Darien stared at the picture on his nightstand; it was of Lillianne. He sighed. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Fawkes," he answered. "You'd better be ready, my friend," Bobby said on the other side. "We'll be there in about ten minutes." "Ya, I'm ready," Darien said, looking into the mirror. "Who all is coming?" "Claire and Munroe." Darien could hear them talking in the background. "Your hair ready? Because, we do not have time to waste, Fawkesy." Darien looked in the mirror. It looked perky enough to him. Hmm, he thought, maybe he should use more gel. "Hey, Fawkes," Bobby said. "Yeah?" "You'd better be wearing something decent," Bobby said jokingly. "We're going to a real night club. I don't want you wearing anything.well, you know." "What do you mean?" Darien asked looking in the mirror again. "What's wrong with the way I dress?" "Nothing, partner," Bobby said. Darien could hear Hobbes struggling to keep his laughter in. Darien frowned. "I'll see you in ten." Then he promptly hung up. There was nothing wrong with his clothing. There wasn't! In fact, he thought, he looked pretty darn good. Darien ran his hands through his hair one last time and walked to the kitchen. He could sure go for a drink. He reached into his fridge and pulled out the milk bottle. "It does a body good," he said to himself with a chuckle. Darien carried the bottle over to the couch and turned on his television. "Breaking news," the TV blared. "Another member of high society has been murdered in his home this evening. Mogul Pierce Reeves was found in his home, an apparent victim of a serial killer, preying on the wealthy. His body was found with two slashes, one to the arm and one to the throat. Reeves was the head of the company pioneering clone research." "I guess being rich has its downside," Darien said, lifting the milk to his lips. As he leaned back with another gulp, Darien felt a sudden chill near him. He stood, swinging around instinctively putting his fists up defensively. There was no one there, just the open window. Arnaud? he thought. Then he relaxed. That was ridiculous. There was no way it was Arnaud; he already removed his gland. Darien shrugged. He went to take another swig of milk and stopped in mid air. Wait a minute, he thought, I didn't leave the window open. Then, the chill came again. Darien quickly set the milk down and quicksilvered. Before him stood a glowing figure, as though it were someone quicksilvered. The figure lunged at Darien; a sharp pain ripped through his left arm. He fell to the ground, reappearing in the process. Darien glanced down at his arm; there was a deep cut running up his bicep. As he looked up, quicksilver flaked off the figure before him. It was a woman with long black flowing hair, most likely Chinese in decent. She wore a black Chinese gown and held a long dagger in her right hand. "What the.?" Darien said, confusion taken hold. "Who the.?" The woman just laughed. She drew the dagger to her face and licked a drop of blood from the blade. She smiled sinisterly, tasting his blood. "Aw, crap," Darien managed to say. He got up as fast as he could and ran for the kitchen. He immediately grabbed his trusty hammer, which just happened to be on the counter top. He managed to turn around just in time to block the woman's next attack. "Who the heck are you?" Darien said as he struggled to keep her back. He was amazed at the sheer strength she had. The woman just laughed. "Great," he said, kicking her onto her back. He leapt toward her, trying to pin her down. The woman bounced back on her feet, kicked the hammer out of his hand, and flipped over Darien. She jumped onto his back, grabbing his hair in one hand and holding the blade to his throat with the other. The woman laughed again. "Mr. Fawkes," she said, "You have been a festering wound for too long." She cocked her head and smiled at him. Darien could feel the blade slowly entering his skin. He gulped and closed his eyes. Who knew it would all end like this? Suddenly, he realized that she stopped her movement, as though she were rethinking her actions. "Freeze!" Hobbes shouted from the doorway. He held his gun ready. The woman turned her head, a frown spread across her face. "I said Freeze!" Hobbes shouted again. The woman just hissed at him. Bobby pulled his triggered, hitting the woman in the arm. She rolled over the top of Darien, landing on the floor with a loud thud. Hobbes carefully walked forward and checked his partner, who was rubbing his neck. Darien nodded that he was okay and Bobby walked slowly towards the woman. She lay motionless. Hobbes leaned forward cautiously and reached out to touch her. Without warning, the woman pushed herself upright, knocking him down in the process. She leapt into the air over Bobby and towards Darien. Still slightly off balance from the