Punch. Punch. Block. Kick. Round kick, backflip, block, punch.
Leila paused and wiped forehead. There was slight dull pain, stabbing in the base of her head and piercing her temples. They were remainders of previous encounter with Elek. He indeed was as strong as he was rumored, truly one of the best. But the distortion chip had worked well.

Although the meeting had not gone according to her plan, Leila was rather pleased with the outcome, not counting the nagging worry that churned in the pit of her stomach. She was trying to work it out of her system now in her personal training room, while she thought the plan over and over. The girl knew she had to be sure of every detail and worry or doubt had no place in her. Long ago, she had been taught that the hard way. Gritting teeth, Leila launched a fierce attack on the dummies.

Too quickly she ran out of breath and a sudden painful coughing fit made her double over. Gasping in air, she suddenly felt a metallic taste in her mouth and her hand colored red. Leila's eyes widened as she realized that she was coughing up blood and, staggering back, she slumped down on the floor. It was second time in two weeks...

"My lady, may I again be so bold and suggest dropping the chemicals?" a soft voice spoke in her ear, but Leila shut her eyes tight, clenching the clean hand.
"No!" she practically shouted. "I can't. They will devour me the moment I become weaker."
"But my lady, you are becoming weaker this way..."
"I know... It just means I have to achieve my goal quickly," the girl replied, wiping her hand and trying to ignore the shaking of her own voice. Leila was not afraid of death, but the thought of not finishing her mission, it scared her. It was all she had left, all she was living for.

Yet even for it, she was unable to end the chemical treatment. If she was addicted to it, or the power it gave, Leila did not know. The hollow, heavy feeling spread trough her, reaching each corner of her soul and she let her thoughts wander down the darkest of paths. The girl wrapped arms around her knees and hid her face, loneliness and darkness slowly creating unbreakable cocoon around her.

The creature kept to itself, keeping eerily silent in the scenery of the ceiling, sewer pipes and other locations that few would bother looking. Eve, on the other hand, didn't do anything to dull her presence. She was strong and held herself at a higher standard than everyone else around her, and even the world. She had an ego, you could say she was cocky, but none of it was undeserved. She had power that was...odd, and perfect for close combat or combat in general. They would need her if they wanted to win whatever it was they were fighting for.

Another female approached her and she glanced over the offered hand. Eve did not make any motion for the hand and also said nothing when complimented. Whatever ego she might have had, she didn't flaunt it with words in every opportunity she was given. There were some thins others didn't need to know.

When the chattering was over, she walked alongside Elek, "We need to have a chat." She walked with him to the privacy of his tent, shutting it up behind herself and turning to face him. "I know you don't have that kind of cash." She wasn't going to waste time in conversation. "Cut the pay to one third your offer. Provide me with a tent, food, water, other essential supplies and keep everyone out of my tent." She pointed at him with determination, "And that last part isn't a request." It was for his own good and the good of his little party because Evan would be staying in the tent, for the most part, and Eve simply did not like her privacy being breached.

Eve, she was intriguing, to say the very least. Elek sometimes relied on his powers too much - although there were times when he had no choice but to do it -, but he was still rather good at understanding people. This girl, she was a loner, the kind who reaches her goal no matter what. But, why had Eve joined them, then? The money or someone had hired her for more? Maybe she had some personal reason, for or against Rebellion? These questions nagged him and Elek sighed mentally.

The man sat down and crossed legs, taking sip from big coffee mug. As Eve spoke, he nodded few times. Elek quirked an eyebrow at her money comment. She really was direct, like knife at throat. He offered her to sit down and eat something, before began to speak.
"Fine. You will receive five hundred dollars every 9th of the month." Elek saw she was not the type to spend lot of time in speaking, and maybe it was good that way. He wasn't exactly the chattery type most of the time either.
"I will make the arrangements for your tent. After you go to base, you will have your own place with two rooms and lock, unless you prefer tent. We have rules, that generally forbid entering living spaces of others without invite. There are people here with... certain conditions."

Elek paused and then gave her a questioning look. "Do you even know what group you've got your self involved in?"
"But we can talk about it later today." He got up, barely avoiding an ungraceful trip and fall, in the small and rather messy space, and went out. About ten minutes later, Elek came back and told Eve that everything was arranged and her things were placed on the edge of outpost, to give her and Evan privacy.

He had also sent a message for Amante, so that the man knew Elek had a small request of him. He was not sure when it would reach him, though, but even later was better than never.

