Sins of the Past

Subtext Warning: Well, subtext is maintext. Explains a lot huh. If romantic love between two beautiful women gets your panties in a wad, you better not continue reading.

Sex Warning: Hey, sex spices up the romance here. You can't expect Uber-X and Uber-G remain to be chaste and virgins for their whole lives. Therefore··

Violence Warning: Ohhhhh galore!!!! I can't say that the characters are wading in pools of blood which is as high as your knee. Mabbe ankle-deep but besides the point, this is no Barney the Dinosaur. Anyway, kids shouldn't be reading this *Hmm.that's pretty obvious* . If blood and violence puts you off, you should follow the kids and stay away from this story.

Starving Bard Warning: Hey! I'm a first time bard and this is a first attempt for me at writing stories. So I'm a really hungry bard who needs to be fed by you. Pulleeeaaaazzzzeee send any comments, thoughts or suggestions to

boredpup@hotmail.com

Part 1

The first cries of the baby filled the streets, ringing through out the alley. A man dressed in scruffy clothes, scavenging through the brimming dumpster, stopped his search for food scraps and craned his neck, looking for the source of the cries. He turned and headed in the direction of the cries.

"What the fuck is that!?!" He exclaimed as the body came into his line of sight.

He stood there in horror and confusion at the spectacle in front of him. There was a dead woman lying on her back with her lifeless blue eyes looking towards the dark and gloomy evening sky. Her body half illuminated by the garish neon lights on the advertising billboard above the building. The same light also showed how poorly dressed she was, covered in rags and bits of poorly sewn together clothing. Her face was crowned with a shock of long, dark, mangy hair. Her left arm showed a small cluster of bruises and a tourniquet constricted her upper arm. Her right arm was slung over another bundle of rags that happened to be the source of the desperate cries.

The old man shuffled forward. Though he was afraid, he was driven by curiosity. He inched forward until he was within touching distance of the woman's body. He slowly craned his neck forward, trying to ignore her empty gaze, which seemed to be following his movements. He looked into the middle of the small bundle under the woman's arm and got a shock.

"Shit, it's a baby." He whispered to no one in particular. Bending down, he eased the baby from its niche and pushed the rags aside to look at the face. As he got his first look at the baby, it gave a hearty yell as it got its first glimpse of the person who picked it up.

Standing helplessly in front of the stiff body he made a decision and quickly took off running with the baby in his arms. As he ran out of the alley, the dead woman continued to stare into the darkening sky with arms outstretched, welcoming the descending night into her cold embrace.

27th February 1984

Dana looked out into the dark neighbourhood streets from out of the orphanage windows. She sighed. Her blue eyes scanned the streets restlessly. She sat in her room, looking at the other sleeping occupants of the room. She sat down in her bed and drew her knees in towards her chest. Wondering if anyone would come for her. This had been her birthday wish for the last few years. Though she knew that the chances of it coming true were very slim, she still had some hope that one day, if she wished hard enough someone would come and bring her away from this place where she was always cold and hungry.

Sitting there on the thin mattress, an idea suddenly struck and left her breathless with excitement. She quickly got up from bed, being careful not to wake the other occupants in the room.

"Mama....mama..." A girl from the other end of the room cried out, tossing around in her sleep. Dana froze in fear, her heart thumping furiously. As the disturbed sleeper settled back in bed, she crept under her bed and dragged her few possessions out. Using an old rag, she wrapped her only skirt and her two jumpers up. Clutching her precious possessions tightly to her chest, she went to the only window in the dormitory and opened it softly. It swung open easily. She took her clothes and threw the bundle out the window. She dragged a rickety stool from under her bed and climbed onto it.

Looking cautiously out of the window, she measured the distance of the fall. Suddenly, fear gripped her chest and she realized that though her room was on the first floor, it was still a long way down. She sat down, unsure about her earlier plans.

Taking a deep breath, she felt a sudden burst of courage sweep through her and she made up her mind. Standing on the stool again, she swung her leg up onto the ledge and pulled the rest of her body up. Closing her eyes, she tried to lower herself from the ledge onto the ground. As she dropped onto the ground, she landed on her butt with a solid thump that left her gasping in pain.

As she slowly picked herself up, she realized that she had succeeded in the first part of her plan. The next one would involve looking for her parents. Though she didn't know who they were, she was sure that if she just started walking, luck would lead her to them.

Running away from the dark grey hulking building which had been her home for 8 years, she felt a sense of adventure pervade her soul and a feeling of hope filled her as she left the building behind.

Distracted by her own thoughts, she accidentally ran into a warm solid body as she turned a street corner.

"Oops. Sorry...I..." Looking up into the face the human pillar, she caught a glimpse of gleaming white teeth before losing consciousness from the sudden blow to her head.

Dana was awoken by the sounds of footsteps. Opening one eye slowly, she winced as a pain throbbed at the back of her head. She slowly opened her other eye and tried to take in her present situation. Looking around, she saw that she was in a windowless room lit by one bare overhead light bulb overhead, shining over many other children of various ages and races. However, she noticed one similarity among them all, was their expression of fear.

She turned and saw a boy next to her, sitting still in his space, with a blank look on his face.

"Hey, where are we?" She whispered to the boy next to her. He stared straight ahead, not hearing what she said. She repeated her question louder into his ear but before she could look for any reaction from him, she heard a door lock being opened and when she looked in the direction of the sound, a door was being opened.

The reactions were instantaneous. Some of the children started crowding around the entrance and clustered around a trio of men. One of the men was holding a metal tray. The second man was pushing a trolley into the room and the third stood at the entrance, watching the scene with a slight trace of disgust. A few of the other children still sitting around were starting to cry softly. The rest were sitting with blank looks on their faces.

To her horror the man who pushed the trolley into the room, took something up from the trolley top and walked towards her. As he held up the object, the light from the bare bulb fell onto the planes of his face and showed him holding a syringe in his hand. Fear bubbled up in her chest as she saw the light reflecting off the needle. She quickly curled herself up, trying to flatten herself into the wall. As he came nearer, she felt a sense of panic, and anger well up in her. With a fierce lunge, she sprung up and pounced onto the advancing man. He fell back with the momentum of her attack and gave a shout of surprise.

"Fuck!! A stupid kid just attacked Mike!" The first man threw down his tray and tried to make a grab for Dana as she hurtled towards the doorway. However, the cluster of children surrounding him bent down and started fighting amongst themselves for the syringes which had fallen onto the floor, trapping him. The third man quickly flung his arms open to catch Dana but out of desperation and with strength born from fear, she grabbed one of his hands and bit down hard on it.

Unable to do anything else, he threw his head back and gave a loud bellow of pain. Dana immediately let go and ran past the man who was doubled up, cradling his bleeding hand against his chest.

"Grab that bitch!!!" She turned around and saw the man called Mike running towards her. She looked at her surroundings, trying to find a means of escape. She whipped her head to the left and saw a half open door at the end of the corridor. Taking off before anyone could catch her, she ran towards the door and pushed it open. Looking around, she found herself in the middle of an open space. The sound of crashing waves and the salty smell of the breeze that was whipping her raven hair across her face gave her an indication that she was near the sea. She ran blindly across the dark open space but stopped short, blinded momentarily by bright lights suddenly shining into her face.

The thought running through her mind was that help had come, and with that thought, she ran towards the light. The sound of car doors opening and slamming shut echoed across the clearing.

"Hello. What's a young girl like you doing out here?" A deep, slightly accented voice rumbled out. She squinted into the light, trying to find the source of the voice. Running footsteps came from behind her, turning around, she saw the three men running up. Upon seeing the car, they stopped short, looks of uncertainty crossed their faces as they stood behind her. She looked back to her saviour and found that she could see him more clearly as he had stepped into the pool of the headlights. She saw for the first time in her whole life an Asian man with his black hair neatly slicked back looking kindly at her.

Walking towards her, he ignored her three pursuers, whom were looking more uncomfortable with each passing moment. He stood in front of her and raised his hand, putting it around her throat.

"You should be inside with the rest." The grip on her throat tightened. She started choking, trying to claw at his hand but found that her strength was weakening. Kicking weakly against her attacker, she slowly lost consciousness.

28th Feb 1984 ( Next day)

Dana woke up. Her throat was hurting and the back of her head was still throbbing. However, what woke her up was the softness of the ground that she was lying on. Opening her eyes, she looked around and was speechless.

Wow....She sat up and flexed her fists, surprised that she was lying on a soft mattress, covered with an equally soft velvet blanket. She looked out of the window, which was framed with dark red drapes. With the sunlight streaming into the room, she saw in its rich splendour. Walls were covered with ancient paintings and velvet tapestries.

This is great....where am I?? Before she could get out of bed, she heard a tap on her door. Pulling the sheets up, she huddled down in fear and confusion.

The door opened and a man walked in. Dana stared at him for a while and images from last night came flooding back. She panicked and clutched the sheets tighter to her chin. The Asian man looked on with a mixture of amusement and aloofness before gentling his expression.

"Good morning. I see you must be feeling better this morning." He walked over to her bedside and peered down at her. Not waiting for her reaction, he put his hand gently under her chin and tilted her face to one side to let the sunlight shine into her eyes.

"You know, you will grow up to be beautiful. You'll be perfect." Smiling briefly, he took a step back and proceeded to clap his hands. A man appeared behind him, standing expectantly, giving Dana a brief glance and placed a neatly folded pile of clothes at the foot of the bed.

She sat there with mixed feelings. Making up her mind, she turned to the Asian man and said," Where am I? Can you just let me go? You scare me."

" Little one, don't worry too much. In this place, you do what you're told and you'll live." With that, he stood and walked out with the other man following behind him.

Before leaving the room, he turned and said," Dress up and when you are ready, this man will bring you to the dining hall for breakfast. Remember to eat, you'll need the strength." Closing the door, he left Dana alone in the empty room.

She was surrounded by five other children and realized that she was the only girl among them. Squirming in her seat, she ate in silence. The other children all did the same, eating their food in silence, trying not to look at each other.

" I heard that you have taken in another child."

"Yes. I have. I find her different from the rest."

" A girl." Silence.

"She is beautiful for a girl her age. This.....gift... will be useful and she may succeed where others have failed."

" Why her?"

" She possesses strength, courage and has a strong will."

" I don't want trouble. Kill the rest when you have found the chosen and if you have to, kill the girl if she doesn't perform."

"Yes, boss.......The recent batch of goods in the warehouse will be shipped out tonight to the Middle East. The transaction was smooth."

"Good. Continue with the training."

" Yes."

16 June 1986

Dana got up and looked out at the dark sky before looking at the clock next to her bed. 5am.

He's expecting us down at the training ground at 7am. Donning the usual attire of a dark green T-shirt over her sports bra, she tucked the shirt ends into her track pants before leaving the room and walking to the dining hall.

The rest were already seated in the hall. A bell softly went off and they all started eating. Over the four years they all had spent training, they have never really talked to each other except when necessary. Until now, the only thing they knew about each other was their names.

Dana ate her food quietly and thought about how important this day was to all of them. All the training and continuous exercise and torture was meant for this day. After today, no one would know what would happen, unlike each day in the past few years. The usual schedule of waking up, running, martial arts training, eating lunch, weapons training, computer programming, dinner, and 3 hours of free time before lights out would be over.

She finished her meal and was among the first few to leave the room to go to the training field and await the appearance of the Asian man, whom was addressed as Shi Fu by everyone.

Sitting cross-legged on the straw mat laid out in the martial arts arena, she looked at the others wondering who would Shi Fu chose.

6.30am, everyone was seated in the arena. If anyone was feeling nervous, no one showed it. It was time. Shi Fu walked to the middle of the arena and sat down. The rising sun made his strands of white hair shine like silver. His face set in an expressionless mask, he looked at each of them, letting his gaze linger on each person for a while before moving on to the next. Some of them showed slight signs of discomfort. The rest averted his gaze or focused their gaze elsewhere.

As his gaze fell upon Dana, she felt a feeling of fear and uncertainty rise up in her. Looking into his eyes, she suddenly remembered what she was told during one of their martial arts training sessions. Never show fear to your enemy. Stand your ground. You must be ruthless and emotionless.

Dana's blue eyes focused into Shi Fu's black eyes and she clenched her jaw, putting all the anger welling up from her hidden source into the unflinching gaze, causing her eyes to turn to a shade of ice blue. They stared at into each other's eyes for a while before he gave an imperceptible nod and stood up to walk away, leaving everyone puzzled.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she closed her eyes briefly to control her floundering emotions and stood to walk away, knowing that that was all for today, leaving the other five sitting there.

A man stood in one of the rooms in the huge gloomy mansion, watching the whole scene before letting the curtains drop into place.

Dana laid in bed, letting her blue eyes follow the intricate designs and patterns on the ceiling. Her mind was an empty space. Confused about what had happened in the morning. The intensity of her anger had left her feeling scared when the encounter was over. She had felt so empty and lonely after her anger dissipated.

She shifted her head to look out her window. As she saw the stars twinkling in the clear night sky, she suddenly wished that she had someone to share her feelings and thoughts with.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out in the night. Dana bolted out of bed. Gawd!! What the hell was that??!! She carefully crept to her door and opened it a crack to see Shi Fu standing in front of her door.

Before, she could react, he said to her," Tomorrow training starts at 7am. Meet me in dining hall at 6.30am." With that, he turned and walked away.

She crept back to bed and lay down. A tear made its way down her cheek.

26th Feb 1990

"How is she progressing?"

"Perfectly."

"When will she be ready."

"She's already well prepared."

"Has she taken anyone?"

"No..I.."

"Tomorrow, we have to meet Alfonso's men. They are handing the spy over to us. Bring her along. You know what to do."

"This isn't.."

"You know what to do."

"...Yes..I do"

Her raven hair was tied back neatly. She glanced at her watch and realized that it was almost 11pm. She gazed at the silently waiting men around her and felt herself tense up in preparation for any action. She heard the sound of car wheels crunching on the tarmac from across the large empty courtyard. A car came into view. The overhead lamps reflecting off of the tinted windows. She squinted as the headlights shone into her eyes.

The men around her started to move forward and she followed them, pulling her coat lapels together to ward off the cold that was seeping into her body. As the car drew abreast the circle of men, Shi Fu stepped forward to stand near the car's side door.

He spared a glance at her before looking at the men who had just stepped from the car. They walked to the car's trunk and opened it. Hauling a large sack, which clung to the outlines of a limp body struggling weakly, they went over to Shi Fu who jerked his head in Dana's direction.

Surprised, she looked at Shi Fu who gave her a smile and nod. She stepped back as the men unceremoniously dumped the sack in front of her and then turned to leave. They got back into the car and it slowly backed out and moved off to be swallowed by the dark night.

Dana looked at the moving sack in front of her with confusion and a hint of fear. Shi Fu walked up to her and bent down to pull open the sack and reveal its contents. A man with blonde hair and brown eyes looked up at her. His previously impeccable, well tailored suit was crumpled and stained with dried blood. His eyes widened when he took in his surroundings. He raised his tightly bound hands, tied with thick blood encrusted hemp ropes, to grasp her coat. As his eyes fell onto Shi Fu's face, they started tearing, and he turned back to Dana and started shaking his head, trying to speak through his mouth gag.

Ignoring the pleading man, Shi Fu took a gun out and placed it into Dana's hands. He whispered into her ear, "Happy birthday, he is your first kill."

Whipping her head towards Shi Fu in shock and horror, her eyes widened at the implication of his words and what he wanted her to do. She looked to her mentor and found a cold look in his eyes.

"I...I can't do this." She gave a terrified whisper.

" You must, Dana. Remember what I told you. To survive in this world, in our world, you have to rid of yourself of all vulnerabilities. No emotions. No questions asked. No disobedience." He stepped back and waited for her to act.

She stood quietly. The kneeling man started tugging at her coat after hearing the exchange. His gaze was pleading with her. He shook his head furiously at her. His verbal pleas muffled against the gag. As he pulled

her coat, the ropes around his wrists made fresh abrasions into his raw and tender exposed flesh, causing blood trickle down his arms, soaking his shirt sleeves.

A voice hissed into her ear," Dana, you have been trained. You are the best and you have to put your skills to use."

She clutched the gun spasmodically and stood still, digesting what Shi Fu just said. She suddenly realized that today was the exact day six years ago she ran away from the orphanage in hopes of finding a better life for herself. She felt for a brief moment the hope and innocence she had back then. With a moment of crystal clarity, she knew that had lost them the moment she entered into Shi Fu's mansion. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she had lost the inner fight she had been unconsciously fighting all along.

Shi Fu witnessed the inner turmoil in Dana and knew he had finally won when he saw the slump of her shoulders. He put his hand around her wrist and placed the gun between the eyes of the kneeling man.

