Aftermath

by

Scott Harders

Prologue

Wales; Somewhere Near Caernarfon, 09:00 244-2048

The extraction out of Ireland; now known as Tir Na Nog, had been a pain. Twice the team was jumped while trying to get Mr. H out of the country. Some of the team members were wounded, but Mr. H took up the slack by fighting right along side them. Finally they appropriated a boat and were out of Tir Na Nog waters. As the boat drifted along at a leisurely pace, Mr. H helped the team members by tending to their wounds and then helping keep watch. About six in the morning they pulled into dock at Caernarfon. The leader of the Razorwing team radioed ahead once land was in sight. A Rolls Royce Phaeton and an ambulance was waiting at the docks and once Mr. H and the three healthy team members were in the limo; it slowly pulled away, heading out of Caernarfon and into the countryside.

An hour or so later, the limo pulled up to; of all things, a cave entrance. Mr. H was confused. He would have thought they were going to a corporate building or military base. The last thing he expected was a large cave entrance in the middle of who knows where. The team members got out, ushering him to join them. He did hesitantly and followed them into the cold, damp cave. They walked down what Mr. H figured was at least half-a-mile until it emptied out into a very large cavern. Mr. H was so busy looking about the cave that he bumped into one of the team members.

"Sorry," He said as he turned around to look….. and then stood there in awe.

The entire team was knelt down on one knee, showing respect to the very large creature in front of them. It was a dragon. A very big one at that. Mr. H took in the sight with wide eyes and swallowed hard before finally trying to speak.

"Greetings Great One," He said as he gave a deep bow, "Please tell me that I’m going to live past this conversation?"

The dragon let forth a roar of laughter. "You will indeed," Mr. H heard in a low, yet booming voice. "I have questions for you before you go home to your company." The dragon the made a motion with his claw and the three team members bowed and left, leaving the two alone.

Mr. H turned his head to watch the men leave, then looked back at the dragon. "What questions do you have, Great One? I will do my best to answer them."

The dragon smiled. "I wish to know how you became a mage. How long have you practiced magic? Are you a free spirit?"

Mr. H looked somewhat confused. "I have practiced magic since the late 1980’s. I guess that would explain how I became a mage. I follow the Goddess Ishtar as well. A tradition steeped in magic you might say. What’s a free spirit?"

The dragon laughed again. "You are quite displaced it would seem. Don’t feel bad. There are some of us who slept far longer than you did and had quite a bit to adjust too. You owe me your freedom, and maybe your life. I know not for sure what the Seelie court would have done with you."

"What do you have in mind for payment, Great One," Mr. H asked with a bit of skepticism obvious in his voice.

The dragon chuckled. "Your service. If I have need of your services, you will do what is requested. Do you agree?"

Mr. H rolled his eyes. "Hmmmm," he said out loud. "One, I could agree to work for a dragon and end up doing Goddess knows what; or two, I could end up as toast. Gee Chuck. I’ll have to take door number one. Under the following conditions."

The dragon smiled. "What conditions?"

"I want complete information of what you want and why you want it so I can keep my butt in the clear. What you ask for cannot go against the wishes of my Goddess. I need to know your name. Finally, when is this transaction considered to be closed?"

The dragon chuckled deeply. "You strike a hard bargain and I agree to your terms. My name is Lofwyr, owner of Sader Krupp and prince of Tir Tairngire. As to when the transaction is closed, it depends on the jobs performed, don’t you agree?"

Mr. H smiled. "Acceptable. I assume then we have our word bond on this," he said as he reached out his hand.

"Indeed," Lofwyr said and gave him a talon to shake with. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"Why not?"

"You don’t seem to be utterly afraid of me. Why?"

Mr. H chuckled this time. "Why worry. If you wanted to you could kill me at any time. Seems like a waste of energy to worry about it. Don’t you think?"

Lofwyr smiled. "Yes. Well, you have some time before we fly you to Seattle where your new company headquarters are. Perhaps I should bring you up to date on the situation of the world."

"I’d like that. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to play a card game called Magic, would you," Mr. H asked with a mischievous smile.

Lofwyr cocked his head. "No. What is this game?"

Mr. H smiled evily and rubbed his hands together. "Perhaps I can show you," he said as he accompanied Lofwyr deeper into the cave.

Book Two

Tarislar; Deireadh An Tuarthell Hospital, 12:10 047-2060

"I realize you have been healed magically. I was there when each member of the Rangers came in one at a time and did their best to heal you, some of them ended up staying the night because of it," the doctor said, obviously vexed with his patients stubbornness, "You were in a coma for over two weeks and should stay a few more days and get some physical therapy."

Reaver smiled at the doctor politely, and replied with a calm voice, "I have no need to stay nor do I wish to. I have many important matters to take care of and your staff will be better used helping those who need the care. I will be fine."

With that, Reaver stood at the edge of the bed and tried to walk, only to stumble and catch himself against the wall. He smiled again, "However, I may need a cane for a few days." Reaver sat back down and reached for his personal secretary. The doctor sighed and gave up arguing.

"Very well, " he turned to the nurse and handed her a clipboard, "Nurse, go ahead and write the discharge orders, and make sure they reflect that the patient left against medical orders." The doctor turned and left the room as the nurse nodded.

Reaver smiled, knowing he’d won, for now. He was worried about the doctor calling Andi and trying to get her to use her powers of persuasion to make him stay. Reaver dialed Talon’s wrist phone number. The phone rang three times and Talon picked up.

"Boss! Great to see ya. How ya doin?"

Reaver smiled. Talon had been exceedingly loyal throughout this whole mess, as had the rest of the Rangers. "Talon my friend, I need you to call Andi immediately and talk her into throwing me a surprise party for my release from the hospital. It needs to be done now before the doctor calls her and tries to get her to come down here and talk me out of leaving."

Talon winked. "Got it boss. You can count on me. Talon out," and Talon disconnected.

Reaver had to chuckle. He knew Talon didn’t have much love with being cooped up in a hospital. Reaver then dialed a second number. The phone picked up almost as quickly as it rang.

"Book of Genesis. How may I….," the operator stopped short when she recognized who was calling. "Mr. Reaver. It’s good to hear from you. If you can please hold, I’ll inform Genesis you are calling."

Reaver smiled politely. "Thank you Jo. I’d appreciate it."

Jo put him on hold and he waited through the cool jazz music that played. Genesis picked up after only a few minutes of Miles Davis. Genesis was a large black man. Six foot six if you saw him in person, and about three hundred and fifty pounds, although he doesn’t look overweight. He always wears a chrome skullcap.

"Reaver my man. Good to see you alive still. My congratulations upon your marriage to Andromache. I never did have a chance to tell you before the Ancients made their rather inappropriate attack. I’ll have you know that I’ve black-listed them myself and advised other fixers to do the same."

Reaver smiled. Amazing what can happen when you openly attack a club with a drek load of fixers in it. "Well, your generosity is all too kind. I can’t say that it doesn’t make me happy knowing that the Ancients will have a hard time getting gear in this town. However, I’m calling on business." Genesis’ eyes lit up. It wasn’t often Reaver called, and when he did, money soon followed.

"What can I do for my favorite customer?"

Reaver laughed. "Genesis. Any customer with cold hard cred is usually your favorite customer, but I digress. I’m going to need a cane for a few days while I get back to being on my feet. Preferably a special cane."

Genesis smiled that smile, you know, the one that says, "I got exactly what you need and I know you’ll like it." He quickly looked on a data screen at his desk to confirm his inventory. "Yeah, I got something I know you’ll like. When and where?"

Reaver thought hard on that one. Leaving right now and making it to the Underdark for the "surprise" party required some timing. "Well, I have been informed that a surprise party is being held for me when I get to the Underdark. Let’s make it two hours from now, that should be enough time."

Genesis nodded and hung up. Reaver put his personal secretary away and picked up the aluminum cane the hospital gave him. He held it up, looking at it with a look of displeasure. He then got up carefully, walked over to the closet and began getting dressed.

Tarislar; The Spire, 12:20 047-2060

Andi was swamped with work. She had to carry her duties and Reaver’s while he was still in the hospital. "At least he’s still alive," she thought. She continued going over the latest fiscal reports, which gave her even more of a headache than the bout of morning sickness did, when the phone rang. She picked it up, hoping it wasn’t going to be yet another problem.

"Hello."

Talon was on the other end. "Andi. Hi. One of my friends at the hospital said Reaver is getting out today and I thought we should organize a surprise party for him at the club. You know how he hates those?" Talon smiled wickedly.

"Yes Talon, I do. I think it’s a great idea. Get over here and get a few people so we can get it prepared. I’ll see you shortly."

Talon nodded and hung up. Her heart swelled. "He’s finally coming home. God how I’ve missed him. Besides, I’m really getting tired of having to do his job," she smiled wickedly. Then she left the desk and headed out to meet Talon. A few minutes after she was gone, the phone rang, but no one was there to answer it.

Seattle; Downtown, 12:30 047-2060

Karl Beck walked into one of the many office buildings that populated the downtown area. It stood thirty stories, and was all glass and steel. He wore an expensive business suit and carried a slim attaché case with him. He walked through the lobby and up to the door for the stairwell. Then, he began moving up flight after flight of stairs, taking them briskly two at a time, until he had cleared twenty-three flights of them, without breaking much of a sweat. He stepped out of the stairwell and walked down the hallway until he arrived at a glass door, with letters in white stating, "Humanis Chapter." He opened the door and walked in. The secretary looked up at the large man who came up to her desk. He was muscular and had short blonde hair. His sunglasses hid his perfect blue eyes.

"Can I help you," she asked.

He removed the sunglasses and replied, "Yes, I have an appointment with Mr. Bailey. My name is Karl Beck."

The secretary’s heart melted at his gorgeous eyes and his German accent that flowed with his words. "One moment please," she said weakly. He stood there, waiting patiently, as she called Mr. Bailey’s office.

Michael Bailey sat at his desk going over the latest reports. Things were not going well. Between the fiasco with Dunkelzhan’s will, the terrible fight between Doc wagon and Humanis troops over Hank Pym’s body and the loss of chapter members here in town, it had been a disaster. Now, he had a new report that the Ancient’s attacked the Rangers in Tarislar. The situation left the Ancients in poor shape, but Tarislar was looking better than ever. Evidently, the Ranger’s raked in over ¼ of a million nuyen in bounty on the ghouls that helped the Ancients in the attack. The thought of another Tir right here in Seattle did not make him very happy. And to top it off, recruiting for Humanis had dropped off sharply. This did not make his job any easier. The heads of Humanis were not thrilled with the recent events and things had to change, soon. He was told that an agent would be sent to help clean up the mess. Then the intercom rang.

"Yes," he answered.

"Sir. There is a Karl Beck here to see you."

Bailey sat up. This was the agent that he was told would be arriving. "Send him in." Bailey made sure he looked presentable and then the door opened. The man was big, Bailey thought. He stood well over six feet. His blonde hair was cropped short, like a marine style hair cut. His muscles seemed as if they almost bulged through his well pressed suit.

"Good day Mr. Bailey. I am Karl Beck. You were expecting me, correct?"

Bailey stood up to shake his black gloved hand. "Yes, Mr. Beck. We are hoping you can help us with the latest fiasco’s here."

Beck shook his hand with a firm handshake, then sat down. "Why don’t you inform me as to what is happening." Karl sat back as Mr. Bailey informed him of the latest problems.

Tarislar; Deireadh An Tuarthell Hospital, 12:40 047-2060

Reaver finally got out of the hospital. "I swear. The only thing with more paperwork than the military is the medical field," he thought as he massaged his thumb. The doctor had prescriptions for pain-killers and antibiotics for him, as well as a plethora of papers to sign. Finally, the nurse wheeled Reaver down to the parking garage and he smiled politely, even though he hated being carted about in a wheelchair. She nodded and wished him a nice day as he walked to his car. "Ah, yes. Thank you Talon," he thought as he walked slowly to his Silvermoon. He leaned heavily on the aluminum cane, which helped to keep the pain from his side at bay. He walked over to the car and opened the left compartment, putting his bags inside. Then he closed it and popped open the small access panel set in between the two canopies. The panel hid a keypad. He keyed in a sequence and the canopy opened softly. He climbed in, ignoring the pain as he did so, and then relaxed in the plush leather chair that was shaped like that used in fighter aircraft. He let out a deep breath and keyed in the ignition sequence. The car came to life, and all the instrument panels lit up and electricity surged into them. The dash looked like it literally came out of a fighter cockpit. The heads-up display lit up as the radar began scanning ahead of the car. Reaver pulled his hair from the right side of his neck, revealing a data jack and softlink cluster right behind his ear. He took the data cable from the car and slipped the gold plated jack into the port in his neck. Data from the vehicle flooded into his mind, giving him better control of the car, but not the control a rigger would have. He smiled, grabbed the control stick between his legs and pushed the throttle forward. The car edged out slowly and glided out of the garage, and up the ramp. As he moved by a dumpster on the way out, the canopy opened, and a familiar brown prescription bag flew out, landing in the dumpster. "At least my aim is still good," he thought as he drove away, the canopy closing so he could get up to speed.

Seattle; Downtown, Humanis Main Office, 13:15 047-2060

Karl Beck sat in the plush chair across from Mr. Bailey while he got a full, detailed report of what had happened. Karl new why he was here and what he was supposed to do. Mr. Bailey’s management skills were not working as expected. The squads sent to kill the one called Owen Glendower had been a waste. Mr. Glendower had already done the damage and there was nothing to be done about that. Wasting more of our assets trying to gain revenge was plain stupidity. This is what directly lead to the drop off in recruiting. Granted, the Doc Wagon/Humanis fiasco didn’t help in the overall picture, but Mr. Bailey’s inept management is what lead to the problems here in Seattle. He did agree that something should be done about Tarislar. Mr. Bailey finally finished his debriefing and looked at Beck, who sat silent and motionless the whole time.

"Well, what should we do," Bailey asked nervously.

Beck smiled, "To top it off, Bailey was becoming fat and probably skimming our funds that have not been well accounted for." Karl sat up, and pulled his attaché up and set it on his lap, opening it as he spoke. "Well, high command has some thoughts on that,"

Upon opening the case, he immediately pulled out a Luger P.09 and put a 9mm Glaser round right through Bailey’s forehead. The was very little sound from the weapon as the round hit him, jerking his head back as the bullet exploded into hundreds of smaller pieces, killing him instantly. Karl sighed, pulled out a large plastic bag, and walked over to Bailey’s limp form. He put the plastic bag over Bailey’s head and used a plastic restraint tie to make it secure around the neck. He then picked up the phone and called the cleaning crew that was standing by. Once that was done, he hit the intercom switch and the secretary answered.

"Yes sir," she asked pleasantly.

"Mr. Bailey has decided to retire and I have been asked to take his place. Please make sure a fresh pot of coffee is ready and bring me all the information as to our budget and fiscal reports. We have much to do," Karl said calmly. "Then later I can seduce you for a little relaxation," He thought with a wicked smile.

The secretary was silent for a moment, then answered, "Yes sir. Right away sir." She got up and went to make a fresh pot of coffee as the cleaning crew came in and removed Mr. Bailey’s body secretly.

