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'This place is incredible!' he gasped looking up at the huge edifice that dominated the town.
'Can you believe it?' his brother said 'a whole city dedicated to be a prison. Old people were so paranoid.'
Their father shook his head 'you wouldn't understand, the people that are housed here are the most deadly in the universe. This "prison" saved our society."
He looked up at the building. It didn’t look like a prison now. Water plummeted down one side from a waterfall in the cliff adjacent to it. It was green and crystalline blue. It looked more like a temple than a prison. He watched the hordes of tourists' swarm into it and followed his parents.

Hundreds of men and woman were on 'display' the convulsing forms frozen in place in a contorted dance and then put behind glass for the masses to view.
Van walked slowly passed with his family he read the names and looked at the faces. They seemed only a glimmer of their former murderous self, frozen after the time of their bloody reputation had been formed, after years in a cell awaiting trial. And finally in terror as they met their punishment.
He pressed his nose close to a case and stared into the eyes of one.
Name: Jason Benson
Frozen: January 3rd 0045
He had only been frozen fifteen years and Van could see he was giving up. His eyes stared tightly into space ignoring people viewing him.
Van was infatuated with the status that the prisoners of this place were kept in. no were else in the universe were they like this.
They were in a form of Frozen alertness. Held in like a time warp were every movement seems to take a million years to achieve, but every thought still travels at its usual pace. Making the "sleeper" aware of every glance ever sneer every taunt but unable even to blink with out it taking them years.
He wandered further down the halls. He knew prisoners followed him as he walked past, every one in their terror struck pose. He wondered what that last thing was that they saw before they were set.
Van was far from his family now few other people lurked at this end the lights were dimmer these were the less dangerous. He wasn’t much interested in the people themselves anymore. Merle lost in his own thoughts. He opened a door and walked into a room that was not like the others.
It was white perfectly square and two convicts stood on a pillar in the middle.
Richard Fuel he read. He had heard of this man. He did not stand in terror like the others he had two knives, one in each hand and he stood side on to the woman in front of him his head bent down. He was very impressive. Taller than most with wide strong shoulders. He wasn't a young man, If van had to guess he would say he had made his 40s before capture, his hair dusted with the tiniest touch of grey at the temples, breaking his coal black locks.

Weapon: double knives, M-16, Entry Rifle,
Frozen: 0005

One of the worst killers in the galaxy and Richard had been frozen for fifty-five years. Van couldn’t see his eyes he couldn’t tell if he had given up. Most just die after twenty years that in its self feel like a century.
His eyes slipped off this creature to another beast.
She was crouched on the ground her lip split a bruise on her left brow she looked ready to pounce back after a vicious strike. One hand braced the ground the other just off. Her eyes stared at him.
They bore into him with such venom he could feel her life still surging with such voracity.

Name: Arah the devourer
Weapon: Anything
He gasped as he read her states. He looked at her again. She had no hair; this was a side effect of the process experienced by some there was nothing to hide her sharp check bones and feline features. Nothing to detour from the grey-ish hue her skin had. She still wore her prison pants, the grey cotton stained by blood and ripped down the right thigh she had no shoes and her top was ripped.
'My god.' He breathed 'fifty-five years'
There was sudden serge of energy in the room. The lights jumped from the half orange light that they were to the bright white. He winced, but he noticed something unusual. Her silver catlike eyes went black and she blinked.
He jumped.
Two men came in the room.
'What are you doing in here?' One barked.
'Nothing.' Van stammered
'This place is off limits to the public.'
Van returned to silence and stared at Arah.
The second man who appeared a lot nicer than the first came forward 'I'm sorry. These are her mistress's private pieces.'
'She…. She… blinked.' Van stammered and slowly crept forward.
'I'm sure it was just the light.' The second man said 'We're having some technical difficulties so if you'd kindly like to…'
Van was almost nose to nose with her; her eyes were clearing back to their clouded silver. As the black finally dissipated her slit pupils slid down to look directly at him.
'Move kid!' the first man yelled and ran for him.
The light pitched again brilliantly white and Van recoiled again but this time it was a flash as if something had blown and it went black.

Arah had been watching this child. He intrigued her with his analytical manor and his quick eyes. It was like a snake to a charmer as he came face to face with her. Entrancing each other.
For the past ten years she had been building up her strength, storing it to break free of the hold this frozen trance had taken on her. She knew she could do it and as the light flashed and disappeared. She broke the trance. Her hand flew up behind her and took the knife from Fuel. She wrapped the young man in her arms and put the knife to his throat.
Fading up the red glow of the emergency light surrounded them.
'Gentlemen.' She crooned 'so nice to see you again.'
The boy didn’t tremble in her clutches, he winced as the knife bit into him.
'Devourer.' Able bit.
'Able. I see in half a century you haven't change much." She nodded to him and turned to his partner "Cain, you look old.'
Cain looked away from her for a second flinching at her familiarity. 'Arah let the child go.'
She sighed disapprovingly 'Thats not how it works and you know that. I have a hostage, that means I have leverage. if you want me to do something you have to offer me something that I want."
'What about your boyfriend?' Abel announced 'Forget about him.'
'He's dead. Nothing more than a flesh sculpture now.' Van almost heard pain in her voice, as she spoke of the man trapped for the last fifty years at her back.
'Now you have a choice boys. You let me go and get little Billy back.'
"Its Van.' He told her firmly.
'At least one of you has balls." She chuckled "Let me go or lets just say I've worked up an appetite after all that time and I'm hungry.'
Cain put his gun down.
'What the hell are you doing?' Able gasped in disgust.
'No innocent blood. We can catch her again, we've done it once.' He answered.
'Smart cookie.' She crooned.
Able glared at the both of them.
'I'm thinking of starting with his eye.' She breathed 'They are ever so enchanting.'
Abel's hand faltered for a second then the building lurched, The lights flinched and he fired. Arah threw the kid to the other side of the room as a tile's fell on their position while the walls cracked around them.
Van rolled past Fuel who remained unmoving, body atrophied and long dead as Arah explained. He snatched the knife from his massive hand and he heard the other door slam as she bolted. He followed her before Cain and Abel were able to recover from the shock.

The winding passage opened up into a ring like auditorium. a curtained balcony circled above it hiding tiered seats ready for audience viewing. It was a colosseum, it was huge and she was half way across.
He sprinted after her.
She was almost at the door when iron bars flew down in front of her; she stopped just as it slammed into the ground.
He heard her scream, watched as she threw her self at solid steal and shook the bars wildly.
Spinning to face him she lowered, practically snarling at her young peruser. The curved knife was still in his hand, he was awarded of it as she spun its twin while she eyed him.
'So boy.' She growled, edging forward, 'You gunna play hero?'
'No.' he said flatly
She paused flabbergasted by his honesty. 'Why aren't you afraid of me?' She snipped.
He held out the knife to her a bladed olive branch. 'Do I need to be?'
Snatching knife and faster than he could blink had the two of them against his throat.
Her voice came soft and slippery 'I could kill you, very slowly if I chose. Eat every piece of you or just leave you for the rats.'
"You could." He smirked 'but you haven't.'
She relaxed for a second, studying this peculiar young man before her. His heart rate didn't spike. He stood still and confidant in her presence. A noise pulled her attention, she released him and threw one of the knives at the curtains.
A man with a rifle fell from the balcony to the ground floor with a thud before Cain as he came through the door.
A slow clap echoed down from the head of the room.
'Arah you always were the most entertaining.' Her mistress purred, Able at her side.
Arah saw the slender figure saunter towards her, radiating yellow, brought to a flushed temperature by the ornate clothes she always wore. 'You might consider some knew lapdogs mistress." She noted dryly "The other two are a little out dated.'
'I know. I keep them for sentimental reasons. I thought you would understand that.' Her voice hid fear behind the casual back and forth.
'Wouldn't that require a heart my lady.' Arah said tucking her knife in the back of her pants facing her squarely.
'Stay right there.' Her mistress said urgently. 'I know exactly what you can do remember.'
'You don’t trust your guards aim?' Arah asked feigning innocence.
'That is unfortunately my last guard.' The mistress signalled to the dead man on the floor.
'A little light on the infantry now this place is a tourist attraction?" She sniggered "That’s why you locked me in?'.
'Unfortunately no.' the Mistress answered.
Arah sniffed the air; her eyes scanned the area. Eight or so heat signatures were in the room beside the four she knew of.
'Whats going on.' She said slowly.
Abel smirked 'Deep freeze must take a lot out of you if you haven't noticed.'
'Noticed what?' Van asked coming up beside her.
'Our world is under attack. The Daega have finally come. They cut the power. We came here and locked down to try and think of a way out.'
Arah laughed a slow ironic chuckle 'Her mistress under attack. Now this is good timing. Well you four plus those extra eight in here gives me enough to eat for a while if we get really stuck.' Arah's silver eyes slid to the mistress 'You knew this would happen?'
'Yes we did. Which is why we had precautions installed.'
She shook her head 'When your dealing with Daega the only precaution you can take is; be dead when they arrive.' She added darkly
'You would know.' Cain added leaving the mistress's side approaching her. 'You have killed them fought them survived them '
She shrugged 'so?'
'Help us.' He pleaded earnestly 'all of us.' He tried to appeal to her better nature as The rag tag survivors had come out of the shadows. But not once did she acknowledged the scared civilian faces.
'You want something from me I have to want something from you." she scoffed "This isn't my problem. And why doesn't she ask.' she nodded to the mistress 'or was that your punishment? Dirty grovelling to murderers?'
The dark haired man shook his head as she brushed him off "I had the notion that after everything you might have owed me."
Arah looked away, the sudden twinge of guilt eating at her, her bravado was only skin deep. She had cared for him in a time when she barely knew what that meant. so much she did the kindest thing she thought she could have done. Left him behind.
"What are these peoples lives worth to you?' He suggested solemnly as her eyes flashed up to him from the floor glittering.
'Suggest something.'
'Your freedom.' Her mistress offered. 'I know how much you value that. There are escape vessels in the docks. Get us there and we'll drop you on some nice seedy planet so you can go about your business.'
Able looked shocked.
Arah raised a brow 'Well then I'll need some boots, pants and most importantly something to munch on before I find something my self.'

