Ruth let out a long, slow sigh as her left hand scribbled notes onto a lined piece of paper. She nodded as her father, Rudy, spoke about budgets and how it was broken down into little sections. He showed her the breakdown in the form of a pi chart, and so she wrote that down as well.

"Ruth, pay attention. This is all really important for you to know," her father said.

"Dad, I am paying attention. But I'm allowed to find this part less exciting than the other stuff," Ruth said in response, her voice sounding tired. "See? I even drew the pi chart."

She watched as her father turned to look over her notes, and nodded in approval before glancing down at his white gold watch. "Alright, well since you've been keeping up with the note taking, I suppose you can go early. But make sure you're on time tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too dad," she said as she stood up from the big office chair, pushing it neatly back in place before taking her binder and pencil, and placing them in her cabinet. She took one last glance at her dad before disappearing from the room. The glass door slid shut behind her, and she quickly made her way to the transportation tubes. Most buildings in Theonia City had them. Eventually they all would, though.

Within a few minutes, Ruth arrived just outside of her favorite coffee house, The Emerald Garden. She entered, the bell ringing melodically through the cafe. Her sneakers were slightly wet, and clicked against the floor as she made her way to the counter.

"The usual?" the barista asked, a crooked smile playing along her lips.

"Absolutely." Ruth responded firmly. Her day had been fine, but she was tired. She was thankful her dad let her off early. She figured she would simply spend some time relaxing here, maybe listen to some music, then head home for the night. Before she was finished planning out the rest of her afternoon, Sasha, the barista, handed her a hot mug with a vanilla chai inside.

"Thank you, Sasha," she smiled happily, paying. Sasha nodded and went back to the task she had been working prior to Ruth's arrival. Taking a long, slow sip of the drink so it wouldn't spill, Ruth made her way again to her favorite spot. It was in the Eastern corner by the window so she could people watch.

A-4433-CDNO watched his target enter the cafe, order her usual beverage and then take a seat at her usual spot. She was out earlier than any other day this week and he felt a moment of nervousness. But it left quickly as it seemed nothing else in his plan was miscalculated. He was finally done Intel gathering on his subject and felt prepared to tell her the critical knowledge he felt could change her life. He knew after two weeks of following her and interacting with her in the guise of a street performer, that she was indeed his best shot to save Blackwater Corp from the certain assimilation and destruction at the hands of his "parent" company.

She was the only person in the whole company who would hear him out and not take him for someone experiencing a psychotic break. The only one with enough exceutive authority to take the data he had collected and use it for the good of civilization. But he didn't know how to approach her as of yet.

He calculated in his mind. He was wearing the body he was most familiar with; a young man with bold yet soft features, the one who's smiles always caused a smile back. He knew if he approached like this at a table she was alone at she might confuse his approach as a confident gesture towards embarking a mutual mating ritual.

He did not want this to be the case for their first social interaction. "Perhaps I should wait?" He thought. Wait and approach when she was interacting with another person. Like a young child waiting his turn, he'd politely smile and prepare his speech. He might even start with talk of non grandeur or philosophical quality to ease her mind and then he'd tell her what he knew... then... well then he had no way to predict all the variable outcomes. Nothing he could do would prepare him for after. He would have to do a leap of faith.

And so. A-4433-CDNO waited...

Excon... No.
Reliant... Not if I can help it.
D9 Ecowurx...Laughable.
Blackwater...Blackwater. Could work. But that Rudy is a tough negotiator. I wonder if...

Talon monitors his vid screen in his stretch skycar. A Modified Black Vertigo of course.

He’s got quite a bit of dirt on him, but I could never use what happened to his wife. That would just make things worse for everybody. He thought.

Incoming Message...Incoming Message...Incoming Message, splayed out across the screen in red.

Talon pressed the screen to activate the message. It was from one of his many sources providing an update on the latest actions from the unions at the Ridell Space Docks.

“Definitely going to get worse before it gets better” muttered Talon to himself. He thought perhaps it would be wise to make some calls to the union heads. Sometimes it pays to be on the side with the muscle after all.

Reggie? Speaking to the driver.
Yes?
Let’s go to Blackwaters HQ for a moment if the traffics not bad.
Certainly Mr. Kaarde we can do that, traffics not backed up even in this rain.

The Vertigo took off while Talon Kaarde placed a call to Rudy Blackwaters secretary.

“Hello, Mr. Karde” She said.
“Hello Again Sheila I hope you liked those flowers I sent you for your 30th birthday last week?”
“Oh you know It was my 40th but thanks for making me feel Young anyways” she laughed. “What may I do for you Mr. Kaarde? Mr. Blackwater is busy with his daughter this afternoon and his schedule is full for the rest of the day.”
“Oh Sheila I’m already on the way and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind with what I intend to discuss with him.” expressing his Urgency to meet.
“ Well, Mr. Kaarde I’m sure I can squeeze you in. I’ll go ask him if you give me a moment” said Sheila quietly.

Talon waited patiently for her to return and in the meantime noticed a bright flash which seemed like a meteorite outside his window. Odd he thought.

“Mr. Blackwater says that if you give him 30 minutes he will meet you down at the Emerald Garden by the South entrance. It’s a coffee shop where his daughter hangs out so he can finish up for the day once your business is finished.”
“Your a peach” Talon said “I hope you like the wine I picked out for you, it should get there tomorrow”
“Oh you shouldn’t have. I’ll send you a message when Mr. Blackwaters on his way, I hope you have a great day!” She said in excitement.
“I intend to Sheila,I intend to”.

