Shadow Rain
By: d_dog
I own Laura. That's bout it.
"You know, Major, I am beginning to think you are enjoying this." Sandoval's tone was sarcastic
as the two companion protectors sat outside a gray, windowless building in the afternoon sun. Liam
drummed his fingers on the bench rhythmically as he waited. Zo'or had ordered the two to purchase some
new holographic technology from one of Sandoval's connections. He sighed, and stared into space, bored
out of his mind. "It's better than doing security checks," Liam answered. "Not by much," Sandoval snorted.
It had been an overly boring week. Doors International was having some security troubles, and
Renee was acting slightly agitated. Zo'or was enacting a new plan to make human life more miserable or
something, and Liam had a pretty bad headache, with no one to comfort him but Sandoval. So far, life
sucked. Liam groaned.
The conversation was cut short as an argument could be heard through the door ahead. The small,
industrial section of Buffalo, NY was filled with independent hackers, brokers, and god knows what else.
The echoes of the yelling bounced off the tile walls as harsh words were spoken in the next room over.
"You know, kid, I didn't hire you to sit on your ass all day and bitch." A gruff, somewhat nasty
voice was cut short by a low, woman's – "No, you hired me to hack your competitors database. If you
have a problem with the way I work, go find someone else who will work for a s cheap as me for the
quality of work I do," Was the reply as the other man swore in anger.
Liam and Sandoval looked at each other. This was entertaining.
"You know what, kid, get the hell out of here. No one, NO one talks to the boss like that!" A loud
crash interrupted the dialogue, several loud crashes. This was all good and fun, until several bullets pierced
the wall across from the two protectors. Sandoval shot up, Liam close behind. However, they didn't have a
chance to get through the door before a body was thrown past them, smashing into the wall parallel to the
doorway.
"Man, don't piss me off."
Out of the doorway, an older adolescent girl glared at the pile of man in the corner. She turned
quickly, and headed back inside the building. The man cursed, and fell unconscious due to the large welt on
his forehead.
More commotion erupted from inside as several loud shots resounded through the doorway. Liam,
gun in hand, entered cautiously.
"AHHG!" Cried a man's voice. Liam stared in shock as the girl was holding a 6ft tall man by the
neck up against a wall. Sandoval, close behind, stared in disbelief as well.
"Lemme go!!" She dropped the man only when several shots were fired in her direction. A bullet
grazed her shoulder and a large, red spot appeared on her back.
"That was not cool," she said, ignoring the blood dripping down her side. Then.. Liam's eyes must
have closed or something, because she had moved across the room in unreal time, and had grabbed a small
backpack from a cluttered desk nearby.
Unfortunately, several men with large weapons burst through the door adjacent to that desk, each
aiming for the girl. Liam and Sandoval ducked out of the line of fire, diving outside the building. Liam felt
something hot touch his arm. It felt like fire. The next thing he knew, Sandoval was on top of him, looking
at his arm in horror.
"Areeaag!!" Liam cried out in pain as he gripped his left shoulder. He clenched his teeth together
as Sandoval half dragged him behind the bench. There was a small, but bloody wound on his triceps. The
world seemed to spin as Liam allowed felt his eyelids shut. Sandoval yelled something about getting help,
leaving Liam alone. It felt hot, yet cold to him, as he moaned in pain, unable to move.
Something soft touched his side, something cool and soothing. It took most of his strength, but
Liam opened his eyes to see the girl looking down at him. She looked sad and upset, her Grey eyes
reflecting the light from the sun. She shook her head.
"I'm sorry…" She spoke, her voice soft. She took her own bloodied hand and placed it on Liam's
wound. His eyes rolled back in his head from the waves of pain that overtook him. Then.. he felt a soothing
calmness, and suddenly, the world went dark.
* * *
Laura collapsed in her bunk in pain. The bullet had grazed her abdomen, cutting her insides. He
winced, but really wasn't worried. She would heal. However, that scumbag employer of hers hopefully
wouldn't be so lucky.
The small bed seemed so very soft and inviting… but first she had to take care of the given
situation, and make sure that the man whom had been hurt because of her foolishness was all right.
Dragging herself out of the bed, she moved to a small desk with a laptop. Pecking away, she could
only stare in horror at the man whom she's gotten shot… a companion protector. This was a veryveryvery
bad thing. They would try to find her… hunt her down.
She felt so stupid. She never should have let her emotions get the best of her. Now, she may have
to go to the hassle of creating a new identity again. Not to mention the guilt of harming another human.
Laura's eyes narrowed. Yet, why should she give a damn about anyone else? Look what humanity did to
her…
"Major… Major, wake up…"
The world was overly bright and cruel, and Liam wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.