Tarislar; The Underdark, 13:30 047-2060

Reaver noticed a few cars in the Underdark’s parking lot, so he pulled his Silvermoon in. All the damage had been repaired and there was little sign that a war had taken place a few weeks ago. He slid out of the cockpit painfully and grabbed his cane. Once the car was secured, he walked slowly into the club. The club was completely dark, letting him know that they definitely planned the surprise for here. He chuckled, "Talon did his job far too well." Shortly after completing that thought, the lights came on and everyone yelled, "Surprise!" Reaver stood there smiling. They had a big banner stretched across that said "Welcome" in big, bold gold letters. "I wondered if I’d given them enough time," he thought to himself. Andi ran up and gave him a tight hug, something he had missed greatly. He was enjoying it, but the pain from his side finally made him wince. She stopped and looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright?"

He smiled, "Yes, side still hurts a bit. I would like to sit down though."

She started to smile, then glared at him instead as she helped him sit down. "Didn’t the doctor give you anything for the pain?"

Reaver looked at her and with an innocent face and replied, "No. Must have slipped his mind. He had to rush to an emergency surgery."

Andi knew he was lying. She knew all too well that Reaver hated drugs with a passion. "Is that right," she said with a skeptical face. "I’ll have to talk to him about that."

Reaver caught her ploy quickly. "No love. He’s a busy man. I’ll be fine."

She looked at him darkly, then kissed him softly, deciding to not continue the argument right then. The party started and the Rangers rejoiced in seeing their leader. The music pumped through the club, pumping out a techno beat that Reaver actually enjoyed. Not too soon after, cake and refreshments were served.

Genesis showed up about an hour after the party had begun. He wore a pair of black pants with an egg blue silk shirt. He wore a dark purple sport jacket over the ensemble as he carried a large, music keyboard case with him.

"Genesis. Pleasure to see you," Reaver said.

Genesis smiled as he walked up to shake his hand, in the traditional gang style shake that requires what seems like four billion different ways of shaking a persons hand.

"Reaver my man. I got precisely what you asked for, and a little more," he then turned to look at Andi and took her hand to kiss it. "Pleasure to see you as well, Andi. How does being married to this loser feel?"

She smiled and laughed lightly, "Well, Genesis. If he wouldn’t go and damn near get himself killed, I’d feel a lot better." Genesis laughed and sat down.

"So Genesis, what do you have for me," Reaver asked.

Genesis set the large case on the table and opened it. It held a very well made cane made of walnut. The head of the cane was a carved dragon, with it’s mouth opened in a snarl. The cane had three additional attachments with it. Genesis began showing it’s features. "Well, what I got here is a perfect instrument of destruction for the discriminating gentleman of culture and sophistication." Reaver and Andi smiled at the line, but did not interrupt. "First off, the cane can use various attachment’s. The one currently on is a lovely crystalline blue blade. The blade was made in a zero-g facility and is quite strong. It’s not a Sten blade though, so don’t try using it as one. This is meant for combat. To top it off, the sheath has been hardened to allow it to be used as a blocking weapon and club. The next one has a built-in chemical device that will deploy your favorite agent, like Mace or Neuro-Stun. I’ve got two canisters of each already in the case. This one is a lovely piece of work," he said as he held up the second one. "This one has a removable sleeve that exposes the real weapon. Basically it’s like a shock baton, but this has an additional surprise," he gave the cane a twist and it turned into a nunchucku. "This will make them go down and stay down. You ain’t getting no Rodney Kings with this one." Reaver smiled, knowing exactly who Genesis was talking about. "Finally, the last one is just like your standard gun cane, but this is a bit better. You can run shotgun rounds through this one. I recommend using something lethal, like blockbusters, for that one-shot, one-kill." He finished his speech and sat back down.

"I’m impressed my friend. How much?"

Genesis smiled, "A round of free drinks next time I come in. Consider it a wedding gift."

Reaver smiled, "As you wish, and I thank you kindly."

Genesis stood up and bowed. "Least I can do for one of my best customers. Now, if you will excuse me, I have much still left to do today."

Reaver and Andi nodded and Genesis left. Reaver picked up the cane that already had the sword attachment and walked around with it. Much better than the hospital one which he promptly gave to a Ranger to have taken care of.

Andi walked up to her husband and stood beside him. "How are you feeling?"

He looked at her and smiled lovingly. "Better. I think I would like to get some rest though. Let’s go home and relax for a while." They both walked off, arm in arm, heading to the Spire.

Seattle; Pier 15, 19:36 047-2060

The large cargo ship "Alba Varden" was moored in the concrete pier. Crews slowly unloaded cargo from her spaces as customs checked the boxes that went by, carefully looking over the manifest. As the inspectors did their job, a small sub with a cargo container detached from the underside of the hull and silently glided away from the boat towing a cargo container, heading down the bay. Slipping under the various ships and boats, the sub headed into the mouth of the Puyallup river. The sub moved upstream towing its package. It came to a stop deep in the Puyallup district where a strobe marker was lying. The sub surfaced along with the container. Near the river sat three semi-trucks and a Westwind. Karl stood there along with fifteen men. They all wore dark uniforms, except Karl who was wearing the same suit as earlier. As soon as the container surfaced, the other men hauled the container to shore and began unloading the weapons from it and moving them into the semi’s waiting near-by. At the same time, three individuals got out of the sub and walked up to Karl. They all wore Nazi SS uniforms and when they reached Karl, he gave an open-handed salute. The officers saluted back.

"Good evening Karl. Are we ready to begin our operation?"

Karl nodded, "Yes. Bailey is out of the way. I obtained a complete briefing ahead of time. I came to find out that he was indeed skimming from the account. He has a decent size mansion in Auburn. The back yard goes right up to the beach of Lake Tapps. I have had it set-up for our operations and the land is easily defensible."

The officers looked at each other. "Good work Karl. Let us get going then. We have much work to do, and Gehenna is anxious to get back into the market soon."

Karl bowed and they all got into the Westwind, following the trucks as they pulled onto the road, heading to Auburn. As they disappeared into the night, the small sub sunk down under the waters of the Puyallup river and headed back upstream.

Tarislar; The Spire, 09:18 049-2060

Reaver walked out onto the balcony that was attached to the bedroom he and Andromache used. It overlooked the west of Tarislar, giving him an excellent view of Greenhome. He took in a deep breath. The rain from last night helped clean the air, and he took a deep breath. He was still using the cane that Genesis had given him. As he looked out at the beautiful site, a deep voice spoke up behind him.

"Not too bad a view. You’ve done a lot here."

Reaver turned around to see Lofwyr perched on his roof. "Good thing the roof was reinforced for heavy duty aircraft," Reaver thought. "What brings you here great one," Reaver asked as he turned around to continue enjoying the view. Lofwyr smiled, changed into a human form and walked up next to the railing with him.

"My congratulations to you on your marriage. Andromache is a good woman. May she bear you many children."

Reaver laughed. "As I found out after coming out of my coma, we are already working on that." Lofwyr smiled.

"You humans work fast. By the way, nice cane," and he said, winking and smiling.

Reaver snorted. "Human? No one on this balcony is entirely what he seems to be. I assume you didn’t come here to have me beat you in a few games of Magic?"

Lofwyr turned and looked at him. "This is true, and I come with bad news. You have been summoned to stand before the council of Tir Tairngire. You have taken the life of two paladins now and they wish to have your side of the story."

Reaver looked at him darkly. "You mean put me on trial. You can kindly tell your council that they can fuck off. If they would instill their paladins with some discipline, this problem would never have occurred." Reaver looked back to the view of Seattle, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"I know you have no love for Tir Tairngire, and even less for Na Nog, but they are each doing what they feel is best."

Reaver was pissed now and it showed, "By controlling and oppressing their people. I won’t stand for that, and it’s not what I teach them," he pointed down at Tarislar as he spat out the sentence.

"And I commend you for your hard work and efforts. You may yet teach the Tir’s a few things, but you must come. I will vouch for your safety, for they know you are in my employ."

Reaver took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Do you have any idea how much time I have had to spend with my wife since we were married? Now you want me to go talk to them and leave her here alone? I think you need a mate to put some things in perspective."

Lofwyr laughed. "I know how you feel and I know you just got out of the hospital, but this must be done. Please."

That hit Reaver. Lofwyr, the great dragon of Germany and one of the prince’s of Tir Tairngire never said please. Maybe it was due to Reaver’s newest station in life. Maybe it was his recent marriage to Andi. Maybe it was just the worm’s way of using that expert psychology he used in everything else. "Hell, he probably already knew the way this exact conversation would go from the beginning," Reaver thought bitterly.

"There is only one way I will go. You must make it an order."

Lofwyr looked very displeased. "Fine. If you are going to make it difficult. You are ordered to accompany me to Tir Tairngire and stand before the council to defend your actions." Lofwyr then turned away and looked out over the city in silence.

Reaver left him on the balcony and went into the bedroom to wake his beloved and tell her the bad news. "Oh, she is not going to like this. And by making Lofwyr order me to go, he looks like the bad guy. I’ll bet that stung. I wonder if my life insurance policy is up to date." Reaver thought as he walked up to the bed where his wife lay sleeping.

Tarislar; The Spire, 09:30 049-2060

The dinning room was occupied by only Reaver, Andromache and the human form of Lofwyr. No one else wished to be in it because no one wished to be that close to the raging inferno that was Andromache at the present time.

"What do you mean he HAS to go," she spat at the calm form of Lofwyr sitting at the table.

He looked at her placidly. "I have little choice. I had to order him to go. It was the only way he would. He must stand before the council or things could get worse."

"The council can go sit on a tac nuke for all I care," Andi vented back, "They want to put him on trial for something he had no control over. It’s not right."

Lofwyr sighed, "Some things never are my child."

She stared at him darkly. "Don’t call me child. And you," she said, pointing at Reaver, "Why aren’t you doing something about this?"

Reaver looked at her. She was near to tears and he hated this entire situation. "There is nothing I can do. He has ordered me and I have to go. Besides, he said please. Not every century you hear that from the great Lofwyr."

Lofwyr smiled slightly, but said nothing. Andi looked at Reaver in shock as tears began to run down her face.

"All you can do is make jokes? You haven’t been out of the hospital for a week yet, you were in a coma for nearly three weeks, we haven’t had a decent honeymoon and you make jokes?"

She turned and left the dinning room in tears. Both men heard the bedroom door slam shut, and windows rattled throughout the mansion. Reaver looked at Lofwyr as he got up and bent over to whisper to him.

"I will make sure your council is dressed up and down for hurting her. They will know Hell when I walk into the room."

Reaver then pivoted with the help of his cane and walked out of the dining room and headed to the bedroom. Lofwyr sat there in silence, as single tear ran down his cheek.

Reaver opened the door quietly. The sound of her crying brought tears to his eyes. He walked up and sat down beside her, ignoring the pain of his side. She had her face buried in a pillow as she sobbed softly. He reached out to touch her, and stroked her hair. She looked up at him. The pain on her face was heart breaking. He grabbed her and held her tight.

"I’m sorry my love. I must go. He’s right. If I don’t, they might to decide to do something that he cannot prevent. I can tell you one thing though, I will give them hell for hurting you. I give you my word on that."

She choked back a sob and looked up at him. "No. Don’t do that. Just come back to me. I couldn’t stand it if they imprisoned you, or worse. I’ve already almost lost you once."

He kissed her forehead softly. "I will my love. Not even death will keep me from you. I promise." She buried her face into his chest and cried again as he sat back against the pillows and held her tightly.

Auburn, Lake Tapps, 12:00 049-2060

The mansion that Michael Bailey used to live in had been converted into a base for the Neo-Nazi operations. The grounds in back were set-up for training their men. The basement had been converted into an armory, holding various weapons, some of which had been rarely seen on the streets. Karl supervised the operation, making sure everything went as planned. His position was given to him as a reward for his hard work. He would now succeed in his new assignment just as he had all his others. Of course, he would. He was grown and trained for it.

Major Werner Jadger and Oberleutnant Gerhard Willheim walked up behind Karl as he supervised the setup of the sentry guns. Karl’s heightened senses heard them easily.

"Captain," Major Jadger called out, "I would like to discuss some plans with you."

Karl turned and walked over to the two soldiers. Their crisp, black SS uniforms inspired fear in the enlisted soldiers. "Yes, Major," Karl said as he came up, "What do you have?"

The Major handed Karl a data pad that held the same information that was on the Major’s pad. "Well, we know that the leader of this Tarislar is someone named Reaver. We have no confirmed history on him, so my guess is that he has definitely worked for some government or corporate agency." Karl thought that was a plausible assumption. "We do know that they are well armed and their training continues to improve. They have heavy magical assets. There is a weakness however."

Karl looked at him quizzically. "And what is this Major?"

The Major smiled. "Reaver recently married the woman known as Andromache, who is the second in command. Frankly it’s a mistake in command protocol that we can exploit."

Karl smiled wickedly. "You mean, kidnap her and use her as bait for Reaver. Once their leader is gone, they might disband into anarchy."

The Major smiled back at him. "Precisely. It’s not a guarantee that the Ranger’s will fall apart with Reaver gone, but he does seem to be a very cohesive link to that chain and Andromache only slightly less so. It’s a viable gamble at least, and it will remove the biggest point of opposition. As to the woman, she can be a gift to you if you like? She is quite attractive." The Major handed Karl a photo of Andromache and he was caught off guard by the beautiful woman he saw.

"Yes, Major. I think that would be enjoyable," Karl said, a wicked smile on his face as he looked at the photo again. "Another lovely toy to please my perfect body with," he thought to himself as he gazed at the picture. The three walked back into the mansion to put their plans into action.

Tarislar; Silver Lake, 14:00 049-2060

The Fiat-Fokker Cloud-Nine gracefully landed on the calm waters of Silver Lake. It slowly taxied over to the shore line where Lofwyr, Reaver, Andromache, Talon and four other Rangers stood. The plane came up on shore and came to a halt. The door opened and a flight attendant got out to let people board. Lofwyr smiled at Reaver and entered the plane. Reaver turned to Andi and pulled her close.

"I love you, and I will come back. Not even the great Tir Tairngire will keep me from you." She smiled weakly, and he kissed her passionately. Then he turned to Talon. "Watch over her, my friend. She is my life, my heart and my soul. Don’t let any harm come to her."

Talon stood up even straighter than he already was. "I will boss. You have my word."

They shook hands and he gave one last look at Andi before boarding the plane. Reaver sat down, setting his cane beside him, anger shown plainly on his face. The attendant boarded and closed the door, then sat down herself. Reaver looked out the window at Andi. The sadness on her face was the image that was burned into his mind as the plane circled away and lifted off from the lake, heading for Tir Tairngire. Andi cried softly as Talon looked on, the plane slowly disappearing into the clouds.

Reaver sat there in silence. Even the soothing drone of the prop’s did not calm him. Lofwyr knew he was more than upset. "The council will definitely have their hands full when they question him. I have no doubt that he will literally give them hell. Besides, what does he have to worry about? He’s a free spirit. They can destroy the shell he’s possessing, but he’d be back," Lofwyr thought, chuckling lightly.