previous attack, Darien was helpless to stop the woman's next move. She darted behind Darien, sinking her dagger deep into Darien's back. He screamed in pain and fell to the floor. "Darien," Alex shouted from the doorway. She had come up to check on what was taking them. Horrified, she stood frozen. During this time, Bobby had recovered enough to sneak behind the woman, kicking her weapon out of her hand and grabbing her in a bear hug. "Munroe," he shouted, "Go get the Keep! Now!" Alex could only nod and run down the hall. Bobby focused on the woman. He knew that there was nothing he could do for Darien until Claire got there. Bobby maneuvered the woman to face him. He looked into her eyes. They were dilated to the point where her eyes seemed almost black. She didn't seem human. The woman struggled and bit at his limbs, but he managed to keep her under control. "Who sent you?" he shouted at her. The woman looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow. With a sudden move of agility, the woman slipped herself between Hobbes' legs, ending up standing behind him. Hobbes, also very agile, turned just in time to block her high kick. "Who do you work for?!" he shouted as he matched the woman blow for blow. The woman simply continued her onslaught. Bobby was amazed. He'd never seen such skill. It was a good thing he had been training recently. "Bobby," Alex said, as she reentered the room with Claire. "Help, Fawkes," Hobbes ordered, turning his head toward the two. It distracted him enough that the woman got several blows in. Angry, Bobby struck back with one great blow square in the chest, sending the woman halfway across the room. He stood, in perfect form, looking at her, now trying to get back up. The woman rubbed her chest and pulled something from her belt; it was a baton with ribbon attached. With one swift motion, she flung the baton towards them, sending the ribbon swirling. Abruptly, it exploded into a cloud of smoke. Claire, Alex, and Bobby choked on the smoke. When it finally cleared, they were the only ones left in the room, with Darien still lying motionless. Bobby ran toward the still open window and looked out. There was no trace of the woman. He shook his head in disbelief. "She ain't human," he said to himself. Alex sat there speechless. Claire stared at Bobby, but quickly turned her attention back at Darien. "We have to get him out of here," she said. Hobbes and Munroe nodded and carried Darien out to Golda.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Hobbes," the Official said. "Give me status." Hobbes leaned forward in his chair and looked his boss straight in the eye. "It looks bad. Fawkes is doing fine. The Keeper said that he's stable." He rubbed his forehead. "As for the assailant, she didn't leave a single trace." "What are you saying, Bobby?" "I'm saying, sir, that if we hadn't shown up, we probably wouldn't even know it was a woman. I'm saying.we've got nothing." The Official rocked back in his chair, rage slowly building inside. He pounded his fist on the desk. "Eberts!" he shouted. There was no reply. Both men looked around them. Nowhere in room 202 was Albert Eberts to be found. "That's it! This agency is falling apart!" The Official shouted, "One of my men was attacked in his own home, and I can't find out any information because Eberts has suddenly gone AWOL. I've had enough!" He pounded his fist against the desk again. "Bobby! I want you and Alex to comb every inch of Darien's apartment. Find out anything you can.. And BRING ME EBERTS!!!" "Yes, sir," Hobbes said. He stood and walked out the door. He shut it behind him and leaned against the wall. Everything had gone to pot. What was going on? He rubbed his eyebrows and looked up. There he found Alex standing before him, wringing her hands and looking down at the floor. She looked up and caught his gaze. She looked as though she were on the brink of tears. "Munroe?" Bobby said carefully, "Are you alright?" "I-," she began. "I-, I don't know what to say. It's all just a blur. I mean.. Fawkes and that woman.I just.I've never felt more powerless in my entire life." "Hey," Hobbes said, placing a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, "it happens to the best of us." "No," Alex said, pushing his hand away, "you don't understand. It doesn't happen to me. I have never." She shook her head. "That woman. I just can't believe all this is happening." This time, Hobbes grabbed Alex by the shoulders. He looked her straight in the eye. "Listen, no one is invincible. Bobby Hobbes knows. You're looking at someone who knows from experience. Even the strongest of us feel vulnerable." Hobbes patted her on the back and walked down the hall. He decided to wait awhile until she calmed down to tell her about the new assignment. Alex just stared at where Hobbes once was. She was speechless.