(C) Shedding Light (Monica/Zrion BC)

[lawna]

The sun was throwing an orange glow on the slowing city. People were starting to head for home, while most were already there.

Monica was walking the street, her stomach grumbling. She really hated stealing. She wasn't very good at it and she was always afraid she would get caught. However, at that moment, she happened to catch a noseful of bread and pastries and her remorse evaporated. She was hungry.

As she approached the bakery the heavenly smells were drifting out of, she stopped and put her nose to the display window. Monica could hardly imagine eating all of that food, but she thought that perhaps she could steal some of it.

Her mouth watering, she entered the shop and hung back, near the window and away from the check out counter. There were four or so customers in the shop, and they looked very relaxed, like there was no hurry despite the late hour.

If she were better at this stealing thing, she wouldn't worry about people seeing her. She would be in and out and no one would be the wiser. But she knew someone would see her and possibly chase after her. She would have to time this carefully.

After what seemed like forever to Monica, but in reality was only a few minutes, all the customers were out of the bakery and it was only Monica and the baker.

She was idly scuffing her foot across the hard wood floor of the shop when the baker asked, "Anything I can do for you young lady?"

She looked up, trying to look innocent. She then faked a look of surprise. "Mister, your oven's on fire!"

The moment the man's back was turned, Monica gathered four loaves of bread and three round, sweet pastries and bolted through the door.

Along with the bell tinkling above her head, she heard the man shout, "Hey, you brat!" and then the door slammed behind her.

She ran blocks, heading toward the alley her shelter was located. There were less people in the streets and the streetlights were starting to come on.

Monica turned into the alley and lifted the tarp that covered the opening of her hovel, revealing blankets, a rolled sleeping bag and the crates on either end that kept the tarp aloft.

She sat and ate her goodies, starting with the sweets because they wouldn't last as long as the regular bread.

She ate all three, and found a plastic bag she kept around for such occasions. She wrapped the bread up carefully, put it in a spot it would stay dry and stretched.

There were almost no people left in the street now, and the last traces of orange in the sky vanished.

Monica spread the sleeping bag and blankets, shifting them to her liking, and then slipped her shoes, socks and over shirt off, leaving her in a tank top and cargo pants. She laid herself down and felt around for the teddy bear she had found the first day she had arrived in Haven.

The stuffed bear Monica affectionately called Lucky was missing his left eye along with his right leg.

Monica had chosen this place to stay particularly for the street lamp that stood sentry at the entrance of the alley. It shed light, but also casted strange shadows of the crates that littered the alley. If a small animal happened to scamper by, a monstrous shadow ran across the wall.

It couldn't have been any later than nine o'clock and panic was already setting in.

She shut her eyes and held onto Lucky tighter, holding back the gasps that were threatening to emerge from her chest. The mold and mildewed scent of the bear made her turn her head away, but her thoughts were what was lurking around in the dark.

"I don't want to cry tonight,' she kept thinking. 'Momma and Daddy wanted me to be brave, to not be afraid.'

She was panting now, from the anxiety and the pressure that was building in her chest and head from keeping the sorrow back.

'Momma and Daddy. I want my mommy and daddy.

That last thought made her choke and grind her teeth. She squeezed her eyes and tears fell from the corners of her eyes and into her ear, as she was laying on her side.

'I won't cry. I won't cry. I won't cry.'

Suddenly, a crate moved in the alley, making a horrible scarping sound. She opened her eyes and shadows moved against the wall. Monica rolled over, shoved her face against her pillow, clutched her bear, and let out a muffled blood curdling scream.

[Darkjak87]

He was aching all over, his head pounding, and his armor covered in dents. His rifle felt increasingly heavy on his back, and his eyes were beginning to droop from exhaustion. Despite that, he carried himself with pride, as his physical state was the result of a successful mission, an assault by the Special Operations Division to retake the strip mine after a Metal Head assault had captured it a week ago. No casualties had been sustained by the strike force, and all of the mining equipment had been secured intact, as per orders. Thanks to their efforts, eco would be flowing back to the city by noon the next day.

Still, he was quite ready to get home and go to bed. Even though his armor and weapons needed badly to be serviced, he was simply too exhausted to do so at the moment. He would worry about it tomorrow.

It was nighttime now, the sun having gone down nearly an hour ago. Curfew was in effect, and no one was on the streets aside from the occasional KG patrol. Though Zrion himself didn’t approve of the permanent state of marshal law, he did have to appreciate the solitude it granted him. He was never much for crowds, and he definitely wasn’t in the mood to be stared at by civilians who noticed his armor.

