Biocide

When the fate of the world rests on the hands of something created distinctly for destruction, would we survive a chance in Hell that it'd be right? Two bio-weapons, one fate, and both are connected somehow...

*****

Scientist biochemist, Martin Luger, has been working on a way to create an ultimate fighting machine, built like a human, shaped like a human, and even act like a human. The only thing different would be it's fighting ability. Usually things like this don't come into his head but since it seemed totally necessary, he decided to try it out.

The weapons will be used only by military task forces when ready and set free later on if the tests go extremely well. No flaws except that the abilities had to be split up into two categories since the one weapon alone couldn't handle it all. Now that there are two specimens, it may be harder to control them but none of that seems to be too much of a problem.

Luger smiled to himself as he looked at the two test tubes filled with a green liquid and a body each. The only height difference was the huge console the two tubes were set upon. Yes, Luger really has outdone himself this time. No more little experiments. This is what I've dreamed for! Luger thought to himself.

A light tapping sound distracted Luger as he blinks and walks over to the source of the sound and sees a guard standing his post outside, getting bored and tapping his gun against the wall to relieve the boredom. Damn him. That was frightening to think one of the machines had malfunctioned...at least everything's OK for now Luger kept telling himself as he made his way back over to the console and glancing between the two specimens, one a tall black haired fellow and the other a blonde haired guy with it combed back.

Luger chuckled to himself reluctantly, anxious to see the faces of his fellow scientists when they find out he's actually made his life long creations.

And to think, this too me over 34 years to finally find out how to program the subjects and even increase or decrease their abilities with a few buttons! These are going to be the best creations ever!! No one will stop me from it!!

"Professor Luger?" a voice called out behind him, startling him from his thoughts as he turned around to see a man standing in the doorway with a long black leather trench coat and normal business clothes beneath. His eyes were a dark hazel color and by the sound in his voice, something must be wrong.

"Yes?" Luger asked him, wondering what the hell could've gone wrong when everything seemed to go perfect before the experiments and up to now. "What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously, staying his distance away from the man.

The man chuckled under his breath and now Luger could see the short red hair crew cut the man had and stepped forward some as the man spoke again, "No, nothing's wrong. All I wanted to do was to see your specimens and make sure everything was coming along on schedule," he said, keeping his focus fixed upon Luger. Luger smiled and stepped aside, letting the man take his gaze from him to the two green, glowing test tubes.

With light clicking sounds, the man walked toward the two experiments and from that, Luger could tell, the man was wearing some of those fancy ass shoes. He couldn't tell what kind since shoes weren't his thing but he could definitely tell that the man did business.

"Are they ready?" the tall man asked, yet again disturbing Luger but he nodded surely. "Those are the only two as of now. They're in cryo-sleep so I won't wake them until I input the commands, so don't touch jack shit!" Luger said sternly and could the see the man was surprised to see a 45-year- old yelling at him for something he wasn't going to do.

Luger blinked as his stomach rumbled and looked around then set his gaze upon the tall man as he walked forward and started talking, making it fast, "Listen, I'm starving and haven't had anything eat for a while. Can you watch these two while I go and grab a candy bar or something? I'll be right back," and with that, Luger turned and ran out of the room, knowing the man would watch them and hopefully not touch anything.

Making his way down the cold, steely walls, Luger began thinking to himself as he was walking. I wonder what possibilities those two creations are ready for. I know that the one with the black hair had the speed and stamina but so much as the power like the blond one. Too bad I couldn't fix them both with everything. Oh well, I'm starved and where the hell is the cafeteria again!? Luger stopped and sighed trying to remember where the lunch room was and almost screamed from being frightened by the alarms going off as red light filled the halls and swirled around just as another did from the lights above.

A voice came on the intercom and immediately he could tell it was the computer and listened to it as much as he hated to, knowing it might be some lab explosion, nothing important. "Concealment broken in Lab 78. All personnel please report to the nearest evacuation facility until the problem is handled."

The message from the intercom struck Luger like a knife in the heart as he remembered that HIS lab was Lab 78! As he turned around, he quickly began to run as fast as he could, thinking he might not get there in time to stop the guards from entering the lab.

Running back to his lab wasn't much too hard since Luger memorized his way there from the entrance everyday since he started working. As he made it to the entrance of his lab, he already knew it was too late; the military guards were already looking around in the lab and two at the door, holding everyone off.

"Get out of my way!" Luger yelled and tried to push his way through the two guards but apparently they were too strong and forced him back. A third guard came from the inside of the lab and looked at Luger then his nametag. "Professor Luger, come here a moment...," the guard said and turned around, moving slowly into the lab. Luger followed.

Just as Luger stepped into the lab, he felt his heart skip a beat as he saw shards of glass broken among the floor with chemical water spilt all over the main console and floor then saw the broken test tube. Not far from the tube was that man laying on the ground with his head twisted into an awkward position with his trench coat missing and droplets of water leading everywhere around the lab...HIS lab!

As he stared in awe at the tube and water, he grabbed the guard who let him in and shook him sternly while yelling. "What the hell just happened in here!?" he asked and not bothering to keep the aggravation down in his voice. The guard shook his head and pointed to the dead body, "We don't know but if he was alive, he would know." Luger pushed the guard away, hoping to God that wasn't a joke. "Listen up, all of you!" Luger yelled, "I want my specimen found and captured! No guns unless he poses a severe threat. GO!!!" and grinned some as he watched every single guard go running out into the halls, thinking this should be pretty easy to find his experiment even though he never finished with the programming.

Luger sighed and looked at the remaining bio-weapon, still sealed in it's deep sleep until he wishes to let it wake. "Seems I still have you though...," Luger said, to nobody in particular. He smiled and looked over the specimen's body, from his blonde hair down to his feet, thinking that the loss of one won't be so bad...besides, he could always have this one search for it.

*****

Rick yawned as he ran boredly down the big halls in the huge lab, not knowing what the hell he was looking for but at least it gave him something to do for now. A standard issue M-16 sure as hell isn't much to fight off a lab experiment if it was some monster thing.

Damn, I gotta stop playing those Resident Evil games in my spare time. They're giving me the creeps now and it makes me wish I never took this job!

Not far ahead of him was John, running like he had to take one helluva shit. Rick chuckled to himself at the thought and sighed as he glanced around the walls and vents. In a split second, Rick stopped and walked back some, hearing John stop also and turning around. The vents...why didn't he ever think of it before!?

"John!" Rick shouted and watched him out of the corner of his eye and gave him the directions as fast as he could, "I need you to get the floor plans for this place and have all teams search the vents. If this thing is in there, we can trap him most likely!" With a quick nod, John turned around and took off, leaving Rick behind to guard that one vent, dripping some of that damn chemical fluid from the tank.

*****

Luger felt like he'd been pacing back and forth forever and when it's only been six minutes since he sent out the guards. As he walked back to the other specimen he looked at it closely and made sure that his hands were far away enough from the release button. He tried as hard as he could to keep his mind off of the button, now that he's completed the programming as fast as he could.

I could take it out for a test run but then what would everyone think if I did that? The hell with it!

A quick slam with the palm of his left hand and he stepped back, watching the capsule contentedly. He grinned to himself at what he had accomplished yet again and watched the fluids drain through the bottom of the tube, gently easing the body the to the ground.

The human-like form opened its eyes immediately and waited patiently as the glass cylinder encasing it, lowered down. The specimen walked out and onto the console then dropped itself to the floor level, examining its new surroundings. Luger grinned and stepped forward, handing the specimen a towel and some clothing, "Dry yourself off and get dressed. I'm your creator, Professor Martin Luger, you shall be called...Faulks. You like that?" Luger asked, wondering if he put the commands in straight.

With a nod, the specimen turned and walked out with the towel over his shoulder and his clothes in his arms. Luger grinned and laughed to himself silently, knowing that this is the best thing that has happened to him ever. Now, no one can tell me how to perfect my work! I've done what they couldn't and they won't be able to do! Now to find that other specimen before it's too late!

Luger caught himself about to leave and remembered he had his other weapon walking around out there to the bathroom or someplace to change. Slowly he breathed in and exhaled, letting his adrenaline pass by as he waited for the other.

*****

"DAMMIT!!! Get the hell over here NOW John!" Rick yelled, hoping he returned with the map. Luckily John wasn't as incompetent as he looked; he retrieved the map plus a few gas grenades to flush the thing out. Rick smiled and held out his hands, waiting for the map to be in his grasp and maybe a couple of gas grenades.

John quickly tossed him two grenades and threw the map at him then ran past Rick and turned a corner. Rick blinked and shrugged to himself as he unfolded the map quickly and studied it as best as he could then practically ripped the vent off the wall as he climbed inside and turned on his flashlight. "Should be somewhere around here...," he said, to nobody in particular and headed down the narrow shaft, keeping a sharp ear out for anything he won't see in front of him.

Just as soon as he let his guard down a few dull and hollow thumps were heard, echoing throughout the whole ventilation shaft and reaching him within a few seconds. This is NOT good! Where did it come from!?

Reaching for one of the grenades he already strapped to his vest, Rick felt his heart stop instantly once he saw a dark figure run across the intersection of four vents right in front of him. For a moment, he just sat there, scared of what to do. Either he could turn back now and be classified as a wimp for the rest of his military life or go in and find out what that thing or person was and probably die in the process.

Rick sighed and took a deep breath then practically leaped ahead and trained his gun at the empty, straight, cold air duct. What in the nine hells...? Before he could spot it, a shadow moved across the side of the duct and very swiftly, right at him! In hesitation, Rick grabbed one of his grenades and pulled the pin, dropping it right below him as he struggled with his gas mask quickly. The thing didn't seem to be affected by the gas at all for some odd reason. All the more reason I should blow it to hell with whatever else I have!

A swift pull and the assault rifle jolted in his hands, aimed directly at the target, each shot echoing through out the vents like a mad rush of water. It didn't stop. The shadow crept closer and stopped about two feet away from Rick, enough for him to tell it looked like a guy in a trench coat who'd just been standing in the rain all day. The man's black hair was parted in the middle and dripping wet from the tips of his bangs.

Rick pushed the M16 into the man's chest and waited. "Who are you?" he asked, not bothering to keep the anger out of his voice though muffled by the gas mask. He waited and the man didn't seem to budge, didn't seem to blink and again he asked. "Who are you, dammit!?" this time he seemed more frightened than angry and felt as if there was no other option and gently squeezed the trigger.

A brilliant repetition of flashes came from the muzzle of the gun and almost at point blank, hitting his target, dead center. He quickly let the trigger go once he saw the figure of the guy stumble back and make a hollow thud on the cold metal shaft.

A moment or two passed and Rick stayed silently where he was as he kept his eye on the body. "HEEEEEY!!! You get him!?" a voice echoed from one end of the vent. Rick grinned and pulled the mask off of his face then turned back towards the voice replying, "Yea! Come on in! Let's drag him back!" At the sound of his last words following through the metal tunnel and back at him, he heard a light tapping and jerked around with the end of his gun pointed at the same guy, up and doing a running crawl through the vents.

"SHIT!!! This guy's invincible!!" Rick screamed and opened fire but only heard the pings of the bullets bouncing off the metal or puncturing into it and stopped. As he began to make his way toward the next tunnel he looked down and blinked. Silence came and then Rick reached down and picked up one of the bullets that had hit the guy.

The whole thing was crunched together and apparently seemed to do nothing against that damn experiment that Luger created. Great...I come here to get a lousy six bucks per hour and end up chasing some alien or monster or something...this just sucks!

*****

"Hmmm...seems you're missing something," Luger said as he looked over Faulks. Circling around his specimen, he studied the breathing and checked to see if he was smarter than he thought by putting the pants on frontwards. "I got it!" he shouted and snatched his old combat knife from a shelf then handed it to his experiment.

"You know your objectives?" Luger asked as he watched Faulks strap the sheath to his left upper leg. Faulks nodded and swiped some fingers through the side of his blonde hair and turned around as he headed off.

This is great! My experiment is a lot more capable than what had anticipated! Now, everyone will know the name, Luger! See what college CAN'T do for ya!?

Luger chuckled to himself and walked over to the door and leaned against the frame. If he needed an excuse to get out of this alive, he could make one up. Nobody would be smart enough to know his specimens looked like humans and did everything a normal person would do. No one will stand in my way no matter what...I'll be damned if they can take this to court!

*****

Running. That's all I need to do is keep running. Why am I here? Why was in that...tube? Nevermind, I can find a better time and place to think about this. Just keep running!

*****

Find the "other" and dispose of him immediately. My orders are my life...I guess. Like it matters though, I can take this whole place under my control in a matter of seconds! All I need to do is play dumb until the perfect time...then I'll get him...Luger...

*****

Stumbling out of the vent, Rick sighed heavily and looked around. Apparently no one was around and if so, he'd most likely heard gunshots unless that...guy or thing confused him in the vents somewhere. Nah...I probably still am on his track...unfortunately...

Rick listened carefully, not moving or breathing for a while and finally let out an outward sigh. Nobody around and not one pin drop of a sound. Rick didn't like it. "It's never been THIS quiet...there's usually something making noise in this damn base...," he whispered to himself then felt his heart stop, mid-beat as heard a clang or something in the distance...like someone was throwing large metal poles or something of that sort around.

Slowly, he crept towards the sounds, noticing them getting a little more frustrating and harder hitting. He backed against a wall and slowly peeked around the corner as he saw the same guy, his target, punching his fists into the wall and ripping a huge hole.

He seemed to be getting extremely close to the wall outside, and if he could rip metal that easily, those concrete walls won't last one minute. Rick leaped out from behind the wall and aimed his gun at the creature. "FREEZE! Stop right there or else!" he shouted and noticed he scared the guy and smiled to himself at that.

The guy stood straight up and looked him right in the eye then turned his head toward the hole and leaped through, breaking his way out with one little leap and rolling among the wet grass outside. "SHIT! This can't be happening!"

