The air was cold, brisk, and brutal. All around was nothing but the white of snow, wind and ice. Darcy Tirrel hugged herself tightly, watching through the window of the helicopter as it gradually lowered to the freezing ground. Her eyes shifted downwards and to the side, onto the folder next to her, sitting untouched on the next seat over.

She grabbed it with slightly trembling fingers and placed it on her lap. She opened it, and pulled out a few papers. Her eyes scanned over the few photographs, of something that apparently she was coming to see. The reports only briefly went over what it was she was looking at in the pictures, and she read over them carefully, almost skeptically, for what was possibly the one hundredth time that day.

"Discovery that changed history… alien material… unusual fossil..."

"Miss Tirrel?" the pilot's voice shouted over the blizzard and the helicopter, ripping her from her musings, "We are about to land!"

"Thank you!" she called back, tucking everything back into the folder with fumbling fingers. She braced herself against her seat, and only relaxed once she felt the helicopter jolt as it hit the icy ground. As it powered down, she hastily unbuckled herself, tossing the folder back onto the seat beside her before getting up and sliding the door open.

Instantly, she was hit with the brutal slap of the Arctic's severe elements. The wind whipped at her face with temperatures well below freezing, and snow crunched beneath her thick boots as she walked. Hugging herself once again in her layered white coat, she pushed on, towards a large site that was her destination.

The dig site that changed history, supposedly.

She didn't get past maybe a yard or two into the tunnel when a worker came walking up to her, his eyes wide with surprise, "Oh, shit. Darcy, you really shouldn't have come."

"I don't want to hear it," she replied sharply. Her blue eyes narrowed, and she gestured past him, "Just show me."

Without another word, the worker nodded firmly and turned around, Darcy following close behind. Her eyes flickered over their surroundings, specifically the structure of this site. Heavily reinforced. Hmm.

They reached a large clearing at the end of the tunnel, and Darcy's eyes widened at the tiny glimpse of something icy and shiny behind a large Arctic automobile. The worker took her just before it, and pointed towards what she thought was probably the worst security system she's ever seen. One guard, and one metal detector. "… Seriously?"

"Corporate was adamant we keep running. No stopping operations." He explained, "Apparently that includes security systems."

"Isn't it a bit much to have such weak protection for something this big?"

"We don't particularly get visitors up here."

Darcy snorted and proceeded to walk past. She didn't get too far before she had a rifle pointed at her head. The security guard stood firm before her, not a sign of emotion in his eyes as he aimed at her. Darcy halted, only mildly surprised, and the worker gripped her shoulder and ushered her towards the detector, "No, no, no. You've got to go through. No cameras. He's got orders to kill, I don't even think international laws apply up here."

"Fine." She snapped, and promptly walked over to the detector, tossing her backpack into a container as she walked through. Once the alarm did not go off, she looked towards him and pointed threateningly, "I am a geologist first. For the record, if this thing has any historical significance at all like it's been claimed to, we are shutting this down. I'm shutting this down."

The security guard continued to point his gun as Darcy pushed ahead, and the geologist whipped around and spread her hands daringly, challengingly, "Oh he's going to shoot me? Shoot me."

The worker stood between the two, his hand raised to halt the guard, "Hey, now don't kill her-"

"I was sent here by the government itself." Darcy said, "Shoot me and it's on you and your entire company. Your choice."

With that, she turned around and walked away. The guard remained still for a solid moment, and then lowered his weapon, turning away. The worker breathed a sigh of relief, and hurried up to Darcy as she approached the discovery with wide, disbelieving eyes. Her gaze darted back and forth, analyzing and examining what was uncovered before her.

"Crazy shit, am I right?"

"I don't believe it…"

"Yeah? Well you better."

Icicles and snow covered a good amount of the site, but from what she could see, Darcy concluded that she was staring at a dinosaur fossil. A Tyrannosaurus Rex, by the looks of it. She took a step closer, and gaped at the sight of the fossil, heavily covered and solidified by some sort of thick, indestructible metal. The fossil was surrounded by it, the metal spiked in all places and directions as though it was a liquid blast that cooled and solidified within seconds upon impact.

The worker walked up, hammer in hand, and swung with as much force as he could muster at the fossil's bottom jaw. The action made a loud clanging noise and the hammer bounced off, but otherwise, not even a scratch. Completely indestructible. Darcy could do nothing aside from gape between him and the fossil. The worker smirked, "Like I said, crazy shit."