As he neared the barrier that divided the Industrial District and the slums, he heard a scream in the night. He stopped abruptly, his mentality sharpening as he searched for the source of the noise.

A second scream, but this time he was able to identify the direction it came from. His legs protested as he broke into a run, drawing his pistol as he closed in on the source. He noticed several other KG soldiers keeping pace with him, having heard the noise as well and following his lead.

They would not make it as far as the source however. As soon as Zrion rounded the corner of the next street, he ran into an obstacle. Literally. He found himself flat on his back, knocked off balance after colliding with a Metal Head Grunt. Zrion took a moment to process that. A Metal Head. In the city. And it looked hungry.

Before he could react, one of the Guards behind him fired his rifle, sending a bolt of red eco through the grunt’s skull and putting it out of it’s misery before it could take advantage of Zrion’s disabled state. Zrion leapt to his feet, sweeping his pistol from side to side as he took in the situation.

It was not good. Metal Heads swarmed the street, charging down and ripping apart the KG soldiers in the area and banging on the doors of houses, trying to break through. As Zrion surveyed, he noticed that the manholes in the streets had been opened. They had launched a raid through the sewers.

Fortunately, the manholes were quite small, so the largest Metal Heads here were simply grunts, which were easy enough to deal with. There were quite a few of them though, not to mention the smaller ones, leaving the soldiers with a lot to kill.

“Oh great! Even on my off time I have to kill you bastards!” He yelled at them. He fired a few more times at the mass of monsters, mostly missing at this range but managing to bring down two particularly unlucky ones. Fire from the soldiers’ rifles added to his efforts, bringing down a few more banging on the door of a nearby house. However, the Metal Heads had noticed them by now, and with roars they charged, the gunfire having made barely a dent in their numbers. The slide on Zrion’s Desert Eagle locked back as he tried to fire it again, signifying it was empty. He returned it to the holster at his side and pulled the rifle from his back instead. He didn’t have much ammo left after the mission, so he would probably have to get creative.

He turned toward one of the KG soldiers. “Call for reinforcements! Recommend heavies and burner boys!” He yelled. The soldier jerked his head in acknowledgement before kneeling down behind a nearby zoomer and activating his headset radio.

It would be a while yet before any support got there though, and Zrion had a lot of problems to deal with in the meantime. He began barking orders to the handful of Guards he was now unofficially leading, ordering them to spread out along the street and cover him. After they had carried that out, Zrion resolved himself to push forward and figure out where the screams had been coming from. He was determined to save at least one life today, and he was the only one here who could do so.

Motivating himself with that thought, he threw himself forward, into the thick of the battle, firing his rifle with surgical precision at any Metal Heads in his way. The guards were doing a good job of distracting them, so Zrion only had to deal with those immediately around him. That was still a lot though, so he found himself struggling to hold his own. Nevertheless, a pile of bodies paved the path before him as Grunts and Scorpions alike fell in bloody heaps.

He told himself to keep pushing forward. Getting bogged down in a fight with Metal Heads was death. Speed and momentum was key. Ammo had to be conserved. He repeated this mantra in his head as he continued forward, smiting the enemy left and right with all the force of his KG-issue bullets.

Before he even realized the extent of his progress, he had reached a small alley, and another scream rang out, identifying it as the source. With a bellow, he turned his attention to the Metal Heads standing between himself and the alley and charged, firing his rifle as he advanced.

The Metal Heads were surprised by his aggression, and their line collapsed as he charged. He killed many of them during his near-suicidal attack, and though many remained he accomplished his goal and was able to enter the alley unscathed. His magazine ran dry, and he quickly swapped it with another, noticing with a grimace it was his final one. After this it would be knives and eco, he told himself.

He reached the end of the alley, finding a single scorpion roaming about. Rather than waste ammo on such a small creature, Zrion simply kicked it as one would a soccer ball, sending it screeching and wailing into the wall, breaking at least two of it’s legs. Zrion quickly followed through by running up to it and stomping on it, putting it out of it’s misery with a final screech and covering his boot in sticky purple blood. Disgusted, he shook as much of it off as he could, and looked around the alley. For the source of the screams that drew him here.

