Shadows in Light (closed)

[JadeKnight]

Magic had always been apart of the world, is one form or another. Most of the time it was hidden from sight, seen by only a few. However that all came to change. The exact reason why it happened was unknown, but it hit hard, upsetting the balance of power. December 11, 2011, the day when everything changed. Well, the small signs of change were seen in the few months before. One such sign was the UGE, or Unexplained Genetic Exchange. Babies began begins born looking like elves and dwarfs, like fairy tales of old. There was no explanation for the change in genetics.

On the day previously mentioned, the great dragon Ryumyo flew from Mount Fuji and darted along a bullet train of surprised commuters, signaling the return of the magic ebb. Such occurences were a surprise at first, but the world came to accept them by 2021. That was with the emergence of trolls and orks, a sudden and violent genetic change for some humans. Elves, drawfs, trolls, orks, and half-humans soon became referred to as meta-humans.

With the free flow of magic now on earth, many awoke to the use of magic, though it was still only a small portion of the population. Mages are held in awe for what the can do, but they are aalso feared for the same reason. Although many do magic openly, most try to hide their ability when they can.

Technology also grew up in major strides during the same time period. Nearly everything and everyone is connected to technology is somewhere. Augmentation of electronics with the human body, highly advanced weaponry, nearly anything that could be done with electronics was feasible.

MegaCorporations took control of the land, bypassing the government systems. The formerly mighty United States and its northern neighbor Canada were hit by powerful Native American secession movements in the early part of the twenty-first century that broke apart both nations and changed the face of the continent. Perhaps the most direct heir to the old United States is the United Canadian
and American States (UCAS), which is composed of much of the northeastern United States and
southeastern Canada. The UCAS’ cousin to its south is the Confederation of American States (CAS). Between the Native American Nations, geopolitical entities created when the indigenous people decided to rise up and retake their lands. Also in North America are the uncertain California Free State, the recovering corporate haven of Québec, and the elven nation of Tír Tairngire. Then there’s the treaty city of Denver; a charming sprawl divided among five nations and ruled over by a dragon.

The rest of the world was divided up into completely new territories as well.

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph Robbinswas born just outside of Denver to a well off family. He was the second generation of child to be born, on August 8, 20 25. Though he was born an elf to his human parents, they loved him and cared deeply for him. His parents worked for Ares Motors, a small corporation dealing with aerospace, which was own by the Ares Macrotechnology Megacorporation.

Growing up, Joesph foundt he could excel in almost anything he did. He was a natural athlete in sports and he was constantly striving in school with top grades. He enjoyed school life until a female half-elf joined his class in the fifth grade. He had seen her around, but he had never had contact till that day. That's when the rival was sparked. School life became a battleground for him. While he did enjoy school, it also frustrated him. There was just something about her that always got to him,and she was always shoving it in his face that she was trying to one up him. He had no idea why she was doing it either.

She was always in his same class as they went through school, till they graduated from high school. He had gotten a scholarship to a private college that was run by Ares, but somehow she had managed to end up there as well. And even in college she had continued with the rivalry in grades and everything. He never tried to date anyone, believing she would have found someway to turn that into a contest as well.

After graduating from college, Joesph went traveling around the world, mostly for a break from life. His travels had taken him to Imperial Japan, when he had learned something very unique about himself. He stumbled into being a mage during a intense situation on a bullet train late one night. He had been minding his own business on the ride when a couple of orcs came up to rob him. He had his headphones on while was playing a rpg on a handheld game that he had just bought. The bigger of the two orcs grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted him up from the seat.

“Gimme your money, elf.”

The threat didn't bother him, as he had trained in hand-to-hand combat during college, so he was sure of his skills. It started as a joke, just to try and scare the orcs. It was something that he really would have never thought could have happened in a million years.

Still holding the hand-held in his left hand, Joesph touched two fingers to the screen of the game. In the next motion, he moved his fingers towards the orc holding him as he spoke.

“Fireball.”

In an instant, a fireball shoot from the screen of the system to hit the orc, knocking him back as he let go of Joesph in surprise. Joesph landed in a heap in the aisle, stunned about what happened. The orc gave squeal-like cries before retreating down the aisle they came from. The handful of passengers in the same car muttered to themselves and moved further away from him. That night gave him a bit of a scare, but it also excited him.

