"We have to keep moving."

"No shit, Viktor, but how the hell are we supposed to get out? Nothing is working. The magnetic field has made all of our fucking instruments useless!" Flora snapped.

The four Taskforce affiliated Contractors stood in an ashen clearing. The sky was a dark and hazy gray. The world around them was silent and dead. The Heaven's Gate was still collapsing and expanding around them. The jungle was no longer swarming with life. It was as if everything had died in the few hours following the initial event that caused the collapse.

"Thank you for the update, dumb ass, but the wind here blows north, so that gives us an idea of which direction to go." Candy broke in with a matter of fact tone.

"I'm pretty sure there's no wind right now." Jack pointed out, lifting a hand and indicating the stillness of the air. "Or probably ever, it's so dead out here."

"Can't our fucking animal guide find the way out?" Flora muttered under her breath, glancing in the direction of the person in question.

Four pairs of eyes rested on the still figure who was crouched down on a boulder, eyeing the dense jungle around them. His sleek muscular form was silhouetted in the eerie fog that surrounded them all. He turned his head slightly to the side, eyeing his allies from his peripheral vision. "Doesn't work that way. I'm as much an animal as you are." He spoke in a low voice that seemed to waver as if he was on the verge of passing out.

She fumed in her place and glared at him coolly, but otherwise ignored the jab. "I suggest you find us a way out. You're dead weight right now, might as well make yourself useful before we decide to leave you behind."

Leonardo froze in place and his eyes darted to the jungle before him. He scanned the undergrowth silently, becoming wary.

"Hey shit for brains!" Flora snapped at Leo only for the Contractor to ignore her.

Leo raised a hand, indicating silence. Flora huffed in indignation and opened her mouth to snap an insult at him. Leo whirled around, unsheathing his katana in a swift and fluid motion as he did so. He leapt at Flora, swinging his katana back.

His leading foot struck the ground with a puff of ash and he spun around swiftly, blade turning to slice through the neck of the swiftly approaching shadow.

Blood flew along with the severed head but the twisted and unnatural form of the attacking creature continued to move forward on malformed legs. It swung its jagged arms out at Leonardo, trying to impale him on its sharpened limbs.

The Contractors shrank back, trying to avoid the battling duo. Viktor tensed, eyeing the creature and preparing to fight. His usually impassive features had taken an uncharacteristically pale tone.

Leo threw himself back, an uneasy expression taking root on his features as he realized it wasn't dead. He stabbed forward, straight into its center of body mass. His katana went through and it drove forward, lashing wildly with its limbs. He grunted with exertion as he tore the blade free, seeing that it wasn't even slowed by the mortal wound. His feet moved back, slow and clumsy, but fast enough to keep him out of reach of the creature's limbs.

He swung his blade out in sweeping arcs, cutting through the dried and leathery ligaments that connected the creature's limbs to its body. More sick and brownish-blackish blood flew wildly and the torso dropped to the ground with a thump and a spray of ash. It wiggled on its own before twitching and going still.

Five sets of Contractor eyes fell upon the remains of the creature, now strewn through the clearing from being severed by Leonardo's blade.

"What the fuck was that?" Jack breathed.

Candy shook her head. "It looks human."

"How the fuck is that human?" Flora hissed under her breath.

Leo pressed a hand to the thick bandages around his throat and he swallowed thickly as a wave of dizziness sent him down to one knee. He shook his head weakly and heaved a deep breath. He was still reeling from the incredible blood loss and was lucky he hadn't collapsed yet. He studied the mutilated corpse with tired eyes. It was definitely human, or at least, it had been at one point. The skin on its body looked as if it had been stretched taut over bone and its limbs ended in twisted and sharpened bone that pierced through its stretched flesh. Its face was nearly indistinguishable. The bone structure looked like it had been pulled and twisted into an odd oblong shape. Its mouth looked like leathery dried skin stretched over a gaping hole. Its eyes seemed to have been gouged out, leaving hollows in its skull, if it could still be called a skull.

"Reanimated and malformed bodies." Candy whispered. "It's the Gate's magnetic field. It's reanimating the corpses from the Gate collapse."

"What does a super charged magnet have to do with that abomination?" Jack asked in a whisper. Viktor moved to Leonardo's side and crouched next to him, placing a hand on the younger Contractor's shoulder. "You lost a lot of blood." It wasn't a question.