A message from Sheila flashes across Talons Vidcom stating Mr.Blackwater is on his way. There is another burst of light off in the distance as Talon exits the Vertigo. He enters through the south entrance into the promenade and starts walking towards the sign that reads The Emerald Garden fortifying himself for a quick and easy deal.

The Global Positioning System displays an arrow on the path through Nora's Digital Interfacing Gear, indicating her turn is in 100 meters. As she neared her turn, the client's song wound down and the next started up, blasting the newest, loudest, and most nonsensical of modern music. With a groan, she picked up speed. At least this client isn't inclined to converse about nothingness that is small matters, or isn't asking questions to which the answers are none of their business. Or crying. That may very well be the worst. At least the clients that are trying to get a cheeky make-out session in the back of her aircraft mostly have the good graces to keep it down.

The D.I.G. pops up with a warning- Your destination is on the left. Docking the aircraft on the pad, the music cuts out as the client gets a notification of the transit fee. Once the transaction is approved the doors open and the client departs. The music syncs back up with Nora's preferences as the door closes. Flipping off her "On Duty" status, Nora gets clearance for take-off from the Air Traffic AI. With a deep sigh, borne from boredom and hunger, she takes to the skyways.

The com beeps with and incoming communication. Accepting the call, a voice takes over the audio in Nora's earphones.

"I have a pick up on Broadcoast requesting you. Are you off already?"

"I'm on my union mandated lunch break, Tory." This happens all. the. time. Skye-Way Air Taxi is becoming more popular every day and they cannot keep up with staffing. The union means nothing when it means the company will lose a client. What once was a decent job quickly turned into a nightmare, and it's one Nora lives every day.

A conflicted sigh comes through the com, and then silence. It wasn't Nora's job to ease their minds over overworking their drivers, and she sure as hell wasn't about the break the silence first.

"Look, Huxter, we need you. How about we comp you your lunch? Just get over to Broadcost."

"Understood." Nora ends the communication with frustration. Blackwater Corp couldn't get back to her about her application soon enough.

Well, she may as well pick up some food and socially accepted chemical dependence on the way. Nora keys in the location of the little gem she recently found on her G.P.S., The Emerald Garden.

Ruth watched out the big glass windows as beads of rain began to form on the outside. She smiled softly to herself as she carefully brought the hot mug of chai up to her lips, sipping it slowly. It went down with ease despite it's heat, and began to warm her from the inside out. Relaxing into the chair, she noticed a young male enter the shop, though he didn't seem too familiar with the place. She felt as though she had seen him around somewhere, but couldn't quite place him in a fully accessible memory. She simply shrugged it off as mistaking him for another.

Taking in his features though, she figured he had to be around her age, give or take a couple of years. He seemed to be waiting for something or someone, so Ruth turned her attention back to her chai for a few moments. She closed her eyes this time with the next sip, listening to the bell ring again as another person entered. It sure was busy this afternoon, though she normally didn't get here until closer to four or five. When Ruth opened her eyes again, they shifted from the mug of chai, to the newcomer who had entered.

This person looked to be older than Ruth. His hair was slicked back slightly and he had firm but handsome features with facial hair to accent them. He wore business attire with a cape that moved with him. He looked very formal to be visiting the Emerald Garden though, so this made Ruth curious. Her eyes followed him as he moved further into the shop, and he also seemed to be looking for someone. Her eyebrow arched up, though she realized she was probably staring a little too obviously.

To distract herself, she dug into her brown leather backpack, finding her wireless headphones and put them into her ears, putting one one of her current favorite songs "Electric Love" by BORNS. She allowed the music to fill her spirit, and bobbed her head along to the beat, taking her time to finish her drink while people passed outside the window.

The Emerald Garden was filling up fast!

Since Arthur had entered, a tall buisness man with a cape, two couples, and a group of six apparently having a lunch meeting have walked into the now bustling cafe.

Arthur was not at all comfortable about all these variables in his well constructed plan.

He ordered a cup of black coffee and slammed it back immediately, placing the mug on the counter in front of the now concerned looking barista. He took a deep breath, and started walking straight towards Ruth Blackwater, all concerns of approaching cautiously now forgotten.

He feared he didn't have the time adjust his plans on the fly, he didn't have the leisure to adjust his approach as the variables presented themselves. He had to take action now or risk not having an opportunity later.

He arrived at the table Ruth was sitting at. She was absorbed in her music as she stared at the beverage she was holding loosely with her left hand. Her hair covered her eyes on the side Arthur had approached and she didn't see him out of her peripheral vision. After a few seconds of Arthur standing there awkwardly she perhaps finally felt his presence and turned to look up towards him, taking one of her electronic sound suppliers out of her ears and arching her eyebrows in what Arthur recognized as a look of intrigue.

This was it. Everything that he had prepared for in the last two weeks had finally climaxed to this moment. He was prepared and ready. The words he was about to say and the things he'd tell her about project Chrysalis would most definitely shape the future for better or worse. He nodded internally (something he was not aware he could to until that moment) and opened his mouth to start his story.

"Mhmm Arthur." he mumbled

She took her other other electronic ear piece out and turned to face him with a confused look on her face.

Before she could say anything though Arthur simply stated he'd be right back and made a run for the restroom. His face felt hot and he felt a little like he would power down like he does when he goes into sentry mode at night.

He slammed the restroom door open, locked himself inside and started to laugh hysterically, not quite sure exactly what was going on except that he might be malfunctioning.

He needed to tell her, about project Chrysalis! And he would... right after he washed his face and found some words to say.