His travels went on for two years before he returned home to Denver. When he told his parents of his new found power, they were a little afraid for him. However his father suggested he put his skills to use for good, suggesting he joined the Knight Errent. Knight Errent was the new form of law enforcement, a private corporation run by Ares.
After going through an intense training school, Joesph joined Knight Errent. He was assigned to a department in the lower side of Denver.

Since his skills was being able to cast spells with electronic devices and software, he was dubbed a technomage by the company. He was placed in charge of a small team, and the two people assigned to him were programmers who created the software he need. However he wasn't put in the field until a new threat emerged for the city, in 2053, demons. No one was sure how they came to be or where they came from, much like the UGE.


Joesph sighed softly as he took a drag from a cigarette while he leaned against the side of the police building. It had been six months since the first demon had appeared, in a shopping mall in downtown of all places. It had been a long battle that day, and there were quite a few casualties as well. However he had learned to adapt to the demons, trying to hold the tide back. It seemed like a new one was popping up every two days, but that soon tampered off a month before. He was enjoying the work, and every fight was a rush to him. It had been quiet lately, but he hoped that would change soon.

He flicked his cigarette away when his phone beeped for him. He lifted the phone from his side, looking to see who the message was from. He grinned for a moment seeing Nancy's name on the screen, one of his programmers.

“I wonder what she wants at this time of the night.”

The clock on his phone said 3:10am before he unlocked it with thumb on the digital keypad.

Looks like there's some fresh meat in the captain's office.

He laughed for a moment before closing the phone. Fresh meat was code for a new transfer into their department. Taking one last look at the stars, he headed inside. It was a maze of desks to get through was he was inside. He was only a short distance from the captain's office when he saw a group of three people talking to the captain.

All three looked like females, giving him a little bit of a smile. Judging from behind, they all looked pretty nice. Maybe he could actually get a chance to try and start dating. However that thought was immediately replaced by horror when one of the females turned her head to talk to another.

“Damnit, not her.”

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri Attar, a half-elf, conceived in a moment of passion, was born in a small town within the California Free State. After California pulled away and the state fell into economic distress, life became challenging for its residents. Suri’s parents, who were considered above the average middle class, chose to change their stars and moved out to a small suburb of Denver.

It was rough for Suri. Most humans had transformed to full blooded meta-humans, but Suri had somehow got caught in the middle. While she has some of the features of an elf, like their sensitive hearing, other features remained quite human. Those who were caught in the middle were often times harassed, or herded off for testing. It soon became discriminatory and the children in many of her classes soon came to taunt her.

Suri realized she would have to work harder than anyone else to make a better life for herself, free of hate and discrimination. When she was transferred to the new fifth grade class, there wasn’t a child in the room that looked anything like her. She was, essentially, the oddball.

There were several elves in class. They were, of course, the closest to her genetically. Suri watched for a while and noticed a boy. He was pretty smart; confident too. The teacher seemed to like him. Suri decided to follow what he did. It wasn’t all that easy to do; Suri had to study extra hard, where he seemed to have a knack for learning. During their spelling bees, the final was always between Suri and the boy. When they were out on the playground with the other children, she was always trying to win against him. The others soon noticed and Suri was finally accepted.

It was the same through high school. Though many of the students grew up together, Suri still found she had to prove herself again and again. She was a top athlete on a few of the high school teams and she was always involved with the technology clubs. Suri had an affinity for programming and design. When the time came for her to graduate and head off to college, her father had secured her education through a very respected institution. The tradeoff was a contract once she finished school. Suri didn’t care – it wouldn’t matter if she had to complete a couple of years. What was important was to gain the education she needed.

It was by coincidence alone, or so she thought, that Suri ended up at the same college as the boy she had followed through school. She really didn’t hate him, persay, but she was annoyed by his natural skills. Why was it always so damn easy for him? She had to find a way to surpass his talents. The days of study were long and she spent virtually all of her time alone, held up in the library or the lab. Over time, Suri had retreated into herself, where her emotions and desires were stirred to dangerous levels.

It was common for Suri to carry her tablet with her. Through college, she had worked tirelessly on some key coding, developing a 3D virtual environment that would surpass the current virtual experience by drawing the user physically into the environment without the use of the special hardware or glasses. It was her third set of tests where she had found a breakthrough, just not the one she was expecting.

She had been focused on a thunderstorm and she had just put the finishing touches in the programming. When she hovered her fingers over the screen, the screen did a white out and what seemed to be blue arcs collected at her fingers like a static charge, then dissipated. It started to rain. Suri glanced up quizzically, when she raised her hand, the arc of blue flashed and struck a nearby tree. And so, a new talent was discovered.