Darcy nodded.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think…" Darcy struggled for words, and when she finally found her voice once again, she looked up with a newfound excitement, "I think history is truly about to change."

A man stood at the end of the corridor.

Everything was dark, only slightly obscuring his face from her view. He looked so far away, but he felt so, so close. Close enough that she felt she could almost touch him if she reached far enough.

And she did. She stretched her fingers towards him, but the man somehow began to stand farther and farther away without moving at all. It left a tight feeling in her chest, and she cried out for him. But he wouldn't move, no matter what she said, no matter what she did.

She tried to run, but her steps only seemed to take her back. She ran and ran, but the darkness continued to swallow her and the man only continued to disappear into the shadows.

"Wait!" she cried, "Don't –don't go!"

Aiko awoke with a start.

The nineteen year old shot up from her old and ragged bed, her skin slightly slicked with a cold sweat. She looked around her, and slowly relaxed when she recognized the surroundings of the homeless shelter she was taking refuge in. It was early in the morning, and not many were awake. Some others were tossing and turning, others as dead as a rock. Some caretakers were roaming about, doing this or that.

"God," Aiko sighed, sweeping an arm across her forehead.

She hated having to sleep, sometimes. The dreams were horrendous and she'd been having quite some bizarre ones since she was young. Being on her own for a little more than a year and escaping the detestable prison of foster care didn't seem to be helping her any. Even so, Aiko would die before she had to ever go back.

She subconsciously touched her throat and shivered. Then she looked down at her palms and frowned deeply.

"Hey," a friendly voice said. She looked up to see a caretaker looking down at her, with a kind smile. The woman placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I see you're awake. Would you like a meal, honey?"

Still trying to regroup after her dream, it took Aiko a moment to answer, "Ah –yes. Yes, please."

"Alright, then. I'll let you go clean up a little and see what I can get for you."

Aiko smiled back weakly, "Great, thanks."

When the woman walked away, Aiko slowly heaved herself up and stretched. She grabbed her bag from beneath the bed and made her way towards the bathrooms, careful of any people who had to sleep on the floor when the beds had run out. The bathrooms, though not entirely the best in the world, were at the very least kept clean in the shelter. There was no one inside when she had walked in, so she decided to slip into a stall and change. The shelter had been generous enough to even offer to wash clothes.

Once she had come out with a clean t-shirt and jacket and a pair of tight jeans, she made her way to the sinks. Heaving a soft breath, she turned on the water and let it run between her fingers. The cool liquid felt refreshing to her, but suddenly something was tugging at the back of her memory. Something dark, and dreadful, and it shoved itself to the forefront of her mind before she could stop it…

She was crying and trembling. Her eyes were wide with fear and her breaths came in short, labored gasps. Her haggard dark hair had fallen over her tear-stained face.

She was shaking so badly that she could barely turn on the sink. The blood on her hands had smeared onto the dull silver faucet.

Aiko splashed water on her face hastily. The cold water made her gasp aloud, but it succeeded in freeing her mind of the haunting memory. The girl struggled to get air back into her lungs. She braced herself on the sink and dropped her head, allowing water droplets to fall from her nose and chin while she struggled to stay in the present.

"Shit…" she whispered.

Without looking up, she reached somewhere beside her. Her quivering fingers fumbled on the hanging paper towel before she managed to rip it free. She plastered it to her face tightly, making up some sort of pathetic logic in her plagued mind that hiding her face would hide her from the terrible dreams and hallucinations that she'd been suffering from for a long time.

I can run as far as I want, but I'm never going to be able to escape this.

Aiko looked up –and nearly screamed.

A man stood behind her in the reflection –not the one in her dream, but someone far more sinister. She saw those same dark, glazed-over eyes and the black muscle shirt that only emphasized the muscles in his arms. She saw his cruel, ugly snarl beneath the unkempt facial hair and the evil intent on his marred, dirty face. But most of all, Aiko could see in horror the wound in his neck, with blood steadily oozing out and dripping down his throat.

"You little shit-"

"NO!" she screamed, whirling around and ready to fend for her life. Her heart was beating in her chest, her muscles tensing up hard enough to cramp.

But there was no man behind her. Only another homeless girl, maybe a few years older with a beanie and a very unsettled look on her face.

"Christ!" she hissed, although the girl had taken a few careful steps back, ready to flee if she felt she was in danger. "Chill out! What the hell is your problem, huh?"

"I –I…" Aiko stuttered before getting out, "S-sorry. You… scared me."

