Post by David Lo on Jun 18, 2012 20:47:55 GMT -5
((Originally posted Jun, 2010))
Silence was normally a good thing, but when you were walking with someone who was a virtual stranger, a little conversation did a lot to set one at ease. She glanced sidelong at David and said, "And here I thought my...er...Daniel was quiet."
“Yeah?" he replied, an invitation for her to continue talking, even if he wasn't going to be saying all that much in response. He was perfectly at ease walking along the street, even with a stranger next to him. Physically perfectly at ease, at least. His mind was still churning and swirling with all the tranquility of a washing machine. Long training that emphasized relaxation was the only thing that kept his body from tensing up in sympathetic relation to his unsettled brain.
She chuckled softly, seeing that he wasn't going to rise to the bait. Digging her hands deeper into her pockets, she took a moment to look around at their surroundings. They'd already crossed through the Marketplace, which was empty at this time of night...er, morning. The bridge across the river was a vague shape in the foggy distance. "Weather remind you of home?" she asked, desperate enough for conversation that she'd resort to discussions of the weather.
He nodded, letting a brief smile curve his lips. "Some. Warmer here, though." He looked out across the river, and the shadowy shape of the bridge that spanned it. "Not quite the Golden Gate."
"Nor the Verrazano or Brooklyn. Still, it's kinda nice during the day...when the dragons are fishing. So...were you a detective?"
Fishing Dragons. Christ. It would be a while before he could hear something like that and just take it in stride. "Nah. Patrol." Though the only reason he wasn't a detective yet was that he honestly enjoyed walking the beat. Before everything had changed, he'd be considering going for the shield. If he had ever wanted a family, the promotion would have made it possible to get a bigger place.
"Ten years as a beat cop? Wow. Same precinct or did you move around a lot?"
"Same. Chinatown." It was where he grew up, and when he'd become a cop, there'd been no question of where he'd work.
“Oh. That's pretty cool. You probably really know the neighbourhood well, huh? People know you, trust you..."
It was true on both counts. Ten years walking the same street, seeing the same faces made for a lot of close bonds. It had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done in life to leave the job, honestly. "Yeah,” he said. “I liked it. Felt almost like extended family." The extent of his reply was a pretty good indicator of how much it meant to him.
"So...why'd you leave?" They'd crossed the bridge now and she could see the city wall and the clock tower of Perp Miz. She nodded towards them. "That's where we're heading. Though, I'll warn you...the area - WestEnd - is rather...tough."
So she lived on the wrong side of the tracks, eh? That was interesting, especially since she was obviously well off, and in a position of political power. He'd have to ask her about that some time, at least if he decided to work for her. As to why he left the Force, well... He shrugged a bit. "Things got weird. Needed time to deal." Even though he was not only on another world but also talking to someone who wasn't even human, he didn't know it he was willing or even able to explain what had happened to him.
“Weird? Weird, how?" She turns her steps to the southwest, leaving the main thoroughfare for an infrequently travelled alleyway that looked like nothing more than a cow path. It headed directly to the city wall and a small break in it.
He didn't answer for a minute, too busy looking at the strange sight of a city wall in the middle of a city. Then he realized the city must have started out a lot smaller, and grown past the wall. This place had the strangest mix of medieval and modern architecture. As they reached the wall, he looked over at her and said, "I...changed."
She arched a brow and she gave him a smirk. "Changed. Yeah. I'm familiar with that. But, somehow I suspect that your changing isn't the same as my Changing." They slipped through the small gap in the wall and the atmosphere shifted palpably - becoming malevolent, violent. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising and hidden eyes on them. Not all of the eyes were friendly, either.
Yet another statement from her that made no sense to him, and one again, his only real way to handle it was to ignore its existence. One of these days, he'd probably understand better, assuming they continued spending any time together. An instant later, further discussion become unwise as the feel of their surroundings took an instant turn for the worse. It was like passing through the wall had taken to a completely different place, one that was undeniably hostile. His own movements changed accordingly, becoming more fluid and dangerous looking.
She took notice of this and inwardly smiled. It was good to see someone human take notice of his surroundings like a Lycan might. There was suddenly a movement in the shadows to her left, but she did not stop walking. She could see the Zen building just a few blocks from their current location. Maybe they could make it without incident.
There were other people nearby, he could feel their presence drawing close. Whoever they were, their intentions were clearly harmful. He'd always had some talent for reading people's energy; his master said it was simply being attuned to chi flow, and the past two year's changes had heightened the ability drastically. It was this same ability that had made him sure Riley wasn't human. "Trouble," he said shortly, jerking his head towards their left.
She nodded and then tipped her head towards the Zen building. "Home's right there." She wasn't adverse to kicking a little Mako ***, and she felt quite certain that David would be more than able to protect himself if it came to it, but she had just left the office after practically living there for four days. She was tired, cranky, hungry, and missing Daniel. She was not in the mood to fight. But it didn't look like they were going to have much of a choice, apparently, as five gangers spilled out of an abandoned building on the left and fanned out in front of them. They were carrying a motley assortment of weapons - a chain, a pair of knives, a metal bar, and a fire axe. Axe-man took a step forwards, slapping the handle of his weapon against his palm. "Lookit what we found, boys," he said, grinning malevolently.
