Disclaimer: Must I answer this? Everyone KNOWS the only people who own it are also the people that cancelled it!

          A/N: Wow! Five reviews! More than I expected. Now I'm happy! Anyway, bastgodess, I'm eager to skip to that part too…and since no one else cares…I'm gonna skim the episodes VERY quickly (I did, after all, look up all the episodes). I'll incorporate one or two things from each episode. Maybe a little more depending on the significance the episode had on my character's life. Thanks for all your reviews! I really appreciate them!

          Jojo: I went through the trouble to change the one word (cabin) into barn. So that's changed, if it makes any difference. I DO appreciate these corrections. Thanks again! I'm also not much of a fan of the S1W. ;-)

          ME: I'll see if I can incorporate Lydecker into my story. ;)

Chapter 11: Home

          I awoke with the sound of rats scurrying about. Yuck! I quickly gathered my belongings and set off again. The streets were near empty this early in the day. I headed for a fast food restaurant for breakfast. I never realized how much even food cost after the Pulse—$10 for a breakfast combo meal?! At least it didn't taste like garbage (most things made at restaurants did due to the large roach and rat population). After stopping for a quick bite, I wandered the street, searching for job ads. No luck. All day, I searched.

Later that night, I heard someone yelling… "There's some guy by the name of Monty Cora in the ring today! He's beating everyone!" It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. I followed the man into an underground boxing match. There was no trouble getting there…even though the place itself was illegal. There, in the ring, stood Alec…494…how could he be so careless to name himself after Manticore?! I decided I did need some pocket cash so I placed a vote for Mr. "Monty Cora". Who can beat one of the best super-soldiers anyway?

After many victorious matches for Alec, the crowds died down, along with challengers. I was about to leave just as Alec left the ring when I heard a muffled groan. Cautiously, I made my way toward the direction of the cry. There at the other end stood the one and only Ames White. Guards dragged away Alec's unconscious body. Fear overtook me. Frozen in place, I watched. After they disappeared out the door, I turned around, only to find myself face to face with the owner.

"Sneaking around?" he grinned, accusingly.

"—uh…no…just looking for my earring."

I held up an earring I had found on the floor several days ago.

"Sure, I'll bet you stole that—SECURITY!"

Without thinking, I raced out the same door White and his henchmen exited through. People these days are SO suspicious. What would they have said if they saw their *star* champion being dragged away by men in black?

A cool breeze swept past my face as I looked both directions, searching for the best escape route. Which way would be away from White? And the security guards? Left sounds good…I dashed into a dark alley. They ran past—safe. I would crash here for tonight…

During the following days, I found myself drawn to the library. Surprisingly, I ran into another Manticore scientist after hanging around for several days—Kim.

"Hey! It's been a long time."

"Yeah, sure has. Every since … the place fell, I haven't seen anyone else…I thought everyone perished…"

"Those that DID die did not perish, they were murdered," I corrected.

"You mean that fire was intentional?"

"Of course, at least that's what I heard minutes before the building beside me exploded…"

"Haha…well, I'm glad you're safe."

"Same to you."

"So, how has your life been in Post-Pulse Seattle—now that we actually see and feel, not to mention taste it?"

"It's been rough. The prices are much higher than I remember, that's for sure."

"I agree with that."

"Where are you staying?"

"I found an old friend of mine's. She's letting me stay at her place till I can find a place of my own. How about you?"

"I stay…wherever I find myself at the end of the day," I answered glumly.

"Oh….would you like to bunk with my friend and me?"

"You sure she won't mind?"

"Oh no, of course not….there's a lot of room. She gets all this money from some rich guy so she can afford such a lovely place."

"Sounds like one lucky lady. I'm in. Thanks!"

"No problem. I'll bring you there after lunch."

"Ok, thanks again…so what are you doing in the library?"

"I was just catching up on some reading. No time back at work, you know?"

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Guess I'll go grab a book…" I went by the romance section and randomly picked out a book. Love's Dearest. Sounds interesting…

Lunch time arrived. Km decided to show me this "new" bar. It wasn't too bad. On the news, there were announcements of a dangerous transgenic that carried a deadly virus in Chinatown. I knew that was false—Manticore would kill anything that contained a virus, especially if it was deadly…even if it was against orders…wouldn't they?

Either way, we both decided to stay away from Chinatown. After having an acceptable lunch at the bar, Kim led the way to her temporary home.

When we arrived, I met the owner. She had short blond hair and didn't have too bad a figure. Her name was Asha. She seemed nice and was excited to have another guest stay over. And so I finally found a place to call "home" for a while. I continued to search for a job…all through Halloween (quite interesting costumes wandered the streets…) and up to Thanksgiving (we had such a delicious feast!).

Around mid-December, I finally found a job. It was something simple, but I needed it. So I took it. Kim laughed at the idea of me being the librarian's assistant, but then I pointed out the fact she was simply a waitress, which shut her up. I continued to stay over at Asha's place since she really insisted on it. News came and went. Every now and then, they would try to scare the public about dangerous transgenics that roamed the streets. Sometimes, they actually had good examples…like the one with the death of many sector policemen. All were found dead with their tongue ripped out…now I wonder…who would have don't that?

I learned more about Asha over the days. She was part of a freedom group known as the S1W. They helped to equalize the rights of all citizens. Occasionally, she would tell Kim and I of her adventures, which I sometimes dreamed to experience on my own. (My life was too boring for me too bear…shelving books and such can get anyone to that point). Each day, her stories grew more exciting. How I wished for an adventure of my own!

And one day…my wish came true…

A/N/2: Well, that was quite long…and I'm still not done with all the eps in DA…only a few more to go…hope you liked this chapter…and that it wasn't too boring…kinda seemed boring to me…plz leave a review, as always. Thanks!