Chapter 12: Dysfunction Junction, How can we Function?

Malice was really getting sick of this pattern of being unconscious for multiple days then waking up in a strange, new place. Thrusting herself up into a sitting position she tangled with her blond bangs for a second to get a better glimpse of where in Utgard she was. Using both hands she thrust the strands upward giving both her eyes a frenetic glance about the room she was in. Luckily no waste filled alley or clinical holding pen came into view of her light blue eyes, instead it proved to be some kind of living quarters. Along with the bed she was sitting on there was a single window letting in some weak sunlight as well as some odd bric-a-brac strewn about the room. There were two doors, one to the direct south of her and one to the left along the north wall. Realizing that her precious Skadi was not in the room made her anxious and dictated her immediate flight from wherever this was. After her last encounter with those Sprites who had strapped her to a table Malice didn't want to be around them till she had her diviner at ready to chop them into mincemeat.

While she could see the city looming below her the window was far too tiny for her to fit her wing span through, leaving the two doors and whatever lay beyond them. Her decision was made for her when something large came through the northern door; with the best battle screech she could muster she tackled her opponent beating its body with slaps from her wings. Her nails slashed about his head as she tried to see if this thing had a throat, it did. Blindly she forced her right hand down its mouth clotting the first, and possibly only, air way. Victory was cut short, however, when the cornered thing proceeded to rip her hand out of its mouth "Stop, I'm not going to hurt you" he insisted as he used his free arm to block a swipe. Something in the back of her mind recalled that there was something about this voice she was interested in. Pausing for a second she swept her bangs back, allowing Malice to lock eyes with the Sprite that seemed to be intertwined with the events befalling her since she arrived in this city.

"Are you some kind of demon" she asked, even if this guy didn't smell like Utgard the fact he had been popping up everywhere certainly supported that he was some kind of curse laying devil spawn. "Umm…pretty sure I'm not" he replied still a bit shocked from her attack "How are you feeling?" She scowled at him "Where is my diviner, Sprite?" "That blue ax thing? I put it in the spare room" he said nodding over to the south door. She pushed herself upright to get off the Sprite when he grabbed her wrist "I'm Chris Redfield" he blurted out getting a puzzled look from Malice "I, I mean…we've been seeing each other so much but we don't even know each other's names." "Your name doesn't interest me Sprite; you said that you appeared in this world without explanation too. Tell me everything you know or what befell the fallen angels at Heaven's Gate will not even begin to describe the pain I will submit you to." Chris took a second to process this, "um…well…it's kind of hard to explain. Once you woke up, the others and I planned to discuss what's going on" Malice looked at him critically "Others?" As if on cue the door opened and a small creature walked into the room "Aw damn! Didn't mean to interrupt the old rhumpy-pumpy there Chris, I'll be out of here in a jiffy and not listening to you two going at it at all." Chris craned his neck up and realized how he and the angel were arrayed could be misconstrued as something else. He fought a faint blush as he opened his mouth to protest but the angel beat him to it "What in Asgard are you, Sprite? I have been to Riviera many times and never once have I seen one of your kind in my travels." Swaggering up to bed he hopped on it so he was right next to the pair "Rocket Raccoon, at your service, love." He tried to kiss the back of her hand but she slapped him off the bed "Touch me again and you will die" she hissed before turning her attention back to Chris "You would be wise, Sprite, to not keep the company of such foolish demons." She admonished him lightly before returning to the more pressing topic "Now that we are gathered I demand you tell me what you know of the circumstances of why we are here."

Chris opened his mouth to explain but Rocket Raccoon interjected "Perhaps the best place for this doozy of a conversation would be the kitchen?" With one paw gripping the bed's edge the poor soul stood up rubbing his head "No doubt the pair of ya are having a grand time as ya are but would be keen to be a part of this conversation as well and I imagine she wouldn't be happy to see the position you two have settled into, savvy?" With a smirk he dashed from the room leaving an oblivious Malice and a simmering Chris. Extracting herself from the Sprite the angel managed to get a glimpse of herself in the mirror "The gods of Asgard, where are my clothes?" Her blue cape and grey robes had been switched for a large shirt that overwhelmed her figure so much that the hem of it managed to cover her all the way down to her mid-thigh. "When we rescued you from that CIA place we couldn't find your clothes so we gave you a spare instead." Chris explained, which did nothing to abate her ire. "When I get my hands on those Sprites…" she growled as she stalked through the door Rocket Raccoon had exited from.

Her anger was quickly replaced by joy the moment she saw Skadi leaning up against the wall next to some sort of contraption before switching back to rage as she spotted the additional occupant of the room. "You" she screamed pointing at the red haired Sprite who had disabled her in such a cowardly manner. To spite her, the redhead merely glanced up at her from her seat at the small breakfast nook where she was drinking a cup of tea. Gnashing her teeth Malice grabbed Skadi ready to cut the fool in twain but Chris grabbed the weapon as well, his hands adjacent to hers on Skadi's handle. "Hold on" he cautioned her as he fought to keep the weapon from wiggling out of his hands. "Move aside or you will join her in Utgard, information or no" she growled at him before realizing what he was doing "How by the counsel of the Seven Magi…!" He was touching her ax and not being frostbitten to death by her diviner, an impossible feat to anyone unless…'Has Skadi given this meager Sprite permission to wield it' she wondered feeling shocked and a bit betrayed. Her reverie was interrupted by a hand being placed on her shoulder "Look, I know was the one to take you to that lab but she also helped us get you here. She's in the same boat we're in so we need to cooperate with her." "I'd rather die than let that treacherous worm aid me" she spat back.

"If it's an apology you want then I'm sorry" said, she didn't sound all that apologetic though. "I will accept it along with your head" Malice snarled back. "Ok, everyone, just knock it off" Chris said drawing upon the voice he used to command S.T.A.R.S as well as his B.S.A.A troop "I know we're not the best of friends right now but we need to discuss what's been happening whether we like it or not." With a mighty yank he pulled Skadi out of Malice's hands "You don't need this to talk so I'll hold onto it until we're done." She shot him a scathing look but sat down at the breakfast nook without fuss across from . Chris sat between the both of them at the head of the nook while Rocket Raccoon bucked basic etiquette climbing on top of the table and sitting cross-legged, his back resting against the wall where the nook was connected to the wall. It was a bit cramped, Malice's wingspan did nothing to alleviate this, but it would have to do. For a brief second no one talked, they were all too busy eyeing one another either curiously in or in contempt, Deciding to take command, Chris sighed "Alright let's summarize the basics then we can each give our side of the story, that way we can compare notes and maybe find some clues as to who or what is doing this to us."

