Last City - Dead Earth ((Closed for DarkDreamer00 and Luna_Wolf72))

((Hello! Thank you for your interest in this thread But, sadly, for now we would ask that you refrain from posting here. For now, it's a one on one thread. While it is possible in the future the story line will open up for other players, for now we're keeping it small. Thanks again! PMs with questions or interests are always welcome.))


The sky was pitch black, coated with clouds from an endless storm. The constant rain forced the city below to develop a complicated draining and recycling system to keep the streets and lower levels of buildings from flooding. There was no wild plant or animal life on this planet, it's rocky surface no long able to naturally sustain life. Even the insects had perished years ago. Sunlight couldn't penetrate the dense cloud cover, everything beneath blanketed in endless night. Without a warm core and light from the sun, the planet's temperature had plummeted, often mixing snow with the rain in the remnants of the winter season. The massive buildings had their own internal environmental systems that sustained the life inside. The planet had died years before. The seas had dried up. The trees had fallen. The tectonic plates frozen in time. The atmosphere was preserved through environmental and recycling technologies deep beneath the surface that used a series of massive pipes that lead up to the surface to use the buildings to get to the sky.

The city spanned across the entire planet. Buildings that had once been made from the planet's own resources have been upgraded with stronger, off-world metals. These new materials allowed the buildings to survive the colder, more harsh atmosphere. There were interactive public transportation systems in the form of clear tubes that used the massive buildings to form a massive series of tracts. The tubes contained spheres for individual transportation and large cylinders for multiple people. The spheres cost money to ride, giving the user more privacy. The cylinders that held up to one hundred people at a time were free. Public transportation could get a person anywhere on the planet in under five hours, but it was faster to own a small shuttle. Larger space craft had been designed for inter-planetary travel through the entire galaxy. Many different races all over the galaxy had private, commercial, and military ships of their own.

Humans populate the planet wide city. It is now the capital of the Human Empire. The government and almost all major corporations have their home offices in this city. The human race has expanded far and wide, making trade and economic relations with other races.

Many years before the death of the planet, mankind and the sub species of humanity once called the Magical Community lived in peace. The Magical Community was filled with different races that had grown alongside humanity since the birth of the planet. After a third World War, the many different countries became united and one massive government was created for all of humanity. A group of powerful politicians began to fear the Magical Community and their potential to destroy mankind. A secret, black ops organization known as Unit 64 was created. With unlimited resources, highest security clearances, and the most brilliant of scientists, Unit 64 grew into the largest secret military force humanity had ever formed. Not even the World President knew of its existence. Unit 64's mission was to protect the human race from the Magical Community and further the world's economy and technology. Out of his own growing paranoia, the High Commander of Unit 64 determined that all Magical creatures were a threat to society and the survival of mankind. He launched a secret war against the Magical Community.

Within the Magical Community, there was a population of creatures known as Druids. The Druids had been charged with the task of defending and preserving all life on Earth. The Druids saw that Unit 64 had begun to exterminate Magical Creatures and even began to threaten the life of the planet itself. It was the Druids that became the leadership behind the resistance from the Magical Community. Within the Druid population, there was one family blood line that ruled over all others. Donaven. The Donavens were extremely powerful, but there was always one member of the family that stood out above all others. This person was known as the Arch Druid, the most powerful magical creature on Earth. There was one born into the Donaven line once every two generations. The Arch Druid was the commander for the forces of the Magical Community.

The war waged for thousands of years before Unit 64 began to genetically alter its troops with the gnomes of captured creatures, creating super soldiers known as GNOME troopers. The new soldiers were better equipped to fight the magical creatures, now possessing much weaker versions of the same power of the creatures they were fighting. With this new found power and advanced military training, Unit 64 had powerful new weapons to use against Magical Creatures.

The development of the GNOME troopers began to tilt the war in Unit 64's favor. Unit 64 began to push back the Magical Community, develop the lands they stole and destroying the natural earth beneath. Unit 64 had spent their time pushing back the Magical Community until the only land the they had left was the country formerly known as Ireland. The creatures had successfully held that land, denying entry into those magically infused lands. In the center was Donaven Castle. Unit 64 waited, assembling a massive army until a new Arch Druid was born before launching a full out invasion on Donaven Castle. The Magical Community destroyed almost 90 percent of Unit 64's army before falling. The Donaven family line was completely wiped out...with one exception. The 8 year old child, the future Arch Druid. Unit 64 took her as a prize. She was trained, genetically altered...transformed into the ultimate super soldier for their uses. But they couldn't contain her spirit. She escaped, taking several of her friends with her. She now leads an underground resistance, though what survivors of the magical community survived were scattered to the winds. There is one high ranking member of Unit 64 that has been sent to hunt her...to recapture her. Unit 64 has no intention of letting something that power..that expensive to train run free. The soldier assigned to the task was once the Arch Druids friend, her training partner, her competitor. The two friends were now of two completely different points of view and always on the opposite side of the blade.

That day, the Earth died and what was left of the magical community scattered to the wind. It wasn't long before the last section of land on Earth was developed. Unit 64 continued to thrive, having their hands in almost all aspects of Human life, though hidden, the public at large having no idea of their existence. Their new mission was to find and recapture the weapon that they had spent so much time and money in creating. They wanted to retake the Arch Druid and finish finding the rest of the resistance to wipe it out.

Our story begins in this city, now called LAST CITY....on the Human home world DEAD EARTH...

- The planet was in the portion of its orbit that could have once been considered winter. There was a mix of ice and snow with the endless rain that coated the city. The wind was frigid, especially near the tops of the buildings that literally kissed the sky. One of those buildings in the north western quadrant of the city stood at 150 stories. It was nothing more than a simple storage building. No human security, only computer systems that were easily bipassed. At the 89th story, there was a balcony that lead out into the raging weather. It was there, the Arch Druid Kira Donaven stood, looking through a set of high powered binoculars at a building about 500 yards across from her.

She was a reasonably tall woman, standing at 5'8 inches. Her body was a lean, lithe combination of toned, agile muscles and subtle, promising curves. That tempting body was encased in form fitting black material that was both water proof and resistant to blades and light armor rounds. It hugged her like a second skin, kept her warm, and was suitable armor that allowed her the range of motion she required while still defending her against glancing blows.

Shoulder length brunette locks were pulled back in a single, tight pony tail, ensuring that they did not get in her way at crucial points in combat. It left her features to stand out on their own. She was beautiful, much like the roses that had gone extinct so long ago. Undeniably attractive, but always possessing that hint of danger, deadliness. Her eyes were brilliant, bright emerald. Twin katana blades were sheathed in a criss cross fashion over her back. Dual hand pistols were resting at each thigh and small pockets were filled with all forms of small explosives and other useful devices. Though, her weapons were merely a precaution. The woman could never be fully disarmed. She had complete mastery over the four elements in the world. She was stronger and faster than humans and even most other magical creatures, a property of her Druid lineage. She could also shape shift into a white tiger, the image of which was plastered across her skin in a birth mark. The paw of the tiger reached over her right shoulder and rested just above her right breast, the claws dripping drops of blood down on her nipple. The rest of the marking was across her back, the tiger's head between her shoulder blades, the body extending down her back. The tail wrapped around her waist and the back paws moved down her legs to end at the back of her knees. It was a marking never to be misunderstood. All druids could shape shift into the animal they were born marked with. But the Arch Druid was always a white tiger. Always the same marking.