She stood there with her team in the Captain’s office. She had been working her contract for a short time and had received transfer orders. It was just one more thing to check off. Suri didn’t mind, as it kept her in Denver. Anne and Elsie stood next to her as the Captain pointed out the area that had been cleared out for the new team.

Suri was outfitted in all black leather, right down to her boots and leather trenchcoat. The ensemble contrasted with her blonde hair and fair skin. Suri wasn’t a normal suit. She used all of her attributes to get what she wanted, especially when taking a mark. Bolstering the department to take on the recent demon emergence wasn’t her idea of a good time, but a mark was a mark.

“Alright, Captain, if that’s what you need, you’ve got us until you say otherwise. We’ll get to work,” she assured him.

Suri, motioned to her team and turned. Her gaze fell on Joseph and for a moment she felt the exchange. A smile crept across her face for the first time today.

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph gave a half-smile at the exchange across the room before he was interrupted by a beep from his phone. He pulled it out and flipped it open to see another message from Nancy.

Is it love at first sight?

He shook his head for a moment. The woman was only a few feet from him at her desk and yet she had to text him. He texted her back.

More like my nightmare come true. Did you and Mike get my special projects done?

He waited a few moments for a return text.

Of course we did. And maybe your nightmare could be your dream come true.

He just shook his head without replying, making his way over to his empty desk. Mike, the other member of his time, had been placed on another floor in the IT security room. Nancy, an older middle-aged brown haired human lady, had been positioned in a desk next to his. She was munching on an apple as he sat down. He chuckled softly as he looked towards her, picking up his tablet.

"You know I hate you."

She grinned for a moment.

"And I love you too."

Joesph just shook his head as he slid his tablet into a wrist sleeve, securing it face up for easy access. He glanced towards Suri as she walked out of the captain's office with her girls, heading for a trio of empty desks on the other end of the room. Of all the places for him to meet her again.

His attention was diverted when red lights positioned around the room began flashing. The captain came out of his office in a hurry.

"What do we have people?"

Nancy put her apple down as she leaned forward over her computer, clicking away.

"We have a Class 1 and a Class 2 spotted at Smith Elementary school. Putting them up now."

The lights in the office dimmed as virtual screens appeared in the middle of the office. The screens schooled several angles of a school playground showing two different-sized demons tearing apart the equipment. The class 1 category covered demons under 4ft, Class 2 were demons between 4 ft and 10 ft, while a third category, Class 3, greater than 10 ft, had yet to be seen.

The class 1 looked to be no bigger than 2 ft, wingless with a tail. The class 2 was about 5 ft, large wings and a barbed tail. Joesph grinned for a moment.

"Showtime."

He ran out of the room to the armory, glancing towards Suri for a moment. He wondered if she had a chance to fight these creatures yet or it would be her first time. At the armory he drew out his katana, a sub-compact machinegun, and three clips of ammo with various kinds of ammunition. His mode of travel was a tricked out racing motorcycle.

 

[plightofsabine]

Needless to say on the first day, it was already an outing for Suri. She shook her head and followed Joseph down to the armory. Suri was already outfitted with two long daggers and carried a large set of throwing knives. Instead of drawing automatic weapons, Suri opted for a crossbow with three quivers of bolts. The bolts had exploding heads and would work well at a distance. She saw the amused look on Joseph’s face, but she ignored it. The one thing she learned over time was that sometimes it was best to go simple.

Suri stepped out front and straddled her Harley. She donned her glasses, turned the key, and the monster under her came to life. While she was a truck kind of girl, it was far easier to get around the city on the bike. Since Joseph didn’t hang around, she could tell he was giving no quarter. Nothing had changed.

She tapped the break to release it and she took off. It wouldn’t be hard to find the school. The question was, what kind of demons were they working with and what destruction had they already exacted on the area. Her hair and leather trench flapped in the wind behind her as she headed to the school. Suri didn’t pay too much attention to anything else. They had to get there in time to minimize any damage.

When she rode up upon the school, Joseph was no where to be seen. That didn't mean he wasn't there, he just wasn't in sight. Suri came to a screeching halt as one of the demons made its presence known. Suri loaded her crossbow as one of the two demons broke through the wall of the school.