Pale hazel eyes flicked up to look at him. Leo stared silently, weakly. Viktor nodded. "We just gotta get out of here. You think you can manage?"

Leo glanced back down at the mutilated corpse. Viktor followed his gaze and grimaced. "Yeah, I bet that doesn't help, but, we've been trudging through this jungle for the past eight hours. We haven't seen anything like it before now. It's possible that it's just a fluke."

Leo released a heavy breath he'd been holding in. "No. Everywhere." He said breathlessly, as if even just saying those two words had taken more energy than he had available. Leo lifted his shaking free hand and pointed past the tree line.

Viktor tensed and followed Leo's finger. Between the trees he could see them.

Dark shapes moving between the thick trunks and around the twisted roots. Sickly yellow orbs glowed from those dark shapes. The malformed creatures had their eyes on them.

"Shit." Viktor murmured under his breath and Leo dropped his hand to his side, followed by his head. His shoulders hung low, as did his arms. "Can't die." Leo muttered under his breath. "Already dead." He added as he shakily rose to his feet.

Viktor watched him and wasn't sure whether Leo was talking about the demented creatures that surrounded them or the Contractors in the clearing.

Leo looked dead on his feet. He stared ahead with flat and dulled hazel eyes. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the katana. The leather creaked at the movement.

Viktor moved between Leo and the ominous figures in the undergrowth. "You cannot fight them. We need you to guide us through this hell-hole. You know this place better than us. Stay down. We have it handled."

Leo stared at him with lidded eyes. He heaved a breath and shook his head, too tired to give his reason.

Viktor glanced over Leo's shoulder at Jack. "I know you think you're of more use in a battle, but right now, we need you to rest."

Leo frowned as Viktor put his hands on the terrapin's shoulders. "What are," he began in a strained voice. Viktor spun him around, face to face with Jack. The ex-Marine's eyes sparked red and Leo went limp, slumping into Viktor's grip.

Jack's body crumpled to the ground on its side in a puff of ash.

Leo struggled to stand in Viktor's arms. He strained and grunted in effort before panting and glancing at Viktor. "He's worse than we thought he was."

"Then why'd you jump into his corpse?" Flora commented snidely as she and Candy approached.

"Keep your voice down. Candy, we need you to erect a barrier between us and the uglies out there." Viktor ordered. Candy smirked. "There's more? I figured as much, what with all the experimental testing that went on around here and the Gate's own magnetic field." She commented to herself as her eyes sparked red and glowing blue energy bubbled around them. A piercing wail rose through the air.

"Looks like we've got a fight on our hands." Leo chuckled bitterly as Viktor lowered him to the ground, propping the turtle against a small boulder. "Vik', hand me my AR. I ain't gonna just sit here defenseless." Leo said, reaching out weakly.

Viktor sifted through a dropped duffel bag and tossed the weapon to the prone turtle who caught it deftly in one hand before flicking the safety off and pushing a magazine into place. He nodded. "Not ideal, but it'll do, man."

Several figures twisted and deformed much like the first creature appeared through the tangle of trees that surrounded them.

Flora lifted her own weapon of choice: a 20 gauged shotgun. She opened the chamber and inserted another shotgun shell before pumping the weapon.

Leo stared at her. She shrugged and leaned the weapon on her shoulder. "All the birds here are dead, so I figured I might as well get to back to my roots."

"You Canadian, Flora?" Leo asked.

The woman laughed and Leo's features crinkled in puzzlement.

Viktor dragged Jack's body next to the ammo bags and left the man's body propped there before turning to Candy and nodding.

"Ready?"

She shrugged. "Eh, my boot's untied, but other than that, I'm good."

Viktor's eyes sparked red and hand axes made of shadows formed in his hands. "From what I saw, these things can't be killed by normal means. Cut off what you can. Make sure it looks like a lump of grandma's meatloaf by the time you're done with it." He ordered.

One of the twisted creatures slammed into the barrier and rasped a throaty low breath as it slashed at it with its arms.

"I don't know what meatloaf your grandma makes, but you shouldn't've been eating it. These things sure don't look tasty." Flora commented from next to Jack's body, eyeing the nightmare.

Leo aimed at it. "Bang, bang, bitch." He muttered as the barrier fell around them and he opened fire. A spray of bullets tore through its shoulders and it stumbled back on spindly legs that were sheared through by another peppering of bullets. It squealed as it hit the ground with an explosion of dust and ash.

