Just as your life seems to be coming to a standstill, and you wonder if this is all it'll ever be, don't forget that the world is still large and full of wonders. The universe larger still.

The restaurant was exceptionally slow. Normally, lunch hour would've kept Haru racing across the kitchen, trying to keep pace with the chefs calling out for whatever they needed her to grab. They should've served over a dozen people already, yet the only business they had was an old man searching for the nearest place to sit. He ordered beer and left after twenty minutes. It's not like the restaurant was off in the far corner of a dark alley or anything. People just didn't seem to want hot BBQ on a warm day in May.

Paul and Randy decided to close early, and left Haru to finish up alone. She didn't mind, she did it several times before. She just wished she didn't have to sort out the recycled bottles by herself. Normally the job wasn't hers. As a dishwasher, she'd leave that tedious job to the busboy, yet Jon had been sick for over a week, and the work had built up. Unavoidable, she hoped she could get it all done and still have time to relax before coming back for her dinner shift.

Nearly forty minutes later, the five green recycled bins were filled to the top. Hoisting one up after the other, Haru brought each up and out to the dumpster behind the building. Inside, she'd hang up her apron, grab her bag, lock up, and head home. After a shower, she'd eat a quick meal and then head back out for the dinner shift.

Or she would have, if it was a normal day.

After dumping the last of the recycled bottles and cans, Haru walked down into the basement and hung up her apron. Grabbing her bag, she headed back upstairs. Halfway up, something twice her weight came tumbling down, bringing both falling to the bottom of the stairs. Once the ringing in her head subsided, Haru found herself atop a red leather jacket, worn by a thin figure with bright red hair. How the hell'd someone get in? The restaurant was locked from the inside.

Kicking the figure beneath her, Haru scrambled to get up and away. If she could get out fast enough, she could call the cops and—

“Hsssssss!”

The redhead hissed at Haru. Long white fangs bared at her as yellow cat eyes glared. Just as Haru was about to cry out, the figure grabbed her arm and pulled her through the basement. Gloved hands pushed her into a corner and she waited for the worst. When nothing happened she risked looking up.

The figure stood still, face turned away from Haru.. Thin legs wore sleek boots while a multi-pouched belt hung on the figures hips. The red leather jacket looked old, yet clearly the owner took pride in keeping it as clean as possible. The red hair stood on end, while two tiny red tuffed ears could barely be seen twitching around, trying to catch any trace of sound. One hand was held out to Haru, cautioning silence, while the second held a blue gun. She thought it was a sawed-off shotgun at first, but with its three barrels, the design was completely different.

“Um, excuse me?” Haru slowly stood up, only to be met by another angry glare from the cat eyed person. Hissing again, the figure placed their free hand on their throat, flinching as though pulling on their vocal cords. A raspy tired voice crept forth, gargled as though they were speaking through static.

“Stay. Quiet.”

Turning around again, the red ears twitched about, alert to something Haru couldn't hear. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the broom next to her. Gently lifting it up, she was sure she could get one good whack out of it. If she brought it out hard enough on the strange persons neck, she'd have an opportunity to run out and get help.

Just before she got the chance, the gloved hand grabbed her arm once more and pulled Haru along to the far side of the basement. The broom struck the side of the wall, bringing an echoing clang throughout the basement. Spinning her around, Haru stood inches away from the redhead, who looked as though she had just struck them. Before she could apologize, the sound of several footsteps came pounding down the stairs. Pulling Haru once more, the redhead sprinted further into the basement. Just as they hit a dead end, the grabbed hold of their throat once more, and cried out, not unlike a kitten mewing. Before she knew it, Haru felt a cold gush of wind, and at once she was just outside the building.

“What the—! How'd we do that?” instead of an answer, the redhead grasped her wrist firmly and they raced down the street.

“Wait! Stop! What's going on!?” the redhead paid no attention to those who they pushed aside. Haru called out rapid apologies to those who fell, yet couldn't escape the vice like grip of the redhead. Turning around the bend he pushed her into a convienience store and went straight for the far corner. Once there he began clutching his throat and mewed rapidly. Haru wanted to back away and run, but the odd blue gun was absently pointed towards her chest.

“Listen, I won't say a word to anyone, I'll just stay quiet and forget all about this, okay?” she began, yet was interupted by a store clerk. Before the old man could tell them to leave, the shriek of shattered glass filled the air. The double doors to the store came crashing down as a crowd of idential men shoved their way in. The redhead pulled Haru close as the fired a yellow shot from one of the three ports of his multi-barrelled gun into the throng. She watched as one of the men was struck, yet instead of collapsing from the shot, he bubbled and popped apart like a balloon. None of the other identical copies seemed to notice. A single sharp hiss left the redhead's mouth before Haru felt another gush of cold wind envelop her.

Falling onto a steel floor, Haru could feel the floor moving, as though she was in a car speeding down the freeway. Yet by the frequent tilt in motion, Haru quickly concluded they weren't in a car. With everything else that happened that day, she wasn't surprised.

“What's wrong with you?! Why did you bring a civilian? You should've left them!”

“Hisss!”

“And who's fault is that? I told you to stay at your post!”

“Hsss, meowr!”

“We could've handled it, if you didn't run off!”

Looking up, Haru saw the redhead looking into a mirrow, glancing at the same place on their throat. The person they were arguing with was a short man in a yellow trenchcoat. Having more hair on their eyebrows than anywhere else, they were sitting opposite the redhead, applying a clear gel over their face. To Haru's shock, moments after applying the gel over their face, Haru found herself staring into her own reflection on the mans body. She must have let out a gasp, since the yellow trenchcoat turned to her, as if seeing her for the first time.

“Don't be alarmed, we're going to let you off soon. You'll be able to go home safe and sound, kid.”

“Why do you have my face?”

“Meowr.”

“Don't talk till your communicator is fixed, idiot.” the short man tossed the redhead a small box which looked like a taser. Haru jumped when the redhead placed it on the base of their own throat and zapped themselves. After a moment of wincing, the redhead yawned and spoke.

“That's better.” no more static clung to their words. The voice was high, like a teenagers. “We can't stay here, they're tracking my jumper.”

“They wouldn't've if you just stayed put like you were ordered to.”

“Yeah, and let them spot me and take me? You'd like that wouldn't you Benjy. Finally get rid of me once and for all, huh.”

“I admit that sound's pretty good right about now.”

“What the hell's going on?” Haru whispered.

The redhead turned away from the sitting girl and walked over to the open cockpit. Haru could see now that whatever they were all in was a spherical pod, wide enough to fit a dozen people, and tall enough to stand up in. There were two seats at the end of the pod, where the redhead now sat, no doubt driving them forward. Along the sides of the vehicle were slender benches where others could sit comfortably. The whole vehicle was lit with a soft blue glow that seemed to illuminate from the very walls. She thought there was only one window, stretching infront of the drivers seat. Yet the man in the yellow trenchcoat walked over to the opposite wall, directly behind Haru, and touched a panel abover her shoulder. Instantly, the wall fogged over then cleared into a new window. She could see they were speeding fast through the streets, about a foot above the other speeding cars. Occasionally they'd lurch up to fly over a truck, then drop down to ride over the tops of cars. Haru struggled to stop the urge to piss her pants.

“Why do you have my face?” the man in the yellow coat stared questionally at the kneeling girl. Confused at first, he glanced down at the cube of clear gel he was still carrying.

“It isn't your face, kid. It's just a reflection of your own. It's a security measure to keep us anonymus. Don't worry, its just temporary gel that acts as a mirror to anyone looking directly at me.”

Walking towards the cockpit, the yellow coat called back to Haru over his shoulder.

“We'll let you off shortly, and your life will go back to normal.” she wasn't sure if he sounded too calm about it. Where before the redhead and the yellow coat were yelling, now they huddled and whispered frantically together. She couldn't tell if she was safer in the pod, or outside being chased by who knows what. This wasn't right.

“We can't jump her out, they've got a lock on the whole city. We need to land and let her out soon.” the redhead spoke. Turning, the yellow coat stared at Haru, and slipped something out of his pocket out of view. There wasn't exactly anyplace to run to. Gently, the pod turned into a near empty lot and parked down. The yellow jacket swayed slightly as the pod came to a halt.

“Make it quick, we gotta get out.” the redhead called back.

The yellow jacket tapped the side of a wall which opened at the touch. The wall slid aside, just like a normal van. Slowly walking towards Haru, the yellow jacket held out his hand, clutching a small metal object. Before she could take a closer look or wait to see what would happen, he froze, eyes fixated on the window screen behind Haru.