"We know that we're in a different world, a different universe perhaps if Rocket Raccoon's story is any indication. We were transferred to this world against our will while we were sleeping. We're probably not the only ones that this has happened to." Rocket Raccoon shot him a curious look "Why do say that, mate?" "When I first came here I fought against someone I knew, and who I thought was dead." Chris explained "In hindsight I think he knew I had arrived and was waiting to ambush me." "Interesting" commented taking a sip of her tea "Perhaps he knows the force that gathered us here, tracking him down should be a high priority." Mentally Chris felt himself relax, he had been worrying about what Wesker was up to but if he could combine his search for the Tricell agent along with finding out how they got here, it would make his life so much easier.

The next hour was spent on how each individual at the table got there, where they had woken up, how they had found out about the different world they now inhabited, as well as some background of who they were. A few interesting facts also managed to surprise everyone at the table, the fact that Chris knew that it had been Wesker who had started the zombie invasion for one thing. To Malice's astonishment Rocket Raccoon claimed to know one of the gods of Asgard "He's a bloke by the name of Thor, a good chap if not a bit daft and danger prone." The intergalactic creature admitted giving Malice a description of the god which frustrated her quite a bit. His weapon and ability to call lightning seemed to fit the bill but she couldn't remember if his countenance had been sculpted on the walls of the cathedral in Asgard. She had never paid much attention to the gods unlike the majority of the pre-Ragnarok residents so her memory of the deceased gods' names was fuzzy at best.

"Whoever did this must be quite powerful" the angel commented as they were ruminating over each other's stories "Why do say that" asked "How do you know it's a person? It could be a force or some sort of cosmic accident." Malice rolled her eyes "Massive coincidences are not something anyone should believe in, this entire scheme was planned from the start by a sentient being. The fact that this being, for whatever purpose, managed to abduct me from Asgard is very alarming." The dull looks of puzzlement on their faces made Malice mentally facepalm, they didn't know squat about Asgard. "After Ragnarok, which was a great war between gods and demons, the Seven Magi beefed up the security of the city quite a bit." She explained "Sneaking into the city and kidnapping me without being noticed by the security measures should have been impossible." "So, what are you saying" Rocket Raccoon asked scratching his head "We're dealing with some sort of god or something here?" Malice shook her head "Even a god would have been noticed, it would have had to have been with a considerable amount of knowledge and power." "Let's pair that with the fact we still don't why this person is gathering us here" Chris added "They went through all that trouble but we've been wandering around like blind mice ever since we got here."

Everyone grew quiet as they tried to come up with some explanation but in the end they all admitted that they were in dire need of more information. "Alright blokes, we've gathered and crafted this little fellowship of lost souls but what in bloody hell are we supposed to do next" Rocket Raccoon asked. "Tracking down that Wesker person sounds like a good idea right now" stated finishing her tea "He probably knows something." "Gathering information in general is probably the best thing to do" Chris admitted "If there are more like us then it's imperative we hear their side of the story, there could be clues that might lead us to whomever is conducting this from behind the scenes." The group nodded tersely "Why don't and I start the search on the internet" Rocket Raccoon reasoned "Maybe if search about the events that happened during that zombie invasion we might find someone who could be like us." Chris nodded "That's not a bad idea; I'll even join you while you're at it. I would like to see what sort of B.O.W.s Wesker used." The trio left allowing Malice to wander about the living space, it wasn't terribly big. Other than the kitchen, the bedroom she had woken up in, a second bedroom that lie behind the southern door as well as a master bath that lay behind to the right of the second bedroom the only other door led outside into the corridor of the large building they were in. Running a hand through her grimy hair Malice decided to take a bath, Asgard knows she needed one.

While the other Sprites worked some sort of rectangular device in the first bedroom Malice entered the room which was plastered from top to bottom in off white tile. Carefully peeling off the large tee shirt she checked her body to make sure those strange Sprites in the metal lab hadn't done anything weird to her. Aside from several small holes where the needles had been stuck in she didn't find any new scars. The room itself was filled with many strange contraptions, Malice had it in her mind that some sort of hot springs would be located below the building and have the water pumped somehow way to the higher floors but clearly she was wrong. Instead of a nice warm bath there was a weird basin there was about three feet high and made of a material that looked like marble but without the streaks. A metal contraption hung above the basin along with two metal knobs attached to the wall. A little experimentation proved to go a long way, the angel quickly found out that a stream of water could be jettisoned from the overhead device by turning one of the knobs and that one knob corresponded to hot while the other corresponded to cold.

After spritzing herself several times with scalding hot water Malice eventually found that perfect balance before tackling the next the problem; how to get in. The basin was surrounded by three walls, two half walls that encompassed the eastern and western parts of the basin and a large northern wall that boxed the entire contraption in. By standing there with her facing to the east Malice would press up against her left wing, crushing it under the odd angle. To compensate she had to enter the shower facing north which hindered her ability to get clean, the stream from the overhead device fell mostly on her right wing. Folding them back as much as she could Malice drew as close to the water as she could using her arm to channel the water above her head. One she was sufficiently wet the angel turned her attention to the cleaning products that had been left there by the Sprites. The bar of soap she recognized as it was similar to her own world; sadly the smell of it confirmed that Elemina Mint was not an ingredient used in its creation. Deprived of the wonderful effect the herb had on her skin Malice turned to the other product that sat on the rim of the basin. It was concealed in a bottle made of a strange material that was transparent like glass but pliable instead of brittle. A blue substance was inside it, the label claimed that it was shampoo and that it was smelled like an ocean breeze. Clueless as to what shampoo was Malice took a quick whiff of the contents and grimaced, it smelled nothing like the sea. Abashed by the merchant's blatant lies Malice considered bringing this up with the Sprites outside but on second thought she shrugged, if the poor fools were too sheltered to have actually gone to the ocean then they deserved to be suckered.