She sighed deeply and moved to David's left, holding her hands up in front of her, palms out, fingers spread. "C'mon, guys. You know me, right? Do you really want to do this now?"
David took a step forwards, raising his hands as well. "Don't," he said calmly to the gangers. "It's not worth it." His confidence seemed to give them pause and they took a minute to glance at one another nervously. One of them muttered, "It's that cat bitch, she owes us." The rest apparently agreed with that sentiment and they all began moving forwards, brandishing their weapons.
She shook her head and muttered, "Morons," under her breath and then...Changed. Not all of her, mind you - just teeth and claws. She took a step to the left, putting a safe distance between her and David, trying to draw as many of the Makos to her and away from him.
His back was towards her so he missed the sudden appearance of inhuman attributes, but he heard her step to the left and assume she was trying to slip the gangers' attention. It was a smart move, and it reassured him that she had at least some idea about how to handle herself in a fight. The lead ganger, who was wearing a shirt that proclaimed 'Makos rule' in red paint, was only about ten feet away and had lifted the axe over his head when David exploded into action. He crossed the intervening distance in a fraction of second, left hand whipping up to shove the ganger's elbow upwards while he simultaneously stepped in a half circle around the hapless man's side. David's right foot slipped behind the Mako's left leg and his left arm swung forward, catching the ganger's chest. David torqued his hips, sending the man crashing heavily to the ground and axe up into the air behind him. It happened so quickly that a surprised whoof of air from the Mako's lungs was the only sound for almost an entire second, until the axe landed somewhere in the foggy distance.
Riley blinked in shock at David's sudden and spectacular offensive movements, as did the four remaining gangers. She recovered first however and lunged forward at the closest Mako, who happened to be one of the knife wielders. She swiped her right hand, which was tipped in three-inch-long lethal claws, at the guy's face from left temple to right jaw. She threw her full strength into the strike, the claw of her middle finger sinking into his skull and with the downward movement of her hand, she ripped his face off. The guy dropped to the ground, spasming in death throes.
It was David's turn for surprise, first at the sight of Riley with claws and fangs, followed immediately by even more shock at the devastating and lethal strike she'd executed almost casually. A couple of things were instantly clear: First, she was no stranger to deadly combat, which was at once reassuring and scary, and second, there was some bad blood between her and this gang, which upped the stakes considerably.
He slid forward with the deceptively gliding steps of a trained martial artist, darting between the second knife wielder and his chain-swinging cohort, pausing just long enough to let them begin to react. As soon as the chain started to swing, he quick-stepped into another circle, coming up behind the Mako with the knife. David's hands shot out at waist height, open palms pushing into the man's open back, causing him to stumble forward--directly into the oncoming chain his buddy was swinging, which wrapped neatly around his neck. Before either Mako could react, David circled to the right, snapping a short, powerful kick into chain-guy's exposed armpit, hurling him up into the air with the crackling sound of splintering bone. It was immediately followed by a strangled gasp as the unfortunate knife-wielder found himself dragged into the air by his neck, which also broke an instant later.
The last Mako - holding a piece of rusted rebar so tightly in both hands that his knuckles were standing out in high relief - was in the unfortunate position of facing an annoyed Jaguar. Riley skinned her lips back from her teeth and growled, a subsonic rumble that was felt more than heard. She took a single step forward and the guy swung the rebar at her head like a baseball bat. She reached up and intercepted the swing with her forearm. The force of the impact fractured her ulna. Biting back the squeal of pain that threatened, she stepped into her opponent and shoved her right hand deep into the guy's guts, ripping and shredding and dropping him to the ground in a heap. "F*ck," she said, stepping back and cradling her broken arm to her chest.
He spun away from his last opponents just in time to see the macabre vision of Riley with her hand buried to the wrist in a ganger's stomach. As soon as she pulled it out, though, he spotted how she was holding her left arm. His experienced eye told him it was broken. He ran over to her and said, "Hold that arm still," as he glanced quickly around for something that would work as a splint.
She held up her right hand and noticed that it was covered in blood and guts. Oh, well, time to deal with that later. "No, it's okay. It'll be fine. I just need to go home and sleep for a while." She took a step forward and hissed as her arm was jolted. "On second thought, a splint mightn't be a bad idea."
"Yeah," he agreed, yanking a board off one of the windows of the abandoned building and snapping it into manageable lengths with no more effort than a toddler breaking a cracker. Then he tore the shirt off of the unconscious axe-man and went back to her. "Give me your arm," he said. When she held it out, he quickly and efficiently constructed a splint around it. His touch was gentle and precise, obviously a product of some dedicated emergency training. "There," he said when he finished a moment later. "See a doctor soon."
She gave him a grateful smile and shook her head. "No need. I'm telling you, it'll be fine after a few hours of sleep." She nodded once more towards the Zen building, the roof-top gardens and the third floor visible above the surrounding buildings. "Home's just there. You can come up and meet Daniel. I'm sure he'd love to meet you, if for no other reason than to thank you for saving my butt." She started walking towards the building, teeth gritted against the lingering pain.
Somehow, he got the feeling that she would have been just fine even if he hadn't been there. He glanced back at the faceless man and his disemboweled comrade, then at her straight back moving easily away. There was something disturbingly attractive about her at the moment. He told himself it was just appreciation of a strong, capable woman and tried to dismiss the thought entirely. "Not too late?" he asked.
