Topic: Origins

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2008-06-10 21:23 EST

The young woman ran through the streets of RhyDin City, panicked, as if she had seen a nightmare brought to life. In this side of the City, Watch presence was nonexistent. Not a surprise, that. The amount of mass murderers and serial killers was hard to comprehend, as it seemed a new one would appear every few weeks, massacre the helpless, and never be brought to justice. This woman was just going to be another statistic, another faceless person to be slaughtered for no reason, and to never be avenged.

There were a few reasons that the young man who bounded above the streets, on the rooftops above, decided to take up this unusual profession. he had the power to be one of those heartless killers, and he most certainly had reason enough to lash out against life, given the rotten cards it had dealt him. But no, the masked vigilante had gone the opposite way. When he came to this city he quickly learned of the ineffectiveness of its guards, the maniacs who roamed the streets, and most of all, the agony of the faceless population who were under constant threat of meeting their demise night after night.

As the killer in the alley below caught up with the woman and slammed her head into the unforgiving brick wall of a building, the young man above put these thoughts out of his mind. He leapt to a fire escape, and somehow the rusted metal made no sound as his weight landed and pushed off. An acrobatic flip in the air, and he landed without so much as a grunt on the cement, with bent knees and arms braced. The killer had pinned the barely-conscious girl face first to the wall, no doubt whispering the worst of promises as his body pressed violently into hers. The young man behind them stood, as silent as a thought, playing the scenario in his mind a moment before taking action. It played out like panels of a comic book:

1. Closeup. A fist to the killer's kidneys. A yell of pain from the surprised murderer.
2. A slight bird's eye view, the three figures tight. There is not much room separating them. The killer sends a wild swing backwards at his unseen assailant, a previously hidden knife in his hand. He was swinging for the throat.
3. Another closeup. The vigilante stopping the swing by grabbing the wrist of the attacking arm with his right hand.
4. Pan slightly to the left to show a palmstrike connecting at the killer's elbow. The sounds of bone cracking and tendons snapping.
5. From behind the masked man we see the killer now turned to face him. This is the first glimpse he's had of the vigilante, but it won't last long. His arm is held in front of his body, everything below his elbow falls like a broken tree limb, only held on by his skin.
6. A full page spread as we see the masked man connect with a vicious punch to the killer's chest. There is a soft glow around our hero, swirling energies around him, and it all seems to flow into the attack. What we can see of his face is emotionless, he hates this man and everything he stands for.

The confrontation lasted less than twenty seconds. The killer fell into the wall, his chest cavity caved in and imploded. He was dead the second the punch connected.

The vigilante gave a glance to the woman to the right of him. It was a quick assessment, to make sure she could walk away without his assistance. He wasn't there to comfort her, or to tend to her emotional or physical wounds. He ignored her sobbing something about "a bad dream" and was gone in the blink of a tear-filled eye.

One would be serial-killer thwarted for tonight, yet his job had only just begun. He stood on the rooftop above the scene he had just disappeared from. He would make sure this woman made it home safely, or at least to a safe haven. He reached around to the back of his head, pulling tight the mask around his head. He would be sure to protect as many as he could here, to save as many as he could. He knew it would never atone for the broken promises he made before. to save the lives of those he left behind, but it was at least a start.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-01-08 23:32 EST

Daniel crept back into his room at the Red Dragon Inn, closing the door before allowing himself to show any signs of what the night had brought to him. A wince and groan as he lifted his green hoodie over his head, the white t-shirt underneath riddled with cuts and red stains. The fabric clung to his body, the stickiness of blood and wounds nearly making the shirt part of his skin. A clench of his teeth as he went the easy route, tearing it off of his body. Shirts were expendable, and that was beyond saving.

It must have been that pain which dulled his usually sharp senses. He ignored the smell of ozone in the room as he entered. The cracking pops of static unheard as his hoodie was covering his head. The hair standing up on his neck and arms unnoticed in favor of an assessment of his wounds. It wasn't until the flash of two bright lights and pop of electricity that Danny looked up into his room, catching sight of his unexpected visitor.

"Must have been a large group, to have gotten you so good," the voice was like a recording from an old record, with pops interspersed between softly spoken, musical words.

Daniel relaxed somewhat, as much as he could around her. "Young bird," he sighed as he walked into his bathroom to retrieve a towel, "wasn't expecting anyone to catch up with me here, least of all you."

"Young bird?" the voice cooed, long eyelashes fluttering over glowing eyes. "Whatever happened to 'Pretty bird?'"

Danny stepped out of the bathroom, turning the lights on. "Stopped calling you that when you stopped being that. What do you want?"

"I was just concerned for you, my strong champion. I heard what happened the last time you were called to the City. I wanted to check up on you. And I must tell you, I am a bit surprised to see you acting so strange."

"Strange?" Danny glanced at her now in the light, a woman who looked no older than he did, radiant blonde hair which seemed to float and sway by itself. She wore a small coat over a tight fitting bodice, her figure that of a pinup model from years ago. Bare legs crossed at the knees as two high heeled feet dangled over the floor. She was all he remembered her, and a little he forgot. "Strange how?"

"Oh, you know," she waved a hand, her fingernails were short. "Acting like a typical boy during the day and then going out at night and being this delicious, daring do-gooder." She licked her thin lips, Danny looked away.

"Look, I have my reasons, and I don't owe an explanation to anyone, least of all you. Not since you turned yourself into that . . . that, abomination," his eyes returned to her, a flash of disgust flashing in them.

A flash of pain went over her delicate features before quickly vanishing as she stood. "Daniel, whatever you may think of me, I still care," her words came slowly, much of the musical tone was lost. "Perhaps I will just return to talk to you another time, on a night that you haven't been spending with common trash, of which, I must remind you, I am not."

Danny bit his lip. Was there a hint of regret to being so harsh? "Just . . . Next time, get in touch beforehand."

"Yes, Daniel, I certainly shall. I'll be in touch shortly."

Danny looked down, knowing what was coming. The room was lit up like a flash of lightning in the starless sky, and she was gone. It was only a matter of time, he thought to himself, before his previous life caught up with him here. He just didn't want it to happen so soon.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-01-16 00:18 EST

"Hi, I know it's been a while since we talked. I've just been - I don't know. I'm different now from back then, and I'm scared you wouldn't like things I've done - what I had to do. What I've become.

It all happened so fast. What happened to you guys, then throwing myself into anything else I could, then the crash. I did horrible things. Horrible things to survive. There's not a day goes by where I don't think about them. All of them. And I left some of my best friends behind to die.

Once I went back to the wreckage. I couldn't bear to get close, though. It was too much. I never found out if anyone else survived for sure, but I think I know the answer anyway.

I'm still watching out for David and Danielle though. I know it hasn't been long to them but for me . . . I haven't really explained it, have I? The place I found, the City. Things work different there. I might have spent eighty years there, learning and practicing and training to become this protector or weapon or whatever people call it. But back home, it's like it's only been a couple of years or so. And I've heard that I could, I don't know, "ride the timestream" to visit other points. But there's danger and I don't know the process fully and I doubt I'll ever do it.

