Tomorrow Never Dies (open)

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn walked slowly down the street of Coruscant. This part of the slums were the dirtiest and probably the most inhabited with Bounty Hunters like herself and other less than civilized criminals.

She looked about, wondering if she had any ciagrettes left. She dug in her pocket and found one. She brought it out, lit it, and took a drag from it. What would happen tonight was anyone's guess.

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin Hereclaw ran up the diserted alley faster than he had ever done before, but he had never really had to run from the cops for commiting such a crime.

He turned the corner of the alley and began thinking of places in which he could loose them, but just as he had began thinking he hit what he thought was a brick wall, a brick wall which just so happened to be a woman.

[Linn O'Conner]

EDIT

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn fell hard to the ground, her cigarette leaving her fingers.

"Holy--" was all she got out before she realized she had been knocked down by a sprinting man. "Watch it, bud. What's the rush?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Terribly sorry mam, you'll have to excuse me," he stamered, he couldnt help but rub his head from the collision.

"I must be going, it was nice meeting you." He coulld hear the police sirens and knew he must leave, but as he got up he found that he had twisted his ankle. As he stood he screamed and fell back down felling every beat of his heart in his ankle.

"It apears I have hurt my foot, are you ok," he said.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn nodded disctracted by the sirens that were looming ever closer. She realized in two beats of her heart that they must be after the stranger that had just run into her.

"I think it's time we get outta here," with that she grabbed his wrist unceremoniously, throwing his arm over her shoulder and hoisting him to his feet. "Let's go."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"I suppose now would be a bad time to tell you that I am the one the cops are after," he managed to say, but the woman who was carrying him was walking so fast he had a hard time keeping up with her stride.

"Thanks for helping me," he said "would it be to bold to ask your name?"

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn glanced over her shoulder at the flashing of the lights. She laughed, taking a sharp right into an alleyway. she shook her head.

"Believe me, whatever you did it doesn't bother me. I've probably done the same," Linn let the man down and waved him to crawl into a small crawl space in a building. "In here, man. Be careful, there are spiders in there. To answer you other question, I'm Linn. You?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"The names Darin, and Im sorry to bother you once again," he said.

"I owe you one, oh and um may i also say that you... smell nice." Darin, although usualy calm, never really learned how to talk to girls, as he spent his childhood on a planet of all male bording schools.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn's eyebrow lifted as she followed the man down the small space. She smiled a little.

"Thanks, Darin," she said. "There's a doorway to your right, go down there."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin crawled without saying much for a while, and found himself listening to the garbled speech of the cops trying to get backup search teams. He couldn't help but laugh under his breath at the sheer luck that this woman had not turned him in, or run away when she heard the sirens.

"You obviously know your way around here," he said to Lin.

"What,may I ask, is a woman such as yourself doing to be needing to know such escape routes as this," he inquired.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn laughed out loud.

"Betraying people, trading drugs, buying weapons off the Black Market. Other things I'm not too proud of. This leads to my 'hideout' if you will. Though I've got hundreds of them all over the place. Way too many contacts. Why're you being chased?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Well I had been accused of a murdrer that I didn't do, so naturally when they came to take me away i fought back,and well resisting arrest,five cases of assult, and illegal stowing away aboard an inter-stellar starship dosen't go over to well where I'm from."

"Thats my story, what is yours," he asked

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn saw Darin crawl out into the room she called her hideout and she followed close by. Darin sat on the floor as she cralwed to her feet and looked around. The room was in utter chaos. Papers, blasters, swords, bombs, and other weapons she'd bought illegally lay about. Her bed in the corner was messed up and every sort of flotsam lay about her room.

"My story?" she asked as she pulled off her cloak and threw it over a chair. "My story is when I was eleven my vagrant retch of a mother left me on some barren planet in the ether. I met a guy, became a Bounty Hunter, don't trust anyone, and don't much care for Jedi either. "Can you make to the bed?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Ill try,"he limped over to the bed and sat down.

"Nice place you got here," he chuckled.

"Nice to see you inhereted the woman's cleaning instinct," he said with sarcasm.

"Pretty much the same life for me, except I'm not a bounty hunter, I just do what I got to to survive," he admitted.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn chuckled grabbing bandages and a brace from a drawer. She kneeled by his leg and began bandaging the brace next to his ankle.

