-1I told you it wouldn't be as long this time, didn't I? If I didn't, well, I'm saying it now.
Standard disclaimer, blah blah blah, I just own the OC's, the plot, and whatever hasn't already been claimed.
Anyway, here we go…
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In Memory Lost
The breeze blew in from the ocean to whistle down the canyons of the city, finding its way to back alleys where orange lights reflected off puddles left by recent rain. It was a warm, humid summer night in Mission City, and everyone was feeling it; man and city-dwelling animal alike. It seemed as if the nighttime streets were quieter than normal, bordering on comparative silence, those who lived and worked by night rendered just as lethargic as their daytime counterparts. Perhaps that made the streets that much safer, as burglars and criminals waited for a break in the heat.
The sound of footfalls broke the silence, each one as loud and clear as the beat of a drum. Normally the ambient sounds of city life would drown them out, but not tonight, as there were no ambient sounds to mask them. A lone shadow pierced the beams of orange light… A woman, alone, traveling by night. Dressed fairly well, with a purse by her side, she seemed no ragged street rat as she walked with purpose, appearing to know exactly where she wanted to go. But that would not save her this night. Hot night or not, such tempting prey couldn't help but attract predators.
The robber moved in from an adjoining alley, pistol at the ready, demanding that she surrender anything of value; words often heard from robbers. However, the woman's response was anything but typical. She spoke not a word in response; no, she merely smiled, a mysterious little smile that held an edge of mischief. That was the only warning the robber got that something wasn't right, had it been recognized for what it was. Something stirred inside the woman's purse, extending crablike legs up and slowly opening the flap that held it shut, something no larger than a fair-sized rat. Tiny eyes like crimson stars fixed on the robber as a glittering shape readied itself to strike.
The unfortunate robber had only a moment's glimpse of something completely strange swiftly jumping toward his face before those crablike legs revealed that they doubled as very tiny swords. An instant later the robber's body fell backwards in death, the odd attacker hopping from the mauled face to land with the clatter of plastic on blacktop. Looking over its handiwork, the thing made a noise that sounded like a smattering of binary code crossed with a series of odd, warbling chirps before turning back to the woman. All ferocity gone, it scuttled over to her in the manner of a spider before proceeding to climb up her leg and return to its perch on her purse. Looking down at it, the woman smiled as she gave the thing a gentle pat. "Good boy," she said; the first words she had spoken during the whole exchange. Beeping happily at her praise, the strange little thing clambered back into her purse, its job done.
Turning to the body, the woman disregarded the small amount of blood on the ground as she knelt, rifling the corpse's pockets. Evidently she'd been the latest target on a busy night, for there was all sorts of loot stashed away. Money, jewelry, precious gemstones… She disregarded them all. No, she was after something different. A smile crossed her face as she found what she was looking for. The robber had also stolen several cell phones. These she took, placing them in her pockets before standing up and continuing on her way as if nothing had happened. Everything had gone according to plan.
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Not a bad start, I hope.
Read and review, please!