The girl crinkled her nose and stared at her for a moment before walking around her into a stall, "Whatever."

She stared after her up until the other girl slammed the stall door shut. Swallowing thickly, Aiko ran a hand through her hair briefly and then snatched her bag, rushing out of the bathroom. She could still feel her heartbeat after what she had seen and slight tremors still racked her body even after she'd gotten out of the bathroom.

"Should have known," she growled to herself, violently shoving her bag beneath a table in the cafeteria and plopping down hard, "Got that bastard out of my life, but I can't get him out of my head."

Once again, the image of that wretched man in the reflection flashed in her mind and she shook her head in some poor attempt to get rid of it. Even though she had just woken up, she felt internally exhausted, and her head was beginning to hurt. She placed her fingers to her temples and rubbed in slow circles.

How did my life become this fucking miserable?

"Here you are, dear," the same caretaker who had seen her earlier came by and slid a tray of food in front of her. Aiko dropped her hands and nodded in thanks to the woman. Breakfast was cold bacon and eggs with slightly burnt toast and a bottle of water –not the most lavishing meal she'd had but certainly not the worst. Some foster homes she'd been in when she was younger granted her with families who had decent, home-cooked meals. Others, however, were less than pleasant.

The last one she'd been in, she hardly got to eat at all. She snorted at the thought of it and bitterly stabbed her plastic fork into the eggs. Fucking pricks.

She'd only had her fourth bite of her eggs before someone sat down across from her. Aiko seriously considered ignoring their presence in favor of finishing her food, but they cleared their throat loudly. The girl looked up with narrowed eyes, letting her annoyance show on her face. A man maybe a handful of years older than her was staring back at her. He had dark hair, olive skin, a charming smile and bright blue eyes, but Aiko had been on the streets long enough to not be fooled. She frowned at him; a silent prompt for him to speak up.

"You looked a little lonely over here," he said, smiling in thanks at a caretaker that also handed him a plate of food. His voice was high and soft, but something about it felt unnatural. "Thought I'd keep you company for a morning."

"I don't need your company."

"I figured," the guy didn't seem put off by Aiko's defensive demeanor and only continued to smile at her, "You look like a tough girl."

Aiko didn't answer. She shrugged and continued eating. A long silence stretched between them. She had hoped that would be enough for him to lose interest in her and go somewhere else, but the guy stayed, eating in a not-quite comfortable and mutual silence with her. If he was bothered by her refusal for conversation, he didn't show it.

The guy finished his meal first. He pushed his tray away and leaned on the able, "So. What's your story?"

Aiko glared, "Why do you care?"

"Fine," he laughed lightly, "I'll go first, then. My folks kicked me out as soon as I turned eighteen. Family was poor, and I didn't have much to start with. So now, here I am. You?"

She gave him a long look, contemplating whether or not to say anything. After a moment she went back to her half-eaten tray and mumbled, "Foster care."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

She shrugged, "It is what it is."

"How long have you been on your own?"

"Little over a year. You?"

"A few years," the guy answered slowly, "You got kicked out, too?"

"No," Aiko paused, choosing her next words carefully, "I left."

"Just up and left?"

She nodded. The guy tilted his head, "You know you could be considered missing. Police could be looking for you."

Again, she shrugged while scooping up the last of her eggs, "I know, but I'm not worried. I can get away. I would rather die before I'd let them drag me back to… to my last foster home."

The police probably want me for completely different reasons, too.

"I see," the guy dropped his gaze a little when Aiko shoved her tray away and then reached across the table, "I'm Dino, by the way."

"Hm. Sounds Italian." She commented drily. Dino did nothing more but quirk the corners of his mouth into a wider smile. His hand was still stretched towards her.

She slowly shook it, "Aiko."

"Aiko," Dino repeated, as if testing her name on his tongue. He stared at her with an expression she couldn't quite identify and she fidgeted under his piecing gaze. Something about this guy didn't exactly scream "homeless" to her, but Dino still sported ragged clothing, oily skin and unkempt hair that one could expect from someone on the streets like her.

Guess he's one of the more clean street walkers.

"So, are we just going to sit here with you staring at me for another hour or are you going to explain why exactly you decided to come to me in the first place?" Aiko asked shrewdly.

For the first time since they had started talking, Dino didn't see to know what to say right away. His eyes darkened somberly for a bit before he admitted softly, "Ah –sorry. You just… reminded me of someone I knew."

"Someone you knew?"