The building across from her is what Kira was interested in. It was one of Unit 64's corporate buildings. Entry from the roof or the ground level was impossible, even for her. It was too heavily guarded and there was too many floors she would have to go through to get to her objective. But she wasn't just anyone and she had no intention of entering the building in that manner. The floor she was interested in was the 61st and that was the direction of her gaze. She smirked just a bit. She had sighted minimal guards, all of which were not in her room of interest. It was time to go. She had every move planned out. She didn't go into a building like this without being ready. If she was captured, there would be no one left powerful enough to prevent Unit 64 from committing genocide against other races. She stood up straight and tossed the binoculars to the side. It was highly likely that her old friend had an office in that building. They had gone toe to toe so many times, now. She had conflicting feelings about her opponent. But those feelings didn't matter. The information she was after tonight was much more important than that. She was the Arch Druid....her personal feelings had no place in the war...or her duty to what was left of lives that had been destroyed by Unit 64. -

The Soldier~Zariah LaMont

The dream is always the same:

There is silence, darkness, heat and wetness. Blood drips slowly from the wound that opens her side from the middle of her rib cage to the top of her hip. Fear rides her, causing her to gasp, stumble, fall. She can’t breathe, she can’t breathe! A voice, a growling voice that contains nothing human warns her, tells her “Don’t move, pup.” and she can’t move. A snout, filled with teeth, licks the blood, licks her wound, closes it and makes it BURN. She can’t breathe. There is fear and pain and no air but her body feels strong, ready. Her eyes see things she should not see, her ears hear things she should NOT hear. She stands but the frame of reference is all wrong, she is too close to the ground. Too close by far.

“THE TIME IS 0600. AWAKEN”

Zariah LaMont rolled to her feet and shook the remnants of her dream away. The day was going to be a long one and she couldn’t afford to worry about things that she couldn’t change. Dreams were nothing; a fantasy her mind used to keep her entertained while she slept. She knew this, knew this with a quiet purpose that no one could deter, not even…Zariah shook her head and killed that thought before it started. Today was no different than any other.

Thirty minutes later and Zariah was dressed for the day: a black one piece suit that covered her from neck to ankles and deflected just about anything one could aim her way. Her feet were encased in knee high leather boots that shone dully under the bright lights of the command center. On her hips rode a small gun belt containing two pistols. A single broadsword was strapped to her back, the handle tucked under her shoulder length hair. She carried nothing else, she needed nothing else. She was one of the top hand to hand combatants EVER trained by Unit 64 and she knew it. Adding 50 other things to her arsenal was definitely overkill. She left her dorm in the command center and headed out into the cold, early morning. She had a breakfast briefing in 30 minutes and she could not be late.

0700

“Sir, LaMont, reporting.” Her voice is crisp, cool, clear. Her eyes focus on nothing, show nothing.

“Have a seat, Lt. LaMont. “ The man behind the desk is large and affable, scarily so. He motions her toward a chair and waits for her to make use of it before continuing. “As you know, the resistance is still in full swing. Your friend is their rallying point. Without her, they will falter, they will break. I trust you see the sense of this, of course. You are our best hope of capturing her, of bringing her back without death. Are you prepared to do so?”

“Sir, of course. Do you doubt me?” A quirk of a coal black eyebrow, a hint of derision in a full bottom lip.

“Of course not, Lieutenant. I am just making you aware that time is running out. Without that druid we will never stamp out this rebellion. We need her returned. You will, of course, report directly to me.”

A dismissal, without the words. Zariah stands and departs, her steps quick as she exits.

1800

Zariah stepped into the coding room on the 60th floor of Micah’s main corporate complex. She had spent most of the day running drills before being told to show up here for a conference. She still wears her work uniform, still wears her weapons. Her body is slightly slumped as the day has been cold and wet. She hates it. Wishes the orbit would align soon for warmth.

“LaMont reporting.”

The secretary glances up, taking in the woman standing at parade rest before the desk: 5'6", 130 pounds, solid musculature shown to advantage in the form fitting uniform, coppery skin, coal black hair, bright blue eyes.

"Have a seat, Lieutenant. Micah will be with you shortly."

- Kira knew what it was to be constantly wet and cold. Venturing outside a building on this particular planet left a person looking like a drowned rat. Standing out on that balcony, Kira was soaked, the wind and the rain beating against her bare, alluring face. She rarely wore masks of any kind. It blocked her field of vision, and considering she was often taking on multiple opponents, she needed to be able to see as much as possible.

She put her gloved hands on the railing as she eyed the distance from her target building. Roughly 500 yards. Even she admitted it was a good bit of distance for the type of jump she was about to attempt. She would have to be on her game, as well as incredibly fast. The maneuver she was about to attempt would be able to be seen if someone happened to be looking out a window intently. The rain and the darkness would largely hide her from those just casually looking, but if she was unfortunate enough to have someone looking closely, the amount of time she would have to retrieve what she wanted would drop significantly. She had calculated the angle and speed she'd need, which was how she had ended up on the 89th floor. She would drop those extra stories in the jump.

After a moment or two of final mental preparation, she stepped back from the railing until her back pressed against the door. She took in a slow, deep breath before she took off in a sprint, vaulting over the railing. Her body rapidly descended into a free fall. She focused, calling to her air element, and soon the winds began to answer her. They slowed her fall, long enough for her to call to water. The rain around her began to gather together in a large pool beneath her feet. The wind picked up beneath that pool just before it froze solid. Kira used the wind currents to support the block of ice as she landed solidly on it. Power flared around her and, all of the sudden, the rain began to pool together in a path leading directly to that 61st story. She started sprinting in mid air, the pools freezing completely just before her foot landed on them. When she approached, she reached into a pocket and pulled out two small cylinder objects. She threw them at the window, smirking as they stuck. The two objects emitted a very high pitch, high frequency sound wave that was undetectable to most forms of hearing. That sound wave shattered the glass just before Kira jumped through, tucking her body into a roll as she drew a single gun from her right thigh. The glass had literally turned into dust, making very little sound in it's own right.

She knew she had mere moments. She got up, her shining emerald gaze scanning the room before she crouched low and ran to the computer terminal. She activated it and quickly began to hack the system before the silent alarm was triggered. She let out a small sigh of relief when the security system control panel on her screen didn't indicate that the alarm had sounded. Without even glancing back, the winds out of the window died down and the frozen pathway melted into pure rain that fell down on the streets below. Her plan was to be in and out before anyone even knew there had been a break in. She went right to work, hacking into Unit 64's main frame. She knew how. They had trained her to be the best at it. She was already bypassing the security system and the adaptive firewalls, breaking into the information contained on that computer's private server. She glanced up frequently, scanning the floor that should be completely empty this time of night, not making a sound and unaware of precisely who was on the floor beneath her. -

Whirr…whirr…

Zariah dropped to the chair , her hands going to her ears as a sound itched it’s way into her brain and refused to leave. She couldn’t ignore it but the secretary didn’t seem to hear anything or to be bothered. She clamped down harder, but it didn’t help. “Don’t you hear that?” Zariah’s voice was plaintive, loud. The secretary glanced at her, a frown marring perfectly bland features. Just then, the noise dispersed.

Instinct drove her lightly to her feet. Something was off. She knew it. Her adrenaline was up, there was something amiss, odd noises that no one else heard, a feeling that things were wrong. She glanced upward, gazing at the ceiling. Her senses seemed to be on hyper alert and faintly, she heard noises. Scuffing, a creak, tapping?

“Tell Micah I will be right back, I need to check the next floor.”

Zariah didn’t give the secretary any time to argue, dashing from the office at a sprint and hurrying to a nearby elevator. She started to push the button but hesitated. If someone WAS upstairs, they would hear the dinging when it reached the next level. There was an exit door with a ramp that led upwards, so she went that way instead. She had no need to pull a weapon, there wasn’t anything that said Danger! Intruder! but her instincts were clamoring and she followed, without thought, without a plan. She hit the 61st floor and turned toward the room that held most of Unit 64’s computer network for this sector.

She crept forward, her heart pounding. Someone was in there. This floor was closed. She stopped, just out of sight and sniffed delicately. A scent, one she knew. Woods, darkness, rain, and something other. She eased closer and dropped to all fours, moving until she could see who was there without being seen. Her bright blue eyes took in everything in a split second. The form was familiar, so was the scent. Suddenly, it hit her, that form, that scent? She stood up and moved forward, flicking on the light with her first step into the room. Her voice echoed slightly, a questioning lilt causing a bit of huskiness she just couldn't control.

“Kira?”

- Kira had cracked through the security systems while Zariah had been creeping up the stairs and to the door of the room. She had put in a small, portable data drive and downloaded all of what she was after. She was in the process of slipping a second portable drive into the computer terminal to upload something. There were subtle shifts in the air in the room as Zariah moved through it quietly and Kira stepped up from the desk. She put her back to a wall, gun in her hand but pointed at the ground and her finger wasn't on the trigger.

