Chapter 6

June 12, 2021

It was eight o'clock when Dawn finally joined her for breakfast, a time that surprised Samantha. As far as she knew the other woman always rose early, and when you calculated the jetlag into it she should have been up for hours already. Maybe it had something to do with what had happened the previous evening; and that was something she really needed to understand anyway. Dawn had never been what you might call prudish, not that she was always looking for an opportunity to have sex, it was just that she didn't really care what others thought of her.

No, that wasn't true. The front that she projected was very important for her, and the facelifts and other operations she had were mostly for show. Oh, she probably had the benefit of being in better shape than most people her age, but really, other than vanity, what reason could there possibly be for that many makeovers?

"Morning," was the first word out of Dawn's mouth as she sat down at the table.

"Good morning, how come you're so late? It's not like you had a reason to stay awake last night." Okay, so her guest wasn't the only one capable of acting without the slightest sign of tact.

"I had some tension to work out, so I went to the gym."

So last night really had been about the date, but what was it about that day? "There was someone else here last night who was more than willing to help you out in that regard."

"Don't remind me. That was a mistake I don't plan on making again."

Mistake? Sometimes the damn woman could be so ambiguous, what had been the mistake? Seducing Victor, or walking away once she had succeeded? "What was that all about anyway?"

Dawn didn't immediately answer, but took her time to pour herself a glass of orange juice first. "The eleventh of June is a special day to me. Something happened on that day, something that changed the course of my life."

Okay, that sounded important but Samantha still didn't understand what that had to do with anything. Not that she actually expected to receive a decent answer, but she was tenacious. "Really? How did it change your life then?"

Boom. Clang. If faces came with sound effects that was probably what she would have heard as Dawn's face suddenly closed up completely. No more answers would be forthcoming from that direction, and in fact she had a feeling that any moment now the subject would be changed. "Tell me about the nightlife here."

Nightlife? The change might have been expected, the subject wasn't. "You mean things like bars and clubs?"

"No, I mean vampires, demons and magic users." Oh, of course she wanted to know about that. She never should have told Dawn about how she once knew a Slayer, but she'd had a couple of drinks. And besides, who would believe something as ridiculous as a vampire could actually exist?

So she had been more than surprised when the woman before her had known about them. And from what she later found out Dawn had not only known several Slayers, she had been the sister of one. Of course, by the time she understood the way Slayers were called she already knew something about the fate of that sister. Although Dawn had been rather reticent about mentioning the details of how her sister's replacement had come to be called.

Not that that was strange in itself, it was just that she wanted to know what could have possibly taken down a Slayer. From what Dawn told her back then, Samantha understood that this Buffy had been very good, so it couldn't have just been simple happenstance. Asking about the details wasn't only useless though, it was rude as well, so she hadn't asked again. After all she knew better than most that there were some things you simply didn't talk about.

"There isn't all that much to tell." A raised eyebrow was the only response she got on that, so she expanded on that statement. "With the transgenics running around the city demons are afraid they might get exposed as well. So they either leave the city or stay low."

"How did you get that information?"

"Yes, it's mostly speculation." Rolling her eyes at the round-about way that question was asked, Samantha continued. "But it's also based on facts, despite the transgenics running around, crimes involving strange looking people have dropped."

"Dropped? You've got someone taking statistics on that?"

"Of course, you mean you don't have something like that in Paris?"

"Not really, no. I don't interfere with their business, and they leave me and mine alone."

"You mean you've got all that money but don't use it to fight them?" Okay, she had to admit she wasn't doing a lot in that direction either, but she had her reasons for that. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

"Not directly."

Not directly? That implied she did do something. "Then how?"

Dawn didn't seem to want to answer that question, but after taking a couple of more bites of her sandwich she did so anyway. "I'm leveling the playing field."

"Leveling the… oh, you mean?"

Her only answer was an undecipherable look that implied both nothing and everything at the same time. Of course, it made sense. The woman's interest in the transgenics, her comments the night before about genetic research, and of course the fact that she owned companies that did research into that direction. But a plan like that would take decades to finish, maybe even centuries. How could she plan ahead that much?

"But there isn't anything you think I should know about considering the nightlife?"

Slowly shaking her head in denial, Samantha answered the only way she could. "No, there are hardly any of them left, and I don't think they'll be coming out much during the next few nights anyway."

"Why not?"

"There's a rumor that someone's coming here."

"The Slayer?"

