She breathed as deeply as the dared, still favoring her side. The cold air helped the lingering ache. This was one of her favorite times of day, the stillness, the peace, the cusp of a bright new day with new possibilities.

Relaxed and enjoying the walk, it took her longer than usual to notice someone walking behind her. Casually she turned her head and saw a well-built man, his oversized coat adding inches he didn't need in size. She continued, alert but far from alarmed.

Up ahead she saw another man, lighter than the first, but at five foot three, it was easy to outweigh and outreach her. He turned and saw them approach. He pushed away from the wall and came her way purposefully. Hairs on her neck stood up as she considered her options. There was still a chance this was harmless, but she wasn't going to bet against her instincts. She was outnumbered, and she had no idea if they were carrying weapons.

There was a narrow alleyway between her and the man in front of her. There might be an escape down it, but that'd be a bonus. What she really wanted was for them to line up to attack her – she didn't want to be surrounded. She turned down the alley. The shadows of the two men reach past her. She tried the side door. Locked. The far end of the alley ended in a brick wall, too high to climb. No escape.

She faced the two men, her blood rushing through her veins. "Two against little old me? How is that fair?"

"We ain't gonna hurt you… much." the skinny one said.

"I won't make the same promise," Meg warned. "Come on, boys."

"First things first." The man raised a gun and fired. She held out her hands futilely. A dart bit into the skin on her palm. She pulled it out, and it disappeared in her hands. "What the..?"

The two men rushed her. This would have to be a short fight before whatever drugs were in the dart knocked her out. That meant a messy fight and broken bones. She had to be vicious.

The larger man took point, swinging his fists. She dodged and slammed her elbow into his solar plexus. While he was gasping for air, she grabbed his hair and brought it down, while driving her knee up into his nose. The second man, meanwhile, made it around his partner's side and started swinging. She grabbed his wrist and twisted against the joint. Immobilized in this lock, she gave a precise chop to his neck (and his vagus nerve) leaving him dizzy and flirting with unconsciousness.

"Look out!" A new man joined them in the alley. The distraction nearly worked, she almost didn't dodge a jab to her throat from the recovering larger attacker. But dodge, she did, and caught the offending arm and used it to throw him over her shoulder and onto the pavement, the wind knocked out of him. She twisted around to face the newcomer and gasped in pain.

She held tightly to her side and focused hard on not passing out or throwing up. Now was not the time for either. The newcomer ran up to her, and she threw her hands up to block a blow that never came.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She stared. He was a handsome man with sideburns and crazy hair in a pinstripe suit. It took her a moment to realize he wasn't with the ruffians she just beat up. A stranger ran down an alley to break up a fight for her? She smiled, her faith in humanity going up a notch. "Yeah. Just fine. Do you have a cellphone? These guys will need some medical attention."

BANG! BANG!

Meg flinched and turned. Up on the fire escape, was the gunman. He put a bullet each between the eyes of her attackers. She was sickened. Sure, she hurt them, it was possible she put lasting damage in at least one body part each, but they didn't deserve to die.

"Why did you do that?" the newcomer yelled, enraged. Meg rethought the possibility he was friends with the dead guys.

"Loooose endsss." The man in the suit pulled at his face, and the mask slid off. Three beady eyes stared down at them, and a circular mouth grinned with shark-like teeth.

Meg snarled. "Alien."

"What's a Verloc doing here? No, more to the point, why would a Verloc ever share a hunt with a couple of human thugs?"

The Verloc hissed.

"Come on, talk to me. This is a class 4 planet, and these humans aren't worth your skills. You dishonor yourself."

"'Aren't worthy'? Come down here and fight me, coward. I'm not afraid of you."

The Verloc hissed again and dropped the gun. This was a creature that liked death up close, with the warm blood of his prey on his tongue. He began to climb down the brick wall, the claws on his hands scraping into the mortar enough to support him. A thin line of drool fell from his open maw.

"Um, you should be… run." The man advised, taking her hand and pulling her away. Meg was inclined to resist but remembered her injury. She wasn't usually one spoiling for a fight. She shook her head, berating herself. She let her anger cloud her judgment, that was rule one, and a rookie mistake.