A Stretch of The Legs [Closed/Jack]

Jack smiled to himself as his alarm woke him that morning. He was close. The evidence he'd received from an informant that day had put him hot on the heels of his target, now all he'd need was to press his next target and he'd get the prize. And then 200,000 Euro in the bag. The safe house he was staying in wasn't luxurious by any means so leaving there would be a plus as well. He popped the cap on a liter sized water and began to take a morning chug, pausing only to pop in a couple multi-vitamin and caffeine supplements to start his morning routine off. He then took another pull from the water, bringing it to half full before setting it down, and beginning his morning workout.

He started out with something simple, going through a couple martial art forms, using speed and focus to work his muscles as he fought invisible enemies with grace and force. Each punch, kick, and block executed with the strength designed to break bone, and with the balance of a ballet dancer. He flowed from one form to the next, gradually picking up speed until finally he finished the third form. The finisher for that form being catching a kick aimed at the groin, and then breaking the opponent's ankle with a simple turn. He could almost feel the tendons and bone snapping in his fingers as he kept his mind focused. With that done he took a bow to an imaginary master and stood, a light sweat already forming. He smiled and checked his heart rate. Satisfied he was at a good rate he then began his proper workout. First up, he walked over to overhanging steel I-beam and began pull-ups. He kept his pace slow and deliberate, focusing on form, until he swung his legs over and began doing sit-ups with his torso hanging off the I-beam. He'd rotate both those exercises for about 30 minutes, going five minute sets before switching. Finally feeling a good burn in his limbs, Jack smiled and lowered himself to the ground, dropping the last 6 inches with a small thud.

With his morning workout for today done, Jack hit the shower, letting the warm water rinse off all the sweat and ease his muscles as he stretched. Once he felt the soreness gone he swapped over to a colder shower to help his body cool down and recover. Feeling refreshed he turned off the shower and dried himself off and got dressed, smiling as he saw himself in the mirror. His old first sergeant would be happy to see him still keeping in shape. He idly wondered what they'd be up to right now. He walked over to a small fridge and pulled out a small pitcher filled with a power shake blend Jack had mixed the night before. He poured himself a glass and downed it as he looked at his evidence board and tried to figure where he'd find his next target. He had to stop these guys as fast as possible, but he needed to be sure to hit them precisely where it hurt. Body shots may feel good, but he needed a kill shot, otherwise they'd just go to ground and recover. Wilhelm. He spied that name that he'd just put on the board in the center. He had a picture and name, but he knew he'd need more to get the drop on him. Good thing he knew a couple of the local bars controlled by this particular boss. And where do all the soldiers usually hang out? Places where you not only knew where you were welcome, but where drinks would be cheaper and friends were plenty.

It was time to hit this place up.

He got dressed in an undercover uniform, which consisted of a pair of loose polyester pants, a black t-shirt, some aviator sunglasses, and a black baseball cap to top it off. He picked up his essentials, cellphone, knife, and pen with paper, and went to a car provided by a local aristocrat who'd "assisted" in posting the bounty. The BMW was all black, just the way Jack liked it, and when he started up the engine he smiled as he heard the smooth rumble. Some of Europe's finest was in this car, and he sighed as it would be a damn shame when he had to give it back. He clicked the button for the garage door and waited for it to open before putting the beast into gear and gunning the motor. The car leaped out onto the street, thankfully pretty clear out this early in the morning, and Jack maneuvered it expertly up the street, putting the car through what paces he could before slowing down as he had to make a couple turns to get to this bar.

It wouldn't take long for him to get there, as the pub was close by. Jack pulled into an empty spot across the street and looked at the lot to get an idea of what he'd find. Six motorcycles, two sedans, a Ferrari, and a black unmarked van in the alley. Definitely fit the bill. He'd need to check that van. Jack pulled open the center console and pulled out a small circular item, checking to make sure it was intact. Satisfied he hid it in his back pocket and stepped out of the car, making a beeline for the van. He checked his surroundings to make sure he wouldn't be spotted as he crossed the street. It didn't take long for him to get to the van before anyone would think to look his way. He slowed down and made sure that he'd wasn't followed, listening for the sound of foot steps. He heard none. He approached the van slowly, doing his best to cut down on any noise from his foot steps as he approached. He looked inside the driver's side window and saw that the keys were gone. Probably locked then. He sighed as he didn't want to give away himself so he pulled the small disk and tapped the button on it once. With that done he placed it on the top of the van, it sticking to the roof with a small metallic thud.

With that placed he was about to turn and head for the front door, when a man came stumbling out of the back door loudly. Jack immediately took cover next to a dumpster as he listened to the man approach. He was speaking German, which Jack had spent a few weeks getting a good grip on so he could mingle freely. What the man was saying however was what caused Jack to change his original decision to leave. Jack's face turned into a scowl as he stepped out from behind the dumpster as the man fumbled with keys audibly at the back of the van. Jack heard the insertion of a key and before the man could turn it, Jack was on him.

Jack cleared the corner like a shade, landing a low kick to the back of the man's knee. The man went down and was going to yell out for help, but Jack silenced him with a head lock as he muscled him away from the van. He took cover with his captive behind the dumpsters from before and then dealt with the helpless struggling person in his hands. He whispered three words into the man's ears before breaking his neck, causing him to go limp. In Jack's eyes there wasn't any need for a monster like that to live, and he quickly took the man's jacket off, thinking the cheap wool and leather would do better to mask his true identity. Satisfied that his disguise would be good enough, he threw the body in the dumpster, it landing with a soft squish of trash and other items being discarded in the same dumpster. Jack then went to the back door of the van to check it. He turned the key to unlock it and opened the door. What he saw got his blood going, but he kept in check. Now wasn't the time for rage.

Inside was two girls and smaller more trimmed down male. They looked highly unresponsive which meant they'd been drugged when they'd been taken. Typical. Jack immediately closed the doors and took a breath to clear his head. This was the place. He looked the van doors and stepped back inside to place the keys on a small key ring. Seeing he wasn't noticed he immediately went back to around the front of the establishment and stepped inside, making his way to a pretty full bar. Now he just had to find his prey, and hoped no-one would actually check the dumpster. It was usually a pretty safe bet as no-one ever thinks to check where they throw their garbage. A large german man with close cut hair spoke quickly to Jack, and Jack responded ordering a sandwich with a small water. He'd already spotted his target so he thought he'd get some real food in his stomach before he starting picking at his prey.