"No, an assassin. You've probably heard of her, it's the one who calls herself Noir."

If this news surprised the other woman it didn't show in her actions, as Dawn's face remained a blank slate, not giving anything away. "Interesting."

"Yes, on the other hand it will probably mean you won't have to be as careful as usual. There are quite some parts of Seattle that you shouldn't go to during other times, but I don't think you'll have any reason to worry now. Who knows, they might even think you are Noir herself." That joke even got a smile from Dawn, and she shook her own head in wonder. How did she come up with something like that? Kind Dawn, who obviously even balked at killing the filthy inhuman creatures of the night, being mistaken for a professional assassin? "Anyway, have you made any plans for today?"

"I'll go explore the city for a while. Try to think of a way to contact the transgenic leader."

"Alone?"

"Always." And with a slight smile on her face Dawn stood up, signifying breakfast was over and the two of them should go about their respective business.

X.X.X

Walking through Seattle was a disconcerting event; she had not spent a lot of time in the city during her last visit, but it was obvious that the Pulse had had a great impact on it. The moment she was away from the rich neighborhood where the Masters lived, Dawn could see what the city was really like.

Not the unconcerned and happy citizens of times past, instead the people living here these days looked more like the inhabitants of an occupied city. Always careful what they said, and doing their best not to get noticed by the ever-present police, people looked like they had given up on a happy life. No, shaking her head, and stopping to enjoy a moment of Seattle's rare sun, Dawn reconsidered that opinion. That was just her imagination that compared these people to the inhabitants of European and Asiatic cities.

At first glance they might look like they had given up hope, but when she took a second look—while trying to ignore her preconceptions—Dawn noticed the happiness that was there after all. The happiness that signified to her the strength of human nature. That part of humanity that nothing could ever quench, the hope that one day things would get better. But until that day arrived these people would live their lives the only way they could, always armed with the knowledge that this was only temporarily.

In a way it reminded her of Sunnydale, that town where she had spent little over a year but which had proven to be ever so important. There too, people had found a way to live with the ever-present darkness that threatened to overshadow their every action. Unlike here though it was even worse as the darkness had always been so close and, while not quite intangible, wasn't something that could be easily fought either. But even there people had found a way to live their lives without crumbling because of the pressure.

They forgot; it was so easy for those people to forget about the strange events that took place. One day you went to school and suddenly someone was missing, he didn't speak up at the roll call and his parents had no idea where he was either. No, he had never returned home the night before.

Oh well, what did it matter to the rest of the class? His friends mourned for a few days but then they simply went on with their own lives, until the next time someone disappeared.

As she stepped over the body of someone reeking of alcohol—who obviously hadn't been able to deal—Dawn did something that she had started to do more often of late. She envied those people. How easy would life have been if she hadn't known about the things that went bump in the night? How would her life have been if she had bought her Halloween costume at a different place?

The same questions she always asked herself, despite the knowledge that doing so would do her no good. What worried her though was the fact that these questions seemed to pop up more and more often. And not just the questions either, for some time now there had been the doubt as well.

Doubt that she was doing the right thing, doubt that all her plans might not work, doubts about the past, the present, and the future. As she was getting closer and closer to the perimeter around Terminal City she considered the conversation she had with Samantha. Nice, comfortable, easygoing, and most of all gullible Samantha.

Making jokes about her being Noir while there were so many people who would never joke about that—because they had found out. And she remembered them all. From the old man, who had been one of the first targets while working with Mireille, to Ethan Rayne and the young child of one of LA's judges. That was the curse that came with a trained memory.

She had never asked for the ability to be able to remember everything she saw and did. It had been one of those things that Soldats had deemed important for an assassin to know and with the merging that ability had transferred to the combined mind of the new Dawn. For years she had only seen the positive sides of that ability, but recently…

The nightmares weren't things she could easily ignore, and why was she starting to have them anyway? Had she, after all these years, finally gained an annoying conscience? That seemed almost too unlikely, but it might be the reason for these strange events.

"I'm sorry miss, but you can't come any closer."

Looking at the police officer who was barring her way, Dawn's instincts screamed for a response that would leave the man's bloody corpse lying on the ground. The temerity of that man to believe he had the right to stop her from going where she wanted. But, without showing any outward sign of her internal struggle, it was reason that won out, causing her answer to be delivered with her mouth, instead of her weapons. "Why not, officer?"

