Angels With

Scaly Wings:

Alternate Reality

Season One

Episode One

The Exile

Time. The Exile had no idea how much time had passed. He lost consciousness somewhere in transit to this... new, yet somehow strangely familiar world that he now found himself waking up on. Finding that portal device was just a stroke of luck - luckier, still, was how it still had power. He didn't understand most of what it was or how it worked; only that, clearly, it worked. On examining the console of the corresponding portal, he realized it had logs that he had used it. That had to be fixed. He didn't know if any of them survived, and if they did, he wasn't going to leave a trail for them to follow. No way in hell. He quickly erased the data, and then left in a hurry. Something told him he should. The Force guided him. He had no money, and nothing he cared to trade - and given the ambient darkness, he estimated it was sometime past midnight, so even if he did have items to trade, there was nowhere to trade them for whatever currency this world used. First order of business was to secure food, clean water, and a place to sleep. Getting water was easy enough - a faucet outside a building in the city he infiltrated allowed him to fill up his canteen; food was also just as easy; he found some game on a farm, and with a shot from his rifle - fitted with a suppressor he scavenged before coming here - took down his target, and his unnatural strength allowed him to carry his prey away with no difficulty, where he was able to slice it up and store it in the Transporter Buffers in his gauntlets so he could cook and eat it later. Food, check. Water, check. Surveying his surroundings with his telltale draconic eyes - a deep yellow surrounding narrow, black slits - the Exile looked for a place to stay that was within a reasonable distance to his source of water and food. While searching, he found a small slaughterhouse not far from his source of water, and a park, identified as the Tatsu Park. Park was out of the question - too likely to be spotted by locals. He needed someplace more... concealable. A map at public directory provided him with a detailed schematic of the city, one he was quick to scan into his gauntlet computer before he vanished again. Once he was in a secure location, he reviewed the map, and found a spot relatively close to his water and food source, and headed there.

The location was quiet, and in an area that looked as though it was not frequented by visitors often. Still, he set a few makeshift devices from parts in the alley to warn him if anyone came down that way. That done, he did a quick perimeter search to confirm he was alone - at least for the time being - and then called up his sleeping bag from the transporter buffers, made himself at home in a secluded, hidden corner that had easy access to a ladder, and went to sleep.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

{{{{{ }}}}}

After a long stint, Anna was ready to drop dead. She didn't know why she had thought the latest experiment would work. She thought it had potential. Lies to make her feel better. How could she beat this? The council didn't help, either. And then there was Damion, the bastard. Self-centered, selfish jackass - always looking for something new to use against her. When all she wanted was to live. But still, something gnawed at her. Why was she taking this route to her apartment? Her normal route was faster. What possessed her to come here? The Dragoness didn't know. Something drove her, but she didn't understand what or why. She delved deeper into the alley, heading for the street, she hoped. It was as she passed another, more hidden and secluded alley that she suddenly got a cold chill in her spine, and felt compelled to look into that dark, sunless alcove. At first glance, nothing was there. But just as she turned to leave, she heard something - a faint shiver. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her, and was about to turn away when she heard it again. Then a faint voice, muttering in some foreign language she didn't recognize. As though of their own volition, her feet and legs walked her into that alley. She followed the source, and her feet tripped a wire, that caused a rather noisy pile of cans to collapse. Surprisingly, whoever it was that was here didn't react. She continued to walk, slowly and quietly, and kept an eye out for any more tripwires - they were cleverly-hidden. Someone wanted to know if anyone came down this alley, which told Anna that someone was sleeping here - and had survival experience. Definitely someone to talk to. She followed the muttering until she came upon it's source. And that source shook her to her core.

The interloper was human, with pale tan skin and an average build. His hair was brown, but his eyes were closed and twitching in his sleep, and he was quaking in a sleeping bag, muttering in that foreign language. It almost seemed he was having a terrible night terror. Anna had heard of the rumors of a human world, and that humans existed, but Anna never thought she'd meet one. Just why did her instincts take her to this human, she wondered? Noting his shivering, she figured he was cold, and knelt down beside him. "Hey, pal... tonight's a bad night to be sleeping in an alley." She gently shook the human. He still continued to mutter, a little louder this time. She shook him again. "Hey, you okay?" she asked. For one reason or another, she couldn't let this be - she could at least take him to a homeless shelter. She shook a little more forcefully, trying to wake the man. Bad move. He awoke with a terrified scream, scrambled up, and put his back against a wall, his eyes distilling pure terror, his breaths erratic and uneven. He spoke in that same language, and Anna got the impression he saw something in his sleep that terrified him. "Easy, pal - I don't want to hurt you. I'm a friend - I'm your friend. My name is Anna. What's yours?" The man stood there, breathing erratically and heavily, seemingly terrified of Anna, yet at the same time looking as though he recognized her - and was absolutely terrified to be before her - before he spoke in plain basic.