"Nah. He's good people." They were standing in front of the building now, the Foo Dogs slowly coming to life as they tried to enter. "Relax, Harry, Sally. He's okay."
Well, regardless of the question of manners, it would be nice to sit and relax for a bit before heading back to the Inn and sleeping in a chair. "Okay." He paused a bit when the statues in front of the building starting moving, and just shook his head. He knew that it wouldn't be long before nothing surprised him anymore if he stayed around this city. David looked the statues over as he passed, recognizing them now as Foo Dogs, the sacred protectors of Chinese Myth. Apparently not entirely myth, at least not here. This building was very nice, considering the surroundings. "Nice place," he said as he followed her up the stairs. "Unexpected."
As Riley moved past the animate statues, they fell silent again, feet returning to the jade balls upon which they typically rested, liony faces forward again as they surveyed the street. Moving quickly up the stairs to the second floor, she dug in her jeans pocket and retrieved her keys. "Yeah, I worked hard to create a serene place for my residents and tenants."
Daniel awoke to the sound of keys in the door, and jumped out of bed. He started to head to the door as it swung open, then froze when the smell of blood and an unfamiliar man wafted in with Riley's scent. He was naked, after all. He quickly slipped on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt before continuing out into the main area of the room.
Riley opened the door and stepped into the darkened loft. "Danny?" she called out. "I'm gonna turn on a light." She reached for the small lamp that sat on the desk next to the front door and switched it on.
Daniel gave Riley's arm a concerned look and then glanced behind her. "Are you okay, sundari? What happened?"
"I'm fine. Had a run in with the Makos." She stepped to the side of the door to allow David to enter. "Danny, this is David. He's...uh...new to the city."
David stepped behind Riley and waited, watching as a fairly short, but heavily muscled man of what looked like Indian heritage came out into the light. When she introduced him, he stepped forward and held out one hand. "Pleasure," he said, nodding politely.
Daniel reached out to shake David's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said a bit distractedly. "You sure you're all right, love?"
She nodded. "I'm fine, Danny. Really. I just need to take a shower and catch some sleep. Can he stay here tonight?" she asked Daniel and then turned to David. "I'd feel much better if you did stay here tonight. Those Makos know you now and they'll have it in for you just like they do for us.”
Daniel nodded, accepting her reassurance that whatever the injury was, it wasn't bad. He turned his attention to the new man, looking him over and scenting the air carefully. He smelled human, but there was something about him that seemed unusual. He was obviously in good shape, and moved as gracefully as any Cat. "Of course he can," he said warmly. If David had fought beside Riley against the Makos, he deserved that much at least. "Please come in, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" he finished.
David was a bit taken aback at the friendly greeting. He didn't think he'd be that nice if a strange man came in with his girl this late at night, even if there had been a fight. "Uh, thanks," he said. "Got a beer?" He walked toward the indicated couch and sat, happy to be off his feet.
"Give him one of the Newcastles. I'm gonna clean up a bit," she said and went into the bathroom. Gingerly stripping off the splint and her clothing, she stepped into the shower, hot water cranked up to stupidly hot. By the time she got out of the shower, David was asleep on the couch and Daniel was seated at the kitchen counter, a cup of chai and a cold beer waiting. It was clear by his expression that he wanted an explanation of the night's events.
****
Riley slipped off her shoes and then started towards WestEnd at a trot, waiting for Danny to catch her up before running. He matched her pace, feeling the little thrill of excitement that appeared before every hunt. Even if this wasn't the same sort of circumstance, his body knew what was going on. She winked at him and then sped up, winding through alleyways and closes and cow paths, and across parks and through people's lawns. The thrill of the chase, the excitement of the hunt was singing in her blood. He gave her a tight grin then looked ahead, increasing his speed as well, leaping over fences and ducking under tree limbs.
Before long, Riley had slowed to a sedate pace and paused briefly to slip her shoes back on. "How much do you want to bet they're Makos?" she asked Daniel.
“No bet, sundari," he said, slowing with her. "In this part of town, it's almost a sure thing."
She nodded and then smoothed down her clothing before tipping her head back a bit, scenting the air. There was the distinct scent of blood close, and as they rounded the corner, sure enough - there were four gangers, dressed in the Mako colours standing near Ryan's office. Not half an hour earlier, Ryan had stumbled into the Red Dragon, looking like absolute crap and missing a tooth. It seemed that there had been an attempted car jacking right outside his office. Riley and Danny had agreed to go and make some arrests.
He stuck close to her side, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Makos. He waited for her to make the first move, though, since it was technically part of her job. He'd follow her lead.
The two ambulatory gangers froze, their eyes growing wide as Daniel and Mindy came around the corner. Riley sighed, knowing that things were about to go sideways. She held her hands up, empty palms facing them, hoping to diffuse the situation. "Hey, we just want to talk.”
Sadly, it looked like just talking was not going to be on the table tonight. Daniel saw weapons come out as soon as the Makos realized who they were. He couldn't quite decide whether to sigh or grin, though. Obviously, their reputation for shark hunting had spread enough for the gangers to recognize them on sight. "I don't think they're interesting in tea and conversation, pyara," he said softly.