The man blinked at that, obviously he believed it was still way too early for him to answer a stupid question like that. Always let people underestimate you, never show your true capabilities to anyone that you don't trust. And only trust those incapable of spreading the information. "This is where the perimeter around Terminal City starts. And a classy lady such as yourself wouldn't want to be in such a rough neighborhood, would she?"

Actually, she would. There was someone important behind that perimeter. Someone she needed to see, someone she needed to… No, she had allowed herself to be distracted by her thoughts again. Instead of immediately answering the man though, she first looked behind him at the large group of police and national guard in place. "But surely I wouldn't be in any danger with so many of your colleagues around, would I?"

"Perhaps not, but it's better if you don't take the risk. The streets aren't exactly safe at the moment."

"Why not?" And for once she asked a question that truly puzzled her, during her walk to the perimeter she hadn't seen any crimes going on. No purse snatching, no drug dealings, there hadn't even been groups of lowlifes hanging around to bother her. "I didn't see anything."

With that question she seemed to reach the end of the officer's self-control. He was getting fed up with her and wanted her to leave. So he would undoubtedly tell her the real reason, instead of talking around it. "That's because of the Pax Noir."

The words themselves came as a huge surprise, but Dawn did her best not to let any of it show on her face. A fact not easily accomplished, but necessary nonetheless. "The Black Peace? What's that? It doesn't really sound dangerous." Nothing in her voice betrayed the emotions that were coursing through her body. Surprise, anger, happiness, and a lot others warred for control but none could gain a clear advantage over any of the others and before they could start posing any risks to her she purged herself of all emotions.

The officer meanwhile sighed at the stupid behavior of another rich woman, probably wondering why they were always so incapable of doing anything. "Look, miss. There's no reason for you to understand what I'm talking about. But if you want my advice, go home, lock the door, and try again in a week. This mess should be over by then."

Well, when the man's right, he's right. She didn't doubt the fact that this would all be over in a week, but that didn't mean she liked his prediction in that same direction. She had known that the police would be aware of her imminent arrival, as somewhere along the line she had lost the ability to move to a city without its inhabitants finding out. Not that it mattered, her cover was far too extensive and, if necessary, would be able to stand up to any scrutiny it might be subjected to.

As a source of information the police officer had lost his use however, and without bothering to say goodbye she turned around to storm off. Let him brag to his friends how he'd managed to piss off some stupid rich broad, she had better things to do. Turning a corner into a grubby-looking side street, Dawn continued her stroll through the city. Although she was mainly looking down at the ground, Dawn did notice what was happening around her. Not that she let anyone notice that of course, and so it was that after she had walked for maybe five more minutes someone once again interrupted her musings.

"I'm sorry miss, but you're not allowed to come here."

Opening her eyes in surprise, Dawn focused their innocent look on the officer in front of her. "Why not, officer?" Two down, about twenty more to go.

X.X.X

"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is an Eyes Only streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city." Hearing the all too familiar words, Original Cindy joined her fellow messengers in looking at the television.

After the warning she had received the day before she wondered if that was what this broadcast was about as well. But when Eyes Only started on a different subject she tuned the message out and spent her time watching her co-workers. Due to the whole hostage situation Jam Pony had become famous overnight, literally, and the extra business that had brought had forced Normal to hire more staff.

Well, that and the fact that he had suddenly lost several of his employees, including his golden boy. A grin formed at the memory of how the man had looked when Alec had grabbed the gun from his hand, but when she noticed Normal looking at her suspiciously she quickly stifled it and turned her mind back to where it belonged. The new guys.

Even Sketchy had noticed that there was something off about most of them, and, while he was one of her best friends, nobody could deny that Sketchy wasn't the most observant guy around. Most likely they were government people, or maybe some of them were from that cult Max had told her about. Whatever their origin, they stood out like a sore thumb among the usual degenerates, as Normal so often called them.

"Well, that was interesting."

"What?" Original Cindy turned to look at Sketchy.

"You know, what Eyes Only was just sayin', weren't you listening?"

"Nah," she shook her head as she answered him. "I was thinkin' of somethin' else."

Sketchy looked thoughtful as he answered. "The thing Logan told us about?"

"That too."

"What else then?"

"These fools who're here ta keep an eye on us. Jus' in case Max or Alec return, as if they'd be that stupid." Okay, when she said it like that it didn't seem all that useless for them to be here. Alec was far too focused on his own survival to risk going back to a place he had mainly used to have a legitimate source of income, but Original Cindy also knew that her friend had more ties to this building.

