glanced over the area, more out of habbit than anything. Her eyes settled on a mass of duct work. "Perfect." She wandered over to the intake shaft, and pulled the grating off with little effort. She then slid her small body into the duct work, and unrolled the blanket, pulling out a long rifle with a very large scope.

"Hmmm... let me see..." she pulled out a clip and jammed it into the rifle, and racked a round. She proceeded to sight in on the building, occasionally scoping the sidewalk, looking for anyone that appeared suspicious. "I hope they're dumb enough to show up... kindergarten is so boring..."

January 26th, 2005 - Brickstown


She leaned against the chipped and scored metal surface of the metal wall. Her shoulder was on fire and her face hurt. She hurt all over, the last battle was more fierce than any of the others she had been fighting all afternoon.

Warehouses, offices and now this lab. Every mission seemed to hold nothing but Crey. Even those her contacts swore were not Crey oriented held a Crey ambush for her. It was if the whole company was after her, each battle seemed to puch her further away from galaxy. So even after the fierce beating she took this afternoon before the Hospital's porter kicked in she decided to take the fight to them.

Gordon Stacey, Steven every contact she knew that had clues and mission versus the Crey she accepted. She knew this had to do with her father, but he was so new ...how could he have this much pull to mass such a force against her. She shook her head horribly confused, she was afraid to even call for help, Now the Crey were after Mazin. It was as if they had declared war on NPI.

The heavy thud of the security door slamming down pushed through her fog followed by the lab alarms her attack had caused. Drawing a breath she stood upright allowing the cushion of air to encircle her and moved down to the door to bring these crey to custody atleast...

=========================

=========================

Meanwhile....

The stainless steel floor and walls of the lab surrounding Dr. Reynolds and his Project Advisor echoed the boots of the Approaching Crey Officer.

"Sir, Doctor..field teams report loss of signal" Pulling uncomfortably at his uniform collar he continued under the hawk like stare of the advisor. "The signal went dead in Talos near Ithaca island....the girl's cell phone has gone dormant. She has reached the other one apparently"

Frowning "Other one?" Dr. Reynolds asked

"Her gi.." began the Officer before the tight voice of the Advisor interupted him

"The Statistics on todays fiasco Captian?"

Fidgeting a bit "well as you know Ma'am the target went rogue and turned on us after the first three tries yielded us 14 of 26 men injuried or in Police custody , Crey holding Property damage then was minimal..but then she began striking all over Founder's falls...sending some 40 agents to Jail the hospital or both following that 7 raids including three labs, several dozen security and researchers have been hospitalized and millions of dollars worth of damage has been done"

"Have the police issue a warrent like the other 'project'...is there a problem Captian?"

Confused and frightened for his daughter as he listened, clearly Kara had gone mad with mutant absorbation..

"Actually there is Ma'am, each strike of hers was guided by an anonimous street contact...each yield possible legal difficulties for us. As sch she was acting as an agent for the police....she cant be charged. and with the other situation with the Mazin boy also costing us resources..."

The advisor waves a leather gloved hand sharply "Fine...he is the priority currently. Allow our project to lend a hand with that. We will just have to be a bit more creative to assist Dr. Reynolds in assisting us aid his charming daughter....right Doctor?" back to the officer "Besides the cadre we have at their building should be enough of a presence to keep her away from that /school/...."

Swallowing but nodding quickly "Yes..yes ofcourse...anything to help her"

"Dismissed Captian issue the orders..." the advisor then added "then come see me...perhaps a different kind of search will show our elusive ms. Reynolds.."

Sweating dispite the controlled envirment William Reynolds returned to his daughter medical scans and meager tissue samples the Crey had provided for him and began to work to save his daghter

January 25th, 2005 - Galaxy City, New Porter Institute

The wind howled beyond the thick panes of the NPI building. Winter clawed at the glass seperating her from the elements as she walked down the hall towards the dorms. Exhaustion and worry creeped into her limbs as she knocked on Rhuby's door causing it to open slightly. Smiling a bit she entered the dark room.

Her entrance failed to awaken Rhuby who lay asleep upon her bed, Sighing a bit she leaned on the back of the desk chair as she watched this person who was becoming so very special to her, sleep for a bit. She had begun to tell Rhuby about her father tonight as well as his new 'job' with the Crey....and Rhuby had begun to tell her about Jack..

Jack was gone...something about Mazin and Cassie. The last Kara wanted /no/ part of, she thought as she removed her gloves. She tried to wrap her mind around Jack being angry at Cassie of flirting or something about spanking by Maz /after/ Jack dumped her. She sighed feeling sorry for Cassandra and for Jack, he always seemed to sabotage himself each time he was happy. She also knew Cassie had to have gotten hurt...her thoughts went briefly to Ravon before she forced them away. She /so/ didnt want to think about him right now.

Laying her gloves atop the desk she looked back to Rhuby's sleeping form, now Rhuby also said she wanted to talk..She sighed still worried about the talk. Unclasping her cape she draped it over the chair and moved over to the bed to lie down. Curling up next to Rhuby she draped her arm over her as she could feel her exhaustion begin to give way to sleep.

She thought of her journal but Mr. Bear would have to wait until tomorrow as Rhuby and she snuggled close and comfort dragged her down into dreams....

======================================

Out within the bitter cold, eyes set for may different ways to scope and observe remained vigilant. A lone figure crouched still amongst the chilled shadows of a nearby building..he keyed his mic.

"Target is Dormant....returning to base"

January 24th, 2005 - Brickstown, Crey Lab 0073

He stood there in mute shock at the ruins around him on shaky legs. The fire alarms and halogen systems sprayed and whirled around him with almost a surreal like quality. He stumbled in shock induced fog as he attempted to navigate through the ruined landing bay. Looking down he saw the crumpled armored forms of two cryo agents who were among the men who arrived he was told, to escort his daughter to her new room...

She tried to hold on to him...telling him not to fear....as he tried to reassure her these ...guards ...soldiers..were here to help her....to help him help her....

The she turned bright white and the bay ripped into a massive explosion...the secondary blasts from the fuel cells knocked him from her. How could she do this?

Did she kill these people..was she the caged animal they warned him to expect...drunk on her new power. The media here seemed to like her...but the Priject Leader had shown him the files of her repeated thefts throughout the city,

Oh Kara....i have to help you , he thought as he tried to overcomb the numbness that surrounded him...

This is not the life for you, he looked across the bay towards the skyline of Paragon at night. Im here to help you baby...

"Dr. Reynolds!...sir are you allright!?" The filered voice of one of the guards asked him. He looked above to the control room window to see the Project leader motion for him to come up.

Glancing back to the line of retreat his Daughter had taken only once he decided she needed his help.

He turned his back to her once....

Never again, he would find a cure for her.

He would make it all right, as any Dad should...

Hello again! It's me D! Encouraged by the responses I've gotten here, I thought I would begin to share the main ongoing SL for my main Diamond that has been running for some time now. its still an open ended ongoing SL for the Templars and their allies for any who wish to join it on our boards. It has yeilded some great entries from other Templars and our allies as well.

The story even predates the Templars, taking place back when our SG was known as the New Porter Institute, a school for mutants ranging from grade school up to College level courses. Anyways enough of my yammering. I hope you enjoy these too! This arc has been one of my favorites to play through as well, for it is still going...

Janurary 23rd, 2005 - Dark Astoria

>>> ...mission log time, survaliance 1BD - Dark Astoria - 22JAN05 - 2205:07.08.09...<<<

(Screen split into sections top two sections show the POV of two ground agents observing a location from two very different angles under concealment. The third appears to be and Airel POV of the surrounding target area the images all distort slightly as a young woman exits the building cautiously)


Field Agent AEX-11 : Copy again, say again Copy again Subject reaquired

Field Agent VIG-21B : Confirmed Reaquirement....Subect is now out side the office complex, she must have deduced this is a trap. It seems we have lost our little pink bathing suit for our real 'costume' again,

Field Agent AEX-11 : Back to buissness ...she may be on to the set up

Field Agent VIG-21B : At this point with this subject anything is possible... if we are blown reccomend primary team cancelation and go for the direct containment and extraction, Falcon do you have visual on you screen.

Field Agent AEX-12 : Confirmed on screen..Stand by on Primary Team ...REPEAT Primary Team, and Primary team only. Primary Team arrival E.T.A . in 3 mins. ..please acknowledge

Field Agent AEX-11 : Acknowledged

Field Agent VIG-21B : Acknowledged

(Muffled mic noises 1st voice is Field Agent AEX-12 and his pilot) They....vectored...to er....be a nice little surprise for the little honey.

(Pilot's voice) She really got them riled up didnt she?

(Field Agent) Heh , you could say that..i love this approach, i'll bet not a single shot is fired and she never sees it coming..

(Pilots voice laughing) Heh... Dig a hole eh?

(field agent) Exactly....


>>> ...mission log time, survaliance 1BD - Dark Astoria - 22JAN05 - 2209:57.58.59...<<<


The wind blew up and around her legs fluttering her cape as she stepped out into the cold. Her body adjusting its temperature automatically to the biting cold. Her breathing measured and controlled, she had this very same feeling once long ago when she had been invited to speak at the Star Trek convention. This had to be either the Crey or the Council, and she knew the ambush would be coming as soon ashe steped from the door way. With a audible puff she generated the cushion of air beneath her bringing her body to a hover, ready to simply launch into the sky should the forces be too overwhelming...

Gently as a whisper over the blown drifting snow atop the dock Kara slided slowly through the air. Her arms tense as their soft Blue pulses runs over the skin of her forearms. Her sense awake and alert as the soft scuff of a shoe across the pavement becomes an artic camo covered Crey Cryo Tank agent. Taking a knee he or was it a she she coul never tell, drew a bead on her. One turned into two as from behind yet another agent of the cryo Tank force appreared. She smiled I still can get them before they get me.

*Crack* - aburptly two doors on either side of the alley opened as a team of Crey's Chief Cryo Scientists appeared. This force surrounding her, it would sting but she could take them. The hum of her impending dischage began to build. She smirked as she watched the tanks ready themselves. They had faced heroes before. The scientist team appeared less worried..so they go down in a group shot.

She readied for battle, prepared to fight yet one more battle as she had since the ivasion. Until the voice....the impossible voice..

"Kara?"

Her heart droze and she paused, her body shivered she knew this voice as well as her own. It was the last voice she ever thought she would hear here in this frozen abandoned part of Dark Astoria. A voice that once provided comfort and protection from the very monsters that now prowled the back alleys, whom could still be heard in their shuffling and growls A voice who had once turned a deaf ear to her, leaving her to face the streets of Paragon alone.....that left her vunerable to that night of horror in the warehouse. The night that had all but destroyed her inside.

The only voice she would dream about hearing and yet knew she would never hear it again....or atleast /this/ tone..soft , understanding, reaching out to her.

Turning she watched as he stepped from behind the group of Crey researchers. He looked very haggard as he tenativley approached her. Her heels clicked on the ground as she landed her eyes never leaving his. She barely noticed that the comm has slowly dissolved to static then calm silence as the jammer worked its magic from above.

"Kara it's me baby" his tone smooth and soothing

Her eyes reflexively wandered to the white id badge from Crey industries..Dr. William Reynolds Cardiology..Looking up she offered a weak smile ...

"Daddy?"

"Yes baby.." he smiled warmly "Please...im so sorry baby. Please im here to help you...."

With that she hesitantly reached out to take his hand....


>>> ...mission log time, survaliance 1BD - Dark Astoria - 22JAN05 - 2219:37.38.39...<<<

(Muffled mic noises 1st voice is Field Agent AEX-12 and his pilot)

Field Agent AEX-12 - Like fish and barrel ,The price we paid for her information paid off nicely.

(Pilot's voice) Wow you called it...not one shot....

(Field Agent) I do love this approach, even if she wanted too...she would wind up just hurting daddy, crey newest funded researcher...hehe a a dream of funded research to cure his daughter?

(Pilots voice laughing) Heh... a cure huh?

(field agent) Exactly.... as cured as any Paragon Protecor...ready made. Her Papa is gonna help us restoke the program she just helped the other two dismantle. <chuckles> Ok Ok Daddy is waving us down..>Central we have extraction!....ETA main facilty...10 minutes. Subject is cooperative...repeat cooperative.

(Central voice) Acknowledged Flyer....subject cooperative...containment teams ready upon arrival, be sure subject 's father is clear and not subject to injury wil be required for control of specimin for duration of project......be advised

(field agent) Advised and understood....okay lets go get her..



