Chapter Three


   Alita hadn't been sure who to expect when the door opened, but certainly not the beautiful woman who stood before her. Alita studied her face for a moment, noting shining eyes that displayed a youthful exuberance yet the faintest of lines etched in her porcelain complexion. Such things she knew, were the scars of joy and sadness.
   "We're sorry to have disturbed you," began Alita politely. "We mean you no harm, but it was a surprise to us to find someone living here so far from the towns in the east."
   "Oh, I know that you two aren't dangerous," the woman smiled. "I can tell these things rather easily, but I'm a little surprised to have someone drop in like this."
   At her mention of the word 'we' Alita looked past the woman toward the open door just in time to see someone else emerge from the dwelling. Another woman, perhaps ten years younger with a slender frame and dark hair just past her shoulders. She wore a dark dress that ended at her knees and was also beautiful, yet her eyes lacked the openess of the first, rather she seemed more serious and thoughtful. The younger of the two walked toward the group and stood next to her companion, each studying the others and waiting for someone to perform the introductions. Alita noticed that Aaron had neither spoken or moved. Typical male, she thought, he's in the presence of two attractive women and his mind had gone blank. Alita was sure she could have struck Aaron on his head and he wouldn't have noticed.
   "Let me introduce myself," the older of the two spoke. "I'm Sharon and this is Elise, and you're the first visitors we've had in the two years we've lived here."
   "I'm Alita, and my friend is named Aaron..."
   "Pleased to meet you," Aaron chimed in.
   Alita suppressed a frown and continued.
   "As I've said we mean you no harm, we're on our way to the far side of the Firewall and noticed the smell of food being prepared, obviously one of you is a very good cook."
   Sharon smiled and put her right hand in Elise's.
   "I'm glad," she answered. "It's Elise's turn to make dinner tonight, and she makes a pretty good stew if I do say so."
   Elise allowed a smile to wipe away her thoughtful composure and looked to her companion.
   "That's only because Sharon's taught me everything I know," she answered. "Honestly, before I met her I couldn't fry an egg, let alone boil a kettle of water."
   Alita studied the two, noting their gestures and the way Elise's eyes regarded the older woman. A moment of understanding passed between the three women that escaped Aaron's notice. The two were in love, that was obvious to her, but she wondered as to how they had survived out here on their own, unmolested by the marauders and other criminals that inhabited the outlands.
   "I don't know why you're here but I insist that you stay for dinner," said Sharon. "You can tell us all about what's happening in the desert towns and Elise and I would appreciate the company."
   Aaron stepped forward and grinned from ear to ear.
   "Sounds good to me," he smiled. "I'd like a hot meal and I'm sure that our business can wait a little while, right Alita?"
   "Sure," Alita answered hesitantly. "But I wouldn't want to put you through any trouble."
   "Oh, it's no trouble at all," said Elise in a silken voice that caused Aaron's heart to skip a beat. "I usually make too much anyway."
   "Well you had better cover up that truck," said Sharon looking toward the vehicle. "It's going to rain tonight for sure, and to tell the truth our garden could use it."
   Aaron walked back to the truck and began fumbling with the tarp, pulling it tightly over the frame and knotting it down with nervous fingers.
   "Come inside," invited Sharon. "You're timing is perfect as dinner is almost ready."
   Alita smiled politely and followed the pair toward the house, leaving Aaron to struggle with a routine task that he had forgotten how to do. ***
   Aaron leaned back in the chair and smiled contentedly, rubbing his full stomach and looking at the women around him.
   "That was a delicious dinner," he said to Elise. "I just wish that I could cook this well."
   "I'm glad you liked it," the woman on his left answered. "It's a very simple recipe really, and all of the ingredients come from the garden we have out back, not at all like the processed food you find in the settlements."
   Elise looked toward Alita and she observed that the young girl's plate was still half full.
   "Don't you like my cooking Miss Alita?" she asked plaintivelly. "Do cyborgs have difficulty eating regular food?"
   "You'll have to forgive Elise," interjected Sharon. "She hasn't had much dealings with cybernetics and I'm sure no offence was intended."
   Alita looked up from her plate and smiled at the pair.
   "No offence taken," she answered politely. "I have no difficulty in digesting regular food, it's just that I usually don't eat much anyway."
   "That must be how you stay so slim," answered Elise innocently.
   Alita chuckled at this and was soon joined by the rest of the group, it seemed the perfect way to end a meal that had been peppered with small talk and Aaron's grandiose tales of his exploits.
