AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey there, I'd just like to apologize for my lack of updates and thank you for bearing with me.
But now that those IRL issues have cleared up, I should be able to return to my bi-weekly updates.
To make up for the missing updates, I've got two chapters for today.
Again thanks and feel free to message me or leave any feedback on the story so far.
It means a lot.
I hope you have a great day.
-R3
Chapter 6: Port in Any Storm
The soft hum of the engine was the only sound that echoed within the van. I had both hands on the wheel, my silver eyes fixed ahead on the Skyway. I drove at a fast pace, keeping up with the traffic that sped high above Lower LA. I glanced at the rear view mirror, checking up on the copper haired girl who wore my jacket. She was huddled up in a ball upon one of the Van's seats. Her hood had fallen back, her crimson eyes staring out of one of the Van's windows, gazing upon lower LA and beyond. Her wolf like ears would twitch as a bright neon sign attracted her attention before zipping past her, disappearing in a blur.
She had been doing that ever since we dumped Trevino's body in the alleyway, before making a quick get away. The blood stain still stuck to the wall of the van. I gripped the wheel with my hands. I had to do it... I didn't have a choice... letting him live would have endangered me, he had to die.
'Keep telling yourself that...' I thought bitterly, before refocusing on the road.
Zheren's little scheme had been a nightmare from hell. The PH corp buying out wheaten, the genetic experiments, the unexpected mech invasion. Now I was on the run with a murderous she-devil, in a van that I stole from a fat computer geek, whom I murdered in the process. Things were just peachy.
I glanced back to the girl in the mirror, she was still staring out the window.
Desperate to take my mind off things, I decided to try and strike up a conversation.
"Hey." I called. She didn't respond.
"Hey!" I called again, louder this time. She turned her head to face me, fixing me with a mystified gaze.
"What's your name... Do you even have a name?" I asked.
She cocked her head.
"Name... you know, like what you're called."
She blinked.
I let out a long sigh. "My name is Kraft Lawrence. That's me..." I said pointing to myself.
"Now what's yours?" I asked.
She stared at me a moment longer before going back to staring out the window with a blank expression.
'riveting...' I moaned in my head, focusing my attention back on the road.
As dark thoughts began clouding my mind, I decided to turn on the van's radio, after a brief moment of static, a crackling voice emanated from the speakers. It was a news bulletin, broadcasting about the attack on Wheaten. I turned up the volume.
"...Sector Seventeen is hereby under lock-down. Police have yet to identify the culprits behind the violent attack on the facility, however Thirty Five facility staff have been confirmed dead, police are continuing to sweep the area for any survivors or trace of the assailants. Many speculate that a radical terrorist group is responsible, however no evidence has thus far..."
The addition of the extra voice coming from the speakers, peaked the wolf girl's attention, her white tipped ears standing on end as she listened. I decided to switch it off, unsure if she'd fly into a homicidal rage at the stranger's voice.
'They haven't found any traces? What happened to the Mechs?' I pondered. It wasn't like they would have vanished into thin air. The more I thought about it the stranger it got. 'What were they after? Was it this girl?' I thought, briefly glancing over to the young woman, who had gone back to gazing out the window.
I pushed it aside for now, focusing on getting into the right lane to turn off the Skyway. The bright neon sign indicated the turnoff point, and I gently turned the wheel to begin my descent into Sector Five. Upon leaving the Skyway, the vaguely familiar concrete and steel housing blocks made themselves apparent. Balconies would often catch my gaze as the van drove past them. I could see people, just average people, looking out over the city. Some had company, while others stood alone. Adding a small splash of life to an otherwise steel and concrete apartment. It hadn't changed since the last time I visited.
As we descended further into the sector, the buildings became more cluttered, soon you couldn't tell where one building ended and another began. My attention snapped back to the road as something small hit the windshield. I glanced up to see a small splash of water hit the windscreen, this droplet was followed by another, and then another. Until the windshield was pelted by them.