Cross legged he sat with A bowl of slop in her lap, she curled around it eating and watching like a feral child.
Boots and the food were the only two things they were able to give her. Remaining in the prison greys gave her no sense of freedom, she felt that was the point.
Twelve people including herself had to get to the docks. Her senses had gradually come back into working order, now she could hear the Daega crawling about the building. A mass of over five hundred she presumed by the banging and crashing of the clumsy soldiers feet, brought to her ears through the ventilation system.
The docks would be useless to them if they got there, she could feel in her bones they'd be swarming with soldiers or worse they would have destroyed them and all the ships inside, using another part of the building to dock. Something a little less accessible to the humans they hunted.
'So I guess there's a reason they call you Arah the devourer?' Van asked sitting next to her, his voice slightly amiss. Emotion sneaking through the cracks in the causal conversation. If she had been given the gift of human sight she would have seen his large brown eyes were red from tears.
'You have been weeping?' she asked flatly, changing the subject while she still plotted.
'None of my family is here. I asked one of the others and they said they thought they saw them, but" he paused composing himself "they Were in the middle of the battle.'
There was a silence. Arah placed down her bowl, she could not relate to his grief, nor did she know how to console him. So she returned to his original line of questioning. In hopes for the moment to drive the horror from his mind. 'Yes there is a reason."
'What?' he asked sniffing
'There is a reason why they call me Devourer.'
'Oh.' He didn't really want to know. He just didn't want to think about his family.
They remained in a cooperative quiet for a while and then she looked at him he stared straight ahead his dark eyes searching the same way hers had been. His blond hair fell just over his face a little as he sat hugging his knees.
'If they're alive we’ll find them.' she said quietly to him.
'I don’t expect to.' He answered solemnly "so why the devourer?'
'I eat people.'
He looked up to her and again they stared at each other the cut on her lip finally healing, her eyes glittered. Bright against her grey skin, he was sure she had been paler, a softer hue in the bright light of the display room. He had taken her for a punk, a body modifier. He had seen many people dolling themselves up like mating birds with coloured skin, fleuro hair, cats eyes, goats eyes, elongated tongues for pleasure, claws, fangs and feathered plumage. Arah was all together a different beast, her animal likenesses were more than just an appearance.
'You're not human are you?'
'What ever gave you that impression?' she mused flicking her forked tongue at him playfully. 'you see superman over there. The lighter one Abel he and I were made. so the story goes. Adam and Eve of a new race. I went a little awry.and he...' She smirked "under preformed."
'And Cain?'
She sighed 'Cain? Well...'
"He said you owed him." He pressed.
"I suppose I do, he helped me escape and I left him behind." Her tone was nonchalant, as she licked the last from her bowl.
"That was a dick move."
She laughed "A pretty serious dick move."
He chuckled with her for a minute, the quiet engulfed them again.
"Arah?" He asked gently "Do you think we can get out of here?'
She could smell them now. Death and leather marching through the halls. They were closing in on their position, faint heat signatures showing up in her vision. The odds were not good, alone she might have been able to make it. Simpering humans were a liability.
'How old are you Van?' Arah asked him, watching their impending doom. It was hard to gauge he was tall, easily taller than her, but his mannerisms seemed young. Not much younger than herself, she may have sat watching the world for fifty five years but she was hardly out of child hood herself.
'Sixteen.'
She raised an eye brow 'You ever killed anything before?'
'No.'
'Are you prepared to kill?'
'If I had to.'
'Had to...' Her voice trailed, that's how it started. She had to; to save her self, to save another. Then as wounds grew, and fatigue mounted the hunger began.
'I cant guarantee anything.' she put the bowl down beside her. 'But I'm gunna be hungry later.'

Pulling herself up to standing she took a deep breath, they had waited long enough 'All you who don’t want to die, move far away from the walls to the other end of the hall, and do it quickly.'
Every one looked at her. Stunned that she had spoken after so long being engrossed in her meal.
'Hurry now.' Urgency in her voice spurring them on as she began to move, slow steps turned into hurried ones as the first blast hit.
Panicking every one ran through the door and into the holding room following them. The first room in the escape.
She looked at the thirteen of them in the tiny waiting room.
'Keep moving' she barked as as she pushed through the group. Thirteen was too many, to her they were lambs to slaughter, slow sheep huddling together looking to her for guidance, the wolf among them.
'Take them to the end of the hall then look for escape route I'll meet you there.' she told Cain. 'If Daega are there then run. If not wait and we will regroup.'
She held the door for them as Abel; Cain and the Mistress lead Van filed through, soon followed by dribs and drabs of the rest of the group.
Three remained slower than the others, she entered their room before the could exit, closing the door behind her.
'Time for some population control.'
She took the lone knife that remained with her and while the room shook as the Daega blew their way into the battling room she slaughtered the three left behind, as quickly and humanly as she could risking one final glance and a muted apology before she returned to the others.

'Don't' she told Van quietly as she saw him mentally count those that remained.
'Ten?' he whispered to her 'What happened to the last three?'
'They fell behind.' She muttered darkly and kept moving
Abel snapped at her 'What took you so long.'
'Blocking the door is that okay with you?' Arah bit walking past him and down one of the side halls.
Van chased her, whispering harshly as he reached her side 'You cant just kill people!"
'We don’t stand a chance if we have to baby sit those that cant keep up.' She hissed back furious she had to defend her actions.
'They deserve a chance' he pleaded
'We deserve to live.' She exclaimed
'they don’t?'
'Right now it is survival of the fittest. You have a problem feel free to voice you doubts now. I wanna get out of this place alive and if I have to kill a few useless eaters to do it, I'll still sleep tonight.'

Distracted by their heated moral debate she almost missed the tell tale stomping of approaching soldiers.
The boy ran into her back.
'Wha…' he protested before she shoved her hand over his mouth and pulled him into the shadow. Holding him still, silent and hidden.
One of the soldiers turned the corner at the same time Cain, Abel and the other seven came into view. The Daega opening fire instantly.
She felt Van struggle in her arms, he wanted to help whether he couldn't or not. She let him go, he was strong enough to break free of her grasp if he wanted too, it was his life to forfeit, but he lingered close to her out of harms way. Watching the carnage horrified.

Her Mistress fled back away from the fight Cain and Abel retaliated before they them selves falling back from the hall. Arah didn’t know how many had fallen but she suspected that the party was at a more manageable level now.
Her skin tone darkened, the grey deepening so she blended in with the shadows and she slipped away from Van. She crept along the ground and toward the advancing Daega infantry.
She slashed one soldiers calf clean through the muscle, a shrill scream came from him as he fell, another heard his comrades cry and turned to her opening fire.
Leaping with all if her might she caught a hanging light, his bullets whizzing beneath her and into his fellow soldiers.
She dropped as his burst fire ended, embedding her knife the base of his scull. The lights surged again illuminating her and the soldiers.
Falling to the ground her eyes burning, a black cloud sliding over them, her colouring flaring white as well. The three that were left turned to her on the ground, one stood his club like sword in hand ready to strike, brought down by Cain's bullet.
The light faded again to pitch she leaped into the air from her position on the ground throwing the knife and lodging it in ones throat and landing on the other throwing him to the ground the ranks decimated.

After a time the safety lights came up.
Van crept out of his hiding place, the Mistress came back to the hall and Cain and Abel inspected the damage to the party.
Van looked around Arah was no were to be found.
Five civilians lay dead in myriad of carnage that the Devourer had created.
'We walked into it.' Abel yelled striking the wall. "That back stabbing bitch. Where is she?'
Full lights finally kicked in as Van picked through what was left of the Daega forces.
Something moved, writhing amongst the bodies. A thick slurping sound follows by intermittent crunching.
He walked towards it.
Colour raged through the form black, white, red, bright red the colour of blood and dark red it surged and feed off the man, as he lay still partially alive beneath it whimpering as he watch the creature feed from him.
The head rose and turned to him.
'Oh god.' He gasped and turned around as Arah faced him. she licked her lips and her fingers slowly like a giant cat shaking her head as her hair re-grew to its shoulder length thick tendrils.
'Now we can get some where.' She crooned, almost drunk on her satisfaction.
'Come on boy.' She smirked waving to Van, ushering him back to the others.
'What are you?' he asked in disgust
'A monster.'

