A/N: This is an alternate story line starting from just after Yin's capture by Morris. I abandoned it from the story because it was leading into deep conspiracy territory too quickly and the pacing didn't feel right. I also know all too well how easy it can be to leave loose ends in a story that indepth and I'm not under any illusions that I am that good a writer yet. I am working on year 2 but idk if I will release it as a continuation or a new story of it's own. I am taking a break either way to plan out more of it a head of time instead of just writing what I want to happen in the moment.

A few minutes later, two people entered the darkened room, quiet whispers helping her to pinpoint them in the dark. She called out into the darkness, praying to Yoba that it was someone who would help her. She took the gamble, thinking at the very least, they weren't Morris. They might be just as cruel but even if they were it would still be better than Morris using her.

"Please...help me. I'll do whatever you want me to, but please don't leave me here." Her voice cracked as her tears started to flow. The light flared on and standing before her were Shane and Sam. She cried in relief.

"Please, untie me."

"Holy fucking hell! Sam, help me lift the chair back up so we can cut her loose."

Sam look pale as he helped tip the chair back up. Shane used his box cutter and made quick work of the ropes binding her. She tried to hold the torn cloth of her shirt together to cover her chest but got fed up and turned it around so she was wearing it backwards.

"Thank you so much for cutting me loose. Is there another way out of this store room?"

"Just the fire exit but the minute you open the door the alarm will go off; learned that one the hard way during orientation." Sam smiled faintly at the memory before returning to the present.

"Ok. You two head back out the way you came in and act calm. I'll give you two minutes to find something to look busy with and then I'll make a break for it. I know both of you have questions but now is not the time. I don't know how long I have until he comes back and I don't want to be here for that." she wiped the tears from her cheeks smearing the blood from her cut. Both of them nodded and led her to the fire exit before turning and heading out the other door. Waiting the promised two minutes, she pushed on the bar and heard the alarm screeching as she bolted toward her farm. It was still very early in the morning so no one was out to see her mad dash across the town square and to the western path as if the hounds of hell were chasing her.

Friday 26th of Summer

Yin slammed the door behind her barely breaking stride as she rushed to the back door and starting furiously pumping water into her bath basin. Pulling the curtain around it closed, she ran back inside long enough to grab a bottle of bleach and a plastic scrub pad. She dumped the rest of the bleach she had, about half a bottles worth, into the basin before she stripped down to her underwear and got in the cold water. She scrubbed ever inch of skin not covered by her underwear with that pad until she was raw, She got out an hour later, the water in the basin tinged rusty brown with blood. Her skin was red, inflamed, and bleeding with shallow cuts and scratches from her scrubbing. The only places not marred were her face, except where the cut was, the soles of her feet, the palms of her hands, and where her underwear had stayed on.

She was curled on her floor in front of the dark television, staring unblinking at the black screen but not seeing anything but Morris's beady eyes glaring back at her. For all that she had scrubbed, she still felt dirty, but she was in too much pain to make another bath. She ate a few cave carrots from her stores and the cuts stopped bleeding leaving thin angry red lines that criss-crossed her skin. A dark purple hand-shaped bruise was forming on her throat and breast where she was grabbed. She forced herself outside, after donning her nightgown, long enough to water and harvest her garden but just that small chore drained her energy. Heading back into her house she laid down on her bed and just waited for this day to end.

Shane mindless cut boxes and shoved product onto the shelves, anger coursing through his veins, speeding his work. Finding Yin in the back storeroom like that made his blood boil in outrage. She refuse to say what happened but he could guess. Joja was not a good place to work but he was only just realizing the true malevolence and evil hiding beneath that cheesy smiling flower logo.

He had convinced Sam to keep his mouth shut until they talked to Yin. If they did try to make a complaint, they'd no doubt be fired. Or worse, a voice in his mind chimed in. Whoever had tied her up in that store room had to be pretty high on the food chain since that storeroom was usually locked tight. Only one perpetrator came to mind, Morris.

Working here for as long as he had, he'd seen a lot of shit he'd rather forget. The conditions were terrible if you got on the wrong side of management. There were workers here he'd never seen in town and he could only guess at what they were doing. Some didn't speak any English whatsoever and others looked as if they had spent more time in prison than out of it.

He and Sam had noticed the store room unlocked and had decided to investigate. He had a long standing bet with Sam that Joja was probably selling drugs on the black market. Sam was betting they were selling guns to Gotoro spies. Shane wouldn't have been surprised if it was both. That bet never did get settled but now he had worse things to think about.

Sam was barely able to put up the pretense of working. He'd been absently mopping the same spot for a good five minutes before he shook himself from his thoughts. He had been indulging Shane's paranoia when he'd made that bet with him a few weeks ago. Sure Morris was a jerk but he didn't seriously believe that Joja was involved in anything that awful. If asked a week ago what he really thought was in that storeroom he would have probably said pricey consumer electronics or something like that. The Joja mart in the valley was more a warehouse with a store attached. The store was an afterthought and not all that profitable but it didn't need to be.

Now, he shuttered in revulsion. Pelican town was a peaceful place or so he thought. They didn't even have a police force of their own. The last crime he'd ever heard about was a string of panty thefts a few years ago, which had been the scandal of the year, if the gossip was to go by. There was a monster living amongst them and he was afraid. He wished now, more than ever, that his father would come home.

He should just quit, that new guitar wasn't worth getting involved in whatever evil was dwelling here. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw Yin's prone body tied to that chair, shirt torn and tears streaming down her blood streaked face. He had to know the truth. He couldn't abide such evil in the town he now calls home. He put the mop back in the bucket and wheeled it back to the supply closet.

Shane walked into Gus's and bought two pints. He passed on his usual spot and sat at the booth near by. A few minutes later, Sam slid into the seat across from him. Shane wordlessly slid the second pint over to him, ignoring the disapproving glare Gus shot his way. Sam's birthday had been on the 17th so he was old enough to drink, if only barely, and Sam looked as if he needed it.

Sam took a sip and coughed as the burn slid down his throat. After his spell, he waited for Shane to speak.

"We need to go to Yin, first and foremost. I'm gonna flag down Harvey when he comes in and take him with us. Whatever we stumbled on in that room is far above our pay grade. I also think Yin should be the one to decide how to handle this. I suspect any complaints we make will be brushed aside at the least, and put a target on our backs at worst." Shane frowned, staring into his beer.

"You don't honestly believe this was corporate sanctioned, do you? I always knew Morris was rotten dirty scoundrel but I can't honestly believe that his actions were part of some bigger plot. If we go over his head, we can get that worthless piece of shit out of this town and possibly on a trip to Grampleton penitentiary." Sam whispered harshly, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself as much as Shane. Shane grabbed him by the collar, the material pulling taut as he leaned in close, whispering with barely contained frustration.

"You don't honestly believe they'll do the right thing anymore than I do. You know what would actually happen, if you use your damn head for more than gel sculpture! At worst, are complaints are brushed off and ignored. If we press the issue we fired and discredited if not gotten rid of. You may think I'm paranoid but I wouldn't put murder beyond them at this point. At best, they'll quietly transfer Morris somewhere else and do everything in their power to deny any wrong doing. They won't allow any charges to stick out of fear of bad PR and aren't above throwing exorbitant amounts of gold at the problem to make it go away. Now I can't say that what was done to her was sanctioned per se, but I know they'll go to any lengths necessary to hide the truth." Shane let go of Sam's collar, pushing him back into his seat. He took a long swig of his beer, relishing the familiar burn before reminding Sam of another point a bit calmer than he had been moments before.