>>> ...mission log time, survaliance 1BD - Dark Astoria - 22JAN05 - 2209:57.58.59...<<<

May 8th, 2007 - Skyway


“Diamond, Guardian Star, if it’s at all possible to squeeze into your busy schedule, could you possibly come to my briefing?”

The Precincts Lead Agent ’s voice rang through the 'bullpen' as the aforementioned heroes rose from the desk where they had been finishing their reports.

“She said you were cute?” Kara began as Bill smiled at her.

“She did indeed, my friend. I’m cute as a button, according to certain members of the female persuasion.” Kara shook her head as they began to make their way to the conference room, knowing if they didn’t, Russell Benson would send in a pack of wild horses to drag them out. The Lead Agent had been an retired Army Sergeant Major and didn't take to procrastination.

“Putting aside the small fact that no one is of gender ‘persuasion,’ she said you were cute as a button?” Kara quipped.

“Yeah.”

“A button, Bill.” They took their places around the table with the other heroes and agents as the detectives handed them their briefing folders.

“I, Bill Chamberlin, am cute as a button.” Bill said smugly as Kara pressed a button on her comm.

“Hey Patti, are buttons cute?” She asked in a playfully serious tone as Bill's eyes bugged out of his head. From somewhere else in the building Patti keyed her intercom that had been tied into their comm frequencies.

“Mine are actually quite cute, but what does that have to do with the briefing you two are supposed to be /listening/ too?”

“One of the meter maids said Bill was as cute as a button,” Kara explained as Bill frantically tried to wave her off. His frantic signalling began to draw the attention of the others in the room. Lead Agent Benson stared dourly at the pair "Can we please begin now?"

Kara smiled and nodded sweetly as Bill gaped and nodded slowly.

Nancy Taylor, Sapphire Rose the teams spritely little defender chimed in happily "“Bunny’s are very cute,” this earned her an amused nod from Kara. However Kevin St. James, the teams controller named Psywarp, looked around Bill at his newly attained girlfriend Nancy adding....

“They most definitely are not cute. Rabbits are the spawn of Satan and should be wiped off the face of the planet.”

Everyone in the conference room turned to look at him, as the Lead Agent tried to clear his throat.

“Bunnies are the spawn of Satan?” Kara asked

“Yes.” Kevin declared with a definitive nod.

“People....” Benson began in a voice that caused most present to turn back to face him. Most.

“Hey Patti?!” came Kara's voice over the comm system, “Were you persuaded to be female?”

“Wha? Kara What is going on up there aren't you two in a briefing?” Patti asked incredulously.

“Geez, ask a fellow girl a simple question, and she like bites your head off.” Kara pouted bringing several snickers from the surrounding agents.

“Such is the way of all things, my friend,” Bill said, making final readjustments to his briefing folder. The tapping of a metal pointer across the wooden podium caused Bill and Kara to sit up a little straighter in their chairs. The briefing was to begin, Benson had now made this very clear. Satisfied her had their attention he began.

“Good evening, first off i want to congratulate you all on a perfect operation tonight, the cooperation of this precincts stake and SWAT teams easily facilitated the mop up of all suspects we found in the warehouse.”

Benson's voice slipped into his now more usual tone as he felt his control of the room coming back. "Hero forces coordinated extremely well with Longbow flanking forces. This very large gang of Trolls..."

Nancy twirled her Tootsie Pop around in her mouth and hummed to herself as she listened to the operation they had just been completed summed up. Smiling impishly, she reached across Bill and handed Kevin a card and winked at him, returning to her seat. Out of the corner of his eye Benson sensed the movement but since it appeared minor her continued with his briefing, right up to the point where Kevin jumped up out of his chair with a loud yelp!

Nancy broke down into giggles, which soon spread around the room as Kevin glared at her.

“That was not funny, Nancy!.” He looked down at the pop-out bunny that was grinning at him from the card now sitting atop his briefing paper. Kara and Bill joined the others in laughing, though they tried to be a bit more discreet about it.

“It sure is, and I’ll tell you why. Because you, my ‘cute-as-a-button man’, are afraid of little bunny rabbits.” She quipped and received a high five from Kara as Bill rolled his eyes.

"People..." Tried Benson again.

Kevin glowered and took back his seat as Kara took the bunny away from him with a soft "Soooo cute!"

The agents around them still chuckled and snickered as Benson tried again. "People I know this is only an after action briefing but we...."

Nancy smiled to herself at Kevin’s reaction and winked at Kara who had been making the scary bunny hop playfully in mid air, but lowered it as she caught the glare from Benson.

"Sorry" Kara said meekly through her smile "No more bunny"

Satisfied Benson began again. "Now as you know we coordinated our efforts with Federal.."

“Hey Kara, you know what I found out?” Bill leaned over to whisper to her.

“Hmm like what?” She whispered back, somewhat distracted by the redundant briefing.

“If you move your hands over one letter from home position on the keyboard of any computer, you spell ‘gpt’ instead of ‘for.’” Kara looked over in amazement at her friend, trying to think of a response.

After a few minutes of silence, she then added softly “I’ve so got like nothing for that, William. Totally blanked.”

Hearing the renewed mumbling Benson raised his voice just a little louder as he continued valiantly to get through his briefing.

Bill smiled. "My work is complete.” He thought a moment. “Going for food after this, you want something?” Kara had returned to her briefing folder, jotting down a few notes before answering as Benson droned on.

“Sure, like the usual, wherever you’re going.” She said quietly.

Bill thought for a moment before it dawned on him. "You know what, you’re right. You get the same thing, no matter where you go. Burger King, it’s a Bacon double cheese burger meal, Dino’s is the #19 with extra bacon, Mickey D’s its a double cheeseburger with bacon. The list is endless.”

“I’m pretty sure it only extends to those places that sell food, Bill.” she said in a bored voice.

“The point is, you have no variety in your life. Eat something different for once.” He said." and always followed 'Bill could you stop off at the diner to bring back a slice of that cheesecake'....see?".

“Bill, if I ate something different, I couldn’t tell you to get me ‘the usual,’.... because it wouldn’t be ‘the usual.’... So get me ‘the usual’ wherever you go.” she smiled sweetly, confident she had made her point.

“Tony’s sound okay?”

“Sure.”

“Two slices of pepperoni, right?” Bill whispered

"That is the 'usual' " She smirked sweetly as she tried to give listening to Benson's droning even half a chance.

"No variety Kar" Bill said twirling the pen in his fingers "Such a sad sad life"

"I so get by" She smirked softly. " 'Tis truly a wonder"

“Nancy how are you feeling?" Kara leaned forward a bit bit as Benson droned on about how they approached their entry points for tonight's raid."How are you this fine evening.” Kara was eager to end the Bill lecture on food as she smiled to her friend.

“Oh I have a headache the size of Texas, because someone wasn't paying attention to where his girlfriend was standing in the warehouse" Nancy smirked.”I'm so calling it the 'Whoops there she is!' incident"

“ 'The Whoops there she is' incident!? Please tell me that’s not what you two are gonna start calling that.” Kevin pleaded his eyes widening in panic as a few surrounding agents chuckled. "I said I was sorry!"

“That’s what we are calling it." Nancy taunted him before looking to Kara "Aren't we?" her look showed she wanted support and Bill winced he could tell what the answer would.

"Of course we like so have too" Kara nodded sagely to Kevin then smiled her support to Nancy who nodded gratefully. " Def the 'Whoops there she is!' Incident"

“But I said I was sorry! Right when it happened and then here at the station! ” Kevin implored to Kara his voice rising a bit, bringing more chuckles from those agents that had been there when it happened. Benson raised his voice more as he used his pointer to point out the video feeds of their entry.

"I know, that was sweet wasn't it Nancy" Kara smiled.

"It was sweet" Nancy nodded to Kara then looked at Bill "Wasn't it?"

Kevin looked to Bill "Should an incident have a name even after one apologizes? I mean isn't there a rule? Don't we have to have a little civilization here?"

Bill's eyes grew wide "I'm /so/ not apart of this" he waved his hands hoping to dodge this bullet.

"They are supporting each other why don't you have my back here I thought I was your boy?" Kevin demanded quietly "Did we not bond over the last few months?

"We did indeed" Bill agreed

"So you are on my side...this is a no name incident" Kevin smugly glanced at Nancy

"William" Kara quipped with a playful menace.

"Sorry dude" Bill grinned "You are on you're own, its an incident"

Kevin gaped "But what about solidarity..men looking out for men?"

Bill chuckled "Never works against unified women, son" he shook his head "Besides you should ve been watching where you were tossing those trash cans"

Nancy grinned "Which is the key element behind the whole The Whoops there she is incident!"

Kara giggled. "Maybe he thought you were in dire danger of an approaching attack from a mean old bunny?"

Kevin stammered loudly "But!.....all I'm asking is for a little civilization here!"

Bill rolled his eyes, Nancy giggled, Kevin groaned into his hands as the rapid and loud tapping of a pointer caught their attention again amidst the chuckling of the other agents, who had become swept up by the discussion of the incident.

"Hey!" Benson barked with authority gaining everyone's attention now. "Excuse me can you four not see...."

"Four? I was not apart of this " Bill interrupted, defended himself. "I want that stated for the record..."

"That was clear when you jumped ship on your boy" Kevin muttered sitting back into his chair his arms crossed.

"People" Benson began again wearily

"Well Bill can tell who's fault the The 'Whoops there she is incident' was" Nancy said plainly. "Can't you Bill?" she looked at him.

"Here I am still sitting here not apart of this" Bill pleaded to Benson.

The mention of the incident again brought more chuckles from around the room and Kevin groaned. Lead Agent Benson softly rubbed the bridge of his nose "Nancy! Can we please get through this?"

"Sorry Boss" Nancy Chimed in, Kara nodded to her, Bill nodded still trying to look as if he had nothing to do with any of this and Kevin just looked defeated. Benson turned his gaze to the Hero of the City, hoping beyond hope she would at least try to behave herself this time.

He sighed as she returned his gaze with the sweetest of innocent smiles.

“Can we please focus? We’ve got to get through this after action briefing. So no more giggles and 'Incidents' Please" He sighed and fought off the deep urge to even ask what the 'The Whoops there she is!' incident actually was."

“Yes, Dad,” Kara and Bill intoned at the same time, bringing a few more chuckles.

“I mean it. The two of you are old enough to know better.” Benson locked a look at the pair.

“And still too young to care,” Bill replied, high-fiving Kara, who as usual messed up the high five and smacked Bill in the forehead. Benson groaned as the room broke into laughter.

The Lead Agent returned to his briefing, it was going to be one of those nights.

Nancy leaned forward almost immediately as Benson began talking, looking right at Kevin "Food?” He smirked and nodded as he placed his folder down across the desk.

Nancy smiled “So ...where to then, bunny-boy? My treat.” He rolled his eyes as Kara giggled and Bill's ears perked up at her offer.

“Your treat?” Kevin smiled.

“Least I could do,” she blew him a soft kiss.

"The least you could do?" Bill quipped. "He hit you with a trashcan"

"Hush William" Kara smirked "Kevin is apologizing still"

"Sounds good...." Kevin blinked "I am?"

"and he is doing it so cute too" Nancy added eyeing Bill who sat back.

“....as elements of SWAT then began to back up our people...." Benson tried in vain to continue...

“Yes you are" Kara smiled as she chewed on the end of her pen.

“I see...." Kevin looked at Nancy "I am coming across sincere enough this time?"

Bill blinked totally lost now.

“Oh Yes" Nancy nodded "And you will too when we get where we are going.”

Kara nodded "Pretty much for the rest of the night I would think"

Kevin blinked "I am..."

Nancy nodded "Oh yes he would like have too"

Kevin smirked starting to see now as he intoned "OH! ...Oh um...why no Nancy its my treat....it is the least I can do for carelessly hitting you in the head with my trashcan"

Nancy smiled to Kara "Isn't he just so totally adorable!"

Kara nodded smiling "Oh totally"

Bill looked to Kevin "Smart boy"

Kevin shrugs "Its what we men do"

Bill nodded "Especially when we men ever want to see a certain woman naked again"

Kara and Nancy looked over to Bill as the agents around then burst out chuckling again.

Benson groaned this was hopeless....

Kevin nodded to Bill "We must do what we must...."

Kara looked at Kevin then "So that is the only reason why you are apologizing?"

Kevin without missing a beat "No! um....I am apologizing because I was careless and wrong!"