“Shit!”

Haru wasted no time. She didn't care what caught his attention. Jumping up, she ran low, grabbing the yellow jackets leg lifting upwards, bringing the short man down to the ground. Leaping out of the car, she sprinted out of the parking lot in no general direction at all. Behind her, she could hear the pod whirl back to life and take off. Also, she heard the sound of several glass windows breaking. She dared look back.

Where the vehicle once was now stood about a dozen duplicate men tumbling over each other, trashing the surrounding cars. As soon as they saw Haru, they gave chase. A crowd of identical coats and yellow hair came rushing towards Haru as she frantically tried to leave the parking lot. As she passed a parked car, the man in the yellow coat leaped onto the cars roof and landed infront of her. She brought her leg up as hard as she could between his legs, yet he didn't seem to notice at all. Instead, he brought out a cube from his pocket, about half the size of his palm, and tapped it against the still car. It began to light up all over, like a flashing mini disco ball. Throwing it hard, it bounced once between the throng of running men. After a moment, the flashing lights solidified. Instantly, the cars within the parking lot all screeched at once as the tiny bright cube pulled them together. Slamming together as though pulled by magnets, the cars struck the duplicate men and caged them. Those struck the hardest popped.

Haru stared as the remaining men crammed between the cars seemed to mold together, their coats and limbs fusing into a single puddle. Leaking under the cars, the blob crept up in a wave, separating into separate individual copies once more. She definitly pissed her pants this time. Turning to the yellow coat, she kicked him once more between the legs, yet again got no reaction.

“Get behind me.” he ordered and aimed his gun at the slowly approaching men. This time, instead of firing a yellow shot as the redhead had done back at the convienience store, the yellow coat shot a barrage of red flares from a second barrel of his blue gun. The sparks struck each duplicate man, causing their bodies to harden and crack. Their frames froze before crumbling into dust.

“Well, that bought us some time.” the yellow coat chuckled as he turned around. Haru was nowhere to be seen.

“Benjy, the kid ran off. Come on, we gotta go before more find us.” the redhead called out from the floating pod.

“Shit.”

Haru ran for thirty minutues nonstop. When she eventually slowed enough to breathe, she reluctantly realized that she was well out of the way from any part of the city she was aware of. By the time she reached a road she knew, it was well past six o'clock, and rationalized that she'd never make it to work on time. She didn't think about calling in at all, she knew Paul would let it slide this once.

She made her way back to her apartment around seven thirty. Sweaty, hungry, and feet swollen and blistered, she struggled to make it up to her door. Climbing the creaky steps to her third floor apartment, she had to use the last ounce of strength to push her door open. The landlord had assured her that he'd stop by to fix it. That was six months ago. Unable to afford a repairman herself, she just made due with having a tug-of-war each time she wanted to leave or enter her home.

Leaving her shoes and dirty clothes on the floor, Haru took a quick shower and crept into her favorite fuzzy pajamas. Shopping day was tomorrow, so she'd have to make due with the remenants of her leftover chili for one more night. Haru struggled with deciding if all the lights should be on, or off. She finally decided that she'd go to bed early, and so kept all off. Hopefully she'll wake up, either realizing she dreamt the whole past day, or at least moving forward as though it never happened.

The couple downstairs were increasingly getting louder with their fucking. She couldn't remember the last time she had..... three years. Shit, she was lonely. She promised herself that tomorrow she'd get herself a cat to deal with the lonliness. At least start to look online for deals. Her landlord had a strict no pets policy, yet at least half the tenants on her floor alone kept small birds and dogs. She'd be able to keep a quiet indoor cat without too much trouble. Car lights flashed pass her window, bringing Haru to involuntarily flinch. Closing her tattered curtain, pulling her blanket over her chin, Haru slowly faded to sleep.

Waking up Haru stumbled off to the bathroom. Just before flushing, the entire building shook bringing her to the ground. When she got to her feet, she ran into a smoke filled room. Coughing through the dust and smoke, Haru stopped walking when her foot stumbed on a fragment of plaster. What was left of her bedroom was ash. Everything else was gone. Smoke continued to bellow as flames started to spread. Backing out of the room to grab her emergency water—a small spray bottle. By the time she reached the kitchen a second boom shook the building, spreading more flames through the apartment. Scrambling to the door, she grabbed her shoes and pulled the door open.

She forgot socks.

A third shock brought Haru falling down the stairs. Catching her breath, Haru pushed through the buildings front door as a final blast echoed behind her. Once outside, Haru could see half the buildings roof had been obliterated, reduced to smoke and—nope, that was pretty much it.

Nearly everyone in the neighborhood had come out to help evacuate the building. She hoped no one had been seriously injured. Before she decided to run back inside to help, Haru's eyes fell on the face of a duplicate man. He hadn't seen her yet, yet Haru glanced around, and could already pot three others.

Panic set in and she ran. Sirens echoed further down the street and she rantowards them. She waved down a police car yet it sped past. There was no way Haru was going to go back to her building with all those weird duplicate men around, so she ran towards the police station. She should've went there first instead of going home. Now there wasn't any home left to go back to. Stupid.

After a block or two she stopped to retie her shoe. In the haste to escape being blown up, Haru didn't tie her shoes properly. Kneeling down she jumped back up. Down by her feet came a small noise. Catching her breath she stared down into the scared yellow eyes of a kitten. A small, shaking, ratty little black kitten. Her cry must have startled it more than her, and was shaking so hard it looked like it would topple over.

“Hey, you scared me too. Sorry.” the only reply Haru got was a tiny strained mew.

“No, no, it's not you, it's me. I've had a long night.”

Kneeling down again she tried to tie her shoes, though she didn't get far as the little cat found a new game within the tangles of Haru's laces. When she pulled the cat away he gave her a small nibble. Stiffling a sneeze, Haru pulled away.

“I'd find you cuter if I wasn't allergic. Again, it's me, not you.” Haru didn't finish that last thought. Down the street were five of the duplicating men. This time they saw her. She began to run, looking back only when a dog started barking. A large dog barked loudly at one of the men, who responded by extending his arm over the fence, grabbed the dog by he neck and flinging him several feet away. The dog yellped and ran off.

Looking down, Haru saw the tiny kitten, completely oblivious to the situation. Running back, Haru lifted the kitten and held it close to her chest. The men started running. As Haru bolted through streets, the kitten wrestled and nibbled at her fingers.

“This isn't a game!” she wheezed through a scratchy throat. Damn allergies.

Haru needed to find a safe place fast. She first thought of whose house she could crash at, yet quickly thought against that thought. If they could find her at her apartment, they'd be able to find her anywhere.

Who were these guys? What the fuck was going on?

Haru ran past closed shops and stores, trying in vain to find an open door. Each time she thought she lost the men, Haru let out a strained sneeze, bringing them around the corner. Running around another corner, she headed to the entrance of “The Hot Spot”.

“The Hot Spot” was a cold, quiet, rather lonely place. The owner had opened it as a coffee shop for young hip teenagers. Sadly, the only real traffic they got were old single men who socialized better with birds than with people. The owner was also a known alcoholic who often left the front door unlocked. Of course Haru arrived the one night a week he locked up.

Dragging one of the—unlocked--padio chairs, Haru tried unsuccessfully to throw the chair into a window. It looked so easy in movies. Stuffing the kitten into a baggy pajama pocket, Haru tried again. When the chair bounced back a second time she was about to give up when she heard frantic footsteps approaching. Lifting the chair as a shield, Haru's mind went blank. One of the men raised a fist and the limb extended several feet towards Haru. The limb struck the chair and pushed onward, pressing the chair into Haru, shoving both through the glass window behind them.

Lying on the floor on a bed of broken glass, Haru pushed the chair off her. Her head absently moved towards her pocket, which returned her touch with a small pat and a happy mew. Opening her eyes, Haru saw the broken window and the shadowy silohette of the man who pushed her through. Jumping through, the man stood above Haru. Clutching her by the middle of her shirt, the man raised her up. For the first time she got a good look at his face. Pasty white, as though he'd never seen the sun before, with a yellow mop of hair falling over his forehead. Blank eyes stared at her as a lipless mouth never moved. Haru wondered whether this was a mask, or some kind of stoic robot.

Before her eyes the figure froze as red hives broke out across his face. Soon, the whole figure was covered in red blemishes that even stretched across his clothes. The figure cracked before popping away. Haru gasped for breath as her captors hand popped away. As though in response, the kitten let out a high pitched hiss from her pocket. Haru figured the men must be more allergic to cats than she was.

