Chapter One - City Police

"Percy, you've been so quite the last couple of days. What's up?"

I glanced up and the girl with blonde hair standing in front of me. I couldn't help but feel she was almost afraid of me. Though really, I guess, she was really just confused by my attitude of late.

"It's nothing Jess." I said, running my hand through my long, black hair.

Around us the marketplace was bustle of activity as people sold and bought various foodstuffs and essentials for the approaching Istvan winter.

It was a lie of course, but I couldn't really tell her why I was being so quiet. She would have thought I was crazy. After all, telling someone I knew when bad things would happen made me sound psychic… and I didn't like the enigma. But lying to her… well… she always knew when I was lying.

"Seriously Perce, this is ridiculous. You can't leave me in the dark." she said, then launched into a speech about how long she had know me and how I was her only family. She always gave me the same speech. I tuned out and began examining the contents of a nearby crate.

"The fact is Percy… are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah I'm listening." I said, picking up a cabbage and examining it carefully. I leant over to the store owner. "Could I just have half of one please? I pay for the full thing."

The man nodded eagerly and set the cabbage down and went to search for a knife while it felt around in my pockets for the money.

"Persephone Szendrey, why do you treat me like I'm unworthy of your trust."

"Jessica Sandor, why do you treat me like I'm your child? No-one calls me Persephone."

Jess sighed in exasperation. The stall owner returned and I handed him the money.

"Percy, I'm serious."

"So am I Jess."

He lifted the knife he had brought and I saw the midday sun shine on the blade. I suddenly felt a cold sweat begin to grip me, my eyes still glued on the blade..

He brought the knife down and chopped the cabbage in half with one fell swoop. As both sides fell apart I thought I was going to be sick. The centre was completely rotted away into a black liquid. The man quickly pushed the cabbage off the bench and looked very embarrassed. He began apologising profusely and I waved him away, telling him to think nothing of it and keep the money.

"Just like Istvan." Jess muttered as we walked away. At first I thought she was commenting on the produce then it occurred to me that she was comparing the cabbage to the city itself.

I nodded slightly, she was right. The cabbage had looked good and fresh from the outside, but in the centre it was rotting away. That was Istvan.

"The City Police." I said suddenly catching a glimpse of the dark blue uniform not far in front of us. We both put our head down and sped up, intent on not attracting the soldiers attention. I suddenly felt the same cold sweat grip me.

"What are you two doing out here at this time?" Came a voice all citizens of Istvan feared.

"Colonel Radcon." Jess and I both said in unison, only daring to glance up. We dared not provoke Radcon for fear of the consequences, and he was easily provoked. He was known for being ruthless and killing and beating people with little to no cause.

"You have yet to answer my question." He said with and amused growl, as though he were playing with his next victim, "And look at me when you speak to me."

I heard Jess next to me quietly whimper with fear. Jess was two years my junior and I felt responsible for her well being and I knew she looked up to me.

"We were out buying food in the market." I said, looking up at Radcon as he had instructed me. I really didn't want to.

He was tall and well built, a body of sinew and muscle, and possibly fat from living a prosperous life. He was covered with black hair which seemed to sprout from most places on his face. The thing that really set me on edge though was the rows of sharp, pointed teeth that always seemed to show no matter what his facial expression.

I knew I had to look him in the eye so he would leave Jess alone. I raised my eyes to meet his and without a seconds hesitation he grabbed my chin and put his other arm round my body, pushing me up against the stone wall behind me. I heard Jess gasp and I assumed that one of the other soldiers had restrained her.

"Why don't we find a more suitable pass time for a pretty girl like you." He hissed in my ear.

I was too shocked to move as I felt one of his hands roughly push up my skirt and his face press into my neck, causing a stinging sensation. Despite being in a secluded alley I felt as though the whole world were watching and somehow that made the experience so much worse.

I squeezed my eyes shut and whimpered slightly, realising there was no way I could possibly escape from this horrible man's grip on my own. His other arm was still wrapped around my chest, giving me just enough air to breathe.

His hand continued up my skirt and I jerked as he reached the top of my thigh. He stopped his assault of my neck and I heard him laugh.

"Like that did you?"

As tempted as I was to spit on him I didn't for fear of anything worse happening to me. Over the top of my own laboured breath I could here Jessica pleading for him to stop and leave me alone but he didn't seem to be able to hear her.

"Colonel Radcon." Came a sudden voice from behind the Colonel.

The colonel withdrew his face slightly from my neck and growled at the man who had interrupted him. I knew better then to get my hopes up, he still had a grip on me and I still struggled to breathe normally.

"What?" He snapped.

"Count Gyula has requested your presence immediately." the voice said, unfazed by Radcon's tone

Radcon growled again. He seemed to hesitate for a second then he let me go and I slid to the ground gratefully. He turned and walked back over to his troop and organised them to walk back to the palace. I curled into a ball and felt Jess run to my side, asking if I was injured.

I eventually looked up again and saw a member of the City Police standing over us. I could only assume he had been the one who had told Radcon to move on and I went to offer my thanks. Then I recognised him and I instantly lowered my eyes as a sign of submission.

"Major." I said, my voice shaking.

The young member of the City Police stood there, his face displaying no emotion as always. He had cold, gunmetal grey eyes that seemed to be at a constant neutral. I got the feeling he had seen a lot is his apparently short life, after all he was only about twenty-one or twenty-two. I myself was only a couple of years younger them him.