"Oh, that," Sketchy answered while trying to inconspicuously observe the agents, thereby drawing their attention as he completely failed in that regard. "Yeah, I wonder how long they'll be here before they give up on that."

"Or when the man fires them. All the fools do is to try an' hang around here as long as they can."

"He did hire that kid this morning. Maybe he's tryin' to find replacements."

"Could be," before she could counter his argument though she noticed the sudden movements of the aforementioned people. A brunette woman came walking into the building. No scratch that, a fine brunette woman came walking into the building. The spies, or whatever they were, probably checked her out because her basic description was kinda like Max'. Not that she looked like her boo at all, but the fools probably didn't know that.

Original Cindy however had a completely different reason for checking the woman out, a reason that was very similar to why Sketchy and almost every other male in the building was doing so. This really was one fine looking woman. Within moments however she noticed the tiny details that turned her off; the woman walked around as if she owned the building, and while she didn't mind a bit of ego in a woman, there was a limit to what she was able to stand. And this woman was one person who had obviously overdosed on it. Combined with the expensive looking clothes it could only mean she was some kind of spoiled rich kid, and as she realized that Original Cindy lost all interest. People like that came with far too many complications.

"Wow," Sketchy sighed as he continued to stare at the woman, something that for some strange reason irritated Original Cindy.

"Stop droolin' fool. She's way outta your league."

"What makes you think that?" He answered, not taking his eyes of the rich bitch for even a moment.

"Look at her, she's some kinda spoiled rich kid. The only reason she's here is 'cause she wants to check out where the 'freaks' held people hostage." As if she'd heard her words the brunette looked in her direction and for a moment the two women locked eyes. An experience that wasn't like anything Original Cindy had expected. The brown eyes she stared in seemed to be the saddest pair of eyes she had ever encountered.

While their eyes were locked like that, she felt as if she could drown in those expressive eyes. What terrible things had this woman undergone? Why did she look as if she had just lost everything she cared about? While it seemed to go on for an eternity, the moment had soon passed and the eyes had changed again. A vapid look had settled over the woman's face as she scanned the rest of the building, looking for all the world as if that brief show of emotion had never happened.

Shivering without really knowing why, Original Cindy couldn't get the memory of those eyes out of her mind. For that brief moment it had been as if she'd stepped into a completely different world. It was almost as if the woman had come from a world where the Pulse never happened, where life had gone on as it had been supposed to. But it was also a world where happiness wasn't considered important.

"-Normal," Sketchy said, breaking her train of thought.

"What was that?"

"I said, she's here to see Normal."

And indeed, that seemed to be the truth. Having seen what she had wanted to see the woman stepped over to their boss. And, like most of her colleagues, Original Cindy did her best to try and hear what they would be talking about. It seemed ridiculous that someone like that would come here for a job, but, if the testosterone that had suddenly reared its head among the men was any indication, that was what most of them hoped she'd come here for.

"Hi, I would like to have this packet delivered please," the woman said, without noticing the effect those words had on the other people in the building. Original Cindy however could hardly contain her laughter; the disappointed faces all around her were a good distraction from the memory of those eyes. And as the conversation between the woman and Normal turned to what it would cost to have something delivered, she turned her mind to more interesting things.

A fine-looking woman had come into the building, but she wasn't Original Cindy's type and had only been there for business. What did it matter how those eyes had looked? There were more important things in life that she should concern herself with, for one she still had some packages to deliver. So before Normal could 'bip, bip, bip' her, she grabbed her bag and took off on another run.

X.X.X

Mere minutes after she had noticed the dark-skinned girl leave Jam Pony, Dawn did the same. She had spent enough time inside the building to get a first impression about it and, more importantly, the people who worked there.

It had been impressive how fast Original Cindy had decided she wasn't interesting enough to drool over. At least one person had had the self-control to look beyond the physical appearance and examine the fake identity she portrayed. The others had been so focused on imagining what she would look like naked that it wouldn't have surprised her if someone thought there had been a water leak. But that wasn't important.

The only reason she had gone into the building was to get a good look at the principals in this little game. Original Cindy, Sketchy, and even Normal. The others had been unimportant, as they hadn't been as involved with 452 as these three had. Besides, she had noticed the brief hesitation in some of the workers there. As if for a moment they had believed she was 452, a reaction that indicated they only had some low-quality images of the transgenic.