Running into the kitchen, Haru heard the other men leap through the window, continuing their pursuit. Picking up the first large knife she could find, she scrambled to find a hiding place. The best she could find was a nook between the stove and the walk-in freezer. She had one finger pressed against the kittens mouth to prevent mewing, while she held her breath, despertly trying to avoid another sneezing fit. Soon though, the door to the burst open as the four remaining men began searching the kitchen. There was probaly a whole ten seconds before they found her.

Haru was pulled out from her hiding place and held nearly a foot off the ground. She plunged the knife into her attackers arm, expecting to see a stream of blood sputter forth. Instead, to her horror, the flesh gave way, like clay or mud, offering little to no resistence to the blade. Her attacker didn't even flinch. The tissue around the knife soon bubbled and stretched, absorbing the blade into itself. After a moment, Haru could see the person's body send a ripple through themselves as the blade reemerged into their free hand. Before the armed hand could come down on her, the door to the kitchen burst open.

The man in the yellow coat ran in, blasting two of the duplicate men with the red flare from his gun, instantly hardening them before they cracked apart. When confronting the third assailent, the duplicate man held the three barreled gun firmly, refusing to be shot. The yellow coat's response was to headbutt the man, sending him skidding across the floor. Haru gasped as the man holding her up swung the knife at the newcomer. The yellow coat held onto the blade, bending it like cardboard, before firing his gun into the man's face. Haru fell to the floor as the arm holding her up crumbled to dust. The stray hiding in her pocket gave a sharp hiss.

“Get up, we have to leave.”

“Behind you!” Haru rasped as the final duplicate man, standing from where he had fallen across the floor, began to march towards the yellow coat. With little more than a quick sideeye, the man in the yellow coat fired a final red spark into his attackers chest, finally eradicating the threat in the room.

“Come on, we can't stay here.” walking around to where Haru fell, he offered her his hand. After getting up, Haru mustered as much strength as she could into a knee jab between the man's legs. Instead of bringing the man down, she was left with a throbbing knee.

“Why'd you do that? What you're trying to do, that doesn't hurt me.”

“What? Why not?” Haru asked wide eye'd.

“Because I'm not human.” before she could scream or faint, he lifted her up in his arms and quickly left through the back door. He carried her down several blocks, holding her steady in a firm grip. Haru struggled to not stare directly at his face. Even at an angle, all she could see was her own face reflecting back at her. She didn't know how long they walked, only stopping when her coughing became too much to hold back.

Letting her sit on the pavement, the short man wrapped his yellow trenchoat around her shoulders. He let her wear it even after she explained she wasn't cold, only suffering from allergies. The man pulled out a small tube from his back pocket, releasing a small blue square pill.

“Don't worry, it isn't going to do anything to you other than boost your immune system.” when Haru still refused to take the pill, he returned it to its container. “Listen, you hungry?”

They continued walking until they found an all-night diner. It was small and luckily nearly empty. After sitting down, they ordered an early breakfast. Her pajama's were hidden beneath the borrowed yellow coat, which fell just above her ankles. The small kitten remained in her pocket, although he routinely struggled to leave. Haru left a finger close by for the stray to play with, while she sat nervously sat across the short man.

“My name's Benjy. I'm a police officer, of sorts.” when he got no response, he went on. “I'm sorry you got wrapped into all this. It was a mistake and I'll do everything I can to fix this.”

“How? My home just got blown up, I've lost everything I own, and I'm being chased by creepy clone men, and now I'm sitting across a table with a 'police officer' who tells me they aren't even human!” she was interupted by a string of sneezes. “And on top of it all I think I'm dying from allergies.”

Benjy suddenly looked concerned—or rather, the reflection of Haru's face looked concerned—and he pulled out the slender tube, once more producing a blue square pill.

“Please take this, now, it'll help until we get to a hospital!”

“No, sorry, I'm not really dying. Ah-choo! I don't think.” she sniffed. “It's just an expression, I was exaggerating.” Benjy didn't look convinced.

“Listen, this isn't a narcotic or a sleeping pill or anything. It's a highly effective immunity booster. It's regulation for all... police officers. We take them when we travel to help us adapt to our surroundings.”

“What makes you think it'll help me with my allergies?” she rasped.

“Look, it won't get rid of your allergies, but it will get rid of the negative affects for a while. This time tomorrow it'll wear off. Trust me, look,” Benjy swallowed a pill with his soda. “Totally fine.”

“How do I know it isn't a trick? How do I know it'll work on me like it does you? You're not human.”

“Shhh!” Benjy made sure none of the other patrons overheard. Everyone was too tired to care about the two small figures in the corner.

“I'm trying to help you, kid. Let me.” Haru stared at the pale blue in the man's palm. With everything else that had happened that day, what had she got to lose. A few minutes passed before Haru noticed her throat didn't feel so tight, and her sinuses cleared. Breathing in deeply, Haru let out a comfortable sigh. Even her blistered feet felt better.

“Thank you.” she said eventually.

They ate in silence, both grateful for the rest and the hot meal. Benjy seemed enchanted by syrup, and poured Haru's portion atop his own, drenching his pancakes. Haru broke off tiny bits of her sausage and fed them to the grateful kitten under her coat. Once they had finished their meal, Benjy ordered an ice cream milkshake, although Haru was sure they didn't make them this early. Somehow, Benjy got a milkshake. And proceeded to add syrup to it.

“So, what now?” Haru asked.

“Now we get you someplace safe.”

“How? I have no home now. I'm not going to risk going someplace else just to have the same guys find me and try to blow me up again.”

“When we're done here, I'll take you to the police station.You'll be safe there. The cops are probably still out looking for you, and will want to keep you for a few hours for questioning. By the time you contact a friend or relative to take you home, we'll be gone, and the man following you will have moved on too. You'll be safe.”

“What man? I've been stalked by—”

“By one person. Ghorrick. He's what you'd call a 'duplicator'. All those men that've been following you, are all him.”

“So he's like you—an alien?”

“We're both not human, but I'm not a duplicator. Ghorrick's frame is comprised entirley of self-replicating putty, which allows him to create a near endless stream of miniature selves. He can send those copies out as far as he wants, and still keep a mental lock on them. Whatever his copies sees, he sees.”

“So, he knows what I look like now?”

“Most definitly. But don't worry, after we leave here, he won't have any need to harass you any further.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ghorrick is a thug. He's just hired muscle for someone bigger. He only went after you because you bumped into Ruqard—the redhead you met before. When you jumped with Ruqard—”

“Jumped?”

“When you.... teleported. Ghorrick somehow has a way to track our Jumpers, and can track those who have jumped. Since you were with Ruqard, you've got some residual static still clinging to you. That's probably how he was able to find you at your home. But now, after running all night, and waiting here to have breakfast, I'm sure it's faded enough by now to be untraceable. So you're in the clear.”

“What makes you sure he won't still follow me?”

“Because he has no reason to. He's after us, not some random human.” This was so much to take in. Haru's head began to fill with a dozen more questions she never planned on asking. One in particular had been playing in the forefront of her mind from the start of Benjy's explanations.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Benjy had seemed rather calm, with little to no concern with telling a complete stranger details about aliens that have been secrets from humans for who knows how long. Benjy gave a small sigh before pulling out from an inner coat pocket the same small metal object she had seen back in his flying pod...car...thing. Taking a closer look at it, it looked somewhat like a blend between an inhaler and a cigarette lighter.

“What is it?”

“Basically it's a neutalizer. When in contact with an organism the chemical compound in the base releases a concentrated phermone that can essentaily erase short-term cognitive memory. Larger models can erase as much as a year from a subjects mind. With this one though, I can get rid of as much as a week, or as little as an hour.”

Benjy returned the Neutralizer to his pocket before finishing off his milkshake. Haru slumped back in her chair. She wanted to run, yet something held her in her seat. If he wanted to erase her memory, why had he taken the time to share a meal with her, get her talking, and why on earth bother explaining anything at all?

“Why tell me?” she asked again when her voice returned. Benjy avoided her gaze for a moment, visably struggling to find the right words to share.

“Because I'm sorry about what's happened. I didn't want this to happen again.” Staring straight into his face, she still saw her own mirrored reflection instead of his own features. Even through the mask of her own face, his expression was tired and in pain.

“We've been passing through this planet for centuries. We try to maintain secrecy and clean up after our own messes. Throughout all we've done and do, above all the department I was once part of has been charged with making sure humans never become aware of our activity. Don't ask me why. It was decided by those too far up the ladder to let those of us at the bottom to understand.”