"The women's cleaning instinct was lost on me a long time ago. Darin," she said, looking up at him. "I'm gonna twist your ankle the correct way, and its going to hurt. Would you prefer to do it yourself?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"You go right on ahead, its been a while since I've had a girl rubbing my feet," he chuckled.

"Just kidding," he said.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn smiled and put her hands around his ankle.

"Bite your shirt," she warned. She pushed his bone back in place and heard it snap. She then twisted it back around with another blood freezing crack.

[Darin Hereclaw]

Sweat beaded on his head and rolled down his face. He couldn't help but bite the shirt as hard as he could.

"Are you through," he gasped.

"Because if you don't stop I'll have no choice but to pass out." Even as he said this he could feel himself becoming sick, but he managed to supress the urge to vomit all over himself.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn sat back, her own head a little damp with sweat. She stood and put her hands on his chest forcing him to lay back on the pillow.

"I'm done. Lay back here," she said, moving one of her cloaks. She pulled her blaster from her belt and tossed it on the desk so she could move more freely. "Just take it easy for a minute. If you're queasy, just breathe and it'll pass in a minute."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Can do," he said. "For such a dump you stock up well, and the bed is heavenly."

"Probably because I havn't layed on a real bed since before I can remember," he muttered.

Darin couldn't help but notice that Linn had several blasters that were illegal on this planet, that and that she was slightly attractive.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn sat quietly on the side of the bed next to Darin, watching him, wondering what had brought him here in the first place, why he had been accused of murder. Especially one he did not commit.

"Hang on a sec," she said, standing and leaning over Darin to grab two blasters from the bed side stand. She sat back down and unloaded them. "Yeah. I'm pretty picky when it comes to sleeping. I have to be comfortable."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"I have to ask how much one of those trinkets would cost," he said.

"And I have to ask how you came to be a bounty hunter,"
he asked

"anything you wanna know about my life?''

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn threw the energy pack for one of the blasters across the room. It hit a wall making a scratch.

"This one? Let's see...its a type 44-A Black Sniper blaster...you can buy 'em legally here on Coruscant for about...7,000 credits. I bought this one on Tatooine in the Black Market for eight gold packs, which is equal to around 90, 990 credits." Linn explained. "How I became a Bounty Hunter...well, my dad was an imperial rapist, basically, my mom a vagrant. When I was eleven I met this guy," Linn looked down at the floor. "He was..." Linn paused.

The woman stood and walked over to her dresser where she put the empty blaster in a drawer.

"He started me out Bounty Hunting. When he died, I ran as far away from his home as I could. Too many memories. Ever since, I've just done what I had to do, and that happens to be Bounty Hunting. What about you? How'd you get framed for murder?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"I had a friend who was a drug dealer, and well he got knocked off, we had been fighting at the time so all the evidence pointed at me. I was going to find the guy but they came after me and I had to run," he said.

"I came here because I know a guy who likes to find murderers, but they found me here, the next thing I knew I was running."

"That' basically it in a nutshell," he said.

"Anything else?''

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn shook her head.

"Pretty rough, the drug business," Linn sat back down beside him, and put a hand on his arm. "Feeling any better?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Yeah, um, actually yes," he stamered nerviously not really knowing her intentions.

"Can I ask you why you helped me rather than turn me in?"

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn laughed, taking her hand away and standing. She walked to a shelf and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. She poured out two glasses and handed one to Darin. She took a drink.

"Because," she said, looking over at him. "I've been in your position about a hundred times. Personally, I don't care what you did. You seem like a nice guy. As long as you don't try to kill me, we're good." She raised her glass to him, then gulped the rest of the hard whiskey down.

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Yeah, well you dont have to worry about me killing you; Im libal to step on a landmine trying to get to you," he laughed at this and raised the glass to his lips. The drink slid down his throat like lava burning all the way down. After trying not look like he drank lemon extract he turned his head.

"Well I suppose I'm gonna have to ask to stay the night here, not that I have much choice," he said.

"Ill be out as sone as possible I promise. I just need a place to stay tonight so I can think og how to get off this planet without running away from cops at the same time," he admitted.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn smiled. She went through a door to another room so she could find her datapad and work on it a little bit.

