Lady Death stepped easily through the forest, quiet as a stalking cat and invisible as the wind.

Well, that was an exaggeration. Invisible as a chameleon might be closer. Her armor was jet black, but over it she wore a strange fabric cloak. A brand new product, designed for covert operations, it generated a field that mimicked the surroundings and made her very difficult to see. The hood was pulled down around her face, hiding any hint of her features.

She was stalking a Maverick today. Although, truth be known, she suspected many Mavericks would have found him just as repulsive as everyone else did. Sadistic pedophilia was a very odd derangement for a Reploid to have. If his creator was ever located, he would have some hard questions to answer.

A few short hours later, Lady Death had a head in her bag and yet another notch on her belt. A completely legal notch, in this case, done under a new identity as a legitimate bounty hunter. The money wasn't as good as her usual rates, but business was slow and the risk had been minimal.

Lady Death paused as she heard a muffled explosion. Whatever it was, it really wasn't her business. She had no reason to interfere, besides curiosity. And as the old saying went, curiosity killed the cat. But unsatisfied curiosity scratched like a pin, and she decided she at least needed to know what was happening. She carefully slipped over towards the sound.

The scene she eventually witnessed was not welcome. Lady Death's lips tightened into a thin line as she saw the shattered trees, the broken hovercycle and the equally broken body that had once ridden it. Fires burned, and she quickly deduced that a group of Mavericks had been lucky enough to surprise a Hunter patrol. If the Mavericks had managed a jamming field, it would take reinforcements time to get here… time the patrol didn't have.

It was an academic matter for most of them already. Lady Death regarded the bodies dispassionately, mentally piecing them together and tallying them. The typical Hunter patrol was four people, sometimes five. She could see three dead that looked like Hunters, and several more that appeared to be Mavericks. That left one, maybe two… following the trail of wreckage, she found a group of six Maverick surrounding the last two Hunters. One, a female in burgundy armor, was unconscious on the ground, perhaps dead. Her companion was standing protectively over her, facing the Mavericks, but it was obvious to Lady Death that he was badly injured. Without her intervention, they would both die… or worse. There was always a worse.

Coldness settled over her thoughts, and Lady Death realized that she had made her decision. She was in her empty place, and she would kill them all. There were only six.

Lady Death reached under her cloak, and pulled out a small spider drone. They were expensive, and she made a mental note to send a bill to Hunter HQ. She quickly climbed the tree beside her… a very tall tree, with plenty of leaves and spreading limbs. Once she was in a comfortable sniping position, she pulled out her remote control and started the drone moving.

The Hunter was trying to talk to the Mavericks, and they seemed to be taunting him. Lady Death's eyes narrowed in satisfaction… they were giving her the time she needed to get the drone into an ideal position. One of the Mavericks suddenly noticed the drone, and she cursed softly as he picked it up curiously. The positioning wasn't perfect, but it would have to do.

Curiosity proved fatal as the drone abruptly exploded, shredding the Maverick holding it. Several other Mavericks reeled away, burnt and injured from the plasma grenade encased in the small metal body. Lady Death saw with mild dismay that the standing Hunter was now on the ground, having taken part of the blast. Then the second canister in the drone went off, and smoke covered the Mavericks in a choking cloud.

Lady Death immediately started to fire. She had marked their positions, and could see movement within the cloud, but THEY could not see HER. More astute troops might have realized that she was firing from on high, so to speak, but the Mavericks had not even grasped that. The shots coming out of the cloud were coming in at floor level, and only served to help pinpoint her enemies. A female Maverick staggered out of the cloud, and Lady Death dropped her with a shot to the face.

When the cloud finally cleared, all the Mavericks were dead. To her pleasure, Lady Death saw that the Hunter had killed two of them in the confusion, but had possessed the good sense not to leave his companion. If he had, she would surely have shot him, seeing only movement in the smoke. She climbed down her tree, and walked cautiously into the clearing, pausing only to pump another round into a Maverick who might still be alive. Even a crippled, dying enemy could kill and Lady Death took no chances.

The male Hunter was on guard, staring at her in confusion and apprehension. He obviously had no idea what to expect from her. Lady Death paused, and examined him more carefully. He was handsome; with a face that was young yet gave the impression of age. Perhaps it was because of the long scar that ran down one cheek, marring the youthful beauty. His armor was very nice, blue and red with silver accents. Her gaze dropped to the female Hunter. She was tall and dark, with an oriental skin tone and thick black hair. She was also badly injured, with a tremendous gash in her back.

"Is she alive?" Lady Death asked, her tone mildly curious. She was no specialist on Reploid physiology, but the damage didn't look good. The Hunter stared at her.

"Yes, I think so… who are you?" Lady Death paused for a moment. Sometimes, she got a little confused about which identity she was using at any time.

"Amalie Krem." She answered. "I'm a bounty hunter. And you are…?"