Rick climbed through the hole as fast as he could and kept his eyes trained on the target as he went through. Seemed that this guy could take more of a pounding than anyone he's known or seen...or even imagine for that matter, he was up and running towards the fence barricade but Rick wasted no time trying to keep up with him. That fence wouldn't last and he'd be the one to get fired or demoted or something.

Pulling up his rifle he aimed as steadily as he could while running and fired. All misses, he could see the guy didn't even care about the bullets either. Stopping mid-ways to the fence he pulled the rifle up and waited till the guy or creature made it to the fence then watched him stop and pulled the trigger.

Hearing nothing but a click, Rick's eyes widened and quickly he reached back and grabbed a spare clip as he yanked out the depleted one then replaced it and clocked the gun in less than two seconds and when he had his gun raised he saw that the guy was gone and a hole, just big enough for someone to dive through, was as plain as day in the middle of the fence.

*****

"So when will we be eating?" asked Jake, sitting right across the table from his friend in black. The black haired man grinned and leaned forward slightly, "In just a little bit. We ordered about five minutes ago...," he said and leaned back in his chair. "Oh..," Joe said and drew in a deep breath then exhaled.

The restaurant was big and smelled full of seafood. The people were dining and the kids were shouting but most of all, there wasn't one table empty. "So you like Red Lobster?" Joe's friend asked.

"Uh...yea. Is there something wrong?" Joe hesitated and looked around slightly. His friend laughed and shook his head, "No, no...I was just curious. I like to ask a lot of questions," he replied. Joe nodded and looked around for their waiter wondering where their food is. "Just to pass time, where are you from?" Joe asked.

His friend stood up and blinked for a second, "Um..uh...I gotta go use the restroom!" he said and jogged back into the lobby. "Did he just not want to answer it?" Joe quietly asked himself.

*****

Ten days and still no sign of him...where could he be? I thought I had a good keen sense of where he was.

Boots clacked hollowly behind Faulks as he walked around the base. The damage that was done has been repaired. If that happens again, they might be in debt, this place cost a fortune. "Any sign today, men?" Faulks asked the armed guards behind him. "No such luck yet, sir. We may find him in another week or so though," Rick replied and looked behind him.

"Next week?" Faulks asked, "Yessir." Faulks stopped and curled his lips, "I don't have till next week!" he screamed and grabbed Rick by the collar of his vest. "Do you understand me!?" he snarled. Rick swallowed hard and nodded quickly, "Yes sir! We'll do our best sir!" he replied.

"Hmph!" Faulks said and with one flick of the wrist, sent Rick into the wall. Rick coughed slightly and managed to stand up then regain his balance. "O-OK sir...we'll get on it right away...," Rick wheezed and stumbled off.

He managed to hold onto his gun with that push...maybe I can get a little more rough around here...

*****

"You OK, man?" Joe asked as he saw his friend hunched over the sink and washing his face repeatedly. "Yea...I'm fine, just had to go real bad and uh...well, let's go see if our food's there now, shall we?" he asked and walked past Joe as if nothing had happened.

Something's wrong with his past or something if he keeps dodging questions like that...I'm gonna find out!

Joe followed him back to the booth and sat down across from him then stared at his friend very intently, "So...where...are you from? Don't try to escape this one!" he scowled and narrowed his eyes.

His friend smirked and leaned forward slightly. "I'm from...Dallas...Dallas, Texas," he answered and grinned even more. "You're lying," Joe said and sighed slightly, "If you don't want to tell me then just say so." His friend leaned back in his chair and blinked some, "Well do you really want to know?" he asked Joe. Joe nodded and suddenly looked interested in anything that came out of his friend's mouth.

"Hmm...very well, but if you do believe me then don't tell a soul," he requested and continued, "I'm from...a la-" he stops as the waitress comes by with their food and setting it down on the table then smiling kindly and walking off to help any other customers.

"Nevermind...on second thought it's not any of my business, sorry," Joe apologized and his friend nodded in agreement.

*****

"Sir!" John shouted to Faulks as he stood stiff and saluted to him. "What is it?" Faulks asked and glared at the man. "Um...well, we think we know where your target is, sir!" he said and tightened up his whole body, afraid to be hit or something for interrupting the Captain's time.

Faulks stayed silent and blinked then grinned slightly to himself, "Where is he?" he asked slowly. "He's in this city's vicinity, sir! We tracked him by the only feedback on the satellite that came back or responded to the signals."

"Heh...do you know the exact location?" Faulks asked. "Yessir! It appears he's in a restaurant...Red Lobster to be exact." "Trying to blend in with the others, hm? It won't help him when I get there...," Faulks said and laughed silently to himself as he walked back to his desk to grab his M-16 Assault Rifle.

*****

"So who's gonna pay for the bill?" Joe asked jokingly. "I will if you want," his friend replied. A moment of silence passed by then Joe shrugged and stood up, dusting off crumbs and such from his pants that he missed.

His friend put down a tip for the waitress and stood up as well, grabbing his trench coat. "By the way...I don't think I can recall your name. Do you have one?" Joe asked. "Yea...I do," his friend said and looked him straight in the eye then slowly opened his mouth and pronounced his name for him in one syllable, "...Klien..."

"Oh...OK, Klien, do you want to out and rent a few horror movies?" Joe asked. Klien shook his head, his black bangs waving back and forth with him, "No thanks, I got some work to do."

"Yes, a seat for one," a man with blonde hair said as Klien and Joe walked back to the entrance and smiled towards the two. He was dressed in night camouflage pants tucked into black boots just like Klien had along with a black vest and a white T-shirt underneath and some black military gloves. "I guess he's with the military, ne?" Klien joked to Joe and snickered slightly then turned and opened the door.

Klien blinked as he heard a click when the door opened about half way then felt as if time slowed down when he looked toward the top hinge and saw a black box strapped right next to it. The door triggered the detonation sequence and wasn't counting down. Klien grabbed his friend by the shoulder quickly and pushed him back as the bomb exploded into a fury of fire and wooden shards flying over a distance of half the restaurant harming almost everyone in there, especially Joe.

The blonde haired man turned around and looked at the fiery wreckage that remained with thick black smoke and debris everywhere. "That was uncalled for...," a voice said, coming from the damaged site as a dark figure stepped out and into view, nothing harmed on him but his shirt and trench coat. "The name's Klien...what's yours?" he asked and narrowed his eyes.

"Faulks...You're the one!" the blonde man yelled, pointing towards him. "You're the one I've been searching for! My name's Faulks, I hope you remember what you did a while back...in the lab...," he sneered.

Klien blinked and growled slightly as past images went through his mind and clenched his fists tightly. "When did you start looking for me!?" he yelled. Faulks laughed in amusement and rested a hand on his hip then looked Klien over. "Hmm...yes, you seem to look like a formidable opponent." Faulks said, completely ignoring Klien's question.

"Answer me!" Klien yelled and brought up one of his fists as a threat. Faulks stood silently and smirked at him then slowly moved himself into a fighting stance. Klien curled his lips and brought his left arm back slowly, "WHEN!?" he screamed and leaped forward, bringing his arm straight out as fast as he could jump and felt him connect to Faulks' jaw with a sickening crack.

Faulks stumbled slightly to the side and turned his head towards Klien, "It doesn't matter now!" he answered and retaliated with his own fist into Klien's face sending him back a few feet and hitting the wall. "That does it!" Klien screamed and reached back behind his legs as he unholstered two Glock 30's and cocked the hammer back on both as he aimed them at Faulks before his trench coat had a chance to sway once.

"Guns? Those won't do anything to me!" Faulks said and stood up straighter. Klien remained silent and scanned Faulks' body for a weak point of any kind but none such luck prevailed so he aimed the most obvious weak point, the eyes. A few quick pulls of the triggers sent four bullets at lightning speed toward Faulks' unprotected eyes and also jolting the guns back in Klien's hands, it's been a while since he last used one.

In surprise, Faulks' eyes widened, making for a slightly bigger target for the bullets and yelled as his head jolted back from the force of the bullets being only five to six feet away from firing. Klien grinned and complemented himself inwardly as he lowered the guns slightly and watched Faulks clutch his face then slowly halt and stand still.

Four metal studs fell to the floor, soundlessly from the burnt and charred carpet. Faulks laughed slowly as he lowered his hand and opened both his eyes, both of them looking the same as before. "...Shit...," Klien said under his breath and reaimed the pistols quickly as he fired a few more rounds into Faulks' chest and shoulders wildly.

Like they were nothing, Faulks ignored the bullets as they fell to the ground and Klien quickly stopped then looked back to the crowd of people that were trying to help the injured. Klien quickly reloaded and cocked the guns again but stopped and waited. Faulks snickered and dusted himself off then blinked as he noticed a slight bruise. "Damn...you hit that spot too many times!" he yelled and gabbed Klien by the collar of his coat and threw him to the side.

Klien tumbled to the left of Faulks and hit a hard wooden bench but barely noticed until he saw it. "It seems that you don't know exactly who I am...allow me to tell you...the next time we meet!" Faulks said and quickly turned around and ran out of the still burning doorway. Klien raced after him then stopped dead in his tracks a he saw Faulks tipping over cars with ease.

"I thought you were leaving...," Klien said with a low scowl. "I am...just as soon as I tip over one more car...," said Faulks and grabbed the back bumper of the nearest car and flipped it. "How will I know where you are?" Klien asked and felt sick at his stomach for some odd reason. "Trust me...you'll know," Faulks said and ran off at speedy pace.

He's almost as fast as I am...but not fast enough. I can catch up to him next time...if he's telling the truth. I know I'll find him, it won't be long.

Klien sighed turned around to help attend to the injured from the bomb incident. As he walked back in he saw Joe laying still. Reaching down, Klien put his index and middle fingers to Joe's neck and sighed inwardly. I won't let this happen again...I can't let it happen...

*****

"Again, I'm going to ask you, what were you doing snooping around outside!?" asked Luger. He didn't seem to care that everyone was watching him, he just wanted to know what she was doing out there.

"Nothing...just looking. Listen if you don't want me back here then I think you should let me go!" yelled Nina. "I only felt like what was going on here was wrong, so sue me! Now let me get the hell out!" she screamed, feeling her temper begin to go. Her blonde hair was tied into a ponytail except for a few bangs that went down in front of her face and her green camouflage jeans were kind of wearing at the knees.

"I know you came here to get some proof of something!" Luger said and threw his lab card on the floor. His face was red and it seemed that his glasses were annoying him also. Nina sighed silently and looked around, from one guard to the other and back to Luger. She was surprised no one had tied her up in a chair or anything of that sort.

"So did something escape?" she asked, dusting off her black tank top. "Gee...you think?" Luger teased himself. This wasn't going to be easy to get out of here. Nina looked around for some kind of weapon but none such luck. "Well then...what's the reward if I catch it?" she asked and blinked as she saw Luger's face light up. "Ooohhh! You want to catch it for a reward!?" he asked. "Um...yea...if that's ok with you," Nina replied.

"It's fine by me! The only way to track him though is by a certain chemical in his blood-" Luger stopped as he saw her face. "You mean that's not an "it" but a "he"? As in a human!?" she exclaimed. "Yes, well...long story...I'll explain only if you promise to stalk the predator that's hiding and destroy him!" Luger cheered and hit his fist upon the nearest shelf.

"...Fine...but remember, my tactics may be a little different from yours," she told him and saw Luger nodding his head and leaning down to pick up his card.

*****

I wonder where he is now...he could be long gone and I may not know of his whereabouts. He did say I would meet him and I would know when also though...is he just playing mind games or did he really mean it?

Klien stretched his arms out and yawned slightly. It's been ten hours since he had his encounter with Faulks, but it seemed longer. The sky was dark and full of stars to gaze at. He slumped down against a support beam in the old abandoned attic he found. Slowly and casually he began unholstering his only four guns he had, two Glocks and two Berettas, not much to use against Faulks now, he thought.

He began taking the guns apart to clean them, starting with the stock first. A cool breeze went by as he grabbed the use to be white rag from his back pocket.

During the middle of his cleaning a light thud made him stop. He looked around and then slowly went back to working on his guns. Again, the noise was made, but this time closer. He pushed himself up, off the floor and looked around, not sure of what to see. It was dark but not dark enough for him spot someone leaning against a wall.

Klien walked over towards the person and squinted his eyes a purple light flashed on. The bar of light being held by a girl, about 20 to 30 years old. She seemed to be pretty happy about something too.

"I found you!" she yelled in joy and grabbed Klien's arm. "What are you talking about?" Klien asked and stayed motionless in the same spot as she tried to drag him off. "You're the one that escaped form the lab!" she said. A moment of silence passed and Klien jerked his arm from her, causing her to stagger on one foot for a minute.

As he brushed his sleeve off he noticed his hands or rather veins, glowing or giving off a light tint. He looked back at her and narrowed his eyes, "What do you want with me?" he asked. "Easy, I get a reward of over one million dollars if I kill you or bring you back to them!" she answered and slowly reached for her knife, tucked in its sheath and hooked to her belt.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm not going back there...ever." The girl stared at him for a second or two then leaped forward, dropping the light and aiming a knife right at his neck. Klien leaned back as he saw the knife pass right over his face then waited until he was nearly touching the ground and put his hands back behind him as he pushed himself backwards doing a complete backflip and landing about five or six feet from the mystery woman.

"You're fast but still slow...," said Klien, "What's your name?" She lunged at him again, holding the knife backwards and slicing nothing but the air around him as he dodged. "Nina! And yours!?" Klien smirked and grabbed the blade between his index and middle fingers then twisted slightly but fast enough to snap the blade in two. "...Klien."

"Dammit! That was my good one too!" Nina screamed and threw all of her might into one fist as she punched Klien right in between the eyes. He didn't budge. She blinked and gritted her teeth as she held onto her hand, rubbing it extensively.