Talon entered the promenade to a bustling cafe. He thought about grabbing a coffee but they didn’t make cappuccino like your supposed to so he thought better and just watched Blackwater staff attending to gardening. It was quite a nice place to sit and watch thought Talon. Still...too much of a commercial setting. He clasped his hands behind his back and watched some of the patrons. It seemed a guy had summed up courage to ask a younger lady out but had chickened out at the last second running to a nearby bathroom. Talon just shook his head. “Gotta have confidence kid”.

From behind A voice boomed. “Mr. Kaarde, to what do I owe this pleasure?”.
Talon turned to see Mr. Blackwater himself, flanked by 4 suited protection agents. Big and hulking, no doubt full of chemicals and cybernetically enhanced as was the norm these days. He definitely looked tired to which Talon would take advantage of.

As he approaches Talon extends his hand “Mr. Blackwater, I appreciate you taking the time to see me, I will make this quick as I know you are a busy man”. Blackwater asks “Quick and Dirty? Or on the level?”. “When have I steered you wrong?” Asked Kaarde. “Never and that’s how I intend it Talon” stated Rudy, ushering Talon to a table with the younger girl. “Have a seat, and let me introduce you to my daughter Ruth. I’m trying to teach her a thing or too before I forget all I know”.

“I’ll never forget so don’t you worry” Talon semi seriously said. “However we will leave that for another time”. Talon grabbed Ruth’s hand to kiss it gently and said “Pleasure to meet you Ms. Blackwater. My name is Talon Kaarde and it’s a pleasure to do business with you!”

Docking in the landing area, Nora secures the aircraft and buttons up her uniform jacket. The weather is miserable and only seems to get wetter by the minute. Taking her D.I.G. off and placing it on the ledge near the door, Nora hops out and locks up. Her stomach rumbles.

After a brisk walk she found herself in the warm sanctuary of the Emerald Garden. This cafe embodies everything Nora came to the Home Planet for. The lush, healthy plants that are meticulously cared for, the peaceful atmosphere, the kind staff, the content patrons, and the intoxicating aroma of coffee, spice, and flowers. As this was her third visit to the cafe she isn't overly familiar with the menu or the staff, but she has yet to be disappointed by either.

Looking around and noticing that everyone else seems to be with a friend, lover, or colleagues, Nora suddenly felt silly for being alone. Regret over leaving her D.I.G. in the aircraft washed over with her. At least if she had it she wouldn't have to people watch. Instead, her finger nails suddenly became intensely interesting until it was her turn to order.

"Hey there, what can I get you?" The barista, SASHA her nametag read, asked.

"Oh, sorry. Can I get the third drink on your menu and the third meal on your menu, to go?" Nora requested, looking up from her nails.

"Do you have a mug you would like to use?" Sasha asked as she rung up the total.

"No, I'll just rent one."

"Sure thing. How did you want to pay?" Nora picked up the ID card that hung around her neck and tapped it to the payment terminal. Rejected. Goddam Tory hasn't loaded her meal allowance onto her staff ID. Nora smiles weakly at Sasha as she pulls out her personal communications device and taps that instead. A receipt flashes on the screen as she shoves in back into her pocket. "Your order will be up on that counter over there." Sasha indicates to the counter further down.

Nora heads over to the washroom, a quick pitstop before heading back to the sky. She tries to open to door but it's locked, it must be occupied. Nora goes to stand with the other waiting for their orders.

Lost in her music for a while, Ruth hadn't noticed the young man walking toward her. Once he approached though, she could feel his aura and presence. She turned her head, taking one of her ear buds out of her ear, watching him curiously. He looked pretty serious, like he had something important to say.

Instead of anything of importance coming from his mouth, all he said was "Mhmm Arthur."

In response, Ruth furrowed her brow and took out the other ear bud, turning her head slightly in confusion. She opened her mouth to introduce herself, when suddenly he ran off to the public washroom. Only a few minutes later, she heard a very familiar voice, and another that was unfamiliar. Even though she shouldn't feel anxious, she suddenly was as the sound of her father's voice surrounded her.

With this, Ruth sat up straight and watched as the unknown gentleman, who she had watched enter the cafe what seemed like only minutes ago, lift her hand and kiss it. She had a tendency to lose track of the time while she was here, so she really didn't know how long she had been sitting there. But either way, that didn't matter. She felt weird that her dad was hanging out at her favorite coffee shop. She didn't want to be rude though, so she smiled a soft smile at the man, listening him to him introduce himself as Talon Kaarde. Apparently there would be some deal going on? She was wary of him and her eyes narrowed just slightly.

"Well Dad, it was... So nice to see you here... At my favorite coffee place... But I think I should get going and head home. After all, you told me not to be late tomorrow," Ruth said, trying to sound nonchalant but more than likely failing at that. With this she turned to Talon once more, speaking a little less awkwardly, "It was nice to meet you, Talon. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you."

Ruth grabbed the now empty mug, and turned, walking swiftly away toward the special drop box for used dish ware. She dropped the mug in gently, and glanced around quickly. She noticed a woman with braids seeming to be waiting for her order. With that thought, Sasha had called out the order and Ruth watched as the woman took it. It was then she noticed she was wearing the typical driver uniform. She sighed in relief, moving quickly over to her and tapping her softly on the shoulder.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you during your break, but I was wondering if I could get a ride back to my apartment... Like, as quickly as possible. I need to get out of here."

"Do your kids always act like this?" asked Kaarde to Rudy Blackwater. Rudys daughter had just walked away after being so indignant and obviously no care as to be involved in learning the family business. Rudy spoke "I try Mr. Kaarde, I really do try but she has quite the rebellious attitude and I cant get her to listen for the life of me". "Have you tried shock therapy?" laughed Talon Kaarde.

