San Francisco

November 1987

It's been a long three days to say the very least. With slow and painful movements, I fish my house keys out of my jacket pocket and unlock the door.

The two-level penthouse I live in is in the nicest part of San Francisco, in a rising tower that overlooks the bay and bridge. This place is prime real estate and I lucked out when I found it. John paid for it outright for me as a birthday/moving out on my own gift. I tried to tell him no, but he insisted.

Okay, I may not have tried that hard, but hey, I'm all about saving my money. Besides, I pay for everything else, one last bit of help from him can't hurt.

I open the door and distractedly throw my keys down on the kitchen counter as I pass. Right now, my priorities are a shower, first-aid, food, and sleep, in that order. I didn't make it through this mission unscathed, I got stabbed once and I'm covered in large bruises and various sized cuts, the largest spanning down my right eyebrow. It won't leave a big scar, but I will be missing a small slice of eyebrow. Oh well, it'll just make me look more badass.

After showering and applying much needed first aid in my ensuite, I amble back into my room to put on a pair of loose shorts and a t-shirt. At this point, I just want to relax and watch my favorite movie, The Lost Boys. Don't ask how I got the VHS before it came out.

God those guys are so hot…

I gather up my towel and start scrubbing it through my black waves, drying them. I'm distracted when a knock sounds off at the door. Who could that be? No one but John knows where I live yet and he wouldn't have come without calling first.

I steadily make my way towards the front door, grabbing the pistol strapped to the bottom of the side table there. When I peer through the peephole, I see a short Asian girl with short punkish hair, sharp make up, gorgeous lips, and a katana strapped to her back. I definitely don't recognize her and she is clearly with someone. But what assassin comes to the front door and knocks, their weapon in plain view?

Keeping the gun in my hand behind my back, I open the door enough for her to see me but not into my home. She uses a moment to take me in, stopping predictably on my eyes.

"Are you Andromeda Wick?"

My manicured eyebrows pull together in confusion, fingers gripping the gun tighter. "It's rude to ask for someone's name before giving your own."

The girl gives me a look of respect before answering. "I'm Saya, Master Lin has sent me. Can I come in? This is kind of a private conversation."

I have no idea who this 'Master Lin' is, for all I know he could be some crazy cult leader or connected to the job I just pulled. Could this girl be here to take me out for killing all those men and setting those women free? My violet eyes roll over her form, stopping pointedly on the sword on her back. She notices where my attention is fixed and seems to understand my hesitancy.

"I'm only here to talk," she holds up her hands in an attempt to placate me.

"Do you always come packing to talk?" I raise a dubious eyebrow.

At that, Saya actually laughs at that and shakes her head. "Technically, yes, I do. I don't go anywhere without my katana. I'm sure you understand given the gun behind your back."

It's my turn to look at her with respect. "Fair enough, I suppose. Come on in. But just so you know, if you try anything, I'll kill you."

"I have no doubt you will, but like I said, I'm just here to talk and make an offer," she retorts.

Begrudgingly, I let Saya in and lead her towards the large u-shaped couch in the living room. Why do I need such a large couch living by myself in a city with no friends? None of your business. She sits down in the middle and looks around at the obvious wealth around her. I don't like to show off despite having expensive tastes, so it's a bit uncomfortable.

Under the guise of being a good hostess I walk away from her to get drinks. I come back with two bottles of water and hand one off to her. I sit down with a sigh and curl my legs underneath me suppressing a wince, the action tugging on my fresh stitches.

"Now, why are you here and who is Master Lin?"

"Right to the point, I like it. Master Lin is the headmaster of the school I attend, the school I'm here to recruit you into. It's called Kings Dominion and they train assassins like us here in the city," she informs me, going on about the curriculum and the advantages I'd have by going there.

The main things on my mind are all the different things this odd school could teach me that no one back in New York could – like poisons, I have only a little experience with that – but also the number of contacts I can make while there. If I learned anything from John, it is to make friends with people who can help you. If you need anything, John knows a guy or two who can help. And while his contacts are mine too by association, it can't hurt to have more.

I slowly sip on my water as I listen, nodding occasionally as I absorb the information. She talks to me about the school and shares very surface level details about herself for the next hour before I make my decision. "Alright, I think I'd like to give this place a shot, but I reserve the right to bail at any time."

"Really? Damn, that was easier than I expected. Just like that?" Saya seems a bit shocked at my ready compliance, but she shouldn't be. It's not like she knows me at all.

"Yeah, I mean, I know what I can and can't do. It seems like this school will help me be even greater at my job. With this school's help, I will surpass John in no time." I know that sounds bad, but I know he would want that for me as well. I've always been a determined girl, always looking to be stronger, quicker, smarter than my enemies. I'm talented now, more than confident in my current abilities, but I can always be stronger.

"Can I ask you something? Did John really kill three men in a bar with a pencil? Master Lin told me a few things about how you got on his radar, how did you do it?"

"That's more than just 'something', but sure. Yes, he really did kill three men in a bar with a pencil. As for how I did what I did, a day of planning and resource gathering and two days to execute. I went to two of the warehouses one day, killed the guards and freed the first fifty women. The next day I hit the last warehouse and all three of the head bosses' homes, took out their security teams before taking them out." I give a very sanitized version of events, which, by the state of me, is pretty obvious. "As you can see, I didn't make it out unscathed," I continue, gesturing with my free hand to my bruised face. Of course, those are my only visible wounds currently.

"Well, shit… You'll have to tell me the whole story at some point. Right now, you should pack so we can get going. There is a uniform, so you will only need a few outfits," Saya says as she gets up. To do what, I don't know, but she ends up following me to my room.

She watches as I break out my suitcase and work on repacking it. What a pain in the ass. I just did this. As I'm packing my toiletries from my bathroom, I see through the open door when Saya finds my closet. "Damn! This closet is huge, you have so many clothes."

I chuckle at that and drop my bag on the bed before joining her. "Yeah, I like clothes," I retort, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I'm going to help grab some outfits, you and I have similar styles, I want to see what you have, maybe borrow some things. You don't mind, right?"

I stare at her for a moment before shaking my head. "Yeah, if they fit, feel free. But I will come after you if I don't get them back eventually." She just ignores me and keeps riffling through my things.

I'm surprised by this seemingly hardened assassin's attitude. She seemed a bit stuck up when she first got here but seems to be warming up. Maybe she will be my first friend? She seems fine enough, and it's true that we have similar styles. I spent some time admiring her ink while we were talking, and I saw her doing the same. Hers were a traditional Japanese art spanning up both arms whereas mine are both covered in a celestial theme, dark and colorful at the same time.

It takes half an hour for the two of us to pack because Saya kept throwing in more clothes every time I thought she was done. So much for only needing a few outfits. But eventually, I drag her away from my closet and we make our way out to our vehicles – her to her motorcycle and me to my Mustang – and then we are off to school.