"That's fine. Stay longer if you like. I'm afraid we may have to move to one of my different hiding spots. I'm not so favorable with the Jedi, and they may try to hunt me down," she called.

She walked back in with Darin and began working on her datapad.

"The good thing though, is that this place is a prime artillary dump for criminals. So, we have plently of weapons, should anyone storm us. I assume you know how to use a blaster, or a sword? Any kind of weapon really."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"I once took fencing classes in school,it was standard. I guess im desant with a sword, but against a jedi?! I dont know about that Linn! I mean they're the among the most elite wariors in the known universe."

"How good of a fighter are you, and how did you learn to fight up to par with jedi?"

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn smiled, tossing her datapad on the bed and lying across it at Darin's feet.

"Well, I've been told I'm a good fighter, a bad fighter, and a somewhere-in-between fighter," the nineteen year old looked over at the man. "As for being right up there with Jedi, it's only because I've been chased around the universe by them, and I've had too many skiffs with them. They are elite, and they are dangerous, but anyone can beat them if they try."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Dont get me wrong,I promise to try, but that will be all I can do, " he said.

"And if you dont mind, why are the jedi chaseing you around?"

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn sat up, putting her elbows on her knees, and cradling her forehead in the palm of one of her hands. This was a subject she didn't like to go into. Even to a guy as nice as Darin. It was an open wound. One that was already unclean, and painful.

"Well," she started. "I'm...not the most...savory person you'll ever meet. The only Jedi who isn't after me, is one named Shade Magus, and he is different." Linn paused a moment. "I've done some things...things maybe decent people wouldn't have done." She looked at Darin. "I'm a bounty hunter. I kill people for a living."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"So you snuffed out a jedi or two, and why not that guy?"

"Or would you rather not talk about it," he said

"Because I dont have to know,T mean its none of my buissness really."

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn sighed, throwing her legs up on the bed, turning so she faced Darin, and leaning back on her hands.

"I've never killed a Jedi. I will admit that. But regular people? Senators? Hutts? Anyone, and everyone. I've shot nearly anyone you can imagine," Linn looked away. "And you know the scary thing?" She looked back up at him. "I don't feel remorse anymore. Thier faces used to stick with me. Now? They all look the same."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Well then you and I have to completly different problems," he chuckled slightly,"and maybe we could help each other out,what do you say?"

Darin sat there at that moment and thought to himself that she may very well be the only "friend" he had had, but he didnt know how she felt about it.

"I mean if you would want to get away from running from jedi for awhile, and if they do find us Ipromise Ill fight my best,but I dont know how to really help you with your problem other than get you away from it for awhile."Even as he said this he knew it would sound crazy, but considering her lifes story he knew that it just may very well work.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn was taken aback at the request. That was the last thing she'd expect an all but stranger to say. She was trying to think of the last time she'd been able to stop killing for just a little while.

It had been only a day before Tychan had been shot to death, when she was twelve years old.

Linn's heart pounded just at the memory and she stood and turned from Darin so he would not she her face pale. She looked up at the grey ceiling, running one of her tattooed handa through her brown hair.

She turned back around after regaining her composure.

"Yeah," she said. "I would really like that."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Yeah,really," was all that he could say at the time, he really felt like dancing, and he probably would have if he didnt have the issue of a resently reset ankle.

"Do you know of any way off of this planet that wouldn't involve going out in public, more specifically the police and thier contacts," he asked.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn thought a moment then shook her head.

"No, none. My ship passed away. I'm still looking for a new one. That's where we're outta luck."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Well you seem to have an abundance of cloaks lying about so I guess we could use them," he said this with reassurance because in reality he was not much taller than her."Or we could just march up to a ship and take it over , wichever you would prefer," he said this with a slight smile.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn smiled. She liked how this guy thought. She picked up a cloak and threw it to him.

"I know exactly the ship to take," she put a cloak on. "C'mon, follow me."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin grabbed the cloak and threw it on, and as he began to follow Lynn he knew something that would change his life would acure from this newly formed partnership.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn flipped her hood up and indicated that Darin follow suit. They crawled through the passage and soon were out on the street. Linn looked around.

