Nightime in Station Square

Night in Station Square tended to be relatively peaceful, quiet and calming as it could be with the lights from the few cars and the street lamps near it, but being a big city did make night feel... a little unsafe. 
So were the thoughts of a young woman getting off work, walking home to her apartment in her casual clothing, having changed out of her work clothes. 

Blue was her sweater and jeans, white was her fur, she was soft in all ways from appearance, to her voice as would be noted layer, to the way she barely carried herself. She was on edge, holding a small bags containing her work clothes to her side as she focused on getting home safely. Her tail tried to hide behind her legs, she watched every alley she passed. She hasn't gotten used to walking through the city at night yet, she kinda hoped she wouldn't have to...

She heard a noise, like a kicking of a can. She stopped before she reached the next alley, barely squeaking out, "Wh- who- whose th- there...?" Her breath turned harsh, she barely moved...

-Station square, one of the most thriving and large cities across the planet, indistinguishable from others and known to the masses. Station square was once a place this lone figured called home, before every thing came crashing down around him, driving him from his home.

Now he only returns if there is a need to, for home is no longer a word he uses for the city, more of a simple hub point where he can find transport to branch out to various locations scattered all across the area.

This lone figure had come back to the city to check out a strange reading, a spike of energy that showed up unexpectedly for a while then suddenly dropped off all together. A energy spike of known and feared origin. Unable to simply risk ignoring it Lysander tasked him with immediate investigation.  

A simple energy monitor was all he could use to track the signal, the stronger the returning beeps the closer to the source he would be. Operating under night was his best chance at avoiding confrontation or contact with most.

Impossible to mistake him for some one else the unique outlook of the figure had earned him a small reputation over the years, some even referred to him as the "Knight in green." Some were more harsh such as the "Lone Renegade" to him it didn't matter what he was called he knew what he was here for.

The brightly lit city shon around him, lit up like a pinball machine the figure moved deeper into the confines of the city. His blue visor upon his helmet lighting up as he moved along. 

Bearing in his hands was non other then "Fire of Hope" the name of his weapon he carried a sophisticated rifle taken from when he left G.U.N, he had been his best alley ever since, protecting him and keeping him alive when the going got tough. He would never part with it, 

The energy ping continued to drive him deeper into the city, now entering dark alley ways as the signal continue to grow and grow, until finally reaching ground zero, but there was nothing, not a signal damn thing, did he really come all this way for nothing, seems like it.

That is when some one came near by, a voice came from the being, she seemed nervous of who it might be, asking who was there, but he did not respond. All she would see would be the faint outline of him in the dark with his blue visor the only real visible indication of him that and sounds of a small radio hooked into his armor spewing inaudible radio chatter. 

He slowly began to head in her general direction until coming out of the dark before her, last thing she probably expected coming out of a alley way, but there he stood, decked out in his gear and signature green clothing. He didn't seem to say any thing just kinda turning his head as he looked at her.-

She looked at the man, frozen still and unsure of what to think... After a bit, she stepped back.

She knew not why he was here, but he had been searching for something, and then found her, scared and helpless, in the place of whatever he expected. 

The man didn't attack. He didn't do anything, staying quiet before stepping into slightly better lighting. She backed away some more, she considered running but she needed to go home... There was another way, through the train station, but could she outrun this armored figure? 

She called her breathing. 
"H- hello...", she sighed, before looking around in case someone else like him was nearby, "I- I'm Bonnie... And you are?"

-He stood there looking at her, this was very uncommon for him, some one, out of no where coming up to him and asking his name, usually others didn't care or simply ran when they saw him, the threat of the unknown is a powerful thing indeed.

She was taking a awful risk, he was well armed and armored and in a blink of a eye could strike at her, but perhaps she spotted the faded G.U.N symbol on his chest and perhaps that kinda eased the tension. 