'You walked us into a trap.' Abel yelled throwing her to a wall and pulled his gun pressing it hard against her head.
She eye balled him. 'I walked me into lunch. I told you I would.' Ignoring his threats whipping her smeared face.
'Five are dead?' He thumped her against the wall.
'I care why?'
'You bitch.' He pulling back the hammer, digging the weapon further into her forehead.
'Abel.' The Mistress said putting her hand delicately on the gun. 'Don’t get too over excited.'
Reluctantly he pulled it away, not before he gave her one last shove. Arah blew him a kiss licking her teeth.
'I will get you.' he promised hissing.
'The next time we're this close.' She said leaning into him seductively. 'You won't be able to move. I will string you up for those Daega dogs you love so much.'
He huffed pushing her away. While she analysed their small manageable group.
'I have to scout out a head." She told them "We'll put up here for now.'
Abel put a hand out blocking her path. 'How do we know you won't run away.'
'You'll just have to trust Me.' she said removing his hand and pushing past him, vaulting into a vent and disappearing.

The building was absolutely swarming with soldiers, Generals held up in one of the Mistress prized rooms, but something looked wrong. The soldiers appeared to be looking for something their movements were strategic filing through and checking each room. She took a detour and clambered up to the vents in the General’s quarters.
'The Mistress has gone.' She heard one say.
As she looked down through the vent she read four heat signatures.
'Find the Mistress and we'll find her.'
'Master is getting restless we need to find her now.' Each Daega's voice a drone of the last.
'As I said.' the one that spoke before reiterated 'The Mistress gifted her to us.'
'Perhaps there were complications in her wakening.'
'Perhaps she's dead?'
'It is more likely that she is free.'
Arah froze she didn’t like this conversation, she didn’t like where it was heading. She backed up, pulling away her heart thumping in her chest.
'We will set the beasts out after her. They will find her.'
'We don’t want her dead!' snapped the first one
'They maybe her weakness but they will be far from the ones that kill her.'

She dropped back to the balcony, her skin paled.
‘What did you promise them?’ she yelled at the Mistress taking her fear out in anger, throwing the tall slender woman into the wall
‘I… I promised them nothing.’ She stammered.
Arah's forearm pinned her to the wall, her knife sat along the side of her jaw.
‘You’ll tell me before I cut you a second smile.’
Suddenly Arah's head was wrenched backward by the hair. Abel’s dragging her away from his employer, returning his gun to a threatening position.
‘You will do nothing of the sort.’ He hissed in her ear.
‘ Now Abel’ she began heaving her weight backwards sending him stumbling towards the low safety rail. It caught him across the lower back and they both toppled over the side.
As they fell she pushed her self away from him. Tucking her feet in close to her body and spun to face him planting them on his chest she drove him into the ground.
A sickening crack echoed through the ship as Abel's body landed on the uneven ground below them.
Standing above him, his wild eyes following her, his body unable to respond. She pulled her knife out and cut her hand dripping the blood on him. ‘I warned you that would happen.’ She whispered.
A snarl grumbled from the depth of the ship, the sound of claws clicking on metal. She heard the beast coming, hunting her, she looked to Abel, left covered in her DNA the perfect bait.
Clambering back up to the balcony the surviving members flinched at the blood-curdling scream as the beast found Abel.
‘Lets move.’ Arah said to them ‘Being that one of those creatures is down there. The other one is sure to be well on its way.’ She pushed Van a head of her and Cain and The Mistress followed him as they bolted down the corridor.

Scanning the area before heading off after them, her eyes picked up nothing but the sound of second beast drawn to the screams was unmistakable. claws scrapped against metal as it tore its way around the corner after them.
'Shit.' She swore as she flew down the corridor.
She couldn’t see it, she hear it and smell the stench of ice blood, it was so close to heals she could feel its cold breath.
They rounded a bend in the corridor and lost it for a moment. Cain leading the others took them left.
Looking down at her bleeding hand and pausing at the junction. She ripped off her shirt leaving her prison greys and soaked the material, it turning dark with her blood.
Van turned to face her before he followed Cain left.
'What are you…'
She put the material to the wall,
'Follow Cain and don’t stop running.' She yelled to him 'Go!' Pushing him after the rest. Leading the beast away with the temptation of her life.
Her lungs burned as she reached the next junction. She looked left then right,Both were dead ends, throwing the shirt at the wall.
She looked to the heavens 'Why?'
As the giant bear like creature rounded into the corridor, its mouth open gaping for blood.
She dodged to the left, the beast on her heals. Sprinting to the end of the stretch, she dropped into a slide towards the dead end, putting her feet against the wall and catapulted backwards toward the oncoming monster.
Its huge furry head swung down to take a bite of her, but momentum was on her side, she slid under it feeling its breath near her face. she raised her knife up and slammed it into its underbelly ripping it from sternum to pelvis. Taking no time to pause she rolled and ran back the way she came again.
The beast howled, rising and turning its bulk around, galloping after her again.
'Fuck you.' She swore as she heard the monstrous creature. As she ran she hit the wall, using her speed it carried her up, she flipped, landing straddling the beast driving her blade into its neck.
It screamed, rose up on it haunches and writhed under her. Falling backwards with her still on it.
The immense weight of the best landed on her, crushing her with its mass, squeezing the air from her lungs.
'Not like this.' She whispered 'Not for them…'
She screamed in frustration, her airless body not strong enough to shift the weight and free herself, each protest robbing her of any precious energy reserves she had left.
She heard a noise. Light footsteps in the darkness. Warmth among all the cold. The soft and steady thump of the footfalls got closer to her.
A hand came to her face touched her cheek.
Boy, the smell of confidence, and sweet youth filled her emanating from the hand.
'Kid?' she gasped.
'You are still alive?' He laughed 'I never had a doubt.'
He got down and pushed the lump of the creature off of her, then tucking his arms under hers lifted her out.
She stood and gaped for breath.
'Son of a bitch.' She yelled at it and kicked the dead hulk.
Van watched her with an amused grin.
'Come on.' She said 'We've still got a way to go yet.' She put her arm around him, leaning on his shoulder while she caught her breath and they walked out together.
Cain and the Mistress were waiting for them at the end of corridor.
'So….' Cain sighed 'We're almost there.'
She smiled 'Yes we are, and only eight lighter.' She pushed open the door and they slipped through.

The docking bay lay below them. Four cruisers lay dismantled and strewn about the hanger. No other ships, Soldiers swarmed around below them.
'Welcome to the docking bay.' Arah announced standing 'I'll take this moment to thank you for travelling with us, and I wish you a future with a short painless death.'
She had predicted this outcome from the beginning, the kid didn't deserve the end that would be coming for him, or her bad attitude, Arah felt a small twinge of guilt forcing her to linger a second too long before disappearing back through the door.
Van was stunned, this sudden change perplexing.
'Wait.' He cried out shooting through the door after her .'What are we going to do? There’s no way out this way. I thought you were on our side."
Cain put his hand on the kids shoulder while holding the door. 'There’s no point.' He told him quietly.
'No point in what?" He asked the man "She’s not going to leave us here like this? Are you, Arah?'
Arah kept walking shouting back to him with out turning. 'Not my fight. My deal is done, I'm out.'
'You bitch!' he uttered as the anger grew "you cold heartless cow!' He yelled. They were trapped, no guide, no defence, they were stuck with a Pile of scrapped ships.

Slamming the door He thumped down on the ground with his back against it, Cain sat beside him.
'We could follow her.' Van said in vain 'she'll find her way out. Whose to stop us just tagging along.'
Cain shook his head and sighed 'Kid, there is no way we can follow.'
'Why not? I mean where are the ships hidden?'
Cain looked at the young man, hating that he had to squash his hopes 'The best bet one of the top levels where the powers cut.' He began
Van looked at him 'but that means the air up there is…'
'Thin, noxious, potentially deadly to humans.'
The two males sat and sighed heads resting against the door.
'She screwed us over.' Van breathed.
'Yup.'
'No way out.'
'Nope.' Cain had resigned himself to yet again be the one left behind by Arah the devourer.
'We're basically fucked?'
'Basically.'
'Damn.' Van sighed to himself, there was still so much he wanted to do, partying, drinking, drugs, sex and he was stuck in a tourist attraction about to die.
'God has a twisted sense of humour.'
Cain patted his shoulder saying nothing but offering him a reassuring smile.
'So what do we do?'
"we wait for them to find us." He told the blond lad "Shouldn’t be too long.'

Arah left them, using the twists and turns in the corridors to put distance between them, she climbed a maintenance shaft the ladder shaking beneath her.
Her thoughts lingered on the betrayal in Van's voice, she toyed with the idea of turning back. Perhaps giving them a little more aid, for Cain at least, perhaps even for Van. Not for the Mistress not for the generic humans that had spend the last five decades staring at her with wonder and fear. She gritted her teeth, that's what they had all done, looked at her with fear, that's why they wanted her with them, she was as terrifying as their adversary. They wouldn't care if she lived or died they just wanted her to take out as many Daega as she could on the way out.
No, she'd done her bit, she had no obligation to any of them, her promise was to get to the docks, no more or less.

