In the dark of night, a child was sleeping, dreaming away any troubles or sorrows that may have plagued her day. The residence was quiet, undisturbed; her parents were upstairs, tucked under their covers and giving light snores, wrapped in the warmth and safety of their bed. Not a single light was present in that little girl's room, save for the moonlight beaming down between the curtains draping her window. Though something roused her from her sleep: a feeling- sensation unexplained. She opened her eyes, groggy, and looked around as if expecting to see something, but nothing was there. From the edge of her span of vision, she saw something creeping along the wall opposite her. A shadow, cast down from the window and made visible in the moonlight. It grew larger, and larger- like a plume of smoke, until suddenly, it coiled into a monstrous shape: a serpent, baring its fangs. As the young child heard the sound of a violent hiss, she gave a piercing scream that would echo through the walls. Startled out of their sleep, her parents rolled swiftly out of bed and raced down the stairs, only to find a pair of menacing, golden eyes weighing down on them in the dark. They too found themselves screaming, light shining through another window as a mouth opened wide to reveal pointed, ravenous fangs.
Arriving at the tent down the alley from her own, Viper lowered a massive sack onto the ground. She surveyed the interior, finding her nameless neighbor sitting on a box and staring at a floating screen, which displayed various pictures and filled the air with voices. "What is this thing?" She found herself curious, sitting atop a crate as she watched with intrigue.
"Television." They both stared at the screen, which displayed a nicely-dressed woman on it, who was speaking. In the top right corner was another box, which had moving pictures of buildings, vehicles, and marching enforcers.
"Several residences throughout the Beta Sector were found to have been terrorized tonight by the local criminal that many have been referring to as, 'The Night Serpent.' While no fatalities were reported, homes were broken into; although many are still trying to determine whether anything was actually stolen, or if the criminal was playing some kind of game. The fugitive has been evading law enforcement, and can be identified as having yellow snake eyes, likely contact lenses. We'd like to assure the public that we are doing all that we can to catch the culprit and ensure that justice is served."
"Off." The man sitting near her spoke the word, and the screen turned to black, seeming to then vanish into thin air. It had been projecting from a thin metal strip, and while previously lit up, it was now dim and dormant.
The lithe woman turned her head and looked to him with some visible form of confusion. "What are..., contact lenses?"
He laughed at her. "Don't worry, about all that. Did you kill anyone tonight? Run into any enforcers?"
"I do not kill those who are not my enemy. As for the enforcers, I managed to out-maneuver them. They are not a challenge in small numbers; not with the gun."
"Good. And what did you bring back with you?" Viper slid from the crate and moved towards the hefty satchel, opening it up carefully as to not have its overflowing contents spill out everywhere. There were boxes within, cans, and all sorts of food products, taken right from the kitchens of all the domiciles she had invaded. There was meat, and dairy, and bread: likely enough to feed many families for a few days. "And so you continue to keep your word."
Suddenly, the tall woman turned her head sharply to look towards the entrance of the tent. "Get lost." She didn't know who was there, but she could feel a presence and would do her best to frighten them away. Her heightened senses could hear the panic in the intruder, and their heart pounding rapidly.
"It's okay, don't be afraid of her. She's not as scary as she looks, I promise." The older man smiled and had gentle lilts in his voice, trying to soothe the lurker. Slowly, a small boy peaked inside of the tent and wandered inside, one foot at a time in hesitation. Viper scrunched her face as she looked over the tiny human with scrutiny; something about small children made her incredibly uncomfortable. The boy was dressed in clothes that looked worse for wear, and appeared as if he hadn't bathed in some time. His hair, brown and matted, framed a face that couldn't be more than eight or nine years of age. "You're Erdwin, aren't you?"
"Erdwin F-Four, Sir." He stammered as he spoke, looking at the woman in black and trying to be brave. "Is-..., is that..." However, something else caught his attention. He saw the food peaking out of the bag, and his stomach audibly lurched.
"Viper, give the boy something to eat." The woman stared at her new-found, 'companion,' intensely. Why did she have to do it? Reluctantly, she reached into the satchel and tore a piece off of a baguette, pulling it out and extending an arm towards the youth.
"...Here." She looked away in defiance, as if not wanting to make eye-contact. The boy eagerly grabbed it from her hand, no longer seeming afraid.