She sighed deeply, stubbornly pressing on. She took another step forward, addressing one of the Makos who, oddly enough, had a rusty basket-hilted broadsword strapped to his side. He, by benefit of having the ridiculously out of place weapon, was probably the leader of this little group. "Hey, seriously. We just want to talk to you."
The Mako with a sword yanked it out and waved it around like he was auditioning for the Round Table. "We ain't talkin', freak!" he yelled. "You going to pay fer what you did to Little Joe last night!" With that, he and two of the other gangers charged forwards, leaving the last one, who was clearly in no shape to run, behind.
A low, fierce growl rumbled in Daniel's chest as soon as the sword began waving; he knew what was coming, and was ready for it. An instant concentration resulted in wickedly hooked claws sprouting from the ends of his fingers, followed by a feral grin that revealed far too many long and sharp teeth for a human mouth. When the Mako charged, Daniel didn't wait another second. He crouched slightly, then sprang forwards, clearing the distance between them in one bound, heedless of the sword in the ganger's hand. He slammed into the man with bone-crushing impact, knocking him to the ground and latching onto his sword hand with long, clawed fingers that wrenched and tore, ripping the sword and most of the Mako's fingers away with one brutal tug.
A wicked smile crossed her face and she let her teeth and claws go as well. She glanced at one of the other gangers who was carrying a length of rebar. "I told you we just wanted to talk." When he raised the rusty piece of metal and took a swing at her head, she figured he was either deaf or had a death wish - either way, she'd be happy to help. She ducked the strike and then took a flying tackle at his exposed side, bowling him over to the ground. The rebar, knocked out of his hands at the moment of her impact, went flying away and he landed, crumpled on his side, the air knocked out of him with a loud exhalation.
The punk with the baseball bat froze for a few seconds when he saw his two pals go down so quickly and viciously, long enough for Daniel to straighten up from the first Mako, now screaming in agony and clutching his ruined hand, and fling himself forward. The sight of the clawed-and-fanged apparition sailing at his face was enough to snap the ganger out of his paralysis and he dove to one side, reacting quickly enough to avoid receiving more than a glancing slash of Daniel's thrust claws along his shoulder. The impact was enough to spin him partially around, though, and he landed heavily on one side instead of rolling away. Before he could get back to his feet, Daniel swept in and sank the claws one hand into his leg, jerking him into the air and swinging him like the baseball bat he held, in a complete circle before letting go and hurling him directly into the wall of the office building with a sickening thud.
Riley partially sat up, looking the ganger she had beneath her on the ground in the eyes, skewering him with her own alien, amber Cat's eyes. "Would you like to end up like your friends there?" He violently shook his head, the stench of voided bowels reaching Riley's nose. She grinned and then whispered. "Stay down then." She rose and moved over to the last ganger, the one who'd been down during the entire time. "Give me your hand," she said, reaching out to him. His eyes were wide, showing the whites all around like a spooked horse, but he held his trembling hand up to her. Lo and behold, Ryan's incisor was embedded between his knuckles. She plucked it out and deposited it into her pocket. "You stay down, too," she said and pointed at him with a finger that ended in a lethal claw.
Daniel stalked up beside her, glaring down at the Mako, breathing steadily, not in the least winded. "Whatever possessed you idiots to try to steal a car?" he asked.
The dope on the ground just shook his head, his jaw working but now sound came out. He was far too scared, as was evidence by the growing wet spot at the front of his destroyed pants.
Daniel reached down and hauled the Mako up by the front of his shirt. "We're taking him to the Watch-house, right?" he asked Riley over the ganger's head, giving him a little shake for emphasis.
"Yes, Fifth Precinct. Sorta by the docks." She went back to Mr Rebar and hauled him to his feet. He was nearly catatonic, though alert enough to walk. Riley glanced at the Mako still rolling around on the ground, screaming and clutching at his bleeding stump. She looked up at Danny, a brow raised inquisitively. "What are we doing with him?"
He glanced back at the man dispassionately. "He's going to bleed out pretty soon if he doesn't get some help." His tone said it didn't much matter to him whether or not the aforementioned aid was rendered.
She was torn - part of her wanted to leave him there. One less Mako to terrorise the neighbourhood, right? However, the other part of her knew that this could quickly become a sort of police brutality situation - another scandal for Dris's beleaguered administration. "Can you take this one, too?" She swung Mr Rebar Man around so that he was facing Danny.
"Sure," he answered, spinning Mr. Rebar back around and grabbing him by the scruff the neck, lifting just enough that his feet barely made contact with the ground.
She looked down at her ruined $1200 silk dress and sighed heavily. "I'm billing you for this," she said to the screaming, bleeding sword wielder, and then tore strips from the hem of it to use as a tourniquet.
He couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at that. "I can just imagine how he'd pay for it..."
She smirked and then hauled the guy to his feet and set off for the Fifth Precinct Watch House. Within an hour, they had their prisoners processed and the wounds treated. The Watchmen gave Riley and Danny standing ovations and all seemed impressed that their boss - who they had all secretly had doubts about - was such a hands-on kind of girl.
"Do I get some kind of badge, now?" he asked, grinning, as they stood inside the Watch House with clapping Watchmen all around them.
She chuckled and then waved to the men and women...and dwarf...before tugging Danny outside. "Do you want one? It'd be official then."
"Er," he said, taken aback. He'd been mostly joking. "I, um..."