Tucking the shoes beneath her arm, she turned back to the course, and handed them over to Brian’s friends. It turned out the two, Nathan and Dustin, were actually brothers and cousins of the missing man. She should have recognized the family resemblance, she realized upon reflection for those ears were undeniably prominent, but she hadn’t really been trying to form any close relationship with the trio. Naturally they got upset and she showed them the place where she had found the shoes cautioning them not to trample the area. Understandably no one wanted to get the police involved, but then no one wanted him to be missing either. They were fine with leaving her out of it, thankfully, and so after wishing them luck she took off into the city. For her part she fully expected the young man to be dead, though she kept her words hopeful with Nate and Dust.

Walking away from the scene, her spirits were at war. Turning vigilante really wasn’t a path she had prayed for on bended knee by her bedside at night. She paused and looked back at the site where she found the shoes and sighed. Isn’t that exactly what she had done though? How much more of a vigilante could she be, hiding her powers and delivering the death stroke to corrupt souls that sought to devour humanity; if that was not being judge jury and executioner rolled all into one, then she didn’t know what was. That was different, she knew that it was. Spiritual dangers were real, it was not like the police had a poltergeist division or anything. Conversely she was under no obligation to meddle in mundane affairs. Even as that thought entered her mind causing her to curse inwardly because she knew that is exactly what she was going to do.

Unsure what use it would be, she waited until the brothers had gone back to the parkour course to wait for the police, then she activate her Hirenkyaku to levitate above the ground while examining the area. The last thing she wanted was imprints of her shoes all over the place, converse left a distinct impression with their trademark tread. After questioning the local practitioners in the area they would have a pretty distinct description of her, for she hadn’t seen any of the others she met wearing Chucks other than herself. At any rate she examined the ground and looked at the scuffed up grass and dirt. Seems Brian had put up a bit of a struggle but not for very long cause the patch of torn up ground was fairly small. Her eyes spotted something sticking out from beneath the bushes which turned out to be an empty syringe. It could have been used on him, it could just as likely been cast there in a hundred different ways. More than likely it tied in but it only served to drive home how foolish she was even sticking her nose into the situation to begin.

Had Brian been spiritually aware she might have had a leg to stand on, a means of tracking him. But this forensic investigation stuff was too much like a TV show and bad drama. She was about as qualified to hunt him down as she was to run a Broadway Musical. Scanning the area she thought about how you would drag someone off without being noticed, assuming they were knocked out by some drug you shot into their veins. Her eyes naturally went to the single lane road through the park as the most obvious route. She glided over the ground a bit then set her feet back down when she had pavement to land upon. The road just looped around the training course in a big circle so her choice was made for her; out of the park and down through the city.

Shaking her head, sure she was being seven different kinds of a fool, Calendrea began jogging up the road and headed out of the park. If she was smart she would just head back to the castle and forget about the whole thing for the chances of finding any leads, let alone Brian himself, were just slim to none. What would she even do if she did manage the unlikely and located the man? "Justice T. Quincy", she snickered internally, "here to save the day?" Yeah, that would end well, she was sure.

Keeping her eyes peeled for something, God only knew what, she had pretty much decided to head back to the castle and start working on something she could manage to do rather than waste her time on pointless daydreams. Even as she passed by the alley behind a bar where a certain black van was parked, she had given up the delusion and focused instead on the training rosters for the upcoming week.

Word Count: 814 + 1119 = 1933

Jack was working the situation pretty well. He had started some small talk with the local barkeep, and since the morning was pretty slow the barkeep seemed genuinely interested. Which was working well in his favor. Their conversation drifted, Jack being quickly identified as an American the first topic, but then it went to soccer, and finally Jack touched on the subject he wanted to get. He knew that the barkeep would be more than willing to pass along info if it was made profitable, especially if his boss made something from it. Their talk went to exotic things in life, cars, drugs, women, and their "experiences". Jack "reminisced" over a taking a brand new Lamborghini out for a test drive, speaking of the roar of the engine, the rush as he flew down a racetrack. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered some of the story was true. He had driven a brand new Lamborghini, but it wasn't a test drive and it wasn't a racetrack. He'd actually totally destroyed the car, and the idiot he was chasing, somehow managing to escape without a scratch thanks to his seat belt.

The bartender then asked what brought him to Berlin, and Jack explained that he was here for pleasure. As he began to elaborate that he was looking to acquire some of life's finer things, he saw the bartender start to grin. He definitely knew something of the smuggling and black market deals here. Jack almost had him, he just had to get this man with hook, line, and sinker. Jack finally mentioned that he was told to find a Wilhelm to locate these finer things. The bartender chuckled a little and asked how he'd acquired that information, and the game began. Jack would explain that he'd dropped a load of money on finding these things already, and put a small stack of Euros on the bar to let the man know he meant business. The barkeep pressed a little harder to see if Jack had been bluffing, but his story stood up. Of course a lot of it was true, and all the bills he'd spent tracking this guy had been graciously provided by the German government, unmarked and clean. Jack couldn't help but smile as the barkeep leaned back a little to see if anyone was watching him pick up this "tip". Satisfied, his hand swiped over the small stack and it seemingly disappeared, going into his pocket.

Almost there.

Jack smiled as the barkeep called one of the balder men over, and one of the guys at the table got up. The skin head walked over, and Jack immediately noticed the Nazi tattoo on his neck without much effort. Bingo. The two talked for a few minutes, bullshitting about the recent soccer game when the man asked what Jack wanted. He smiled and spoke directly and evenly. He wanted cars, and something a little more exotic. The man smiled, catching Jack's meaning, as he'd been alluding to pleasures of the flesh. He was about to ask Jack what he was into, when Jack spoke directly. He changed his story on the spot instead, now pursuing the different angle that he'd been working from the beginning. He told the man he wanted in, as a driver. Normally these people wouldn't buy into that sort of thing, especially from an outsider. But Jack had an ace in the hole. He'd spent the last month street racing, building his credit as an exceptional driver, someone willing to do anything to win. He dropped the name of that race and the man smiled and started laughing, exclaiming disbelief. Jack played along, telling things that only he as the driver saw, and only someone who was there might have figured out. The disbelief was short lived and Jack saw that he'd bought it. He started playing into the role as a racer, making a couple jokes when the man finally said he had to introduce Jack to the boss. Jack made it look like he couldn't help but agree. The man hurriedly wrote down an address, stating that he'd have to see him in one of the cars they had at the warehouse there. Jack promised that he'd get to see him in action soon enough.

To bad for the man, Jack wasn't lying.