He turned to Reaver. "Plan on talking at all?"

Reaver turned at looked at him. The gaze would have been deadly to any other. He had the look of burning hatred. He said nothing, but turned his head back and looked straight ahead. "Fine. Your not going to be much of a conversationalist though." Reaver did not even crack a smile at the joke. Lofwyr sighed and sat back in the comfortable chair. The plane continued on it’s journey and the only sound in the cabin from that point on came from the engines.

Tarislar; The Underdark, 14:10 049-2060

The club only had a few people in it as they began setting up for the night. As they worked, an unseen spirit floated through the club. It avoided the workers as it glided silently along. Moving past tables and chairs, it continued along, heading towards the back of the club. Passing through the back wall, it floated through the computer room where Spock sat, doing his daily routines. The spirit passed through the door and into the hallway. Down the hallway is floated, phasing through the locked double doors. In the reception room it found what it searched for. On the wall was a large set of black plate mail, and next to it was a two-handed sword. The spirit looked at the armor and sword with reverence, before phasing through the doors and back out of the club.

As the spirit left, Andromache walked in with Talon and Spector. They both sat down at a near by table. Talon motioned to Spector to get her something to drink and Spector dashed off. Talon sat down next to Andi.

"He’ll be back Andi. He’s a man of his word and he has yet to go back on it."

He tried to get her to smile as he fought vainly to bolster her confidence. She sat there quietly. The only look on her face was that of sadness.

Then she looked at him with a deadly serious face. "Do we have any contacts in Tir Tairngire?"

Talon was taken aback by the question. "Uh. I don’t know. I could find out, I guess. Why?"

Andi stood up, "Because we need to make a contingency plan. See if you can find anyone we know there. I need to go talk to Genesis." She strode out of the club with definite purpose, leaving Talon sitting there trying to figure out what happened.

Spector came up and looked at him. "What did you say," Spector asked as he set the drinks down.

Talon looked at him, still lost. "I have no idea."

Spector looked at the front entrance Andi just left from then looked back at Talon. "Didn’t Reaver want you to keep an eye on her?"

Talon came out of his stupor and looked at him with shock as he realized that he was still sitting there while Andi had left. "Oh frag," he shouted and ran out of the club. Spector shook his head, sat down and drank his beer.

Tir Tairngire; Peace Force Base, 19:40 049-2060

The Cloud-Nine amphibious plane made it’s final approach on the auxiliary runway, touching down onto the tarmac perfectly. The plane taxied over to a small hanger where other non-combat aircraft were parked. The plane came to a stop and the attendant opened the door and got out. Lofwyr stood up and smiled at Reaver, allowing him to go first. Reaver looked at him with a cold stare, picked up his cane and walked out. Near by, a Mitsubishi Nightsky waited with four motorcycles. Standing outside the limousine was Lugh Surehand, flanked by two of his paladin guards. Lofwyr and Reaver walked up to him. Lofwyr gave a polite nod and Surehand returned it. Reaver did not bother to bow. The prince looked at him quizzically, and one of the paladins was stepping forward to discipline the foreigner for his lack of respect, but the prince waved him back. Reaver stood there with nothing but a cold, hard look etched onto his face. The prince got into the car, followed by his knights, and Lofwyr had Reaver follow him into the limo as well. The procession then got underway, leaving the base and heading towards Royal Hill.

Inside the limo, the silence was uncomfortable. None of the occupants bothered to say anything. Lofwyr just sat there, waiting for someone to say something stupid. The prince studied Reaver quietly. Reaver just stared straight ahead, no emotion showing on his face at all. It was the High Prince that shattered the silence.

"So. This is the one that killed both Greenbough paladins?"

Reaver turned to look looked at him momentarily, then continued staring forward.

"Not much for talking I see. Murder make you lose your tongue?"

Reaver’s head snapped and looked at him, anger replaced the cold, emotionless look he originally had. He took in a deep breath before speaking. "Murder implies that the persons you speak off were worthy of living. Neither of those honorless dogs were murdered. They were… removed for public safety. Not unlike one would kill a rabid dog."

His voice was icy and cold, and the paladins shifted in their seats at the mention of their friends being referred to in such a way.

The prince sat back, smiling at the fact that he finally got the person to talk. "I don’t know that it was kind of you to refer to them in such a way. One should have more respect for the dead that that."

Reaver’s icy stare bored at him, but he appeared unaffected. "Then perhaps," Reaver replied, "Their leaders should be more responsible for their pets. If they can’t, then they too should be punished."

The prince caught the venom in that statement and who it was directed at. His eyes narrowed at the man sitting across from him.

"Well, I think thats quite enough," Lofwyr broke in. "You should be waiting for the assembly, and you," he pointed at Reaver, "Should cool off."

Reaver went back to his emotionless stare, while the prince sat back and said nothing more. The rest of the trip was in complete silence, and the paladins were wound up tight waiting for someone to explode, but no one did.

Seattle; The Book of Genesis, 20:00 049-2060

Andi walked into the night club owned by Genesis. He had gained enough money and reputation as a fixer to build up a night club that would allow him to bring in more money, but not for the club itself. The Book of Genesis was a front for his distribution as a fixer. The club was decked out as a techno club, with multi-level dance floors and strange views, like the dancer in the fish tank wearing scuba gear. It was the happening place for corp suits who wanted something along the lines of slumming, without actually going to the slums. To make it more appealing to suits, the Book of Genesis offered many distractions, mostly in the form of flesh. The lighting was dark, with spotlights of green, red and blue criss-crossing the floor. Strobe lights flashed randomly to the beat of the music, as throngs of scantily clad women danced with men looking for a little action.

Andi was wearing a leather skirt with matching bra and a chain mail halter top. Her neck was adorned with a chain mail collar and her hair flowed down over her shoulders and down her back. Many men stared at her as she moved through the crowd, slinking up to the bar. A few tried to pick up on her, but all they received was an icy stare that made them back away as fast as the crowd would let them. She sat down at the bar and the bartender came over.

"What can I get ya," he asked, yelling over the techno beat.

Andi reached into her bra and pulled out a business card, sliding it to him. He picked up the card and read the biblical verse written on it. He smiled and winked at her. He called over to his partner, telling him he’d be gone for about thirty minutes, then lead Andi into the back storeroom. Upon closing the door, the music was barely audible. He walked over to a bottle of wine, picked it up, and pushed a recessed button. A wall swung forward, revealing a hallway. He motioned her in. Andi walked forward and the wall closed behind her while the bartender sat down to have a smoke. Andi walked down the concrete hallway and up to a steel door. She knocked three times.

A panel slid open and a voice said, "Andi!" The door swung open and Genesis picked her up and gave her a big hug.

She laughed and slapped his arms. "You brute. Put me down."

Genesis laughed and put her down gently. "What can I do for you? Decide to leave that loser," he asked, winking with a smile.

She tried to smile, but instead her face saddened. "No, he left me."

Genesis stepped back in shock. "What?"

She looked at him with puppy dog eyes. "He was summoned to Tir Tairngire to answer for the death of the paladin that was responsible for the whole mess."

Genesis sat down. "So basically, they are putting him on trial," he said, a hint of sarcasm obvious in his tone.

"I don’t know," she replied, "but that’s why I’m here. Do you know anyone down there who can help? If they do put him on trial, I need a team to break him out."

Genesis thought about it seriously. "Andi, baby. That’s not going to be cheap. I like you and Reaver a lot, but what you are suggesting is busting him out of a definite high security prison, or worse, Royal Hill. It’s not gonna be easy."

She looked at him, her tearful face was definitely beginning to melt his heart. "I know," she said with tears welling up in her eyes, "but I need to do something. Right now I just need a team that can gather information so we know what’s going on. If they do imprison him, I’ll need transportation to get the Ranger’s to Portland, because there is no way they will stand still while their leader, who has fought and bled for them, is imprisoned or executed."

Genesis sighed. "Alright babe. I’ll get on to my contacts in Portland and see what can be arranged. No charge for that. As for the transportation, I’ll get some discreet riggers who would love to do the work. Hopefully that will keep the costs down. That’s the best I can do."

Andi walked over to Genesis and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Genesis. I appreciate it." She then turned and walked back out into the club. As she made her way back through the crowd, someone watched her intently, plotting their next move.

Tir Tairngire; Royal Hill, 20:10 049-2060

The motorcade pulled up to the residential wing of Royal Hill and the occupants in the limo got. All of them had a look of displeasure, except Reaver, who still had a cold and emotionless face. The group walked into the residential wing. Two servants and Sandril waited in the large foyer. Sandril looked at Reaver with interest until he whispered something to the prince. The prince nodded, then turned to Reaver.

"These servants will show you to your quarters. Two guards will be stationed outside your room at all times, and they will accompany you anywhere you wish to go, provided it is on the grounds. Please don’t leave or try to pick a fight with my paladins. I’ve lost enough of them already."

Reaver never looked at him, but instead stared straight ahead. He then turned and walked down the hallway with Sandril in tow. The servants asked Reaver to follow them, and Lofwyr followed beside him.

"You know. Being a pain in the ass isn’t going to win you any friends," Lofwyr said, as he walked with a slow stride.

Reaver said nothing. The only sound was the brass tip of Reaver’s cane rapping against the cold, marble floor. The walked down a long hallway until they came to an elaborate door, flanked by two guards. They saluted and one of the servants opened the door and went in, holding it open for Reaver. Reaver walked through and looked around the luxurious room. Lofwyr walked in also and motioned for both the servants to leave. The bowed and closed the door quietly behind them. Relatively alone, Reaver turned and looked at Lofwyr.

"Nice to see the hard working tax money of the people of the Tir are well spent," he said as he motioned at the expense of the room.

"It’s good to be the king," Lofwyr said and smiled.

Reaver looked at him darkly, then sat down on the cold, marble floor and pulled his legs into a lotus position, the cane lying across his lap.

Lofwyr looked down at him with displeasure. "You should lighten up. It will make things go much quicker," he said, then turned and walked out of the room.

Reaver closed his eyes. Reaver called up his last image of Andi from his headware memory. Her sad visage was focused into perfect vision in his mind. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he sat there in total silence.

Portland; Progress District, 23:15 049-2060

Firewire was lying in bed, enjoying a nice relaxing evening. Even though he would much rather be in bed with a lovely lady, it was nice to just lay back and veg after a rough run. He was slowly dozing off when the phone rang, wresting him for his near slumber. Disgusted, he got up and walked over to the phone and activated it.

"What," he asked with a tone of obvious annoyance.

The woman at the other end of the line was his fixer, a drop dead gorgeous elf that Firewire would love to be in bed with right now. She looked at him and smiled politlely. "Sorry to disturb you at this hour stud. I’m sure you’ve got some lovely lady in your bed, but I’ve got a hot client who needs information gathered ASAP, and I thought you and your team might like the job."

He leaned close to the terminal. His voice carried a silken tone. "The only lovely lady I would like to have in my bed is you Angelic, but I am interested in the job."

She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "Good, meet me at the Rockerbox with the rest of your team and we will discuss things in more detail," she said and winked as she disconnected.

"Damn that woman is hot. She could talk me into a run against Royal Hill itself," he thought as he grabbed his Securetech jacket and headed out the door.

Firewire stepped into the elevator for his apartment building and pushed the button for the garage. The elevator moved smoothly down the shaft until it reached the garage level. The doors opened and he walked out, heading for his Yamaha Rapier. He got on the bike and checked it over, then punched up a number on his wrist phone. His friend, Windrider, picked up.

"Greetings my friend. Angelic has some work for us if you are interested. It needs immediate attention, which means more nuyen. Of course, that also means we need to get the team rolling now."

Windrider’s face was calm, as usual. "When and where," he asked in a serene voice.

"Rockerbox, midnight. I’m on the way now. Get everyone else and I’ll see you there." The phone disconnected and Firewire started his bike and sped out of the garage and into the cold Portland night.

Auburn; Lake Tapps, 23:40 049-2060

Karl Beck arrived back at the mansion being used as the Neo-Nazi headquarters. He parked his Westwind on the front drive, then got out and walked up the front walk, tossing his keys and catching them as he did. He opened the door and walked into the mansion’s foyer. Inside the door, the two enlisted guards gave a salute, which he returned. He walked up the stairway and headed to his room. "A lovely woman," he thought as he walked into his room and closed the door, "She will make a perfect consort once Reaver and his Rangers are out of the way. She will have to be properly broken in, of course. Maybe I’ll make her watch a slow and painful death of that kafer elf," He smiled wickedly as he hung up his suit coat and took off his shirt. He admired his perfect body in the full length mirror; flexing his large and toned muscles, before beginning his nightly routine of katas.

As Karl worked out, Major Jadger and Oberleutnant Willheim were in the basement making plans as they sifted through the equipment that they had brought with them. The basement was littered with weapons, ammunition and electronics. A few weapons were in special cases and bore a logo of a winged skull with the word "Gehenna" under it. The logo and word was raised up from the special plastic, and was the same black color.

"Well Willheim," the Major said, "It looks like we have everything we need to start our operation. The first thing on the list will be to watch the woman and learn her patterns, as well as look for the perfect opportunity to kidnap her. Once that is done, we can sit back and wait for Reaver to bait into our trap." The Oberleutnant nodded silently in support of the plan as they continued unpacking.

Portland; The Rockerbox, 24:00 050-2060

Firewire jandered into the club. The chrome rock was loud, but the beat was great. From the landing that emptied out onto the dance floor, Firewire scanned the crowd. His Genome Tech cybereyes lanced through the smoky atmosphere and allowed him to easily find the gorgeous elf lady he was looking for. He smiled and began moving through the crowd. Angelic lived up to her name. She had golden blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of her back. Her skin was slightly tanned. Her facial features were called perfect by most, and her figure made most men stare forever, which most were doing even now. To top it off, she wore a gossamer white dress that hugged her chest and waist, but flowed past her hips, stopping just above her delicate ankles. She fended off passes from every direction politely until Firewire came up.

"Hey beautiful. How about a date?"

She smiled and turned around, batting her eyelashes as she said demurely, "Oh, but you know I don’t mix business with pleasure."

He smiled and sat down. "The rest of the team should be here shortly," he said as he ordered a beer.

The advent of Firewire showing up made the men sigh in disgust and move on. Angelic and Firewire talked while he scanned for his team. About ten minutes after he had come in; Windrider, Enfield, Blacklight and Shifter walked in. He waved and Windrider spotted him immediately. The group began making their way through the crowd.

Once everyone was together, Angelic lead them into a back room where a simple table and a few chairs were. They all sat down, she flipped the switch for a white noice generator and began.

"Ok. One of my fixer buddies in Seattle gave me a call. Seems he has a Johnson that needs someone to keep on eye on a person who is currently at Royal Hill. I did some checking with a buddy of mine who works traffic control at Peace Force base. The person that needs to be under surveillance got into a limo with Prince Surehand himself, so there is a good chance it was heading to Royal Hill. The Johnson needs as accurate info as possible. Obviously this job has it’s risk, but it’s paying well."