Anyway. They're doing well with grandma. She's taking good care of them, and they don't seem to miss us too much. Maybe one day I'll try to get a hold of them, but not now. Not when I know I have people looking for me. I can't bear to lose anyone else in my family.

But yeah, I've found this other place where I've managed to keep somewhat hidden. I've been helping people here - crafting a new life. It's almost like back before, before you two were taken from me. I'm back to being goofy and happy and what I was before. Or at least I'm acting like that. At other times I'm just, this stoic guy who goes out and stops muggers and stuff while wearing a mask. And I feel so angry underneath the surface all the time. I kinda wonder which is the real me sometimes.

But I met this girl. She's really good for me. She's not like the girls I dated that you met in high school. They were all drama queens and I think they only dated me because of my looks and because I was the big star athlete. I was like a notch in their bedpost or something. But Lizzie - she's something else.

I mean, you've told me about chemistry before, and that's what we have. We just click. Never even had a fight. And she does this thing - sometimes she'll just scratch my side for no reason. I mean, I'm sure it doesn't sound like a big deal, but it means something to me. Like, I'm there, and I mean something. Like I said, it doesn't sound big, but it really is to me.

But there's something else. I haven't told her, well, much of anything. Haven't told her about you, or where I came from, or the things I can do, or what I really do at night, or that I sleep so much because it helps me heal up faster. She doesn't know there's this whole 'nother side of me. And I get the feeling that there's more to her too. There's a lot of depth there, I know it, but I haven't asked. I don't know if I'm just scared that I'll mess it up between us or what. But I'm sure we both know there's more to each other. It's just, well, we're going to take our time getting to those depths. And I'm fine with that. When it needs to happen, it'll happen.

Anyway, I should go. I just wanted to drop in since it's been so long. I'll try to do this more often. Heh, you know, they tell me that it's possible to reach a state where I could actually talk to you . . . but that seems wrong. I'll settle for this for now..

Bye mom, bye dad. Love you. Miss you."

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-02-08 19:19 EST

Head pounding, nausea, an uneasy feeling in the gut. This isn?t something that Danny felt often, and especially not at a time like this. He had just finished foiling another mugging when it hit him. Whatever it was. He reeled, placing his hand against the brick of the building in the alley. Closing his eyes tight, clenching his teeth.

There was a disturbance in his qui. Something throwing it off balance. He knew that much, but he didn?t expect it to come here -- to follow him. He felt it close, so he attempted to steady himself and stand strong. This stalker was unexpected, but he had faced it down before, he had defeated it, if only barely.

He tried to clear his head, a small meditation to clear whatever toxin the demon was infecting into nature, upsetting his qui. But he couldn?t. His mind was racing with thoughts that he couldn?t suppress. Memories coming to him in quick flashes, which his brain couldn?t seem to process. It was physical pain. He felt every emotion which flashed into his head, every memory which contained physical or emotional shadows. They hit him like a ten ton brick.

But that wasn?t as hard as the real hit he felt a moment later. He couldn?t tell if it was a punch or a kick with how fast it happened, yet he could tell that slamming into the wall behind him didn?t hurt as much. Danny set his feet into a stance shoulder-length apart, his right arm coming up to block another attack. He saw his attacker for the first time, a pale, grotesque imitation of a human being. Perhaps it even was one once, but now it was just all limbs and teeth. Its sickly gurgles what passed for speech.

Danny countered with a straight palm thrust into its chest cavity. It crumpled around his hand, and then reassembled, trapping it there. Danny felt it milk at his through the contact, draining his qui like some sort of vampire that fed on the essence of life itself. Danny blinked. This was a new trick. Then it hit him again, its lanky hand mirroring the palm thrust, aimed precisely at the center of his chest. The force should have thrown him back, but his with his hand trapped and back against the wall, it instead dislocated his shoulder, and Danny could hear the tendons pop and snap.

He didn?t yell. Jaw clenched tight, Danny took another shot, this time to his face. The back of his head impacting against the wall from the force, an indentation left in the brick. He received another blow, and another, and Danny could feel the warmth of the blood flowing from his broken nose down into his mouth. He spat, clearing his mouth only to feel the blood coming from up within. A cough and spit, the creature?s long bony knee had been lifted into his side, crushing past the defenses of his ribs, likely using them to puncture a lung.

He was being pulverized to death, and though his training had built his body up to be strong, perhaps even like stone, there was only so much he could take. He caught the next attempted palm strike with his free hand, and then twisted its wrist, breaking the limb at the elbow. It could repair itself, so he had to move quickly. Just enough time to focus, he balled his trapped hand into a fist; he could see the light escaping the creature?s torso. Danny was channeling his qui into the fist, drawing from the rest of his body, giving it more than it could handle. Then he pushed forward, freeing his hand by pushing it through before yanking it back, pulling the creature?s insides with it.

It screamed, and Danny brought his other fist through its face like a sledgehammer. Then another cough and gurgle, he was almost choking on the blood that was coming up from his mouth like a geyser. He was in no shape for this fight, and his head. The moment he had to focus was gone and it was distracting him again ? hurting him. He stumbled away, through the alley, gritting his teeth as he escaped. He had to hide; he had to lower the signature of his qui so he couldn?t be tracked. He felt the fingertips of unconsciousness creeping up in his mind. A look back, he didn?t feel the stalker behind him. He peeled his bloody mask off his face, stuffing it in a pocket. His left eye was bloodshot and red, and there was a puffiness building to obstruct the vision in his right. He?d been running for a time, and he was on Kesey?s grounds. That was when he hacked a final cough, spitting blood on the concrete that was fast rising to meet his falling body.

Miles back the creature stirred, growling low. Then a flash of light filled the alleyway as a woman appeared. She set upon the creature with fury; each blow landed turning it to ash as electricity destroyed its cells. Within a few moments it was a pile of unliving ash, and the woman disappeared with the hum of an electronic melody.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-02-15 02:39 EST

?Zee!?

He yelled my name as I sent another shock through his body, my hand tightened around his throat. He would have called them talons once, meaning in a good way. Not tonight. He also would have yelled my name in such a different manner than this. But such changes happen in life and death.

?Alone and injured, my sweet Daniel? History does have a habit of repeating itself, does it not??

Oh, the hurt look in his eyes. I admit, it does pain my heart slightly. Slightly.

?Zee? Why? I though??
I cut him off with a squeeze to his throat. The poor boy doesn?t have any fight in him. He?s dampened his chi so much that he hasn?t healed quickly like he usually does. So much that he?s easy pickings for the villains of the world, and for me.

?Listen closely, Daniel. What I do now I do for your own good. You may not have been able to save me, but I will not lose you. There is too much you don?t understand and only one way to show it all to you.?

