Alex – Heart Of The Vanguard

__________*_Alex_*__________

Outside 'Satan's Hollow', Manchester, UK, Sat 22nd Jan 22 20:29

I peeked down towards the club entrance from the entrance of a side street I was hiding in, watching the bald headed SkyTech guy enter the club alone in his leather jacket that he had worn on the day he kidnapped me... he managed to sneak past the bouncers as they were attending to another group that has just arrived. t

Turns out this guy's name is Jack Tenno, found him on the low level priority SkyTech database. He had a growing career with them, did their dirty work that required a Human touch, including kidnapping suitable victims... Sorry, it's worded on the files as 'Completing collections of selected suitable volunteer candidates for processing'. However you chose to word it, he was on the prowl again, I know because he had made an entry into his latest report that his latest target, a 'Stacey Lowe', would be attending this club tonight as it was picked up in a text conversation with her boyfriend that Jack had tapped into. I pulled back around the corner and looked down at myself, I already had my disguise image on, but now I needed something that would fit in more with a clubbing scene rather than a hoodie, skinnies and Converse.

I wasn't keen on the whole typical clubber girl look and to be honest, clubbing was never my sort of thing, but with a name like 'Satan's Hollow' and by witnessing some of the attendees entering with their dress sense with, that this wasn't your typical club, more of an alternative club. 'Perfect' I thought, I had an idea in mind, I reimagined my clothes, the wisps of red and purple fog covering my body as they changed in seconds, revealing my new attire. Little black lace up pixie boots, with the tiniest of heels, I still wasn't your typical girly girl, let's face it, I had to show a bit more practicality. The shoes lead to mostly black thigh high socks, only broken up by three banded red lines at the top of each. They stopped just short of a black and maroon plaid skirt. And for the top half, a maroon t-shirt covered by just a plain black, unrevealing but tight fitting cardigan. All in all with my mostly blonde pixie style hair cut, it was was a close to emo style set up that actually seemed to work quite well with my looks, in my opinion anyway, not that I had any real fashion sense.

I rounded the corner and immediately realised a problem, it might look a bit odd with me going in on my own, Jack had snuck in but I doubted I would have the same luck. Perfectly timed though, a taxi pulled up just down from the entrance and four girls piled out. I quickly made my way up behind them as they walked towards the club's entrance and the bouncers on the door.

Me: "Hey, mind if I join you ladies?"

One of the goth girls at the back of the group, shoulder length gloss black hair, purple lip gloss and matching eye shadow, fairly thin build, dressed in mostly black, turned to me,

Goth: "Of course not gorgeous, come along." Without warning she grabbed and took my hand and lead me towards the door.

Me: "Whoa... Oh ok..."

The bouncers waved us past and we got up to the ticket counter. One of the girls up front asked the woman on the counter,

"Four tickets please."

Goth: "Whoa hey, that's five now Alice!"

Alice turned back around to question what she was told,

Alice: "What? Five? Who's that?"

Goth: "This is..." She gestured toward me to introduce myself.

Me: "Alex, my name's Alex... And don't worry, I got us..." Now here was the clever bit... I imagined the image of a credit card in my hand and presented it to the others as I stepped up to the front to the counter to the card machine.

Ticket girl: "£55 please..." I tapped the card on the machine, it beeped as it accepted the payment.

Goth: "Oh right! Me and you are gonna have fun I can tell baby." She said, giving me a wink and taking me by the arm we proceeded into the club. What I had actually done back there was, behind the image I had put out of me holding a fake card, I had extend my armour down my right arm, although none of us could see it. I had interfaced wirelessly with the machine, and paid for us all, all courtesy of Jack Tenno's bank account.

This girl lead me deeper into this almost Halloween style decorated club, down a flight of stairs where the music was already starting to get loud. A banner above the door showed 'Teasing Teens night' I got a bit worried by that slogan until I realised that it was in regards to the music era of 2010-2019, so said the subtitle on the banner below the main slogan.