"Ah… I'm Echo, and this is Purity." He ventured a wary smile, and Lady Death smiled back smoothly. "I don't suppose you would have any tools…?" He motioned to Purity, then his own injuries. Lady Death pursed her lips, then nodded.

"Yes, I do." She found a pouch in her chameleon cloak, and pulled out a small welding torch. It had been meant as a general tool to use on Carrion, and she hadn't gotten around to getting rid of it. Perhaps she would keep it… it could be useful in a wide variety of settings, although if she was going to be breaking into somewhere, she would usually bring something more specialized. "Here. I know how to do basic repairs, but nothing more." Echo accepted the tool, and immediately started staunching the worst of Purity's wounds. Lady Death began to slowly scan the underbrush. She didn't really think any more Mavericks were lurking about, but you couldn't be too careful. It took some time, but Echo finally shook his head.

"That's the best I can do." Echo handed back the tool to her, and she accepted it with a nod… then gripped his arm. "Wha… oh." Lady Death smiled as he submitted to her attentions, and she did her best to repair the damage the plasma grenade and Mavericks had done. Her efforts couldn't fix many things, but she was able to plug a few leaks and patch some circuits. Echo studied her as she worked, and suddenly blinked. "You're human, aren't you?" With her armor and chameleon cloak, it was difficult to tell… and her take down of the Mavericks was very unusual for a human. Lady Death nodded.

"Since I was born," she said with a wry smile, and Echo blinked.

"Oh… why did you help us?" It had been a very high risk endeavor, even with her clever tactics. If the Mavericks had been a trifle smarter, they could have targeted her and knocked her out of the tree. Lady Death paused, as she remembered…

She was twelve when it happened.

Just barely pubescent, she had already killed three men and one woman. Her father and her mother had been her first victims, for very good reason. The other two had been fools who had thought they could use her. Her weapon of choice at the time was a broken bottle across the throat. Messy, but quite fatal.

Back then, she had been surviving by theft. She had tried to join a gang, but found they expected girls her age to spread legs for them. She would never be a whore for anyone, ever. She would never be like her mother. At least her father had been strong in his cruelties.

Lady Death remembered what it had felt like, being twelve. Her heart had felt like distilled poison, the very essence of rage. Her kills hadn't been cold then, but burning hot, done out of rage and hatred on the men who tried to make a whore of her and the mother that never protected her from anything. With the passion of youth, she hated everyone and everything. Her life was a constant attempt to punish the world for the sins it had committed against her.

She had been eating when the Mavericks attacked. Huddled under the bridge she used for shelter, she had watched as they destroyed everything she knew… not that she mourned any of it, but she had feared for her own life.

There was a footstep behind her, and she turned around with lightning swiftness, a broken shard of glass clutched tightly in one small fist. It wasn't much of a weapon, but Reploid armor had a few weak spots…like the face, and the throat. The second was a difficult target unless you were very, very close, but she might get that close. If a Maverick grabbed her, she was determined not to go into the darkness alone.

And she was about to see if she could. The Maverick in front of her was wearing red and orange armor, civilian style, and he would have been handsome if his eyes hadn't been so insane. He laughed as he spotted her.

"Little rat girl, little rat… come here, brat." She stared at him, expression malignant. There was no point in running. Even an adult human of his size could outdistance her… she stood no chance against a Reploid.

"Fuck you." She said succinctly. "And go and-" She made a particularly obscene suggestion, involving his bodily orifices and a pineapple. The Maverick listened, his head cocked to one side and expression amused.

"Aren't you the filthy little brat?" He moved with blinding speed, gripping her arm and hoisting her off her feet. "I think I'll- OW!" She slashed his face with her other hand, blinding him in one eye. He snarled and grabbed her hand, breaking her wrist with one brutal twist. She hissed at the pain, but didn't cry out. She'd learned how to endure a long time ago. "Little bitch! I'm going to tear you apart!" She gasped as he began to slowly pull her arms away from her body, the joints groaning in protest-

There was a blinding flash of light, and Lady Death was tossed away. She curled into a ball, taking the fall with long practice, and looked up as soon as she could. The Maverick was scrap metal, and there was another Reploid there in light green armor. Brown eyes fell on her, and he started towards her. She looked around for another weapon, and bit her lip as she couldn't find anything. Her primary wrist was broken anyway… She was surprised as the Reploid picked her up. His hands were strong, but gently as he lifted her.

"Hang on, child," he said, his voice soft and kind. She hesitated, then slipped her good arm around his neck. "I'm a Maverick Hunter. I'll take you somewhere safe."

"Safe…" Lady Death said softly. She didn't believe in safe, but somehow, the way he said that made her want to.

She ignored the surroundings, concentrating on holding on as he carried her through the burnt out city. She glanced up at his face, seeing the intent, focused expression he wore as he ducked and dodged out of trouble. She was hindering him, but it didn't seem to bother him. Lady Death studied his face, committing it to her memory. An ordinary face… but in this moment, he seemed extraordinary. A tiny bit of hair had escaped his helmet, and she saw it was the same brown as his eyes.