Didn't take a rocket scientist to to figure out she was nervous, at first he thought she was talking to some one behind him, so he slowly looked over his shoulder but could see no one else, meaning she was in fact referring to him.

She finally gave a name, now he had something to work with here.-

"Ssssshrike...Shrike burn....what are you doing out here ?"

-His voice coming out like through a radio being filtered from in the helmet outward to her, he was curious why at this time out here, it was dark and these back alleys were generally no good territory.-

"Don't mind me, I am not going to harm you if you are thinking that..merely here..looking for something...that doesn't exist it seems."  

"I- I- I'm just wa- walking home, Mr. Burn...", she answered. After a short bit, she took in a breath, looking around, "I was asked to stay late for work. St- still not use to walking home in the dark."
The young woman was holding the bag in front of her with both hands, still looking away. "A- are you alright...? I- I mean, it sounds like someone put you on a wild goose chase."

More shuffling, the noise wasn't Shrike. Bonnie shot her look over to another alley.
"U- uh, walk and talk, if you don't mind, Mr. Burn?", such a polite, scared young woman.

-The city can be a dark and strange place at night. No one really knows what happens after dark in the poorest lit of areas, didn't know what may be lurking around then next corner, that was at least how Shrike saw it. 

Her remark on his efforts to find what ever it was he was looking for at a dead end was correct, I guess the energy reading spike was nothing more then a glitch in the system, or perhaps he entirely miss read it and wandered off in the complete wrong direction, he was not the best with those any way.

"Yea...I think you are right, signal was coming from here, but...it just....vanished..never seen it do that before...any way."

-Shrike heard the same noises coming in from over the other alley, turning his head slowly to see what was causing the sound, tho all of this was unsettling for the Mobian lady, she asked if she could talk to him far from here, rather on the move, Shrike responded in kind with a a nob and accompanied her out of the alley and back onto the main street.- 

"You can call me Shrike no need for formality....Station square sure is one of a kind city...use to be my home as well until a few years ago...hasn't changed a bit...by the way...where do you stay ?" 

They began moving away from the alley, walking down the sidewalk with Bonnie slightly ahead going home. 

"S- sorry, Shrike,", Bonnie apologized for being so formal, before continuing, "I live in a small apartment building. I- it's not too far... Uh, what happened, if you don't mind me asking? Wh- where do you live now...?"

-Tho in the confines the city Shrike was still....on edge, it was unclear why, he seemed to be very vigilant of what was around him, even simply small noise would catch his attention, not normal behavior at all. 

Shrike was keeping a eye out for danger, should there be, rather be safe then sorry was a term he lived by, and numerous times it had saved his ass. 

Tho when she asked what happened, he knew that the story he wanted to tell would probably be one she might not believe or want to believe, he was not sure if he should even begin to tell, so he almost avoided it and jumped to the second part about where he stayed.-

"I...I don't have a place to stay...what I do keeps me on the move, I am a freelancer for hire, in a nut shell I offer services of protection to small isolated towns that are to far from local law enforcement, and in return they give me a place to stay for however long I am stationed there, when the time comes I have to move on and hope I can find another.

Times when I can't I find what ever I can for shelter, I don't mind it I'v grown use to just finding small places to settle down for nights."

-Shrike didn't seem like he really enjoyed that fact, especially when storms or winter set in conditions then went down fast tho he still made it through he still did long for a home of his own one day.-

 "How long you been living in this city for."

-Shrike asked trailing a little behind her.-

She decided not to pursue questions about what happened after that. Her ears lowered slightly, "O- o- oh... I wish there was something I could do to help you..."

She considered asking him about what he was looking for, if he was being given shelter now, or if he'd want to live with her for a short while.
But... those thoughts subsided quickly. She sighed.

Thinking about the question got her thinking. Details weren't necessary, but her head did feel a little fuzzy, with pressure growing slightly in her skull...
If he asks about details, worry then. Don't overwhelm yourself.
"I was born in an area known as Sliam, it's a small city of some sort on the Hinan Island," she began, hating how she made it sound like she was reminding or reaffirming these details for herself, "I moved here a few months ago, so I haven't been around long. Just needed to live on my own."