'Got to get a new name for that.' I thought to myself, as as we got in the door I recognised the song playing, 'Booyah' by Showtek, which was actually an old favourite of mine. Immediately I was dragged over to the bar where the goth girl shouted her order of six shots to the bar tender just so she could be heard over the music and once served she slid three over to me.

Me: "Oh I shouldn't drink!" I shouted.

Goth: "Come on! Can't come to a club and not drink! And you paid for us so this is on me." She nudged one of my shots closer to my hand that was resting on the bar and picked up one of her own, offered it in a 'cheers' motion. I gave in, audibly sighed, even though it couldn't be heard, picked up the shot glass of blue liquid, clinked it with hers and we both downed it.

Me: "At least tell me your name? You know mine!"

Goth: "Oh it's Carley!" She said offering up the next shot glass, again I picked up another glass, red liquid this time, clinked with hers again and again, simultaneously downed them.

Carley: "So what are you here for? Why'd you come on your own?!"

Me: "I'm looking for someone!"

Carley: "Aren't we all?!" She smiled at me.

Me: "Not like that!"

Carley: "Hey, nothing up with a one night stand baby if that's what you're into, I'm the same so who am I to judge. Just so you know..." She put her hand on my thigh, "...I'm also looking for someone tonight!"

Me: "Certainly not shy are you?!"

Carley: "Heh, you only live once, why not have fun?!"

Me: "That's a fair rule to live by. I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm after somebody in particular, there's a guy in here, bald, early 40s, black and brown leather jacket!"

Carley: "Into the older guys are we?!"

Me: "What?! Jeez, no..." I said that, then thought about that Wrex actually falls into that category, technically speaking, then followed by the nagging thought of what I did to him just hours ago... "...well, maybe." Carley turned back to the bar while I surveyed the room,

Carley: "Hey, can we get two Woo Woos please!"  She asked the passing bartender.

Me: "More drinks?!"

Carley: "Yeah, for the road, the shots were just the warm up, come on!" She raised the final shot glass, again, we clinked and downed simultaneously, just as the new drinks arrived in front of us.

Carley: "Well do you see him?!" I turned and looked around the room again, the bright flashing lights were tripping my sensitive eyes, but from what I could see he wasn't here.

Me: "Not that I can see, no!"

There was a clink from behind, which made me turn around but nothing looked out of place.

Carley: "Well, there's another room we can try, he might be in there... Come on!" She shouted to me picking up her drink, nudging mine towards me and stepping away from the counter, beckoning me to follow. I picked up my drink and followed.

Me: "Hey, where have your friends gone?!"

Carley: "Meh, probably to go and find their own guys and gals..." She stopped on the edge of a rather crowded dance floor as the song changed to 'Don't You Worry Child' by Swedish House Mafia, "...hey! I love this song! Wanna dance?!"

Me: "I really should be looking for-!"

Carley: "Oh come on! Please?!"

Me: "Alright fine, one song, but I need to get on with my search!"

Carley: "Yes!" She started jumping on the spot, spilling small amounts of her drink as it sloshed, taking my free hand with hers and lead me further onto the dance floor. I had to bare in mind how close I was to everyone, I needed to keep my tail and wings in close to my body so people didn't accidentally bump into them. Carley more or less got straight into the rhythm, where as it took me a few seconds to get into it but I did, and had to admit, I felt more comfortable now than I ever have done before in any club. Was it just down to me feeling more comfortable in my feminine body? I don't know, but I quickly decided I was actually going to enjoy myself for a change, I had been stuck in a relatively secluded life for the last few months, I figured I had earned the right to let loose for a change.

Me: "I didn't think this would be your sort of song!"

Carley: "I love all sorts of music, as long as it's bassy!"

We danced away, both of us taking swigs of our drinks... Then came on a song that I really liked, 'Song 2 - Madeon Remix'.

Me: "Oh my god, I love this one!"

Carley: "We'll stay here then!"