"Well, let's just let the major have his rest, Agent Sandoval. I will trust you will be able to recall
the situation by yourself." Zo'or was not pleased that his new hardware was not in his hands.
"I'll do a full DNA sweep for the child responsible, Zo'or." Gazing inside the medlab, Zo'or only
sneered at Sandoval. Then, he simply walked away. Sandoval cursed.
Heading back to the bridge, he used his global to start searching the DNA residue that had been on
the Major's arm.
Renee visited Liam a few hours later, and was surprised to find him awake and staring off into
space when she entered his room. His hair was sticking up in about four hundred directions, and he was
adorned in a paper-thin hospital gown.
"Liam! How are you feeling?" She smiled at him, eyeing the bandage that lined his left arm.
He smiled. "Hey, Renee. I'm alright."
"Good, you had me worried! I heard about what happened…" He nodded. "I was hoping you
would be able to tell me more about the owner of that hardware shop. He's been selling stolen hardware
from Doors for several months now, you know." Liam shook his head.
"All I know is what Sandoval told me about him… this was really a pick up for Zo'or, not Da'an.
I just went along because Sandoval wanted me to, for some odd reason." He shrugged, then winced. "All I
remember of the guy was that his face was splatted against a wall." Renee made a disgusted look.
The hospital bed Liam was lying in felt suddenly very uncomfortable, and he swung his legs over
the side. He stood up, his bare feet padding on the tile floor. "I want out, Renee. Any more of this food, and
I'll have permanent damage."
A few hours later, Liam was onboard the bridge of the mothership. Walking up behind Sandoval,
he found himself staring into the face of the girl from Buffalo on his computer screen.
"Well, that's her alright," Sandoval nearly jumped four feet in the air.
"Major!!" Sandoval glared at the man behind him. Liam shrugged apologetically, and winced
again. He had to stop doing that.
"So, uh, that's the girl."
"Yes, major, 'That's the girl'," Sandoval snapped. "Unfortunately, the FBI database will not be all
that helpful in finding her."
"Why?"
"Because according to the United States government, she died in 1999."
"Oh," Liam nodded. "That could be a problem."
"Yes. And all of my other sources indicate she died in 1999, which is obviously not true."
They were interrupted by Liam's global going off. "Hey Liam, this is Auger, can you come down
for a second?" Liam nodded.
At headquarters, Liam dumped his jacket onto a chair, and saw Renee, Auger and Street crowded
around a computer. Low 'woah's and murmurs was all that broke the dead silence.
"What I miss?"
"Liam, does this look familiar?" Auger pointed to a strange symbol or marking, resembling a slash
mark made by wild animal or something.
"No, not really," He murmured. The marking was blood red on the computer monitor and
obviously made in some sort of paint program, it was a graphic design. "I've never seen that before."
"I think you have, you just don't remember," Renee looked at Auger, and he switched the image to
a photograph.
"That's the inside of that warehouse," Liam confirmed. Then he peered closer when he saw what
Renee was pointing to. Auger zoomed in on the image, and on the far wall of the metal door, the same
marking was evident, stained in something red…
"It's the dealer's blood." Liam stared at Renee.
"Do you know who this guy is?"
"Hey pal, she was nice enough to take a close look at you."
"What?"
Auger pecked at the keypad, and a new image popped up, the face of the girl he'd seen.
"Who is she, Auger?" Renee asked.
"You are looking at a dead girl, or so it seems. Records show she's not alive, killed in a car
accident in late 1999," Auger stated. It read: Laura Denoven, Age:15 Height: 5'3 Weight: 110.
"That's what Sandoval said he found to. But she is obviously alive… I think she's a hacker or
something. Auger, do you know her?" He shook his bald head.
"But I have seen that symbol around before… A couple months ago, I tried to gain access to a
network of cargo exchanges in Japan, but whoever she is, I was blocked thanks to some quick coding and
that symbol popped up right before I was shut out… honestly, a damn fine job." The hacker sounded
genuinely impressed. Liam stared into the soft eyes of a young girl… they were not the same as the
piercing green irises of the one he had seen yesterday.
"Buuuut…" Auger smiled. "I know where we can see her next appearance… I found that symbol
on a pharmacy site that is doing some system maintenance. The 'official' schedule says that 'hired
assistant' will be coming tomorrow to the site to do some maintenance work." He smiled, proud of himself.
" I betcha she'll be there."
"Good work, Auger!" Renee smiled and patted him on the back. The trio had no idea what was in
store for them.
* * *
Laura slid out of her apartment into the brisk morning. She had wrapped the wound from the
previous Monday, even though it was healing nicely. Draped in a large pair of faded polo jeans, and her
sleeveless red parka, she grabbed her bike and sped off to a more populated section of Washington D.C.