"Besides, as I pointed out before, we don't have the right to decide this without Yin's input. She deserves to make the final call considering she was the one who suffered the most."

Sam sighed, sipping his beer again becoming more accustom to the burn. "I guess you have a point there. You take Harvey with you and fill me in on the details later. I just don't think I could handle myself right now and I don't want to be in that kind of head space around an already traumatized girl. It's probably better if I have sometime to cool down and think anyway."

Shane nodded, glad that Sam wasn't as dense as he first believed. It took a lot of courage and self knowledge to know when to back down from a situation.

"I'll keep you in the loop as much as I can. In the mean time just keep your head down at work and keep an eye out on Morris. I don't think he'll go after Yin again but I wouldn't put it past the slimy rapist to be eyeing up other women in town."

Sam nodded wearily before getting out of the booth and walking back to his house, not in any mood to lose a game of pool to Sebastion.

Shane spotted Harvey as he entered the pub and got up, grabbing the sleeve of his sport coat and guiding him to the booth.

"Sorry to grab you like this but we need to talk." Shane motioned for two more drinks from Emily and she brought over another pint and a glass of red wine before moving on to other customers.

"What's up, Shane? You look like hell."

Shane filled him in on what had happened that day. When he had finished, Harvey was shaking in absolute rage. "That utter bastard! How could anyone do such a thing? I have half a mind to hunt Morris down and choke the ever-loving fuck out of him." Shane was shocked at the heat in his voice and the coarse language that rolled of Harvey's tongue. For as long as he'd known the man, he'd rarely seen him lose his temper and he had never heard him swear. But as gentle and timid as Harvey might seem most of the time, Shane knew when pushed far enough he was a force to be reckoned with.

"I can totally get behind that sentiment but our first priority has to be Yin. I may not know her well but it doesn't take a genius to know she shouldn't be alone for too long."

Downing their drinks quickly, they left the bar, Shane straining to keep up with Harvey's longer stride. Shane and Harvey approached the farmhouse, Shane breathing heavily from the brutal pace he'd been forced to take to keep up with the doctor. Shane took a moment to catch his breath as Harvey knocked on the door. There was no answer.

"She's not answering, what should we do? I don't think barging in would be the best call but I don't like the idea of leaving her alone either." Harvey frowned as knocked for the third time. Shane thought for a moment, staring at the handle intently before deciding to try something he'd seen a delinquent friend of his do. Taking out his wallet, he fished out a Joja gift card he'd kept forgetting to throw out, the credit on it long since spent. Carefully wedging it in the crack of the door, next to the handle and frame, he wiggled it in an erratic circular motion. He heard a gentle click and felt the door give and open.

The red tinged sunlight bathed the room as their noses were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and blood. Harvey pointed to the open back door and the large wooden basin surrounded by a plain blue shower curtain. The water was a rusty brown and the source of the unpleasant smell. A scrub pad on the floor nearby was stained a similar color with only a few stray fibers retaining their original green color.

Shane reached into the filthy water and pulled the cork stopper and watched in morbid fascination as the water drained away. He rinsed his arm off at the old-fashioned water pump before rising from the kneeling position he'd taken to empty the tub. He looked toward Harvey, who's eyes had gone wide in horror at the scene before him. His skin had gone ashen pale and he seemed to be fighting some unseen battle with himself.

Shane shook his shoulders, trying to snap him out of his shock. "Stay with me Harvey. Your gonna need your wits about you to help Yin." He nodded in acknowledgment and forced his body to unlock. He took a deep breath, ignoring the strong smell and focused on his training. When his eyes opened once more, they were empty and cold, his mind cleared of all thought but finding the patient and beginning treatment. It was what had gotten him through his ER rotations during his residency. He could process the bulk of this later when the danger had passed but he needed to remain focused. Both men reentered the house and went to the only room they hadn't checked. Shane took a steadying breath and opened the door to the bed room.

Yin had been in an out of a light dozing sleep when she heard knocking at her front door. She didn't bother to leave her bed, she wasn't in any shape for company, and she just wasn't ready to deal with what happened yet. Her body froze in shock when she heard the door click open. She grabbed her loaded gun from her nightstand and aimed it at the bedroom door as she sat up. She listened at they walked to the back door and heard muffled speech, though she couldn't make out what was being said. She heard the two pair of footsteps come closer to her door. The red light of the setting sun bleeding through the cracks of her bedroom door became obscured by shadows that twisted as they stretched across the wooden floor.

The door opened and she hissed. "Don't move another step or I'll shoot!"

Shane stood stock still as he stared down the barrel of a handgun, his only movement being to hold his arm out and stop Harvey from walking any further in.

"Yin, it's me, Shane. Can I move enough to turn on the light in here?" She nodded, but realized they may not be able to see her in the darkened room.

"Move very slowly. To your left there is a small stand with a lamp on it. Do not come any closer to me unless I give you precise direction to do so."

Shane moved slowly, keeping one hand up as he felt around in the dark for the lamp, his fingers lightly bumping against smooth porcelain. He followed the curve upwards and bent his elbow when his arm touched the edge of the lamp shade. Finding the knob he turned it, hearing two clicks before the room was bathed in yellow light. He slowly removed his arm and raised it back up with his other one, his face blanked of any expression.

Yin trembled and slowly lowered her gun, clicking the safety back on and placing it back into her nightstand. Harvey walked forward slowly, noting the redness and peeling of her skin and the thin scratches criss-crossing her body, disappearing underneath the hem of her long nightgown and under the sleeves and neckline as well. It took all his will not to gasp at the ugly purple bruise around her neck. It was a miracle her trachea hadn't been crushed.

"Yin let me take you back to the clinic. We need to rinse the bleach residue off your skin before the chemical burns gets any worse. I'm required by law to have a chemical rinse shower because of some of the more toxic substances and pathogens I could be forced to treat."

Yin nodded not trusting herself to speak yet. She really didn't want to go but with sunset fading into twilight she knew the monsters would be out soon. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if Harvey or Shane got hurt leaving her farm.

"Let me pack a few things and I'll go."

Yin packed a change of clothes, her brush, and her sword. She strapped her dagger and harness across her bicep and winced in pain as it rubbed against her inflamed skin. Shane's eyes widened in surprise at the weaponry but chose not to comment. Give what she'd been through, he wouldn't begrudge her an extra layer of security.

They were silent as they walked out of her farmhouse. Yin pulled her sword out and was scanning the surrounding as if she expected something to jump out at them. Shane had thought she was just understandably jumpy until the black shadowed beast charged them. She swung her sword with practiced easy and a grace he'd never known was possible. Just as the beast was slain she swung her sword behind her chopping of the wings of an approaching bat with the same ease one would swat a fly.

"We have to keep moving, once we get passed the first fence post we'll be safe from them. Shane, Harvey, when I say so make a run for it. I'm gonna use a bomb to blow them off our trail."

She pulled a black bomb out of her bag and struck a match on the bottom of her shoe. She wasted no time in lighting the fuse and hurling it at the twisting mass of shadows approaching them from the south. "Run for it!" They made a mad dash up the path, Yin bringing up the rear. She'd just passed the first fence post when the bomb detonated. The shock wave blew then off their feet, all three of them landing in a jumbled heap at the base of the second fence post. They watched as monster slime, wings and other assorted parts headed right for them only to bounce off the air with a flash of light before falling to the ground and disintegrating in black smoke.