Kara looked to Nancy "Good enough?"

Nancy nodded "As long as he keeps saying that"

Kevin turned to Bill "It's what we do"

Bill smirked happily "It's what we do"

"All right...."Benson leaned on his podium "We will try this again in the morning when we are all better rested and not so 'Keyed' up...." The agents and heroes in the room smiled as Benson added "Now get out of here and get some rest...."

“Good Night everyone!” Kara called out as she hopped up out of her seat. Nancy, Bill and Kevin joined her as they headed out of the briefing room to the crowded hallway where Patti was waiting for them. Kara smirked, though she was friends with the meteorologist, her insane dating plan for Bill was driving them all nuts. At least it would shut him up a bit if she joined them tonight.

“Patti, Kara says I’m not cute. What do you think?” Bill smiled at her as the five walked down the corridor.

“Are you two still having this conversation? Didn’t it end, like, yesterday?” Patti quipped

Kara shook her head. "No we only stopped it so as like not to interrupt the briefing"

Patti smirked at the bouncey heroine "Yes because that would be wrong"

"No, It just happened tonight..." Bill smirked as he continued "and No, we just postponed it so we could torture you more with it.”

Patti smiled.“Thanks guys, but nothing you could say could spoil my mood right now.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could think of some things,” Bill laughed, “But if anyone were to overhear them, you would be on the front page of the National Enquirer tomorrow morning.”

Kara and Nancy giggled.

“Then please don’t,” Patti said smugly, grabbing her coat and purse from the desk she had left them on.

“What are you doing tonight?” Kara asked her as they entered the office they often used. Nancy reached for her purse as Kevin picked up his gym bag.

“Uh, probably a nice bubble bath then bed” Patti replied careful to avoid Bill's pleading stare.

“You need to live more. Come on, we’ll all go to ‘El Perro Fumundo.’” Nancy threw in. Patti sighed, knowing she was going to lose this battle.

“Alright, let's so grab some people.” Kara clapped her hands together and walked out into the bullpen of the squad room.

“Alright people, SO a party at ‘El Perro Fumundo.’ Buy your own alcohol, but enjoy the company!” Several cheers erupted around the room, and several Agents and Police joined Kara by the door as she turned and smiled.

Far away in his office Benson heard the heroine's chipper announcement and sighed. No one was going to be 'better rested' for his briefing tomorrow. "Why cant she play with the agents in Peregrine more often" he heard himself moan.

Kevin leaned over his desk and tapped Nancy on the shoulder. “You wanna go with them?” he asked. She smiled and nodded, holding up a finger.

“Patti, you know what this means?” she asked her.

“Big blue things for two dollars off?” Patti placed a blue ball cap backwards on her head from her purse as she smiled at Bill. Bill chuckled knowing that the bar often gave you two dollars off of a big blue margaretta that they made there if you wore something blue when you ordered it.

“Big blue things for two dollars off!” Kara cheered as her energy flowed around her body to alter her white costume to a cute short blue dress and heels. Nancy giggled as she pulled on her blue police jacket. She then turned to find Kevin standing in front of her, wearing a loudly blue tie with white bunnies on it.

She turned to look at Kara who erupted into laughter, soon joined by several of the other officers. Kevin wrapped an arm around Nancy's waist and they followed the crowd. Just before the happy mob reached the stairwell, Patti stopped Bill, letting the crowd pass them, until they were completely alone.

“What’s this?” Bill asked, thoroughly confused.

“I’m going to do something now, and I don’t want you to freak out.” She smiled, recalling her lines to him a month before.

“Are you going to throw water at me?” he teased.

“No,” she leaned up and kissed him, long and tenderly. Cupping her face with his hands, he pulled away after a moment, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Does this mean what I think it means?” He smiled warmly as she nodded, soft tears welling up a little in her gentle eyes and spilled over, but he carefully wiped them away with his thumbs. She leaned into him, pressing her face into his chest.

“The dating plan is a loser" she said softly "I'm sorry...do you think we can...I mean?.” A breath he’d been holding for four months now was released, and he felt a sudden tidal wave of relief wash over him. He tightened his hold around her once before letting her go. She stepped back and looked at the stairwell.

“You wanna skip The Flaming Dog?” she asked coyly looking her hero over with a wry grin.

He raised his eyebrows.

“It’s ‘The Smoking Dog,’ actually, and who really cares?” he added at her very seductive look.

She grabbed his hand as they raced out the door.

July 24th, 2006 - POINT ECHO, Firebase Zulu

The white clouds of CS gas danced and swirled with the greyish smoke from the weapons fire as columns of black smoke slithered skyward from the various fires. Sudden silence had desended upon the foward listening post at Point Echo. The cool alien wind howled softly under the canaopy of the bizare flowing orange red sky. The young Ranger blinked as he fought to catch his breath and stood to survey the scene around him his thoughts coming rapidly ..

I am lost. Where do I belong in the aftermath? To fight the battle, to kill and watch others be killed is hard bear. It had happened so quickly, no warning no music like in the movies...just ...the speed of it. The bodies.. They litter the landscape. There doesnt seem to be a spot on the outpost deck that is not awash with blood or covered with the bodies of the deceased.

Somewhere he could hear the hiss of radios spark to life as the dullness of sounds he endures caused by the massive weapons fires lessens. He watches with empty eyes and a slack face as his fellow Rangers wander the field, bending here to check a Rularuu as it flails about in his last throes of death,the sound of the three round busrst that finishes the mortally wounded creature is so distant for him.

He watches as they begin to collect discarded weapons – no longer needed by their owner’s motionless hands. He watches as they kneel beside the broken men who weep for the lives lost and innocence shattered – they comfort them as the medics are waved in. He can hear the dance of the evac Blackhawks approaching from above and the Heroine who fought beside of them finally land exhausted to lean against the sandbags of 50 cal. nest. Her dance like their own finally over.
His thoughts float within him as his body quakes..

But I cannot understand battle; the makings of war. I am a soldier; a Ranger. I know how to shoot now to kill of my enemies. This takes only a well trained aim; it is a mindless action. Isnt it? I do not understand why it must be so. I have never understood the reason behind such masses of death and destruction. I only want to do my part, like my father and his father. Is this for hate? Why do they hate us? why do we hate them? Why cant i feel my legs?

He walked over to the edge of his fighting position and leaned against the sandbags tipping his kevlar back with a shaking hand. He could still taste the sulfur in his mouth from firing the weapon he still cradled.

If such reckless hate exists, why must we take heed to it? Does she feel it? does she hate like that all of a suden when she puts action to it? Why must so many die? Are these things people? People like us? For what is this great sacrifice justified? I was so angry as they came at us....why? A burning, blistering wrath that seizes the whole of me.I have never felt such rage....or was it fear..../why did they attack us!/ I was so /angry/. I am motionless, why cant I move? Shouldnt I be doing something more right now...do I need to kill more? Is it dinnertime?

The Ranger gazed off back at nothing as his thoughts swam..

I am angry at them. At the Rularuu – for being so hateful, THEY TRIED TO KILL ME...then why am i angry at me? why did they try to kill me? I am angry with myself, for caring that I have killed. I am a Ranger...I am a fighting machine, they 've said so since basic .. I am a stone. I cannot think, I cannot breathe. Yet I can watch the goings on before me.

A medic runs by, his arms full with his field pack, The Blackhawks seem closer. Something seems missing.

We have won the battle,I think? We did win? In the end that is all that matters? But then I look about myself. So, how can I look upon this graveyard and not wonder what the victory was for? Was it really worth all this? I am lost. Shouldnt I be doing something? is it over? Am I dead?

Then I see, I have indeed one comfort. I am alive...yes I am alive ...Im shaking but shaking is good I am alive right? she is coming over? Is she mad that im not doing anything? She does so much for us..am I in trouble? Her touch, so gentle as she places her hand on my shoulder. So soft I can think straight now? That simple touch seems to bring back all of the right noises and sounds. Like a bridge is she magical? I look up at her numbly. We have to be so close in age. She doesnt seem scared...is it wrong to be frightened now...are they coming back.

Diamond smiles softly as she sees his body tense, reading itself once more for a fight that is not coming...

“Easy, Johnson isnt it?” She said softly. "are you Okies?"

I want to answer her I do, I stare up into those beautiful green eyes of hers and want to escape run home and never do this again. Pretend nothing has changed. Yet it has. Im different, I can feel it, there is no place for me home right now. I tell her I am and she smiles knowingly. i see it in her eyes, she is different too. Everyone is after this I guess. I find my strength and return to my post.

Hours later the young Ranger lays across his bunk, snuggled deeply in the metal womb of the armored barracks. His thoughts fend off his much needed sleep.

No one talks about it, I seem closer to the others now, no longer the new guy. No longer a 'cherry' I guess. I used to get called that alot, not anymore.

I wonder why
"are you okies?" she asked me
No, I am different.

But im no longer lost...

I am alive.

<<Edit - the previous story was March not May 2007, sorry! >>

(Originally posted by former Templar Skilla('Blossum'), best friend to Diamond (i.e. Kara or "bubbles"))

April 11, 2007 - Steel Canyon

"Welcome to KYWX 93.4 rock. This is our afternoon request hour. Call in your requests now at five five five, thirty-four, fifty-five..." the cheerful DJ intoned.

"Our next request is an email request going out to Bubbles from Blossom," the DJ said with a chuckle. "And the message reads...Forever...

"So Bubbles, if you are listening, this is from Blossom...

If I ever leave this world alive
I`ll thank ya for the things you did in my life
If I ever leave this world alive
I`ll come back down and sit beside your feet tonight
Where ever I am you`ll always be
More than just a memory
If I ever leave this world alive

If I ever leave this world alive
I`ll take on all the sadness
That I left behind
If I ever leave this world alive
The madness that you feel will soon subside
So in a word don`t shed a tear
I`ll be here when it all gets weird
If I ever leave this world alive

So when in doubt just call my name
Just before you go insane
If I ever leave this world
Hey I may never leave this world
But if I ever leave this world alive

She says I`m okay; I`m all right,
Though you have gone from my life
You said that it would
Now everything should be alright

She says I`m okay; I`m all right,
Though you have gone from my life
You said that it would
Now everything should be alright
Yeah, should be alright


...That was Flogging Molly's "If I Ever Leave this World Alive"... Lines are open for your requests..."

June 22nd, 2006 - Firebase Zulu

A pair of Blackhawk Helicopters hummed off into the copperish twilight of the Shard adding strength to the soft wind as it fluttered softly across the skin of the drab olive tent. A lithe figure had just landed and bounded under its woodframes doorway to step inside.

"Hi Hi Petey!" Kara beamed to her roommate PFC. Michele Peterson whose athletic frame was lazily drapped across a small bunk, her head propped up by her field pack. Her friend was pulling CQ duty here in Captian Davis' command tent. This tent usually the Bravo Company commanders was the hub for all decisions for the company when it was out in the field. The company XO was now in charge and it seemed as if duty was light this morning as Petey lounged on her cot.

"Captian Davis is back" she said looking towards her friend seriously. Their usual playful banter falling to the side almost immediately.

“What do you mean, Captain Davis is back?” Kara paused and demanded.

“Just what I said, girl” replied Petey, mindful of the friendship the young heroine had developed with Davis. As a young Lieutenant with the Rangers he had been the girl's first platoon officer. Though they had quarreled in the beginning a tight bond and friendship had grown between the pair over the years as they had both matured. “He’s in his office. I just came from there.”

“He’s supposed to be in Seattle,” Kara argued and hint of worry slipping into her voice. “He just started a two-week leave, and he was looking forward to it.”

Petey shrugged. “Dunno what to tell you, girl. Captain Davis is definitely present and accounted for. Allison and Mooreton can testify to that, too. The Cap’n was sure tearin’ a strip off of him when I went in.”

“He did -like- what for?” Concern filled Kara's eyes. Michael Davis was a stern but approachable commanding officer. It was rare for other soldiers to wittness a true Davis butt chewing. Either All and Moore had royally screwed up or something was definitely wrong.

“Some album that was supposed to have Saddam Hussein’s personal snapshots in it.” Petey looked momentarily thoughtful. “Funny thing about that, Kara. Of course, we all know that ol’ Bloody—”

“That’s ‘Captain Davis,’ Private,” Kara corrected firmly a cool air danced around her tone, causing Petey to quirk a brow but she relented. She is worried now too, Petey thought to herself.