"I'll take the rooms." Hard walls were better than a floppy little tent and they gave a lot more privacy. He came back after a few minutes and gave her the news, which was great. "You can tell me about your group now or you can send me a memo." She was joking, harshly. "I know you're a little group of daisy sniffing hippies who just want everyone to," she put her hands up to use quotation marks, ""get along" and "become true equals"." She dropped the joking persona and returned to her more strict stance, "It's not going to fucking happen. Not peacefully and not without a lot of death, bloodshed and loss." She wanted to go on and explain how they were nothing more than a bunch of children rebelling against their parents, which was true in many ways, but she wasn't going to stop them. "This is your fight and I'm willing to fight for money. So just keep the bills coming and I'll do what needs to be done."

His expression grew cold and firm as Eve spoke. She was right, in some aspects, and in some, she was absolutely wrong. Her words did not hit a very sore spot, because they were something he thought over daily, something Elek was preparing him self and others for. This was no child's game.

"You think I don't know that? You think I, or anyone else here, are so naive to think we will ask them nicely and they will yield? No, no one is," he said, his voice firm, but laced with bitterness.

"But you know what? This ought to happen. Now, or hundred years later. And the more time we give them, the more strong they will become in their positions. I and everyone else here is ready to die, because someone will come in our place. This is not something that can be stopped." This situation could not last for very long, it never did in the history. It was only matter of time.

"And I am not trying to sound inspirational, because you sure don't give a damn about it, but you won't put down our cause, despite how silly or hopeless it seems to you. I will put up with your attitude and pay for it otherwise, but not that." Ever since his teenage days, when he had experienced the difference between two ranks, it was his drive, his goal, to be see the event chain that would change world, launched. Part of Elek knew that an equal world, truly equal, would never come to be, but nearly anything was better than this.

She shook her head and spoke with a quieter tone, not wanting to arrange an argument, "You're an idealist. Ideals never hold up in reality." So she wasn't just being stubborn and offensive, she was actually thinking about the events going on between them.

Eve started for the door and stopped, turning to face him, "Stay out of our heads," She pointed at her forehead with two fingers, and then pointed them at him, "and you'll win your little war." With nothing else to say, she left his tent and decided to walk off the frustration and the energy that was boiling under the skin. It was visible, but only briefly; little bubbles pushing up under her forearms and wiggling along her flesh before condensing into a harder tissue and finally sinking back, her arms appearing normal.

Clocks said that it was nearing midday and outpost was empty, except for few people. Aiolia was one of them, although she really wished to be elsewhere. But orders were orders. The girl approached the slightly distant tent, but did not go too close to it.
"Hey, you two, it's time to get moving," she said loudly, arms crossed across her chest. When Eve appeared, Aiolia told her to get her 'crawler', too, and without waiting, she went ahead. She was not going to bother with politeness, when Eve clearly didn't. Comrades they were now, but it didn't mean they had to be friends.

After about 10 minute walk, they came to bunch of shabby looking electrocycles simply put against the wall. "Get on," Aiolia commanded. Even if Eve tried to start it, nothing happened, besides blinking of the screen, asking to enter "the code", whatever that was. "They have automatically set courses in them to all the bases and outposts. You can travel only if you know the destination's code, tho'," she explained. She had to tell the codes to Eve later, that's the only reason Aiolia bothered with explanation.

"Won't the crawler get on, too?" When the apparent answer was no, Aiolia shrugged and rolled eyes slightly. "Well, then, try to hold on tight." She entered the code, that consisted of 6 numbers, and next moment, Eve's electrocycle whooshed off into the sewers. Aiolia quickly followed after.

Despite the huge (and dangerous) speed the machine was moving at, it took good fifty minutes for them to arrive at the base. Until the very last moment, nothing showed that they were heading to somewhere inhabited. In fact, sewers only got darker and dirtier. However, when the electrocycle came to halt rather unexpectedly, nearly throwing the driver off, there were suddenly men, marching and guarding, what appeared to be a wall.

"Hey Aiolia! A newcomer with you, eh?" someone asked and the girl nodded abruptly. "Elek's coming later," she said and then added: "oh, and if some stranger comes, call me first before attacking." Guard raised eyebrows in surprised expression, but then shrugged.
Aiolia moves past him and opened a panel in the wall, where she entered a code and part of the wall moved aside, revealing a busy scene. It reminded of a medieval market or castle yard, tents, fires, even some people dueling.

Many acknowledged Aiolia, greeted her and she curtly nodded back to most of them, as she led Eve further in. After the field, came something akin to a city, with narrow streets and many buildings of various sizes, built from same material everything was here - gray, strange stone. The girl stopped at a small house and turned to Eve. "This one is yours. Here are the keys." She handed them over, then turned around and left.