They finally reached an evacuation effort, and he jumped into a transport, setting her gently onto the floor. "They'll get you out of here, child." She nodded.

"Thank you." Lady Death whispered, and watched as he leapt back out of the transport. Then she hissed as a medic gripped her hand, putting a crude splint on her wrist.

For the rest of the trip out, Lady Death was in a bit of a fog. She was thinking deeply about the Maverick Hunter, the way he had saved her, the way he had acted. There had been no rage in his actions, only cool competence. And he hadn't had to save her… it had been difficult for him, shielding her and avoiding any shots. It was a revelation to her, that she was worth that kind of effort. For all violence she had used to reject her father's demands on her, she had still internalized his opinion of her. Worthless trash, he had called her. One person, at least, didn't think that was true.

And she realized another thing, that there were people out there who did not deserve her rage. Good people, like that Maverick Hunter. She wasn't sure how she could tell the good from the bad, but she made a silent oath to herself. She wouldn't harm a Maverick Hunter, ever. Killing and stealing was all she knew, but she would never victimize them, as a tribute to the Hunter who had saved her…

Lady Death sighed, remembering. Her heart and soul had been too badly scarred for her to ever be normal, even if she had wanted to, but the Hunter's example had set her feet on a less dangerous path. Instead of a furious grenade looking for a place to go off, she had deadened her fury, leached it away and become a keen knife instead. Just as deadly, but selective in her targets. Echo was still waiting for her response, though, and she gave him the shortened version.

"A Hunter saved me when I was a child. It was the least I could do." Lady Death's head suddenly snapped around, and her rifle came up as she registered movement- three hoverbikes. She took aim on the lead one-

"No, don't!" Echo grabbed her gun, and Lady Death suppressed her immediate instinctive reaction… to club him senseless. "We sent for help, but there was a jamming field…" Lady Death relaxed, lowering her weapon.

"Ah. Sorry." She wasn't used to expecting backup… generally, if she saw someone else with weapons, they were an enemy. Only Carrion had been an exception to that rule, and she could have recognized him in the dark, without her optical goggles.

"Echo!" The first hoverbike skidded to a halt, making Lady Death wince. That kind of wear and tear was completely unnecessary and irked her slightly. The female Hunter on it jumped free with a wide grin. "You're alive! You bastard, we thought you were dead!" They embraced enthusiastically, and she pounded his back with one fist. Echo returned the greeting, but then turned somber.

"Yes, but the others…" He shook his head. "It's only me and Purity, and we wouldn't have made it either if Amalie hadn't taken them out." The three new Hunters looked her over quizzically, but Lady Death ignored all but one. He was standing quietly to the side, behind the other two, but to her he was the only important thing in the world.

"It's you," she said softly, staring at the light green armor, the brown eyes… he blinked, looking puzzled. He couldn't recognize her, of course. She was no child anymore. She stepped closer, her plasma rifle hanging limply from her hand. It landed on the ground with a thud as she suddenly moved… and hugged him tightly. He held her awkwardly, startled, as she buried her face against his neck and tightly closed her eyes.

He even smells the same… Lady Death lifted her head, meeting his confused brown eyes. She smiled, and tried to explain. "You saved me, when I was a little girl… it was so long ago. I never thought you would still be alive." It had been almost twelve years ago, and Hunters died all the time. "Thank you." He blushed, then smiled shyly back at her. The years had made quite a change, and Lady Death was far more interesting to hold now than she had been then. She blinked as she realized that, and moved away… but he took her hands, holding them.

"You're welcome," he said in that same soft voice she remembered so well… Lady Death finally asked a question she had always wanted the answer to.

"What is your name?" She had been too dazed to ask, as a child.

"Caedmon." He hesitated, and it seemed to her that he wanted to ask her something, but didn't know how. A thought occurred to her, and she smiled almost shyly. She ordinarily wasn't self-conscious at all… but she was usually putting up a false front. This was different.

"Could I give you my phone number?" She asked quietly. "I need to take my bounty in, but… I'd like to hear from you." That wasn't the wisest move she could make, business wise. It would breach the cover of one of her identities… but Lady Death thought it was worth it. She wanted to get to know the Hunter who had saved her.

"I… I would like that." Caedmon replied, and Lady Death dug out a small notepad from another pocket of her camouflage cloak. It was a cute little pad, a heart surrounded with little forget me not flowers. Somehow, that seemed very appropriate.

"Erm… yeah, well. I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but Purity needs to get back for repairs." One of the others broke in, and Caedmon stepped back with an embarrassed look. Lady Death smiled, amused, tucking away the notepad and folding the piece of paper with Caedmon's number on it. He tucked hers into his armor.

"See you soon." Lady Death watched as they drove away, then picked up her plasma rifle.

She had business to see to.