Like a drowning man clasping onto straws, the kneeling man pulled harder at Dana's coat with tears streaming down his face, he started screaming through the gag. Dana looked into his eyes and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot rang out into the night with the stars twinkling above in the beautiful night sky.

15 September 1999

A shadow was making its way across the grassy lawn to finally halt against the wall of the 2 storey house. Stopping briefly to look up, the assassin crouched down low and then sprung up with arms stretched up. Latching hands on the edge of the second floor balcony and swung up to land in the balcony. Testing the opening of the balcony window, it swung open with a soft hiss to the person's relief. Slipping through the opening, the assassin stepped into the guest room.

The assassin stood still and recalled the house blueprints and knew that the target would be in the next room. Gliding across the floor to, the shadow opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. Turning to the right, there was the main bedroom door. Creeping up, the silent intruder was flattened against the door and before opening the door, sneaked a peek to the space between the door to see the room lights were off.

Twisting the doorknob slowly, a soft click of the door lock mechanism opening could be heard. Standing still, the person noticed that the sound had gone unnoticed by the room's sleeping occupant. The intruder crept into the room, turning around to ensure that there was no one else in the room. Upon reaching the bed, the target was spotted sleeping soundly.

A pillow was seen lying on the floor. The assassin picked it up and squeezed it experimentally. Satisfied, the person held it in one hand while unholstering a gun and then stood still for a few heart beats, looking down at the sleeping man and proceeded to place the pillow over the man's face. The gun nuzzle was pressed into the pillow, aimed at the victim's head.

Squeezing the trigger, a muffled shot was heard, followed by the sudden jerk of the previously still body. As the smell of gunpowder momentarily filled the air, a pool of blood was spreading out in the bed sheets, soaking up blankets.

The assassin placed the gun back in the holster and bent down to free a hunting blade from its sheath, which was strapped against one thigh. Wrapping gloved hands around the dead man's right wrist, the killer placed the fingers on the edge of the bed and proceeded to saw the first finger away from the hand. Before it could drop onto the floor, a bottle appeared and the finger fell into the open plastic bottle. With that done, the assassin left the house.

Running across the lawn, the silent intruder went to the bike parked on the tarmac road. Straddling the bike, the person fitted a helmet over the masked face and hesitated for a while, flicking blue eyes briefly over to give the house one last look before moving off.

Muffled footsteps were heard in the corridor of the mansion. The assassin walked down the long corridor to stop at the door at the end of it. Rapping on the door, she stepped back as it swung open to reveal an Asian man in his mid forties sitting in a plush leather chair behind a huge mahogany desk. He looked up as the door opened.

As the tall assassin walked into the room, the Asian man flicked his hand to dismiss the other person in the room who had opened the door. As the door clicked close, the standing figure reached up and pulled the woolen ski mask off to release dark locks of long hair. Deep blue eyes had turned violet in the dimly lit room.

"Do you have it?" Shi Fu sat back in his chair and waited expectantly.

Dana reached into her jacket and pulled a plastic bottle out from one of its compartments. Stepping forward, she bent down to place it on the desk. The severed finger sat in the plastic bottle in all its bloody glory.

Nodding, he directed a grim smile towards her. She turned and left.

"Did she do it?"

"Yes."

"Good, send it over to me. There will be more jobs for her in future."

Putting down the phone, Shi Fu stared at the lone finger in its bloody home in silence.

The cool wind whipped her loose locks over her face. Reaching up, she brushed them away and tucked them behind her ear absently. Walking aimlessly along the streets, couples walked past her, some holding hands, some were huddles together and a few were stealing shy kisses from each other.

Dana looked at them without emotion and continued walking. She knew that some of the men walking along the streets were staring at her. Some with admiration and some with blatant lust etched on their faces. She ignored them and continued walking.

She knew that she was beautiful but had learnt that though others may view it to be a gift, she chose to see it as a weapon and a curse. Her physical looks were used as a weapon by the people who owned her and she always had to suffer the consequences, whereas they just sat back and became spectators to her pain. She had learned a long time ago that her mentor seemed to enjoy tormenting her mentally, so she also learned to hide everything from him. Her feelings, vulnerabilities, the pain and most of all, the guilt. He always relished the moment she finally gave in to his lies and promises of the freedom from her nightmares and did whatever he wanted. Always obeying his instructions, killing anyone that stood in the way of the Boss's ascension to being the head of the criminal underworld.

Caught in her own thoughts, she had unknowingly walked into a bar. As she blinked her eyes rapidly, she got used to the darkness and slowly became aware of her surroundings. Unsure of what to do, she finally decided to find a seat and get herself a few drinks before making her way back to her sleeping quarters.

She went to the furthest corner of the room, which was also the darkest part of the bar and sat down. Settling herself, she scanned her surroundings, taking note of every patron in the bar and saw the name of the bar on top of the bar counter. The words " The Waiting Tavern" were stenciled over the bar.

A waitress came over to her corner and Dana ordered a Glenlivet. As the waitress walked away with her order, she gave Dana a lingering look, which the seated woman chose to ignore.

Nursing her drink, she stared into the flame of the lit candle on her table. She closed her eyes briefly as the vision of the twisted and dismembered limbs flashed past her eyes in different sequences, but in the end, all her memories would end with the memory of the first man she had killed nine years ago. The sight of his wide-open, pleading brown eyes haunted her. The smell of his fear and the tangy scent of his blood flowing freely from his wrists would surround her and choking her with its thick cloying stench.

Come into these arms again and lay your body down

the rhythm of this trembling heart is beating like a drum

it beats for you, it bleeds for you

it knows not how it sounds

for it is the drum of drums, it is the song of songs

Dana looked up in surprise and saw that near to her was a stage, and in the middle of the lighted stage, a blonde woman was seated. She was softly strumming the accompanying melody on her guitar and singing along. Her eyes were closed as she continued singing......

once I had the rarest rose that ever deigned to bloom

cruel winter chilled the fire and stole my flow'r too soon

the loneliness of hopelessness

to search the ends of time

for there is in all the world no greater love than mine

Her voice trembled slightly with emotion. Dana listened, enthralled, mesmerized by the heart wrenching pain put into each word. The woman's voice was bleeding with pain, dripping with sadness. Looking around at the half lit room, she noticed that the other patrons had all stopped talking and they were sitting quietly at their tables, their eyes fixated on the lone singer up on stage.

let me be the only one to keep you from the cold

now the floor of Heaven's paved with stars of brightest gold

they shine for you, they shine for you

they burn for all to see

come into these arms again and set this spirit free

As the last note faded out, silence reigned. The singer opened her eyes and looked into the crowd. Her sea green eyes met Dana's blue gaze. A connection was made as they looked into each other's eyes. The resounding cheers and loud whistles of appreciation were lost in the wave of raw emotion passing between the two women.

The connection was broken when Dana got up and ran out of the bar.

Carlson looked down grimly at the body. The room was filled with people. Some were dressed in the telltale dark blue of the police uniform, others, like Carlson were dressed in suits. He used his gloved hands to nudge the hand into a better angle for his viewing. Running his fingertip over the stump of the missing finger, he felt a wave of rage wash over him.

He walked out of the room to enter the guestroom in search of the person who had called the police in the first place. The half-hysterical Chinese woman was given some mild sedatives by the medics to calm her down for police questioning. He sat next to her and stripped his gloves off.

Before he could ask her anything, his partner, Arnez, signaled him over to the room's balcony. Giving a sigh of irritation, he strode over to join his squatting partner to look at the balcony's railings.

"Look, at this portion of the railing. There is some soil scraped off the edge." Arnez took a small pair of tweezers out and carefully pointed out the small clump of soil resting on the railing's edge.

Frowning, Carlson leaned forward for a better look and then abruptly stood up to look at the ground below. Sweeping his dark brown eyes across the large grassy lawn, his gaze came to a stop beyond the line of trees covering the view of the road from the house.

He looked at his partner and motioned in the direction of the line of trees. Arnez nodded and both of them quickly strode out of the house and ran across the field. Breathing slightly heavily, they both stopped when they run out from the covering of the trees onto the main road.

Carlson stood still and looked down at the road carefully for any clues. Both men walked slowly along the road, constantly looking at the dry soil along the road's edges.

"Found it!" Carlson shouted to his partner. Both men squatted down and looked at the light tire tracks, which obviously belonged to a motor bike. Giving a look of satisfaction to Arnez, Carlson stood up and ran his fingers through his light blonde hair and looked down the long stretch of road, lost in his own thoughts.

"That bastard is getting on my nerves. He thinks that he can tempt my clients away from me. He's gonna fucking regret it. Kill him. Kill that fucker and I want to have a part of him."

"Yes boss."

Shi Fu put down the phone and leaned back into his armchair. He stared at the phone for a while and picked it up to dial her number.

"Yeah...baby...yeah....fuck." The man groaned in ecstasy as the woman moved above him.

His eyes clenched close in pleasure. He held onto the woman's hips, moving her to the rhythm of his thrusts.

She leaned forward and lowered her lips onto his lips. She reached up and thrust her hands under the pillows, pushing her body down onto his, pressing her breasts into his chest.

Suddenly, he pushed her up and grabbed her hips, thrusting harder into her. He flung his head back with a grimace of pleasure etched across his face. As he climaxed, a knife was plunged into his heart.

Eyes fluttered open for a brief second as his body collapsed lifelessly onto the bed under the woman. Blood welled up from around the knife wound and flowed down his sides to soak into the crumpled and damp bedsheets. The woman waited for awhile, looking down at the still body beneath her. She withdrew the knife from his chest and proceeded to cut his finger off.

Dana lifted herself off him, went to the heap of clothes lying on the floor and picked up his discarded shirt to wrap the finger up with and walked into the adjoining toilet. She washed her hands in the basin and watched the blood tainted water fill the basin. Looking up, she saw her face smeared with make up. The eye-shadow was slightly running around her eyes and her lipstick was smeared around her lips. The blue eyes showed no emotion as Dana saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked away after awhile and stepped into the shower.

Turning the hot water on, the scalding heat made her tanned skin turn to a slightly ruddy red. She used the soap to lather her body, scrubbing hard at her skin. She lost herself in the motion of scrubbing her body so much that she only came out from the stupor when she felt a stinging pain coming from her shoulder. Her blue eyes flicked briefly to the water dripping down her body and realized that there were light trails of blood coming from her shoulder. She got out of the shower and wiped herself dry. As she was drying herself she realized that she had scrubbed her shoulder raw and blood was welling out from the abrasions.

She walked out of the bathroom naked and went to the pile of clothes to find the skirt that she had been wearing for the evening. Checking that she had not left any traces of her presence in the room, she took a small rectangular object from her evening purse and walked to the bed to place it in the gap between the floor and the bed.

Without a backward glance, she left the room.

After the limousine had driven off, a loud blast rocked the building. Flames were seen belching out from the windows of the uppermost levels, littering bits of rubble and glass onto the sidewalk below.

Dana walked into "The Waiting Tavern" to find it almost empty. The female singer who had performed the last time Dana had been there was packing up her guitar. Walking to the darkest corner of the counter bar, Dana sat down. She beckoned to the bartender, ordered a Glenlivet and started playing with her napkin, trying to figure why she was drawn to this place once again.

"Hi." A gentle feminine voice directed this greeting to her.

She looked up startled and found herself staring into the sea green eyes of the lounge singer. Suddenly tongue-tied, Dana mumbled a greeting back before turning her attention back to the bartender who placed her drink in front of her.

"Hmm..not much of a talker are you? You are new here aren't you?" The singer teased Dana as the bar tender placed another Glenlivet in front of her, giving her a wink before walking away.

"Yeah." Dana mumbled back, her mind fighting an internal battle with the emotions that had suddenly sprung up inside her.

"Okayyyy...this conversation is really one-sided. Hm..well for starters, why don't you tell me your name and I'll tell you mine. My name is Kym." Kym stuck her hand into Dana's line of vision.

"Dana." Dana mumbled back and awkwardly reached out to shake Kym's hand.

As their hands touched, they looked into each other's eyes. Silence descended upon the two women as they sat there holding each other's hands. The background melted into darkness. Blue and green eyes met and both women felt a surge of hot crackling energy pass between both of them. After a while Dana quickly withdrew her hand and averted her eyes to rest them on the drink in front of her.

Wowww...that was so damn intense!! Kym twisted her body to face front and inhaled deeply as she had forgotten how to breathe during the brief intense moment. As she sat in silence, she noticed that Dana had downed her drink and was fidgeting in her seat, getting ready to leave. Kym felt a sudden wave of uncharacteristic panic welling up.

"You just got here and you are leaving so soon." She blurted out nervously.

"It's late. I needed a drink." Dana said, taking out a dollar note from her evening purse to place it next to the empty glass.

"Hey, at least stay for a while more. You've just spoken more than one syllabus to me. We've just gotten started. Will you stay for a while more?" Kym tried to sound calm as she asked Dana to stay.

Dana stood there, deciding whether it would be wise for her to stay longer. As she looked down, a slight twinge of pain in her shoulder reminded her of who she was.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "No. I can't." And turned to walk out.

Kym looked at her retreating back. She watched Dana walk out and turned back to her drink. As she stared into the polished bar counter top, she could remember all the pain and vulnerability she saw in Dana's eyes when she had looked into the other woman's eyes.

"Why are you in so much pain?" She whispered to herself before lifting her drink to her lips.

Kym took off her coat and went over to the answering machine. Nine messages?! She blinked in slight shock. She pressed a button on the answering machine and went into her room.

" Kimberly, this is your sister here. Mother and father are worried about you. You haven't called back home for almost a week. Please call us immediately after you hear this message. "

Beep!

" This is your sister again. I'm not sure if you have heard the first message I have left for you. I'm leaving another message to you to call us back. Mother has been wondering if you come back home for a visit."

Beep!

" Kimberly dear, this is your mother here. Oh dear, it is so strange talking to the silence. All these new fangled machines·..Kimberly, your father and I have been wondering if you would like to come back home for a visit. Your sister has met a suitor and he's a very nice boy. We were wondering if you would be able to find a nice boy if you came back. It's about time you found someone. After all, you are not getting any younger. "

Beep!

" Kimberly, this is your mother again. Your father and I have been talking about you. We have found a very nice boy for you here back home. He is the local pastor's youngest son. A lovely catch for a husband. You should come back home and we could arrange a meeting for you two youngsters."

Beep!

" This is your father here. Your mother is right. You should settle down soon. You need a man to look after you and that boy is just the right person to do it. Come home and we'll arrange something for you."

Beep!

" Kimberly, this is you·" Kym ran out and deleted the messages. Her fists were clenched with frustration. She sat down heavily on the floor, drew her knees up and tears slowly ran down her cheeks. Why can't they just leave me alone?!! Why must they keep planning my life for me??!!

The burning stench almost made Arnez choke as he used the tip of his pen to shift the debris away from the charred remains of a body. Camera lights filled the room occasionally as police men clicked away at different parts of the room, taking pictures from different angles. He looked at Carlson to see his partner's jaw tightly clenched as the body's burnt right hand came into view.

"Son of a bitch." Carlson cursed softly. The ninth killing where the victim was killed and the person's finger was missing. He stood up abruptly, Arnez following behind him to walk out of the room to take the lift down to the hotel lobby.

Carlson felt a strong wave of hatred wash over him as he stared at the closed lift doors. Disgust filled him as he imagined himself to be standing at the same spot where the killer had stood in the lift. He punched the lift buttons savagely as the doors opened, giving Arnez a shock at the sudden outburst.

He strode out and looked at the lobby. Policemen were seen questioning various people in the hotel lobby. He went to over to a slightly plump policeman standing in one corner watching the entire lobby.

"What the fuck are doing? Do something useful! I don't want to see you standing here like a useless piece of fermenting shit." Carlson snarled in anger at the now uncomfortable policeman.

Arnez gaped in shock at his partner's outburst and laid a restraining hand on Carlson's shoulder, "Hey man, cool down. Cut the guy some slack, it's almost 5 in the morning. Everyone is tired."

Carlson turned and hissed into Arnez's face, "There is a goddamn murderer on the loose and you want me to cut this useless asshole some slack? That fucking psycho maybe out there right now, adding another finger to his growing collection. What do you think this is? Some sort of game."

Turning back to the now red-faced policeman, he grabbed him by the collar and spat into his face, "Show me what you have done so far, fat boy."

"I...I..I've questioned a witness..He..he saw something.....he's over there." Raising a finger, he pointed to a old man dressed in ragged clothes, slumped in a lobby chair.

Carlson spun on his heel, leaving the poor policeman to blubber on in fear and walked up to the dozing man. As he approached the sleeping form, a stench filled his senses. He wrinkled his nose with distaste but pressed on until he was standing in front of the man.

"Hey, wake up!" He used his foot to nudge the sleeping form. No response came from the street tramp. Irritated, Carlson flung his foot out and hit the man's shin. A yelp of pain came from the now awake man.