   "Well it's my turn to wash the dishes so I had better get to it," said Elise as she rose from the table. "I'm feeling rather sleepy and I think I'd like to go to bed early tonight."
   Aaron pushed his chair back and picked up his plate and Alita's, making his way around the table toward the attractive girl.
   "Well the least I can do to thank you is to help with the dishes," he beamed.
   Elise smiled and Aaron followed her into the small kitchen, leaving Alita and Sharon by themselves. Soon the sound of voices engaged in idle conversation drifted from the kitchen into the dining area.
   Sharon leaned back in her chair and laced her fingers together, stretching her arms forward on the table.
   "You have some questions of me," she said in a plain voice.
   Alita looked to her and nodded once, trying to gauge Sharon's personality. Though there was just ten years seperating them Sharon was obviously the more temperate of the pair and Alita suspected that she had seen much of the world.
   "Yes," Alita answered. "Not that I want to intrude on your privacy, but as you might suspect I'm here for a specific reason and anything you can tell me could be of assistance."
   "I thought as much Alita. Aaron's an outlander, that's obvious in his manner and dress, but you're something entirely different in all respects. I'm guessing that you come from the Scrapyard, and if you're this far from the city it must be for good reason."
   Alita watched Sharon rise from the table and walk toward the wooden door of the small home.
   "Maybe we should step outside and get some air," she said to Alita. "I'm sure it's not going to rain until after midnight and I'd prefer that Elise didn't hear some of what I'm going to tell you."
   "I was just thinking the same thing in regards to Aaron," said Alita.
   She followed Sharon outside and they made their way a short distance from the house, Sharon guiding Alita to a pair of flat stones that served perfectly to observe the sky on clear nights. Alita knew that the two had spent many evenings here and sat on the smooth rock, looking at the long shadows cast by the pair from candlelit windows.
   Sharon sighed and stretched her legs out, gazing at the overcast sky through which a few persistant stars peeked out, refusing to go unnoticed.
   "Elise and I have lived here for two years now," she began suddenly. "And since that time we've known nothing but happiness, you and Aaron are the only reminders of the world we left behind."
   "But why settle here, alone and away from the towns and farms in the east?" Alita asked. "It's dangerous to live in such isolation."
   Sharon smiled as she turned toward Alita.
   "It can be more dangerous to live among those who don't understand," she replied. "Elise and I have been together for four years, and in that time we've suffered the prejudice of people who didn't understand that our love is just as valid as theirs. Surely you've loved someone in your life Alita and wished to protect that person from harm no matter what the cost?"
   "Yes," Alita replied quietly. "But that was a very long time ago."
   "But you can still see that person's face and hear his voice, can't you? This is how I feel toward Elise, and to protect her from an uncaring world I decided that it was best to live here, away from those blinded by their bigotry."
   Alita shook her head in disagreement with some of what Sharon was saying.
   "But I can't believe that there are those who would object to such things," she stated. "In the Scrapyard there are many different people and no one cares what the other does."
   "This isn't the Scrapyard," Sharon replied. "In the outlands people are different and seem to hold on to older ways more than those in the city. You're a cyborg Alita, can you honestly tell me that you've never experienced the prejudice of those who refuse to accept that you're just as human as they are?"
   Alita remained silent for a moment, knowing that there was truth in Sharon's words.
   "But I still don't understand how you've survived out here," Alita asked. "I know of the dangers in the outlands and it doesn't seem reasonable that you're still alive."
   Sharon shifted her body slightly to a more comfortable position and bowed her head in thought.
   "We've had no trouble with anyone," she answered plainly. "True, we've had occasion to meet others who have shunned civilization for whatever reason, but never have we been harmed or our privacy infringed upon."
   Alita narrowed her eyes and stared hard at Sharon, knowing that such things were unheard of. She had witnessed the violence of men who took pleasure in such things and knew that Sharon wasn't telling her the truth.
   "Some distance from here is the wreck of a train that was caused by a band of marauders," Alita stated. "I have information that they camp here, in the valley between these mountains. I don't know why they've left you alone Sharon, but I need to find them and put a stop to the violence and disruption they've caused."
   "I know of whom you speak," Sharon replied. "We have no dealings with these people and observe them from a distance as they come and go. There are many of them, perhaps a hundred, and I doubt if even you could put a stop to them."
   Alita looked away and answered her in a confident voice.
   "There are ways," she replied. "If it comes to a confrontation I may not need to kill every one of them, though they all deserve to be punished for what they've done."
