**AUTHORS NOTE**

The images I use are not my own unless otherwise stated. All credit goes to them. I may edit them to give them a certain flare, but that's it.

Also this chapter is going to be a bit long, so strap in guys! I hope you like it!

**END AUTHORS NOTE**

"What do you think it was?" Johnathan asked again for the billionth time. The more he drank the more insistent he got about the damn earthquake we felt a few hours ago.

"An earthquake, you dumb fuck!" Logan growled as he brought his own glass pint to his lips. He was just as annoyed with the younger man as I was. "Stop looking for an excuse as to why Zena handed you your ass!"

Johnathan gave a lazy eyed smile as his leather jacket shrugged off one shoulder. "She wouldn't have gotten the better of me had I not been distracted."

I rolled my eyes and gave a deep groan. "Will you shut the fuck up about that already? I win against you once and you'd think I rammed a dildo up your ass with all your constant bitching. You don't hear me complain when you win."

"It isn't about winning, Zena." Logan chided as he settled back in his stool chair just as Brian, the bartender to our usual hole, came up to see if we needed more drinks. The resemblance between them was uncanny, but then again they were twins.

"How are you doing over here guys?" Brian's gray eyes were a shade darker than Logan's but most people didn't seem to notice it like I did. He wore his dark wavy hair back in a ponytail which gave the appearance of being short at first glance.

"He's cut off for sure." Logan motioned to Johnathan who just happily gave the middle finger. Nothing ever seemed to damper the idiot's mood. Whether we liked to admit it out loud or not, we enjoyed his constant happy high. I, personally, would never tell him that.

A smile made Brain's eyes wrinkle. It always seemed that when you had twins, you had the jokester and you had the serious one. Brian was definitely the more energetic of the two. "So another round?"

I leaned my cheek on my hand and pointed at him. "You give this idiot more alcohol and I'll hit you so hard that your momma will finally be able to tell you two apart."

"Hey, fuck you too! I'm a grown man! I can make my own choices!" The blonde man waved his arms out before leaning a tad too low on the bar. Oh yeah, he was drunk as hell.

"You driving?" Brain arched a dark triangle shaped brow. He crossed burly arms over his broad chest. It was the kind of chest that had been acquired with years of heavy weightlifting, but was softening due to inactivity and age. It was something his brother didn't experience.

"What of it?" Johnathan challenged with a smile aimed at a passing blonde a tad bit too young looking for me to respect. I trusted she was at least 21 but it still gave me the heebie jeebies. That was another reason I'd never let my friendship with him go further than 'bro' status. He was a walking hormone. No thanks.

Brian snorted. "Yeah. No more for you. Let me get you some fries to try to counter the alcohol."

My watch beeped and vibrated. My mother's face popped up as an incoming call. Unease settled in my gut because she never called me this late. It was almost midnight and she had been going to sleep at 9PM every day for about eight years now. Since my father passed away.

"I'll be right back." I hopped off my chair and proceeded to walk outside where I could hear beyond the loud music and boisterous cheers over the game they were playing on the big screen.

By the time I got outside she had hung up and called again. I answered her as soon as I managed to dive into the darkened alley between the bar and the late night cafe for some privacy. "Mom? What's wrong?"

She sniffed a few times which made my heart launch to my throat. Panic whirled through my body at terrible thoughts. Did something happen to my younger siblings? Did one of my aunts or uncles pass unexpectedly? Was it her? Was something wrong with mom? Oh god I couldn't handle it if something happened to her-

"Oh...honey...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. Did I...wake you up?" She wasn't even bothering to hide her tears, but her lack of enthusiasm to tell me what ailed her selfishly relieved me of someone I cared about having an accident or that she was terminally ill. Mom had a habit of being beyond hysterical when it came to things like that.

"No, mom. I'm out with the guys. What's wrong?" I didn't bother to tell her who 'the guys' were. She had met them all last summer when she came up to visit me and she liked them all pretty well. Johnathan in particular. Oh, he was just too cute. Her words. Not mine. She liked tall men and never ceased to push me toward the same type.