If I hadn't known him I probably would have thought the uniform was out of place. Yet, everyone knew Major Tres Iqus was a loyal follower of Count Gyula and he was rumoured to be just as ruthless as Radcon.

"You should return to your place of residence immediately." he said before turning and walking away. Jess began furiously apologising saying it was her fault. I tried to make her calm down and explain I was alright and it was no-one's fault. Really I didn't believe what I was saying completely.

"But Percy, what if he had done something? I never would have forgiven myself."

"But he didn't Jess. I'm fine. Nothing happened. Come on, let's get home quickly." I said.

I needed to leave this place immediately.

"You know what Percy." Jess said thoughtfully examining the contents of the pot in front her where she had been throwing various sliced vegetables.

It was several days after my lucky escape and I was feeling completely normal now.

"What?" I asked as I heated some water over the fire

"I really don't get why Major Iqus decided to help you. From what I've heard he is just as bad as the rest." she said as she started slicing carrots. I think she was making her special soup.

Looking back I had wondered as well, so I had several ideas formulating.

"I've never seen him hurt anyone before." I said thoughtfully.

Now that I was thinking about it, what little I did see of him he tended to be out patrolling. It was never anything like the other members of the City Police who could nearly always be seen yelling at or beating members of the general public.

"Well, me neither. But I've never seen him stop the Colonel before either." She said waving half a carrot at me.

"How do you know he wasn't just passing a message like he said?" I said, taking the now boiling pot off the fire and pouring it in a large jug.

"Well yes, but why would he hang around afterwards? And his timing was too convenient"

I was tempted to sprout one of the many rumours I had heard surrounding the Major when he had first arrived. After all, not many young men from outside of Istvan would willingly join the City Police. Then there was his speedy success in rising to Major so quickly which only added fuel to the fire.

"Well, I don't know." I said.

"Maybe he likes you." Jess said with a cheeky grin and raised eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and remained silent. She could ponder it on her own.

"I'm going to take this upstairs for Millie." I said picking up the jug of hot water and heading for the door.

"Hey Percy. Are you sure you're fine?" she asked

"I'm fine. Stop worrying about me. It's been days and nothing really happened anyway." I said heading out the door and up the stairs past many doors.

Jess and I lived and worked in a club called 'The Third Eye', which also operated as a brothel. During the day Jess and I took care of the housework and the girls, then at night we were waitresses in the bar out front. As payment we got cut in an equal share of the total takings.

I walked up the stairs and into the bathroom just off the landing.

"Hot water." I said holding up the jug.

The girl in there, Millie, smiled at me. She was short with brown, almond-shaped eyes and long black hair that hung down over her shoulders. She was currently running a comb through it.

"Down by my feet please, Percy." she said.

I knelt down by her feet and began pouring in the water. I didn't normally have to do this but just recently our gas had run out and we still needed to save some money to get more. We took some money out of each nights savings towards it but such things were expensive these days.

Suddenly Millie leant forward and touched my chin, turning my head to one side.

"What happened there?" She asked. I stood up and turned my head to one side in the mirror, looking at the healing scratches all over it. I could even make out faint teeth marks.

"I… I'm not to sure." I said, remembering the stinging sensation as Radcon had pressed his face into my neck. Jess had cleaned them when I got home and I hadn't really seen anyone who questioned them until now.

"Hm… just thought they looked a bit like bite marks is all." She said leaning back in the tub.

I woke with a shock, the sound of gunfire ringing in my ears. I leapt out of bed and made for the door, throwing it open prepared to check on the girls. Standing in the doorway was a tall, broad figure of a man. I took a couple of steps back, suddenly fearing for my own life.

"Why don't we find a more suitable pass-time for a pretty girl like you?" the words echoed in my head as the figure stepped into a ray of moonlight coming through the window. I caught a glint of light off his teeth and I felt the side of my neck burn again in remembered pain. I screamed out for Jess, then I just screamed for help as he kept getting closer.

"Colonel." Came another voice again. I frowned, the Major now stood in the doorway holding his two guns out in front of him, both pointed at the Colonel. "Stay away from her."

Radcon just laughed and shot him down, and he fell backward. Undoubtedly dead.

"Major!" I yelled in the faint hope he was alive, but the Colonel just kept advancing.

"Percy! Wake up!" I snapped awake, sitting up in a flash and looking around, unable to comprehend what was going on. I was back in bed and Jess was sitting next to me, trying to calm me down. I took a few deep breathes on Jess' orders. As I did so I realised that it had all been a dream.

"Sh… it's ok Percy, it was just a dream." she cooed in my ears. I realised that it was covered in sweat and my whole body was shaking. I began to cry.

"It felt so real." I said between sobs,

"I know, it's ok." she said rubbing my back.

I suddenly got the strangest feeling at that moment. I wanted to see the Major again.

This is the love child of TB manga, TMNT fan fiction (yeah I know) and the sea air in Geraldton where I am currently on holiday. I've always wanted to write something about when Tres was working for Gyula so I guess this is what this is. I might write the next chapter from his point of view… though maybe third person would be safer… well I guess we'll have to see what happens when I can be screwed writing it.

The story is dedicated to three of the most important people in my life: Helga Bandit Chickpea, Charcoal and Jip. My little babies, I miss you so much.

Until the next chapter,

Peace and all that
Peeve