Jack picked up the slip and told the man that he'd be over soon, just had to go take care of his dog at the house. The man smiled and rushed out the door quickly, finding the keys where Jack had left them and leaving without a second thought. Jack just smiled and walked outside, his spiritual energy no longer contained by the building. Unbeknownst to him he was broadcasting like a beacon to anyone nearby, so he didn't do anything to curtail it. He stepped into the BMW, and closed the door. The van pulled out of the alley and started going down the street, and Jack watched as he made sure his tracker was working. With a satisfying little dot beeping on his small GPS tracker, he acknowledged it was working. He started up the car and immediately pulled back onto the street heading towards the safe house. It wouldn't take long as it wasn't too far away. He kept a lazy eye on the dot as he went a few blocks down and pulled up to the garage, opening the door with a clicker. Jack could feel his adrenaline start to pump as he pulled inside, and began to suit up, grabbing his kit from the wall, and changing into his combat clothes and boots in a few minutes. He couldn't help but smile to himself, it was almost go time. And he had them right in his sights.

She would have just passed the sensation of the Reiatsu off as nothing to be concerned about, for the taint of Hollow was quite markedly different than that of any other, if this had been a few months ago. However, with the current climate in the world she was much more guarded about these sensations. Truthfully she was not of the vigilante mindset but she had been halfheartedly looking for things out of the ordinary. Although the growing numbers of Quincy in the city took the novelty of his signature down a peg or two it was still rare enough for her to pause and do a true sensing.

Pulling her pack of cigarettes from her pea jacket, she lit one up and closed her eyes as she exhaled. Expanding her sensory perception she was given a ready upon his emotional state and the best she could come up with was smug. Opening her eyes she watched him get into the BMW and thought that it was no wonder he was pleased with himself with a car like that. Upon opening her eyes she detected an undertone of focused attention too as he sat an overly long time with the motor idling before pulling out onto the street. She just shrugged it off as nothing, no doubt the man had been texting or something.

Calendrea would head down the street after him, however this was only due to his direction coinciding with her path back to the castle. Walking the couple of block for her would certainly take longer than it did for him to drive but she kept stretching her Reiatsu perception as an exercise so when he pulled into the garage she could tell he has stopped moving away from her. When she eventually drew within eye sight of the safe house she readily pinpointed the garage into which he had gone. His emotional state hadn't changed so much as heightened as though he were excited about something.

"Well good for him", she thought, "local Quincy of unknown affiliation drives to his home and is happy. Case closed." She chuckled to herself over her mundane findings. Another job well done by Quincy T. Justice. She didn't know why, but that illusion made her think of Lucas of all people. He had certainly been a driven man and she wondered what he was up to these days. Had he found fulfillment of his dreams, or had he become disillusioned as she had predicted her would? More importantly, was she now bound by virtue of being part of The Order to reach out to other Quincy as he had done?

She field stripped her smoke, slipping the butt into her pants pocket and sighed. It was one thing to approach strangers while out in public, like the East Coast Alliance man had done, but quite another to just go knocking on the front door of their homes. Her thoughts turned to Brian, his abduction hadn't occurred all that far from this man's home. The chances that this man might also be at risk with some crazed lunatic kidnapping people off the street were just as likely as any other danger that living in the city could present.

Deciding that indecision was stupid she crossed the street and approached the front door. It would be no different than any other encounter with a stranger, whatever happened wouldn't matter and she would never have to see the man again, worse case scenario. Recruitment really was not her forte anymore than being a vigilante. Knocking upon the door she tried to think up a reasonable excuse for intruding and then she just laughed. The man would know instantly she was Quincy too, right? Surely he would be able to feel her Reiatus and immediately understand what that meant.

Word Count: 635 + 1933 = 2568

Jack was now getting to his combat knee pads and was strapping on his holsters. He checked his drawers for his sawn off shotgun, and Sig Sauer pistol. Finding them in good order, Jack broke open the sawn off first. He looked down the barrel, checking for cleanliness and anything out of the ordinary. She was perfect, and so Jack slid her into her holster, and went to his Sig Sauer. He first worked the action on the pistol as he checked the slide for anything that might cause a malfunction. Nothing. So Jack then loaded a magazine and placed it into his other holster at his other thigh. He had just put on the combat belt with all of his magazines and shells for the shotgun when he heard a knock at the door. Who the fuck could that be?! Had he been made?! Jack cursed silently under his breath that he might have pushed it a little too far at the bar. He quietly picked up the emergency Super Shorty from the counter and loaded a shell into the chamber. He'd already loaded the tube with other shells, but Jack wasn't sure of what was coming. The gun's action slid closed with a quieter click as Jack carefully worked as he moved to the door.

He'd almost pity the poor fucker that decided to try and jump him at a safe house. He'd made sure there was only one place that bullets could punch through, and that was only part of the door not backed inwardly by steel. He placed the end of the barrel against the door, and looked through the peephole. A woman? That was strange. He paused for a moment before checking her for weapons or places to conceal them. Just simple clothes, almost like a runner. If she was a hit woman she was good he guessed. But Jack figured that if she tried anything he'd be able to put her down okay. He got a strange feeling in his gut from her though, and it wasn't the bad kind of feeling. There was just something, different. Jack placed the Super Shorty on a shelf next to the door and unlocked the door. The deadbolt would click as Jack turned the knob and then pulled the door open. It was large enough that the smaller woman would be able to see Jack entirely, but Jack kept a puzzled look on his face.

"Hello? Can I help you?" He spoke with confusion clearly coming across in his tone. He wasn't exactly sure as to what she was doing here, but he didn't want to scare someone off. Better to find out what their purpose was.

He may have not wanted to scare her off but his desire to appear nonthreatening was seriously botched. For starters she could sense the fluctuations in his emotions through her Reiatsu Perception and it was all over the place. Focused and intense, the sound of her knock had essentially been like pushing at a panic button. Then there was the focus once more tinged with, aggression? Loads of aggression and it was coming right for her. She expected the door to be kicked right down and slam into her, but before she could even think to retreat he was opening the door. Her eyes swiftly scanned his form taking in the sight of the gun holster strapped to his thigh and she just reacted instinctively hoping to shut him down hard.

Her voice normally a clear soprano was pitched lower into the Alto range as she activated The Voice. Her Reiryoku laced through the air attacking his mind to tweak his emotions under her direction. Trust was the subtext lying beneath her spoken words, "No need for alarm. I'm not here to preach the gospel. May I use your bathroom? It's kind of an emergency." At the same time she eased off on the dampening of her Reiatsu to let it flow all around her enveloping him in the heady scent of basil. No doubt his own perceptions would notice the blue glow all around her form suddenly increase with intense concentrations of light about her mouth and hands.