Curious, she turned the bottle upside down and squeezed a drop of the liquid into her palm. It was gooey like tree sap, coating her hand easily but quickly washed away by the falling water. For a moment Malice thought it was a potion of some kind, perhaps one of the Sprites liked to get a bit snookered while he or she was bathing? However, a quick lick of the gooey mess proved her wrong; even the most potent of potions wouldn't taste so vile. Bored of exploring this strange new world Malice placed the mysterious jar back onto the rim of the shower and began to lather up with mint-less soap. After a while Malice stepped out of the shower feeling much better and cleaner than she had since she had arrived in this gods-forsaken world. As luck would have a hair brush was located in a small containment unit hanging over the mirror along with some more mysterious items. The red strands caught in the prongs clued her in that this was most likely brush. The thought of that loathsome Sprite made Malice tremble with rage but unable to procure a brush of her own she repressed her rage as she angrily plucked out as many of the long red strands as she could. Standing in front of the mirror, naked, and dripping wet from head to toe Malice began the lengthy amount of time it took to brush her waist long hair.

Once she was satisfied with the job she placed the brush back, by this time most her body had dried off. Grabbing the shirt off the floor Malice examined it critically; it was huge on her. It was a muted shade of green with very short sleeves. Logically it would be the property of that large Sprite, the one that was built like a golem or perhaps one of those ogres that infested the Ruins of Nelde. "Chris" she whispered to herself as she pierced the garment with her gaze "His said his name was Chris." An odd name for a Sprite, maybe, but then again it wasn't like she studied them and their naming rituals. Putting the shirt on proved to be herculean effort, her wings were once again getting in the way. Pulling it over her head would be hell on her wings, quite possibly being enough of a force to snap the smaller bones that she needed if she wanted to fly. Luckily the collar was pliable enough for her pull the entire garment up her legs and onto her waist, a bit of wiggling allowed her to pull it up high enough for it to cover her boobs adequately without hampering her wings at all. Tying the two short sleeves behind her like some kind of ribbon to keep the ensemble from slipping down Malice studied it in the mirror.

She looked like some sort of poor unfortunate soul sucking the moss off of rocks to live but it would have to make due for now, her poor robes had been taken by those ignorant Sprites. Malice pounded her fist into the wall seething with anger but she quickly recovered trying her best to focus on the silver linings. This world was full of Sprites and once she got back in touch with Master Hector, who was no doubt at this very moment searching frantically for his loyal servant, she could take Skadi and reap the souls of all of them. With that wonderful thought back in her mind she exited the bathroom returning to the first bedroom where the trio of Sprites was pondering something. "Says here mate some lass named Chun Li was the one responsible for stopping the invasion." Rocket Raccoon commented his back to the angel. "I know who that is, I've fought with her a few times" said "I'm positive she's been displaced like me." Rocket Raccoon looked up "Fought with her, not on the best of terms are ya, love?" shrugged nonchalantly "We're not enemies, our goals have sometimes set us against each other and we settle our differences with a martial arts fight." "Sounds like an enemy to me" the Guardian of the Galaxy pointed out "Anywho it seems like she's gotten into a bad punch up n the looks of things; says here she's at St. Meriata hospital."

At this point Malice noted the large Sprite, 'Chris' the memory popped into her head unbidden, had turned a vivid shade of scarlet and was squirming about uncomfortably. While she wondered if he was on the verge of collapse or something the other two had noticed his affliction and followed his stare. "God save the queen" Rocket Raccoon muttered under his breath in awe "Shame about the cup size though." didn't say anything choosing instead to whip out her palm pilot and add under the to-do list for today, which included meeting with Chun Li and buying groceries with their dwindling funds, to buy clothes for the angel. Unaware of the spectacle she was making Malice sat down at the edge of the bed and crossed her arms. "What's the plan" she asked tersely eyeing her weapon which Chris had placed near the door to the kitchen. The two men were unable to answer her reply "Chris and I will go visit a person we believe to be in the same circumstances we are. In the meantime you and Rocket Raccoon will stay here." Malice dismissively ran a hand through her clean hair "I won't take orders from you Sprite; I will come and go as I please."

The agent shot her a baleful look "That would be unwise, the CIA is still after us and maintaining a low profile for now will be necessary if we don't want all the branches of the military pursuing us. Your wings, I presume, cannot be easily concealed and no doubt you will cause quite a stir if people saw you." Malice opened her mouth to protest but Chris shook out of his hormonally induced stupor and laid a hand on her knee "It's not going to be all that interesting anyway. We're just going in to be speaking to her about stuff we've already summarized beforehand." Mollified, somewhat, Malice huffed and blew a stray strand of hair out of her face "Bring back something interesting then, my patience with this charade is already starting to wear thin." With a nod the Sprite pair left quickly before the angel could change her mind leaving only the not-demon thing alone with her. "Well love, it looks like it's just you and me for the duration" Rocket Raccoon commented with a sly smile "What do ya say to a game of cards then?" Malice quirked an eyebrow "Cards, I don't see how tarot cards will help entertain us." The Guardian rolled his eyes "Not sodding tarot cards, love. Cards, cards, the kinds you play bridge with. Don't tell me those sodders in Asgard don't know what the bleeding hell cards are?"

Annoyed with her companion's snarky attitude the blonde lifted him by the collar up to her eye level "I don't suppose that whatever pit that spawned you knows what thumb screws are?" "Oy, oy, easy there lass, didn't mean to rile ya." Rocket Raccoon hastily said waving his paws in front of his face "Ain't any shame in not knowing what cards are. If you're in half a mind I can school ya in their uses, less you'd rather bum about here sitting on your thumbs?" Placing him back down on the bed the angel crossed her arms "Seeing as how I have nothing better to do I might as well." With a grin the space creature reached into the coat pocket of his uniform and extracted a rectangular box with artistic designs etched all over it. "Alright, baby steps first. I think the Earthlings call it Go Fish, banal as hell name, but it's easy enough to pick up I suppose." Flipping open the top he pulled out all 52 cards and began to shuffle them with the ease and style of a Las Vegas dealer.

Meanwhile Chris and had decided to hoof it on foot to the hospital, partly to cut down on the cost of taking a cab or a subway and partly because it was so nice out. For the middle of summer the weather had cooled somewhat for some reason allowing New York's weather to come the closest it could ever be to something that might have resembled pleasant. The pair walked in silence, neither of them were disposed to small talk leaving them grasping for something more substantial to comment on. Chris absentmindedly scratched his shoulder, since the angel was using his shirt for clothing had taken the liberty of getting him a thin white cotton one from a second hand store, it wasn't a perfect fit for his powerful frame and with every step he took the hem would jerk up just enough to give a passerby a quick peek as his belly button. "Could you please share some more information about this Wesker character with me?" suddenly piped up as they turned a busy corner "When we find him I doubt he'll go quietly so any information about his fighting style would be helpful."