"That is the barrier of Yoba, a powerful protective ward cast by the first monks of the Church of Scattered Seeds . It has protected pelican town and the greater valley for many millennia. My farm is one of the few places it's protection doesn't reach."

Harvey was the first to disentangle him self and make it back onto his feet. Shane wasn't too far behind and both of them helped Yin, careful of her irritated skin. They made it to Harvey's clinic without a word. Shane nodded to Harvey and turned walking south back to Marnie's ranch. "Take care of her Harvey, I need to get back before Marnie starts worrying too much."

A half hour later, Yin turned the shower off. Her skin was flaking and peeling in places like a bad sunburn. She heard Harvey's voice from the otherside of the wall. "Put on your under things then put on the paper gown. Now that you've removed the residue I'll need to put shielding lotion on your skin to prevent it from drying out any further."

She sighed, but complied with his demand. She exited the changing area and was led to exam room one again. Harvey commanded her to lay face down on the exam bench, and as she settled, he spread the cold lotion onto her back and legs. He gave the bottle to her and directed her to put it on the rest of her body and he stepped out of the room pulling the privacy curtain and closing the door behind him. She was glad he hadn't insisted on doing all of it himself. She was still not comfortable with close contact so soon after...

She choked back a sob and finished putting the lotion on herself. She curled back into a ball and tried to hold all the emotions inside of her. She heard the door open again and Harvey was back with his clipboard.

"I know you don't want to do this, especially not now, but I have to document as much as possible if you decide you want to press charges. Even if you don't want to, I need to make sure there isn't more damage that I couldn't detect because of your self inflicted injuries."

Yin stayed curled in her ball, trying to control her breathing. Harvey walked to the other side of the table and put a tentative hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the contact but he held his hand still and she slowly relaxed. He coaxed her to sit up and stared into her eyes. "I won't hurt you Yin, I promise."

He assessed her injuries in the harsh florescent lighting. The skin was irritated more from brush burn than the bleach exposure. He took note of the dark purple bruise around her throat, inwardly shuddering again at the amount of force that had to have been applied to leave such a darkening bruise. He noticed the edge of another bruise peaking out from the edge of her bra.

"Yin, can you lift up your bra enough for me to see the other bruise. I'll step back out of arms reach so you don't feel threatened. I won't look too long, just long enough to accurately document." He stepped back giving her ample room and she gently reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, trembling. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and slowly pushed the bra and gown down to her stomach. She couldn't bare to look at Harvey and turned her head away in shame. He told her she could cover herself again and she quickly pulled the bra and gown over herself, wincing in pain as the bruise was jostled.

Harvey slowly returned to his previous position beside the table. "The last part is just a few questions, the first one is important to answer because it will guide what treatment you might need in the near future." He closed his eyes, willing his emotions down. He did not want to ask this, she'd already been through so much in the last day and a half. But he had to know so that he could plan what further treatment she might need. He decided to be blunt in his question rather than fumble through finding polite wording. He considered this situation similar to pulling off a band-aid, better to do it fast than draw out the pain.

"Did Morris ejaculate inside you or penetrate you?"

She shook her head no, going green at the very thought of it. He grabbed the trash bin just in case she lost her stomach. Thankfully, she seemed to steady herself.

"He was just undoing my pants when he was interrupted by one of his workers. When I heard two people enter the room I took a gamble and called out to them for help. I'd never been so happy to see Shane and Sam in my life."

"I'm glad they were there too. I think that's enough for tonight. I have a guest cot you can sleep on, just give me a moment to fetch it from my apartment upstairs and I can set it up in here." She grabbed his arm before he could get up. I" don't want to be alone down here. If I grab those privacy screens and bring them up can I sleep upstairs?" She let go of his arm in favor of wringing her hand in nervousness. He smiled at her before grabbing the privacy screens himself and beckoned her to follow him.

Shane walked south toward the path that would lead him back to the ranch. He had a lot on his mind and almost didn't hear the quiet voice from Sam's window.

"Psst! Shane. Shane!" He turned his head, spotting Sam at the side window of his family's town house. He crept toward the window, keeping his footfalls silent, mindful of the late hour and sleeping inhabitants nearby.

"Is she going to be okay?" Sam whispered, a concerned frown marring his youthful face.

"It was probably for the best that you didn't come with us. She was in a pretty bad way. I won't go into detail since it isn't mine to tell but she's staying with Harvey tonight. I want you to promise me you won't go telling everyone what happened to her. The last thing she needs right now is the whole town gossiping about her."

"I'm not completely dense, Shane. I know she needs to have time to sort herself out and she won't be able to do that if she's bombarded with questions and speculation. It's just.." Sam sighed, brushing his fringe back in frustration. "I don't know what Yin will want to do but I just can't let it go. I can't stomach the thought of such a monster walking freely among us. Aren't you afraid, for Marnie, for Jas? I can't stop worrying about it." He put his elbows on the window frame, holding his head in his hands.

Shane understood his fear, he saw the way Morris gravitated toward Jodi when ever she was shopping. He was just a little to nice, a little too friendly, always getting just a little too close to her on the pretense of showing her a product or helping her load a heavy item in to her cart. Anyone with eyes could see Jodi's slight discomfort at his closeness. Anyone with ears could hear the nervousness in her laugh when Morris told her some slightly off color joke. It was awkward and uncomfortable to watch and he could only imagine how Jodi felt. The attack Yin went through framed those moments with Jodi in a much more dangerous light. He honestly didn't know what to tell Sam.

"The only thing we can do right now, until we get the full story from Yin, is watch out for the ones we care about. I think Jodi is pretty safe since she doesn't stay out after dark and doesn't wander to places where she's cut off from others. Morris isn't stupid enough to attack anyone in broad daylight with witnesses around. Jas doesn't go anywhere out of eyesight of someone, same as Vincent. I do worry about Marnie but she's tougher than she looks. If her lover found out anything had happened to her, he'd riddle Morris with so many arrows he'd be unidentifiable." Shane smirked as the image of Mayor Lewis pelting Morris repeatedly with arrows, tuning him into a pin cushion.

"That's fine for us but what about everyone else? I don't want anyone else to go through what happened with Yin. I don't think I could handle the guilt. Is there a way to discourage people from walking around alone after dark without it seeming suspicious?" Shane closed his eyes, conceding Sam's point but coming up blank in the ideas department.

"I don't know Sam. In any case, we're not going to figure out anything tonight. I have to be in early tomorrow so, at least for now, I can keep an eye on Morris. If anything comes up, I'll contact you. I'll also keep in touch with Harvey, though he won't tell me much since he won't want to violate Yin's trust."

"I suppose your right, Shane, but it doesn't make me feel much better. Get back to the ranch and get some sleep, you look like hell."

Shane made his way back to the path home, giving Sam the finger for his comment but Sam just stuck his tongue out before closing the window. Cheeky bastard he thought but noticed there wasn't any vitriol behind it. He made his way home and once in his room, chugged a can of beer for a night cap and hoped for dreamless sleep.