More of the creatures burst through the dust and ash, arms flailing wildly. Viktor moved in, leaping and slamming his boots into their skulls with a crunch as the fragile bone cracked and caved under his weight. He ducked and swung out with his two hand axes, striking off the forelimbs of one creature. He twisted and kicked it in the chest cavity before swiftly stepping back as Candy moved in to take his place. Her eyes sparked red and blazing blue energy leapt from her hands, flying toward the moving bodies. The energy blazed a path through the monsters, slicing through them cleanly, cutting their bodies in two.

Flora spun around and squeezed the trigger of her shotgun before pumping and squeezing again. The shells burst free of the barrel and sprayed through another spindly legged monstrosity. Its torso was peppered with holes, but its arms had been blown off. It staggered forward before falling to the ground.

Viktor took a step back, dodging a swinging arm before bringing his hand axe across and taking it at the elbow. He sidestepped, avoiding another swing from its remaining arm and hacked straight into the center of its back. The axe's blade sank deep into dried flesh, cutting through the creature's spine. He tore the weapon free with a spurt of brackish blood and it fell flat to the ground in a jumble of limbs.

"Hit the center of their spines!" He called out as he whirled around only to hit the ground on his back as another creature barreled into him. He held its arms out at a distance as it tried to impale him and slash at him. He strained and pushed against but it only flailed wildly at him. The jagged bones of its arms he gripped tightly tore at the insides of his hands and blood streamed down his arms from the wounds.

A burst of rounds tore through the back of the creature's neck and Viktor kicked it off before rolling to his feet, shaking the blood free from his hands. He nodded in Leo's direction and hand axes formed in his hands once more.

Leo heaved a deep breath and swallowed back a wave of dizziness. He shook his head and forced his finger back into the trigger guard of the AR. "Big ass fingers... how the hell does he manage it?" He muttered to himself as he leveled the rifle again, took aim, and fired.

"Viktor, we're losing ground quick." Candy commented as she fired another lance of energy through the back of yet another beast.

Viktor nodded, stepping back and retreating a few feet. His eyes sparked red and a whirlwind of shadows pushed at the menacing tide of beasts. Candy's eyes sparked red and a blast of energy swept where the shadows missed.

Viktor turned back to his team. "We're retreating. Jack, you and Flora need to haul Leo to a safer area. Candy and I will lead these shits away. Activate your beacons. We'll meet up in a few hours. Get going." Viktor ordered before running after the twisted creatures. Candy nodded at Leo and Flora before following Viktor into the dense overgrowth of trees.

Leo lowered his weapon and glanced at Flora, who relaxed under the sudden silence. "We better," Leo began.

A wailing snarl echoed through the trees as a pack of what had once been panthers leapt into the clearing, running on all fours towards their intended prey. Leo's eyes went wide as he calculated their odds. He counted at least twenty panthers.

"You have gotta' be fucking kidding me." He muttered under his breath.

He turned to stare at Jack's body and his eyes sparked red before he slumped back, head falling back on the rock lightly and eyes glazed over and staring skyward.

Flora fired at the approaching predators, pumping her shotgun and firing swiftly. She opened the chamber and shoved another two shells in before pumping the shotgun and squeezing the trigger.

A shotgun shell tore through one panther's skull and it flew back into one of its fellows. Flora backpedaled and fired again, hitting another's foreleg and sending it crashing onto its front. She tore a round object free of her belt and pulled a pin free of it with her teeth before hurling it at the front of the charging pack. It exploded with a cloud of ash, smoke, and the scent of burning flesh.

Jack rose to his feet and swiftly slung the ammo bags over his shoulders before turning to Leo's limp body lying against a rock. He started forward only to stumble back as a panther's jaws snapped shut in front of his face with a spray of spittle and brackish blood. Jack whirled around and sprinted in Flora's direction. She pumped the shotgun and fired a shell into the same panther's skull. Its brains exploded out the back of its skull and it flew back. Flora shoved Jack ahead, motioning for him to run.

"Wait, Leo's still," he began.

"I'll get him, just keep going, we'll catch up!"

He looked hesitant.

"Go!" She snarled at him and he nodded before turning and running. Flora pulled the pin of another grenade and hurled it into the center of the pack as she moved to rush to Leo's side.

