Raine glanced around the square with apprehension. She had the parts in a second bag on her shoulder, and was carrying the duffle bag in her hand. Something just didn't feel right.

She had gotten used to the idea of people staring at her eyes. They were different after all… But this was different than the other stares. She could feel the legitimate hate that was written all over the fearful townsfolk's faces.

She never even noticed the two men that were approaching her. She did feel one grab her arm.

"Come with us," the tall one commanded. He wore aviator sunglasses, a long tan trench coat, green-gray slacks, and the lamest pair of black loafers she had ever seen.

"Wha- what have I done?" Raine asked.

"A shiner doesn't belong in society. You're a threat to our citizens," the other said. He stood to her right. Same attire, but had short brown hair – the other's was blonde and a bit longer.

Raine gasped in surprise. So just because of a surgery I'm not fit to belong on the same street as them?! "No. I'm not going anywhere but back to my ship," she declared, yanking her arm back at the same time.

"You're coming with us," Taller-one growled. Raine barked out a bit of laughter.

"And what are you going to do? Force me? I'm not afraid of you," Raine grinned. This was absurd.

"I think that constitutes as a provoking. 130?" Shorter-one spoke to his partner. A silver object appeared in his hand, and all of a sudden, everything went dark.. with a tinge of pain.

-00-

Raine woke, her arms forced behind her back at two wide angles. There was a blindfold over her eyes, with a long gash in it across the eyes. She could just barely make out her surroundings. A table… she assumed. Everything was fuzzy, and painfully bright. Some sort of square object behind the 'table'. A chair! That's what it must be! Okay… 'table', 'chair'… where's the door? Raine looked up and around. To her abrupt left there was a dark block of color. Guessing by the almost black-ish blue hue that her eyes saw, she assumed the block was that assumed door. It was an interrogation room

"Well… It seems they do things old school on Hotepu…" Raine muttered. Shit. This meant torture… damn.

The 'door' opened, and BRIGHT! Raine shied away from the extremely painful light. She was blinded momentarily. She heard a chair move… She assumed the enterer had sat.

The light went away, and Raine was able to look the enterer straight on. It was Tall-one. She could tell by the brown hair. Well, what was brown by her hue spectrum.

"Don't like light, huh? Good. That'll make you much more cooperative…" Tall-one said. Her vision got clearer. She assumed the lights dimmed, because she could see everything clearly… even the detail on the buttons of his official-ass police uniform.

"What the hell do you want?" Raine growled. Tall-one stood and walked in front of her. She could feel his breath on her lips, their noses almost touched as he stopped right in front of her face.

"I hate shiners. They're criminals. And in your case, dirty sluts. They deserve to die. Thankfully, here on Hotepu, having a shine job is executionable… if you broke out of somewhere… So… Which triple max are you from?" Tall-one asked, hate all too evident in his voice.

Raine kept her eyes trained on his. She chose her words carefully and paused dramatically before she began. "Fuck you."

She felt the blow before she saw or heard it. Her head slammed into the side of her shoulder, chin catching her collarbone and sending a shockwave throughout her entire body.

"I'll ask again, politely even. Where did you break out of?" Tall-one growled.

"Your momma's ass," Raine snapped.

BAM! Uppercut this time. Her head snapped back into the wall, almost at the force of a concussion. Raine shook off the pain and came back around.

"Was it Crematoria? Or maybe Valencian? Kutania maybe. That one caters more to your crowd. Which one?" Tall-one asked, an odd smile in his voice.

"How 'bout none of the above? Think about that?" Raine snapped back.

DTOOM! She felt a punch slam into her ribs. To the right, a hook. It was strong. She lost breath… She felt the bone break. Two. She heard them even.

"Admit and it will be swift. I'll yank the noose myself. How's that for an offer?" His voice sounded. Raine couldn't even open her eyes now.

"Let me guess. Offer valid for a limited amount of time?" Raine chuckled. "Too bad I'm not buying. I'll be your little scapegoat. You can do what ever you want. But I didn't break out of anywhere."

SLAM! He punched her in the ribs again… The weak side. Raine bellowed in pain. "Then I'll just beat you to death…" she heard him mutter.

FWAM! BOOM! BIFF! SLAM! WOOSH! Raine lost count of the blows. Her body didn't add more pain… she just broke under it. She lost control. She was drifting… falling into blackness… she felt a flinch to the side where he hit her again… and again…

"Fultun! Stop! That's enough! ICU Agent Jonathan Diggs! She's with us!" Diggs voice roared into the equation. She swung her head over to where his voice was coming from lethargically as one blow hit her to the leg. It cut like a knife of some sort. That's new…

The blows stopped. She fell to the ground and had no idea why. But she wanted to sleep. Some voice in her head wouldn't let her though…

"ICU Agent Jonathan Diggs badge number 18301 Saturn 6492. I need parametics to Obulun room 24 immediately. Subject is unconscious and suffering broken ribs, massive trama to the brain and possible internal bleeding. Damnit Fultun! You almost killed her!" Diggs voice rang clearly through the blue hazy pictures. Raine's head was too cloudy to piece the words together…

"That was my intention Agent Diggs," she heard Tall-one say.

"Raine… Stay with me Raine. Judge Uruious didn't order the death penalty, damnit," Diggs voice called from a distance. She felt something around her ears… like hands… holding her.

She wanted to stay with him… So stay… Stay. You know you want to. Prove them wrong. Prove that a shiner can be worth more than a noose! The voice in her head whispered to her.

She felt herself lift up… onto some sort of air… She felt herself moving… She felt blackness as she lost all conciousness.

You lost Aeron. You needed to stay with them. You let them win. The voice whispered to her as she slept.

"Sorry…Guess someone else'll have to prove them wrong…" she replied to the voice. The sleep felt good…

ICU- Inter-Councilmanary Unit; like the NSA, only throughout the Helion galaxy (Hotepu Rint is in the Helion Galaxy, just at the end of the route before the warp. Raine got sucked into the gravity)