"Jez....what the fuck..." He cursed and rubbed his shin in indignity.

"Someone told me you saw something which may be of help to us." Carlson said smoothly, looking down at the man with an impatient look.

"What??..Eh...this is no way to wake me up..show me some respect." He muttered in anger.

Carlson bent down and stared into the man's eyes. Silence reigned, broken only by the sounds of people walking in and out of the hotel lobby. The two men looked at each other. One in defiance and the other was enshrouded in a crackling air of tension.

Arnez and the previous victim of Carlson's were looking on in nervousness, afraid that a fight would break out. Five minutes later, the now sullen street tramp looked down in reluctant defeat.

"I saw a limo...a black one..didn't see the plate coz it was too dark." He muttered out sulkily.

Carlson's brown eyes shined with triumph and a hint of glee. "Okay, there is something else your not really telling me." He stood up and waited.

"Saw someone gettin' in the car. It drove off. I went back to sleep. Next thing I remember was a loud sound. That's all." He squinted his eyes in the attempt to remember.

"Was it a woman or a guy getting in the car?" Carlson prompted the now silent man.

"It was a woman."

"Are you nuts!!?? You've been pushing all the men to work till the same ungodly hours as you just because of a stupid drunkard's statement." Arnez argued with his partner who was feverishly flipping the pages of a thick phonebook.

"Look, a murderer is running loose in my town. I don't care how reliable a lead is, as long as we have one. If you are not working with me on this one, get out of my way." Carlson told his partner in irritation.

"I know what you mean. But we can't just focus on such a lead provided by an unreliable witness. We can use other methods. We have other important things to do. We have to look for potential victims next." Arnez argued but his words fell on deaf ears.

Carlson ignored him and suddenly tore out a few pages from the phonebook. He thrusted a few pages into his partner's hands, "Call each limo company and find out which company has rented out limos to anybody for the last few nights. Collect the info on all the clients who have and hand the information to me by 4 in the afternoon."

Arnez stood in front of Carlson, his mouth gaping open in shock. Carlson brushed his partner aside and picked up the desk phone to make the calls.

Dana stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her. As she stepped out of her block, the cool night air came into with her skin. She turned her coat collar up and put her hands in her coat pockets. Her footsteps made a steady rhythm as she walked.

She walked about aimlessly. God....where the hell am I going? What the hell am I doing? She looked about and found to her surprise that she was standing in front of the entrance of "The Waiting Tavern". She stood still for a while, staring at the lighted sign flashing above the entrance to the bar.

She shuffled uncomfortably on her feet, indecisive and after a while, she walked up to the entrance and stepped in.

I stand alone in the darkness

The winter of my life came so fast

Memories go back to childhood

To days I still recall

O how happy I was then

There was no sorrow there was no pain

Walking through the green fields

Sunshine in my eyes

Stood there in the darkness, her piercing blue eyes focused on the blonde-haired singer on stage. Their eyes met and Kym's eyes held the gaze with Dana's eyes as she continued singing.

I'm still there everywhere

I'm the dust in the wind

I'm the star in the northern sky

I never stayed anywhere

I'm the wind in the trees

Would you wait for me forever

Would you wait for me forever

Will you wait for me forever.

Kym closed her eyes briefly to gain her composure and opened them again to see the naked vulnerability in Dana's eyes. Both flinched at the raw emotions pouring through the connection. Dana gave a small nod to Kym before she made her way to the bar counter. As she seated herself, the bar tender placed a Glenlivet in front of her and gave her a small grin before leaving her to attend to the other patrons.

"Coming here for another drink huh?" A teasing voice was heard behind her.

Dana turned her head briefly to acknowledge Kym's presence. She mumbled, "Yeah."

"You're really stingy with your words aren't you?" Kym seated herself next to Dana and gave a smile to the bar tender who placed a drink in front of her.

"Maybe." Dana replied, raising the glass to her lips. Her mouth quirked to one side briefly when she noticed Kym's exasperation.

"Okay, let's try to get things going. Erm...ok..I know your name and you know mine. Let's talk about erm...er...ourselves. How about that?" Kym offered.

Dana stiffened, unsure about how to avoid the subject. She said curtly, "No."

Kym turned her head, looking at Dana in surprise. She saw the tightly set jaw on the other woman and kept quiet. Ok Kym, she doesn't want to talk about herself. What are you gonna do next?

How about skipping the preliminaries and just tell her to go home with you. A little voice shouted in her head.

"Shut up!" Kym hissed at herself, blushing furiously.

"If you're mad at me, sorry. I have to go." Dana got up upon hearing what Kym said.

"No no. I mean, I was just talking to myself....I mean..erm...okok..we won't talk abut you. Hey, I won't bite, just sit down okay?" Kym said desperately to cover up the slip.

Dana looked back at her and arched her eyebrow. She hesitated awhile but when she looked into Kym's slightly pleading green eyes, her body automatically went back to her original place and she seated herself back down.

Both women sat down in uncomfortable silence for while. Kym was thinking desperately of topics to talk about so that Dana could stay longer. Dana was feeling confused at her body's reaction to Kym.

Kym suddenly decided to throw caution to the wind and just start talking about anything that comes into mind. "Hey, you know something funny happened to me this afternoon when I was making my way down here....."

Carlson looked through the lists of limousine companies that his men had just contacted. Scanning through the pages, he frowned unconsciously as his vision blurred from exhaustion. Leaning back, he closed his eyes for a rest.

"Carlson!" A voice barked out.

He fluttered his eyes open in surprise and saw his superior standing in front of him. Oh fuck. His mind subconsciously swore as he saw the anger in his superior's eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?! The men look like shit outside." Franklin went up to Carlson and stood in front of him with his arms akimbo.

"Franklin, we just found a lead and we're working on it." Carlson replied back in a weary voice.

"Like fuck! Following a lead supplied through a goddamn half stoned street beggar. You are nuts to listen to him!" Shaking his head, he walked over to Carlson's side and bent down.

"You are getting too involved with this case. I don't like it. This is not like you. Your emotions are blinding you." Franklin softened his voice as he saw the exhaustion etched across Carlson's features.

"NO! No way like hell am I too involved. There is a killer on the loose!" Carlson shot back at his superior.

"Fuck my ass!! You aren't getting too involved?? Carlson, while you were wasting time and resources getting useless information from limousine companies, Arnez ran a check on all the murders and found a common link." Franklin shot back with a smirk.

"What??!!" He sat back, silenced by anger.

Franklin threw a file in front of Carlson and said," He found out from the FBI files that most of the victims used to have dealings with a child prostitution syndicate. They were clients of this syndicate, which is controlled by an unknown person whom usually goes by the name 'Boss'. Seems like since another syndicate tried to inch in on the market, the 'Boss" has been losing out his major clients to them. You want to know more? I suggest you get your focus back." Without another word, he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Carlson sat in his chair, staring at the file with his fists tightly clenched together.

"...and it was an accident, I was trying to read the book using a lighter I had taken from my dad." Kym stopped short and turned to Dana, worried that the other woman would be bored.

Kym blinked as she was momentarily dazzled by the brilliance of the unexpected smile from Dana. Wow...she's beautiful. The thought floated into her head as she felt moved by the sincerity in the smile from the other woman.

"You do have a penchant for getting yourself into trouble." Dana remarked when she realised that Kym had stopped. While the blonde-haired singer was talking, she had the chance of examining the features of Kym. As she listened to the childhood adventures of the other woman, she had felt a certain sense of peace settling upon her. She was comforted by the smooth tones as Kym talked and gestured everytime there was a point to be made. Dana had offered soft grunts of agreement in the meantime to let Kym know that she was listening.

"Yeah. That's what everyone says about me. They used to say that things only happen around me and I'm a magnet for trouble." She gave a laugh as past memories caught up with her.

Wow...she's beautiful. Dana whispered in her head upon seeing the other woman's joyous expression.

"How about you? Hey, I shared some of my most embarrassing moments with you. Live a little, be daring and spill the beans." Kym gave a light laugh and reached over to touch Dana's wrist.

Dana jerked at the touch, wanting to pull her hand away but as she gazed into Kym's sea-green eyes, she was lost and left her wrist where it was. Looking down at the table, she mumbled, "I grew up in an orphanage. I can't really remember anything interesting."

Kym kept quiet for a while before squeezing Dana's wrist gently. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." She felt a wave of sympathy wash over her and she reached over further to put her arm around Dana's shoulders.

Startled, Dana looked up and met Kym's eyes. Both women stopped breathing for a while as they realised that their faces were scant inches apart. Kym leaned forward slowly while Dana sat there, not moving. As their lips moved closer, Kym closed her eyes in anticipation. Dana kept still, trapped by her emotions. As their lips brushed together, a jolt of burning electricity went through both women.

Kym placed her hands around Dana's neck and pulled her closer. Dana felt the softness of Kym's lips on hers and could feel the kiss deepen as they drew closer together. Parting her lips, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Kym's slim waist.

By now, they were kissing passionately in the bar and were oblivious to the stares of the other patrons. As Kym's tongue tentatively entered Dana's open mouth, a soft moan was emitted from the back of her throat upon tasting the sweetness in the other woman's mouth.

Suddenly, both women were aware of the heat passing through them and the kiss was gently broken off. With foreheads touching, they looked into each other's eyes and both could see the smouldering passion burning within each other.

Kym lifted her hand to gently caress the other woman's cheek. "Come home with me." She whispered in a husky voice.

Dana closed her eyes briefly, relishing the gentle touch and the consequences of giving in to her feelings. In a voice thick with emotions, she could only choke out the words, "N...no...I..I can't."

Kym stiffened up, stunned by Dana's reply. As Dana brushed past her to stride out of the bar, she could only stare in shock at the empty space where Dana had sat a few seconds ago. Kym sat there, confused at first and after five minutes, a wave of anger washed over her. She felt humiliated and used. Standing up, she ran out of the bar to chase after Dana.

Running out into the quiet street, she saw Dana walking away with her shoulders slumped and her head down. As she approached the other woman, Dana stopped walking and stood still with her back facing Kym.

"Why? Why are you doing this all the time?" Kym said with jaw clenched in frustration.

Dana kept still. She was torn between telling Kym the truth or just lying about her life. A little voice suddenly whispered into her ear. You've been living a lie in front of everyone you have met. Tell her. Tell her the truth. She deserves to at least to know this much about you.

It's too fast, too soon and too dangerous. Dana reasoned within herself.

Kym could not wait anymore. Dana's silence was causing her to panic. She went up to the silently standing figure and planted herself in front of Dana to face her.

Dana's eyes were closed. Her whole face was a mask of calmness. The only thing which betrayed the inner turmoil going through her were her flaring nostrils and the clenching jaw.

Kym felt her anger dissolve upon seeing Dana's face. She gently reached up and cupped the other woman's cheek, using her thumb to caress the silent woman's cheekbone in soothing strokes.

Dana did not resist the gentle touch. In fact, it was like a soft comforting presence, which helped to soothe her inner demons. Standing there, both women were silent. Dana opened her eyes and Kym immediately fell into the twin pools of royal blue, which looked into her own eyes with such a painful plea for help and comfort.

Kym wrapped her arms around Dana's neck and pulled her close. As their bodies touched, the same bolt of electricty they had felt earlier returned, impossibly more intense. There would be no need for words, one soul aching to soothe another.

Dana placed her hands around Kym's waist and pulled her into her strong embrace. As she bent her head to burrow her face into Kym's soft blonde hair, a sense of peace settled over her and she felt safe and protected for the first time in her life. She had never felt so sure about anything before. I found it. This is what I've been looking for. A home. These thoughts flashed through her mind as she inhaled the clean scent of Kym's shampoo. The women drew apart after a while.

Dana took a deep breath before saying, "You can't be with me. You don't even know who I truly am. You are putting yourself at a risk." She did not dare to look Kym in the face after saying this, so she focused on the other woman's shoulder. "I...I know that everything is happening really fast. I know that I don't even know anything about you besides your name. There is one thing that I know though and that alone can over-ride everything else." Kym cupped her hand under Dana's chin and gently lifted the other woman's head up to meet her eyes. "What I know is that I fell in love with you when I first saw you enter the bar. I feel at ease when I am with you. You make me feel special and complete, which is a feeling that I've never experienced before. You make me feel protected and wanted." Dana's eyes widened upon hearing Kym's heartfelt confession. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and knew that this was the first fight that she had ever lost. She knew that Kym had won the first moment they looked into each other's eyes. With her mind made up, she drew Kym into an embrace again and whispered into the other woman's ear, "Stay with me tonight."

***************************************************************************

"This is crazy! What the hell can we do? How the fuck can we go around tailing potential victims" Arnez shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the long print out. "I'm not saying we go around tailing ALL of them. I know who the next target will be." Carlson said in a confident tone. "NO! This is a total waste of our time! We'll be using resources and manpower tailing a goddamn potential victim who may not even be targeted by the assassin in the first place." Arnez flung his hands out in frustration. "Arnez, I'm not asking you to do it......" Carlson leaned over to come face to face with his now silently seething partner. He stared into the other man's eyes and said steadily, " I'm telling you to do it."

Sitting next to the silent woman, she said gently, "If you think that this is a waste of time, you don't have to continue." "No..no..it's just that I don't know how to put this..I felt so..so empty."

Shaking her head, she gave a rueful laugh and turned her gaze into the twin pools of blue looking at her. "I felt that there was nothing there for me. It was so..so..boring. I wanted more out of life. I knew there were more things out there in the world just waiting to be explored. It was stifling, staying in that quiet, average working class neighbourhood. Anyone who stood out from the rest was deemed abnormal and people in the neighbourhood would start gossiping."

Kym gave a sigh.

"Abnormal? Like how?" Dana felt puzzled. "Girls should not be seen playing sports or wearing jeans because it's very unladylike. Boys and girls should not be seen going out alone together. Of course, I didn't have to worry about that. I found out that I was 'abnormal' in high school. I could go out with any girl and it'd be seen as acceptable. It's just two girls going out for some shopping or doing some girl thing." Kym shrugged and gave a bitter laugh. "I had to leave that place. I had to go away or I'd just die and wither away and no one would even notice." She clenched her fists. Closing her eyes, she bent her head down. Dana looked on and felt speechless. She did not know how to console Kym and decided to just do what her heart dictated to her. Reaching forward tentatively, she put her arms around Kym's shoulders and drew her close. She slowly stroked the tense woman's shoulders, and then let her hands caress the curve of Kym's lower back. Kym lifted her head up after a while and, without a word, she brought her lips close to Dana's. As their mouths met, both women knew that there would be no turning back at this point of time. As Dana's tongue ran across Kym's lips, her lips opened automatically. The dark-haired woman darted her tongue into Kym's welcoming mouth. Kym gasped as Dana slowly dipped her tongue in and slowly withdrew in a familiar teasing rhythm. The intensity of the kiss increased and Kym moaned as Dana's tongue entwined with hers. Dana slowly broke off the kiss and both women were breathing heavily as they looked into each other's eyes.

Hooking one arm under Kym's knees and the other around her waist, Dana lifted Kym up easily from the couch. Kym clasped her arms around Dana's neck and started a fresh assault on the other woman's lips. As Dana made her way to the bedroom, Kym's lips left Dana's and slowly made a trail down to her neck, soft nibbles leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. Dana reached the bedroom in time to put Kym down just as the other woman was starting to lick the hollow in her neck. Her knees felt weak as Kym made a soft moan. Putting Kym down on the bed, she felt the blonde woman's legs reaching up to encircle her waist and drawing her body down. As their bodies came into full contact, Dana slowly lifted herself up on one elbow to look into Kym's eyes. She used her other hand to gently caress the other woman's cheek. Dana felt a wave of pure emotion well up in her and she choked back a lump in her throat as she saw the love and devotion in Kym's half-lidded green eyes. Dana closed her eyes and placed a reverent kiss on Kym's forehead. She then burrowed her face into Kym's hair and inhaled the other woman's distinctive scent. Lifting herself again, she slowly stood up at the foot of the bed and looked down at the silent woman lying before her. Staring deep into Kym's eyes, she turned and took out the shirttails which were tucked into her jeans.

As she slowly lifted the shirt up and pulled it away from her body, she heard the other woman inhale sharply. Kym stared in awe at the artwork on the other woman's body. As Dana unclasped her bra, the full tattoo, a picture of a dragon entwined round a rose, was revealed. Blood was dripping down the stalk where the dragon's skin was pierced by the thorns. The workmanship was exquisite and the colour stood out in contrast with Dana's pale creamy skin. Kym inched forward and brought her fingers up to touch the tattoo on Dana's back. She softly traced the contours of the dragon and watched in fascination as the other woman's muscles tensed at her touch. She placed her lips on each drop of blood. Dana shivered as she felt Kym's lips touch her skin so gently and her nipples hardened. As the other woman slipped her hands to the front, goosebumps rose on Dana's skin where Kym's hands had brushed against. Her belt was unbuckled and her jeans unzipped and pulled down in one fluid motion. Dana helped by pushing her jeans down and stepping out of them. Kym held her breath as Dana turned to reveal her body clad only in her panties. Dana stood still as her heart thumped painfully in her chest, partly from arousal and partly from the uncertainty of Kym's silence. However, upon looking into the other woman's eyes, all her doubts vanished as she saw only love and arousal in the twin green pools. Her attention shifted as she saw Kym's hands moving. Dana's eyes followed the hypnotizing movements of Kym's hands. She stood and stared with bated breath at the progression of Kym's fingers as they grasped the edge of the untucked t-shirt and drew it up.