“Yes Ma'am. Captain Davis. We know that he’ll allow the occasional practical joke and all...esspecially if it teaches a troop a lesson." Petey frowned again slightly " But this was different. I kinda got the impression that he really didn’t care all that much about the photo album. That wasn’t what he was shoutin’ about.”

Kara didnt even try to hide her astonishment now “Davis was shouting?”
“Yes Ma'am. That’s a big part of why it was so strange. I mean, Cap’n Davis isn’t as calm and cool as Major Iverson, but he’s no Lt. Cutler, either." Kara shared a wince with Petey at the mention of her 'chalk's ' new platoon officer and his martinet view of military life. "What was that Stevens said about him once? ‘An iron hand in a velvet glove.’ " Kara nodded " Stevens was quoting somebody, I think."

Petey drew a breath sitting up on her elbows as she recounted for her friend " Anyway, that’s more Captain Davis’ style. But he was really yellin’ at More, saying; ‘I don’t believe you!’ I got the impression that was what was really botherin’ him: that he thought More was lying. Like he thought he was bein’ deceived, y’know? His last words to More as Alllison and he were leaving his tent ; ‘You better not be lying to me.’” Petey shrugged again. “Maybe I’m just imagining things you know?”
Kara sighed, she doubted that very much. Michele Peterson was far from stupid, she was one of the sharpest MP's up here, if she said she heard something, she had heard it.

“Anyway,” Petey was going on, “I just wanted to let you know, girl, that I’ll be taking on Delta shift duty....”

“Captain Davis demoted you?” Kara asked, amazed. Petey must've really gone to the C.O.’s tent at a bad time.

“Only because I asked him to,. I told him I wanted to be back watching over the troops.”

Kara nodded, familiar with that feeling herself.

“I just wanted to let you know, girl…” Petey uncharacteristically hesitated. “We... well some of your Rangers , some of the other noncoms an’ me—we know you had to turn down that position. Hell, nobody deserved it more. But you’ll always be an honorary Ranger to us.”

Kara could not help smiling. Petey's words, which sounded vaguely insulting, were actually meant to be a compliment. Michele Peterson was of the opinion—an opinion with which Kara was fast learning , that Rangers were the backbone elite of the Army. They were a cut above everyone else.

“Thank you, Petey.”

“You bet girl.” Petey had just laid back down when the tent flap parted and Captain Davis entered the room. His dark eyes narrowed when he saw Petey sprawled on her cot. Petey's eye's widened as she leapt up to come instantly to attention.

“What are you doing here, Peterson? I told you to report to Lt. Paulson.”
“On my way, sir.” Petey looked like she was about to argue but then just saluted Davis, who returned it disinterestedly, his mind clearly already on something else. Having been dismissed, the young MP swiftly retreated.
Kara saw that Daviss was carrying two bottles of wine. The captain crossed to the table at which the officers of the company played their poker games, placed the bottles on it, and spoke to Kara without looking at her. “Care to join me in a drink, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, thank you, sir,” She answered, mildly surprised. Kara frowned, He rarely addressed her by her Security detail rank. It was too formal between them. Bravo Company’s C.O. was not exactly antisocial, but he did not normally seek out the company of others, unless you counted the weekly poker game.

“There’s a corkscrew on the sideboard over there. Carter keeps it around to open his Vat 69.”

Kara retrieved it and brought it over to the table. “What is the occasion, sir?” she decided against calling him Michael after his use of her 'rank'.
Davis turned his head and regarded her, his dark eyes glittering. “The occasion, Lieutenant, is that I would like to become blind, stinking drunk. Unfortunately, since I’m the company C.O., that isn’t feasible, so I probably shouldn’t do my drinking alone.”

Kara went still. “I see, sir.....”

“I doubt it. Open these bottles.” his tone was clip and cool.

After only a momentary struggle with the corkscrew, she did so. They sat in the cheaply made government folding field chairs with a metalic creak. Kara passed the bottles over to Davis, who had produced two drinking glasses from somewhere. The captain filled the first one to the brim, then tried to slide it across to the young heroine who shook her head shook his head.

“Um...like about half a glass is more than enough for me,Mi.... sir.” her voice was soft yet its tone floated across a soft wind of worry as she watched him closely

“Suit yourself,” Davis replied shortly, taking back the filled glass for himself. He poured enough wine in the second to fill it halfway, and then gave that to her.

“Here. I’d hoped to be drinking whiskey, but there isn’t a drop of it anywhere on base. Carter's doing, I suppose, or maybe Edison’s.” Without hesitation, he tossed back almost half the contents of his glass.

Kara only sipped hers, as she watched in amazement ; it was not the poor quality stuff she had expected, but the finest wine she had ever tasted. Not that she had tasted much. It reminded her of an old family vintaged wine she had tasted as a little girl. Her family had always spent their summers in France, a nearby old couple, who were friends of her father's had a vineyard and rows upon endless rows of of grapes. “This wine is excellent, sir. Where did you find it?”

Davis, in the act of taking out a pack of cigarettes, eyed her. “At the liquor store in Peregrine. Where else?” Suddenly, he thrust the pack at Kara. “Care for a smoke?”

Kara met her superior officer and friend’s unblinking stare, wondering if the man was trying to intimidate her. Making a face she shook her head “Ugh No.. sir!,” she replied

Davis lit his cigarette making a disgusted face at her. The captain placed an ashtray between them, and then spoke abruptly. “You don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ There’s just the two of us here.”

Kara sat a little stunned but merely nodded.

His tone was somewhat less antagonistic, and she recognized it for what it was: an attempt to make it clear that her friend was aware of the thoughts that must have been going through her head, and that his offer of a cigarette had been nothing more than a willingness to share tobacco. Kara briefly wondered what the heck was going on here. Davis seemed to radiate anger, but not because of anything she or any of his men had done.

“All right.” They both drank some more, Davis considerably more than his friend. Through the haze of cigarette smoke, Kara studied the man across from her. “Is there something on your mind?” she asked quietly.

“Should there be?” he said drly, with a hint of pain in his voice.

“Yes Michael. I’d so say so. You like said you felt like getting totally blind, stinking drunk, and that’s so not like you.” Her eyes softened as she spoke to him.

“How do you know what I’m like, Kara?” He asked, draining his glass.

“You know how it is, sir. When you live through what we have togeth , and I’d say the Shard certainly qualifies and go through combat with a person, you like get closer to them than you ever have to anyone. You get to know him better than your own family, like Top says better than your own husband or wife—”

The empty glass was slammed down on the table so hard Kara was amazed it didn’t crack, she flinched horribly and when she opened her eyes, Davis was glaring at her. The captain’s eyes did not appear entirely sane as he said in a harsh, furious voice; “Is that your idea of a joke, Kara?”

Kara went very still; for the first time, her friend had all of her senses aware and she was frightened. She knew he really couldnt hurt her, it was a deep emotional scar though left over from an ancient attack. But never did she expect her friend to ever make her feel this way. “I don’t understand, sir,” she said carefully. Her voice quivered a bit as her eyes met his.

Their gazes remained locked for a moment, and Davis, through his haze apparently saw he was frightening his friend. When he relaxed fractionally and muttered, “I thought I told you not to call me ‘sir,’” Kara blinked but knew whatever had caused that the crisis had passed.

“What would you like me to call you?” she asked, her confusion compounded now "you've just been so formal...Michael.." she began once more but paused as he hefted the bottle to offer her more wine as if nothing had happened. When she shook her head at the offer, her friend refilled his own glass and spoke again, sounding merely irritated. “I’d prefer that you stick with Michael I’ve heard the nicknames the others have for me: ‘Sparky’ among the officers, ‘Bloody’ among the enlisted men. For different reasons, it’s difficult to say which is worse.” He drank, and Kara felt an unusual vibe coming from her friend. The anger was still there, but there seemed to be a strange element of sadness mingled with it.

“They just don’t know you, that’s all,” Kara protested gently. “Most of the men Bravo is comprised of now are replacements, so not combat veterans. They haven’t had the experience with you that the rest of us have. They didn’t see you run through Rularuu Watchers on during Operation Thunderstrike and destroy one of the Nemesis Rocket Batteries at the Bastion of Pain, and they didn’t see you come to Bravo's rescue when when that idiot Dutch Colonel wanted to strand them out there without helicopters because he so was trying to impress CNN with that flyby at Firebase November. They like just don’t know anything about you yet, other than that you’re our commanding officer.” She took a breath and repeated; “They just don’t know you Michael....that is all.”

“And you do, Lieutenant?” The dark eyes were unreadable.She sighed again at the use of her 'rank'.

“How can you like ask me that?” She asserted. “I’ve seen you in combat, not least of all on the day we took Point Echo back last September” Davis leaned forward slightly to refill his glass; Kara held up a hand and said quickly; “No thanks, I’ve had enough.”

Davis shrugged and drank. “I just did what I was ordered and trained to do, Kara. Any of us would have.”

“Michael, with like all due respect and whatever I so have to say to not get into trouble for like saying this, if anyone would have done, Major Jensen wouldn’t have had to order you out there in the first place. You took over because Lieutenant Dickerson so messed up big time.” She took another sip of her wine, feeling the liquid burn its way down her throat. It was a strange but not unpleasant sensation. “That wasn’t exactly what I was referring to, anyway. Any officer might have taken over on Major Jensen’ orders. But like only a real leader would have come back to us after making contact with that British Company, the way you did." she smiled at him, remembering the relieved look on her Ranger's faces when the British Unit arrived to reinforce their position that night. " If I don’t know anything else about you, I so know that you are an excellent combat officer.”

She took a deep breath and added; “Moreover, I know that regardless of what your reputation might be, you’re a good man. you so care about your men."

“Well.” Davis took a long sip of his drink. "What do you think of my command decision in choosing this wine then ?"

Kara wondered if he was mocking her or a moment. “The wine is very good,” she said, not sure what else to say, she was hardly an expert on the subject..

Davis shrugged. “The owner claimed it was the finest vintage left available in the shop. For what I paid for it, it should be.” He smiled sardonically

“Michael...what has happened....—” Kara began.

Davis picked up the last of the wine and gazed at it for a moment before turning his eyes to his friend. His tone a bit softer. “For this, I have to be a little drunker.” He took a long pull directly from the bottle. “You know I got my leave finally.." she nodded slowly "I went to see my wife,” he said at last. “I have a wife in Seattle, and an infant son. You knew that, didn’t you?....you know everything my friend...everything"

She was confused but nodded "Yes we've met a few time at Portal...you so intro'd us Michael"

Davis had not mentioned them often, so seldom that she doubted if many of the men in Bravo, officers or enlisted, were aware of their existence. It was not that he was secretive about it. It was more as if he regarded his wife and child as something precious, not for casual discussion.Coveted away from the stress and fighting up here in the Shard. He had spoken of them occasionally, the first time when a maudlin Harry Macklehatton was bemoaning his separation from Kathy Rodgers, his high school sweetheart. Lewis Carter also knew, and if Carter knew, it was a given that Major Jensen did; but Kara was not certain if anyone else in the company was even aware that Davis was married.

“I should say, I had a wife. Past tense.” This statement was followed by another, equally long pull from the bottle.

Kara's jaw dropped. Oh, no. Not this so not to him, she thought. “Michael, she isn’t…” she asked softly.

“What?” Davis stared at her. “Oh, no. No, no, no. She’s not dead. No. She was a widow." he smirkerd at her stunned look " Oh yeah...never told you that Kara...Im sorry... It was her husband who was dead, or supposed to be. He isn’t.”

Again, he drank. Seeing Kara's puzzled frown, he elaborated; “She wasn’t a widow. Her first husband’s still -alive-. I found that out when I went back to our....um..well -her- house ..you know..in Seattle?" Davis took another long pull from the bottle as he continued. "He walked out of the bedroom while I was there.” As Kara gazed at him, dumbfounded,hurt for him yet she flinched softly understanding his pain, Davis took yet another long swallow from the bottle.

“You see,” he explained, with a rather sad earnestness. “She was living hand-to-mouth on a widow’s pension when I met her. I didn’t want that to happen to her again, especially when there was a baby to think about....” He continued to drink, his words coming a little slower. “Soldiers don’t make much money, but its something..you know? I wanted her and the baby to be provided for, especially if I died.…”

Davis lifted the bottle to his lips one final time, realized there was no more wine left, and sighed. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice barely audible, and Kara knew he was not referring to the wine.

“I’m so sorry Michael...” Kara said with deep meaning, feeling helpless in the face of such pain. “What are you going to do?”