"My friend, Lucy, passed away. You remember Lucy, don't you?" She sniffled again, this time was hiccuped, as if she were choking back more tears. It broke my heart.

I slumped against the brick wall and nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Yeah, mom. I remember Lucy. She used to babysit us while you were at work."

What I didn't tell her was that we all hated staying there. Her kids always made fun of us for having less than them and she'd punish us for tattling. She knew we didn't exactly favor the woman, but I wasn't going to push that in her face right now.

"Stephanie told me that the funeral is in two days…"

Stephanie was one of Lucy's kids and one of my worst tormentors. I frowned at the memory, but now wasn't the time. "Didn't they move to Florida about five years ago?"

"Six years. Oh, Zena...I want to go but I can't leave Sosha." Her damn toy poodle. I hated that thing with a burning passion. It knew nothing of personal space, was overly happy, and barked at every damn thing. I was definitely a cat person. Thank you very much.

"Why can't Hannah or Rachel watch him while you go?" I offered and pulled my jacket a little tighter around me just as three heavily intoxicated men shuffled by, laughing loudly at something. Jesus, I could smell them feet away! I scowled and turned my back to them to walk a little further into the dark so I could hear her better.

"What was that?" My mother asked.

"Nothing, mom. I have you on my watch right now. Why can't Hannah or Rachel watch him?" I persisted.

The men behind me got a bit louder and I could tell they were getting closer to me. Whether it was on purpose or not, I wasn't sure. I gritted my teeth and just held up my watch a bit closer to my ear.

"Hannah left for Europe for her foreign exchange program and Rachel is in Tennessee with her friend for a concert. I'd take him with me, but you know he doesn't travel well. I can't believe I'm going to miss it…" Her voice started cracking again. She wasn't fishing for me to offer to help her. If she had been, she would have called much sooner. No, she was genuinely prepared to skip the funeral. I hated the woman, but I also couldn’t deny that he helped my mom out in some pretty bad situations where I could never have.

I bit my lip, trying to think past the raging headache that was forming. Fuck. I can't believe what I'm about to say…"Mom. Start packing. I'll come down there to watch him."

"Oh, Zena you don't-"

I cut her off, talking a little louder than I normally would because the group behind me was getting obnoxiously loud. "Mom, I'm coming. It's only a 5 hour drive to Harrisburg anyway. Just pack your things and book the soonest flight you can. I know how to let myself in. I'll head home now, but I've got to go. These fucking ASSHOLES are being too loud to hear you. I love you." I swiped the end button before she could argue with me.

"Who you calling an asshole, bitch?" Oh, good. They heard me.

I turned around to see the trio looking down at me. I couldn't see their features because the light silhouetted their faces. I could tell they were big though all around six feet. I tried not to let that intimidate me, but fuck it all, my pulse sped up a bit.

"I was trying to have a conversation and you're out here cackling like a bunch of animals!" I hated the slight quickening of my heart, but I refused to let these men make me cower. I spent the last six years practicing martial arts so I wouldn't need to feel afraid.

"Maybe have a conversation in the parking lot like a normal person, bitch!" This from the tallest of the three. His voice held a hint of an accent that I couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Bitch? Really? Is that all you've got? My four year old nephew can diss better than that, dumb fuck!" I forced my legs to push me forward so I could walk past them. I needed to let the guys inside know that I was going to head home.

"You fucking little-"

"Hey Z. You got a problem here?" Logan came around the corner with Johnathan right behind him. Even with the alcohol I knew they consumed they still looked very big and menacing. It pissed me off their presence immediately changed the tension levels. All because I was a small woman. 'Let it go, Z', I thought to myself.

I frowned up at the trio as if to ask them, "Do we have a problem?" Being this close now, I could see they were all about my age, but they each wore red letterman jackets. So I was now betting they were a few years younger. The tallest one even had an explosive acne problem gaging by the severity of the bumps on his skin. No wonder they were so quick to get hostile…not that I had any room to talk.