"Holy Shit!" Suri aimed for it's head. "Three, two, one," she mumbled, and the bolt was away.

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph was halfway to the school when his commlink beeped in his ear and Nancy's voice spoke a moment later.

"Heads up, it seems the fresh meat left her commlink with her team, on her desk."

"Really?"

All Joesph could do was shake his head. She couldn't have been that much of a idiot, at least not that he had remembered. He arrived at the school just before Suri did, at the far end of the playground. The two demons had been busy, nearly all of the equipment was destroyed. He took a moment to scan the playground, spotting the demons just before they busted down the wall of the school.

The only remaining street lamp shone over Suri as he watched her fired a bolt at the larger demon. He revved his bike and shoot towards the trio, skidding to a stop as the bolt exploded on the demon's shoulder. A large chunk of flesh flew off, landing just in front of Suri. The demon turned and roared at her before flying into the sky.

The smaller demon hissed at Suri, running at her. It didn't attack, but ran around her in a circle taunting her. Joesph smirked as he watched the scene.

"Time to bind a little nuisance."

His finger touched a chain icon on his wrist tablet, glowing under his touch as he spoke bind. A swirling glob of code lifted up from the screen before he threw it towards the imp. He frowned as the imp dodged behind Suri, missing it. However the code struck Suri in the throat, wrapping around like a collar. A length of chain shoot from the collar to attach to the ground. As it shrunk, it yanked Suri from her bike to the ground on all fours, causing him to laugh.

His commlink chirped, Nancy's voice in his ear.

"You know everyone is watching and the captain is complaining about over reach of force. Try not to mess things up too much hun. And I am working on a counter program. Be ready in five minutes."

Seeing Suri in a compromised position, the imp leaped over the bike to attack her. Joesph pulled out his gun and fired a three-round burst. One bullet missed but the other two found their mark. The ammo he used was Ex-Explosive ammo, more powerful than the explosive arrows she had. The imp burst apart in a massive explosion, demon chunks and blood raining down on Suri.

The larger demon roared above him, pulling Joesph's attention to it.

"May heaven's Wrath extend it's sight on you."

His finger touched a sword icon, flinging a large piece of code into the air above the demon. It solidified into a massive sword, impaling itself through the demon as it fell to the ground, pinned in place as it died.

Joesph didn't say anything as Suri glared at him as he walked to her, crouching down beside her.

"Sorry, but I should get the counter code shortly. By the time clean-up gets here. Oh yeah..."

He grinned and smacked her shapely ass twice while he could. He didn't say it, but he thought this position suited her.

"That's for forgetting your commlink missy."

His commlink chirped.

"Did you just really spank her hun?"

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri struggled against the chain and growled under her breath, “Fuck you, Robbins!”
If she could have gotten her hands around his neck in that moment she would have choked him herself. He was displaying the normal bullshit she had to put up with every time she transferred to a new outfit. This was going to be a whole lot of fun. Instead of struggling, Suri remained still and tried to relax. It wouldn’t be too long for the techs to come up with the key. She recognized it for what it was, just a minor flick of the wrist and a demon that was just too fast. It was clear they were going to have to either work together or stay out of the way of one another. She was just fine with working on her own. She didn’t need his brand of humor.

Suri didn’t have time for the niceties. Truth be told, no one had the endurance to keep up with her the way her work interfered with everything. She almost had what one would call a relationship, but her work kept her away more often than not and what little interaction she had, soon dried up and disappeared. She was an adrenaline junkie. The more action she could find, the more she liked it.

So for the first day in the sandbox, she just had to face Joseph Robbins. He had, once again, outdistanced her. Suri scowled at the thought.

 

[JadeKnight]

While they were waiting on the code and clean-up crew, Joesph leaned back against the broken school wall, lighting up a cigarette. He could feel her eyes glaring at him every few moments, feeling the anger. Nearly five minutes had passed when his coompiece chirped, Mike's voice coming through.

"Code's almost done, just gotta debug it. And nice show. I got everything recorded for you man."

Nancy piped in.

"Mike! Don't encourage him. It was bad enough he spanked her in front of the department."

Joesph just chuckled as he finished the cigarette, flicking it to the side. He didn't say anything, just watch Suri resign herself to the position she was in. He didn't know her well enough personally to even guess what she was thinking of the whole situation.

It was another five minutes before a large white van pulled up, Ares Technology in large black letters written on both sides. His tablet beeped as well, a new icon appearing on his screen, this one a broken chain.