Crossing the junction where she had left them, she looked down through the grates of the steal shaft. Both Van and Cain sat against the door, posture defeated, complaint, soldiers surrounded them. Both men and Mistress were dragged to their feet and pulled away.
Compelled to follow, she stalked through the metal maze. From her place in the maintenance shafts she over looked their progress as they were taken to the generals quarters.
The Mistress was seated, the smallest respect given by the soldiers. For the most part they treated her like she wasn't there.
'Is she dead?' The first of the two generals asked Cain as he was pushed inside the room roughly.
'She looked relatively alive last I saw of her.' He answered curtly.
'Mistress.' The second addressed her still figure. "We have up held our end of the bargain. You must provide your part of the arraignment .' He leant over her in her chair, his face close to hers.
'Now sir.' She crooned smoothly 'It is not in my power to catch a beast like that. Had you not given her the opportunity.'
'Opportunity or not.' he bellowed cutting her sentence short 'You have not delivered. You gifted her to us and the Master is restless.'
'Unless you have forgotten if it wasn’t for me…'
'We wouldn’t be in this mess." The first said quietly emulating the mistress's stillness standing in the corner of the room, the air around him was charged like he was waiting for something, sensing something. "It was your scientist that created this predicament. so Mistress." he spat the title "I would do your bit or your life will be forfeit.'
Arah smiled as she saw the terror on the woman's face.
'Now as for you.' The first said grabbing Van placing a gun to his head and staring up at her. His cold dead eyes, visible from under the visor of his helmet, 'I would come down before we start recycling your friends.'
She froze, her eyes scanned for a way out, a way down, Some advantage for her in this situation, left wanting she called down 'What makes you think I care?'
He laughed 'You’re here, aren't you?'
She looked through the grate down at Van. He trembled his hands squeezed the generals arm as it constricted his throat, the Daega officer dwarfing even his height. His pulse was elevated, face tilted up in the same direction as the general. Praying Arah wasn't as cold as she pretended to be.
'Go on blow him away, see if I care.' She shouted back.
He put his finger to the trigger and began to squeeze. Van's eyes closed. She looked away for the second it should have taken, time seemed to linger, the terror drawn out millisecond by millisecond as she waited for the bag to signify the end of a life.
Finally it came, ripping through the tense silence. Followed by a limp thump. She gasped as he returned the gun to Van, Cain lying in a crumpled mess on the floor.
'Now do you believe me?'
'All right. I'll come down.' She kicked the grate open, dropping gracelessly to the ground. Her body numb as she couldn't take her eyes off Cain's body, his dark hair matted with blood hiding the hole that would be in the back of his head.
The general threw the boy away he sprawled to the ground not far from where she landed.
She dropped her knife out of her hands and quietly and quickly with the motion of the fall she knocked it over to Van.
He looked up at her but she starred at the general not giving any thing away.

One soldier bound her hands she still stood still and straight posture rigid like an iron bar had replaced her spine. It was a strange moment, as she and the general locked eyes; every one in the room seemed to hold their breath.
She moved.
With one movement she brought her hands up, using the binds to ensnare the solders gun, she wrenched it from his hands and Firing on him and two others. As she turned toward Van he took that as his cue Throwing the knife into the air.
Snaffling it she cut her binds as another soldier fired. She dropped to the ground narrowly missing the shot, taking out his legs sending him to the ground and driving the blade into his heart.
She pulled the blade as a soldier came behind her and drove it up and under his rib cage. She heaved him into the air and over to one of the others.
The general advanced on her.
Slashing and hacking as she went she moved through the soldiers left, she didn’t see the general.
Suddenly he grabbed her by the back of the neck lifting her off the ground.
'Amusing that you could think that you could kill every last one in this room with out any help.' He growled.
She struggled but his grip was like a vice. Her body to him noting more than a toy, she kicked her feet meeting noting but air.
Abruptly his grip slackened his eyes rolled and he dropped her and fell to the floor.
'Not with out any help.' Van said bits of a chair in his hand.
She turned to him and smiled but then saw one of the half dead worriers rise again gun in hand.
'Kid duck.' She yelled and heaved the knife in the Daega's direction, he fell back knife in his scull.
The room became still a few gurgles and shudders left slowly becoming nothing.
'Is that it?' he asked her.
She dusted off her pants and flicked back her hair 'I think so.' As she scanned the room she knew they were missing some one.
The Mistress had disappeared leaving them there as the fighting started. Arah shook her head she didn’t care any more; she just wanted to get out of there.
She moved over to the body of Cain. He lay, eyes open on his back staring at the ceiling. She closed them and sighed her hand lingering on his shoulder.
‘Something between you to?’ Van asked
‘Once.’ She said and moved away ‘a long time ago.’
"You could have avoided this." His tone was dark, still with so much anger directed her way.
"I know." She said solemnly.
"He didn't deserve that. Why the hell didn't you just come down?" He snapped at her
"I," she hesitated "I was scared."
"You're a mass murderer and you were scared?"
"Yes. Alright so sue me." She shouted back, as they continued their child like argument in the room filled with death.
"You eat people!" He retorted
She shut her mouth, gritting her teeth, with nothing to say,
"He's just some guy and what are you?" She could hear emotion strain his voice "This is your fault they are after you."
Again she stood stunned, talking the barrage of his anger.
"You know what? You should just turn your self in so we can all be done with you." He threw his hands up and turned from her, stepping over bodies to the door.
Motionless a small voice spilled out of Arah, an honest voice thick with a rough accent, missing any put on airs or false confidence "You know, once I use to be scared of the dark." She began "Just like any kid I guess, but see in the lab the lights never went off. Dark was the recovery room after the tests, when the shakes and the vomiting set in, dark was solitary confinement." Her silvery eye locked with his, "Even monsters are scared of the dark."
They regarded each other in quiet reflection.
"I don't know what I am, I don't know what they want with me, but I can tell you it isn't good."
Van sighed "How old are you?" Repeating her question, her skin was free of wrinkles, but it also changed colour so he didn't know if conventional ageing applied. Fifty years frozen defiantly hadn't matured her any.
"19"
"God and here I thought you were the adult supervision."
Silence lay over them light a heavy blanket, before a snigger slept from Arah's lips. Van soon joined suit, stress making their laughter hysterical.
Van whipped his eyes with. The back of his hand. "Don't give your self up."
She held out her hand "We do this together? Like what the plan should have been?"
He took it "Together."

They ran through the building, keeping behind enemy lines. Sticking to dark places and unused corridors. climbing higher the air became heaver harder to breath. Van could feel it weighing down his lungs. His limbs became heavy, his feet lead weight, as Arah ran a head around a corner he had to stop.
Heaving for breath he crouched on the floor forcing his uncooperative lungs to work.
Arah lingered, she heard no footsteps behind her; she turned to see she had lost the boy.
‘Come on kid.’ She said racing back to him, putting her arm around his waist and lifting him up.
‘You can’t stop now.’ With his weight she moved at half her normal speed, she could hear the Daega regrouped reorganised and coming after her, she could sense them as her paranoia grew. Any other time any other place she would have left the kid, only the strong survive in this life and like this they both would be caught. But They made a deal, and it was time for her to stop leaving people behind.
He gasped as the air turned rancid. She could taste it, recycled air full of carbon monoxide. He collapsed onto her.
‘Van don’t leave me like this.’ She told him almost crumbling under him. ‘Kid.’ His eyes flickered and then rolled, As he asphyxiated in her arms.
She looked up a small ship lay a head of them open ready for the taking.
‘Look home free.’ She said ‘I swear to god you live through this kid I’ll by you a drink or a tattoo or a pony damn it.’
‘You promise?’ he whispered.
‘You get in that ship.’
She half lifted him half dragged him and together they made it into the hold of the ship. The door closed hissing as the life support flooded the cabin with sweet oxygen, Van breathed in the air sweet to his lungs.
Arah threw her self in the piloting chair. She flicked the power on and started the engine.
‘How are we going to get out?’ he managed to pant ‘the doors are all shut.’
She laughed ‘Just watch me.’
She took off, driving the ship hard for the closed doors, at the very last second she turned the ship 180 degrees and fired the engine’s up to full, melting the doors.
‘This is why I’m glad I’m not in docks.’ She swung the little ship around thankfully for its manoeuvrability and bolted out of the building.
‘That’s us. Where free.’ She exclaimed as the ship glided into space.
‘Free?’ said a voice behind her.
‘You’ll never be free. And neither will I unless your dead or theirs.’
Arah turned to see the Mistress fire on her. the bulled ripped through her shoulder forcing her to the ground.
‘You all ways had a knack for surviving things, but I wonder how well you can dodge this?’ she asked putting the gun to her temple. Pressing it hard into the soft flesh of Arah's head forcing her flatter.
‘Quite well I think.’ She heard Van say as he drove a knife between the Mistresses shoulder blades. She wheeled around to face him and he fired the gun.
She fell beside Arah her face collapsing in on its self where the bullet had torn through.
Arah rolled over and looked at the kid ‘Quite amusing.’
‘I said if I had to...’ he said his eyes slightly glazed over, shock on the edges of his consciousness.
She sat him in the co-pilot seat and took her seat beside him. She played with the navigation.
‘Where are we going?’ He asked
‘Heslin prime.’ She said before pausing ‘Fuck, every one I know is probably dead, you got any family kid.’
‘Not any more why? I thought I was going with you.’
She sighed ‘I’ve got every Daega in the system after me. You can't handle that kind of life.’
‘What? A life of murder?’
She stopped and looked at him and smiled ‘you're right.’ She flicked off the system
He got up and moved to the window. He gazed down on the planet, explosions could be seen, the blue and green slowly replaced by black and brown. He never would see his little home again.
She flopped down on the bed at the back of the ship, near the window he stood by.
‘A sweet little ride.’ She commented looking about the ship. Just enough space to sleep and eat, cosy once they disposed of the dead body.
The boy sat down on the end of the bed she rolled around to face him.
‘So kid…’ she said ‘what are we going to do now?’
He looked down at her and smirked ‘I don’t know about you but I’m getting kinda hungry.’

