Entering into the great city once again was eerie at best. A cold chill crept up Julius' spine as he crawled out of the caravan. His head was still swimming with the bad wine Sir Beleaguer had given him. He was terrified of what would come now. It was too late to run back to the APC and drive away into free territory, he had to figure out a way to survive in the city that wanted him dead for crimes he had never committed. Julius gritted his teeth as everyone filled out and into a shoulder to shoulder formation for inspection. Two black and tan Doberman Straw-dogs walked the boardwalk with hand held scanners while a human officer with a holo-note bored scanned I.D. cards or cred chips as they were held out. One Straw-dog made an immediate stop in front of Julius as its tail flicked and the scanner turned red and beeped loudly. Julius went pale as a ghost as the mutant dog man's hackles stood on end and he stepped back and turned to face the man on Julius' right-hand side. The man looked calm and collected but the scanner spoke, 'Infection alert, carries Hyper-rhea Dexdrift 1.2-B, terminal, infectious upon contact with fluids.' The Straw-dog slid his face plate down and it locked with a hiss becoming fully environmental. His oxygen supply kicked in and the mutant dog spoke from the armors loud speaker.

"Slowly step away from those not infected and lay face down on the board walk sir," The man did not respond but looked over his shoulder past the blockades to the cities interior. A gun hissed to life as it charged to fire. "I'll ask you one last time, step away from the uninfected and surrender yourself peacefully." The man seemed to not hear the orders given and removed his coat to reveal a series of nonmilitary grade explosives strapped to his chest. Julius' eyes grew huge as he looked at the cool and collected man. "If your goal is to blast through the blockade those explosive won't even make a dent sir." Retorted one Straw-dog as others circled around behind the bomber like a pack of wolves hunting.

"I have no intention of doing damage to your blockade, this will be enough to turn my body into a vapor and spread my mist across an eighth of this city."

"Why do this son?" Spoke the gruff human officer, the man's cold emotionless eyes darted all around taking everything in like a super computer scanning documents.

"May 28th 419 A.A. an expedition to retake the millennium rift was sent out. Tenth Division was assigned to the mission... ten thousand men and women, a mix of magic and non-magic forces, reinforced with five thousand Mad Dog units and a skimpy light armor company. All sent to die, it was a total slaughter and those who made it back were dismissed or recycled into other units and forgotten. Most of us that survived came down with this sickness." He looked to make sure all ears were his,

"What exactly is you're point son?" The officer spoke again with an eager edge to his voice.

"Five hundred survivors total, and 90% of us are sick and dying. What came through the rift were not only monsters, but invisible pathogens that infected most of us! After all the talk of benefits and honoring the countries heroes, what do we have to show for our sacrifices? Nothing, nothing at all." The cold emotionless man spoke like a drone.

"Okay, I think I get you now, what is it that you want son? I'll see what I can do to help you."

"I want all the details of that expedition to be released to the media, I want all the names of those who died publicized and their due accolades granted them. I want my dishonorable discharge revised and my rank and pay restored for my family's sake."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, I wish to kiss the emperor's daughter so that he may know the pain of seeing those he loves die in agony, in total obscurity. After all, we were told that we few were scarified for the greater good. The emperor's daughter for two million citizens, it's the same thing isn't it? It's fair..." The man's eyes were unwavering with a resolve that shook and tested the nerves of the officer trying to reason with the man. Beads of sweat dripped from the officer's forehead, a stark contrast from the man with the bombs who was cool, calm, and collected. Julius held his breath and watched the events unfold as he inched away little by little.

"Look son, I can help you with everything except the Emperors daughter request, you and I both know that can't happen!" He chuckled as he tried to defuse the situation.

"You are saying no to one of my demands and lacking the intent to carry out my other requests... There is nothing more to discuss." He exhaled and closed his eyes and the Straw-dog police officers bolted into action drawing their large flair gun like C.R.I.P.F. (capture, restrain, and impact prevention foam) pistols and shot after shot they fired. Splat splat splat! Fwoosh! Wet balls of white glue burst out from the barrels and splattered all over the man's body. Instantly the glue flared in the fresh air and became a thick fluffy form fitting foam that cocooned the figure. In moments the foam figure shaped somewhat like a man expanded into a perfect fluffy foam sphere fallowed by the muffled pop of a bomb reduced to a fire cracker.