Chris sighed and rubbed his short brown hair "It's gone through an unbelievable change recently. A couple years ago he was like us, normal, he was a great shot with tons of guns, knew a decent level of Krav Maga, he was a pretty good leader too." "You said he was once normal" commented pushing her glasses farther up her nose "Does that mean he changed in some way? Was it by spiritual or scientific means?" "Scientific, I gave you a basic rundown about the T-Virus, right?" She nodded and he continued "Well, the scientists at Umbrella were always trying to evolve it up to the next level, the G-Virus, Uroboros, etc. Apparently in the sixties they began their work on something known as the Progentior virus which could be implanted into a very specific set of people in order to give them ridiculous powers. Wesker, as my rotten luck would have it, had the perfect blood type to reap all the benefits as long as he took precisely measured doses of serum at certain times. Without the serum the virus will begin to turn him into any other zombie. With the virus he's super strong, superfast to the point where he can move faster than the eye can keep up and he's got such a powerful regeneration he can take Magnum bullets in the chest and keep smirking." processed all this information quietly; it sounded a lot like the kind of junk that S.I.N would play around with. "It seems like you hold quite a grudge against him, is it personal?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw him tense up "None of your business" he growled abrasively.

She shrugged "Sorry, didn't mean to dig too deep." Heedless of her apology she saw him snarl at the air, no doubt from the memories she had accidentally drudged up, signifying that clearly there was some vendetta between the two she should be mindful of when they faced Wesker down. All too often she had been in a situation where an ally of hers had been confronted by someone they held a deep intimate hate for. Unerringly it would always end badly, when you had that amount of emotional trauma pent up inside you it would manifest at the worst times harming everyone around you. 'Perhaps it would be best if I tried to take Wesker down myself' thought as she studied Chris' profile discreetly. Lightly she tapped him on the shoulder to snap him out of his vengeance induced hate daydream "Try to look a little less threatening; you're beginning to make a scene." Indeed, all the pedestrians who were walking down the sidewalk had opted to give Chris a large berth thanks to the scary look on his face, some even skirted dangerously close to the curb where cars sped past.

Eventually they made it safely to St. Meriata's hospital where a nurse gave them the room number where Ms. Li was staying. As they approached the door they were surprised to hear the sound of voices emanating from her room. "-the hell you are Laura. Listen to me, Stark is a guy with a shady agenda, trust me, I would know. He doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone if it means he can achieve his goals, he'll stab you in the back the moment he can profit for him." This was a man's voice, rough like gravel in a blender. "I believe that you are as aware of the situation as I am." A new one, female this time but with a hint of rawness to it "I know about Mr. Stark's less than stellar record with the super human community but I do not think we can unravel this mystery by ourselves." "Bullshit Laura, you know as well as I do that we can figure this out on our own. There's no need to partner up with Stark or anyone else for that matter." "Were you aware that Magneto is here? We found him in Trask Industries and he managed to place an entire squadron of Sentinel units under his command. We both know that we are…not the ideal pair to deal with him and we are both painfully aware of his goals. Allies will be necessary if we wish to apprehend him."

The male voice sighed "Listen Laura, I'm just concerned for your safety. I've seen too many of my friends get hurt by that bastard for me not to feel paranoid that you're on his team. I know I haven't been the best…dad…" There was a muffled sound, perhaps the female had covered his mouth "You are not and never will be my dad, regardless of the circumstances of my birth. I have managed to take care of myself long before you came along and I will do just fine on Stark's Avengers. What I need from you is to go back to whatever beer stained hall you strolled in from and sit there until I have figured this out." The sharp clack of heels could be heard briefly before a tall and lanky teenager sped out of the the room and stormed down the hallway. "Aw, shit, wait a sec-"a short, burly man in a leather jacket began to follow her before he got a glimpse of Chris and . "Well ain't you a couple of asses for eaves dropping on my conversation" he commented angrily "Since you like standing around in the hospital so much why don't I put you in here permanently?" Not affected by the wild looking man's demeanor crossed her arms "Forgive us for waiting for you to finish your visit with Ms, Li but we wanted to see her too. By the by I doubt that having screaming matches outside of her room is conducive to her health." "What the hell do two want with Chun" he asked stepping back a bit so he bodily blocked their way into her room. "That's none of your business" Chris pointed out "Why did you come to see Ms. Li?" "The hell I'm telling you, bub" the man barked back "Why don't you take your bimbo and get the hell outta here."

Chris could see the man tense up and from the corner of his eye he could tell that was beginning to as well. Before an all-out brawl could happen a teenager in a white lab coat strolled up to the trio "What the hell do you think you're doing" she asked sharply "This is a hospital, not a bar. If you want to brawl then take it outside, or else." The teen was fairly diminutive with black hair that curled upward at the ends, the name tag on her jacket read 'Dr. Tron Bonne M.D'. "Aren't you a little young to be a doctor" the wild man commented baring his teeth. "Aren't you a little old to be wearing diapers" Dr. Bonne shot back waving a hand in front of her nostrils "Or at least I hope to heaven that's what that smell is. Regardless, it's still visiting hours and I have not received a notice that these two are not allowed to visit Ms. Li. If you are going to be a hindrance then I will call security." Silently the man shot all of them a grade A death gaze before retreating down the hall leaving only a bitter taste in their mouths and a horrifying stench in the air.

"Thanks for the help" Chris commented gagging slightly from the stench "Who was that guy?" The doctor raised her shoulders "Apparently he's been visiting Ms. Li ever since she arrived here a few days ago. I've only heard the scuttle but from the nurses but the description alone is more than enough to I.D him." She waved a hand at the door "I believe you wanted to see Ms. Li?" The trio entered the room which was filled with a bounty of cards and flowers. Absentmindedly picked one of the bigger cards up and read the inside of it.

Get well soon Ms. Li, we'll never forget how you saved us from disaster

-Pepper Potts and the employees of Stark Industries

The patient in question was out like a light, aside from her face which was coated in a thin sheen of sweat the rest of her body was hidden under a blanket. Taking notice of the myriad of machinery around the Interpol agent asked "What happened to her?" Professionally the doctor picked up the medical chart from the foot of the bed "She came in with some pretty bad bruises, even a few cracked ribs" Dr. Tron commented before examining the chart "Oh and sprained ankle apparently. She's on a regiment of heavy duty pain killers so she'll be out for the next couple of days still. Even after she wakes up it might be weeks before she can resume active service again." The doctor put the chart back at the foot of the bed "She's quite lucky though, apparently she got these wounds fighting a giant robot over at Stark Industries. All the employees there have sent her a get well card; even the mayor's office sent a bouquet." She pointed to the massive floral display that had been squeezed into the upper left corner of the room that seemed to be composed of every flower known to mankind. "Did that weird guy give her a gift or something" Chris asked but the doctor only shrugged "Hell if I know, I don't have time to snoop through a patient's paraphernalia." As if to demonstrate how busy she was the diminutive Dr. Bonne checked Ms. Li's vital signs before rushing out the door "You've got two more hours before visiting hours are over" she reminded them as she left.