Dana's knees felt weak as Kym's breasts came into view and a jolt of desire resounded from her heated center. She couldn't take the teasing anymore and gracefully crept onto the bed. Straddling the thighs of the blonde woman below her, she reached out with slightly trembling fingers and undid the buckle of Kym's jeans. She looked into Kym's green eyes as she slowly pulled at the zipper. Licking her lips, she tugged the jeans down and moving backwards, she pulled them away from the woman's legs. Both women were left in only in their underwear now. Looking at each other, they each slipped fingers under the waistband of their own underwear and simultaneously removed them. Harsh breathing filled the silent room as they looked upon each other's naked bodies. Dana looked at the naked blonde goddess lying with hair fanned out on the bedspread in a golden halo. The beauty and the vulnerability of the scene almost made her weep. Kym kept still. She could feel the air around them crackle with sexual tension. She gasped as, for the first time, she fully felt the sexually predatory aura surrounding Dana.

Slowly, Dana came to a halt when she was directly over Kym's prone body. Without breaking the gaze that they shared with each other, she lowered her heated center onto Kym's. Both hissed in pleasure as the slick, hot flesh touched. Kym flung her head back as Dana slowly ground herself into the woman beneath her. Lowering the rest of her body, she closed her eyes and moaned as her erect nipples brushed against Kym's. The other woman echoed her moan and lifted her hands to grasp Dana's back, one caressing the tattoo, the other pulling her down. Their mouths met hungrily and tongues were entwined. Dana started grinding her center against Kym's in a slow rhythm. Hips slowly rotating, she broke the kiss and started to kiss her way down to Kym's neck, sucking and licking randomly. Kym could not stand it anymore, she thrust her hips up to grind harder into Dana's center.

The other woman growled her pleasure out as she felt the increase in pressure. Dana lifted herself away, smiling as she heard Kym's soft moaning protest. Dana's lips made their way down to Kym's nipples and began a merciless assault. As she tugged at a nipple with her teeth, a groan was drawn from Kym's open lips. "Ple..please..I..I need..I..Oh gawd!" She gave a loud gasp as she felt Dana's fingers exploring her soft wet folds. She gasped a few more times as the fingers danced over her sensitive erect nub.

Kym reached up and held Dana's head down against her chest."Hahh.....har..harder.." She panted. Dana growled as she clamped her teeth down on Kym's taut nipple. Kym thrust her hips against Dana's teasing fingers and moaned. Dana, sensing the frustration in Kym's voice, smiled to herself. She lifted her head and as she started to bite gently into Kym's other nipple, she thrusted her fingers into the blonde woman's wet and warm entrance. "Oh fuck!" Kym screamed and threw her head back. She threaded a hand into Dana's thick black hair and held the head tightly against her chest. As the fingers danced in and out of her over-heated center, she moaned and clutched Dana's thrusting arm reflexively. Her eyes closed, she clenched her jaw as the first waves of her climax rolled over her. Dana felt the wet moist walls around her thrusting fingers starting to clench. She knew that Kym was approaching her climax and used her thumb to gently rub against the sensitive nub located above Kym's entrance. The sensation of Dana's tongue fluttering against her nipple, the fingers probing into her body and the delicious friction against her nub was too much for Kym. She gave a loud moan as she fell over the edge of control and tumbled into an explosive climax. She screamed out Dana's name as she rode out the waves of pleasure. Dana continued thrusting gently into the clenching wet muscles surrounding her fingers to draw out the climax from Kym's body.

Her hands clenching convulsively in Dana's hair, she slowly spiraled down from her climax, panting harshly from exertion. Dana lifted her head up to look at the Kym's face but she stayed inside her. Waiting for Kym to calm down, she saw the glow of aftersex on the other woman's peaceful face. She gently placed a kiss on the other woman's lips and withdrew her fingers, causing the other woman to shiver slightly. Kym opened her eyes and Dana felt another burst of arousal shoot through her as she saw the barely concealed lust there. Kym looked down and took hold of Dana's hand, bringing the slick fingers up. She looked into Dana's eyes as she opened her mouth to suck the fingers. Dana closed her eyes briefly and moaned as she felt the pulling sensation of her fingers being sucked. She gave a gasp as Kym's tongue flicked over her sensitive finger tips. She groaned in loss as Kym withdrew the fingers from her mouth. Placing her mouth near Dana's ear, she licked the crevices of Dana's ear before breathing into her ear, "I know how I taste like but what I want the most now is to taste you." Dana's heart hammered triple time as she heard Kym's words.

Shifting, she turned onto her back with Kym on top of her. Mouths met again and a tongue battle ensued. Kym thrust her thigh down against Dana's wet, overflowing center. She smiled as she felt Dana push back against her thigh, smearing her juices against Kym's skin. Kym sucked Dana's tongue into her mouth and bit down softly as she started thrusting her thigh rhythmically against Dana. The other woman groaned in pleasure as the pressure increased but the relief was momentary as Kym suddenly lifted her body up. Dana groaned at the loss and she could only thrust her hips into the empty air, opening herself to Kym's appreciative gaze. The other woman looked on in a mixture of awe and reverence as she was greeted with the view of Dana lying naked in front of her. She is so beautiful. Oh god, do I deserve her? Why did she fall in love with me? So many other better looking women out there and she chose me?

Kym looked into the half-lidded eyes of the woman lying in front of her and whispered, "I love you." Dana looked at her, her blue eyes becoming almost violet with emotion. She whispered back to the watching woman above her, "I love you too."

Reaching out, their hands entwined. Kym looked down and saw Dana's center glistening in the dim light. She licked her lips and slowly lowered her mouth. " Kym!" Dana moaned the name out as she felt Kym's tongue exploring her wet folds. She held onto Kym's hands as she could feel her carefully wrought self-control slipping away under Kym's tender ministrations. Dipping her tongue into Dana's wet center, she rubbed her nose into the sensitive nub standing erect above the wet entrance. Dana looked down and the sight of Kym's head moving between her legs coupled with the waves of pleasure tumbling through her body, made her give a strangled moan as she felt her climax washing over her. Kym moaned as she felt her tongue being grasped gently by the convulsing muscles. She felt Dana holding her hands in a death grip as she was riding out her climax. As the tremours died down, she withdrew her slightly aching tongue and crawled up to lay next to the still woman. Dana turned her head to look at Kym. As she saw the joy in the other woman's face, the reality of the situation hit her and she felt a wave of aching sadness wash over. She had fallen in love with someone, but would Kym accept her upon knowing the truth of her background?

Choking back a sob, she silently admonished herself. I never cry. I mustn't cry. I can't. Kym watched silently and saw the play of emotions across the other woman's face. Hearing the slightly stilted breathing, she released one hand to cup Dana's face and looking into her lover's eyes, she saw the pain and confusion. Her heart reached out to Dana's hurting soul and she wrapped her arms around Dana and drew her into an embrace. The tenderness of Kym's actions crumbled the last of the emotional barriers that Dana had built up ever since she was a child. She felt so naked and weak, and yet in Kym's embrace she felt protected and sheltered. She slowly caved in and tears started running down her face. She held onto Kym tightly and for the first time in her life, she cried.

He stood up and squinted at the sun. Shielding his eyes with his hands, he peered at the moving figure in front of him. It's Danny! He craned his neck forward to try and get a better look at his brother. Looks so much like Danny! He moved towards his laughing brother who was looking at him in affection. His brother reached out and gave one of his big smiles, which Carlson loved to see. Danny was calling him... Carlson...Carlson....

"Carlson....Carlson..Wake up! Jeez, you're gonna drown the files in your drool...hey." Arnez shook Carlson by his shoulder, trying to shake the sleeping man awake.

Mumbling irritably, Carlson slowly came out of his dream induced haze and lifted a tired hand up to draw it across his half closed eyes. "What time izzit?" He mumbled as he straightened and tried to stretch.

"It's about eight in the morning...hey...watcha dreaming about? You were kinda saying some sorta mumbo jumbo." Arnez looked at his partner in curiousity.

Carlson winced as he heard his spine pop. Rotating his head to loosen out the kinks in his neck, he mumbled, " Hm..was I? It was nothing."

He turned and looked as his partner, " Do you have any information on Clint Baker? When will his flight arrive?" Turning again, he went to the office window and pressed down the blind to let chink of sunlight shine into the dusty office.

"I called up the airport and got a flight confirmation. His flight will be coming in at ten tonight. He'll giving a speech tomorrow at the new local campus ground as part of the opening ceremony. It'll be an open air event. The security there is pretty tight though. What makes you think he'll be the next target anyway." Arnez gazed at Carlson's still and stiff back, waiting for an answer.

"It's obvious. Clint Baker is a fast rising politician who's hiding a dirty past. He's a public figure. Whoever wants to get a message across would kill him so that any other clients who are thinking of changing loyalties may think twice before they do." Carlson shrugged and watched the sunlight filtering into the office, illuminating the dust motes floating around.

He closed his eyes briefly before turning around to face his silently contemplating partner. "Go home and get some rest. We're gonna have a long day ahead."

Dana opened her eyes and winced slightly at the brightness of the sunlight streaming into her room. She closed her eyes again and was conscious of the warm body draped across her. Kym. She remembered the poignant night that they spent together last night. She gave a small grin as she recalled how insatiable the other woman was. Yeah....I'm really in love with her. She mused.

She looked at the other woman whose head was resting in the crook of her shoulder. She gave a sigh and stared at the ceiling as she recalled how tender Kym was after she had cried. Never have I felt so free and relieved.

She grinned wryly as she heard Kym groan and shift in her sleep. Looking down, she saw the other woman's eyes flutter open. Sleepy green eyes fell on her face. A twinkle was seen in them as she saw Dana looking at her. Reaching up, she pulled herself up and gave Dana a tender morning kiss, which became more intense as they each started to explore each other's mouths.

"Mmmm...great way to wake up." Kym husked as they broke away from each other.

Dana grinned in agreement and as she lowered her head for another kiss, her phone rang. She stopped and immediately sat up to answer the phone. Kym watched in fascination as she saw the change in Dana. It's like she has two different sides to her personality... .Kym mused as she saw Dana's back tense and stiffen.

Putting down the phone. Dana closed her eyes and clenched her jaw as she realized that no matter what happens, she's still a killer and she has a totally different life which Kym cannot be part off.

"Put on your clothes. I'll send you home." She said curtly to Kym before standing up to go to the adjoining bathroom.

Kym stared in shock as she heard what Dana said. As the shower was turned on, she stood up numbly and looked for her clothes, which were strewn about the room. What the hell?! She felt a wave of anger wash over her and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door open.

Dana was standing under the spray of hot scalding water, trying to wash away her guilt at having to treat Kym in such a brash manner. Kym walked over to the shower, trying to control the wave of sexual feelings washing over her upon seeing Dana standing naked in the shower.

"Hold on a minute. I don't get it. We wake up, we kiss and the next minute you're telling me to piss off. What gives!!?? Can you at least give me a reason why you are brushing me aside?" Kym demanded.

Dana turned the shower off and turned to look at Kym. The sight of the blonde-haired woman standing in front of her, naked with a slightly flushed look on her face caused her to stop short. Oh god....she's so beautiful. Dana thought as she tried to control her emotions.

Looking at Kym with a cold expression, she said in a detached voice, "Why can't I? I was out looking for someone to have a quick fuck with. I don't have to explain anything to you. I got what I wanted and it's over. Get dressed and I'll send you home. I don't want to waste anymore time." She looked away and reached for her towel, trying to use the action to cover her slightly trembling chin.

Kym stood in front of Dana, shocked into silence. As the gravity of Dana's words sunk into her head. Oh god..is that all I am to her??!! She felt her face burn in shame as she realized that last night did not mean a thing to the other woman.

"Bitch!" She spat out at Dana and raised her hand to slap the other woman's face. Turning around, she walked out of the bathroom and quickly donned her clothes. Tears were streaming down her face as she ran out of Dana's apartment.

Dana stood in the bathroom with the towel hanging limply in one hand. She closed her eyes in pain as she heard the front door slam shut. Opening her eyes again, she stepped in front of the mirror and dried herself. She walked out of the bathroom and went back into the bedroom. As she looked at the empty room, she felt her heart breaking into a million pieces as Kym's face flashed into her mind's eye. She walked over to the bed numbly and bent down to take a pillow up. She buried her face in it and inhaled the lingering scent of Kym.

Sinking to the ground, she held the pillow close to her. I'm so sorry, my love..I couldn't let you know.

"You are late." Shi Fu stated as Dana sat down in front of his desk.

She directed a hard cold gaze at him and said flippantly, " What do you want?"

Shi Fu raised his eyebrows and gave a sardonic grin," What else do you think I want from you." He pushed an envelope across the table. Dana sat up and reached across the table to open the envelope. Opening it, she pulled a photograph out. Her eyes flicked to it and rested on the face of her next target.

"He'll be giving a speech at the opening ceremony of the new local campus. Instructions are inside the envelope. The security will be tight. It is best that you do the job from afar." Shi Fu sat back and looked at the beautiful woman sitting opposite him. A sense of pride welled up in him. My prodigy. He smiled briefly to himself before focusing on the situation at hand.

"This is the last time." Dana stated briefly before leaning back in her chair.

Shi Fu looked at her startled. He cocked his head before looking at her again in perplexity," What do you mean?"

"I want to stop after this last assignment." She stared into his eyes and focused on them.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at her contemplatively. "I've to seek consent from others." He replied back.

Dana sat in silence for while before reaching into the envelope and pulled out a small piece of paper. After she scan the instructions briefly, she reached into her jacket to take out a lighter. A flame flickered out and she touched it to the piece of paper. Placing the burning paper into an ash tray on the desk, she picked up the photograph. Looking at it again, she held it into the flickering flames and watched the fire lick away at the edges of the picture.

The two people in the room watched as the small fire died down to leave a pile of ashes in its wake. Dana stood up and walked out of the room. Shi Fu watched the door close before reaching his hand out to pick up the phone receiver.

********************************************************************************

Kym woke up and looked at the clock groggily. Oh shit...it's already eight. Damn, I'm gonna be late. Her stomach rumbled in hunger as she stumbled out of bed. She switched on the bathroom light and winced as the glaring light came on. She looked into the mirror and saw her tear-stained face staring back at her. Her haggard face was looking back at her. She bent her head and felt tears stinging the back of her closed eyelids. She choked back a sob and reached out to wrench the tap on. And I thought I had found something worth living for, someone who would accept me for everything I am.

Splashing her face with the ice-cold water, she washed her face and brushed her teeth mechanically, trying not to remember what had happened this morning. She had flagged down a cab, stumbled blindly back to her apartment and bathed before collapsing into bed to cry herself to sleep.

Dragging her feet, she went to her kitchen and grabbed a few snack bars before stepping out into the street leading to "The Waiting Tavern". She grimly munched on a snack bar as she walked towards the bar.

My life is one big mess. My family is planning my whole life for me even though I've tried to get away from them. My love life is in one big mess·Oh wait! I forgot, I don't even have one. Kym trudged into the bar with her own thoughts.

The atmosphere was crackling with tension as everyone watched the plane land on the tarmac. As the private plane came to a stop, Carlson walked up to the plane with a group of plainclothes as well as uniformed security agents followed behind him. Everyone was looking around at the surroundings cautiously. Some were straining their eyes to look at the hangers towering in the distance. The rest were nervously peering into the shadows.

Calson looked at the plane with his eyes focused on the door, waiting for it to open. He flicked a look over to his partner. Arnez was talking on his walkie-talkie, trying to contact the airport authorities. As the plane door slowly swung open from the inside, Carlson looked over at his partner and gave a quick nod to him. Arnez walked over to the waiting limousine and peered inside before nodding back at his partner.

A man in his early forties with a full head of grey hair stepped out of the plane onto the platform. He squinted slightly due to the brightness of the glaring lights shining onto the plane. Using his hands to smooth the wrinkles in his suit, he walked down the platform with a slight swagger in his steps. Carlson frowned at the politician's attitude but kept his facial expression neutral when he went up to the man to walk alongside him.

"Mr Baker, your car is waiting for you." Carlson intoned with a polite voice.