The light in the office came on, leaving half of Kira's body in the shadows and the other half in the light. She recognized the voice and then the woman as she stood. A slight smirk touched her lips and she stepped forward and to the computer terminal once again, as if she didn't fear what the other woman would do in the least. She tapped a few more keys and continued to smile to herself before she yanked the portable drive from the computer. If everything went well, the virus she just introduced into the system would hide and destroy the information she just stole. It would also infect the entire server and hopefully spread to Unit 64's entire main frame. That would keep them busy while she would attempt to use the information she just stole.

She slipped both portable drives in a pocket and tilted her head up, smirking confidently at Zariah. Her gun was still pointed at the ground, her finger not on the trigger. She had no intention of harming the other woman unless she was forced to. She doubted Zariah would let her walk out the front door with stolen information. "Good thing that's not the plan," Kira thought to herself. When she finally spoke, her voice had a certain melodious, soft quality to it. It was the kind of voice that was supposed to belong to a sweet, innocent woman. Not a highly trained, highly skilled assassin.


"Hello, Zariah. I hate to be rude, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. So, let's just make it simple. You can let me walk away, or you can come try to stop me and fail. Either way, I'm leaving within the next five minutes. Can't we just both agree to walk the other way? I'd hate for you to go back to your superiors with disappointing news..."

Kira remembered the consequences of disappointing a superior in Unit 64. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Regardless of the break down in their friendship, Kira didn't truly wish harm to Zariah. But that didn't mean she wouldn't hurt the other woman, or feel sorry for her for failing in her own duties. She knew her own importance. She was the only one capable of taking Unit 64 down...and she was the only one that gave the Resistance hope. The people in Unit 64's research prisons got through the day believing that the Arch Druid still lives...She could not abandon those people or the rest of galaxy. It wouldn't be long before Unit 64 decided other races were as much of a threat and tried to repeat the atrocities they committed on Earth.

Kira slowly began to move, one purposeful step at time. She was attempting to put her back to the open window, the rain and wind blowing through the wide open space. -

Zariah was shocked. Kira had fully come into her power and it blazed from her, like a bonfire. Her voice was a melodious friction that touched upon the soldier's skin, a velvet caress. It took her a moment to shake the response away and a further moment to notice the gun and the way Kira moved. Her mind wasn't on capturing Kira. Not right now.

"I can see the hurry, Kira. Don't let me stop you. At least not yet." The soldier shook her head, and strode for the computer terminal. "You aren't important, right now." A slight smile, a softening of the eyes, but the voice that cracked out didn't allow any of that emotion through. "You never really were. Neither am I. But...at least I know it."

Turning away from Kira took all of the resources Zariah had. She wanted to catch her, capture her, beat her...but she couldn't. Obviously, the woman was planning some sort of disruption and that needed to be set to rights before Zariah could allow herself to think of tracking the druid. Pressing a button located on her gun belt, Zariah called downstairs.

"We have a breach. Main frame office, sector 4. Require immediate assistance."

She turned around, catching Kira in her sights just as the Druid made it to the window. The girl had gotten something from this risky endeavor but Zariah didn't know what and, of course, it would do absolutely no good to ask. The smirk that hovered on Kira's face made the soldier itch to slap it off, but she couldn't. Not yet. Her voice was a low, rolling growl, her eyes a cold ice blue as she spoke a final time; "Get out. Enjoy your freedom while you still can."

The stamp of booted feet echoed up the hallway as the nearest computer technicians made their way to the main frame office. Zariah didn't wait to see Kira's escape. Instead, she sprinted toward the door, yelling instructions.

"She pulled something out and inserted something else. My guess is a virus. Get your best code cracker on that terminal NOW! I have to report."

A moment's debate and few minute's of all out running and she was back on the 60th floor. Staring at the wide eyed secretary, she rapped out a command. "Get me the Commander on line one."

***********************************************************************************

2300

Zariah had gotten reamed out royally for her failure to capture Kira. Didn't matter. They had managed to save the mainframe for this sector and delete the virus before it did anything more than erase Kira's electronic footsteps. The Commander had agreed that Kira had acted according to protocols BUT she should have went after Kira instead of reporting in.

The soldier gave her head a shake as she stripped out of her uniform. She had been TOO angry. She would have lost the druid in the weather. She hadn't bothered to offer any excuses, though. Wouldn't have done any good, at all...and she knew it. The fact was she wanted to catch Kira and she would...but the druid scared her just a little. She had to be prepared. The trouble was she didn't have ANY idea how one prepared to go to war with a real Magic person.

- Kira's laugh was simple, an innocent sweetness that slipped through the air to caress the other woman's skin. She watched Zariah move with that natural grace that accompanied the more talented fighters. She let her brilliant emerald gaze slide over the other woman's form for brief moments. She hadn't seen Zariah since she had escaped almost two years ago. Kira had stayed underground for a long time, perfecting her skills even further and working to build the underground foundation of the Resistance. She hadn't exactly forgotten how beautiful Zariah was, but she had done her best to push it out of her mind. Even now, she fought the urge to sigh. There was a part of her deep down that always had wanted the Lieutenant. But she was the enemy now. She believed in Unit 64's perverse cause, and they no longer saw eye to eye.

Kira shook her head as Zariah called for backup. She didn't seem in the least bit worried. An almost nostalgic smile touched her lips.

"We both know that's a lie, Lieutenant. And I am rather enjoying my freedom. It's not something that is going to change any time soon. Especially by you. Rest well tonight, Zariah...You're going to need it."

With the parting words and the sounds of the soldiers running toward the room, Kira merely jumped backwards and out into open air. She disappeared rapidly, her body free falling to the streets that were sixty one stories below. The soldiers that came running through into the office ran to the window just in time to see her body free falling. Some of them opened fire, sending a spray of bullets down at the Druid. For a woman in free fall being chased by bullets, she was still amazingly calm, confident. The winds picked up quickly around her, whipping through the air and sending the bullets off target. They wrapped around Kira like a glove and she literally rode the wind down until she landed effortlessly on the street.

She broke out into a sprint, heading down a series of alleys until she stumbled across a small, one man shuttle. She pressed a button on her belt and the shuttle door opened. She could hear the footsteps of soldiers behind her and she jumped in. She threw a suitcase-like container out onto the street before shutting the door. She fired up the shuttle and took off, her target destination being the small colony on the moon. She pressed another button on the shuttle control panel, and the suitcase below snapped open. It threw out a large dispersion of a white, powdery substance. It was harmless, but it wiped out the vapor trails of the shuttle. If Unit 64 soldiers were even capable of finding the vapor trail, it wouldn't be for hours later. And by then, it was highly likely it would have dispersed. Kira always covered her tracks.

Kira pulled into a small shuttle bay on the surface colony of the moon. She had bought a small apartment there as a safe house. She had many pieces of property scattered around the galaxy and even within Last City itself. Being a rather skilled hacker, Kira constantly stole money from Unit 64. She hid the money in her own scattered accounts, all under false names and all in banks of races other than humans. It made tracking where she put the money almost impossible. The way Kira saw it, Unit 64 created their own currency...something no other governmental organization could do. But then again....Unit 64 wasn't technically even a part of the government anymore. The World President didn't even know of it's existence. They hadn't attempting to track the money that she was noticing. She figured they didn't seem to miss a million disappearing here, 3 million there.

Kira walked through the colony to her apartment. She locked the door behind her and immediately walked to her bathroom. She stripped out of her battle gear, shivering just a bit from the cold. She set a gun on the toilet beside the shower and stepped into the warm heat. She quickly cleaned her slim, sleek body, beads of water flowing down the toned muscles. She sighed, closing her eyes as she let the warmth sink into her.

If Zariah had been present tonight, it was either out of coincidence or Unit 64 was planning to use her old friend against her. She didn't want to hurt her. She even had a sort of crush on the woman once upon a time. But it meant nothing now. She had a duty. She had a purpose. Neither of which included personal feelings or desires. She sighed again, shaking her head. She also didn't have time to linger in the shower. She had a date with a computer and a portable disc drive. She had information to decode. -

Zariah had worried herself into a fitful sleep. The dreams, the memories, came to taunt her.