'Rain...' I thought, flicking on the wipers to clear the accumulated water. I heard that once upon a time, Los Angeles received very little rain, and the sun always shined. It was hard to imagine that when looking up at the bleak, polluted skies of Lower LA. I'd never seen the sun before, only in pictographs and holograms. But from what they had shown was something soft and warm, the colors always looked so vibrant under the sun. The skeptic in me thought they had to be digitally edited, there was no way colour could naturally look like that.
We reached the end of our descent and drove out into the streets of Sector Five with a small bump. From the corner of my eye, I spotted the wolf girl's ears twitch before she began hugging her knees tightly. I glimpsed out of the window to see the street full of pedestrians. Just more average people, nothing more nothing less, moving about the clustered footpaths of Sector Five. I sighed, this was not the situation I'd thought to find myself. I took a left, indicating as I turned down 'Port Street'. Upon turning down this road, I noticed that the amount of people on the street's sidewalk was considerably reduced. And seeing the baptist shelter up ahead, it was clear to see why. For whatever reason, people preferred to avoid places like this entirely. I always figured that the last thing you need was a supposed omnipotent being judging the way your live, on top of everything else you had to deal with on a daily basis.
I wasn't particularly fussed about the notion of god or the devil, to me they were just fairy tails. Largely forgotten fairy tails from a bygone era. I heard there was once a book that held the stories and tales of that age. But finding any book like that down in Lower LA was something fairly uncommon. In fact any kind of book down here was uncommon. They were obsolete, much like the age from which they came. The only reason I knew of these paper bound bricks was through an old friend of mine, well I at least considered her a friend. Probably the closest thing to one anyway... In my line of work, nothing was ever solid, my betrayal of Zheren and his team was proof of this. However, despite all that, there was one person I found myself returning to. And despite the circumstance, she'd welcome me with open arms.
Nora Arendt... she had taken charge of the Baptist Shelter almost seven years ago, giving those in need a place to stay for a night or two. It was a rare occurrence to find people like that, it amazed me the world hadn't beaten that out of them. That said, she sometimes had her own selfish motives, she was only human after all. Whenever I visited, which wasn't often... I'd usually find myself fetching groceries or fixing a PC for her. It just sort of happens, you don't really notice it until you're halfway done with whatever 'favor' she asked of you. Regardless this was a safe place, if I found myself in trouble, this was the place I ran to till it blew over. You could almost say it was a home away from home.
With a steady hand I cruised the van up along side the footpath, before engaging the handbrake and cutting the engine. Unbuckling myself I turned to look at the wolf. She had relaxed her position, her ears twitching as she scanned the outside surroundings.
"So... um..." I tried to think of a way to express my plan to her. To stay here until the trouble blew over. The last thing I needed was to set her off on a killing rampage.
She looked at me with narrowed crimson eyes, a weary frown forming across her face. I figured she was wondering why we'd stopped.
"Ok listen, I don't know how well you can understand me. But this is a safe place... just follow my lead and do what I say. Alright?"
She merely raised an eyebrow at my question, before what looked like an amused smirk crept across her lips.
'Did I say something funny?' I griped in my head.
"And don't kill anyone!" I snapped, pointing a finger at her.
For the briefest moment she glanced at the blood splatter on the wall of the van, before swishing her copper and white tail once.
I narrowed my gaze, "Alright..." I said, slowly approaching her to put her hood up, covering her ears.
"...I'll go out on a limb and take that as an agreement." I said as I helped her stand. As she stood, I could have sworn she rolled her eyes at me.
I undid the holster that was strapped to my chest, checking the gun to make sure the safety was on. Nora hated guns in her shelter, I remember when I forgot to take it off at one point. She nearly had my head for that... I stuffed the holster and pistol under the driver's seat.
When the coast was clear I opened the van door, and taking the girl gently by the wrist, stepped out onto the open street. As I closed the van's door behind us, I was surprised to see that the wolf had neatly tucked her tail up through my jacket. Almost like she was trying to blend in...
I wrote it off as the short set of steps leading to the shelter lay before us. After a small climb we were greeted by a flaky wooden door. The door's carving and paint were weathered from time, yet the brass knocker and handle still glowed softly in the dimmed light of Lower LA. Knocking on the door three times, I heard the soft footsteps of someone inside. The door cracked open slightly, thick metal chains crossed from the weathered door to the frame that held it in place.