   Sharon stood and walked a few paces, turning back toward Alita and looking down on her.
   "I see," said Sharon. "Cut off the head and the body dies, is that it?"
   "Something like that," Alita answered. "Though the hard job is getting to the man in charge, kill him and the rest are without guidance. You may not approve of such things but it's preferable to an all out war, and I can assure it will come to that if I fail in my assignment."
   "You have a difficult task before you," replied Sharon. "Their leader is a man named Barius. I've seen him several times and he would make a formidable opponent. He's a political animal, known to disagree with Tiphares and it's laws. He would bring down the sky city if he could, as such he can only hinder it with the men and meager resources in his possession."
   "Well it seems this Barius is no longer content with simple harrassment Sharon. He's taken lives, destroyed property, and stolen what should never be possessed by a man like him. It's my job to put a stop to it and I'm asking for your help in finding him."
   "I have no desire to become involved in such matters," stated Sharon. "We left the world behind long ago and want nothing more than to be left in peace. If I grow old and die here with Elise it will have been a full life. I'm sure you'll find Barius before long and just your being here could be dangerous for the both of us. I may sound rude but I suggest you leave as soon as possible. Please don't take offence at this but I'm sure you understand."
   Alita did indeed understand and had no wish to involve the innocent in her affairs. She looked after Sharon as the woman strode toward the house.
   "Tell Aaron that we'll be leaving now," Alita called after her. "And again, thank you for the food."
   Sharon didn't reply, instead shutting the door behind her and leaving Alita alone with her thoughts. She felt the first few drops of the approaching storm and stood, looking back at the small home. Those two people had found happiness and Alita had to admit she felt the pangs of jealousy. She had wanted the same at one time and found herself feeling the innocent and naive child of nine years ago. Gifted with the body and fighting abilities of a warrior, yet bearing a fragile heart that wanted nothing more than the love of one man. ***
   Aaron pulled the blanket tighter about his shoulders and sunk lower in the seat of the truck, listening to the rain as it pelted against the windshield of the vehicle and battered the canvas tarp. He usually didn't have trouble sleeping under such circumstances, but on this occasion he found it difficult to find slumber.
   After leaving the two women he and Alita had traveled for several hours, eventually coming to a stop in the early hours of the morning. It had been a mutual decision based on their need for rest and the driving conditions becoming too hazardous. Alita lay in the bed of the vehicle, having cleared away a spot among the provisions while Aaron sat in the front seat, trying to keep his right knee away from the shift lever that dug into his flesh.
   "Alita, are you asleep yet?" he asked.
   Alita stirred and let a sigh escape her dry lips.
   "I was," she answered. "Why don't you try getting some rest Aaron, we have a lot of traveling to do tomorrow to make up for lost time."
   "I know," Aaron replied. "It's just a shame that we couldn't have spent the night back there and left in the morning."
   "It couldn't be helped Aaron, it was best for all that we were on our way. To have stayed any longer would have put their lives at risk."
   Aaron closed his eyes and smiled as he envisioned Elise's beautiful countenance floating before him.
   "I suppose you're right Alita, but I can't stop wondering about those two. Were they, you know, more than just friends?"
   "Yes," Alita answered. "Not that it's any business of yours or mine. Very few people have what they do and I hope that someday each of us finds such happiness, including you." ***
   Aaron killed the ignition and pulled the parking brake, shaking his head as he did so to clear the cobwebs left by two sleepless nights. In the next seat he heard Alita stir and saw her jump from the vehicle, walking around the front of it to get a better look at the obstacle in their path.
   "What do you make of it?" he heard her ask.
   Aaron raised his head and stared at the barrier with reddened eyes, if the marauders were to attack at this moment he was certain he could have cared less.
   "It looks like a pile of rocks," he murmered.
   Alita spun toward him and gave Aaron an angry stare.
   "So tell me what I don't know," she retorted. "Was this here two years ago when you passed this way?"
   Aaron forced himself to study the wall, a five meter high barrier of stones that blocked their path, making it impossible for the truck to procede further.
   "First time for me," he answered. "It's possible that there was a cave in last night during the storm, the rain probably washed away their support and the rocks fell from the mountains on both sides."
   Alita looked high at the peaks and shook her head in disagreement.
   "I doubt it Aaron, it's too much of a coincidence that both sides gave way simultaneously. This is man-made, there's little doubt about it. Someone wants to keep us from proceding further or at the very least force us to advance on foot."