The other man nodded and continued walking without sparing another glance at the detective. He got into the car and when Carlson tried to follow suit, he looked up and said, " I would prefer to have some privacy."

Arnez looked at his partner with his eyebrows raised. Carlson clamped down on his irritation and replied back in a toneless voice, " Sir, we are assigned to protect you and we have to carry out this duty."

Clint Baker stared up at the two men, " So? Does that mean you have to go to the same toilet cubicle with me or you even have to bathe with me just because you are assigned to protect me?"

Arnez looked at the exchange between both men and his eyebrows stayed raised in the same position. Carlson looked slightly irritated as he answered back, " Not really sir but if we feel there is the need to do just that, we would."

"Fine, I'm telling you there is no need to. NO one would dare to touch me." With that Clint Baker grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut.

Arnez quickly jumped a step back and released his hold on the door before the door could close on his fingers. Muting a curse, he looked at his obviously irate partner who was clenching his fist.

"Ermm..er..so..what do we do now?" Arnez asked Carlson after shaking his head a few times.

"We follow in the other car." Carlson replied in a clipped tone before turning away to walk to the second car.

Arnez exhaled softly and tapped on the limousine driver's window a few times before following his partner. As both men settled themselves down, Carlson looked out of the window. He can die for all I care, I just need to get you.

Dana held out the rifle, looking into the scope carefully. Satisfied, she stood up and sat back onto the couch and dismantled the weapon, placing each individual part on the table. She reached out for the polishing cloth and picked up the rifle's barrel to carefully polish it. She looked at the clock briefly. Three in the morning. I guess I can still get some sleep. Kym... shaking her head to clear her mind of any the lingering images of the blonde-haired singer, she felt a sharp pain resounding in her soul as images of what had happened this morning came into her mind. I can't let her know. I had to protect her. She doesn't deserve to know about such a life like mine.

Looking grimly at her hands, she closed her eyes and gave a heavy sigh before picking up the polishing cloth again to continue cleaning the sniper rifle laid out in front of her.

"Sir, the car will be here in an hour." Carlson gave a soft grunt in acknowledgement and hung up the phone. Turning around, he walked to the politician who was sitting at the table eating breakfast and reading newspapers.

"Mr Baker, the car will be here in an hour's time." The man ignored Carlson's words and continued reading. Carlson spared a glance at his partner who was rolled his eyes in reply.

" Excuse me Mr Baker, you'll have to get prepared." Carlson said in a firmer tone.

The newspapers rustled in reply. The man had placed the newspapers down on the table. He looked up at Carlson in irritation, " If I'm not ready by then, the car can always wait." With that, he reached out for his cup of coffee and began drinking slowly.

Bastard. Carlson seethed in anger.

Part 2

" Excuse me, may I look at your pass?" One of the men stepped in front of her. Though he looked imposing in his regulation black suit, Dana still towered a few inches over him. She looked down at him and made a conscious effort to look nervous.

Blinking her eyes a few times in confusion, she dug into her apron pockets and made a few fumbled attempts to search for the elusive pass. The man standing in front of her waited with a hint of impatience. Dana looked out of the corner of her eye and curled her fingers around the forged pass she had prepared.

" Ah hah! Gotcha!" She exclaimed in a slightly nasal voice. Waving the pass frantically in front of the two men, their eyes followed the moving pass for a while, trying to catch a glimpse of the particulars.

The first man who had approached her grabbed the frantically moving pass in irritation and gave it a quick glance. Dana pushed the heavy pair of spectacles up higher on her nose. As the man looked at the photograph on the pass and looked up at Dana, she lifted her fingers to push the brown strands of hair behind her ear to reveal a slightly freckled cheek.

They all look the same. Not a single good looking babe. The two men sighed mentally and exchanged glances before nodding to each other.

"Okay." The first man mumbled and returned the pass to her. She took it and shoved it back into one of the pockets on her apron. She smiled to reveal a mouthful of braces before pushing her trolley in.

Carlson stepped out of the car. He had left the hotel room earlier than the rest to run a check on the security for the ceremony. He grabbed his walkie-talkie as it crackled into life. "The caterers are here, sir." He flicked his gaze to the main building nearby and saw a huge van nearby with the logo " Amphi Catering Services. You'll die for a taste of our food." A group of people dressed in striped red and white uniforms complete with white caps and aprons were seen wheeling trolleys into the building.

" Everything clear?" He enquired.

"Yeah. Roger on that." A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.

Looking at his watch, he took out his cellphone and called the hotel room. "Arnez? Is everything okay over there.?"

"Yeah...everything is peachy right now. Thanks for asking." Arnez's slightly tired voice came over the line, tinged with sarcasm.

"Hm..lemme guess...Clint Baker?" Carlson said grimly.

"Whooo...ain't you smart now. He's taking his own sweet time bathing and getting dressed. Hey, izzit possible to drag him down here in cuffs without a suspension from Captain Franklin?" He sighed in irritation.

" Hmmm...naw...you know Franky." Carlson said with amusement.

"Oh yeah.. No hanky panky for Franky. Yeah I know." Arnez retorted.

" When can you guys get here?" Carlson said in a serious tone.

" Erm...half an hour?"

" Arnez, without handcuffs." Carlson gave a slight grin.

" One hour." Arnez sighed.

She wheeled the cart into the school canteen and pushed it into the kitchen. As she entered the kitchen, a cacophony of noises greeted her. Pots and pans were being banged around and plates were cluttered onto tables. People in catering uniforms were seen heaping food onto the plates. Someone had dropped a few dishes onto the floor, causing a small stir. She glanced around and swiftly bent down to pull an attachŽ from the bottom of her trolley. Placing it on the ground, she opened the doors leading to the school corridor a crack.

Peering out, she saw the corridor empty. Looking back to her surroundings, she saw that the people around her were involved in trying to clean the broken plates and were in another part of the kitchen. She pushed the attachŽ out with her foot and with her back to the door, she slide out through the gap.

Dana felt grateful for the silence of the school corridor, which was a stark contrast to the noise in the kitchen. The silence soothed her jumpy nerves. Bending down gracefully, she picked up the attachŽ. Looking around again, she made her way to the school's stairs, which led all the way up to the fourth floor. Climbing two steps at a time, she made her way to the fourth floor.

Her shoes made soft scuffing sounds as she crept her way to the end of the corridor on the fourth floor. Walking past the closed classroom doors, she bent as she passed each door in case there would be people in the classrooms who might see her silhouette by chance. Reaching the end of the corridor, she walked to the janitor's room.

She held out her gloved hand to twist open the doorknob. To her relief, it was unlocked. Pausing for a while, she opened the door and walked into the room. The dust motes floated around her as she made her way to the back of the room. The sunlight reflected off her spectacle lens as she walked past the only window in the room. With the sunlight streaming in, she could make out a ladder leading up to a closed opening in the ceiling at the back of the room.

Attaching a strap to the attachŽ, she slung it across her shoulder and gripped onto the handle bars with both hands to climb up. As she reached the closed opening, she saw a rusty latch locked with an equally rusty lock. Holding onto the rungs of the ladder with one hand, she unlocked the attachŽ with the other hand and lifted the attachŽ cover a few inches. Reaching in, she felt around for a while before giving a small smirk of satisfaction and pulled out a screwdriver.

Locking the attachŽ, she looked at the rusty lock again and used the screwdriver to pry the locked latches open. With a soft creak of protest, it gave way. Dana pushed the door open and sunlight poured into the room as she climbed out onto the rooftop.

Carlson took out his cellphone and dialed his partner's cellphone number. A few rings later, he heard Arnez's irritated voice, " Yeah. What?"

"Well...hello to you too." Carlson replied in amusement.

"Yeah yeah....we're on our way."

" What? You are fifteen minutes early. Handcuffs?" Carlson asked in feigned surprise.

" Like fuck I wish. Naw, he's in a rush to finish the speech. He wants to catch an earlier flight back home."

" Thank god. Okay, I'll inform the campus security." With that, Carlson closed the connection.

Arnez looked at the limousine in front of his car. He scanned the surrounding area. As he saw the new building come into sight, he mumbled "Showtime."

Carlson looked at the crowd. There were teachers, students and their families. There were families who had decided to come out in full force, bringing the children along with the babies. As a baby's wail rose above the noise of the crowd, Carlson frowned and turned his head towards the direction of the noise.

He went to his car and took off his jacket. The heat from the late morning sun was beating down mercilessly on everybody. His shirt was soaked with sweat and was sticking to his body. Mothers were using pamphlets to fan themselves. Fathers sat stoically in the heat with red faces and clenched jaws.

The school principal was standing up on the podium, preparing his speech presentation. Suddenly the crunch of gravel could be heard as a small procession of cars came to a stop near the campus. As the cars and the limousine came to a halt, the principal boomed out, " Everybody, please rise for our distinguished guest of honour. Mr Clint Baker."

Dana was looking at the scene unfolding below on the open ground. The cars came to a stop and the limousine door opened.

She took off her glasses, placing them beside the attachŽ. Crouching down, she opened the attachŽ. With quick efficiency, she assembled the sniper rifle. Picking up her binoculars, she peered through the lenses and saw her target stepping onto the podium.

Putting down the binoculars, she got into position, her finger resting on the rifle trigger.

"Thank you, all of you! I'm honoured to have this opportunity to be able talk at this momentous event...." The politician gave a wide smile and oozed charisma as he began his speech.

Carlson looked at his partner and both men rolled their eyes. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. He became serious and scanned the surroundings. Looking about, he mentally whispered, " Come out, time to play."

Flicking open the cover, she peered into the rifle's scope. The crosshair danced into view. Shifting with excruciating slowness, the crosshair danced over the heads of the people in the crowd. It floated over the heads of the security personnel, coming to a rest on her target.

Inhaling a deep breath, she closed her eyes briefly as the image of Kym flashed across her view. "Sorry, my love."

Opening her eyes, she focused her view into the scope. As the crosshair came to rest on the target's head, she tensed and squeezed the trigger.

"Oh fuck! He's down! Protect him!" Arnez shouted at the men around him as he whipped his gun out and run to the man lying down on the podium.

Carlson had also taken his gun out and was shouting to the agitated crowd. "Everyone lie down. Please stay calm and stay down."

He looked at the crowd and heard the sounds of women crying, children whimpering. A few babies had started crying and their wails rang out above the crowd. He looked over at the podium and saw a ring of men crouching over the still body. Arnez was feeling for a pulse and another man was checking for any responses from the politician.

Suddenly, a flicker of light was seen from the corner of his eye. He turned and looked about, having forgotten about everything else.

The roof-top. He raced towards the building.

Dana disassembled the rifle swiftly and picking up her spectacles, she wore it and ran to the opening. She slid down the ladder and sprinted down the corridor. Running down the stairs, she reached the first floor. She ran to a nearby window and threw the attachŽ into the bushes outside.

Composing herself, she pushed the door leading to the kitchen. The noise enveloped her as she stepped into the kitchen. She took a trolley loaded with food and was about to push it out when the doors banged open to admit a man holding a gun.

Everyone turned to look at him and was stunned into silence. Some started whispering amongst themselves. As he made his way into the kitchen, he pushed past everyone and came to a stop in front of Dana. He looked at her in suspicion and saw her gloved hands on the trolley. Bending down, he looked under the trolley and proceeded to the same to the other trolleys near the entrance.

Unable to find anything, he stood up and went to each corner of the kitchen. He narrowed his eyes in irritation and suspicion. He did not receive any reports of anyone seen leaving the building. That meant that the assassin would still be in the building. Running out of the kitchen, he ran through the corridor and sprinted up the stairs.

The noise in the kitchen built up again. This time, the people were wondering what had happened. A small group had decided to step out to see what was up. Dana went along.

"Carlson. Carlson....Where the hell are you?" Static crackled and Arnez's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Grabbing the walkie-talkie, he pressed the speaker button and hissed through clenched teeth, "The assassin is here. I'm gonna get him." With that, he threw the walkie-talkie into a nearby trash bin and walked down the corridor.

Pressing his body against the wall, he slid his body up to each classroom door and pushed them open to look for the assassin. He reached the janitor's room after a while and opened the door to see sunlight streaming into the room through the opening.

"Fuck! The fucker got away!! " He shouted in frustration. Sitting down on the floor with his hands clasping his head, he felt like something was amiss. Suddenly, the image of the girl holding onto the trolley came into mind.

" Why does she have to wear rubber gloves to handle the cart? Unless...SHIT!" HE shouted and ran out. As he ran out into the corridor, he ran to the rubbish bin and picked his walkie-talkie up.

"Carlson...Carlson???!! Where the hell are you??!!" Arnez was still shouting desperately over at the end.

"Arnez! Stop anyone from leaving the building!" Carlson shouted into the walkie-talkie as he made his way down to the kitchen.

Dana broke away from the group and crept away to the bushes near the window. As she found the attachŽ nestling among the broken branches of the bushes, she heard a man shouting at the group of caterers she had left the building with.

Looking about, she saw that the coast was clear. She ran to the parking lot situated behind the building. Reaching down to her uniform pants pocket, she took a penknife out and went to the nearest car.

As Carlson ran out of the building, he saw his partner shepherding a group of agitated caterers to a corner. A faint squeal of car tires was heard. Turning around, he saw the bumper of a car disappearing into the distance.

Whirling around, he turned to his partner and shouted," Gimme the car-keys!!"

"Huh!? What the hell are you doing?" Arnez asked in irritation and confusion.

"Gimme the fucking car-keys!" Carlson screamed back.

The wails of ambulance and police sirens filled the air as a whole procession of police cars and ambulances appeared on the scene.

" Carlson! No!" Arnez shouted back.

" GIVE ME THE CAR-KEYS!!!" Carlson shouted furiously and stalked up to his partner, shaking his fist.

The group of caterers stared in fear at the scene in front of them. Carlson lunged at his partner with his teeth bared in anger and frustration.

" Detective Carlson! Control yourself!" Captain Franklin came into view and grabbed Carlson's shoulders, pulling him away.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING!?!" Franklin roared as he stormed into his office. Slamming the door, the window blinds rattled. Walking to his desk, he sat down heavily in his seat and glared at the man standing stiffly in front of him.

"You were goddamn in charge of the whole damn security and you have the balls to actually run out to pursue the assassin by yourself, leaving the rest of the personnel to deal with the mess." Franklin said between gritted teeth.

Carlson stood at attention, looking at the area above his superior's head. His fists were clenched tightly behind his back.

"Your irresponsibility has caused the death of Clint Baker, a well-known politician and now there are headlines screaming out from each newspaper stand around the corner about our ineptness." Franklin inhaled heavily, trying to calm himself down.

"Sir, he was shot in the head. There was nothing anyone could do to save him. The only thing which was of importance was to apprehend the suspect and to bring him to justice." Carlson shot back at his superior.

" LIKE IT'S NOT YOUR FUCKING FAULT!?! So..he dies...but so what??!! Ohhh..so it ain't your fault!! Well, I've got news for you, Mr Smart-ass! If you had called the medics earlier instead of runing away to 'apprehend' the suspect, he may have lived. But noooo...you left your men behind to handle a situation which they did not know how to react to." Franklin's comments dripped with sarcasm.

" Lemme tell you this. If you had stayed to actually monitor the situation, Mr Clint Baker may have lived. You running away from the situation is a huge mistake, Carlson." With that, he sat back and massaged his temples.

Carlson stood in front of him, with an expressionless face.

" Hand over your badge and gun Carlson. Take this short holiday that I'm givin' you to relax. I'll call you back when things have more or less cooled down." Franklin waved his hand as a form of dismissal.

Carlson took his badge and gun out. Clutching both objects in his cold hands, he forced himself to place them down on the desk. Turning around without saying anything, he walked out of the office slamming the door hard.

I'm going to get you! I'm coming for you! He chanted in his head as he walked to his car.

Dana stayed in shadows, watching as Kym walked into "The Waiting Tavern". She felt her heart clench in pain as she saw how pale the other woman was as the lights fell on the sallow face.

Thunder rang out. Dana looked up at the dark sky and clutched her coat tighter to her body. Leaning against the wall, she waited, and ignored the drops of rain pelting down. After a while, she gave a resigned sigh and made her way into the bar.

She walked into the bar and was engulfed in darkness. The strains of a piano were heard. Standing near the entrance, she looked at the beautiful blonde sitting in the middle of the stage on a high stool. A man was playing the piano in the background.

Turn down the lights, turn down the bed

Turn down these voices inside my head

Lay down with me, tell me no lies

Just hold me close, don't patronize

Don't patronize me

'Cause I can't make you love me If you don't

You can't make your heart feel something it won't

Here in the dark in these final hours

I will lay down my heart, and I'll feel the power

But you won't, no you won't

And I can't make you love me

If you don't

As Kym sang, each word was bleeding with her pain. Some of the patrons were listening in silence with tears in their eyes.