We danced some more, but I noticed Carley kept getting closer and putting on a more seductive style to her moves, problem was I had no where to go and was still trying to keep my hidden wings and tail away from people. The next problem I had was I was starting to feel a bit uneasy on my feet, the room was starting to spin, maybe it was the flashing lights getting to me? Or the alcohol as I hadn't drunk anything in a long time? and on an empty stomach? Or maybe both? Whatever it was I was starting to find it difficult to stand let alone dance,

Me: "I... I need to..." I started pushing my way through the crowd but I stumbled, dropping my drink on the floor but Carley caught me.

Carley: "Whoa, hey, easy girl, you alright? You don't look too good. Let's go freshen up yeah?" I could barely see, my eyes were either blurring images or not wanting to open. She guided me with my upper arm across the dance floor, past the bar and into the ladies room, I just about heard some girls talking in here then one of the spoke loud enough for me to hear,

"Eww... She's blatantly about to spew, let's go." Then I heard them scurry out of the room as Carley rested me against the sinks worktop, then, for some reason, picked me up by my thighs and sat me on the edge of the flat worktop next to the sink.

Carley: "You ok?" She asked, my blurry vision was placing her just in front of me.

Me: "My head..."

Carley: "Probably the drinks gotten straight to it... At least we can have five minutes alone..." She stepped forwards towards me, placing one hand on my right hip and the other on the left side of my neck and steadied my wobbly head as she started kissing and sucking the right side of my neck, a gasp escaped me as she skated over my sensitive skin, my groggy head unable to work out what's going on.

Carley: "God you're so cute..." Her hand that was on my hip travelled up, under my top, softly glided up my side and gently started groping my right boob, "...and no bra too, I knew it, not that you need one by how firm you feel..." She mumbled into my neck, still kissing and sucking it while rubbing her thumb over my nipple which soon turned pinching and tweaking, sending sparks of pleasure through my chest, causing me to moan... But something wasn't right... I just couldn't work out what...

Her hand travelled back down, leaving my boob, then left my torso completely, I almost felt saddened that it had gone. It was soon back though, she pushed herself between my legs then drove her hand up my thigh, stroking my delicate and sensitive skin of my inner thigh. She quickly moved her hand upwards, under my skirt more, finding my snatch, she pulled her head back from my neck.

Carley: "Ooo... No underwear at all!... You really were out for some fun eh?" Her fingers instantly aimed and glided of my clit, my mouth fell open and I let out a small moan and she took the opportunity and stuck her tongue down my throat, her fingers dancing around my clit quickly slid down further, sticking two digits straight into my very slick pussy. I made a muffled moan into her mouth and she started flexing her fingers to be stroking my g spot.

'Something really wasn't right about this...' 

*"Wakey wakey Alex..."* Reikon whispered to me.

She pulled her face away from mine,

Carley: "I want to take you back to my place! I want us to fuck all night long, would you like that?"

I couldn't do anything but moan in reply, but in my head... I was slowly coming back together... My regulator... In the past, if I was drugged or knocked out it forced my body to reset... I didn't have that anymore, but I did have the Shard, which wasn't a bad substitute...

*"Come on Alex... As much as I hate you, I don't want to have to go through this...*"

Carley: "Ooo... yeah baby? You like that? Hmm? You gonna cum for me?..." She slowed to a stop with her efforts to make me cum and pulled back some more looking at my neck, "...I didn't see the cool scaley tattoos before, they look almost real... Wait..."

This wasn't right, this whole situation, what Carley was doing to me, I could feel the chemicals being wiped from my body, she had drugged me! I growled as I pulled my mind back together, my vision refocused and laid my eyes on hers. I yanked her hands from me and kicked her towards the toilet doors opposite the sinks with a shriek, smashing hard off the wooden structure and slumping to the floor. I leapt off the counter, grabbed her by the neck and with my unnatural strength picked her up off the floor, and pinned her against the nearby wall, feet dangling in the air, gasping for breath.

Carley: "What are you?" She strained out.

I looked into the mirror above the sinks to my left. I was 'clothed' but I had lost the concentration on the image hiding my Draconian parts, they were all on display now, I turned back to Carley.