She had sensed his weaker pressure and knew that she was stronger than him, hoping that it would be enough to drop him to the floor. She fully intended to enter the house and shut the door behind her if that worked to her advantage. 


Word Count: 294 + 2568 = 2862

Jack didn't even have time to think, let alone react to what he just saw as the dainty little lady before him just apparently opened what Jack figured, was a can of whoop ass. The first thing that hit him was the sound of her voice, which was completely unnatural. Then as his sight caught up he saw an intense bright glow, which quickly overtook him flooding the rest of his senses causing them to go numb. For all intents and purposes Jack might as well been hit by a truck. One thought crossed his mind as he started to fall over. Who wears perfume strong enough he can smell it several feet away? Jack staggered back and fell over quickly, struggling to force his body to move. He was scared, but he was also trying to stay focused.

Stay calm, stay focused. Stay focused, stay alive.

He repeated the phrase to himself over and over as he finally looked up at the woman and spoke.

"What the fuck is this? And who the hell are you?"

His tone would indicate the clear surprise that this happened, plus the fact that his head was reeling from the sensory overload. He'd trained for panic, for his emotions trying to run a mission amok, but he hadn't exactly seen the page in the field manual for how to deal with someone or something literally digging into his head. Still he kept his wits about him and just kept mentally focusing on that phrase.

Stay calm, stay focused. Stay focused, stay alive.

He needed a plan B in case things went south, and he still wasn't sure what that was yet.

Her hand reached out behind her to take hold of the door knob, even as she stepped inside, to pull the door closed behind her. Not truly expecting him to go down like that, she stepped away from his body and looked quickly about the room and spied the gun on the shelf near the door. It had been right there on hand the whole time. She really had stepped into something this time for sure.

Speaking to him she said, "Look, I don't know what you got going on here and frankly I don't want to know. I just happened to sense you as you got into your BMW back there. I could tell you were just like me, able to sense things and do things you shouldn't be able? That's it. I followed you here and wish that I hadn't." She ceased her ramblings and rubbed the back of her neck. What the hell was she going to do now that she had caught him?

Shaking her head, she lowered her hand and said, "If you promise not to shoot me with one of the guns you got lying around, I'll let you up. Otherwise I'll just leave and you can figure out what it means to be Quincy on your own." It was just a flustered thing to say, she had no idea if he knew what he was or not. She just knew she wished she had not taken the day off from work.

Word Count: 248 + 2862 = 3110

Jack listened to the lady intently as his mind started to become his own again, now being able to hold coherent thought as he started getting used to the pressure that was on him. Still couldn't quite move but he could think. He took a quick account of his situation. Whatever this was, had him pinned to the point he really couldn't move much, let alone stand. So if she decided to get a little creative with him, there wasn't much Jack'd be able to do. He struggled against the energy a little as he was on the ground, only to stop as he heard the lady finish.

Well, if there was anything he could note from what she just said, she wasn't here to kill him. Not yet at least.

That was a plus.

Jack debated letting her in on what he was doing, thinking that if he brought in a civilian on the OP the Germans would be pissed. Especially if they weren't on the need to know before hand. Fucking government types and their "need to know" lists with "classified" data. Getting the proper certification to work where Jack did scared off a lot potential capable men and women, which is why Jack was sure she wasn't on the "need to know". But then again, she had him pinned to the floor with goddamned force-field and could fuck with his mind apparently by speaking a few words. And Jack didn't ever do drugs, so that was certainly on the table in her favor.

Fuck it, I hope she believes this.

"Lady, if you could please just calm down and let me up, I'm one of the good guys. I'm here on a job to take down a local crime boss. A crime boss who's going to get away and pack up shop unless you let me up right now, and I get to his warehouse where he keeps all his 'wares'," Jack emphasized that word to imply it was a very bad thing "I'm seriously on the clock right now, so I need to get moving so I can help the people he's trying to kidnap,"

He was direct, honest and for the most part, to the point. He really didn't have much time to waste, and he really hoped she cared about others. Mainly because he'd thrown that last bit in there to get a little extra empathy. It's not that it wasn't true, he just knew there was way more stuff there than people. If he was lucky he might be able to get some of the items from the police as commission, mainly hoping to get a car or few guns from it.

But it would all hinge on this woman's decision. Your move crazy lady, he thought to himself.

"Son of a bitch", she breathed softly. Calendrea really hadn't wanted to know what he was doing but obviously her finesse with The Voice needed some work. What person, who wasn't just feeding her a line of shit, would just blurt something like that out? Her eyes searched his face for signs of dishonesty or subterfuge. At first gander his sense of urgency was certainly genuine. Ponder her options, her hands would knead one another as though soothing aches in her joints.

Taking a deep breath she nodded her head and said, "This is insane", but her decision was made. A lessening of the pressure weighing him down became immediately apparent until it should not hinder him at all. Even so her Reiatsu was not masked completely, the faint scent of basil and a soft aura of blue could be detected. Her agitation was easily felt.

"Calm down, he said", her thoughts repeated his words. She moved to the door even as she released him, desiring nothing should bar her from exiting. All curiosity about his spiritual nature was rapidly evaporating to be replaced by nothing more than to extract herself from the situation as rapidly as possible. The fingers of her left hand clasped round the knob, her arm having shot to aid her escape when the rest of his words tweaked her sense of the inane. "Kidnappings?", she queried, her eyes never having left him for a moment.

Naturally her thoughts snapped to Brian and his cousins back at the parkour course. Freedom was right there with one twist of her wrist. No way he could leap up from the floor and grab the gun from the shelf before she would be out of the door and could Heirenyaku the hell out of there. Unless he had another hidden on himself somewhere. She hadn't even thought to search. "Fuck", she muttered for more than one reason. There was nothing for it now but to ask what was on her mind, "Around here, like today? Or are you racing off to stop them before they can do the kidnapping?" She didn't want to do this, but what if beyond reason this had something to do with Brian? Surely this was better handled by... civilians? Only this man was no civilian, but Quincy. "Was he", she mused as uncertainty filled her. She had used the word and he hadn't so much as batted an eye. Reading him again with her sense of perception she knew they were the same.