Klien went back to his post and grabbed his dirty cleaning cloth then handed it to Nina, "If it hurts wrap it up...may not be much but it's all I got for now." Gently and cautiously she took it then slowly wrapped up her hand. "How are you that strong?" she asked then looked at the floor, "Sorry...forgot." Klien blinked and looked at her, "First you want to kill me and now you're sorry about something you said to me?" he asked.

She nodded and looked at him, "It's one of those spur of the moment emotions...ya know? Er..I mean uh...damn...sorry again," she said. Klien just nodded, not really knowing about these "emotions" she was talking of but didn't seem to think it would matter right now. He looked around and then back at Nina feeling like he should tell her about Faulks but figured it would be useless and walked back to put his guns together.

*****

"He got away!?" Luger yelled and threw his lab papers on the desk, "How the hell did he just 'get away'!?" Faulks stood in front of the door way and watched Luger closely. "Easy...he just did," replied Faulks and slowly walked towards Luger.

Luger took a few deep breaths and rubbed his neck. "Hopefully that Nina person will do a better job than a stupid creation!" he mumbled. Faulks clenched his fists tightly, popping his knuckles at almost the same time. "I think I will run into him again...I'll arrange for it if I have to."

"What the hell do you know about arranging things!? You're an experiment...you can't even feel emotions like I am right this instant!" Luger screamed and threw his hands up in the air then slowly put them on sides of his head. Faulks watched calmly and put his hand on Luger's shoulder, "I'll need some marines and lots of research for some high velocity bullets. Think you can arrange for that?" he asked. Luger nodded, "Yes, but we'll need to wait till tomorrow...I need some rest." Faulks nodded and grinned slightly as he watched Professor Luger walk off into the cold hallway.

*****

Nina stretched her arms out slightly as she woke to the sunlight greeting her face. She looked over at Klien who was leaning against his support beam. She knew the attic was old for the wood was wearing and splintering from ages ago and the many holes, not including the huge one, in the roof.

Slowly she walked over to Klien who seemed to fall asleep staring out the roof. His head was slanted back and the sun was shining on his face but not quite bright enough yet. Klien must've put his guns back together before going to sleep.

How can an experiment live just like a human though? Why would Luger want to make something that we can do ourselves? Is it because of the increased strength and fast mobility? ...I guess it doesn't really matter...he must BE human if he breathes and thinks for himself. I'll let him go...but I won't return to that facility either...

Nina gasped slightly as Klien opened his eyes and looked at her, catching her in mid-thought. He stood up and stretched slightly then looked back at her again.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Nina shook her head and remained silent then stood in front of Klien. "Um...did you pick out your own name? I just wanted to know is all," she said and took a slow step backwards. Klien blinked then nodded, "Yea, is something upsetting you about it? You seem...," he paused, searching for a word, "...scared..." Nina took a deep breath and shook her head, "No...I just don't feel like turning you in now...I can't trade a human life for some cash, it's just not right."

Klien turned around and stood near the hole in the roof. "Does that mean you're gonna go back and tell them you couldn't do it or that you lost me?" She paused for a second and answered him, "Neither...I'll join you. Something seems to be bothering you and I won't stop following you around until you tell me."

A few minutes passed and Klien turned back around, looking deep into her eyes, "Do you really want to know?" he asks, in a voice so low it sounded like a grumble. She swallowed then nodded, feeling her heart beat faster. Klien straightened himself up and began.

"Well if you must, there isn't just me. There's another, Faulks, he calls himself. I only escaped from that lab because I knew what was going to happen. I was awake in the tank, he seemed to think I was in a cryo-sleep or something. This Faulks is the real threat. I think he may be causing more damage than I could. His strength is over mine but I have speed on my side."

Nina nodded as he continued.

"Luger thought that making some military weapons that acted like people would be good. Apparently not. I can think on my own and that was his flaw...he designed us TOO MUCH like humans. So I think Faulks might be thinking on his own too. He might try and be the 'superior one' as many say. I don't like the way it sounds though..."

Klien sighed and looked out the hole once more, seeing it was about eight or nine in the morning right now. He turned back to Nina, "Where do you like to eat breakfast?"

*****

"It's almost time," said Faulks, as he watched his small team suit up. The High velocity bullets, HV bullets as you will, seem to be enough to at least penetrate the skin of himself but still not strong enough. Faulks loaded himself up with an M-16 and a silver .45 Long Colt revolver in a holster right next to his left arm, almost under it.

As he makes his way to the docking bay, he notices parachutes in the plane he planed on taking. A carrier plane with parachutes? Faulks slowly starts unpacking each 'chute then throwing them out of the plane. If his men were in need of a parachute when crashing or anything, they weren't his men.

*****

Klien and Nina had walked from the old torn down house all the way uptown and decided to go into the nearest restaurant. They always have breakfast in a restaurant in the mornings. Things were pretty calm outside and tall buildings shadowed over everything like a huge wall.

How can I be able to find Faulks in a place like this? It's too big and I doubt I can sense him unless something has to happen...I guess I should wait until something DOES happen...

Nina had already made a table for the both of them and seemed quite happy to be around Klien. He just nodded to her and figured it was a thing about humans that made them feel so "happy" at certain times and not.

He sat down after she did and made sure she was right across from him so she wouldn't try anything funny in case she thinks she actually can bring him back to that place. Klien picked up the menu and opened it to the first page, of course, breakfast was on it.

"What are you gonna get?" Nina asked him, leaning forward and trying to peek over Klien's menu. "I don't know...what's good?" he asked her. Nina scratched her head then looked at him, "Um...Breakfast Special? It's Pancakes, sausages, biscuits, and uh...eggs I guess." Klien nodded and waited for a waitress.

*****

Faulks was getting tired of waiting up on his men trying to get ready. He had done it in under two minutes, dressed and all. It seemed not everyone worked at a fast pace. "Hurry up! You only have ten minutes until we take off!" Faulks yelled over the intercom.

It was about 9:40 and they started getting ready at 9 today. It seemed to feel longer than what it was already. Faulks buttoned up his black military vest and dusted off his white and black camouflage jeans. There was nothing much to do about them getting ready any faster.

It was just yesterday when I found him...now I know that I WILL let him know where I am...just a little but longer...

Faulks snatched up the intercom microphone again, "HURRY UP OR YOU'RE GETTING DEMOTED!!!"

*****

9:45 and still no waiter or waitress. Klien was beginning to think they fell asleep when he saw one go by. "Excuse me. Miss?" he asked. The waitress turned around and smiled politely at Klien, "What will you be having today, sir?" Her voice awfully cheery.

Klien looked back at his menu and then back to Nina. "I think she should go first," he said and saw the waitress turn her attention all towards Nina, "Wouldn't you?" he asked. Nina blushed some and nodded slowly.

"I think I'll have the Breakfast Special...and um...orange juice to drink," Nina told her. "OK...and for you?" the waitress asked, already waiting on Klien, with her white apron facing directly at him and her red hair glowing slightly in the light. "I'll have the same," Klien said and handed the menu to the waitress as she took it then took Nina's once she was done writing in her little notepad.

Klien waited until he saw the waitress out of sight and looked at Nina, "Faulks is going to come sometime...I don't know if it'll be today or tomorrow or the next but he will come again. He's only looking for me," he told her. Nina's eyes seemed to grow bigger, "He's coming for you!? And you're not going after him!?" she exclaimed. Klien shook his head and realized the trench coat and all he was wearing wasn't too much appropriate for this restaurant, especially Nina's tank top.

"I think you should go and get a jacket or something," Klien said and watched Nina look at herself then around the restaurant. She nodded and quickly stood up as she went off to the nearest store yelling, "Save my spot!" behind her.

*****

Faulks grinned as he saw everybody charge in as fast as they could. The plane was already running and it seemed to be about three to five minutes before he would've left. The HV bullets were a little too simple to make but still required some help.

"All right, men. We move out in five minutes, which is at 10:00 hours!" Faulks yelled over the roaring engine. Everyone nodded and sat down in the cargo hold where, luckily, benches were placed along the sides. Not too often are there any. "Our target looks human but is completely different! Our mission is destroy him!" Faulks continued.

Apparently not everyone agreed but most did anyways. The revolver shined brightly almost as Faulks turned around and watched the bay door lift up and close in front of him, locking them all inside. He turned back around and smiled to himself as he made his way past everyone to the other end of the cargo hold then leaned against the wall as he felt the plane start to lift off.

*****

Klien waited patiently for Nina and watched as the waitress hurried out of the kitchen with their breakfast. She set down Nina's plate first then his and leaned down to him slightly, "Will there be anything else I can get you?" she asked, smiling nicely. "Um...no, I'm all right Miss...," Klien looked down at her name tag and then back up at her, "Miss Michelle." She giggled and patted his shoulder, "You can just call me Michelle," she said and walked off to another table.

"I'm back!" Nina called to Klien and sat down in a new, dull black jacket. Klien nodded and began to eat slowly. "Something wrong?" Nina asked and began to eat while watching Klien. Klien shook his head and continued. It was about 9:56 right now. Nina rubbed her eyes some and yanked off the price tag from her jacket then leaned back in her chair and looked around.

"Nice day, isn't it?" she asked, noticing Klien has about finished up his breakfast already. Klien nods and finally looks up at Nina. "We need to eat fast, so hurry" Klien said and quickly chowed the rest of his bacon down.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked and leaned across the table towards Klien. He shook his head and wiped his mouth with the napkin next to him. Nina blinked and shrugged as she continued to eat her breakfast. "Nothing's wrong, I just need to find a place that has some better ammo...," Klien said leaning back in his chair. Nina nodded and began to eat a little faster. "I need to be ready for whenever Faulks comes back...I don't know when he will but-" Klien stops as he hears the roar of some airplane fly above.

*****

Faulks grinned as he saw the nearest building to jump onto. The cargo hatch was open and wind was blowing everywhere making his troops cover their eyes almost fully. He looked down and held his arm back to his crew, palm out. This wasn't going to be hard but it might for his men. At the last second he signaled them to follow him as he leaped off the plane and landed on top of a roof in a squatting position then easily straightened himself out.

One by one each man jumped onto surround buildings and landed in a roll. Rick was the only one who seemed to land on the same building as he did. Faulks walked over to Rick and smiled at him or a second or two then looked around at his other men. "I want you to rappel down this building and comm. everyone in and tell them to do the same...take no prisoners..."

*****

"That plane was awfully low...and by the sound, I could've sworn it was a carrier or cargo plane," Nina said as she looked around the tall buildings to find out where the plane had went. Klien looked around at the buildings to see if maybe it had grazed or collided into something along the way.

"Let's go back in...my breakfast is getting cold and I don't think that waitress would like it if we left without paying," Nina suggested and turned around as she headed inside. It was pretty quiet now, since the plane flew over. Klien looked around once more and turned back inside. Nina had already sat down at the table and started to finish up her breakfast. A slow and steady gentle air was being created by the ceiling fans above, even though it was pretty cold out at times.

Klien dusted off his coat for no reason in particular then began to walk back to the table but stopped immediately as he heard glass break and shatter across the floor. He turned around feeling time seem to slow down again for the second time since he's left the lab and saw an old fashioned pineapple grenade twirling through the air without it's pin and heading straight for the middle of the room. Glass and debris were flying in a haze after the grenade, as it seemed to start to fall towards the ground.

A different kind of feeling fell over Klien as he watched the grenade and turned around to see Nina trying to get out of her chair. Quickly, he rushed over to her and grabbed her around the waist as he pulled her up over his shoulder then ran to the other side of the room as fast as he could. He put Nina down on the floor and tipped a table back to cover her from the shrapnel that was about to fly everywhere.

In sudden instant, Klien felt time began to move back to it's original pace and covered his face as the deafening explosion forced tables and chairs to flip over and break apart almost instantly. The shrapnel flew past him and into the walls and other objects as the fire in the middle of the room burnt slowly.

Klien stood up and looked around too see who had made it. Luckily, everyone did, no one was near enough to the explosion for anything but the shrapnel to hurt them. He knew that shrapnel could kill but everyone was moving. Nina slowly stood up and looked around in amazement. "How did you move that fast...?" she asked, still looking at the ruined restaurant.

For a moment, nothing made a sound but the crackling of the fire until the waitress, Michelle, came out. "What the hell happened here!?" she screamed. Klien looked at her then blinked as he heard the sound of boots clodding along this way. "Get down!" Klien yelled and leaped across two tables and chairs then ran as fast as he could, pulling Michelle down to the ground as a sound of gunfire broke into the air and bullets whistled through the almost empty room pulling up broken pieces of tables and chairs, shattering plates, and puncturing the walls.

"What the hell is happening here!?" Michelle screamed into Klien's ear, trying to speak over the gunfire. Klien ignored her for a minute until the sound stopped and looked at her, his hair slanting downwards some from being on top of the girl to save her life. Quickly, he got up and looked around, speaking quickly, "They're after me but they don't know where I am...they're going to kill innocent people if I don't show myself!" he said.

Michelle blinked and stared at him for a minute, dusting off her now dirty white apron. Nina ran over to Klien and looked worriedly at him. He looked back at Michelle and grabbed her by the shoulders a little rough but not too hard. "I want you to go find someplace safe to hide for now. Nina will be with you so don't worry. I just need to settle something before someone gets killed."

She nodded, seeming to understand and didn't take her eyes off Klien as Nina pulled her into the kitchen until they rounded a corner. Klien let out a deep breath and looked at the floor then quickly glanced up to see a military troop holding up his M16 aiming at Klien from the broken window.

*****

Everything seems to be going according to plan...there's not a chance in hell he could ignore something this big...

Faulks laughed silently to himself as he looked down upon the city from the same rooftop he had landed on. Fires and explosions were going on everywhere and just from almost a dozen troops. People were screaming and being thrown around like they were nothing. Cars were flaming already from near explosion. Buildings were being destroyed from the first floor almost.

