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Carrying Raist was a definite burden for her but she trudged on as quickly as she could without jarring him too much. He was semi-conscious and whispering something about his god but she couldn't make it out because half of what he said was complete gibberish to her ears. It had been difficult to get him onto her back but with Scar's help she had finally been able to lift him up and move. Going was slow but fortunately the den was supposedly close.

As they traveled she noted that Scar was leading them around in a diminishing circle. At first she wanted to question him but realizing that the den was close by she deduced that he was attempting to confuse anyone that may be following them. The spiraling pattern did not take long to conclude though. Once they reached what was an old office building in semi-decent condition he lead her through a gap in the wall and then down a set of stairs. Several times she had to rest before continuing on down the long staircase. Their descent led them into a basement of sorts that had one shattered wall. "What is this place?"

"This is an old railway station that humans used long ago. It was abandoned when the newer subway system was established." Scar replied matter-of-factly as he plodded down the stairwell slowly, making sure she kept up. "We are close, fear not."

"Good, he's heavy." Sasha complained as she strained not to drop him. Before long they hit a platform at the end of the stairs. Unable to carry him further she set him down a little more rough than she would have liked and fell down to the ground in sheer exhaustion. "I can't go on anymore Scar, he's too big."

"We are within the confines of the den now. Rest now and we will care for your paladin in a moment." Scar replied as he sat down next to the paladin and swept his gaze out over the platform.

Inside the recesses of the place was a deep pair of trenches that apparently served as guiding rails for the machines that used to carry passengers around. Within one of these trenches was a large vehicle. It was long and slender with several doors on both sides. Sasha couldn't see inside because the windows were all too dirty but one of the double doors was open and she could see movement just inside. Elsewhere in the large station were several piles of junk and refuse that apparently served as dens for the current occupants.

Scar made a few growling and yipping sounds out loud and Sasha was surprised to find two netherhounds both younger than Scar step out of the shadows very near to them. She hadn't seen either of them in her rush to get Raist down the stairs safely. "Your kind seems to know how to keep to the shadows."

"The best defense is not to be seen at all." Scar replied with an incline of his head then turned to the gathering crowd of females and young consisting of adolescents and cubs both. "Everyone come closer, I would like to introduce to you the last prophet, Sasha."

Sasha watched the gathered crowd all lay down on the ground and bow their heads low, all but the cubs who were playing nearby. Her breath caught in her throat at the sheer number of them all. She wondered what size the hunting pack was when considering the size of the den members present. She knew they were expecting something from her but she was too astounded for several seconds. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, but please that's not necessary."

When they all returned to their feet Sasha looked back to Scar and then to Raist, who was babbling in a strange language still. Her face creased into a mask of concern and she shifted her gaze back to Scar. "Help him please."

"We will do what we can but for now you must gather your strength Sasha." Scar replied before turning around and barking orders, literally, to his followers.

**

The wind whipped angrily around him; blowing the long trench coat he wore in all directions. He was high up, the highest point in the city as a matter of fact, and that's how he liked it. Solitude was hard to find when you were posing as a corporate stooge. He gazed at an open book that hovered before him, its pages turned only at his behest, unaffected by the wind and the cold temperature around him. The lines on his coat signified that he was a chronomancer of the highest rank attainable in the city; honestly he thought it laughable considering the spells at his disposal.

A soft sound caught his attention and he looked up with his cold, ice-blue eyes ignoring the feeling of the wind flowing across his short raven-black hair. He had spiked it up as always, that was a given. The color of his skin was pale because he didn't see the sun often. Surge liked to sleep during the day and perform his duties during the night. Deciding he had studied enough for the day he stood up and brushed the dirt off his jeans and t-shirt. The ensemble amused him, most sorcerers of his station wore finery and suits but he preferred something that added a little more flexibility and room to breathe. The book obediently followed him, slamming shut as it hovered a few feet behind his body. His smooth voice was foreign to him as he whispered the command word to whisk the tome of magic back to his quarters in the tower.

"My apprentice." A voice suddenly issued from thin air, its tones gravely and worn with age.

"By your command my master." He said in reply while dropping to one knee instantly, sliding his glasses back onto his face and staring at the concrete below him.

"The last of the blood line has been revealed to us. Your time has come." It breathed as if the rattling words were his last. Surge knew otherwise.

