Dark Realizations

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

03/18/97:

    Chapter 1

Once again I was back on Mydisia Base, for the same reasons
as there ever had been. I wanted to find out more about
Marn. He was an enigma and was going to crack it.

I just wasn't sure I wouldn't be dead from old age by the
time I did. Finding anything on Marn was more of a pain in
the neck then I could believe. Page had found nothing, nor'
had any of the people she had asked for help.

So once again, I was trying for the old fashion way of doing
it, I was going to keep bugging Marn until he gave up and
told me. It may not be the most scientific way to do it, but
it usually worked.

Turning a corner, I felt my trench coat billow out from
under my arms. The deep tan coat had become something of a
old friend in it's own way. It was kind of like Fox and his
army jacket. It felt right to wear it, almost as if it was a
part of me, made for going around like I was.

Brushing past someone, I stepping into the bar. Glancing
around I saw Marn in a booth in one dark corner of the room.
He was once again wearing the body armor, his jacket over
it. His one ear was twitching slowly, almost expectantly.

He was staring right at the door, and when he saw me come
in, his face became pale through his already white fur.

Walking accost the room, I sat down accost from him, and
smiled.

"Go away." He ordered, his voice low and very serious.

I shook my head. "No Marn, I need to talk to you."

He growled reaching around the table. He grabbed my arm and
yanked me around the one seat of the booth, until I was
right next to him. "This is _not_ a good time," he hissed,
"I suggest you leave before problems start."

I smiled a bit, though nervous. This might be a quick way to
find out what I needed. "Tell me what I want to know then."

He frowned, then shook his head. "Damn it Oriana, I'm not in
the mood to play and this is not a game. Leave right now if
you have even the slight interests in self preservation."

I backed up a bit, feeling my ears flatten out. "Are you
threatening me?" I whispered through clenched teeth.
Suddenly I really wanted to get out of there.

He shook his head, then nodded. "No, not directly, but if
you stay here much longer, you will end up deeper then you
could image."

I gulped, I could see in his eyes that he was telling me
more truth then even he liked. I nodded. "You're right, I'll
go."

I started to slip back around the booth when someone sat
down. It was a ferret of some kind and didn't look to happy.
His eyes shifted from between both Marn and I. He grunted.
"I heard you were a bit rusty, but I didn't expect you to
need help."

Marn looked at me, then back at the ferret. "Not exactly--"
He started, but the ferret cut him off.

"Oh, don't go all strong and tough of me. I know you're
ranking, it's not as if your the best." He smiled. "I
suppose this isn't the easiest of jobs for you now, so I
guess help may be needed."

Marn glance once again at me and frowned. I could see a his
mind working behind his eyes, and finally decided on
something.

He leaned back a bit, resting his shoulders on the back of
the seat. "Yes... it did look a bit rougher then I planed
on, being how long it has been sense I've had any real hard
work, and at times help is nice. It does come at a cost
though."

"Being?"

Marn smiled. "My partner here gets half the amount I do, and
half of the full payment in advance."

The ferret frowned, twisting his long neck slight, thinking.
After a few seconds he nodded, then reached into his
clothing and removed a small card. Punching something into
it, he threw it on the table in front of Marn.

"Twenty-Four hours." He stated, then thrusted a finger at
me. "And I want her there." Then jumping out of the booth,
he walked out of the bar.

As he left Marn slumped. "Damn," He muttered, "damn damn
damn!"

I started to slid around the booth, planing to go. "Sorry
about being here Marn." I quickly said. "I'll let you get to
your business."

He growled and grabbed my arm. His claws were out, and
digging into my skin. "Sit down now!"

I sank back into the seat, accrost from him.

"I was hopping he would decided I was asking for to much."
He said, grabbing the card from the table and stuffing it in
his jacket.

I shrugged. "Well, you get more money for this."

He keep his paw holding my arm, though the claws and
retracted. "No, it's nothing like that. He said he wanted
you there, and you will be there. If not we will both be
dead."

I went limp. "What?" I whispered.

"If you're not there he'll report it to the Guild," he
continued, ignoring my question, "and as there would be no
record of your death, or even membership. I would be killed
for taking you along like this. Then the Guild would hunt
you down and kill you as well."

I gulped. "What Guild are you talking about?"

He frowned, and twisted his right wrist, showing my the
badge on his jacket again. "I made sure you saw this last
time! Are you so dense that you can figure out what it
means?"

I shook my head. "I could find any record--" I started.

"Bull-shit! Anyway, what kind of guild do you think has a
symbol of a heart with a dagger?"