Word Count: 419 + 3110 = 3529

Jack looked at the lady calmly as she began to lift the pressure off of him. First he flexed his muscles to make sure nothing had been hurt in the fall. Satisfied, he shook his head as he climbed to his feet. He didn't have a moment to lose and if he was late the goons would suspect something was up. And he knew that the moment they suspected something, they'd go to ground. Or ask questions to certain people. And that's where Jack would get made to lose all the progress he'd worked so hard for. He breathed a calm sigh of relief as he immediately, but calmly, went over to a rack with the rest of his body armor. He would start strapping it on as he listened to her questioning what he'd just told her. This was bloody insane as he thought to himself, he was going to not only let a civilian tag along; he'd let her fight.

I mean she just put Jack on his ass without so much as touching him, with anything.

That was going to be something Jack would have to get used to. These people apparently played on a whole other level than him. He stopped as he listened to her finish talking. His voice would get dead serious as he spoke, his tone deep and hard to bring across his point. That people like the ones he was about to capture, maybe even kill, were the one thing in this world that could make him hate.

"I saw three taken today. Two women, and one male. All twenties to thirties, fairly fit, and looking like they took care of themselves. They are someones' daughters and son. Someones' friend. They matter to their loved ones. And these men that stole them, intend to ruin their lives for the sick pleasures of a very wealthy few," He turned almost armored from head to toe in body armor, and combat gear. He pulled his balaclava over his face, black save for the white imprint of a human skull outlining his face. He'd buckle on his helmet and pick up a weapon, a FN SCAR H with a Master Key shotgun attachment, as he finished speaking. "I intend to save them. As many as I can. And I intend to bring those who would commit these crimes to justice, the right way, in a court of law where they'll stand trial. And if they refuse I'll use force if I have to,"

At this point Jack's own rei began to shine a bright white gold as he'd spoken. It's purity showing there was no deceit, no attempts to mask anything. It was pure, raw, and while dwarfed by the lady's own presence it would cling to Jack's person almost like an outline of a knight's armor. He spoke once more to the lady, asking a direct question.

"At this point, the only question I have for you is will you help me save them? We don't have time to waste as the time to strike is now, otherwise we lose them for months. And by then, those people will be gone,"

Jack's gaze was that of a warrior now. He didn't mince words as he didn't need to. Now was the time for action.

Time to see if the lady was up to it.

As the man rose to his feet, Calendrea was once again treated to the differences in their size. Her initial impression was reinforced as, more than double her weight and towering an additional foot to her own height, he seemed massive by comparison. Had he moved toward her even a fraction she would have had him on the ground again and been out the door. Instead he avoided her as he geared himself for his mission. It felt a bit like watching someone about to go to war. The undertones of unrest in her life readily translated to the possibility that one day in the future she and her companions may well be doing this very same thing; it was a sobering thought.

Watching him garb himself in his armor she listened to him tell of the kidnappings and knew she was not going to do the smart thing. Surely the young man he had witnessed was Brian, and if not did it matter when he was standing there asking for her help? She had seen how easily she managed to put him on the floor, what would be the result if she were exerting the full weight of her Reiatsu? Had that been just because he was sensitive? Calendrea had never thought about how the Reiatsu of a Quincy may or may not affect the uninitiated for humans were really not her prey. She knew very well how the human body reacted to a Heilig Pfeil and that of The Voice and this was enough. Even so, if she did join in his effort today nothing she could possibly do would stop her from getting shot. It was impossible to ignore that possibility given he had just donned so much armor.

His words about apprehending these criminals and bringing them to justice was unsettling talk, foreign to her was the notion that seeking justice through the courts was an option. It was so white knight right down to the glow of his Reiatsu when he spoke of having to use force. It had been her experience that the laws of any given nation only worked for some. She had seen first hand how certain parts of society were considered disposable, where the law enforcement did nothing, and had no doubt that if she hadn’t stepped in to deal out justice her friend would be dead. This, however, was quite a different story.

It wasn’t something that she had weeks to ponder, that she could deliberate over for even an hour. Jack had made it more than clear that he had to respond now or risk something horrible going wrong. To delay further could mean these kidnappers might just disappear beyond the man’s grasp and Brian, if indeed this was he, and those other women would be lost forever. It was going on all around the world. People being taken and no one ever hearing from them again and she never felt any compulsion to enter the police force and fight to protect society from these human predators. And yet that is precisely what she had done by joining The Order. It hardly mattered that the threat was not from a Hollow, did it?

Nodding her head, Calendrea said, “I will help you. Out of the way!”, she was quick to add. Certainly she was not the sort to run around seeking police matters to interfere with but if she witnessed something going on that she could prevent the death of another she wouldn’t just walk away either. She was about to explain she had no combat training and was just as likely to get in the way as anything, but this was not really the case at all, not any longer. “Don’t get me killed, alright? It’s not like I do this for a living or anything”, she concluded. At least that was mostly honest. Perhaps if the universe didn’t stand up and smack her dead for being a crazy idiot she would have time to recruit him to another calling. His actions viewed in tag-along-fashion would be better than any resume or interview could be. Her own could either draw him to The Order or leave a bad taste in his mouth. That there were lives on the line weighed over everything. Definitely a day upon which she should have stated in bed.

Word Count: 725 + 3529 = 4254

Jack nodded as the lady quickly pondered the situation. He knew that battle wasn't for everyone. He'd seen plenty of soldiers, even Rangers, who broke down in the face of real combat. It wasn't pretty, ever. So when the lady took a short time to figure out her position he waited. And when she finally spoke, he would nod his head again in approval. Seeing that her smaller frame, and overall shaky nature around firearms, he reached over to a nearby rack of weapons and pulled out a G17 Gen2 that he'd worked on. The pistol was extremely light, but also he'd worked on the action to make the recoil controllable for even a novice shooter. He really didn't know if she knew how to handle one, but he figured a pistol in a firefight was like a parachute on an airplane.

They're great when they're needed, and the lack of them when needed can be lethal.

He worked the action open as he checked the internals quickly, and paused for a second as he inspected the immaculately clean parts. Just as he'd left the weapon. Satisfied he reached over to a drawer underneath the rack and pulled out several magazines for the 9mm pistol. He loaded the first one into the pistol and clicked the action release causing the slide to click into place, loading the first round. With that done, Jack clicked the safety on and walked over to the SUV. To the naked eye and untrained observer, it was a standard black Chevrolet Suburban, with really dark tinted windows in the back seats.

It couldn't be any further from the truth.

