City of the Angels:
Shortie by Lone Wolf

~I'm lost in the city, who's got the key?~

	It was around dusk when I approached the small town. It was like any 
other place I'd been to so far: quiet, dusty, and ordinary. That's how every 
god forsaken desert town is. But this place was different; I could smell it. 
A soft desert wind passed through, blowing my cloak to one side. I quickly 
grabbed it and pulled it back in place. If anyone saw my firearm, which sat 
in it's holster at my side, the local law enforcement would be on me faster 
than the Mentant elite guard on an assassin to the overlord. My tail, ratty 
and lifeless as it was, swayed nervously. Something was up, but I didn't 
know what.

	Every desert town has it's town center at the local well. I figured if 
I could find that well, I could figure out where everything was. That would 
be my first target. But for some reason, I didn't want to go further. There 
was nothing there, but I felt uneasy as I took each step forward. 
Eventually, I had to stop and sit down. "What is wrong with me?" I asked 
myself. I looked down the street. There were no lights, no sounds, nothing. 
I couldn't even find a ball of tumbleweed! It appeared this place wasn't 
just abandoned, it was abandoned for a hell of a lot of time. "If there's 
nobody here, why should I worry?" I took a deep breath, got to my feet, and 
continued on my path.

	I quickly found and approached the well. It wasn't anything fancy, 
just a simple, metal cylinder with a small roof to protect the water below 
from rain, a place for a bucket, and nothing else. I removed a small tool 
from my belt and put it to the side of the hard, cold well wall. I waited 
patiently as it did it's thing. "88% well capacity," the small LCD 
indicator read.
	"But that can't be," I told myself. "Anywhere with a well like this 
should be occupied." I pressed a few buttons. The LCD told me it was also 
pure water. This was becoming spooky. I looked around a little more. If 
there was nobody around, at least I'd try to find somewhere where there 
would be a bed. I needed to take a breather anyway. It was then I noticed 
something that I didn't before. I had passed right by a bar. And it was open 
and lively. "Seems like I found the locals." I b-lined for it.

	It was your average bar. The poor light showed me that there were 
various groups of guys sitting about, most drunk out of their small minds. 
The air reeked of booze, vomit, and blood. Right across from me, at the far 
end, was the old fashioned bartop, complete with the brass foot rest. I 
looked to the left, the right, and straight ahead before starting for the 
bar. It took me three steps to get noticed. Instantly, the males started to 
make lude comments. 
	"Hey there hot stuff!"
	"Wanna come home with me?"
	"C'mere beautiful!"
	My hand slowly went down towards my firearm. "No," I told myself. "I 
cannot plug these guys....yet." I pulled my hand to my cloak again and 
continued towards the bar.
	One of the males, a rather large and ugly wolf, came up to me and 
grabbed my arm. "You're comin' with me. I've got a room ready for us." He 
tugged at my arm.
	"Let go!" I cried, struggling with his grasp.
	"What're you gonna do about it?" He leaned forward to kiss me. 
Instinctively, my hand darted out and grabbed his left nut. "Ooh...aren't 
you the fresh one!"
	"No, just the smart one." I squeezed with all my might. He let out a 
cry that could probably be heard for miles around. He fell to the floor and 
held his groin. For good measure, I kicked him in between - you have to be 
careful with steel toed boots. "Try that again, and it won't be your nuts 
that get hurt." I immediately walked up to the bartop.
	"You must be new here," the barkeep said. "What are you?" I pulled my 
cloak aside to show him my insignia. "Oh, you're one of them hunters. I 
don't want any trouble."
	"You won't get any unless my life is threatened. Have you got any 
light ale?"
	"We do." He poured and slid a mug of it over to me. "What brings you 
to a town like this?"
	I took a quick swig and reached into my cloak. "I'm looking for 
someone." I brought forth a picture. It was of a male white tiger, about 40 
years of age. "He's been marked for observation."
	"Him? He's a techno-mage. You don't stand a chance."
	"Whatever you say. Do you know where he is?"
	"He's constantly hanging out at the graveyard just outside of town. 
You can find him there."
	"Thank you." I took another draft. "You wouldn't know of a place where 
I could rent a room for the night."
	"We've got a couple of beds up stairs. 1000 credits a night. If you 
want a door with locks, it's 1500."
	"Whoa! What's up with that?!"
	"Supply and demand." I grumbled and handed over my cred-card. He 
smiled, did his thing, and handed it back to me with some keys. "Room 5, 
third door on the left side." I nodded and finished off the ale.