Monday, 1st of Fall

Yin sighed wearily, as she sat down on her front porch to rest. It was three in the afternoon when she had finally finished tilling, fertilizing, planting, and watering her massive fall garden. Now that she could craft quality sprinklers she wouldn't have to worry about watering it everyday or pay the exorbitant prices the travelling merchant demanded. Her rage mining had netted her more than enough material and her furnaces were burning almost nonstop to process it all.

She was doing better but she still had her share of bad days. The day she left Harvey's she had felt the gravity of everything crash down on her once more when she was alone. She tried to ride out the swirling depair and shame that gripped her but it had been too much. She dug out the wood box from her closet. Remembering what happened last time, she placed a single drop of the drug on her tongue. The bitter zing traveled through her body in slow pulsing waves. It wasn't the instant lightning of hard-lining but it numbed the ever-present constriction in her chest and stomach.

She had spent the first 3 days in the mine, heedless of the days luck. Her rage vented on the monsters to the point they ran from her. The monsters on her farm too, seemed more wary of approaching her after she spent the nights thinning their numbers. She hadn't been able to sleep much those first few nights. She still wasn't sleeping as well as she should be but with some small doses of Nova she could fake it well enough to avoid questions. Not that she was going into town more than she absolutely had to, preferring to avoid unnecessary contact. She focused all her energy on making enough to pay her debt knowing that as long as they could hold that over her she would be trapped.

Her other project had been to hide the journal. She didn't dare take it outside of the farm, not knowing if it was protected here by some form of magic. That would explain why they hadn't just trespassed on the property before she had come here to find it. She considered put it back in the shrine but that was a rather obvious place and she wasn't certain enough of her magic theory to risk it. She didn't have any shred of doubt that Morris would just steal it if he could. He'd proved himself capable of much worse, after all.

She had skipped the dance of the Moonlight Jellies, much to Robin's disappointment. Yin couldn't bring herself to tell her what had happened. Shane and Sam had given her space but she knew they were waiting for her to tell them what was going on. She really didn't want to have that conversation but she owed them that much. She had a feeling they wouldn't like her decision to not press charges, particularly Sam, but she hoped Shane would understand.

She had been raped twice in her life. The first time as a fresh runaway, alone in a dangerous part of town. She was lucky she hadn't been killed, but she could admit now that part of her wished she had been, at the time. She eventually got her vengeance on that bastard but it had left her feeling hollow and unsatisfied. His death didn't take away what he had done, but what was done is done.

The second time she was raped was at Joja Corp's telemarketing center. She worked for them for almost two years before the incident. She had been forced to work late the week before Winter Star so she could afford gifts for Devon, Sasha, and Remmy, while still making her debt payments. She wanted them to have a good holiday morning, to forget the hardships of street life and, for a moment, just be normal kids opening presents.

She had noticed that her new manager had been taking an unusual interest in her for a few months but she tried to brush it off. She had told herself that he was just staring because she looked like someone he knew, she was rather plain looking and that had happened before. She started seeing him everywhere but tried to tell herself it was just coincidence. She tried talking to him, thinking maybe he was just the awkward shy type. He seemed cagey, but otherwise nice enough, he'd even buy her the occasional coffee or her favorite smoothie from the cafe across the street. She usually tried to reciprocate in kind with a bagel or pastry from the bakery on the corner that she knew he liked. He had seemed like a potential friend. Perhaps, that's why what he did had hurt so much.

It was 7 o'clock and she had five more files to update. Shouldn't have taken her more than a half hour. Steven, her manager, was staying late as well and had brought her a smoothie from the cafe. She politely thanked him and returned to her work. She had found it odd that he didn't choose to get her hot chocolate, or coffee on such a cold evening but didn't want to seem ungrateful.

The lid had been loose and she had almost spilled it on herself before clamping the lid back down. She finished the files taking occasional sips from the fruity drink. It was 7:45 when she finally finished her work. She'd been spacing out which had slowed her down some. She thought she might have been coming down with the office virus. In the hallway outside her office she felt her legs weakening. She felt like she was swimming against the current as she tried to make it to the door.

Steven noticed her distress, probably had been waiting for it, though she didn't know at the time. He carried her to his office and she began slipping in and out of consciousness. She remembered bits and pieces of what he'd done. The pain as he filled her without any preparation. She couldn't move because of whatever he'd given her and he used her body relentlessly. When he was finally done he left her in that office.

It wasn't till 11pm that the drug he'd used wore off enough to allow her to walk without wobbling. She used the tissues on the desk to clean off her face and chest, going as far as dousing herself with the hand sanitizer. Steven had used a condom, at least, probably to protect himself from having to pay child support in the future. She considered pressing charges but she knew she'd never win it. It was well known in Zuzu that rape charges were rarely investigated much less brought to trial. In Zuzu, it might technically be illegal to rape someone but the burden of proof was on the victim. The attitude of most people toward victims made it even more daunting and if the man accused had an equal or higher standing to the woman, then don't bother.

She knew she didn't have a snowball's chance in hell if she tried to press charges. She'd probably be laughed out of the police station for trying. She kept her mouth shut and pretended everything was fine. She faked a smile as she watched Devon, Sasha and Remmy open their presents and squeal with delight. She went back to the office and worked as normal and fought down the bile that rose in her throat when she heard Stevens voice in the hallway. He'd gotten what he wanted and was no longer following her. She sure as hell wasn't going to drink or eat anything he gave her. She tried so hard to just move on but she couldn't.

She laid her grandfather's letter and the gun on her dresser in Stetson's trailer. She felt so hollow inside and knew she needed to make a choice. She pulled a coin out her pocket and smiled thinly. She was so dead inside that either option would be fine with her. "Heads wheat, tails sickle" She flipped the coin and watched as it spun on the tile floor, after what seemed an eternity the coin fell, heads up. She wondered what Warwick would have predicted her luck was for that day?

The coin had spoken, and she packed up what little she owned, kissed the kids and Stetson goodbye, and used her last pay check to buy a bus ticket and have some start money.

She still wasn't sure she had made the right decision that night. Either way, she had made her choice. She vowed that if she failed it wouldn't be because she didn't try. Standing up she grabbed her sword, some foraged summer grapes, and two warp totems. Raising the mountain one aloft she made her way to the mines. She was at level 95 and she was determined to make it to 100 tonight.

It was 9:30 when she finally made it to the 100th floor. She opened the treasure box, expecting another piece of armor or a new weapon. She was confused when instead she found a strange purple star shaped fruit. She had used up her grapes getting here, and she decided to try the strange fruit in hopes that it would heal some of the more annoying gashed and bruises that littered her body. It was strange how monster damage and self inflicted wounds could be healed this way but the bruises Morris had left on her were only just starting to lighten in color and fade.

The fruit was sweet and tangy with a slight bitter aftertaste. After she finished the berry she felt her body collapse and shake of it's own accord. Had it been poisonous, she wondered. She felt energy pouring into her, surrounding her. Her vision was tinged purple and she was floating off the ground where she had collapsed. There was a blinding flash of light and she collapsed back onto the cold stone floor with a light thump.

She got up and noticed how much better she felt. It wasn't just that she felt healed, she felt alive. What ever this fruit was, she needed to find more of it. She felt as if she'd been reborn and could feel the small boost in her energy reserves. It was an incredible experience that the purest Nova couldn't replicate. She felt as if she could go for another ten levels but decided not to get too cocky. She held her warp totem aloft and traveled back to her farm. She'd test her new might on home turf before chancing another mining disaster.