"Horgus," he said, "Tyler Horgus."

"Tonight's a bad night to be sleeping out here, Tyler," Anna told him. "And given your appearance, I imagine you couldn't just check yourself into a hotel."

"No money, nothing to trade," Tyler affirmed. "What choice did I have?" Anna nodded her head to the side, admitting mentally that it made sense. "Besides... I've slept in colder conditions than this. Where I'm from makes the cold here a sweet mercy by comparison."

"You must be very tough to survive that, then - even for a human-" Anna stopped when she noticed his eyes. She'd been too distracted to see it before. His eyes... his eyes were decidedly Dragon. There was more to this human than was immediately apparent. But before Anna could ask about it, the two of them were interrupted.

"Hey! You there! You're, uh... you're trespassing on private property! What are you doing here?"

Anna looked over and saw several Runner Dragons approaching them with Police hats and equipment. But the ringleader's tone suggested something else. Still, Anna wanted no trouble with the police, so she tried to diffuse the situation: "I was just about to take this man to a homeless shelter; he's cold and probably starving."

"I don't care if he's dying; he has no right to be here!" the leader snarled.

"Get clear; these aren't cops - they're blue-light bandits," Tyler told Anna in a much calmer tone. The leader turned his head to face Tyler.

"What did you just call us?" he asked. It was as his head was turned to look at Tyler that Anna noticed a small tattoo on this dragon's scales - one of a red XII.

"I ain't mumbling," Tyler responded. "You're not real cops; you're blue-light bandits. I wonder what the penalty is, here, for illegally posing as a Police Officer...?"

"I guess it's time we show you the penalty for defying the law!" another of the "cops" growled. They all drew nightsticks, and advanced on Tyler.

"You fellas sure you wanna ride this train?" Tyler inquired in a softer tone.

"What are you gonna do? There's six of us and one of you," the leader spat.

"So be it," Tyler sighed wearily. The instant the cop swung his weapon, Tyler intercepted it in the blink of an eye, disarmed him, and swung it in quick arcs, moving with blazing speed. In the span of a few seconds, he had all six officers down on their backs, groaning in pain. Tyler stood over them, a handheld device in his hands, pointing it at all of them. As though remembering she was still there, he pointed that device at Anna. Anna froze, thinking it to be a kind of weapon.

"Easy, pal - I'm not with them," Anna assured him. "I don't even know who they are."

Tyler wasn't having that. "Fuck you!" he shouted.

"If I was with them, why didn't I attack you? Had I wanted to harm you, I could have slit your throat while you slept - but I didn't. If I was with them, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Anna told him. There was a pause, where Anna looked up and spotted a surveillance camera. Her attention then returned to Tyler. His frown deepened, then lightened, and he lowered his weapon, making it vanish by means she didn't understand.

"No... no, you wouldn't. If your intent was to harm me, the Force would have warned me," he said softly.

"The Force?" Anna repeated in confusion.

"Another time - we should get moving," Tyler said, "Before any of their friends come looking for them."

Impulsively, Anna made an offer: "I have an apartment nearby; you could duck in there for a few days." Tyler looked at her, a look of surprise on his face, then shook it off.

"Very well. Let us go." She turned to leave, and headed out of the alley, and lead Tyler to her apartment. There were no further incidents along the way. She unlocked the door, and allowed Tyler in, who looked around as though visually ensuring this was a secure area. He then moved about, looking for something Anna couldn't discern.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. Tyler paused, then turned to her.

"I managed to secure some food before you found me in that alley - I just need a means to cook it," Tyler said. Anna gestured to the stove, and Tyler set to work immediately, melting some butter in the skillet, then slapping a few slabs of meat down in it, adding some spices, and cooking what Anna felt was a good-smelling meal. When he was done, they both enjoyed a nice steak. She had to admit, he could cook.

"Color me impressed - this is good," she complimented.

"It's been a while since I cooked anything this grand; meat like this was scarce where I'm from," Tyler said. "Truth be told, I was worried I didn't cook it right." He downed another bite. Anna briefly considered telling him about the camera she spotted in the alley, but thought that Tyler would be better off if he didn't know. Those blue-light bandits clearly attacked him first, so he had a clear case of self-defense.

As though summoned by those thoughts, the doorbell rang. Who would be coming here at this hour? Anna thought as she got up to answer the door. Behind it was none other than Bryce, the Chief of Police.

"Good evening, Anna," he greeted her.

"Chief Bryce," she responded.

"Is he here?" Bryce asked.

"Who?" Anna countered.

"Your friend from the alley," Bryce answered.