He nodded.

Aiko scoffed and grabbed her bag, "Yeah, okay."

"You don't believe me," Dino frowned. It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"Hell no," Aiko threw the bag strap over her shoulder and glared at him, "I'm not stupid enough to trust anyone. I don't know what game you're trying to play here, but I want no part of it."

She tried to walk away, but the man had gotten up himself and was walking after her up until she whirled around and shoved at his shoulder, forcing him back a few steps. He seemed surprised that she did. Aiko hissed and pointed a finger at him, "Look, appreciated the company, but we're done from here on out."

Dino looked more exasperated than intimidated, "Aiko-"

"Whatever you want from me, you're not fucking getting it. Okay?" she bared her teeth, "Don't mess with me. You'll regret it."

The guy held his hands up in a sign of surrender. He looked crestfallen, but respectfully stepped away, "All right, then. If that's what you want."

"Get lost."

Dino gave one of his strange, unreadable smiles, "It was nice meeting you, Aiko."

Aiko turned away without another word. Gripping her bag firmly, she left the cafeteria and made her way to the exit. That was always her plan –never stay in one place for too long. She'd spent her last year going from one city to another, hopping from one shelter or other refuge building to the next. She figured that would make it harder for her to be tracked down, if she even was.

As Aiko stepped outside of the shelter, she took a sharp breath, a small puff of air escaping her chapped lips. Brown eyes, tinted with bright blue flecks, darted around the area as she slowly inhaled, taking in the light stench of her surroundings. She then slumped back against the building wall, leaning on it, exhaling once again and watching her breath disappear into the cool morning air with a wary expression.

She watched, disinterested, as the people of Las Vegas continued to walk by. The city was thriving even now, in the early morning. She could hear everything around her, could focus her hearing on every little noise. The honking of cars, the patter of footsteps all around her, their voices, mobile devices going off, doors opening and closing, police sirens far away. It was a normal morning in a normal city with normal people.

Normal.

Aiko hated that word.

She ran an unoccupied hand through her thick black locks, feeling a massive migraine coming on. She then shoved the hand into the pocket of her black leather jacket, watching all the commotion around her, not letting anything slip by her incredibly sharp sight. She slowly pulled out a shiny, gold badge and twirled it between her fingers, tilting her head and examining it as though she had never seen it before.

Sector 7.

In reality, Aiko had this badge since she was little. She couldn't remember where and why she'd acquired it, but she'd kept it with her for years and years. The earliest she could even remember was when her memory was blurred somewhere around age five or six, where all that she could recall was a man who had been the topic of her dreams for years and years. He was a man who haunted her in entirely different ways than the one she'd seen in the mirror. He was the man who'd given her the badge.

"Why did you give this to me?" she mumbled to herself while she fingered the medallion, "Where are you now…"

She couldn't remember anything. No memory of her parents, or what she was doing and where she was before her first foster home, around fourteen years ago. Her life somehow started with a family that gave her away to another only a year later, with nothing but a gold badge from a man that existed outside of what her memory allowed her to remember.

A small sigh left her lips. She passed the badge into one hand and shoved it into the pocket of her jacket. Brushing her hair out of her face, she adjusted her backpack on her shoulders before heading out, merging with the crowd. Her head hung low, but her eyes and ears were everywhere, as they often were. Taking in every sound and every detail around her.

She didn't get very far before she could hear shouting down an alley, right next to the homeless shelter. No one else seemed to hear or care –it was a common occurrence in big cities, but Aiko's hearing ranged far wider than most other people. How and why, she was not entirely sure, but over the years Aiko had quickly learned she had quite a few tricks up her sleeve that most others didn't have.

She had screamed out as the man had cornered her into the wall. His hands were everywhere. His voice was a torture to her ears. His presence was suffocating.

"Get off!" she had cried out, "GET OFF!"

And then she had shoved him.

"Move!" someone shouted, and Aiko was roughly pushed aside. Her shoulder bumped into a wall. She gasped aloud as she was abruptly ripped out of the past and back into the present. She held herself tightly, not realizing she had frozen on the middle of the sidewalk. She stood there for a few minutes, waiting for the tremors racking her body to ease away.

"Damn it," she breathed out, "God –God damn it…"

The shouting in the alley right behind her got louder. Eventually, the girl was able to pull herself off from the wall and backed up a few steps to look.