After a moment, the man pushed his empty cup away. Leaning back into his chair, he continued.

“But mistakes happen. Throughout the years we have had slip ups and cover ups, we've had trans-continental crises, and we've had incidents of near-complete exposure to humans. We've lost some hard to maintain secrecy, and it's been a slow process to build that back up. But the hard part is when...” enjy stopped midsentence. Haru could guess what had stalled him from continuing on.

“You've lost someone, a partner?”

“No, don't be cliché. Any partner I had has remained mostly in one piece. What I couldn't stomach anymore was the collateral damage.” tears began to steadily fall down his cheeks. “Our department was one of several that monitored activity amongst humans, making sure exposure was always kept to a minimum in order to keep you all unaware. Ignorance is bliss, so to say. Most problems could be solved with a quick memory wipe or relocation to a quieter city. But, every once in a while, someone up top makes the decision that an incident is too big for us to clean up. Too big for humans to forget or ignore. That's when we're charged to make the situation bigger.”

“Bigger?”

“Instead of doing what we can to tend to each individual human and make sure they forget what they've seen, or make sure any evidence of our existence is hidden away, we are ordered to make an accident so large that it'll take out any and all witnesses. Corporate calls it a “full disclosure sweep”. Taking out a building, bringing down a bus or plane, or even causing a fire to burn an entire city block away. Whatever it is to make sure no human can find out anything about us.”

“To make sure no human is left, to get rid of any possible witnesses, you mean.” Haru stared hard at the slouched man across from her. Tears were streaming freely down his face. Haru felt at once horrified and full of rage towards the man. She wanted to spit in his face, scream for someone in the diner to call the police and run. She wanted to tell everyone about the truth that aliens were on earth, covering up their mistakes with false accidents and murder. But how far would she go, really. How far before one of them silenced her with a “random” car crash, or a “surprise” fall down a flight of stairs. And even if aliens didn't get to her, how many people would actually listen. Who'd listen to a now homeless girl in pajamas screaming about extraterrestrials, paranoid that any accident was a murder attempt by shadowy alien assassins.

“I quit because I couldn't continue to allow innocent bodies get punished for our mistakes. I'm telling you this because I'm sorry, and I don't want you to become another casualty in our mess.”

“If you want me to forgive you, I can't. How many people did you allow to die or go homeless in these “cover ups”? Have you—any of you—ever tried to help those you've displaced? I bet you didnt' even think twice about us.”

Benjy sat silently. All Haru could let out was, “You're a piece of shit.”

They sat without words for several long moments after that. Benjy ate the remenants of the syrup with a spoon as Haru sat, stroking the sleeping kitten in her pocket. The waitress walked over and offered them refills on their sodas before taking their plates and leaving Benjy with the tab. After she left, Haru spoke quietly.

“I don't want to remember. I've got no home and no family in this state to help me, I'm without money or clothes, and I'm a young girl who dropped out of college—my life's going to be too hard as it is.”

“You're a girl?”

“Yeah. I'm transgender.” Benjy's face scrunched up in confusion. Haru was too tired to give a detailed lecture. “Society pressures us to think that there are only two ways of being: man or woman, and that each has very restrictive and narrow definitions. I don't fall into their stiffling boxes. My body may have been given a penis, but I was born a woman.”

“Penis?”

“Jeezus, it's the genitilia you have between your legs!” Haru stared in bewilderment as the man started laughing.

“Oh! No, I don't have that. Everyone from my planet has their genitilia on the inside, here under the ribcage. We only release them during mating sessions.”

“I don't want to know.”

They left the diner and began to walk down the street. The street lamps still glowed faintly as the sun hadn't come up just yet. They passed an early morning jogger as they made their way downtown. Haru didn't exactly know what street they were on, so she followed Benjy's lead. How he know where to go she didn't bother to ask. She was still enraged by his admittance to assisted murder, and couldn't wait to be done with this whole mess, yet she couldn't help but ask one more question.

“Why are any of you here if you don't want to interact with humans. We're kinda all over the planet.”

“Ha! Only humans think they're the center and reason for everything. We're on this planet simple because there are too few planets like it in the universe.”

“What does that mean?”

“Within each galaxy there are numerous solar systems with dozens of planets. Each has countless beauties to behold, each unique and wonderful. And amongst them are those very few which contain access to natural tunnels between space that can bridge planets together. These planets create gateways that connect solar systems, galaxys, the entire universe into a community!”

“So, Earth has a wormhole-portal that allows extraterrestrials to come in and out, and no one knows? Don't let any right-wingers find out.”
“Heh, it's not just aliens. It's everyone. Mystics, dragons, fairies, angels, even monsters. Humans are kept in the dark because we make it so.”

“Explain it to me: why aren't we made aware of the rest of the universe?”

“There are so very few planets that can sustain life. Fewer still that can contain our “portals” to connect such planets together, bringing species and cultures together in a vast unifying network. Earth is one of those rarities that have the odd fortune to have multiple portals. There are barely a handful of planets in the entire cosmos that have such a large number of crossroads. It is truly a gem to behold. Luckily, this gives Earth a—pardon the pun—universally accepted neutrality that is acknowledged by those who would use it otherwise.”

At Haru's confused look, Benjy explained further.

“Empires and warlords are not unique to Earth—although I must say you humans have done some horrors that would put the rest of us to shame. As I've said, planets that contain crossroads are far and few between. Now, you would think that controlling a planet would give a warlord or corporation immense power, however think of how hard and risky it would be to maintain a hold on such a planet. Therefore, there are innumerous legal restrictions and ammendments that keep the neutrality of such planets protected and safeguarded at all costs. Picture a planet being usurped by a rouge. Yes, a whole planet under your control. Now imagine the threat of several hundred star systems coming down on you. No one can be prepared for that.”

“Okay, so I get how planets like Earth are safe from being invaded. But why aren't humans involved in the safeguard of our own homeworld?”

“Funny you should mention that. As hard as we try, some humans do manage to get thrown into the mix. Take yourself for instance. It happens, it's inevitable. But as a whole, no, humans aren't trusted with such information. Just look what you're doing to the planet on your own. Humans can't be trusted to have access to space if they're letting their own planet die away—imagine what they'd do to others. It isn't uncommon. Take Ruqard, for example, his homeworld was just the same. Somehow he got access to a portal, and has been jumping planets ever since. But like you, he's one of a handful from his planet to even be aware of any of this.”

“Who gets to decide who's capable of planet jumping, or planet monitoring?”

“I'm not clear on the specifics, but there are several departments and executive boards that oversee portal usage and maintenance. It's far too above me to understand clearly.”

Before either could say another word, a car came screeching down towards them, swerving onto the sidewalk. Benjy pushed Haru to the side before the car struck, sending him flying into a store front window. Haru got to her feet, holding the mewing kitten protectivly, trying to see where Benjy landed. Out from the car came two of the same blonde pale clones walked out, one walking towards the broken window, the other towards Haru. Haru called out to Benjy, hoping he would help her.

As though on cue, Haru saw the small man leap through the window, clutch the approaching man by the collar and fling him into his partner. On impact, both men bubbled and melded into one another. Haru watched as the bubbling subsided, leaving a single duplicated man before her. Shifting his mass into his forearm, the man turned and struck Benjy. The sound of steel being struck rang in her ears as she watched Benjy fly into the street. Haru ran towards him, hearing their attackers footsteps close behind. Lifting Benjy into a seated position, he raised his triple barrelled gun to fire, only to once again have the clone strike his face. Benjy's frame fell hard, cracking the asphalt beneath him. Haru shrieked as their assailent lifted Benjy into the air, wrapping his arms around his tiny frame, mimicking a python strangling its prey.

Haru felt her hand receive a sharp nip from the kitten in her pocket. Pulling the small black cat out, she lunged at the man and watched as he bubbled and popped, dropping Benjy back to the floor. Lifting him once again, Haru wondered how she'd ever be able to tell if he was hurt or not. He didn't seem hurt by being flung through a window, or cracking the asphalt, but how far could he go?

“I'm okay.” Benjy stared at Haru, and almost looked like he was going to cry again. “You didn't have to help. I told you they were after me and my team, if you'd let him kill me you'd have been in the clear.”

“There was no way I was just going to sit here and do nothing. I'm not like you.” at that, Benjy did start to cry again. Haru wanted to take back what she just said, but she knew she wasn't wrong. Benjy had allowed—for who knows how long—countless people have their lives completely upturned, or ended prematurely.