Rudy Blackwater and Talon began to talk buisness hashing an outline for a future meeting as Talons opportunity greatly...No. requireed Blackwaters involvement. Talons charm seemed to be working. "Too bad Blackwaters daughter wasn't privvy to this. She could be easily manipulated" Thought Kaarde.

The serenity of the cafe was violently thrown into chaos when a large recycling truck went through the glass panels and faux rock formations of the cafe. Shards of glass intermixed with large hunks of concrete, rebar, and other shrapnel went flying throughout the cafe. The large truck was still going full bore when it drove through part of the sitting area narrowly missing Rudy's daughter and a uniformed transit driver finally slamming into the washrooms with enough force to crush the cab and crumbl half of the walls. The truck was still in high rev's as if it still wanted to continue but it could not. The automated vehicle usually had an emergency function that automatically cut power when a catastrophic event occurred but for some unknown reason it was still operating in transit speed.

Talon woke up in a daze. The truck had speared right through his meeting and before he was knocked out he had felt the truck throw him to the side after impact. He rolled over onto his side and attempted to use his hands to get up. His right hand couldn't find purchase so he pressed harder with his left easily being able to push himself up onto his knees. He half concussed looked around. People were screaming, dust, debris, and blood smears were everywhere. Half the coffee stand was even taken out by a large chunk of concrete. The sun filtered through a hole in the concrete to pierce Talons eyes. He raised his right hand to block out the sun however no hand came up. He looked down to his right side thinking maybe it was shock and he had broken something. It was shock; but when Talon looked down he started to see part of his white pants with large splothes of a red liquid which led to a pool of blood near his side and from that looked up to find his arm severed above the elbow with a large piece of metal sticking into his side.

Arthur reached for the bathroom door handle, prepared to deliver his speech to Ruth, but stopped. Something was off he thought, or well felt.

This feeling lasted not more than a second before there was a terrible crashing noise and the wall and door blasted towards Arthur at a lethal velocity, pushing him forcibly into the wall behind him.

He felt both his forearms shatter as he instinctively shielded his face and his kneecap separate itself from the socket of his femur. The door lay against his face and he felt blood pour from the back of his head and chest.

He groaned and began pushing the door off of himself as his body instantly started using his reserve chemical energy to not only begin fixing damages and breaks, it also started creating new tissue to replace any damaged ones.

His lung reinflated itself and three ribs cracked into place as he stood up and surveyed his surroundings.

The bathroom was totaled; concrete and wood smeared across the floor and water pooling from damaged pipes. A hole where the door used to be was partially blocked by a concrete block four ft tall and wide. Arthur pushed this out of his way and stumbled back into the cafe front.

The damage here was way worse. And the cause of it was no more than two feet from Arthur. A large commercial recycling truck with the Logo of a smiling tree and the words GREEN TREE plastered above the the picture was wedged into part of the cafe's back wall. It was without a driver yet still revving continuously as it's automatic shutdown system seemed to be failing.

The cries and moans of the rest of the people inside the cafe caught Arthur's attention as he turned to survey everything else.

It was truly a scene of horror, and he no longer was thinking. Instead he was processing. Processing as quickly as a super computer making calculations and absorbing details at a analytical speed that surpassed decision making and instead courted the fine realm of impulsive decision making that he was only familiar in the times when he had to fight his way out of the compound.

Eleven bodies in total. Four in close proximity and the rest spread out across the rubble. Two were making their way to their feet. Condition. Fine, minor lacerations and a concussion. Same with the other except with a broken finger. Three of them were crushed under rubble with heat signatures decreasing. Condition. Deceased. Another who's leg was caught under the rubble was unconscious. Condition. Fine, medical professionals would tend to the leg better than A-4433-CDNO could. One was a mess of tissue smashed against the cafe's display case, breaking threw the glass and lacerating herself severely. Condition. Critical. Probability of life saving repair to broken spine, internal bleeding, external lacerations, removal of foreign debris and suturing of major arteries... very low. It would later pain Arthur greatly how quickly he dismissed this lady to her death. Something that was both cold and calculated, a snap decision that he would be better spent helping others.

One of the people near him was in the second most critical condition. A man who's arm had been destroyed below the elbow and was leaking blood at an alarming rate. He also had a piece of rebar impaled into his right side, passing through the kidneys and into his intestines. Condition. Critical. Probability of life saving repair to internal organs and extensive bleeding... high probability.

Arthur sprung into action. First he would kill the power to the remotely piloted garbage truck. He placed his hand on the hood, closed his eyes and focused on interfacing with its electronic systems. After several seconds the process was complete and he turned it off.

Stepping away from the truck and over the body of an older man who was unconscious but mostly uninjured he approached he man in critical condition.

This man was conscious and in shock taking a few seconds to notice Arthur as he crouched beside and placed his hand on his injured abdomen and the other and rebar rod. He stared at the man wordlessly and without hesitation pulled the rod from his body using his other hand to both keep him and place and supply enough force to remove the rod quickly.

It came out with a squelch and a scream from the man who tried moving from Arthur's grasp. Arthur paid him no mind easily holding him still and tossing the rod aside before shoving his index finger into the man's wound. He screamed again and tried to push away from Arthur before falling unconscious from the pain. Arthur didn't really notice but instead started to spray a medical grade foam agent into the man's wound which would seal the damage, stem the bleeding and administer a painkiller to relax the body.

With this done he pulled his finger out of the wound as the foam started pouring out and solidifying. He then grabbed the man's bleeding arm and stared st the wound. It was jagged and broken with a piece if the bone sticking out.

Arthur frowned. He wouldn't be able to repair this damage and most likely a doctor would have to perform some expensive cosmetic surgery to apply a prosthesis to his arm. The best Arthur could do is stop the bleeding. He achieved this by using the laser in his middle finger to slice the shard of bone off and then cauterize the arm, then spraying it with the last of his medical foam. He would have to acquire more a some point.