Two girls, one light, the other dark, side by side. They move as one, mirroring each movement of their trainer as he walks around the group, counting off each position, correcting wrong strikes, pulling one child away, then another until only those two are left.

“STRIKE! AGAIN!”

Two girls, mirror images, one just a bit faster, the other just a bit smoother. Full extension. Legs akimbo. Kick. Arms up, out. Until they drop, together. Exhaustion is not a word they know, but they feel it. Too young to train so hard. Too young to be so tough.

“ON YOUR FEET, SOLDIERS! AGAIN.”

The lighter one pulls the darker one to her feet. A shared smile, a soft glance before the smiles disappear to be replaced by nothing. A bow, to each other, to the trainer. And then…

“STRIKE! KICK! AGAIN!”

IT IS 0600 HOURS. AWAKEN

The soldier rolls off of her cot and blearily makes her way to the shower. The night’s rest was not nearly long enough but she KNEW that she had to start training, again. The dream had left her well aware of that fact, as did the smirking glance of Kira the previous night. The fear? That was also an underlying factor . Zariah did not allow fear. Things like Kira should be frightened of HER. She steps into the shower and soaps up, covering her body in rich lather quickly, keeping herself under the 3 minute rule. Protocol. Save the water, save the resources. Do it until you die. A sigh as she rinses off and steps out, pushing the button that allows warm air to dry her skin.

Thirty minutes later, she is dressed and full, grabbing an energy bar and water to eat on her way out the door. Time to get started. A full day’s training lies ahead for her youngest recruits and then more training begins tonight for her.

1800 hours

The first round of training is over. Zariah is tired, brutally so. She hates sword fighting. Her body never does what it is supposed to. Of course, her Trainer disagrees. He says she is a natural and could handle two swords just as easily as one. She wipes the sweat from her brow and waits for the next Trainer to enter the arena. This exercise is new. She needs to learn to harness her own innate power, to reach deeper than she has ever done. Only meditation can teach that. She has to learn it. This hunt requires it. The small Oriental man enters from the left, making no sound. Zariah hears him, nonetheless and turns toward him with a bow.

“I am ready, Master Chen.”

*****************************************************************

“Lieutenant, this Commander Sorenson. Come to Sector 5B.”

Zariah jerked out of her light doze and jumped up from her spot in the library. She had been studying up, learning about the major disciplines of magical endeavor. Glancing around in embarrassment, she returned the discs to their proper places and strode out into the cold night.

She returned to her room in the command center after explaining to the Commander what she was doing to prepare for this job. He had seemed to be pleased by her initiative but she couldn’t really tell. He was impossible to read. She knew she wouldn’t be ready any time soon, but she would push until she was. Weapons weren’t going to bring Kira back. Being better than her, would.

THE HOUR IS 2300. REST

- Kira had ended up changing into fitting denim pants and a black, long sleeve silk shirt. Barefoot with her hair still damp, she went to the kitchen and made herself a quick meal. Kira wasn't a woman who was overly conscious about what she hate. Her metabolism was through the roof, and she needed to eat several times a day to sustain herself. Her plate was filled with protein and carbohydrates, as well as some imported fruit for dessert. She took it all back to her desk and slipped the portable disk drive into her machine.

She sat down, reaching across to take a bite as the data began to show up on the screen. She immediately went to work decoding the material. It took her hours, the process long and tedious. She smiled when she finally finished, her meal long forgotten. She began to shift through the data. It was a massive list of all Unit 64 controlled buildings and facilities, as well as a listing of their off-world ships and where they were stationed. It was also a list of magical targets that Unit 64 had identified within the city. Some were targeted for extermination, others for capture.

Kira moved the information to a portable display computer and took it with her into her bedroom. She lied down on the bed, starting to go through the list. She wouldn't have much time. Unit 64 could clear buildings completely within a matter of hours. She was hoping enough of the virus got through the system to keep Unit 64 from knowing what information she stole. It would give her more time to hit facilities and potentially save targets from elimination. She would have to distribute this information, as well as orders on which facilities to hit, to the Resistance in the morning. She would have her own separate targets. She rarely dealt with members of the Resistance face to face. It was likely they were being followed or tracked. They were just not as good as she was at spotting it.

Once she had picked her own targets, she brought her twin katana blades and her guns with her into the bedroom. She set the blades in the sheets with her, one gun under the pillow and the other on her night stand within easy reach. She turned off the portable computer and slipped it in bed with her, as well. She slept fully clothed, never knowing when an attack would begin against her. She didn't want to be caught naked if and when something came bursting through her bedroom door, which she had locked upon entry.

When she shut off the light and laid her head down, she fell asleep almost instantly. She dreamed...


She was young, in her mid teens. She was staring across the sparring ring from her best friend. They were as close as two people being bred and trained to kill could be. They were competitors, roommates, class mates...Their trainer blew the whistle and the two girls launched themselves at each other. They were already well trained in hand to hand combat, each little warrior seeking to outsmart and out wrestle the other. They both knew what they faced if they lost. Kira was starting to come into her increased strength and speed, the beginnings of what she really was starting to show within adolescence. She was starting to be able to dodge Zariah's movements easily. But she hadn't wanted Zariah to be punished. So she made the fight look good, but finally took a blow to the head and pretended to fall unconscious. She remembered hearing Zariah plead with their trainer to take her instead. But the trainer ordered Zariah' back and told her that if Kira didn't want to face the consequences of losing, then she shouldn't lose.

Kira was taken into the discipline room and chained to the wall, her back facing the one in charge of that domain. He spoke calmly to Kira, words that echoed in her mind endlessly, his voice demanding, harsh.

"Your punishment tonight is for two reasons, one vastly more severe than the other. You lost the match and will accept the consequences of such. But your punishment for the second offense will be much harsher...Your compassion for your training partner is weak. For acting with compassion, for not defeating your opponent with prejudice, you shall remain in my care for the rest of the night..."

The beatings the young Druid took that night marked her soul, her screams filling the halls of the training facilities... -

Commander Sorenson, line 1. Secured?....Engage.

Zariah glanced at the desk beside her bed and heaved a sigh. The small clock displayed a time of 0130. Struggling into an upright position, she flipped the switch that allowed audio and video and snapped a sleepy salute into monitor.

"Sir?"

"Lieutenant? Report, my office, at 0700 hours. The computer technicians have uncovered a partial bit of intel in relation to the Druid's mission. We should also go over what your next few moves should be. Your training should be accelerated. There are things we can give you to boost your mental facilities."

Zariah grimaced at the idea of anything Unit 64 could provide by way of boosts but nodded her understanding. If Sorenson thought them needed, she would do it. Being stronger, in all ways, was important if she was going to find Kira. The Commander for her sector waited a moment before delivering the final bit of information.

"I have also added another training session to your day. You will proceed to Sector 1, in high command, as soon as you finish going over the newest intelligence. Call it 0800 hours. This training session will help you with magical anomalies. Your trainer will be the same as before, when you trained with the Druid. See to it that you learn everything. Failure is not an option."

Zariah nodded and snapped a final salute before clicking off the feed and returning to her bed. Her eyes were wide and she stared at the ceiling above her cot, her mind in turmoil. Failure is not an option? She knew that, she always had. She was a cog in a great machine, one that endeavored to keep everyone the same, that wanted equality for everyone. No stand outs, nothing to cause jealousy or undue belief in anything but the rightness of the machine. Unit 64 was everything. Their will, her will. She wasn't allowed to fail. Failure meant death. She shook these thoughts away. They accomplished nothing, fixed nothing. Only focus and intelligence and will mattered. She would have these things when she went after Kira. She would! Her blue eyes closed and she drifted, once more, into a fitful sleep. The dream followed soon after.

