Year Zero, A Cyberpunk Story

[Blue Demon]

Leon allowed the self proclaimed unlucky cyborg lead him to the kitchen. He kept an eye on all the Hera Goons as he could without being obvious. Which limited to him to only seeing one, then as they got to the kitchen, none. Despite the girl's warning to relax, he tensed. Not being able to see any of the Goons made his hair stand on end.

Soon the kitchen doors swung shut on the two of them. The few kitchen workers looked over at them. Some frowned, some didn't care. But they all looked mildly curious as to what two customers were doing in the kitchen. Leon ignored them for the moment. He watched the girl look back through the door before speaking.

"Alright, get going. If they are after you they will notice any minute you're gone. I'll stall them as long as I can while you get out of here."

'Crazy. You're Crazy.' He thought. She was letting him go, so either she was what she said she was. Which had nothing to do with Hera Corp. Or she was far more devious than he was giving her credit for. He doubted the second.

"Um...what? You should be moving like right now."

Leon didn't realize he must have been staring at the girl until she told him to move a second time. He shook his head. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then changed his mind. He cast another look at the door before grabbing her arm. If he left chances were, if the Goons really were after him, that they wouldn't pay an attention to her. At least not if she didn't do anything stupid like "distracting" them.

"That's crazy." He finally said. Of course, with all things, it was the delay that got them. The doors burst open and one of the Happy Hera Goons stepped into the kitchen.

"Ah, Mr. White Oynx isn't it?" The Goon said. "You need to came with me."

Leon stared at him with wide black eyes. 'White Onyx' was his hacker name. They were here for him.

Hell.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Avery moved in front of the young man, her hand still in her bag.

"Sorry, I'm afraid you've got the wrong guy. His my boyfriend, and we were just looking for a place to be alone...."

Her hand moved out of the bag, a old style pistol in her metal grip. She moved the gun behind her back, smiling sweetly at the goons. Behind her back her wrist opened up and her hand started forming around the pistol, her fingers loading bullets into the pistol as it built around handle of the gun. She leaned against the young man, her pistol almost done.

"I'm sorry if we got in the way of anything....I'm guessing we have to sign papers or something then be on our way...."

She flicked out her now weaponized hand and shot the lights above them, the kitchen going black. She pushed the young man back, firing at the huge shadow forms by the door.

"Get going!" She said quietly, one of her eyes flashing. Her night vision kicked in, her left eye having been replaced a while ago. She tried to only wound the goons, not kill. Dad wouldn't want her to become a killer.

[Blue Demon]

Leon stumbled back as one of the Goons took a step forward. Then the girl stepped between them. Leon opened his mouth to tell her to move, to run, to get out of here. But she was already talking to the Goons. Completely cool and rational. Unlike him. The only thing that was going through his head was that she was going to get killed.

Leon reached out for her, to drag her out of the way. Then she moved, her arm changed and the lights went out. He gathered his head and ducked and ran out of the way. He had to stop when he ran into a dead end.

Someone cried out. One of the kitchen staff most likely. Gun fire deafened him. The girl had opened fire and the Goons had returned it. Someone was going to get hurt. He kept his head low and felt back the way he came. If his memory served the exit was right...

Ah ha!

Leon smirked. There it was. He reached up for the handle and twisted. Success! It opened he pushed through the door and out into the alley. He paused at the junction with the busy street and turned back. Was the girl coming?

[MegaraFoxfire]

Avery was holding off the goons when she saw the door open. She smiled and turned to leave.

"It was a treat boys" she called back then she heard the shot. It hit her in the shoulder or her good arm, causing her to crash into some of the kitchen storage. She saw young man get out then she fired more shots at the goons before getting outside. She kicked the door shut and looked around. She found a pipe on the ground and jammed it into the handle, locking the goons inside.

