Title: New lives: Chapter Five

Author: Stormhawk

0101001

"Bye Vin," Casey murmured as he left her room. Their couple of hours had so far turned into a two-night stand, how long they would keep the clandestine affair going hadn't been decided yet.

Vin smiled to himself as he walked down the hall, the past couple of days had been the best in his life. Now he was just itching for a fight, to see what he was capable when it came that.

As he turned a corner toward his office, a door opened and he walked straight into it. "Ow…" he muttered as he rubbed his nose. "Anyone get he number of that redwood?"

"I can't believe you walked into my door," Stef muttered, "highly developed senses and all."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Getting beat up hurts, falling out a three story window stings, getting hit by a truck leaves a mark for a while. Having a building collapse on you hurts, walking into a door does not hurt."

"I think I'm bleeding."

"Where?" she asked as she leant up to look.

"Gotcha," he said with a smile.

"Oh grow up Vin."

"You're actually here tonight," he commented as he leant against the wall. "You weren't here last night."

Stef blinked and let a small smile play across her lips, in his opinion, it made her look cut. "Oh, I was out. Did you want something?"

For you to look at me like Casey does. He thought.

"No, nothing really."

Your office or mine? He thought coyly.

"Oh, ok. Well I just finished up some work."

So now you've got time to play.

"Boring or interesting?"

"Just a little project I'm working on. Same software as the training simulations, holodeck kind of stuff. Then I got interrupted."

"Oh, what happened?"

I have never realised until now how much I…

He blinked a few times, his thoughts were starting to get really powerful.

There's plenty of time, we're both immortal.

"Exile activity, it got delegated to me, which his weird cause Brown usually leaps at the chance. But he suggested I take you along."

"Yeah?"

"According to his logic, it's worth giving up a fight with exiles if there's a chance either of us will die."

"Um…I know what an exile is. I didn't, now I do."

"Your brain fills in the gaps sometimes, mine used to do that too. It's weird at first, then it becomes normal."

"It seems there's a lot of things are going to become normal. You fine to give me some pointers, teach me what I don't know?"

And I'll be happy to return the favour in whatever way I can. And I mean whatever way.

She smiled, "sure, but can we deal with the exiles first? They don't tend to stay put for too long."

"Let's go."

That's what I said to Casey before I rocked her world. I so want to rock your world as well. God, I hope these feelings aren't one sided.

"Little warning first, they're in a firewalled area, which means you can die as easily as a human. When you're in there, bullets do kill, knives do cut, so watch yourself. I'll watch your back too."

"I'll watch yours as well, and I can take care of myself."

I'll watch your back, but my eyes will probably slip lower than that.

Stef shifted them to the edge of the firewall. "Gear up," she said, "clothes you are most comfortable to fight in, gun and some spare ammo."

"Yes ma'am."

He required himself into civvys, paramilitary pants, sleeveless black top and heavy combat boots.

Stef just required herself a combat jacket and tucked a couple of spare clips into an inside pocket. "We go in as recon first. See what the situation before we go in shooting."

"Isn't it our job to kill exiles and let the chips fall where they may?"

"That's what agents are supposed to do. But if you do everything by the manual, you never win. If the world played by the rules all the time, we'd both be in our cold graves."

"Cool. I'm up for a little anarchy."

And I prefer everything hot.

"It's not anarchy, we're just being smart. There could be a couple of hundred of them in there. That wouldn't be good odds." She stepped over the firewall, "ready to walk on the wild side?"

With you, anytime.

He stepped over, "oooh, what was that?"

"You just lost contact with the system. It's like cutting the umbilical cord, only less interesting."

They both walked toward the power station. "Roof or sewer? I'll let you choose."

"Roof. I wouldn't consign myself to the dark, dank sewer voluntarily."

She smirked, "the sewer is dry, this section has been cut off for years. However, it has just been raining, the roof will be all slimy. I let you pick first, I'm not swapping."