She chucked him gently on the ball of his shoulder. "C'mon. I need to change my clothing and eat a horse...or something."
Silence was normally a good thing, but when you were walking with someone who was a virtual stranger, a little conversation did a lot to set one at ease. She glanced sidelong at David and said, "And here I thought my...er...Daniel was quiet."
“Yeah?" he replied, an invitation for her to continue talking, even if he wasn't going to be saying all that much in response. He was perfectly at ease walking along the street, even with a stranger next to him. Physically perfectly at ease, at least. His mind was still churning and swirling with all the tranquility of a washing machine. Long training that emphasized relaxation was the only thing that kept his body from tensing up in sympathetic relation to his unsettled brain.
She chuckled softly, seeing that he wasn't going to rise to the bait. Digging her hands deeper into her pockets, she took a moment to look around at their surroundings. They'd already crossed through the Marketplace, which was empty at this time of night...er, morning. The bridge across the river was a vague shape in the foggy distance. "Weather remind you of home?" she asked, desperate enough for conversation that she'd resort to discussions of the weather.
He nodded, letting a brief smile curve his lips. "Some. Warmer here, though." He looked out across the river, and the shadowy shape of the bridge that spanned it. "Not quite the Golden Gate."
"Nor the Verrazano or Brooklyn. Still, it's kinda nice during the day...when the dragons are fishing. So...were you a detective?"
Fishing Dragons. Christ. It would be a while before he could hear something like that and just take it in stride. "Nah. Patrol." Though the only reason he wasn't a detective yet was that he honestly enjoyed walking the beat. Before everything had changed, he'd be considering going for the shield. If he had ever wanted a family, the promotion would have made it possible to get a bigger place.
"Ten years as a beat cop? Wow. Same precinct or did you move around a lot?"
"Same. Chinatown." It was where he grew up, and when he'd become a cop, there'd been no question of where he'd work.
“Oh. That's pretty cool. You probably really know the neighbourhood well, huh? People know you, trust you..."
It was true on both counts. Ten years walking the same street, seeing the same faces made for a lot of close bonds. It had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done in life to leave the job, honestly. "Yeah,” he said. “I liked it. Felt almost like extended family." The extent of his reply was a pretty good indicator of how much it meant to him.
"So...why'd you leave?" They'd crossed the bridge now and she could see the city wall and the clock tower of Perp Miz. She nodded towards them. "That's where we're heading. Though, I'll warn you...the area - WestEnd - is rather...tough."
So she lived on the wrong side of the tracks, eh? That was interesting, especially since she was obviously well off, and in a position of political power. He'd have to ask her about that some time, at least if he decided to work for her. As to why he left the Force, well... He shrugged a bit. "Things got weird. Needed time to deal." Even though he was not only on another world but also talking to someone who wasn't even human, he didn't know it he was willing or even able to explain what had happened to him.
“Weird? Weird, how?" She turns her steps to the southwest, leaving the main thoroughfare for an infrequently travelled alleyway that looked like nothing more than a cow path. It headed directly to the city wall and a small break in it.
He didn't answer for a minute, too busy looking at the strange sight of a city wall in the middle of a city. Then he realized the city must have started out a lot smaller, and grown past the wall. This place had the strangest mix of medieval and modern architecture. As they reached the wall, he looked over at her and said, "I...changed."
She arched a brow and she gave him a smirk. "Changed. Yeah. I'm familiar with that. But, somehow I suspect that your changing isn't the same as my Changing." They slipped through the small gap in the wall and the atmosphere shifted palpably - becoming malevolent, violent. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising and hidden eyes on them. Not all of the eyes were friendly, either.
Yet another statement from her that made no sense to him, and one again, his only real way to handle it was to ignore its existence. One of these days, he'd probably understand better, assuming they continued spending any time together. An instant later, further discussion become unwise as the feel of their surroundings took an instant turn for the worse. It was like passing through the wall had taken to a completely different place, one that was undeniably hostile. His own movements changed accordingly, becoming more fluid and dangerous looking.
She took notice of this and inwardly smiled. It was good to see someone human take notice of his surroundings like a Lycan might. There was suddenly a movement in the shadows to her left, but she did not stop walking. She could see the Zen building just a few blocks from their current location. Maybe they could make it without incident.
There were other people nearby, he could feel their presence drawing close. Whoever they were, their intentions were clearly harmful. He'd always had some talent for reading people's energy; his master said it was simply being attuned to chi flow, and the past two year's changes had heightened the ability drastically. It was this same ability that had made him sure Riley wasn't human. "Trouble," he said shortly, jerking his head towards their left.
She nodded and then tipped her head towards the Zen building. "Home's right there." She wasn't adverse to kicking a little Mako ***, and she felt quite certain that David would be more than able to protect himself if it came to it, but she had just left the office after practically living there for four days. She was tired, cranky, hungry, and missing Daniel. She was not in the mood to fight. But it didn't look like they were going to have much of a choice, apparently, as five gangers spilled out of an abandoned building on the left and fanned out in front of them. They were carrying a motley assortment of weapons - a chain, a pair of knives, a metal bar, and a fire axe. Axe-man took a step forwards, slapping the handle of his weapon against his palm. "Lookit what we found, boys," he said, grinning malevolently.
She sighed deeply and moved to David's left, holding her hands up in front of her, palms out, fingers spread. "C'mon, guys. You know me, right? Do you really want to do this now?"