“Why are you trying to help me—if you let them kill me, you can continue and not have the burden of responsibility of keeping me safe.”

“Back at the diner you said you weren't going to forgive me. This was never about getting warm fuzzy feelings or a gold star for effort. This is about doing the right thing for once in my life, regardless of how you feel or what happens next.” Haru helped Benjy up. He appeared to be okay, no lost of balance or vison impaired.

“Thanks for the save just now.”

“Yeah, well. Thanks for everything today. Thank you for not letting me get killed.” Haru moved the black kitten into her pajama pockets and removed Benjy's yellow coat. She folded it neatly before handing it back to the short man.

“Thank you Benjy. I think I'll be okay from here.”

“What? You sure?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll find a bus stop and ask for directions. I'm going to be okay.”

“I don't like leaving you alone.”

“I'm not alone, I've got Lil'Benjy.” Haru motioned to the big eyed cat in her pocket. Benjy raised an unamused eyebrow before laughing with Haru.

“Take care of yourself kid.”

“Aren't you gonna “neutralize” me?” Benjy paused before responding.

“Do you want me to?” he whispered.

“Not really.”

“Then you're good to go.”

Haru began walking down the street. Before turning the corner, she glanced back to see Benjy pick up his discarded gun. He caught her gaze and waved back at her, only to have his forearm shatter off at the elbow. Haru watched as he fell to the ground, clutching his now smoking stump. Haru yelled at him to run as a second shot struck the crashed car's back wheel. Haru met Benjy halfway, pulling him around the corner, narrowly dodging two more blasts from an unseen shooter.

“Fuck! Benjy your arm!” Haru yelled as the man simply laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Painfully pulling on his coat, he wrapped the yellow coat sleeve around his fractured arm, tying it in a knot. Haru found herself unsursprised by the fact that he wasn't bleeding anything.

“What are we going to do?”

“Heh, heh, Ghorrick's getting resourceful. Never thought he'd get desperate enough to use conventional weapsons.” Benjy looked too startled to think clearly as sweat began to trace his forehead. Before either could talk again, another blast came at them. The shot burst through the corner of the building they were leaning against, and struck Benjy in the shoulder. Both Benjy and Haru fell to the curb. The blast didn't puncture the man, yet still had enough force to rip his coat and knock him unconscience. Haru risked a peek around the corner to try and spy whoever it was that had cornered them. As she peered across the empty street, she saw a tall armored figure leap down a second story window, land nimbly on his feet and begin to walk towards them. Sleek silver metal encased his frame as an iron helm hid his face. In his hands lay a long slender rifle.

Although she knew it was a bad idea, Haru pulled Benjy's gun from his coat before the slowly waking man could protest. The weapon was light and fit comfortably in her hand. It resembled the pistols she'd seen in movies, with a trigger and... the simliarities ended there. First of all it was blue. The whole weapon had a soft blue sheen to it.There were three short barrels, two above a third, each roughly ten inches long. Directly above the handle lay four colored spheres. A dial lay below them, currently clicked to the far left to a dull pale sphere. She took this to mean the safety was on. The next three spheres were red, yellow, and blue. She had seen Ruqard and Benjy fire yellow and red shots, so she clicked the dial to the blue sphere.

As she thought this would be the last thing she'd ever do, Haru leaned around the corner and held down the trigger. Surprisingly, she felt no pullback from the gun. She watched as a steady hail of blue sparks raced from the muzzle of the gun and hit their target squarely in the chest. Not knowing what the sparks would do, she watched as the blue flames strike the armored attacker and instantly begin to solidify, entombing the shooter in an evergrowing shell of concrete.

Taking her eyes away from the stuck attacker, Haru moved over to Benjy. Slowly sitting up, he pulled his gun from her hands. After seeing what setting she had left it in, he took a glance around the corner as well. His only response was raised eyebrows and a quick “good job”. Getting to their feet, he led them around a corner to hide behind a dumpster. Haru saw they were in a dead end, and didn't like the idea of waiting out there.

“Ruqard, jump us, now!” Benjy held onto Haru as a cold gush of wind enveloped them both. Haru opened her eyes to find herself once again within the small sphereical pod. She saw Ruqards red hair peek above the drivers seat.

“Sorry to have jumped you kid, you're gonna have to wait a while longer before your life returns to normal.” with that, Benjy leaned over and fainted next to her.

The pod flipped an entire 360 degrees as it turned the corner. Speeding twenty feet above the ground, the alien vessel zipped along, desparetly trying to evade its pursuer. Inside, Haru skidded across the steel flooring, banging every part of her body against every wall imaginable. At one point, she rammed right into the unconscience body of Benjy, who fainted before their chase began.

“What's going on!?” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Far to her side—front—beneath—somewhere!—sat Ruqard. His red hair shot out above the drivers seat as he desparetly tried to steer. Another shot ricocheted off the far wall. Four previous shots had caused the flying pod to change course, each time inceasing speed hoping to leave their attacker behind. Each time to no avail.

“Hssss! I can't see who's fucking shooting!” his high pitched mew cracked as he turned another corner. The pod scraped along a building, bringing down minor debris to the street below.

“Watch it! You've got to be careful—there's people down there!” Haru snapped.

“I'm doing my best here! Now get strapped in before you get a concussion!” Haru turned and saw the low benches that stretched the wall next to her. Series of seatbelts lay adjacent to the bench. Through falls and bumps, she managed to pull Benjy up and strap him into a belt before seating herself down. Glancing down, she checked to see if the kitten in her pocket was okay.

“You alright there, Lil'Benjy?” a small yawn of acknowledgment was her only reply.

Two more shot dinged the exterior. So far the pod had received only minor bruises from the shots outside. Luckily none had breached their hull.

“What happened down there?” Ruqard called back. The belted bodies lurched forward with another series of turns. Haru was sure her breakfast would come flying out of her mouth any moment now.

“We were about to go our seperate ways when Benjys arm was shot off—”

“What? Is Benjy okay?”

“I don't know, he's passed out.”

“Here!” Ruqard pulled a box from a glove compartment and flung it across the floor to Haru's feet. “In there you'll find a blue needle. Stick it in his ear... you find it yet?”

“There's two in here, which is it?”

“The one with the square icon on it!” on one of the syringes beamed a picture of a square blue pill, identical to the pills Benjy offered her back at the diner. The syringe must be a liquid form of the same drug. After squirting the dose into his ear, Benjys eyes shot open. The clear gel that disguised his features had either rubbed off or simply worn off, as his own visage was clear. Even under his bushy eyebrows Haru could tell his pupils were extremely dialated.

“Woah, that's a rush—what's going on?”

“We're being chased, now get up here and help me!” Benjy moved to unbuckle himself, only to realize that his right forearm from the elbow onward was missing.

“Shit. Don't even feel it. Ruqard, you have to fly on your own.”

“I don't need help flying, I need help spotting whoever's shooting at us!” another shot struck the back wall. Haru could see a visible dent expand as the sound of iron dance off iron ring through the pod. Benjy slowly made his way to the front and seated himself next to Ruqard. The small redhead gave him a quick once over before asking his condition.

“I'll be fine. Damage report.”

“Superficial damage solely on the exterior of the hull, nothing we can't fix once we get a little time. But I don't know how long that'll last if we can't shake this creep.”

Haru lurched to the side, slamming her head against the metal wall. Once her focus cleared, she saw her kitten had jumped out of her pocket and now slide across the floor. Unbuckling herself, she called out to the others.

“Can we stop making so many turns? I'm getting dizzy here!” she lunged to pick up Lil'Benjy, but the cat leaped to the side, no doubt enjoying this new game.

“What is she talking about?”

“Ruqard, you keep turning away from the shots. Ruqard, they're herding us somewhere!” A sharp dip caused Haru to temporarily float midair. When the pod landed with a thud, she fell face first infront of the black kitten. Lil'Benjy placed a paw on her forehead, in victory for evading capture. Lifting the smug cat into her arms, she turned to the drivers. Ruqard had crashed their pod into a vacant lot, surrounded by several tall buildings on every side. As the dust cloud settled in front of the windshield, they could all see the steel frame of their armored hunter. An iron helm sheathed their face, cocked to the side as they peered down the barrel of a long rifle. The cold silver wrapped body stood firm as a barrage of shots blasted the front of their pod. Haru watched as the windshield began to crack, though thankfully didn't shatter. Benjy and Ruqard began to yell at each other as the redhead struggled to get the pod back in the air.