Sunday 7th of Fall

Yin's week had been one of the most productive she'd ever had. After her experience with stardrop fruit she had decimated the monster population of her farm with her new found strength. The bastards were running from her on site, the few that had survived and remembered her rampage. She'd even got back inside with time to spare.

She decided to spring for the house upgrade that Robin had been peddling way back when she first arrived. She justified the cost in the same way she did her tool upgrades. Berries and forage were okay, but they didn't heal all that much. If she could cook actual dishes then she'd be able to get farther in the mines per trip. She could use the cheaper things she fished and standard quality produce she grew and make it go farther than the small profit she made from selling them directly.

She celebrated it's completion with Robin yesterday by cooking a nice breakfast and binging a show Robin had been trying to get her to see for ages. They had a good time and Robin even complimented her cooking. She was some how wrangled into visiting the aerobics class Robin took but she wasn't under any pressure to join. Today would not be nearly so relaxed.

She was as ready as she thought she ever would be to tell Shane, Sam, and Harvey what had happened that awful night. She sent them all letters, ostensibly, as an invitation to a house warming party but she made sure they could read between the lines and knew the true purpose.

It was ten am when Harvey arrived, handing her a bottle of wine as she greeted him at the door. She put it on the dinning table which also had a small spread of snacks and drinks. Shane and Sam arrived at the same time. Shane had brought some milk from one of Marnie's cows and put it in the fridge. Sam brought a case of Joja cola he'd stolen a couple of days ago. He didn't seem too bothered by his crime and Yin couldn't blame him. From what she'd heard, Morris had been on his own sort of rampage after her escape. His behavior got the attention of corporate and after a visit from them his tantrum stopped. She suspected they suggested terminating him.

"Everything finally settle down in Joja mart? I heard Morris has stopped barking at the workers quite so loud." Yin asked as she and the three men seated themselves.

"You'd think his voice would sound a lot more muffled with how far up his ass his head is. Thankfully corporate put a muzzle on the sleazy bastard." Shane said, a wry smile flirting his lips.

"Corporate may have muzzled him for now but I get the feeling something else is going on, something much worse than our original guesses." Sam held a clip board with what seemed to be a rather long itemized list of letters and number with no discernible pattern. It was a shipping manifest and he'd highlighted multiple blocks of code. "The manifest itself is in some sort of code but I roped Sebastion into doing some leg work for me and he was able to get the cipher off of an outdated Joja server in Bolenfrey. This block right here", pointing to the first highlighted section on page 2, "is their drug selection for the week. They shipped quite a bit of "poppy mash" to a lab north of here, and the rest is a rather extensive selection of finished product they dispersed through other warehouse on the coast, presumably to ship around the globe."

Shane grabbed the bottle of wine from the table and poured himself a mug, taking a long drought before slamming it down on the table.

"Pay up Sam. I told you it was drugs." "You're only partially right so don't go planning you binge night just yet. See this block on page four, that's their weapons list. See that line right there, that's a MRO-A rocket launcher, a nasty little piece of work from Rostec. It's a bit of a one shot pony, but you don't wanna be anywhere near that pony when it kicks, cause that's 72.5mm of death waiting for you. Those shipments aren't going off continent though. The warehouses they're going to seem to be out in the middle of bumblefuck nowhere. If they're dispersing them from these warehouses then it's a long fucking drive for any prospective buyer. The only ones within 60 km of any airport or sea port is Stardew itself and one near Fort Gemini. If they were supplying either side of the war it wouldn't make sense to have them so far out in the boonies."

"Well it's not like the Republic is condoning these sales, whoever their selling to, so they could just have no choice but to keep the operations off the beaten path. It's something to keep under out hat for now."

"It's the seventh page that was the hardest to crack, even with the cipher. Notice how it has two columns where the product name should be. The first column just translates into numbers. The second column is what stumped me the most, it's just a list of names. I thought it might have been bribe amounts but I don't think even Joja could pay out that much to people and still be solvent. I looked up a few of the names and they all turned up as missing people, mostly from the far east. Zhu Lang, for example, went missing from her school 3 years ago. She's unique because I found her again in a police report from Zuzu city. She was one of the girls they rescued from that brothel in midtown. I nearly threw up when I read what that girl had gone through."

Shane himself looked quite pale when he heard that last part, he downed the last of his drink. Yin took the bottle away from him and poured everyone a glass before she drank directly from the bottle. The weapons were a new one but she known about the drugs since she became a nova addict. She'd long suspected human trafficking but she didn't have direct proof. The working girls she'd met in passing at various social gatherings never talked about the numbered tattoos on their lower backs and she never press the issue.

"I'd known a few of the girls in that bust. Zhu Lang was one of the luckier ones, if you call that lucky. While some girls were trained to attend parties and be pretty arm candy for wealthy socialites, most of the girls weren't nearly so well kept. Most were housed in cages like animals, only letting them out to be used. They wanted to maximize their profit so they don't give them much in the way of basic things like medical care. They usually were naked unless a client wanted them to wear some particular piece of fetish gear or costume. Most of the girls in the bust ended up in state mental wards or died off from their poor condition. Pregnancy wasn't an issue because they were never given enough food to sustain one. The girls that didn't go of the rails mentally from the trauma were treated and released. Being so far from home with nothing but the donated clothes and no grasp of the native language, most ended up back in prostitution to survive. I knew a few of the girls who worked Laurel Drive." Yin could feel Sam and Shane's questioning gaze on her. Both of them were probably asking how she'd come to associate with those kinds of people. She glared at the table and pointedly ignored the unspoken questions. She needed more booze before she could open those particular wounds. She took another swig from the bottle of wine.

Harvey's face had become like stone during the discussion. Yin could see his hands clenching into a tight fist underneath the table. "I was half way through my residency at Zuzu medical when the story hit the papers. I had been the one on-call in the ER the night before it hit the press and saw some of the injury reports in detail. Two of the girls who hadn't been moved yet because of the severity of their trauma died that night. Thankfully, I wasn't the one to handle the bulk of the cases directly since the ones who could be saved had already been admitted. Doctor Jenkins was the one on-call the night of the bust. He was never the same after that."

She could see the green of Harvey's eyes cloud with tension as he fought some deep internal struggle. Doctor Jenkins, the name seemed familiar to her. Her eyes widened when she realized he'd been in the paper a few months later as the defendant in the John slayer murders. He had been killing men who frequented certain brothels in the city. Yin took Harvey's clenched fist from under the table and held it between her own, gently massaging the straining tendons coaxing him to relax in the only way she could think of. His hand relaxed as the group went silent.

"I'm gonna be unloading a bit here so bare with me. I don't usually drink this much and I might need some redirection to stay on topic. You must understand first and foremost, my father is a corporate man, through and through, to the point of obsession. He's done unspeakable things to get to the station he's at in Joja's power structure, but his dream, his goal, has always been to become one of the elite thirteen. It's been that way since he first started working for them. Everything he has ever done has been with that goal in mind, including his marriage to my mother.

He married her when she was young and stupid seducing her and marrying her in the span of six months. He didn't love her, so why would a corporate drone with high ambitions go to such lengths? The simple answer is greed. His ultimate goal was to get his hands on the farm and give it to Joja with a big fucking red bow on it. My mother had thought she loved him but as the years went by he slowly started to show how much of a monster he was. I was conceived on their wedding night and thought I grew up in a normal home, unaware of the increasing derision, degradation, and abuse my mother was forced to endure. All if it, in attempt to get her to persuade her father to hand over the deed. So much suffering for a pile of dirt out in the sticks.