A group of what seemed to be a group of street punks were spewing vicious words. They were crowding around someone, pressing them back towards the alleyway wall –another guy, it looked like. Aiko squinted her eyes to get a better grasp of the situation and watched as one of the gang members shoved their victim back hard when they tried to weasel between them. Once he stumbled backwards, Aiko could see his face. Her jaw clenched. It was Dino.

"Where do you think you're going?" one said, once again shoving Dino back into the wall. Dino grunted, but gave no other visible signs that he was more than a little disgruntled.

"Well," he began. His voice sounded different. "I was hoping on taking a stroll on this fine morning-"

The one who had shoved him a few times leaned in close. All three of the gang were at least a head taller than Dino, and bigger in physique as well. But the smaller man didn't seem even remotely afraid. His blue eyes were half-lidded in what almost looked like annoyance and boredom. The gang member jabbed a finger at him, "Saw you this mornin', little shit. You took out of our stash."

"I did not," he replied calmly.

"Fucking liar!" another one said, "I saw you."

"You must have confused me with someone else."

"Bullshit," the first guy grabbed Dino by his shirt and yanked him close, "You're gonna fucking pay-"

"HEY!"

All heads turned towards Aiko, who strode down the alley towards them. The girl confronted them with a dark glare, her fingernails biting into her palms from clenched fists. The three gang members backed off from Dino slightly in favor of targeting her instead. She came forward and wrenched the first guy's hand from Dino's shirt, shoving him away, "Back off. Leave him alone."

"Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it, little girl?" one of them sneered.

"I'm going to stop you if you don't." she answered simply, her eyes darting between each of them. She glanced back at Dino, who was staring at her with wide eyes. She couldn't tell if he was frightened or surprised. Maybe both.

"You think you can stop us, huh?" one of them stepped closer to her.

Aiko looked up at him, "I know I can."

He swung. Aiko caught his fist.

A mixture of confusion and astonishment twisted the guy's expression as he tried to pull back, only to find that the smaller girl's grip was relentless on his hand. She allowed him to struggle for a minute until she yanked him forward and used her other hand to shove him hard enough to send him nearly flying backwards. He fell to the ground, gasping.

Aiko turned just as the second guy came running at her.

"You little bitch!" he had yelled.

He had come at her with a fist swinging at her.

Uttering a frightened noise, Aiko lashed out before she could think. Her fingernails raked across the guy's face before he could hit her first. The blow was powerful enough to have him tumbling to the side; blood oozed from the scratch marks. When he turned on her again, Aiko came forward and landed a heavy kick to his abdomen which sent him flying into the opposite wall.

The third guy came running next. Aiko just barely managed to dodge his fist –she was far from a skilled fighter, only utilizing what she had to her advantage. She gripped his sleeve and whirled around, slamming the larger man into the nearest wall as if he weighed little to nothing, and her other hand went up to his neck. Her iron grip kept him pinned there, choking and gagging.

He had writhed in her strong grip, spewing curses and threats. He was so much bigger than her, and yet she had him pinned like an animal. For the first time ever, she could see it –he was afraid.

And so was she.

Aiko was beginning to shake. She threw the man down onto the ground and stepped back, her breathing ragged. She briefly looked up and squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on calming herself down. When she came to, all three of the men were staring at her like frightened children. She looked down at the one she'd thrown and stomped a foot towards him threateningly.

"Get out of here!" she growled.

He scrambled to his feet and sprinted out of the alley. His friends shortly followed. Aiko stared after them with shaking fists, stiff as a statue. Then she heaved a sigh and slowly turned around. Dino was looking at her with yet another unreadable expression which Aiko was getting promptly annoyed with. She liked to think she was good at reading people, but this guy was a complete enigma. He didn't even seem all that shaken after very nearly getting beat to a pulp.

She met his gaze, "You okay?"

Dino nodded, "Yes."

"Good," she breathed out, walking over to her bag which she had thrown to the side right before she had engaged the gang.

"Aiko…" Dino's voice was soft, but Aiko could have sworn it sounded deeper before she had come along, "Thank you-"

The girl turned on him and snarled, "You didn't see anything. Understand?"

Again, Dino seemed impossible to surprise, so when he didn't answer right away, she lurched forward and grabbed his shoulder roughly. Her strong grip made him falter, but otherwise he kept his composure. The intimidation tactic apparently didn't work so well when both of them were the same size.

"Understand?" she repeated.

He carefully pried her fingers from his shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers, "Okay."

Aiko snatched her hand back and pushed past him to exit the alley.

"I-" he protested, "I wouldn't go that way."