   Aaron was wide awake now as the implications of Alita's words struck him. If what she was saying was correct, then the marauders knew of their presence in the valley. He stepped from the vehicle and hurried to Alita's side, searching the mountains around for any indication that they were not alone.
   "You can't be sure of this," he whispered to her. "I haven't noticed any signs that we were being observed since we entered the valley. Just because we hit a deadend you start speculating that we're being set up for a trap, and I don't like it."
   "Say what you will," Alita remarked to him. "The evidence is pretty clear that someone wants us out in the open without the vehicle as transportation, and I think it would be rude of us to disappoint them after they've gone through so much trouble."
   Alita walked back to the truck and reached into the bed, pulling out the necessary supplies needed to continue the journey on foot. About her shoulders she slung several heavy canteens of water and began shoving cans of food into a napsack.
   "Come here," she instructed Aaron. "You don't expect me to carry this all by myself, do you?"
   Aaron stepped forward and Alita handed him the sack. It was rather heavy and Aaron struggled to slip the straps over his thin arms.
   "I guess that's it," she remarked a moment later. "Unless you can think of anything we may have overlooked."
   "What about the truck?" asked Aaron. "We're not really going to leave it behind, are we?"
   Alita started for the pile of stones, the canteens jostling against her weapon as she climbed the barrier.
   "Not much we can do about that," she answered. "If we're lucky it will be here when we get back, if not then I promise to buy you a new one."
   "Don't bother Alita. If I get out of here alive the best thing you could do is swear that we'll never meet again, and the next time you need a sucker to play guide call someone else."
   Aaron took a deep breath and started after her, literally crawling up the incline on his hands and knees. He was tired, hungry, and fearful for his life. The day had barely begun and already he was exhausted. What the hell have I gotten myself into? he wondered. In all likelihood he was going to die if he stayed with this mad woman, but if he were to turn and walk away there was no guessing what Alita might do to him.
   At the crest of the barrier Aaron paused to catch his breath and observed that Alita was already some distance away, striding confidently over the terrain and seeming to care not at all if her companion was having trouble keeping up. Aaron felt himself succumb to the rage building within and knew that it was impossible to hold back any longer. Alita's arrogance, her smug superiority, and her single minded determination to meet her death, all of these things were unleashed in a torrent that broke the calm of the valley.
   "You're nuts!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "You're just plain friggin' nuts Alita, if I had known the crap I was going to put up with I would never have accepted this job. You're nothing but some damn machine with a screwed up program, looking to get yourself killed and unconcerned with what happens to anyone else. I doubt if you know at all what it's like to be human, just some brat with a painted face who acts as if she's the only one who matters!"
   Alita stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, presenting Aaron with a look he had never seen before. Her eyes had gone black and her hands were clenched into hard fists, a fearful sight that caused him to clamp his mouth shut lest he say something that would set her off. Alita was on the verge of rage and he knew it, one more remark and he was sure that his life would end in the next moment.
   "Come here," she said quietly, her voice echoing off the canyon walls around them. "I have a mission to complete and I won't tolerate any distraction, and if you don't keep up with me then I'll kill you, it's as simple as that."
   Alita turned away and Aaron breathed a sigh of relief. He had pushed Alita to the limits of her tolerance and had narrowly escaped death. Aaron climbed down from the stones and hurried after her, fighting the pain in his legs to keep step with the blistering pace at which Alita strode over the wet earth. ***
   Aaron collapsed on the hard ground and placed an arm across his forehead. He was exhausted after having walked all day without once resting. Alita had not permitted it, instead she had forged ahead and decided to make camp only when the sun had sunk below the horizon. The two had not spoken a word to each other since morning, leaving Aaron to wonder if she had put aside his angry remarks or if she harboured some resentment.
   His body cried out for sleep yet his mind refused to cooperate. Rest required a relaxed state that eluded his grasp. He was hungry, tired, and he very much needed to relieve the pressure in his bladder, a task that he was too fatigued to even bring himself to do.
   "We'll make camp here," he heard Alita say. "It's as good a place as any, and there's no real cover to be had in the area."
   Aaron stood and looked around, there was a full moon that provided enough illumination that he could see clearly for some distance in all directions.
   "Bad choice Alita, we're too much in the open. If I can see as far as those hills over there then someone can certainly see us. It's almost as if you're inviting them to attack."
   Alita smiled and walked over to Aaron's napsack, pulling out two cans of beans and an opener. She handed one to Aaron and lowered herself to the ground, plunging the tool into the can and ripping a jagged hole along it's edge.