"I shall obey master." Surge replied as a smile crossed his features, he'd been becoming bored over the last few months and apparently his patience had proven beneficial. He stood up excitedly and whipped his hand high and to the right, causing a shimmering portal to appear before him. As he stepped inside the portal snapped shut and the air around the former hole wavered as if a stone had been cast into a pond. An explosion rocked the building instantly, causing it to groan in protest as it began to fall.

**

Clouds obscured her vision, looking like pieces of debris resting on her eyes. Their opaque outlines made it hard to see the scene before her. The outline of a woman lithe and slender but powerful, Sasha could feel her benevolence as if it was a palpable trait. The most discerning feature she could see was a shock of long red hair that flowed and moved of its own accord as if caught in some eternal wind. A hand outstretched toward her and two paths found her eyes, one shrouded in darkness and the other lit up like Christmas lights on a tree. There was a difference between the two that she could not put her finger on, a decision on the tip of her tongue. Arcane syllables burned into her brain and a black-feathered raven flew past her at a breakneck pace then circled around heading straight toward her face. It wanted her eyes, she knew that much. She knew she was dead until the red-haired woman stepped in front of her bravely. She reminded Sasha of Raist in a way.

There were many creatures down the lit path attempting to make her choose that direction but the woman who had come to her rescue was fleeing from the raven down the darkened path. She felt she had to choose but knew not the outcome of either choice.

"No!" She cried at the top of her lungs, flinging the sheet she had been clinging to off of her Sasha stood up among a pack of startled netherhounds. She looked around searching for Raist and found him not far away, sleeping soundly on a similar bed with Scar sitting at the entrance to the den they had borrowed.

"It is alright my lady." Scar said softly as he approached her and sat near her legs. "It was a dream."

"Something's wrong." Sasha said softly, holding her head. A single drop of bright red liquid fell from her nose and hit the concrete near her feet. "I couldn't see it."

"What?" Scar prodded her to speak further and cocked his head to the side so his good ear was closest to her.

"Something's wrong Scar, someone is blocking my visions." Sasha sat down next to Raist and put her head in her hands, sighing softly. "It's been like this for days and the more I dream the harder it gets. I've never bled before."

"I sense nothing my dear, it is alright." He replied and put a paw on her leg, trying to comfort her. "We won't let anything happen to you."

Sasha sighed softly and shook her head, unconvinced. Something wasn't right about her visions; someone was trying to stop her from seeing too much. There was another detail missing from her mind but she couldn't pin it down. Her thoughts were cut short as she heard the sound of an alarm chiming in the subway station. "What's that?"

"Someone approaches." He said with a growl.

She watched the mothers usher their young into the wheeled train car on the track and crouched down by Raist awaiting further orders. "What should I do?"

"Take refuge in the train, we'll handle this." He replied in a low voice.

"I'm not leaving Raist." She said defiantly, giving him a look that would harbor no arguments. "I'm staying here."

Her further protests were cut short as a bright light erupted from the center of the platform, blinding her for a second. Once the light had died down she looked up and balked in amazement. A short vixen stood at the origin of the light, a light breeze flowed past Sasha then died down leaving the arrival's long red-haired ponytail settling down behind her. She had a pair of goggles resting on her forehead just above her striking green eyes. She had red fur a shade lighter than her hair and a patch of white that started at her chin and stretched down until it disappeared beneath a black suit of bio-Kevlar armor and a long pair of military-style pants with several pockets on the side, also black in color. She wore a pair of high black boots that covered her calves with a long knife sticking out of one boot. Strung across her back was a long rifle and on each hand she wore a thin pair of gloves.

Seeming disoriented for a moment she recovered quickly enough to discern one of the young netherhounds springing into the air behind her. With a wave of her hand she sent it flying into a nearby concrete wall and crouched into a defensive stance, looking around warily. She was outnumbered six to one but with a calm confidence she stood and waited. The pack lunged at her as one and she slammed her fists down into the concrete below her feet, shouting loudly enough to make Sasha cover her ears.

Netherhounds flew in all directions as a shockwave pulsed across the inside of the station, causing small debris to go flying about. Wasting no time she stretched her arm out toward the nearest of the hounds and whipped her arm toward another, sending them colliding into one another. The newcomer ignored the cracking sound that resounded off the walls around her and drew the knife from her boot. "I've come for the prophet. You will release her into my care immediately or I will this building down stone by stone searching for her."