Though this part of the slums weren't usually inhabited by Jedi, but she had an odd feeling in her stomach. She grabbed Darin by the hand and began darting down the street towards the star port.

"Be as quiet as possible. I know it's gonna hurt a little with that ankle."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin,finding this entire night aquired,as well as his running, couldnt help but think all of this seemed to easy. After all the people he had meet along the way to this planet,who had tried to turn him in for a reward,he remimber one male pickpocet who had spent a great deal of time trying to capture him, and when he had failed most recentlly he swore revenge.

I't wouldnt have worried him as much if it hadnt been a person who made his home on this planet,but it wou;dnt have mattered as much if this wasnt a place that seemed much suited for a man like him, but the problem was he couldnt remember the mans name.

"Uh, Lynn, theyres probably someone who I should tell you about," but only half of that was spoken because at that moment a cloaked figured turned out of an alley and said in a masculine tone," hey Darin remember me?"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro threw back his hood, his hand wrapping around his blaster underneath the cloak. He smiled.

"Hey, Darin, remember me?"

But Jiro did not wait for an answer, he pulled his gun, blasting Linn in the shoulder. She fell backwards and Jiro leveled his gun at Darin's forehead.

"So. You got a girlfriend now, eh? I'll just have to kill her for you."

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn's shoulder exploded in pain as she hit the gorund full force. Her arm was numb, and with her other hand she reached for her blaster. Pain burst through her body, and her back arched against it. Her eyes were unfocused, but she could fell herself sitting up. Darin was a blur beside her. She could not find her blaster.

[Darin Hereclaw]

Jiro fired his blaster just after Darin hadroled out of the way blowing a speeder door of of its hinges. Darin had to think fast and make sure he held Jiro's attention, he drew the sword he had been given and waited for another blast hoping Jiro wouldn't catch on to him planning something.

"May I ask how it is my number one fan keeps finding me?"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro chuckled in his throat. He walked over to Linn's quivering form and kicked her in the jaw. She was out cold. He pointed his blaster at her then looked back up at Darin.

"Number one fan? Oh, I wouldn't go that far. Now. What to do with this girl. You should decide. Shall I put a hole through her head, her chest, or her gut?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Yes that was always like you, useing others to get what you want, but why kill the bystander when i stand here defenceless?'' "I mean I'm not armed and she wont be interfering for a while, besides I planned to dumped her after i could frame her and get to another planet with a free record," he lied. He wanted so much for it to be someone else lying face down on the pavement, then he could be far more recless, but if his plan worked Jiro would believe she was just a pawn.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro's eyes glinted. He squatted down, his blaster still pressed to the woman's forehead. He began rifling through her cloak. He found blaster she had been so desperately clutching for. He held it up, swinging it a little. He shook his head.

"Tut, tut, tut. In my past experiances with you, Mr. Hereclaw, you are one to be over-cautious about weapons. Now why would you not search this girl? What's so different about her?" Jiro chuckled. He grabbed the woman by the wrist and inspected her bruised face. He pulled her dead weight up and flung her behind him, kicking her in the ribs. He cocked his gun and pointed it at her. "No, no, Mr. Hereclaw, I think you have something up that fraying sleeve of yours. And I doubt you'll let this girl die to pull it out."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Killing that woman will only make you like me, the person you hunt, and a woman, that is even worse by law. You know we would both go down together."

Darin was now begining to feel desperate but he couldnt think of anything other than trying to get him to shoot him first.

"If you intended to shot her you would have you coward you cant bluff me!"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro rolled his eyes and pulled the trigger. The blast went through Linn's other shoulder. Jiro looked up at Darin.

"I meant to miss that, Mr. Hereclaw. But next time my shot will not be so unfortunate. Now. Either drop your weapon, or I shoot her between the eyes. I would certainly hate to scar her pretty face."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin was mordified he wanted to kill this man whether or not he got caught. The sword in his hand fell from his hand and clancked as it hit the ground.

"Ok what in the world do you want, I'll do it just leave her alone, you win." "He knew that this was giving up his only edge but she would die if he didnt."