He got increasingly abusive but mother hid it well, especially from me. She grew to resent me and love me in equal measure as the abuse got worse. I was the reason she couldn't leave him. She tried to commit suicide when I was seven after Grandpa passed on. I'd just come home from school and found her on the kitchen floor. I walked up to her and hugged her, the gun still pressed to her head. I was scared out of my mind but I couldn't leave her. She broke down and cried, telling me everything. Grandpa's death had been too much on her.

I understood her better from that experience but our relationship was far from healthy. I was there for her when the abuse got too much for her. I just listened, hugged her, told her I loved her and felt fucking useless the entire time. I couldn't keep her going forever and she succeeded where she failed four months after my 13th birthday. Six months later, I split, not able to take the full force of abuse she had endured for years. I knew where the deed to my grandfather's farm was all along but I never told anyone, not my mother and certainly not my father. Grandfather had made me swear not to. He had been the only one in my family who seemed stable and honest. He was more of a parent than the rest of my family had ever been. I took that promise very seriously, even over the life of my mother.

I'll spare you the stories from my time on the streets. I became a nova addict and in order to feed my habit started working for the devil corporation I'd been running from. I hit rock bottom and seriously considered going out the same way my mom did. I also considered coming here. It was funny, my decision to come here or die wasn't some list of pros and cons. I was too dead inside at that point to really care either way. High as a kite on nova, I let a fucking coin toss decide my fate. I still have days where I wonder if that coin made the wrong choice but I'm committed now" She took a long drought from the wine bottle, pouting a little when no more of the lovely liquid crossed her lips. She was going somewhere where with this, oh yeah. that fucking weasel Morris.

"When Morris captured me, he did so under orders. He was a messenger for the higher ups, possibly, one of the thirteen. They were willing to clear my debt, eliminate my father, and keep me swimming in nova in exchange for an artifact that they believe is on my farm somewhere. Morris's attempt at play time was not part their plan. He was promised a bonus, most likely one of their more damaged sex slaves. I doubt they'd give him much more considering how rough he is with his toys. I suspect the visit from corporate was a part reigning him back in and part telling him where to collect his prize."

Sam look positively ill, and Shane didn't look much better. Harvey was staring at her like a family heirloom mirror hanging precariously over a cliff. He stood up knocking his chair over with a loud clatter and wrapped his arms around her. She felt the wind knocked out of her as he pulled her to standing but wrapped her arms around him in return. She could feel the dampness from his tears on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry you've suffered so badly. You never deserved any of that, never had any choice in who your family was. You do have choices now, you have friends now. I know there's still a lot your keeping bottled up but I promise I'll help you however I can. Please come to me if you feel like that again, I don't want to lose you."

He loosened his grip but didn't quite let go. She looked up into his eyes and felt a strange sort of fluttering settle in her stomach. She could get lost in those forest green eyes which seemed so warm and inviting. His arms wrapped around her felt like warm blanket against a cold night. She broke the hug, and turned away from that all too alluring gaze. It wasn't something she felt she deserved and if she let him get too close she would break.

Sam shifted uncomfortably at the display, toying with the untouched mug in front of him, the liquid swirling in the cup. Shane seemed lost in thought as he stared of into space like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. He closed his eyes as if to block out any distraction before opening them again, pinning Yin with a hard stare.

"Did they tell you what the artifact was? More importantly, do you plan on taking them up on their offer?"

Yin sighed, buying herself some time from answering by munching on a cracker from the tray. She hadn't seriously considered taking the offer but it was tempting. It would be an easy answer to all her problems but she knew from experience that the easy choice was rarely the good one. She swallowed the cracker and met Shane's gaze.

"They did mention what the artifact was, but I'm not going to go into detail. If they suspect you know anything about it they may take steps to silence you. The less you know the less interest they'll have in you. As to your second question, I honestly don't know. On one hand, I wouldn't have to live in fear of losing everything I've earned. Wouldn't have to fear my father's shadow looming over every move I make. I could leave all of that behind and truly start fresh. On the other hand, I know I can't trust Morris as far as I could throw him. I wouldn't put it passed him to claim he just stole the artifact from me in an attempt to curry more favor.

I also have to wonder what their extreme interest in the artifact is. The offer they put on the table is exceedingly generous and suggests there's much more to this item than meets the eye. I also don't know if the interest in the artifact is unanimous amongst the thirteen or a pet project of just a small portion of it. If the latter is true then I could be walking right into a much greater power struggle amongst the thirteen and that's the last place I want to be.

In the end there's not enough information to make a wise choice. I have until spring to acquire the item, so I have some time, but not nearly as much as I'd need to fully investigate it on my own. Regardless of my ultimate decision, my first goal has to be to earn enough to pay off that debt. It's the only thing I'm focused on since it's the largest thing their holding over my head. If I can pay it off before the deadline then they won't be able to use it as a bargaining chip."

Shane nodded, "You make some fair points. I think it's safe to say that you won't have to dig for info by yourself. Sam, can you get Sebastion fully on board without bringing up Yin's attack? I suspect he'd be quite useful in combing the network for some of the information we need. I think part of the mystery might be figuring out where those weapons are going to. I'll talk to some of my old contacts in Zuzu. It's a long shot since I've been out of touch since... since my brother's death."

Yin could hear the slight break in his voice. She knew it was a sore spot for him but she never pressed him about it. She only knew because she'd heard Marnie mention it in passing. She put a hand on his shoulder in a show of comfort. He startled slightly but made no move to back away from her touch.

"If it's too soon, don't push yourself farther than you can handle. You can still be useful without exceeding your limits and reopening old wounds from Zuzu. Keep an eye on Morris like you have been, try lifting another manifest if you can avoid detection. You also might be able to get useful information out of the temp workers if you keep an open mind. You don't have to be a rising social butterfly but a little bit of networking could net you quite a bit of useful information."

Shane nodded grimly, he knew his brother's contacts were a shot in the dark. Yin's suggestion seemed more promising and allowed him to avoid the sensitive topic all together. It would be easier, but his gut instinct told him Zuzu had more answers. He'd learned to trust that feeling the hard way over the years. He'd ignored that instinct once and now his brother and sister-in-law were six feet under. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

Sam piped in, sensing the tension in the room. He had nodded to Shane's question but was otherwise lost in silent contemplation until now.

"I want to know why they have such an interest in the valley. Harvey, you have pretty good standing in town. Maybe you can keep and ear out for any back story on Joja mart. George will probably be more than willing to spill every dirty detail he knows if you catch him in the right mood. I know you don't have much spare time running a medical practice, but if you can get to the library look up Joja in the news archives. Ideally, we need to construct a timeline of their activities from when they first came here to present. I'll also put that as a point of browsing for Sebastion or myself to look up but Pelican town doesn't have the funding to digitize their records so I'd be lost trying to find anything in there." Sam rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.

It wasn't a secret that Gunther wasn't a fan of Sam. Gunther had been nearly apocalyptic after a prank went too far and had damaged three shelves of books. Their were still dried drops of paint on some of them if you looked for it.