"How well," Firewire asked.

"The Johnson is willing to pay your group one hundred and fifty thousand nuyen, with twenty-five thousand up front for expenses."

The whole table was silent at the pay being offered.

"Are you in," she asked pleasantly.

The whole group looked at each other then looked back at her and said, "Yes," in unison.

She laughed and continued. "Good. Under your chair you will find a picture of the person you are to keep tabs on. Just gather information, nothing more. My friend dropped a subtle hint that you might be given an offer for additional work for an extraction, with extra pay of course, if it’s needed."

Saying her piece, she kissed Firewire on the cheek and left. The rest of the group looked at him quizzically, and he just smiled sheepishly. They all looked at the picture of a silver-haired, black elf. Blacklight’s eyes widened when she looked at the picture.

"I know this guy," she said.

Everyone looked at her.

"Well, I mean I know of him. He’s the leader of a gang of sorts and runs a district in Seattle. Tarislar if I remember correctly. Somewhere in Puyallup."

Firewire looked at her questioningly. "How do you know this?"

Blacklight blushed. "I heard about him on Shadowland and did some research when I saw what he looked like. They are always looking for new magical talent for their gang. I thought maybe about relocating, until I met you guys."

Enfield rolled his eyes. "Great, she’s in love. What do elves do for a courting ritual anyway? Pluck dandelions together?"

Blacklight looked at the Dwarf darkly as a few of the teammates snorted. "At least we don’t have belching contests and light up our farts."

The whole group laughed as the Dwarf reddened. "I only lit up a fart once, and I was stone drunk at the time," he said in retort. The whole group roared with laughter before planning their options and deciding on a course of action.

Tarislar; The Spire, 08:00 050-2060

The alarm clock beeped incessantly, finally waking Andi from her sleep, which was none too restful. Not having Reaver near made her toss and turn most of the night. It was their usual time to get up and take a shower, but he wasn’t there to hold her as their morning ritual usually included. She wondered if he was all right and if he slept well as she slowly stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She got out of her satin slip that Reaver loved and stepped into the shower. The water was warm, but it did not hold the comfort it usually did. She sighed and quickly washed her hair and body, before stepping out. She dried off and then headed to the closet in the bedroom to dress into something simple for the daily duties she needed to perform. Once dressed, she walked out of the bedroom and into the large kitchen to get something to drink and eat. She had to force herself to eat. Reaver being gone on top of her morning sickness didn’t leave her with much of an appetite, but she didn’t have much choice, given her current condition. She poured a glass of real orange juice and made a small bowl of cereal, then sat down and ate slowly. Talon came in a few minutes later, saw her sitting there and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a foot long sandwich from one of the three refrigerators and sat down across from her.

"Morning," he said quietly.

She continued eating, looking at her food with a sad expression.

"Andi," Talon said, trying to get her attention. She looked up. "I know it’s not easy, but you gotta keep up your strength. It ain’t gonna do him much good if he comes back home and finds you in the hospital… or worse."

She smiled weakly. "He’s right," she thought. "Thank you Talon. I’ll do better. Maybe work will help keep my mind off of things," she said and got up and walked to the office she shared with Reaver.

Andi sat down at her desk and looked at the papers waiting for her approval or attention. She spent a few hours going over them and fighting with the fiscal reports. "Fortuneately the bounty on those ghouls gave us a boost in our funds," she thought. The costs of getting buildings renovated was not cheap, but needed to be done. The living conditions in Tarislar were appalling in some places and needed to change. The people helped each other to do a lot, but some things were beyond their ability, like building whole apartment buildings. At least things were improving, just not fast enough. As she was approving a few budgetary matters, the phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello," she said as pleasantly as she could.

"Andi. How are you doing? You look like hell," Genesis said with concern.

She smiled weakly. "Thanks Genesis, I was so hoping no one would remind me of that. What can I do for you?"

He looked at her sternly, "I got the team you needed for gathering information. They are on the job as we speak, so null sweat on that one. As for transportation. I’ve got two riggers who have no love for Tir Tairngire and would love to do the job, for a mere fifty-thousand."

She smiled. "At least something was going right," she thought. "Great. I’ll have the fifty ready in case it’s needed. How much do I owe you so far?"

Genesis shook his head. "None at the moment. I did inform them the team that they may be hired for additional work; in the form of an extraction, on this case if it’s needed. In which case, you’ll owe them fifty thousand." He smiled.

She smiled back and said, "Alright, I’ll have that ready too. Thanks. I really appreciate this."

"Don’t mention it," he said and then hung up. Andi sat back and began formulating what would be needed and who to take for a possible insertion into the Tir.

Royal Hill; Residential Wing, 08:00 050-2060

Reaver woke up from his sleep. A sleep that wasn’t very comfortable. It was not sleeping on the cold, hard floor that was so unrestful, but from the fact that Andi wasn’t there. He was getting very weary of waking up and her not being there. He rolled over and sat up, putting his cane back on his lap and went back to meditating. He rolled formulae around in his head as he continued to look at the image of Andi he saved in his headware memory. The video image of her saddened visage steeled him for the trial yet to come. His face remained cold and emotionless. As he sat there, secret cameras watched him, recording their information diligently.

The High Prince walked into the central monitoring room and walked up to the console for the room that Reaver was assigned. He looked at the screen. The figure of Reaver sat there on the cold, marble floor. His bed was untouched, as was anything else. He looked at the technician.

"Has he done anything," he asked as he pointed at the screen.

"No my lord. He made a disparaging comment about the expense of tax payers money on the luxury of the place, then sat there. In fact, he slept on the floor"

The High Prince stared at the screen darkly. "Everything this man did made the entire council look bad. If his actions got out to the populace, the loss of face the council would take would be devastating. I wonder if he can be bought," he thought to himself.

"Have the tapes of last night destroyed," he said to the technician.

"Yes my lord." The technician nodded in acknowledgment as the High Prince walked out the door. The technician thought about the order, but decided to wait until after a cup of coffee. He never noticed the quick glitch in the system as a splice went into place.

Royal Hill; 10:00 050-2060

The council of princes gathered together for the investigation of the one who had been responsible for the death of two paladins. The princes mulled an talked quietly, trying to get information as to what anyone knew before the proceedings started. Ehran the Scribe walked up to Aithne Oakforest.

"Greetings Aithne. How are you this morning?"

Aithne looked at Ehran with suspicion. "I am well, Ehran. What can I do for you this morning," he asked with a tone of suspicion obvious in his voice.

Ehran smiled as he replied. "I was just wondering why the High Prince is going out of his way to bring this person before us for an investigation. From the reports I’ve seen, both paladins blatantly disobeyed their orders. Frankly, I think they got off easy."

Aithne looked at him with displeasure. "The High Prince knew both paladins well. One was almost like a son to him. Can you blame him for wanting to know exactly what happened?"

Ehran stood there in contemplation, agreeing with the statement as Aithne walked away, before heading over to others to gather what information he could.

As the council gathered together to begin their opening proceedings, Reaver was in his room, meditating as he sung a soft, soulful tune. The knock at the door broke him from his reverie.

"Yes," he said, his voice carrying a tone of disgust.

The door opened softly and he saw the lower half of a servants uniform and didn’t bother to look up any further. The person walked in cautiously, and Reaver didn’t even bother to acknowledge the persons existence as he went back to meditating. Then the servant spoke.

"So this is how you treat the one you follow," the soft, yet commanding feminine voice asked.

His eyes snapped open and he looked up. His eyes widened in awe as his totem stood before him. He got up onto one knee and bowed before her. She was dressed in the usual uniform of one of the servants, but her beauty was inspiring. She had golden blonde hair. Her eyes were the color of finely burnished copper. Her face had fine, chiseled features. The shape of her body was perfect for a woman. She carried it all with a definite air of confidence, almost like a tiger stalking it’s prey. She smiled at Reaver kneeling before her, his head bowed low. She placed her hand softly on his head.

"Look up, my knight." He did so, hesitantly.

She smiled softly. "You have much to do today, and soon you will be before the council. You must remain calm and try not to piss anyone off more than you already have." She ended her sentence with a dark look.

He let out a deep breath. "As you wish," he replied as he bowed his head again.

"Good," she said, "Now, it’s almost time. Follow the servants when they come in. Don’t antagonize the paladins, as they would love to kill you. Get through this, for you still have much to do." She left quietly, leaving him there still on one knee.

In the central monitoring station, one of the guards was assigned to specifically monitor Reaver. He was sipping his fresh cup of hot coffee, when Reaver suddenly got up onto one knee and remained there. No one else was in the room.

"Sir," he called out to his superior, "Could you come take a look at this please?" His superior came over.

"What’s wrong?"

The guard looked at him quizzically as he pointed at the screen. "All of the sudden, he started doing this."

The superior looked at the screen and double checked the camera controls, flipping it through different visual modes. Reaver was the only one in the room. "He must be praying or something. Don’t worry about it," he said and walked back to his other duties. The guard looked at the screen, still confused, but finally shrugged it off when the servant came in to take Reaver to the council chamber.

Tir Tairngire; Royal Hill, 11:30 050-2060

Reaver walked down the hallway slowly. Four paladins escorted him, and all of them were in a heightened state of awareness. No one said anything and the only sound was the brass tip of the cane rapping against the marble floor. Each strike sounded like the fall of a foundry hammers striking. Reaver’s face was far too calm, and it made the already edgy paladins even more paranoid. The entire group wound through Royal Hill until they came to a large set of stone doors. Graceful patterns were woven into them, and anyone perceiving would easily see the protective magics set upon them. What was not expected was the human form of Lofwyr, waiting at the entrance with a katana and wakizashi in hand. Reaver recognized the weapons as being his, the silver tassel hanging off the grip of the katana easily giving it away. "Odd. I wonder how he got ahold of my weapons," Reaver thought as he approached. Lofwyr stepped forward and waved the group to stop, then addressed the paladins.

"Leave this man to me. He is under my personal vouchsafe. Stay here at the front doors and be ready if any trouble ensues inside. Understood?"

The paladins looked at each other, hesitated, then gave a quick nod, indicating that they would comply with his orders. Lofwyr then quietly opened one of the large doors just enough to let Reaver and himself pass. He ushered Reaver in and then followed, closing the door behind him.

"How in the hell did you get a hold of my weapons," Reaver asked softly.

Lofwyr smiled wryly, "Now, now. That’s a trade secret and only for those on a need to know basis…. And right now, you don’t need to know. Since you are in my employ, in a way, I suggest you remember that."

Reaver looked at him darkly, but knew better than to start an argument with a dragon.

Lofwyr handed him his weapons. "You deserve to have these in case someone wishes to duel you. Do not pull them except in your own defense. Understood," Lofwyr asked, with a definite "or else" lingering in the air. Reaver nodded in acceptance, strapped on both weapons, then waited quietly.

The council had just finished their normal business of the day, and they all knew there was one last thing to go over. The High Prince called for the paladin that stood guard near the alcove to call in the witness. The paladin saluted, performed an about face and marched up to where Reaver and Lofwyr stood patiently. Reaver followed the paladin out to the middle of the floor, with Lofwyr following not far behind. Reaver stood in the middle of the floor, to which the entire council looked down from their balcony above. The High Prince noticed that Reaver was wearing weapons.

"Who allowed the witness to be armed?" The High Prince was obviously vexed at this.

Lofwyr replied with a calm tone. "I did. He is under my vouchsafe and he deserves to be armed and stand for himself if certain protocols require it."

The High Prince stared darkly at Lofwyr, but made no further comment on it, then he sat back and looked at Reaver. "So, the illustrious Reaver is finally among us. Or should I call you Paladin," the High Prince asked with a slightly mocking tone.

Reaver looked up at him darkly. "The name is Reaver. Paladin is dead. Do you understand that, or do I need to say it a little slower," he asked with a venomous and threatening tone.

The High Prince was not amused, and the rest of the council could tell.

"Now," Reaver asked, practically taking command of the proceedings, "Care to tell me why I’m here? This is a bit of an inconvenience and I have work to do back home." That remark started a few murmurs amongst the council.

"Fine," the High Prince spat out, quelling the side talking. "We wish to know why you killed two of Tir Tairngire’s paladins."

Reaver had a look of someone who was completely confused as he replied. "What? Did IQ’s drop sharply in the past few weeks? I killed them out of self-preservation. Why," he asked before anyone could say anything, "Because someone couldn’t train their dogs with the discipline required for a true paladin."

The whole room sat there in shocked silence. Lofwyr just closed his eyes and shook his head. The High Prince thought carefully before making his next move. "This one is much smarter than I thought, not to mention a smart ass. Lets see how this works." The entire council looked at the High Prince in the intervening silence as he and Reaver stared at each other in some contest of wills.

"Well then Mr. Elsdragon, what punishment do you think is befitting a murderer?"

Reaver looked at him with a blank stare, blinked twice, then broke out into a deep laugh. The laughter echoed through the chamber as the entire council looked on in amazement. Reaver played it up by stumbling over to Lofwyr and using him as support to keep from falling, as well as stamping his foot several times.

Reaver heard Lofwyr whisper, "Ham," as he continued his laughter.

He finally finished then turned to look back at the High Prince, wipping away tears as he replied, "I’m sorry. That was just too funny."

The High Prince looked at him darkly. "I don’t think any of us find it funny in the slightest, Mr. Elsdragon."

Reaver looked at him with a sly smile. "Oh no? Let me illuminate you then," he said with a sinister gaze as he cast personal gravity restriction and floated straight up into the air, giving him eye to eye contact with the prince. "First off. I am not a citizen here, so your laws do not apply to me. You asked me here, pulling me away from my new wife, whom I have had only a few days to be with thanks to one of your precious paladins and this damn meeting. Now, if you think you can keep me here and away from my beloved, you will find that you are deeply mistaken. I will raise forth a hell of fury that even Verjigorm himself would be deeply scared of." The end of the statement caught many a gasp. Not only did Reaver say the name of a horror out loud and in the council chamber; the fact that he knew of such things was a danger in itself. He continued before anyone could say anything. "Now, two of your precious paladins attacked me. One was at least honorable enough to challenge me to a duel, even though it was over a petty squabble. The other one created a war between my people and a group he had set up, just to get to me, causing the death of people that in no way should have been involved in his vendetta. Good people died that night, and it could have been avoided. Now comes the funny part." Reaver floated up, so he was higher than the High Prince. "These paladins are under your command. So technically, did they not have your vouchsafe?" Reaver pointed an accusing finger down at the High Prince, not unlike a parent scolding a child. Reaver also smiled, knowing that he had his opponent on the ropes. The High Prince knew it as well. He could answer no, and soil the honor and reputation of the two paladins, or he could say yes, and lose face in the process. Reaver noticed that the High Prince was thinking hard as to his next statement, so he floated closer and interrupted his train of thought. "Check and mate," he asked in a whispered, mocking tone.

The High Prince pursed his lips. "So it would seem," he whispered back. "Well, Mr. Elsdragon. It seems that we were wrong about you. The council thanks you for your information regarding the actions of the two paladins in question. Please enjoy our hospitality until we have concluded our business." The High Prince waved for a paladin to guide Reaver back. Reaver floated down and then followed the guard, leaving Lofwyr back in the chamber.

