X-Men: Eye of the Tigress

Chapter 2 – The Plot Thickens

As soon as Savannah reached her apartment, she tried as hard as she could to purge what had just happened between her and this Wolf-man from her memory. Of course, it wasn't very easy considering it only happened a few moments ago. In fact, considering that look he gave her, and the somewhat weighty few seconds of silence that passed between them which made her feel almost mesmerized, it made it all the harder. Above all, she knew she had seen him somewhere before. And yet, like an annoying fly buzzing in her ear, she couldn't place where. Then again, as she thought of it further, no one was telling her to try and figure it out. And she more than likely was never going to see him again.

No. It was best that she put him out of her mind, no matter how uneasy he made her, both in bad, and somewhat good ways. That was Savannah's resolution the moment she reached her room. And remembering that it was getting close to midnight, she also made the decision to go ahead and go to bed. She had seven hours of work ahead of her tomorrow, and she wasn't going to go in tired. Without hesitation, she exchanged her black clothes for a t-shirt and shorts, shut the lights off, and flopped onto her pillow with a small smile on her face, happy that the day was over and it looked like she was finally getting control of her life.

The next thing Savannah knew, she was feeling her eyes flutter open, though another part of her wanted to go right back to sleep. Still, being the sort of person who couldn't easily fall back asleep, she reluctantly sat up, yawned, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. She almost didn't know for sure if she was awake, until her eyes caught the time on her bedside table clock. It was seven-thirty, and that meant she had to be at work in half an hour. Immediately, her eyes flashed open as she tossed the blankets back and leaped out of bed to start getting ready. And all the while she was chiding herself for her flaws.

"I just had to forget to set the alarm," she grumbled to herself, "What a great way to start my first day at work." Even so, she rinsed her face, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and changed into her new scrubs, probably in her fastest time to date. As soon as she had her purse in her hands, she flew out the door – locking it behind her – before hurrying down the stairs and out the front door of the building, hoping she hadn't missed the bus.

Although Savannah had a driver's license, she didn't own a car, figuring it would be less expensive to take public transportation. Of course, that had its own problems. One being the uncomfortable stares she often received from the other passengers, and the other being the fact that she had to get on at the time it demanded. Like today. Fortunately, to her relief, she had run out the front door right when it looked like the bus was about to pull out. She rushed up the steps, saying through deep breaths to the driver, "Thank you…thank you."

"Take a seat," he said indifferently. Savannah turned her head, and saw that the bus was already half full of passengers, half of which widened their eyes when they saw her. Ignoring them, she spotted an empty seat halfway down the aisle, and quickly took it. And right at that moment, the bus rolled away, and she finally let out a long held-in sigh. For a moment, she allowed her eyes to wander, until they finally settled on a boy about nine or ten years old sitting directly across from her with a woman she assumed to be his mother. Her eyebrows raised in curiosity when she saw he was looking at her too.

Deciding to humor him, Savannah smiled and gave him a "hello" wave. For a second or two, he smiled softly and waved back at her, until his mother noticed what was going on, and pulled his son away and closer to her. Immediately, Savannah stopped waving, and her smile instantly gave way to a frown. She turned away, looked at her feet, and let out another, heavier sigh as she put her head in her hands. It was no use. No matter where she went, she would always be viewed in the eyes of the world as a freak, simply because she looked different. She had dealt with treatment like this for most of her life, and yet, something about this particular instance made it hurt more than usual. Could it possibly have had something to do with the way she and that guy – Wolverine – had almost made a psychic connection last night?

As soon as she knew what she was thinking, Savannah shook her head. She had to get Wolf-man and that crazy fight they had out of her mind, no matter how hard it was proving to be. And certainly, moping about what had just happened between her and that boy wasn't going to help her cope. No, she had to focus on getting to work on time, and being thankful to finally have a job after six months of diligent searching and living off an inheritance left by her parents. Besides, she'd long been acquainted with the rule that if you don't work, you don't eat.

Turning her head to the window, she looked out with an empty face at the streets that continuously rolled past her, the streets she prowled during the night like the shadow she was. A shadow with stripes to be more accurate. Savannah's frown deepened. That was another reason why she couldn't be discovered. If all those that she protected knew what she'd really looked like, would they reject her as mostly everyone in her life did? Well, if that eventually happened, Savannah found herself reasoning it would be for the better, since it would prove easier to keep people from getting attached to her, and vice versa. And yet, she also found she'd developed a pain in her chest just thinking about the idea. Small wonder ideas were half the time deemed dangerous.