He knew that he was in a bind with no way out he would have to pray for an idea....or a miracle.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laughed in his throat. He had Darin right where he needed him. He sat down next to the woman and smiled.

"Okay, Mr. Hereclaw, here's what I want you to do. I know that you are in charge of a good artillary stash on this rock. I want you to show it to me. If you do, I'll spare your life."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"What about hers," he demanded."I'll do nothing unless Im promissed shell be safe!"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro looked back at the girl. Her breathing was labored and the breath rasped in her throat. He looked back at Darin.

"Well, her life will depend on your cooperation. Show me to the artillary bunkers and I will consider leaving her alive," he chuckled sinisterly. "Although, it'd be a miracle if she survived."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin seeing a chance to turn things around said, "follow me."

He put Lynn on her shoulders, wich was difficult considering his ankle was injured. "Its just up here,"he said

At the entrance he stood by the vent and wondered what would be next, but he knew one thing, regardless of what happened to him if Lynn didnt make it, neither would Jiro

[Choir Aztaroth]

A petite, very pregnant girl with blindingly white skin paused at a street corner, looked both ways, and continued on. Her double take was only slightly exaggerated.

"Excuse me!" she called in a Francais accent, approaching at what could only be called a waddle. "Excuse me! Sirs! Would you happen to know where I could find Rempitaa Street?" Rempitaa was at least a kilometre away, and the flightiness was most definitely an act, if a good one. She didn't appear armed, another act. Conflagration, her lightsaber, was well hidden beneath warm, thick clothing. Even maternity leave on Coruscant hadn't acclimated her to its weather. Varunda IX really was so much warmer.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro looked over his shoulder hiding his blaster and pushing Darin into the alleyway. He turned, flashing a roguish smile and pointing to his left.

"Yes, miss. Go down this street here and follow Xenkto Street and it should bring you right to Rempitaa."

[Choir Aztaroth]

Choir paused at the corner, then headed across the street to where they were. Xenkto, after all, could be navigated on either curb.

"Thank you so much," she said, smiling gratefully, eyes and face showing nothing of the strain she was going through. "I got so lost just a moment ago, and-" Even as she poured out her simple, believable, short and pitiable story, the strain eased; link established. A voice echoed in Hereclaw's head, loudly enough that it couldn't be mistaken for a figment of his imagination.

You're favouring your ankle, and you must carry your friend. Nevertheless...run, just as soon as I say the word 'see'. I shall do all I can.

"...so you know I was so glad to run into someone, you see?"

Her words hadn't slowed nor, she judged, had any sign been given of the notification she'd given Hereclaw. Still smiling brightly, she half-turned-

And with minimal telegraphing, jerked the lightsaber from her coat and activated it.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro's blaster was in his hand in a flash. But instead of shooting at the woman weilding the lightsaber, he turned and shot Hereclaw in his bad ankle. The man went down. Now he leveled the blaster at the woman. She shook his head.

"Do not meddle in other's business, miss."

[Choir Aztaroth]

A tiny smile crept over Choir's face. The victim hadn't had a chance against a blaster wielded by a marksman. Likewise...the marksman didn't have a chance against the Dark Side of the Force, wielded by a specialist in the mind.

"Meddling is an art form, Mr. Lawson. Don't argue with taste.

"Try to pull the trigger," she said softly. "I guarantee you, you don't have a fraction of the strength you need."

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro could not in fact pull the trigger. He stood there his eyes fixed on the woman.

"Tell me, miss. Why would you want to help these two?"

[Choir Aztaroth]

"To tell the truth, Mr. Lawson, I don't think I would have a few months ago. Since them, though..." She gestured down at her stomach. "Call it humanity, if such a spin can be put on the word when a Darksider's involved.

"And now it's my turn to ask a question."

[Jiro Lawson]

"Go ahead, Miss. As you can tell, I'm all ears."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Had Jiro been thinking he would have immediatly have seen the set-up, but his concentration was fully on the woman, wich left Darin open. Though his ankle hurt he knew that something must be done so in one motion hesquated on his good ankle and spun on his other knocking Jiros feet out from under him, and as he hit the ground Darin grabbed the blaster and aimed it at Jiro.