Yin smiled as she watched Harvey's posture straighten. He nodded tightly, his body language broadcasting a powerful sense of determination. "Well I think we all have a good starting point. I want to thank you so much for all you're doing for me. It means a lot to have the support. But please don't take any unnecessary risk. It would break me if any of this got you guys hurt." Yin frowned, worry crossing her face.

"We're grown men, we can handle ourselves. Don't you worry little lady." Shane said in an exaggerated cowboy accent, smirking at the end and tipping an imaginary hat. Yin didn't dignify him with a response and just pushed him off his chair playfully. Shane knew how much she hated the damsel in distress shtick in media and was purposely pushing her buttons, ass hat.

The serious atmosphere broken, they played a game of poker, as suggested by mister cowboy. They used the rest of the food as chips and Yin smiled in victory at the end of the game as she bit into a pastry from her massive pot. It was a fun evening and one she'd remember for a long time to come.

Sunday 14th of Fall

Shane resisted the urge to cough as he exited the train and stepped into the crowded terminal. Heading up the stairs to street level, he turned north, heading to Sallenger's bar & Grille. He had made contact with his brother's friend and former business partner Allen Grenton and agreed to meet up for lunch.

Shane could hear the shouting and booing as he entered the riotous pub. The large screen tv in the bar was blaring a Tunnelers game. He found his way out of the rowdy bar section and toward the more civilized grill crowd. The energy here was still too upbeat and energetic, with a heavy techno-beat making the floor rumble and the walls pulse. It wasn't unbearably loud but he could tell someone had cranked up the base to maximum capacity.

He found a booth as far from the speakers as he could manage while still being in sight of the entrance. He ordered himself a sparkling water, needing to be sober for his talk with Allen and hating every goddamn minute of it. He promised himself a proper blitzing after he got done here.

"Don't bother with the craft beer here, it's just generic piss water with spices thrown in it from what I've heard." Shane looked up from his menu as Allen leaned against the wall. "A pity that, I was looking forward to having something with a little more bite than my usual standards. Even better if it's on your tab." Allen frowned as he sat down, glowering a bit as he looked over his menu. "I'm paying for lunch but don't go overboard on me. Revenmore industries isn't what it used to be."

Shane sighed, hearing the unspoken since your brother died. "I've read in the paper their getting a pretty generous offer from Joja's military research branch."

"Oh it looks quite generous on paper but you know Joja doesn't make those kinds of offers with charity in mind." Allen's frown deepend, causing the lines on his face to become more pronounced.

The waitress arrived to take their orders and fetch drinks. Shane had been tempted to order one of the cheaper craft beers just to get something alcoholic in his system but resisted ordering a lemon spritzer. Allen had no such qualms and ordered a whisky sour straight-up. Shane eyebrows rose up nearly to his hairline. Allen had been as much of a nerd as his brother, never one for the strong stuff when Jim was alive.

Shane took a really good look at the man and began noticing the changes from the man he used to know. His hair was starting to grey at the temples, his clean-shaven face highlighted the frown lines marring his one smooth jaw, but it was the eyes that changed the most. His once warm cheerful chocolate eyes were muddy and dim. They had a hard, wary gleam in them that Shane usually only saw in the mirror.

"It seems they've been making a lot of generous offers lately. Borris and Yaxon caved in to them just a few weeks ago. I also have a friend who had the misfortune of receiving one of their generous offers."

Their orders arrived and Shane dug into his jalapeno cheddar nachos as Allen focused on his salmon side with lemon and chive. They ate in silence and Shane took notice of the four men in suits that took the booth behind Allen. Shane had a feeling they weren't here for the craft beer and Tunnelers broadcast. He caught Allen gaze and then returned his focus to the group behind him nodding ever so slightly as to not draw attention to them.

Allen took the hint and used the reflection off his fork to get a look at them without turning around. They finished the rest of their meal in silence before leaving a tip and walking up to the register to settle their bill. Shane borrowed Allen's reflection idea, using the edge of the polished metal counter next to the til to spy on their company. They were eyeing them with interest and Shane had to fight the maddening urge to stare right back at them.

Allen finished paying the bill and they silently walked out through the bar entrance. "Do you remember what he told you after he got married? We might get more privacy there. Try to lose your tail and meet me at 6." Shane nodded, not daring to speak, that feeling he had before Jim died had intensified. He grabbed Allen's shoulder before he could turn. "Don't follow the crooked arms." Allen looked shocked for a moment, before a smirk lit up his face and he nodded. Spotting their new friends, Allen took off at a light jog heading further north. Shane took a more sedate pace to the west glancing back to see two of the four suits following him.

Shane didn't speed up his pace as he casually whistled the Tunnelers fight ditty. After the walking for five blocks he turned into his favorite strip club, The Lace and Pearl. A thick scent of cigar smoke, cheap liquor, and sex wafted over him and he lost the battle with his lungs and coughed violently for a moment before he adjusted to the toxic air. The same techno beat that had been at reasonable levels at the grill was blaring out of the huge tower speakers next to the stage. A fog machine at the back billowed with mist as the dancer on stage swayed her hips, strings of beads swaying off her bikini top as her breast jiggled in the too thin material.

Shane took the front row and removed his hoodie as he watched as the suits entered the bar. The brunette guy looked uncomfortable but the blond one took no notice and scanned the crowd. Not spotting him without the hoodie, they searched the men's room briefly before whispering into their sleeves and walking out of the club, the harsh afternoon light making the beads on the dancers top shimmer like star lights. Shane stayed for two more hours and enjoyed the show. He left with a pleasant buzz and 3000g poorer, eyeing the evening pedestrians before turning a corner and heading north.

He was shivering slightly as he approached his destination. He'd ditched his hoodie at the strip bar and was sorely regretting it as the early evening chill settled into his exposed skin but it was the price of losing his tail. An abandoned church loomed over him as he navigated his way through a dilapidated and overgrown grave yard. The stones were too faded to discern from the constant pounding of the elements and decades of neglect. If he was the superstitious sort then he would be a little intimidated by such a place, but he felt no fear as he deftly navigated the tangled twisted roots and shrubs. The canopy of leaves above him glowed like a dying fire in the last rays of the setting sun, the branches dancing lazily in the chilled breeze.

He made it to the far side of the dilapidated church and crawled in through a broken window. Broken shards of stained glass littered the ground as he navigated the rotting moss-covered pews toward the pulpit in front and the rusted metal door behind. He noticed the lack of cobwebs and dusty footprints in front of the door and figured Allen must already be in the basement.

Shane descended the wobbly staircase and followed the faint glow of candlelight coming from beyond the wall divide. Allen was sitting on a slightly rusted folding chair with another set up across from him. Shane took a seat and Allen pinned him with a stare before sighing and putting his head in his hands. "Why are you really here Shane? I knew Joja had spies following me but they usually only have two on my tail. Just what have you been digging into to get their interest?"

"A friend of mine was extended a generous offer of her own from Joja, but it didn't seem like their usual acquisition and land grabs. In fact, part of the deal included being able to keep the property with some other concessions in return for some sort of artifact. She wouldn't tell me what it is, but she's no inventor or scientist so I don't know what she could have that would have captured their interest. It just doesn't fit."