"Everyone put your hands in the air!" growled a huge Straw-dog officer who stomped around with another scanner combing the area for any leaks or fellow contaminated. The hound strutted over to Julius who in his quick thinking began to tear up and sniffle,

"I... I don't wanna die!" He snuffled and started crying, though not completely a lie, nor all an act. He pulled it off masterfully and the growling war dog stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh jeeze, come on kid... kid don't do that! Oh...." He wimpered and the ears of his helmet auto locked back for a moment. He crouched down to make himself face level with Julius, "come on kid don't cry! You are fine see..." he scanned Julius and the scan read all clear. The Straw-dogs' stump of a tail wagged in the armors tail pouch and he nudged Julius' shoulder with a concerned and semi comforting fist bump. "You're all clear kiddo, go on and get outta here huh?" Julius nodded and whipped away his tears.

"Okay thank you. He sighed and picked up his bag." He turned to walk away,

"Hey, you're a budding mage huh?" Julius could feel his blood run cold in his veins.

"Yes... yes sir I am, how did you know?" Julius felt as though he was going to be sick.

"I'm half dog kid, animal senses and all..." his tail wagged a bit, "Do you have any family?" Julius shook his head side to side.

"All dead sir." The Straw-Dog scratched his head via his helmet, and sighed.

"Well glad you're coming to the city to become a good mage instead of an evil one. The Academy is on block C7 of floor 1. Take that train line over there and it'll make a stop right on the schools' station, can't miss it kid." He pointed to a train line, "there's a soup kitchen near there too if you're hungry and don't have money it's on block D2 okay. The Academy should take you in without an issue." his tail wagged uneasily as Julius tried to smile but only mustered a head nod.

"will... you scan this too just in case sir?" he held out his bag and the Mutant dog man chuckled.

"Sure kid, sure." He scanned it and sent Julius on his way with a gentle pat on the head before returning to the rest of the un-scanned people with a growl. He loomed over the scarred people and herded the refugees all back into nice lines like a dog herding cattle. Julius scurried off to the nearest restroom fearing that his nerves would get the better of him and he would vomit on the platform in front of all these edgy soldiers.

The water was cold as Julius gasped with shock. Running his hands under the faucet and splashing his face in the restroom was better than magic! His shaking body relaxed little by little and for the first time in hours his lungs tasted the sweetness that was a full quivering breath. The restroom was a pail tailed room surprisingly clear of any and all graffiti, the stalls all looked unused and the pulsing lights from the intelligent toilets gave an uncomfortably public ambiance to the individual stalls. Julius looked up from the stainless-steel sink to the metal mirror and screamed as two men stared back at him. Pale, tall, gaunt, these men in grey suits and white gloves looked upon Julius as a shepard looks upon his long lost and fortuitously recovered sheep. A long while passed as Julius looked back and forth between the two men in compete disbelief.

"No," he whimpered as the men in the statuesque poise stared unflinchingly back at him. Julius took a exhaled, unable to regain his lost breath he whispered,

"I'm never going back to that hell! Not ever!"

"Indeed," they replied in a flat tone which turned his stomach.

"Well if you're going to kill me then let's get started, shall we?" Julius spun on his heals as fast as possible landing a solid bone jostling punch to the nose of one of the twins but was caught and lifted off the ground by the other. Julius struggled like a wild animal as the man who was punched took the time to fix his hat and suit. He was completely unfazed by Julius' best shot!

"if we had been ordered to kill you we would have used a garrote to pop your head off while you were splashing you face only moments ago." Julius thought long and hard trying to figure out at what moment he had become the prey. He was baffled by how he had been found and how they had snuck up on him. The door squeaked when he opened it and the restroom was empty when he entered. There was no way they could have...