Another panther leapt at her and she fired a round into its open jaws, blowing its head clean off. She turned back to Leo to spot a panther standing atop the terrapin's plastron. It lowered its fanged maw to Leonardo's throat and saliva mixed with foul blood dripped from the yellowed and haphazard fangs.

Flora huffed in irritation as she fired her shotgun into another mouth and unclipped her sidearm from the holster at her thigh. She raised it and fired a heavy slug into the back of the panther's neck. The large beast toppled to one side with a strangled sound. Flora slung the shotgun over her shoulder by a loose strap and retrieved her second sidearm from her other thigh as she moved to Leonardo's side. She fired rounds swiftly, forced to turn and duck and step this way and that to avoid the still moving dead bodies.

She whirled around and fired another round from her right hand weapon into the mouth of a panther as it leapt at her. The handgun clicked but didn't fire. She swore loudly as the beast tackled her to the ground, driving her into the ashen mud. She brought the butt of the jammed gun into the panther's face with a crunching sound before driving the muzzle of her second sidearm into the hollow below its jaws.

She pulled the trigger and brains exploded out the top of its skull as the slug tore through bone and flesh. She rolled the body off of her before rolling back onto her feet. She fired the last round from her handgun at another panther pouncing at her from the left. She slipped the weapons back in place as she moved backwards cautiously. Seven remaining panthers stalked towards her, keeping low to the ground as they slunk forward, sickly yellow orbs glowing from otherwise empty eye sockets.

She glanced at Leo's unconscious form lying limp against the small boulder. She glanced back to the snarling panthers. She cursed under her breath as she unsheathed a hunting knife from her waist. She dragged it against the heel of her hand and squeezed her hand into a tight fist. Blood welled from the wound and streamed down her arm. "Here, ugly kitties. Come and get me." She called out to them in a voice that feigned panic and anxiety. She spun around and broke into a sprint.

The twisted shadows of the panthers caught scent of the blood and took the bait, snarling and bounding after her, jaws snapping at each other as they fought to get closer.

Silence came over the clearing as Leonardo laid prone against the rock, blood slowly soaked into the bandages around his neck as it streamed through the torn stitches he had sewn earlier. His face was turned up to the sky, mouth slack, and eyes lidded. An AR was gripped loosely in his limp left hand and his katana lay on his lap, the normally shining steel was coated in brackish blood from the creature that had leapt at him earlier.

His chest rose and fell slowly, as if in a deep sleep. His features were pale and ash had settled over his body. His brilliant emerald green skin that had once aided in camouflaging him with the jungle, now stood out against the ashen gray landscape. He had quickly turned from predator to prey.

~.~.~.~

Leo's eyes fluttered open and he licked his dried and cracked lips. The taste of blood met his tongue. He blinked and found that there was a strange sensation throwing his entire body out of balance. He lifted his head just barely and pain flared through the back of his skull at the movement. He strained to sit up, feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable lying on his shell in the open.

The clearing was silent and still. It was as if the very air was dead around him. If he didn't move, he would be just as dead soon. He struggled and suddenly fell back as a tugging and searing pain stabbed through his right arm. He bit back a groan, managing to remain silent. He turned his head in the direction of his right arm and immediately froze as he stared in horror. Most of his arm was trapped within the confines of a slick and slimy mess of pulpy diseased looking tissue.

Leo swallowed painfully and flexed his fingers within and made a disgusted face as he felt innards moving around his trapped hand. He pulled his arm, bending it at the elbow, and suddenly the tissue clamped tighter around his forearm, digging sharply into muscle. He grimaced and lifted his left hand, dragging it free of an AR 15 that could only have belonged to Jack. Leo grabbed at the sickly flesh with his left hand only to immediately yank his hand away as sharp pain came with the touch. He noticed now the fine sharp hairs that covered the diseased mess that had swallowed his arm. It convulsed and moved further up his arm, sinking even further into flesh. He swore under his breath and reached for the katana that had fallen from his lap and rolled several feet away. He twisted to reach it with his bloody left hand, groping the ashen ground as he sought to gain purchase. He hissed as the grip on his arm went taut and tight, preventing him from moving any further.

He swiftly grabbed the dropped AR 15 and shakily aimed the barrel at the twisted mess attached to his arm. He pulled the trigger and the weapon clicked, echoing off the trees. No rounds in the chamber. Leo eyed the weapon with contempt, now noticing the empty magazine attached to it. He slammed the butt of the rifle into the fleshy parasite and it went stiff in response, squeezing tightly around his trapped forearm.