The way she put it, it felt like she was just getting out if the house for a while, and on some level she probably was. She had personal reasons but she didn't find it necessary to explain.

The night grew quiet again. They seemed safe, and Bonnie recognized more of the areas she was coming too.

"Nah don't worry about it honestly, I'v been like this for a while now and honestly..you just get use to it.

-Shrike kept steady pace behind her, the more they walked ahead the quieter it was getting, probably leaving behind the more active parts of the city, which he was quite relieved about, being stuck in that kind of environment was never his ideal place to be.

She began to mention a place, a place he only faintly knew of, tho was one he would never dare set foot in and for good reason, tho hearing that she came from such began to worry him a bit, did she know she was human, if not, what if she figured it out, or perhaps she did and it didn't bother her. 

Tho he was interested to know, new lands and places always peaked his interests even if he could not be there himself to see it. Her reason for coming here seemed to be one of a bit complex reason, the need to be here was  obviously because of something else, tho he would not venture that far yet to ask why or what drove her here. 

They came into a much quieter part of the city, a part of the city he was not familiar with tho...strangely similar to his own kind of place, which it self was also located in a quieter district. 

"I'v heard stories at at least of that place, nothing much more then that, tho...I'v wanted to see it myself, problem is being there would...cause complications I think is the best way to put it."

-Tho not even knowing her at all Shrikes natural protection instinct was always there, he seemed to be cautious of the area they were in, it was almost like second nature to do it, probably after spending all the time he had watching out for others this was just a normal function of life.-

"I see... Makes sense, they are very hateful people," she began, hunting that she knew what Shrike was, "I guess you could say it's one of the few reasons I left. Needed to get away from the hatred and negativity..."

After a bit more walking, Bonnie felt she was close to home, but an interruption was soon to come.
A figure stepped out of the shadows behind them as quietly as they could, and spoke with aggression as they pulled out a gun. A... snake looking thing, no legs but it had arms for holding stuff, it seemed like it was forced to come out despite knowing better, given a heavily armored figure was right there.
Just looking to start trouble...

"Ssstop where you are and give up your money!", he hissed out, pointing the gun between the two.
The one who probably poses no threat, or the man in full armor...?
Well, he knew this was a bad idea, but he felt confident enough.

Bonnie went eerily quiet as she froze, putting her arms up, before slowly turning around.
She was clearly scared, but was trying to keep her cool. She just hoped Shrike would be alright.

Why was this snake so confident...?

-For all that hate, yea couldn't say he blamed her for leaving, who would want to live in a place with so much negativity, even Shrike himself could not stand that, for one interestingly enough he got along better with Mobians then even his own kind, for what ever reason this was for, only he knew but it must of been a strong one to actively some times avoid human settlements.

The two seemed to be coming towards her place of residence, good timing as well, no doubt it was getting super late round about now, it seemed all clear..it seemed all quite...and it was, just when he thought any threats were well behind them, one emerged right in front of the two.

A serpent like being came out of the shadows armed with a firearm, this was something Shrike was not expecting, giving his appearance who ever this guy was, was either stupid, brave or something else behind the scenes. 

Shrike saw her froze, he could see the fear in her eyes, thankfully Shrike's protective instincts took over, Shrike moved towards her, passing her and moving in front of her acting as a shield.

Tho the snake like being could not see his eyes beyond the helmet, he would not doubt feel the stare coming from Shrike.