"You shall not have her." Scar challenged with a throaty roar and bounded over the concealing rubble with his claws at the read and his mouth open wide for a strike.

The woman with the red hair grunted loudly and pushed her arms out in front of her. A rippling wave of energy tore through the air and caught Scar mid-flight, pushing him back and over the lip of the nearest trench. Another hound lunged at her in a similar manner and she held her arm out toward it, clenching her fingers tight. The hound stopped in midair and yelped once before gulping for air as if it was drowning. "Alright, the hard way then."

A tendril of crackling energy began gathering around her free arm and her eyes began to glow a bright red color. With a motion she snapped the neck of the hound that she had been suspending in air and let it drop, pulling her arms in close to her body aimed down toward the floor. As the next hounds lunged at her they were batted to the side by arms composed of red-hued lightning.

"Wait!" Sasha cried loudly as she stood up to face the woman. "I'm here, don't hurt them."

"You are the one I seek?" The woman questioned, looking startled at Sasha's appearance. "Wait you're not a prisoner?"

"No." Sasha said, shaking her head lightly. "They've been protecting me."

"We have a lot to discuss then." The red-haired stranger said in reply. "I'm Sarah."

**

"Forgive me for the attack; I thought you were holding the prophet captive." Sarah said as she regarded the injured netherhounds around her and Sasha who was sitting not far from her near Raist's unmoving form. "So this young human is your protector? He doesn't look like much."

"Appearances can be deceiving." Scar said suddenly, drawing a look from Sarah. "Not all is as it seems on the outside Psion."

"Oh so you know what I am?" Sarah questioned, looking Scar directly in the eyes without wavering one bit. "Then you know I'm not to be trifled with, the prophet must come with me for her own safety."

"We will not relinquish her to someone who attacked us blindly; you show neither restraint nor skill at your craft, wielding your power like a child with a toy gun." Scar growled lightly, expressing his displeasure.

"A child that single handedly disabled every guard you had on alert." Sarah countered as she crossed her arms over her chest, cradling her rifle close to her chest. "I don't think it's your decision anyway."

"You mean to take her then?" Scar said defensively, sitting back on his haunches.

"No old man, I mean it's her choice." Sarah said with a head nod toward Sasha.

"You may have been charged to protect her but things have changed. Don't tell me you can't hear it?" Sarah closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side as if listening to something in the distance. Her head moved from side to side rhythmically. Her mouth turned upwards into a smile as she opened her eyes and regarded Scar. "Can't you hear the song?"

"What are you talking about?" Scar said as he perked his ears forward as if trying to discern what she was talking about. "The song has not changed."

"No? The old man released Surge." Sarah replied matter-of-factly and then nodded to the surprised look on his face. "I would not lie about something so serious. Even now he's trying to find her and he will find her mark my words. If you can't defend yourselves against me you can't defend yourselves against Surge."

"He wouldn't dare release that monster on the last prophet in the line." Scar's voice had changed; there was a hint of fear there that was not present before.

"She's not the last." Sarah said with a shake of her head, not explaining further. She held out her hand toward Scar and made a dismissive motion. "It would require more time than I have, we have to go. Wake the paladin and get him on his feet."

"It may not be that simple." Sasha shifted her gaze over to Raist and then back to Sarah. "He overexerted himself while protecting me. His body is taxed beyond its limits."

"Then we leave him." Sarah stood up and walked around the wall of rubble, turning back and looking at Sasha. "You have to come with me now Sasha; I've delayed longer than I should have as it is. If I don't get you out of here you're as good as dead."

"Where will you go then?" Scar questioned as Sarah slung her rifle back over her shoulder.

"You're not authorized to know that." Sarah's tone would brook no argument; she turned back to Sasha and made a motion with her head toward the door. "Come on prophet we have to get out of here."

"I won't leave Raist." She said defiantly and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head from side to side. "He risked his life and his safety to protect me; it would dishonor him if I were to leave his side now. There has to be something we can do."

"Damn it." Sarah clasped the bridge of her nose with two fingers and pulled a vial from one of the pockets of her vest; tossing it to Sasha she turned around and scowled. "Force feed him that and be careful not to spill any of it. He'd better be worth the trouble, that cost me a fortune."