Tarislar; The Spire, 12:30 050-2060

Talon was down in the armory of the Spire going over the inventory and preparing to test fire some of the weapons that were confiscated. Many of the weapons that were gathered from the Ancients still needed to be tested for their functionality. He picked up an AK-98 with an under-barrel shotgun attachment and was heading to the indoor range right next to the armory when one of the lower ranking Rangers came in and interrupted him.

"Sir? Andromache would like to see you immediately."

Talon looked at the Ranger, who was a couple feet shorter than him and smiled. "Sure. Tell da boss lady I’ll be right up."

The Ranger saluted and headed out the door and back upstairs. Talon always used his broken English around everyone except the council itself. Helped keep up the impression he was a stupid trog. Talon handed the weapon to the armorer and headed upstairs to find out what Andi wanted.

Andi was working on the pile of paperwork at her desk when there was a gentle knock at the door. Andi looked up and saw Talon peeking in.

"You wanted to see me Andi?"

Andi smiled. "Yes Talon. Come in and close the door. I have an important matter that we need to work out." Talon walked in and closed the door, then sat down across from her.

"What’s up," he asked.

"Well," she began, "I had Genesis do some checking for us, and he found us a team in Portland that is keeping an eye on Reaver as we speak. Provided nothing bad happens, everything will be fine. I wish to be prepared though. Genesis also has a couple of riggers ready to go who can get us a small team into the Tir. What we need to do is decide who is going on that mission if it comes down to it."

Talon sat there in silence, letting the entire plan sink in. "I imagine Spector will want to go," Talon replied,

"And the entire Feyd’ akeen and shock troop would probably be best, though I don’t know if I’d want both groups gone. It would leave us short on experienced support here. I would definitely want to go, and don’t try to talk me out of it."

Andi smiled. "I wouldn’t dream of it, Talon. Get the Feyd’akeen together and brief them. It’s their job to protect the council, so it’s only logical that they should go. We will leave the shock troop here." Talon stood up and bowed, then left the office.

Tir Tairngire; Royal Hill, 15:45 050-2060

Reaver was gathering his things and humming quietly to himself. It had been a few hours since he left the council. He was hoping they would be done soon. He actually had a smile on his face, as he was happy to be getting back to Andi soon. He set his cane down on the bed, then did some stretching exercises to help get him back into shape. His side hurt still, but not near as much. In the middle of his exercises, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said as he moved slowly through a graceful kata. The door opened and Lofwyr came in, with a displeased look on his face. Reaver stopped his motions. "What’s wrong?"

"Well, the High Prince would love to string you up, I’m sure. However, you pretty much out-fenced him in the discussions. I don’t think he’s going to be much of a friend in the near future."

Reaver smiled. "Probably not, but he needed to be put in his place. Perhaps a little humility will help him to grow up. Frankly I think the whole council needed it."

"Hence the reason why you said the name of a horror within the chambers," Lofwyr asked, obviously displeased with that chain of events.

"It kept them quiet, mostly. You don’t seem happy at all though."

"No, and for good reason. Don’t ask though."

Their conversation was cut short by a knock at the door. "Enter," Reaver said with a tone of annoyance clear in his voice. Prince Surehand walked in, without any guards, but he was wearing a sword. He gave a curt bow to both Reaver and Lofwyr.

"I hope you don’t mind me interrupting your conversation, but I need to discuss a few things with you, if you don’t mind," He asked Reaver politely. Lofwyr raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Reaver looked at him skeptically. "I would have thought after our little sabre dance in the council chambers, that the last thing you would want to do is talk to me."

The High Prince smiled. "On the contrary. It worked perfectly. Maybe even better than I expected. I don’t wish to discuss it here though. If you don’t mind, I’d like to carry on this conversation somewhere else. Lofwyr may join us."

Reaver looked at Lofwyr, then back at the prince. "All right. Where do we go?"

"Stay here and my driver will come get you in a few hours. Your flight doesn’t leave until nine this evening, so we will have more than enough time." The High Prince then bowed and walked out.

"Ok. I give. What’s going on," Reaver asked as he looked at Lofwyr.

"I have no idea. I suppose we will find out soon though."

Reaver looked at Lofwyr with displeasure, but said nothing more. He picked up his sword belt and drew the katana from its sheath. He ran through a few practice katas to get back into the feel of using the blade, then slipped it back into its sheath. He took the belt and strapped it on. He looked at himself in the full length mirror and smiled slyly. "The first part in avoiding a trap is knowing of it’s existence," he thought. Then he sat down and quietly waited with Lofwyr and they talked about various events. The driver came about 18:30 and drove them out of Royal Hill and towards Portland. As they got into the limo, someone watched from a distance with a pair of electronic binoculars. As soon as the limo began leaving, the figure rushed from his concealed location and hopped into a dirty gray landrover, which promptly followed the limo from a discreet distance.

Portland; The Rockerbox, 19:00 050-2060

The limo pulled up to the front of The Rockerbox. Reaver looked at the nightclub, then looked back at the prince quizzically. The prince smiled. "I love this bar. I just dress incognito," he said as he cast a spell. His features and clothes changed, and he no longer looked like the High Prince. Reaver smiled and did the same; cloaking his weapons, but did not change his looks. All three stepped out and walked into the club. As they did, and pair of eyes watched with scrutiny. Shortly after the limo pulled away, a certain landrover drove into the parking lot. The driver dialed his wristphone.

"Yes," the elf on the other end said, with slight exasperation.

"Hey Firewire. Guess what? Mr. Reaver just walked into the Rockerbox with the High Prince himself and someone I don’t recognize. Thought maybe you might want to get everyone down here so we can all keep close tabs on him."

"Great. Good job Enfield. Were on our way," Firewire said enthusiastically before disconnecting.

Enfield pulled a Savelette from the holster under the seat and slipped it into the small of his back, then got out and walked into the club casually. No one ever noticed the piece he was carrying, and the troll bouncers paid him little notice. When Enfield got to the landing just inside, he scanned the crowd, looking for a silver haired elf. Once he spotted his quarry, he found a table not too far away and sat down, waiting patiently for the rest of his team.

Reaver, Lofwyr and the High Prince sat down at a table in a secluded corner after working their way through the crowd. The techno beat was loud, but not overly so. It was perfect for masking conversations. The waitress came over and took their orders, before the High Prince said anything.

"I know you are probably trying to figure out what’s going on," he said over the beat of the music. "Yes, I was upset over the death of the two paladins. They were very close and I knew them both well. As you said, though. They both dishonored themselves. I’m just glad you didn’t force that issue at the meeting. That could have been bad. By the way, do you play chess?"

Reaver looked at him skeptically as he noticed the song change to something he heard a long time ago, "That still doesn’t answer the question as to what you want from me? And no, I don’t play chess much. I can introduce you to a card game that is similar though." As Reaver finished his sentence, he looked at Lofwyr with a big smile, then back to the High Prince.

"A card game that is similar to chess? Sounds intriguing," the High Prince said, as Lofwyr tried to silently say "don’t do it" without Reaver seeing his actions. The High Prince looked at Lofwyr quizzically, but continued talking to Reaver. "As to you, the council is always an arena where people constantly jockey for position and power. I do a good job keeping my position, but I never know when that may change. If it does; or if something nasty happens, I need a contingency plan. I used our argument to make everyone think that I would much rather see you dead than work with you. The perfect plan, or near perfect anyway. What I need is an alliance of sorts with you. You run an entire district, and some say it may be on it’s way to becoming another Tir. I just want a safe place if and when I need it. In return, I will give you supplies and information. What do you say?"

Reaver was very skeptical now, but the thought of good backing was nice. He looked at Lofwyr who just shrugged. Reaver shot him a displeased look. "Thanks, you old fart. Just when I DO need advice, you fail to give any," Reaver thought loudly, hoping Lofwyr would hear, but he didn’t seem to. Reaver looked back at the High Prince. "And how do you plan to begin this transaction?"

The High Prince smiled. "I have found out through various sources that your group is using blood magic to make your technomagical wonders."

Reaver looked at him silently for a few moments. As he did, Firewire and the rest of the group had walked in and sat down with Enfield, just a few meters away. "You could say that. And your point?"

"Blood magic attracts horrors. Yes, it’s a powerful way to perform magic, but the power can come at a terrible price."

Reaver looked highly displeased. "Frag. I’ll have to do something about that."

"Maybe I can help in that. Your people will need more information if they are going to be expected to fight that which they attract. I have a very old book in the limo which will give you the information you will need. Use it wisely and don’t let the information get out. This information is important, but there is no way to save everybody on the planet. People will die when the horrors come."

Reaver nodded as he noticed the song change to something he recognized. "Odd. Another old song from the same album……" His thought was cut short when he recognized what the song was. Both the High Prince and Lofwyr saw the look on his face change to one of concern.

"What’s wrong?" Lofwyr said as he leaned over to him.

"The song." Reaver said quietly as he began scanning the crowd.

"What about it?"

"Prophecy. Done by Cobalt 60. Four minutes, eight seconds long."

Lofwyr looked confused. "And your point?"

Reaver looked at Lofwyr. "The song before that was, ‘The Awakening,’ by Das Ich. Same soundtrack. Chances are, I’m the only one here who would know that, and the arrangement of play is another warning. Something is about to go down. Get the High Prince out of here."

Lofwyr nodded. "All right. Watch your back. I’ll have backup here shortly."

"Yes. I assume we have come to an agreement. It would not do well for you to go and get yourself killed right after it." The High Prince smiled, carefully slid a Walther palm pistol to Reaver, then got up and walked out with Lofwyr.

Reaver moved around in the booth so that his back was to the wall and continued scanning the crowd. He saw Firewire’s group and pegged them as shadowrunners, but continued searching others as well. As he did, the song changed again. This one made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "The Vampire Strikes Back. Why doesn’t that sound good," Reaver thought as he pulled the Walther out, concealed by the table, and thumbed off the safety. That’s when he saw her. Sitting across the club at the bar. She was wearing tight, black leather pants. A black leather jacket with chains adorning it hung on her shoulders. Her ample breasts where held in a black leather wonder bra. Her hair was black and stopped just below her jaw line. Her skin was inhumanly pale and blood red lipstick adorned her full, pouty lips. She looked typically gothic. She turned and looked his direction, and smiled seductively, barely showing one fang.

Firewire and his team watched as Lofwyr and the High Prince left the club, but they continued to watch their assigned person. Reaver moved a little so that he had perfect view of everything in front of him. The whole team began to get the feeling something was going on, and their paranoia level stepped up a notch. They all quietly reached for weapons and made sure the safety’s were off. Blacklight leaned over to Firewire. "What’s going on?"

Firewire scanned the club really quick. "I don’t know, but I get the feeling he thinks something is up."

"Do you think they suspect us?"

"I doubt……."

Firewire’s sentence was cut short by the bar exploding. A lady at the bar was flung into the crowd by the explosion as people started screaming and running for the exits. Firewire’s team broke from their table and took cover at a corner booth to figure out what was going on. As the smoke and crowd cleared, they saw an elf woman in leather getting up to dust herself off. A little over a dozen figures were moving up behind her, obviously to back her as one handed her a sword. She looked at Reaver, who was now standing in front of the booth he was sitting in. In his hands was a katana and a Walther palm pistol. The team watched intently to see what the next action would be. As Reaver and the elf looked at each other in some kind of staring contest, one of the troll bouncers came up to ask the lady if she was all right. Without even looking at him, she grabbed the troll by the balls, lifted him off the floor and threw him across the club. His body slammed into the tables near by, and everyone heard the sound of splintering wood as they broke under his weight. He lay there unmoving as the other one roared and charged her. She snapped her right arm out and he was impaled on it as it turned into a blade-like weapon. She withdrew her blood soaked arm from his throat and let it transform back to a normal hand. She smiled wickedly as she licked the blood from her hand. At no time did she lose eye contact with Reaver.

"It wasn’t very nice of you to do that. That spell hurt," She said softly.

"Tell you what. Step over here and I’ve got something that’ll cure all your ills," Reaver said venomously as fire leapt across his katana.

She looked at him with a shocked and hurt expression. "You would hurt a lady?"

"You are already dead. You are no longer anything except refuse that needs to be removed," he said with a cold and icy voice.

Anger swept across her face. "I see you are not going to make this easy. Fine, be that way. Take him," she said as she pointed at him.

The dozen figures behind her surged forward. They all brandished studded maces, perfect for beating someone into submission. Reaver jerked the palm pistol up and fired the two shots. Each high explosive round found the head of two of the assailants running at him. Their bodies stubled from the dead run they were in and slowed some of the others down. Reaver pulled himself into a combat stance and drew his wakizashi as he waited for the rest to come into range. As they charged, the elf woman drew a slender fencing blade and waited to see what happened. As the first three rushed up; Reaver dropped low and to the left, slicing the right opponent through the neck with the katana. The center opponent received the wakizashi right into the center of the gut. Reaver’s left shift put him under the reach of his left opponent. Reaver jumped up quick, head-butting him in the chin. The third opponent went down groaning. Unfortunately, the next ones rushed in faster than Reaver could compensate and began struggling against the attackers as a few maces began finding their way home. Blades blocked maces and Reaver dropped three more and wounded two others before the maces beat him down and they grabbed him to restrain him. The elf woman began walking forward as Blacklight looked at Firewire.

"Frag, Fire. We’ve got to do something."

Firewire looked at her. "I know. I just hope we get paid for it."

Firewire gave the team a nod and they went into action. Blacklight jumped out and ran towards the group holding Reaver in a parabolic arc to keep clear of any rounds fired by her team mates. Enfield fired a three round burst from his Savelette into the elf woman and she staggered back from the force of the rounds before falling to the floor. Firewire fired his Beretta 200ST at one of the men standing near Reaver. The burst hit him square in the back, and he screamed in pain as he sprawled forward onto the floor. Shifter let loose two bolts of mana that knocked out the two holding Reaver. Reaver took the opportunity to grab both swords and roll backwards into a fighting stance as Blacklight slid up to his left side, a mono-sword in hand.

"We’ve been hired to help you, sir," Blacklight said as she readied herself.

"What’s your name kid?"

"Blacklight, sir."

Reaver laughed. "Don’t call me sir. I work for a living. The name is Reaver. Now, let’s kick some ass Blacklight."

