Fridged ocean breeze blew through Leanne's hair, smelling strongly of salt, even though it was summer the waters near Snowpoint City were cold. She leant against the helm of the ship, watching Wingulls fly lazily above the horizon. In the several years Leanne had lived in Oblivia she had only ridden on a boat four times, each time on the Union, never once on a ship like the one she was on now. Murph had explained to her that the Union had taken a beating in its last mission, and a small metal boat had been sent in its place. Murph was still acting as her ambassador since the Ranger Union had taken an interest into her work as well. She had to say she much prefered the mammoth wooden boat to the this modern one.

Behind her, Murph walked up to her side, uncertainty. "We're-uh-almost at Snowpoint," he said, awkwardly scratching his neck and avoiding her gaze. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you Murph." Leanne said with a soft smile. She could of guessed that fact with the silhouette of the city in the distance, but she saw no reason to point that out to the already nervous man. "It's been quite awhile since I've been here."

"You were born there, right?"

Leanne nodded, the edges of her lips curling up into a fond smile. "Yeah, the last time I was here, Rand and I where getting married." Her stomach twisted with guilt at the sound of her husband's name.

Suddenly a shout came from behind them and Leanne turned around from the metal railing.

"Don't worry," Murph reassured her. "Its just the driver, where going to be docking soon. You should get your stuff."

Leanne nodded and looked around on the small speedboat for her suitcase, adjusting to the suddenly slower pace of the boat. Once her possessions were securely into her hand, Leanne stepped lightly to the other side. The boat pulled lazily over to a wooden dock and the sailor, a heavy-set man with a dark black beard emerged from behind the wheel. He lent down and grabbed a rope lying in the belly of the boat and tied to a post.

"After you miss." The sailor said holding out his hand for her. Leanne smiled in appreciation and took his hand for balance while stepping over the edge to the dock. Murph followed after her but the sailor pointedly retracted his hand, showing that his previous actions might not have been out of kindness. The poor man floundered for a moment then reached out to grasped the nearest thing for balance, which happened to be Leanne' s face and shoulder. Once Murph had landed safely on the dock and retracted his hand, blushing furiously.

"Um-I'm so sorry Mrs. Talga." He said before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic square. "Here's your hotel key, you should head there before the first conference."

Leanne smiled, trying to diffuse the tension. "Thank you Murph." She said accepting the card.

Later that evening.

Leanne had finally reached her hotel room after a half an hour of wondering the frosty streets of Snowpoint. Thankfully it hadn't snow in sometime but nonetheless she still wish she had worn something heavier than her bussnis suit.

Standing at the windowsill, Leanne watched the quite night streets of Snowpoint. Absent-mindedly twisting the silver wedding ring on her left hand, she could help but have memories of her childhood arise from the depths of her brain.

A noise that sounded like someone bumbing into a table came from behind her. Leanne whipped around in the inky darkness of the room, trying to located the origin of the sound. A shadow seemed to move in the corner of the room, almost like it was approaching her. With her heart racing, Leanne quietly crept to the door. She placed her hand on the brass knob of the door, she started to open it. Someone was defiantly in her room and she needed out.

Suddenly a pair of hands materialized from the dark and grabbed her. Leanne screamed and flailed against her oppressor, her muscles taunt and coming alive with adrenalin. One of the hands clasped against her mouth with a sweet-smelling cloth to stifle her yells. The clothes was sickeningly sweet and caused Leanne' s brain to become hazey.

Leanne gave one last pitiful twist of her body in attempted to escape, but she felt her head become more and more cloudy and her limbs heavy. Then there was a hollow silence.

Unkown

The man lifted Leanne into his arms, grunting in the process. She was light but her long limbs made it difficult to carry her. He had about an hour until the anesthesia wore off to transport her to his hole-in-the-wall hideout. A few of his loyal followers had manage to find out that the archeologist would be going on to Shinno for a press conference and more importantly away from her brutish-thug of a husband.

He looked down at the woman cradled against his elbows and chest. Her head lolled back against his forearm and studied her face. He could see every dramatic line of her jaw, cheek and skull, her sparse upper lip and a full lower one that were parted slightly in her lucid state. For what seemed to the thousandth time he wondered why she had chosen to marry that Ranger-Rand who only ever thought with his muscles. That man could never fully understand and appreciate how intelligent this woman was, and more than likely was attracted solely to her appearance like most of inferior men viewed women. Dumb pretty things that they could take ownership of like a pet.

He would change that, he'd give her a role, a destiny by his side, rebuilding his old reputation. Leanne was one of the few who equaled him in intelligence and cunning, it was a shame to see her abilities be wasted by playing housewife. Walking outside the room there was a mirror hanging on the wall and he saw his own haggard face for the first time in months. It was thin and hollowed and his hair had grown quite a bit.

He couldn't help but laugh at his reflection, he was carrying Leanne bridal style. Letting out a loud cackle he wondered who in there right mind would fear this? He and Leanne had quite a ways to go to rebuild his old reputation of fear and control.

Yes they will learn to fear him again, they will learn to fear Purple Eyes!