Looking from the flask of liquid to Scar and then back to Sarah she decided that it would be best to trust this woman though she knew nothing about her. She pulled the stopper and tilted Raist's head backward, pouring the sweet-smelling liquid down his throat slowly. He drank it all with minimal sputtering and Sasha corked the bottle back and tossed it Sarah's way. She was amazed when the airborne glass found its way directly into Sarah's pocket.

"I implore you not to go, we can protect you sufficiently." Scar said silently as they both looked over Raist's stirring form. "We don't know anything about her let alone what her intentions are."

"There's something familiar about her, I feel like this is the best course of action to tell you the truth. I had a dream in my vision I saw a woman that looked like her. But things are so distorted right now I hardly know what is true and what is not. Do you know what I mean Scar?" She questioned as Raist's eyes fluttered open suddenly. "Raist! By the gods it's good to see you awake."

"What happened?" He asked as he rubbed his head gingerly and stood with her help, looking around to get his bearings. His eyes instantly fell upon Sarah and he looked over at Sasha hoping for an explanation. "I feel like I was hit by a runaway building. Who's she?"

"Someone not to be trifled with." Sarah replied as she walked toward the far end of the station. She looked down the far passage leading away from the station into the darkened tunnels and then back to Scar and the others. "How far does this tunnel go?"

"We have not traversed it the entire way. There's a series of doors blocking further passage, it poses a challenge for us seeing as we do not have thumbs." Scar replied as he turned away from Sasha and Raist. "You have made your decision then young prophet; I just hope it's the proper one."

"What's he talking about?" Raist asked as he looked from Scar to Sarah then to Sasha and grabbed his rifle. "Where's the rest of our stuff?"

"In the building we left under a stone. I couldn't carry it all when you were injured." She said with a shrug. "We're going with Sarah."

"What? Okay who is she and why are we going with her?" Raist questioned as he motioned with his free hand and pulled the strap connected to his gun over his head and shoulder. He regarded Sarah questioningly for a moment then Scar. "What do you think about this?"

"Honestly I am opposed to it but the decision is neither mine nor yours to make." Scar sat down at the entrance to the subway car and regarded Sarah for a moment. "Your prophet has made her call and you must follow."

"It would have been nice if we had made this decision when I wasn't unconscious." Raist sighed softly and then laughed bitterly in the same breath. "Well at any rate I guess I have no choice. I hope you know what you're doing Sasha."

"That makes two of us." She said with a shrug as she and Raist began walking toward Sarah. "Well are you going to whisk us out of here in a flash of light?"

"No, that's beyond my ability." Sarah said as she hopped down into the trench where the trains had been running and began walking, keeping her pace slow enough for them to keep up. The tunnel around them was dark but at a regular interval there were lights, some of which still functioned. She didn't need any light to function. Her green eyes flashed lightly as she swiveled her head from side to side keeping watch for any surprises. Strange things lurked in the forgotten places of the world. "It was a one time thing before you ask."

"I see." Sasha replied. "Well if we're going to travel together we should know something about each other right? You know of me but I've never met you before this day, tell me about yourself."

"Hi my name is Sarah and I'm an assassin for hire." She said through a wicked smile. "Don't flatter yourself; I'd never take a contract on you. I've been working for an organization that wants you alive and well unlike the mutant scum that attacked you a few days ago."

"How'd you know about that?" Raist said suspiciously as he walked behind the odd woman.

"I've been tracking you." She stopped suddenly and picked up a their retrieved belongings, pitching it at Raist without bothering to check and see if he was ready. When he caught it with no issues she grinned. "Your things. I pulled them out of the rubble and stashed them here before you ask."

"My thanks." He replied while slinging the pack across his shoulders and un-slinging his rifle so he could hold it instead.

"You knew we'd come with you then?" Sasha asked, tilting her head to the side a little.

"No, but like it or not you were coming with me, by force if necessary." Sarah motioned for them to follow as she stepped back up onto a lip and opened a metal doorway before her. It opened into a long concrete hallway. Suddenly she stopped and looked down the tunnel the way they had come and her eyes widened. "He's here. Quickly! Run!"

Sasha followed her gaze down the tunnel and was greeted by an intense flash of light followed by a wave of flame flowing down the hallway toward them. Not needing any further prompting she scrambled into the doorway helped Raist inside.

Sarah came through not long after and closed the door, prodding them forward. "Go paladin, lead the way. We want to hit the surface quickly before he realizes which way we went."