Both readied themselves as the three remaining warriors came in. Blacklights teammates refrained from shooting for fear of hitting the wrong target. Blacklight held her own against the single opponent she had on her, but he was very good and she was beginning to break a sweat. Reaver block and countered with both swords. A few maces hit home, but Reaver dodged as best he could, lessening the effect of the blows. His flaming katana made small wounds much more painful as it got in under the guard of his opponents. Reaver purposefully chose to not block a mace so that he could thrust his wakizashi into the leg of his left opponent. The numbing cold of the frost blade relieved the mace man of the use of his leg, and he dropped to the ground in pain. The other mace hit home hard, and Reaver felt at least two ribs crack from the blow. His whole chest was on fire when he took in a breath, but refused to back down. Now able to focus on one opponent, he used both swords, blocking and thrusting. His opponent worked hard to block each strike. Reaver made a feint with the wakizashi, then brought the katana down hard in an overhead strike. His opponent saw the feint and moved to block the katana. The flaming blade cut through the hard impact plastic and buried itself in the man’s shoulder. The man screamed as he dropped both halves of his weapon. Reaver did a snap kick to the man’s face, knocking him back and off the blade and relieving him of consciousness. As Reaver finished off his opponents, Blacklight was continuing her dance. She blocked his blows easily, but she could not get past his guard either. As he continued to provide an expert defense, his foot slipped on a patch of blood and she lunged in to his open guard. The point of her blade found its way home to his heart, and he died before his body hit the floor. Blacklight pulled her blade from the corpse and looked over at Reaver’s direction.

"Good job kid," Reaver said with a smile.

Blacklight smiled and blushed slightly. She was about to say something, but was interrupted by someone clapping. Everyone turned to see the elf woman standing there.

"Bravo indeed." Her voice was filled with venom. Shifter took a chance and hurled a bolt of mana at her, only to see it’s energy splash against a barrier. She looked at him. "Nice try. Better luck next time."

"Am I to assume we are done, or are you going to be stupid enough to start some more static with me," Reaver asked with a tone of arrogance.

"Oh. Don’t we think we’re just a big badass?"

"Lady," Reaver replied, "I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave the store" He pulled himself into a combat stance with both swords at the ready.

The elf woman was puzzled by the remark, but before she could reply, everyone heard the sounds of sirens approaching outside.

She looked at Reaver. "Saved by the bell. There will be another time." Then she changed into mist form and disappeared into the air conditioning duct.

"There usually is," Reaver sailed quietly as he looked at the duct. Then he turned and looked at Firewire’s group. "Bad guys. They always have brass ones until they don’t have superior numbers anymore. Must be a chapter on that tactic in the evil doers handbook."

The whole grouped looked at each other, then laughed. As they came up to Reaver, a SWAT team poured in and yelled, "Freeze." Naturally, everyone put up their hands and the sight of the business end of eight submachine guns. The whole group was handcuffed, then they were marched outside where more police officers and the High Prince’s limo waited. Lofwyr stood near by and came up to take Reaver out of the group.

"Are you all right?"

"Why sir. I didn’t know you cared," Reaver said with a wry smile.

"Of course I care. Do you know how hard it is to find operatives of your talent and training?"

Reaver smiled. "Nothing a healing spell and some duct tape won’t fix. By the way. That group helped me. They were part of the solution, not the problem."

Lofwyr nodded and made a motion to the SWAT leader to let the group go. He saw it, looked at the shadowrunners with scorn, but let them go. Reaver motioned Lofwyr he would be right back and walked over to Firewire’s team.

"Hi. I’m afraid we didn’t have a chance for formal introductions."

"Your Reaver," Firewire said with a smile on his face.

Reaver was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"We were hired to keep an eye on you. I’d say we did a pretty good job at that."

"Keeping an eye doesn’t mean getting into a fight with a vampire and her cronies. Were you being paid for that as well?"

"Nope, but Blacklight would have jumped in whether we would have liked to or not. Gotta back your teammates." Firewire smiled while Blacklight blushed.

"Well. You all have my eternal thanks. If you are ever in the Tarislar district while in Seattle, know you have a friend there."

Reaver held out his hand to shake Firewire’s. Firewire returned the shake, and when both men released, Firewire was holding a credstick. He looked down at it as Reaver walked away. Reaver came up to Lofwyr, nodded, then got into the limo. Lofwyr also got in and the Rolls Royce Phaeton drove off into the night. Firewire took a minute to check the sticks balance, which was one hundred and twenty thousand nuyen. He then turned to the rest of the group. "Let’s go celebrate," he said as he held up the stick.

Tarislar; The Spire, 21:30 050-2060

Andi was trying to relax after a very long day. With no more work to take care of, the thought of Reaver came floating back. Her worries started eating at her as she wondered if he was still all right. As she lay there on the bed, her wristphone on the bedside table rang. At first, she wasn’t in any mood to answer it, but she figured she had better in case it was important.

"Hello," she said.

"Andi," Genesis said with a smile. "Just got a hold of some info that I thought you would like. How soon can you get down here?"

"I’ll be there in an hour. Is everything ok?"

"Just get down here. I need to actually show it to you."

"All right" She disconnected the phone and got dressed, then headed out the door.

Talon saw her leave the bedroom and take the elevator down to the bottom floor. He quickly took his grav belt and strapped it on. Then he stepped onto the balcony and made a rapid descent down to the ground, getting there before the elevator. Talon hid in the darkness near one of the barricades next to the parking lot and he watched as she got into her dark blue Silvermoon and drove off, heading for downtown Seattle. Talon got into his Bison and followed at a discreet distance. Neither of them stopped until they got to the Book of Genesis.

Seattle; The Book of Genesis, 22:15 050-2060

Andi moved through the crowd as they danced to the beat. The place was packed, and she was beginning to develop a case of claustrophobia. Finally she made it to the bar and took a minute to compose herself. One of the bartenders saw her at the other end and came up to her. He smiled and she smiled back. Before he could sat anything, she slipped him a business card with a familiar biblical verse on it. He winked at her and yelled to his partner he was taking a break, then led her back to Genesis. She knocked on the door that led into the room Genesis used for conducting business. The slide opened and Genesis looked out.

"Andi," He shouted. She heard the multitude of bolts unlock and he opened the door. "Come in. What do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Andi looked at him with confusion. "Unexpected? You called me and said you had something you wanted me to see."

Genesis looked back at her, now also confused. "I didn’t call you. I have yet to hear anything from the team."

"Genesis. It was you. Sounded and looked like you."

"Look Andi, I know I didn’t……." His voice trailed off as he smelled a setup. "Frag. Andi, you need to get out of here. Someone is setting you up."

Andi realized it as well. "I don’t know if going back out the front is a good idea."

"No problem. I’ve got a secret way out that leads to the alley." He pushed against the brick wall and it opened with a grating stone-on-stone sound. "Go down the hallway and turn left. There will be wall at the end. Push it and it will open like this one." As he finished, he picked up a Browning Ultra-Power on a nearby shelf and handed it to her after making sure it was loaded. "Take care, ok?"

She kissed his cheek softly as she took the gun. "I will. Thanks." She disappeared into the hallway as the wall closed behind her. She followed his directions and pushed on the wall when she came to it. It opened and emptied her right into the hands of six men in Neo-Nazi uniforms. Before she could raise the handgun Genesis gave her, one of the officers grabbed her by the shoulder, and taser charge issued forth from his hand. Andi slumped into their arms, unconscious.

Seattle; The Book of Genesis, 22:30 050-2060

Talon was waiting out in the parking lot. He watched Andi walk in, and decided it would be better if he waited for her here. Sooner or later she would come back out. As he waited, he watched people walk in and out of the club. Everyone from suits to weirdos came into or out of the club. Some were so weird that Talon had to laugh at them. As he watched, he saw a Westwind and a Nomad pull in. From both vehicles, men in Neo-Nazi uniforms got out. "This doesn’t look good," he thought and pulled his FN Five-Seven from it’s concealed holster and flipped the safety off. What confused him was when they walked around into the alley, instead of into the club. Now being very curious, he got out quietly and moved softly over to the mouth of the alley. He took a peek down just in time to see Andi come out and get knocked unconscious. That’s when he moved into action.

"Oberleutnant," Karl said softly. "Take her and put her in the truck."

"I don’t think so," Talon said. "Put the lady down and no one gets hurt."

The group looked down the alley and saw Talon standing there, pointing a pistol in their direction. The Oberleutnant handed the limp form of Andi to one of the enlisted men and stepped forward. Karl smiled wickedly. "The only person who will be getting hurt is you my friend. Take him Oberleutnant."

Talon’s eyes narrowed and he pulled the trigger as he aimed right at the Oberleutnant’s chest. The high velocity rifle round slammed into Willheim, but he stood his ground and continued walking forward. Talon aimed higher, planning to put a round in the man’s head instead. He squeezed the trigger and the pistol bucked in his hand as another round flew out. The round struck true, making Willheim’s heard jerk to the side. Everyone heard the metal on metal sound as the round ricocheted off Willheim’s hardened cyberskull. He turned and looked at Talon, grinning evilly. Talon looked at him in shock, and Willheim was close enough to take the gun away before Talon gathered his wits. Talon attempted to strike the man, but he was faster and grabbed him by the collar and threw him down the alley. Talon hit the ground hard, right in front of Karl.

Karl looked down at him with disgust. "Well my friend, looks like you chose the wrong fight." He kicked Talon in the face viciously as he tried to get up. Karl then motioned his men and they descended on Talon, beating him soundly. Talon tried to fight back, but there were too many of them. Once he was beaten down, Karl ordered his men back. He walked over and knelt before the battered and bleeding minotaur. "Normally, I would hunt and kill a lowly trog like you, but this is your lucky day. Do me a favor and try not to die until after you’ve told Reaver about us, eh?" Karl smiled, patted Talon on the cheek and then spit on him. The Neo-Nazi’s left, leaving Talon bleeding in the darkness of the alley.

The secret door opened a few minutes later and Genesis stepped out to look around. He saw Talon lying in the alley and rushed up to him. "Damn man. You all right?"

Talon looked up at him. One eye was closed shut from swelling and blood trickled down his face. "Fine. Why do you ask," He said weakly and then coughed, wincing in pain as he did.

"Nice smart ass comment. You’ve been hanging around Reaver too long," Genesis said as he dialed a number on his wristphone.

"Hello," Spector said as he picked up the phone.

"Spector. It’s Genesis. Get down to my club fast. Talon’s been beat up and I found him outside the back entrance I had Andi take. I think she’s been kidnapped."

"Frag! Be right there." Spector disconnected.

Genesis helped Talon up and took him back into the club to wait for Spector.

Tir Tairngire; Peace Force Base, 22:45 050-2060

The Rolls-Royce Phaeton rolled onto the tarmac, pulling up near a familiar Fiat-Fokker Cloud Nine. Inside, the High Prince, Lofwyr and Reaver sat. The High Prince pulled out a silken lined bag and withdrew a very old looking book from it. He handed it over to Reaver. Reaver took it and skimmed through it carefully.

"This is the book I told you about. It’s written in ancient Spirethiel. I understand you have someone in your employ who know s the language."

Reaver looked up. "Yes. He’s not very trustworthy, but I’ve been learning the language from him."

"Good. Get a good grasp of it, because you will need it. This book will help your people immensely. Teach them soon. Time is not a luxury we have much of. Is there anything else you need?"

Reaver laughed. "Yeah. A full time construction crew to renovate all the condemned buildings, more money in the coffers for paying bills and uniforms for my peace keeping force would be nice."

The High Prince smiled. "I’ll see what I can do. Oh, one more thing. Considering this whole ordeal has been a strain on your recent marriage, you should take something back to your wife." He pulled out a jewelry box and opened it. Inside rested a necklace of pure platinum, holding six matched star sapphires. The black velvet it rested on made it stand out brilliantly.

Reaver was taken a back at the beauty of the piece. "Thank you. I’m sure she will love it."

"You are welcome. Please don’t forget our arrangement. It could be very important to me." The High Prince smiled and handed the box to Reaver, who took it and the bag with the book and nodded before stepping out of the car. Lofwyr followed him out and up to the plane.

"Well. Looks like things worked out better than I expected," Lofwyr said.

"I must admit. I wasn’t expecting him to do what he did. Frankly, I’m still suspicious."

"Continue to be. No one on the council is ever what he appears. They always have plans within plans."

Reaver smiled. "Good and evil are not always. I will. You coming back," Reaver asked as he pointed at the plane behind him.

"No. I have things to take care of here. Have a safe flight and tell Andi I said hello."

"I will. Take care Great One." Reaver smiled and boarded the plane. The stewardess closed the door behind him and the plane started up. It then taxied out onto the runway, waited for clearance and then accelerated down the runway. It quickly rose up, disappearing into the night sky.

Seattle; The Book of Genesis, 23:30 050-2060

Spector pulled into the parking lot on his souped up Suzuki Sidewinder. The bike was just like the one seen in the old 2-D movie Akira. The color was the atypical arrest-me-red that many racing bikes tended to be. He stopped, got off the bike and set the anti-theft system. Then walked quickly into the bar. He walked up to the bartender.

"Genesis. Right now and don’t give me any lip."

The bartender looked at him, pushed a hidden button and then led him into the back room. As both of them got into the room, half a dozen pistols pointed at Spector. Six guards covered him and looked like they were getting itchy to blow him away. He looked down the various barrels, noting their different calibers, reached for a pair of sunglasses, and smiled as he put them on.

"Hey, I’m just here to see Genesis. He called me and told me to come here. If ya don’t believe me, ask him."

The guards looked at him grimly. "Hold on," One of them said, then disappeared behind the secret door. The guard came back and motioned the others that it was cool and they left. Spector walked down the hallway to the door that led into Genesis’ room. The door was already open. Inside, lying on a cot was Talon, and he didn’t look good. Genesis was sitting right next to him.

"Glad you got here. Someone roughed him up pretty good."

"Thanks for the call Genesis," Spector said as he walked up to Talon and kneeled down. "You ok chummer?"

Talon looked at him dimly. "Nothin some pretty nurses won’t cure. Is the boss back. Someone kidnapped Andi. Gotta tell him," He said weakly as he tried to sit up, wincing in pain.

"Whoa chummer." Spector forced Talon to lie back down. "You need medical attention first. Reaver’s not back yet, but hopefully he will be soon."

Talon was too weak to fight and laid down again. Spector turned to Genesis. "Can you help me get him out of here discreetly. I saw his Bison out front. We can get him in that and I’ll get him back to Tarislar, although I may need to leave my bike here until tomorrow."

"No problem man. I’ll make sure your bike is taken care of, then I’ll get my ears on the streets looking for Andi. No one kidnaps and busts people up around my club."

Spector smiled wickedly, and the two of them helped get Talon into his Bison. Spector then shook Genesis’ hand and then got into the Bison which headed through the rain and back to Tarislar.

Auburn; Lake Tapps, 23:45 050-2060

Andromache came to slowly. She was lying in a comfortable bed and her head still hurt from the taser that knocked her out. "Must’ve had a pair of shock gloves," she thought. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She was in a small bedroom. The window was sealed with a steel shutter. One door led to a small bathroom while the other she figured led into the rest of the building she was in. "It’s probably guarded," she thought. She astrally scanned the room. It was warded with a very powerful ward. She sat down. "Looks like I’m going to have to wait for an opportunity to escape. What do they want with me anyways?"

As she sat there pondering her situation, she heard the lock on the door click, and it opened. Outside, she could see two guards with SMG’s. The man who came in was tall, blonde and well built. He was dressed in black slacks and a black sweater. He smiled when he saw her.

"Good evening my lady," He bowed gracefully. "A pleasure to see you awake."

"Yeah, great. Why am I here?"

Karl smiled. "You are here as bait. Hopefully the person we are planning to eliminate will be here soon."