He?s still struggling. Hitting my arm with his fists, thinking that he can loosen himself from me. I can?t help but smile at his resistance. He always was a fighter ? a survivor - except for tonight. I send my electrical chi through my arm, channeling it with my hand, and to his credit he doesn?t scream. He just holds his hands around my wrist as he falls to his knees. He stares at me with those oh-so-gorgeous eyes, and I see the questioning look in them before they go lifeless. His hands fall to his side, and I drop his limp, lifeless body afterwards.

?Sacrifice, Daniel. Your lesson begins now.?

I sing a soft melody, and behind me I hear the boom of the opening to the other world beyond the City. I reach down and lift Daniel?s lifeless body over my shoulder before walking through the portal. The two men on the other side are waiting to take his body from me.

?Hurry now. He won?t stay like that for long. Death is only a small hindrance to his kind, as he?s about to find out. His chi will find its way back soon enough. His body must be prepared by then.?

I watch with stoicism as the body of the man I once loved and just murdered was taken, but underneath I feel the battle of emotions within me. I hoped he would forgive me in time ? that he would understand why
I had to betray his trust. But as I?d told him: survival or sacrifice. It wasn?t a choice between them, but the two words to prepare him for this upcoming challenge.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-02-15 15:51 EST

Life was good. Danny smiled as he rolled out of bed and placed his bare toes on the floor, curling his toes in the soft carpet. He turned his back to feel a soft ?crack?, clearing away all the tension of the previous day. He slumped then, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

The previous day he?d seen on ESPN that he was a projected top five pick in the upcoming NFL draft. The day before that the Minnesota Twins informed him that if he ever signed with them -- seeing as they had drafted rights to him out of high school -- there was a starting position open to him in the outfield or second base. And just months previous he and his squad from the dojo had a successful exhibition in China, which Danny received the highest compliments from the Chinese dojo-master.

He needed to call home and ask his parents for advice. He still hadn?t signed with an agent yet, but did make himself eligible for the draft. He didn?t know if he should stay in college another year or make the leap to the pros. He wanted to be on campus with his brother and sister, at least if it was only one year. They were both going to be Hawkeyes like him. He was still wearing a smile as he reached a bare arm across to the nightstand and picked up his phone. A finger flicked a switch and he tapped the screen, bringing the phone to life. A few more presses to the touch screen and he maneuvered to the contacts screen, about to dial home before the screen changed, popping up with another name and face.

Lizzie Liddell. Complete with a photo of her sticking her tongue out at him. He met her not too long back, an art student. Strange that they would hit it off so well, and strange that they would have met at a hotel bar of all places. And though their time together was somewhat brief, he was certain that the words ?I love you? were inevitably going to slip from his mouth sometime in conversation soon. He touched the ?answer? button and brought the phone to his ear.

?Danny!? her voice broke, cutting him off before he could utter a syllable. ?You have to come back! They?re going to kill me if you don?t! Dann??

The line went dead and he could only stare at the phone, his mouth agape. Was this a prank? A joke? He looked up and suddenly he wasn?t in his apartment bedroom any longer. He wasn?t even sitting on a bed now. Empty space, colorless, odorless. There was no movement in the environment or in him. A place where time and space had no meaning, just an empty void that he couldn?t maneuver through.

?I have to go back?? he whispered to himself, although he could not hear the words over the silence of the nothingness.

Lizzie Liddell · Date: 2009-02-15 20:35 EST

"Seriously, man, I don't get how I got the heavy end on this thing!", Lizzie groaned. Her cohort in this adventure, a grimy looking man with layers of tattered clothing and dirty matted hair, simply grunted in reply. Between the two of them they were carrying a dark brown recliner. It looked a little worn, the leather was even cracking in some areas, but the way Lizzie tried to veer it away from walls and railings as she wobbled underneath the weight of it would make you think she had paid top dollar for a brand new piece of furniture. The grimy man helping her wobbled as well, but it seemed more likely it was caused by the half empty bottle of whiskey hanging out of his coat pocket rather than the recliner itself.

"Sixth floor! One more flight of stairs, man, just don't give up on me now! That bottle was totally almost full when I gave it to you so you gotta keep your end of the bargain!" Lizzie had been in the city for months now, but despite all of Kazzy's teachings and those oh-so-helpful looks that screamed why aren't you getting this!? Lizzie still couldn't grasp the exact value of RhyDin currency. But alcohol was a language everyone could speak. Ol' Grimy lifted his hand and waved it about dismissively. That was not the reaction Lizzie was hoping for. Not only because it was rude as sin, but because it put almost the entire weight of the recliner on her causing her boney knees to buckle on the stairs. "Come on, guy! Pick it up and I'll toss a brew in it for you next time I see you!" With that his hand was back on the recliner and they were able to get it up to the seventh floor without anymore issues.

"I can drag it from here, man. I'll slip you a brew sooner than later, okay?" Grimy grumbled at the I.O.U. and with another wave of his hand he tottered down the stairs pulling out his precious new best friend, Mr. Jack Daniels. Lizzie huffed while awkwardly dragging the recliner the rest of the way down the hallway, her sneakers slipping every now and then under the effort. Her progress was slow but she eventually made it to 7E. Fists rested on her hips and she hunched forward to catch her breath. It was the Sunday after Valentine's and Lizzie wasn't sure how she and Danny had gone the entire Saturday without seeing each other, but she hoped he wasn't upset. She had almost carried the gift up the stairs on her own last night, but she figured she would exempt Danny from one of her late night wake-up calls considering all he had been through lately. Even tough guys needed a break every now and then.

A moment later she dug around in her pocket and withdrew a key. She reached out to grab the doorknob so she could unlock it, but when her fingers grazed the metal a loud pop filled the air and she withdrew her hand while shaking it and cussing. She flexed her fingers and pondered if she had ever been shocked so badly by a doorknob before. Just as she was about to write it off due to her slip sliding feet during the furniture moving, even if the floor was made of wood, her attention was once again absorbed by the door. Her key had never made it into the lock, she didn't even get a chance to twist the handle, but there it was cracked open a few inches. Brows puckered in thought even though she couldn't seem to get her mind to work straight. She reached out and pushed the door open the rest of the way, blue eyes slowly sweeping what she could of the apartment. After a long while of staring and not seeing anything out of place she stepped inside. It was the last thing she should have done. In the back of her head she knew it, but she couldn't just walk away.

"Danny?" She called out tentatively as she crossed over to his bedroom and peered inside. Nothing. "Danny?" It was louder this time. She walked back to the middle of the apartment, her gaze moving about in search of... she didn't know what. Anything that could give her some sort of sign as to what was going on. The eerie silence of the apartment made the hair of her bare arms prickle. At least that was what she figured was causing it. Something in the air didn't seem right. No way. She had to be overreacting, she always did this. Always assuming the worst and freaking out for no reason. He probably just had some errands to run. Maybe he got called into work for a while. He could have been at the mall turning over his costumes now that the holidays were over. She ran through a laundry list of possibilities. So, why didn't she feel any better?