She looked back, "Why not?"

His mouth remained open for a moment, but then it closed and curved into one of those sly smiles of his, "Ah. Never mind."

She narrowed her eyes and jerked her head in the opposite direction, "Go on. Don't make me have to save your sorry ass again."

Dino picked up his own bag, threw her one last mysterious smile, and then walked away. She waited until his small form vanished from around the corner before she made her way back onto the sidewalk herself. Wondering where she should go now, Aiko was slow to enter the fray of the crowded sidewalks.

That was, until, she was slammed with something that struck her so hard, she nearly fell over. Nothing hit her in the physical sense, but in that surreal not-quite-feeling-but-still-feeling sort of way that she couldn't quite grasp. It was the feeling of being watched and being touched at the same time –the feeling of being in the presence of something… just something.

What the hell? She thought to herself. She backed up at the mouth of the alley she'd just come from as to avoid being trampled by people. That… that something was reaching out to her, touching her in some sort of bizarre spiritual sense. It grazed over her, almost caressing her, a gentle and yet foreign presence that had her skin flaring with goosebumps and her insides twisting around uncomfortably. It felt as though someone were invading her personal space, only no one was close to her, and the personal space wasn't the typical 'bubble' that humanity established.

It was freakishly new, and it frightened her to the core.

She had to get away, so she did. Aiko took a sharp right and rushed into the crowd, hoping that whatever this… this aural violation was would wisp away. Only it didn't –it grew more powerful, nearly surrounding her, suffocating her in its ancient and overwhelming presence. It was so much that all Aiko could do was reach back to it, slowing her steps to track down what this was, realizing that what was being done to her was something she was capable of as well.

She mingled with the presence, sensing what felt like gentle curiosity. It lured her forward, guiding her to its source. Aiko managed maybe another block until all she could feel was… it. She stopped and looked to the side.

There it was, staring at her. Some sort of incredibly incomprehensible presence in the form of a bright red Ferrari, parked peacefully on the side of the road, fitted between other parked vehicles.

It looked so innocent, so unsuspecting. It was just one giant manifestation of metal and parts and fancy paint, but Aiko could feel it. Something –something alive about it. Her soul seemed to cry out in tune with its own on a level she couldn't even begin to understand. This thing was looking inside her somehow, feeling her frightened presence as much as she was feeling it, sensing her erratic emotions and yet carefully suppressing its own. It was as though it was looking at her with a tilted head, making contact with her using an aura tinged with curiosity and comfort.

Only Aiko wasn't comforted. She was terrified.

"Are you okay?" some stranger asked. A man who touched her shoulder, jerking her out of the trace she had fallen into. "You're shaking."

Aiko looked at her hands. He was right. She was trembling. For a moment, she grasped the disturbing realization that she was the only one struggling from this. No one else was feeling what she was.

"I –I have to go," she backed away, getting in the way of a few annoyed people which she hardly noticed. She blinked at the Ferrari, and then ran away. She shoved past people, looking back more than a few times as she went. The supercar's immense presence gradually faded away. The Ferrari never moved.

"What the fuck," she whispered as she walked, her eyes trained on the ground, "What the fuck, what the fuck…"

A siren wailed a little ways away, the sound sharp in her ears. It was a sound that had her body tensing up with apprehension. Her head snapped up and she caught sight of a police car parked right on the side of the street, its owner standing right next to it on the sidewalk. In front of him stood two men, dressed in black formal wear, a sight that had her skin crawling with icy fear. She saw one man pull out a notebook, handing it to the officer as he spoke.

Aiko felt the energy build inside her, a buildup of powerful adrenaline that was preparing her body for fight or flight. But instead she kept herself calm, steady, hoping by some miracle that the men in black would not see her if she walked by; she was already less than a few feet away when she had first noticed them. If she was to turn away now, and if that notebook had on it what she thought it did, they would see her.

What the hell is it with today and freakish things happening?

Her thoughts only lasted for mere seconds. Her eyes were trained on the officer as she attempted to speed-walk past, he being the only one faced towards her. Time seemed to slow as the situation dragged on, every step she took seeming to take longer and longer. Her crisp vision took in ever micro-expression of his face as he examined the notebook. Suddenly, he looked up, and for the briefest second, his eyes went past the men and landed on her.

It was too late, she knew. He'd seen her, and his grip lightened on the notebook. It lowered in his grasp, allowing her sights to land on what was on it. A rough sketch of a girl. Long black hair, dark blue-flecked eyes, smooth Asian features.