"Thanks for the help," he said to the mysterious woman,"but I really must be going."

he stood up on his good ankle and though the pain he felt as he squared himself to lift Lynn on his shoulders was great, he knew for her sake it must be done.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro hit the ground hard and was staring down the muzzle of the gun. He watched Darin start away. He jumped up and ran after him.

"You come back here Hereclaw, or so help me--" he said, racing to catch up. He was easily faster than the other man. He snatched the unconsious woman by the wrist causing her and the man to topple down. Jiro pulled her up and could feel her waking up.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn was coming to, and the pain in each shoulder was excruciating. She could feel herself being toted by someone, but who she did not know. When she could finally see correctly, she cried out as someone punched the wound in one of her shoulders. Someone whispered into her ear.

Just keep still and no harm will come to you.

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Put her down," said Darin "you have nothing to use against me now I have your gun and I will use it!"

Darin felt his finger pull back on the trigger slightly.

"The next move is yours, Jiro," was all he could think of to say.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro chuckled deep in his throat grabbing Linn's wrists and pulling her in front of him so she sheilded him from view. His voice echoed out from behind her.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Hereclaw, will you really shoot this girl just to deal a fairly meaningless blow to me? She's lost enough blood my friend., do you really want to lose her, just to get to me?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"You coward, why hide behind a woman, why not show yourself," Darin spat.

"I wont kill her to kill a worthless scumbag like you, no. But I will remind you that tha woman is still behind you and you have her to worry with as well, because if Im correct you didnt make the greatest first impressin on her."

Knowing this bluff held no relevance as the woman had not yet moved since the blaster was taken, but just stood there as if taking in the picture.

"I can promise that if she looks dead, you will die where you stand wheather or not i shoot her," Darin said "The bottom line is if it looks as though she will die or is dead, you will share her fate, so it would be in your best intrest to pray that she survives!"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro chuckled. Darin Hereclaw certainly had a point. Jiro looked around the woman in front of him. He placed his cheek next to hers and brushed it softly with his hand.

"You have a keen and penetrating mind, that is for sure, Mr. Hereclaw. But you have forgotten one thing. If she is dead, then she will take more shots from that blaster you wield. Are you willing to shoot the dead body of your girlfriend?"

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Actually the question I would like to have answered before I reply is are you willing to take that risk," he said

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro's eyebrows popped. He smiled.

"Well, shoot her, and we'll see."

[Linn O'Conner]

The pain in Linn's shoulders throbbed. She was tired of listening to this guy. And she was sick of having hims touch her face like she was a dog to be stroked. She pulled forward, twisting, and bringing her knee up between his legs. She hit his groin hard and he went down. She turned running, as quickly as possible, towards Darin. But halfway there she fell to the ground, wincing at the pain.

[Darin Hereclaw]

"I think its best we make an exit,'' he said this half to himself and half to Lynn.

"Thanks for everything", he said to the woman, and with that he grabbed Lynn and pulled her up and ran down the alley with the blaster still in his hand.

"That was close, dont you agree," Darin asked Lynn.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn's head was swimming. She was clenching the gunshot wounds in her shoulders. Her feet felt like lead. She tripped and fell to the ground again. Struggling to get up. She looked at Darin.

"Go! Find my hideout then go down the alley, you'll find a street named Tentis follow it till you find the little bar. Take the left door you'll be safe there."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"And am I supposed to just leave you here," he stamered

"I think youve gone crazy if you believe that after all I just went through you think Ill leave you behind!"

"I will get to the bar, but not without you, and dont say anything otherwise, you understand."

[Choir Aztaroth]

"Lawson!"

Choir was approaching the recent battle scene, Conflagration having been made to vanish. She wasn't fast, and while she could probably have incapacitated Lawson's mind while he was holding the girl as a shield, she'd finally judged it too risky. Thus, she'd done nothing.

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Up you go," Darin told Linn, he was so mad at himself for bringing her into his buisness he knew that as soon as he got to the bar he would have to leave her behind. As he was sure he was away from Jiro enough to slow down he did so, and as he did he thought more and more about what hed have to do wich made him want to begin running again, but this was nearly impossible because it was taking everything he had to just walk.