"You are pure evil."

The kind of evil I can just imagine in leather.

"Aren't I though?" she asked with an innocent smile as she lifted the manhole cover and jumped down.

"Pleasant?" he called.

"Mostly dry," she answered, "a little run off though."

"I'll scope things out on the roof, and we'll meet up somewhere inside."

"Be quiet and be careful."

"You too," he said as he slipped the manhole cover back into place.

010010

Mero and his exiles stood in front of the door leading into the old power factory. "So who's going in first?" he asked.

"Anyone bring straws?" Abel asked.

"They've got dreadlocks, why do we need straws?" Abel asked.

One ghosted in self defence and Two twirled his razor, "I'm sorry wolf, what did you say?"

"How about these?" Pix said as she withdrew a handful of pixie sticks from her pocket.

Mero shook his head in disbelief, "I am trusting my life to you people?"

"We're all getting danger money for this," Carlson said, "what's the difference?"

"If it's all the same, suit, then you go first," Two said. "It'll be no great loss if you get taken out."

Carlson puffed out his chest and walked up to Two, "funny, I was thinking the same thing about you. But you've got that pesky phasing subroutine don't you? How about I rip it right out of you?"

The minute the words were out of his mouth, Carlson felt a hand on his shoulder and a razor at his throat. "Don't threaten my brother or I'll cut your throat."

"That is ENOUGH!" Mero yelled. "The ghosts will take point. The vamps will follow, I will go next and Carlson and the wolves will fan out behind me."

"Jeez boss, when did you become a tactician?"

"The same time you lot started acting like children."

"But it was only those three," one of the vampire said, "why are you blaming the rest of us?"

"Cease talking…"

"What do I do?" Pixel asked.

"Oh you, well fairy, go to your tiny form, fly up and get a good vantage point and see where things go from there."

Pixel smiled, "coolies, I like sniping duty."

"Since when?" Two asked.

"Dunno, but I do."

"Dear god," Mero said, exasperated already, "open the door right now or you all take a pay cut."

There was a chorus of "sorry boss," and then One opened the door.

They walked in and found the place empty.

"Well," Mero said, "this is unexpected."

0110

"They're here master," Motoki whispered, "now?"

"Yes Motoki, now."

Motoki and Di walked out into the middle of the open area. "Hello Mero," Motoki said as she leant against an ancient generator.

"I knew it was you."

"What about me boss?" Di asked, "did you know it was me?"

Mero arched an eyebrow, "Divelle? You are messed up in this sorry joke as well?"

"Sorry to disappoint Mero."

"How about I offer you a contract, here and now?"

"I think my new employer might find that a little awkward."

" 'Employer?'" Motoki asked in a whisper.

"Can't help it," Di answered, "his speech pattern is infectious."

"You are a conduit for speech patters aren't you? You freaky exile."

"Divelle. Ten million to dispatch Motoki. Name your price for your employer."

"It would have to be a lot more for me to kill Motoki. Money comes and goes but pissing you off is priceless."

Motoki sighed happily, "that could be a Mastercard ad."

"And you think I'm freaky?"

"Master?" Motoki called, "I believe the stage is yours."

Grimoires, in the form of Alister, marched out. "The Merovingian," he purred, "somehow I was expecting something different. Perhaps green, amphibious and only a few inches long. You are most unimpressive."

Every person in the room smiled.

"And you? You know so much about me and I don't even know your name."

"My name is Grimoires."

"Is he going to change?" Di asked in a whisper.

"Not yet. This is a fly by the seat of your pants kind of thing. Master can plan, but unknowns introduce chaos."

Mero scoffed, "you take your name from a nonexistent spell book. It is the kind of thing the stupid rebels do."

"And you hardly look like a red-haired descendant of Christ."

"Touche."

"Boring…" One whispered, "is there going to be a fight or a pissing contest?"

"Probably both," Abel answered, "put two arrogant and pompous guys together and they argue the night away while their minions fight to the death."