“Do?” Davis looked bleary eyed at his friend as if she were the one who was drunk. “I’m going to stay with the Rangers, of course. Bravo needs someone to take care of them. My wife doesn’t. She’s chosen -him- over me." his voice dropped lower , almost to a rasp. "She probably never loved me. There’s nothing for me anywhere but here.”

Kara swallowed, her face betraying her pain and sympathy for him as she whispered “What about your son?”

“What about him?” Davis said, with a kind of bitter sadness. “I’m a Ranger. I can’t take care of an infant. A baby belongs with its mother. Besides, even if I could, I couldn’t take the baby away from her. Not after everything she’s been through…” Davis let his last words trail off as he lowered his head into his hands. “Oh, Christ,” he whispered, his voice ragged and so low as to be barely audible. “Getting shot didn’t hurt as much as this Kara.”

Kara went momentarily silent, deeply shaken and sympathetic. She rose from her chair and crossed to him. Davis had not moved, as she placed an arm around his shoulders. “Come on Michael, Let's get you to bed,” her voice soft and gentle.

Davis slowly raised his head, looked at her glassily for a long moment, as if wanting to say something but something in her eyes showed him she truly understood, there was nothing left to say. He then slowly got to his feet. He took Kara's offered supportive arm and made his way unsteadily to his cot near the radio.

Once there, he did not lie down on the metal cot so much as he collapsed on it. Kara, Knelt beside her hurt friend and waited a moment until she was certain he had fallen asleep, waiting softly by his side as she held his hand. Gently she then carefully unlaced and removed her sleeping friend's jump boots and covered him with his blanket. Sighing softly she sat back atop of her calfs and remained a moment longer, looking compassionately down at his exhausted form as he sought refuge from his pain in sleep, knowing he would find only temporary solace there..

“Tomorrow is another day, Michael,” she murmured. "Your pain will not be gone....it so never goes away. " she sighed softly before adding "but it will get a little easier each day to like deal..."

Standing quietly she walked outside to close the tent flap behind her.

May 29th 2007 - Skyway


“Why do you always do that?”

Kara asked, forcing a glare across the table to where Bill continued to peruse the menu…again. This was always the case whenever the pair had decided to get a bite to eat whenever they patrolled together. Tonight had been a slow night for her in Peregrine, so she had eagerly accepted Bill's offer to join him in Skyway. However it had turned out to be just as quiet there for a change. After a few hours of routine Troll arrests and loud rave music he had suggested they hit their usual diner and she had eagerly agreed. The small diner had some of the best homemade cheesecake she had ever eaten, almost as good as Mazin's.

She sometimes agreed to these 'late night patrol lunches' with him, just to be given the chance to order a slice of their wonderful cheesecake. Yet so often she had to wait just to order it as Bill went over and over the menu to decide on his choice. Here he was /again/ , staring at the desert menu

...as she waited...

“Do what?” Bill asked biting his bottom lip as he scanned rigorously over his choices.

“Like so stare at the dessert menu like you don’t already know what you’re going to get.” she said with a mild exasperation.

Bill lifted his eyes from the menu and said, “Because I don’t know what I’m going to get. I like to mull these things over.”

“HA.” she barked

Bill arched an eyebrow in surprise. “That was out loud, you know.”

Kara smiled an oddly sweet smile “Yes, and like I’ll do it again." she raised her voice louder " HA!"

He winced, he was uncomfortable at drawing attention to himself, already uncomfortable at times with the looks they both got whenever they came into the diner in costume. He turned his head to smile awkwardly at the customers who now turned to look over at their table at Kara's loud bubbly 'Ha's '.

She continued "You like so mull nothing over...../Nothing!/... You, Bill are like a non-muller if I ever saw one.”

Bill winced looking back “That’s not a word.”

“My point is that you get the same dessert every single time we come here.” said with a dismissive wave of her hand mowing through his attempts to deflect her issue

“I’m perusing the menu, Kara. I could change my mind. I could stumble upon a picture of a cheesecake and think, ‘that’s quite delectable’ and order that instead.”

Kara smiled her usual sweet smile at the term cheesecake before returning to cut back into him “William, we’ve SO been coming here for months now, and like you’ve never changed your mind.”

“I would think you be more understanding of my routine by now, Kar.”

“But you…” Kara took a deep breath. She reminded herself of all the reasons why she actually loved her friend and /eventually/ those things and times kept her from jumping out of her seat and beating him senseless with his menu. Kara leaned back in her chair crossing her arms over her chest pouting a bit and said, “No one understands your routine because it /so/ doesn’t make any sense.”

“Says you.” Bill quipped returning to his menu.

“Hello!? So says the definition of the word ‘sense’.” She smirked back.

“I simply like to see what my options are. Is that a crime?” he mused.

“When you order the same thing every single time…it should be.” She rolled her eyes now really hungry for her cheesecake.

“How can you be sure—” He tried as he read the menu again.

“—Every. Single. Time.” She tried to burn through him with her eyes.

Bill dropped the menu and folded his arms on the table. He shot Kara a look and then said, “Okay! So? What am I getting, Kreskin?”

Kara clicked her tongue “You’ll totally peruse the menu, make some comment about how no one actually likes Bananas Foster, and then like order a cup of rice pudding.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure no one does like Bananas Foster. It’s disgusting.” He said somewhat amused now.

“William…”

“And why did you say ‘rice pudding’ like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you hated it with every fiber of your being.” He said amused now.

“Are we like really arguing about how I said rice pudding?” Kara blinked.

“I’m just curious why you have such animosity for a harmless dessert, Kara. Did some bully back in the school cafeteria force you to eat rice pudding off his shoes?" he chuckled now as he watched her. "Did it haunt your nightmares as a child?”

“We’re so not having this conversation. Like order your dessert so we can get served...finally.” Kara smirked

Bill smirked as well and said with a degree of playfulness, “I could order the rice pudding to go and show you the many ways that it’s not so bad.”

Kara sighed as the routine as usual these last few weeks shifted to his new insane deflection “You’re so not smearing rice pudding all over me, William....”

He chuckled quirking an amused brow “You always said you wanted a spiced up sex life.”

Kara sighed “It was you who said that about your sex life so not me...I don't have a sex life.." She sighed instantly regreting saying that, it was just more meat for his grinder...

He shook his head amused, "I know, that is so sad...now about the rice pudding.."

She sighed "William... really think about it...it’s /rice/... In pudding.” She fixed a stare at him and waited for the rest of this recent routine to play out.

“Fine. You have a crazy dislike of rice pudding. It’s now noted. How about you let me eat my rice pudding in peace?”

“Yes! Finally! " She sat up in chair a bit, now eager to get to her cheesecake.

Bill shrugged and said impishly, “If you’re a very good girl, we’ll stop at the store and get whipped cream on the way back to our patrol.”

Kara sighed as she thought, 'Here we go again' “William.....Tell Patti this dating plan is a nightmare and /order/!” visions of her cheesecake moving just out of reach began again..

“Well, that is unless you have any aversions to whipped cream I should know about.” He smirked across the table at her

With a long sigh Kara just glared at him "Nope. None. It's like so great on /cheesecake/”

“Well then we’re good to go…that’s if you can let me look over the menu for a few seconds.” Bill picked up his menu once more.

“You just said that you were going to have rice pudding.” she blinked.

“I like options.” He mused, enjoying himself now.

“Because you’re certifiably insane.” She scowled now. She just wanted her cheesecake now!

“I’m an insane man who was going to let you lick whipped cream off his body until you decided to get snippy.” He chuckled.

Kara rolled her eyes. “Order your rice pudding.” She picked up her fork as if to emphasize she wasn't going to wait much longer to order her cheesecake "and call Patti...this dating plan so needs to end before I like end up killing you"

"If you think about it...the hell of her plan which i might add I've endured 3 months of the 6 month insanity" He began trying not to look at the crazed heroine with her fork.

"We've all endured Bill...." She added dryly now tapping the fork on the table

"Its a long wait....3 months..." He looked up his eyes watching the fork now

"Almost as long as I have waited to order my cheesecake" She said darkly.

"And I have only three more glorious months to wait....just another long agonizing slow moving period, much like the hell I'm waited through already...have I told you?" He said still watching the fork.

"Yes I'm so getting a taste of such a hell right now" She smirked as the waitress arrived and smiled at the pair of heroes.

"Are you ready to order?" She asked sweetly

Bill looked back at his menu then jumped with the waitress as Kara said quickly and loudly "YES" she was not allowing any more delays.

Kara turned to the surprised girl, smiled and then said in her usual soft sweet tone "I'll so have a slice of your chocolate cheesecake sweetie"

The shaken waitress nodded, her smile returning as she scribbled down her order and turned to Bill.

"I'll just go with the rice pudding" He said warmly as he handed their menus to the waitress, who then turned heading off to fetch their orders.

He turned back to find Kara staring at him "What? So? I like rice pudding...I'm not going to order something like Bananas Foster"

"Yeah cause like that is disgusting" Kara smirked

"Oh yes..cause really no one actually likes desserts like that" He said evenly

"Bill?"

"Yeah"

"Talk to Patti...tonight...tomorrow at the latest" Kara said shaking her head as the waitress returned with their orders. The sight of her cheesecake easing her mood somewhat.

Bill chuckled to himself seeing this.

"I've tried...she is insane..." he began

"Yeah like so are you..." Kara interrupted.

"Yeah well.." He sighed. then looked over to her from his rice pudding "So how is the cheesecake?"

She sighed but smiled "Great ...as always"

"So that is a no to the whipped cream then?" He mused playfully.

"I'm /so/ going to have to like kill you...aren't I?" she looked up playfully dark.

"Hey at least I will be out of my misery" He chuckled.

"So will we all sweetie...so will we all!" She smirked and returned to her cheesecake.

He shook his head and put aside his worry and frustration over the insanity of the woman he was in love with was forcing him to endure. He tried to forget he had 3 more agonizing months left to deal with before he could ask Patti out and just enjoyed the time he was spending with his friend. Though he was grateful that she was able to put up with him and his agony, he made a mental note though about how much time he could keep Kara away from cheesecake so he didn't end up dying a horrible death in the future.

Outside the diner where the two friends were now enjoying their desserts, a chilling wind whipped across the paned glass windows as the city slept.

May 13th, 2006 - POINT CHARLIE, Firebase Zulu


The copper night of the shard flicked and flashed over head as the far off echoes of popping gunfire and explosions could be heard. A cool humid wind ripped around the small alcove carved into the side of the massive rock that drifted insanely in the bizarre dimension. A small natterling chittered and hid as beyond its hiding place, across the face of it's home, dozens of fatigued and battle ready figures darted here and there engaged in a cat and mouse game of death. Soldiers and Heroes, villains and beasts traded bullets and energy as they struggled for control.

High above a sleek Army helicopter cut through the copper veil carrying an important cargo. A Nemesis intelligence officer sat with his arms in chains linked to a band around his neck. Flanked by two Army Rangers, Stevens and Flannery, of Diamond's 'chalk' who had drawn escort duty for this officer she had captured. The pair gazed in and around the helicopter as it flew as well as out to the swirling atmosphere as their ship flew across the night sky. Before the prisoner sat a man armored in tinted blue, Starrior a young hero of the Firebase Security Detail, who had also drawn the duty tonight, surprisingly.

His form seemingly quiet as his troubled mind fought through his issues to stay focused on guarding the prisoner. To his right and left the Door Gunners both relaxed sat quietly in their own thoughts as the pilot and copilot spoke with the ground controllers at Firebase November.

"Rodger Six-One this is Ultra-4-5 , ETA 2-5 minutes" the pilot said in an even voice as she banked her Blackhawk to make a necessary course correction to stay in the air lanes to avoid much of the debris that floated there.

"COPY ULTRA 4-5, ETA 2-5" droned the ground controller's response

Right, mused Starrior dryly as he listened to the escort Blackhawk, Ultra 4-6, in front of them radio as well over his comm. system... his body banked with the helicopter as it avoided the floating debris, as he thought , much like my own life at the moment. His armor preventing his mood from showing as they flew on into the night. His thoughts returned to Diamond once more, the young girl seemingly had all of the luck up here. A diamond indeed, he thought bitterly, she could do no wrong. He had been up here since the portal opened and yet all he ever heard about was this slip of a girl. Not that he didn’t respect her, he had too, but at a certain level he resented how easy things seem to come for her.

He sighed, she had seemed unhappy as of late. A part of him was thrilled to a degree by that. It meant she wasn’t perfect and she could feel pain too. He closed his eyes inside his visor, the thought also shamed him. A voice cut over the symphonic beat of the rotors as he looked up to it.