Just beyond was a thin figure, obscured by the shadows of the building's interior.
"H-hello? Can I help you?" The figure spoke in such a sweet tone, I had no doubts it was her.
"Hey Nora... it's Lawrence." I replied with a warm smile.
"Lawrence?!" She chirped in surprise, "Just give me a second..." she called before closing the door on us.
I heard the soft clicking of metal as Nora undid the chain from within, before opening the door widely.
And there she was, bright golden eyes glittered with glee, her dusty blonde hair tied back in a well managed knot. She wore a old cloth blouse and an ankle length skirt, a wide, welcoming smile pulled up on her cheeks. I tried to match her smile as best as I could, but like always, her smile would trump mine.
"It's been too long." I said with mirth and her liquid gold eyes seemed to shine brighter then ever before. A part of me wanted to reach forward and hug her, to gain some kind of reassurance from everything that had happened. But alas, I had no time for such luxuries.
"It has, hasn't it? Please come in, I was just about to..." The golden haired girl trailed off, acknowledging the she-devil whom I held gently by the wrist.
"Who's this Lawrence? A friend of yours?" Nora asked politely, eyeing the hooded wolf girl up and down.
The copper haired wolf positioned herself to stand behind me, blocking off Nora's curious gaze with my body.
"Actually Nora, I've got a favor to ask of you." I stated simply, it didn't matter what kind of spin I'd put on it, I needed her help.
Nora blinked, "A favor?" she queried cocking her head slightly.
"This... girl. Needs a place to stay for a while and my apartment is kind of a mess at the moment. If it wasn't too much trouble I was hoping you could put her up for a few nights. I'd be willing to pay for her." I explained, omitting a few details about finding her in a genetics lab that had belonged to the one and only Pegasus Horizons.
Nora craned her neck to look at the she-devil, "What's her name?" she asked.
I grimaced, "I don't know, she doesn't really talk much..."
Nora smiled, "Well, I'm sure she has her reasons... right?" the blonde asked, not so much as to me, but more towards the wolf.
I glanced back towards the one in question, and realized that she was now looking directly back at Nora. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Uncomfortable being caught in the middle like this, I broke the silence with a cough.
"I suppose she does... it wouldn't be too much trouble to take her in, would it?" I asked insistently, hoping that she would agree.
Nora giggled, "Now Lawrence, what kind of Shepard would I be if I turned away one of god's children?" She replied with mirth.
I felt the weight of stress lift from my shoulders and I let out a small sigh of gratitude.
"Thanks Nora, I didn't know where else to turn." I admitted, much to the blonde Shepard's amusement.
"Think nothing of it Lawrence, you've helped me plenty of times already. Please, come inside." She said with a gesture of her hand, beckoning us through the wooden framed door.
I slowly slipped my grip from the wolf girl's wrist to her hand and gently tugged at it. Dearly hoping she wouldn't fly into a frenzy and rip my arm off. She seemed hesitant at first, her crimson eyes peering through the doorway, but she eventually followed me in.
We stood in the familiar old lobby, this place had been some kind of hotel before being converted to the Baptist Shelter it was today. The old wooden support beams and the worn mahogany reception bench gave off a strange musty smell. Beyond the lobby was a short hallway, leading to the ground floor rooms. Just to the right of where I stood was an old rickety staircase, leading up to the upper levels. Given that the place received little to no funding, Nora did a very good job in maintaining the old building. It was hard to believe a building like it still existed.
I heard the soft skittering of claws against the wooden floorboards of the shelter, right before I spotted the investigative guard dog appear from the ground floor hallway. It was Enek, Nora's well programmed and much loved companion. From memory Enek belonged to the K-Nine hundred series of synthetic pet-ware, his model was a sheep dog, fully black save from his white muzzle and paws. He sniffed the air, his sensory arrays picking up the scent of the room, before decoding and processing the information into binary signatures to be processed by his CPU.
Nora looked up from behind the lobby's bench and spotted her dog. "Enek! There you are!" The girl cooed affectionately.