Everywhere she was going though, there seemed to be someone trying to stop her from achieving her goal. Aside from the number of law enforcement officers involved with the blockade there had been others as well. Bounty hunters, or maybe even people with a grudge against her. She hadn't recognized anyone, but you never knew about something like that. It wouldn't be the first time someone had wanted to take their revenge on her for killing their father, daughter, brother, aunt, or favorite dog.

She allowed a slight smile to grace her face at that last ridiculous thought; she only killed humans, not animals. But bad jokes aside, she wasn't happy about the presence of those bounty hunters. Oh, she had known it was inevitable that they would show up, but she had hoped that it would at least been limited to human scum. The demons had been hidden well enough that she hadn't seen any, but the signs had been everywhere. Not that she could describe exactly what it was that told her she was being watched by any nonhumans, but she knew.

"Can't be helped though," Dawn muttered while continuing her walk to the mansion. If there were demons standing between her and her goal, well, they would just have to be removed like everyone else. Never let it be said that she was a racist, the species or color of a person didn't matter to her when they needed to be removed from the playing field. Nothing could stand against the maiden with black hands.

Taking a look at her watch however made her realize that her exploration of the city had taken longer than she'd planned. There were still some things she needed to do before the party that evening and she'd better hurry if she wanted to finish them all.

X.X.X

Walking to the brightly lit mansion was in Logan's opinion the only good thing that would happen that evening. No wait, there would be something even better later on, walking home. But unfortunately this was one event that was too important to miss, and his personal feelings be damned. This was for Max. Someone was planning on having her assassinated, and tonight he would find out who that someone was.

Bracing himself he looked at his companion and couldn't stop himself from feeling the regret that was caused by who she was. The last time he had been forced to go to one of these things he had gone together with Max, who in her own indomitable way had gotten herself a dress by 'borrowing' it from a store. Now however he wasn't accompanied by her, and for a moment he wondered if it maybe he should have gone alone after all. But no, two people saw more than one.

"You okay?" Asha asked him, probably concerned about the way he had been staring in her direction without actually looking at her.

"I'm fine." Taking a deep breath he scolded his traitorous thoughts. No matter how her actions after the incident at Jam Pony might be interpreted, he had to remember that Max was with Alec now. She was with one of her own kind now, something he just had to learn how to live with it. And like her he should be moving on with his life, and he would. As soon as it stopped hurting so much. "Let's do this, shall we?"

At her curt nod he rang the doorbell, using the time before it was opened to compose himself and focus on the mission, instead of his failed love life. The butler who opened the door escorted them to the room where the party was already started and led them directly to their hosts. At least the man hadn't felt the need to announce the two of them to the entire room, he had always hated it when that happened.

"Ah Logan, I see you made it. And who is your beautiful companion?" Samantha Masters greeted him, obviously doing her best to hide her surprise that he had shown up. But even that unexpected surprise was better than her husband's clear disapproval of his presence here. If they felt that way about his presence here, why had they invited him?

"Samantha, Jacob," Logan said, while doing his best to ignore those reactions, "it is my pleasure to introduce you to a good friend of mine. Asha Barlowe. Asha, meet Samantha and Jacob Masters, our hosts of the evening."

"Pleased to meet you," Asha said, starting to raise her hand so she could greet them properly, but—obviously feeling the same disapproval he did—she quickly lowered it again. What was it with these two people? He had never really gotten along with them, but for duty's sake he had appeared at their parties several times. Never had he been treated to such a cold reception however. But if they didn't want him here, why had they sent the invitation?

"It's good to meet you too dear," Samantha answered the greeting, clearly doing her best to remain civil, but even her good acting couldn't cover the disapproval practically radiating from Jacob. It did make Logan suddenly realize that the man of the house hadn't said a single word yet. That was probably a good thing though, Jacob Masters was many things but a good diplomat wasn't one of them. His outspokenness and inability to hide his distaste of what he considered polite lying was probably the only thing that Logan respected about him.

Seconds had passed in polite chit-chat between the women, but he could already see the signs that indicated Samantha's opinion about Asha. His companion obviously wasn't educated enough, didn't have enough money, and was obviously only a low-life profiteer. Realization hit him then, was that how they considered him as well? Because he had accepted an invitation to a place he no longer had any right to visit? He didn't really want to believe it, but when the next guests who arrived were announced the moment they stepped through the door he realized that was exactly what had happened. The unwritten rules of high society had never seemed so harsh before.