"Hey Star, relax, bro. me and Flan have babysat POW's since Iraq. It’s no sweat ... OooAhh?" Stevens flashed him that cocky smile of reassurance as the young Ranger completely misunderstood what was bothering the older man in the armor.

"OooAh!" Flan grinned back to Stevens as he absurdly chewed a huge wad of bubble gum that had long lost its flavor.

Hah. Easy for him to say, Starrior mused, except there are a few problems, Stevens: You don't have an outstanding debt to pay off, The Nemesis Army was said to be offering a great deal of money for the return of any captured line Intel officer during OPERATION SWARMER.
The very criminal organization, he fought most of his adult life on the streets of Paragon, and here in the Shard. The monsters who ambushed soldiers and scientists alike and sought to starve refugees using them as human shields against the forces her fought beside..

The money they offered can get one out of that debt, easy. No such offer could be matched by Mr. President nor any hero foundation. "I don’t expect everyone to be perfect Starrior..." Ms. Liberty had coolly told him once when he had gone for help for the last time "But I -do- expect them to take responsibility for their actions eventually"

[censored]...

Her words had sliced into his heart as he had volunteered for extended duty up here to avoid his ex wife and her battery of attorney's. He sighed as he thought of his boy. The hero sat there in the Blackhawk as it cut across the night sky, his gauntleted hands in his lap, eyes flickering between the two rangers and their smirking charge in his torn and bloody red and gold nightmare of a uniform. Ten million for him already, and they had just taken him into custody. The smarmy Latino seemed content to just sit there and run his pretty little mouth, knowing the lawful limits of the soldiers guarding him.

"Hey, my friends. I can double my army's offer personally. Twenty million, if you all accept that is over two mil apiece for each of you" he smirked "Lets see your Uncle Sam match that eh?"

Starrior swallowed despite the mute satisfaction knowing the [censored] was getting desperate should've brought.

"All you have to do is let me down right over there on that rock. And then do not concern yourselves further. I will find my own way, what do you say eh?"

"You got the cash on you?" Stevens monotoned looking out the side door. Flan grinned and blew a bored bland bubble which popped with a snap.

Damn kids. Starrior thought. The easy sarcasm in the young Ranger's voice just added to Starrior's growing irritation. Completely unphased, the two Rangers didn't even flinch at the offer while he on the other hand felt, internally, like he was sweating bullets beneath his armor...twenty million. My god...

"Come on Ranger, do not be stupid. What do you make? Thirty, thirty five thousand?" That stung Starrior, The mocking beginning and emphasizing the difference in the pay between the two philosophies.

Stevens chuckled, shaking his Kevlar amused. "Not even but I'm in it for the chicks...OooAh?" Flan grinned looking across the prisoner and replied with that ever present annoying 'OooAh"

"A puppet....a sheep for your president."

"MAKING THE TURN, AT POINT CHARLIE." The escort pilot's voice shattered his thoughts momentarily. This was it, he thought, God help me.

His eye flew across his visors screen and activated a few prearranged programs; the transmitter on the side of his helmet began to emit the preset program....

From behind him he heard the pilot gasp of surprised frustration as the control of her beloved Blackhawk failed to respond as her ship hovered to an almost stop. Her copilot's bulbous helmet turned left and right as he tried to verify and re-verify the readings across his consol. The door gunners grabbed their harnesses to steady themselves as the craft began to slow to a stop, behind a large floating rock.

Then came Ultra 4-6's pilot's voice "MY VIEW OF 4-5 HAS BEEN OBSTRCTED." Damn right, it better be.

"4-5? 4-5? STEPH, WHAT'S HAPPENIN'?"

Nice and smooth, Starrior smirked bitterly as the pilot gasped in shock as the whole cabin heard her voice reply over the radio…

"I got a slight flutter in my pedals and the collective is sluggish, wait one 4-6, I’ve hover to verify prob...I'll be back on your six in about ten seconds."

"ROGER THAT."

Here we go…he sighed darkly

This was just one of those times when he was glad they didn't wear armor as complete as his own. Otherwise, he wouldn't be fast enough, and someone might have to be killed. These were honorable and good kids, there had to be no casualties. Heart beating, he reared up a bit as the taser cable from his both his shoulders launched their cables into the back of each door gunner. The boys stiffened and slumped forward over their weapons. With lightening speed two more pairs of cables darted out of his shoulder blades into both the co-pilot and pilot, who to his amazement actually managed to draw her sidearm. They both lurged and slumped in their chairs, the pilot's sidearm thumping to the cabin floor.

His large armored forearms came up to bear on the two remaining guards, the young Rangers who were his friends.

"Drop your weapons and keep your hands where I can see 'em, guys. Let’s go." There was no stopping now, he sighed sadly, though his voice was deathly calm though his vocoder.

"Sweet [censored] Star, what the hell are you doin'?" Stevens, staring at him with disbelief in his wide eyes, yet his body visibly tensing up. Flan simply watched the hero and his friend in shocked and saddened disappointment. However he too began to tense, neither of the Rangers lowering their weapons nor showing their age. Both shifting into battle mode fluidly. God, Starrior thought, accept it boys, don’t do this.

Steven's finger strayed close to his trigger though almost imperciably, his mind swam as he began to take in his limited options around trying to accept what was happening. The milk run just become a fight for his life and Flan's. How could Star do this? He was a /hero/. Sure, he was a little selfish and often a bit on the arrogant side, had too much of a thing for money and gambling, but seriously…he thought the man was better than this…he was swiftly become nothing more now than a target to the young Ranger.

All right, so far so good, Starrior thought. His earlier edginess began to ease off a little, now that things were in motion.. And he was in control. A rare thing for him in his life lately.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" Don't do anything stupid, Stevens he silently begged the boy. "I'm taking this [censored] up on his offer and I'm sorry I can’t afford to share it with you guys." …arrogant [censored]… He cast that swarthy Latino a resentful glance and could just see the smug look on his face. Yeah, you [censored], you hooked one who couldn't resist. Go ahead, smirk...laugh...I deserve it but I had -no- choice.

Starrior hated him. He hated this criminal...no he hated the whole terrorist organization for announcing to the world an incentive to turn him against what had been his life. The prospect of millions… oh its power, the control such money offered him again… Its power to rid himself of debt and grant him the rich life he deserved. A life he could share with his boy....just to see him smile once more.

"Now, you boys just be smart. Hands up, Flannery! Come on. Come on." he snapped “Hands up! Hands up, Stevens. Let's go, lemme see it. Hands up! Let's go!"

Starrior drew a tighter bead on them both, his optics targeting them with his crimson beam. Inwardly, behind his tinted visor, he prayed the two Rangers, his former friends, would comply. He knew he couldn't actually bring himself to shoot either of them... Just keep thinking about that money, Star, oh yeah.

Good. Relief swept over him a little when so far at least neither had made a move to engage him....yet

NO! What is /she/ doing!?, was the thought sweeping through Star's mind as he caught the flicker of movement at the Helicopter doorway. A figure, with a flowing reddish mane in a revealing yet stunningly functional black leotard floated there raising a gloved hand which crackled with her energy. The Expeditionary Force traitor flinched behind his visor and looked back at the two Rangers with alarm as the shattering sound of an energy blast echoed within the cabin. Taking the shot to the throat Stevens was thrown back against the wall of the helicopter. Steven slumped, his head rolling to the side as dark blood slipped from his lips, his eyes staring at Starrior with mock accusations.

Flannery moved in an instant, all out of instinct as he brought his SAW up to fire. The motion and instinct came alive inside of Starrior as his defensive systems went to work. Without thinking he fired his twin stun pulses into the chest of the young Ranger dropping him to the deck, lifeless but alive.

Why'd she shoot him!? He whirled to face his partner angrily "What the hell was that?! Are you crazy!?" Starrior yelled. Staring in near-horror at his friend in the back seat. "What the hell was that, Liz??!?"

Dark Rose had already moved to begin to free the highly amused prisoner. The Spaniard then kicking the unconscious Flan and spat on bleeding Stevens...

"Sheep!" The Nemesis Intel Officer snarled just before Starrior reached out and snatched the man by his hair roughly snapping his neck back "touch them again" he hissed through his vocoder. "and you are all through!"

He turned to Liz once more "WHY?"

"He was going for it Star" Bull [censored]! He thought staring at her wild grin, good god he thought she actually got off on that! What had the two of them become?

"No he wasn't! I had them under control! You didn't have to shoot him!" No no NO! This wasn't supposed to happen! Stevens, he had a boy too…

"4-5 STATUS?...4-5 STATUS?"

Starrior's mind raced, his chest felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, weight that pushed down on the empty air that was his stomach. He had to say something! He had this planned to the point where they would’ve been long gone before 4-6 checked in with them...[censored] delayed us by shooting Stevens.....Stevens..

…Oh man, Stevens… Fighting to calm himself down, he moved one hand to key the Helicopter's radio…. But he couldn't stop looking at the young Ranger slumped against the back wall, he couldn’t avoid his eyes.

"We're catching up to you, Major, Steph is um..Working on the collective now. Uh. W-we'll be there in about—"

"STARRIOR WHY ARE YOU RESPONDING? STAND BY WE ARE ENROUTE TO YOU NOW ETA IN 15 SECONDS"

"ANY AND ALL AIRCRAFT OR HEROES IN AND AROUND POINT CHARLIE, RESPOND, THIS IS ULTRA 4-6 , DOES ANY OF YOU HAVE A VISUAL ON ULTRA 4-5?"

"STAND BY 4-6 I'M SO IN THE AREA, LIKE WAIT ONE, ANGLING THERE NOW"

Of course, Starrior sighed as he recognized the chipper high pitched voice, she was heading back to the firebase, and she would have to be the nearest one.

She should have a clear view, by now. Dark Rose cursed softly as she readied her flight harness for their charge.

"ROGER. 4-6 I CAN SEE THEM JUST OFF POINT CHARLIE, 4-5 IS STOPPED BY THAT LARGE ROCK THAT SO LOOKS LIKE BULLWINKLE."

Dark Rose was hurrying but still enjoying herself. Starrior cursed as he moved to the other door to see the shimmering heroine approaching from the far distance.

His comm. crackled to life on the security detail frequency "Star? Star are you all right?" His eyes closed, she thinks I have to be a victim, she still believes in me....of course he thought bitterly, she naively sees the best in all of us.

…"Don't approach 4-5 Kara....it's um wired and they will blow it if you do" his voice shook slightly as he aimed for a long distance shot at her and fired hitting her dead on. The young heroine fluttered and dropped straight down a few dozen meters before catching herself, her fields absorbing most of his blast.

"Why did you warn her!?" Liz snapped at him as she floated out of the door with the smirking officer strapped to her back.

"Kara” he whispered knowing full well she would’ve known who shot her "Do me a favor and tell that [censored] Ms. Liberty it was me and Liz that did this"

"Did what...." she inhaled pausing in hover out of shock "Omigawd Star NO! So don’t do this!"

Dark Rose piped in mocking Kara's high pitch voice "So like save it sunshine" her voice heavy with the arrogant glee-ness of someone who has everything…or is soon going to get it and knows no one, nothing, can stop her, as she spoke to her one time comrade “or you so will join your little ranger boyfriends" cackling at Kara's gasp of shock


"4-6! DIAMOND, 4-5 COMPRIMISED, PRISONER FREED. SUSPECTS APPEAR TO BE FIREBASE ZULU SECURITY PERSONEL, HAVE RECIEVED WEAPONS FIRE FROM THEM. DO NOT APPROACH!"

Kara's voice barked out to the largely unarmed and under armed Blackhawk hovering nearby now.

"DIAMOND, 6-1 ACTUAL , COLONEL BAKER HERE, CAN YOU VERIFY THIS OVER?"

Starrior's heart sank as he heard her voice respond as he and Liz stepped off into the copper night.

"CONFIRMED 6-1 ACTUAL"

Starrior glided next to Dark Rose and their charge as they flew away from the hovering Blackhawk. He knew Kara would have to stop to awaken its pilot first....then see to the survivors at least until 4-5 could land. He hoped maybe..Just maybe the girl had one more miracle, he lied to himself, and maybe she could save Stevens.

His rear scanners showed her flying to ultra 4-5. His heart froze as she called out to him in desperation, so much concern in her voice for him still.

Well that will fade once she sees the boy....