"Sounds like fun," One replied, "let's make sure Carlson gets caught in the cross fire." He turned for a spiteful rebuttal, but Carlson had disappeared.

0110

Carlson had slipped behind some rusted equipment and was circling around, not intending to get caught in a bottleneck when the fighting broke out.

Some dust spiralled down from the ceiling and he looked up. He could vaguely make out the shape of someone crossing the old and holey roof. What he could see through the skylights didn't give him a very clear idea of who it was though.

He scanned the intruder and shook his head, "so they made another one." He was surprised, and even more so because Mero hadn't mentioned anything about it to him.

Usually he was the first to hear about anything concerning the agents. He had been an agent. He was never allowed to forget that.

Never.

He gritted his teeth and shook his head again. More than a century had passed and he was still ridiculed for something he had had no control over. It wasn't his fault he had been an agent.

Nor was it his fault that he had helped the first 'One' and he had done everything he could to distance himself from, well…himself.

Brown.

His other self.

His twin.

His 'big brother'.

He hated him with every fibre of his being. His being…it wasn't fair, he wasn't him. He. Was. Not. Brown.

An yet, no one ever gave him a chance to prove himself. Mero did, but only because it suited his purposes. Some exiles who had never encountered Brown, but he didn't know many of them. And even then, often his reputation preceded him.

He had considered getting a new face…and a while new body. Full construct redesign.

Mero had disagreed, and his word was law. No matter how much he disliked it, he was under his thumb, much more so than he had ever been under the system's control.

He was wrapped around the Frenchman's pinkie finger. Every word he said had to be done as though it were set in stone. What he said was what happened, no one else – especially not those prize Twins or his uber-but-under-used weapon Vlad – had to contend with control like that.

Follow my orders.

That was what he had said.

Follow my orders, little agent, or die.

He continued through the power station.

0110

"Well, I see we have nothing more to say," Mero said, "kill them."

Before all hell could break loose, Grimoires held up his hands, "first, let me get my game face on."

He reverted to his real form. There was a thump as Cain passed out.

"Wake up!" Abel yelled as he kicked him.

Mero nodded, "I suspected you were no ordinary exile."

Grimoires smiled, "you have no idea how truly unique I am."

"Let's end this boss," Two said.

"You can mount his head," Abel said with a literally wolfish smile.

"I like that idea," he looked at his employees, "go."

There was a second of silence, then the minions of the two powerful men ran at each other. Grimoires leapt above the fray and headed straight for Mero. The Frenchman turned and ran.

0100

"Guess that's my cue," Carlson muttered and ran toward the sounds of battle.

Meanwhile, on the roof above, Vin also heard the sounds from the fight and tried to peak through the skylight to see what was going on.

Unfortunately, the glass was old and gave under his weight. Panic passed through his mind, but left a fleeting second later. Controlling himself, he grabbed onto a support pole, swung himself around and landed on top of a generator. He then jumped the forty or so feet to the ground, landing in a cat-like crouch.

He headed for the battle.

0101

The sewers hadn't been the preferable option, or so Stef had found out. There were hardly any ways up to the power factory, as most of them had been concreted over.

She climbed up the next ladder and elbowed the manhole cover, thankfully, this one gave.

She pushed it aside and as she went to climb out, she got a boot in the face. "Oi!" she muffled as the leg attached to the heavy boot was lifted.

"Oh," Carlson said, "you're here."

Stef climbed out of the sewer, "ever considered going on a diet?"

"Ever considered not opening a manhole cover in the middle of a fight?"

"Great, I brought a newbie into a civil war. We are talking war aren't we? Or just more employer/employee disagreements?"

"It's a skirmish, now get out of my way," he said as he pushed her aside, "the others are a bunch of useless gits."

"Go on then, go fight."

"Keep your head down, it's probably better if you two just leave."

"You saw Vin?"

"On the roof," Carlson said as he ran off.