Arthur inspected his handiwork. The man would live and most likely regain the use of his arm with a prosthetic pretty soon. He looked wealthy enough. Satisfied Arthur stood up to leave. Best he not be around when medical attention arrived.

He only got half way to standing before two lazer rifle shots blasted through the window taking down both of the survivors across the room from him.

Arthur stopped down as two men entered the cafe through the giant wreckage the truck had made. They were wearing ballistic deterrent vests, face covered in masks and wielding military grade laser rifles.

They crossed the room towards the people they had just opened fire on, shooting at the other bodies as they passed. They were eliminating all potentials of survivors and witnesses. This wasn't an accident this was an assassination.

Arthur looked at the unconscious man below him... he could leave now and secure his own life as he hadn't been spotted yet, but he couldn't do that. He looked behind him at the other 3 unconscious people behind him. One of them was Ruth Blackwater... the other two perhaps just innocent bystanders to this assassination. He had to help them.

He looked up at the two hitmen, their backs were turned and they were walking away from him. He needed to do something and he needed to do it now.

Being extremely careful not to apply pressure to either the arm or abdomen Arthur scooped up the injured man like one would cradle a baby, and wheeled toward the truck. As quickly and quietly as he could he bounded over the other unconscious gentleman and proceeded to tuck the injured man into the passenger seat of the truck, quickly buckling him in making sure his arm wasn't loose to flop around.

He then made for the two unconscious ladies on the ground. One was Ruth, and the other was a licensed piliot who's name was Nora Huxter according to the badge she wore. He threw both of them over his shoulders and and brought them to the truck. He had little choice where to stick them and shoved them into the storage compartment, first emptying all the tools and cleaning equipment inside. It was a tight fit but they were both able to sit inside back to back as he closed the door.

He turned back to get the other unconscious man only to find the two hitmen facing him with their guns aimed. He dived low as lasers flew above his head melting holes into the rubble behind the truck.

Arthur regrettably realized he couldn't save everyone and that if he wanted to save anyone at all he would have to leave now. He leapt up and dashed into the driver's seat of the truck. He was already connected to the electronics of the truck and prompted it to turn on. With a jolt it revved up again this time in full reverse.

They slammed out the front of the cafe again causing more rubble to shake itself loose. Lasers flew towards the truck, some landing and melting holes into the body of the truck, before they zoomed away into the sky.

The machine was quite damaged Arthur realized and wouldn't be able to get them far enough away to guarantee safety for the passengers. Sparks flew from the hood of the truck and the entire machine groaned as Arthur commanded it to fly towards a field he was familiar with. He would have to crash land in the park and drag the passengers to safety somehow.

And he did just that... mostly. He managed to land the truck on the outskirts of the park scaring some pedestrians and wildlife. He leapt out of the vehicle and released the injured man from the passenger seat gently placing him down on the ground. He then hurried to get the other two out of the storage space.

He threw the door open ready to place the unconscious ladies on the ground and make an escape before peace enforcement arrived to the scene, but as he opened the doors he was taken by surprise as the piliot was not unconscious at all; she was very much awake and was pointing a small firearm directly at him with determination and the confidence of trained military personnel.

This was not good Arthur thought. He'd have to do some fast talking and some mighty convincing or else he would end up in custody... perhaps it would be best if he stuck to the truth, he saw no other way to avoid conflict besides the facts..

With her order in hand, Nora felt a tapping on her shoulder. Nora's heart pounded rapidly as she turned to face the young woman who sought her attention. "Hi. Sorry to bother you during your break, but I was wondering if I could get a ride back to my apartment... Like, as quickly as possible. I need to get out of here." The protector within Nora stirred. The girl looked uncomfortable, was she being harassed? A quick visual sweep of the cafe showed no eyes watching her.

"What are your coordinates?" Shit, I have to get to Broadcoast. What are you doing, Nora?

Ruth glanced down at her little watch, which held tons more information than just the time, and nodded once. “I can never remember the exact numbers and such, but I can flash it over to your device. I live in Brookside Falls.” Before Ruth even finished speaking, she had sent her coordinates to the young woman’s device by pressing on a special app and holding her arm out close enough so her own device could gather the information. “I hope that worked!”

Everything is so much easier with her D.I.G., Nora mentally kicked herself once again for leaving it behind. Not that she had expected a pickup in the cafe. Luckily she had a vague idea of where Brookside Falls was.

"I'm headed in the opposite direction." Nora watched the woman's face fall slightly, and she did one more sweep of the cafe. There was a niggling, persistent feeling in the back of her mind that the girl really needed help. "If you're willing to go for a ride, though, I'll drop you off after my pick up."

Ruth pursed her lips together slightly, thinking about this offer. After thinking about it, she nodded and gave a grateful smile. “I’m okay with that! Anything to get out of here. Things got too awkward for my tastes.”

"I'm parked on the landing pad out the side door, come one." Nora and the young woman began to head towards the side door, just past the washroom, when a large recycling vehicle went through the glass panels and faux rock formations of the cafe. It narrowly missed them both, but the faux rocks that flew apart hit them both hard on the back. Then there was darkness.

The darkness was complete and all-encompassing. The air was stale and hard on the lungs. Wait, hard on the lungs? Where was her breathing apparatus? With a groan, Nora moved her stiff right arm and used her hand to explore her face. No mask, no helm, no comm. Her hand traced down her collarbone, chest, sternum, hips. No lacerations, suit intact, no gun. She found herself in a sitting position, so she bent her upper body forward to trace her right leg. Thigh and ankle weapons were gone as well.