He threw the rifle away and unsheathed the tanto strapped to his belt. He sliced at the pulpy mass and a sick smelling yellowish orange fluid plastered across his face. He shook his head back and forth, pain sparking brightly across his face as the liquid hissed and steamed on his features. He wiped at his face with his left forearm, transferring the acidic fluid from his face to his arm. He shook and dragged his forearm through the ashen ground, cleaning most of the fluid off. He stabbed the tanto into the ground and eyed the fleshy mess.

He drew in a breath and his eyes sparked red. The creature tightened around his arm and dug its maw in sharply just above his elbow, as if sensing the Contractor's power and wanting it for itself. Leo's gaze did not stray away from it.

The flesh dug in deeper, ripping through muscle as it twisted. Leo winced and gritted his teeth. Blood streamed gently from his forearm. Leo raised his tanto, pulling it free of the dirt. He dug it into his arm with a grimace, stabbing through muscle. He dug under the tight maw of the flesh, pressing the flat of the blade against the inside of its maw. He exhaled slowly as he forced shadows between the tanto and the fleshy maw. The writhing mass of diseased flesh dug into his arm, and he threw his head back, gritting his teeth in pain as something sharp scraped against bone. His hazel gaze snapped back down to the creature and he drove his tanto against it like a wedge, pulling it away from his flesh. Shadows leapt out of the ground to fill the space left by his movement, settling coolly on hot and inflamed flesh.

He snarled lowly as the tanto blade scraped against bone. Leonardo, with a hand slick and greased with blood, cut at the flesh below the parasite's maw and filled the space with solid shadow. Leonardo swiftly pulled the tanto free, satisfied that the creature was no longer attached to his arm in a manner that would sever it. He stabbed the tanto into the ground and his hand became shrouded in shadow. He grasped the convulsing flesh with a hand now encased in a protective layer of shadow. Leonardo exhaled once as he pulled with every ounce of strength he had in his reserves. The flesh slid off his trapped arm with a sick sucking sound and hit the ground in a cloud of ash. Leo turned his eyes back to his now freed arm and sighed heavily. He flexed his fingers and nodded before moving onto his side, lifting his wounded arm off the ground. Strips of skin and flesh hung from the wound and naked white bone gleamed in the star light.

He dug his bloody free hand into the ashen ground and scooped dirt into his cupped hand. He packed the dirt onto the wound, wincing as the soil touched hypersensitive and torn flesh. He untied the wrap on his knee with one hand and moved it to the wound packed with dirt. He wrapped it tightly, ensuring that the dirt was compressed into the wound. He tied it off and pulled his arm close to his plastron, knowing it was useless for the time being. He would need immediate surgical attention if he still wanted a fully functioning right arm. He shakily rose to his feet, sweat dripping and stinging at his eyes. He bent low to retrieve his katana, still encrusted in dried black blood. He straightened with a grunt and exhaled deeply.

Leonardo's eyes turned to the flesh that had clung to his arm. It looked like an expelled body organ. He glanced the clearing over, taking in the mutilated carcasses of animal and human alike. None of the bodies matched his missing allies. He had to assume that he had been left behind to fend for himself.

He lifted his head at the sound of a wailing cry.

More predators were on the approach. They could smell his blood. He needed to move. He sheathed the katana on his shell and moved into the dense overgrowth without a second thought. He ducked under branches and avoided the dead leaves that littered the ground, taking care to move swiftly and silently.

A buzzing sound filled his head and he blinked harshly, struggling to concentrate. His pulse pounded throughout his body. He lifted his hand to wipe at his face and smeared his own blood across his features. He opened his eyes and stared. The trees were shrouded in shadow. Shadow swarmed over him and pushed down on him. He struggled to remain upright as the shadow thickened above him, becoming heavier and heavier. His knees bent and he gasped and grunted as he fought against the weight pressing down on him.

He fell to one knee with a hiss. He was losing. Again. Leonardo dropped his head low as he concentrated. He stared at a small puddle of brackish water before him. In it he was reflected. Fighting nothing. There was no shadow.

Leo closed his eyes and dropped his good arm to his side, refusing to fight against the distortions of reality around him.

The collapsed Gate was affecting him. It was twisting his mind. Abusing it. He shook his head and rose to his feet wearily. He needed to keep moving if he wanted to make it to the coast line before something killed him.