"I was actually done five minutes ago, but I was having too much fun watching the scene."

"Mike!"

Joesph shook his head as he walked over towards Suri. A group of men came out of the van, dressed in white hazmat suits from head to toe. Two set up a large changing area for Suri once she was free.

"Unlock."

Joesph spoke as he tossed the new code towards Suri's collar and chain. The collar and chain turned into 1's and 0's before breaking apart and disappearing. The men motioned for the technomage towards the changing area, a fresh Knight Errant uniform waiting for her to change into.

"Well, I'll see you back at the office, partner."

Joesph grinned to her for a moment before climbing on his bike and speeding off.

 

[plightofsabine]

Robbins had just completely and utterly humiliated her. Suri wasn’t sure how she was going to handle that. It seemed like an eternity and in reality it was just a few minutes before her new “partner” was digging up the new code to release her. Suri rose to her feet slowly. She was covered in goo and she wasn’t looking forward to the decontamination. The chemicals were rough on her skin. Suri disappeared as Joesph sped off. Good riddance!

She stripped of her current wardrobe and grabbed the decontamination wipes. She had to wipe all that goo from the exposed flesh and quickly change into the “standard” uniform. She rolled her eyes. It was ridiculousness already. Her clothes were collected and bagged up. The demons were a new threat and the team wasn’t taking any chances. They wanted something to analyze. She doubted she would see those items again. Suri made a note to make a new purchase when she got the opportunity. Cleanup was already going over her bike. She hoped they’d leave the paint intact. She shook her head.

Suri wasn’t looking forward to the ride back. If she turned away now, he would have won and Suri wasn’t going to have that. She wasn’t going to allow him to have any control over her whatsoever! She finally managed to get back on her bike and head back.

The trek into the building was long, but she made it up to the Captain’s office. She closed the door behind her.

“You left your commlink,” the captain said.

Suri sat down in one of the chairs and propped her leg up. “Are you serious now? Are you really serious? After that debacle you’re going to lecture me about a commlink?!” she asked.

“I know. He crossed the line,” the captain continued.

“Crossed the line?! I get it. It was a flick of his wrist and the demon was right there. Fine. But when he laid his hands on me he did more than CROSS THE LINE,” she retorted angrily, coming to her feet.

Suri shook her finger, “There is no way I’m working with that twisted deviant, Captain.”

The captain sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. He leveled his gaze on Suri.

“You will, and you’re not going to argue about it. He crossed the line today and I’ll deal with him. You were transferred for a reason and you’re here to do the job. Get out of my office, Attar..”

Suri spun on her heel, opened the door and stalked back to her desk. She flopped down on the chair and put her feet up on the desk. She pulled out the tablet and started opening applications, mumbling, "Mother… they're going to slap his hand and that's it."

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph made his way into the station just as Suri was leaving the captain's office. He gave her a little smirk for a moment as he passed her desk, catching the captain waving him towards his office. Joesph walked into the captain's office, closing the door behind him as the captain sat down. The two looked at each other for a moment before the captain spoke first.

"Really? You had to smack her ass on camera? You were lucky that the higher-ups weren't watching this morning."

Joesph chuckled and laughed.

"What can I say captain? The opportunity was just too good to pass up."

The captain shook his head for a moment, though he did have a bit of a smile himself.

"You are going to have to shape up. She will be your partner from now on, so I expect you two to get along. Go home. Cool off, and I don't want to see anything like that again."

Joesph saluted the captain and nodded.

"Of course sure. I'll be more careful next time."

The captain blinked for a moment.

"Wait, wha..no, I don't want to know."

Joesph chuckled as he closed the office behind. He glanced towards Suri for a moment before going to his desk, grabbing a few things. He pulled out his phone, texting to Mike.

I need some stuff code. Get it to me when you can.

He chuckled softly as he texted in a few instructions for what he wanted before closing up the phone. He gave a wave to Nancy.

"Got sent home for the day. I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Have a good day hun."

He wasn't sure how he would spend the next couple of days, but he would find something to do. He gave a little half-salute to Suri before he left the office.

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri shook her head in disgust watching him leave the office. “Yea,” she murmured. “Got the hand slapped. Next time I’ll bite it.”

“Would you like to see the playback on what happened today?” Anne asked. She had brought up the incident record on her station and looked in Suri’s direction.

Suri rubbed her forehead a couple of times with her fingertips. “Sure, why not. Everyone else has seen it already,” Suri responded bitterly.