I'll close my eyes and then I won't see

The love you do not feel, when you're holding me

Morning will come, and I'll do what's right

Just give me till then, to give up this fight

And I will give up this fight

Kym's eyes were closed but the spotlight was able to show the tears flowing down her face as she sang. Dana closed her eyes as she felt her heart wrench in pain. Each word was like a knife stabbing into her heart. Each sentence sent a fresh wave of pain into her soul.

And I can't make you love me if you don't

You can't make your heart feel something it won't

And here in the dark in these lonely hours

I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power

But you won't, no, you won't

And I can't make you love me

If you.....

Kym stopped as she choked with emotion. Covering her face, she stumbled off the stage with her hands covering her face. Everyone watched in silence. As the last note was played on the piano, it resounded through the silent room as the patrons stared at the empty stage.

A single clap was heard from behind the bar counter. Dana saw the bartender clapping, his face slightly contorted with barely controlled emotions. One by one, everyone started clapping. Soon the room was filled with standing people all clapping vigorously, some with tears in their eyes.

A sob escaped from Dana. She covered her mouth to stifle it and ran out of the bar.

"Come in."

Dana strode into the room. Shi Fu looked away from the computer screen and frowned when he saw her standing in front of him. "Yes? I didn't call for you." He felt puzzled at her appearance.

" I've done my job yesterday. It's the last time." She stated, looking down at her mentor with a steely gaze.

" Yes. The Boss didn't approve of your decision. You are still needed here."

" It doesn't concern me. I've done enough for you and him." Dana kept calm, trying to suppress her anger.

" Dana, I have no say in this. You must understand that the moment you join us, you can never back out. Everything you have and you are belongs to us." Shi Fu sighed in barely controlled irritation. Looking back at his computer screen, he mentally dismissed the woman in front him.

" No. My heart and soul will never belong to you." She stood up abruptly and walked to the door.

Stopping short in front of the door, she half turned and said, " This is the last time I'll ever step into your office."

As she opened the door to leave, Shi Fu cleared his throat and said loudly, " Dana, you are putting yourself and other innocent people at risk by doing this. Even if I want to let you go, the Boss won't." Looking at her back, he could see her tense for a while before walking out of his office.

" Be careful little one, there is no such thing as mercy and choices in our world." He whispered.

Closing the window blinds, the room dimmed. Carlson sat on his bed and methodically took off his clothes. Leaving his clothes in a heap on the floor at the foot of the bed, he went to the bathroom. The mirror caught his reflection. Stopping in front of the mirror, he stood in silence and looked at his bare torso. Running his fingers across the scars, the imagined pain of the burns he had sustained when he was young filled his mind. Caressing the healed tissues, he whispered to his reflection, " I'm coming for you, bitch."

" How is everything?"

" Fine. Dana is not working for us anymore."

Silence.

" I said no."

" Yes sir, but we don't need her anymore."

" You have no right to make any decisions."

" Yes sir."

" I heard that she's seeing someone. A singer. Kill her. This should remind her of her rights."

" Yes sir."

Dana stood outside "The Waiting Tavern". Her coat collar was pulled up to cover her face. She was feeling indecisive on whether she should enter the bar when something caught her eye. A van had come to a stop down the road. She could feel her mental hackles rise as the van doors opened. Her instincts were screaming at her and she knew that something was amiss. Squinting, her fears were confirmed when she saw no license plate on the van. Why can't they leave my life fucking alone! She hissed in anger.

Calming herself down, she grimly calculated the amount of time she had to get Kym out of the bar safely. It's all my fault. She thought to herself as she strode into the bar.

Kym was standing at a corner of the room near the stage. Her back was facing the room the room as she bent down to pick up her guitar from its case. Suddenly, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She stood up and turned.

"Hey you okay?" The bartender was looking into her eyes with concern etched across his face.

" Yeah, I guess. Well, I'm still alive and that's good enough." She gave a slightly bitter laugh.

He grinned and shook his head, " Kym, if you need anyone to talk to...."

"Thanks Henry, that's really sweet of you. You better get back to work. The customers are comin' in." She gave him a smile, waving to him as he nodded and walked off.

Tuning her guitar with her back still turned to the rest of the room, she felt someone tap her shoulder again. Sighing, she turned," Henry, thanks but..."

The face which had tortured her in her dreams the past few nights was looking at her. Her heart stopped short before it started beating like crazy. Kym's face became flushed with anger. Trying to compose herself in front of the silently waiting woman, she said with gritted teeth, " What the hell are you doing here? Here for another quick fuck?"

Dana's heart twisted with pain as she heard Kym's words. Without showing any emotion, she grabbed Kym's arm and said firmly, " Come with me."

Flinging Dana's hand away, she turned and placed her guitar back in its case. "For what? Why should I? Damn you!" She snarled at Dana before trying to walk away.

"Wait! You don't know that you're in danger and you have to trust me on this." Dana was starting to feel desperate.

" Like you would gave a goddamn fuck about me. I'm suppose to be your whore. I've bared my soul to you after meeting you a few times and I just can't believe that I fell in love with you." Kym's voice trembled with emotion.

Dana felt her composure cracking. She closed her eyes and knowing there was no more time, she had no choice but to tell Kym, " Look, if you still have any feelings for me, please at least trust this very last time. I did what I did because I had no other choice. I did everything for your good and to protect you. "

Kym was looking at her feet. Listening to Dana's speech, she felt her anger ebbing away. She could hear Dana's desperation.

Seeing Kym's uncertainty, Dana grabbed the other woman's hand with one hand. Using her other hand, she gently tilted Kym's face up to look into her eyes. Encouraged when the other did not resist her, she decided to swallow her pride and pleaded again, " Please trust me just this once."

Looking into Dana's eyes, she was lost in the two blue pools and sighing, she nodded. At that moment, all hell broke loose.

Dana sensed a small commotion coming from the entrance. Pushing Kym down onto the floor, she flung herself down next to the confused singer. Dana whispered, " Kym, is there a backdoor to the bar?"

The other woman nodded, looking puzzled and slightly frightened. Dana peeked up and saw a group of men looking around. She noticed that they were all squinting in the dimness. Knowing that the men's eyes were still unaccustomed to the darkness, they had to make use of the time to get out of the bar. "Crawl towards it. Keep your body down."

Kym felt confused at the sudden change in the other woman's mood but she sensed the urgency in Dana's voice. Though she was curious about Dana's actions, she wisely held her tongue and started moving.

As Kym reached the door leading into the kitchen, she tried to stand up to open the door. Dana was busy looking at the group of men and when she saw one of them pointing towards their direction and drawing out his gun at the same time, she whipped her head around and saw Kym trying to open the door. Shouting out, Dana tried to shield the other woman's body with her own but she was too late.

" BANG!" A gunshot rang out in the bar.

Kym fell back in pain. Dana caught her and reaching into her coat, she took out her gun. Patrons in the bar were looking around in shock and confusion. Some women started screaming. Others had gotten up from their seats and were running towards the bar entrance, trying to get out only to run into a group of agitated men who had taken out their guns. Cursing, Dana saw the men having difficulty getting to them through the chaotic scene. She spared Kym a glance and was thrown off her balance momentarily to see the spot of blood on Kym's front. On a closer look, she noticed that the bullet had hit her in the arm and the woman was still conscious.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she pulled Kym to her feet and pushed her way through the door. Kym gave a grimace as a sharp pain shot out from her wound but continued moving. Making their way through the kitchen, the occupants were all looking on in shock. Some had heard the gunshot and were cowering behind the counters. Dana ignored them and asked Kym, " Where is the backdoor?"

" Near the freezer. Ouch." She gasped in pain but grimly held onto Dana's hand. Dana looked back in worry and saw how determined the other woman was. Nodding, both of them made their way to the door.

Stumbling out into the back alley, they ran their way out onto the streets. As Dana turned round a corner, she saw another van drawing up alongside the first van. "Oh fuck." She cursed. Looking about, she saw a car nearby. Knowing it was the only way they could outrun their chasers, she pulled Kym with her towards the car. Hearing the soft hiss of the second van's doors opening, she turned and started shooting towards the van.

Shielding Kym with her body, she pushed Kym towards the car. " Run to the car for cover. I'll distract them." Kym wanted to protest but after seeing the look on Dana's face, she decided to heed the other woman's words.

Dana grimly shot at the van. Aiming carefully, she hit the van tires, deflating them and then shot at the van driver. "Crack!" Her shot hit the windshield shattering it. She saw a body keel over the wheel, and moving backwards, she noticed the first group of men coming out from the back alley.

Turning around, she saw Kym crouching behind the car. Running, she tucked her body and fell onto the ground, rolling her body towards the car. Shots rang out behind her but the bullets missed their target. Reaching the car, she crouched behind it for cover. With efficiency, she changed her gun's magazine and continued shooting. She saw a brick near her. Picking up the brick, she threw it at one of the car's side windows.

"Kym, I want you to get into the car and stay crouched in the back seat and wait for my instructions." Dana gritted out as she reached into her coat to take out another gun. Shots rang out above the women. The windshield shattered under the hail of bullets. Nodding fearfully, she looked at Dana only to see the other woman looking at her intensely. Dana whispered, " Be careful. I'll cover you."

Nodding again, Kym inhaled a deep breath. As Dana lunged out and started shooting, the gunfire opposite them ceased as the men took cover. Kym made her way to the smashed window and reached in to open the car-door by releasing the inner handle. She lunged into the car and stayed down behind the front seats. Dana continued shooting, feeling a sense of satisfaction when she saw a few bodies littering the van area and saw a body lying on the ground near the back alley.

" KYM! Get into the driver's seat." Moving her body to the passenger's side, she saw a few men trying to move out and shot them down. As she continued shooting, she knew that she only had a few bullets left.

Dana smashed the passenger's window open and unlocking it, she got into the car. " Get down!" She shouted at Kym. Both women crouched down. The volley of shots came towards them again. Dana took out her penknife and reaching under the wheel, she jump-started the car.

The engine choked into life and Dana looked at Kym. Kym nodded and stepped on the accelerator, using her uninjured left arm to drive. Dana sat up slightly and emptied her last few bullets at the two groups of men as the car sped away.

" Let me off at the next corner." Dana told Kym as they sped down the road.

"WHAT! Are you fucking nuts!!!??" Kym hissed between clenched teeth as hot fingers of pain shot up her right arm from the wound.

"Kym, trust me." Dana opened the door as the car slowed down.

" You're gonna get killed!!" Kym said in desperation.

" I won't. I've got many skills and I'll get through this. Now drive." Dana told Kym calmly before closing the car door.

"Dana!" Kym shouted, as she was about to step on the accelerator pedal.

"Be careful!" Dana nodded and gave a small smile as she watched Kym drive away.

" Okay! Got it!" Arnez barked into the phone. Grabbing his jacket, he ran out of the station with a group of men following him. Getting into the cars, they failed to notice a shadow trailing behind them.

The van sped after the car in the distance. Some of the men had left the van door opened and were perched on the edge, with their guns pointed towards the car.

Dana was kneeling on one knee, shielded by parked cars along the road. As she heard the screech of the van tires, she tensed and steadied her finger on her gun trigger. Not yet....not yet....no....NOW!

Pulling the trigger, the van's front rubber tyre deflated suddenly. The van driver gasped with horror as the driving wheel was wrenched out of his hands and the van careened on the road. Tilting with the speed momentum, the van fell onto its side, throwing the occupants out of its opened doors and were killed immediately as the van fell onto them, crushing them.

Dana stood up abruptly to start running towards the direction which Kym's car had sped towards. Sprinting, she stopped short and cursed. Kym's car had slowed down and stooped in the middle of the road. A line of police cars was coming to a stop near the bullet-riddled car.

Shit. Dana looked around for a means of escape. Noticing an isolated side alley near her, she ran into it. Spotting a ladder hanging down the first floor's balcony, she swung her body up and shimmied her way up the side of the building swiftly. As she reached the rooftop, the wind whipped her hair around her face. A pang of fear pierced her heart as she thought of Kym.

Her fears were slightly dispelled upon hearing ambulance sirens approaching. Kym, hang on. She thought grimly.

The shadow trailed behind the posse of police cars on a motor bike. Parking himself at a discreet corner, Carlson stayed hidden in the shadows.

Craning his neck, he saw Arnez and a few others peering into the wrecked car. He ducked into the shadows as the ambulance sped past him and screeched to a stop next to the parked police cars. He frowned as he saw the paramedics gently ease a woman out of the car.

In the fading sunlight, he could see the spreading bloodstain on the unconscious woman's front and the van lying on its side further down the road, he knew that things were going to be complicated. A sudden shiver ran down his spine. She's here!

A sudden movement from the rooftop of one of the buildings caught his eye. Looking up, he saw the outline of a figure disappearing. Glancing at the scene before him, he took note of the hospital logo displayed on the ambulance's side. Starting up the motor bike, he drove away.

" Yes?" Shi Fu picked up the phone.

" The singer lives. Your protege betrayed us." The Boss sneered into the phone.

Shi Fu stared into the air in shock.

" Well?"

" I'll go personally to kill the girl." Shi Fu promised.

" Kill the traitor first. You must do it personally." The Boss waited.

Shi Fu kept quiet.

" Remember your position. I made you. I can break you." A hint of perverse satisfaction crept into his voice.

" Yes sir."

Dana knew she was taking a big risk going back to her apartment. Stepping into her block, her senses were on full alert. Instead of using the lifts, she decided to use the stairs. Staying close to the wall, she made her way up to the apartment.

Stopping in front of the apartment door, she scrutinized the door lock for any sign of tampering. Though it was undamaged, she felt that it was better to take precaution. She took out her gun and opened the door.

Creeping into her apartment, she walked through each room. Relieved to a small extent, she knew that her apartment was still relatively safe. For now. Her mind supplied. Moving quickly, she showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a pair of grey denim jeans. She took out a duffel bag. Placing a few sets of clothes into it, she emptied her cupboard by throwing the rest of her clothes aside.

She took out her penknife and pried the false cupboard bottom open. As she lifted the false bottom, her cache of weapons was revealed.

Kym, hang on.

The whole world was swimming before her as Kym opened her eyes. She groaned in pain as she tried to move her right arm to shield her eyes from the glaring lights overhead. Moving her head slowly, her eyes became accustomed to the lights and she took in the surroundings at the same time.

" Miss? Miss? You're awake?" A man's voice was heard near her.

Turning her head, she blinked a few times as her eyes landed on a tired looking young man bending over her.

" How are you?" He enquired, looking down at her. Suddenly the door opened and a nurse walked in.

" Officer Arnez, you can only question the patient tomorrow. She is still very weak." The nurse said in a no nonsense voice as she checked Kym's condition.

" Yeah. Well...I just need to ask her a few questions. Ya know, it's important." He looked sheepishly at her.

The nurse sighed. Looking at Kym, she saw the blonde-haired gave a small tired nod. Relenting, she looked at Arnez, " Okay, I'll be back in ten minutes. Make sure you're done by then."

Arnez nodded eagerly and waited for her to step out of the room before turning back to Kym. To his surprise, it was Kym who spoke first.

" What's happening?" She insisted in a thin voice.

" Actually, I was going to ask you that. May I have your name? How do I get in touch with your family?" He cocked his head as he looked at her in curiousity.

" Kimberly. Kym for short. I·I don't have a family" She grimaced as she continued talking, her mouth felt like a sandpit. Her heart ached as she remembered the last time she had heard from her parents. Great way to go Kym, your family will totally freak out if they knew what was happening to you.

Looking at her, he saw her glancing at the glass of water next to her bed. He reached over and took the glass of water. Supporting her back with his arm, he half lifted her and placed the cup near her lips.

" Thanks." She gave a sigh and was laid down again.

" Kym, I hope you can give me some information on how you ended in this situation. There was a van chasing you but seems like someone was helping you. We found a bullet in the van's front tyre. Whoever helped you had very good shooting skills, being able to hit a speeding vehicle's tyre so accurately." Arnez looked closely at the woman's expression.

How much should I say. Damn. I don't even know what's happening.

" Actually, I don't even know what's happening. I was just thrown into the whole mess." Kym frowned in puzzlement.

Arnez kept quiet, not knowing whether he should believe her. " Okay...erm..can you be more specific? Like how did it all start?" He questioned her.

" I...I don't know. Everything has been so fast and confusing. The only thing I can think off is that I met someone and we talked briefly. That was the only thing..." She frowned as she tried to recall everything. Shit. Try to look puzzled.

" Erm..okay...is that all? Can you remember what the person looked like? And what did you talk about?" Arnez stared at her face intensely.

" I talked to the woman only a short while. I asked her if she's new in town coz I haven't seen her around. Erm...I couldn't really remember what she looked like. It was really dark in the bar." She sighed.

" You sing at ' The Waiting Tavern' right?" He prompted her.