"Well, it looks like we won't be able to get any information from her for a while" Chris commented dourly. "Not a big setback all things considered, we've got a big enough lead to follow for now." commented "Can you give me a second; I'm going to grab a card for her." Swinging down the hall, entered the elevator and shot down to the lobby where she grabbed the most inane card she could find before returning to the room. Grabbing a pen from the nurses' station she jotted down a quick message which Chris curiously looked at "Rocket Raccoon was right you know, you really are enemies aren't you?" gave him a small smirk "Not really, she's just fun to irritate." Placing the card in a prominent position by her bedside the pair exited the room and began to make their way down onto the street.

While they exited the elevator into the lobby several stories above them Dr. Bonne had opened the door to the roof and skipped her way across it. "This is the best day ever" she announced waving a memory stick above her head. Those Sentinel units she had stolen had proven to be very valuable very quickly. With a few minor tweaks she had augmented their sensors to allow them to find the greatest source of her irritation (and not her adoration because she was not in any way interested him romantically), Megaman. To her great delight they had located him in seconds and to her great puzzlement the blue bomber had found it prudent to hide himself with a memory stick. His wacky reasons aside Tron Bonne now had said memory stick, turning it into his prison unless he did what she told him to do. At the edge of the roof was parked Gustaff, her mecha vehicle, and once she hopped in she took off by dashing among the rooftops. Putting him on autopilot she relaxed as he returned to base rubbing the memory stick with her thumb as she began to envision exactly what horrors she would enact upon that little pest (who she absolutely did not love).

Malice proved herself to be very adept at cards, within three rounds of Go-Fish she demanded they play something more mentally stimulating. Their games evolved quickly from war to poker to gin rummy to the most elegant and entertaining card game of them all: bridge. Unfortunately without enough people to play all the pair could do was go over the rules of the game, which suit trumped which and some basic scenarios one may find themselves in while they were playing. At one point Malice's stomach began to growl and a surprising question popped into her head, when was the last time she had eaten anything. Tossing her hand down on the bed she stalked into the kitchen and began opening cupboards. In the bulky metallic contraption near the door she snagged some weird fruit. They were mutant strains of banangos and mepples but a cautionary bite into them proved that they were neither dangerous nor inedible. Embarrassingly, by the end of her little "snack" she had effectively cleared out most of the food in the cold storage unit. "Bloody hell lass, if yer were that peckish would it have killed ya to give me warning" Rocket Raccoon commented as he viewed the path of destruction the angel had carved through their foodstuffs "Are all ya angels such…pigs?"

"I've had to endure two Angel Awakenings, a brief stint with highly inhospitable Sprites who saw fit to try and dissect me, plus I've haven't eaten anything real since I got here" she shot back before chugging down the rest of the milk straight from the carton "Why don't you go get us more?" ""Could if I would lass but I don't got a quid to my name." "I don't see how hard it would be to get more food, surely you Sprites grow your own" Malice said "It's a wee bit more complicated than that but even so it's a moot point lass, the minute we place our pinkies on the sidewalk these sodding Earthlings will go ape shit." "Then all we have to do is not be seen." Malice reasoned grabbing Skadi who was propped up by the refrigerator before opening the door of the apartment. A quick scan of the corridor proved that it was empty allowing the Grim Angel to make her way onto the roof with a discouraging Rocket Raccoon following in her footsteps. "What the bloody hell do you think you're up to "he demanded as he watched her stretch her wings "I hate being cooped up in the living quarters too but we've got to keep a low profile." Heedless of his warning the blonde hovered into the air, hesitating a moment to find a slight breeze, before flying off to the right of the building. Cursing wildly Rocket Raccoon began to chase after her using the rooftops as a path way.

It took a bit of creativity but Malice found that the best way to gather food was to create a distraction long enough to swoop down and pluck the stuff from the hands of oblivious Sprites. The distraction part of the scheme always fell onto the reluctant shoulders of Rocket Raccoon whose knack for big and flashy traps proved to be the perfect cover. A hapless customer of one of the millions of food trucks, that occupied New York like cockroaches, found himself bowled over by random log trap as he tried to dine on his burgers and fries. As he stood up, wondering if there was still time to get the license plate on whatever vehicle had just blindsided him, he would find to his confusion that his overpriced dinner had disappeared completely leaving only a hastily rigged log trap in its place. The spree continued for quite some time allowing both extra-terrestrials to sample a large buffet of food.

Sitting atop the highest tier of the Brooklyn Bridge the pair finished off their latest plunder while absorbing the scenery around them. "Do ya think Chris and will be pissed when they found out we've snuck out?" Rocket Raccoon aimlessly wondered aloud causing Malice to snort "Who cares?" She brushed her bangs away looking out over the city "If you're so worried about it we can grab some more food for them." "Oy,oy, cut them a wee bit of slack lass, they are trying to help us get home, no?" Before she could reply Rocket Raccoon stood up from his perch, balanced precariously on one of the wires that made up the suspension bridge, while his ears swiveled about wildly in search of something "What's wrong" she whispered also standing up with her diviner in front of her but all she got was a shushing from her companion. A few moments passed before Rocket Raccoon turned to her, his tail bushy "Och, something ain't right, I can feel it in me bones. Let's get onto more solid ground." With a nod she tucked the small creature under her arm before grabbing the winds with her black wings. Had either of them looked back at where they had been feasting beforehand they might have caught a glimpse of something shady materialize for the briefest of moments before evaporating back into nothingness.