The artificial sheep dog paused briefly to happily wag his tail before getting back to sniffing the air.
I heard the rustling of the wolf girl's ears twitch beneath the hood, as she stared intensely at the cybernetic dog. I couldn't tell whether she felt threatened by it's presence or she was merely curious. Not wanting to risk confrontation, I turned to Nora.
"So Nora, what rooms are available?" I asked the young Shepherdess.
Nora's dark brown eyes scanned a relatively old computer monitor, scanning the old SQL database I helped set up for her.
"I've got one up on the second floor, room twenty five." She said, still looking down at the screen.
I heard Enek begin to growl softly as the wolf girl narrowed her crimson eyes at him, bending her knees slightly, settling into a defensive crouch. I quickly glanced between the two, fearing the worst.
This is when Nora stepped in.
"Enek, what's wrong with you?" she scolded, moving over to and kneeling before the now growling sheep dog.
The wolf girl glowered at the artificial construct, obviously displeased by it. I pretended not to notice.
"I'll take her up to the room now, I can discuss her board with you after, if that's ok by you?" I asked, politely as possible.
Nora blinked in surprise as she turned away from her dog to look up at me.
"Oh, sure. No problem. Here..." She said handing me a key. "The lock is a little rusty, but with a slight jiggle it should swing right open." She explained as I took the small silver key from her.
"Alright, thanks. I'll be back down in a minute." I said hastily, as I began nudging the wolf up the stairs. She gave me the filthiest look as I hurried her along, but the faster I got her away from Nora's guard dog the better. I didn't even factor Enek into my plan, it was stupid of me! Of course a sheep dog, even an artificial one, could tell that this girl... wasn't... exactly human...
It didn't matter though, soon we were up the stairs and moving down a corridor of faded wallpaper. My eyes ran past the crooked numbers that ran along the corridor, stopping at the door with the large black '25' pinned on the door. The wolf was getting impatient with me. She had a sudden urge to explore, often grabbing at the doorknobs that lined the corridor and twisting them to the point where I was afraid that they'd break off. I had to grab her by the arm and yank her along.
"Quit touching things." I hissed in a low voice, hoping Nora wouldn't hear me.
She pouted like a spoiled kid, her tail rustling beneath the jacket she wore.
I sighed, despite the monstrous acts I'd seen her commit, she certainly acted like a goddamn princess.
Inserting the small key into the lock with a click, I twisted and jiggled it as per Nora's instruction. Upon hearing the latch undo, I twisted the knob. With a creek the door swung open, revealing a rather barren two single bed room.
There was nothing flash about it, Just two neatly folded beds and a painted landscape hanging on a wall. Light came streaming through a pair of old shutter shades that lined the windows. To the left was a door that lead into a small bathroom with a tiled floor. The wolf pushed ahead, entering the room without a second thought. She sniffed the air, her ears flicking beneath the hood. She moved over to the beds, sniffing one before running her small hand across it's light blue blanket. Her tail suddenly shot out from beneath the jacket she wore, swishing about wildly as she pressed her hand into the mattress.
I had to raise my hand to protect myself from the frenzy of tail lashings.
"Hey! What are you-" I complained before the girl leaped onto the bed, bouncing a little as she hit the mattress. She made a small squeal of delight before rolling up into a little ball and lay upon the sheets.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I guess you like the bedding huh?"
She seemed content, in fact I wondered if she was just going to fall asleep then and there. The notion of sleep was starting to appeal to me, and the unoccupied bed started to look really inviting.
Chances were that I'd be spending the night here anyway. I didn't know whether the police managed to tie me to the raid at Wheaten. Not to mention Pegasus Horizons, maybe they'd just take matters into their own hands and deal with me directly. As in gun, forehead, bang. I really had to watch my step...
I sighed, 'well at least the murdering she-devil is amused and out of trouble, I guess all is right with the world.' I griped in my head, walking over to the curled up wolf. I looked down at her, it appeared she was fast asleep. She looked so peaceful, lying there... still naked save from her medical dressings and my hooded jacket. I reached down towards her, wanting to get a better look at her white tipped tail.