Description
'This place is incredible!' he gasped looking up at the huge edifice that dominated the town.
'Can you believe it?' his brother said 'a whole city dedicated to be a prison. Old people were so paranoid.'
Their father shook his head 'you wouldn't understand, the people that are housed here are the most deadly in the universe. This "prison" saved our society."
He looked up at the building. It didn’t look like a prison now. Water plummeted down one side from a waterfall in the cliff adjacent to it. It was green and crystalline blue. It looked more like a temple than a prison. He watched the hordes of tourists' swarm into it and followed his parents.

Hundreds of men and woman were on 'display' the convulsing forms frozen in place in a contorted dance and then put behind glass for the masses to view.
Van walked slowly passed with his family he read the names and looked at the faces. They seemed only a glimmer of their former murderous self, frozen after the time of their bloody reputation had been formed, after years in a cell awaiting trial. And finally in terror as they met their punishment.
He pressed his nose close to a case and stared into the eyes of one.
Name: Jason Benson
Frozen: January 3rd 0045
He had only been frozen fifteen years and Van could see he was giving up. His eyes stared tightly into space ignoring people viewing him.
Van was infatuated with the status that the prisoners of this place were kept in. no were else in the universe were they like this.
They were in a form of Frozen alertness. Held in like a time warp were every movement seems to take a million years to achieve, but every thought still travels at its usual pace. Making the "sleeper" aware of every glance ever sneer every taunt but unable even to blink with out it taking them years.
He wandered further down the halls. He knew prisoners followed him as he walked past, every one in their terror struck pose. He wondered what that last thing was that they saw before they were set.
Van was far from his family now few other people lurked at this end the lights were dimmer these were the less dangerous. He wasn’t much interested in the people themselves anymore. Merle lost in his own thoughts. He opened a door and walked into a room that was not like the others.
It was white perfectly square and two convicts stood on a pillar in the middle.
Richard Fuel he read. He had heard of this man. He did not stand in terror like the others he had two knives, one in each hand and he stood side on to the woman in front of him his head bent down. He was very impressive. Taller than most with wide strong shoulders. He wasn't a young man, If van had to guess he would say he had made his 40s before capture, his hair dusted with the tiniest touch of grey at the temples, breaking his coal black locks.

Weapon: double knives, M-16, Entry Rifle,
Frozen: 0005

One of the worst killers in the galaxy and Richard had been frozen for fifty-five years. Van couldn’t see his eyes he couldn’t tell if he had given up. Most just die after twenty years that in its self feel like a century.
His eyes slipped off this creature to another beast.
She was crouched on the ground her lip split a bruise on her left brow she looked ready to pounce back after a vicious strike. One hand braced the ground the other just off. Her eyes stared at him.
They bore into him with such venom he could feel her life still surging with such voracity.

Name: Arah the devourer
Weapon: Anything
He gasped as he read her states. He looked at her again. She had no hair; this was a side effect of the process experienced by some there was nothing to hide her sharp check bones and feline features. Nothing to detour from the grey-ish hue her skin had. She still wore her prison pants, the grey cotton stained by blood and ripped down the right thigh she had no shoes and her top was ripped.
'My god.' He breathed 'fifty-five years'
There was sudden serge of energy in the room. The lights jumped from the half orange light that they were to the bright white. He winced, but he noticed something unusual. Her silver catlike eyes went black and she blinked.
He jumped.
Two men came in the room.
'What are you doing in here?' One barked.
'Nothing.' Van stammered
'This place is off limits to the public.'
Van returned to silence and stared at Arah.
The second man who appeared a lot nicer than the first came forward 'I'm sorry. These are her mistress's private pieces.'
'She…. She… blinked.' Van stammered and slowly crept forward.
'I'm sure it was just the light.' The second man said 'We're having some technical difficulties so if you'd kindly like to…'
Van was almost nose to nose with her; her eyes were clearing back to their clouded silver. As the black finally dissipated her slit pupils slid down to look directly at him.
'Move kid!' the first man yelled and ran for him.
The light pitched again brilliantly white and Van recoiled again but this time it was a flash as if something had blown and it went black.

Arah had been watching this child. He intrigued her with his analytical manor and his quick eyes. It was like a snake to a charmer as he came face to face with her. Entrancing each other.
For the past ten years she had been building up her strength, storing it to break free of the hold this frozen trance had taken on her. She knew she could do it and as the light flashed and disappeared. She broke the trance. Her hand flew up behind her and took the knife from Fuel. She wrapped the young man in her arms and put the knife to his throat.
Fading up the red glow of the emergency light surrounded them.
'Gentlemen.' She crooned 'so nice to see you again.'
The boy didn’t tremble in her clutches, he winced as the knife bit into him.
'Devourer.' Able bit.
'Able. I see in half a century you haven't change much." She nodded to him and turned to his partner "Cain, you look old.'
Cain looked away from her for a second flinching at her familiarity. 'Arah let the child go.'
She sighed disapprovingly 'Thats not how it works and you know that. I have a hostage, that means I have leverage. if you want me to do something you have to offer me something that I want."
'What about your boyfriend?' Abel announced 'Forget about him.'
'He's dead. Nothing more than a flesh sculpture now.' Van almost heard pain in her voice, as she spoke of the man trapped for the last fifty years at her back.
'Now you have a choice boys. You let me go and get little Billy back.'
"Its Van.' He told her firmly.
'At least one of you has balls." She chuckled "Let me go or lets just say I've worked up an appetite after all that time and I'm hungry.'
Cain put his gun down.
'What the hell are you doing?' Able gasped in disgust.
'No innocent blood. We can catch her again, we've done it once.' He answered.
'Smart cookie.' She crooned.
Able glared at the both of them.
'I'm thinking of starting with his eye.' She breathed 'They are ever so enchanting.'
Abel's hand faltered for a second then the building lurched, The lights flinched and he fired. Arah threw the kid to the other side of the room as a tile's fell on their position while the walls cracked around them.
Van rolled past Fuel who remained unmoving, body atrophied and long dead as Arah explained. He snatched the knife from his massive hand and he heard the other door slam as she bolted. He followed her before Cain and Abel were able to recover from the shock.

The winding passage opened up into a ring like auditorium. a curtained balcony circled above it hiding tiered seats ready for audience viewing. It was a colosseum, it was huge and she was half way across.
He sprinted after her.
She was almost at the door when iron bars flew down in front of her; she stopped just as it slammed into the ground.
He heard her scream, watched as she threw her self at solid steal and shook the bars wildly.
Spinning to face him she lowered, practically snarling at her young peruser. The curved knife was still in his hand, he was awarded of it as she spun its twin while she eyed him.
'So boy.' She growled, edging forward, 'You gunna play hero?'
'No.' he said flatly
She paused flabbergasted by his honesty. 'Why aren't you afraid of me?' She snipped.
He held out the knife to her a bladed olive branch. 'Do I need to be?'
Snatching knife and faster than he could blink had the two of them against his throat.
Her voice came soft and slippery 'I could kill you, very slowly if I chose. Eat every piece of you or just leave you for the rats.'
"You could." He smirked 'but you haven't.'
She relaxed for a second, studying this peculiar young man before her. His heart rate didn't spike. He stood still and confidant in her presence. A noise pulled her attention, she released him and threw one of the knives at the curtains.
A man with a rifle fell from the balcony to the ground floor with a thud before Cain as he came through the door.
A slow clap echoed down from the head of the room.
'Arah you always were the most entertaining.' Her mistress purred, Able at her side.
Arah saw the slender figure saunter towards her, radiating yellow, brought to a flushed temperature by the ornate clothes she always wore. 'You might consider some knew lapdogs mistress." She noted dryly "The other two are a little out dated.'
'I know. I keep them for sentimental reasons. I thought you would understand that.' Her voice hid fear behind the casual back and forth.
'Wouldn't that require a heart my lady.' Arah said tucking her knife in the back of her pants facing her squarely.
'Stay right there.' Her mistress said urgently. 'I know exactly what you can do remember.'
'You don’t trust your guards aim?' Arah asked feigning innocence.
'That is unfortunately my last guard.' The mistress signalled to the dead man on the floor.
'A little light on the infantry now this place is a tourist attraction?" She sniggered "That’s why you locked me in?'.
'Unfortunately no.' the Mistress answered.
Arah sniffed the air; her eyes scanned the area. Eight or so heat signatures were in the room beside the four she knew of.
'Whats going on.' She said slowly.
Abel smirked 'Deep freeze must take a lot out of you if you haven't noticed.'
'Noticed what?' Van asked coming up beside her.
'Our world is under attack. The Daega have finally come. They cut the power. We came here and locked down to try and think of a way out.'
Arah laughed a slow ironic chuckle 'Her mistress under attack. Now this is good timing. Well you four plus those extra eight in here gives me enough to eat for a while if we get really stuck.' Arah's silver eyes slid to the mistress 'You knew this would happen?'
'Yes we did. Which is why we had precautions installed.'
She shook her head 'When your dealing with Daega the only precaution you can take is; be dead when they arrive.' She added darkly
'You would know.' Cain added leaving the mistress's side approaching her. 'You have killed them fought them survived them '
She shrugged 'so?'
'Help us.' He pleaded earnestly 'all of us.' He tried to appeal to her better nature as The rag tag survivors had come out of the shadows. But not once did she acknowledged the scared civilian faces.
'You want something from me I have to want something from you." she scoffed "This isn't my problem. And why doesn't she ask.' she nodded to the mistress 'or was that your punishment? Dirty grovelling to murderers?'
The dark haired man shook his head as she brushed him off "I had the notion that after everything you might have owed me."
Arah looked away, the sudden twinge of guilt eating at her, her bravado was only skin deep. She had cared for him in a time when she barely knew what that meant. so much she did the kindest thing she thought she could have done. Left him behind.
"What are these peoples lives worth to you?' He suggested solemnly as her eyes flashed up to him from the floor glittering.
'Suggest something.'
'Your freedom.' Her mistress offered. 'I know how much you value that. There are escape vessels in the docks. Get us there and we'll drop you on some nice seedy planet so you can go about your business.'
Able looked shocked.
Arah raised a brow 'Well then I'll need some boots, pants and most importantly something to munch on before I find something my self.'