There is silence, darkness, heat and wetness. Blood drips slowly from the wound that opens her side from the middle of her rib cage to the top of her hip. Fear rides her, causing her to gasp, stumble, fall. She can’t breathe, she can’t breathe! A voice, a growling voice that contains nothing human warns her, tells her “Don’t move, pup.” and she can’t move. A snout, filled with teeth, licks the blood, licks her wound, closes it and makes it BURN. She can’t breathe. There is fear and pain and no air but her body feels strong, ready. Her eyes see things she should not see, her ears hear things she should NOT hear. She stands but the frame of reference is all wrong, she is too close to the ground. Too close by far.

IT IS 0600 HOURS. AWAKEN.

*****************************************************************

The day dragged on. Each new thing, another bit she hadn't known before. There had been a list of places Kira had checked into. They only had three names but she could guess the rest from those three. Kira now knew what buildings they controlled. The battalion that had chased Kira into the storm last evening had also reported. Total failure, though they did eventually find a back trail that led into space. High Command figured a home base on the moon, but Zariah doubted. It wasn't the Druid's way to be so far above the battle. She liked to be in the thick of things.

Zariah limped her way to the library from her last training session. The meditation was taking a toll, allowing thoughts she had pushed away to come to the forefront of her mind. Memories of before, of Kira and her, had to be disposed of...again and again, before the meditation could continue. She felt sick, exhausted, empty.

Shaking her head, she grabbed the disc for Air control and went to a far table. The discipline needed to control that part of the elements was staggering and the soldier knew, intuitively, that Kira had mastered it. Zariah inserted the disc, her eyes focusing on the words that appeared on screen. She needed to know this. Eventually, she finished and returned the disc.

Time to eat something and then bed.

THE HOUR IS 2300. REST

- Kira's eyes shot open as the nightmare came to conclusion. She shivered, slowly sitting up in the sheets that were wrapped around her. She sighed, running her fingertips through her hair, pushing the long locks out of her face. She rubbed her eyes furiously. She was not allowed to feel compassion or sympathy for Zariah. For her own sake, she just couldn't. Zariah was the enemy. She stood for everything that Kira was fighting against. Unit 64 had taught her many things, and one of them was to never have compassion for your enemy. It was an emotion that wouldn't be returned.

With an irritated growl, she twisted her body out of the sheets, snagging her weapons and the portable computer with the information she had stolen. She walked to a safe within the room and opened it, setting the computer inside. She secured it before going to her closet, setting her weapons down. She began to strip out of her more casual wear and into work out clothing. The shirt was form fitting, the pants having wider legs. She slipped her feet into athletic shoes and grabbed a single blade, strapping it to her back. Most people on the moon colonies walked around armed, most of them soldiers or merchants. Seeing a woman carrying a weapon was not unusual.

She locked her apartment, making sure the security system was fully enabled before she made her way down to the fitness room that the colony had established. She looked around the fully up to date gym, shaking her head a bit as she watched others work their bodies. She was about to put all of them to shame. It was risky, knowing that her level of fitness would be something they would remember if they were questioned about it, but she needed to train seriously. She didn't stay one step ahead of the game by slacking off and getting lazy.

She lightly stretched her muscles before she took off in a face paced run around the track. All of the weight training equipment was in the middle of the room. She flew by the other runners using the track, even the best of them. She pushed herself hard in that run, and by the time she had finished her ten miles, she was sweating and completely out of breath. If she didn't push herself, there was no point in training. She drank down some water and moved to the weights, putting herself through an intense workout, trying to flush away the memories and her urge to protect Zariah, not kill her. She had other things to worry about.

When she had finally finished, she left the gym without saying a word to anyone else. People stared, watching as her form moved with a natural, athletic grace, whispering things they thought she couldn't hear. She ignored them. It wasn't important. She made it back to her room and locked the door behind her. She walked into the bathroom to wash the day's training off her skin and to contemplate her next moves. She reviewed the list in her head and knew which facilities she would be targeting herself. The rest she would send to the commanding officers in the Resistance through encrypted messages. She let the water rain down along her skin, enjoying the heat of it. That was one of the first things she enjoyed about her freedom. She could take a shower for as long as she damned well pleased.

She got out of the shower, already dressing in another combat suit like the one that was still wet on the floor of her bathroom. She armed herself completely and went into her office. Sitting down at her computer, she sent information to the commanding officers. They were to save 2 of the elimination targets on the list, as well as hit 2 low level, low security corporate buildings. Kira had meant them more as a distraction. The information lost from those buildings would be minimal, but enough to annoy Unit 64. There would be little casualties, and the two elimination targets would either be sent off planet to start a new life or recruited into the Resistance.

Kira finished off the communications and began working on her own plots. There was a research facility in the south western quadrant of Last City. It wasn't, by any means, the biggest target she could have chosen, but Unit 64 would be expecting her to go after the big ones. To make an attempt at a huge impact. But Kira knew better. It was the small victories that would eventually make an impact. This research facility was small, out of the way. But it did hold a large amount of prisoners that were to be killed and used for their genetic material. Kira figured about 80 percent of them would want new lives on another world, but 20 percent would likely stay and fight. That bolstered the numbers to the Resistance. She was already working on hacking into Unit 64's main frame. It took time when she wasn't on one of their computers and she had to be much more careful. She didn't want them knowing she was in there to begin with. She covered her tracks very well as she brought up blue print information on the facility. Having what she needed, she exited Unit 64's main frame and immediately got to planning. She would be hitting that facility tonight. -

IT IS 0600 HOURS. AWAKEN.

Zariah rolled out of the bed and prepared herself for the day's needs. A shower, breakfast, the usual routine. Then it was off to her first training session: Magical Anomalies. She spent over two hours learning about Air mysticism and the things that could go wrong. She did not have a natural affinity for the work, her body and mind rebelled against it, but she focused, forcing herself to learn.

At 1200 HOURS, she began training her newest group of recruits, taking notes on who would do best in advanced training, who should be gotten rid of and allowed to return to civilian status, who should be pushed into magical theory. Two different females were forced to fight her, they reminded her of Kira. She couldn't stand the smirking and long before she should have done so, she beat them both bloody, her mind only on the Druid, not on the young girls receiving such brutality at her hands.

She was called down for that, her ears burning as the Commander heaped abuse upon her lack of control. There was nothing she could say, no denial she could offer. She returned to her quarters, quivering with rage, angry at herself, angry at the DRUID for forcing her to become this brutal animal.

Dinner was served at 1600 hours and then she went back to training~two hours hand to hand and swords. Mediation followed and once more, she fought to push the druid from her mind, to control the rage the sheer thought of that woman caused. Her teacher smiled softly at her lack of silence, looking at her again and again until finally the well had swallowed all thought, all trouble, all worries. She saw~ Kira. Alone. Scared but triumphant.

"FUCK!!

It was nearing 1900 hours when she was pulled from the silence by her remote going off.

LaMont, report command center 4, immediately.

She stood up, her eyes focused on the man before her. She gave a deep bow to Master Chen and then marched off. For the first time in the past few days, her mind was completely clear of all thought. She gave a sad smile, meditation obviously had some use.

She reached the Command Center a half hour later. She could have taken transport but wanted to relish the silence a bit longer. She was more than sure that Sorenson was going to send her out on a mission this evening. He was also going to force her to take some kind of brain booster as well; her second dose in as many days. She shook the worries away and entered the waiting area for Sorenson's office.

"LaMont, reporting....

- Kira finally pushed away from the desk. It had taken her most of the day to work out the details of her plan and to make sure the other members of the resistance knew what to expect and when. She had then spent the remainder of her time memorizing the blue prints of the building. She didn't enter one without knowing all possible exits and entrances, places to hide and exactly where her targets were. It was just bad form and had the potential to get her captured. There was always risk, but she would minimize it where she could.
In the dead of night, she got up and made sure that she had all four of her weapons, twin blades and guns adorning her body. She slipped the utility belt around her slim waist, securing it. She didn't use it often, but going into a building alone, she needed more space for extra small explosives and other small tools. She wiped the master computer in that apartment completely clean, leaving no trace of any data having ever been stored on it. Walking to the safe, she took the portable computer out with her and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

Kira walked to the hangar, where the moon kept all incoming and outgoing shuttles. She spoke to merchant and sold her old shuttle, not really caring how much she got for it. She was not selling it because she needed money. She sold it because she wanted to get rid of it, only ever using the same craft once. She then went to a separate merchant and bought a new one, using currency other than what she had just earned from selling her ship.