He staggered through the brush, managing to make his movements silent despite his weakness from blood loss. His arm throbbed painfully, and felt as if it were aflame. He ignored it as best he could, but he could not ignore the knowledge of his impending death. He had never felt more weak and feeble than he did now. The blood loss was too much. His arm was maimed, and most likely would not function the same again. His mouth twitched at the sound of another wailing cry.

He stumbled into another clearing and nearly tripped over a twisted old root. He shook his head and glanced up tiredly. He frowned and straightened to his full height with a grimace. There was a hut. His pale hazel gaze scanned over the rotten boards that composed the abandoned hut. He staggered forward, nearly dragging his feet as he approached the old housing. He held a hand out to brace himself against the small hut and nearly crashed into it. He wrapped a hand around the door handle and swung it open.

The interior of the hut was far cleaner than its exterior. He scanned over the one room hut and exhaled. It would work. He could rest here. He turned at the sound of a branch snapping.

A woman stood not ten feet away, a confused expression plastered over her features. She was clothed in loose and torn linens. Her shoes were muddy and soaked. Her brown eyes traced over his figure and she mouthed a word.

"Tlaloc."

Leonardo blinked tiredly and turned his body towards her. "Who is Tlaloc?" He muttered, having read her lips.

"Tlaloc." She mouthed again as she cautiously approached.

His gaze narrowed and he lifted his good hand over his shoulder to wrap around the hilt of his katana. "¿Quíen es Tlaloc?" He asked.

She continued her approach and pointed at him.

He huffed in irritation and eyed her suspiciously. Humans shouldn't have survived the Gate Collapse. "¿Quíen eres tú?"

Her eyes drifted up to the stars above and her hand dropped back to her side as she came closer. She halted in midstep and her hand rose to her throat before dropping to her upper arm. His mouth twitched. She was mirroring his wounds.

"Quedate atrás." He hissed, reaching for the hilt of his katana.

She paused mid-step and stared at him, only two feet away now. Her soft brown eyes looked him over and he sensed her pity for him. She felt sorry for him. She pitied his pain. He glared hard, disliking the attention focused on him.

She shook her head and placed a hand over her heart. She held an open hand out to him as she took another step, as if placating a cornered and wounded animal. She was closer now. Too close for his liking.

His hand closed over the katana hilt and he snarled as he moved to unsheathe it. Her hand pressed gently on his wrist, causing him to flinch at the touch. His eyes narrowed to slits as he shoved her away harshly. "Vente o muerer." He snapped.

She looked unimpressed and scanned him over with her eyes. Her brows furrowed and her eyes sparked red. He stiffened and tensed in anticipation, unsheathing his katana with a hiss as it exited the scabbard.

"Twinkle, Twinkle, little star." Her voice rang through the clearing. It was clear and calm with no tremble. If she was afraid of him, it did not reach her voice. He pressed his shell to the wood, bracing for anything. The singing had to be her payment and a Contractor could only make payment after using his power. His eyes scanned about and took a step forward, ready to cut her in two.

"How I wonder what you are."

He turned to his right at the sound of a twig snapping. His eyes narrowed at the sight of a tall dark figure. Its crimson eyes glimmered in the dark. Something heavy and hard struck the back of his head and he stumbled forward as stars flashed before his eyes. He dug the blade of his katana into the ground to catch his balance. He swiftly spun around, tearing the blade free as he did so, ready to face the opponent. The same blunt object cracked against his shell with a thunderous crack as it splintered.

"Up above the world so high."

He hit the ground on one knee with a grunt. It struck the back of his head again and he braced himself with his good arm, clutching his wounded limb to his chest. He heaved a breath and rolled onto his side as the club came down again. His katana met it halfway.

"Like a diamond in the sky."

The club phased straight through his blade like an ethereal weapon. He stared, unable to comprehend what had happened, only knowing that it was going to strike him and he could do nothing to stop it. A gun shot rang out and the club fell to the ground beside him, thudding softly in the dead leaves. He blinked and glanced up. The sky was dark and the heavy stone of brick walls pressed in around him. Voices quaked and thundered as he pressed his hand, still clutching the hilt of his katana, to the hard ground. He rose to his feet and shook his head as he teetered on his feet like a drunk. He turned apathetic eyes on his tormentor.

"When the blazing sun is gone."