He looked at his watch to see what time it was and quickly put his arm down not really caring right now, he was going to find this "Klien" soon. The radar showed him exactly in this vicinity. His troops were already tired of firing in the buildings, he could see. Most of the gunshots had seized.

Faulks crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his left foot impatiently beginning to think that the radar had fucked up somehow. He blinked just as he saw one of his men fly out of the restaurant a building or two down. The man seemed to be hit by something hard to make him fly out of the building and into a car, tipping the thing over. "...It's him..."

*****

A whole street was full of as much debris than he could think of waited right in front of him. Klien looked around seeing that every troop outside was destroying what they found. Slowly he stepped out into the middle of the street, noticing the soldier he'd kicked out of the restaurant trying to crawl away with what strength he has left.

Immediately, all the soldiers stopped and looked right at Klien then to their wounded friend and back again. Klien glanced from each of them, just taking notice in the names embroidered on their left sleeve and right front pocket of their uniforms. Jack, John, Rick, Steve, Kole, Fabel, and Jesse were the only ones he could see. The rest were behind him or had their weapons trained on him to where he couldn't see the name.

Klien held up his hands in a surrendering stance as he looked around the rooftops to see how they came from the tops of buildings besides the rappelling gear. Suddenly it came to him, the plane had dropped them off on the roofs and taken off somewhere.

"Hold it right there!" a female voice shouted, as one of the soldiers walked towards him, gun trained at his waist. Jubilee, Fabel is what her suit said. Klien took a step back and watched her get ready to fire. She didn't but kept her gun in the same position as she neared him again. Again he looked up to see what else could've happened and felt some kind of sinking feeling in him as he saw the only person that mad him think differently. Faulks was standing at the edge of some local business building and seemed to be smiling at Klien. Klien clenched his fists and jerked them free of Fabel's grip and keeping her from trying to put some handcuffs on him. He then quickly pulled his right arm down and swung it back, hitting Fabel right across the chest and sending her flying into a brick wall with a soft thud as her body fell to the ground almost lifeless.

Klien ran past the guards as fast as he could noticing them too busy trying to rush to Fabel and even too slow at trying to pull the triggers of their guns. With a steady pace, Klien plowed through the metal frames of the doors that were left, seeing there wasn't much of anything left inside either. He quickly ran to the door labeled "Stairway" and showed the picture of a stick figure man walking up steps.

*****

Faulks blinked as he saw Klien suddenly move as fast as he's ever seen anything move. If he waits too long he might not find a way off this roof. Falling might actually hurt him considering it's about fifty to sixty stories high excluding the roof.

Quickly, he began looking around for some way down, off the roof and grinned as he spotted a supply house, just big enough for a janitor to store a few things in.

*****

"So Klien's a weapon?" asked Michelle, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The closet door was big enough for only one person to go through at a time and the closet itself could only hold two people at the most.

Nina grunted some, trying to get comfortable. "Yea, he was created for destruction but he acts on his own instincts now. It's Faulks we gotta watch out for and now I'm certain of it," she explained. The brooms in the closet had a bad habit of jabbing into Nina's side but it seemed Michelle was comfortable over all of this.

Both of them gasped slightly and held their breath as they heard footsteps starting in the kitchen. The person was obviously wearing boots for them to make a dull clap against the tile floor. Nina reached for the doorknob slowly and gently wrapped her fingers around the cold metal and turned it as slowly as she possibly could.

Lunging out with her arms out in front of her, Nina grabbed the marine by the throat and tackled him to the floor instantly. Michelle's grew slightly wider as she watched the two struggle around on the floor hearing slight coughs and groans. Reaching for the nearest object, Michelle grabs the handle of a thick, metal pot and pulls it back behind her head. She then throws her arms forward and hears a loud ping as the pot slams into back of the marine's skull, knocking them out cold.

"Thanks...," Nina said and pushed the body off of her. Michelle smiled and dropped the pot, "It was nothing."

*****

The stairs seemed to take a quite a while considering all the turns every ten or so steps. The easiest way to climb up them, Klien found out, was to grab onto the railing and throw himself up one flight each time. There were about forty something floors he's already passed and counting.

Finally, Klien saw the door reading "Roof" in big bold letters. Not bothering to open it with time, Klien pulls up his right leg and kicks it out in front of him causing the door to rip off it's hinges and fly off the roof with hitting anything but the guarder on the edge of the roof top. The door flailed wildly once it hit it and went over the edge.

Klien stuck his head out and blinked as he saw Faulks standing right on the guarder with a snowboard...no...a thick sheet of metal attached to his boots. Klien stepped out quickly and narrowed his eyes as Faulks smirked at him.

Faulks turned back around and looked at the ground then gave himself a jump to the very edge as he began tipping over and then falling down the side of the building, sparks flying up behind him. Only a second passed and Klien took a step back then ran towards the guarder and stepped on it at the very edge feeling time, once more, slow down. His heal slowly left the top of the guarder and then he felt his toes push against the bottom of his boots, seeing straight down the building and Faulks, gliding down it.

He quickly stuck his other foot out in front of him and felt himself start to run down the side of the building as time started. His coat was flying everywhere behind him but he didn't have time take it off, he needed to catch up to Faulks. He lowered his head and threw his arms back behind him, feeling himself pick up a great amount of speed and Faulks become closer to him at a steady pace.

*****

Steering his way down the building, Faulks grinned and looked back behind him then gritted his teeth as he saw Klien about six feet away, running through the sparks of his so called "board." Klien seemed to be getting closer, so did the ground. Faulks growled and did his best to try and out run him. There were about thirty stories left, not an easier way to go but down.

Faulks felt himself have a flow of confidence wave over him as he saw how close he was to the ground until he felt a hard slam in the lower portion of his back causing him to roll forward, off the building and off his board as well.

DAMMIT! Klien, you bastard! I was so close to finishing you off!

Klien seemed to be holding him around the waist and not letting go until they both hit the ground. Suddenly he felt Klien let go then hold onto the back of his collar on the vest. Faulks reached back, trying to grab hold of Klien but only found his hands that were pushing him forward.

*****

Faulks was strong but Klien held his grip around the collar and pushed his heels against the lower back of Faulks. Almost ten stories left. The wind was blowing his hair around wildly and his coat as well. Faulks was trying to grab his wrists but didn't seem too interested in pulling him off that way.

At the last second, Klien spotted a silver revolver on Faulks side, right next to his left arm. Klien released his left hand and reached for the gun as quick as he could, grabbing it by the handle and ripping it out of it's holster just before he remembered the last floor was below them.

*****

There was a shuffle of feet to once side of the building, outside. Nina heard them talking about needing a medic or something but didn't bother to listen. Michelle was right behind her and creeping slowly. Nina stopped and looked outside for a minute to see if there was anyone near their position. Fortunately, there wasn't.

Michelle and Nina ran from the broken seven-foot windows in the restaurant to a truck near the sidewalk. It was strange nobody seemed to be screaming. Not unless they were dead. Nina shuddered at the thought and blinked as she saw something falling from a near building and going fast. It was Klien and Faulks. Without hesitation, she pulled Michelle back down, behind the truck. "Stay down!" she yelled and closed her eyes tight as a loud, almost explosion sound, erupted.

She felt a strong gust of wind from the direction Klien was falling and waited a minute or two until she rose again, bringing Michelle up with her. Dust and debris were in a big cloud right in front of the building Klien fell from and from what she could see, a big crater.

Oh God no! Klien can't be gone! I know he's stronger than that! A fall can't kill him that easily!

Nina felt her eyes water some and looked at Michelle but not being able see any tears down her face or anything. She must not have seen the fall. She turned back to the crater and watched the dust stayed in a big cloud around it, almost keeping the crater hidden.

Slowly, a silhouette appeared in the dust and started walking in Nina's direction. Quickly, she looked around for a gun hoping it could give them a few minutes to get away before the person attacked. Klien came into view as the dust rose off of him like it was smoke. He was wearing no expression and was holding a silver revolver. His coat and everything were dirty.

"Run...we need to get out of here and quick," he said. Nina nodded and grabbed Michelle's arm, guiding her away from the wreckage and chaos. Klien stayed back long enough to make sure they were out of danger's way.

*****

Klien watched as Nina and Michelle ran off, and not about to go anywhere until he made sure they were safely away. He turned back around and looked at the soldiers who were astonished by his fall and survived it. Faulks wasn't dead, it's be too good to be true if he was.

Now I need to leave...but I can't...if Faulks tries something like this again, I might not be able to save anyone the next time he does. I have to go though, Nina and Michelle are waiting for me...I'll finish Faulks off some other time...

In a flash, Klien turned back to where Nina took Michelle and raced after them, hoping that they were farther than he thought. Faulks could find them anywhere in this city now.

*****

Dammit, what the hell happened!? All I saw was Faulks fall with that one guy and then...they hit the ground. That other guy walked out fine but I haven't seen Lt. Faulks anywhere!

Rick felt himself begin to sweat harder as he stepped into the seven-foot deep crater. Only large pieces of the road and tons of rock seemed to be visible all in it. If Faulks was in there he was buried beneath it all and most likely killed. Rick didn't bother to think about those things as he threw his M-16 back out of the crater and began to dig for Faulks, hoping he'll find him.

The gun made a clatter as it hit the road and Rick wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, already getting tired from just moving the road pieces. He used almost all his strength trying to lift one piece. Letting out a deep breath, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called back. "MEDIC!!! I need a medic! Faulks is down here somewhere!" he yelled then turned back around and kicked and threw pieces away from the middle.

One by one, everyone slowly crept into the hole and began to help dig. As Rick was helping Fabel with a rock, he noticed her rubbing her chest a bit. "You OK?" he asked. She nodded but didn't say anything as she went back to digging. She looked like she'd been knocked out for a while or something from the way she kept rubbing her eyes and squinting. The bags under her eyes were barely noticeable from her dark skin. Her once white hair, most likely sprayed, was now a dirty blonde color.

"I've found something!" John yelled and grabbed for something under the rocks. Everyone crowded around him and began to uncover what seemed to be Faulks' arm and then shoulder. He began to form as John and Christy pulled him up while everyone else dug. "OK...I think he's all right!" John said. Faulks slowly helped himself up and dusted off his vest. From the way it looked, it seemed that he'd not even known he'd fallen.

*****

Feeling furious, Faulks dusted off his vest as dust rose from it and everyone stared in awe. "What?" he growled and saw everyone shake their heads as they slowly climbed out of the crater he'd made. Grabbing the holster, he ripped it off and threw it to the ground since it was useless to him now. The thing was ripped and the gun was gone.

Faulks walked out of the crater slowly and looked around, expecting to see Klien somewhere. "Dammit...he got away...," Faulks muttered under his breath. As he stepped onto the road and looked to find a sign of where Klien had went he blinked as one of his soldiers, Jack, pointed to his left. "They went that way, sir!" he reported as solidly as he could. Faulks grinned and turned toward the direction Jack was indicating then followed after Klien at a slow, steady walk.

*****

It's been only about five minutes since they rounded that corner about six or seven blocks ago. It was hard staying behind for Michelle and Nina but Klien had to do it. They needed him, Faulks could kill them easily and if he did, there wouldn't be anyone to help him in time of need if that ever happened.

Klien quickly grabbed both of them at the waist and pulled them over his shoulders. As he picked up his own speed and ran until he felt that it would take a while for anyone to find them. After taking a glance back, he put them down and looked right across the street to see a gun shop. Its sides were worn from years of weather but the inside looked better than anticipated.

"Is that where you were wanting to go?" Nina asked. Klien shook his head, "No...I want to get away from Faulks so you two will be safe. This is just a brief stop real quick," he replied. Michelle stared across the street at the shop and slowly started walking towards it with Nina right behind her. Klien followed a few feet back just in case something might happen, he could get them out of the way in time.

Everyone must have deserted the city when the marines attacked. The store was completely empty with ammo and guns scattered everywhere across the counters and floor. Klien leaned down and picked up a Colt S.A.A. as he looked over it then pulled out the revolver he got from Faulks. They weren't the same. Faulks' was longer and seemed heavier. He unloaded the bullets and blinked as he dropped all but one, looking it over.

Nina and Michelle were grabbing various rifles and a few shotguns while trying to look for a bag or something to put them in. The bullet that was loaded in the revolver wasn't a normal Parabellum round or even a normal round, period. It was shaped a bit differently. It could fit in about any handgun but seemed to be loaded with something else than just black powder. Nina leaned down and grabbed a few the bullets Klien had dropped and looked at him. "Are these normal? They don't look like it...," she asked and trailed off while walking around and examining the bullets.

The stock Michelle and Nina had prepared definitely needed a bag. It contained six rifles, three shotguns, and a lot of shells. "Those are a new type of bullet." Klien walked to a door and pushed it open, ripping the lock apart as he did so. The room behind the door was cold and all gray. It had tons of boxes labeled "AMMO" and "SUPPLIES" in big red letters. Klien grabbed a bag off of one of the boxes and tossed it to Nina. "I want all those guns in the bag...and you need to find out how to make those bullets too," Klien said and looked around the dark room.

Finding no use of the small revolver, he tossed it to the side and grabbed the edge of one of the boxes then ripped it open. Inside is a load of guns and hay to keep from the guns hitting the crate and bouncing around. He finds what he wants quickly and grabs two Beretta 9mms, '96 version. They were empty but there was enough ammo in this small store to last him a while.

"Where are we going after this?" Michelle asked as Nina stuffed guns and ammo into the bag she was holding. Klien stopped and thought about that for a second then replied. "Probably to my hideout or somewhere else as long as Faulks isn't following, which he is." She nodded slowly and waited as Nina hurried with the guns and boxes of shells as quickly as she could.