Me: "I'm the wrong person to try and take advantage of!" I threw her down the room, she landed roughly on the floor with a scream, coughing and spluttering for breath.

At that moment, some girls opened the door behind her and started to enter.

Me: "GET OUT!" I growled at them, they shrieked and ran back out. I stepped menacingly towards Carley as she lay on the floor watching me.

Carley: "What are you going to do to me?" She quivered in fear trying to back up against the wall.

Me: "Have you ever been raped before?"

Caley: "N-no."

Me: "You do realise that's what you were just doing to me, right?" She stayed motionless, staring fearfully back at me without blinking, her jaw starting to quiver.

Me: "Let me share something with you..." I leant down and pressed my scaly index finger on on her forehead, I copied and sent a partial memory straight into her head, of when I was first raped by Sam, being sure to make it blurry to her so she couldn't make out where the memory took place, also cutting out any point that I might have looked at myself or Sam, but everything I felt at the time, both mentally and physically I sent to her, unaltered. As soon as my finger left her forehead she broke down into tears.

Carley: "What the fuck? *Sob sob* what the fuck was that? What did you do to me? *Sob*"

Me: "I merely shared a little life experience... That was the first time I was ever raped, you were just the third. It's not something I enjoy each time I can fucking assure you, now you've experienced it I'm sure you can see why."

Carley: "I'm so sssorry..." She broke down into hysterical tears.

Me: "Oi, come on, do you know what I did? I got on with it each time, not because I wanted to but because I had to,  I had no choice! It happened, I had to deal with it so now you can too. So come on get up, you're gonna help find who I'm looking for... Then I'll let you go, but if you ever try to roofie someone again I will ruin your life in ways you can't imagine, is that clear?!..." She stared at me, frozen like a dear in head lights, her make-up running down her cheeks, "...NOD!..." She enthusiastically nodded. "...get up off the floor." Carley groaned as she pulled herself up, apparently the landing causing her more injury than even she had thought as she staggered and limped on the spot.

Carley: "Wha-What are you gonna want me to do?"

I stepped towards her, she staggered back slightly, but not enough as I placed my index finger on her forehead again, this time copying any memory I had of Jack Tenno into her head, name, details, my personal memories of him including the kidnapping, the hospital scene and even watching him sneak into the club tonight. She gasped and fell away as I finished the transfer.

Carley: "He... He kidnapped you? And shot at you? How are you still alive?! How did you do that anyway?"

I raised my hand for both of us to look at,

Me: "I'm not exactly Human am I? And I have other tricks up my sleeve..." I returned my image to the full on Human look. "...come on, quickly fix your make-up, I don't want him leaving here. If I find out he left while you've been... 'Distracting' me, you're in big fucking trouble." I gestured her to the mirror and she limped towards it. Pulled her small handbag towards her that she apparently left on the sink earlier. She very quickly fixed her make-up then turned back to me. I gestured her to the door and she limped her way towards it. I rolled my eyes and walked up to her, supporting her under her shoulder with my arm around her waist.

Me: "Don't get any funny ideas, I just want us to look natural."

Carley: "Trust me, after what I've seen of you, I don't want to go there anymore." We left the rest room and back onto the bass filled dance floor again. Now having to resort to shouting at each other to be heard again.

Me: "Shame anyone else you've done this too before couldn't have shown you the same thing!"

Carley: "Please! Don't think of me like that! You were actually the first person I've ever done that to. I was dumped just two weeks ago, and trust me, he was enough to put me off guys, at least for a while anyway, I was getting desperate!"

Me: "Desperate after just two weeks?! Jesus Christ that's pathetic! Word of advice, just try talking to the girl first rather than drugging her, you might get somewhere!"

Carley: "I know I know! I'm sorry, I really am! I promise, I am never EVER going to do anything like it again!"

Me: "I'm glad to hear it, but I don't want to hear any more sob stories! I'm not here to make friends! Just help me do what I asked! Where's this other room you mentioned?!"

Carley: "Back out towards the entrance hall, there's a door on the other side that usually gets missed!"