Chris and were less than pleased by the two's impromptu tour of the city and its finest eateries. "I realize that there's not a whole lot to keep you entertained here but it's important that we keep a low profile for now" Chris chided them the minute they stepped back into the apartment. "Ah give it a rest mate, besides it's not like we up and forgot about you two Eartlings" Rocket Raccoon said trying to mollify their roommates "Here, I don't know what the bloody hell this is but I managed to tuck in seventeen of these little buggers." He handed several samosas to Chris while Malice shoved a thing of nachos into 's hands. "You're welcome" the angel remarked coolly but was not interested in a half-hearted peace offering "What part of stay here don't you get?" Setting the nachos on the counter she pushed her glasses higher up her nose as she shot a glare at the angel "I didn't ditch the CIA so they could recapture you again. Knowing the protocol they've most likely launched a well concealed man hunt to find out where you are. New York is a big place but if you keep flittering around they'll find us in no time."

Shrugging dismissively Malice turned around without rebuttal but managed to smack the agent in the face with one of her wings. Before an argument could start Chris stepped in "Look, I know the rules are strict but this is for our own good. Once we get an idea where Wesker is hanging around there'll be more to do around here." His words fell upon deaf ears and for the remainder of the day he had to put up with terse replies whenever he tried to start a conversation with his roommates. The only real other event that day was tiff between Malice and in regards to the clothing the agent had brought back with her for the angel. "I don't see why you don't like anything I bought, this isn't to look good in, it's so you can get out of that stupid shirt." The red head stated evenly as she watched her blonde roommate systematically denounce every article of clothing had procured. "I am not looking for fashion Sprite" Malice bit back "I am looking for something that might have resembled my old clothes which you and your agency stole from me." "For the last time I did not steal your clothes, the lab guys took them in order to examine what material they were made of." replied.

Huffing Malice swept about, smacking both Chris and with her wings "Regardless of whether or not you admit to robbing me blind I will not wear such clothing." To demonstrate her point she picked up a grey camisole with short sleeves "Look at how threadbare this is. The higher I fly, the colder it gets, and this…thing will not keep me warm." "And that oversized shirt you're wearing will?" snorted before turning around and walking out the door. Logically was correct, much to Malice's annoyance; Chris' shirt did little to help her keep warm. Her little trek with Rocket Raccoon proved as much but for some reason Malice wanted to keep it and the only way she could lay claim to it without appearing irrational was if she had to continue to wear it. Storming past Rocket Raccoon who was entertaining himself with a tame game of Solitaire Malice bucked the rules and made her way up to the rooftop. The night air was pleasantly warm as it kissed her face and after a brief's moment deliberation she opted not to take a little stroll in air choosing instead to sit on the edge of the roof and observe the city down below.

No matter how many times she saw it the population of the Sprites that infested this region continued to amaze her. Unconsciously she began to stroke Skadi's shaft as she tried to predict how long it would take for her to harvest the souls necessary for master Hector's scheme. Initially it would have been a year longer had she not found this place, while Sprites lived in small droves about it, The Promised Land sometimes proved to be a barren hunting ground. It could take her weeks of wandering to stumble across a hidden enclave of Undines or Dryads or Sylph, entire periods of soul famine during which Master Hector was continually on her case about the quota for that month needing to be filled and how very little time was left. But now with this breadbasket of Sprites crawling beneath her feet it could take a day or two, perhaps mere hours, before she exceeded the number of souls they required. The very thought gave Malice goose bumps and she was so engrossed by her calculations she failed to hear the person sneaking up in front of her.

"Nice view, isn't it" Chris said plopping down next to her, two odd objects in his hands "What do you want" Malice asked annoyed that her private time was being intruded upon. "Nothing in particular" he confessed sounding a bit embarrassed which only made her more exasperated, were Sprites always so dependent on superficial interaction. "I know that it has to be hard on you being cooped up in this strange world" the B.S.A.A member said gesturing to the scenery in front of them "But you don't have to do this alone if you don't want to." Malice rolled her eyes "Thanks for the support" but her non verbal cues managed to get through…somewhat. "Damn, I've never been very good with this" he admitted 'This was usually Jill's job.' His guilt was broken by something cold and sticky falling down onto his knuckles "Oh damn, their already melting" he said before offering her one of things he was holding "Want one?" "What is it" she asked disdainfully, the thing was blue and rectangular and attached to a brown stick. "Its sea salt ice cream" Chris explained "There's a vendor around the block that sells these and I've never heard of the flavor before."

Peering at the weird thing she plucked it from Chris' grasp "What is ice cream" she asked sniffing it, it smelled like the ocean. "They don't have ice cream in Asgard" Chris asked his lips twitching up into a smirk "That seems a little odd for heaven." "I can't see how this treat is worthy being present in the halls of Asgard" she scoffed but she licked it regardless. At first her face puckered at the initial wave of saltiness but after a quick second an underlying tone of sweetness began to blossom, starting from her lips before coating her entire mouth. The two flavors intermingled pleasantly which were renewed with each subsequent lick of the ice cream. Sadly Malice didn't pace herself and within moments the delicious blue treat was gone leaving only a small brown stick that had 'Sorry, try again' written on it. Lifting it up to the ambient street light she looked at Chris quizzically "Sometimes you'll get one and it says 'Winner'" Chris explained "When you do you can turn it in for a free one. The angel nodded before shooting a discreet glance at the sea salt ice cream that her companion had been halfheartedly nibbling at. Giving a wry smile he handed it over to her without a word. "What are you doing" she asked handing it right back to him "I didn't ask for this Sprite, you already put mouth on it anyway." "Alright, if you insist" he said licking it a few more times "We can get more tomorrow, what do you say?"

"Duck" was the only thing that came out of her mouth; on reflex he did so remembering the hundreds of times one of his partners had warned him to do the same. Just like in the past it served him well, a split second after he rolled backward onto the roof Skadi slashed through the air covering the previously warm summer air in a layer of sparkling frost. As Malice stood up she glanced back over the edge of the roof, Chris had dropped his ice cream when he had dodged her attack and it now was hurtling down to the sidewalk. Steamed at the waste of such a tasty treat she whipped her diviner about with one hand using the frost she had initially accumulated to summon a small hailstorm of icicles that embedded themselves about the floor. Eyes roving about she tried to see where her opponent had gone but she came up empty, they had apparently vanished into thin air. Several minutes passed as both of them waited breathlessly for something to happen, their only warning was a quick flash of sunset yellow. Grunting Malice blocked the blade of the weapon with her diviner but the attack had been so superhumanly fast she had no time to place herself in an appropriate stance. Overpowering her easily the yellow weapon slid out of her block and dashed past her aiming straight for Chris.