The streets of the nation's capital were full of the homeless and hungry. Gangs of street boys once
harassed her until she hit one of them with a rock she threw at full force. The kid's skull was broken. Kind
of ironic from her point of view. Now, most problem children left her alone.
Braking in the densely populated section know as "The shade" to the many drug gangs, she pulled
over and locked up her bike, arming the electric shocking device she picked up in New York last week. She
loved the thing, it was fun coming out and seeing people stare wide-eyed at her innocent little mountain
bike.
She strode into the dark corridors of Henderson Pharmaceuticals.
"Remind me why we're here…" Liam groaned as an excited Auger and Renee watched the
mysterious girl enter the dark building. Auger wanted to gloat to the girl when they met up with her, and
Renee was interested in her knowledge of stolen Doors hardware. Liam just wanted to go home. His arm
hurt. It was way to early for this.
"Shhh!" they both scolded as they trotted confidently to the building.
But the troop of resistance were also being followed by a group of overly large, scary men. Also
known as thugs. Dressed in the typical black, adorned in side arms, A man with a broken nose led them
behind as they readied their weapons. The pigeons cooed softly in the morning sunlight.
God, my head hurts. Laura sat rigidly in the conference room as large, bald men barked at her
what they wanted from her new security package. Her side was still throbbing. A normal human being
would probably have died from the wound, which meant Laura should probably be at home resting. But she
reminded herself she was not a normal person, and she had work to do.
The conference was cut short as gunfire exploded from the hallway. Men cursed and Laura felt her
muscles tense and flex. Her ears sensed many voices, some familiar… she smelled the disgusting stench of
that ugly man she'd pummeled the other day. The one that caused her a bullet wound. Her eyes narrowed
into slits.
She stepped into the hallway, muscles shifting and burning. Her side felt like it was on fire.
Several people had spotted her and began to fire in her direction. Laura cursed, and ducked back inside the
room. I'm pissed. Let's do this right. She thought and her body began to shift.
Liam squinted as he fired at the attacking men. One second, there was lively chit-chatter between
Auger and Renee, then BOOM! The whole goddamn world exploded. Renee was up front somewhere, who
knew where Auger was and- Thump.
Auger cried out to warn Liam, but it was too late, a man had already smashed his head with the
butt of a gun and the two of them went sprawling into a nearby room. Renee saw the incident, and went
after the disoriented companion protector. She reached the door with a thud, avoiding the constant gunfire.
As it swung shut, it made a clicking noise, and then locked. She let out a frustrated cry. Fate was not being
fair to her, for the door was sealed shut.
Liam groaned as he lay sprawled out on what seemed to be a conference table. His gun had gone
flying across the room and was out of his view. Sweating and enraged, the man he'd watched get smashed
into a brick wall hauled him to his feet and started screaming. Three others were behind him.
"WHERE is the GIRL!?" Liam could only shake his head, he had no idea-
He felt the sting of a blow to his face, and he kissed the floor. Papers went flying in the dimmed
room, and the world seemed to be spinning along with them. It occurred to him, out of the blue, that this
had been a really bad day. He managed to turn around to the sounds of a muffled Renee yelling his name.
His battered mind managed to comprehend the form of the man coming at him, but his body wasn't doing
what he wanted it too-
A low groaning sound filled the room. The dark walls of the conference area seemed to suddenly
loom over the approaching man, and he paused to look up. The groan grew to a growl, and the thug saw a
shadow fly across the table.
Renee watched through the small window as someone, no, something came at the thug mauling
Liam. Shrieks and cries of horror emerged from behind the locked door, and she beat her hands on the
door.
"Liam!! Liam, get out of there!" Auger was then at her side, panting. No more shots were fired,
only the horrid noises of bones cracking broke the silence.
Liam watched the blurry world sway as he stood, or tried to stand. He shook his head and saw red
splattered across the table. A man was screaming in the corner, and firing a handgun at what looked like a
large black dog. A very large black dog… Liam slid back against the wall, and saw his gun lying in the
corner. It was an unthinkable effort, but he grabbed the weapon and looked back across the room to see
something… bloody and gruesome.
The man's neck had been ripped open, and his still working arteries were squirting blood
everywhere. On the table, stood a large, black leopard, or panther or something. It's eyes were a pale green
and it's mouth hung open. He saw blood running along it's side, collecting on the table and then dripping
off. It all seemed to surreal to Liam… and he thought maybe, somehow he was dreaming. His head felt
disconnected, like it was not his own. He looked up again, but the thing was gone.
He started as something touched him.