Savannah continued to remain in her own world of deep thought, helped by the gentle driving of the bus that would otherwise have lulled her to sleep, until finally the bus pulled to a stop, and she realized she'd reached the street near her new workplace. Immediately she hopped out of her seat, paid the driver, and hurried down the steps onto the sidewalk. She saw the somewhat massive building just a few hundred yards away, which stood just beyond the city, and for good reason. Savannah wasted no time as she broke into a run, feeling again like she was back in school and running to get to her first class on time.

She hurried to the side of the building and quickly went through the door signed "Employees Only." As soon as she was inside, she spotted the series of shelves where the punch cards were kept, and the machine which stood on the wall beside it. She pulled out her own punch card and, seeing that she still had thirty seconds, immediately punched herself in, letting out a soft victorious "yes." She'd made it, which she considered a triumph in and of itself. But the whole day was still ahead of her, and she knew it. Savannah put up both her card and her purse, stood straight, hoping she appeared confident, and walked down the hall that awaited her.

But just as she was turning the first corner, she instantly collided with someone who had seemed to be trotting down the hall somewhere, and both instantly fell to the floor in a heap. Savannah shook her now hurting head as she started sitting up, beyond frustrated with the guy for running into her, but as soon as she saw how sorry he looked, she quickly decided to take it easy on him.

"Oh man I am really sorry," he said hastily as he stood up and then helped her do the same, "I didn't mean to. I didn't see you."

Savannah took his offered hand and got back on her feet. "It's cool," she tried to assure him, "It was an accident." She then decided to get a good look at him. He looked to be about her age, maybe a little older. He had auburn hair, blue eyes, and freckles, and an interesting smile. She couldn't help but smile in return.

"Thanks," he said. He then raised his eyebrows in curiosity and asked, "Um, I don't think we've met. Well, except for now, of course. Are you new here?"

Savannah's mouth came slightly open, as she wasn't really used to being spoken to this way, if at all. But she quickly remembered where she was and why she was here, and replied in a bit of a shy voice, "Uh, yeah. This is my first day here."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you," he said as he then extended his hand forward again, "My name is Ryan."

"Uh, hi, nice to meet you too," Savannah replied, feeling slightly awkward as she shook his hand, "I'm Savannah."

Ryan opened his mouth to say something, until he and Savannah turned their heads toward the sound of rapid footsteps running down the next hallway, heading in their direction. Another man turned the corner, and stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the two of them. Savannah immediately wondered if he would ask what they were doing, but instead he waved his hand toward the hall behind him and said, "You two! Come on, we need some help!"

Before Savannah could ask what he was talking about the man turned and continued to run down the hall. Fortunately, when she turned to Ryan, he offered an explanation. "They're unloading their newest arrival, a tiger. We'd better get going." He then took off down the hall after his co-worker, with Savannah following him, her mind whirling with questions. She knew this was a place where exotic animals could rehabilitate, so this likely was a regular occurrence. Still, one question was more prominent than all the others she was thinking of.

"They don't really expect me to handle the tiger do they?" Savannah asked, concerned, not really out of fear so much as a lack of experience.

"Probably not," Ryan replied, "since you're new here. But they are probably going to want us to help with the gates."

Savannah nodded, somewhat glad. While her job consisted mainly of housekeeping like her previous one, she still wanted enough opportunities to get close to the animals. Though she liked all kinds of animals, cats, especially big ones, were her favorites. One of her favorite memories before her parents died was a trip to the zoo they took when she was eight, and she was mesmerized by the white tiger they kept. She'd thought it the most beautiful animal she'd ever seen. And today, she was going to get close to another tiger. She couldn't help being excited.

They hurried through two more hallways, but by now, they were already hearing the growls of the big cat clearly wanting to escape the cage it was in. This only made Savannah and Ryan run even faster, until they finally came upon a door leading outside. Ryan quickly opened it, partially blinding both of them to the bright sunlight rising into the sky. But what immediately caught the attention of both was the small crowd of people awaiting them on the left. Four employees surrounded the cage, which stood against the wall leading to the enclosure, on all sides. The truck which had just been carrying it was parked only a few feet away. But most striking, at least to Savannah, were the two men holding tranquilizer guns, should the tiger try to escape.