Shrike brought his weapon up point it at the Snake like being, his firearm was military grade and fully automatic, all it would take could be a simple burst of his rifle and the snake would be no more. His older self would of just shot first, this time things were different.- 

"I am protected by military grade Kevlar and armored plating gear capable of stopping machine gun sized projectiles.......I don't believe you are.....your move...creep"

-Shrike kept aim, almost like frozen solid in his position waiting to see if this being was indeed going to pull the trigger and even if he did, She would not be harmed for he had to get through him to harm her.-

Bonnie's eyes went wide. Someone she just met was acting as a shield.
She didn't feel okay about them threatening to shoot the snake, but... well, the snake was doing the same.
He hissed, pointing the gun, loading it with an audible click.
And then at least four others came...
A hedgehog, a wolf, and two humans, all armed with their own weapons.

Of course this didn't change that Shrike was fully armored, but this was...
Odd.

Bonnie grew concerned again, but felt the need to wait for Shrike to respond to the new developments.
"Heh," the snake began, "how well can you deal with all 5 of us? Say, nice armor, we could strip you like a car..."
The larger of the group, the wolf and one if the humans, a ginger with spiky hair, both rushed the soldier...

-Shrike held his ground and didn't budge or show any inclination he was going to back down, some ones life was in danger and he was not gonna sit back and let it unfold.

Making things only that more worse and severely limiting his options, more converged on their location, two more mobian two human, all armed. The odds now shifted towards them, tho this still didn't force Shrike to back down, he couldn't even if he felt some fear sweeping his body he knew he couldn't abandon her.

Unknown to her Shrikes aggression started to escalate, impossible to see but it was started to get higher and higher, the fight or flight mechanic now pumping through his body.

Seems like they had clear intentions for Shrike, probably strip him of all his gear and armor and no doubt finish him off, probably a similar fate for her no doubt, it became apparent that words were no longer a viable option. 

A human and mobian rushed them intending to do things Shrike deemed hostile, with out a second thought, Shrike opened fire plating bullets into the legs of those who came for him, he didn't shoot to kill, he shot to incapacitate.

His weapon was powerful and aggressive as the sound echoed into the night, 2 empty cases ejecting from the breach of the weapon dropping onto the cold floor as the smoke poured from them.

Shrike...was not playing around, he was more then willing to shoot them, clearly demonstrated by this act.- 

"The next will be more fatal....take your sorry asses..and leave before I gun you all down.."

-Shrike was pissed...extremely pissed.-

Bonnie was internally screaming. As she saw the two figures shot down, the other three in the back readied their weapons in a panic and was about to fire.
Bonnie crouched, covering her ears, "S- sto- st- Stop it!" She summoned her strange looking... glowing... pitchfork(?) and immediately slammed it on the ground, causing it to ring out a high pitch.
Bonnie whined and yelped as the attackers freaked out in confusion, the wolf on the ground howling in pain - both ears and legs.
"Retreat!", one of them said, running off, dragging the injured with them...
Everything went quiet.
"Are... Are you okay...?", she panted and groaned.
Being a dog herself, it wasn't too pleasant... But it worked.

-Shrike stayed where he was, it was now clear more then ever, he was willing to shoot to protect, demonstrated by those laying on the floor, he could of easily ended them but chose not to, this was more then enough.

Shrike now pitched his weapon to take on the three who stood before him, flipping the switch on the rifle to full automatic, right now its was his second nature training from a long while back doing the actions. 

Before an all out gun fight could even take place, Bonnie said something, Shrike didn't manage to exactly hear what it was or knew what she was doing behind him, then suddenly it struck, a massive high pitched sound wave blasted the area, even with his helmet it was immense causing some serious disorientation.

Tho it was bad for him the rest seem to suffer far more, mostly the mobians who it seem to effect to a greater extent then the humans, probably due to the hearing being far more sensitive, but god damn did it hurt even under a helmet. 

Soon enough the word"Retreat" was given and watching from his location, the thugs make their pull out, dragging the wounded along with them, moments passed as the sound seemed to die down eventually.