This SUV was made to look like any normal car a civilian would have, but on the inside everything was different. The start being the entire SUV was armored to withstand up to .50 caliber rounds even in the windows. The suspension was also upgraded to hold the extra weight and maximize handling of the vehicle at high speeds and make off road travel an option. The engine was gas, but it was a V12 with enough power behind it to pull a small tractor. And as for the speed, the SUV was more than capable as an Interceptor and chase car. In the back seat was where the captured bounties were held, being made slightly comfortable but also being totally sealed from the outside and rest of the vehicle. And behind that, in the back of the SUV was a weapon rack where Jack kept any spare munitions he might need, along with special gear that would give him the edge in certain jobs. Jack smiled as he opened the passenger door for the lady, not only because he was ready to get started, but underneath his balaclava he was very proud of this vehicle. She was a beast through and through, and never took no for an answer.

Which would be quite clear to her now since the door was well over a half foot thick.

He then set the pistol on the dash in front of the seat for her as he spoke "Get in, and don't be gentle with the door. Pretty sure it weighs more than you do,"

With that done he stepped to the other side of the SUV and climbed into the driver's seat. He would slam the door firmly but not loudly, making sure it closed properly. He then clicked the garage door opener as he started up the SUV. He spoke as he waited for her to get in.

"Here's the plan then. When we get there, I'm not going to waste any time starting my assault on the building. I'm going to go in fast and loud, putting down anyone that puts up a fight. My orders are clear, until local LEOs arrive the Germans want this guy and his cohorts dead or alive because of his crimes. Alive of course pays better, and while I'd rather keep blood shed to a minimum, you need to think of yourself first at all times. On the ground floor is where most of the expensive merchandise is being held most likely, being the drugs, cars, and other things along with weapons. You are going to steer clear of that. The second or third floor of where this building is where they'll store their valuables, such as fenced goods and their captives. You'll probably find your friend there. Find them, keep them safe and inside whichever room you find them in. And under no circumstances do you let anyone else into that room besides myself. I don't care who they claim to be, from some goon with a gun, to someone who looks like a cop. You let no one else in but me. Interpol will be performing the cleanup on this with a strike team and lots and lots of officers, who will be cleared by myself. Once I secure the rest of the building, I'll give you the all clear to let them in to take custody of the hostages. And remember, no one else inside the room once you find them, and do not, for any reason, leave them alone. I'll leave the how's to you, but that's the skinny on the plan,"

Her eyes watched his every move as he went for the gun, and she spoke while he worked the action to steady her nerves. She had never fired a gun before and if he was going to offer her one she would just have to refuse. “Just over by the parkour course in the park?”, she asked about the kidnappings. “A friend of mine was kidnapped over there this morning”, talking seemed to ease her nerve a bit with all the metal clicking and such going on as he prepped the pistol. “I mean we think so. He never showed up and we found his shoes in the bushes, we didn’t see it happen or anything like that”, she shut her mouth as he walked over to the SUV giving it the once over with her eyes. There was something else she had never done before; driven.

Stepping up into the front seat, she grabbed hold of the door and pulled it shut behind her before giving it a good tug. She blinked when it only made the faintest click, for she hadn’t managed to pull it hard enough. She grinned over at him as he slid into the driver’s seat, “What do you got in these doors? A ton of bricks?” When he had warned her about the door she just thought he had been poking fun at her size, quite sure she could manage the weight of it just fine. Calendrea did have quite a bit of hidden strength. She just hadn’t taken him seriously about the Suburban. Soon enough she had opened the door and then given it a proper shutting. Turning round to reach for the shoulder strap seat belt, she fastened it into place then listened to his plan. It became clearer and clearer that she was way in over her head. Oddly enough she could keep his instructions clear in her mind from only hearing them the one time. She had often been forced to focus on her brother as he hurriedly laid out some plan or orders she had to obey immediately and without fail on the spur of the moment. So that was not the issue. What she was envisioning was a scene from numerous action films where police raids were staged; bullets flying everywhere and large explosions that made you look cool as you walked away. No way in hell was she prepared for that kind of action.

Her heart sank as he answered her awkward attempt at finding out about Brian from before. Maybe he had even seen him being snatched, it was hard to tell. He might just as easily be jumping to the same conclusion as herself, she had to admit. No sense getting her hopes up for the young man could be anyone. Still, she did nothing to further that line of query. They both would need to stay focused and not become distracted right now. “I understand. Get to the kidnap victims and don’t let anyone enter the room”, she acknowledged. Before he could take off, she grabbed the gun from the dash and put it on the seat. Although she was not a fan and had no intention of taking it with her, she didn’t want it sliding around or visible from the street while they went through the city. While she was hardly in need of a projectile weapon she knew having one wouldn’t shield her from bullets.

Word Count: 574 + 4254 = 4828

Jack backed out of the garage quickly and when he got into the street, he didn't waste any time as he threw it into gear and slammed on the gas. With a roar the V12 hurtled the car forward, Jack letting a chuckle out as he tore down the street like a bat out of hell. He would weave quickly and pressed a button on the dash to connect a call directly to the local Interpol HQ nearby. A gruff man's voice came on over the phone.

"Tell me you got something Jack,"

"I got them, I'll need a tactical team with full emergency services on standby. Be prepared to cordone off a four square city block area in case a couple get loose,"

"What's the plan then?"

"I'm going to smash in and secure the HVT, I'll try to keep casualties low but no promises. You know how these mob types work,"

"Roger, and our team will be on clean up. Hopefully with their boss in cuffs they'll go quietly,"

"More than likely,"

"Right then, just do us a favor and maybe we'll let you tack on one of the cars as a bonus. I know how you like your steel horses,"

"Name it,"

"Try not to shoot the man with an actual bullet this time. Our interrogation guys had a little trouble last time because you scared the absolute dog shit out of the last guy,"

"Well this guy isn't going to be able to hide his human cargo this time with a threat to let him go or he'd kill them all,"

"Fair enough, but did you have to shoot him?"

"For the last time, I had to prove my point,"

"Alright, I'll try to get our teams there faster this time, Wilkens out,"

Jack nodded to himself as he pressed the button again closing the connection. It wasn't going to take long to get to the warehouse at the speed they were going, and things were about to get really hot really fast. He had a mental timer going in his head on what the bad guys were gonna be thinking about him still being slightly late. And he'd was already past the point where they were worried. Shit. There went his element of surprise. He'd have to go with plan B. He looked over at the lady for a brief second to let her know he was speaking to her.

"They probably know we're coming now, which means we're going to plan B. Hold on, and wait until I give you the signal to get out of the car,"

With that said he gunned it even harder on the SUV, letting the engine roar as they peeled around the corner leading directly to a two story warehouse. It had a six foot wall surrounding it with razor wire on the top which was pretty standard. Jack had figured on that which meant the human cargo would be on the second floor. He saw the three guys at the gate, one of them next to a nice Porsche. Too bad he was going to ruin it. The man on the left started to wave to indicate to slow down, and drew out a small assault rifle to show he was armed.