"STAR!, So don't do this!...PLEASE!" She pleaded sincerely with her friend

Too late now, Ms. Valiant Dazzling Diamond…the feeling was almost enough to somber out the reeling in his stomach. He thought once more about Stevens, worried, his heart hammering as he breathed. He couldn't stop now even if he wanted to.

He couldn’t get the boy's eyes out of his head...

Just think, millions of dollars were waiting, had to keep going. For him, his life for his boy to have a chance...for them to be together. Forcing himself to fly faster, Starrior kept pace with his two smirking companions.


"OMIGAWD 6-1 WE HAVE CASUALTIES” Diamond's voice sliced over the comm., she was inside. "CREW DISABLED, ONE MAN DOWN! MEDICS NEEDED 4-5'S LOCATION!..OMIGAWD LIKE NOW!"

"COPY THAT DIAMOND," Baker's voice was calm, even toned "GIRL I WANT YOU TO TRANSFER 4-6'S COPILOT TO 4-5..COPY? MEDEVAC NOW ENROUTE TO YOUR POS....I NEED AN HONEST NO [censored] ASSESMENT GIRL CAN YOU DO THIS?"

"COPY 6-1 ACTUAL, LIKE TRANSFERING NOW!"

Her voice upset yet calm and functioning, she would be after them sooner than expected.

God, Liz had shot the boy in the throat!! Like in a surrealistic nightmare tunnel he was falling down, he felt himself compelled to fly back and surrender, just to be able to touch Stevens, to make him all right. Was he even alive? What about Steven's family?

His boy...so like his own...

However he could already see his friend's blood on his hands…visible as the copperish light washing over his gauntlets.

"6-1 , VULTURE 1-3, TARGETS ARE ENTERING POINT ECHO."

A new voice, clear and clipped reported on their activity...

"COPY VULTURE 1-3"

Ground Control's response snapped Starrior back to reality that was an Apache Attack helicopter, they often flew in pairs. It also brought his thoughts professionally back to the point of this whole nightmare, get this [censored] back to his people, and get his money. Then hopefully, he prayed a life with his boy...

Diamond would take care of Stevens, he knew that.

He could trust her to do that, ....everyone could...right?

After all, one casualty was never acceptable by her standards…

Christ....

He flew beside his too overly amused partner and their smirking charge as they bobbed and weaved closely to the floating debris to outrun and lose their pursuit.

April 19th 2006 - Firebase Zulu, Shadow Shard


The dank cool yet humid air of the soft amber twilight of the alien shard hung around the barrack tents and bunkers like a wet blanket. Smothering yet off set by a cool breeze that back on earth would never be present. Kara stood upon a high wall of rocks looking out over the bizzare floating rocks and flieds of debris that hung in the orangish red horizon of the alien landscape. The breeze blew her hair up and off her shoulder and whipped around to sooth the backof her neck from the almost stiffling humanity tonight.

She sighed, yet another night of patrols...and yet more preferable to be here she mused than to be where she had been during the last week. She felt free up here working with her 'boys'. 1st of the 75th, US Army Rangers assigned to the Shard Expeditionary Force, a proud group of soldiers all mostly her age. Men and woman who stood on a wall and protected her world from the unfortunate mess that the initial contact with this world had yielded.

Her platoon, 'The Outlaws' recieved a bunch of new replacements tonight, even a New Leiutenant, a turnip named Lt. Harrison Cutler. She smirked as she remembered his first words to he with a sneer as he took in her costume.

"Not much for camoflauge Lady?" he turned and walked away when she giggled, with 'Top' the companies first Sergant to explain her worth to the new officer. He often flew out with her 'chalk' and patroled with them when he was able or when the company moved out as a whole. She shook her head as his voice and turned to look below. Top was crrently dressing down three of the five new recruits and peeling off issued equiptment they were packing for tonight's patrol, that she herself knew would NOT be needed out there.

She had learned early on herself a soldier must be mobile out here and such an economy of weight being carried had to be taught. The newbies or cherries as they were called had to learn. She watched with an amused grin as Donaldson and Carter, both specialsists who had been privates when she first joined the unit walk by as they left the mess tent. They had gone through this ritual themselves on her first night with the unit.

She waved to the older soldiers as they passed by her perch. She looked back as Top walked away in disgust ..which was more to drive his point home so the new guys didnt forget. She floated down to the group as she could hear their inevitable grumbles ....

"Crusty old [censored].." ...."Jeesh lighten up eh? " ....."What does he know" "I know what they said in training...what is he gonna do to us if we follow what we were taught" ..."Yeah he cant do much"

....and the like were still being muttered as she landed near them. As usual her presence always drew their immediate attention. Some oggled, some draw to her by her reutation...but mostly the reactions she had come to expect up her from those she hadnt fought beside yet.

"Whoa..." said one..the others mostly Gawked..

"Hey boys...got a sec for like some good advice?" She smiled sweetly as they all nodded and formed a semi circle in front of her as she began to speak. "So gonna tell ya something...its like this little story I so like to call 'Don't Mess with a First Sergeant' "

They nodded, leaning on their weapons or kneeling as if they were in school, which more than likely she had learned they had just left training schools where they were required to shut up and listen during a block of instruction. she had told this story now quite a few times over the last year. Grinning she began...

"Okay like there were these two privates, ok? " she said "Who were roommates, and were like always getting into trouble. Weeell One day, while being marched up and down the air field field up here by 'Top', as punishment for so again not listening to him..., the three came upon a like this crystal lantern." they soldiers smirked as they listened unsure of whether or not to believe her .."Oh it was so lovely..a reddish pink one..so smooth and lovely"

A small group of some of the more vetran Rangers and pilots had stopped byt he entrance to the mess tent to listen as well, smiling as they observed her continue with her long practiced ritual for the newbies.

"Well like one of the privates pick up the lantern and rubs it. And this shimmering Genie pops out. " her voice grows deeper as she recites ..

"I will give you each one wish; that's three wishes total," says the Genie.

"The first private says, "I want to be back in my warm dry barracks room, surrounded by beautiful women with all the pizza and beer I can handle. "

she crossed her arms across her chest and bpwed her head dramatically as if granting a wish and blinked like the genie from the old TV show

"*POOF* the first private disappears. " the newbies grinned wishing the could do this as well. Kara continued ignoring some of the snickers and chuckles from the mess tent.

"Now the second private says, "Good idea!" I want to be there also." Then with a sneer to Top, the private adds, "and surround our room with a large wall, so we can't be bothered by sergeants!" he laughed at Top..he really did"
She repeated her genie motions and continued

"*POOF* the second private disappears. " The newbies cheered and nodded agreeing with the no Top's allowed part of the wish. Kara grinned and went on..

"Now Top just looks to the genie and asks in a very even voice, "I'm very curious. Please tell me more about this wall."

The Genie explains, "Well, it's about 150 feet high, 50 feet thick and nothing can get in or out."

"including Top hisself!" crooned one of the newbies to a few high fives from his buddies. Kara waited then asked "Do you know what Top said to the genie then....his true wish?"

They all nodded..

Kara smiled dropped meeting each of there gazes as she spoke the Top's wish...

"Well then Top says..., "Fill it up with water."

The newbies smiles all dropped and stood there.

"Dont mess with Top boys...he knows what he is doing..." she added in a sing song voice as *** e turned to walk away "and he -will- get you!'

As she left the now silent pack of newbies to straighten out their gear as instructed she turned to the soft claps and laughter from the front of the mess tent. She bowed a graceful ballet reverence to her audience only to be halted by a large growl from behind them..

"ALL RIGHT GAWD DAMN IT KNOCK THAT [censored] OFF! " Top then roared to the gaggle by the mess tent "You mutts get your [censored] in gear, ops in 40 minutes!" As they scrambled to prepare , Top then turned on Kara "Gawd Damn it Arty quit [censored] around with the Cherries and get over to INTEL before I put my boot up that Spandex [censored] of yours....move it girl..OPS in 39 minutes now"

He grinned as she snapped too and flew off giggling towards the Intel center. Out of the corner of his eye he watched the new soldiers scramble to get strip away the gear he told them earlier to lose. He then turned to see Kara land across the camp.

He smirked , you have your ritual girl.....and I have mine.

Top turned and headed off to find the new lieutenant, boy had only been up here 3 hours. He mused, Cant have him getting lost in camp already.

January 15th 2007 - New Overbrook, Faultline


Phil sat cross legged atop her bed and scratched her head a bit as she looked at the calender that she had been given this christmas as a 'stocking stuffer'.

Kara paused at her door as she noticed Phil staring at the little calander and then her wall. She poked her head in, wondering what was going on with her little ward.

“Hey, Squirtle. What're you doing?”

“Oh I am looking at this hanging this calender I think.” Phil mused narrowing her eyes in intense concentration as to where.

“Okay. Got a question to ask me? You so look a little puzzled sweetie.”

“Indeed I am a little." Phil pointed to the date January 15th. “Who was Martin Luther King, Jr. really? The teachers spoke alot about him but still..”

She looked up at her guardian with earnest interest as Kara smiled as she walked in and sat at the foot of her bed.

“Well, little one" she began as Phil shifted a bit to listen hugging her calender close "Dr. King was a great man. He lived from 1929-1968. He fought for equal rights- for blacks and whites.”

Phil furled her brow a bit “What? I do not understand. What do you mean? That is silly?”

Kara smiled at her, She remembered how she had asked the same questions to her Mother once long ago. “Welp sweetie " her tone softer but more serious now "While Dr. King was alive, the whites, being people of lighter skin color hated, or were racist against people of much darker skin color, than their own." she sighed "I don't how to explain that to you easily, most likely because they were scared or because the blacks' ancestors had once been slaves of the white.”

"Like how people sometimes treat mutants?" Phil asked softly.

"Yes....and no. " Kara said. "I mean we sometimes have the power to fight back sweetie, society left them no way to back then. I mean even today some of it still happens..fear and ignorance still run rampant. " she shook her head "Just so not to the accepted level it was back then...we have come a long way honey" she smiled a little sadly at Phil "But we have a long long way to go.."

Phil thought about this and then nodded "So then we keep on walking...right?" she tried hopefully.

Kara nodded "Oh yes sweetie..we keep moving forward, he was very important to teaching us how to"

Phil nodded again “Is this why is he on the calender?"

“He's on the calender because of all the great things he did. His civil rights efforts helped to bring about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.”

Phil sighed a little as Kara slipped /right/ into teacher mode as she listened to the dates and the achievements.

“This Nobel Peace Prize- it is a great honor?” The small girl asked

“Oh Yes, sweetie, it is. It's so one of the greatest honors anyone can ever receive.” Kara said.

“I think I would've liked to meet this Martin Luther King, Jr.” Phil declared then looked up. "How did he die?"

Kara's smile slipped softly.

“Um...oh boy,” Kara said her voice soft and quiet as she spoke,”Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee sweetie.”

Phil blinked “But , you just described him as a man of great power, and a great leader to a great cause. Why would someone kill h....?... Oh.” The realization seemed to hit poor Phil full force, and she hugged her little calaender a little tighter.

“You see honey, he is on the calender because the U.S. Congress in 1983 decided to make his birthday a national holiday. We celebrate his birthday the third Monday of January.” Kara smiled a bit more "Which so happens to actually be his actual birthday today"

Kara looked down to her small ward and then an idea hit her. "Squirtle?"

Phil looked up "Yes?"

"Would you like to meet him? See and hear what he was like?"

Phil blinked then nodnoded "Yes Please! Can you /do/ that?"

Kara chuckled and nodded "Yes...sit here I will be right back" she said as she slipped off of the bed and out to her own room to retrieve her laptop. She double checked her cell modem and headed back to Phil's room.

As she entered the little girl's room Kara paused in mild astonishment. The little girl's entire room was decked out in balloons, streamers A table was now in the center of the room that had at its center a large cake reading,”Happy Birthday, Doctor Martin!” There was also a large banner reading the same saying floating above the child's bed.

Noticing her guardian's reaction Phil tried hopefully. "Well it is his birthday....yes?"

Kara nodded as she negotiated passed the small child's cheerful illusions erected in Dr. King's honor that now filled her room. "Oh yes sweetie "

She nodded as she sat back down on the beside Phil. "Very nice touch"

Phil scooted over as she saw Kara had cued up a video from the internet. "Is that him? Is that Dr. King?" she asked pointing at the frozen black and white image on the screen.

"Yes it is sweetie" Kara said getting comfortable as she began the video. Her voice growing quiet with a degree of reverence. "These are very important words...listen to them"

Phil nodnoded as she began to watch and listen to the dignified man's voice as he began to speak to a crowd Phil could not see..