Cross legged he sat with A bowl of slop in her lap, she curled around it eating and watching like a feral child.
Boots and the food were the only two things they were able to give her. Remaining in the prison greys gave her no sense of freedom, she felt that was the point.
Twelve people including herself had to get to the docks. Her senses had gradually come back into working order, now she could hear the Daega crawling about the building. A mass of over five hundred she presumed by the banging and crashing of the clumsy soldiers feet, brought to her ears through the ventilation system.
The docks would be useless to them if they got there, she could feel in her bones they'd be swarming with soldiers or worse they would have destroyed them and all the ships inside, using another part of the building to dock. Something a little less accessible to the humans they hunted.
'So I guess there's a reason they call you Arah the devourer?' Van asked sitting next to her, his voice slightly amiss. Emotion sneaking through the cracks in the causal conversation. If she had been given the gift of human sight she would have seen his large brown eyes were red from tears.
'You have been weeping?' she asked flatly, changing the subject while she still plotted.
'None of my family is here. I asked one of the others and they said they thought they saw them, but" he paused composing himself "they Were in the middle of the battle.'
There was a silence. Arah placed down her bowl, she could not relate to his grief, nor did she know how to console him. So she returned to his original line of questioning. In hopes for the moment to drive the horror from his mind. 'Yes there is a reason."
'What?' he asked sniffing
'There is a reason why they call me Devourer.'
'Oh.' He didn't really want to know. He just didn't want to think about his family.
They remained in a cooperative quiet for a while and then she looked at him he stared straight ahead his dark eyes searching the same way hers had been. His blond hair fell just over his face a little as he sat hugging his knees.
'If they're alive we’ll find them.' she said quietly to him.
'I don’t expect to.' He answered solemnly "so why the devourer?'
'I eat people.'
He looked up to her and again they stared at each other the cut on her lip finally healing, her eyes glittered. Bright against her grey skin, he was sure she had been paler, a softer hue in the bright light of the display room. He had taken her for a punk, a body modifier. He had seen many people dolling themselves up like mating birds with coloured skin, fleuro hair, cats eyes, goats eyes, elongated tongues for pleasure, claws, fangs and feathered plumage. Arah was all together a different beast, her animal likenesses were more than just an appearance.
'You're not human are you?'
'What ever gave you that impression?' she mused flicking her forked tongue at him playfully. 'you see superman over there. The lighter one Abel he and I were made. so the story goes. Adam and Eve of a new race. I went a little awry.and he...' She smirked "under preformed."
'And Cain?'
She sighed 'Cain? Well...'
"He said you owed him." He pressed.
"I suppose I do, he helped me escape and I left him behind." Her tone was nonchalant, as she licked the last from her bowl.
"That was a dick move."
She laughed "A pretty serious dick move."
He chuckled with her for a minute, the quiet engulfed them again.
"Arah?" He asked gently "Do you think we can get out of here?'
She could smell them now. Death and leather marching through the halls. They were closing in on their position, faint heat signatures showing up in her vision. The odds were not good, alone she might have been able to make it. Simpering humans were a liability.
'How old are you Van?' Arah asked him, watching their impending doom. It was hard to gauge he was tall, easily taller than her, but his mannerisms seemed young. Not much younger than herself, she may have sat watching the world for fifty five years but she was hardly out of child hood herself.
'Sixteen.'
She raised an eye brow 'You ever killed anything before?'
'No.'
'Are you prepared to kill?'
'If I had to.'
'Had to...' Her voice trailed, that's how it started. She had to; to save her self, to save another. Then as wounds grew, and fatigue mounted the hunger began.
'I cant guarantee anything.' she put the bowl down beside her. 'But I'm gunna be hungry later.'

Pulling herself up to standing she took a deep breath, they had waited long enough 'All you who don’t want to die, move far away from the walls to the other end of the hall, and do it quickly.'
Every one looked at her. Stunned that she had spoken after so long being engrossed in her meal.
'Hurry now.' Urgency in her voice spurring them on as she began to move, slow steps turned into hurried ones as the first blast hit.
Panicking every one ran through the door and into the holding room following them. The first room in the escape.
She looked at the thirteen of them in the tiny waiting room.
'Keep moving' she barked as as she pushed through the group. Thirteen was too many, to her they were lambs to slaughter, slow sheep huddling together looking to her for guidance, the wolf among them.
'Take them to the end of the hall then look for escape route I'll meet you there.' she told Cain. 'If Daega are there then run. If not wait and we will regroup.'
She held the door for them as Abel; Cain and the Mistress lead Van filed through, soon followed by dribs and drabs of the rest of the group.
Three remained slower than the others, she entered their room before the could exit, closing the door behind her.
'Time for some population control.'
She took the lone knife that remained with her and while the room shook as the Daega blew their way into the battling room she slaughtered the three left behind, as quickly and humanly as she could risking one final glance and a muted apology before she returned to the others.

'Don't' she told Van quietly as she saw him mentally count those that remained.
'Ten?' he whispered to her 'What happened to the last three?'
'They fell behind.' She muttered darkly and kept moving
Abel snapped at her 'What took you so long.'
'Blocking the door is that okay with you?' Arah bit walking past him and down one of the side halls.
Van chased her, whispering harshly as he reached her side 'You cant just kill people!"
'We don’t stand a chance if we have to baby sit those that cant keep up.' She hissed back furious she had to defend her actions.
'They deserve a chance' he pleaded
'We deserve to live.' She exclaimed
'they don’t?'
'Right now it is survival of the fittest. You have a problem feel free to voice you doubts now. I wanna get out of this place alive and if I have to kill a few useless eaters to do it, I'll still sleep tonight.'

Distracted by their heated moral debate she almost missed the tell tale stomping of approaching soldiers.
The boy ran into her back.
'Wha…' he protested before she shoved her hand over his mouth and pulled him into the shadow. Holding him still, silent and hidden.
One of the soldiers turned the corner at the same time Cain, Abel and the other seven came into view. The Daega opening fire instantly.
She felt Van struggle in her arms, he wanted to help whether he couldn't or not. She let him go, he was strong enough to break free of her grasp if he wanted too, it was his life to forfeit, but he lingered close to her out of harms way. Watching the carnage horrified.

Her Mistress fled back away from the fight Cain and Abel retaliated before they them selves falling back from the hall. Arah didn’t know how many had fallen but she suspected that the party was at a more manageable level now.
Her skin tone darkened, the grey deepening so she blended in with the shadows and she slipped away from Van. She crept along the ground and toward the advancing Daega infantry.
She slashed one soldiers calf clean through the muscle, a shrill scream came from him as he fell, another heard his comrades cry and turned to her opening fire.
Leaping with all if her might she caught a hanging light, his bullets whizzing beneath her and into his fellow soldiers.
She dropped as his burst fire ended, embedding her knife the base of his scull. The lights surged again illuminating her and the soldiers.
Falling to the ground her eyes burning, a black cloud sliding over them, her colouring flaring white as well. The three that were left turned to her on the ground, one stood his club like sword in hand ready to strike, brought down by Cain's bullet.
The light faded again to pitch she leaped into the air from her position on the ground throwing the knife and lodging it in ones throat and landing on the other throwing him to the ground the ranks decimated.

After a time the safety lights came up.
Van crept out of his hiding place, the Mistress came back to the hall and Cain and Abel inspected the damage to the party.
Van looked around Arah was no were to be found.
Five civilians lay dead in myriad of carnage that the Devourer had created.
'We walked into it.' Abel yelled striking the wall. "That back stabbing bitch. Where is she?'
Full lights finally kicked in as Van picked through what was left of the Daega forces.
Something moved, writhing amongst the bodies. A thick slurping sound follows by intermittent crunching.
He walked towards it.
Colour raged through the form black, white, red, bright red the colour of blood and dark red it surged and feed off the man, as he lay still partially alive beneath it whimpering as he watch the creature feed from him.
The head rose and turned to him.
'Oh god.' He gasped and turned around as Arah faced him. she licked her lips and her fingers slowly like a giant cat shaking her head as her hair re-grew to its shoulder length thick tendrils.
'Now we can get some where.' She crooned, almost drunk on her satisfaction.
'Come on boy.' She smirked waving to Van, ushering him back to the others.
'What are you?' he asked in disgust
'A monster.'