"Come on, Hal. Let's go. This shit isn't worth it." This from the quiet one. His dark eyes swept over me with a darkness I haven't seen in years. There was a hatred here. A hatred I couldn't possibly deserve after such a brief encounter. Something in his past caused that intense malice toward the fairer sex and I'd bet my savings account that it had something to do with an old girlfriend or perhaps his mother.

The group of them grumbled and turned to walk down into the parking lot without so much as a word to Logan and Johnathan.

"What the hell was that about?" Logan grumbled, his arms crossing his thick chest as he watched after their shadows.

"They didn't like that I called them assholes for being loud." I shrugged. "What are you guys doing out here? Surely not to check on me?"

"Yes and no. Dumb fuck here pissed Brian off so I've got to take him home." Logan jerked a thumb over his shoulder with his lips pursed.

Johnathan gave a sheepish grin. "How was I supposed to know your boy was porkin the girl?"

I ran my fingers over my temples. This fucking guy has no shame I swear. "Okay, well I won't be at the dojo for awhile. That was my mom on the phone and she asked me to watch her damn dog so she can go to a friend's funeral in Florida."

Logan's normally stern face softened a little. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Z. When do you leave?"

"Tonight. I hate driving during the day and the funeral is in two days. I need to give her enough time to get down there and she won't leave that dumb dog." I glanced at my watch again and sighed. "You didn't happen to drive the Lexus tonight did you?"

Logan shook his head and dangled his Porsche keys. Great. "Sorry, Z. You usually walk home."

I nodded. "No, it's fine. No one could expect Lucy to kick the bucket. I'll be okay."

"You sure? I can sit around here while he drops you off." Johnathan offered as his eyes followed a small group of giggling girls into the bar. Yeah, the last thing I needed was to be responsible for this idiot's beat down.

Logan scowled at the younger man and grabbed his arm to keep him from walking over to them. Clearly he felt the same way.

"Yeah. I only had the one beer. You on the other hand need to go home." I couldn't help but smile as the idiot swayed a little on his feet.

"You let me know when you get home." Logan said firmly. It wasn't a request. If anyone else commanded me like that, I'd knock the fuck out of them. But this was Logan. He was like everyone's big brother and he simply cared like that about all his friends.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will. See you guys later." I waved at him with a half smile as I turned to walk toward the street. If I walked fast I'd be home in ten minutes.

My favorite thing about walking home from the bar was the fact that most people were home, sleeping in their beds so the streets were blissfully empty. I liked the quiet the walk normally provided because it helped my head clear.

Tonight had a different feel for some reason and I didn't know why. It was chilly, but still warmer than it had been the last several weeks. The moon was full and bright enough to light the way even though several lights were out. My converse sneakers were nearly silent as I walked the sidewalk and the noise from the bar was almost completely out of earshot. Why the hell did I feel so...uncomfortable? My eyes could not pick up any sign of people but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

I hunched into my leather jacket some more and turned my pace into almost a jog. Just another block and my apartment building would be right there.

Something crashed behind me and I whirled around to find nothing there. What the hell? Was I going insane?

After a few heart pounding moments of nothing but the blood rushing in my ears I finally sighed and turned to make it the short distance home and hit a solid wall.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" I began until I looked up to see the red letterman jacket. Everything happened so fast then. One second I was standing in the street, the next I was rolling onto the broken alley.

Pain shot up my arms as I instinctively huddled like I was taught and I felt my hair whip out of my ponytail. Howls of masculine laughter seemed to echo everywhere around me.

"Not so tough now without your boyfriends around, huh?"

I got to my feet immediately to face two of the three guys from the bar. Where had the third one gone? Acne Face and the one with the dark eyes. "Where's your other buddy? Had somewhere else to be?"

"Unfortunately." Acne Face said as he ran a thick hand through his spiraling dark hair. Both of them were out of arms reach so I risked a glance down at my arms. Fuck. My jacket was ripped at the elbows. Did I mention this wasn't a real leather jacket?