Once again, second thoughts about helping flashed across Savannah's mind. But even more prominent were the thoughts that followed, the ones reminding her that she had come here to work after six months of job searching. Especially considering the pay they were offering her, and the fact that she was working with animals, she soon pushed the more troubling previous thoughts aside, and instead stood ready to help out with whatever she was asked to do.

Before long, she and Ryan stood on either side of the cage door. Two of the four employees stood with them, while the other two were holding up the raised door of the enclosure. Savannah kept her hands behind her back, unwilling to unnecessarily risk getting her fingers bitten off. And yet, despite all the precautions these people were rightfully taking, she couldn't help but feel pity for the big cat as she heard him voicing his desire to be free of this virtual prison.

But her pity was quickly replaced with concentration when it was time to do what she had only moments ago been asked to do. On the count of three, Savannah shut her eyes and grit her teeth, ignoring the way her body was reacting to her ever escalating anxiety. With help from Ryan and the two men alongside them, she gripped her now white hands on the cage door, and slowly raised it up. Almost immediately, Savannah heard the tiger swiftly go through the only opening he was offered, letting out low growls as though letting them know he knew what was going on. And just as quickly the other two employees closed and locked the gate to the enclosure, blocking the tiger's only way of escape.

Once the tiger was safely inside, everyone, including Savannah, let out a long-held in sigh, signaling their relief. Soon after, when they were all dismissed with comments of excellent work from their supervisor, whom Savannah realized was the one helping her the whole time, Savannah and Ryan walked back inside together. But as everyone went their separate ways, Savannah couldn't help but stop outside the enclosure that now held the tiger, and look inside. For a moment, the scene immediately reminded her of that which she'd seen at the zoo all those years ago. The inside enclosure was nice enough, and from what she saw of the enclosure outside, it seemed a decent place for the tiger to roam around in. Yet as soon as her eyes focused on the animal in front of her, Savannah's previous pity instantly returned.

From what she knew about big cats, this tiger was a male, and at least three years old. But those facts were the least of her concerns. This tiger, who should have been the pride of the plain she was sure he once lived on, now seemed to be a shell of his former self. He was thin, almost to the point where she could see his ribs, and he continued to roam the enclosure, trying to figure out where he was. Her heart went out to this poor exotic creature who had been ripped away from his homeland for some human's pleasure, but the moment she saw his large brown eyes meet hers, she immediately realized that the big cat within him did not cease to exist. And, more than that, in a very strange way, it almost seemed as though the two had developed a connection. It was almost as if something awoke in Savannah for the first time.

But before she could explore it, Savannah suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her left and saw that it was Ryan, looking rather concerned.

"Savannah, you okay?" he asked. Savannah then wondered what had just happened, which probably made her look really stupid, and she shook her head slightly.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she assured him, "Just a little shaken, I guess. I mean, I've never helped out with something like this before."

"I get it," Ryan nodded in understanding, "It's always tough the first day on the job. But we should probably get moving before Greg comes back."

"Who?" Savannah asked.

"Our supervisor," Ryan clarified.

"Oh, right," Savannah nodded, having now remembered that name, "I guess I forgot. I'm not too good at names."

"It's cool, you'll get used to it," Ryan assured her, "Come on, we should get back to work." He then turned around and began walking away from the enclosure, and Savannah soon followed. But even as she did so, she couldn't help but turn her head around in the direction of the tiger. Almost immediately, their eyes met again, and even from where she was, she thought she saw the cat's eyes narrow in a menacing way. Despite what happened previously, Savannah turned her head around, preferring not to wonder what was going on, even though the large part of her mind was beginning to fill with questions.

Fortunately, throughout the rest of the morning, she found solace from that unusual experience in her work, which mostly consisted of doing laundry and washing dishes, much like her previous job. Sure, it wasn't the most glamorous of jobs, but the pay was almost twice as much as she got before. And as soon as she saved enough, she would use it to get a college degree and find a much more comfortable career, comfortable to her at least.

Still, though her concentration on her work remained for the next few hours, so did the questions that had formed in her mind after she helped unload the tiger. Why did she feel so empathetic towards him? Sure, she loved animals and felt empathetic toward every one she came across, but this… This was a whole new level of empathy. One she couldn't immediately figure out. It was almost as if some sort of new sense awoke within her the moment she and the tiger made eye-contact, and no matter how much she tried to put the issue in the back of her head, the silent voice it used to call her still demanded the issue be solved.