Allen got up and paced, kicking up a cloud of dust from the floor as he walked. Shane resisted the urge to sneeze and swatted the dust in the air away from his face. "While the majority of the companies focus has always been tech and acquisition, there have been rumors that they have been taking more of an interest in the occult. It seems unusual to us but it's not unprecedented. Thirty-five years ago they were big investors in the church of Yoba and were rumored to have the ear of the High Priest himself. When Amadeus Solheim died and his son took the first seat of the thirteen, their interest shifted. I suspect that a splinter cell emerged at that time and have been quietly continuing the research Amadeus had been obsessing over."

"Holy fucking hell, Allen, how many pots do they have their fingers in anyway? I can see the tech aspect but occult too? Why would they be concerned with such superstitious nonsense.", Shane sneered. He had always been doubtful of the church and all it's mystic bullshit. His brother's death had cemented his position as an atheist. Part of the reason he was less than popular in Pelican town was because of his lack of faith.

He wasn't as hostile toward the faithful as some atheist he knew but he didn't react well to recruitment attempts. After he moved into Marnie's, he got into it rather bad with Caroline after she tried to pressure him to go to Sunday services. He tried to be nice in his refusal but she just wouldn't fucking quit until one bad night at the saloon when he'd had enough and lashed out at her. The whole town gave him wide berth after that. Pierre glared at him on the rare occasion he entered the man's shop.

"As many as they think might give them power, probably." Allen answered, a bitter pitch in his voice as he sat back down on the metal chair. "Look I don't know whether they believe or not but that's beside the point. If their dumping resources into it, nothing good will follow. As much as you detest faith and mysticism, it does draw in quite a following. Money can motivate people to a certain extent, but religiously devoted followers are much more malleable and cheaper if properly motivated. If they had enough of those kinds in their ranks they could easily manage a coup d'etat against the Queen herself."

"If that's their aim, why isn't the Queen and her court intervening? She has to be aware of their motives or at least suspicious of the power their gathering if rank and file schmucks like us could guess at it."

"I find that worrying as much as you do, Shane. I don't think she's completely oblivious but it's very probable that she's limited in what she can do because of the resources she's committed to the Gotoro war. The thirteen might be staying their hand for the same reason. With our forces stretched as they are, they don't want to risk giving the Gotoro a weak point to exploit. I suspect after the war is when they'll make their move."

Shane got up and did his own pacing. All of this was worrying but it wasn't getting him closer to any of the answers he was looking for. He pondered Allen's words when it came to devoted followers, it was a motive but it felt incomplete. He looked at the dilapidated alter in front of their chairs, studying the surprisingly unblemished wood of the Yoba symbol.

He felt a small tug in his chest, like a thin thread of string trying to tug his heart out and he lurched forward. His hand grabbed the base of the wooden symbol and violent coughing fit racked his body. Allen stood up, alarm sweeping his features but Shane waved him back. The fit had stopped and in his uncoordinated spasms he'd noticed a small hole open up in the center of the wooden cross.

He reached inside and felt the edges of a sharp object within. He carefully pulled the item out and was awestruck at the strange pink crystal glowing softly against the low light of the room. He had not been careful enough, and blood slowly welled from his sliced thumb. A single drop beading down the crystal and nestling into the juncture of the three points. A bright flash emitted from the crystal blinding both of them for a moment before fading.

"What the hell was that!" Allen shouted, slowly stepping back from Shane. The crystal turned black and dissolved but his hand was swirling with a strange pink and grey aura for a brief moment before fading from view. The cut on his thumb closed and the skin looked completely unmarred as if the injury had never happened.

Shane felt his legs going weak from his shock and he sat down on the metal chair before they could give out on him. His heart was thumping in his chest and a peculiar tingling sensation was running through his nervous system. He focus on his breathing as the tingling faded and the world stopped tipping precariously.

"I don't know what happened there but that could be what Joja is after. I may not believe in the occult and neither did Jim, but he sometimes speculated that our current technology was nothing compared to some ancient cultures. His college anthropology teacher gave him flack for it but he was firm in his hypothesis. I believed him even though I couldn't understand half of what he was going on about."

Allen paced in agitation before his eyes widened. "Project Starshard Ascension, why didn't I see it! I'll spare you the details but essentially it was a form of energy he'd discovered in the ruins of Graymoor that could alter DNA and make those under it's effect better. It makes a human faster, stronger, smarter, and more agile over the course of a few months. It also slows the rate of oxidation stress on the body. He theorized with enough tinkering it could become a powerful miracle serum that would kick off the next level of human evolution. The crystal we found of it didn't have much energy left and he failed to collect a good sample before the fall rains made the structure collapse. He swore he would find a way to replicate it. He failed countless times, but he couldn't let it go.

Eventually the shareholders cut him loose from the company claiming he'd gone mad. I looked over the research, what little he left behind and I don't think he was. The trouble was, Joja was aware of his research too. I think they engineered his dismissal from the company he started so they could get him on board with them. Trouble with that, he wasn't willing to play ball after they had swindled your parents out of their retirement property. They'd shot themselves in the foot on getting any thing from him."

Shane could feel the memories of that horrible night running though his mind like a mobius strip. Their crumpled bodies bleeding into the crushed dashboard, Jas's inconsolable wailing and his own choked sob and bleeding gashes. Jas had been bruised but her child seat had protected her well. A detail from his memory stood out from his mind this time that he didn't notice before. He had been holding Jas as she cried and he had glanced up briefly taking note of a Joja mart delivery truck parked down the street. He could have sworn he'd seen that same exact truck earlier too. He'd found it an odd coincidence then but with everything he knew now he suspected they were not there by chance at all.

"Son of a bitch, Allen! The drunk driver was no accident, when the police found the driver of that car staggering a few blocks away trying to run from the scene he was just bruised up. He confessed and I never thought anymore about it. A head-on collision like that should have killed him too, or at least did more damage. There was also a Joja mart delivery truck with a wonky head light down the street just watching us after the crash. I remembered it because it looked like one I saw drive by the ice cream shop an hour before. Those monsters had him killed!"

Shane felt that same shock and growing horror he felt that night on the pavement. He supposed it had never really gone away, but now a new emotion was entwining and over-taking it: rage. He punched his fist into the wall trying to use the pain to temper the boiling in his blood. He forced himself to breath and resist the urge to find their tails from earlier and kill them. He calmed the raging fire boiling in his blood. He was calm now but the rage was not gone. A cold fire seemed to solidify inside him. He would have his revenge against Joja Corporation but he would need time to think about everything he'd learned.

"Allen, you've given me a lot to think about. If Joja's already having you followed regularly then it's not out of the question they have a target on you as well."

"I'm more than aware of it, your warning about the broken arms was spot on. They had snipers on both sides of the intersection but they didn't cover the middle. How did you know?" Allen eyed him curiously. Shane didn't know how he could explain it without sounding totally crazy but after all the shit that had already happened to him today, perhaps he was crazy. "I get these weird flashes at times, sometimes it's just a bad feeling, other times it's a picture or scene of something. Sometime's it's familiar but it doesn't feel like just a random thought or memory. I've learned the hard way that no matter what I see or sense, it's never good but ignoring it is even worse."

He and Allen left the church and parted ways. Shane waited until Allen had dissipated into the darkness before beginning his own trek to the bus depot. He had originally planned on taking the train back since he had a round fair ticket but it was 11 pm and the last train left an hour ago. He also didn't want to chance being followed again. Shivering in the cold autumn air, he made his way to the bus terminus. He paid for his ticket and realized he was going to be broke for the week. He slept in short bursts on the bumpy ride back to Pelican town.