She decided to busy herself by moving the recliner the rest of the way into the apartment. Unfortunately it didn't take her nearly as long as she had hoped. She twisted the chair about so it was facing the now closed front door and with a heavy sigh she dropped down into the cool comfort of the broken in leather. Her legs were pulled to her body and hugged to her chest. Her chin rested atop her knee. She sat in silence. Staring ahead. Waiting for him to come strolling in so she could put all of these worrisome thoughts behind her. Willing the door to open with every fiber of her being.

"Come home, Danny. Come home."

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-02-18 23:59 EST

Breath deep even though the lungs aren't there. Close your eyes even if they don't exist. Let your thoughts spread out. Find the warmth and familiarity of your qi/chi/qui. Connect.

Imagine the infinite and ever expanding universe. The cosmos and its never ending span of reach. Unimaginable possibilities and unanswerable questions found only on the outer span of reality.

Then the galaxy, spinning upon an invisible thread. Layers upon layers dancing between and through each breath of creation. The sparkles of uncountable stars burning out before they even reach the eyes of the unborn constellations.

Dive through each planet, circling on its axis around the gravity of the sun. Through barren heaps of uncharted rocks and the ice and heat of immeasurable extremes on each one. Until finding the right equation that through the act of some creator of by cosmic accident brought life on the planet.

Count the infinitesimal number of atoms in your cells and find the proteins coming together to form a being made of flesh, blood, and bones. That mysterious spark that creates a soul, tying it with the nature that was gifted by life. Open your mouth, breath in through the lungs, filling them with oxygen, clear your head. Open your eyes. Let the muscles focus the iris, allow the rods and cones to adjust. Move each muscle in the body, flex and pull, strain. Pump the heart, send the blood through the circulatory system. Feel the nerves. Feel everything.

Come back.

And for the second time, Daniel Brooks experienced life.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-03-04 22:20 EST

(( Continued from Lizzie's Journal ))

I would never admit it to Lizzie ? she even asked once ? but I do sometimes check up on her when she?s out doing her thing, and I?m out doing mine. Especially when she?s going out to the more seedy parts of town. It?s where I usually patrol, I explained to myself. Might as well check up on her since it?s so convenient.

One of the ways I can use my chi is by using it to track others, following their own chi; and since Lizzie and I have become so close, I?ve gotten accustomed to hers, and it?s easier to find over distances. It?s similar to how someone?s scent seems to cling to all of your clothes and hangs in your bedroom. Her chi is just so familiar to me, that it?s like a giant beacon whenever I try to look for it.

Now be it luck or instinct, it was a good night to have checked up on my Geko. There was a commotion not far from where she was, and I decided to check that out first. Rooftops are my main mode of transportation. I?m a good leaper, and quiet. This is how I came to survey the scene at first: Members of the Watch, and a girl. But that?s when you start to notice how something seems wrong. Why would there be more than even two to handle her? And a lookout? I wanted to wait and see what was going to happen, but my hand was going to be forced.

Lizzie had somehow discovered the same scene, but she wasn?t going to be quiet about it like me. A nice throw got the attention of their ringleader, which started a chase. Two stuck behind, the two holding the girl, and it seemed to me that they had no intentions of letting her leave alive. Not when one pulled a knife.

A knife! Really, why in the world would members of the Watch be carrying a knife? I leaped from the rooftop and landed behind him first, then grabbed his wrist and gave a palm strike to his elbow. From my crouching position, I bent his arm the other way. The other one had just enough time to let the girl go before I pivoted on a foot and sent a straight kick to his jaw. Either that or the impact of his head hitting the concrete knocked him out, hard to say for sure.

She ran, and I didn?t care what crime she was on the hook for. Something was wrong with these guys, power-tripping or whatever. Then I took a moment to try to gather which way the rest ran, hoping Lizzie?s escape ability was working tonight. I thought I saw the large one move down another corridor, maybe to cut her off. I decided to go that way.

I caught up just in time to see the large guy slap Lizzie. No. Not something I will ever let anyone get away with. She put up a fight, but she wasn?t going to be able to handle him. I didn?t want her to. This f***er was mine.

You go faster by running instead of jumping or diving, that's something you learn running down the line in baseball. So I ran as fast as I could, and just as he was about to hit her again, my fist connected with his face. I heard the crack that usually means a broken nose, and I smiled. A fast halt and I used my momentum to give him a roundhouse kick. He didn?t go down right away. I think I smiled more. I channeled my chi into my fist and was about to give him a real haymaker, but that was when the others caught up with us.

I had forgotten about them, stupid me. One tackled me around the waist, the other grabbed my arm and the third was close behind. They were able to wrestle me to the ground and give me a few good shots. Some kicks, a couple of swats with their clubs. The standard beat down. I could take it for a while, but I needed to get back to my feet before one of these guys pulled out something more dangerous or reinforcements came.

That?s when I saw Lizzie clock one of them with her brass knuckles. I honestly have no idea where the hell she keeps those things on her body, but I?m glad she has them. She knocked the guy holding me down silly, and one of the others swung his club at her. She ducked away and he missed, and that was the opening I needed. The last guy tried to kick me again, but I managed to snag his foot between my hands. A quick twist and the torque snapped his ankle.

A kip up, and I grabbed the arm of the guy going after Lizzie. I used it to spin him around, both my hands going to the back of his head, pushing it down as I raised a knee to meet it halfway. He went down like a ton of bricks. They were all incapacitated, so it was high time for Lizzie and me to make our escape. She grabbed her backpack, I grabbed her hand, and I lead her through the dark alleys away from that place. Then she piggy-backed me the rest of the way home.

For some reason, I think she actually enjoyed that little scuffle.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-03-13 01:02 EST

?Lieutenant Quinn! Lieutenant! We?ve got a suspect from the West End alley case in custody!? the young member of the Watch yelled, bursting into the Lieutenant?s office.

The Lieutenant placed his hands on his desk as he stood, scattering paperwork. An expression of surprise crossing his grizzled face; he didn?t expect that the case would come to him so easily. He immediately began walking out of his office and down the hallway. ?He?s in the interrogation room, correct?? he asked, the other officer nodding in response.

?Masked??

?We didn?t want to take it off until you talked to him. We figured that ??

?It may not be him, or someone he sent to throw us off. And there might be legal loopholes in removing it, so there?s no reason to. Right.?

Quinn stopped outside of the interrogation room, looking through the two-way mirror to study the suspect on the other side. He fit the description the officers gave: roughly six feet tall, somewhere around two-hundred pounds, an athletic physique, and the mask. He even matched right down to the details that weren?t released to the public, such as the color and look of his outfit. If this wasn?t their man, chances are he had some contact with him.

?How did we catch him?? Quinn asked aloud, to the group of Watch members and detectives that had gathered around him.

?Came in late tonight, turned himself in. No incident,? one man piped up. ?Didn?t say but two words or so.?

Quinn nodded. He was handed the dossier on the case, and he flipped through the pages. ?Bring in one of the men who he attacked. We?ll need him to I.D. the suspect.? One man nodded and quickly moved away, and Quinn snapped the folder shut. ?I?m going to speak with him.?