Luckily, she had another chance to get away from it as soon as her turn for lunchbreak arrived. She headed to the break room, and saw that Ryan was sitting alone at one of the tables, eating a sandwhich. Deciding to humor both him, and herself, Savannah strode over to the table and sat in the chair across from him.

"What's up?" she asked him as she took her lunch out and set it in front of her.

"Nothing much," Ryan replied, smiling through his mouthful, "What do you think about working here?"

"It's nice," Savannah replied casually as she started drinking her Coke, "It's a bit like my old job but, at least the pay is better."

"Is that why you took it?" Ryan asked. When Savannah looked at him with raised eyebrows, he elaborated. "Just asking."

"Yeah," she nodded, "I mean, it took me six months to find it after I was let go, but I guess it was worth the effort."

"You were let go?" Ryan asked, his own eyebrows now raised in curiosity.

"Yeah, I prefer not to talk about it," Savannah said the word out slowly, now realizing in embarrassment just how much of her personal life this virtual stranger could glean from that one sentence. In fact, it only took her until now to see that she was carrying on a conversation with someone other than herself, something she hadn't done in too long a time, and it made her feel very uncomfortable. Trying to avoid it, she turned her attention to eating her lunch, knowing she had only twenty minutes before she was called back to duty again. And yet, this guy had been so nice to her, nicer than anyone had been in a long time, that she felt some new words form in her mind, until she relented and decided to let them out.

"Actually," she started before stopping to let out a sigh, wishing to choose her words carefully, "Thanks for what happened earlier."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Thanks for, being nice to me, I guess," Savannah replied, feeling a blush of embarrassment rise to her cheeks. Before she knew it, words were coming out of her mouth before she realized what was being said. "I mean, not a lot of people are, considering my, appearance." She clarified what she meant by showing her arms and then letting her hand pass over her face, which now showed a sad frown. Now that she was actually having a nice conversation with another person, she felt even worse than usual about having her tiger-like markings.

"Well, I think I can see why," Ryan said, "But, if it makes you feel any better, I kinda like your tattoos."

"They aren't tattoos," Savannah replied, not caring how many times she had to say that to someone, "I know this is gonna sound crazy but, I've had them all my life, honestly. And…" She paused, debating whether or not she should tell him. "You probably wouldn't believe what I'm capable of doing."

"Oh?" Ryan asked in curiosity, "Like what?"

"Well, even as a little kid I was always a really fast runner," Savannah explained, somewhat reluctantly yet somehow still wanting the conversation to continue, "Even now I can see well in the dark, I can also hear through solid walls. It's almost like I have superhuman senses or something."

"Hmm," Ryan then mused, almost as though going deep into thought. Savannah waited nervously, wondering what he would think of her explanation. She wouldn't have blamed him if she decided to blow him off. In fact, in keeping with her policy of never getting close to anyone, she found she almost wanted him to.

"Have you ever heard of Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted?" he then asked.

His question somewhat through Savannah off, sending her into confusion. "Huh?"

"I guess you haven't," Ryan shook his head, answering for her, "But it's not that far from here, and you should probably consider going there. They help out people like you. Maybe you could go and find out what all this means. Who knows? Maybe they could help you with your abilities."

Savannah was still confused, despite his explanation. "What do you mean 'people like me?'" she asked, giving voice to her most prominent thought. She then let his words sink in, and soon began to fear that in spite of his kindness, Ryan still thought of her as a freak like everyone else.

"Never mind, it's nothing, forget it," Ryan said as he shook his head again. Something about his response told Savannah that he was probably apologizing, regretting that he was thinking of her as such. And yet, another something seemed to confirm her previous fear, and she released an inner sigh. So he still thought of her as the freak she saw herself as, even if he was being nice to her. After dealing with the somewhat hurtful blow and pushing it aside, knowing she couldn't even think about being friends with him any further, Savannah decided that the conversation should focus on something else and therefore changed the subject.

"Remember that tiger we helped unload this morning?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ryan nodded, "What about it?"

"Why do people think they can keep exotic animals like that as pets?" Savannah asked, the question having been on her mind for quite some time, "I mean, I thought it was illegal, not to mention dangerous."

"It is, both," Ryan nodded again, "But some people just don't care. Some even attempt to breed them and sell off the offspring to willing buyers. I heard the owner of this tiger was arrested a few days ago."