Benjy ordered the pod to fly low, their cloaking instrument being damaged by the gunfire. Turning down an alley and into ongong traffice, the pod strained to avoid getting hit. Eventually making it onto the proper road, Benjy and Ruqard tried to get them off any busy streets. Haru made it back to her seat, only falling once, and strapped herself in. She had no clue what the pod looked like on the outside, yet peering out the rear window screen she saw several vehicles stop in their tracks, no doubt in shock at their sudden arrival.

“How is he finding us? There's no way he's that fast to keep up!”
“He must have a personal Jumper!” before Benjy could finish his sentence, Haru screamed in shock. Out the rear screen, a faint blue fog burst to life. As quickly as it appeared it was gone, leaving behind the armored hunter. He had timed his jump perfectly, appearing inches ahead of a motorcyclist. Before he set a foot on the road, he had managed to roundhouse kick the driver off the racing motorcycle and leap aboard, without losing a second of time or speed. Gaining on the damaged pod, he raised his long rifle in the air and fired again, cracking the rear windowshield. Two sets of sirens screeched along behind them. A pair of police cars entered the chase.

“Get us out of here Ruqard!”

“What do you want me to do? I can't jump us, he's just going to keep tracking us!”

Benjy got up from his seat and struggled to remain standing in the unbalanced pod. Awkwardly taking out his pistol, he wobbled over to the side panel to open the door.

“What are you doing? There're too many people around—you can't be seen!”

“I've got no choice.” Benjy side-eyed Haru. “Sorry for all this, kid. Ruqard will make sure you get out safely.”

Before he could open the hatch, Haru unbuckled her seat and flung a mewing kitten into the man's face. Benjy's eyebrows quivered as the cat clung to his face in panic. Quickly, Haru rumaged through the pockets of the yellow coat until she found the simple cube. The simple grey cube was ribbed all over, laying roughly half the size of her palm. Grabbing Benjy's gun, she shoved him to the floor. Opening the door, she clung to the inner wall as buildings sped past. Glancing towards the rear, she watched as the two sirening squad cars weaved between cars as they desparetly tried to keep up with the armored motorcycler.

“Ruqard! Try to get closer to a building!”

“What? Why?!”

“Just do it!” something in her voice must've convinced him. Hovering over the pavement, much to the horror of pedestrians, the pod drove inches away from a brick skyscraper. Nervously stretching her arm out, Haru scraped the cube to the wall. Thankfully she didn't lose any fingertips. Soon, the cube began to sparkle, glittering on and off rapidly. As fast as she could, she turned the dial towards the blue light. Aiming muzzle towards the glowing cube, she gently tapped the trigger which ended up shooting a small spark of blue flame which encased the cube. The flame solidified into a concrete webbing, fusing the cube to the muzzle of the gun. Only having seconds to spare, Haru aimed the gun out toward the metal rider pursuing them. She steadied her arm, a moment too long. The hunter aimed his own weapon up and fired a shot. Before the alien bullet made contact, Haru clenched hard on her own trigger. A stream of blue flame leaped forth and embraced the hunters chest. Her shot had sent the sparkling cube along with it, which joined the blue flame in clinging to the cyclist. At that moment, its lights ceased blinking and remained on. In an instant, the hunter was flung from his ride and was slammed into the brick wall Haru had previously tapped. His entire frame cracked the building, yet held him firmly in place.

Haru would've seen all this, had she not been pierced by an unknown shot. She felt the bullet spiral into her chest, twisting her skin and tissue apart before pushing itself out her back. A scent of smoke passed her nose as her surroundings blurred in on themselves. Haru could feel her torso begin to feel damp, her wound sticking her clothes to her skin as she leaked away. She nearly fell out of the flying pod had Benjy not pulled her in at the last minute.

“Ruqard! Jump us, now!”

Haru woke up with a jolt, an instantly felt everything. The steel floor beneath her, the stillness of the parked vehicle, the dampness of her clothes, and the electifying hole in the center of her chest. Screaming didn't quite cover it.

“Quickly, bring her inside!”

“It looks bad, Benjy.”

“What happened, who's this?”

Haru was lifted up by strong arms and carried several flights of stairs. As they moved, her limbs jolted involuntarily as waves of agony swetp through her. Haru screamed through tears and snot as blood swept down her back and torso. Someone tried putting a kerchief onto her wound, yet she shoved them off when it brought a new wave of pain through her. All around her voices were calling to each other, moving about this way and that. Eventually she felt herself placed onto a table which seemed to curve into the shape of her body, giving her as comfortable a surface to lay on as possible. A pair of strong arms held her down as someone injected her arm with a short needle. A warm numbing sensation filled Haru, yet didn't quite releave the pain in her chest. She still felt as though she were on fire, only now she felt slightly more aware of her surroundings.

Dim lights rested overhead. As far as she was able to glance to her side, she saw they were in a wide room full of desks and computers. Most were off, and the farthest corners of the room were filled with various luggage, blankets, and duffle bags. Someone brought out a long slender case and set it on the table next to her. Opening it, she saw it was a medical bag, although no doubt alien in nature. Through tear soaked eyes she saw a dim outline of a figure bring out a small face mask and gently place it around Harus own mouth.

“Breathe in deeply, child. We'll take care of you.” the figures soft voice trailed off as Haru sunk into darkness.

Haru opened her eyes in a panic. For a moment she had thought she was back in her apartment, safe and warm under her covers. Remembering that she no longer had a home to go back to, and remembering she was supposed to have a gaping hole in her body, she leaned forward and hastily clutched her chest. Sharp pain flared across her torso bringing the girl back to the bed. Bed? Table? Haru tried to relax and pay attention to what she was lying on. Passing her fingers lightly over its surface, she found herself resting on a smooth surface, soft like a bed cushion, yet it had shifted its form to comfortably fit into the natural curve of Harus back.

“They're called FlexiForge. It's a malleable material that we use for a variety of things, such as clothing, artificial limbs, and beds. You're on our surgical table. It's a wonderful substance, it can twist itself to match a users preference, such as curving to make a more comfortable resting place.” walking towards her was a young woman wearing a grey coat that stretched just below her knees, revealing black combat boots. Her afro was a perfect black halo around her face. The young woman was a beautiful mime to Angela Davis. “How are you feeling?”

Haru slowly sat up, inching forward as she strained against the pain in raising her chest. It only hurt when she tried to raise her arms or twist her torso. Getting a better look around the place, Haru saw they were in what must have once been an office for a firm of some kind or another. No doubt abandonded, the remaining computers and desks seemed several years old, although several still beamed to life, probably being utilized for the groups own uses. The woman infront of her handed her a bottle of water, which she gratefully took.

“Thank you. I think I'm okay. Mostly scared of where I am and what happened to me.”

“Hm. We're sorry you've been forced into such a dangerous position. We'll truly do what we can to get you out safe and away from all this.” She gave Haru a long look before continuing. “Twice you've acted to help save members of my team. As I've heard, Officer Benjy let you go, yet you came back after he was hit. You didn't have to. I'm really grateful. I know the situation concerning your previous home, and I'm sorry for that. But we have the means to set you up in a new location, with comfortable savings to start over. It's the least we can do for what you did.”

“Wow. Thank you.” Haru wasdumfounded. For the past two days all she wanted to do was to forget about all this and live a normal quiet life. But too much had happened, too much to ignore or forget to ever feel truly relaxed. Peering down, Haru looked down at the bandages strapped around her chest, revealing only a small faded patch of red where she had been shot.

“You have nothing to worry about, you've recovered nicely.” the woman spoke reassuringly. “There will be no residual trauma from the blast, and all that'll remain is a faint scar. You won't even notice it's there.”

“I was shot straight through. How am I alive?”

“We may be hiding in an old human building, but we don't play with your outdated tools, Haru. Recovering you did take a few hours, but trust me, you were safe with us.” walking towards another side table, the woman handed her a bundle of clothes. “Yours were no longer wearable. These should fit you just fine.”

“Thank you, Miss....” a warm smile stretched the womans midnight features. Pearl white teeth shown happily in a smile.

“My official title is Commander Hevan Iolani. But you're a guest, please call me Hevan.” Hevan led Haru to a public bathroom and helped her change, as Haru could barely lift her shoulders above her head. After a few struggling moments, Haru emerged in fresh jeans and sneakers, topped with a yellow tank top and blue jacket.

“Thanks for the clothes. They're really comfortable.”

“It's our pleasure.”

“And thank you... for the bra.” Hevan gave Haru warm smile.