   "Why don't you make us a fire so we can heat these up" she said. "I prefer to eat my food hot, don't you?"
   "Forget it," answered Aaron looking down on her. "Starting a fire is the same as letting anyone in our line of sight know that we're here, I'd rather eat my food cold, thank you."
   "It's no different than you shouting your lungs out like a damn fool Aaron. If they didn't know that we were here I'm sure they do now."
   Aaron sat next to her and took the opener from Alita's outstretched hand, working it around the can as Alita pulled a spoon from the napsack and began eating.
   "You have to admit," she remarked with a mouthful of beans. "Food sure does taste better after a long walk."
   Aaron frowned and began eating, he looked over at Alita's grinning face and plopped a spoonful into his own mouth.
   "No thanks to you," he replied. "I can't understand why you're in such a hurry. Another day and we'll be through the Firewall, and I'm sure that you'll meet up with these criminals you're chasing before long."
   Alita paused and took the spoon from her mouth, slowly setting the can down and turning her head to one side as if listening for something. Aaron noticed this and stopped eating as well. He watched Alita's face as she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.
   "What's the matter?" he asked. "I know it doesn't taste very good but it's all we have."
   "Be quiet," Alita murmered. "I have a feeling that we're about to have visitors."
   Aaron was startled to see her stand suddenly and face northward. In her left hand she held the damascus blade, tapping the sheathed weapon against her thigh as she listened for voices in the wind that raced through the valley.
   After a moment Aaron could hear it as well, the faintest of shouts that indicated an attack was mere moments away. He stood and followed Alita's gaze, unable to discern anything in the dark.
   "There, do you see them?" she asked. "Just ahead and to the left of us."
   Aaron squinted his eyes and indeed saw the source of the shouting voices. His heart leaped into his throat and he felt his knees grow weak. He could now see the shapes of ten men running at full charge toward their location. All of them carrying bladed weapons and screaming in anger. He knew that they had two minutes at most before the horde was upon them.
   "Dear Lord!" he exclaimed to her. "I should never have taken this job! We're gonna die Alita and it's all your fault!"
   Aaron turned from the sight and started to run in the opposite direction, driven by instinct to flee in the face of terror. He had barely taken several steps when he heard a thud from the ground before him and stopped. He looked down and saw a knife plunged into the earth, a wicked thing with a serrated edge and as long as his forearm.
   "What the hell!" he exclaimed.
   "Pick it up," he heard a voice say
   Aaron hesitated, unsure of what to do.
   "I said pick it up," the voice repeated angrily. "If you don't then you'll be slaughtered like a dog, is that what you want?"
   Aaron stooped over and pulled the weapon from the ground, holding it in his right hand and rather surprised at it's light weight and how good the brushed metal felt against his palm.
   He turned back to Alita and was startled by what he saw. She had disrobed completely, dropping her long coat to the ground to reveal a lithe body of shimmering green. For the briefest of moments he forgot their perilous situation and watched in fascination. Alita scooped the damascus from the earth and discarded the sheath. In one smooth motion she held it against her right shoulder then swung her arm down, the weapon unfolding to it's full length accompanied by an assuring click that indicated it was locked.
   "Good lord you can't be thinking of fighting them," he exclaimed. "It's better to run away Alita, try to make it back to the truck and forget this madness."
   "And how far do you think you would get?" she answered. "I count only ten men out there, which means that we're probably surrounded from all sides. Remember that wall we encountered, if you ran now you wouldn't last until morning, take my word for it."
   Aaron sank to his knees and felt his body go limp. Fear was what one felt when one's life was threatened, but he was beyond that point, resigning himself to his fate at the hands of madmen. If only sleep would overtake him he might not even notice his death.
   "We're going to die," She heard him say.
   Alita could clearly hear the shouts of many voices as the men charged toward her, reddened eyes glowing in the darkness and frothing mouths. They held their weapons high overhead as they screamed to invoke terror in their intended victims. Alita had a mere thirty seconds to form a plan of action. In such a scenerio she would have rushed forward and engaged them head on, however the presence of Aaron complicated matters. She not only had to defeat the marauders but protect her companion regardless of how much she detested him.
   "Stay behind me," she said sternly. "Do as I tell you and under no circumstances are you to run, I can't protect you from a distance."
   Aaron's head swam and he fought hard to comprehend her words.
   "And use that knife I gave you!" she shouted. "It might make my job easier if you could kill a few of them!"