Shit.

As soon as the officer lifted his arm to point, the teenager bolted as fast as she could, shoving past the people around her, her eyes searching for somewhere to slip into and disappear as she'd done so many times before. She trained her ears behind her and she could hear the men in black make surprised shouts, could hear people making noises as they shoved along after her. She dared a glance behind her. She could see them not too far behind, holding a hand to their ears, speaking into their earpieces too quietly for a normal human being to hear.

Good thing she wasn't normal.

"… keeping her in our sights!"

"… coming your way!"

Her mind was quick to process what she had heard, and her eyes immediately averted to her front. She could see them, a few blocks down; more men in black, three of them, closing in. They were trying to corner her. Quickly, she took a sharp turn into a small alley, the men behind her following. Searching her surroundings, she halted only briefly to tear town tall stacks of crates, filled with store goods. The crates toppled over, spilling their contents and blocking the alleyway. The men slowed, and Aiko met their eyes before turning around and darting off again.

She ran through the alleyways, her black hair flowing behind her. Being as street-smart as she was, she had these streets memorized. Unfortunately, so did the police. She knew that she couldn't hide in them for long. Aiko bit her lip, stopping after crossing over an empty street to take in her surroundings. There were a bunch of connected stores and restaurants, closed because of the late time. Then, her eyes darted over to her left, spotting the rusty iron gates poorly guarding an abandoned warehouse.

Aiko looked back and forth quickly before sprinting once again. She reached forward, grabbing hold of the gates and searching for any potential opening. She frowned when she heard those sirens again and ran alongside it, swiftly sliding behind an old building nearby. With her back pressed firmly to the brick, she cautiously turned her head around a corner and stole a glance at the street. There, she could see a single police car rolling down her way, headlights coming closer, and the men in black bursting out of the alleyway she had come from. Now away from the busy public, they slowed down and looked around.

She whipped back around and scanned the area, looking for anywhere else to hide. Then, she saw it. Up ahead, she could see the gates busted wide open, bent backwards in a way that showed her that a vehicle had plowed through. Interesting. Aiko gripped her bag firmly and ran. The car and the men were far enough away that she could run right through and hide behind the storage trailers around the warehouse.

Then, as she turned sharply to run through the opening, the asphalt suddenly turned slick underneath her.

Aiko yelped as she slipped and fell forward, just barely stopping herself from hitting her head by throwing her hands up with her lightning-fast reflexes. A low grunt escaped her lips and she snapped her eyes open to see what she slipped on. With her face pressed sideways, she had a lopsided view of a strange bright blue liquid. The teenager furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, but then she remembered her situation and jumped up, infiltrating the abandoned property and lunging behind the first storage trailer she could reach.

Aiko bit her lip, her entire body tense while listening to the hum of the tuned up police car and the murmur of the men. Then, after a few excruciatingly long minutes of waiting, she turned her head and watched the cruiser drive down the street and around a corner. The men stopped looking around and stood straight, conversing shortly before deciding to leave the scene and look elsewhere. Her body finally relaxed with a relived sigh, and then she walked forward and towards the old warehouse.

Her first intention was to find a way to break in, but it would seem that someone else had the same idea.

When Aiko approached it, she was a bit astonished to find a gaping hole in one of the closed garage doors. Well, she definitely wasn't going to complain about that. However, what really caught her eye were the streaks of that same blue liquid smeared on the concrete floor. A sense of apprehension washed over her again. Something about that weird substance didn't feel right. Aiko knelt down and examined it once she entered the large building, deciding it would be better to not touch it.

"The hell…" she mumbled to herself, "What is this stuff…"

The teenager tore her gaze away from the floor and looked up, brown eyes dilating a bit at what was strewn out before her. Large metal shelves had been knocked down, the remainder of boxes and items left behind spilled out over the floor. Curious and admittedly nervous, Aiko approached the heap of various spare parts, carefully stepping over them and looking over the massive mess. She stopped, sliding off her bag and pulling out a flashlight.

Once she clicked it on, she navigated through, looking for possible things to salvage for later use. Although, the chances were low, considering she had no real use for tools and random parts that she couldn't even begin to guess belonged to. But then, kicking away a couple boxes, she was drawn to the bright gleam of blue and black. Covered in more random items was the unmistakable form of a car.