Big mistake.

Jack didn't even pause as the SUV rocketed forward and the man's face went from curiosity, to confusion, to panic. He started shooting at the SUV, but to his dismay the bullets from his little carbine would bounce off the hood and windshield. With a loud crash the Chevrolet slammed into the Porsche, crushing the driver's side of the car and launching it through the gate, with the SUV right behind it as it tore through the yard. An alarm blared as Jack steered the SUV towards the large warehouse and with another crash, smashed through the brick wall. Dust was thrown up from the debris, and Jack didn't waste a second as he threw his door open. Grabbing his weapon he hopped outside and slammed the door shut, not waiting for the dust to settle as he switched the selector lever from safe to single fire. He turned first towards the gate and the two remaining men now looking inside. Raising his weapon he pulled the trigger twice and with two cracks of gunfire the men would fall with red mist erupting from their chests.

He then turned back towards the warehouse and by now the dust was beginning to settle. He raised his weapon again and moved forward as several men reached for automatic weapons and fired on the SUV. Jack would then return fire with a series of well placed shots, dropping one man after another, using the confusion to his advantage as he quickly took cover behind a half a million dollar Lamborghini. Jack then flipped his selector level to full auto and began spraying automatic fire on the second floor grate that was looking down on his position, suppressing the four men with his greeting of steel. He would shout as loud as he could so the lady could hear him as he reloaded.

"GET TO YOUR FRIEND AND SECURE THE HOSTAGES! I'LL COVER YOU! GO! GO! GO!"

Jack then raised his rifle again as he resumed opening fire on the enemy positions, making sure to keep their heads down as he waited for the lady to get clear.

No sooner than he had shoved it in reverse and taken to the streets, her hand hitting the dashboard reflexively as he threw it in gear and took off down the street, did she know for a certainty that this was probably the worst idea she had ever had in her life. The man actually laughed. Turning to look at him, her eyes nearly as big as saucers, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Swinging her eyes back to the street she prayed to An Saighdeoir to not vomit. Her experience in cars was limited having never learned to drive and she certainly had never had such a ride as this was turning out to be.

Listening to the call on speaker only served to heighten her sense of the absurdity of her part in the situation. What the hell was she doing...she clenched her eyes shut, her hand moving to white knuckle the arm rest on the door as he wove through traffic. She had as much business being here as she did saying the mass. Between hissing intakes of breath as each narrow escape flashed before her eyes and the certainty that she was rushing headlong to her death even if she should survive the car ride, it took her a moment to realize he had spoken to her.

“P-plan B?”, she stammered wondering what the hall plan A had even been. Oh yes, don’t die. As for getting out of the car, she would be lucky if she could stand upon arrival let alone be anyone’s backup. All too soon they were pulling up before their destination leaving her little time to swallow back her panic. She had rushed headlong into the night to face monsters, she could do this too, right? “Right, stay in the car”, she managed to respond as her eyes took in the men at the gate looking armed and not in the mood for visitors. “Ah fuck”, she muttered as she realized he had no intention of stopping at the gate. “Ramming Speeds Scotty”, her inner smart ass thought. The trick would be in not getting thrown around like a rag doll on the bridge of the Enterprise. Thank god for GM ingenuity, the seat belt held and this Suburban was built like a tank, even though she did squeal like a girl as they totaled the Porsche.

There was hardly anytime to recover before a huge brick wall loomed up before them and she was slammed against the back of the passenger seat by the force of impact. Certain that she was going to look down at her leg and see a bone sticking out, she barely had time to react to Jack jumping out of the vehicle and leaving her alone. Rubbing the back of her head she said, “Jesus, Mary, and Joeseppi what a total dumb ass you are”. Activating her Blut Vene, something she should have done before the two wrecks, her torso region became augmented giving her a bit of protection against bullets. At least this is what she hoped would happen. Her grandfather had told her of its capabilities, but it was not something she had ever tested against firearms. She seriously should have put two and two together when she saw him putting on armor and grabbed up some for herself. Blinking a bit, she self-edited heavily. What she should have done was never gotten into this SUV in the first place.

Seething inside as bullets whizzed around, bouncing off the vehicle, even the glass, her wince factor went into high gear, her arm coming up to protect her even as the shot pinged harmlessly off the windshield. Her head whirled round to try and catch a glimpse of the man, once she realized she had not been shot, even as her hand went to unlatch the seat belt. Just the his cry of GO! GO! GO! Cut through her fugue enough to make her slide across the seat and slip out the driver’s side door. Filled with terror she bolted from the death trap the SUV surely had become envisioning someone with a missile launcher blowing the damned thing up before she could get free. At this point nothing would surprise her as being over the top.

Her mind screamed in time to her heart beat, get inside get inside get inside, even as she activated her Hirenkyaku to fast time it into the building. Pausing inside she took but a second to get her bearings before heading for the steel staircase that led to the second floor and hopefully the hostages.

Word Count: 770 + 4828 = 5598

It was chaos. Pure, unfiltered, raw chaos erupted in the ground floor. Jack stood as he watched the woman lithely, and almost super humanly bolt from the SUV and head up the stairs. She was on her own for now then. But he wasn't worried.

He'd give the goons plenty to worry about down here.

Rangers lead the way

Jack switched from single shots to double taps as he swapped from target to target, his rifle moving with precision that came from the years of training and fighting with the US Army's elite shock troops. There was no rage, no anger, no excitement. Jack's mind was purely focused on the task at hand leaving his emotions out of every decision. He began to move forward as he spoke into a mike on his helmet, now hoping to get the attention of the mob boss.

"WILHELM VON WOLFE, FOR CRIMES COMMITTED INCLUDING KIDNAPPING, MURDER, EXTORTION, THEFT, AND RACKETEERING; YOU'RE COMING WITH ME DEAD OR ALIVE! SURRENDER NOW AND I'LL SPARE ANYONE WHO DOESN'T RESIST!"

His already booming voice already amplified by the microphone made it quite loud and clear who Jack was and his intentions. No one was leaving today unless it was in cuffs or a body bag. And unfortunately for them, Jack had plenty of ammo to spare.