Her heart was racing. Taking progressively shallower breathes, she steadied her heart and lungs and the ringing in her ears quieted. Patiently, she listened. There was the creak of metal on metal. There was the sound of a generator. There was the sound of the air regulator. Ah, there. Voices.

Nora stood, carefully, and paused to check if she would experience dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness, or any flashing lights. All was good. She took slow, bracing steps towards the sound of the voices. When she came to the metal barrier- door or wall she was not sure- she pressed her ears to the surface. She could hear them, and she knew them. Hostiles.

Nora came-to in darkness. There was a familiarity to it. The darkness was not complete, however, as there were holes and cracks in the walls around her. The area was cramped, the air smelled of gas and something burning. She hurt, her head down to her ass. Nora moved her right arm up to the back of her neck. Fuck that hurts. Her hand trailed down her collarbone, her check, her sternum, settling on the gun holstered to her hip.

Nora concentrated on focusing her eyes as she retrieved the gun from its place. Taking a calming breath, she investigated the tight space more. Beside her was the young woman who asked for a ride, unconscious but breathing. Suddenly, the common feeling of decent came to Nora’s senses. They were in the air.

Repositioning them so the young woman was behind her, Nora settled herself at the door with her gun cocked.

After listening to the driver's proposition of tagging along for another pick up and drop off, Ruth nodded in agreement. She was sure it wouldn't be too bad, and much less awkward than how she felt currently. Her mind wandered back to Kaarde for a moment. She had a natural curiosity about him, but also a professional one. If she was going to eventually be in charge, she would need to know who was good people and who wasn't.

Ruth's thoughts were cut short though as the sound of glass breaking and rock smashing filled the cafe behind her. She turned her head slightly to try to look over her shoulder, but was quickly hit with pieces of rock and cement against her back and the side of her head, causing her temple down to her jaw to be torn open on the right side of her face. She was shoved forward and toward the ground at the impact, and the last thought to go through her mind was of her dad. After that was blackness.

The blackness wasn't necessarily scary, but it wasn't exactly comforting. If this is what death was like, then Ruth was sure it could be much much worse. Though, she wasn't entirely sure that this was really death perse. She felt somewhat aware, though not conscious.

Come on Ruth, you need to wake up she thought to herself. She struggled to get herself to open her eyes, and when she finally did, she realized the searing and throbbing pain in her face and head. The rest of her body felt fine, but stiff. She groaned slightly, trying to gather where she was, but it was still pretty dark. She could tell however that she was seated behind someone. Her thoughts shifted again to her dad, and an audible sob escaped her lips. She barely even noticed that the room they were in, was flying.

Ruth tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, only to have the back of her hand smeared with blood. She could smell it as her arm shifted back down to her lap. She wondered how bad the injury was. It hurt, yes, but she wouldn't know until she could see herself. She felt the person move to be more in front of Ruth, and then the sound of a gun cocking filled the little room.

"What happened? Where are we? And is my dad okay?" Ruth stammered, her throat tight with the threat of more tears.

Talon had passed out before the individual addressing his wounds could finish. He had lost alot of blood and despite his fight or flight mechanics kicking in was not prepared for anything less than anti-grav in a sensory deprivation capsule. During the time he was blacked out he dreamt of soft white sand beaches and a lush jungle cruise. His dream state was awoken by a jolt to his sternum and the flash of lights until all went quiet again.

He squinted his eyes open to discover that he was face down on the ground and had a mouthful of dirt. He used his one hand to push himself up to his feet and steadied himself on the disposal truck as he caught his breath. He looked up to see the driver fumbling to open a storage compartment. Talon tried to stumble towards the individual leaving a bloody streak on the side of the truck. His ears still ringing he saw the storage door open.

The driver began talking and had his hands up but for what reason Talon did not know nor could understand. He slowly kept creeping towards the driver and began to get weaker. He reached for his belt and keyed several buttons on it for an emergency call to his home. He stumbled missing a step as the blood loss began to overtake him and he reached out to grab hold of the individual however he dove to the ground which put Talon on a collision course with the ground. He landed in front of the storage door with no arm to brace himself. The pain sent a shock through his body, but before he passed out once more he was able to see a lone figure rolling and then running away with what seemed inhuman speed.

Arthur stared at the handgun in Nora's hands. It was small but lethal and he was hard to miss at this range.

He looked Nora in the eyes, raised his hands to be level with his ears, palms facing outwards as a sign of non aggression and started to speak.

"Hello. There has been a terrible tragedy inside the Emerald Garden."

"This recycling truck that you are sitting in drove through the shop front and plowed into the back wall destroying most of the building. Then two men entered the premises with laser rifles and started gunning down the survivors."

He paused letting her take in this information before continuing.

"I managed to save you and two others from the gunmen however the gentleman on the other side of the truck is in very serious condition and needs medical attention. The authorities will be here soon and it is imperative I do not get detained or questioned by them."

"After your investigation by the cops if you and the other two would like to meet me at the Maxwin Bird Sanctuary I will do my best to answer your questions and further protect you from your assailants, as I do not believe they will be happy there are witnesses to their crimes."

And just like that Arthur dove to the ground, landing flat on his chest and rolling under the truck to the other side trying to evade a potential gun shot.

There was none as Arthur lept to his feet and started sprinting away from the truck and approaching sirens.

It didn't take long before he disappeared into the forming crowd successfully escaping the survivors, and the local authorities.