"You mean Reaver. My husband."

"As perceptive as she is beautiful. You are correct."

"Ok. Why not just kill me now. Let’s save us the effort of trying to do it later." She spat out at him venomously.

"I have no intentions of doing so. In fact, I have great plans for you. You are the only Ranger who will survive what is yet to come. As my consort of course." Karl smiled wickedly at her.

Andi arched her eyebrows at him. "If you think I would bed something like you, you got something else coming. There is no way in hell I would be your consort."

"Oh no," Karl asked. "Then perhaps instead of giving Reaver a quick death, I’ll make you watch him endure a slow and painful one. How does that sound."

Andi’s heart sank. She knew Reaver would come looking for her, and he would probably follow their instructions to the letter. Walking straight into a trap.

"Or," He continued, "Give me your word you will cause me no trouble or try to escape and I will see to it he dies as quickly and painlessly as possible."

She stared at him darkly, but said nothing.

"You don’t have to give me an answer immediately, but think about it. I’m sure he will be here soon." Karl got up and left the room. Andi heard the door lock and she was once again alone. Her heart sank even more and she closed her eyes, trying desperately to think of a way out.

Tarislar; Silver Lake, 01:15 051-2060

The Cloud Nine landed gracefully onto the dark waters of Silver Lake and glided up to the shore, rolling up onto the beach. After it came to a stop, the door opened and the stewardess got out, letting Reaver get out next. He stepped out onto the familiar ground of Tarislar, smiling at the fact he was home. In his hands he held the book bag and jewelry box, as well as his cane and sword belt.

"Thank you for flying with us sir," The stewardess said with a pleasant tone.

He turned and looked at her, draping the sword belt over his shoulders as he did. "Thank you." He said with a smile.

The stewardess boarded the plane and closed the door. It then taxied back around and into the water, finally lifting off into the darkness. Then it was gone and he stood there all alone.

"Well old boy," he said with a British accent, "We’re not too far from home." He set down the book and jewelry box. Then he put on his sword belt and activated one of his spell locks. The magic expanded out from it, shifting and changing his body into a four meter tall, demonic being. He grimaced through the pain the transformation caused. Once it was done, he carefully picked up the book and case, then unfolded his wings and lifted up into the night sky, flying towards the Spire.

Reaver approached the Spire and glided right onto the balcony that connected to his bedroom. It was late and he hoped he might surprise Andi while she was sleeping. Of course, she could also try to take his head off before she realized it was him, but he figured, what the hell. He used the proper security codes and walked in through the sliding door. He knew something was wrong when noticed that the bed was made and Andi wasn’t in it. He took the book and necklace and put them in the safe, then left the bedroom.

He got to the living room and noticed a throng of Rangers were gathered around a couch at the far end. He walked up and couldn’t see over them, so he decided to break the silence.

"Excuse me. What’s going on?"

Almost all of the Rangers jumped clear out of their skins. They turned around and stood at full attention.

Reaver rolled his eyes. "At ease and make a hole."

The group moved and he saw Spector sitting on the floor next to Talon. Talon was lying on the couch and looked like someone had beaten him to within an inch of his life. "Spector? What happened?"

Spector looked up. "Someone kidnapped Andi and Talon tried to stop them. They beat him up pretty bad. We’ve healed him as best we can, but it hasn’t been enough. He had this in his jacket pocket." Spector handed Reaver a folded note that had his name on it. Reaver opened it up and read it. Anger built up into his face and the note burst into flame in his hands before he crushed the fire out. The Rangers jumped and backed away.

Reaver knelt down next to Talon. "Are you all right my friend?"

Talon looked at him weakly, opening his one good eye. "Hey… boss." He coughed painfully. "I tried to… stop them. One was cybered… heavily. Even… stopped the rounds… from my…. Five-Seven. They took her….after pummeling…. me."

Reaver smiled. "You did the best you could my friend. That’s all I can ask of any of the Rangers. Who were they?"

Talon smiled. "Nazi’s," he said weakly before passing out.

Reaver looked at Talon and sighed. He then motioned Spector to stand back. Reaver rolled up his sleeve. He then pulled out his knife and began casting, drawing the knife across his forearm, opening a deep wound that bled well. Everyone else watched as Reaver’s blood disintegrated into arcs of lightning, jumping from his arm to caress Talon. Slowly, as more of Reaver’s blood turned into lightning, Talon’s wounds healed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the spell ceased and Reaver collapsed on the floor. Spector rushed up to stop the bleeding and noticed that the wound was already closing, regenerating by the spell on one of Reaver’s spell locks. Reaver slowly came to and stood up. "Let him rest. He’s going to be exhausted and sore till at least tomorrow."

"What are you going to do," Spector asked.

"Going to go get Andi. Make sure he’s ok." Reaver said and pointed at Talon.

"Boss. You gotta let us go with you. It’s a trap."

Reaver looked down at Spector and smiled. "I know it’s a trap my friend. And the first part in avoiding a trap is knowing of it’s existence. If I don’t go alone though, the will most likely kill her. This may not be easy, but I have to go alone. No matter what happens though, you all must carry on." As he said this, he looked at everyone in the room. "If Andi and I die, don’t let us die for nothing. Carry on the good fight. Never give up and never give in. You are Tarislar’s life blood. Never forget the people who live here and depend upon you. This is what I have worked hard to instill within you. Honor, valor and justice. Never forget." Then he left, dialing his wristphone as he walked away, leaving them behind in silence.

Puyallup; Hell’s Kitchen, 03:00 051-2060

Reaver drove into a parking garage and up to the top floor. The area around the garage was utterly devoid of street lights. He drove a simple Ford Americar. Something that was expendable, even though he didn’t buy them by the six pack like his old colleague Spellslinger did. A group of twelve men in Neo-Nazi uniforms waited for him. Also waiting on the roof was a Federated-Boeing Commuter 2050. It was late, he was tired and he was pissed, but he had to play this by their rules until a better option presented itself. He got out of the car slowly and was just wearing simple black clothes and an armored jacket. The air was bitterly cold, and the drizzling rain didn’t help. Each persons breath could easily been seen, like columns of steam rising out of the heat stacks of the Shiawase power plant. Oberleutnant Willheim walked up to and looked down at him.

Reaver looked up. "You wanted to see me?"

The Oberleutnant grabbed him and threw him against the hood of the car, knocking the breath from him.

"I’ll take that to be a yes," He gasped out as he was searched. He carried no weapons. He didn’t even have any foci on. The Oberleutnant placed a set of restraints on him, then put a mage mask on him. With that done, he was led into the Commuter. The Commuter then lifted off and headed for Auburn. All the while, a figure hovered above the scene, watching what happened and following the Commuter as it left.

Auburn; Lake Tapps, 03:15 051-2060

The Commuter landed on the back lawn of the mansion and the rotors began spinning down. The ramp opened slowly and the Oberleutnant pushed Reaver out the ramp. He stumbled down the ramp, but kept on his feet. He spun around trying to look in the direction of the person who pushed him with the mask still on.

"Hey! No reason to get pushy."

The Oberleutnant pushed him again. Reaver stumbled back, then moved up and ran into him and looked up. "Don’t do that again," he said venomously. The Oberleutnant grabbed Reaver by the shoulders, turned him around and marched him into the mansion. Reaver did his best, especially moving up and down flights of stairs. Finally they came to a stop and he was forcefully sat down into a chair. The mask was then removed. Reaver quickly took in his surroundings. Sitting across from him, about ten meters, was Andromache. She too was sitting in a chair, tied up. Standing next to her was Karl. Behind him stood the Major. The Oberleutnant stayed behind Reaver. Karl was holding a sniper rifle made by Gehenna Industries, called the Mephisto. Reaver had seen the weapon before and knew it used match grade .50 caliber rounds. The Major behind him was holding a dreaded Gehenna Puker. A nasty flamethrower that used a caustic fluid that burned not only through fire but through it’s acidity as well. Reaver didn’t know it, but in astral space, a mage made sure there were not any spell locks or active spells about him. After the mage was sure he didn’t see any locks, he manifested near Karl.

"Captain. The subject has no perceivable foci or spells upon him."

Karl looked at the manifest form of the mage. "Thank you. Stay in astral and intercept any spells he might try to use."

The manifested form bowed and disappeared.

"Well, Mr. Reaver." Karl said, "It’s a pleasure to meet you. I was about to ask your wife a question that will be deciding exactly how you will die. Do you wish to hear it?"

"Tell you what. Why don’t you go sit on his Puker and pull the trigger instead."

The Oberleutnant cuffed Reaver across the back of the head. Reaver turned around and looked at him, ignoring the pain from the obvious bone lacing the guy had. "Do that again and I’ll rip your head off," He said with a dark look.

"Mr. Reaver. Not a very nice thing to say." Karl then turned and looked at Andi. "So, my lady what will it be. Make your decision now." Andi looked across at her husband. His face developed a peaceful calm and he quietly said, "I love you." A tear rolled down her cheek, knowing that she had to make a decision that would cause him the least amount of physical pain, no matter the sacrifice she had to make.

"Excuse me? Klause, Adolf, or whatever your name is. Don’t you have anything better to do with your time, or do you just have a boring night life?" The Oberleutnant cuffed him across the back of the head again. Reaver looked back at him as fire burned in his eyes. "I told you not to do that again," he said and the whole room went silent as Reaver’s body ripped open and changed.

The Oberleutnant looked up; his mouth almost agape, as Reaver’s body rose up, over two meters taller than him. Even the restraints could not hold the changing form, and snapped apart. The demonic form that Reaver turned into spun around and looked at the Oberleutnant, grinning wickedly with rows of pointed teeth. Before the leutnant could react, the bony talons of the demons right hand thrust through his body and lifted him off the ground. The others watched in horror and the demon ripped the Oberleutnants titanium laced skull and spine from his body. Karl raised his rifle to fire as Reaver tossed the body to the side, like a rag doll.

"Look out," Andi yelled as Karl pulled the trigger.

The .50 caliber round caught Reaver in between the right shoulder and the right wing. A deep roar issued from Reaver and he turned around, looking directly at Karl, throwing the bloody head and spine at him. The titanium laced skull hit Karl hard, and he reeled back from the blow. Karl looked at the beast coming at him, then the decapitated head of the Oberleutnant that was looking up at him. Karl dropped the rifle and ran out of the basement room. The major looked at him in disgust then looked at Reaver with grim determination and moved forward to attack, leaving Andi to watch on, afraid to use any magic for fear of harming her unborn child.

The Major looked at Reaver as he surged forward. "You kafer elf. I’ll fry you for your insolence," He spat out venomously as he raised the Puker at Reaver. Just then, two flashes of white light burst in front of Reaver. One of the spells was intercepted by the mage in astral space, but he couldn’t stop both, and the other one sped straight at the Major’s weapon. The weapon exploded in his hands from the packet of mesons Reaver cast into it. The fuel, ignited by the explosion, turned the Major into a column of fire and he screamed as the fire and acid consumed him. He ran from the room, his screams echoing down the hallway. Reaver scanned about the room, looking for anyone else that was a threat, then lumbered over to Andi and cut her bonds.

She looked up at him. "Thank you my love. Are you all right?"

"Yes," He replied with a low tone. "Time to go." He then picked her up and squeezed through the hallway and up the stairs, shielding her body with his.

Karl rushed into his room, gathering his gear and personal weapons. His breathing was erratic and he fought to get his fear under control. "It wasn’t supposed to work like this. He should be dead already and I should be pleasing myself with the elf woman. I’ve never even seen trogs do something as brutal as what happened to the Oberleutnant," he thought as he readied himself. He knew Reaver would come for him sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Reaver carefully moved upstairs, holding Andi protectively. He saw no one and moved out onto the back lawn. The body of the major lay there, the flames slowly dying as they licked at his remains. Reaver scanned about the sky, looking for the help he called for. Then he saw it, a feminine figure moving into view. He leapt up, his wings beating furiously to gain altitude. As he came closer, Andi recognized the platinum blonde that was near them. It was a free spirit known as Aleta. Reaver and she knew each other very well.

"Hello Andi," Aleta said softly, then looked at Reaver. "Are you ok?"

"I’ll be fine," He said in a low demonic tone, "Take her and get her to safety. Did you bring what I asked for?"

"Yes," Aleta replied and handed over Reaver’s sword belt and a large case that was at least six feet long. Reaver took both in one large hand and handed over Andi with the other. Andi looked at Reaver with concern.

The demon form smiled. "I said I will come back to you my love, no matter what. I will not go back on that promise." Then he dove back down towards the mansion.

Auburn; Lake Tapps, 03:30 051-2060

Karl slowly emerged from his room. He had a longsword in hand as he carefully looked up and down the hall. He had already heard a few bursts of SMG fire as he was preparing himself, but each time it was short, and a scream soon followed. As he looked down he saw the mage running up the hallway to meet him.

"Captain sir," The mage said as he tried to catch his breath, "He’s coming. He handed the elf woman off to a free spirit, got a few items from the spirit and then headed back here."

"Why did you let him cast that spell and change shape?" Karl asked with displeasure.

"I didn’t sir. All of the sudden, a flare of astral static came up and I couldn’t see anything. I think I saw the thread of a spell lock just before that, but I checked thoroughly for foci. It’s possible I couldn’t see past his masking of them, but I could see his aura as being magical. I’m no….."

Just then they heard another burst of SMG fire followed by a roar and a gurgled scream.

"Damn. Are you ready?"

The mage looked at Karl with grim determination. "Yes sir."

They began walking carefully down the hallway, expecting something to jump out at them at any moment. As they walked down the hallway, the lights flickered and went out, plunging them both into darkness. Karl’s stopped as his eyes adjusted to the minute light in the area and could still see, while the mage had to resort to astral perception in order to see. As they continued down the hallway, heading towards the foyer, they saw a guard come running up, and fire his SMG at something. The muzzle flash dazzled Karl, and he closed his eyes temporarily. He opened them up as the high pitched sound of something like a jet engine filled the building. The guard began to turn to run, but was too slow. Both Karl and the mage watched in horror as a blue-white beam lanced out with a roar and literally cut the guard in half. The mage panicked and cast an acid bomb where the hallway ended, but they didn’t hear any screams or curses from its spray.

Both men slowly walked to the termination of the hallway and looked in the direction the beam of energy came from. Nothing. The area that wrapped around to the back entrance was completely devoid of life or movement. They slowly around, heading to the back and carefully looked around. The mage gasped at the view, while Karl just held his breath. Four of the guards were strung up by their feet. Their skin had been stripped from their bodies. Their eyes hung out of their sockets. Karl cursed something in German, calling Reaver a bastard.

A voice stabbed through the dark silence from behind them. "I knew my father, thank you very much."