"And he was so thin," Savannah said sadly, remembering how she saw more than one of his ribs, "The tiger, I mean." She then leaned her cheek against her knuckle and asked, "How can anyone do that?"

"I know," Ryan agreed, "It's sad." He then released a sigh and added, "But, in jobs like this, you have to steel yourself against a lot of heartbreak. It's probably the only thing that'll keep you sane in this place."

Savannah released a sigh of her own, before she started staring out into space, deep in her own contemplating thoughts, and said, "I already know the feeling." But it wasn't just steeling herself against moments like the one she experienced that morning. It was protecting herself from heartbreak in general. Not only did she have to go through the loss of her parents at the tender age of ten, but she had to go through another ten years of basically being despised, over-worked, and pushed away for no reason other than being different.

She'd endured a lot in her twenty years of living on this planet, and the only way she'd found she could protect herself from further harm was to act as though it didn't affect her, either positively or negatively. It was tough, but she had grown tough like that tiger she saw in the process, and she would continue to remain that way for the rest of her life if she had to. And well, if Ryan saw her the same ways as everyone else she ever encountered, then so be it. It didn't bother her. Not in the least.

Suddenly though, Savannah saw that in all her thinking, she hadn't eaten much of her lunch. She then looked at the clock on the wall and saw that she'd wasted half of her twenty minutes. She didn't have much time. She spent the rest of her permitted time eating her lunch, letting any more conversation between her and Ryan cease. They didn't even exchange goodbyes when they parted ways to get back to work, and Savannah decided she preferred to keep it that way. Anything to keep a friendship from forming between them, especially considering she had a job to do.

Such was her mindset as she continued to walk down the hall, her back straight and her shoulders set back in her usual stubborn stance, letting anyone who crossed her path know she meant business. Nothing more, nothing less. She was so firm in her concentration, that she was slightly startled when she heard voices further down the adjoining hallway. But it was only when she heard clearly what was being said that Savannah finally did stop in her tracks, and her heart began to race.

"I don't care what you think!" It was a man's voice, attempting to be kept low. "That's not what I pay you for!"

Savannah knew that voice, despite only having heard it a few times. It was the man who'd hired her. The man who ran the place. Vince Raff. And the way in which she heard him talk surprised her. When she first met him for an interview, he seemed nice enough, charming, charismatic even, yet carrying an air of authority around him, which he obviously needed. Yet Savannah was well acquainted with the ways authority was used to carry out less than honorable means. She was able to pick those moments up like having her very own detector in her brain. And she could tell this was one of those moments.

But before she could wonder if she should do anything, Raff continued. "Come in here," he said in a slightly lower tone of voice, "We can't risk being heard out here."

Now Savannah knew she had to do something. Yet she hesitated for a moment. Part of her wanted to hold back, since this was her workplace, and that man was her boss. Could she really risk getting caught eavesdropping, and therefore risk losing the job she'd tried so hard to find? Yet also, she reminded herself that she had the skills of a vigilante, one of which being stealth, and another being sniffing out injustice if it was out there. For a long moment, Savannah weighed both the equally legitimate options, until she finally gave in to the urge to do what she most loved doing. She didn't just exist to do housekeeping. She made it her life's work to help both animals and people, and if the welfare of either was being threatened, she had to do whatever she could to stop it.

After taking a deep breath, yet knowing she didn't have much time, Savannah crouched slightly then hastened around the corner and toward the door she just heard being shut. Now came another time for her ability to hear through solid walls to pay off. And the payoff was immediate. With her ear to the wall, she could hear them almost as clearly as if they were just across the hallway from her. And what she heard made her heart race even faster than before.

"Look, can you at least try to see how unethical this all seems?" another man's voice asked.

"Ethics can go jump in a lake for all I care," Raff retorted sharply, "Can you at least try to see how advantageous this would be for the evolution of mankind? If we can pass this test, we can move on to find volunteers. I'm sure we'd find many to help move this extraordinary breakthrough in science forward."

"And if we can't find any volunteers? At least not immediately?" his assistant asked.

"Oh we'll find volunteers my friend," Raff assured him smugly, "If they won't come willingly, we will weed them out. Such possible advances in the scientific community cannot be ignored. And I know what you're going to say. But scientists such as myself can't afford to be cowardly. After all, most breakthroughs in science have been achieved by taking risks. This will be no different. No matter how dangerous this may all seem, we will eventually get results."

