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Two voices echoed in the packed Council room, one frustrated, the other adamant. "Godamnit, let me in!" Raven slammed into the thick steel door. "You have to let me in!"

"I can't. I'm not allowed to let anyone in without a card or an escort. It's the rules." The guard sighed. This was his first time on the job, after all, and now some psychotic chick in handcuffs kept jumping into the door. What a day.

"I wrote the fucking rules! I wrote them!" The ghost of an idea passed across her pale face. "Wait." She visibly calmed, irrational fury draining out of her icy blue eyes. "You have a voice access panel?"

"Yes, but I don't see how that could help. No one knows the vocal commands to-"

Raven smiled. "Can I see it?"

The guard hesitated. "I don't know if I'm supposed-"

"NOW!" She lunged at him, pointed incisors snapping far too close to his nose. "Hurry up!"

The guard almost ran to get the small speaker. In fact, he did run. "Here it is. But it's not going to work, you know."

Raven leaned forward and spoke sharply into the speaker. "Vocal override of lock command, password 'deux', access code X2975, authorization code 01. Run." The machine beeped, commented quietly on the authorization, and went about its business. She leaned back, satisfied, as the gears deep in the steel began to turn.

The guard blanched. No one had authorization 01, not even Neo. No one, except...her. But that was impossible. This girl couldn't be Raven. She looked a lot different than he had expected. Alright, he had heard the stories, heard the tales of her exploits, but it couldn't be true. He could almost believe it though. The clincher was when the slender wraith gave the handcuffs a sharp twist. They slipped off and clattered loudly on the metal floor. "Wow." The guard snapped to attention. It really was her.

"Next time, let me in before I start bleeding over everything. 'S bad for the metal."

The guard checked. There were, in fact, dark bloodstains on the door, no doubt from the dripping shirt she was now stripping off. It slipped over her dark head to reveal a dark red tank top, torn off about three inches above her navel. "Uhm...right." He gawked.

Raven again smiled. It was fun to tease recruits. "Have fun out here, buddy." She commented, slapping him on the back. "And don't forget to watch for authority figures. They bite."

"Uhh...yeah. Sure. Right." The recruit stared after her retreating figure, then blinked. "I can see why everyone keeps talking about her..."

She headed down the metal hallway, boots padding almost noiselessly on the grate floor. As soon as she stepped onto the Council floor, Raven was awash in ecstatic greetings.

"Hey, Rae! Long time no see!"

"Ice queen! Welcome back!"

"Yeah, and this is only the, what, fifth time you've been arrested this year?"

"Oh my god, Rae. Did you have to wear that shirt?" Nora closed her eyes and began massaging her dark-skinned temples. Morpheus and Niobi's daughter had always had a certain...sense...for fashion.

Raven laughed and walked over to one of the long metal tables just in front of the mass stands. "Get 'em where it hurts, Nor. You know most of my shirts look like this." She took a seat next to her friend. "Sorry I'm late, did they start yet?"

"Not yet. But I think it'll be soon." Nora gave her a worried glance. "I think they actually mean it this time, Rae." Raven laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm not joking. Locke seems really happy."

"Ah, they don't mean it, really. I guess I'll just get yelled at again. And besides, Locke hates me. He's mad that I keep showing up his defense strategies." Raven fixed one of the segmented metal bands around her upper arm. "Anyway, everyone knows I wouldn't commit treason, Nor. It's like, against my nature."

Nora winced. "Why do you wear those things anyway? You keep bleeding all the time. It's a little weird, y'know?

Raven ran a hand across her metal headband. "Well, this one has the comlink and mic and stuff. But the others...remember when we got attacked?"

"Oh, yeah. Forgot that."

"I lost some muscle function in my arms and legs. Nerve damage, you know?"

"Right."

"The bands are really just combined sensors/stimulators. They act as nerve impulses for my hands and stuff. Can't move too well without- oh my god Nora. Remember the recruit I told you about? The hot one?"

"Yeah. So?"

"He's here!" Raven stood up and went to met Roger at the aisle between the stands. "Come on, Nor!"

"Okay, you were right. He is hot."

"Fuck off, he's so mine."

"Ha, ha. I've already got one, don't worry."

A look of relief combined with recognition crossed Roger's face. "Hi. I was just checking to see if you're okay."

Raven smiled. "I'm fine, thanks. Nice of you to ask."

Roger looked confused. "I didn't mean, I mean, if that was my fault...if I did anything, or something, I'm sorry." Raven was laughing at him again. "God, I can't talk today. I just, like start tripping over my words around you. What I meant to say was that I was wondering if you're okay, and that I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you, or...yeah."

"No, it's fine. It happens all the time, really. Why do you have my shirt?"

Roger looked surprised. "Oh, yeah. The guard asked me to give this to you. He said you forgot it. Y'know, he looked a little scared." Roger held out the shirt, along with the handcuffs. "And he said you forgot these, too."

Raven took the shirt from his grasp and tossed it onto the table. Actually, it was a little more onto Nora's head, but whatever. "Hmm. Good advice, never get arrested. Handcuffs hurt." She fastened one, but was unable to finish the other. "Can you help me with this?"

Roger jumped at the chance. "Yeah, sure." He took her hand and fastened the other cuff. "There you go." He looked up into her eyes and was surprised by what he saw. As was Raven. Green locked on blue, and Roger realized something that he never thought could happen. Love at first sight. There they stayed, nose-to-nose, and still holding hands, for almost a minute. Raven barely broke the spell by reaching up and running one slender hand along his neck.

"I thought you were pretty new. Where did you get the scar from?" Roger came to himself and started to pull away. Raven tightened her hand on his. Not much, but enough for Roger to know she felt the same about him as he did about her. "It seems a little...old, I guess."

"Oh, I got it the day after I came out, almost four months ago." He laughed softly. "I don't really remember it, except that was the day Bane joined the crew."

"Hey, Raven! They're going to start soon!"

"Oh, shit. I forgot. This is actually my trial." She still didn't let go of his hand, but began to pull him over to her table. "C'mon, you can meet my friend. Nora, heard of her?"

"Yeah, almost as much as you. But I don't think I'm supposed to be over there..."

"Nah, they don't care, as long as you're not taking someone's seat. I can guarantee you won't." They reached the table. "Nora, this is Roger. Recruit. The one I told you about?"

Roger leaned forward to shake her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Nora retured the guesture. "Same to you."

Raven grinned, a slow spreading of white teeth offset by pointed canines. "I think this is going to be interesting..."

Hey, don't mean to be anal or a bitch or anything, but I'm not gonna keep writing it until I get like 5 reviews. Or maybe a really long one... who knows? But pleeeeeez reciprocate, I need it! Yahoo!