"Renee," he murmured, expecting his friend. Instead, the girl knelt beside him. She too was
covered in blood. Here eyes were the same cold, cloudy gray. "No.. l.-look out, there is something here,"
He tried to whisper, to warn the young woman so she might be able to get away.
Instead, she leaned in closer. She looked at her torso and winced, appearing to make a decision.
Renee and Auger were burning through the door, trying to get to their friend. Men lay bleeding
everywhere. This could not be real.
The girl touched Liam's forehead, and the world cleared. Everything became sharp and detailed.
He could even make out the whisper-
"I'm so sorry…" Then, a flood of cool energy seemed to flow through her hand, and all the pain
went away. She herself groaned in pain, and fell back. Liam could see now that her side had been either
injured or re-injured, for it was bleeding very badly. Liam looked at the girl in horror as her eyes closed.
"Liam!" Auger cried as he and Renee burst through the door.
"I'm ok, it's ok, but help her!!" He cried, feeling helpless. The two looked to the floor and saw
what Liam was pointing at. They winced, but Liam was on his knees lifting her head.
"She saved me…" He said. His eyes were wide. Auger ran out of the room. Renee looked over her
friend- the previous arm and head wounds were gone.
Auger cried out from outside, motioning for the others to come. Liam lifted the girl and raced
outside. Her breath was shallow, and she looked deathly pale. His only concern was for her… for in that
moment, when he was healed, he realized somehow she had given on herself to save him.
Renee opened a portal to the resistance headquarters, and the three jumped inside.
* * *
Many hours later.
They had laid her on a medtable, Liam holding her hand as Renee Pulled a heating blanket over her body.
She was unconscious, and somehow hypothermic.
Dr. James, a friend of Renee's, worked over the girl with a passion, closing the wounds and
attempting to heal her battered body.
"My god, it's amazing she's alive." The doctor murmured as she began scanning the girl's body.
"Her temp is 90Degrees, and her pulse is racing… oh my god, Renee…"
"What?"
"Her… bioscans show that her… her DNA is.. fluctuating?" She looked puzzled.
"How can that be?"
"I don't know, but her temp is rising. I'm going to give here something to slow her pulse.
"She's strong... lots of muscle mass." He looked at her form. "God.. what happened in there?"
"Alright. She's out of danger now… Oh, god, James! I forgot to pick up Zack from the airport!
Liam, I have to leave… Watch over her and I'll be back soon." She rushed out the door, leaving Liam with
his mouth half-open.
"Why don't you take her to one of those beds back there?" Auger suggested. Liam nodded. She
had made an entirely unnatural recovery… it was simply wrong that her body could have recovered so fast.
He lifted her still shivering form over to one of the beds in the back rooms of the headquarters. He lay her
down gently, and made sure she was all right as he found use of Auger's shower stall he insisted he put in.
He felt the warm water pelt and wash over his body, the spray massaging his chest and arms. The
warmth and comfort seemed to wash away the horrid memories of pharmaceutical building and what had
been inside. His eyes closed, forcing the memories away, and yawned. He shut off the water, the steam
keeping him warm as he dried himself and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and t-shit. Refreshed and
comfortable, He made his way back into the dark room where his mystery guest lay. The feeling of steam
had lulled Liam, and he felt his eyes close. He glanced at the clock nearby; my god, it was almost eleven at
night. Wandering into the main room, he found Auger pecking away at his computer yet again. Auger
turned to see Liam and his eyes widened.
"Man, you look awful! Why don't you go get some sleep?" Liam only groaned, and then realized
that a warm bed might be a nice thing. As he walked back, he grabbed a few extra blankets in the locker
outside the room, and decided to lie next to her. Exhaustion was wearing down his body, and that was the
only bed around. At least he could keep an eye on her, and he would be there if she woke up.
He felt the sheets on his body, the cool of a pillow, and the steady breathing of the girl. Despite
being underground, he heard the soft thudding of rain above. It was a constant, soothing sound.
He felt the warmth of the girl beside him, and was terrified that she was waking up when she
groaned and shifted position. She winced in her sleep as she managed to role over, right into his chest. Her
head was right under his chin, so he studied her face in the darkness. Here eyebrows were knitted in pain,
even in unconsciousness. Her soft brown hair was sticking up in a thousand directions. It was shorter than
his was. The cuts of the morning were silent reminders of the horrific disaster that had brought her here.
She moaned again, and curled up against his body. Liam felt a soothing… almost energy or aura come from
her body, which was pressed against his own. Or perhaps that was only his imagination.
Regardless, the soft sounds of rain and the rhythmic breathing of the girl had a lulling affect of the
exhausted companion protector. Soon, Liam was sound asleep.