The child knelt low, pressing his hands to his blood soaked shirt. Leonardo lifted his katana, and straightened to his full height above the child. His eyes went past it to spot three men, one still holding a handgun with smoke drifting from the barrel. He turned back to the child, eyeing the boy with a critical eye. He swung the katana back and brought it down on the child's kneeling form just as the young boy turned bright blue eyes up to see the blade coming down.

"When the nothing shines upon."

"No! Stop!" A baritone voice cried out. The blade sheared through flesh and bone with a pop as the head was severed from the boy's body. Leonardo turned to face the one who had cried out and looked down upon the ground. His mirror image stared at the boy's corpse with a horrified expression. Blood had turned dry and crusty on his double's body even as it continued to slowly pool underneath the prone turtle. Soft hazel eyes rose to meet his hard ones. Leonardo's mouth twitched and he took a step back, uncomfortable underneath the heavy gaze of his double.

"How could you do that? He was just a kid." The double whispered.

Leo glanced back at the child and turned his gaze back down to his blade now wet with a child's blood. His hand shook and he dropped the katana.

"Then you show your little light."

It fell past his feet, spinning end over end as it descended down a dark chasm. He immediately took a step back, pebbles and loose rocks fell into the chasm, swallowed by the darkness. The ground suddenly crumbled beneath his feet and he fell through with a cry of shock. He felt an ethereal thing clutching his body and pulling him down into the darkness around him. The wind whistled past him, defying the very laws that pulled him into the nothing below. He twisted and turned, clawing at the empty darkness around him, searching for something to break his fall. His heart hammered painfully in his chest, thudding against his plastron.

A hand slapped down on his plastron and spun him around. He found himself on solid ground, trapped in the arms of a human male. He strained against the vice grip and found that he couldn't break free.

"Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

A hiss of breath fell hot and heavy on his throat just as a set of human teeth clamped down on the bare flesh, ripping through the stained bandages. He gasped in pain.

"Leo!" A strangled voice called out.

"Then the traveler in the dark."

His eyes turned to spot the frail form of Fauna reaching out to him from the dirt. Leonardo snarled and twisted in his captor's grip, managing to tear free. He whirled around to strike at his opponent only for a breathless and strangled scream to erupt from behind him. The twisted and deformed face of one of the many freakish creatures spawned from the Heaven's Gate collapse snarled in his face as its jagged limbs flew forward to impale him.

Leonardo dipped low, ducking under the stab. He moved swiftly, adrenaline fueling his exhausted and mutilated body. He spun around, gathering momentum as his katana sheared through the knees of the biped creature. He rose to his feet as the creature toppled over with a puff of ash when it hit the ground with flailing arms. Leo turned at the sound of another near silent scream, spotting the female Contractor trying to fend off a duo of the twisted creatures with a thin tree branch.

Leo observed his surroundings. There had only been three. He turned back to the fallen one and made an expression of disgust before using his katana to cut through its two remaining limbs. It squirmed on the ground, black blood pumping from its stumped limbs.

He shook his head, dull pain beginning to ache throughout his wounded arm and raw throat. He pressed a hand to his throat. It was still bandaged. Nothing had torn it open. The back of his head wasn't smarting from any blows either.

He glanced at the woman struggling to defend herself. She was dangerous. He would be better off leaving now than trying to finish her off himself. He huffed a breath and took a step away from her and the cabin, weary from blood loss and unwilling to get himself killed by her or more of the hellish creatures.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star," the woman sang in that same calm and resonant tone despite her obvious panic. Her eyes burned like the low embers of a fire as her voice cut through Leonardo's thoughts like a blade through butter. He stiffened and clutched his head between his hands, one fisted and gripping the hilt of his katana with an iron grip. His lip curled into a snarl as cries of pain echoed through his skull, calling for his help. He screwed his eyes shut, pulse pounding heavily through his veins.

"Shut up," he hissed.

"How I wonder what you are."

The voices only grew louder. They began to change tone, becoming more desperate and shrill. He bent low, struggling to focus through the screams. He cracked an eye open, wincing as he did so, and glared at the female Contractor. Her soft eyes met his for a brief moment just as one of the twisted creatures tackled her to the ground.

"Leo!" One of the voices screamed.