"You brought all of this for us, didn't you? Is that what you were taking from those people?" There was an excitement in the boys eyes, as if he just made a revelation. He bit into the piece of bread instantly, tearing off chunks with his teeth and chewing at them in haste.
"All living things require sustenance." She stepped away from him, taking her place once more upon the crate. Looking to her neighbor, her brow furrowed. "I will gather the food as you requested, but I am not here to deliver it. You can do that yourself, old man."
Finishing his morsel, Erdwin ran over to Viper and wrapped his arms around her legs, hugging to her. This made the woman's eyes shoot open wide as she fidgeted and squirmed like a cat being held in a bath against its will. "Thank you so much! I'm going to tell everyone about what you're doing, so they don't have to be afraid anymore! You've only been scaring people to get us some food! Thank you, thank you!"
The elder man couldn't help but laugh at the woman's expression. "Now now, Erdwin. Give her some space."
"R-Right..., sorry, miss..." Slowly, the boy backed away. Sighing, Viper stood and grabbed a few more items of food from the satchel, giving the boy as much as he could carry.
"Run along and share." Excited, he bounded out of the tent and down the dark of the alley, giving a small cheer as he did so. Suddenly, however, the serpentine woman appeared to be all business, giving the man a stern look.
"I need more energy capsules. I held up my end of the bargain, you can hold up yours."
"You know, you never did ever ask me what my name was. Things don't have to be so formal." He reached into a pouch on his belt, pulling out several objects. They were tiny spheres, blue in color. As he offered them up to the woman, she scooped them up and stuck them in a pouch on her belt. "It's Hal, by the way. Now, when we tested your strength at handling larger firearms, you were definitely up for the challenge. Why don't we see how your aim is coming along?"
Bang.
Before he even had the change to blink, a bullet flew through the air and nearly grazed him, cutting past his side and piercing one of the barrels directly behind him. Baffled, he stood there in shock as some sort of liquid began to pour from the wooden container and out of the bullet-hole. "No! Not my ale!" Suddenly in something of a frenzy, he turned around and tried to clog the puncture with his hand. Viper took the opportunity to duck out of the tent and make her exit. "Hey, wait! Wait just a minute!"
The Night Serpent kept a low profile, ducking down alleyways and walking down the streets in her black overcoat. She could see them, the people of Delta, eating and drinking, praising an unknown hero. She observed them, watched the way that they behaved, and studied their garments. Suddenly, something made itself apparent in her mind, as if light had uncovered something. All of them, young and old, had those bracelets around their wrists. Those metal rings that were a signature of all those within West City. She pictured Hal in her mind, and realized something.
He didn't have a bracelet.
Hal, after managing to stick a cork in his beloved ale casket, found himself looking for something in a small tool-box. He pulled out some sort of device, which he put around his ear as a metal piece affixed to his forehead. A voice sounded, quiet through the near-empty space.
"Hal, is that you that just came online?" The voice was male. Young.
"Yeah, it's me. Listen-"
"Wait, Hal, before you go on, one of our agents needs help. He was gathering some intelligence and got himself in a sticky situation. He's currently being chased by two bogeys in Delta, is there anything you can do to give him a hand?"
Pausing for a moment, Hal considered the scenario. "Send me the coordinates and keep them updated. I think I have an idea." Patiently, the man waited for his neighbor, who he knew never left the alley for too long. She had already been gone a while, and sure enough, she returned to her own tent minutes later to find him waiting for her. "You want to kill Kaneren? I have an opportunity for you." Abruptly, he threw a small, thin piece of equipment at her, which she caught swiftly. The screen on the device was a map, displaying a grid of the sector and several, blue beacons. "We've got a lock on them. They're chasing a friend. Go and rescue him, would you?" She didn't even respond. She turned, heading out the tent, but he grabbed her arm and caused her to halt. "Hey." Viper turned, looking at him sharply. "Mess them up."
"If you are being deceitful, I will mess you up." The woman gave him a stern warning, feeling pangs of distrust as questions lingered in the forefront of her mind. Nevertheless, if there really were Kaneren running around, she wasn't about to neglect the opportunity. As his hold on her eased, she jerked away from Hal and dashed out the tent, her cloak whipping behind her.