By: d_dog
I own Laura. That's bout it.
"You know, Major, I am beginning to think you are enjoying this." Sandoval's tone was sarcastic
as the two companion protectors sat outside a gray, windowless building in the afternoon sun. Liam
drummed his fingers on the bench rhythmically as he waited. Zo'or had ordered the two to purchase some
new holographic technology from one of Sandoval's connections. He sighed, and stared into space, bored
out of his mind. "It's better than doing security checks," Liam answered. "Not by much," Sandoval snorted.
It had been an overly boring week. Doors International was having some security troubles, and
Renee was acting slightly agitated. Zo'or was enacting a new plan to make human life more miserable or
something, and Liam had a pretty bad headache, with no one to comfort him but Sandoval. So far, life
sucked. Liam groaned.
The conversation was cut short as an argument could be heard through the door ahead. The small,
industrial section of Buffalo, NY was filled with independent hackers, brokers, and god knows what else.
The echoes of the yelling bounced off the tile walls as harsh words were spoken in the next room over.
"You know, kid, I didn't hire you to sit on your ass all day and bitch." A gruff, somewhat nasty
voice was cut short by a low, woman's – "No, you hired me to hack your competitors database. If you
have a problem with the way I work, go find someone else who will work for a s cheap as me for the
quality of work I do," Was the reply as the other man swore in anger.
Liam and Sandoval looked at each other. This was entertaining.
"You know what, kid, get the hell out of here. No one, NO one talks to the boss like that!" A loud
crash interrupted the dialogue, several loud crashes. This was all good and fun, until several bullets pierced
the wall across from the two protectors. Sandoval shot up, Liam close behind. However, they didn't have a
chance to get through the door before a body was thrown past them, smashing into the wall parallel to the
doorway.
"Man, don't piss me off."
Out of the doorway, an older adolescent girl glared at the pile of man in the corner. She turned
quickly, and headed back inside the building. The man cursed, and fell unconscious due to the large welt on
his forehead.
More commotion erupted from inside as several loud shots resounded through the doorway. Liam,
gun in hand, entered cautiously.
"AHHG!" Cried a man's voice. Liam stared in shock as the girl was holding a 6ft tall man by the
neck up against a wall. Sandoval, close behind, stared in disbelief as well.
"Lemme go!!" She dropped the man only when several shots were fired in her direction. A bullet
grazed her shoulder and a large, red spot appeared on her back.
"That was not cool," she said, ignoring the blood dripping down her side. Then.. Liam's eyes must
have closed or something, because she had moved across the room in unreal time, and had grabbed a small
backpack from a cluttered desk nearby.
Unfortunately, several men with large weapons burst through the door adjacent to that desk, each
aiming for the girl. Liam and Sandoval ducked out of the line of fire, diving outside the building. Liam felt
something hot touch his arm. It felt like fire. The next thing he knew, Sandoval was on top of him, looking
at his arm in horror.
"Areeaag!!" Liam cried out in pain as he gripped his left shoulder. He clenched his teeth together
as Sandoval half dragged him behind the bench. There was a small, but bloody wound on his triceps. The
world seemed to spin as Liam allowed felt his eyelids shut. Sandoval yelled something about getting help,
leaving Liam alone. It felt hot, yet cold to him, as he moaned in pain, unable to move.
Something soft touched his side, something cool and soothing. It took most of his strength, but
Liam opened his eyes to see the girl looking down at him. She looked sad and upset, her Grey eyes
reflecting the light from the sun. She shook her head.
"I'm sorry…" She spoke, her voice soft. She took her own bloodied hand and placed it on Liam's
wound. His eyes rolled back in his head from the waves of pain that overtook him. Then.. he felt a soothing
calmness, and suddenly, the world went dark.
* * *
Laura collapsed in her bunk in pain. The bullet had grazed her abdomen, cutting her insides. He
winced, but really wasn't worried. She would heal. However, that scumbag employer of hers hopefully
wouldn't be so lucky.
The small bed seemed so very soft and inviting… but first she had to take care of the given
situation, and make sure that the man whom had been hurt because of her foolishness was all right.
Dragging herself out of the bed, she moved to a small desk with a laptop. Pecking away, she could
only stare in horror at the man whom she's gotten shot… a companion protector. This was a veryveryvery
bad thing. They would try to find her… hunt her down.
She felt so stupid. She never should have let her emotions get the best of her. Now, she may have
to go to the hassle of creating a new identity again. Not to mention the guilt of harming another human.
Laura's eyes narrowed. Yet, why should she give a damn about anyone else? Look what humanity did to
her…
"Major… Major, wake up…"
The world was overly bright and cruel, and Liam wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.