Klien stuffed the two Berettas in his pockets and grabbed a few extra clips of ammo. His Glocks haven't really been used so he could save some time by not bothering with any bullets for them. It was very strange how the streets and even the buildings themselves were deserted so fast. Did they know what was happening? If not it was for the best. Nina and Michelle looked like they were ready to go and Klien leaned against the wall nearest to the window facing the street and took a quick glance.

Faulks was coming and he was already a block away. Nina and Michelle had to get out, now. There wasn't any time to tell them where it was or anything. "Go out the back door and keep running. Once you get tired rest for a minute, then continue. I'll catch up in a little bit," Klien said, not taking his eyes off of Faulks. One slip up, one mishap or even just a simple bad timing could kill anyone now. Nina and Michelle nodded and headed for the backdoor.

At the last second Michelle turned around and stared at Klien for a moment. "What if...they find us?" she asked and Klien replied low and soft as he stared out at the street, at Faulks. "Then they'll wish they didn't."

*****

Nobody to have to push out of the way or throw down if they didn't move. A deserted city was perfect to show how superior he was. Faulks knew it from the beginning that Klien would run but not one damn person in the entire world could hide from him.

Rick and Fabel were close together. She was using him as a support or something from that devastating blow to the chest and hitting her back. Klien was, indeed, strong but it would all be over as fast as it had started. Why did he have two pathetic humans with him too? Is he trying to save them? It'll all be for nothing soon enough and he will make sure Klien realizes that.

Ahead were a gun shop, building complex, and a huge park behind the shop. He stopped suddenly. A figure moved in the window of the shop and quickly stopped. "I want him dead! FIRE AT THE SHOP!!!" Faulks yelled. As one all the soldiers steadied their guns and squeezed the triggers sending razor bullets into the shop and tearing up anything that was in it's way.

*****

Klien dove behind the counter as the bullets ripped apart chairs and display cases all around him. Army clothes that were hanging up were nothing but shredded cloth and gun were scattered throughout the store now. The firing stopped and Klien sat up then unholstered his Glocks. He walked slowly over to the big window that had been shattered during the shooting and leaned out slightly to catch a glance of all the marines reloading their guns and one making a move towards the little shop.

Nina and Michelle had already gone out from behind the store and are probably half way across the park now. The troop that was heading towards him had a name embroiled on the left side of his vest. "Jack P." it read. He watched carefully at all his surroundings. This guy was trained for search and destroy. Were Faulks and Luger trying to kill him? Nothing made sense and nothing seemed to make him keep thinking.

Jack neared the window and as soon as he stepped down a shard of glass threw him off balance. Klien gripped his guns tightly and spun around the window then launched himself to the other side as he watch his surroundings slow down with each shot he fired into the soldier. Streams of crimson red blood poured out of his chest and mouth and started to speed back up as Klien hit the floor and skidded to the other side.

He noticed the soldiers had opened fire sometime while he was reaching the other side and found two bullet holes on the lower right of his trench coat. They had also pelted their own trooper as well. That bad timing from Jack was the only thing he needed.

*****

Nina noticed the gun shots behind them. It was hard not to. Michelle was slowing down a bit but she kept going at a good pace. They were almost to the end of the park and Nina was starting to wear down herself now. She could see her own breath in the cold air. Fall was her worst season of the year since she never liked being cold and warm at the same time.

It seemed to be getting colder by the second too. Not much could be done about that right now though. Michelle stopped and rested herself against the only tree at the edge of the park. The bags dropped from her hands and shoulders as she panted heavily. Nina dropped her bags and ran back to her. She was completely exhausted and there was absolutely no way Nina could get her back to running before Klien or, even worse, Faulks came back to find them.

She panted a slight bit herself and decided to forget about that for a moment while she caught her own breath. Michelle wasn't trained in the military or even fit enough to run as far as Nina but it was fine that she ran as long as she did.

"Michelle...we need to get going...in a few, OK?" Nina panted out of her mouth. She nodded and started taking deep breaths while looking back to where the gunshots and Klien were. If all is well then Klien should be back in a little bit.

*****

Faulks looked pissed and like he needed some prozac or some shit to calm him down. Jack was dead and no thanks to his damn slip up. Every one of the marines, even Rick himself, shot him down while that Klien fellow did too. So far, this seemed impossible. The guy could move a thousand times as fast than him and could probably kill him in a split second.

He had wasted half of his clip on trying to peg the damn dude. Everyone else seemed to reload or stay on target, which meant aiming at a wall. This is NOT a regular search and destroy mission like we planned...

"I want him dead! Throw grenades or whatever you have! Just kill him!!" Faulks screamed and tightened his hands into two rock hard fists. Rick nearly jumped out of his uniform from the yell but managed to comply and took aim at the wall. In a single blur a figure leaped out from behind the wall and fired in rapid bursts at Faulks. The shots were loud. Louder than he had remembered and noticed Faulks just jolting a bit from the shots as the bullets hit him, fell, and left no puncture wound or anything.

Faulks just smiled and chuckled then pointed his finger at Klien, "FIRE!!!" One by one each soldier, Rick included, fired upon the target as they were told. The bullet zipped through the air but seemed to only be hitting the wall behind him. Dust and specks of brick were torn from it and floated in a haze for a moment before it actually settled.

Rick didn't know if the guy could see through dust or smoke or not. Maybe he hit, maybe he didn't? He suddenly felt himself gripping his gun tighter and hearing a repeating click of the empty magazine.

*****

The damn fool! He thought bullets could hurt ME!? Only the High Velocity bullets can do something as to hurt me!

Faulks dusted himself off and looked down at his black vest. It was full of holes in the chest and smoking slightly. Klien was nothing but a damn fool! Getting bored with waiting, Faulks snatches one of the marine's guns, making them lurch forward from the suddenness of it all. It was reloaded and ready for firing. Good.

Slowly he lifted it to his shoulder narrowed his eyes waiting to see any form of movement. He was ready to yank the trigger back and kill Klien. Waiting didn't seem to be one of his own strongholds but he had to if he wanted to get a good shot.

Suddenly in the tan smoke, a black silhouette stood up, shoulders slumped and head down it looked like. In almost a blink, two guns, Glock 30s, raised out of the haze and aimed straight at his face about two, maybe three, inches away from him.

Bright orange flashes emitted from the barrels of the guns and bullets went flying straight at his head. In a fast pace he leaned back and watched carefully as the bullets flew over him. Two more shots. This time they sounded almost as one shot and they were already aimed at his gut. There was no time he could dodge this one.

In an instant, Faulks took the hits, not feeling much and threw the assault rifle behind him. He reached back while falling and felt the gravel in his palms. He used his weight as a force and pulled himself up into a ball almost, legs curled to his chest then extended them as fast and as hard as he could.

He felt his feet connect to Klien's chest, knowing for a fact that he didn't expect that and sent him flying directly into the bullet rittled wall behind him. Bricks cracked and fell as most dust rose from the impact. Faulks quickly stood up and waited to see if he'd have to finish him off.

*****

Klien felt his chest suddenly stop and then realized he had a sharp feeling all over him. Faulks did something he hadn't even thought of. The wall he got hit against was caved in from the impact. There was a silent and still moment while he stayed leaning against the wall and waited to see if Faulks would do anything else. Apparently not.

He quickly dropped to the ground, crouching and staying low for only a second then leaped up and out of the thin dust well above five to six feet above Faulks' head. His guns were somewhere in the building ruins. He'd have to get them later. Klien quickly pulled his right leg back and threw it forward, slamming the toe of his boot into Faulks' neck and the heel into his collarbone.

He could tell that Faulks couldn't be taken out too easily, his foot stopped dead against him but still hurt him none the less. The few milliseconds after he hit him he noticed gravity kicking in and started swinging his other leg around trying to get a dead on shot with Faulks' ribs. No such luck prevailed. He blocked every single hit and then threw a punch straight into Klien's shoulder.

A different feeling came over him and he noticed it felt like his entire arm was on fire from the inside. A quickly motion blur around him and he felt the ground meet him against his right shoulder, facing him away from Faulks. His guns were only a few feet away from his head. He quickly used his left arm and pushed himself up then grabbed both guns. One was held at the end of the handle and the other by the trigger guard. He didn't have the time to decide how he was going to hold them! Faulks was right behind him!

The instant he felt himself balance out, he quickly holstered the guns and spun around with his right fist aiming straight for Faulks' face, maybe his nose, it was a fast calculation. Klien felt his arm stop sooner than it should've and saw Faulks holding his wrist only inches away from his face. Not finding another alternative, he spins around with his other fist and felt his knuckles connect into the side of Faulks' head causing him to release his grip and lean forward. Again, Klien turns around and swings his right leg at an angle to where the toe of his boot could slam into Faulks' neck.

Faulks was definitely too slow to block this one and fell back from the force of the kick. Klien set his foot to the ground then glanced at the other troopers as they watched in awe at both, Faulks and him. He snatches Faulks' black vest before he goes out of reach and pulls him forward at a tremendous speed then pulling his own head back and slamming it directly into Faulks' face and releasing his grip from the vest.

He's stronger than me...that was a strange feeling though, just from that hit... I just need to keep him here a little longer...

Faulks numbly stumbles backwards then stops and looks up at Klien with a wicked grin on his face. There wasn't much of a bruise or anything from that hard hit to his face. He seemed to be enjoying this fight. Klien raised his fists and waited for Faulks to strike first as the marines left their guns lowered.

*****

Faulks sure was one tough bastard to be standing after a hit like that to his face. That Klien fellow wasn't showing any sign of tiring down after those hard hits either. Rick was fixed on the two in a marvel at all they could do within a split second or less. Everyone on the force seemed to be amazed by it too since no one seemed to be aiming their guns at the threat.

Too much was going on all at once. Way too much fighting for Rick to follow and he was starting to doubt he was going to make it back to the base or not. He was screwed if he had to go against Klien. What's worse, is that Faulks was equal to him it seemed and made Rick want to get off the force and in his own home immediately.

Fabel wasn't looking too good. She was hit hard against a wall and right now she couldn't breath it seemed. The walk here had been some trouble for her but she made it, thank God. If anything happened to any other teammates, it was over.

*****

It was only a couple more minutes and Michelle was ready to go again. She had a few bags that weighed quite a bit but she should be OK for now, until they get to safer grounds. There were a few loud noises back where Klien was and that worried Nina since she didn't know if Klien was winning or losing. Faulks sounded pretty strong and almost as tough as Klien himself.

They were almost there, she could tell from the battered houses and torn roads. It was dark the first time she came here so she never really got a good look at the neighborhood Klien lived in. The only time she did was when they walked to the cafe and even then she didn't notice how gloomy this place was.

Michelle was starting to wear down again. Nina wasn't surprised, they only rested a couple minutes, two or three at the most. It didn't matter now. They were almost there and then they'd be safe for a while.

One of the bags slipped from Nina's grip as it plummeted to the gravel. Ammo leaped out of the unzipped compartment along with a gun or two. "Shit!" she yelled silently at herself and turned back around scooping up the ammo into the back and pushing the guns back in. A few shells were going to be missed but they didn't have time to take it all. She turned back around and headed for the old house with Klien's attic or whatever inside.

*****

Punches and kicks were thrown towards both Klien and Faulks at a fast pace that Rick couldn't keep up with. Faulks seemed to be taking more hits but they didn't do much to him and when he got a hit off on Klien, he made the guy stagger backwards or something. This was something else and Rick didn't even know what to begin to call it.

Fabel was still hurting from that one hit she took right in her chest. He felt sorry for her since she didn't really deserve to be throw into a wall like that. She was just doing her job, but their job was taking and saving lives. Nothing ever makes sense in this crazy world and Klien and Faulks were proof of half of that.

If this thing got out of hand all hell could break loose. Rick certainly didn't want to be here if and when it did. Slowly, he took his rifle and clicked the safety off then steadied it at his eye level. If he misses Klien, so be it. All he wanted was for him to get out of here as soon as possible and without anymore casualties to worry about. One dead is enough, another hurt is OK but still a slow down, and with two injured it was hell. Rain was slammed straight into a car at a lightning speed just a while ago. His back is in absolutely no shape for him to be working any time soon.

With the cross hairs aimed at Klien, Rick slowly started to squeeze the trigger. It seemed Klien was just standing there now, waiting for Faulks to attack. In an instant, a brilliant flash and loud snapping or the gun emitted from the barrel as four to five rounds headed for their target. Before one bullet seemed to be halfway to Klien, he stepped to the side and let every one of them hit the wall behind him.

No fucking way! How the hell did he do that?! This guy is incredible and very dangerous!

Rick put his weapon down and blinked a few times then sighed inwardly as he knew that his weapon was useless. Klien and Faulks seemed to start up again hurling punches at each other and not bothering to slow down their pace and from the looks of it, not even breaking into a sweat.

*****

Dodging Faulks' fists were pretty easy but not as easy as dodging bullets. Faulks didn't want him to leave from the likes of this fight. If anything, he wanted Klien to die. There wasn't any sign of him letting his guard down or stopping to try and search for a weakness. All he was doing now was throwing mindless punches and most of them are missing.

At the last second when Faulks pulled his right arm back to swing again, Klien raised his right leg and nailed his heel to Faulks' jaw. It set him back a bit and just enough for him to make his escape. He quickly turned around and ran around the building then started across the park. If he wanted to get Nina and Michelle out of here then he'd have to hurry up and take them back to the building he stayed in if they weren't there already.

If Faulks decided to follow then he wouldn't have much time to spare for Nina and Michelle. He quickly gained speed and ran right through the park making it seem only a few yards long then halted as he saw a shining object on the ground. It was a bullet, two of them, from the bag Nina was carrying and it looked like they got through here and a little further. He started running again and shortly came up behind both of them running side by side. He snatched three of the bags and looked behind him to make sure Faulks wasn't following yet. He wasn't. He turned back around to face both of them again and spoke quickly. "We need to get to safety and quickly. Nina, do you remember the way?" She nodded slightly and Klien acknowledged her then they were off again with only a couple blocks to go.