I shook my head again. "I don't know--"

He cut me off once again. "That's perfectly clear!" He let
go of my arm and leaned slightly forward. "Guess what,
you're going to find out a lot about me, first hand!" He
sounded like he was shouting, but was still mostly whispering.

He pulled something out of his jacket. It was basically a
tube about four inches long and an inch thick, with a
second, thin, four inch tube projecting from one end. At the
base of the small tube was a twist dial that had writing on
it's six sides.

Setting it down on the table, he looked me right in the
eyes. "First, I am a professional assassin." He spoke very
coldly, each word seeming to be carefully chosen. "Second,
and for you, the most important, until this is over, so are
you."

I shook my head hard. "No, not at all. I'm leaving now," I
said, shaking. Then started to stand.

Before I got even an inch, Marn had grabbed my arm and
pulled my back down, right up next to him. He had the tube
thing he had pulled out of his jacket in his paw, then small
ending against my belly.

"Did I not make myself clear? This is not an option. If you
don't go, we are both dead. If we pull this off and someone
finds out about you, we are both dead. If you do not do
EXACTLY what I tell you from this point in, you are dead,
and I may be as well."

I didn't say anything.

He frowned a bit. "Right now, it may be easier just to kill
you myself, here and now. Then pay a friend at the Guild's
records office to add you in, so when it's check out, I'll
survive it. Though it probably will take every cent I have
and then some to do."

I was shaking in his grasp, not sure what to do. Bending
forward a bit, he stopped with his nose right in front of
mine. "I would rather not do that, I like you to much. So
here is the deal, until the target is dead, you do
everything I tell you. You understand that."

I quickly nodded, unable to say anything.

He smiled a bit and let go of my arm. Taking the weapon, he
set it back on the table. "I knew you would understand."

I just moved back over to the other side, rubbing my upper
arm. "You would actually kill me?" I whispered, my voice
almost inaudible.

He nodded. "If I had no choice in the matter." He said
flatly, his ears drooping slightly. He shook his head a bit.
"Not with this though," he tapped the weapon. "I don't have
any kill drugs in it."

I nodded some, still shaking. He just reaching into his
jacket and pulled out a small box of silver tubes, each
about an inch long. Then picking up the weapon, he gave the
base of it a twist and pulled it down. It slid out the same
length as the grip, inside it held seven of the silver
tubes.

Twisting it, he pulled out two of the two, and drop them
into the box. Then carefully he pulled out two new tubes,
replaced them in the weapon and closed it. Twisting the dial
a bit over all six settings, he gave it a quick check, then
slipped it, as well as the box, back into his jacket.

Looking back up at me, he smiled, then pulled the weapon
back out. Sliding it over the table to me, he said. "It's a
Needler gun."

I slowly picked it up, resting it in my paw. It only weighed
a few ounces and the grip was soft. There was one hard part
in the grip that moved a bit as I ran my thumb over it. I
assumed it was the trigger, so didn't press it, though I did
keep the small end pointed at the table.

"What is a Needler?"

He smiled a bit. "It shoots crystalline needles. They easily
go though most any fabric and instantly dissolves into the
blood stream of the target. The only way you know you've
been hit is a slight sting. Then the drugs in the needle
kick in. The dial selects between then different types."

I nodded a bit, twisting the dial. I couldn't read any of
the writing in it, but it really didn't matter to me.
Reaching down, I twisted the base and opened the gun. "Why
are the six settings on the dial, but seven of the these?" I
tapped one of the sliver tubes.

He reached over and took it from my paws. "This one," He
said, tapping one, "Is the base mix, without it it's
useless. The next three are knock out needles. Ten shots
each. Then a five shot, short term hypnotic drug and the
last two are three shots each of death."

With a smile, he slapped it closed, then put it back into
his jacket. "The only draw back to it is the range. It's
only good for about eight feet with any kind of accuracy."

I nodded again.

"Do you have a weapon on you at all?"

I shook my head.

He sighed, then pulled a gun out of his jacket and set in
front of me. He also set two clips with it. "I hope you're
skill with it has improved."

I nodded some, taking the gun and clips and putting them in
and inside pocket of my coat. "Kalie was giving me some
lessons before I left. I'm still not to terribly good, but
better then last time."

He frowned a bit. "Don't use it then unless you have no
choice." He then stood and threw some money on the table.
"Let's get started shall we?"

I gulped and stood on my own. I must have been quite a
sight. My face pale, my tail on the ground and my ears
drooping into my hair.

Marn gently took my wrist and escorted me out of the bar.