"Well, let's just let the major have his rest, Agent Sandoval. I will trust you will be able to recall
the situation by yourself." Zo'or was not pleased that his new hardware was not in his hands.
"I'll do a full DNA sweep for the child responsible, Zo'or." Gazing inside the medlab, Zo'or only
sneered at Sandoval. Then, he simply walked away. Sandoval cursed.
Heading back to the bridge, he used his global to start searching the DNA residue that had been on
the Major's arm.
Renee visited Liam a few hours later, and was surprised to find him awake and staring off into
space when she entered his room. His hair was sticking up in about four hundred directions, and he was
adorned in a paper-thin hospital gown.
"Liam! How are you feeling?" She smiled at him, eyeing the bandage that lined his left arm.
He smiled. "Hey, Renee. I'm alright."
"Good, you had me worried! I heard about what happened…" He nodded. "I was hoping you
would be able to tell me more about the owner of that hardware shop. He's been selling stolen hardware
from Doors for several months now, you know." Liam shook his head.
"All I know is what Sandoval told me about him… this was really a pick up for Zo'or, not Da'an.
I just went along because Sandoval wanted me to, for some odd reason." He shrugged, then winced. "All I
remember of the guy was that his face was splatted against a wall." Renee made a disgusted look.
The hospital bed Liam was lying in felt suddenly very uncomfortable, and he swung his legs over
the side. He stood up, his bare feet padding on the tile floor. "I want out, Renee. Any more of this food, and
I'll have permanent damage."
A few hours later, Liam was onboard the bridge of the mothership. Walking up behind Sandoval,
he found himself staring into the face of the girl from Buffalo on his computer screen.
"Well, that's her alright," Sandoval nearly jumped four feet in the air.
"Major!!" Sandoval glared at the man behind him. Liam shrugged apologetically, and winced
again. He had to stop doing that.
"So, uh, that's the girl."
"Yes, major, 'That's the girl'," Sandoval snapped. "Unfortunately, the FBI database will not be all
that helpful in finding her."
"Why?"
"Because according to the United States government, she died in 1999."
"Oh," Liam nodded. "That could be a problem."
"Yes. And all of my other sources indicate she died in 1999, which is obviously not true."
They were interrupted by Liam's global going off. "Hey Liam, this is Auger, can you come down
for a second?" Liam nodded.
At headquarters, Liam dumped his jacket onto a chair, and saw Renee, Auger and Street crowded
around a computer. Low 'woah's and murmurs was all that broke the dead silence.
"What I miss?"
"Liam, does this look familiar?" Auger pointed to a strange symbol or marking, resembling a slash
mark made by wild animal or something.
"No, not really," He murmured. The marking was blood red on the computer monitor and
obviously made in some sort of paint program, it was a graphic design. "I've never seen that before."
"I think you have, you just don't remember," Renee looked at Auger, and he switched the image to
a photograph.
"That's the inside of that warehouse," Liam confirmed. Then he peered closer when he saw what
Renee was pointing to. Auger zoomed in on the image, and on the far wall of the metal door, the same
marking was evident, stained in something red…
"It's the dealer's blood." Liam stared at Renee.
"Do you know who this guy is?"
"Hey pal, she was nice enough to take a close look at you."
"What?"
Auger pecked at the keypad, and a new image popped up, the face of the girl he'd seen.
"Who is she, Auger?" Renee asked.
"You are looking at a dead girl, or so it seems. Records show she's not alive, killed in a car
accident in late 1999," Auger stated. It read: Laura Denoven, Age:15 Height: 5'3 Weight: 110.
"That's what Sandoval said he found to. But she is obviously alive… I think she's a hacker or
something. Auger, do you know her?" He shook his bald head.
"But I have seen that symbol around before… A couple months ago, I tried to gain access to a
network of cargo exchanges in Japan, but whoever she is, I was blocked thanks to some quick coding and
that symbol popped up right before I was shut out… honestly, a damn fine job." The hacker sounded
genuinely impressed. Liam stared into the soft eyes of a young girl… they were not the same as the
piercing green irises of the one he had seen yesterday.
"Buuuut…" Auger smiled. "I know where we can see her next appearance… I found that symbol
on a pharmacy site that is doing some system maintenance. The 'official' schedule says that 'hired
assistant' will be coming tomorrow to the site to do some maintenance work." He smiled, proud of himself.
" I betcha she'll be there."
"Good work, Auger!" Renee smiled and patted him on the back. The trio had no idea what was in
store for them.
* * *
Laura slid out of her apartment into the brisk morning. She had wrapped the wound from the
previous Monday, even though it was healing nicely. Draped in a large pair of faded polo jeans, and her
sleeveless red parka, she grabbed her bike and sped off to a more populated section of Washington D.C.