The man was hardly a sitting duck though, jumping up onto his feet he took several potshots at the shady figure dashing toward him but all of them were effortlessly blocked with sweeps of his glimmering weapon. With a grimace Malice boosted herself into the sir, at this speed there was no way she could keep up with such a speedy opponent on foot. As if to cement her predictions the weapon and its owner disappeared in a blur of air letting a few bullets to pierce the air where it had been. With the angel keeping a look out overhead Chris took the small lull to reload his gun, that speed was very similar to Wesker's, could the Tricell agent have found them? A quick whoosh of air was the only warning he got as the angel shot forward right at him smashing him in the torso with the shaft of her ax. With a grunt of surprise and pain Chris went tumbling hand over head while Malice locked weapons again with the mysterious opponent. This time however she had the upper hand, the momentum of her dive completely overpowered her opponent and with a yell she surged forward , wings whipping to give her an additional boost, sending her opponent off the roof.

Panting a bit she checked over the side of the roof to see if she could spy his crushed body down below. A masked face met hers as she peered over, he had grabbed the edge of the roof when he fell and with a grunt he flipped up onto the roof smashing her in the back with his knee. Blindly she grabbed for some sort of handhold, she managed to find one of the edge of the roof effectively reversing the positions they had been in before. Jerking her head upwards she finally got a good look at her otherwise hidden opponent. He was dressed in the most peculiar garb; it was purple attire that was comprised of a loose fitting shirt and pants with strange crimson symbols on them. He had brown hair with matching eyes which held a calculating look. The two most distinct traits about him was his red scarf that concealed the lower half of his face while waving dramatically in the weak breeze and his weapon, which had been the first thing that had caught their attention, was even more amazing now that it was poised above her head. It looked very similar in design to a diviner but Malice's innate ability to sense the divine told her that it held no supernatural power aside from its very interesting form.

"And you are" she asked annoyed that this mere Sprite had managed to keep up with her so far. "That is classified information" he told her "My orders are to return you to the government." "Like hell you are "Chris replied grabbing the man and tossing him over his shoulder to the other side of the roof. Letting go of the edge Malice grabbed the air and flew back up into the sky hovering a few feet above Chris who was dismayed to see the ninja land safely from the throw and rush them with his weapon arcing through the air. The B.S.A.A agent raised his gun in defense but before he could pull the trigger a massive blast of arctic air froze his limbs causing him to reflexively drop his weapon. She soared past him trading blows with the ninja while Chris sank to the ground shivering violently from the cold. "Just…hold…still…you little bastard" Malice screeched as the ninja managed to dodge about her swipes with unbelievable ease. ""Al l this wasted time can be saved if you merely allow me to apprehend you" the ninja remarked flipping over a large piece of ice Malice summoned. "Go to Utgard" she snarled gathering more and more frost and coating the roof with it hoping to restrict the ninja's movement.

Once the roof was frosted she smashed the hilt of her weapon down causing ice spikes to pop up all over. Undeterred by her attack the ninja began to slide about on the ice using the lack of friction to effortlessly draw close enough to swipe at her with his sword. With a "schwing" the blade reflected off her ax cleanly but the angel couldn't move fast enough to dodge the follow up kick to her middle that sent her tumbling into one of her own ice spikes. Casually the ninja reached down and grabbed her arm "This would have been easier if you had simply given up in the first place" he said emotionlessly. Malice attempted to bash his head in with Skadi but he stepped on her hand pressuring it enough to force her to drop her weapon. "Mission accomplished" he commented as he twisted her about ready to knock her unconscious with a chop to the back of her neck but a hand grabbed his raised one. "Think again, scarf boy." A nasty flow of electricity coursed through him, more than enough to cause a heart attack in a normal person, but rather than having his heart explode the ninja twisted out of 's grip and slashed his blade through the air.

On reflex threw her arm up to block the blow which proved to have a terrible idea. While her suit managed to stop the slash from doing anything worse than lightly cutting her skin the usually impervious threads of her tech suit were sliced apart leaving a patch of pink skin vulnerable to the night air. Even while she was stunned at the outcome of their clash 's mind refused to wander that far from the battle at hand. Sidestepping from left to right she dodged several more vertical swipes then began her own attempt at some sort of offense by stepping in to deliver a nasty one-two punch to his torso and head. She followed it up with a roundhouse to chest that sent him sliding back across the field of ice. "Who are you" asked using the small lull to activate her jet boots to melt the ice on the roof. "Ms. Crimson Viper, I have come on behalf of the government. My orders are to reacquire the angel. Be grateful my secondary directive is not to assassinate you." Rolling her eyes waved a hand dismissively "Hate to break this to you but the angel is going to stay with us. Why don't you run along to whatever manga you were rejected from before you get in over your head?"

The ninja moved first, ducking low and zigzagging forward, ready to turn the CIA agent into ribbons of jerky but was ready. With a jet blast she vaulted above him using gravity to launch into a feet first foot dive cloaked in flames slamming into him causing him to bounce against the ground. Grabbing the ninja off the ground she shocked him again before sending him flying with a kick to the back. The ninja landed unsteadily on his feet before regarding his opponent critically "The dossier was correct, you are most dangerous" he commented bringing his weapon up "If you won't hand over my objective then I have been authorized to kill you." "Good, then I won't have to pull punches" his opponent said getting into her stance "Try not to bore me." As he rushed her she shot one the lasers that had been charging in her glasses at him hoping to destroy his weapon but even the super-heated beam of light had no effect on the blade. Closing the gap the ninja faked a swipe before sliding across the ground sending onto her ass with a kick to her shin. Capitalizing on this the ninja tried to behead her with a flipping midair slash which forced her to sacrifice the suit on her other arm to block.

With both arms bare she leapt off the pavement using her jets to launch into a flurry of strikes that allowed her hover forward. The ninja blocked once again but had predicted this and by carefully controlling her jets she managed to position herself right above him. Within moments the flames would overcome his guard roasting him alive, or it would have if Malice hadn't chosen this particular moment to strike again. A quick flash of lightning was just enough of a warning for the CIA agent, her previous fight with the angel helping her remember what was coming, and she blasted out of there as a freak blizzard coated the area around them. Twirling her weapon triumphantly in the air Malice gave a victory cackle "You Sprites all the same, so much hot air, so little talent." Glaring at the angel, scowled "Watch it would you? I'm on your side." "Then get out of my way" Malice shouted back twirling her weapon "I'm not going hold your hand for you."

was about to retort but her eyes were drawn to the middle of the rapidly vanishing blizzard, the shimmering frost had begun to dispel revealing that the ninja was nowhere to be seen. "Impossible" the angel screeched "That was a clean hit, I know it!" "Be careful" the CIA agent called out "He could be anywhere-"Materializing behind her the ninja pressed a pressure point in her neck sending her down onto the ground unconscious. "These distractions are beginning to get ridiculous" he noted as his target charged him again. Her first blow was a vertical chop up he easily stepped around but it opened him up to her grab; she laid him low with a smash from her diviner before being stomped on. She tried to end this by executing him there and then but by placing his blade behind his head he managed to stop it from decapitating him. "Legion" the man called out and something hard smashed Malice in the back. Turning around she watched a metallic beast stalk forward, its robotic eyes gleaming menacingly.