"The Doctor gave us orders to..." Julius roared like a wild cat and flailing he threw punches and kicks in every direction the men tried to restrain him, but Julius could only see red, flash backs of his agony at that man's hands still haunted him.

"Never! I'm never going back you bustards! I'll kill you or die before I go back!" The men dodged and darted about avoiding Julius' strikes and gingerly redirecting Julius away from the exit. The door thundered open as an eight-foot-tall humanoid Doberman kicked in the door with gun drawn.

"What the hell is going on here! Kid you in here? You okay?" Julius cried out,

"Sir help me they're going to kill me!" The officer growled and leveled his gun at the men.

"Back off dirt bags, I don't know who the hell you two are but I'm going to need to see identification right now!" the men both raised their hands slowly and looked to the officer,

"This is out of your jurisdiction Straw dog, back off."

"I.D. or you dead, no room for uncle tickle fingers in here!" snarled the cop, "Hey kid step away from them right now, how about we all step out of here nice and slowly." Julius complied without question and immediately seeing his opening he darted passed everyone and sprinted for the train platform.

"Hey, get back here damn it!" shouted all three. Julius didn't care as he made it just in time and the doors to the train closed behind him. He panted as the packed train car stared at him in its entirety. Julius smiled and looked out the windows as the train jolted to life and the world outside blurred by as the train picked up speed.

.......

Chelsey tried to calm down, burning with rage she could barely see straight.

"I'm so sorry young miss, but your parents simply cannot make it in time! They will be unable to attend your birthday celebration however, they will be here by the early marrow. They regrettably shall be detained do to unforeseen complications in the city of Iron Forge. They do insist that you go about with your birthday party and your mother requests that you be sure to take plenty of pictures." Chelsey bit down on her lip and gave a gracious curtsy to the head butler who returned her motion with an even deeper almost sorrowful bow of his own. "I am truly sorry miss, forgive my brashness but... I know it doesn't seem like it, but they do love you, miss." He turned and walk down the great stairway before he stopped as an afterthought hit him. "Oh, and miss, Dinner shall be ready to enjoy by five o'clock."

"No!" she cringed at her own obscene volume, she truly had no idea her voice would carry so loudly. The butler stopped and looked up at her with a look of intrigued and startled puzzlement. "I mean... no thank you Henry, that will not be necessary. I..." Her voice wavered as she looked around at the spacious and empty penthouse. It was filled with fine furniture and antiquities but so starkly empty it was sickening. "I must be leaving I wasn't going to be able to stay for all of the party anyway... so... I'll just get going now. Thank you anyway and apologize to the staff for me, I'm sure they have all been working very hard today."

"Yes miss, of course." Said the butler in a chipper sort of tone and hustled off. Chelsey took a deep breath and braced herself against the banister railing for a moment, great hand carved Mahogany swirled with the graceful spiral steps. The red plush carpet maintained the shape of her bare feet where she had stepped moments ago, but it had never before felt so hard and cold. There was clanking of pans being thrown in the kitchen and muffled angry voices of furious cooks screaming at one butler, the words she was unable to decipher from here. She moved away from the stairway and into her beautiful remote darkening windowed bedroom. The windows were currently set to bright sunny, blue skies and fields of wild flowers blowing in a gentle spring zephyr. She smiled at her teddy bear,

"thank you, Handy Bear you may extinguish the incense, I no longer want to smell wildflowers." The bear stood erect and saluted before cartwheeling across the bed to her bedside table and fettled with the incense burner. She sighed and sat on the end of her bed, "Handy, will you change the windows to... something more fitting."

"Oh no, is my Little Bunny sad?" it waddled over to where she was sitting and gave her arm a soft cuddly hug as she held back tears. When she didn't respond it cartwheeled back over to the bedside table and poked buttons on a remote until the windows shifted to a grey rainy day with thunder gently rumbling. Once the windows had all shifted Handy waddled back over to Chelsey and sat on her lap. "I wish I could help you Little Bunny." Chelsey stood, and the bear slid off her lap and onto the floor with a muffled thud and a squeak.