Anne nodded and started the playback. Suri dropped her hand from her face and watched the scene. Suri could see the demons in the background and she watched Joseph’s arrival. Suri had immediately reached for her crossbow whereas Joseph went right to his casting. Suri frowned. That’s where she had made her mistake. Instead of working with the casting right off, she had chosen a more mundane method. The incident really couldn’t have been helped. She knew that. When Suri watched the seconds between the time he cast the bind and when the demon darted out of the way, it was very clear she was just collateral damage, so to speak. Suri was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She sat up in her chair through the next few minutes. She watched as she was pulled to the ground and the events following. Her team could feel the physical tension growing around her as she bristled in silence. Her team watched in silence as when the recording ended, Anne shut the recording off.

After a few moments, Elsie spoke up softly, “Maybe he’s like the boy in third grade class. Maybe he just likes you?”

Suri shot her an annoyed glance. “There’s no possibility of that. I met him in the fifth grade and it’s been a struggle ever since,” she admitted.

“I need to go down to the armory and see what nice toys they have down there. In the meantime, I need a couple of things added to the tablet.” Suri looked at Elsie and motioned for her to walk with her as she explained, headed for the armory. She needed to find some upgrades.

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph arrived for usual third shift after the weekend was done, arriving fifteen minutes early as usual. It was a warm night, so he decided on a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and running shoes. He got the typical looks of envy from the regular officers since he and his team didn't have to wear the regular uniforms. Nancy was already at her desk, dressed in a blue dress and her brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

He sat down at his desk as Nancy smiled to him.

"Ready for another fun-filled evening, Hun? And the video went viral."

Joesph chuckled for a moment.

"That all depends on my partner's mood. When did go viral?"

"Over the weekend."

"Great, one more thing to get yelled at for."

Joesph looked towards the door as Suri and her girls came in. His cell vibrated at the same time, a message from Matt.

I got your programs done. You'll have them in a few minutes. Are you planning something bad with these?

Joesph chuckled and texted back.

Maybe.

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri arrived in a simple black business suit. Her mood had not much improved from the days before, but she wasn’t going to let it get her down. She really needed to work this out and find some way to meet in the middle. The competition with Joesph Robbins through school really wasn’t his fault and Suri had regretted that to a point. Now that she was forced to work with him, she wasn’t all that confident he would have her back when she needed it. In fact, with his little welcome to the party present, she felt he would just make life difficult and possibly, put her in a dangerous position.

Suri gave Joesph a cursory glance as she walked in. She’d have to talk to him eventually; it just didn’t have to be immediately. Instead, she, Anne and Elsie headed over to their desk area. Suri sat on the corner of her desk as Anne logged in on her station. Suri picked up her tablet and entered her code to bring up the screen. She reviewed the changes they managed to install over the weekend. Suri had a nagging feeling that just wouldn’t go away and she finally conceded and put the tablet down.

“What’s wrong?” Anne asked.

“Just some strings I need to tie up,” Suri answered casually.

Suri rose from her desk and headed in Joesph’s direction. Before he would find any reason to avoid her, she walked up on him.

“Listen, can we talk?” she asked him.

 

[JadeKnight]

He glanced up for his tablet when Suri walked in. The business suit was a nice touch, but not exactly the best things for chasing demons. Maybe they would get lucky and have a clear shift.

The tablet chimed softly, drawing his attention. Six icons had appeared on his screen. The hand icons were the programs he had Mike create, but the guy didn't label them. He shook his head for a moment before pulling out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth. He didn't lit it, just chew on the butt of it as he tried to figure which program was which.

His attention was diverted again when Suri stopped at his desk. He looked up at her as he swiped the screen to another set of apps.

"What's up, partner?"

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri gave him a cool smile.

"Well, partner..." she paused and wet her lips with her tongue briefly.

"About the other day. Yea, I get it. I had it coming," she paused again. It was very clear she was going somewhere with what she had to say.

"We're going to have to work together from now on and it's going to be very hard on both of us if we continue in this direction. I'd rather just get the job done. But I want to make one thing very clear, since we need to have some boundaries. Let me assure you, if you ever touch me in the manner you did the other day, in the line of duty, I will do my very best to separate your hands from your body."

No one had ever dared lay a hand on her without suffering the violent repercussions. She wasn't about to start now. Especially with Joesph Robbins. She figured he was the local hot shot and he certainly acted like it. Figures. His calm confidence ate at her. She still owed him one and wasn't going to forget that.