David took a step forwards, raising his hands as well. "Don't," he said calmly to the gangers. "It's not worth it." His confidence seemed to give them pause and they took a minute to glance at one another nervously. One of them muttered, "It's that cat bitch, she owes us." The rest apparently agreed with that sentiment and they all began moving forwards, brandishing their weapons.
She shook her head and muttered, "Morons," under her breath and then...Changed. Not all of her, mind you - just teeth and claws. She took a step to the left, putting a safe distance between her and David, trying to draw as many of the Makos to her and away from him.
His back was towards her so he missed the sudden appearance of inhuman attributes, but he heard her step to the left and assume she was trying to slip the gangers' attention. It was a smart move, and it reassured him that she had at least some idea about how to handle herself in a fight. The lead ganger, who was wearing a shirt that proclaimed 'Makos rule' in red paint, was only about ten feet away and had lifted the axe over his head when David exploded into action. He crossed the intervening distance in a fraction of second, left hand whipping up to shove the ganger's elbow upwards while he simultaneously stepped in a half circle around the hapless man's side. David's right foot slipped behind the Mako's left leg and his left arm swung forward, catching the ganger's chest. David torqued his hips, sending the man crashing heavily to the ground and axe up into the air behind him. It happened so quickly that a surprised whoof of air from the Mako's lungs was the only sound for almost an entire second, until the axe landed somewhere in the foggy distance.
Riley blinked in shock at David's sudden and spectacular offensive movements, as did the four remaining gangers. She recovered first however and lunged forward at the closest Mako, who happened to be one of the knife wielders. She swiped her right hand, which was tipped in three-inch-long lethal claws, at the guy's face from left temple to right jaw. She threw her full strength into the strike, the claw of her middle finger sinking into his skull and with the downward movement of her hand, she ripped his face off. The guy dropped to the ground, spasming in death throes.
It was David's turn for surprise, first at the sight of Riley with claws and fangs, followed immediately by even more shock at the devastating and lethal strike she'd executed almost casually. A couple of things were instantly clear: First, she was no stranger to deadly combat, which was at once reassuring and scary, and second, there was some bad blood between her and this gang, which upped the stakes considerably.
He slid forward with the deceptively gliding steps of a trained martial artist, darting between the second knife wielder and his chain-swinging cohort, pausing just long enough to let them begin to react. As soon as the chain started to swing, he quick-stepped into another circle, coming up behind the Mako with the knife. David's hands shot out at waist height, open palms pushing into the man's open back, causing him to stumble forward--directly into the oncoming chain his buddy was swinging, which wrapped neatly around his neck. Before either Mako could react, David circled to the right, snapping a short, powerful kick into chain-guy's exposed armpit, hurling him up into the air with the crackling sound of splintering bone. It was immediately followed by a strangled gasp as the unfortunate knife-wielder found himself dragged into the air by his neck, which also broke an instant later.
The last Mako - holding a piece of rusted rebar so tightly in both hands that his knuckles were standing out in high relief - was in the unfortunate position of facing an annoyed Jaguar. Riley skinned her lips back from her teeth and growled, a subsonic rumble that was felt more than heard. She took a single step forward and the guy swung the rebar at her head like a baseball bat. She reached up and intercepted the swing with her forearm. The force of the impact fractured her ulna. Biting back the squeal of pain that threatened, she stepped into her opponent and shoved her right hand deep into the guy's guts, ripping and shredding and dropping him to the ground in a heap. "F*ck," she said, stepping back and cradling her broken arm to her chest.
He spun away from his last opponents just in time to see the macabre vision of Riley with her hand buried to the wrist in a ganger's stomach. As soon as she pulled it out, though, he spotted how she was holding her left arm. His experienced eye told him it was broken. He ran over to her and said, "Hold that arm still," as he glanced quickly around for something that would work as a splint.
She held up her right hand and noticed that it was covered in blood and guts. Oh, well, time to deal with that later. "No, it's okay. It'll be fine. I just need to go home and sleep for a while." She took a step forward and hissed as her arm was jolted. "On second thought, a splint mightn't be a bad idea."
"Yeah," he agreed, yanking a board off one of the windows of the abandoned building and snapping it into manageable lengths with no more effort than a toddler breaking a cracker. Then he tore the shirt off of the unconscious axe-man and went back to her. "Give me your arm," he said. When she held it out, he quickly and efficiently constructed a splint around it. His touch was gentle and precise, obviously a product of some dedicated emergency training. "There," he said when he finished a moment later. "See a doctor soon."
She gave him a grateful smile and shook her head. "No need. I'm telling you, it'll be fine after a few hours of sleep." She nodded once more towards the Zen building, the roof-top gardens and the third floor visible above the surrounding buildings. "Home's just there. You can come up and meet Daniel. I'm sure he'd love to meet you, if for no other reason than to thank you for saving my butt." She started walking towards the building, teeth gritted against the lingering pain.
Somehow, he got the feeling that she would have been just fine even if he hadn't been there. He glanced back at the faceless man and his disemboweled comrade, then at her straight back moving easily away. There was something disturbingly attractive about her at the moment. He told himself it was just appreciation of a strong, capable woman and tried to dismiss the thought entirely. "Not too late?" he asked.