	I doubt the room cost 1500 because of the locks. It was probably 
because of the fact the bed looked actually liveable. Or it could have been 
the fact that there was no way to get at the window from outside. But, my 
guess is that it was because of the shower in the adjacent room. To think, 
an actual shower with hot AND cold running water. It isn't like me to pass 
up an opportunity like this. After making sure the door was locked, I went 
into the adjacent room and stripped down to nothing. I set my firearm near 
the stall, just in case I needed to shoot something, and climbed in. To feel 
the nice, warm waters upon my sore, worn body was the best sensation I have 
had since I left on this mission. I stood under the shower head for a good 
few minutes, just enjoying it all. I allowed the waters to go their own 
paths, be it down my sides or between my breasts, I didn't care. A few 
minutes passed before I turned around and allowed the same treatment for my 
back. It was almost as if someone's hands were going across my body with the 
water. But I knew there was nobody else in the room. The soap (actual soap!) 
quickly became my new best friend as I washed myself down. I was quite 
refreshed by the time I finished. I didn't care what I did anymore, or who I 
was for that matter.

	I am allowed few luxuries in life. My paychecks rarely allow me to 
indulge myself in anything that is long lasting and very pleasureable. My 
white cotton bathrobe is one of those rare things. I always carry it with me 
on these long, boring missions. And this, unfortunately, was going to be one 
of those missions. I sat down on the bed and flipped open my 
laptop/communications array. I tapped away at the keyboard and pulled my 
robe closed (I lost the belt some ages ago. I must consider investing in one 
some time soon). The machine beeped, whirred, chirped, and made all sorts of 
humorous noises. Finally, a solemn face appeared on the screen: my boss. 
"Good evening Agent. What is your status?"
	"I just arrived at the suspected town and have located the target. I 
await further instructions."
	He smirked. "Judging by the way you're dressed, you just took a 
shower. It's probably been a long walk for you, so take a few hours for 
sleep."
	I smiled. "Thank you sir. I should really pay you back for such 
kindness."
	"How do you propose to do that?" I quickly flashed him. He turned beet 
red. "You have a warped sense of humor Ashy. Because of you, now I have to 
go sleep with my wife. When tomorrow rolls around, start your observations. 
What is the cost of the place you're staying at?"
	"1500 a night. But I get such comodities as hot AND cold running 
water, as well as locks."
	"Locks?"
	"Yes, locks. Apparently, some of the doors in this establishment don't 
have locks. And I wouldn't trust any of the males in this town for jack's 
worth of their insignifigant lives."
	He chuckled. "What did you do now?"
	"One guy tried to force me into his 'room.' To put it simply, sir, I 
need to polish my steel toes." He winced. "Is that all?" He nodded. "All 
right. Enjoy your night. Ashy out." At those words, the screen clicked off. 
I shut the machine down and put it away. Modesty was quickly disregarded, as 
well as the robe, as I climbed under the soft covers of the bed. Sleep, an 
old friend I haven't seen in so long, came to visit quickly.

	I sat up and stretched. Morning was here in full force. I put my robe 
on and went to the window. I had a nice view from there; I could see most of 
the town laid out before me. And I could see the cemetary. But nobody was 
there. "Didn't the guy down stairs say he hangs out at the graveyard?" I 
shook my head, deciding I would ask when I went down stairs. I had to 
re-arm, and quickly.

	"Exscuse me, sir?" I asked as I approached the bar.
	He looked at me. "Well, good morning to ya. And how are you?"
	I smiled. "I'm fine." This was an odd change from last night. If I 
was mistaken, he was a little less nicer.
	"Can I get you anything?"
	"Not right yet. Can I ask a question?"
	"Sure, go ahead."
	"That man that I asked about last night. You said that he hung around 
in the cemetary all the time. Where is he?"
	"He only hangs around during the night. It's damn near impossible to 
find him during the day." He smiled. "So, anyway, how about a little 
breakfast?"
	I laughed. "Sure, what's on the menu?"

	Bacon, eggs, toast, and cider. What a way to start the day! I returned 
to my room and contacted my boss again. He wasn't that awake to begin with. 
Well, my news was sure to wake his lazy ass up. "What's your status?" he 
yawned.
	"I just found out that I'm going to need to wait until tonight to 
officially start observations."
	"Why is that?" That woke him up!
	"The target doesn't come out until night, and I doubt anyone knows 
where he is."
	"Have you tried setting up a scan for him?"
	"I can't. The guy I've been talking with says he's a techo-mage."
	"Well, wait until tonight to try it. I don't think you should get 
anyone suspicious. What else did your contact tell you?"
	"The target hangs out at the cemetary at night. That's all."
	He sighed, obviously not pleased with the turn of events. "Well, there 
must be something of interest in the cemetary. Go check it out."
	"Understood. Ashy out." The machine turned off. I sighed and looked 
out the window. The cemetary sat there, mocking me. I had to go in; that 
was my orders.