He noticed something that escaped him during his initial sweep of the alley, a tarp pulled tight by strings and covering a sleeping bag and a pillow. He could see a lump moving around in the sleeping bag, and he assumed that the occupant was who he was searching for. He knelt down, casting a cautious glance toward the head of the alley. Miraculously, the Metal Heads seemed to have forgotten his presence for now. But now that Zrion was paying attention, the level of gunfire seemed to have increased. There were probably more KG soldiers out there now, and they seemed to be doing a good job of keeping the Metal Heads busy.

With temporary relief from the fighting, Zrion again turned his attention to the hovel, reaching toward the sleeping bag and gently pulling the top of it back, revealing a small girl. He had to contain his outrage as he lay eyes on her, so young, not even a teenager yet. She was dirty, malnourished, and any idiot could see she was terrified. She was clutching a worn teddy bear in her arms, as if it was all she had in the world. He reminded himself that it probably was. Zrion figured that his face plate wouldn’t help any, so with slight hesitation, he removed his helmet, revealing his scarred face to the world.

He paused for a moment, deciding how to proceed, before he went with instinct. “Hello.” He said gently. “My name is Zrion, and I’m here to help you. Can you tell me your name?”

[lawna]

After she heard the first scrape, she heard other man hole covers slide to the side, and she let out another scream.

Metalheads emerged, making noises so similar to those Monica heard the night she lost her parents. But there were other noises that hadn't been there that fateful night: calm voices and study gunshots.

A group of men must be fighting the Metalheads, and it made her wonder how many of the creatures there were in the city.

Monica then heard a scattering, metallic sound. A single, small Metalhead had managed to squirm under her tarp. She shrieked, picked up the vicious creature with her thumb and forefinger, and flung the unwelcomed guest out.

That's when the gun shots rang in front of the alley. A form moved past her home, but it was fast and lithe, not a Metalhead. A few more shots rang and then there was quiet.

There was a quiet screeching, and Monica recognized it to be the small creature that tried to invade her hovel. There was a scuff and the sounds ended with a crunch and a metallic wail. It was ultimately silented after a louder crunch. There was an eerie silence, beside the continuing gun shots.

She squirmed herself farther down into her sleeping bag, and hoped the person in the alley would go away.

Suddenly, the sleeping bag was moved away from her face and she bit back another scream, holding her bear tighter.

The person before her seemed to examine her, and then he removed his helmet. Monica let out a sigh of relief when she recognized him to be human.

"Hello," he said. The word was gentle and soft and, and almost lost among the nearby gunshots. " My name is Zrion and I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

Monica's mind froze. She was trying to examine Zrion with the assistance of the dim street light. He had very blond hair, almost silvery, like an old man's, but the blond slowly gave way to red, crimson like blood. Then there was his left eye. A scar ran across it, turning his eye silver, like his hair.

Then she understood he was waiting for her to speak. "My name is Monica," she managed to choke out.

[Darkjak87]

He took in her response with relief, as it indicated that even though she was scared she had yet to panic or go into shock. That made his situation a lot easier. Despite his relief, he couldn’t help but to frown. He was here, that was good, and for now the girl was safe. However, he still had to get them both out of there. And while the gunfire outside was increasing as further numbers of Guards arrived on the scene, the fighting did not seem to be dying down just yet. He considered simply staying put and guarding the girl, but if the Metal Heads attacked him in force he wouldn’t be able to hold them off, being so low on ammunition. However, for the same reason, he couldn’t just shoot his way out either, and even if he did try that he couldn’t protect both himself and the girl.

I probably should have thought this through better.

He considered his options carefully, but he dismissed each for some reason or another. He cast another glance up the alley. So far they hadn’t tried anything, but he knew perfectly well that they would win if they did. He sighed. There was nothing for it. He would have to use eco.

I’m going to end up strapped to a lab table if I keep doing stuff like this.

He turned his attention back to the girl. “Listen.” He said carefully. “I’m not going to lie. We’re in a bad way here. I may have fought my way here, but I don’t have enough ammo to get back through. But listen to me, we are going to get out of here, both of us. I won’t let you get hurt, I promise. This may be difficult, but I have to ask you for one favor - to trust me. I have a plan, but you’re going to have to stay calm and follow my lead.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming his racing heart as he called for the eco that lay dormant inside him. He clenched his fist as he felt that wondrous feeling rising within him. It had been a while, yet he could still do it as well as the day he learned how. He felt great strength as his reserves of red eco filled his veins, and his hands began to glow as he channeled it there. He took another deep breath, and with a great flash, the eco seemed to expand outward from his hands, spreading out before enveloping them both in a swirling, spherical shield. He opened his eyes, looking with wonder at the barrier that surrounded them. He relished in the feeling of strength he possessed, but he chided himself a moment later, remembering that he was only doing this because he had no other option.