The young man disappeared from view in the blink of an eye. Did he say the authorities are on their way? Shit. Nora hopped down from the container and felt her body complain as she made contact with the ground. She turned around and offered her hand to the young woman who was still in the container. "I don't know about your dad, but I promised to get you home. Everything else can wait. Come on." Nora extended her hand in an offer to help her down. The woman, Ruth, took the hand and climbed out. "Go climb in." Nora nods towards the front of the vehicle before making her way to the man laying on the ground.

Under the blood, dirt, and missing arm, the man wore fancy clothes and seemed well-groomed. Nora crouched down beside him and felt for vitals. He needed medical attention, and the sooner the better. It looked as though some first response medical care had already been administered, but she wasn't sure it would hold up for very long. Nora glanced towards the vehicle. She couldn't stick around to deal with the authorities. As an immigrant, she couldn't afford any trouble. She also couldn't go back on her word to get the girl home. As a trained soldier, she couldn't bring herself to leave someone behind. And then there were the civilians that were beginning to gather... Fuck fuck FUCK fuck fuck-fuck. Another quick glance to the vehicle and her mind was made up. One deep breath and Nora began to collect the man. She draped him around her shoulders in an effort to distribute his weight easier, but pain shot through her senses. From midback up to her occipital, causing flashes of colorful lights to momentarily blind her. Another deep breath, which only caused more pain. Fine, shallow breathes it is.

With deliberate steps, Nora brought the man to the passenger side. "Scoot over," Nora instructed the woman. Sliding the man off of her shoulder and into the passenger seat, "hold him upright." Nora slammed the bent door closed and rushed around to the driver's side. Where the cab attaches to the airship attachment is an emergency release mechanism. Can't go wrong with classics, I guess. How much longer do I have before first responders are on the scene? I need to go faster. Nora used her Personal Communications device to quickly override the safety measures and release the cab. Vaulting into the driver's side and engaging the Ground Delivery mech, Nora could feel the wheels engage. Starting the cab engine, she revved up and felt the front cab detached from the ship compartments. With the second rev the cab came free.

"Okay, crew, hang on." The forward motion was off balance and clumsy, but it was forward movement nonetheless. In just a few moments they were off of the field and onto the streets. This is going to gather too much attention. We need cover. We need medical attention. Nora flicked her eyes to the right to see the young woman holding the man up and trying to stabilize him against the jerking motions of the vehicle. Another wave of regret overcame Nora for leaving her D.I.G. in the goddam airship. Where are we? On the side of the road up ahead is a big blue H sign. Perhaps Providence was real, after all.

With a little bit of common sense and helpful road signs, Nora found the district's hospital. "Search his pockets for any identification, we're almost there." Turning into the ground level Emergency Intake entrance, Nora did a visual sweep of the area. Was there somewhere with the poorest visual coverage from surveillance? Medical professionals started to open the doors and bring out stretchers. Someone must have seen the vehicle and made assumptions. Nora came to a stop just short of where the medical professionals were. Shrugging off her uniform jacket, she handed it to the young woman. "I will drive you home in five minutes. Any more than five and you might need to find your own way. Put this on and wait outside the closest off duty skyship."

Without waiting for a response Nora slid out and went around to confront the fast approaching crowd. Please let her be clever enough to get away before I open this door. "Help! I have a man who needs emergency attention!"

Ruth could hear sirens approaching and she could feel the tension building in the small space. The driver then hopped out of the contained area and offered her hand to Ruth, who took it thankfully, following out of the vehicles storage space.

"Go climb in." the woman said, and Ruth followed the instructions. She moved stiffly toward the cab of the truck and got in, moving into the middle after only a few moments. The driver then brought an extremely injured Talon to the side and Ruth opened the door and helped her put him in the seat next to her. Ruth held him up the best she could and found his I.D. She handed it to the woman and glanced at her face for a long moment while she pulled into the Hospital medical emergency bay. Medical staff were already on their way out with stretchers, their expressions worried but professional in the same instance.

Before exiting the vehicle the woman shrugged her jacket off and handed it to Ruth. She took it and slipped it on easily. She waited for a few moments while the woman gathered the attention of herself and Talon and then slipped out of the truck to find an off duty skyship. She tried to ensure her expression was casual, but kept her head down. The man who seemed to have flew them to the field had said something about the Maxwin Bird Sanctuary, but she wasn't sure if it was real or not. It definitely wasn't said to her directly if it was said at all.

On her watch she glanced at the time. It had been three minutes. Anxiety bubbled up into her throat and she tried to hold back tears. "She still has two minutes... Relax Ruth..."

A sudden gust of wind blew down on the medics and employees of the hospital from the middle of the street. The air blowing hard on Nora and Ruth causing them to shield their faces from the dust and debris kicked up. A large black VTOL had vectored in for a landing and its revolving red lights beefed to ensure that people underneath knew to stay away. The crew was good and landed quickly and In a small space avoiding a cement berm. The back popped open before it had even landed three individuals, two of which were armed headed straight for the hospital staff while another four headed for the mech that Nora had parked. The first two had immediately setup a small perimeter while the individual who seemed to be the leader brandished a tablet and began speaking to the staff halting their expeditious urge to address the injury.

The four all dressed in black each were carrying different setups. One carried a small collapsible military grade stretcher, two with different types of trauma bags, and one with a large metal case. The individual with the metal case stopped and confronted Nora asking if she was involved while the others followed a wrist mounted tracker, found Talon, and immediately began triage.

“We found him” yelled a tough looking corpsman, motioning for one of the men with the Lasrifles to watch guard. The hospital staff at this point had began having a heated argument with the man holding the tablet throwing their arms in the air and making pointed accusations. They weren’t sure what more to be angry at, a giant VTOL landing on an unpermitted location and on an unpermitted space or the fact this group had just single handedly eliminated and obstructed them from admitting life saving care.