His eyes snapped open entirely and he flew into motion. Dust and clouds of ash puffed where his feet struck the barren earth as he sprinted towards the fallen Contractor. He dropped to one knee, sliding on his right leg on the ashen ground. His left hand swung out, katana unsheathed and swinging at the legs of one of the creatures in one fluid motion. There was a duo of snapping sounds as the creature tumbled back onto the earth as its legs were cut cleanly in two beneath it. Leonardo quickly stuck his free leg out, foot digging into the ground, halting his skid and allowing him to pivot onto both feet. He swung the katana around again as he pivoted and it cut through the torso of the creature on top of the woman. It squealed and rolled off of her at the strike, limbs flailing wildly. Leonardo stabbed his katana into the back of the leg-less one. Blood, black and foul-smelling, spurted from the move. Leonardo reached down and gripped the front of the female Contractor's shirt, pulling her face to face with him, eyes only inches apart.

Anger. Hatred. Loathing. Everything that was anything to do with fury was Leonardo as his gaze penetrated the woman in front of him. "Who the fuck are you?" He hissed.

She remained silent, only staring at him. His gaze narrowed and he dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. He tore his katana free from the still moving corpse and swung it back, ready to end the female Contractor. The woman immediately scooted back, waving one arm and pointing at her throat with another.

Leo glared for a moment before understanding crossed his features. "You're mute." He muttered, lowering his katana. He huffed a breath as he stabbed his katana into the ground and leaned on it heavily. "At least you can't call me a hundred variations of the word asshole." He sighed, thoughts turning to Flora and the rest of his missing allies. He straightened and grimaced as pain shot through him at the movement. The woman slowly rose to her feet and Leo's flat hazel gaze swiftly followed her.

His katana moved just as swiftly as his eyes did, out and ready to cut her in two.

She shook her head and touched her arm and throat, mirroring his wounds again. She then pointed to the abandoned hut and made a symbol of a cross with her hands.

Leo stared at her, realizing she meant to help treat his wounds. He shook his head and took a step forward. "You tried killing me earlier." He began.

She shook her head quickly and pointed at him energetically, reminding him that he didn't have much energy left to get by on his own. He assumed she meant that he was the one who was actually trying to kill her. She was right in a sense.

He stared at her tiredly but nodded, getting a sense of their situation. He needed her to keep his wounds treated. She needed him to keep her protected from the denizens of the collapsed Heaven's Gate. He slid his katana into the sheath on his shell and started towards her only to lose his balance as his eyes rolled to back of his skull and fall face forward into the ash covered ground.

~.~.~.~

Leonardo slowly sat upright on the cot, groaning as dull pain throbbed through his arm and throat. His throat especially hurt from the movement as his neck muscles strained to lift his head. He rubbed his forehead with his good hand and tiredly glanced aside at the Contractor who must have dragged him into the hut and treated his wounds.

"Thanks." He said as he swung his legs over the side of the cot. He inspected his wounded right arm and saw that she had cleaned and wrapped the wound properly. The tightly packed dirt was gone, though it had definitely served its purpose. He noted that she had had the decency to put his arm in a sling that wrapped around his body—hence allowing him the freedom of motion without worrying about having to hold his limb to his chest. He pressed his good hand to his throat and felt the fresh bandages over. From what he could feel, she had fixed his torn stitches.

He glanced up to see her sitting in the corner of the hut, watching him and waiting for him to get up. She was ready to go, it seemed.

"How long was I out?" He asked as he tentatively rose to his feet.

She stuck out three fingers.

Three hours.

He nodded. Three hours lost waiting for him to recuperate was not good. "Come on, we're leaving." He said sharply as he exited the hut. He studied the landscape, picking out the trees and what remained of the vegetation. He glanced behind to see the woman was already there, waiting for him to move.

Leo glanced at her for a moment and paused. He supposed he should know what to call her if they were going to be working together.

"What's your call sign?" He asked, knowing that Contractors did not exchange names.

She blinked and pointed up at the dark sky, obscured by the shadows of a Contractor's last throes of emotion. She pointed at the Contractor stars that stab through the darkness.

Leo turned his eyes back to her.

"Stray." She mouthed.

He nodded.

He turned back to the dead jungle and started off into the underbrush, the Contractor behind him followed closely, holding the straps of a pack slung over her shoulders. Stray's soft brown eyes glimmered in the dark and star light fell over her browned skin as they trudged through the silent jungle.


A/N: There will be another "Kairos" chapter sometime soon. As you can see, it deals with Leo's escape from Heaven's Gate to his rejoining the Taskforce and whatnot. I will say that the Kairos chapters are very important, and the details are essential to the plot.