Family Ties

He shut the door silently behind him as he made his way down the alley and onto the main street. There are some places you just don't want to be when you're definitely not welcome. Tir was one of them. Well, for Rueben at least. He released his clip and glanced down at it quickly, not wanting to keep his eyes off of her for too long. Yep, 50....fuly loaded he thought as he jammed it back into his Mausser. His eyes darted quickly, nervously around the city as he made his way across the bridge over the aquaducts.

He used to be welcome here. Back when...well, when he belonged. He used to have a name too. Ha, that was when he had friends, yea...before his life was turned upside down. Its too bad there really wasn't anyone to blame, other than himself. Rueben Laurence didn't have much to live for anymore really. Guilt. Yea that was it. The emotion he felt was guilt. Well... there was the love too. Of course he loved her, she was his sister. But that wasn't why he kept tabs on her. It was the guilt.

He peered around the corner and froze. "Dammit, must've taken a wrong turn somewhere," he muttered to himself under his breath. Its not like he didn't know where she was going. She only went to two places in that sun-beaten maze they call Tir. This time, it was that bar. The Happy Rebel. He glanced down at his NCU interface as he felt his legs start to tingle. Clouds of green nanobots swirled up his arms and into his hands as he executed his Grid Runner nanoprogram. Much better. He stretched his legs out and sprinted right past the guard. He laughed softly as he saw the Sentinel guards reaction. Too slow once again.

She entered the Rebel without her robots. Her long blonde hair shimmered under the streetlamps. Her hair was down, as always. It was a nice night. A cool breeze with the aroma of meat wafted under the fixer's nose. Mmmm Bronto Burgers...or was that Mongol Meat? Both probably. He deactivated his cloaking device and climbed up onto the low rooftop across from the bar's entrance. Amazingly agile, even for an Opifex. He sat cross-legged and took out his comm-unit. He could monitor her from outside due to the bugs he placed in her comm. It had to be done. The guilt. He sighed as he looked onto his screen. She was with those CoT guys again. The small Opifex guy with the rifle and the big loudmouth...he had a beard. They treated her good. He smiled. At least she had good friends...made his job easier. Nice night. He put his hands behind his head and layed on his back, looking at the stars. Guilt and love. She was safe, thats all that mattered.

((More to come...need sleep now hehe))

((I really liked that, good job so far Tyma :D Keep it up!))

Politics. Thats all they ever talked about. Missing children, recent meeting topics, Notum mines. Drama. Thats all it was. He rested his head on his kness as he listened to the audio feed from inside the Rebel. He yawned as he unwrapped a granola bar, nibbling it slowly. Pressing a few buttons, he checked the NRPB node quickly before logging right back off. His prescence had to be small, invisible. After all...he was technically dead. Being a fixer had its perks for sure. Especially when you have connections with the insurance system. Favors. Special requests. No questions asked.

She could never know he was out here, stooped over on top of a roof in Tir, or alive for that matter. Not too difficult on a planet like this. Technology was amazing. He could stand right next to her as long as he was careful enough, and she would never know. The tall slender Opifex shivered under his armor. "Cloak would be nice....warm bed would be nicer." He tended to talk to himself a lot. No one else to talk to. Looking over the rooftops he saw something. The silhouette of someone standing on a landing pad halfway across the city. Someone tall, very tall....with a rifle, yea that was it. He activated his cloaking device as he quickly made him way toward the figure, his finger lightly tapping the trigger on his Mausser.

A heavy Omni-Tek cloak obviously. Black leather gloves, and a hood to covered his head. No wait, a woman...Opifex. She was just standing there facing the whompahs. Reuben didn't dare go any closer than he was. 30 yards. Suddenly the cloaked figure crouched down and raised her rifle. FDA Caterwaul. He recognized the model. Good range and extremely accurate. She was perfectly still again, apparently watching the whompahs. There. A man walked out of the backyard....BY11. He was holding a suitcase, he looked nervous. "Dammit, why do I care," he muttered as he watched the man. "Just walk away Tymaar," he said to himself as he inched closer to the assassin.

The target, male, Nanomage, about 5'6" with his hat on. The man was obviously waiting for something. He carried a generic black briefcase of seemingly no importance. Paperwork maybe, some money. She was a professional. She held her rifle delicately but with a confidence. He was 20 yards away from her now, controlled breathing...a ghost under cover of nightfall. She moved. Her hands moved quickly and the nanobots flashed dimly as she executed a program, still watching her target. Absolute Concentration. She took aim, her eyes focused into her scope. Tymaar held his breath, and aimed. Just as she squeezed the trigger, the barrel of her gun was knocked off course. He smiled as her shot was sent into the sky. She used a supressor, but the Nanomage across the street heard enough to retreat into the Whompah.

Her eyes flashed as she turned to glare at Tymaar. She took a step in his direction but couldn't move. He flashed a smile and sprinted across the rooftops in the direction of the Grid terminal near the Rebel. Rooted, she cursed and took a shot, missing his shoulder by 4 inches. She stuck a stim into her arm, releasing her from the hostile nanoprogram, and vanished into the night.

Exiting the Grid in West Athens, he made his way out into the Shire and sat down near a flock of Reets. Breathing hard, he flipped up his comm screen. Still at the Rebel. Now talking about the defense of West Athens. Seems they need new guards. Deactivating his cloaking device again, Tymaar leaned against a tree. "So much for keeping a low profile....at least she didn't see my face." He chuckled to himself as hes shut his comm screen. "Was a nice shot though." He pulled his cloak out of his pack, bundled it up, and layed his head on it. A night out here would do him good. Maybe he'd grab a drink...unless..he fell...asleep.....