Chapter Two

"Hey, Ken," the winged woman calls from her perch in front of the computer, turning to look at him with her green pupiled, black eyes. "C'mere and look at this."

The tall, platinum haired man goes over to the black and red winged woman, resting his hands on her shoulders, cold eyes scanning the screen. There's a newspaper article, complete with picture, brought up.

"Is that the girl, 309?"

She nods, brushing a lock of red and black hair from her face and sighing when she looks at the time. "Damn, I have to report to the lab."

The tall man frowns slightly, watching as she stands. "Check up?"

She shakes her head and cringes slightly. "More experiments...on my eyes again, so I won't be able to read..." she sighs again, "Or see anything for the rest of the night."

He nods slightly. "I'll read it. Will you be needing," he grins, "comforting after?"

She grins. "Maybe. Even if I don't, though, I'd still like you to come by. I wanna know what we're up against." She tilts her head up for the good-luck kiss he gives her before striding out of the computer room, refolding her wings against her back.

He sits down on the stool on which his friend, sometimes lover, was just sitting, and begins reading the article.

His memory only extends a year into the past to when he was assaulted on the streets of New York City by a group of thugs. 309 had saved him from death and helped nurse him to health after bringing him to the government outpost she was assigned to at the time. He came to learn that he has various powers that the government could help him with and get involved in secret operations with his savior, who he learned that she is the result of an experiment done by the government. She showed him the ropes and they grew very close.

He pulls his attention back to the article, arching a brow in surprise at what it has to say.

"She's what?" 309 asks softly in disbelief, not moving from her bed, a cool cloth settled over her eyes. Her head is killing her, and any light or loud noise sends jagged lightning bolts of pain through her head, while most touching sends waves of nausea through her body.

They'd tested her light tolerance, all aspects of her vision and mapped her retinas again to see if anything had changed since the last time. No one but the scientists and administration would know the results. If she or Ken put up a fight, the punishment would be much worse than the migraine she has now. She'd learned that the hard way, as had Ken. At that moment, even clothing hurt, so she lies nude on her back, wings draped over both sides of the bed. Ken's gentle hands dabbing cool water lightly on her skin sooths involuntary tears of pain away. She hates this life. The muscular, jeans clad man at her side is the only light in it.

"The girl we saw is dead, according to that article and everything else I found," he tells her, his voice a soft rumble.

"What's her name?"

"Diana Manashevitz."

"Did you talk to her family?"

"Yes. Their grief didn't sound very sincere, but they assured me she was dead. They even gave me the details of her death and where her body's buried." He shakes his head in disgust. "Horrible people. She's lucky to be free of them. So, that girl we saw couldn't have been the same as this Diana person."

"The base energy patterns matched exactly," comes the soft reply.

He thoughtfully watches her shiver as he dribbles some water over her chest. "Alright, you may be right, but even if she is the same person, why would she be with the target and his lover?"

"I don't know," she answers softly, "we'll just have to find out." She shivers again when he lightly runs the cloth in his hands over her neck. "You're doing that on purpose," she accuses him, peeking out at him from under her cloth with narrowed eyes, not being able to see anything but shadows.

"Maybe," he answers as he reaches over to turn off the already dimmed lights.

She smiles up at him through the darkness, still in pain, but not as badly and no longer caring. "You seem as if you want to comfort me."

"Well, it is the best way to cure a headache."

She can't help but giggle quietly as he leans over to place butterfly kisses along her neck, starting the comforting.

Over the next few days, Diana gradually gains her strength back, and she learns more and more about this reality. All this time, she knows that this isn't her home and that she can't stay there, so she tries to keep herself emotionally distant from the rest. Every time Jae looks at her, though, her heart breaks a little more. He'd seen the images of him with her on the hilt of her blade and is slowly beginning to remember his life back then, as well as the love they shared. Both Naru and Zoisite sensed the torment the two are in and decided to take Diana out for a night on the town. Because Diana had no clothing of her own, the two put together a provocative outfit of taken in pleather jeans from Zoisite's wardrobe, a black form fitting turtleneck sweater from Naru's and a black pair of boots, also from Naru's collection. Zoisite fixed Diana's mass of curls into an ornate braid, all the while commenting on how similar her hair is to his in texture and wildness. Lastly, Naru insisted on doing Diana's makeup.

Zoisite wears pants a great deal like the ones they put Diana in but slightly looser, and a black tank top under an open dark green silk shirt he wears as a jacket. For once, his long coppery hair flows freely around his shoulders.

As for Naru, she dons a deep blue mini-skirt to show off her long legs and modest, powder blue top, her shoulder-length hair free as well.

Jadeite and Nephrite couldn't take their eyes off the three as they headed out the door.

Now the three are walking down the street going from club to club, all of them actually having fun for the first time in quite a while.

Suddenly, Naru lets out a cry of surprise as she's swept away by a flash of ebony and crimson, while the other two are blocked by a tall, black clad man who appears in a flash of ice blue energy.

Zoi stares at this man, jaw dropped. The newcomer is extremely familiar to him, and his heart aches with longing. The pretty man yelps in surprise when a dark dome materializes over him and the woman at his side.

"Kunzite," Diana growls softly, "I was wondering where you were."

There's a shower of silver sparkles around Diana, but nothing happens. She clenches her teeth and grabs Zoi's hand, sending him a look that says "snap out of it!" He shakes his head, clearing it and triggering as much of an energy drain as he can to counteract the dome's power blocking nature. He teleports them both out. As soon as they materialize, ornate silver armor shimmers onto Diana's body, as her sword appears in her hands. Zoi finds himself staring into the business end of a rather large, semi-automatic gun held by the gorgeous man.

"I would advise you not to move, little one," he says in a cold voice. His amazing eyes narrow when he feels the sharp edge of Diana's blade against his throat.

"And I, big boy, would advise you to let him go," comes Diana's low voice, her green eyes glinting dangerously.

"This is just like something right out of a movie," a new, feminine voice speaks up, tone dripping with cold threat.

There's a sudden gust of wind as the owner of the voice touches down with a backstroke of her wings. In her arms is a very limp Naru, a huge bruise forming over her right eye. One of the claws that protrudes out of the backs of the darkly angelic woman's wrists is pressed up against Naru's throat.

"Now, if you don't let my partner there free, Miss Manashevitz, we're going to have a very gruesome end to this drama and a very grief stricken millionaire on our hands."

Diana meets the winged woman's hard glowing eyes. "Why are you doing this, HLM?"

A raven brow raises. "You wish to play games? Very well. We can play 'guess how far the blood spurts'. What's your wager?"

The lovely woman's eyes narrow as she steps back and lowers her sword.

As soon as the sword leaves his throat, the silver haired man disappears, only to reappear at his friend's side. He looks coldly at Diana.

"We know you are acquainted with Mr. Stanton, so you will pass on our message. Mr. Stanton must meet us at noon in two days at the shopping plaza if he wants his dear fiancée to live."

Without waiting for an argument, the strange man and woman disappear with their customary shower of blue energy.

Chapter One
Chapter Three
Capture and Escape Index