Five minutes after he slowed down he looked up to find Linn had passed out. "Im so sorry, this shouldnt have happened to you this is all my fault," even though she couldnt here him it troubled him to tell someone that another person had suffered trying to help him, and he knew that the only true friend he had ever had had almost died because of Jiro, a person who she shouldve never had to run into, and he also knew that the only way for people not to suffer because of him again would be for him to never be seen with anyone again.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn was slowly coming to. As she did she became aware of the fact that someone was carrying her.

The first thought that ran through Linn's mind was, Surely I'm dead. Then she let her eyes drift open. Nope. Not dead. The last thing that ran through her mind was Gotta get away from whoever has captured me.

Darin's face, his voice, his smile, his kindness and everything about him flashed across her eyes and she began to struggle with great pain pulsing from her wounds. She hoped that he was not hurt. She would kill herself if he was. She would kill woever had hurt him, then she would kill herself.

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Hey,'' Darin said, ''this was difficult enough before you began kicking."

"Whats with the kicking, huh?"

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn heard Darin's voice, and the seeming contempt in which the words had been spoken. She drew her knees up and forced herself out of his arms, landing on her back in the street. Her eyes stared up at the man, fear and anger flashing across them.

Linn struggled to her feet, holding her hands over her freely bleeding wounds.

"Find somewhere to cure yourself," she said, turning away from him. "Find somewhere away from that maniac, and I will too."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin was perplexed she seemed to be talking in circles, but he didn t want to say anything that would make her think that he didnt understand, but after thinking about it he knew he would have to.

"Dont worry about him hes way to far behind to catch up to us now, but we do need to get you someplace, it looks like youve lost quite a bit of blood, he said "and are you saying that you want me to leave, because i can and that may be best cosidering what just happened.But no before I make sure your alright."

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn's eyes snapped to him and she felt the hot, pure blood flowing over her fingers as she pressed her palms against the wounds.

Maybe it was it was best that he leave. Maybe he wasn't even real. Maybe the blurriness in her eyes would finally take over and she would wake to find herself safe, wrapped in the blankets on her bed and no actual encounter of anyone named Darin Hereclaw ever happening.

But the pain that was coursing through her and the thoughts that attempted to race through her mind were taking her over and she could not grasp the concept of making Darin, real or not, worry about her anymore.

"So," she coughed out with finality, her heart pounding in her ears as a stab of pain shot through her neck, back, shoulders, and the burned flesh around her wounds. She fell to one knee gasping for life, and praying that soon she would be numb enough to die in pain.

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Linn," he muttered,"come on I'm taking you to that bar now!"

Darin limped over to Linn and bent down to pick her up, but he knew he didnt really have the strength to carry her there, but then he thought of the others who had suffered at the hands of Jiro, and he wasn't going to let him win again.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn scooted away.

"I can walk..." she said, standing. "We just need to find somewhere to go."

[Darin Hereclaw]

"Right I could not agree more," he said, "I think he may be coming around, but I bet that womans going to want to have a word with him."

"We gotta go and get you help come on,"and with that said he began walking to the bar, hoping with all that was within him that no more trouble would befall them on the way there; Linn probably couldnt take it.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn blew a sigh out her nose as reply, and struggled to pull off her cloak. She tore her cloak into shreds and tightly bound them around her shoulders. She could faintly here Darin's footsteps heading for a the bar.

A bar she knew.

Quickly, Linn put two and two together: Darin was a young man, not known well in these parts. That bar was full of drunk hunters and assassins that would rip a young man like Darin up if they even sniffed that he was different.

Linn knew Darin couldn't waltz right into the bar, covered in blood that was not his, and expect to stay alive long. Linn turned on her right hip and spotted him nearly to the door.

"No," she called to him. "Not in there. Let's get out of the slums."

[Darin Hereclaw]

Darin paused taken aback.He didnt have a clue as to why she so abruptly stopped him.

'' Okay then where do you suggest that we go, neither of us will survive long if we go back to Jiro, and I'm sure you know that," he said.

[Linn O'Conner]

Linn sighed, and stumbled to her feet, hunched over a little, trying to squeeze the pain from her shoulders. She looked at Darin.

"I know a man up near the Jedi temple who can heal wounds like these. We should go to see him," Linn said, praying that she would not regret going so near to the Temple.