With that business done, she strode over to her new vessel and boarded, taking off almost immediately. She would not be returning to that apartment for several months. She often rotated where she stayed to avoid suspicion and those who would easily remember her. It also kept her scent on things minimal. She piloted the shuttle back into Last City, knowing the members of her team had already set what she needed into position.

She landed the shuttle on some of the rock that had not been paved over just outside of the building that she had targeted, leaving it quickly. She crouched low, inspecting the secured building. She ran toward an abandoned back door, slapping two small charges onto it. She jumped up, subtle winds forming around her and launching her up to a window sill that was just above the door. She mentally counted down the timer to the charges until they blew the door. As she expected, an alarm began to sound. She counted down again, knowing what was coming next. Sure enough, about forty five seconds later, an entire squad of GNOME troopers. Leaving them to run to her vessel to inspect it, she dropped down silently as the last of the troopers made it through the door.

She glanced over her shoulder, making sure the entrance to the building was clear before stepping back into it. She took no more than a single step inside and looked straight up for the air vent that should be there from her study of the blue prints. She smirked a bit to herself as it was right where it should be. She reached up, quietly removing the vent cover, quietly sliding it into the air ducts itself before she jumped up, grabbing the edges and pulling her body up into the tunnel. She slid the cover back into place and began to make her way toward the prison block.

She had her exact plans for how it would go when she got there and freed the prisoners. But people other than herself were always variables. Their reactions, their fear of the enemy, their own skittishness. Plans always went to hell when there were as many variables as this facility held. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to save them all, but she would try her damnedest to make sure she saved as many of them as she could.

When she maneuvered her way through the air ventilation shafts and came across the prison wing, she stopped. She quietly pulled a vent cover up and slipped her body through, landing silently on the ground. She immediately ran to the computer terminal and began hacking into the system, working to break the security lock on the prison doors and open all of them at once without sounding an alarm in the sector she was currently in. Her emerald gaze constantly raising to scan the area for guards or patrols. -

Conversations

"LaMont, I believe we have a lead on where Kira is now. We tracked her to the moon and lost her a few hours ago. Of course, we know she will be coming back this way, probably to free some of her cohorts." Sorenson sounded smug.

Zariah cocked her head, slightly. Thinking things through. He always gave her the tip of an iceberg and expected her to be able to see all the things he had missed informing her of. Any screw ups at this juncture would be her fault, not his, she knew it. Finally, she spoke, clear blue eyes questioning.

"Sir, where do we believe the druid is going? I know the list we decoded only had three buildings targeted. Knowing her, she has another couple of places in mind for herself; probably small holdings containing things of import that we don't want anyone to know about~maybe a prison or training facility?" Silence, as she allowed her mind the time to work through her own conjectures. Then another question; "Am I going after her or am I going to be somewhere else?"

Sorenson smiled and held out a small vial. "You will know what to do. Now, here is your second dose of booster. Mix it in water. Take it before bed. You are dismissed, Lieutenant."

Zariah gave him a look but reached for the booster, snapping her other hand to her cap's brim in a perfect salute. Turning about face, she exited his office and headed for home.

THE HOUR IS 2300. REST.

The dream is a new one, the colors not as crisp, faded. The sounds and scents are more intense than before, much more. She is running over hill and dale, splashing through streams, catching glimpses of movement on her left and right. She feels surrounded, but not scarily so. Her eyes are trained on the ground. She doesn't see feet, no shiny boots. Just paws~are they hers? Finally, a voice...the same as before, "You can change no further, pup. Your quarry is near. GO!"

Zariah's eyes snapped open . Glancing at her bedside table, she saw the clock. Only a few hours had passed but she was awake, thrumming with barely held energy. Jumping to her feet, she headed for a shower, grabbing her newest coverall on her way in.

Fifteen minutes later, she was stuck, gazing at herself in the mirror. Her blue eyes were almost white, with dark black edges. Her hair had grown out, flowing over her shoulders and back, in a riotous mass of curls with white steaks throughout, giving her hair a brindled appearance. Her nose was a little flatter to her face, the nostrils wide and flaring. She looked weird, vaguely animalistic. She shook off the shock and stepped into her cover-all.

Striding from the bathroom, she looked around for (and found) her knee high combat boots. She stepped into them, lacing them tightly and smoothing them over the bottoms of her jump suit. Without thought, she shoved various needs into her pockets before buckling her holster on and depositing her guns on each hip. The sword was last and slid into her back piece with a barely heard *SNICK*. Most of these actions were performed automatically. Zariah was functioning on instinct. She left her room at a quick jog, hitting her radio on the way out the door.

"Squads A, D and G, report."

The crackle of the radio was the only sound as she turned onto the wide avenue that led to the far south of the city. She stopped a passing personal jump pod and removed the owner, telling him to take it up with Sorenson at day break. Buckling in, she rose into the murky late night and punched it. Somewhere, someone was doing the improbable. She had to be stopped.

-Kira finally managed to open all the prison cells. She began to move to each one, telling the people locked within to stay calm, low, and quiet. They were getting out tonight. She shook her head. There were more than she had planned on. She looked to be responsible for roughly fifty people. That was a lot of ways for things to go wrong. Shaking her head a bit, she began to slowly lead the way through the vast halls of the research facility.

They prisoners were noisy, much to Kira's regret. But she expected it. She felt extremely lucky that they didn't run into trouble before getting to her planned exit point. She had been in the process of telling those who looked most capable that there were two shuttles ready and waiting for them two blocks to the west of the facility when guards showed up. Telling the prisoners to get down, Kira looked up at the window that had steel bars covering it. She knocked out the window, letting the rain pour down over the bars and her hands. The guards screamed at her to stop her movements, but she didn't listen. She placed her hands on the bars and focused. The water that was now coating the bars and her hands began to freeze, and soon, the ice had spread to every bar in the window. Kira grunted as she put her physical strength up against the weakened steel. Yanking as hard as she could, the bars finally broke, sending Kira stumbling backwards with her hands slashed.
Blood dripped down off the relatively shallow wounds, a three inch cut on each hand moving diagonal down the palms.

"Go! Now!" She yelled to the prisoners, and those Kira had left in charge began to help the other, less capable victims out of the window.

The guards advanced, guns raised and Kira drew the swords from her back and got up, immediately jumping into action to intercept the guards. She brought her blade down on the hand of one of the guards who was pointing a gun, getting ready to open fire on the group. Her blade sliced clean through, causing the man to cry out in pain and drop the weapon. Kira didn't spare him. She spun her body, her second sword slicing clean through his neck, silencing the scream. She kicked his body to the side, the head separating from the body to roll on the ground as the dead weight impacted the tile floor.

"That's Commander Donaven! Forget the rest! Focus fire on her!" the commanding officer shouted.

The guards moved to circle Kira and she raised her blades, both dripping small beads of crimson onto the floor at her feet. Guns were loaded and Kira dropped to one knee. She swung out both arms, not attempting to hit anything with the blades themselves, but a large gust of wind knocked the 3 soldiers behind her back clear off their feet, slamming their bodies into the wall. She launched herself forward, keeping her body low to the ground. She sunk one of her blades into the hilt of a guard's chest, twisting it around as she targeted his heart. Dead before he hit the ground, she yanked out her blade and spun her body again, her second sword striking the gun that was about to fire at her point blank. She drove her knee up into the man's crotch and when he doubled over, she slammed her first sword into his back, severing his spine.

The commanding officer, having watched the Arch Druid take out five out the six with such ease switched tactics. The last prisoner was boosting up a six year old boy through the window. They were the last two left. The commander grinned and opened fire on the man, killing him with two bullets. Blood splattered on the little boy and he fell to the ground. He started to cry and a woman cried out as other people began to pull her away from the window.
Kira swore beneath her breath as the commander raised his weapon to fire upon the child. Kira jumped in the direct path right as the commander released his entire clip at the Arch Druid and the child. Kira slashed one sword down, a large burst of air throwing a vast majority of the bullets off target. But no one was perfect. Not even the Arch Druid. Two bullets from the automatic weapon sank into Kira's flesh, one digging into her right shoulder and the other sinking into her left side, a distinct crunch of a potentially broken rib. Grunting, Kira turned while the commanding officer began to reload. She picked up the child and pushed him through the window to the mother.