She strutted out of her room and down the hall to her parent's suite. With mascara stained cheeks she opened her mother's closet began searching for her mother's three favorite dresses. The metallic speckled black dress, a Comet Tail line special, custom tailored and one of a kind made from the rarest of materials. She took a deep breath, took up a pair of sharp scissors and closed her eyes as her world was filled with the sound of fabric being murdered. The next dress, a Viper line. Red silk with actual gold inlay. She smiled as she made the next cut turning the dress from a long tailed graceful mermaid style into a hooker's mini skirt. Chelsey choked back tears as she went for the third and final dress on her hit list. The white lacey silk dress made of one entire, ever flowing peace of silk. No seams, no imperfections, it was one of Comet Tails best wedding gowns offered for custom design, again it was the only one of its make. Locked tightly away in a box specially designed to keep the dress fresh clean and forever untouched by time, Chelsey cracked the glass of the case and pulled the dress from its resting place. The scissors would not do. Oh no, not good enough. she took lots of pictures of the two dresses she had slaughtered and there would be more!

Chelsey went back to her room and finished packing fresh cloths from her closet and dropping off dirty clothes from her dorm. A voice startled her out of her plotting,

"Uhm, miss..." the clank of fine silver on china was distinct. "I know you may not want any but it's quite good and the chef put a lot of time into it... forgive me for asking, but will you... please at least try some miss?" Chelsey startled by the sudden voice spun on her heals to see the young made with golden hair tucked perfectly under a snow-white cap. She curtsied and was clearly afraid of losing her job but her determination to win over the young miss to the cake was unquestionable.

"I... of course I will. I'm sorry for being such a bother to you all." She bit her lip again and waved the young maid in.

"Miss, may I speak freely?" Chelsey nodded, and the maid continued, "You are not a burden to anyone miss, cooks are always angry people. Besides, they are angry with your parents and not with you. Please don't think it the other way around miss, we are all lonely here in this big house. At least we have your smile to brighten up the place when you're here." The Maid curtseyed walked to the remote and changed the windows back to something bright and cheerful, then hustled out of the room leaving Chelsey alone with a beautiful strawberry filled marble cake. The icing was perfect, even the way it was served on the plate was like a work of art. Chelsey savored each bite and left a note of gratitude to the chef on the plate that would later be picked up. She wanted to stay but it hurt too much. In a great hurry she left her family's home and called for a taxi. The holidays were lonely with everyone gone on break, but the dorms were still less lonely than her family's home. The taxi drove on as Chelsey sat in silence before a light came on and she spoke in as excited of a tone as she could muster.

"Guys and gals guess who's having a birthday party tonight!" She giggled and continued, "well there was a change in plans so now my party is being held at the Dorms, the games begin at eight, the party begins at eleven sharp! Be ready to go clubbing after the mayhem in Chaos Theater!" She blew a kiss and sent the Halo message on mass send and sat back and listened to the dozens of audio responses,

"Oh, so totally there girl!"

"count me in!"

"Games champ is going to me this time! I'll be there beautiful!" the messages went on and on as the ten-minute car ride came to a stop at the school's rear non-train entrance. The grand Administration building entrance was open still even though the evening lights were beginning to light up and the great ceiling lights began to dim and change filter to look more like sunset. She smiled smugly and payed the edgy looking driver who happily took off as soon as she closed the door with the last of her bags extracted. No one in their right mind wanted to be seen here at the Arcane University! She winked at a couple students in their grey uniforms and they both stopped and blushed. Would one of you strong men help me, she gave them a wink over her shoulder, and waited to see which one would stumble to her first... it was a tie as they both fell, they came running to her pushing and shoving each other out of the way. They finally fell at her feet in a heap of squirming desperation and she giggled as she thought how wonderful it was to be so wanted, she didn't even have to use her magic to mez these poor dumb boys. They got up and each picked up a bag for her. "Where too?" they panted like dogs waiting for a treat after performing a trick for their master. She giggled, "fallow me boys." She winked at them again and they smiled sheepishly. She strutted all the way to what they thought was her dorm before they spoke again. "So, do ya wanna you know... go out with me some time?" They glared at each other

"dude stop copying me!"