" Yeah. That was why I noticed her. Erm....as I said, it was pretty dark so I couldn't see clearly....erm..." God...when is the nurse coming back. She coughed a few times though it was not necessary. She had to try and buy some time to think.

" Are you okay?" He asked in concern.

" Yeah...er..she's tall....she had long hair." Kym supplied, looking slightly doubtful. God..where's the nurse. A headache was developing as time passed.

" How tall?" Something is amiss. Arnez felt something niggling at the back of his head.

" Well..I'm not sure..." Kym coughed again.

" She was sitting down when I saw her and I didn't see her leave the bar coz I was on stage, singing. The whole room is usually enclosed in darkness." Kym frowned.

The door opened and to Kym's relief, the nurse walked in and upon seeing Kym's slightly ashen face, she gave Arnez an accusing glare.

Arnez shook his head in frustration. Turning to the nurse, he said, " Gimme two minutes to tell her something in private and I'll leave."

The nurse opened her mouth to protest but Arnez pushed his jacket aside and exposed his badge. The nurse hesitated and warned, " I'll be back soon to check." Walking out of the room, she threw Arnez an indignant look.

" Kym, I want to tell you that if you are found obstructing the process of the investigation in any sense, you can be charged in court. I need you to think about what you've just told me and tomorrow, I hope that your memory would come back to you." Arnez looked at her in seriousness.

Kym sat in silence. Her heart was beating very fast and she felt sick. Oh god...where's Dana? What has she done?

Before Arnez could leave the room, she asked him, " Why do need so much information on her? Why is she so important?"

He turned and looked back at her. As his gaze fell upon her face, he noticed that her complexion had turned pale and suddenly felt a wave of compassion. " We suspect that she's an assassin and is responsible for a chain of killings. Kym, we need your help. We need to stop her from killing anymore people." With that, he walked out of the room.

Dana looked around her apartment wistfully. She had been moving constantly her whole life and made it a rule to never get emotionally attached to any place. This was the first time she felt that the place she lived in held any meaning to her. This was where I made love to Kym. Glancing at the apartment for one last time, she closed the door. Walking down the stairs, she went to the underground garage.

Stepping up to her car. She hesitated, feeling her hackles rise. She could hear the soft rustling of a coat and the steady breathing of a person near her. Knowing that her facial expression was reflected in the car window, she knew that if she showed any signs of suspicion, the person stalking her might attack her.

She kept her face expressionless. Pretending to look frightened and nervous, her hands trembled. She dropped her keys on the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, her hands reached down to her pants leg and she carefully extracted her knife out from the sheath. Standing up, she abruptly whirled around and threw the knife towards the stalker.

Carlson inhaled sharply and stepped back into the shadows as another policeman passed by. Standing still, he peeked around and saw Arnez walking out of the hospital room with a look of exhaustion on his face. His brow was furrowed with frustration as he turned to the policemen standing near the entrance. They talked among themselves for a short while. Arnez seemed to be giving some instructions to the men and before walking away, he cast a backward glance at the room and sighed heavily.

Carlson looked on thoughtfully, " So the woman hasn't yelped yet on her friend. Mabbe if I can get to her, I can make her do just that. " Moving back into the shadows again as Arnez walked past him, Carlson peeked again at the men standing at the entrance.

" Or mabbe I can wait for that bitch to show up first. Then I'll kill both of them." Smiling with mad glee, Carlson waited.

" I've taught you well." Shi Fu stepped out after dodging the knife. The knife landed with a soft "thunk" in the pillar mere inches from his face. Gripping the knife by the handle, he pulled it out and walked towards the tense woman standing in front of him.

Dana's face was slightly contorted with anger, "What do you want? You tried to kill her and now you want to kill me." She clenched her fist and stared into his eyes, her eyes ablaze with anger. Her body was trembling from the effort of trying to control herself. Her hands twitched as she yearned to kill the man standing in front of her.

" Control Dana. Remember what I said about control?" He looked at her grimly.

Both of them looked at each other, surrounded by tense silence. The air around them was laden with tension as they sized each other up. The mentor facing the student, who may have surpassed him in terms of skills.

Suddenly, with whipcord movements, both simultaneously reached for their guns.

A well-built middle-age man sat in the limousine. His long black hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail. Strands of silvery white hair were present in the neat hair. His sideburns and goatee was sprinkled with a few strands of white hair. Smiling, he revealed a row of well-set white teeth. His face was handsome and was unmarred except for the scar spanning from under his right eye, across his cheekbone, coming to a stop slightly above his upper lip. Holding a thin stemmed champagne glass half filled with champagne, his dark blue eyes were riveted on the small security screen. Sitting in the limousine, he exuded a sense of power.

Sipping from the glass, he pursed his lips into a cruel smirk as he watched Dana and Shi Fu face each other. A look of mad glee filled his eyes and his face contorted into a mask of cruelty as he watched them whip out their guns.

Kym looked up at the ceiling. Her mind was a complete blank. The nurse came into the room. " Dearie, how are you feeling? " She looked down kindly at the blonde-haired woman lying in the bed.

Kym stared at her dumbly. She looked at the nurse and only saw the woman's lips moving but her mind was unable to register the words. Nodding at the nurse, she did not care what the other woman was saying.

The nurse came near Kym and looked into her face with a slightly worried expression, "Are you sure fine? You don't look very good. Do you want me to call for the doctor?"

Kym looked at her and rasped, " I'm fine. Tired."

The nurse's brow furrowed in puzzlement. Nodding, she arranged the blankets around Kym and left the room.

Kym stared at the ceiling again. She closed her eyes as voices and images swirled into her head.

Arnez's face swam into her mind, " She's an assassin."

Dana's face appeared, " Kym, I love you."

The feeling of fear and panic, which pervaded her during the shoot out. The shock of seeing Dana holding the gun. Kym's fists clenched onto the bed sheets. Her emotions were on an emotional roller coaster ride as different scenes flashed before her eyes. The night she and Dana made love. The morning after. The days she spent languishing at home, nursing her broken heart. The time she cried on stage.

She felt helpless and confused lying there. Not knowing what else to do, she turned onto her left side and curled her body up. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her right arm, she turned her head, buried her face in the pillow and started crying bitterly.

They stood opposite each other. Both were tensed up in rigid stillness. Dana and Shi Fu were looking into the barrel of each other's gun. Dana's other hand was squeezing Shi Fu's elbow tightly.

" I can dislocate your elbow before you can even pull the trigger." She stated.

" Dana, you can kill me now but you must know that you may not be in time to save the singer." Shi Fu told her grimly, the grip on his gun unwavering.

Dana growled and tightened her grip around his elbow. Shi Fu's jaw clenched in pain. His grip loosened slightly and the gun dipped slightly. " It's your choice. I'm dispensable to the Boss. You know that. " Slitting his eyes, his eyes darted to one corner of the garage.

Dana frowned momentarily, distracted by his eye movement. She flicked her gaze towards the direction his eyes had darted to. She realized that there was a small security camera fixed into the furthest corner.

" He's everywhere Dana. You can't escape. If you kill me, he'll kill the girl. Let me help you end this. Surrender to me." Shi Fu intoned, silently wondering if Dana would understand what he was trying to do.

Dana lowered her gaze to look at the floor and appeared hesitant. The grip on Shi Fu's elbow loosened. The Asian man used this opportunity to jab two fingers into a point on her wrist. She dropped the gun onto the floor and hissed in pain. Cradling her wrist, she crouched down and looked up at him in hatred.

" Sorry little one." He said.

The Boss watched the whole scene play out in the car. As he heard drifts of the conversation coming through television screen, he frowned and mumbled, " Hmm..what the hell is he doing? He's suppose to kill her."

Squinting, he focused his gaze on the screen, he saw Dana drop her gun on the floor as Shi Fu reached out to jab her wrist in a quick movement. He sat forward in anticipation as the other man prepared to shoot Dana in the head.

Shi Fu pulled back the hammer and whirled his body around. Shooting the security camera, it shattered into pieces. Dana stood up and picked up her gun. Shi Fu turned back to her, " Run out through the garage back door. There'll be a car. Use it." Reaching into his jacket, he produced a bunch of keys and threw it towards Dana.

" Why?" Dana asked. Years of training have caused her to remain suspicious of anyone.

He stared into her eyes and raised his hand to gently caress Dana's cheek. " Little one, I've trained you and watched you grow up."

Closing his eyes, he lowered his head, " I'm proud of you." Dana stared at him in shock.

Clearing his throat, he whispered, " Go. Bring her somewhere safe." Dana schooled her emotions as she was reminded of Kym.

He turned away from her and stood with his legs planted apart. Reaching into his coat, he took out his guns and held them against his body. " He's coming. I'll delay him. Go while you still have time."

Dana took in the proud and determined stance of his body. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she placed a hand on his shoulder. Squeezing it, she whispered, " Thank you." With that, she ran towards the garage back door and made her escape.

Raising his head, he bellowed in anger. Picking up the small security television with its grainy screen, he pulled it out with a growl and opened the limousine door. He stood up and threw the television on the curb. As the television was smashed to pieces, he gathered himself to flick his wrist towards the black van parked nearby.

A group of serious looking men appeared and stood behind him. Walking towards the garage entrance, he roared at the top of his voice, " NO ONE FUCKS WITH ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!!" Eyes blazing with a mad fire, his lips curled back and he snarled in anticipation.

Someone was shaking her gently. Opening her eyes, Kym saw the nurse bent over her and she was calling her name.

"Y..y..yeah.." Kym muttered sleepily. She struggled to sit up but winced and fell back onto the bed as a sharp pain ran through her right shoulder. Gasping, she caught her breath and the sharp needles of pain became a dull throbbing.

"Kym." This time, the blonde-haired woman heard the nurse's alto voice clearly. Blinking, her eyes cleared and Dana's face appeared. The other woman was dressed in a nurse's uniform. Her hair was bunned up and she was wearing a pair of glasses with black frames. Every inch of Dana looked exactly like that of a ward nurse.

"D..Dana?" Kym managed to whisper out. The other woman nodded in confirmation.

Looking about in urgency, she whispered, " Kym, we have to get out of here.....It's too dangerous."

The other woman's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered what Arnez had told her earlier on about Dana. Pushing Dana away, she cringed into the bed sheets. " N..n....no...go away..go away please. Don't come near me." Kym pleaded and pulled the bed sheets up around her.

Dana stood next to the bed, her jaw slack with shock. " Wh..what are you saying? Why?" She stuttered out.

" I..I know about you Dana. I don't know what you would want with me.....I didn't..pl..please don't kill me." Kym whimpered with her eyes shut tight.

As each word fell out of Kym's lips, Dana could feel the burden of each murder crunch down harder on her shoulders. She felt her whole world crash to pieces as she realized that the woman she loved was actually scared of her.

" Ky...Kym..please...let me explain." Dana inhaled a deep breath to steady her trembling voice. Hearing no noise from the other woman who was lying in the hospital bed.

" Kym, I...I had no choice. I was brought up solely to work as a killer. I can't run away from them. I wanted to leave this life a long time ago but I didn't know how to. I wasn't sure if I could even leave this life....then....I met you. You changed me. I saw another world through your eyes. Through you, I could at least feel like any other normal person. They are trying to kill both of us now....we have to get away from this place.'" Dana pleaded with Kym.

" Why? Why are they after you and me?" Kym said out loud enough for Dana to hear.

" I left them." Dana stated with her eyes closed as she recalled how Shi Fu had helped her.

" Why are they after me?" Kym ignored the pain in her shoulder and turned her head to look at Dana.

" B..because...because..your love gave me the courage to leave them." Dana looked down and shuffled her feet.

Kym looked at her in amazement. She had the insane urge to scream in joy and yet run away in fear. She turned onto her back and looked at the ceiling. Dana looked up in nervousness. She knew that they were running out of time and yet she knew that Kym needed time to adjust to the situation.

Dana reached out and was about to place her hand on Kym's pale cheek. When she saw the confusion and barely concealed fear in Kym's eyes, she hesitated. Her face shuttered and became an unreadable mask. In a steely voice, she said, " I have to take you away from this place while we still have time. I'll leave once I see that you're safe." Kym's gaze flickered to Dana's expressionless face and then it fell away.

Kym was unsure on whether to trust Dana. Everything was just too fast for her and she had no time to actually think things out. Images of the times she and Dana had spent together flooded into her mind. The sweet surrender Dana had made to her after they made love, the wistful look in the other woman's eyes when the singer was talking about her childhood, Dana's low laughter and the wide smile that graced her face as Kym related her misadventures.

Sitting up slowly, Kym faced Dana. Lifting her uninjured arm up, she cupped the other woman's stoic face and whispered, " Dana, I trust you with my life."

Inhaling deeply, Kym straightened herself and said, " Let's get out of here."

"Not so soon." Carlson walked into the room with a gun pointed at Dana and Kym. His face contorted with mad glee.

Dana and Kym looked at him, startled. He smiled widely and waved the gun dangerously between the two of them, commenting lightly, " Hmm..sooo...this is really interesting!! Great taste in the blonde! " And made a mistake of taking his attention of Dana to focus an appreciative look on the pale-faced blonde woman.

Dana leapt forward and twisting his arm, she wrenched the gun away from his grip. The expression of mirth on his face changed to one of shock and hatred. Hissing in anger, he tried to struggle his way out of Dana's iron grip. The tall glowering woman purred into his ear, " I know."

Twisting his arm harder and applying pressure onto a sensitive spot on his wrist, she said quietly, " I know you are a cop. I'm gonna leave this place and I need you to come along in a nice manner. If you dare to play any funny tricks with me, I suggest you pray that your insurance hasn't expired yet." With that, she took the gun and dug it into his back.

Without taking her eyes off Carlson, Dana beckoned to Kym and signaled for the injured woman to sit in the wheelchair parked near the bed. Kym hesitated but upon seeing Dana's set jaw, she decided to keep quiet and go along with whatever plan the other woman had.

" Go behind the wheelchair and wheel her out. Remember, my finger can just slip against the gun trigger if you do anything unexpected. I don't think it'll be nice for you." Flashing a wide smile at the fuming man, she jabbed the gun into Carlson's back painfully. As they walked out of the room, she used Kym's jacket to cover the gun.

" Nice work." Dana commented as they walked past the two policemen who were slumped in the seats outside Kym's room. Her sharp eyes had noticed a small drop of dried blood against one of the cop's temple.

"Thanks. I try hard to please." Carlson repeated curtly. Inside, he was seething and almost shaking in revulsion at the thought of Dana near him and her having control over him.

Making their way to the lifts, they made their way down. Dana patiently bore with the few curious looks that they had received from the hospital staff. Kym acted sickly and looked as if she was almost unconscious. Carlson stayed stone-faced as he could feel the gun barrel pressed firmly against his spine.

I'll get you soon and I'll kill you so slowly that you'll beg for mercy. Carlson consoled himself.

10 a.m 26th February 2000

Dana pointed the gun at Carlson's head. " Drive. I want you to listen to my instructions. No funny tricks. Understand?" She stated firmly and focused her blue eyes on his face.

Nodding, he gripped the driving wheel tightly until his knuckles were white. He started up the engine and pressing on the accelerator, he was about to move off.

" Wait. Not yet." Dana whispered harshly, her eyes scanning the car park with her hand holding the gun steadily at Carlson.

A car screeched nearby. Dana barked out softly, " Kym, bend and keep your head down." Both women crouched down to stay out of sight.

Dana pointed the gun at Carlson's ribs. " Wait for my instructions. Keep still in the meantime." A car went past their stationary car. Dana lifted her head slightly while keeping the gun trained on the quiet and tensed ex-cop.

Glancing at the car parked in the distance, she gave a grim look at the sight of the Boss slamming the car door shut. As he and his men disappeared out of sight, Dana straightened her body and with a curt nod at Carlson she said, " Now drive."

2 p.m 26th February 2000

Kym held onto Dana's arm as they made their way to their motel room. The taller woman was still holding the gun barrel against Carlson's spine. Jerking her head towards the room, the fuming man unlocked the room and they all walked in.

A slightly sour stench assailed their senses. Kym coughed and Dana placed her arm protectively around the smaller woman. Carlson made a faint grimace before reverting back to his stony self. As the blonde-haired woman stopped coughing, she was lead over to the bed by Dana and was gently pushed onto the bed. Walking over to the dour man, the ex-assassin made a swift movement and her hands reached into his jacket. She produced a pair of handcuffs, which he had stolen from one of the unconscious cops at the hospital. Raising her eyebrow, she looked at him and cuffed one of his hands.

Carlson opened his mouth to curse at her but stopped when she suddenly reached out her free hand to jab his neck at a few places. Kym watched and gave a muffled scream when she saw the man collapse onto the ground limply.

" Oh my god! Did you kill him?!" Kym's eyes opened in fear.