"Nah. He's good people." They were standing in front of the building now, the Foo Dogs slowly coming to life as they tried to enter. "Relax, Harry, Sally. He's okay."
Well, regardless of the question of manners, it would be nice to sit and relax for a bit before heading back to the Inn and sleeping in a chair. "Okay." He paused a bit when the statues in front of the building starting moving, and just shook his head. He knew that it wouldn't be long before nothing surprised him anymore if he stayed around this city. David looked the statues over as he passed, recognizing them now as Foo Dogs, the sacred protectors of Chinese Myth. Apparently not entirely myth, at least not here. This building was very nice, considering the surroundings. "Nice place," he said as he followed her up the stairs. "Unexpected."
As Riley moved past the animate statues, they fell silent again, feet returning to the jade balls upon which they typically rested, liony faces forward again as they surveyed the street. Moving quickly up the stairs to the second floor, she dug in her jeans pocket and retrieved her keys. "Yeah, I worked hard to create a serene place for my residents and tenants."
Daniel awoke to the sound of keys in the door, and jumped out of bed. He started to head to the door as it swung open, then froze when the smell of blood and an unfamiliar man wafted in with Riley's scent. He was naked, after all. He quickly slipped on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt before continuing out into the main area of the room.
Riley opened the door and stepped into the darkened loft. "Danny?" she called out. "I'm gonna turn on a light." She reached for the small lamp that sat on the desk next to the front door and switched it on.
Daniel gave Riley's arm a concerned look and then glanced behind her. "Are you okay, sundari? What happened?"
"I'm fine. Had a run in with the Makos." She stepped to the side of the door to allow David to enter. "Danny, this is David. He's...uh...new to the city."
David stepped behind Riley and waited, watching as a fairly short, but heavily muscled man of what looked like Indian heritage came out into the light. When she introduced him, he stepped forward and held out one hand. "Pleasure," he said, nodding politely.
Daniel reached out to shake David's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said a bit distractedly. "You sure you're all right, love?"
She nodded. "I'm fine, Danny. Really. I just need to take a shower and catch some sleep. Can he stay here tonight?" she asked Daniel and then turned to David. "I'd feel much better if you did stay here tonight. Those Makos know you now and they'll have it in for you just like they do for us.”
Daniel nodded, accepting her reassurance that whatever the injury was, it wasn't bad. He turned his attention to the new man, looking him over and scenting the air carefully. He smelled human, but there was something about him that seemed unusual. He was obviously in good shape, and moved as gracefully as any Cat. "Of course he can," he said warmly. If David had fought beside Riley against the Makos, he deserved that much at least. "Please come in, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" he finished.
David was a bit taken aback at the friendly greeting. He didn't think he'd be that nice if a strange man came in with his girl this late at night, even if there had been a fight. "Uh, thanks," he said. "Got a beer?" He walked toward the indicated couch and sat, happy to be off his feet.
"Give him one of the Newcastles. I'm gonna clean up a bit," she said and went into the bathroom. Gingerly stripping off the splint and her clothing, she stepped into the shower, hot water cranked up to stupidly hot. By the time she got out of the shower, David was asleep on the couch and Daniel was seated at the kitchen counter, a cup of chai and a cold beer waiting. It was clear by his expression that he wanted an explanation of the night's events.
****
Riley slipped off her shoes and then started towards WestEnd at a trot, waiting for Danny to catch her up before running. He matched her pace, feeling the little thrill of excitement that appeared before every hunt. Even if this wasn't the same sort of circumstance, his body knew what was going on. She winked at him and then sped up, winding through alleyways and closes and cow paths, and across parks and through people's lawns. The thrill of the chase, the excitement of the hunt was singing in her blood. He gave her a tight grin then looked ahead, increasing his speed as well, leaping over fences and ducking under tree limbs.
Before long, Riley had slowed to a sedate pace and paused briefly to slip her shoes back on. "How much do you want to bet they're Makos?" she asked Daniel.
“No bet, sundari," he said, slowing with her. "In this part of town, it's almost a sure thing."
She nodded and then smoothed down her clothing before tipping her head back a bit, scenting the air. There was the distinct scent of blood close, and as they rounded the corner, sure enough - there were four gangers, dressed in the Mako colours standing near Ryan's office. Not half an hour earlier, Ryan had stumbled into the Red Dragon, looking like absolute crap and missing a tooth. It seemed that there had been an attempted car jacking right outside his office. Riley and Danny had agreed to go and make some arrests.
He stuck close to her side, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Makos. He waited for her to make the first move, though, since it was technically part of her job. He'd follow her lead.
The two ambulatory gangers froze, their eyes growing wide as Daniel and Mindy came around the corner. Riley sighed, knowing that things were about to go sideways. She held her hands up, empty palms facing them, hoping to diffuse the situation. "Hey, we just want to talk.”
Sadly, it looked like just talking was not going to be on the table tonight. Daniel saw weapons come out as soon as the Makos realized who they were. He couldn't quite decide whether to sigh or grin, though. Obviously, their reputation for shark hunting had spread enough for the gangers to recognize them on sight. "I don't think they're interesting in tea and conversation, pyara," he said softly.
She sighed deeply, stubbornly pressing on. She took another step forward, addressing one of the Makos who, oddly enough, had a rusty basket-hilted broadsword strapped to his side. He, by benefit of having the ridiculously out of place weapon, was probably the leader of this little group. "Hey, seriously. We just want to talk to you."
