Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Flock, but all Erasers in here are mine. Hands off or I will bite. The song at the beginning of this chapter is 'Domino' by Van Morrison.

Nine – An Echoing Whisper

"'Oh oh Domino, roll me over Romeo, there you go'" sang Tobi drumming his hands on the steering wheel.

He had been serenading Felix and Draven ever since they had got into the car and, despite numerous protests and threats by both parties, Tobi had yet to fall into silence. Draven was grumpily mumbling in the back seat and Felix knew he was biding his time until the car was stationary so he could beat Tobi into submission; Draven was rather narcissistic about the welfare of his 'precious' life. Soon Tobi began to sing louder, directing the Van Morrison song at Felix who was staring out of the passenger window.

"'Lord have mercy, I said oh oh Domino.'"

Felix ignored Tobi's serenade, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her irritation. Besides after three years of knowing Tobi one became somewhat immune to his frequent spell of annoyance. She concentrated on the road.

The sun was just breaking over the horizon and soon all of the wishes and prayers that had been whispered in their dark hours of the previous night would rise in the burning iris. As the Erasers sped along the highway to their destination, the sun would erect itself above and become the beacon of hope that all who rejoiced under it, associated it with. It was an untainted light today with no gloomy prisms attaching itself to its rays and due to this purity, the temperature would be one of stifling heat with everyone fleeing to the cool grasses and miraculous water. Restricting uniforms and wintry frowns would be disregarded and replaced with light fabric and serene eyes. Water fights and barbecues would make their appearance early this season and would ensure that everyone – whether they be bathing in the sun or admiring it from behind panes of glass – would remember the day when summer truly came. Everyone that is except for those on the kill and Felix was one of those.

No matter how hard she tried to distance herself from Tobi and his song, the word 'Domino' continued to skip in her head with a maddening persistence that was akin to a broken record. The cause of Tobi's choice of song so early in the summer dawn came from the scheduled meeting with the three Erasers' master who was known by the name that Van Morrison penned his song about, albeit he knew a different woman.

Domino. An Eraser in her early thirties who had been born with a savage beauty and a savage mindset. She had been created late in life and purely to teach protégé Erasers how to release the brutal potential. Domino fulfilled her job completely and made sure that her apprentices were the best. Although inept of showing emotion, Felix worshipped Domino in her own private way and would obey any command, if it be callous or inappropriate, without a second's thought; Domino saw Felix as one of her most loyal and talented students and would always mention her name whenever the School gave her a mission. There was an unnatural, almost unhealthy, bond between the two as if they were connected by barbed wire; and yet Felix still felt sickened whenever she saw her beautiful mistress. Why: because Domino was a reminder of Felix's first kill; Domino was the one who stole her last speck of innocence with a single command; Domino had made her a murderer.

…

Nine Years Ago

The Eraser training centre had been built from the same blue sheets as the SAS training site and was every bit as militant and severe. It was located twenty miles from the School and forty miles from a penitentiary, two different but equaling soul-crushing prisons. It was the latter of the two prisons however that provided the Erasers with the toys they needed to sharpen their claws on (Erasers never were allowed to play with the various mutant experiments of the School until they had proved themselves in combat). Not even the most twisted criminal mind expected to meet his death being mauled to death by a fanged six-year-old, but for those selected few on death row, that was their true penance for their crimes.

It was Felix's first time at the training centre and she had passed every test given to her apart from one: killing of a man. In truth she had killed a man before, but that was by accident and an act of self-defense so she could justify such an act, but to openly kill when there was no real need or danger…to her that was monstrous. However, she had been made an Eraser six months before and there had already been too many delays and as she looked through the pouring rain at the chained man, she knew that if she did not kill him then she would be abandoned or even lose her own life. She needed to survive!

She held the gun limply in her hand knowing that all she had to do was pull the trigger, just one spasm of the finger was all it took to end this man's life and secure her safety, but she had fatally taken in his appearance, humanizing her prey.

He was a big man near to 7ft but looking all the bigger to the little girl, and was covered in tattoos and muscles. He had a scar grazing his left cheek and a nasty looking burn on his thumb. His eyes were black. On arrival they had been filled with violence, but after witnessing the tortured death of his fellow inmates, they had turned hollow and had the prelude of tears. His hair was auburn, but had been covered in mud so it now hung over his sallow and unshaven face. He stared up at her, his eyes pleading with her not to kill. If she wanted to she could save him. She could be his angel. She wanted to be his angel.

"Felix," came a sultry voice from behind her. "Felix kill him."

"I-I can't," Felix stuttered.

"Felix look at me."

Slowly Felix had turned to see Domino standing tall and powerful behind her. Even then, with the continuous screams and rotting corpses – 'so like a concentration camp,' Felix had thought – Domino managed to light up Felix's life. Unruly jet black hair, lithe body, raven eyes, mediterrarean tan and dressed in a Couture jacket, Chanel jeans and boots; Domino was Felix's siren. Behind Domino an older Eraser stood, sulking in the rain as he waited for his comrade to spill blood. Felix looked only at her.

"Felix do you know why this man needs to be killed?"

Felix shook her head.

"It is because he is a murderer. He killed and raped a woman and her young daughter. The girl was only nine."

Domino spoke without any emotion and Felix opened her eyes wide at such information.

"He-he did?"Felix stuttered.

"Yes."

"Domino can we go in now?" came the moaning voice of the boy. "I'm bored."

"Quiet Draven."

Draven's eyes glared and his fists tightened, but he took to cracking his knuckles instead, his face already broodingly handsome at such a young age.

"If you kill him Felix," Domino continued, "you will be saving many. Saving many little girls. You remember pain at the hands of men don't you?" Whether it was from a memory or the cold, Felix shivered. "Then do it. Kill him!"

Slowly Felix turned from her mistress and faced the whimpering prisoner. The gun felt suddenly heavy, not only in her hand but in her heart too. She lifted it up. The man's eyes widened and he began to cry out for his beloved; Felix couldn't hear him through the rain. She put her finger on the trigger. She didn't know if Domino was telling the truth or not…

A child killer! A child killer!

She pulled it. She pulled the trigger. Everything seemed to slow down, the bullet racing through the air and entering the man's chest. He had gasped. She pulled the trigger again, this time into the organ that had hurt that little girl and her mother. One last bullet, this time in his head. It was his final word that Felix heard, the rain seeming to stop so that she would hear it. It struck something inside her, but she couldn't remember what it meant or its relevance to her.

"Autumn…" he had cried.

Shocked Felix had stood there, shaking about the murder she had just committed.

No! It wasn't a murder. She was an angel! She was a saint!

"Well done Felix," said Domino as she placed a hand on Felix's shoulder. "Next time it'll be so much easier."

That was the day Felix became a murderer. She had been six.

…

Felix would always remember that day. That was the day the delicate veil of innocence had been savaged in front of her blossoming eyes. The land of experience had been the only realm left.

What do you think? I don't know whether to have more Eraser characters, other apprentices of Domino. What do you think? Domino will be in the next Felix based chapter but I don't know if I should include other besides Draven and Tobi. Hmm...

What do you think about Felix btw? I'm very interested to know.

Review please.

xxx