Aiko hurried over to it quickly. If she were lucky, she could get the thing started. She never exactly had driven before. None of the foster families she'd been through supported her quite that much and she didn't exactly have the time or money to take the classes and get a license now. But, it was better than nothing and would serve as quicker transportation than on foot, as 'special' as she may be.

But then she froze. The closer she got, she could feel the slightest of twinges of… that. Again. A presence, an aura, only this one wasn't strong like before. It felt… different, and yet the same. But it was weak, weak enough for her to be comfortable enough to approach.

With one clean swipe of her arm, she cleared the hood of the black and blue car. From there, Aiko pushed off the rest of the objects in urgency, her heavy breathing taking in the cool night air. The smooth metal was dented and she was surprised to see clean holes piercing it. Bullet holes, by the look of it.

"Oh, God." Aiko breathed, standing back to take a good look at what she uncovered. She took a moment to lean over and look at the logo of the vehicle. It was a Bugatti.

A Bugatti.

A goddamn Bugatti. Who in their right mind leaves this in a warehouse? This is probably one of the most expensive cars in the world…

Quick and gentle fingers slid over the dented driver's door, curling around the handle and giving it a hard tug. Aiko watched, intrigued as the exotic car's door opened easily for her. What threw her off even more, however, was when she heard little clinks of empty bullet shells spilling out of the floorboard and onto the concrete. A terse hum left her lips, reaching down to pick one up and spin it in her fingers.

This car had been shot at…

Sure, she heard of guys taking out unused cars and practicing their shooting aim with it… but no one would ever shoot up a car like this for fun. Besides, no one had guns that had ammo this large unless they were some sort of soldier or officer. Even she knew that. Aiko dropped the bullet shell, a thought popping into her mind. Then, as if something switched in her mind, she suddenly remembered the news and radio stations repeating over and over…

Suspect alien activity? Please call this number!

Report any alien activity immediately!

Reports say that surviving aliens are most likely hiding among the public as common vehicles or in secluded areas! If you see any suspicious or driverless vehicles, please contact Cemetery Wind at…

Witnesses say aliens often choose sports cars or any vehicle that can obtain high speeds! Please, report anything suspicious to Cemetery Wind, using the number below!

The teenager took a careful step back as two strange symbols she had seen on the news flashed in her head… one of them matching the one placed in the middle of the Bugatti's grille. If you see either of these symbols on a vehicle, immediately run and report the vehicle! Anything possessing these symbols is alien and should be destroyed as soon as possible! Please, your call can help protect our world from extraterrestrials!

In that moment, she knew what she had found was more than one of the most expensive cars in the world. It was more like one of the most dangerous cars in the world. She could run and report it right now, while it was seemingly unconscious. She could be rewarded with a couple thousand dollars that she could run off with and dodge an arrest for trespassing. She could be viewed as a hero even for saving the city and helping the world have one less alien to deal with.

Do it. A tiny voice whispered to her.

Leave it alone. Another one said. Can't you tell it's suffered enough?

But, whether it was for the better or for the worse, Aiko was never one to listen. Besides… weren't there aliens who fought for them? Weren't there two different factions, hence those two symbols spread all over the news? Aiko could remember watching about the Battle of Chicago, about the good ones- the Autobots- fighting off the bad ones. Decepticons, right?

Autobots… didn't they have the red symbol?

"Aliens," a sudden thought that instantly answered all her questions. That feeling of being mind-violated before –and the similar sense of a living thing she could feel now on a more mild level. This car felt alive because it was alive. It was one of those things. Those robotic titans that brought their own war onto Earth.

But that was where the decision teetered back and forth in her mind, from one choice to another. What was she supposed to do with this creature? Should she turn it in, while it was apparently out cold? Or… or should she spare its life? If it was an Autobot, it was a protector, after all… they were the ones who fought for humanity, not against them.

The girl bit her lip and stared at the Bugatti, "I'll be back."

Before she did anything, Aiko needed closure. She needed answers, so she turned and left. When she retraced her steps, however, Aiko found herself staring at the empty parking space for a long time.

The red Ferrari was gone.

So, who's ready for the hype? I sure am. This is going to be a new, different, fun adventure for our new and improved Aiko. And before anyone freaks out, no, I didn't make her a cliche superhuman. She'll have limits, and most importantly, she'll have flaws. I found that to be something she lacked in the last version, especially in comparison to Drift.

ALSO, I posted a fun and very late April Fools oneshot not too long ago called Tomfoolery! If you guys are interested in our favorite medic getting picked on, feel free to check it out for me. :)