“Benjy told us how you identified. Trust me, everyone here will address you properly, you have my word.” Blushing, Haru followed Hevan back through the room with the FlexiForge table and computers. They headed up a flight of stairs to where she assumed was their normal gathering place. Entering a community room and an adjacent kitchen, Haru was introduced to the various members of Hevan's team.

“You already know Benjy and Ruqard. Let me introduce you to the others. This is Scolarsis, our units medic. He was the one who patched you up.” Haru thanked the man seated infront of a laptop. A thin man, with a black braid laid down his back. Wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, the only accessory that stood out about the man was an eyepatch covering his right eye.

“How're you feeling, Miss Haru?” Scolarsis's remaining orange eye gave off a small haze of steam as he spoke.

“Much better, thank you.”

“And this is En'daegis. En'daegis has worked with Benjy and I across a dozen planets.” Haru would've thought her unnoticable in a crowd, had she not looked as though she was part of a SWAT team. En'daegis wore tight form fitting body armor, covering every inch, including padded gloves and steel toed boots. Haru noticed a pair of goggles attached to a bike helmet being placed on a side table. Her hair was shaved across the sides, leaving the top pulled back and tied into a ponytail.

“Where's Nio?” Hevan asked.

“She's still downstairs, almost done touching up the pod.” En'daegis's purple eyes had square pupils, Haru noticed. She wondered how weird she must appear to all the different beings gathered in the room. They appeared human, for the most part, though Haru wondered how much was simply the mask of that clear gel she had seen Benjy use earlier.

“Don't worry, Miss Haru, you're looking at us as we really are. No masks here.” Hevan spoke calmly. Haru didn't know she voiced her thought aloud.

“You didn't. I apologize, I should explain,” Hevan chuckled. “I'm a medium.”

“You're a telepath?”

“Yes, and I'm sorry for not telling you earlier. Everyone on the team is used to it, it sometimes falls through the cracks. Don't worry, I can only sense your immediate thoughts. If I wanted to dig deeper I'd have to you sit and meditate with me.”

Haru saw as the Captain spoke she revealed a tall pointed ear. To risk sounding like a bewildered child, Haru voiced her first thought.

“Are you an elf?” to her surprise, Hevan gave a light musical laugh.

“Yes, how'd you know?”

“I guessed by your ears.”

“It's always the ears,” Scolarsis laughed. “Not the heightened senses or reflexes, nor the increased regenerative abilities, nor the telepathic abilities. Nope, always the ears.”

“You're just jealous you don't have them.” Hevan laughed back. She led Haru to a vacant chair and offered her some water. After leaving Haru to inspect the computer screen with Scolarsis, Benjy walked over and sat beside her.

“How're you feeling, Benjy?”

“Me? Oh I'm fine. I'm around friends. Got myself a cup of syrup. I'm good.” he followed Haru's eyes towards his folded coat sleeve. The sleeve was folded into itslef and tied in place to avoid getting in the way.

“Yeah... I'll be okay. It's funny, my people have such a simple nervous system, injuries don't do much to me. I mean, I got hit by a speeding car and I honstly didn't feel a thing. But this.... it's gone, and I can feel that. That vacant space.” Haru scooted her chair closer to the small man and placed her head on his shoulder.

“I'm sorry Benjy. Benjy. Benjy! Where's Lil'Benjy?” Haru looked around for her small companion. Her eyes stopped on Ruqard. The redheaded cat-person was lazily flipping through magazines as the tiny black kitten sat atop the blanket of fur on his head. She could hear soft purring, yet didn't know from which figure it came from.

“Lil'Benjy's fine. After all the trouble you've went through to keep him, I made sure he got in fine.”

She thanked him as she surveyed the rest of the room. Amongst the piles of newspapers and magazines that scattered the floor, several alien technology lay about. Some looked like morphed kitchen appliances, while others appeared to be scanners and what she could only guess was a long distance radio. Wanting to ask about everything, her thoughts were interupted when Benjy jumped from his seat. Haru followed as they joined the huddle around the laptop.

“It's a Korsqew bullet. The spiral design is ment to penetrate the target and rip it apart as it barrels through them. Pratically a fatal shot every time. Lucky we had a mystic with us or Miss Haru would'nt have made it.”

“You're going to keep complimenting yourself, or have you anything else to tell us?”

“Korsqew artillary has been banned throughout most Gateways. Illegal poachers and mercenaries still carry them, being as effective as they are.” Haru could'nt help but wonder what legal mercenaries were like. Hopefully she wouldn't have to meet any.

“So, our attacker has illegal armaments. Not surprised. Anything on him?”

“A bit. The pod's security cameras were able to get a few vague images of him, though he kept moving out of screen. No doubt he has extensive knowledge of our department vehicles. But we got a few lucky shots. See here,” Scolarsis pointed to a foggy image on the screen, though undoubtedly the clearest image they had.

“Whoever he is, he's wearing Krystallite armor.”

“If he's a Mystic—” Hevan began before En'daegis cut her off.

“Krystallite armor isn't solely worn by witches. The material is firmer and more lightweight than most, if he was able to get his hands on Korsqew bullets he'd have no trouble finding spare Krystallite gear.”

“I agree, Captain,” Benjy stated. “If he was a Mystic, he'd have tried hitting us with more than just bullets. No doubt he's just a hired gun who got lucky in a junk yard.”

“Very lucky, if you ask me.” Scolarsis interupted. “He's got more on than just Krystallite. I can see pieces of at least three other uniforms here. This guy mixed and matched the best of what he could find to make a superior suit. That helmet, though. I don't recognize it.”

“It looks more like a welding mask than anything.” Haru piped up. To her embarassment everyone stared at her. No doubt they were all wondering why she was still there. Stupid, should've just stayed quiet.

“She's got a point.”

“Captain, you don't think—”

“I'd rather not think about it.” Hevan's face had gone grim.

“But if it is—”

“If it is we must be extra careful, but until we know we shouldn't start panicking, alright.”

“Just pointing out, the pod's heat scanners didn't get a reading on him either. Either his suit's got tech jammers on it, or he isn't giving off any heat at all.”

“Get me a list of all known species who don't produce heat. Then let's find out how many are near this planet.”

“Captain—”

“We must prepare for all other possibilities, Benjy.”

“Yes, but you're trying to ignore the most probable one.”

“You know why. I hate vampires.”

Vampires?

“What's this about vampires?” Haru turned to the new voice entering the room. At first all she saw were stripes. Glancing up, Haru looked at the towering woman before her. At eight feet tall, the woman's skin was stripped bright blue and yellow, much like a candy cane a child took artistic license to. Her bald head bent slightly under the low ceiling. She was all leg. All chiseled, long, gorgeous leg.

“You okay, kid? Your face is all red.” Haru turned her blushing face away.

“Haru, meet Nio Uann. She's the teams mechanic and leading expert on Jumper tech. Nio, please meet Miss Haru.” Haru shook the powerful woman's hand, twice as large as her own.

“Nice to meet you.” Dark obsidian eyes bent low to meet Haru's.

“You're... very pretty, ma'am.”

“Thank you. So are you.” Nio chuckled. Haru wished she could faint now.

“Nio, how's the pod?” Ruqard piped next to Haru. Lil'Benjy leaped from the redheads mane into Haru's arms, letting out a loud purr.

“The pod's fine. I got her back to working condition. But it'd be best if we let her sit for a while. A few hours at least.” At that moment, a soft hum came from a far table. Hevan walked over to it and picked up a small square tablet. Tapping it once, she set it back down on the table. A small flash of light burst forth from the screen, producing a small hologram of a red sphere inches above the tablet. The red ball had a pixelated mouth and eyes. Haru thought it looked rather cartoonish, yet when it spoke it held her attention.

“Captain Hevan, status update please. We're anxious up here, how long do we have to stay? I don't need to remind you how far behind schedule we are.”

“No, you don't have to, Bob. We've hit some setbacks but we're getting back on track. What do you have for us?”

“Despite the trouble you've been through, police activity has been minimal. As of right now they're just cleaning up the few messes you've left behind. If you cause another car chase, they'll start to attempt to track your movments. Keep low, and let's get out of here as fast as possible.”

“We're working on it, Bob. How's pinpointing the target?”

“The target?” Haru whispered to Benjy.

“Rog Nezha. A businessman who's been in hiding. We're here to find him.”

“I can't locate his exact location from here, but I did get a faint reading matching his ID somewhere downtown.” the red hologram vanished and in its place rose a small diarama of an intersection in the city. “As I've said, the reading was faint, so I can't say for sure which of these buildings it came from. I'm sorry I can't give you anything more.”