"Shame. Who'd want to miss out on the powertrip of tossing around a girl?" I knew they didn't plan on letting me leave this alley unharmed. I didn't have time for this shit. I needed to go home, damn it!

"If you didn't have such a smart mouth on you, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Dark Eyes growled. He was actually broader in the chest than his friend which told me that I needed to worry about him. If I got hit from either one of them, it would be bad, but he would have more power. No matter how trained I was, taking a hit from him would put me down.

"I'm actually not very smart so if you think that's smart, you must be pretty up there on the spectrum." I shot back. Why was I talking back? Because anger makes people dumb. Predictable. Make them angry and I'd have a better shot at getting out of here unhurt.

Dark Eyes laughed and it made my heart pump a bit harder. There was a sinister air about this man. Yeah. I'd definitely have to be careful with him. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out that reflected light. Metallic. It was the wrong hold for a gun though. A knife.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"I'm going to enjoy cutting that sharp tongue out of your mouth, bitch." He brought the blade up to his hanging tongue and I admit it was a pretty damn big blade. About four inches.

I swallowed hard. "Calm down, Hannibal Lector. We don't need to do this."

"Hold her for me, Hal. We're going to teach this bitch some manners." Dark Eyes didn't even sound human anymore.

Acne Face ran for me. His long legs ate up the distance between us in less than a second, but it felt like I had all the time in the world to process his movements. His hands reached out to me and I slapped them out of the way before jamming my webspace into his throat.

Immediately Acne Face started to choke. His hands went to his throat as he fell to his knees, his eyes bulging out of his head that was turning a shade of purple. He had no idea what had hit him. He was lucky though. I admit that I hadn’t performed the move accurately. Otherwise Acne Face here would be dead since it was meant to crush the windpipe, killing the person. I hadn’t exactly planned to do it, but I felt no remorse, even knowing I could have killed him.

With him down, I needed to focus on Dark Eyes because he…

Was gone?

Blinking stupidly at the empty space he was just at I was momentarily paralyzed. I couldn't have taken my eyes off him for more than five seconds. Where the hell did he go?

Then I saw it. His knife on the ground. Had he run off? Surely I would have heard him right?

My heart started racing in my chest that had nothing to do with my little dance with Acne Face. No. Something was wrong here. My instincts screamed it and I never ignored my instincts.

I hauled ass out of that alley. I didn't even stop when I passed the lobby of my building. I kept running until I made it to the fourth floor of my apartment and safely locked myself inside.

***

It took him longer than he cared to restore his wrist device long enough to send his distress call, but the Bad Bloods ship had been damaged far more than he realized when it struck down, so he had limited resources to work with. He had to use an outdated core piece that was going to be too much for the device which meant after he sent the call, it fried out. All the thing would be good for now was to decimate an outbreak. He was going to have to find this 'Harrisburg' the old fashioned way. Hunt for it.

Xai'an switched his mask to infrared after he took his first steps outside the ship. Oomans usually packed together. They were a small, weak, emotional species that seemed to thrive in herds. They were only deemed worthy hunts due to their intellect and then only the ones trained for their militaries. The last time he had been on Earth, they still used fire as their main light source. He knew from reports that they had advanced a bit since his time, but he doubted they would provide much of a challenge for him when even those Bad Bloods barely worked up a sweat. They even still believed they were the only life forms in the galaxy. Arrogance.

As he looked around, he saw a massive heat source. It was so large that he had to switch off his infrared. A large ooman dwelling lit up the night sky below him. Much larger than he remembered. So, they discovered electricity? A bit further than he expected, but they were still so far behind. At least obtaining information shouldn’t be as hard as he thought. He could simply hook up to the data network if they had one and get the layout information he needed.

After setting the ship's self-destruct on with what little power it had left, Xai’an switched on his cloaking device and quickly made his way into the city, using the rooftops as his vantage points. Oomans never looked to the sky as a source of danger. Pathetic. His mask pulled up their primitive writing, storing and translating for him. What he needed was a map.