A/N- It's not especially good, but it works. I'm still looking for a beta!

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The steel door slammed. The aggressive taps of high heel boots thundered on the dark linoleum. The light of the sun from outside cast the shadow of a small woman across the floor and onto the deep red walls. 

"We're closed." Kerry's voice called out before she could see the woman. Furiously, she dried the inside of a small glass. One could only clean so many glasses, restock so many bottles, and set up a stage for so many hours before losing any hope for a cheerful attitude. And now a clearly aggravated woman was obviously looking to pick a fight. The day had been bad enough, without having to deal with a head case with a broken heart.

"Not for me." The blonde appeared at the far end of the empty dance floor. Kerry put the freshly cleaned glass on the bar. The woman gave her a once over before continuing. "Are you Kerry Parcell?"

"Maybe." She leaned over the countertop, trying hard to convey her lack of patience. "Who are you?"

The stranger rolled her eyes and walked aggressively across the room and up the small set of stairs that separated them. "Cut the crap. I've seen a million like you, and am going to see a million more, so just answer my questions."

"A million, huh. A million of what?"

"Self-proclaimed bad girls, with more attitude than sense."

"Bit of an unfair judgment for someone you just met. What do you want?"

"You know anything about a ring of bounty hunters, using these." The woman's open palm revealed a small round black cylinder.

Kerry looked at the disk quickly, keeping her expression still. Instinctively, she straightened up, sizing up the stranger. She was short, nowhere near the bar owner's 5'10. Her small physique was less than intimidating. What worried her was the unusual amount of confidence this one, small, pissed off woman had. Either she was extremely stupid, or extremely likely to be underestimated.

"You're wasting your time."

"Really." The blonde smirked.

"I can't help you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both, either, whatever." Each word punctured the air like bullets, meaning to discourage more questions. Instead, the stranger kept on.

"So you do know something?"

"Maybe I did, but whatever I know now won't help you." Kerry turned away and began to walk towards the end of the closed off area. Letting herself out through a swinging thin wood barrier, she could feel the woman's eyes on her back. A quick twist of the head assured her that she was. Tall brunette rolled her eyes as the stranger tossed her small possession impatiently into the air and caught it. "And I'll thank you not to bring that trash into my bar again."

"I don't have time for these games. If you know something, I want the information, now."

"What you want is something I can't give you." Kerry pulled the wooden stool off the black lined bar, her back to the blonde. 

"What if I make you?"

 The aggressive tone played on her nerves. Her hands slipped off next stool. She turned, now thoroughly annoyed. How could this meager woman come into her bar and have the nerve to threaten her about something she didn't even allow herself to think about?

She covered the four steps that separated them, placing herself right in the blonde's face. "Get out," she snapped pointing towards the door.

"Not until you tell me who the hell these bastards are." Her head followed as Kerry made her way behind the bar again. Reaching below the counter, she pulled out a small silver cell phone.

"How about if I call the cops?"

The blonde bent over the bar and reached for the empty glass. With a quick squeeze and a flash of golden cat eyes, the glass shattered in her hand and shards of glass rained from her fist.

Kerry looked unimpressed. "If I had a nickel for every time one of you ferals walked into this bar and broke a perfectly good shot glass…well, I sure as hell wouldn't be here."

"Not every feral has the severe lack of patience I have, so you either tell me what you know, or that glass is you." The blonde spat venomously.

"Nothing I say can help you."

"That's not what Adam says."

The brunette bartender's mouth tightened. "You tell Adam to go screw himself. I'm done with that know-it-all SOB."

She turned to leave, but the feral grabbed her arm. "You better hope you're telling me the truth."

Kerry shot the blonde a malicious look. "You better hope I don't lose my cool or your hand's up in smoke." The feral loosened her grip and the bartender pulled away easily, disappearing into the back room.

Shalimar walked out of the dark bar into the sunshine of the city street. Approaching the car, the tinted window rolled down.

"What'd you find out?" Brennan asked pulling his sunglasses down over his eyes.

"Either she's lying to me, or Adam's off his game." Her thin fingers opened the car door with a pop and she slipped inside. "But I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again."

* - Break - *

His chin rested in the palm of his hand as he stared at the bright computer screen. Reading the thin white on black text, his fingers drummed to the beat of the low-key rock music against the spherical mouse.