	The cemetary was enclosed by a simple wooden fence that you would 
normally find on one of those old time ranches, with a locked steel gate. 
Since I wasn't about to find the groundskeeper, I hopped the fence. As soon 
as I landed, I spotted a clue: foot prints. They were obviously made last 
night, so I followed them. They led me through the omnious monuments to the 
departed and right up to one headstone. Flowers were placed recently. I 
looked at the inscription on the solid granet stone:

                            Julia Katherine Adams
                                 Loving Wife
                              Died May 18, XXXX

                     You will always be missed sweetheart.

	Under this inscription was a picture. It was that of a female white 
tiger in her mid-40s. "Oh...oh my..." I placed my hand on the stone and shut 
my eyes in silent prayer. I got up and headed back. "This is not good."

	I sat down on the fence. It was about eleven, so I decided to enjoy 
the desert air. It wasn't the best of seats, but the warm sun beating down 
upon my deep reddish fur. It felt rather nice. I leaned back a little. This 
seemingly boring mission was turning out to be an excellent little trip. I 
heaved a deep sigh. "I might just move here."
	"You wouldn't want to do that," a voice told me. I got off the fence 
and looked. A lion, dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, was standing 
there, watching me. "You're getting to nosy."
	"What are you talking about?"
	"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Keep your nose out from 
where it doesn't belong." He turned his back on me and started to walk away. 
I instantly bid a hasty retreat for my room.

	"Report Agent."
	"I went and checked out the cemetary. All I could find was a set of 
tracks to a tombstone."
	"What was on the tombstone?"
	"It was simple. Some woman named Julia Katherine Adams. I don't know 
what year she died; the year was scratched out."
	"Is that all?"
	"I think she was the target's wife. The picture on the stone was that 
of a female white tiger. And the grave was visited recently."
	"I see. I don't think we'll be continuing with the next phase of the 
plan just yet. Continue observations and try to set up a scan. That is all." 
The communique terminated. I instantly set to work on my machine. I quickly 
opened up a program and started up the scanner. A small dish thing popped 
out of the top of the screen and started to spin. I watched it as it did 
it's job. It was always amusing to watch. It suddenly stopped and slid back 
into the screen. I smiled and pushed a button. My smile instantly turned 
into a shocked look. According to the scans, I was the only one in town. I 
got up and went to the door. I could hear everyone down stairs. I went back 
and ran a second scan. It returned the same results.

	I waited for night patiently. I had a lovely dinner and returned to 
my room. I wasn't planning on sleeping that night. I had something more 
important to deal with. I watched the cemetary through my binoculars, 
waiting for something to happen. The lights from each building turned off 
one by one. Soon, it was almost impossible to see anything. I was forced to 
attach the night vision pieces to the binoculars. That wasted a good half a 
minute. When I looked back at the cemetary, I was in for one hell of a 
shock. I quickly took up my firearm, holstered it, and ran down to the 
front.

	I made an instant b-line for the cemetary. I knew the target was at 
his wife's grave site. And I needed to talk to him quickly. But I didn't 
know if he would be friendly or what. It wasn't a long walk to the small 
area. I wasn't expecting anything to happen. "You," a voice called at me. I 
turned and saw the lion from before. "Didn't I warn you not to stick your 
nose where it don't belong?"
	"Back off," I told him. "I'm on official business here. It is none of 
your concern."
	He pulled a pitchfork from behind his back and held it menacingly. 
"I'm making it my concern." He charged me. Instinct kicked in as I jumped 
into the air. I landed on his shoulders, tightened my feet onto his head, 
and flipped him to the ground. I hopped away, ready to fight. He got back to 
his feet and looked at me. He wasn't going down easily. I made the first 
move, launching a roundhouse at his face. Either he backed up, or I missed 
miserably, because I didn't connect with him. He frowned and sent me flying 
with a swat of his massive hand. I nearly rammed into the fence. I got to my 
feet and looked around. I wasn't about to unholster my weapon yet. So I 
picked up a few stones and threw them at him. He batted them away like they 
were nothing. 
	"I've got no choice then." I pulled my firearm from my holster and 
fired off a few rounds. They passed right through the lion. "Shit, he's an 
illusion!" The lion wasn't real. Suddenly, I saw someone behind him - the 
guy from the bar who had a misadventure with my boots. And another face - 
the barkeep. And the rest of the bar partons. And some of the towns folk. 
They were all illusions. I knew what was causing them. I cleared the fence 
and treaded into the cemetary.