She cursed, holding her bleeding shoulder as she looked around. She had been sloppy. If she hadn't been so worried about the guy, she could have gotten out clean. She unlocked her pistol from her hand and put it away, stumbling out onto the street. She looked around and spotted the guy. She pulled her jacket to hide her wound and stepped over to him.

"Well, that was fun....you know how to...show a girl a good time..."

[Blue Demon]

Leon frowned down at the girl. Bleeding. He knew she'd get hurt.

"I didn't ask for your help." He said as he reached for her. "And you're bleeding. Badly."

The door to the alley jumped as someone pounded against it. Time to go. Leon looked at the girl. "We have to go. Do you have somewhere to go?" He started walking towards the street carefully watching the girl. He also kept an eye out for any more Goons.

He didn't, but it wouldn't matter. He was able to take care of himself. He was worried about the girl though. He didn't mistrust her any longer. How did this get so complicated?

[MegaraFoxfire]

She shrugged and said "so I am...and I know you didn't ask for it...do people have to ask to be helped?" She flinched and held her shoulder. "

"I do...but I don't have a med kit....so I guess I'm in a bind" she smiled at him as they walked down the street. Ya, she shouldn't have gotten involved. But dad raised her to help people, so sitting back wasn't a choice to her.

She looked at him and said "why were they after you anyway? Just so I know what I'm getting into..." She gasped and cursed as her shoulder felt like it was on fire.

"Bloody....circuits....their going nuts...."

[Blue Demon]

Leon frowned as she hunched over in pain. He couldn't do anything for her though. He just kept walking. If he didn't care it would hurt less when she left, or died, wouldn't it?

"Where is it?" Leon asked. His eyes flicked for place to place. Watching everyone and everything.

His hand wrapped tighter around his bag. "I'll tell you later." There were too many people everywhere. Who knows who might overhear. Hera Corp owned nearly everyone. Why not those people who walked past you on the street?

[MegaraFoxfire]

Avery took a deep breath and said "it's just few blocks from here...we can hide out there until its safe for you to go home..." She took his free arm and put hers through it, leading him down the street towards her place. When he started looking around she looked at him.

"If your trying to act calm, you suck at it. Just pretend we're a couple going home after seeing the sites? If you don't look so worked up then your body will follow..." She smiled at him again, trying to help him relax a little. They were about half way there at this point, her wound getting worse as they walked but she tried to hide it the best she could. No reason to start a panic.

[Blue Demon]

Leon stiffened as she grabbed his arm. His reflex was to grab it back and place distance between them. But, Leon looked down at her. She was hurt. It was his fault too. If he could have acted quicker she never would have felt like she had to help him. He shifted his arm so it was slightly more comfortable.

More and more people were out and about now. His heart still pounded in his chest. It was his first direct encounter with Hera Corporation. They hadn't been able to find him until now. It was troubling. He hadn't even messed with them for a while. Did someone flip on him? No. It couldn't have been. Not that he trusted someone that much. The simple facts were that he never told anyone where he was. If Hera discovered him it was because he messed up. Bad.

Leon jumped as the girl spoke. Calm? Yeah. A bunch of psychopaths were after him. Why wouldn't he be calm? "Worry about yourself." Leon tossed back. He wasn't that obvious. No one had looked at him twice. At least not yet.

[MegaraFoxfire]

She sighed and said "can't. Not in my nature too....besides, we are here" she stopped them in front of a apartment building and she reached in her jacket for her keys.

"You can hide at my place till its cooled down a bit....least I can do for going over board back there" she lead him inside the building and up to her place. The apartment was a studio, the open spaces making her feel less trapped. She shut the door behind him.

"Make yourself at home. And don't worry, if anybody tries to get in here they won't get very far" she took her jacket off to show her top, bloodied. She tossed the jacket over the couch and started for the bathroom.

"Maybe I have towels or something for this..." She walked by the small table when she gasped. Pain ran up her shoulder to her brain, causing her to stumble and grab the chair.