Helen watched the girls in her class. They were at it again. All they did was argue and bicker, though never around teachers or other students; other students except for Helen herself that is.
"...How could you do that? I was..." Helen caught one girl saying, for, though she enjoyed watching their arguments, as a reason for her own solitude, she hated the loud noise and such that came with it.
"Me, you're the one that told....." The second girl was really angry. Her tense body, clenched teeth and fiery eyes told Helen that much. There was, of course one more thing her posture told Helen: she would be the first to act today. That was another of Helen's games, this judgment of hers; usually she was right. Helen grabbed her bag and made her exit from the nearly empty classroom, leaving behind the noise of the fight that had just broken out.
'I was right again.' Thought Helen, as she made her way down the corridor to the school entrance, 'I'm definitely taking the long way home. It's better for me.'
Helen walked through the stuffy dark alleys near where she lived, thinking how she would really rather stay away. So being who she is, she acted upon this and continued down the alleys. Up ahead she heard commotion, so following the sound of gunshot she walked through the narrow alleys to watch.
What Helen saw amazed her, a girl with short, generic brown hair and green eyes, wearing simple blue dress, was shooting at some men with an Uzi with immense accuracy. Helen stood watching for a moment, when one of the men being fired at moved in front of her, the gun followed. In all her years of observing, Helen had always avoided getting involved in the subjects she observed; for that reason, her time slowed on the next events that followed the moving man.
He stumbled in front of her and raised his own gun at the girl in the blue dress, she was faster. Her Uzi followed him, shooting three bullets into his chest and one into his head. The other one from the five-round burst hit Helen in the chest, missing the 'instant death' organs, but leaving her still with a nearly fatal wound. Helen's time stopped there.
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Amadrea looked around the empty hall outside the department head's office. In a few moments, Jean came out and told her to follow, which she of course promptly did, for he was scary.
She was led into the office which had one chair sitting in front of a large cherry-wood desk, heavily laden with files. The Department head watched Amadrea as she took a seat, more closely than she herself preferred.
"Amadrea, how long have you been in the military intelligence?" Jean asked from behind her.
"Since I got out of highschool at seventeen, so for about seven years." Amadrea replied.
"What is your rank?" Jean proceeded with the questions.
"Sergeant."
"Good," the director said. " Amadrea, we would like for you to join the SWA. "
"I-I'm not sure, what if I'm not right for the job?" Amadrea was worried about some of the rumars going around about this department.
"Amadrea, we aren't giving you a choice." Jean said bluntly, of course he always had been blunt Amadrea noted. "You have learned too much about us, through no evil intent. We give you only two options: One- Join the SWA and learn the truth or Two- Be killed on the spot."
Amadrea did not doubt his words, "Fine Jean, I'll join your SWA." Amadrea said through gritted teeth.
"Very well, follow me."
Jean led Amadrea down a long corridor into a hospital like section of the building. He then proceeded to show her to a window overlooking a medical room that showed a girl lying in a hopital bed with ventilation and a million tubes keeping her alive.
"Another option, will you choose her?" Jean looked at Amadrea seriously, "whether you say yes or no, the rumors you've heard won't change; This girl will still become 'part' of the SWA."
Amadrea took one last look at the child in the hospital bed, "No," she said, "I accept this child."
Jean watched her closely," Good, here are her past files and her information. Report to the design section later about any changes you with to make to her structure or appearance; and Amadrea, I prefer 'later' to be now."
"Yes, sir!" Amadrea said, heading off. As she walked, she read about the girl in the bed. 'Helen Kelenski' was printed at the top of the page. below it was the picture of a girl about 13
with red hair, green eyes and freckles and a deadly serious expression. Slowly, Amadrea made her plans for the redesigning of the former 'Helen'.
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Amadrea followed Jean to a room at the SWA hospital, where her freedom would finally end. That room was where the cyborg she had decided upon and renamed Riful, would be waking up. Jean left her alone in the room with the generic looking girl lying asleep on a hospital bed. She watched the girl, who looked nothing like what she had expected, at least not as she slept. Her face looked quite real compared to the mechanical features and sharp contrasts she'd been expecting, and she looked to be in total peace, which also came as a surprise to Amadrea. Then, as if the thought had summoned it, the girl's eye's opened and looked straight into Amadrea's. That un-nerved her. Those eyes were very deep, and VERY innocent, not the cold heartless holes she'd been expecting.
Amadrea got over her initial surprise quite quickly, faster than she ever thought she would after looking into those curious and deep eyes.
"Do you know who I am?" She asked the so far silent girl curtly.
"Yes." The girl replied quietly, "You're Amadrea De Vicci. My handler."
"Then who are you?" Amadrea asked, not letting this girl's apparent innocence fog her better judgment.
"Riful." Came the quiet, emotionless reply.
"If you can move about, get dressed and meet me in the court yard, if not, go clean your gun until you can." Amadrea was not going to make this easy for this girl or the agency. She would fight every step of the way.
"I can move." The girl said, sliding out of the bed to stand beside Amadrea, who vaguely noticed that she was tall, and almost smiled at the fact.
"Good, then put these on and meet me in the courtyard. From there we're going to the outdoor shooting range. Understand?" She handed Riful a set of sweats to change into, and turned to leave the room.
"I understand. I'll be right there." Came the reply, along with rustling cloth that told Amadrea that she already started to change.
"Just don't be long!" She called as she shut the door behind her. If Riful had responded, Amadrea was already half-way down the hall when she did.
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"Jean, I don't like her." Ferro said, "I don't feel as if we can trust her."
"We'll see how things turn out Ferro. There will not be any repeats of our past mistakes though. that much I can promise you." Jean replies as he turned away from the transparent two-way mirror.
"I still don't like it." Ferro replied, turning toward the door.
"I know, Ferro. " Jean said also preparing to leave the small observation room.