Project Eve

Prologue

The wind howled outside the bar, same as it had every night for the last two-hundred years since the great war, the shutters rattled from the sand blowing through the wind and the drinkers inside clutched their drinks tighter as the door rattled and was pulled open as a new figure walked forced their way through the door and slammed it shut against the storm outside.

The figure wore a long robe as it protected against the sand, the robes hood was up and the face was covered by a scarf and a pair of goggles. It moved towards the bar and sat down, it waited for a few minutes whilst the bartender attended to the regular customers, the bartender wasn't worried about the newcomer leaving, no one turned down protection from the evening storm even as well protected as the newcomer was.

He walked over to the newcomer and stared at the figure sitting there for a long moment before stepping back, something was bothering him about the newcomer but he looked back anyway.

“You'll have to remove your hood to be served here,” he said in a gruff voice.

The stranger looked up at him before pulling back the hood, shoulder length brown hair fell down around a round face before she pulled down the goggles and her scarf to reveal the face of a young woman. Unperturbed the bartender asked, “So what are you having then?”

“Two bottles of your strongest,” she replied.

“Travellers pay in advance,” said the bartender gruffly.

The woman placed some coins down on the counter, it was obviously more than the cost but the bartender scooped the coins into his pockets and placed no change down before placing two bottles and two glasses on the counter in front of her. She picked up one and pulled the cap of before ignoring the glasses and taking a swig from the bottle directly. She lifted the bottle up again before a shadow came over her and a large hand snaked its way to the bottle.

Suddenly she shot her hand out and slammed the mans arm into the counter, it wouldn't have been surprising but the man had been one of the largest in the room, the woman pinned his arm to the counter inches from the bottle as she swigged from the other before looking up into the mans face.

“Thought you could get a free bottle?” she asked her face impassive. The large man nodded, she twisted her hand and there was an audible snap. “Still want a bottle?” she asked, the mans face was pale and he pulled his arm back, lifting it with his other hand he stepped back as another with a little medical knowledge took him to another table to tend to his arm. She took another sip from the bottle as the storm outside blew itself out.

A few hours passed in this fashion, the second bottle remained still as the woman ordered another bottle rather than drink it, no one else challenged her for it however, the one who had had left shortly after the storm ended to return home. She sat drinking through people coming and going until the door slammed open with such force it almost broke from the hinges, she didn't even look up.

“I'm here for the traveller,” growled the newcomer, he was pale faced and dressed in the uniform of The Organisation, a black one piece suit with an Omega symbol with a horizontal line over the left breast. Everyone's eyes turned to the newcomer who took another swig.

“Come and get me then,” replied the newcomer lifting the bottle.

The Organisation thug seemed hesitant to actually enter the bar and was now met with jeers, this was better than the depressing news on the grainy television any day. He crossed the door into the bar and appeared to become slightly dizzy.

The woman didn't even hesitate, she lifted the second bottle and threw it at the thug he caught it in one hand and laughed.

“Come on Eve,” he said, “You need to do better than that.”

“I know,” she replied as the thug noticed her gun was out.

“You can't hurt me with that,” he commented laughing.

“I'm not aiming for you idiot,” she replied firing a shot at the bottle, it shattered covering the thug in the booze, he visibly staggered now stepping forwards in a desperate attempt to either kill or capture her. She dashed forwards her hand in her robe pulling out a sword and slicing off the thugs head. She stood silently over the body as it collapsed to the ground, there was no laughter now.

She turned to her bottle again to find that other patrons were between her and the bar, she shot them a glance but instead of violence sheathed her sword and left the bar.