Shrike...was confused, what the hell was that, he never heard such a deafening sound, the armored figure turned back to her, Helping her back onto her feet, he gave her a small not, he was not hurt, they didn't even have a chance to shoot him thanks to her intervention.- 

"Are you alright Bonnie ? No injuries at all ?" 

-Shrike glanced over for a moment to see something in her hand, it looked like nothing more then a tuning fork tho there seemed to be something else on it, was he seeing things or was there a third smaller prong on it ?-

"What was that? Did you do that?" 

Bonnie groaned, looking up at Shrike with a tired look, nodding to show she was okay, after some thought on it.
Back on her feet, she looked around and gave a soft sigh of relief, before looking back to Shrike.
She couldn't lie, she had no reason to... But she felt uncomfortable discussing it. Regardless, proof to her actions was in her hand, so after some thinking she came clean about what happened.

"I- I'm alright... And yes, I did.", she looked to the strange tool in her hands before dissipating it, "...I just couldn't handle the chaos, and I was afraid that... t- that if I didn't step in, you'd be hurt..."

-Shrike was relieved to hear she was alright, he feared that some how she did get injured during the stand off, he seemed to look over all over just to make sure every thing was indeed fine. He slowly glanced over his shoulder, what ever she had done it drove them away, he had never seen nor heard any thing like it but it did the job. 

She then began to explain that she felt the need to step in due to the chaos unfolding, more so for his own safety, huh, first time some one actually tried to protect him when it was usually him doing that, he appreciated that a lot.

Sudden the weapon or device dissipated right before him, Shrike had seen some weird stuff in his travels, you would of thought one would of gotten use to this kind of stuff by now, but nope always something new to him just around the corner. 

"I'm sorry it had to come to that, they left me with little choice, taking all 5 on with out weapons would of been a sure way for us both to end up dead, you did the right thing using that weapon, with out it who knows what might of happened here...Thanks, Now I suggest we get the hell out of here and to your place ASAP, even in the quieter district trouble is still out there."

-He slowly stood out of her way as a incline to continue leading the way to her place, this was the very reason Shrike was a extremely vigilant, because any where any time something like this could happen.-

Nodding in agreement, putting her hands back to her front with her bag, she turned to begin heading home.
Walking past him, she began thinking of him calling it a 'weapon'...
"I- I don't like to think of it as a w- we- weapon," she began, lightly turning her head back to Shrike as they walked, "weapons are designed to kill. I call it a tool... Maybe even less than that. You can kill with a hammer or a screwdriver, but that's not the intended purpose. I- I don't want to hurt anyone... and my 'tool' reflects that. It's... an extension of myself I guess. Like it... made an agreement of some sort with me...?"
After a bit, she sighed, then gave a soft giggle, "S- sorry, I'm rambling. Point is... I don't like calling it a weapon."

After a bit, they came to a door, a nice warm light shining through it. Was this the apartment building? She slowed down and turned to the door.

-Weapon probably was not the correct term, Shrike was just use to calling something that used force a weapon, perhaps it could be used as one ? But its origin was not for such, after her remark about it not being one, the armored figure looked down at his rifle, while yes it was a firearm he actually thought of it as a tool as well, he didn't use it to only shoot it was capable of more. 

Shrike carried on behind her as she explain what it really was, or more or less to a extent, he sort of in a round about way understood what she meant, tho he had never come across such a instrument before, tho it did peek his interest as all foreign objects did.

Finally it seemed like they reached her place, place sure felt welcoming, probably a lot more then where he intended to end up for the night if he did not meet her.

He stood quietly behind watching her back, waiting for her to proceed inside, there they should be safe from any more potential harm, being night and all the sky was filled with stars, and of course this caught Shrikes attention, for nights on end he always turned to the stars at night to ease his mind from the troubles that plagued him.-

Bonnie took a soft breath, looking at the place with a small smile as she was glad to be at her destination finally.
She turned to Shrike, giving a little nod, "Thank you for accompanying me home, s- Shrike.", her soft face gave off a sense of kindness in place of the earlier sadness and worry. She turned to begin up the steps, her tail swaying cutely behind her... then she stopped.