Confident the shield would hold, he turned his attention to Monica once more. “This will protect us. I’m not as experienced with this as some, but I promise you it will hold. They cannot hurt you. Now we are going to have to do this quickly, I don’t know how long I can hold up. We are going out there. You’ll have to run as fast as you can. Stay close to me, keep inside the shield, and do not stop, no matter what. If the shield drops or I get hurt, don’t stop until you get to the KG at the end of the street. Can you do that for me Monica?”

[lawna]

Monica listened carefully to everything Zrion said, and her heart sank. She looked at the shield of red Eco and wanted to just hide from the Metalheads, but she knew she would be destroyed if any of them found her.

This whole night was almost like a reenactment and she hated it. She didn't want to run and be separated from someone safe, but she could hear her mother's voice in the back of her head telling her to 'do as you were told.'

She squirmed out of her sleeping bag and put her socks and shoes back on. She looked amongst her few belongings and found a bag Lucky would fit into and then slung it onto her back. Once she said her good byes to her home, she stood beside Zrion.

"I can run fast, but I get scared, especially in the dark and around Metalheads. And fire, I don't like that either." She swallowed and looked at her feet. "But I can do it. I can run. Where are we going to go?"

[Darkjak87]

He suppressed a sigh of relief when she agreed to his plan. He had expected to have to coax her further, but she was made of tougher stuff than he assumed. However, the remark about fire gave him pause.

Damn! He thought. I call in Burner Boys, and now she tells me she's afraid of fire? Well, great. Why does this stuff happen to me again? This time, he did sigh out loud. Right. He had no one to blame for this except himself. I do wonder why she has these fears though...

It was a question for another time, however, as he considered his options. He could call ahead and request the KG avoid using fire against the Metal Heads, but that could potentially lead to more casualties for them. He frowned. He couldn't take that chance. And yet...

He looked down at Monica again, uncertainty on his face. He resolved himself to ask her though. She had proven herself to be stronger than he had expected, and so he decided to consult her on this. She had earned that right, he believed.

"Monica..." He paused. "Metal Heads attack in swarms, and there will be Guards out there using flamethrowers on them, since they're good for crowd control. We have to run towards them. There isn't anywhere else I know for sure is safe. They won't shoot us, I'm sure, but you said that you're afraid of fire. I won't make you go there if you don't think you can. If you want, I'll stay here with you and just hope for the best. But it's dangerous here. If you want to be safe, you have to get to the KG. Do you think you can still do that?"

[lawna]

Monica clenched her fists and ground her teeth. 'Run towards fire?' she thought. 'No way. I'd rather have Metalheads eat me.'

She looked up and was about to tell Zrion that much when she saw his brief uncertainty, the slight waiver on his face. He had come to rescue her, risking his life. He didn't deserve an ungrateful brat.

She sat herself down on the cold, cobbled floor and put her face in her hands. 'Fire can kill me, Metalheads can eat me, and the dark can make me scared. I have a man with no ammunition and a Eco shield separating me and bullets. I don't want to.'

"You promise you won't let Metalheads get me?" She asked standing up, grabbing Zrion's sleeve in earnest. "Or let me catch on fire?"

Monica shuddered and a tear ran down her face. Her voice cracked as she said, "Never mind, let's just get out of here."

[Darkjak87]

"Monica, if you're not sure..." He paused. He hated to admit it, but it was for the best if he just took what he had and ran with it. "Thank you. You're being very brave, and you seem like a bright girl. Those two things will get you through almost anything, trust me. I promise you won't be harmed. Get ready to run. I'll lead the way, try and stay behind me."

He breathed deeply, probing the shield with his consciousness in search of weaknesses. After he was satisfied with its strength, he gave Monica one last reassuring look, before he broke off into a run.

Normally Zrion was quite fast, and though his armor was light compared to standard KG armor, it was still dead weight in a moment like this, slowing his pace considerably. On the plus side, he wouldn't have to worry about Monica keeping up.

He emerged out into the open without breaking stride. He hadn't even managed two steps before the first Metal Head threw itself against the shield. With a 'bzzt' sound and a yelp, the Metal Head was thrown backwards. However, this gained the attention of the others, and they began to focus their attacks on Zrion, ignoring the KG for the moment. Zrion gritted his teeth as the barrier was assaulted from all sides.

Damn you Zrion, you can do this!