'You walked us into a trap.' Abel yelled throwing her to a wall and pulled his gun pressing it hard against her head.
She eye balled him. 'I walked me into lunch. I told you I would.' Ignoring his threats whipping her smeared face.
'Five are dead?' He thumped her against the wall.
'I care why?'
'You bitch.' He pulling back the hammer, digging the weapon further into her forehead.
'Abel.' The Mistress said putting her hand delicately on the gun. 'Don’t get too over excited.'
Reluctantly he pulled it away, not before he gave her one last shove. Arah blew him a kiss licking her teeth.
'I will get you.' he promised hissing.
'The next time we're this close.' She said leaning into him seductively. 'You won't be able to move. I will string you up for those Daega dogs you love so much.'
He huffed pushing her away. While she analysed their small manageable group.
'I have to scout out a head." She told them "We'll put up here for now.'
Abel put a hand out blocking her path. 'How do we know you won't run away.'
'You'll just have to trust Me.' she said removing his hand and pushing past him, vaulting into a vent and disappearing.

The building was absolutely swarming with soldiers, Generals held up in one of the Mistress prized rooms, but something looked wrong. The soldiers appeared to be looking for something their movements were strategic filing through and checking each room. She took a detour and clambered up to the vents in the General’s quarters.
'The Mistress has gone.' She heard one say.
As she looked down through the vent she read four heat signatures.
'Find the Mistress and we'll find her.'
'Master is getting restless we need to find her now.' Each Daega's voice a drone of the last.
'As I said.' the one that spoke before reiterated 'The Mistress gifted her to us.'
'Perhaps there were complications in her wakening.'
'Perhaps she's dead?'
'It is more likely that she is free.'
Arah froze she didn’t like this conversation, she didn’t like where it was heading. She backed up, pulling away her heart thumping in her chest.
'We will set the beasts out after her. They will find her.'
'We don’t want her dead!' snapped the first one
'They maybe her weakness but they will be far from the ones that kill her.'

She dropped back to the balcony, her skin paled.
‘What did you promise them?’ she yelled at the Mistress taking her fear out in anger, throwing the tall slender woman into the wall
‘I… I promised them nothing.’ She stammered.
Arah's forearm pinned her to the wall, her knife sat along the side of her jaw.
‘You’ll tell me before I cut you a second smile.’
Suddenly Arah's head was wrenched backward by the hair. Abel’s dragging her away from his employer, returning his gun to a threatening position.
‘You will do nothing of the sort.’ He hissed in her ear.
‘ Now Abel’ she began heaving her weight backwards sending him stumbling towards the low safety rail. It caught him across the lower back and they both toppled over the side.
As they fell she pushed her self away from him. Tucking her feet in close to her body and spun to face him planting them on his chest she drove him into the ground.
A sickening crack echoed through the ship as Abel's body landed on the uneven ground below them.
Standing above him, his wild eyes following her, his body unable to respond. She pulled her knife out and cut her hand dripping the blood on him. ‘I warned you that would happen.’ She whispered.
A snarl grumbled from the depth of the ship, the sound of claws clicking on metal. She heard the beast coming, hunting her, she looked to Abel, left covered in her DNA the perfect bait.
Clambering back up to the balcony the surviving members flinched at the blood-curdling scream as the beast found Abel.
‘Lets move.’ Arah said to them ‘Being that one of those creatures is down there. The other one is sure to be well on its way.’ She pushed Van a head of her and Cain and The Mistress followed him as they bolted down the corridor.

Scanning the area before heading off after them, her eyes picked up nothing but the sound of second beast drawn to the screams was unmistakable. claws scrapped against metal as it tore its way around the corner after them.
'Shit.' She swore as she flew down the corridor.
She couldn’t see it, she hear it and smell the stench of ice blood, it was so close to heals she could feel its cold breath.
They rounded a bend in the corridor and lost it for a moment. Cain leading the others took them left.
Looking down at her bleeding hand and pausing at the junction. She ripped off her shirt leaving her prison greys and soaked the material, it turning dark with her blood.
Van turned to face her before he followed Cain left.
'What are you…'
She put the material to the wall,
'Follow Cain and don’t stop running.' She yelled to him 'Go!' Pushing him after the rest. Leading the beast away with the temptation of her life.
Her lungs burned as she reached the next junction. She looked left then right,Both were dead ends, throwing the shirt at the wall.
She looked to the heavens 'Why?'
As the giant bear like creature rounded into the corridor, its mouth open gaping for blood.
She dodged to the left, the beast on her heals. Sprinting to the end of the stretch, she dropped into a slide towards the dead end, putting her feet against the wall and catapulted backwards toward the oncoming monster.
Its huge furry head swung down to take a bite of her, but momentum was on her side, she slid under it feeling its breath near her face. she raised her knife up and slammed it into its underbelly ripping it from sternum to pelvis. Taking no time to pause she rolled and ran back the way she came again.
The beast howled, rising and turning its bulk around, galloping after her again.
'Fuck you.' She swore as she heard the monstrous creature. As she ran she hit the wall, using her speed it carried her up, she flipped, landing straddling the beast driving her blade into its neck.
It screamed, rose up on it haunches and writhed under her. Falling backwards with her still on it.
The immense weight of the best landed on her, crushing her with its mass, squeezing the air from her lungs.
'Not like this.' She whispered 'Not for them…'
She screamed in frustration, her airless body not strong enough to shift the weight and free herself, each protest robbing her of any precious energy reserves she had left.
She heard a noise. Light footsteps in the darkness. Warmth among all the cold. The soft and steady thump of the footfalls got closer to her.
A hand came to her face touched her cheek.
Boy, the smell of confidence, and sweet youth filled her emanating from the hand.
'Kid?' she gasped.
'You are still alive?' He laughed 'I never had a doubt.'
He got down and pushed the lump of the creature off of her, then tucking his arms under hers lifted her out.
She stood and gaped for breath.
'Son of a bitch.' She yelled at it and kicked the dead hulk.
Van watched her with an amused grin.
'Come on.' She said 'We've still got a way to go yet.' She put her arm around him, leaning on his shoulder while she caught her breath and they walked out together.
Cain and the Mistress were waiting for them at the end of corridor.
'So….' Cain sighed 'We're almost there.'
She smiled 'Yes we are, and only eight lighter.' She pushed open the door and they slipped through.

The docking bay lay below them. Four cruisers lay dismantled and strewn about the hanger. No other ships, Soldiers swarmed around below them.
'Welcome to the docking bay.' Arah announced standing 'I'll take this moment to thank you for travelling with us, and I wish you a future with a short painless death.'
She had predicted this outcome from the beginning, the kid didn't deserve the end that would be coming for him, or her bad attitude, Arah felt a small twinge of guilt forcing her to linger a second too long before disappearing back through the door.
Van was stunned, this sudden change perplexing.
'Wait.' He cried out shooting through the door after her .'What are we going to do? There’s no way out this way. I thought you were on our side."
Cain put his hand on the kids shoulder while holding the door. 'There’s no point.' He told him quietly.
'No point in what?" He asked the man "She’s not going to leave us here like this? Are you, Arah?'
Arah kept walking shouting back to him with out turning. 'Not my fight. My deal is done, I'm out.'
'You bitch!' he uttered as the anger grew "you cold heartless cow!' He yelled. They were trapped, no guide, no defence, they were stuck with a Pile of scrapped ships.

Slamming the door He thumped down on the ground with his back against it, Cain sat beside him.
'We could follow her.' Van said in vain 'she'll find her way out. Whose to stop us just tagging along.'
Cain shook his head and sighed 'Kid, there is no way we can follow.'
'Why not? I mean where are the ships hidden?'
Cain looked at the young man, hating that he had to squash his hopes 'The best bet one of the top levels where the powers cut.' He began
Van looked at him 'but that means the air up there is…'
'Thin, noxious, potentially deadly to humans.'
The two males sat and sighed heads resting against the door.
'She screwed us over.' Van breathed.
'Yup.'
'No way out.'
'Nope.' Cain had resigned himself to yet again be the one left behind by Arah the devourer.
'We're basically fucked?'
'Basically.'
'Damn.' Van sighed to himself, there was still so much he wanted to do, partying, drinking, drugs, sex and he was stuck in a tourist attraction about to die.
'God has a twisted sense of humour.'
Cain patted his shoulder saying nothing but offering him a reassuring smile.
'So what do we do?'
"we wait for them to find us." He told the blond lad "Shouldn’t be too long.'

Arah left them, using the twists and turns in the corridors to put distance between them, she climbed a maintenance shaft the ladder shaking beneath her.
Her thoughts lingered on the betrayal in Van's voice, she toyed with the idea of turning back. Perhaps giving them a little more aid, for Cain at least, perhaps even for Van. Not for the Mistress not for the generic humans that had spend the last five decades staring at her with wonder and fear. She gritted her teeth, that's what they had all done, looked at her with fear, that's why they wanted her with them, she was as terrifying as their adversary. They wouldn't care if she lived or died they just wanted her to take out as many Daega as she could on the way out.
No, she'd done her bit, she had no obligation to any of them, her promise was to get to the docks, no more or less.