A sharp pain stabbed into Talons remaining arm and he flinched at the sudden shock of being awakened. He overheard a shadowy figure “He’s in hypovolemic Shock but someone’s already worked on him, We’ve got a weak pulse but he’s still with us. Tell Roddy to get the Bus ready we’ll be ready for transport in 5”. The crew worked with military precision using all manners of techniques at their disposal. The stretcher popped open and Talon felt himself being shifted onto it. He was barely hanging with it but he was able to open his eyes to see Nora talking to another shadowy figure. “Your going to make it sir, stay with us!” Shouted the corpsman shining blinding light into each of his eyes making Talon squint. Another sharp pain as the corpsman stabbed a large metal rod into where his arm used to be. It’s cylinder attached had tubes that were attached higher up and fed a blue liquid intravenously. Talon screamed in pain looking towards his arm. “Pains good sir, means we’re still alive. 60 seconds” screamed the corpsman as the crew began to prep Talon for his casevac.

Talon was able to glimpse Blackwaters daughter. He wanted to point to have the crew take note but his arm was missing and he was once again fading. “3, 2, 1, Lift”. As Talon was hoisted he fumbled with his Titanium Savajin watch releasing the clasp with his fingers. He began to be hustled to VTOL passing by Nora. He saw the shadowy figure with the case force Nora back and turn to bring up the rear of the group. Talons eyes closed and his arm dropped over the side of the stretcher, off his wrist at Noras feet fell the watch. The last words he heard before passing out was the figure with the metal case addressing the corpsman “He isn’t going to really make it is he?”.

Stooping down to pick up the watch first, Nora discreetly made herself invisible in the crown and slipped away. What the fuck was that all about? Who were those people? Who was that man that something like that would happen? Nora wove through the parking lot until she saw a familiar sight- Sky-Way Air Taxi airship. Beside it stood the young woman, Ruth was it? She looked as if she were about to take off before she spotted Nora. It had taken longer than anticipated to slip out, what with the secret service types descending on them.

"I need my badge back. Keep watch." She instructed to Ruth as she made her way over to the door. The badges can be used as a kind of universal key to all of the aircrafts if you know what you're doing. Luckily, Nora had won that information off of Tory during a company enforced holiday party early this year. When the compressors hissed and the door opened, a wave of victory overcame Nora. It might be a small victory, but she could really use a win today. "All right, climb aboard. Let's get out of here."

When Ruth was secured in the copilot seat, a place Nora has never let anyone sit before, she took a steadying breath. "We need to go back for my taxi. We are going to park down the street and I will go get it. Did you want to come with me to get it, or did you want me to bring it to you?"

"I think I will wait."

Nodding, Nora initiated take-off protocols... mostly. It's best if their whereabouts weren't tracked during this, so asking for permission for take off and landing were out of the question. Nora also didn't have her D.I.G. to speak with the AI, so she had to kick it old school. It didn't take long to get back to where they had started, and they flew in silence the entire way. Usually this is the kind of ride Nora likes best, but there was tension, anxiety, and unanswerable questions hanging in the air between them.

Landing and getting back to her aircraft were a blur. If asked, Nora would not be able to give any details about it. She remembers there being police tape blocking off the walkways heading to the cafe, and there were uniformed officers on patrol. When Nora entered her aircraft she immediately put on her D.I.G. and let it sync up to her as she took off back to where she left Ruth. When the sync was finished she loaded up the address Ruth had given her as she landed beside the hijacked aircraft. Hopping out, Nora knocked on the other craft to let Ruth know she had returned.

With Ruth transferred over, Nora activated the navigation and requested take off from the AI. When they were safely in the air, the D.I.G showing the way, and hopefully no on tracking them, Nora felt like she could finally breath again. The doubt started to creep in. Should she have kept them in the field? Would it have been so bad to have been found by the authorities?

"Then two men entered the premises with laser rifles and started gunning down the survivors. [...] I managed to save you and two others from the gunmen [...] After your investigation by the cops if you and the other two would like to meet me at the Maxwin Bird Sanctuary I will do my best to answer your questions and further protect you from your assailants, as I do not believe they will be happy there are witnesses to their crimes."

No, running was the best choice. Best not to be witnesses if it was going to bring danger to their doorsteps. Who was that guy who saved them? He had thought that they were going to leave statements. Would he be at the sanctuary waiting right now?

"I had planned to check up on the injured man at the hospital, but it looks like he was taken somewhere else. Did you get some form of ID off of him?" Nora looked over and Ruth nodded. "I will find him later, then. But that man, who drove us out of there. He seemed to know something about the attack. He asked that we meet him. I'm going to go. I think it would be safer for me to drop you off at home, you still seem in shock. I don't want to put a civilian in danger." You're a civilian now. But at least I am trained for stress.

"I will find him later, then. But that man, who drove us out of there. He seemed to know something about the attack. He asked that we meet him. I'm going to go. I think it would be safer for me to drop you off at home, you still seem in shock. I don't want to put a civilian in danger."

Ruth thought about what the woman had said, placing her hands in her lap for a long moment, watching the world go by as the airship moved with an ease that only a well trained pilot could accomplish. Finally after taking a few moments in silence, Ruth looked to the pilot. She realized her name was Nora, due to her jacket and it also said so in other places in the aircraft.

"If he knows something about why this happened, then I want to come too. I'm put in danger every day just by being who I am. I promise if something crazy starts to happen, I'll book it out of there. I am worried about my father, but this could help keep him safe and myself safe in the future."

By their surroundings, Ruth could tell they would soon be approaching her home, but she refused to let any decisions be made for her.