Leila stood still within the shadows. Her breathing was slow, but eyes ever watchful of the scene. It was easy to look over from her position on second story. The same small back alley she had helped Elek and his gang out. Her mouth nearly twitched as she remembered how angry he had looked when the man realized she had killed those guys. Such a pansy. It was kill or be killed world. If she left them alive, they would give them trouble later.

"There comes the blind puppy," she thought, noticing him turning around the corner. Leila waited till he has come close enough, then slid down the wall and materialized. As she predicted, Elek turned to her immediately. Even if he could not read her mind, he sensed her keenly. "Such a power, yet he wastes it on hopeless dreams." However, who was she to condemn him? Her own goals were her only fuel.

They talked swiftly for a short while, Elek gave her the rules she was to follow, such as not killing when not necessary (he explained it attracts unwanted attention), not talking with anyone outside Rebellion about it or inviting in, before some higher up has observed and approved of the person. Leila nodded simply to each rule. This was boring.

"Got your things?" Elek asked and again, the girl nodded in answer. "She really doesn't like to speak, as rumored," he thought. In a way, it made things harder, as he could read her tone if she spoke. But he would cope, as he always did. "Then let's go," he turned around, partially feeling uneasy. He had hoped Amante would appear, Elek wanted to have a word with him anyways, and with two escorts, it was less chance Leila would assault him. But, it was as it was and he would cope with it.

Eve was sitting on a cot, eating an apple, when Aiolia came to the outside of the tent. Some growling sounded and Eve motioned at the creature to stop. She stood up and tossed the remains of the apple at the feet of the woman... thing. Evan grumbled at it and swat it away before easing out of the tent after Eve and scuttling along in the shadows.

They came to the bikes and Eve touched it, but nothing happened. Aiolia explained and she gave a subtle nod. Too bad she wasn't a hacker or else she could've controlled the bike. Either way, it wasn't something to complain about. She got onto the bike and shook her head "She'll run." Her feet moved into place and her hands gripped the handles.

The bike shot off, her hair blowing in the wind behind herself. Evan began to sprint after them, a low growl echoing down the concrete and metal tunnels of the sewer system. The creature was not able to keep up full speed with the bikes but she was not easily shaken. Eve had no concern for this and focused on the movement of the bike until it stopped, but she didn't jostle from her seat.

Without a single drop of water on her person, though the bike was drenched, she moved off of it and glanced over her shoulder at the tunnel. Nothing. She'd catch up. Eve moved after Aiolia and watched, listened; observing everything. Eventually, she made her way to the little house and took the keys from the other female, going inside without a word...

It would about another hour or two before growling and scraping could be heard from the tunnel system that led to the base.

A figure wearing a pair of worn jeans, a plain wife beater and a jacket with thick boots was standing just inside the sewer system. He grunted and swat a fly away from his nostrils as he wondered when Elek was going to show up. He'd received the letter not long ago and came around but missed the leader of their rebellion.

He sighed and ran a hand through short, rich brown hair. It was pretty freshly cut and he was missing his ponytail but he didn't complain about it. With thick nails, he scratched at the scruffy hair shadowing his neck. Some of it was on his face as well but it looked a bit better.

Looking up the tunnel toward the entrance, all of his senses recognized Elek and he started toward him, "elek!" He called out, one hand stuffing the letter into his pocket and the other hanging by his side. The new person was with him, a woman, and she had a familiar scent that he couldn't quite place- until he saw her.

He'd never met her before but there were... things that were with her that was similar to other... things he'd come in contact with. Clearing his throat, he put his hand out for her to shake, "Amante."

Elek's face brightened as in his area of effect, something familiar appeared. Although he respected the mind freedom of his comrades and did not read their minds, Elek could recognize most of people by just the feel they brought into the area he always surveyed around him. And he certainly knew this 'aura'. It carried certain wilderness, under a smooth, warmth emanating layer, and felt 'prickly', but in a good, reassuring way.

Leila's eyes narrowed as she saw the change in Elek's face. Her shadow slightly swayed, flickered, and she felt that even her companions felt slight unease out of sudden. The girl's jaw clenched slightly and she was ready to defend. An ambush would not surprise her.

"Elek!" a masculine voice called out and someone appeared in the entrance. Her guide's pace quickened and he replied to the greeting in a friendly manner, adding that he was glad Amante had come. The new man turned his attention to her and Leila felt as if he scanned her, on various levels. She raised her thin eyebrows, face gaining a haughty expression, and looked the man over, from head to toe, then back, and stared in his eyes for a moment, in challenging manner. Then she passed him without a word, flicking strand of long silver hair over her shoulder.