Crossing the junction where she had left them, she looked down through the grates of the steal shaft. Both Van and Cain sat against the door, posture defeated, complaint, soldiers surrounded them. Both men and Mistress were dragged to their feet and pulled away.
Compelled to follow, she stalked through the metal maze. From her place in the maintenance shafts she over looked their progress as they were taken to the generals quarters.
The Mistress was seated, the smallest respect given by the soldiers. For the most part they treated her like she wasn't there.
'Is she dead?' The first of the two generals asked Cain as he was pushed inside the room roughly.
'She looked relatively alive last I saw of her.' He answered curtly.
'Mistress.' The second addressed her still figure. "We have up held our end of the bargain. You must provide your part of the arraignment .' He leant over her in her chair, his face close to hers.
'Now sir.' She crooned smoothly 'It is not in my power to catch a beast like that. Had you not given her the opportunity.'
'Opportunity or not.' he bellowed cutting her sentence short 'You have not delivered. You gifted her to us and the Master is restless.'
'Unless you have forgotten if it wasn’t for me…'
'We wouldn’t be in this mess." The first said quietly emulating the mistress's stillness standing in the corner of the room, the air around him was charged like he was waiting for something, sensing something. "It was your scientist that created this predicament. so Mistress." he spat the title "I would do your bit or your life will be forfeit.'
Arah smiled as she saw the terror on the woman's face.
'Now as for you.' The first said grabbing Van placing a gun to his head and staring up at her. His cold dead eyes, visible from under the visor of his helmet, 'I would come down before we start recycling your friends.'
She froze, her eyes scanned for a way out, a way down, Some advantage for her in this situation, left wanting she called down 'What makes you think I care?'
He laughed 'You’re here, aren't you?'
She looked through the grate down at Van. He trembled his hands squeezed the generals arm as it constricted his throat, the Daega officer dwarfing even his height. His pulse was elevated, face tilted up in the same direction as the general. Praying Arah wasn't as cold as she pretended to be.
'Go on blow him away, see if I care.' She shouted back.
He put his finger to the trigger and began to squeeze. Van's eyes closed. She looked away for the second it should have taken, time seemed to linger, the terror drawn out millisecond by millisecond as she waited for the bag to signify the end of a life.
Finally it came, ripping through the tense silence. Followed by a limp thump. She gasped as he returned the gun to Van, Cain lying in a crumpled mess on the floor.
'Now do you believe me?'
'All right. I'll come down.' She kicked the grate open, dropping gracelessly to the ground. Her body numb as she couldn't take her eyes off Cain's body, his dark hair matted with blood hiding the hole that would be in the back of his head.
The general threw the boy away he sprawled to the ground not far from where she landed.
She dropped her knife out of her hands and quietly and quickly with the motion of the fall she knocked it over to Van.
He looked up at her but she starred at the general not giving any thing away.

One soldier bound her hands she still stood still and straight posture rigid like an iron bar had replaced her spine. It was a strange moment, as she and the general locked eyes; every one in the room seemed to hold their breath.
She moved.
With one movement she brought her hands up, using the binds to ensnare the solders gun, she wrenched it from his hands and Firing on him and two others. As she turned toward Van he took that as his cue Throwing the knife into the air.
Snaffling it she cut her binds as another soldier fired. She dropped to the ground narrowly missing the shot, taking out his legs sending him to the ground and driving the blade into his heart.
She pulled the blade as a soldier came behind her and drove it up and under his rib cage. She heaved him into the air and over to one of the others.
The general advanced on her.
Slashing and hacking as she went she moved through the soldiers left, she didn’t see the general.
Suddenly he grabbed her by the back of the neck lifting her off the ground.
'Amusing that you could think that you could kill every last one in this room with out any help.' He growled.
She struggled but his grip was like a vice. Her body to him noting more than a toy, she kicked her feet meeting noting but air.
Abruptly his grip slackened his eyes rolled and he dropped her and fell to the floor.
'Not with out any help.' Van said bits of a chair in his hand.
She turned to him and smiled but then saw one of the half dead worriers rise again gun in hand.
'Kid duck.' She yelled and heaved the knife in the Daega's direction, he fell back knife in his scull.
The room became still a few gurgles and shudders left slowly becoming nothing.
'Is that it?' he asked her.
She dusted off her pants and flicked back her hair 'I think so.' As she scanned the room she knew they were missing some one.
The Mistress had disappeared leaving them there as the fighting started. Arah shook her head she didn’t care any more; she just wanted to get out of there.
She moved over to the body of Cain. He lay, eyes open on his back staring at the ceiling. She closed them and sighed her hand lingering on his shoulder.
‘Something between you to?’ Van asked
‘Once.’ She said and moved away ‘a long time ago.’
"You could have avoided this." His tone was dark, still with so much anger directed her way.
"I know." She said solemnly.
"He didn't deserve that. Why the hell didn't you just come down?" He snapped at her
"I," she hesitated "I was scared."
"You're a mass murderer and you were scared?"
"Yes. Alright so sue me." She shouted back, as they continued their child like argument in the room filled with death.
"You eat people!" He retorted
She shut her mouth, gritting her teeth, with nothing to say,
"He's just some guy and what are you?" She could hear emotion strain his voice "This is your fault they are after you."
Again she stood stunned, talking the barrage of his anger.
"You know what? You should just turn your self in so we can all be done with you." He threw his hands up and turned from her, stepping over bodies to the door.
Motionless a small voice spilled out of Arah, an honest voice thick with a rough accent, missing any put on airs or false confidence "You know, once I use to be scared of the dark." She began "Just like any kid I guess, but see in the lab the lights never went off. Dark was the recovery room after the tests, when the shakes and the vomiting set in, dark was solitary confinement." Her silvery eye locked with his, "Even monsters are scared of the dark."
They regarded each other in quiet reflection.
"I don't know what I am, I don't know what they want with me, but I can tell you it isn't good."
Van sighed "How old are you?" Repeating her question, her skin was free of wrinkles, but it also changed colour so he didn't know if conventional ageing applied. Fifty years frozen defiantly hadn't matured her any.
"19"
"God and here I thought you were the adult supervision."
Silence lay over them light a heavy blanket, before a snigger slept from Arah's lips. Van soon joined suit, stress making their laughter hysterical.
Van whipped his eyes with. The back of his hand. "Don't give your self up."
She held out her hand "We do this together? Like what the plan should have been?"
He took it "Together."

They ran through the building, keeping behind enemy lines. Sticking to dark places and unused corridors. climbing higher the air became heaver harder to breath. Van could feel it weighing down his lungs. His limbs became heavy, his feet lead weight, as Arah ran a head around a corner he had to stop.
Heaving for breath he crouched on the floor forcing his uncooperative lungs to work.
Arah lingered, she heard no footsteps behind her; she turned to see she had lost the boy.
‘Come on kid.’ She said racing back to him, putting her arm around his waist and lifting him up.
‘You can’t stop now.’ With his weight she moved at half her normal speed, she could hear the Daega regrouped reorganised and coming after her, she could sense them as her paranoia grew. Any other time any other place she would have left the kid, only the strong survive in this life and like this they both would be caught. But They made a deal, and it was time for her to stop leaving people behind.
He gasped as the air turned rancid. She could taste it, recycled air full of carbon monoxide. He collapsed onto her.
‘Van don’t leave me like this.’ She told him almost crumbling under him. ‘Kid.’ His eyes flickered and then rolled, As he asphyxiated in her arms.
She looked up a small ship lay a head of them open ready for the taking.
‘Look home free.’ She said ‘I swear to god you live through this kid I’ll by you a drink or a tattoo or a pony damn it.’
‘You promise?’ he whispered.
‘You get in that ship.’
She half lifted him half dragged him and together they made it into the hold of the ship. The door closed hissing as the life support flooded the cabin with sweet oxygen, Van breathed in the air sweet to his lungs.
Arah threw her self in the piloting chair. She flicked the power on and started the engine.
‘How are we going to get out?’ he managed to pant ‘the doors are all shut.’
She laughed ‘Just watch me.’
She took off, driving the ship hard for the closed doors, at the very last second she turned the ship 180 degrees and fired the engine’s up to full, melting the doors.
‘This is why I’m glad I’m not in docks.’ She swung the little ship around thankfully for its manoeuvrability and bolted out of the building.
‘That’s us. Where free.’ She exclaimed as the ship glided into space.
‘Free?’ said a voice behind her.
‘You’ll never be free. And neither will I unless your dead or theirs.’
Arah turned to see the Mistress fire on her. the bulled ripped through her shoulder forcing her to the ground.
‘You all ways had a knack for surviving things, but I wonder how well you can dodge this?’ she asked putting the gun to her temple. Pressing it hard into the soft flesh of Arah's head forcing her flatter.
‘Quite well I think.’ She heard Van say as he drove a knife between the Mistresses shoulder blades. She wheeled around to face him and he fired the gun.
She fell beside Arah her face collapsing in on its self where the bullet had torn through.
Arah rolled over and looked at the kid ‘Quite amusing.’
‘I said if I had to...’ he said his eyes slightly glazed over, shock on the edges of his consciousness.
She sat him in the co-pilot seat and took her seat beside him. She played with the navigation.
‘Where are we going?’ He asked
‘Heslin prime.’ She said before pausing ‘Fuck, every one I know is probably dead, you got any family kid.’
‘Not any more why? I thought I was going with you.’
She sighed ‘I’ve got every Daega in the system after me. You can't handle that kind of life.’
‘What? A life of murder?’
She stopped and looked at him and smiled ‘you're right.’ She flicked off the system
He got up and moved to the window. He gazed down on the planet, explosions could be seen, the blue and green slowly replaced by black and brown. He never would see his little home again.
She flopped down on the bed at the back of the ship, near the window he stood by.
‘A sweet little ride.’ She commented looking about the ship. Just enough space to sleep and eat, cosy once they disposed of the dead body.
The boy sat down on the end of the bed she rolled around to face him.
‘So kid…’ she said ‘what are we going to do now?’
He looked down at her and smirked ‘I don’t know about you but I’m getting kinda hungry.’