"Why won't you just give up" she fumed as the ninja jumped back onto his feet "A coward who relies on numbers could never defeat me." "It is not cowardice but strategy" the ninja replied gesturing his beast onward "Two is stronger than one." "Then let me even up the odds, mate" Rocket Raccoon called out melting the beast with his space laser gun. Cocking his gun the Guardian of the Galaxy attempted to snipe the mysterious man but he disappeared entirely just before the lasers hit him. Phasing forward the ninja blew past Malice and aimed a low swipe at the rodent making him dance back, nearly fumbling his weapon from the speed of the reflex. Clicking the setting of the laser gun onto its stun setting Rocket Raccoon shot volley after volley at the man with the precision of a seasoned marksman but he might as well had been blind for all the good it did him. Without fail the ninja would either parry or dodge the bolts of concentrated photons which, unintentionally, created cover fire for his back preventing Malice from sneak attacking him. "Just hang a bloody tick on" Rocket Raccoon roared watching as yet another shot careened past where the ninja had stood a split second ago. Phasing back into the material world the man swung his weapon, an odd move considering that his furry opponent was several feet away from the edge of his blade, but the attack hit home carving a trail of blood red through the creature's middle. The Guardian of the Galaxy gave a muffled gasp of surprise before falling over backwards as he began to bleed out.

Annoyed at all this trouble he was going through the ninja didn't even face the angel as she swiped her weapon at his head, placing his weapon near the side of his head he parried her blow sending her rattling back. He continued to walk forward using small wrist movements to launch small slashes that had just enough force behind them to keep the blonde blocking as she staggered back from his barrage. Once they began to reach the end of the roof he launched one final attack that sent the weapon spinning out of her hand onto the street below. Before she could even register she had been disarmed he held the tip of his blade against her throat and stared down her one blue orb with his two brown, blank ones. Stepping closer he grabbed her shoulder and easily restrained her when she began to fight him "You have lost" he told her straining to lift his voice against her harpy like screeches of rage "If you will not submit to me willingly then I will be forced to-"Looking back to him it was clear where he had gone wrong, he had gotten sloppy after battling so many opponents. In retrospect it was obvious that her sudden screams of hysteria had not simply to prove she was raging at her loss and subsequent capture. Instead they were the perfect cover as the muscular man who had fallen to her friendly fire; the cock of his gun was not picked up by Hiryu's expert hearing and that was what cost him his bounty.

A searing pain impacted his chest, weakening his grip instantly allowing the angel to push him off the roof. For that second he was suspended in midair he looked into the chilling eyes of the angel, eyes filled with nothing more than contempt at the fact he drew breath. He fell into the shadows of the alley below unsure of his future, would this fall kill him or would it be the slug that had ripped through his chest cavity like a bulldozer? On instinct Malice tensed ready to dive after her lost weapon but Chris' grunt somehow turned her attention away from her ax and to the man who had saved her from yet another meeting with those odious Sprites. For a man who had just made a grade A shot Chris looked slightly better than death warmed over. He was shivering hard, the brief second he had managed to use to compose himself and shot the scarf bastard had faded returning the shakes to his limbs and robbing him of the ability to even perch himself on his knees like he had to make the shot.

Aware she had been the one to put him such a state Malice walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, it was freezing cold to the touch. "Are you alright" she asked trying her best to ignore the uncharacteristic guilt beginning to blossom in her gut. "Save…Rocket…Raccoon…" the man replied between chattering teeth. Obediently Malice waltzed over to the poor creature and activated Angel Awakening just long enough for the wounds he had sustained on his body to heal enough not to be life threatening. Once that was done she moved the trio back inside the walls of the apartment they shared, Rocket Raccoon was put in one room while took the second and Chris was placed in the kitchen. Using the kettle Malice heated up a batch of scalding hot water which she handed over to Chris to either drink or jumpstart his frozen nerves. Alternating between drinking glasses of hot water and running them over his stiff limbs for a half hour the B.S.A.A member finally managed to warm up enough to stop shivering like a mad man. Malice had exited the building as discreetly as she could to retrieve her weapon and when she got back she met with the angry gaze of Chris Redfield. "What the hell did you think you were doing" he asked her his voice as rough as sandpaper and twice as abrasive "You had no concern whatsoever for your comrades' safety, you harmed me and with your recklessness. "

Malice was taken a bit aback by the Sprite's anger but she dismissed it by sweeping a hand through her bangs all the same "It's not my fault you're weak. I warned you about getting in my way, correct? You should have hidden yourself away and let me deal that pesky little Sprite." "I don't care if we are weak; you should never attack your allies like that, ever. We're partners, all of us, and we have to trust each other." He explained in a low growl "Tomorrow you're going to apologize to Rocket Raccoon and for your behavior up there." She stared at him incredulously "I see no reason to apologize, it's weak and demeaning and unreasonable. I don't need your help with getting home." She should have stormed out of their lives forever but something was keeping her glued to the floor. Much to her irritation she found a small part of herself did agree with what Chris was saying but there was so much more to it than that, her personal streak of fierce independence coupled with her servitude to Master Hector was only the tip of the iceberg. She struggled with the words but couldn't get them out of her mouth so she stood there leering at the ground while Chris looked on oblivious to the train wreck in her soul. Taking her silence for rebellion the man stood up from the table "I'm going to bed, I'd advise you to think about what you did today. It's always better to have someone with your back than going at it alone, believe me."

He was wrong, so wrong in so many ways that it set Malice's world view ablaze but she pushed her personal beliefs aside for the moment. Lunging forward she grabbed Chris by his arm, her fingers digging into cold flesh, and she looked him in the eye. "Malice" she said resolutely "My name is Malice. Goodnight." With that she retreated into the second bedroom to catch some sleep on a spare cot. Even if her words had not been a technical apology they made Chris crack a small smile, maybe this group could make it work, somehow.