Using the announcement of their new guests as their excuse, the Masters' were off, leaving Logan and Asha standing alone. "Well, that was fun," Asha told him, obviously not used to being treated like that.

"I think I may have made a mistake in coming here after all."

"Why? Because we're treated like a couple of insignificant nobodies?" his companion asked. Clearly not as bothered by what had just happened as he was.

"Actually, yes. That does have something to do with it."

"Don't worry. People like that have looked down upon me for my entire life, you just have to learn how to live with it."

Sure, he might not have wanted the approval of his former peers, but now that he was faced with the consequences of losing it entirely Logan didn't like it one bit. "Really? And how do you propose to do that?" he bit out, not caring if it made him look like a spoiled child.

"Simple," Asha said, while taking two glasses from a passing waiter, and handing one of them to him. "They might look down on you, but what have they actually done that really matters? In the last month alone, you have achieved more than they are likely to do for the rest of their lives. Doesn't that tell you something? It shouldn't be they who look down on you, but you should be the one to look down on them."

She might have a point there, but it was hard to actually credit it while he was standing there, sipping a glass of exquisite champagne while all around him people he knew were casting disapproving looks in his direction. "Let's just do what we came here for, shall we? I think it might be best if we split up though. Most of these people have no idea who you are, or came with, so they'll probably at least pretend to be polite to you. That way at least one of us has a chance to get some information."

"Right," Asha nodded her tentative approval. From the way she looked it was obvious she wasn't very happy about having to walk through enemy territory all by herself, but the conclusion was a logical one. For a moment he watched as she wove her way through the milling people, once again wishing that it had been Max who had come here with him. She would have been able to get so much more information out of these people, but it wasn't long before he shook that thought off and turned around to start his own trek through the crowd.

For the next hour he tried to get some information, but every single time he attempted to enter a conversation he was stared away. The message became clear that these people didn't want anything to do with him, and his mood became more and more depressed. Twirling his glass of champagne around in his hand he thought about the option of just indulging himself and get roaring drunk. That would probably make these people feel vindicated about their behavior, and while he didn't like that, he was pretty sure that if he drank enough he wouldn't care.

With a regretful sigh he put the half-full glass aside however, this wasn't the time or the place for something like that. As Asha had said, he just had to remember that these people weren't as important as they believed themselves to be. He was after all Eyes Only and because of him this city was now a far safer place to live in. Or it would have been if the holes he created in the criminal world hadn't been filled up almost immediately.

No, no more negative thoughts like that. He had been doing a good job, and now he really should continue. If he hadn't given up after White had destroyed his apartment and equipment, he really shouldn't start doing it when the odds for success where far higher. Looking around to see if there was anyone who he might approach without being told to leave.

When he finally noticed the strangely familiar, but unknown, woman in a stylish dress he decided he might as well try to find out if she knew anything. The chances weren't high, but it was better than nothing.

"Hello mister Cale," the woman said when he had neared her. The fact that she knew him was surprising enough, but that she identified him while she still had her back to him wasn't something he had expected. "Don't look so surprised mister Cale, surely you are aware that things aren't always what they seem."

What could she mean by that? He opened his mouth to ask her but before the words left his mouth he finally noticed the mirror through which she was looking at him. Only when he met her eyes in there did she turn around with a tiny smirk on her face, and raised her eyebrows in an obvious attempt to get him to speak. "I'm afraid that you have me at a disadvantage ma'am."

"Indeed I do." Oh wonderful, someone that enjoyed playing games, combined with the way she had made him look like a fool moments before, this behavior gave him an instant dislike for the woman. And any other time he would have just walked away, but as she was probably the only person around who was willing to talk to him, he didn't have a choice but to continue.

"May I ask your name then?"

"Of course." In an attempt to control his mounting temper he lightly bit his lip, just enough to have it hurt, but not enough to draw blood. Alright, if that was how this was going to be he just had to throw politeness out of the door and ask his questions directly. He was after all a reporter and therefore knew how to do that.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Dawn Summers, pleased to meet you." And with that she stuck out her hand, suddenly acting quite polite. As he grabbed the deceptively strong hand, Logan thought about what he knew of the woman before him. She was about thirty-seven years old, although she didn't look like she was a day over twenty-five, and while born in the States she had left for France shortly before the Pulse. There she had used her wealth to start her own company, which had grown from there.