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph leaned back in his chair as he listened to Suri talk. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth as he listened, nodding.

"I hear you loud and clear then. I'll do my best to keep my hands to myself. And no need to worry, I will always have you back. Call that your initiation to the department. And that outfit isn't exactly fit for fieldwork,though it looks good on you."

He gave a little smile for a moment before he grabbed his cigarette.

"I'm gonna go burn one, so you can join if you want."

He stashed his tablet in his desk before heading outside. He chuckled softly to himself, since he hadn't planned on doing any actual hands-on stuff for awhile. And her outfit made things easy for starting out.

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri strolled out behind him for his 5-minute, lung polluting habit. There wasn’t too much to see out the backside of the building as it was practically butted up against another building. But it was here, and out of sight, that you could be out of the public eye. Suri leaned her back against the brick of the building and hiked up her knee just a little to plant her foot against the building. Suri seemed like an awkward cross between a tomboy and a girl, as if she had to make an effort to be one or the other. She was uncomfortable in her skin and was the main reason she kept a distance from others.

She leaned her head back against the wall as well and looked over at Joesph. “How long have you been fighting these… demons?” she asked, not paying attention too much to anything else.

 

[JadeKnight]

He took a long draw for a moment as he looked over at Suri for a moment. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her completely yet, but that would change. Call it getting even for their school years, and possibly going beyond that.

"The first attack was at the Denver Area Mall, in the heart of the city. It was a surprise attack, only one class 2 demon. They were an unknown threat, and our current detection system hadn't even been thought of. The demons had killed quite a few civilians before the Knights were able to get to the mall. I was in the second group to respond, after half the first responders were injured or killed. It was a very bloody night."

He was quiet for a few moments, looking up at the night sky. He took another drag before speaking again.

"I've been fighting them since that attack, so about a year now. Their attacks have become worldwide, so we're not the only ones dealing with them. And I don't believe things are going to get any easier."

He looked over at her, rubbing out the cigarette on the side of the building.

 

[plightofsabine]

“They certainly don’t seem impervious to anything, they’re just extremely fast,” Suri commented. That gave her an idea. If she could come up with some code to slow them up, it would be easier to eliminate them. One could set the speed and the other could exterminate. Suri kept that thought in the back of her mind for later.

She dropped her foot to the ground. It wasn’t lady like. But then, did she really care all that much? Suri didn’t really understand herself.

“I will try to help the best I can. Seems to me you have a groove, and I don’t want to become an interloper on that. Still, we really need to come up with a plan on how best to stay out of each other’s way.”

He was almost human, so to speak. Almost.

 

[JadeKnight]

He chuckled softly for a moment, looking up at the sky.

"Yeah, they are a little easy to deal with. But I have the feeling the ones we've been fighting up to know are just the foot soldiers, so to speak. Or this may be all there is to these demons."

He looked over at her for a moment as he pushed himself off of the wall.

"Well, right now, time is on our side for coming up with some sort plan. You might find that things will get pretty boring, just waiting on the next attack. The captain didn't want me doing the regular street duty as the normal patrol Knights, so I spent a lot of time sitting at the desk. The captain won't care what you do to pass the time on duty. We can go cruising around the town from time to time, we just have to be ready when the alert goes out."

He lifted a hand to let her inside first.

 

[plightofsabine]

Suri nodded and walked back into the building in front of him. He was probably right about the demons. There were only two ways to go. Better or worse. She was banking on the worst scenario. That was just her luck. If in fact the situation got worse, could they really contain it all? What was causing all these creatures to suddenly make their appearance? There HAD to be a reason!

Suri glanced back at Joesph. "Don't you find it weird that these creatures are suddenly showing up? Wouldn't you think there would be something... some kind of tear in the fabric of existence, a portal or some sort of thing that is allowing them to come here in the first place?"

 

[JadeKnight]

Joesph gave a little smile as he followed Suri in, enjoying the view of her from behind. He admitted she had turned into a beauty, but her personality was still pretty much the same. Maybe he could make things a little bit more exciting for them.

He shook his head softly for a moment in response to her question.

"I'm not so sure this is the first time they've shown up. I did do a little research and foundt that this is the first time in a long time that demons have shown themselves physically. They're been around throughout history, like the spirits, possessing and terrorizing people. They may always have access, but who knows why they decided to show now."