Leila did not like most people, but somehow this guy ticked her off even more than the rest. Maybe it was because he had given such a uneasy feeling with his appearance, or maybe the 'stylish shaggy' appearance that 'I am such a stud' men usually possessed was at fault.

Elek looked at Amante and shrugged in 'I dunno' manner. Since the girl had went ahead a bit, he said: "her name's Leila Ragnarok, maybe you've heard of her. She is rather famous up here." He then, seemingly out of random, tapped his temple with index finger, a sign he usually gave when he was going to use his powers on friends.
Then he quickened the pace and caught up with the assassin, who was now waiting for them. She took position behind Elek, guessing he would probably be guarding her from back. "So careful, yet so foolish," Leila thought with distaste.

"I am sorry, Amante, for barging in, but this is sort of emergency. I will need to have a private word with you, when possible," Elek's voice echoed in Amante's mind, stressing the word private, which meant a mental conversation most likely. He respected that maybe Amante would not want to talk now, for whatever is the reason. Some felt like they needed to prepare before having telepathic conversations with him, although Elek never barged into any other thoughts than the one directed at him, during them.

Aiolia had been rather nervous for the past few hours. Not only she was worried about Elek, but also what would happen when the 'crawler' as she had deemed Evan would come. After the first meeting, she was sure the guards would be no stopper for this monster. And nothing would stop her from getting to Eve.

So, at the first noises in sewers, she hurriedly went to the house given to Eve and banged on the door. "Your buddy is nearly here, come and pick her up. I don't want any causalities," Aiolia called out, mentally cursing. She knew the base people would probably not pay much attention to the whole ordeal until there was bloodshed, but she still didn't like this whole business. At least, this chick didn't want as much money. It was small, but still existing, plus to Eve. However, Aiolia still doubted her reasons.

Hazel eyes blinked when she walked past him without a work and his features twisted, irked that she would simply look him over and deem him unworthy. He knew that look because he'd seen it thousands of times. His hand fell to his side and he turned, following after her with Elek nearby. The conversation was welcoming and he waited before responding.

It was hard, at first, pushing away your thoughts and trying to focus on just talking to someone else in your mind. But years of practice had helped him get to the point where everything else was at least a whisper and what he wanted to be heard would be heard. "Not a problem. Your letter was pretty vague so you should start briefing me. He needed to know if he needed to get on edge and stay there or keep a more relaxed tone.

Her shadow, at this moment, was his main focus. He saw it twitch and wither and he knew what was there, something of what she could do. An image flashed in his mind and it slipped past his "barrier"; a little girl with white skin, long, pure black hair and a matching black dress and shoes. Her eyes were bright red and the image of her vibrated for each moment it was in his mind and then it vanished with a shrill cry that was not human. Amante swallowed and hoped Elek had not seen it, or at least wouldn't ask questions about it. The same figure had appeared in his mind and Elek had the misfortune to experience a few... scenes of... something. Amante had never gone very far indepth about the details.

amante brushed a hand over his forehead and purgede the imagery from his mind and the subject altogether. He needed to focus on the mission.

She was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and... meditating? Totally lost from the world but, at the same time, completed connected in a half-way spirituality moment. The bang came on the door and she cringed, letting out a deep, guttural groan of pain as her skull pulsated and the flesh rose. Hissing in through gritted teeth, her eyebrows knit tightly toward the middle of her face but hardly seemed to move even as they trembled.

The pain subsided and she appeared more normal, choking on a breath and clearing her throat as she stumbled up to her feet. Eve grunted a call and bustled around the room to get ready.

After about a minute or so, she came outside looking a bit tired with a thin sheen of sweat covering her body. Without her jacket and gloves, she moved past Aiolia and headed down to the entrance. The top of her forearm wiped away from sweat from her forehead and she came to a slow stop by the gate. Sighing, she motioned to the men to move and when they gave her flack, she glared, "Get the fuck out of the way!" She was impatient, possibly tired and, to the most perceptive, she was not feeling well.

The newcomer open up her arms and waited.


More growls sounded and the creature hurried until it came out the top of the tunnel and ran up along the wall. It turned it's head and examined the area, nostrils flaring as it sounded and inverted snarl and leapt down, scurrying over to Eve and attaching itself to her body. The creature had the figure of a woman but mostly in the torso and somewhat in the face. Past that, it was more comparable to a demon or a burn victim with some freaky attachments or foot/hand replacements.

It snarled at the guards, clinging to Eve more but also swiping a claw out at them if they came to close or even looked at them for too long. The creature was pure muscle with some "fat" in the required female areas. Despite the obvious mass of the creature, Eve was able to carry her rather easily, despite the winding effect Evan, the creature, had forced her body to do onto Eve.