Climbing to a high vantage point, The Night Serpent made way from rooftop to rooftop, tracking her foes on the scanner as she raced to battle. Her gun was ready, loaded with her new energy capsules and pulsing with life. When she finally reached the scene, a bright flash lit up an alleyway with brilliant lightning. She descended, hiding in the shadows and observing: there were three Kaneren. But who were they fighting? There was no sign of any human as far as the she could see. That's when she realized: they were fighting each other. Two of the Kaneren were ganging up on the third. They were levitating themselves, sending off bolts of lightning and blue energy toward each other. The one that was outnumbered looked to already have been injured fairly badly, and was attempting to hold an energy shield around his body. She could sense it weakening, and draining him of his strength.
Hal said it was a friend. How could he be friends with a Kaneren? He must be a traitor. That is why he has no bracelet. He is an ally of the enemy!
Outraged, Viper drew her weapon and fired the first round of shots. Caught off guard, one of the Kaneren took the full blunt of the energy blast, while the other had moved. As one fell and disintegrated, the other turned and discovered the woman, flying towards her as electricity surged from his hands and fingers like conducting coils. As she fired more shots from the energy-pistol, a shield was erected around the assailant, causing the blasts to be negated. Grinding her teeth as her eyes narrowed with rage, she quickly ran towards the enemy to meet it head on- but it grabbed her arms and knocked her down upon impact. Lashing at her with energy radiating from its body, it tore into her first layer of flesh along her torso and caused her to scream out in agony.
She remembered screaming, and trying to fight back. And then the pain stopped, and there was blackness.
Viper awoke to a stinging sensation traveling along her flesh as her eyes shot open in panic.
"They didn't get you too bad. Just a flesh wound, not too deep. I just applied some medicine to your wounds, it should seal the torn flesh over a period of a few days and prevent infection." She looked to the source of the man's voice, finding herself staring into two big eyes, bright blue and without pupils. Hissing out loudly in shock and rage, she attempted to move her arms to get a swing at him, only to realize that her limbs were chained down to the cold of the stone floor.
"Where am I!? Why do you restrain me!? Speak to me, Kaneren! As soon as I am free, I will spill your blood!"
"The restraints were just a precaution, I'm sorry. I spoke with Hal and he explained to me that you have a deeply-routed hatred of the Kaneren, and quite the temper. I wanted to make sure you didn't claw my eyes out before I had the chance to explain myself. Thank you, by the way. You really saved me, back there. And that's not something I easily admit." The man hovered over her with a neutral expression. He was as any of his kind were: tall, with dark hair and pale skin. His eyes, alien, looked her over with intrigue. "What are you?"
"I knew it! I knew Hal was working with the enemy! Why else would he lead me to you- to trap me! I should have known not to trust anyone in this forsaken city!"
"You're the one they've been calling, 'The Night Serpent,' aren't you? I heard about what you've been doing. Helping those families. Do you really think Hal would be working with the enemy? Hal, the man who looks out for the children?" His voice, even in tone, continued to speak. "I am not the enemy." Viper continued to struggle against the restraints in her frustration. "I am a Kaneren, yes. But I am not one of them. I have turned my back on them."
After realizing that even she was not strong enough to lift the metal coils that had been infused with the man's energy, she gave a sigh and grew more subdued. That look of hatred, however, did not leave her eyes. "You claim to be a traitor?"
"Hal and I, and so many others, are working for the rebellion. It is the goal of many to bring down the Kaneren empire." He sat beside her, refraining from lifting her shackles. "You're a strong fighter and a menacing foe, from what I have heard from Hal and partially from that display earlier today."
"You mean when that Kaneren got the better of me?" She snarled angrily.
"You took one of them down. Taking down a Kaneren is no easy feat."
"These weapons, the ones that Hal uses: the guns. They are effective tools."
"Their senses are heightened beyond what you could even begin to imagine. You must be quite the master of stealth techniques, considering none of us picked up on your presence."
"Why should I trust you?" She stared him down, her body relaxed in its helpless state, despite the rigidness of her facial expression. Rising to a stand, the mysterious Kaneren, dressed in black leather, moved to uncover something from beneath a piece of fabric.
"My name is Draziel." There, resting upon the stone floor, was the severed head of the Kaneren who had assaulted her. "And by the way, I finished off the other one."
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