The door buzzed, and Quinn stepped inside. The man in front of him was seated in a chair, his arms behind his back, wrists cuffed. Quinn couldn?t tell by sight if the man?s eyes were on him or not, not with that mask and the tinted red lenses covering his eyes. He sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table separating them.

?Playing dress-up, or are you actually the man wanted for these crimes?? Quinn queried as he pushed a copy of the wanted poster on the table toward the masked man. Quinn was expecting the man to play it cool, to not speak right away, or demand a lawyer.

?I want to speak to my accusers. Face to face. I have that right,? the man said, quietly. Quinn noticed that he was purposely disguising his voice, speaking in a harsh whisper, but turned up to ten.

Quinn was about to respond as the door buzzed behind him, catching his attention. He twisted his body in the chair to turn his gaze toward the door to see who was entering. He saw a mountain of a man walking toward him, bruises on his face fading but not quite gone yet, and wearing the uniform of a Captain of the Watch. He patted Quinn on the shoulder, large burly hands that could squeeze coal into diamonds using less force on Quinn?s soft muscle. ?Lieutenant. I think the man said he wanted to see me.?

A small frown crossed Quinn?s lips before he stood, casting a glance toward the suspect as he did so. He could notice the man visibly tense and bristle at the presence of the Captain. He knew this was a good sign that he was the real deal, and as such he intended to get more men on the outside in case a situation arouse. As Quinn left, the Captain clicked a button beneath the table, turning off the speakers to the outside viewing window. The conversation was meant to be private.

?Give us the girl, we can let you off easy. You didn?t kill anyone, we?ll all heal in time. Just a do-gooder who got a little too worked up. I understand. Just bad judgment in seeing a situation like that. Give us the girl and I promise you that it?ll be a slap on the wrist.?

Danny let the man speak. Slow and steady calm breaths kept him collected and cool. He kept thinking of that night and how this same man put his hands on Lizzie. It was all he could do to remain seated in the chair and let the Captain?s slimy words spill from his mouth. He waited until he was finished speaking before collecting his thoughts.

?I came here for one reason,? Danny hissed, ?to tell you to leave her out of this. You tell everyone to stop looking for her, or I bring this whole place down. Whatever your deal was that night, she doesn?t know or care. But I do. You keep looking for her and I?ll bring whatever that operation was crashing down around your fat head.?

The Captain smirked, his hands on the table as he leaned down. His breath was warm, and it stunk like each word he said was filled with bile and rotting flesh. ?We have you. What can stop us from getting that girl? And getting what we . . . want from her??

There was a ghost of a smile on Danny?s face as he responded, ?Me.? From the very moment the man entered Danny had resisted in physically attacking him. Until now. With a sudden rise, Danny?s forehead rammed into the man?s face, and there was the sound of bone breaking as blood began to gush from the Captain?s nose. He then leaped in the air, tucking his knees to his chest as his arms swung downward, handcuffs clearing his feet so his hands were now in front of him. He heard the door buzz, knowing time was short. His hands went to the bottom of the table, and he grunted as his muscles strained, breaking the bolts from the legs. Danny tossed the table towards the entrance, the Captain just barely ducking underneath the large flying object. He stood just in time to receive a straight kick to his chest from Danny, which sent him back into the table, making a nice temporary door jam.

With no time to break the cuffs, Danny knew he would have to do this the hard way. Breathing in a large intake of breath, Danny brought his elbows into his side, his palms up. With a yell he thrust his palms into the two-way mirror, and it a spider-web pattern of cracks began to spread from the point of impact. He then hopped back before running at the mirror, arms held in front of his face as he jumped through the weakened point, pieces of the tempered glass falling around his body as he landed.

The hallway was packed with members of the Watch, and the ones that he didn?t knock over with his stunt began to grab and pull and attempt to tackle, while a few others swung with their batons. ?No lethal force!? Danny heard someone yell, likely because of the danger to their fellow companions than to him.

?Ki-yah!? Danny yelled, fists pounding the ground between his feet as he braced himself. The area around him exploded in granite and concrete, sending those closest to him flying away. Danny then turned, his head down as he ran straight at a stunned rookie. Danny curled his hands around the man?s collar and kept running, lifting him as he ran, using him as a human shield to run through the hallway which had become a gauntlet of swinging batons and fists.

Some were pushed back, most were pushed to the ground, flailing in vain at Danny?s legs as he powered past them. Once out of the hallway, Danny tossed his human shield to one side, dropping a few more men as he ran the opposite way. He was halfway to the front exit before he was blindsided with a tackle.

He grunted as he hit the ground, throwing an elbow to the face of the tackler, which immediately sent the man to the ground beside him. As more approached Danny rolled back on his shoulders and reached his hands back, palms flat on the ground as he pushed himself into a handstand and swung backwards. His feet hit another Watchman?s shoulders, and Danny tightened his ankles around the man?s neck. Danny swung his body at a forward angle and sent the man flying toward more advancing Watch members while he gracefully landed on his feet. He spun on one foot and gave a back kick to another pursuer, using that to build up momentum to resume his run.

A few feet from the front doors, he again jumped, leading with a foot.
The doors broke and splintered and glass shattered as Danny?s jump kick cleared him from the building. He cleared the large steps leading up to the door in the same jump, landing on the ground with a roll, and continuing his run in one smooth motion.

Quinn kept in pursuit, running as hard as he could push himself, just yards behind Danny as they ran. As Danny turned a corner, Quinn lost sight for just a few moments until he reached the same turn. There was nobody in sight. The suspect had escaped.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-03-17 23:23 EST

A change of clothes. It was something Lizzie had suggested to him, though he was sure this wasn?t what she had meant. After his final shift of working at the mall, Danny found a nice secluded alley to peel those little green shorts off and to slip into his usual nightwear: boots, loose pants, a tight dark shirt, bandaged hands, and a mask. It wasn?t dark yet, but he wanted to keep his profile high for the Watch and help take some heat off of Lizzie.

As he went through the city, he found it oddly calm for the holiday. Everyone must have been gearing up for tonight, he guessed. That and with there still being daylight, odds are he wouldn?t run across anything big, if he ran across anything at all. Danny bounded from rooftop to rooftop, looking down into the streets and alleys, finding nothing.

Prepared to turn in for the time being and make plans for the night, he began making way for Kesey. He was only a mile or so away when he heard something from below. He leaped on to a fire escape, eyes scanning below him for the source of the disturbance. He caught sight of a man hovering over another, he looked panicked, and he had something in his hand ? something bloody.

Danny jumped to the ground below, his knees bending as his body absorbed the impact of the fall, not even allowing the sound of a grunt to escape his throat. The man turned to run, instead getting a punch to his midsection, doubling him over and taking the wind from him. He dropped the bloody knife from his right hand and Danny ignored him and it for the time being, instead going to check on the bloodied figure crumpled in a heap to his side.

The man was in a fetal position, and it seemed he was cradling something in his arms. He had shielded it from the attack, and Danny thought it was likely some valuable possession. Danny placed two fingers to the man?s throat, but detected no pulse. He likely resisted the man?s attempt to rob him and paid the price. Danny frowned, but heard the rustling behind him. Stupid. Should have taken that knife away.