The darker haired female looked over at the guards and tsked, "Shoot and I'll shove your guns so far up your asses that it will be permanent." With an arched brow raised, she turned away and carried the creature clinging to her body to the assigned housing facility.

His eyes burned her. Leila felt the weight of his gaze, as if it was physical touch. And it irked her even more, that it was not set on her, but the extension of her, her shadow, the thing most never paid any attention. It felt as if she, and all her secrets, were exposed before those watchful hazel eyes. As a creature of darkness, Leila despised to be pulled out in light, to be seen clearly. Just his presence loomed over her like a giant, just as he did when the barely five feet seven inches tall girl was looking Amante in the eye.

Leila's buttons were not that easy to push, but this man, lover boy as her inner voice mocked the meaning of his name, had special talent for it. Especially since she felt like she is missing something that was going on between the two men. Only thing that eased her mind was the darkness that grew deeper as they went further down into the sewers. Here, she was the Queen and no scum, even group of them, could defeat Her. If she wanted she could flick her finger, and they would die a horrible death. Yes, that was a reassuring thought. It even compensated for the dirty water that stained her shoes and the stench.

Elek felt how stiff the girl had become. Although something did not let him reach her mind, her own emotions were hitting against the barrier like caged birds trying to break free. It showed in her pace and posture, even more straight and graceful than before, but it felt rather natural. Something had set her into turmoil, and he could only imagine it was Amante. Had they met before? It felt as if Amante, too, was somehow affected by her presence.

An image slipped into his mind, he recognized it and mentally shivered. But again, he said nothing about it. He respected his comrades and his friends - even more. Elek knew that each of them had past, had secrets they wanted to forget them selves. Why tear up an old scar, maybe even half open wound? So, he focused on how to simply explain the evolving situation.

"In upworld, Leila is the best paid mercenary and assassin. She says she dislikes the meaningless hatred and wants to put an end to it, but I think she only cares for her own personal goals and how much someone pays her. And that's the thing. Someone has hired her to infiltrate into Rebellion and most likely eliminate its leaders. We need to know who it is, who of the Top is aware of us and how much they know." Elek paused, so he could carefully walk around some box.

"Leila has something that block my mindwaves so I can't read her mind or control her - but I will find a way around it, I am sure. For now, we are letting her only to second outpost in this passage, no further." The man let Amante take in all the information and think it over. He knew this sounded like a crazy plan and Elek was slightly anxious how Amante would react.

"But I need someone to keep an eye on her, every now and then at least, see where she is going, if she contacts someone from Surface. If you don't want to or can't do it, it's fine, though," Elek finally added, silence settling in between them, except for a quiet sound that made one think that the air it self was charged with some energy and humming.

Aiolia followed Eve without a word. She took notice of how the other woman looked unwell, but said nothing about it. Aiolia knew she wouldn't want to hear anything about it anyways, most likely. If someone was a strange loner of sorts in their company, then it was Eve. Again, she wondered just what this all was going to end with. Was she truly trustworthy? But, Elek had been in her mind. If he felt they imposed true danger to Rebellion, he would have never done what he did.

As she watched the strange reunion, Aiolia shook head a little. What were these two, what were their relationships? They really seemed like a pet and beloved master that was sometimes tested in power, or a strange pair of siblings, where the youngest was half insane and oldest had strong need to protect the other. When the guards were uneasy and few aimed at the strange monster, in case it attacked them, or the woman it had 'hugged', Aiolia spoke up.

"Anyone shoots or otherwise attacks them, ever, and I will personally slowly kill him. That is, if there will be anything left after they're done with him."
Everyone nearby looked startled at the girl. She did not threaten like this often, but her word was an order, much like Elek's. And her last comment made everyone look at the strange pair one more time. However, used to strange scenes and even stranger people, everyone went back to their own business when Eve and Evan went back to their new home.

"Oh by the way, meals are normally at 7am, 3pm and 8pm, announced with bell. But you can always find someone cooking something in the mean time, too," Aiolia said as she passed them both (but in a safe distance) as she headed to her own business. She and Elek had been gone long enough for some things already go disarray. The girl really wondered how this whole ordeal would last without them sometime.

Amante listened to Elek and soon responded by flaring his nostrils and taking in a deep, deep breath. It didn't come back out, not from his nose, and his lips opened just slightly. He let the breath out and coughed, glancing over at Elek just briefly, "I've got her. He meant her scent. "I can do the job. Just keep me updated if you want something else." Like, maybe, if Elek wanted her killed or thrown out of the sewer system or watched without courtesy to her privacy.