The streets of the nation's capital were full of the homeless and hungry. Gangs of street boys once
harassed her until she hit one of them with a rock she threw at full force. The kid's skull was broken. Kind
of ironic from her point of view. Now, most problem children left her alone.
Braking in the densely populated section know as "The shade" to the many drug gangs, she pulled
over and locked up her bike, arming the electric shocking device she picked up in New York last week. She
loved the thing, it was fun coming out and seeing people stare wide-eyed at her innocent little mountain
bike.
She strode into the dark corridors of Henderson Pharmaceuticals.
"Remind me why we're here…" Liam groaned as an excited Auger and Renee watched the
mysterious girl enter the dark building. Auger wanted to gloat to the girl when they met up with her, and
Renee was interested in her knowledge of stolen Doors hardware. Liam just wanted to go home. His arm
hurt. It was way to early for this.
"Shhh!" they both scolded as they trotted confidently to the building.
But the troop of resistance were also being followed by a group of overly large, scary men. Also
known as thugs. Dressed in the typical black, adorned in side arms, A man with a broken nose led them
behind as they readied their weapons. The pigeons cooed softly in the morning sunlight.
God, my head hurts. Laura sat rigidly in the conference room as large, bald men barked at her
what they wanted from her new security package. Her side was still throbbing. A normal human being
would probably have died from the wound, which meant Laura should probably be at home resting. But she
reminded herself she was not a normal person, and she had work to do.
The conference was cut short as gunfire exploded from the hallway. Men cursed and Laura felt her
muscles tense and flex. Her ears sensed many voices, some familiar… she smelled the disgusting stench of
that ugly man she'd pummeled the other day. The one that caused her a bullet wound. Her eyes narrowed
into slits.
She stepped into the hallway, muscles shifting and burning. Her side felt like it was on fire.
Several people had spotted her and began to fire in her direction. Laura cursed, and ducked back inside the
room. I'm pissed. Let's do this right. She thought and her body began to shift.
Liam squinted as he fired at the attacking men. One second, there was lively chit-chatter between
Auger and Renee, then BOOM! The whole goddamn world exploded. Renee was up front somewhere, who
knew where Auger was and- Thump.
Auger cried out to warn Liam, but it was too late, a man had already smashed his head with the
butt of a gun and the two of them went sprawling into a nearby room. Renee saw the incident, and went
after the disoriented companion protector. She reached the door with a thud, avoiding the constant gunfire.
As it swung shut, it made a clicking noise, and then locked. She let out a frustrated cry. Fate was not being
fair to her, for the door was sealed shut.
Liam groaned as he lay sprawled out on what seemed to be a conference table. His gun had gone
flying across the room and was out of his view. Sweating and enraged, the man he'd watched get smashed
into a brick wall hauled him to his feet and started screaming. Three others were behind him.
"WHERE is the GIRL!?" Liam could only shake his head, he had no idea-
He felt the sting of a blow to his face, and he kissed the floor. Papers went flying in the dimmed
room, and the world seemed to be spinning along with them. It occurred to him, out of the blue, that this
had been a really bad day. He managed to turn around to the sounds of a muffled Renee yelling his name.
His battered mind managed to comprehend the form of the man coming at him, but his body wasn't doing
what he wanted it too-
A low groaning sound filled the room. The dark walls of the conference area seemed to suddenly
loom over the approaching man, and he paused to look up. The groan grew to a growl, and the thug saw a
shadow fly across the table.
Renee watched through the small window as someone, no, something came at the thug mauling
Liam. Shrieks and cries of horror emerged from behind the locked door, and she beat her hands on the
door.
"Liam!! Liam, get out of there!" Auger was then at her side, panting. No more shots were fired,
only the horrid noises of bones cracking broke the silence.
Liam watched the blurry world sway as he stood, or tried to stand. He shook his head and saw red
splattered across the table. A man was screaming in the corner, and firing a handgun at what looked like a
large black dog. A very large black dog… Liam slid back against the wall, and saw his gun lying in the
corner. It was an unthinkable effort, but he grabbed the weapon and looked back across the room to see
something… bloody and gruesome.
The man's neck had been ripped open, and his still working arteries were squirting blood
everywhere. On the table, stood a large, black leopard, or panther or something. It's eyes were a pale green
and it's mouth hung open. He saw blood running along it's side, collecting on the table and then dripping
off. It all seemed to surreal to Liam… and he thought maybe, somehow he was dreaming. His head felt
disconnected, like it was not his own. He looked up again, but the thing was gone.
He started as something touched him.