The Mako with a sword yanked it out and waved it around like he was auditioning for the Round Table. "We ain't talkin', freak!" he yelled. "You going to pay fer what you did to Little Joe last night!" With that, he and two of the other gangers charged forwards, leaving the last one, who was clearly in no shape to run, behind.
A low, fierce growl rumbled in Daniel's chest as soon as the sword began waving; he knew what was coming, and was ready for it. An instant concentration resulted in wickedly hooked claws sprouting from the ends of his fingers, followed by a feral grin that revealed far too many long and sharp teeth for a human mouth. When the Mako charged, Daniel didn't wait another second. He crouched slightly, then sprang forwards, clearing the distance between them in one bound, heedless of the sword in the ganger's hand. He slammed into the man with bone-crushing impact, knocking him to the ground and latching onto his sword hand with long, clawed fingers that wrenched and tore, ripping the sword and most of the Mako's fingers away with one brutal tug.
A wicked smile crossed her face and she let her teeth and claws go as well. She glanced at one of the other gangers who was carrying a length of rebar. "I told you we just wanted to talk." When he raised the rusty piece of metal and took a swing at her head, she figured he was either deaf or had a death wish - either way, she'd be happy to help. She ducked the strike and then took a flying tackle at his exposed side, bowling him over to the ground. The rebar, knocked out of his hands at the moment of her impact, went flying away and he landed, crumpled on his side, the air knocked out of him with a loud exhalation.
The punk with the baseball bat froze for a few seconds when he saw his two pals go down so quickly and viciously, long enough for Daniel to straighten up from the first Mako, now screaming in agony and clutching his ruined hand, and fling himself forward. The sight of the clawed-and-fanged apparition sailing at his face was enough to snap the ganger out of his paralysis and he dove to one side, reacting quickly enough to avoid receiving more than a glancing slash of Daniel's thrust claws along his shoulder. The impact was enough to spin him partially around, though, and he landed heavily on one side instead of rolling away. Before he could get back to his feet, Daniel swept in and sank the claws one hand into his leg, jerking him into the air and swinging him like the baseball bat he held, in a complete circle before letting go and hurling him directly into the wall of the office building with a sickening thud.
Riley partially sat up, looking the ganger she had beneath her on the ground in the eyes, skewering him with her own alien, amber Cat's eyes. "Would you like to end up like your friends there?" He violently shook his head, the stench of voided bowels reaching Riley's nose. She grinned and then whispered. "Stay down then." She rose and moved over to the last ganger, the one who'd been down during the entire time. "Give me your hand," she said, reaching out to him. His eyes were wide, showing the whites all around like a spooked horse, but he held his trembling hand up to her. Lo and behold, Ryan's incisor was embedded between his knuckles. She plucked it out and deposited it into her pocket. "You stay down, too," she said and pointed at him with a finger that ended in a lethal claw.
Daniel stalked up beside her, glaring down at the Mako, breathing steadily, not in the least winded. "Whatever possessed you idiots to try to steal a car?" he asked.
The dope on the ground just shook his head, his jaw working but now sound came out. He was far too scared, as was evidence by the growing wet spot at the front of his destroyed pants.
Daniel reached down and hauled the Mako up by the front of his shirt. "We're taking him to the Watch-house, right?" he asked Riley over the ganger's head, giving him a little shake for emphasis.
"Yes, Fifth Precinct. Sorta by the docks." She went back to Mr Rebar and hauled him to his feet. He was nearly catatonic, though alert enough to walk. Riley glanced at the Mako still rolling around on the ground, screaming and clutching at his bleeding stump. She looked up at Danny, a brow raised inquisitively. "What are we doing with him?"
He glanced back at the man dispassionately. "He's going to bleed out pretty soon if he doesn't get some help." His tone said it didn't much matter to him whether or not the aforementioned aid was rendered.
She was torn - part of her wanted to leave him there. One less Mako to terrorise the neighbourhood, right? However, the other part of her knew that this could quickly become a sort of police brutality situation - another scandal for Dris's beleaguered administration. "Can you take this one, too?" She swung Mr Rebar Man around so that he was facing Danny.
"Sure," he answered, spinning Mr. Rebar back around and grabbing him by the scruff the neck, lifting just enough that his feet barely made contact with the ground.
She looked down at her ruined $1200 silk dress and sighed heavily. "I'm billing you for this," she said to the screaming, bleeding sword wielder, and then tore strips from the hem of it to use as a tourniquet.
He couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at that. "I can just imagine how he'd pay for it..."
She smirked and then hauled the guy to his feet and set off for the Fifth Precinct Watch House. Within an hour, they had their prisoners processed and the wounds treated. The Watchmen gave Riley and Danny standing ovations and all seemed impressed that their boss - who they had all secretly had doubts about - was such a hands-on kind of girl.
"Do I get some kind of badge, now?" he asked, grinning, as they stood inside the Watch House with clapping Watchmen all around them.
She chuckled and then waved to the men and women...and dwarf...before tugging Danny outside. "Do you want one? It'd be official then."
"Er," he said, taken aback. He'd been mostly joking. "I, um..."
She chucked him gently on the ball of his shoulder. "C'mon. I need to change my clothing and eat a horse...or something."