 

[plightofsabine]

She continued to walk up the hall.

"I suppose you're right. Not our business to worry about where they came from or why, just to make sure we get rid of them, right?" she asked.

Her personal opinion was they needed to find the source. When they found the source, they could get rid of them forever. They were supposed to have analysts to review the data. Now Suri started to wonder if she could pull some of that data without stepping on someone's toes or getting tossed out on her proverbial ass.
It was a thought worth pursuing later.

When they walked back into the office area, Suri strolled over to Elsie and Anne. She leaned over the desk and spoke quietly.

"Would it be hard to pull the raw data from what we have recorded about these demon incidents? Like, locations, times, conditions, types, what was effective... that whole tamale?"

Elsie spoke up, "I'm sure we could get a hold of it. The analysis always goes into the files."

"I need any metrics and the report. But the raw data is priority, if you can manage it." Suri answered.

She might be out of her lane, but she wanted to know what she was looking at.

 

[JadeKnight]

He chuckled softly for a moment.

"It doesn't really matter to me, I'm just having fun killing them."

He continued to follow behind her until they reached the office, heading to his own desk. He leaned back in his chair as he noticed Suri bent forward over the desk as she talked to Elsie. He licked his lips for a moment, enjoying the view until a piece of rubber hit the side of his head.

"Ow. What was that for?"

He looked over at Nancy, who just had a stern look on her face.

"Do that on your own time hun."

Joesph just shook his head with a smirk before pulling out his tablet. He flipping to the new spells, looking towards Suri for a moment. All six were hand icons, unlabeled. Mike didn't even send him a note to say what they did.

"Well, let's see what you touch."

He laid a finger over one hand, lifting the code from the tablet. the code formed into a tiny ball, dropping to the screen and rolling towards the edge. The ball dropped off the tablet and hit the floor, bouncing a little. It rolled towards Suri, climbing unfelt along her right leg.

Joesph stopped watching as the code disappeared beneath Suri's skirt, bringing up some documents on his virtual viewscreen. He did continue to watch from the corner of his eyes, but staring would let his partner in on what was going on was from him.

The ball of code flattened itself against Suri's skin, sliding up beneath her panties. It then flowed over her soft nether lips and into her, encompassing over her inner walls completely. Nothing happened for a couple of minutes until the code began to pulse against her inner walls with a soft vibration at first. After a few seconds it increased in volume before turning into pulses in a variety of directions, the speed of the pulses randomly changing. The sensation lasted for five minutes before dying down to a dull throbbing massage.

Joesph glanced at his tablet for a moment, noticing a red button icon when the hand icon had been labeled push. He chuckled softly, but didn't push it yet.

 

[plightofsabine]

The conversation was going well and it seemed she was starting to feel a little more normal. Robbins wasn’t a total ass to her today and for that she was happy. Maybe they’d actually have a decent work relationship. She continued with her conversation between Elsie and Anne. She wanted to review everything. She had to get her bearings before they got called out again.
Suddenly she felt strange. No, it was a strange sensation. Suri tried to shrug it off and shift her position from one leg to the other. It wasn’t working. She stood straight up. Her breathing started to increase. She could feel …well…she didn’t know exactly what it was. All she knew was that her hands were nowhere between her legs and she was tingling, in a good, but disturbing way. Right in the middle of the office area.

“What the …” she muttered under her breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Elsie asked, glancing up from her monitor.

Suri swallowed and shifted her weight again, running her hands down her skirt as if to smooth out the fabric. Before long, she felt the stronger pangs of arousal.

She cleared her throat, nearly croaking out her answer, “nothing… I’ll be right back.”

Suri glanced around and headed for the Ladies Room. The sensation between her legs was growing stronger and a trickle of her excitement was starting to run down her inner thigh. She was losing her mind. No one was touching her, she had no toys here and her mind couldn’t wrap around the fact her pussy was throbbing. Suri yanked the door open to escape the office and disappeared behind it, locking it tight.

“Oh my God…” she groaned.

Suri pulled her skirt up and peeled off her panties. Maybe the fabric from the new panties were giving her an allergic reaction. She slipped her ass onto the counter and ran her fingers over her aroused flesh, rubbing back and forth when the sensation eased to a low throb. Suri sighed in relief and leaned back against the mirror. The throbbing didn't quit. She groaned out again. She did what any other woman would do, she rubbed at the aching flesh seeking relief.