“What about Ghorrick, any sign of him?”

“No. His particular composition makes him near impossible to track. I've got vague readings stretching at least twenty blocks. He could very well have spread himself throughout the entire city by now.”

“Hm. Thank you Bob, we'll keep you posted.” Hevan tapped the tablet off.

“You didn't tell him about the other attacker?”

“I don't want him nagging over my shoulder. I've got you for that.”

Haru watched as Scolarsis brought up the map of the intersection again. Huddled around the computer, they all began to discuss on how to go about searching each building. Haru stroked the kitten in her arms as she listened. They spoke over each other, each pointing out issues they'd have to face. Only Ruqard sat apart. Haru sat next to the redheaded feline as he tossed another magazine aside.

“You're not going to get in the conversation?”

“You see them—they haven't decided anything yet. Once they do, they'll let me know. I'm just the pilot, anyway.” Lil'Benjy walked from her lap into Ruqard's. He didn't seem to notice, although he instinctivly began to pet the small kitten.

“Who's this person you're trying to find? Rogo....?”

“Rog Nezha. He's some corporate executive from the solar system next to this one. His company deals with infastructure. The guy went missing a while back, so we're here to pick him up and bring him home.” Ruqard pulled out a small tablet, similar to the one Hevan used to talk to the red sphere. Switching it on, Ruqard switched on a mini hologram of Rog Nezha. He hologram portrayed Rog as resembling a grey frog with stringy hair falling down its back. Standing upright, his plump belly flopped forward comically while he held his head high with an air of dignity. On one of his thin fingers lay a gold ring, sporting a crystal crest.

“Ruqard, do you have yesterdays paper?”

After handing her a crumbled newspaper from one of the multiple piles on the floor, Ruqard watched as she unraveled its pages and began to slowly go through them. Pulling out a single sheet, she handed it to the young man. Haru pointed to a picture of a young businessman sitting in an office, petting a white persion cat on his lap. The persian had a collar that had an unusual pendant of three crystal triangles interlocking with each other.

“That's Rog's crest, right?”

“Shit!” Ruqard lept over to the others. Handing it to Hevan, the Captain walked over to Haru.

“One of the chefs from work was reading the paper. He mentioned how he didn't like the fact that the man was only half his age and has already made more than he would his entire life. The picture stuck with me cuz the cat's collar looked so odd.”

“It's Rog's. He's hiding in plain sight. Who is this man?”

“The article says something about how he runs a new company that's thinking of coming here. It's big news, bringing in more jobs and all. I was surprised by how they've downplayed it so much.”

“That's cuz Rog wants to stay low. He's too full of corporate greed to go into hiding as a working class citizen. But he clever enough to make his introduction as mute as possible. 'Rogen Ezha'. Could've tried a little harder at faking his name.”

“It says that picture was taken in their new offices, right..... here—this building.” Benjy pointed to one of the four structures they were viewing earlier.

“Alright, listen up. We know his face, his alias, and where he works. He's trying to keep a low profile, but Rog seems to be trying to make a foothold here so it's safe to presume he'll be overseeing much of the work in the offices. Our best guess is that he's in there, feeling safe this far out in the galaxy. Scolarsis, contact Bob. Tell him to scan that building, let us know if there's anything unusual about the structure we should know about. Any wards or jammers of any kind. Everyone, get some rest, lets try to move out after noon.”

Hevan walked over to Haru and pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you. Once again you've selflessly helped us. I should start keeping tabs. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I'd like to make a phone call, if that's okay?” Hevan led Haru down a floor and into a private room and gave her a phone—a human phone, albeit two years out of date. She explained that it was an unregistered phone, in the rare cases they had to make anonymous calls during their missions. She assured Haru it would work fine.

Haru let herself just sit there for a few moments, taking everything in. It was still only last night when her home exploded, leaving her with nothing. In less than twentyfour hours her whole life had been flipped upside down. Getting chased and attacked, rescued and shot. Exactly twentyfour hours ago, her biggest concern was not dropping the dishware at work. What a day.

Looking down at the keypad in her hand, she didn't know who to dial first. Her parents where living in Hawaii, both working two jobs. She hadn't really spoken to them in over a year. They missed her, it was just hard finding time to talk. They mostly just communicated through emails now. She thought about calling her brother. He lived Ohio, only a days travel to upstate New York. He lived closer, but....

The only other person that came to mind was her ex-roommate. After dialing the number, she waited for someone to pick up. After getting voicemail twice, Haru decided to leave a message.

“Hey Kiki. It's, uh, it's me, Haru. Listen, I don't know if you've heard on the news or whatever, but, um, my place kinda doesn't exist anymore. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm safe. I'm with friends. It might be a while before I get in touch with anyone else, but if anyone asks, let them know I'm okay, okay? Talk to you later, I guess.”

Walking out into the hallway, she found Benjy waiting for her.

“You okay, kid? Did you get in touch with family?”

“No, I, uh, I didn't call family, just left a message for a friend. What's everyone doing now?”

“Haru,” Benjy whispered. “You've helped us out a lot. You've saved us time and energy. If you want, we can help you get to a friend or relative. Just let me know, okay?”

To Haru's own surprise, she didn't want to say anything. When no reply came, Benjy smiled and offered her his drink. Expecting hot chocolate or coffee, she took a deep mouthful of pure syrup.

“You need to cut back on this, it'll rot your teeth.” she gasped between coughing.

“Miss Haru, I have something to ask of you.” Captain Hevan asked as she sat across Haru by the computer. “But before I do, I want to make it clear that you can refuse, and I'll graciously make sure you get to a friends house safe and sound.”

“I still think it's a bad idea. She's just a human.” Scolarsis muttered under his breath.

“She's stronger than you think. When I first Jumped into her, her first impulse was to take an old broom and take me out with it. And I had a blaster. She can take care of herself.” Ruqard hissed at the eyepatched man.

“Haru,” Hevan continued. “we've hit a roadblock in our plan to entering Rog's offices. The top seventh and eight floors in the building have been lined with wards and jammers. Essentially, we can't see anything that goes on there. We have no idea which floor Rog's on, or which side of the building he could be. I'd normally have Scolarsis cloak himself and enter the building, but Rog's put up wards against mystics. Even if Scolarsis could get through, Rog'd be notified well before then, and bail on us. We have to try and get in and out without being seen or heard.”

“Why?”

“Because Rog's been in hiding for almost a year. Initially, we thought he had decided to sneak into a relativly quiet planet and start shop here, get rich, and jump ship for another planet. He has a bad track record of starting companies that have potential to aiding native inhabitents, but as soon as profits seem to dwindle he ups and leaves without a care. We don't want to see that happen to another planet.”

“Not just that,” Benjy added. “But now with Ghorrick involved, there could be an element of the ciminal underworld involved.”

“So, alien mobsters might be in league with a capitalist outsourcing tycoon.”

“Essentially.”

“Haru, what we need is to get one of us inside his office. He's avoided us for nearly two months now, which makes us suspect he's found a way to trace our ID's and evade us when we get too close. He doesn't know you. If we can get you as close to those offices as possible, once you're in we'll be able to jump to your location, get Rog and get out.”

“I thought you just said—”

“As soon a we jump they'll be alerted of us, yes, but hopefully the element of surprise will throw them off guard long enough for us to detain Rog Nezha and jump everyone out safely.”

“What am I supposed to do? I can't just walk in as I am. What's my reason for trying to get to the executives office?”

“We've already thought of that. The offices are still being renovated, so we have an opening. You and I will pose as part of the janitorial staff. We'll go through each floor, taking out the trash and watering the plant, etc. Anything to look busy. I'll help you get to the top floors, from there you'll make your way inside. Try to get as close to his office as possible. Once you are, we'll jump to your location.”

Haru looked at all the eyes staring at her. She felt safe with all of them, even though she knew them for less than a day. Could she really trust them? She didn't know them. But they were asking for her help. They saved her from attack. They patched her up after having a bullet ripped through her. Shit. What was she getting into.

“Okay. What do we do now?”

The next few hours was full of costume fitting and debriefing. Haru was lectured on how to keep a low profile and on exactly the speed she needed to move in order to seem natural and not attract attention. Haru practiced the signal she'd have to give in order notify the others to jump. When she found Rog's office, she'd leave take off her hat and place it on her broom handle, leaving it leaning on the closest window.

“Alright, everyone ready? Let's head out.”