"W- would you like to... c- come stay... with me?", it was certainly hard for her to say. She just didn't know if it was okay to ask.

-Looks like things came to a end, no matter how small something was in the world, he ways always there to lend a hand, whether it be something simple or trying to save the world, he never turn a blind eye, now he began think where he was gonna sleep tonight, he check his pockets for a moment and unfortunately he was fresh out, he had spent the last of his cash having his gear maintained by Lysander and the rest went to something to eat. 

Looks like he was gonna have to improvise again tonight, well that is at least what he thought he would have to do until he heard her voice once more, this time she asked if he would like to stay at her place. Shrike stood there for several moments thinking about it, no one besides the places he work at ever just offered out a place for him to stay, it was this or the nearest park bench, the answer was pretty obvious.- 

"If you don't mind, even if it's just for the night, I don't have any where else to go and Lysanders compound is to far off to make it, I'll sleep on any thing, heh."

-Shrike felt..relieved, those park benches were rather uncomfortable, and even if it was just for the night Shrike was really grateful for her allowing him to stay the night, he followed swiftly behind her.-

She nodded, smiling softly, before beginning up the steps with her new friend in tow. 
"I don't mind at all.", she replied with a calm, yet sweet tone as she opened the door for Shrike to walk into the main lobby of the apartment.

After they entered, the stark contrast between Station Square at night and the inside of the hotel was... certainly there, everything being nice and bright for the sake of the people staying there to be comfortable.
She walked to the elevator, pressing the Up button, and entering, waiting for him to follow after.
Her apartment wasn't too high up, but it did give her a nice view of the beach nearby from her window. The elevator began moving up, they left, they went to a door...

It was all done rather quickly and simply, not much conversation to be had, honestly.

The door was opened and Bonnie stepped in.
"Make yourself at home, she began, laying the bag of clothes somewhere while heading to the kitchen - she did say she stayed late at work, probably hasn't had dinner yet.

-Shrike had never been in a hotel before, this was a little splashing out on his behalf, he was kinda glad he opted to come here, at least for tonight he knew where he could rest, I guess meeting her did remind him that the world is still filled with good individuals.

Upon entering the hotel there was a sudden warm and calm sensation, nothing like being on the out side, here he could some what..relax, didn't have to worry or keep constantly looking over his shoulder every 5 minutes, following closely behind the two entered a elevator quickly taking them to her level and her apartment. 

It was quite a sight to be honest, from inside of it he could see a beach below, he never been to a beach either, spent most of his non military days with in the city it self. 

Soon enough they finally came to the door of her apartment and the duo entered it, Bonnie seemed to head off to the kitchen leaving Shrike in the main room, he began to look at all that was in it, not saying a word and just realizing how quiet it was, in a good way usually quiet was something he didn't always experience.

Now that they were out of harms way, there was no need to have a fully loaded rifle around, Shrike pulled the magazine out of the weapon, ejecting the chambered round and setting the rifle down, resting it against a wall. 

Gravitating to the nearest window Shrike seem to gaze out at the view there was to be seen, this felt like pure luxury to him, and felt in fairly good spirits a feeling he had not felt in a very long time.-

Bonnie began looking through her fridge and pantry, thinking of what to have, before stopping herself, knowing Shrike probably hasn't ate much.
She exited the kitchen for a bit, and her ears perked up, seeing Shrike look out the window. She was gonna turn on the TV if he wanted it, but he seemed to have a better thing on his eyes for now.

"Gorgeous view, right?", she asked, stepping further into the room.
She looked away for a bit, thinking of something...
"I don't have a lot of stuff, but I mean... Are you hungry? Do you want noodles, spaghetti, steak, or eggs? I can do the basics."
She wasn't sure how he would respond, if he felt she was being too nice when she just wanted him comfortable.