"GO!" Kira ordered, focusing her energy over the water.

She pulled the rain, forming it into a large puddle through the open window. She froze it, making a barrier to slow down potential agents that might be perusing the escaped prisoners. They were on their own for those two blocks, two transports with several armed and trained Resistance soldiers ready and waiting for them.

Knowing she couldn't follow them, that she'd only be a danger to them. The commander had finished reloading and had already called for backup. Kira took off down the hall just as he began to open fire. She ducked and ran down several more halls. She was leaving a trail of blood, the pain burning through her system. But she had learned a long time ago, pain was just in the mind. Ever the practical soldier, she knew she had to get out in the rain, the water enough to wash the trail of blood she was leaving away. She turned the nearest corner and blasted her way through a door with a large gust of wind twisted with a bit of fire. The door blew off and she ran out into the rain, hearing the soldiers behind her.

Her form began to change as she ran, taking on more feral features. A subtle green tinted swirl of power began to move around her form. Her form suddenly shifted, the magic swirling around her body encasing her in the body of the white tiger that marked her back. She was faster in this form, easily able to out run the guards chasing her. After about twenty minutes of twisting and turning down alleys, she finally stopped, that subtle green glow around her body returning. Her form shifted again, her human form taking over. She leaned her back against a wall and yanked open her body suit, reaching in to run her fingertips over the bullet wound. When she pulled her hand back out, it was completely covered in blood, the rain slowly washing it away.

"Fuck,"she said, leaning her head back against the wall, her entire body completely soaked from the rain. -

"Lieutenant, you are needed in Sector 3, west side. The Druid has been spotted and lost at Prison 4W. Respond."

Zariah's pulse jumped up another notch or two as she switched course, jerking the battered pod hard to the left and making a quick turn. If Kira had been spotted, well it was almost certain she was still in the city. Punching the jump pod's acceleration until she was in the danger zone, she made it to the requested sector in just under ten minutes. She landed and headed out into the rain, her eyes flicking over the bodies that lay sliced and diced from Kira's sharp swords.

"Who is in charge here? Report."

The commanding officer endeavored to do so, his eyes flicking to Zariah again and again, as he noted her strangeness. She ignored him, listening to his droning voice as her eyes darted over the destroyed doorway, the open window, the blood. The blood? Zariah raised one finger, imperiously, and motioned for the man to be quiet.

"Has she been shot? There is blood here."

The man nodded assent, his eyes once more flicking to her strange features.

"Get your squadron out of here. Call Sorenson, tell him I am tracking the druid and will report as soon as I have something."

Zariah jogged off, her eyes following the spots she saw on the hallway floor until she came to a door that had been blown off it's hinges, one that led out into the rain. Instinctively, she backtracked, looking for a spray of blood. She found it a few feet away and knelt, lowering her face to inhale the scent. There. Dust, dry, woodsy, otherness, a hint of cat? The soldier didn't think about it, instead she headed for the open door, concentrating on locating that scent.

She found it.

Her feet raced before her mind had a chance to catch up, out into the cold, the wet. She lost the trail a few times but by then the smell of hunting cat was stronger. Zariah easily followed that scent, her eyes almost closed against the pounding rain, until she ended up, gazing into an alley, her eyes locked to the faltering form of Kira. The voice that came from her was a lower than usual, almost a feral growl.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty."

- Kira's ears twitched as she heard the familiar, if feral, voice. She shoved off the wall instantly, her hands reaching up to draw her blades. She raised her shining emerald gaze, tilting her head to the side as she carefully studied Zariah. She studied each of the changes closely, flexing her muscles a bit as she tilted her head in the other direction, a grotesque popping sound sliding through the air as the vertebrae slipped out of place and then back in. Her own expression had completely neutralized, ever the soldier. There were no signs of pain, fatigue on her face. Nor signs that she couldn't fight, even as blood dripped down her chest from her shoulder and the wound high up around her ribs on the left side. Her hands gripped the blades, but drops of blood spilled down the hilts from where her hands had been cut.

Raising an eyebrow, her voice held that cocky, confident nature. But also that soft melodious quality that always completely contradicted her commanding and powerful presence.

"Here puppy,puppy,puppy..." she replied, in an almost teasing manner.

Kira could see the changes in the other woman. Whether Zariah knew it or not, she was one of the magical community. She always had been, had this....quiet "something" that Kira could never quite place. Perhaps Unit 64 has pushed the development of it, considering they didn't have another Trooper strong enough to take her. And they knew it.

The dream from the previous night and this new development had Kira's heart lurching. She had no desire to fight her best friend. None. Especially now. She wanted to save the other woman. Shaking her head just a bit, she took a defensive stance. Kira was well aware that Zariah had the nature of a huntress. She liked stalking her prey. Kira's words would have little impact, but she would try regardless.

"Feeling a bit different, Zariah? You do realize that you are one of the very people you are helping slaughter...You are one of the murdered...the tortured...What do you think they will do with you on the slight chance you actually achieve your goal? Those prisons are filled with people just like you...Don't make me hurt you. Please."

Her defensive stance deepened, combat ready. Kira listened to her own body. She needed to get the bullets out and soon. She needed that medical attention. Fighting would only aggravate the injuries and slow her recovery time. She gauged Zariah's own physical shape from within the chilly darkness. She knew if she ran, Zariah would be on her heels. She weighed her options. If she ran while Zariah was healthy, Zariah would be constantly on her heels and she wouldn't get the amount of time she needed to make it to the shuttle that the Resistance had left her. That left her with injuring Zariah enough that she'd have trouble following...Or knock her out. There was always diplomacy, but from the way Zariah was looking at her, Kira very much doubted words were going to cut it tonight. That left her with the middle two options, depending on Zariah's response. She drew in a deep breath, letting the exhale come slowly as she centered herself, ready for the other woman. -

"Feeling a bit different, Zariah? You do realize that you are one of the very people you are helping slaughter...You are one of the murdered...the tortured...What do you think they will do with you on the slight chance you actually achieve your goal? Those prisons are filled with people just like you...Don't make me hurt you. Please."

Zariah tilted her head at Kira's words, hearing the slight plea beneath the teasing tone, the smart attitude. She couldn't allow those words to sway her. That wasn't her job. Her job was to capture and bring back the Arch Druid so that Unit 64 could crush the resistance movement, case closed. Yet, the words tugged at her in a new way. She pushed it away. No mercy. Mercy was for the weak. She was not weak.

"If Unit 64 decided I would be better off dead, I would have to agree. I don't want to be different, Kira. I never did. You say I am changed? Maybe in appearance, but the inner me, the wolf, the one who hunts? That has ALWAYS been me."

She drew her broadsword from it's sheath, her weight pitching forward slightly onto the balls of her feet. Her balance shifted as she quick stepped a few feet to her left, her eyes gazing into the shadows at Kira. She could hear a low sound, a growl, and finally realized that it was coming from her. Zariah cut the noise and pitched her voice to be heard over the storm.

"Don't make you hurt me? Please. You were always better than me, Kira. You think I didn't know that? And for a long moment in time, you gave in and let me take you in our one on one's. You thought I was weaker than you. Didn't want me to get hurt? You don't know how long I practiced, how long I have waited for this day. Don't make you hurt me? I am waiting. Come hurt me, if you can, queen kitten."

The last words were soft, a whisper, pitched to hit just Kira's ears. The soldier moved again, her body displaying an almost sinuous grace as she trotted nearer, her nose flaring as the scent of fresh blood hit her, anew. She stopped, her mind clearing of every thought, every plan. Saliva filled Zariah's mouth, a blood lust she could barely control causing minute trembling in her hands, her arms. She stalked forward again until she was close enough to reach out and strike the druid, but did not do so, her eyes trained on the other woman's face.