*****

Rick was no good on the force. He fired while a ranking officer was in his sights as well. Because of that, he made him get hit and the enemy got away. He was going to be detailed about this later so he shouldn't have to worry about. Klien was gone and headed somewhere around the building. He'd find him later.

Faulks slowly walked back to his group of commandos and snatched the radio from Rush. "We need a pick-up in order ASAP. Helicopter is the best way to get us out of here. Hurry." he said and released the pressed button under his thumb. He waited shortly and heard the radio click with static then a voice came over, "Roger that, sir! We're on our way!" they said.

He clicked the radio off and tossed it back to Rush. Fabel was acting like a wimp since she got hit against the wall. They'd have to go back and get Rain since he was hurt pretty damn badly after that incident with Klien. Getting slammed into a car and making it topple over, that was sure to hurt. His back had to have been broken in more than one spot.

Faulks leaned against the building across from the gun shop and stated patting his arms and legs. Dust rose from the jeans and vest but not much. When he finished he crossed his arms and waited patiently. Rick walked towards him and stopped about three feet from him. "Uh...permission to speak, sir?" he asked. Faulks stared at him and nodded very slowly. "Why aren't we pursuing the enemy, sir?" Again, Faulks just stared at him blankly. "Why should we?" he asked back. "All we need is some time to rethink our plans and redirect our approach. In time, we'll get him. It's going to be easy to find him so don't bother carrying this on."

Rick stayed silent for a moment and nodded briskly, "Yes, sir!" he saluted and turned back around to help with Fabel. The helicopter should be here any minute since everyone always wore a radar tracer in their suits. It was a small chip that was inserted into the collar or behind the name embroiled on the chest. Everyone seemed to be exhausted just from walking around and blowing shit up. It looked like they've been doing all the fighting. It was sad to call them soldiers.

A low hum of a helicopter was nearing, Faulks could tell. It was still too far for any of his men to hear it but it was close. The chopper should be here in a couple minutes now. Once they revise their plans and take another go at this, Klien will die once and for all. Maybe then he could take control of Luger and everyone else in this world.

*****

Nina climbed the stairs to Klien's attic and finally let herself rest once she threw the bag she carried onto the floor. Sweat was beading all over her body. She's never ran so damn much in her entire life. Michelle came in a few seconds later drained even more than Nina was, or at least looked it. Klien was right behind her and dropped the bags at his feet then turned around and headed for a window near the stairs.

There were too damn many military troops for any of them to handle. Klien seemed to be the only one who could take them out. "...Are we going to stay here...and rest?" Michelle huffed. Nina nodded and wiped her forehead with the back of her right wrist. Time was short whenever something drastic happens but Klien seems to make it look so simple and easy. He didn't even break a slight sweat after all that running and carrying more bags than either Michelle or Nina could drag along.

It was extremely quiet now. No gunshots, no heavy breaths now that everyone has calmed down, no slick grass or hard pavement , no running. Everything had just suddenly gotten quiet and seemed to be getting on Nina's nerves a bit. With her pulse about normal now, Nina reached for a bag and unzipped it, spilling all of it's contents onto the wooden floorboards. Shells and rounds rolled away from the bag as she tipped it and a few guns clattered to the floor as well. Grabbing the nearest rifle, she pulled it up to her and grabbed a handful of rounds starting to load up.

Klien came back up the stairs and pulled out his two new pistols. They were Berettas, both a '96 model. He stood for a minute and looked them over then dropped them to the floor as they clattered loudly, scaring Michelle pretty bad. Without warning, he unholstered two more guns from behind his legs, and dropped those to the floor also. They were Glock 30s. A mini-magnum if you want to call it.

Christ, those things take almost any magnum round size! Where did he get those kinds of guns!?

As Nina finished loading up one of the rifles she glanced at one bag that had the barrel of a really large sniper rifle poking out. She quickly finished up her magazine and loaded it into the gun then snatched the other bag and unzipped it. Almost immediately, she grabbed the huge gun and yanked it out. It was the sniper rifle of her dreams. A Barret model with a 10 shot magazine and excelent scope. You could hit a dime dead center from four miles away with this thing.

Klien must've gotten this one...my God...I don't believe that I'm actually holding it! This is so awesome!!!

"Nina," Klien said, making her jump slightly. She was almost hugging the gun now and started getting flushed. "Yes?" she replied, "I want you to load every one of the guns in here and I want Michelle to help you," he said. He looked Michelle over and studied her for a few seconds then glanced back at Nina. There was a long pause and dead silence for a minute then Klien spoke again. "After you get finished, Nina, I want you to go get Michelle some more formal apparel. You need to get a lighter jacket too." Nina nodded and slid Klien's guns towards her with a few boxes of rounds as well.

*****

Everyone boarded the two bodies and climbed in themselves to ride back to base. The engine of the helicopter was extremely annoying to Rick and didn't make him feel much better. He already felt like he was going to puke since he always got air sick. There was no way in the world he'd spew out the side while everyone was around. One body wasn't dead but the guy pretty much might as well be. His backbone was shattered severely and tons of broken ribs from what it sounded like. Whatever it was, Rick could hear the grinding of the bones together.

Fabel seemed to be fine now and she didn't seem to mind sitting by Faulks and him. She was always one of those hardcore girls that would do anything as long as her job could get done. She was amazing to Rick, not only in thighs and breast size but her knowledge of guns and every tactic every used from the military to SEALs.

On the other hand was Faulks. He always seemed to be in a bad mood no matter what happened around him. Even if he won against this Klien dude, would he be happy? This question bothered Rick a lot and made him switch to another subject as fast as he could think of. Faulks also seemed to be the one that wanted everything done his way. No parachutes was certain death if missed your target and thank God Rick followed Faulks out of the plane. If he would've done one more thing like that then I'ld report him immediately! He had no fucking right to put danger in our mission! Rick though to himself.

He could feel the sluggish copter straff and turn slowly but enough to make him think about spewing chunks out the side again. This was not his thing. If was up to him he'd be in a jeep or whatever they had back at the base to keep him on the ground. When this was over, Rick would have to make one long haul to the bathroom. After that he'll talk to Faulks about the next mission, if one.

*****

Cold, tired, exhausted. This is exactly how Michelle felt but with Klien nearby it made her feel a lot more secure since he seemed to be so calm. Her clothes were a bit dirty but it didn't matter since she need something warmer than her waitress outfit. Nina was working hard at loading up every gun they had brought with them and kept a large rifle, sniper probably, near her side. It was easy enough to load Klien's guns and hand them back to him. He seemed grateful but it looked like he had to force a smile out, not like it was just a conscious reflex. They only had about four or five guns left to work on and Nina was ready to go and grab the things she was told to for Klien.

If Klien is thought of as the bad guy then everyone's wrong. He just escaped a lab from being under total control and now they want to kill him. The bullet holes at the bottom of his coat indicated it. They either had really bad aim on him or he was extremely fast and that final run with keeping up with Nina and her wasn't just a show off.

No one was luckily following them since it looked like Klien had stopped watching the window. The way it looked to her, Klien was wrongfully accused for nothing. It didn't matter the whole damn military might be on his ass soon if things don't look up.

*****

Pushing herself up, Nina grabbed one of empty bags and pulled it over her shoulder ready to go out and find Michelle some clothes and herself a new jacket since this one seemed to be too heavy by Klien's standards. She was as ready as she was going to be now. If there was someone waiting out there for her then it'd all be over.

She rearranged her black shirt some then walked pass Klien, who seemed to be interested in cleaning his guns again, then down the creaking stairs. Dust rose from each step and settled back down not long after. If anyone was going to be buying this place it should even cost a shed. The roof was torn to shit and every damn wall had holes in it as well. It didn't matter though. Maybe after all this is over, Klien and Michelle can and her can find a nice place to settle down in.

I wonder how long it'll take for Klien to beat Faulks...he sounds like he can kill Klien at will but why hasn't he yet? Is this just a game he's playing?

Puzzled by the thoughts, Nina found it best not to think too much of them. She was already walking down the street from the broken house Klien and Michelle were in. The place seemed so big and yet so small at the same time. The clothing store was about a block away form here. Perhaps if she had time, she could drop by the gun shop and get some more things to help Klien. She always wanted to shoplift and not get caught.

*****

With stained mirrors, unclean floors, and dirty towels hanging around, Rick pondered if this was really a bathroom. Who gives a shit? He was going to blow liquid chunks everywhere if he didn't hurry! Sanitation wasn't his worry right now. Getting to a stall was.

He quickly ran to the nearest stall and slammed the door open then lunged down to the toilet. A burning sensation came from his belly and up to his throat. The saliva in his mouth has increased greatly to where he was drooling in the bowl. It didn't take long. The yellow colored meal came right up and made a splash in the water below his face. Small lumps came with it and left an awful taste in his mouth. It's ground vehicles from now on.

He stood up after a few minutes of debating whether or not he was going to throw up again. The water was at least clean in the sinks. He wiped his mouth and gargled a bit to get the taste as well as the smell out of his mouth. A dry sleeve was better than one of those miserable towels. Rick smothered his face on his shoulder and dusted it off slightly then walked back to the stall and nudged the lever with his foot. A loud rumbling came from it as the murky water sank bellow and new water came in.

Sighing slightly, he unbuttoned the top of his vest and walked out then nearly screamed as a voice came from beside the door, "Hey. You gonna be OK?" He turned slowly and saw Fabel leaning against the wall. She was gorgeous. Rick nodded in reply, "Yea...just not used to flying...air sick and all..." He flustered a bit and cleared his throat. Fabel was turning toward him and she glanced behind her. Nothing. She turned back around and smiled at Rick then kissed his cheek, "You better be OK or I don't know what I'd do since no one else here is as protective as you."

This made Rick very uneasy but in a good way. Of course other guys were stronger than him but he could get the point that she was flirting with him. It wasn't that hard. "Your uh...chest OK?" he tried to refrain from chuckling at that. There was still a teenager inside him. She nodded and stroked the spot right between her breasts, "I'll be fine...just a hard hit." He was going to have to change the subject quick. She always knew how to make his day.

Rush came strutting down the corridor like he owned the place until he saw how close Fabel and Rick were getting. Rick gritted his teeth and glared at him. "What? It's not bad if you two like each other just don't try to get it on in the storage room...Amy and John are doing that already!" Without a word from Rick, Rush turned around and ran out, probably to check his damn tools. He was blonde and it showed for the most part.

Fabel was blushing and she took a step back from Rick, more embarrassed than he was. "I'm sorry, it was my fa-" he got cut off at the last part silently by Fabel's finger pressed lightly against his lips. He could barely make it out but there was a light audible hush coming from her. He grinned and nodded slightly, "Say...would you like to eat lunch with me sometime...or...something else?"

She considered this for a moment and smiled back at him, "Sure. That'd be great! You choose when and where. Just get back to me on it before we go on another mission from Faulks." He nodded then watched her turn and walk away. After a bit he grumbled, thinking about Faulks. He needed a talk with him. Now.

*****

"Can you smile?" Michelle asked. Klien stared at her then answered, "Of course...why do you ask?" She shook her head and stood up. "No reason, just curious. Can you smile for me?" she asked. Klien did so and quickly made a smile then dropped his grin and waited for her response. She looked troubled and patted his left shoulder some. "That wasn't your smile...you forced it. Do you know how to laugh? Wait! Do you even know what it's like to love or be loved?"

Klien didn't seem to answer so she opened her mouth to repeat her question then a reply came through. "No...I don't even know how to."

"Aaawwww...come here and sit down," she said and let herself fall to the floor a little hard. She waited as Klien crouched down then kicked his legs out in front a bit. "This might take a while but it's for your own good...we need to try and get you to use your emotions!" Luger was a bastard. A cold one at that. Making humans that don't know why they're supposed to kill others and not even have any emotions. She hoped when they meet up with this Luger, Klien would break his neck like a toothpick.

*****

The time they ran to the safe-house Nina didn't notice bodies lying everywhere. Some people HAD died and most looked they were in agony before death greeted them. She closed her eyes and shook her head trying to think about something else. When she opened her eyes, she noticed a clothing store right to her left.

The windows were, of course, shattered and broken glass littered the road and sidewalk like someone spilled a drink. Only wind was heard from the empty store and making her feel even more uncomfortable. She eased closer to the apparel shop and stepped over a window sill trying to avert her eyes from looking at the body hanging out half way.

She went to the nearest stand and glanced around for a second then started snatching clothes off racks and shelves. It was obvious she didn't know Michelle's size but it didn't bother her a bit. A few of the same shirts in different sizes and she'd bound be just one of those, right? Her eyes scanned the store once more over and she quickly took her jacket off then grabbed the one next to her and tried it on. Perfect fit.

The reason Klien wanted her to get a lighter jacket was unknown to her but she had to abide by it. He knew what he was doing and she was damned if he didn't. He had the guns to knock Faulks off his feet and pound him into the ground. One shot from that rifle could probably end it all. Time was of the essence and she had to hurry back.

*****

Faulks was in Luger's lab for some odd reason. He liked to stay around the guy constantly and just talk to him. It didn't matter, Rick was prepared to give him a piece of his mind right this moment.

Casually he walked up behind him and grabbed Faulks lightly by the shoulder. In an instant he spun around and glared straight into or through Rick. He couldn't tell which but it was damn creepy. Slowly, he took a deep breath and exhaled it through his nose. The room seemed to be dead. Not a sound except him breathing it seemed and Luger looked like was as irritated by Rick's presence than Faulks.

"I need a word with you...sir," Rick said slowly and unsurely now. Faulks didn't change his expression at all and just leaned back a bit. "Speak, soldier," he said and crossed his arms over his chest as if waiting for him to leave. "Sir, it's about our raid on the uptown district...," Rick began and immediately got cut off with a simple hand wave from his so called leader. "Think nothing of it!" he exclaimed, still moving his hand around a bit. "What we did was a necessary precaution and I suppose we could've let a few those people survive but to tell the truth, they were in the way."