   Alita reached to her legs and swiped her hand across a small attachment strapped about her left thigh, releasing a swarm of insect-like projectiles that flew toward her attackers with a wicked buzzing sound. Aaron watched their flight in fascination then reared back as he heard a horrific explosion. It was soon followed by several more as the bombs homed in on their targets and tore flesh from metal. The sound was disorienting and he reeled back, trying to find Alita through the dust that filled the air. Three opponents were now dead, leaving Alita with a more suitable number of just seven to deal with.
   Aaron saw Alita bend her knees and hold her weapon straight before her, ready to pounce on the nearest one. The death of their comrades had done nothing to demoralize the attackers and they descenced upon her, rusted steel and pikes pointed at her heart. Only at the last possible second did she respond.
   The blade came alive in Alita's hands as she dodged and leaped amongst the pack, avoiding the awkward thrust of sword and staff and replying with a blinding swipe that decapitated her opponents or cleaved them in two. She worked furiously, sidestepping one attacker and striking another with a vicious kick that crushed his skull. All about her bodies fell to the earth, releasing showers of blood into the air that splashed Alita's face as she spat out the bitterness from her mouth. With only three opponents left Alita forced her mind from the heat of battle and focused on her objective, striking the nearest attacker on his head with the blunt end of her weapon and knocking him unconscious.
   "Your lucky day," she hissed at the fallen man.
   This brief action however, had distracted her from the two remaining attackers and Alita glimpsed a huge man race past on her right. She neatly blocked the thrust of a blade at her throat and pushed her final opponent backward, allowing her a moment to twist her head and shout a warning to her guide.
   "Kill him Aaron, if you don't fight then you're going to die!"
   Alita turned back to her own battle and engaged in a dizzying display of swordplay. Her opponent was much more skilled than his comrades and Alita smiled at the challenge he presented.
   Aaron was on his knees, stunned and shocked at the battle that raged just a few meters away. He realized that Alita was fighting for his life as well as her own, and he looked toward the weapon in his hand and wished that there were something he could do. At that moment he saw a pair of leathered boots standing before him and looked up to see a giant holding a huge blade of polished steel above his head, preparing to bring it down. Without thought Aaron lunged forward and drove his knife into the giant's left leg, causing his assailant to scream in pain. He reared back just in time to see a streak of silver cleave the air and take the giant's head from his shoulders, the remainder falling to a bloody heap at his feet.
   Aaron saw Alita standing over him, holding the tired expression of one satisfied with a day's work. Wordlessly she turned and walked away, stopping over one of the fallen and kneeling next to him. She lay her weapon aside and grasped the man by his collar, shaking him vigorously in an effort to revive him.
   "Are you awake?" she asked.
   There was no responsed from the unconscious man, prompting Alita to slap him several times about the face until he moaned, opening his eyes a crack to look up at her.
   "Good," Aaron heard her say. "I want you to take a message back to Barius. Tell him that I want to meet with him and get this business over with as soon as possible, and if he sends anymore men to attack me then I'll kill them as well."
   Alita slammed her captive against the hard earth, forcing him to cry in agony as he felt his lungs constrict. She stepped back a pace and allowed him to stagger to his feet, a young man with thinning hair and slim build, clutching his head and staring about at the bodies of his fallen comrades.
   "What kind of monster are you?" he exclaimed to her.
   Alita kicked him on his rear and sent him flying some distance away, crashing against the earth and resulting in a broken right arm.
   "The kind that would allow trash like you to live," she responded angrily. "Now get out of here before I change my mind."
   She picked her weapon off the ground and strode toward her heavy coat, pulling out a rag with which she proceeded to wipe the blood from her face and arms. Aaron watched the man limp into the shadows then turned his attention toward Alita. She seemed not at all affected by what had taken place and held the demeanor of someone to whom such extreme violence was a common occurance.
   "I've never seen anything like this," he remarked. "Nine men dead Alita, and you act as if nothing has happened."
   "Something did happen," she responded. "I've just arranged a meeting with this Barius so that we can conclude our business. That's why I camped in the open, hoping that we would be attacked. It seemed the quickest way to get the message to him."
   Alita sat on the ground and lay the weapon across her legs, running a fresh rag from one end of the blade to the other to remove every trace of blood. She ignored Aaron standing over her and concentrated on her task, hoping that he would leave her alone and not pester her with inane questions. Aaron knew her thoughts and slowly backed away from her, knowing that now was a time for silence. Though she had saved him he felt anything but safe in her presence, for anyone capable of committing such carnage must be touched by madness, of this he was sure.

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Chapter Four