He didn?t turn, waiting until he heard the knife?s edge as it sliced through the still air. The man attempted to stab him from above, and Danny brought his hands above him to grab the man?s wrist. He then gave a twist, the man yelling as he was taken to the ground, Danny?s knee on his throat. Danny scowled at the man as he disarmed him, tossing the knife aside. He was prepared to speak before he heard a whimper from the dead man?s arms.

The scowl vanished, replaced as his jaw dropped a little. The man groaned and Danny put more pressure on his neck as he leaned over him, peeling the dead man?s arms open. A moment of stunned silence as he found the source of the whimper.

?A dog? You killed someone over a dog?? Danny asked, incredulous.

The little dog was reddish and white in color, barely bigger than a hand. It had likely just barely been old enough to have been taken away from its mother. Danny reached over to take it in a hand then cradled it to him like a football, frowning all the way. The man was sobbing beneath him and Danny stood, pulling him up by the collar as he did so. Danny led the man out of the alley and glanced around, spotting a member of the Watch down the street. He yelled to catch his attention, and then gave the murderer a forearm shiver to the back of his head to incapacitate him. The Watchman yelled at Danny to stop, but as usual, Danny had pulled one of his disappearing acts, vanishing before he could be caught up with.

A few minutes later he was blocks away, nearing the animal shelter. He was still frowning as he looked down at the fuzzy pup, who hadn?t stirred all this time. He used a finger to scratch underneath its chin and it stirred then chomped on his finger. Danny snickered as he felt the sharp teeth gnaw on its finger, but then sighed as he came closer to the shelter.

?Well, little guy. Guess you?re going to your new home now.?

Then he stopped short, lips pursed as the puppy kept chewing on his index finger. ?Though you kind of lost your family, didn?t you? And your only friend,? he mumbled, trailing off as the wheels began to turn in his head.

?Actually, no. I have a better home for you,? Danny said with a firm nod. Then he turned on a heel and started the trek back to Kesey.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-04-13 21:43 EST

Danny?s hands turned upwards to slide underneath the window, the blood on his hands too dry to smear. He lifted it just enough to crouch his upper body and step into his room, silently closing the window behind him. He gave a thought as to why he hadn?t been greeted with barking and a growing puppy jumping at him, which was quickly tossed aside as he saw the note on his refrigerator which read ?I O U 1 Pup! Love, Lizzie?.

Danny couldn?t help but snicker, even if his mindset was still geared toward violence. But the small lift of his chest caused a wince and he glanced back over his shoulder. Unable to see anything in the dim kitchen he went toward the bathroom, flipping the light switch as the lights flickered and came to life. He turned his back to the mirror and took assessment of the damage. His shirt was torn at the wound. He either he took a knife or something else to it. He hadn?t felt it with the adrenaline and pain-blocking techniques he uses while out. The rest of his back had slice and slash marks, but nothing too deep. He turned and peeled the shirt from his body, dropping it on the tiled floor. His upper body was cut and bruised, but nothing too bad in his opinion.

Another small frown as he went to the tub, turning the shower on. The pipes groaned and the water came out in a few small sprays before going full blast. Danny let it warm up as he lifted his legs to pull his boots off, and then pushing his pants down his legs before kicking them at the laundry basket in the corner. He unwrapped the tape from his hands and wrists as he allowed the water to warm, stepping in once it (finally) reached a good temperature.

As he felt the water splash his face, he suddenly became aware of every ache in his body. Every muscle he used searing with pain with each flex and motion. He dropped his chin to his chest as the water cascaded down his lean form, blood being swept down over defined lines and lean muscle into the drain below. Each time the warm water hit a fresh wound he grimaced, and turned his thoughts elsewhere to escape the discomfort and pain.

He wondered about his future. The events he returned from months ago, which he hadn?t shared with anyone. Not even with Lizzie. And he thought about how different he had been since the events. How he went out less and less, and how careless he seemed to be now. He sucked his teeth as he turned his back to the showerhead and the water hit the wound at his shoulder. He normally would never have gotten anything this bad. He was slipping. But why?

He wondered if he should drag Lizzie into this as well. He had been told what he was fated for. He had been told what he would inevitably turn into. And he had seen it with his own eyes. Would she still accept him if she knew?

Thoughts like these continued as Danny lost himself to them. Steam began to obscure the mirror, rolling like smoke over the surface until the reflection was clouded.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-04-28 23:44 EST

A static picture of an interior bedroom comes to life. A hand drops in front, followed by the connected body. Danny turns and sits on the corner of the bed, clearing his throat before he begins his speech to the camera.

?Hey, Lizzie. I know this is sorta weird, but just go with it, okay? I don?t have a diary like you do, so I tend to talk out loud to nobody when I want to get my thoughts out. But I wanted you to hear this, so I borrowed Kazzy?s video camera. Anyway?

I can?t really even begin to tell you how much you?ve meant to me. It?s coming up on a year since we met, and each day I get more excited to see you than the next. The anticipation? Even when we?re in bed together and going to sleep, I look forward to waking up to see you. Ha, I know, it?s really lovey dovey and sappy, but it?s true. I am so in love with you. You?re the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. And that?s probably really clich?, but I?ve had trouble expressing myself ever since I lost my parents.

But yeah, you?ve given me so much. I didn?t know who I was really, or what I am. I?m still kind of wavering, but with you? it?s clear. I have a focus, and I know it?s weird coming from me, but I haven?t had that in so long. I?ve kept my head in the sand for so long, trying to bury all my thoughts and regrets of the past. I owe so much to you, Lizzie. You saved my life, believe it or not. I don?t know where I?d be without you. Nowhere good, I know that much.

Speaking of regrets, there?s something I haven?t told you. I haven?t had the courage to face it, or to even give it a passing thought. Not until now. I can?t move on until I do this. I told you about an incident? well, it was a plane crash. A few of us survived, but? Lizzie, I did terrible things. Horrible things to survive, and I have never owned up to it. I have to go back. I don?t know if it?s to put the ghosts to rest or to just clear my conscience, but I have to go. I don?t know how long it?ll take, it?s in a dangerous place, but I?ll be fine. I?ve survived worse.

I am sorry to just drop this all on you, and Dizzy too. But I figured with your first week of work, you won?t miss me much anyway. But just don?t worry about me. I?ll be fine, and better once I take this weight from my shoulders.

I love you, Lizzie. Words just aren?t able to express it clearly. I love you so, so much.?

Danny gave a lopsided grin as he sat for a moment, looking into the camera. Then he stood, and the bedroom came back into view a moment, before the tape ended.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-05-04 00:41 EST

Getting back to Earth was easy. Always has been. I don?t think I?ve ever told Lizzie I could do that. Of course it means hopping from here to the Reach and then to Earth, but still. It isn?t difficult and I tend to do it at least once a month so I can check on my brother and sister. So yeah, getting here was easy. But the rest?