	I came upon the white tiger rather quickly. "You!" I said, aiming my 
gun at him. He got up slowly and turned to look at me. It was my target. 
"Call off your illusions, now." He sighed and waved his hand. The illusions, 
I could tell, were gone. I lowered my gun slightly. "Who are you?"
	"Marcus Adams." His voice was soft.
	That was all I needed. I holstered my weapon. "I suppose that you are 
husband to Julia Katherine Adams." He nodded sadly. "I'm sorry about your 
loss."
	"It's okay. I've gotten over it in the fifteen years I've been alone."
	"What?"
	He sat down next to the headstone. "I've been alone for too long. This 
town has been empty for years."
	"You mean, you've been living here all alone?" He nodded. I sat down 
across from him. "So why the illusions?"
	"Because I don't want this town to be destroyed. If I don't protect 
it, your people will come and raise it. This cemetary will be dug up and the 
remains disposed of. I cannot allow that to happen." He looked at the grave. 
"I don't want to lose my wife again."
	"Then the illusions-"
	"The illusions were that of the people who lived here." He got up and 
pointed to a large obelisk. "That is the grave site of the barkeeper you 
were talking to. The lion who attacked you is over there." His finger 
trailed over to a crypt-like building.
	"Wait, if they were all illusions, what about the food? And the shower 
I took?"
	"They were real. I try to scare people away, but I'm not heartless."
	I nodded. "So you're only trying to protect your family."
	"This is my town, my city. The city of Angels. I cannot allow this 
place to be torn down."
	I got up. "I think I can help. I can convince my people to have this 
place populated quickly so it doesn't get torn down. Believe it or not, 
there are people who like this sort of rustic splender." I chuckled. "I 
wouldn't mind making this place my summer home either."
	He smiled. "Would you?"
	"I can always try."
	He got up. "Thank you....thank you so much! I can rest in peace now."
	I quirked a brow. "Wh-what are you talking about?" He motioned me to 
the grave next to his wife's. I went and looked at the inscription:

                                Marcus Adams
                             Dedicated Husband
                             Died May 19, XXXX

                 May he be reunited with his wife in heaven.

	I got up and looked at him. "You....you're an-"
	"Angel. Yes." He looked to the other graves. "I was chosen to guard 
these graves. If what you say is true, I can finally be reunited with my 
wife."
	Julia's grave began to glow. A form grew out of it - a lovely white 
tigress. She went over to Marcus and hugged him. "You're coming home now. 
They won't destroy this site."
	He hugged back. "I've missed you so, sweetheart!" They kissed. He 
looked at me. "Will you send the word to your people? Will you have this 
town populated once again?"
	"I will."
	He smiled and they both started to glow. "I thank you for your 
kindness. I will put in a good word for you." He took my hand. "Thank you." 
I felt a slight tingling sensation right before he disappeared.

	I returned to their grave sites the next morning. I laid some flowers 
down and said a prayer for each of them. Then I took my laptop and turned 
it on. My boss appeared. "Status Agent."
	"The target has been neutralized. It seems that the people of the town 
were illusions. The town is in perfect condition. We can move people in 
without having to destroy anything."
	He smiled. "That's great to hear. I will send word into command and 
they will start the move of people in. How many people do you estimate we 
can move in?"
	"About 1,000. Maybe more if we cheat."
	"Good. Your mission is complete. Come back home as soon as possible. 
And, oh yeah, great job."
	"Thank you sir. Agent Ashley Williams out." The communication 
terminated. I looked at the graves and smiled. "It's done, Marcus. You and 
your wife can rest peacefully now. I will make sure that your rest remains 
undisturbed." I walked away from the cemetary, through the town, and back 
the way I came in. I stopped and looked back. I saw Marcus, Julia, and what 
appeared to be the entire town's population. They were waving at me. I 
didn't know if it was a mirage, or their ghosts, or what, but I couldn't 
resist the urge to wave back. "I'll visit!" Marcus nodded. I smiled and 
turned away. It was going to be a long walk home. But I knew that I would 
be watched over.

End

Ashley Williams is © Lone Wolf