A long silence followed after that statement and Rick was stunned to hear somebody be such an ass-hole! Nobody can just blow off a huge incident like that! Rick tightened his hands into two angry balls of fists then released them. It wouldn't matter if he pegged that fucker for being so cold-hearted now. What's done is done. But he will find a way to get back at him for that remark.

Quickly, he turns around and almost stomps out of the room. The mess made from Luger's little accident was already pretty much cleaned up. The hole in the side of building though...that might take a little longer. Fast recover for some people that don't want their secret out when it's roaming among the whole damn world. It doesn't matter, he'll get back at Faulks some day hopefully. He had better things to do. Like find a good place to eat and take Fabel to. Yeah, things just might work out in the end.

*****

Michelle was in the middle of trying to get Klien to smile a normal way like everyone else when Nina came barging in with a duffel bag full of clothing. She also had some new jacket on as well. "Here, I got you some clothes. I didn't know your size so might have to rummage through it a bit." She tossed the bag into Michelle's lap and walked to the other side of the room without saying another word.

Not wanting to be rude, Michelle took the bag behind a wall and started unzipping it. Inside was an array of different colors and sizes of shirts. Klien stood up and patted the back of his trenchcoat before walking over to Nina. She was unusually pale and her eyes weren't really looking. Klien took step closer and looked at her quietly for a moment before speaking. "What did you see?" he asked.

As if she didn't hear the question she turned around stared at him blankly. Something was wrong but he couldn't tell. She opened her mouth to explain but stopped short. What would she say? Maybe Klien saw it and thought it was best not to talk about it. Again, he asked her the question then glanced out of the one of two windows in the attic or whatever it was. She still remained silent and Michelle seemed to be changing her clothes now by the sound of it.

"I saw...people dead outside," she sighed. He nodded and tucked his hands into his black jeans pockets. "I thought you might notice them a second time out," he replied. "You saw them the first time around?" she asked and turned around to face him. He simply nodded, "Yes, but not immediately. I only noticed them when we were running across the park."

Michelle stepped out from behind the wall and looked at herself then at Klien and Nina. She was dressed in some tight fitting blue jeans and red shirt. A spare jacket was still in the bag unless she already took it out. It was only in case she got a little cool outside. It might not be long since Nina was able to see her breath in here but only a bit.

"I heard you two talking and...," Michelle stopped and looked at the floor, "..I want to help you stop Faulks for good now." Klien bowed his head lightly in a gesture of appreciation. "Well then, we'll need some answers before we try attacking him head-on. That doesn't seem to work too well except to delay him." Michelle looked a bit confused but Nina knew where he was going with this. "Where are we going to go?" Michelle asked as Klien crouched next to a bag full of pistols and ammo. He reached in and stood back up then handed Nina a semi-auto Glock 17. She checked it and cocked the gun then clicked the safety on and tucked it away in her jeans. He looked at the other gun in his hand then slowly handed it to Michelle with a certain delicate touch to it. It was a Colt 1911 9mm. She took it and looked it over then stuffed the end of it in the side of her jeans with the handle out, just like Nina had done except for being on the side instead of in back.

"So, where are we going?" she asked again. Klien turned around and started heading for the doorway then stopped in the frame. She never noticed before but he was taller than she realized. He could easily jump and hit his head on the frame if he wasn't careful. "You'll see," he said and continued on his way out.

*****

It hadn't been but about maybe twenty or thirty minutes ago when Rick puked his guts out. He was starving now and needed something to tide him over until he could just go home and fix himself a nice bowl of soup or something. Fabel was up for getting something out to eat but he didn't feel like going out later tonight. Maybe in a couple days he'd ask her out. Yeah, why the hell not?

He was still in his train of thought when he almost bumped straight into Reeves. The guy was built like a super human or some hero out of the comic books. Piss this guy off and you're more than likely going down without even so much as a breath leaving you. Slowly, Rick stepped to the side and walked around him. He nearly took up half the hallway but then again, this place was so confined in places it seemed that YOU were out of place. Further on down the hallway is a vending machine with little fake plant in the corner. Need some atmosphere, huh?

Rick reached in his pocket and thumbed through his change letting it jiggle when he walked and started feeling out for quarters as he neared the mechanized candy shop. Two of them were in his palm and the third was still somewhere in his pocket. He stopped at the machine and looked through the Plexiglas at his choices. Snickers. Kit Kat. Butterfingers. Not much of anything and they all probably reached their expiring dates or are already past them.

Settling upon an Almond Joy, he took his hand out and slid the two coins into the vendor. He grabbed about the rest of his coins and looked them over, immediately spotting another quarter. The change made a hollow sound as it went through the slit then a light scatter as it hit the other pile of coins among the machine's interior. Numbly, he pressed the two numbers to release his treat and dropped the rest of his change back into his pocket. The bar slowly moved, or rather lurched, forward as the spiral case twisted and shoved it until it came to it's end and fell to the hollow bottom with a thunk.

As he leaned down, Rick noticed that he hasn't been bothered by Faulks lately. He pushed the door open and grabbed his bar then yanked his arm out and started thinking about this some more while unwrapping his sweet tooth craving. If Faulks needed someone to do something it was usually always Rick he chose. Not that this momentary peace wasn't uncomfortable.

He must be up to putting one of his plans together again. Why the fuck does it matter if we're involved?! I saw what bullets did to him...nothing!

The more he thought, the more he became a little angrier at Faulks for making them kill innocents just to find some guy that he let GO! Without even knowing it, he was half done with his candy bar when something caught his eye to the right. It was a dull gray, like half of the fucking complex, but it seemed to just stand out more than anything else. As he got closer he noticed an unmistakable mark that it was, in fact, made here. Everything made here usually always had a neon green bar code on it or at least the numbers for it. It was partly hidden in the shadows but the thing was huge now that he was this close. It seemed to have an arm, probably two but then again, he wasn't going to check it out since half of the damn thing was hidden in the dark.

That's a robot! Where the hell did they get the money to make this? After Luger's experiment was created, and escaped, it took huge amounts of money! This thing looks to cost about forty thousand at the least!

The bar code was stamped on it's forehead or what it would be. One red, unlit, menacing eye seemed to stare back at him. The arm he could see had three fingers that seemed to stretch for almost half a foot each. The legs must've been similar in design but he couldn't tell. It looks like the thing worked on hydraulics but he knew better. The arm was kind of a skeleton look, you could see some wires and the like. One thing in it made him look twice. It was either a drill or a large needle of some sort. He didn't want to find out now or ever if he had the choice but he already stumbled across the damn thing. As long as it didn't come to life now he was safe, but he still felt too vulnerable around it. The only way he could tell if it was off was that the menacing glass eye wasn't a bright red. Almost everything gives a sign of life for you to know it's there.

The flat part of the head didn't seem to shine in the fluorescent lights. It's torso was scrawny looking thing but it looked fast as hell. No chance he'd get out alive if that thing was after him. Suddenly he remembered his candy bar and looked at it. It was lightly squished but still good. The thing was, he didn't want it anymore.

"Find something interesting?" a cracked behind him, making him scream a bit and lunge towards the machine instead of away from it and dropping his bar. He quickly turned around to stand Faulks face to face. His heart felt like it skipped a few beats before he could talk. "Uhm...sir, I was just.. well I found this uh..."unit" here and was wondering-" Faulks cut him short. "-What they're used for, right?" Rick nodded, "Yessir."

Faulks grinned at his answer and looked at robot. "These are our new sentry guards for security in here. We only have a few right now but more could made in time. Also, Luger is getting all of your guns altered to carry high velocity bullets. They can pierce through an armored truck like it was a sheet of tissue paper! The only setback is that if you handle your gun wrong, it could ruin it for good and that means you'd need to buy another one." Rick cringed at that and looked at candy bar still half eaten but now on the floor.

"The sentry bots only become active when someone hits the silent alarm under their workspace or pull the emergency alarm you see in every damn hall," Faulks explained. They go to the source of the emergency or really where the person hit the alarm. Any threat visible will be taken out immediately." A slow nod came from Rick as he straightened his vest a bit. Faulks looked at him a moment longer then turned and walked away like the conversation never happened. This was one hell of a piece of machinery if what Faulks said was true. It could probably be a good match for Klien. The only thing was, Rick was having second opinions about all this now.

*****

The complex stood in the middle nowhere it looked like. There was desert but it was just on the outskirts of the city. Still, it didn't change the fact that they needed answers from inside and what's worse, Faulks most likely might be in there too. It took about an hour to get to it on foot which meant it was out here on the edge of the outskirts if you wanted to be technical.

Klien cocked his two Berettas and then looked to Nina who seemed to be handing him something. It was a double holster for the chest. Medium sized gun holster to be exact. "This s what I snatched from that gun shop a while ago. Thought you might need it," she said. He took it and nodded then slumped his trench coat down to his elbows as he put it on. It was all black and looked to be leather. It fit perfectly and he holstered both his Berettas inside. "Thanks." Nina smiled and drew her pistol out as well as Michelle. Both of them cocked their guns and put it behind them.

In no attempt to wait for them, Klien headed for the sliding double-door entrance. "Before we start anything, don't kill anyone," he said and kept his eyes straight ahead. "Why not?" That from Nina. "If they try to kill you then you need to kill them for self-defense!" Klien shook his head but still headed toward the complex. "No...I can make it. I told you I was biogenetically created and can withstand bullets from any gun to a certain degree. This shouldn't be a problem." Michelle used her free hand to rub her cheek while she thought. "So, where is this again?" she asked. Klien stopped about four yards from the door and took a long look through the glass before replying, "This is home again."

*****

The candy bar on the floor was more than likely crawling with germs by now. Suddenly, Rick didn't feel too hungry. He bent down, snatched up the bar, and made a basketball throw towards the trash can and making it in. He also didn't feel like parading around anything either. Something was wrong with Faulks, the way he ignored him and acted like those innocents were nothing.

It was getting near late afternoon already and he seemed to feel too restless which was odd. He always felt like he's collapse or pass out near this time but for some reason he was on his toes and thinking about everything. He needed to take a walk instead of standing here or pacing around the same area. Maybe go outside for some fresh air which might make him feel more relaxed. Yeah, that was it.

Before long he started feeling like himself again. Walking down the corridors and heading for the main doors. Sure there were back ones but the front doors let more air in instead of those single door ones. He could stand there for a few minutes and then get back to what he needs to do. His rifle still hung over one shoulder with it's strap and beckoned him to just drop the damn thing. Problem was, if someone found it or him without his gun he'd be questioned. He's had enough of Faulks for one day.

Whatever, it didn't matter. He was stressed and needed to have some air, that's all. Anyways, he was already near the front security desk where the four men laid in their chairs and just stared at the camera screens with stale donuts on the desk end. A few visitors seemed to be coming too. Strange, nobody ever came to this place but they made it look like a medical center to some extent in just this case.

*****

The doors slid open and a warm breeze seemed to greet the three as they walked in. Klien kept his coat covering his two pistols while Michelle and Nina kept theirs under their shirts and tucked in their pants back. This was definitely not going to be easy but it had to be done.

Klien slowed his pace slightly and looked for a way past the counter then found one. Apparently it was right through a metal detector but that didn't matter, this was bound to happen soon enough. He picked his pace up again and glanced to the side as the security personnel looked back at him. He went right between the two towers and a loud shriek was heard from the alarm going off. Klien didn't have time to deal with these people right now, he needed to find Luger.

One of the guards stood up and walked towards Klien but couldn't seem to catch up with him unless he ran, which he did. The man held his arm out trying to grab ahold of Klien's but failed. "Hey! W-wait up! You need to be checked first!" he yelled and finally grabbed onto his shoulder. There was suddenly a dead silence as Klien stopped immediately then turned his gaze upon the man. He looked pale this time as if he saw a ghost. Klien slowly reached up and grabbed the guy's hand then pulled it off his shoulder and dropped it aside as if it were nothing. He continued to walk.

Michelle and Nina ran through the passage sounding off the alarm again but weren't stopped either. A soldier was nearby but didn't bother Klien or the girls. He looked shocked to see him which he should be. Klien remembered seeing him not too long ago. His shock wasn't permanent, sadly. He turned around and ran in the opposite direction down a corridor for something. His gun. Klien saw it at the very end of the hallway. He turned around and faced both girls quickly. "Get into the next corridor quickly! We don't have much time!" he ordered then faced back to the soldier running to retrieve his gun which he has halfed the distance now. Nina and Michelle nodded and ran the other way as fast as they could.

*****

Luger tapped repeatedly at his computer screen knowing that it wouldn't help but it was something to do. The numbers blinked across and flashed silently as he watched and waited for his work to finish. Binary seemed to be pretty entertaining to watch if there was nothing else to do. Hell, he was getting old and there was no way to get around that. He had let this finish so his final creation could be completed.

Faulks and that other one, Klien, were good but they had a mind to use at will. This program would let him, Luger, take control like he should have been able to before. Although, Faulks still hasn't done anything absurd as of yet so maybe it's something else. Either way, this program would allow no such mishaps to even start. Time was getting slower by the second and it felt like fucking eternity before the long awaited "bling" sounded on the computer.

The lab was or seemed to be more silent than it usually was. Faulks was standing at the entrance but didn't seem to be paying much attention to the halls. It didn't matter, no one was going to get this far into the base. Security at the front desk, soldiers patrolling the halls and even if they did get this far there were still those robot sentries and Faulks.

Still, Luger came with his doubts about everything but then again that was human nature. You had to be as prepared as you could be for anything, if anything. With the program done, Luger bent over in his chair and hit the eject button for the floppy disk.

*****

Security wasn't much help to the soldier who had just found and unhinged the safety on his gun. Klien turned and looked around for something to use but found nothing. The soldier, Rick the tag said, carefully took aim and waited. Having no other option, Klien took one step and the report from the gun was so audible in the hall he thought for sure everyone could hear it.