My hand stopped dead as she grasped it by the wrist, digging her fingernails into my skin. I jumped with a gasp as the wolf fixed me with a narrow glare, one that clearly read: 'go any further and I'll tear your arm off'. My fearful eyes locked with hers for a moment longer, before I regained my resolve.
"Listen, I'm going to be out for a bit, I want you to stay inside this room. Got that?" I instructed with a harsh tone.
Her narrow glare didn't budge.
I tried pulling my arm out of her grip, which wasn't easy considering her immense strength. But eventually, she released me. I rubbed my wrist before walking out, closing the door behind me with a bang. In my anger, I swiftly locked it, knowing full well that a flimsy wooden door wouldn't be nearly enough to stop a monster like her.
I sighed, 'Why can't this day be over already?' I groaned in my head while descending the old staircase.
As I reached the bottom, I spotted Nora. Her arms folded across her chest, a grim frown replacing her usual smiling features. I froze mid step, I'd only seen this look once before...
'Oh god... I left the gun in the van didn't I?' I thought in a flurry of panic, checking briefly to see whether I was wearing my holster.
"So Lawrence... picking up half naked fifteen year olds your thing now?" Nora asked coldly, her narrowing brown eyes searching for the sins held within my heart.
I stared at her, my jaw going slack, processing the accusation she made.
I glanced back up the stairs, before returning my gaze to Nora.
"Wha- No! No, why would you- Just. No." I strained, appalled by what Nora was insinuating.
She wasn't convinced, "Well... just who is that girl Lawrence?"
I shrugged, "Like I said, I don't know. She hasn't spoken a word to me since I've met her."
Nora shifted her weight "And where exactly was that? It looks like she's had a rough time..." she mused in an even tone.
I ran my hand through my silvery hair, "What makes you say that?" I asked, her suppressing gaze starting to unnerve me.
"The bandages and plasters made things pretty clear." She stated curtly.
"She... was a little banged up when I found her. I patched her up as best I could and came here." I explained, trying to sound sincere. It didn't work.
"Oh, good thing you happened to have so many spare bandages on hand..." she remarked with a somewhat sour note.
'Damn, she's like a bloodhound.' I growled in my head.
I let go of my aggravation with a sigh. "Look Nora, I don't have all the answers right now. But when I do, you'll be the first to know. Ok?"
Nora dropped her scolding gaze, now staring at the floor with sickly concern. Pondering my poor attempt of misdirection.
"Alright Lawrence. It's just... I know you're up to things that I would strongly oppose you doing." She murmured, glancing briefly at the circuit like tattoo's that ran down my arm.
"But..." she trailed off, before looking me dead in the eye.
She looked like she was on the verge tears.
"But I don't want to see you hurt. Or worse!" She exclaimed in a cracking voice.
My face softened and I couldn't help feeling a kick of guilt to the stomach. I approached her and rested a hand on one of her shoulders.
"Don't worry about me." I said with a reassuring smile. "I do my best to stay clear of trouble."
It wasn't like I went around looking for it. It just seemed to find me more than I'd like.
Nora gave a small nod, but was far from satisfied with my attempts to reassure her.
I sighed, "Ok how about this... what if I spent a few days at the shelter with you?" I proposed, hoping to strike a deal with her.
The young blonde shot me a look of curiosity. "Really? Why would you want to do that?" She asked somewhat skeptically.
A small smirk crept up the corner of my mouth. "To prove to you that I haven't fallen into the devil's clutches of course." I teased, placing a hand over my heart to show my sincerity.
Nora raised an eyebrow at me, "Well, you'd have to pay for your board. This shelter is for those in need Lawrence..."
I could pay for a couple of nights. "Fine by me, It'll only be for a few nights..." I stated.
Nora turned on the heel of her boot, "I'll put you down for a week..." She said with a small smile of satisfaction, before walking back behind the counter.
Damn, she'd played me. I guess I had a weeks worth of domestic chores ahead of me, at least I'll be preoccupied while laying low. After arranging my week long stay with Nora, we began discussing the sleeping wolf's stay in the shelter. Given her circumstance, she was given two nights free, after which she'd be billed on a regular basis.
And when I say 'she', I really mean me...