I think I?ve been walking through the snow for about a week now. Most of my rations I?ve either gone through or they?ve been frozen. The portable tent that one of the scientists gave me, one that can shrink to fit in my backpack and grow to a size that fits me comfortably, well it?s held up so far. But it still doesn?t have any heat. And as much as I?ve been trained and conditioned, my body can?t survive these elements forever. You can't stop yet, we're so excited to see you again.

I don?t know for sure how many years have passed since the crash. Time seems so meaningless to me now, and I have trouble keeping track. You were gone too long. I don?t know exactly where the wreck happened, I didn?t quite have my bearings as I left it and came upon the City. So I?ve trusted my instincts as much as I could, but it?s still getting to be hopeless. I?ve almost reached the point where I?ll lose the path back if I take too much longer. The markings I placed won?t be there for long, either the snow will cover them or winds will take them. The compass is useless because of the magnetism from the breach between the worlds. I?m on my own out here. Just like we were.

And just when I?m about to turn around, I feel something nagging at me to keep on going. And then I find the wreckage, somehow it hasn?t been buried in the mountains. It looks just as I remember it, it?s so surreal. Like a photograph that I?ve walked in to. You deserted us. I feel my heart sink as I touch the cold metallic surface, I feel like throwing up. You broke your promise. I did so much to survive here, and I left them behind. You lied to us! I never came back, even though I said I would. You left us to die! I left them to die.

I enter the cabin, and there?s a smell that is so strong it?s even able to penetrate my stuffed nose. It?s a pungent odor, and I faintly recognize it. But I can?t quite put my finger to it. Welcome back, Danny. I think it?s just what it smelled like when I left. That?s gotta be it. Won?t you please sit a spell? Odd thing, there aren?t any skeletons. Maybe they were all buried? Maybe the others who I left behind decided not to wait and tried to leave? I sit down toward the end of the cabin, the most sheltered area of the plane. So nice of you to join us. I?m here, but now what? I came to put old ghosts to rest so I could move on. But there?s nothing to do here, nothing to bury except my memories. We?ve been waiting so long for you, Danny. You can finally have peace.

I feel oddly at peace here. We forgive you, Danny. I don?t want to leave. Maybe this is the place where I atone for my sins? This is where it ends.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-05-04 23:50 EST

Something?s not right.

I struggle to open my eyes. It shouldn?t be this hard. Everything feels cold, frozen. My muscles burn and ache as I struggle to stand. Stay down! How long have I been here? A week? Longer? The whispers in my head persuaded me to stay. STAY! That?s not natural. And there?s something in my peripheral. It?s been here all this time. Why haven?t I noticed?

We know all your thoughts and past, Danny. Won?t it be so much easier if you just lay with us? To die with your friends? ?No. This isn?t right. You aren?t my friends.? Danny, you know the more you fight against your destiny, the more pain and suffering you?ll cause yourself. ?What are you?? I manage to stumble out of the plain, trying to focus on whatever that object is.

It?s some constant shifting form. Dark, then grey, then I lose it in the snow. It?s falling harder now, whipping around us. I fall to my back, still shuffling backwards from it. I haven?t eaten in so long, every movement is a struggle. I?m too weak right now. I can?t fight this thing.

We are your fallen comrades. Risen from the fallen from the City of the Reach. You never came back for us, but they did. A life form that lives off the dead, assimilating it into its consciousness. Personalities taking over. Powerful enough to reach into minds, even minds like yours. Danny, you never came back. This is your penance. To stay with us forever.

Here it comes. Claws or talons or something tear through my clothing into my flesh. I?m too slow to avoid it all. I scramble to get to my feet to run. I?m too turned around; I don?t know where I?m going. I notice that I ran back toward the plane, in the shadow of the mountain. It?s cornered me. ?I didn?t know I could come back here! They didn?t tell me I could! They said they only recently rediscovered how!?

It?s not talking anymore. Just stalking toward me. I can hear its whispers trying to convince me to bear my throat to it. To submit for my sins. To let it feast on my flesh as I did on them once before. That almost gets me.

But no. This thing isn?t my friends. It?s an abomination. It?s twisted them. Taken them for its selfish needs. I came here to bury the ghosts. So that?s what I?m going to do. It takes all of my strength and focus, channeling my chi into my fist for one punch. And I turn and aim it at the mountainside behind me. The echo of my blow sounds like a localized thunderclap. The blizzard goes clear for a moment as the shockwave blasts the air clear. The mountain creaks and groans, then breaks. It begins to crumble in front of me, and for a moment I consider falling to my knees and let this be my grave.

No. It takes more than I have, but I somehow dig deep to find it. As rocks fall around me, crushing the plane, I run. The creature is pinned beneath debris, but it still reaches out to me, grabbing me by the shoulders. I can feel it bury its tendrils deep into my skin, but I still keep pushing. I tear my heavy coat off as its talons slice through my flesh, but I finally free myself. Then I run as the mountain collapses behind me, around me. I don?t think I can run fast enough, but I do, pushing myself beyond any limits I once imagined I had. I run until my lungs burn, then collapse.

I notice the snow melting around my body as I lay in the ground. Is that from me? I didn?t even know my body could go to such levels. I then notice the rescue party from the City coming upon me. I guess it paid off to tell Zee about this trip after all.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-09-24 05:29 EST

"And here I thought men like yourself never screamed," the gaunt man said behind a razor-thin smile, dropping the second rib on the medical table to his side.

Danny gurgled in response, his head lolling backwards as thick crimson bubbled and spilled from his mouth. He was fully conscious, strapped down on a hard metal slab, his arms and legs restrained. The hanging fluorescent light above him swaying ever so slightly in the sterile room.

He was aware of his situation. Fully and completely. It was the reason his eyes were wide, as he could fully grasp the horror he saw when he looked upon his body. His chest was split open, from sternum to abdomen. He could feel the pain of the hooks peeling his skin from his body, each second they tugged him further and further apart, like slowly peeling a blister not ready to heal. He knew he was hooked up to some sort of machinery, the needles bored deep into his flesh. And he knew that he just had his second rib cracked and ripped from him. The worst part wasn't the intolerable and unimaginable pain searing through every fiber of his being, no. The worst was being kept conscious and alive to feel it.

"What was that? A witty retort, no doubt. Lost in the flow of blood. A pity, I assure you."

Danny ripped his eyes away to look upon the man torturing him. He was long, skinny, gawky. His skin stretched over bones like thin paper. Eyeglasses which were too large for his face, reflecting the light which shone upon the metal surfaces of his instruments. Wrinkles and craters emphasized in the darkness and light.

"Come across many in my experimentations, honed my craft in Belzec, a shame the technology wasn't available there," he muttered to himself as bony fingers picked up a scalpel, which he threateningly hovered over Danny's eyes. "Best one yet. Perfect timing. Can use skills and advanced science."

The scalpel's edge was tucked underneath Danny's eyebrow, slowly slid across, tweezers used to discard the useless slice of flesh into a bowl of water. The process repeated on the second eye. The blood causing the fluid of his eyes to go from white to red.