I helped her along the hall and back up the stairs, sure enough there was another set of double doors that could easily be missed. We pushed our way through the doors and onto another dance floor, indeed this one was not as packed as the last one and the atmosphere also seemed more relaxed. Carley leant over to me,

Carley: "There, over at the bar... That your guy?"

Indeed there he was, leant back with his elbows on the bar, surveying the room. He did seem to stick out like a sore thumb.

Me: "Yep."

Carley: "What are you gonna do?"

Me: "Gonna get him talking... You might not want to get involved... Some sensitive matters that the world's not ready to hear about yet."

Carley: "Oh ok..." She surveyed the room herself, "...Oh look, my friends have claimed the sofa, could you help me over there?" I looked over in the direction she gestured,

Me: "Sounds good to me." Then I helped her over.

Alice noticed me supporting Carley and shouted to us as we approached,

Alice: "Oh she's not pissed already is she?!"

Me: "No, she just had a bit of a fall earlier... Didn't you?" I strongly hinted to her.

Carley: "Yeah!, Yeah.... Slipped on the.. er, bottom of the stairs, smacked my hip on the floor."

Alice: "You fucking nob." She exclaimed shaking her head as I helped Carley onto her sofa with the rest of them.

Me: "I'm gonna go have that talk I mentioned." I directed at Carley.

Carley: "Ok... Stay safe."

Alice: "What's that about?" I heard her ask as I walked away and I just about heard Carley's reply,

Carley: "She got some business with the guy at the bar, bald guy, leather jacket, keep watch, it might get interesting."

I walked across the room stepped to the bar, just four foot down from Jack and grabbed the bar tender's attention.

Me: "A scotch, please."

Bar tender: "That's £5.80 please."

I presented the illusion of card linked to Jack's bank account, that of course, was hiding my armoured arm again, tapped on on the card reader and it beeped in acknowledgement.

Jack: "Whiskey... Not a very lady like drink." He stated, looking over at me as the glass was placed in front of me.

Me: "Oh trust me, I'm not very lady like at all, let me assure you... Plus after the long and busy day I had..." I picked up my glass.

Jack: "I'll drink to that..." he turned and picked up his bottle of Bulmers from behind him and offered up a cheers, I held my glass up in a similar motion and took a large gulp of the liquid as he swigged from his bottle.

Jack: "So, you not getting on with your friends tonight?"

Me: "Sorry?" He gestured over to the girls who were talking amongst themselves while occasionally looking over.

Jack: "...Couldn't help but notice you came in with them, yet came over to the bar and ordered a drink just for yourself. Which tells me one of three things, either you don't actually know them that well, or they've pissed you off and you've come over for a break from them, or you came here looking for the different sort of company, if you catch my drift." He slid a couple of feet closer to me.

'Eww... Was he hitting on me??'

Me: "You're very perceptive... Almost like you're military trained or something, something that requires analytical and tactical thinking anyway."

Jack: "Ahh... You've got the same sort of mindset then."

Me: "Maybe, could just call it a hunch though."

Jack: "No no, I think you're smarter that what you give yourself credit for. So, out with it then, why are you over here away from your girlfriends?"

Me: "Which do you think it is?"

Jack: "Well, I'm leaning towards the third option, of you wanting a different kind of company... How right or wrong am I?"

'Oh boy... Hasn't got a clue... Good news for me though.' I downed the rest of my glass.

Me: "Well, that depends."

Jack: "On what?"

Me: "How right am I? I mean, what do you do for a living?"

Jack: "Oh, I work in construction, yeah, currently managing a new build site near by." I glanced sideways at him,

Me: "I call bull shit."

Jack: "Really, why?"

Me: "We literally just spoke about you analysing me and my friends as we walked in? Nah, you're military, private security, secret service, top secret company goon or something." I stated, trying to push him in the right direction of where I wanted this questioning to go.

Jack: "Alright, you got me, I got out of the Army, probably about the same time you started secondary school, what are you, 19? 20?"

Me: "We're getting of the topic here."

Jack: "Topic? We're just talking? You never know where it might lead us. You know what they say, great minds think alike."