He watched the bullet make its way to him and turned his body to let it pass by then crouched as he got ready for the take-down. In no time, Rick had already aimed downwards and squeezed the trigger, releasing a stream of bullets towards Klien. He crouched lower, almost sitting on the floor and launched himself towards Rick as the bullets flew by overhead. The momentum was enough to stop him for a while from here. He slammed his shoulder right into Rick's gut as bullets sprayed from the rifle and also making him fly back until he hit the wall which, from the looks of it, seemed to be metal.

The bullets stopped and he laid there motionless except for the rise and descend of his chest indicating that he was still alive. That much was good. He didn't want to kill anybody and have them get a worse idea of him. He stood up and straightened his coat then blinked as he heard the boots clapping against the tile floor and getting louder meaning they were headed his way.

Leaving Rick wouldn't matter, he was fine. He needed to find out where Luger was though. Klien raced back and pulled a security guard out of his seat then tossed him lightly to the side. He hasn't ever been in this part of the complex, he needed a map. The screens were just surveillance except the one right above the keyboard built into the counter. It showed the area of the whole complex and blue dots at where the cameras were set. He scanned the map and tried his best to remember what number Luger's lab was. It helped that they had the name next to it when you zoomed in. He wasn't far from it but he would also have to go through the soldiers still making their way here. "FREEZE!" a voice shouted behind him. Or that they were already here.

The other security officers or guards, which ever they were, didn't seem to move from their spots but panicked none the less. Klien spun around with the knowledge of Luger's lab in his head. Facing him were about ten to twelve marines with all of thier rifles ready and aimed at Klien. They didn't seem to notice his guns tucked in his coat and behind his legs. That was good. He didn't need to waste time with these people and certainly didn't need to kill them. One man was shaking quite a bit and looked more than a little scared. There was really nowhere to go but through the whole mass of them.

Klien scanned the area for some sort of other escape but came up with nothing. Having no other option, he crouched down and leaped into the air letting the marines take their time to reaim their rifles and fires short bursts. Bits of the ceiling chipped away and dust quickly spurted from the bullet puncture. Klien waited a second longer and let his weight drop him finally with a hard thud into the tile floor as pieces lifted and cracked.

The marines were too surprised and stared at Klien instead of firing at him for a moment which was all he needed. He quickly rolled forward and slammed into the nearest marine causing him to fall like a rock. He quickly brought himself out of the roll and jump slightly off the ground, still spinning, and let his foot find it's way to one soldier's chest while the other came right behind it and nailed his forehead sending him down in an instant. His right foot found ground placement and the left followed as he straightened himself up and looking at the other marines. His trenchcoat hadn't even gotten the time to fall when he lowers his head and rushes forward knocking the rest of the soldiers to the side or under him and heading straight for Luger's lab.

*****

The alarm system was activated and seemed to be louder near every flashing light. Michelle had to cover her ears several times while passing them. Nina seemed to not care and always peeked around corners to see if anyone was waiting for them. Nobody seemed to be in this part of the complex unless they were all called out to stop Klien. Maybe she was too soft, maybe not, but Michelle hoped that Klien was alright.

Nina crept around another corner and signaled Michelle to come. It was still pretty amazing they haven't been running into a single person yet. Lots of gunshots were heard earlier but that passed just a quickly as it started. Nobody came back this way if they left either. That was a good sign that KLien might still be alive. What was she thinking? Of course Klien would fine without her. He's strong and can look out for himself.

The drop of a heavy hand upon her shoulder made Michelle scream slightly causing Nina to spin around. The hand didn't let go and seemed to tighten. Nina raised her gun and aimed behind Michelle. "If you fire, you'll hit her, not me," said the man holding her shoulder. Nina didn't respond and kept the gun aimed at him. With a slight jerk, Michelle saw flashes of colors and heard one shot fired. The person was running, almost as fast as Klien, but Klien wouldn't hurt her like this. The hand on her shoulder seemed all the more tighter the more she thought about Klien.

*****

The marines were following but couldn't keep up at all. They'd still be searching but they just won't be able catch him. The alarm was louder than needed for such an occasion but it didn't bother him much. A few times he passed what resembled a machine or robot but it didn't move at all, none of them did.

He was almost there. He was just about to Luger's lab when he saw him. Faulks was waiting for him, as expected but this time he had someone else. Michelle was trying to get out of his grip but failed every time. Klien stopped and stared at Faulks not knowing what to do or say but what he felt seeing Michelle held hostage to him made him feel something new. Something he couldn't explain. He lowered his head slightly and tightened fists as he stepped forward and kept going until Faulks finally said something.

"Stay right there! I know you can try to defeat me but what would happen to this pretty girl? You don't think she needs to die because of you, right?" he sneered and laughed slightly. Klien could tell the laugh was forced from him but it didn't matter, he needed to get Michelle. Without hesitation he crouched to the floor and looked up directly at Faulks then leaped at him extending left leg swiftly. It connected to the side Faulks' head as his grip was released from the stun and Klien quickly landed and picked her up. If Nina was anywhere he hoped she'd find her way here quick. Still stunned, Faulks held the side of his head and glared at Klien. At that moment Klien was hoping to say something to him but couldn't find anything within his memory to say. With a simple nod, he ran around Faulks and right into Luger's own lab.

The lab was dimly lit and the only visible light was from a blue screen and green tanks. One of which he escaped from. Luger wasn't anywhere in sight but Faulks was still right outside. It didn't matter since he never seemed to come near the lab for some reason. He lowered Michelle to the ground and looked under the desk. There he was. Luger was crouched underneath his desk and seemed to frightened. Klien grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat and dragged him out from under the desk then held him in the air. The man seemed to be shaking from being so frightened but Klien didn't care. "How do I stop him?" Klien demanded. For a moment Luger was speechless then he found his voice, "Stop who?" Klien turned and slammed Luger against the nearest wall breaking his collar bone and a rib. "Faulks! How do I stop him?!" Klien demanded. Luger stared at him for a second ignoring his broken bones and answered, "You have to kill him. That's the only way! But you never will since you're the evil one running around here!"

Michelle gasped and stood next to Klien answering for him. "He's not the one that's killing people out there who are normal civilians!" Luger laughed and winced in pain some. "Right, and how many of those marines did you kill trying to get to me?!" he asked. Klien stared at him for a second longer and dropped him, "None...," he answered. "That's preposterous! Not even Faulks could be able to get through all those marines!" he scoffed. Faulks crossed his arms and looked at Luger from the hall but not saying anything. "You know he's stronger than you! You both do share one thing though. You can become stronger and faster if you can control your biomutation." A long silence ensued as Klien stared at Luger wondering if this was as true as he said. Luger held his shoulder and walked over to one of his terminals then clicked a button under the desk before he's quickly picked up again, this time by Faulks.

"Tell me more about this biomutation you mentioned, Doc," Faulks said holding Luger by the collar of his coat and shirt with one hand. Luger looked surprised to see Faulks so demanding about such a thing but went along with it. "It's nothing, really. Just that you two can have the ability to become fast enough or strong enough as the other or just to become more powerful for yourself, so on and so forth," he explained trying to keep his mind off the broken bones in his shoulder. Faulks grinned and dropped Luger to the floor not even letting him gain footing. A moment passed where Faulks stood and thought about this new ability he possessed.

A light yell came from the hall along with a pair of boots clapping against the floor. "Klien! Get out of here! They have it rigged!" the voice yelled and Nina came around a corner of the corridor. Klien looked to Michelle and nodded as he turned towards the door and stopped, seeing a huge robot standing not but ten to fifteen feet away from the lab and waiting. "Stay here," he said and stepped out of the lab staring at the metal abomination. It stood for a second longer and no more. It hunched slightly and started at running speed towards Klien. The thing made loud noises as it ran forward to it's target and Klien was a bit surprised at how it could've gotten there that fast without making any sound.

He couldn't let the machine pass him and harm Michelle or Luger. He had to fight it and make sure it didn't go after Nina in the progress. It was now just three feet away and lowered it's shoulder to ram Klien with. Quickly, Klien lowered his hands and stopped the oncoming attack and held his position until they both stopped then pushed the thing up and backwards as he punched the center of the machine as accurately as he could making a round inward bubble on the robot. It flew back and caught itself before it could fall then lifted its head from the dent in its chest to Klien with it's one red light. Klien didn't wait and ran at the machine slamming his fist deeper into the dent, stretching the metal more and ripping it some. The robot didn't seem to notice much except that it was falling backwards and crashed against the floor breaking some more pieces loose.

Somehow the machine could still move after that hit and pushed itself up and off the floor from the broken tile. Klien took a step back and jumped at it this time with both legs fully extended smashing into it's head or what appeared to be it's head making the light break and the metal hub bust open revealing dozens of wires and chips. Sparks errupted and the machine could be heard losing power as Klien landed on all fours then quickly stood up. It stood for a moment longer then toppled over on it's own dead weight with loud crashes and metal flying in different directions. It was destroyed.

Michelle ran out of the lab and wrapped her arms around Klien's waist. Nina didn't seem to hesitate either and ran next to him, staring at the mangled robot. "Look like you could handle one but can you handle four or maybe six?" Luger taunted as he stepped away from Faulks and his lab door. Faulks looked at him for a minute then headed out of his lab and ran down a different corridor. At least he didn't have to deal with him yet. Michelle slowly released her grip from Klien and blinked, "Does that mean more will come here?" she asked. Both, Klien and Nina, stayed silent and nodded. "We need to get out of here before anymore harm comes to us," said Klien, who was now walking down a hall. Michelle and Nina followed quietly and listened carefully to everything they heard. A few times there were gunshots and screaming.

They had almost walked completely to the front of the compound when a guard held up his weapon and aimed at Klien. "Freeze! Stay right there, asshole!" he demanded and kept his finger on the trigger. Suddenly from within the hallways came from thirty to forty marines all with their weapons ready and waiting for the signal to fire. Klien pushed Nina and Michelle backwards some by backing into them and whispered quietly while doing so. "Get back in the hall and stay there until I'm done here," he said. Nina eased behind the corner and waited for Michelle who was slowly making her way.

In an instant, Klien was blur knocking the guns from over half of the soldier's hands. Bullets went flying immediately afterwards and tile broke apart from the floor in pieces as well as bits from the ceiling. Metal dings could be heard as the bullets ricocheted off the corridors and even off consoles that were nearby. Klien grabbed the nearest guard and threw him into a row of others violently as they all flew into the wall in one swift motion. The bullets stopped and the smell of gunpowder and thick smoke filled the air now. Klien was standing in the midst of it all too. His trenchcoat was rittled with bullet holes near the end but nothing that looked like he was in any serious danger. "Come on! We've got to go and lead Faulks away from here!" he said.

Nina and Michelle peered out from behind the doorway and blinked. How did he know Faulks would follow him? Maybe it's something only he can tell. Both of them quickly ran to Klien who was kicking open the front security door. It flew off it's frame and landed about thirty feet away along with the normal door. Glass followed it and from behind her, Nina heard groaning noises. He didn't kill any of the guards but he surely hurt them enough to know better next time. How did he do it?

*****

Faulks grinned as he walked into the experimental weapons department. He should be here, he thought. Only, since he's living and breathing, they don't call him a weapon. A biological weapon, maybe. Something caught his eye and he lifted to huge rifle off the metal table. A rail gun. Somehow they managed to form a transportable rail gun from almost scratch. There were even new bombs in here. They resembled a pipe bomb at the most except for the tiny finger-grip dial around the center of it and the button on top. There was even a read-out of some sort above the dial. He glanced over the printed out instructions someone had taped to the box. Apparently the dial was used to create a timed explosion while the button was for impact explosions. Handy...

Faulks filled his vest with the bombs and slung the rail gun over his shoulder with the leather strap that was connected. Another quick glance revealed his own bullets here. They were named "High Velocity rounds" with even a little diagram printed on the box. They were well over armor- piercing and more than likely could tear holes him if they fell into anybody's hands but his. Not wanting to put his own life in danger, he grabbed the box and tucked it under his arm then proceeded on his way to the parking structure.

*****

About twenty yards out of the facility Klien stopped and stood motionless. "Are you OK?" Michelle asked. Klien simply nodded and turned around. "He's not following me...he's going to the nearest city." Both of the girls stared in awe as he walked back into the complex and looked around. Eventually they both followed him back in and stepped over the guards bruised bodies. Klien motioned for them to hurry and led them all the way through the main halls and then to an elevator.

The thing looked like nothing has touched it but a duster. The metal doors were still shining and no little dents were anywhere on it. It made a stop on the bottom floor. Basement four. After a little bit of waiting it finally started its way back up to the first floor. Michelle wanted to ask and Nina could tell so she spared her the wait. "Klien, how do you know about these things that Faulks can and will do?" she asked him. He stayed silent for a moment then answered, "Because he and I are alike. It's the way Luger made us. We have these tiny things inside of us...these...nanobots that seem to act a certain way when one of us is hurt or something." Nina stayed silent this time as Michelle spoke up. "But how do you know these things?" Klien watched the elevator doors open and stepped in with the two girls behind him. The doors began closing before he replied. "The nanobots send signals throughout our bodies and it comes through to the other since we share the same...frequency so to speak."

The elevator hummed its way down to the last floor of the basement and brought the group of three closer to Faulks. "The thing is," Klien began, "if one of us refuses to have those signals sent they can be blocked. Nina, the glowing you saw in my viens were those nanobots. They were made to glow under blacklights for an easier way of finding them. It may have looked like my blood was neon green but it's just millions of tiny robots. They cause our heal rates to increase faster than anything. Bullet wounds would heal in a matter of hours or maybe even minutes if we got one." Both girls nodded and stayed silent knowing something's going to happen as soon as those elevator doors open on the fourht level of the basement. Something they probably don't want to go through.