Nobody knew how she had obtained the starters money, but despite several investigations, instigated by her competitors, there had never been any proof of anything illegal where it concerned her company. Her involvement with the company itself was never really clear however. There was a CEO who was supposed to be in control, but according to the rumors he didn't do anything without her approval. The most important single fact about that company was what interested Logan however.

Genetic research. A lot of her money was made by genetic research, mostly by improving crops, but there was a small, yet significant, division that was concerned with improving the human race. Specifically something that had once upon a time been called gene-doping. The program was nowhere as drastic as Manticore, but similar programs had been debated ferociously during the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask what brought you here?"

"Of course." No. Not again! Sensing his mood however, Summers smiled and spoke again. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist that."

"It's alright," he sighed in frustration. Damned control freak. "What brought you here?"

"An airplane." He didn't know what his face looked like at that moment, but if her laughter was any indication it wasn't exactly pretty.

When he finally had his temper firmly back in control, Summers had stopped laughing, and everybody else was once again focusing on their own business he once more rephrased his question. "What I obviously wanted to ask-"

"But didn't."

He ignored the annoying comment and continued without missing a beat. "Was why you're here, in Seattle I mean." Who knew what she'd answer if he didn't add that last part.

"You're catching on. But to answer your question, I have some business to complete here."

"What kind of business?"

"The kind that you shouldn't pry in." Very well, he'd just have to try and use other sources to find out why she was in Seattle then. That was alright, he would have done that anyway, if only to check if she'd lied to him.

An hour passed while the two of them talked about varying subjects, no matter what the subject was however, he never managed to find out her opinion about any of them. He was a good journalist and reporter, but the woman he was facing now was so slippery it was almost unbelievable. And the worst thing was that he couldn't detect a single lie, nor did she ever contradict herself.

"Hey," Asha said as she joined the two of them, having given up on her attempt to get information.

"Hello, miss Barlowe." How did she know Asha?

"Uh, hello. I don't mean to be rude, but who are you and how do you know my name?"

"I'm Dawn Summers, and as for knowing your name. I asked Samantha." Oh, well that did make sense of course.

Asha simply laughed at that, probably thinking she was way too suspicious of that sudden knowledge. He really should try to make it clear to her that she should be suspicious of whatever this woman said. You couldn't become that slippery by doing everything legally. "Anyway, I was wondering."

"How interesting," Summers muttered, although Logan started to have a feeling she mainly did that because it bothered him.

"Isn't it? Anyway, do you happen to know why that man over there looks like he's angry at you?"

"Oh, you mean Victor? It's not really important, when I arrived here last night he and I flirted a bit, but he wanted to take it further than I did. So he's probably only a bit frustrated, sexually that is." Victor? Logan cast a look around until he noticed who they had been talking about, and when he identified this Victor as Victor Jackson he immediately smelled trouble. No matter who you were, it couldn't possibly be a smart thing to piss off someone who was so obviously tied to the criminal underworld. Not that he had any proof of those connections, but he was certain they were there. Summers however didn't appear worried, and when she noticed he was she tried to put him at ease. "Don't worry, he needs something from me, so I don't think he'll try to do anything stupid."

If you say so. But before he could react to that statement, Asha was talking again. "You're staying with the Masters?"

"Yes, Samantha is an old friend of mine."

"This party is for you then?"

A slight smile once again appeared on Summers' face. Apparently she appreciated Asha blunt way of asking questions more than she did his way. Women. "Yeah, in fact that's why your friend here was invited. I wanted to speak to him."

Wait a minute? She was behind the invitation, but how did she even know his name? "Why?"

"I had a feeling you might want to come here for some answers, not that you're likely to get them, and I wanted to find something out."

He wasn't going to find out anything here? Was that a hint that Noir hadn't been hired by anyone here? "What was it that you wanted to find out then?"

Coming to stand closer ho him, Summers told him. "First, I wanted to know if the exoskeleton made any noise, and secondly." This time she moved so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek, and clearly smell the perfume she wore, before whispering so that only he could hear it. "I wanted to find out if your eyes were as expressive here as they are on television."

After saying those words she stepped back, and nodding a short goodbye to the two of them, she walked away, leaving him to stare at her retreating back in consternation. She couldn't possibly know, could she?

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave some feedback.

Jade eye's, thanks for the review but I'm afraid there was no answer to your question in this chapter. So, I'm afraid you'll have to use your imagination about what happened. Who knows? Maybe I will provide an answer in a later chapter.