He stepped slightly closer again and ran his fingers down my forearm, I tried my best not to flinch and pull away but also hoping he wouldn't feel the scales that I was hiding. God he was a such a creep... I looked to him, picking up my empty glass, shook it in front of him and forced on a smile.

Jack: "Another? Ok..." He grabbed the bar tender's attention, "...Hey, can we get my friend here the same again?"

He turned his attention back to me,

Jack: "So if I'm buying a drink for the lady do I at least get a name?"

Me: "It's... Alex."

Jack: "Nice... Just 'Alex'? You got a surname Alex?"

Me: "Nope, just Alex."

Jack: "Huh... Really playing hard to get here aren't you?"

Me: "I like people to work what they get in return." The fresh whiskey glass was placed in front of me and Jack tapped his card on the card machine.

Jack: "Aaahhh... So I will get something out of this then?"

'Oh you'll get something alright you scum bag.'

Me: "Maybe... What's in it for me?"

Jack: " 'What's in it for you'? You just got a drink out of me, hopefully this evening you'll get more than a drink out of me and it won't be a waste for both of us eh? If you catch my drift. Come on, open up a little and stop being such a tease."

Then without warning he placed his hand on my shoulder and tried to stroke down my back, but of course, he caught his hand on the joint where my wing met my back. My eyes widened and I froze in fear.

Jack: "What the...?" He said removing his hand and looking more at my back. I tried to turn my back away from him but, I saw just by looking at my hands, they were scaly. In my moment of fear I momentarily lost my concentration and dropped the image, just for a split second but it was all Jack needed.

Jack: "You're 'her' aren't you?! From the hospital?!" He said, picking up his bottle and stepping back from me. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to say, not that I had any time to think as my there was a simultaneous *Smash* and *Smack* to the back of my head, causing my head to shoot forwards and smash my own glass with my face, my head bouncing off the bar and I fell to the floor, clutching my head and groaning in pain. My ears were ringing and when my eyes weren't screwed shut, my vision was doubled and blurry. I blinked a few times, trying to clear it while I heard a scuffle behind me.

Carley: "HEY!... argh!... oof!" I rolled over to see her, blurry, half sitting up on the floor and Jack reaching behind and under his jacket, pulling out a black object, next sounds I heard were a pistol cocking and Carley gasp. My vision returned just in time to see him raise his gun to Carley as she laid on the floor, I quickly leapt up, armouring up as I did, focussing on my left arm first as I reached for the gun, placing my palm over the end of the barrel just as the armour covered it and he fired. The round did nothing to my hand as I grabbed the gun, snatching it from his hands, he looked to me just as the rest of my armour settled and in one good swing of a right hook, punched him in the side of the head, knocking him clean out onto the floor. There were screams and shouts as people ran from the room but I stared at his unconscious body for a few seconds, making sure he wasn't going to get straight back up before turning to Carley and retracting my helmet to look at her.

Me: "Are you ok?"

Carley: "I'm... I'm f-fine, thank you, I've never had someone point a gun point at me before!... You saved me! Even after what I did to you?!"

Me: "That's not what I'm about... I'm always trying to do the right thing... But you're welcome."

Carley: "Oh fuck, your face is quite bad." She pointed out. I could feel the warmth of my own blood trickling down my forehead, left eye, nose and cheek.

Me: "I'll live." I quickly recalled my helmet though as three bouncers ran into the now silent and mostly empty room."

Bouncer: "What the hell are you?!"

Me: "Someone that just did your job, here, this was his." I offered them the pistol which I was still holding by the end of the barrel. One of the bouncers gingerly took it from me while the other two stepped to either side of Jack.

Me: "No no, he's mine, I've got some questions for him, once I'm done then I'll let the authorities have him... maybe..." They stepped back, realising that they weren't going to argue with me. I bent down, picked him up by his jacket one handed. "...this girl could do with some medical attention though." I nodded to her and she simply stared back as I walked off a few paces, opening a Jump in front of me and stepped through, dragging Jack behind me.

(-Rob Dougan)