"Renee," he murmured, expecting his friend. Instead, the girl knelt beside him. She too was
covered in blood. Here eyes were the same cold, cloudy gray. "No.. l.-look out, there is something here,"
He tried to whisper, to warn the young woman so she might be able to get away.
Instead, she leaned in closer. She looked at her torso and winced, appearing to make a decision.
Renee and Auger were burning through the door, trying to get to their friend. Men lay bleeding
everywhere. This could not be real.
The girl touched Liam's forehead, and the world cleared. Everything became sharp and detailed.
He could even make out the whisper-
"I'm so sorry…" Then, a flood of cool energy seemed to flow through her hand, and all the pain
went away. She herself groaned in pain, and fell back. Liam could see now that her side had been either
injured or re-injured, for it was bleeding very badly. Liam looked at the girl in horror as her eyes closed.
"Liam!" Auger cried as he and Renee burst through the door.
"I'm ok, it's ok, but help her!!" He cried, feeling helpless. The two looked to the floor and saw
what Liam was pointing at. They winced, but Liam was on his knees lifting her head.
"She saved me…" He said. His eyes were wide. Auger ran out of the room. Renee looked over her
friend- the previous arm and head wounds were gone.
Auger cried out from outside, motioning for the others to come. Liam lifted the girl and raced
outside. Her breath was shallow, and she looked deathly pale. His only concern was for her… for in that
moment, when he was healed, he realized somehow she had given on herself to save him.
Renee opened a portal to the resistance headquarters, and the three jumped inside.
* * *
Many hours later.
They had laid her on a medtable, Liam holding her hand as Renee Pulled a heating blanket over her body.
She was unconscious, and somehow hypothermic.
Dr. James, a friend of Renee's, worked over the girl with a passion, closing the wounds and
attempting to heal her battered body.
"My god, it's amazing she's alive." The doctor murmured as she began scanning the girl's body.
"Her temp is 90Degrees, and her pulse is racing… oh my god, Renee…"
"What?"
"Her… bioscans show that her… her DNA is.. fluctuating?" She looked puzzled.
"How can that be?"
"I don't know, but her temp is rising. I'm going to give here something to slow her pulse.
"She's strong... lots of muscle mass." He looked at her form. "God.. what happened in there?"
"Alright. She's out of danger now… Oh, god, James! I forgot to pick up Zack from the airport!
Liam, I have to leave… Watch over her and I'll be back soon." She rushed out the door, leaving Liam with
his mouth half-open.
"Why don't you take her to one of those beds back there?" Auger suggested. Liam nodded. She
had made an entirely unnatural recovery… it was simply wrong that her body could have recovered so fast.
He lifted her still shivering form over to one of the beds in the back rooms of the headquarters. He lay her
down gently, and made sure she was all right as he found use of Auger's shower stall he insisted he put in.
He felt the warm water pelt and wash over his body, the spray massaging his chest and arms. The
warmth and comfort seemed to wash away the horrid memories of pharmaceutical building and what had
been inside. His eyes closed, forcing the memories away, and yawned. He shut off the water, the steam
keeping him warm as he dried himself and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and t-shit. Refreshed and
comfortable, He made his way back into the dark room where his mystery guest lay. The feeling of steam
had lulled Liam, and he felt his eyes close. He glanced at the clock nearby; my god, it was almost eleven at
night. Wandering into the main room, he found Auger pecking away at his computer yet again. Auger
turned to see Liam and his eyes widened.
"Man, you look awful! Why don't you go get some sleep?" Liam only groaned, and then realized
that a warm bed might be a nice thing. As he walked back, he grabbed a few extra blankets in the locker
outside the room, and decided to lie next to her. Exhaustion was wearing down his body, and that was the
only bed around. At least he could keep an eye on her, and he would be there if she woke up.
He felt the sheets on his body, the cool of a pillow, and the steady breathing of the girl. Despite
being underground, he heard the soft thudding of rain above. It was a constant, soothing sound.
He felt the warmth of the girl beside him, and was terrified that she was waking up when she
groaned and shifted position. She winced in her sleep as she managed to role over, right into his chest. Her
head was right under his chin, so he studied her face in the darkness. Here eyebrows were knitted in pain,
even in unconsciousness. Her soft brown hair was sticking up in a thousand directions. It was shorter than
his was. The cuts of the morning were silent reminders of the horrific disaster that had brought her here.
She moaned again, and curled up against his body. Liam felt a soothing… almost energy or aura come from
her body, which was pressed against his own. Or perhaps that was only his imagination.
Regardless, the soft sounds of rain and the rhythmic breathing of the girl had a lulling affect of the
exhausted companion protector. Soon, Liam was sound asleep.