He was now shooting on three sides as he swept the room, trading gunfire with any that dared step forward. Unfortunately for the gangsters, their aim wasn't that great, and they kept trying to come at him in pairs or threes. Which was hardly a challenge for Jack. He wouldn't even have to pause his step as he engaged targets, moving forward at a calm, but determined pace as he continued firing his weapon. Then he heard click from his SCAR, and in the blink of an eye twisted his weapon a little to spot the ejection port. Empty magazine. Jack didn't even hesitate as he dropped the magazine, his hand already reaching for a fresh mag to put into the weapon. With a click it slammed into place and he tapped the bolt release to feed the first round into the chamber. It took mere seconds, but in that time, more of the men had managed to assemble on the catwalk, raising AKs at Jack's armored form.

That meant these were the real soldiers of the mob.

Jack dove as they opened fire on him, switching to full auto on his rifle as he went down. He winced slightly as the 7.62mm full metal jackets tore holes in the BMW he was behind, giving him nothing but concealment practically. They shouted something inaudible in German as they moved to flank, but Jack was ready. He rolled to the side as they began to move and he cut them down with a single burst from his rifle. He then charged to his feet as he knew he needed to take better cover before they surrounded him. His armor was good but it wasn't invincible. Those AKs would've probably stung a little. He moved towards the small cut out offices that were underneath the second floor where hopefully she was working her way towards the hostages. That'd be key that she got to them.

He threw himself through the flimsy wooden door as he charged into the room, thankfully being empty as he landed with a crash. He quickly checked his front and sides. Clear for now. He got his feet fast as he set up on the next door, and with a powerful kick, practically shattered the door. He checked first to the right, scanning the room, and then flung himself left to check the door. Rather being the hard knock of wood on wood, he heard a soft thud as it hit something human.

Not this time, he thought.

He turned towards the door and raised his weapon, without mercy pulling the trigger. Too many men had been caught by the door trick, too many of his comrades killed because some self righteous, would be insurgent was hiding behind innocent civilians. Five rounds erupted from his rifle, tearing though the wooden door and ripping through the poor sod on the other side. Jack was ruthless as he didn't even wait for the body to drop as he kept scanning his corners and avenues of fire.

This was war for him. This was his crusade to make the world a better place.

And he'd known for a while that he'd have to be merciless to his enemies when they gave him no choice.

Even as the loud booming voice of the man cut through the din upon the ground floor below, Calendrea was seeking with her sensory perceptions for signs of life. Although much dimmer than one who is spiritually aware, that energy was still present. It was unnerving, all the gunfire going on especially in such a confined space as the warehouse. Blocking out visions of some ricocheted bullet ripping through her body she focused instead upon what life forms she could detect.

As she ran along the catwalk she had never felt so exposed in her life. Even before the gunmen came out to the railing to fire down at Jack below she had detected their faint energies. Calendrea planted herself against the wall next to a huge yellow metal cabinet with the hazard pictogram plastered to its side. She had never wished harder for anything in her life, and that was that she could go invisible like the Wraith. Such powers were beyond her however and she would have to rely upon her wits and dumb luck. The hell of it was, those men leaning against the railing and shooting down at Jack were between herself and the other side of the catwalk. It was beyond them that she felt a cluster of signatures in closer proximity to one another than those scattered about the area. They must be the hostages.

She couldn’t go through them but could she go around? There were no hallways through the upper floor she could duck into until further ahead. Then she had no idea the warren of corridors that might lead her into and she might very well wind up no closer to the hostages than she was now. Casting her glance upward she saw the ceiling was bare of dressings being nothing more than exposed metal girders that comprised the framework of the warehouse. It was perfect.

A quick leap upward and her hands caught hold of the top of the metal cabinet providing her the leverage she needed to hoist herself up from the floor. She was about to make a leap for the metal girder when the image of Fáelán floating away on his Reishi platform that day at the bar flitted through her mind. “Dumbass”, she mentally chided herself, “you are Quincy, not part of some SWAT team. Use your powers girl!” Exciting particles beneath her feet she rapidly created her own platform and shot straight up into the air nearly slamming into those very girders she had intended to leap for. Changing the flow of her energy she began whisking vertically through the air behind the row of gunmen toward the far wall. Landing down upon the catwalk, she darted up the hallway into the upper depths of the warehouse seeking the room where the three prisoners were being held.

Numerous doors lined the hall but she passed them by as she headed toward those faint signs of life. No doubt the door would be locked and so she summoned her spirit weapon, the silvery glow of the claws that only the spiritually aware could see coating her fingers and bathing her hands in the light of her Reiatsu. Fortune certainly must be favoring the foolish today for no one stepped out of the rooms to hinder her nor was a gunman stationed outside the door she sought. A quick twist of the knob revealed she had been correct for it was locked requiring no outside guard. That was when she was faced with another issue. If she busted the door in, as she had ripped the back door of the bus with her claws back in Karakura Town then how was she going to block it off and keep anyone else from getting inside? Jack said to lock themselves in and to let no one enter until he came for her himself.

If only she had not stopped carrying around her lock picks when she gave up her life of thievery to embrace her destiny as a spiritual warrior. Her face split into a grin and she thanked the fickle bitches known as Fate for leading her to Rick Rogers. Releasing her claws she instead focused her energies on forming a set of lock picks from her very spiritual essence . Taking her newly crafted tools, she stooped to work at the lock telling herself it was all about the tumblers. Her focus was riveted to her work and even as she felt the tell tale click within the lock that heralded her success the press of cold steel to the back of the head sealed her doom.

The gunman sneered as he held his pistol pressed to the back of her skull and said, “Well what have we here. A little birdy come to join the party.” A massive hand gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet, his eyes grazing over her form filled her with disgust even as he began to laugh. “Well isn’t this my lucky day. You will fetch a good price.”

Clearly the man had thought to secure the prisoners when the gunfire broke out. It had been stupid on her part not to suspect that such might be the case. There was no time for her to chastise herself for carelessness for the man slammed her back against the wall then pointed the gun at her and said, “turn around.” Her head was ringing from where it had slammed into the wall, his form towering over her own, and she could do little more than comply. He must have holstered the gun for she felt both his hands moving over her form, her own gun that Jack had given was easily found and removed from her person.

His grip forced her to turn back even as he pressed his body against her and pinned her against the wall trapping her raised hands between them against his chest. “And so prettily adorned”, he leered at her, his hand rising up to trace along the length of the torc round her neck. “You won’t be needing this where you are going”, his ominous words left little doubt that he intended to steal the sanrei device and if he did that she would be stilled, forever cut off from her powers. She didn’t even think as her claws manifest once more upon her hands before driving the right into his chest and ripping out his heart.

Word Count; 1071 + 5598 = 6669