Dana glanced at her and tried to hide the hurt she had felt at Kym's comment. " No. He'll be unconscious for a few hours." She stated coldly. Walking over to the only couch in the room, she pulled it near the wall heater. Straining, she gave a soft grunt as she lifted the man up and unceremoniously dumped him onto the couch and chaining the free end of the cuffs through one of the water heater pipes, she cuffed his other hand.

Kym sat and watched the whole process. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized that Dana was hurt by what she had said. Feeling guilty about doubting Dana, she kept quiet and desperately thought of a way to explain her words to the hurt woman. Suddenly, she felt fingers softly prodding at the wound in her right arm. Wincing, she jerked in pain and saw Dana looking up at her with apologetic eyes. A first-aid kit, which Dana had found in the car was laid out next to her on the bed.

Without saying anything, Dana helped Kym out of her hospital clothes and gently stripped away the old bandages. " Your wound is bleeding slightly. You better bathe first before I get down to cleaning your wound and re-bandaging your wound." She stated as she gently used a pair of tweezers and removed a few small pieces of cotton wool stuck onto her skin.

Dana walked into the toilet and inspected the shower. Switching on the shower, she adjusted the water temperature. Satisfied, she turned to find Kym standing at the doorway watching her. Dana dropped her eyes from Kym's almost naked body and mumbled, " The shower is ready."

Walking towards Kym, she was about to leave the toilet when Kym cleared her throat and said, " Dana, don't go. I want to apologize for what I said just now."

"It's okay. I don't blame you for thinking like that. I mean....I am a killer after all." Dana mumbled and shrugged helplessly.

" No, it's not okay...." Kym sighed in frustration.

Walking over to where Dana stood, she looked up into the woman's eyes and saw the other woman flinch as their bodies became close. " Dana, you are not a killer. You were one. That makes a whole lot of difference." Kym reached up and placed her hands on the other woman's chest. Under her hand, she could feel the other woman's heart skip a beat and gave a soft smile before closing her eyes to rest her forehead against the front of the nurse's uniform Dana was still wearing.

" I know you have a past that you are not proud of. But the thing is that you realized that you had to change. You actually had the guts to get out of the vicious cycle knowing that you may die for it. There may be people who may have less things to account for but they are still blind to their faults, to their crimes. They haven't woken up and found the error of their ways and their actions. They don't know how it affects the people around them. You are different. You have. That's all that matters to me. Now I know. Dana, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I love you." Kym held onto Dana and buried her face into the other woman's chest.

Encircling her hands around Kym's bare shoulders, Dana gave the other woman a gentle squeeze and swallowing hard, she blinked to clear her tearing eyes. In a slightly husky voice, she whispered, " Come on, let me help you with your bath."

5 p.m 26th February 2000

" Sir, she may be in one of the motels at the outskirts of the surrounding towns."

"Well...she may be?..."

"Erm..sir..w..we are not sure which motel and.."

"Yes?"

" W..we..are not sure which town too.."

"You better fucking find out. I don't want the next call from you to contain the words 'not sure' . If I ever hear those words, I'm gonna cut your balls off and shove them down your throat. YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?"

" Y..yes..s...sir."

Sitting back, he looked at his newest acquisition. A lone finger in a small bottle. He stroked the bottle gently and cooed, " You can't protect her anymore."

7 p.m 26th February 2000

Carlson blinked and winced in pain as a dull pain throbbed in his arms. Moving them, he heard a chain rattle against a pipe. Wide a wake by now, he struggled and tried to move his arms again only to find them cuffed to something. Growling in frustration, he pulled at the object which kept his arms from moving.

Twisting his neck, he saw Dana sitting at the edge of the bed polishing a gun. She was looking at him with her intense gaze. " Bitch, I'm gonna kill you?!!" He rasped and rattled the cuffs again.

Flicking a gaze back to Kym who was sleeping in the same bed, which Dana had slept earlier on, she tilted her head in thought. After a while, she stood up and walked over to release a cuff from one wrist. He snatched his hand away from her touch and rubbed the free wrist with his other hand. Looking at her through slitted eyes, he cursed softly under his breath. She moved back to her original position and sat down again to continue polishing her guns.

He watched her every move and felt a morbid fascination in watching her hands dance about the gun as she inspected the gun mechanism. Satisfied, she looked up and lifted an eyebrow at the silently watching man. Carlson immediately looked away.

" Do you remember the day 27th February 1980?" He whispered in a harsh voice and awaited her answer.

Dana frowned and wondered what the ex-cop was implying. Suddenly images of the man begging her not to kill him. The blood, Shi Fu's voice cajoling her into pulling the trigger flooded her memory and she clenched her jaw as she relived one of her worst nightmares. " How does that concern you in anyway...." She replied curtly.

" My brother was killed in the line of duty that day. I loved him so much and I looked up to him. My parents loved him so much. He's always thinking about the family. He always doted on me." Carlson hummed and was lost in his dream-world.

Suddenly his mood changed and he snarled in a low voice, " You killed him. You fucking slut. You killed my whole family. You ruined my life. You killed everyone whom I ever treasured." Sitting on the couch, his hands trembled as he clenched and unclenched them.

Dana sat still in shock at his outburst. She frowned and whispered, " I don't understand."

Carlson gritted his teeth and said, " Danny was working as an undercover to uncover the child prostitution ring. One day, someone in the police force leaked out his identity to the crime ring. You killed my family and I was the only survivor. Why didn't you all kill me? I was better off dead." With that he shook his head bitterly and cradled his head in his hands.

" How can you be so sure that I killed him." Dana asked, hoping against hope that Carlson was wrong.

" His finger was missing." Carlson said blankly.

"No...I...didn't. I don't..." Dana blinked and frowned slightly. The image of Shi Fu bending over the dead body with a knife came to mind. She hung her head in anguish. Oh god.

11 p.m 26th February 2000

The Boss beckoned towards the door and a man stepped forward. Kicking out a leg, the motel room door opened. The group of waiting men stormed into the small room. The Boss pushed his way in, shoving the men out of his way.

He saw an empty room with a slept in bed. Walking into the bathroom, he saw some used bandages in the small toilet trash bin.

" Find them!!! Find them NOW!!!!" He looked into the mirror and with a roar, he punched the mirror, causing it to crack around where his fist had landed.

11.15 p.m 26th February 2000

It was pouring outside. Dana, Kym and Carlson were sitting in the church, waiting for the rain to stop. Driving on the road would be hazardous in this weather and Dana knew that they would be momentarily safe here.

" Is there anyone else here? " Kym asked, with her head resting on Dana's shoulder.

"No, I checked it out just now. Seems like it's deserted." She said and looked at the bench they were sitting on and saw the thick layer of dust. Carlson was lighting the candles on the church altar. He glanced back at the couple sitting quietly behind him. Holding a long and solid candleholder to his body, he pretended to look for some more candles and moved closer to Dana's blindside.

Dana placed an arm around Kym's shoulders and gently held her. Turning her head, she kissed the smaller woman's temple. " Kym, I want you to promise me something."

Kym tensed up and place her arms around Dana's waist. " What?"

" If anything happens and....." Kym looked up and had a startled expression.

Dana shook her head, " Please, we have to prepare for the worst. Kym, listen to me. If anything happens, I want you to get away from this place. You can let Carlson go after you leave this place. He only wants me and will not do anything to you. The Boss wants me and only me. I want you to be safe. That's all I ask. At least if I die, I won't die for nothing."

Squeezing Kym's shoulder's gently, she ducked her head to see the tears falling from the two green eyes.

" Promise me." Dana said again, trying to ignore the feeling of her tears burning in her eyes.

Kym nodded wordlessly and she buried her face in Dana's chest. Holding the quietly crying woman to her, Dana whispered in a slightly choked voice, "Thank you."

Carlson stood behind the two women. He was watching the scene before him. Later I'll get you. He promised himself and sat down on a bench nearby, watching the candle flames flickering.

Dana stiffened suddenly. Kym looked up in puzzlement at the other woman's quick attitude change. Standing up, she went over to Carlson who was looking at her with barely hidden disgust and fascination. " I want you to leave this place with Kym. " Handing him the car keys, she bent over and released his handcuffs. Turning around, she went to a duffel bag situated near the front bench.

"Dana?? What's wrong?" Kym grasped Dana's arm tightly, her heart beating with fear.

" They are here. I want you to leave this place with Carlson. This doesn't involve you two. This is between me and the Boss." Lifting up an automatic rifle, she slung it around her and she tucked a few guns into the waistband of her jeans.

" Carlson, take care of Kym. The grudge you hold is between you and me only. It doesn't concern her. If I survive, I'll go back with you to the cops." Carlson nodded in resignation.

Kym looked at Dana in anguish and pleaded with her, " Dana, please don't do this. You can come along. We can get away from this."

Dana sighed and her shoulders slumped, whispering, " No, I can't. They want me. Running away won't solve things. They'll track me down and we can't live our lives running away from them all the time. Kym, please......Go with Carlson. " Turning her back towards the sobbing blonde-haired woman, she stiffened her back and forced herself to focus.

Kym reached out her trembling arms and placed them around Dana. " I love you." She whispered and rested her cheek against the woman's strong back for a few seconds to imprint the moment in her memory.

Carlson looked on uncomfortably and for a moment, he saw Dana as a normal person. Someone who was forced kill because she had no choice to. She was thrown into this life due to circumstances. For once, he started questioning himself.

Dana stood at the doorway of the church, the candles casting a glow on the walls and the frescoes. She looked out at the car pulling away from the church. The sky rumbled overhead and the moon was covered by gloomy clouds. Whispering to a god she had never believed in, " Please watch over her."

11.45 p.m 26th February 2000

" COME TO PAPA!!!!!" He shouted, stepping out of the car into the lightly falling rain. The Boss's face was contorted with mad glee as he rubbed his hands together.

A group of men ran forward to bang open the doors and pushed their way in. They were greeted with the sight of Dana standing in the middle of the church hall. With a grunt, she lifted up the automatic rifles she had and sprayed the men with bullets. They fell like rag dolls as they had no time to prepare for the attack.

The following group of men following behind scattered for cover. The Boss bent down behind the car door as a few stray bullets thudded against his car door. Cursing he took out his gun and waited for the shower of bullets to stop before running out to the back of the church. Beckoning another group of men to follow him, they made their way to the church's back to look for another way in.

Dana stopped her assault and tucking her body, she rolled behind one of the benches. She was panting harshly as she ducked away from the bullets being shot by the men who had survived her first attack. She grimly ignored the slight ache in her arms from holding the rifles. Changing the magazine of one rifle, she threw the other on the floor and slowly pulled herself to the end of the bench.

There was a respite from the shooting and Dana peeked out to take note of how many men she had to face. After inhaling a deep breath, she got up. Holding the trigger of the rifle, she shot down a few men. Crouching down again, she heard the sound of movement behind her. Turning around, she felt an impact hitting her on her shoulder and she fell back against the bench. Gritting her teeth to bear with the pain, she held her rifle up and shot at the wave of men coming in from behind.

Catching sight of the Boss's face behind the new arrival, she hissed in anger. she jumped over the bench and landed behind it. At that moment, she was sandwiched between two benches. Crawling, she made her way to the end and lunged across the space separating the two rows of benches.

As Dana threw her rifle aside, she looked down and saw blood pumping sluggishly out of her gunshot wound. This is not good. It may have hit something vital. She thought grimly to herself. Taking off her sweater, she was left in her sports bra. Ripping her sweater to bits, she took a strip to tie it around the wound. With that, the blood stopped dripping down her arm. Better. At least the gun won't slip from my grip.

" God..... I can't fucking believe that I'm helping my family's murderer." He muttered to himself.

" NO! Dana didn't kill them. She was used as an instrument. The Boss did. Carlson...how can you live your life chasing after the wrong person and living for thw wrong cause?! " Kym argued with him.

" She killed those people. I don't give a fuck. If I ever see her again, I'll kill her the next time."

" You don't? Are you sure? She was a victim of this as much as you were. I heard what you said in the motel room. Would your brother be happy if he knew that you were living your life based on revenge." Kym persisted in persuading him.

Carlson stopped the car. Danny...he closed his eyes. Kym sat next to him and watched him nervously. She wasn't sure what he was going to do next.

Jerking himself back to his senses, he sat up and asked, " What do you want to do now?"

" Go back." She said.

Nodding, he made a u-turn and stepped on the accelerator.

Dana panted harshly as bullets thudded into the wooden benches around her. Holding one handgun in each hand, she crawled on her elbows all the way to the corridor at the side of the hall. There was a cease fire and she could hear the men stepping cautiously into the middle of the hall. Looking about, she saw a chandelier situated in the middle of the room. As her eyes made a trail to the place where the chandelier was fixated to the ceiling, she saw that the ceiling was flaking very badly around that area.

Making up her mind, she laid on her back and aimed at the portion of the ceiling near the chandelier attachment. Shoots rang out and bits of plaster sprayed onto the men below. Before any of them could react, the ceiling above the chandelier gave way. A few muffled screams were emitted from the men as the huge chandelier dropped onto them with a loud crash.

Dana smiled with grim satisfaction and she quickly made her way to the church entrance. As she made her way to the entrance, she activated the control to the bomb she had planted in the church.

Suddenly a fresh burst of gunfire was directed towards her. As she gave a quick glance, she saw the Boss holding a gun pointed towards her. Running, she dived behind the last row of benches and sat there. Noticing that the entrance was a few feet away, she knew that she would have to run out as soon as possible as the bomb would be activated in ten seconds.

Inhaling, Dana closed her eyes and quickly got up. Turning around, she shot towards the men chasing after her and tried to run to the entrance at the same time. The Boss ducked the shots and ran closer towards her.

Come on...come on...Dana's breath was coming out in short gasps as she tried to ignore the pain radiating from her wound with each jolt. As she stepped out of the church, the Boss was almost right behind her. Raising his gun, he aimed.

Carlson sped back to the church, trying to make his way out through the falling rain. Soon, he recognized the familiar silhouette of the church. Kym sat up and was leaning forward, trying to make out what was happening in front of her

Suddenly, the car headlights fell on the entrance of the church. Kym saw a familiar figure running out of the church with a man chasing after her with his gun held towards her back. Carlson and the blonde-haired woman heard the sound of a gun going off and at the same time, the world heaved.

Kym gave a short scream as the whole world around her shook and a huge "BOOM!" assailed her ears. The car rocked and the windscreen cracked into a thousand pieces, showering the two occupants with glass bits. Carlson shielded his body by flinging up his arms. Both lost consciousness as their bodies fell forward.

Pushing the car door open, Kym fell out of it. Her shoulder wound had reopened and was bleeding again. A large red stain was spreading and the rain was pouring into the car through the broken windshield, smudging the bloodstain on her t-shirt front. "D..Da..Dana.." She groaned out softly as she dragged herself out of the car. The rain mixed with the blood flowing from the cuts on her face and dripped onto the ground, mixing with the mud around her hands and legs.

Falling onto her front, she squinted and saw the Dana lying on the floor with a deathlike stillness. The raven hair was covering the face of the ex-assassin. "N..no..oh god...no..please.." Sobbing, Kym dragged herself towards Dana's direction. She fell again on her front in exhaustion. Looking towards the other woman's direction, she saw that Dana was not breathing.

" Pl..please..don't leave me...Dana.." Crying, she lifted her body up and dragged her way to Dana's still figure with all her strength. Behind the still woman's figure, another person rose weakly.

The Boss lifted himself weakly on his elbow. His back was screaming in excruciating pain but he couldn't feel anything in his legs. From the corner of his eyes, he saw something lodged in his back. Looking up, he saw the irritating blonde in front of him, crawling towards the still body of the ex-assassin. Growling, he groped around him and felt a gun handle near him. Lifting the gun up, he forced himself to raise it. Trembling with the strain, he brought it up and shot at Kym.

Midnight 27th February 2000

Kym looked down with a stunned look on her face. A fresh wave of blood was gushing from a new wound. She blinked in surprise as she saw a bloody hole in her chest. Oh god.....Falling down, she reached out and managed to grab Dana's still and cold hand. As she felt Dana's hand in hers, she fell onto her face and didn't move anymore.

Carlson groaned and lifted his hands away from his face and painfully unfolded himself from his crouching position. He used his leg to push the car door open and got out of the car on weak trembling legs. He shivered as the chill of the pouring rain soaked through his body. He doubled over and coughed as he choked on the blood dripping into his mouth from his cut lips. Looking about, he saw a man hysterically laughing in the rain. A piece of glass from the church window was implanted into his back.

Kym....his mind whispered. Looking about, he saw pair of legs illuminated by the car's headlights. The car blocked the rest of the person's body. Walking forward, the still bodies of Dana and Kym came into sight. The headlights shone on their entwined hands. Carlson's legs gave way and he fell onto his knees. Kneeling, he stared at the two still bodies and started crying numbly.

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