He immediately turned toward the KG at the end of the street, running for all he was worth to the relative safety of their defense line. Despite his all-out sprint, he breathed steadily for the moment, keeping himself calm as he tried his best to focus on the shield while still keeping his footing.

Metal Heads swarmed on all sides, bashing and firing at the shield as he moved. It was impossible to count their numbers, and he didn't bother to try. For now, there was nothing in his world except for the shield, the KG, and Monica.

Suddenly, a great flash of yellow light filled the night, as a great burst of flame erupted from the KG line up ahead. The screeches and wails of Metal Heads filled his ears as they burned, and a foul stench filled the air as the victims were roasted alive. One could almost feel sorry for them.

Another burst of flame followed the second, but this time it swept from side to side, incinerating dozens at a time as they attempted desperately to retaliate. Explosions wracked the ground in front of them as Grenadiers opened fire, bombarding any pockets that the flames had missed.

He gritted his teeth, and poured more of his eco into the shield, causing its brightness to double in intensity. He was relieved when his efforts yielded cries of shock from the KG ahead, as they realized that the soldier who had charged ahead earlier was still alive. Quickly, the streams of fire were extinguished, the KG not wishing to harm one of their own.

But then, the race was over. Zrion barreled through the KG defenses, knocking several soldiers aside as he charged to safety, his shield flickering from the strain of the attacks that had accosted them. He came to a stop, the shield collapsing as he gasped for breath, the sprint taking its toll on his body. The 'woosh' of the flamethrowers filled the night again, and he felt the intense heat on his back as the pained screams of the Metal Heads once again rang out. He thought he dimly heard someone shouting to advance, but otherwise he was unaware of what was happening. But it didn't matter. He had done his job. He had gotten Monica to safety.

That thought quickly alerted him to his real priority. He quickly turned his attention to Monica, relieved when he found her still next to him. She didn't appear to be harmed, but that said nothing of her mental state.

He frowned. I really hope I didn't screw this up.

"Monica?" He started slowly, "We made it. You're safe now. Are you hurt?"

[lawna]

Keeping up with Zrion hadn't been the hard part. She hadn't needed to push herself any harder than usual, but her breath was coming in fearful pants.

When the first Metalhead bounced off the shield, it was like a huge moth hitting a bug zapper. She almost lost her footing, but she stayed right behind her escort. She felt overwhelmed as the Metalheads swarmed her, and she was barely keeping her footing.

As they approached the KG line, she stopped running for almost half a minute in hesitation. The sounds, the smells, the blinding flames, they made her retch. THey were disgusting and frieghtening. Then she saw Zrion ahead, and she saw she was almost out of his shield. She sprinted to keep up, almost running into his back.

Then, the flames were gone and Zrion barreled into the line of soldiers. Monica tripped, her hand and knee stinging on the pavement. They had both made it, alive and mostly undamaged.

She hurriedly got back to her feet, and the flames, smells, and sounds returned. She swayed, her vision threatening to go dark and make her faint. She covered her ears, trying to drown out the wails and sound of flame throwers.

Monica didn't hear the first or second time Zrion called her name. She didn't acknowledge he was there until he touched her shoulder.

"Monica, are you hurt?" he asked.

She hesitated, tears rolling down her face. She removed her hand from her head to show him that is was scraped and still had little pebbles of asphalt in it. She pulled up her pant leg to reveal her bleeding knee. "I think I could use some band aids," She said quietly.

[Darkjak87]

Great, the one thing I don't have...he thought. However, he was mostly pleased with the results of his plan, as it had succeeded in getting them to safety. His face remained blank though, as he examined her injury. It wasn't very serious by itself, but scraps could be quite painful and potentially could become infected. He glanced back toward the KG, but frowned when he noticed that they were still quite occupied with the Metal Heads. So, that ruled out the medic option, for the moment.

Hmm, my house isn't far from here...he considered. Zephan could take care of this easily, no doubt. I have to wonder if I'm overstepping my bounds though...

"Monica," he said, "I don't have any bandages, and I don't have green eco to heal you with. The KG are busy up there too, and it looks like we'll be waiting a while before there's a medic to spare."

He hesitated at that point. The girl had definitely fallen on some hard times, and she had definitely been in that alley for a while. However, that didn't necessarily mean she was homeless. She could just as easily be a runaway. Something was telling Zrion that she had nowhere else to go, but he had to ask anyway.

"Monica, is there anywhere you need me to take you? Friends or family? Somewhere we can get you some help?"