"You smell of food, Kira. You smell of pain and exhaustion. Maybe you should run? I have always liked to chase you. Maybe this time, when I catch you, I will keep a little something for me to remember you by. A lock of hair, your taste in my mouth, the feel of your throat beneath my hands..."

Zariah grinned, teeth flashing whitely in the gloom.

"Or you could fight now, and see where we stand..."

-Kira kept her twin blades strategically between herself and Zariah as she approached, her own weapon drawn. Kira watched her movements carefully, taking note of the pauses, the subtle changes in her expression, her eyes. What had been inside Zariah all along was being shoved to the surface, before it was ready. Kira highly doubted Zariah was ready and capable of handling what was being shoved on her so quickly, as the woman appeared to just be barely holding on to any sense of control.

"That is exactly my point, Zariah. Your wolf, your desire to hunt, the thrill of the chase and the exhilaration of the kill...That has always been you. You were born with that wolf. You have never been one of them. I'm betting they selected you because of it. Whether you like it or not, you are different, have always been different. It's something you're going to have to come to terms with very, very soon. All Unit 64 is doing is accelerating a process you are probably not mentally or physically ready to handle. Look inside yourself. You know it in your heart. Hack into their main frame and take a look at your own file. You know how. Look for yourself..."

Kira knew Zariah wanted her to run. It was a craving of her inner wolf. To chase. Kira knew better. She had to stick with her original plan. She was steadily losing blood, and running would take more energy out of her than she had to spare at the moment. When Zariah caught up with her, she'd be screwed. Her only options were to injure Zariah enough that she couldn't follow or to knock her out. Kira was planning on attempting the latter, but would settle for the first if she was desperate. Plus, Zariah had essentially challenged her. Kira had her own pride.

"If you are dead set on this, you know better than to think I would run from you. I have never run from a fair fight. Hell, most of the time, I don't run from fights that I have a distinct disadvantage in. So, if you think you have what it takes..."

Kira paused, the metal that made up her twin katana blades began to heat up, to glow a bright orange just before they burst into intense, swirling flames that swirled around the weapons. She slashed both of them down and toward the side, sending two large walls of flames down the alley behind her. Strangely, the fire didn't catch onto anything else, soon dissipating completely under Kira's strict control. There had been no direct attack against Zariah as Kira raised her weapons once again, the orange tint to them still there. Kira had bought the blades on a planet that had to survive with high amounts of volcanic activity. The metal was designed to take extreme changes in temperature and not break. The entire gesture a sign that Kira was more than ready.

"...Then come be the hunter. Because I would rather walk away than hurt one of my own. I will not strike against you unless I'm defending myself."

Kira's stance shifted into a defensive one, her shining emerald gaze narrowing as her muscles flexed in preparation. Blood began to mix with the puddles beneath her feet, tainting them crimson. Kira knew she would have to be fast and precise. She could take the pain, but eventually, the body breaks down, whether the mind is ready for it to or not. Kira was an extremely self aware woman. She knew about how much time she had and how much energy she could afford to expend before she was in deep trouble. -

"...Then come be the hunter. Because I would rather walk away than hurt one of my own. I will not strike against you unless I'm defending myself."

The soldier, stood still, for just one moment, allowing all thought to trickle away. That last statement had bothered her. One of her own? What did that mean? She pushed the worry away, not allowing it to interfere with what she needed to do. Another thought intercepted the silence, accelerating the process of her becoming?
She shook her head, negating that thought. The wolf was hers. Had always been. Zariah had accepted it and learned from it long ago. She was the wolf, the wolf was her. They could never be apart.

The silence extended itself, her breathing becoming smoother, less jerky. Her eyes widened, the pupils getting slightly darker as she adjusted her vision. Of course, she shouldn't be ready, but she was. She sniffed lightly, noting the defensive posture of Kira, flicking over the two spots that would be the easiest to hurt; the shoulder...the side. She noted it, filing the thoughts away.

"I don't want this. Not this way. Maybe you speak truthfully. Doesn't matter. This situation is what it is and at the end of the day, I am the hunter. I can be no less."

Zariah gave a slight bow and stepped forward, snapping her sword downward to test Kira's balance.

-Kira's brilliant emerald gaze had been watching Zariah's midsection and her shoulders. They were key points in body motion and stability. If Zariah was going to strike, she couldn't hide her motions in those two areas. Zariah had made her decision. She had begun to attack. Kira's sympathy and compassion for the other woman faded like a distant nightmare upon waking. Zariah was a target now, nothing more, Kira's training immediately over taking her mind. Kira had no more words of persuasion. She had no more time to spare on diplomacy. She would find herself locked in battle with her friend, once again.

The moment the sword began to snap down, Kira's body was in motion. Kira spun her body, moving her feet out to the side as she did so. She attempted to stay close to Zariah, the blade that was snapping down just barely missing her back, skimming along the leather coat. Kira's back was pressed against Zariah's side as the blade finished it's sweep. Kira didn't stop to think about the odd twitching in her gut when her body pressed up against her opponents. She kept spinning, hopefully ending to face Zariah's back, if she was not interrupted. With the muscles in her right shoulder significantly weakened, the bullet having torn into the deltoid muscles, she favored her left hand for the strike. She attempted to slam the hilt of her left sword into the base of Zariah's skull, targeting the area right where the vertebrae of the spinal cord slips up into the skull, a known area that dealt with consciousness. She kept her right blade up defensively across her body while she attempted her attack, her first attempt to knock Zariah unconscious. -

Kira moved almost too fast to be tracked. Her spinning movement pushed her body close to the soldier's. Zariah moved with her, spinning just far enough out of reach that she wouldn't be able to be knocked unconscious from the back. With a grin, she focused on the druid, who's positioning was perfect for a strike that the soldier had managed to avoid, just by spinning away.

She still held the broad sword up and out, one handed, a small dirk now held in her left hand, low across the belly. She quick stepped in, leading with the heavier sword, her other hand darting forward to attack Kira's shoulder. She didn't expect to connect, but she tried anyway, gauging the distance, the amount of force, the movements of the other.

She knew if she could drag the fight out, blood loss would do what she might not accomplish on her own....

-Kira shifted her position to face Zariah head on. Both blades raised defensively, she stood ready. As Zariah stepped in, thrusting out with that first, heavier sword, Kira parried the blow, sending both her left sword with Zariah's heavy sword out to the side. Kira stepped back just slightly, putting her body sideways, her left arm still extended out to keep Zariah's sword out wide with her own. That oncoming dirk just barely missed her shoulder as she spun, cutting into the already torn leather. Kira kicked out with left leg, attempting to connect with Zariah's midsection. If sucessful, she would add a gust of wind to the strike, attempting to send Zariah flying back into the alley wall.

She didn't prefer to use magic in combat with someone who had limited abilities of their own. It wasn't fair. But Kira was bleeding, and sooner rather than later, her body was going to falter. She didn't want to be around Zariah when it happened and fighting took a great deal of energy. She still had several blocks to run, as avoiding the GNOME troopers had taken her way off course. She didn't want to get to her transport and have Zariah on her heels. That would mean she'd need several more stops before she could find medical attention...or she'd have to remove the bullets and stitch herself up on her own...That was never wise...or painless. -

Zariah's mind spun as she readjusted her position; the quickness of the druid had thrown her off guard. She managed to avoid the kicking foot because her balance had been off from the force of her attempted dirk strike. She stepped back. Kira would try something else soon, something to make it impossible for Zariah to catch her. She had to do something. Returning her sword to it's sheath took but a moment and then she tossed the dirk away. She didn't want either weapon. She knew she was quick, almost as fast as Kira when the druid was healthy. Time to quit playing with her food.

Zariah moved forward, using the short shuffling steps of a samurai, her center of balance low, her knees bent. Her arms moved freely by her sides, her focus was intent. Leading with her left, she aimed for Kira's nose, a short sharp jab. Without waiting for it to land, she swung her right fist, aiming for the spot on Kira's side, just above her rib cage. Her war cry "Ki-ya!" rose upon the wind, loud and sharp, a barking cry.