Both men froze. Sweat broke out on their faces as they thought of what to do next. Then, several things happened all at once. Karl dove forward, tumbling and pivoting so that he could face his enemy. The mage turned and began casting in one smooth motion. Reaver, wanting to take Karl on without interference already had his mauler cannon pointed at the mage and pulled the trigger. The mage turned; already hearing a high-pitched whine, and the last thing he saw was the large weapon pointed at him. The blue-white beam lanced out with a thunderous roar, shattering his barrier and burning through his body before he could finish his spell. Karl watched the burnt husk of the mage drop to the ground, as wisps of smoke trailed off of it. Reaver smiled wickedly and pointed the cannon at Karl. Karl froze in fear, something he had never experienced much of. Reaver saw Karl’s sword in hand, and slowly put down the cannon, then drew his katana, and a bladeless hilt. Karl smiled wickedly.

"So, you think you can beat me in a duel? You will find yourself very mistaken."

Reaver stared at him darkly. "You are already dead. I’m just enjoying the prolongation of it." He smiled wickedly at Karl as he moved in, flame leaping up and across the katana.

Karl wondered what the bladeless hilt was for, and kept an eye on it as he closed in with his long sword. The duel began as both swords clashed together. Both opponents slashed, lunged and parried. The light from Reaver’s flaming blade cast an eerie glow to the fight as shadows leapt from wall to wall, as if a crowd was watching from the darkness. Karl’s skill with a sword was better than Reaver, but fear was eating away at him, as was the visage of the dead bodies of the guards still hanging from the ceiling by their…… he just realized, it wasn’t rope Reaver used, but their own entrails. He surged in. "No one does this to my men, especially no twisted kafer elf." Reaver smiled wickedly. He knew his plan was working. He parried and slashed as Karl barely dodged the blow, the heat washing against his face. Karl pressed in again, thrusting and parrying until Reaver began to slow down. Karl saw an opening and took it, swinging hard. Reaver was slow to block, and the long sword bit into his left side. Reaver felt a warm sensation beginning to spread down his side. Karl danced back, secure in his victory.

"You’re the one who’s dead. Now we finish this." Karl gloated as he danced back in, swinging furiously with both hands on the hilt of his long sword.

Reaver watched as he came in, the blade swinging in a deadly arc as Karl tried to hit the same mark again. Reaver was ready. He ducked low and moved under Karl’s guard, standing back up between Karl’s arms and grabbing him by the collar.

"Wrong," Reaver whispered, "It’s time to die." Reaver activated a stud on the other weapon he was holding and had it pointed right at Karl’s groin. A blade of energy sprung out from it, and the blade burned right through his groin, destroying his genitals as they withered and burned from the heat the contained plasma created. Karl dropped his sword and screamed in a high pitched squeal before passing out from the extreme intensity of the pain, his body going limp in Reaver’s grasp.

Tarislar; The Spire, 04:30 051-2060

Andromache and Aleta waited in the living room of the Spire. Talon had been moved off the couch and was resting peacefully in his room. Andi was sitting there trying to not only stay awake, but also to trying not to panic. Aleta did her best to reassure Andi that Reaver was very good at staying alive and that he would be back.

"Besides," Aleta said softly, "He never goes back on a promise."

Andi tried to smile, but she couldn’t for long. This whole mess was all her fault. She walked straight into a trap and couldn’t fight her way out of it. Talon almost got killed because of it, and now, Reaver might not be coming back. The silence was beginning to become unbearable when they heard the elevator bell ring. Andi jumped up and ran to the elevator. Reaver was slowly walking in, clutching his side as she ran up. She nearly tackled him, and he fought to keep his footing, wrapping his left arm around her.

"Hello love," He said weakly.

"God. This is twice I thought I’d never see you again. Are you all right?"

Reaver chuckled as Aleta came walking up behind them. "I’ll be fine after a little healing and some duct tape. It looks worse than it is." He looked at Andi and smiled. "It’s alright."

She looked down, feeling ashamed. "No it’s not. This whole mess is my fault."

Reaver grabbed her chin lightly and brought her head back up so she could look into his eyes. "No, it’s not. I saw their logs. They were watching every move you made and had a nova hot decker tap our lines. There was no warning you had to act on. They did a good job. Now they are dead. They paid their price for threatening you. I’m just glad they didn’t hurt you."

Andi smiled and buried her face into his chest, holding him close. "By the way. What happened to the blonde guy. He had more planned for me, if you know what I mean."

Reaver smiled. "I know what you mean, but he didn’t have the balls for a prolonged fight."

Andi looked at him quizzically. Reaver smiled and whispered in her ear what happened. She laughed and rested her head back into his cheast.

Reaver looked at Aleta. "Thank you. I appreciate your help."

Aleta smiled back. "Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s the least I can do for my father."

Andi jerked her head up and looked at Reaver, wide eyed. "Father?"

Reaver rolled his eyes and groaned. "Thank you Aleta," He mumbled under his breath.

Aleta laughed. "Hey, she’s got to find out sometime before the kid is born."

Reaver looked darkly at Aleta, then looked down at Andi. "Can I tell you later. Please? It’s a long and complicated story and right now I’m wounded, tired and I need some rest."

Andi pursed her lips. "Ok, but it better be soon."

Aleta laughed again. "Well, I’d like to stay and see how this turns out, but I have my own group of people to take care of." She walked up to Reaver on her way to the elevator and looked at him. "Let me know how this works out, and don’t be a stranger." Then she kissed him on the cheek and took the elevator down, leaving Reaver and Andi to rest and recuperate.

Tarislar; The Spire, 10:00 051-2060

Early morning came and went. The council meeting normally set up for every morning was canceled so that Reaver, Andi and Talon could get some much needed rest. The thing that caused a lot of commotion was the Connestoga-Bergan that was parked by the curb next to the Spire. The Shock Troop arrived and ran chem-sniffers over the truck, but found no traces of explosives. They decided to remain cautious though and cordoned off the area and wanted to begin evacuating the Spire itself. Many of the lower ranking people were already moving important things out when Reaver came padding out of the bedroom somewhere near ten. He looked at all the confusion and saw Spector looking out the window and down at the semi below.

"Spector," Reaver said as he came walking up. "What the hell is all the noise for?"

Spector turned and tried to restrain a chuckle when he saw Reaver. "Well. We’ve got a semi down there and nobody knows where it came from. The Shock troop is cordoning off the area and wants us to evacuate."

Reaver, still bleary eyed from waking up, looked down at the truck. "Oh, yeah. I brought it. Tell the shock troop they can stand down. It’s clean."

Spector rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the warning. By the way, your still asleep, aren’t you?"

Reaver looked at him and blinked twice. "Kind of. Why do you ask?"

Spector laughed. "Look at what you are wearing."

Reaver looked down at the teal silk robe that belonged to Andi. "Oh. Actually, hers was within reach and I didn’t want to find mine. I’m going back to bed." Reaver tuned and padded back to the bedroom while Spector worked to get everyone calmed down.

Reaver quietly slipped back into bed and snuggled up right beside Andi, holding her tight.

She stirred and spoke softly. "Everything all right?"

"Oh. I forgot to tell anyone about the semi I acquisitioned from blondie. The shock troop was worried it might be a bomb."

"Senile old man," She whispered. Reaver just laughed lovingly and went back to sleep.

About four in the afternoon they both woke up from the sun’s light streaming through the windows as it made it’s slow approach towards the tranquil sea. They snuggled for a little while and then finally got up and headed to the bathroom together. Stepping into the warm water, they embraced each other, kissing and holding as the warm water cascaded down their bodies. After a long relaxing shower, they got out and dried each other off before scampering back out to the bed to snuggle a little more.

Reaver looked deep into Andi’s eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

She smiled. "I love you."

He kissed her lightly, then rolled her onto her back, straddling her waist. "I have a surprise for you."

She looked at him curiously. "What?"

He smiled wickedly and jumped out of bed. He walked over to the safe and spoke to words for the voice activated lock. "Klatuu, veratta, nickel, necktie, nectar……. It was definitely an N word." The safe opened with a soft click. He reached in and pulled out the necklace case, then walked over to her. He sat down at the edge of the bed and opened the case. Her eyes lit up as bright as the star sapphires in the necklace and flung her arms around Reaver in a great hug.

"Thank you," She said. "I love it."

"A gift from the High Prince for the inconvenience he caused us."

She looked at him in shock. "You’re kidding?"

Reaver shook his head, indicating that he wasn’t.

She looked at the necklace in awe, and he took it out and put it on for her. She admired it, then put it back into the case and asked that Reaver put it back in the safe. He did so. They then got dressed and went out for an evening of dinner and dancing.

Tarislar; The Spire, 08:00 052-2060

The council members came into the council room and took their respective seats. Even talon showed up, looking much better than he did a few days ago. Reaver and Andi were last to arrive. Reaver sat down after Andi, then called the council to order.

"Good morning. It was nice to have a day off, even if it was due to the situation that faced us. First order of business. I’d like to make a motion that we decide to have council meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Anyone like to second that?"

Every council member raised his hands immediately. Reaver looked at the unanimous participation of the idea and chuckled. "I’ll take that to be a ‘yes’ and vote is passed unanimously. Next. There is a semi parked downstairs that I understand caused some confusion and concern. It was relieved from those who were stupid enough to kidnap Andi. They won’t be needing it anymore." He smiled and looked at Talon. "Talon? Can you get the shock troop together and unload the goodies that are in it?"

Talon looked at him and thought on the question. "Sure boss. I’m still a bit sore, but I think I can hack it."

Reaver tossed him the keys. "Good. Don’t overexert yourself though. I don’t want you back in medical."

Talon nodded in agreement. "Sure thing boss."

Reaver smiled then looked back at the council. "Now for the last order of business today." Reaver snapped his fingers and an air elemental appeared. "Zas’tam. Get Jacobs for me." The air elemental bowed then disappeared. Shortly after that, one of the lower ranking Rangers came in with a stack of clothing and walked up to Reaver. Reaver took the stack and sent the Ranger back out. Reaver began walking around the table, handing a uniform out to each person, noting the size as he did so. "These are our new uniforms. We have some special backing, and we are going to start taking advantage of it. If anyone on the street asks, we are using the uniforms to get away from the idea that we are a gang. The ones you have are meant for officers. You will each get a set of uniforms to issue to the people under your command."

Spector looked up. "Are we going to be using ranks?"

"I wasn’t planning on it. I figured we would keep with our caste system. It’s simple and efficient. If it looks like a rank system would be preferable to go to though, we can always make a vote on it."

The council members looked at each other, but none of them voiced any concern. "Ok," Reaver said with a smile, "Go get your supplies and get them issued to your people. It’s going to be the start of a great year."

Epilogue

Auburn; Helix Biotech Facilities, 18:00 051-2060

Deep underground, below the simple and eco-friendly structures of the Helix Biotech facilities lay the body of Karl. His scarred and naked body was laid out on a stainless steel table that looked freezing cold just looking at it. Various IV tubing and other medical machines were hooked up to him. Various medical personnel tended to him as he lie there. Then a man came in. Dressed in surgical garb, he looked at everyone in the room with a smile.

"Are we ready?"

One of the doctors looked at some reading quickly. "Yes Paladin. We can begin anytime."

"Good," Paladin chirped.

The medical team pulled a tray of surgical instruments close and also on the tray was a sterile, clear plastic box that held a datajack within a greenish fluid. The surgery began, as the medical team began the implantation of the datajack into Karl’s head.

Karl woke up slowly. He could smell something burning in the distance. He opened his eyes. It was dark and definitely night. He sat up from the pile of rubble he was laying on and looked at himself. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of white shorts. As he began to take stock of the situation, a mob of meta- humans came around the corner of a near-by building.

"There he is," They yelled. "Get him."

Karl’s eyes widened at the mob rushing towards him. He scrambled to his feet and began running. The mob closed in slowly, brandishing various clubs and knives. Many of the trolls frothed at the mouth, hungry to catch their prey. They followed him through streets and alleys. He searched through the ruined city, looking for anyone who would help. Stumbling around a corner, he saw a lone figure standing at the other end of the street with his back to him. He ran up, collapsing against the person.

"Please. You must help me. A mob of metas is chasing after me." Karl gasped out in between breaths.

Reaver turned around and smiled, and Karl staggered back in shock upon recognizing him. "What a shame," Reaver said in a low tone. "Too bad you didn’t think about that possibility when you would hunt them in a simillar fashion."

Karl staggered back a few more steps, gaping in horror. Then the mob descended upon him. Karl screamed and frantically tried to get away, but the numbers were too great. He was beaten and pummeled severely before one of the larger trolls bent him over a barrel and told Karl to squeal like a pig as he dropped his shorts. Reaver turned and walked away into the night, whistling a lively tune

.Back in the surgery room, Karl’s body tensed and tried to thrash about, but the restraints held him down. Paladin looked at the video screen as the BTL program played out in Karl’s mind. Paladin smiled. "Good. Play it over and over again for at least two weeks. Then let’s see what shape he’s in after that. Monitor him well though. I don’t want him dying."

The doctor looked at him. "Yes sir. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking. What did he do?"

Paladin looked at the doctor. "He was a Neo-Nazi. Hurt a lot of people. Pay backs are a bitch, don’t you think?"

The doctor smiled wickedly. "Yes it is. Don’t worry. He will be well taken care of."

Paladin walked out with a very big smile on his face.

Puyallup; Loveland, 072-2060

A simple, dark brown Ford Americar pulled into the parking lot of the church. The sign outside of the simple, red brick building said, ‘The First Assembly of God for MetaHumanity.’ Reaver and Karl got out of the vehicle and walked calmly inside. The main hall was devoid of anyone, but the door that lead into the back offices was open. Reaver lead Karl through the back door and up to the office of the priest running the church. The priest was working away at some paperwork when Reaver softly knocked on the already open door.

The priest looked up. "Ah. Reaver my son. Come in. It’s nice to see you again. And who is this young lad with you," the preist asked, pointing at Karl, who just stood there, taking everything in innocently.

Reaver smiled. "This is Hans father. Hans, this is Father Malek,"

Hans reached out and shook hands with the orcish preist. "Good to meet you father. Reaver tells me that I can help out here. He tells me I suffered a terrible accident, and now I don’t remember who I am. Reaver said that I could help here, in return for room and board. I would like to do that if you have need of me."

The preist smiled. "God has ordained a use for all of us my son and we can definitely use your strength. Why don’t you head back into the congregation hall and then go into the kitchen, there Sally can show you to a spare room."

"Thank you father." Hans turned to Reaver. "Thank you too sir," he said sincerely, then left.

Reaver bowed to Hans and watched him head back out the door and down the hall.

"You know. You never come around that much," Father Malek said, as if he was attempting to chastise Reaver.

Reaver looked at him darkly. "You know I’m not Christian Father, and I’ve not been so for longer than you could imagine."

"We are all Christian my son."

Reaver laughed. "I think I’ve just been insulted." Then Reaver looks up. "Forgive him my Goddess, he knows not what he does." Then he looks back at Father Malek with a sly grin.

Father Malek smiled politely back. "Who is Hans really," the preist asked with a hint of skepticism.

Reaver looked down the hall and smiled, "Someone with a new soul and the need for atonement. Take care father." Reaver flipped the priest a credstick for fifty thousand and walked out the door.

The End

Author’s Notes:

Well. The novel is finally done. I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope everyone had fun reading it. Don’t worry though, more storiues to come. Reaver and Andromache will get their honeymoon, so stay tuned.