"Funny thing about your kind, Mister Brooks. You believe this "chi" of yours is real, when it's just mystical doubletalk. The science behind it is that you've made your brain produce more adrenaline and endorphin and a number of other hormones and managed to use it in a most beneficial way. Impressive, certainly, but outdated and wholly ineffective. This is your lesson."

Danny heard every word, but it was lost on his ears. The doctor continued, saying something about feeling what it's like to breath with one lung as he punctured one with a hatchet. Another about kidney failure causing death as he bored a claw-like instrument into Danny's back, removing the organ along with the flesh around it.

"You've made so many mistakes on this obsessive quest of yours. Broken down the wrong doors. This is punishment. But don't worry, I'll put you back together. Like a Frankenstein Humpty Dumpty. Instill fear in you that you thought you long had conquered. Make you remember pain. Make you remember my face."

A handsaw whirred. Danny couldn't close his eyes.

"Now which limb goes first?"

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-09-24 05:30 EST

Zee wondered how he could sleep. He told her that he didn't have nightmares any longer, but it was hard to believe. Harder still after rescuing Danny just days ago. She nestled up to his body, wrapping the bag tighter around them.

Strange bedfellows, for certain, but that's all they were. After what she had done to him, she thought that trust was something that would never be regained. But she hoped, and was rewarded for it. When Danny needed someone to go with him on the search for his siblings, he first came to her. She was more than happy to assist him, both because it was an excuse to perhaps rekindle their spark, and because it was the right thing to do.

Romance was not to be had, however. Each day was filled with following leads, fighting battles, or guarding against a breakdown which would be disastrous not only for Danny, but for everyone he came in contact with. And he was loyal, which she always knew. Although his mind was focused at the task at hand, Zee knew his heart was not with him. It was either with his brother and sister, or back at RhyDin with... her.

Her lips curled into a snarl as her thoughts turned to the girl Danny left behind. As Zee traced her fingernails over Danny's chest and looked at his peaceful, sleeping face, she wondered what he saw in her. Why he would hold back from reaching his full potential to play house with some airheaded blonde.

She had thoughts about sending a copy of the video of the torture to her. The mad doctor had taped everything and left a copy on Daniel, discovered when Zee and the others had finally located and rescued him. She couldn't watch a minute without being sick. Danny could, and for some reason he had. She didn't ask him why. Zee smirked at her idea. What better way to crush dreams and get the girl to let Danny go than to show her such a horrifying thing?

But no. It would be wrong. She sighed and took her hands away from Danny. He had given her his trust again, and she would not abuse it this time.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-09-24 15:26 EST

"Don't blink!"

Danny gave a quick glance over his shoulder to the man with the quip. Quick enough to miss what he was supposed to see, apparently. He had already laid out one of the heavily armored soldiers and was on his way to number two, dodging gunfire like they were slow moving icebergs. He was either brave, idiotic, or so self-confident he knew he would wade in front of machine gun fire without any threat of injury. Danny had to stick to high surfaces and cover to pick off his targets, not nearly as fast or agile as his companion.

"Oh man! Told ya! Ya gotta keep your eyes on me, bud! Otherwise gonna miss some sweet tricks! This one here I picked up over in Chin Woo!" the darkly clad man shouted as he turned his body, punching forward while at the same time using his other arm to punch backwards, sending the target in front of him flying backwards, only stopping once he hit a wall. "Then there's this from Vladivostok!" yelled as he avoided the gunfire of his next target, using his left arm to strike the weapon away to get inside, his right hand delivering a blow to the soldier's face which shattered his helmet, then throwing him over his own body to the floor. "And this in Boston!" he grinned as the soldier rolled to his belly, a weak groan as he attempted to lift himself with his arms, stopped immediately as the showoff brought his foot crashing down on the back of the man's head, stomping his face into paste.

Danny remained silent. He wasn't one for quips or to call attention to what he did. His only focus was to get the job at hand done. He jumped down behind a grunt uselessly firing at the evasive motormouth. One kick aimed at the back of his legs to take him to his knees followed by a palm strike to the helmet to knock him unconscious. So far the two of them had nearly cleared the encampment of any resistance.

The two men looked over the scattered bodies, then towards the flash of light, the familiar smell of burning ozone being the sign that this raid was over. Phillip was talking still, taunting the downed men who were still alive, groaning and holding their broken bodies. Danny didn't care to listen, he was only interested in one thing now: information.

He approached Zee, who was holding an older, bespectacled man by the neck. His flesh was singed, smoke lightly floating into the air, twisting and turning in the still breeze. Though Zee couldn't see his eyes, she knew that Danny's were narrowed. She saw the snarl curling on his lips, his fist tightened, every muscle in his body tensing. He was restraining himself, but not for long. She cleared her throat before speaking. "I've already interrogated our main suspect, Daniel. I am afraid we may have hit another dead end."

The man coughed, the fear etched in his face, eyes as wide as saucers. "Please, I told her everything. I don't know about your brother and sister," he was on the verge of breaking down. "Mercy, please."

"Mercy?" Danny snarled. "Mercy for the backer of a group of genetically altered soldiers descended from the SS? Hiding behind the mercenary flag? Soldiers of fortune? It's all a lie. That alone should do nothing to stop the hand of God from wiping you clean from the Earth."

The man whimpered. Danny leaned down, forcefully grabbing the sobbing man's face. "Just give me one name, and at least I can promise you at least I won't be the instrument of judgment."

Panic. And a name escaped his lips.

Daniel Brooks · Date: 2009-09-27 17:40 EST

Danny wasn't the sort of guy to write letters. He was more of a vocal person, preferring to air his thoughts than to get them on paper. But things change. He had been away from her for months, his mind torn between focusing on the tasks that lay ahead of him, and between wanting to go back to her. Each time he found that rare time to be alone with his thoughts, he traced the tattoo of the gecko on his chest, searching for the inspiration to write to her.

She'd never get them. He knew that. It wasn't like there was a direct delivery system to RhyDin, and he couldn't afford to lose any numbers to send his growing number of compatriots away. He thought how close this was to keeping a diary -- pardon, a journal -- which he'd made fun of Lizzie doing for so long now. He was no Keats, but it didn't stop him from writing from his heart, so close to the Geko.

He didn't spare any details. Not about the horrors that befell upon him, his waning hope and desperate measures, and the people he'd assembled along the way. Some inspired to help, some forced. Some even had ulterior motives, which Danny knew about, but couldn't afford to care about. These were non-issues. If Zee ever tempted him, he didn't care or respond. Her talk about his rising to greatness was ignored, even if it was repeatedly drilled into his head. Seeds planted to be sown later. None of that mattered. The only things Danny ever thought about were rescuing his brother and sister from the unknown, and returning home to Lizzie.

Danny finished the current letter, carefully folding the paper edge over edge. He had no envelopes, nothing to seal it in. It was delicately placed into an interior pocket of a backpack. They were letters written for Lizzie that she may never see, but when he put each away, it was like a small stitch to repair his heart that felt like it was split in two.

Everything would be all right.