"Is he in trouble?" Anna asked, plying her innocence.

"Not at all," Bryce chuckled. "I just have a few questions for him." Anna looked to Tyler before allowing Bryce in, hoping this didn't turn into a major incident.

{{{{{ }}}}}

Bryce entered Anna's apartment, and almost stopped when he saw the reported human. Surveillance videos recorded his fight, and he had a hard time believing there was a human here. He'd heard the legends, of course - everyone had. But to see one... At first, he'd thought the person monitoring the camera was mistake, till he saw the footage himself. Even then, he felt there had to be an explanation. But now, seeing this human himself... it was surreal. He had not lied when he said the human was in no trouble - the security recording depicted a clear picture of six runners, all dressed up like police, making the first hostile move - which the human reacted to. He'd already, in fact, been cleared of any assault charges by way of Self-Defense. What he wanted to ask the human, was what he was doing here and why.

"I assume you're... Tyler Horgus?" Bryce asked as he approached the human. Tyler nodded wordlessly. "I'm Chief Bryce, Police Department. I just had a few questions." Tyler made a simple hand gesture that Bryce took as permission to proceed. "What brought you to our world?" Bryce's words struck Tyler like bullets, and his gaze trailed off before returning to Bryce.

"It's a long story," he told him. "For now, let's say I had to flee a cataclysm and leave it at that. A... self-imposed exile."

"I see," Bryce responded. A cataclysm would definitely qualify him for Asylum due to Catastrophe. Assuming that bit was true. "How did you get here?"

Tyler motioned his head outside. "That portal device. I would assume you know of it. Found the other end on my homeland, in a facility that somehow had power. Fired it up, punched up the first coordinates it gave me, and went into the abyss. Lost consciousness somewhere in transit, and woke up here; I can tell you little more beyond that."

So the reports weren't lying - the portal is functional, Bryce thought. The picture was clear, but there were still some details missing. But it would be enough for the Minister, for now. "I appreciate your candor on this matter, Mister Horgus," Bryce said. "And we appreciate you only maiming those men posing as Police. That's a serious offense here, but we're glad you didn't kill them." In response, Tyler seemingly materialized that item he had in the alley and set it on the table.

"There was nothing to be gained by killing them," he said. "I try to avoid killing, when I can. This? One of many tools at my fingertips. I keep it and many others for self defense."

"Just out of curiosity, what is that?" Bryce asked.

Tyler hit a button on the device's grip, and took out a rectangular item from a hollow space in the grip, which was loaded with multiple small, pointed pieces of metal. "A gun. FN Five-Seven; military-issue pistol where I'm from. Fires a 5.7x28mm Armor-Piercing round," he explained.

"Armor-Piercing?" Bryce said. "So that could go through Dragon Scales?"

"Possibly," Tyler answered. "I keep it, again, for self-defense. Ordinarily, I'd go for a leg shot."

"Good to know," Bryce commented. "You're... rather forthcoming with me. While I appreciate it, I do find it rather curious."

"I have my own troubles," Tyler said. "But I have nothing to hide. I gain nothing by deceiving the police." Bryce nodded in agreement, then looked to Anna.

"Why don't you show him around town tomorrow? Help him feel a little more welcome," he suggested.

"I had intended that from the start," Anna said. She looked to Tyler, who was still eating his steak. "There are still things that remain unanswered for me," she muttered to Bryce. "He speaks of things I don't understand, and his eyes... something tells me he's more than what's on the surface."

"Yet he clearly trusts you," Bryce told her. "Else he wouldn't be here."

"Clearly," Anna responded, never taking her eyes off Tyler. Bryce moved away from Anna and directed one final aside at Tyler.

"Don't worry about the paperwork - we'll take care of that. In case no one told you, welcome to our world." And after that, he was out the door.

{{{{{ }}}}}

After Bryce left, Anna breathed a sigh of relief, and looked back to Tyler in time to see him put away his weapon and continue eating. "Ballsy move, waving your gun around in the Chief of Police's face," she commented.

"Near as I can tell, I only showed him I have it. I didn't point it at him, and I certainly didn't threaten him with it," Tyler said.

"Do you have any other... guns?" Anna asked.

"Yes," Tyler answered. "From Assault Rifles to Sniper Rifles, Disruptors, Plasma Rifles... take your pick." Anna paused. If what Tyler was saying was true, he kept a fully-stocked armory in his gauntlets. She remembered him talking about it on the way over here, in that hushed tone. Transporter Buffers, he called them.

Tyler finished his steak, and headed to the living room, where he found a nice, open spot, called up his sleeping bag. Anna wanted to offer him a real bed, but knew she hadn't one to spare. She stared at him for a while longer, then went to her bedroom, and settled in to bed herself

You made a buddy, she thought to herself.