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

“So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

“This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

“So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

“It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

“The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

“We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

“The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

“We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

“I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

“I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

“This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

“When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

The room was silent for about a half a second, and then Phil leaned over and hugged Kara tightly. Kara smiled and moved the laptop from her lap.

"Thank you!" Phil said as she hugged. "That explains alot!"

"You are welcome Squirtle" Kara said as she ruffled her ward's hair at bit. Phil stopped the hug and then asked eagerly.

"Where did he give that speech? When? Who was he talking to? Who were those people behind him?"

Kara chuckles at the rapid fire questions. "Do you really want to know?"

Phil nodnoded eagerly.

Kara returned the laptop to her lap and leaned back against the little bed's headboard.

"Okay " she said proudly, as Phil leaned over to snuggle and watch "Where to begin...."

Here are some stuff i wrote about while Kara fought up in the Shadow Shard, she was very much a presence up there prior to the return of the Rikti, working closely with US and UN military units of the Expeditionary Force. I hope you enjoy them!

February 14th, 2006 - Firebase Zulu

The howling alien wind of the shard whipped around the darkened cement and metal bunker with a gentle ferocity. Deep within the womb of its protective walls Kara lay curled up on the canvas and metal cot buried deep inside an old, but comfy-thick army issued sleeping bag. As if with long established practice she lay in a semi awake state and listened to the cold Shard wind fight to reach her as she snuggled deeper safe and warm. She knew instinctively it had to be close to wake up...or like whatever the army guys called it. As she lay there she thought idily about the awful events of the past few nights and then amused herself by actually reminding herself she was as her mother used to say 'as snug as a bug in a rug' right now.

She groaned a bit softly as she heard the soft beeps of PFC. Michele Peterson's alarm go off. She covered her head and vanished into the bag as her 'bunkmate', who was more of a roomate when she stayed up here reached up to her makeshift cot lamp and turned it on as she shut off her alarm.

Kara's groan of protest from beneath the faded olive drab mound drew a groggy grin from the young soldier who sat up to stretch adding with a half sleepy grin. "Come on Arty...its revely..'Oh-dark-thirty' " she shook her head as the mound on the bunk across the room groaned again at the familiar routine. "And you -so- know what the 'Oh' Stands for..." she said crossing over to the Heroine who had become her friend these last few months.

The still sleepy soldier reached down to snag the sleeping bag off of her friend's face as they said in a dry monotone only capable of being achieved this early in the morning " 'Oh' my gawd its early" Kara added "Darn it Petey i was sooo comf!" her attempt to lay back down was halted by 'Petey' as she was known said over her shoulder "This is the army girlfriend...comfort just doesnt..DON'T you lay back down "Arty'!" she playfully snapped in a sergant's tone then added "Besides I have formation and -you- have school!"

"And girl like where are those fields?" Petey grinned and shivered slightly as she rummaged for her P.T. uniform. Kara sat up still clad in her white one piece she had worn from the night before and glowed a brief flash of silver white warmig herself and the immediate area, as well as bringing the horried chill enhancing drafts that the wind somehow always managed to find a way to get by the doors and windows. Kara reached for her bracers and high boots joining Petey in a soft chuckle as the two girls dressed.

"So girl whats on for you tonight" Petey asked from her bunk as she tied her sneakers. Kara smiled but her voice level trailed off as she noticed a small package sitting alongside of her bunk. Lifting it up a familiar odor assailed her senses. No such smell exsisted on this base...ever! "Um..im so having dinner with a friend"

Petey smirked " a friend.....how cute?"

Kara smiled with a bit of a blush "Incred cute...happy??" she reurned to reading the package's attached note as Petey stuck her tongue out at her and whirled to answer the room's bulky old style comm unit.

'Happy V-day, Diamond. From: Maz' The card said and added whe she flipped it over be sure to go home before long Kara smiled and opened the box and found a New York-style cheesecake shaped into a heart, and about palm-sized. She smiled dipping a finger gently into the chocolate as she heard Petey disconnect with a sharp 'Rodger that!' She turned to Kara and smiled "Okay Arty have a great day, mine is beginning already...you know this is a government operation when a Major loses his desk this early in the morning"

Kara blinked and giggled "His desk? Like how can you lose.." her question was stopped by the young MP who was now clearly awake and on duty "Girl i so dont even know what to know yet...ive got to get over there on the double..so have a good one...room will be open if you stay again .." she stopped and finally looked at Kara's gift "Cheesecake....New York Cheesecake...from the incred cute friend?"

Kara giggled and shook her head "Nope! this is..... someone else" Petey just looked at her in mock exasperation "Ugh...i knew i shouldve gotten me some powers instead of enlisting! stupid recruiter...." she adopted what the troops now called 'Artyspeak' ." I totally -so- blame him!"

Kara gaped and swatted at her her, playfully shooing her out of their room and into the morning cold. Returning to her cheesecake she happily spoiled herself with a decadant cheesecake breakfast as she called Portal control to make sure she was able to get through and back to Earth in time for her school's first bell. She was pleased to learn that there were no supply delays or troops moving through the gate and was soon home at the apartment she shared with Luci in no time.

She smiled and thanked her elder neighbor Pamela, or Auntie Pam for staying the night on such short notice to watch Phil, following her crash to the previous nights events. Pam had even shown her yet another package had been delievered here last night while she had been in the shard. Kara smiled to herself already she had caught the aroma that wafted from the box. She chuckled softly as she read the label.

'For Kara, Happy V-Day' she read the smaller print with a grin 'Don't eat it before she can get home, Luci'

Kara giggled and thought that the only reason the cake had survived is that Luci either isnt up yet or hadnt come home yet. Either way she placed the cake int he fridge knowing between herself, Luci and Phil the new york cheesecake's fate was -doomed-...she laughed!

Phil...whoops! she thought and headed down to the little girls room to rouse the very sleepy Phil in order to get her ready for school. Kara giggled at the fact that today the girl had decided not to be a morning person. She herself even found she had the time for a much longer shower than she thought she wouldve.

By the time she had dressed and gotten the still groggy Phil out the door Kara's mood had easily been restored from the previous night. She was now looking forward to her dinner with Sean tonight and whatever the rest of the night then held. If Iz or anyone else wanted to do something they would call but she decided she was going to enjoy herself tonight.

She slipped her arm around her delibrately zombified ward's shoulders and hugged her as they headed off to meet with Katrina to walk with the other young girl to school. Kara looked down to Phil "Do you have Katrina's Vale..." she stopped with and amused smile as Phil's arm came up machine like, in her mitten she held a red envelope and a small bag of the generic candy hearts.

Kara smiled and double checked as they stood in the cool wind and admist the snowbanks now surounding the bus stop to make sure she had Katrina's litle heart shaped box of chocolate. She then looked to Phil "Ready?" she grinned as the Scarf wrapped hooded eyes nodded 'yes' . "Well lets go..." holding her hand she and Phil crossed the street and headed off into the morning. Kara looked down as they walked and smiled...

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

January 9th 2007 - Skyway

There was the most annoying sound coming from the office where she had left Kara, after the failed patrol. RJ stood in front of the door, wincing, and finally found the bravado needed to enter. One would expect to look in and find Kara furious at not being able to complete her task, which usually resulted in pacing or simmering, practically about to snap when, in the most rare cases she was really agitated.

But this, this was an annoying whine, a fevered pitch, dotted by miniature squeals, and the person slumped over the desk wasn’t engrossed in writing up her failed report, but holding a. . .a. . .

“Kara, what is that?” She asked as Fly, her orange tabby cat readjusted, perched high on RJ's shoulder, the small cat also seemed to be looking at Kara with puzzlement.

Kara looked up, or rather glanced up in a hurry, and continued to work her thumbs over a set of odd. . .things. “Whack-A-Mole!”

“W-Whack a what?” RJ blinked clearly expecting any other type of answer from her friend.

“Whack-A-Mole....Oh Darn it!” The game landed on her desk, padded by her documents. “I so just lost.” she added as the small consol game accented her loss with a chorus of mocking little high pitched giggles from these so called little moles.

RJ glanced down at the small currently cackling object. “Kara. . .should I be concerned? I mean, you did have a childhood, right? It wasn’t really spent with your nose in your books all the time, was it?”

“Like of course I did!" Kara smirked glaring down at her still mocking adversary.

“Tell me again what that is.”

“Okay, so ...that much you like don’t know?”

“Just tell me what the hell a Whack-A-Mole is!” RJ asked still half stunned as the machine grew silent.

“Wait, wait, wait, you like don’t know what Whack-A-Mole is?” Kara grinned and leaned forward. “And you talk about my childhood?”

“Will you please. . .” Rj was exasperated.

“Remember the games in the arcade where you whack these things on the head that pop out of a hole?. . . Omigawd! you /so/ don’t have a clue what I’m talking about!” She laughed softly standing up to sweep her long hair back behind her ears. “You really don’t!”

“No, Kara, I don’t have a clue. That doesn’t excuse you doing. . ." she gestured at her with her hands "whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Why Rina Jessica! I’m like stunned! I had no idea, wow, we so really need to go and get you acquainted with the world!”

“I am acquainted with the world! I work for the Freedom Corps!”

“And yet you are oblivious to the subtly of Whack-A-Mole!" Kara grinned teasingly now. RJ's competive side began to raise it hackles.

“The subtly of Whack-A-Mole hardly constitutes a national security crisis of any kind, and it doesn’t arrest criminals, and it doesn’t sign my paycheck, so why should I care about it ?” RJ eyed it askance as Fly leapt off of her shoulder to inspect the device and con Kara into petting him as usual. “Looks. . .strange.” She said moving closer.

“It’s complex.” Kara smiled cocking her head a bit at her as she began to pet Fly, who leaned over and melted.

“It’s a kiddie game!” RJ protested smiling.

“It so requires both dexterity and a rapid eye, not to mention quick reflexes. They should SO have these things at military camps.” Kara quipped scritching Fly here and there.

“I’ll put that in a memo, look, I need you to come with me, Swan wants to see you.”

“Wanna play?” Kara grinned as she inquired.

“. . .Did I not just say I need you to come with me to see Swan?” Rj tried again.

“Come on. One game. Bet you can’t beat my score.” Kara waved a gloved hand over the small console in an enticing manner as her other spoiled the now purring cat.

RJ pursed her lips and considered, then strode up to the desk and the machine. “All right then! How do you play?”

“When the holes light up, press them.”

“Why is it called Whack-A-Mole? There aren’t any moles.”

“There are in like the big version, look, if you’re a good girl we’ll go to Anthony’s pizza and you can play, Gawd, so still can’t believe you’ve never done this, okay, look, put it on the low setting. . .there. Now.”

RJ pressed a button and soon found herself frantically trying to press annoying red dots into submission making them squeal if she hit or mock her with giggles if she missed..

“What the. . .”

“Press harder! You gotta press harder, RJ!” Kara mockingly cheered.

“Kinky.” RJ smirked biting down on her tongue as she pressed and pressed after the elusive little lights.

Swan thought so too as she stood in the doorway silently, but with a smile as the two heroines hunched together over the desk and battled moles. Her smile grew as the small cat also there swatted at the screen as her owner was locked in what appeared to be mortal combat.

The girls competitive nature came out in chirps and bursts of enthusiasm as the levels grew in intensity, RJ cursing and yelling while Kara egged her on in support. This went on for a good five minutes before RJ was able to finally beat Kara’s score, and she leapt to her feet, throwing her hands into the air triumphantly as Kara gave her a congratulatory hug, then jumped three feet away as her eyes fell on Swan nearly knocking poor Fly off of the desk.

RJ was doing a victory dance with her eyes closed, then seemed to notice the room was suddenly now quiet. She froze in mid dance and slowly opened one eye, then the other. Her gaze settled on the horrifying sight of a hall full of people trying to peer inside, around Swan.

“What’cha two doing?” Swan asked coyly.

“We. . . uh. . .” RJ looked to Kara, who looked back at her.

“We’re like. . .doing something for the Central Intelligence Agency. . .” Added Kara as Swan glanced from one to the other.

“. . .and FBI,” added RJ quickly.

“And. . .FBI. . .” Kara nodded clearly blushing as RJ was now.

“Oh wow sounds very important, Doing what?” Swan then inquired as she crossed her arms clearly amused yet afraid of the answer.

Kara giggled and didn’t miss a beat. “Catching moles!”