"But what about the law?" his assistant asked, "Doesn't it have a say in what constitutes making breakthroughs in science? Might it even be possible that some risks in life are too great to take?"

"No risk in life is too great to take," Raff replied, "especially considering these filthy creatures I work with."

Savannah's eyes widened in wonder at what he could have meant by that. The animals that came here or the people he employed? Either way, it made her angry, but she nonetheless continued to listen.

"As for the law, they will eventually see my way," Raff continued in that smug tone of his, "Science has usually triumphed, especially in places like the supreme court. But I assure you we won't be going there anytime soon. As soon as I get the results I need, the means of obtaining them will soon fade. Speaking of which, for the first experiment on my roster, I'd say that tiger we unloaded this morning will be a good test subject."

Now Savannah's eyes were wide enough to fall out of her head. Raff was planning to experiment, most likely illegally, on one of the animals in his facility? And not only that, but given the tiger's condition, he probably wouldn't survive any test her boss was planning. Unless he was trying to see how deadly his test was. Savannah pressed harder against the wall, wanting to hear the answer to the next question in her mind.

"I already have a plan in motion," Raff said, "We begin at eight tonight, after the last of my day employees goes home. That'll be when my 'nightly employees' arrive. It'll be like all the other past, 'incidents.' If the tiger proves too weak, his owner's poor treatment of him will be to blame. My day employees will have no idea."

Except one, Savannah almost said out loud. Then, having decided she'd heard enough, and being more than disgusted at what she heard, she stood up from her crouching position, and hurried back down the hall to her workplace. As she later began working as though it was still an ordinary day, in her mind, she was already coming up with what she could do to stop Raff. Even if she couldn't stop his experiment, she'd have an eye-witness testimony in addition to the conversation she heard to report to the police. But there was only one way she could get her eye-witness testimony. And, given the way Raff was confident about the way no one would find out what he was doing, Savannah didn't put desperate measures such as murder beyond him.

On the other hand, she could ignore it. Pretend she'd never heard the conversation, and very likely keep the job she'd searched relentlessly for. But the longer she replayed the conversation over and over in her head, the less and less likely that seemed to be an option. Savannah had another job she loved doing. One that seemed more meaningful. And that was being her, the shadow of the night who promised justice to innocent people, and now animals to. No. There was no possible way around it. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip past her. Considering the circumstances, it looked like she was that tiger's, and possibly all these animals', only hope. And if only she was going to be able to get the condemning information needed to convict Raff of his crimes, she was going to do it. Nothing was going to stop her.

She remained certain of this throughout the rest of the day, even after she checked out, left the building, and walked to the bus stop to get a ride home. Even before she got onto the bus, Savannah was already forming a plan in her mind. Not just a plan of stealth, but even a plan of attack if she was discovered. She wasn't too experienced with weapons, but that would hardly be a problem, considering how she managed to fight off Wolf-man only the night before. If she could do that, she would surely be able to stave off any human opposition thrown at her. They would have no idea what would hit them. And at that thought alone, that she might have the upper hand, Savannah chuckled softly to herself.

But she couldn't get cocky. Even the simplest looking of criminals could turn deadly in a second. And Raff would likely prove no exception. Savannah quickly chastened herself, and refocused her mind on the plan that continued to form in her mind, even after the bus dropped her off and she walked through the front door and up the stairs to her apartment. She knew this was going to be a tricky operation, and that the police likely wouldn't believe her at first, considering her vigilante activity and the fact that she would probably be breaking and entering. But that was necessary. In Savannah's line of thought, sometimes you had to break the law to protect it.

That thought remained with her even after night fell, and seven p.m. came upon her. She quickly applied her stripe-concealing makeup to her face, added the color-changing contacts to her eyes, and then proceeded to change into her trademark black clothing. By the time she looked in the mirror, she was satisfied with what she saw, before she pulled up her face mask past her nose and made her next move. She opening her window, then traversing down the fire-escape to the concrete ground below, before she looked around for any possible threats. Seeing none, she finally made her way forward, behind the protective shadows of the buildings which would soon be replaced by those of the alleyways. She had no time to waste.

Tonight, she was going on what was perhaps her most important mission so far, one which might even land her in a good light with law enforcement. And, as was her usual mindset which seemed so much stronger tonight, no obstacle was going to stop her from seeing it through. Not even one.

Reviews would be appreciated.