Carefully, he clicked through the junk mail displayed on the screen, being sure to transfer supply receipts to other folders. Reading through the customer messages, he made a mental note to fix the hours on Up to Zero's website.

He sighed as he pressed the print button on a cyber invoice. He was finally done with his webmaster duties. It never took him long anyway, computers being both his skill and muse, but it was always much more fun to do things for personal use. Quickly, he switched over to his email and waited to receive his messages. 

"Can I get you anything?" His eyes shifted up to the slender face of the waitress and slide down to his half full coffee cup. She was pretty, maybe 17 years old. Her bleach blonde hair was up in a high ponytail.

"No thanks." He flashed a flirtatious smile at her. "I'm good."

With a reciprocal coy smile, she turned to leave. He watched as the late teen giggled to herself as she returned to the main counter.

Nothing like cute waitresses to make a guy frequent a cyber café. Not that that was his reason, he did have a steady girlfriend, but it certainly was a plus.

A clip of computer music caught his ear, signaling active on his computer. He quickly scanned the screen.

His finger froze.

He had mail. It was forwarded from his old account; the subject line read "From an old friend…"

His first instinct was to erase it. He had no old friends, none that he wanted mail from. His finger itched for the delete button.

But something in him hesitated, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Deep in his stomach, a twinge of repressed guilt fluttered.

To: Mickrawlings

From: Jkilmartin

911

    -AK

His heart fell to his stomach. His head began to ache.

No, this was not happening. He couldn't go back.

He'd lost so much about who he was during that time in his life. Layers of what he thought he knew had been torn off him like a band-aid from a wound, a wound that had taken a long time to heal.

They had to hate him for it too, for screwing it up, for throwing things off balance, for not being able to pretend anymore.

Going back would be like walking into a granite wall, impossible, against the laws of nature.

A small ember of hate re-ignited. What was he expecting? A miracle?

Shaking his head with a stern expression, his finger clicked, deleting the email.

*- Break -*

Adam looked up from the computer as the telempath walked angrily across the large open room. "Anything?"

She held the sides of her face with her hands with an expression of both pain and frustration. "Nothing. I've been trying for hours and now I have the biggest headache."

"Go lie down." He replied looking back down at the screen as the files rolled down. "After three hours, I think you've earned a rest."

"I can't." She continued with a hint of absolute determination in her voice as she boosted herself up on the desk. "I have to find him."

Adam crossed his arms, expressing his displeasure in her statement. "I'm sure you will, Emma, but right now, think about your well-being. There is such a thing as pushing yourself too hard, too quickly. "

She fell silent, rubbing her temples, eyes aimed down at the floor in thought. Adam watched her where she sat, trying to use his scientific brain to decode the emotions present on her face. Slowly, he strode over leaning against the counter where she was sitting.

"Is something the matter, or are you just admiring the carpet?"

Her arms dropped beside her with a thud, as she shot him a frustrated look, eyes wide with hopelessness and anger. "It's just…I can't pick him up anywhere. I used to be able to find him in seconds. There were times when I didn't even have to try. I just knew where he was."

"And you're wondering what's so different now."

"I just feels odd that I have no idea where he is."

The man smiled and reached over to pat her hand. "He may not be the person you knew anymore. People change and evolve. Frankly, if you could pick him up on the first try, I'd be a little worried."

For a moment, he thought she might say more. Her mouth opened slightly, breath caught in her throat. Her eyes even made contact with his, for one brief moment. Instead the breath was release and her chest heaved over a heavy sigh.

"I think I'll go take some aspirin and try again." She gracefully slid off the desk, one hand still holding her head.

As she exited, he couldn't help but notice the familiar pinch of worry in his stomach, both for the woman and the mission. Part of him did feel perplexed that she couldn't pick up her former friend, especially in their time of need. Finding him would mean the difference between a few casualties and a mass enslavement.

But finding him, he knew, wasn't going to be even half the battle.

"Adam?" A disembodied voice asked.

"Shalimar?" He answered tilting his head up to project his voice.

"We're on our way back from Kerry's."

"How'd it go?"

"Well, after we got done threatening and insulting each other, she kicked me out."

Adam smiled and chuckled. "Good old Kerry. I take it she didn't tell you anything."

"Nothing specific, but it was pretty clear that she knew something though. "

"Alright, when Emma's rested, the two of you can go back and try to pick up any clues telempathically. Until then, I need you and Brennan here."

"We're on it."